At the same time, the restored power of the Second Blade was fully displayed, its divine weapon prowess unleashed, its fierce blade striking down with overwhelming force. These unfortunate souls dared not underestimate its power.
However, the Second Blade, which had shattered numerous walls of immortal energy, did not pursue them relentlessly, seemingly disregarding them entirely. It charged directly towards the Qiankun Circle in the sky.
Mu Hua was shocked. He gritted his teeth, suddenly roared, and spat out a mouthful of mist. Instantly, he himself turned into a thick fog and flew up to entwine them.
Xiao Wenbing was overjoyed at the sight of the treasure, but even he couldn't tell what kind of magic weapon Mu Hua was using.
However, this dense fog was indeed quite effective. The thick fog kept rising, completely enveloping the Forbidden God Tower. The area covered by the fog wasn't very large, but it seemed to be a self-contained space inside. The Forbidden God Tower was spinning around inside like a fly with its head covered. Several times it flew close to the edge of the fog, and just when it seemed about to emerge, it abruptly changed direction and was once again plunged deep into the fog.
"Oh no! Great-grandfather and the others are going to fight to the death!" Mu Yun exclaimed in alarm, his expression changing drastically.
Sure enough, with Mu Yun's shout, the other three immortals followed suit and summoned their own magical treasures, which transformed into several beams of light, completely surrounding the Forbidden God Tower.
However, the other two immortals retreated a hundred feet, but judging from their appearance, they didn't seem ready to make a move at all; instead, they seemed to be standing by and watching.
Seeing Xiao Wenbing's gaze fixed on the two onlookers, Mu Yun explained, "Fellow Daoist Xiao, none of the magical treasures those two seniors have crafted possess the ultimate in softness and resilience. Therefore, even if they were to attack this supremely powerful divine artifact, it would be futile."
Xiao Wenbing was taken aback, then understood. Looking at the other immortals who had made their moves, they were either using soft magical treasures like fishing nets or cotton cloths, or they had simply transformed into a cloud of mist or a ray of light. In short, no one would choose to fight the King of Metal, the Two-Broken Blade, head-on.
Apart from these few high-ranking immortals, the majority of the lower-ranking immortals did not participate. They all stayed obediently on the ground, clearly aware of the power of the divine artifact and not daring to go up and die in vain.
The several immortals possessed great magical power, but the Two-Broken Blade was, after all, the king of the metal element. After fighting for a while longer, the light emanating from the Forbidden God Tower grew even brighter, and it had already begun to break through the encirclement of the immortals.
At this point, even the simpleton could see that it was only a matter of time before the Forbidden God Tower was freed.
Volume 19, Chapter 17: Super Secret Symbol
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After observing for a while, Xiao Wenbing finally decided to mediate the fight.
If we don't stop them and let them continue fighting, the only consequence will be the complete annihilation of all the immortals, with absolutely no chance of survival.
"Ahem..." Xiao Wenbing coughed lightly and said to Mu Yun, "Senior, please ask your grandfather and the others to step aside."
"No," Mu Yun said firmly, leaving no room for negotiation: "We absolutely cannot let the divine artifact harm that... Qiankun Ring."
Xiao Wenbing frowned. Could the Golden Spirit harm the Ring of Order? That was absolutely impossible.
Just by looking at how the sword spirit refused to follow even its old master after hearing the name of the Ring of Order, one could tell how much it longed for the Ring of Order.
Therefore, no matter how powerful the Two-Broken Blade was, Xiao Wenbing never took it seriously. Since it was destined to be his ally in the future, the stronger the better.
"Senior Mu Yun, to be frank, if it comes to dealing with divine artifacts, I do possess a few secret techniques that have not been passed down to me."
Mu Yun suddenly turned around, his eyes filled with disbelief: "Fellow Daoist Xiao, are you saying that the earth is a divine artifact?"
"Exactly."
Only Xiao Wenbing could openly utter such a boastful statement as "an immortal dealing with a divine artifact." However, his performance just now was already quite impressive; even the Multi-Handed Supreme had not gained any advantage against him. Faced with this "miraculous" victory, Mu Yun truly began to ponder.
"Senior Mu Yun, please rest assured. I would not risk my life." Xiao Wenbing urged, "I see that the killing intent of this blade is too strong. If this stalemate continues, I'm afraid Senior Mu Hua and the others will have a hard time escaping."
Mu Yun's face twitched, and he said, "Alright, then I'll trouble you, fellow immortal."
Having made up his mind, Mu Yun did not delay. With a flick of his finger, the immortals on earth simultaneously received messages from his flying sword during the battle.
The fishing nets, brocade robes, and even flour sacks that were constantly waving in the sky seemed to exchange a few words before scattering in a swarm.
It wasn't that they had much faith in Xiao Wenbing's words, but rather that they were simply at their breaking point under the relentless onslaught of the Two-Blade Sword. Even without Xiao Wenbing's intervention, they would have struggled to hold on any longer. Therefore, they might as well give this Ascended Immortal, who had brought them so many surprises, a chance.
Having lost the ties of many immortals, the Forbidden God Tower happily flew towards the Universe Ring. With its special spiritual sense of metal, it was naturally able to sense the true nature of this thing.
Although it was extremely annoyed by Mu Hua and the others' entanglement, it forgot everything else because of the precious treasure before it and only cared about the Ring of Order.
Suddenly, a large hand reached out, firmly grasped the Qiankun Ring, and moved it behind him.
Such a treasure, besides Zhang Yaqi, is probably only something Xiao Wenbing could hold in his hands without being attacked by the earth and wood spirits inside.
Standing before the Forbidden God Tower, Xiao Wenbing shimmered with golden light, exuding an imposing aura. In the eyes of ordinary cultivators, in terms of appearance alone, Xiao Wenbing was far more handsome than Mu Hua and others who used fishing nets and bags.
"Good..." Countless onlookers below the city wall shouted in unison.
Huangzhou City is not the lower realm. The ordinary people here are already used to the existence of immortals. When they saw Xiao Wenbing's deliberately luxurious appearance, they immediately cheered loudly.
However, unlike those who couldn't discern the difference in strength, Mu Hua and the other immortals were filled with unease. They sensed that although Xiao Wenbing appeared imposing, his actual energy level was far inferior to the formidable Forbidden God Tower opposite him.
If that Forbidden God Tower in front of him were to unleash its full power, a single flash of light could probably cleave him in two.
So when they saw Xiao Wenbing acting so recklessly, even Mu Hua cursed inwardly. The immortals simultaneously summoned their magical treasures again. However, they still remembered Xiao Wenbing's achievements, so they gathered their power only as a precaution. If Xiao Wenbing's exorcism technique failed, they wanted to rescue this important figure who was related to the safety of the entire city as soon as possible.
However, Xiao Wenbing remained calm in the face of danger, as if what was rushing towards him was not some deadly weapon, but an insignificant mosquito.
He narrowed his eyes slightly, then suddenly extended a finger and pointed it in the air, saying, "Freeze..."
It's just a simple immobilization talisman; even a cultivator at the Golden Core stage can use it with ease.
Mu Hua and the others felt a sudden darkness before their eyes. Amidst countless expectant gazes, Xiao Wenbing actually used this method to deal with the divine artifact—wasn't that far too childish?
In an instant, all the immortals were filled with regret. How could they have listened to this fool? Had they gone mad too?
Countless streams of immortal energy and magical artifacts soared into the air, converging towards Xiao Wenbing's direction. They intended to use their abilities to block the Second Blade's attack, allowing Xiao Wenbing to escape safely.
However, the next moment, they immediately realized that all their efforts had been in vain.
Because, in response to Xiao Wenbing's words, that fierce and brutal Forbidden God Tower actually "stood still" firmly in the air.
If they were merely surprised and couldn't believe their eyes before, now these immortals were completely dumbfounded, utterly incapable of further thought.
Mu Hua and the others were seeing stars, a surge of resentment stuck in their throats, almost making it hard to breathe.
A freezing talisman. A simple freezing talisman, yet it was able to freeze a powerful artifact that was difficult for countless people to surround.
Ignoring the incredulous gazes of everyone present, including the ascension immortals on the mainland, Xiao Wenbing stood suspended in mid-air, his expression solemn, his right hand flailing erratically in the air.
As he pointed his finger in the air, countless rays of light coalesced into an intricate and mysterious rune that no one could comprehend.
"Drawing talismans in mid-air!" shouted the many cultivators below.
Everyone's eyes were fixed on his every move; every movement of his right hand, every trace it left in the air, was firmly etched in their minds.
Anyone with even a modicum of ability was constantly trying to reconstruct this mysterious rune in their minds. Those immortals and cultivators who started out drawing runes were overjoyed, memorizing it while carefully analyzing every step Xiao Wenbing took.
However, they soon discovered that the rune was too strange...
"Incredible, incredible, Brother Muhua, what kind of runes are these?" an immortal asked, tugging at Muhua beside him.
"How would I know?" Mu Hua said irritably, but his divine sense never left Xiao Wenbing's right hand for a moment.
"Brother Zhanghua, you cultivate the secret talisman lineage, tell me, what is this?" The immortal tirelessly sought someone to answer his questions.
Changhua frowned deeply and ignored his question.
His eyes sometimes revealed joy, and sometimes extreme pain. Long before Xiao Wenbing began using the method of drawing talismans in the air, he had begun to carefully analyze the intention behind each step of the talisman's movement.
However, the more he concentrated on thinking about it, the more his head ached and his mind cracked. He felt that this person's casual drawings were full of surprises. Although sometimes they were still conventional and allowed people to make some guesses, most of the time they were like a mad bull charging around, without any reason whatsoever.
"Brother Changhua, Brother Changhua..."
Several more calls finally roused Changhua from his deep contemplation. He sighed and said, "The technique used by this fellow immortal seems vastly different from all other schools of thought." He paused, sighed again, and a hint of melancholy appeared in his eyes. He continued, "However, it also seems to encompass everything, as if it has a little bit of everything. But no matter how I try to calculate it, I cannot understand the principle behind this mysterious rune, nor can I imagine what its purpose is."
Upon hearing Changhua's evaluation of Hsiao Wen-ping, the many immortals couldn't help but hold him in even higher regard.
Beneath the city wall, a disciple from a small sect whispered to his master, "Master, is this immortal drawing talismans?"
"Nonsense! This immortal's magical power is divine. He actually defeated the Multi-Handed Supreme with a mere ten thousand infant spirit. He also subdued a divine artifact single-handedly. He is truly a blessing to our human race. You must cultivate diligently in the future and take this senior as your role model."
"Yes, disciple understands."
As the teacher spoke, he memorized Xiao Wenbing's incredibly complex talisman-drawing techniques.
"Master, what kind of rune is this?"
"How could I..." The teacher suddenly paused, realizing he couldn't say that. So he changed his tone and said, "I've been teaching you for a long time. See for yourself."
The young disciple was taken aback. Not being good at lying, he finally stammered, "That senior seems to be scribbling randomly."
"Smack..."
The master slapped the junior disciple hard across the face, his expression turning ashen. "Bullshit! You idiot! This rune is a... a super secret rune that's only seen once in a thousand years! And you... you're going to make me furious!"
The young apprentice, having been beaten, covered his face and dared not argue any longer. He followed his master's example and looked up to examine the secret symbol whose true meaning no one could possibly decipher.
Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Xiao Wenbing finally completed his scribbles to his heart's content.
"Go..." With a gentle wave, the mysterious rune, emitting a faint glow, slowly affixed to the towering Forbidden God Tower that was fixed in mid-air.
Xiao Wenbing's tongue blazed like thunder as he suddenly shouted, "Come out here..."
In an instant, the entire city of Huangzhou echoed with the roar, and apart from this thunderous roar, there was no other sound in the world.
The booming echo gradually subsided...
The sky and the ground were completely silent; you could hear a pin drop.
Volume 19, Chapter 18: The Golden Spirit Returns to Its Body
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There was no movement; apart from a gentle breeze, nothing changed, not even the postures of everyone remained the same.
Slowly, a doubt arose in the hearts of everyone present: Could it be that the talisman had failed?
A bead of cold sweat broke out on Xiao Wenbing's forehead. He pretended to play in the air for a while, but in reality, he was secretly contacting the sword spirit in the Forbidden God Tower to avoid being noticed.
Only he, possessing the power of the creator god, could communicate with the sword spirit through that cane.
Unexpectedly, despite his thorough preparation, the sword spirit before him remained inside like a tortoise, refusing to come out.
"Blade Soul, you're going to die! Hurry up and come out, or do you not want to enter the Universe Circle anymore?"
A somewhat helpless voice came from the Blade Soul: "Fellow Immortal, please calm down. I have just discovered something. This Forbidden God Tower seems to be..."