Qi Ping's feat of slaying nine Golden Core cultivators from the Qingtian Domain in a single battle was a tectonic shift that shook the world. Naturally, the matter would not be allowed to rest so easily.
That very day, the aura of a Nascent Soul expert surged from within the Qingyuan Sect.
At the behest of the Wind-Thunder Daoist Gu Yunxiao and Sect Master Lin Yue, the Supreme Grand Elder Ling Qianjue—who had been in secluded cultivation for nearly a century—finally emerged!
Ling Qianjue was a wood-attribute cultivator who practiced the Qingyuan Sect's supreme scripture, the Supreme Longevity Scripture. He had lived for an untold number of years, outlasting countless peers and enemies alike. It was said that he had survived at least two other Nascent Soul cultivators simply by outliving them.
Currently, Ling Qianjue was the Qingyuan Sect's true living fossil, arguably the oldest antique in the Qingtian Domain. Rumor had it that even Lin Wuji, the Envoy of the Celestial Alliance who possessed special life-extending methods, had not lived as long as Ling Qianjue.
In contrast to Ling Qianjue's low profile, Lin Wuji was far more flamboyant.
Whether it was by his own volition or not, on the day he appeared, an incredibly terrifying cloud of blood-colored mist shrouded the entire Celestial Alliance outpost. In that moment, countless vengeful ghosts howled and demonic souls ran rampant. The world was filled with shrill cries of unknown origin.
Most terrifying was the fact that when this figure, smelling of blood and ginseng, manifested in the world, the entire atmosphere was permeated with an aura of madness and chaos. Under the assault of this aura, even the residents within the Celestial Alliance outpost suffered heavy casualties.
Yet, faced with such a terrifying king, no one dared to move an inch, even if it meant death. They all knelt on the ground with profound reverence.
This burly, overbearing blood-red figure continued to erupt with a stifling, frenzied aura in the sky, wantonly destroying the surrounding architecture. It took a long time for the chaotic energy to be slowly reined in.
However, upon closer inspection, one could see that Lin Wuji's eyes still flickered with an uncontrollable madness and disorder.
Only after receiving the Nascent Soul king's command did the figures prostrate below dare to stand up.
They looked at the crazed and domineering Lin Wuji in the sky, their eyes filled with dread and fear. Even the remaining two Golden Core cultivators were no exception; before this Nascent Soul king, they could only crawl and kneel.
Some time later, two Nascent Soul figures and four Golden Core figures descended upon the site of Yaya's tribulation.
The two Nascent Soul figures were, of course, the Qingyuan Sect's Supreme Grand Elder Ling Qianjue and the Celestial Alliance's Lin Wuji. Accompanying them were Sect Master Lin Yue and the Wind-Thunder Daoist Gu Yunxiao, along with the final two Golden Core cultivators of the Celestial Alliance.
When the two groups met, they did not speak. In fact, they showed no intention of communicating at all, focusing instead on searching for any traces left behind at the scene.
From the atmosphere alone, one could clearly sense the tension and mutual suspicion crackling between them.
Strangely enough, between the two leaders, the more wary was Lin Wuji, despite his domineering and powerful appearance. He was extremely cautious of the Qingyuan Sect's Ling Qianjue, and even the madness in his eyes cleared slightly as he focused on the old man.
Ling Qianjue, on the other hand, looked around casually, appearing far more relaxed than Lin Wuji.
This alone demonstrated the deterrent power of the seemingly peaceful and harmless Supreme Grand Elder.
However, to the surprise of both Nascent Soul experts, even with their personal involvement, they could find no useful traces or clues!
This was quite remarkable for Nascent Soul-level masters. How could a Foundation Establishment cultivator clean up their tracks to such an extent?
Especially for Ling Qianjue, who had lived through countless ages and seen innumerable things, he had never encountered someone who could erase their presence so thoroughly that even a Nascent Soul cultivator could find nothing.
Little did they know, Qi Ping had been guarding against them from the very beginning!
All along, Qi Ping's greatest worry was being tracked by some mysterious means that would expose his sanctuary.
To prevent this, Qi Ping had studied and researched every book, record, and incident regarding tracking within the Qingtian Domain and the Qingyuan Sect!
Furthermore, thirty years ago, when Qi Ping had a surplus of Black Market points, he specifically purchased three sets of knowledge from the mysterious Black Market—the life's insights of fellow Daoists who were just as prudent as he was!
Because these techniques were considered niche, they weren't too expensive, but Qi Ping found them immensely rewarding. In his eyes, they were an absolute bargain!
Thus, while the Nascent Soul cultivators had lived long and seen much, like Ling Qianjue who had met countless people, their ability to measure him now was not just a matter of age, but of accumulated knowledge in this specific field!
Qi Ping had mastered the tracking arts accumulated over ages in the Qingtian Domain and combined them with the survival techniques of those masters of prudence. Without some truly unique or unprecedented method, how could an outsider ever track him?
Qi Ping knew that although he had a century of cultivation, he was still far too green compared to those old monsters who had cultivated for thousands of years. The only way to surpass them was through learning!
If a cultivator who had lived for ten thousand years had witnessed ten thousand incidents of tracking, then Qi Ping would directly study fifty thousand such cases! He had systematically researched and integrated them into his own Tome of Prudence!
Naturally, the difference was stark. Unless Qi Ping made a mistake or encountered someone even more legendary in this specific path, he was untouchable.
Thus, under the meticulous cleanup of Qi Ping—a man who had achieved great success in the Way of Prudence—the two Nascent Soul masters at the pinnacle of the Qingtian Domain found nothing of value after searching for hours and were forced to leave in disgrace.
As they departed, a strange light flashed in Ling Qianjue's eyes. He thought to himself that it was quite amusing; he hadn't encountered something so interesting in many years.
Having failed at the scene, these people naturally did not give up and began to mobilize all their forces to investigate any information regarding the Bee Daoist.
The Celestial Alliance was the most frantic. Lin Wuji personally set out, ruthlessly searching every corner of the Qingtian Domain for any sign of the Bee Daoist, causing widespread panic and a reign of terror.
However, this madness only lasted a few days before Lin Wuji was forced to restrain himself. That was because one day, Ling Qianjue stood before him with a faint, knowing smile, pressing a sword against Lin Wuji's forehead.
This action instantly cleared the madness and hatred in Lin Wuji's eyes.
From then on, his behavior became much more subdued, though he did not stop his personal search for the Bee Daoist, seemingly possessed by a drive to tear the man into pieces.
In truth, besides the Celestial Alliance, the Qingyuan Sect was far more threatening to Qi Ping. As the true ruler of the Qingtian Domain, the Qingyuan Sect held a firm grip on every corner of the land. When this behemoth launched a carpet search under the leadership of Sect Master Lin Yue and Gu Yunxiao, all sorts of clues began to converge.
However, just as Gu Yunxiao thought he was about to find something useful, an incredible thing happened. Almost all information regarding the Bee Daoist would be immediately severed as soon as it appeared.
"Who is it? Which traitor did this?!"
Gu Yunxiao was nearly driven insane.
Yet, the erasure of the Bee Daoist's information and the inability to piece together a useful picture was not what angered him most. What he found unbearable was the realization that someone else held a deeper control over the Qingtian Domain than he did!
For a man who had always believed himself to be the practical ruler of the Qingyuan Sect, this was intolerable. The problem was, he couldn't figure out who this person was.
'Is it Sect Master Lin Yue, or the mysterious Supreme Grand Elder?'
While angry, Gu Yunxiao suddenly felt a chill down his spine for some reason.
But no matter how well the secrecy was handled, information about Qi Ping was leaked that day.
Lin Wuji received news that the Qingyuan Sect's Lin Ya was not only skilled in Yin-Yang spiritual energy and formations like the Bee Daoist, but the Yin-Yang Five Elements Subduing Demon Formation used by the Bee Daoist that day was exactly the one Lin Ya had once exchanged for.
Furthermore, Lin Ya had also exchanged for many tracking-related spells and knowledge within the Qingyuan Sect.
The accumulation of these factors was essentially a smoking gun. Even if Lin Ya wasn't the Bee Daoist, he certainly had a massive connection to him.
One factor could be a coincidence, and two could be a fluke, but there were more than five such factors!
Thus, Lin Wuji, still in a state of fury, immediately rushed to the Qingyuan Sect and called out Ling Qianjue.
"Daoist Ling, I have received word and am now certain that your sect's Lin Ya is highly likely to be the Bee Daoist! Even if he isn't, he is definitely involved!" Lin Wuji's tone was incredibly agitated; his hatred for the Bee Daoist had overcome everything else in this moment.
Gu Yunxiao and Sect Master Lin Yue, who had arrived upon hearing the news, could not help but show looks of joy. Gu Yunxiao, in particular, had wanted to deal with Lin Ya for a long time. However, with Wang He protecting him and Elder Zong—who controlled the sect's guardian array—standing behind him, he didn't dare move against that jinx within the sect. Lin Wuji's arrival provided the perfect opportunity.
However, to everyone's surprise, a green spirit sword appeared without warning, pressing against Lin Wuji's head in an instant. The owner of the sword was none other than the seemingly gentle Supreme Grand Elder, Ling Qianjue!
As the sword was sacrificed, Ling Qianjue's aura changed instantly.
"Is our Qingyuan Sect's internal business any of your concern? Leave within ten breaths, or stay here forever!"
As soon as Ling Qianjue's voice rang out, all the disciples of the Qingyuan Sect were instantly awestruck.
What was true dominance? This was it!
Within that single breath, Lin Wuji's expression changed countless times, each more unsightly than the last.
He had come to demand justice only to be humiliated!
Yet, despite being such a terrifying existence and a renowned Envoy of the Celestial Alliance, he didn't dare utter another word at this moment!
In the end, he truly left in disgrace, the only thing he dared to do was throw a vicious glare at Qi Ping, who was "watching the spectacle" among the crowd!
Ling Qianjue's thin, elderly figure appeared majestic and overbearing at that moment!
It was also at this time that everyone finally realized exactly how terrifying the Supreme Grand Elder's strength was!
"Lin Yue, find out who passed the message to the Celestial Alliance. Find that ungrateful wretch, kill them, and hang their head high!" Ling Qianjue spoke immediately after Lin Wuji left.
This statement also caught everyone off guard. Everyone thought the Supreme Grand Elder would first question Lin Ya about the Bee Daoist, but it turned out he was most concerned with the matter of the traitor!
Truly worthy of being the Supreme Grand Elder!
"As you command!"
Sect Master Lin Yue nodded and immediately moved to execute the order.
This scene also struck Qi Ping, who was standing in the crowd, as quite remarkable.
Naturally, he hadn't come out just to watch. His true purpose was to scout the enemy.
He wanted to break through to the Golden Core stage, and both Lin Wuji and Ling Qianjue were factors that could not be ignored. Only by knowing himself and his enemy could he make the correct plan. If the danger was too high, he would have to find a new location for his breakthrough.
However, this Supreme Grand Elder Ling Qianjue seemed decent enough. His actions today, along with his past deeds of preventing Lin Wuji from poisoning the cultivators of the Qingtian Domain, were very much in line with what a Supreme Grand Elder should do.
Yet, in the very next moment, the slight goodwill Qi Ping had felt was shattered...
"You are Lin Ya, aren't you?" Ling Qianjue's gentle voice sounded in Qi Ping's ear.
Though the voice was warm, for some reason, cold sweat began to pour down Qi Ping's back!
As Ling Qianjue's thin figure crossed the distance to stand before Qi Ping, a feeling of dread unlike anything he had ever felt surged in his heart. His Druid instincts produced an unprecedented aversion toward this seemingly gentle old man, far exceeding even what he felt when facing the Demon Insect King...