Cultivating with Top Enlightenment Chapter 667 - 294: Flaws in the Great Dao (Part 4)

The demise of those four esteemed figures isn't a significant issue; provided Ning Qi aligns with them after eliminating the culprits, the Cyan Profound Upper Sect will hardly see it as any true detriment.

Once that occurs, Sikong Qing intends to meticulously analyze Ning Qi's constitution and reveal the secret behind his swift cultivation progress; Sikong Qing is convinced he'll reap considerable rewards from it.

Harboring such thoughts, Sikong Qing surged forward once more, covering a thousand miles in mere moments.

The Cyan Profound Immortal Sect in his wake shrank gradually until it disappeared entirely.

Yet Sikong Qing remained oblivious to the fact that, a thousand miles distant, a silhouette trailed him closely—it was none other than Ning Qi, who had been lying in wait outside for some time.

The Cyan Profound Immortal Sect, too, possessed the True Martial Realm seeds that Ning Qi had scattered.

Xia Xing of the Celestial Star Upper Sect had alerted Ning Qi about Xia Tianhe's journey to the Cyan Profound Immortal Sect. Upon hearing this, Ning Qi set out without delay.

In truth, Ning Qi reached the outskirts of the Cyan Profound Immortal Sect ahead of Xia Tianhe.

Ning Qi observed Xia Tianhe entering the Cyan Profound Immortal Sect with his own eyes, and soon after, the seeds within relayed that Sikong Qing had departed.

Ning Qi promptly detected Sikong Qing's presence.

This old fellow's velocity astonished Ning Qi.

Luckily, Ning Qi connected straight to his actual form, drawing on Realm Power to pursue Sikong Qing in an instant.

While still within the Cyan Profound Immortal Sect's domain of influence, Ning Qi held back from striking.

For a stretch, Sikong Qing dashed onward at full tilt as Ning Qi shadowed him discreetly from afar.

At last, they reached a barren, forsaken region.

Ning Qi ripped through the void and materialized right at the spot Sikong Qing was on the verge of reaching.

The abrupt emergence of a figure in his path jolted Sikong Qing.

"Which fellow Daoist is this, and why do you block my way?"

Sikong Qing halted suspended in the air, creasing his forehead while eyeing the elder in front.

The elder donned a plain Daoist robe, sporting a white beard and locks, his features creased like dried citrus rind.

What stunned Sikong Qing further was that, despite his pinnacle Unity Realm attainment in the Spirit Realm, he couldn't gauge the elder's cultivation level whatsoever!

Sikong Qing promptly figured the elder matched his own tier at minimum, prompting the "fellow Daoist" address.

Ning Qi yawned and stretched idly, seeming unconcerned, as he unhooked a gourd from his belt and gulped down several mouthfuls.

He breathed out a puff of alcoholic vapor before addressing Sikong Qing:

"A chance encounter is fate; why ask so many questions?"

Sikong Qing rummaged through his recollections yet failed to link any known figure to the elder standing there.

He couldn't resist speaking gravely, "Fellow Daoist, as long as you don't obstruct my path, I won't inquire further."

As Sikong Qing uttered those words, he advanced a step, only to see the elder mirroring him and barring the way anew.

Witnessing the elder match his pace precisely, Sikong Qing felt a stir of surprise mingled with irritation.

"What do you mean by this?"

Ning Qi secured the gourd back at his waist, declaring: "A war in the Spirit Realm is about to commence. I roam the four directions seeking to prove the Supreme Dao, and I happened to encounter you, so I can only use you as a stepping stone!"

With those words, he unsheathed a sword from behind his back; the blade gleamed with pure light and swirled in azure vigor, as though immense gusts gathered upon its edge.

Right away, Ning Qi swung the sword forth; in his grasp, it resembled a vortex of gales, unleashing infinite destructive breezes that morphed into sacred gusts barreling toward Sikong Qing.

Observing the elder's assault, Sikong Qing first registered shock.

For the elder wielded the Wind Rule as well, and ever since harmonizing it, Sikong Qing had faced no challenger bold enough to contest him in wind mastery.

Besides, from the elder's declaration, Sikong Qing swiftly envisioned a prodigious talent wandering realms to forge his Dao.

Therefore, Sikong Qing countered promptly with a palm strike.

Amid the emptiness, the skies and lands shifted hues; a colossal hand, forged entirely from the Wind Rule, materialized from nothingness, seeking to seize the sacred gusts the elder had unleashed.

Though stemming from identical origins, the pair shaped their assaults into distinct manifestations.

Sikong Qing's enormous hand glowed faintly azure, infused with chaotic essence, resembling a innate limb of the Spirit Realm brimming with arcane might.

On the other hand, Ning Qi's sacred gusts proved equally formidable; every twist appeared to rend the void asunder.

In the end, they clashed; the massive hand confronted the sacred winds, triggering a tremendous blast.

In that single exchange, Sikong Qing found himself astounded.

He distinctly sensed his foe's grasp of the Wind Rule exceeded his, and at Unity Realm, this implied Ning Qi held greater dominion over the Wind Rule.

Consequently, his colossal hand managed to shred merely half the sacred winds; the rest fully enveloped the hand, the Wind Rule detonating to carve it up before assimilating into the sacred gusts.

Despite both vying through the Wind Rule, the battle's result looked utterly dismal.

It resembled a glitch manifesting in the Spirit Realm, twisting a once-cohesive power into a turbulent clash that sowed disorder in the void.

As the sacred winds pressed their assault, Sikong Qing dodged nimbly.

At the same time, though reluctant, he unleashed yet another blow, bellowing:

"Wind God Thirty Hands!"

In a flash, Sikong Qing's palms thrust forth successively, like toppling peaks and oceans, hurling an entity from the void; thirty varied wind imprints, evoking the Spirit Realm's most ancient Secret Technique, bore down on the sacred winds.

At once, Ning Qi's sacred winds fragmented, and the space steadied.

Still, Sikong Qing's Wind God Thirty Hands surged onward toward Ning Qi.

Ning Qi clasped his sword with both hands and let out a cold huff.

"Sword Slash to Wind Empire!"

This title was just something Ning Qi improvised; the move's core drew from the Sword Ancestor's One Sword Breaks Ten Thousand Techniques, commanding countless paths with a lone stroke.

To disguise it, Ning Qi simply altered the label.

He fused the Dao of Sword and Wind, promptly conjuring a phantom colossal form before himself.

It loomed over a hundred zhang tall, wielding a massive blade scores of zhang in length, poised to cleave Sikong Qing's Wind God Thirty Hands.

The instant they met, Sikong Qing recoiled in fury and dismay as his supreme technique split cleanly in two, scattering amid the sword's gales.

The blade pressed on relentlessly, hacking toward him.

Sikong Qing hastily withdrew in retreat.

But to his horror, Ning Qi's strike bore the sacred speed of winds, piercing the void effortlessly, rendering flight futile.

The enormous sword arced through the heavens, impacting Sikong Qing's frame.

Sikong Qing's form swiftly dissolved into the Wind Rule, striving to phase illusorily past the blow.

Nevertheless, boundless Wind Rules poured from the massive sword, eradicating him.

A peril of annihilation suddenly gripped Sikong Qing.

The hundred-zhang phantom from which Ning Qi had launched the massive sword drew it back.

Scattered Wind Rule shards reassembled into Sikong Qing's shape, his complexion ashen, eyes quivering as they fixed on Ning Qi.

Were it not for his evolution into a Rule lifeform, that blow from Ning Qi would have slain him outright!

Ning Qi, noting this, flashed a spark of interest in his gaze.

Thus, a Unity Realm proved truly resilient to slay!

Yet that didn't render it impossible; a handful more strikes could utterly shatter his essence, leading to his end.

Thus, Ning Qi struck again.

Massive swords streaked across the firmament, dismantling Sikong Qing repeatedly.

Each instance, Sikong Qing reformed his body, though progressively fainter, nearing translucency.

Sikong Qing, upon reforming, exclaimed in panic:

"If you are seeking Dao, after so many exchanges you have already gained some insight, why go to the lengths of extermination?"

Ning Qi remained silent, merely persisting with the massive sword.

Rumbling!

Abruptly, the Wind Rule pervading space constricted.

Both Ning Qi and Sikong Qing experienced a hindrance in their command of the Wind Rule.

Alarm seized them both.

Sikong Qing appeared to grasp the situation, stating: "Mountain and Sea Realm’s Will has intervened, do you still wish to act?"

"Spirit Realm’s Will?"

Ning Qi creased his brow faintly; a single notion occupied his thoughts.

Indeed, the Dao of Spirit Realm cultivators falls short in some aspect; the Spirit Realm Will can truly meddle!

With a Spirit Realm conflict on the horizon, the Mountain and Sea Realm Will naturally forbids Unity Realm Ancestors from slaying one another, so it disrupted their Wind Rule mastery.

Ning Qi had to cease; pressing to eliminate Sikong Qing by force could draw unwanted scrutiny, or worse, unveil his true body's presence, spelling complications.

"Scram! Don’t let me see you again next time!"

Sikong Qing's visage flushed with shifting shades, too intimidated to retort, ultimately soaring back toward the sect in defeat.

How could his fortune be so wretched, stumbling upon a deranged seeker ready to stake all for Dao right upon departure!