188: Vatican

The city was not empty; however, most of those walking within it were monks, nuns, priests, and bishops in various religious vestments, along with a large number of Holy Knights, clad in gleaming silver armor, wielding long spears or greatswords inscribed with holy texts, their eyes sharp as eagles.

Their steps were steady and firm, and their bodies exuded an aura of Holy Light, strong or weak, but equally pure and resilient.

The entire city was permeated by a deep, solemn, and otherworldly religious atmosphere, where time itself seemed to flow more slowly and gravely.

There was no clamor, only the low hum of prayers, the echoes of hymns, and the clanking of patrol guards' armor.

Lin Feng's appearance was like a drop of defiling ink on a pristine golden canvas.

The air around his landing spot, due to the intense repulsion of the Holy Light barrier and his own resistance from chaotic rules, formed a visible, distorted gray ripple.

The hard granite ground beneath his feet, centered on him, showed a subtle, dark mark, as if corroded by strong acid, but it was quickly purified and repaired by the omnipresent Holy Light.

His aura was completely incompatible with the entire Holy City, like the meeting of ice and fire, creating a silent yet incredibly fierce confrontation.

A subtle 'scorched smell' permeated the air, enough to make the hair of any sensitive individual stand on end.

That was the scent produced by the annihilation of rules at a fundamental level!

Lin Feng stood at the edge of St. Peter's Square, in the shadowed corner of a magnificent cathedral.

He raised his head, his cold gaze piercing through the sparse crowd in the square, ignoring the Holy Knights who, alarmed by his sudden appearance, instantly clutched their weapons and scanned him with lightning-fast eyes, firmly locking onto the magnificent hall at the end of the square, bathed in endless Holy Light, symbolizing the highest authority of the Western Church.

St. Peter's Basilica.

He had arrived.

Bringing the power of the Fallen Space Master, carrying the sharp edge of decaying rules, he stepped into the core of this sacred faith.

A silent war, in the ripples of colliding rules, had already begun. Beneath the Holy City's radiance, an ominous shadow quietly descended.

Lin Feng's arrival was like a giant stone thrown into a calm lake, instantly shattering the Holy City's almost solidified solemnity.

The dark marks beneath his feet, eroded by chaotic energy and then quickly repaired by Holy Light, and the unique 'scorched smell' of rule annihilation pervading the air, were the most jarring alarms!

"Heretic!"

"Blasphemer!"

"Minion of the Evil God!"

Almost the instant he raised his head, sharp and hostile shouts tore through the low prayers in the square!

The closest Holy Knights reacted with the most swiftness.

Their gleaming silver armor instantly erupted with brilliant Holy Light, like ignited white torches, and the long spears and greatswords inscribed with holy texts in their hands unhesitatingly pointed at Lin Feng, their sharp eyes locked onto him, without a trace of hesitation.

"Holy Light above! Purify this fiend!"

A Holy Knight captain, clad in heavy armor with roaring lion heads carved into his pauldrons, roared and took the lead in attacking.

He raised his greatsword high, and the condensed Holy Light transformed into a searing white blade of light, tearing through the air, carrying the resolute will to purify all defilement, and slashed down at Lin Feng's head!

Where the blade of light passed, the air sizzled as if being scorched.

At the same time, the other three Holy Knights coordinated perfectly, their long spears darting out like venomous dragons, striking at Lin Feng's upper, middle, and lower vital points.

The Holy Light attached to the spear tips was solidified as if substantial, carrying the piercing sharpness of evil's bane.

Their movements were precise and uniform, clearly the elite of long training, instantly sealing off all of Lin Feng's evasion space.

"Hmph, annoying ants."

Lin Feng's eyes were cold; facing this siege that would have flustered an ordinary transcendent, he merely let out a cold snort.

He didn't even move his feet an inch, simply a slight shift of his will.

Buzz!

Centered on his body, a viscous, deep, dark gray ripple, as if capable of devouring light, suddenly spread out!

This was not a pure energy impact, but the manifestation of decaying, corrupt, and chaotic rules!

The Holy Knight captain's unstoppable Holy Light greatsword slashed into this gray ripple, like a red-hot iron plunging into ice water, emitting a piercing "sizzle."

The brilliant Holy Light visibly dimmed and disintegrated at a speed perceptible to the naked eye, as if being gnawed and corroded by an invisible force.

The searing blade of light had not even touched Lin Feng's body before it largely dissipated, and the remaining power struck the invisible chaotic force field in front of Lin Feng, only stirring a faint ripple before completely vanishing.

And the three incoming Holy Light spears were even more as if they had fallen into the thickest swamp.

The Holy Light attached to the spear tips flickered violently and intermittently the moment it touched the gray ripple, emitting a wailing sizzle.

The speed of the Holy Light spears themselves was infinitely retarded, as if entangled by billions of invisible threads of decay; the holy texts on the spear shafts flickered madly, attempting to resist this erosion of rules, but appeared powerless.

"What?!"

The Holy Knight captain's pupils constricted; he had never seen Holy Light so easily "dissolved" rather than "countered"!

A trace of impatience flashed in Lin Feng's eyes.

"Get out of my way!"

He let out a low growl and casually waved his right hand.

That viscous gray ripple suddenly swayed outward!

Bang!

Bang! Bang!

The four elite Holy Knights were struck head-on as if by an invisible battering ram; their Holy Light armor flickered violently, emitting the sound of unbearable cracking.

They groaned, spitting blood, their bodies uncontrollably sent flying backward, crashing heavily onto the granite ground in the distance, their gleaming silver armor dented and deformed, unable to get up for a moment.

Their Holy Light spears and greatswords flew out of their hands, and the spear tips and sword blades were even stained with a peculiar grayish, withered color, as if they had instantly undergone a thousand years of rust.

The commotion here was like a spark dropped into boiling oil, instantly igniting the entire St. Peter's Square!

"Enemy attack!"

"It's a powerful dark heretic! Blaspheming our Lord's Holy Light!"

"Form ranks! Protect the Holy City!"

"For the glory of our Lord! Purify him!"

Piercing alarms, furious roars, and urgent prayers instantly resounded through the sky!

The previously sparse crowd instantly surged.

More Holy Knights poured in from all directions, quickly forming small battle formations, their Holy Light connecting to form a stronger defensive and offensive force field.

Some clergy in priest and bishop robes also took action, chanting ancient holy words, condensing Holy Light arrows, purifying orbs, and binding halos in their hands, shooting towards Lin Feng's corner like dense raindrops.

For a time, the entire St. Peter's Square blazed with light!

Innumerable pure Holy Light energies intertwined into a massive net of light, carrying unparalleled oppressive force and purifying will, enveloping Lin Feng from all directions.

The 'scorched smell' in the air instantly intensified a hundredfold!

The conflict at the rule level reached an unprecedented intensity, and space itself began to emit a subtle, teeth-grindingly distorted groan.

Lin Feng's figure was instantly submerged in a sea of Holy Light!

His position erupted with a blinding light like the sun, and the shockwave generated by the violent energy collision swept out, shattering the exquisite sculptures and flowerbeds at the edge of the square, and covering the hard flagstones with spiderweb-like cracks!

"Did it succeed?"

A Holy Knight whispered breathlessly, a glimmer of hope in his eyes.

Such a dense Holy Light strike, even a true demon lord should have been purified, right?

However, from the center of the light, a cold voice, filled with endless mockery, clearly penetrated the roar of energy, echoing in everyone's ears.

"Heh... Is this the power of the Holy City? Just tickling."