Ling Feng and the others looked up. Standing on the platform was a middle-aged man in black robes, his eyes sharp and penetrating, scanning the crowd like a hawk.

"I am!" White replied.

"You..." The man in black robes paused, then said, "You are... White? Is your Great Boss not here?"

"Our Great Boss did not come!" White had intended to utter some grand, imposing words, but for some reason, the faint pressure emanating from the man rendered him unable to speak. He could only answer truthfully.

"Oh, it is a pity that someone of such caliber is present at such a grand assembly!" the man in black robes commented. He paid White no further mind and announced loudly to the crowd below, "I represent my master, the Dark Deity, in establishing this Heaven-Piercing Platform to challenge Woma, the Pope of the followers of the God of Justice. We enter into a Divine Pact: if I win, this entire continent will fall under the rule of my Dark Deity. If Pope Woma wins, or if any one of you wins, I will compel these believers to immediately change their faith and make my God abandon this continent!"

Hearing this, the people below gasped in unison, finding it utterly unbelievable. The heretics clearly held the advantage; why would they propose such a contest? If they lost the match, was throwing away over a year of effort truly worth it?

Amidst the crowd, only White remained silent, his expression laced with unease. He kept scanning the surroundings, desperately hoping to spot the Great Boss’s figure.

The First Divine Emissary’s opening words were to seek out the Boss. It seems this competition is definitely connected to the Great Boss! Perhaps they will force the Great Boss to appear at the final moment! Fortunately... I made arrangements beforehand! White thought to himself.

The Legion in the valley must have nearly retreated by now. As soon as the contest here began, those people would immediately detonate the hidden [Gate of Nature] underground. That way, even if the enemy tried to use the Legion as leverage, they would have no opportunity.

In the moment White was lost in thought, Pope Woma had flown onto the high platform without anyone noticing. Although he appeared ancient, his movements and aura were in no way inferior to the First Divine Emissary opposite him.

"We can begin!" Pope Woma’s voice was filled with confidence.

The First Divine Emissary smiled. "We can!"

Their gazes locked, and a fierce fighting intent immediately surged between them.

Pope Woma knew that the opponent could borrow divine power, which would make him stronger, so he skipped any preliminary probing moves. He instantly crushed a Divine Power Crystal Bead, and a radiant aura erupted from him.

The Flame Dragon was a god who served under the God of Light. A large portion of the divine power crystal beads left behind by him carried the power of the God of Light—which was the direct counter to the Dark God’s power. Pope Woma recognized this opposing force and unleashed it without hesitation.

The immense, peerless power of the God of Light shone forth like a warm sun. Even those standing far from the platform felt a sense of comfort from this force.

However, the heretics felt a deep discomfort, as this power was diametrically opposed to the faith they held.

"Not bad!" the First Divine Emissary laughed. He shook his shoulders, and waves of black light immediately surged out, rolling over his body like dark tides—bizarre and unfathomable.

The crowd below became excited, seeing that the divine power emanating from Pope Woma clearly surpassed that of his opponent.

Philips, in particular, seemed invigorated, his face showing a smug expression.

"It looks like Pope Woma is evenly matched with him!" White commented, but when he finished speaking, he glanced at Ling Feng and saw her brows tightly furrowed.

"Is that not right?" White couldn't help but ask.

"Pope Woma has lost," Ling Feng stated calmly.

"What? But the match hasn't even started! And judging by the power fluctuations coming from them, Pope Woma seems to have the edge!" White refused to accept her judgment.

Ling Feng glanced at him before returning her gaze to the platform. "Precisely because the power radiating from Pope Woma is greater, we know he is certain to lose. When borrowing divine power for combat, the most crucial element is 100% control over that power. The First Divine Emissary's ability to completely internalize his divine power demonstrates a control far superior to Pope Woma’s!"

Borrowing divine power, in essence, meant using strength that was not inherently one's own. Superior precision in controlling power that didn't belong to you naturally meant a greater advantage over someone whose control was less refined.

Hearing this explanation, White’s view of Ling Feng shifted slightly. As expected of a Divine Emissary: she could grasp the gap between the two sides in an instant.

"Boom!"

On the Heaven-Piercing Platform, a violent explosion signaled the start of their battle.

Pope Woma seemed to realize the disparity between himself and his opponent. He abandoned all ornate techniques, resorting directly to using raw divine power to bombard his foe. If his control precision was lacking, he would rely on sheer, potent force.

The First Divine Emissary, however, effortlessly weaved left and right on the platform. An occasional punch he threw was difficult for Pope Woma to withstand.

The Heaven-Piercing Platform appeared to be imbued with some special reinforcing power, as Pope Woma's unrestrained, reckless bombardment of divine energy produced not a single crack.

White watched the fight onstage, stood up, surveyed the area for a moment, and his face suddenly changed. "This is bad!"

Ling Feng, standing close to him, saw his expression and asked, "What's wrong?"

"I kept wondering why the heretics went to such lengths for a contest... Now I finally understand!" Saying this, his face instantly turned ashen.

"What happened?"

White managed a wry smile. "Everything is ruined. The heretics have been feigning engagement with us. Look at the way they are clustered—three, four rings deep—at least seven or eight hundred thousand people!"

Seeing Ling Feng nod, he continued, "That was all a smokescreen! When they first arrived, they indeed moved all their forces here to give the impression of a massive assault. In reality, their troops have already been secretly redeployed!"

"Secretly redeployed? What do you mean?" Ling Feng asked.

White sighed, pointing to the surroundings. "Look at those few people—they are the Archbishops of the Eight Great Sees. Those others are six of the Patriarchs from the Ten Great Families... These individuals represent the most powerful forces on the entire continent! They are all gathered here now. If I guess correctly, the Eight Great Sees and the Divine Temple have already been occupied by the heretics!"

"What? The Divine Temple has been captured?" Ling Feng exclaimed in shock.

"Exactly! Otherwise, why would the First Divine Emissary stage such a grand display? The primary goal was to divert attention!" White shook his head.

"But their main forces are all here, and Pope Woma never received any intelligence about large-scale troop movements?" Ling Feng questioned.

"Heh, moving troops for them isn't so troublesome because... they have the [Gate of Nature]. All these tents are actually empty. At least 600,000 people have already been moved out!" White finished, his face filled with despair.

"But the [Gate of Nature] is supposed to be controlled only by the Church. How did they..." Ling Feng sounded confused.

"When the 'Sweep the Horizon' Legion was founded, the Great Boss and I purchased a [Gate of Nature] in Kéjiā City. Later, when the Great Boss was being tracked and hunted, his pursuers were heretics. According to the Great Boss himself, this item was auctioned off by the heretics, which clearly shows they have mastered the method for manufacturing the [Gate of Nature]!" White explained.

"As long as the Pope remains stationed in the Divine Temple, summoning divine power can create an immense defense. The heretics would suffer heavy casualties attempting an assault, and if the Ten Great Families joined forces to attack, they would surely be annihilated! Why would they fight the Church and allow the Ten Great Families to profit?

So, they abandoned the siege of the major Sees and the Divine Temple, staging this event to trap us in the valley, using the Divine Emissary as bait to lure all the elites of the Eight Great Sees here. Previously, they besieged every See for a considerable time, meaning they must have prepared pre-positioned [Gates of Nature] around the peripheries of the Sees! Thus, everyone on this continent believes their elite forces are all here, but in reality... they have already used the pre-arranged [Gates of Nature] to reach the vicinity of the Eight Great Sees!

Heh, we were all fooled by their illusion! The elites of the Eight Great Sees and the Ten Great Families are positioned outside their domains. Any direct assault would immediately reveal the deception, so they were clever: they executed a diversion—this competition! A ridiculous and arrogant contest designed to capture everyone’s attention, ensuring no one considered that the enemy was launching their true offensive at the very same moment!" By the time White finished speaking, he had laid out the heretics' entire conspiracy with perfect clarity.

"Clap, clap, clap..."

The sound of applause echoed. Two figures walked over with large strides. "Lord White is indeed someone personally praised by Marshal Maderella. But even if you analyzed it, what good does it do? The general situation is already settled!"

The Third Divine Emissary and the Fourth Divine Emissary strode forward arrogantly. The Third Divine Emissary, in particular, showed no signs of injury.

"Actually, you missed one thing," the Fourth Divine Emissary added with a smile. "My Master is truly interested in your Great Boss. Conquering the Sees is a small matter; trapping your Legion and forcing your Great Boss out is what we truly desire!"

"What is your objective in forcing Chen Feng out like this?" Ling Feng asked coldly.

"Objective? Others might not know, but Divine Emissary Ling Feng surely must!" the Third Divine Emissary said chillingly. "The Incarnation of the God of Justice... tell me, how could we not value that?"

Chen Feng had inherited the Flame Dragon’s bloodline, making him arguably the Incarnation of the God of Justice. But how did these heretics know about Chen Feng inheriting the Flame Dragon bloodline?

Hearing this, White froze on the spot, unable to believe his ears. Even after deducing the heretics’ conspiracy and learning of the Church's fall, he had never been as shocked by this piece of news.

"The Great Boss is... the Incarnation of the God of Justice... What in the world is going on?"

PS:: Chen Feng was supposed to appear today, ugh. No choice, he will make his grand entrance tomorrow... (To be continued. For the rest of the story, please visit www**, more chapters available, support the author, support genuine reading!)