'Void-Spirit Life-Seizing Battle Formation!'
Utilizing the unique abilities of an Earth Immortal Druid, Qi Ping completed the intricate inscription of the formation. A look of profound relief finally washed over his face.
'This array utilizes Void Refinement stage spatial foundations as its core, with Yin-Yang and Five Elements foundations as its base. It can perfectly aggregate and unleash the destructive potential of the swarm.'
This formation was meticulously designed to accommodate the eight specific types of spirit bees Qi Ping had been mass-breeding. It was a synergy that ensured the larger the swarm, the more terrifying its combat efficacy.
In simpler terms, once this formation was fully activated, the cycle of Yin-Yang and Five Elements energy would provide a comprehensive attribute boost to every bee, linking them into a singular, cohesive entity. This collective power would transcend their natural limits, significantly bolstering their foundation while granting the swarm powers of suppression and interference.
The core of the formation, however, was spatial power. This would maximize the speed and lethality of the primary offensive swarm. Under the command of the Void-Aether Bees, they could perform spatial traversals and execute high-tier spells like Spatial Strangle. At this level of mastery, even Void Refinement stage cultivators would find such spatial tactics exceptionally troublesome to deal with.
'It is a pity that Soul Transformation stage materials of the Yin-Yang and Five Elements attributes are so scarce in the Star-Sea Continent. My current remaining materials are only enough to set up three of these battle formations. I should be grateful to the Void-Aether Fish for collecting so many high-grade spatial materials during their time in the void; otherwise, setting up a formation of this caliber would have been a mere fantasy.'
'Now, I can only hope that the self-destruction of the Profound Heaven Grand Array will yield a significant harvest of high-level remains and treasures. As long as I have enough materials, I can construct even more arrays possessing world-ending destructive power!'
Fallen experts were themselves excellent materials for array construction. In an era where spatial materials were rare and high-grade elemental resources were stretched thin, harvesting from the enemy was the only viable option for growth. If Qi Ping's army of Earth-Vein Ants had not already explored over half of the underground world of the Star-Sea Continent, he likely wouldn't have been able to gather even these basic materials.
It was evident that the other continents had plundered the Star-Sea Continent with merciless efficiency. With the world's fundamental source power severely decayed, it no longer possessed enough creation energy to produce high-grade resources or natural treasures.
'I should set some materials aside. If I can research a Void Refinement stage spatial array later, I'll need a reserve of resources.'
Although the probability was slim, Qi Ping currently lacked the depth of understanding to construct a Void Refinement stage spatial array, even with his Earth Immortal Druid powers and the innate spatial talents of the Void-Aether Fish.
Strictly speaking, he possessed the raw power to fuel it—within his domain, his Earth Immortal strength was sufficient to manipulate Void Refinement level energy—but he had not yet fully grasped the underlying essence of such high-tier arrays. Only once he achieved a profound breakthrough in comprehension could he hope to deploy a true Void Refinement stage formation.
'At least the Void-Spirit Life-Seizing Battle Formation is complete. With this, my top-tier Soul Transformation bees can contend with Void Refinement stage foes without issue.'
Reaching this milestone gave Qi Ping a stable foundation of combat capital. Furthermore, since his swarm could be resurrected—albeit with a period of weakness—their combat power could be quickly restored as long as he had the resources.
'Now that the battle formation is ready, it is time to check on the progress of the swarm expansion.'
With a mere thought, a spatial tunnel opened before him and instantly swallowed him whole. When the tunnel vanished, Qi Ping appeared within the Natural Sanctuary of the Cloud-Mist Mountain Range.
Through his years of studying the path of space, his mastery and control over this element had reached a height previously unimaginable. Now, the Path of Space served as his sharpest offensive tool, while the Path of Yin-Yang and Five Elements served as his foundation. Combined with his unique cultivation path, his foundation was now leagues ahead of any peer in his realm.
With such a robust foundation, any spell Qi Ping cast—be it the Yin-Yang Grinding Disk, the Scarlet Gold Divine Sword, or the Heaven-Reaching Divine Vine—possessed destructive power far exceeding his current cultivation stage.
However, after extensive research and simulations, Qi Ping felt that these direct combat methods, while formidable, were not his ultimate strength. Integrating his understanding of his nascent World Phenomenon, he discovered that the Yin-Yang and Five Elements were the core means of exponentially increasing one's foundation. Using these laws as models, he could push his power to unprecedented levels.
If he didn't care about long-term consequences, he could even sublimate his foundation to a higher level in an instant. Though his physical body would crumble, the resulting spell would surpass any magic he had ever witnessed. Low-level blood-burning techniques were insignificant compared to this kind of power.
Therefore, Qi Ping preferred to use spatial tactics for direct combat to avoid interfering with the foundational growth provided by the Yin-Yang and Five Elements.
Fortunately, few laws could surpass the Path of Space in raw strength. It was inherently one of the most potent offensive tools. It allowed for the casual tearing of space and provided unparalleled combat flexibility through spatial tunnels. Layers of spatial barriers were also a supreme form of defense; weaker spells could be tossed directly into the void. Even if Qi Ping stood motionless, an opponent might never touch his physical body, let alone defeat him.
Furthermore, space could be used to warp senses, divide force, or even detonate spatial blades within an enemy's body, dealing heavy damage from impossible angles. Even Meng Tianqi, one of the top five Void Refinement experts, had been shaken by this ingenious spatial combat system.
The most troublesome aspect for any opponent was Qi Ping's survivability. Those layers of spatial barriers were extremely difficult to breach, and even if one succeeded, Qi Ping could vanish into the void in a heartbeat, reappearing where he could no longer be tracked. Unless an enemy possessed the power to crush the void itself in an instant, they simply could not land a hit. Alternatively, they would need an even more profound understanding of space to restrain him.
But the Path of Space was notoriously difficult to comprehend. Even with Qi Ping's previous talent, he had struggled significantly before contracting the Void-Aether Fish. Unless he faced another spatial practitioner, no one in the Star-Sea Continent could hope to match him in this regard.
Qi Ping's earlier sparring match with Meng Tianqi had thoroughly proven that spatial practitioners were among the most difficult people to kill in existence. In truth, if given enough time to perfect his World Phenomenon, Qi Ping could likely suppress most cultivators through raw power alone.
Unfortunately, the progress of comprehending the World Phenomenon was slow. It was not something achieved overnight. The Path of Space alone had been fraught with difficulties; the all-encompassing World Phenomenon was infinitely more complex. If not for the Treant's 'Plant Monarch' ability allowing him to directly absorb insights regarding the Yin-Yang and Five Elements, he likely would have lagged behind in those laws as well.
When Qi Ping returned to the Natural Sanctuary, he saw the Golden Marrow Queen Bee with a bloated abdomen. Surrounding her were numerous bee larvae already possessing Soul Transformation stage bloodlines.
Vast quantities of high-grade honey were being fed to the larvae as if it were water. Under this nutrient-rich deluge, the power of these larvae increased with every passing breath, their growth speed defying all logic.
Qi Ping couldn't help but sigh at the sight. 'It is no wonder the cultivation world has feared insect plagues since ancient times. Given sufficient resources, the growth speed of the Insect Race is something no other race can match.'
With enough resources, a race could experience an explosive rise in power. This was especially true for those insect races that fed on flesh and blood, which were prone to causing devastating calamities. The Demonic Insect King was the most classic example; such demonic insects grew faster than average, could enslave and assimilate other species, and once they matured, they could wipe out entire regions. History was full of regions that had been completely scoured by such plagues.
Ancient records even spoke of entire continents being devoured by a Demonic Insect King. That catastrophe was only averted because of a Heavenly Warning. After many diviners paid with their lives to locate the dying continent, the upper echelons of both the Human and Demon races joined forces to eradicate the scourge.
At the time, many suspected that without the Heavenly Warning, the entire world would have been turned to ash. The demonic insects would have eventually vanished after running out of food, leaving the world a hollow, spiritless shell. It was through that war that the Demonic Insect King became infamous across the heavens!
Since then, people discovered that the Demonic Insect King was not a specific species but a special race bred from bloodthirsty or powerful insect bloodlines, infused with various tyrannical and miraculous powers. They possessed strength far more terrifying than normal insects. Consequently, any beast-tamers or manuals dedicated to nurturing such beings were systematically hunted and purged.
Because of the sheer horror of insect plagues, both the Heavenly Dao and the cultivation world were highly sensitive to them. Any insect race that fed on flesh and blood was met with collective extermination and hostility.
However, insect races like the bees—who possessed production capabilities and had no interest in flesh—did not face such prejudice. On the contrary, they were welcomed by cultivators. Whether high-tier or low-tier, cultivators would try to farm them if they could be tamed. Without the right resources, these insects wouldn't expand beyond a certain point, meaning they posed little threat. Instead, their rapid growth meant they consumed resources efficiently and produced wealth quickly.
But there was a catch: this assumed a resource ceiling. If the resource limit was exceptionally high, such insects could still reach a terrifying scale.
As was the case with Qi Ping now. Under a sea of specially brewed honey, these bees were maturing at a breakneck pace! Qi Ping was funneling the staggering wealth he earned from the prosperity of the Qingtian Domain entirely into this batch of bees, achieving a burst of growth even more explosive than that of demonic insects.
Demonic insects needed to hunt to grow, but these bees had mountains of specialized honey waiting for them. This honey was tailor-made for their development—a miraculous elixir far superior to the chaotic energy of flesh and blood.
Within the Natural Sanctuary, a vast number of Soul Transformation stage bees were currently active, each radiating formidable power. It was easy to imagine the shock the Star-Sea Continent would experience when these bees finally emerged.
Qi Ping stayed in the sanctuary for a time, overseeing the integration of the bees with the Void-Spirit Life-Seizing Battle Formation. They only needed a short period of practice before they could unleash their full combat potential.
The breeding speed of this Soul Transformation swarm had exceeded his expectations. The specialized honey had significantly accelerated their growth, and the Queen Bee's egg-laying rate was higher than predicted. It seemed that when provided with unlimited resources, the reproductive capabilities of the swarm were truly abysmal—or rather, transcendent. Even the Queen herself was surprised.
With the bee army successfully nurtured, Qi Ping felt immensely satisfied. Only then did he begin to review the messages from the past year. Since Lin Yue hadn't come to find him personally, he assumed there were no emergencies.
A quick sweep confirmed his suspicions; most were reports from Meng Tianqi and the others. However, one specific piece of information caught his eye:
"According to descriptions from the Heavenly Dragon cultivators, a special vanguard army is expected to reach the Star-Sea Continent shortly."