Cultivating with Top Enlightenment Chapter 842 - 356: Playing Both Sides

The Mountain and Sea Realm Will cast a glance toward Ning Qi and remarked, "You are indeed righteous and loyal."

At the same time, he evaluated Ning Qi closely. In general, when set against the Mountain Ancestor and Sea Ancestor, who had survived through endless eras, Ning Qi came across as rather inexperienced.

Nobody could fathom the thoughts of the Mountain Ancestor and Sea Ancestor, veterans of countless tempests.

Yet the Mountain and Sea Realm Will perceived Ning Qi with perfect clarity.

Ning Qi cherishes his allies deeply and places immense value on loyalty.

That's exactly why the Mountain and Sea Realm Will feels a measure of comfort regarding him.

Ning Qi responded, "I can’t help it, they all trust me. With Harmonization here, the war realms grow more perilous by the day. How could I abandon them?"

The Mountain and Sea Realm Will continued, "Then I’ll place them in a safer zone and monitor their status closely. Should any trouble arise, I’ll notify you right away, allowing you to rush back instantly to protect them. Does that work for you?"

To convince Ning Qi to step up, the Mountain and Sea Realm Will showed true sincerity and patience.

Ning Qi laughed lightly, "When the Realm Venerable offers terms this favorable, refusal isn’t an option."

"Excellent. For the Harmonization battle ahead, I expect you to shine even brighter than last time."

Ning Qi gave a nod.

A flicker of doubt stirred within him, sensing the Mountain and Sea Realm Will's unusual urgency.

Ning Qi remained puzzled about the Mountain and Sea Realm Will and the two Ancestors' rush to launch the Spirit Realm war.

If the Ancestors sought to surpass Harmonization and the Mountain and Sea Realm aimed for greater heights, why the haste?

He kept this question tucked away, then took his leave from the Mountain and Sea Realm Will.

...

Ning Qi and Qi Keqing made their way back to the Southwestern Domain.

Zhu Yanchuan along with the Langya Domain army rejoined their positions in the Harmonization of Langya Domain.

Noticing the domain's Harmonization troops still gearing up for the imminent clash, Ning Qi assembled the forces again to deliver crucial directives.

Ning Qi scanned the armies of both domains, his gaze lingering on the Integration limit cultivators scattered among them.

Like his familiar faces from the Profound Truth Realm's Infinite Sword Sect—Sword Ancestor, Cang Wanhe, Jiang Ruhai, Jiang Baichuan, True Man Ziyang, and more—plus Niu Dingtian of the Niu Mo Upper Sect, Qi Keqing of the Fuyao Realm, and others.

"Harmonization is upon us, pushing you and me to the Integration limit. To secure greater safety ahead, breaking into the Unity Realm makes sense. Are you prepared?"

Sword Ancestor replied, "I’m in no rush. My cultivation trails yours anyway. I’ll advance when you do."

True Man Ziyang chimed in, "Sect Leader, when do we make the breakthrough? It’s your call."

Qi Keqing turned her eyes to Ning Qi too, placing full faith in his decisions now.

Ning Qi pondered briefly before saying, "No need to hurry yet. Breaking through immediately might split you into Unity Realm battle squads—better to hold off a little."

After thorough deliberation, he opted against an immediate breakthrough for the group, preferring to await a prime moment.

Next, Ning Qi aided everyone in solidifying their cultivation base and shared a group technique for battling Harmonization, departing silently afterward.

All eyes followed his vanishing figure, brimming with fervent resolve.

...

Ning Qi pulled out the Soul-Searching Plate and unfolded the map.

The compass map had evolved beyond mere local territories, now encompassing every chart across the war realms.

From his prior journeys through all war realms, he had merged their maps into a single comprehensive view.

As the Soul-Searching Plate's creator, this unparalleled intel stood as his supreme advantage.

Those wielding mere sub-compasses entirely missed this overarching vista.

Truth be told, no one across the two realms matched Ning Qi's ability to survey it all.

Not even the Mountain and Sea Realm Will or Vast Realm Will could, limited to viewing only their held domains in the war realms.

Enemy-held areas remained invisible to them.

Ning Qi studied the map intently.

Miniature renditions of the Nine Great War Realms appeared across it.

His eyes roamed over each in turn, swiftly gathering every detail in his thoughts.

"The vast central Spirit Domain, plus Northwest, North, and East—these are hotspots where both realms' cultivators clash fiercely."

"With their setup, the Mountain and Sea Realm Will should deploy Sword Ancestor and company to those Spirit Domains. No need for excessive concern from me."

"Southwestern, Southern, and Southeastern domains now belong to the Mountain and Sea Realm, while Western and Northeastern fall to the Vast Realm."

After a moment's reflection, Ning Qi whispered, "First stop: the Northeastern Realm."

The Western Domain held no appeal, certain to brim with ambushes from the Vast Realm Saint Ancestor.

Decision firm, Ning Qi donned the withered leaf Exotic Treasure from the Mountain and Sea Realm Will, eager to verify if it truly masked his aura during movement.

Before long, Ning Qi slipped undetected into the Northeastern Realm.

The Northeastern Realm carried a biting chill in the air.

Hiding his presence, Ning Qi scanned the area around him.

Far in the distance, faint figures of lone cultivators dotted his sight.

Ning Qi consulted the map once more.

It pinpointed the Vast Realm cultivators' locations in this realm with precision.

Clearly, once accustomed to Ning Qi’s compass, they refused to abandon it.

Locking onto specific coordinates, Ning Qi ripped open space and dashed to a compass bearer's spot.

Upon arrival, he concealed himself nearby, watching the scene unfold before him.

A Unity cultivator approached on patrol, readying for the battles to come.

With the foe isolated, no further words were needed.