"Have the Twin Demonesses been found?"
When Meng Yan's message arrived, Qi Ping felt no great disturbance. He was confident he could handle two Qi Refining Stage Cultivators.
It was just a slight pity that his cultivation to Qi Refining Stage Eight had been interrupted, as he had planned to do it in one go.
However, returning to Cultivate later would not have a significant impact on him.
He who accepts a task is loyal to the task.
Since Qi Ping had given Meng Yan his promise, he would naturally fight alongside him in the coming time, helping Meng Yan achieve victory and preserve his life within his capabilities.
This was the principle Qi Ping adhered to after increasingly comprehending his Dao Heart.
There is give and take.
He held a scale in his heart, not wishing to be a villain who only took and never gave back, but also not wanting to be bound by gratitude.
Seeing that it was not long until midnight, Qi Ping meticulously prepared.
Bees, Crow, Talismans... Qi Ping dared not be careless with any of the necessary battle preparations and plans.
Even with sufficient confidence, there was always the possibility of capsizing in a ditch, and there were too many instances of people being counter-killed by weaker enemies due to carelessness.
Moreover, the combined combat power of these two Twin Demonesses had almost caused Meng Yan, an Elder Disciple who had comprehended the true meaning of Law, to fail. No one could be sure if these two were hiding even greater strength.
After making thorough preparations, Qi Ping transformed into a Mo Jia Bee and approached the agreed location with Meng Yan before midnight.
Before entering the agreed location, Qi Ping first dispatched his Bee Swarm to search carefully.
Under the Bees' observation, Meng Yan was already waiting there.
To Qi Ping's surprise, the Honeybees, despite their very covert probing, were still detected by Meng Yan. Fortunately, there were not many Honeybees, and they retreated in time, preventing Meng Yan from investigating further.
His perception was so keen that it seemed to surpass even that of the Green-robed Woman.
Only after Qi Ping confirmed there was no danger did he revert to human form, taking on the middle-aged man's face, and simultaneously used the Fetal Breath Art given by Meng Yan to conceal all his aura.
A moment later, Qi Ping saw Meng Yan, standing under the tree like an iron tower, robust and strong.
"Brother Qi, you've finally arrived!"
Upon seeing Qi Ping, Meng Yan smiled and said.
"My apologies, Brother Meng, for making you wait!"
"The timing is just right!"
"What's the situation with those two Demonesses? You mentioned other helpers appeared beside them?"
"A scoundrel from Heavenly Fire Pavilion. His strength isn't outstanding; he's just an ordinary Qi Refining Stage Nine Cultivator, not even a match for Crow. With your addition, Brother Qi, it won't have much impact!"
"That's good! How should we proceed with the battle?"
"They and that Heavenly Fire Pavilion Disciple are on Tian Qing Mountain, preparing to jointly open a hidden Immortal Cave. It's an Immortal Cave left by a Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivator, but in fact, it was emptied by an Elder of Qingyuan Sect more than ten years ago. Besides the defensive Formation, there's nothing inside. Once they've expended a good deal of energy attacking the Formation, we can just encircle and kill them."
Speaking of this, Meng Yan shook his head with a hint of helplessness:
"These Sect Disciples with good Talent always believe they are favored by Luck, and they always like to explore Secret Realms and compete for resources on their cultivation path; but little do they know that some places are specifically designed traps and graves for them."
Qi Ping's heart tightened at these words.
Meng Yan's words not only applied to those talented Sect Disciples, but even many Loose Cultivators harbored such a mentality.
But Qi Ping always felt that the concept of Opportunity was the most unreliable, especially concerning Secret Realms and Legacies.
He could never quite understand one thing: under what conditions and mindset would a person, or a Sect, specifically leave Opportunities and Legacies for future generations?
After inferring multiple times from the fundamental nature of humanity, Qi Ping always felt that the possibility of a trap was far greater than the possibility of an Opportunity.
This was also the reason Qi Ping had always been quite resistant to the notions of Secret Realms and Opportunities.
There must certainly be unprovoked good in the Cultivation World, but Qi Ping was unwilling to believe such things would happen to him, or unwilling to bet that such things would happen to him.
Why would someone's lifelong hard-earned possessions be left for free to future generations?
Honestly, Qi Ping would absolutely not do this.
So, compared to Opportunity, Qi Ping believed more in mutual benefit through exchange of interests and cooperation.
Recalling past experiences.
He saved Nan Jie's life, and through their past interactions, he earned Nan Jie's trust, which allowed him to acquire the Demon Insect Breeding Handbook by chance.
The acquisition of the Fire Crow was also based on his long-standing cooperative trust with Boss Gao.
And the Magic Insect King beneath the blood ginseng. If he had rashly dug in and entered at the beginning, it would most likely have resulted in his Divine Soul being shattered by the Magic Insect King.
In short, Qi Ping did not believe in unprovoked love.
Nan Jie, Boss Gao, and Old Zhou were willing to trust him because his past actions and character made them willing to trust him. This was also the principle Qi Ping adhered to.
Based on trust, achieving win-win cooperation through the exchange of interests, allowing both parties to gain sufficient benefits.
Qi Ping even felt that if he hadn't had Boss Gao's approval, he wouldn't have had the Opportunity to connect with Meng Yan.
It's just a pity that most people harbor a survivor's bias, always feeling that perhaps they are special, perhaps they are the lucky ones.
Meng Yan's words today also served as a warning to Qi Ping: Opportunity is not to be trusted!
The Immortal Cave that the Demonesses now considered a lucky find was clearly just a monitor and a trap set by the Qingyuan Sect.
This made Qi Ping even more wary of the Immortal Cave where Nan Jie obtained the Demon Insect Breeding Handbook on Area A, Peak Seven.
Without absolute certainty and thorough preparation, it must not be opened!
Otherwise, it might be stepping into a deadly trap!
Upon reaching the foot of Tian Qing Mountain, Meng Yan said they should wait there.
During this time, Meng Yan occasionally looked at a strange black stone in his hand.
However, Qi Ping could not see any abnormality or change; it seemed only Meng Yan himself could perceive it.
Although Qi Ping was somewhat curious, Meng Yan did not introduce it, so he did not ask. Instead, he controlled his gaze not to fall on the object; at the same time, he secretly warned himself to be more careful, as there were simply too many unknown methods in the Cultivation World, and it was easy to fall into others' traps by accident.
And this subtle action of Qi Ping's couldn't help but make Meng Yan feel a hint of goodwill.
Cooperating with an ally who knew his place was indeed more comfortable and trustworthy. Otherwise, with a foolish ally who didn't know his place, who knew what he might do at a critical moment?
After the two had waited at the foot of Tian Qing Mountain for quite some time, Meng Yan's lips curled into a smile:
"Brother Qi, the time is right. We can make our move!"
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