Qi Ping looked out over the boundless sea of rotting flesh and blood, unable to stop himself from sucking in a breath of cold air.
"Just what kind of existence can create such a vast number of powerful clones?"
Compared to this method, the clone techniques he had mastered were practically child's play.
"And given the sheer amount of demon beast flesh and blood here, could this entire sea be used as a feeding trough?"
If that were the case, it was unimaginable just how strong those clones would be if they ever merged into one.
"But if this is such an obvious breeding ground, why hasn't the Forest Sea Demon Realm dealt with it? What kind of 'opportunity' could possibly be found here?"
Before Qi Ping could figure it out, the seventh-grade maggot and the two seventh-grade vengeful ghosts had already surrounded him and launched their attacks.
The first to strike was the incredibly fast maggot. It was before him in the blink of an eye. Fortunately, Qi Ping was already familiar with its attack style. He met it directly with an Extreme Wood Spirit Blast. The terrifying power of the explosion, combined with the life-warping properties of the Extreme Wood laws, instantly blasted a massive hole in the maggot's body.
However, Qi Ping didn't emerge unscathed. Under the fierce impact, cracks spread across his wooden armor, and his internal organs suffered significant damage. But for a cultivator of Extreme Wood power, such injuries weren't too severe and were well within his threshold of endurance.
The real trouble came from the two seventh-grade vengeful ghosts that followed! Their originally white bodies transformed into a semi-transparent, distorted giant net that wrapped around Qi Ping in an instant! Even more frighteningly, a soul-crushing pressure belonging to the Great Vehicle Stage began to bear down on him!
Qi Ping's Extreme Wood domain protection was practically non-existent before this power, unable to slow it down even slightly.
"What bizarre power!"
Alarm bells rang in Qi Ping's mind! An indescribable sense of lethality rose in his heart, making him realize this power was far more complex than it appeared. If he couldn't withstand it, his entire soul might be crushed instantly!
As he was enveloped by this strange power, several pockets of rotting aura began to manifest on Qi Ping's soul. These pockets then sprouted claws that lunged straight into the depths of his soul! A wave of terrifying tearing sensation and pain washed over him like a tide.
Faced with this, Qi Ping could only mobilize his soul power for a frantic counterattack, but he discovered that his soul power seemed to be countered by this force, rendering it completely ineffective.
'My soul power is being suppressed? No, the soul itself is being countered, as if... it's met its natural enemy!'
This shocking discovery sent a jolt through Qi Ping's heart! This was his first time encountering such a power. He had never imagined that a force existed that served as the natural enemy of the soul!
In almost an instant, Qi Ping's soul power began to retreat step by step, and his consciousness grew blurry! He had never expected that a seventh-grade existence could push him to such a state!
However, he didn't simply wait for death. He soon discovered that the "Intent" power belonging to a Druid seemed capable of resisting this force.
'It's Intent power!'
Does this belong to the realm of Intent?
'I see!'
The physical body carries the soul, and the soul carries the intent. Intent is the true core of a person, the nucleus that controls all powers. However, intent was elusive and difficult to grow. The entire Star Sea World lacked any formal methods for cultivating intent; one could only rely on their own comprehension, much like Bai Liyun's True Demon Realm Demon Intent, which was one of the most famous intents.
'It's a pity I cannot use the Earth Immortal and Imperial Druid powers here. Otherwise, I could use the Will of Heaven and Earth or the Will of Sentient Beings to deal with this much more easily!'
But now that he knew how to counter the ghost's power, Qi Ping quickly thought of a solution. The natural intent of the Myriad Transformations Druid erupted like a sweeping storm!
Almost as if crushing dry weeds, the ghostly power clinging to Qi Ping's soul began to be rapidly purged. Soon, the rotting aura and parasitic claws on his soul were completely obliterated.
However, this advantage was quickly met with resistance outside his soul. While the Myriad Transformations Druid's pan-natural intent was more than enough for protection, it lacked offensive power.
'It won't work. While the pan-natural intent isn't bad, its offensive nature is too weak. It cannot be converted into a concrete killing force.'
Worse yet, under the interference of the two seventh-grade ghosts, Qi Ping's control over his body and spells significantly declined. He had originally been able to suppress the maggot, but now he was beginning to show signs of defeat!
'This is trouble!'
Qi Ping truly hadn't expected to be pushed to such an extent by a maggot and two ghosts.
'I never thought my first battle after leaving the Star Sea World would involve such unimaginable danger!'
'It seems I must cultivate an offensive intent similar to the True Demon Realm's demon nature. Merely relying on pan-natural intent to protect my soul only allows me to be a passive target...'
'Wait, that War Intent I gained after consuming the Resentful Tea!'
It had been over half a month since he had consumed the Resentful Tea, and Qi Ping had already fundamentally refined its power. However, because he was unfamiliar with it, he hadn't used it until now.
The Resentful Tea, born from a supreme battlefield, gathered all the violence, slaughter, and destructive desires of war. The intent it contained was terrifying. Even Qi Ping had spent a significant amount of time just to barely refine it.
'Let's try it!'
Now that he had a plan, he didn't hesitate and immediately activated the war mark branded into his soul. In an instant, a terrifying intent of slaughter and destruction swept forth!
This intent manifested as various beast forms—tigers, wind leopards, giant elephants—and even divine beast intents like True Dragons and Kunpengs, all of which clashed with the ghostly power!
Kunpengs spread their wings, True Dragons whipped their tails, and tigers lunged at their prey...
And the moment they touched the ghosts, these beast intents seemed to be injected with adrenaline, becoming even more violent! Bizarre, explosive sounds of shattering rang out, accompanied by the roars of ten thousand beasts and the wails of the ghosts!
As soon as the beasts appeared, the ghosts' power crumbled upon impact. Qi Ping's powerful soul foundation and pan-natural intent also seemed to find a focal point, transforming into the power that sustained the Ten Thousand Beasts War Intent!
Soon, under the slaughter of the beasts, the seventh-grade ghosts were forced back into their true forms! Their colors were significantly dimmer than before, and the gaze they directed at Qi Ping was filled with intense fear and agony...
"Ten thousand beasts slaughtering—what a terrifying War Intent!"