But at this moment, Xiao Wenbing naturally had to pretend he didn't recognize him. So he rolled his eyes and coldly asked, "How does it taste?"
A surge of powerful spiritual energy erupted from Elder Yan's body as he warily watched Xiao Wenbing, fearing that the man might suddenly strike him again.
Just now, as soon as the light on the Universal Bead lit up, he realized something was wrong. He hurriedly activated his protective shield, but it was too late. Xiao Wenbing struck him heavily with the power amplified by the Universal Bead.
Although he didn't know who was hiding there, Xiao Wenbing had clearly held back. Otherwise, even if Elder Yan's physical body were twice as strong, it wouldn't be able to withstand the full force of a top-tier expert undergoing tribulation, whose power had been amplified sixty-four times.
Elder Yan certainly understood this principle, and moreover, he knew it even better. With the Level 9 Universal Pearl in hand, Xiao Wenbing was not someone he could defeat. He wanted to get revenge, but he didn't dare to make a move at all, so he could only say fiercely, "Why did you ambush me?"
Xiao Wenbing grinned maliciously in return. He said, "A sneak attack? I only took down a suspicious fellow. You…" He brandished the universal bead in his hand and asked, "Who are you, and what are you doing here sneaking around?"
Elder Yan was stunned, only then realizing the real reason he had been beaten. He opened his mouth, feeling extremely annoyed. Being beaten for this reason was truly unprecedented.
"What, you won't talk? Hmph, your cultivation is quite good, managing to get here without me noticing. Fine. Then let's settle this with our skills." As Xiao Wenbing spoke, a powerful fighting spirit slowly surged from his body, and the Universal Bead in his hand emitted a dazzling light once more. He said, "I won't take advantage of you; you should also bring out your magic weapon."
Elder Yan was slightly taken aback. Then, a surge of anger rose within him. "That sounds so good... even better than singing!"
You're not taking advantage of me. Then why are you still holding onto the Universal Bead? This is a level nine magic artifact! Where am I supposed to find something comparable to it?
He glanced resentfully at the radiant, all-powerful bead, and resignedly resolved that he would flee the moment this guy made a move. Then he would ask the Venerables to subdue him…
"Master, this is Elder Yan of the Holy Temple. He means no harm," Ronald quickly exclaimed, his voice carrying a hint of pleading.
"Oh," Xiao Wenbing responded, but his eyes remained fixed on Elder Yan, showing no sign of relaxation. He estimated that if Elder Yan made the slightest unusual move, the all-powerful bead in his hand would unleash its full power.
However, to his surprise, Elder Yan's expression changed a few times before relaxing. In the blink of an eye, he put on a gentle smile, straightened up, and the red protective shield disappeared automatically. Even his previous vigilance was clearly relaxed.
Xiao Wenbing hesitated for a moment, and the light from the Universal Bead in his hand gradually dimmed. He had observed Elder Yan's attitude. It seemed this battle was unlikely to occur.
Little did Elder Yan know, he was inwardly cursing, wondering where this country bumpkin had come from...
Although someone of his status and position would never care about a Tribulation Transcending stage cultivator without any background or power, this person was an exception. It should be understood that being able to stack nine ordinary level-three magic artifacts into a level-nine top-tier magic artifact was something even Venerables couldn't do.
Therefore, upon receiving Mohammed's message, he immediately dropped everything and rushed over without the slightest delay.
He also understood that if the venerable ones hadn't been tied up with other matters, the important task of meeting this person would likely have fallen to him.
It fell on his own head.
However, when he arrived, he found Xiao Wenbing and his apprentice talking, so he sneaked in to listen to what they were saying. But to his utter surprise, Xiao Wenbing activated the power of the Universal Bead without warning and attacked him without any warning.
When he stormed out in a rage, he learned that Xiao Wenbing had attacked him out of embarrassment and anger because he had been secretly approached without being noticed.
The reason for this outcome is clearly that this person was distracted, yet he acted as if he would devour anyone and fight to the death, which is truly outrageous.
However, Elder Yan had no confidence in reasoning with such a barbarian. He could only force a smile and say, "I was careless and forgot to greet you. Please forgive me, fellow Daoist."
Xiao Wenbing breathed a sigh of relief. After all, this was the demons' stronghold, and without news of Zhang Yaqi, he didn't want to escalate the conflict. He immediately smiled and said, "Ignorance is no excuse, but if you approach in the future, it's best not to conceal your aura."
Elder Yan nodded with a wry smile. Given his status in the Holy Temple, he certainly wouldn't want to pry into anything. Besides, there really wasn't much to see with two grown men together.
His purpose in coming was to recruit Xiao Wenbing, a talent of immense importance to the Holy Temple, or rather, to the entire Flame Realm. Therefore, upon seeing the master and disciple conversing, he secretly approached, wanting to learn about this man's preferences and background.
He didn't doubt Xiao Wenbing's identity. After all, even those Venerables would never have imagined that someone could come to the Flame Realm from the Cultivation Realm without making a sound, passing through that storm of thunderclouds.
Therefore, in his mind, he had already assumed that Xiao Wenbing was just an ascetic living in seclusion on some remote planet, who would only come out to take a look when he was about to undergo his tribulation. Although such a situation was rare, it was by no means unheard of.
Although the Flame Realm is not as large as the Cultivation Realm, it is still quite large, containing countless billions of living beings. Even the Holy Temple could not possibly know all of them.
The temple has always adopted a laissez-faire attitude towards such ascetics; they can come if they want, and they won't force them if they don't. Of course, it's impossible for the temple to help them overcome their tribulations.
However, this person is clearly different, absolutely unique.
Elder Yan forced a friendly smile, pointed at Ronald, and asked, "Fellow Daoist, are you satisfied with this disciple?"
"Hmm." Xiao Wenbing nodded slightly. No matter who it was, it would be hard not to be satisfied with a disciple who could understand things so easily and draw inferences from one instance.
Suddenly, he felt a jolt in his heart. What was wrong with him? This was a demon...
Xiao Wenbing was unaware that the longer he was possessed, the weaker his hatred for the demon became, and he even felt some sympathy and pity for him.
Ultimately, it all comes down to his cultivation level advancing too rapidly, causing his mental and emotional development to lag far behind. The conditions in the Demon Realm are harsh, and those who achieve anything are mostly people of unwavering will. Therefore, although this demon has lost his mind, his loyalty to the Demon Realm and his anxieties about it remain in his mind.
Although Xiao Wenbing's mind was not affected by the possession, his view of demons was slowly changing at an imperceptible speed.
Elder Yan was greatly surprised. Why was Xiao Wenbing's expression changing so erratically? Could it be that even the most talented disciple in the Holy Temple could not satisfy him?
Ronald's face flushed red, and he said respectfully, "This disciple is stupid and has failed to live up to your expectations."
Xiao Wenbing was startled, shook his head, and said, "It's none of your business." Then he turned to Elder Yan and said, "Didn't Mohan say that the elders are all in seclusion and have no time to meet with an outsider like me?"
Elder Yan was taken aback. He finally realized why Xiao Wenbing had been so hostile towards him at the beginning. It turned out that he was holding a grudge.
Elder Yan's lips twitched. It was outrageous... How could someone with such a narrow mind have been trained to the top level of the Tribulation Transcending Realm, and also possess an incredible skill in weapon forging?
The smile on his face seemed to have weathered away, and he remained motionless. In his heart, the injustice was even more unjust than that of Dou E's father.
"Elder Yan, Elder Yan..." Ronald called softly.
"Ah." Elder Yan finally regained his composure and forced a smile, "Fellow Daoist, please forgive us. We do have important matters to attend to and did not mean to be negligent."
Xiao Wenbing nodded slightly and tossed the universal bead in his hand to Ronald. Since it had worked for him once, there was no point in keeping it. Once back, he could drag his precious god along and copy as many as he wanted; even copying two and discarding one wouldn't be a problem.
So, why not do this favor when it's convenient?
Volume Four: The Divine Artifacts, Chapter 300: The Origin of the Dark God (Part 1)
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Elder Yan watched as Ronald accepted the treasure, and a hint of envy appeared in his eyes.
Xiao Wenbing, seeing this, was greatly surprised and asked, "Elder Yan, you are all practicing the technique of superposition, so you must have quite a few of these things, right?"
Elder Yan, unsuspecting, smiled wryly and said, "Fellow Daoist, you jest."
After a moment's thought, Xiao Wenbing asked, "The temple has a long history, probably more than hundreds of thousands of years. Could it be...?"
Elder Yan sighed deeply and said, "Indeed, the Holy Temple has been established for hundreds of thousands of years. However, the ninth-level universal bead, which is refined using the superposition method, has only been successfully made twice." His gaze lingered on Ronald's hand for a moment, and he said with emotion, "This one is the second successful one."
"Oh." Xiao Wenbing looked suspicious, then immediately understood. Godhood, Godhood, all of this is because of the existence of Godhood. With the power of Godhood, a few superpositions are as simple as playing around.
However, without divine status, relying solely on luck to succeed is... well, the probability is...
hey-hey……
However, they were also lucky; they managed to succeed once out of billions of chances.
Elder Yan suddenly bowed deeply to him, which greatly surprised Xiao Wenbing, who asked, "What are you doing?"
Elder Yan raised his head, his expression solemn. This bow was truly sincere, without any hint of flattery. He solemnly said, "Thank you, fellow Daoist, for traveling thousands of miles and bestowing such a wonderful skill upon me."
Xiao Wenbing looked at him and asked in surprise, "You can also refine weapons?"
"I know a little bit about it." Elder Yan said respectfully, "If the unique skills you taught me, fellow Daoist, were integrated into our Nascent Soul refining techniques, both the success rate and safety would be greatly improved. It is truly a meritorious deed."
Xiao Wenbing smiled wryly. "Immeasurable merit, indeed, for you. But for our cultivation world... I fear it will bring endless trouble. If people find out that I was the one who spread this secret technique..."
Xiao Wenbing shuddered, a faint killing intent rising in his heart. If he could just kill these two, wouldn't no one know? But for some reason, he always felt a certain fondness for Ronald, his adopted disciple, and this killing intent, though it kept surfacing, never quite taking root.
He tossed his head in frustration, "Fine. Let it go, considering he called me 'Master' a few times."
Elder Yan and Ronald noticed that Xiao Wenbing had suddenly fallen silent, then shook their heads, looking deep in thought. They exchanged a glance, but even if they had two heads, they could never guess what Xiao Wenbing was thinking.
After a long while, Xiao Wenbing let out a long sigh, his voice filled with helplessness. "Alas... I never thought that having the will to kill would be harder than giving birth!"
He shook his head and said, "It's a trivial matter, nothing to worry about."
Elder Yan, unable to fathom his thoughts, smiled ingratiatingly and suddenly asked, "Fellow Daoist, if one cultivates according to this method, is it possible to one day reach your level?"
As a master craftsman, he naturally understood that Xiao Wenbing's method was indeed highly effective. However, achieving a 100% success rate in stacking was wishful thinking, let alone the miraculous feat of stacking a ninth-level magic weapon in one go.
Xiao Wenbing gave him a cold look and said, "Fellow Daoist, haven't you heard the saying, 'The master leads you through the door, but the cultivation is up to you'? My cultivation method emphasizes fate and comprehension. Those with good comprehension and good luck can naturally succeed, but for ordinary people..."
"That's...that's..." Looking at his disdainful expression, Elder Yan felt his face burning. However, this person was able to cultivate to such a level, so his comprehension was naturally exceptional. Perhaps only he in the whole world had such good comprehension.
However, Elder Yan was unaware that while Xiao Wenbing's comprehension was decent, it was still several levels below Ronaldo and Feng Baiyi. But he possessed extraordinary luck; even at his worst, having a divine spark, he wouldn't be inferior to a cultivator!
Seeing Ronald's dejected expression, Xiao Wenbing felt sorry for him and comforted him, saying, "As long as you continue to cultivate according to the methods I have taught you, I can guarantee that one day you will be able to achieve your wish and reach my level."
“Yes…” Ronald shouted, his eyes gleaming with hope.
Upon seeing this, Xiao Wenbing couldn't bring himself to say the next sentence. He had originally intended to say that once he reached the realm of a god, he would be able to master it. However, who knew how long it would take for him to reach that divine realm?
However, if one day he can really reach the Divine Realm, then it can be considered that the ugly daughter-in-law has finally become the mother-in-law.
Turning his head, he asked, "Elder Yan, what brings you here?"
"I wouldn't dare." Elder Yan hesitated for a moment, then asked in return, "Fellow Daoist has already heard Ronald say that all immortals nurtured by the Holy Temple will spontaneously return to the Flame Realm after cultivating to a certain level in the Immortal Realm."
"That's right."
"We call these immortals who descended to the mortal realm Venerable Ones."
"Ah," Xiao Wenbing thought to himself, "Indeed, the Venerable One is a celestial being descended to earth. However, before coming into contact with the Holy Temple..."
Little did he know that these immortals were actually mass-produced.
"Then," Elder Yan's voice suddenly turned serious, "do you know where these Venerables ultimately went?"
"What?" Xiao Wenbing was taken aback. After a moment, he realized that he was referring to the whereabouts of these immortals.
I remember hearing the Mirror God say that when immortals descend to the mortal realm, it is difficult for them to absorb enough immortal spiritual energy. Without immortal spiritual energy, they cannot return to the immortal realm, so very few people dare to descend to the mortal realm on their own.
However, judging from Elder Yan's tone, perhaps he had a solution. So he inquired, "I was just about to ask you."
Elder Yan smiled faintly, but there was a hint of sadness in his eyes. He bowed slightly to Xiao Wenbing and said, "Fellow Daoist, please follow me."
Xiao Wenbing responded, then turned and saw the pleading look in Ronald's eyes. He couldn't help but ask, "May I take him with me?" But as soon as the words left his mouth, he realized it was inappropriate, but it was already too late.
To his surprise, Elder Yan agreed immediately after only a brief moment of thought, which was somewhat unexpected.
Following Elder Yan, they arrived at the center of the main hall of the Holy Temple. This was the most vital location in the Holy Temple; without Elder Yan personally leading the way, no one else could have entered.
In the very center of the main hall was a small teleportation array. Elder Yan led them into the array, and with a beam of white light, they arrived at the true heart of the Flame Realm.
Before the exit of the teleportation array lay a thick fog. The endless mist sent chills down one's spine. How familiar this scene was! Xiao Wenbing already knew what lay within that fog.
Leading Xiao Wenbing and the others, they plunged into the thick fog. They wound their way east and west for a long time, but still hadn't reached their destination.
Xiao Wenbing sneered inwardly. This Elder Yan was quite cunning, having wandered around in the thick fog for so long. He just hadn't expected that Xiao Wenbing possessed a divine essence. Even without Elder Yan's guidance, he would never have been trapped here.