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Sssss— Though a soul could not speak, the maddened aura filling the surroundings and causing violent friction in the air still radiated the fury of the Archdemon King. Yet, despite its crimson fiery pupils shifting several times between the *Tiger Soul Blade* and the Platinum Lightning, it took no further action.

Seeing this, Chen Xuanfeng secretly sighed in relief. Though unafraid of opposing the Archdemon King, his plan to "slay the demon" was originally meant for after he became a Sword Saint. Now was certainly not the ideal time for battle. It seemed his and Leimen's earlier speculations were correct—the Sword of Divine Punishment truly made the soul-form Archdemon King wary beyond measure. If the Divine Light Power and Barto's dark magic were polar opposites, then the Platinum Lightning was like a natural bane to the Archdemon King's soul. Otherwise, it wouldn't have made him hesitate so much.

For a moment, the fifth underground chamber fell into silence. The Archdemon King's soul manifestation hovered indecisively in the center, while Chen Xuanfeng and Samanda naturally had no desire to provoke such a terrifying foe while still dealing with humans. As for Pope Paul VIII, he lay crumpled on the ground, desperately recovering from his injuries—hardly in any condition to fight.

The decision—whether to fight or not—now seemed entirely in the hands of that dark soul manifestation. Yet, even the Archdemon King appeared hesitant, his oppressive aura fluctuating unpredictably, revealing the uncertainty at his core.

After lingering for a while, the black soul manifestation finally seemed to abandon its intent to fight. It abruptly contracted its form and pressure inward, accompanied by a soundless sigh that echoed deep within everyone's souls. Then, it shot upward, smashing through layer after layer of the ceiling, tearing apart the radiant white barriers of Divine Light Power, and carving a black pillar of light that pierced heaven and earth before vanishing into the vast sky beyond Saint Spirit Mountain.

Under the sunlight, all that remained on the shattered mountain was a sky city, one end touching the ground, teetering precariously.

"Whew~~ Finally gone... What a monstrous presence... *cough*—" As the overwhelming pressure dissipated, Chen Xuanfeng was the first to exhale deeply. His actual strength was the weakest among the three, yet he had endured the greatest strain. Facing the Archdemon King's aura head-on, had it not been for the Nine Yin True Energy sustaining him, he might have already coughed up blood.

Orc King Samanda also nodded in relief. "So that was the soul of Archdemon King Barto? Truly formidable. I never imagined even a soul-form Archdemon King could retain such immense power. I once believed Master Leimen's strength was the pinnacle of this world, that the legends of the Archdemon King were merely embellished tales... But now, even if Master were revived at his peak, facing a fully restored Barto would be... a nightmare."

Chen Xuanfeng chuckled. "It's all because humans tampered with ancient seals. But if the warriors of this continent could annihilate Barto in an era without forbidden spells or holy domains, then today, we have no reason to fear him. Anyway, that's a problem for the future. For now, shouldn't we deal with the trouble here first?"

As he spoke, he gestured toward the nearby Pope. After fighting side by side, Chen Xuanfeng found his hostility toward the Orc King had lessened somewhat.

"Hmph, what's left to worry about?" Samanda sneered, his single eye fixed on the still-prostrate Pope. "Unless I'm mistaken, Barto's soul was the power source for this crude human flying contraption. Now that it's gone, how long can this hunk of rock stay airborne with just residual energy? My army below is already in position—the moment it crashes, they'll swarm in and slaughter every last human. After this, the Western Continent will have no more human strongholds left to resist us."

Chen Xuanfeng nodded, about to speak, when the Pope suddenly lifted his head. Bloodshot eyes glared fiercely at the two orc champions as his youthful face rapidly aged. At the same time, the *Eternal Holy Grail* in his sole remaining hand flared with sudden brilliance.

"Filthy beasts! Do not think you have defeated the faithful of the Light God! Saint Spirit Mountain shall not fall! In the name of His Holiness the Light God, I swear—even if I must burn away my life and soul, this holy city shall never fall into the hands of abominations!"

In Paul VIII's hoarse, desperate scream, the divine artifact *Crown of Thorns* atop his head also erupted violently. Thorn-covered black vines spread outward, no longer confined to his skull but piercing through his entire body like roots, burrowing into every wound, mangling skin, muscle, bone, and organs alike. In exchange, his Divine Light Power surged once more, and the six shattered light wings on his back instantly regenerated, allowing him to float midair again.

"Damn it, stop him!" Samanda roared, charging forward with the "Cataclysm Demon Axe." Chen Xuanfeng reacted just as swiftly, dashing toward the Pope. Though they didn't yet know how Paul VIII planned to turn the tide, seeing the strongest human—whose power still surpassed both orc champions—fighting with his life on the line, they couldn't afford to let him unleash his full might. After all, a mage in his death throes was far more terrifying than a warrior.

Yet with a series of thunderous impacts, the assaults of the "Cataclysm Demon Axe," *Tiger Soul Blade*, and "Sword of Divine Punishment" were all blocked by a white halo emanating from the Eternal Holy Grail.

"Divine Artifact Protection"—the indestructible force field symbolizing the inviolability of divine artifacts—had been reactivated. Though the three weapons wielded by Samanda and Chen Xuanfeng were legendary armaments of mythic renown, they still lacked the power to instantly breach the defenses of two divine artifacts.

"*Cough*... I... Joshua Saselat Paul... hereby offer my heart, my mind, my soul... unto my God... O Lord... let my life burn as a torch... to illuminate the path for all believers... that they may... forever bask in Your grace—"

Seizing the moment the two orc champions were held at bay, the Pope rasped out his final prayer. With his left hand, he forcefully pressed the crystal-skull-shaped Eternal Holy Grail into his already ravaged chest.