archfiend

Wolfbane!

Xu Yangyi was very sure that if there was a Sacred Spirit, then it was possibly the Wolfbane. It couldn’t be the Dream Eater.

Something stronger and of a higher level than the Whitedeer King. The Dream Eater was very far, far away from reaching this step. If it was that monster suppressed in the Kunlun Mountains’s Death Valley, though, perhaps there was a chance.

Still, that monster simply didn’t need to stay in a host.

“Mr. X… this is the greatest secret of the Elves,” Stanford said gravely, “Of the Elves’s legacy a thousand years ago, there were twenty Sacred Spirits.”

Xu Yangyi’s gaze flashed. If there were twenty, then wouldn’t the Elves have taken over the world long ago?

As if seeing through Xu Yangyi’s thoughts, Stanford laughed wryly and shook his head. “But presently, only five remain. Among them four are asleep. The only one still awake is Whitedeer King Malorne. No one has ever seen his true face, but he undoubtedly exists. During each offering ceremony, we Elves can obtain his blessing.”

Xu Yangyi nodded. No wonder he had to swear a Great Dao-Heart Oath. If news slipped out that only one Sacred Spirit of the original five was still around, perhaps the Corvinus or the Dracul, or even the Tirathon, whom he’d met in passing, would have a few stray thoughts.

“And the reason why Sacred Spirits disappear… is because they devour each other! Every century, all Sacred Spirits will awaken and then a feeding frenzy occurs! The Sacred Spirits that remain become stronger and stronger. I think that in perhaps 500 years, or 300, that the Elves will only have one Sacred Spirit left.”

He leveled his gaze on Xu Yangyi. “Mr. X, this is why you were able to devour His Highness Malorne’s divine avatar… Devouring each other is their nature! They don’t have the will to control themselves!”

Xu Yangyi mumbled for a few seconds and said probingly, “This Sacred Spirit is one with my body. It is I. I am it.”

“So that’s the case!” Stanford heaved out a long sigh. “Sir, you really are… a special, unique case! You must know, anyone selected by a Sacred Spirit is chosen on the basis of the greatest peaceful co-existence. There’s never been a precedent that a person’s will is a Sacred Spirit’s will! 80% of hosts are even devoured by a Sacred Spirit!”

“And during your battle with His Highness Malorne’s divine avatar, you instinctively awakened, and your spirit’s rank is higher than Malorne’s! Therefore, you absorbed His Highness’s divine avatar without fuss!” he finally laughed, “But…”

“Hmm?” Xu Yangyi hummed.

Stanford chuckled, “You, are likewise in great danger.”

Xu Yangyi was stunned. He nearly blurted out a curse afterwards!

Who was provoking who?

He fully understood the meaning behind Stanford’s words. Since it was instinct for Sacred Spirits to devour each other, then the Whitedeer King, the sole living Sacred Spirit, was bound to know he was here. Perhaps Malorne was racing over right now and getting ready to swallow him whole!

“Malorne’s realm?” He resisted the nameless ghostly fire in his heart with great difficulty and asked.

Stanford laughed respectfully. “Quasi Prince.”

Quasi Prince?!

Xu Yangyi no longer wanted to speak. He only wanted to stare at the ceiling in peace and wait for death.

“But, Mr. X doesn’t need to worry. The Sacred Spirits have never taken one step out from the Elven domain.”

“You… Hurry up and finish speaking!” Xu Yangyi glared daggers. If he hadn’t noticed that this old man was staying still, then he might’ve kicked him to death.

This great gasp for air really was aiming for his life!

“Alright, I understand.” He waved his hand and massaged his aching temples. If the actual Malorne was able to rush out from the Elven domain, then he would’ve instantly returned to China without a second word.

In any case, he was late Foundation Establishment now. In China, he still had a ghost of a chance at survival, but there was only a road to death in facing an old quasi Prince-rank monster here.

“If there’s nothing else, you can head back first.”

“Sir.” Stanford’s expression became solemn, and he said with a focused tone, “You see, this was merely a background introduction. We haven’t reached the actual details yet.”

Xu Yangyi muttered to himself as he looked at Stanford. “If you want to borrow my Sacred Spirit, that’s impossible. I can’t move my Sacred Spirit, and I’m definitely not taking one step into the Elven domain.”

“Of course not.” Stanford understood very well. He smiled, but then his smile vanished. “Sir, the Elves didn’t participate in the past several Holy Wars. Why do you think this is?” Not waiting for Xu Yangyi to reply, he said solemnly, “Not because we didn’t want to… but rather we were confirming something.”

“We suspect that the Holy Relic is connected to Sacred Spirits!”

It was the Holy Relic again?

Xu Yangyi had already discussed with Yue Congrao. He clearly understood the timeline and the actual matter concerning the Holy Relic, but he definitely wouldn’t speak to an elf about it. Perhaps the Elves wouldn’t have thought that he was more or less aware of the true facts as of now.

Therefore, he turned his nose up and inwardly scoffed about this argument that the Holy Relic was ‘connected to Sacred Spirits’.

Upon seeing that Xu Yangyi wasn’t talking, Stanford continued, “This is also the reason we’re participating in the Holy War. Fourth… No, we even knew when the Holy Relic was unearthed. Fifth. His Highness Malorne told each and every one of us exactly though our dreams that an extremely powerful Sacred Spirit was to appear. Furthermore, His Highness left behind at item in Saint John’s Cathedral.”

Xu Yangyi smiled. Wrong… That which was inside was not a Sacred Spirit, but rather…

No!

That wasn’t right!

Just as he was about to speak, the bodhi seed in his mind revolved at a furious pace. He suddenly thought of one point he’d missed!

Yue Congrao had once said to him… that the Secondary Realm Anchor had been sealed. At that time he was quite shocked. Who could seal an almighty artifact?

But now… an inconceivable thought flared in his mind. He immediately asked, “Did the Whitedeer King mention any details about this Sacred Spirit?”

“He did.” Stanford hesitated for a few seconds and then gritted his teeth. He closed his eyes, as he didn’t dare to utter the name he was about to say with open eyes. His voice was shaking.

“Quetzalcoatl.”

The Feathered Serpent God!

Countless memories assembled in Xu Yangyi’s mind.

The entity that Yue Congrao had always been searching for.

Daomaster Titanspirit had also once gone searching for the legendary deity of the West, even starting a feud with Yue Congrao because of it.

And in this moment, someone was actually telling him that Quetzalcoatl was a Sacred Spirit! Furthermore, it was the one to seal the Secondary Realm Anchor’s fragment?

Why would it do something like this?

From beginning to end, why had Yue Congrao continued to search?

He seemed to touch something in the darkness, but like a flower in a mirror, or the moon in water, he ultimately wasn’t able to sound it out.

There really aren’t enough clues. He furrowed his brows and decided to break off from his train of thought. This just isn’t something that I can join in on.

It’s just… what in the world happened on Earth in the past? What’s being hidden? Did that war against Greater Thousand Realms back then exist? Does Quetzalcoatl know about this? If it doesn’t, why would it imprison a Secondary Realm Anchor?

“You’re sure?” he said seriously. He thought to himself for a long time, unable to wrap his mind around this information.

“I am ten thousand times certain,” Stanford answered positively. “At first, I didn’t believe such a legendary being existed. If it were true, that old monster would’ve already been alive for who knows how long. Maybe it witnessed the process of human growth. I simply dared not imagine it… but, the Whitedeer King warned us time and time again that we absolutely cannot leak its existence. At the same time, we must search for its existence and verify this information.”

He laughed bitterly, “This is the sole trail we grasp. However, our candidate lost in the first round. And Vatican City will not sell to the face of the Elves. Unless one ranks among the top three, no one can enter the room containing the Holy Relic.”

“So?” Xu Yangyi roughly understood what the other wanted to say, laughing as he asked.

“Your Highness.” Stanford bowed. “The profound mysteries of any Sacred Spirit is not something a cultivator can imagine. I dare confirm that if it really is an object left behind by a Sacred Spirit, then only a Sacred Spirit should be able to open it. This also might explain why Vatican City has a Pope keeping watch, but they are still unable to unseal the relic.”

“Originally, we were no longer able to continue, but then you appeared, sir… His Majesty Antonio’s Sacred Spirit is the Black Crow. He is able to see everything through your eyes, as long as you make a contract. After the event, we Elves shall assume all consequences.”

Xu Yangyi’s finger lightly rapped the armrest of his seat.

This condition was good… The Elves definitely didn’t expect that he and Daomaster Yue’s true scheme just happened to hold the same view. Since Antonio was called His Majesty, he was at the Grand Duke rank. With the interception of two Core Formation masters, he finally had another fraction of confidence in this perilous plan. [1]

Still, he was already linked to two powers. He had a vague feeling that this Holy War wouldn’t be so effortless.

“What can you give me?” he said indifferently, “You want me to pull of the heist of a century under His Majesty Lawrence’s eyes?”

Stanford laughed with sincerity. What he was most afraid was that Xu Yangyi would refuse. Since the demon slayer was talking, he could give a price that the other would definitely agree to!

“Mr. X was born in China, but according to what I know, China seems to have no Human Pillars to speak of. Allow me to state the truth, but Asia has no one whatsoever who knows the proper usage of Sacred Spirits.”

Xu Yangyi raised a brow and said in a low voice, “My Sacred Spirit isn’t with me. It’s far, far away. You sure about that ‘proper usage’?”

“Of course. As long as it existed in you, you can incite its full power! Especially since you and your Sacred Spirit are one in body and soul. I fear you will be able to rouse a power several times greater than Althorne’s!”

Interesting.

Xu Yangyi studied Stanford intently and eventually nodded. “Speak carefully.”

“Good.” Stanford didn’t act pretentiously. “I am unsure, Mr. X, but do you know how many there are at the rank of Grand Duke?”

“Not many, but not few,” Stanford laughed, “So-called Grand Dukes can flip the world on its head. There is no task they cannot accomplish in soaring to the sky or fleeing to the earth. In comparison to them, Marquises are basically children who have just started to study. If there was a Marquis able to escape from a Grand Duke, perhaps from one who just recently advanced to the low rank, this Marquis’s name would certainly be praised by the cultivation world. However…”

His face gain a somewhat excited red flush. “What if… there was such a move, a special move, that required specific conditions to utilise, but could slay a Grand Duke?”

Xu Yangyi exhaled sharply.

Slay a Grand Duke!

Exterminate Core Formation!

This was virtually something that couldn’t exist!

1. “Perilous”, so this Chinese idiom is “摸老虎屁”, to “touch a tiger’s butt”.