Full level of enlightenment: I achieved Daozu by ascending to the lower realm

Chapter 416 Surpassing Mountains and Seas
The sapling of the Jianmu tree emitted a green glow and swayed slightly in Ning Qi's hand.

A series of shattering clangs echoed from all around. The Yin and Yang energies, resembling a cloak of light, protected its safety and crushed all the magic needles that the Mountain Ancestor had attacked.

Beside them, the will of the Mountain and Sea Realm watched this scene with trepidation.

They only breathed a sigh of relief after seeing Ning Qi resolve the issue.

There was no other reason than that the will of the Mountain and Sea Realm had only recently broken free and was truly afraid that the Mountain Ancestor would regain control of the Jianmu Sprout and devour him once again.

He looked toward the direction of the war zone. Fortunately, the shadow of the Jianmu seedling still mended the large hole in the Mountain and Sea Realm, and the Mountain Ancestor did not continue to attack them.

The tree shadow isolated the inside from the outside, temporarily stopping the loss of energy from the mountain and sea realm.

Ning Qi stood still for a moment.

Since the Mountain Ancestor did not continue to attack him, it means that the Holy Ancestor and the Sea Ancestor can still hold off the Mountain Ancestor.

On the other hand, it also shows that Shan Zu underestimated him and did not realize what he was doing.

Ning Qi wouldn't let this opportunity pass him by; he'd take everything, everything!
He swept his gaze across the current mountain and sea boundary.

In the entire Mountain and Sea Realm, by now, about one-tenth of the energy has been devoured by the illusory image of Mount Buzhou.

Don't be fooled by the fact that one-tenth may not seem like much; it represents a vast spirit realm!

Even one-tenth of it is larger than the small worlds under the jurisdiction of the Mountain and Sea Realm in the past.

As for Ning Qi, he has already transferred the spiritual realm from the Endless Sea to the True Martial Realm.

One-third of the Endless Sea was also absorbed by the True Martial Realm that descended from it.

Of course, the will of the Mountain and Sea Realm itself also played a role in this.

After all, the Mountain Ancestor used Mount Buzhou to devour the entire Mountain and Sea Realm, intending to sacrifice all living beings within it. The will of the Mountain and Sea Realm and all living beings within it resisted.

If they weren't powerless to resist, how could they allow the Mountain Ancestor to reap their harvest?

Ning Qi, however, was different.

Ning Qi not only rescued the will of the Mountain and Sea Realm, but also helped save all living beings during the Mountain and Sea Catastrophe.

His actions were exactly the opposite of those of the Mountain Ancestor, and both the will of the Mountain and Sea Realm and all living beings cooperated perfectly with him.

Because of this cooperation, Ning Qi was able to integrate the Mountain and Sea Realm into the True Martial Realm much faster than the Mountain Ancestor!
"Ning kid, hurry up, I don't want Haoshan to cause any more trouble!"

Beside him, the will of the Mountain and Sea Realm urged Ning Qi to speak.

Ning Qi looked at the will of the Mountain and Sea Realm with a mixture of amusement and exasperation, only to find that the will of the Mountain and Sea Realm was like a frightened bird, even more eager than he was.

He actually took the initiative to use his remaining power to begin dividing the broken spiritual domain on the continent below.

Then, the boundary force pulled it up and began to send it to the spatial passage behind.

The will of the Mountain and Sea Realm is like a kind person who voluntarily packages up the territory and gives it to Ning Qi.

There was no other way; he was terrified of being devoured by the Mountain Ancestor.

To put it another way, he was quite like Tao Qian in the Three Kingdoms story. When faced with Cao Cao's threat, he would naturally prefer to give Xuzhou to a benevolent and righteous person like Liu Bei.

In fact, the reason why the will of the Mountain and Sea Realm did this was because Ning Qi was able to keep his word.

Ning Qi said he would save his original will, and he has done so.

Ning Qi said he would continue to preserve his will, and he personally witnessed Ning Qi integrating the spiritual domains within the Mountain and Sea Realm into the True Martial Realm. Unlike the Mountain Ancestor, who devoured and sacrificed, Ning Qi was truly creating an environment for coexistence.

Therefore, the will of the Mountain and Sea Realm has completely let down its guard against Ning Qi.

If it were someone else, the outcome might be different.

Seeing this, Ning Qi unleashed his own power and began to rapidly divide the Mountain and Sea Realm, merging it into the True Martial Realm behind him.

Taking advantage of the fact that the Mountain Ancestor had not thoroughly investigated the situation in the Mountain and Sea Realm, the two of them worked like porters with ten arms, quickly transferring the Mountain and Sea Realm.

And with this shift, the entire True Martial Realm is quietly growing larger and stronger.

Perhaps Ning Qi did not actively devour the Mountain and Sea Realm at this moment, but chose to coexist in a way that resembled moving house.

However, the True Martial Realm had already analyzed the power of the Mountain and Sea Realm because of Ning Qi, so the integration of the Mountain and Sea Realm's spiritual domain into the True Martial Realm was actually almost no different from devouring.

The only difference is that Ning Qi still retains the power of the Xuanzhen Domain, the Moon Sea Immortal Sect, and the various spiritual domains under the Sea Ancestor.

But once they enter the True Martial Realm, Ning Qi, as the Realm Master, will be considered his subordinates, and their lives will be entirely in Ning Qi's hands.

……

The sea is boundless.

Each world is like a sphere, scattered throughout the boundary sea.

In a certain area, there is a very special scene.

A gigantic mountain phantom stood in the boundary sea, surrounded by a gray mist.

Two vast spirit realms are connected on either side of the giant mountain.

No, to be precise, there should be three.

Behind the spirit realm on the right, there exists another spirit realm.

The spirit world on the right is shrinking away at an extremely rapid pace, while the world behind it, which is obviously smaller, is growing rapidly as if inflated, gradually replacing the shriveled spirit world.

It is the True Martial Realm that is constantly merging into the Mountain and Sea Realm!

Within the Realm of True Martial Arts, spiritual energy and the power of rules permeate the air.

The spiritual energy flowed like a gentle rain, and the rules, like an invisible wind, grew denser and more intense.

In the end, even in some places where energy was concentrated, spirit crystals and jade of rules were born and hidden beneath the earth.

One after another, mineral veins took shape within the True Martial Realm, continuously filling up and connecting together.

They will become cultivation resources for all beings in the True Martial Realm, and will be stored below.

Above the mineral veins, rare and precious materials continuously absorb spiritual energy, sprout and grow, containing divine runes, truly like rare and beautiful plants, shimmering with extraordinary light.

The True Martial Realm is growing larger and larger, but it is not empty. On the contrary, it is becoming increasingly easier for all beings within it to cultivate.

The grand Daoist sound resounded throughout the entire True Martial Realm, divine characters arose in the void, and the flowing water contained the Great Dao.

Ning Qi's reincarnated body is still comprehending the legacy of the Holy Ancestor and the Sea Ancestor.

All beings were immersed in the state of enlightenment. The shadow of a great tree appeared and disappeared within the True Martial Realm; it was the Enlightenment Realm Tree.

The mortals, having experienced several changes in the True Martial Realm, have reached a lifespan of three hundred years, approaching that of the ancient times.

Even if they didn't cultivate themselves, they have now been passively embarked on the path of cultivation, comprehending various cultivation methods on their own, expelling the old and taking in the new.

If ordinary people are like this, then those who cultivate themselves are even more remarkable.

Whether they were native cultivators of the True Martial Realm or cultivators who had just migrated from the Mountain and Sea Realm, they were all immersed in cultivation, and their auras gradually increased.

Suddenly, the huge spatial passage that Ning Qi had opened up on the boundary wall of the True Martial Realm began to shrink rapidly.

They recently disappeared completely from the boundary wall, and then two figures appeared, namely Ning Qi and the will of the Mountain and Sea Realm.

The will of the Mountain and Sea Realm remained beside Ning Qi, gazing upon the True Martial Realm as it stood.

His eyes widened in disbelief, and he said:

"It's truly hard to believe that my little world below would become an existence surpassing the Mountain and Sea Realm!" He then looked at Ning Qi and continued, "Of course, what's even more unbelievable to me is you!"

"As a mere cultivator, you have become the will of the world. I cannot even imagine the difficulty of that. What's more, you actually took the initiative to infiltrate the Mountain and Sea Realm, deceiving me and the two ancestors of the Mountain and Sea, and have come to this point. It can truly be called a miracle."

Ning Qi smiled slightly.

"You'd better stop praising me; we're not done yet."

The will of the Mountain and Sea Realm was caught off guard.

To be honest, Ning Qi was still very polite to him.

However, after arriving in the True Martial Realm, the will of the Mountain and Sea Realm also realized that Ning Qi could now decide his life or death.

He has now lost his physical form in the Mountain and Sea Realm, and in principle, he can no longer even be called the will of the Mountain and Sea Realm.

At most, it can be considered to be a being similar to a mountain spirit.

The spiritual energy of the lands in the Mountain and Sea Realm has merged into the True Martial Spirit Realm. Currently, the will of the Mountain and Sea Realm can only be considered as the existence of these land spirits.

However, even though it was downgraded, the will of the Mountain and Sea Realm did not regret it. It was better than being devoured by the Mountain Ancestor. At least it could still survive and maintain its independence.

Ning Qi gazed at the entire True Martial Spirit Realm.

As the will of the Mountain and Sea Realm stated, with their addition, the True Martial Realm has completely surpassed the Mountain and Sea Realm.

Whether in terms of size, internal energy, or even the environment and cultivation conditions within it, it surpasses the Mountain and Sea Realm, and thus naturally surpasses the Vast Realm.

The only thing that makes the True Martial Realm weaker than the Mountain and Sea Realm and the Vast Realm is that its development history is too short, and the number of cultivators and high-level cultivators within it is still inferior to the two realms.

However, with Ning Qi around, a group of geniuses far surpassing those of the two realms were cultivated.

Given enough time, they will eventually catch up and become the backbone of the True Martial Spirit Realm.

After Ning Qi and the will of the Mountain and Sea Realm returned to the True Martial Spirit Realm.

Only one place in the entire Mountain and Sea Realm has not yet been integrated into the True Martial Spirit Realm.

That was the boundary wall that connected to the war zone.

The phantom of Mount Buzhou was inside, and it had almost completely devoured the boundary of the entire war domain, leaving only the last thin shell.

The shadow cast by the Jianmu seedling has solidified, blocking the boundary wall destroyed by the Mountain Ancestor.

Ning Qi looked in that direction. Clearly, the thin shell of the War Realm blocked the view of the Mountain Ancestor and the Holy Ancestor and Sea Ancestor within, preventing them from seeing the True Martial Spirit Realm that had already merged with the Mountain and Sea Realm.

Suddenly, Ning Qi released a sapling of the Jianmu tree.

The sapling of the Jianmu tree, its shadow swaying, appeared within the True Martial Spirit Realm.

As soon as it appeared, the entire tree trunk trembled.

Ning Qi and the will of the Mountain and Sea Realm clearly sensed that it seemed extremely excited.

The seed of Jianmu remained dormant for countless eons before it was finally discovered by the Mountain Ancestor within the legacy left behind by Buzhou Mountain.

Then it was taken back to the Mountain and Sea Realm by the Mountain Ancestor, and only after seeing the will of the Mountain and Sea Realm did it take root and sprout again.

Then, it parasitized the Mountain and Sea Realm for tens of thousands of years, growing to its current size by absorbing the power of the world.

However, during this period, it was under the control of the Mountain Ancestor and was also resisted by the combined forces of the Mountain and Sea Realm's will and the Sea Ancestor, so it could not be said that it could truly absorb the power of the world without hindrance.

When it fell into Ning Qi's hands, Ning Qi only needed to comprehend it once to generate an aura of immortality, and it immediately grew ten centimeters taller.

Now, the Jianmu seedling has been placed in the True Martial Spirit Realm by Ning Qi, and it is fully experiencing a sense of freedom.

In an instant, countless roots at the base of the Jianmu seedling twisted and began to pierce into the void, trying to draw power from the True Martial Spirit Realm.

But Ning Qi pointed at it.

A gray-black light emanated from Ning Qi's fingertips.

The light instantly enveloped the sapling of the Jianmu tree, and it seemed to feel pain, instantly retracting its roots.

It faced Ning Qi, its entire trunk swaying like a pitiful dog.

Despite having so much world power before him, Ning Qi refused to let it devour it.

"The True Martial Realm has grown to its current state with great difficulty, not to be used to benefit you!"

Ning Qi gazed at the Jianmu seedling and said in a deep voice.

He has been subduing the Jianmu seedling for quite some time now, and has some understanding of its uses.

Ning Qi still didn't quite understand why this thing relied on absorbing the power of the world to grow; it was almost identical in nature to the phantom of Mount Buzhou summoned by the Mountain Ancestor.

I wonder if the legendary Jianmu tree from ancient times was also like this.

Isn't it said to be a stairway connecting the human world and the heavens?

The seedlings of the Jianmu tree are entirely green, and each leaf is different, resembling the leaves of various tree species and flowers, each leaf as jade-like as jade, shimmering with luster.

Every so often, the leaves on its trunk will change, transforming into the branches and leaves of another tree.

Ning Qi suddenly took out a withered leaf.

It was the piece of land that the will of the Mountain and Sea Realm had given him.

Ning Qi had taken it out before, but then put it away without looking at it closely.

This withered leaf had once helped Ning Qi evade the detection of the will of the Vast Realm within the War Domain, and now Ning Qi took it out again.

Ning Qi held a withered leaf between his fingers, and the leaf swayed like a fish between his fingers, generating a huge force, clearly wanting to break free from him and fly towards the Jianmu seedling.

Whoosh!
Ning Qi released his fingertips, and the withered leaf instantly transformed into a stream of light, flying straight towards the Jianmu sapling.

As soon as it flew close to the Jianmu seedling, a beam of emerald light descended from it, freezing it in place.

The withered leaves resembled a long-starved infant, suddenly held in its mother's arms and fed.

Under the green light, the withered leaf was visibly restored to its original state, turning from dead to green and regaining its verdant vitality.

Immediately afterwards, a new branch appeared on the sapling of Jianmu, and the leaf that had been repaired and turned green instantly fell on it, making it look like a newborn tree.

Ning Qi was slightly taken aback when he saw this.

This sapling of the Jianmu tree can even recycle the fallen dead leaves on its own body and completely repair and regenerate them!
Ning Qi thought of something even more important: if even withered leaves could help him shield himself from the perception of the spirit world's will, then what about the entire Jianmu seedling?

"Lord of the Realm, you and Jianmu have been interdependent for so many years, does it have any other abilities?" Ning Qi asked.

Beside him, the will of the Mountain and Sea Realm waved its hand.

He began by saying, “I am no longer worthy of the title ‘Realm Lord’; you are the Realm Lord. Just like Hai Zu, you should call me Shan Hai. I am the spirit of Shan Hai within your True Martial Spirit Realm, and I now need to be officially recognized by the Realm Lord.”

Ning Qi looked at him and saw that he had a serious expression on his face, as if he would not continue talking if Ning Qi did not agree.

Ning Qi had no choice but to say, "Alright, we can still be friends. I will make you the spirit of mountains and seas in my True Martial Spirit Realm."

The will of the Mountain and Sea Realm felt a sense of relief; he shrugged and smiled.

"Only then can I stay with peace of mind."

Shan Hai paused for a moment, then continued, "Although I only now know that its name is Jianmu, after so many years of being with it, I've learned that it has another ability: to shield the entire spirit world!"

"Shield the entire spirit world?"

(End of this chapter)