Chapter 989: God War

A god-slayer, who had once slain two deities in the ancient past, walked step by step from the ends of the earth. His body seemed to merge with the void, in harmony with the Great Dao.

He carried a dragon spear in one hand. Before he even arrived, a bone-chilling killing intent surged forth, making all beings tremble, as if facing a deity from ancient times.

Everyone was horrified. Was what the Pope said true? Ancient families, in particular, were even more terrified. If he dared to kill gods, then what exactly did the Vatican revere?

He was drawing closer, approaching from the horizon. Sometimes a person's aura alone is enough to tell everything; he seemed to have merged with the Dao, standing there like an immortal monument.

Both the Holy See and the many arriving factions, large numbers of people trembled in awe, wanting to prostrate themselves.

The man appeared to be over fifty years old. His long golden hair was still thick but somewhat dull. His skin was fair, like white jade, and his features were sharp and well-defined, as if carved by a knife.

Just by looking, one couldn't discern his true age; only through his eyes could some clues be seen. His eyes were like the ocean, deep and ancient.

This was clearly not a person of the current era. He had obviously lived for an immensely long time. No one could say how long, and even within the Vatican, few knew.

He was the foremost powerhouse under the entire Western starry sky!

Ye Fan's gaze sharpened. This was indeed a powerful person who had existed for an extremely long time. He must have survived from ancient times, not having chosen to leave this world.

As a Dao Slasher, his true strength was difficult to describe, but in short, he must be very powerful—more terrifying than the deities he had slain, possessing sufficient deterrent power.

Since ancient times, he was the sole Divine Knight of the Western Lands!

He was a person so powerful that merely seeing him would make one tremble. He possessed unparalleled combat prowess, and powerful individuals from all races truly revered him upon sight.

“The First Under the Starry Sky!”“Heaven's Might!”“The Foremost Powerhouse Under the Entire Starry Sky!”

People cried out; all the great families who had come to aid the Vatican were shouting, their voices rising and falling like ocean waves, deafening.

This was a formidable aura. When a person stood there and already exuded an invincible presence, it was enough to demonstrate their terrifying nature, capable of revealing the immense power of heaven and earth!

The Divine Knight merged with the Dao, inherently close to it. His figure was both real and illusory, indistinct, surprisingly giving off the Eastern sensation of the unity of heaven and humanity.

The Dao knows no geographical boundaries, and powerful individuals possess similar enlightenment. This person's spiritual level was very high; his cultivation had reached a transcendent and extraordinary realm.

Whoosh...

He suddenly launched his attack, moving with extreme speed. In the blink of an eye, he was beside Ye Fan from the other side of the land. His dragon spear thrust forward, emitting a dragon's roar that shook the nine heavens, accompanied by the resonance of the Dao.

Ye Fan's left hand, with fingers pressed together like a knife, horizontally cut at the dragon spear. At the same time, his right hand clenched into a fist, and his golden divine fist smashed towards the man's head like a tempest and thunder.

Clang!

The dragon spear vibrated, squarely meeting Ye Fan's palm-knife strike. At the same time, it spun and blocked his golden fist, shining with ten thousand feet of light and emitting a sound like crashing waves.

Ye Fan was astonished, never having imagined encountering such a person on Earth. He could engage him in close combat; his physical body's strength surpassed all imagination!

Could this person be a descendant of an ancient Saint Empress? He was truly surprised; this person far surpassed other Dao Slashers. Contending at such close range, he could certainly use his dragon spear to kill other kings.

The two transformed into streaks of lightning. Their palms, fingers, and the dragon spear clashed, emitting resounding metallic clangs, making one's ear bones and heart feel as if they would split, unbearable to witness.

Boom!

With a final great crash, the two separated. The surrounding mountains rumbled; although they bore ancient Dao markings, small cracks still appeared. Everyone watching turned pale.

Whoosh!

The Pope raised a hand, shifting fifty mountains into place. Representing the number of the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth, these were ancient divine peaks, imbued with the laws of ancient sages, enclosing the battlefield to prevent damage to the outside world, such as the destruction of temples and other sacred sites.

“The demon's reputation from the Central Lands is well-deserved; this time, the trouble is truly immense,” muttered an old man beside the Pope.

“Indeed, even the strongest under the starry sky couldn't immediately suppress him. Especially in physical clashes, he didn't gain the upper hand and was even somewhat outmatched – this is truly shocking.”

“The sinner who bathed in divine blood, his physical body should have been invincible. How could he have met someone who was his equal?”

A group of elders grew suspicious, feeling chills throughout their bodies. It was the first time they had seen someone capable of standing as an equal to the strongest under the starry sky using only their physical body.

Outsiders didn't know, but a few prominent figures within the Vatican were deeply aware of the Divine Knight's origin, which was full of legendary tales. Although he had slain deities and cut down invading ancient demons, his merits and demerits were considered equal.

Legend has it that long before ancient times, the Vatican was a sacred land of gods. It was the most renowned grotto-heaven in the West, preserving a jar of ancient divine blood.

Generations of past sages meticulously refined it, purging anything that could harm the human body. Then, they added countless spiritual herbs, mixing them into the divine blood, and continuously brewed it for an unknown number of years, transforming it into a supreme divine and sacred medicinal treasure, left for future generations.

The Divine Knight, from a young age, possessed extraordinary talent, a prodigy who stood above the masses. He was groomed as a divine son, his aptitude hailed as the greatest in the Western Lands for tens of thousands of years! However, he was exceedingly mischievous, often playing pranks in the sacred temple. Once, he accidentally knocked over the Holy Grail, whose seal had just been opened.

During that incident, he caused immense disaster. Yet, he bathed in the divine blood, his body absorbing all the precious medicine, reaching the pinnacle of perfection and becoming invulnerable.

The Vatican was shaken; all the prominent figures were both shocked and enraged. But there was nothing they could do; the divine blood was gone, having perfected this mischievous prodigy.

Thereafter, he was condemned as a sinner, confined to arduous cultivation every day. Forever in darkness, receiving no glory, only silently guarding the Vatican.

An ancient sage of antiquity had branded him, condemning him as a sinner. Thus, he could not gain power from faith; from ancient times until now, he had relied solely on himself, breaking through to this realm step by step.

Therefore, although he was merely a Dao Slasher, far from becoming a perfected king, he was still quite terrifying, powerful to the extreme, as this was, after all, the Age of Dharma Decline, and his cultivation was achieved purely through his own strength.

Cultivating silently from ancient times until today, as the spiritual essence of heaven and earth gradually withered, he painstakingly underwent Dao Slaying. He was the only one to brave the heavenly tribulation hundreds of years ago when the world began to become stagnant. Afterward, his cultivation didn't advance much, but his comprehension of the Dao was incredibly solid, unfathomable to ordinary people, and immensely powerful.

“Sinner who bathed in divine blood, the most powerful Divine Knight of the Vatican, the strongest under the Western starry sky, pierce your enemy with the dragon spear in your hand, and wash away your sins with his blood,” the Pope said softly.

The Divine Knight's expression was serene and silent, showing no emotion. He stood in the distance, holding his spear with one hand. His first attack had merely been a probing strike, and his opponent's strength surpassed his expectations.

“The Dao has wounded my body; my life is not long. I will fight one last battle before my tranquil demise!”

Finally, he spoke. To have lived from ancient times until now, cultivating without relying on the power of faith, and achieving such profound Dao comprehension, was truly difficult—a miracle.

But time was merciless; he was nearing his end. The world was withered, and Dao Slaying had wounded him; even if granted the power of faith, it could not prolong his life.

Buzz!

The void trembled; the dragon spear in his hand pierced through heaven and earth. The sky ripped open, and winds and clouds surged. He charged forward like a celestial deity, thrusting towards Ye Fan's chest.

This dragon spear was extraordinary; no one knew from what era it was left or who had forged it. It lacked the world-destroying might of a sacred artifact, yet possessed an immortal divinity; no one had ever been able to shatter it.

The dragon spear had initially been dull and lusterless, but when activated by the Divine Knight, it seemed to gain life, transforming into a sky-piercing divine spear, its sharpness fully revealed, piercing the firmament.

Even Ye Fan was moved; for such a person, such a Divine Knight, to have survived until now was truly an anomaly. He surpassed powerful deities and was indeed a formidable opponent. He formed a hand seal with his left hand and clenched his fist with his right, engaging in a great battle with this man; it was the first time he had fought so seriously and solemnly since returning to this side of the starry sky.

“The Heavenly Stellar Divine Dance! He actually cultivated to that legendary realm!” Many elders in the Vatican exclaimed in astonishment, unable to help but speak with trembling voices.

The Divine Knight's power was immeasurable even to them. Now, they only saw a dragon spear tearing through the void, and after it shattered heaven and earth, a divine being appeared at the spear's tip, dancing with the blazing spear gleams!

Ye Fan blocked the dragon spear with his left hand and attacked the divine being with his right fist, their fierce battle ceaseless. Their combined offensive power was devastating. The mundane mountains below were pulverized into dust with their first strike; one could imagine the immense strength of their attacks.

And the fifty divine mountains of the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth, inscribed with the patterns of ancient sages, now rumbled as well, all lighting up and emitting the chanting sounds of ancient sages.

These were the voices of ancient saints; the Dao markings they left sensed the immense power of the two, radiating brilliance and manifesting myriad anomalies. In the sky, there were statues of war gods, shadows of light gods, and thunder god cones, all connected, creating an indescribably astonishing sight—a true miracle.

Bang!

Ye Fan fought fiercely against the Divine Knight, who had reached his current level through his own efforts in this Age of Dharma Decline. Both fought like madmen, their blood energy surging to the heavens. From the crown of each man's head, a pillar of blood soared skyward, piercing through the celestial river, utterly terrifying.

With every movement, mountains and rivers shattered. With their current might, if they fought in mortal lands, nothing would remain. With a single roar, mountains and rivers would crumble.

Roar...

With a prolonged roar, the two forcibly broke out through the gaps between the fifty sacred mountains. A terrifying aura erupted, almost tearing open the ancient formation that separated the Vatican from the outside world!

Puff!

Many coughed up large mouthfuls of blood. Many others who weren't far enough away instantly disintegrated, turning into a mist of blood. Hundreds of people died tragically as a result.

This was a terrifying scene. A single roar caused even contemporary masters to collapse, turning into bloody pulp. How could anyone contend with these two?

The Pope's expression changed; he quickly used great magical power, shifting another fifty sacred mountains, representing the number of heaven and earth, to seal off the battlefield and prevent the entire area from being destroyed. Yet even so, it was somewhat late; at least dozens of magnificent holy temples collapsed, and a section of mountains turned to dust, becoming a desolate wasteland and ashes of tribulation from a single strike of the dragon spear!

And Ye Fan's punch sank dozens of large lakes and a vast stretch of ancestral mountains, turning them into a barren land, completely erased from the face of the earth.

The two battled, transforming into two bolts of lightning. Every strike was devastating, powerful enough to swallow mountains and rivers. This was a duel between peerless powerhouses, akin to a war of gods.

Everyone was dazzled and mesmerized; such a battle had not occurred for thousands of years and was unique in the world. For everyone, this was a duel of deities. Because both men had slain deities, they were the most powerful beings in the world today—it was a super-divine battle!

On Earth, encountering such a worthy opponent, Ye Fan did not use the black arrow. He had made significant gains recently and wished to test them, so he fought purely with his true Dao cultivation.

Boom!

Suddenly, leaden clouds descended from the sky, making it gloomy. A snow-white, crystalline giant hand slapped towards Ye Fan, terrifyingly vast like an ocean. The Pope, who had been observing from the holy mountain like a god, finally made his move.

At the same time, two powerful forbidden spell scrolls unfurled, enveloping Ye Fan. Two withered old men on the holy mountain made their move, activating forbidden spells, equivalent to a demi-saint's attack.

At this moment, the Divine Knight made a move no one had anticipated. Holding the dragon spear in one hand, he struck towards the sky!

Bang!

He instantly pierced and shattered the firmament. The dragon spear shot straight up, resisting the snow-white, crystalline giant hand and blocking the Pope above.

“As a man nearing his end, I seek only one final, fair battle with a clear conscience!”

The Divine Knight, resolute and unyielding, said this, completely disregarding the Pope's intentions. He pointed his dragon spear skyward, holding back the Pope's giant hand.

Boom!

On the other side, Ye Fan struck with heavy force, unleashing the "Soldier" Secret Art to its utmost. Standing at a peak, he reversed the two scrolls, obliterating the two profound Saint Mages and leveling a stretch of mountains and land!