Chapter 654: Your God Cannot Protect You!

"Hm?"

Xu Jingming narrowed his eyes and turned to look.

He saw a young man in a pale golden robe being surrounded as he walked toward them.

The young man's rank was not high—barely fourth-rank lower tier—with a face full of arrogance.

Yet those surrounding him were all at least sixth-rank, with even one eighth-rank Grand Master!

"Holy Son?"

Sister Sophia's expression changed slightly, and she hurriedly said:

"This is Xu Jingming from Great Xia, a guest invited by the Divine Maiden!"

Denis possesses a Class-S elemental Earth ability.

Though his rank is low, he is the Holy Son of the Holy Church, wielding immense power.

"I know who he is."

Denis grinned, "And I also know he's the dual champion of the Talent Competition?"

"So what? Aren't the people of Great Xia just a lowly race without faith?"

At these words, Xia Lan's face instantly grew cold.

Blue Star has over a hundred nations, most of which have religious beliefs.

The people of Great Xia, lacking faith, are indeed unusual among them.

But that's no excuse for others to attack them!

The more she thought about it, the angrier Xia Lan became.

If this were anywhere else, she would have already struck.

But this is the Holy Church's territory—if they fought, escape would be difficult.

Clearly, the other side knew this, which is why he came to provoke Xu Jingming despite knowing his identity.

"Jingming, let Katherine handle this. If she can't, we won't attend this so-called celebration."

Xia Lan transmitted the message to Xu Jingming via mental force.

She was clearly furious.

But she hadn't lost her reason—having Katherine intervene was the best solution.

Xu Jingming said nothing, only turned to Denis:

"So you're proud of your faith?"

"Of course. I am the most faithful follower of the God of Light," Denis devoutly made the sign of the cross over his chest.

"Oh? If you faced mortal danger, would your so-called God of Light protect you?"

Xu Jingming asked curiously.

"What?"

Denis froze, seemingly not grasping the meaning of the question.

"I mean—if I kill you right here, will your God of Light show up?"

Xu Jingming's eyes suddenly turned icy.

BOOM!!

In an instant, brilliant golden lightning flared.

A powerful pressure erupted—Xu Jingming's figure surged forward like a beast!

With a dragon's roar, his right fist, wreathed in lightning, slammed out like an enraged dragon!

The lethal aura froze Denis in place—he couldn't move a muscle!

ZZZZ—

The seventh-grade protective talisman sensed the danger and instantly formed a shield before Denis.

BAM!!

In an instant, Xu Jingming's right fist shattered the shield and struck Denis's chest.

PUFF!!

Denis's chest caved inward as he spat out a mouthful of blood mixed with organ fragments.

His body was flung backward by the force, knocking over several nearby sixth-rank adepts.

He slid across the clean floor, leaving a long trail of blood, finally stopping over ten meters away.

"You!!"

On the ground, barely alive, Denis struggled to lift his head and stare at Xu Jingming.

He never imagined Xu Jingming would dare attack him on Holy Church grounds!

Before he could finish speaking, Denis's head lolled to the side, completely unconscious.

"It seems your God of Light couldn't protect you after all."

The storm of lightning faded. Xu Jingming spoke calmly.

At this moment, everyone in the Holy Church hall had been stunned.

Especially the believers, who wore expressions of utter shock.

Denis!

The Holy Son of the Holy Church—nearly killed by a single punch!

Xia Lan's eyes widened, her red lips slightly parted, breathing rapid, her full chest rising and falling.

Bro!

You're truly my blood brother!

So damn fierce!

If not for that protective talisman just now, Denis would be dead!

More importantly, they were still on Holy Church territory!

She could already feel the eighth-rank Grand Master beside Denis was brewing fury.

"Jingming, grab my hand—we're teleporting out now!" Xia Lan transmitted urgently via mental force.

As a fifth-rank adept, she had no confidence she could teleport away under the gaze of an eighth-rank Grand Master.

But now, she had no choice but to try.

Yet Xu Jingming ignored her entirely, instead smiling at the eighth-rank Grand Master:

"So? You want to strike?"

The eighth-rank Grand Master, eyes blazing with rage, froze.

Xu Jingming was the dual champion of the Talent Competition—the top prodigy of Blue Star today.

If they harmed him, Great Xia might erupt into war with the United States.

Thus, even though Denis was severely wounded, the Grand Master had no intention of going all out—just a light injury would suffice.

But he never expected Xu Jingming to be so brazen.

"Xu Jingming, Denis is our Church's Holy Son—you've overstepped!"

The eighth-rank Grand Master's deep voice rang out.

The overwhelming pressure he unleashed made everyone in the hall stare in alarm.

"Isn't that Bishop Leo? Why does he look so furious?"

"Gah, how did Holy Son Denis end up on the ground?"

"Is that young man Xu Jingming from Great Xia?"

"..."

Instantly, murmurs erupted.

Xia Lan's palms were slick with sweat; her space ability subtly trembled, ready to grab Xu Jingming and flee.

Yet Xu Jingming remained calm, as if unaware of the brewing fury from Grand Master Leo.

Even as tension reached its peak and combat seemed imminent, a sharp voice rang out from the side:

"Xu Jingming is my invited guest, Bishop Leo—what are you doing?"

Katherine walked over, frowning.

She wore a pale golden robe, its collar and cuffs embroidered with intricate golden patterns.

These matched her noble golden ornaments, radiating an aura of majesty and holiness.

Her golden hair cascaded like a waterfall, brushing gently against her slender waist.

Falling to rest upon her rounded hips.

Compared to her usual attire, Katherine now exuded divine authority.

"Divine Maiden."

Seeing Katherine appear suddenly, everyone in the hall—including the eighth-rank Grand Master—bowed respectfully.

Xia Lan exhaled in relief and retracted her space ability.

Only Xu Jingming felt slightly disappointed.

This bishop was merely an eighth-rank lower-tier Grand Master.

He had hoped to test how his strength compared to the eighth-rank opponents simulated in the virtual world.

It seemed he wouldn't get the chance.

Still, it was fine—he'd given Denis a good beating, and that was satisfying.