The next day, Chen Zhao's family came to St. Peter's Cathedral.
Chen Zhao could feel that this place was filled with a holy aura.
Everyone who came here to visit had a devout attitude.
Perhaps Chen Zhao wasn't devout. He just observed every corner of the place from the perspective of a tourist.
Unknowingly, Chen Zhao seemed to be separated from Fali and the children.
Chen Zhao didn't know which corner he'd turned to.
There was a courtyard before him. It was sunny and green.
Chen Zhao walked into the courtyard and saw an old man sitting on a bench.
He wore a white robe and a small round hat on his head.
The old man kept his eyes closed, as if enjoying the bright sunlight.
Chen Zhao also felt that the sunlight here was especially warm.
He sat on an empty bench beside the old man.
After a while, the old man opened his eyes. When he saw Chen Zhao, he was a bit surprised.
"Hello," Chen Zhao greeted.
"Hello, you're from China?"
"Yes."
"Dragon Tiger Mountain Celestial Masters Sect?" the old man asked.
Chen Zhao shook his head. "No."
"That's true. Your aura leans towards darkness. It's clearly different from the Taoism of Dragon Tiger Mountain Celestial Masters Sect."
"You're not going to judge me as a heretic, are you?"
The old man grinned, revealing a mouthful of rotten teeth.
"What era do you think this is? It's not the Middle Ages. Even the Christian Church can't judge people casually."
"Then I don't have to worry."
Chen Zhao thought for a moment and asked, "Why do you think I'm from Dragon Tiger Mountain Celestial Masters Sect?"
"You have the aura of Mount Longhu's Celestial Master Sect. A hundred years ago, that guy was the only one to silently barge into my Spirit Formation without any guidance. I thought he had some trick, but now you're the same as him, silently barging into my Spirit Formation. That's why I thought you were from Mount Longhu's Celestial Master Sect."
Hearing the old man's words, Chen Zhao smiled.
"I've cultivated a few Taoism spells from Dragon Tiger Mountain Celestial Masters Sect, but I don't have this trick. I don't know how I got here. I didn't even feel the barrier."
"I see." The old man looked at Chen Zhao.
Chen Zhao also looked at the old man. They were both sizing each other up.
"You're the pope?"
"I'm not anymore." The old man shook his head.
"So you're the former pope?"
"Even further."
"After retirement, you've been sunbathing here every day?"
"Those youngsters aren't really willing to be ordered around by an old man from the olden era," the old man said helplessly.
"Then I'll help you get rid of them all and then let you regain power. You give me the position of archbishop. How about that?"
"Haha … Kid, I'm starting to like you."
"I used to think that old people were stubborn, but after meeting Zhang Tianyi and then you, I realized that you seem to be very close to the times. You're not as stubborn as I thought."
"When you make mistakes when you're young, you'll inevitably start to reflect on your past mistakes when you're old."
"Tell me, what mistakes did you make when you were young?"
"I entered the Vatican at the age of six and became an Archbishop's page boy. At the age of nineteen, I had already become a probationary priest and began to practice Holy Light magic. At twenty-two, I became an official priest. In those twenty years, I saw my religion as the only orthodox religion, and all other religions were heretics. I did many cruel things, even anti-human things. I strangled a six-year-old girl to death with my own hands. Do you know the look in that girl's eyes at the time? After that, I became a heretic in the eyes of others, even my fellow believers. At that time, I began to reflect on myself, and I began to understand myself. I pursued justice and light, but I personally tainted my own faith."
"Fortunately, I wasn't born at that time. Fortunately, you didn't meet me at that time. Otherwise, I would have beaten you up so badly that even your mother wouldn't have recognized you."
"What a pity. I wish I could have known you earlier. That way, you would have been able to stop me."
The old man's tone had been very calm until he talked about the girl. His voice finally wavered.
"No matter how much I sacrifice in the future, no matter how much I make up for it, I can't atone for my past crimes."
"If you die, I'll go to Hell to visit you."
The old man was still as calm as usual. "Hell? I'm not afraid. To me, that's true freedom."
"Perhaps to you, this is the true Hell."
"What an annoying kid." The old man twitched his lips.
"You said when you were young. How old are you now?"
"Much older than you think," the old man said.
"Older than Zhang Tianyi?"
"Older than him."
"Compared to 23rd generation Blood Mary?"
"Older than her too."
"That's indeed older."
Chen Zhao chatted with the old man for a while.
The old man looked cheerful, but there was always a bit of remorse and hatred in his words.
To Chen Zhao, the old man should have died long ago. He should have been judged long ago.
However, because of his status, no one could judge him.
"How do I get out?" Chen Zhao asked.
"If I win, I can get out."
Chen Zhao glanced at the old man. "You're the previous pope, but you definitely can't beat me. Don't look for trouble."
The old man's face twitched. "You really don't know how to respect the old and love the young."
"You're asking for trouble, okay? I'm already respecting the old."
"Forget it," the old man said unhappily. "Turn right and you'll be out."
Chen Zhao followed the old man's directions. After turning a corner, he saw Fali and the children looking at a mural.
When he turned back, the courtyard was gone.
Chen Zhao shook his head and walked over to Fali.
This was the headquarters of the most influential religion in the world.
It wasn't surprising that there were some secret things here.
Chen Zhao wondered how many more of these old monsters were in the world.
The old man wasn't weaker than Zhang Tianyi.
Since Europe had them, China probably had them too.
But after today, Chen Zhao probably wouldn't see the old man again.
Although the old man wanted to die, he was a precious power of the Vatican. The Vatican definitely wouldn't let him die so easily.
Chen Zhao didn't feel sympathy or pity for the old man. He didn't understand or agree with him.
A mistake was a mistake. If the current Chen Zhao met the old man who had committed those crimes, he would definitely crush his head.
One had to admit that even religions had to adapt to the changes in people's attitudes in this era.
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