With the death of the Earth Lord and the total annihilation of the traitors at the Star-Sea Alliance headquarters, this suddenly erupted civil war was basically declared a victory.
This battle had essentially eliminated all the high-level cultivators who had explicitly joined the Heavenly Dragon Continent. Every Void Refinement-level traitor had already fallen. Now, the only remaining elements were the factions consisting of low-level cultivators.
After the victory, Qi Ping swiftly collected the spiritual essence and corpses of all the fallen cultivators, sealing all the essence. Only after completing this did he turn his gaze to the excited Meng Tianqi, Bai Liyun, and the others.
At this moment, they were looking at Qi Ping with burning eyes, as if they were looking at a god.
"Senior Bee, we won!" Bai Liyun laughed unrestrainedly, showing no regard for his dignity as an expert. The freedom of practicing the demonic path was fully on display.
"Senior Bee's calculations are divine. We won despite being the weaker side and suffered no losses. It is practically a miracle!"
This battle did not have the grand and shocking scale of staining the world with blood or fighting across the entire Star-Sea Continent. Instead, it began suddenly and ended quickly. Right now, many cultivators likely didn't even know the war had started.
But because of that, it was truly precious! To win while being weaker and at such a small cost preserved the vital strength of the Star-Sea Continent to the maximum, keeping its true foundation intact. The phrase "the best warriors achieve no great fame" was perfectly suited to describe the current situation.
Perhaps the greatest cost was the loss of several exceptionally talented top cultivators, such as the Number One Body Cultivator Gu Shen, the top-talented dual-cultivator Bai Yuan, and the deeply hidden master of the earth, the Earth Lord... If these people had stood on their side, it would have added significant mid-tier combat power.
Unfortunately, the Star-Sea Continent—having gone so many years without a foreign enemy's baptism—could not possibly unite as one. This was a necessary price to pay. Furthermore, in exchange for a Star-Sea Continent that had cleared all obstacles and was now truly united, it was worth it no matter how one looked at it.
Another pleasant surprise was that after the baptism of this battle, most of the eighteen people on their side had made significant breakthroughs. Especially him and Bai Liyun, who were practically born for this war. Both of them now possessed strong confidence that they could surpass everything in the near future; one person alone would be enough to fill the strategic void created by this battle!
"Senior Bee is mighty!"
"With Senior Bee here, we will surely be able to protect the Star-Sea Continent!"
"With Senior Bee leading us, a golden age is in sight!"
Praise rang out, and these words came from the mouths of the most elite cultivators of the current Star-Sea Continent. What was most striking was that these seemingly flattering words didn't sound hypocritical at all, for they were spoken from the heart.
The result of this battle was truly too stunning! It was a battle outcome they wouldn't have dared to dream of before.
Qi Ping felt a burst of joy upon hearing their praise. To be able to earn the heartfelt submission of the top cultivators of the Star-Sea Continent—looking across the recorded history of the land—could be called unprecedented for a thousand years.
However, Qi Ping did not take all the credit for himself. Instead, he said with a smile, "Fellow Daoists, there is no need for this. We were able to achieve such a result in this battle because all of us fought with our lives! It was not my achievement alone. Without your trust and assistance, the best I could have done would have been to retreat to the Qingtian Domain."
As Qi Ping spoke, his eyes were full of sincerity; this was truly what he felt. His gaze swept over the eighteen people before him, seeing their blood-stained robes and their physical bodies that had been injured and healed countless times. He saw the irrepressible exhaustion deep in their eyes and was moved.
While this battle seemed like a great victory, it hadn't been easy for anyone; everyone had to fight with their lives to achieve this.
"Since we have already resolved to fight, there is no need for so much polite talk. In the future, all of you may enjoy the favor of the mountains, rivers, and Providence within the Qingtian Domain. When you undergo the Tribulation of Lightning for a breakthrough, I will do my best to protect you!"
"However, this battle is not quite over yet. There are still many powerful sects behind the cultivators we just killed. We must hurry and eliminate them now, lest they cause too much unrest and damage our foundation. We must first clear all unstable factors!"
"Thank you, Senior Bee! We are willing to continue fighting with you!"
After some discussion, Qi Ping and Meng Tianqi decided to split into two groups. One group consisted of Qi Ping and the Demon Blade Bai Liyun, forming the most mobile team. The other group was led by Meng Tianqi and the other sixteen people.
The reason for doing this was that the task of clearing out the remaining factions was also a troublesome matter. Although the top experts of these factions were dead, the sects' own foundations remained formidable. Those with ten thousand years of heritage and various hidden cards were not easy to deal with.
It could be said that if these remaining factions were willing to strike, they could turn their respective regions into rivers of blood in an instant! Or they could ruin the terrestrial and spiritual veins of their locations.
Qi Ping and the others were absolutely unwilling to bear such a price. The Star-Sea Continent had already lost many top experts; if they lost so many lower-level cultivators as well, it would be a severe blow. Thus, Qi Ping and his group had to clear all the hidden dangers before these factions began their slaughter.
As it turned out, their worries were well-founded. Just as they had split into two groups and begun to clear the remaining factions, news arrived through message talismans of large-scale massacres starting in several regions.
When top cultivators struck on such a scale, it took only a moment for blood to flow like rivers and for corpses to cover the fields!
The cause of this phenomenon was that some of the doomed cultivators at the Star-Sea Alliance headquarters had ordered their sects to begin indiscriminate massacres and the destruction of ley lines and spiritual veins before they died! The goal of these madmen was simple: since I cannot live, let everything be destroyed together!
"These madmen... they have truly begun to slaughter ordinary cultivators!" Bai Liyun looked at the waves of massacre reports appearing in the message talismans. His face was exceptionally grim, and an incredibly intense killing intent erupted from his eyes!
In just this short period, no fewer than five factions had begun their slaughter and destruction. Millions of cultivators had fallen, and many ley lines had been severed... It could be said that the losses were catastrophic in a short time. The terrifying destructive power of cultivators was fully displayed in this moment.
"Fortunately, Senior Bee, you had the foresight to arrange eyes in every location beforehand so the latest intelligence could be transmitted immediately... Otherwise, I truly don't know how much more loss would have been caused!" Bai Liyun said, his eyes full of relief.
Faced with Bai Liyun's words, Qi Ping merely nodded but did not speak. He silently led Bai Liyun through a teleportation array, pushing his spatial power to the absolute limit to reach the location of the incident as quickly as possible.
Baidi City, Fengshen Domain
When Qi Ping emerged from the spatial tunnel with Bai Liyun, he was shocked by the tragic scene before him. This most prosperous holy city in the Fengshen Domain—a place where over a million cultivators lived—was now in a state of utter ruin.
Almost all the buildings had collapsed. Those living cultivators were now mostly mangled corpses. Blood and minced meat were mixed together, forming dense rivers of blood within the city. Countless heads, internal organs, and severed arms floated on the surface, and those heads still carried expressions of terror and confusion.
These hideous rivers of blood intertwined like a dense network of blood vessels, sketching out a picture of a purgatory on earth. An incredibly terrifying wave of resentment converged above Baidi City. The sounds of wailing had been incessant since the beginning.
Above this scene, cultivators of the Soul Transformation, Nascent Soul, and Golden Core stages were madly carrying out the slaughter...
"Damn you!" Qi Ping's eyes were cold to the extreme, and bursts of vigorous killing intent erupted from his body.
Although he had prepared himself for the death of many cultivators, such a scene still exceeded his expectations. Those hundreds of thousands of dead cultivators were all living beings! They were the foundation of the Star-Sea Continent!
Perhaps many of them were evildoers, but more were like Old Man Zhou or Big Brother Wang Shan—ordinary cultivators who worked hard day after day for their cultivation and lives, possessing their own hopes, joys, and sorrows.
For someone like Qi Ping who had risen from the bottom, this felt completely different. Especially after he had comprehended the intent of heaven, earth, and all living things, he could clearly feel the terrified emotions of every cultivator and spirit beast before their deaths...
All of these perceptions caused Qi Ping's foundation to boil with rage. The erupting killing intent even completely shocked Bai Liyun beside him.
"Unforgivable!"
Qi Ping did not hesitate to strike. In the blink of an eye, he appeared before a Soul Transformation cultivator. Amidst the person's terrified gaze, he annihilated him instantly, leaving only a portion of the consciousness and soul to be thrown into the place where the resentment had gathered.
In an instant, under that resentment, the Soul Transformation cultivator let out an incredibly shrill scream...
Qi Ping chose to do this for two reasons: one was to torture these cultivators who had committed such a monstrous slaughter, and the other was to wear down the resentment. For a world, the prosperity of living beings would give birth to countless opportunities and natural treasures. However, if the resentment was too heavy, it would bring about unpredictable mutations and unspeakable horrors. Such a situation would be troublesome even for Qi Ping as an Earth Immortal.
Fortunately, the executioners were still there. As long as these souls were beaten until they lost the ability to resist and then handed over to be tortured by that terrifying resentment, there was a high probability of resolving the issue.
Many ancient records mentioned similar situations. Once such resentment merged with the world, it would give birth to incredibly terrifying beings or cause irreparable disasters. There had been reports of strange creatures that easily wiped out several large domains, and bizarre plagues that even drove Void Refinement cultivators into madness!
Thus, at this juncture, the Star-Sea Continent absolutely could not allow such things to appear. Qi Ping hadn't expected this legendary resentment phenomenon to form like this.
"Find every person who participated in this slaughter. I want them all to die after suffering endless torment!" Qi Ping released the Little Immortal Tiger during the slaughter and gave this command without any pause.
After emerging, the Little Immortal Tiger was also startled by the terrifying scene below. Thus, without any question, it immediately began its calculations. With its ability, it easily pinpointed the locations of those cultivators. In a short while, it transmitted the positions of every cultivator to Qi Ping's consciousness.
"Good, very good!"
Having obtained the locations, Qi Ping immediately commanded the bee swarms he had just released.
"For the next stage of the slaughter, the Yin-attributed, soul-type bees will be responsible for capturing the souls. The other bees will handle the suppression. We will send them all into the resentment phenomenon to suffer endless torment! Not a single cultivator who participated in this slaughter shall remain!"
In an instant, Qi Ping's command spread through all the bee swarms! The bees who were currently slaughtering madly in Baidi City responded in unison, 'Bzz... (Understood, Boss! We will surely complete the task!)'
The advantage of Qi Ping's bee swarm was fully displayed. Under the ravages of the overwhelming Nascent Soul and Soul Transformation-level bees, the cultivators above Baidi City were quickly cleared out! Except for a few who self-detonated their souls, every cultivator who had caused the slaughter had their soul captured and thrown into the place of resentment to endure endless torment!
However, the resolution of the slaughter in Baidi City did not mean the end. At this moment, various massacres were occurring not just here, but across the entire Fengshen Domain!
Thus, after resolving the situation here, Qi Ping tore through space and sent his swarms out. He himself led a swarm toward the next holy city, which was second only to Baidi City.
But when Qi Ping arrived, the situation here was even more tragic than in Baidi City. In this massive holy city, only a few people had survived...
The terrifying resentment almost made Qi Ping want to go mad. The bond with heaven, earth, and all living beings brought him great power, but it also had its negative effects. Fortunately, compared to this resentment, the indestructible will brought by the Qingtian Domain was even more powerful. Qi Ping's desire to go mad was merely because his anger had soared to a level unreachable by normal beings...
Thus, Qi Ping cast aside all other thoughts. Now, he only wanted to slaughter with the greatest speed, killing every traitor and every being with heavy karma on the Star-Sea Continent until none remained!
It was in this emotional state that Qi Ping entered a state of slaughter that was incredibly terrifying and shocking to behold...