The Shining Star Above The Heaven-Chapter 448: His Trump Card

A middle-aged man with blonde hair entered the room with steady steps. As he stepped inside, everyone widened their eyes, sensing the aura of a peak Emperor-stage expert! Prince Wilmar and Carlson were the most shocked by his appearance. How could they not be, when the man who had just walked in was none other than Cardinal Carsius himself?

If he was here, then he must have completed his seclusion and successfully refined the artifacts he stole from the church!

It seemed he had also made a breakthrough to the peak Emperor stage during his seclusion, making him the strongest cultivator in the empire! Coupled with the church artifacts he had stolen, Prince Wilmar thought that Cardinal Carsius had become a threat to anyone on the continent, including himself since no one could control him.

The others, initially shocked, soon changed their expressions to irritation, turning their heads away so that Cardinal Carsius wouldn’t see them. They gritted their teeth inwardly, knowing that this man was the reason they had suffered great losses because of the mysterious swordsman. When they knew that the prince was actually harboring him, they thought he had made a hasty decision. Cardinal Carsius was a wanted man by the church, and this civil war was not the time to add another enemy.

Although they believed that the church would not involve itself in the civil war as long as it did not know the cardinal was here, they still worried about the consequences of hastily placing Cardinal Carsius under the prince’s protection.

If the church somehow found out that the cardinal they were searching for was in the empire, and even under the protection of the second prince, it would not stand by idly and would surely involve itself in this conflict.

They still did not understand why the prince continued to protect him despite the heavy losses they had already suffered. Although they had been told that the cardinal could be a great asset in the future, the losses had already far outweighed the benefits at this time.

From their perspective, if the prince had handed this man over to the mysterious swordsman much earlier, they would not have had to make that enigmatic young man their ultimate enemy. They could have made peace more easily and even built a relationship with the mysterious swordsman.

Although Cardinal Carsius had already broken through to the peak Emperor stage, they still could not feel relieved or put their hearts at ease. Normally, they would congratulate him for reaching the peak Emperor stage, but not under the current circumstances.

Now that the mysterious swordsman seemed to be on his way here, it only made them more frustrated. Meanwhile, Cardinal Carsius hadn’t done shit all this time—while they had already lost so many personnel and resources.

"Why are you here? Who told you to come out?" Carlson asked with a frown.

Cardinal Carsius smiled at Carlson.

"Why wouldn’t I be? I’ve done what I intended to do, and I just wanted to check the situation after my seclusion."

He then looked toward Prince Wilmar.

"I heard what happened to you and your faction while I was in seclusion. It’s truly devastating for you, and I’m very thankful that you kept me safe here."

Hearing Cardinal Carsius speak, everyone felt their anger burn even hotter. He knew their predicament was because of him, yet he didn’t seem to care at all.

Cardinal Carsius still smiled, fully aware of their dissatisfaction, yet he continued.

"The involvement of the mysterious swordsman was unexpected, but worry not. Now that I’ve broken through to the peak Emperor stage, I can help you contain that man. You just need to focus on winning this civil war."

Prince Wilmar only snorted at him, as if he had just heard something amusing. Although the man in front of him was a peak Emperor stage existence, the prince showed no respect toward him. This only made it clear that he was truly pissed off and had little fear of Cardinal Carsius.

After all, the cardinal would not do something so reckless as to kill the prince and seize power for himself—doing so would only be detrimental to him.

"What makes you so confident in yourself? Don’t get me wrong, but I wouldn’t say something so arrogant if I had to face the mysterious swordsman. Even though you’re a peak Emperor stage existence, that man is a monster in his own right. He can unleash the power of a peak Emperor stage cultivator, and he seems to have many cards up his sleeve," Prince Wilmar said.

However, Cardinal Carsius still smiled.

"Oh, of course, I wouldn’t speak empty words. After all, I’m well aware of the mysterious swordsman’s reputation and strength. Hearing what he did while I was in seclusion gave me a clear picture of just how formidable he is—his strength is not something to be underestimated. But I speak with such confidence because I already have something that can kill him."

Everyone in the room was stunned, and the prince’s frown deepened. Something that could kill the mysterious swordsman? Did it have to do with the artifacts he had stolen from the church?

"As you know, I took several of the church’s legacy artifacts, and I’ve already refined them so I can wield their power. After more than a year of refining, I finally succeeded—and in the process, I also broke through to the peak Emperor stage," Cardinal Carsius said as he walked closer to Prince Wilmar.

"Now, do you know which artifact I took from the church?"

The prince’s expression remained unchanged as he thought about it. It was true that he didn’t know what kind of artifact Cardinal Carsius had brought here. The cardinal had only mentioned stealing artifacts from the church when he first asked for protection.

From the way he spoke now, it seemed that the artifact was something capable of changing the tide of battle.

Too lazy to entertain this man because of his current mood, the prince waved his hand dismissively, as if uninterested in his theatrics.

"Enough with the nonsense. What exactly makes you so confident in facing the mysterious swordsman? What artifact did you bring here?" the prince asked.

Cardinal Carsius shrugged. "You’re truly no fun. But I understand how you feel, so I’ll show you myself."

After that, he took something out from his storage ring. The moment the artifact was revealed to the nobles, they were shocked by the overwhelming aura it exuded. A powerful wave of energy swept through the entire room and even beyond, reaching the entire imperial palace.

Everyone in the palace could sense the holy aura and the immense pressure of a high divine-grade artifact!

Without exception, everyone inside the room was utterly stunned. To think that the artifact Cardinal Carsius had stolen was a high divine-grade artifact—didn’t that mean he had taken the church’s main legacy artifact?

And from the artifact Cardinal Carsius now held before them, they finally recognized its identity.

Seeing their reactions, Cardinal Carsius displayed a satisfied smile.

In his grasp was a two-meter-long white-golden spear, its surface adorned with beautifully engraved runes. A symbol of the Heavenly Direction Church was etched onto the spear’s blade, and the sacred aura it exuded made anyone who laid eyes on it feel an instinctive sense of piety toward the heavens.

"I suppose you recognize this famous artifact—the very weapon known for annihilating a massive army of devils during the great war three million years ago," Cardinal Carsius said. "At that time, the main territory of the Heavenly Direction Church was one of the few strongholds that managed to resist the devil army when they nearly conquered the entire continent. And that was only possible thanks to the combination of this spear and... this."

With that, he took out another artifact, holding it in his other hand.

The others were shocked once again at the appearance of another divine-grade artifact, though this one was "only" of middle divine grade.

The newly revealed artifact was a white-golden staff, its tip adorned with a radiant blue crystal. It was equal in length to the spear, creating a striking pair.

"When the great war against the devils broke out, the 32nd Pope wielded these two artifacts together. Their combined power was said to have made even the massive devil army tremble, preventing them from recklessly sweeping through the church’s territory.

Even though the devils seemed endless and overwhelmingly strong, none dared to face the Pope directly while he held these artifacts.

The staff that weakened the devils and the spear that annihilated everything in its path—two artifacts that perfectly complemented each other."

That was the story some of the nobles recalled when they thought about the great war from three million years ago.

The people in the room recalled the legend of the church’s artifacts that powerful enough to withstand the massive devil armies during the great war. And now, as they laid eyes on the spear and staff before them, they finally understood what Cardinal Carsius had been implying.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you—the Heaven’s Punishment Spear and the Heavenly Sovereign Sanctuary Staff," Cardinal Carsius declared with pride.