Cultivating with Top Enlightenment Chapter 664 - 294: Flaws in the Great Dao

Upon exiting her seclusion, Lu Ziyue immediately caught sight of Ning Qi standing before her, and joy flooded her heart at once.

"Zi Yue, my congratulations on advancing to Great Power. Here's a Dragon Scale Garment as your gift."

With a turn of his right palm, Ning Qi unveiled the four-colored Dragon Scale Garment, holding it out to Lu Ziyue in his grasp.

Lu Ziyue's lovely eyes first settled on Ning Qi, a faint blush coloring her delicate features.

As the Sect Leader himself openly presented this invaluable garment, she felt compelled to take it without delay.

Yet right when she reached to receive it, a smile curved Ning Qi's lips.

He lightly raised his right hand, causing the four-colored Dragon Scale Garment to break apart into brilliant beams of light that quickly draped over Lu Ziyue.

Suddenly, the bold figure of a female cultivator materialized high in the skies.

Over the past few days, Ning Qi had tweaked the Dragon Scale Garment slightly, enabling it to shift through various forms and toggle easily between undergarment and outer armor.

Concealed beneath clothing, it stays invisible; on the surface, it becomes sleek armor suited for women cultivators, radiating a formidable godly aura.

Whether inner or outer layer, it guards against the chill and warmth of seasons, plus assaults from water, fire, wind, and thunder.

Since Lu Ziyue had just risen to Great Power, the garment could endure up to three blows from Integration Realm Giants at most, and it also held strong offensive capabilities—summoning four dragon manifestations to deliver the might of the Integration Realm fourfold.

Naturally, such boundaries depend on her present cultivation base.

Lu Ziyue gazed downward and sent her Primordial Spirit Power sweeping over her form, grasping right away the immense worth of this Dragon Scale Garment.

"Sect Leader Brother, this treasure of a garment is far too valuable. Are you sure it's fine to hand it to Zi Yue..."

Ning Qi stated with commanding assurance, "That old Purple Sword True Man fetched a Sect Leader for the Infinite Sword Sect back in the day, but to this moment, he hasn't given her a single gift. So why wouldn't it be fine?"

At those words, Lu Ziyue couldn't hold back a burst of laughter, her smile unfolding like a blooming bloom.

The watching crowd held their tongues, no one daring to protest, because as Ning Qi pointed out, without Lu Ziyue bringing him into the fold, how could the Infinite Sword Sect bask in its present splendor?

They might well have been crushed by the Beixuan Upper Sect long ago.

Still, envy burned fiercely in everyone's hearts—why hadn't they been the ones to recruit the Sect Leader?

Later, Ning Qi and Lu Ziyue made their way back to the Sect Leader’s hall.

Ning Qi prepared a cup of Enlightenment Tea for her, and Lu Ziyue slowly unwound.

She realized her fate was now tied inextricably to Ning Qi's, so rather than resist, she decided to embrace the current.

They shared various insights on cultivation and touched on recent happenings.

As she listened, Lu Ziyue balled her delicate hands into fists, her feelings clearly stirred by Ning Qi's remarks.

Finally, Ning Qi remarked, "Zi Yue, you've surged through two realms in quick succession and need more battle experience. From now on, fight alongside us."

Lu Ziyue's eyes sparkled as she chuckled with allure, "Very well, let this once-slumbering Purple Sword True Man shake the Northern and Southern Domains anew!"

...

Within the Southern True Domain.

The Celestial Star Upper Sect kept a sharp watch on the clashes between the Niu Mo Upper Sect and the Feather Transformation Upper Sect.

Shortly after the Feather Transformation Upper Sect fell, Sect Leader Xi Tianhe got the news.

Right then, he gathered all the sect's heavyweights into the main hall.

The grand hall hung in utter silence, where the fall of a needle would echo.

Every gaze locked onto Xi Tianhe, observing the Sect Leader stride to and fro from his central throne, his thoughts evidently churning in deep unrest.

But nobody uttered a sound, and Xi Tianhe stayed quiet too; they all awaited the spies dispatched beyond the sect.

It was impossible for the full group to come back, yet those posted at vital spots needed to report, offering a full picture of the key developments in the war between those two sects.

Before long, Xi Tianhe's nephew Xia Xing arrived.

Trailing right behind him came an Elder named Zhu.

These two, as Xi Tianhe's most reliable confidants in the sect, naturally shouldered major duties.

Earlier, debates had swirled on whether to back the Feather Transformation Upper Sect.

As Ning Qi's planted agent in the Celestial Star Upper Sect, Xia Xing had no intention of thwarting Realm Lord Ning Qi's schemes, so he urged Xi Tianhe to stay on the sidelines.

In contrast, Elder Zhu pushed the Sect Leader to step in.

Xi Tianhe spoke up at once, "Xia Xing, Elder Zhu, tell us in detail about the strife between the Niu Mo Upper Sect and the Feather Transformation Upper Sect."

Xia Xing and Elder Zhu shared a look, and Xia Xing began:

"To the Sect Leader, I lingered close to the Feather Transformation Upper Sect and saw the Five-star Sword Venerate from the Infinite Sword Sect cleave through their age-old protective array with just one sword swing. It was utterly fearsome."

"The Five Elements Sword Venerate? With a single strike?"

Shock rippled through all the assembled powerhouses.

The moniker Five Elements Sword Venerate came from the Beixuan Domain sects themselves, but it hadn't reached the Southern True Domain widely.

Though the name rang bells for some, recognition was scarce.

Now, with Xia Xing describing how Ning Qi demolished the Feather Transformation Upper Sect's Sect Protection Array in one blow, even without seeing it firsthand, the group gained a solid sense of the Five Elements Sword Venerate's strength.

The Integration Realm Ancestors eavesdropping quietly from within the Sect Leader’s hall were equally stunned.

The Celestial Star Upper Sect boasted three Integration Realm Ancestors, but after elevating Xi Tianhe to Sect Leader years back, they handed him total control and withdrew from mortal concerns.

Had Xi Tianhe not roused them this time, they'd remain oblivious to the massive upheavals unfolding beyond.

For hundreds of thousands of years, the Celestial Star Upper Sect, Feather Transformation Upper Sect, and Niu Mo Upper Sect—these three premier Upper Sects—had dwelled in harmony, holding equilibrium. None could have predicted the Feather Transformation Upper Sect's destruction at the Niu Mo Upper Sect's hands today.

Worse, a Beixuan Domain sect's influence loomed in the shadows.

The sudden rise of the Five Elements Sword Venerate now demanded their full focus.

Xia Xing fell silent after that; once the Feather Transformation Upper Sect's grand array shattered, the aftermath was obvious.

By that point, no Integration Realm Ancestors guarded the Feather Transformation Upper Sect anymore.

Now, all gazes shifted toward Elder Zhu.