As the white flowers continued to bloom, the space was squeezed, and Zhang Fan's range of movement grew increasingly smaller.
Zhang Fan's expression was calm, showing no trace of panic. With a wave of his hand, the ancient bronze sword rapidly shrunk, transforming into a stream of light that shot into Zhang Fan's brow, entering his sea of consciousness.
"Giving up resistance? This isn't like Master Zhang!"
The white-robed Pope chuckled lightly, yet his heart was extremely vigilant, for he knew that this Master Zhang from China was never one to give up easily.
Moreover, he had always believed that Zhang Fan had inherited the legacy of an ancient powerful being and might possess some special means to break through his 'Flower of Holy Light'.
"It seems I'll have to rely on my physical strength," Zhang Fan said, stretching lazily and exhaling softly.
In terms of Qi cultivation and body tempering, due to the skewed allocation of resources, Zhang Fan's strength in body tempering surpassed his Qi cultivation by a considerable margin.
While his Myriad Prisons Suppressing Divine Body had not yet reached minor completion, it was infinitely close. Once his body reached minor completion, Zhang Fan would possess the strength to contend with those who had solidified their Golden Core with his bare hands.
The terrifying power he would possess was unimaginable, a leap far greater than that achieved through Qi cultivation.
Even now, relying on his body tempering, Zhang Fan had some confidence in dealing with a white-robed Pope who had just entered the Condensing Core realm.
Zhang Fan's two divine abilities, 'Thunderfire Divine Eyes' and 'Sky-Rending Horns,' could only be unleashed through physical strength.
"Since I need to use my physical strength, I should end this quickly to avoid further complications," Zhang Fan thought to himself.
"Actually, employing the 'Soul Extraction Technique' on Master Zhang is quite a wasteful endeavor. A talent as rare as Master Zhang, a once-in-a-millennium prodigy, if you were willing to join my Church and share the secrets within your mind, under our Church's nurturing, your future achievements would undoubtedly surpass ours, becoming the strongest being in this planet's history."
The white-robed Pope stared at Zhang Fan, his expression sincere and his demeanor kindly, speaking earnestly.
"Haha, it seems this is all you amount to, and your aspirations are no more than this."
Upon hearing the white-robed Pope's words, Zhang Fan burst into laughter, declaring dominantly, "Talking so much to me, aren't you just trying to stall for time so your Flower of Holy Light can spread faster?"
"Since that's the case, your wish is my command. It also gives me a chance to test what makes this so-called Flower of Holy Light so remarkable."
Zhang Fan stretched out his hands without resistance. The rapidly blooming Flower of Holy Light soon filled the hall, and Zhang Fan was enveloped by countless petals, seemingly unable to move.
The white-robed Pope's gaze penetrated the petals to land on Zhang Fan, and he sneered, "Even fellow Earth Immortal realm powerhouses would not dare to allow themselves to be enveloped by my Church's Flower of Holy Light."
"This Master Zhang is truly arrogant. He's merely in the Divine realm, capable of contending with Earth Immortals only through some special means, yet he dares to be so presumptuous."
"This is for the best; it saves me considerable effort."
The white-robed Pope tried to calm his inner turmoil, yet he couldn't suppress his curiosity about the secrets within Zhang Fan's mind. He flashed forward, appearing directly above Zhang Fan.
Just as he was about to dive into the sea of flowers to perform the 'Soul Extraction Technique' on Zhang Fan, a massive amount of thunder and fire suddenly erupted from deep within the flower sea…
"Mere thunder and fire have little effect on my Flower of Holy Light!" The white-robed Pope was not surprised in the least, as he was aware of Zhang Fan's abilities.
Although the flames were incredibly hot, ordinary Divine realm powerhouses could withstand them. It was too naive to expect them to burn through his Flower of Holy Light, which was capable of trapping Earth Immortal realm powerhouses.
"Is that so!"
Zhang Fan's voice emanated from the flower sea. The layers of petals that had enveloped him began to peel off one by one. Zhang Fan strode forward, slowly emerging from the flower sea.
"How is this possible?" The usually unflappable white-robed Pope was momentarily speechless.
He knew the power of the Flower of Holy Light better than anyone. Even if Zhang Fan's strength were doubled, once enveloped by its layers of petals, it would be difficult to break free.
Yet now, most bizarrely, Zhang Fan hadn't even used any offensive power, and the layers of petals were falling away on their own.
The white-robed Pope grew flustered, finding Zhang Fan's methods difficult to comprehend, and for the first time felt that things were slipping out of his control.
"Your knowledge is too shallow. In front of me, you are merely a schoolboy. There are far too many things that are impossible for you," Zhang Fan taunted him, not missing the opportunity.
Those petals, which appeared to scatter on their own, were actually being stripped away piece by piece by Zhang Fan using his domain power.
Earlier, Zhang Fan had tested the power of the Flower of Holy Light with brute force. A full-power sword strike had failed to inflict any damage.
At that moment, Zhang Fan knew that the defensive and binding power of the Flower of Holy Light was absolutely formidable.
To break through it with sheer force would be difficult unless Zhang Fan's Myriad Prisons Suppressing Divine Body reached minor completion.
After being enveloped by the layers of petals, Zhang Fan had only attempted it once before giving up.
Although Zhang Fan's cultivation realm was still some distance from the Condensing Core realm, due to cultivating the Myriad Prisons Suppressing Divine Body, he had long possessed the Gravity Domain and Repulsion Domain.
The Gravity Domain could subject all enemies within the domain to stronger Earth gravity, increasing their weight hundreds or thousands of times, making their movements feel as if they were carrying immense burdens.
The Repulsion Domain, on the other hand, could make all enemies within the domain feel a powerful repulsive force, greatly impacting their combat effectiveness.
When the Gravity Domain and the Repulsion Domain were combined, a new, powerful domain would emerge – the Disintegration Domain!
It could disintegrate the enemy's power and exert pressure and pulling forces on their bodies. Even some weaker Saints, upon entering Zhang Fan's Disintegration Domain, would be unable to withstand this force and would be crushed and torn into fragments, making it an extremely terrifying domain.
Therefore, the petals separating one by one was a matter of course for Zhang Fan, but it was difficult for the white-robed Pope to understand.
"Putting on a show!" The white-robed Pope secretly sighed at Zhang Fan's peculiar methods, but verbally, he refused to concede.
"Bind him!"
As the white-robed Pope commanded, not only did the white flowers begin to envelop Zhang Fan again, but the white vines that spread throughout the hall also coiled towards Zhang Fan like serpents.
Zhang Fan proactively grabbed a vine and, channeling the power of his divine body, gave it a fierce tug. The vine snapped directly.
Holding the vine, Zhang Fan used it as a weapon, unleashing a whip technique and lashing out at the white-robed Pope.
…
ps: Second update