A late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator had been dragged to the grave by an early-stage Bee Daoist!
This unbelievable scene had happened right before everyone's eyes. The three surviving late-stage experts felt their skin crawl. It could have easily been any of them; trapped in that array and hit by that explosion, they had no certainty of survival.
They were relieved it had been someone else, yet the memory of the Bee Daoist's madness left them trembling.
In the distance, the rogue cultivators were paralyzed with shock. Today, they had witnessed the fall of a great family and the death of a late-stage giant—someone they might not see even once in a lifetime. All of this was caused by a single early-stage cultivator.
Though he was only at the early stage, the Bee Daoist's battle would become a legend, a story these rogue cultivators would tell for the rest of their lives.
"Back then, I was right there. I watched from just a stone's throw away as the Bee Daoist, in his blood-red robes, fought four late-stage experts alone at the early stage..."
The news of the battle spread through the Azure Heaven Domain like wildfire. Such a rare event became the primary topic of conversation among cultivators; the Bee Daoist's fame instantly hit the top of the charts.
As more information was gathered, people realized the sheer scale of his deeds: destroying four Foundation-level families and finally taking a late-stage expert down with him. He was terrifyingly fierce. The only mystery was his motive; it didn't seem to be for wealth.
While the commoners enjoyed the gossip, the experts looked deeper. The Bee Daoist's actions caused massive waves in the upper echelons of the Azure Heaven Domain, even attracting the attention of several Golden Core masters. As Foundation and Golden Core cultivators themselves, they understood the vast chasm between the early and late stages of Foundation Establishment.
Furthermore, this wasn't just about killing someone above his level; it involved secrets known only to those at the top. Many of them had actually participated in the hunt. They knew exactly what he had been doing, the difficulty of his path, and the sheer fury his actions had provoked.
The Celestial Alliance...
This organization hadn't suffered such a blow in the Azure Heaven Domain for many years. Some experts felt a pang of regret; it was a waste for someone so talented to die like that. Had they known of him sooner, they might have helped him so he could cause even more damage to the alliance in the future.
Within the Celestial Alliance, the Foundation Establishment members were secretly relieved he was dead. With such a madman around, they wouldn't have been able to sleep soundly even with the alliance behind them. For years, they had been the ones harvesting others; they were the reapers at the peak. They had never been frightened like this before.
Compared to a settled local power like the Qingyuan Sect, they feared a "pseudo-invincible" lone wolf like the Bee Daoist—someone with immense power and no apparent weakness. That kind of madman truly dared to kill!
Fortunately, the madman was dead.
The Celestial Envoy, hearing of the Bee Daoist's demise, felt his rage finally begin to dissipate. The man who had ruined his mission was finally gone.
"Good! Good! The pest is dead!"
His only regret was failing to capture the soul for a thousand years of torture. However, except for Qi Ping, no one knew that the one who "died" was merely a Treant Clone that could be remade.
The matter was far from over; the legend of the Bee Daoist had only just begun!
Cloud-Mist Mountains, Qi Ping's Territory.
Qi Ping's heart was filled with immense joy. Killing that late-stage Foundation Establishment expert was worth 7,300 Black Market Points on his list!
Combined with the four families he had destroyed—which yielded 3,620, 4,380, 3,900, and 6,750 points respectively—and the scattered Qi Refinement factions which gave him 860 points, he had earned a total of 26,810 points!
Adding his previous balance, Qi Ping now possessed nearly thirty thousand points!
[Black Market Spirit Stones: 3,800] → [3,400]
[Black Market Points: 3,100] → [29,910]
And that was just the points. He hadn't even finished counting the mountains of spirit stones, treasures, herbs, and ores! The number of jade slips containing techniques and knowledge was staggering.
In terms of spirit stones alone, he estimated he had at least three to four hundred thousand, though the final count was pending. The total value of the haul was simply incalculable. This was a massive, life-changing fortune.
'With this many stones and points, I should have enough to buy a divination-type spirit beast. The rest can go toward fire-attribute herbs for my own cultivation and items to nurture the new pet.'
Divination spirit beasts were exceptionally rare—far rarer than comprehension or plant-type beasts—and thus much more expensive. But Qi Ping had to buy one.
Hiding himself wasn't an issue; with his second-grade Illusion Array and aura-concealing formations, he was isolated from the Cloud-Mist Mountains. Under normal circumstances, he couldn't be found. The only threats were a massive, grid-by-grid search or karma-based divination.
The latter was what he feared most. Only by filling this gap in his defenses could he truly feel safe sending his Treant Clone back out.
This experience had also taught him the true terror of the Blood Food organization. Even with the clone and the Life-Bound Pact for safety, he had to be extremely cautious. His best efforts had only shaken a tiny part of their operation, and he had only managed to take out one minor late-stage figure.
Against such a behemoth, no amount of caution was too much. With an animal companion proficient in divination, he would regain the initiative.
'I hope I can find a surprising divination-type beast in the Black Market! Ideally, one with strong anti-divination capabilities!'
Even if his Curse Immunity could protect him, the existence of his territory demanded he have a way to counter and neutralize heavenly secret tracking.