The four archbishops could see that there was actually someone else next to Ol’ Amos. It was a young man under 20 years old and dressed in black robes.
“Do any of you know who he is?”
Archbishop Chicas turned to the other three beside him.
“No, I don’t know who he is.”
“Never seen him before.”
“I’ve never seen him before, either.”
All three Red-Cloaked Archbishops shook their heads.
“How strange. I actually can’t detect any aura coming from him at all. Who exactly is that guy?”
Archbishop Chicas’ eyes bore deeply into Meng Lei as his brows locked into a deep frown. He was definitely no ordinary person for him to fly through the air yet not give off any detectable aura.
Might he be a powerful expert?
“You... You’re Meng Lei?”
Others might not recognize Meng Lei, but Ol’ Amos definitely did. He stared at Meng Lei in disbelief, his eyes filled with amazement and wonder.
He and the Ol’ Amos of Heaven’s Vault Continent were one and the same and shared a common memory, so he naturally recognized Meng Lei. However, it was exactly because of this same reason that he couldn’t help but be astounded.
Heaven’s Vault Continent was millions of kilometers far away from the Light Continent. On top of that, the boundless Endless Oceans even separated the two. Even true gods could forget about crossing it!
Meng Lei, who was supposed to be in Heaven’s Vault Continent, had actually shown up here. How did he manage to make his way here?
“It’s been a while, Ol’ President!”
Meng Lei’s eyes reddened slightly as he said, “I had thought that I would never get to see you ever again after our farewell the other time. Never would I have thought that you’re actually still alive. Thank the heavens! Thank the heavens!”
“Why are you here, Meng Lei?”
Ol’ Amos was also very agitated.
“It’s a long story!”
Meng Lei took a deep breath. Then, an icy glint flashed across his eyes as he said, “Give me a moment, Ol’ President. We’ll talk in detail after I drive those four stinky worms away!”
“What are you planning on doing, Meng Lei?”
Shocked, Ol’ Amos said, “They are the Light Church’s Red-Cloaked Archbishops. Every one of them is a pinnacle-level half-deity. Moreover, they have Angel’s Blade, the gods-slaying sword, with them. You aren’t their match...”
“Pinnacle-level half-deities?”
Meng Lei came right up to the four Red-Cloaked Archbishops with a flash. His voice was icy-cold like never-melting ice as he said, “The audacity of you to besiege Ol’ President! All of you should die for that!”
As he couldn’t judge how strong Meng Lei was, Archbishop Chicas didn’t recklessly attack. Instead, he warned gravely, “Sir, I don’t know who you are, but these are the Light Church’s matters. I hope you can refrain from interfering. Otherwise...”
“The Light Church? Hmph!”
Meng Lei sneered, “Who does the Light Church think they are? That woman, the Goddess of Light, won’t be able to alter your fates even if she personally shows up today!”
“How dare you blaspheme our noble Lord!”
Archbishop Chicas’ expression changed, and he barked sternly, “You heretic! No matter who you may be, you should die for being so audacious as to blaspheme our Lord!
“Cleave, Angel’s Blade!”
“Look out, Meng Lei!”
Chapter 285: With A Snap Of Fingers, I’m Not Really A Deity
The pure, holy Angel’s Blade sliced through the air and appeared above Meng Lei’s head as if it had teleported there. It went straight down for Meng Lei’s head.
“Die, heretic!”
Archbishop Chicas sneered as if he had already seen the scene where Meng Lei was chopped into halves and blood splattered everywhere. He was confident with his Angel’s Blade.
“Look out, Meng Lei!”
Ol’ Amos shouted his reminder, but Meng Lei did not seem concerned. He even turned his head and smiled at Ol’ Amos. “No worries, Ol’ Amos.”
“Meng Lei!”
Looking at the situation, Ol’ Amos was scared out of his wits.
No worries? How can I not worry at all?
A moment later, he witnessed an unforgettable scene. Meng Lei extended two fingers, and Angel’s Blade became stuck in between as it stopped dead.
On the other hand, Meng Lei’s fingers were perfectly fine—it was neither severed nor bleeding, as if it was clipping chopsticks instead of Angel’s Blade.
“This, this...”
Ol’ Amos gasped; his eyes almost popped out in disbelief. Others may not know Meng Lei well, but how could he not know him well enough?
He had been with Meng Lei all along until his divine incarnation died and lost contact.
At the very most, they had not met for less than three years. What could be done in three years?
Only enough to take a nap!
How much could Meng Lei progress in such a short time? Breaking through half-deity would already be an unprecedented feat.
But the truth was?
Catching Angel’s Blade barehanded was completely beyond his imagination. Just what kind of combat strength was that?
“Im-Impossible! It’s impossible!”
Archbishop Chicas and the rest were equally shocked. Angel’s Blade was a divine weapon that could kill true gods. How could it be caught just like that?
“An illusion! This must be an illusion!”
The four Red-Cloaked Archbishops could not accept this!
“Angel’s Blade? It’s nothing more!”
Meng Lei applied a little more force, and a snap was heard. Angel’s Blade glowing in pure, holy light, snapped and broke into two pieces!
“The Angel’s Blade... broke?”
The four Red-Cloaked Archbishops were dazed as their minds went blank.
Ol’ Amos came back to his senses earlier than the rest. “It’s frightening! What happened to this kid in these three years that made him progress to such a level?”
“I don’t care whether you’re the Light Church or the God of Light, anyone that dares to harm Ol’ President deserves to die!”
Meng Lei shook his wrist, and half of the Angel’s Blade transformed into a stream of light as it shot toward one of the Red-Cloaked Archbishops.
Splurt!
Without any surprise, the half blade pierced through this Archbishop’s head, shot out of the head’s back, and carried on flying forward under inertia.
This Archbishop stiffened, and his eyes were widened, indicating that he hadn’t died in peace.
How could he have imagined that a great Red-Cloaked Archbishop of the Light Church, a person with millions under him, could die in such circumstances?
He could not accept dying like this!
“Kurt!”
Archbishop Chicas and the other two widened their eyes to the point of splitting as they glared at Meng Lei furiously. “You damned heretic! How dare you to murder our Light Church’s Red-Cloaked Archbishop!”
“You’re dead meat! No matter who you are and what your background is, even if we have to soar into the heavens or burrow into the ground, the Light Church will end you for sure!”
“Is that so?” Meng Lei smiled faintly. “I look forward to that day, but I’m afraid the three of you won’t see to that day.”
“Oh no!”
How could the Red-Cloaked Archbishops not feel the murderous intent in Meng Lei’s words? They ran immediately!
They were facing someone who could catch Angel’s Blade barehanded and kill Kurt in an instant. They could not even muster up the courage to resist Meng Lei.
Ran!
They ran at once!
They ran as far as they could, the further, the better!
“Flee? Do you think you can really flee?”
“Immobilize!” Meng Lei commanded.
Buzz...
A huge force came down in an instant. Archbishop Chicas and the rest were frozen on the spot as if their acupoints had been sealed.
“Death!” Meng Lei shot another word.
Crack!
Archbishop Chicas and two others exploded into a bloody mist, which dissipated along with the wind—they were smashed into tiny pieces, not even a single bone was left.
“Dead? Four Red-Cloaked Archbishops... dead just like that? Gosh, how was that possible?”
Great waves of shock and astonishment churned in Ol’ Amos’s heart. Ηe had never imagined that Meng Lei would surprise him in such a manner.
Killing four pinnacle-level half-deities, what level of terrifying strength was this?
If Ol’ Amos was shocked, then the innumerable students and teachers were petrified.
Those were the Red-Cloaked Archbishops of the Light Church who were second only to the Pope and the Holy Maiden!
Did they die just like that?
The teachers and students were terrified!
The Light Church was the Light Goddess’ messenger on the Light Continent, the entire continent’s highest authority. The Red-Cloaked Archbishops were some of the most influential beings.
Yet just now, they witnessed them being killed by an unknown young man.
Shock!
Horrified!
Disbelief!
Unbelievable!
“Just who is that young man!”
“How does he possess such power?”
“Mr. President seemed to know him? Perhaps he’s a friend of Mr. President...”
Meng Lei went back before Ol’ Amos as if he was finished with trivial matters. “Ol’ Amos, it’s been a few years since we’ve met. How have you been?”
“Well, I’m... I’m doing fine!”
Ol’ Amos spoke as if it was his first time knowing Meng Lei. “Possessing such formidable power, it seems you’ve been through a lot in these three years!”
“Not too bad, I guess.” Meng Lei smiled. “Ol’ Amos, I’m eager to find out how you came to this continent and what you have experienced over here.”
“Well, it’s a long story.” Ol’ Amos sighed. “Let’s move to my office.”
“Alright!”
Ol’ Amos’s office was in a garret of antique flavors, and the surroundings were elegant, with rockeries and waterfalls, water flowing under a little bridge—life was pleasant over here.
“Come, have some tea.”
Ol’ Amos poured two cups of tea and lay on the beach chair. He sighed. “Well, speaking about coming to the Light Continent, it’s a long story.”
“You can take your time Ol’ Amos.”
Meng Lei smiled. He was jovial to be able to meet Ol’ Amos again, and he wanted to know anything about Ol’ Amos.
“In the year when I became a half-deity, like many other half-deities, I chose to split my divine spirit. But I did not split evenly, as it was a ratio of 3:7. Hence one was at a half-deity’s level while the other was at Saint Domain’s level.”
Ol’ Amos sighed again. “You should know that Heaven’s Vault Continent was split amongst the four true gods right down to the very last bit. Thus, half-deities like me had no place in it.”
Meng Lei nodded in agreement. Many half-deities on Heaven’s Vault Continent had faced the same awkward situation before him—they had no source of faith!
“And so, my Saint Domain divine incarnation stayed at Heaven’s Vault Continent, while the half-deity divine incarnation left Heaven’s Vault Continent and entered the Endless Oceans.”
Ol’ Amos laughed. “I hoped to find a decent island on the Endless Oceans to spread faith and gather power of faith.”
“What happened after that?” Meng Lei asked.
“The Endless Oceans was massive with countless islands, but there were only a few proper ones. Those that were decent were already owned.” Ol’ Amos shook his head as he said, “I had no choice but to carry on traveling around, which became 5,000 years. At last, I somehow arrived here.”
At this point, Ol’ Amos could not help but give a wry smile. “At first, I was excited as I thought that heaven rewards the faithful, and I’ve struck the jackpot here.
“But the truth was not how I expected it to be.
“This continent was numerous times the size of Heaven’s Vault Continent. Plus, be it the population, amount of experts, or level of civilization, they were all far superior to our Heaven’s Vault Continent.
“These were still secondary. The key was that this continent belonged to masters with powerful backgrounds!”
Ol’ Amos shook his head again and sighed. “This continent is being ruled by two religious organizations known as the Light Church and the Dark Church.
“Upon learning these, I was very disappointed. I had come so far out here, yet the results were the same. I wasn’t ready to accept this!
“But I was tired, tired of traveling again. Hence, I decided to live in seclusion in the Light Continent.
“And as the Light Church was busy defeating the Dark Church, I founded the Kroc Kingdom!
“A few years ago, the Light Church finally destroyed the Dark Church completely and united the continent. As such, they finally had time to deal with my Kroc Kingdom!”
Ol’ Amos ground his teeth as he continued. “The Light Church is very powerful, far stronger than any empires or races on Heaven’s Vault Continent!
“Plus, they have the backing of the Angel Gods from the Celestial Realm. How could my Kroc Kingdom possibly be of their match?
“If it wasn’t for you, I would be dead for sure! So I must thank you!”
“Ol’ Amos, don’t mention it.” Meng Lei was rather speechless. “Given our relationship, why is there a need to be so polite here?”
“Hehe! I’m only being polite for a while, and you thought that was real? I wouldn’t stand on ceremony with you!”
Ol’ Amos chuckled, then he stared at Meng Lei suddenly. “Oh yeah, how powerful are you exactly? Have you become a deity? You should be a deity now, right?”
Meng Lei shook his head and replied honestly, “No, I’m not a deity yet.”
Had he become a deity?
Not really!
He had neither ignited the divine fire nor had he formed divinity yet, much less establishing a divine nation.
Thus, he really wasn’t a deity.
He only had the divine spirit and physique of an intermediate deity.
“Not a deity yet?” Ol’ Amos stopped for a moment. “You could kill pinnacle-level half-deities like Chicas instantly. How are you not a deity yet? This can’t be!”
“Ol’ Amos, why would I lie to you?” Meng Lei said helplessly, “I’m indeed not a deity, just that my physique is slightly stronger.”
“You’re really not a deity?”
Ol’ Amos frowned and stared at Meng Lei.
“I’m really not!” Meng Lei answered seriously.
“Freak! You’re such a freak possessing such strength without being a deity yet!” Ol’ Amos’ brows drew together tightly. “But, since you’re not a deity yet, that spells trouble!”
“Trouble?”
Meng Lei raised an eyebrow.
“You’ve killed four Red-Cloaked Archbishops. Given the Light Church’s style of avenging the dead, they will not let you off easily! We can only await the Light Church’s savage retaliation!”
Meng Lei smiled faintly. “They’re just the Light Church. You don’t have to be worried, Ol’ Amos. If they dare to come, I’ll just destroy them with a snap of fingers.”
“Destroy them with a snap of a finger?” Ol’ Amos let out a wry laugh and continued. “You must be ignorant to be fearless. The Light Church is far more powerful than what you could imagine. They’re not something we can compete with!”
“...”
Chapter 286: The God of Magical Beasts, The Graveyard of Gods And Demons
The Light Church’s headquarters was located on the Holy Mo
untain of Light. The whole mountain was made of light-elemental elemental crystals and gave off a pure and tranquil sacred glow.
The Shrine of Light stood towering atop the sacred mountain.
Currently at the Shrine of Light...
Dressed in a pope’s cassock, Pope Hayes stood in front of an enormous Goddess of Light statue as he prayed piously.
“Your Holiness!”
Four Red-Cloaked Archbishops wearing looks of immense fury on their faces suddenly entered the hall.
The pope paid them no attention and continued to pray piously instead. At the sight, the four Red-Cloaked Archbishops refrained from interrupting him any further and waited quietly.
It was only when the pope finished his prayers a moment later that he finally spoke. He asked, “Didn’t you go to the Kroc Kingdom? Why are you back so quickly?”
As it turned out, the four Red-Cloaked Archbishops were actually Archbishop Chicas and the other three that Meng Lei had just killed. However, the ones currently in the shrine were their alternate divine incarnations instead.
“Something terrible has happened, Your Holiness!”
Archbishop Chicas gnashed his teeth, trying to suppress his fury as he recounted what had happened.
In the end, he even added, “Not only has that wicked heretic dishonored our great Lord, but he has also shown no respect for the Light Church. We must punish him severely for that, Your Holiness!”
“That’s right, Your Holiness! That heretic is deeply mired in sin and wicked beyond redemption. We must burn him alive at the stake so as to serve a warning to the world!”
“There’s that bastard Amos, too. He’s hidden his cultivation prowess too deeply. To think he’s already actually secretly established a divine nation and stepped into the realm of a true god. His intentions should be punishable by death!”
The other three Red-Cloaked Archbishops also spoke up one after another, their speech filled with fury and hate. They practically hated Meng Lei with every fiber of their being for destroying their half-deity divine incarnations, causing their many years of painstaking cultivation to go up in smoke.
Pope Hayes listened to them quietly. Only when the four Red-Cloaked Archbishops were done did he slowly ask, “Do any of you know that young man?”
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