Xiao Wenbing understood perfectly well what they were seeking: the spirit of water. They hoped to bring the spirit of water into their Qiankun Circle during this trip.
Now that the Qiankun Circle already contains the Earth and Wood Spirits, and the whereabouts of the Fire Spirit have been determined, if the Water Spirit is also acquired, then the gathering of all five spirits will no longer be a myth.
According to Long Shi, the gathering of the five spirits can transform the five lower realms into the immortal realm in one fell swoop.
Once this secret was revealed, even Queenie was moved. So this raging fire disregarded everything and volunteered to fight Xiao Wenbing. To express his determination and powerful strength, he even put on a passionate impromptu performance.
The final result was that the oldest room in the ancient guest rooms of the Jade Cauldron Sect was completely engulfed by a burst of celestial fire that shot into the sky.
Although those gathered here are all experts from the cultivation world and the fire realm, they are still helpless against the immortal fire.
As for Xiao Wenbing, faced with such a large-scale celestial fire, he dared not take out the Netherwater. Although the fire was powerful, it could at most burn down a house, but using Netherwater to put out the fire was too unpredictable. If someone accidentally got even a little bit on it, it would be a huge problem.
However, this only strengthened Xiao Wenbing's resolve to refuse to travel with this person.
However, persuading this person was quite difficult. Fortunately, Xiao Wenbing had no choice but to use the Mirror God's method, taking out a little bit of Nether Water and having Quini dry it with Immortal Fire of equal energy.
After staring at the mass of dark water for a long time, Quini finally gave up in despair. He naturally understood that, under equal energy, the celestial fire would only be extinguished by the dark water; the saying that water can overcome fire was not just empty words.
He understood Xiao Wenbing's meaning. Although his power was extremely strong, in the Underworld, he would likely face a vast ocean of Netherwater. His meager fire energy would be far from sufficient...
Xiao Wenbing hadn't expected that while Quini was helpless against the Netherwater, Shabir had dealt with it with ease. He simply picked up a cup and poured it into the smoke, and moments later, the Netherwater had completely evaporated. As an energy entity with a dark nature, the Netherwater was one of the best tonics for him.
So another cloud of dark smoke appeared in the group.
The three holy sites are represented by Long Shi and Shi Wang.
The Phoenix Clan is not skilled in water, so they all remained in the cultivation world. This trip wasn't about fighting, so the Dragon Clan only sent their old friend, Long Shi, to accompany them. As for the Food King, this old man originally thought that after returning to the Divine Wood Palace, he would cultivate his mind and body, awaiting the arrival of the Heavenly Tribulation. However, at the command of the Divine Wood Ancestor, he ordered his experienced horse to lead the way, and the Food King had no choice but to obediently accept the order.
However, the old man-eating flower did not come here to meet them, but waited in the Sacred Tree Palace. This was because the entrance to the underworld was located within the Sacred Tree Palace.
Besides these top figures, Feng Baiyi and Zhang Yaqi were naturally also present. As for Die Xian, Xiao Wenbing didn't want her to take any risks, so he had no choice but to leave her on Tianding Star.
A white light flashed in the air. The formation had finally been activated.
This time, the one in charge of the teleportation array was Shabir, the most powerful cultivator present. This old man truly lived up to his reputation as an immortal; even the Food King needed to teleport three times to cover a distance, yet he reached his destination in one go without stopping. Even Long Shi, who was standing to the side, admitted that he was powerless to do this.
Taking advantage of a brief pause in the teleportation, Feng Baiyi gently tugged at Xiao Wenbing and asked in a low voice, "Wenbing, what have you been doing these past three days?"
"What are we doing? Of course, we're consolidating our foundation and strengthening our cultivation level." Xiao Wenbing asked, puzzled. Did he really need to ask such a simple question?
“But…” Feng Baiyi frowned slightly and said, “Why is your cultivation level so unstable?”
“Yes.” Zhang Yaqi chimed in softly beside them, “Your spiritual power seems to have increased a bit, but your cultivation level is still unstable.”
The two beautiful women stared intently at Xiao Wenbing. Indeed, circulating his energy and calming his mind was key. Only by becoming more stable could he improve; they had never heard of anyone becoming more chaotic during practice. Unless Xiao Wenbing was completely distracted, he wouldn't have gained nothing in his three days of seclusion.
Xiao Wenbing smiled wryly. Had they suddenly turned into Sun Wukong and gained fiery eyes? They had even seen through this.
If we're talking about an unstable realm, then his realm at this moment is indeed quite unstable.
Although he wasn't lying—he had indeed been working diligently to condense his Nascent Soul over the past three days, trying to combine the several split Nascent Souls into a single, perfect one—the Mirror God had forced another Nascent Soul upon him. This meant that the already condensed Nascent Soul now had to be refined all over again.
Of course, having had the experience of the first time, the second practice was much easier and less difficult, no longer requiring the complexities of secluded cultivation. Moreover, with a divine spark within him, entrusting this matter to it was perfectly appropriate.
However, while he could deceive everyone else, he couldn't deceive Zhang and Feng, the two women who were wary of him.
Shaking his head slightly, Xiao Wenbing was filled with emotion. It was truly... comforting to have two people who cared about him.
"It's alright." Xiao Wenbing said in the calmest tone possible, "Don't worry, this is a cultivation method personally taught by the God of Treasures. The God of Treasures' things... they are products of the divine realm, so naturally they are different from ordinary cultivation methods in the cultivation world. But don't worry, there will be absolutely nothing wrong."
Although the three of them spoke softly, it was not unnoticed by the two powerful experts beside them. However, the two of them turned their heads away at the same time, either closing their eyes to rest or pretending to be fully focused on controlling the formation, completely ignoring what was happening.
However, after hearing Xiao Wenbing's words, Shabir and Long Shi suddenly realized why Xiao Wenbing was able to create such a grand scene in the back mountain of Yuding Sect. It turned out that it was all due to the guidance of that deity behind the scenes.
Hearing that his technique was personally taught by the God of Treasures, he felt extremely envious.
In a short time, the reverence for the precious god reached a whole new level.
Although Feng and Zhang were still somewhat worried upon hearing this, they didn't press the matter further. After all, the Precious God was a deity, and they still had some faith in it.
The teleportation array, presided over by Shabir, was fast and stable, and before long, they had arrived directly at the Shenmu Clan.
When they exited the teleportation array, the first thing they saw was the ugly old face of the old man-eating flower.
Xiao Wenbing stepped forward first, followed by Long Shi and the others who filed out of the teleportation array. The Food King, observing their order of exit, couldn't help but show a surprised expression.
Without realizing it, Xiao Wenbing naturally walked ahead of Long Shi and Shabier, and the two of them did not show any particular aversion to it.
Although there is no explicit rule, there is an unspoken rule in the cultivation world: the first person to emerge from a teleportation array is the one with the highest status among them.
So what about this group of people? Although he didn't know the origin of the smoke, he knew Long Shi's identity perfectly well. So when he saw Long Shi following Xiao Wenbing around, seemingly willingly and completely following his lead, he was immediately wide-eyed and incredulous.
The two women following behind them, Zhang Yaqi didn't understand the rules, while Feng Baiyi, although she knew them, took them for granted.
If the successor of the Creator God's power is inferior to an old dragon and a wisp of smoke, then something truly amiss.
"Senior Food King... Huh? Are you alright?" Xiao Wenbing stepped forward to greet him, but noticed a dazed look in the Food King's eyes and asked in surprise.
Food King was taken aback, and quickly suppressed the impatience in his heart, saying, "Fellow Daoist Xiao, I have come to pick you up on the orders of the Ancestor."
"Wood attribute, not bad kung fu, you can go now." A cold voice came from behind. Shabir looked at the Food King and gave his evaluation.
Although the Food King's cultivation level was indeed top-tier in the cultivation world, in the eyes of immortals, even the most powerful cultivators were nothing special. Of course, this did not apply to Xiao Wenbing and the other two who had mastered divine power.
The Food King's brow twitched. "Not bad? How dare you boast like that?" A dangerous glint appeared in the old man-eating flower's eyes.
Xiao Wenbing quickly grabbed his hand and said, "Senior Food King, this is an immortal who has descended to the mortal realm."
The King of Food felt a chill run down his spine and looked at Long Shi. He saw the old dragon nodding at him without making a sound, and the anger in his heart immediately dissipated.
Although he was quite powerful, he was only quite powerful. If he were to face a celestial being who had descended to the mortal realm, he would have no chance at all.
But where did this immortal come from? I've never heard of him before.
“Food King, this is Venerable Shabir of the Flame Realm,” Long Shi coughed and introduced.
The Fiery Realm? The Food King's expression shifted; he suddenly remembered that three thousand years ago, the Demon Realm was called the Fiery Realm. Could this person actually be from the Demon Realm?
Thinking of this, a look of hatred naturally appeared in the old man-eating flower's eyes. If he didn't know that he was no match for it, he probably would have already torn it to pieces.
Long Shi stepped forward, blocking his view, and said softly, "The bigger picture is more important."
The King of Food sighed and immediately slumped down. The Divine Tree Ancestor had already told him the purpose of this trip. The Ancestor's words were very clear: to obtain the Water Spirit and make the greatest effort for the future evolution of the cultivation world into one of the immortal realms.
Although he hated the demon realm, he was not a person who lacked a sense of the bigger picture, and naturally understood which was more important.
Volume 5, Chapter 11: Creatures of the Underworld
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Led by the King of Food, they passed through the Mustard Seed Space and the Mist, arriving before the Divine Tree Ancestor.
On the way, after seeing the prosperity of the Shenmu tribe, Shabir was unable to calm his heart.
Both have enormous trunks and boundless volume, but the Tree of Life in the Flame Realm is on the verge of death, to the point where even illusions can no longer be used.
Looking at the young man before him, and feeling the immense power comparable to that of a dark god, Shabir sighed inwardly. Both were Trees of Life, but why was there such a difference? If only the Tree of Life in the Flame Realm were so prosperous.
"Senior, we meet again." Xiao Wenbing greeted him with a smile.
"Yes, I really miss you." The Divine Tree Ancestor returned the greeting with the most genuine smile.
Missing me? Xiao Wenbing was taken aback, and the smile on his face froze. Could this big tree have such a good conscience? What he was missing was probably his own superpower.
Not wanting to beat around the bush any longer, Xiao Wenbing asked directly, "Where's the passage?"
"Won't you stay a little longer?"
"I'm sorry, I'm very busy, in fact, I'm really busy."
Xiao Wenbing absolutely did not want to go through that dangerous experience again, so he declined without hesitation.
"Alright." Ancestor Shenmu shrugged helplessly, it seemed that his wish to absorb energy again had been dashed.
The soil on the ground was suddenly turned upside down, revealing a dark, unfathomable hole.
Xiao Wenbing stepped forward and peered inside for a moment. There was not a single ray of light inside. It looked somewhat like the chaotic barrier of Wanbaotang.
Raising his head, Xiao Wenbing asked in a doubtful tone, "Are you sure it's right here?"
"Of course, but you must be careful and remember the route. When you come back, be careful not to get lost," the Divine Tree Ancestor solemnly instructed.
"Went astray? How could that be? We're not three-year-old kids." Xiao Wenbing glared angrily at Ancestor Shenmu. "Are you senile? We didn't!"
With such disdainful thoughts, Xiao Wenbing took the lead and arrived at the cave entrance. He suddenly turned around, bowed respectfully to the Food King, and said sincerely, "Senior Food King, please go first."
The King of Food did not refuse. He bowed to the Divine Tree Ancestor and then jumped into the cave.
Although the cave was pitch black and devoid of light, everyone there possessed night vision. They focused their divine senses on the Food King ahead and quickly gave chase.
The cave seemed to stretch on forever, and the King of Food flew at such a high speed for almost a day before finally stopping.
Before them stood a massive portal of light, strikingly conspicuous in the darkness.
"We've arrived, everyone be careful." The Food King gave a briefing and was about to leave when he suddenly stopped and said, "I think we should release the Starry Sky Illusion Realm."
"Release the Starry Sky Illusion Realm? Why?" Xiao Wenbing asked.
"Entering the Underworld is fraught with danger. After my renewed training, the Starry Sky Illusionary Realm allows me to travel freely within the Underworld and provides a certain degree of protection. Using it now is just the right time."
“But…” Xiao Wenbing said with a wry smile, “Senior Food King, because this trip may be dangerous, I have already asked Butterfly Fairy to stay behind at Jade Cauldron Sect. We can’t possibly go back and bring her back, can we?”
The King of Food was taken aback, his gaze shifting to Feng Baiyi, hesitant to speak.
Seeing his strange expression, Xiao Wenbing's heart stirred. He looked closely at Feng Baiyi and noticed a faint blush suddenly appearing on her exquisite face. His gaze moved upwards. On her updo, he saw another beautiful phoenix hairpin. However, the phoenix on the hairpin looked more like a large butterfly.
A wisp of divine thought circled around the large butterfly. After a while, Xiao Wenbing's expression gradually turned grim. What kind of phoenix hairpin is this? This aura... It's clearly the Butterfly Fairy's. He had simply been careless and had been deceived by her and Feng Baiyi working together.
"Butterfly Fairy, come out."
Feng Baiyi reached out and pulled out the phoenix hairpin. With a flick of her wrist, the hairpin transformed into a ball of white light. When the light dissipated, Die Xian was already standing gracefully on the ground.
She stepped forward and hugged Xiao Wenbing's arm, smiling as she said, "Master, I'm here."
Xiao Wenbing was about to rebuke her, but when he saw the smile on Diexian's face, his heart softened. At the same time, the feeling on his arm was exceptionally soft and smooth. Even through a layer of clothing, the ample bosom still made him feel excited.
Suddenly, he felt a sharp gaze directed at him.
Looking up, he met Feng Baiyi's gaze, which was three parts anger and seven parts shyness. His heart fluttered, and he subtly moved his arm twice. Hmm, the real deal...