Chapter 190: The Doubt of the Ninth Stage, the Saintly Human God

At this moment.

Clearly sensing this grand fluctuation, whether it was Abraham, Hellers, or the Twelve Cardinal Archbishops, all clearly revealed expressions of extreme surprise, and then one after another rushed toward the gates of the Sanctuary:

"Your Holiness the Pope!?"

"Is it you!?"

Following their repeated calls.

A moment later, the Sanctuary gates were seen slowly opening amidst a rumbling sound, and then a figure shrouded in holy radiance slowly walked out, accompanied by countless strange chants and prayers.

It was none other than Pope Saint Peter.

And what shocked everyone was this.

At this moment, Saint Peter was not only surrounded by holy radiance as if a divinity had descended, his aura deep and unfathomable like the sea; even more inconceivable was that his appearance looked much younger than it had a year ago, the vicissitudes of wrinkles on his face had mostly disappeared, his hair had changed from snow-white to a mix of black and white, and his figure had become exceptionally upright, as if he had become twenty or thirty years younger!

Such a miraculous sight left everyone who had come to welcome him stunned beyond words.

Hellers was the first to react, his voice trembling as he said:

"Yo, Your Holiness the Pope, did you succeed?"

Saint Peter, whose appearance had changed greatly, wore a gentle smile:

"Indeed, by the grace of the Lord of Heaven, I was trapped in the holy baptism ritual for a long time, but finally, at the last moment, I took that step; from now on, the world is no longer the same in my eyes."

Yabolahan said impatiently:

"Your Holiness the Pope, forgive my presumption, but you look much younger than a year ago; is this an additional effect brought about by breaking through to the realm of the Human God?"

Saint Peter looked up at the firmament, his gaze filled with emotion:

"Indeed, the Ninth Stage is a divine realm that breaks the limits of life and death, thereby allowing one to communicate with the heavens, the earth, and the universe. After stepping into this stage, the life and physical functions of a practitioner will undergo a complete transformation, achieving a significant increase in lifespan."

"The perception in the dark tells me that, barring any accidents, the lifespan limit at this level can reach about two hundred years, or even further."

Two hundred years!

Hearing this astonishing number, everyone revealed expressions of shock and envy, especially those already elderly Cardinal Archbishops.

Aside from being obsessed with absolute power, what the rulers of any force in the world pursued even more was longevity.

In the Shenluo Holy See, there was Alchemy specifically for researching the extension of life, and combined with the path of Secret Martial Arts, the lifespan limit of a top-tier Seventh-tier powerhouse would reach about one hundred and twenty years.

But in reality, the vast majority of powerhouses did not live that long due to fighting and hidden physical injuries, reaching the end of their lives at around one hundred years at most.

And two hundred years... compared to a top-tier Seventh-tier powerhouse, it was a full doubling, longer than the reign of some small nations!

Fortunately, such an existence belonged to their own side, and the Twelve Cardinal Archbishops were excited:

"Congratulations, Your Holiness the Pope! From now on, the world will no longer have to suffer the threat of that devilish heretic!"

"You may not know, but we received news not long ago that the devil crossed the sea alone and directly attacked the capital of the Sunlight Country."

"This person acted without restraint; not only did he wipe out more than half of the Sunlight Country's high-ranking officials by himself, but even the Yushen Emperor, regarded as the symbol of Sunlight, was captured alive and brought back to the New Nation to kneel and repent, and the Sunlight Country was only allowed to ransom him after three months!"

"We have had great conflicts and disputes with them in the past, and now that this devil is so vicious and evil, if he were to come and attack our homeland, only you could stop him..."

Hearing this news, Saint Peter's gaze narrowed slightly, and then he said slowly:

"He actually kidnapped the Yushen Emperor? This person's conduct is indeed unscrupulous, but now that I have successfully broken through, this person can no longer threaten the Holy See."

Yabolahan could not suppress the curiosity in his heart:

"Your Holiness the Pope, what kind of power is the Ninth Stage Human God exactly? Could you...?"

He did not finish his sentence, but everyone knew what he meant, and they all looked on with expectant and hopeful eyes.

Saint Peter smiled broadly:

"Since that is the case, I shall demonstrate it for you."

As he spoke, a sacred fluctuation swept from his body, and immediately a pair of huge Light Feather Wings extended from his back, blooming and carrying his figure as he slowly rose, standing in the void like the King of Angels!

Flying through the air!?

Flying by one's own power was the domain of gods. Seeing that Pope Saint Peter could also stand in the air just like that Immortal from Shenzhou, everyone was shocked and unable to contain their excitement.

Then, they clearly saw that where Saint Peter stood, countless palaces and halls, along with the shadows of angels, drifted around his body, as if the Heavenly Kingdom had descended.

At the same time, he extended his palm, and incomparably brilliant and violent light continuously condensed in his hand, soon forming a Light Spear that was fully three meters long.

The spear seemed to contain indescribable power; its glare and sharpness were almost impossible to look at directly. The next moment, Saint Peter simply waved his hand, and the Light Spear shot out with a sharp, ear-piercing explosion, hitting a dirt slope dozens of meters away the next instant.

Boom—!

The mountain peak rumbled and shook, gravel rolled down, and smoke and dust filled the air.

When the smoke and dust thinned, the people present were horrified to see that a huge, bottomless black hole had appeared on the slope, as if it had pierced through the entire small hill!

Seeing such divine might, everyone knelt down in great excitement, shouting:

"Your Holiness the Pope's divine might is invincible!"

"If that devil dares to come, he will surely suffer your judgment!"

Saint Peter slowly descended, smiling:

"That person is also a Ninth Stage existence; judging him will not be an easy matter. However, no matter what, it is impossible for him to rely on his own power to act as a king and hegemon in the world."

"I still need some time to fully adapt to and master this power. You may first contact the Tsardom and Sunlight, and then find a suitable opportunity for me to personally come forward and meet that heretic from the New Nation, to let him know that he is not the only Ninth Stage practitioner in the world."

The head of the Cardinal Archbishops said excitedly:

"Your Holiness the Pope, in three months the Sunlight People should be going to the New Nation to ransom the Emperor. The Holy See can visit the New Nation together at that time, and you can demonstrate your power to warn that heretic. What do you think of this timing?"

"Three months from now?"

Saint Peter nodded and said with a faint smile:

"Very well, let it be so."

They did not know about the major event that had occurred within the Shenluo Holy See.

After bringing back the Yushen Emperor, before Lu Yuan could even take action himself again, the Tsardom sent a telegram at an extremely fast speed, agreeing to unconditionally return the Northwest Frontier occupied years ago, and they could hand it over immediately.

Clearly, they had been greatly frightened by the capture of the Yushen Emperor; neither their contemporary Tsar nor the noble ministers wanted to follow in the footsteps of the Sunlight Country, so they hurriedly bowed their heads and conceded.

From this, one can see to what extent Lu Yuan's deterrence had reached. Since Sha'e Country was relatively sensible, Lu Yuan did not take action personally again and continued his reclusive cultivation.

As for the New Country Parliament, after obtaining Lu Yuan's permission, they began to use his influence to send letters to the Shenluo Empire and Sha'e Country, demanding that both countries compensate for the various war damages and losses suffered in the past, with the total requested compensation reaching over one billion Silver Yuan.

Upon receiving the news, the high-level officials of the two countries were naturally furious to the point of near-collapse, yet none dared to ignore it or break ties with the New Country, leaving them no choice but to either swallow their pride or engage in evasive negotiations by dispatching envoys.

Shenluo was better off, as the upper echelons all knew the news of the Pope's successful breakthrough in the Sanctuary, giving them some confidence; as for Sha'e Country, they lacked such support and could only endure the humiliation while continuously bargaining with the New Country Parliament, hoping to minimize their losses.

One day, more than a month later.

In the Tianjing Embassy.

"Consul Victor, our patience is limited. I advise you Shenluo people not to challenge it."

Zhao Shuhua, now not only an important figure in the Heavenly Master Mansion but also holding a key position in the Foreign Affairs Department, looked at the several Shenluo people opposite him with impatience in his eyes:

"A simple compensation clause, and you have been dragging it out here for over a month. How much of my time have you wasted?"

"How much wealth you once plundered from Shenzhou like bandits—it is only right that you spit some of it out now. Sha'e Country has already signed a compensation treaty recently, agreeing to compensate the New Country with five hundred million Silver Yuan through the exchange of grain, gold, and silver. If you continue to push back and forth, you will bear the consequences!"

Such naked threats were always issued by the Shenluo Empire to other countries in the past; never did they expect the situation to be reversed today. Victor, the former Consul of Jinjin and current Negotiation Envoy, had his face twitch:

"We Shenluo people never occupied your territory on a large scale, and the so-called Concession was merely a trade with the former Jin Dynasty. As for the wealth you say we plundered, that was obtained through the exchange of goods. Why must we pay so much? The authorization I received is to give you at most eighty million Silver Yuan as compensation."

"Eighty million? Are you Shenluo people trying to dismiss a beggar?"

Zhao Shuhua stared down at Victor with a condescending gaze and smiled:

"Victor, you had better use your brain to think carefully before you speak. The Yushen Emperor is still kneeling in our Yinghun Hall, and the Sunlight People must pay at least one billion Silver Yuan to redeem him. Negotiating with you now is giving you a way out. If the time comes when your Pope is also captured and forced to kneel in the Yinghun Hall, there will be no medicine for regret."

"Scoundrel!"

Victor could no longer hold back, and in a fit of rage, he stood up abruptly:

"How dare you insult His Majesty the Pope! That Immortal of your Shenzhou is merely a Ninth Stage practitioner. Do you really think he is the only one of his kind in the world?"

"Hmm?"

Hearing this, Zhao Shuhua's eyes narrowed sharply:

"Judging by your words, your Shenluo Holy See has found some formidable figure and is confident in opposing our Heavenly Master?"

The New Country was aggressive, and there was no need for concealment at this moment. Victor sneered:

"That's right. To tell you the truth, His Majesty the Pope has successfully broken through the Ninth Stage of cultivation and reached the level of a Human God. His strength and means will absolutely not be weaker than that Immortal of yours."

"The reason we are negotiating with you is that His Majesty the Pope feels the New Country is now qualified to be a top-tier power, and since our two countries are far apart with no territorial disputes, we can coexist peacefully—that does not mean we are afraid of you!"

Zhao Shuhua asked suspiciously:

"Ninth Stage of cultivation, Human God... What kind of realm is this? Why have I never heard of it?"

Although he did not have much talent for the Dao of cultivation and had not invested much effort into it, he was still quite knowledgeable about common sense and even secret lore.

This included the fact that beyond the Seventh-tier True Martial, there existed the realm of the Eight Realm Heavenly Gang Grandmaster, a realm held by top experts like the now-deceased Xici, as well as those in the Shenluo, Sha'e, and Sunlight countries.

But he was completely ignorant of this so-called Ninth Stage.

? ttkΛn? ￠o

"You don't know about the Ninth Stage of cultivation?"

Victor was clearly somewhat surprised and said:

"Isn't that Immortal of yours at this realm? How could you not know?"

"The Heavenly Master is a banished Immortal descended to the world, a true Immortal who can roam the Northern Sea at dawn and the Cangwu Mountains at dusk. How could we mere mortals know so much?"

Zhao Shuhua sneered:

"So that's why you've become a bit tougher; it turns out you had this confidence... But do you think a so-called Ninth Stage practitioner can contend with the Heavenly Master?"

"Whether we can contend or not is not something you or I can decide just by talking."

Victor finally managed to vent some of the pent-up frustration he had been carrying for these days, and he said expressionlessly:

"The high-level officials of the Holy See have decided that two months from now, His Majesty the Pope will visit the New Country together with the Sunlight people. At that time, the two strongest humans will have plenty of opportunities to spar."

"Very well, then let us wait and see."

Having obtained such shocking news, Zhao Shuhua could not be bothered to waste any more words. He immediately ended the negotiations and rushed back to the Imperial City.

His status naturally allowed him to enter the Qinian Hall without obstruction. After arriving, he first notified Chen Zhantang, who was cultivating in the thatched hut outside the hall, and before long, he was granted an audience with Lu Yuan.

Entering the main hall, Zhao Shuhua detailed the news he had learned as if pouring beans from a bamboo tube. Lu Yuan, sitting on the prayer mat, could not help but raise an eyebrow upon hearing it, revealing an expression of extreme surprise and interest:

"Ninth Realm? Where did this news come from?"

Having read the many classics in the Scripture Hall, he naturally knew of the existence of the so-called Ninth Stage of cultivation.

Descriptions of this realm existed only in historical records from the early Middle Ages. It is said that top experts in Martial Arts cultivation at that time could not only condense their True Qi into True Gang to pierce the air and injure enemies, but could also use the Spiritual Machine of Heaven and Earth to break through the mysterious barrier of life and death, refining their fists into brains, communicating with Heaven and Earth, and harmonizing Qi with intent. With every movement, they could even borrow the power of Heaven and Earth, making them unstoppable against ten thousand armies and capable of repelling ghosts and gods.

Martial artists of this realm were known as Martial Saints.

Correspondingly, there were also Ninth Stage practitioners of Daoist Arts, who had fully condensed their Seven Souls and merged them with their Life Soul, thereby forging a Yin Spirit Dharma Body. They could leave their bodies with their spirits to roam between Heaven and Earth, and even borrow the power of the stars; they were revered as True Monarchs.

According to the pieced-together records of various ancient texts, the supreme realms of both Martial Arts and Daoist Arts actually possessed powerful strength capable of contending with Ancient Qi Practitioners. However, after the environment of Heaven and Earth changed drastically, these beings, like the Qi Practitioners, became intolerable to the world and soon vanished into the long river of history, leaving no trace.

Therefore, hearing now that the Pope of the Shenluo people had actually stepped into this realm in such an Age of Dharma Decline, how could Lu Yuan not be surprised?