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

Chapter 432 Creatures of the World Tree
The Zhenwu Immortal Sect's plaza is spacious and can accommodate a million cultivators.

Not only humans but also demons and beasts roamed within, and even dozens of ferocious sea beasts silently lingered nearby.

But now, upon seeing the figure slowly descending from the sky, they all stood up respectfully.

"Junior Brother Ning!" "Senior Brother Ning!"

"Sect Master Ning!" "Realm Lord Ning!"

"Owner!"

A cacophony of various names rang out, echoing across the entire square.

Ning Qi pressed his hands together, and the square fell silent instantly.

He landed in the center of the square, and the crowd immediately gathered around him, while those who were familiar with him came to the front.

Ning Qi glanced at the crowd.

From my master, fellow disciples, and friends in the True Martial Realm, to the people I met in the Mountain and Sea Realm.

He smiled slightly and said, "It has been a long time since we have gathered together. Now that the Three Realms have changed and we have returned to the True Martial Realm, I have decided to bring all of you into the True Martial Immortal Sect. Are you willing?"

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone knew they were directed at the cultivators of the Mountain and Sea Realm.

Sword Ancestor and Qi Keqing and the others exchanged glances.

Sword Ancestor looked furious, glaring and puffing out his cheeks, and said, "I never expected my Wuji Sword Sect to end like this. Ning boy, how are you going to compensate me?"

Qi Keqing smiled and said, "Fellow Swordsman, he has given you a World Lord in return. Aren't you willing to accept that?"

Everyone laughed at this remark.

The Sword Ancestor looked at the crowd and asked, "Are you willing?"

The cultivators from the Mountain and Sea Realm present all shouted, "We are willing!"

Seeing this, Ning Qi suddenly realized that the Sword Ancestor always managed to win people's hearts.

Sword Ancestor did not seem to be the kind of stubborn old man. Although he was a sword cultivator, he had a clear sword heart and a deep understanding of human nature.

Qi Keqing was extremely cooperative.

The two of them played a joke in front of the public, which instantly won over everyone's goodwill and eliminated a lot of barriers.

This will be of great benefit to how people get along in the future.

Thinking of this, Ning Qi said, "Although you are people from two realms, and there are even cultivators from the Vast Realm outside the True Martial Immortal Sect, we, the people of the True Martial Immortal Sect, must break down the prejudices of identity and guide the entire True Martial Spirit Realm with the principle of equality for all beings."

Daoist Longshan coughed and replied, "Young Ning, even if you don't say it, we understand. Don't worry. Besides, even if we wanted to be prejudiced against them, we wouldn't dare. Their overall cultivation level is stronger than ours."

That's true. After all, although the cultivators from both realms had gone through the war in the Spirit Realm, all the survivors were elites.

Even though the True Martial Spirit Realm has merged with the Mountain and Sea Realms, the cultivation levels of the cultivators within it have not improved that quickly.

The only thing they have over cultivators from both realms is talent and foundation.

Of course, given time, they will definitely catch up quickly.

These words naturally drew laughter from everyone, and the air was filled with an inexplicable joy.

Ning Qi then quickly exchanged ideas with the others.

This dispelled the doubts in the minds of the cultivators of the Mountain and Sea Realm, and also relieved the unease in everyone's hearts.

Everyone felt that Ning Qi was still the same Ning Qi as before, and had not changed even after becoming the Lord of the Three Realms after their fusion.

He became aloof and seemingly detached from the masses, going to rescue the Holy Ancestor and the Sea Ancestor, and incidentally, to fight the Mountain Ancestor.

After calming everyone down, Ning Qi prepared to leave to rescue the Holy Ancestor Hai Zu and, incidentally, to fight the Mountain Ancestor.

"The True Martial Spirit Realm is still developing rapidly. You can take advantage of the great changes to cultivate in peace. I will not appear for the time being."

Upon hearing this, everyone looked at him with expressions of reluctance.

"Boy, is there anything else we can do? If we just let you fight alone while we, the people of the Three Realms, cultivate in peace, this..."

Sword Ancestor looked at everyone. He didn't continue speaking, but everyone understood what he meant.

Ning Qi shouldered everything alone, yet he told them to focus on their cultivation. How could they truly be at ease?
Moreover, they no longer need to fight each other for their respective worlds like in the previous Spirit World War; now they are all from the same realm.

And it is precisely because this distinction of identity has been eliminated that everyone is now willing to contribute in this final battle.

"Senior Brother Ning, we don't want to be idle!"

"Sect Master, although we are of low strength, we also wish to participate in the battle!"

Shouts rose and fell again, like waves of sound sweeping across the entire square.

Unbeknownst to them, the Holy Ancestor's avatars, the two spirits of Shan Hai Zhi Li, also quietly arrived at the True Martial Immortal Sect.

Accompanying them were Zhao Yujun, the sect leader of the Moon Sea Immortal Sect in the Mountain and Sea Realm, and Jiang Yingchu, the sect leader of the Vastness Immortal Sect in the Vastness Realm.

Ning Qi glanced at them; they appeared at the back of the crowd.

The Holy Ancestor's avatar seemed to have said something to the two spirits, and the two spirits actually transmitted all the sounds and images of this place to the entire True Martial Spirit Realm, allowing everyone in the realm to see what was happening here.

Their commotion naturally attracted everyone's attention.

The crowd gradually fell silent, and they squeezed forward with smiles on their faces.

Ning Qi narrowed his eyes slightly and asked, "What's going on here?"

"If you want to join the war, don't forget about us," the Holy Ancestor's clone said with a smile.

The spirit of mountains and seas also said, "Yes, we just visited all the spirit realms that were once under our command and extended our condolences. They sent two representatives here."

Zhao Yujun and Jiang Yingchu walked out at the same time, facing the crowd, and addressed Ning Qi:

"We two can plead on behalf of all cultivators in the Shan Hai Hao Ran realm, hoping that the Realm Lord will agree to our participation in the war. We also want to safeguard the safety and peace that we have finally achieved."

Everyone in the Zhenwu Immortal Sect square looked at them, their expressions deeply moved.

At this moment, it seemed as if everyone's hearts were connected.

With everyone united in purpose, regardless of their cultivation level or status, everyone was willing to step forward to protect the newly merged True Martial Spirit Realm.

This is different from many wars in the world.

In most wars, the powerful and wealthy stay behind the scenes, letting their subordinates fight for their own interests.

The same old things, like conscription, keep happening all the time.

However, the beings within the True Martial Spirit Realm were different; they actually volunteered to join the battle.

Simply because both Ning Qi and the True Martial Spirit Realm are worthy of their doing so.

Ning Qi, as a World Lord, is prepared to shoulder everything alone. In the world's wars, have you ever seen the mastermind behind the scenes take the initiative to shoulder everything?
They were merely driving the cattle and horses below to fight for them.

Ning Qi frowned slightly.

It wasn't that he didn't want everyone to participate in the war, but rather that in the end, the only enemy in this war was the Mountain Ancestor.

Are we all going to join the battle to die?
Everyone looked at Ning Qi and naturally noticed the expression on his face.

At this moment, all the beings in the True Martial Spirit Realm seemed to understand that the Realm Lord was afraid of losing their lives.

Everyone was deeply moved.

Where did they find such a supreme ruler?
Throughout history, few have worried about the casualties of their subordinates during wars. Some ruthless and warmongering individuals are willing to sacrifice everyone to achieve their goals.

Even if it means fighting to the bitter end, with the people starving, we must fight!
They were nothing like Ning Qi, who cared about the lives of his subordinates.

The people of the Mountain and Sea Realm were deeply moved at this moment, especially the surviving cultivators under the Mountain Ancestor.

The Mountain Ancestor could be considered a supreme being in a realm, yet he treated his subordinates like mere tools. They either died fighting for him or became his sacrifices.

At this moment, everyone's hearts were united, and their beliefs converged. They unleashed an incomparably pure power of faith, converging towards the True Martial Immortal Sect high in the sky.

A wisp of invisible power of belief flew into the True Martial Immortal Sect and gathered on Ning Qi in the center of the square.

"Ok?"

The Holy Ancestor's avatar and the two spirits of Zhili Mountain and Sea instantly sensed something, and they all looked at Ning Qi in the center with disbelief.

They vaguely sensed that a terrifying, unknown force was surging towards Ning Qi.

That power was incredibly pure, and full of hope and light.

Gradually, a faint golden light enveloped Ning Qi, making him appear incredibly sacred!
Everyone saw the golden light emanating from Ning Qi. The light was not dazzling, but incredibly gentle, reflected in everyone's eyes and in their hearts.

Everyone felt incredibly comfortable and warm, as they became even more devout.

"Zhili, could this be..."

The Holy Ancestor's clone asked in surprise.

Although he was well-read, he wasn't quite sure if the golden light on Ning Qi's body was really what he thought it was.

Beside them, Zhili and the two spirits of the mountains and seas both showed expressions of utter shock.

Zhili said softly, "Teacher, the unity of the people seems to be the legendary power of faith!"

Shan Hai stared wide-eyed, dumbfounded, "Is there really anyone who can win the hearts of the people? How is that possible!"

They are the will of the spirit world, and we have previously discussed the difficulty Ning Qi faced in becoming the will of the spirit world.

One of the conditions for becoming the will of the spirit world is to bear the power of all living beings and make them serve as its master.

But worshipping someone as their master does not mean that everyone genuinely respects them or is even willing to fight for them.

Just like the sun in the sky, all living beings benefit from its grace and regard it as light.

However, if the sun were to transform into a human and call upon all living beings, those beings might not necessarily pay attention to him or even believe in him.

Just like the two spirits, Shan Hai Zhi Li, even if they were the will of the spirit world before, have all living beings ever turned to them?
When the Mountain and Sea were sealed off, the cultivators under the Mountain Ancestor only showed him superficial respect.

The cultivators under the Sea Ancestor are slightly better, but if they were to choose between the Sea Ancestor and the Spirit of Mountains and Seas, they would definitely choose the Sea Ancestor without hesitation.

Even though Zhili and the Holy Ancestor taught the beings of the Vast Realm, they still failed to win their hearts.

Therefore, it is evident how difficult it is to win the hearts and minds of the people.

However, Ning Qi has unintentionally achieved this feat!

In the center of the square.

Ning Qi's slightly furrowed brows relaxed without him even noticing.

His attention was drawn to the golden robes he was wearing.

Ning Qi was completely bewildered; he had no idea what had happened.

He felt his body become incredibly light, as if he were floating on air.

"Kid, this is the power of faith from all living beings, so you should be secretly happy."

The voice of the Holy Ancestor's avatar quietly came.

"The power of faith among all beings?"

Ning Qi was taken aback, then he seemed to remember something.

He had read extensively before and seemed to have seen the term in some books.

However, Ning Qi simply ignored it, thinking that such an illusory thing could not possibly exist.

The Holy Ancestor's avatar continued to transmit his voice:
"I don't know much about this thing either, but it only has benefits and no drawbacks. I don't know its specific function. Legend has it that in a certain special era, some powerful people needed the faith of all living beings to become immortals."

"This is the first time I've ever seen something like this before. I'm so envious!"

Ning Qi received the telepathic message and finally understood.

"Is it the faith required to become an immortal in a certain era?"

He looked at the crowd, and they continued to look at him with unwavering devotion in their eyes, as if waiting for Ning Qi's response.

At this moment, Ning Qi seemed to sense everyone's wishes and connect with them.

Just as Ning Qi was about to respond, suddenly, the Enlightenment Tree hidden within the True Martial Spirit Realm spontaneously emerged.

The enormous, illusory shadow of the tree filled the entire True Martial Spirit Realm.

Each leaf is different, some as large as mountains, others as small as blades of grass, and each leaf is a different color.

And they are constantly transforming, turning into other trees, flowers, grasses, and leaves.

As soon as the Enlightenment Tree appeared, all beings felt their minds instantly become much clearer, and inspiration flowed freely.

However, at this moment, they were devout and felt that the huge tree shadow was created because of Ning Qi.

They saw that the soft golden light emanating from Ning Qi's body also quietly spread out, coating the entire giant tree with a layer of golden light.

The leaves rustled softly, as if they were leaping with joy, as if they were excited...

"What is this tree?"

The Holy Ancestor's avatar and Zhili gazed at the tree that filled the world, sheltering all living beings with its shade, and were utterly awestruck!

But Shan Hai recognized it.

"That tree from the Mountain Ancestor before, why does it feel different?"

He has the most authority to speak on this tree, after all, it has been sealed by it for countless millennia and absorbed countless amounts of energy.

But at this moment, the tree gave him a completely different feeling.

It no longer draws power from the world, and has shed its ferocity, appearing instead incomparably sacred.

Ning Qi looked at a huge branch hanging down in the square and couldn't help but reach out and touch it.

All living beings then saw that the tree shadow, which was originally an illusion, seemed to be tickled by Ning Qi's touch.

It swayed slightly, looking both evasive and enjoying itself.

"Teacher, for some reason, I feel like I've seen this tree somewhere before, but I can't quite place it," Zhili said blankly.

The Holy Ancestor's avatar also wore a thoughtful expression.

“The power of faith, the giant tree, I seem to have seen a similar pattern in the Ancient Sacred Map, but it seems different from what I see now, how strange.”

At this moment, the spirit of the mountains and seas looked at the shadow of the giant tree, and saw that it too was gilded with gold. A look of bewilderment appeared in its eyes, and it nodded in agreement.

"Damn it, I should hate this tree, but now I feel the same way you do!"

For a moment, they couldn't explain where this feeling came from; it was as if it were engraved in the very depths of their being and had surfaced unexpectedly at this moment.

When Ning Qi touched the Enlightenment Tree, he seemed to receive a message once again.

"You...are very good...collect more...this power..."

Ning Qi's heart was churning like a giant wave.

The Enlightenment Tree he cultivated seems to have developed sentience?

(End of this chapter)