After a while, just as Xiao Wenbing was getting impatient, they finally emerged from the thick fog.
"Ah..." Ronald exclaimed in amazement as he knelt down reverently and bowed his head respectfully forward.
Xiao Wenbing took a deep breath. What is this?
If he wasn't mistaken, this place should be the Divine Tree Ancestor of the Demon Realm.
However, the big tree in front of him gave him a very strange feeling.
This feeling wasn't about differences in physical size, even though the Divine Tree Ancestor had said that the Tree of Life in the Demon Realm was many times smaller than him. However, for Xiao Wenbing, such differences in size made no difference.
Just as an ant sees a child and an adult as equally unattainable.
Its enormous, boundless trunk still stretched as far as the eye could see. However, compared to the Divine Tree Ancestor of the cultivation world, it was utterly lifeless.
Looking up, every moment several leaves drifted down from the sky, the trees gradually turning yellow, and the whole space was filled with an aura of death.
"Fellow Daoist, please look." Elder Yan suddenly pointed to the center of the tree and shouted loudly.
Xiao Wenbing stared intently, and on the trunk of the large tree, countless bumps were faintly visible. However, for some inexplicable reason, a chill ran through him. Because these bumps looked like lifelike human faces, incredibly realistic.
“This is…” Xiao Wenbing’s voice trembled slightly.
“That’s right, most of the Venerables who returned to the Flame Realm are here.”
Without realizing it, Xiao Wenbing had clenched his hands and was speechless.
"Millions of years ago, a stone box suddenly appeared beneath the Tree of Life. No one knew how it came to be, but it was constantly absorbing the energy of the Tree of Life. Ten thousand years later, the Tree of Life stopped growing, and the entire Flame Realm suffered immeasurable damage."
Elder Yan sighed and said, "Finally, someone noticed the anomaly. So, they united and, after countless efforts, finally found the cause of the change. However, faced with this strange stone box, everyone was helpless. Not only could no one move it even slightly, but they couldn't even understand the writing on the box."
"And then what?"
"Later..." Elder Yan's voice was dreamlike: "Later, an elder suggested that since there was no solution in this realm, they should go to the Immortal Realm to find the answer. So, they wrote down the strange characters on the stone box and ascended to the Immortal Realm." His voice gradually lowered: "Finally, one day, an elder returned, bringing back the answer as well. It turned out that inside was a Dark God, a Dark God controlled by a divine spark..."
Learning from yesterday's experience, I simply can't keep going until the early hours of the morning every day.
Okay, from now on I'll update one chapter around 1 PM and another between 8 PM and 10 PM. Sorry...
Please, everyone, don't stay up late anymore. Staying up late is bad for your health! ^_^
Volume 4, The Divine Artifacts, Chapter 301: The Origin of the Dark God (Part 2)
------------------------
Xiao Wenbing took a deep breath, but Elder Yan didn't notice his reaction and continued, "Then, the entire Yan Realm united, and the Holy Temple was established." Elder Yan's gaze shifted to Xiao Wenbing, and he quietly said, "From then on, everyone in the Yan Realm had only one goal..."
The air around them seemed heavy. Xiao Wenbing moved his lips, and after a moment, he asked, "Are the Venerables doing this to prolong the lifespan of the Tree of Life?"
"Exactly." Elder Yan paused for a moment, then said, "Over the past hundreds of thousands of years, the environment of the Yan Realm has gradually deteriorated, and the Tree of Life has also begun to wither slowly. Countless Venerables, through experimentation, discovered that immortal spiritual energy could extend the lifespan of the Tree of Life. As a result, most of the Venerables joined this cause without hesitation, dedicating their lives to the Yan Realm. However, in the last thousand years, we have been unable to keep up with the rate at which the Tree of Life is being consumed."
Nodding silently, perhaps this was the real reason they were so eager to invade the cultivation world, Xiao Wenbing suddenly looked up and asked, "Who placed this Dark God beneath the Tree of Life?"
"I don't know." A deep hatred flashed in Elder Yan's eyes, a hatred that was etched into his bones: "If we find out, we will definitely grind him to dust."
To grind bones to ashes? Xiao Wenbing sighed inwardly. The wish was good, but…
Since they were able to imprison the Dark God here, why would they be afraid of you cultivators?
His gaze returned to the Tree of Life, and Xiao Wenbing slowly asked, "Do the Venerables extend the life of the Tree of Life with their own lives?"
Elder Yan pointed to the ground and said, "Fellow Daoist, please take a look."
Xiao Wenbing lowered his head. Beneath the boundless, towering trees, he saw an equally enormous pattern. He studied it carefully for a moment, then his expression suddenly changed. Although he didn't know the purpose of the pattern, he was certain it was an array, and that divine power flowed within it.
"This unknown formation was used to suppress the Dark God. It took us countless generations of research to discover some of the uses of this formation."
What is it?
"Convert energy".
"What?"
"The purpose of this formation is to transform the powerful life force of the Tree of Life into death energy, which is used to reduce the life of the Dark God."
Xiao Wenbing was startled. He said, "Use the energy of the Tree of Life to kill the Dark God?"
"That's right. The reason why the Tree of Life in the Flame Realm gradually withered is because its energy was absorbed by this formation and transformed into the death energy of the Dark God."
"Then, what about the Dark God? Was he destroyed?" Xiao Wenbing asked knowingly.
"The Dark God..." Elder Yan gave a bitter smile. He said, "The person who placed the Dark God here calculated very well. The day the Dark God diminishes will be the day this world perishes. Therefore, we moved the Dark God away."
"Can the Dark God move?"
“We cannot, but the Venerables can,” Elder Yan explained. “The plan to envelop the Dark God in immortal spiritual energy and move it to another location has been researched for hundreds of thousands of years. However, it has only recently begun to be implemented. But, it is already too late.”
Xiao Wenbing lowered his head and remained silent; he naturally understood. Safely retrieving the large box from this formation and transporting it to another realm would be no simple task. If anything went wrong along the way, causing the Dark God to awaken unexpectedly, then for the Flame Realm, it would be an unbearable catastrophe.
However, the Flame Realm was already in this state. It couldn't get much worse, perhaps that's why they went all in. Unexpectedly, they actually succeeded.
The price of success was that the cultivation world was also thrown into chaos by the Dark God.
After a moment's hesitation, Xiao Wenbing tentatively asked, "Have all the Venerables become fat... well, gloriously providing life energy to the Tree of Life?"
"No, there are still more than fifty Venerable Ones left."
Xiao Wenbing felt a chill in his heart. More than fifty Venerables! That meant more than fifty immortals who had descended to the mortal realm. Although the cultivation world was full of elites, it was absolutely impossible to defeat more than fifty immortals.
"However, in order to obtain a supreme treasure, the Venerables paid a great price, and now, only five Venerables remain."
Xiao Wenbing was taken aback, then overjoyed. No need to ask anymore; that treasure was definitely the Qiankun Ring. No wonder they were so capable, able to retrieve it amidst the thunderclouds and storm. It turned out they had barely managed to do it by sacrificing the lives of dozens of Venerables.
Five immortals... A strange light flashed in Xiao Wenbing's eyes. In the past, all nine immortals were beheaded under the Immortal Slaughtering Formation. So, in today's battle, facing five Venerables, they themselves might not be without a chance of victory.
He forcibly suppressed his excitement and asked as calmly as possible, "What treasure? It actually required the sacrifice of so many Venerable Ones?"
"The Universe Ring." Elder Yan sighed deeply and said:
The Venerable Ones discovered a naturally occurring spiritual object within the Universe Ring. If they could retrieve this object, perhaps… they could save the Tree of Life.
A naturally born spirit? A spirit of earth? Or a spirit of wood?
Xiao Wenbing's mind raced with thoughts, and he asked, "So, has it succeeded now?"
Elder Yan shook his head with a wry smile. Xiao Wenbing thought to himself, "Luckily, it didn't succeed. It's good that it didn't succeed. If it had, I would have killed you right away."
However, his face was full of sorrow and pity as he asked, "Is there some difficulty you're facing?"
Elder Yan nodded repeatedly, saying, "The Qiankun Ring is a supreme treasure of the world. Even if five Venerables and dozens of top experts joined forces, they could not break through its defensive barrier. Alas..."
Xiao Wenbing remained outwardly calm, but inwardly he scoffed. Even the combined thunderstorm of three lightning bolts couldn't subdue them; what were they to him? Suddenly, a thought struck him, and he said, "You want me to refine a few more level-nine universal beads, right?"
Elder Yan was taken aback, not expecting him to react so quickly. He chuckled and said, "That's right." Then he said sadly, "If it weren't for the fact that so many Venerables sacrificed themselves this time, it wouldn't have been necessary."
Xiao Wenbing gave him a strange look, then suddenly laughed, "Alright, this is a small matter. For the future of the Flame Realm, what can't I do?"
Elder Yan was overjoyed, never expecting Xiao Wenbing to be so public-spirited. Without saying another word, he immediately invited him to the weapon-refining area.
With Elder Yan accompanying them, they naturally had a smooth journey. Looking at the basket of universal beads in front of him, Xiao Wenbing sighed inwardly. Yan Jie had been refining these things for thousands of years and had obviously found the best way.
Look at its size, weight, and quality. It has to be said that although they lack magical treasures and materials, the Universal Pearl alone is far superior to anything in the cultivation world.
Under Elder Yan's expectant gaze, Xiao Wenbing resumed refining the level nine magic weapon.
Five hours later, with a flash of endless white light, Xiao Wenbing held the broken copper and scrap iron in his hand, a slightly embarrassed smile on his face: "Sorry, I failed this time."
Elder Yan's lips twitched twice as he looked at the twenty-odd pieces of junk on the ground; his heart was bleeding...
When Xiao Wenbing forged his first three-tiered, level-one magic weapon, he was absolutely certain of success, hitting the mark every time. However, when he began forging a nine-tiered, level-nine magic weapon, it was a complete surprise to everyone.
Eleven attempts in a row all ended in failure.
Elder Yan harbored deep suspicions. Could it be that this person's success just now was purely a fluke, a lucky guess?
However, judging from his nonchalant demeanor, he really didn't seem like it. Gritting his teeth, Elder Yan finally decided that today, he would go all out.
He took a deep breath, forced a smile, and said, "This is, after all, a ninth-level magic weapon. It's not so easy to forge. Fellow Daoist, you don't need to worry about it."
Xiao Wenbing nodded to him and said, "Thank you, Elder Yan." Then, he turned around and grabbed three more universal beads without hesitation, starting a new round of refining.
Elder Yan stared intently at Xiao Wenbing's actions. Although there were quite a few Universal Pearls, they were a small part of their wealth, collected from the entire Yan Realm. To say that they weren't heartbroken would be a blatant lie.
Just as his heart was pounding with anxiety, the room suddenly brightened, and then, amidst cheers, Xiao Wenbing smiled and extended his hand.
On the giant hand that the demon had transformed into was a small, crystal-clear bead.
The third level-nine universal bead in the history of the temple has finally been born.
Three days later, Elder Yan smiled. His wrinkled old face beamed with joy as he looked at the thirty-six level-nine universal beads before him. He bowed deeply to Xiao Wenbing with a sigh of relief and said, "Thank you, fellow Daoist."
Xiao Wenbing quickly stepped aside and said in a tone even more devout than Xiao Wenbing, "Fellow Daoist, you are too kind. The item has been refined. However, I have a favor to ask."
"Fellow Daoist, just give your instructions."
"I want to see that legendary treasure."
Elder Yan laughed loudly. In his opinion, since Xiao Wenbing possessed such a unique skill, he must be a master of weaponry. Such a person would naturally want to see such a magical treasure as the Qiankun Ring.
Since there was no suspicion, he naturally wouldn't hesitate to do such a small favor. He led Xiao Wenbing and Ronald back to the Tree of Life. With a flick of his finger, a dark hole appeared in the ground.
Xiao Wenbing immediately understood that they had placed the Qiankun Ring under the Tree of Life, which was perhaps the very place where the Dark God had been imprisoned.
Looking at the bottomless cave entrance, Xiao Wenbing quietly clenched his fists.
"Yaqi, I'm here..."
Volume Four: The Divine Artifacts, Chapter 302: The Immortal Venerable
------------------------
After passing through a brief, dark passage, the room suddenly brightened. The intense light was dazzling and momentarily disorienting.