Volume 4, The Divine Artifacts, Chapter 224: Natural Enlightenment
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Extending his thoughts into the Heavenly Void Ring, he found a treasure, took it out, and said, "You and I have known each other for so long, and I, as your owner, have never even given you a gift when we first met. That's really too much to ask."
The butterfly fairy smiled gently, her charm indescribable: "I don't want any gifts. I'm already content just to be by my master's side."
Her words truly came from the bottom of her heart, so they naturally carried a strong sense of sincerity. Xiao Wenji was moved. Although they had signed a master-servant contract, Die Xian was completely devoted to him. Whether it was the caterpillar version of Die Xian or the white-clothed version of Die Xian, this affection had never changed in the slightest.
In contrast, he himself was much more opportunistic, scolding and beating the caterpillar fairy at will, treating her like a mere laborer. Perhaps because he was human, he subconsciously harbored a barrier towards demons, and thus, he didn't really care about the caterpillar's life or death.
It wasn't until by chance that the butterfly fairy emerged from her chrysalis and transformed into the appearance of Feng Baiyi that he began to look at her in a different light.
Xiao Wenbing looked up at the sky and sighed deeply. Now he finally understood why there was such a change in the thousand-year agreement between the human and demon races.
That's because humans have never regarded the demon race as an equal race, and that's the biggest reason for the differences between the two races.
A warm little hand reached out, and Butterfly Fairy took his hand, tilting her head slightly as she asked with concern, "Master, are you alright?"
Xiao Wenbing composed himself, patted her small hand, and opened his palm to reveal an antique jade pendant.
"Butterfly Fairy, this is a gift for you. Hey, this Spring West. It's called the Knot of Love. Wear it with you, and it will calm your mind and protect you from inner demons."
"Yes." Butterfly Fairy happily put it away.
Xiao Wenbing frowned, and from Die Xian's expression, he knew that she was unaware of the true value of this treasure.
In fact, this jade pendant is a real treasure, and it's incredibly powerful.
Shaking his head slightly, Xiao Wenbing solemnly instructed, "Butterfly Fairy, inside this treasure, I have placed five Immortal Spirit Talismans and five Heavenly Thunder Talismans. If you encounter a very strong enemy, you may release them. In a critical moment, they can be a life-saving treasure."
"Yes, thank you, Master." Butterfly Fairy was still smiling, but she didn't seem particularly happy.
Xiao Wenbing gave a wry smile. It seemed that anything he gave her, whether it was a love knot or an ordinary jade pendant, was probably the same to Butterfly Fairy.
After talking for so long, I still don't know if she listened at all.
Left with no other choice, he could only sigh. He took Butterfly Fairy and flew towards the direction from which the earthquake had originated. Along the way, he constantly saw human and demon cultivators flying past him.
Although Xiao Wenji's speed wasn't too slow, compared to these experts who were at least at the Nascent Soul stage, it was like comparing heaven and earth.
So even though he had used all his strength to fly, in fact, even the butterfly fairy beside him could easily surpass him.
When the demons saw Xiao Wenbing, they recognized him as the human who had displayed great power in the demon clan's main camp. Therefore, although they did not understand why he was flying so slowly, they still kept their distance and dared not approach.
The human cultivators, seeing a Golden Core stage human struggling to fly forward at a snail's pace relative to them, immediately showed extreme curiosity.
Some kind-hearted people deliberately went out of their way to pass by him and kindly reminded him, "Little guy, go back, don't come here to die."
Xiao Wenbing was furious, but he also knew that what Ren Mo said made sense. In their eyes, his cultivation level was indeed nothing.
He understood the reasoning behind it, and knew that the other person meant well. However, knowing this didn't stop him from feeling extremely frustrated.
A glint flashed in his eye, and it seemed someone else had come closer. Xiao Wenbing frowned and preemptively said, "I won't go back... Huh, it's you?"
A hint of mockery flashed in the Food King's small eyes as he asked, "Where are you going back to?"
Xiao Wenbing raised an eyebrow, immediately knowing that this guy must have been following them all along, overhearing what those people were saying, and now he was here to make fun of them. He snorted inwardly and said, "It's nothing, I just suddenly miss Ancestor Shenmu a lot, senior, don't you think so?"
The Food King snorted, automatically ignoring the question: "Fellow Daoist Xiao, if the demons break the seal and come in, then we should be able to eat them, right?"
Xiao Wenbing's lips twitched slightly. When the Food King mentioned the word "eat," he opened his small mouth, revealing fine, serrated teeth that were chillingly white. He forced a smile and said, "People from the Demon Realm, huh? This junior has no say in that."
The Food King's small eyes lit up, and he slowly said, "Okay."
However, this seemingly insignificant word sent chills down Xiao Wenbing's spine. He finally couldn't help but ask, "Senior, are you not afraid of the tribulations that await you in the future, given how cruel you are?"
"Heavenly Tribulation?" The Food King sneered and said, "Our man-eating flower clan has always fed on all things. The strong survive and the weak perish, that is our nature. To ask us not to eat living things, hehe... wouldn't that be going against the heavens?"
Xiao Wenbing was startled; the King of Food had already gone far away and disappeared in an instant.
The survival of the strong and the extinction of the weak is the very nature of things.
A sentence suddenly exploded in Xiao Wenbing's mind, as if it were several times more powerful than a thunderbolt from the sky.
The strong survive while the weak perish – this is truly an irrefutable and profound truth.
Whether it's the cultivation world, the mortal world, or even the natural world, which realm has violated this rule?
Even on his birthplace, that beautiful blue planet, this age-old law of nature still applies. Cultivating immortality is like practicing alchemy; if you don't advance, you regress, and the same applies to fate.
Only by mastering the most powerful force can one live according to one's own will.
The reason why the Food King dared not be disrespectful to him was because he feared the Divine Tree Ancestor; the reason why the demons looked to Qing for submission was because they feared the Dragon-Phoenix Lord and the boundless divine power of the Treasure God.
What if none of this existed?
So, Xiao Wenbing was just an ordinary Golden Core cultivator. In front of these top experts in the Tribulation Transcending stage, what did he have to boast about?
He looked down at his large, warm hands. After a long while, he slowly clenched his fists and looked up at the seal ahead.
The wind gently passed by him, and he stretched out his fist as if to freeze this fleeting moment.
At that moment, he seemed to have grasped something. The mysterious cloak of nature seemed to have been lifted, and the thick fog had been cleared before his eyes. In his heart, what he touched was the naked essence of the way of life.
The strong rule, and even so-called pity is merely the power of the strong.
"I want to... become stronger." Xiao Wenji murmured softly.
Perhaps, only now has he found the true purpose of his efforts in cultivation.
"Master, Master..."
The soft whispers pulled Xiao Wenbing back to reality. He looked up and saw Diexian nestled beside him, calling his name softly.
"Hmm, what's wrong?"
“Master, it’s not that Butterfly Fairy wants to disturb you, but…” Butterfly Fairy hesitated, unsure whether she should say it.
"But what?"
"But Elder Feng is calling you. Do you want to see her or not?"
"Ah..." Xiao Wenbing's expression changed. He turned his head and looked around, but didn't see a single person. He asked, "Where is everyone?"
"Wait up ahead."
"Up ahead? How did you know?"
Butterfly Fairy smiled brightly, with a hint of mischief in her eyes: "I knew it was Elder Feng who was calling out to me in his heart."
Xiao Wenbing slapped his forehead and immediately understood. Since the two of them had telepathy, it would be easy for them to communicate on the same planet.
Feng Baiyi, I didn't expect her to have already arrived at the front. It seems that this change that has affected the entire planet has sounded the alarm for everyone. The battle against the demons has come to an end.
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When Xiao Wenbing arrived at the seal, it was already packed with people. A quick glance revealed at least tens of thousands of them.
He was secretly shocked. What an incredibly powerful force this was! It was probably impossible for so many experts to gather together at the same time, except for major events like the demon invasion that concerned the safety of the entire cultivation world.
The human and demon races remained clearly separated, one in the east and one in the west. However, with a formidable enemy at hand, everyone's attention was focused on the ground. Under these circumstances, no one would be foolish enough to provoke trouble and court death.
Xiao Wenji hesitated for a moment, then finally flew towards the human race that occupied the east. His arrival did not cause much of a stir among the humans. On the contrary, several demon kings from the opposing demon race frequently paid him a respectful look.
"Wenbing, you're only just arriving." A pretty figure flashed out from the crowd. Even the patient Zhang Yaqi was a little annoyed. However, Xiao Wenbing could still detect a hint of concern and worry in her voice.
"Yes, something came up and I was held up." Xiao Wenbing replied casually. Indeed, his conversation with the Food King was like tearing through a thin layer of paper, allowing him to see many things more clearly. The delay was worthwhile.
Zhang Yaqi nodded slightly. Seeing that Xiao Wenbing didn't elaborate, she understandingly didn't press him further. Instead, she led Xiao Wenji to Hui Zhe and the others.
Volume Four: The Divine Artifacts Chapter 225: The Demon-Seeing Mirror
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Among the tens of thousands of experts of the human race, Hui Zhe and his group undoubtedly occupied the very center. Cultivators of slightly lower status and cultivation level simply could not enter this small circle. Therefore, when everyone saw a junior at the Golden Core stage swaggering there without anyone criticizing him, they couldn't help but feel extremely surprised.
The cultivators who had tried to dissuade him along the way stared at the scene with disbelief, almost forgetting the churning water beneath their feet.
However, after a murmur of conversation, many of his fellow practitioners realized who he was.
Although his cultivation level is a little lower, his reputation is huge...
For countless years, no one had been able to unravel the mysteries of the Jade Cauldron Sect's Ancestral Hall, yet this kid solved it immediately with a single step.
What's even more remarkable is that he selflessly made the refining method public.
Needless to say, this alone has created unparalleled merit, so it is only natural that people would come here.
Looking down, one can see that the demon's seal is actually located beneath this vast expanse of lake.
In the past, the battle between the demon race and the experts of the cultivation world was extremely fierce. The passage was also expanded to its limit by many seniors with profound magical power. Although the passage is not as large as Dongqian Lake, it is still ten zhang in diameter. If the seal is really opened, tens of thousands of troops can rush up and squeeze into the cultivation world at the same time.
At this moment, through the churning water, one can see the scenery above the Demon-Seeking Mirror at the bottom of the lake. On the other side of the seal, tens of thousands of demon experts have lined up in neat rows, using an unknown method to gather all their power together and continuously launch attacks on the seal.
Hui Zhe and the Lion King all frowned deeply. They looked at the other people's orderly ranks, which seemed to form a single entity.
As for the human and demon races, they were scattered haphazardly in twos and threes, with no order whatsoever, which made them feel extremely overwhelmed.
However, expecting these arrogant masters to achieve the same level of teamwork as each other in a short period of time is simply wishful thinking, not even worth mentioning.
"Master, how is it?" Xiao Wenbing came to the side of the old Taoist priest Xianyun and asked softly.
The old Taoist priest shook his head slightly and said, "It's not optimistic. I didn't expect those demon cubs to be so united. How is that possible?"
Xiao Wenbing looked down and stared for a while. Although the water was turbulent, it did not affect the function of the Demon-Seeing Blunt. From here, the people of the Demon Realm did indeed seem a little too united.
A thought flashed through his mind, and Xiao Wenbing suddenly asked, "Master, what is their cultivation level? Are they all about the same as me?"
"With you? Hmph, what use is your meager cultivation? Let me tell you, those tens of thousands of demon cubs there are incredibly powerful, definitely not much weaker than us old fogies," said the old Daoist Xianyun solemnly.
"You mean they are all at the Tribulation Transcending Stage?"
"Although not everyone is at the Tribulation Transcending stage, at least they have the cultivation of the Nascent Soul stage," the old Taoist Xianyun sighed.