Chapter 561: Supreme Council

After Sabbath Dean left, the elimination round officially began.

The spellcasters who qualified for the elimination round, whether low‑tier, Mid-stage, or high‑tier, are top of their rank, exceptionally outstanding in certain aspects, and with their advantage over other supernaturals, each one released is a somewhat famous genius.

When these geniuses face off, the spectacle is far more exciting than the point matches.

However, the vast majority of the audience's thoughts are not on the exhibition match; people are fervently discussing the Empire's thirteenth Holy Soul, and the contestants trading blows in the arena have become mere background.

This edition of the exhibition match saw far too many events.

Lei En challenged and defeated three Naiser Elders at the opening ceremony, cementing his title as the foremost beneath the Holy Soul; Sabbath Dean then formally announced his Holy Soul Ascension and held a conferral ceremony at BrewotzAcademy, which will surely shake the Empire.

Years later, when people mention this exhibition match they treat it as an inconspicuous footnote, perhaps no one even remembers the champion.

It's not only the audience whose minds are elsewhere.

The legends atop the tower are the same; unless one of their own students takes the stage, most legends cannot stay seated, rising to leave and discuss the matter with Fu Kong Cheng or the academy.

The Supreme Council is about to arrive at BrewotzAcademy!

Lei En also stood, speaking softly, "Speaker Ronnie."

"You go, I'll watch here," Speaker Ronnie knew that Lei En and GrandSpeaker were secretly carrying out some plans, and could understand why GrandSpeaker didn't tell him, surely there were sufficient reasons.

"Thank you."

Lei En thought that working with a clever partner is convenient; Speaker Ronnie and he have great tacit understanding.

He turned back to scan the Weizelan Wizards; fifteen entered the elimination round this time, including his four students, and his gaze fell on them, giving a slight nod of encouragement.

Then Lei En teleported away.

A second later, he appeared in Sabbath Dean's office.

Sabbath, who had just stunned tens of thousands of spectators in phoenix form, stood by the window looking out at BrewotzAcademy; he was not tall nor broad‑shouldered, yet under the prestige of a Holy Soul Wizard he appeared especially imposing, as if one could not look directly at him.

"Dean, sir."

Lei En bowed, "Congratulations on your Holy Soul Ascension."

Sabbath turned back, his face bearing the same faint smile as always, and his attitude toward Lei En did not change despite the shift in status.

"You should have known already, right?" Sabbath said.

Lei En gave no reply, taking it as tacit consent.

Sabbath, however, studied Lei En carefully, then shook his head and laughed, "My smooth Ascension is mainly because the phoenix's demonic soul matches my own soul closely, reducing the difficulty of fusion, and that owes to Anxi Master's selfless assistance."

"The teacher mentioned some things to me," Lei En replied honestly.

"With seniors and a teacher's help, this step becomes easier; when Anxi Master comes to Brewotz in a few days, I will thank him in person," Sabbath said earnestly, praising, "You have a good teacher. By my estimate, you will reach this stage soon as well."

Lei En automatically ignored the latter sentence.

His attention was solely on the first half; evidently the teacher did not disclose the whole truth to Sabbath Dean, otherwise his expression wouldn't be so relaxed.

Sabbath keenly sensed Lei En's doubt, walked to the desk, gestured for Lei En to sit opposite, and his demeanor grew serious.

"Holding the conferral ceremony at Brewotz was originally my idea, but Anxi Master volunteered it and asked me to wait until now to announce it..."

"Do you know why?"

Before Lei En could answer, a raven leapt from the shadow at his feet, black light flaring, revealing Mei Dif Master's figure.

Sabbath's face changed dramatically, and he was about to act.

Fortunately he instantly recognized Mei Dif's identity, breathed a sigh of relief, withdrew the spell about to be unleashed, rose and bowed, "Your Excellency, Prophet."

As soon as the words left his mouth, Sabbath realized the gravity of the situation.

A Holy Soul Wizard was personally guarding Lei En; needless to say, this must be Anxi Master's arrangement, and recalling Lei En's provocation of Naiser Elder, the true target has already become evident.

Even though Sabbath hadn't guessed the truth, he was already frightened!

Mei Dif, looking at Sabbath's rapidly shifting expression, smiled, "Sabbath, congratulations on your Ascension, joining the Supreme Council."

Sabbath showed no hint of joy.

He glanced at Mei Dif, then at Lei En, thinking of the forthcoming Anxi Master and all the Holy Soul Wizards; a bitter smile crossed his handsome face as he sighed, "If Brewotz were to suffer calamity because of this, I would rather fail my Ascension."

The Soul Eye saw a faint blue thread of resentment sprout in Sabbath's soul.

He felt no satisfaction with Anxi's plan.

Lei En hurriedly explained, "Dean, rest assured, your ceremony is merely a covert observation of Augulevi Master; the teacher predicts Augulevi Master likely would not dare appear."

Mei Dif also nodded.

"I have already prophesied that Brewotz's future is safe, at least in the farthest future I can see, it remains prosperous."

Sabbath let out a long sigh at the words.

The prophecy of the greatest seer in Empire's history is enough to reassure people. Anxi Master is not the type to use unscrupulous means; to target Augulevi Master, he would place the lives of tens of thousands of BrewotzAcademy teachers and students in danger.

Then Sabbath finally regained his senses, shocked to his core.

Anxi Master's true target is indeed Augulevi Master; according to Lei En, all the schemes aim to make Augulevi Master appear.

Even though he had just become a Holy Soul Wizard, being suddenly entangled in such high‑level affairs made his heart uneasy, and he asked in alarm, "What happened to Augulevi Master?"

Lei En and Mei Dif exchanged a glance.

All plans have been completed and the news broadcast, and Sabbath Dean, as the most pivotal figure, should rightfully have the right to know.

After a few seconds of silence, Lei En whispered, "We have sufficient reason to suspect Augulevi Master has already fallen, having turned to the Lord of the Dead."

"Sss…"

Sabbath felt a chill surge to his crown; even the phoenix's rebirth Element could not soothe it, and his body began to tremble.

Augulevi Master has fallen!

The greatest wizard in human history has indeed fallen!

If Mei Dif were not right there with a solemn confirmation, Sabbath might even think Lei En was joking, and that wouldn't be funny; if outsiders heard, it would raise a cataclysmic wave, and the entire Empire could suffer unpredictable dreadful consequences.

"What on earth is going on?"

Sabbath's voice was a bit hoarse, even somewhat afraid to hear the answer, yet he had to ask, "What evidence do you have?"

"It all began that day a few years ago when the dead‑spirit calamity invaded Weizelan…"

Lei En briefly recounted the findings he already had, Sa Bu La listened attentively, occasionally raising questions, and after a moment he fell into thought.

But he still could not believe it.

Mei Dif let out a sigh, even though he had already heard it once from Anxiwodasi: "Life draws to an end; to continue living, one may abandon even the most glorious achievements and fame. Augulevi is not the first, nor will he be the last."

Sa Bu La's expression wrestled for a long time, and at last he accepted it all.

"What do you think Augulevi Master looks like now?" he asked the question that Lei En, Anxiwodasi and Mei Dif had all been pondering.

"By my calculation, he must have fallen three to four hundred years ago," Mei Dif Master said lightly. "According to the Lord of the Dead's transformation rite, such a long span makes it hard even for a 41st‑level Holy Soul Wizard to keep his flesh intact; he may evade legend, but not the Holy Soul's sight, so he has never dared to appear."

In other words, Augulevi Master is now a Lich.

From the strongest Wizard in history to a foul‑smelling, reviled evil Lich in the Empire—like a rat crossing the street—he has fallen as if from the heavens to hell.

No, this is more terrifying than falling into the Abyss.

All Liches in the world are the Lord of the Dead's minions; no matter how noble or great they were in life, as their bodies rot and their souls become tainted, their temperament grows cold, and essentially they are no longer the same person as before.

Even if Augulevi Master is a Wizard of the 41st level, he cannot resist the Lord of the Dead's Willpower.

In the early stage of the Lich transformation, Augulevi Master might still have resisted a bit, retaining reason and concealing his personality shift, but as centuries pass, the centuries‑long contamination will inevitably plunge him fully, making him a slave of the Lord of the Dead.

Given Augulevi Master's power and status, his becoming a Lich yields destructive force more dreadful than millions of dead spirits.

By contrast, Korstted's fall is hardly worth mentioning.

Seizing the Naxas Fu Kong Cheng, activating the Iola Core, covertly plotting to overturn Weizelan, and sending agents to stop Anxiwodasi from restoring his body…

All this suffices to prove that Augulevi Master has already been controlled.

The Augulevi Master who witnessed the Empire's rise, single‑handedly founded the Supreme Council, and ruled the Empire for millennia, is already dead.

In that moment, Lei En and the other two were filled with endless emotion.

The office fell into silence.

After a long while, Lei En finally broke the silence, saying, "Elder Harawa also sensed something amiss; at the opening ceremony that day, he told me he would go back to investigate covertly, but there's been no word since."

"Naiser's interior may have trouble," Mei Dif frowned, saying.

"Augulevi Master may fall, but Naiser Fu Kong Cheng must not collapse; otherwise Nuosiruier would be severely damaged, and the entire Empire could not bear it," Sa Bu La rose abruptly, speaking resolutely. Once the decision was made, he had no hesitation: "I will now submit an application to the Supreme Council."

The Empire places no restriction on where a newly‑promoted Holy Soul Wizard's investiture may be held; it only requires the God of Magic's witness.

By convention, the ceremony is held in the capital Nuosiruier.

However, Sa Bu La is the dean of BrewotzAcademy, a special and prestigious position, with students throughout the Empire, and he will evidently choose Brewotz City, where the academy stands, as his fief; the Supreme Council will certainly grant him that courtesy.

Moreover, with Anxiwodasi's prior communication, the other Holy Soul Wizards, unaware of the details, have no reason to object.

Such a trivial matter isn't worth opposing; it would unjustly offend a new member of the Supreme Council.

"Lei En, follow Sa Bu La."

Mei Dif said a word, and his figure vanished. He must now join the Supreme Council's remote link and cannot let anyone discover he is in Brewotz.

Sa Bu La opened a portal, and the two entered the academy's magical projection chamber.

Here a rune array designed for long‑distance communication is set up, capable of projecting the silhouettes within the array to a pre‑designated location, though it cannot cross planes; its principle is similar to a teleport array, even simpler.

The Empire's major Fu Kong Chengs, transcendental academies, and some key sites all install projection chambers, facilitating timely contact with the Empire's highest decision‑making tier.

Lei En stepped back outside the array.

After a brief calibration, Sa Bu La energized the rune array, sending his report across countless miles to the capital Nuosiruier thousands of li away in an instant.

The other end of the transmission reached the Empire's Consul's residence directly, while also reporting to the Supreme Council.

Any member of the Supreme Council is qualified to convene a meeting, but for the past several hundred years that authority has been held by the three highest‑ranking Holy Soul Wizards.

Setting the agenda itself is a right!

A new Holy Soul Wizard has been born; such momentous news must already have spread throughout the Empire. Receiving a message from BrewotzAcademy now, one can guess the matter without doubt.

It is precisely by exploiting this that convening the Supreme Council raises no suspicion.

Soon, the rune array responded.

Sa Bu La gave Lei En, who stood outside the array, a slight nod and made a gesture that had already been approved.

Lei En held his breath.

A few seconds later, the projection chamber lit up with a long table formed of light and shadow; along its simple, rustic sides were rows of broad bronze‑colored high‑back chairs.

As the light and shadow spread, the entire interior instantly became a magnificent ancient palace, its dome hundreds of meters high; gazing through the massive pillars, one could see endless darkness outside, the palace seeming to float in boundless void, dazzling the eyes.

At the far end of the long table stood the most conspicuous high‑back chair, as if belonging to the host.

Behind that high‑back chair, a statue of the God of Magic rose a hundred meters tall, its face veiled in mystery, eyes containing starry sky and wisdom, overlooking the vast space.

This is the Supreme Council's projection!

Legend says the true Supreme Council possesses an actual Supreme Palace, forged by the God of Magic herself; only its members may enter, yet its location remains unknown.

There are twenty chairs on the sides of the long table, plus the one at the end, allowing twenty‑one Holy Soul Wizards to sit.

On the table before the host's high‑back chair, a name is already engraved.

Sa Bu La chose an empty high‑back chair and sat, farthest from the chair at the table's end.

Immediately, one by one, figures materialized.

(End of Chapter)