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

Chapter 409 Discovering Identity
Ning Qi looked down at the strange patterns blocking their way.

These patterns only partially appear when he touches a certain area below.

It was like part of some kind of vast barrier, full of vibrant life force. Based on its strength, Ning Qi speculated that even if all the cultivators under Hai Zu's command came forward, it could keep them all out.

However, this space is clearly the deepest hidden place in the Mountain and Sea Realm, and so far, only the Sea Ancestor has actually entered it.

However, since the will of the Mountain and Sea Realm mentioned the key to the Sea Ancestor's inheritance, Ning Qi knew that even if the Sea Ancestor wanted to enter this place, he would have to open the door with the "key".

Upon thinking of this, Ning Qi immediately recalled the method of opening the gate from the scroll of inheritance that Hai Zu had given him.

Ning Qi suddenly stretched out his right hand, and the power within his body surged and operated in a specific way.

His fingers flew across the paper, quickly creating symbols in front of him.

Before long, he compressed a small space in front of him into the shape of a key the same size as a person.

Then, various energies were injected into it, and this key of rules began to shine, illuminating the void.

But that wasn't all. Ning Qi made a hand seal, and the key suddenly transformed into a sharp sword, hovering above his head and stabbing towards the direction they had just come from.

Rumble!
A tremendous sound emanated from behind Ning Qi and the will of the Mountain and Sea Realm.

Immediately afterwards, the endless sea gathered terrifying energy towards this place.

Those energies seemed to be rhythmically pulsating according to some kind of law, surging in fiercely like ocean tides.

Suddenly, a pure white full moon appeared at the bottom of the endless sea.

The full moon was flawless, and its light spread out, illuminating this world.

The bright moon rises from the seabed!
Ning Qi never expected that this key would trigger such a dreamlike and fantastical phenomenon.

After the full moon and its light appeared, the barrier patterns below immediately followed suit.

Dense patterns appeared in the void, twisting and changing, like a hundred flowers blooming, or animals migrating, and so on, forming all sorts of strange patterns.

Ning Qi felt an extremely yin and gentle force emanating from the bright moon, so gentle that it almost made him and the will of the Mountain and Sea Realm melt.

He felt as if he had returned to the womb, experiencing an unusual sense of peace and tranquility.

The power of utmost yin and gentleness was then injected into the key, which was the size of a person. It spun in the air and absorbed it all.

hum!
Suddenly, the key flew down to the pattern and inserted itself into a crucial spot.

Suddenly, centered on that spot, the twisting patterns gradually faded away, opening a doorway.

Ning Qi looked at the newly appeared portal and glanced at the will of the Mountain and Sea Realm.

The will of the Mountain and Sea Realm grew somewhat solemn. He looked at Ning Qi and said:

"Kid, once you go any further in, there's no turning back. Are you sure you want to go in?"

Ning Qi smiled and replied, "Lord of the Realm, didn't I say in the War Realm that I would rescue you?"

His answer to the question, and the sincerity of keeping his promise on his face, made the will of the Mountain and Sea Realm pause for a moment.

The will of the Mountain and Sea Realm is the will that arises spontaneously from the spirit realm, but after he truly awakened, no one he encountered ever treated him in this way.

Both the Mountain Ancestor and the Sea Ancestor used him as a tool to steal his power, and he never experienced true emotions.

Perhaps, to the will of the spirit world, having emotions is superfluous.

However, since the start of the Spirit Realm War, the will of the Mountain and Sea Realm has encountered the will of the Vast and Righteous Realm, and upon sensing the other's state of being, it has felt a touch of envy.

He envied that the will of the Vast Realm could get along so well with the Holy Ancestor, unlike his relationship with the Two Ancestors of Mountains and Seas, where he was mostly wary.

Since the War Realm connected the two realms, the will of the Mountain and Sea Realm has also sensed the state of the Vast Realm.

The entire Haoran Realm is thriving, and the surrounding smaller worlds are also developing along with it, coexisting and benefiting each other.

Unlike him, ever since he was kidnapped by the Mountain Ancestor and the Sea Ancestor, he has been forced by them to devour the small worlds that depend on him to strengthen himself, all in order to advance quickly.

The will of the Mountain and Sea Realm was filled with many thoughts and feelings.

Although Ning Qi in front of him felt somewhat unfamiliar, he was still the same person.

He flew towards the portal, but stopped in front of it and blocked it with his fist before saying, "Since you are willing to help me, then I will not hide anything from you."

The two hovered in front of the portal.

Ning Qi listened quietly, wanting to know what the will of the Mountain and Sea Realm wanted to tell him.

The illusory image of the Mountain and Sea Realm's will pointed to the portal and continued, "Inside lies the world that was sealed by the Mountain and Sea Realm."

Ning Qi nodded; he had already realized this, but clearly things weren't that simple.

Sure enough, the will of the Mountain and Sea Realm continued:
"But besides my own will, there are other things inside."

Ning Qi asked solemnly, "What exactly is it?"

The will of the Mountain and Sea Realm glanced at Ning Qi's chest, seemingly sensing something, but it did not perceive what it wanted to obtain.

He was increasingly convinced that the Ning Qi before him was not the Ning Qi from the War Realm.

Furthermore, once he arrived here, his true self was inside the portal behind him, and his perception of Ning Qi became increasingly clear.

The sense of kinship he felt towards Ning Qi grew stronger and stronger.

A hint of caution crept into the will of the Mountain and Sea Realm as it said, "Do you remember the two leaf-shaped treasures I gave you? It seems you didn't bring them with you in this clone."

When Ning Qi saw the will of the Mountain and Sea Realm looking at his chest, he realized something and connected the world before him with it.

He suddenly opened his storage space and took out a tattered, withered leaf.

Ning Qi held the tattered, withered leaves between his two fingers. "The treasure is still here!"

The will of the Mountain and Sea Realm gave him two leaves, one broken and one whole, but both were like leaves that fall in autumn and winter, one withered and yellow.

Within the war zone, they helped Ning Qi shield himself from the perception of the will of the Vast Realm, allowing him to seize many hidden node spaces and integrate into the True Martial Realm. Furthermore, he could openly come and go freely in the territory controlled by the Vast Realm.

However, apart from shielding the perception of the spirit world's will, Ning Qi did not discover any other functions of those two leaves.

Any force injected into it is as if it were nothing.

He had previously sent his clone out of the Boundary Sea to explore the Vast Realm, and had given the clone the complete leaf to prevent it from being detected by the will of the Vast Realm once inside.

Therefore, Ning Qi currently only possesses this rare and precious remnant leaf.

The will of the Mountain and Sea Realm stared at the withered leaf in Ning Qi's hand, and the caution hidden in its expression seemed to have diminished considerably.

He finally said, "Inside the portal below, besides my original will, there is another treasure, which is the original form of the leaf I gave you."

Ning Qi was slightly moved. Good heavens, the will of the Mountain and Sea Realm had previously told him that this leaf was discovered in a small world and was offered to him by the cultivators below. He didn't know if it had any other use.

Now, after he has discovered the secrets of the Mountain and Sea Realm, he learns that the true form of the leaf is also in the world below.

Clearly, the will of the Mountain and Sea Realm had not told him the truth before.

The will of the Mountain and Sea Realm noticed Ning Qi's expression and wanted to explain:
"I didn't tell you the truth back then, but I think you can understand that given your background, it was best not to know too much."

Ning Qi nodded.

He naturally understood that one's social status determines the world one sees.

"I made a mistake back then by informing Shan and Hai, which is why I was betrayed and blocked by them. This lesson has been too great for me!"

The voice of the Mountain and Sea Realm's will was slightly low as it mentioned something from the past.

Ning Qi held the withered leaf in his hand, watching it sway.

With this withered leaf in his hand, he had never noticed any other use or unusual features of it before, but now that he was here, it seemed to give Ning Qi a faint sense of calling.

At this moment, a faint, extremely subtle force was pulling Ning Qi along from the withered leaf in his hand, as if trying to tell him to go inside.

Its force was so weak that even Ning Qi wouldn't be able to sense it without careful examination.

Ning Qi glanced down and saw that the patterns of the surrounding barrier had somehow coalesced into the shapes of leaves.

They come in all shapes and sizes, some large, some small, some thick, some thin, some green, some yellow, some withered, seemingly displaying the forms of leaves from all trees and plants in the world.

Ning Qi asked in confusion, "What kind of tree leaves are these that could allow the Two Ancestors of Mountains and Seas to seal the Realm Lord here and steal your power?"

The illusory image of the Mountain and Sea Realm's will replied, "If you really want to know, and are not afraid of being sealed inside, then follow me into the portal."

Ning Qi really didn't understand why he couldn't turn back once he entered the space in front of him, and that he might even be sealed away.

Just to be on the safe side, he still asked, "Lord of the Realm, before we enter, I have one more question for you to answer."

"You said."

“I possess the Sea Ancestor’s inheritance key. Since the key can open the portal, shouldn’t it also be able to open it when I come out? Since the Sea Ancestor created this key, she should have entered and exited more than once. Why do you, Realm Lord, say that I cannot turn back after entering?”

The will of the Mountain and Sea Realm gazed intently at Ning Qi and said:

"I used to think you were a genius that only appeared once every million years in the Mountain and Sea Realm, a divine seed that surpassed the Mountain Ancestor and the Sea Ancestor. But now, I'm not so sure if you are still the same person I know."

Ning Qi suddenly realized that even though the will of the Mountain and Sea Realm was extremely weak, it had not lost its vigilance.

Clearly, the other party may already be aware of Ning Qi's identity, but it is not yet confirmed.

"I sensed a kindred spirit within you. If this is true, then you are different from Shan Hai and the other two. Once you enter, there is no turning back!"

Ning Qi's heart stirred, and he realized something from the words of the Mountain and Sea Realm's will.

The Mountain Ancestor and Sea Ancestor of the world below can enter with the key they created, but he cannot, because he is of the same kind as those in the Mountain and Sea Realm!

He is also the world, and the will of the world!

Since the true form of the Mountain and Sea Realm's will was sealed here by the two ancestors, Ning Qi, as the world's will, would most likely also be sealed upon entering!
Ning Qi stared at the withered leaf in his hand and the leaf-shaped patterns on the barrier below.

Beyond the portal ahead lies not only immense danger, but also the greatest secret of the Mountain and Sea Realm.

Even though the will of the Mountain and Sea Realm told him that once he went in, he would not be able to come out, and might even be sealed inside, Ning Qi still decided to give it a try!
A brave person is never afraid of danger, but will still venture into the tiger's den even when there is a tiger in the mountains, after making sufficient preparations.

Given the current state of affairs in both realms, Ning Qi has no way out.

The Mountain Ancestor was powerful enough to suppress the Holy Ancestor and the Sea Ancestor when they joined forces. Although Ning Qi himself had already achieved the Dao and was invincible, he was still no match for the Mountain Ancestor, who possessed the inheritance of Buzhou Mountain and exuded the aura of immortality.

But Ning Qi believed that as long as time was on his side, with his comprehension, he would be able to unearth the final treasure and then pacify the two realms of mountains and seas.

The illusory image of the Mountain and Sea Realm's will watched Ning Qi's changing expression.

Ning Qi's expression was calm yet resolute.

"Let's go, Realm Lord. I want to see what's inside, witness the methods of the two Ancestors, and fulfill my promise to you!"

Ning Qi actually passed through the illusory image of the Mountain and Sea Realm's will in an instant, and there was no physical collision between their bodies.

Ning Qi was the first to plunge into the portal below.

Behind him, the will of the Mountain and Sea Realm stared at Ning Qi's back, its face showing shock.

"He used to be my... "

The touch just now allowed him to truly perceive Ning Qi's identity, and it was this very truth that shocked the will of the Mountain and Sea Realm.

Watching Ning Qi's determined figure moving forward, the will of the Mountain and Sea Realm was filled with a variety of emotions.

He stood there stunned for a moment before following him through the doorway.

Perhaps, he really can get out of trouble!

After all, someone like Ning Qi should theoretically never have reached this point.

But he came to the Realm of Mountains and Seas, deceiving everyone, even befriending me, walking up to me, and even arriving at the space where my true form resides...

Once they entered, the door on the portal vanished instantly.

Ning Qi was in front, and he felt no fear whatsoever.

The will of the Mountain and Sea Realm sensed his identity and knew that he was also the will of the world, so it thought he would be sealed away.

However, the will of the Mountain and Sea Realm forgot one thing.

Ning Qi is not only the will of the world, but also a human cultivator, no different from the Mountain Ancestor and the Sea Ancestor!
The feeling of traversing the world boundary was extremely long. The portal on the barrier seemed to be only a thin layer, but when you actually entered the portal, it was incredibly thick.

It was so thick that Ning Qi felt it would last even longer than when his clone left the Boundary Sea.

Finally, the two crossed the boundary and landed in another space.

Behind them, the patterns on the barrier continued to twist, while the world in front of them was bright and beautiful.

Ning Qi did not observe the entire space, but was immediately drawn to a certain spot as soon as he appeared!
The whole world is full of life, but in the center there is a place full of decay and desolation.

The surrounding area was lush with green grass and bright sunshine, but the center resembled a ruin, a historical site.

A small sapling, no more than half a meter tall, was planted in the very center.

It looked sickly, half of the tree was withered and yellow, and the other half was new green, forming a gradual transition.

Ning Qi and the will of the Mountain and Sea Realm flew rapidly towards the center of the world, but when they got within ten miles of the sapling, a barrier blocked their way.

(End of this chapter)