Cultivating with Top Enlightenment Chapter 982 - 423: Who Says I’m Alone?

The previously unbreakable wooden thorn was now merely held between Ning Qi’s fingers. It reverted to a withered yellow leaf, quivering slightly at his touch. This spectacle was broadcast across the sky of the Vast Realm, causing a flicker of light in the previously vacant eyes of the onlookers. Still reeling from their shock, they couldn’t suppress a surge of curiosity. What was happening? How had Ning Qi so effortlessly captured the wooden thorn, only for it to transform back into a simple leaf?

Within the cave space, the Dragon-faced Cultivator displayed a hint of surprise. Even the will of the Vast Realm and the avatar of the Saint Ancestor, both impaled by the wooden thorns, looked bewildered.

Ning Qi closed his fingers, and the withered leaf vanished without a trace. Observing this, the Dragon-faced Cultivator, his certainty wavering, inquired, “Do you possess the Seed of Jianmu?” He recalled seeing Ning Qi utilize the Seed of Jianmu previously to repair a rift in the Mountain and Sea Realm after Ning Qi infiltrated it. Back then, the Mountain Ancestor had only made a single attack, not fully committing to eliminating Ning Qi. The cultivator had assumed Ning Qi would only manage to hold on for a short while longer before the Seed of Jianmu was depleted, allowing Buzhou Mountain to continue its consumption of the Mountain and Sea Realm. To his astonishment, the entire Mountain and Sea Realm had vanished afterward, and the Seed of Jianmu was nowhere to be found.

Originally, the Seed of Jianmu had been brought into the Mountain and Sea Realm by the Mountain Ancestor himself, after he obtained the legacy of Buzhou Mountain. It was used to seal the will of the Mountain and Sea Realm, and the Mountain Ancestor had even embedded a sliver of his Primordial Spirit within it. Though always considered the Mountain Ancestor’s exclusive item, he could no longer sense its presence. Thus, seeing Ning Qi’s use of wooden thorns, formed from the withered leaves of Jianmu, prompted the Dragon-faced Cultivator’s question.

Ning Qi’s expression remained unchanged as he deflected, “What is the Seed of Jianmu?” The Dragon-faced Cultivator felt utterly stumped; Ning Qi clearly refused to admit anything! Despite his suspicions, he lacked concrete proof. He continued to favor his earlier hypothesis: that a hidden entity with power comparable to their Ancestors was nearby, orchestrating these events. As for the Ning Qi standing before him, the Dragon-faced Cultivator shook his head, convinced that Ning Qi could not possibly be responsible for everything.

With renewed resolve, the Dragon-faced Cultivator instantly conjured three more wooden thorns. Each radiated a distinct aura as they hurtled towards Ning Qi. Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! The three projectiles sliced through the air – one aimed for Ning Qi’s eyes, another for his Dantian, and the third materialized behind him, targeting his back. Their speed was incredible, amplified by the immortal dao aura the Dragon-faced Cultivator had infused into them. Yet, this time, Ning Qi didn’t even stir. The moment the three wooden thorns neared him, they inexplicably softened, transforming back into leaves that drifted gently into Ning Qi’s body.

Witnessing this, the Dragon-faced Cultivator lost his composure. If one errant thorn could be dismissed as a fluke, three thorns, all nullified and reverted by Ning Qi, were undeniable proof! In the next instant, he spat forcefully towards Ning Qi, unleashing a torrent of wooden thorns. These thorns formed intricate patterns, varying in size, blurring the lines between illusion and reality. Like petals scattered by a celestial maiden, they enveloped Ning Qi from all sides before launching their assault.

Nearby, the imprisoned will of the Vast Realm and the Saint Ancestor’s avatar couldn’t help but show expressions of deep concern. Having their bodies pierced by countless wooden thorns, they were acutely aware of the terrifying nature of these projectiles. They possessed not only unparalleled penetrating power but also an unsettling vitality, seemingly drawing upon their energy to take root and sprout as they held them captive.

As the myriad wooden thorns rained down upon Ning Qi, he uttered a single word: “Absorb!” Instantly, every attacking thorn was drawn into Ning Qi’s body; this time, he didn’t even bother to revert them into withered leaves. Every observer was on edge, their tension reaching its peak. With a gentle exhale, Ning Qi appeared not only unfazed but also significantly more powerful, his aura surging upward. The wooden thorns, far from harming him, acted as potent nourishment. He offered a faint smile to the Dragon-faced Cultivator and asked, “How many more wooden thorns do you possess? Why not unleash them all?” The Saint Ancestor’s avatar and the will of the Vast Realm were struck dumbfounded.

Within the immense Vast Realm, every single gazer at the heavens was suddenly galvanized, their gazes igniting with brilliant luminescence.

The Cultivator with the Dragon Countenance peered intently at Ning Qi’s articulated digits.

"Nay, this is unequivocally not thine own might. Who art thou, in truth?"

Abruptly, he surged forward with haste towards Ning Qi, his phalanges contorting into talons, intent on apprehending him.

Yet, Ning Qi harbored no inclination for combat, his form dissolving into a shimmering torrent of Yin and Yang.

The Dragon-faced Cultivator’s talons executed a frenzied dance, even ripping through the very fabric of space, but upon encountering the Yin and Yang's flow.

The Yin and Yang stream evaded his grasp like elusive, slippery eels.

Even with the deployment of ensnaring and confining techniques, they proved utterly futile.

The Dragon-faced Cultivator’s countenance shifted, he cried out, "To embody the Ultimate Soft Power, that is a cultivation method originating from the Sea of Emotions!"

The Dao and divine techniques he cultivated were founded on ultimate robustness and intransigence, capable of shattering and seizing all; only the Ultimate Soft Power, comprehended by the Sea Ancestor, could evade such grasp.

To snare the Sea Ancestor’s Ultimate Soft Power, one requires the divine projection of Buzhou Mountain, a projection that has not yet manifested.

The Dragon-faced Cultivator wheeled around, fixing his gaze upon the Yin and Yang stream.

The Yin and Yang stream, into which Ning Qi had transmuted, swirled behind him, appearing poised to reform Ning Qi’s physical essence.

The Dragon-faced Cultivator launched another assault against the Yin and Yang stream.

But from the commencement to the conclusion, the Yin and Yang stream remained akin to an ungraspable zephyr, flowing onward alongside the Dragon-faced Cultivator’s retaliatory blow, preserving its inviolability against all universal laws.