"Boom——." The wrath of the gods heavily struck the light shield surrounding Ah-Dai's body. Since they were both light system magic, there was no problem with attribute suppression. Ah-Dai's entire body shook violently, and his body involuntarily retreated several steps. The light shield weakened instantly, and in less than a second, it began to shatter. Under the traction of the air machine, Ah-Dai couldn't help but spit out a mouthful of blood, and the life force outside his body also weakened. His mental strength had already reached the brink of collapse.

  Xuanye was also shocked in his heart, he didn't think that Ahdai's released defensive magic could actually block the first attack, and hurriedly urged his magical power to continue attacking. At this time, two seconds had already passed. As Xuanye attacked, Tian Gengjian, who was hiding in the dark, was also surprised. Originally, he had already prepared to take action, but when he saw Ahdai's released defensive magic, he couldn't help but dispel his intention and decided to wait and see what other tricks his little disciple had up his sleeve, and only then would he make his move.

  Under the wrath of God, Ah-Dai's body was knocked back ten meters, and he struggled to support himself, but the Light Shield was only a sixth-level defensive magic. Although it had been enhanced by the Dragon's Blood, it was absolutely no match for the wrath of the mysterious night god. Finally, in the third second, the Light Shield Ah-Dai had set up dissipated into tiny sparks and disappeared. The golden God's Wrath heavily struck his protective Life Qi. Ah-Dai's left hand felt a surge of heat as the Guardian Ring frantically absorbed the energy of God's Wrath, but due to the enormous amount of energy, it was impossible for it to absorb cleanly in an instant. Ah-Dai's entire body shook violently again, and he spat out fresh blood, on the verge of collapse.

  Xuanye's heart was filled with joy, fearing that he had injured Ahdai's life. Just as he was about to withdraw his power, a brilliant blue light burst forth from Ahdai's chest, and a surge of blue energy gushed out, instantly shielding him. The blue energy coalesced into the shape of a dragon, its mouth wide open, and it began to devour Xuanye's angry spirit. At this point, Ahdai had already fainted due to the surging energy, unaware that the Dragon Egg within his body was absorbing Xuanye's divine power under the influence of the Dragon's Blood.

  Xuanye was shocked, and he discovered with terror that the divine wrath he had unleashed was being swallowed up by the blue energy dragon like a mud cow entering the sea. His magical power was disappearing rapidly, and he couldn't understand what was happening. To prevent his powers from decreasing greatly due to excessive consumption of magic, he could only forcibly disperse the attacking force. The golden light weakened, and the divine wrath restored its faint golden glow. At the same time, the blue energy dragon on Adai's chest also disappeared. The Dragon God's Blood itself did not possess the power of absorption. However, last time it had absorbed a lot of evil powers to protect Adai from being invaded by the evil aura of the Mingwang Sword. One of the biggest characteristics of the Mingwang Sword's evil power was its ability to absorb souls. Under the fusion of the Dragon God's Blood and the Mingwang God's Power, it finally burst out at Adai's most critical moment, exerting its unique absorption ability and saving him. The absorbed evil powers and divine wrath were also completely absorbed by the giant dragon egg that was about to awaken.

  Xuanye's body swayed slightly, and he stared blankly at the soft-fallen Ahdai, his voice trembling: "Dragon God's blood, impossible, how could Dragon God's blood be on him?" He wasn't very clear about the abilities of the Dragon God's blood, but he recognized that blue energy shape. In the descriptions of the Church's classics, the blue dragon-shaped energy was precisely the symbol of the Dragon God's blood.

  Xie Wen floated down beside Ah Diao, picked up his body, and said slightly angrily: "Master, the time just now shouldn't have been only five seconds, right?" As he spoke, he urged the True Qi to enter Ah Diao's body, helping him regulate his breathing.

  Xuan Yue felt a wave of dizziness when Ah Dai fell down, her energy completely disappeared. She frantically ran to Ah Dai's side and cried out: "Ah Dai, Ah Dai, you mustn't be hurt!"

  Xī Wén discovered that ā Dāi's body was weak, and his meridians had been shaken to some extent, but his injury wasn't severe. He comforted Xuě Yuè saying: "Don't worry, he'll be fine."

  Xuanye let out a sigh, with Ahdai's own strength being fundamentally unable to resist himself. He didn't know where this kid got the first Pope's protective artifact - the Dragon's Blood. It seemed like fate had decided, and he couldn't force it. He floated over to Xuanyue's side and said calmly: "Since Ahdai persisted for five seconds, let him temporarily keep the Mingwang Sword. However, if he relies on the evil power of the Mingwang Sword to do something bad in the future, the Church will not forgive him." After finishing speaking, he used his magical powers to seal Xuanyue's movements and turned to leave with her.

  "Is Mount Tianxia a place where you come and go as you please? You think you can just leave after showing off your skills, but it's not that easy." A gentle breeze blew by, and suddenly a figure appeared in front of Xuan Ye. It was the Sword Saint of Tianxia.

  "See Master." Xi Wen and his brothers looked at Tian Gang Sword Saint, who had arrived, and couldn't help but feel secretly delighted. They quickly paid their respects. It turned out that when Xuan Ye suggested letting Ah Dumb hold on for five seconds of defense, Xi Wen had already sent his younger brother to the back mountain to inform Tian Gang Sword Saint. He also knew that it was not easy to offend the Church, so it would be better to let Master handle such an important matter.

  Xuanye concentrated his mind and looked at the person in front of him, thinking to himself: "Is this really the famous Tianxia Sword Saint?" From his appearance, there was nothing special about him. He slightly nodded and said: "What do you mean by that."

  The Heaven's Punishment Sword Saint was facing away from Xuan Ye when he appeared, and now he slowly turned around, his eyes flashing with cold electricity. Xuan Ye saw that the white-haired Heaven's Punishment Sword Saint had a face that looked almost as young as his own, and his heart skipped a beat. As the saying goes, people with extraordinary appearances must have extraordinary abilities, and the divine light in the Heaven's Punishment Sword Saint's eyes fully demonstrated his unfathomable power.

  The Tianxia Sword Saint snorted, saying: "I didn't expect that after thirty years, you little monkey would become a Cardinal of the Vatican. You come to my place and show off your power. Even if it were your father who saw me, he would have to address me as senior, don't think that your Vatican is anything special, it's nothing in my eyes."

  Xuanye's mind was greatly shocked, the secret that he was the Pope's son was known by very few people in the Vatican, but unexpectedly, this old yet ageless Tianya Sword Saint had revealed it with just one sentence. "Are you the Tianya Sword Saint? I, Xuanye, have been enlightened." He clearly knew that he was no match for the Tianya Sword Saint, and his pride was greatly subdued.

  The Tianxia Sword Saint closed his eyes and said calmly, "You came here this time just to teach a lesson to my disciple?"

  Xuanye walked on the mainland, whoever saw him was not respectful enough, but this old man in front of him seemed to be as he said himself, and didn't put the Vatican in his eyes at all. Xuanye suppressed his anger and said: "The Mingwang Sword is the most evil thing in the world, I just want to try if Ahdai has the ability to guard it."

  Tianxia Sword Saint snorted, saying: "You're using my disciple to test me? You also underestimate the Tianxia Sword Sect too much. Since you tested my disciple's skills, shouldn't I also test how profound your magic is?"

  Xuanye's heart skipped a beat, he didn't expect the Tianxia Sword Saint to disregard his status and actively challenge him. He loudly said: "Sword Saint, junior admits that I am not your match."

  The Tianxia Sword Saint snorted and said, "You know that's good. In the future, I don't want to see anyone from your church appearing near the Tianxia Mountains again. You don't have to obey if you don't want to, but if you want to fight me, it would be better for your father to come here instead." He suddenly stretched out his left hand and made a grasping motion in mid-air.

  In the dark of night, the Heaven's Punishment Sword Saint did not emit any powerful aura, but to everyone's surprise, he suddenly discovered that the clouds and mist between the mountains were moving towards him like a whale sucking water. The Heaven's Punishment Sword Saint flicked his right wrist, and the mist dispersed, but in his hand appeared a long sword condensed from the mist. Without making any gestures, he swung the misty sword, which shot out like lightning, flying straight to a distant towering mountain peak. Everyone's eyes were fixed on the misty sword. There was no expected explosion; instead, the misty sword vanished, but it had pierced through the mountain peak, creating a huge hole without any signs of collapse or damage. The massive empty space seemed to have existed naturally. All were shocked and unable to move, if the previous magic display by Xu Ye was astonishing, then this feat by the Heaven's Punishment Sword Saint could only be described as a miracle.

  Xuanye took a deep breath of cool air, he understood that even if he used his strongest magic with all his might, it would be impossible to penetrate a target at such a great distance. Moreover, the Tianxia Sword Saint was doing all this in a lukewarm manner, making it impossible for him to see how much power he had used. What he said was right, perhaps only if his father came in person could they possibly resist.

  The Tianxia Sword Saint resumed his posture with his hands behind his back and said calmly, "Have you seen clearly? The Great Calamity of a thousand years is about to arrive, so use your abilities in useful places."

  Xuanye's eyes flickered with a complex expression, and after a long while, he said, "You are my elder, I naturally cannot refute your words."

  The Tianxia Sword Saint smiled slightly, his voice ringing in Xuanye's ear: "How about it, you're not convinced yet? You are also a senior to Ahdai, and the same words can be applied to you. If I were to use my full strength, I'm afraid you wouldn't last five seconds either. The Mingwang Sword is indeed the most evil thing in the world, and with Ahdai's current abilities, it would be difficult for him to protect it. However, I will prove to you that my disciple's achievements are not inferior to yours. In five years, we can have a fair competition here, if you win, the Mingwang Sword will be returned to your church, but if you lose, I hope you will marry your daughter to Ahdai, can you agree?" He had heard Xiwen mention the relationship between Ahdai and Xuanye before, so he made such a request.

  Xuanye's heart skipped a beat, he didn't expect the Tianxia Sword Saint to be a matchmaker for Ahdai. Five years? He also underestimated himself too much. Let alone five years, even if it were thirty years, Ahdai might not necessarily reach the level of Shiwen, the leader of the Tianxia Sword Sect. And his own magical powers would continue to progress. Listening to this, the bet seemed to be in his favor. Firmly, he said: "Alright, since you've said so, let's do it your way. Five years later, Xuanye will definitely come visit again." After finishing speaking, he pulled Xuanyue and activated the magic power within his body, about to leave under the white holy light.

  "Wait, Father." Xuan Yue choked back a sob, stopping her father.

  Xuan Ye furrowed his brow, the invisible pressure exerted by Tianxia Sword Saint put him at a disadvantage, making him suffer humiliation, and all of this was caused by his own daughter. If Tianxia Sword Saint demanded that his daughter stay behind, he had no ability to stop it, and he couldn't help but rage: "What more do you want?"

  Xuan Yue's face was covered with crystal tears. Just now, the conversation between Tian Ge Sword Saint and Xuan Ye was done using the transmission method, so she didn't hear it. She knew that separating from Ah Dai was already unavoidable. With a sorrowful voice, she said: "Dad, I have something to leave for Ah Dai, it's his. Please remove the seal on me first, and I will follow you back to the Teaching Court."

  Looking at his daughter's sad face, Xuan Ye's heart softened and he untied the restraints on Xuan Yue's body. Xuan Yue wiped away her tears with her sleeve and walked in front of Tian Gang Sword Saint, choking back sobs: "Grandfather, please tell Ah Dumb that Moon will always remember him, and to take care of his health from now on. If possible, I'll definitely go find him someday." As she spoke, she took off the Spirit Ring on her hand and handed it to Tian Gang Sword Saint, "This was given by the Spirit Queen, he can use it when searching for the Spirit Clan's people, but...but Moon can't go with him."

  The Heaven's Sword Saint took the Spirit Ring that had lost its green glow due to leaving the Spirit Forest and said faintly, "Child, after you return, work hard on your cultivation. You and Ah'Dai will definitely meet again in the future. Grandfather has nothing to give you now, but I'll send you a powerful guardian later." Looking at this lovely little girl, he couldn't help but think of his deceased daughter.

  Xuan Yue's tears flowed again, and she took a deep look at Ah Dai, who had fainted in Xi Wen's arms. Sobbing, she said: "Tell him... I hope he can be my follower for the rest of my life." After finishing speaking, she turned around and ran away, with sparkling teardrops flying in the air, shining with colorful light under the sunlight.

  Xuanye sighed, and after a slight bow to the Tian Gang Sword Saint, he chased after his daughter. The Tian Gang Sword Saint muttered to himself: "Owen, this life of yours is really too bitter, Master can't make up for anything, let me help your disciple achieve happiness."

  Xie Wensheng's brothers had already gathered around, and Zhou Wendao said: "Master, are you going to let him go like this? You didn't see how arrogant he was just now!"

  The Tianxia Sword Saint's eyebrows furrowed slightly, saying: "Zhou Wen, from today on, I'm punishing you to face the wall for three months. Your impulsive temper needs to be corrected, and Xiwen will supervise you. This Xuan Ye's magical talent is extremely high, even surpassing his father, the current Pope. His future prospects are boundless. Although I can defeat him without a problem, have you thought about this: if we thoroughly offend the Church, all their high-ranking priests will join forces to cast a forbidden spell, and Tianxia Mountain may cease to exist. In a one-on-one confrontation, I'm not afraid of the Pope. But if we keep a certain distance and give him enough time to chant his spells, I may not be able to guarantee victory. The gods may be elusive, but the Pope possesses mysterious powers. I know that your current abilities are not weak, and ordinary magic can't break through your aura defenses. However, you mustn't underestimate the power of magic; after all, the energy borrowed from heaven and earth is stronger than our own cultivated aura. Moreover, the great calamity will arrive in a thousand years, and I don't want to see any more branches sprouting out. From today on, you must all intensify your cultivation. When the calamity arrives, it will depend on you." He reached out and grabbed Ah Dai from Xiwen's hands, which had been frozen in shock. "Xiwen, those two children who came with Ah Dai, you need to guide them well. I've thought it through: Ou Wen's grudge must be avenged, but we're not suitable for participating. After all, he's created a lot of killing karma on the continent. If I send someone to participate openly, it will affect the reputation of the Tianxia Sword Sect. This task of avenging him will be left to Ah Dai from now on."

  Lu Wenda said: "But Master, Ah-Dai is still too young, although he is the strongest among his peers, I'm afraid..."

  The Sword Saint of Heaven's Wrath raised his hand to stop him from continuing, "This doesn't need your concern. Half a year later, come see me at the Stone Cave, I have something to tell you. Within this half year, no one is allowed to disturb me in the back mountain." After finishing speaking, he disappeared into the crowd with Ah Dumb in his arms.

  Xue Wen led the other disciples in a respectful bow towards the direction where Tian Can Jian Sheng had disappeared. After a while, Xue Wen said: "We should also go back now. It seems that Master will personally instruct Ah Duan."

  "Big Brother Master, Master asked me to close the door for three months, what do you think..."

  Xie Wen glared at him and said, "You really should shut your mouth, with a temper like yours! Fourth brother, from today on, you must urge the disciples to work harder in their cultivation. We also need to seize the opportunity. Master wants us to increase our strength, he must have his reasons."

  "Is that right, Big Brother Shifu?"

  …………

  Inside a dimly lit room.

  "Are you looking for me?" A low voice sounded.

  "If nothing's wrong, do you think I'd be willing to come here?" Another voice, almost as low as the first one.

  "What's wrong?" The low voice was devoid of any emotional tone.

  "My subordinates were carrying out a task when they were attacked by your subordinates, and one of my Acquirers was killed. As the head of the Assassin's Guild, don't you think you should explain?" This person was none other than the leader of the Thief's Guild, who had rushed to the Assassin's Guild headquarters to demand an explanation as soon as he learned that his Acquirer had been killed by the Dark King Sword. The Assassin's Guild headquarters might be a secret place for others, but it wasn't anything special for him, the master thief who grasped all the information in the world.

  "What? What did you say?" The master said with some surprise.

  "I'm telling you, your subordinate killed one of my subordinates, a Getter. You should know how hard it is to cultivate a Getter, even more difficult than cultivating those Annihilators." The Guild Master said indignantly.

  "Impossible! The only ones who could have killed the client in a one-on-one situation are the members of the Yuan Sha group, but they're all at 'home' and I haven't assigned them any tasks. Are you mistaken? You should know that our assassin's guild and your thief's guild have always had a mutually beneficial relationship."

  "Hmph! I was mistaken. Only the King of Hell can make the heavens shake, and among you assassin's guild, only your ace assassin 'King of Hell' can do it. It was a disciple of the King of Hell who used the King of Hell sword to kill my underling."

  The emperor's voice was lost: "What did you say? The disciple of the King of Hell? Is it a young man who is not very old, and looks a bit dull?"

  The guild leader snorted coldly and said: "Since you've admitted it, that makes things easier. You must give the Thieves' Guild an explanation for this matter."

  The master hesitated for a moment, saying: "What do you want me to explain to you? I've also been searching for this person all along. Ah, you don't know yet, the King of Hell has already severed ties with the Assassin's Guild."

  The leader of the Thieves' Guild was taken aback, and then burst out laughing coldly: "Who do you think you're fooling? The King of the Underworld has been doing favors for your guild for so many years, the merits he's earned are probably too numerous for even you to count. And yet you can't even properly keep him in line, giving him the opportunity to betray you? Moreover, even if he did betray you, with your style, would you let him off?"

  The master's voice was low and slightly angry, "Don't think I'm afraid of you. If we were to fall out, it would be bad for both of us. You should still remember how the King of Hell joined our guild, right? He eavesdropped on my conversation with my subordinates and learned the secrets within. Do you think he wouldn't betray us? Although I reacted in time and had my subordinates give him the No Second Holy Water, his strength was indeed formidable, and he managed to escape. And evaded my pursuit twice. Now the King of Hell should be dead, and our Killer's Guild paid the price of three Exterminators, six Original Killers, and the vice president's arm for it. That kid you mentioned, I know him, he seems to indeed be the 'King of Hell's' disciple. Looks like the King of Hell really did pass on his King of Hell sword to him. My people have been searching for him all along. He killed your subordinates, what does that have to do with us? Where did your subordinates see him?"

  "After hearing the lord's explanation, the calm and composed leader of the thieves' guild said in a low voice: 'In the Spirit Forest of the Tianyuan Clan. However, he may have left by now, as for where he went, I'm not quite sure. If what you say is true, I'll let my men find that little brat, I hope you can take care of him.'"

  The master smiled secretly in his heart, but on the surface he said calmly: "Alright, let's teach us this matter. I know that your Thieves' Guild can't easily take lives. What did your Obtainer go to the Spirit Forest for? Is there some big mission? You guys are getting richer and richer!"

  The leader of the Thieves' Guild was secretly delighted, he had been in a battle of wits with the leader of this Assassin's Guild for some time now. Upon hearing this, he coldly laughed and said: "This is something that can't be told to you, how could we possibly compare to your Assassin's Guild in terms of making money quickly? For now, let's just say that as soon as I have any news, I will notify you immediately." After finishing speaking, a black shadow flashed by, and he vanished from the spot.

  The master sneered a few times and muttered to himself: "Can you control the actions of our Assassin's Guild?"

  A one-armed man appeared beside the master and said in a low voice: "Master, he is getting more and more arrogant, should we..."

  The superior raised his hand to stop him from continuing, saying: "No, the Thieves' Guild's power is actually not below ours, and there are many areas where we can cooperate. Now it's not possible to move against them. The Underworld King affair was originally hidden very well, but now he knows about it. Without the Underworld King, our strength has indeed weakened a lot. Order all the subordinates who went out to find that kid to come back. The Thieves' Guild will help us find him. If we can make use of him like the Underworld King and cultivate him for a period of time, we will once again have the world's number one killer."

  The one-armed man hesitated and said: "But the King of Hell died because of us, will he submit?"

  The master coldly snorted and said, "There's nothing in the world that can't be done, it just depends on whether you're willing to put in the effort. This matter doesn't need to be rushed for now, let's talk about it when there's news. You should focus on training your subordinates, every bit of increased strength will play a crucial role for us in the future."

  "Yes, Your Majesty." The one-armed man quietly retreated, but he didn't notice that the monarch's eyes flickered with a faint red glint.

  …………

  "No, no, I'm not a demon." Ah-Dai woke up from his nightmare and sat up abruptly. He was panting heavily, having just dreamed of countless vengeful spirits surrounding him, demanding his life. After a while, he finally calmed down and found himself lying on a cold, hard boulder, surrounded by darkness that made it difficult to discern anything clearly, except that he seemed to be in a cave.

  "You're awake." A clear voice sounded beside Ah-Dai's ear.

  Ah-Dai suddenly reacted, "Isn't this the stone cave where Tian-Gan Sword Saint resides? 'Master Ancestor, is that you? How did I end up here with you.'"

  "Yes. I brought you here, you've been asleep for a day now. How are you feeling?"

  The silly brain gradually started to move, recalling everything before, and said bitterly: "Master, I'm fine. Yueyue, did she leave with her father?"

  The Sword Saint of Heaven's Wrath appeared before Ah-Dai, his hand pressed on Ah-Dai's shoulder, not allowing him to get up. "Sit still and don't move. That little girlfriend of yours has already left with her father. For you, being apart from her might not be a bad thing. With her around, how can you focus on your cultivation?"

  A'Dai lowered his head, and a strong thought of Xuan Yue surged in his heart. Although they had only been together for just over a month, Xuan Yue's figure had already left a deep impression on him.

  "This is what she left for you." The Tianxia Sword Saint handed over a dark green spiritual ring to Ah-Dai. Ah-Dai took the ring, holding it tightly in his hand, and the ring seemed to still retain Xuan Yue's body scent.

  "She asked me to tell you that if possible in the future, she will come looking for you. She also said that she hopes you can be her follower for life."

  Although the Heaven's Sword Saint repeated Xuan Yue's words in a tone devoid of any emotional color, Ah Dai's heart was deeply shaken. Even if he was stupid, he could understand the emotions and intentions behind Xuan Yue's words, his body trembling slightly as he choked out: "Yueyue, Yueyue, I, I'm willing to be your follower for a lifetime!"

  The Tianxia Sword Saint let out a soft sigh and said, "I don't understand the affairs of you children. You're all still young, it's too early to be discussing emotions. Ah-Dai, I have a question for you." Suddenly, a dense white light burst forth from his body, the radiance of his vital energy illuminating the cave, allowing Ah-Dai to clearly see the renowned old man before him.

  "Ask away, Master," Ah-Dai replied, barely suppressing his emotions.

  The Tianxia Sword Saint opened his eyes, the light in them fixed firmly on Ah-Dai's gaze, and said in a deep voice: "I ask you, are you willing to avenge your master Owen?"

  As soon as Owen's hatred was mentioned, Ah-Dai shuddered all over and nodded without hesitation: "Of course I'm willing, Uncle Owen died so miserably! Those killers from the Guild are really too despicable."

  The Sword Saint of Heaven's Wrath nodded in satisfaction, saying: "Very well. Since you are willing to avenge him, then this mission of vengeance shall be entrusted to you to complete."

  "Ah, stupid! I... Alright, Master Ancestor, even if I die, I will definitely avenge Uncle Owen."

  The Sword Saint of Heaven's Wrath sneered, saying: "With your current abilities, you probably can't even handle an ordinary assassin. If it weren't for those precious items on your body, do you think you could withstand the attacks of that little brat Xuan Ye for five seconds? I'm telling you, sometimes objects are important, but more important is one's own strength; otherwise, even if you hold a divine artifact, you can't bring out its true power. To put it simply, even if Xuan Ye held five divine artifacts and I didn't use any weapons, he still wouldn't be my match. Can you understand?"

  Ah-Dai roughly understood the meaning of the Tian-Gang Sword Saint, and nodded slightly, saying: "Master ancestor, I will definitely work hard to cultivate. Uncle Owen said that after eating the Rebirth Fruit, my cultivation will be much faster than ordinary people. The Elf tribe's aunt also used a natural magic called Elf Spring on me, I think that in the future, I will definitely be able to avenge my uncle."

  At the previous inquiry, Ah-Dai did not mention that he had eaten the Rebirth Fruit. Now that he has said it, even Tian-Xie Sword Saint's firm and unyielding will can't help but be shocked, exclaiming in surprise: "What did you say? You've eaten the Rebirth Fruit? Why didn't you say so earlier?! No wonder, no wonder you could cultivate so quickly! Your talent is pretty good, but it hasn't reached the level of a genius. It turns out that it was the effect of the Rebirth Fruit! Owen, the best thing you've ever done is to take Ah-Dai as your disciple!"

  Ah-Dai's mood had gradually calmed down since Tian Feng Sheng brought up the grudge against Owen. He scratched his head and said, "Master Ancestor, is that Reincarnation Fruit really that good?"

  The Tianxia Sword Saint nodded solemnly and said, "The Wosheng Fruit can be said to be the treasure of the world. For us cultivators who are determined to live forever, its effect is even more enormous. You will understand later." After a pause, he continued, "Child, how do you think you compare to the Xuan Ye of the Church?"

  "Ah, stupid," he said, "Xuanye is the father of Yuèyuè, a cardinal of the Holy See, and the most powerful magician I've ever seen. How can I compare to him?"

  The Sword Saint of Heaven's Wrath let out a cold hum and said, "This lack of confidence of yours must be changed. I'll be frank with you, I've already issued a challenge to him on your behalf. If you want to keep the Underworld King Sword left to you by Owen, you must win against him in the decisive battle five years from now."

  "What? No, no way, I couldn't have possibly won against him!"