“As for the spoils we took from outside, we’ll wait until the Bloodflame Garment has been nurtured and Crow has completed its transformation before we start counting them properly. There’s no rush.”
For now, the spoils Qi Ping had gathered from this operation were stashed away by the swarm in various out-of-the-way corners across the Azure Sky Domain, and he had no intention of retrieving them anytime soon.
After all, they had just clashed head-on with that organization. Bringing those things back now would be far too risky.
Aside from the spiritual herbs, spiritual seeds, and the cultivation techniques and knowledge, Qi Ping didn’t even plan to bring the rest back to his territory. Instead, he’d have the swarm deliver the spoils directly when he went out to purchase divination spirit beasts, offloading all the risk onto the mysterious black market.
Whenever Qi Ping thought back to that organization that refined living beings into blood-food, it felt like a massive boulder pressing down on his heart.
When he’d finally wiped out that last batch of six thousand blood-food units, he’d clearly sensed the mournful cry and the joy that came from heaven and earth—and the boost in his own affinity with the natural world.
Now Qi Ping was absolutely certain: this organization was indeed seizing the very essence of creation by refining infants into blood-food, and they were inflicting enormous damage upon heaven and earth.
Under these circumstances, unless he could create his own world that transcended heaven and earth, there was absolutely no way he could escape this organization’s influence.
At least based on everything Qi Ping knew so far, even those immensely powerful secret realms and pocket dimensions still had to rely on the cultivation world’s heaven and earth to exist.
All of Qi Ping’s breakthroughs in formations and cultivation realms were likewise built upon the foundation of heaven and earth’s power.
As a Druid, he was deeply connected to nature—his power came from heaven, earth, and the natural world. If heaven and earth decayed and vanished, where would his Druidic power come from?
So, if heaven and earth declined—or worse, perished—everything Qi Ping had built would crumble to dust!
Even immortality would be nothing but a fleeting illusion—a flower in the mirror, a moon reflected on water!
Even if Qi Ping tried to turn a blind eye to those rows upon rows of infants refined into blood-food, he simply couldn’t stand by and do nothing.
But in truth, whether it was regarding the rogue cultivators and mortals herded like livestock, or the acts that harmed heaven and earth—as long as he had the strength and could ensure his own safety—Qi Ping would show that organization no mercy whatsoever. Anyone he could kill, he would.
Right now, Qi Ping didn’t know who else besides the mysterious black market was involved in this cause, but every extra ally meant a bit more hope!
“Just you wait.”
“The Bee Daoist will walk the world again!”
This conviction came straight from Qi Ping’s heart—and it was also the fury of a Child of Nature.
And in that very moment, as his resolve stood firm, heaven and earth suddenly trembled violently!
Immediately after, the natural energy around Qi Ping surged with life, and streams of mysterious power from heaven and earth poured into his body, ceaselessly washing over his soul and physical form.
Qi Ping instantly felt himself enveloped in an incredibly warm and soothing presence.
His body and soul grew comfortably warm, and wave after wave of pleasant energy coursed through him.
The moment this peculiar state took hold, his animal companions were utterly stunned.
Because at that instant, an immense, awe-inspiring power—woven from natural energy, the laws of heaven and earth, and spiritual qi—wrapped tightly around Qi Ping, and a majestic, sacred aura emanated from him.
“Chirp chirp? (What’s happening to the boss?)”
The little spirit fox, who’d been curled up in Qi Ping’s arms, was suddenly swept out by the surge of natural force.
“Mew? (I was just napping by the boss’s leg, and I got pushed out too… but this energy feels really nice. I think it’s doing something great for him!)”
The tri-colored deer was the most sensitive to the forces of nature and heaven and earth—its very bloodline was beloved by the forest.
So its judgment was almost certainly spot on.
The little flower fairy also darted out of the soil and hovered in front of Qi Ping, having just been jolted awake by his unusual aura.
As for the Bee Queen and Crow, they could only watch helplessly as the three little ones scrambled around Qi Ping in confusion. They’d noticed the anomaly on their master the very moment it began.
With more mature experience and sharper instincts, they quickly deduced that their master was likely undergoing some kind of epiphany.
A tremendous blessing!
Still, compared to the three youngsters, the real champion of sleep was that little stone spirit that looked just like a lump of coal—it had been dozing for years and showed no signs of waking up anytime soon…
Qi Ping’s special state lasted about the time it takes to burn an incense stick before it gradually subsided.
Throughout the process, a mass of pitch-black, filthy impurities was expelled from his body, forming a dark crust on his skin.
When Qi Ping came to, he immediately noticed the sticky gunk all over him.
“What’s this?”
“Impurities from within my body?”
Without hesitation, he cast a Cloud-Rain technique and washed every trace of filth away.
And in that instant, he realized his body had undergone considerable changes.
His flesh had become translucent and pure, and his spiritual energy flowed with greater ease and smoothness.
Beyond that, Qi Ping noticed his soul had grown clearer and sharper—his thoughts seemed to race faster than before.
He even sensed that his [Farming Domain] talent had been strengthened.
“Was I just blessed by heaven and earth?”
Based on the transformations he’d experienced, Qi Ping quickly identified what had happened.
“But what just occurred? Why did I receive a heavenly baptism?”
Normally, a blessing of this magnitude was extremely rare—countless cultivators would go their entire lives without ever experiencing one.
This was undoubtedly a great boon for him, but it also left him somewhat puzzled.
“Could it be related to those blood-food infants?”
“Or perhaps linked to the organization behind them?”
These groups were plundering heaven and earth, while he was thwarting their operations—it did make sense that he might receive a heavenly blessing.
But even so, Qi Ping felt it was a bit much.
“Maybe it has to do with the state of my Dao heart?”
Qi Ping clearly remembered that the moment he reaffirmed his resolve—that the Bee Daoist would walk the world again—he had immediately fallen into that special state of heavenly baptism.
“If that’s the case, then it’s easier to understand…”
Heaven and earth were in steady decline, and within the framework of natural law, they would inevitably initiate some form of self-preservation—which aligned perfectly with Qi Ping’s fundamental interests.
Whether it was an illusion or not, Qi Ping felt that his Druid identity had grown even more closely tied to heaven and earth.
Soon after, he noticed a stunning change on his Druid attribute panel:
His former special talent, [Heaven and Earth’s Blessing], had evolved into [Heaven and Earth’s Favor].
[Special Talent: Heaven and Earth’s Favor]
[Heaven and Earth’s Favor: You have received the blessing and special regard of heaven and earth.]
[Effect One: Increased speed in comprehending the laws of heaven and earth; increased probability of sudden enlightenment.]
[Effect Two: You can command a greater amount of natural energy.]
[Effect Three: When facing beings loathed by heaven and earth, you will receive a power boost from the natural world.]
[Effect Four: Your affinity with spiritual energy is enhanced.]
[Effect Five: Your physical body, soul, and comprehension have been purified; your talents have been comprehensively elevated.]
[Effect Six: Any attempts at divination or curses targeting you will be weakened by heaven and earth.]
[Effect Seven: You have gained a sliver of fortune’s power.]
