As Ye Qiu left, the three elders in the office grew solemn.
Elder Tang said, “Ye Qiu’s mission is fraught with danger. We must prepare for any contingencies.”
Grandpa Ye added, “I’ve alerted the Shadow Guards to head to the border, ready to support Ye Qiu.”
War God said, “Hades Hall is fully prepared too. I’ve ordered our spies in Middle Eastern countries to gather intelligence. Also, Tang Fei will lead Hades Hall’s elite forces to wait at the border, ready to move to the Vatican if needed.”
Elder Tang said, “That’s not enough. War God, order Ye Wudi to put the Northern Border on war footing. If Ye Qiu’s identity is exposed or other issues arise, I fear the nine nations might turn against us. We must stay vigilant. Tell Ye Wudi to keep the Northern Army outwardly relaxed but inwardly alert, without arousing suspicion.”
War God nodded, “Understood.”
Elder Tang continued, “I’ve also enlisted several experts to head to the Vatican. If Ye Qiu faces danger, they’ll assist. Beyond that, we need more arrangements…”
As the elders planned, Ye Qiu, escorted by Tang Fei, boarded a fighter jet to the border.
Crossing the border, he switched to a plane bound for the Vatican.
At nine o’clock that evening, Ye Qiu arrived.
He had studied all the intel en route. The Vatican was small, with the Holy See’s palace at its centre.
Ye Qiu hurried there without delay.
Soon, a massive medieval castle came into view, glowing brilliantly under the night sky.
Yet, beneath its splendour, a heavy stench of blood lingered.
Ye Qiu approached stealthily, easily evading several armed patrols.
A few hundred metres from the castle, he stopped.
The castle was surrounded by armed fighters, heavily armed and vigilant, encircling it impenetrably.
There were at least twenty to thirty thousand of them, dressed in varied uniforms, wielding diverse weapons, clearly a coalition from the nine nations.
Many among them were skilled fighters.
Outside the castle’s main gate stood two bearded old men in white robes and black veils, motionless like guardian deities.
“Those two are mid-King Realm experts,” Ye Qiu muttered, frowning.
He circled the castle, noting that besides the two at the main gate, each of the three side entrances was guarded by a King Realm expert.
Five King Realm experts in total, the weakest at early King Realm.
“Nine nations each sent a King Realm expert to attack the Vatican, so there should be nine in total. Five are guarding the entrances. Where are the other four?” Ye Qiu pondered. “Saving the Prophet without alerting these experts will be tough.”
“What to do?”
He recalled Grandpa Ye’s parting advice: “Zhuge Liang, though powerless, defeated vast armies with strategy.”
“There are many experts here. If I’m exposed, I’ll be surrounded. I need to rescue the Prophet discreetly.”
Questions arose in Ye Qiu’s mind.
“War God’s intel said the Prophet is trapped in a secret chamber. Even a sturdy chamber shouldn’t hold up long under such an assault. Why is she still trapped? Why are these experts surrounding the palace but not killing her? What’s their goal?”
“Forget it. I’ll find out when I see her.”
Ye Qiu slipped under a large tree, mentally reviewed the palace’s layout, pinpointed the chamber’s location, and burrowed into the ground using an earth escape technique.
Minutes later, he emerged in a hidden chamber. As his head surfaced, a hand struck down.
“It’s me!” Ye Qiu called out.
The hand withdrew. “Ye Qiu?”
He climbed out, seeing the Prophet dishevelled, covered in dust, looking haggard.
Her face was pale.
“Are you hurt? Is it serious?” Ye Qiu asked.
Her question triggered tears. She rushed forward, hugging him tightly.
Sobbing with relief, she said, “I thought I’d never see you again. Seeing you before I die, I have no regrets.”
“Don’t talk about dying. I’m here,” Ye Qiu comforted. “How’s your injury?”
“I’m fine,” the Prophet said, releasing him, a hint of shyness on her beautiful face.
Ye Qiu grabbed her wrist, checked her pulse, and was shocked. “Your cultivation has dropped?”
He found her cultivation had fallen to early Venerable Realm, with severe internal injuries.
“They were too strong. I couldn’t match them,” she said.
Ye Qiu frowned. “That shouldn’t be. Can’t you foresee glimpses of the future? Didn’t you sense the danger?”
“I did, and so did the Pope,” she said. “But for the sake of the hundred thousand disciples, we couldn’t leave. The Pope died protecting them.”
“I heard about it. Why are these experts trapping you here?” Ye Qiu asked.
“Because I have something they want,” the Prophet said, pulling a white jade bottle from her pocket.
“They attacked us for this,” she said.
Ye Qiu examined the bottle, finding it unremarkable.
“What is it?” he asked.
She didn’t answer, instead chanting a spell. A white light appeared at her fingertip.
She tapped the bottle lightly.
*Hum!*
The bottle glowed brilliantly, and intricate runes appeared densely across its surface.
Though Ye Qiu couldn’t decipher them, he knew they were significant.
The Prophet said, “This is the Vatican’s Holy Light Scripture, the West’s foremost ancient text, the only complete version in existence. Mastering it allows communion with divine spirits!”
