Chapter 189: Panic Spreads, the Divine Descends

When the group of high-ranking officials cautiously opened the thick iron door, walked out from the tunnel exit, and arrived on the surface, what they saw was a scene of indescribable destruction.

Rolling thick smoke surged straight into the sky, and broken walls and ruins covered the ground; the magnificent Heavenly Guardian Pavilion, which had stood for over a thousand years, was now completely gone, and the surrounding plazas and halls had also been reduced to ruins.

A massive impact crater had appeared on the earth, and not a single living soul could be seen in the vicinity; only under the buried rubble could countless charred limbs and arms be seen, clearly belonging to the Sunlight Country soldiers.

Seeing these charred limbs, some people's faces revealed expressions of unbearable pity, but more people scanned their surroundings with anxious gazes, searching for the figure of Lu Yuan.

However, after a search, that figure like a god or demon was nowhere to be seen in the sky or on the ground, and the expressions of the ministers gradually turned into ecstasy and excitement:

"He's gone!"

"Four Destruction Kings—with such immense power, even an Immortal could not possibly be unscathed!"

"We succeeded! We succeeded!"

"Heaven bless Sunlight Country!"

As long as the Shenzhou Immortal was eliminated, even the price of the Heavenly Guardian Pavilion being blown up was entirely worth it; however, compared to their ecstasy and excitement, the Prime Minister was much more cautious, forcibly suppressing the agitation in his heart as he said:

"Everyone, do not get excited yet; let us first send people to search carefully all around—"

"So you were hiding here?"

Before his words were finished, a familiar voice that made one's soul flee in terror suddenly sounded from behind.

The crowd's heartbeats seemed to stop for an instant, and they turned their heads with extreme stiffness, only to see a figure, elegant and unworldly, with not a speck of dust on his body, standing not far away, looking at them with a half-smile:

"To set bombs in a place like this and sacrifice so many elite soldiers—you all are truly ruthless."

As the words fell, without waiting for anyone to respond, he casually reached out and grabbed; a large hand of clear light, manifested from Dharma Power, seized the Prime Minister and sent him before him.

"Ho, how could this be..."

Under the pressure of the Dharma Power, the Prime Minister's face turned liver-colored, and he let out a scream of utter despair:

"Why, why are you completely unscathed?"

With the Sprout Sensing Technique providing early warning, plus the Wind Control or Earth Travel techniques, even a direct nuclear strike would find it hard to harm Lu Yuan in the slightest, let alone this 'Destruction King' with its much-reduced power.

He had no intention of answering, only his eyes blooming with a ghostly light:

"Where is the Yushen Emperor now?"

Under the Nightmare Prayer Technique, the Prime Minister's mind was instantly controlled, and he said with dull and wooden eyes: "His Majesty the Emperor is currently in the underground safe house of the Buto Soul-Cleansing Shrine, and is being strictly guard—"

"Shut up!"

"What are you saying!"

Seeing the Prime Minister just like that reveal the Emperor's hiding place, all the others let out shouts of prohibition with eyes splitting in anger; however, Lu Yuan merely waved his hand expressionlessly, and Sword Qi burst forth in an instant, decapitating seven or eight of the Sunlight Country elites or ministers who had shouted.

"Spare me, Immortal, spare me!"

The survivors let out terrified screams, but no one dared to flee; they simply collapsed to their knees, as if they had completely lost the will to resist, crying and begging for mercy.

Lu Yuan did not care about the life or death of these small characters; he immediately grabbed the Prime Minister and, under his direction, headed toward the Buto Soul-Cleansing Shrine.

This shrine was established in the eastern urban district of Shangjing, and in just a few breaths, he looked down from the sky at a complex of pavilions and halls with quite an imposing atmosphere.

And when his figure descended from the sky, hundreds or thousands of shrine priests and warriors immediately emerged from the shrine; even though they were extremely terrified, they still launched suicidal attacks without fear of death, trying to block him.

To Lu Yuan, these people's attacks were like ants blocking the path; he merely strolled leisurely and swung his Sword Qi, and the sharp, fierce sword light slaughtered the attackers in droves. In a short while, the entire shrine had also become a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood.

Just like that, in a moment, the entire shrine was almost completely slaughtered; a small portion of the priests and warriors were scared out of their wits and fled in panic, while Lu Yuan drove straight in, dived directly underground, broke open the steel secret chamber with one sword, and dragged out the strictly protected Yushen Emperor.

At this moment, the Yushen Emperor still did not know what had happened in the Heavenly Guardian Pavilion; after his personal guards were all killed and he himself was dragged out by Lu Yuan like a rat, he let out a panicked scream:

"Immortal, spare me, do not kill me!"

Ignoring the Yushen Emperor's pleas for mercy, having achieved his goal, Lu Yuan flew straight into the high sky, facing the chaotic Kyoto beneath his feet, his voice spreading throughout the entire city:

"Sunlight Country previously invaded Shenzhou and committed monstrous sins; your Yushen Emperor cannot shirk the blame. Today, I order him to go to Shenzhou to kneel in the hall and repent for three months; after three months, you may send envoys to redeem him!"

Having said that, he rode the immortal light, manipulated the wild wind, and carried the Yushen Emperor away, disappearing into the blue void.

"That... was that really His Majesty the Emperor?"

"It's over, His Majesty the Emperor has been taken away!"

"His Majesty the Emperor is a descendant of the Sunlight Great God, how could this happen..."

The previous heaven-shaking explosion at the Heavenly Guardian Pavilion had already alarmed the whole city; at this moment, countless people in all of Shangjing witnessed with their own eyes the scene of the Yushen Emperor being abducted, and a massive panic swept through the entire city.

Pain, despair, helplessness.

The Emperor's status in Sunlight Country was comparable to a Human God; countless people knelt powerlessly on the ground, wailing and weeping, and some, out of terror, even fainted on the spot, as if the sky had collapsed.

Including on the plaza of the Buto Soul-Cleansing Shrine, where corpses lay everywhere, the Prime Minister, who had been released from the Nightmare Prayer Technique, just knelt on the ground, staring blankly at the sky, as if he had lost his soul:

"It's over, the Empire is over..."

The Emperor being abducted was a heaven-collapsing and earth-shattering event for the Sunlight People, but for Lu Yuan, it was a trivial matter.

Carrying the Yushen Emperor, Lu Yuan did not return to Dawan Island, but flew directly back to Tianjing.

When the news was known, the Council was completely stirred; the Head of State Zuo Guanglie immediately led the ministers to the Qinian Hall to pay a visit.

"We pay our respects to the Heavenly Master!"

Arriving at the Qinian Hall, after respectfully bowing to Lu Yuan, Zuo Guanglie and all the ministers looked at the Yushen Emperor, who was slumped on the ground, with shocked and excited expressions:

"Heavenly Master, is this the Yushen Emperor of Sunlight Country!?" Lu Yuan nodded and said calmly:

"Correct. He is handed over to you. Have this person kneel in the Yinghun Hall and repent for three months to atone for the war crimes Sunlight Country once committed, and announce this to the whole country. After three months, the Sunlight Country high-level officials will come to redeem him; you can discuss the compensation yourselves then."

Zuo Guanglie and the other high-ranking officials of the New Nation looked at each other, all too shocked to speak.

Without a doubt, the Yushen Emperor was equivalent to the soul of Sunlight Country; that such a figure was actually captured alive and forcibly abducted to repent—what kind of means was this?

But that such a thing happened to an Immortal was also so reasonable; the crowd's hearts surged, and they couldn't help but bow excitedly:

"The Heavenly Master's Supernatural Power is peerless; we bow in total submission!"

Lu Yuan waved his hand, not taking it to heart:

"Go."

Zuo Guanglie and the others retreated with extreme respect, and then the Yushen Emperor, who had completely collapsed, was also taken away by the guards and escorted to the Yinghun Hall.

Yinghun Hall is a hall established only after the founding of the New Nation, where the heroic figures who sacrificed themselves heroically while resisting the aggression of the Jin Clan and the foreigners during the years of Jin Clan rule are enshrined; even the spirit tablet of the former leader of the Shengping Heavenly Kingdom, Chen Kequan, is among them.

Of course, the most numerous spirit tablets are those of the officers and soldiers who fought bravely in the great battle on the Jinri Sea but sank with their ships.

The Nightmare Prayer Technique has already carved the command to not commit suicide into the mind of the Yushen Emperor, and with the strict supervision of the Imperial Guards, he will have no choice but to repent in this Yinghun Hall for three months, until the Sunlight Country comes to redeem him.

And as the Yushen Emperor was forced to begin kneeling in the hall to repent, the Council simultaneously issued a public announcement and telegram to notify the entire country, causing a huge sensation.

Although it is said that the Shenluo and Sha'e countries have also brought countless humiliations to Shenzhou, the shame and hatred brought by the Sunlight Country, which has risen like a comet in recent years, are the greatest; now that they have learned that the Sunlight Emperor was actually captured from his homeland by an Immortal and brought to Tianjing to repent, how could the hundreds of millions of citizens not be stirred?

Just like that, the news swept across the entire province, and countless citizens of the New Nation felt a sense of pride and relief, cheering and dancing, and even spontaneously took to the streets to set off firecrackers in celebration, which was exceptionally lively.

And this was at the same time that the New Nation was in a state of national fervor.

The news also spread rapidly to the other two countries, triggering huge turmoil and panic among the high-level officials.

Inside the Tsar's palace, this news was not only learned by the current Tsar and the noble ministers, but even the only Eighth-Tier Practitioner, Alexander I, was alarmed and appeared immediately to inquire about it.

The current Tsar, Alexander III, said in a deep voice:

"Grandfather, according to the intelligence sent back by our minister in the Sunlight capital of Shangjing, that Shenzhou Immortal first led a fleet to Dawan Island, then destroyed the Sunlight Country's Third Fleet and the entire Dawan base with his own strength, and subsequently flew personally to the Sunlight Country's homeland, directly attacking the Sunlight capital of Shangjing and capturing the Yushen Emperor!"

Alexander I, whom he called grandfather, was an old man with golden hair and beard who looked exceptionally mighty and majestic, like a lion; his eyes were full of gloom:

"What about the Sunlight Country's Eighth-Tier Practitioner Shenhua Tianyi and the other experts? Did they just watch as that demon abducted their Emperor!?"

Alexander III said in a deep voice:

"Our minister was not at the scene and did not see with his own eyes what happened, but according to the intelligence he collected, whether it was the Sunlight Country's Shenhua Tianyi or other cultivation experts, it seems that the vast majority of them perished at the hands of that demon."

And it is said that the Sunlight Country even used a bomb of immense power, which, upon detonation, razed everything within the Heavenly Guardian Pavilion and the surrounding hundreds of meters to the ground, with power almost comparable to the 'Meteor' bomb of the king that we have developed, yet it still failed to do anything to that demon."

The hall was so quiet that a pin drop could be heard; all the ministers had extremely ugly expressions and were in disbelief. Alexander I was silent for a long time, then said slowly:

"Able to fly thousands of miles in a short time, able to kill Eighth-Tier Practitioners at will, and even unafraid of weapon strikes at the level of the bomb of the king... If his target is our Sha'e Empire, do you all think we can resist?"

Silence.

A deathly silence.

Everyone knew the answer to this question, but the noble ministers all had ashen faces and could not speak.

There was no doubt that since the Sunlight Country was surrounded by a vast ocean and the opponent could still fly directly over to attack the homeland, then directly attacking the Sha'e capital and the Tsar's palace would not be a difficult task.

If he could abduct an Emperor, he could abduct a Tsar; judging from the various encounters of the Sunlight People, even their Sha'e Empire would be completely unable to resist!

"This is outrageous, how could such a monster appear in the world?"

Feeling an extreme crisis, Alexander III gritted his teeth:

"At this rate, the whole world will live under the shadow of this monster. He can dominate and enslave all countries; no one can resist! Grandfather, what should we do?"

Alexander I's eyes flickered, and his voice was cold:

"Now we can only pin our hopes on the Shenluo Pope, Saint Peter. He has been in seclusion for a year. If he can truly succeed in breaking through to the Ninth Stage God Realm as we guessed, then there is still a turning point. Send them a telegram immediately and inform them of what happened in the Sunlight Country's homeland!"

In fact, there was no need for Sha'e to pass on the news.

Shenluo also had a minister in Sunlight, and almost at the same time, they learned the news that Lu Yuan had descended upon the Sunlight homeland, displayed supreme divine power to destroy the high-level officials, and directly abducted the Yushen Emperor.

The entire Holy See, and even the Twelve Cardinal Archbishops representing the high-level, were all shocked and immediately rushed to the outside of the Sanctuary together.

The current Sanctuary had been completely sealed off, and no one was allowed to enter, but outside the Sanctuary, two simple stone houses had been built, which were exactly where Abraham and Hellers were guarding the Pope's seclusion.

Hearing the commotion in advance, the two walked out of the stone houses and saw the twelve elderly Cardinal Archbishops rushing over:

"The two of you, is there still no news of His Holiness the Pope coming out of seclusion?"

"Something big has happened outside!"

The matter that could make the Twelve Cardinal Archbishops move at the same time was clearly extraordinary. Abraham and Hellers' eyes narrowed:

"What is it?"

The leading Cardinal Archbishop immediately recounted the news he had received in detail, causing the two to change color instantly:

"Destroyed the Sunlight high-level officials and abducted the Yushen Emperor!?"

"This devil is actually so unscrupulous!?"

The Twelve Cardinal Archbishops nodded, their aged faces full of urgency and worry:

"If he can attack the Sunlight homeland, then he clearly also has the ability to directly attack the Shenluo homeland. As long as that devil harbors such evil intentions, we will face an unprecedented threat."

"Sha'e Country also just sent a message asking when our Pope will come out of seclusion, hoping to unite with us and find a way to deal with that devil."

"It has already been a year, I wonder if His Holiness the Pope...?"

Abraham and Hellers looked solemn and shook their heads at the same time:

"We don't know if His Holiness the Pope has succeeded. It has been calm inside the Sanctuary, and no movement has been heard."

"However, this can also be considered good news, indicating that His Holiness the Pope's improvement of the Holy Baptism ritual is very successful. Perhaps we will hear good news in a while."

The Twelve Cardinals were just about to speak.

But then they heard a loud boom!

In the Sanctuary built against the mountain behind them, a grand, vast, and shocking fluctuation, like a volcanic eruption and the shining of a scorching sun, suddenly erupted, and then incomparably holy and dazzling light pierced through the cracks of the Sanctuary gate, as if announcing the birth of an unprecedented holy existence in the world!