Cultivating with Top Enlightenment Chapter 1009 - 434: Divine Mountain Remnant Body (Part 2)

Ning Qi, Saint Ancestor, and Sea Ancestor all observed the distant void within the Sea of Realms. A flicker of a frown crossed Ning Qi's brow; he had underestimated Mountain Ancestor's capabilities, never imagining the foe could track him to the True Martial Spirit Realm!

"Oh, Ning Qi, I must express my gratitude. All your previous actions merely served to pave the way for my grand design. Now, I shall completely consume this world and achieve the ultimate breakthrough!" Mountain Ancestor cackled with unrestrained glee.

He was utterly convinced that if he could absorb the world within that void, his future accomplishments would vastly surpass anything he had previously envisioned.

The Dharma Seal in Mountain Ancestor's grasp underwent a transformation. The entirety of the Buzhou Mountain illusion manifested, resembling a colossal vessel adrift upon the Sea of Realms, now veering towards the newly exposed True Martial Spirit Realm in the distance.

"Boy, hasten and put a stop to him!" Saint Ancestor and Sea Ancestor had been utterly blindsided by Mountain Ancestor's audacious maneuver.

Having just moments before felt a surge of relief with Ning Qi having safeguarded their two realms, they now found themselves consumed by immense apprehension.

Yet, Ning Qi displayed no trace of the disquiet that gripped the other two ancestors. His response was measured: "Have you attempted to assail his current position?"

Saint Ancestor and Sea Ancestor exchanged nods. "Indeed, we have, but it appears that within the Buzhou Mountain illusion, a peculiar barrier exists, proving even more formidable to breach than the world's own defenses," they explained.

"Furthermore, as it consolidates, its protective shell thickens. Coupled with the myriad forces contained within, our assaults barely manage to penetrate its defenses."

"Nothing is insurmountable," Ning Qi declared, his gaze firm. "Follow my lead." With those words, a serpentine tree root materialized in his palm.

He, along with Saint Ancestor and Sea Ancestor, ascended towards the heavens. The root held in Ning Qi's hand lashed out, aiming for the Buzhou Mountain illusion.

Witnessing Ning Qi's action, Mountain Ancestor offered a scornful smirk. "Futile. Buzhou Mountain and Jianmu were once intertwined, yet Jianmu ultimately originated from Buzhou Mountain. How could it not possess a method to curb its traversal capabilities?"

As he concluded his statement, the entire illusion of Buzhou Mountain began an eerie, relentless contraction. A deafening roar reverberated through the Sea of Realms.

The Buzhou Mountain illusion ceased its outward expansion, commencing a dramatic inward compression. This contraction intensified the various suppressive forces ensnared within.

However, surrounding Ning Qi and the other two, the tree root pulsed with steadfast resilience, showing no sign of succumbing to the pressure.

Saint Ancestor and Sea Ancestor felt their anxiety escalate. Ning Qi, however, remained imperturbably calm.

As if acting with detached indifference, the root in his hand continued its probing trajectory into the inner sanctum of Buzhou Mountain. Upon making contact with the internal space, and under the expectant eyes of all observers, the root bored a passage.

The root writhed and extended, gradually expanding. It anchored itself, creating a space supported by the tree trunk that Ning Qi and the others had carved out, and began to ascend together.

The two-faced Mountain Ancestor observed this unfolding spectacle, his pupils constricting slightly. As the Buzhou Mountain illusion rapidly diminished in size, the root's penetration speed appeared to falter.

A subtle relaxation spread across Mountain Ancestor's dual countenances. An indeterminate period elapsed, during which the Buzhou Mountain illusion, once vastly larger than the Spirit Realm, was reduced to the scale of a modest hillock.

It had also drawn considerably nearer to the True Martial Spirit Realm's location. The root in Ning Qi's grasp seemed to lose its vigor, unable to advance further. Ning Qi and the two ancestors now found themselves positioned thirty zhang away from Mountain Ancestor!

"Hahahaha, my legacy did not deceive me! Even with your complete mastery of the Seed of Jianmu, you are no match for me!" Mountain Ancestor had, in truth, only glimpsed the true might of the Seed of Jianmu and had never fully commanded Jianmu himself. However, through the ancient knowledge he acquired, he had discerned methods to subjugate Jianmu.

But in the very next instant, Ning Qi let out a soft chuckle. "Is that truly the case?"

The root of the Enlightenment Realm Tree in his hand suddenly exerted itself, the previously weakened appendage erupting with unparalleled force, as if it had imbibed a potent elixir.

Ning Qi and the two ancestors rapidly closed the distance, soaring towards Mountain Ancestor atop the peak.

"Impossible! How can this be? The legacy I received cannot be flawed!" The two-faced Mountain Ancestor displayed an expression of utter disbelief, unable to comprehend the turn of events.

Yet, the situation under Ning Qi's command continued its inexorable transformation. Within Buzhou Mountain, countless roots, previously summoned by Mountain Ancestor, materialized spontaneously. They now resembled disciplined legions, awakened by an unseen signal.

Whether it was the Buzhou Mountain illusion conjured by Mountain Ancestor's secret art or these dark roots now stirring within, they were all responding.

In reality, these were reflections of existence, not mere figments of imagination. They were projections of Buzhou Mountain’s true power, cast into this very Sea of Realms.

At this precise moment, those seemingly ethereal roots all surged towards Ning Qi’s grasp and the nearby arboreal formations, converging like converging streams feeding into a vast ocean. The entirety of the Buzhou Mountain illusion appeared to suddenly relinquish a portion of its might, with this power being assimilated by Ning Qi for his sole benefit.

Mountain Ancestor observed this unfolding scene, his eyes nearly bulging with fury. He had never anticipated that Ning Qi could still mount a resistance within the very illusion of Buzhou Mountain. What even Saint Ancestor and Sea Ancestor failed to accomplish, Ning Qi was now achieving, leaving Mountain Ancestor utterly perplexed as to why this was transpiring.

Furthermore, his apprehension intensified, not for the diminished roots, but for Ning Qi, Saint Ancestor, and Sea Ancestor, who were steadily narrowing the distance between themselves and him. The multifaceted eyes of Mountain Ancestor seemed to turn a blood-red hue in an instant.

"There's no alternative; you have compelled me to this!"

An unprecedented spectacle unfolded as the dual-bodied, double-faced Mountain Ancestor detached himself from the summit of Buzhou Mountain, venturing into the Sea of Realms. It marked the very first time he had set foot beyond the confines of the Sea of Realms.

Within the Sea of Realms, inky waters and somber mists churned in unison, generating subtle undulations that resembled nascent waves rising from the depths. Mountain Ancestor materialized within the Sea of Realms, positioned upon the outer perimeter of Buzhou Mountain’s illusory form.

His gaze, sharp and unnerving, swept across the four cardinal directions of the Sea of Realms, his attention not fixed upon Ning Qi. His physical presence faltered momentarily but quickly regained its composure.

Abruptly, his twin-faced Dharma Aspect expanded exponentially within the Sea of Realms, its dimensions rivaling that of the diminutive Buzhou Mountain illusion. "Seize it!" Mountain Ancestor bellowed, powerfully enveloping the illusion of Buzhou Mountain with his four colossal hands. Instantly, the entire illusion began to contract at an alarming rate, undergoing continuous compression.

The root clutched in Ning Qi’s hand faltered. It had been intended to guide the two revered ancestors towards Mountain Ancestor at the zenith. However, he now discovered Mountain Ancestor had abandoned the Buzhou Mountain illusion. Consequently, only Ning Qi and the two ancestral figures remained ensnared within the illusion.

At this juncture, Mountain Ancestor appeared as a colossal titan, compressing the entirety of the Buzhou Mountain illusion into a cone-shaped miniature effigy, holding it aloft in his hand. "Summon the real into the illusion!" The dual-faced Dharma Aspect of Mountain Ancestor, now cradling the Buzhou Mountain illusion within the Sea of Realms.

Within his palm, the illusory Buzhou Mountain emanated a ripple-like wave, seemingly beckoning something from the depths of the Sea of Realms. From the enigmatic void, a response resonated from a distant point within the Sea of Realms, emitting a faint, low hum.

A churning sound echoed! At this critical juncture, the Sea of Realms felt profoundly agitated, as if a colossal entity were stirring within its abyssal depths, converging towards their location with astonishing velocity.

Upon witnessing this, Ning Qi appeared to grasp the implications. Within mere breaths, a fragment of a mountain body came hurtling from afar. Initially of immense proportions, comparable to the Spirit Realm itself, it relentlessly diminished in size as it traversed the Sea of Realms, ultimately reaching a scale equivalent to the miniature mountain model held in his hand.

Swoosh! The incomplete mountainous body was on the verge of being drawn into Mountain Ancestor’s palm, amalgamating with the Buzhou Mountain illusion. Ning Qi sensed a terrifying peril approaching. The root in his grip erupted with its full might, swiftly shattering the seals and various suppressive energies. In the nick of time, just before the real, incomplete mountain and the illusion could merge, Ning Qi, Saint Ancestor, and Sea Ancestor blasted through the illusory wall from within Buzhou Mountain.

The trio materialized within the Sea of Realms. Immediately, Saint Ancestor and Sea Ancestor were buffeted by the potent energies of the Sea of Realms, struggling to maintain their equilibrium. Sea Ancestor adapted swiftly, while Saint Ancestor required a slightly longer period to truly regain his footing. Both regarded Ning Qi with a measure of astonishment, as Ning Qi remained entirely unaffected.

However, that incomplete mountain had already successfully merged with the illusion held within Mountain Ancestor’s grasp by this very second. Suddenly, an energy tide, resembling a tempest, seemed to surge forth from within the Sea of Realms. As the three figures were propelled outwards, the remaining three hands of Mountain Ancestor’s double-faced Dharma Aspect lunged towards the trio.