Cultivating with Top Enlightenment Chapter 926 - 396: Mountain Ancestor Enters the Stage

Ning Qi had always held immense confidence in his own comprehension and memory, believing the two abilities complemented each other perfectly. However, at this very moment, a sliver of doubt crept into his mind. The reason was the four characters, 'Ancient Road Sacred Map,' which were persistently fading from his recall.

Despite Ning Qi's consciousness operating at a speed that defied comprehension, every method he employed to halt the memory's decay proved futile, only managing to postpone the inevitable by mere seconds. For instance, he procured various Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures, attempting to engrave the four characters upon them. Yet, these words seemed imbued with a potent, almost magical power, actively erasing themselves.

Ning Qi then resorted to a different strategy, endeavoring to rearrange the four characters into a coherent sentence. He also rapidly experimented with homophones and acrostics. To his profound astonishment, the four characters continued their relentless fade from his memory.

Ning Qi harbored a growing premonition: even if he succeeded in recording the characters through acrostics or homophones, he would ultimately forget them entirely. The predicament was so severe that even seeing the characters would fail to trigger any recollection.

In a desperate attempt, Ning Qi even wielded his mind as a blade, attempting to engrave the four characters directly onto his consciousness and even his Spiritual Sense. However, the moment they were engraved, they faded even more rapidly than the engraving process itself.

Ning Qi's eyes snapped shut abruptly; this was the first time he had ever encountered such an utterly bizarre phenomenon. He sensed that the meager remaining fragments of his memory were only sufficient for one final engraving attempt!

"What could possibly preserve an engraving without it fading?" he pondered.

Suddenly, Ning Qi produced a tattered leaf. This was the very first magical leaf bestowed upon him by the Mountain and Sea Realm Will. Ning Qi had perpetually been uncertain about the origin of this leaf, but he knew for a fact that it possessed the ability to shield against the awareness of the Spirit Realm Will.

If it could effectively block the perception of the World Will, surely it should be capable of blocking other forms of interference, right? With his memory on the precipice of dissipation, Ning Qi finally managed to engrave the four characters 'Ancient Road Sacred Map' onto the magical leaf.

Ning Qi intently observed the magical leaf, upon which the four characters were intricately etched in an exceedingly small size. Once more, those same four characters began to dissolve on their own accord.

However, just as these changes commenced, the magical leaf inexplicably shifted. Whether it was a gust of wind, a twitch of Ning Qi's fingers, or perhaps the leaf acting on its own volition, the four characters inexplicably ceased their fading. Ning Qi remained concerned about them disappearing from his mind; even while gazing at the characters on the leaf, he could only recall a single one.

Just as Ning Qi was on the brink of completely forgetting the four characters, he astonishingly discovered that his memory was rapidly being restored. "Recalled?" Ning Qi, clutching the magical leaf, could scarcely believe his own eyes. This magical leaf had revealed yet another astonishing function, one that surpassed his own memory! Or perhaps it was more accurate to say that it could retain extraordinary things more effectively than he could.

Ning Qi carefully put away the leaf, intending to ascertain if anything would change once it was no longer in his possession. After a period of waiting, he found that his memory remained intact. A sense of relief finally washed over Ning Qi.

He gazed towards the sky, where the Sea Ancestor posed a question to the Saint Ancestor: "What did you just tell me?" The Saint Ancestor replied frankly, "I told you not to bother with it; your memory is worse than that of an old man."

The Sea Ancestor’s brow furrowed, and she promptly forgot the subject of her inquiry. She extended her delicate, jade-like hand, pressing it against her forehead, only to feel a pervading muddle-headedness, failing to grasp what had transpired. "Could it be that my issue with borrowing the Sea of Realms' power has resurfaced?" she murmured to herself.

Ning Qi was taken aback by this display. Even the formidable Sea Ancestor, an entity on par with the Saint Ancestor, couldn't retain the memory? Ning Qi's gaze then shifted to the Saint Ancestor. The ancient scroll previously held in the Saint Ancestor's hand had long since vanished from view, having been secreted away. Ning Qi sensed that the Saint Ancestor appeared entirely unaffected by the memory-fading phenomenon.

Could this be attributed to his possession of the scroll? Regardless of the reason, Ning Qi discreetly paid close attention, harboring an intention to acquire it, yet adopting a strategy of patience. The Saint Ancestor's Storage Space was not something that could be easily accessed.

At that precise moment, the Saint Ancestor's gaze swept towards Ning Qi's direction. The slight frown on Ning Qi's face brought a wave of profound satisfaction to the Saint Ancestor. 'Kid, you too have things you struggle to remember?'

Ning Qi, naturally, perceived the Saint Ancestor's scrutinizing gaze and understood her underlying intentions. "Hmph, old fellow, I shall permit you this moment of ease. Let's see if you're still laughing once this war concludes."

Within the War Realm, due to the Saint Ancestor's revelation of the Ancient Road Sacred Map, the two combatants who were locked in battle fell into an eerie silence, exhibiting no inclination to resume their conflict. The Sea Ancestor continued to press her forehead, while the Saint Ancestor surveyed the assembled individuals.

He remained in anticipation, awaiting the appearance of the Mountain Ancestor from the Mountain and Sea Realm.

Having witnessed numerous cultivators from the Mountain and Sea Realm during the prolonged conflict between the two realms, the Saint Ancestor believed he had uncovered the genuine reason behind the war.

The Sea Ancestor standing before him displayed minimal inclination to invade the Vast Realm.

Regarding Ning Qi, the Saint Ancestor had already foreseen a future for him with approximately seventy to eighty percent accuracy.

Initially, the Saint Ancestor deemed his prophecies to be infallible, a characteristic shared with others he had divined for. However, Ning Qi's astonishing rate of improvement compelled him to incorporate a twenty percent margin of uncertainty into his predictions.

It was even less probable that Ning Qi harbored any desire to conquer the Vast Realm.

Consequently, the true architect behind the Spirit Realm's war must be the elusive Mountain Ancestor.

Curiously, by the Saint Ancestor's own deductions, the individual most eager to assault the Vast Realm had yet to manifest, a perplexing revelation.

A touch of commiseration colored the Saint Ancestor's gaze as he surveyed the remaining figures in the War Realm, encompassing both the Sea Ancestor and Ning Qi.