Chapter 493: Turning the Tables, I Am the Pope!

Inside the Primal Divine Domain.

One hundred thousand zealots draped in pristine white robes knelt in prayer. Syllables transcending human anatomy spilled from their lips, converging into an eerie, grand hymn that filled the bizarre space.

A blond youth standing at the very front of the hundred thousand cultists suddenly spoke. "Someone broke in. Is it one of yours from the Temple of God Slaying?"

"Watch your words. I am no longer part of the Temple of God Slaying," a gaunt, black-haired man in black robes said coldly. "I am now a member of the Primal Divine Cult."

The blond youth smiled apologetically. "My apologies, Heilong. A slip of the tongue. We are both children of God."

Heilong looked toward the illusion array. "It's probably the heretics of the Temple of God Slaying trying to break the array again. Don't pay it any mind. No one can resist the power of the great Primal Angel. Even the master of the Temple of God Slaying, Wuming, cannot break it. If he wants to enter, he will inevitably end up a believer of the Primal Angel.

"Though, I don't think the heretics of the Temple of God Slaying would be that stupid."

As soon as he spoke, a dazzling stargate suddenly rose from the illusion array. A gentleman in a crisp suit, leaning on a Snakewood Cane, stepped out with unhurried grace.

Heilong froze, clearly not expecting anyone to actually pass through the illusion array.

The blond youth sized up the newcomer with a faint smile. "Which member of the Temple of God Slaying is this?"

Heilong frowned slightly, staring intently at Su Mu. "He is not from the Temple of God Slaying. I haven't seen him before."

"Oh? Could he be outside help hired by the Temple of God Slaying? A Saint Lord-level figure? To think he isn't even a demigod."

Su Mu stepped out of the stargate, sizing up the interior of the Primal Divine Domain with keen interest. Before him, a hundred thousand zealots knelt in neat formation, praying to a massive cocoon of light high in the sky.

Was this the Primal Angel?

Silver tear tracks flowed across the surface of the massive cocoon. Three hundred and sixty Silver Vertical Pupils opened and closed upon its shell, each pupil reflecting apocalyptic scenes from different dimensions.

Its form was impossibly colossal, as if an entire planet had crashed into view and consumed his entire line of sight.

An absolute vacuum surrounded the entity, emanating countless invisible waves of divine radiation that obliterated all matter, energy, time, and space. Spacetime only existed at the very fringes of this divine radiation, and even there, one could see folds in reality warped by its influence.

Below that stood the million white bone pillars supporting this space. They were spiraling columns formed from countless, infinitely extending and twisting vertebrae, stretching across the world in a profound pattern—eerie yet spectacular.

"Are you awed by the great Primal Angel?" The blond youth suddenly appeared before Su Mu, bearing a warm smile.

"It is always like this the first time. Even when you see Him more often in the future... you still won't get used to it, because..."

He turned his head to look at the massive light cocoon in the sky, an inexplicable fanaticism in his eyes. "The Primal Angel is such a magnificent existence. His greatness will never fade with the passage of time!"

Looking at the blond youth before him, the corners of Su Mu's lips curled into a smile. Very good. He perfectly matches my stereotype of a Primal Pope.

The Pope he had met in Hell back then had been like this, and so had the Pope of Heaven.

Although it was their first meeting, Su Mu was absolutely certain that this person was the Primal Pope. He could vividly sense the undisguised, terrifying Primal Divinity radiating from him.

"My name is Zero. I am the most devout believer of the Primal Angel, and also... the Pope of the Primal Divine Cult." Zero extended his hand with a smile, as if welcoming Su Mu.

Su Mu smiled faintly and extended his own hand... Slap!

A crisp slap rang out. Zero stared in astonishment at his hand, which had just been swatted aside. His eyes filled with confusion.

He didn't understand. The man had passed through the illusion array, meaning he should already be a believer of the Primal Angel. He was one of their own. Why would he do this? Had something gone wrong with the illusion array? Impossible. Who could possibly resist the great Primal Angel?

As Zero stood there bewildered, Su Mu smiled and said, "If you are the most devout believer of the Primal Angel, then what am I?"

Zero stared blankly for two seconds before finally reacting. He let out an involuntary laugh. So that was it. The illusion array hadn't failed; this newcomer was simply dissatisfied with his claim, believing his own faith to be the most devout.

"My apologies, another slip of the tongue. Anyone who can enter here is the most devout believer of the Primal Angel. May I ask what to call you? And why have you come here?"

"Pride." Su Mu gave his codename.

Pride? Zero's gaze flickered slightly as he quietly evaluated the smiling gentleman before him. He could clearly see that beneath the man's seemingly gentle smile lay a very real, condescending arrogance.

He truly lived up to his name. Even after becoming a believer of the Primal Angel, he still insisted on arguing over who was the most devout. Arrogant indeed.

"I was commissioned by the Temple of God Slaying to break this illusion array."

"I see." Zero nodded. He didn't bother asking about the outcome of that mission. Since the man was standing right here, the result was self-evident.

He didn't suspect Su Mu at all. As a zealot, his absolute faith in the Primal Angel's power left no room for doubt.

"Since you have become a child of God, take your place. Go and pray. Strive to awaken the Primal Angel as soon as possible. This is the duty of every child of God." Zero pointed down at the hundred thousand cultists kneeling in prayer.

"And what about you?"

"Heilong and I are responsible for listening to the Primal Angel's teachings. We must accumulate power so that we can venture out, develop our following, and guide more believers here."

Su Mu smiled faintly, a playful smirk curling the corners of his lips. "I have a better idea. Go kneel down there and pray, and Heilong and I will take charge of listening to the teachings."

The smile on Zero's face slowly faded. "Pride, listening to the teachings is not something just anyone can do. Since you aren't even a demigod, you wouldn't be able to hear God's voice at all."

"You're wrong. Only those who lack devotion fail to hear God's teachings. And I... am the most devout."

The skin between Su Mu's eyebrows suddenly tore open, and a Silver Vertical Pupil snapped wide. An indifferent, holy light instantly illuminated the space.

"Primal Divinity?!" Zero gasped in shock, his face filled with sheer disbelief. "How is this possible? You just became a child of God! How could you possess such dense Primal Divinity?"

Heilong was similarly stunned. He had thought a newcomer arrived, only to find that this man's seniority was even greater than his own.

"Why?" Su Mu's indifferent, grand voice echoed across the domain, completely drowning out the prayers of the hundred thousand believers.

"Because I am the true Primal Pope!"

Silence—!

The prayers came to an abrupt halt. Everyone stared blankly at Su Mu, who was bathed in holy light, and then back at Zero. To be perfectly honest, at this moment, anyone with eyes could see exactly who looked more like the Primal Pope.

Flushed with anger and humiliation, Zero erupted with his own holy light. A Silver Vertical Pupil similarly tore open between his brows, and taking it a step further than Su Mu, massive, pristine white angel wings sprouted from his back.

A terrifying pressure, on par with a demigod's, swept across the entire domain.