# 1224
Chapter 1225: Bifute
Lin Qiye's eyes sharpened as his figure turned into a sliver of night, flickering through space as he retreated at maximum speed!
Almost the instant he moved, Number 22 raised the [Royal Scepter] in his hand and struck the earth once more.
Clang—!
Golden ripples rapidly expanded outward, spreading in all directions, closing in on that sliver of retreating darkness.
Lin Qiye was well aware of the power of that [Royal Scepter]. Once caught in the golden ripples, his spirit would be forcibly commandeered, giving Number 22 double the spiritual power while also wielding both the [Royal Scepter] and the [Holy Grail]. As an ordinary human, Lin Qiye would have virtually no chance of victory.
Fortunately, Lin Qiye had acted in time, and combined with the sufficient range of [Night Flicker], he barely escaped the requisition range of the [Royal Scepter], landing on the ruins over a kilometer away.
Seeing that Lin Qiye had actually dodged this attack, a trace of astonishment appeared in Number 22's eyes. He had wanted to directly command the power of the [Holy Grail] to make a wish, but after hesitation, he abandoned the idea.
His figure flickered and he charged after Lin Qiye at full speed.
Two streaks of light consecutively swept across the sky above Wu City, beginning a heart-pounding chase.
Regarding speed, if Lin Qiye were to use the [Somersault Cloud], he could shake off Number 22 in seconds, but the moment he did so, the pair of boots, the silver bird, and the spear would immediately give chase.
Number 22 had the [Royal Scepter] in hand, so he wasn't afraid of these three divine artifacts pursuing him, but if Lin Qiye were caught, he would only find himself surrounded.
Lin Qiye pushed [Night Flicker] to its absolute limit while looking back at the pursuing Number 22, his mind racing.
As he had predicted, although Number 22 held both the [Royal Scepter] and the [Holy Grail]—two "Supreme" divine artifacts—the former required a certain casting range while the latter required life as a sacrifice. Unless absolutely necessary, Number 22 probably wouldn't舍得 use the [Holy Grail] to make a wish. As long as Lin Qiye maintained a certain distance, the threat Number 22 could pose was actually quite limited.
Lin Qiye's feet连续踏出，一道道魔法光辉从大地绽放，几道身影被召唤出，悬浮在他的身后。
A Yuri伸出手一挥，无数冰晶自虚无中凝结，化作一场铺天盖地的暴风雪剑，向着后方追来的Number 22涌去。
Number 22 frowned, his figure twisting rapidly as he nimbly穿梭在漫天冰剑中，看着远处漂浮的几个身影，不解的开口：
"Is this summoning? Didn't he only proxy the Goddess of Night and the Seraph? How does he actually know magic…"
Just as Number 22 was疑惑之际，一个若隐若现的女人声音，幽幽飘入他的耳朵：
"Pen Fairy, Pen Fairy, you are my past life, I am your present…"
Hearing this voice, the ice swords embedded in the ground simultaneously stood upright, like pen shafts gripped by invisible hands, rapidly sketching concentric circles in the sand.
As the circles connected end to end, a woman in a blood-stained white dress materialized beside Number 22 like a ghost. Her pallid palm shot forward like lightning, directly grabbing for the King's [Royal Scepter] in his hand!
"What the hell is this thing?"
Number 22's eyes narrowed. He instinctively stepped backward half a pace, and two ice swords grazed his skin, leaving a blood mark on his shoulder and knee respectively.
Disregarding his injuries, he fiercely raised the [Holy Grail] in his hand:
"I wish, evil spirits depart!"
As the words fell, a glimmer flashed across the surface of the [Holy Grail]. Both the Yuki Onna and Pen Fairy shuddered simultaneously, flying backward like kites with cut strings.
Two streaks of magical light flickered as their forms were sent back into the Asylum of the Gods.
Lin Qiye's eyes narrowed slightly.
The joint assault from the Yuki Onna and Pen Fairy had not succeeded, but that was fine—they had at least forced Number 22 to use one of his wishes.
There was no life on this desert to replenish energy. If this continued, the [Holy Grail]'s energy would eventually be exhausted, rendering this "Supreme" divine artifact completely useless.
Just as Lin Qiye was about to take action, a third streak of light rapidly swept across the horizon, hurrying toward this location!
He and Number 22 both froze, turning their heads to look in that direction.
A white-hot fireball plummeted from the sky and crashed heavily onto the Vast Desert, stirring up frenzied sands. A figure holding a longsword slowly emerged from the white-hot divine light.
Lin Qiye found the man's face somewhat unfamiliar, but he wore a black cloak covered with sword marks. Under the wide brim, the number "38" could be vaguely seen.
Was this the one who had escaped from the old city lord among the group that had invaded Wu City?
Lin Qiye immediately recalled that person's identity.
On the central plaza of Wu City, only this Number 38 had not been controlled by the [Royal Scepter]. Without spiritual power, he had still escaped the old city lord's pursuit.
"【Ten Prelates】Second Seat, Bifute?!" Number 22 was even more shocked than Lin Qiye at the sight of this person. "You're actually still alive?"
Bifute's gaze fell upon the [Royal Scepter] in Number 22's palm, his eyes narrowing slightly.
"I was planning to come back and kill that old man. It seems there's no longer any need for that…"
"The King's [Treasure Sword]…" Number 22 also noticed the longsword in Bifute's hand, light flickering in his gaze. "It seems your fortunes haven't been bad either."
Bifute said nothing. He merely silently glanced at Lin Qiye with a puzzled expression.
"Who are you?"
"He's Number 33, Maires, also the dual-god proxy we've been searching for… Lin Qiye." Number 22 spoke in an enticing tone. "Bifute, what do you say—you and I join forces to capture this Great Xia dual-god proxy first? We split the secrets we obtain afterward, how about that?"
"Dual-god proxy?" Bifute raised an eyebrow, his gaze toward Lin Qiye now full of curiosity.
Lin Qiye's heart tensed.
Though he didn't know what Bifute's exact origins were, if Lin Qiye had to guess, he was one of the two monsters among the 【Ten Prelates】that Pacas had mentioned. Having been able to escape under the power of the [Royal Scepter], his own strength was by no means simple.
Moreover, he had a King's [Treasure Sword] in hand—one capable of slaying gods!
If Bifute truly allied with Number 22, things would go badly.
Lin Qiye took a deep breath and said to Bifute: "The [Holy Grail] in his hand can erase the god's mark within your body. Let's join forces and kill him. The [Holy Grail] goes to you, the [Royal Scepter] to me."
"God's mark?" Bifute shook his head. "That thing, I've already cut out myself."
He pulled down his collar, exposing a gory wound on the left side of his grotesque stitched torso. From the wound's appearance, it had clearly been cut open with the King's [Treasure Sword].
Deep within the left chest cavity, a shattered heart lay split open, completely lifeless.
And on his right chest, a divine heart like a white-hot sun was beating slowly and resolutely!