novelinnhs Chapter 312 An Existence Surpassing the Heavenly Mandate Holy Spirit! Xia Fa's Rank Revealed?
Chapter 312 An Existence Surpassing the Heavenly Mandate Holy Spirit! Xia Fa's Rank Revealed?
Chapter 312 An Existence Surpassing the Heavenly Mandate Holy Spirit! Xia Fa's Rank Revealed? (Part 1)
"Get out of the way!"
With a roar, accompanied by an incomparably powerful supernatural force, like a surging wave, Xia Fa was pulled to one side.
Surprisingly, the one who reacted the fastest and immediately chose to save Shafa was not Amphion, nor Solrock, but — Nidhogg!
The patriarch of the Starry Sky Dragon Clan, the Pope of the Church of Errors, and the Emperor of Mystery who signed twenty-five secret contracts, finally revealed his supreme power and majesty at this moment.
With a loud clang, the bronze lance failed to pierce Xia Fa's body and was instead firmly blocked by a gray-black metal dragon claw.
That was a dragon claw that had grown from Nidhogg's shoulder, the claw filled with chilling violence, each scale seemingly cast from steel, carrying a terrifying and ferocious power, and an aura almost divine.
Without a doubt, this is the nuclear-type star dragon sealed within Nidhogg's [Supernatural Body].
But no one expected that this nuclear-gold star dragon was already close to becoming a god!
That aura, almost divine, was not faked; it was only one step away from becoming a god!
How did Nidhogg manage to suppress it in this situation?
Before anyone could think, the bronze lance pierced the dragon claw with a sudden burst of power.
With a "whoosh," molten iron-like heat and blood immediately seeped from the metal dragon claw, accompanied by an angry and mournful dragon roar emanating from Nidhogg's lower abdomen.
Nidhogg's expression suddenly changed, as if he had never expected that this seemingly ordinary and somewhat rusty bronze lance could actually break through the defense of his metal dragon claw!
Suddenly, he seemed to remember something.
His old adversary, and one of the few in the world who could understand him, Saint Emperor Sharatul, seemed to have been seriously injured by such a bronze lance.
That murderous aura—it's exactly the same!
"Run! Everyone run! This is not something you can handle!"
Xia Fa's roar suddenly rang out, making the entire old blacksmith's shop vibrate. At the same time, two shark-tooth folding knives fell into his palms from his left and right sleeves.
Xia Fa flashed forward, almost rushing to the entrance of the old forge to personally block the bronze cleaner.
But at that very moment, two nearly identical bronze lances appeared silently from behind Xia Fa in the void.
Swish!Swish!
Just as the two bronze lances were about to reach Xiafa, they suddenly accelerated, one thrusting towards his back, trying to pierce his heart, and the other towards his brainstem, trying to impair his mobility.
They were all extremely cunning and ruthless, and showed no mercy in their attacks.
The timing of the appearance of these two bronze lances was extremely opportune, just when everyone's attention was focused on the unknown figure resembling a cavalryman at the entrance of the old forge, including Xia Fa himself.
No one noticed the sudden attack with the two bronze lances, except for one person.
Chestnut.
"Xiafa!"
With a loud shout, Banli brought her two white palms together to form a circle, and her jet-black hair immediately flew up without wind, making her figure appear holy and supreme, like a goddess.
Countless rays of holy moonlight burst forth from the circle in her palm, flashing briefly in the air before arriving behind Xia Fa and in front of the two bronze lances.
Xia Fa only then realized what had happened and instinctively tried to dodge to the left, but it was too late.
Those two bronze lances were moving incredibly fast, seemingly reaching the pinnacle of speed in the world. Even a god would have difficulty reacting to them in person, let alone such a silent and stealthy attack.
Nidhogg turned his head and saw this scene as well. His eyes widened in disbelief, and he looked like he was about to explode with rage.
He saw that one of the two bronze lances had already pierced through Xia Fa's linen shirt, and the other had already poked the back of his head, breaking his skin.
Suddenly, in the old blacksmith's shop, everything seemed to freeze in that instant.
Whether it was Thor Loki's furious expression, the blood flames bursting forth from Norton Dragon with battle intent, the golden flames about to ignite in Ayrton's eyes, or even the fluttering hem of Ruscondra's clothes and the rolling iron filings on the treasure-making platform—everything froze at this moment.
The two bronze lances also came to a standstill, remaining completely still.
Of everyone present, only Chestnut could move. Her jet-black hair flew about without wind, forming a circular palm, and countless holy moonlight shone brightly at that moment!
Whoosh—!
Just as more moonlight was about to surge forth and envelop the two bronze lances, the two bronze lances, after struggling slightly, actually broke free from this "stillness" constraint!
With even more ruthless force, he thrust forward suddenly, intending to truly injure Xia Fa!
"Don't even think about it!"
Chestnut suddenly let out a delicate cry, then bit her tongue, spitting out a mouthful of blood mixed with bits of flesh, which immediately sprayed into the holy moonlight.
An incredible scene unfolded: the forward thrust of the two bronze lances was abruptly halted, and they began to retreat!
This regression doesn't seem to be forced back by some powerful force, but rather more like a reaction to the process of the sneak attack.
reverse"!
The two bronze lances quickly retreated back into the air. In the air, two transparent figures resembling cavalrymen twisted and struggled for a moment, and then actually burrowed into the floor.
No, to be precise, they seem to have sneaked in from under the floor, and now they're just "reversing" that process.
But in that instant, the two transparent figures resembling cavalrymen suddenly twisted again.
boom!!!
A terrifying aura of killing intent erupted from them, abruptly halting and dispersing the trend of "reversal"!
Chestnut's originally rosy and delicate face had turned half pale after she spat out a mouthful of blood containing bits of flesh from her tongue. Now, her body trembled, and her face turned ashen white.
Her delicate body immediately leaned backward, as if she could no longer support herself.
In the old forge, everything that had been frozen in time was restored to normal in that instant.
Everyone looked at Chestnut with utter disbelief. It seemed that no one had expected that this innocent and lovely rat girl, who had always followed Xia Fa silently, would possess such incredible power!
The power and status of that force even shocked Nidhogg, the founder of a religion who had served the true God!
However, it was clear that Chestnut could not truly control this power; she suffered a backlash and was about to faint.
Just as Chestnut's body was about to crash heavily to the floor, a strong arm caught her slender waist.
It was Xia Fa.
The instant he grabbed the chestnut, his figure flashed like a shrinking star, instantly arriving at the east side of the old forge, far away from the two bronze cleaners in stealth mode.
Then, he had a moment to look at the chestnuts.
"Chestnut, you—"
"I'm fine, I just feel, a little, a little—"
Chestnut interrupted him, a hint of sadness appearing on her bright yet pale face: "I'm sorry, I still couldn't help you this time."
Xia Fa shook his head. "No, you've done very well. If you hadn't saved me just now, I wouldn't have had a chance—" He gritted his teeth, his jaw forming a sharp, ruthless line—"—to kill these guys!"
Chestnut was already very weak, seemingly about to faint at any moment, but she still forced herself to ask, "What—what are they?"
Xia Fa looked apologetic: "I should have told you last time, these are—the Cleaners."
Chestnut murmured, "Cleanser—one—"
As soon as she finished speaking, she suddenly felt all her strength drain away and collapsed completely into Xia Fa's arms.
Xia Fa was startled, but immediately he saw countless holy moonlight appear on the chestnut vest, enveloping her and intertwining around her.
It seems that a "cocoon" needs to be formed.
He immediately checked Chestnut's breathing and, seeing that it was still breathing, felt slightly relieved.
The emerging "cocoon" gave him the feeling that any attack method that entered its range would be immediately "reversed" and sent away.
In other words, chestnuts are safe for the time being.
"We can't get out—"
Xia Fa immediately tried to use the "Starlight" ability to teleport through the wall of the old blacksmith's shop, but found that the space here was completely confined.
It's like being in a place where time stands still.
"Spirit of the Secret Treasure, can you open the walls here? Or is there a ritual teleportation array?"
Xia Fa immediately asked a question using his spiritual intuition, but the spirit of the secret treasure inside the Zhanmadao was in a state of chaos.
"Master, I—I won't—Master—Quick—Quick—Run!"
Clearly, the spirit of the treasure seemed to know some secrets about the Cleaner, but with the Cleaner's actual appearance, it seemed to be completely disordered, its primordial energy fluctuating like boiling water.
Xia Fa narrowed her eyes slightly, gently put down the chestnut, and watched as her "cocoon" formed by the holy moonlight was fully formed.
Fortunately, although the spirit of the treasure has entered a disordered state, the [Old Treasure - Rhine Blade of Calamity] can still be used.
Xia Fa flipped his hand, and a crystal with a flame appeared, but almost instantly he put it away.
"Even the Redemption Spark Crystal can't be activated. Just who are these Cleaners? They can even sever my communication with the entities—"
From the moment everything stopped, to when he brought the chestnuts to the east corner of the old blacksmith's shop, and now, less than a minute has passed.
The group had already huddled together, with Nidhogg at the head, Norton Dragon and Airo Tong standing behind him, and the others being protected by these three.
Everyone was facing the same direction, as if facing a formidable enemy.
Xia Fa glanced past the crowd in that direction, and his heart sank.
Although he had anticipated it, seeing it with his own eyes still made him feel an immense sense of crisis.
Three bronze cleaners.
These three bronze-armored cavalrymen, seemingly prepared for a surprise attack on the old forge, have all shrunk to less than five meters in size. Together with their bronze-armored warhorses, they are a total of ten meters tall.
Although they are no longer as majestic as mountains and rivers as before, their divine aura and terrifying strength remain undiminished.
At this moment, they seemed to have come together, lined up in a row, like an insurmountable, unshakable high wall, proclaiming the fate of everyone who was about to be eliminated.
Each bronze cleaner carried a bronze lance, poised to strike. Their fully covered visors, though obscuring their eyes, only added to their sinister and terrifying aura.
It seems that their presence has confined the space inside the old forge. Therefore, these three bronze cleaners are not afraid of the people present escaping. Like hunters toying with their prey, they simply line up quietly, riding their warhorses and looking down at the humans.
It carries a certain unrestrained playfulness.
With a flash, Xia Fa arrived beside Nidhogg, joining the others in facing the situation.
With the space sealed, the spirit of the [Rhine Blade of Calamity]'s secret treasure seems to have fallen into complete chaos due to the appearance of these Bronze Cleansers.
In other words, everyone present was left with only one choice.
Either kill these three Bronze Cleansers who are comparable to gods, or wait to be annihilated.
"What is the Cleaner?"
Nidhogg spoke in a deep voice. At this point, there seemed to be no need to hide anything from him through spiritual intuition. He made no attempt to conceal that he had heard the conversation between Shaphat and Chestnut.
Xia Fa gave a bitter laugh: "The one that beat my great-grandfather into a coma was this kind of thing. As for the others, if we manage to get out of here alive, go ask the righteous god you serve, Lord [Error Rule]. Of course, He might not tell you."
Upon hearing that the one who injured Emperor Sharatul was this unknown being resembling a bronze-armored cavalryman, everyone felt a chill run down their spines.
The Holy Emperor Sharatu—that's a transcendental monarch, and among transcendental monarchs, he's considered to be in the strongest tier.
Even he was injured by these bronze-armored cavalrymen. How could anyone else, except Nidhogg, possibly deal with them?
Moreover, this wasn't just one bronze-armored cavalryman, but three!
As the Pope of the erroneous Church, Nidhogg naturally understood certain taboos of the supernatural world better than ordinary people, and also knew better what questions should be asked and what questions should not be asked.
When Nidhogg heard Shaphat say that even if He asked Him personally, the adults might not necessarily tell Him the "wrong rule," he immediately realized the seriousness of the matter.
Even a leader of a religion like him, a secret emperor who signed twenty-five secret contracts, was not qualified to ask. This means that the secrets these guys called "Cleaners" are involved in are at least at the level of a true god!
"Can these cleaners be killed?"
Unexpectedly, Nidhogg instead chose to ask Shaffer a question.
Xia Fa replied without hesitation, "Yes, but it's extremely difficult. At their peak, each of them possesses the strength of the highest level in their respective rank. In other words, each of these three Bronze Cleaners is equivalent to an incredibly powerful god."
Upon hearing this, everyone present was plunged into utter despair.
Each one is equivalent to a god, and among the gods, they are the strongest.
How can we fight like this?
"What are they? Why are they hunting us?!"
Jack Falco's voice trembled. For the first time in his life, this bounty hunter of the Overlord rank experienced what utter despair meant.
Xia Fa shook his head: "I don't know, it's just—"
'
Da da da! Da da da! Da da da!
Suddenly, a rapid clatter of hooves rang out, and three bronze lances thrust towards Nidhogg, Shafa, and Norton Dragon from three different directions.
At the same time, a hundred meters in front of everyone, the figures of the three bronze-armored cavalrymen shattered like bubbles.
This attack came suddenly, and it seemed that no one present could have anticipated it.
No one could have imagined that these three bronze cleaners were not toying with their prey, intending to torture them to death little by little, but had already entered stealth mode, preparing to launch a sneak attack on the three strongest people present!
The three figures standing side by side were actually just illusions to deceive everyone and lower their guard!
"well----"
A sigh, like the lament of a god, suddenly echoed from the empty, old blacksmith's shop.
It actually came from Nidhogg's body; the voice sounded exactly like a dragon's roar, yet also very human.
The moment that sigh rang out, the three bronze lances suddenly trembled uncontrollably in mid-air and pierced each other.
With a loud clang, the three bronze lances clashed together and bounced off each other.
In that instant, with a wave of his hand, countless starlight burst forth, enveloping Amphion, Sol Loki, Rusconsin, and other weaker individuals present, teleporting them directly to a corner of the old forge.
Immediately, the three transparent figures of bronze-armored cavalrymen around them, accompanied by a spatial turbulence, strangely dispersed and emerged from their stealth state.
Nidhogg faced one of the statues alone, as did Shafa, while the third statue was handed over to Norton Dragon and Airo Tong.
"Norton Dragon, you and Airo Tong, use your respective [Eternal Certificates] to do everything you can to hold off the third Bronze Cleaner."
Nidhogg spoke in a deep voice, his words coming out very quickly, and continued, "After I deal with the one in front of me, and then join forces with Shafa to deal with the one he's facing, I'll come to help you. As for Shafa, you—"
Nidhogg abruptly changed the subject. This usually serious Emperor of Mysteries surprisingly cracked a joke, even in a moment of leisure: "We're both Emperors of Mysteries, I believe in your strength. You should be able to do it, right?"
In response to the sleeve, two chaotic beams of light suddenly emerged from Xia Fa's hands.
An aura comparable to that of a true god emanated from the two beams of chaotic light, but unlike a true god, it was not grand and majestic. Instead, it was filled with endless babbling and terrifying roars.
That feeling—that feeling—was so much like the Great Old Ones!
The next moment, two similar horse-slaying swords appeared in Xia Fa's hands, one on the left and one on the right. Both were three meters long, with wide blades and secret runes covering the backs. They were majestic, heavy, ancient, and solemn.
But unlike the Rhine swords that everyone saw on the golden pillars before, this time, when these two swords appeared, they were enveloped in chaotic lightning and emanated faint mercury vapor.
And then there's that terrifying aura of the Great Old Ones—extremely strong, majestic, and supreme!
"A complete ancient treasure?"
Nidhogg's eyes lit up instantly, as if he had suddenly realized something, and a wry smile appeared on his face: "You little rascal—"
Xia Fa then turned around and smiled at Him: "You can rest assured that you can leave this bronze cleaner to me."
At this moment, with the Rhine Blade and the Calamity Blade in his hands, Xia Facai finally got to use the complete ancient treasures.
The activated state of the [Ancient Treasure - Rhine Blade of Calamity] was fully revealed before his eyes. The blade was covered with chaotic lightning, and mercury vapor danced within it. No matter how you looked at it, it suited him perfectly.
Of course, with his current Elephant-level rank of only having signed five secret contracts, and the fact that four of them are Hegemon-level secret contracts, making him equivalent to a veteran Extraordinary Monarch, he is completely unable to activate even a fraction of this [Ancient Treasure - Rhine Blade of Calamity].
There is no doubt that the ancient treasures and the orthodox treasures are of the same level.
The original [True Mystic Treasure Pocket Universe] required Patriarch Osius, an extraordinary lord, and Dionysius, the Great Emperor of Mysteries, to jointly activate even a wisp of its aura. The same applies to the ancient mystic treasures.
Not to mention, the [True Mystic Treasure - Skull of the World Tree] cannot be activated even by two transcendental monarchs working together; it requires the [Nature Monarch] to be activated by an Outer God in the Celestial Spirit Realm.
Therefore, with only the strength of a veteran extraordinary monarch, he simply couldn't activate even a fraction of the activated state of the [Ancient Treasure - Rhine Blade of Calamity].
However, for Xia Fa, the [Ancient Treasure - Rhine Blade of Calamity] in its activated state is enough.
He had always known that he was currently unable to activate the [Ancient Treasure: Rhine Blade of Calamity], except perhaps when he reached the level of a god.
What he has always needed is—
Once these two swords become complete ancient treasures, their unparalleled sharpness and destructive power will be unmatched!
Wow!!!
A massive amount of mercury vapor erupted from his body in that instant, and Xia Fa instantly entered the state of the Starry Silver Throne. He leaped high into the air at incredible speed, raised his two swords high, and slashed at the bronze-armored cavalryman in front of him!
This time, his form was different again. He had twelve wings on his back and twelve arms, but apart from that, he was no different from a human.
However, countless glass spheres of various colors surrounded him, appearing mysterious and extraordinary, as if waiting to be activated at any moment.
Since everyone present already knew that Xia Fa was the secret emperor who had signed both the "Silver Throne" and the "Gate of Stars," they were not surprised to see the starlight swirling around his wrists and ankles in his Silver Throne state.
However, they were all deeply shocked by Xia Fa's godlike silver throne form.
But it seems that no one understands what those glass marbles mean.
Only Nidhogg, the pope who had once served the true God, immediately focused his gaze on the hundreds of colorful glass spheres swirling around Shaphat.
"That kid—"
A barely perceptible smile played at the corners of His lips as He murmured with a sigh, "It seems the bloodline of the Gilgamesh family is indeed more noble. The third in history—"
Immediately, a resolute look rose in Nidhogg's eyes, and with a casual grab of his sleeve, a large metal spear appeared in his palm.
boom!!!
Nidhogg's aura suddenly surged, instantly surpassing the limit of twenty-five secret contracts and reaching the rank of the Great Emperor of Secrets with thirty secret contracts.
But that wasn't all. His aura continued to rise, easily breaking through the pressure of the Great Emperor of Mystery, and he was almost just a hair's breadth away from becoming a god.
"Eternal chaos—?"
Before Nidhogg, the Bronze Cleaner surprisingly spoke, his voice hoarse and grating like the friction of metal, extremely unpleasant to hear, yet inexplicably inspiring fear.
[Eternal Chaos]?
Xia Fa suddenly remembered something, and the three bronze lances that had been attacking suddenly seemed to go mad, turning from a sneak attack into a mutual exchange of blows.
Could it be that—
"Not bad, you guys who call yourselves cleaners actually know your stuff."
Nidhogg gripped a massive black iron spear engraved with ukiyo-e prints, took a step forward with his imposing frame, his thick black hair flying wildly, and the metal dragon horns on his head radiating a fierce and menacing aura.
"That Shalatu guy, although he's my old rival, that also means that only I can hurt Him. But you, you bunch of Cleaners, have crossed that line."
With a sweep of his spear, the space in front of him immediately became chaotic and volatile, even affecting the figure of the bronze cleaner, who began to sway.
"Then let me avenge Him."
"And by the way, protect His descendants as well."