On his way to the next Foundation Establishment family, the Gusu Clan, Qi Ping took a moment to organize his gains.
The bees had collected the spoils for him. Qi Ping had simply snatched the storage bags of the two elders and raided the family's treasury and technique library. After tidying the loot and removing anything that could reveal his location, he handed it back to the bees. They would hide the items in various locations and gather them later for a final tally.
'These families don't have many top-tier treasures, but the collective loot is substantial. Especially the scrolls on techniques and spells; they are vital for my research into the essence of magic.'
Knowledge was what Qi Ping lacked most—knowledge of techniques and the inner workings of the cultivation world. To him, this was the real treasure.
After sending the loot away with the bees, he submitted his task. As he did, he recalled an anomaly he had sensed earlier.
When he destroyed the blood foods, he felt as if a barrier had been shattered. Once the barrier was gone, a faint but divine power dissipated from the remains and returned to the world. Only someone like Qi Ping—with the heightened senses of a Druid and a high natural affinity—could have detected such a subtle shift.
'Is manufacturing blood food a way to seal away the providence of heaven and earth? Is refining blood food a way to consume that providence?'
Qi Ping felt he had found the key. What confirmed his suspicion was the inexplicable emotion he felt after that power returned to the world—a mixture of joy and sorrow. It had no source but seemed to be everywhere. It was a feeling beyond words.
Furthermore, he noticed that his affinity with the world had increased slightly. This was a pleasant surprise; a higher affinity brought countless benefits, including easier comprehension of the Dao, better luck during tribulations, and increased sensitivity to spiritual energy.
'It seems the creation of blood food truly causes significant harm to the world. Otherwise, such anomalies wouldn't occur, and my affinity wouldn't have increased.'
Only by performing an act that significantly impacted the essence of the world could one increase their affinity. He likely hadn't noticed it before because the quantities were too small; destroying three thousand at once had made the effect palpable.
Furthermore, this act of plundering the world and disrupting nature was something a Druid would instinctively loathe. Such actions were eroding the very world that Druids relied on to exist and grow.
Before leaving the Qi Family, he had destroyed the blood foods for another reason: to prevent ordinary rogue cultivators from discovering and spreading the truth. Knowing about blood food brought no benefit to the average cultivator. This was the cultivation world, not a mortal kingdom where "the people are the water that carries the boat." Once the secret was out, those in power might simply massacre everyone who knew to keep the secret and keep the rest ignorant. Then they would find a demonic scapegoat, kill them for fame and justice, and attract new cultivators to the area.
'Sigh...'
Qi Ping couldn't help but sigh. For the average person, living in ignorance might be better than facing a hopeless despair. As long as they didn't reach Foundation Establishment or become part of the tiny percentage turned into blood food, they could live out a mundane life. The only ones truly harmed were the world itself and the few victims.
'Perhaps.' Qi Ping wasn't sure.
But if this continued, the world would eventually lose all its spirituality and might even collapse. From this perspective, such actions had to be stopped, or they would lead to irrevocable destruction.
As Qi Ping sped toward the Gusu Clan, the mysterious organization behind the blood food went into motion. Losing Qi Ping once had already enraged the Celestial Envoy; now he had wiped out an entire family and destroyed three thousand precious blood foods.
They had to kill him, no matter the cost. They would not tolerate such blatant defiance!
Under the Envoy's command, the entire organization mobilized into a vast net. Once Qi Ping appeared, they would surround him and tighten the circle. Based on his patterns, they set ambushes in his most likely destinations. They even pulled in the ruling powers of the Azure Heaven Domain to assist in the hunt.
Qi Ping, of course, had anticipated this. When selecting his targets, he chose randomly from the ones he knew he could handle. The Gusu Clan was five or six days away—a significant distance—but he had chosen it at random. This erratic behavior allowed him to bypass the areas with the heaviest ambushes.
Five days later, he arrived at Wuling County under a veil of secrecy. After a brief investigation, he clarified the Gusu Clan's situation.
"Just as the task described. They have one elderly mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator. Their other early-stage elder died in the war."
"Only a thousand blood foods... fewer than the Qi Family. But they joined this organization only a few years ago and have already gathered so many; they might be even more ruthless."
Now that the facts were confirmed, there was nothing more to say. There was only the kill.
Flame Fist!
Finding the weak point in the Gusu Clan's array, Qi Ping unleashed a punch infused with an Explosive Flame Fireball, striking with everything he had!
With an earth-shaking blast, the low-tier second-grade defensive array shattered instantly! Immediately, a mid-stage Foundation Establishment figure soared into the sky from the Gusu estate!
The elder recognized Qi Ping's iconic blood-red robes immediately.
"The Bee Daoist? It's you!"
Cultivators often addressed each other by their surname or a defining characteristic. The elder couldn't help but sneer. An early-stage cultivator thought he could challenge a mid-stage expert just because of a few bees? Such arrogance.
"Foolish child! Today, I will teach you the chasm that exists between the early and mid-stages of Foundation Establishment!" the elder roared, launching an attack.
Qi Ping ignored the words. The moment he entered, he began setting up his arrays. To these people, a single word was a waste; slaughter was the only appropriate response.
Earth-Armor Bees... Universal Earth-Armor Array!
Profound Gold Killing Array!
Activate!