Since the evidence of their crimes was clear, there was no longer any point in interrogation. With a wave of his hand, Qi Ping's Mystic-Gold Slaughter Array snapped into formation. The bee swarm surged forward, beginning their harvest in every direction.
"Does Fellow Daoist truly think we are soft targets? Have you considered the consequences of opposing the Celestial Alliance?" the President of the Huishan Chamber of Commerce questioned, his face dark.
Simultaneously, the aura of a middle-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator rose from his body. He secretly manifested a bell-shaped treasure, followed by a swift soul attack aimed at Qi Ping.
A soul treasure! This was the President's trump card. By layering a soul technique atop a soul treasure, he could catch even a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator off guard and inflict heavy soul injuries! He had only spoken to distract Qi Ping.
As the soul technique sped forward, he felt a surge of secret joy, waiting for Qi Ping to be severely wounded or killed. Though this demonic stranger looked formidable, he seemed to have only just entered the middle stage of Foundation Establishment. A sneak attack with a trump card should be fatal!
However, he soon discovered to his horror that his soul attack was like a stone dropped into a vast ocean—completely unresponsive! Instead, the demonic man before him curled his lips into a wicked smile. As a glint of strange light flashed from a different set of pupils, the President's consciousness was instantly dragged into a terrifying space.
In the next moment, golden sword-qi erupted. His body was sliced into several pieces, and his consciousness faded into nothingness. In mere moments, both Foundation Establishment cultivators of the Huishan Chamber of Commerce had perished.
Immediately after, Qi Ping entered a secret chamber where bloodfood was being refined. He cast spells to destroy all the bloodfood and the eerie arrays. Sensing the faint ripples of joy and mourning from the land, Qi Ping felt nothing but cold killing intent. Leaving behind a floor of bloodied remains, he turned and left without looking back.
With the Huishan Chamber of Commerce destroyed, Wang Shan's son should be spared the fate of being refined into bloodfood.
'The first one!'
Destroying a power that rogue cultivators viewed as untouchable was only the beginning for Qi Ping. Soon, a second organization was found and eradicated.
'The second!'
Then came the third, the fourth... the twelfth! Unburdened by hesitation, Qi Ping became increasingly frenzied. In just half a month, he had wiped out twelve organizations belonging to the Celestial Alliance!
Behind each of those twelve numbers lay piles of bones and a blood-drenched slaughter that showed no mercy. As Qi Ping's rampage continued, the image of a demonic figure controlling bees sent a massive shockwave through the Qing Tian Region!
The entire region entered a state of high alert as the name of the 'New Bee Daoist' echoed once more across the lands.
Inside the Celestial Alliance headquarters:
"What? In just half a month, five Foundation Establishment forces and seven Qi Refinement forces have been slaughtered? What are you all eating for?!"
The Envoy of the Celestial Alliance, dressed in noble robes, listened to the reports with fury. His face was dark with rage.
Another bee-controller! Hadn't the last Bee Daoist died? It had only been three years! How was there another one? He had only just forced the Qing Yuan Sect to compromise, allowing the Alliance to harvest 'blood-seedlings' from the lower tiers, only for this bee-controlling maniac to appear!
Moreover, this 'Demon-Shadow Bee Daoist' had a higher cultivation level than the 'Blood-Shadow' predecessor, and his methods were even more insane and relentless! In half a month, so much of the Envoy's hard work had been undone.
"Damn him! Increase the manpower! Kill this wretch at all costs!"
How many years had it been? Who dared to strike the Celestial Alliance like this? When had the Alliance ever suffered such humiliation?
While the Envoy was fuming and the subordinate Foundation Establishment forces were trembling, the high-level leadership of the Qing Yuan Sect remained much calmer. Within the sect, several Golden Core cultivators sat facing each other.
"Another Bee Daoist has appeared? Interesting. Is he one of yours?" one asked.
"No," the others shook their heads.
"If he isn't yours, then he must belong to those 'rats.' But if they have such a talent, how could they bear to let him out?"
"Who knows? Should we intervene?"
"Intervene? Do you want to save him or kill him? Let him be. That old dog from the Celestial Alliance has been overstepping lately. It's good for him to be taught a lesson, lest he thinks no one dares touch him!"
"What if our disciples see the bounty and decide to act?"
"Let them. He's just a middle-stage Foundation Establishment brat. How much trouble can he really cause?"
While the upper echelons remained indifferent, the disciples and deacons were thoroughly shocked. A new Bee Daoist? Slaughtering multiple organizations in a short time? More insane than the one from three years ago? And his targets were the Celestial Alliance—an organization that even the Qing Yuan Sect was wary of! Was he the original Bee Daoist resurrected, or from the same organization?
They could only say he was incredibly bold; they wouldn't dare do such a thing! Many felt a genuine sense of admiration. They had long been unhappy with the Celestial Alliance but had yielded for various reasons. Of course, while some admired him, others were tempted by the bounty...
'Twenty-four Foundation Establishment forces, one hundred and thirty-six Qi Refinement forces...'
Qi Ping calculated silently. These were the figures he had gathered after refreshing all the bounty tasks in the Qing Tian Region. This time, he would wipe out every single Celestial Alliance affiliate! He would cut off every one of their claws to see how they would continue capturing people for bloodfood.
For Qi Ping, this slaughter was only just beginning! However, he now faced a problem. As he moved, almost the entire region was being locked down. If this continued, he would be cornered just like last time. But having only destroyed a few organizations, he didn't want to lose this Treant Clone in a self-detonation again. Besides, his enemies likely wouldn't give him the chance to explode.
'What to do?' Qi Ping mused.
A moment later, he had an idea. 'In that case, why not play along with their scheme? If they want to surround me, why don't I set up the ultimate slaughter array and trap them all?'
That would be much easier than hunting them one by one. Soon, his counter-plan was ready. However, while he was heading toward his next target, a late-stage Foundation Establishment elder intercepted him.
Qi Ping's face turned cold. He assumed it was another lackey seeking the bounty; he had already killed several such men. Seeing Qi Ping's hostile expression, the elder spoke quickly.
"Fellow Daoist, wait! I come from an organization rivaling the Celestial Alliance. I am here to offer help! We can provide you with a secret base that neither the Alliance nor the Qing Yuan Sect can find!"
So he wasn't an enemy? No wonder there was no killing intent. Qi Ping looked at the elder with surprise but shook his head.
"I appreciate the offer, but it's unnecessary!" He had no interest in their help and prepared to leave.
"Fellow Daoist..." The elder tried to follow, but Qi Ping's gaze turned icy.
"If you follow me further, I will not be polite."
In an uncertain situation, Qi Ping did not want to entangle himself with this man. Seeing this, the elder grew desperate and blurted out his purpose:
"Fellow Daoist, killing like this is useless! They are gathering many late-stage Foundation Establishment experts to hunt you. You will be surrounded soon, and dying like this isn't worth it! Destroying a few affiliates won't hurt their foundation! If you are doing this to stop the refinement of bloodfood, you can't! No matter how many batches you destroy, they will just refine more! This will only lead to more deaths!"
By the end, the elder was nearly shouting, his voice full of powerlessness. They had tried to stop the Alliance's plots before, only to find that the more they interfered, the more people died! It was better to destroy the organizations without touching the bloodfood batches, or else the Alliance would just capture more infants to replace the lost ones.
Qi Ping's pace slowed. He looked at the elder, confirming that his look of helplessness was genuine.
"I am waiting for the moment they surround me," Qi Ping said slowly. "And as for the problem you mentioned... there is a way to solve it."
The elder was surprised by the first sentence, but the second one made his eyes light up with hope. "Fellow Daoist, can you tell me how?"
Qi Ping gave him a meaningful look. "By killing every single affiliate of the Celestial Alliance! I will kill every organization they have, and every organization they try to build. Anyone who helps them, I will kill!"
Qi Ping left those blood-chilling words behind and walked away, leaving the elder stunned. Killing every affiliate? Who didn't know that method? But was it possible? Yet, looking at Qi Ping's confident back, a sliver of hope rose in his heart. What if this Bee Daoist truly could?
"No! we must prepare as well. We must see if we can help him at the right moment!"
Perhaps this was their chance to thoroughly shatter the Alliance's influence!