Exploding tens of thousands of cultivators into blood mist before their friends and family... this horrific scene sent a chill down the spines of the survivors who had just been celebrating the spiritual qi.
These were tens of thousands of living practitioners! If it hadn't been for the recent continent-level war, many would have been shaking with fear, as they would have never seen such a scene in their lives. So many practitioners were no different from ants in Senior Bee's hands. That seizing technique alone was miraculous; tens of thousands had no chance to resist.
After the killing, Qi Ping spoke with a voice of ultimate majesty.
"Those who protect the Star-Sea Continent and our home shall receive techniques, spiritual treasures, and spirit veins..."
"But for those who collude with external enemies or harbor ill intentions... I have only three words: Slay without mercy!"
Then, Qi Ping vanished from the spot, leaving behind a group of terrified practitioners. However, he left behind the memories of the deceased at the site of their execution. These were the most direct evidence of their crimes.
Sure enough, when the cultivators saw the memories of those people colluding with enemies and plotting to sabotage the Nine Domains, their fear turned into absolute rage!
"Those damned bastards!"
"We're about to have a good life, and these brainless fools wanted to ruin it!"
"Damn, thank goodness Senior Bee caught them. The consequences would have been unthinkable!"
"They should be glad Senior Bee gave them a quick death. If it were me, I wouldn't be satisfied without torturing them for ten days!"
"Ten days? I wouldn't let them die for a year!"
In just a short while, the practitioners who saw the truth were either cheering or cursing! They were truly angry; they had been cattle for so long and were finally about to live better, only for these people to try and smash their bowls!
They were the first to refuse. It was like a beggar who had been eating scraps his whole life and was finally about to eat meat, only for someone to try and take his plate away. How could he tolerate that? Some even thought Qi Ping was too kind for letting them die so easily!
As the incident settled, the development work—managed by the Qing-God Army and the Qingyuan Academy—began rapidly under the nourishment of the spirit veins.
Some were responsible for clearing spiritual fields, refining special spiritual soil according to the needs of specific herbs to boost yields. Some began building facilities for raising spiritual livestock based on the terrain. Others began building massive trading cities, apothecary workshops that could hold a hundred thousand people, and alchemy pavilions...
Aside from these common industries, they began building cities dedicated to the "Hundred Arts," such as puppets, spirit insects, poisons, and arrays. Most notably, they established the Demon-Suppressing Pavilion! This was an institution dedicated to researching and killing the Demon Race. It would gather every method—spells, poisons, divine abilities—that could suppress or kill Demons.
After the war started, this pavilion would also gather combat data to deduce the most complete knowledge for fighting the Demon Race.
Under the management of the Qing-God Army and the Qingyuan Academy, everything was organized. Chaos was rare, and when it happened, it was solved quickly. The soldiers and staff displayed high quality and discipline, greatly enhancing their image in the eyes of the practitioners.
This performance shocked the cultivators who came from various great sects! They had never seen such a force. In a world where individual power was supreme, people usually focused on individual performance and rarely cared for something like an army. No one would spend the effort to build such an entity.
But this time, they saw something completely different. It was precisely such a collective that could organize every detail of the Nine Domains, allowing the potential of everyone and every industry to be fully realized.
In most sects, because high-level experts often meditated, it was their "connected" relatives who actually wielded power. These people had varying abilities, leading to chaotic management and constantly changing rules—a total lack of a stable system. The quality of a place depended entirely on the quality of its local management.
This led to the appearance of black-hearted demonic practitioners, local tyrants, talented cultivators being framed, and industries being hampered by parasites. How could such a region develop? How could it produce talent?
But in the Nine Domains, they saw something different. First, Qi Ping used both kindness and power; after offering massive benefits and rewards, he used thunderous methods to crush any dissent, establishing a stable foundation of peace and igniting the people's drive to work.
Upon this foundation of peace, the Qing-God Army and the Qingyuan Academy worked together to build a system of rewards and punishments, industrial development, and talent cultivation. With this system in place, it was clear that top talents would emerge and drive the Nine Domains forward.
Former leaders and elders who observed this prototype quickly realized that after a period of time, the Nine Domains would crush their former sects in terms of development. If they started at the same level, the Nine Domains would undoubtedly surpass them in wealth and power!
In this system, not only would talent be unearthed, but even those with average skills would be elevated. Furthermore, once people were discovered, they were immediately applied to the development of the industrial foundation.
For example, in spiritual agriculture alone, there were specialized groups for clearing fields, researching fertilizers, planting, soil recipes, industrial layout, and supply-demand research. Any technical breakthrough in one part would be quickly applied to the entire industry, boosting yields. Because of the rewards and the channels for display, most practitioners gave their all. Some would even contribute their family's secret recipes for the sake of rewards!
In no time, spiritual agriculture would reach an unprecedented level. This was countless times more sophisticated than cultivators working in isolation. In short: given enough time, the Nine Domains would shock the cultivation world!
While many could see the advantages, only a Nine Domains under the Bee Daoist's leadership could achieve this. In any other region, such a thing would be hindered by countless issues: the stubborn factions who held existing power refusing to compromise, the lack of Spirit Stones for development, corruption, nepotism, and the suppression of rising stars.
Only Qi Ping, an Earth Immortal who supported industry and had the power to crush any dissent, could pay attention to the details of industrial development. And only a ruler with his magnanimity could value management talents like Lin Yue. They had never seen a ruler so capable yet so open-minded.
"Senior Bee is truly a peerless genius of history. It is the fortune of the Star-Sea Continent that such a person appeared at this critical moment!" This was the thought of most people.
Qi Ping didn't know he had been elevated to such a glorious status. Had he known, he would have likely laughed bitterly. He was a selfish person, and his magnanimity wasn't that broad. He did everything for more power and to protect his home. If he had to claim a virtue, it was that he truly hoped the people in his home could live better and be free from class-based oppression—that ordinary practitioners could get a return for their hard work and have the right to a happy life.
Of course, contributing to the development of the Nine Domains was necessary; one must contribute wherever one lives. He just removed the parasites and ensured those who worked were rewarded.
Qi Ping returned to the side of the Seven-Color Ancestral Vein. While utilizing its Daoist Rhythm, he meditated on his Earth Immortal and Heaven-Earth-Living-Things paths. Though the initial explosion of power had passed, his strength was still growing as the veins transformed and the Nine Domains grew stronger.
What shocked him most was the development of his path of Heaven, Earth, and All Living Things. Using his Earth Immortal abilities, he observed every region and person in the Nine Domains. The vitality and life-force displayed were astounding!
Especially now that everyone was working to develop industries, they had unleashed an incredible potential. This potential and vitality nourished his path in a mysterious way. It seemed this state was vital for his comprehension.
'It seems this plan was indeed correct!'
He had the Qing-God Army and the Qingyuan Academy coordinate everything for two reasons. One was to let them gain prestige and unearth talent. The second, more important reason was that Qi Ping wanted to see just how much a region's potential could be stimulated. He wanted to see what level productivity would reach when the potential of cultivators was maximized.
In the past, he always felt that the advantage of being a cultivator was wasted. Most were either meditating or fighting for resources, or devouring others to maintain their own interests. It was a total waste of power! Places that could be spiritual fields were left barren. When he was an ordinary cultivator, no one taught him planting techniques, no one sold good fertilizer, and any good technique was kept a family secret...
Everything was a waste! In Qi Ping's eyes, the potential of this world far exceeded its current state. Looking at the current situation, his choice was right—the prosperity of the Qingtian Domain was proof.
'Let me see what happens when the energy of the entire Star-Sea Continent's cultivators is unleashed. Let me see what level productivity can reach!'
'I want to see if I can build a stable, powerful world and a truly satisfying home under my rule...'
This road was tied to his path of Heaven, Earth, and All Living Things. He had a premonition that the key to perfecting his path was how strong the living beings of this world could become. What he needed to do now was use the Star-Sea Continent as a template to understand every detail.
'According to current trends, the side effects of using the essence of the deceased to nourish the veins should be resolved...'
Based on his knowledge, using the essence of remains could boost veins quickly, but it was a case of "killing the goose that lays the golden eggs." Spirit veins are the core of the world, rooted in the strength of living beings. If cultivators died in massive numbers, the veins would eventually wither like trees without nutrients.
The recent war had killed many high-level cultivators, and it was impossible for there to be no impact. Qi Ping knew this, but he had to do it to solve a greater problem. Now, the only way he could think of to resolve this side effect was to maximize the resources he had and then replenish the lost combat power in the shortest time possible!