The Demonic Heaven Sect, the Heavenly Flame Pavilion, the Seven Stars Sword Sect—no matter how they racked their brains, these sects couldn’t figure out what the Green Origin Sect had arranged within Qing Stone County that led to their disciples dying one after another. When something deviates from the norm, there must be a sinister force at play! This inevitably aroused their suspicion, drawing more of their attention to Qing Stone County and simultaneously elevating its strategic importance a notch.
“From now on, increase surveillance within Qing Stone County, expand deep searches of the area, and don’t let any abnormal signs slip by!”
It wasn’t just these sects that grew suspicious; even the Green Origin Sect was astonished that Meng Yan could slay so many enemy sect prodigies.
Naturally, they wouldn’t let this suspicion pass easily either; they would investigate Meng Yan’s affairs thoroughly.
After Qi Ping and Meng Yan killed the two attacking Foundation Establishment cultivators, they concealed their auras and quickly left.
This time, they were far more cautious and careful than before, fearing that others might track them through residual spiritual energy and traces left behind.
The Green Origin Sect’s enemies in Qing Stone County weren’t limited to just these two; otherwise, the sect wouldn’t have suffered such a major defeat and lost several Foundation Establishment disciples.
“I owe you my thanks this time, Brother Qi. If it weren’t for you, being entangled by those two, my chances of survival would have been slim!”
Thinking of this, Meng Yan couldn’t help but sigh. The development of the war situation had long exceeded his control.
At the same time, he was utterly shocked by the changes in Crow-Crow’s and Qi Ping’s strength.
Whether it was Crow-Crow’s breakthrough to the second stage and awakening of the Great Sun physique, or Qi Ping effortlessly and swiftly dispatching several formidable demon wolves, it all left him deeply astonished.
He truly hadn’t expected that after he himself broke through to Foundation Establishment, Qi Ping’s strength not only hadn’t fallen behind but had actually caught up.
Moreover, his intuition told him that Qi Ping still held trump cards, making him seem truly unfathomable.
“Given our relationship, there’s no need for such formalities. The most urgent matter now is to figure out how those two discovered your trail and to heal your injuries as soon as possible.”
Qi Ping clearly noticed that after the recent battle, Meng Yan’s injuries had worsened again.
“Alright! Let’s deal with the spoils first, then relocate.”
Next, the two swiftly handled the spoils of war, taking the valuable and safe items before departing once more.
For the following several days, Qi Ping and Crow-Crow stayed to protect Meng Yan for about a week, only leaving with Crow-Crow after Meng Yan’s injuries were mostly healed.
Regarding the spoils from the two Foundation Establishment cultivators, Qi Ping insisted on splitting them evenly as before.
Divided up, each received items and spirit stones worth roughly thirty thousand low-grade spirit stones—a considerable harvest indeed.
These Foundation Establishment disciples from major sects were truly wealthy.
However, regarding the ten thousand spirit stones Qi Ping had paid for his cultivation technique, Meng Yan adamantly refused to take them back.
After some thought, Qi Ping didn’t insist further and let Meng Yan have his way.
“Brother Qi, after we part this time, I don’t know if I’ll survive this war. If we meet again, I’ll treat you to drinks!”
“Take care!”
On the way back, Qi Ping didn’t carry the divided resources himself. As usual, he had his bees transport the items to various locations and bury them.
Due to the larger amount this time, Qi Ping specifically divided the spoils into several portions; this way, even if one location was compromised, the rest would remain secure.
After bidding farewell to Meng Yan, Qi Ping made another trip to Sister Nan’s place.
This time, Qi Ping didn’t beat around the bush. He straightforwardly explained the heightened danger level in Qing Stone County and informed her that he would find a location deep within the Misty Cloud Mountain Range to set up illusion and concealment arrays.
She could then hide safely deep in the mountains, focusing on cultivation for the time being.
As for the Spirit-Nurturing Fruit trees Sister Nan cultivated and the method for producing spirit fertilizer, Qi Ping directly purchased them with spirit stones.
After listening to Qi Ping’s explanation, Sister Nan didn’t hesitate much. She obediently followed his arrangements without any doubt towards what he said.
After helping Sister Nan complete the process of ending her lease, Qi Ping took her deep into the Misty Cloud Mountain Range to a hidden cave.
This cave had been discovered earlier by bees while searching for a exclusive territory for Qi Ping.
The location was secluded, nestled against mountains and near water—an ideal hiding spot.
After confirming with Sister Nan that everything was satisfactory, Qi Ping immediately began setting up the arrays for her.
Sister Nan watched, stunned, as Qi Ping performed the array setup with fluid, practiced motions. She was utterly amazed.
Qi Ping’s rapid progress in cultivation was within her expectations, but she never imagined he had also taken up array studies—one of the notoriously difficult Four Arts of Immortal Cultivation!
It was even more challenging than talisman creation, difficult to pursue without exceptional talent.
Stepping into the path of arrays not only signified a great increase in Qi Ping’s self-preservation abilities but also meant he could earn substantial spirit stones through it.
“Sister Nan, you should stay here and cultivate for now. It’s getting more and more dangerous outside. Wait until it’s safer before venturing out again!” Qi Ping instructed Sister Nan after finishing the array setup.
Facing Qi Ping’s instructions, Sister Nan nodded gently:
“Alright, Sister Nan will stay here and cultivate properly in the coming time.”
She didn’t ask how Qi Ping had learned array techniques, nor did she inquire about his future whereabouts.
Since Qi Ping didn’t wish to disclose these things, she wouldn’t pry.
After completing this task and leaving behind a stash of supplies and honey, Qi Ping bid farewell and departed.
Qi Ping had confidence in Sister Nan’s survival skills. As long as she stayed away from the center of the conflict, with her current strength at Qi Refinement Sixth Layer Perfection, surviving here wouldn’t be difficult.
It was also much safer here than on her original spirit farmland.
“This trip has basically settled all my concerns. I’ve obtained the Foundation Establishment technique, and Sister Nan, the only potential security risk, has been safely hidden away…”
This time, Qi Ping basically planned to stay safely within his territory until achieving Foundation Establishment before going out again.
Recently, with so many talented enemy sect disciples dying here, their losses were severe. It was predictable that the danger level would only increase.
Hiding deep in the Misty Cloud Mountain Range at this time would guarantee much greater safety,正好 allowing him to avoid the most dangerous phase during his breakthrough to Foundation Establishment.
Meng Yan leaving Qing Stone County now was also a good thing. Under his master’s arrangements, he would undoubtedly be safer than staying here.
The only thing that gave Qi Ping a headache was that with Meng Yan gone, the difficulty and hassle of purchasing cultivation techniques and resources in the future would skyrocket.
“Forget it, no point overthinking now. My current strength is still too weak anyway. At least I have all the resources needed to break through to Foundation Establishment.”
“I’ll use the existing resources to develop properly first. Everything can wait until after the breakthrough to Foundation Establishment!”
However, just a few days after returning to his territory, Qi Ping received news that made him frown deeply:
One of his buried treasure spots had been discovered by a group of cultivators with terrifying auras!
