I Have Infinite Skill Points-Chapter 613: You Be the Pope of God’s Country
"Wang Lan, let’s have a chat," said the Pope, draped in a purple robe that exuded extraordinary luxury. However, his aged face made Wang Lan feel as if the Pope were a flickering candle flame, liable to be extinguished at any moment.
Upon hearing the Pope’s words, the surrounding Cardinal Bishops and Holy Knights vanished in the blink of an eye.
"Your Jade Country is unlike many others," the Pope began. "In your history of imperial dynasties, imperial power was supreme, known as ’Heaven’s Mandate.’ Looking around the world, no other nation’s emperor possesses as much power as those from the Huaxia civilization... Thus, it seems that in the hearts of men from Jade Country, there lies an emperor’s dream. Am I right?"
"Dreams are called dreams because they cannot become reality," Wang Lan replied. "The era of dynasties has passed. No one can rise above equality to dictate the fate of the people anymore. Why bring this up all of a sudden, Your Holiness? Could it be that there are ambitious individuals in Jade Country reluctant to accept this, desiring to restore a dynasty?"
"You mean Yu Changdong and his ilk? They are merely daydreamers, not worth worrying about."
"Then what is Your Holiness implying with these words?"
"I want you to become an emperor," the Pope said, looking at Wang Lan with a faint smile.
"Me? Hahaha... What a joke. Even those within the country with immense power cannot restore a dynasty, and you suggest I become an emperor? Lord Pope, your words could provoke international disputes."
"I am not talking about being the emperor of Jade Country, but of God’s Country," the Pope said lightly, turning to look at the Holy Territory, which lay almost in ruins.
"If you are willing to join God’s Country, you would be its Pope, wielding the greatest power in God’s Country. You would not only rule over eighty million citizens but also have one hundred and thirty million followers beyond this world."
"I see... But that is far from my understanding of an emperor. The emperor I envision ’holds sovereign power when awake and rests on the laps of beauties when drunk’... The Pope of God’s Country is devoid of desire and passion. What joy is there in being such an emperor?"
"You could be an exception. You could be this emperor according to your own understanding. How about that? No one would restrict you, and no one could. You could even take the Saintess as your wife, or have a harem as the ancient emperors of Jade Country did."
"Why? I’ve never understood. What is it you see in me? Am I to change my path?"
"Because of your potential, your talent, your destiny. Because you are unique in this world."
Wang Lan’s gaze suddenly sharpened.
"But... I still refuse."
"Why? Is being an ordinary citizen of Jade Country better than being the Pope of God’s Country? Even if you are highly regarded in God’s Country, you could never gain power comparable to that of its Pope."
"Because I don’t like it," Wang Lan stated, looking calmly into the Pope’s eyes.
"Don’t like it? Indeed, ’a thousand taels of gold cannot buy willingness.’ No matter how great the temptation, no matter how significant the benefits, they cannot overcome those three words: ’I don’t like it’..." The Pope let out a long breath. "You will come to like it."
BUZZ—
Suddenly, a hum resonated between heaven and earth, and the entire world fell silent in an instant.
In that same instant, Wang Lan became alert and immediately immersed his consciousness into the Fetus Bead.
The Pope’s eyes suddenly brightened as he looked at Wang Lan. A powerful spiritual power bridged time and space, charging into Wang Lan’s mind. Wang Lan’s whole body shuddered, a look of horror appearing on his face.
This was because that spiritual power had raced past Wang Lan’s soul consciousness, heading straight for the soul where the Fetus Bead resided. God’s Call was not acting upon deep-seated memories but within the soul itself.
How careless.
The Pope’s spiritual power surged into Wang Lan’s mind like floodwaters breaking through a dam, carrying with it an irresistible will that hammered into him. In that moment, the Skill Forms in Wang Lan’s mind were activated, unleashing an unimaginably enormous surge of spiritual power.
"Pope, how dare you!" A roar erupted, and the Pope’s face changed drastically.
Within Wang Lan’s Spiritual Sea of Consciousness, a silver-haired elder appeared out of the void. The old man’s silver hair flew about, his presence dignified and heroic. He simply raised a finger and pointed towards the Pope, who was radiant in golden light.
That one finger seemed to pierce the void, causing the Pope’s figure to twist violently. A shockwave of force swept through Wang Lan’s mind. He felt a jolt of intense pain in his head and was momentarily stunned.
「Far away in the Capital of Jade Country」
Thousands of miles away, within an ordinary-looking courtyard, Eld Di nervously watched Elder Ci, who was radiating a dazzling light. Eld Di’s face was filled with both anger and pain.
"Pope, you truly dare!"
BOOM—
A loud explosion echoed as Elder Ci’s radiant white light transformed into a sky-piercing arrow. It shot out and vanished into the void in the blink of an eye. Meanwhile, Elder Ci’s body seemed to wobble like a leaf in the wind, on the verge of falling.
Eld Di swiftly stepped forward to catch her. In Eld Di’s arms, Elder Ci felt a long-lost happiness.
"Yu Rong, how are you?" Eld Di asked anxiously.
"That old scoundrel! I knew it. Hmph, he thinks he can use God’s Call on Wang Lan? Dream on," Elder Ci said, waving her small fists triumphantly. Her face showed no sorrow at her impending death; instead, she was as giddy as a young girl.
"Di Jing, that old scoundrel has been revered as the world’s number one for nearly a hundred years. For seventy years, despite so many Star Soul Realm masters rising to prominence, no one dared claim they surpassed him."
"But today, he has been bested by me. I’ve defeated that old scoundrel. Does that make me the best in the world?"
"Yes, yes, yes! Yu Rong, you are of course the best in the world. In my heart, you’ve always been the best..." Eld Di said solemnly, tears streaming down his face.
"Stop lying... That’s not what you used to say."
"That was because I didn’t dare to tell the truth... I was afraid you’d scold me for being a shameless old scoundrel..." Eld Di’s breathing grew a bit rushed. "In my heart, you are the best in the world... the absolute best."
The hands of the elderly woman in his embrace slowly loosened. Upon hearing Eld Di’s words, Elder Ci closed her eyes with a smile.
「Meanwhile, with Wang Lan」
Wang Lan suddenly shuddered and snapped back to reality. The Pope still stood straight before him, gaping with round eyes filled with astonishment.
Although the Pope’s expression was vivid, he was already devoid of any signs of life. Wang Lan trembled as he reached out and gently placed his hand on the Pope’s chest. Inside, there was only silence; his heartbeat had long ceased.
THUMP, THUMP, THUMP—
A flurry of footsteps sounded from behind. The Twelve Cardinals and a host of Holy Knights hurried over, surrounding the Palace of the Saintess so tightly that not even water could escape. When the Twelve Bishops saw the Pope’s condition, their faces changed drastically.
"The Pope—"
They all rushed forward, only to find that the Pope was already dead.
"How could this be... How could this happen? Wang Lan, tell us, how could the Pope..."
"The Pope attempted to use God’s Call on me but suffered a spiritual power backlash. So... you understand," Wang Lan said indifferently, turning to walk out of the Palace of the Saintess.
"Stop right there! You think you can just walk away after killing our Pope?" a Holy Knight shouted sternly.
"Or else?" Wang Lan’s icy gaze fell upon the Holy Knight, causing him to tremble and take a small step back.
"’One must not harbor thoughts of harming others, but one must always be vigilant against being harmed.’ There’s no such thing in this world as only gaining advantages without suffering losses. The Pope tried to harm me but suffered a backlash instead. Does God’s Country really want to compound its mistakes and make an enemy of the United Nations?"
These words made the twelve Cardinal Bishops behind him shiver in unison.
Wang Lan now represented not just Jade Country; he was appointed by the International Security Council to assist God’s Country. Behind him stood the United Nations. God’s Country had lost its Pope, its Unparalleled Knight, and its Saintess. How could such a weakened God’s Country resist the United Nations?
Wang Lan let out a soft, cold sneer and stepped forward again. This time, no one dared to intercept him. He walked, step by step, out of the Palace of the Saintess and down the mountain.
Upon leaving the divine domain, just as Wang Lan set foot on the streets outside the Papacy, the sudden sound of horses’ hooves rang out. Densely packed ranks of the Holy Knights appeared on both sides of the street, instantly surrounding him.
"Do you really want to make an enemy of the United Nations?" Wang Lan couldn’t help but become enraged. "Dare to provoke again, and I will kill without mercy!"
"You killed the Pope! We can’t let you leave!"
"Even if you’re from the International Security Council, you killed the Pope! Not even they can protect you!"
"We must give our citizens an explanation!"
"An explanation to your citizens? Why doesn’t God’s Country give an explanation to the whole world?" Wang Lan was instantly furious. "When God’s Country invited us to assist, what did you do? You were obstinate and headstrong, refusing to cooperate with our investigations. Especially after Demon City appeared, you made us mere spectators!"
"If God’s Country had heeded our advice from the start and gathered the world’s top experts, the Unparalleled Knight and the Saintess wouldn’t have died in battle, and the City of Angels wouldn’t have been reduced to ruins!"
"’Heaven’s calamities may be averted, but one cannot escape the consequences of one’s own actions.’ Of the seven deadly sins in the Heaven God Sect’s creed—pride, envy, greed—you’ve committed them all! And now you’re trying to shift the blame?"
"I’ll make it clear today: I killed the Pope! He brought it upon himself. If you don’t disperse now, I won’t be polite." As he spoke, a powerful aura erupted from him. Flames ignited around his body, and a brilliant, multicolored phoenix enveloped him.
A terrifying pressure descended from the sky, and scorching flames seared the earth. The Holy Knights at the forefront immediately felt overwhelming heat waves wash over them. Even Star Sea Realm experts couldn’t withstand this terrible heat.
The Holy Knights found themselves in a dilemma. Wang Lan’s strength far exceeded their expectations; his power made them feel as if they were facing the Pope himself.
If they were to fight, the Holy Knights, with their superior numbers, certainly had a chance. However, the losses would be incalculable. God’s Country had already been severely weakened by the recent battle. Although the sacrifice of top-tier combatants like the Unparalleled Knight had preserved the nation’s overall strength, if the Holy Knights suffered another major blow, God’s Country would truly plummet from its status as a first-rate nation.
"Stop—"
Just as the Holy Knights were caught in their dilemma, a sharp command broke the standoff. Yulia, clad in a flowing white robe, descended from the sky, landing beside Wang Lan. Jiang Xinyu and the others also appeared around Wang Lan in a flash.
"How did you all get here? Didn’t I tell you to withdraw immediately if anything went wrong?" Wang Lan asked.
"Lanzi, don’t be silly. What place could be safer than by your side?" Xu Xiangwen said with a carefree smile. "If there’s real danger, you’re the one who can get us out the fastest."
"Wang Lan, if it’s a fight, we’ll fight with you. If it’s a retreat, we’ll retreat with you," Xie Sisi added.
"Yulia, are you also betraying God’s Country?" the commander of the Holy Knights stepped forward and shouted.
Yulia stretched out her hand and beckoned. The Holy Grail crossed the void to hover above her head. "I am the new Saintess of the Heaven God Sect, wielder of the Holy Grail, and commander of the three-hundred-thousand-strong Holy Knights! Holy Knights, hear my command!"
