The Dark Pope also had a temper.
Although he seemed indifferent, submerged in the blood pool these past few days, he was, in fact, paying close attention to the changes in the Western Regions. The pressure from the three great forces was immense, and even the Dark Church, with all its power, felt the strain. He had remained silent for so long precisely to await the appearance of the Hall of Gods.
Now that it had finally appeared, it was time to make the Hall of Gods bear the brunt of the pressure.
"Gurgle, gurgle."
The blood pool churned as the Dark Pope sank back into it, resuming his cultivation. Apollo could only retreat with a sigh. Alone, he dared not act presumptuously within the Dark Church. These old established powers all possessed hidden trump cards. Just as the Angelic Holy Assembly once had the Qin King's corpse as its ultimate trump card. Had the Qin King's corpse not stirred with a hint of consciousness, the outcome of that day would have been rewritten, and there would be no trouble now.
The Dark Church, however, had never revealed its trump card.
...
The Western Regions continued to be turbulent, the chaos escalating. Life here was worth less than that of livestock.
Four days had passed since the spatial gate opened.
"Boom."
On this day, a massive spatial rift tore open above Wenlan City, rending the heavens and earth. Figures emerged from the rift. Leading them was Poseidon, whom Chen Fan had encountered once before. Wisdom God Athena was absent, replaced by three new faces.
"Hiss."
In the Eastern Manor, Chen Fan's eyes snapped open. He had been awakened by an immensely powerful aura.
"Are you never going to stop?" A furious roar erupted from the manor. Old Demon Chu ascended into the air, confronting the sky. By his side stood Huomo. With a flash of light, Tinuok also appeared.
The three top powerhouses of Wenlan City, including the City Lord, were all present. This time, they felt an immense pressure. Poseidon remained silent, as did the other three God Lords. The seven half-step Supremes behind them also kept their silence.
"Heh heh."
A cold laugh echoed. With the creak of a door opening, Chen Fan's figure ascended, step by step, treading on ethereal stairs.
"There are still four days. Can't you wait any longer?" Chen Fan's voice was calm. The stairs beneath his feet suppressed the void, and an indescribable power slowly surged and spread.
Poseidon seemed to sense something. Observing Chen Fan's silence, he spoke, "Have you comprehended the rule of the third key?"
The word "zhen" (suppress). He was all too familiar with this feeling; it had a certain resonance with Zeus's power.
"You're wrong." Chen Fan shook his head. "What I've mastered is the first key." The order was incorrect. Otherwise, with the Hall of Gods' capabilities, they would have found the first key long ago. According to the sequence, the first key revealed the sealed locations of the other two. The second key, which should be in the Hall of Gods' possession, would reveal the sealed location in Wu Sheng's hands. This was also consistent with the order of locations left by the fragments. Thus, he deduced that he possessed the first key.
"Heh heh." Poseidon chuckled coldly. "City Lord Chen, our Hall of Gods wishes to avoid a full-scale war. As long as City Lord Chen is sensible and hands over the sealed key, we will depart immediately."
"Do you think that's possible?" Chen Fan retorted. "Things have come to this, and you're still so naive. What, you couldn't get Wu Sheng's key, so you're coming after me? Do you think I, Chen Fan, am easy to bully?"
"Someone will deal with Wu Sheng," Poseidon stated with confidence.
"Oh?" Chen Fan raised an eyebrow. "Is Zeus personally intervening?" Given the restrictions on Supremes acting lightly, it could only be the First God Lord, Poseidon.
"Of course." A flicker of pride crossed Poseidon's sinister pupils. "The First God Lord is personally taking action, so don't expect Wu Sheng to save you."
Save me? What a joke. Who does Chen Fan need to be saved by?
...
Meanwhile.
In the far north of the Northern Regions, Zeus appeared. This, the most prominent figure of the Hall of Gods, the First God Lord, personally intercepted Wu Sheng.
"Zheng zheng."
The rusty sword sang, accompanied by a torrent of killing intent.
"Fellow Daoist Wu Sheng." Zeus was a tall, handsome man. His lineage seemed to be consistently handsome; Apollo had inherited his excellent genes perfectly. The man who had been feeding chickens looked up and grabbed the rusty sword stuck in the ground.
"Kacha, kacha."
Patches of rust fell off, revealing a smooth sword body.
"Why the rush?" If possible, Zeus did not wish to engage the Daoist before him in combat. Facing this man, he too felt pressure.
"You underestimate me," Wu Sheng suddenly said. "Without a Supreme intervening, do you really think you can snatch the third sealed key from my grasp?"
"No." Zeus was self-aware of this fact. "However, obtaining the other key is enough. Two seals are sufficient to delay the opening of the spatial gate by another century."
"..."
Wu Sheng fell silent. Chen Fan. He remembered the name of that City Lord. If that sealed key were truly seized by the Hall of Gods, the opening of the spatial gate would indeed be delayed.
"Therefore..." Wu Sheng pondered. "To prevent you from succeeding, it seems I must kill you first."
Zeus's expression became grave.
Zheng zheng.
The sword's hum grew more intense, its radiance brighter.
"Qiang."
Finally, the divine sword was unsheathed. With a single stroke, it sliced through the heavens and earth.
"Boom."
Great Sun divine light emerged from Zeus's body. Above his head, the divine sword tore through the heavens and the suddenly appearing great sun. Zeus vanished from his original position. In an instant, nine great suns appeared in the sky, like nine suns traversing the firmament. Endless light scorched the heavens and earth. Wu Sheng's physical body began to crack, skin and flesh splitting. Under the irradiation of the great suns, his body began to char. Sunflowers, the power of the sun.
"Humph." Wu Sheng snorted. The blood qi of Chongxiao transformed into a blood dragon soaring into the sky. With the potent blood qi, Wu Sheng's body recovered once more, only to be scorched back to a skeletal state again.
"Die." The skeletal Wu Sheng slashed down with his sword. Even with his body as mere bones, he was still Wu Sheng. With a single sword strike, he split the heavens. The nine great suns shattered under the sword's radiance.
"Fuse." Zeus was incredibly powerful. With a single word, the nine severed great suns instantly merged into one.
"Rumble."
Waves of blazing sun pressure descended, crushing down. The true might of the sun arrived, bearing down.
Buzz!
The sword's might trembled. Its aura climbed steadily. So did Wu Sheng's aura.
"Open again." Ten thousand swords erupted, then merged into one. The path of fusion, he was also skilled in. And even more so. The sword's light struck the great sun, but at that moment, the divine sword suddenly disappeared. It was abrupt, without any warning. However, Zeus within the great sun's core, his pupils contracted, vaguely guessing what had happened.
When the skeletal Wu Sheng appeared within the great sun, directly before him, Zeus's expression finally changed.
"Space, you have indeed mastered the Great Dao of Space." Wu Sheng possessed a sealed key, and each sealed key represented a Great Dao.