Archfiend

Just as the golden light appeared, the golden box moved. In an instant, it turned into white light and disappeared into the holy light.

“Damn…” Pale Dragon couldn’t help but curse. At the same time, he was also feeling endless regret. If they had come to the Plaza of Holy Light at the very beginning, then he wouldn’t have given three capsules of the Count’s Seat to those three pigs he wasn’t even familiar with! But if he hadn’t given it to them, then the Count’s Seat wouldn’t be able to be auctioned right now!

What about now though?

The last of the Count’s Seat had been ruthlessly collected by Vatican City! Who was he supposed to argue with? Was he supposed to argue with the living Pope before the House of Corvinus’s Prince had awakened?

“Fuck…” Bloody Moon also cursed lowly. All the present Counts gazed hotly as the box flew away. Bloody Moon and Pale Dragon were genuine peak military powers of the West. In the Plaza of Holy Light, the Counts didn’t dare to defy gods.

Despite this, Pale Dragon, Bloody Moon and everyone else forgot about the gold box in the next second. This was because… a faintly discernible voice fluttered from all around. It continued to echo more and more! Clearer and clearer! 

“Our right hands hold shortblades and poison…”

“Our left hands hold thirty-two pieces of silver and course rope…”

“Who are we?”

“We are believers yet not only believers… We are apostles yet not only apostles…”

It was like invisible choirs were standing around them. The voices drifted through the air. A Count couldn’t help but finally say in doubt, “How… The Count’s Seat already flew away…”

“No…” A young cultivator beside him was dumbstruck. “T-This is a Holy Hymn… a Holy Hymn!”

“This Holy Hymn isn’t from the gold box, but the jade one!”

Ansas had already exhaled sharply. His gaze blazed hotly as he looked at the jade box.

What in the world was inside?!

A Holy Hymn! A Holy Hymn had appeared!

“Mine… It must belong to our House of Dracul!” He tightly clenched his fists, and a ruddy flush flashed over his pale face. “A Holy Hymn… on average is once in thirty-two years. If we get this item, the Dracul will definitely go to an even higher level! It can only be grasped in the House of Dracul’s hand!”

“Two works… one of Holy Light, and one… of Holy Hymn?!” Donaldo bit his lips, and a wave of powerlessness rippled in his heart.

How old was this kid? Xu Yangyi’s skeletal age wasn’t over fifty years old, but he actually managed to reach this step?

Among the other master spirit-technicians, there was no one who had produced a Holy Hymn Work that wasn’t over a hundred years old. Holy Hymn was even the pinnacle of a majority of masters. The only one to obtain the Holy Shadow rank was him alone!

“Monster…” The woman among the masters no longer knew what to say. She pursed her lips, made a long sigh, and looked at Xu Yangyi’s floating room.

“My decades of hard work is still less than someone else’s work in a single day…” Another master also sighed rather sorrowfully, but in the instant he was about to turn his head he bolted up to his feet in disbelief!

“This…”

“My god…”

“No, don’t tell, this…”

“This is impossible… Once in a century… Once in a century!”

“God… ah, I’m a werewolf… I shouldn’t say that…”

“I can’t believe it… am I seeing this right?” 

Swoosh swoosh swoosh!

All the Marquises stood up in sync and looked at the master stage in shock, but they didn’t dare to say a word.

Quiet clamor was heard, but didn’t venture to erupt. It was just like they were burying their frantic excitement in their chest.

In fear that once they yelled that the great mystique here would break.

The Holy Hymn… was changing!

The voices became clearer and more resonant, but as the Holy Hymn gradually grew louder, all the stones on the ground began to audibly crack as they rose and fell!

“It can’t be!!!” Donaldo stepped forward and stood up, nearly charging over. Regardless, he firmly stopped his legs and looked incredulously at the master stage.

This scene was too familiar because this was the glory of his entire life!

BOOM! At some unknown time, the entire floor of the plaza began to burn with raging flames. These flames didn’t injure anyone, and they didn’t feel hot either. However… they were a divine white color!

“This is…” Bloody Moon and Pale Dragon glared at the stage at the same time. By chance they both said the same two words. “Holy Shadow…”

“A Holy Shadow-ranked spirit-medicine!”

Holy Hymn.. was only the prelude to Holy Shadow!

The hall was very calm because a greater part of the audience was dazed. Bloody Moon’s and Pale Dragon’s voices weren’t quiet, echoing through each person’s ears.

“This is… Holy Shadow?” A Count mumbled to himself, “No way… I-I’ve seen a video of Holy Light before, but Holy Shadow… How is t-this possible… Isn’t it only once a hundred years?”

“It really is Holy Shadow!” The eyes of the white-haired old man from the Corvinus were already crimson. “What is in that jade box?! It’s actually a Holy Shadow work! The highest level!”

No one spoke, but in this instant the flames filling the plaza fiercely jumped. A strange illusion appeared in everyone’s eyes.

It seemed… like the entire hall had become a stairway, and they were all the way down below. Silver-white flames burned as they followed up along the stairway, illuminating straight to the very summit.

At the peak, there was a golden-haired man wearing a white gown. He wasn’t tall, but his figure gave one such a feeling that they didn’t even dare to look at him. So long as one shot him a glance, their body and mind would collapse.

While the man stood in the fire, he seemed to stand in the sky. From behind, he gracefully glanced down and then vanished without a trace at the end.

Swoosh… Golden light spread from where the figure disappeared. In a short moment, wild flowers and creeping vines climbed out from every corner of the plaza. They softly clung into the windows and the domed ceiling. In less than a minute, an ocean of green flowers appeared in front of everyone.

The hall was dead-silent.

Xu Yangyi deeply studied all of this. After ages, he sighed wistfully, “From nothingness to reality, is this the might of Nascent Soul?”

“There was actually such an old monster in the world…”

Everyone was tight-lipped. After an unknown passage of time, Donaldo turned around and sincerely bowed, but his voice carried a shred of disappointed hoarseness. “Mr. X… congratulations…”

“In the west, the second Holy Shadow goes to your work.”

“Please accept this supreme honor. From today onwards, you are not just merely a master spirit-technician, but also one of the strongest among master spirit-technicians.”

The other masters were already somewhat dumbfounded.

A Holy Shadow had emerged… 

How could this be?! In the West, Donaldo was the only person to attain a Holy Shadow! Among everyone else, who wasn’t holding in their energy to struggle for the second Holy Shadow? And yet… 

Impossible… 

From now on, they could only struggle for the third Holy Shadow.

This was practically a bucket of cold water doused on their hearts.

“Congratulations,” the female master sighed, her voice lingering with an unspoken lonesomeness and distance. She deeply bowed. “Brilliant technique… and an incomparable formula… Mr. X, congratulations.”

“Congratulations! Mr. X.”

“I truly cannot imagine that a Holy Shadow actually appeared… Although I really can’t take this, but… Mr. X, today is your master stage. You… have seized total victory.”

While the four masters felt something different within them, they voiced their congratulations with extremely reluctant faces. No matter what, they couldn’t imagine that the cherished, long-vied-for second Holy Shadow would be taken by a never-heard-of master spirit-technician. It was only dozens of minutes ago… that this person was confirmed as a master.

“Thank you,” Xu Yangyi laughed.

He understood the group of four’s feelings.

It was like your grand slam in mahjong was cut off by someone. In this, there were sullen and gloomy feelings. How could an outsider understand?

“Yogg,” he said nonchalantly.

“Huh? Oh… yes! Yes! I sincerely serve you, sir! I am present!” Yogg was awakened by Xu Yangyi’s call, and he nearly jumped up. The exhilaration and excitement in his heart was virtually about to burst through his chest!

A Holy Shadow-ranked auction!

And this the auctioneer was him!

Down stage, Cethon was already on the verge of vomiting blood. He glared at Yogg like he wanted to him.

“N-Now…” Even if Yogg’s skills were better, he couldn’t help but stutter right now. He walked ahead, not daring to touch the jade box, and said shakily, “All honored guests, we a-ask His Highness X to explain what this is…”

“No need.” An indifferent voice burning with fire was heard. Pale Dragon crossed his fingers together and said with great caution, “500,000 middle-grade spirit stones.”

“No matter what’s inside, my House of Corvinus wants it.”

“800,000.” Bloody Moon turned his head and looked emotionlessly at his counterpart. In two months, perhaps this little item could ensure that a successor didn’t die. He absolutely couldn’t let it go.

“900,000.”

“Hehe…” Bloody Moon let out two barks of cold laughter. “The Corvinus is stingy. Increases by a hundred thousand?”

“Or are you too greedy? To play around with buying a Holy Shadow work? Don’t forget the work that made Mr. Donaldo famous sold for 3,400,000 middle-grade spirit stones in the end. And it was barely just five milliliters worth.”

He wordlessly glanced at Xu Yangyi’s room. “Could it be that our House of Dracul is already so beaten that we have no cultivation resources? How can one such as you cultivate a master spirit-technician?”

“A million.”

“It’s started…” No one spoke again. With heated gazes, they merely observed Bloody Moon and Pale Dragon.

In front of a Holy Shadow work, not even the quasi Grand Dukes had an opportunity to bid.

“Haha, the Dracul wants to beat back the Corvinus? You think of your bats too highly.” Pale Dragon didn’t feel the slightest fear. “The Corvinus’s several centuries of treasures form a mountain. I’m afraid you wouldn’t be able to waste it. 1,500,000.”

“2,000,000.”

“2,500,000.”

“3,000,000.”

The voice who called the 3,000,000 bid dazed the Throneless Grand Dukes. Afterwards, they both happened to look towards the bidder.

He was a young man.His essence wasn’t as wild and violent as theirs, but he was still a high Marquis. 

On his chest, however, was a crest of a spear and shield!

“The House of Tirathon?” Bloody Moon’s gaze slightly flickered, and he laughed, “So it was the friend from the House of Tirathon. I didn’t expect that you would also happen to come to this lively event.”

“It just so happens that we found out,” the young man said neither slowly nor swiftly, “Your families both have a master spirit-technician. How about allowing us to have the work this time? The House of Tirathon will remember this sentiment.”

“Hehehe…” Bloody Moon began to laugh hollowly, and then his gaze chilled. “Impossible.”

“A Holy Shadow work comes only once a century. If it were Holy Hymn or Holy Light, I could allow it, but absolutely not for Holy Shadow!”

“3,100,000!”