Without waiting for orders, the nine Heavenly Venerables of the Heavenly Thunder Palace drew their Heavenly Thunder Secondary Swords together, and in a short while, the renowned Heavenly Thunder Barrier was already in place.
Compared to the last time, both the speed and quality have improved significantly this time.
It seems that the proverb "practice makes perfect" has some truth to it.
Quini and Shabir exchanged a glance and sighed inwardly. If they had known that the cultivation world had such methods, how could they have been so unprepared?
However, they were unaware that if Feng Baiyi hadn't obtained the Heavenly Thunder Divine Sword, they wouldn't have been able to pass through this thundercloud storm smoothly.
A massive bolt of lightning once again swept past everyone. Within this forbidden zone of lightning, apart from the chaotic power of the Heavenly Thunder Palace, no other energy could pass through unscathed.
Of course, Feng Baiyi's Qiankun Ring was an exception. The Ring of Order could indeed restrain thundercloud storms of this scale, but the price to pay was the life of the ring's owner. If it weren't for the fact that there was a wood spirit in that ring who saw the danger and took her body first, Zhang Yaqi would have truly been annihilated.
Emerging from the thundercloud storm, Quini and the others looked at the enormous mass of death energy with lingering fear. It was this energy that destroyed the culprit that led the Flame Realm to its demise—the invincible Dark God—but it was also this energy that caused dozens of their companions to disappear forever.
I took a deep breath. Although it was the same air, the feeling in my heart was different. They had finally returned.
After getting away from the thundercloud storm, Xiao Wenbing asked, "Elder Long, where do you plan to go now?"
Long Shi was taken aback. What was wrong with Xiao Wenbing? Had he forgotten his instructions? But with Quini and the others around, he wouldn't dare ask directly, no matter how stupid he was. He simply smiled and said, "Of course I will travel with Fellow Daoist Xiao."
"Great!" Xiao Wenbing said with a smile, "You're most welcome. Shall we head to the Jade Cauldron Sect now?"
"As you wish." Long Shi smiled, but a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes. It turned out that he thought Xiao Wenbing had returned to the Jade Cauldron Sect to ask the Treasure God to kill Quini and Shabir.
"Wait a moment." Everyone was taken aback. Then, a Venerable Shenmu bowed deeply to them and said, "Now that this matter is settled, I need to report back to the Ancestor about this trip. Please wait a moment."
After saying this, the Divine Tree Venerable came to the ground and suddenly became much shorter, with half of his body buried in the soil.
"This method of transmitting messages is quite unique," Xiao Wenbing said with a smile.
Since each leaf on the Divine Tree Ancestor is a planet in this world, these Divine Tree Venerables can naturally notify the Divine Tree Ancestor as long as they make contact with the Earth's core.
With a flash of light, Long Shi and Feng Hua simultaneously launched a flying sword from their hands. Without a doubt, it was because Venerable Shenmu had reminded them of their clan leader that they had hastily sent out the flying sword message.
He glanced at them with considerable envy. Flying sword communication was a wonderful thing, but unfortunately, his cultivation level wasn't high enough to send a message even if he wanted to. Suddenly, a thought flashed through his mind: while his cultivation level wasn't high enough, he could try using both of his avatars!
Just as I was about to try it out, I suddenly stopped.
Faintly, a light flashed across the Qiankun Ring. Xiao Wenbing secretly glanced at it and saw a few tiny words flashing across the light: "Fellow Daoist Xiao, the Ancestor already knows what happened. Please take good care of Quini and the others and make sure to resolve the great calamity of the Flame Realm. Before meeting the Fire Spirit Immortal, please establish a good relationship first."
He raised an eyebrow slightly, surprised that the Divine Tree Ancestor reacted so quickly. He had only just learned about the Fire Spirit Immortal and had already made a decision. It was clear that the Fire Spirit Immortal held an irreplaceable position in the heart of that ancient tree that had lived for countless years.
After Venerable Shenmu emerged, the group arrived at the teleportation array. Strangely, however, both the Venerables from the three holy lands and the nine Heavenly Venerables of the Thunder Palace remained silent, and none of them suggested leaving the group.
For ordinary people, a teleportation array can only transport ten people at a time. The more people there are, the more dangerous it becomes. If one hundred people are teleported at the same time, the danger will be far greater than that of ten people being teleported ten times. They may very well lose their way in the vast universe.
If it were just being transported to an uninhabited planet, that would be fine. But the real danger is being transported to outer space. In that case, you'd be stuck in the middle of nowhere, and you'd be in a truly miserable situation.
At that time, no matter how great one's abilities, all one can do is wait for the energy to run out and become a dried-up corpse in the universe.
However, the group here probably doesn't have such concerns. Each of Long Shi and the others possesses the highest level of cultivation in the cultivation world, so the possibility of an accident is indeed not high. Besides, even if they were to fall into outer space, they might still have ways to save themselves.
Needless to say, Quinni and the others no longer need fixed teleportation arrays for interplanetary travel, so they naturally don't care if they suddenly appear in outer space.
Even that Little Butterfly Fairy—don't forget, the space within the Starry Sky Illusion Realm is vast enough for her to have a blast. As for Xiao Wenbing, after obtaining this Great Serpent Incarnation, he's no longer afraid of Star Trek.
Therefore, with a flash of light on the teleportation array, their group of dozens of people all left at once.
Volume 4, The Divine Artifacts, Chapter 342: An Unexpected Message
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When the person's figure left the teleportation array and arrived at Tianding Star, it immediately caused a great sensation.
Two of the disciples guarding the formation were from the Jade Cauldron Sect. They had personally experienced the supreme majesty of the Heavenly Thunder power when the Heavenly Thunder Palace and others arrived last time. Naturally, they recognized Xiao Wenbing and the others, so as soon as they saw their master return, they quickly used their unique communication methods to report to the sect elders.
Therefore, Xiao Wenbing and his group had just arrived at the outer gate of the Jade Cauldron Sect when they were greeted by Hui Zhe and others.
Upon meeting again, they naturally exchanged warm greetings. Hewlett even stepped forward to take Xiao Wenbing's hand, sighing deeply, expressing his profound disbelief that they had been able to return so quickly.
Indeed, before they set off for the Flame Realm, even the most optimistic person thought it would take at least several decades to return safely. However, less than half a year has passed, and not only have they returned unharmed with the Universe Ring, but they have also brought along two strangely shaped people.
What is this? Interest...?
Although everyone wanted to know what had happened to them after they went to the Flame Realm, Elder Long Shi coughed lightly, oblivious to the opportune moment, and then Elder Feng Hua said, "I'm tired."
Thus, the grand welcoming ceremony came to an end. Although no one believed that the dignified Elder Fenghua would tire so easily, in the end no one dared to disobey this peerless master of the Phoenix Clan.
The best guest rooms in the Jade Cauldron Sect have been vacated. Everyone received the highest level of hospitality, even the two people of unknown origin were treated the same.
No one was interested in explaining the origins of Quini and his companion to Hye-cheol and the others, and they were equally uninterested in giving an impromptu self-introduction. Therefore, unsure of their background, Hye-cheol still instructed them not to be careless or negligent.
Hewlett-Packard personally settled everyone in and was looking forward to having a proper talk with Xiao Wenbing, only to find that Long Shi was lounging in Xiao Wenbing's room, pretending not to notice anything, whether he hinted or made a direct request. Helpless, he had no choice but to leave dejectedly.
As soon as HP left, Long Shi immediately asked, "Fellow Daoist Xiao, what have you thought about what I said?"
Xiao Wenbing smiled slightly. This old dragon was really impatient. He said with a wry smile, "Elder Dragon, as you know, the Treasure God is the master, and I am the servant. Whether the Treasure God agrees to eliminate these two immortals depends on his mood."
“Of course, if these two weren’t powerful immortals, there would be no need to trouble him to take action.” Long Shi nodded repeatedly. He believed Xiao Wenbing’s casual excuse without a doubt. Servants, when asking their masters for favors, naturally have to consider their masters’ moods.
After Xiao Wenbing explained, seeing that Long Shi was still standing in the same spot, he couldn't help but ask curiously, "Why aren't you resting yet, sir?"
Without a second thought, Long Shi shook his head decisively and said, "I'm not tired."
Aren't you tired?
"yes."
Xiao Wenbing's lips twitched. Of course he knew they had only walked such a short distance. Let alone Long Shi, even a Core Formation stage cultivator wouldn't feel tired. But you, sir, if you're not tired, fine. But pacing around in front of me like that—what kind of logic is that?
You see, resting is just an excuse; the real purpose is to have some peace and quiet. Nobody would be happy if they always had a shadow following them around.
If it were an elder of the Dragon Clan, Xiao Wenbing would have already chased him away without hesitation. With the serpent incarnation at his disposal, unless these dragons and phoenixes joined forces, he wouldn't even consider them a threat. But Long Shi... he couldn't very well turn away this old friend...
Xiao Wenbing opened his mouth, pondering how to get rid of this huge burden without leaving a trace, when he suddenly heard him say, "Fellow Daoist Xiao has returned to the cultivation world, don't you want to contact the Treasure God?"
Xiao Wenbing was taken aback, then realized the purpose of his staying. With a helpless sigh, Xiao Wenbing said, "Alright, I'll go and ask when he's free, and then ask him to help."
After saying this, Xiao Wenbing sat down cross-legged. After a moment, he stared straight ahead, like an old monk meditating.
Long Shi watched from the sidelines, completely awestruck. So this was what it meant to communicate with a deity! The thought of Xiao Wenbing communicating with a supreme god filled him with envy, and even Xiao Wenbing's deliberately idiotic expression seemed to become unfathomable.
In fact, Xiao Wenbing wasn't communicating with the precious god at all; he was simply lost in thought. He had already decided in his heart to leave the old dragon hanging for a while, and that he could probably get rid of him by spouting nonsense when he returned.
Suddenly, he sensed an energy fluctuation in the space. His eyes narrowed, and with a flick of his wrist, he caught a small flying sword. Upon opening it, Longdi let out a gasp of surprise.
Xiao Wenbing was greatly surprised that Long Shi, with his composure, would exclaim in surprise, which showed that this matter was absolutely extraordinary. Unexpectedly, Long Shi suddenly looked at him, and Xiao Wenbing reacted even faster, his eyes fixed on Long Shi, and he resumed his blank expression.
Long Shi wanted to greet him, but seeing his appearance, he couldn't bring himself to speak. The door opened, and with a whooshing sound, Feng Hua appeared before them.
Although Xiao Wenbing's eyes were glazed over and seemed unfocused, he had actually been paying attention. He saw that Feng Hua was holding a small flying sword and immediately realized that this elder of the Phoenix Clan had also received a message from someone's flying sword, which was why he rushed over in such a hurry.
Just by looking at their expressions, you can tell that this is an extremely urgent matter; otherwise, why would Feng Hua have rushed here without regard for anything else?
When Feng Hua entered, the first thing she saw was Xiao Wenbing sitting cross-legged on the ground, completely silent. Even when he saw her, he acted as if he didn't see her at all. She really didn't know what he was up to.
As for Long Shi, he had an impatient expression on his face, staring at Xiao Wenbing as if he wanted to say something but hesitated. Feng Hua glanced at him and immediately saw the flying sword in Long Shi's hand carrying a message, so she asked, "Elder Long Shi, did you also receive a message from the noble chief's flying sword?"
"Exactly." Long Shi said with a wry smile, "I just received it. Why didn't this message come sooner? It just had to be a step too late."
Why?
Long Shi pointed at Xiao Wenbing and said, "Fellow Daoist Xiao is so public-spirited. As soon as you returned here, you took the initiative to contact the Treasure God, wanting to capture and kill Quini and the other two in one fell swoop, to eliminate future troubles. Alas..."
"What?!" Feng Hua exclaimed in shock, "What should we do?"
Unlike Feng Hua's surprise, Xiao Wenbing was so angry he almost twisted his nose. What did he mean by being public-spirited? It was clearly you old bastard who forced me to play tricks as soon as I got back. Heaven knows what happened, and now you're turning the tables on me.
Seeing Long Shi's worried expression, Feng Hua comforted him, "Brother Dao, don't panic. That precious god is a real deity, so how could he agree to help so easily? Fellow Daoist Xiao is just a divine messenger after all. It won't be easy for him to ask a god to come forward and capture someone."
Long Shi nodded slightly, seemingly relieved.
Upon hearing this, Xiao Wenbing already understood the situation. He suddenly let out a long sigh and pretended to finish his practice.
Long Shi and Feng Hua both stared at Xiao Wenbing, trying to discern some omen from his face.
Xiao Wenbing looked up, stared at the two of them for a long while, and then asked, "Elders, what's wrong?"
The dragon and the phoenix had no idea that Xiao Wenbing was just pretending; they thought he was genuinely communicating with the precious god through divine thoughts.
This cannot be blamed on them. Throughout history, the number of divine messengers in the cultivation world has been so small that they can be counted on one's fingers. According to historical records, the methods of communication between divine messengers and deities are incredibly diverse and varied.
So when Xiao Wenbing glared at them and said he could communicate with the treasure god so easily, the two of them could only marvel at it, but dared not doubt it. As for not being able to sense Xiao Wenbing's divine sense, that was even more normal. If a god could be sensed by them, then that god was definitely a fake.
Long Shifeng and Hua exchanged a glance, but they couldn't discern any ominous signs on Xiao Wenbing's fair and delicate face, which had become smooth and delicate after surviving the ordeal of fire and water.
Left with no other option, Long Shi cautiously asked, "Did Fellow Daoist Xiao contact the Treasure God just now?"
"Yes," Xiao Wenbing replied irritably, "Of course I got in touch. Otherwise, do you think I've been sitting here all this time, sleeping?"
Long Shi gave an awkward smile and asked with a forced smile, "Fellow Daoist Xiao, what did the Treasure God say?"
“Well…” Xiao Wenbing frowned, feigning a troubled expression.
Long Shi breathed a sigh of relief. He knew from the look of it that it was a lie, but that was exactly what he wanted. He quickly said, "My precious god is, after all, a deity, and the only one in the cultivation world, so it's normal that you couldn't get it. Besides, there's more to this matter..."
"Ahem." Xiao Wenbing gently interrupted him and said with a smile, "Although the God of Wealth is a bit stingy, after my earnest pleas, analysis of the situation, research on strategy, and appeals on the grounds of national righteousness, he finally decided to take action."
"Wh...what?" Long Shi seemed to freeze in an instant, and he murmured, "They've already...they've already made their move?"
Volume Four: The Divine Artifacts, Chapter 343: The Secrets of the Five Elements
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Xiao Wenbing raised an eyebrow and watched as Long Shi's handsome face grew increasingly green, his heart filled with astonishment. What was going on?
At the beginning, wasn't Long Shi determined to kill Quini and the other two? So why did he turn ashen-faced after hearing this so-called "good news"?
Although I had a vague idea that it was the Wood Spirit who was behind it, I never imagined that the Wood Spirit was so efficient that it was astonishing.
"Elder Long, are you alright?" Xiao Wenbing asked with concern.