"Luckily, we had lightning rods," Xiao Wenbing said thankfully.
"Why?"
Xiao Wenbing smiled slightly and explained, "Baiyi's physique is extremely special, a lightning body, absolutely unique. If her power is insufficient, neither you nor I can intervene. Only the heavenly lightning power that has been condensed in the lightning-gathering needle beforehand can replenish her consumption."
Zhang Yaqi nodded to indicate that she understood, and suddenly heard Xiao Wenbing say in a low voice, "We've arrived."
Feng 3, dressed in white, suddenly opened her eyes, and the surrounding white light shattered instantly, turning into nothingness.
She glanced at Xiao Wenbing, who was using a lightning rod to replenish his strength, and a strange light flashed in her eyes, but she immediately returned to her usual indifference.
Xiao Wenbing chuckled and released her hand. After hesitating for a moment, he inserted the lightning rod directly into her hair and then asked casually, "We've arrived. We need to find a place."
Zhang Yaqi looked around, her face full of surprise, clearly stunned by the luxurious teleportation array on Tianding Star.
Xiao Wenbing sighed inwardly, recalling how he had been just as uncouth and uncultured when he first arrived.
"Get out of here."
Just as Xiao Wenbing was filled with emotion, a cold shout came from behind them.
Xiao Wenbing was taken aback and turned to look. Behind them, several cultivators stood solemnly outside the teleportation array, one of them pointing at them and arrogantly giving orders.
He glanced at the ground beneath his feet and immediately understood the reason.
Tianding Star is different from Earth. It is a landmark holy land for refining artifacts in the cultivation world. Every day, countless cultivators come and go, like a swarm of fish crossing a river.
Although the teleportation arrays here are large and numerous, they still seem somewhat strained relative to the flow of people.
Normally, cultivators would quickly leave the array's core after arriving on Tianding Star to allow others to arrive later. However, Zhang Yaqi's looking around greatly delayed this process.
If the old Taoist priest Xianyun were here, with his cultivation level at the Tribulation Transcending stage, the cultivators in charge of managing the teleportation array wouldn't dare to be disrespectful to him.
However, Xiao Wenbing and his two companions were merely three juniors at the Golden Core stage, and in the eyes of these cultivators, who were at least at the Nascent Soul stage or above, they were nothing at all.
So when the guardians saw them dawdling around and refusing to leave, they naturally had to shout at them loudly.
Although he was furious, Xiao Wenbing knew he was in the wrong. Moreover, what he had done was a shady theft. If it became public and attracted attention, would he still be able to sneak around and stealthily use the earth vein fire source?
He snorted inwardly, about to swallow his anger, when suddenly, he caught sight of a very familiar figure walking towards the guardians.
He sighed silently, his mind racing. More than ten fiery talismans appeared in his hand, even though he had just advanced to the Golden Core stage. His most powerful offensive rune was still this golden talisman. Thinking of this, he couldn't help but feel a pang of regret; he should have learned some advanced attack techniques from the old Daoist Xianyun.
He took a step and followed closely behind Feng Baiyi. As if sensing something, Zhang Yaqi frowned, a five-colored light flashed on her wrist, and she took a step and followed closely behind.
Although they didn't say a word, their behavior was anything but friendly.
The guardians, of course, saw this and a look of surprise appeared on their faces. They hadn't expected these little ones to not only not go back, but instead to come charging towards them with such imposing manner.
"Be careful, don't act rashly. If their elders have a past relationship with the sect's elders, we'll be in big trouble," a guardian suddenly thought of a possibility and immediately whispered.
The others' expressions changed slightly. They immediately realized that since these people dared to be so audacious, they must have extremely powerful backers behind them.
In that instant, the person who had spoken earlier felt a pang of regret. However, he simply couldn't bring himself to apologize to a group of junior Golden Core cultivators.
With a flick of her wrist, Feng Baiyi retrieved the Lightning-Attracting Sword from her spatial storage.
The people opposite them all showed anger on their faces. No matter what their background was, it was unprecedented for someone at the Golden Core stage to dare to treat a Nascent Soul stage elder like this.
They immediately made up their minds that no matter who Xiao Wenbing and the other two were, they had to teach them a lesson. Even if they were scolded by their masters in the sect later, they could not back down now.
After exiting the teleportation array, Feng Baiyi continued walking straight ahead without stopping.
The tense atmosphere immediately piqued the curiosity of many cultivators, who stopped their busy work to watch this rare confrontation.
Volume 4, The Divine Artifacts, Chapter 145: Conflict (Part 2)
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As Xiao Wenbing walked and observed, he sighed inwardly. The crowd of onlookers was mostly composed of Nascent Soul stage cultivators, but one man stood with his hands behind his back, surrounded by an empty space within several feet. Upon closer inspection, he realized it was an old man in the Tribulation Transcending stage. It seemed that even cultivators were not immune to the seven emotions and six desires.
Seemingly sensing his gaze, the cultivator in the Tribulation Transcending stage suddenly flashed a cold light in his eyes, making it impossible for anyone to look directly at him.
Xiao Wenbing immediately turned around, not daring to look again.
If the enemies were these Nascent Soul stage cultivators in front of them, then the three of them working together, or to put it more bluntly, the Thunder-Attracting Sword and the Universe Ring working together, would certainly not be afraid of them.
However, if the opponent were to be at the Tribulation Transcending stage, Xiao Wenbing would have little chance of winning.
Purple light flickered from the lightning-summoning sword at Feng Baiyi's waist, clearly indicating that she was ready to unleash her power.
Opposite her, several Nascent Soul stage cultivators glared at her, and a white light flashed in one of their hands.
Three steps, two steps, one step...
"Ding..." A soft, faint sound of a sword being drawn rang out.
Although they had a premonition, when Feng Baiyi actually drew the Lightning-Attracting Sword, all the onlookers still gasped in amazement.
Challenging a Nascent Soul cultivator with the cultivation level of Golden Core is not a big deal in the cultivation world.
The level of a cultivator's ability is determined by their personal realm, their personal magical treasures, and the attributes of their cultivation techniques.
While personal skill level is crucial, it's not everything. In a real fight, besides considering factors like magical artifacts and elemental advantages/disadvantages, one must also consider various other factors such as the individual's mental state.
For example, if a cultivator in the Golden Core stage self-destructs their Golden Core, even a high-level expert in the Nascent Soul stage will have to give way. If a cultivator in the Nascent Soul stage self-destructs their Nascent Soul, even a top expert in the Tribulation Transcending stage will have to travel thousands of miles away.
These cultivators weren't surprised by Feng Baiyi's challenge beyond his level; they were astonished by the unreasonable behavior of Feng Baiyi and the other two.
From any perspective, these three junior Golden Core cultivators were clearly in the wrong in this conflict. However, unexpectedly, they were the ones who initiated the provocation.
"Insolence!" The person who had spoken first turned ashen-faced, utterly disrespected by a mere Golden Core cultivator. No matter who her backer was, he could no longer back down, or he would become a laughingstock on Tianding Star for the rest of his life.
Suddenly, a bright white light shone from his hand, and a protective magic weapon, radiating a strong metallic aura, flew towards Feng Baiyi.
Despite his rage, he chose to show mercy, intending only to subdue her with his magic weapon without harming her life.
Feng Baiyi stood frozen in place, ignoring the iron shield that was coming at her head.
A fierce glint flashed in Xiao Wenbing's eyes, and he was about to make a move when he heard Feng Baiyi's cold voice: "He is mine."
With a wry smile, Xiao Wenbing pulled Zhang Yaqi back, and the two stood still, observing the situation.
Although Feng Baiyi was aloof and arrogant, she was by no means ungrateful. Since she had said so, she must have absolute confidence in defeating the enemy ahead. Under such circumstances, making a rash move would likely backfire.
The Nascent Soul stage guardian was greatly surprised to see that Feng Baiyi remained motionless, seemingly stunned. He secretly withdrew some of his strength, fearing that he might accidentally injure her and thus create a real grudge.
However, he immediately sensed that something was wrong.
Just as the white light was about to envelop Feng Baiyi's entire body.
The lightning-summoning sword in Feng Baiyi's hand moved, and the purple dot at the tip of the sword split in two, then in four. In an instant, it filled the entire space.
The white iron shield, upon encountering the purple lightning that shimmered with a mysterious light, immediately became riddled with holes, like a tattered cloth pierced by silver needles. It was a gruesome sight.
The man's expression changed drastically, and he began to think, wanting to take back the treasure.
But Feng Baiyi was not about to give up. She sprang forward, her body and the immortal sword in her hand transforming into a purple light, rushing straight towards that person.
With body and sword as one, they are unstoppable.
The man's reaction was incredibly swift; with a flick of his fingers, two more treasures flew towards him. Instantly, a brilliant white light shone forth, dazzlingly bright under the sunlight.
Metal element? Xiao Wenbing sneered inwardly. Feng Baiyi's heavenly lightning was the absolute nemesis of all living beings in the cultivation world. Anyone who encountered her was doomed. Even if someone's cultivation level was several levels higher than hers, they might not be able to defeat her.
There are two best strategies to deal with the Thunder Body. One is to take advantage of its unpreparedness and launch a surprise attack.
As for the other one, he simply slipped away and made a hasty retreat.
If someone is unwilling to accept defeat and wants to confront her head-on, even the old Taoist priest Xianyun would have to be cautious.
Thunder, oh thunder... This thing that is hated to the bone is simply impossible to defend against. Even if it can kill Feng Baiyi in a single exchange, it cannot withstand the attack of heavenly thunder.
If a talent were to suddenly be surrounded by a bolt of lightning for no reason, no one would be happy. Moreover, if this were to attract a real bolt of lightning, it would be an utterly unjust thing.
Sure enough, the moment those two magical treasures encountered the heavenly lightning on Feng Baiyi's sword, they burst into a dazzling burst of lightning, turning into nothing more than a pile of scrap metal before they even had a chance to be used.
However, although Feng Baiyi broke through the obstacle in the air, her figure was inevitably delayed by a fraction of a second.
Faced with such a sudden turn of events, the man was panicked, but his Nascent Soul stage cultivation allowed him to make the right decision at the last moment.
His body trembled slightly, and taking advantage of the brief pause that Feng Baiyi made, he quickly dodged away.
Looking up, he saw his companions retreating one after another, clearly unable to withstand Feng Baiyi's sharp sword light. They came to his side, and at the same time, one or more points of various colored light flashed in their hands.
Being forced into a situation requiring the combined efforts of everyone by a mere Golden Core cultivator was indeed a great humiliation, but at this moment, the group was cautiously watching Feng Baiyi, having no time to consider this matter of face.
Feng Baiyi landed on the soldier who had just been standing there. Her hair was flowing, she was beautiful as a painting, and her body was surrounded by purple lightning. She was majestic and awe-inspiring.
"Good..." Xiao Wenbing shouted, clapping and cheering wildly. However, before he could finish speaking, he heard a loud and noisy commotion.
"Thunder Palace..."
"Lightning Summoning Technique..."
Amid a series of exclamations, the hundreds of onlookers suddenly scattered far away, and no one dared to approach again.
Xiao Wenbing glanced at them briefly. The higher their cultivation level, the faster they fled. In particular, that arrogant old fellow in the Tribulation Transcending stage had long since disappeared.
He was extremely puzzled. Why did everyone seem to avoid Feng Baiyi like the plague the moment they saw her lightning-summoning technique? Was the Heavenly Thunder Palace really that terrifying?
"I did not know that you were a fellow Daoist from the Thunder Palace visiting the Heavenly Cauldron Sect. Please forgive me if I have offended you."
Just as Xiao Wenbing was muttering to himself, the Nascent Soul stage guardians had already changed their expressions and put on smiling faces.
Feng Baiyi's expression remained unchanged, and the purple light surrounding her body not only showed no signs of weakening, but gradually intensified.
The smiles on their faces froze instantly, and beads of sweat were faintly visible on their foreheads. They were truly helpless against Feng Baiyi, who was clearly unwilling to give up.
"Tian Ding Sect?" Xiao Wenbing glanced at them, then suddenly stepped forward, blocking Feng Baiyi's path, and asked, "Are you Dao Shi of Tian Ding Sect?"
"Exactly."
Xiao Wenbing turned to Feng Baiyi and whispered, "The two elders of Tianding Sect have been kind to me, so let's let it go this time."
Feng Baiyi gazed at his pleading smile. After a moment, the purple light around her calmly dissipated, and with a flick of her wrist, the Lightning-Attracting Sword was also stored in her mustard seed space.
Those people, who were just feeling lost, were overjoyed at this sudden turn of events and quickly said, "Thank you, fellow Daoist. May I ask who you are...?"
Xiao Wenbing smiled kindly at the poisoners and said, "I'm accompanying this fellow Daoist from the Thunder Palace to visit Da Ding Star. Please forgive me if I've offended you." After saying that, he clasped his hands in a salute again, turned around, grabbed Feng Baiyi and Zhang Yaqi, and ran away without a trace.