Chapter 992: From Hell to Heaven

Ye Fan ascended step by step, calmly confronting the Pope. There was no doubt that this was an incredibly formidable adversary.

The majestic holy mountain bore the indelible marks of time, with fragrant orchids adorning its cliff faces. Within the grand halls, angels sang hymns, circling the ancient gates. Tier upon tier of stone steps ascended, making everything above appear impossibly high and unreachable.

The Pope and a group of elders stood before the magnificent divine palace, a colossal holy cross suspended above them, radiating sanctity and majesty. The Pope himself exuded an aura as vast and profound as the boundless ocean.

"Do we need to fight beyond this realm, or perhaps activate an ancient array platform to create a designated battlefield? Otherwise, our divine land will be imperiled," a high-ranking cleric inquired of the Pope.

At their current cultivation level, Ye Fan and his opponents could shatter mountains with a roar or move them to fill seas without effort. An unbridled duel would undoubtedly lead to catastrophic consequences.

Boom!

The Pope pointed one finger to the sky and another to the earth, instantly cleaving the heavens and earth apart. All the holy mountains shifted to either side, the ground rumbled, and a vast, desolate ancient land emerged.

People trembled. While they knew the Pope possessed supreme divine powers, witnessing such a heaven-shattering display still filled them with profound shock and awe.

Ye Fan stepped directly into this ancient training ground. The vast expanse stretched endlessly, a boundless red wasteland where not a single blade of grass grew.

Bathed in divine radiance, the Pope descended from the magnificent holy mountain, resembling an ancient god capable of seizing stars and moons. With every step he took, the very earth trembled.

Despite his age, his skin was as crystalline as jade, and his golden hair thick and lustrous. Wearing a monarch's crown, he exuded immense majesty, his presence pressing down like a colossal mountain. Many felt on the verge of suffocating, and numerous individuals instinctively knelt, compelled to prostrate themselves in worship.

"You have turned your back on the gods, embraced darkness, and shall atone only with your blood," the Pope declared. At that very instant, he made his move, and the great battle erupted.

Boom!

He pressed firmly in the void, conjuring a colossal, crystalline hand, forged entirely from the power of faith and wielded by him. It descended like an overwhelming tide, blotting out almost the entire sky and pressing down upon the earth below.

Everyone was horrified. Such was the Pope's power! With an attack of this magnitude, who in the Western Lands could possibly resist? He could obliterate any family entirely. Who, then, truly was the strongest under the starry sky?

Such methods were most effective against heretics, harnessing the collective will of all beings for his own use. By embodying myriad spells, he transformed into a true god, obliterating foes with unparalleled divine might.

Ye Fan did not retreat. He too conjured a colossal golden hand, striking with the Sky-Overturning Seal, intent on overturning the very firmament and single-handedly subverting the cosmos.

Clang!

The two clashed, unleashing a sound like an ancient Daoist resonance. Everyone's eardrums throbbed with unbearable pain; many bled from their orifices, collapsing dead onto the ground.

People were horrified. The Pope had created this ancient training ground, turning it into a battleground precisely to contain their immense power, yet the resulting terror spoke volumes about the extraordinary might of both combatants.

"Chains of divine order, bind this sinner, consign him to the gallows for final judgment," the Pope chanted an ancient incantation.

Whoosh!

Streaks of blinding lightning flashed across the firmament, condensing into divine chains that hurtled towards the earth. They resembled dozens, even hundreds, of comets, each trailing a dazzling, brilliant tail of light.

The great Dao of heaven and earth rumbled, and immense Daoist waves propagated outwards. The sun, moon, stars, mountains, and earth were all enveloped and submerged by a boundless, grand, and majestic aura.

The divine chains of order, transformed into lightning, coiled around, seeking to bind Ye Fan and sever him inch by inch. This was an ancient divine art, requiring boundless magical power to unleash.

Clang!

A golden radiance flashed from Ye Fan's brow. An inch-long golden immortal sword emerged, radiating immortal divine light, and cleaved downwards, striking at the divine chains of order.

This was the Primal Emperor Dao Sword!

Inspired by his battle with Yuangu years ago, Ye Fan had painstakingly imitated it using the Battle Saint Method. After numerous evolutions, it had finally taken shape, capable of cleaving through all things and devastating everything in its path.

Clang!

A piercing clang erupted as the Primal Emperor Dao Sword severed the divine chains of order, rendering the Pope's formidable killing art utterly ineffectual.

Moreover, the inch-long golden sword vibrated with earth-shattering brilliance, emitting dazzling immortal light, and instantly shot towards the Pope's glabella, aiming to cleave him in two.

Clash!

Blinding divine radiance erupted from the Pope's eyes. Both his left and right pupils contained vivid, destructive visions of collapsing star domains, which manifested to block the imitated Primal Emperor Dao Sword. The two collided and annihilated each other in a flash, releasing an infinite burst of light that, like a tsunami, engulfed everything visible to onlookers.

"He's a Divine Incantator!"

Everyone was astonished, finally comprehending the source of the Pope's immense power. Ancient texts recorded that certain individuals possessed innate spiritual connection, born integrated with Dao marks, allowing them to instantly unleash various cosmic laws.

In the West, numerous ancient incantations existed. Such individuals were undoubtedly heaven's favored, their very words becoming law, their utterances rules. Every speech and action was an incantation, granting them boundless divine might.

While the Divine Knight's talent might be unparalleled in tens of thousands of years, the Pope was no less formidable. As a Divine Incantator, he was even more terrifying, having cultivated continuously by drawing upon an inexhaustible supply of faith power.

"The boundless ocean, how can mere ants comprehend it? Sever the cosmos!"

The Pope roared. With that single declaration, the nine heavens and ten earths stirred. Gale-force winds, sharp as blades, howled across the world. Everywhere was enveloped in blinding white light, with endless Dao traces permeating every inch of space, and elemental blades cleaving through all.

Ye Fan frowned. The Pope was indeed formidable, his indiscriminate attacks akin to those of a divine emissary under the starry sky, wielding boundless and invincible magical power.

At this moment, even Ye Fan had to exercise caution. With a mighty roar of 'Om', his golden blood essence shook the very heavens. This true mantra dispersed, shattering the myriad blade lights that filled the sky. Even the ancient holy mountains, inscribed with saintly laws, rumbled and nearly crumbled.

As for the ordinary mountains, they were instantly reduced to dust, collapsing one after another without a trace of doubt.

"Ah..."

Many shrieked, transforming into clouds of blood mist. The survivors hastily sought refuge behind the holy mountains, not daring to directly face the battlefield, lest they risk instant annihilation.

Rustle!

The sound of ancient pages turning echoed. Within the ancient training ground, the Pope surveyed all with disdain, holding an ancient scripture in his left hand and a cross in his right, both radiating eternal glory.

From that ancient scripture, colossal ancient characters erupted, each seemingly cast from metal and weighing tens of thousands of jun, pressing down upon Ye Fan one after another.

These were naturally formed talismans, each character revealing profound insights into the Dao, summarized by ancient sages. They could sever spirits and seize souls, capable of obliterating one's primordial spirit and grand Dao.

Ancient characters flew relentlessly, almost burying Ye Fan, intent on crushing him into a pulp. Each character bore the weight of ten thousand jun. Thousands, tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands of characters... descended with a thunderous rumble, their numbers immeasurable!

The ancient book flipped at a furious pace, and all characters rapidly leaped forth, shattering the heavens and earth. This was a lethal strike, specifically designed to eliminate Dao Slayers.

With a soft cry, Ye Fan stretched his body, stepped forward in a bow stance, and formed the Sun-Moon Great Seal with both hands. Then, with a mighty tremor, he opened up a starry sky, revealing a scene of collapsing stars and falling moons, sweeping it towards all the ancient characters.

This was a cataclysm. Stars filled the sky, shattering the ancient characters, while galaxies glittered and ancient talismans soared skyward. A thunderous roar erupted between them, like a mighty flood surging against the heavens and ascending straight to the ninth firmament.

"God said, 'Let there be light!'"

The Pope bellowed, his presence as majestic as an ancient sky god. His entire being seemed to be forging heaven and earth, with chaos surging around him. The cross in his right hand gently glided across the ancient scripture, unleashing an intense, brilliant light!

"Gods, he's comparable to a deity!"

"The Pope's magical power is boundless as the sea, unmatched throughout history!"

From afar, people gasped in astonishment, unable to resist prostrating themselves in worship. The Pope's methods were heaven-shattering, possessing boundless divine energy, just like the gods described in ancient scriptures.

This light possessed immense destructive power. Even someone as formidable as Ye Fan felt an agonizing, twisting pain, as the omnipresent light struck his skin with metallic clangs.

The Pope was harnessing boundless faith power, synergizing it with his divine incantations. His might had reached its absolute zenith, for the collective will of all beings empowered his divine arts, rendering them utterly indestructible!

Streaks of blood appeared on Ye Fan's physical body, golden blood spilling forth. He was actually wounded, a testament to the old Pope's terrifying power.

"I say, where there is light, there is darkness!"

Ye Fan roared, his hands weaving a mysterious and intricate pattern. He then summoned a golden holy domain, eventually manifesting various phenomena that caused all the light in heaven and earth to rapidly dim and vanish, leaving only his eternal presence.

He transformed into a streak of starlight, surging towards the Pope. With a raised hand, he unleashed a Sky-Overturning Seal, sending the Pope flying a dozen li away, his hair whipping wildly in the wind.

Ye Fan let out a long cry, pressing his advantage, and attacked again. He slammed with his fist, golden blood essence surging across the sky, sending the powerful and invincible Pope flying dozens of li away, forcing him into continuous retreat and causing him to cough up blood.

"Enough!"

The Pope roared. His entire body surged with vigorous blood essence, gushing forth like a boundless ocean. He transformed from a Divine Incantator into a Battle Saint. From the void, he summoned a golden lion, which became his mount.

This lion, as tall as a small mountain, was thousands of years old, a survivor from ancient times, having already attained the Dao-Slaying realm. Its golden fur shimmered like divine gold, and its entire body emanated an aura of extreme danger.

The Pope and the golden lion merged, transforming into an ancient war god, boundless in terror. The aura they exuded made everyone tremble; even Ye Fan felt repeated pangs of dread. This was indeed a formidable opponent, who had cultivated to a terrifying level by harnessing the power of faith.

"I am not only a Divine Incantator but also a Divine Knight!"

Everyone was simultaneously gripped by fear and shock. The Pope was indeed a Divine Knight as well, his power truly awe-inspiring, his combat prowess defying the heavens—a truth known to very few before.

"So what?!" Ye Fan, radiating killing intent, his golden blood essence soaring into the sky, his golden battle aura surging like a vast ocean, surged towards the Pope.

He unleashed a barrage of formidable attacks: Sun-Moon Seal, Divine Phoenix Seal, True Dragon Seal, Mountain-Embracing Seal, Human King Seal, and Sky-Overturning Seal were discharged in rapid succession, as if to make the very firmament collapse. Amidst this, the great Dao rumbled, cascading down like an immense waterfall. He was the bravest in all the world, utterly unstoppable!

The Pope and the golden lion continuously retreated, both coughing up blood, awed by the invincible divine presence of the Human Saint Body. They were at a clear disadvantage, suffering severe injuries.

"Enough! Heaven and Hell!"

The Pope roared. Mountains and rivers crumbled, great lakes evaporated. Merged with the golden lion, he radiated light like ten suns blazing in the sky, transforming into a god-like entity.

Behind him, a halo emerged, transforming into an eternally indelible divine disc that illuminated all ages. The collective will of all beings became his magical power, enabling him to unleash the Vatican's supreme, peerless art.

Heaven appeared, emitting scorching light. A sacred, colossal hand extended, striking down repeatedly, sending Ye Fan into a continuous plummet.

Below, a dark abyss of hell appeared, its chasm opening wide, threatening to swallow him whole.

"Cast down from Heaven into Hell, this is divine retribution, to endure eternal torment!" the Pope declared, his divine disc behind his head radiating holy light.

Harnessing the collective will of all beings, he continuously brought down colossal sacred palms, leaving Ye Fan covered in bloodstains, severely wounded, and on the verge of falling into the abyss of hell.

The Pope's terror was unmistakable. This sacred, colossal hand blotted out the sky, larger than dozens of mountains combined, poised to slam Ye Fan directly into the deep abyss of hell.

Heaven loomed above, with the Pope standing before its gates like a god judging a sinner. Hell stretched below, and Ye Fan struggled arduously, fighting his way back towards the high heavens, bathed in blood.

The collective will of all beings was truly terrifying!

With a clear cry, Ye Fan unleashed the wondrous art of 'One Qi Transforming Three Purities'. A Dao body appeared, simultaneously surging towards the high heavens with his main body, together unleashing the Six Paths Reincarnation Fist.

Simultaneously, various phenomena merged into one. Both divine bodies acted in unison, Dao and self becoming one, immune to all laws, defying the very firmament!

Boom!

They fought their way from hell to heaven, continuously unleashing the Six Paths Reincarnation Fist, shattering heaven and earth. With a sickening thud, the golden lion bore the brunt of the attack; even after attaining the Dao-Slaying realm, it could not withstand such terrifying fist intent!

A deluge of blood rained down, and large chunks of white bone exploded. This Dao-Slaying Golden Lion King was utterly shattered by Ye Fan, reduced to a pulp of flesh and bone fragments, dying on the spot.

Neither Heaven nor Hell could impede him. His courage was absolute, sending the Pope flying dozens of li away, crashing into a distant holy mountain, leaving a trail of blood, and struggling to rise.

Everyone was in awe. The devil from the Middle-earth had indeed been wounded moments ago, but this only fueled his frenzy, causing heaven and earth to shatter, ghosts to wail, and gods to howl. His golden battle aura boiled, rendering him unstoppable.

When the Dao grows by a foot, the Devil grows by ten. His divine power was unparalleled, unmatched in this era, sending the Pope flying and leaving him severely wounded.

How could they possibly continue this fight? Who could ever subdue such a devil?!

Roar...

Ye Fan roared, his Dao body moving in perfect unison with him as they both lunged forward. Golden blood essence filled the sky, completely submerging the ancient training ground. Nothing could impede their advance.

Wherever he passed, mountains collapsed, lakes dried up, and the heavens fell, as if a peerless deity were unleashing an apocalypse. He was unstoppable, breaking through and overcoming everything in his path.

The Pope activated his great divine power. The divine halo behind his head manifested, growing even more resplendent. That divine disc stood behind him like a brilliant moon, suspended in the void, seeming in that instant to bridge ancient times with the present.

His face contorted with rage, he merged the holy power of faith, accumulated by the Vatican over countless ages, with his Dao body, intending to crush this incredibly powerful opponent to death.

Ye Fan fought like a madman, his golden blood boiling within him and emitting deafening thunderous roars. Many people's bodies shook uncontrollably, unable to withstand the vibrations.

The Dao body he had conjured was identical to him, its battle intent soaring to the heavens, rising to the clouds, directly rushing towards the nine firmaments, intending to trample all the great Dao of heaven and earth underfoot.

His true body and Dao body simultaneously swung golden fists. As the Six Paths Reincarnation Fist intent was unleashed, reincarnation unfolded, shattering heaven and earth. This was an invincible fist intent—'I am invincible,' pressing forward relentlessly!

Boom!

The divine halo behind the Pope's head was shattered by Ye Fan and his Dao body acting in unison. The divine disc exploded, transforming into a vast shower of light that surged in all directions, piercing the firmament and toppling mountains.

Ye Fan, like a war god reborn, unleashed golden blood essence that blotted out the sky, vast as the ocean. He swept away everything in his path, striking across the world, fighting with a frenzied intensity. Nothing in this world could stop him; he was utterly unchallengeable!