However, in just a few breaths, they had fully recovered.
Elder Yan and the others watched from the sidelines, not daring to even breathe loudly. They had never heard of the rune that Xiao Wenbing had drawn before.
He thought to himself, "As expected of the divine messenger, even his choice of a servant is ingenious!"
Only after the ceremony was completed did Xiao Wenbing breathe a sigh of relief. To be honest, this was the first time he had ever used this secret talisman, and he wasn't sure how effective it would be.
A typical landlord-servant contract doesn't need to be this complicated. As long as both parties are willing, a blood oath is sufficient.
After acknowledging a master, the master has the power of life and death over the servant, and can make the servant wish they were dead with a mere thought.
However, the secret technique that Xiao Wenbing just used was on a higher level. It was a special technique used by the gods, which could not only physically restrain the servants' lives and actions, but also put a heavy shackle on their souls.
From then on, whenever Xiao Wenbing wished, he could sense the thoughts of Quini and the others without their knowledge. Even the last secret buried deep in their hearts would not escape his exploration.
This kind of secret technique is originally a unique ability of the gods. Without the power of the gods as a foundation, even immortals cannot perform such miraculous methods.
A tiny white light flashed above Quini and the others' heads and disappeared in an instant, a wisp of energy containing Xiao Wenbing's spiritual power deeply implanted into their souls.
At that moment, Xiao Wenbing suddenly felt a strange sensation. It seemed as if several thoughts had suddenly appeared in his consciousness, and upon careful discernment, he immediately realized that these were the thoughts and feelings of Quini and the others at that moment.
He frowned slightly and, following the method taught by the Mirror God, severed the four spiritual forces. Although being able to peer into other people's minds gave him a great sense of accomplishment, it always felt a little strange until he got used to it.
In that brief moment, Xiao Wenbing had already obtained the answer he most wanted to know.
Quini did not deceive himself; the Fire Spirit Immortal Realm was indeed located at the Myriad Spirit Lake in the Exquisite Immortal Realm.
Elder Yan and the others dispersed to a distance, and only after Xiao Wenbing and Quini had finished their recognition of their master did they step forward and bow deeply to Xiao Wenbing, saying, "Congratulations, Fellow Daoist Xiao, congratulations, Venerable One."
Quini smiled slightly, accepted the greeting, and looked up at the sky. He sighed, "When I descended to the mortal realm on my own back then, I never imagined that I would one day return to the immortal realm."
Shabir and the other two immortals were filled with emotion, thinking of their countless companions in the past, but in the end only the four of them remained, and they couldn't help but feel sad.
"Alright, we've achieved our goal in coming to the mortal realm, and our lives have not been in vain." Quini waved his hand, his face quickly turning red. Flames flickered in his eyes, and his voice carried a strong killing intent: "Now that we've returned to the Immortal Realm, we will cultivate with all our might, gather the seniors of the Flame Realm, and we must find the murderer and avenge our grievances."
"That's right..."
The surrounding Flame Realm members roared in agreement; they were indeed united in their hatred of the culprit who had harmed the Tree of Life.
Xiao Wenbing glanced around and saw a small circle of several hundred people on the outer edge. These were the cultivators who had come from the cultivation world. Their eyes were shifty, and they seemed out of place among the crowd.
He sneered inwardly. These people had survived the Heavenly Tribulation on their own, but they were unwilling to contribute to the search for the culprits in the Flame Realm. In other words, they refused to act as his free bodyguards. They were truly despicable.
He moved swiftly and arrived beside them, asking, "Fellow Daoists, how do you feel after surviving the Heavenly Tribulation?"
"Excellent, excellent."
Hundreds of figures, considered ferocious in the cultivation world, now appeared meek and submissive in the face of Xiao Wenbing. Indeed, having witnessed the old tortoise's thunderous methods, how could these people, unaware of the inside story, dare to oppose him again?
"Everyone, do you still remember the oath you took before coming here?"
The crowd's expressions changed slightly, but they forced a smile and said, "Of course."
Before arriving in the Flame Realm, these people swore an oath that if Xiao Wenbing could help them successfully overcome their tribulations, they would follow his lead after ascending to the Immortal Realm.
But when they actually survived the tribulation, they couldn't help but have second thoughts.
Xiao Wenbing was fully aware of this, and said, "Gentlemen, there are gods watching over us. Since you've agreed, you know what to do, don't I?" Then, he smiled coldly and said, "Good luck..."
After saying that, he turned and left, never looking back at them again.
Book VII, Chapter VII: Those who believe in me will become gods (Part 2)
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Everyone in the research community heard Xiao Wenbing's conversation with the cultivators clearly, but since these matters were irrelevant to them, they paid no further attention.
However, when Xiao Wenbing returned, Elder Yan and the others stepped forward to bow and express their gratitude, saying, "Fellow Daoist Xiao made prior arrangements for today's tribulation. We still have some doubts, please forgive us."
Xiao Wenbing was taken aback, then immediately understood. They still naively believed that the Turtle God was someone he had specially arranged to shield everyone from the heavenly tribulation. He touched his nose, a half-smile on his face. How could he possibly have such great power? If he could command the Turtle God at will, would he need to worry about the retaliation of those immortals? However, he couldn't say these words directly to them.
Seeing that Xiao Wenbing remained silent, Elder Yan and the others became even more panicked and repeatedly apologized.
Zhang Yaqi gently poked Xiao Wenbing, and his delicate face turned bright red.
Xiao Wenbing laughed and said, "There's no need for that, everyone. Actually, I didn't expect the Turtle God to make his move so quickly. To be honest, it's all just good luck."
Everyone repeatedly said they dared not, and hearing this ambiguous statement, they assumed that Xiao Wenbing had invited the tortoise god to resist the ninth heavenly lightning. But for some reason, the old tortoise suddenly displayed great power and even absorbed the eighth heavenly lightning.
Xiao Wenbing listened to their flattery with a smile, not bothering to respond. After a long while, seeing that it was about time, he finally spoke up loudly: "Everyone..."
The room fell silent instantly. Everyone knew he was about to get down to business, so they held their breath and focused intently.
He watched with satisfaction as the many immortals below performed.
Whether they admit it or not, after this calamity, everyone came to believe in and respect Xiao Wenbing. This prestige even surpassed the respect that Quini and others held in their hearts.
After all, being able to summon a deity to shield oneself from heavenly tribulation is a first in history; in the past, it would have been unimaginable.
"Everyone, I'm sure you're all familiar with the purpose of this tribulation. Our goal is to reach the Immortal Realm, but I want to add one more point: not only will we be going to the same Immortal Realm, but we will also ascend simultaneously."
A buzzing sound immediately filled the arena. All the immortals below were discussing among themselves. This fellow Daoist's idea was truly outlandish, but perhaps someone who could manipulate gods could bring them an unexpected surprise.
After a moment, Elder Yan stepped forward and asked, "Fellow Daoist Xiao, what brilliant plan do you have? Please advise."
Countless beings in the Flame Realm have descended from the Immortal Realm, so they have long known that there is not just one Immortal Realm in the world, but many. Similarly, which Immortal Realm a cultivator at the Great Completion stage will reach after ascension is entirely unpredictable. Whether one reaches a satisfactory Immortal Realm depends entirely on the mercy of Heaven.
Before today, everyone's thoughts were filled with the terrifying prospect of facing the Heavenly Tribulation. But once the Heavenly Tribulation is over, the next step will be on the table.
Those immortals who wreaked havoc in the Flame Realm were already masters in the immortal realm hundreds of thousands of years ago. It is impossible to eliminate them by mere brute force.
Their only hope was numbers; they hoped to gain a temporal advantage over the enemy through sheer numbers.
Therefore, they naturally hoped to go to the same immortal realm, but if the god of fate were to arrange it so that tens of thousands of people could ascend to the same immortal realm and the same place at the same time, the hope would be extremely slim.
Therefore, as soon as Xiao Wenbing finished speaking, Elder Yan and the others immediately stepped forward to inquire about countermeasures.
With a slight smile, Xiao Wenbing flipped his wrist, and countless points of light jumped out of his hand, one for each person. Soon, a small Nascent Soul appeared in front of each person.
Looking at the tiny Nascent Soul in front of them, everyone's expressions varied.
Some ground seemed lost in thought, some like stagnant water, and others wore a cold, disdainful sneer.
"Everyone, I have come up with a plan. These Nascent Souls were specially crafted by me. If you all replace your own aura with the aura of these Nascent Souls, I guarantee that when you ascend to heaven, the heavens will recognize us as the same person."
Elder Yan remained expressionless and flicked his finger at the Nascent Soul. The tiny creature instantly entered his unguarded body. A moment later, a faint white light emanated from his body, completely concealing his aura.
After hesitating for a moment, the tens of thousands of experts on the Flame Realm all reached out and touched the Nascent Soul. Soon after, a faint white light also rose from their bodies.
As a result, everyone exuded the same aura, as if there were tens of thousands of Xiao Wenbings here.
Xiao Wenbing glanced at the group of cultivators from the cultivation world who still hadn't made a move, and sneered inwardly. If he didn't have a backup plan, why would he help them withstand the heavenly tribulation for nothing?
Bowing deeply to the four directions, Xiao Wenbing proclaimed in a clear voice: "Seniors, although we have survived the Heavenly Tribulation, we cannot be careless. After becoming an immortal, we must cultivate divinity. In these millions or tens of millions of years, there is a minor tribulation every thousand years and a major tribulation every ten thousand years. The path to immortality is rugged and fraught with danger. Are you all prepared?"
The group exchanged bewildered glances, their initial excitement at having survived the tribulation waning considerably.
Although they didn't know what the Immortal Realm was like, having cultivated to their current level, they knew that cultivating immortality was...
That's not their ultimate goal. Above immortals, there exists an even higher realm: gods.
Cultivating to become an immortal is already an arduous and rare endeavor, one in ten thousand. So what about cultivating to become a god? How many tribulations would there be...? Just thinking about the countless tribulations, large and small, they would have to endure in the future, their expressions naturally turned solemn.
Seeing them all deep in thought, Xiao Wenbing was secretly pleased. Suddenly, his expression turned serious, and he said, word by word, "Gentlemen, do you all want to become gods?"
Everyone was stunned, and tens of thousands of eyes were fixed on Xiao Wenbing.
Nonsense, who wouldn't want to become a god...?
A genuine smile gradually spread across Xiao Wenbing's face. A golden light faintly appeared behind him, seemingly gentle and serene, encompassing the vast world and all things; yet also sharp and unparalleled, reigning supreme above all.
A very strange feeling arose in everyone's hearts. How could these two irreconcilable contradictions coexist harmoniously in one person?
"Follow me, and I can lead you...on the path to godhood."
At that moment, in their eyes, Xiao Wenbing's image seemed to suddenly become incredibly tall and imposing.
Divine power, an intense divine power, permeated the entire space, as if a raging fire was burning in everyone's heart. Intense desires assaulted their minds. A slightly seductive voice lingered in their ears.
The words "become a god" shone brightly in everyone's mind.
Xiao Wenbing's smile remained unchanged, but he was somewhat uneasy inside.
"Mirror God, your magic isn't working..."
"No way, it's probably because your Earth God power is insufficient."
"Nonsense, do you think you don't know how much power I have? Didn't you say you'd experimented and could easily convince them?"
"Perhaps they've already been convinced?"
Xiao Wenbing looked around, then shook his head abruptly. "Impossible," he said.
He didn't realize that his performance was already remarkable; a simple, ordinary promise could resonate with so many people, something that not everyone could do.
His words just now were strikingly similar to the ceremony of recruiting Queenie and others as servants; it was also a means of deceiving people. Both were instigated by the Mirror God.
The super spells cast based on divine power were beyond the comprehension of Quini and the others.
These were originally the spells of the high and mighty gods. However, due to the difference in energy, the gods could easily take everyone as their servants, but Xiao Wenbing could only use various means to establish a lofty and invincible image for himself in their hearts.
Of course, since he was associated with the gods, the methods he used naturally disdained low-level temptations like sights and sounds. Xiao Wenbing's magic directly contacted the souls of the people by borrowing the power of the gods. Only in such a way could the power of the gods be displayed.
If it were the Treasure God or the Turtle God standing before them instead of Xiao Wenbing, the crowd would already be prostrating themselves in gratitude.
However, compared to Xiao Wenbing, who only possessed pseudo-divine power and whose cultivation was not much higher than theirs, they seemed much more "normal." At least no one shouted ridiculous slogans like "savior."
Xiao Wenbing stared intently at them one by one. Although their faces were filled with excitement under his instigation, they were clearly still able to restrain themselves. He immediately realized that although his painstaking efforts had achieved some results, they were far from what he had expected.
These powerful individuals who were able to reach the Tribulation Transcending stage through their own arduous cultivation were truly not pushovers!
He sighed inwardly. His cultivation level was still too low. Although these people had become much easier to talk to after being tempted by the power of the gods, they were still far inferior to Quini. However... Xiao Wenbing couldn't bring himself to take them all as servants.
It's not that he didn't want to have so many loyal servants, but with his current strength, after recognizing Queenie and the others, he simply didn't have the resources to recognize any more.
Sometimes, having too many servants can be a significant burden for the master!
With a thought, the small golden talisman, which had been replenished with divine power by the Void Cauldron, quietly appeared in his hand. Under the guidance of his consciousness, a large amount of divine power was released in the next moment.
A powerful golden light shot into the sky, reaching straight to people's hearts.