"Take off your mask. I'm curious what secrets lie hidden beneath this face," Sun Fei said, staring at the man before him who held a scepter and appeared as a pope. His words left no room for argument.
In that instant, everyone's eyes were focused on this person.
Amidst great anticipation, the golden mask was slowly removed.
Everyone held their breath.
What appeared before everyone's eyes was an unremarkable face, slightly aged, with layers of wrinkles, and sparse white hair that, despite careful combing, still looked somewhat messy. It seemed as if he hadn't been exposed to sunlight for too long; his skin was shockingly white, a color that shouldn't belong to a living person. He was thin, and the veins on both sides of his neck were bluish-black.
If Blatter gave the impression of being someone who could be blown over by a gust of wind, then this Old Man was like a sand sculpture, as if he would instantly turn into millions of tiny grains of sand and collapse with the slightest breeze, scattering in the wind.
Sun Fei detected a faint smell of decay emanating from the aged body. "... it can only maintain its immortality... so this Old Man is probably over a thousand years old?"
He's an absolute monster.
However, it was clear that no one could recognize the person with that face.
The powerful figures watching from afar in the surrounding void all showed bewildered expressions. If they could still recognize the previous Blatter, then the ancient nature of the person before them far exceeded their memories, and even exceeded the length of their lives.
As for Sun Fei?
Having only been on this continent for a few years, of course I wouldn't recognize such an old relic.
Batistuta, however, showed a hint of doubt on his face.
Although it was impossible to tell who the person was from his appearance, the aura surrounding the Old Man, struggling against the forces of death and decay, gave him a sense of distant familiarity.
"Child, don't you recognize me?"
The new pope smiled as he gazed at Batistuta.
These words were like a thunderbolt, instantly unlocking Batistuta's memories that had been sealed away for countless years. A ray of sunlight shone in, and he exclaimed in utter shock, "You are... His Stábile? Old Lord... Oh, my God, how is this possible? You are not..."
Batistuta was completely panicked.
The name ' Stábile ' that he uttered was almost completely unfamiliar to everyone, but to Sun Fei, it was like a flashing sword, awakening a name that existed in the records.
Guillermo Stábile!
A name that is now very distant.
This name was incredibly glorious seven or eight hundred years ago. It held the greatest power in the world, was worshipped by the entire continent, and had the largest number of believers. Glory and splendor were its hallmarks.
Because he was once the Pope of the Holy Church.
Before Blatter, there was a man who controlled the Holy Church.
He was also the pope of the Black-Robed Holy Temple, which held absolute dominance among the various branches of the Church at the time, and whose doctrines [ Divine Oracle ] were regarded as Church.
It was precisely because of this person's sudden disappearance that the Church fell into internal strife, the Black-Robed Holy Temple declined, and was squeezed out of the core of the Church's power, almost being completely destroyed. This led to Blatter's coronation and Platini's betrayal.
A glorious era has thus been swallowed up by history and sealed away forever.
Due to the suppression by his successor, Blatter, the [ Black-Robed Holy Temple ] declined, Stábile, the Ming Cult who should have left a significant mark on the history of the Holy Church, quickly disappeared from the history of the continent and was forgotten by later generations.
The disappearance of Stábile is also considered one of the most incredible mysteries in the history of the Holy Church.
After all, before his disappearance, Stábile held immense power and was at the peak of his career. He was arguably the strongest figure in the Holy Church, possessing the Church's divine artifacts and enjoying unparalleled prestige. No one could withstand his power. Unless he wanted to commit suicide, who could kill him?
Unexpectedly, after more than eight hundred years, this person, who should have been sleeping peacefully in the embrace of the stars, has reappeared in the world.
So, does this mean that the internal strife within the Holy Church in the first half of the year refers to Stábile's return to Sicily Island and his seizure of the long-lost imperial power from Blatter? Could it be that Stábile's disappearance was actually related to his successor, Blatter? Was he assassinated by Blatter?
This conjecture is probably the most reasonable explanation.
"Eight hundred years have passed, and I never imagined that there would actually be someone in this world who could recognize me. I remember eight hundred years ago, you were just a child." Stábile looked at Batistuta with a smile, feeling a deep sense of nostalgia.
"Is it really... you?" Batistuta couldn't control his emotions. He rushed to Stábile, knelt down, and his eyes were already full of tears.
At that time, he was indeed just a child, only seven or eight years old, one of the boys in the [ Black-Robed Holy Temple ] choir. Because of his talent for cultivating Holy Power, he was widely regarded as a promising Stábile, who was once Pope, even bestowed upon Batistuta the blessing of touching his head on several occasions. In Batistuta's memory, Stábile was an incredibly kind and benevolent pope who would take some time every day to sing hymns with the children in the choir, tell them distant stories, and personally teach them the way of cultivation.
Countless choir children treat this approachable pope like a grandfather or a close relative.
After Stábile, Batistuta was heartbroken and cried secretly countless times.
It was precisely because of his worship and respect for this pope that Batistuta refused the enticements of other sects and joined the Black-Robed Holy Temple. For hundreds of years, no matter how bad the situation was, he did his best to support the existence of the Black-Robed Holy Temple. It was only after Sun Fei appeared that the Black-Robed Holy Temple, which was on the verge of extinction, was able to flourish.
Unexpectedly, today, the person he admired most has finally reappeared in the world.
This bittersweet emotion finally brought tears to the eyes of Batistuta, a powerful figure in the Northern Region Empire who had already ascended to the status of a god.
At this moment, thanks to the reminders of some Old Man, the powerful figures who were watching finally learned the inside story.
This turn of events is truly shocking.
The Pope, who disappeared eight hundred years ago, has reappeared alive?
what does that mean?
First update <dd>