"That makes sense. By the way, Brother Tortoise Shell, how did you survive the final tribulation of refining the spirit?"
"have no idea."
Xiao Wenbing raised his eyebrows. This fellow answered even more decisively, saying with a half-smile, "So you didn't know either."
"Yes, I was asleep at the time. When I woke up, I had already become a god."
"What?" Xiao Wenbing looked at him strangely. He thought his path to godhood was already unprecedented, but he didn't expect him to be even more exaggerated than him.
To become a god just by sleeping, such a good thing is truly... no wonder he is the only successor of the Turtle God.
“My master once said that the final tribulation of refining the spirit is a tribulation that transforms divine power and tests the mind. If an ordinary immortal were to undergo tribulation, the first thing to do would be to comprehend divine power. But for someone like me who has already mastered divine power, taking a nap during the final tribulation of refining the spirit is the best choice.”
Xiao Wenbing was greatly moved upon hearing this, for he had tens of thousands of powerful immortals under his command who possessed divine power.
The reason these people dared not desperately improve their strength was that they did not want to face the final tribulation of refining the spirit too early. However, judging from the tone of the tortoise shell at this moment, it seemed that as long as they fell asleep, the great immortal who had comprehended the power of the gods could easily pass through the final tribulation of refining the spirit.
He patted the Heavenly Void Ring and transmitted his thoughts to the Mirror God. After considering it for a long time, the spirit of the artifact summarized it in four words: "Nonsense."
Xiao Wenbing, his face slightly flushed, realized that he had been thinking too simply. If sleeping could really help one avoid the test of willpower during the final tribulation of refining the spirit, then the number of gods in the divine realm would have to increase by at least a hundred times.
"Ahem, Brother Tortoise Shell, did you really survive the final tribulation of spiritual refinement while you were asleep?"
"Yes, when I woke up, I could hardly believe it myself." The tortoise shell said loudly, "My master said that it is best to undergo tribulation without being aware of it. If someone gives a helping hand at this moment, the chances of success are very high."
Unknowingly, a helping hand was given...
Xiao Wenbing fell into deep thought, when suddenly a flash of inspiration struck him, and he realized he had grasped the key to the matter.
Both he and the tortoise shell were in a wondrous environment, unable to perceive their surroundings, when they passed through the final tribulation of refining their spirit. The reason they succeeded in passing the tribulation so smoothly, besides already possessing divine power, was that they were completely unaware that they were undergoing a tribulation.
If one were in such an environment, wouldn't the demands on one's willpower be reduced to the bare minimum?
As for his suggestion to lend a helping hand, it probably just meant to help the person undergoing the tribulation to open their mind and let others share some of the burden of that terrifying mental test.
Due to some mysterious spiritual connection, Xiao Wenbing and the two women, Zhang and Feng, actually possess a wondrous ability to sense each other deep within their hearts.
When one of them encounters danger, the other two will sense it. Therefore, when the three of them are going through a tribulation, the test of their willpower is actually borne by all three of them together.
However, it is likely that only the three of them could achieve such a bargain. Without their shared experiences and complex relationships, no one else could possibly have such a spiritual contract.
As for the tortoise shell, with the old tortoise by his side, Xiao Wenbing would never believe he wouldn't lend a hand.
Having figured out the reasoning, Xiao Wenbing suddenly burst into laughter and said, "Mirror God, do you know what the key to becoming a god is?"
"Of course, it's luck, willpower, and ability."
“Wrong.” Xiao Wenbing said seriously, “That statement is just something to fool those imaginary children.”
You're saying I'm a child full of fantasies?
"Of course not. Although you are a little... well, at your age, you are more than qualified to be the leader of the children."
The Mirror God appeared, his face flushed with anger: "Fine, then tell me what the most crucial thing is to become a god."
"It's very simple, the most crucial thing for becoming a god is having a powerful backer."
"A powerful backer?" Mirror God was truly dumbfounded this time.
“That’s right. Look at Brother Turtle Shell and Ghost Emperor. Behind them is an old tortoise and a lonely god. It is because they have the closest relationship with these two ancient gods that their path to godhood is smooth. After solving a few minor problems that troubled them, those two first-generation gods have cleared all obstacles for them to become gods.”
The Mirror God fell silent, reflecting on Xiao Wenbing's words, which indeed made a lot of sense.
With the help of the old tortoise, after mastering the life energy, the tortoise shell cultivated to the level of a god in just ten years.
As for the Ghost Emperor, needless to say, this prodigy has been forced into seclusion by his father. It is said that after decades of secluded cultivation, the day he emerges from seclusion will be the day he becomes a god.
Such a speed of advancement is truly astonishing. Apart from Xiao Wenbing, no one else has ever been heard of who could become a god so quickly.
Most importantly, neither the tortoise shell nor the ghost emperor cared about the terrifying final tribulation of the Divine Refinement Realm. That's because they knew they had an incredibly strong backer behind them. As for the final tribulation of the Divine Refinement Realm, they'd leave that to the old man to figure out.
With such a powerful backer, even a tiny mouse could probably cultivate to the level of a god.
“I admit there’s some truth to what you said,” the Mirror God said carefully, “but you must know that there were only two first-generation gods in this world. Such an exception will probably never be enjoyed by anyone else.”
"Is that so?" Xiao Wenbing laughed happily.
A strange thought surged in the Mirror God's mind, as if something he couldn't understand had suddenly appeared in Xiao Wenbing: "What are you going to do?"
"I need a powerful backer."
“You already have powerful backers. Whether it’s the Lonely God or the Turtle God, they can both be considered your backers. And most importantly, you’ve already become a god, so such backers won’t be of much help to you,” the Mirror God analyzed after assessing the situation.
"You're wrong. I'm not looking for a backer, I'm going to become a backer."
"A protector? Whose?"
"Of course, it's the backing of those ten thousand or so people below."
"Well, don't you think your goal is a bit too ambitious...?"
"Not big."
"I mean, do you think you're setting your standards a little too high?"
"Not high."
"I said... I spit on you, you're just so overconfident."
Volume 23, Chapter 7: Transforming the Divine Realm
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"Pooh……"
"A little more."
"Ptooey... ptooey..."
"Not enough, keep it up, have some more."
"Ptooey... ptooey... ptooey..."
The Turtle God stuck out his tongue and asked, annoyed, "Is that enough?"
"Hmm, that's about enough." Xiao Wenbing put away the jade bottle in his hand, glanced at the displeased Turtle God, and said strangely, "You don't seem to be in very good spirits today, sir."
The old tortoise glared fiercely. Following Xiao Wenbing's instructions, he spat for most of the day, which would be exhausting even for someone in good spirits.
Xiao Wenbing smiled guiltily, pulled over the tortoise shell beside him, took out a handful of primordial crystals and stuffed them into his arms, saying, "Brother Tortoise Shell, I have many more of these things here, just take them."
The tortoise shell accepted the Origin Crystal with a smile, and said sincerely, "Lord Xiao, thank you so much."
"Brother Turtle Shell, you're too kind. We're like family, no need for so much talk. Right, Senior Turtle?" Xiao Wenbing turned and gave the Turtle God a huge smile.
The turtle god, who had just been looking dissatisfied, completely changed his expression after seeing the large handful of primordial crystals in the turtle shell's hand. Even the energy he had expended spitting for most of the day had been fully restored.
"That's right, that's right, you're brothers, you should help each other."
Xiao Wenbing thought with disdain, "What a hypocritical old man! If I hadn't given the tortoise shell so many source crystals, why would it have willingly offered up its tortoise saliva?"
However, to be fair, this old tortoise was truly devoted to its shell; it would do anything that benefited it, even at its own expense.
For example, this time when we came to the realm of gods, if it weren't for the presence of the tortoise shell, this old tortoise would never have made a move.
The Lonely God has the Ghost King, and the Turtle God has the Turtle Shell. Hehe, don't be fooled by their ruthless methods against other gods; both of them have things they can't let go of in their hearts.
Bowing deeply to the old tortoise, Xiao Wenbing said, "Senior tortoise, we are deeply grateful for your help. We shall take our leave now. This junior will descend to the mortal realm."
"Okay, sure. After you leave, I'm going to take a nap too." The Turtle God yawned loudly, his bright eyes suddenly dimmed, and even his eyelids began to droop, as if they were about to close at any moment.
"Master, shall we sleep here?" the tortoise shell asked.
“No, let’s go to the lower realm. Or the underworld would also be fine.” The old tortoise said listlessly, yawning repeatedly. “The divine energy here is too mixed; it’s not good for your cultivation.”
The tortoise shell nodded and said to Xiao Wenbing, "Lord Xiao, look, my master is so kind-hearted." It slightly twitched the corners of its mouth. Xiao Wenbing readily agreed, but inwardly he thought, "Its kindness is only for you."
After bidding farewell to the Turtle God and the other person, Xiao Wenbing first used his divine sense to find his target in the void. Then, his divine power tore through the void, and in the next moment, he was already outside the forest.
As long as he was near the Turtle God, no deity would dare to risk displeasing the old man by using their divine sense to track him. Therefore, Xiao Wenbing was quite at ease and did not use any concealing divine techniques in his movements.
Before ascending to godhood, teleportation across planes required the aid of the powerful electricity within the lightning field. However, once a god is attained, their power is inexhaustible, making teleportation much simpler; simply determining the location allows for instantaneous arrival.
A faint aura of divine power merged into the void, spreading out in places where no one could touch it.
Xiao Wenbing's figure flashed outside the forest for a moment before directly entering this void space.
Here lies a vast, desolate space, devoid of any signs of life. This is a world constructed from divine power, a world of pure energy.
This is Xiao Wenbing's divine realm.
The divine realm is not very large. Compared to the divine realm that the lonely god-king has painstakingly cultivated for countless billions of years, this small divine realm is simply shameful to be seen.
However, this is still his own divine realm, and every piece of land within it was personally transformed by him. More importantly, it is this divine realm that will provide him with energy in the future.
With a wave of his hand, countless glittering starlight spilled out, following a predetermined path and stopping at a certain spot. The next moment, all the starlight transformed into countless colors, adorning this desolate place with unparalleled beauty.
These starlight fragments are indeed fragments of the Spirit Star. These fragments contain a large amount of divine power and have been carefully refined by that unfortunate god. They are indeed an excellent choice for setting up a divine realm.
Seeing that the space was already filled with twinkling lights, Xiao Wenbing smiled slightly and softly commanded, "Turn."
As if given a command, all the starlight immediately began to rotate along a certain trajectory. The various colors around us intertwined and reflected each other, forming a series of magnificent and beautiful patterns.
Xiao Wenbing stood in the center of all the light, as if he were in a beautiful world with constantly flashing neon lights.
With a satisfied smile, he then took out a total of one hundred and eight Origin Crystals from the Heavenly Void Ring.
With his eyes slightly closed and a finger lightly tapped, the 108 Origin Crystals instantly hung high in the air. His hands were not idle either, but drew magical patterns in the void.
His expression was extremely solemn, clearly indicating that this action was not a joke.
Three fingers were bent at the top of each of the long, wide hands, leaving only the index and middle fingers extended straight out.
Golden streams of light flowed slowly from his body to his fingertips, the powerful divine energy gathering and intensifying, making the golden light even more dazzling and radiant.
Carefully experiencing the strange swelling sensation in his fingertips, Xiao Wenbing concentrated his energy and finally began to work.
His entire focus was concentrated between his two fingers, oblivious to everything around him, utterly unaware. It seemed that nothing in this world could affect his mood anymore.
Two fingers stretched to their maximum limit, paused briefly in the void, and divine power surged forth, leaving a clear trace there.