Cultivating with Top Enlightenment Chapter 925 - 395: Ancient Road Sacred Map (2)

All of a sudden, the descending seawater twisted and transformed, becoming sea spikes that once again assaulted the depicted "Light" divine text formation.

This was a clash between luminescence and the ocean's might!

Would the sun's radiance succeed in evaporating the water, or would the vast sea manage to extinguish the light?

The outcome remained shrouded in uncertainty, hinging entirely on specifics like distance, quality, and sheer quantity...

While the light remained silent, the seawater roared.

Swish, swish!

High above, the two forces brutally collided.

At that singular moment, they appeared antithetical, yet paradoxically, seemed on the verge of merging.

The ocean of Dao principles surged upward, and the luminous divine text formation descended into this vast expanse of principles.

Both elements flickered precariously, their stability in doubt.

Gentle ripples characterized the ocean, accompanied by numerous waves, while the light divine text formation pulsed intermittently.

Ning Qi perceived that the two Ancestors were locked in a contest of their respective Dao.

Abruptly, the Sea Ancestor's voice echoed with cold finality, "The highest good is like water!"

These four words encapsulated the ultimate truth of existence.

The Dao principles of the sea overhead shifted dynamically; at times flowing like a placid stream, then roaring like the turbulent Yellow River, followed by periods of unruffled calm, and erupting like abyssal tsunamis—all inconstant variations, yet intrinsically tied to the way of water.

Under the Sea Ancestor's potent amplification, these manifestations only grew stronger.

There was a palpable momentum towards completely smothering the light divine text formation.

The Saint Ancestor's brow furrowed slightly, but his lips continued their pronouncement.

"The world requires light, and thus, light exists."

With these words, the divine text of light blazed with an intensity rivaling a star, searing through the cosmic darkness and loneliness, manifesting before all sentient beings.

In mere moments, half of the ocean's Dao principles were vaporized.

It appeared as though the Saint Ancestor had seized the advantage.

However, the Sea Ancestor below wore an undeniably scornful expression.

Ning Qi followed her gaze and observed, high in the sky, the emergence of thick clouds where none had been before.

The clouds' power synergized with the ocean's Dao principles beneath, mirroring the sky with the ocean's image, while the clouds themselves veiled the light, continuously showering down threads of Dao principle rain, perfectly linking the heavens and the earth.

Instantly, the light divine text formation within was engulfed, its brilliance extinguished entirely.

The Saint Ancestor was utterly astonished.

He had completely overlooked this crucial aspect: water, upon evaporation by the sun, could form clouds, and these clouds could subsequently obscure light—this was the very principle of Heavenly Dao.

Regardless of his willingness to acknowledge it, he had been bested by the Sea Ancestor; it was evident the Sea Ancestor possessed a superior strategy.

Ning Qi, too, was remarkably surprised by this turn of events.

'So this is how "the highest good is like water" is wielded?'

He had initially surmised that "the highest good is like water" would align more closely with the Dao itself, yet unexpectedly, it was indeed closer to the Dao, and far more so to the natural water cycle.

'Very well, is the water cycle not a form of Dao? Did you not see the Saint Ancestor already contemplating admitting defeat?'

High above, assailed by the cyclical onslaught of cloud rain and the ocean's Dao principles, the Saint Ancestor made the decisive choice to abandon his light divine text formation.

He withdrew his power, but the Sea Ancestor showed no inclination to release him.

The sky and water united as one, cloud rain and ocean's Dao principles merging abruptly; they were compressed and condensed, ultimately coalescing into a single, crystalline drop of water, spinning rapidly in the void.

As it spun, it trembled, hinting at its capability to manifest countless forms.

One must not underestimate this diminutive water droplet; it contained the essence of the ocean's power within.

It possesses the ability to reflect all worldly phenomena, refract light, nurture all living things, and reveal all shadows...

In essence, following her prolonged battle with the Saint Ancestor, her comprehension of her own Dao had become increasingly refined.

Ning Qi, the observer, gleaned even more profound insights!

Ning Qi meticulously committed every facet of the two Ancestors' combat to memory, employing his extraordinary perception to continuously assimilate it as his own burgeoning knowledge.

The Sea Ancestor had stated that through her engagement with the Saint Ancestor, she was advancing her Dao; the Saint Ancestor harbored the same sentiment, but Ning Qi was integrating the Dao of both into his entire cultivation system.

Whether it was his Realm Lord's true form or this current reincarnation body, both were diligently absorbing all the divine techniques and power manifested by the two Ancestors, all while innovating.

Ning Qi's eyes seemed alight with an electric current; at this precise moment, nothing existed within his gaze but the intricate workings of the Dao – neither the Saint Ancestor nor the Sea Ancestor held any presence.

Both Ancestors hailed from distinct spirit realms, true prodigies born of their respective domains, having ascended from humble beginnings to reach the absolute pinnacle.

For individuals of such caliber, Ning Qi maintained a deep respect.

He himself had not been granted such an extraordinary destiny!

Blessed with extraordinary perception, though my cultivation journey hasn't reached a millennium, those two obstinate old geezers must have been cultivating for at least five hundred thousand years!

Ning Qi steadied his mind and continued observing.

Sea Ancestor extended a single index finger, pointing towards a virtually imperceptible, faint water droplet suspended in the sky.

"Go!"

The droplet gracefully soared through the void, hurtling towards Saint Ancestor.

Saint Ancestor's expression shifted subtly.

Despite his esteemed status as the Saint Ancestor of the Vast Realm, an undeniable power within its boundaries, he had always believed he was on the cusp of truly breaking through to Harmonization, attaining the echelon of Immortal True Immortal.

Even when the spirit realm war commenced, Saint Ancestor clung to this conviction, viewing the Mountain and Sea Realm as no different.

Within the Mountain and Sea Realm, Mountain Ancestor and Sea Ancestor were perpetually at odds. Amidst their discord, Saint Ancestor saw no reason for his potential downfall, nor any cause to be inferior to the preoccupied duo, firmly believing the Vast Realm would undoubtedly triumph in the spirit realm war.

However, he now reconsidered this viewpoint, adopting a different perspective.

Perhaps it was precisely the presence of two ancestors in the Mountain and Sea Realm, their constant rivalry fostering greater opportunities than his solitary dominion over the Vast Realm.

This advantage wasn't about raw cultivation strength, but rather mutual advancement spurred by competition.

In the Vast Realm, Saint Ancestor lacked any such opportunities; not a single challenger had ever emerged.

He had dwelled for too long in an era of personal invincibility!

For such an extended period, he hadn't experienced the sting of failure, not until he encountered Ning Qi.

Step by painstaking step, Ning Qi had bested him – from his paintings to his calligraphy, and even his avatars...

Saint Ancestor remained uncertain when Ning Qi would conquer his true form, but it seemed imminent.

Ning Qi's emergence was surely no mere coincidence; perhaps it was precisely due to the contest between the two ancestors in the Mountain and Sea Realm that such a monstrous talent like Ning Qi was born.

If Ning Qi were privy to his thoughts, he'd merely cast a sideways glance and retort, "Drop dead!"

He wasn't born because of the Mountain and Sea Ancestor conflict!

Saint Ancestor braced himself as the approaching droplet neared.

This time, he eschewed any divine techniques, instead retrieving a somewhat ancient scroll from the void with one hand.

The scroll was comprised of slightly yellowed paper, with some sections even bearing the marks of insect bites.

Ning Qi blinked in surprise at the sight.

Is this old man resorting to paintings again to fight? Damn it, how many paintings has he actually created?

Sea Ancestor remained unfazed, continuing to guide the water droplet toward Saint Ancestor.

Suddenly, Ning Qi's brows furrowed almost into a single line.

That scroll seemed suspicious. If it were truly painted by Saint Ancestor, why would it be in such a dilapidated state?

After all, for a cultivator of Saint Ancestor's caliber, anything he personally depicted would be free from any preservation issues.

Therefore...

Ning Qi realized: Saint Ancestor had produced a painting not of his own creation!

But what exactly was this painting?

Ning Qi's eyes widened as he fixated on Saint Ancestor.

The droplet gleamed like a diamond, its light refracting into a kaleidoscope of colors.

Saint Ancestor held the scroll in one hand, channeling his power into it.

Immediately, the scroll began to unfurl, its movement as slow as a snail's crawl, unnaturally lethargic.

In stark contrast, Sea Ancestor's droplet had already reached Saint Ancestor.

Ning Qi's vision suddenly blurred for the very first time.

When his sight cleared, any trace of water vapor in the void had completely vanished.

Simultaneously, the ancient scroll that Saint Ancestor had produced had retracted, appearing as if it had never been opened.

"Hmm?"

Ning Qi was utterly bewildered.

His mind relentlessly replayed the preceding scene, slowing it down repeatedly, isolating crucial moments for contemplation. Yet, as swiftly as he considered it, the memory would naturally blur.

Even more disconcertingly, Ning Qi discovered that his memory of the scroll itself was consistently fading.

For the first time, a sense of fear gripped Ning Qi's heart.

"What could it possibly be, that even I cannot recall?"

Sensing the complete loss of contact with the droplet, Sea Ancestor inquired, "Just now, what was that?"

Saint Ancestor appraised the painting in his hand, a smile gracing his lips. "I don't mind telling you, as you will soon forget."

Sea Ancestor remained silent.

Saint Ancestor declared, "This is an ancient painting I stumbled upon by chance, named the Ancient Road Sacred Map!"

"Ancient Road Sacred Map?"

Ning Qi absorbed Saint Ancestor's words. However, as Saint Ancestor had implied, even someone as formidable as Sea Ancestor would soon forget; naturally, others were in the same predicament.

Ning Qi felt an undeniable certainty that this was a matter of great importance, something he absolutely had to document!