As soon as Qi Ping sensed something was wrong, his main body within the territory immediately began making arrangements for the Dream-Cloud Mist Tiger’s breakthrough.
The tree-man clone in Zone C of the Cloud Mist Mountains pretended nothing had happened and continued chatting with Wang Shan about the latest news from Qing Shi County.
Since Wang Shan had many connections and was well-informed, he knew a great deal about what had been happening to the ordinary rogue cultivators in Qingshi County.
The more Qi Ping learned, the more alarmed and silent he became. Wang Shan painted vivid picture after vivid picture for him—when each parent had given birth to their child, the joy they’d felt when the child tested positive for extraordinary talent, the day the child vanished, and the parents’ utter collapse as they searched desperately.
Each missing child was no longer just a cold statistic, but the hope of an entire family and the very heart of every parent.
Behind each one lay a shattered home and a pair of parents living a life worse than death.
If one day Qi Ping were to suddenly disappear, how would Old Man Zhou ever bear it?
And that was with no blood relation—how much worse for parents and children bound by flesh and blood?
Even though Qi Ping was selfish and timid by nature, hearing these living examples and feeling the crushing despair behind them still stirred something deep within him.
If he had to risk his life to act, he might hesitate or hold back.
But if his own safety was reasonably assured, Qi Ping didn’t mind following his heart and indulging in a good slaughter—especially since these scumbags were already destroying this very world.
——–
Back in Qi Ping’s territory within the Misty Cloud Mountains:
“Grrr-woof? (Boss, did something happen?)”
The Dream-Cloud Mist Tiger, dozing beside Qi Ping, suddenly noticed the furrow in his brow.
Then, a flash of golden light passed through its eyes, and a scene of mountains of bones and rivers of blood appeared in its vision.
“Yeah, something did. I’m going to send my Treant clone out with a batch of Earth-Armor Bees to kill—maybe a lot of people. I don’t know how many yet,” Qi Ping nodded.
“Grrr-woof… (I just had a premonition and saw a vision—piles of bones stacked like mountains and blood flowing into a great river… so Boss, you’re definitely going to kill a lot this time!)”
The little Dream-Cloud Mist Tiger spoke calmly and wisely, its tone creating a stark contrast with its adorable, chubby appearance.
But once it confirmed that this was indeed Qi Ping’s doing, the little tiger felt a deep shock.
Over the more than three years they’d spent together, it had come to see Qi Ping as a very gentle person—especially when he played with the Little Spirit Fox, the Little Flower Spirit, the Three-Colored Deer, and the others. There had never been any hint of bloodlust about him.
Even his Dao Heart Domain was centered around protection, having nothing to do with offense or slaughter.
Yet now, after years of peace, the first move his boss made was a scene straight out of a slaughterhouse hell—how could it not be stunned?
Truly, when he moved, he moved mountains of corpses and seas of blood.
But Qi Ping’s next words soon made everything clear.
“I sensed a massive weakening of the Heavenly Earth Force today. As a beast of fortune, you should be able to sense it too. After investigating, I found that it’s the Immortal Alliance organization capturing and refining living beings en masse, plundering the very essence of heaven and earth.”
As Qi Ping spoke, a flash of images appeared before the little tiger’s eyes: batches of infants and children being skinned alive, then sealed with special blood seeds to trap their flesh and souls, waiting for the seeds to take root and sprout before refining them into blood nourishment.
The sheer cruelty and revulsion of those images made the little tiger’s body tremble uncontrollably. Though it possessed great wisdom, it was still just a young beast at heart.
But after the initial fear, the little Dream-Cloud Mist Tiger quickly steadied itself and asked with determination:
“Grrr-woof? (Boss, is there anything I can do to help?)”
Qi Ping looked at the little tiger with some surprise, watching its gaze shift from horror to resolve.
He knew the little tiger must have seen something truly gruesome, but its ability to recover so quickly and steel itself showed just how exceptional it was.
Qi Ping then said:
“I need you to break through to the second rank. Then, use your talents [Deep Fortune] and [Insight Into All Things] to shield me and the entire territory from any heavenly divination. Think you can manage that?”
“Grrr-woof. (Don’t worry, Boss. I’ve already consulted the hexagrams for my breakthrough—they show good fortune. I’ll definitely succeed!)”
“Grrr-woof. (And as for the shielding, you can rest easy. According to my inherited memories, even those one or two major realms above me would find it extremely difficult to divine my bloodline. Plus, Boss, you’re protected by Heavenly Fate and Fortune and a special Heavenly Law—anyone trying to divine you won’t just find it nearly impossible; they’ll even provoke active backlash and retribution from the Heavenly Earth Force!)”
“Really? There’s that too?” Qi Ping asked in surprise.
“Grrr-woof. (Yes, Boss. Divination itself already invites backlash from the Heavenly Earth Force. If someone tries to forcibly divine one who is protected by fortune, not only will they likely receive false information, but the degree of backlash they suffer will skyrocket.)”
“I see. Then I’m at ease!”
After confirming everything was in order, Qi Ping immediately had the little tiger prepare to break through to the second rank.
With the hexagrams showing good fortune, ample resources, and Qi Ping’s [Potential Stimulation] as a foundation, the breakthrough proceeded exceptionally smoothly.
Just over a day later, the little tiger officially broke through to the early second rank!
After its breakthrough, its body had grown a full size larger, and its presence carried an ever-increasing air of majesty and authority.
“Grrr-woof. (Boss, leave the shielding of heavenly divination to me! There won’t be any problems at all!)” the little tiger said, its voice still babyish but brimming with unwavering resolve.
When it came to heavenly divination, the Dream-Cloud Mist Tiger might not match the Xuanwu bloodline, but when it came to obscuring heaven’s sight, the Xuanwu lineage couldn’t hold a candle to the Bai-Ze-blooded Dream-Cloud Mist Tiger!
“Good! I’m leaving it all to you!”
With the little tiger’s guarantee, the last trace of worry in Qi Ping’s heart melted away.
Once matters within Qi Ping’s territory were settled, far from the Misty Cloud Mountains, a fierce and arrogant figure wreathed in demonic energy suddenly opened its eyes.
Hehehe!
This demonic figure was, of course, none other than Qi Ping’s Treant clone.
Surrounded by a swarm of bees, Qi Ping’s form shot like lightning toward the Huishan Merchant Guild’s base in Qingshi County!
Not long after, atop the lavish central building of the Huishan Guild, a demonic figure effortlessly bypassed the barrier formations and burst into the top-floor pavilion.
Inside, the guild master—dressed in opulent finery—and the vice guild master—reeking of base commercial greed—saw the sudden appearance of this demonic entity and their faces drained of color!
“Who are you, fellow Daoist?! Why are you trespassing on our Huishan Merchant Guild?!”
The two stared nervously at Qi Ping, shrouded in demonic energy, and a foreboding dread rose in their hearts.
The fact that this person could slip past their formations and arrive here silently was proof enough that his strength and means were extraordinary!
Then they fixed their eyes on the unbridled demonic energy radiating from Qi Ping and the three thousand Earth-Armor Bees swirling around him. A blood-soaked figure instantly surfaced from their memories.
That very figure had once terrorized all the ordinary Foundation Establishment forces under the Immortal Alliance—and they had been among them. Fortunately, that Bee Daoist had eventually self-destructed and died!
But now, looking at this demonic figure and that familiar swarm of bees, they felt their scalps go numb!
Faced with their questions, Qi Ping had absolutely no interest in responding. He merely uttered four words, like a ghost:
“Leave no one alive. ”
The evidence was already set—no more words were needed.
The next instant, countless fragments, resembling dragon scales, swept through the entire space, and then—a suffocating formation rapidly took shape!
