Xiao Wenbing smiled and weighed the pebble in his hand, about to ask the price, when he suddenly felt his hand loosen and the pebble had vanished.
This was quite a shock. Xiao Wenbing blinked, looked closely, and found his hands were empty.
A chill ran through him instantly. In broad daylight, had he encountered a vengeful ghost? But he was an immortal; how could an immortal be afraid of ghosts?
"I want this."
A cold voice came from beside his ear, and Xiao Wenbing turned his head. He saw a tall, thin, and stern-eyed immortal wearing a high crown standing behind him, holding...
The ground was the very pebble he had just been looking at and playing with.
In an instant, Xiao Wenbing realized that this guy had attacked him from behind and forcibly taken the treasure from his hands.
Having realized this, Xiao Wenbing flew into a rage and said, "Senior, I was the one who took a liking to that item first."
The man turned his head coldly and glanced at him. His eyes, devoid of any emotion, were icy cold in the face of the man's gaze. He made no attempt to hide the contempt in his eyes, and seemingly sparing with words, he uttered only one word: "Get lost."
A glint flashed in Xiao Wenbing's eyes. Even the Great Serpent Supreme and the Seven-Colored Winged King wouldn't dare utter that word in front of him, let alone anyone else.
At this moment, his heart was filled with murderous intent. In the blink of an eye, he deduced that this person was an immortal, but only a Golden Immortal with a cultivation level similar to Mu Hua's. Not to mention a supreme being like the Great Serpent, he was far inferior even to a Great Immortal at the Refining God Realm.
A slight smile tugged at the corner of his lips, and the Xuanwu Shield was already poised to strike. However, before he could even speak, someone shouted angrily, "I'm not selling this!"
Xiao Wenbing turned around in surprise, only to see Mingyang's eyes wide with anger, shouting loudly.
The man glared with his triangular eyes and said in a sinister tone, "You ignorant fool, what did you say?"
“I’ve already given my things to Brother Xiao, so I won’t sell them to you,” Mingyang said coldly.
A thick killing intent emanated from the man, enveloping the two of them simultaneously. Xiao Wenbing's wrist hung down; the Xuanwu Shield, the Heavenly Thunder Talisman, and even the small bronze mirror were all ready. Faced with such a powerful enemy, the Mirror God should never be stingy when it was time to put it to use.
Suddenly, a powerful aura forcefully pierced between the two sides, and a great immortal who had reached the Refining Spirit realm appeared before them.
"This is the Grand Immortals' Exchange Meeting of the Linglong Immortal Realm. I wonder what disputes the three of you have? Please give us some face and do not fight here."
As they spoke, several more equally powerful auras swept over, clearly indicating that someone had already noticed the changes here.
Mingyang smiled and nodded to Xiao Wenbing, saying, "Brother Xiao, rest assured, in our Linglong Immortal Realm, no one dares to forcibly seize land."
Xiao Wenbing shook his head regretfully, then his eyes darted around before he suddenly smiled. It would be such a waste to give up something so much fun they'd finally gotten their hands on.
Volume 20, Chapter 17: The Battle of Life and Death
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The newly arrived immortal recognized Mingyang and asked, "Mingyang, what happened?"
Mingyang's expression hardened. Pointing at the gaunt immortal, he said, "Elder Ao, this person is trying to steal my things."
A flash of venomous resentment appeared in the man's eyes, then vanished, and he coldly said, "Nonsense."
Elder Ao's expression changed, clearly showing his apprehension towards this person. He then turned to Xiao Wenbing and asked, "Fellow Immortal, what do you have to say?"
Xiao Wenbing, beaming, coughed and cleared his throat, then chuckled, "Elder Ao, is it? Here's the thing: this immortal and I both coveted the same treasure, so we wanted to bid fairly. However, this immortal is penniless, so..."
The man's face turned pale with anger, and he roared, "Kid, who are you calling a penniless pauper?"
Elder Ao and Mingyang were both taken aback; they never expected Xiao Wenbing to say such a thing.
Xiao Wenbing chuckled and said, "Whoever has few treasures is a pauper."
Elder Ao's face twitched slightly as he suppressed a laugh, saying, "Fellow Immortal, you jest. This is Immortal Master Di Fen Hua from the Taiwu Immortal Realm. He is wealthy; how could he be a pauper?"
"Really?" Xiao Wenbing asked in surprise, "Elder Ao, you've mistaken him for someone else. Since he's not penniless, why doesn't he dare to bid fairly with me, instead trying to forcibly take it?"
"Nonsense!" Fen Hua retorted angrily, "I only took the land because I saw you couldn't afford it."
"I'm not selling," Mingyang suddenly shouted.
"What?" Elder Ao asked in surprise.
Xiao Wenbing was quite grateful to Mingyang, but he had other plans. He secretly tugged at Mingyang, gave him a wink, and said with a smile, "Brother Mingyang, are you saying that he wants to sell this treasure for a high price and won't accept payment on credit?"
Fen Hua laughed in fury, saying, "I know how to use a secret account? Haha, Elder Ao, your disciple is truly blind!"
Elder Ao frowned, looking at Xiao Wenbing, inwardly cursing the man for being so tactless.
He knew Mingyang's personality very well. After hearing what he said, he had already guessed most of it and knew that it must have been that person named Fenhua who had interfered. If it were anyone else in this situation, he would have already stood up for justice.
However, Elder Ao had other concerns. The power behind Fen Hua was truly formidable. He didn't want to offend him unless absolutely necessary.
In his plan, as long as Xiao Wenbing followed Mingyang's words, he would award the goods to Xiao Wenbing. In this way, it would be reasonable from any perspective and would give both parties a way out.
However, Xiao Wenbing didn't seem to grasp the key point. Not only did he refuse to cooperate, but he also talked about fair competition. I really don't know what he was thinking. Did he really think that a mere Nascent Soul Immortal could compare to Fen Hua?
Xiao Wenbing didn't mind the surprised looks from the crowd, and instead smiled and said, "So, Fellow Immortal Fenhua's wealth must be much greater than mine."
Fen Huadi's eyes were filled with disdain as he said, "You want to compete with me? In your next life."
Xiao Wenbing burst into laughter, slowly removing the Heavenly Void Ring from his finger. He said, "All my possessions are inside. If you have the guts, compete with me. If your treasures are indeed more numerous than mine, then this is yours. But if you lose..." He pointed to the Mustard Seed Wristband on his body, saying, "This is mine."
Fen Hua was taken aback. Although he had great confidence in himself, Xiao Wenbing's words implied a degree of certainty, causing him to hesitate for a moment.
"What...you don't dare?" Xiao Wenbing glanced at them with the exact same look Fen Hua had just given him.
"Fine, but if you lose, I won't take your things, I'll take your life." A surge of anger welled up in his heart. In the Taiwu Immortal Realm, relying on the reputation of his sect, no one dared to speak to him like this. At this moment, consumed by rage, he immediately threw all his concerns to the back of his mind and agreed without thinking.
Xiao Wenbing smiled without changing his expression: "Want my life? Fellow immortal, have you forgotten that this is a gathering of great immortals, where fighting is strictly prohibited?"
Fen Hua pointed outside and said, "That's right, private duels are indeed not allowed, but open and aboveboard life-or-death duels are acceptable."
"Life and death arena, what is that?"
Mingyang coughed and said, "Fellow Daoist Xiao, the Life and Death Arena is a ring competition. During the exchange meeting, if anyone insists on fighting, they can settle their score in the Life and Death Arena. However, since it is called the Life and Death Arena, the result will definitely be the death of one side."
"Oh." Xiao Wenbing nodded repeatedly, then said to Fen Hua, "It's just a life-or-death arena, do you think I'm afraid of you?" Seeing a venomous glint in Fen Hua's eyes, Xiao Wenbing's tone shifted abruptly, "You're already an Immortal, while I'm only at the Integration stage. You want me to go to a life-or-death arena with you? Do you think I'm as stupid as you? You're such a despicable and shameless grandson, even being your grandfather would be a disgrace to me. Forget it, I'm not your grandfather anymore."
Fen Hua was slightly taken aback. Xiao Wenbing kept calling him "Grandpa" so quickly and urgently. When he figured out the relationship in his mind, he was so angry that he was practically fuming.
Elder Ao and Mingyang, who were standing nearby, finally couldn't help but laugh, thinking to themselves that this kid was indeed a master at cursing. However, seeing that he had declined the competition, they were relieved.
Fen Hua strode forward, and suddenly a surge of energy forcefully blocked his path.
Elder Ao said solemnly, "Fellow Daoist Fen Hua, this is a gathering of great immortals from the Linglong Immortal Realm. Please behave with respect."
Fen Hua glared at Elder Ao and suddenly said, "Since that's the case, I'm willing to limit my power. Do you dare to step into the life-or-death arena?"
Elder Ao's expression changed. He said, "Fellow Daoist Fen Hua, you are, after all, an immortal. Must you really resort to poisoning a junior?"
“Elder Ao, you are wrong.” Unexpectedly, it was Xiao Wenbing who stepped forward to object: “Since this immortal has agreed to limit his power, he is on the same level as me, so it can’t be considered bullying the weak.” After saying that, Xiao Wenbing’s smile disappeared, and he said seriously: “If it’s a fight to the death, without using magic weapons, then I will agree to your request.”
Elder Ao and Mingyang exchanged a worried glance. Although Fen Hua had agreed to seal his power, he was still an immortal, and his immortal power was far beyond what Xiao Wenbing could match. If the two continued to stalemate, Xiao Wenbing would die when his immortal power was exhausted.
If Xiao Wenbing possessed some unparalleled magical treasure, perhaps they could still put up a fight, but he has blocked that last resort. If Fen Hua were to lose this battle, that would truly be an injustice.
"Okay, it's a deal." Fen Hua was overjoyed, fearing that something might go wrong, and quickly agreed. After saying that, he turned and left.
Xiao Wenbing followed with a smile, and Elder Ao, Mingyang, and the others had no choice but to follow.
After leaving the palace and entering the main hall, Fen Hua grinned maliciously.
Across from him, Xiao Wenbing smiled at him. Then, he sat upright in a horse stance and began to take deep breaths.
Elder Ao and the others were taken aback, unable to discern what he was up to.
After Xiao Wenbing took a deep breath, his eyes widened in anger, and he suddenly opened his mouth, strained his throat, and shouted with all his might, "Catch the thief..."
The sound was so loud it was unprecedented; the powerful sound waves traveled far and wide, and everyone at the conference who wasn't deaf could hear it.
Elder Ao, Mingyang, Fenhua, and the others shuddered. These people were the first to be hit, and the fact that they were not knocked unconscious on the spot showed that their cultivation was already superb.
Suddenly, a gust of wind blew, and countless people poured out from the various halls. Stealing at a grand gathering of immortals was unheard of; weren't they afraid of incurring public outrage?
The Great Serpent Supreme, seemingly eager to stir up trouble, shouted loudly, "Where is the thief? Where is the thief?"
"Who are you calling a thief?"
Fen Hua's face turned ashen with anger, and he asked through gritted teeth. Although Xiao Wenbing hadn't named him, he knew from their recent conflict that Xiao was referring to him.
"Of course it's you."
"You're spouting nonsense!" Fen Hua wanted to rush forward and skin this minor immortal at the Integration Realm alive, but under the watchful eyes of everyone, he dared not make a move. He needed to clear his name of the thief first. If he killed him like this, wouldn't it become murder to silence him, and then even with a mouth full of words, he wouldn't be able to explain himself?
"You still say you're not a thief? What's in your hand?"
All eyes turned to Fen Huadi's hand, where he held a strangely shaped pebble.
Before Fen Hua could speak, Xiao Wenbing immediately exclaimed, "Seniors, this person just took this treasure from the shelf, left nothing behind, and turned to leave the main hall. What else could this be but theft?"
"Buzz." The crowd immediately began to whisper among themselves, their eyes filled with disdain as they looked at Fen Huadi.
Fen Hua felt his vision go black. He had left the main hall in a fit of rage and hadn't even thought of the pebble in his hand. Now, with Xiao Wenbing pressing him, he was truly speechless.
"I...I didn't," Fen Hua hurriedly explained, but looking around, he immediately realized that no one believed him. He felt dizzy and ashamed, his body flushed, and he could no longer control himself, spitting out a mouthful of blood.
"Oh, you can even vomit blood. Hmm, that means you still have some conscience and know the meaning of shame. Fine, I, Xiao, will reluctantly continue to be your grandfather," Xiao Wenbing said magnanimously.
Just as Fen Hua was spitting out the blood in his chest, he was struck by Xiao Wenbing's words. His mind went blank for a moment, and he spat out another mouthful of blood. His fists clenched tightly, and a trace of blood trickled down the corner of his mouth. He stared fiercely at Xiao Wenbing, like a ferocious beast ready to devour its prey, indescribably ferocious and terrifying.
In stark contrast, Xiao Wenbing stood with his arms crossed and a smile on his face, seemingly not taking the man seriously at all.
Volume 20, Chapter 18: Doubling Down One's Fortune (Part 1)
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"Ahem." Elder Ao found it amusing and also felt a sense of satisfaction. However, he knew the gravity of the situation and did not want to forge a deadly feud with the forces behind Fen Hua. He immediately stepped forward and explained, "Everyone, it's a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding."
After the old man explained, everyone understood the reasoning. However, Xiao Wenbing was very dissatisfied. This Elder Ao, seeing that his cultivation level was low, kept trying to excuse him. After hearing his explanation, an outsider would probably really think it was a misunderstanding.
After Elder Ao finished announcing the duel between Xiao Wenbing and Fen Hua, the onlookers began to whisper among themselves. Of course, in the eyes of most people, Xiao Wenbing was simply courting death.
"So that's the reason. No wonder Fellow Immortal Fenhua was upset."