Seeing Antonio's confidence, the Federal Emperor's tightly wound nerves relaxed slightly. Upon further reflection, he also felt that his worries were indeed excessive.
After all, in his deeply rooted belief, the Pope's strength was unparalleled in the world. Although the ruler of the Summer Kingdom was also highly renowned, with rumors claiming he unified the entire Eastern Continent in just a month, it was still just hearsay. He had never witnessed the true strength of this ruler, and in his heart, he couldn't help but feel some contempt.
Moreover, the Western Continent had always held a sense of superiority over the East, viewing it as a barbaric, uncivilized land. Even if the Eastern ruler had unified the continent, it was hardly a great feat.
However, if that Eastern Emperor could engage the Pope in a fight to the death, even bringing about their mutual destruction, that would be fantastic news. In that case, the federal power would return to his hands...
Just as these thoughts swirled in his mind, the Federal Emperor suddenly felt an inexplicable sense of unease. He looked up at the dome of the cathedral and saw the eternal holy light trembling slightly. The defensive formation enveloping the entire cathedral emitted an abnormal humming sound.
Antonio also noticed something was wrong. He gathered his spiritual power at his fingertips, trying to probe the anomaly in the formation.
But the moment his spiritual energy touched the heart of the formation—
"Boom!"
The crystal teacup in his hand exploded without warning, shattering into fragments.
"What?"
Antonio leaped up from his seat, flashing to the edge of the window, his gaze fixed on the vast holy light above the protective formation.
The sacred and inviolable light curtain, at that moment, seemed to be stirred by an invisible giant hand, swirling like boiling oil, showing signs of collapse!
The Federal Emperor also stood up, his voice trembling slightly in shock: "Who is it...?"
He suddenly looked up, but when he saw the scene in the sky, he froze in place as though struck by lightning!
Boom!
The holy light formation, which had always been so resilient, was now torn apart by an overwhelming force, like fragile paper being ripped apart!
The crowds of believers below were also stunned, their pupils trembling in shock, unable to make a sound.
In their memory, the holy light formation had never been broken... This sudden turn of events left everyone in a momentary state of blank confusion.
In the sky, through the gaping hole in the formation, a dark figure stood in midair. His arrival seemed to make even the heavens bow down before him!
The overwhelming pressure descended like a tidal wave, and the thousands of believers in the cathedral felt as though they had fallen into an ice cavern. Their blood seemed to freeze in their veins!
None of them could control themselves, all falling to their knees.
Deep within the cathedral, the Federal Emperor, witnessing the scene, looked horrified and immediately shouted:
"This person... He's the Emperor of the Summer Kingdom!"
The figure in the portrait had now come to life before their eyes. The Federal Emperor felt a chill run up his spine, and his breath seemed to freeze.
Antonio, too, gazed at the dark figure above, muttering softly: "It really is him!"
Looking down at the masses of people, Fang Yuan's expression remained calm.
He could have struck first without a word, but remembering the purpose of his visit, he held back his impulse.
It was still better to find the Sun Attribute Dao Body first—he didn't want to accidentally destroy the thing he came for.
"Those who trespass upon the Holy Palace—die!"
At this moment, a deafening roar echoed through the skies. A strange creature, completely white with wings on its back, shot up from the cathedral!
Its eyes were blood red, surrounded by a violent, murderous aura. The rising power twisted the clouds within a hundred miles!
"It's the Holy Beast guarding the cathedral! Lord Bai Sha has awakened!"
"My God! Lord Bai Sha hasn't appeared for hundreds of years, and now he's been stirred!"
"It's happening! Lord Bai Sha is attacking!"
The cathedral shook, and the crowd of believers was filled with both shock and joy. This was the legendary holy beast responsible for guarding the cathedral. No matter how strong the intruder was, it could never—
"Boom——!!"
As their thoughts barely formed, a white light crashed to the ground like a falling star. The terrifying shockwave overturned the entire square, reducing the surrounding buildings within a hundred meters to dust!
As the smoke cleared, only the broken remnants of Bai Sha's body remained in the deep pit...
"Damned holy beast…"
In the sky, Fang Yuan nonchalantly brushed off his sleeves, too lazy to even glance at the so-called holy beast.
[Slaying the Church's Guardian Beast, Good Deed Points +100,000!]
"Lord Bai Sha is dead!"
Screams of agony echoed from every direction, and soon the entire cathedral plaza descended into chaos. The believers' faces twisted in horror, and the joy they had felt moments ago was replaced with overwhelming fear.
They hadn't even had time to celebrate the awakening of the holy beast before it was instantly killed?!
If the holy beast could die so easily, what about them, the mere believers?
Just as despair was about to swallow them all, a brilliant golden light suddenly shot up from deep within the cathedral. This holy radiance dispelled the gloom and instantly stabilized the shaken morale.
"It's the Emperor of the Summer Kingdom!"
Antonio, stepping through the air, his golden robe fluttering in the strong wind, his brows furrowed in anger as his eyes blazed with fury: "You first destroy my defensive formation, then kill my guardian holy beast? Do you really think my Church is defenseless?!"
Seeing Antonio's appearance, Fang Yuan was indeed surprised, as he had truly believed the Church to be defenseless. After all, their big boss, the Pope, along with the Holy Knights, had already been slain.
He hadn't expected there to be a single loose thread left.
[Church's Archbishop: Antonio]
An archbishop, huh... Sensing the similar Martial Saint aura from Antonio, Fang Yuan quickly understood. He must have been a trump card prepared by the Pope.
The purpose of this Antonio was clear—to become a Martial Saint and open the gateway to the Upper Realm.
The Pope had gone to great lengths for this Antonio, hiding him deep within the cathedral and even refusing to let him participate in the final battle.
It was a pity... this perfect backup was about to become Fang Yuan's Good Deed Points.
Likewise, Antonio also recognized Fang Yuan's strength, realizing that it was on par with his own!
No wonder this person was able to unite the Eastern Continent; it turned out his power was comparable to his own.
"The Emperor of the Summer Kingdom, your cultivation is impressive…" Antonio sneered, his eyes flashing with light, "And your feint with this eastward strategy is quite clever!"
"You want to avoid a direct confrontation with the Pope and instead target the heart of my Church, hoping to strike at the root of the issue?"
With that, Antonio's mouth curled into a confident smile: "It's a pity, the Pope is a master strategist, and he anticipated you would try this. That's why he specifically ordered me to remain here and guard."
This Summer Kingdom Emperor was indeed thoughtful, knowing how to strike indirectly. But when compared to the Pope's deep foresight, he was still one step behind!
The Pope had clearly predicted that the opponent would attempt to ambush the Church, and that was why he had sent his most reliable aide to defend the headquarters!