"...Otherwise, you shall stay here forever!"
As these words were spoken, every heart in the Qingtian Domain skipped a beat. 'You all?' 'Who?'
But they quickly realized that if someone could be detected by Senior Bee Daoist but not by them, they had to be Nascent Soul masters! And the word "all" proved there was more than one—perhaps three or more.
The thought of several Nascent Soul experts descending upon the Qingtian Domain caused a surge of panic. Previously, a single Ling Qianjue had caused such a threat; what would happen now with so many?
While Ling Qianjue's strength was an anomaly, any cultivator who could reach the Nascent Soul realm in such a harsh environment was a peerless genius of their era. They likely carried true "Sect-Protector" artifacts. The only reason Ling Qianjue hadn't had one was because he couldn't gain the artifact's recognition.
The attraction of a Rank 4 leyline to a Nascent Soul cultivator was absolute.
"Can Senior Bee Daoist handle so many of them?"
But looking at the black-clad figure standing high in the sky, and his fearless expression, a strong sense of confidence rose in everyone's hearts. Though the enemies were strong, the Bee Daoist's record was one of continuous miracles. Since he had confidence, he would surely win!
After Qi Ping's warning was issued, the world fell into a strange, heavy silence. The rolling thunder had long since vanished. Qi Ping closed his eyes, silently waiting for the ten breaths to pass. The people of the domain didn't know if the outsiders had left, so they held their breath and watched.
As for the Nascent Soul cultivators, Qi Ping's arrogance filled them with indignation. Though the Rank 4 leyline was attractive, they were wary of Qi Ping's mysterious strength. If he had spoken politely, there might have been room for negotiation. But such blatant arrogance, treating them like non-entities, was unbearable!
"How arrogant this brat is! Does he think he's invincible just because he beat Ling Qianjue?"
"I've fought that old man Ling before. This boy is certainly extraordinary to have killed him, but since he struggled so much, he can't be that much stronger than us!"
"To think he dares to threaten us all... even Ling Qianjue wasn't that bold!"
"Good, good! We shall stay here and see how he handles this after ten breaths!"
"It gives us a perfect excuse to kill him. Otherwise, if we killed a cultivator of another domain to seize a leyline, it would be hard to explain to the Star-Sea Alliance. If he attacks first, it's much easier!"
"Indeed!"
Confronted with the threat, the cultivators of the other domains quickly reached an agreement. Although it seemed like a lot of communication, for a Nascent Soul master, these thoughts took less than a single breath. They wanted to see how this arrogant "Bee Daoist" would end this!
Ten, nine, eight... three, two, one!
In the silent, tense atmosphere, the ten breaths passed. Qi Ping opened his eyes, and a cold, indifferent killing intent shot from his gaze.
In the next moment, a heaven-earth power far greater than anything before descended upon him. The Mountain-River Seal, still crackling with residual lightning, was sacrificed in a flash! Then, Qi Ping and the seal vanished from the sky in the blink of an eye.
Moments later, a world-shaking boom rang out! Under this terrifying shockwave, the entire Qingtian Domain trembled violently. This was followed by a series of continuous, thunderous vibrations.
The combat fluctuations were even more terrifying than the battle between Qi Ping and Ling Qianjue! Accompanied by these vibrations were shouts of rage, fear, and agonized screams—none of which belonged to Qi Ping.
"Damn it! How can his combat power be this terrifying?!"
"Bee Daoist, the Star-Sea Alliance won't let you get away with this slaughter!"
"Aaahhh!"
The battle did not last long before the fluctuations ceased entirely. The hearts of the people in the Qingtian Domain were in their throats. Though they had faith in him, it was hard to be completely certain when he was facing multiple Nascent Soul masters at once.
Especially since the fluctuations were so much more intense than the fight with Ling Qianjue.
Fortunately, the familiar black-clad figure reappeared soon after. The Bee Daoist had returned!
However, he was now covered in several new wounds. The bloodstains he had just cleaned were once again wet with fresh blood. But that wasn't what shocked everyone. What truly left them speechless were the two mangled corpses held in his hands!
"The Supreme Grand Elder of the Sky-Fire Pavilion!"
"The Supreme Grand Elder of the Demon-Soaring Sect!"
Two shocked voices rang out. At this moment, the entire Qingtian Domain went mad! In fact, his name was likely about to spread throughout the entire Star-Sea Continent!
The Star-Sea Continent was one of the super-continents of the cultivation world, containing hundreds of natural domains. The Qingtian Domain was just one of them.
"This time, Senior Bee Daoist won't just be famous in the neighboring domains. His name will ring across the entire Star-Sea Continent!"
"Indeed. Those were the famous elders of the Sky-Fire Pavilion and the Demon-Soaring Sect. To think they died at his hands!"
The elders of those two sects were late-stage or peak Nascent Soul cultivators. Their fame was far greater than Ling Qianjue's. Because Ling had hidden himself, slaying him might not have caused much of a stir, but killing these two was a different story.
Slaying three of the region's strongest in a single day, alongside the birth of a Rank 4 leyline... it was foreseeable that this would cause a massive upheaval in the continent! No one could predict the consequences.
Qi Ping, as the perpetrator, knew that killing these two would bring no small amount of trouble. But he had to do it. If he hadn't, the trouble would have been even greater. The attraction of a Rank 4 leyline was too great; as a Golden Core cultivator on the surface, he had to use thunderous methods to deter others, or the trouble would never end.
Under such circumstances, he wouldn't be able to attract cultivators from the continent to the Qingtian Domain. He knew that having many people breakthrough here was the fastest way to increase the world's strength. The Dao-insights and comprehensions produced during their breakthroughs would greatly enhance the domain's providence and vitality.
'To achieve this, I must offer benefits. The Rank 4 spiritual vein grown from this leyline is my best bargaining chip!'
In the Star-Sea Continent, few powers were willing to let outsiders use their Rank 4 spiritual veins for breakthroughs because they didn't even have enough for themselves. Thus, even at a high cost, many would scramble for the chance! The value of a Rank 4 spiritual vein was incomparable to almost anything else.
But for Qi Ping, he secretly possessed an even more promising spiritual vein, so his personal need for a Rank 4 one wasn't that high. Besides, was anything more important than making the Qingtian Domain stronger? He could also use this to increase his control over the land! Others needed resources; Qi Ping only needed people to cultivate and breakthrough here! He was even prepared to open the exchange rights for secret techniques to accelerate prosperity.
'Another requirement is a stable environment. Whether they are high or low, anyone who threatens the stability of this place must die!'
Slaying the two elders was the ultimate deterrent. If anyone wanted to threaten this place, they would have to see if their heads were harder than those two.
Furthermore, Qi Ping had another purpose: letting two late-stage/peak Nascent Soul cultivators die here and return their energy to the world was another way to quickly strengthen the land. However, this method couldn't be used too often, or it would invite a backlash from the Dao. Qi Ping only did it because they had come to him; he hadn't gone out to hunt them. Thus, even with his Heaven-Earth Favor, he didn't dare overdo it.
He used the power of the land to slowly break down the two corpses. After some time, he had completely decomposed the two Nascent Soul bodies and merged them into the earth.
Ling Qianjue's storage ring had been destroyed in the chaos of battle and lost to the spatial void, but these two provided a decent compensation. Qi Ping now had two storage rings of Nascent Soul monsters and four high-rank 4 weapons. Giving these weapons to the Little Stone Spirit would be enough to nurture a powerful Nascent Soul-level combatant for the domain.
Just as Qi Ping was about to handle the aftermath and planning, his expression shifted.
"I shall be in seclusion for a month. During this time, stabilize the Qingtian Domain. The Qingyuan Sect shall remain the orthodox ruler, but I wish to see a domain that flourishes in stability!"
"Everyone may gain their fair share of benefits in the appropriate areas, but if anyone hinders the development of the domain for their own selfish gain, do not blame me for dealing with them personally!"
"Regarding the Rank 4 spiritual vein, I shall handle it after I emerge!"
Leaving these words, Qi Ping vanished, leaving the crowd looking at each other in silence. In the end, Wang He and Qi Ping's Treant clone stepped in to stabilize the situation.
It was now obvious: the Bee Daoist was the number one figure in the Qingtian Domain. If he wanted to overthrow the Qingyuan Sect and establish his own, he could do it with a single thought. But he seemed to have no such desire, only requiring the domain to be stable and prosperous.
As for the Rank 4 leyline being held by him, everyone felt it was only right. Only the Bee Daoist was qualified to guard such a tempting treasure.
On the other side, Qi Ping returned immediately to the Natural Sanctuary in the Cloud-Mist Mountain Range! His haste was due to the fact that his long-awaited new Druid class had awakened—though it wasn't the "Civilization Druid" he had predicted.
[Heaven-Earth Recognition: Met. Authority over world power: Met. Power of Living Beings: Met. Core threat cleared: Met. Bond with the world: Met.]
[Awakening conditions complete. Third Druid Class awakening...]
[Earth Immortal Druid awakened.]
[Generating Earth Immortal Druid talents...]
[Obtained Class Talents: Earth Immortal Body, Power Abrogation, Sentient Faith.]
[Earth Immortal Body: Upon becoming an Earth Immortal Druid, you merge with your Sanctuary. Prosper together, suffer together.]
[Effect 1: Complete control over all heaven-earth power within the Sanctuary. Formation difficulty reduced, spiritual energy affinity increased, world-rule affinity increased. Anything requiring world power can be assisted by the land.]
[Effect 2: As long as the Sanctuary lives, you live. Unless the Sanctuary suffers extreme destruction, the body can rapidly recover from any injury.]
[Effect 3: Within the limits of the Sanctuary's power, words become law. A thought brings rain, a thought tilts the heavens! (Spell success is limited by personal comprehension of the spell itself).]
[Power Abrogation: For enemies harboring malice toward the Sanctuary, you can strip away the world laws and spiritual energy around them. The closer they are to the Sanctuary, the better the effect. The limit of abrogation is proportional to the Sanctuary's total power. (For excessively powerful enemies, complete abrogation is impossible).]
[Sentient Faith: All followers and sentient beings who believe in the Earth Immortal Druid can become your source of power. The more followers and the stronger their strength, the more power you obtain. The strength of this boost is also tied to the degree of faith. Those with 100% faith can contribute all their power.]
[Talent awakening complete. Do you wish to begin the ritual and comprehend all class talents?]
"Yes!"
Facing the option, Qi Ping chose without hesitation. He had prepared for so long; this was the moment he had waited for! This class alone made everything worth it. But he also knew that these three talents would take a significant amount of time to fully comprehend and integrate.