Cultivating with Top Enlightenment Chapter 981 - 422: Striking Back from Despair (Part 2)

A profound silence descended upon more individuals.

All hope was extinguished; their final chance had vanished. The Vast Realm had suffered an absolute defeat in this war, and their fate was sealed alongside the Saint Ancestor and the Vast Realm Will – destruction.

The entire Vast Realm began to convulse violently.

The earth groaned and ruptured, volcanoes spewed fiery wrath, and the land cracked open into abyssal chasms, trembling without cessation.

Far out at sea, monstrous waves rose, propelled by relentless tsunamis that hurled themselves toward the shore.

Above the skies of the Vast Realm, immense storm clouds gathered.

These dark clouds converged and pressed down, as if the very firmament was on the verge of collapse!

Given that the Dragon-faced Cultivator had seized the majority of the Vast Realm Will's power, and the Jianmu Leaves were rapidly draining the Vast Realm's energy, the Vast Realm Will could no longer maintain internal stability. The realm was now destined to follow the same path as the Mountain and Sea Realm – a catastrophic end for a Spirit Realm!

All cultivators, including the Sword Ancestor, Qi Keqing, Zhao Yujun, and others from the Mountain and Sea Realm, remained transfixed, gazing blankly at the celestial projections. Each felt an immense weight crushing their hearts, robbing them of breath.

Within the cavernous space.

The Dragon-faced Cultivator held an overwhelming advantage. He floated in the void, grasping the Ancient Path Sacred Map True Copy, while the spatial passage above him expanded.

On the other side of this passage, above a phantom of Buzhou Mountain, the Mountain Ancestor had manifested a miniature mountain image, seemingly preparing to send it through the rift.

Witnessing this, a sliver of despair crept into the Saint Ancestor's avatar's heart.

His gaze fell upon the Vast Realm's body will, now pinned above, and he instantly lunged toward it, intending a rescue.

However, the Dragon-faced Cultivator’s form flickered, intercepting the Saint Ancestor's avatar. He delivered a powerful kick toward the avatar.

Bang!

Struck by the Dragon-faced Cultivator's boot, the Saint Ancestor's avatar was forcefully driven down, pinned and unable to rise.

"Cease your futile struggles. I shall not forget any of you, for your sacrifices are precisely what enable me to break through that final barrier!"

The Dragon-faced Cultivator sneered.

His attention swiftly turned to the sole remaining figure within the cave space: Ning Qi!

Ning Qi narrowed his eyes slightly, yet his composure remained intact.

He silently sensed that both his reincarnated self and his True Martial Spirit Realm body had arrived adjacent to the Vast Realm.

The moment had finally come for him to make his move.

Just as Ning Qi prepared to act, his gaze drifted toward the Dragon-faced Cultivator's feet.

The Saint Ancestor's avatar, with a surge of strength, managed to push the Dragon-faced Cultivator back a fraction.

The Dragon-faced Cultivator reacted instinctively, pressing down again with renewed force, focusing entirely on the Saint Ancestor's avatar, and stomped it down once more.

"It's useless. This form is merely an avatar!"

The Saint Ancestor's avatar gritted his teeth, tilting his head back to face the Dragon-faced Cultivator hovering above.

His true essence was ensnared within the Buzhou Mountain phantom. While he had initially fought the Dragon-faced Cultivator due to the advantage of his home ground, now that even the Vast Realm's body will was subjugated, how could this mere avatar possibly contend?

Nevertheless, the Saint Ancestor's avatar clenched his jaw and declared, "Even in death, I shall never permit your ambitions to be realized!"

With a sudden exertion, he expelled a sharp, fine stream of black light.

The Dragon-faced Cultivator inclined his head. The black light shot through the void, vanishing instantly.

A frown creased the Dragon-faced Cultivator's brow as he sensed something was amiss.

His gaze followed the distant trajectory of the black light, a flicker of uncertainty crossing his features.

"What did you just spit out?"

The Saint Ancestor's avatar let out a wry chuckle from beneath the crushing weight, "Do you not claim to be the most powerful? Yet you cannot discern its nature?"

The Dragon-faced Cultivator's brow furrowed further. "I sense a malevolent aura emanating from above, one that even I can feel. Are you attempting to summon... that entity?"

The Saint Ancestor's avatar, a trickle of blood at the corner of his mouth, maintained a look of grim determination.

"You are consuming the Vast Realm. Why should I hesitate at anything else? If we are to perish, let us perish together!"

Upon hearing this, the Dragon-faced Cultivator fixed a profound gaze upon the Saint Ancestor's avatar trapped beneath his foot.

Abruptly, the tension in his brow eased, replaced by a hearty laugh.

"Your scheme is indeed cunning, but it targets only the ordinary. It holds no sway against someone of my caliber in this Spirit Realm. Now, with both realms destined to be devoured by me as I ascend to immortality, what fear do I have of conjuring such an entity? You underestimate the legacy of Buzhou Mountain! Haha!"

The Saint Ancestor’s avatar’s expression faltered.

After a moment's pause, he responded with a mixture of a sob and laughter, "You've misunderstood one crucial point."

"Which one is it you are referring to?"

"You claimed both realms would be swallowed by you, yet the Mountain and Sea Realm has vanished!"

The face of the Dragon-faced Cultivator immediately darkened.

"Hmph, I will find and eradicate that sneaky third party eventually."

After uttering these words, the Dragon-faced Cultivator ceased speaking, and behind him, a single withered leaf detached and fell.

This leaf morphed into a sharp, elongated wooden thorn, which then plunged into the Saint Ancestor’s avatar, impaling its foot and fixing the avatar firmly to the ground.

With the wooden thorn pinning the Saint Ancestor’s avatar, it acted much like the leaves adorning the Vast Realm’s will, sprouting roots that entangled the avatar, relentlessly siphoning its essence.

Having concluded these actions, the Dragon-faced Cultivator turned his gaze back to Ning Qi.

"Kid, it is your turn now. Previously, my focus was elsewhere, dealing with them, which allowed you to frolic about for so long. Now, I shall make you suffer at length!"

He let out a laugh, his tongue flicking out to moisten his lips.

"I acknowledge your exceptional talent. Coincidentally, my Buzhou Mountain lineage possesses a secret technique capable of transferring the talents of others unto oneself. Why don't you willingly merge with me?"

The Dragon-faced Cultivator began to advance on Ning Qi, the hundred-meter distance between them rapidly diminishing.

Ning Qi observed the seemingly victorious Dragon-faced Cultivator and let out a calm sigh.

"Alas!"

The Dragon-faced Cultivator chuckled, asking, "Are you lamenting your own imminent fate?"

Ning Qi responded by shaking his head.

"No, I am sighing for you. How can a Mountain Ancestor be so contemptible, treating your subordinates like mere chattel and exploiting all beings as resources in your quest to become supreme? Is there truly no other path available to you but these wicked ways?"

His voice, amplified by the Dragon-faced Cultivator’s projection, resonated throughout the entirety of the Vast Realm, even reaching the phantom of Buzhou Mountain intertwined with it.

All beings were drawn to Ning Qi’s words; the majority remained listlessly watching, anticipating his ultimate fate.

Upon hearing Ning Qi, the Dragon-faced Cultivator did not display anger but continued his laughter.

"Child, have you been reading too many fantastical tales? Do you not understand that those fabricated moralistic stories were designed merely to pacize simpletons like yourself?"

"Cease viewing the world from a human vantage point and instead perceive the universe beyond humanity. Within the grand operation of the world, humans constitute but a minuscule fraction. The entire cosmos operates on the principle of survival of the fittest. True justice and benevolence are ultimately contingent upon power; that constitutes the genuine Dao!"

A faint smile touched Ning Qi’s lips.

"You speak the truth, power can indeed determine all outcomes. However, it cannot differentiate between good and evil."

"Good remains good, and evil remains evil. Perhaps you have ascended to the pinnacle by some stroke of fortune, but why has this clouded your ability to discern the two?"

The Dragon-faced Cultivator abruptly halted his advance.

"The good is I, and the evil is you!"

He pointed, and another withered leaf detached behind him, transforming into a sharp wooden thorn that shot towards Ning Qi.

Ning Qi remained motionless, seemingly unperturbed.

His eyes, a stark contrast of black and white, were framed by a Yin Yang Robe. He stood tall, his countenance as pure as the daylight.

As everyone watched the unfolding events via the projection, the wooden thorn hurtled towards Ning Qi.

It appeared the Dragon-faced Cultivator had intentionally moderated the projection's speed, allowing everyone an unimpeded view.

The wooden thorn emanated a faint yellow glow. It had already subdued the Vast Realm’s will, plunging the entire realm into catastrophe.

Furthermore, it had immobilized the Saint Ancestor’s avatar, rendering any movement impossible.

Now, it was directed at Ning Qi.

Swoosh!

The wooden thorn’s trajectory was not ostentatious, yet its prior accomplishments were undeniable and witnessed by all, making it impossible to disregard.

They firmly believed that no one could possibly thwart the Dragon-faced Cultivator or avert the impending catastrophe.

Swoosh!

The wooden thorn finally sliced through the void, arriving directly before Ning Qi. Its razor-sharp tip seemed capable of piercing anything, poised to strike him down.

However, the eyes of every observer suddenly widened in astonishment.

They witnessed the moment the wooden thorn made contact with Ning Qi; it instantly reverted into a withered leaf, which Ning Qi effortlessly caught between his fingers!