A Druid Also Can Cultivate

Chapter 549 - 436: Essence of the Demon Corpse (Part 2)

"Good!" Baili Yun responded decisively and stood up.

His answer was both a response to Qi Ping’s request to slay more of the Demon Race and a response to Qi Ping’s suggestion to distribute some fortuitous gifts to the group of Demon Cultivators below.

As a Great Cultivator who has lived for countless years, Baili Yun naturally understood why Qi Ping chose to communicate telepathically.

This only made him admire Qi Ping even more.

Generous and open-handed without stealing others’ credit, thinking of those Demon Cultivators below who just contributed at such a moment.

Who else but such a person could be worthy of becoming the emperor of the Star Sea Continent?

However, even if Qi Ping hadn’t mentioned it, he would have done the same; he could still clearly feel the auras of those who had just aided him. Without them, he might not have accomplished this breakthrough, as it was indeed too rushed and risky; any small misstep could have led to failure.

Therefore, these gifts were well-deserved for the Demon Cultivators who assisted him.

"Thank you for your help, my fellow Daoists. This is my Original Demon Nature. With the great battle imminent, digest it well and strive to elevate your power level before the Realm Battlefield opens!"

The moment Baili Yun’s bold voice fell, pure Original Demon Power permeated the bodies of those Demon Cultivators!

"Original Demon Nature!"

At this moment, everyone was shocked, never expecting Baili Yun to be so astonishing. That was Original Demon Nature!

Even just a tiny bit, when accumulated like this, was enough to be astounding. Even though Baili Yun is an Integration Stage cultivator, it’s uncertain when he can fully recover.

"Thank you, Demon Blade Daoist Master!"

"Thank you, Demon Blade Daoist Master!"

...

A chorus of excited gratitude echoed, but it soon fell into silence as they quickly entered a state of special enlightenment.

That was Original Demon Nature from a True Demon Realm powerhouse, devoid of any offensive nature. For Demon Cultivators, it was a magnificent blessing!

The subsequent changes in the aura of those Demon Cultivators also proved this point.

Almost all the Demon Cultivators’ auras began to rise continuously, with some even starting to break through directly.

The effect of Original Demon Nature can be summed up in one word: strong!

Non-demon cultivators watching this scene couldn’t help but feel a bit envious, but they knew it was well-deserved. Without the assistance of those Demon Cultivators just now, Baili Yun might have perished.

And as Qi Ping observed these rising auras, the corners of his mouth lifted slightly into a faint smile.

For him, seeing these sons of the Star Sea and his faithful followers break through one after another brought him immense satisfaction.

The breakthrough of one True Demon Realm demon is undoubtedly powerful, but the breakthroughs of many are even more exciting.

Unlocking and enhancing the potential of the Star Sea Continent’s limited resources and life forms to this extent is truly exhilarating.

"Your generosity is impressive; aren’t you worried about exhausting your Own Demon Nature? Don’t come crying about being unable to withstand the pressure from those Integration Stage Holy Demons later!" Meng Tianqi teased Baili Yun, who looked considerably weakened.

This mad breakthrough process, followed by the seemingly foolish act of giving away Original Demon Nature, was typical of the Baili Yun he knew.

"There’s no choice; the Star Emperor has spoken, and these people have helped me on my path. I’d feel uneasy if I didn’t offer them something meaningful! As for the Integration Stage Holy Demons... hmph, let them come! I dared to slay so many demons in a severely injured state after battling the Thousand-Eyed Giant Demon, so why not now? As for you, I’ve reached Integration Stage before you; when will you break through?"

Baili Yun looked proudly at Meng Tianqi and continued:

"Back then, your cultivation level was slightly higher than mine, and now I’ve left you behind!"

Before meeting Qi Ping, his strength had always been overshadowed by Meng Tianqi during their sparring matches, and he was often at a disadvantage.

Now, having broken through to Integration first, he finally felt vindicated.

"My path is different from yours. The Path of Life and Death has never been as your Demonic Dao, which walks an extreme edge. And don’t get too smug; when I ascend to Integration Stage through this world-class war’s life-and-death opportunities, your True Demon Realm might not guarantee victory over me!"

Meng Tianqi spoke with full confidence, without boasting.

His previous slow progress in cultivation was largely due to the lack of life-and-death enlightenment after reaching Void Refining.

But since joining the Star Sea Continent’s internal war under Qi Ping’s lead, his strength had been steadily and rapidly advancing.

Before this battle, he even had a chance to attempt a breakthrough to the Integration Stage, but that would have been too risky, not in line with his style.

More importantly, he saw a greater hope!

During this world-class war, he was bound to experience the ultimate life and death, and using such experiences to merge with the Dao would set a very strong foundation for his Integration Stage strength.

In fact, compared to Baili Yun, Meng Tianqi believed he was more suited for this war!

And he was confident that with Qi Ping around, he could safely hold out until the day he chose to breakthrough to Integration Stage. Qi Ping also supported him in this plan.

After receiving Qi Ping’s approval, he felt at ease.

When the time was ready, he would certainly choose to breakthrough to Integration without hesitation, with a foundation and stability surpassing Baili Yun’s.

"Don’t let me down; the True Demon Realm is a legendary realm, don’t let me knock you down with one strike!"

"Cut the crap; maybe when you face an unbeatable Holy Demon, it’ll be me holding the fort!"

....

Qi Ping watched these two bickering individuals and couldn’t help but shake his head.

These two had been bickering not just today or yesterday; they used to fight verbally and physically, and Qi Ping was long accustomed to it.

He paid no further attention to them and instead went to the site of the recent battle.

Here, the Void Passage had been completely obliterated by the Thunder Tribulation after the Demon Race retreated, meaning the Demon Race would need to expend enormous resources to create another passage capable of accommodating Integration Stage Holy Demons and bringing the Demon Realm into the fray.

Due to the world invasion aspect, such passages aren’t easy to construct, requiring immense sacrifices and taking at least half a month to two months, leaving the Demon Race hard-pressed to build such space passages at this level within that time.

Thus, having won this battle, they had time to recuperate.

Those who need to cultivate will cultivate, those who need to heal will heal, and those who need to relax will relax.

Awaiting the arrival of the Integration Stage Holy Demons and the world’s will would mark the true critical moment of the decisive battle. In a war of this scale, no one could assure survival...

It would be the most terrifying meat grinder warfare the Star Sea Continent had faced over countless years, where defeat would leave it ruined, devoured to a lifeless wasteland by the Demon Race.

However, Qi Ping did not partake in these post-war recovery tasks, as someone would handle them on his behalf.

Now, the most important thing for him was researching the corpses and energies of the Demon Race. Although he had some ideas on how to utilize the essence of Demon Race corpses as nutrients for the growth of the Nine Star Sea Realms, he had never actually put them into practice.

While there are records in ancient texts of using Demon Race corpses in special ways, the process is extremely complicated and time-consuming, never completed in a short duration.

With extensive experience in corpse decomposition and an Earth Immortal Druid’s advantage, Qi Ping dared to attempt it.

Additionally, his Five Elements Immortal Body’s Lifebound Divine Techniques, the Five-Colored Immortal Light (Destroy), ensured that any essence of the Demon Race within the Five Elements could not escape his grasp.

In Qi Ping’s opinion, turning this war’s disaster into a blessing largely hinged on utilizing the essence of Demon Race corpses, transforming the alien invasion into a grand gift of fertilizer...