Deity Investigation Report

Chapter 373 Mysterious Power Training: Third Stage
"Time is up!"

Han Su was given only one night's preparation time, ending at midnight.

You can sense that something invisible is closing off the edge of the city. Turning your head, you see that the entire Lin Yuan City is as if it is covered by a huge, invisible glass dome, like a work of art on display.

This glass dome cannot be seen with the naked eye, but its presence can be felt on a spiritual level.

At that moment, Vice Captain Shen Qinghui knocked on Han Su's door, assigned him to the North 120° area, and gave him two codes. These were the only two pieces of support Han Su received from the patrol knights during this mission.

One of the codes is the secret command for free entry and exit from the physical defense line.

Lin Yuan City has been completely sealed off, but Han Su can use this secret order to open a gap in the physical defenses and freely enter and exit.

This is a high-level privilege that allows you to open the physical defenses of any city at will.

In a sense, the strongest defensive system in major cities is the physical defense line. However, all physical defense lines are actually defenseless in the face of the traveling knights. If the city defense line wants to stop the traveling knights, it needs to specially arrange manpower to block them.

The second secret command was somewhat beyond Han Su's expectations; it was actually a coded incantation to summon the knight's mount, the "Nightmare Horse."

Nightmare Horse, an abyssal creature that has made a pact with the Wandering Knights, is born from the shadows. Riding it allows one to travel through shallow abysses and appear anywhere in the world at lightning speed, faster than any means of transportation in reality.

These abyssal creatures are also one of the standard items carried by the wandering knights.

Another standard item is a flintlock pistol, but Shen Qinghui bluntly stated, "This weapon is too powerful; I can't give it to you right now."

"Your task is to defend this one-third of Lin Yuan City's territory; this is also a test!"

"Since this is an assessment, we'll see your abilities. I imagine you can complete the task without a flintlock pistol."

"If you can't do it, then consider it a challenge!"

"..."

"..."

Han Su didn't argue with Shen Qinghui's arrangements, but he occasionally felt that the woman's attitude was strange.

She was indeed very stingy when it came to flintlock pistols.

But at first, she said she wouldn't even give him the Nightmare Horse, so why did she change her mind?

"So, this is the legendary mount of the wandering knights?"

Han Su left the high-rise and came to two adjacent low buildings. Facing the dark alley between the two buildings, he softly recited the secret incantation that Shen Qinghui had taught him: 【Abyssal Nightmare, by the command of my god!】

As the incantation was uttered, the darkness in the corridor seemed to deepen.

The already dark shadows seemed to intensify all at once, making it impossible to see one's hand in front of one's face. It resembled a rift leading to another world, or as if an endless black tide was surging from the rift.

A strange creature could be vaguely seen emerging from within, its two cold eyes peering through the rift with wariness, watching it from another world.

He also had great curiosity about this creature.

When I traveled from Qinggang to Linyuan City, I took the high-speed train, which is the fastest mode of transportation besides airplanes.

However, while he was on his way, Shen Qinghui and Wudu followed him closely, monitoring him from all angles. They would even overtake him from time to time and circle around him at an incredible speed.

If I had one of these things, or if every member of the castle squad had one.

In the future, it will be very convenient to support each other in whatever we do.

But how can I make this thing completely obey my commands?

Whether Shen Qinghui did it on purpose or not, he told me how to summon it, but not how to tame it...

"Nightmare Horse, a remnant of an ancient war."

Miss Ai also sensed the presence of this creature and revealed herself. The security cameras in the surrounding alleyways turned slightly, emitting a faint red glow, and lines of text appeared on Han Su's phone:

"This is the era of the war between the gods before the reconstruction of civilization. The twelve gods created weapons of war to kill each other, just like the living bronze puppet that Mr. Butcher is familiar with."

"These creatures are immortal and possess the ability to automatically avoid abyssal turbulence and spacetime rifts. They can also regrow by the mark of the abyss. However, they also only serve the gods who created them."

"Therefore, only those who inherit the divine contract can effectively control them. Now, this contract should be kept in the hands of the descendants of the Great Knight of Light."

"..."

Han Su frowned slightly: "A divine contract?"

"Yes, this is also part of the divine legacy."

Miss Ai said, "Every god from the pre-civilization era possessed his own divine kingdom. The legacy they left behind includes not only their authority and weapons, but also many things that are still being used by the descendants of the twelve dukes and the guardians of the world to this day."

"Nightmare Horse, Living Bronze Puppet, Pale Factory, Crimson Legion, Abyss Behemoth, etc., all belong to this category."

"The uncontrollable power that was not inherited by the twelve dukes became a catastrophe that would destroy the world."

"In terms of function and scale, this part of the divine legacy already belongs to the third level of power in this world."

"..."

Han Su was somewhat surprised: "Only third?"

"I am ranked second, or rather, that enormous world-destroying machine."

Miss Ai answered softly.

"And who's first?"

"It's the World Contract!"

Miss Ai replied, "There are three volumes of world contracts in total. They are the real opportunity to establish ourselves in this world. They are the deals reached between the Twelve Dukes and the world consciousness. They record various contract contents such as the Ten Great Calamities, the Restart of Civilization, and World Priority."

"But I can't even explain these things to you in detail before Mr. Butcher enters the third stage of mysterious power training."

"What you need to consider now is to try to enter the abyss yourself, based on your own distortion, and feel the true power... From this perspective, the timing of this nightmare horse's appearance is very appropriate."

"..."

"I?"

Han Su was genuinely surprised: "Entering the abyss?"

"Yes, once the growth of the gold cells reaches its limit, they must enter the abyss."

Miss Ai replied softly, "This is the core of the third stage."

"Only by entering the abyss and enduring the baptism of the abyss storm can a person break through their own limits, obtain a powerful and infinite spiritual level, and make their own spirit fully active."

"This is the standard procedure for training itinerant knights, and it is also one of the open secrets that many secret schools have long since discovered."

"However, once you enter the abyss, your will is extremely susceptible to the influence of the mysterious source, which can lead to the annihilation of your self-awareness. Therefore, you must obtain the Abyss Formula before you can carry out the third stage of mysterious power training."

"..."

This was indeed something that had been agreed upon long ago, and it was one of Han Su's goals. But wasn't this something to be done after the mission was completed?
"Mr. Butcher certainly needs the Abyss Equation, especially the second-order equation. When we have the opportunity to enter the Temple of the Traveling Knights, our main goal is to obtain this equation, but for Mr. Butcher, there is no need to consider this now."

"As long as Mr. Xu Ji is still by your side, you have no taboos and can enter the abyss with peace of mind."

"..."

"Directly enter the abyss?"

Han Su was both surprised and delighted, but a worry also arose in his heart: "The number of cell divisions varies depending on the sequence. Miss Ai, I'm still not sure how many times my golden cells need to divide to reach their limit."

"In fact, I have been researching this topic as well."

Miss Ai replied softly, "Theoretically, the Emperor sequence should be higher than the twelfth abnormality, which means that the number of times the golden cells divide should be more than five."

"However, the information related to the emperor has been deleted too thoroughly. Whether it's my experience in the survivor team in life storyline 04, or the database accessed in this life storyline, there is absolutely no relevant information."

"That's why I suggested that Mr. Butcher could take another path."

"Enter the abyss first, then explore your own limits."

"The first question to consider when entering the abyss is how to get out. Originally, Mr. Butcher also needed to find some special machines made by the Hidden School to complete this step."

"But now that we have the Nightmare Horse, it's like having the opportunity to enter the abyss. So, Mr. Butcher, do you think we should take this opportunity to experience the three-stage training in advance?"

"..."

of course yes!
Han Su listened, feeling a slight excitement, but as he looked at the strange creature in the shadows, the topic returned to the present.

"How do I get this thing to obey me?"

"..."

Miss Ai's voice seemed to carry a hint of amusement: "There are only two ways to make the Nightmare Horse obey. One is to obtain authorization from the Traveling Knights and then use the power of the divine contract to control this abyssal creature."

"The second method is through exchange. Mr. Butcher has obtained the summoning order, which gives him half the authority to summon this aberrant creature from the abyss, but he does not have the identity to ride it."

"Then you can only feed them by using the zero-sequence cipher spell number 11 and achieve short-term control over them. However, these creatures are very greedy."

"If you feed it, you will need to expend a huge amount of spiritual energy, or even your own flesh and blood."

"I think that's why they gave you this summoning order in advance; they still want to test your limits."

"..." Han Su nodded slightly, considering the feasibility of the method, when he suddenly heard Miss Ai say, "But the third method I want to suggest to Mr. Butcher is the third one."

Han Su was taken aback: "Didn't you say there were only two ways?"

That's from the perspective of other people.

Miss Ai said, "These creatures were created by the gods, so only a divine contract can effectively control them. However, there is one exception."

"The reason why the former emperor was the emperor and stood above the twelve knights was because he had a higher-ranking contract. Theoretically, through this higher-ranking contract, he could also make this creature obey him."

"And it seems that Mr. Butcher already had such a contract..."

"..."

"This……"

Han Su suddenly understood, and his emotions surged. After a long while, he slowly nodded.

He glanced back at the city lights and lowered his voice, "Miss Ai, could you help me guard this area?"

Miss Ai's voice was cheerful: "I'd be happy to serve Mr. Butcher!"

"In addition, we have already completed the verification that Mr. Xu Ji's spell has a great influence on you. Therefore, when Mr. Butcher plans to enter the abyss, I will also contact Mr. Xu Ji at the same time."

"I will ask him to recite the Throne Spell again at a specific time. This will create a risk-free vacuum for Mr. Butcher. Please make the most of it..."

"..."

"Unexpectedly, such difficult conditions have come together at this time..."

Han Su couldn't help but sigh, "I don't know if this trip was a deliberate scheme against me or a benefit."

Once all the lights in the city had flashed once, it was clear that Miss Ai had successfully taken over the area.

He lowered his head, looking at the strange creature in the shadows, and then slowly stretched out his palm. Sensing his movement, the nightmare retreated warily, as if it wanted to escape into the depths of the abyss at any moment.

After a two-second silence, Han Su slowly uttered eight words: "I am a god, and I hereby issue this decree!"

The air was dead still for two seconds.

The next moment, strange forces intertwined and pierced through.

The nightmare horse in the shadows seemed to tremble, and the next moment, it suddenly turned and left without looking back, causing ripples in the shadows.

The next moment, the tremors in the shadows became even more intense. The darkness surged like a tide, pressing and churning layer by layer, and then from the inside out, the crack was stretched open into a huge, unparalleled opening.

It's as if reality is being torn apart.

In that deep, darkest of places, countless strange horses, densely packed together, eagerly awaited their selection.

The way they looked at Han Su was as if they were looking at their master.

It wasn't about summoning or feeding, but simply about giving orders with fishing chants and directly controlling these strange creatures.

In that instant, Han Su felt an excitement at how simple things were: "Having obtained the Fisherman's Song for so long, and having been in the Emperor's Sequence for quite some time now, I've only just now finally discovered the true advantage of the Emperor's Sequence..."

"In the mystical realm, status itself is power..."

……

……

"So, what gives him the right?"

Meanwhile, in the ancient manor of Lin Yuan City, in the west wing study, Xu Qiao was gritting his teeth as he uttered these words.

The image of someone who looked almost exactly like him kept appearing in his mind.

This felt like some kind of insult, constantly assaulting his mind: "Through the most sophisticated instruments and even mysterious items in history, the elders of the family investigated the Golden Knight's genetic lineage and calculated the fusion and reproduction of each bloodline."

"It took the efforts of seven generations to finally bring together the two most suitable people to give birth to me."

"With such precise scientific breeding and cultivation, I should be the person with the closest genes to the knight ancestor. In a way, I should even be considered that knight ancestor himself!"

"But in the end, someone whose bloodline is no less than mine easily appeared among a clansman who had already been abandoned?"

"..."

He tried his best to speak slowly, but the dissatisfaction and resentment in his voice were impossible to hide.

Because this is an insult in itself.

Gene expression is very complex and requires lengthy arguments to explain.

But sometimes, there is a very simple method, which is to see whether they look alike or not.

Facing the furious young man, the elder of the clan sitting opposite him spoke in a low voice: "Perhaps it is just fate that a bloodline with atavism has emerged from this abandoned member of our clan."

"Or perhaps, all of this is just the result of some kind of conspiracy. But in any case, you have to admit, he is qualified..."

"Even, I'm just as qualified as you!"

"..."

Actually, he felt very uncomfortable saying these things.

Because what's in front of us is an excellent seed that has been cultivated with endless effort over nearly two hundred years.

The other one, however, seemed to be born that way.

What is innate is more worthy of pride than what is carefully cultivated.

In particular, the one was still a blank sheet of paper, pure beyond belief, while this one had already been influenced by countless mysterious forces. And being influenced by mysterious forces, no matter what kind, actually represents a kind of pollution.

Therefore, if these two people were to stand before the relic at the same time, it would be uncertain which one the relic would choose.

Because of their lack of confidence, they are now even somewhat afraid of the moment when the ceremony arrives.

Xu Qiao suddenly looked up, saw the old man's worried face, and suddenly felt a little worried. He lowered his voice and said, "Kill him!"

"No."

The elders of the clan were not surprised that the young man would make this suggestion, but they slowly shook their heads and explained in a low voice: "The inheritance ceremony is more mysterious than we think. To put it another way, infighting among the clan may anger the will of our ancestors."

"To put it simply, the relic itself is alive. If it detects this, it will refuse to accept you. At that point, how can we rightfully inherit the dukedom?"

“Even the guardians of the world will have an excuse to directly receive our relics!”

"This risk is not worth it!"

"..."

Xu Qiao clenched his fists tightly, then released them weakly, a layer of cold sweat appearing on his forehead: "Then what should we do?"

The elder of the clan also wore a worried expression. After a long silence, he slowly spoke: "Then there's only one way left..."

"You two, become one!"

"..."

Xu Qiao was taken aback: "Two become one?"

The elder of the clan nodded slowly: "We need to borrow a sacred artifact from the vampires of the Western Continent!"

He was the one who understood the seriousness of the situation best, and the one who was most unwilling to let anyone else take away his great-grandson's title of Grand Duke. So, although it was the young man who was getting angry just now, he had clearly thought the problem through much more thoroughly long ago.

He said slowly, "Only vampires possess the ability to obtain others' golden cells and mental vitality through the simplest method of absorbing their blood..."

"Therefore, you can only obtain the ancestral substance on his body and gain the recognition of the sacred relic through the vampire's sacred artifact."

"..."

This suggestion was truly astonishing, even Xu Qiao looked surprised and angry: "We are descendants of the Golden Knights, how could we be reduced to borrowing the power of those filthy vampires to achieve our goals? In particular, wouldn't this taint my bloodline?"

But as he spoke, his tone softened, and he hesitated for a moment before saying, "However, perhaps there is no other way."

"So, when will they be able to deliver the goods?"

"..."

"The vampires are one of the five great families of Salem, and the sacred objects they worship are not so easy to obtain."

The old man sighed softly and said, "We need to negotiate with the vampires in power, exchange benefits, and persuade them to hand over the sacred artifact and send it to Lin Yuan City. Even if the negotiations go smoothly, I think it will take at least two days..."

"The ceremony will begin in three days!"

Xu Qiao sat up straight immediately: "Doesn't this mean we only have one day left?"

"Yes!"

The old man slowly raised his head and looked at him: "But this is the only way to preserve our honor, our power, and our priority!"

(End of this chapter)