However, this disciple knew everything about the Flame Realm, and with just a few words, he identified the people below.
Xiao Wenbing nodded silently, realizing he hadn't sensed any aura from them. He had assumed they were ordinary people, but they turned out to be outer disciples. However, to Xiao Wenbing at this moment, their cultivation levels were truly no different from ordinary people.
Turning to look into the main hall, they saw that Queenie and the others were already in position, ready to begin at any moment.
The round table in the center of the main hall was filled with some small trinkets.
Xiao Wenbing glanced at them and immediately understood that these were the personal belongings left behind by the immortals who had ascended to the celestial realm. Only through these small items could the people of the lower realm convey their wishes to their ancestors through the ancestral worship ceremony.
However, after looking around, it really was a dazzling array of items...
"Ronal, are these things kept by someone in charge?"
“Yes, Master. These were all personally kept by Elder Zhichang.” Shabir was taken aback, unable to understand why Xiao Wenbing would suddenly ask such an obvious question.
"So, these things really were left behind by our ancestors?"
“Of course.” Ronald puffed out his chest, his pride like that of a Gallic rooster.
"Hmm, I didn't expect the immortals of the Flame Realm to have such... rather strange hobbies," Xiao Wenbing said with a laugh.
"What?"
“Look…” pointing to the table, Xiao Wenbing whispered, “They even have a broken comb and a chipped rice bowl. Sigh. And what’s that… a dog-beating stick? Heh heh, if these are items that immortals carry with them all the time, then these seniors’ hobbies are rather…” Xiao Wenbing’s face held a half-smile. Were these senior experts from the Flame Realm so poor that they had to beg for food?
Ronald blushed and quickly explained, "Master, this was specially left behind by our predecessors so that we, their descendants, would remember the dangers facing the Flame Realm and not become distracted by trivial matters or indulge in pleasure..."
"Oh, not bad, these seniors have indeed put in a lot of effort, I admire them." Xiao Wenbing praised them verbally, but in his heart he was not convinced. His words of praise were a bit insincere.
A bright light flashed in the main hall, dazzlingly bright.
Ronald quickly said, "Master, the Venerables request that you move to the side hall or the aerial viewing platform, the ceremony is about to begin."
Although Xiao Wenbing was the number one hero in saving the Flame Realm, he was still not qualified to participate in the ancestral worship ceremony here.
"Okay, let's go up into the air."
Xiao Wenbing, eager to witness the spectacle of millions kneeling in worship, certainly wouldn't miss this opportunity. Led by Ronald, he arrived at a "cloud" that had been prepared in mid-air.
Not only were there tables and chairs inside the cloud, but there was also a pot of fragrant tea. Xiao Wenbing naturally knew that this was specially arranged by Quini and others.
Looking down from high above, the people in front of them appeared to be the size of ants, stretching from the mountainside all the way to the foot of the mountain. They really spared no effort for this grand ceremony.
A loud chanting voice came from below, a million people speaking at the same time, the power was so great that it was like a mountain collapsing and a tsunami crashing, deafening.
Xiao Wenbing was slightly taken aback. High in the sky, he could clearly see everyone below prostrating themselves and kneeling in the direction of the temple.
Although their facial expressions were obscured, a profound and solemn atmosphere permeated the air.
The simultaneous, heartfelt prayers of millions possessed such overwhelming power that even Xiao Wenbing, who was uninvolved, was deeply moved.
"They are truly devout!" The Mirror God's voice, filled with envy, echoed in his mind. Clearly, the righteous aura emanating from the air had even alarmed the spirit of this divine artifact.
“Yes. They are indeed the most devout people I have ever met,” Xiao Wenbing sighed. “Now I understand why they gathered in such large numbers.”
Why?
"Only when so many people pray at the same time can the sound reach the ears of every immortal!"
Seemingly drawing upon the combined spiritual power of everyone present, a dazzling, enormous pillar of light suddenly shone from the center of the hall, soaring into the sky. The pillar pierced through the clouds, seemingly connecting to some mysterious space.
As if drawn by a powerful force, the surrounding clouds swirled toward the pillar of light, completely obscuring everyone's view.
Xiao Wenbing suddenly had a strong urge to go up and see what was hidden in those thick clouds. But the thought only lingered in his mind for a moment before disappearing.
To fly up into the sky in front of everyone at this moment would be tantamount to challenging the entire Flame Realm. The wrath of millions of people was something he couldn't afford to acknowledge at this moment!
The devout prayers never ceased, and the sandalwood incense burning in the enormous bronze cauldrons, with its invigorating and calming effects, created a solemn and breathtaking atmosphere as wisps of smoke swirled around the space.
It's unclear how much time passed. Just as Xiao Wenbing, the only guest, let out a large, unseemly yawn, a strange change finally occurred within the pillar of light.
Something emitting a green glow slowly descended from the pillar of light and quietly landed on the round table in the main hall.
Once you have the first one, you'll naturally have the second and the third.
A moment later, countless bright spots emerged from the beam of light. They varied in size, but even the near-maximum brightness of the beam could not obscure the dazzling light emanating from these objects.
Immortal artifacts! Xiao Wenbing's eyes widened. Although the distance was too great and the hall was protected by a barrier, preventing him from sensing them, he knew that these were all immortal artifacts.
Xiao Wenbing had a clear understanding of the generosity of the Flame Realm Ancestor.
Each point of light represents a celestial artifact. There are at least the above-mentioned items already; no wonder Quini promised to gift the cultivation world one hundred celestial artifacts every thousand years. This promise is simply... too good to pass up.
"Wenbing, I've studied that metal-type stick." Suddenly, the voice of the Mirror God came from his mind, interrupting his private thoughts.
"What?" Xiao Wenbing was clearly taken aback by this nonsensical remark.
The Mirror God coughed and said seriously, "There are 1,008 different energy fluctuations on the stick that sealed the Flame Realm Divine Tree Ancestor."
Xiao Wenbing's heart skipped a beat, and he exclaimed in surprise, "So many!"
"That's right. If each energy fluctuation represents an immortal, then at least 1,008 immortals participated in the collection of the Five Elements Spirits. If you and Zhang Yaqi ascend to the Immortal Realm, you are very likely to encounter unexpected trouble."
After a moment of silence, Xiao Wenbing asked, "Is the Immortal Realm large?"
"It should be very large, at least larger than the Cultivation Realm and the Flame Realm combined."
"Is that so?" Xiao Wenbing breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Then after Yaqi and I ascend to the Immortal Realm, we will keep a low profile and not let others find out that we have three rare treasures of heaven and earth."
"Um, I'm sorry." After a long silence, Mirror God finally murmured.
"Huh, why are you apologizing?" A very bad premonition rose in Xiao Wenbing's heart.
The Mirror God chuckled and said, "While I was examining that stick, I accidentally triggered a restriction..."
"A restriction?" Xiao Wenbing's bad premonition intensified: "And then?"
"Those immortals already know their magic has been broken, and because you are one, your auras are the same, so they sensed you at the same time. Once you ascend to the immortal realm, they might come looking for you." The Mirror God stated the worst possible outcome directly.
"Looking for me? Will they come after me?"
"It's probably impossible for me not to cause you trouble."
Xiao Wenbing's face immediately darkened: "Why did you try to trigger the restriction?"
"It was just a moment of carelessness."
With a slight twitch of his lips, Xiao Wenbing muttered, "Carelessness, such carelessness! Do you expect me to never go to the Immortal Realm again?"
“You don’t have to go to the Celestial Realm, but they might come down to find you.” The Mirror God immediately shattered his last hope.
Letting out a long sigh, Xiao Wenbing was truly exasperated, and asked resentfully, "...What should we do now?"
"I don't know. Perhaps you should try your best to master powerful abilities to prepare for the confrontation."
"To fight against a thousand immortals?"
“This… perhaps a little more,” the Mirror God added. “We cannot be certain whether these thousand-plus immortals represent their entire limit.”
"......"
"However, I have a suggestion that, if you adopt it, might avert this disaster."
"you say!"
"boom....."
A loud noise came from the main hall. Xiao Wenbing looked up and saw that the pillar of light had dissipated, and the ancestral worship ceremony was successfully completed.
A moment later, Ronald came up excitedly and said, "Master, the elders have bestowed more than three hundred immortal artifacts upon us. Venerable Quini invites you to come and choose half of them."
"......"
"Master, what's wrong? Are you unhappy?"
"No... I'm happy, I'm so happy I'm going crazy!"
Volume 6, Chapter 18: Plans
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In the main hall, looking at the more than three hundred immortal artifacts before him, Xiao Wenbing remained expressionless and silent. Quini and the others exchanged bewildered glances, unable to discern what was wrong with Xiao Wenbing.
After a long pause, Shabir tentatively said, "Fellow Daoist Xiao, there are a total of 367 immortal artifacts here, most of which are low-grade immortal artifacts, but there are also eight mid-grade immortal artifacts."
"Is that so?"
“Yes, one hundred of them will be donated to the cultivation world. As for the rest…” Shabir hesitated for a moment before saying, “Our Flame Realm will only take one hundred, while the remaining one hundred and sixty-seven items, including those eight mid-grade immortal artifacts, will be handed over to Fellow Daoist Xiao for disposal.”
"Huh? You're giving me so much?"
"Fellow Daoist Xiao has done a great favor for the Flame Realm. This is just a small token of our appreciation. Please do not refuse."
Xiao Wenbing's gaze swept across the faces of Shabir, Quini, and the others. He saw that everyone nodded respectfully, and no one showed any dissatisfaction.
Today is, after all, the ancestral worship ceremony of the Flame Realm. Even Feng Baiyi and Zhang Yaqi left the Holy Star to avoid suspicion, not to mention Long Shi and the others.
At this moment, besides Xiao Wenbing and his disciple Shabier, there were only the most senior figures of the Holy Temple, such as Quini and the Elder Yan, in the main hall. Their decision naturally represented the will of the entire Flame Realm.
"Fellow Daoist Xiao, rest assured, no one in the main hall knows the exact number of immortal artifacts obtained this time, so you can rest assured," Elder Yan said softly. His intention, of course, was to keep this matter a secret.
Xiao Wenbing nodded slightly, then suddenly remembered something and asked, "Quinni, have all the immortals of the Earth Flame Realm been notified?"
"Yes, the ancestral worship ceremony went very smoothly this time, and all the fellow immortals were notified. From now on, we only need to send down a few hundred immortal artifacts every thousand years. We will no longer need to risk returning to the lower realm through the reverse passage."
After saying this, Quini suddenly bowed deeply to Xiao Wenbing. Behind him, everyone, including Shabir, also bowed down at the same time, saying, "All of this is thanks to Fellow Daoist Xiao. All the fellow immortals asked me to bow to you."
Xiao Wenbing's eyes twitched, and he quickly stepped aside, saying, "No need to be so polite, get up quickly. Get up quickly."
Quini and the others bowed respectfully three times before standing up, genuinely grateful to Xiao Wenbing for saving Yan Jie.
Quini took out eight immortal artifacts from the large round table and said, "Fellow Daoist Xiao, besides these eight, there are one hundred and fifty-nine more. Please choose one."
"Hmm." Xiao Wenbing nodded slightly and walked to the large round table. These immortal artifacts and items had already been separated beforehand, waiting for him to choose.
After a moment's hesitation, Xiao Wenbing reached out and took the eight mid-grade immortal artifacts, then beckoned to Ronald and said, "Disciple, come here."
Ronald was overjoyed. This was the first time Xiao Wenbing had called him "disciple" since he had put away his demonic avatar. This was undoubtedly a genuine acknowledgment of his position, and summoning him forward at this moment was a clear indication that he was about to bestow upon him a celestial artifact. With his wish fulfilled and double happiness upon him, he was naturally beaming with joy.
"Master."