Chapter 656

Shocked as she was, Catherine still spent some time showing Xu Jingming and Xia Lan around the Holy Cathedral.

Only when notified to proceed to the ceremony site did the group leave together by vehicle.

Undeniably, Catherine's procession as the Divine Maiden was absurdly lavish.

The vehicle was not only driven personally by a Peak Eighth-Stage Grand Master, but its interior was also extraordinarily spacious, like a parlor.

The Holy Cathedral was not far from Saint Peter's Square; less than ten minutes of driving brought them close to it.

They had not yet arrived, because Saint Peter's Square was now packed solid—three layers deep, completely surrounded by people!

Saint Peter's Square covered nearly 40,000 square meters, extremely vast.

Yet from outside, not a single spot for standing could be seen inside.

The faces of the crowded masses were filled with fanaticism; each waved the Holy Cathedral's sacred cross flag.

"I'll be presiding over the ceremony shortly; you two follow the staff into the inner grounds."

"There, you'll be able to better experience the divine miracles."

Catherine blinked, and the vehicle's door swung open with a thunderous crash from the side.

Swish—

Six brilliant white wings unfurled behind her and fluttered slightly.

Catherine's elegant, holy angelic form soared toward the central podium of Saint Peter's Square.

"Our Divine Maiden!"

"Divine Maiden! I confess to the God of Light!"

"Divine Maiden! Forgive my sins!"

"......"

At the sight of Catherine's appearance, the entire Saint Peter's Square erupted in chaos.

Countless believers immediately began praying; some, overcome with emotion, wept uncontrollably and fainted on the spot.

Had it not been for the numerous psychic ability users stationed to maintain order, the crowd would have descended into utter pandemonium.

"My devout followers, today is the Holy Cathedral's annual celebration day.

First, welcome all of you..."

As Catherine's ethereal, melodious voice rang out, the previously restless crowd instantly calmed.

Each face bore expressions of reverence and serenity as they gazed toward Catherine on the podium.

"Indeed, Catherine's SS-rank ability, 'Holy Angel,' also involves some application of spiritual power."

Xu Jingming thought silently.

In this light, the Holy Angel ability seems to be an SS-rank ability with extremely strong functionality.

And it is perfectly suited for such an occasion.

"Esteemed guests, this way, please."

Sister Sophia reappeared, guiding the two through a dedicated corridor leading to the center of Saint Peter's Square.

They entered directly into the inner zone, just forty to fifty meters from Catherine.

Unlike the standing crowds behind them, this area had individual seats placed out.

Sophia led them to sit in two of the seats.

Xu Jingming glanced around; there weren't many high-rank ability users here.

But each one was dressed fashionably, clearly wealthy and noble.

More importantly, there were very few people from Great Xia; Xu Jingming and Xia Lan stood out as outright outliers among this crowd.

Many around them even cast curious glances their way.

"Few people in Great Xia believe in religion, and it's the same abroad."

"This leads most foreigners to believe we could never appear at any religious event."

Xia Lan whispered.

With her blue eyes and Bai Xi skin.

Unless she revealed her identity herself, few would ever take her for a Great Xia native.

"Religion is useless—it's merely a comfort for the weak."

"Foreign rulers promote religion to consolidate their power."

"Great Xia has no need for such methods to strengthen rule."

Xu Jingming shook his head.

It's hard to make an ability user willingly go to battle against ferocious beasts.

But if you tell them that dying in battle against ferocious beasts grants them entry to heaven, countless will rush to the front lines.

"Lord, Catherine has arrived."

"Also, I've spotted Xu Jingming of Great Xia."

"Shall we eliminate them during the blood sacrifice?"

At this moment, members of the Tianming Sect had disguised themselves as believers and hidden among the crowd.

Tian Jian, as the Divine Son, was also present on Saint Peter's Square.

And he was in the inner zone.

Hearing the voice in his mind, Tian Jian replied:

"Catherine and Xu Jingming are not the targets of this event; the blood sacrifice is the priority."

"Besides, they likely carry powerful protective talismans or are guarded by high-rank experts—dealing with them would be too troublesome."

"If anyone truly wishes to act against them and succeeds, I will reward them accordingly."

"If we fail, then we won't be responsible for any rescue."

Mind Link!

An S-rank battle technique of psychic-type ability users.

It can pull multiple people together to converse through spiritual force.

This way, it avoids information leaks caused by using electronic communication devices.

After all, the hearing of an eighth-rank ability user is terrifyingly sharp.

Once you open your mouth, it's very easy to be discovered.

"Understood!"

"I understand."

"Understood. Everything prioritizes the blood sacrifice."

"..."

One reply after another appeared within the Mind Link.

Those qualified to join the Mind Link, apart from the four Yidazhu Sect Cardinals, also included twelve seventh-rank Bishops.

Only these people possessed the strength and qualification to make a move against the two prodigies.

As for the other low-rank ability users, they all followed these people's arrangements.

"The annual Sacred Celebration? Such an abundant crowd — it'd be a shame not to use it for a blood sacrifice."

Tian Jian watched leisurely the six-winged angel figure suspended in midair.

The five blood sacrifice sites had a unified designated strike time of 11:20.

It was now just 11:00; another twenty minutes had to pass before the blood sacrifice would begin.

By then, he would let this angel see what it meant for blood to flow like a river!

More than ten minutes passed, and the six-winged angel Catherine remained suspended in midair.

Her ethereal and sacred voice was filled with the imparting of all manner of religious faith.

The crowd in St. Peter's Square listened enraptured, but Xu Jingming nearly dozed off.

Just then, Catherine finally got to the key point.

"The great God of Light eternally protects you. Next, you shall witness the great miracle belonging to the God of Light!!"

Catherine directly entered the twelve-winged angel's Divine Descent state.

Clad in priestess robes, she knelt on one knee, praying toward the sun in the sky.

At the same time, throughout the entire sky, all manner of prayer sounds suddenly arose.

These prayer sounds seemed to be right by the ear, yet also seemed extremely distant.

At the same time, resplendent golden holy light surged outward, covering every person in St. Peter's Square!

"It's healed! The eye of mine that was blind has recovered!"

"It's true! My back pain is gone too!"

"Thank the Goddess! Thank the great God of Light!"

"..."

One excited voice after another rang out — the people covered by the holy light had all been healed of their ailments!