Cultivating with Top Enlightenment Chapter 626 - 284: Integration Realm (Part 3)

Had he not mastered the technique "One Sword Breaks Ten Thousand Techniques," suppressing it would have become impossible long ago.

Since Ning Qi now possessed a superior alternative, he was naturally eager to test its efficacy.

"Listen, young man, I must give you fair warning. Should you fail, it is of no great consequence to me, but the destiny of the Infinite Sword Sect and the coming Spirit Realm war will then rest entirely upon your shoulders."

The Sword Ancestor spoke with a carefree air.

Upon hearing those words, Ning Qi replied with a look of helplessness, "Perhaps we should just call the whole thing off?"

The Sword Ancestor instantly leaped to his feet, adopting a combative stance and gesturing toward Ning Qi with a sharp nod of his chin.

"You brat, are you trying to play the Ancestor for a fool and then just walk away?"

Ning Qi massaged his temples; it seemed this ancient lamp only revealed such a personality when they were alone. He was truly at a loss.

"Fine, let us begin. But Sword Ancestor, if you feel anything out of the ordinary, you must inform me at once."

The Sword Ancestor sat down directly across from Ning Qi. "Enough with the hesitation. My life is governed by my own will, not by the heavens. Even if I am to die, I choose whose hands take me, so just relax!"

Ning Qi had no choice but to proceed.

First, he condensed a Primordial Spirit Chain the size of a man. Glancing at the Sword Ancestor, he still felt a lingering unease, so he expanded the Primordial Spirit Chain until it reached a massive ten zhang in length.

The Five Elements Rules circulated endlessly upon it, drawing in similar rules from the surrounding environment.

Then, Ning Qi steadily compressed the Primordial Spirit Chain's dimensions until it finally hovered atop his fingertip, no larger than a tiny bean.

Staring at the microscopic Primordial Spirit Chain that had reached its limit of compression, Ning Qi warned, "Sword Ancestor, it’s time!"

"Do it!"

Ning Qi immediately pressed the point against the Sword Ancestor’s forehead.

"Five Elements Seal!"

The moment it touched his skin, it took root, causing a miniature Five Elements Divine Light to bloom upon the Sword Ancestor’s brow.

The Sword Ancestor’s massive frame shuddered involuntarily.

He felt the Evil Qi, which had been forcibly held back by the Sword Dao within his Primordial Spirit, suddenly being seized by an external force.

As the Sword Ancestor cautiously withdrew his own Sword Dao Rules, the Five Elements Chain began to circulate, completely subduing every trace of the Evil Qi.

Witnessing this, the Sword Ancestor could not help but release a thunderous howl; after ten thousand years of struggle, he had finally achieved a moment of true liberation!

In that instant of mental release, the Sword Ancestor shot into the sky, his aura surging upward with incredible speed.

Ten-thousand-meter-long Sword Dao Divine Chains manifested in the void.

Like a school of swimming fish, they suddenly converged on the Sword Ancestor, merging into his very form!

The Sword Ancestor had successfully crossed into the Half-step Integration Realm!

Watching the Sword Ancestor’s magnificent silhouette, a line of poetry crossed Ning Qi’s mind.

Long confined within a cage, now returned to the wild.

This was likely the most accurate reflection of the Sword Ancestor’s current state of mind.

The Sword Ancestor’s aura continued to swell, appearing as though he might break directly into the full Integration Realm.

However, a moment later, his momentum suddenly stalled. His presence deflated like a punctured balloon, returning him to his previous state.

The tiny Five Elements Chain on his forehead flared with blinding light and expanded rapidly to match his stature, as if the Evil Qi inside him had also intensified alongside his breakthrough.

The Sword Ancestor plummeted back down in front of Ning Qi, his skin turning a deep, pitch-black color, his expression grave.

Ning Qi was also caught off guard.

Fortunately, the Five Elements Chain maintained its dominance. Working in tandem with the Sword Dao Rule Chains on the Sword Ancestor’s body, it eventually quelled the internal Evil Qi once more, and the Five Elements Chain shrank back into his forehead.

The dark hue faded from the Sword Ancestor’s skin, and he looked as though he had been pulled from a river, completely soaked in sweat.

He turned to Ning Qi and said:

"This Evil Qi is truly malicious; it actually grows in strength alongside my own cultivation. It is a good thing your Five Elements Chain is powerful enough to hold firm."

Ning Qi’s eyes flashed with realization.

After observing the Sword Ancestor for a long time, he finally spoke:

"Sword Ancestor, since I am currently at the Half-step Integration Realm, the Five Elements Chain is tied to my level and can only suppress Evil Qi of that same rank."

"Because of this, your cultivation must remain in sync with mine. Do not attempt to reach the Integration Realm before I do."

Hearing this, the Sword Ancestor felt a wave of disappointment.

When he made that attempt earlier, he truly believed he was free, but it turned out otherwise...

Still, being able to maintain a level equal to Ning Qi’s cultivation was not a bad outcome!

At the very least, he would not fall behind this young genius.

Following this, the Sword Ancestor shared the intelligence gathered from the Northern and Southern Domains over the last decade.

For ten years, the Beixuan Domain had descended further into turmoil.

Following the destruction of the Beixuan Upper Sect, the remaining eight Upper Sects began vying for the dominant position once held by their predecessor.

Despite being aware of the Infinite Sword Sect’s current might, their greed could not be contained, as every faction desired to become the new hegemon.

Even from the Southern True Domain, the Feather Transformation Upper Sect had dispatched representatives to the Beixuan Domain, hoping to exert their influence there.

They had all felt the approach of the Spirit Realm war and sought to hoard resources to bolster their strength in preparation for the conflict.

However, with the Sword Ancestor guarding the Infinite Sword Sect and the support of the Niu Mo Upper Sect from the Southern True Domain, no one dared to provoke them.

Consequently, the Infinite Sword Sect adopted a low profile, focusing on internal growth and ignoring the chaos of the outside world to steadily build their power.

Ning Qi nodded as he processed the events of the past ten years.

The Sword Ancestor’s next words, however, filled Ning Qi with a sense of dread.

The will of the Mountain and Sea Realm was growing increasingly turbulent, causing widespread panic among the various sects of that realm.

During this time, the major sects had launched aggressive campaigns against smaller worlds!

The minor worlds under the Mountain and Sea Realm were being wiped out one by one at a pace dozens of times faster than in previous eras.

If this continued, every small world would be purged within a millennium.

The atmosphere of impending doom was palpable to everyone.

Ning Qi felt the pressure as well. Although he possessed the coordinates to the True Martial Realm, if the other small worlds were destroyed, the True Martial Realm would stand out like a beacon, and the will of the Mountain and Sea Realm would inevitably discover it!