The will of the Mountain and Sea Realm took a deep breath to suppress its emotions.

"You should sit down as well and listen to me. Besides, you probably can’t leave this world now."

To uncover the truth, Ning Qi had no choice but to comply.

The two of them sat cross-legged on the ground.

Ning Qi still held the remnant leaf, but surprisingly, it seemed to absorb nourishing power here, slowly repairing the veins and filling in the damaged leaf surface.

Should they remain, the remnant leaf would likely eventually regain vitality, much like the half-tree of new green facing him.

The will of the Mountain and Sea Realm also noticed and took a glance at the remnant leaf in Ning Qi’s hand.

However, his eyelid twitched visibly, looking rather unnatural.

It seemed as if the changes in the leaf were absorbing his life force.

Seeing this, Ning Qi put it away, and only then did the will of the Mountain and Sea Realm’s expression ease somewhat.

Nevertheless, just as he put it away, Ning Qi sensed a reluctant will emerging from the remnant leaf.

The will of the Mountain and Sea Realm said, "Years ago, after returning from the small world, Haoshan acquired the inheritance of Buzhou Mountain and brought back a seed."

"At that time, had they not yet fallen out?"

Having heard Sect Leader Zhao Yujun of the Moon Sea Immortal Sect mention the matters of the Mountain Ancestor and Sea Ancestor, Ning Qi inquired.

The will of the Mountain and Sea Realm shook its head.

"They had just lost their mentor then. The Sea of Emotions was in a coma for a long time, unaware that Haoshan had killed her father, so their relationship remained intact for the time being."

At this point, he seemed to chuckle.

"Their true falling out was due to obtaining that seed."

Ning Qi instinctively asked, "Realm Venerable, are you saying the seed is from this small tree?"

The will of the Mountain and Sea Realm nodded.

"That’s right, because of it, I was imprisoned by both of them, and so they also fell apart."

Ning Qi listened silently, waiting for him to continue.

"Back then, after Haoshan obtained Buzhou Mountain’s inheritance, his cultivation level rose rapidly, and he also discovered my presence as the will of the Mountain and Sea Realm."

"So, after the Sea of Emotions woke up, he concealed her father’s death, continued using her, and then found me."

The will of the Mountain and Sea Realm’s eyes flickered as if reminiscing the past.

"Initially, they treated me with great respect, claiming to offer a treasure, which was the seed."

"The blame lies with me, for at the time I sensed an aura from a higher world emanating from the seed, giving rise to greed and curiosity, leading me to accept their gift."

"However, after I accepted it, Haoshan used some spell I couldn’t fathom, activating the seed. It immediately emanated a force that even I couldn’t evade temporarily, freezing my will as if parasitically growing on me, then took root and sprouted, beginning to grow..."

Ning Qi felt a chill run down his spine.

It was unimaginable that just a seed could immobilize the will of the Spirit Realm, parasitize it, and utilize its power as nourishment to take root and sprout.

If such a seed had landed in the True Martial Realm back then, and he, as its will, had encountered it and been parasitized, wouldn’t he have been defenseless?

This small tree is perilous!

Especially for the will of worlds, perhaps even the world itself is threatened by it.

That was Ning Qi’s assessment. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

Seeing Ning Qi’s expression, the will of the Mountain and Sea Realm instantly understood what he was thinking.

"You’re not wrong; this tree grows entirely by absorbing the world power. Even with my stature as Spirit Realm Venerable, I am helpless against it!"

Continuing from where he left off, he said:

"After immobilizing me with the seed, the two of them together seized my power, rapidly enhancing their cultivation, becoming the two strongest figures in the Mountain and Sea Realm, hence the Mountain Ancestor and Sea Ancestor came to be."

Ning Qi curiously asked, "Then how did they fall out?"

The will of the Mountain and Sea Realm coughed and suddenly smiled.

"Cough cough, haha, their falling out was also caused by that seed. After it parasitized me, it suddenly emitted a light, enveloping them as they seized my power. The Sea of Emotions, unaware of her father’s death at Haoshan’s hands within the small world, saw something in that light, causing her to fight Haoshan abruptly."

Ning Qi was speechless.

This plot development intrigued him, never expecting the Mountain Ancestor and Sea Ancestor to fall out in such a manner.

He glanced again at the small tree at the center, realizing its appearance marked the origin of great upheaval in the Mountain and Sea Realm.

However, the genuine source was still the inheritance from Buzhou Mountain obtained by the Mountain Ancestor.

The seed of the small tree had also been brought out from the Buzhou Mountain inheritance by the Mountain Ancestor.

Reflecting on this, Ning Qi frowned slightly.

"I remember it has been hundreds of thousands of years since the Mountain Ancestor and Sea Ancestor fell out. Has this tree grown so little in all these years?"

Upon this inquiry, the will of the Mountain and Sea Realm pondered slightly.

"Do you know how much of my power it has absorbed over these years?"

Ning Qi gazed into his eyes.

With a slight breath, the will of the Mountain and Sea Realm said, "It has absorbed an amount equal to two of my current self!"

"If I hadn’t been continuously drawing power from the Sea of Realms to replenish myself, and if Mountain and Sea hadn’t sent cultivators to sweep surrounding small worlds for energy, I would’ve been drained dry long ago!"

Hearing that, Ning Qi suddenly understood why the Mountain and Sea Realm would devour nearby small realms.

It turned out it was forced by circumstances!

"Realm Venerable, haven’t you tried to expel it?"

The will of the Mountain and Sea Realm shook its head again, quicker than a child’s rattle.

"Do you think I haven’t tried?"

He pointed once again to his main will pinned to the dome in the space ahead, "That was my fate after I tried!"

Following his gaze, Ning Qi also looked at his main will.

He had only glanced at it before, but now Ning Qi activated the Golden Pupil of Illusion-breaking fully.

The will of the Mountain and Sea Realm seemed to cooperate with Ning Qi’s view, and his main will transformed from a vague cloud into a humanoid figure identical to his shadow.

As the humanoid form emerged, Ning Qi immediately saw a figure with acupuncture all over its body, as if it had entered a clinic.

Except, the acupuncture tools weren’t metal needles but rather, wooden thorns.

The figure’s limbs, chest, abdomen, neck, and head were densely pierced with wooden thorns, resembling a human hedgehog.

"..."

Once Ning Qi fully observed the state of his main will, the will of the Mountain and Sea Realm reverted to the previous cloud form.

This form seemed to suffer less prickling harm than the humanoid shape.

Retracting his gaze, Ning Qi’s expression grew more solemn.

He asked, "Did this small tree pierce you with these wooden thorns, or did the Mountain Ancestor and Sea Ancestor do it?"

The will of the Mountain and Sea Realm replied, "Both."

"Initially, Haoshan pierced me with the wooden thorns he obtained. Each time his cultivation increased, he would prick me with more needles, leading to more of my power being shared with him, making him stronger."

"Later on, after the small tree fully grew, it also pierced me with many needles, about one-tenth of the total."

Ning Qi frowned even more deeply.

It sounded like the Mountain Ancestor had hidden means while this small tree was extremely fierce.

"Could the Mountain Ancestor still control this small tree?" Ning Qi asked again.

The will of the Mountain and Sea Realm was silent for a moment.

"I don’t fully understand, but if he could control it entirely, this situation wouldn’t exist."

He pointed to the small tree, "On our side, it appears vibrant and green, which you might understand is under the Sea of Emotions’ control, while the other half is under Haoshan’s control!"

"If Haoshan could control this small tree completely, it wouldn’t be in a half-withered, half-vibrant state."

Ning Qi asked, "So you’re saying the withered half is caused by the Mountain Ancestor?"

"Yes, Haoshan is impatient for immortality!"

"Impatient?"

"With all these years, how could he bear to wait with such limited growth of the small tree?" The will of the Mountain and Sea Realm chuckled, "So, we initiated the Spirit Realm war!"