With a forced smile that seemed to be both a laugh and a cry, Long Shi couldn't utter a single good word. Although he didn't sense anything unusual nearby, with the methods of a god, dealing with two of the lowest-level immortals was as easy as an immortal dealing with several cultivators who had just grasped the essence of qi—it was simply impossible for anyone to notice.
In his mind, since the God of Preciousness had agreed, Queenie and the other two must be in grave danger by now.
"Fellow Daoist Xiao, has the Precious God made a move?" Feng Hua, ever the steady one, pressed on with the question.
"Ah, not yet."
"Not yet?" Long Shi's dazed eyes suddenly sharpened, and he shouted loudly.
"yes."
"Is that so?" Long Shi opened his mouth wide, exhaled, and his face quickly flushed red. The old man was so moved that he was almost in tears. It hadn't been easy for him; he had finally come back to life...
"Senior Long Shi, what's going on?"
Long Shi's spirits lifted. Although the treasure god hadn't made a move yet, who knew what the god was thinking? If it suddenly had a change of heart, wouldn't he still be the culprit?
Thinking of this, he quickly said, "Fellow Daoist Xiao, I have a favor to ask of you."
"Elder Long, you're too kind. Please feel free to give any instructions," Xiao Wenbing said humbly. He never expected that Long Shi would even use the honorific "you" (您). It seemed that this old dragon was shameless.
"Alright, then I'll trouble you to discuss this with Lord Baby God again. These two must not die."
"Can't die?"
"Exactly."
“But…” Xiao Wenbing frowned. He said suspiciously, “It was clearly you who said, senior, that all demons are wicked villains who deserve to be killed by everyone.”
"Ah, really? Did I say that?" Long Shi asked in surprise. In his memory, he had only said to ask Xiao Wenbing to take the opportunity to destroy the Demon Realm, but he didn't seem to have said that all demons were bad guys.
“Yes. You must have said that, otherwise why would I have asked the Treasure God to help?” Xiao Wenbing said seriously. Seeing that Long Shi seemed to want to argue, he immediately added decisively, “You must have said that.”
Long Shi was taken aback. This was truly a case of a scholar encountering a soldier – reason was useless. If anyone else had dared to falsely accuse him to his face, Old Long would have already unleashed a torrent of rage. But Xiao Wenbing? Forget it, even if he could beat him, he couldn't afford to...
Feng Hua frowned slightly. She said, "Fellow Daoist Xiao, Elder Long was just speaking offhand. There are good and bad people in the world; how can we condemn them all?"
"Ah." Xiao Wenbing suddenly realized and asked, "So, Quini and Shabir are both good people."
Long Shi said with a wry smile, "Whether they are good people or not is hard to say, but the most important thing now is to gain the understanding of the Treasure God and ask it to postpone its punishment."
"This doesn't seem quite right," Xiao Wenbing murmured. "Elder Long, I begged him for ages before he finally agreed. If I turn my back now, he might get angry..."
Long Shi opened his mouth, thinking to himself, "Let him be angry, as long as I don't take your life, everything is fine." However, if he said this to Xiao Wenbing's face, Xiao Wenbing would probably just walk away in a huff.
"Alas... It's all Old Dragon's fault for being reckless. If he had known what would happen today, he would never have encouraged Fellow Daoist Xiao to make such a mistake. Alas, it's all because of those blockheads. They clearly knew the secret, but they just stubbornly refused to speak up. They are truly a group of hopeless fellows."
"Shh...be quiet." Feng Hua quickly tugged at Long Shi's sleeve, and Long Shi immediately realized what she meant, his expression becoming rather unnatural.
Whatever the reason, anyone who dares to call the Divine Tree Venerable a dead piece of wood will likely come to a bad end. If those pieces of wood are truly rotten and stubborn, and insist on seeking justice, then things could get really interesting.
The Qiankun Ring on Xiao Wenbing's wrist seemed to flash with a faint light, but it quickly disappeared again.
The old dragon twitched its lips slightly, revealing a faint smile; it was truly anxious.
"Elder Long, there is something I don't understand. Why did you suddenly change your mind?"
Long Shi hesitated for a moment, knowing that Xiao Wenbing probably wouldn't budge unless he was honest, so he had no choice but to say helplessly, "Fellow Daoist Xiao, the flame on Quini's body is a celestial fire."
"Celestial Spirit Fire?" Xiao Wenbing thought to himself, "You're only finding out now? If it weren't for the Celestial Spirit Fire, would I have been in such a sorry state during the battles in the Flame Realm?" He shook his head slightly and still asked, "So what?"
“The Immortal Spirit Fire has only one source, and that is the Fire Spirit Immortal. Since Quini has the Immortal Spirit Fire, it means…” Long Shi paused and gestured with his eyes.
"Oh." Xiao Wenbing suddenly realized and said, "I understand now, Quini must be the Fire Spirit Immortal."
“Yeah! Hmm… wait a minute.” Long Shi said, half-laughing and half-crying, “How could Queenie possibly be the Fire Spirit Fairy herself?”
“Fellow Daoist Xiao, although Quini possesses great magical power, he is nothing in front of a true Fire Spirit Immortal,” Feng Hua said with a slight smile, seeing that Long Shi had lost his composure, and took the initiative to explain.
"How did you know?" Seeing Feng Hua, who rarely spoke, take the initiative to explain, Xiao Wenbing knew that this phoenix must have received a similar order to Long Shi.
"Has Fellow Daoist Xiao ever met Ancestor Shenmu?"
“Of course.” Xiao Wenbing recalled his trip to the Divine Tree Palace. Although it hadn’t been that long ago, it felt like a lifetime ago!
"Then, in Fellow Daoist Xiao's opinion, how powerful is the Divine Tree Ancestor's land?"
Xiao Wenbing was taken aback. How did the clues end up back on the Divine Tree Ancestor?
After a moment's hesitation, Xiao Wenbing uttered only one word: "Strong."
Indeed, in terms of the power of an entire realm, in the eyes of these cultivators, the Divine Tree Ancestor was excessively strong.
"Among the five elements, water and fire are the most powerful in terms of strength," Feng Hua said softly.
Xiao Wenbing's expression shifted, and he asked, "You mean that Fire Spirit Immortal is even more powerful than the Divine Wood Ancestor?"
Dragon and Phoenix nodded quickly, reinforcing Xiao Wenbing's confidence.
"Since that Fire Spirit Immortal is from the Flame Realm and knows that the Flame Realm is in danger, why is he still unwilling to descend to the mortal realm and return? Do you think such a guy would appreciate our kindness?"
“That’s for sure.” Long Shi immediately launched into his eloquent speech. “The Fire Spirit Immortal has already reached a high level of mastery, and the energy he possesses is inconceivable. However, due to the incompatibility of their attributes, if he were to personally descend into the Flame Realm, I’m afraid he would not only be unable to help, but would also hasten the demise of the Tree of Life.”
“Yes, just by looking at how even an ordinary immortal like Quini can gain the affection of the Fire Spirit Immortal Land, you can tell that he cares about the safety of the Flame Realm,” Feng Hua added.
Xiao Wenbing frowned and thought for a moment before asking, "Gentlemen, after all this time, you still haven't explained why you value Huo Lingxian so much."
He was secretly amazed. Why did everyone become so excited about the Fire Spirit Immortal, demanding he capture her, while Long Shi seemed to have completely reversed his initial intention to destroy the Demon Realm? What was so special about this Fire Spirit Immortal?
Long Shi lowered his head and remained silent. Feng Hua also looked hesitant.
Upon seeing this, Xiao Wenbing was secretly furious. Fine, if you won't tell me, do you think I won't ask the Mirror God and the Wood Spirit? He was about to put on a stern face when he heard Feng Hua sigh and say, "Fellow Daoist Xiao, to be honest, the Phoenix Lord sent a letter saying that if the Five Spirits can be gathered together, then the cultivation world can advance."
"What?" Xiao Wenbing was completely confused and asked, "What advancement?"
"Fellow Daoist Xiao, what do you think is the purpose of all our hard work in cultivation?"
"Of course, it's ascending to the Immortal Realm."
"So, what if one day our cultivation world directly transforms into the immortal realm?"
"Ah..." Xiao Wenbing was shocked, and then he realized: "You, you mean, the Fire Spirit Immortal can turn the entire cultivation world into an immortal realm?"
"Indeed, according to the ancient texts of the past, the spiritual energy in the Immortal Realm is far superior to that in the lower realm. If our cultivation world could advance to the Immortal Realm, then the number of people who attain immortality would be at least dozens of times greater. Moreover, the Immortal Realm is rich in resources beyond description, and even resisting heavenly tribulations would be much easier."
Xiao Wenbing's expression was extremely strange. He only knew that people could ascend to the Immortal Realm, but he never imagined that an entire realm could be directly transformed into the Immortal Realm. This was indeed the first time he had ever heard of such a thing.
However, judging from their expressions, it might be true; otherwise, the Divine Tree Ancestor wouldn't have made such a swift decision and consulted with the Dragon King and Phoenix Lord. If the leaders of these three holy lands have reached an agreement, it will determine the future direction of the cultivation world.
"Gathering all five spirits is no easy feat," Xiao Wenbing suddenly sighed. To this day, he had never heard of anyone being able to collect all five spirits.
"Otherwise, the Dragon King wrote that there are already two spirits, wood and earth, in the Qiankun Circle, and the Divine Wood Ancestor even said that it knows the whereabouts of the water spirit. In this way, if we can get the help of the Fire Spirit Immortal, there is actually a great chance."
"The spirit of water?"
Xiao Wenbing was startled and was about to reply when he heard Long Shi say, "Fellow Daoist Xiao, this is a long story. Why don't you deal with the Treasure God first?"
"Alright." Xiao Wenbing had had enough of this. Seeing how worried the old dragon was, he had no desire to tease him any further. He immediately sat down cross-legged and pretended to meditate.
A moment later, Xiao Wenbing jumped up and said, "Alright, the precious god has agreed."
Long Shi and Feng Hua looked at each other in bewilderment. Why was it so fast this time?
Volume 4, The Divine Artifacts Chapter 344: The Precious Fire Spirit
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Seeing the genuine doubt in the eyes of the dragon and phoenix, Xiao Wenbing's face hardened, and he said, "What, do you two not believe me?"
Long Shi and Feng Hua were taken aback. To be honest, they really didn't believe it...
"Alas, you two may not believe in this junior, but do you not even believe in the precious god?" Xiao Wenbing shook his head and sighed.
"This...of course, he's trustworthy." Long Shi had no choice but to reply, thinking to himself, "Could this kid just be putting on an act without actually contacting the Treasure God?"
Xiao Wenbing was also quite regretful; he should have spaced out a little longer. However, upon suddenly hearing about the possibility of transforming the cultivation world into the immortal realm, his shock and lack of foresight were understandable.
A thought flashed through his mind, and he immediately realized that no matter how he tried to justify himself, these two would remain doubtful. Since that's the case, hehe…
Xiao Wenbing sneered inwardly. "You suspect me? Then let's see if you have the guts to doubt the Treasure God." With that thought, he activated his divine sense and quickly contacted the Treasure God.
Just as the dragon and phoenix were filled with doubt, a sudden energy fluctuation emanated from the space, and a huge hole opened up in the void. Before the three of them could react, a giant hand reached out from inside and grabbed them, pulling them into the hole.
Long Shi and Feng Hua remained calm in the face of the unexpected turn of events, and despite their best efforts, they were still easily captured by that large hand.
As for Xiao Wenbing, he offered no resistance whatsoever. Instead, upon seeing the horrified expressions on Long and Feng's faces, he comforted them, saying, "Don't worry, it's alright."
"Are you alright?" Long Shi immediately understood and asked, "Is this Lord Treasure God?"
"Yes, didn't you not believe me? You probably angered the precious god." Xiao Wenbing said casually, and seeing the uneasy looks on Long Shi and Feng Hua's faces, he couldn't help but laugh. They say "facts" speak louder than words, and it's true.
A flash of light appeared before their eyes, the passage disappeared, and they found themselves in a stone chamber within the Wanbao Hall.
Before them stood the precious god, exuding boundless majesty.
Long Shi and Feng Hua immediately prostrated themselves respectfully on the ground. Although they were dragons and phoenixes, they were still no different from ordinary people when facing gods.
Perhaps, in God's eyes, they are like cicadas, much larger than ants, but still posing no threat.
Xiao Wenbing originally did not want to bow to the treasure god, but seeing the attitude of the dragon and phoenix, he had no choice but to reluctantly bow and say, "Respected and great master, what are your orders for summoning us here?"
Baby God was taken aback, and his gaze toward Xiao Wenbing was filled with resentment. It was clearly you who asked me to bring you here, so how did it become that I had given you some orders? Moreover, upon hearing the title "respected and great," Baby God felt a rare shiver run down his spine.
The room fell silent. Seeing that the precious god remained silent, the dragon and phoenix dared not raise their heads. Seeing the precious god's bewildered expression, Xiao Wenbing sighed inwardly. No wonder the Creator God abandoned it; such an oblivious creature was indeed disliked.
After a moment, Xiao Wenbing couldn't help but speak up: "My dear god, didn't you say you wanted to ask about the gathering of the five spirits?"
"All five spirits gathered? Impossible!" Baby God said subconsciously.
Xiao Wenbing's eyes twitched, and he cursed himself for being an idiot. He could only say, "Now that we have the Earth and Wood spirits, and the Water and Fire spirits are also in our possession, we only need..."
"What? We even know the whereabouts of the Four Spirits?" Baby God said hurriedly.
Xiao Wenbing looked at the precious god with great seriousness. He had never seen this god so impatient before. He immediately knew that the gathering of the five elements was something that would excite anyone.
"Haha." Xiao Wenbing laughed loudly, pointed at Long and Feng, and said, "If you don't believe me, go ask them."
Long Shi dared not conceal anything and said, "According to the Divine Tree Ancestor, the Water Spirit is in the Underworld. Its power is profound, and it is already on the verge of ascending to immortality."
"The Underworld? Alright, go to the Underworld and bring back the Water Spirit," the Baby God casually ordered.