Cultivating with Top Enlightenment Chapter 641 - 288: The Two Ancestors (Part 2)

The various Immortal Sects have staked their claims only on the massive Spirit Domains found in close proximity to the dwellings of the Mountain Ancestor and Sea Ancestor.

Stationed within each Immortal Sect is at least one Unity Realm powerhouse, though many boast several, and some even possess more than a dozen such experts.

Naturally, the sect housing the Mountain Ancestor and Sea Ancestor remains the most formidable, having been preserved through the ages to the present day.

Through the Realm Lord’s explanation, everyone present finally grasped the broader landscape of the Mountain and Sea Realm.

Viewed from this perspective, their Beixuan Domain appeared rather insignificant within the vastness of the Mountain and Sea Realm.

However, being weak carried its own benefits; at the very least, it meant the ceiling for growth was incredibly high.

Then, pointing toward the heavens, Ning Qi brought up another matter, saying:

"The Mountain and Sea Realm initiated this Spirit Realm war. It is suspected that the Mountain Ancestor and Sea Ancestor desire to surpass their current limits, seeking to fully break through the Unity Realm and ascend to a higher realm."

Stunned by this revelation, everyone exchanged looks of disbelief.

Many of them were still at the Primordial Spirit Realm, and while a few had reached the Void Path Realm—with Ning Qi himself at the Integration Realm—they possessed no knowledge of the stages beyond those levels.

The Unity Realm was already a distant dream to them, let alone whatever lay past it.

Frowning slightly, Zhuang Chen asked:

"Realm Lord, is there truly a realm beyond the Unity Realm...?"

Ning Qi gave a silent nod, yet the confirmation was clear to everyone.

It appeared that the peak of existence for lives in the Spirit Realm was the Unity Realm, much like how the limit of their True Martial Realm was once restricted to the Martial Saint.

That limit only shifted after Ning Qi emerged and, through immense struggle, pushed the boundary to the Void Path Realm.

Therefore, whether it concerned the Mountain and Sea Realm itself or the Mountain Ancestor and Sea Ancestor, attempting to climb higher would be an arduous task.

The fact that the Mountain Ancestor and Sea Ancestor have governed the Mountain and Sea Realm for countless millennia and are still desperately seeking a way to transcend proves just how difficult this path is.

Realizing a potential contradiction, True Man Bai Shan spoke up to inquire:

"Realm Lord, the Mountain Ancestor and Sea Ancestor do not have absolute mastery over the Mountain and Sea Realm as you do, yet they seem to have enough sway over it to trigger a Spirit Realm war."

Ning Qi answered:

"It is likely a cooperative bond; all three parties share the ambition to break through their current shackles, which is why the Spirit Realm war was launched."

This explanation brought a wave of understanding to the group.

The Spirit Realm sought to shatter its own boundaries, as did the Mountain Ancestor and Sea Ancestor—thus, the three entities joined forces!

At this realization, a sense of dread began to creep over everyone.

Had it not been for Ning Qi’s emergence, these Cultivators of the True Martial Realm would have long since perished during the initial assault by the Black Demon Sect.

Now, with two Spirit Realms mobilizing for conflict, the number of Unity Realm Ancestors involved and the sheer scale of the coming slaughter were impossible to predict.

Existing as a hidden third party caught between two Spirit Realms, a single mistake could lead to their total extinction.

The only comfort was that Ning Qi had proactively led them to ascend to the Spirit Realm to carve out a path.

Had he not, they would still be living in ignorance within the original True Martial Realm, oblivious to their impending doom.

Within the Mountain and Sea Realm, they occupied reincarnation bodies; thus, even if they fell in battle, their main bodies in the True Martial Realm would remain unharmed.

So long as their lifespan endured and the True Martial Realm remained intact, they would not truly die.

The real challenge was ensuring the Mountain and Sea Realm never discovered the True Martial Realm’s existence.

Fortunately, a long period of transition would occur before the Spirit Realm war truly erupted.

Whether it involved pre-war mobilization or tactical stalemates, such timelines were usually measured in thousands or even tens of thousands of years.

Indeed, it had taken a full 90,000 years for the Mountain and Sea Realm to initially begin swallowing the True Martial Realm.

Furthermore, the onset of the Spirit Realm war would not immediately turn into a total conflict; it would begin with scouting missions and minor local skirmishes.

In these opening stages, Unity Realm Ancestors rarely took to the field, leaving the burden of combat to the Upper Sects.

During that time, the two realms would link, and a portion of the small world would stabilize into a passage between them, serving as the primary war zone.

Inside the Gathering Immortals Tower, Ning Qi and the others analyzed all available intelligence to calculate the timeline.

They estimated the Spirit Realm war would truly commence in as little as ten years, or perhaps as long as twenty.

"Our meeting today has two goals: first, to share this intelligence, and second, to warn you that if the Beixuan Domain is called to arms, we shall be organized into a single battalion to prevent any chaos when the time arrives."

"And the third matter..."

Ning Qi stood up abruptly, a slight smile playing on his lips as he scanned the room.

Recognizing his intent, everyone immediately understood his meaning.

The Realm Lord intended to gauge their progress!

Ning Qi then escorted the group to a restricted area within the Infinite Sword Sect, a private land reserved for the sect leader where no outsiders could intrude.

His goal was twofold: to test their martial prowess and to provide guidance and enlightenment to these followers from the True Martial Realm.

Though they were blessed by the Enlightenment Realm Tree—which significantly boosted their mental faculties—Ning Qi understood that while surpassing the common man was easy, further growth required more.

If they remained isolated without exchanging wisdom with peers of similar caliber, their advancement would eventually stall among ordinary Cultivators, despite their high comprehension.

Eventually, the group departed, feeling deeply satisfied with the session.

Ning Qi returned to the sect leader’s main hall, lost in quiet reflection.

He realized that while the Spirit Realm war was a catastrophe for the average sects of the Mountain and Sea Realm, it represented a massive opportunity for the True Martial Realm.

Opportunity is often born from crisis; as the Realm Lord, he had to secure the True Martial Realm's rise amidst the chaos.

Ning Qi had already commanded the reincarnators hidden within the Immortal Sects to use every resource to find the coordinates of the Vast Realm.

Given their high-ranking positions, there was a strong likelihood they could uncover the Vast Realm's location before the war officially started.

Once those coordinates were secured, Ning Qi planned to immediately dispatch a group from the True Martial Realm to reincarnate there and seize the initiative.

When the two Spirit Realms finally clashed, Ning Qi intended to profit from the fallout, hoping to seize enough resources to accelerate the True Martial Realm’s evolution into a Spirit Realm.