The old Taoist priest smiled proudly. Among tens of thousands of people and experts from the demon race, to be recognized by the Dragon and Phoenix Venerable was a rare honor.
Xiao Wenbing shook his head slightly and said, "Master, please don't be angry. It's not that I don't want to leave, but... I can't leave."
"Why?" Old Daoist Xianyun was taken aback and asked hurriedly.
“Because…” Xiao Wenbing pointed to the bottom of the lake, a half-smile on his face, and said, “The Dark God has already awakened.”
A pale golden light emanated from the top of the stone box, and the faint golden hue gradually spread.
However, this golden color, which represented the divine, was completely different from the treasure. Not only was its luster dull, but what was even more unbearable was that it carried a strong murderous aura, as if it carried the smell of blood and gore.
"No! We can't let its aura spread, otherwise those with insufficient cultivation will have no chance of leaving. It will directly seize their souls and strengthen itself!" Xiao Wenbing suddenly shouted.
Long Shi and Feng Hua exchanged a glance, then suddenly burst into laughter, each holding one hand, and flew downwards.
"How did Fellow Daoist Xiao know this?" the Food King asked seemingly casually.
“This…” Xiao Gehao frowned, hesitating whether to tell him about the Treasure God. In fact, these principles were spoken by the Mirror God, and the Treasure God, having never left this realm, knew nothing about them. However, it was a good shield.
"Wenbing, let's go quickly?" The old Taoist priest Xianyun lowered his tone. There was even a hint of pleading in his voice.
Xiao Wenbing was startled, seeing the old Taoist priest's sorrowful and worried expression. His heart warmed, and he stepped forward, whispering in Chi's ear, "Master, my precious god."
The old Taoist priest was taken aback, then slapped his forehead, realizing he was truly getting senile and had completely forgotten about the existence of the Treasure Divine Land. Suddenly remembering something, he asked, "Can we send it out to destroy this Dark God?"
Although the Baby God has never been to the realm of gods, he is still a legitimate deity. The Dark God, on the other hand, is merely a pseudo-god with divine status and some divine power. If they were to truly clash, the Baby God's chances of winning seem to be slightly greater.
Xiao Wenbing shook his head with a wry smile and said, "Master, after the treasure god became a god, it has never been to the God Realm. If its body were to appear in this realm, it would attract a heavenly tribulation, and... not just an ordinary one."
"Nine Heavens Thunder and Fire Tribulation?" Old Daoist Xianyun gasped and asked.
"No, it's even more powerful than the Nine Heavens Thunder and Fire Tribulation." Xiao Wenbing frowned deeply, truly unsure how to explain it to the old man.
Neither the Treasure God nor the Divine Tree Ancestor could leave the palace that imprisoned them, because once they left, the chaotic power within the Myriad Treasures Hall and the outer walls of the Divine Tree Palace would follow them relentlessly.
They may not be afraid of the tribulations of this realm, but when faced with the chaotic power that is enough to destroy the entire cultivation world, they are just as helpless.
Therefore, unless the Dark God himself attacks their territory, having the Treasure God and the Divine Tree Ancestor personally participate in the battle would be tantamount to pushing this realm to its doom.
Xiao Wenbing had no intention of dying together with this Dark God, absolutely not.
"You few staying might still be of some use," the Food King said, pointing at Xiao Wenbing and the other two. Then, he looked at Sect Master Huizhe, who was still lingering, and said, "As for you, do you want to leave on your own, or do you want this old man to take care of you later?"
Xiao Wenbing casually pulled Die Xian over and brought her to Zhang Daoren's side, saying, "Senior, please take care of Die Xian for the time being."
Master Zhang nodded silently, grabbed the unwilling Butterfly Fairy, transformed into a whirlwind, and vanished in an instant.
Hui Zhe and the others sighed helplessly. Hearing the Food King's impolite words and considering the difference in their strength, they could only offer a slight bow and leave dejectedly.
Looking at their dejected expressions, Xiao Wenbing shook his head inwardly. They were all at the Tribulation Transcending stage, so why was there such a huge difference in cultivation between humans and the Dragon-Phoenix Clan and the Food King? It was truly unfair.
Above the lake, Long Shi and Feng Hua seemed to float lightly, without any weight on them. Streams of seven-colored light and black light continuously emerged from their bodies. After a moment, these two completely different yet incredibly powerful forces miraculously merged into one.
The combined power of the dragon and phoenix transformed into a faint white light, which, under the sunlight, even had a faint, subtle golden hue.
The white light surged towards the large box at an unparalleled speed, and in a short while, it had firmly enveloped it. The powerful aura of the Dark God continued to spread, and all the flowers, plants, and trees encountered along the way withered, as if they had been burned by extremely high temperatures, and were carried away by the wind.
However, once this destructive force came into contact with the Dragon-Phoenix Barrier, it immediately stopped advancing like a flood hitting a dam.
Xiao Wenbing breathed a sigh of relief. He hadn't expected the Dragon-Phoenix Barrier to be so miraculous, even able to withstand the power of the Dark God. However, what truly surprised him was that the massive barrier formed by the combined power of the dragon and phoenix unexpectedly revealed a faint fluctuation of divine power.
However, the feeling of this fluctuation was very slight, almost imperceptible, and even he himself was somewhat doubtful as to whether it was really happening.
"Hehe... As expected of Long Shi and Feng Hua, it's fortunate that it was them." The Food King exclaimed, "Among the Dragon and Phoenix clans, apart from the Dragon King and the Phoenix Lord, I'm afraid only the two of them working together can create the Dragon-Phoenix Barrier."
"Are they very capable?"
"Indeed, their cultivation is among the best in the Dragon and Phoenix clans. Even I, an old man, might not be a match for them when they join forces."
Xiao Wenbing smiled slightly. It was the first time he had heard the King of Food be so humble, but this also proved that Long Shi and Feng Hua were indeed extraordinary.
"Not good," the old Taoist priest Xianyun suddenly said in a deep voice.
Looking over, Xiao Wenbing and the others saw that the dark golden light within the dragon and phoenix barrier, after being restricted, gradually intensified, changing from being as thin as if it were transparent to being clearly visible.
The power of the Dark God is gradually increasing after being challenged by the Dragon-Phoenix Barrier, and similarly, the pressure on the Dragon-Phoenix Barrier is also increasing.
Long Shi and Feng Hua remained calm, clearly having anticipated this situation. Intense dragon and phoenix power surged from their bodies, combining to form a strange energy that continuously strengthened the light shield.
"Fellow Daoist Xiao, what is written on that stone box?" the Food King asked with a solemn expression.
"The box says that it contains a dark god, a dark god whose mind has been stolen by a divine spark. This thing is suppressed under a sacred tree and will automatically perish after many years. However, if it is moved by humans, it will break free and wreak havoc on the world."
"Suppressed beneath the sacred tree?"
“Exactly.” Xiao Wenbing then added, “It might be the divine tree of the Flame Realm.”
"That's how it should be! Those hateful demon bastards! How dare they even touch something like this? Aren't they afraid of suffering the heavenly tribulation together?" Old Daoist Xianyun angrily rebuked.
“Since they have such weapons, of course they can use them.” The Food King said coldly, “Since the two realms are enemies, then of course they must use any means necessary.”
Zhang Yaqi tugged at Xiao Wenbing's hand and asked, "Wenbing, is it written here who locked the Dark God in the stone box?"
The old Taoist priest immediately perked up. Indeed, although the Dark God was powerful, he was still locked in a stone box. Perhaps there was a way to restrain him inside.
Xiao Wenbing gave a wry smile and said, "The only thing that can restrain the Dark God is a god, and a true god at that."
“Then…” Zhang Yaqi’s bright eyes held a hint of hope: “Does the stone box contain a method to subdue the Dark God?”
“Sigh…” Xiao Wenbing shook his head, his eyes filled with helplessness: “I also hope so, but I don’t know which irresponsible god, since they have already captured this madman, instead of taking his life, they locked him under some divine tree and let him seek his own destruction.”
His voice gradually grew resentful: "Now look what's happened! Someone actually dared to release it. How are we going to deal with this?"
The old Taoist priest and others remained silent. The ultimate goal of these cultivators was to attain immortality.
However, gods are beings a level higher than immortals. They are filled with awe for these high and mighty deities, and even the arrogant and conceited King of Food dares not utter a word of insult.
However, in their hearts, they wholeheartedly agreed with Xiao Wenbing's words. Since they had already captured this scourge, why not sever all ties and eliminate him completely to prevent future troubles? Instead, they painstakingly sent him to the lower realm, only to have him discovered and become a major menace.
"Do you think that if the Thunder Palace, the Divine Tree Ancestor, and the Dragon King and Phoenix Lord join forces, they can eliminate this guy?" Xiao Wenbing asked.
The old Taoist priest and the King of Food looked at each other, neither of them able to answer.
"OK."
Everyone was taken aback and looked at Feng Baiyi, who slowly said, "The Heavenly Thunder Palace is acceptable."
The Food King rolled his eyes, opened his mouth, but ultimately said nothing.
As expected of someone from the Heavenly Thunder Palace, his arrogance surpasses even that of the old man himself...
Feng Baiyi was incredibly intelligent. Seeing the expressions on everyone's faces, she immediately understood their doubts. However, she didn't bother to explain and simply uttered four words: "Wall of Heavenly Thunder."
"A wall of heavenly lightning?"
Xiao Wenbing and Zhang Yaqi simultaneously thought of the Heavenly Thunder Wall outside the Divine Wood Palace, which was formed from the power of chaos. Feng Baiyi had once said that there was a similar building in the Heavenly Thunder Palace.
In an instant, the magnificent palace and its imposing aura reappeared before their eyes.
Volume 4, The Divine Artifacts, Chapter 235: The Dragon and Phoenix Barrier (Part 2)
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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.