The confrontation between the two has reached its most crucial moment, no wonder it has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Xiao Wenbing nodded to himself. Elder Yan's progress was obvious to all. Even among this group of Ten Tribulation Body cultivators, his talent was among the best. That was why he was able to achieve such success in such a short time and fight to a standstill against a top-tier Integration Body Immortal.
Of course, Elder Yan's Nine-Section Fire Cudgel also gave him a significant advantage.
The clouds in the sky began to descend, and Xiao Wenbing and the others gradually reappeared. They watched the battle in the mustard seed space intently, occasionally whispering to each other, seemingly evaluating each other's gains and losses.
However, no one noticed that their conversation at that moment had nothing to do with the fight.
"White Robe, come with me to a place later to hire a servant."
“No need,” Feng Baiyi coldly refused. “I don’t need any servants.”
"Haha, the one in white, that's a great immortal at the Refining Spirit Realm!"
"I don't want to."
Xiao Wenbing gave a wry smile and said, "Alright, consider it doing me a favor."
Feng Baiyi frowned and asked, "Why won't you accept it?"
"I want to acquire it, but I don't have the strength."
"What?"
"If I were to take a Refining God Earth Immortal as my servant, I would have to withstand half of its Heavenly Tribulation. The Refining God Earth Heavenly Tribulation is something I cannot endure." He paused, then said, "White Robe, you are different. You possess the Heavenly Thunder Body and have mastered the power of the Chaos Wall. That is the primordial power of Heavenly Thunder. Tribulations like the Thousand-Year Tribulation or the Ten-Thousand-Year Tribulation pose no threat to you whatsoever. Therefore, you are the best candidate to subdue that fellow."
Feng Baiyi pondered for a moment and asked, "Who is that? From the Valley of Ten Thousand Poisons?"
“That’s right.” Xiao Wenbing laughed, “It’s so easy talking to you. You’re one of the two biggest figures in the Valley of Ten Thousand Poisons, the Refining Serpent Immortal.”
"All right."
Upon hearing Feng Baiyi's agreement, Xiao Wenbing immediately turned to Zhang Yaqi and said, "Yaqi, you can't just sit idly by. We need to prepare the Five Elements Guardian Array."
"The Five Elements Guardian Array." A strange light flashed in Zhang Yaqi's eyes as she asked, "Is the beast tide coming?"
Xiao Wenbing was startled and asked, "How did you know?"
"You went to the Valley of Ten Thousand Poisons, and as soon as you came back, you immediately asked Yaqi to prepare the Five Elements Guardian Array. Isn't that obviously telling us that the beast tide is coming?" Feng Baiyi said irritably.
"Ah..." Xiao Wenbing sighed sincerely. These two women were too clever. If only they were a little less clever...
"Waaaaah..."
A piercing scream suddenly rang out.
The expressions of everyone on the platform changed drastically at the same time. They exchanged glances, and even the immortals like Mu Hua looked grim.
A disciple flew swiftly from outside the fighting arena, shouting mid-air, "The beast tide is coming!"
"Who sounded the alarm, and what was its scale?" Mu Hua asked.
"Reporting to the patriarch, it was an alarm sounded from the watchtower; it was a twelve-barreled fireworks display."
The expressions on everyone's faces grew even more grim.
"A twelve-linked fireworks display? You're not seeing things?"
"This disciple dares not make a mistake."
"Brother Mu, what do you think?" a high immortal from the Angry Waves Sect suddenly asked.
"Have those beasts gone mad?" another immortal said fiercely, his eyes gleaming.
Mu Hua glanced at them, then suddenly sighed, flicked his fingers, and hundreds of beams of light shot out from between his fingers almost simultaneously.
Xiao Wenbing watched from the side, completely convinced. He truly lived up to his reputation as an immortal; even sending messages via flying swords was so skillful, practically a machine gun replica.
The two immortals also sighed and made the same move as Mu Hua.
Mu Hua turned to Mu Ling and said, "Let all the major sects join forces to activate the protective shield."
"Yes," Mu Ling replied, and in a flash, she had already left the mysterious gate.
After pondering for a moment, Mu Hua waved in the direction of Xiao Wenbing's location, and the cloud immediately flew over.
Xiao Wenbing knew he had something to say, and by this time he had already recounted his journey through the Valley of Ten Thousand Poisons to the two women in detail, instructing them to act according to the circumstances. Afterwards, he led the three women down from the clouds and asked first, "Seniors, what brings you here...?"
"Alas... Fellow Daoist Xiao, originally, with your arrival in Huangzhou, our Xuanji Sect was just about to do our part to help. But now Huangzhou is facing a great calamity. You should all leave as soon as possible," Mu Hua sighed.
"Let us leave?"
“Indeed, Zhu Bajie and Yan Ming have been with my Xuanji Sect for less than a year, so there’s no need for them to stay here.” Mu Hua suddenly bowed to Xiao Wenbing and said, “Furthermore, since Xuan Li has become your disciple, we will naturally have to trouble you to take care of him.”
Volume 19, Chapter 7: Multiple Hands Appear
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Hearing Mu Hua's expression as if he were making his final arrangements, Xiao Wen was greatly surprised and asked, "Senior, why are you so pessimistic? Even if the beast tide comes, with so many of us here, surely we can stop it?"
Mu Hua gave a wry smile and said, "Fellow Immortal, you may not know this, but this time the Watchers have launched a twelve-barreled barrage of fireworks. That means the entire Ten Thousand Poison Valley will be coming out in full force. Alas... the demonic beasts are too powerful; I'm afraid we won't be able to hold out much longer."
"Is the Valley of Ten Thousand Poisons really that powerful?" Xiao Wenbing asked, feigning surprise.
"Indeed, the Valley of Ten Thousand Poisons is teeming with countless monsters and poisonous creatures, whose strength is so formidable that even if our Huangzhou City were to fight them with all its might, we would still be no match for them."
"Haha." Xiao Wenbing looked unconvinced: "Senior, you're really giving others too much credit while undermining our own morale. It's just a Valley of Ten Thousand Poisons. We got through safely, and we didn't see anything strange about it."
Mu Hua and the other two immortals looked at each other in bewilderment. They knew nothing about the Star Dou Illusionary Realm, and all the ascended immortals were seasoned veterans who would keep their mouths shut about things they shouldn't say. So, to this day, they still couldn't figure out how Xiao Wenbing had managed to pass through the Ten Thousand Poison Valley on such a large scale.
Fortunately, the several immortals were discerning and saw through Xiao Wenbing's true nature. They also knew that they were all immortals who had ascended after ten tribulations. Otherwise, they would have really suspected that they were monsters from the Valley of Ten Thousand Poisons.
"Ahem, fellow immortal, you may not know this, but there are two top-tier figures in this Valley of Ten Thousand Poisons. As long as they don't make a move, our Huangzhou City is impregnable. But the fact that the twelve consecutive fireworks have been set off means that these two monsters have also made their move. So..." A good-natured immortal from the Raging Waves Sect said.
If it were someone else at the Integration Realm making such comments, these three immortals wouldn't even bother explaining themselves. They would probably have slapped them across the face long ago.
But Xiao Wenbing is different. He has ten tribulations in his body... and there are tens of thousands of them. In the future, this will be a powerful force. Even if they had the courage, they would not dare to offend him easily.
In the immortal realm, a body capable of ten tribulations is extremely rare. Even considering the lifespan of an immortal, it is as rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns, one in a billion.
Everyone knows the benefits of having a body capable of enduring ten tribulations, but when it comes to actually undergoing the tribulation, no one is willing to endure the bombardment of the Nine Heavens Thunder and Fire Tribulation. The number of people who can safely survive that death tribulation is so small that no one dares to try it lightly.
Of course, apart from those whose hands are covered in blood and who have committed heinous crimes, it is unlikely that the Nine Heavens Thunder and Fire Tribulation will befall ordinary people.
Therefore, in Mu Hua and the others' minds, Xiao Wenbing and his 10,000 followers were definitely not good people; each and every one of them was a ruthless and heinous killer. Such people could only be won over and flattered, but should never be offended.
Otherwise, if they hold a grudge, the sin of provoking the Nine Heavens Thunder and Fire Tribulation is not something anyone would dare to commit. It is estimated that if these people had the strength, they wouldn't mind completely razing Huangzhou City to the ground from this immortal realm.
And when they reached the Refining Spirit realm, there were over ten thousand Refining Spirit Immortals with ten tribulations in their bodies! Just thinking about it sends chills down one's spine.
Therefore, even immortals like Mu Hua dared not harbor the slightest intention of using them to protect Huangzhou City from disaster.
Xiao Wenbing frowned and asked, "Senior, what are those two guys? Are they that powerful? How do they compare to the rest of you?"
Mu Hua shook his head and said, "It's simply incomparable."
“I see there are quite a few immortals in Huangzhou City. Could it be that even with so many people joining forces, they still can’t win against the Valley of Ten Thousand Poisons?” Xiao Wenbing’s gaze swept over the hands of the three of them. “Moreover, judging from the actions of the three seniors just now, didn’t you send out a flying sword message? I wonder when the reinforcements will arrive?”
Mu Hua gave a wry smile and said, "Most of the human immortals in our Huangzhou City are not here. Many have even left this immortal realm. Even with teleportation, it wouldn't be possible to arrive in a short time."
"Is it possible that not a single person will come?"
“Otherwise, if it’s nearby, we can get there quickly. But if it’s far away…” Mu Hua hesitated for a moment, then said, “It would take at least ten or eight years to get back.”
"Ten or eight years." Xiao Wenbing's expression turned strange. What was this? Could this battle really last ten or eight years? If Huangzhou City was destroyed, when they returned, would they be collecting the corpses of the human race, or charging into the Valley of Ten Thousand Poisons to die?
"Alas... In the past million years, neither of the two supreme beings in the Valley of Ten Thousand Poisons has personally taken action. This time, for some reason, they have led their people out. Could it be that a calamity has truly arrived?" an immortal muttered to himself.
"Yes, those two monsters haven't made a move in a million years, so why did they come out today? Senior Mu Hua, do you know?" Xiao Wenbing asked with a curious expression.
Without a second thought, Mu Hua shook his head and said, "I don't know, but these monsters aren't human. Heaven knows what they're thinking."
"Hmm, this is truly incomprehensible..." Xiao Wenbing sighed, expressing his deep sympathy.
Behind him, Zhang and Feng, the two women, simultaneously turned their gazes away. Having already known the cause and effect, their understanding of Xiao Wenbing deepened; this guy's skin was getting thicker and thicker.
"Waaaaah..."
The piercing alarm sounded again, and Mu Hua clasped his hands in a fist salute to Xiao Wenbing, saying, "Take care, fellow immortal. We shall take our leave now."
After saying this, the three immortals drifted away at the same time, while the current sect leaders of the two major sects, Mu Ling and Xu Chonghan, had already gone out to take charge of the overall situation.
Mu Yun pulled Mu Xuanli up and said, "Fellow Daoist Xiao, I entrust my grandson to you."
Xiao Wenbing immediately shook his head vigorously, saying, "No, no, Senior Mu Yun, although the Valley of Ten Thousand Poisons has a bad reputation, I haven't seen it with my own eyes, so I still don't believe it."
"That……"
"Seniors, why don't you two accompany me to see for yourself? If things truly cannot be avoided, I will leave with Xuanli."
"Alright then, let's go and take a look together," Mu Yun said helplessly.
Xiao Wenbing smiled smugly. The reason he wanted to involve Mu Yun and Mu Xuanli was because one of them was his disciple, and the other's appearance and demeanor were extremely similar to his master, Xianyun. Even if it was out of love for his master, he couldn't let Mu Yun be in danger.
Soon, they arrived at the top of the city wall, which stretched endlessly, encircling the entire city of Huangzhou. Fortunately, half of the population inside were cultivators; otherwise, defending such a vast city wall would have been a very difficult task.
Xiao Wenbing and the others naturally gathered at the main gate. This city wall was far more complex than others, both in terms of its thickness and the incantations engraved on it. Moreover, the city gate faced the Valley of Ten Thousand Poisons in the distance. Clearly, the human race had gained a wealth of experience from countless previous beast tides.
A milky-white light enveloped the entire city wall, making it appear as if one was wearing strange, tinted glasses when looking out from inside—a truly fascinating sight.
However, the scenery outside the city walls was anything but interesting. Countless ferocious beasts, snakes, and insects swarmed towards the city walls from all over the mountains and plains. Although there was still a long distance between them and the walls, their sheer number was enough to send chills down one's spine.
The city walls of Huangzhou were not very high, and the city gates were extremely wide, but the gates, which were usually bustling with people, were now completely deserted.
Mu Hua turned his head and saw Xiao Wenbing and the others coming together. His thick eyebrows furrowed slightly, but he no longer complained.
The monsters moved slowly, as if they were strolling around, and stopped completely when they were about two hundred meters away from the city wall.
"Why aren't they attacking?" Xiao Wenbing said discontentedly. "Don't they know the importance of speed in warfare?"
Mu Hua was taken aback when she heard this. There were actually people who cared about ferocious beasts. Although she didn't turn around, she had already decided in her heart that this was a vicious guy who never cared about human lives.
"Fellow Daoist Xiao, they are waiting for an expert to break through Huangzhou City's protective shield," Mu Yun explained.
"Oh, is it that multi-armed, big-eared monster?"
“No, the Multi-Handed Supreme doesn’t usually act rashly. It must have been a combined attack from several Immortals.” Mu Yun said, then suddenly asked, “How did Fellow Immortal Xiao know about the Multi-Handed Supreme?”
Xiao Wenbing was taken aback. How did he know about the location of the Multi-Handed Immortal?