Within the Misty Cloud Mountain Range, inside the Natural Sanctuary.
As Qi Ping opened his eyes, a profound sense of having lived through an entirely different lifetime washed over him.
Right now, he gazed upon his flourishing territory—the blossoms vying for attention, the busy bees buzzing about, the playful little spirit fox and tricolor deer, and the little immortal tiger dozing quietly by his side. Crow Crow, as always, was cultivating atop the Scorching Sun Wood. Perhaps the only thing that had truly changed was the look in Qi Ping’s own eyes.
“Is it finally over?”
Qi Ping could no longer remember just how many people he had killed during this time. Almost everywhere he went, he left behind fields of corpses—living, breathing human beings reduced to broken, mangled remains at his hands.
It had all started with a heart full of fury. Blazing with anger, he had slaughtered every single member of those factions that had been refining blood sacrifices for the Immortal Alliance—some he even blasted into fine dust, leaving not a trace of bone behind!
As time wore on, however, the killing gradually numbed him. The rage inside him slowly faded, yet the intent to kill never diminished.
He knew these people deserved to die! They had it coming! There was no room for forgiveness, none at all!
But even so, after taking so many lives, an inevitable shift occurred within Qi Ping’s state of mind—an inexplicable feeling of the Dao’s heartless detachment crept into his heart.
He had killed before, of course, but never on this scale. This wasn’t simply a matter of crushing an entire city with one palm strike and slaughtering tens of thousands in an instant. No—every single family, every single person who fell beneath his hand, had been sought out personally by him. He had shattered their flesh and scattered their souls, reaped their lives one by one.
Still, Qi Ping felt no regret. If he had to do it all over again, he would still choose to wipe them out completely. And if anyone else like them ever appeared, he would kill them all over again—without a shred of hesitation.
The reason he was now so carefully examining these shifts in his state of mind was to gain a deeper understanding of his Dao Heart.
Only by earnestly confronting every realization along the path of immortality could one forge a complete and powerful Dao Heart—and only then could one truly master their own strength!
Looking back on his journey so far, Qi Ping regretted nothing. Whether it was lying low, playing it safe, or carrying out brutal massacres, every moment had been a bold and unforgettable stroke in the story of his pursuit of immortality.
Lost in these thoughts, Qi Ping slowly closed his eyes.
And then, [Heaven and Earth’s Favor] took effect. In an instant, he plunged into a state of deep enlightenment.
A peculiar Dao resonance arose, intertwined with an utterly pure and chilling killing intent.
At the same time, the slaughter-enhancing effect of his [Heaven and Earth’s Favor] had also grown significantly stronger.
The moment that razor-sharp killing intent emerged, every living being within his territory was drawn to it.
The little spirit fox, the little flower spirit, the tricolor deer, and even the bees all stared at Qi Ping in utter shock. Never before had they sensed such a raw and terrifying killing intent emanating from him within the safety of his own domain.
Even Crow Crow was taken aback. He knew his boss was usually a relatively gentle soul—even in many battles, he simply used his full strength to finish the opponent, rarely ever giving off a palpable killing intent, let alone one so fierce and so pure.
Without a doubt, his boss’s treant avatar must have gone through a great deal during this time.
Perhaps the only being in the territory who wasn’t surprised by this was the little immortal tiger. After all, from the very beginning of Qi Ping’s campaign, due to their bond, it had already glimpsed those mountains of bones and scenes reminiscent of a hellish Asura realm. After killing so many people, it was hardly surprising that he would harbor such a terrifying killing intent.
Then again, there might be one other who wouldn’t bat an eye—the little stone spirit buried next to the spirit veins and the Dark Iron Trees. That one hadn’t even woken up from its slumber.
Perhaps because he was in an enlightened state, Qi Ping’s transformation this time was much faster.
First, the power of [Heaven and Earth’s Favor] increased by a fair margin.
Then, his original [Farming Domain] talent began to gradually merge with that pure killing intent he carried.
Right now, Qi Ping had just emerged from a series of relentless slaughters, making this the very moment his killing intent was at its most intense and unadulterated.
As that fierce and pure killing intent fused with his first-level Dao Heart domain—the Farming Domain—a violent and dramatic change erupted. The domain’s strength skyrocketed in an instant.
Its range could now extend slightly farther from his body, though the overall area remained modest.
But once the transformation of his Dao Heart’s conceptual realm was complete, its power had risen by an entire level.
“The second level of the Dao Heart… Home Domain!”
As his enlightenment came to an end, a special and imposing aura rose from Qi Ping.
A sense of clarity and joy swelled within him.
His second-level Dao Heart was complete!
Yet another barrier on the immortal path to longevity had been broken under his feet!
——-
[Special Talent: Heaven and Earth’s Favor, Home Domain (Dao Heart Conceptual Realm – Second Level)]
[Home Domain: A special conceptual realm born from comprehending the second level of the Dao Heart. It allows the user to wield greater control over the Laws, spiritual energy, and soul power, while also providing a strong defense against inner demons—the higher the realm, the stronger the effect. This talent also possesses three special abilities:]
[Effect One: Forms a layer of protective conceptual sanctuary around the user, capable of defending against attacks of the soul, spiritual energy, and other forces. The strength of this sanctuary increases with the user’s understanding of the Dao Heart.]
[Effect Two: Within the user’s home territory, they can command a greater amount of the world’s natural forces. The degree of control over these forces grows in tandem with the user’s Dao Heart comprehension.]
[Effect Three: Grants a unique form of slaughter-force born from the act of protection, greatly enhancing attack power.]
——-
“My control over spiritual energy and soul power has improved tremendously!”
Qi Ping gave it a try and found that the second level of the Dao Heart was vastly superior to the first.
No wonder it was said that the second level was generally only attainable by cultivators at the Golden Core realm—his talent for wisdom and insight was indeed remarkable.
And this kind of fine, meticulous control was exactly what he needed for setting up formations. With this newfound mastery, his formation-arranging abilities would also see considerable improvement.
But the biggest change didn’t stop there. It lay in the redefinition of his home territory. Perhaps because this entire massacre had been carried out to prevent the Azure Heaven Domain’s spiritual decay, his home territory had somehow expanded to encompass the entire Azure Heaven Domain!
That meant that no matter where Qi Ping stood within the Azure Heaven Domain, he could now draw upon the amplification of the world’s natural forces through his Dao Heart conceptual realm!
And with his enhanced [Heaven and Earth’s Favor] talent also granting him a boost from the same worldly forces, Qi Ping could now stack two layers of amplification!
Under these conditions, the stronger the world of the Azure Heaven Domain became—the mightier its spirit veins, the more powerful its living beings—the greater the amplification Qi Ping would receive!
The ceiling of this ability was absolutely terrifying. The only catch was that Qi Ping had to protect this land well and nurture its growth.
Yet the benefits were equally obvious—the might of heaven and earth, after all, was something few in this world could contend with!
And on top of that, the special slaughter-force from the third effect had given Qi Ping another pleasant surprise…
