The Devil Lord frowned but then let out a deep breath. Initially, he placed the anathema on the Pope because the latter was one of the most dangerous cultivators. The fact that the Pope has survived until now, even under the effects of the Devil Lord's anathema, is a testament to his strength.
After his plan in the Doria Empire collapsed, he realized that he needed to eliminate another leader to compensate for his failure there.
He chose the Pope as his target. The Church could be a major roadblock, and they needed to seize control of it to remove the obstacle. The Church's territory was only separated by the Vindas Empire and the Doria Empire, making it still quite close to them. Although the holy energy within the Church had already weakened due to "their" interference, holy energy was still holy energy—it was fundamentally opposed to their own and could greatly harm the devils.
