69novels Chapter 374 The Troubles of Becoming a God: Everyone is vying to be Xiafa's First Favored One?
Chapter 374 The Troubles of Becoming a God: Everyone is vying to be Xiafa's First Favored One?
Chapter 374 The Troubles of Becoming a God: Everyone is vying to be Xia Fa's First Favorite?
"Master, wake up!"
Nyako's energetic call pierced through the thick walls of the treehouse and went straight into the bedroom.
Xia Fa, who had gotten up early, had a helpless yet indulgent smile on his face. He opened his mouth and spat out mouthwash.
He slept very soundly and peacefully, almost completely eliminating all the physical and mental fatigue accumulated yesterday. He felt full of energy, as if he had inexhaustible strength.
Xia Fa originally intended to exercise, but after doing a hundred push-ups and a hundred pull-ups for nothing, when he actually started preparing to run a thousand meters in the room, the gray fog did not appear.
Xia Fa estimated that the Time Fog might need a day or two to accumulate enough power to allow him to travel through time and space.
All told, there were exactly two days between the first and second time travel incidents.
Of course, when it was first triggered, I was just a human, but now I have become a god, so the interval may be shortened to only one day.
"Speaking of which, the first and second time I triggered time travel and returned to the mutant era, it was equivalent to running a hundred meters in disguise. So, I only need to run another eight hundred meters?"
Thinking of this, Xia Fa felt a surge of anticipation. This body-training, comparable in difficulty to a godhood ritual, seemed to be completed soon, and he wondered what incredible benefits it would bring.
"Master, Sister Chestnut is cooking today! Sister Chestnut's food smells amazing! If you don't come out soon, we—we—okay, we'll still wait for you!"
Miao Kelu's delicate voice came from outside the treehouse again. Xia Fa shook his head with a smile, pushed open the wooden door, and went out.
Sunlight filtered through the swaying shadows of the trees and fell on the open ground in front. Chestnut was preparing the last dish, a plate of cheese meat pies, topped with fragrant fried mantis shrimp. The aroma alone was enough to make Xia Fa's mouth water.
He glanced at the table again and saw that it was full of rat-tribe specialties, such as savory rice cakes, millet and minced meat porridge, fruit flower cakes, and so on—more than a dozen dishes in total, all of which looked delicious.
Xiafa suddenly realized that although he had eaten and seen quite a lot, he had never actually tried a rat tribe specialty dish. Last time, Chestnut said that he would specially go home to bring back local specialties to make it, and this time he actually did.
Benedict had already set out the plates and cutlery. When she saw Xia Fa, she quickly waved to him, her little face beaming: "Xia Fa, come and try it! Sister Chestnut's cooking is amazing, even better than mine!"
Xia Fa smiled and responded, then walked over, pulled out a chair, and sat down.
Chestnut immediately cut him a large piece of savory rice cake with a smile, and then spread it with the rat tribe's special fermented chili meat sauce. The spiciness and aroma of the cake mixed together and entered his nostrils, instantly making Xia Fa's mouth water.
"Honey, you should try it~"
Chestnut wasn't shy at all in front of Benedict and Meowkor, and even called Xiafa "darling" directly, which made Benedict chuckle.
Xia Fa was too lazy to use a knife and fork, so he picked up the savory rice cake and started eating it. And let me tell you, the savory rice cake had a rich savory flavor, and when paired with the unique spiciness and sourness of the fermented chili meat sauce, it was simply irresistible.
Beneath and Meowkor sat down opposite each other, while Chestnut sat next to Xiafa, her dark hair, which carried a faint scent of corn, occasionally brushed against his shoulder, making him feel itchy.
A cool sea breeze swept across the beach, and the sunlight brought life to the island's jungle. The group ate and chatted, with bursts of laughter frequently erupting from the table.
It was truly a beautiful morning. Xia Fa enjoyed the delicious food to the fullest, and seeing the three of them looking carefree made her feel much more relaxed.
After a hearty meal, seeing that it was almost 3 p.m., Xia Fa bid a brief farewell to the three women, summoned the Vine Gate, and went to the City of Ten Thousand Stars.
The reason he came to the City of Ten Thousand Stars was to buy some items needed for the tomb raiding. Although they might not be useful, it was, after all, the tomb of a Quasi-Celestial Venerable, and the dangers within were unknown. It was always good to be prepared.
Walking on the streets of the City of Ten Thousand Stars, Xia Fa did not choose to go into a tavern or enter the underground black market, but went straight to the Palace of Ten Thousand Stars.
After the battle for the Eternal Strike ended, the Silver Church specially sent many saints and cardinal archbishops to repair the City of Ten Thousand Stars. The weakest of these saints and cardinal archbishops were angels, and some were even rulers and extraordinary monarchs. Therefore, the repairs were completed in just a few days.
As for the Church of Nature—it seems that because the fake Nine True Gods are about to go to war with the extraordinary beings, they don't even want to put on an act anymore, and they didn't send anyone over from beginning to end.
This surprised Xia Fa at the time. Judging from this, could it be that the fake Nine Great Gods didn't even need anchor points?
In short, the City of Ten Thousand Stars is now much the same as before. The streets have returned to being made of bluestone slabs or cobblestones mixed with sand and mud, and the houses are no longer crowded together because they have grown larger. However, there are now some people with huge arms or legs on the streets, which looks quite strange.
It is said that these are people whose hands and feet grew larger due to the influence of the "Critical Strike" authority during the days before the "Eternal Critical Strike" was about to be born, when its power was constantly overflowing.
However, these people were almost all fishermen or pirates, and none of them had signed any secret contracts. Because their strength had increased, they took it as a benefit and did not go to the churches of the Silver Church or the Natural Church for treatment.
As they walked, they soon arrived at the Palace of Ten Thousand Stars. Just as Xia Fa reached the entrance, two pirate guards stepped forward and stopped him.
However, after just one glance at Xia Fa's appearance, the two pirate guards immediately broke into wide smiles.
"It's Uncle Xia Fa! You've arrived! I'll go tell the captain right away!"
Xia Fa smiled and said, "No need, I'll go directly to Him."
As soon as he finished speaking, he vanished from the spot in a flash.
The next moment, in the palace of the Father of Ten Thousand Stars, Xia Fa's figure appeared like a ghost, silently, right behind the Father of Ten Thousand Stars.
The Father of Ten Thousand Stars was discussing the capture of a traveling whale with the captains of two pirate crews when he suddenly seemed to sense something, turned around, and immediately saw Xia Fa.
He was taken aback at first, but then a look of great joy appeared on his rugged face, and he immediately put his arm around Xia Fa's shoulder.
"Cousin, what brings you here! You didn't even tell me you were coming, hahaha."
The two pirate captains behind him exchanged a glance and tactfully withdrew, closing the door behind them.
Seeing the gates of the Father of Ten Thousand Stars' palace closed, Xia Fa had a sudden thought and silently used the authority of [Eternal Concealment], allowing the power of the authority to spread out, which was equivalent to directly performing the highest level of anti-peeping and anti-divination.
He had just finished and hadn't even had a chance to speak when the Father of Ten Thousand Stars looked him up and down with a look of amazement.
"Wow, cousin, you're amazing! You've become a god, and you can still move freely in the real world. If this got out, nobody would believe it! That's incredible!"
Xia Fa chuckled and said, "I don't know why myself, but it is certainly convenient."
In fact, he knew that it was very likely the effect of the strange current at the tailbone. Since that strange current could suppress his own loss of control and the loss of control of others, it could also suppress the uncontrolled pollution he caused to the real world.
However, I definitely can't tell my cousin this.
The Father of Ten Thousand Stars exclaimed, "You are truly the fastest-growing genius I have ever seen. Apart from that astonishing genius who has signed five overlord-level secret contracts simultaneously, which is currently being talked about throughout the universe, there is practically no one who can compare to you. By the way, do you still need any followers?"
Xia Fa couldn't help but laugh and said, "Why are you asking this too? Speaking of which, it's really difficult for me whether to let Tefaro or you, my cousin, be my first confidant."
Even the lowest-ranking servant god can have followers after becoming a deity.
As for the benefits of having a follower—from the perspective of the gods, a follower is of course their most trusted confidant. Many things can be entrusted to a follower, and they can also spread the faith.
From the perspective of the devotee, the devotee can pray to the gods, and if they receive a response, it is equivalent to being able to borrow the power of the gods.
Moreover, the higher the rank of a follower, the more great power they can draw upon.
This is quite different from the magician system. Magicians borrow the power of ancient gods to cast various spells and forbidden arts themselves, while the followers of extraordinary gods use prayer to allow the gods to directly cast secret abilities or other means to strike enemies from afar.
Therefore, Xia Fa understood very well why Tefaro and his cousin, the Father of Ten Thousand Stars, both wanted the position of First Favorite. The prayers of the First Favorite were the highest priority among all believers, and once they were within the range that Xia Fa could influence through divine power, they would naturally respond the fastest.
"Tefaro also wants the first Favorite? Hmm—then I'll be the second Favorite. Although I'm a bit lacking, after all, He played a big role in securing [Eternal Critical Strike] last time, haha."
Unexpectedly, the Father of Ten Thousand Stars made a concession, seemingly not wanting to put Xia Fa in a difficult position.
Xia Fa smiled and said, "That's good. But don't worry, the first and second favored ones are actually quite similar. As long as they are within my range of receiving prayers, I will respond to you as quickly as possible."
When it comes to the matter of the followers, Xia Fa is not worried about not having enough spots. The reason is simple: so far, not many people know that they have become followers of the gods.
Three days ago, after his first time traveling through time and space, he chose to rest for two days. On the one hand, he fused the three natural elemental mutation abilities with the Star Silver Throne. On the other hand, he contacted Tefalo, the Laughing Clown, and the Father of Ten Thousand Stars to make some plans.
Of course, he hadn't anticipated that so many beings from beyond the gods would rush to seize the [Eternal Critical Strike].
What's more, a Silver Cleaner appeared with dozens of Bronze Cleaners.
Otherwise, he certainly wouldn't have involved his cousins and other relatives.
Fortunately, none of those plans were needed, except for the most crucial one: hiding Tefal in the "Time Concealment" of his "Gate of Stars," where the two of them would use "Star Bubble" to teleport away at the last minute.
At the time, I thought the plan was foolproof, but I never expected that there would be such a powerful and abnormal being as the [Web Crawler], who could directly use the [Eternal Probability] to make my teleportation with Tefaro fail.
In short, now, apart from the Paradox Clown and the Golden Cleanser Gastis the Great Axe, only a few friends know that they have become gods.
They are Tefalo, the Laughing Clown, the Father of a Thousand Stars, the Shark Princess, Locke's cousin, and oh right, and Beneath the other two.
The others, however, knew nothing about it.
As for the Outer Gods he knew in the Protoss Realm, such as the Crimson Tree, and the Coronian from the Onion Star, they only recognized him in his form under the "Chaos Throne" and knew his name, Absolute Attack, but did not know his true identity.
Therefore, Xia Fa had already arranged the positions of the followers for them, from the first follower to the tenth follower, allowing them to choose freely.
In a few days, he also planned to return to Gilgamesh and make Thor Loki one of his followers.
As for his great-grandfather, Saint Emperor Sharatu, he was already a follower of Lord Paradox Clown. Although he was ranked very low, Lord Paradox Clown was, after all, a true god. Those who were ranked higher must at least be beings of outer godhood, and there might even be quasi-celestial beings and celestial beings among them.
It is said that in the first two millennia of the extraordinary era, the patriarchs, popes, and emperors of the nine major churches could directly invoke the divine powers they believed in through prayer to unleash thunderous attacks. However, in this third millennium, this is almost impossible.
The reason, of course, is that the nine true gods have been replaced by false nine true gods, and they can hardly protect themselves, let alone respond to the prayers and sacrifices of their followers.
Otherwise, his great-grandfather, Emperor Sharatu, wouldn't have been nearly killed when the Bronze Cleanser pierced his abdomen with a single spear in the Protoss Realm.
After calming himself down, Xia Fa stated his purpose directly without much thought.
"Cousin, um—do you know anything about tomb raiding?"
The Father of All Stars was taken aback: "Grave raiding? Whose grave are you going to raid? There shouldn't be any tombs in this real world that you'd even look down on—wait! You're going to raid graves in the Protoss Realm?"
Xia Fa nodded: "Yes, that's about right."
The Father of All Stars pondered for a moment and said, "I don't know anything about tomb raiding, but I have a subordinate who specializes in it. It's said that he once ventured into the tomb of a god in the Protoss Realm. Wait a moment, I'll let him in."
The Father of Ten Thousand Stars stood still, his expression blank for a moment, clearly communicating through spiritual intuition.
Not long after, the door was pushed open, and one of the two pirate captains that Xia Fa had met before walked in.
He looked like a skinny monkey, wearing a wrinkled brown leather jacket, with a bald head and triangular eyes, making him appear quite sinister.
However, when he came in, the captain kept his head down and seemed somewhat apprehensive.
After all, the name of Shaphat Gilgamesh had long been known throughout the universe. As the third Divine Spirit in history, and having personally killed a transcendental monarch at the family's grand banquet, his fame was known to all.
The captain, however, was merely an angel, and naturally dared not even breathe loudly in front of Xia Fa.
"Lord Xia—Lord Xia, I—"
Xia Fa smiled slightly: "Don't be nervous. Do you have any tomb raiding treasures? The kind that can bring good luck and ward off evil? I can buy them. Of course, if you don't want to sell, I can borrow them."
The captain was initially quite nervous, but upon hearing this, it was as if he had suddenly encountered his area of expertise, and his eyes immediately lit up.
"Yes, yes! Lord Xiafa, let me introduce you to him!"
With a single wave of his hand, Xiu displayed a row of tomb-raiding supplies on the table.
"This is a golden beetle, an essential item for every tomb raider. It can detect the approach of evil spirits or strange occurrences in advance—"
"This is the Kongjian shovel. Legend has it that it was invented by Suochuwu Kongjian, the same one who invented the Chuwu bag. With the Kongjian shovel, you can explore the inside of the tomb from the outside."
"Also, this is fragrant meat. Some evil spirits or monsters in tombs only have the instinct to crave the flesh and blood of living people. This fragrant meat can lure them away, thus avoiding a fight."
The captain knew the ship inside and out like the back of his hand, introducing each item to Xia Fa one by one. Xia Fa listened with wide-eyed amazement, marveling at the sight.
Tomb raiding is one of the main methods used by extraordinary individuals to obtain various secret contracts and treasures in this world. It has long developed into a systematic culture and custom, which Xia Fa has always known.
After all, the Protoss Realm is full of all kinds of tombs, and it's inevitable that some people will rob them.
However, he had never ventured into the Celestial Spirit Realm before, which is why he had never been involved in this field.
It must be said that although this captain only has the rank of angel, he is really a talented person. He is probably more proficient in tomb raiding than some extraordinary monarchs. Xia Fa has really learned a lot of occult knowledge.
"Finally, Lord Xiafa, please allow me to boast a little. This is a treasure that has protected me from many dangerous tombs in the Celestial Spirit Realm. It is the most powerful thing I have ever found in my tomb raiding career, and I have always been proud of it."
The skinny, bald captain, who looked like a monkey, held up a rope. The rope was flax-colored, but strangely, it was speckled with blood.
Xia Fa sensed the extraordinary nature of the hemp rope at a glance. The reason was simple: it was a treasure without a specific rank, just like the "Haircutted Face" passed down from his maternal family, the Prometheus family!
Yes, not all treasures and sealed items have ranks. Treasures without specific ranks generally have extremely unique and irreplaceable effects, and these effects are enhanced based on the user's rank.
For example, if I were to use a "sharply cleaved face" now, even an ordinary Outer God wouldn't be able to see through my disguise. But when I was still human, it wouldn't have been as effective.
"This treasure is a sealed artifact called the Flesh and Blood Survival Rope. As for the price of using it, a leg or an arm would be enough, but as a Heavenly Spirit, your limbs can be restored at any time, so it shouldn't be a big deal."
"
The skinny, bald captain enthusiastically explained, his earlier tension completely gone: "The specific effect is that as long as you use it in the tomb, there is a certain chance that you can escape directly from the tomb. To be honest, if it weren't for this flesh and blood survival rope, I don't know how many times I would have died in various great tombs in the Protoss Realm."
As He spoke, He handed the sealed object, called the "Rope of Flesh and Blood Survival," to Xia Fa.
Xia Fa pondered. He did indeed need this sealing artifact, and since the captain seemed to be his cousin's confidant, he should be able to borrow it.
Of course, compensation must be paid, and things must be done according to rules, especially at sea.
"Alright, then I won't stand on ceremony. I'll borrow it for two days, and I'll give you three million gold pounds, how about that?"
It wasn't that Xia Fa was unwilling to give more, but rather to express his sentiments. If he really wanted to give, he could afford one or two hundred million gold pounds, but this captain would definitely not be willing to accept it. Three million gold pounds was just right.
Unexpectedly, the captain shook his head.
Xia Fa's eyes flashed, thinking that he hadn't given enough money, and he was about to increase it to ten million gold pounds.
The Father of Ten Thousand Stars frowned slightly, not expecting that his trusted confidant would dare to make such an exorbitant demand in front of his cousin.
He was about to criticize his trusted confidant when, unexpectedly, the skinny, bald captain revealed a sincere smile.
"Lord Xiafa, this rope of flesh and blood is yours. I won't accept a penny of money, and you don't need to owe me any favors. I only have one request: I hope you will treat it well."
Xia Fa and the Father of Ten Thousand Stars were both stunned. Xia Fa was the first to react and asked, "You, what is this—"
The skinny, bald captain grinned, a few crow's feet appearing at the corners of his eyes: "I'm getting old, and the extraordinary power within me is starting to dissipate. I probably won't dare to go into tombs anymore, but this is a precious treasure. It shouldn't be left to gather dust with me. Let it stay with you; that's where a hero can truly shine."
He paused slightly, then let out a long sigh: "Because I have been stuck at the level of an angel my whole life, I have never dared to enter the great tombs of gods or higher. I have been in once, but they were all looted. Actually, I really want to see the great tombs of the Outer Gods or even the great tombs of the Celestials, not to mention the tombs of the Great Old Ones who represent the supreme glory of our lineage."
The skinny, bald captain, resembling a monkey, placed the rope of flesh and blood directly into Xia Fa's hand, then smiled as if relieved of a worry: "You will surely become a god someday, so, Lord Xia Fa, let it accompany you to see the sights I've never seen before!"
3 PM.
Beyond the Star Spirit Spice Sector.
Xia Fa arrived at the location precisely on time, only to discover that the three Outer Gods, including the Crimson Demon Tree, were already waiting there.
It seems that the three of them are more afraid of the fanatical tomb raiders than of themselves, fearing that they might violate the rules of this entity.
Xia Fa is actually afraid of physical entities, especially after hearing the Philosophy Pencil explain the power of physical entities. However, he doesn't need to be so afraid of the physical entity, the fanatical tomb raider.
After all, in the eyes of the fanatical tomb raider, he was the junior of the "Glutton" and the only junior. The fanatical tomb raider, in his unbound state, would not only not make things difficult for him, but would also take good care of him.
Sensing the rope of flesh and blood, wrapped around his arm and hidden within the platinum-gold metallic muscles, Xia Fa nodded slightly. This time, he was determined to bring it into the tomb of this quasi-celestial being, no matter what, so as not to betray the trust of that skinny monkey captain.
"【Absolute Attack】, you're here! Damn, I was so afraid you'd be late, thank goodness you arrived just in time."
The Crimson Demon Tree's black, gem-like eyes gleamed as soon as it saw Xiafa, and it happily approached.
It seems that He really likes this junior, Xia Fa, or rather, this junior, [Absolute Attack].
Xia Fa had long since entered the state of the Chaos Throne. After all, this tomb raiding would either involve creatures like the Crimson Demon Tree, which resembled tree-people, or creatures like the Philosophy Pencil, which looked like people but had heads that were a book and a pencil. Not to mention, there was also the Dense White Dwarf, which was simply a white dwarf.
Therefore, transforming myself into the state of the Chaos Throne makes me seem more compatible with them.
Just then, a damp, earthy smell and a faint odor of decay suddenly filled the air.
The outer gods were all startled, and then, sure enough, the figure of the fanatical tomb raider slowly emerged.
Unexpectedly, the fanatical tomb raider, upon appearing, immediately approached Xia Fa, hooked his arm around his shoulder, and grinned, "Little brother, don't worry, this time, coming down this quasi-Celestial Venerable's tomb with me will not only guarantee your safety, but you can also choose the treasures first!"
At that moment, even the Outer Gods, including the Crimson Demon Tree, were stunned.
What's going on here?
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