At that very moment, the European Pope once again thrust the Punishment Spear forward.

Ye Fan let out another muffled groan. His Pure Yang Divine Gang began to weaken, and after being struck by the Pope’s fist, he suffered an unimaginably heavy blow.

"Your brilliance ends here," the European Pope said to Ye Fan. "But you can be proud. At least you managed to embarrass me!"

But Ye Fan retorted, "You will never understand the essence of a true powerhouse!"

"Essence?" the European Pope said disdainfully. "Look at you, just clinging to life. You’re in no position to speak to me of essence!"

Ye Fan continued, "The so-called essence is to grow in the midst of desperation and to crush one’s opponents. That is what makes a powerhouse!"

"And what will you use to crush me?" The European Pope was utterly dismissive of Ye Fan.

"Watch carefully!" Ye Fan declared.

He drew the Yuanhong Sword and used it to block the Punishment Spear.

"The so-called Spiritual Artifacts and treasures you hold so dear," he said, "are nothing but trash in my eyes, fit to be casually destroyed!"

"Let me show you what a true treasure is!"

With a forceful twist, Ye Fan used his Yuanhong Sword to instantly snap the Punishment Spear.

The European Pope stared in shock. His immensely powerful Punishment Spear had actually been broken. This was completely beyond his expectations.

The moment the spear snapped, Ye Fan swung his sword.

The Pope hastily used his armor to shield his body. He looked at Ye Fan with a grave expression. If only I had killed him when I had him suppressed, none of this would be happening.

Now, it seemed, it was too late.

Ye Fan forcefully tore the broken half of the Punishment Spear out of his body, sending blood splattering into the air.

He then addressed his sword, "I know you crave my blood, so now I shall grant your wish!"

He slid his palm along the blade of the Yuanhong Sword. In an instant, the sword transformed, reaching its most terrifying state. The Yuanhong Sword was now brimming with a terrifying vitality, its edge honed to supreme sharpness!

"Today is the day you die!" Ye Fan announced.

The European Pope scoffed, "Even without the Punishment Spear, my Holy Armor of the Church is still the strongest!"

"The strongest? You aren’t worthy of it!"

Ye Fan unleashed two terrifying streams of Sword Qi. The European Pope blocked them, but the force of the impact still sent him reeling backward. At that moment, Ye Fan charged forward, his sword leading the way.

"What?" the European Pope exclaimed in shock.

The Yuanhong Sword pierced through his armor.

"My armor is indestructible!" the European Pope laughed wildly.

But his laughter died in his throat. So much for being indestructible. His Holy Armor of the Church had been pierced clean through by the Yuanhong Sword. Not only that, but the blade had run through his body as well.

"This...!" The European Pope could not believe it. His impenetrable armor and body had both been pierced. What kind of Demon Sword was this?

"I don’t believe it!" he roared in defiance. "What sword is that?" he asked weakly, on the verge of death.

"The Yuanhong Sword," Ye Fan answered.

The European Pope’s eyes bulged, and he died in a state of shock and terror. While most Martial Artists might not know of the Yuanhong Sword, a figure of his stature knew all too well of its terrifying legacy. It hailed from an era that even the Divine Race refused to look back upon—an era where, in the face of the Yuanhong Sword, all else was redundant.

The powerhouse who would slay any god that stood in his way had returned.

All the European Pope’s power was absorbed by the Yuanhong Sword. Ye Fan then decapitated him, stood up, and left.

The battle between Ye Fan and the Pope was over. Ye Fan’s body was severely wounded, but thankfully, he had achieved the final victory. It had been an arduous trial. From the very beginning, their contest had not been one of raw strength, but of schemes. The European Pope’s actual power was not overwhelming; his strength lay in his cunning methods. If not for his many tricks, he would never have had the right to last so long, let alone grievously injure Ye Fan.

Yet, even with his many schemes, which had wounded Ye Fan and nearly killed him, it wasn’t enough. Sometimes, methods are not the deciding factor—strength is the ultimate key to victory. As long as one is strong enough, it doesn’t matter how clever an opponent’s tactics are; they can still be killed. This time, Ye Fan had used very few tricks, because he knew his own strength was more than sufficient. That was reason enough. With the Pope’s fall, the war with the Holy Court concluded, and a new conflict was about to begin.

His would be a name to astound the ages.

Ye Fan brought the European Pope’s head to the Vampire Clan, where he was met with a chorus of jubilant cheers. This was a hard-earned victory. The two factions had been at odds for a millennium, and now, the threat was finally eliminated for good.

It was somewhat ironic that the ultimate decider of this war was an outsider. Of course, considering Ye Fan and Heather’s relationship, he couldn’t truly be called one.

The European Church Court was to be erased forever.

Just then, Heather said, "I released the innocents from the European Church Court!"

"Good! It seems you’ve finally seen the light," Ye Fan said with a satisfied smile. This outcome pleased him; it aligned with his long-held principle that conflicts should not harm the innocent. Heather had clearly been influenced by him.

He then asked her, "Aren’t you afraid they’ll grow strong and seek revenge someday?"

"No," Heather replied confidently.

Ye Fan looked at her curiously.

Heather explained, "My grandfather and I both agree that the growth of a clan is inseparable from conflict and war. Only through competition can one grow stronger faster. The Vampire Clan cannot afford to become complacent. Once we do, we will lose our drive. If those people truly become our enemies in the future, then we will consider it a form of tempering for our clan!"

This was true foresight, and it was nearly identical to Ye Fan’s own philosophy.

"You did well," Ye Fan told her. 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

"Really? My dear?"

Heather nestled into Ye Fan’s embrace. For her, this moment was the sweet culmination of a hard-earned victory, especially being able to hold her beloved after the war.

AHEM!

The two hastily separated. The newcomer was the Cain Ancestor. It had to be said that after these last two wars, the old man had shed much of his former arrogance and haughtiness, which was a relief to Ye Fan.

"Did I interrupt something?" the Cain Ancestor asked.

"Grandfather!" Heather blushed.

The Cain Ancestor laughed heartily. "Hahaha, the war is finally over! But, my young friend, I have a great gift for you!"

Hearing the words "great gift," Ye Fan immediately began to speculate. He’s probably going to offer me leadership of the Vampire Clan. If that was the case, he would have to refuse. In truth, if the Cain Ancestor could hear his thoughts, he would have told Ye Fan he was overthinking things.

"Bring them in!" the Cain Ancestor commanded.

A group of Vampire Clan warriors brought a crowd of prisoners forward. At first, Ye Fan was unimpressed. Just a bunch of captives? They’re not even beautiful women, so what use are they to me? If they were, I might consider it!

However, the moment they were brought into the light, he realized this was indeed a great gift.

He recognized the captives instantly. They were none other than the traitors from the Divine Land—the people of Biyan Pavilion.