Although they had become gods and had diligently cultivated in the divine realm for the past ten years without a moment's rest, they were unexpectedly rendered powerless in Feng Baiyi's hands. The difference in their abilities was simply too great.
Xiao Wenbing secretly gave the two women a thumbs up. The enormous light shield was naturally Zhang Yaqi's doing, and Feng Baiyi was not to be outdone. She was able to use heavenly lightning so skillfully that it was probably comparable to the manipulation techniques of ancient gods.
"Lord Xiao, we were momentarily bewitched, please have mercy!" a deity suddenly pleaded.
Xiao Wenbing pondered for a moment, then slowly shook his head and sighed, "If I had known this would happen, I wouldn't have done it in the first place."
The Seven-Colored Winged King's expression changed drastically, realizing that Xiao Wenbing had murderous intent. He was about to persuade him to stop when Kairis pulled him back.
Xiao Wenbing waved his hand, and the roc cried out, its body suddenly growing a hundred times larger. With a suck of its sharp beak, it absorbed the seven gods along with the electric ropes on their bodies into its belly.
The seven people struggled desperately at first, and even let out a few screams, but how could they break free from the electric rope that had been infused with the divine power of heaven and earth? The roc was an unparalleled evil star, and its huge belly contained a whole universe. In just a moment, it had turned them into a ball of divine power and absorbed them all as nutrients.
Upon witnessing Xiao Wenbing's ruthless methods, not only the Keris lineage but also other deities from various factions felt a chill run down their spines.
Xiao Wenbing's divine sense circled the divine realm of the gods and said, "I'll say it again, I'm a democratic person, and everything is based on the principle of majority rule. Now everyone can vote. Is there anyone who agrees to destroy the divine realm... no, right? Good, from now on we'll share both good and bad fortune. If anyone betrays us, that's an outrage against both gods and men, and we'll leave it to the Roc to deal with."
After hearing Xiao Wenbing's words, even those who were still wavering dared not step forward anymore.
However, many people secretly think that this kind of democracy is far too authoritarian.
The gods returned to their places, and the giant serpent secretly came to Zha's side and asked, "Brother Zha, didn't you say that gods cannot be completely destroyed? How come those guys died so easily?"
Zha shook his head slightly and said, "Xiao Shenjun is no ordinary god. He is truly incomparable to the gods I have seen before."
The giant snake nodded in realization, its resolve to follow Xiao Wenbing growing even stronger.
Volume 23, Chapter 15: Treasure Hunt
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"Yaqi, have you still not been able to contact the Lonely God?" Xiao Wenbing asked slowly.
“Yes.” Zhang Yaqi gave a helpless smile and said, “Since we parted last time, no matter how we call out to him, we can no longer get any news or response from him. Perhaps…” She paused for a moment and said, “Perhaps he is taking care of the Ghost King.”
Xiao Wenbing shook his head, and Feng Baiyi also frowned slightly. Although no one spoke, they couldn't help but have some doubts in their hearts.
With the extraordinary abilities of the Lonely God, if it were only for the sake of the Ghost Emperor, he would certainly not have disappeared without a trace.
However, it would be even more unbelievable if he were to encounter some formidable enemy and be unable to take care of himself.
After the many ancient first-generation gods disappeared, who else besides the Turtle God could rival the Lonely God?
Even the thirteen powerful forces that dominated the divine realm could not subdue these two remaining first-generation gods.
With neither internal troubles nor external enemies, yet the lonely and widowed deity still avoids meeting them, the credibility of some rumors is greatly enhanced.
Perhaps the mysterious hand hidden behind the gods is indeed this lonely god-king with immense power.
At this moment, although Xiao Wenbing has many talented people and numerous gods under his command, there is not a single one who can rival the Lonely God.
Looking up at the sky, I couldn't help but think of the Turtle God. Perhaps only this old man could withstand the vast and boundless divine power of the Lonely God.
However, the Turtle God made it very clear when he left the God Realm. He had no desire to concern himself with anything other than sleeping.
Given this situation, trying to drag it onto one's chariot is probably harder than climbing to heaven. If things go wrong, the tortoise might turn on you, leaving you utterly helpless.
"well……"
With a deep sigh, Xiao Wenbing said with distress, "Becoming a god, becoming a god—others sever all ties immediately after becoming gods. But why do we still have so many troubles after becoming gods?"
Zhang Yaqi smiled slightly and said, "Because you still have something on your mind."
Xiao Wenbing pondered for a moment, then asked in return, "I do have concerns in my heart. But what about you? Can you let go of everything?"
Zhang Yaqi shook her head solemnly and said, "Perhaps a thousand or ten thousand years from now, we will be able to put everything aside and only care about ourselves, but we cannot do so now."
“That’s right.” Xiao Wenbing clapped his hands heavily and said, “Since we can’t abandon everything, let’s do it our own way.”
"What if there are obstacles blocking the way?" Feng Baiyi asked softly.
"Hmph." Xiao Wenbing sneered twice. He said, "Naturally, I will kill gods if they stand in my way, and I will kill Buddhas if they stand in my way." With the strength of more than ten thousand gods under his command at this moment, it was by no means arrogant for him to say such words.
"What if there are orphans or widows ahead?"
"If there are lonely people ahead, I will take a detour." After pondering for a long time, Xiao Wenbing finally said something disheartening.
Zhang Yaqi said, both amused and annoyed, "Wenbing, how could you take a detour? Don't you care about the many fellow cultivators in the cultivation world?"
“No, no,” Xiao Wenbing said seriously. “Although I took a detour, my direction remained the same. As the saying goes, all roads lead to Rome. As long as we can reach our goal in the end, the means we use in the middle are still worth discussing.”
The two women nodded in agreement. Perhaps Xiao Wenbing's choice was not wrong; only by doing so could they fight against the gods in the divine realm.
With a flash of light, Keris appeared beside the three of them.
Xiao Wenbing's face immediately lit up with a smile. He bowed deeply to Kairis and said, "I have offended you greatly just now, please forgive me, my elder sister, for your magnanimity."
Kairis sighed and said, "Brother Xiao, it's only natural that you did this, so how could my elder sister blame you?"
"But those six..."
Kairis said resolutely, "Since they received your favor and assistance to become gods, yet they are loyal to others and betray your cause, they deserve to die."
Xiao Wenbing touched his nose, chuckled awkwardly twice, and still asked, "In your opinion, eldest sister, are the remaining people settled?"
“Yes.” Kairis said without hesitation, “As long as you, Lord Xiao, are not defeated, and as long as this group of more than 10,000 gods does not disband, then they will definitely not turn against us.”
Xiao Wenbing exchanged a glance with the two women beside him and immediately understood what Kairis meant.
The people who came to the realm of gods with him were mainly divided into three factions.
The elders who ascended with him from the Flame Realm and the Cultivation Realm were naturally the most loyal, and their fates were already closely linked to Xiao Wenbing's. Even if they wanted to leave this group, they would probably be suspected by the other gods, thus ending up in a situation where they were neither one nor the other.
Therefore, Xiao Wenbing naturally trusted them the most.
Secondly, there are the immortals and beast immortals within Huangzhou. Because of the relationship between the Mu family of Huangzhou and the Great Serpent Supreme, their attitude is relatively clear: they basically follow Xiao Wenbing's lead.
Of course, there will be some who harbor ulterior motives, but under the current circumstances, unless they are fools, they should not leave the sect.
As for the last line of gods who followed Mingzhu and Kairis, that lineage was much more complicated.
Among them were even those who clearly belonged to the Feathered Divine Lord. Xiao Wenbing naturally wouldn't ignore such a powerful force.
That's why he secretly discussed with Kairis the need to eliminate these people before they become a major threat.
After much deliberation, Kairis finally agreed to cooperate with Xiao Wenbing's actions. As for Mingzhu, who had already left, all he could do was regretfully apologize.
Although Xiao Wenbing used swift and decisive methods to establish his authority, the time they spent together was too short. While these people were willing to provide assistance when things were going well for him, if he encountered misfortune, they would undoubtedly be the first to defect.
Xiao Wenbing was quite pleased with Kairis's straightforward statement, and knowing that the problem could not be solved for the time being, he had no choice but to put it aside for the time being.
"Big sister, do you still remember this water and fire jade pendant?"
At Xiao Wenbing's prompting, Zhang Yaqi took out the crystal-clear jade pendant.
“Of course I remember.” A flicker of fear crossed Keris’s eyes. She stared intently at the object and said slowly, “I almost lost my life trying to get it back then. Tell me, how could I forget?”
Xiao Wenbing nodded slightly. He said, "Then, does elder sister still remember where she obtained this item?"
Kairis wasn't stupid; upon hearing his words, he immediately exclaimed in surprise, "Brother Xiao, do you want to go treasure hunting?"
“That’s right.” Xiao Wenbing said without any attempt to hide it: “I heard from my elder sister that there are still many untapped treasures there. If we leave them unattended, wouldn’t that be a waste of nature’s resources?”
Kairis's expression changed slightly, clearly still shaken by his previous trip.
Xiao Wenbing was greatly surprised and asked, "Elder sister, now that we have all become gods, are you still afraid?"
“Sigh…” Kairis sighed and said, “Brother, you haven’t been there, so you don’t know how dangerous it is. In fact, when my sister went there last time, she was already at the Supreme Realm. But as soon as she encountered the restrictions there, she was immediately trapped. It was as if she had fallen into a dark and hopeless place, and no matter what I did, I couldn’t escape.”
"Oh." Xiao Wenbing was slightly startled. He asked, "So how did you finally escape, sister?"
"I don't know," Kairis said with a wry smile.
"You didn't know, sister?"
"Yes, I fainted in a daze at the time. When I woke up, I was in front of a palace, and in the center of the palace was this Nine Heavens of Water and Fire. As soon as my sister took it down, the palace immediately turned to dust, and my sister came out with it."
Zhang Yaqi pondered for a moment, then suddenly asked, "Did you go alone back then, sister?"
“No, of course, three supreme beings went together, but in the end, only my sister came out.” Keris’s expression was gloomy, clearly thinking of his former companions.
Xiao Wenbing couldn't help but smile and said, "Sister truly lives up to her reputation as a nine-tailed celestial fox."
"What does this have to do with the Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox?"
“The nine-tailed celestial fox is the most charming spiritual creature in the world. I think that my sister was able to escape from this great calamity because someone secretly rescued her.” Xiao Wenbing’s smile grew even wider: “Why save only you and not others? There must be a reason for this.”
Kairis shook her head with a wry smile and said, "Brother, there's no need to comfort me. If you want to go, I'll tell you the place, but I'll never go there again."
"Alright." Actually, Xiao Wenbing might not have really wanted Kairis to go, but since she took the initiative, it suited his wishes perfectly.
A wisp of divine consciousness emanated from Keris and entered the minds of Xiao Wenbing and the other two.
If one is at the immortal level, a jade slip is needed to record the information. However, once one becomes a god, one can exchange memories simply by sensing each other's consciousness.
The deep blue sea is majestic and tranquil, its surface as smooth as marble.
The next moment, a sea breeze blew, the waves rolled and surged, the tide came and went, the sea surface rose and fell, and the sunlight shimmered. What a boundless sea!
Above the sea, countless flickering portals of light are densely distributed across the sky.
Xiao Wenbing and the other two looked at each other in bewilderment. When they saw such a familiar scene in Kairis's memory, they all felt a strange feeling welling up in their hearts.
If I'm not mistaken, this is actually the first level of the underworld.
The scenes in my memory kept changing, and I had entered the seemingly calm but actually extremely dangerous seabed.
Similar flora and fauna, the same seawater resistance—all of this constantly matches everything deep in my memory.
We arrived at an extremely special place, a dark cave. The entrance seemed to be blocked by a magical light, and no matter how turbulent the underwater currents were, they could not penetrate it at all.
Kairis and the other two went inside, winding their way through the cave for thousands of miles.
There stood a massive Bagua (Eight Trigrams) array, its center radiating brilliant light. Keris and his companions cautiously entered. Then, a blinding white light erupted, and all the images vanished.
"Where is this place?" Xiao Wenbing asked in surprise.
"This is the entrance to that mysterious place."
Xiao Wenbing frowned and asked, "What will happen next?"