Especially in a group fight, the lightning that flies down really hits anyone it sees.
Even with Feng Baiyi's abilities, she could only control the lightning. Once she unleashed it, who the scattered lightning would actually strike depended on the will of Heaven.
"Butterfly Fairy, has your master sent a signal?" Long Shi asked.
"No."
"Okay, then let's wait a bit longer."
Butterfly Fairy nodded, her large eyes never leaving the direction of the sacred mountain.
Just now, it was after receiving Xiao Wenbing's order that she asked Feng Baiyi and the other Heavenly Venerables of the Thunder Palace to work together to break the Holy Mountain's barrier.
Their relationship is that of master and servant; as long as they are on the same planet, there is absolutely nothing they cannot sense.
However, while the Heavenly Venerables of the Heavenly Thunder Palace were casting their spells, Long Shi and the others clearly chose to retreat. They were all at the Tribulation Transcending stage; if they were to wander around the Heavenly Thunder Palace unnecessarily, wouldn't that be like the God of Longevity hanging himself, courting death?
A golden light leaped from the Heavenly Void Ring on the demon avatar's hand, and Xiao Wenbing's true physical body emerged. The first thing he did upon emerging was to activate the Earth God's power within the small golden talisman.
His purpose wasn't to harm anyone, but to protect himself. In that exchange just now, his life was in danger at every moment. Under those circumstances, he certainly wouldn't dare to use his physical body.
However, seeing that everyone's attention was no longer on him, he revealed himself and decisively used his trump card, using the divine power of the small golden talisman to protect his physical body.
His physical body was of utmost importance. He didn't want to spend his entire life in a demonic avatar.
Looking down at the group of demons, he was filled with mixed emotions. Feng Baiyi and the others didn't know why these demons would do something so futile. But Xiao Wenbing knew perfectly well why.
The Holy Mountain is not only the center of the Holy Star, but also the last spiritual pillar of the entire Flame Realm. It is because of the existence of the Holy Temple that the many cultivators and mortals in the Flame Realm are still able to carry out their duties in an orderly manner when they know that this realm is about to perish.
The demons weren't unaware of fear; rather, they had a blind worship of the temple and a deep-seated faith in the immortals within it who had abandoned the path of immortality and descended to the mortal realm.
They believed that as long as His Holiness was still alive, and as long as the temple stood, they would surely be able to find a solution to the problem.
However, today, with the collapse of the sacred mountain's barrier and the influx of thunderclouds and storms, everything is like a collapsing building, about to vanish into nothingness.
If the temple falls, the spiritual pillar of the entire Flame Realm will cease to exist. I fear that we won't even have to wait for this realm to naturally perish; before that happens, all those who are dominated by fear will take the initiative to destroy the Flame Realm.
That is why Quinni and the others no longer ran away. At this moment, their only wish was to live and die with the Temple.
As he listened to the mournful and poignant song, countless scenes flashed before Xiao Wenbing's eyes.
Those tireless mortals harvesting in the valley; the hero in the center, a figure of peace in the eyes of ten thousand Golden Core cultivators; and those demonic artifact masters who, to increase their success rate, risked their own safety to forge magical weapons.
He lowered his head, gazing at the vast white light barrier formed by the omnipotent beads.
This seemingly invincible energy shield now appears so fragile. Faced with the might of the heavenly lightning, which even the Holy Mountain Barrier could not withstand, the Omnipotent Bead Array is nothing more than a mere decoration, utterly useless.
However, through this white light barrier, he seemed to see a towering tree, a tree that had withered and reached the end of its life.
On the tree trunk, there were countless human figures, and countless immortals willingly descended from the celestial realm. Their only purpose was to become fertilizer for a dying tree.
Xiao Wenbing's lips twitched slightly. Through the light barrier, he seemed to see another "young" junior, a junior in his forties who called him master.
He saw pairs of bright eyes and understood the message conveyed in them.
It was a steadfast belief, a spirit of never giving up.
Xiao Wenbing said softly, "Yaqi, Baiyi, did you see that? It turns out that in the Demon Realm, there are countless people just like you..."
"Hey, what are you standing there for? Go and stop them!"
"Stop what?"
“I don’t care what your girlfriend wants to do, but…” Mirror God’s voice was almost a roar due to excessive urgency: “But, he absolutely cannot die before that person who plays with fire reveals the whereabouts of the treasure.”
"Is that so?" With a slight smile, Xiao Wenbing said, "Alright, since you're the one asking me, I'll be a good person this time."
With a swift movement, he appeared before the raging flames, standing between the thundercloud storm and the temple.
Volume 4, The Divine Artifacts, Chapter 315: Vanished into Smoke
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In an instant, dark thunderclouds and storm clouds pressed down from the sky. The entire sky was filled with the deafening roar of thunder, and jagged bolts of lightning constantly struck the peaks of the sacred mountain!
In the blink of an eye, a terrifying roar erupted from the dazzling ball of lightning. With this furious cry, dust filled the air and leaves flew everywhere on the sacred mountain.
A sliver of white light slowly emerged from the thundercloud storm. When the purple light reached its peak, it manifested as a destructive force in the eyes of the world.
The enormous lightning bolt was gradually revealing its ferocious face.
However, Feng Baiyi, who was in the center of the lightning, suddenly changed her expression. Even with her composure, she was shocked when she saw that the person in front of her had suddenly turned into Xiao Wenbing.
As the instigator, she naturally understood the power of this thundercloud storm. Although she also knew that Xiao Wenbing possessed divine power, whether he could withstand the thunderous strike of the Heavenly Thunder Wall was something no one could guarantee.
If this were before Feng Baiyi obtained the Heavenly Thunder Sword, even if she wanted to stop now, it would be absolutely impossible.
However, she is no longer the white-clad fairy on Zhenmo Star who could release but not control. With her fingers flying, she managed to restrain this powerful energy in mid-air.
The faces of the nine Divine Thunder Celestial Venerables all changed color. When Xiao Wenbing suddenly intervened, they were extremely angry. In their opinion, since he came out to seek death, they might as well grant his wish.
However, when they saw Feng Baiyi wielding the power of heavenly lightning so effortlessly, their eyes widened, and they murmured praises to the great God of Destruction. They realized that the manipulation of lightning could reach such a transcendent level…
At this moment, in their eyes, Feng Baiyi, who wielded this power capable of destroying everything, was no longer human, but a supreme deity.
If not a deity, who else could control such immense power so freely? Although they knew that Feng Baiyi had already gained the Heavenly Thunder Divine Sword's recognition, only now were they truly convinced and dared not show any further negligence.
As for Xiao Wenbing blocking the way, let the Palace Master handle it. Whatever the Palace Master thinks is right, then it must be right. And whatever the Palace Master says is wrong, then it must be wrong.
To follow closely behind the Palace Master and steadfastly carry out his orders is the most loyal way to serve the God of Destruction.
Xiao Wenbing held a small bronze mirror in his hand, beneath which lay the Spirit Gathering Platform. The Mirror God had once said that if these two entities were connected, even the power capable of destroying this realm would be powerless to destroy them. Therefore, such a valuable resource should naturally be put to its fullest potential.
However, surprisingly, the Mirror God did not voice any opposition to his actions, indicating that it was truly determined to obtain Queenie.
I turned my head to take a look, and it was still that endless, scorching flame.
Xiao Wenbing frowned. He simply couldn't understand what the Mirror God saw in this flame. It seemed that besides being able to make a fire and cause some destruction, it wasn't very useful.
However, although it is unclear what exactly is valuable about Quini, one thing is certain: what the Mirror God has his eye on must be the best of the best.
Just from what the Mirror God said—that it would be no problem to save this entire world for that thing—it's clear that the value of this object far exceeds that of this entire plane.
Just as Xiao Wenbing was pondering this, suddenly, multicolored light surged from his body again. Even the Qiankun Ring seemed to unleash its power, setting up a colorful light curtain around Xiao Wenbing.
It's unclear whether it was to protect the demons below or to assist Xiao Wenbing in resisting the heavenly lightning above. In any case, at this moment, the Qiankun Ring also became restless.
"Yaqi..." Xiao Wenbing called out excitedly. He knew that he did not have the ability to manipulate the universe and control the land, so it must be Zhang Yaqi who came out to help him.
"Fellow Daoist Xiao." A pleasant yet powerful voice emanated from the Qiankun Circle.
It was as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over his head, instantly calming Xiao Wenbing's once fiery heart.
The voice was familiar, but it definitely wasn't Zhang Yaqi's. If he wasn't mistaken, it should be the voice of the Wood Spirit. Only then did he realize that the one who had rescued him from the flames and was now protecting him wasn't Zhang Yaqi, but the Wood Spirit within the Qiankun Circle.
Despite his extreme disappointment, Xiao Wenbing still clung to a sliver of hope and asked, "Fellow Daoist Mu, where is Yaqi?"
"The master is safe and sound inside the Qiankun Circle, so please rest assured, Fellow Daoist Xiao."
"Is that so?" Xiao Wenbing breathed a sigh of relief. He had expected this, but only after hearing Mu Zhiling's affirmative answer did he truly feel at ease.
"Fellow Daoist Xiao, I have a request to make."
Xiao Wenbing was taken aback. Why would Mu Zhiling speak to him like this? He asked curiously, "Fellow Daoist Mu, please give your instructions."
"The flame that Quini just used contained the unique aura of the fire spirit."
"The Spirit of Fire?" Xiao Wenbing immediately understood; the Mirror God must be referring to this.
"That's right, and it's not an ordinary fire spirit, but the unique aura of a fire spirit immortal."
"What?" Xiao Wenbing was stunned. What did this mean?
"There's no way to explain it for now, but please remember, Fellow Daoist Xiao, if you want your master to fully recover, please ask the Heavenly Venerables of the Thunder Palace to spare this person's life."
Xiao Wenbing felt a chill run down his spine. Why did the Wood Spirit and the Mirror God speak with the same tone? He really didn't know what they were after. Moreover, judging from the Wood Spirit's tone, it seemed to be related to Yaqi.
However, this request was exactly what I wanted, and since it was a favor, of course I had to do it.
Xiao Wenbing smiled slightly and said, "I will naturally obey Fellow Daoist Mu's order."
Having said that, he looked up and suddenly shouted, "White Robe, please wait a moment."
"Okay?" Amidst the rumbling roar, Feng Baiyi's voice came from the thundercloud storm. She didn't ask for a reason, but simply agreed silently.
A warm feeling welled up in my heart. Here, only Feng Baiyi would support me wholeheartedly without asking any questions!
Of course, the Butterfly Fairy in the distance, who has the exact same appearance as Feng Baiyi, is probably the same, but as for the relationship between the Butterfly Fairy and Feng Baiyi...
Yes, the difference in their influence is indeed huge.
Turning around, Xiao Wenbing roared down, "Venerable Quini, shall we call a halt for now?"
Xiao Wenbing's separation from his avatar was naturally not hidden from Quini and the others. At this point, they all understood why this person was able to deceive everyone and impersonate someone from the Flame Realm.
However, anyone who isn't an idiot would probably not refuse Xiao Wenbing's suggestion.
The intense flames gradually subsided, and the smoke began to condense. After a short while, Quini and Shabir had returned to their human forms.
They had their own compelling reasons, for they all understood that even if they risked their lives, it would be futile. The lightning storm had already taken shape, and there was absolutely nothing they could do to resist it.
Since that's the case, we might as well be straightforward and generous, and see what they have to say.
Seeing the other party's friendly gesture, Xiao Wenbing breathed a sigh of relief. To be honest, when he first arrived in the Demon Realm, he wished he could wipe everything out. However, now, after absorbing the remnant divine consciousness of the demon avatar, his thoughts had subtly changed.
Moreover, looking at the Qiankun Ring in his hand, he actually harbored a rather rebellious idea deep in his heart.
If these Venerable Ones hadn't stolen the Universe Ring and taken it to the Demon Realm, who knows how long he would have had to wait to reunite with Zhang Yaqi.
Even if Feng Baiyi later wields the Heavenly Thunder Divine Sword, the thought of her risking the destruction of the cultivation world to rescue Zhang Yaqi remains unfounded...
It is estimated that even if Feng Baiyi agrees at that time, their opponents will be many elites from the cultivation world.
So, should he wait ten thousand years to cultivate a true god's body before resolving this? Xiao Wenbing shook his head. Surely he couldn't wait until his beard turned completely white before he could reunite with Yaqi.
Therefore, he harbored little resentment towards Quini and the others; on the contrary, he felt a degree of gratitude towards them.
"White Robe!" Xiao Wenbing turned his head and shouted, "Stop the lightning!"
The white lightning in the sky slowly receded, and the enormous, chilling thundercloud gradually began to subside its omnipresent pressure.