Yes, I became a god just by exercising.

Chapter 305 Facing the Ancient Rulers [Rhine Catastrophe]! The greatest danger in history?

"Welcome, everyone."

"Arriving at the original, the old, the old..."

"...the old blacksmith's shop"

A sound like a mechanical jamming occurred, followed by a bright, intense light and the pungent smell of charcoal and iron filings.

It felt like being on a battlefield, with smoke and fire everywhere.

Xia Fa lowered his hand from his eyes and looked around.

The space before me was empty, like an endless square. A blurry, indistinct figure swayed in the middle of the square, like wisps of smoke that could dissipate at any moment.

However, upon seeing this illusory figure, Xia Fa was extremely surprised.

This phantom had twelve arms, a slender body, and was entirely black—it was none other than… the Ancient Ruler, the Rhine Calamity!
In that instant, Xia Fa almost instinctively wanted to conjure a seat beneath him and then use his ability to randomly freeload a meal to escape.

Just kidding, these are the Great Old Ones. Before the Cleaners appeared, the Great Old Ones were the common enemy of all mankind and demi-humans!

And now, the [Rhine Calamity] has appeared in the square in front of them. Even if only a fragmented soul remains, it is by no means something that these ten people can withstand. To exaggerate a bit, even an Outer God in person would not be able to stop it!

The Great Old Ones are beings of the same rank as true gods. They can annihilate an Outer God with a single thought, let alone a remnant soul that remains.
Suddenly, the entire enormous old blacksmith shop trembled violently.

In that instant, a terrifying, unknown power descended, incredibly powerful. Xia Fa was shocked to find that he couldn't move his entire body, not even blink.

Not only him, but all the other nine people around him, whether it was Nidhogg, Norton Dragon, or Airo Tong... were all as if they were imprisoned, frozen in ice, unable to move at all.

"Everyone, please listen to me first, let me introduce the rules."

The elusive phantom once again emitted intermittent sounds, still like a robot stuck in a rut.

Seeing this, everyone else relaxed their guard, but Xia Fa remained on high alert.

He further discovered that among everyone present, it seemed that only he recognized the true identity of this phantom, knowing that it was the Great Old One [Rhine Calamity].

The others simply stared at the phantom with either bewilderment or indifference, awaiting its next move.

Although Xia Fa couldn't move, his spiritual intuition allowed him to clearly perceive the gazes of the others, and he immediately understood what was happening.

It is estimated that some of the other nine Rhine Treasure Maps were assembled a very long time ago, while others were only assembled now, but the collectors may not be able to withstand the information contained in the black light that bursts out of the Rhine Treasure Map when it is successfully assembled.

In other words, the only one present who could personally assemble the Rhine Treasure Map, receive and clearly read the information within the black light, and know the identity of the [Rhine Calamity] Ancient Ruler, was probably himself.

At this moment, Xia Fa could only sigh in his heart: sometimes, ignorance is truly a blessing.

He also understood why the second Rhine sword was hidden in the so-called "old blacksmith's shop".

Perhaps this is because the remaining fragment of the soul of the [Rhine Calamity] was unwilling to accept its fate, and thus created such a place?

Suddenly, the square began to shake violently.

Ten treasure-crafting platforms rose from the ground.

Anvil, sledgehammer, scissors, boiler, iron... all sorts of tools needed to forge the secret treasure were present, and they all appeared with a burst of black light.

Magma surged and rolled beneath the treasure-forging platform, with flames leaping out and licking the heated metal section of the lower half of the platform.

A scorching heat emanated from the area, and the high temperature swept in, even distorting the air itself as it was burned.

Just by seeing these ten treasure-forging platforms, everyone present understood what this competition for the incomplete ancient treasure, the "Rhine Horse-Slaying Blade," was all about.

I reckon it's all about creating secret treasures!
The moment he realized this, Nidhogg's eyes flashed with a disdainful smile, though of course, this smile wasn't directed at the test.

Rather, it was directed at everyone else present.

Nidhogg, as the head of the Star Dragon family, naturally possesses the talent of [Supernatural Body].

The star dragon sealed within his body is none other than the Core Gold Star Dragon, one of the strongest races among all star dragons!

Unlike the Crystal Flame Star Dragon within Norton Dragon, which excels in fire control and combat, the Core Metal Star Dragon provides its host with unparalleled defensive capabilities, as well as... an innate ability to manipulate metal!
In this situation, Nidhogg has been learning how to craft magical artifacts since he was a child. After signing the high-level secret contract of "Master of Magical Artifacts", his magical artifact crafting skills have improved by leaps and bounds, and he is now among the best in the entire universe.

Therefore, one can imagine Nidhogg's smugness upon seeing that the competition for the incomplete ancient treasure "Rhine Blade" was actually about the crafting of the treasure itself.

At the same time, Xia Fa looked at the ten treasure-forging platforms and felt somewhat troubled.

The creation of secret treasures... This is a field I've heard of, but have never actually been exposed to!
To exaggerate a bit, this is the first time he has ever seen a treasure crafting platform!

"This is really troublesome..."

Xia Fa hesitated, and through his spiritual intuition, he sensed Nidhogg's confident and even arrogant gaze, which made his heart sink even further.

If Nidhogg were to win the "Rhine Horse-Slaying Knife," it would be a real problem.

This isn't even something as simple as waiting until you sign the fifth secret pact, finding an opportunity to ambush Nidhogg, kill him, and then steal the Rhine Blade.

Because, without a doubt, once Nidhogg obtains the Rhine Blade, he will definitely place it on the Star Dragon Planet and enshrine it as a timeless treasure!
Under these circumstances, seizing the Rhine Blade would be extremely difficult, almost equivalent to fighting against the entire Star Dragon Clan, and becoming a god would be a more realistic possibility.

Seeing that the competition was about crafting secret treasures, some people in the crowd looked surprised, some looked blank, and some even wanted to give up, such as Rusconzo, who seemed to be like Xiafa, who had never been involved in crafting secret treasures before.

"Yes, yes, just as everyone can see."

The elusive remnant soul of the [Rhine Calamity] spoke once more, still like a malfunctioning robot, continuing:
"Each of you has three days and three nights to go and hunt and collect materials to craft the secret treasure."

“Every night after midnight, everyone must hand over… a secret treasure. Five people will be eliminated on the first day, three on the second day, and the final battle will take place on the third day.”

"The ultimate victor will not only receive my [Rhine Horse-Slaying Blade]..."

"And...and I can also obtain my 'Rhine Secret Forging Technique'?"

"Now, everyone, you are free to move around as you please."

As the remnant soul of the [Rhine Calamity] finished speaking, everyone felt the restraints on their bodies loosen.

But then, no one dared to move.

Everyone became trembling with fear, some even breaking out in a cold sweat and turning pale with fright.

Although no one had recognized the twelve-armed, slender, black-bodied remnant soul as the [Rhine Calamity] before, now, even the most reckless and impulsive Norton Dragon could discern something from the remnant soul's words.

Without a doubt, the one before them was none other than the legendary Great Old One, a being who, like [Absolute Defense], had signed the Silver Throne—[Rhine Calamity]!
Even though no one had ever seen the true form of the [Rhine Calamity] before, almost everyone present had heard the legends associated with this Great Old One, so they immediately recognized it.

With a "bang," the remnant soul of [Rhine Calamity] suddenly dissipated, seemingly leaving the old blacksmith's shop forever.

The spiritual intuition of the crowd could no longer sense the existence of the remnant soul of the [Rhine Calamity].

Immediately afterwards, a cylindrical gate of light rose up in the plaza ahead.

The portal seemed to be accessible from any direction within a 360-degree arc. Inside, a primeval forest unfolded, filled with the sounds of birdsong, the croaking of frogs, and the low growls of unknown wild beasts echoing from among the trees.

The entire primeval forest appears bustling and vibrant, yet it is also fraught with danger.

After waiting a while, seeing that the remnant soul of [Rhine Calamity] still hadn't appeared, everyone's hearts, which had been in their throats, eased a little.

Norton Dragon, the boldest among those present, immediately spoke up:

"That...that really is the remnant soul of the [Rhine Calamity]? My Lord, the [Rhine Calamity] is still alive? He's not dead yet?"

It has to be said that this young master of the Starry Sky Dragon family really doesn't think things through when he speaks or acts. It's one thing to call out the name of the "Rhine Calamity," but he's even surprised that this Great Old One is still alive.

At that moment, everyone felt a chill run down their spines at Norton Dragon's words, even Nidhogg felt a bit exhausted.

However, after waiting for quite some time, seeing that neither the remnant soul of the [Rhine Calamity] appeared nor brought divine punishment upon Norton Dragon, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

Norton, on the other hand, looked at everyone with a completely bewildered expression:
"Huh? Why aren't you guys talking? Are you still being held captive, Uncle? Uncle?"

A look of speechlessness appeared on Nidhogg's usually resolute face:

“You brat… you should be glad that [Rhine Calamity] is no longer a complete Great Old One, otherwise…”

In fact, Nidhogg's words were quite presumptuous, implying that the Rhine Calamity had lost its power.

However, unlike his reckless nephew, he dared to say this only because he saw that the remnant soul of the [Rhine Calamity] seemed to be truly not here.

Amphion asked in surprise:

"The remnant soul of the [Rhine Calamity] still exists in the world. This is truly a huge matter; I never expected it..."

He instinctively wanted to pray to the nine righteous gods, but when the words were about to come out, he realized something was wrong and changed his mind.

Just then, Ai Luotong, who was usually taciturn, raised a different opinion:
“I think the remnant soul of this Great Old One should not pose any threat to the world. Otherwise, even if the Nine Great Gods stayed on Earth and did not emerge from their divine kingdoms, they would not have stood by and watched the Old Forge appear like this.”

Ai Luotong's words made a lot of sense, and everyone's eyes flashed as they realized something.

After all, the nine righteous gods may reside in their earthly divine kingdoms, but if any out-of-control or insane secondary or external god dares to invade the real world, these nine will certainly ruthlessly and swiftly eliminate them.

Now that the nine great gods are watching the Old Forge appear, especially with [First History] present, it's impossible that they don't know that the remnant soul of [Rhine Calamity] is in the Old Forge, yet they haven't reacted.

Therefore, it seems there's really nothing to worry about.

Solrock said:
"So it seems that's true. Did you see it? The remnant soul of [Rhine Calamity]... seems to be unable to speak properly."

Amphion sighed, "Back then, the [Rhine Calamity] fought the [Absolute Defense] for several months before finally being defeated. By the time of its defeat, this Great Old One's power had been exhausted..."

Rusconsin nodded in agreement:

“Yes! I’ve heard of this myth too. After all, the Rhine Calamity signed the Silver Throne and is one of the strongest among the Great Old Ones. It seems that the Absolute Defense had to go through a lot of trouble to barely defeat it.”

Norton's face was filled with longing:

"I really want to see that battle in person. It lasted for several months and must have been incredibly earth-shattering."

Xiafa: ...

No, where did you three hear this unofficial history from?

[Rhine Disaster] was clearly killed by [Absolute Defense] with a single slap while it was trying to escape!

Even when the Rhine Calamity used all its authority and power, it couldn't withstand the slightest bit of the Absolute Defense!
They fought for months... If [Rhine Calamity] could last even a few seconds against [Absolute Defense], it would be a victory for it.

If it weren't for the old blacksmith shop in the Rhine Calamity, but outside, Xia Fa would definitely have already complained.

But for now, he can only endure it, after all, this is the territory of the [Rhine Calamity].

“In that case,” Nidhogg suddenly spoke up, “I think everyone should stop wasting their time and go find the materials to forge the secret treasure. There are only a dozen hours left until the first day’s secret treasure elimination test.”

Upon hearing this, Amphion gave a cold laugh:
"Don't think we don't know what you're up to, trying to lure the Gilgamesh family into that primeval jungle and then kill them one by one?"

Nidhogg said with a look of disdain:

"I can kill you anytime, don't worry, I won't do it now."

Amphion narrowed his eyes slightly:
"What, are you afraid of violating the rules set by the remnant soul of the [Rhine Calamity] and being teleported out directly? Or even erased outright?"

Nidhogg glanced at him sideways and said nothing more, seemingly too lazy to argue with Amphion.

He originally intended to fly directly into the cylindrical light gate, but for some reason, he walked straight towards the treasure-forging platform in front of him.

Xia Fa was walking towards the treasure-forging platform. No matter what, he wouldn't give up, so he planned to familiarize himself with the tools for forging treasures first.

Nidhogg noticed his behavior, glanced at him with his arms crossed, and said casually:

"Why bother, Xia Fa? As long as you join our Starry Sky Dragon family, you can apply to use this Rhine Horse-Slaying Blade once I obtain it."

Xiafa: ...

It seems that Nidhogg really wants to recruit me, as he seizes every opportunity to invite me.

"No need, thank you. I'd rather become the owner of the Rhine Blade directly."

Xia Fa spoke quite politely. In any case, no one in this old blacksmith shop dared to attack others, so he was too lazy to argue with Nidhogg.

"Ugh……"

Nidhogg sighed and shook his head, his face showing a "hopeless case" expression, and continued:
"Sharatu was injured by an unknown entity, and the [Paradox Clown] seems to have made no comment on it. The Gilgamesh family is on the verge of rapid decline, while our Star Dragon family will rise rapidly once I sign five more secret contracts and become the Emperor of Mystery. It's such a simple and clear matter, Shafa, do you really not know how to choose?"

Xia Fa was both amused and exasperated by Him, and said:

"I have no choice when it comes to bloodlines; I am already a member of the Gilgamesh family."

Nidhogg seemed unwilling to give up and was preparing to take advantage of the relatively harmonious atmosphere to continue trying to persuade him.

Amphion and Solrock, who were standing nearby, couldn't stand it anymore and were about to retort, telling Nidhogg to stop being so shameless.

But at this moment——

Bang!
With a deafening roar and countless plumes of smoke, the remnant soul of the [Rhine Calamity] reappeared once more in the center of the square, beside the column.

This really startled everyone; no one expected that the remnant soul of the [Rhine Calamity] would actually return!
What's even more frightening is that the remnant soul of the [Rhine Calamity] is actually more solid than it was just a short while ago. It no longer flickers like wisps of smoke about to dissipate, but has become a semi-transparent, stable form, indistinguishable from a real soul.

"what!!!!!"

A piercing scream rang out. It came from an elder of the Gilgamesh family, a veteran transcendental monarch whose strength was second only to Amphion. He had come in with the others this time.

Seemingly because he had directly gazed upon the true form represented by the soul of the [Rhine Calamity], the elder covered his eyes, collapsed to the ground in agony, and countless arms sprouted from his ribs, on the verge of losing control on the spot.

In a sense, although this elder was a veteran transcendent monarch, he seemed to be the weakest among everyone present, apart from Ruskondro.

Although Xia Fa himself only signed five secret contracts, four of them were of the overlord level. In addition, the strange electric current at his spine made him unafraid to look directly at the Outer Gods, so he could also barely look directly at the soul of [Rhine Calamity].

As for Chestnut... although she may only be at the Elephant level, her rank might be the highest among those present, aside from the soul of [Rhine Calamity].

"By the way, why didn't Rusconsin go out of control?"

With this question in mind, Xia Fa turned and glanced at Ruscond in the distance.

Then he saw that Rusconsin had already closed his eyes...

Hmm, "Do not look directly at God," that's a very good solution...

At this moment, the now complete soul of the [Rhine Calamity] turned to look at the Gilgamesh family elder who was losing control, then sighed and shook its head:
"Oh dear, even in this form, I am still so unfathomable."

With a casual wave of his hand, the elder's signs of losing control immediately ceased.

Immediately afterwards, a black vortex surged around the soul of [Rhine Calamity], seemingly deliberately concealing its aura, which was comparable to that of a true god.

An inexplicable, invisible pressure receded from the square like a tide, and Ruscondo seemed to sense it, opening his eyes.

The soul of [Rhine Calamity] smiled, its expression becoming lively and agile, no longer like a sluggish robot as before:

"Everyone, something happened that has caused my strength to recover considerably."

"Therefore, in order to give everyone ample opportunities, I have decided to open up two more areas."

"Now, everyone can go to the primeval desert and the primeval ocean to hunt and search for the materials needed to craft the secret treasures."

"These are places I extracted from the real world 30,000 years ago. They might still contain a lot of treasures."

"Well then, good luck to you all, and don't let me down."

After the soul of the [Rhine Calamity] finished speaking, two of its six arms on the left raised, and two more circular pillars of light appeared.

Those two circular beams of light can also be entered from any angle of 360 degrees, and inside are respectively a scorching golden desert under the blazing sun and a blue ocean where schools of fish swim.

After doing all this, the soul of [Rhine Calamity] vanished again with a "bang," seemingly leaving the old blacksmith's shop once more.

Everyone was stunned and didn't react for a moment.

what's the situation?
The remnant soul of [Rhine Calamity]... Why did its power suddenly recover significantly, and it even transformed into a complete soul form?

The complete soul of an Old One... If not handled properly, it could destroy half the universe!
"Should we..."

Amphion tried to speak, his expression filled with extreme fear and worry.

"It doesn't matter."

Nidhogg waved his hand and continued:
"If there is any real problem, I will personally pray to Lord [Error Rule] immediately, but if nothing happens, we will continue to compete as usual."

[Faulty Rule]... He is arguably the most mysterious of the nine righteous gods, except for the one whose name is unknown.

No one knows the origin of the righteous god [Error Rule], and there has never been a definite record of his strength.

The only thing that people find fascinating is that during the first two millennia of the universe, when the nine great gods could walk among the earth, many people saw the Paradox Joker and the False Rules partying and drinking together in the earthly kingdom of gods.

These two righteous gods seem to have a very good relationship.

Seeing that Nidhogg had spoken up to reassure them, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

Next, several people went directly into the primeval forest or the primeval ocean to search for materials to forge the secret treasure, and Nidhogg was among them.

After familiarizing himself with the various tools on the treasure forging platform, Xia Fa also chose to enter the primeval ocean.

Nidhogg entered a primeval forest, and he deliberately avoided Nidhogg.

As the saying goes, better safe than sorry. Although Nidhogg doesn't seem to want to kill him, it's always good to be on guard.

The Primordial Ocean, as its name suggests, is a piece of ocean that the Rhine Cataclysm personally seized from the real world at the very beginning of the first ten thousand years of the universe.

As soon as Xia Fa dived in with chestnuts, he immediately saw countless primitive marine creatures, many of which were already extinct in this era.

Xia Fa already had a plan in mind regarding what kind of secret treasure to create, and then began his search.

His eyes searched the seabed, but suddenly, Xia Fa had an idea and swam faster toward a place where seaweed was dense.

Because, in that place, half of a treasure chest buried at the bottom of the sea was revealed.

The treasure chest was made entirely of shadow gold, and it was inlaid with yellow crystals and rubies to protect against divination and prying eyes. It exuded an ancient and ancient aura.

Even now, the ritual sealing array on it has not yet failed.

It seems that some extraordinary treasure is hidden inside!
(End of this chapter)