Yes, I became a god just by exercising.

Chapter 261 Xia Fa, are you the Emperor of Secrets? The Shark Princess and the Father of Ten Thousand Stars are shocked!

The Roaring Emperor and the Thousand-Faced Prophet have actually been subdued?
It has to be said that even though he is now capable of fighting against extraordinary monarchs, Xia Fa was still somewhat surprised to hear this news.

Even though he had been living in Rum City, he had heard from time to time how cruel, arrogant, and unruly these two pirate emperors were.

How could someone like that willingly become a lackey of the Scarlet Agents?

Moreover, not long ago, they were only cooperating with the Crimson Agents, and just a few days before that, the Roaring Emperor even hunted down the Crimson Agents because of the Greenbeard incident.

But now, the Roaring Emperor and the Thousand-Faced Prophet have been subdued by the Crimson Executor just like that?

"As expected, this Crimson Agent is no ordinary being. Not only does it act like a madman, but it has likely also mastered divine combat techniques and the technology of near-loss of control..."

Otherwise, it's hard to imagine how the two pirate emperors, the Roaring Emperor and the Thousand-Faced Prophet, could have submitted.

Just then, Princess Shark's cold, desolate voice rang out, carrying even more worry.

"Both the Father of Ten Thousand Stars and I have investigated this matter, and the conclusion we reached is that the Crimson Agents... are plotting something related to the gods."

Upon hearing this, Xia Fa's heart skipped a beat.

But then Princess Shark said:

"Of course, it can't be the nine righteous gods, nor is it an outer god; it seems to be related to a subordinate god..."

Xia Fa felt a sense of relief. The Shark Princess's heavy breathing had made him mistakenly believe that the Crimson Agent was so powerful that it dared to plot against even the nine Great Gods.

However, upon further reflection, I realized that I was overthinking it. Each of the nine righteous gods possesses supreme power and can influence the entire universe at any time. Who would dare to truly plot against anything related to these nine?
To put it dramatically, even if the Crimson Agent had this thought in his mind, it would probably be recorded by the First History.

What happens next is entirely predictable...

Of course, all of this is based on the premise that the nine righteous gods are real. If they are fake, then it is indeed hard to say.

"No, we still can't let our guard down..."

On second thought, Xia Fa suddenly realized that if the Crimson Agents really dared to plot against a follower of God, then it was something that needed to be taken very seriously.

I have witnessed firsthand how powerful God is on two separate occasions.

Although when he disguised himself as the physical "Glutton," he was able to make an unknown being comparable to a god lose control with just a glance.

However, it is an unknown entity after all, and like other unknown entities, it is full of all sorts of mysteries.

Moreover, it was clear that the unknown being's mind was extremely unstable at the time; otherwise, it wouldn't have acted so erratically, even losing control of its power and nearly corrupting the entire City of Ten Thousand Stars.

Xia Fa knew that even if he disguised himself as a glutton, the situation would be completely different if he faced a true follower of Gods, especially one who was mentally stable and at their peak.

In particular, the Crimson Agent was his mortal enemy, who had nearly killed him three times. If He were to succeed in His scheme... whether He replaced God or gained some other considerable benefit, it would be extremely troublesome.

"Go on."

Xia Fa's attitude became more serious than ever before. His commanding tone startled Princess Shark, who glanced at him with considerable surprise.

But for some reason, Princess Shark actually obeyed and continued talking.

"We haven't yet figured out what the Crimson Agent is after, but the Howling Emperor and the Many-Faced Prophet have already gained tremendous benefits by following Him."

"Currently, the Roaring Emperor has changed from a transcendent monarch who signed nine secret contracts to one who signed fifteen."

"The Thousand-Faced Prophet has also signed fifteen secret contracts. In addition, with his mysterious treasure, his strength is almost the same as the Roaring Emperor. He is someone that even if the Father of Ten Thousand Stars and I join forces, we cannot defeat."

Xia Fa raised an eyebrow upon hearing this:
Where did they get their anchor points?

It's important to understand that after signing nine secret contracts and becoming a ruler, the ability to sign more contracts depends on two factors: one's own talent and effort, and two, whether one has enough anchor points.

Sometimes, you have enough talent and effort, but not enough anchor points.

Sometimes, the anchor point is sufficient, the effort is sufficient, but the talent is insufficient.

In either case, it is easy to restrict a ruler or transcendent monarch, preventing them from ever reaching the power of fifteen secret contracts in their lifetime.

In this extraordinary world, talent is an inexplicable and mysterious phenomenon, yet it certainly exists.

For example, his little brother Alexander, who was clearly an angel-level overlord who could be selected into the Earth God Kingdom of the [Silver Universe], was unable to master the supreme forbidden secret technique of critical loss of control, simply because he lacked the talent.

Princess Shark shook her head:
“I don’t know. This is also the most puzzling thing for me and Father of Ten Thousand Stars. Logically speaking, the pirates under their command should only be able to support them in signing nine secret contracts at most… Perhaps they used the same method as the Crimson Agents.”

Xia Fa's gaze narrowed slightly. There are indeed very special secret techniques and treasures in this world that can allow people to advance to the Dominator rank without needing an anchor point, and even continue to sign more secret contracts.

However, he wasn't quite sure what it was.

Logically speaking, such a secret technique or treasure should be extremely valuable; otherwise, Marshal Gaius wouldn't have relinquished the throne of the Augustan Kingdom to Emperor Octavian just for the sake of an anchor point.

"So, you mean we should take advantage of this time to assassinate the Howling Emperor or the Thousand-Faced Prophet, thereby restricting the Crimson Executor's actions in advance?"

Xia Fa spoke in a deep voice, his tone more serious than ever before.

Princess Shark nodded slightly:

“Yes, because the two of them have been secretly working for the Crimson Agent. If we kill the two of them and the Crimson Agent can’t find any other Overlords or Super Sovereigns, things can be put on hold for a while. Then we can consider how to continue dealing with the Crimson Agent.”

As she spoke, she raised her small head, her rose-red eyes beneath the mask looking earnestly at Xia Fa:
"So, how many helpers can you find? It would be best to take action by noon today."

Unexpectedly, Xia Fa shook his head:
"Helpers... We did have two before, or rather, if the operation were tomorrow, we could have found them. But it's not easy to find them now."

He wasn't lying; tomorrow, the Laughing Clown and Tefal will become extraordinary monarchs and return, becoming two powerful allies.

Before the Eternal Proof is created, the planetary barrier of Caligari remains intact, meaning that apart from his great-grandfather, Emperor Sharatul, Gilgamesh cannot invite any other members of the Gilgamesh family.

Besides, his great-grandfather might have already returned to Gilgamesh, otherwise he wouldn't have asked Patriarch Osius to take care of him, which is why Patriarch Osius approached Speaker Arthur.

As for finding Marshal Gaius, to be honest... Marshal Gaius can't be of much help anymore. After all, he is only a ruler who has signed fifteen secret contracts. He might be able to fight a transcendent monarch who has signed nine secret contracts, but his strength is far inferior to that of a transcendent monarch who has also signed fifteen secret contracts.

Moreover, Xia Fa did not want to involve Marshal Gaius in this matter.

The Augustus family had always treated him well; on the other hand, the Scarlet Agent was a truly dangerous individual.

If you were to go to Speaker Arthur or Director Edio, you would probably have to join their respective factions first, namely the Myriad Machines School or the Cataclysmic Research Institute, which would be too troublesome.

Of course, the most important thing is that since he can deal with the Roaring Emperor himself, why bother with so many roundabout methods?

Seeing that Xia Fa couldn't find any help, Princess Shark lowered her head, her pupils dimming slightly.

But just then, Xia Fa said:

"However, I'll go with you. It's just dealing with a Roaring Emperor anyway."

If he were to deal with both the Roaring Emperor and the Thousand-Faced Prophet at the same time, Xia Fa would have to think twice, since both of them now possessed the strength of extraordinary monarchs who had signed fifteen secret contracts.

But if we only deal with the Roaring Emperor, then with my cousin Heracles and Princess Shark, what can't we defeat?
In fact, barring any unforeseen circumstances, Xia Fa felt that he could kill the Roaring Emperor on his own!

Having signed three overlord-level secret contracts, absorbed so much sacred metal, and now obtained the "Zeroth Arcane - Random Arcane" of the Arcane Singularity, the improvement is truly enormous.

Not to mention, there are also the three divine battle techniques: [Pillar of Mindstorm], [Barrier of Sighs], and [Tree Realm], plus the two trump cards of being on the verge of losing control once.

Not to mention, there are also the two trump cards among trump cards: a strange electric current and a burning sensation, though they are not easy to trigger.

"you?"

Princess Shark was genuinely surprised this time. Her cool eyes were filled with astonishment, yet her tone was persuasive:
“Shafa, I know you’re very powerful. Being able to defeat Tefaro means you already have the strength to fight a transcendent monarch who has signed nine secret contracts. I even suspect you’ve already become an angel, but…”

Her gaze suddenly became extremely serious and earnest.

"...The opponent is the Roaring Emperor, who has already signed fifteen secret contracts. This is no joke."

As Princess Shark spoke, she stood up, floated in the air, and turned to fly towards the door of the Emperor's Suite:
"Forget it, since you can't find any help, you shouldn't get involved. Don't worry, once Father of Ten Thousand Stars and I sense something is wrong, we still have a way to escape."

Xia Fa didn't speak, but simply faced the door of the Emperor's Suite from afar, and clenched his fist with one hand.

Starlight suddenly spread out, almost covering the entire doorway, and the sealing power faintly emanated.

After the air distorted, a black sphere appeared.

The sphere kept spinning, like a miniature black hole, emitting an extremely powerful suction force.
Immediately, the vases, carpets, slippers, and other items at the door all flew towards the black sphere in the air.

boom!
But the next moment, as Xia Fa withdrew his hand, all of this disappeared.

Princess Shark's slender, delicate figure floating in the air suddenly froze.

"The seal on the Starry Body? And the Myriad Star-Guiding Technique?"

Both of these secret abilities originated from the Gate of Stars, which Princess Shark was naturally very familiar with, as she had seen the Father of Ten Thousand Stars use them many times, so she recognized them at a glance.

She stood there, almost frozen in mid-air, her delicate body trembling slightly, as if she couldn't believe what she was seeing.

Princess Shark already knew that Xia Fa had signed the Silver Throne, after all, the name "Caesar" was becoming more and more well-known in the sea.

And now, Xia Fa has actually... revealed the secret abilities of the Gate of Stars!
After a long while, she turned around and looked at Xia Fa. Her wine-red eyes, hidden behind the jeweled mask, seemed to be filled with turbulent waves that could not be calmed for a long time.

That cold, quiet voice finally transformed into barely suppressed surprise, tinged with an inexplicable envy:

"Xia Fa, you...you actually signed two overlord-level secret contracts at the same time?"

Xia Fa smiled slightly, his expression calm:

"Now you finally believe that I can act with you, right?"

Princess Shark gently exhaled:

"I believe you. You only used the Silver Throne's ability in the Super Fighting Grand Prix, and you still defeated top geniuses from the Earth God Kingdoms like the Laughing Clown. If you use the abilities of the two Overlord-level Secret Contracts together, you can indeed deal with the Roaring Emperor."

This is the Emperor of Mystery, or rather, the future Emperor of Mystery.

They signed two supreme-level secret contracts at the same time; that's just how unreasonable they are. Even if Xia Fa is suspected to be just an angel, he can still defeat a transcendent monarch who has signed fifteen secret contracts.

Princess Shark turned around in mid-air again and flew towards the door of the Emperor's Suite, but this time, her tone inexplicably carried a hint of playfulness.

“In that case, let’s go find your cousin, Mr. Xia Fa.”

……

City of a Thousand Stars, Fishermen's District.

This is where the fishermen of the Worm Islands gather, basically equivalent to the lower city of the City of Ten Thousand Stars, and also the most chaotic and disorderly place.

Of course, since the entire City of Ten Thousand Stars was originally established by pirates, it's not a big deal, especially since the people in the city strictly abide by the laws established by the Father of Ten Thousand Stars and never harm innocent civilians.

On the other hand, the countless wooden and even thatched houses in the fishing village became a hiding place for many people.

The roads here are muddy all year round, the air is filled with the smell of fish, and you can often see fishermen who are pale and thin. There are dead fish, shrimp and crabs scattered everywhere, as well as leftover scallops and snail shells.

At this moment, Xia Fa was walking on this street, but she once again used her family's secret weapon, "the face sculpted by a knife and axe," transforming into a bald man with a cold and sharp deerskin head and wearing a rather tattered and worn deerskin coat.

Not far in front of him, in the air, Princess Shark's petite yet curvaceous figure was flying forward.

However, neither the fishermen on the street nor the pirates and bounty hunters who looked elusive could see the Shark Princess at all.

The reason is simple: Princess Shark has become invisible, and the mysterious treasure is detected through the incomplete appearance of the mask she is wearing.

Fortunately, before she went invisible, she used the tiny gemstone mask to carve a rune into Xia Fa's palm, which allowed Xia Fa to see it.

Xia Fa followed Princess Shark, wandering around the fishermen's district of the City of Ten Thousand Stars, passing through muddy streets and alleys, yet never stopping.

On the way, Xia Fa also pondered the tactics and strategies for this trip in order to deal with any possible emergencies.

First, we must consider that the Roaring Emperor deliberately exposed his lair in order to lure Princess Shark and his cousin, the Father of Ten Thousand Stars, there and capture them all in one fell swoop.

In this situation, the Prophet with a Thousand Faces, or even the Scarlet Executor himself, could be lying in ambush in that place.

However, given the cautious nature of Princess Shark and her cousin Wanxing's father, this possibility is probably not very high.

After all, they've been navigating the Baron Ocean for hundreds of years; they're not so easily fooled.

But if that's the case, then the only option will be for me and my cousin to use all the secret abilities of the Gate of Stars to try and escape.

If the Roaring Emperor hadn't laid any ambush, or even knew about the attack, then it would be simple: kill the Roaring Emperor, take what you can, and leave.

As for the question of how powerful the Roaring Emperor is, given that he has already signed fifteen secret contracts...

Xia Fa was well aware that once a transcendent being reached the position of Sovereign, that is, after signing nine secret contracts,

The dividing line between strength lies at nine secret contracts, fifteen secret contracts, twenty secret contracts, twenty-five secret contracts, and thirty secret contracts.

Every five secret contracts roughly represent a difference equivalent to a small rank, but not as significant as the difference between a demigod and an angel, or between an angel and a ruler. It's more like the difference between fungi, insects, eagles, wolves, elephants, and whales.

As for why it always hits the fifth secret contract so precisely, the reason is quite simple.

Because every five secret contracts represent a qualitative change, a qualitative change resulting from quantitative change.

Of course, going from nine to fifteen cards is six cards, but that's about right.

In other words, when a ruler or transcendent monarch wants to increase their strength from nine secret contracts to fifteen secret contracts,

The first thing to do is to prepare enough anchor points to support fifteen secret contracts, or secret techniques or treasures with similar anti-loss effects.

Once that's achieved, one secret agreement after another can be signed until fifteen are reached, which is equivalent to reaching a hurdle.

Going from fifteen to twenty cards presents an even greater challenge, requiring significantly higher standards in both anchor points and talent.

Once you reach that point, there are basically no obstacles in the process of going from fifteen to twenty cards, but once you reach twenty cards, you will reach a new hurdle.

In other words, for each hurdle overcome, five secret contracts can be signed, increasing one's strength by one level, until the next hurdle is reached.

It is precisely for this reason that figures such as Saint Shalatu, Patriarch Osius, Pope Hercules, and others possess such terrifying power and are qualified to serve as earthly leaders of major churches.

Because, as extraordinary monarchs who have signed thirty secret contracts, they are equivalent to being four minor ranks higher than ordinary extraordinary monarchs!

Of course, Xia Fa understood that he didn't need to go through such trouble to take this path. He just needed to sign five overlord-level secret contracts and have enough anchor points.

As for the exact number of anchor points needed, that's unclear. We'll find an opportunity to ask our great-grandfather how many anchor points he established when he became a transcendent monarch.

In any case, Xia Fa speculated that when he signed his fifth hegemon-level secret contract, the anchor points he would need would certainly be no less than those needed by a transcendent monarch.

However, in this situation, since the Roaring Emperor has already signed fifteen secret contracts, he is actually only one rank higher than Longtao, this extraordinary monarch.

Before absorbing so much sacred metal and before starting to devour the Secret Code, I was able to kill Long Tao Yi. Now, fighting the Roaring Emperor should be no problem.

Just as I was thinking this, suddenly, the figure of Princess Shark floating in the air in front of me stopped.

They stopped in front of a small, dilapidated thatched hut.

Xia Fa couldn't help but turn his head and look at the thatched hut.

Although the walls were made of limestone, they had many holes and were filled with straw everywhere. The roof was also in disrepair and it was obvious that it would leak when it rained.

Xia Fa felt a pang of sadness in his heart. His cousin Hercules and his cousin Locke... actually lived in a place like this?

However, on second thought, under the threat of the seemingly extremely powerful Crimson Agent, the pirates under the Howling Emperor and the Thousand-Faced Prophet are probably still searching for them everywhere. They are hiding everywhere, and it seems that only by living in such a place can they avoid attracting attention.

"This is it, let's go in."

Princess Shark turned around, her cherry-colored lips moving, sending her voice directly into Xiafa's ears.

She remained invisible and flew inside first.

The two dilapidated wooden doors of the thatched hut opened by themselves. Luckily, there was no one around anymore. Otherwise, if someone had noticed, they might have thought it was haunted, since Princess Shark was invisible.

Seeing Princess Shark fly in first, Xia Fa sighed softly, feeling a pang of sadness as he followed her in.

The thatched hut was indeed very simple and dilapidated. The tables, chairs and counters were made of the lowest quality spliced ​​wooden planks, and many of them were stained with black stains. The table legs and stool legs had long been rotten and smelly, with an unpleasant fishy odor.

The room was filled with a strong fishy smell and a faint smell of blood, which made Xia Fa even suspect that his cousin and younger cousin had been seriously injured.

In the corner was a bowl of fish and shrimp, but they were no longer fresh, and many of them were floating on the surface of the water. It looked like the food that my cousin and his younger cousin usually ate.

Xia Fa's eyes reddened slightly, her nose tingled, and she couldn't help but sigh softly.

Thinking that his cousins ​​had also been treated like this by the Crimson Agents, his anger surged even more uncontrollably.

"Where are Cousin Hercules? And Cousin Locke? Where are they?"

This question was, of course, directed at Princess Shark. After entering the room, Princess Shark was no longer invisible.

Princess Shark, however, remained aloof, though her voice softened slightly, perhaps because she had learned of Xia Fa's future identity as the Secret Emperor:

"Wait a mininute."

Suddenly, Princess Shark waved her small hand, and several secret runes fell down, imprinting themselves on the wooden table, the wooden stool, and the cabinet next to it.

Xia Fa could tell that the positions of these secret texts corresponded to the constellations, indicating that this was an advanced application of ritual arrays, equivalent to a simple yet highly effective ritual array.

Snapped!
The wooden door of the thatched hut suddenly closed, and immediately the cryptic texts lit up, emitting rays of light that connected with each other to form a "net."

The next moment, the light net trembled slightly, and a circular light gate parallel to the ground opened and slowly descended towards the floor.

Xia Fa's breathing became shallow, and he felt inexplicably nervous, afraid that he would see his seriously injured cousin or younger cousin through the circular light gate.

Finally, the circular portal landed on the muddy ground of the thatched hut.

The ground trembled slightly, as if a barrier had been broken through.

Xia Fa looked inside with great eagerness, but then froze in surprise.

This circular portal clearly leads to a subspace beneath this thatched hut.

However, this subspace was decorated almost like the Emperor Suite of the Lushurui Hotel, or even more luxurious and noble.

Marble floors covered with luxurious ancient Persian carpets, artificial hills with fountains, crystal double-door cabinets filled with fine wines, plush velvet sofas, vases brimming with rare flowers...

My rugged cousin Hercules was reclining on an expensive and exquisite mahogany chair, holding a Bo Yue red pine cigar in his left hand and a glass of whiskey in his right, sipping it leisurely.

As for his cousin Locke, he was dressed in a white suit, with his hands behind his back, standing in front of a famous painting hanging on the wall, seemingly admiring it, or perhaps pondering it.

Xiafa: ...

So it turns out that the thatched hut was just a smokescreen all along!

I even felt sorry for my older and younger cousins, but all that worrying was for nothing...

But it makes sense. After all, the older cousin is a supernatural monarch and the younger cousin is an angel. Even if they are on the run, how could they possibly be doing badly?
A little bit of the wealth accumulated during his time as a pirate would be enough to set up such a subspace.

However, Xia Fa could also vaguely sense that this subspace was lifeless and not as real and vivid as the real world. Even supernatural power did not circulate much, and the air was somewhat suffocating.

It was like heaven and earth compared to his own little world.

Just then, Hercules seemed to sense something and looked over through the circular hole of light.

But with just that one glance, His expression visibly darkened.

As one of the five pirate emperors of the sea, and once the most prestigious, even in exile, his former majesty remained undiminished. His gaze immediately fell upon Princess Shark, filled with accusation.

"Princess Shark, why did you go to see my cousin without my permission? Didn't I tell you not to involve him in this matter under any circumstances?"

(End of this chapter)