**SPURT—** Yulia suddenly spat out a mouthful of fresh blood.
Wang Lan instantly appeared at Yulia's side, his face filled with worry. "Yulia, how are you?"
"It's not a big problem; my body is just too weak. Wang Lan, he's a Fallen Angel, and his level is higher than yours. Normally, you wouldn't be his match in combat."
"I know that," Wang Lan said gravely, looking up at the Archbishop of Thunder condensing from the void above.
But I've already used the skill Lady Hou Tu gave me. Without the Break Sky Slash, I can't even beat this Six-winged Fallen Angel, let alone Lucifer.
"Fallen Angels are corrupted beings transformed from light to darkness. The brighter they once were, the darker they are now. Although this power is strong, it has one fatal flaw."
"What is it?"
"The law of mutual generation and restraint. Only pure Divine Light of Brightness can subdue pure Dark Power. As long as your light overpowers his darkness on a pure level, his Dark Power can be defeated, no matter how strong or abundant it is."
"You mean, like how it only takes a single drop of ink to stain an entire cup of clear water black?"
"Exactly. To destroy his Dark Power, you just need a little pure Divine Light of Brightness."
"Where can I find this pure Divine Light of Brightness?"
"I have it here!" Yulia said with a slight smile, slowly closing her eyes. Suddenly, a hazy light rose around her. The Holy Grail and the Genesis Bible above her head also shone simultaneously, their light much brighter and purer than what Yulia was emitting.
Gently extending her hand, Yulia touched the center of Wang Lan's forehead. A point of Divine Light of Brightness appeared at her fingertip. In an instant, it entered Wang Lan's Spiritual Sea of Consciousness.
"What do you think you're doing? Go to hell!—"
A roar fell from the sky, and a bolt of black lightning struck down. Wang Lan pushed Yulia away instantly, his form transforming into a fluttering butterfly.
The butterfly flapped its wings, flickering continuously. In the blink of an eye, it appeared beside the Archbishop of Thunder, transforming into several afterimages.
At the same time, a brand-new Star Martial Skill appeared in Wang Lan's mind: Divine Light of Brightness. Although this Star Martial Skill was only Gold-level, it was the purest Divine Light of Brightness in the world.
Four afterimages simultaneously slashed at the Archbishop of Thunder. He coldly extended his hand, conjuring a barrier as dark as obsidian. The Zanpakuto slammed mercilessly onto the barrier, shattering instantly on impact.
A cruel smile curled the corners of the Archbishop of Thunder's lips. But suddenly, Wang Lan reached out with his left hand. A grey energy ball formed in his palm, and he slammed it fiercely onto the barrier.
"Annihilation!"
**CRACK! BOOM—**
A loud blast shattered the barrier instantly.
The Archbishop of Thunder's expression froze. Even though he knew Wang Lan was strong, he hadn't expected Wang Lan to deliver such a terrifying attack at close quarters. An energy ball only the size of a palm could destroy his barrier? What would happen if it hit his body?
Wang Lan had indeed considered this move, but Annihilation was not a diffuse energy attack. Only the point of contact would be destroyed, without spreading the damage. For a master of his caliber, even a palm-sized hole in the chest would heal in an instant.
The moment the barrier broke, Wang Lan's Sword of Light, brimming with extreme Sunlight Sword Qi, shot out and ruthlessly pierced the Archbishop of Thunder's chest.
Blood spilled from the wound. The Archbishop of Thunder's eyes, filled with murderous intent, coldly met Wang Lan's.
This was the second time. The second time Wang Lan had wounded him.
A Six-winged Fallen Angel, supposedly with the body of a god, yet severely injured twice by a mere mortal?
"Unforgivable!"
The Archbishop of Thunder let out a furious roar. His stern face twisted with anger as he abruptly raised his hand, instantly constricting the space around them. If this palm were to strike, even a mountain would be reduced to ashes in an instant.
"**DIE!**—"
**CRACK!**
His hand froze mid-air. The Archbishop of Thunder stared at Wang Lan in shock, his eyeballs bulging, their sockets shot with blood.
"What have you done? What did you inject into my body?"
"Divine Light of Brightness. Pure Divine Light of Brightness."
Bright spots began to appear one by one on the Archbishop of Thunder's body. Under the assault of the Divine Light of Brightness, the Dark Power within him rapidly transformed into light. For a Fallen Angel, the power of light was the most potent poison.
In a short time, the power of light within the Archbishop of Thunder completely overpowered his Dark Power. Beams of light shot out from the bright spots on his body, transforming into countless light particles that danced in the air.
The Archbishop of Thunder now resembled a leaky bag riddled with holes. He looked at Wang Lan in disbelief and, with a final, unwilling roar, exploded. The fragments were assimilated by the light, turning into ash and vanishing.
With the Archbishop of Thunder defeated, Wang Lan let out a soft breath. Although he had tried to prevent the battle from affecting the rocket troops, there had still been an impact.
After the dust of battle settled, the rocket troops immediately arranged for a tenfold firepower barrage.
"Targeting complete. Fire!"
**WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH—**
Dozens of rockets carrying nuclear warheads soared into the sky, their trails of smoke obscuring the view.
Suddenly, the sound of a heartbeat echoed from the sky. It was so intense that it felt as if everyone was inside someone's stomach, with a massive heart suspended right above their heads.
**THUMP THUMP THUMP—**
**BOOM—**
**BOOM—**
**BOOM—**
Nuclear bombs exploded one after another, but even the terrifying sound of their detonations could not drown out the heartbeat—a heartbeat that seemed to resound directly in everyone's ears.
The horrific radiation from the nuclear bombs ravaged everything, turning all of Heaven into a crimson inferno.
As the white light dispersed and the terrifying shockwaves gradually subsided, Wang Lan immediately looked up. That strange heartbeat was coming from the Demon Cocoon hanging overhead in the sky.
The Demon Cocoon continued to pulse slightly, as if it were a heart.
Wang Lan's expression grew increasingly grim, while Yulia's face turned as pale as paper.
"What time is it now?"
"Just... past midnight!"
Wang Lan took a deep breath. "Retreat! Everyone retreat! We've failed. Lucifer has successfully descended."
"No, General, we can still fight! We haven't lost yet!"
"Retreat!" Wang Lan roared. His eyes suddenly widened, the pinwheel in his right eye spinning rapidly as he drew everyone before him into the Divine Might Space.
**THUMP THUMP THUMP—**
The heartbeat continued. Suddenly, the Demon Cocoon in the sky burst open like a bomb, splattering viscous fluid in all directions. A figure emerged in the sky. The moment it appeared, the heavens and earth dimmed.
Although the sky was clear, it grew as dim as if clouds had obscured the sun. Lucifer, the God of Heaven, seemed utterly enchanted by his current state—a state of rebirth, of shedding the old and transforming, of surpassing his peak.
But to Wang Lan, a naked man looking up with such an intoxicated expression seemed nothing short of a pervert.
"The air of Heaven... how I've missed it... Ten thousand years! Ten thousand years, and I have finally returned?" Lucifer murmured as he gazed at the sky, his voice breezing through the heavens and the earth.
With a **WHOOSH—**, a magnificent expanse of black wings unfurled from Lucifer's back. Spanning tens of meters, they allowed him to float in the sky like a colossal black butterfly.
"I have returned in the guise of a god! From this moment on, I am the master of Heaven, the one true God of Heaven!"
"You haven't even started drinking, so how are you already this drunk?" A grating voice reached Lucifer's ears. He frowned, looking down to see the aged Yulia and Wang Lan, who was dressed in his silver Saint Cloth.
Lucifer frowned. "Why is it you two again?"
His question was quite perceptive. Every time Lucifer had failed, it was because these two were present; they seemed to be his fated nemeses.
Lucifer slowly descended from the sky. Under his terrifying divine pressure, the ground beneath began to shatter.
**SPURT—** Yulia spat out another mouthful of blood, its golden droplets splashing across half of Wang Lan's Saint Cloth. Wang Lan was struggling too. His Saint Cloth creaked ominously as cracks spiderwebbed across its surface.
Lucifer hadn't even launched an attack. The mere divine pressure emanating from him weighed them down as if they were shouldering thousands of pounds, immobilizing them completely.
**CRASH—**
With a loud **CRASH—**, Wang Lan's Saint Cloth burst apart, shattering into countless pieces, each no larger than a fingernail.
**GUSH—**
A mouthful of blood surged up, gushing from his mouth and nose.
This divine pressure was beyond mortal imagination. It felt like hundreds of times the force of gravity; Wang Lan's body immediately went limp, and he collapsed to the ground, unable to move.
"Odd, isn't it? Though you're as weak as ants, your lives are harder to extinguish than cockroaches. Now that I am a god, a new era is dawning. As relics of a bygone age, what tricks do you have left to cling to your wretched lives?"
Suddenly, a fragrant breeze swept past, brushing Wang Lan's nostrils. He struggled to raise his head and, with great effort, forced his eyes open.
A robed figure appeared before Wang Lan—a woman with golden, curly hair. Even though Wang Lan could only see her back, she felt incredibly familiar.
"Gaia?" Lucifer breathed softly, bowing slightly to her in respect.
"You need not bow to me; I am unworthy of it."
"You are the Mother of the Earth, the exalted Mother of All Gods. You are indeed worthy of this bow. Goddess Gaia, have you come to battle me?"
"I am here to witness the return of the God of Heaven," Gaia said with a faint smile.
"Hahaha... Good! Very good! Excellent indeed! As they say, the wise adapt to the times. Mortals are truly ignorant. They always resist the power of the gods for some nebulous belief, knowing nothing of what divine power truly entails. To think they can defy the gods with mere belief and willpower... It's simply..."
"Lucifer, don't flatter yourself. The God of Heaven I spoke of... was not you!"
Lucifer's words stopped abruptly, and his face turned exceedingly ugly.
"Not me? Then who could it be? I have deciphered the code of the Genesis Bible! Today, the God of Heaven will descend in Heaven, and I have successfully fulfilled that prophecy!"
"You descended too soon," Gaia smiled faintly. "The true midnight... is now."
**DONG—**
A sonorous bell rang out. The Holy Grail, floating above Yulia's head, suddenly emitted a booming sound.
**DONG—**
With the tolling of the bell, the darkness in the sky split open. Light streamed down from the cracks, and auspicious clouds danced in the void.
The Bell of Heaven? The Holy Grail *is* The Bell of Heaven?
