Xiao Wenbing's heart skipped a beat. If what this unlucky god said was true, as long as one mastered the source of energy, wouldn't that mean one could truly achieve immortality?
Whether it's the celestial realm or the mortal realm, both are composed of energy. Countless kinds of energy combine to form this world.
It's simply impossible to completely annihilate a certain type of energy. No wonder this guy said that the god could only defeat him, but couldn't erase him.
"Are you saying that as long as you master the fundamental power of some kind of energy, you will never be destroyed?"
After a moment's hesitation, the consciousness replied, "Yes."
Xiao Wenbing's eyes narrowed, and he said, "What are you hesitating about?"
A slight ripple spread through the space. The consciousness hesitated for a moment before replying, "In this world, there is an energy that can destroy gods."
Startled, Xiao Wenbing quickly asked, "What is that?"
"The power of destruction." The consciousness no longer concealed itself: "Only the destructive power of a thunderbolt can completely diminish the source of energy."
"The power of heavenly thunder..." Xiao Wenbing murmured. He finally understood why the heavenly thunder in Feng Baiyi's hand was called the power of destruction, because it was the only energy that could destroy even gods.
"Indeed, there is no other god besides... no, perhaps there is one great god who can do this."
"Who else?"
"The creator god who can create all things."
"What?" Xiao Wenbing's eyes flashed with a sharp light. His energy was created from nothing. Could it be that he could also destroy this guy? His mind raced, and he suddenly asked, "You mean, let the Creator God simulate the power of heavenly lightning, and then destroy the source of the god's energy?"
"No, if it were a creator god, there would be no need for such trouble." The consciousness's voice remained calm and unwavering as it stated, "A creator god can convert all the energy in the world. If he were to convert his own energy source into mine, he could completely possess my energy."
Nodding repeatedly, a strange smile appeared on Xiao Wenbing's face. So this works too. He was eager to try it out. Should he try using this deity as a guinea pig?
Under normal circumstances, it would be impossible for Xiao Wenbing to do this, because his body absolutely could not withstand the power of a god. But this unfortunate god was already extremely weak. If he really did this, he would most likely be able to completely convert the god's energy into his own.
However, his energy had already plummeted, so even if he absorbed it completely, it wouldn't be of much use to him.
So after this thought only circled in Xiao Wenbing's mind twice, he completely abandoned it.
That consciousness was clearly unaware that just moments ago, it had already circled the gates of hell twice.
Xiao Wenbing pondered for a while, then said, "If I remember correctly, besides destruction and creation, there is another power of the Five Elements that can be compared to these two."
"Indeed, the power of the Five Elements is indeed strong, but the Five Elements belong to order. It can only imprison me permanently, but cannot completely erase me from this world."
Xiao Wenbing raised an eyebrow and asked, "Aren't you already imprisoned? Could it be that the person who sealed you is the inheritor of the power of the Five Elements?"
"Of course not." The consciousness's voice wavered slightly, clearly filled with resentment towards the one who sealed him: "Sealing my god merely compressed my primordial power to an extremely small degree, but I can still replenish myself from the same kind of energy in this world and continue to grow. In billions of years, I will definitely be able to recover to my peak state and challenge him again."
He paused, then continued, "If what seals me is the power of the Five Elements, then I will be completely unable to make any contact with the outside world. I will be forever trapped within this seal, unable to obtain even a trace of energy."
Xiao Wenbing couldn't help but shiver. He asked, "Eternal seal? You mean, just like that, neither alive nor dead, forever?"
Yes.
"Isn't that even more terrifying than death?" Xiao Wenbing murmured, his face grim. It turned out that the power of order was more frightening than destruction.
However, the consciousness's thoughts clearly differed from Xiao Wenbing's: "It's just imprisonment, how could it be more terrifying?"
"To be imprisoned forever, to stay here forever, wouldn't that be suffocating us to death?"
"Is that so..." The consciousness's voice suddenly became ethereal: "For gods, everyone is alone. You will understand this truth after you become a god."
Xiao Wenbing's mind was in turmoil. Hearing his calm tone, it seemed as if he really didn't care about anything.
Are all the gods like this? Xiao Wenbing's mind was in turmoil, and his eyes were filled with confusion.
Yaqi, dressed in white...
He kept calling out those two familiar names in his heart, and two peerless faces quietly rose in his heart, like the red sun overhead, driving away all his unease and hesitation.
In any case, as long as I don't forget them, that's enough.
"What’s wrong with you?"
Although that consciousness had lost the great power of a god, it could still sense the changes that had occurred to Xiao Wenbing in that instant within this space. Therefore, it raised its own question at this moment.
Xiao Wenbing laughed heartily and shook his head, saying, "It's nothing."
He didn't want to discuss his own feelings with the other person. After taking one last look around the space, he suddenly realized that he no longer had any attachment to this place.
His conversation with this divine consciousness helped him understand many things he didn't know before, and the chase he went through was even more beneficial. He gained a deeper understanding of the use of energy.
However, having already mastered everything he could learn, Xiao Wenbing had no interest in staying any longer. He nodded towards the empty space and said, "Thank you for your guidance, senior. Farewell."
He was already at the edge of the space, and just as he turned to leave, he heard the voice of that consciousness say, "Please wait."
After a slight hesitation, Xiao Wenbing stayed and asked, "What is it?"
"You... my friend, you already comprehended the fundamental power of energy when you reached the Immortal Fusion Realm, that's truly unprecedented."
"It's just the power of origin," Xiao Wenbing said dismissively. "Nothing special. There are plenty of people more powerful than me."
The consciousness flickered slightly and asked, "Fellow God, are you saying that there is someone who comprehended the origin of energy earlier than you?"
“Of course.” Xiao Wenbing counted on his fingers and said, “I have two friends. One comprehended the power of origin during the Golden Core stage in the cultivation world, and the other successfully mastered the power of origin during the Core Formation stage.”
"..." After a long silence, the consciousness said, "Fellow God, you jest."
Xiao Wenbing rolled his eyes; what a narrow-minded person!
To be honest, only after he understood the principles of the power of origin did he realize the hardships and difficulties involved. If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he certainly wouldn't have believed it.
Volume 22, Chapter 6: Request
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Shrugging slightly, Xiao Wenbing said, "Please speak freely, senior."
In fact, he had already guessed the deity's intention in trying to persuade him to stay, and he was quite interested in it. In comparison, whether the unfortunate fellow believed him or not was no longer important.
Sure enough, upon hearing the important matter, the voice immediately got to the point: "I would like to ask my fellow deity for a small favor."
Tell me about it.
"I would like to ask my fellow divine beings to provide me with five divine power crystals."
Xiao Wenbing stared blankly ahead, his expression unwavering; no emotion could be seen in his eyes.
The voice seemed to realize that its request was somewhat excessive, so it continued, "If you can obtain the assistance of a divine friend, then this god is willing to provide full support on your path to godhood."
"The Path to Godhood?" Xiao Wenbing asked curiously, "I have already mastered the power of origin. As my cultivation deepens and I pass through the final tribulation of refining the spirit, becoming a god will be a natural outcome. It seems I don't need anyone else's help."
"If you only wish to become a lesser deity, then naturally you need my assistance. But if you aspire to ascend to the throne of a higher deity, then my help will be crucial."
Xiao Wenbing was greatly moved and hesitated for a moment.
Because this deity was at its weakest point in history, and because they shared a common energy, Xiao Wenbing could clearly sense that the owner of the voice was not lying.
"If you don't believe me, you can ask the spirit of the divine artifact on your body."
Slightly startled, she hadn't expected that the Mirror God would discover her after she had only contacted him once. It seemed that although this deity was extremely weak, he was not entirely useless.
Xiao Wenbing patted the Heavenly Void Ring and said, "Mirror God, someone has spotted you. Come out."
A flash of white light appeared, and the Mirror God appeared as promised. It surveyed the area and sighed, "No wonder I miscalculated. It turns out this isn't some kind of restriction, but rather the divine domain of a higher deity."
Xiao Wenbing found it amusing; judging from its tone, it still harbored some resentment about being unable to break through the formation earlier.
"Huh?" A voice filled with extreme surprise echoed in the void: "You actually possess the origin of life, that's incredible. Hmm, in a few million years, you'll be able to cultivate a divine body."
The Mirror God's face was filled with an undisguised smile. A divine artifact had been cultivated into a god. That was an extremely rare occurrence, something to be proud of.
Glancing at the smug Mirror God, Xiao Wenbing communicated with it using his mind. With the Mirror God's explanation, he finally understood the spirit's meaning.
In ancient times, there were only a few first-generation gods, headed by three great gods.
They possessed immense divine power and were capable of anything.
Countless years passed, and the Creator God broke open his divine realm, creating countless spaces with life. Subsequently, he and the first generation of gods left behind the crystallization of their divine power in countless spaces.
The first group of immortals who were fortunate enough to obtain the divine power crystals finally cultivated themselves into gods through their own efforts. Because the divine power crystals they obtained were directly generated from these first-generation gods, their divine power was the most refined, and they were also known as high gods.
After that, for various reasons, the higher gods also left behind crystals of divine power within their bodies. The immortals who comprehended the power of origin through these crystals became the lesser gods.
Under normal circumstances, no matter how much they cultivate, they will never reach the level of a high-ranking deity.
This trapped deity was originally a high-ranking god who was fortunate enough to obtain the crystallization of primordial divine power. However, he was sealed away by another deity while severely injured and even his divine body had disappeared.
Although he possessed the power of origin, making it impossible to completely diminish, the speed at which he absorbed energy from the outside world was greatly delayed after being sealed. Over millions of years, only by slowly accumulating enough energy from his own divine realm could he eventually break free of the seal.
Without external assistance, this would be an extremely long process, which could easily take hundreds of millions of years.
In order to shorten this long period of time, he asked Xiao Wenbing to provide five divine power crystals. Once he digests the energy inside, he will be able to accumulate enough energy to break the seal.
For this, the price he paid was that, after recovering all his divine power, he was willing to give up half of it to help Xiao Wenbing break through the limit of a secondary god and reach the realm of a higher god.
Although doing so would severely damage his vitality, requiring at least a million years to recover, it would still be much better than being sealed here.
After hearing the Mirror God's explanation, Xiao Wenbing frowned and asked, "Mirror God, is it necessary to obtain the Divine Power Crystal to comprehend the power of origin? I seem to have heard that when the final tribulation of refining the spirit arrives, some immortals are able to break through their limits and comprehend the power of origin at the final moment of life and death, relying on their own cultivation."
The Mirror God nodded repeatedly, saying, "That's right. If one can comprehend the power of origin through their own abilities, then they are already among the highest-ranking gods. However, such immortals are extremely rare." He sighed and said, "Since ancient times, countless cultivators have emerged, but only one or two percent have reached the immortal realm, and for immortals to become gods is even more difficult. Without the aid of divine power crystals, hehe..."
The Mirror God chuckled coldly twice and said nothing more, but its meaning was already very clear.
Xiao Wenbing closed his eyes slightly. Although the deity had merged its last remaining consciousness into his divine realm, he could still clearly grasp that ethereal feeling.
"Senior, were you also a beneficiary of the divine power crystallization site?"
"Indeed, I was extremely lucky to obtain a crystallized divine power from a first-generation god, which is why I was able to cultivate into a god."
After a moment of contemplation, Xiao Wenbing frowned slightly; his situation was quite different from others. He wondered what level his innate divine power should be considered.
After much deliberation, Xiao Wenbing finally nodded in agreement.
This guy is at least a high-ranking deity; I've done him a huge favor, and there will be benefits for me in the future.
After receiving Xiao Wenbing's reply, another figure materialized in the void. It bowed slightly to Xiao Wenbing and said, "My name is Zha. I hope you will take good care of me, fellow deity."
After exchanging a few polite words with a smile, Xiao Wenbing took out a divine power crystal from his Heavenly Void Ring and handed it to him, saying, "I only have one here. Please take it and use it first. I'll go out and tell my friends, and then I'll make four more for you."
Zha took the divine power crystal in surprise, examined it for a while, and said with a wry smile, "Fellow deity, you jest. What I need is not this divine power crystal."