Chapter 311: Yaoguang Immortal Sect
The Yin Yang Fish on Ning Qi’s body surface gradually dispersed, completely absorbed by him and transformed into his own power.
He was able to absorb this Yin Yang Fish containing Boundary Sea Energy and Mountain Sea Realm Power largely thanks to the people from White Crane Immortal Sect and the Vast Radiance Realm Will’s help.
Without them painstakingly compressing the two energies into Crystal Spirit Jade, reaching the critical point of mutual repulsion, how could Ning Qi have had the chance to absorb it?
Leaving the matter of establishing the altar to the Xuanzhen Domain congregation, Ning Qi stood in the void, silently sensing the situation within his body.
The two energies had been transformed by him using the Yin Yang Sun Divine Art into a state of mutual generation, and now completely absorbed, Ning Qi felt he was even closer to Integration Realm Perfection.
Previously, he had absorbed one Medium Rule Fragment, advancing roughly one percent toward Integration Realm Perfection.
Now, absorbing the two energies, Ning Qi felt he had advanced another five percent toward Integration Realm Perfection.
In other words, the two energies from this Small Node were equivalent to five Medium Rule Fragments!
Even Ning Qi hadn’t expected such an unexpected gain.
The advancement in cultivation was just one of Ning Qi’s gains, but his harvest from capturing this Half-Enemy Realm this time far exceeded that.
He silently circulated the Yin Yang Sun Divine Art, comprehending the intent of Yin-Yang circulation.
This was his first time circulating this method; with it, even upon entering the Dao Integration Realm or reaching its perfection, Ning Qi would need no other Cultivation Method.
Moreover, the deeper he delved into this method, the more profound and vast it seemed, capable of encompassing the Heavenly Dao and Myriad Daos within it.
If applied well, it could unleash tremendous might in this War Domain!
Just like the two energies Ning Qi had absorbed earlier, there were countless nodes existing in the War Domain.
For each node, whether Mountain Sea Realm Cultivators or Vast Radiance Realm cultivators, to fully occupy the Territory, they must suppress the other two energies on the Territory.
This also meant that Ning Qi could use the Yin Yang Sun Divine Art to absorb the excess energy from every node.
At this thought, Ning Qi smiled faintly.
For others, the War Domain was a place of life-and-death struggle, but for Ning Qi, it was a treasure trove filled with opportunities everywhere!
Absorbing the excess energy from nodes was like shearing wool from the War Domain.
Once truly capturing a node, he could shear wool from the Mountain Sea Realm Will.
The preceding battles allowed him to shear wool from Vast Radiance Realm cultivators.
The War Domain was simply the perfect place for shearing wool!
If he could carve out some space within it for the True Martial Realm to devour, that would be even better.
Below, the Xuanzhen Domain Cultivators built the altar at an extremely fast speed this time.
Since Ning Qi had absorbed the excess energy here, they didn’t need to exert themselves as they did when capturing the first node.
They needed to suppress the remaining energies to summon the Mountain Sea Realm Will.
Thus, as soon as the Crystal Spirit Jade was placed on the altar, a Star Beam shot down from the Heavenly Stars in the sky, directly connecting to the Earth Star.
The congregation felt the suppressive power here completely vanish, and a grand will quietly descended.
The Vast Radiance Realm Will had suffered a setback here, so how could the Mountain Sea Realm Will not sense it? The moment it descended, it praised:
“You all capturing this Half-Enemy Realm is a great merit!”
“Now rewarding you with fifteen Small Rule Fragments and fifty Micro Rule Fragments!”
The congregation was stunned upon hearing this.
Previously, when they captured the Medium Node, the Mountain Sea Realm Will’s reward was ten Medium Rule Fragments, while the additional twenty Micro Rule Fragments came from slaying enemies.
But now, snatching a Small Node from Vast Radiance Realm cultivators, the Mountain Sea Realm’s reward was clearly one-and-a-half times more.
Evidently, seizing nodes from the enemy yielded higher rewards from the Mountain Sea Realm Will!
Ning Qi received the rewards openly given by the Mountain Sea Realm Will.
Secretly, the Mountain Sea Realm Will’s voice rang in Ning Qi’s heart.
“You, as Domain Lord, forcing back the Vast Radiance Realm Will—rewarding you with twenty strands of World Power!”
This time, Ning Qi did not let the Mountain Sea Realm Will leave but proactively contacted it:
“World Venerable, to capture such Half-Enemy Realms, we must use your World Power to succeed. Could you give more?”
World Venerable was the title the Mountain Sea Realm Will had Domain Lords call it by.
Hearing Ning Qi speak, the Mountain Sea Realm Will was clearly taken aback.
Few in the entire Mountain Sea Realm could communicate with it, let alone bargain with it!
However, considering Ning Qi was a Domain Lord personally appointed by it, and this battle indeed gave the Mountain Sea Realm Will face,
the Mountain Sea Realm Will conversed with Ning Qi for the first time.
“The distribution of rewards follows this venerable’s standards—how dare you ask for more?”
Ning Qi quietly sensed the Mountain Sea Realm Will’s Existence.
He had previously sensed the Vast Radiance Realm Will, which, true to its name, gave him a sense of vast righteousness.
The Mountain Sea Realm Will was different, giving Ning Qi a feeling of a superior’s majesty and unquestionable authority.
Ning Qi was unafraid and said: “World Venerable, to capture this Half-Enemy Realm before, I believe you sensed it—I consumed a full ten strands of the World Power you granted.”
“Now you grant me twenty strands. If my Xuanzhen Domain later encounters a Medium Half-Enemy Realm or Large Half-Enemy Realm occupied by Vast Radiance Realm cultivators, how shall we capture them?”
“Even Half-Enemy Realms are like this—what of the Enemy Realms fully occupied by the Vast Radiance Realm Will?”
Seeing Ning Qi neither humble nor arrogant, his words logical and reasoned.
The Mountain Sea Realm Will fell silent for a moment.
Ning Qi hovered in the void when suddenly he felt himself detached from his original location, arriving in another space.
This space seemed like a separate void carved out from the War Domain, into which Ning Qi had been pulled.
Ning Qi looked around; this space was only the size of a room, with illusory walls on all six sides—up, down, east, south, west—like rippling water, constantly producing waves.
“Is the Mountain Sea Realm Will about to manifest before me?” Ning Qi thought to himself.
On the wall before him, the ripples on the water slowed, eventually calming.
That wall gradually became like transparent ice, faintly revealing an extremely blurry human figure upon it.
“Do you have the confidence to continue capturing Half-Enemy Realms and Enemy Realms?”
The blurry figure spoke.
Ning Qi replied: “As long as the World Venerable grants me sufficient World Power, I have the confidence!”
The blurry figure fell silent again for a moment before saying:
“What is ‘sufficient’? This venerable must care for the Nine Great War Domains. If everyone demands this venerable allocate sufficient World Power to them, what need is there for you all? This venerable might as well descend personally!”
Ning Qi quietly perceived the blurry figure on the wall.
Compared to the previous grand will, this figure seemed more real and more humanized.
He wondered if this was an illusory projection of the Mountain Sea Realm Will?
Ning Qi said: “I wish to ask you a question.”
“Speak directly.”
“I learned from Vast Radiance Realm cultivators earlier that they also have Domain Lords entering the War Domain. If they too bear World Power granted by the Vast Radiance Realm Will, how should we respond?”
The Mountain Sea Realm Will had not revealed these circumstances before initiating the Spirit Realm War.
It had only announced the reward and punishment system without detailing the various situations that might arise.
Evidently, it did not care about ordinary cultivators.
Only a Domain Lord like Ning Qi could converse with it, and at the right time, the Mountain Sea Realm Will might explicitly inform him of the details.
But clearly, though Ning Qi was the Domain Lord of Xuanzhen Domain, his weight in the Mountain Sea Realm Will’s view was not great.
After all, Xuanzhen Domain was merely a low-tier Spirit Domain within the Mountain Sea Realm.
The blurry figure did not answer Ning Qi’s question but said: “What other questions do you have? Ask them all at once.”
Ning Qi was unconcerned and promptly asked two more questions.
“If the enemy’s Domain Lord can wield Spirit Domain Realm Power in the War Domain, then the dozens of strands of World Power from the World Venerable surely won’t match theirs—how should we counter that?”
“There are hundreds of Spirit Domains under the World Venerable. In the War Domain where my Xuanzhen Domain is located, how many Mountain Sea Realm Spirit Domains are here?”
The blurry figure seemed to seriously size up Ning Qi.
The questions a person asks could reveal from the side what he was pondering, the breadth of his vision, and the magnitude of his ambitions.
Of course, this required matching strength; otherwise, it was just mortals discussing state affairs—no matter how eloquently or logically put, they could not participate, merely empty talk.
Ning Qi was different; with his ability to seize Half-Enemy Realms, he had earned some favor from the Mountain Sea Realm Will, hence this space for private exchange.
The blurry figure said:
“This venerable answers your last question: in the Southeast War Domain, a total of nine Spirit Domains have been assigned here.”
“But you may not necessarily encounter them, for the Southeast War Domain is also divided into upper, middle, and lower regions.”
“Your Xuanzhen Domain is in the lower region, as are your neighboring Fuyao Region and Langya Domain in this area.”
Hearing this, Ning Qi’s mind raced.
Only now did he clearly perceive the situation within the War Domain.
So the War Domain itself was divided into three regions.
Their Xuanzhen Domain was actually in the lower region—no wonder the Mountain Sea Realm Will paid it little heed.
If not for his status as Domain Lord and seizing the Half-Enemy Realm, the Mountain Sea Realm Will probably wouldn’t even acknowledge him.
After all, the Mountain Sea Realm was vast, containing hundreds of Spirit Domains, each with dozens of sects.
In the Mountain Sea Realm Will’s view, most sect cultivators were mere cannon fodder to consume Vast Radiance Realm numbers, so it naturally wouldn’t reveal more intelligence to cannon fodder.
The blurry figure continued: “For the other questions you raised, this venerable will not respond for now. Once you have sufficient strength and capture more nodes in the War Domain, this venerable will inform you depending on the situation.”
“However, if you truly intend to capture Half-Enemy Realms and Enemy Realms, this venerable can grant you an item, allowing you to contact this venerable at any time. Then, I will lend you more power as the situation warrants!”
Ning Qi looked toward the front wall and saw the blurry figure dissipate directly after speaking.
But on the wall remained a round mark.
Ning Qi stepped forward and plucked it off, examining it closely.
This round mark was made of some unknown material, neither gold nor wood.
Engraved upon it was a pattern: mountain above, water below, harmoniously integrated into the dual forms of mountain and sea.
Crack!
A crisp sound rang out, as if signaling Ning Qi’s return to reality.
He looked toward the Xuanzhen Domain Army and saw them still maintaining their previous postures.
Seeing this, Ning Qi immediately understood that his exchange with the Mountain Sea Realm Will just now had occurred in the span of a flick of the fingers, with almost no time passing.
He lightly tossed the Mountain Sea Imprint in his hand; it spun several times in the air before being caught by Ning Qi again.
Ning Qi’s expression at this moment held a hint of inscrutable mystery.
Very good—he was a step closer to truly contacting the Mountain Sea Realm Will!
Gazing at the Xuanzhen Domain Army awaiting his command, Ning Qi took out the Soul Seeking Node Disc and infused it with Spiritual Power.
The needle within, transformed from a Spiritual Sword, immediately let out a “zheng” sound, spinning rapidly within the disc.
The needle spun at high speed, emitting a buzzing noise; then the buzz gradually faded, the needle’s movement slowed, and it finally pointed in one direction—due north!
Ning Qi waved his hand northward, saying: “Army, advance north!”
“Yes!”
…
The Xuanzhen Domain congregation, under Ning Qi’s lead, successively captured two nodes, one medium and one small.
Meanwhile, in the lower region of this Southeast War Domain, there were also cultivators from two other Spirit Domains of the Mountain Sea Realm.
One was Fuyao Region, the other Langya Domain.
Fuyao Region’s situation differed from Xuanzhen Domain; it was not like Boundless Sword Sect, which unified all sects and rogue cultivators of the entire Xuanzhen Domain into a whole-domain army.
Fuyao Region had two Immortal Sects, so the sects within had respectively allied with the two, forming two separate armies.
Qingxuan Immortal Sect was one of them.
The leader of Qingxuan Immortal Sect’s army entering the War Domain this time was named Si Kong Lan, a clan member of Old Ancestor Si Kong Qing.
He too was a Peak Venerable; being of the Si Kong clan, Si Kong Qing had entrusted him with heavy responsibility this time.
Back then, Si Kong Qing had sent four Venerables to Southern True Domain to eradicate Ox Demon Upper Sect’s Boundless Sword Sect but did not send Si Kong Lan, sparing him that ordeal.
At this moment, Si Kong Lan was leading Qingxuan Immortal Sect and several subordinate sects that had joined him, unexpectedly merging with Yaoguang Immortal Sect’s army.
Yaoguang Immortal Sect was the other Immortal Sect of Fuyao Region, also the most established one.
That it could enable Si Kong Qing’s breakthrough, elevating Qing Xuan Sect to Immortal Sect status, showed Yaoguang Immortal Sect’s magnanimity.
The leading cultivator of Yaoguang Immortal Sect was actually a female cultivator named Qi Ke Qing.
Yaoguang Immortal Sect had existed for countless millennia; to rise within such a sect and lead its subordinates, one either had deep backing or cultivation strong enough to suppress all.
Qi Ke Qing was the latter.
Their two sects merging now was unexpected.
Si Kong Lan cupped his hands toward Qi Ke Qing and smiled: “Junior Si Kong Lan pays respects to Senior Sister Qi Ke Qing of Yaoguang!”
Qi Ke Qing’s expression was somewhat cold.
The army behind her stood solemnly.
Unlike Qingxuan Immortal Sect’s side, which appeared somewhat uneven in quality.
Facing Si Kong Lan’s deferential posture, Qi Ke Qing said:
“So it’s Junior Brother Si Kong Lan of Qingxuan. What is your intention in leading your army to merge with ours?”
Qi Ke Qing’s implication was a reminder to Qingxuan Immortal Sect.
They had not entered the War Domain together from Fuyao Region; merging now clearly suggested they were trying to latch onto a higher branch.
Qi Ke Qing held no hostility toward Qingxuan Immortal Sect, just some disdain.
Si Kong Qing’s Dao Integration breakthrough was entirely due to their Yaoguang Immortal Sect’s magnanimity.
Yet Si Kong Qing had never paid a visit, and even on the eve of the Spirit Realm War, he recruited several Fuyao Region sects, seemingly intending to rival their Yaoguang Immortal Sect.
Thus, Qi Ke Qing bluntly pointed it out.
Hearing this, a trace of embarrassment flickered on Si Kong Lan’s face but quickly vanished.
As a member of the Si Kong clan, he considered more the Old Ancestor’s ideas and needs.
What were Si Kong Qing’s ideas?
Si Kong Lan could guess even wildly!
First, to make Qingxuan Immortal Sect prosper more, there were two paths.
The first was to expand Qingxuan Immortal Sect’s influence within Fuyao Region, which naturally required weakening Yaoguang Immortal Sect’s influence.
The second was to spread Qingxuan Immortal Sect’s influence to other Spirit Domains.
And this second path tied perfectly into the Old Ancestor’s other lingering obsession.
The Old Ancestor had never let go of his grudge against Boundless Sword Sect of Xuanzhen Domain.
Though Si Kong Qing hadn’t mentioned whether to exterminate Boundless Sword Sect in the War Domain,
Si Kong Lan’s self-awareness was high; of course he would do his utmost in the War Domain to fulfill the Old Ancestor’s wish.
Although the Mountain Sea Realm Will had mentioned no mutual slaughter among their own, he, Si Kong Lan, could borrow a knife to kill!
