Deity Investigation Report

Chapter 279 World Priority (Vote for Monthly Tickets and Receive Gold Event in Progress)

"prey?"

"What do these thugs take me for?"

Han Su's words caused the old count's face to contort slightly, even though he was in the process of golden cell division.

Everyone has their unbearable pain points.

The disrespect and reprimand shown to the old count by Lü Xiaoba, even the way he rushed up to him while hurling insults at him like an elder, only made him feel that this opponent was a bit barbaric. However, Han Su's words about prey made him lose his composure.

He considered himself both a scholar and an aristocrat.

Everyone is only fit to be his experiment, his servant. How dare they put themselves in the position of prey?
"Bang bang bang!"

Amidst this rapid exchange of words, Lü Xiaoba continued to curse and his attacks became even faster. Not only did he begin to verbally attack the old count's relatives within five generations, but his fists also rained down like raindrops.

Han Su's attack wasn't as fierce as Lü Xiaoba's, but he still fired right away, every bullet hitting Lü Xiaoba's vital points without any hesitation.

The two men pressed closer, each with only one goal: they had sensed a strange change occurring in the old count and wanted to stop him before it was complete.

"Who gave you permission to disrespect me like this?"

The old count, surrounded by them, did indeed look rather miserable, with signs of his mental power showing signs of losing control. But just as his anger surged, he suddenly let out a loud shout, and his mental power surged outwards wildly.

Ninety years of spiritual maturity is far beyond what these young upstarts can match, and is even higher than the combined spiritual maturity of Han Su and Lü Xiaoba.

Most importantly, a normal person would never do this. When fighting, fully infusing one's mental energy will cause a brief blank in one's mind, which is equivalent to handing one's life over to the opponent.

I don't know what the old count was thinking, but he made this foolish decision.

But at least the effect was obvious. The mental power surged wildly, and Lü Xiaoba was like being blown by a gale. He was unsteady on his feet and staggered backward. For a short time, he couldn't even see anything, and his legs were numb and out of his control.

But in that instant, Han Su stepped forward, facing the surging spiritual power head-on. His body remained as steady as a mountain as he raised his gun and charged forward, pointing it at the old count's head and pulling the trigger.

"What kind of monster are you?"

The old count was also somewhat shocked at that moment.

How could someone with a spiritual capacity of nearly a century be unable to shake this young upstart?

Could it be that he, like vampires, looks young but is actually extremely old?

This is not an illusion. Han Su's current mental capacity has already reached sixty years, and he still has many reserve batteries. In terms of time, his current mental capacity is more than twice that of the old count.

With a bang, the trigger was pulled, and the bullet was about to pierce the old count's head. But unexpectedly, the old count, who should have been exhausted of mental energy, suddenly exuded a dark aura that was completely different from before.

Strange runes spread across his body, and he was enveloped in a mysterious light.

Suddenly, a black hand reached out from where his head should have been, not only grabbing the bullet but also heading straight for his throat.

Han Su jerked backward, and when he looked again, he was slightly horrified to see that the old count's body had become abnormally distorted.

Its hands and feet became thin and long like poles, with joints that never existed before, sharp at the ends, and up to three meters long.

Its body resembled a bizarre spider, with three pairs of red eyes and an angry face reflected on its abdomen. It looked down coldly, giving off an indescribable strangeness and a strong sense of unease.

"Is this his abnormal state?"

Realizing something, Han Su put away the gun, and copper-colored blood began to seep out of the briefcase.

The second stage of superhumans often possess aberrant characteristics, some of which are well hidden, while others are quite obvious. This old count did not possess any aberrant characteristics before, but unexpectedly, he could directly transform into this form through the division of golden cells.

To some extent, the number of aberrations is also linked to combat power; the weirder the aberration, the more powerful the fighter.

"Be careful, this is one of the hellish monk forms they worship, and it's different from before!"

Behind them came Wei Lan's low voice, which already carried a hint of anxiety.

Han Su whispered, "Was this guy hiding his strength before?"

"No, your previous assessment of him was correct."

Wei Lan quickly shared the information with Han Su. What Han Su had seen and judged before was actually correct. Even his feeling that he almost killed the old count was also correct.

The old count, in his normal state, was not good at fighting at all, and his noble status had fostered an arrogant and careless attitude. It was indeed possible that he could be killed without even realizing it.

But when he reveals his Hellish Monk form, he becomes like the Hellish Legion that once swept across the Western Continent in history. Not only does his body become deformed, but his spirit and will are also twisted, making him savage, warlike, and possessing insane intuition.

"He can increase his strength through the division of golden cells, but he himself has not actually reached that level..."

"This is an advantage brought about by his bloodline."

Under normal circumstances, extraordinary individuals need to steal more mystical power to cultivate their own golden cells to reach their limit, and then use some secret knowledge from the mystical side to achieve the division of the golden cells.

This is a process that can transform a person and elevate their life level, but it also contains endless dangers. The advancement of an ordinary investigator to the level of an independent investigator, and the transformation of a member of the secret school, all require such adventures.

But the old count wouldn't do that; he was a nobleman and didn't need to work as hard as ordinary people.

Therefore, Han Su's previous assessment of his power level was correct; he was at the limit level of the Golden Cells, one level weaker than the Independent Investigator.

However, he possesses the power of the Hellish Monk Totem, a mysterious power of a civilization level inherited from his family, which makes him different from others. He is born with the ability to perform a brief split.

This is the difference that comes with different identities; their starting point is already further than many people's finish line.

Below the sequence of beast-level totems, those extraordinary individuals may spend their entire lives stealing and mastering mysterious powers, striving their whole lives, but they can only achieve one division of their golden cells to reach a mid-level of life.

However, tribal totems have the potential to split two or three times.

As for this old count, he has the ability to split once without doing anything. If he were willing to risk his life like other superhumans, he could potentially gain the ability to split once more.

This also explains the hierarchical relationship between totems within the mysterious circle. In terms of combat power alone, a beast-level totem may not necessarily be unable to kill a clan-level totem.

However, when it comes to the growth potential of divine matter, there is indeed a huge difference between the two.

……

……

"If that's the case, then it's simple!"

Han Su, reminded by Wei Lan, did not panic but instead felt reassured.

"Since this is a temporary split, it probably won't last long!"

This world has always been in a state of superposition between unfairness and fairness. The unfairness lies in the fact that the old count's bloodline determines that he does not need to take risks or risk his life to possess the mysterious power to glimpse the division of golden cells.

But the fair part is that, because it is not a normal level of division, it is destined to have limitations when displaying this power.

This is also why he didn't use this strange power to quickly defeat Wei Lan when he faced him just now. Because he has a limited time to control these powers, he will only use them when the real enemy appears, so as to defeat the enemy in one move.

“I told you, you not only know nothing about the consequences of killing a nobleman, but you also underestimate the difficulty of killing a nobleman!”

As Han Su quickly sorted out his analysis, the old count raised his six spider legs, which were intertwined, and rushed towards Han Su.

The spiritual power within him had materialized into layers of eerie black mist, constantly spreading outwards, surging, and invading all directions.

In the dark, dense forest, even the strange tree-men within seemed to have become one with it, with intertwined vines and branches emerging from the surrounding forest and wrapping around Han Su and the others.

At this moment, the entire forest seemed to have turned into a spider web, and Han Su and the others were the prey inside the web.

"careful!"

Crystals appeared around Wei Lan, solidifying in the surrounding area and slicing through the nearby vines. He spoke in a low voice:
"One split only gave him the ability to transform into a hellish monk."

"Now, he has used his Hellish Monk form to form a spiritual connection with this cannibalistic forest..."

"What he's showing now is already at a level that can only be achieved through a second split!"

"..."

"Doesn't this go beyond what a typical independent investigator would do?"

Han Su finally understood the weighty significance of the word "noble".

This is blatant cheating!
So……

...You have to open one yourself!

In the blink of an eye, the briefcase gently fell to the ground, opened automatically, and the Emperor's Book jumped into his palm.

Beside him, Wei Lan shielded him from the attacking vines while glancing around the arena and couldn't help but remind him, "Are you sure you don't need to help? That new friend looks like he's about to be beaten to death..."

"rest assured!"

As Han Su reached out and summoned strange forces, using himself to enter the Book of the Emperor, he whispered, "Even if the two of us are beaten to death, he won't be beaten to death!"

"We must seize this opportunity to cut off that old monster's escape route..."

"..."

"..."

"Go to hell with your big, whiny ankle! You're about to die and you're still trying to transform yourself..."

Lu Xiaoba does indeed look like he's about to be beaten to death.

He was repeatedly blasted away by the spiritual force. When he got up from the ground, his anger was even greater, but there was no awe in his eyes for the change in the old count. He cursed and charged forward.

Even the old count, now a hellish monk, couldn't hide his disgust for him: "What kind of trash is this, daring to swear so filthyly?"

"..."

Having just exchanged a few blows with Lü Xiaoba, he had already determined that this man was a savage and impulsive type, not worth studying, not worthy of being taken seriously, and not worthy of respect.

He was no match for Lü Xiaoba in strength just now and suffered a slight loss, but that doesn't mean he won't be now.

Facing this seemingly insane fellow, the spider's upright legs flicked almost lightly, sending Lü Xiaoba flying with a whoosh.

At the same time, strange black runes appeared where the spider legs made contact with Lü Xiaoba's body, spreading rapidly across his skin.

He has been corrupted and will soon become his own puppet.

Without hesitation, the old count turned and charged towards Han Su and Wei Lan.

"Fuck you #￥@%"

Unexpectedly, after crawling a few steps toward Han Su and the others, he saw Lu Xiaoba, who had been knocked away, immediately get up and charge again. Although the strange runes on his body had begun to affect his body, making his speed much slower, he was still very fierce.

The old count had no choice but to turn around and send Lü Xiaoba flying again. This time he flew even further and crashed harder, with his spider legs even piercing through Lü's body. The injury alone was enough to make him suffer.

"Try hitting me again, you %%%##￥#?"

The old count turned to look at Han Su again, and just as he raised his spider leg, he suddenly heard the cursing approaching once more.

"Is this never going to end?"

Even the old count, who had transformed into the Ghost Spider, could no longer suppress his anger. He turned around completely and faced Lü Xiaoba, his six pairs of eyes flashing with killing intent. However, after looking at Lü Xiaoba, he was suddenly startled.

Lu Xiaoba charged forward for the third time, his entire body covered in strange runes, with black smoke billowing from his body...

What the hell?

The old count was stunned.

This guy clearly looks like he's already been corrupted by himself and turned into a hellish monk puppet.

Logically speaking, at this point he should have followed his own will and killed whomever he wanted!
Despite being so heavily polluted, the creature didn't hesitate for a second and charged straight at him.

Faster and more ferocious, he withstood the overwhelming mental shock that rushed to his face, twisted his body, and rushed to the side of the Oni Spider, reaching out to grab one of the spider's sharp legs that was stabbing at him.

Then, with a mighty roar, he unleashed terrifying strength in his arms, tearing the sharp foot off. He then flipped over, grabbed it with both hands, and lunged at the old count. Although the old count immediately raised his foot to block, his fear had reached its peak.
"Just who is this guy? Why isn't he afraid of being contaminated?"

……

……

"Oh my God……"

Wei Lan's eyes widened at the sight: "What sequence is this guy? He seems even fiercer than that guy in prison..."

"Is this the power of Luby?"

Even Han Su, who was holding the Emperor's Book and analyzing the source of the old count's mysterious power, couldn't help but look up and glance at it, subconsciously feeling that he didn't want to look away.

This guy is too fierce.

Lu Xiaoba was not fearless of pollution; in fact, he endured all the pollution without any reduction.

Even now, it's clear that Lü Xiaoba has been tainted with the aura of a hellish cultivator. He seems to be of the same origin as the old count, and even appears to be in a subordinate position to him.

However, under normal circumstances, after being exposed to pollution, a person's will will also change, and their own consciousness will be devoured or distorted, turning them into a state of absolute loyalty to their superiors, just like the members of the Queen Bee team.

But Lü Xiaoba was different. Although he was corrupted and his body showed signs of mutation, his will remained intact and independent.

No, that's not right. It's not complete. It should be said that it's in a state of anger.

Yes, that's it—that feeling of anger, or to use a simpler word…

...I'm hooked!

The anger within him overwhelmed the impact of the pollution on his will, allowing him to maintain his goals and fighting spirit. He even became more ferocious when pushed to his limit.

Thinking back now, it was the same when I contaminated him with mechanical fragments. The mechanical fragments reminded him of his experience in the castle. Anyone else would have immediately dispelled their hostility towards me because the return of memories was accompanied by a huge emotional impact.

Like Wei Lan, who completely broke down under the intense emotional impact at the time.

This guy was fighting with someone when he was contaminated and was in a high-spirited state, so even though he remembered the castle, he still punched himself.

Thinking about it this way, it suddenly makes sense!
So what if this guy resisted the twisted will of the Hellish monks? He could even withstand the impact of mechanical fragments!
No wonder it's called a collection of errors and paradoxes; this thing is completely illogical...

He took a deep breath and looked at the Emperor's Book again. Columns of text were rapidly appearing on it and, through a mysterious means, quickly entered Han Su's mind.

Wei Lan glanced at the book, but all she could see were lines of strange and distorted characters. She couldn't understand the contents at all, and after looking at it for a while, she even felt dizzy, so she had no choice but to look away.

Well, even though I couldn't understand it and didn't know what Han Su was doing, the way he was holding that thick book and reading it so seriously made me feel quite safe.

【Mysterious Source - Hellish Monks (Oni Spider Form)】

[Level: Civilization]

[Location: Non-realistic]

[Time of appearance: Permanent / During the third dimension of the radiation era, a dark civilization was briefly established in Europe. However, compared to the concept of a civilization, most scholars believe that it was a world-ending catastrophe that swept across Europe, a nightmare for the entire civilization.]

[Origin: Due to the fear of various natural disasters in the radiation era, a worship of fear began to emerge among the common people. Starting from the dreams of some fanatics, a non-human form of hellish monks appeared.]

[It takes various forms, including centaurs, spiders, angels, and nail heads, but because it only appears in the collective unconscious dreams of fanatics, its shapes lack any basis in reality.]

But after a tide receded, the fusion of spiritual power and the real world caused this imagined, unreal species to truly emerge.

[The Hellish Monks' Performance: Insane Intuition, Nightmare Web...]

【…】

Lines of text flashed into his mind, and Han Su suddenly understood. He snapped the Emperor's Book shut, his eyes filled with coldness: "So that's what he was planning..."

……

……

"Where did this weird thing come from?"

The old count, who had just completely disregarded Lü Xiaoba, was now forced to confront him head-on, and was sweating profusely with anxiety.

He couldn't tell what sequence Lü Xiaoba belonged to, but he could feel that this guy was particularly disgusting. Not only was his own corruption unable to affect his will, but he was also the kind of person who couldn't be killed no matter how hard he tried.

Every time I felt he would never get up again, he would still rush up.

Every time I felt I was sure I could kill him, he was surprisingly skilled and always managed to dodge the fatal blows. His combat experience was terrifyingly rich.

He originally targeted Wei Lan and considered Han Su as his opponent, but now he was completely overwhelmed. Just dealing with this guy who kept cursing his ancestors and kept charging at him was already making him feel clumsy.

His mind was already racing, thinking uncontrollably, "Perhaps this time things really won't end so well?"

"So, the only option is to prepare to face the itinerant knights?"

"..."

"..."

"For him, it would be best to escape back to Salem with your help, but if he can't escape, then facing the itinerant knights is an acceptable outcome for him!"

Having put away the Emperor's Book, Han Su had already seen through the old count's clever plan and said to Wei Lan, "I think he's already considering escaping."

"The old man chose to fight us here because he wants to ensure his own invincibility!"

"..."

Wei Lan was quite surprised: "Why do you say that?"

"Because he has become one with this forest, and can use this forest to temporarily escape reality at any time."

Han Su said, "If we want to truly get rid of him, the first thing we need to do is kill the activity of this forest, or at least disrupt this area, so that he has nowhere to escape."

"Such a vast cannibalistic forest..."

Wei Lan looked up and glanced around, feeling a little pressured: "I'm not confident."

When it comes to sealing off a certain area, the Queen Organization is naturally the best at it. If it were in a city, they could even create a fake city. But now they are in the wilderness, without any assistants, and in an unfamiliar place, which is beyond Wei Lan's capabilities.

Han Su said, "It's alright, I'll do it!"

Wei Lan asked in surprise, "Have you learned any new skills?"

Han Su smiled and said, "It's not a new skill, just an upgraded version of an old one..."

After all, he had already reached the level of a split, and could be considered to have truly entered the level of an independent investigator...

So……

Han Su placed the Emperor's Book back into the box, slowly raised his head, stretched out his palm towards the night sky, and softly recited:
I offer my body as a sacrifice, and my life is dedicated to the gods.

The zero-sequence cipher spell number 11 can summon surrounding mystical forces for one's own use.

Normally, this is an extremely useless cryptic incantation, because the person reciting it doesn't know what's around them.

Summoning something too weak is a pure waste of one's spiritual power, while summoning something powerful inevitably leads to backlash. But now, Han Su has recited this incantation, and his spiritual power instantly seeps into the shadows like a tidal wave.

Using the shadows, it spread rapidly, blending into the entire cannibalistic forest, and quickly locked onto its targets.

Those are the 109 Pantanal Wetland Tree People in the Cannibal Forest.

Although the old count called this entire forest a cannibal forest, it's impossible that all the trees in it were tree people; in fact, there were only 109.

These tree-people move and change in the forest, creating the illusion that there are eerie tree-people everywhere who can eat people.

It was through these tree-people who possessed his own genes that the old count was able to integrate with the entire forest. In the event of a powerful enemy, he could use this connection to switch bodies with these tree-people, trapping the enemy there while he escaped.

Ultimately, he was not a soldier; he had already planned how to escape.

Now, Han Su was going to cut off his escape plans, his mental power splitting into large swaths and instantly invading the tree-men.

By suppressing these treants, who are not of high level to begin with, through his own will, even if he cannot create a permanent influence, he can sever the old count's connection with this cannibalistic forest, weaken him, and at the same time cut off his possibility of escaping from here.

"not good……"

When Han Su began reciting the incantation, the first person to realize the problem was the old count.

He sensed that his control over the forest was slipping away, and the 109 tree-people who served as anchor points were being taken away one by one at a rapid pace.

Suddenly turning his head, he saw Han Su reciting esoteric incantations. He was shocked and finally understood why that guy hadn't come to attack him. He had actually pulled a fast one.

Only at this moment did he have to admit that these young lunatics not only dared to kill him, but actually might.

Go, leave now!
Let's get out of here first!

At worst, if we can stall for time, the patrolling knights will arrive, and we'll be safe!

Although the punishment will certainly be severe, at least there is a chance of survival!
These thoughts flashed through his mind, but his expression grew even more arrogant, as if he had been provoked by anger. His spiritual power surged wildly: "Truly ignorant of the immensity of heaven and earth..."

"We are the ones who have made a pact with this world; we are the masters of this generation of civilization..."

"You actually want to contend with me for the will of all things in this world?"

"Then let me show you what's written on Genesis Contract No. 02."

"..."

With a shout, he actually abandoned Lü Xiaoba, who was charging towards him, and quickly took a few steps back. He then swiftly slashed his palm, splattering the blood onto the ground, and began chanting a strange language.

It is not a cipher text or incantation.

Han Su quickly realized that he was reciting the language of the Western Continent, but the tone sounded more ancient, the pronunciation was somewhat strange, and his expression was extremely solemn.

As this string of words was chanted, a dense mass of strange power spread wildly in all directions. The tree-man anchor points in the surrounding forest were all affected by this language, howling in pain as they struggled to break free from Han Su's cryptic incantation.

He was indeed reclaiming the will of these tree-people, and not through mysterious power or spiritual will, but more like the power of an ancient covenant.

"This is what they call a contract?"

Han Su was already connected to these tree-people by spiritual power, and he sensed the change in their will. His heart skipped a beat as he realized what the old count had just said.

Those outrageously arrogant words actually sound like they're true?

As Wei Lan had previously stated, these ancient noble ancestors had signed a pact with this world before rebuilding civilization.

They possess privileges in this world that are unimaginable to ordinary people!

Even so, although his will was clearly inferior to Han Su's, and his strength was also inferior to Han Su's, when he began to compete with Han Su for the will of these tree people, Han Su was actually no match for him.

The reason is simple: a fundamental logic is at play – in this world, they have priority!
This was a strange power that Han Su had never seen before.

Seeing that the old count was about to reclaim the tree spirit's will, and that his body was already flashing rapidly, he made a decisive decision and immediately decided to abandon the capture of Wei Lan and escape this dangerous area first.

At that moment, Han Su gritted his teeth slightly, and a strange thought suddenly flashed through his mind. He slowly raised his hand and pressed it against the night sky in front of him, while also softly reciting:

"I am a deity, and I hereby issue this decree!"

"..."

scoff!

An invisible force instantly surged wildly outwards along with his will, and the sound of something being broken echoed all around. The old count, who was preparing to escape, was suddenly struck as if by a severe blow, staggering backwards, the blood dripping in front of him quickly evaporating.

His triumphant smile vanished instantly, replaced by an indescribable terror as he looked at Han Su: "You..."

"Are you the emperor's man?"

(End of this chapter)