Cultivating with Top Enlightenment Chapter 815 - 344: A Chess Piece Breaking Free from the Player (2)

...

Inside the domain of battle.

Ning Qi floated quietly in the emptiness beyond the barrier linking the Central Domain and Upper Domain, patiently awaiting the arrival back of the Three Domains' troops.

The nearby nodes were already seized, and the Mountain and Sea Realm Will had extended its reach here as well.

Ning Qi extended his hand to feel the boundary wall, sensing what formed it.

This barrier was built from the blended forces of the Mountain and Sea Realm, Vast Realm, and Sea of Realms.

Ning Qi moved alongside the boundary wall, his fingers tracing along a lengthy stretch of it.

Thanks to the True Martial Realm Lord’s base, his insight into this barrier grew sharper and sharper.

The three forces intertwined inside were somewhat disordered.

It could create such a barren barrier, yet crafting a vibrant land teeming with life like those individual worlds was utterly out of reach.

This was, after all, a conflict zone forged by two realms, not a nurturing world for all forms of life.

The deeper Ning Qi delved into the perception, the better he grasped the trio of forces.

The Mountain and Sea Realm force resembled towering peaks and flowing rivers, evoking the expansive natural realm brimming with the harsh law of survival of the strongest.

The Vast Realm force remained neutral and serene, carrying a strange aura of corruption.

Ning Qi felt a momentary surprise, pondering the reason behind the Vast Realm force's odd nature.

From a few indirect clashes with the Saint Ancestor, this sensation struck him as deeply familiar; no doubt the Saint Ancestor had swayed the Vast Realm Will, causing the Vast Realm force to bear this trait.

Suddenly, Ning Qi remembered the Saint Ancestor's earlier words.

The elder claimed he held no fear toward the Mountain Ancestor, Sea Ancestor, or even the Mountain and Sea Realm Will, since those three constantly schemed against one another without true alliance.

This plainly showed the Saint Ancestor's strong ties with the Vast Realm Will.

The Sea of Realms force surged restlessly and fiercely!

A fierce resolve ignited in Ning Qi’s gaze; someday, he planned to subdue these three forces, fully merging them into the True Martial Realm.

Just then, the Three Domains' armies began streaming back.

"Domain Master!"

"Domain Master Ning!"

The Sword Ancestor, Qi Keqing, and Zhu Yanchuan guided their forces, halting behind Ning Qi for rest.

A faint layer of perspiration covered each of them, radiating the warmth from their travels.

For these warriors, shielded by Ning Qi, the war realm had transformed from a deadly trap claiming nine lives out of ten into a sacred arena for self-tempering.

Thus, they all treasured this chance immensely.

Ning Qi gave a small nod, addressing the trio, "With everyone back, let's proceed across the domain."

He guided the group toward the boundary wall.

Confusion flickered across one face after another.

No one believed Ning Qi was erring, yet the barrier ahead had altered dramatically.

Before, they had passed from the Lower Realm into the Central Domain.

They knew the feel of piercing that boundary wall, and its width was nowhere near as vast as this one confronting them now.

So, astonishment gripped them all.

The Sword Ancestor inquired, "Ning, you're not leading us to the Upper Domain, are you?"

Ning Qi ran his hand over the massive boundary wall, then turned with a grin: "Those twenty Harmonization cultivators from the Vast Realm have been in the Upper Domain for some time; if we head there now, what do you suppose would occur?"

Their faces shifted upon hearing this.

Leaning on Ning Qi throughout, they had grown accustomed to him handling every threat, seldom pondering broader tactical matters.

Now that Ning Qi pointed it out, thoughts whirled in their heads, quickly piecing together the implications.

"Domain Master Ning, do you mean they've possibly joined forces with the Upper Domain's Vast Realm cultivators to ambush us beyond the boundary wall?" Qi Keqing questioned.

Ning Qi shook his head, replying, "That's understating it."

Zhu Yanchuan swiftly followed up, "Domain Master Ning, you're implying the Vast Realm Will is lying in wait for us too, aren't you?"

Ning Qi kept shaking his head.

The Sword Ancestor chuckled: "He’s saying it's not just the Vast Realm Will; maybe the whole Vast Realm is mobilizing once more!"

Qi Keqing and Zhu Yanchuan froze, then drew in sharp breaths.

Ning Qi’s presence had already thrown the war realm's conflict into disarray.

The Vast Realm, alerted to Ning Qi, had even sent twenty Harmonization cultivators to crush this unexpected variable.

With the Central Domain reclaimed now, and after striving to safeguard those twenty Harmonization cultivators' lives, how could they fail to foresee Ning Qi crossing over?

The key powers in the Vast Realm had surely devised fresh plans.

Battling on this grand board, where those powers watched as both spectators and participants, would they allow the foes to exploit standard moves?

Likely, after dispatching the twenty Harmonization cultivators, they had already directed the Vast Realm forces in the Upper Domain, and perhaps even enacted new setups within the Upper Domain itself.

All this seemed entirely plausible!

That's why Ning Qi had led them here, aiming to break from conventional tactics.

In jest, sticking to the usual playbook would keep him squarely in the sights of two realms' wills, turning him into their puppet and the central target in their clash.

Ning Qi refused to end up as that kind of pawn!

Ning Qi fell silent.

The Mountain and Sea Seal emerged in his hand, and he slammed it against the imposing boundary wall.

At once, a gentle wind stirred, drawing all forces toward his palm, coalescing completely from the Mountain and Sea Realm force!

Crossing a small domain inside a large one would prove straightforward, of course.

Yet attempting to breach into another major domain amid war made it far tougher.

Luckily, by claiming two small domains in the southeast region, bolstered by the Mountain and Sea Realm force and the Mountain and Sea Realm Will's backing from those areas, forging a path to the major domain became feasible.

And the Mountain and Sea Realm Will displayed no reluctance toward Ning Qi.

It appeared to hold great approval for Ning Qi’s unconventional approach.

The Mountain and Sea Realm Will didn't manifest as a visible form but chuckled softly in Ning Qi’s ear:

"You've transcended the role of a mere piece, irking those maneuvering the board from afar; still, I'm growing more eager to see how you progress!"

Ning Qi offered a faint smile, holding back any reply.

A game piece gaining its own mind, refusing to follow the players' designs, was the way to topple the entire setup.

Before them, the enormously dense boundary wall slowly parted, forming a circular opening via the Mountain and Sea Realm Will and force.

Once it formed, the gap widened even faster.

In moments, Ning Qi and the others beheld a shimmering, watery circular gateway embedded in the boundary wall.

At last, this gateway reached just ten meters across, struggling to grow larger, and even hinted at closing back up.

The Mountain and Sea Realm Will conveyed: "Hurry inside; even using the might of two small domains to create a portal spanning major domains, this is the limit of what I can achieve!"

Ning Qi promptly gestured, commanding the Three Domains' troops behind him: "Move in fast, no lingering!"

Dressed in pristine white, he charged ahead into the breach.

The Sword Ancestor, Qi Keqing, and the rest trailed right after, followed by the Three Domains' armies.

It felt like passing through an extended, shadowy passage.

Unlike their prior crossings of small domain barriers, this journey dragged on much longer and brought a heavy sense of pressure.

After an unknown span of time, brightness pierced the darkness ahead.

They appeared to be ejected from the passage, tumbling one by one into the new major domain.

Ning Qi hung suspended at the front alone, extending his Spiritual Sense to survey the whole realm.

Behind him, the group assembled in formation, jointly examining this unknown major domain.

...

In the Mountain and Sea Realm's Endless Sea.

At the sea's core, inside the Dragon Ascending to Heaven Treasure Hall that had arisen there, the Sea Ancestor meditated in stillness.

The Mountain and Sea Realm Will's phantom materialized without warning.

"Out with it, what's the issue?"

A voice chilled like everlasting frost echoed, otherworldly, with no trace of its source.

The Mountain and Sea Realm Will's phantom gazed at the Sea Ancestor, noting her lips stayed sealed, her eyes not even lifting toward him.

He ignored it, well aware of the Sea Ancestor's temperament.

The Mountain and Sea Realm Will stated, "In the Sea of Emotions, Ning Qi has breached into the war realm under your watch!"

The Sea Ancestor's form stayed motionless, though her profound azure eyes gleamed with icy light, fixed on the Mountain and Sea Realm Will's phantom.

"Mountain and Sea, is this for real?"

The Mountain and Sea Realm Will huffed in irritation, "Would I lie to a woman, honestly?"

The Sea Ancestor clenched her teeth in fury, "Mountain and Sea, seeking another thrashing? I've warned you endlessly—never refer to me as a woman!"

Unlike the Mountain Ancestor, the Sea Ancestor addressed the Mountain and Sea Realm Will not as Realm Venerable, but directly as Mountain and Sea!