If there were a choice, Qi Ping truly did not want to abandon the Earth Immortal and Spirit Sovereign Dao-fruits. These two manifestations, born from his roles as an Earth Immortal Druid and a Sovereign Path Druid, had provided him with indispensable aid. Whether it was wielding the power of a vast heaven and earth or commanding the collective will of all living beings, these fruits had allowed him to exert strength far exceeding his own energy level in times of crisis.
Without these two powers, the grass on Qi Ping's grave would likely be thirty thousand meters tall by now. Even today, they remained his ultimate insurance, ensuring he was virtually invincible within the Star-Sea world—unless he faced an entity capable of destroying a super-world in its entirety.
Unfortunately, the Star-Sea world had reached its limit. He had to leave its safety and venture into the void. As the distance from his home world grew, Qi Ping could clearly feel the strength of the Earth Immortal and Spirit Sovereign Dao-fruits plummeting.
'Sigh, it seems I won't be able to borrow the power of these two fruits for the time being. What a pity.'
Power that relied so heavily on external existence ultimately had its limitations.
'However, this does not mean I will abandon the cultivation of these two paths. They can still serve as my strongest fallback.'
His ultimate survival mechanism was hidden within the Star-Sea world. Should he encounter a fatal accident, there was no place better suited for his resurrection. There, he could mobilize the full power of the Earth Immortal and Spirit Sovereign paths; regardless of his original body's strength, he would be invincible within those boundaries.
'If I encounter an insurmountable foe, I can always retreat to the Star-Sea and hunker down!'
From this perspective, these two Dao-fruits were still serving their purpose. Furthermore, these powers did not require his active cultivation; their Breaking Power Level would continue to grow autonomously. As long as he found a way to open trade routes with other worlds and funnel vast resources back home, the strength of the Star-Sea world would undergo another explosive surge.
Qi Ping possessed absolute confidence in the Star-Sea world's current technical prowess. Under the systems he had established, traditional alchemy, artifact-forging, and talisman-making had advanced to an unimaginable level. The competitiveness of their products was staggering, though the exact extent would need to be confirmed based on the conditions of external markets.
Even if he encountered a more developed world, Qi Ping wasn't worried. As long as he obtained better technology, he believed the Star-Sea's current system was capable of rapid absorption and evolution. The system itself was the greatest advantage, while the Earth Immortal and Spirit Sovereign fruits guaranteed the peak combat power necessary to ensure the mechanism remained uncorrupted.
However, traditional cultivation arts were not what Qi Ping valued most. What he truly prioritized were the "Immortal-Dao Thermal Weapons" currently under development. These were not indigenous to the Star-Sea; they were the result of Qi Ping integrating knowledge from his original technological world. He had selected a group of trustworthy artisans and established a specialized research institute led by Meng Yan.
Qi Ping's logic was simple: in a "Spirit-Shorn Land" that even cultivators despised, a group of mortals could create weapons capable of destroying heaven and earth. So why couldn't the cultivation world do better? Given the mental prowess of cultivators and the grade of materials available in their world, they should be fully capable of researching even more devastating weaponry.
Immortal-Dao Cannons.
Automated Immortal-Defense Slaying Systems.
Super God-Slaying Nuclear Warheads.
Qi Ping believed that given enough time, many horrific versions of such weapons would emerge. While it might be difficult to research weapons capable of slaying a Unity or Mahayana-stage cultivator, creating something to wipe out those below the Void Refinement or Soul Transformation stages was much simpler. Currently, they had already produced weapons that allowed mortals to slay Gold Core cultivators.
These weapons, which had almost no threshold for usage, were one of Qi Ping's greatest assets. After all, who could refuse such destructive power? As long as wars continued in the universe, being a "Universe Arms Dealer" would be a profoundly lucrative profession.
Qi Ping even felt it might be more profitable than alchemy. Most pills were tailored specifically for humans, making many "pill-based weapons" unsuitable for other races. However, firearms with low entry barriers were universal. No entity in a state of war would reject them.
Furthermore, Qi Ping's goal in developing these weapons wasn't just to sell them for profit. He also intended to transform the Star-Sea world into a terrifying, world-level war fortress. The great war from three thousand years ago still left him with lingering fears. There were too many powerful enemies in the universe, so survival could not rely solely on the cultivation of experts; powerful thermal weaponry was also key.
The Earth Immortal and Spirit Sovereign Dao-fruits played vital roles here as well, ensuring the stability and integrity of the Star-Sea's social order. If that system went out of control, it would be a world-ending disaster.
'Thus, the Earth Immortal and Sovereign powers still play critical roles, even if I cannot manifest them outside the Star-Sea.'
They had already formed a virtuous cycle. As the world grew stronger, those powers would skyrocket. During this process, Qi Ping only needed to open trade routes while adventuring in the void. He could earn vast wealth and resources for his own growth. No matter how one looked at it, this was a high-return strategy.
'The plan for the Earth Immortal and Spirit Sovereign paths is set. They require less energy than the Wood Lord and Beast King, but their returns are just as high. The synergy between them is perfect.'
At this thought, Qi Ping couldn't help but marvel at the strength of the Myriad Manifestation Druid. The profession's potential was truly frightening.
'Now that four of my fruits don't require much direct time, I can pour all my remaining energy into the cultivation of the Yin-Yang God.'
The path of the Yin-Yang Five Elements carried the entirety of Qi Ping's cultivation ambition.
'However, this Yin-Yang God Dao-fruit... it seems it is not as simple as it looks.'
Qi Ping's mind sank into his Dao-altar. As he gazed upon that black-and-white fruit, his brow furrowed deeply. For some reason, every time he looked at it, he felt a faint, lingering sense of pressure and danger.