Cultivating with Top Enlightenment Chapter 743 - 316: Resolute

Sikong Lan's plots delve profoundly deep.

Prior to this, upon realizing he couldn't convince Qi Keqing to go after Ning Qi, he thought about abandoning the Jade Light Immortal Sect’s forces.

However, fate intervened when he noticed that Ning Qi appeared to possess a compass capable of identifying nodes.

This revelation swiftly altered his intentions, prompting him to stick with Qi Keqing and observe the developments.

Should Ning Qi truly manage to pinpoint node locations, Sikong Lan might craft a strategy exploiting that ability.

Thus, reaching this spot, the emergence of a massive node utterly validated the worth of Ning Qi’s compass!

Although Sikong Lan hadn't spotted Ning Qi or the Profound Truth Realm’s troops, he was convinced they lurked close by.

Hence, Ning Qi possessed the genuine skill to detect the nodes!

And right then, the Vermilion Bird Immortal Sect’s army detected them and dispatched two Extreme Venerables to block their path.

Much to Sikong Lan’s astonishment, Qi Keqing displayed remarkable resolve, slaying the pair outright, which drew half the Vermilion Bird Immortal Sect’s army into the fray.

Curse it, Ning Qi still hadn't shown up, and here they were, plunged into combat. How could Sikong Lan accept such a disastrous exchange?

In this pivotal instant, Sikong Lan urgently reached out to the Cyan Profound Immortal Sect and his sect's allies, opting to withdraw amid the turmoil between Qi Keqing’s group and the Vermilion Bird Immortal Sect.

Evidently, Sikong Lan excels at playing the opportunistic side character!

He refrained from departing the Jade Light Immortal Sect’s army sooner, wary of provoking Qi Keqing's ire.

But at present, with Qi Keqing locked in combat against the Vermilion Bird Immortal Sect, what threat did her anger pose—could she even chase him down?

As he departed, Sikong Lan chuckled and declared, "Senior Sister Qi, you mentioned I could take my people and go, so we'll be on our way!"

Observing the swiftly vanishing Cyan Profound Immortal Sect’s army, Qi Keqing along with the Jade Light Immortal Sect’s forces seethed with rage.

While Sikong Lan maintained an air of propriety, nobody anticipated such brazen treachery from him.

The sole silver lining for the rest was that not every member of Sikong Lan’s initial army mirrored his cowardice; about a third stuck with the Jade Light Immortal Sect’s ranks.

Among those who lingered, some scorned the idea of fleeing mid-battle, while others deemed Qi Keqing far more trustworthy than Sikong Lan.

Sikong Lan found it shocking that a third opted to remain with the Jade Light Immortal Sect’s soldiers, yet he brushed it aside with a casual laugh.

Luckily, he made the choice to exit at this juncture.

Had he persisted alongside Qi Keqing, even more might have aligned with her down the line.

Would that leave his Cyan Profound Immortal Sect as an isolated leader?

Qi Keqing directed her troops to press on against the Vermilion Bird Immortal Sect; she lacked the leisure to chase Sikong Lan, fully aware of the urgent matters at hand.

Besides, Qi Keqing had just commanded the swift elimination of two Vermilion Bird Immortal Sect Extreme Venerables.

This ignited an irreconcilable grudge, and even if Qi Keqing desired to hunt Sikong Lan, would the Vermilion Bird Immortal Sect allow their escape?

…

Ning Qi and his forces concealed themselves within the void, just ten miles from the node's core.

Witnessing the Vermilion Bird Immortal Sect divide into two flanks to clash with the Sea of Realms’ ferocious beasts and Qi Keqing’s army, they swiftly recognized a prime chance.

All eyes turned to Ning Qi with profound respect.

The Alliance Hierarch’s stealth formations had secured countless triumphs in the War Realm.

In earlier clashes, surprise assaults by squads from the White Crane Immortal Sect and Vermilion Bird Immortal Sect yielded devastating surprises.

At present, with Fuyao Realm’s cultivators in tow, their setups paled against the Alliance Hierarch’s, resulting in exposure and assault by the Vermilion Bird Immortal Sect.

By comparison, the Alliance Hierarch’s flawlessly arranged formation left the Profound Truth Realm’s members inwardly elated— the gap was unmistakable!

Despite arriving ahead, they remained undetected and even claimed an ideal viewing position.

At first, upon reaching the site, the group mulled over strategies to claim this vast node.

Be it the Vermilion Bird Immortal Sect’s contingent or the Sea of Realms’ beasts, each side outmatched them in strength.

Yet now, Qi Keqing’s army’s entry into the fight convinced the Profound Truth Realm’s folks that they’d emerge as the ultimate victors!

Naturally, they hadn’t foreseen deserters breaking from Qi Keqing’s ranks, slashing their numbers by a fifth.

This turn left everyone somewhat irritated.

Ning Qi identified the deserters’ commander and had received word through sound transmission from Taoist Longshan and Ye Qinghe that he hailed from the Cyan Profound Immortal Sect, named Sikong Lan.

Such turncoats filled Ning Qi with utter disdain, fueling his urge to cleave him with one sword stroke!

Ning Qi cast a look at the Vermilion Bird Immortal Sect forces down below; he’d already acquired their cultivation techniques.

Thanks to his exceptional talent, he could now effortlessly mimic the Vermilion Bird Immortal Sect’s incantations.

Ning Qi contemplated disguising himself as a Vermilion Bird Immortal Sect member to eliminate Sikong Lan on the spot.

In this chaotic zone, amid swirling energies and with the node unsecured by any faction, he could pass as one of them. Should Sikong Lan perish, the Mountain and Sea Realm Will probably wouldn’t pin it on him.

Yet Ning Qi soon dismissed the idea.

The overarching plan took precedence, and he couldn’t move prematurely; attacking Sikong Lan from seventy miles distant would draw too much attention.

Even under the guise of the Vermilion Bird Immortal Sect, the act would alert others, compelling the concealed Profound Truth Realm’s army to expose their position.

Thus, Ning Qi resolved to spare Sikong Lan and the Cyan Profound Immortal Sect for the moment.

Once he unleashed his Profound Truth Realm’s army, they’d obliterate the foes in a blinding instant, mirroring their past rout of the White Crane Immortal Sect’s cultivators.