You, a druid, go to practice Taoism?.

Chapter 422 The Seed of Freedom
"Fate? Reincarnation?"

Qi Ping's eyes narrowed upon hearing Little Fairy Tiger's words.

Just as he had guessed, when he saw the unusual vitality behind Old Man Zhou, he roughly knew the outcome.

The only thing that is uncertain now is whether his druidic lineage is related to his meeting with Old Man Zhou, or even to his time travel.

Previously, Qi Ping thought that after his transmigration, the distance between him and his hometown should be incredibly far. Now it seems that if there is someone behind his inheritance, then his hometown may be in some passage in the turbulent currents of the Boundary Sea, but he just can't find it yet.

It wasn't that Qi Ping was particularly attached to his hometown. After all, in his previous life, he was just one of countless cattle and horses, with only a few hobbies such as playing games and traveling. Compared to his current status and achievements, he was nothing in his previous life.

With hundreds of years having passed, those familiar faces have long since returned to dust, so there is no strong attachment to the hometown of the previous life, although there are still some special feelings.

However, what is truly important to Qi Ping is that if his hometown is located in a passage within the turbulent currents of the Boundary Sea, then this world is probably far more vast than he imagined. Perhaps this already immense cultivation world, encompassing countless continents and worlds, is merely a relatively brilliant part of it.

Thinking of this, Qi Ping's interest in exploring this world grew even stronger.

Of course, Qi Ping's biggest focus now is still on Old Man Zhou, after all, he is the closest person to him in this world, and also his guide.

"Yes, boss. I saw countless figures behind Old Zhou. Their auras were exactly the same as Old Zhou's. Some were farmers, generals, emperors, and some were even figures I couldn't see clearly. I only glanced at them and couldn't withstand it. If it weren't for your protection, boss, I'm afraid I would have died on the spot."

As Little Fairy Tiger spoke, he still looked shaken, clearly frightened by what had just happened.

"Thank you for your hard work!" Qi Ping patted the little fairy tiger's head.

If it weren't for his status as a Beast Guardian, which allowed him to revive his animal companions, he wouldn't have dared to take such a risk by having the little fairy tiger calculate the karma of such a significant being.

"It's okay, boss, you can revive me anyway! Hehe." The tiger-headed little fairy tiger chuckled, seemingly unconcerned.

"It's best not to use that resurrection ability if you can avoid it, since it comes at a price."

"By the way, boss, besides these, I also saw an incredibly peculiar line of fate that connects Old Man Zhou and you, boss, but..."

"But what?"

"This thread of fate is about to break!"

"what?"

Qi Ping frowned immediately.

So this is why Old Man Zhou's vitality mysteriously disappeared and deathly aura was born?

"Did you see anything else?" Qi Ping pressed.

"Without the boss, I can't see any further use for my abilities!"

The chubby little tiger in front of Qi Ping shook its head, looking particularly helpless.

"You've done a fantastic job!"

Having obtained the answer he wanted to know, Qi Ping did not hesitate. His main body stepped out of the cave of the Seven-Colored Ancestral Vein, and then, without anyone else noticing, instantly merged with his spiritual body.

"How about that? I was right, wasn't I? Hehe!"

Old Zhou chuckled, showing no sign of annoyance.

Judging from Qi Ping's expression, it was clear that Qi Ping had sensed the death aura emanating from him.

"Your life is almost in danger, and you can still laugh?" Qi Ping said with a flat face.

"What's so funny about this? I was already a dying man. Since you extended my life in the Cloud Mist Mountains, I've stolen many years of destiny and time, allowing me to see the entire Star Sea Continent in real time."

Then Old Man Zhou continued:

"And I also witnessed a feat that overturned the course of history: the Nine Realms of the Star Sea, the Star Sea Academy. The Emperor of All Ages who accomplished all of this was someone I, the old man, picked up!"

"I feel that I have witnessed all of this enough. There is no point in living any longer. This is just right!"

Old Zhou spoke very casually, his voice full of magnanimity.

In his view, the length of life is not important; he feels that the life he has lived has been wonderful enough.

If I lived any longer, I'd get bored!
He was not someone who enjoyed spiritual practice or the pursuit of immortality.

Most importantly, Qi Ping has grown into a powerful being capable of standing alone and shouldering the responsibility for hundreds of millions of lives, so powerful that even if he tried his best, he could not catch up with him.

And this emperor, revered by all living beings, was brought up by him!
His greatest joy was witnessing all the wonders of the Star Sea Continent.

But what he was most proud of was bringing Qi Ping up the mountain and guiding him onto the path of cultivation. Otherwise, how could the Star Sea Continent have achieved its current prosperity? In this respect, Old Man Zhou deserves immense credit!

The only thing that made him somewhat regretful was that he could no longer find out about the disciple who had left. After all, that disciple was his first disciple, and before he left, he was a very filial fellow. He just didn't know why the disciple never returned and disappeared into the vast sea of ​​stars.

But it's okay if you don't know. Life is full of regrets and partings, and imperfection is also a part of life.

Looking back on his life, he was already incredibly satisfied!
At that moment, Qi Ping sensed a special sense of freedom rising in Old Man Zhou's consciousness, and a seed slowly condensing within him.

However, the astonishing scene went completely unnoticed by both the old man standing nearby and Old Man Zhou himself.

This is a very special power. If Qi Ping hadn't specifically studied the True Spirit of Consciousness in order to save his life, he probably wouldn't have been able to detect this mysterious energy within consciousness.

"A seed of freedom and liberation is born in consciousness? Hmm, is that a fair term?"

"This is a power system that has never been seen before, completely different from the Dao Heart system and the Immortal Dao system. So this Carefree Dao Seed is what the mysterious being behind it is pursuing through endless reincarnation?"

Qi Ping looked at the seed that had formed and began to make plans in his mind.

"Since that's the case, I'll get involved!" Considering Old Man Zhou's life and his mysterious background, it's not surprising that he comprehended the Seed of Freedom.

But no matter who is behind Old Man Zhou or how powerful they are, it has nothing to do with him. His family will always be Old Man Zhou, even if Old Man Zhou is just one of countless reincarnations.

"so."

Having made his decision, Qi Ping did not hesitate. He raised his palm and placed it on Old Man Zhou's brow. The power of the Earth Immortal Druid and the power of the Dao of Heaven and Earth were activated at the same time. A miniature version of the Star Sea Continent began to appear around Old Man Zhou's consciousness, merging with Old Man Zhou's true spirit and the carefree Dao Seed standing within it, just like a shell.

Because the Seed of Freedom was nurtured from the soil of Old Man Zhou's life experiences, it naturally has a special affinity for Qi Ping's power and the Star Sea Continent, belonging to the same source of power.

Therefore, under Qi Ping's control, the two somehow merged together, intentionally or unintentionally.

After a long while, Qi Ping felt a surge of joy.

"successful"

The Seed of Freedom merged with the prototype power model of the world he comprehended.

"For the next period of time, I only need to condense a spiritual body to maintain and strengthen this power. This will not only make this Dao Seed stronger, but also allow it to merge with the nascent power model of this world, becoming an armor of the same origin as Old Man Zhou's consciousness."

Because Old Man Zhou's current strength is not very high, Qi Ping is able to do this job well.

"Old Zhou, you think you can die so easily? But once your reincarnation consciousness and true spirit have fully merged, how much you can take over will depend on yourself."

"If we could occupy a major position, or even become the core consciousness, that would be even better!"

If that's the case, Old Man Zhou might be able to go even further than him on the path of immortality, or more accurately, on the path of eternal life and invincibility. After all, Qi Ping felt that Old Man Zhou's cultivation path might not be the so-called orthodox path of cultivation as it is now.

Regardless, Qi Ping had read records related to reincarnation. If a person experienced a hundred or even more reincarnations, they would completely integrate the memories of each life. These memories would be inseparable and not hostile to each other, because they were essentially "one person".

However, after the fusion is complete, the extent of influence of which incarnation's personality will be depends on the depth of that incarnation's influence.

Therefore, what Qi Ping is doing now is not to isolate Old Man Zhou's consciousness and memories from his other lives, but to make Old Man Zhou's current life even more important.

First of all, under Qi Ping's life extension, Old Man Zhou completely comprehended the Seed of Freedom. In Qi Ping's eyes, this was an extremely rare and special power, so Old Man Zhou's life was absolutely very important.

If he can elevate Old Man Zhou's achievements and importance in this life to a higher level, and even make this "Carefree Dao Seed" the most amazing and outstanding one, then when they meet again in the future, the awakened Old Man Zhou will still be a familiar relative to him no matter what.

This is a calculated move that no one can resist. After all, having chosen the path of reincarnation, one would certainly not mind becoming stronger. Isn't that the very purpose of pursuing reincarnation?

Thinking of this, Qi Ping suddenly felt that this was not bad, because if Old Man Zhou had his original aptitude, it would have been very difficult for him to become a top cultivator.

Even with Qi Ping's full help, it's unlikely that he could truly help Old Man Zhou achieve immortality, since even Qi Ping himself wasn't sure.

So if we look at it this way, Old Man Zhou might actually transform into a powerful figure that even he himself might have to look up to.

To put it optimistically, Old Man Zhou has awakened memories of a hundred lifetimes. It's just that after merging countless memories, there will be some changes. But Old Man Zhou will become a partner and relative who is just like him and has the right to pursue immortality and invincibility!
Thinking of this, Qi Ping's initial worry vanished instantly. After all, forcing Old Man Zhou to prolong his life would certainly be a happy thing for many people who cherish life, but it would definitely not be for Old Man Zhou. He was not someone who would live a life of mediocrity.

So rather than being forcibly extended in life and losing the purpose of pursuing life, it's better to merge with the memories of a hundred lifetimes and become an even more dazzling existence... Most importantly, as long as Old Man Zhou is happy!
So after figuring all this out, Qi Ping actually started to look forward to it.

However, all of this is predicated on enhancing the Dao Seed of Freedom in Old Man Zhou's consciousness as much as possible before Old Man Zhou completely perishes!

……

"Ugh"

Qi Ping sighed after doing all this.

Old Zhou was unaware of these matters. In order not to disrupt Old Zhou's perfect life, Qi Ping did not choose to tell him what he knew. After all, if telling him would have an adverse effect on the growth of Old Zhou's carefree Dao Seed, it would truly be a loss.

Therefore, it's better to proceed with the next steps at the normal pace.

"Why are you sighing?" Old Zhou gave Qi Ping a disapproving look.

"I just tried to extend your life, but I can only help you a little, at most extending it by a few decades, but it's possible it will be within ten years."

This is the kind of reaction he should normally exhibit.

After all, it was he who forcibly extended Old Man Zhou's life when Old Man Zhou was about to die the first time.

"Why are you so stubborn? Life and death are predestined. Life isn't measured by its length. My life has been very fulfilling. Living longer would be unfortunate!"

Next, Qi Ping argued with Old Man Zhou again and drank some wine, and the atmosphere was quite harmonious.

Qi Ping also cherished these last few moments, because once Old Man Zhou awakens his memories, he will no longer be the same Old Man Zhou. Moreover, the time when Old Man Zhou truly completes his reincarnation may not be now, and Qi Ping does not know when they will meet again.

However, when I think about the future when Old Man Zhou fully awakens and recalls today's scene, I wonder if he will feel embarrassed.

After drinking all of Old Zhou's stored wine, which made him so angry that he jumped up and down in frustration, Qi Ping finally left satisfied.

However, Qi Ping immediately arranged for someone to send more fine wine to Old Man Zhou. Of course, he wouldn't really let this guy, who was "not long for life," go without wine.

After leaving Old Man Zhou, Qi Ping went to see Sister Nan one more time.

Compared to Old Man Zhou's laziness, Sister Nan was much more serious and hardworking, and she almost never slacked off in her cultivation.

And her cultivation level is the best proof:

The middle stage of Nascent Soul!

This improvement speed is simply outrageous! It's only been a short time!
I'm almost keeping up with his improvement rate.

However, the reason why she was able to achieve such success was partly due to the top-notch resources provided by Qi Ping, but the biggest part was because Sister Nan, as the King of the Great Spirit Insects, made a contract with the Eight-Winged Ant Immortal who was reborn as an ant!

The Eight-Winged Ant Immortal, which was originally reborn as the weakest spirit insect after refining from the Void Realm, is no longer as weak as it once was. Instead, it has already transformed into a top-tier fourth-order time-type spirit insect, and is not far from advancing to the fifth order!
(End of this chapter)