I Have Infinite Skill Points-Chapter 607: Finding the Hell Monarch’s Base
The entire church was in utter silence. Wang Lan and the others appeared as silently as ghosts, startling several birds roosting for the night, their wings beating loudly as they soared into the sky.
"Xiangwen, still no discovery?" Wang Lan asked Xu Xiangwen, who kept his Heavenly Eye continuously open beside him.
"Damn it... Could they all move through space like Lanzi? Otherwise, there’s no explaining how they vanished without a trace in an instant..."
"Greedy Wolf, I don’t sense anything either!" Ria, who was monitoring with Xu Xiangwen, also said.
Xu Xiangwen specialized in visual scouting, while Ria specialized in sensory detection. Theoretically, their combined efforts should have been flawless. The church wasn’t that large; it was not beyond their optimal sensing range.
However, a complaint from Xu Xiangwen suddenly sparked an idea in Wang Lan’s mind.
"Xiangwen, what did you just say?"
"There’s no explaining how they vanished without a trace in an instant?"
"No, the sentence before that."
"Could they all move through space like Lanzi?"
"Space Movement... They certainly can’t use Space Movement, but opening a Different Dimensional Space shouldn’t be a problem. Remember the fixed Space Gate at the cave entrance?" Wang Lan said, Star Power instantly surging around his body. Then, the fluctuations of his Space Attribute Star Power vibrated the entire area.
Such spatial fluctuations were imperceptible to those within the space itself; only those with exceptionally long-range perception of the Power of Space could feel them. Under the influence of the spatial fluctuations, the entire world seemed to undulate with a uniform spacetime wave. But in one corner of the church, an area of ripples abruptly appeared.
"Found it," Wang Lan said, vanishing and reappearing in the Saintess Hall.
Every church had the same structure. Aside from worshipping the God of Heaven, they also included halls like the Hall of Angels, Pantheon Hall, Saintess Hall, and God Child Hall. The spatial ripples were located right at the center of the Saintess Hall.
"There is a hidden Space Gate here," Wang Lan said. "This Space Gate is concealed by some method. It’s invisible and intangible, so naturally, no one can enter."
Yulia stepped forward. "Let me try."
Yulia slammed her palm toward the ground, and Holy Light burst forth from her body. Within the Holy Light, a massive black Array, with Yulia at its center, materialized before everyone’s eyes. Seeing the Array, Yulia’s expression brightened as the milky Holy Light once again erupted, this time turning into a golden hue.
"BOOM—" With a soft noise, the Array beneath them shattered instantly. Ripples of space spread out from where it had stood, and Yulia’s figure vanished with a WHOOSH before everyone’s eyes.
"This... Did Yulia just... fall down?"
"We should go down as well," Wang Lan said and, with a WHOOSH, jumped into the opening where the Array had been.
The thick fog of night enshrouded the land, and the shadows of trees rustled softly under the hazy moonlight. A breeze blew, veiling the moon beneath a layer of gauze, and suddenly, the world became so dark one couldn’t see their own hand before them.
「On the outskirts of the City of Angels」
A spatial ripple appeared in the void, and a woman clad in gold armor fell from the ripple’s center.
"Why have you summoned me here?" the woman asked with a displeased expression upon landing.
"I want you to hand over the Holy Grail to me," a voice sounded, followed by clear footsteps, as the Righteous Bishop, clad in white and seemingly cloaked in moonlight, gradually approached from the darkness.
"You are to become the new Pope tomorrow. Once you take hold of the Pope’s Divine Staff, the Holy Grail will naturally be handed over to you. Why do you want it now?"
"Do you really think I know nothing?" the Righteous Bishop retorted. "The Pope has no intention of passing the Holy Grail to me. He has already told you that from this generation onward, the Pope will wield the Bible Divine Staff, and the Saintess will wield the Holy Grail. From now on, the Pope and the Saintess will jointly govern the Papacy."
"All previous Popes were the sole sovereigns of the Papacy, so why, when it’s my turn, should I share half the power with the Saintess? Most importantly, the Holy Knights follow the bearer of the Holy Grail. This leaves the Pope without military power. Wouldn’t that make me a mere puppet?"
"This is a decision made by the Pope, and it’s for the future development of the Papacy. The power of the Pope must be limited..." the Saintess said coldly, turning to leave.
"The Pope has ruled the Papacy for seventy years, a dictator for seventy years! Why does he get to separate military and governance after his abdication?" the Righteous Bishop asked with a cold laugh, no hint of anger on his face. "All previous Popes held military power. Why am I the exception? Many countries around the world separate military and governance, yet their top leaders still hold supreme military authority. Are you sure this is for the future development of the Papacy?"
The Saintess’s eyes flickered slightly, but she remained silent.
"You can’t find an appropriate explanation either? Then let me say it for you. It’s because I am merely a temporary replacement Pope, right? For years, the Pope has been funding Jade Country with so much money. Why? It seems to be for some Gene Potion project directed by Ms. Wang Qi, doesn’t it? The Pope hopes Ms. Wang Qi will perfect the Longevity Elixir so he can achieve immortality, right? I’m just a puppet he propped up, isn’t that so?"
"Or perhaps, is the Pope paving the way for someone else? Does he want to turn the Papacy into his family’s private domain?"
"What do you mean ’that person’? I don’t understand," the Saintess replied. "But I will never agree to your request. The Holy Grail can only be handed over after the new Pope succeeds. If the Papacy doesn’t give it, you can’t demand it, and neither can I."
"That person... isn’t she your and the Pope’s daughter?" the Righteous Bishop said with a cold smile.
The Saintess’s face instantly showed shock. "What nonsense are you talking about? I am the Saintess, I..."
"The teachings of the Papacy do not forbid marriage," the Righteous Bishop interrupted, "but there are two exceptions: the Pope and the Saintess. The Pope is the spokesperson of the God of Heaven on Earth and must be impartial, severing all worldly ties. The Saintess is the handmaiden of the God of Heaven; she must serve only Him and forever maintain her virginal purity."
"You not only tasted the forbidden fruit with the Pope but even bore his child! This is a desecration of the God of Heaven! If the people of God’s Country and believers all over the world learn of this, let me ask you: would you still qualify to be the Saintess? Would you qualify to wield the Holy Grail?"
"By then, not only you but also your daughter and the Pope will face the most severe punishment. Being burned by holy fire would be the most merciful fate for you."
"You have two choices. Either hand over the Holy Grail to me now, or wait until after I succeed as Pope. Then, I will publicly reveal that you tasted the forbidden fruit and bore a child with a man who was then the Pope, nearly a hundred years old. The Holy Grail will still fall into my hands. But you and the Pope will be branded as the first in millennia to betray the Papacy in shame. Your names will be infamous within the Papacy forever!"
As the Righteous Bishop finished his declaration, the Saintess’s complexion grew even whiter, her horror deepening.
"I... I need time to think."
"You do not have the right to consider!" the Righteous Bishop roared, his eyes glinting menacingly. "You are a sinner, a traitor! From the moment you betrayed the God of Heaven, the Holy Grail no longer belonged to you. Consider? What else can you possibly consider?"
"I will hand over the Holy Grail to you, but only after you become the Pope!" the Saintess declared icily. After a long moment, the violent heaving of her chest gradually subsided, and she slowly turned around.
"And another thing," the Righteous Bishop suddenly asked, "was what happened to the Archbishop of Light the Pope’s doing? Is it because Aio discovered the secret between you and the Pope...?"
"No!" The Saintess turned her face coldly, confronting the Righteous Bishop. "Don’t try to pin everything on me. Wasn’t the Aio affair your scheme? Do you think only your Judgement Place is investigating? That my Saintess Guard isn’t?"
"You’re the one who knows Aio inside and out. Besides Aio himself, you had the deepest contact with Li. Even the corruption of the Sin Evil Bishop bears your shadow. Don’t think you’re so clever, and don’t assume everyone else is a fool."
"Look at your face now; it’s truly sickening," the Righteous Bishop sneered. "You were the ones who wanted me to be Pope. Since I am, I refuse to be a puppet. I’m giving you two days. Today, I will take the Pope’s Divine Staff. By tomorrow night, I must be able to take the Holy Grail. Otherwise, you know the consequences."
As his words fell, the sky seemed to twist, and in the blink of an eye, the Righteous Bishop disappeared into the night.
「Meanwhile, elsewhere」
Wang Lan and the others jumped into a Different Dimensional Space. They had just landed when they heard the intense sounds of battle. Yulia, after breaking the concealment Array, had fallen directly into this Different Dimensional Space and, consequently, into an encirclement by the Hell Monarch’s forces.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
In an instant, a barrage of attacks came their way. The dozen or so Star Martial Warriors surrounding Yulia were unimaginably strong, their power faintly reaching the level of a Titled Strongman.
"Bright Sun Sword Qi—" As soon as Wang Lan landed, Sword Qi erupted from him like a downpour. The experts besieging Yulia were caught off guard by the sudden assault of Sword Qi and sent flying backward.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The Sword Qi raged, and the black-clothed figures struck by it instantly exploded into smoke and dust. Wang Lan and his companions joined Yulia, fighting back-to-back. However, Yulia’s expression remained serious and vigilant, showing no sign of relief.
"Wang Lan, be careful. These people seem to come back to life," Yulia warned. True to her words, the many shadows that had turned to dust reappeared amid distortions in the air.
This is like Evil Spirit’s subordinates, but clearly different. Evil Spirit’s subordinates could turn reality into illusion, whereas these seem to emerge from nothingness. Wang Lan thought.
The twelve mysterious figures in black cloaks each wore a ring. Beneath their hoods lay a deep emptiness, as if the cloaks were empty.
"Xinyu, you and the others cover our flanks. I’ll test their strength with Yulia and Ria," Wang Lan said and then instantly dashed towards them, Zanpakuto unsheathed, and fiercely slashed down.
The figures in black quickly met his charge, black longswords appearing eerily in their hands as four of them formed a squad to attack Wang Lan together.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
The sharp sounds of intense fighting rang out. The moment they engaged, Wang Lan had already grasped their combat strength. They were at the pinnacle of the Star Sea level; at least their close combat capability was at this height.
In single combat, Wang Lan could overpower them. However, the combined efforts of four allowed them to barely fight Wang Lan to a standstill.
The quartet of shadows possessed unmatched speed and coordination. Not even some seasoned, pure Star Sea level squads could match their teamwork. In the few short seconds of battle, Wang Lan’s eyes shone brightly. He finally recognized traces of trained combat skills in their tactics.
