"Jiang Yuan, I declare him a heretic."
Like a dictator's pronouncement, not a single person present objected.
Michael smiled upon seeing this.
"Archangel, isn't it too hasty to declare Jiang Yuan a heretic like this? Jiang Yuan eliminated the Black Vatican, who plagued humanity. Such a feat is enough for the world to sing his praises. If Jiang Yuan is declared a heretic, the world might not agree," Zu Huanyao said, gritting his teeth.
Michael's smile had vanished by the time Zu Huanyao finished speaking.
Looking sharply at Zu Huanyao, Michael said, "What does the world's agreement have to do with me? Moreover, eliminating the Black Vatican isn't even glorious enough for an Archangel's return; what great merit is it considered then?"
"Besides, wasn't it the Parthenon Goddess who eliminated the Black Vatican? Jiang Yuan merely stole the Goddess's fruit. He used it to initiate a ceremony, and now the world has gained a new, immensely threatening Evil Emperor."
"My conclusion is simple: Jiang Yuan is undoubtedly a heretic! No dispute!"
As soon as these words were uttered, all the Mages from countries other than China immediately echoed Michael's judgment.
Seeing that the situation was irreversible, Jiang Yuan being declared a heretic was a foregone conclusion.
Zu Huanyao sighed.
"Heretic? I think you're the heretic, you idiot! You want a slap, don't you?!"
Suddenly, a voice that caught Michael completely off guard echoed through the vast hall. The source of the voice was unknown; no one had spoken just now.
The next moment, they immediately knew where the voice came from.
A hand reached out from the Space in front of Michael and, with lightning speed, slapped Michael's right cheek.
"Slap!!!!!!!"
The slap was crisp and clear. The immense force sent Michael flying backward, crashing into the hard wall.
After delivering the slap, the hand retracted.
The air was eerily quiet.
On the wall, an astonishing holy green light suddenly erupted.
Michael flew out. He was now clad in green holy robes, and a faint green Archangel phantom, with layers of holy feathers unfurled, appeared behind him.
He punched the spot where the hand had appeared, and Space instantly shattered.
However, his punch was futile.
Unless Michael could reach the Netherworld, it would be impossible for him to touch Jiang Yuan.
Michael's face was ashen, the stinging pain on his face making him feel utterly disgraced.
Everyone held their breath, afraid to incur his wrath at this moment.
"Who dares to provoke me in the Holy City?!" Michael roared.
"Why are you barking? Didn't you say you'd declare me a heretic? Slapping you was already lenient," Jiang Yuan's voice echoed in the void of the hall.
"You are Jiang Yuan?"
Michael narrowed his eyes.
Has Jiang Yuan come to the Holy City?
"That's right, do you want to catch me?" Jiang Yuan chuckled, deciding to tease the Archangel.
The Archangel had done too many disgusting things. The first was his fondness for declaring peerless geniuses as heretics, either because they might shake their rule or simply for their own amusement.
Secondly, he loved to orchestrate events like 'returning to the Holy City,' not hesitating to watch disasters unfold until the very end, only then stepping in as a savior.
People were still grateful to them, saying that the Archangels had saved them.
The existence of the Holy City was reasonable, as a transcendent world indeed needed a supreme organization to set rules.
These Archangels, however, were another matter. A small portion were genuinely kind-hearted, but the vast majority were purely scourges.
"Foolish! Daring to come to the Holy City, today you shall not return!" Michael said.
Jiang Yuan remained silent.
He watched Michael cup golden light, which rapidly expanded and enveloped the entire Holy City, transforming it into a forbidden zone.
"Find him. With the Holy Light Restriction, he can't escape," Michael commanded.
Everyone immediately began searching for Jiang Yuan's whereabouts in every corner of the Holy City.
Sound Forbidden Curse.
Space Forbidden Curse.
Curse Forbidden Curse.
Forbidden Spellcasterss of various elements activated all search methods.
Even the Golden Dragon Eye embedded above the Holy City shot out light covering the entire city, intending to discover where Jiang Yuan was hiding.
But after much effort, Jiang Yuan was still nowhere to be found.
"Your Excellency, he's not found," Reynolds, in charge of the search, returned empty-handed.
Michael's face was devoid of any expression.
He had been dazed by that slap earlier, but now he finally recalled something amiss.
Jiang Yuan should be in a very distant place. His appearance in the Holy City must have been through some powerful Space secret art.
Moreover, through the spatial fluctuations when Jiang Yuan appeared, a wisp of darkness was captured by him.
If there were no surprises, the place where Jiang Yuan was located should be a dark place.
The only thing that puzzled him was what kind of Space secret art could travel freely across such a vast distance, even rendering the Holy Light Restriction ineffective.
Although the Holy Light Restriction was not the strongest restriction, it could still trap a Forbidden Spellcasters.
Indeed, any secret art should be classified as a forbidden art.
Such things beyond control were too annoying!
"Should we continue searching?" Reynolds asked.
"No need. Announce the judgment to the world," Michael said.
"Yes!"
Reynolds left with the new order.
Michael, on the other hand, intended to find a way to remove the blatant slap mark on his face. There was an energy on it that prevented the slap mark from being erased.
Jiang Yuan, far away in the Netherworld, chuckled happily.
When Michael found out how long it would take for the slap mark to disappear, he would probably go mad again.
No longer bothering with what was happening in the Holy City, Jiang Yuan turned his attention to the various large and small Netherworld Wars across the world.
Currently, the progress was very smooth.
Most of the Netherworld Lords were of the minor monarch level, with even Grand Monarchs being few and far between.
They were still too weak in front of a true undead army.
It wouldn't take long to complete the unification.
However, the marine undead ruled by Queen Huangsha might not be as simple as previously imagined.
The marine undead were located at the bottom of the sea. For the army to attack them, it wouldn't just be facing Queen Huangsha.
They would also have to face other Marine Emperors.
After all, during the marine demon incident, Queen Huangsha was also a participant, and a very important one at that.
"The ocean is coming... Humanity, fear... You have nowhere to run, and nothing can stop it..."
As he was thinking about the ocean, a whisper like that of an evil god echoed in Jiang Yuan's mind.
Immediately, Jiang Yuan's expression became solemn.
The whisper of a Marine Emperor.
Every Emperor-level being on Earth could hear this whisper.
Archangels could also hear it.
But they turned a blind eye, taking no countermeasures.
"There are only a few years left, I need to speed up," Jiang Yuan muttered to himself.
The question was how to make Queen Huangsha leave the seabed; he needed to plan that carefully.