The upcoming war that would decide the ruler of the Star-Sea Continent was not as flamboyant as one might imagine. In a conflict between human cultivators—especially an internal one—victory was determined by the upper-echelon experts. Low-level cultivators, no matter how many, were ultimately useless in a direct confrontation.
However, this did not mean low-level cultivators were irrelevant.
A region or a world's strength was directly tied to the power and prosperity of its inhabitants—humans, spirit beasts, insects, trees, and all living things. These elements were negligible in a civil war, but in a war against external invaders like the demons, they were crucial.
When demons breached a world's barrier, they faced the suppression and fierce resistance of that world's natural order. The more the world detested them, the stronger the suppression would be. Therefore, unless an invading force possessed the power to directly suppress an entire world, their high-level combatants would be significantly weakened, potentially allowing those of lower cultivation stages to slay them.
No cultivator wanted to face such conditions. Thus, if the demons intended to appear in the Star-Sea Continent, they had to bring a massive army. Only when an immense number of their own kin faced the suppression would the pressure be divided and weakened, preventing their high-level experts from being picked off.
This was why the stability and prosperity of a world's inhabitants were so important. It was also why alien species like the Demonic Insect King, who slaughtered indiscriminately, were detested by the world and often struck by "World Curses."
Ancient texts recorded instances of high-level cultivators who, after performing mass slaughters, were struck by a World Curse. These experts suffered from loss of spiritual perception, physical decay, drastically shortened lifespans, and a plague of heart demons. For ordinary cultivators, the "curse" usually manifested as an exponentially more powerful lightning tribulation during their breakthroughs.
Qi Ping estimated this was one reason why the Heavenly Dragon Continent's high-level experts hadn't struck him personally yet. Slaying an Earth Immortal who carried immense providence would inevitably trigger providence backlash, world suppression, and potentially a World Curse. What Unity or Mahayana stage cultivator would dare risk that?
Having thought through these issues, Qi Ping knew his primary struggle would be against the external vanguard. Since high-level experts were reluctant to act directly, the only way to kill him, an Earth Immortal, was to launch a large-scale war. By using alien races to destroy the Star-Sea Continent—severing dragon veins, shattering the earth, and slaughtering the population—they could cause his power to wither. If he failed to manage the crisis properly, his providence and authority would be stripped away.
Understanding this, Qi Ping knew that whether for his own power or to resist the invaders, he had to protect the majority of the Star-Sea Continent's inhabitants. They were the capital of his strength and his tool against external cultivators.
However, "protecting" did not mean he couldn't kill. Reasonable slaughter was permitted. The fundamental goal was to promote the prosperity of the Star-Sea Continent in a rational manner. As long as he achieved this, the mysterious power of the Heavenly Dao would recognize it. Given the thick providence surrounding him, he wouldn't suffer negative consequences as long as he didn't do anything truly egregious.
His current task was to strike like a thunderclap and eliminate all those who had defected to the Heavenly Dragon side.
After finding Xiao Xianhu, Qi Ping immediately relayed the information on the cultivators he needed to probe. Xiao Xianhu stood before him, its appearance significantly different from before.
After exploring nearly all the resources of the Star-Sea Continent's underground world and being supplied with Qi Ping's treasures, the tiger had undergone two bloodline metamorphoses. Since most of Qi Ping's other animal companions were in the Forest Sea Demon Realm, and the Stone Spirit only needed ores, most of the evolutionary resources were funneled into the tiger.
Under this overwhelming support, the results were extraordinary. Eight years ago, during its second metamorphosis, Qi Ping had nearly exhausted the resources of the Qingtian Domain. He had even traded for numerous water-attribute and luck-related treasures across the continent to bolster the tiger's bloodline.
One unexpected find was a mysterious stone tablet that could cause curses and increase misfortune. Qi Ping had originally acquired it out of curiosity, wondering if such a bizarre thing could exist. He also wanted to see if it could provide a "reverse stimulus" for the tiger's growth.
Surprisingly, it worked. Under the pressure of the misfortune, the tiger's understanding of the essence of "luck" deepened, and its bloodline successfully awakened during the struggle. The second metamorphosis eight years ago had been triggered by this cursed tablet.
However, after confirming that the tablet's power was truly unfathomable, Qi Ping had moved it to the Realm-Sea—the boundary connected to many worlds—and hidden it within an array. He was afraid to keep such a cursed thing close by! Now, whenever the tiger wanted to use its power for stimulation, it had to travel via teleportation.
During that second metamorphosis, Qi Ping had used a 'Potential Ignition' technique to activate all the accumulated energy within the tiger. The result was startling: the bloodline had evolved from Grade 4 Superior to Grade 5 Peak, putting it among the closest to Grade 6.
A bloodline of this caliber had a great chance of reaching the Void Refinement stage. Given that it was only at the beginning of its development, reaching Grade 6 in the future was almost a certainty. Once matured, it would be a true Void Refinement level beast. For a creature possessing the Baize bloodline—a divine beast of fortune—its combat power would be terrifying. Fighting such a beast meant enduring its ability to predict your moves, its overwhelming luck, and your own frequent mistakes and reopened wounds.
After that metamorphosis, Xiao Xianhu's strength had reached the late Nascent Soul stage. The Baize bloodline within it was now so thick that it looked like a small version of the divine beast itself—a rare auspicious creature. This was why Qi Ping dared to send a tiger that hadn't even reached Soul Transformation to scry the mysterious "Number One" Void Refinement expert.
'But it is still not enough.'
Qi Ping's gaze sharpened. His divine sense surged, and a powerful will erupted from him. In an instant, a mysterious energy rose throughout the Qingtian Domain and converged into his hand!
At this moment, countless cultivators felt a faint anomaly in the region, but they lacked the strength to perceive the movement of providence. However, the eighteen leaders were stunned!
"Such a scale of providence!"
"How terrifying!"
This massive providence was far more than all of theirs combined! Furthermore, providence was a mysterious force that even Void Refinement experts couldn't control, yet Qi Ping was manipulating it on such a scale. This directly overhauled their understanding of reality.
"Venerable Bee is even stronger than we imagined. I wonder how many more hidden cards he has!"
After Qi Ping gathered the providence, he positioned it like soldiers guarding Xiao Xianhu. It was fortunate the tiger was an auspicious beast; any other creature or cultivator would have struggled to gain the recognition and protection of such a force, even with Qi Ping's help. This mysterious power was not something ordinary means could master; even Mahayana stage cultivators couldn't truly control it. Qi Ping could only utilize a fraction of it because of his identity as an Earth Immortal Druid.
But even that fraction was astonishing! Under the blessing of providence, the tiger's bloodline power surged and became incredibly active, its aura reaching an unprecedented level.
Xiao Xianhu began its divination...
The moment it began, on a mysterious, ethereal peak within the Star-Sea Continent, a supreme powerhouse of terrifying proportions suddenly opened her eyes!
Beneath her was the only Grade 6 spirit vein in the Star-Sea Continent. A massive spirit-gathering array had been relentlessly drawing spiritual energy from across the continent for eons. Countless spirit herbs and treasures that were rare in the outside world were scattered here like common weeds.
This was the number one spiritual land of the Star-Sea Continent! It held everything most miraculous in this world.
Yet all of it seemed pale and lackluster compared to the figure at the center of the domain.
It was a woman so beautiful that a single glance could make countless cultivators lose themselves. Her transcendent appearance and unique aura alone could cause powerful cultivators to lose control of their qi and die. However, more striking than her beauty was her aura—the Perfection of the Void Refinement stage!
And her eyes were indifferent, cold, and seemingly containing the cycles of endless reincarnation.
"Someone is scrying me?"
A strange look crossed the woman's face, followed by a mocking smile. It had been many millennia since some suicidal ant had tried to scry her. For those who sought death, she was naturally happy to oblige.
Though she was not a professional diviner, her long years of cultivation had given her some mastery over heavenly secrets. Furthermore, she possessed a treasure for protecting providence. She was well-versed in methods of "Karmic Backlash," as people had been trying to probe her background since the day she started her cultivation path.
"Annoying ants."
The woman spoke the words, but her expression remained unchanged. She only felt what she chose to feel. Over countless years, her family, friends, lovers... and even generations of disciples had vanished into the river of time. Even her attendants had died off one after another.
She had long since lost interest in such things. In the current Star-Sea Continent, there was no one left who knew her. This continent, which she had explored countless times, held no more secrets or interest for her.
Now, the only thing that attracted her was breakthrough and longevity. She had considered devouring everything in the Star-Sea Continent as fuel for her advancement to the Unity stage, but her calculations showed that even then, the chance of success was slim. Moreover, if she did so, a World Curse would be unavoidable, and her path to immortality would be severed.
She had also thought about leaving the Star-Sea Continent to find opportunities elsewhere. She had tried, but returned heavily wounded several times, nearly dying once. She had only survived because of the protection of the Star-Sea Continent. Her most recent injuries hadn't even fully healed yet.
She had intended to continue her search once she recovered, and while she didn't have much hope, she wouldn't give up on even the slimmest chance.
It was then that a mysterious cultivator from the Heavenly Dragon Continent approached her. He was an individual with a significant status even back home. He promised that if she helped eliminate the Earth Immortal in the Qingtian Domain, he would help her integrate into the Heavenly Dragon Continent, ensuring she wasn't rejected by the world there, and provide her with resources for the Unity stage.
After much consideration, she agreed, though she insisted on the strictest contracts and Heavenly Dao Oaths. This home, the Star-Sea Continent, held no meaning for her beyond being a place to heal. It held no hope. As for some Earth Immortal who had appeared out of nowhere—destroying him was of no consequence.
What was the difference between that Bee Daoist and this little ant currently trying to scry her?