After breaking free from the old man’s persistent pestering, Qi Ping continued executing his carefully laid trap.
He didn’t care whether the old man’s words were true or false—it wouldn’t affect his plans in the slightest.
The only real impact that elder had was showing Qi Ping that perhaps not everyone at the upper echelons of the cultivation world was utterly rotten.
Apart from the mysterious black market, there were still people standing firmly against the Immortal Alliance, struggling and striving in their own way.
But wiping out the Alliance’s pawns was something he could handle alone. There was no need to drag other cultivators—rare as they were for still holding onto their humanity—into this mess.
Sure, the great Dao is heartless, and cultivators shouldn’t be shackled by mortal concerns. But Qi Ping still had some bottom lines. If he butchered countless lives and ravaged the world just to pave his own path to immortality, how long could this cultivation world really last?
At the very least, Qi Ping couldn’t do it. His Druid abilities came from the natural world itself—if the world decayed, where would his powers come from? His passives and formations all depended on a thriving, powerful realm. For that reason alone, he couldn’t stand by and do nothing.
“The trap site will be right here!”
To ensure his ambush plan went smoothly, Qi Ping had specifically chosen a location with highly active earthfire, based on the map.
This place was called Linhuo County, home to a vast stretch of exceptionally volatile earthfire. The fire-attribute energy in the area was astonishingly dense and powerful.
Here, Qi Ping had a much better chance of setting up the second-rank high-level [Six Ding Flame Serpent Array]!
This formation could unleash six flame serpents, each possessing the strength of a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator. And as long as the array remained intact, the serpents could not be killed!
What’s more, with the violent power of the local earthfire fueling it, the Six Ding Flame Serpent Array’s might would receive a significant boost.
After confirming the environment and verifying that a target Foundation Establishment clan was nearby, Qi Ping began his preparations in secret.
With plenty of time and the array foundations he had already engraved on his territory, Qi Ping spent several days and finally succeeded in setting up five sets of trinity grand formations!
The Six Ding Flame Serpent Array was far more difficult to set up than the Fire Crow Array. For an ordinary cultivator, even gathering enough suitable fire-attribute materials would be a challenge. Qi Ping only managed it because he’d amassed a hefty collection of spoils from past victories.
In terms of value, each Six Ding Flame Serpent Array cost over ten thousand spirit stones to build. These five sets alone required materials worth more than a hundred thousand spirit stones! And that’s not even counting the cost of suitable foundation materials—let alone the labor fees for an array master like himself.
“With the Six Ding Flame Serpent Array as the main trap, supplemented by the Mysterious Gold Killing Array and Binding Formations, I’ve finally got it all set up!”
“Great! This is more than enough! Now all I need is to lure those trackers over here!”
At this point, Qi Ping just hoped enough cultivators would take the bait—otherwise, the cost of setting up the formations wouldn’t even be worth it.
A hundred thousand spirit stones was no small sum, after all.
But he was fairly confident. After all, quite a few enemies from the Immortal Alliance had their eyes on him now, and plenty of others were hunting him for the bounty. All he had to do was subtly guide the encirclement’s movement, “accidentally” leak his whereabouts, and draw all those cultivators straight to Linhuo County.
Of course, Qi Ping couldn’t guarantee success, nor could he be sure a Golden Core cultivator wouldn’t show up. But fortunately, this was just a treant clone—if it failed, no big deal.
From a probability standpoint, the chances of success were still pretty high.
Moreover, with the precedent of the Blood Shadow Bee Daoist’s self-destruction fresh in everyone’s minds, Qi Ping was certain these people would swarm in without hesitation!
His pursuers would most likely be misled by that past experience and fall right into his formation trap.
“The encirclement is tightening. This Bee Daoist’s time is almost up!”
“This Bee Daoist’s stealth abilities are truly nothing to scoff at. Anyone else would have been caught long ago!”
“After killing so many of our Immortal Alliance people, he deserves to be captured alive and tortured for centuries!”
“Capture him? Are you crazy? Last time, that early-stage Foundation Establishment Bee Daoist blew himself up and took out a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator! This one’s at mid-stage—aren’t you afraid of being turned into mincemeat?”
“Exactly! This time, let’s just surround him properly and take him down cleanly. Even if he tries to self-destruct, we can all join forces to block it. The bounty on this Bee Daoist is huge, and if we split it by contribution, we’ll all get a nice share. Plus, he’s bound to have plenty of wealth and secrets on him…”
Hearing that, the others nodded in agreement. Playing it safe and getting a slice of the pie was the way to go.
They’d worked hard to reach their current levels—if they could earn a profit with no risk, why take unnecessary chances?
Before long, news finally reached them: the Bee Daoist had been wounded by a Foundation Establishment perfection cultivator from the Immortal Alliance and might have fled to Linhuo County or several surrounding counties!
In particular, a few of the Bee Daoist’s bees had been spotted in Linhuo County. Though they were well-hidden, they’d been “carelessly” discovered.
As soon as the news broke, a swarm of Foundation Establishment cultivators rushed toward Linhuo County!
“This time, the Bee Daoist is as good as dead!”
“As long as he dares to show himself and attack the Chu Clan in Linhuo County, he’ll have absolutely no escape!”
“Honestly, he could’ve dragged this out a bit longer, but he actually thought his bees could fool us? As if they could evade the spiritual sense and detection spells of Foundation Establishment cultivators! The only thing truly ridiculous is the Bee Daoist’s stealth—somehow, he’s managed to dodge all our detection spells!”
“Could this be a trap?”
“With so many of us, what’s there to fear? Besides, a stray dog on the run can’t possibly set up any real trap—Qingtian Domain is our turf!”
“True! With our home advantage, what’s there to be afraid of!”
Once the Bee Daoist’s trail was exposed, it spread like a storm. Foundation Establishment cultivators from nearby areas quickly converged on Linhuo County.
By now, everyone involved in the manhunt was certain that this time, the Bee Daoist was doomed!
According to their estimates, more than twenty Foundation Establishment cultivators were converging on him!
Among them, at least six or seven were late-stage Foundation Establishment, and there might even be two at Foundation Establishment perfection!
With such a lineup, how could the Bee Daoist possibly survive?
“The timing should be about right.”
Hidden within Linhuo County, Qi Ping figured the time was ripe and began his assault on the Chu Clan as planned.
After sneaking close to the Chu Clan’s compound and pinpointing a weak spot in their defensive formation, he struck without hesitation—a single, devastating punch!
“Boom!”
With that explosive impact, the Chu Clan’s protective formation shattered on the spot!
But immediately after, Qi Ping noticed something odd. The Chu Clan’s patriarch showed no panic whatsoever—instead, a sly, triumphant smile spread across his face.
That made Qi Ping frown deeply, a sudden sense of foreboding washing over him.
The next moment, over twenty Foundation Establishment cultivators shot out from all directions, converging on him in a pincer movement!
Qi Ping’s expression dramatically shifted! He then turned and fled wildly in one direction, as if panicking!
“Bee Daoist, stop dreaming—you’re not getting away!” the Chu Clan patriarch taunted loudly.
If the Bee Daoist fell here, the Chu Clan would walk away with a handsome reward too!
