Chapter 1045: The Death of Ao Gu Lewei

Ao Gu Lewei erupted with all sorts of chaotic lights, and layer upon layer of protective spells were triggered.

Anti-Magic Ray, Ruby Reverse Ray, and Greater Dispel Magic don't always work; given Ao Gu Lewei's magical skill and resistance, one activation in ten attempts is already good, but he couldn't withstand the sheer number of destructive spells released by fifty Reslin.

In an instant, Ao Gu Lewei's shield was shattered.

His spell aura dimmed, and his magical robe, staff, and equipped magical items were reduced to powder by dozens of disintegration spells, exposing his naked body.

However, at that moment Ao Gu Lewei also changed; he was no longer the main-brain Lich of the Spirit-absorbing Monster, but a Spirit-absorbing Monster elder with a normal appearance.

That spiritual saint duplicate!

It is a born spiritual-energy user; although only Thirty-level, it broke free from the true illusion in the sixth second, and at the moment Time Stop ended, it instantly swapped places with Ao Gu Lewei's true body, taking the attack in its stead.

"Ah…"

The spiritual saint let out a painful scream.

Among the torrent of spells Reslin cast, the vast majority had no offensive power; only one 'True Word: Soul Rift' could cause damage.

Even though the spiritual saint's spiritual energy resistance was extremely high and its willpower as hard as steel, being hit by a dozen Nine-ring True Word Soul Rift Techniques tore its soul into fragments.

The light in the Spirit-absorbing Monster elder's eyes went out.

At the same time, Ao Gu Lewei's other nine duplicates were engulfed by numerous spells. Battles among Saint Rank elites unfold in the blink of an eye; the higher the level, the more perilous— a brief lapse can cost the whole game, let alone control lasting several seconds.

The true illusion released by the Miracle Gem seized the initiative.

During Time Stop, spells were cast wildly.

Lei En's ten duplicates used these six seconds to unleash all their strongest spells, bombarding the Ao Gu Lewei duplicate trapped in the true illusion without reservation.

In an instant, countless spells erupted.

Flames, spiritual energy, Arcane and shadow—terrifying power ravaged the palace.

The ground cracked, the palace walls collapsed, the central brain pool turned into a sea of fire, and the dome was pierced by lightning and meteors.

The spiritual saint and six other Ao Gu Lewei duplicates were reduced to ash within the spells.

Only three duplicates survived.

One is a Level 38 Holy Soul Lich, another a Level 35 Grand Mage, and the third a Level 33 Holy Soul Wizard; but each of these duplicates is either gravely wounded, has its shield removed, or is reviving—still close to death.

Ao Gu Lewei's true body remains unharmed.

He stands in the spiritual saint's position; the one attacking the spiritual saint is Lan De Si Lin, a Level 29 Mage specializing in earth, fire, and wind elemental spells.

In six seconds Lan De Si Lin hurled a dozen Nine-ring Fireball spells, Flame Burst, and Chain Meteor spells, barely breaching Ao Gu Lewei's spatial barrier; the spell energy was blocked by Magic Siphon, and part was deflected or reflected by various protective spells, failing to wound Ao Gu Lewei's body.

Ao Gu Lewei ignored Lan De Si Lin, a flash of flame lit his eyes, soul power erupted, and the silver-gray Time's End in his hand was activated.

【7】 The golden orb atop his staff radiated black-and-white light, stripping all colors from everything, turning the world into one of only black and white.

The golden eye on the staff head burst forth black-and-white light, the colors of all things faded, and the world turned into one of only black and white.

Time Reversal!

The raging spell energy subsided, rewinding into individual spells; the cracked ground sealed, fallen rubble rose to reform the palace walls and dome, the explosion's dust and powder surged back together, reshaping a complete body.

The seven duplicates that had just been slain all revived, their grievously wounded bodies fully healed.

The spiritual saint also revived beside the brain pool.

Its magical robe and staff returned to it, various protective spells flickered, it swapped positions with Ao Gu Lewei and appeared before Lan De Si Lin.

Ao Gu Lewei returned to his spot, hundreds of spells around him flew back like a celestial maiden scattering blossoms, returning to Reslin's Mirror Images.

Lei En's ten duplicates and forty-eight Mirror Images were all moving in reverse.

But there were four exceptions.

Ao Gu Lewei brandished Time's End; as the caster of Time Reversal, originally only he was unaffected, but in an instant he sensed an anomaly.

Reslin and his three true Mirror Images did not reverse!

In their eyes a primitive gate formed of coalesced worms floated, their bodies standing still, moving backward among the crowd and standing out conspicuously.

Reslin's true body and Mirror Image No. 1 were still casting, the annihilation singularity at their fingertips flashing black light.

Ao Gu Lewei's gaze shifted.

"Ten-ring Key of Doors!"

He also possessed the Key of Doors, and instantly discovered why Reslin was nearly immune to Time Reversal; incredulous, he thought that he had held the Key of Doors for nearly two thousand years, spending countless years researching and investing untold soul power, yet the Key of Doors remains at Nine-ring.

Lei En is not yet forty years old.

Reslin is only a duplicate, yet somehow upgraded the Key of Doors to Ten-ring!

Ao Gu Lewei's mind nearly faltered; in a heartbeat he judged that Reslin was still affected by Time Reversal, his casting speed slowed and movement hindered, but the delay wouldn't exceed three seconds, and two annihilation singularities could be completed!

He launched an immediate counterattack.

His left hand, dried like a chicken claw, reached into the void, instantaneously duplicating time to pull his future self into the present, becoming two people.

The two Ao Gu Lewei cast together, each raising a hand to lock onto a Reslin.

Plunder Magic!

After half a second, both Ao Gu Lewei successfully completed this Nine-ring Spell.

Normally, Plunder Magic can only seize spells of lower rings and must be used during casting; the higher the target spell's ring count, the lower the success rate—if the ring count exceeds one's own, the chance drops below one in ten. Plundering a Ten-ring Spell with a Nine-ring Spell may not succeed even once in a hundred attempts.

In an instant, both Plunder Magic succeeded!

The annihilation singularities that Reslin's true body and Mirror Image No. 1 were casting instantly shifted to the fingertips of the two Ao Gu Lewei.

While using Plunder Magic, Ao Gu Lewei triggered a magical ring he wore.

It is a ring he forged himself—the 'Ioira Counterseal Ring', Legend Grade, its power comparable to Time's End.

The ring is entirely jet-black and glossy, as if cast from obsidian, its face stamped with countless tiny runes. When triggered, after half a second of brewing, its massive stored energy erupts, coinciding perfectly with Plunder Magic.

Buzz!

An invisible force field instantly expanded, vast in scope, enveloping the entire palace and extending to the lava lake of Thus Place: Yilaientu.

An Anti-Magic field, and it's Ten-ring!

All four Reslin's expressions turned wild; they hadn't expected Ao Gu Lewei could cast a Ten-ring Anti-Magic field—not instant, but only half a second, impossible to stop within Time Reversal.

All forty‑eight Mirror Images of Lei Silin dissipated.

The Mirror Image technique is only nine‑ring and cannot resist the Ten-ring anti‑magic field.

The hundreds of spells flying backward vanished like bubbles; the boiling magical energy vanished instantly, and Lei En's ten Grand Mage clones' auras dimmed, all spells and magical items on them failing.

The True Mirror Image technique is Ten-ring, not dispelled by the field, but all protective spells on the body were snuffed out.

Ao Gu Le Wei's clones were the same; the anti‑magic field ignored friend or foe, even stripping Ao Gu Le Wei himself of his protective spells.

All casters were naked.

The entire palace was emptied, silent and still.

Only four Ten-ring Spells remained active across the field—Time Reversal, anti‑magic field, and two Annihilation Singularities—all under Ao Gu Le Wei's control.

Within one second, offense and defense swapped instantly.

Two Ao Gu Le Weis stared coldly at Lei Silin's true body, sequentially casting Annihilation Singularities, both spells targeting him.

Two seconds remained before the spells completed.

If the Annihilation Singularity hit, Lei Silin, who had no protective spells, could not possibly survive.

His Willpower could resist Time Reversal, his mind remained normal, but his body was frail, lacking the power to fight the temporal shackles, moving as slow as a snail; all his spells were suppressed by the anti‑magic field. The other clones were swept by the backward‑flowing river of time, too preoccupied to help.

Ao Gu Le Wei was right before his eyes, and he had no protective spells; a staff could kill him, yet the few steps between them were still out of reach.

A world apart in an arm's length!

Tick‑tock!

This one second felt as long as a century.

Lei Silin's body suddenly grew taller, becoming a strong, burly youth radiating a destructive aura of power.

At the same moment, on the dais of the council hall in the Temple of Truth, the Black Robe Duke sensed Lei En's aura flicker faintly; no one else noticed, and had he not been watching Lei En, it would likely have been missed.

Ao Gu Le Wei's complexion changed.

When Lei Silin first visited Yilaientu years ago, he was shown the Secret Touch, thus learning that Lei Silin and Lei En could ignore distance and swap places instantly.

The anti‑magic field could suppress Lei Silin, but could not restrain Lei En, who wielded terrifying power.

Fighting Lei En within the anti‑magic field was tantamount to courting death.

Moreover, he had not a single protective spell now; Lei En could crush him with a single fingertip.

Lei En stepped forward.

Ao Gu Le Wei decisively withdrew the anti‑magic field.

The "Iola Counterseal Ring" is a spell sequencer; once conditions trigger the first spell, the subsequent spells fire automatically in succession.

The second spell is Time Flashback.

Ao Gu Le Wei chose to revert his state to three seconds earlier, unchanged in position, continuing to cast the Annihilation Singularity, and his protective spells instantly re‑manifested.

The third spell is Spatial Freeze, and the fourth is Banshee Wail!

All are nine‑ring.

The four‑spell sequence formed a super‑kill combo: first the anti‑magic field stripped the enemy's protective spells, then Time Flashback restored the caster's state, followed by Spatial Freeze to control the battlefield, and finally a massive Banshee Wail that instantly killed everyone.

When the latter two spells triggered, the two Ao Gu Le Weis' Annihilation Singularities also completed; the black dot at their fingertips flashed and vanished, one forward and one backward, striking the swapped Lei En.

Then both Ao Gu Le Weis vanished.

One was pulled by a temporal duplicate three seconds into the past, the other returned to his own timeline, leaping through the river of time, thereby evading Lei En's close‑range attack.

But the instant he entered the river of time, Ao Gu Le Wei saw the Lei En before him and instantly regretted it.

This is not Lei En.

He is still Lei Silin, merely having found a way to bypass the anti‑magic field's restriction, assuming Lei En's appearance; the aura he emitted was a disguise, bizarre and hard to read, meant to confuse the senses. His step forward was merely a show—he actually moved only half a step.

Lei En remained in Nuosiruier, never having swapped.

"I've been tricked..."

Ao Gu Le Wei was stunned, having made a basic mistake at the most critical moment.

He hadn't faced such a powerful opponent in many years, nor encountered such grave danger for a long time, so a moment of panic and misjudgment was inevitable.

Fortunately, the error was not irrecoverable.

The Annihilation Singularity was complete; if it could kill Lei Silin's true body, the battle would be won!

After Ao Gu Le Wei vanished, Time Reversal ceased, and the anti‑magic field was withdrawn a step earlier, allowing spells to be cast again.

The interval between the endings of the two Ten-ring Spells was brief, perhaps only a blink, yet Lei Silin precisely seized the fleeting moment.

Lei Silin's true self thought a thought, triggering a Time Flashback on himself, choosing three seconds earlier.

He stepped back half a pace, evading the Annihilation Singularity by a hair's breadth.

The first True Mirror Image instantly activated Time Stop.

The Banshee Wail triggered by Ao Gu Le Wei's magical ring was fixed in midair: a pale, translucent banshee spirit, its teeth‑lined mouth opened, emitting a shrill howl, concentric rings of soul‑rending sound waves radiating outward, yet the waves could not advance within Time Stop.

Spatial Freeze had taken effect.

Aside from Lei Silin, Lei En and Ao Gu Le Wei's clones could barely move, still lacking any protective spells; without Time Stop, everyone except the two Holy Soul Liches immune to undead‑type instant‑death spells would be slain by the Banshee Wail.

The two Annihilation Singularities erupted, albeit slowly.

The Ten-ring Spells, affected by Time Stop, changed from instant activation to a gradual unfolding.

An Annihilation Singularity is an infinitesimal point that creates a pocket dimension, twisting space to the extreme; at a visible speed it expands into a black hole about a meter in diameter, generating immense gravity that even light cannot escape.

If it hits a target, the black hole devours everything, and the newly‑born pocket dimension vanishes instantly.

Lei Silin's true body was only half a step from the Annihilation Singularity, and his whole form was pulled toward it.

Yet he was not at all panicked.

The Annihilation Singularity's power was terrifying, a true "instant‑kill" spell, yet it was not hard to counter.

When Ao Gu Le Wei vanished, the second and third True Mirror Images produced a crystal each; as the Annihilation Singularity expanded into a black hole, the crystals were thrust in, causing the singularity to shrink, close, and disappear as if it had never existed.

Reslin's true form crushed the miracle gem, and the ten‑ring true illusion swept the surroundings.

Reslin again performed the Annihilation Singularity.

Only then did the three real mirror images trigger a time flashback, and their states reverted to four seconds earlier. Because time reversed three seconds and the flashback added four seconds, they returned precisely to the moment before the battle began, allowing them to cast Mirror Art; with a flick of the shoulder, thirty‑six mirrors were summoned and fell around them.

Dozens of mirrors hurled spell after spell into the void, filling every inch of space in Ao Gu Le Wei's departure zone.

Simultaneously, the first real mirror cast a mass teleport, sending Rein's ten Grand Mage clones out of Yilaientu.

Reslin ended Time Stop early.

The first real mirror and the Grand Mage clones vanished.

The Ao Gu Le Wei clone that fell into the true illusion was already near death; its soul struggled within the illusion, and the Banshee Wail's sound waves pierced their souls. Unprotected, they were instantly killed and became ten empty husk corpses.

The clone died from Ao Gu Le Wei's own spell.

Having completed all this, Reslin used only three seconds, maximized Ao Gu Le Wei's mistake, and regained the initiative.

Time duplication is a very powerful spell, but it has a drawback: after the spell ends, a time window forms.

The caster is pulled into the past; during the spell's duration, two versions of oneself exist in the world.

When the spell ends, there is a period in the future during which the caster does not exist.

This is the time window.

The length of the time window depends on the length of the time duplication; Ao Gu Le Wei just duplicated himself for three seconds, so within the three seconds after his disappearance he will be trapped in the river of time, unable to affect reality, and must wait until those three seconds pass to return to reality.

Originally, the time window was an excellent way to evade enemy attacks.

It also lets one skip casting gaps, emerge from the river of time, instantly trigger Time Stop, and always have "my turn."

But in Reslin's view, Ao Gu Le Wei's three‑second disappearance equals relinquishing battlefield control, handing the combat initiative over to himself.

After the time window, Ao Gu Le Wei had to emerge from the river of time.

This is not something he can control.

The thirty‑six mirrors have already unleashed a series of Greater Disintegrate, Anti‑Magic Ray, Ruby Reverse Ray, Greater Dispel Magic, Unbinding Spell, and so on.

The second and third real mirrors projected a continuous conical beam from their staffs.

Majis' Truth Light!

Back then, on that unknown minor plane, the Black Robe Duke Tu Zlei used this spell to pierce the fallen Lich's defenses, inflicting severe damage to its soul, which allowed the Supreme Council's Holy Soul Wizards to seize the opportunity and achieve final victory.

Rein had prepared to deal with Ao Gu Le Wei years ago, so naturally he would not forget this powerful spell.

Although Reslin does not have a Legend Grade staff named "Majis' Truth Light," he can construct the spell model himself; its power is slightly weaker, but when cast by two mirror clones together, it can compensate for the damage.

This move can be considered "using his own method against him."

In an instant, three seconds elapsed.

Ao Gu Le Wei uncontrollably fell out of the river of time; the spell torrent and Truth Light instantly engulfed his figure.

"Hmph!"

Ao Gu Le Wei let out a muffled hum; the Truth Light pierced the spatial barrier, instantly igniting his Lich body, scorching his soul with excruciating pain.

His instant‑cast Time Stop had no effect on Reslin or the real mirrors.

The first real mirror that teleported back from outside Yilaientu crushed the last miracle gem; Ao Gu Le Wei fell into the true illusion, becoming a wooden stake, and spell after spell bombarded his spatial barrier, various spell deflections, spell traps, nullification barriers, and Magic Siphon were each dispelled.

The second and third real mirrors maintained the Truth Light, shining on the enemy.

After crushing the miracle gem, the first real mirror performed a Time Plunder on Ao Gu Le Wei.

Ao Gu Le Wei was forced into the river of time.

Time Jump and Time Plunder both enter the river of time, but differ: one is self‑controlled and can return to reality at any time; the other is enemy‑controlled, and consciousness cannot be maintained in the river—whatever state one enters in, one returns in the same state.

Time Plunder can last up to six seconds; Ao Gu Le Wei, possessing the Key of Doors, reappeared in less than two seconds.

Then he fell again into the spell torrent and Truth Light.

He was still struggling to escape the true illusion, not even realizing he had been plundered for two seconds, and then fell victim to the first real mirror's Time Plunder.

Two seconds!

Two seconds!

Ao Gu Le Wei's figure appeared and vanished, repeating this three times; the protective spells on his body dwindled, his magical aura dimmed, Greater Disintegrate destroyed his magical robe and ring, and even "Time's End" and "Iola Countermeasure Signet Ring" began to decompose.

When he finally broke free of the true illusion and regained his will, he found all protective spells and magical gear stripped away, his malformed body running naked in the air.

An infinitesimally small black glare blossomed before his eyes.

Annihilation Singularity!

Three seconds of time window plus three Time Plunders, Reslin's true form completed the casting; the Annihilation Singularity hit Ao Gu Le Wei and took effect instantly!

Flames flickered in Ao Gu Le Wei's eye sockets; his ugly face twitched slightly, as if smiling.

The next instant.

The strongest wizard in history was swallowed by a black hole and vanished instantly.

Even though Ao Gu Le Wei is a Lich and hid his Soul Box in a secret place known only to himself, he could not be revived. All traces of his existence were erased: his soul, his body, his staff and magical items all disappeared from this world.

This is the power of the ten‑ring spell's Annihilation Singularity!

The palace fell silent.

Reslin let out a light sigh, exchanged a few glances with the three real mirrors, and the dozens of surrounding mirrors ceased casting, standing silently.

No one spoke; the silence was oddly eerie.

Reslin's mind recalled Ao Gu Le Wei's expression before death; his keen perception and soul eye told him that expression concealed much.

A man who, in pursuit of immortality, turned himself into a terrifying form, even deceiving the Lord of the Dead, tirelessly explored the magical path, his wisdom rivaling deities, the greatest wizard in history—could he simply die like this?

Such a great figure would not be so calm at the moment of death.

"That's wrong!"

Reslin suddenly awakened.

Lei En, far away in the Empire's Temple of Truth, saw the projection of the Black Robe Duke Tu Zilei showing him a playful smile.

(End of chapter)