The Pope bent down, breathing heavily, forcing herself to calm the chaotic breaths, but the rage in her chest could not be extinguished.
The original plan was perfect. Mist Court, Ruan Tianhe, Fang Yuan... they should have all been under her control, but who could have known that Fang Yuan would be so strong... In the end, she achieved nothing and became a complete fool!
"Damn it! Damn it!"
She slammed her fist against the inner wall of the card, causing the space to shake violently. As the high and mighty Pope, when had she ever suffered such a setback?
Even more ridiculous was the fact that this crushing defeat came from her most proud confidence—
She would win!
Before the expedition, she declared a victory speech in front of all the saints! At that time, her lips curled into a smile, as if she were stating an undeniable fact.
And now...
"If those saints see me like this..." The Pope tightly clenched the collar of her robe, her knuckles turning white. "I might as well die, it would be easier!"
She would rather flee alone than call on the saints for help. Proud as she was, how could she bear to show such a pathetic side in front of her followers?
How could she accept the mixture of pity and mockery in their once awe-filled gazes?
"Boom!"
The card trembled violently, and the Pope coughed up blood again, the searing pain tearing through her soul.
She shakily took out a healing elixir, swallowed it, and her turbulent spiritual power calmed slightly.
"Fang Yuan..." She wiped the blood from her lips, killing intent boiling in her eyes. "When I recover to my peak, I will personally go to the Eastern Continent, turn you into a slave, and torment you forever!"
Suddenly—
"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"
Behind her, several golden streaks of light were chasing closely—it was the Mist Court Royal Knights!
"Heh..." The Pope slowly raised her eyes, a cruel smile curving on her lips. She had retreated, and yet these Mist Court warriors still dared to chase her?
Did they really think they were the ones who drove her back?
If I couldn't beat Fang Yuan, do they think I can't beat you?!
...
In the Everfrozen Abyss, Fang Yuan stood in the void, the time-space laws swirling around his fingertips slowly dissipating.
He looked at the shattered remnants of the Pope's soul but ultimately chose not to continue tormenting it.
After all, his initial intent was to accumulate good karma, and since repeatedly crushing this remnant soul wouldn't increase it, continuing would only be a waste of time.
Of course, if Fang Yuan knew that his actions were causing immense pain to the Pope in the real world, he wouldn't have been so hasty.
He would have imprisoned the Pope's avatar in the **Everfrozen Abyss**, subjecting it to endless torment day and night until her soul shattered and she begged for death!
Unfortunately, with insufficient information, the opportunity was missed.
After the Pope's avatar vanished, Fang Yuan's gaze shifted to the golden card that sealed Ruan Tianhe.
The Pope had forcibly summoned him back using time-space reversal, and this golden card was never taken by the enemy.
Fang Yuan reached out and took the golden card in his hand.
On the card's surface, the mad old Daoist was frantically banging against the inner wall, his face twisted, yet unable to escape the seal.
Fang Yuan wanted to use **Time-Space Reversal** to revert Ruan Tianhe to the time before the seal, but unfortunately, it had surpassed the time limit for reversal.
Then I'll forcefully break the seal...
With that thought, Fang Yuan directed a series of sharp sword beams at the card.
"Clang——!"
The sword light pierced through the card, but it was like slashing at nothingness, causing no damage at all.
This seemed to be some kind of law power, and brute force could not break it.
I must admit, the Pope's deck of cards is quite a powerful divine technique... Just standing still, throwing out cards one by one, like playing Yu-Gi-Oh.
The golden card in front of me is even more powerful—it can seal a Martial Saint!
"Young man, who exactly are you? We have no enmity, no grudge, why have you suddenly attacked me?"
At this moment, Ruan Tianhe's voice came from the card.
The old Daoist sounded resentful but did not dare to speak too forcefully, almost like a frustrated little wife.
He had been in hiding for thousands of years, even willing to self-seal, to avoid certain karmic consequences. But today, he was completely disrupted by this unknown calamity!
Originally, Ruan Tianhe wanted to scold the opponent loudly, but when he thought of Fang Yuan's power to casually crush the Pope's avatar and that sword capable of shattering the **Lock of Fate**...
Forget it, forget it, I'll reason with him...
Oh, we can even talk? This makes things much easier.
Fang Yuan did not respond to Ruan Tianhe's question. He decided to leave the **Everfrozen Abyss** first, as staying here was wasting time in the outside world.
With that thought, Fang Yuan disappeared with the golden card.
...
In the Qu Yue mountain valley hall, Fang Yuan's figure appeared. Ruan Chaoyan, who had been waiting there, immediately rushed forward. When he saw that Fang Yuan was alone, his face turned pale, and he collapsed to his knees, crying out:
"Master! You died such a tragic death——!"
"Unworthy disciple! I'm not dead yet!" Ruan Tianhe's voice came from the card Fang Yuan was holding, trembling with anger.
This ungrateful disciple... Wasn't it you who brought the enemy here? And now you're crying!
It sounded so real!
Seeing his master wasn't dead, Ruan Chaoyan immediately broke into a smile and then asked, "Master, how did you end up in this state?"
"Sigh, it's a long story..."
"Alright, stop with the nonsense." Fang Yuan coldly interrupted their conversation. He lightly tapped the card and stared at the old Daoist inside. "Now, tell me, what do you mean by 'not being able to ascend'?"
Since earlier, Fang Yuan had been quite curious about this question.
Ruan Tianhe fell silent for a moment and finally sighed. "It's like this, the path of a Martial Saint requires the condensation of nine Dao bodies, then the soul can transform into pure Yang, and at that point... one must face the Thunder Tribulation!"
"Enduring the Thunder Tribulation is very dangerous. A slight mistake, and you'll perish."
"But if you survive the Thunder Tribulation, it means you've succeeded in transcending, and the world's laws will be triggered, breaking the void—what people call 'ascending to godhood.'"
"But..." Ruan Tianhe's voice suddenly became low, filled with deep apprehension.
"The demons of the upper realm have been eyeing this world for years!"
"Once someone ascends, they'll follow the ascension passage... and invade the lower realm! Ascension in this world isn't transcendence, it's the beginning of a disaster!"
"Years ago, I tried to ascend, and it nearly caused a huge catastrophe!!!"