Cultivating with Top Enlightenment Chapter 870 - 369: The Regretful Zhu Yanchuan (2)

Should this endeavor prove successful, he would fully sever his subordinates from the Spirit Realm's dominion, endowing them with might exceeding standard Harmonization within the two primary Spirit Realms. In doing so, they would shatter the Mountain and Sea Realm's hold, emerging as unbound cultivators akin to himself.

Next to him, the Mountain and Sea Realm Will's phantom, immersed in profound reflection, had its musings disrupted and directed its attention toward Ning Qi.

Ever since Ning Qi endured that unparalleled Heavenly Tribulation, the Mountain and Sea Realm Will deemed him ever more enigmatic.

It even sensed faintly that Ning Qi was gradually escaping its grasp.

No, it wasn't merely slipping from its own control, but also from that of the Mountain Ancestor and Sea Ancestor.

This sensation filled the Mountain and Sea Realm Will with profound unease, for any entity evading its authority posed a direct menace to it.

Much like an emperor dreading ministers who break loose from his reign, such developments imperil one's authority and gains.

The Mountain Ancestor and Sea Ancestor had started out precisely in that manner!

Yet, after deeper contemplation, the Mountain and Sea Realm Will recognized this as a potential boon.

If Ning Qi remained wholly subject to its command alongside the Mountain Ancestor and Sea Ancestor, how then could it leverage him to cast off their chains?

Thus, looking toward the future, the Mountain and Sea Realm Will lingered quietly nearby, its mind churning with schemes, observing in silence.

It yearned to discover the heights Ning Qi might ultimately attain.

Ning Qi pointed from afar at the Heavenly Tribulation.

Fan City now lay utterly annihilated by the Heavenly Tribulation under his command. Though the city had vanished, the lingering thunder in his body and the fresh tribulation in the heavens persisted at the heart of the thundercloud.

At the thundercloud's core, diverse tribulations had been fully amassed by Ning Qi.

Abruptly, Ning Qi soared directly upward into the skies.

Before he drew near the tribulation clouds, they scattered, morphing into tiered cloud steps resembling soft cotton.

These cloud steps surged forth on their own, positioning themselves beneath Ning Qi's feet.

They appeared to hold a structured order, their own awareness, paying homage to Ning Qi.

Ning Qi paused in astonishment; even he hadn't foreseen such a shift.

However, since Fan City had earlier seized command of the heavenly tribulation via the residual thunder it endured, Ning Qi, the rightful survivor and prime gainer from that tribulation, naturally commanded superior authority over Fan City.

Thus, amid the onlookers' stares, Ning Qi trod upon the tribulation cloud and ventured into its depths.

This spectacle made everyone's eyes spasm uncontrollably.

The Sword Ancestor and his companions hovered directly below the tribulation cloud, beholding Ning Qi's majestic ascent with wry, bitter grins.

Good grief, they had assembled to confront the tribulation as one, envisioning it as the pinnacle of grandeur, yet it had twisted into this absurdity?

Now, should they proceed with their own tribulation or hold back? Why did it seem as though the tribulation cloud itself bowed to this young rascal's whims?

"You brat, you've hogged the limelight once more, right before every cultivator in the Mountain and Sea Realm. I'll hold onto this grudge!"

The Sword Ancestor gnashed his teeth, spitting out his words with venom.

Beside him, Qi Keqing shot him a sidelong glance with her phoenix eyes, inwardly sneering.

This old fellow's mouth hung wide, refusing to shut—did he truly harbor resentment? Keep preening if you must, but don't ignore the fortune staring you in the face!

Qi Keqing kept her gaze fixed skyward.

She observed Ning Qi ascending step by step along the tribulation clouds, penetrating the Heavenly Tribulation's nucleus.

Qi Keqing spared a look at the Fuyao Realm cultivators undergoing tribulation nearby, who returned gazes brimming with thanks.

They appreciated Qi Keqing's steadfast decision, glad she hadn't dragged them from Ning Qi as Zhu Yanchuan had.

A surge of deep satisfaction washed over Qi Keqing.

No matter her personal cultivation prowess, it brought her scant delight.

Yet as Commander of the Fuyao Realm cultivators, guiding them to seize such fortunes filled Qi Keqing with utmost elation.

Qi Keqing harbored immense thanks toward Ning Qi too; every one of these boons stemmed solely from him.

Having received such lavish care and vast benefits from Ning Qi, she pondered how to approach him henceforth.

Return to Fuyao Realm? Persist as a Jade Light Immortal Sect disciple?

From any angle, she and her followers had evolved into Ning Qi's devoted adherents.

This dilemma weighed heavily on Qi Keqing.

She shook her head, opting to shelve it for now. Never mind—let it wait until the war concludes and matters stabilize!

Ning Qi mounted the tribulation clouds, arriving at the Heavenly Tribulation's heart.

This entry into the thundercloud differed starkly from his prior tribulation ordeal.

Upon immersion, Ning Qi sensed a homecoming warmth, his dominion far eclipsing what he felt in Fan City.

Fan City had deemed the thunder from Sword Ancestor and others' tribulations inferior by leagues to its internal residual thunder; Ning Qi now found even that derived tribulation thunder kneeling in obeisance, hailing his presence.

He, Ning Qi, reigned supreme as master of this Heavenly Tribulation!

Ning Qi peered forward.

All the tribulation lightning had coalesced into a winnowing-basket-sized orb.

Its surface gleamed with multicolored electric flickers, tightly contained, resembling a Tribulation Thunder Pill.

As Ning Qi neared, the Thunder Pill brimmed with delight, darting toward him at once, orbiting like an eager pup seeking favor.

Ning Qi stretched out a finger.

The lightning orb rushed in, brushing Ning Qi's fingertip softly.

The instant they connected, Ning Qi's mastery over the tribulation lightning felt innate, as if reclaiming long-lost limbs of his body.

This left Ning Qi thoroughly amazed.

Unlike Fan City's hazy command—where it sensed control upon entering the lightning tribulation, yet only dimly—Ning Qi grasped its origins completely, comprehending its formation intimately.

Ning Qi's eyes lit up brilliantly.

Only then did he grasp the staggering gains from surviving his lightning tribulation!

Beyond elevating his own cultivation, it enabled escape from a mighty spiritual realm like the Mountain and Sea Realm's clutches, and remarkably, the ability to wield its spawned tribulation lightning!

By this logic, couldn't he similarly dominate Vast Realm-formed tribulation lightning?

This held vital significance for Ning Qi, tying directly to overpowering the two grand spiritual realms ahead.

Ning Qi banished distractions, zeroing in on the tribulation lightning rule pellet before him.

If he commanded the tribulation lightning, what peaks of power might he unleash?

Ning Qi glanced downward at Sword Ancestor and the rest, hovering aloft.

"Proceed with the tribulation lightning!"

Sword Ancestor and others stiffened at those words.

Lower down, the cultivators held their breaths, focusing with rapt intensity.

The voice from the tribulation lightning rang ethereal, as capricious as heavenly fury; might they behold a miracle?

In tradition, a cultivator's tribulation is a desperate wager with death, survival a rare stroke of luck.

Tribulation lightning tiers vary: standard Harmonization brings three strikes, the more talented face six, elite geniuses endure nine...

No one had conceived of controlling tribulation lightning, let alone dared dream it—yet here it unfolded before them!

Success would etch Ning Qi eternally into Mountain and Sea Realm legend.

Ning Qi snapped his fingers.

At once, the forward tribulation lightning pellet whirled ferociously.

Zzzzz!

Thin lightning filaments dispersed into encircling dark clouds, devouring their energies.

The Mountain and Sea Realm Will keenly felt its realm's rules shifting anew, flooding toward this spot.

Was this youth brazenly shearing my wool in plain sight? Very well, the current Mountain and Sea Realm isn't his alone to rule; no need to descend to Ning Qi's antics. Let's witness his feats.

Ning Qi positioned himself at the lightning tribulation's core, his body's myriad rules resonating with the tribulation lightning.

With each inhalation, the tribulation lightnings reacted, flitting about vivaciously!

"This remains insufficient!"

Suddenly, Ning Qi turned his gaze toward the Vast Realm's direction.

Since he wielded control over tribulation lightning, Sword Ancestor and the others' ordeal deserved the utmost refinement.

The Vast Realm Will's shadow lurked close by too.

From the lightning tribulation's resurgence, it had returned here.

Noting how much Mountain and Sea Realm rule power the tribulation lightning had siphoned, it felt contempt—not for Ning Qi, but for the Mountain and Sea Realm.

If some mere cultivator could sway spiritual realm rules, how could the Mountain and Sea Realm challenge his Vast Realm?

But witnessing Ning Qi eye the Vast Realm's direction, the Vast Realm Will jolted inwardly.

It couldn't be—though his earlier tribulation touched Vast Realm rules by fluke, he surely couldn't summon Vast Realm rules now?

Suddenly, the Vast Realm Will detected swarms of Vast Realm energies from the war realm's northern fringe coalescing into rules, all streaming here.

His face drained of color in shock!

Damnation, how? As Vast Realm's lord, sans his authorization, how could an outsider summon his realm's rule power?

The Vast Realm Will swiftly unleashed his authority, battling to reclaim dominance over Vast Realm rules, aiming to repel all incoming rule power.

But the next instant, cold sweat beaded on the Vast Realm Will's shadow forehead.

He proved powerless to halt the Vast Realm rule power's influx!