Wait… I’m a Druid in a Cultivation World?! - Chapter 38

“Chaoyang is dead?”

“Yes. He died in the secret realm. Brother Shan has confirmed it—someone saw his body inside. His heart appeared to have been gnawed through by some kind of insect…”

Dressed in plain white mourning clothes, Nan Jie stood atop Peak Seven, her expression complicated as she gazed into the distance. In the end, she hadn’t been able to dissuade Lin Chaoyang.

Upon hearing the news, Qi Ping fell into abrupt silence.

Though he’d anticipated this outcome, the confirmation still left him with mixed emotions.

A week ago, he’d spent a long time trying to persuade Lin Chaoyang, but nothing could shake the latter’s determination to go.

Truly, fortune and misfortune are two sides of the same coin.

In the end, Lin Chaoyang’s luck had run out. Finding that one cultivation method must have drained all his good fortune.

To Qi Ping, seeking opportunities through risk was somewhat like gambling. Many people assumed that winning once meant they could keep winning forever.

They never stopped to consider that losing could mean death.

Who but the chosen of fate could guarantee perpetual victory?

The death of a familiar friend left both Qi Ping and Nan Jie—fellow rogue cultivators—with a sense of shared sorrow.

Without the protection of the Qingyuan Sect, rogue cultivators were truly like weeds in a storm.

While Lin Chaoyang had gone willingly, hadn’t his choice also been born of desperation—a lack of viable paths forward?

After steadying her emotions, Nan Jie continued:

“There’s an even bigger problem now. A large number of demonic insects have escaped from that secret realm…”

“Demonic insects? How many? How strong are they?” Qi Ping pressed.

Demonic insects were different from spirit insects (also called “monstrous insects”). Spirit insects, like Golden Marrow Bees, typically had their own territories and wouldn’t attack cultivators unless provoked.

But demonic insects were vicious, bloodthirsty, and treacherous—extremely dangerous to human cultivators.

[Beast Training: Monstrous Insects] had also described the terrifying combat power and savage nature of demonic insects.

Moreover, Qi Ping had a hunch that these demonic insects likely couldn’t be contracted by a Beast King Druid.

“The exact numbers aren’t clear, but there are many. Just at the secret realm alone, numerous early and mid-stage Qi Refining cultivators died. Even several late-stage Qi Refiners were killed…”

“At this rate, it won’t be long before these demonic insects spread across Qingshi County, Baiyun County—maybe even the entire Qingtian Domain…”

Nan Jie’s brows knitted tightly as she spoke. She knew full well how terrifying demonic insects could be.

If even late-stage Qi Refiners had fallen, how many rogue cultivators could possibly survive an encounter?

“How could there be so many? What’s the Qingyuan Sect doing about it?”

The sheer number of demonic insects sent a jolt through Qi Ping.

If even late-stage Qi Refiners had died, could his High-Speed Razorwing Bees hold their own against such a swarm?

More critically, it would still take over half a month to fully breed the Razorwing swarm. Ordinary Golden Marrow Bees would likely fare poorly against demonic insects…

“The exact numbers are unknown, but one thing’s certain—there are a lot. I’ve heard that over the past two days, many cultivators in Qingshi County have already been killed by demonic insect attacks…”

“The Qingyuan Sect and the three major families have taken action, exterminating a large number of them. But many more remain hidden. Even Foundation Establishment cultivators are having trouble rooting them out…”

Qi Ping’s frown deepened. He hadn’t expected the situation to deteriorate so drastically in just a week!

“The Fulsheng Society is holding an emergency meeting tomorrow to share information and discuss countermeasures. Let’s go together.”

“Agreed.” Qi Ping nodded.

He wouldn’t pass up such a prime opportunity to gather intelligence.

After discussing the secret realm and demonic insects, Qi Ping shifted the topic to Nan Jie:

“Nan Jie, have you broken through to the fifth level of Qi Refining?”

“Thanks to you, yes!”

Nan Jie released her Qi Concealment Art, revealing the aura of a fifth-level Qi Refiner.

The joy on her face mirrored her elation. After being stuck for so long, finally breaking through was indescribably exhilarating.

“Impressive!” Qi Ping praised.

Originally, he’d planned to gift Nan Jie some Golden Marrow Bees. But given the demonic insect crisis, he decided it was better to reserve them for mass-producing Razorwing Bees.

At most, he could station some Golden Marrow Bees and Razorwing Bees at Peak Five to keep watch, ready to assist if needed.

He also urged Nan Jie to remain vigilant with her Danger Sense innate ability. If anything seemed off, she was to alert him immediately so they could prepare for battle…

Once Nan Jie’s figure vanished into the distance, Qi Ping hurried back to the dense forest to check on the Razorwing Bees’ progress.

The sooner the Razorwing swarm was ready, the sooner he’d have a trump card against the demonic insects.

Golden Marrow Bees were decent against ordinary mid-stage Qi Refiners, but against creatures born for slaughter, their chances weren’t good.

Against these demonic insects, Qi Ping saw only one viable strategy: mass production!

If a hundred Razorwing Bees couldn’t defeat the demonic insects, then send five hundred!

If five hundred still couldn’t win, then a thousand! Or even more!

As long as the demonic insects weren’t at the Foundation Establishment level, the Razorwing Bees should stand a fighting chance.

Demonic insects were bred for combat—but so were Razorwing Bees. Only a clash would determine who was stronger…

And if their strengths were comparable, victory would simply go to whoever had more numbers!

At this point, worrying about whether an expanded swarm would deplete his spirit herbs and honey reserves was pointless.

The priority now was survival in the face of this demonic insect calamity!

“No more holding back on spirit herb consumption. We need those Razorwing larvae matured as fast as possible!“

“Buzz… (No problem, boss!)”

“Buzz… (At most two weeks, all two hundred Razorwings in the first batch will be fully grown!)”

“Good! When we encounter those demonic insects, it’ll be up to you all to handle them!”

“Buzz… (Don’t worry, boss! Leave it to us!)”

Learning that a 200-strong Razorwing swarm would be ready in just half a month eased some of Qi Ping’s tension.

Still, he immediately dispatched numerous Golden Marrow Bees and Black Dwarf Bees to monitor the surroundings for any signs of demonic insect intrusion.

Next, Qi Ping rushed off to accelerate the growth of his Blood Ginseng.

Previously, the ginseng yield had been enough to support normal swarm expansion, daily consumption, his and Old Zhou’s cultivation, and still leave a surplus.

Back then, Qi Ping had focused more on his own cultivation progress.

But now, with the need to mass-produce Razorwing Bees, he had to devote more energy to growing Blood Ginseng. Otherwise, the bees’ own herb and nectar gathering wouldn’t come close to meeting the demand.

To his surprise, that very night, his Plant Growth skill finally leveled up from relentless use!

[Plant Growth LV1 (99/100)] → [Plant Growth LV2 (0/200)]!