The Genesis Bible is an artifact for summoning Heaven, but even the Pope did not possess enough strength to summon the Heaven Door on his own. Yulia had exhausted all her willpower and life force; even the Life Halo could not remedy the toll of the sacrifice.
Yulia now was just an ordinary person. Although the Star Palace still existed, she could not muster a shred of Star Power.
The Pope ignited the Holy Fire of the Church, and in the palaces of the Twelve Cardinals, the torches of Holy Fire also lit up simultaneously.
"What's happened? Why has the Pope suddenly ignited the Holy Fire?"
"The Pope commands that the Twelve Bishops join forces to summon Heaven's descent."
Although the order came abruptly, the Bishops all complied respectfully. "We obey the command."
The fourteen palaces were actually fourteen fortresses and also the focal points of a gigantic Array. The Array of Holy Light operated based on these fourteen palaces, and the tool to control it was the Pope's staff.
BOOM—
With the staff in hand, a brilliant light instantly shot towards the sky. The entire Pope's Palace blazed like a lit torch, its radiance illuminating heaven and earth. The rippling Divine Might spread out in waves in every direction.
Then, the second palace, the third palace.
One by one, the palaces lit up. The Star Power of the Twelve Bishops connected with the Pope through the Holy Light Array, forming a whole. The Array of Holy Light also absorbed Heavenly Earth Star Power, providing a significant boost. At this moment, the intensity of the Pope's Star Power reached an inconceivable level.
The Pope knelt on both knees, reverently cradling the Genesis Bible. Surging Star Power flowed into the Genesis Bible like a frenzied pump.
"Heaven, heed the call of your devout believer and descend—"
BOOM—
In an instant, the skies churned with wind and cloud.
At that moment, meteorological agencies in numerous nations detected the sudden, fierce winds. Their attention turned towards God's Country. God's Country was in a very special position; any upheaval there could capture the attention of all nations.
The sudden changes prompted uneasy leaders from various countries to call God's Country and inquire about what had happened.
Compared to their worry, the residents of God's Country were luckier. They could see everything happening in God's Country with their own eyes.
The clouds in the sky quickly converged, covering the entire sky. But oddly, the clouds that shrouded everything remained pure white rather than turning into dark, oppressive clouds.
The cloud layer was thick, like cotton candy floating above in the sky.
Suddenly, the clouds above the Papacy began to churn violently, and golden light peeked through the gaps, showering the earth.
Within the golden light, a majestic and sacred gate began to materialize in the clouds.
"OH! MY GOD!"
One by one, the residents of God's Country pulled out their phones, recording this exhilarating, unbelievable scene.
In a flash, the news that Heaven had appeared over God's Country swept across the world like a wild wind, driving many followers of the Heaven God Sect mad. Those with the means even planned to book flights to God's Country immediately.
In just one minute, the booking systems of most countries collapsed. It wasn't just plane tickets; train and ship ticket systems also crashed due to the overwhelming surge in booking attempts.
The changes in the clouds continued, and a ladder carved of white jade unfurled from above the Heaven Door, extending directly to the Pope's Palace.
The sight drove the residents of God's Country wild. What was this? Heaven's welcome? Was Heaven extending its bridge to the mortal realm, promising ascent to all who climbed the steps?
Thousands of years of faith, nurtured from its very beginning, culminated in this moment: Heaven, the ultimate reward, revealed itself to the believers. The frenzy, the loss of reason, was beyond words.
Countless believers rushed towards the Papacy. If the Holy Light Array hadn't been activated, the Papal Knights alone would have been helpless against the delirious masses.
"The Heaven Door has opened. Let us enter," the Pope said, gasping slightly.
"Yulia, shall I carry you?" Wang Lan approached Yulia and offered.
Among those present were a young woman and an old man. Wang Lan considered it and decided he was the only suitable person to carry Yulia. Yulia did not hesitate or stand on ceremony. She nodded and eagerly climbed onto Wang Lan's back.
Jiang Xinyu shot Wang Lan an accusing glance.
This was rather unfair to him. He had no designs on Yulia; it was just that, given the situation, how could he possibly ask Jiang Xinyu to carry her? Besides, Yulia was an old woman now.
The four of them climbed the ladder and approached the Heaven Door. From the ground looking up at the clouds, the Heaven Door radiated Divine Might, as sacred as it could be. But when they reached it, they found the doorway riddled with cracks, most wider than Wang Lan's finger.
That it still stood so firmly was its final act of defiance.
If it weren't necessary to enter Heaven by passing directly under the Heaven Door, Wang Lan would have hesitated to set foot inside at all.
The four of them passed through the Heaven Door in single file, and the view before them suddenly cleared, revealing a pristine white world. Although there was no sun overhead, the light was very bright. Before them lay an expanse of lush green grass dotted with beautiful flowers.
"Is this Heaven?" Wang Lan asked curiously.
"This is Eden. Beyond Eden lies the true Heaven."
The group continued across the grass and quickly came upon a river. The water in the river was crystal clear and had an inexplicable fragrance, sweet as honey.
"This is Holy Water, the real Holy Water!" the Pope exclaimed excitedly as he reached the riverside, scooped up some Holy Water, and drank it.
"Wang Lan, look!" Jiang Xinyu suddenly cried out. Following Jiang Xinyu's pointing finger, they saw a corpse lying on the opposite bank of the Holy River—an Angel's corpse.
The corpse had endured endless years without the slightest sign of decay, looking as if it had just died. The body was clothed in a white godly robe, with pristine wings covering half of the body, the lower half almost submerged in the river water.
The Pope, shocked, put down the Holy Water and, together with Wang Lan, floated over and turned the body around to discover a massive wound where the heart should be. The flesh of the Angel was white like jade, the blood long since dried.
The sight of the Angel's corpse completely dispelled the Pope's initial excitement upon reaching Heaven. The group continued along the riverbank. The Bible records that the Holy River flows down from Heaven through Eden. According to this, following the Holy River should lead to the location of Heaven.
Traveling along the Holy River, they soon arrived at the real Eden, also known as Paradise, where the children of God lived. There were Angels as well as mortals, and all who lived here were pure of heart and kind in spirit.
Eden boasted an immensely advanced civilization, its inhabitants highly intelligent. While the architectural style differed from that of the surface world, Wang Lan could still discern that the massive structures required powerful construction techniques and meticulous planning. Grandeur and beauty were interwoven, rendering a deeply moving spectacle at just a glance.
But now, this magnificent sky city lay in ruins, plunged into utter silence.
The four entered the ruined city of Eden with heavy hearts. The pallor of the city served as a memorial to its former glory. The streets of the city were riddled with cracks, innumerable houses collapsed, and even those few that still stood were on the brink of falling.
Scattered across the streets were heaps of bones and the corpses of Angels, most of them Power Angels, with a few combat Angels.
"It must have been a terribly fierce battle," the Pope sighed deeply. It was only now that he truly accepted the reality that Heaven had become hell.
Before actually seeing the state of Heaven, the doctrine of God's Country was not like this. The Genesis Bible mentioned the Twilight of the Gods. Roughly ten thousand years ago, the Holy Angel Lucifer betrayed Heaven, inviting the Demon King to invade. This resulted in a brutal war where both the God of Heaven and the Demon King perished together.
But after seven days, the God of Heaven and all the Angels and children who died in battle were resurrected, and Eden and Heaven were restored to their original state. The resurrection after seven days was but a wishful thought. After the Twilight of the Gods, there was no "thereafter."
Lucifer had once declared that Heaven was destroyed, that even the eastern heavens, the Olympian gods, and the temples of Northern Europe had all vanished into smoke. But who among the believers of the Heaven God Sect was willing to believe that?
If the God they had worshipped for thousands of years had fallen ten thousand years ago, wouldn't the Heaven God Sect become a joke?
No wonder the previous Pope never mentioned anything about Heaven after returning, even forbidding any inquiry about it—this must be the truth he was hiding.
Suddenly, Wang Lan paused, a faint noise reaching his ears. In an instant, Wang Lan pushed Jiang Xinyu and the Pope aside. A black light burst forth from beneath his feet, shooting towards the sky like a dark pillar.
Jiang Xinyu was flung dozens of meters back before regaining her composure. Only then did she realize that what appeared to be a dark pillar was nothing but an enormous centipede, dozens of meters long. The centipede was pitch-black, its menacing legs as sharp and terrifying as scythes.
It was bad enough that the centipede was huge, but its speed was startlingly fast as well.
As the body of the centipede rushed past, it twisted and danced in the air like a dragon. Wang Lan, still carrying Yulia on his back, remained standing in the original spot. He had managed to make his body ethereal the instant the centipede struck, narrowly avoiding being devoured.
"A Sky-swallowing Centipede? Isn't that a demonic beast from the legends of the netherworld?"
"Sky-swallowing Demonic Beast? Just the name suggests formidable power."
"Wang Lan, be careful. This is a legendary beast capable of slaughtering gods," Jiang Xinyu cautioned.
Wang Lan handed Yulia, who was on his back, over to Jiang Xinyu's care.
A Sky-swallowing Demonic Beast... let's see how you swallow the heavens.
In a flash, he was enveloped in white light, shining like twinkling stars. When Wang Lan reappeared, he was clad in the Phoenix Saint Cloth.
"Sword of Light, Slash!"
The Sword of Light transformed into a massive Heavenly Sword tens of meters long, and with Wang Lan's swipe, it brutally descended.
CLANG—
A thunderous sound erupted as the Sword of Light fiercely struck the centipede's hard back. Green blood splattered everywhere. Each drop carried a terrifying corrosiveness, hissing and emitting an acrid smoke upon hitting the ground.
This sword could injure the Sky-swallowing Centipede, yet it was not enough to kill it. As for Wang Lan's current strength, even a being from the Star Soul Realm would be slain instantly if it took such a blow.
Injured, the centipede went into a frenzy. Its writhing body seemingly stretched by space as it surged toward Wang Lan with astonishing speed, even faster than a Sonic.
Wang Lan stared intently at the centipede, his eyes suddenly bulging. Two large pinwheels began to spin within his pupils.
"Divine Might, Sever!"
