Cultivating with Top Enlightenment Chapter 736 - 313: Discussion (Part 4)

Simultaneously, they would find themselves held back as well.

Evidently, the timing wasn't suitable at this moment, since the incoming party was merely twenty miles distant from their position.

The Sword Ancestor positioned himself next to Ning Qi and unleashed a sword strike toward the figures drawing near in the distance.

This particular sword strike wasn't a direct assault.

Sword Qi wove intricately across thousands of meters, while the sword light erected a barrier roughly a kilometer off, slicing through the void itself.

"Halt!"

A strike so formidable naturally stunned Qi Keqing and her companions as they advanced.

They sensed the Sword Ancestor's cultivation level, realizing he was merely at the late-stage Integration Realm, but this one sword posed a real danger even to them, the Extreme Venerables.

All of them quickly grasped that their opponent was an unparalleled prodigy.

Regarding Ning Qi standing beside him, that one was probably even more formidable.

In the end, Sikong Lan from the Cyan Profound Immortal Sect had only just shared certain details about the Profound Truth Realm with them.

Even with some partial exaggerations, Qi Keqing was well aware that Ning Qi, positioned alongside Sword Shocking, served as the central leader, commander of the Profound Truth Realm's forces, and the Domain Master of Profound Truth!

Qi Keqing held no strangeness toward the Domain Master title.

While the Fuyao Realm and nearby Spirit Domains lacked a Domain Master,

that massive conflict which once shattered the Profound Truth Realm apparently started from a struggle over the Domain Master position, so almost every adjacent Spirit Domain preserved accounts of it.

Such Spirit Domains could be viewed as affiliates of the Mountain Ancestor in the Mountain and Sea Realm, located in far-flung territories, yet they understood that within the core Spirit Domains governed by the Mountain Ancestor, numerous Domain Masters existed.

The Immortal Sects in these outlying Spirit Domains naturally harbored desires to claim the Domain Master honor.

However, after each sect's efforts, they discovered that attaining Domain Master status was truly immensely challenging!

For starters, the whole Spirit Domain needed complete unification!

Next, every sect and cultivator had to genuinely recognize and embrace the leading sect deep in their cores!

In those peripheral Spirit Domains, Immortal Sects were few in number, unlike the heartlands where a single Spirit Domain might host multiple Immortal Sects.

Thus, merging a Spirit Domain wasn't overly tough; the real hurdle lay in fulfilling the second condition.

When it came to the Domain Masters in central Spirit Domains, cultivators from remote areas simply couldn't fathom how they unified regions teeming with so many Immortal Sects.

Contemplating the subject of Domain Masters, Qi Keqing couldn't help developing greater reverence for the recently arrived Ning Qi.

Rumors stated that Ning Qi possessed Immortal Species aptitude, and despite being less than two hundred years old, he had accomplished such remarkable deeds—a genuine exceptional individual!

Qi Keqing and her group at last stopped just beyond the sword barrier cast by Sword Shocking.

Qi Keqing cupped her fists and declared, "I am Qi Keqing from the Jade Light Immortal Sect in the Fuyao Realm. I've brought my forces here after learning of a node in this vicinity."

The Sword Ancestor responded, "Are you planning to claim the node?"

Sikong Lan shot a look at Qi Keqing. Of course, he wanted her to go for it.

Having identified Ning Qi, he desperately yearned to spark a clash between the Jade Light Immortal Sect's army under Qi Keqing and the Profound Truth Realm's forces commanded by Ning Qi.

Yet Qi Keqing wasn't foolish and refused to be easily goaded.

Furthermore, Sikong Lan hadn't anticipated running into Ning Qi this early, lacking a solid scheme, so he reluctantly shelved the idea for now.

Qi Keqing stated, "To be straightforward, had you not secured the node already, I would have certainly directed my troops to capture it. But as you've claimed it, I've merely guided my people to observe."

Ning Qi fixed his gaze on Qi Keqing.

He had disseminated countless True Martial Realm seeds throughout the Fuyao Realm, maintaining secret networks even inside the Jade Light Immortal Sect.

As a result, Ning Qi possessed thorough knowledge of Qi Keqing's background.

Even though she was a female cultivator, she possessed a magnanimous spirit, rose from lowly origins, and rose to prominence in the Jade Light Immortal Sect, driven by a drive to forge unparalleled achievements, rendering her a remarkably uncommon genius.

While she harbored great ambitions, she remained reasonably principled.

Thus, Ning Qi believed there was sincerity in what she said.

Qi Keqing went on, "Might we perhaps sit and talk things over?"