Cloud Mist Mountain Range, Zone C, Mountain Number Thirty-six.

In front of a courtyard built by Qi Ping and Old Zhou, over a hundred different flowers were blooming fervently. A swarm of Green Worker Bees and a squad of little Black Bees were busily collecting nectar.

Among them, some of the little Black Bees saw Qi Ping arriving and buzzed up to greet him.

These little Black Bees were the ones Qi Ping first raised on Mountain Number Seven in Zone D.

This swarm of little Black Bees followed Old Zhou for half a lifetime, and were taken care of by Qi Ping for a long time, making quite a few rounds before finally ending up in Old Zhou's hands.

However, after so many years, the little Black Bees had completely changed from Bee King to worker bees, and those two headstrong bees who initially led Qi Ping into the depths of the Cloud Mist Mountain Range to seek the Golden Marrow Bees had long aged and passed away.

The most celebratory change is that their colony is much larger than before and has become the finest among little Black Bees.

Upon stepping into the courtyard, Qi Ping saw three people sitting together.

An elder with a head full of white hair, emitting an aura of old age, but with a face filled with a cheerful smile.

A middle-aged man who had weathered many storms, with originally black hair now streaked with wisps of white.

And a woman growing more mature and graceful, exuding a gradually serene and transcendent aura.

On the familiar purple sandalwood table were some honey, a pot of Golden Feather Chicken Soup, and a dish of Spirit-Storage Fruit.

Besides these, there were some rare foods from the Immortal Cultivation Realm.

These three people were Old Zhou, Wang Mountain, and Sister Nan.

As Qi Ping entered, the three's gaze turned to him.

"Little Qi, you've come!" Sister Nan said with a smile.

She was particularly happy about Qi Ping's arrival.

"What good wine have you brought this time?" Wang Mountain also turned his head towards Qi Ping.

The implication was clearly that Qi Ping had visited more than once.

Old Zhou didn't say much, just cheerfully beckoned Qi Ping to sit down at the position he had long prepared for him, the one Qi Ping often used, a stool.

The stool was marked with the blemishes and traces of age, but it was the very same stool Old Zhou had made for Qi Ping when he was first taken in. It was also the time Qi Ping first witnessed the might of someone from the Immortal Cultivation Realm.

After Qi Ping sat down, though Old Zhou said nothing, everyone could see that he was the happiest.

Having a promising disciple, who frequently brought good wine he liked to see him, would make anyone truly happy.

"Old Zhou... Sister Nan... Brother Mountain!"

"I've brought hundred-year-old brew from Yao Mountain in the Celestial Fire Realm this time. It was tough to get! Hurry and have a taste…"

Qi Ping responded with a laugh, saying this as he took an aged brew exuding the essence of years from his Storage Bag.

Upon opening the lid, a rich and intoxicating aroma of wine wafted into the air...

"Good wine! I should enjoy a few cups thanks to Old Zhou's luck this time..." Wang Mountain exclaimed.

Old Zhou lightly sniffed with his nose, and his face was immediately awash with delight.

To this old booze-lover, just smelling the aroma could indicate its quality, and his delighted expression at this moment said it all...

...

"Drink less! You'll ruin your health!"

Sister Nan said while serving Qi Ping a bowl of Golden Feather Chicken Soup, adding a big drumstick.

The subsequent moment naturally had both hosts and guests enjoying themselves.

They now gathered only occasionally, as they had come to understand the value of life and living after experiencing the dreadful warfare and chaos of demonic insects.

Each one of them had unique experiences from that chaos, such as Old Zhou returning to the Mortal World, and Wang Mountain witnessing the rise and fall of three major families, from peak prosperity to a sea of blood and corpses until total obliteration...

Fortunately, now everything was past, Wang Mountain's son had also grown up, now at the Third-Layer of Qi Refining. Though not super accomplished, he was still decent, possessing an innate divine power talent.

Old Zhou and Sister Nan originally hid within an Illusion Array, but after the chaos settled, they all came out and rented a piece of land. After all, having nothing to do felt uneasy, and they both knew they were not meant for immortality; having a career and living well was the best path.

Qi Ping did not refuse this, instead arranging for them to be near C Zone, so they could look after each other.

Slowly, everyone formed the habit of meeting once every month or two.

Before, Fusheng Association had over ten people, now only the four of them were left here. Fatty Zhou returned to being a mortal, Skinny Li Peng went missing, and Meng Shanshan went insane after being drained of her cultivation by a Demon Cultivator, her life or death now unknown...

So they cherished even more this friendship that once supported each other through difficult times.

However, this time, as they chatted, the topic gradually grew heavier.

The first to speak was still the well-informed big brother Wang Mountain:

"Have you heard? It seems a Demon Cultivator has arrived in Qingshi County. Recently, in the past month or two, many babies and young children have gone missing. Rumor has it the Demon Cultivator is cultivating some terrifying Demon Technique to use as a foundation! I've seen quite a few parents who lost their children, crying miserably. Ah, one only understands what it means to lose a child after being a parent themselves..."

"It's really a case of preferring to die than to let something happen to one's child. If it were my child, I wouldn't know how to keep living… ugh, knock on wood!"

"But now it's not just infants; young cultivators have also gone missing. Speaking of which, little Qi, you need to be careful..."

As he spoke, Wang Mountain solemnly reminded Qi Ping.

Qi Ping was on good terms with him, and Qi Ping was also the only disciple and family member of Old Zhou. If something happened to Qi Ping, Old Zhou wouldn't be able to handle it.

However, Old Zhou and Sister Nan were not too worried about these words. Not even Foundation Establishment; isn't this just serving food to Qi Ping? Though they didn't know Qi Ping's exact strength, they knew it was far beyond a typical Foundation Establishment, leaving only Wang Mountain in the dark.

Qi Ping nodded seriously and said:

"Thank you for the warning, Brother Mountain. I'll be cautious!"

After speaking, Qi Ping reminded:

"Brother Mountain, you should also watch over your boy. It's best if he stays hidden, lest he gets targeted by a Demon Cultivator!"

"I've already warned him, don't worry about it, Brother Mountain got it covered!" Wang Mountain said with a chuckle. "He was noticed by the Huishan Merchant Association earlier, as they were recruiting. His innate divine power caught their eye, and under the big tree of Huishan Merchant Association, nothing should happen!"

"I see, then congratulations, Brother Mountain! I'll drink to that!" Qi Ping said, raising his cup and downing it in one go.

However, on the surface Qi Ping said this, his heart felt heavy.

He remembered clearly that the Huishan Merchant Association was on the reward list of the Mysterious Black Market, but it was constantly traveling without a fixed track, so he hadn't set them as a target earlier.

He didn't expect that this time they'd target the youths of Qingshi County under the guise of recruiting, even Wang Mountain's son with innate divine power was selected.

At this time, the Tier Two High Level Array [Six Ding Flame Snake Array] on Qi Ping's territory failed to deploy!

As he noted the rapid decline in the power of heaven and earth and the recent disappearances of many young children in Qingshi County, Qi Ping immediately understood the situation!

The strength of the power of heaven and earth is closely linked to the prosperity of a region. The more thriving the beings within a realm—the more numerous the high-level cultivators and prodigies—the stronger the power of heaven and earth, able to nurture more spirit veins and spiritual objects.

The thriving Immortal Cultivation Realm of ancient times was precisely because of this connection, making for an incomparably brilliant era of immortal cultivation, with dense spiritual Qi and an abundance of spiritual objects!

Now, with the abrupt weakening of the power of heaven and earth, there was no doubt that countless beings nurtured by heaven's creation had been captured and refined as blood food.

The only thing Qi Ping couldn't understand was what Cyan Origin Sect was doing? Have they abandoned their roots in the Qingtian Realm?

There's no reason that Cyan Origin Sect wouldn't know about such a gigantic disruption!

"It's truly disgusting!"

Now, Qi Ping felt that Cyan Origin Sect was completely insignificant. It made him sick that he once thought Cyan Origin Sect was a decent sect!

If ever he could attain the Five Elements Golden Core or even the Five Elements Nascent Soul, he would certainly replace the ruler of Qingtian Realm! If Cyan Origin Sect continues to ravage Qingtian Realm, it will inevitably turn to ruin, making his territory in the Cloud Mist Mountain Range no longer viable!

But for now, Qi Ping temporarily did not have the strength. What he needs to do is eradicate anyone and any force daring to attack the children of Qingtian Realm!

Above Golden Core, he currently has no certainty to kill, but below Golden Core, he would slay as many Foundation Establishments and Qi Refining cultivators as there come!

Qi Ping does not believe that without the underlying people and forces, the Immortal Alliance would still find ways to capture!

"Perfect timing, since the Cloud Dream Immortal Tiger is about to break through to Tier Two, using Potential Activation may just help it achieve breakthrough soon, then it would be time to act..."

"Also, if I were to kill all of these people, it should be enough for my [Heaven and Earth's Favor] to level up again, right?"

With the fortune of the world, Spirit Beast Fortune Protection + Spirit Tree Life Creation + Druid Curse Immunity, Qi Ping's survival is already well-assured!

[Curse Immunity] has long been tested by the Cloud Dream Immortal Tiger, capable of blocking Celestial Secret Calculation! And not just prediction involving Qi Ping was shielded, but also predictions relating to Qi Ping's animal companions and items closely connected to him, all interfered with and shielded by [Curse Immunity].

Bee Daoist can resurface once more!

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.