Yes, I became a god just by exercising.

Chapter 47 The Calling...Sealed Artifact!

"Has everyone taken the sanity-stabilizing potion?"

Faced with the completely exposed cavern, Chestnut cautiously confirmed with the team members.

Since this trip was to an Eagle-level Ghost Realm, only Fensne and Ethan, who were also Eagle-level, came.

Both of them nodded, their expressions simultaneously turning serious.

Ethan's face showed a soldier's determination. This usually enthusiastic man suddenly displayed the discipline he had developed in the military and became reliable.

Fensini's classically elegant face instantly turned serious, unlike her previous leisurely demeanor.

Chestnut looked at Glenn and earnestly negotiated:
"Let's get this straight first, Glenn. If we can really hunt down that monster, the Celestial Compass we get will be ours. If you contribute a lot, you can choose any other spoils we get along the way."

Glenn shrugged, indicating that he had no ulterior motives.

"No problem, as long as we kill that weirdo."

"it is good."

Chestnut nodded, and the rat girl's expression became more serious than ever before, even showing some of the demeanor and majesty of an archbishop.

"Then let's... set off!"

Seeing everyone "recklessly" jump into the hole, as if being swallowed by that gaping maw of sharp teeth that seemed to grow out of the ground, Xia Ding composed himself and walked over as well.

He remained calm and took the leap.

The familiar feeling of falling, followed by the sensation of sinking into slime, and before I knew it, I was standing on wet ground.

The dark, damp smell wafted from his nose. Xia Fa looked around and saw nothing but giant, glowing mushrooms and strange trees that looked like the withered claws of monsters.

He... stepped into the vast, boundless, and endlessly dark cave world once again.

Thinking back to the last time I came here, I accidentally fell down. Although I was powerless to fight at the time, I ended up picking up the doll girl Benedict.

And now, I am already a dignified... well, okay, at least a superhuman, even if I am only at the fungal level.

Xia Fa sighed inwardly. If he were to encounter that crocodile with a gray-white head in its giant mouth and that monster with an unusually large head but an unusually small body again, he probably wouldn't need to run away; he could kill them instantly.

Pulling himself out of his thoughts, Xia Fa walked over to Ban Li and the others.

Upon entering the cave, the Solar Prominence Nebula Squad of the Silver Church immediately demonstrated a high degree of discipline and professionalism.

Ethan walked at the front, keenly observing his surroundings like a scout.

Chestnut and Fensne stood on either side, both with their hands outstretched, ready to activate their secret bond ability at any moment.

Glenn wisely covered the rear, his fox-like cunning disappearing from his face, replaced by a serious expression.

Xia Fa immediately sensed a tense atmosphere. He suddenly realized that the underground cave, as a mysterious realm, was actually very dangerous.

He was lucky to escape with Benedict Cumberbatch last time, and it was probably because they ran into Chestnut and his group earlier.

Presumably, it was the tragic sacrifices of generations of extraordinary individuals in various bizarre realms that brought them rich experience in exploration, as well as the high level of discipline and vigilance derived from that experience.

Xia Fa joined in without hesitation, standing behind Ethan.

He had signed the Etheric Source Pact, which allowed him to use the seven basic elements simultaneously. It was barely considered a ranged ability, so he naturally had to stand behind Ethan, who looked like he could withstand a lot of damage.

Chestnut quickly drew several secret symbols on his palm, closed his eyes to sense them for a while, and then pointed to the southeast:
"Advance this way, and be on the lookout for human-headed crocodiles that may emerge from the lakes and ponds, as well as giant-jawed beasts that may also crawl out from underground!"

Human-headed crocodile... Giant-jawed beast...

Xia Fa immediately recognized the two strange occurrences he had encountered last time just from hearing the name.

Everyone nodded solemnly and immediately began to slowly move forward in the direction indicated by the chestnut.

As they walked, Xia Fa suddenly noticed something strange.

That is, the last time I came to the cave, there was always a slightly sour smell in the air, but this time, there was none!

Judging from the smell, this slightly acidic odor is likely caused by the army of Holy Poison Bees under the command of Veronica, the Poison Patriarch.

Xia Fake vividly remembered how the venom secreted from the stingers of the Saint Poison Bee army corroded trees and the earth.

The group moved forward in silence. Whether it was the enthusiastic Ethan or the jovial Archbishop Glenn, they all acted like the most reliable warriors.

As for Chestnut and Fensne, their expressions were extremely solemn and vigilant.

Suddenly, Ethan, who was walking at the front, raised an arm, signaling everyone to stop.

"Archbishop, there's trouble ahead!"

Upon hearing the title of Archbishop, Chestnut and Glenn stepped forward from the crowd.

But Glenn immediately realized that Ethan wasn't calling him, so he awkwardly touched his nose and took a step back.

Chestnut didn't notice this little incident. Her gaze followed Ethan's pointing finger to a tall mushroom tree.

The mushroom tree was over ten meters tall, and the glowing spots on its purple caps, like incandescent bulbs, illuminated the surrounding area.

Beneath a mushroom stem as large as a table, a fat figure was huddled with his arms crossed, trembling uncontrollably.

He was dressed like a businessman, in an indigo jacket and white trousers. His fat face trembled with his body, and his lips were ashen and his face was bloodless, as if he had been greatly frightened.

Xia Fazheng found it strange that there were humans in the newly opened cave, suspecting they might be some kind of eerie disguise.
But then, Ethan spoke up, full of surprise:

"Brah, what are you doing here?"

The wariness that had suddenly risen on the faces of Banli and the others eased, clearly indicating that they all recognized the fat man dressed as a merchant.

"This is the civilian superhuman who brought us the intelligence yesterday..." Chestnut whispered to Xia Fa.

Xia Fa nodded slightly and looked at the civilian superhuman named Blar as well.

Upon hearing Ethan's voice, Blair turned his head sharply, saw them, and his face immediately lit up with a look of relief and joy.
"Archbishop Chestnut! Archbishop Glenn! What brings you here? That's wonderful! Has the underground cave been opened?"

Chestnut-shaped face was full of seriousness:

"Brah, explain yourself first, why are you here?"

As she spoke, she took out a citrine that Xia Fa found somewhat familiar.

A secret script flashed in Chestnut's dark, lively eyes, and he pulled with both hands, centering on the yellow crystal.

An invisible wave swept across Brar, and three runes appeared.

Two are tadpole-shaped, and one is cuneiform in shape.

This time, Xia Fa only glanced at them and immediately understood the meaning of the three cryptic symbols, unlike last time when he was completely clueless.

Mental stability level: moderate.

The body's stability is relatively stable.

The overall risk of loss of control is moderate to low.

Upon seeing the three secret inscriptions, everyone completely relaxed.

At least this shows that Brar was neither out of control nor in a bizarre disguise.

Brar seemed to be waiting for the chestnut test to finish before standing up. He didn't even bother brushing the mud off his clothes, and said with lingering fear:

"I...I accidentally fell into a hole yesterday and was chased by a human-headed crocodile and a giant jaw beast. Luckily, I signed a speed-over-speed contract, otherwise I really wouldn't have been able to escape. Later, the hole was closed and I couldn't get out, so I had to hide here."

Glenn had been staring at his face, seemingly observing his micro-expressions, then gave a cold laugh:
"Brah, do you dare swear in the name of your god that you are not lying?"

Upon hearing this, Brar's obese body trembled, and he lowered his head, his face contorted with anxiety.

Chestnut pressed on, asking:
“What exactly happened? Brar, tell the truth.”

Suddenly, Brar raised his hand and slapped his round face with a loud "smack," saying:
"Your Excellencies, it was my fault. I was bewitched and wanted to come to the cave alone to search for that strange thing. After all, it was carrying the Celestial Compass, a thing worth at least ten thousand gold pounds!"

Ethan narrowed his eyes:

"So, you sold us the intelligence first, and then secretly came to the cave to hunt the monsters? You've got a good plan, trying to have your cake and eat it too."

Fensne's expression was indifferent, and she crossed her arms, letting out a snort upon hearing this.

Recalling the swift and decisive methods the Nine Churches used against their enemies, Brar nearly collapsed to his knees, trembling as he said:
"I... I know I was wrong. However, this time I saw that strange appearance clearly. In order to make amends, I... I can use my sketching skills to draw a picture of its shape for you!"

Upon hearing this, everyone's expressions softened.

The reason why everyone's attempts to hunt down that strange creature failed repeatedly, even when the Silver Church, the Church of Nature, and many extraordinary individuals from the common people were mobilized simultaneously, was because...

That's because its strange and unpredictable movements make it extremely difficult to track down.

Even after so many times, people still don't really know what it looks like. They only vaguely know that it resembles a knight on horseback, but the rider and horse together are a full five meters tall.

But if there's a clear full-body image, then it's simple.

Because chestnuts can be divined through the secret abilities of the "secret seekers" to determine their exact location and even some of their abilities, so that they can take precautions in advance.

Previously, the chestnut had only roughly found its direction.

But the underground world is so vast, how could it be found so easily by looking in one direction?

Originally, the Prominence Nebula team, along with Archbishop Glenn, were prepared for a long search.

But if there were that eerie full-body statue, the situation would be very different, reaching the most convenient level.

“Alright, Brar, if you can provide a full-body portrait of that strange creature, this matter will be forgiven.”

The chestnut opened its mouth, thus making its decision.

"Good! Good! Thank you so much, Archbishop Chestnut!"

Blair was quite pleased. He made a pinch in the air with his left hand, and a sheet of white paper for sketching slowly materialized. He also made a pinch in the air with his right hand, and a sharpened pencil appeared.

Brar relaxed a bit and smiled:

“When I was young, I wanted to be a painter, so I signed this sketcher’s contract. I never thought it would come in handy this time.”

He pressed the white paper down hard, and it seemed to be firmly "embedded" in the air, a canvas supported by the air.

Brar held the pencil between his index and middle fingers and gestured slightly towards the white paper, as if sketching a design.

Then, he started drawing quickly with one hand.

Yes, it was incredibly fast, literally. Xia Fa clearly saw that the chubby businessman's hand holding the pencil was almost a blur!
"Truly worthy of the power of the secret contract; using it on painting is like using an anti-aircraft gun to kill a mosquito..."

Xia Fa thought to himself that there were quite a few secret contracts in this world that weren't used for combat.

Previously there was the merchant's secret contract, and now there's a sketcher's secret contract that's particularly suitable for painters.

Everyone crowded around, surrounding Blair and staring at the blank sheet of paper in the air. Blair seemed to enjoy being watched and observed while he painted, and his expression became quite smug, causing him to paint even more intently.

Soon, that eerie shape gradually took shape before everyone's eyes.

It was tall and imposing, no less than a giant, and rode a giant horse that matched its height.

The horse's chest was as broad as a city wall, and the strange creature was as imposing as a giant tower.

Both the animal and the horse exude an indescribable sense of oppression and power.

It was fully clad in heavy metal armor, which was covered with mysterious and intricate patterns, making it appear both eerie and imposing.

Not only that, its warhorse was also fully armored, with even the horse's head covered by a helmet.

They even deliberately covered the horse's eyes, leaving only its nostrils exposed for breathing.

This strange creature resembles a heavily armored cavalryman from before the steam and mechanical age, but it is several times larger than a human heavily armored cavalryman.

It held an extremely heavy giant axe in its left hand, which it carried on its shoulder, and a round shield that was also engraved with patterns in its right hand.

Even though it's just a sketch, people can feel the kingly majesty and the arrogant disdain for everything emanating from it.

And hanging from its waist is a palm-sized compass, covered with nebulae, as if dozens of constellations were gathered there.

Xia Fa's gaze was fixed on the compass. Without a doubt, this was the Star Spirit Secret Compass that he needed most for this trip.

Immediately, his gaze, along with that of the others, began to carefully examine the strange portrait.

Previously, when everyone was hunting this strange creature, it would ride a horse and quickly disappear into the suddenly appearing gray fog, no matter where it was.

This was the first time they had observed it so closely and meticulously, even though it was just a full-body sketch.

Brar is still drawing, adding a few small details to the eerie full-coverage helmet.

As a businessman who almost became a painter, he was very ambitious in his pursuit of art.

Finally, he finished filling in the spiral pattern on the helmet.

Brar was quite pleased with his painting. He proudly tapped the paper with his pencil, making a clean and crisp "snap" sound.

But the next moment, an extremely terrifying scene unfolded!

As soon as the bizarre full-body sketch was completed, the paper suddenly shook!
Immediately afterwards, the portrait above began to be erased inch by inch out of thin air!
As if some mysterious force descended from the sky, it took a wiping cloth and quickly cleaned the eerie portrait.

Then, the drawing paper spontaneously combusted without any wind.

A scream, as if one had endured the most severe torture in hell, suddenly burst forth from the drawing!
The screams sounded like countless voices of old people, women, and children combined, almost piercing everyone's eardrums in an instant.

"ah------!"

The screams spread rapidly through the vast, dark underground world. Everyone, including Chestnut and the others, as well as Archbishop Glenn, covered their ears in pain, their expressions turning ferocious.

Xia Fa instinctively covered his ears, because the screams from the burning drawing paper were so painful and torturous, like being stabbed in the brain with a knife, or like being in a burning village after a war, with only mournful and shrill sounds filling his ears.

At that moment, an electric current seemed to surge through his spine and into the back of his head.

Sensing the presence of that electric current, Xiafa instinctively wanted to relax.

But immediately, his pupils contracted sharply, revealing an expression of extreme surprise.

The electric current, which could normally neutralize the effects of whispers about the unknown, was utterly useless against the screams emanating from the burning drawing paper!
The screams, still filled with endless shrillness, pierced his ears without diminishing or amplifying in the slightest.

"Ah ah ah ah ah!"

Brar had covered his ears early on, but suddenly, thick black blood seeped from his eyes, nostrils, mouth, and other facial features.

He seemed to have suddenly reached the extreme of pain, howling in agony as he rushed out without regard for anything else.

"Brah!"

Ethan reached out to grab his wrist, but grasped only air.

Brar covered his ears and desperately tried to run towards the cave exit.
But black blood began to seep from his hands that were covering his ears, gushing out like a spring that couldn't be stopped.

Bang! ! !
He had only run a dozen steps when his obese body suddenly stopped, exploded, and turned into a rain of blood that pattered down.

The moment he exploded, the drawing paper burned to ashes, and the screams that seemed to penetrate the very marrow and soul of everyone present ceased.

Glenn acted decisively, pressing his hand on the hilt of his sword at his left waist, taking a step forward, and drawing his sword with a swift motion.

Wow!
A dense wall of wind formed under his sword strike, several meters high, like a real wall, which blocked the flying flesh and blood from the crowd.

As the wind wall disappeared and Brar's flesh and blood fell to the ground, everyone stood there stunned, as if petrified, not knowing what had happened.

Why... the moment Brar finished drawing that bizarre full-body sketch, the image was suddenly erased, and the paper began to burn?
Furthermore, why did the burning drawing paper emit such a shrill, heart-wrenching scream, as if it came from hell?

And... why did Braal's body explode, but... everyone else was unharmed?
One doubt after another, accompanied by a deep sense of fear, descended from the sky and enveloped everyone.

Even Xia Fa couldn't calm down.

The mysterious electric current within him, which was effective even when whispering to the unknown, had no effect whatsoever on the screams emanating from the burning drawing paper, casting a heavy cloud of unease over his heart.

But before everyone could recover from their shock, an even more astonishing change occurred!
High above, in the vast sky, a semi-transparent beam of light slowly emerged from left to right, seemingly spanning the entire underground world.

Then, this beam of light, of unknown length, swept across the entire world from top to bottom.

Immediately, the light formed an enormous, transparent barrier stretching between heaven and earth, like a piece of glass without boundaries, piercing into this underground world.

The transparent barrier swept towards the direction where everyone was at an extremely fast speed.

No, rather than sweeping towards everyone, it's more like... it's rapidly sweeping across the entire underground world!
A strange change occurred. As the transparent barrier that stretched across the sky swept across the land, the jagged, strange trees suddenly disappeared, transforming into even more peculiar stone pillars.

The glowing purple mushroom trees turned fiery red and even began to spew out sparks and iron flowers.

The damp soil beneath our feet dried up quickly and cracked, and the lakes and ponds evaporated completely.

The human-headed crocodile lying inside didn't even have time to struggle before it quickly turned into skeletons, without even being able to extract any extraordinary essence.

From underground came a series of infantile screams, suggesting that the giant jawed beast lurking in the soil had also been completely roasted into a dried corpse.

In an instant, the originally dark and damp cave world was transformed into a dry volcanic landscape covered with stone forests!
"What... happened?"

Ethan's eyes widened; at this moment, even this superhuman with a military background could no longer remain calm.

Xia Fa raised an eyebrow suddenly, but did not answer, because he did not know what had happened either, but he remained calm.

thump--

thump--

thump--

His heart began to pound violently, and that burning sensation appeared as if by reflex, spreading from his heart meridian to his entire body.

It seems that because of the changes in this strange realm, his body sensed danger and raised his strength to a whole new level!

Xia Fa silently pondered, realizing that this time, this burning sensation would likely last for quite some time.

Suddenly, a sharp light flashed in his eyes, and he abruptly looked towards the southeast.

Even he, who was usually calm, could not quite control his expression at this moment.

However, this is not solely due to the sudden changes in the strange terrain and environment.

But...

In the far southeast of his field of vision, a jet-black pillar of light suddenly rose up!

The jet-black beam of light shot straight up to the sky, as if it were about to pierce through this suddenly transformed underground world.

It contains an immense power that is both terrifying and incredibly alluring!

To be precise, that power was incredibly astonishing and extremely strong, and should have made anyone who sensed it keep their distance, but... Xia Fa sensed a fatal attraction from it!
It was a feeling similar to summoning Baal's Blade, but far more powerful and of a higher rank!

Within the jet-black pillar of light... lies a sealed artifact!

Or rather, it was that sealed artifact that unleashed this jet-black beam of light that pierced the heavens and earth like a spear!

Baal's Blade is a sacred artifact-level sealed object, so what level of sealed object does this jet-black pillar of light represent?
Xia Fa had a feeling that the sealed object was responding to him, calling to him, wanting to embrace him, fight alongside him, and even conveying a sense of intimacy.

But something trapped them.

He looked away and realized that, apart from himself, no one else seemed to have noticed the dark beam of light.

Logically speaking, this should be impossible. At this moment, in this place, the soaring black pillar of light should be the most eye-catching thing.

But Chestnut and Glenn were frowning and deep in thought, Ethan was looking at the pieces of meat that had fallen to the ground in the distance, and Fensny was still in a daze.

Not a single person looked at the dark pillar of light.

Then there's only one possibility left...

"Could it be... that I'm the only one who can sense the fluctuations of that unknown, powerful sealed artifact?"

"Am I the only one... who can see that dark pillar of light?"

Xia Fa had a guess; after all, too many strange things had happened to him, and now there was another one.

For some reason, he had a feeling that the biggest gain from this trip to the mysterious cave might not be the Star Spirit Compass, but this sealed artifact!
Suddenly, at that moment, the two archbishops, Chestnut and Glenn, who were well-versed in occult knowledge, shuddered and both showed expressions of horror.

They had been frowning in thought, but now they seemed to have figured something out, and their bodies began to tremble uncontrollably.

"I understand... It's the Ghost Domain... The Ghost Domain has been upgraded! From an exploratory Eagle-level Ghost Domain... it has become a high-risk Elephant-level Ghost Domain!"

Glenn spoke, his voice trembling uncontrollably, as if he had already foreseen the danger that everyone was about to fall into.

Fungi, insects, eagles, wolves, elephants, whales... This underground cave realm, which was originally only an eagle-level realm, has now... suddenly increased by two ranks?!

Moreover, it has changed from an exploratory ghost realm to a high-risk ghost realm?

It should be noted that among everyone present, the strongest were only two Wolf-level superhumans, and there was even Xia Fa, a Fungus-level superhuman!
What should we do?
Although the birth of a high-risk anomaly is often accompanied by extremely rich extraordinary resources, even high-level secret treasures and powerful sealing artifacts, right now, survival is the most important thing!

However, this is not the worst of it.

Chestnut seemed to sense something through the ability of the Secret Seekers, and its eyes suddenly became unfocused:

"The cave exit... the cave exit is gone! We...we..."

Her face was deathly pale, and her lips trembled uncontrollably.

"We can't get out..."

(End of this chapter)