The "War-Powered Evolution" strategy was something Qi Ping had been considering since he killed Ling Qianjue. Originally, it was a way to use the remains of greedy cultivators to nourish his spirit vein. After becoming an Earth Immortal, he had refined the concept into a specific technique.
He called it the Spirit-Devouring Art.
This technique could strip the core essence from a living being, scrubbing away their resentment and will, allowing the essence to be efficiently absorbed by the domain.
It had two drawbacks. First, it couldn't perfectly remove all traces of the original owner; too much essence at once could lead to instability. Second, refining living beings could damage one's providence.
However, since his targets were invading demons and beasts, ancient records suggested that killing invaders actually granted providence. Thus, the benefits of the Spirit-Devouring Art far outweighed the risks in this particular war.
"Venerable Bee, we shall take our leave. We will investigate the traitors immediately. Contact us if you need anything!"
The leaders bowed and left with complex, hopeful expressions. Only Meng Tianqi remained.
"Venerable Bee, when shall we begin the test?"
He was dying to know how strong an Earth Immortal was without the support of his domain.
"Right here. It won't take long."
Qi Ping stood calmly and gestured for Meng Tianqi to attack.
"Very well! Pardon my offense!"
Meng Tianqi's aura exploded. His Profound Heaven Divine Physique radiated a majestic, searing energy. Laws of Life and Death swirled around him. The mere shockwaves forced Lin Yue and Wang He to retreat.
"What a terrifying pressure... as expected of a top Void Refinement expert!"
"His mastery over laws is incredible!"
But they were more shocked by Qi Ping. A man this strong was still bowing to their Dean.
The battle didn't last long. Qi Ping completed his tests in under fifteen minutes, and Meng Tianqi left shortly after.
Outside the Qingtian Domain, the other seventeen leaders were waiting for him. "Friend Meng? How strong is he without the domain?"
Looking at the shock in Meng Tianqi's eyes, they already had an answer.
"Friends, don't ask. I promised to keep it a secret. All I can say is that we should be glad we are on his side. Without his domain, he might not be able to beat the Heavenly Dragon's strongest expert, but he could certainly kill every one of us until we were all gone."
"Let's focus on our tasks. If we win, the higher realms will no longer be a dream."
With that, Meng Tianqi vanished. The others looked at each other and quickly departed to their own sects. They realized that for the first time in their lives, they were truly united. And calling Qi Ping "Venerable" didn't feel wrong anymore; in the world of cultivation, the master is the one who has attained the path.
Qi Ping returned to his sanctuary in the Qingyuan Mountain Range. It was a simple, refined courtyard he had built himself, reminiscent of the one Old Man Zhou had in the Cloud-Mist Mountain Range. Despite being a druid, he preferred a home on the ground.
He lay in a bamboo chair, a relaxed smile on his face.
"Boss, you look happy! Did something good happen?" A hand-sized fish swam out of a spatial rift, looking at him curiously.
"Xiao Meng? I'm always happy. Where are the others?"
Xiao Meng was one of the younger Void-Aether Fish, only about a thousand years old.
"Oh, right. You always are. But today your smile looks... more real. The others are busy building the spatial secret realm." Xiao Meng's expression became a bit shifty.
"You snuck out, didn't you?" Qi Ping teased.
"Yeah..." the fish nodded sheepishly. "Boss, I'm going to find Little Stone to play!"
The fish vanished back into the void before Qi Ping could say a word. He just shook his head. He didn't mind; Xiao Meng was hardworking and talented, and the secret realm was progressing well. He could move his entire domain's foundation there if needed. He had a solid backup plan, which was why he could relax despite the looming war.
'The path to immortality is long. I can't be worried from start to finish. If I were, how could I survive for a hundred thousand years?'
'I have plenty of life-saving means. I should eat when it's time to eat and cultivate when it's time to cultivate. I just need to plan carefully and develop the Qingtian Domain.'
His happiness came from the meeting. With eighteen top experts under his control through cores, oaths, and profit, the initial situation of the continent was stable.
He spent a full day and night sleeping in his chair. When he woke, he felt refreshed and in perfect sync with the world's laws. This was the peak state for enlightenment.
After tending to his spirit herbs, he sat in meditation. He had several things to focus on.
Primary among them was a battle formation for his bees. Since his Beast Sentinel profession allowed him to resurrect animal companions, the bees could afford to be much more aggressive in their formations.
'To break the limits of the Soul Transformation stage, the Yin-Yang Five Elements are the key. By merging their power, they can surpass the limits of their realm.'
'Then there's the issue of numbers. Void Refinement cultivators like Meng Tianqi are monsters of talent, but the swarm's advantage is its size.'
'Finally, the array foundations. A good foundation can multiply power. It can even allow a Soul Transformation cultivator to slay a Void Refinement one.'
Qi Ping didn't have such foundations before, but since contracting the Void-Aether fish, he did. They had gathered a massive amount of spatial ores and treasures from the void over the eons, including many at the Void Refinement level.
With these, he could create spatial arrays capable of threatening Void Refinement experts. He had gathered many spatial spells from the alliance and spent over a year refining them.
'My only Void Refinement materials are spatial... so the bee formation must merge the Yin-Yang Five Elements with spatial laws, using the spatial foundation as the core.'
With his deep understanding of laws, he progressed rapidly. He ignored the Life and Death bees for now, as he didn't fully understand those laws yet.
For over a year, he experimented, failing and succeeding until he finally perfected the model.
"It took over a year, but I finally succeeded!"
"I'll call it the Void-Spirit Life-Seizing Battle Formation."