Qi Ping followed the Golden Crow, which emitted a terrifying aura, for over half a month.
Along the way, he saw many spiritual beasts and rare herbs that had long since vanished from the annals of history. Many of these things even made his heart stir with desire. If he could bring these items back to the Star Sea World, he could significantly elevate the strength of everyone, himself included.
This was the first time he had so clearly perceived the concrete gap between the two worlds. Qi Ping even sensed no fewer than five auras that made him feel extremely threatened, though they didn't act recklessly due to the bald Golden Crow's intimidating presence.
'It seems that without the augmentation of the Earth Immortal and Spirit Emperor Dao Fruit powers, there are quite a few Integration Stage existences capable of threatening me...'
'If even a single Forest Sea Demon Realm is like this, there's no telling how many crouching tigers and hidden dragons are lurking in the rest of the universe.'
The more he saw, the more he reined in his arrogance. Things like an "invincible heart" or "sweeping through an entire era without an opponent" were not what he should pursue. Staying low-key, finding ways to obtain more cultivation knowledge and resources, and then quietly growing stronger was his true goal. Unless absolutely necessary, he would never reveal his true identity and strength.
Furthermore, although Qi Ping was incredibly tempted by the resources of the Forest Sea Demon Realm, he had no intention of plundering them. In his view, the only way to maximize profits was to maintain a long-term friendly relationship where both worlds played to their strengths to grow stronger together.
"Big Brother Jin..."
Just as Qi Ping felt he could no longer keep up and wanted to ask the Golden Crow to slow down, the bald man finally began to decelerate. This allowed Qi Ping to let out a secret sigh of relief.
He strongly suspected the Golden Crow was doing this on purpose, pushing the limits to test the depths of his abilities. Specifically, the other party had been continuously releasing the oppressive aura of an eighth-grade Golden Crow divine beast, which had been quite the ordeal for him.
"What is it, Brother Qi?" The Golden Crow turned back, a flash of schadenfreude in its eyes.
This expression left Qi Ping speechless. This guy was definitely doing it on purpose! However, Qi Ping didn't hold a grudge and instead asked:
"Why is it so far? How much distance is left?"
Qi Ping even intentionally acted out of breath, satisfying the big crow's whims.
The bald Golden Crow seemed to see through Qi Ping's act and transformed back into the bald man, laughing as he spoke:
"We're almost there. But Brother Qi, I wasn't trying to mess with you just now. The old turtle ordered me to let you adapt to this state. This opportunity isn't so easy to obtain."
"Hmm? Senior Mysterious Armor ordered this?" Qi Ping was surprised.
"Otherwise, would I, a Golden Crow, be the type to play tricks on a friend?" The bald man rubbed his shiny head, speaking with absolute conviction.
'Aren't you?'
Qi Ping was certain that the Golden Crow's actions just now perfectly aligned with its own desires. On this point, his Druid perception could never be wrong.
As the Golden Crow had said, the two of them flew for only another hour or so before reaching their destination.
It was a lake surrounded by four Sacred Mountains. The lake was filled with high-quality spiritual liquid so deep the bottom couldn't be seen. There were even spiritual bodies formed from spiritual energy so dense it had reached its limit. Some of their auras were as high as the seventh grade, and Qi Ping even discovered an aura comparable to the Great Vehicle Stage among them!
"This..." Seeing such a massive amount of high-quality spiritual power, even Qi Ping, with his current mental fortitude, couldn't help but feel his breathing quicken.
This magnitude and quality of energy were exactly what the Star Sea World lacked most. Such a vast amount of energy was more than enough to support the birth of a Great Vehicle Stage cultivator!
"The opportunity Senior Mysterious Armor mentioned shouldn't be this, right?" Qi Ping asked after calming his breath.
While the spiritual liquid before him was incredibly tempting, he didn't believe this was the "gift" the turtle had intended for him.
"Naturally. While this spiritual liquid has decent value, it isn't worth much in the old turtle's eyes!" the Golden Crow confirmed with a nod.
'Not worth much?' Qi Ping felt helpless. Were they really this wealthy? If he possessed this much spiritual liquid, he wouldn't have to worry about the energy required to break through to the Great Vehicle Stage. Unfortunately, this belonged to someone else, and he couldn't just beg for it.
However, Qi Ping's primary interest remained the "opportunity." What could it be if even this spiritual liquid paled in comparison?
At this moment, Qi Ping's curiosity grew once again. The bald Golden Crow didn't keep him waiting. Its expression became incredibly serious and pious. Both hands rapidly formed seals, and vast amounts of Solar True Fire continuously poured into the spiritual liquid below.
Following that, a bizarre, pitch-black altar rose from the spiritual pool!
What truly made Qi Ping's skin crawl was the sight of crimson blood seeping from the altar, accompanied by a rapidly spreading aura that made his skin prickle with cold. Even at his current realm, Qi Ping felt a primal fear rising from his instincts.
However, this didn't last long. Four massive chains, as large as celestial rivers, appeared out of nowhere from the four Sacred Mountains, forcibly suppressing the restless altar. Then, the beast souls of a Qilin, a Phoenix, a Kunpeng, and a Black Tortoise—each with an aura as deep as an abyss—manifested upon the chains. Their collective power surged through the chains and slammed into the altar, forcibly suppressing the seeping, eerie blood.
"What is this?"
The scene before him completely exceeded his understanding, especially that central altar. Moreover, what made Qi Ping even more uneasy was that he sensed a familiar aura from that bizarre altar!
'It's the altar of the Immortal Alliance!' At this moment, Qi Ping felt as though his breath had stopped.
The sensation was very faint. If not for his unique Druid perception, he wouldn't have been able to detect it through traditional cultivation methods alone! Although the Immortal Alliance's altars were infinitely weaker than the one before him and their appearances were completely different, Qi Ping was certain they were, to some extent, of the same origin!
"This is the natal Dharma Treasure of a bizarre creature that once invaded the Forest Sea Demon Realm. That war cost the lives of five Demon Ancestors to suppress it..."
The bald Golden Crow sighed and continued:
"But that was all. This altar cannot be destroyed or weakened. Even if it is suppressed in the cosmic void far from the demon realm, it will still find a way to return through bizarre and unpredictable means..."
As the Golden Crow described it, Qi Ping felt his scalp go numb! He couldn't help but wonder if the many Immortal Alliance altars he had destroyed before the Boundary Battlefield were truly gone.
This left Qi Ping feeling uneasy, but thinking of the measures he had left in the Star Sea World, he stopped dwelling on it. There was no point in worrying about things that hadn't happened; the most important thing now was to increase his strength as quickly as possible.
At that moment, a spatial portal brimming with a wild aura appeared.
The Golden Crow's voice rang out:
"Brother Qi, this portal won't last long. Once inside, you will understand the full scope of that war. As for what opportunity you can obtain within, that will depend on your own capabilities."