"Hmm? Repairing divine artifacts?"
“Yes.” Xiao Wenbing patted its shoulder and said earnestly, “You’ve been in contact with these divine artifacts for countless eons, you should know them inside and out. I have high hopes for you. If you have time, repair a few more.”
Baby God stared dumbfounded as Xiao Wenbing and the other two left Wanbaotang. He wandered into the hall in a daze, looked at the divine artifacts scattered all over the place, scratched his head for a long time, and finally said, "Although I am a god, this is not the realm of gods. Let alone whether I can repair it or not, even if I can repair it, where am I supposed to find the materials?"
It pondered for a long time, then suddenly realized something and muttered, "I should be the master, so why is he assigning me these tasks?" However, it dared not complain to the man with the power of creation. Whether it could leave this realm and reach a new divine realm depended entirely on Xiao Wenbing.
As if stepping into a cloud of mist, Xiao Wenbing and the other two used their unique abilities to fly out of the mist.
After a while, they finally broke through the clouds and saw the ground. There, Sect Master Huizhe and the others were still eagerly waiting. As for the seven cultivators who had gone with them, they had already returned and were waiting for a long time.
"Greetings, Sect Master."
"Fellow Daoist Xiao is truly blessed." Hui Zhe stood up, returned their half-bow, and sighed.
Throughout history, those who entered the Wanbao Hall rarely stayed long, often only a quarter of an hour, and most emerged empty-handed, having gained nothing. The longer one stayed, the better the treasures acquired. According to the sect's historical records, the Wanbao Hall opened countless times, and the last person to emerge had only stayed for a day.
But this time, it broke the record by a huge margin.
Although people started emerging a few minutes after the event began, after half a day, when the sixth disciple appeared from the clouds, he disappeared without a trace.
Two days later, Amo flew out with a joyful expression. Although he looked a little tired, he couldn't hide his happiness. He even walked with a slight sway, which showed that he had gained a lot from his trip, and at least he was very satisfied.
Then began another long wait. The third day, the fourth day... until the seventh day, there was still no movement.
Even Hui Zhe couldn't sit still anymore. If it weren't for the lingering fog, he would have almost suspected that Xiao Wenbing and the others had already left Wanbaotang.
The clouds and mist surrounding the sky are actually a sign that Wanbaotang has not yet hidden itself. Once the clouds and mist dissipate, it means that Wanbaotang has re-entered the Mustard Seed Space. Unless it is reopened, it will be impossible for anyone to find it.
Just as Hui Zhe and the others were wondering if Xiao Wenbing and his group had found a passage to the realm of gods or immortals and directly become gods or immortals, the clouds and mist began to churn again. Hui Zhe and the others breathed a sigh of relief when they saw this; they had finally come out.
However, the old Taoist priests were indeed very curious about their experiences. Having stayed inside for so long, what they had obtained must have been extraordinary.
However, although they were curious, they didn't have the nerve to ask. But there was one person who was different. This was a master who never knew the meaning of humility.
"Hehe... Congratulations, Brother Xiao, are you all right inside?" The Moonlit Wolf King laughed as he walked up.
He was also self-aware, knowing that he couldn't afford to offend the Heavenly Thunder Palace, nor did he want to have close contact with the Qiankun Circle that was famous throughout the cultivation world, so he directly approached Xiao Wenbing, the easiest of the three to talk to.
"It's alright, just a bit tiring inside," Xiao Wenbing said honestly.
"tired?"
"Yes, it's a very, very long way, and we have to go through several gates, and..."
Xiao Wenbing recounted in one breath his heroic deeds, including how he braved dangers to fight against the armored giant, how he persevered through the long march of 25,000 li, and how he used his intelligence to solve three puzzles and open three doors.
Sect Master Huizhe and the others looked at each other in bewilderment. How could such a story, which seemed like a fairy tale, have never happened to the previous generations of Yu Ding?
However, they were skeptical of Xiao Wenbing's words. If that weren't the case, why would they have stayed in Wanbaotang for so long?
The Moonlit Wolf King opened its blood-red maw wide, listening with rapt attention. Finally, it asked a series of questions: "What treasure did you obtain?"
“Sigh…” Xiao Wenbing sighed and said, “No.”
"No?"
"Yes," Xiao Wenbing said regretfully, "The last gate had a puzzle on it. We tried everything, but we still couldn't solve it, so we had to return empty-handed."
A sigh of regret immediately rang out. Such a good opportunity, yet it still fell short at the last moment. It was truly a great pity.
The Moonlit Wolf King looked utterly astonished, its large wolf head shaking back and forth, its eyes filled with disbelief.
It's no wonder he was so suspicious; anyone who reaches this point would find it hard to give up, so why did they turn back in such a hurry?
“Sigh…” Xiao Wenbing ignored the wolf’s suspicious expression and said to himself, “This last gate actually only has three chances to open. When we fail the third time, we are automatically teleported out. Alas, what a pity.”
"Ah..." This time, the crowd believed it to some extent. Well, with their gates open, they couldn't possibly let me try forever. Three failures and immediate expulsion was a reasonable explanation.
"Fellow Daoist Xiao, what kind of riddle is that? Could you tell us so that we may have a glimpse into its mystery?" Elder Huifeng stepped forward and asked softly.
Hui Zhe and the others also looked hopeful. You see, the Jade Cauldron Sect is the nominal owner of the Myriad Treasures Hall. It opens once every hundred years or so, allowing ten new elders to try their luck. If an elder accidentally enters that door, wouldn't knowing the answer beforehand give them a better chance of getting in?
Volume Four: The Divine Artifacts Chapter 189: Flying Sword Message
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Xiao Wenbing did not refuse and immediately drew a picture, pointing out several topics on it.
These questions are all closely related to the art of weapon crafting, but with a touch of divine techniques added, making them seem unfathomable and difficult to comprehend.
Hui Zhe, Moonlit Wolf King, and the others frowned and pondered deeply. After a long time, they barely grasped the meaning of the question. However, to calculate the result, let alone in a day or two, even if they exhausted their entire lives, they would find it difficult to unravel the mystery.
In fact, the problem left by Xiao Wenbing was not an ancient problem. If it were placed in the realm of gods, any god, including the God of Treasures, could easily solve it.
However, in this realm, that would be an enormous problem.
After all, the cultivation world and the divine world are two worlds worlds worlds apart. If the divine world were a university, then this question would be equivalent to solving a regular function problem in university.
But compared to the realm of gods, the cultivation world is not even kindergarten. How can we expect children who can't even do addition to understand what a function is?
In short, Xiao Wenbing was very pessimistic about whether Hui Zhe and the others could successfully solve this problem.
"Hmm, there is indeed something strange about this," commented the Moonlit Wolf King.
Hui Zhe nodded and said solemnly, "This question seems simple, but it is actually extremely profound and contains endless variations. It is indeed extraordinary. It is only natural that Fellow Daoist Xiao cannot solve it."
At this point, they believed Xiao Wenbing's words to a great extent. After all, they thought that if it weren't for Wanbaotang, where else could Xiao Wenbing have found such difficult questions to stump them?
Xiao Wenbing shook his head inwardly. I only drew the simplest one. If I were to present you with some problems of difficulty like Goldbach's Conjecture, you wouldn't even be able to understand them.
To be honest, even he himself would be completely baffled by those kinds of questions, unable to understand them at all.
Hui Zhe studied it for a while longer, only to feel dizzy and lightheaded. The more he looked, the more confused he became. Knowing something was wrong, he quickly composed himself and was about to arrange for everyone to rest when suddenly a beam of light flashed in the air and shot towards him like a flying arrow.
Xiao Wenbing was greatly surprised. Where was this place? This was Hui Zhe's lair! How could anyone dare to ambush this old man? Did they not know that if he gave the order, a dozen or so Tribulation Transcending stage cultivators and hundreds of Separation and Union stage cultivators could definitely beat him into a big pig's head?
Just as he was still in shock, Hui Zhe flipped his wrist and caught the light steadily. The white spot flashed and turned out to be a small paper sword.
"A message delivered by flying sword?" Xiao Wenbing exclaimed in surprise.
He immediately understood that it wasn't someone who was incredibly audacious enough to seek their own death here, but rather a powerful expert at least at the Tribulation Transcending stage who used supreme magic to deliver a message to Hui Zhe using the unique skill of the Earthly Dao Sect.
To perform this unique skill, in addition to the practitioner's cultivation reaching the Tribulation Transcending stage, it is also necessary to know the other party and exchange runes bearing their own marks.
In other words, the person who relayed the message to Hye-chul must have been someone he knew.
As expected, Hye-cheol calmly opened the letter, but after reading it, his expression changed drastically.
"Sect Master, what's wrong?"
Upon seeing Sect Master Huizhe's drastically changed expression, Huipu and the others hurriedly inquired. Something that could shock even the current sect master of the Jade Cauldron Sect was definitely no small matter.
"The demon invasion is imminent."
"What?" The Moonlit Wolf King suddenly roared, startling Xiao Wenbing.
"Wolf King, please calm down. This letter was sent by Fellow Daoist Tianxing, who is on duty at Zhenmo Star. He said that through the Demon-Seeking Mirror, he discovered that on the other side of the barrier, the Demon Realm is massively mobilizing its troops, converging on the seal. Their purpose, well, hehe..."
The Moonlit Wolf King's expression immediately turned grim: "These demon cubs have only been peaceful for a few thousand years, and they're already starting to stir again. No, I must go back and report to the Lion King."
"etc."
"What?" The Moonlit Wolf King turned around, his mouth wide open, looking incredibly ferocious and terrifying.
However, Hui Zhe had obviously seen it all before and didn't take it to heart. Instead, he said, "Brother Wolf King, please inform Lord Dragon King and Lord Phoenix."
The Moonlit Wolf King shook its large wolf head like a rattle-drum, saying, "I dare not go to the place of those two lords, but..." The old wolf king's gaze swept over Feng Baiyi, and said, "If the Heavenly Thunder Palace were to intervene, the effect would probably be much better."
After saying this, the Wolf King fled far away without waiting for anyone to speak. Judging from the direction it was heading, it was heading towards the largest teleportation array on Tianding Star. Clearly, this news had made even the Wolf King, who had cultivated for countless years, lose his usual composure.
Hui Zhe's gaze also swept over Feng Baiyi's face, but seeing her indifferent expression, he thought it over and decided not to provoke her. The people of Tianlei Palace have always been known throughout the world for their eccentric tempers and distinctive personalities; dealing with them has always been just one word... difficult.
He was, after all, the sect leader of the Jade Cauldron Sect. If he were to lower himself to beg a junior, it would be fine if he succeeded, but if Feng Baiyi refused outright or ignored him, he would lose all face.
After a moment's thought, he finally gave the order: "HP, convene an elders' meeting immediately. In addition, please invite the sect leaders of all sects on Tianding Star and fellow Daoists in the Tribulation Transcending stage to the main hall to discuss countermeasures."
HP responded respectfully, and the twelve elders immediately went their separate ways.
Hui Zhe bowed to Xiao Wenbing and the others, and said, "How about the three fellow Daoists stay in the guest rooms for two days to rest?" For the sake of Dingxin House, Qiankun Circle and Tianlei Palace, the old Daoist, though of high status, dared not be disrespectful to them in the slightest.
Xiao Wenbing immediately shook his head and said, "Sect Master, since this matter is so urgent, the three of us must also return to Earth immediately..."
"Oh, that's not necessary."
"Why?"
"Since the demons on the sealing side have greatly increased their troops, this news will surely reach the hands of Sect Master Tianyi. I can guarantee that Sect Master Tianyi will visit our sect within three days."
"real?"
“That’s right, because one of the ten teleportation arrays leading to Zhenmo Star is located on our Tianding Star. And the distance between Earth and Tianding Star is also the shortest, and…” Hui Zhe hesitated for a moment, then stopped. Actually, he wanted to say that since the three of you are all here, it would be strange if the Tianyi Sect Master didn’t come. But he couldn’t say that directly.
After hearing Hui Zhe's words, even though Xiao Wenbing was unwilling, he had no choice but to agree and returned to his room.
HP and others notified the experts on Tianding Star who were qualified to participate, and they returned to the hall to wait.
Seeing the sect leader's worried expression, Chief Elder Huipu stepped forward to comfort him, saying, "Sect leader, although the demon race is powerful, our cultivation world has undergone three thousand years of recuperation and growth. Our strength is far beyond what it used to be, so there is no need to worry too much."
Hui Zhe sighed and said, "Although the strength of the cultivation world is not comparable to that of three thousand years ago, it is still difficult to predict whether our human race can resist the demon army."
"The invasion of the demon race is a matter for the entire cultivation world. Do you think they would just stand by and do nothing?"
Hui Zhe smiled bitterly: "Haven't there been enough unpleasantness between humans and them? In the past three thousand years, if it weren't for the Heavenly Thunder Palace and those few supreme beings keeping things in check, I'm afraid we would have started fighting before the demons even invaded."
“Yes,” HP said helplessly, “but this time, the demons came suddenly, so we have to inform them no matter what.”
"Well, actually, even if we don't go, those supreme beings will still get the news, but to show respect, it's really better to send someone."
"Perhaps we should discuss this with the other fellow Daoists. It doesn't necessarily have to be our Tianding Star that sends people?"
“Actually, the best candidate has been there for a long time.” Hui Zhe shook his head, then suddenly looked at Hui Pu and asked, “I heard that you have a good relationship with Fellow Daoist Xiao?”
This time, it was HP's turn to smile wryly. He wanted to politely decline, but out of respect for the sect leader, he could only say, "We just get along somewhat."
"It's good that you get along well. I think that the successor of the Thunder Palace and the inheritor of the Universe Ring are not ambiguous with him. There must be something between them... cough, what I mean is that they have a good relationship. If Fellow Daoist Xiao agrees, the two of them will probably go with him. Wouldn't that be a win-win situation?"
"Fine, I'll risk my reputation and go ask them," HP said with a worried look.
"What are you doing?" Inside the Heavenly Void Ring, Xiao Wenbing, who had manifested as an avatar of condensed water from the Immortal Realm, watched the Mirror God circling back and forth around the large cauldron and couldn't help but ask, "Do you perhaps know the origin of this thing?"