The Pope was hesitant. He certainly wouldn't dare to barge in with his temple guards openly, as this was his greatest secret.
But Santos was different.
It was the only passage out of the valley. If he could guard Santos strictly, no one would be able to leave.
However—
Were they really going to confront the temple head-on at Santos?
This was absolutely not the best outcome.
The three of them, with grim expressions, slipped into Santos as the sky began to turn dawn-grey.
They returned to Chris's residence in Santos, but the worst-case scenario had happened—
The heads of the five great families were all still here!
None of their group had left Santos!
Chen Fan's face instantly turned ugly as he sat down at the long table. "When I explored with my senses just now, I discovered that someone in the opponent's ranks was stronger than me."
Everyone's faces changed drastically.
Besides the Pope, who else could it be!
This Hall of Rebirth was indeed what he cared about the most!
No one had expected the Pope himself to come to Luoying Valley to capture them!
"What do we do now?"
Chris looked at the people at the table with a slight frown.
Sostri coldly hugged the bottle of Sostnai Xue in his arms, his eyes filled with immense hatred. "It's good that they've come!"
"Then it's time to get revenge!"
Ouyang Yuming glanced at him and shook his head disapprovingly. "That's not revenge, that's suicide."
"The Pope's strength is far beyond ours. How can we contend with him?"
"We didn't bring any strength with us on this trip. In all of Santos, there are only us old folks. How can we possibly confront the temple?"
After the journey through the Hall of Rebirth, everyone had clearly made up their minds.
They naturally had to deal with the temple.
It's just...
It was definitely not at this moment in their plan!
All the major powers of Europa were currently in Santos. If not a single one of them could leave, then no one in all of Europa would be able to oppose the temple again.
Everyone knew this clearly.
It was precisely because of this that they were all frowning.
What to do.
What else could they do now—
...
Dark Fox Headquarters.
With such a massive stir from Hierscher, they naturally couldn't be unaware.
Chen Fan had not brought Yin Ping on this trip to Luoying Valley.
It was out of fear that if so many of them went to Santos, there would be no one to provide support outside.
Fortunately, it was at this point that Yin Ping was finally put to use.
He tapped his fingers on the tabletop. "Did they head towards Santos?"
"Judging by their route, it's undoubtedly Santos."
It seemed that their actions in Luoying Valley had been too big, alerting the Pope.
Yin Ping sat in his seat and pondered for a long while, then stood up. "Gather everyone."
Hearing Yin Ping's words, the mercenary's eyes lit up. "Are we also going to Santos to engage the temple head-on?"
Yin Ping shook his head. "It's not the best time yet."
"Our objective is to rescue the Pavilion Master and the others from Santos first."
This...
The mercenary was completely troubled.
"The temple has surrounded the city, and the Pope himself has come. In this situation, without engaging them head-on, how can we rescue them!"
Yin Ping chuckled. "What do you think the Pope values?"
The mercenary frowned. "The temple?"
Yin Ping nodded. "I will give him a reason he cannot retreat."
"When we left, Mr. Chris and Mr. Ouyang both left us their handwritings, instructing us to mobilize the people from their two families together."
"Head towards Hierscher with full force!"
After Yin Ping's decision was made.
The two forces staged a divergence within Europa.
The majority of the temple's main forces were led by the Pope to Santos to arrest Chen Fan and the others, while Yin Ping led the other major forces of Europa directly towards Santos, which was currently weakened!
But Chen Fan and the others were still unaware of all this.
"How much longer until they arrive?"
Attacking from a hundred miles away, given the temple's pace, it would take no more than an hour.
The area outside Santos was desolate. If they were to rush out now, they would inevitably run into the approaching temple army, which would be walking right into a trap.
Chen Fan pursed his lips and made the final decision.
"You five great families are on good terms with the temple. If you remain silent about what you saw in Luoying Valley, the Pope will not suspect you."
"They want me. I will go out."
Ge Jun frowned. "The Pope is not that easy to deal with."
Chen Fan chuckled. "But it's not that simple for him to kill me either."
"After I meet him, I will lead him and a portion of the temple army to escape towards Luoying Valley."
"You take advantage of the chaos to leave."
As Chen Fan spoke, he placed the various medicinal herbs he had collected in the Hall of Rebirth on the table. "Take these to Xing'er for me. Make sure to remove her蛊毒, and then, under the premise of ensuring her safety, send her back to China."
Luosheng frowned and slumped into his seat as if deflated.
"This is your own business. If you have to do it, do it yourself when you get back!"
"Don't act like you're making final arrangements. It's upsetting to see!"
Chen Fan raised an eyebrow, then stood up from his seat with a light laugh.
"Alright."
"The situation is not as bad as you imagine."
"Although the Pope has broken through to the God level, his foundation is unstable. It's not as if I don't have a fighting chance."
"As for you all—"
Chen Fan's gaze swept leisurely over the people present. "Spread the word, let everyone know what kind of being the one they worship as a god truly is."