"..."
Long Shi looked distressed, truly unsure how to explain this to the precious god.
The Underworld, a place that cultivators fear to even mention. Even he, the old dragon, dared not go there lightly, let alone undertake an almost impossible task like capturing a water spirit.
Such a difficult task should be done by supreme beings like gods.
Of course, unlike Long Shi's thoughts, Xiao Wenbing held an absolutely different attitude.
Before he had experienced the tribulations of water and fire, he feared the Underworld like a tiger. But now, his body had fully adapted to the Underworld waters, and the bone-chilling cold and corrosive poison posed no threat to him. Moreover, Xiao Wenbing held an immense trump card: his serpent incarnation. Having been tempered by the Underworld waters, the serpent could also move freely within the Underworld.
"My dear god, is the spirit of water really that important?"
"Yes, among the five elements—fire, water, metal, earth, and wood—the element of water is the rarest, except for the element of fire. Now that we have this information, we should act quickly. Otherwise, if someone else gets there first, it will be too late to regret it."
Xiao Wenbing was taken aback and asked suspiciously, "Aren't the five elements of heaven and earth supposed to be equal in importance? How come they are ranked differently?"
The precious god shook his head and said, "In terms of power, it is indeed difficult to distinguish between the five elements of heaven and earth, but if we consider the difficulty of their formation and their quantity, then there is a difference."
Why?
"The five elements of heaven and earth all grow in the place where the five elements' energy is most concentrated. Among them, the most stable is the wood element, because every realm has a tree of life, and the tree of life gives birth once every hundreds of millions of years."
"Wait...wait a minute." Xiao Wenbing waved his hand to stop it and asked, "You mean childbirth?"
“Yes, what else is it but childbirth if it’s not giving birth to a Wood Spirit?” Baby God said matter-of-factly.
"Oh." Xiao Wenbing glanced at the Qiankun Ring on his wrist with a strange expression.
The green light on the Qiankun Ring suddenly intensified, but after a moment, it seemed to realize that it was no match for the treasure god, and then dimmed again.
"As long as the Tree of Life in this world does not perish, then anyone with a bit of patience can obtain a Wood Spirit if they wait for a hundred million years."
"One hundred million years?" Xiao Wenbing curled his lips. Wu Fei is a treasure god, one hundred million years is just a bit of patience...
"As for the spirit of earth, it grows within the earth. The spirit of metal is born from minerals. The spirit of water, naturally, grows in great rivers and lakes. Their formation is much more difficult; heaven knows how many years it takes for them to appear in one place. Therefore, unless one has an extraordinary stroke of luck, one can forget about obtaining these three spiritual objects."
"Ah, then what about the Fire Spirit?" Xiao Wenbing was very surprised, wondering why the Treasure God had omitted the Fire Spirit.
Baby God paused slightly and said, "The spirit of fire, of course, is born in a place where fire energy is abundant."
What difference does it make if I furrow my brow?
The baby sighed, "Think about it, among the five elements, which one is the rarest: water, fire, earth, wood, or metal?"
"Is there even a question? It's obviously fire." Xiao Wenbing paused, then said, "I understand. Because a continuous sea of fire is the rarest, that's why the Spirit of Fire is so precious."
“That’s right.” Baby God nodded first, then added, “That’s only one of the reasons.”
"oh."
Baby God gestured with his hand to indicate a large area and said, "Think about it, just in the cultivation world alone, there are so many suns. The temperature there is high enough to create countless fire spirits, right? But why are fire spirits so rare?"
“Yes.” Xiao Wenbing pondered for a while, then finally gave up and asked, “I can’t think of anything, just tell me.”
"The spirit of the five elements is created when the power of the five elements absorbs a large amount of spiritual energy from heaven and earth and the energy of living beings. The power of the five elements can easily absorb the spiritual energy from heaven and earth, but the energy of living beings is another matter." The treasure god glanced at him and said, "There are probably very few who have the ability to settle down near the sun."
Xiao Wenbing was taken aback, and then he immediately understood why everyone from the Precious God to Long Shi changed their attitudes so drastically as soon as they heard about a Fire Spirit Immortal.
Of the five elements, the Wood element is rare, but at a rate of one per hundred million years per realm, gods can always wait for it. As for the Water, Earth, and Metal elements, although their whereabouts are uncertain and heaven knows when one will be produced, these three elements are widely distributed, and in terms of total quantity, they are no less than the Wood element.
The spirit of fire, however, is one in a million, even among the five spirits.
For the five elements to become spirits, they must absorb a large amount of vital energy; that is, the spirits of the five elements can only be generated in places where vital energy accumulates. The spirit of wood goes without saying; just look at the Tree of Life to understand why, among the five elements, only the spirit of wood can be consistently produced.
In addition, there are fish in the water and all things are nurtured in the earth, so there is no shortage of life. As for the metal element, there are creatures even next to the most remote mineral deposits; the only difference is the quantity.
Only the Fire Spirit is the rarest of the five elements. Very few species can survive in a sea of fire, especially in flames powerful enough to melt everything in the world. It is simply unimaginable for the fire elemental energy there to continuously absorb the life force of living beings.
As for the Fire Spirit Immortal of the Flame Realm, although no one knows how it came to be, it is great news for Xiao Wenbing and the others.
With a slight sigh, Xiao Wenbing said, "Alright, my dear god, I can go to the underworld to obtain the Water Spirit for you, but before that, there is one more thing I would like to ask for your help with."
"What is it? Tell me," Baby God said without hesitation.
"I want to borrow some metal-based energy."
What are you doing?
"Save people..."
Volume 4, The Divine Artifacts, Chapter 345: Her Return
------------------------
The mustard seed space in the main hall of Wanbaotang was personally blessed by the God of Treasures with divine power.
The sturdiness of the main hall was evident to all, and Xiao Wenbing and his apprentice were fully aware of this when they used the Thunderclap Bomb in the main hall.
However, the reason it is so sturdy is that it is not only blessed by divine power, but also has a large amount of metal energy, which is why it can be so indestructible.
The only forbidden area in Wanbaotang is where the trash of the gods is stored. These things were all created by the gods, and each possesses some degree of spirituality.
Unfortunately, none of the many artifacts here were created by the creator god, so they lack any special spiritual power. Therefore, no matter how great their energy, they can never become true deities like the Treasure God and the Mirror God.
However, with so many divine artifacts piled up in the room, various spiritual entities were constantly entangled, and spiritual energy was accumulating. Over the years, this might not necessarily be a good thing. Therefore, after becoming a god, the Treasure God combined the heavy malevolent energy in the room with his own divine power and created a new mustard seed space.
This is the incredibly hard Wanbao Hall.
Now, inside the main hall, Xiao Wenbing and the Treasure God stand side by side. On the floor of the hall, many scattered patterns are drawn haphazardly.
In Xiao Wenbing's hand was an ancient-looking broadsword, its blade gleaming with a ferocious crimson hue, seemingly possessing a magical power that could captivate the soul.
He patted the blade. Xiao Wenbing laughed, "My precious god, this two-section blade is truly extraordinary. It can even easily leave marks on such a solid surface."
"That's for sure, it is indeed a treasured sword. However, if you didn't have the Qiankun Ring protecting you, I wouldn't dare let you use the Two-Broken Sword."
With a few casual swings, creating a few faint sword flowers in the air, Xiao Wenbing exclaimed, "This two-section sword is indeed a fine piece. Not only is it indestructible and can cut through iron like mud, but it can also capture people's souls. If it weren't for the suppression of the power of order, I'm afraid no one in this world would dare to use it."
"No, those top-tier gods wouldn't fear the demonic nature of this blade, but with their power, they wouldn't stoop to using such a lowly item," the Treasure God sighed. In truth, it wondered, if these were truly flawless treasures, how could they have ended up in the mortal realm?
"Yes." Xiao Wenbing nodded with a wry smile. For example, the God of Destruction, with his heavenly thunder, could destroy everything. How could he possibly care about such a thing?
A sudden flash of light appeared within the Qiankun Circle, and the spirits of wood and earth emerged one after the other.
Gazing at the strange array on the ground, Mu Ling pondered for a moment before finally admitting with heartfelt admiration, "Fellow Daoist Xiao is truly brilliant. This Five Elements Grand Array is incredibly profound; Mu Ling is far inferior to it."
"You flatter me." Xiao Wenbing said with rare humility, "My meager skills are absolutely no match for Fellow Daoist Mu."
Indeed, Xiao Wenbing was telling the absolute truth. Without the Mirror God's guidance in secret, how could he have possibly set up this formation that even the Wood Spirit admired?
"I am ashamed."
"Alright, Brother Mu, now that the power of the five elements is complete, may we begin?"
"That's natural."
A faint wisp of five-colored light flew out from the Qiankun Circle. Zhang Yaqi lay quietly in the flowing light, as if being supported by a pair of hands. Floating in the air, she arrived at the very center of the Five Elements Grand Array.
Looking at that peaceful and serene, lifelike face, Xiao Wenbing felt a surge of emotion. He forcibly suppressed his excitement and said softly, "Please, gentlemen."
The Wood Spirit responded, its body trembled, and it disappeared into the Eastern Earth Formation. The Earth Spirit, on the other hand, laboriously moved its massive body and slowly arrived at the very center of the formation.
Xiao Wenbing pointed his finger, and two large barrels flew out of the Heavenly Void Ring, pouring out countless immortal fires and underworld waters to the south and north respectively.
After a moment's hesitation, Xiao Wenbing asked, "My God, are you sure there's enough metal energy here?"
"Don't worry," Baby God said confidently, "The golden energy here has been accumulated over countless billions of years. It can save not only one person, but even this entire realm."
Having received the assurance from the precious deity, Xiao Wenbing felt much more at ease. Urged by the Wood Spirit, the two of them withdrew from the formation one after the other.
Although Xiao Wenbing was willing to help, Mu Ling flatly refused. The power of order naturally has its own inherent laws, and apart from the power of the five elements, no other power can interfere. Not even the divine power of the Treasure God and Xiao Wenbing's pseudo-divine power could do so.
Therefore, the only thing Xiao Wenbing could do for Zhang Yaqi was to draw this large-scale formation that enhances the power of the five elements and provide special energy for the three elements of water, fire, and metal.
As for what happens next, that's up to the Wood Spirit.
Gradually, led by the aura of the Eastern Divine Tree, a faint wisp of blue light flew south. The already blazing immortal fire suddenly became violent, as if it had been injected with a large amount of gasoline. The scorching heat surged in the space, and a powerful heat flow gathered into a stream, rushing towards the Earth Spirit in the center.
A strange sound emanated from the Earth Spirit. This powerful heat, capable of melting gold and iron, did not cause any harm to the Earth Spirit; on the contrary, it seemed to enjoy it.
“No, that’s not right,” Baby God suddenly whispered.
Xiao Wenbing's heart leaped into his throat, and he asked in surprise, "What's wrong?"
"The Earth Spirit was so engrossed in enjoying himself that he forgot to continue operating the Five Elements Grand Array."
"Wh...what?" Xiao Wenbing exclaimed in shock. He never expected such an unbelievable mishap. He turned his head and glared fiercely at the Earth Spirit. If anything happened to Yaqi, he would definitely tear this big rock to pieces.
However, without his prompting, the Wood Spirit, who was overseeing the grand formation, had already sensed something was amiss. It emitted a melodious yet urgent cry.
The Earth Spirit shook its massive body as if waking from a dream, and slowly, yellow energy surged westward.
Of the Five Elements Formation, only the western section was completely empty. However, when the yellow earth energy spread into the formation, suddenly, a bright white light shone, and endless metal energy surged from the ground.
Xiao Wenbing's brow relaxed; such powerful metal-elemental energy far exceeded his expectations. It seemed that years of accumulation had filled this area with an overwhelming amount of metal-elemental energy. The Baby God was right; there was simply too much of this energy…
When the metal-elemental energy hidden within the earth was activated, and golden light filled the entire formation, a pre-arranged small opening appeared, flowing to the north.
The black waters of the underworld appeared even deeper, with tiny ripples spreading across the surface. Gradually, the icy waters seemed to suddenly come alive, as if a powerful arm was stirring them, causing them to roll clockwise.
Unbeknownst to him, Xiao Wenbing's hands were already clasped tightly together, and his heart seemed to rise and fall with the rolling of the dark water.
Whether it was the Mirror God, the Wood Spirit, or the Treasure God, they had all repeatedly assured him that with such immense power of the Five Elements combined with the magical power of the Qiankun Ring, they could absolutely restore Zhang Yaqi to her original, perfect state. However, the closer he got to success, the faster his heart beat uncontrollably.
A bitter smile appeared on his lips. The path of immortality is ruthless, and I... still can't do it.
Black energy flowed continuously within the formation, like a raging flood rushing through a dam, a terrifying sight. Suddenly, a small breach appeared on one side of the dam, and all the floodwaters, as if finding a way out, surged out.
Wood generates fire, fire generates earth, earth generates metal, metal generates water, and water generates wood.
After the power of the five elements circulated smoothly within the great formation, it finally formed a unified five-colored ray of light.
Layer upon layer of multicolored light intertwined, weaving together a magnificent and colorful net.
An immense, overwhelming pressure slowly rose within the formation, and the enormous energy converged to form a unique force of order.
The precious god retreated a hundred feet, prostrated himself on the ground, and performed a full-body prostration to the sacred power that represented one of the three supreme gods.
Xiao Wenbing's steps were also uncontrollably retreating. He clearly felt that when these five completely different energies merged together, what was emitted was the power of order of the five elements in harmony.