Yulan Festival

Time is like sand slipping through one's fingers; in the blink of an eye, four months passed quietly.

Today is already December 30, 9997 of the Yulan Calendar.

Evening, Dormitory 1987.

"Third brother, tomorrow is the Yulan Festival. Fenlai City will surely be very lively, so the four of us brothers should go join in the fun." Yale said to Lin Feng, who had just returned from the back mountain, while lifting dumbbells to work on his chest muscles.

January 1st of every year is known as the "Yulan Festival," the largest holiday in all of Yulan. On this day, the Radiant Church also holds its most magnificent mass.

As the "Holy Capital" of the Radiant Church, with the headquarters of the Radiant Church located in the West City, the "mass" in Fenlai City is naturally the largest in scale across all of Yulan. The Pope of the Radiant Church presides over it personally, making it an incredible grand ceremony that attracts a vast number of spectators.

January 1st.

In the West City of Fenlai, the Radiant Temple, the headquarters of the Radiant Church, is a massive structure nearly a hundred meters tall, clearly visible from anywhere in Fenlai City.

Directly in front of the Radiant Temple lies a large plaza several thousand meters in length and width. The ground of the plaza is paved with smooth white stone, and at this moment, the plaza is a sea of people, with the four brothers of 1987 among them.

Knights from the various Church Knight Orders are orderly maintaining order in the plaza, and the people gathered here are also very well-behaved.

"The Radiant Church certainly has a grand air about it." Lin Feng felt a tremor in his heart upon seeing that these knights were all at the fifth rank. Although fifth-rank strength didn't catch his eye, it was still quite impressive.

Time passed quickly, and in the blink of an eye, it was already eight o'clock.

Suddenly, the spire of the hundred-meter-tall Radiant Temple lit up, white light radiating downward. The giant angel statue in the center of the plaza also had a faint halo flowing around it, and at the same time, beautiful divine music, as if coming from the divine realm, echoed throughout the entire plaza.

At this moment, a group of people emerged from a side hall next to the Radiant Temple. At the very front of this group were rows of Temple Knights wearing white battle armor with red plumes inserted into their helmets. Each of these Temple Knights possessed the unique bearing of an expert, and in particular, the way these rows of over a hundred knights marched in perfect unison created a sense of oppression that caused the entire plaza to fall silent instantly.

"I didn't expect the Radiant Church's strength to be this great; those hundred-plus knights are likely all at least seventh-rank warriors." Doehring Cowart appeared beside Lin Feng, staring intently at the group. "To think a Saint-level expert would appear today. Never mind, I'd better return to the Coiling Dragon Ring."

With that, Doehring Cowart vanished.

"A Saint-level expert?" Lin Feng couldn't help but look closely at the group.

Following the hundred-plus Temple Knights in white battle armor were a dozen priests in white robes, and behind the white-robed priests was an elderly man with a shaved head and silver robes, surrounded by several Cardinals.

"The Pope!"

The elderly man with the shaved head and silver robes was clearly the central figure of this group. Lin Feng couldn't help but focus all his attention on this person. The Pope of the Radiant Church had a slender build, estimated to be nearly two meters tall. In his left hand, the Pope held a scepter roughly his own height.

Behind the Pope and the Cardinals were four elderly men in black robes and over a hundred warriors in purple robes. This large group walked orderly down the center of the path, and not a single person in the plaza, which held hundreds of thousands, dared to make a sound.

"Grandpa Doehring, you mentioned a Saint-level expert; who is the Saint-level expert?" Lin Feng asked in his heart.

"I could tell at a glance. The Pope of the Radiant Church and one of the four black-robed elders behind him are both Saint-level experts. They are quite confident, not even bothering to conceal their aura. Over five thousand years, that small church that once cowered in the Puang Empire has actually developed to such a degree." Doehring Cowart sighed with emotion.

Only after the Pope's group had passed did the people in the plaza begin to whisper.

"Third brother, look, the people from the six great royal families have arrived. The one at the very front is the royal family of the Fenlai Kingdom. That blond giant is His Majesty the King, also the strongest warrior of the Fenlai Kingdom, a ninth-rank expert." Yale whispered in Lin Feng's ear.

"His Majesty the King?" Lin Feng looked over.

The sturdy middle-aged man wearing dazzling golden armor, with a muscular body and a mane of blond hair resembling a lion, was actually the King of the Fenlai Kingdom.

Seeing Clayde, Lin Feng's gaze turned noticeably cold. Clayde was the direct culprit behind the harm to his mother, Lina, and also his target for future revenge.

However, Lin Feng did not act impulsively to rush up and slay Clayde right now. Although with his current strength, he might have a chance to kill Clayde if he launched a sneak attack, doing so would inevitably lead to him being captured or even killed by the Church's Saint-level experts.

In the plaza in front of the Radiant Temple, hundreds of thousands of people stood in an orderly fashion. Before the angel statue, the Pope, the Cardinals, the white-robed priests, and the Temple Knights stood quietly, with the surrounded Pope undoubtedly being the most dazzling.

The six great royal families of the Holy Union and the Grand Dukes of many duchies also stood solemnly.

Suddenly, with the Pope as the center, a clearly visible milky-white ripple spread outward. Instantly, the plaza filled with hundreds of thousands of people fell into silence, and almost everyone wore a serene smile, their hearts feeling an unprecedented sense of tranquility.

"To so easily emit a holy light covering hundreds of thousands of people is truly terrifying." As a mage, Lin Feng could see just how formidable the Pope was.

The entire plaza was so quiet that one could only hear the sound of the breeze blowing by.

"In the name of the Lord!" the Pope said calmly, yet his voice resonated throughout the heavens and earth, shaking the soul.

Everyone in the plaza felt a pressure emanating from the Pope. Lin Feng, too, bowed respectfully without any power to resist. This pressure was even more terrifying than the pressure he had felt from the two Saint-level experts he encountered in Wushan Town, or even the magic beast "Black Dragon."

This kind of pressure did not need to force people, yet it made them worship from the depths of their souls.

Divine pressure!

In the entire plaza, except for the Pope, the other hundreds of thousands—from the Cardinals and the Kings of the six great kingdoms down to the commoners—all bowed respectfully to listen to the instruction.

"May the Lord's compassion, holy grace, and blessings be with you all."

The Pope's voice did not seem loud, yet it resonated through the heavens and earth, shaking the soul.

Ripples of holy, radiant light spread from the spire of the Radiant Temple, covering everyone. Almost everyone in the plaza felt their hearts become tranquil and their bodies reach an unprecedentedly good state. Everyone was extremely respectful.

"May the Lord grant you grace and peace."

At the same time, the Pope radiated a peaceful, glorious light. "Children of the Lord, let us confess our sins and piously repent for the faults in our thoughts, actions, and words. May the Lord have mercy on us, forgive our sins, and grant us eternal life."

Suddenly, holy chanting echoed throughout the world. All the believers of the Radiant Temple also began to chant piously. The chanting of the believers and the chanting echoing through the world merged together, and everyone was pious and respectful.

The process of the mass was very complex, from confession to mercy, to praise, to prayer, then thanksgiving, and finally, singing.

The vast majority of people in the plaza were believers of the Radiant Church, and most were immersed in the radiance of the Radiant Temple. Even those who did not particularly believe in the Radiant Church were carried away by the atmosphere of the scene. By the time the singing ended and everyone had fully regained their senses, it was already noon.

The mass ended, and the people in the plaza left in an orderly manner.

Seeing the retreating backs of the Pope and Clayde, Lin Feng's conviction to become stronger became even more resolute.

This grand mass presided over by the Pope did not have much of an impact on Lin Feng; he had merely used this ceremony to get a look at his future enemy.