"Hmm, this can't be such a coincidence, can it?" Xiao Wenbing said in surprise.
"Whether it's a coincidence or not, it doesn't matter anymore."
Why?
"Because we have no way to survive."
"What?" Xiao Wenbing glared angrily. What do you mean there's no way out? Give us back our lives...
The King of Food suddenly laughed, a hint of desolation flashing across his ugly old face: "Do you think we can still survive in front of the Dark God?"
"Well, with your cultivation level, it seems like hiding for a while shouldn't be too difficult, right?" Xiao Wenbing asked hesitantly. He had another question he hadn't said: This old guy's cultivation level is so high, why hasn't he gone to the Immortal Realm yet?
Seemingly sensing Xiao Wenbing's doubts, the Food King sneered, "Hide? Heh heh... If I wanted to hide, I would have gone to the Immortal Realm three thousand years ago, and I wouldn't still be lingering here."
"Ah..." Xiao Wenbing's expression was indescribably strange. Everyone else was trying their best to ascend to the Immortal Realm, but this old man, with such profound cultivation, insisted on trying every means to stay in this realm. It's true... everyone has their own ambitions.
"Do you know why I kept the three of you here?" the Food King suddenly asked.
"Why?"
The King of Food turned around and stared intently into his eyes, a dangerous glint in his emerald green pupils: "Zhang Yaqi is the successor of the Qiankun Ring, Feng Baiyi is the successor of the Tianlei Palace, and your Secret Talisman Sect's Earth Gold Talisman is on this old Taoist priest. If the three of you join forces, you should be able to set up the Immortal Slaughtering Formation."
"No. Their skills are too shallow; they are not qualified to activate the Zhuxian Grand Item," the old Taoist priest Xianyun immediately objected.
"Is that so?" The Food King glanced at him disdainfully and said, "The Universe Ring contains the spirits of the five elements, and Feng Baiyi has the Heavenly Thunder Body. Do you think they are qualified?"
The old Taoist priest was taken aback. Several thoughts lingered in his mind before he finally said, "Alright, let me join forces with the two of them to launch the Great Immortal Slaughtering Ceremony and eradicate this scoundrel."
"You? No way." The Food King immediately rejected the idea.
"Why? This old Taoist's cultivation has already reached the peak of the Tribulation Transcending stage, and he is also the current successor of the Secret Talisman lineage. If he is not qualified, then who is?"
The King of Food pointed at Xiao Wenbing and said, "Him."
The old Taoist priest, Xianyun, twitched his lips slightly, and after a moment, immediately shook his head and said, "Wenbing's skill is too shallow; he simply cannot utilize the wonders of the golden talisman. Absolutely not."
"Hmph." The Food King's voice was full of sarcasm: "I'm afraid it's you who can't fully utilize the wonders of the Golden Talisman."
The old Taoist priest's face turned from pale to flushed, seemingly filled with unspeakable indignation.
"I'm sure I'm right that the ancestral golden talisman in your Shifu Sect can only be fully utilized by divine power."
The old Taoist priest's face suddenly turned neither pale nor red. After hearing the Food King's words, his old face instantly became bloodless. He stared at the Food King in fear and asked, "You... how did you know?"
"Have you forgotten? I participated in that great war three thousand years ago. If the Golden Talisman, the Universe Ring, and the Heavenly Thunder Sword didn't contain divine power, how could they have annihilated the nine super demons in one fell swoop? Don't tell me you didn't know that they were all immortals who came down from the Immortal Realm without permission."
The old Taoist priest took a deep breath and said, "What you say is true, senior. Our sect's golden talisman does indeed require divine power to exert its full effect. However, since the White Crane Ancestor ascended to the Immortal Realm, no one has possessed divine power. Therefore, I am the best user of the golden talisman."
The Food King looked at him carefully and asked, "Are you really unaware, or are you pretending not to know? Doesn't your disciple possess divine power?"
The old Taoist priest's face turned red again. He stared at the Food King and said slowly and deliberately, "No, the golden talisman is mine. It cannot be passed on to anyone else before I die."
The Food King's face gradually darkened, his eyes filled with murderous intent: "Do you want to ruin this world for your own greed?"
A faint golden ripple suddenly appeared on the body of the old Taoist priest, who confronted the King of Food without flinching: "The golden talisman has been with me for hundreds of years and I can control it with ease. I assure you, even if I lose my old life, I will definitely be able to suppress that Dark God."
The King of Food was taken aback. He looked at the old Taoist priest, and suddenly seemed to understand something. He turned back to look at Xiao Wenbing, who seemed to have realized something, and finally sighed, "Old Taoist, you are too selfish."
The old Taoist priest bowed slightly to him and said, "Please grant my request, senior."
The King of Food's expression shifted, and he finally said, "Alright, then you can make the move."
"Thank you, senior." The old Taoist priest Xianyun breathed a sigh of relief and bowed deeply to the King of Food.
However, he didn't see the strange glint that flashed in the Food King's eyes. So, just as he lowered his head, the Food King's large hand slammed hard on the back of his head.
The grateful old Taoist priest felt a sharp pain in the back of his head, and his mind immediately became clouded.
Just before he fell unconscious, he realized what had happened and was filled with remorse. He had clearly seen the Food King harm the little dragon, so how could he have trusted him so blindly? It was truly a case of heaven's sins being forgiven, but self-inflicted sins being unforgivable…
However, there's no going back in life. No matter how unwilling he was, he simply fell into a coma and remained unconscious.
Volume 4, The Divine Artifacts, Chapter 235: The Dragon and Phoenix Barrier (Part 2)
Within the white dragon and phoenix barrier, the dark golden aura of the Dark God grew stronger and stronger, and the pressure gradually increased, eventually reaching an extremely terrifying level.
Long Shi and Feng Hua's expressions changed slightly. They had long known that with their cultivation levels, even if they formed a dragon-phoenix barrier, they would not be able to stop a god, even if that god was just a false god.
If this false god hadn't been suppressed under the divine tree for countless years, and if its power hadn't yet been unleashed, perhaps the Dragon-Phoenix Barrier wouldn't even have been qualified to retain divine power for a moment.
Their only wish was to buy themselves a little more time.
However, a god is a god; its recovery speed is unparalleled. Those who hadn't felt any pressure at the beginning were now deeply feeling an unbearable and immense pressure.
This was completely different from the oppressive aura Xiao Wenbing exuded when he intimidated the demon kings.
In terms of sheer pressure, the Dark God seems to be quite a distance from the divine power emanating from Xiao Wenbing.
However, the pressure exerted by the Dark God was no less than that of Xiao Wenbing.
Because the only feeling this pressure, filled with murderous intent, evoked in Da was terror—a terror powerful enough to drive one mad. This intense fear compensated for the lack of divine solemnity, giving him a different kind of heart-pounding terror.
Is this even considered a god? Long Feng and his companion exchanged a bitter smile. It possessed none of the nobility or majesty of a deity, only a murderous intent. Yet, this intent wielded immense power. The appearance of such a thing in this realm was truly a catastrophe for the cultivation world. Even the calamity caused by the Tiger Clan's invasion three thousand years ago might not compare to today's.
The tiger clan members killed cultivators, but they did not deliberately slaughter ordinary humans and demons, nor did they intentionally destroy planets inhabited by humans, demons, or spirits.
They did this because their goal was to dominate the cultivation world.
But the Dark God is different. Its sole reason for existence is destruction and slaughter. All living beings are its enemies, and every planet it passes through is left in ruins.
For thousands of years, they will never be able to reproduce a new species.
Many demon kings and human cultivators like Hui Zhe had indeed never heard of the Dark God, nor did they know its origins. This was because the Dark God's existence was far too distant from their world. However, the You Palace Wind Nest was different. The Food King was also different; one was an envoy of the power of order in this realm, and the other possessed the ability to traverse the underworld—a truly powerful being with immense magical strength.
Therefore, they knew about the Dark God and understood its origins and dangers.
However, they never expected that they would encounter this thing in their lifetime, or rather, while they were still cultivators.
This... is perhaps fate...
"What bad luck!" Long Shi gave a helpless bitter smile, turned his head, and saw the bitterness and determination in Feng Hua's bright eyes as they met.
At this moment, these two outstanding members of the Dragon and Wind clans had decided that, no matter what, they could not allow the Dark God to escape from Suli. At the very least, before the Dragon King and Wind Lord joined forces with the Thunder Palace and the Divine Tree Ancestor, they had to keep the Dark God here. For this, they would not hesitate to sacrifice their lives.
A black bead slowly rose from the top of Long Shi's head, and almost at the same time, Feng Hua spat out a small, dazzling colored ball.
“Dragon Ball Wind Pill…” The Food King’s face was extremely ugly: “The Dark God is indeed the Dark God. I didn’t expect that Long Shi and Feng Hua would be unable to hold on so quickly.”
Xiao Wenbing had been watching the changes below closely. He saw that Long Feng and the other man were gradually weakening, but after spitting out these two new things, they regained their footing. After hearing what the Food King said, he couldn't help but ask, "What are those?"
“Longfeng is different from humans and demons. Although their cultivation level is roughly the same as yours, what is truly important to them are the Dragon Ball and Wind Pill within their bodies. These are the essence of their life's cultivation and have a tremendous amplifying effect.”
"How much can it amplify?" Xiao Wenbing was overjoyed. This treasure had a similar effect to the universal beads of the demons, and using it now would allow it to exert its greatest strength.
"Given their cultivation level, once they use it, all their spells will be ten times more powerful."
"Ten times the strength, hmm, that should hold them off for a while." Xiao Wenbing breathed a sigh of relief.
"However, once it is used, it will severely deplete one's vital energy and greatly diminish one's cultivation. If the Heavenly Tribulation were to descend at this time, then one would have no choice but to await death," the Food King said coldly.
"Hmm, this can't be such a coincidence, can it?" Xiao Wenbing said in surprise.
"Whether it's a coincidence or not, it doesn't matter anymore."