The combination of the Treant Clone and the bees was the perfect substitute for the persona of the "Bee Daoist."
Additionally, the Spirit Fox and the Three-Colored Deer had reached the peak of the first grade and were accumulating energy to break through to the second. As for the little Stone Essence, it had been sleeping this entire time. Because it slept near the Ghost-Iron Tree and the spiritual vein, its strength grew steadily even in its slumber.
The one with the greatest growth was the Flower Demon. With the support of Qi Ping's Plant Growth and the spiritual vein, it was nearly ready to break through to the mid-tier of the second grade. Its growth speed was the fastest among all his animal companions! Combined with its increasingly masterful use of the Hundred-Eyed Demon Realm, it was becoming one of Qi Ping's trump cards.
'For the Treant Clone, taking the Earth-Armor Bees and scouting bees should be enough...'
Although Yaya and the Flower Demon were powerful, he couldn't let them take unnecessary risks. They would only leave with the main body, using Natural Perception to ensure any battle was a guaranteed victory.
'As for the arrays, I'll use array discs carved from ordinary spiritual materials.'
The Ghost-Stone Scale Armor was something Qi Ping intended to nurture as one of his natal treasures. It had been soaking in the energy of the Ghost-Iron Tree for years and could not be lost. More importantly, using ordinary materials made it less likely that the Ghost-Stone Scale Armor's existence would be exposed.
After spending a week carving two sets of array discs, Qi Ping controlled the Treant Clone to depart from the territory, accompanied by the Earth-Armor and scouting bees.
His main body remained behind to focus on nurturing the Blood-Blaze Garment, aiming to bring its potency to the limit of his Plant Growth skill as soon as possible. Controlling two bodies simultaneously was no longer difficult; he had become quite adept. As long as he didn't try to perform two tasks that both required extreme soul-force and concentration—like researching laws in one and spells in the other—there was no real impact. If one was traveling and fighting while the other farmed, it was perfectly fine.
'Using the Treant Clone feels great!'
Currently, Qi Ping was clad in blood-red robes, exuding a dense, palpable killing intent. A relaxed, slightly wicked smile played across his handsome face. These blood-red robes were something he had crafted using Beastmaster's Flame after digging up some random ore; they had no special effects beyond looking sharp and complementing the persona he had assumed with the Myriad Transformation Art.
Since this identity was meant to shield his main body, the stylistic difference had to be as large as possible.
Upon leaving Qishi County and locating his secret market token, Qi Ping began searching for suitable tasks.
Refresh! Refresh! Refresh!
To find the perfect mission, he refreshed the list ten times in a row. The spirit stones in his token dropped from 5,800 to 3,800.
[Black Market Spirit Stones: 3,800]
[Black Market Points: 3,100]
There were now fifteen active tasks displayed. Originally, there should have been seventeen, based on his refreshes five years ago. Two had been completed—one assassination and one faction-extermination task. A completion rate of two out of seventeen over five years wasn't bad.
'Someone completed two tasks? It seems others are active in the secret market as well.'
Qi Ping was slightly surprised. Knowing the power of the organizations behind these bounties, anyone daring to cross them needed considerable courage and strength. However, he didn't dwell on it; the allure of the Black Market was simply too high!
He scrutinized the seventeen tasks and decided to start with the simple ones. Since the clone was destined to self-detonate anyway, he might as well finish as many as possible. From the moment the clone left, he never intended for it to return. Ending with Truth-Seeking Self-Detonation was the best way to hide its existence. Death was the ultimate closure; it would make his enemies feel avenged while he quietly used the points to boost his strength.
Self-detonation was the Treant Clone's destiny.
"Let's start with this one."
'The Qi Family of Linshui County... possesses two early-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators.'
'Every year, after the Qingyuan Sect finishes its disciple recruitment, they scour Linshui County and the surrounding mortal lands under the guise of talent scouting or secret inspections to find infants and toddlers suitable for manufacturing Blood Ginseng...'
'Linshui County originally had four great families. After the war, two were destroyed, and one fell to the level of a Qi Refinement family. Only the Qi Family survived almost entirely intact...'
"How interesting."
The war involving the Qingyuan Sect had been fierce. Linshui County was one of the more intense battlefields. For the Qi Family to emerge unscathed while the other three families were devastated suggested something suspicious.
'It seems the Qingyuan Sect and other factions know what the Qi Family represents, which is why they didn't touch them. Are they merely tolerant, or are they accomplices?'
Qi Ping was curious about the relationship between these regional overlords and the mysterious organizations. Having decided on his target, he immediately set off for Linshui County.
Because of the distance, it took Qi Ping over three days of traveling as a Foundation Establishment cultivator to arrive. Upon reaching the Qi Family estate, he didn't hesitate to send out his stealthy scouting bees.
Shortly after, the bees reported back. The Qi Family was protected by an array; entering directly would alert those inside. However, this was no hurdle for Qi Ping. He spent a brief moment opening a gap in their ordinary low-tier second-grade formation and slipped his bees through.
Then, he waited outside. He had to confirm if they were truly producing blood food. He couldn't just take the Black Market's word for it; he needed proof.
However, after only a moment, Qi Ping's expression turned deathly cold.
"Buzz buzz... (Boss, we've found over three thousand blood foods made from human infants!)"
"What? Over three thousand?" Qi Ping couldn't believe his ears.
Three thousand infants... that wasn't just a number. Those selected were almost all children with cultivation talent or unique constitutions! To some extent, they represented a significant portion of the region's future cultivation talent. In times of war, they were the hope of the human race. Yet here they were, turned into food for some unknown entity.
"Buzz buzz... (Yes, Boss. Over three thousand. And there are twenty more children currently being washed, flayed, and processed...)"