Immortality was within reach, but Ning Qi didn't think much of the existing immortality system.
If even someone like Shanzu, who sacrificed himself to save all living beings, could become an immortal, then immortals don't seem so admirable.
"Transcendence Realm... If I truly break through to the Rule Realm, I wonder if that counts as becoming an immortal?"
Ning Qi looked down at the True Martial Spirit Realm Continent from his inner world, his eyes gleaming.
"Transcendence, the Great Dao—what changes will occur in this vast True Martial Spirit Realm?"
He pondered deeply and had now determined that the next realm in the Realm Lord's cultivation system was the Transcendent Realm.
Unlike cultivators who become immortals, those who become immortals need to exhaust the energy of their inner world sea, then completely transform the power of rules into immortal power, condense the immortal gate, and then open it to attain immortality.
Ning Qi, however, was unwilling to do so.
Firstly, Ning Qi was unwilling to give up the boundless evil energy and the energy of the Boundary Sea within his body.
Now that the Boundary Sea is boundless, the Fairy Realm has become one of the few places within it.
If in the future the energy of the Boundary Sea completely erodes all the lands existing within the Boundary Sea, then the immortals who have abandoned the energy of the Boundary Sea now will likely only face certain death.
Ning Qi vaguely felt that this was an inevitable trend.
He perused ancient texts and vaguely mentioned the history of the two realms in the past.
The celestial realm was originally high above, the abode of immortals, and always looked down upon the mortal world.
But later, something terrible happened, the heavens shattered, Mount Buzhou and other connected lands collapsed, and the past glory became history.
However, there is no sign of the situation reversing; on the contrary, the number of people who become immortals is becoming increasingly rare.
Secondly, the characteristics of boundless evil energy and the energy of the boundary sea.
After Ning Qi's previous battle with the Mountain Ancestor who had become an immortal, he discovered that both of these powers could contend with immortal power.
Since the Mountain Ancestor said that he would probably be targeted by all the immortals in the fairy realm in the future, then Ning Qi had even less need to make himself become like them.
Ning Qi had made up his mind.
His Yin-Yang Dao Diagram perfectly integrates the two powers, and he is willing to try to continue on this path rather than sever half of his power.
Immortals and demons are just definitions used by others.
He Ningqi wanted to define his own existence.
To those who are kind, he is a sage; to those who are enemies, he is a demon…
Ning Qi's mindset changed instantly.
Deep within his soul lies the prison of the Great Dao.
The Mountain Ancestor Immortal Soul seemed to sense Ning Qi's thoughts and began to tremble involuntarily.
He once said that Ning Qi could no longer become an immortal.
But by saying this, the Mountain Ancestor hoped that Ning Qi would seek his guidance and ask how to return to the path of immortality.
Ning Qi clearly had no such intention at all...
"This child has boundless ambition and is unwilling to take the path to immortality. I fear that another terrifying demon will emerge in the future."
He actually had the nerve to call Ning Qi a demon, without even reflecting on his own actions.
Perhaps, in the eyes of the Mountain Ancestor, those who deviate from the norm are the real demons.
As long as one does not deviate from the orthodox path, any means can be used, and that is also the way of an immortal!
If Ning Qi knew his thoughts, he would surely give a cold laugh.
If the immortals in the fairyland are truly like that, then there are no immortals left in the world. He wouldn't mind replacing them all; perhaps that would be a good thing.
Ning Qi sat cross-legged in the void.
"Since I cannot transform the power within me into immortal power, I will skip this step and replace it with new power."
He frowned slightly.
"After perfecting those two immortal cultivation techniques, I realized that having immortal power is the first step to becoming an immortal, but the most important thing is not having immortal power, but being able to condense the fruit of the Great Dao."
"I was able to condense the rudimentary form of a Great Dao Rune Array, which means that one can take that step even without immortal power, so..."
Ning Qi suddenly spread his hands.
A small Yin-Yang diagram materialized in his hand.
The Yin-Yang diagram rotated slightly, with the immortal power and boundless evil energy within it interacting and restraining each other.
"Merge!"
Ning Qi snorted coldly and immediately manipulated the two powers with his spiritual sense.
Two streams of air, one black and one white, collided like two agile fish.
Black represents boundless evil energy, while white represents divine power, but the two are not entirely distinct.
Black fish have white eyes, white fish have black pupils.
Both of them possess each other's intertwined power.
All these changes were a natural result of the Yin-Yang Dao Diagram's ability to perfectly integrate immortal power and boundless evil energy when Ning Qi first fused with the boundless evil energy.
Ning Qi did not force a change at the time; instead, he went along with it.
This has led to the current symbiotic state where black contains white and white contains black.
It was precisely this state that allowed Ning Qi to fuse the two powers into one.
As the two fish collided, the black and white colors gradually mixed.
Staring at the gradually mixing black and white colors in his hand, Ning Qi thought of the immortal trees and herbs in front of the solitary peak in the center of Wanzun Mountain.
The remnants of the former Buzhou Mountain are scattered across the Boundary Sea, constantly being washed away and eroded by the energy of the Boundary Sea.
It contained abundant immortal energy, which constantly resisted the energy of the boundary sea.
Thus, at the heart of the fight against the epidemic, a particularly special kind of immortal tree and herb was born.
Ning Qi called it the Chaos Immortal Tree.
"Perhaps everything has already been foreshadowed. The future will inevitably be a great trend of the fusion of two forces. Now I will pave the way, and let us call it the power of immortals and demons."
In Ning Qi's hand, the black and white energies completely merged, transforming into a gray energy.
As soon as this energy appeared, it seemed to create the world, shimmering in Ning Qi's palm.
It is still somewhat weak, like a newborn baby, but it contains infinite possibilities.
Ning Qi observed it with his spiritual sense.
This power of immortals and demons may not be as pure and singular as the immortal power within the Mountain Ancestor's body, but it is all-encompassing.
Just as its name suggests, it is both a celestial being and a demon.
It possesses both the boundless power to expand the boundless evil energy and the perfect power of immortality.
Ning Qi sensed that its power was even greater than that of immortal power, at least stronger than the immortal power within the Mountain Ancestor's body.
Ning Qi drew a wisp of immortal power from the Mountain Ancestor's body from the void.
To make a comparison, Ning Qi held the power of immortals and demons in one hand and pinched that wisp of immortal power in the other.
The next second, the two forces in his hands instantly straightened, like two sharp swords.
Ning Qi caused the two forces to collide and strike out.
Click!
In an instant, the immortal power burst forth with silver light, seemingly transforming into a pure white full moon, from which wisps of immortal energy continuously emanated.
It seemed to sense a great threat and vowed to cleanse all filth.
In contrast, the power of immortals and demons appeared much calmer.
Its form also began to change, but it scattered into gray clouds, encroaching on the full moon.
During this time, no matter how much the immortal power struggled, it could not wash away the invasion of the immortal and demonic powers.
Because the power of immortals and demons is not entirely opposed to it; it also includes the power of immortals.
Gradually, Ning Qi saw that the full moon was completely invaded by the gray immortal and demonic power, causing it to lose all ability to resist.
Finally, that wisp of immortal power was completely devoured by the immortal-demonic power and transformed into a part of the immortal-demonic power.
This scene is exactly the same as the boundless evil energy devouring other energies.
Ning Qi narrowed his eyes slightly.
"It's almost exactly as I imagined, but I wonder how the power of immortals and demons will fare against the power of immortals who have possessed the fruit of the Great Dao?"
He then thought of the demon-human creature that the Mountain Ancestor had mentioned.
"According to the Mountain Ancestor, the Human Demons are cultivators who want to take shortcuts. They merge with the boundless evil energy, but are controlled by it in reverse, thus wandering the Boundary Sea and being regarded as great enemies by the immortals of the Immortal Realm."
"If one of them also possesses immortal power, and then merges with boundless evil energy, will they be able to create the same power as me?"
Ning Qi had several thoughts flashing through his mind, but ultimately suppressed them.
He'll eventually run into those people again, and then everything will become clear.
Just then, Ning Qi sensed a message from his clone within Wanzun Mountain: the Holy Ancestor and the Sea Ancestor wanted to retry testing the Immortal Sect's level.
He instantly disappeared from the inner world and returned to the Enlightenment Plaza, merging with his clone.
Ning Qi felt that it was better for his true form to be present for some things.
"How is the improved technique?"
At the Enlightenment Plaza, Hai Zu asked Sheng Zu a question.
The Holy Ancestor nodded and smiled:
"I just circulated the improved technique a total of 3,600 times and found nothing unusual."
"It's good that there are no abnormalities; at least there won't be any mistakes," Ning Qi said calmly. "I'd like to know how much stronger it is compared to your previous cultivation method?"
Upon hearing this, the Emperor's smile widened.
"In my estimation, it's at least three times stronger!"
"three times?"
Ning Qi was slightly taken aback and said, "You probably set this multiplier because the three of us participated in perfecting it, right?"
The Holy Ancestor said helplessly, "That's not it, but rather I truly sensed its power."
After saying that, he directly condensed a stream of immortal power in the void in front of him.
The immortal energy twisted and turned in the void, radiating a warm light like golden sunlight.
If one were to observe it with spiritual awareness, and magnify the immortal power countless times, one would discover that divine runes even exist in its minute details.
Both Hai Zu and Ning Qi were shocked upon seeing this stream of immortal power.
"Indeed, judging by its appearance alone, it must have already surpassed the immortal power within the Mountain Ancestor's body!" the Sea Ancestor murmured.
Ning Qi added, "I vaguely sensed a trace of Daoist charm on it. Its power is probably only inferior to the immortal power of a true immortal after condensing the rudimentary form of the Great Dao."
Upon hearing their words, the old patriarch could no longer maintain his smile.
"Sea Lord, how powerful are you?"
Upon hearing this, Hai Zu's beautiful face showed a slight upturn of her lips.
Instead of speaking in riddles, she directly condensed a stream of immortal power beside the Holy Ancestor's immortal power.
The immortal power emitted a silvery glow, which resembled the immortal power within the Mountain Ancestor's body, but it also had a touch of Daoist charm, similar to that of the Holy Ancestor.
From the moment it appeared, it made people feel as if they were gazing at the moon over the water, and their hearts softened considerably.
Hai Zu said, "Unfortunately, I may only be able to gather this kind of power in this Enlightenment Plaza..."
Upon hearing this, the two immediately understood Haizu's meaning.
This place is suitable for enlightenment, bringing peace of mind and naturally suppressing the restless energy of the Boundary Sea within the Sea Ancestor's body.
If she were elsewhere, she might not have been able to condense such perfect immortal power.
"It's alright. As long as you find the Realm Lord to completely deplete the energy of the Realm Sea within your body, you will be able to condense it anywhere, just like me," the Holy Ancestor comforted him.
Haizu shook his head.
"Forget it, I'll wait and see how things go after you explore the Immortal Sect."
At this moment, Hai Zu clearly trusted Ning Qi more and more. She still yearned to become an immortal, but she no longer looked up to the immortals in the immortal realm as much.
After all, even someone like the Mountain Ancestor can become an immortal. If she still thinks that the fairyland is wonderful, wouldn't that be the height of stupidity?
Ning Qi sensed the two streams of immortal power in the void.
The celestial power shone brightly, each containing the will and the Great Dao of its master.
Undoubtedly, both of their powers have been greatly enhanced after they re-cultivated and perfected the immortal cultivation techniques.
This improvement is not only qualitative, but also involves a deeper exploration of the path to immortality.
If the two were to face the Mountain Ancestor again with their current strength, the Mountain Ancestor would probably not be able to suppress them as easily as before.
Ning Qi was naturally comparing his own immortal and demonic power with his own.
Ning Qi felt that his immortal and demonic power still surpassed the immortal power of both of them.
It wasn't that he was arrogant, but rather that the greater the risks a person is willing to take, the stronger the rewards they deserve.
If the Holy Ancestor and the Sea Ancestor were also willing to merge with the boundless evil energy, then they would surely be able to obtain even greater power.
"Now let me try and see how high the level of the immortal sect I can condense this time."
After speaking, the Holy Ancestor once again condensed eight streams of immortal power from his body and added them to the immortal power in the void.
Nine streams of immortal power rapidly formed a rune array in the void, and the Holy Ancestor was much more skilled than before.
Hai Zu withdrew his immortal power and stood beside Ning Qi. The two watched to see if the Holy Ancestor could condense an even stronger immortal gate.
"How are the levels of immortal sects determined?" Hai Zu asked curiously.
Ning Qi thought for a moment and replied:
"Based on my speculation, it is related to three things: first, the inheritance of cultivation techniques; second, the background of those who become immortals; and third, talent."
"These three points are reasonable, but after seeing the Mountain Ancestor gather the Immortal Gate, I feel that his identity as the successor of Mount Buzhou is more important?"
Haizu blinked her beautiful eyes, her delicate nose wrinkling slightly, looking quite indignant.
Ning Qi chuckled and said, "There's nothing we can do. The fairyland now is probably different from what we imagined. It's a place where you have to consider the background."
"Is there really no place in the world where people don't care about their background?" Hai Zu said dejectedly.
If becoming an immortal truly depends on one's background, then none of these three clearly possess any background whatsoever.
Ning Qi remained unfazed. "Of course there are."
"Where?" Hai Zu looked at him, his icy eyes revealing a strong questioning look.
Ning Qi laughed and said, "I wanted to talk about the True Martial Spirit Realm, but even as the master of the True Martial Spirit Realm, I can't guarantee that there won't be any cases of people relying on their background in the True Martial Spirit Realm."
Hai Zu's expression grew even more curious.
Ning Qi continued, "But I can guarantee there's one place where you absolutely won't look at the background."
"What exactly is that place?"
Ning Qi pointed to the sky.
"I seek only the Way!"
Ning Qi's voice wasn't loud, but those four words resonated like a great bell in Hai Zu's heart.
"I seek only the Way..."
A look of understanding flashed in Hai Zu's icy eyes.
“Lord of the Realm, you are right. The Great Dao and I were born together. My path is not lonely. I only need to pursue the Great Dao and not look at anything else. I have learned something.”
Although the Holy Ancestor was condensing a celestial array, he couldn't help but show a moved expression upon hearing the two's words.
"I am not alone on this path!"
A moment later, the immortal talisman array transformed into a ring, and a hazy immortal gate seemed to transcend time and space, coalescing from within it.
This time, the colors of the immortal sect changed extremely quickly, instantly transforming from earthy to bronze, then from bronze to silver... (End of Chapter)
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