Chapter 343: Obtaining Supreme Heaven

"Hahaha, it seems I guessed right. You really are an unlucky bastard to stumble into something with such a low probability. The worst part is that, of all the places in the Abyss you could have fallen, you had to land in this dream. If you landed anywhere else, you could at least die. But here, there's only an endless loop."

The tramp hadn't spoken to another person in a long time. Not giving Su Mu a chance to reply, he rattled off his words like a machine gun.

"But don't despair—God will not abandon his believers. As long as you believe in the Primal Angel like I do, sooner or later, the holy light will shine upon you, and all believers will go to Heaven!"

At the mention of the Primal Angel, a fanatical light erupted in the tramp's cloudy eyes, as if this faith alone was what kept him alive.

Seeing such fervor, Su Mu began to believe that this man really was the Pope.

"Now let me tell you my origins. If you don't believe me, just treat it as a joke. I really am the Pope of the Primal Divine Cult. Back then..."

The tramp's voice broke off sharply. A look of agony twisted his face as ink-black shadows bled from his body at a visible rate.

"It seems my time is up. The Shadow Divine Power in my body is about to erupt. I'll... tell you later. Remember to come earlier next time. After all, you only get half an hour each time... Hey, what are you doing?"

The tramp froze, realizing an invisible force was peeling the grime from his face.

Staring at the tramp's revealed features, Su Mu finally knew who he was.

Boom!!!

Everything faded to ruin.

Standing amid the surging crowd at the intersection, Su Mu remained perfectly still. The corners of his mouth curled into a smile. "Interesting."

He returned to the garbage dump behind the skyscraper.

The tramp was already waiting for him. Seeing Su Mu arrive, he waved a hand. "Come, let's continue our chat."

He swept the surrounding trash aside and gestured for Su Mu to sit, but Su Mu didn't move. Instead, he studied the man with keen interest and said slowly, "You are the Blasphemer."

The tramp froze, then firmly shook his head. "No, I am the Primal Pope."

Although the tramp denied it, Su Mu was absolutely certain. The man in front of him was the Blasphemer—the First Red King!

Su Qing's biological father.

This man's face perfectly matched the portraits issued by the Chiyan Imperial Family.

"It seems you've seen the Blasphemer's wanted poster. You aren't wrong; my current body does belong to the Blasphemer, but my soul is the Primal Pope. The real Blasphemer has stolen my body." Unforgettable hatred flashed through the tramp's eyes once again.

That instantly cleared things up for Su Mu. He finally understood why the man posing as the Pope earlier knew about Nightmare Apostles, knew about Supreme Heaven, and even knew that Su Qing possessed Royal Family blood.

Because the Pope was the First Red King!

There was likely no one in the world who understood Supreme Heaven better than the First Red King.

The First Red King had controlled Su Qing for her Royal Family bloodline. Because he occupied the Pope's body, he naturally lacked the qualifications to wield Supreme Heaven. Su Qing was simply his tool for using it.

A powerhouse of his level could see through Su Qing's bloodline at a glance, so it was impossible he hadn't noticed she was just an avatar. Furthermore, only King Chi and the First Red King possessed the Nirvana Holy Flame. He definitely knew that Su Qing was his own daughter's avatar.

Yet the First Red King hadn't chosen to acknowledge his daughter, directly controlling her instead. That was rather intriguing. Were father and daughter really at such odds?

At that moment, the tramp—or rather, the true Pope—continued speaking. "Everyone in Hell knows about my great battle with the Blasphemer. The world only knows that the Blasphemer plummeted into the Abyss while the Pope returned victorious. They have no idea... Heh..."

He offered a bitter smile. "The true victor was actually the Blasphemer. Back then, I really did force him into the Abyss, and he was gravely injured. But while down there, the two of us encountered the Shadow God and were targeted by it.

"Relying on the Primal Angel's protection, I barely managed to evade the Shadow God's attacks. The exhausted Blasphemer, however, was not so lucky. His body was eroded by the Shadow Divine Power, pushing him to the brink of death.

"I thought his death was certain, so I hurriedly drew on the Primal Angel's strength, preparing to flee the Abyss. But just as I was about to successfully escape, the Blasphemer actually sacrificed all of his own power—and the Divinity he'd plundered—to Supreme Heaven and made a wish."

Su Mu asked calmly, "And that wish was to swap souls with you?"

A hideous look twisted the Pope's face. "Correct! That was his wish! So he became me, and I became him! He took my place to leave the Abyss, and I was left here forever!

"My regret is endless. If I had just killed him before leaving, things would never have turned out like this. That damned Blasphemer will face divine judgment one day!

"When the Primal Angel's holy radiance finally shines upon the Abyss, I will return to the living world and take back everything that belongs to me!"

Su Mu nodded calmly. He found that religious zealots had at least one redeeming quality: they never fell into despair, even unto death. Even now, the man was fantasizing about the Primal Angel coming to rescue him.

Based on his understanding of deities, the Primal Angel probably didn't even know who the Pope was, much like how a human wouldn't care about an ant.

"Which is to say, Supreme Heaven is currently in your hands?" Su Mu asked the critical question.

Supreme Heaven had been in the First Red King's possession. Since the two had only swapped souls, this meant Supreme Heaven was now in the hands of the true Pope.

"Mm," the Pope hummed softly. He then pulled a dark-gold ring straight from his clothes and tossed it to Su Mu.

Su Mu caught Supreme Heaven and couldn't help but chuckle in disbelief. He never expected Supreme Heaven to fall into his hands so easily in the end.

He studied it closely. Supreme Heaven was entirely dark-gold, but the color wasn't ostentatious. It carried an aura of understated luxury that perfectly matched his tastes.

Its texture was heavy yet exquisite. Fine, faint patterns ran along its surface, resembling mysterious runes engraved in ancient times.

When his gaze fell upon the inner band of Supreme Heaven, he abruptly froze. A circle of dark-gold engravings ran along the inside, depicting nothing other than... an Ouroboros!

Wasn't this the mental symbol he had used all along?

His Snakewood Cane, his Pocket Watch, and even the Vipers Gang Headquarters all bore the Ouroboros symbol.

Was it a coincidence?

No! It wasn't a coincidence!

Su Mu slowly slipped Supreme Heaven onto his finger. The throbbing deep within his soul instantly settled. A powerful sense of familiarity washed over him, as if... he had just recovered something crucial that had been missing for a very long time.

He finally realized what had summoned him to this dream. It was none other than... Supreme Heaven!

Seeing Su Mu so deeply engrossed, the Pope broke into a grin. "You like it? Consider it a gift, then. It'll just end up back in my hands in half an hour anyway."