Aside from the fire-attribute Fire Crow Formation, the metal-attribute formations were also bolstered by [Heaven and Earth’s Favor].
Qi Ping had been holed up here for over a month now, and in a sense, this place had become his temporary lair. Naturally, he’d made sure the formations were as strong as he could get them.
“Good thing I came prepared. Otherwise, this really could’ve turned into a risky mess!”
His clone gazed at the three late-stage Foundation Building cultivators, their auras thick and oppressive, and couldn’t help but feel a wave of relief. Without the formations backing him up, even if he managed to escape, he’d have lost a hefty chunk of his loot.
“And thank goodness I waited over two years and collected the spoils in batches…”
If he hadn’t been so cautious, Qi Ping couldn’t even begin to imagine how many enemies he would’ve attracted. At the very least, he was certain it would’ve been way more than he could handle right now. And if he’d been careless enough to expose his hideout in the process? That would’ve been an absolute disaster.
All he could say was that the cultivation world was crawling with scheming old foxes. Even among Foundation Building cultivators, most of them had been alive for over a century. Sure, many were held back by a lack of resources or talent, and their combat strength might not be all that impressive—but you could never underestimate just how treacherous they could be.
Take these three late-stage Foundation Building cultivators, for example. They’d bided their time for over two years, and they’d even joined forces. Under normal circumstances, a trio like this—working together—wouldn’t have to fear anything short of a Golden Core cultivator.
The three cultivators who’d been tracking the Earth Armor Bees finally laid eyes on Qi Ping’s treant clone, who appeared to be at the early Foundation Building stage, along with the swarm of bees and a storage pouch hovering nearby. Smug grins spread across their faces—the kind that screamed “gotcha.”
“Fellow Daoists Lin and Gong, just as you predicted—there really was a bigger fish behind that Bee Daoist!”
“I knew something was off back then. Even if the storage pouch shattered, there’s no way all those treasures from the major Foundation Building clans could’ve just vanished into thin air!”
“Who would’ve thought we’d have to wait over two years after planting our tracking marks before this big fish finally made a move? Cautious, I’ll give him that. Too bad we still caught him red-handed!”
“This time, let’s be careful. We don’t want to end up like Fellow Daoist Zhu—dragged down to a mutual death by some early-stage Foundation Building nobody. How embarrassing!”
“Just swarm him! Last time, they wanted to take the Bee Daoist alive, and that’s the only reason he got the chance to take someone down with him!”
“Exactly. All together now! We go all out and shatter his physical body first!”
With that, the three late-stage Foundation Building cultivators shot toward Qi Ping’s treant clone without hesitation.
They didn’t care much about who he actually was. One of them was from the Qingyuan Sect, another from the Immortal Alliance—two of the most powerful forces in the Qingtian Domain. To them, someone like the Bee Daoist, who stirred up trouble everywhere, was nothing more than a rat scurrying underground. The only real concern was making sure they didn’t get bitten!
They’d already swept the area with their divine senses several times and hadn’t found anything out of the ordinary. As for the finer details? They’d just kill him and search his soul—then they’d know everything.
They were not going to repeat Fellow Daoist Zhu’s mistake, nor would they give their target any chance to prepare!
“Bet you didn’t see this coming, huh? Thought you were safe after two whole years?”
“Now, are you going to hand everything over nicely? Or should we beat you to death first and then take it?”
The three late-stage Foundation Building cultivators closed in on Qi Ping from all sides, their voices cold and dripping with contempt.
“Looks like you’ve learned a thing or two. But do you really think three late-stage Foundation Building cultivators are enough to have me cornered?” Qi Ping’s treant clone snorted, firing back without a hint of fear.
“An early-stage Foundation Building brat like you sure has a big mouth! The three of us are here—even if you’ve set up a second-tier formation, it won’t save you!”
Even as they spoke, the three cultivators didn’t slow down for a second. Spells and attacks coalesced in their hands and shot toward Qi Ping with deadly intent!
Merciless Sword Intent, Metal True Intent, and Water True Intent suddenly flooded the air, suffusing the battlefield with terrifying pressure and overwhelming spiritual energy!
This was the full might of late-stage Foundation Building on full display!
Being able to comprehend True Intent was already considered the first step toward stepping into the Golden Core realm—and among late-stage Foundation Building cultivators, that was no small feat. These three were likely even stronger than the four late-stage Foundation Building cultivators who had once surrounded the Bee Daoist!
“They really are impressive.”
Feeling the suffocating pressure bearing down on him from all sides, Qi Ping had to admit it: under normal circumstances, the three of them working together could’ve taken down his treant clone in just a few breaths!
“But this is my territory!”
With a sweep of Qi Ping’s hands, a second-tier mid-grade defensive formation flared to life around him first.
Then came the second-tier mid-grade Net Trap Formation!
The Mysterious Gold Killing Formation!
The Fire Crow Formation!
Four formations rose one after another in rapid succession!
An oppressive, deadly aura instantly sealed off the entire space!
The defensive formation was there to protect Qi Ping himself, while the other three formed a tripartite integrated formation—one trapping formation layered with two killing formations. This was the absolute limit of Qi Ping’s current formation mastery.
“Damn it! This kid’s formation skills are even more terrifying than the Bee Daoist’s!”
“Where the hell did this freak come from? When did these rats get so strong?”
“This is a three-layer stacked formation! And the skill level is definitely among the best of second-tier mid-grade!”
Watching their own attacks get blocked by the defensive formation, and then sensing the immense power building within the formations, the three cultivators’ expressions shifted instantly.
Sure, these might only be second-tier mid-grade formations—but the devastating power they could unleash was absolutely not something mere human strength could easily contend with!
In that brief moment of realization, five majestic Fire Crows and seven razor-sharp sword projections came hurtling toward them at breakneck speed!
And on top of that, a crushing pressure and binding force descended upon their bodies!
“Break the formation now! Don’t let him stall us and escape!”
“Fellow Daoists, burn your trump cards! No more holding back!”
“Agreed!”
While these formations couldn’t deliver a fatal blow to the three of them right away, they would definitely give Qi Ping an opening to flee!
To make sure that didn’t happen, the three immediately activated blood-burning secret techniques, unleashing their deadliest attacks at the edges of the formation all at once!
In an instant—sword energy roared across the sky! Waves surged like a raging sea!
Amidst a series of thunderous explosions, Qi Ping’s tripartite three-layer formation shattered into pieces!
But after that all-out strike, the auras of the three late-stage Foundation Building cultivators visibly dimmed, and they heaved heavy breaths. Clearly, that combined attack had taken a massive toll on them—breaking through such a powerful three-layer formation was no joke. If any one of them had been alone, they might’ve lost their lives right there!
“Kid, you’ve got some skill!”
“But now that the formation’s broken, it’s our turn!”
The three cultivators glared at Qi Ping with fury burning in their eyes, killing intent oozing from their very beings. An early-stage Foundation Building whelp had actually made them look this pathetic!
But then—something made them uneasy.
Despite the formation shattering, Qi Ping didn’t look scared at all. Instead, he just spread his hands at them with a casual shrug.
Suddenly, their faces went pale, twisting into expressions of pure shock and fury!
Because outside the shattered formation, another tripartite three-layer formation was rising once more!
“Go on, keep going! If you don’t, I might just take off,” Qi Ping’s treant clone said with a teasing smirk. He even made a show of pretending to leave.
The mockery sent waves of rage crashing through the three cultivators!
But they had no choice but to keep breaking formations. If they didn’t smash through it now, once the backlash from their burst techniques kicked in, they wouldn’t just risk being worn down by the formations—they could end up severely damaging their foundations.
Left with no other option, the three poured everything they had into breaking the formation again!
Another round of earth-shattering blasts, and under their combined might, the formation broke once more!
But this time, their auras had plummeted significantly. The consecutive bursts had drained them far too much!
This time, they’d learned their lesson. The moment the formation shattered, they immediately exploded forward at full speed, trying to escape!
But just as they made their move—a fresh formation materialized right in front of them, cutting off their path!
The sight made the three late-stage Foundation Building cultivators’ faces turn utterly grim. A sense of crisis they’d never felt before began creeping up from the depths of their hearts.
They turned back to look—and there was Qi Ping, staring at them with an expression of pure amusement.
At that moment, they finally understood who the real prey was.
Meanwhile, outside the formation, hidden within a concealment array, Qi Ping’s main body was constantly triggering [Nature’s Perception] to assess safety and refine his battle plan while controlling the external formations.
If any real danger arose, his main body would immediately transform into a bee and flee with Crow and Little Flower Fairy. But if the coast stayed clear? Then these three heads were his for the taking.
From the black market token, Qi Ping had already found two extremely rare divination-type spirit beasts, but he still didn’t have enough black market points. If he could take down just one of these three, he’d have just about enough.
The moment the third tripartite three-layer formation rose, a smile finally curled at the corner of Qi Ping’s lips.
Setting up all these formations had cost him a fortune in resources and spirit stones. Now—it was harvest time!
He immediately glanced over at Tongtong and Crow. The two spirit beasts instantly understood and shot forward!
A figure that shifted from black to gold tore into the battlefield at terrifying speed, striking first!
