Zhang Yaqi responded softly, and even Feng Baiyi fell silent. Hadn't there been enough strange things happening to Xiao Wenbing lately? Since he said that, he must have noticed something.
Xiao Wenbing was about to go in when he suddenly stopped again and said, "Yaqi, Baiyi has a bad temper. You have to keep an eye on her and make sure she doesn't cause trouble here."
Feng Baiyi raised her eyebrows and saw Xiao Wenbing disappear into the thick fog in a flash, his figure no longer visible.
Her heart skipped a beat, and the angry words she was about to utter stuck in her throat. Zhang Yaqi came to her side, and the two women's eyes met in mid-air, both noticing a complex and indescribable look in each other's eyes.
Meanwhile, Xiao Wenbing followed Mu Ling into the fog. This fog was formed from some kind of water vapor, and the fog was extremely thick. Xiao Wenbing could only vaguely see a faint green figure in front of him. This was only because Mu Ling deliberately emitted its own protective light; otherwise, he would not have been able to see anything at all.
However, given his current sensory abilities, unless the Wood Spirit completely concealed its aura, he wouldn't be able to lose track of it.
"Fellow Daoist Xiao, take care. Ahead is a puddle with a small wooden bridge over it."
"Alright." Xiao Wenbing focused his mind and indeed heard the sound of flowing water. He casually asked, "Brother Mu, are all the people living in the palace nobles?"
"Exactly."
"There are quite a few people."
Mu Ling let out an unpleasant laugh and said, "Fellow Daoist Xiao, do you wish to ask why, since we are of the same race, our differences are so vast?"
Xiao Wenbing was startled. He chuckled twice, wondering how this kid knew what was on his mind.
"In fact, every visitor asks this question when they see them."
"Oh." Xiao Wenbing suddenly realized. Indeed, although those people all had human faces, their physical forms were quite different. Aside from naive newcomers like Butterfly Fairy, most people would probably have the same thought.
"Does Fellow Daoist Xiao know how many people are outside?"
"At least tens of thousands, right?" Xiao Wenbing pondered for a moment. He had just glanced around and saw people appearing all over the mountains and fields from time to time. Tens of thousands was probably an understatement.
A cheerful laugh came from ahead: "Actually, I don't know how many people there are, but there must be several million."
"What? Several million?" Xiao Wenbing exclaimed in shock.
"Indeed, what Fellow Daoist Xiao just saw was merely the surface."
The surface? Xiao Wenbing's brain worked at high speed, and he seemed to realize something. He asked, "Brother Mu, are you saying that it's a mustard seed space?"
"Fellow Daoist Xiao is truly brilliant," Mu Ling praised.
Xiao Wenbing twitched his face slightly. Even an idiot knows this: although that place looks big, it absolutely cannot accommodate too many people. Let alone millions, even tens of thousands would be very dangerous.
The only explanation is that there is a hidden world there, so he casually mentioned a mustard seed space, and sure enough, he guessed correctly.
Volume 4, Chapter 207: The Divine Wood Ancestor
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As he traveled, Xiao Wenbing tried to remember the route he had taken, but he soon gave up in disappointment.
In such an environment, even though he already possessed the cultivation level of the Golden Core stage, he was still completely disoriented and couldn't tell which way was which.
He was slightly surprised, knowing that this fog must have the purpose of confusing people. However, what surprised him was that the fog seemed to have too much power.
Although most wood-type spirits have some knowledge of illusion magic, it would be a bit too impressive if they could make him unable to even distinguish directions.
He sighed inwardly, realizing that the illustrious reputation the Shenmu clan had enjoyed for countless years was indeed well-deserved.
Suddenly remembering the many spirits and monsters in that mustard seed space, he asked, "Who are they?"
"They are all from the spirit and monster race."
"Spirits and monsters? So they've already reached the Nascent Soul stage?" Xiao Wenbing was taken aback, then, remembering these humanoid monsters with their various expressions, he immediately understood.
"Yes, among them, at least all of them possess the cultivation level of the Nascent Soul stage," Mu Ling said calmly.
Xiao Wenbing gasped. What kind of concept was a spirit with a cultivation level of several million Nascent Soul stage or above? The power of this force was truly inconceivable.
No wonder everyone says that the strength of the three supreme races is unfathomable. Indeed, just think about how few Nascent Soul stage experts there are on Earth, and you can understand how powerful this force is.
If I possessed that power, I'm afraid... I'm afraid I would really have to recklessly launch a counterattack against the Demon Realm. Millions upon millions... even if a million or two die, it wouldn't be a big deal, would it?
After letting his mind wander for a while, Xiao Wenbing asked tentatively, "Are they all noble warriors?"
"no."
"No?" Xiao Wenbing was greatly surprised. If he wasn't a warrior of the Shenmu clan, could he be their servant?
Seemingly noticing Xiao Wenbing's confusion, Mu Ling took the initiative to explain, "They are members of our Divine Tree Clan who have spread across various planets."
"Hmm?" (The rest of the text appears to be unrelated and possibly machine-generated.)
"Our Divine Tree Clan is the oldest race in this realm, and all plants bear our bloodline. Over countless billions of years, countless races have multiplied on countless planets. Some blossomed and bore fruit, cultivating and attaining enlightenment, while others could not adapt to environmental changes and vanished forever into the river of time," the Wood Spirit explained slowly. His voice even carried a hint of piety: "When the number of our race members who have reached the Nascent Soul stage on a planet exceeds ten thousand, we will open a portal to absorb three representatives into the Divine Tree Palace."
“Three representatives?” Xiao Wenbing’s expression changed again. He asked, “So, at least one million planets are under the rule of the nobility.”
Xiao Wenbing's words were very clear: if a planet has more than 10,000 Nascent Soul stage cultivators of a certain race, then that planet is basically under the rule of that race. And based on the population here, a million planets are definitely not a lot.
"There should be. Our realm is still expanding, so the number should continue to increase."
Xiao Wenbing suddenly felt dizzy, and this feeling would only intensify. Good heavens, who said the spirit race was weaker than the demon race? If anyone said that again, he would scoff. Hmm, this realm is still expanding—what does that mean? He'd never heard of it before.
After pondering for a moment, Xiao Wenbing's curiosity was piqued, and he asked, "Brother Muling, after meeting you today, I realize how ignorant I am. May I ask how the strength of the Dragon and Phoenix clans compares to that of the nobles?"
A burst of laughter came from ahead: "I'm sorry, Fellow Daoist Xiao, there are some things that you will understand when you meet the Ancestor later."
Xiao Wenbing frowned, just about to think of another way to inquire, when he suddenly heard Mu Ling say, "We've arrived."
Sure enough, after taking a few more steps, the fog gradually thinned, and eventually, it could no longer obscure one's vision.
Xiao Wenbing stepped out step by step, his eyes fixed on the magnificent view ahead. His mouth opened wide involuntarily, and his eyes did not blink. His entire mind was completely captivated by the scenery before him.
Within the thick fog stood a colossal tree, an indescribably enormous tree. No one knew how thick its trunk was, nor how lush its branches and leaves were. Standing beneath it, humans appeared so insignificant; even the Wood Spirit's true form, that hundred-foot-tall log, was merely a branch of it.
"This...this is..." Xiao Wenbing swallowed hard, trying his best not to let his voice tremble.
"This is the ancestor of our Shenmu clan, the origin of all plants in this world."
Xiao Wenbing took a deep breath, finally recovering from his extreme shock. His experience was considerable; he had even seen divine artifacts and gods. Therefore, after the initial shock, he finally calmed down.
He beckoned Mu Ling to his side and asked in a low voice, "What does the Ancestor want with me?"
"I don't know." (Invincible Dragon Bookstore - Organizing)
"So... how should I communicate with him?" Xiao Wenbing thought to himself. Since I'm already here, why bother with all the formalities? I might as well just turn into human form. However, he absolutely dared not say these words aloud, so he could only bring it up indirectly.
"He will naturally communicate with you." Mu Ling smiled after saying this, bowed deeply to the big tree, and then turned and walked into the thick fog.
Xiao Wenbing watched Mu Ling leave, wanting to follow, but after hesitating for a moment, he took two steps closer and said to the big tree, "Junior Xiao Wenbing greets Chief Shenmu."
"Swoosh..." A thunderous roar came from above Xiao Wenbing's head. Although he still maintained a peaceful smile on his face, he had already started cursing in his heart.
The sound was the rustling of leaves, a sound Xiao Wenbing was very familiar with. He often heard similar sounds when the wind blew in autumn.
However, compared to that, the sound emitted by the Divine Tree Ancestor was obviously a bit too loud; it would not be an exaggeration to describe it as deafening.
"Hahahaha." An even more terrifying sound came from the sky, like thunderclaps exploding in mid-air.
Xiao Wenbing trembled slightly, his body swaying precariously under the impact of the powerful sound wave. He tried his best to calm his mind and resist the overwhelming force, which was like a landslide or a tsunami.
After a long time, every time Xiao Wenbing felt he was about to give up, a strange heat would surge from his body and gather in his mind. Once this heat came up, Xiao Wenbing immediately felt the pressure greatly reduced.
He was very familiar with this heat, because these were the fragments of his divine essence scattered throughout his body.
At this moment, he deeply missed his suddenly appearing divine status. If he had a divine status, although he might not have been able to pose any threat to this incredible tree, at least he wouldn't have been afraid of this level of sonic attack.
He didn't know how much time had passed, but gradually, the laughter finally stopped, and for a moment, Xiao Wenbing felt a strange sense of utter silence.
A tiny green light began to condense and gather before him, little by little, until it gradually formed the shape of a young, burly man.
"You...you are the Divine Tree Ancestor?" Although Xiao Wenbing secretly resented this guy for daring to give him a hard time, the difference in strength was obvious, and he dared not be disrespectful in the slightest.
"That's right, I am the Divine Tree Ancestor. Hello, little friend."
Xiao Wenbing wondered to himself, "Since the Divine Tree Ancestor is hailed as the progenitor of all plants in this realm, he must be quite old. How come he transformed into such a youthful form? Could it be that this old fellow has some peculiar hobby?"
However, he wore the most respectful smile on his face: "Greetings, sir."
"Alas, divine messenger, this is the first time I've seen a divine messenger since the great gods left." Ancestor Shenmu carefully examined Xiao Wenbing and sighed. The sight of such an expression on his young face was indeed quite strange.
"Do you think I'm too young?" the Divine Tree Ancestor suddenly laughed.
Xiao Wenbing's heart tightened, realizing that he had been careless and the old man had seen through his mistake. He hadn't expected the old man to be so perceptive: "I wouldn't dare."
"Haha, there's nothing I'm afraid of. It's not just you; basically everyone who meets me for the first time has the same expression."
Hearing that he didn't seem to mind, Xiao Wenbing breathed a sigh of relief. But thinking about it, it was indeed strange that the Divine Tree Ancestor, known as the ancestor of all plants, had transformed into such a young form.
"However, let me tell you, according to the age of your human race, this is my real age."
"What?" Xiao Wenbing exclaimed in disbelief. He disregarded all etiquette and scrutinized the Divine Tree Ancestor from head to toe, finally concluding in his heart, "This old scoundrel, who are you trying to fool..."
The Divine Tree Ancestor smiled slightly, unconcerned about the young man's inner turmoil, and said, "Our Divine Tree Clan has always valued the reverence for nature. Therefore, when we transform, we manifest the true form of this creature. If one day, the human form I transform into is a withered old man, then it will be a harbinger of the impending destruction of this world."
Xiao Wenbing's mouth dropped open. This old man was truly eloquent! It turned out that his appearance was closely related to the life and death of this realm. He wondered if the divine realm would collapse because of him when he grew old.
Volume 4, Chapter 208: The True Faces of the Nine Great Demons
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The old tree patriarch could tell from his expression that he didn't believe him at all. However, this ancient tree, who had lived for countless years, was not annoyed, but instead chuckled and said, "Young friend, what do you think of my cultivation level?"
"Your cultivation is undoubtedly the best in the world," Xiao Wenbing casually complimented. However, there was some truth to this statement. Considering the millions of Nascent Soul stage experts outside and the sheer size and imposing presence of the tree before them, calling him the best wasn't an exaggeration.
It is estimated that with just one word from this old man, the entire cultivation world would be shaken to its core.
Do you want to be his enemy...?
Xiao Wenbing couldn't help but shudder. He didn't even need to lift a finger; if those million experts swarmed him, they could crush him to death.
If all these people were to self-destruct at the Nascent Soul stage, hehe...