Volume 22, Chapter 34: Traces of Water and Fire
------------------------
As the light emanated from Mingzhu, everyone's attention was immediately drawn to her.
After a moment's pause, Kairis asked softly, "Is it the great master Yuzhu?"
Mingzhu nodded solemnly and said, "The Great God Yuzhu already knows that we want the two spirits of water and fire."
"Oh, what does that deity mean?" Xiao Wenbing asked, a glint of light flashing in his eyes, seemingly indifferent.
Mingzhu's expression grew increasingly strange. She glanced at everyone and said with a wry smile, "The Great God Yuzhu said that the one selling the two spirits of water and fire is a deity called the God of Solitude."
"The God of Solitude and Loneliness?" Xiao Wenbing and the others exchanged bewildered glances. They had seen strange people before, but never such a strange god, who actually used "solitude and loneliness" as his title. They really didn't know what he was thinking.
"Is there something unusual about this lonely deity?" Zhang Yaqi asked calmly.
Xiao Wenbing felt a chill run down his spine. Since the great god Yuzhu had intervened in this matter, there must be some problem. Surely that god wasn't just doing this for fun.
Mingzhu said with a solemn expression, "It is said that the lonely god is always mysterious and unpredictable. Even among the gods, no one knows his origin. Moreover, he possesses great power and holds a pivotal position among the gods."
Everyone gasped. What "it is said"? It was just that the great Yuzhu using Mingzhu to tell them.
However, to receive such a evaluation, that solitary god must not be an easy deity to deal with.
“What the Great God Yuzhu means is that it’s best not to provoke this deity unless absolutely necessary,” Mingzhu said hesitantly. “I’ve heard that this deity doesn’t have a very good reputation.”
"What do you mean by 'bad reputation'?" Xiao Wenbing asked in great surprise.
"Yu... no, I heard that the lonely god has a history of taking money but not delivering the goods."
"That's impossible. This is the place where the gods communalize. If any god dares to break the rules, wouldn't that incur the wrath of the people?"
Not only did Xiao Wenbing not believe it, but none of the others believed it at all.
In this place, if even transactions cannot be guaranteed, wouldn't that be tantamount to slapping the gods in the face?
Mingzhu said awkwardly, "Well, I've only heard about it, I've only heard about it..."
"And then?" Zhang Yaqi asked softly.
"Later, I heard..." Mingzhu said, his face showing disbelief, but he kept talking and told the story.
Several people glared at him simultaneously, as if they had only heard about it.
"I've heard that the gods once stepped in to besiege it."
At this point, Mingzhu suddenly stopped.
The Great Serpent Supreme asked impatiently, "And the result?"
Mingzhu swallowed hard and said, "Let's just leave it at that."
The group exchanged incredulous glances, and Xiao Wenbing asked in surprise, "Senior Mingzhu, the so-called gods you speak of, are they some great immortals who have just comprehended the power of origin?"
Mingzhu coughed twice, her face contorted with a pained expression, and said, "I heard... it was initiated by thirteen supreme gods."
"No way, the thirteen main gods?" After meeting Zha, the Great Serpent Supreme naturally understood the implication and exclaimed, "Is that guy still a god?"
A sense of utter absurdity welled up in everyone's hearts.
With thirteen main gods leading the charge, who knows how many subordinate gods would be involved? So many deities joined forces to investigate this matter, yet in the end, nothing came of it.
This result is truly astonishing, no wonder Mingzhu kept using the excuse of "hearing" from beginning to end.
Even the most thick-skinned gods would probably feel embarrassed...
"Does the Great God Yuzhu mean that we are not allowed to trade with him?" Xiao Wenbing asked, recovering from his shock.
“No,” Mingzhu immediately said, “What the Great God Yuzhu means is that if we trade with him, then he knows nothing about this matter.”
"That's very clear," Xiao Wenbing said with a wry smile. "What do you all think?"
Feng Baiyi's eyes remained as calm as ever. Even after hearing about the great achievements of the Lonely God, only a slight glint of excitement appeared before she returned to her original state.
Upon hearing Xiao Wenbing's question, she calmly replied, "Go."
With just that one word, her meaning was already perfectly clear.
Zhang Yaqi considered for a moment, then shook her head slightly and said, "The treasures of heaven and earth are for those who are destined to obtain them. There is no need to force it. We will not go."
The two women had a rare disagreement. The Great Serpent King and the Food King exchanged glances and wisely chose to remain silent. Judging from their demeanor, they were determined to keep quiet and not speak out.
Xiao Wenbing knew at a glance that these people were unreliable. He turned to Kairis and Mingzhu and asked, "What are your opinions?"
Mingzhu touched her chin, and Kairis smoothed his long hair.
"Ahem, based on my millions of years of experience..."
"...Um..." Mingzhu cleared her throat and recounted how she had embarked on the path of cultivation with great difficulty since childhood, how she had narrowly escaped the terrifying Nine Heavens Thunder and Fire Tribulation, and how she had been fortunate enough to meet the Great God Yuzhu and become one of the divine messengers that everyone envied.
The story was indeed full of twists and turns. The narrator was completely absorbed and deeply moved, while the listener was even more shocked and sighed.
After a long and difficult time, Mingzhu finally finished his story. Everyone listened with rapt attention, completely captivated by his extraordinary experiences spanning millions of years.
"Are you done?"
"Yes, that's it." Mingzhu swallowed hard. Although he was a god, even he would feel thirsty after talking non-stop for several hours.
After careful consideration, Xiao Wenbing finally realized one thing: this person must be involved in political work in the lower realm.
After rambling on for so long, they didn't offer a single suggestion.
The several hours of narration can be summarized in one sentence.
I agree with what you agree with, and I oppose what you oppose.
It really took a lot of effort from him. He talked for so long, yet he still managed to stay focused on this central idea. His experience and quick wit are something I can only dream of.
With her gaze fixed on Keris, the incomparably beautiful fox spirit revealed a smile that could launch a thousand ships, and said, "I firmly support the opinions of my two younger sisters."
"Um?"
Xiao Wenbing smacked his lips and firmly supported the statement. It sounded nice, but somehow it just didn't feel right.
We firmly support you two...you two?
Forget it, Xiao Wenbing gave up. With such an obvious opportunist attitude, asking him was pointless.
Turning his head, his sharp gaze swept over everyone's faces. Quini and the others immediately lowered their heads, not daring to even breathe.
Finally, Xiao Wenbing stopped an elderly man in a sharp suit and said, "Xuanci, you are the only Earthling among the many immortals who ascended with me, aren't you?"
"Yes," Xuan Ci replied respectfully.
Only then did everyone understand why Xiao Wenbing treated him differently and included him in the first group of ten beneficiaries; it turned out that there was such a connection between them.
"Okay, so what's your opinion?"
Xuan Ci was immediately shocked. Although his cultivation was not bad and he was a rather ruthless person, he was not even ranked among the dozen or so people here.
Anyone with eyes can easily see the relationship between Zhang Yaqi, Feng Baiyi, and Xiao Wenbing.
If he had to choose between the two, even if Xuan Ci had another chance, he wouldn't dare to choose.
"I...I...I..."
Xuan Ci stammered for a long time, but apart from the word "I", no other syllables came out of his mouth.
Xiao Wenbing waved his hand in annoyance, and Xuan Ci, as if granted a pardon, quickly took a step back and hid behind Zhu Bajie. He made up his mind that this time, he would not come out no matter what.
The shrewd and experienced Food King secretly gave Xuan Ci a thumbs up.
Xuan Ci was, after all, a cultivator with a notorious reputation, so of course he wouldn't be that incompetent. It was just that, under those circumstances, such a performance was undoubtedly the best choice.
Although it might give a weak impression, it's still much better than offending people.
With a determined look, Xiao Wenbing said, "Let's go."
Where are you going?
"Of course, I'm going to see that lonely god."
Zhang Yaqi frowned, her beautiful brows furrowing, and hesitated before saying, "But..."
"Yaqi," Xiao Wenbing interrupted her, saying, "If this thing weren't a combination of water and fire elements, but something that Baiyi and I would use, would you give it up?"
“This is different,” Zhang Yaqi insisted. “Besides this time, we have other opportunities.”
“But I don’t want to wait any longer.” Now that he had made up his mind, Xiao Wenbing became more open: “Perhaps this is the chance to succeed.”
Looking at Xiao Wenbing's resolute face, Zhang Yaqi couldn't help but hesitate. To be honest, the allure of the five elements coming together as one was quite strong for her.
A tall, slender figure approached Zhang Yaqi. Feng Baiyi took her hand, said nothing, and simply looked at her quietly.
Zhang Yaqi opened her mouth as if to speak, but finally sighed and said, "Alright, but no matter what, we can't clash with this person."
“Of course.” Xiao Wenbing chuckled. “So many gods couldn’t do anything to him, and I’m not stupid, so of course I won’t be stubborn. At most…” He patted the Heavenly Void Ring on his hand, blinked twice, and said, “At most, I’ll just give him a few Origin Crystals for free. I have plenty of those.”
Volume 22, Chapter 35: The Ghost Emperor (Part 1)
------------------------
Following the pearl towards the foot of the mountain, the closer they got to the foot, the fewer people they encountered.
The group walked very quickly and soon arrived at their destination.
On a wide, open hillside, stands a small building.
It was a quiet stone house, white, with a semi-circular dome, no windows, only a narrow entrance, dark and eerily quiet, mysteriously quiet, yet it seemed to harbor a monstrous beast, brimming with the life force of a tiger.
A chill ran through everyone's hearts.
It truly lives up to its reputation as a solitary god; it lacks any semblance of divine dignity or elegance, instead resembling the haunts of the underworld, filled with a somber and ghostly atmosphere.
"Senior Mingzhu," Xiao Wenbing pulled Mingzhu aside and asked quietly, "Do you think this place might have both water and fire spirits?"