Deathly silence.
It was absolute, deathly silence.
From the moment Chen Fei casually waved his hand to shatter the Mirror of Medusa to when Archbishop Doberman was slapped fiercely to the ground, it all happened in the blink of an eye.
Yet in that blink of an eye, this manāthis Easterner who looked to be in his twenties or thirties at mostāhad casually raised his hand and sent Archbishop Doberman Scaldoran, one of the three Red Robed Archbishops of the Holy Church of the Divine Holy Church, sprawling to the ground.
What kind of terrifying power is this? What does it even mean?
Even for Peak Powerhouses of Holy Magister like Melsdom, or someone like Mardo who wielded the Dark Nether Jade, they knew with absolute certainty that they were incapable of such a feat. After all, Doberman Scaldoran was an sss Level super-powerhouse! How could he be some common rabble?
The silence held, deep and unnerving. No one dared to breathe too loudly, let alone break the quiet. Even Old Brad of the Brad Family and Duke Ovilia were completely stunned by Chen Fei's display.
That was Archbishop Doberman, one of the three Red Robed Archbishops of the Holy Church of the Divine Holy Church! And he had the infamous Mid-Grade Holy Artifact, the Mirror of Medusa, at his sideā¦
But what were they seeing now? The Mid-Grade Holy Artifact, the Mirror of Medusa, was shattered? Archbishop Doberman had been slapped so hard he was sent sprawling?
What does this mean?
It meant that Mr. Chen Fei's power was likely far, far more terrifying than when he had displayed his divine might at the Ashford Family. With the strength he had back then, it should have been impossible for him to be this terrifying! Although they found it hard to believe, the horrifying truth was right before their eyes, leaving them no choice but to accept it.
"It seems you really took my previous words as nothing but hot air, didn't you? Think that little bit of power you have is impressive? Fine then. Get up. Let's keep playing. I want to see how many hits a piece of trash like you can take. If you can withstand a few blows from me today, I'll let you go. Otherwise, even if you crawl back to your so-called Holy Church of the Divine Holy Church, I'll still drag you out and make you wish you were dead. Believe it or not?"
Even after all this, Chen Fei, Young Master Chen, seemed disinclined to let the matter drop. His gaze was glacial as he stared at Archbishop Doberman, who was still trembling on the ground. He sneered, his tone dripping with malice.
It couldn't be helped. He was not a patient man to begin with, and they had just emerged, exhausted, from that Great Formation. His temper was already frayed, yet this old fool had to come along, overstepping his bounds and deliberately provoking his anger. How could Young Master Chen tolerate that? At this moment, if Chen Fei was truly angered, it wouldn't matter if you were one of the three Red Robed Archbishops or the entire Holy Church of the Divine Holy Church! To the current Chen Fei, it was all utterly meaningless.
He might as well just wipe them all out. Did they really think they were all that?
As Chen Fei's cold, emotionless voice echoed, a shiver ran down everyone's spine. A chill erupted from the soles of their feet and shot straight up their backs, an unstoppable tide of dread. They were all superhumans, espers or members of the Blood Clan, who had once used their own invincible might to crush ordinary people and secure their current status. Thus, they understood better than anyone just how terrifying, how utterly petrifying, a truly powerful figure could be when genuinely enraged.
It was a horror they dared not even imagine.
They didn't know if Mr. Chen Fei had reached a level of true invincibility on Earth, but the display he had just given proved that even sss Level super-powerhouses were like ordinary people before him, completely unable to fight back. If that wasn't terrifying, what was? If that wasn't invincible, what was?
As this thought crossed their minds, many couldn't help but shudder, their faces draining of color. First, because Chen Fei's power was simply horrifying. Second, because his earlier warning to Archbishop Doberman was likely no empty threat or cruel joke. Could even the Holy Church of the Divine Holy Church truly stop a man with such terrifying strength? The answer was far from certain.
"Fuck! Who the hell do you think you are? Do you know who we are? We are from the Holy Church of the Divine Holy Church, the most powerful, top-tier force in the European Dark World! You dare to defy us? You dare to injure our church's Archbishop Doberman? You're finished! I'm telling you, you are completely finished!"
Though Hales's face was white with fear, he was blinded by hatred and had immense confidence in the organization behind him. He couldn't believe that Chen Fei alone could stand against their entire Holy Church of the Divine Holy Church. That was just suicidal, a fool's errand! Seeing Chen Fei act so arrogantly even after injuring the Archbishop, Hales's pent-up resentment finally exploded, and he leaped up, screaming curses.
"Hales, shut up!" Archbishop Doberman, who had been lying on the ground, chilled to the bone, was horrified when he saw this moron, this absolute idiot, Hales, pointing and cursing at a figure as terrifying as Chen Fei. His face turned deathly pale, and he struggled to his feet to roar at him.
Clearly, Archbishop Doberman was a smart man. He understood the horrifying strength of someone who could so casually swat him to the ground. He had felt Chen Fei's terrifying power firsthand and was already filled with fear and regret for having accepted such a thankless task. Chen Fei's final warning, in particular, had made his very soul tremble. He knew that threats from such a supremely powerful figure were no idle boasts, but it was too late for regret.
Yet, Doberman Scaldoran had never imagined that even after he had been so effortlessly defeated, proving they were not on the same level, Halesāthis imbecileāstill couldn't read the situation and had the gall to jump out and threaten their opponent. The sight nearly scared him out of his wits. Is this fucking moron out of his mind?
But by the time his face turned ashen, it was too late. It wasn't just Chen Fei whose expression had instantly darkened at Hales's words; even Mardo, Saint Magus Melsdom, and the others looked on with incredibly cold and grim expressions. They all owed their lives to Chen Fei. Besides, what was Mr. Chen Fei's status? What was his level? He had single-handedly slaughtered the terrifying monster in the seal. And now? Now, some piece of trash like Hales dared to point at Mr. Chen Fei's nose and curse him?
BOOM!
"Hales, it seems you find life too long, is that it?" a voice rumbled. Saint Magus Melsdom, who had been silent until now, began to radiate a terrifying, searing aura. A chilling, murderous intent gleamed in his eyes as he fixed his stare on Hales.
HISS!
Feeling that dreadful, fiery presence, the barely-standing Archbishop Doberman's face changed drastically once more. He drew a sharp breath and cried out in shock, "You... you've broken through to the Peak Realm of Holy Magister?"
An uproar swept through the crowd!
"What? Peak Holy Magister? Isn't thatā¦"
"HISS!"
"Saint Magus Melsdom, he actuallyā¦?"
...
Hearing the Archbishop's horrified gasp, everyone present paled. The Holy Magister realm and the Peak Holy Magister realm might only differ by a single word, but the significance they represented was on a completely different level.
To give the simplest example, among the three Red Robed Archbishops of the Holy Church of the Divine Holy Church, whose status was said to be supreme, only one of them possessed the strength of a peak sss Level powerhouse. The others did not. Therefore, even Archbishop Doberman was not on the same level as that individual. It would not be an exaggeration to call their relationship one of a subordinate to a superior.
But now? Now, Saint Magus Melsdom was exhibiting a cultivation level and strength that could rival that very person! What did this mean? How could this not shock and astound everyone present? A person with such terrifying strength could undoubtedly be ranked among the most powerful on Earth!
And yet, this same Saint Magus Melsdom, now a Peak Holy Magister, was showing such profound respect to this young man, to Mr. Chen Fei. He was even willing to act on his behalf and offend a behemoth like the Holy Church of the Divine Holy Church.
What does this imply? Does this mean that, in his eyes, Mr. Chen Fei is more important than the entire Holy Church of the Divine Holy Church?
Butā¦ but how is that possible?! He's just one person! And how young is he?!
Archbishop Doberman was utterly dumbfounded. Old Brad, Duke Ovilia, and the other elders of the Brad Family were equally stunned, staring as if they were witnessing something so unrealistic it couldn't even happen in a dream.
"Oh, no! Melsdom, what are you doing? Are you insane? Stop! What are you doing?!" Hales, who had been bewildered, finally snapped out of it and began to scream, his face a mask of terror and panic.
Because Saint Magus Melsdom was already moving to strike him.