Filps (a character from the boxed lunch story, appearing in Chapter 3199, a cardinal to the Woma Pope) saw Xiao Hu and Ling Feng and immediately bowed, showing surprise on his face: “Your Holinesses, weren’t you trapped in the valley?”
“Where is the Woma Pope?” Xiao Hu ignored his question and asked.
“The Pope is preparing for the contest before the Tongtian Platform,” Filps quickly replied, a wave of anxiety washing over him. Would asking about something His Holinesses did not wish to disclose anger him? He stole a glance at Xiao Hu, seeing his expression was unchanged, and only then did he relax.
“That old fossil, can he still fight someone?” Xiao Hu asked.
“Old fossil…” Wyatt and Filps both rolled their eyes. Did one actually speak of the Pope like that?
“Your Holiness, to save the two of you, the Pope has brought all the Divine Power Crystal Beans contained in the God Descent Pool!” Filps stated. “If the Pope borrows divine power, the opponent definitely won’t stand a chance!”
“Borrow divine power!” Their eyes lit up simultaneously. That was right, the Pope surely had a special method to utilize divine power. Relying on the strength of the gods, perhaps even the First Divine Envoy would not win so easily!
“Mhm, let’s go, I want to see him!” Ling Feng said.
“This…” Filps’ face showed hesitation.
“What is it?” Ling Feng asked.
“The Pope just said he needs to go into seclusion for some quiet time and requested not to be disturbed,” Filps said hesitantly.
After all, this battle concerned the future of the entire court. The pressure was immense. It was understandable not wanting to see anyone before the contest.
“Just thinking about that old man getting into a fight makes me want to laugh. It’s fine, let’s go check on him!” Xiao Hu, being carefree, readily agreed. He grabbed Filps’ arm and told him to lead the way.
Filps knew the nature of this Divine Envoy and could only shake his head helplessly before walking ahead.
………………………………………………
The Woma Pope had truly spared no expense this time.
He had brought every single Divine Power Crystal Bean left behind by the God of Justice in the temple. However, the God of Justice had vanished ten thousand years ago, leaving only fifteen Crystal Beans in total!
The power provided by the gods to the Envoys and the Popes always came in the form of Crystal Beans. But Divine Power Crystal Beans were far removed from pure divine power; they were merely a special condensed form of it. Otherwise, with divine power being so immense, how could ordinary people possibly withstand and utilize it?
Looking at the spatial ornament in his hand, the Woma Pope let out a bitter smile.
The heretics directly had a god looking over them, able to bring out hundreds upon hundreds of Divine Power Crystal Beans, while he only had fifteen. This was fundamentally an unfair fight. However, this battle had to happen sooner or later. If the two Divine Envoys were harmed by the heretics, the hearts of the entire Church would surely waver, and then, with the wall falling, everyone would push, leading to an even more complete defeat!
It was better to take this chance to fight the heretics. After all, the God’s Covenant constrained them, and the opponent would not dare to play tricks!
The Woma Pope’s attitude was to treat a dying horse as if it still had a chance. If the fight proceeded under the current circumstances, the Church would certainly not match the heretics. It was better to gamble now!
“It seems… I can only rely on this!” The Woma Pope sighed and flipped his wrist, causing a strange object to appear in his hand. As soon as this object emerged, a powerful energy fluctuation poured out.
The Woma Pope looked at the pile of golden, liquid droplets shimmering like flowing water in his hand, his gaze beginning to sharpen.
Only Popes of successive generations were qualified to know of this item, which had always been kept in the most hidden corner of the temple. Looking at it, the Woma Pope recalled the words spoken by the previous Pope when passing on the mantle.
“This object is pure divine power left behind by the God of Justice back in the day, but its might is simply too overwhelming. Even a Pope cannot withstand such immense power. The Seventh, Thirteenth, and Twenty-fourth generation Popes all exploded and died because they ignored the advice and tried to harness this divine power! But legend holds that if someone can absorb it, they will possess the power and might of a god for a short period of time, making their power infinite! Therefore, unless the time comes when the Church faces annihilation, never take this out to use, otherwise, you will only bring about your own demise!”
That sentence was carved into his mind; not a single word had been forgotten, even after seventy years.
“This surely counts as a moment of peril for the Church, right? Almighty God of Justice, please protect me today from exploding and save the Church!” the Woma Pope prayed inwardly as he spoke.
He had served as Pope for nearly seventy years, diligently avoiding any major mistakes. Now, as his term neared its end, such a thing occurred.
The heretics were rampant, and the entire Church was in chaos—something that hadn't happened in ten thousand years!
Was he simply unlucky, or was his luck so good that he happened to coincide with this moment?
Alas! This must be fate!
Dong! Dong!
Just then, a series of footsteps sounded not far away. The Woma Pope frowned and quickly placed the golden divine power back into his spatial artifact, a flicker of displeasure rising in his heart: “Didn’t I say I was about to compete? Don’t bother me!”
“Your Holiness the Pope, it is…” Filps bowed anxiously.
“Get out, what did I just tell you?” the Woma Pope said coldly, his back turned to Filps, speaking angrily.
If Filps hadn't been his most loyal Cardinal, he might have been struck away with a single palm! After all, the drop of golden divine power he had held concerned the core secret of the temple; no one besides the Pope was allowed to know of it!
Furthermore, if the heretics discovered it, they would be prepared, and achieving victory through surprise would not be so easy!
“But…”
“No buts, get out!” the Pope commanded sternly.
“Oh, old man, you certainly have airs!” Xiao Hu strode in.
“Your Holiness the Divine Envoy…” The Woma Pope was stunned and quickly turned around. “You... weren't you trapped in the valley?”
Xiao Hu waved his hand dismissively and said casually, “We heard you were going to contest the First Divine Envoy of the heretics, so we specially came to deliver a divine decree to you!”
Xiao Hu had spent some time with the Woma Pope and knew his character well. Whenever the words “divine decree” were mentioned in front of him, he would tremble all over and obey without question. Many delicious foods and drinks had been tricked out of him this way. Seeing this, he immediately started speaking nonsense again.
As expected, upon hearing that a “divine decree” was being delivered, the Woma Pope immediately fell to his knees: “I am the most pious believer of my Lord, the 53rd Pope Woma. I shall unconditionally comply with any instruction from my God!”
Xiao Hu inwardly chuckled, straightened his face, and put on a solemn expression: “My God’s divine decree is for you to win this contest, and um, incidentally, blow that so-called First Divine Envoy’s head off!”
“I humbly obey the divine decree’s teaching!” The Woma Pope wiped the cold sweat from his brow, but he mumbled inwardly: Why are the divine decrees always so strange? Last time, he told me to prepare a grand feast, and this time, before the contest even starts, he tells me to blow the opponent’s head off...
Of course, he also considered whether the Divine Envoy was forging the decree, but the thought flashed through his mind and he instantly scared himself—could a Divine Envoy forge a decree? That was impossible!
However, if he knew that Xiao Hu and Ling Feng were actually two counterfeit goods, faked “Divine Envoys,” he would probably want to die immediately.
If those who came out of the God Descent Pool were fake, then... were there any real ones?
While the Woma Pope was offering thanks in his heart, his face suddenly showed excitement, and his body trembled with fervor as his confidence returned.
“The divine decree demands I blow the head off the heretic’s First Divine Envoy. Does this mean… my God is about to descend? Or does He want me to establish authority over those who disrespect His existence? No matter which it is, I will win the contest today!” The more he thought about it, the happier he became. It seemed the deity had not abandoned him...
If Xiao Hu knew that a single, casually spoken sentence of his had led the Pope to this conclusion, he would probably be laughing so hard his teeth would fall out.
After the Woma Pope “understood,” all his previous worries vanished. He quickly beckoned Xiao Hu and Ling Feng to sit down.
“This is… General Wyatt!” The Woma Pope exclaimed when he saw Wyatt.
Wyatt smiled wryly: “I didn’t expect Your Holiness the Pope could still remember a small figure like me after nearly twenty years!”
“Small figure? Back then, General Wyatt’s commanding ability was astonishingly brilliant; even I was greatly impressed!” the Woma Pope said.
“Impressed?” Wyatt showed a trace of mockery on his face. “Impressed enough to issue the highest wanted order across the Eight Great Churches?”
The Woma Pope sighed: “Alas, back then, you opposed the existence of our God, and naturally, you had to accept the divine punishment!”
Hearing such a serious accusation leveled against him, Wyatt snorted coldly and fell silent.
The Woma Pope seemed to have realized something and said, “Since you are here, I understand now too. That [Sweeping the Horizon] legion must have been created by you as well! I’ve always wondered who could cultivate such a force silently. I should have realized it was you all along!”
“Me? I don’t have that much capability. I am still working for someone. I serve our Big Boss!” Wyatt replied.
“Oh? You work for someone else?” The Woma Pope showed surprise again.
“Oh, what’s wrong? He works for my Boss!” Xiao Hu interjected from the side.
Hearing the Divine Envoy speak, the Woma Pope stopped inquiring. He didn’t know who the Divine Envoy’s “Boss” was, but it must also be a Divine Envoy, just like the heretics’ First Divine Envoy and Second Divine Envoy. There must be a ranking among the Divine Envoys. As for where the two Divine Envoys currently present stood in that ranking, he truly did not have the standing to ask.
Working for a Divine Envoy—naturally, he dared not pry further.
Clang...
Just then, a light sound came from outside—it was time for the contest!
ps: A new day, recommend this book with tickets, monthly passes... (To be continued, please log in to m for more chapters, support the author, and support genuine reading!)