What had happened?
The Celestial Alliance Golden Core stared in shock at Adept Xuanji, a Perfected Golden Core cultivator. Xuanji was one of the most famous Heavenly Secret masters in the surrounding regions. He had mastered divination at a young age, and it was said that he could calculate anything unless it involved a Nascent Soul or higher.
But as soon as he began his calculation, half his hair turned white, and his face aged a hundred years. Combined with his terrified and furious gaze, the Golden Core expert could guess the truth. But he couldn't imagine how a mere Foundation Establishment 'Bee Daoist' could have such power backing him.
"Fellow Daoist Xuanji? Did you divine some terrifying existence behind the Bee Daoist?" he asked cautiously.
Xuanji's rage exploded. "What else do you want to check? What else?! Are you trying to kill me on purpose? I haven't even found anything and I've already lost half my life and two hundred years of lifespan! And you want me to keep looking?!"
Xuanji was going mad. He hadn't found a single clue, yet his lifespan and vitality were heavily drained. He had hoped to earn a fortune from the Alliance to gather resources for his Nascent Soul breakthrough. Now, his path was half-broken!
The Alliance Golden Core felt as though the heavens were falling. The Bee Daoist was still a ghost, and they would have to pay a massive price to appease Xuanji, or this matter would never end. Xuanji's background was not simple; offending him would make life in the region even harder for the Alliance. They had to swallow the loss. It was a disastrous trade!
But who was the Bee Daoist? What kind of titan stood behind him that could cause such a backlash? The terror in Xuanji's eyes was not faked!
While Xuanji and the Alliance experts were collapsing, the atmosphere in the Natural Sanctuary was completely different.
"Awoo... (Wow! Big Brother, the protection from Heaven and Earth around you has grown so much stronger! That's why the enemy was wounded in an instant!)" The tiger stared with wide eyes. The power of that counter-attack was heart-stopping.
As an auspicious beast, it knew the value of that backlash. It could only say its Big Brother was incredible! Its providence had guided it to a truly extraordinary master. Whether it was luck or raw power, he was terrifying. With this protection and an auspicious beast by his side, anyone trying to divine this place was essentially committing suicide. If the tiger were a bit stronger, it might have been able to guide the backlash to kill the diviner outright!
'Is it that much stronger?'
Qi Ping recalled that every time he destroyed a batch of bloodfood and let the creation-energy return to the land, he could feel his connection to the world deepening. He wasn't sure if everyone could get this kind of favor, or if it was because of his Druid identity and Dao-Heart. He suspected it was a combination of his mindset, actions, and identity. The power of the land was profound and would naturally favor those who aligned with it—and a Druid was the perfect fit.
Regardless, it was a good thing. It didn't conflict with his immortal path. This effect was perfect for his plan to stay in the mountains and develop in peace.
"Awoo... (And the luck around you seems to have increased too! Anyway, with me here and that protection, no one will ever find you...)"
"Good boy."
Qi Ping rubbed the tiger's head and began tallying the spoils of his campaign. First was the breakthrough to the Second Realm of the Dao-Heart, and the significant boost to his Grace of Heaven and Earth talent. He could clearly feel that the region's natural power had grown slightly after he destroyed the bloodfood. Though the increase was small, it had stopped the decline. As the region prospered, his own power would grow with it.
Nature nourishes man, and man nourishes nature!
The strength of any living thing—plants, beasts, or humans—could nourish the land. Though it would take a long time, Qi Ping had plenty of it. This was why the Demon Insect King was loathed by the land; everywhere it went, the land withered.
Beyond these abstract gains, there was the loot!
"In the original list, there were twenty-four Foundation Establishment forces and one hundred and thirty-six Qi Refinement forces..."
"Because some were hidden or protected, I destroyed seventeen Foundation Establishment and seventy-eight Qi Refinement affiliates. Some of the remaining Qi Refinement forces were eliminated by another hidden party..."
"Beyond that, I killed twenty-three middle and late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators... more than half of whom were on the bounty list."
These spoils were currently buried deep underground by the bees to avoid tracking. The quantity was staggering!
In terms of spirit stones alone, Qi Ping estimated there were between four and five million!
Five million!
Qi Ping was shocked by the sheer number. Even converted to mid-grade spirit stones, it was forty to fifty thousand! A normal Foundation Establishment cultivator usually had a net worth under a hundred thousand, and most only had twenty or thirty thousand in liquid cash. Qi Ping had harvested five million in pure spirit stones! And that wasn't even counting the other items.
Such wealth would make even a Golden Core cultivator go insane. It made Qi Ping wonder about that silver-masked Golden Core. That person must have guessed the value of the loot, yet they had no intention of taking it.
Regardless, he would find the answers when his strength grew.
"With these stones, I can buy another powerful spirit beast, more herbs, and start planning for the contract with a precious spirit tree..."
Qi Ping was not far from reaching Rank 8 as a Druid, and this fortune had come at the perfect time.