Cultivating with Top Enlightenment Chapter 784 - 329: Six Hidden Nodes (Part 2)

"Hand over your compasses to me; I'll enhance them with a few new features."

At these words, Sword Ancestor, Qi Keqing, and Zhu Yanchuan swiftly propelled their compasses before Ning Qi through spiritual power.

Ning Qi formed a spell sign, refining the three compasses once more in an instant, before sending them back to their owners.

He explained, "I've incorporated a fresh capability; it allows you to detect one another's locations, as well as the whereabouts of the Divine Wind Domain forces."

The trio glanced at their compasses, their gazes filled with profound shock.

The fact that Ning Qi could now detect the enemy troops was utterly alarming!

Didn't this imply that in the war realm, they held complete control over every piece of intelligence?

They could pinpoint node positions, identify enemy presences, and the three armies could track each other's spots—utterly unbeatable!

Ning Qi went on, "From here on, your three armies must combine forces to eliminate the Divine Wind Domain army first, then split up to seize every node within this domain."

The assembled group responded with fervor, "Understood!"

"As soon as you've claimed all the nodes marked on the compass, Qi Keqing, Zhu Yanchuan, lead your troops to merge with the Profound Truth Realm army. After that, I'll guide you into cross-realm combat!"

Qi Keqing and Zhu Yanchuan shared a look before affirming, "Keqing (Yanchuan) obeys the command!"

Even though Ning Qi had no desire to serve as the army's leader anymore, the pair still viewed him in that role, ready to heed his directives.

Ning Qi dismissed them with a wave, declaring, "Depart now; the command has been issued. Whatever gains you make in the war realm is up to your own efforts from this point."

Right away, the three armies took to the air.

Prior to their departure, Qi Keqing spoke up once more, "Domain Master Ning, we Fuyao Realm cultivators have agreed unanimously to offer you thirty percent of our entire war realm yields as a gesture of our gratitude. Kindly accept it without hesitation!"

Ning Qi wasn't one for false modesty or playing the saint; he chuckled, "If you're all so inclined, then I'll gladly take it."

Qi Keqing and those with him let out relieved breaths; things had shifted, and they worried he might turn it down.

Without real ties to Ning Qi, and absent shared benefits, how could they keep aligning with him?

Zhu Yanchuan and his companions traded looks and promptly added, "We cultivators of Langya Domain are equally eager to contribute thirty percent to honor the Domain Master's benevolence!"

Ning Qi inclined his head, "Very well."

The Profound Truth Realm army observed Ning Qi with evident hesitation to leave.

Ning Qi abruptly recalled a detail and noted, "I nearly overlooked it; I rescued a group earlier but haven't passed them along to you yet."

He indicated the emptiness, and in a flash, more than a hundred individuals materialized here from the void.

These were members of Sikong Lan’s army, every one a True Martial Realm reincarnate.

Ning Qi hadn't extracted them alongside Qi Keqing and the rest, due to their highly delicate statuses.

As expected, upon sighting these figures, numerous Fuyao Realm cultivators displayed confused looks, baffled as to why Ning Qi would rescue them.

Just the True Martial Realm cultivators recognized these as their kin, Ning Qi’s loyal allies.

Ning Qi instructed, "Avoid lumping them in with Sikong Lan’s bunch; they supplied me with vital intel before."

"Got it."

Truth be told, Qi Keqing and the others remained somewhat in the dark, merely speculating that during Ning Qi's arrival, these individuals had covertly signaled him.

Ning Qi pondered the optimal placement for these hundred within the Profound Truth Realm army.

His eyes swept across Xia Xing of Celestial Star Upper Sect, Taoist Baishan of Cyan Mist Upper Sect, and Zhuang Chen of Luotian Upper Sect; should he assign them to these folks?

They met his gaze, all winking to suggest handing them over.

Yet ultimately, Ning Qi addressed Qin Minghao of Infinite Sword Sect, "Minghao, I'm placing them in your hands; ensure they're well protected on my behalf!"

Hearing Ning Qi address him so directly thrilled Qin Minghao immensely.

From his position in the ranks, he vowed, "You can count on me, Senior Brother Ning; Minghao will handle it properly!"

Qin Minghao stood among the rare few in the Mountain and Sea Realm aware that Ning Qi was the authentic Realm Lord of the True Martial Realm; he'd already sworn loyalty to Ning Qi, his very existence tied to him, so Ning Qi trusted him completely with the hundred souls.

After all, Qin Minghao currently oversaw Infinite Sword Sect's Five Elements Peak for Ning Qi, where numerous residents were True Martial Realm reincarnates.

With the hundred's placement settled, Ning Qi announced, "Affairs here are concluded; proceed with your departure!"

The leaders of the three armies promptly acknowledged, "We bid farewell!"

They forged ahead, directing the three armies onward.

Ning Qi observed the three armies blending into a massive, never-before-seen cultivator force vanishing into the horizon, a faint grin curving his mouth.

Such was the unforeseen bounty from his war realm venture.

All at once, the Sword Ancestor sent a mental message.

"Kid, I've never held anyone in high regard throughout my life—you're the exception."

Ning Qi responded, "Save the praise; I'm leaving the Profound Truth Realm army under your watch, and monitor the cultivators from the other two domains too."

The Sword Ancestor hesitated briefly, then chuckled, "Rest easy; with my presence, I doubt they'd dare pull any stunts."

Ning Qi traced a sword gesture, aiming toward the Sword Ancestor's departing path.

A chain of five-element divine power shot skyward without delay, racing after the Sword Ancestor and merging into his form.

"I nearly remembered too late; I've attained Integration Perfection, and Sword Ancestor, it's time for you to boost your cultivation as well."

Their powers were interconnected; the Sword Ancestor's aptitude was phenomenal—if not for the corrupting evil qi, he'd have reached Harmonization ages ago.

Ning Qi couldn't purge his evil qi yet, but elevating the Sword Ancestor's power would provide extra aid against the Divine Wind Realm cultivators.

Far off, the Sword Ancestor unleashed a mighty bellow, surging straight into Integration Perfection.

This spectacle left the cultivators of the other two domains utterly stunned, underscoring the incredible might of the Profound Truth Realm warriors!

Once all had departed, Ning Qi ascended solo into the heavens.

He ventured through the void, surveying this expanse.

The nodes in this area remained dormant, with the Node Pearl still held by Ning Qi, so the Mountain and Sea Realm Will hadn't manifested.

Naturally, he wouldn't trigger activation now; his goal was to fully grasp the origins of this location's creation.

This spot was remarkably distinct, impervious to the wills of both realms; Ning Qi even hailed it as his prime gain upon entering the war realm.

Now that he'd cleared everyone out, Ning Qi could examine it in solitude at leisure.

Upon complete comprehension, he intended to cleave the space, fusing it into the True Martial Realm to hasten its fortification.

Ning Qi alternated between aerial overlooks and ground-level shortcuts, leaving afterimages in his swift movements.

The deeper his investigation, the more peculiar it seemed to Ning Qi.

He pondered how many such locales existed in the war realm; if numerous, he could claim additional spaces!

Soon enough, Ning Qi came to an abrupt stop.

He whispered, "It all makes sense now!"

The Mountain and Sea Realm and Vast Realm were interconnected, siphoning energy from the Sea of Realms to forge nine war realms.

Although both were Spirit Realms, attempting to spawn further domains in the Sea of Realms couldn't yield flawlessness.

If perfection were possible, they'd have vastly expanded their Spirit Realms long ago within the Sea of Realms—why hold back to build this war realm?

Hence, concealed special nodes like this in the war realm were inevitable.

It wasn't reluctance from the two realms' wills to penetrate every area, but sheer inability.

Ning Qi's eyes gleamed; this very flaw granted him such an immense advantage.

Ning Qi retrieved his Soul-Searching Plate and checked the compass radar's map.

With his cultivation advancing and deeper insights into the war realm, the compass radar revealed far more details than those provided to Sword Ancestor and the others.

The map was incredibly detailed, nearly mapping out every node in this war realm.

Captured nodes glowed vividly, whereas unclaimed ones flickered dimly.

Ning Qi tallied meticulously; the map indicated thirty-one nodes, counting this exceptional one ahead.

Without Sikong Lan and his group uncovering this node and luring him here, Ning Qi wouldn't have known of such hidden sites in the war realm.

Ning Qi quickly updated the compass data, integrating all information from this location.

Moments later, five additional nodes surfaced on the map.

Yet the glow from these five was extraordinarily dim, barely noticeable.

"One Domain holds thirty-six nodes total, six being concealed ones, so there are six spots where I can slice space and merge them into the True Martial Realm!"