"Provide me with the locations of the other Golden Cores so I can safely destroy the Alliance's forces?"
Qi Ping was stunned by these words. This silver-masked, white-haired Golden Core wasn't here to kill him, but to help him?
"Yes."
Facing Qi Ping's doubt, the silver-masked figure nodded with certainty. They extended a hand, and a uniquely shaped transmission talisman, wrapped in spiritual power, floated toward Qi Ping.
Qi Ping didn't take it directly. Instead, he had one of his bees intercept it first. Then, he asked in confusion, "Why would you help me?"
He stared at the masked cultivator, his gaze devoid of any cowardice. The silver-masked Golden Core looked at Qi Ping with a hint of surprise. This Bee Daoist certainly had guts! No wonder he dared to trap and kill so many Foundation Establishment experts, and then continue his purge despite the risk of being found.
A new thought formed in the masked cultivator's mind. "We simply share a common enemy. If I wanted to harm you, a single finger would suffice. Why would I bother with such elaborate means?"
"If that is the case, then you have my thanks," Qi Ping said, cupping his fists.
He believed the figure's words to an extent. If they truly intended him harm, there was no need for such trouble, unless they had some very specific ulterior motive. And for Qi Ping, this was just a Treant Clone. From the moment it left the sanctuary, he never intended for it to return. He was fearless.
"I am merely using your hand to kill some people. There is no need for thanks," the silver-masked figure said bluntly. They then placed a special token before him.
Qi Ping looked closely and saw the words 'Qing Yuan' engraved upon it.
"A Qing Yuan Sect token? What is the meaning of this?"
The silver-masked cultivator, standing suspended in mid-air with hair flowing in the wind, explained, "The holder of this token can become an inner disciple of the Qing Yuan Sect without any obstacles. I noticed that every time you destroy an Alliance affiliate, you empty their library. I assume you have a great thirst for cultivation knowledge. Within the Qing Yuan Sect, you can find knowledge that ordinary powers could never hope to possess. The sect has an inheritance of over ten thousand years; the richness of its records is beyond your imagination."
With those final words, the figure vanished instantly, leaving the token suspended by a lingering wisp of spiritual power.
'A Qing Yuan Sect token?'
Qi Ping looked at the token, which radiated a unique Daoist charm, feeling a sense of bewilderment. He could understand why the masked cultivator would help him against a common foe, but why give him a path into the sect? Was this person a Golden Core from the Qing Yuan Sect?
'Strange...'
Despite his confusion, Qi Ping had his bees retrieve the token. If the location data provided by the masked figure proved accurate, he would consider sending a Treant Clone to the sect in the future. He wasn't particularly interested in the status of a disciple, but he was very interested in the knowledge of a ten-thousand-year-old inheritance!
That was true wealth. For Qi Ping, knowledge was the most difficult resource to acquire. For the sake of his immortal path and longevity, he would eventually have to visit the Qing Yuan Sect. He also wanted to see exactly what kind of people lived within that sect and how they had allowed the region to fall into such a state.
To ensure the continued growth of the Qing Tian Region, those parasites who colluded with the Alliance and damaged the land had to be removed. However, those who truly cared for the region's development could remain; otherwise, a chaotic region would only continue to decline. Some people within the sect clearly had high management skills and sound economic policies...
But Qi Ping decided to wait until he had thoroughly digested the resources and books he had already acquired. Given his current pressure and the lack of an immediate crisis, he preferred to take things one step at a time. Regardless of the masked figure's goal, he could afford to wait ten or twenty years! With his Treant Clone and the Cloud-Dream Immortal Tiger, his basic safety was guaranteed.
The immortal path was long; quiet meditation and diligent cultivation were the true foundations.
The subsequent slaughter proceeded with remarkable smoothness. With the data provided by the silver-masked cultivator, Qi Ping successfully avoided the Alliance's Golden Core experts. Without the threat of the Golden Cores, the Alliance's Foundation Establishment lackeys—already terrified of the 'madman' Bee Daoist—had no desire to face him.
However, as the operation reached its final stages, Qi Ping found that many remaining affiliates had gone into hiding or migrated away, leaving no trace. He was helpless against this; after all, his enemies weren't idiots. They wouldn't just wait for him to come and kill them.
In the beginning, some had tried to hide using crude methods, and he had found them easily. In the later stages, he suspected the Alliance had stepped in to provide professional concealment for the survivors.
'I'll call it here for now.'
Unable to find more targets, Qi Ping decided to terminate the mission. He couldn't exactly march into the Celestial Alliance's regional headquarters. What kind of place was that? It was a fortress where even Golden Core or Nascent Soul experts might perish. His small frame would be turned to ash before he even got close.
His success this time was primarily because his targets were small, scattered, and relatively weak local affiliates. Combined with his years of studying concealment and tracking, his suite of passive talents, the secret aid of other cultivators, and a bit of luck, he had managed to deal a heavy blow to the Alliance's network.
'A strike of this magnitude should stop the mass capture of infants and the plundering of the land's creation for a long time... Even if the Alliance starts building its own guard units from scratch, they won't be able to achieve the same efficiency as their previous network for a while.'
Qi Ping felt that after such a frenzied slaughter, few organizations would be willing to work for the Alliance in the near future. As long as the Bee Daoist remained alive, he was the ultimate deterrent.
'So, the Bee Daoist disappearing and hiding now will have a much better effect than dying at the hands of a Golden Core. A sword of doom that could fall at any moment is the best threat...'
As long as the Bee Daoist lived, anyone considering working for the Alliance would have to wonder if that madman would show up at their door the next day. In a way, the Bee Daoist was an invincible man with no ties and no weaknesses... a lunatic!
Having thought this through, Qi Ping began processing the items on his clone. Once everything was settled, he found a secluded spot and collapsed the Treant Clone, ending its mission.
The moment the clone disintegrated, Qi Ping's true body in the sanctuary of the Cloud Mist Mountains opened its eyes, which had been closed for a very long time.
It was time to tally the harvest.