Wait… I’m a Druid in a Cultivation World?! - Chapter 97

This sudden turn of events left everyone stunned!

The white-robed man at the ninth level of Qi Refining, who had been so spirited and arrogant just moments before, was now rapidly losing his vitality.

With his head severed, even his cultivation at the ninth level of Qi Refining could only delay his death a little longer.

As the white-robed man died, the pressure on Qi Ping immediately vanished.

But the pressure in Qi Ping’s heart multiplied drastically at that moment!

Even with the perception boost provided by the Forest Druid abilities in the woods, Qi Ping had only managed to detect the anomaly a split second earlier.

If that sword light had been aimed at him, he would have struggled to evade it quickly, aside from resorting to Tree Skin Technique and transforming into the Ink Armor Bee.

In other words, that flying sword was potent enough to threaten his life!

After the white-robed man’s head was severed, a figure in green clothes, moving with an terrifyingly fast movement technique, quickly positioned herself in front of Qi Ping and the other white-robed woman.

It’s her?

Qi Ping looked at the familiar figure. Who else could it be except the woman in green who had run to Peak No. 7 in Area D several times?

However, the aura emanating from the green-clothed woman had changed noticeably now.

Perfect Qi Refining!

Moreover, a powerful sword intent swirled around her.

Sensing the intense sword intent radiating from her, Qi Ping felt a secret thrill of alarm.

No wonder she could kill that ninth-level Qi Refining man with a single sword strike. So she has comprehended Sword Intent!

However, the green-clothed woman’s aura was also fluctuating somewhat noticeably, clearly indicating that executing that single, lethal strike had taken a significant toll on her.

Even so, the face of the white-robed woman now showed pure terror, the previous air of aloof indifference she had held towards Qi Ping completely gone.

“Lin Qingshu… you… you’ve actually comprehended Sword Intent…” the white-robed woman stammered, her body trembling with fear.

“Don’t I have you to thank for that?” Lin Qingshu’s tone was calm, betraying no emotion, but to the white-robed woman, it sounded like the demand of a death god. “If you hadn’t severely injured me last time, who knows how long it would have taken me to break through to Perfect Qi Refining, let alone comprehend Sword Intent. How do you suggest I repay you?”

“Elder Sister Qingshu… about last time… it was… it was arranged by Senior Brother Ning, and it was Enforcer Hei Ying who acted… We were forced to come here too… Whatever compensation you want, I’ll find a way to get it for you, I beg you, please spare my life…”

The white-robed woman, tears welling in her eyes, her body shaking, pleaded with Lin Qingshu in a soft, pitiful voice.

Yet, Lin Qingshu remained utterly unmoved by her pleas and simply stated:

“Spare you? I am responsible for managing the Misty Cloud Mountain Range. It was bad enough that you planted informants in my territory, but today you actually dared to barge in. Did you truly think I was dead? And as for Ning the Bastard and Hei Ying, I’ll be sending them down to meet you very soon!”

As soon as she finished speaking, Lin Qingshu unleashed a sword strike she had been secretly charging. A green sword light instantly shot towards the white-robed woman.

At that very moment, the white-robed woman, who had been trembling in fear, suddenly returned to normal. A half-activated talisman flew swiftly from her sleeve, emanating a powerful pressure of thunder!

So, her earlier fear had been an act, all part of a plan to bide time for a counterattack.

However, the speed at which this thunder talisman activated was far inferior to the speed of Lin Qingshu’s sword light.

Before the talisman in her hand could fully activate, it was cleanly sliced in two by the green sword light.

The thunder talisman dimmed rapidly after the white-robed woman died…

After the white-robed woman died, Lin Qingshu turned her gaze towards Qi Ping.

Qi Ping’s body tensed immediately. He was far too close to Lin Qingshu for comfort, feeling utterly vulnerable.

Against an ordinary ninth-level Qi Refining cultivator, whether by transforming into the Ink Armor Bee or utilizing his current cultivation to employ Tree Skin Technique and form a spiritual energy shield, Qi Ping was confident he could preserve his life.

But facing this green-clothed woman, he truly had no such confidence.

Fortunately, she seemed to have expended significant energy, which allowed Qi Ping to breathe a slight sigh of relief.

In fact, after glancing at Qi Ping, Lin Qingshu didn’t say much. She simply raised a hand, and the purple thunder talisman flew to land before Qi Ping.

“This thunder talisman is for you. While you cannot unleash its full power, it still has a chance to save your life.”

“Do not concern yourself with today’s events. They likely came because they saw me visiting you a few times. Just act as if you saw nothing; I will handle the rest.”

“And remember, if that black-robed robbery cultivator appears, shatter that sensing jade slip immediately. The reward I promised still stands.”

Having said that, the green-clothed woman paid no further attention to Qi Ping, not waiting for his response. She enveloped the two corpses and the remaining bloodstains on the ground with her spiritual energy and swiftly departed…

“Phew… Since when did that green-clothed woman become so fierce?”

“That was seriously terrifying!”

Only after the green-clothed woman had left did Qi Ping finally relax completely.

“It seems that even with my bee swarm, I’m not invincible. Facing a genius like her, even with the swarm’s protection, I could still be killed instantly.”

“I need to raise my cultivation level as soon as possible. I also need to find a way to cultivate a fire-attribute or a wood-fire compatible defensive spell…”

“That way, no matter what powerful enemy I encounter, I can instantly deploy both Tree Skin Technique and another defensive spell simultaneously, ensuring I can protect my life.”

This was Qi Ping’s first thought after the green-clothed woman left.

Nothing was more important to him than preserving his life!

He had little doubt that the bee swarm could kill the green-clothed woman.

Thousands of combat bee species, forming a super battle formation, could definitely kill her, even if the cost might be heavy. They could absolutely wear her down.

What Qi Ping truly feared was the green-clothed woman beheading him within the bee formation. For a freak who had comprehended Sword Intent, that was absolutely a possibility.

“Right, next time I go to Bluestone Market, I must acquire another defensive spell. Tree Skin Technique alone isn’t enough!”

“As long as I improve my cultivation a bit more and add another defensive spell, it should be fine.”

After settling on his future plan, Qi Ping finally had the mind to consider other matters.

The recent events had impacted him significantly.

Those two white-robed individuals could now basically be confirmed as sect disciples.

They held a grudge against the green-clothed woman. The reason they sought out Qi Ping was probably because she had visited him several times. They were likely enemies from within the Green Yuan Sect itself.

But Qi Ping felt it wasn’t necessarily so. If they were from the Skyfire Pavilion, they might have targeted him because of the incident at Bluestone Market.

However, regardless of which scenario was true, it indicated that the current situation within the Green Yuan Sect was not good.

The former suggested that the internal conflict had reached an intensely violent stage, to the point of life-and-death struggles even here in Green Stone County. The latter indicated that the Skyfire Pavilion was essentially slapping the Green Yuan Sect in the face with impunity.

“The waters in the sect’s power game are truly murky now… Two late-stage Qi Refining disciples, fresh and vibrant, just died like that… Isn’t the mortality rate for sect disciples probably higher than for loose cultivators now?”

Qi Ping thought it was entirely possible. Once open warfare breaks out, loose cultivators can still flee or lay low, but sect disciples must obey orders and participate; otherwise, it’s treason!

Generally, during such times, loose cultivators are actually safer. Under normal circumstances, they aren’t specifically targeted because, in peacetime, they are excellent sources of tax revenue; more loose cultivators mean higher taxes.

Only a few sects, on the verge of defeat, have resorted to massacring loose cultivators.

“Regardless of how they fight outside, as long as it doesn’t affect me too much, as long as I can continue farming, cultivating, and earning spirit stones peacefully, that’s fine… I might even have a chance to acquire some rare techniques and resources that are usually hard to get during this chaos.”

What Qi Ping needed to do now was continue his explosive population growth [of bees] while maximizing his life-preservation abilities!

Then, he just needed to bide his time and wait for the right moment to act.

Survival was Qi Ping’s bottom line. On that foundation, he would see if there was a chance to take advantage of the chaos to acquire some valuable things.