The Heavenly Emperor Di Jun’s string of compliments left Wan Lei feeling confused. He didn’t understand the other party’s intentions. Why would someone with nothing better to do flatter a junior like him?
Flattery without cause is either treachery or theft.
“The Heavenly Emperor praises me too highly.”
Unsure of the other party’s intent, Wan Lei could only offer a perfunctory response.
After a round of praise, the Heavenly Emperor smiled and revealed his true purpose.
“Well, brother Wan Lei, your battle just now was truly unrivaled. We all saw it. Your power all comes from that black ring.
Now that all the Saints have arrived, wouldn’t it be beneficial for us all to take a look at such a treasure? Firstly, it would broaden our horizons. Secondly, we could study it and see if we can gain any insights, which would naturally be a good thing. Even if we gain nothing, we can help you find a way to remove the corrupted spiritual energy within, so you don’t have to suffer so much the next time you use it.”
Di Jun’s words immediately made the eyes of most people around him light up.
They were the strongest beings in the Immortal Realm and were extremely well-informed. They had heard that a year or two ago, Wan Lei had fought the Illusion Heart Demon Emperor in the Sea of Suffering to a draw. Back then, they were all curious about how Wan Lei had managed it.
But if the Immortal Venerable didn’t speak, and the Ghost Emperor, Mengmeng, and the Buddha didn’t speak, how could they possibly know? After much investigation, they learned the truth from the members of the Ling Xin team: it was a Supreme Demon Ring.
When Wan Lei wore it, he would go mad and lose his senses, but his combat power would also skyrocket, increasing in a completely unreasonable and illogical manner, much like a meme.
Who wouldn’t want such a great treasure? Even if they couldn’t acquire it, just seeing it would be enough.
However, they had heard that the Immortal Venerable also valued this treasure highly. They didn’t want to offend the Immortal Venerable, so they couldn’t simply force Wan Lei into a sale. Whoever did so would incur his displeasure.
But things were different now. Everyone was here, and the Immortal Venerable was not in the prime plane. With so many people present, Wan Lei couldn’t possibly refuse to let them see it, could he?
The law does not punish the masses, especially when the masses were all Saints.
Wan Lei felt that letting them see it was fine. After all, they were all Saints and his own people. They wouldn’t possibly leak the information, would they?
So, he took out the Demon Ring and placed it in his palm for everyone to see.
Since they were all Saints, they didn’t need to hold a treasure to observe it. A single glance was enough to know its specifications. At worst, they could probe it with their divine consciousness.
Besides, with so many people watching, no one would be embarrassed to be the first to reach out.
Wan Lei said,
“You can look, but do not probe with your divine consciousness. It is dangerous…”
“Ah!!!”
“It hurts!”
“What in the nine hells is this thing!”
Before Wan Lei could finish speaking, several screams erupted from the crowd.
Among those clutching their heads in agony were He Xu, Li Yan, Dun Yong, Xila, Di Jun, Wan Jianyi, and several of the main gods.
Half of the people were affected.
Wan Qingyi, watching everyone’s embarrassing display from the side, burst into wild laughter.
“The spiritual corrosive power within this Demon Ring is very strong,”
Wan Lei said slowly.
“Even we find it difficult to bear. How did you manage to withstand such terrifying spiritual energy erosion?”
Di Jun asked with a frown.
“Well… how should I put it? Although it occupies my sea of consciousness, it doesn’t harm me. Instead, it merges with me. When I wear it, not only does it not hurt, but it feels quite good.”
Good? It was far more than good! That feeling of being the only one above and below, the supreme being, was unbelievably exhilarating.
The Monk Huiyu, who had been silent until now, stepped forward.
“It should be the artifact recognizing its master. It will not attack its host, but it will retaliate against our external spiritual energy as a form of self-defense.”
Wan Lei glanced at Monk Huiyu and the purple-robed woman beside him. He knew these two.
When he was unconscious in the Ghost Emperor’s Palace, Mengmeng had told Fang Xiaoyu the story of the little monk and the Nether Flower Fairy, and Fang Xiaoyu had later told him.
He had been deeply moved by the story at the time and had wanted to ask the Buddha why he had saved him but not her!
Fortunately, their ending was a happy one. With the help of Xia Dayu and others, they were eventually revived and reunited. They even jointly established the Five Elements Hall, and now they had both become Saints.
“The high monk speaks wisely.”
Wan Lei nodded.
“Please do not call me a high monk. My six roots are impure, and I am consumed by desire and lust. I am hardly like a monk anymore,”
the little monk said with a smile.
“It’s not too late for you to change now.”
The Buddha behind Wan Lei showed a compassionate and loving smile.
The little monk smiled slightly, clasped his hands together, chanted a Buddhist invocation, and said,
“I will not change.”
Di Jun waved his hand, interrupting the sparring between the two Buddhist masters, and looked at Wan Lei with burning eyes, or rather, at the treasure in Wan Lei’s hand.
“Wan Lei, let’s be frank. I won’t deceive you. I’ll trade you three divine artifacts, one of which is a rule-type artifact, for this Demon Ring. How about it?”
Before Wan Lei could speak, Wan Qingyi interjected with a sarcastic tone,
“Oh, how generous of you, Di Jun? You want to trade three divine artifacts for this Demon Ring?
Not to mention anything else, just the combat power amplification of this Demon Ring. A Golden Immortal realm Wan Lei could be invincible below the Three Suns after wearing it. You, a dignified Dual Sun Saint, would surely gain power beyond the Three Suns after wearing it. At that point, perhaps even a Heavenly Sovereign would not be your opponent.
A mere three divine artifacts? Besides, can you even produce three divine artifacts?”
In the Immortal Realm, the most powerful being was the first Saint, the Heavenly Sovereign, who was also the first Three Suns Saint. His strongest technique, "One Qi Transforms into Three Pure Ones," could transform into three Three Suns Saints to fight. Three against one, what do you fear?
Below him were Three Suns Saints like Wan Jianyi, Wan Qingyi, and the Human Emperor. Few people knew that the Great Sage Equal to Heaven was a Three Suns Saint, but his combat power far surpassed that of the Sword Sage.
As for Wan Qingyi, he harbored a grudge against Di Jun because the Heavenly Emperor had made a move against him and Xia Dayu during the Battle of the North Sea. After becoming a Three Suns Saint, he frequently sought out Di Jun for sparring, much to Di Jun’s annoyance. Saints were unwilling to be beaten constantly.
Therefore, there had always been bad blood between them.
“My Heavenly Court does not lack the materials for three divine artifacts. I merely need to refine them for tens of thousands of years.”
“Wan Lei is so young. Should you make him wait for tens of thousands of years?”
The Buddha waved his hand,
“Everyone, please stop arguing. This humble monk believes that only my Buddhist sect can suppress such an evil object. You see, after disciple Wan Lei cultivated my Buddhist sect’s techniques, he was able to maintain his rationality in combat. This shows that my Buddhist sect’s techniques are the most effective. Surely you do not wish to become a bloodthirsty demon after wearing the Demon Ring.”
“Is this old monk trying to get something for nothing?”
Li Yan’s face was full of displeasure.
“I will offer four divine artifacts. My Five Elements Hall is a large and prosperous establishment,”
He Xu said calmly.
“What does the Five Elements Hall’s prosperity have to do with you? My Divine Race is willing to offer the strength of the entire Divine Realm to acquire this treasure.”
The Three Suns main god Taiyin Shen, who had been silent, finally spoke.
This was also the first time Wan Lei had seen a female member of the Divine Race.