Cultivating with Top Enlightenment Chapter 734 - 313: Discussion (Part 2)

Thoughts swirled wildly through Sikong Lan's mind. Following a moment of reflection, he finally spoke:

"Though I'm unsure about the faction behind that army, they have to be cultivators originating from the Mountain and Sea Realm!"

Sikong Lan's remark provided scant value, leading to a tense hush among the group.

Naturally, any group powerful enough to strike at both Vast Realm cultivators and Sea of Realms monsters simultaneously could only hail from their own Mountain and Sea Realm cultivators.

Qi Keqing voiced her puzzlement, asking, "Within this war domain, apart from our Fuyao Realm folks, which other spirit realm cultivators from the Mountain and Sea Realm might have ventured into this area?"

Sikong Lan responded, "The Fuyao Realm sits in the southeast corner of the Mountain and Sea Realm. Since each war domain draws in spirit realm cultivators from corresponding directions, I figure the spirit realms closest to Fuyao Realm could have joined this war domain."

At last, he offered something of actual worth.

Qi Keqing muttered to herself, "The spirit realms bordering Fuyao Realm include the Profound Truth Realm to the east, which has only recently reemerged; Langya Domain lies to the west, Tai’a Domain to the north, and Penglai Domain to the south. So, which domain do those cultivators up ahead come from?"

Sikong Lan declared, "It can't possibly be the Profound Truth Realm!"

Gazing toward the front, his Integration Realm cultivation allowed him to catch faint glimpses of the action near the node.

"Regardless of their identity, if they haven't seized that node yet, opportunity remains on our side."

Qi Keqing gave a small nod, concurring with his assessment.

They pressed onward with greater speed in their flight. Despite sharing a brief exchange via Divine Thought, hardly any time had elapsed, and they had already traversed five miles.

Right then, the conflict up front shifted once more.

The fresh army that had emerged unleashed a barrage of icy assaults intertwined with fierce gales, hammering the two central forces.

Following this onslaught, the surviving Vast Realm cultivators and Sea of Realms monsters saw their numbers halved yet again.

Qi Keqing and the eighty-one Integration Realm cultivators wore somber expressions.

The attacks from this new army proved devastatingly precise, exploiting the vulnerabilities of both enemy groups.

They advanced another five miles.

Towering waves, reaching beyond the heavens, now surged across the battlefield.

The vital energies persisting inside stayed limited to the mightiest ones.

Suddenly, the clash evolved further, as dread-filled Thunderous Power wove through the air, blending into the vast waters born from those colossal waves.

Even from a distance of one hundred and eighty miles, Qi Keqing and her companions caught the deafening roar of thunder.

Their Spiritual Sense revealed that the life forces of the two central groups had almost entirely vanished.

Yet, eighty miles still separated them from the node.

While soaring ahead, their movements faltered for a brief instant.

However, spotting their leader Qi Keqing surging forward faster, they quickly caught up.

One among them couldn't hold back and asked, "Senior Sister Qi, it looks like the opponents have wiped out every foe at that node. Do we press on regardless?"

Qi Keqing answered, "So long as they haven't set up an altar there, we retain our shot."

This revelation left many in shock.

The forces leading the way were fellow Mountain and Sea Realm cultivators too. Charging in after they'd cleared out the Vast Realm cultivators and Sea of Realms monsters would essentially mean challenging comrades from the same realm.

Sure, such actions weren't unheard of among cultivators, but the Mountain and Sea Realm Will had explicitly warned them against slaying one another.

Qi Keqing picked up on their concerns and clarified:

"Rest easy, I'm merely suggesting a scenario. Upon arrival, we won't have to vie with them for the node—simply encountering them would prove beneficial."

Hearing her words, the Integration Realm cultivators trailing her at last eased their worries.

To these followers, the Mountain and Sea Realm cultivators in front possessed formidable might.

From their skill in hiding their presence to the successive strikes tailored to their targets, they had claimed a node that even the Cyan Profound Immortal Sect hesitated to pursue.

Turning hostile toward such a group would spell folly.

In that instant, they detected a fearsome sword glow plunging down.

A monstrous demon beast materialized amid the battlefield.

Meanwhile, from the opposing army, their commander seemed to step forth, clashing directly with that demon beast.

All present directed their Spiritual Sense toward the cultivator locked in combat with the beast.

Sikong Lan's flight came to a sudden stop, his eyes bulging in astonishment, his inner world trembling.

"This can't be—how is it him?"

Though his outcry echoed only in his thoughts, the faint physical tells didn't evade the watchful eye of Qi Keqing nearby.

Had Qi Keqing been keeping tabs on him constantly?

Soon, Qi Keqing remarked, "Junior Brother Sikong, it appears you know the figure opposite us?"

Sikong Lan's face flickered with unease, his gaze darting as he hastily arranged his reply in his head.

Upon identifying Ning Qi, he abruptly understood that the army ahead comprised cultivators from the Profound Truth Realm.

Yet this revelation chilled him to the core!

Back when their Cyan Profound Immortal Sect tangled in the Southern True Domain's sect disputes, neither the Southern True Domain nor the Beixuan Domain boasted dominant sect influences at the time.

Indeed, both the Feather Transformation Upper Sect and the Celestial Star Upper Sect had dispatched aid to their Cyan Profound Immortal Sect.

Ning Qi had then cut down four Integration Masters from their Cyan Profound Immortal Sect, and just as Ancestor Sikong prepared to crush them across realms, a figure called Lord Zhanxuan drove him back.

From that point, their Cyan Profound Immortal Sect steered clear of Profound Truth Realm matters.

Mere decades had slipped by since, right up to the outbreak of the Spirit Realm war.

With the Profound Truth Realm's return to prominence, they expected Ning Qi to dominate and unite it entirely.

Still, the caliber of cultivators in the Profound Truth Realm paled drastically compared to those in their Cyan Profound Immortal Sect.

Once inside the war domain this time, Sikong Lan had dismissed any notion of facing Ning Qi squarely, plotting instead to wield others as tools for vengeance, allowing the Ancestor to unleash some long-held grudge.