Hearing the young man's demand to see their Pope the moment he spoke, and recalling his overwhelming strength, which rendered them completely powerless, the white-robed transcendent guessed Zhang Fan's identity.
A Chinese man in his twenties, possessing such immense power, and clearly not here for pleasantries β he could think of no one else besides China's Saint Master Zhang.
Recalling past grievances between Zhang Fan and their Holy See, he desperately wanted to rise and alert the Holy See's Saints to prepare for defense.
However, Zhang Fan had casually slapped him to the ground with a palm strike, leaving him severely injured and immobile. He could only watch helplessly as the Chinese man strode towards the sacred hall.
"Who dares cause trouble in my Holy See!"
Before Zhang Fan could even step into the hall, a deep voice boomed from within the magnificent structure. Immediately, Zhang Fan saw a robust figure emerge, bathed in silver-white light and emanating potent divine power.
"It's you!"
Oldington recognized Zhang Fan instantly, the Chinese man who had forced him to flee in disgrace on Paradise Island.
Since becoming a Cardinal of the Holy See, Oldington had never felt so humiliated. Even Saints would grant some respect to a Cardinal of their Holy See.
Therefore, after returning to the Holy See that time, he went into seclusion. After nearly two years of diligent cultivation, he had now officially entered the ranks of Saints and even mastered the Holy See's unique divine element secret art.
"Now that I have reached the Saint realm, I intended to find you to settle the score. I didn't expect you to come to my doorstep. You are seeking death," Oldington stated calmly, his eyes shining with a faint holy light as he stared at Zhang Fan.
"Seeking death?"
Zhang Fan gently shook his head. It seemed Oldington had truly been focused on his cultivation, unaware of certain events within the Holy See, which explained his misplaced confidence.
"Very well. Since your Pope dares not show himself, I will simply fight my way in. I doubt he can endure that," Zhang Fan said, stepping towards the hall.
"Cardinal Oldington, please quickly inform the Pope. You are no match for him." The white-robed transcendent lying on the ground, upon hearing Oldington's words, nearly fainted from shock.
"Such a trivial matter, why bother the Pope? I alone am enough to deal with him." Oldington was brimming with confidence. Ever since becoming a Saint, he had yearned for a battle with Zhang Fan, and today, his wish was finally granted.
Thus, he had no time for pleasantries with Zhang Fan. As he was about to attack, Zhang Fan casually waved his hand. An irresistible, overwhelming force swept towards him. He poured all his divine power to resist, only to find himself like a duckweed in the ocean, struggling even to maintain his footing.
The power within him felt as if it were bound.
*Boom!*
His massive frame appeared incredibly fragile, sent flying back and crashing into a colossal stone pillar within the hall. Blood sprayed from his mouth, and he was instantly incapacitated.
"He⦠he is a Divine Realm expert!"
At this moment, Oldington heard the words of the white-robed Saint in his ears, his eyes filled with uncontainable terror.
Zhang Fan hadn't taken Oldington seriously at all, hence he saw no need to waste words on him. After sweeping him aside, he proceeded into the hall.
Upon entering, Zhang Fan felt as if he had stepped into another world, a realm saturated with divine power. In this world, he felt his internal vital energy subtly suppressed, and his spiritual sense also constrained.
"Saint Master Zhang has traveled a great distance. We apologize for not greeting you sooner. We hope for your understanding!"
In the center of the hall stood a massive, pure white stone statue. The voice emanated from this sculpture.
"It seems you have condensed a true core and entered the Core Condensation realm," Zhang Fan observed, surveying the all-white space, resembling a small world of light.
He knew this was the divine domain cultivated by the Pope after entering the Core Condensation realm.
When cultivators break through to the Heavenly Human realm and develop spiritual sense, they can utilize it to control the forces of heaven and earth within a certain range.
Many Divine Realm experts consider this their own domain, a notion Zhang Fan found utterly laughable, as they had simply never witnessed a true domain.
Even this realm, filled with the elements of light that Zhang Fan found himself in, he considered at most a pseudo-domain.
A true domain, he explained, relied on the power of a cultivated Golden Core to encompass a vast expanse of heaven and earth. Only then could it be called a true domain.
Of course, even a pseudo-domain could greatly enhance a cultivator's strength within its confines. If an ordinary Divine Realm expert were to be within this pseudo-domain filled with divine light, their ability to harness the forces of heaven and earth would become extremely difficult, severely diminishing their combat effectiveness.
Just like Zhang Fan's gravity and repulsion domains, cultivated through the Ten Thousand Prisons Suppressing God Body, though also considered pseudo-domains, they gave him a significant advantage in combat at the Divine Realm level. Even facing an encirclement by multiple Divine Realm experts, he could handle it with ease.
"Saint Master Zhang shows no surprise, as if he had expected this." A middle-aged man clad in white robes emerged from the stone statue. He wore an incomparably compassionate smile, instilling a sense of closeness in those around him.
His gaze towards Zhang Fan was incredibly gentle, as if he were looking at his most cherished person, making one's heart feel like it was caressed by a feather, and their consciousness began to drift.
If Zhang Fan hadn't previously injured his spiritual clone, he might have almost believed it.
"Oldington, you may withdraw now." The white-robed Pope waved his hand, and a silver light emanated from his palm, descending upon Oldington.
Oldington was enveloped in the silver light. In less than ten seconds, he, who had been lying on the ground, utterly defeated by Zhang Fan, instantly regained his vitality.
Upon hearing the white-robed Pope's words, he nodded respectfully and quietly glanced at Zhang Fan before retreating.
He understood that a divine battle was likely to erupt, and his presence would only be a hindrance, serving no purpose and only making it difficult for the Pope.
Zhang Fan watched Oldington retreat from the hall without intervening.
This was because, in Zhang Fan's eyes, Oldington was merely a slightly stronger grasshopper. If he had wished, he could have easily killed Oldington in those few seconds.
"Let's dispense with the pleasantries. Even if I hadn't come looking for you, you probably wouldn't have lasted much longer," Zhang Fan scoffed and said, "Since that's the case, I've come to you directly, so you don't have to go through the trouble."
With that, Zhang Fan made the first move.
...