With the fall of the Pope, the earth-shaking battle sweeping across the Western Sea finally came to an end.
The sea breeze gently blew, gradually dispersing the thick smell of blood. Fang Yuan stood in midair, his dark robe fluttering in the wind.
He lowered his gaze to watch the shattered body of the Pope fall, his eyes filled with coldness.
Originally, the Iron-Spine Starfort was majestic and had great strategic value. Fang Yuan had intentionally preserved it for his own use in the future.
However, without a word, the Pope raised her hand and reduced the Starfort to dust, which greatly displeased Fang Yuan.
"You can transform all you want, but why destroy my things..."
But thinking of the two million good deeds she had offered, Fang Yuan decided to forgive her reluctantly.
Fang Yuan casually waved his hand, and a faint blue light appeared at his fingertip—he activated the [Soul Summon] technique!
The void trembled, ripples spreading out, and the Pope's soul slowly began to form. At this moment, she had shed her monstrous form and regained her former holy and dignified appearance.
Her white robe moved as if blown by an invisible wind, and her golden hair cascaded like a waterfall.
"Now that's more like it," Fang Yuan nodded slightly, a hint of amusement flashing in his eyes. "Compared to that ugly appearance just now, you are much more pleasing to the eye now."
The Pope's soul calmly gazed at him, her earlier twisted and fanatical appearance now replaced with serenity: "... Even in death, you still won't let me go?"
Fang Yuan raised an eyebrow: "Let go?" He laughed softly, "Don't worry, I just have a few questions and need you..."
Before he could finish speaking, suddenly, the world fell silent!
A vast force descended, as if an invisible hand had grasped the Pope's soul tightly!
"Hahaha!" Feeling this power, the Pope suddenly laughed bitterly, "It seems that I'm not the only one who doesn't want to let me go..."
In the next moment, her soul twisted like smoke and was forcibly dragged into the depths of the void!
Fang Yuan's gaze turned cold, and his spiritual power surged as he tried to stabilize the Soul Summon technique, but the power was far beyond his control. In the blink of an eye, the Pope's soul was completely obliterated, leaving no trace behind.
Fang Yuan slowly withdrew his hand, a glimmer of cold light in his eyes.
"Again, this..."
The last time he summoned Yan Taizu, it had been the same... His [Soul Summon] was forcibly interrupted by a higher-level existence.
The fact that this could happen clearly indicated that it wasn't something from this world. The upper world, perhaps...
However, Fang Yuan wasn't too concerned about the upper world.
Because the Pope had already proven something to him: he was not afraid of the rank pressure from the deities of the upper world. This was valuable information.
Perhaps the gap between the upper and lower worlds wasn't as vast as imagined. The real difference might simply lie in the disparity of ranks.
This rank suppression led to the illusion of overwhelming power.
Just like with Ruan Tianhe... A dignified Martial Saint was easily defeated by a monster with just a glance.
This was a typical example of rank suppression. If they fought in earnest, Ruan Tianhe might not have been defeated so miserably.
Of course, these were just Fang Yuan's speculations... But speaking of Ruan Tianhe, he suddenly sensed something unusual.
Something was struggling within his body, trying to break free from his restraints.
Fang Yuan's brows furrowed slightly. He reached into his sleeve, and his fingers touched a card full of cracks—the very one that had sealed Ruan Tianhe.
The card trembled slightly in his palm, as if it would shatter completely at any moment.
Clearly, with the Pope's death, the seal on the card could no longer hold.
Without hesitation, Fang Yuan threw it out.
Bang——!
The card exploded in mid-air, and fragments scattered everywhere. An ancient figure suddenly appeared, surrounded by the lingering power of the seal.
Ruan Tianhe looked down at his hands, his joints cracking loudly, then threw his head back and laughed wildly:
"Hahaha... It's broken! I've broken this damn seal!"
He stroked his long beard, his eyes shining brightly: "Looks like this broken card can't imprison a true strong man!"
Since being imprisoned in the card, Ruan Tianhe had never stopped accumulating power, constantly trying to break free from the seal. Now, all his efforts had paid off.
Heaven doesn't disappoint those who are determined. Ruan Tianhe was free once more!
Fang Yuan watched coldly, waiting for his laughter to subside before slowly saying, "Finished laughing?"
Ruan Tianhe's smile froze, and he turned to look at Fang Yuan. He cleared his throat and, pretending to be calm, stroked his beard: "Ah, it's you, Fang..."
"As you can see," he spread his hands, his energy circulating around him, "this seal couldn't trap me. Now, let's join forces and deal with that Pope, shall we?"
"Although you've beaten the Pope badly, it was only a clone. The Pope still has a god behind her. Only by joining forces will we have a chance of defeating her..."
Fang Yuan gave him a look as if he were an idiot: "The Pope is already dead."
Ruan Tianhe's face froze in a confident smile: "What... did you say?!"
Fang Yuan shook his head: "Otherwise, do you think that's how you broke the seal?"
"Wasn't it through my efforts and hard work?" Ruan Tianhe's voice suddenly rose.
"I'm not sure about your effort..." Fang Yuan rubbed his forehead. "But how did the sweat end up on my head?"
Honestly, from the start until now, he had indeed sweated a little.
"Really... killed?!"
When Ruan Tianhe saw the calmness in Fang Yuan's eyes, he finally realized that it was no joke. The sudden news struck him like a bolt of lightning, leaving him stunned for a long time.
For thousands of years, he had hidden his name to avoid the Pope's pursuit.
Throughout this long period, the Pope had always been a shadow hanging over his heart, his destined nemesis!
He had constantly hoped that one day he could personally take revenge and clear the grudge!
But now, this enemy, who had tormented him for thousands of years, had quietly fallen...
This felt so unreal to Ruan Tianhe.
As the two of them spoke, Ruan Chao'an, Mo Tianxing, and others also arrived from the distance.
"Master!" When Ruan Chao'an saw Ruan Tianhe breaking free from the seal, he was so excited that his voice trembled.
The others stood in a daze, looking around in shock.
Although they hadn't witnessed Fang Yuan's battle prowess, the entire sea area was still filled with a strong smell of blood.
The sea below surged, revealing a fierce crack on the seabed, as if the earth had been torn apart. The battle here must have been extremely brutal!
Especially Xirwei and Nal, who knew how terrifying the power the Western Continent had used to deal with Fang Yuan was. Just the so-called "mobile sky fortress" was enough to bring despair!
And now, that iron spine fortress, which cost trillions to build over a thousand years, had disappeared as if erased by an eraser from a pencil...
The crowd's breath quickened as they looked up at Fang Yuan with burning eyes, as if they were gazing at a legendary figure.
Facing their gazes, Fang Yuan pointed at Mo Tianxing, and a powerful life force surged into his body, instantly healing him completely.
"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Mo Tianxing quickly expressed his gratitude.
"No problem," Fang Yuan waved his hand.
"Your Majesty, what about the Pope..." Xirwei cautiously asked.
"It's all over, not a single one left," Fang Yuan replied calmly.