The sudden turn of events left everyone stunned.
The arrogant ninth-level cultivator, who had just been basking in his own sense of superiority, now felt his life force draining away. His head was severed; even with his high cultivation, he could only prolong his death by a few moments.
With the man's death, the pressure on Qi Ping vanished instantly. However, the mental pressure he felt surged to new heights.
Even with his Druid-enhanced perception in the forest, he had only barely sensed the anomaly a split second before it happened. If that sword light had been aimed at him, he would have struggled to dodge it, even with Barkskin and his Ink-Armor Bee transformation.
This flying sword was a lethal threat to his life.
As the head fell, a figure in green robes flickered into view, standing between Qi Ping and the remaining white-robed woman.
'Her?'
Qi Ping recognized the familiar back. Who else could it be but the green-robed woman who had visited Peak 007 several times?
However, her aura had undergone a massive change. She was now at the Great Circle of Qi Refinement! Furthermore, a powerful Sword Intent swirled around her.
Sensing that sharp, cutting aura, Qi Ping was internally shaken. No wonder she could decapitate a ninth-level cultivator in one blow; she had comprehended Sword Intent!
Her aura wavered slightly, indicating that the strike had taken a significant toll on her energy. Despite this, the remaining white-robed woman was paralyzed with fear. The cold indifference she had shown toward Qi Ping was gone, replaced by pure terror.
"Lin Qingshu... you... you actually comprehended Sword Intent..." the woman stammered, her body trembling.
"Isn't this thanks to you all?" Lin Qingshu's voice was calm, devoid of any emotional fluctuation, but to the white-robed woman, it sounded like the tolling of a funeral bell. "If I hadn't been heavily wounded by you last time, I don't know when I would have broken through to the Great Circle, let alone comprehended Sword Intent. Tell me, how should I thank you?"
"Sister Qingshu... what happened last time... it was Senior Brother Ning and Deacon Heiying's doing! We were forced into it! Whatever compensation you want, I'll find a way to get it for you! Please, spare my life!" The woman pleaded, tears streaming down her face as she tried to sound soft and pitiable.
Lin Qingshu remained unmoved. "Spare you? I am the manager of the Cloud-Mist Mountain Range. It was one thing for you to buy off informants on my territory, but today you dared to intrude here. Do you take me for a corpse? As for Ning and Heiying, I'll send them down to join you soon enough!"
With that, Lin Qingshu unleashed a strike she had been secretly charging. A blue sword light slashed toward the woman.
In that instant, the "terrified" white-robed woman suddenly straightened. A half-glowing talisman flew from her sleeve, radiating a terrifying pressure of lightning. Her fear had been an act, a cover to buy time for a counter-attack.
However, her lightning was far slower than Lin Qingshu's sword. Before the talisman could fully activate, the blue light sliced through it—and her—in one clean motion. The lightning flickered out as she fell.
Lin Qingshu turned her gaze toward Qi Ping.
Qi Ping's body tensed. Being this close to someone like Lin Qingshu made him feel utterly unsafe. Against an ordinary ninth-level cultivator, he was confident he could survive using Barkskin, his spiritual shield, or his Ink-Armor transformation. Against this woman, he had no such confidence.
Fortunately, she seemed exhausted, which allowed Qi Ping to relax slightly.
Lin Qingshu glanced at him but said nothing. With a wave of her hand, the purple lightning talisman flew toward him.
"This lightning talisman is a gift to you. Though you won't be able to unleash its full power, it might save your life in a pinch."
"Do not worry about today's events. They likely followed me here because they saw me visit you. Act as if you saw nothing; I will handle the rest."
"And if that insect-taming marauder appears, remember to crush the sensory jade pendant immediately. My promised reward still stands."
Without waiting for a response, Lin Qingshu wrapped the two corpses and the bloodstains in a layer of spiritual energy and vanished as quickly as she had arrived.
'Phew... how did this woman become so monstrous?'
'That was terrifying!'
Only after she was long gone did Qi Ping truly exhale.
'It seems even my swarm isn't a silver bullet. Against a genius like her, I might be decapitated before my bees can even react.'
'I need to raise my cultivation level as soon as possible. I also need to find a fire-attributed or wood-flame defensive spell to master.'
'In the future, I must be able to manifest both Barkskin and a defensive spell simultaneously. Only then will I be truly safe.'
This was his first reaction. To him, nothing was more important than staying alive.
He didn't doubt his swarm could kill Lin Qingshu. Thousands of combat bees in a super-formation would eventually grind her down, even if the cost was high. What he feared was her cutting off his head before the battle truly began.
'Next time I go to the market, I must get another defensive spell. Barkskin alone isn't enough!'
With a plan for his future safety in place, he turned his thoughts to the broader situation. Those two white-robed disciples were clearly sect members. They were likely Lin Qingshu's enemies from within the Qingyuan Sect who had targeted him because of her visits. Or perhaps they were from the Sky-Fire Pavilion and had tracked him because of the events at the market.
Regardless, it suggested that the Qingyuan Sect was in a precarious state. Either their internal civil war had reached the point of open assassination in their own territory, or the Sky-Fire Pavilion was acting with brazen impunity.
'The waters in the sect are truly murky now. Two late-stage disciples died just like that... I bet the mortality rate for sect disciples is higher than for rogue cultivators now.'
It was a real possibility. In a hot war, rogue cultivators could flee or hide, but sect disciples were bound by orders to fight or face charges of treason. In such times, being an unaffiliated rogue was actually safer. Usually, they weren't specifically targeted because they were the primary source of tax revenue.
'No matter how they fight out there, as long as it doesn't affect me too much—as long as I can farm, cultivate, and earn stones—it's fine. I might even find a chance to snatch some rare techniques or resources that would normally be unavailable.'
For now, he would continue to expand his swarm and maximize his survival capabilities. Then, he would wait for the right moment.