Watching the scepter fly toward him, Wu Qingkong immediately summoned his Martial Soul.
An Ice-Blue Longsword appeared in his hand, and seven Soul Rings bobbed rhythmically around him!
Most dazzling of all was the crimson Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Ring.
Apart from the Great Enshrined and a few other enshrined elders, and Bibi Dong, this was the first time many of the deacons and elders present had seen it.
After all, a Soul Sage possessing a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Ring was far beyond anything they knew!
"Martial Soul Avatar!"
As Wu Qingkong activated his Seventh Soul Ring, the entire room dropped several degrees in an instant.
Wu Qingkong held his sword in one hand, its tip aimed straight at the approaching scepter.
A series of cracking sounds soon came from the scepter as slabs of solid ice spread across it at a speed visible to the naked eye.
The scepter, which had been hurtling toward him, stopped in midair.
The sight caught everyone off guard!
None of them had expected Wu Qingkong to meet the blow head-on with only a Soul Sage's cultivation!
Wu Qingkong stepped forward and grabbed the scepter. The ice melted, and a dazzling light burst from it!
"Your Holiness, I have not failed you."
As Bibi Dong watched, a smile rose unbidden to her lips.
"No. From this moment on, I am no longer the Pope. I am just an ordinary person."
"You caught my scepter. From this moment on, you are the New Pope!"
With that, Bibi Dong bowed first, clasping a fist in her other hand.
"Greetings, Your Holiness!"
Her gesture stunned Chrysanthemum Pass, Gui Mei, Ghost Leopard, and the other elders for a moment. Then they came to their senses, dropped to one knee, clasped their fists, and announced themselves.
"Your subordinate, Chrysanthemum Pass."
"Your subordinate,