Inside the box lay a cage-like treasure radiating the pressure of a Golden Core. The cage was pitch black and stained with the dried, mottled blood of ferocious beasts. A bloodthirsty and terrifying aura permeated the air.
Under this pressure, everyone present—except Qi Ping—felt their spirits tremble violently. Only Qi Ping, with his powerful soul and his Second-Stage Dao-heart, could withstand this ferocious aura.
"What a terrifying Dharma Treasure!" Han Li and Zhang Da-niu thought in fear.
'Is this... a Rank 3 Low-Grade Spirit Tool? It looks like a formidable killing weapon! Wait... no, there seems to be a sliver of life inside!' Using his Druidic abilities and his own keen perception, Qi Ping vaguely sensed a unique life force within the cage. After a more careful scan, he realized what it was.
"Lord Warden, though this treasure is ferocious, it is truly my family's heirloom. Please, you must save my daughter! She is only six years old! She is my only family, and I promised her mother that I would take care of her..." Fearing that Qi Ping would refuse, Mo Fan began to kowtow frantically again. His voice was filled with desperation and pleading. In just a few moments, the wounds on his forehead that had barely healed were split open again.
Facing Mo Fan's plea, Qi Ping had already made up his mind. A burst of spiritual power immediately lifted Mo Fan from the ground, while another stream of healing energy was infused into his body. In the blink of an eye, Mo Fan's failing health and injuries began to mend, and his vitality surged. Qi Ping was truly afraid that if he didn't act, Mo Fan would simply die before anyone else could do anything.
Simultaneously, Qi Ping swept the offered treasure into his storage ring and said, "Come with me now."
"Thank you, Lord Warden! Thank you!" Seeing Qi Ping heal his injuries and accept the treasure, Mo Fan understood what it meant. His eyes were flooded with joy. He knew full well the two major events Qi Ping had orchestrated recently. Not only had he swept through Lingxiao City, but a day ago, he had suppressed all of Starfall City, including his enemy, the Cloud-Rain Tower! As long as Qi Ping took action, his daughter—if she was still alive—would surely be saved.
Qi Ping saw that Mo Fan was about to kneel again, so he used spiritual power to restrain him. Then, he led the man out of the manor. Moments later, they appeared within the main pavilion of the Cloud-Rain Tower.
"Who dares to intrude—" A guard instinctively began to shout, but before he could finish, his head was crushed.
The one who struck, however, was not Qi Ping, but the Tower Master of Cloud-Rain, who had rushed over with a fawning expression. After crushing the guard's head and using spiritual power to sweep away the blood, he bowed obsequiously.
"Lord Warden, why have you graced us with your presence? Is there anything I can do for you?" The Tower Master's heart was actually crumbling. It had only been a day! Why was this Great Deity here again?
Qi Ping swept a cold gaze over him and pointed at Mo Fan. "Your Cloud-Rain Tower captured his daughter recently. I'm here for the girl. Don't say anything I won't like," Qi Ping added indifferently.
His cold gaze was self-explanatory. He didn't want to argue about whether they had captured her or not; even if they hadn't, they would have to give him an accounting!
Under Qi Ping's gaze, the members of the Cloud-Rain Tower felt their scalps tingle. They were cursing internally, wondering which fool had lured this terrifying existence here.
"Yes, yes, yes! Lord Warden, please wait a moment! I will handle this with the utmost speed!" The Tower Master immediately agreed, not daring to utter a single word of bureaucratic nonsense. After asking for the name and appearance of Mo Fan's daughter, he turned and roared, "Find her immediately! Do not touch a single hair on her head, or I will have your entire clans rounded up and tortured for a hundred years! And capture those who did this! Bring them to me!"
There was no need for further words; everyone moved frantically.
Mo Fan was stunned by the scene. He knew Qi Ping's arrival would save his daughter, but he hadn't expected it to look like this. He gained a deeper understanding of Qi Ping's prestige and knew he had found the right person!
As it turned out, nothing was impossible under pressure. In less than fifteen minutes, several figures appeared in the pavilion. Some were men in wretched states—the ones who had personally captured Mo Fan's daughter. They had already been tortured before being brought here. The other was a small, pale girl covered in whip marks, which were currently being treated with top-tier healing ointment.
When the girl arrived, she was curled up with a vacant gaze, her clothes in disarray. Her body was trembling with terror, clearly having suffered inhuman treatment.
"Xiaoxi!" A voice of extreme grief rang out.
Mo Fan rushed forward and hugged his daughter, his heart nearly breaking. As a father, seeing his daughter in such a state brought a pain that words couldn't describe. He couldn't imagine what kind of treatment she had endured during this time.
His daughter, Mo Yunxi, didn't seem to hear him at first. Only after a long moment did she stare blankly at her father before suddenly bursting into tears.
After settling the matter, Qi Ping brought the father and daughter back to the manor. The men who had personally laid hands on the girl were, naturally, as dead as they could be.
However, Qi Ping's mood was not particularly good upon returning. He had saved Mo Yunxi, but how many hundreds or thousands of others were still suffering under the Cloud-Rain Tower? Yet, for now, he could only save her. It wasn't time to strike yet. Destroying the Cloud-Rain Tower would only leave the Mist-Rain Tower behind. He had to wait for the right moment to wipe out all these factions at once and lure out the masterminds from the Qingyuan Sect. Only then could he solve the problem once and for all.
'Soon... soon!' Qi Ping suppressed the killing intent in his heart.
"Thank you, Lord, for saving us!" Mo Fan, covered in tears, said as he held the still-shaking Mo Yunxi.
"It's nothing. It was a transaction," Qi Ping replied. He reached out and touched Mo Yunxi's forehead, using a soul-calming technique to smooth over the terror in her spirit.
However, at that moment, Qi Ping noticed something unusual. 'Wait? Such terrifying Water-attribute cultivation talent? It's even stronger than the Cloud-Dream Physique?'
Qi Ping's heart gave a slight jolt. Good heavens, was it such a coincidence? A girl he saved at random possessed a talent rarely seen in the Qingtian Domain! But considering Mo Fan could produce such a treasure, his ancestors must have been extraordinary, making the appearance of a high-level talent more likely.
Qi Ping didn't dwell on it too much. An Earth-Grade talent was indeed extraordinary, but he didn't have much personal interest in it. He simply flicked a set of Water-attribute cultivation techniques, from Qi-Refining to Foundation Establishment, into her soul, considering it a way to settle the karma of the Golden Core treasure.
"I have erased the terror from her soul. Take good care of her for a while, and she will slowly recover. Her cultivation talent is quite good, so I've placed a set of techniques in her mind. You can teach her well in the future. For now, stay in the manor. Once it's safer, I'll have someone escort you away."
"Thank you, Lord! Thank you!" Mo Fan kowtowed repeatedly, truly at a loss for how to express his gratitude.
After handling this, Qi Ping gave a few instructions to Han Li and Zhang Da-niu before returning to his cultivation room. Putting aside the external distractions, he pulled out the palm-sized, blood-stained cage treasure. After a brief observation, he used his soul power to grind away the remaining soul barrier. In that instant, the contents of the cage were revealed.
Imprisoned inside was a Golden Core-level spirit beast! It was a monkey-like creature with a ferocious appearance—a twisted face, baring fangs, and a terrifying aura.
A Rank 3 pressure radiated from its body! It was a Mountain Sao! A Golden Core-level Mountain Sao!
'It really is a Mountain Sao. But it seems to be getting on in years; its fur is starting to turn white.' This matched his earlier guess.
As Qi Ping looked at the Old Mountain Sao, the beast looked back at him. Its face was filled with shock.
"Son of the Forest?" a startled voice came from its mouth.