If they didn't come to ask for our help after seeing the nine-toothed rake in Pigsy's hand, it would be simply unbelievable.
How many people does Yu Hui need?
"Only Pigsy."
Xiao Wenbing nodded silently; it wasn't their fault. In Mu Yun and the others' eyes, although they numbered in the tens of thousands, they were all just beginning to reach the Integration Realm. Compared to veteran Integration Realm immortals, their level was indeed vastly different.
Just like when the Five Demon Immortals first clashed with Yu Hui and Zi Liao, their combined all-out attack was no match for Zi Liao's sudden burst of power. If it weren't for Pigsy's Nine-Toothed Rake being so powerful, even if the five demon immortals were fighting one, they would have lost more often than they would have won.
The nine-toothed rake is indeed a valuable item. However, such treasures cannot be forged casually; without rare and precious materials, even the best craftsmanship is useless.
Therefore, Mu Yun and the others only valued Zhu Bajie. As for the others, they were not favored in a competition where individual strength determined the outcome.
"Hmph... They underestimate us." Xiao Wenbing smiled calmly and said, "There's still a year left. They must have already invited helpers, but seeing how powerful Zhu Bajie is, they only made this last-minute decision."
"That's right, Fellow Daoist Xiao, what do you think? Should we participate?"
"Nonsense." Xiao Wenbing sneered, "Not only will we participate, but we'll also send at least six or seven people to compete."
Elder Yan was taken aback, then gave a wry smile and said, "Fellow Daoist Xiao, even if we take on all the external reinforcements, it's still only six people. Do you think we can replace the people from the Xuanji Sect?"
Xiao Wenbing laughed and said, "Elder Yan, have you forgotten? You were also one of the initial disciples of the Xuanji Sect."
"Wh...what?" Elder Yan was speechless for a moment.
Xiao Wenbing said with a smile, "If I remember correctly, Elder Yan, you and Daoist Muyun hit it off immediately. That's why you specially became his disciple. Since you have a master-disciple relationship, you can naturally be considered one of the disciples of the Xuanji Sect."
"This...this..." Elder Yan hesitated for a long time before finally saying, "Fellow Immortal Xiao, I am a member of the Holy Temple..."
"The Holy Temple?" Xiao Wenbing snorted and said, "Elder Yan, I ask you, to which sect does the Holy Temple belong?"
"It belongs to..." Elder Yan was suddenly taken aback. Indeed. What sect does the Holy Temple belong to?
The existence of the Temple is a unique feature of the Flame Realm; it was an organization established in the past to save the Tree of Life. As for which sect the Temple originated from, that remains uncertain.
If we really have to say, it belongs to the entire Flame Realm.
"Sigh..." Quini sighed deeply and said, "Little Flame, the existence of our temple was once to prolong the life of the Tree of Life, but now it is to find out who committed the poison. Do you... understand?"
Elder Yan pondered for a moment, then resolutely said, "Yes, disciple understands. As long as we can find those murderers and avenge the ancestors of the Holy Temple, disciple is willing to dedicate himself to the Xuanji Sect."
"Even if you're willing to offer it, they might not be willing to accept it." A cold voice interrupted Elder Yan's passionate outburst.
Elder Yan looked up angrily, but when he saw that the speaker was Feng Baiyi, he immediately lowered his head again. He couldn't afford to offend this person.
It wasn't just Elder Yan; after witnessing the performance of Xiao Wenbing and the other two during their tribulation, the tens of thousands of people here unanimously reached a consensus: Feng Baiyi was definitely a super expert who should not be provoked.
Although Xiao Wenbing and Zhang Yaqi are both very powerful, their deterrent power is still much weaker than that of Feng Baiyi, who possesses the most powerful attack force in all planes.
Heavenly lightning is something that all cultivators of gods, immortals, and the Dao fear, except for those who have reached an unbelievable level like the Turtle God. Otherwise, in front of Feng Baiyi, everyone else would subconsciously give way.
Even Quini and the others, who had safely ascended a second time, looked at Elder Yan with sympathy, but it was absolutely impossible for them to speak up and risk getting themselves into trouble.
The more experiences one has, the greater one's fear of heavenly tribulations becomes.
If Mu Yun knew that Feng Baiyi, this delicate girl, was actually a master who could manipulate heavenly thunder and earth, then his focus in receiving guests would definitely shift immediately, and the outside help he invited would certainly not be limited to just Zhu Bajie.
"Sister, Senior Mu Yun will accept it." A soft voice came from Zhang Yaqi's mouth. This unique and beautiful woman, who was not inferior even when standing shoulder to shoulder with the successor of the Heavenly Thunder, said softly, "Once Wen Bing speaks up, it will be difficult for Mu Yun to refuse..."
Xiao Wenbing laughed heartily and said, "Yaqi understands me best..." He laughed halfway through, then his gaze followed Yaqi to Feng Baiyi's face. Suddenly, he froze, realizing something was wrong, and quickly said, "He Baiyi too."
A faint smile suddenly appeared on Feng Baiyi's cold and stern face; she had naturally noticed his embarrassment. There weren't many things that could make this icy beauty smile, but when it came to Xiao Wenbing, it was a different story.
Shabir coughed. As Xiao Wenbing's servant, he naturally knew when to quickly change the subject: "Master, I wonder which ones you plan to send to the Xuanji Sect, and which ones will make an appearance?"
Giving a grateful look to the perceptive Shabir, Xiao Wenbing immediately said, "The Xuanji Sect definitely has its own favored sects, and we can't take all their spots. Hmm, four outside helpers will do. Also, Elder Yan, you and Zhu Bajie should join Mu Yun's sect and try to get two more spots."
Hearing Xiao Wenbing speak so casually, as if it were already a done deal, Elder Yan could only smile wryly, but dared not refute it.
“Although Xiao Yan’s skill is insufficient, with Zhu Bajie’s nine-toothed rake as an aid, he will definitely win this two-person competition. If I were Mu Yun, I would not refuse,” Quini said in a deep voice.
Xiao Wenbing's gaze swept across the faces of Quini and the other three, and he suddenly asked, "Quini, if you were to fight Pigsy, what would the outcome be?"
Quinni and the others smiled simultaneously. Although they didn't answer, their expressions told the whole story.
Xiao Wenbing nodded to himself; the veteran immortals were indeed far superior to these newly ascended immortals…
Quini and the others were, after all, his servants and his direct subordinates. Therefore, the immortal artifacts they possessed were all designed and manufactured by Xiao Wenbing with great care, and their power was only slightly inferior to that of the Nine-Toothed Rake.
Now that they have weapons of similar quality, how could Quini and the others be inferior to Pigsy?
After taking a sip of the thousand-year-old liquor, Xiao Wenbing laughed and said, "Even if Mu Yun takes Elder Yan and Zhu Bajie as his disciples, he will absolutely not send them to participate in the two-person competition."
Shabir nodded and said, "That's right. Yu Hui and Zi Liao's earth magic techniques are one soft and one hard, complementing each other. Judging from their cultivation methods, they have obviously been working together for many years."
Quini suddenly realized and said, "That's it, these two are most likely the Xuanji Sect's duo."
"So what if it's a duo? Hmph, Elder Yan, go find Senior Mu Yun and tell him our decision. Tell him to give me a month, and I'll give him a satisfactory answer." Xiao Wenbing paused slightly, then said, "I'm taking all six spots."
"This..." Elder Yan hesitated for a moment and said, "What if they refuse to agree?"
"You won't agree? Hmph, tell him that if the people we send out lose a match, then I... no, you'll just have to acknowledge him as your master."
Elder Yan was taken aback, then gave a wry smile. What kind of talk was that?
"Wen Bing." Zhang Yaqi shook her head slightly, both amused and annoyed, and said, "Elder Yan, don't listen to his nonsense. Just tell Senior Mu Yun that we can hold an internal competition a month from now."
Upon hearing this, Elder Yan immediately replied "Yes, sir," and then fled in a flash.
Watching his retreating figure, Xiao Wenbing burst into laughter: "I didn't expect Elder Yan's courage to be getting smaller and smaller."
"Wenbing, why do you insist on getting involved in the conflict between these two sects?" Feng Baiyi suddenly asked.
Xiao Wenbing's smile vanished, and he said, enunciating each word clearly, "Reputation, I want reputation, immense reputation."
"Does recruiting ordinary people require such a great reputation? I think if we just spread the news that ten thousand immortals will personally teach disciples, followers will definitely flock to us."
"Is that so?" Xiao Wenbing suddenly gave them a handsome smile, a smile with an inexplicable eeriness: "But my target isn't an ordinary person."
Volume 18, Chapter 14: Gift of Medicine
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As if by magic, Xiao Wen produced dozens of pills and gave ten to each of the four, including Quini, saying, "These are newly refined pills. Take them and take one each day."
Quini and the others accepted the gifts respectfully without asking any questions, and immediately put them into their own spatial storage, because they believed that Xiao Wenbing would never harm them.
"Master, I want some too!" Butterfly Fairy looked at the ground with longing and immediately asked for some.
Xiao Wenbing stroked her hair gently and said softly, "Good fairy, you can't eat this yet."
"Okay, sure," Butterfly Fairy replied, then asked, "Why?"
He gave a wry smile. Only the Butterfly Fairy would be so uninhibited in front of him. However, seeing the curiosity in the eyes of Quini and the others, he coughed and said, "These pills are all highly nourishing. They can release the spiritual power of an immortal who has cultivated for five hundred years within three hours."
"Five hundred years?" Butterfly Fairy's big eyes began to sparkle. She counted on her fingers and exclaimed happily, "Then taking three pills is equivalent to the time it takes me to cultivate all over again, isn't it?"
Xiao Wenbing reached out and gently pinched her delicate nose, laughing, "It's not that simple." He paused, then added, "Although the amount of spiritual energy is about the same, three hours is a long time. Even an immortal would find it difficult to absorb it all at once, let alone those of us at the Integration stage."
"Hmm, what should we do then?"
Quini and the others, who had been expressionless, were overjoyed upon hearing about the pill's miraculous effects. They laughed and said, "Don't worry, Fairy Butterfly, we will do our best to ensure the medicine's efficacy is not wasted."
Xiao Wenbing frowned and said, "Quinnie, listen carefully. Nothing should be forced. My orders to you are: do your best, but don't take risks. As human beings… well, as immortals, you must understand the meaning of 'giving up.' Insatiable ambition is like a snake trying to swallow an elephant—it's unacceptable."
Quinni and the others blushed slightly and bowed in unison, saying, "Yes, thank you for your guidance, Master."
They exchanged a glance, and Shabir said, "Master, this pill contains the spiritual energy of five hundred years of arduous cultivation, making it a truly rare treasure. It would be a waste for us to consume it now. How about we save it for when our cultivation has improved?"
"In the future? Hmph, if you don't want to waste your time, you'll need to be at least at the level of an Upper Immortal. By the time you've slowly cultivated to the level of an Upper Immortal, they'll probably already be coming to kill you."
"Yes, yes..."
Xiao Wenbing glanced at them with an air of superiority and said, "Just take the pills and break through to the Integration Realm as soon as possible. As for the pills, don't worry about them. I have at least eight thousand, if not ten thousand, that's enough for you."
The immortals, including Quini, looked at each other in dismay. Eighteen thousand.
This owner really values land...
After Quini and the others returned to their residence, only Xiao Wenbing and the three beautiful women remained in the room.
"Wenbing, do you think their cultivation level has already reached the point of creating clones?" Zhang Yaqi asked softly.
Xiao Wenbing slapped his thigh and said, "Yaqi, you're right about the land."
Feng Baiyi glanced at him coldly and said, "Yaqi is telling you that they haven't reached the realm of clones yet."
Xiao Wenbing shook his head vigorously and said, "No. Quini and the others' experiences are different from those of ordinary Earth Immortals. After their first ascension, they cultivated diligently for a thousand years to reach the Integration Realm, and then returned to the lower realm through the reverse passage." After a pause, he slowly asked, "How many Earth Immortals do you think could do that?"
Feng Baiyi and Zhang Yaqi exchanged a glance and then fell silent.
"Their mindset and beliefs are far superior to those of ordinary immortals. Moreover, the burdens they bear after descending to the mortal realm are immense. The willpower they forged in that environment is something even high-ranking immortals might not be able to match. The other two might be a little lacking, but Quini and Shabir definitely possess the mental fortitude to create multiple versions of themselves."
“Perhaps…” Feng Baiyi nodded slightly and said, “You’re right.”
With a wide smile, Xiao Wenbing said, "It doesn't matter if it's wrong; at worst, it's just a waste of a few pills."
"Wenbing, where did you get these pills from?" Zhang Yaqi suddenly asked.
"Didn't I tell you? It was just developed."
"you?"
“Exactly.” Xiao Wenbing said proudly, “How about that? Your husband is amazing, isn’t he?”
“Wenbing…”
"Haha." Xiao Wenbing glanced at Zhang Yaqi, whose face was flushed, and Feng Baiyi, who had an unfriendly look in her eyes, and quickly laughed it off, saying, "Now, I've switched to alchemy."
The two women were taken aback, unsure of what to think. Alchemy and weapon crafting were both among the hundred arts of Taoism, and they were not so easy to master. Yet, in Xiao Wenbing's words, they were made to sound as effortless as playing house.
"What? You don't believe me?"
The two women looked at Xiao Wenbing's confident face, and after a moment, their eyes gradually cleared.
"letter."
That single word represents their boundless support.
"Wenbing, give me a few of those pills," Zhang Yaqi said with a smile.