"That old wolf has just entered the Tribulation Transcending stage. It is an excellent tonic. If I could eat it, it would be equivalent to my hundred years of hard cultivation."
"What? You ate it?" Xiao Wenbing felt a chill and asked.
"That's right, we man-eating flowers mainly feed on animals, and occasionally..."
Xiao Wenbing's smile froze. Although the King of Food hadn't said anything explicitly, he already understood that the name "Man-eating Flower" was enough to explain everything.
Seeing Xiao Wenbing's displeasure, the Food King wisely stopped eating. It wasn't that he was afraid of Xiao Wenbing, but he was worried that if he displeased Xiao Wenbing, he would be sent back to the Divine Wood Palace, which would be a complete injustice.
They moved quickly and soon spotted the headquarters in the distance.
As expected of a master cultivator, his base camp has already taken shape in just a few days.
Their strange and monstrous forms were quite conspicuous, so they had already alerted Hui Zhe and the others before even reaching the main camp. In a flash, the old Taoist priest Xianyun and Huipu came to greet them.
"Master, seniors." Facing these two elders who were the best to him, Xiao Wenbing was overjoyed.
"Good lad, you weren't eaten by the dragon and phoenix, that's good!" Old Daoist Xianyun laughed loudly, while Hewlett-Pack stroked his beard and smiled beside him.
Xiao Wenbing felt a surge of warmth in his heart. Unlike Huifeng and Yueya, the two elders did not immediately ask about the outcome of his trip after seeing him. Instead, they were extremely relieved that he had returned safely.
This shows that their own safety is the most important thing to them. At least, it's much more important than any mission.
The two elders looked behind him, and when they saw the King of Food, they were both taken aback. They exchanged a glance and asked, "Wenbing, who is this...?"
"Ah, this is Elder Food King, the Man-Eating Flower, who has come here to lend a hand on the orders of Ancestor Divine Tree," Xiao Wenbing explained. However, he noticed something strange about the two elders' expressions; could it be that they had some grudge against this Food King?
"As expected of the Food King of the Great Food Clan, I have long admired you." The old Taoist Xianyun's expression changed slightly, but he regained the demeanor of a grandmaster and made a gesture of respect.
The Food King blinked his small eyes and chuckled, "No need to be polite, I won't eat you."
The old Taoist priest was taken aback. What was he saying?
Xiao Wenbing sighed inwardly, realizing that human thinking was indeed different from that of spirits and monsters...
HP led them into the main camp. Xiao Wenbing glanced around and saw that there were no low-level disciples here. He couldn't see through anyone, but he could sense the powerful auras they were all at least at the Nascent Soul stage.
Come to think of it, although the Zhenmo Star is several times larger than Earth, it still cannot accommodate too many cultivators.
Now, every day, tens of thousands of experts spontaneously flock here, and those with lower magical power are naturally excluded. This is to prevent them from being unable to resist in future battles and needlessly losing their lives.
Among Xiao Wenbing and his group, apart from Die Xian, whose cultivation had reached the Nascent Soul stage, the other three were far behind. It was likely that only the three of them had arrived at Zhenmo Star at the Golden Core stage.
However, no one dared to criticize the three of them.
After all, the lightning-summoning sword in Feng Baiyi's hand was enough to suppress all dissenting voices.
"Fellow Daoist Xiao, have a safe journey," Hui Zhe said with a smile as he stepped forward.
After exchanging a few polite words, Xiao Wenbing learned that the people behind him were all highly respected senior figures in this area. In other words, they were the ones in charge of coordinating and organizing this demon-suppressing operation.
After exchanging greetings with them one by one, these usually arrogant seniors at the Tribulation Transcending stage treated Xiao Wenbing and his companions with the same respect, none of them putting on airs. They were especially full of praise for Xiao Wenbing, the master craftsman who could create the Tranquil Mind House.
Xiao Wenbing looked around but couldn't find any trace of the Moonlit Wolf King. He couldn't help but ask, "Sect Master, where is the Moonlit Wolf King?"
Hui Zhe gave a wry smile and shook his head slightly. Xiao Wenbing looked up and saw that everyone in front of him either had the same helpless expression or looked unhappy. He was secretly alarmed. What was going on? Had the human race and the demon race fallen out?
"His Majesty the Wolf King has returned to the demon race's main camp," an old man said calmly. However, just by looking at the cold smile on his lips, one could tell that this old man had no goodwill towards Wolf Five.
Xiao Wenbing remained expressionless, observing secretly. Several other people had the same expression, indicating that there were quite a few humans who harbored hostility towards the demon race.
"Senior, this is..."
"Sigh... It's a long story." Hui Zhe's expression was solemn as he explained the reason to him.
Volume 4, The Divine Artifacts, Chapter 216: The Conflict Between Two Clans
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The human and demon races originally had a feud, and this time, if it weren't for the demon army forcing them, they would not have joined forces under duress.
However, although they reluctantly joined forces under pressure, the extent of their differences was still unexpected.
Perhaps it's more accurate to say that although both sides had a premonition, they were powerless to resolve the issue.
In fact, when the two groups first settled in Zhenmo Star, they did not separate, but lived together.
However, the drawbacks of living together soon became apparent. Within just three days, mutual dislike and annoyance were already brewing between the human and demon races, with constant minor frictions occurring. Although these were all trivial matters, they were enough to give any discerning person a major headache.
Moreover, these minor skirmishes not only occur frequently, but are also gradually showing a trend of further expansion.
Fortunately, at this time, Sect Master Huizhe and others led their disciples to the scene and happened to meet His Majesty the Lion King, the king of beasts. After discussing it, they decided to temporarily separate.
Xiao Wenbing frowned slightly. He suddenly thought of the wolf demon he had encountered when he first arrived on Zhenmo Star. At first, the demon had not given them any friendly treatment. This showed that many demon kings had a deep-seated prejudice against humans, which would probably not be resolved in the short term.
At the same time, he also sensed the worry in Hui Zhe's words, which was the biggest concern about this battle to suppress the demon...
This battle against the demons is no small matter and is of great importance.
Centered on Zhenmo Star, almost all the experts in this area are here. If they still cannot stop the invasion of the demon army, then the catastrophe of three thousand years ago will inevitably be repeated, and the losses to the cultivation world will be extremely heavy.
Therefore, this battle must be won, because if we lose, I'm afraid no one can bear the serious consequences of defeat.
However, winning isn't something that can be solved by shouting slogans. No matter how loudly you shout, one flying sword from the other side will leave you utterly defeated.
If the human and demon races remain irreconcilably opposed on the day of battle, then victory is out of the question. Total annihilation is more likely.
Therefore, anyone with a modicum of knowledge was deeply worried about this. Although the old Taoist priest seemed to suggest that the Lion King and the Wolf King were more inclined to be friendly with the human race, it was unclear what the other members of the demon race thought.
"A great war is imminent. If the two races start fighting first, I'm afraid..." Hui Zhe frowned and sighed, clearly worried about this.
Xiao Wenbing touched the Heavenly Void Ring on his hand and suddenly remembered that it contained two treasures. He immediately had an idea. He raised his eyebrows and smiled, saying, "Senior, don't worry, perhaps I have a way."
"Oh, what insightful opinion does Fellow Daoist Xiao have?" Hui Zhe asked, his eyes lighting up.
Although Xiao Wenbing is only a Golden Core cultivator, his identity is extraordinary. This time, he represented the human race on a mission to the three holy lands, bringing back experts from the spirit race to assist him. Therefore, his words naturally carry some weight.
“I dare not presume to offer such insightful opinion. However, I have heard that the demon race has always regarded the dragon and phoenix races as its leaders, and follows their lead in everything. Is that correct?” Xiao Wenbing asked with a smile.
“That’s right.” Hui Zhe nodded solemnly and said, “The Dragon and Phoenix clans are the most revered among all birds, beasts, insects and snakes. As long as one is a member of the demon race, they all worship them as gods in the world. They dare not disobey any orders they receive.”
"Elder Xiao, could it be that you gained something else from your trip to the Dragon and Phoenix Clans?" Sect Master Tianyi sensed something amiss and quickly asked.
All eyes were fixed on Xiao Wenbing. If it really was the Dragon and Phoenix clans who came forward to suppress him, even if the demon clan had a huge amount of courage, they would not dare to disobey.
Xiao Wenbing laughed heartily, but did not answer the crowd's questions. Yes... he had never been to the Dragon Palace and Phoenix Nest, so how could he answer?
He understood the saying that too much talk leads to mistakes.
However, if what the old Taoist priest said is true, then with these two treasures in his possession, he should be able to suppress the numerous demons for a time.
Seeing Xiao Wenbing's mysterious demeanor, these outstanding elders became even more confident. The worried sages breathed a long sigh of relief, finally rid of this major threat.
While some of the more experienced and cautious individuals might have been skeptical of Xiao Wenbing's words, they naturally wouldn't have believed any other Golden Core cultivators who made such a boast, but Xiao Wenbing...
Well, this person is incredibly powerful; let's wait and see.
"Senior, this junior will now proceed to the demon race's encampment and will return shortly," Xiao Wenbing said, bowing to the crowd.
"Wait, this old Taoist will go with you." The old Taoist Xianyun hurriedly stepped forward. Those monsters were not easy to deal with. He could rest assured that Xiao Wenbing was going alone.
Xiao Wenbing shook his head repeatedly and said, "Master, I can handle this alone." Seeing the old Taoist's worried expression, he comforted him, "I am fully confident that I can resolve this, so please rest assured."
"Yes, Brother Xianyun, Elder Xiao is no ordinary person, so you can rest assured," the Tianyi Sect Master chimed in.
After hesitating for a moment, the old Taoist priest Xianyun finally gave up the idea of going along.
Xiao Wenbing performed the proper courtesies, bowed again, and gave Hui Zhe a few instructions, asking him to settle the monster experts. Among these people, apart from the Food King who was rather difficult to serve, the rest were all typical good-natured people who would not cause any trouble for the human race.
As soon as he left the base camp and took off, he sensed something amiss. Without turning around, he knew it was Zhang Yaqi and the others who had followed him. He turned his head and said with a wry smile, "I've had enough on my own. What are you doing here?"
"It's nothing. I just wanted to see what the demon race's headquarters looks like," Zhang Yaqi said casually.
Feng Baiyi didn't answer, only keeping her pretty face cold and silent. As for Die Xian, she simply came to Xiao Wenbing's side, took his arm, and her beautiful face was full of innocent smiles.
Xiao Wenbing felt a surge of excitement. He knew that while his performance below might have fooled Hui Zhe and the others, it would be difficult to deceive the two women who were going to the Shenmu clan with him.
Knowing they hadn't been to the Dragon Palace or Phoenix Nest, they were worried about their safety and followed him on their own. This affection was truly rare. As for the Butterfly Fairy, she probably didn't understand any grand principles; she simply wanted to stay by his side out of instinct.
Looking closely at the two women's calm gazes, Xiao Wenbing suddenly felt a surge of heroic spirit and said, "Alright, since that's the case, let's go together."
The demon race's stronghold was not far from the human race, only about two thousand miles away, forming an equilateral triangle with the demon seal on the Demon Suppression Star.
Xiao Wenbing observed from afar. To an uninformed observer, it would seem that the two races were deliberately forming a defensive alliance, supporting each other. Little would they know that the relationship between the human and demon races was actually fraught with undercurrents.
"Who comes here?"
A rumbling sound came from the demon race's main camp, clearly indicating that their identities had been exposed.
Indeed, the senses of demons are significantly more sensitive than those of humans. Even just by smell, they could tell that three humans were approaching.
Dozens of figures rose into the air ahead. Xiao Wenbing stared intently and exclaimed, "Good heavens! There are all sorts of animals here. Could it be that I have really stepped into the story of Journey to the West?"
However, judging from their fierce, baring teeth, it's clear that these people are not kind-hearted.
"You audacious brat, daring to come to our demon race! Haha, a piece of trash delivered right to our doorstep, not bad, not bad, just right to satisfy my cravings!" A leopard-headed man laughed loudly.
A strange, chuckling sound rang out beside him, clearly indicating strong agreement with the statement.
Xiao Wenbing immediately understood that these people belonged to the type of monsters who disliked humans. However, he was also very patient, and slightly cupped his hands, saying, "I have come here to request an audience with the Lion King. Please introduce me, senior."
An introduction? Haha, just say what you need. After you've said it, Grandpa's still hungry.
Xiao Wenbing frowned. He hadn't expected these demon beasts to be so unreasonable. He snorted and turned to Feng Baiyi, saying softly, "Baiyi, summon a bolt of heavenly lightning to show them, but don't actually strike anyone."
Feng Baiyi remained silent, and it was unclear whether she had heard anything or not; however, a sharp glint flashed in her eyes.
That leopard was a renowned creature among the demons in this area, its fame and power no less than that of the Moonlit Wolf King.
Unlike the Wolf King, he was a man who utterly loathed humans. He had only spoken so much with Xiao Wenbing today because of the Lion King's orders; otherwise, he would have pounced on them long ago and swallowed them whole.
Leopard Head was laughing wildly when suddenly he heard a rumbling sound in the sky.
He looked up in surprise, and his expression immediately changed drastically. Above his head, a thick fog of thunderclouds and storm clouds was beginning to gather.
"Heavenly Tribulation..."
Almost simultaneously, the dozen or so demon experts in the air shouted out. Without saying a word, they immediately scattered and fled in different directions, disappearing like birds and beasts in an instant. No one mentioned the word "loyalty" anymore.
You must understand, this is a heavenly tribulation! Most of them are top experts in the tribulation-crossing stage. They know that if heavenly lightning comes, and they don't leave the magnetic field of the heavenly tribulation quickly, the possibility of triggering a series of tribulations is still very high.