Cultivating with Top Enlightenment Chapter 640 - 288: The Two Ancestors

Curiosity was instantly piqued among the group when the Vast Realm, the opposing Spirit Realm in the upcoming war, was mentioned.

Deep down, everyone understood that the True Martial Realm’s primary objective was to destroy the Mountain and Sea Realm to ensure their own world wasn't consumed first.

Because of this, they actually harbored a degree of goodwill toward the Vast Realm, their fellow opponent.

Nevertheless, they could not lower their guard, knowing they would soon be forced into life-and-death struggles against the cultivators of that very realm once the Spirit Realm war commenced.

Ultimately, for the True Martial Realm to flourish and progress, any Spirit Realm standing in their path would be viewed as an obstacle or a predator seeking to devour them.

Inside the Gathering Immortals Tower, Ning Qi and his companions continued to share drinks while exchanging vital intelligence.

The individual who brought up the Vast Realm was named Zhou Qing. Seeing the Realm Lord and his fellow True Martial brothers focusing on his words, he felt a rare sense of pride for commanding the room's attention.

Thus, Zhou Qing went on:

"Based on the reports we have gathered, the Vast Realm is a Spirit Realm of equal power to our current location."

Zhuang Chen interjected, "Brother Zhou, do you have any details regarding the internal state of that realm?"

With a smile, Zhou Qing replied:

"It mirrors the Mountain and Sea Realm in many ways. It is divided into numerous domains and houses several powerful Immortal Sects. There are hundreds of Unity Realm ancestors, and rumors suggest the existence of beings who have surpassed the Unity Realm entirely."

The listeners narrowed their eyes at this revelation.

If that were true, wasn't the Vast Realm's power structure nearly identical to that of the Mountain and Sea Realm?

The assembly within the Gathering Immortals Tower consisted of those who had reincarnated specifically into the Beixuan Domain.

Compared to the rest of the Mountain and Sea Realm, the Beixuan Domain was merely an average, minor territory. The peak of power in the Northern and Southern Domains only reached the Perfection of the Integration Realm.

In contrast, the major domains of the Mountain and Sea Realm were home to Immortal Sects—defined as any Sect led by a Unity Realm expert.

In the most prominent domains, multiple Immortal Sects existed, with various Unity Realm powerhouses constantly competing for dominance.

Ning Qi then spoke up:

"I am quite familiar with the inner workings of the Mountain and Sea Realm. Let me clarify things for you."

Bai Shan, Zhuang Chen, and the others shifted their gaze toward him.

No one in the room possessed more knowledge regarding the Mountain and Sea Realm than Ning Qi.

As the Realm Lord, he maintained contact with reincarnates who had been scattered across the many domains of this Spirit Realm.

Every reincarnate was gifted with innate wisdom and the blessings of the Enlightenment Realm Tree, making them all exceptional geniuses.

They had successfully infiltrated everything from ordinary organizations to the highest-ranking Immortal Sects, securing influential positions.

Many were like Zhuang Chen, who held the status of a Sect Leader’s son.

The intelligence they gathered, once cross-referenced and compiled by Ning Qi, was an incredibly potent resource.

"The name of the Mountain and Sea Realm doesn't actually refer to a specific mountain or sea, but rather to two distinct individuals."

This first revelation from Ning Qi took everyone by surprise.

They had assumed the name was a simple geographical description; they never expected Ning Qi to claim it originated from two people.

"These two figures are known as the Mountain Ancestor and the Sea Ancestor. They originate from the same era and have been present in this realm for an uncountable number of years."

"Legends say they have competed against one another throughout their entire path of Cultivation, yet neither has ever managed to kill the other, even to this day."

"The Mountain Ancestor holds the premier location in the realm: Heaven-Reaching Peak. It is the highest point in existence, rumored to pierce the starry sea itself. From there, he rules over the vast mountain ranges that span the continents, which earned him his title."

"As for the Sea Ancestor, after being pushed off the land by her rival, she shifted her focus to the oceans. She eventually unified the waters, thus becoming known as the Sea Ancestor."

"As the ages passed, the names of these two—'one mountain and one sea'—were repeated so often that the entire world was eventually dubbed the Mountain and Sea Realm."

Ning Qi looked around at the group and added, "It is also worth noting that the Sea Ancestor is a woman."

The cultivators exchanged meaningful glances.

Hearing Ning Qi describe the history of the realm and the rivalry between the Mountain Ancestor and Sea Ancestor ignited a strong sense of curiosity and gossip within them.

True Man Bai Shan joked:

"It appears our True Martial Realm is actually the more impressive one. Even though the Mountain and Sea Realm is a Spirit Realm, it lacks a single leader who commands the entire world."

Zhuang Chen laughed as well, "They just had a better starting point, didn't they? They were born into a Spirit Realm, whereas we had to fight our way up from small worlds."

At that moment, everyone felt a surge of pride in their accomplishments, and their respect for the Realm Lord deepened.

Suddenly, Zhou Qing asked curiously, "Since there are small worlds like ours and Spirit Realms like this one, there must be even greater worlds above, right? Have the top figures of these Spirit Realms never considered ascending to an Upper Realm?"

True Man Bai Shan spoke with rare gravity:

"The laws of the universe usually dictate that the strong prey upon the weak. It is like the Mountain and Sea Realm devouring smaller worlds—a matter of survival of the fittest. Just as the powerful oppress the commoners, this is the natural flow of the world, and it rarely changes direction."

"Have any of you ever seen such a trend reversed?"

Everyone turned their bright eyes toward Ning Qi.

Though no words were spoken, Ning Qi understood their silent message.

They were implying that the path they were currently walking was exactly that—a reversal of the natural order.

They were moving against the tide, using weakness to overcome strength and turning the established laws of the world upside down.

Ning Qi reflected on True Man Bai Shan’s words, feeling a slight shift in his own perspective on life.

Previously, his only goal was the survival of the True Martial Realm; he hadn't contemplated these deeper philosophical truths.

Silence filled the room for a moment as everyone lost themselves in thought.

After a short while, Ning Qi resumed his briefing on the Mountain and Sea Realm.

"The Mountain Ancestor and Sea Ancestor have been at the peak of the Unity Realm for a very long time. They haven't been seen in tens of thousands of years, so it is possible they have already moved beyond the Unity Realm."

"It was only after those two unified the land and sea that the various domains we see today began to emerge, eventually splitting into hundreds of Spirit Domains."

Of course, the majority of those hundreds of domains were like the Northern and Southern Domains, where Integration Realm experts were the highest power available.