Shabir quickly interrupted him: "Tell him that whatever sins you commit, you will bear them alone. Whether your soul is scattered or you are condemned to eternal damnation, it is all your own business. But," Shabir's voice gradually turned cold, "if you don't tell him, you will be the enemy of the entire Flame Realm..."
Shabir's large hands gradually disintegrated, turning into a cloud of black smoke that trapped Quini: "Now, you either burn me to death, or tell him you can decide for yourself."
Looking at the black smoke swirling around him, Quini finally managed a smile that was more like a grimace: "I understand, Fellow Daoist Xiao, the Fire Spirit Immortal is in the Immortal Realm."
With a raised eyebrow, Xiao Wenbing was furious. "Nonsense! If Huo Lingxian isn't in the Immortal Realm, where is she? If that immortal were in this realm, we would have been burned to death by her long ago."
"Be specific."
After a moment's hesitation, Quini gritted his teeth and said, "At the Myriad Spirits Lake in the Linglong Immortal Realm."
"What?" Xiao Wenbing was greatly surprised. What kind of answer was this? He didn't know what the Linglong Immortal Realm was, but he understood the meaning of the three words "Wanling Lake".
Wanling Lake, Wanling Lake... This is clearly a lake, wouldn't the Fire Spirit Immortal live on the water?
"Quinnie..."
Are you serious?
These words did not come from Xiao Wenbing, but from Chabir, who was standing next to Quini. Chabir also opened his illusory mouth wide, clearly feeling deeply puzzled by the answer.
“That’s right, I didn’t lie to you.” Quinni lowered his hands without any sign of resistance, and his voice was calm, not like he was deceiving you with lies.
After a moment of contemplation, Xiao Wenbing suddenly asked, "Immortal Kuini, if the crisis in the Flame Realm is resolved in the future, what are your plans?"
Quini laughed heartily and said, "If the crisis in the Flame Realm is resolved, then I will find a place to retire and dissolve myself before the ten-thousand-year calamity arrives."
Xiao Wenbing was greatly surprised and asked, "What ten-thousand-year calamity?"
“Fellow Daoist Xiao, you may not know this, but once you ascend to the Immortal Realm and are ranked among the immortals, there is a tribulation every thousand years, called the Millennium Tribulation, and a tribulation every ten thousand years, called the Ten Thousand Year Tribulation,” Shabir explained.
"How strange, this is the first time I've heard of such a thing," Xiao Wenbing asked. "Are the heavenly tribulations of immortals fixed?"
"Exactly."
"And what about you?"
“We are in the Immortal Realm in private, so we don’t have to suffer the minor tribulation that occurs every thousand years,” Shabir said calmly.
"Ah. Such a good thing?" Xiao Wenbing was greatly surprised. He decided that in the future, when he went to the Immortal Realm, he would go down to the mortal realm to hide whenever a minor tribulation of a thousand years came.
"Good news?" Shabir smiled bitterly, "Fellow Daoist Xiao, although we have temporarily escaped the minor calamity of a thousand years, our calamities have not diminished, but have accumulated. When the great calamity of ten thousand years arrives, they will all erupt together."
"Is that so?" Xiao Wenbing sighed inwardly, knowing that such a good thing was impossible. He regretfully put the idea of escaping out of his mind. Even an idiot would know that the combined power of one ten-thousand-year tribulation and nine thousand-year tribulations would be incredibly great. He looked at Quini and the others with a touch of pity in his eyes.
These immortals truly spared no effort for the sake of the Flame Realm. After descending to the mortal realm, their lifespan was limited to a maximum of ten thousand years. Once the ten-thousand-year calamity arrived, it would be the day they passed away.
Seemingly sensing Xiao Wenbing's thoughts, Shabir laughed and said, "Fellow Daoist Xiao, among the Venerables of the lower realm, none have yet suffered a ten-thousand-year tribulation."
"Huh, why is that?"
"Because each Venerable One calculates the time precisely, and once their own ten-thousand-year tribulation is about to arrive, they sacrifice themselves to provide energy for the Tree of Life."
Xiao Wenbing immediately understood, recalling the many faces on the Tree of Life in the Flame Realm. They were all ancient immortals who had cultivated for nearly ten thousand years; no wonder their cultivation was so profound. They could even extend the life of the Tree of Life.
After a moment of silence, Xiao Wenbing said again, "Immortal Kuini, then after this matter is settled, if you return to the Immortal Realm before the Ten Thousand Year Calamity arrives, wouldn't you be able to avoid this calamity?"
Quini shook his head and said, "We have already missed six millennium tribulations. If we return to the Immortal Realm, we will immediately face the tribulation of six tribulations combined. Not to mention that we don't have any immortal artifacts, even if we had all the immortal artifacts, the power of this tribulation of six tribulations combined would definitely not be less than that of the ten-thousand-year tribulation. With our cultivation level, we definitely cannot survive it."
"Oh." Xiao Wenbing smiled slightly, then suddenly asked, "If I have a way to help you avoid the Heavenly Tribulation, would you be willing to return to the Immortal Realm?"
Quini's expression changed slightly, and even Shabir was moved. People strive for higher positions, and water flows downhill. If there were better options, why wouldn't they want them?
However, what Xiao Wenbing said was too far-fetched; avoiding the heavenly tribulation was not so easy.
"Senior, do you not believe me?"
"Um, this..."
"If you seniors do not believe me, I have a way to prove it, but I am afraid that it will wrong you two seniors."
"Fellow Daoist Xiao, please speak."
"As long as you seniors sign a master-servant contract with me and acknowledge me as your master, I will naturally bear half of the heavenly tribulation for you. Now you should believe me, right?"
Queenie's heart skipped a beat upon hearing this. Although acknowledging someone as his master would be a loss of face, it was still a way to escape when all other options were exhausted.
Shabir, who was beside him, opened his mouth as if to speak, but could not utter a word.
The old man had excellent insight. He could tell that Xiao Wenbing, who was only at the Nascent Soul stage, already possessed great supernatural powers, and that his future was definitely bright.
The path of immortals is ruthless; even the cultivation of immortals is extremely arduous. However, if one can find a powerful backer, one's safety will naturally be greatly enhanced. With his many years of experience, he held Xiao Wenbing in extremely high regard. Just think about it—Xiao Wenbing was a cultivator capable of wielding divine power. No one would believe that he had no connection with the gods.
Once you climb this high branch, it will be of immense benefit to your future cultivation.
As for the master-servant contract, the survival of the strong and the death of the weak is quite normal.
However, Shabir understood perfectly the purpose of Xiao Wenbing's words. Queenie was the real person, and he was merely benefiting from Queenie's influence. Therefore, even if he were extremely willing, he couldn't speak up until Queenie agreed.
Volume Four: The Divine Artifacts Chapter 327: Celestial Servant (Part 1)
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Quinni's expression shifted repeatedly, as if he were considering some important decision.
Xiao Wenbing smiled slightly, added weight to the argument, and said, "Immortal Kuini, do you know what kind of energy I use to prolong the life of the divine tree?"
“The power of God.” This time, Queenie answered immediately.
“Indeed, it is the power of the gods.” Xiao Wenbing looked at him and solemnly promised, “If you are willing to acknowledge me as your master, I guarantee that one day you will be able to set foot in the realm of the gods.”
The flames on Quini's body suddenly trembled violently; the temptation was so great that it was almost irresistible to him.
However, although Queenie was already tempted, she still looked somewhat hesitant.
Shabir was so anxious he was jumping up and down. He knew this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and once he missed it, it would be gone forever.
He wasn't afraid of death; otherwise, he wouldn't have descended to the mortal realm for the sake of the Flame Realm. But according to Xiao Wenbing, he could not only restore the Flame Realm to life, but more likely, he could lead them all to the God Realm.
"What kind of people are able to set foot in the realm of gods?" Xiao Wenbing's words were actually a tacit promise that he was willing to help them cultivate into gods.
In the world of cultivation, the ultimate goal is to diligently cultivate and strive for ascension to immortality. However, for immortals, becoming a god is their sole desire and purpose. Only after truly becoming an immortal do they realize just how difficult it is to take another step forward and cultivate to godhood.
Admittedly, Shabir himself had no confidence in this matter whatsoever. Therefore, when Xiao Wenbing proposed this condition, he almost urged him to speak up.
"well……"
Smoke billowed above Shabir's head. Enraged, Quini finally let out a long sigh and said, "Fellow Daoist Xiao, I didn't lie to you."
Xiao Wenbing looked at him silently without saying a word.
Quini looked up and met Xiao Wenbing's eyes again. His eyes were clear and unwavering. He said in a deep voice, "I would not dare to joke about the future of the Flame Realm, so I am not lying. Huo Lingxian was originally from the Flame Realm. After ascending to the Linglong Immortal Realm, she cultivated for countless years and then went into seclusion at Wanling Lake."
A cloud of smoke billowed around Shabir, and he was about to speak when Quini waved his hand and said, "Don't ask me why. I don't know what this old man was thinking either, but as the ancestor of fire, he did indeed abandon the environment of the volcano and live by the lake." He paused, seemingly talking to himself, and said, "Not to mention you, even I couldn't believe it when I first learned of his identity."
After a long silence, Xiao Wenbing nodded and said, "I believe you. It's not surprising."
Quini was taken aback. He asked in surprise, "Does Fellow Daoist Xiao know the reason?" Although he was also an immortal who came from a background of playing with fire, he found the actions of the Fire Spirit Immortal Land extremely unbelievable.
“That’s right, because this Fire Spirit Immortal has already reached the peak of the Immortal Path, so he dares not increase his cultivation in the slightest.” Xiao Wenbing explained, “If he dares to absorb fire energy again, then only destruction awaits him.”
"Destruction? Couldn't he become a god?" Quini asked in surprise.
"No," Xiao Wenbing said decisively. "Although the spiritual treasures of heaven and earth are incredibly powerful, they also have a limitation: they cannot be cultivated into gods by one's own strength."
"So, will he never be able to become a god?"
"Otherwise, he has two options. First, he can find a celestial being to acknowledge him as his master and abandon his dignity as the most intelligent of all beings."
Quinni immediately shook his head. "That's impossible," he said.
“I know.” Xiao Wenbing smiled calmly and said, “If he were willing to do that, he wouldn’t be able to possess such refined fire energy.”
"Is the essence of fire energy related to whether or not one denies God?" Quinn asked curiously. This was indeed the first time he had heard such a claim.
"The master-servant contract is the most peculiar thing in all planes. Once a master is recognized, the master's energy will enter the servant's body, and there will be some influence. Even the most precious creatures of heaven and earth are no exception." Xiao Wenbing spoke the truth. Otherwise, how could he have used the divine power of the Treasure God to contend with the Dark God on the Demon Suppression Star?
"Is this a big impact?" Quinn asked, slightly taken aback.
Xiao Wenbing chuckled, glanced at him, and said in a joking tone, "Don't worry, it does have an effect, but since it's not a rare and precious object, there's no need to worry about it. No matter how much we cultivate, we can never reach that level."
"Ah..." Queenie blushed, but since she knew it wouldn't affect her, she relaxed and asked, "Then what about the other way?"
"The other path? It's this." Xiao Wenbing raised the Qiankun Ring and said, "This treasure is also forged from the essence of heaven and earth, making it the perfect vessel for the spirits of the five elements. Hehe... I'm using this thing to search for the spirits of the five elements, but..."
Aren't all the wondrous things of heaven and earth also searching for it?
"Ah!" Quini was relieved. It turned out that Xiao Wenbing didn't intend to harm Huo Lingxian after all.
Quini believed him, because he had tried everything but couldn't break through the protective barrier of the Qiankun Circle, so he knew that this thing was indeed extraordinary.
Quini suddenly sighed and asked, "Fellow Daoist Xiao, I have made myself clear. Do you still wish to take us as your servants?"
The smoke around Shabir seemed to freeze for a moment as he cautiously observed Xiao Wenbing's face, trying to discern some premonition.
They all knew perfectly well why Xiao Wenbing wanted to take Queenie as his servant. Xiao Wenbing wanted to know the whereabouts of Huo Lingxian, but he was afraid that Queenie would deceive him, so he wanted to use a master-servant contract to restrain Queenie.
Once this contract is signed, Quinni will no longer be able to hide anything from Xiao Wenbing.
Quinni made his point clear at this time because he didn't want to harbor any resentment and sow the seeds of future trouble.
The master-servant contract is a very serious contract, and its power is beyond comprehension. Although the master has absolute power of life and death, he must also provide protection and certain necessities for his servant.
There are indeed capricious masters, but with each servant's life taken, their inner demons grow stronger, and their chances of surviving future tribulations diminish. Therefore, few masters would be so heartless as to indiscriminately kill their servants. Of course, this excludes those who have lost their minds or are deliberately courting death.
If Xiao Wenbing were to take them as servants, he would have to share half of their tribulation during their tribulation. This was no joke, and there were probably very few people who could agree to it. However, if Xiao Wenbing hadn't used his divine power in front of them, Quini and the others wouldn't have bothered discussing this impossible matter with him.
A bright smile slowly spread across Xiao Wenbing's face, and Quini and Shabir both felt relieved.
Sure enough, Xiao Wenbing smiled and said, "There is something you two may not know. Although my cultivation is insufficient, I still have some experience in resisting heavenly tribulations."
The two were overjoyed, but the smile on Queenie's face only lasted for a moment before it froze again.
Xiao Wenbing asked in surprise, "What happened to Immortal Kuini?"
Quini gave a wry smile and said, "I forgot, in the Flame Realm, besides us, there are two other immortals."
Shabir was also taken aback, and could no longer feel happy. Yes, the two of them were free, but their two companions left behind were doomed. After so many years together, how could he be happy to abandon these two companions and transcend on his own?
"What's so difficult about that? Let them all come together." Xiao Wenbing said nonchalantly. Since he had already recognized two, recognizing two more wouldn't be a problem.