Chapter 562: Gathering of Holy Souls

Lei En stood outside the projection array; his own figure did not enter the projection range, yet he could see everything clearly.

Sabbath Dean sat down, and one after another, silhouettes appeared.

They took seats in turn on the high‑backed chairs along both sides of the long table, facing each other across the tabletop, keeping a distance from the people on either side; the light and shadow projected by the spells formed their appearances, and no real aura could be sensed.

But in this fictitious Supreme Palace, the atmosphere was solemn, and Lei En dared not act rashly.

He held his breath and observed the seated Wizards.

The head seat at the far end of the long table remained empty; the first seat to its left was his own teacher, Anxiwodasi.

At this moment, the teacher, whose beard and hair were all white, remained calm, revealing no hint of anything.

Opposite the teacher sat a bald man with neatly trimmed black beard, appearing about forty, clad in a thick, velvet‑like black magical robe; his features were unremarkable, his bearing dignified, and his eyes were extremely sharp, reminiscent of a hawk, as if able to discern any illusion or reality.

Lei En had seen his portrait and recognized him at a glance.

The owner of Flaniss Floating City—TimKainanMaster.

One of the Empire's three great heads, he also possessed his own fief, the Dragonpis City where Flaniss lies, thus holding the formal title "GreyEagle Duke", though people habitually called him Kenan Master.

To the right of Kenan Master sat a man.

His first impression was twelve floating gems atop his head, each a different color, about half a fist in size, emitting multicolored light.

His appearance was odd; his skin did not resemble that of ordinary people, reflecting a metallic sheen, his features seemed carved, his age indiscernible, and although his gaze was lively, Lei En always felt they were gems rather than eyes, lacking some vitality of the living.

But Lei En would not dare underestimate this robot‑like Wizard, who was the Empire's greatest alchemist, the KangJieladeGreatSage of the Alchemy Association!

Opposite the GrandSage sat another elder with white beard and hair.

At first glance, he resembled the nearby teacher Anxiwodasi in several ways: white long hair and beard hanging down, neatly groomed, impeccably tidy, wearing a fitted simple white robe, his face kind, his gaze gentle, containing unfathomable wisdom.

Lei En's eyes brightened the moment he saw him.

Ouroin Master!

As a battle Wizard, he had long admired the founder of the combat school, Ouroin Master, but the Master was reclusive; today he finally met him.

To the left of Ouroin Master were three individuals: Prophet Medif, Storm Queen Xingbu, and the Silver Star Duke.

Lei En had already seen them.

However, when he saw the Storm Queen and the Silver Star Duke seated side by side, he suddenly realized something. The two female Holy Soul Wizards had such similar bearing, their looks about fifty percent alike; one had silver hair, the other black curls, so he had not connected them at first.

The moment they appeared, they exchanged greetings, evidently extremely close.

They are sisters!

Lei En suddenly understood; no wonder when he first saw the Storm Queen in Zhu Bile Mountain City, she seemed familiar.

The Silver Star Duke, with three thousand male admirers, toys with men at his whim.

The Storm Queen is no less; she is promiscuous by nature, with countless subjects beneath her skirts.

The Silver Star Duke is a Chosen One of the God of Magic, and the Storm Queen is also a Divine Chosen; both ascended to Holy Soul over several decades, sharing many similarities, mysterious backgrounds, and no one to this day knows their origins.

There must be the goddess's design behind this.

Lei En also thought of another woman, Lady Laila, wife of the Lord of Heisita Fu!

It is said Lady Laila had many lovers before marrying the Lord of Heisita Fu, and later, because of her extraordinary beauty, she

attracted the covetous gaze of a Lich, which spared no expense using a Legend Grade artifact to control her; she was ultimately rescued by the Lord of Heisita Fu, was deeply moved, and devoted herself to him.

Lady Laila is also a Divine Chosen of the God of Magic, with striking silver hair, her appearance and aura similar to the two female Holy Souls.

Predictably, Lady Laila is also a sister of the Storm Queen and the Silver Star Duke.

Lei En's gaze returned to the right row; sitting to the right of KangJieladeGreatSage was an old man with white hair and gray beard, a face weathered by wind and frost, sharp eyes, unkempt, his clothes in disarray, not like a magical robe, with a pipe clenched in his mouth, puff-puffing, sending up wisp after wisp of white smoke.

Lei En's gaze returned to the right side; seated to the right of the KangJieladeGreatSage was an elder with white hair and gray beard, a face weathered by time, sharp eyes, unkempt, his clothing a chaotic jumble unlike a magical robe, a pipe clenched in his mouth, puffing steadily, emitting wisps of white smoke.

This old Wizard stood out starkly from the surrounding Holy Soul Wizards.

If encountered on a street, no one would regard this shabby old man as a Wizard, let alone a great Holy Soul Wizard.

However, Lei En knew his identity clearly.

This shabby old man was one of the earliest members of the Supreme Council, the only Holy Soul among the thousand‑law Wizards, the reclusive Wan Tusi Rui* Howai Master.

That Holy Soul Wizard had once been a prominent figure, but his active era was far, far before now, and he sought no fame, leaving no records; today few know his deeds of that time.

Howai Master's strength is unfathomable; he is likely no inferior to the three giants, but he does not concern himself with worldly affairs, and no one knows where he lives in seclusion; it has been several hundred years since anyone has seen him take action.

Howai Master's power was unfathomable, likely not inferior to the three great heads, yet he kept himself out of worldly affairs, his whereabouts unknown, and has not been seen in action for centuries.

Seated to the right of Howai Master was the third female member of the Supreme Council.

She has been indifferent to worldly affairs for just as long as Howai Master; the difference is that Howai Master lives in seclusion in some unnamed valley, while she lives alone in Tiruis Fu Kong Cheng.

Like Howai Master, she had long withdrawn from affairs; the difference being Howai Master secluded himself in an unnamed valley, while she lives alone in Tiris Floating City.

It is well known that Tiris Floating City, hidden above Isrek City, is the PurpleFlameDuke's private palace, rarely visited by outsiders.

The PurpleFlameDuke wore a magical robe of plain white interwoven with pale violet; even within the Supreme Council she concealed her true visage, her face hidden beneath the robe's hood, only a few golden strands of hair peeking at her neck, seated motionless on the high‑backed chair like a statue.

Lei En keenly noticed that when the PurpleFlameDuke sat down, Prophet Medif, seated to her left, cast an attentive gaze toward her.

That gaze was full of reverence and admiration, far from any romantic relation, even tighter than teacher‑student, as if they were the closest people in the world.

The PurpleFlameDuke is also one of the founding members of the Supreme Council; over a thousand years ago he was already a powerful wizard, while Meidiefu Prophet achieved Holy Soul Ascension over five hundred years ago, clearly the age gap between the two is enormous.

The PurpleFlameDuke was also one of the founding members of the Supreme Council, a powerful Wizard over a thousand years ago, while Prophet Medif ascended to Holy Soul more than five hundred years ago, clearly indicating a vast age gap between them.

Lei En recalled their information and instantly guessed some truths.

Could Prophet Medif be the PurpleFlameDuke's son?

Even if not mother‑son, their blood must be very close, no more than three generations apart, and they have lived together for a long time!

This is a remarkable secret.

He no longer looked at the PurpleFlameDuke; his gaze turned to the PurpleFlameDuke's right, where sat another person he had seen before—an "old acquaintance," the Black Robe Duke Tuzlei. In the Supreme Council, his appearance was exactly the same as the illusory avatar he had seen in the Death Forest Sea: ordinary features, pale skin, a pair of strange golden pupils, clad in a black robe that seemed never to change.

He no longer looked at the PurpleFlameDuke, shifting his gaze to her right side, where another familiar old acquaintance, Black Robe Duke Tuzlei, sat. His appearance in the Supreme Council matched exactly the illusory double he had seen in the Death Forest Sea: an ordinary face, pale skin, a pair of strange golden eyes, and a black robe that seemed never to change.

To the right of Black Robe Duke was the newly ascended Holy Soul, Sabbath Dean.

【61】 He was the last member on this side; each side of the long table held six Wizards, and directly opposite Sabbath Dean, seated to the left of the Silver Star Duke, was a very young Wizard.

He looks not yet thirty, forming a stark contrast with many elders in the Supreme Council; his appearance is handsome, bearing dignified, his demeanor steady yet grand, dressed in a dark‑red magical robe, and a sharp glint occasionally flashes deep in his eyes, leaving one unable to fathom him.

Duke Hong Shi Kaierston*Karser!

Lei En has at least once crossed paths with the other, and curiously sizes up this "human's first prodigy," the holder of the record for the youngest Holy Soul Wizard.

Duke Hong Shi sits at the far end, and is the closest to Lei En in his view.

He glanced a couple more times, and the Duke Hong Shi seemed to sense something, furrowing his brow, his gaze sweeping over, then quickly turning his head away.

Fortunately it is only a projection; the true form of Duke Hong Shi is thousands of miles away, unable to truly see Lei En.

The convening of the Supreme Council is not always completely secret.

Sometimes it is opened to the public, allowing certain persons with sufficient status to attend, even delegating students to participate on their behalf; if needed, others may stand outside the projection array to watch, just as Lei En does now.

Of course, if the meeting is held in the Supreme Palace, any outsiders are barred from attending.

Under normal circumstances, the Consul, as the Empire's representative in the Supreme Council, attends the meeting accompanied by staff to record its proceedings.

Lei En knows that at this moment there must be others also watching the projection.

So, even if Duke Hong Shi senses someone observing him, he will not pursue it; this has been common in the past.

Lei En takes a deep breath.

A full twelve Holy Soul Wizards!

Each wizard present is a renowned great figure known to the Empire's billions of citizens, famed and illustrious; even across the whole Ai Lun E Si, it is hard to find a force stronger than this. Especially on the Prime Material Plane, the Supreme Council is the most terrifying organization, and the other two of the three great empires, the Lamon Empire and the Saref Empire, are slightly weaker in both prestige and power.

The resolutions passed by the Supreme Council have a decisive impact on Ai Lun E Si.

And anyone qualified to attend the Supreme Council, even if not appearing in the projection and only watching from outside, still represents a place among the Empire's highest decision‑making tier.

However, the most crucial person of the Supreme Council is absent.

The high‑backed chair at the head of the long table is empty.

The projection is silent.

Each Holy Soul Wizard remains silent; at first they thought Augulevi Master was merely late, but after waiting half a minute, there was still no movement.

Even PurpleFlameDuke and Black Robe Duke turn their heads.

Everyone stares at that chair, their gazes either solemn, puzzled, or indifferent, displaying a variety of reactions.

Unless there are force‑majeure circumstances, one cannot miss a summons of the Supreme Council.

If one cannot attend personally, a representative must be sent.

Otherwise, it is deemed a relinquishment of one's authority in the Supreme Council; without a valid reason, an unexcused absence of more than three times will cause anyone to have their power stripped and lose membership in the Supreme Council.

This is a rule set by Augulevi Master himself.

Since the Supreme Council's founding, Augulevi Master has never been absent, even during major magical research. For Holy Soul Wizards, sending a clone to attend or having a student substitute is a trivial matter.

Lei En is also surprised.

He and his teacher had imagined many scenarios, but never expected Augulevi Master to miss even a projection meeting.

The projection meeting allows remote conversation, with true bodies thousands of miles apart, making it too easy to conceal one's physical state. Even Holy Soul Wizards cannot see through the projection to detect disguise or transformation.

In the past several hundred years, Augulevi Master has shown no slip.

"Did he notice?"

Lei En instantly gets a bad feeling.

Could it be that his provocation of Naiser was too aggressive, reckless, and Augulevi Master picked up some clues, realizing this meeting might be aimed at him, and thus chose to be absent?

However, one person's absence is meaningless.

Nominally, the Supreme Council grants equal status to all Holy Soul Wizards; titles such as Founder or the Three Titans confer no substantive extra power, each person has only one vote.

As long as more than half of the Supreme Council agrees, a resolution passes.

Lei En feels uneasy; Augulevi Master surely knows this, and perhaps his absence is not to block Sabbath Dean's application, but for another reason.

The teacher's plan is not to cause trouble at the meeting, merely to lure Augulevi Master out.

But before the hook was set, the fish got away!

While Lei En is pondering, Anxiwodasi, seated at the left‑hand head, speaks: "Everyone, Augulevi Master has been over five minutes late, so we'll record an unexcused absence this time. Let's begin."

The other Holy Soul Wizards' expressions shift slightly.

A few notice something, cast a deep glance at Anxiwodasi, yet raise no objection; that is the rule of the Supreme Council.

"Truth endures forever!"

The twelve Holy Soul Wizards chant in unison to the God of Magic, marking the start of the meeting.

"First, the vote on the new member," Anxiwodasi asserts authoritatively, "The Empire has gone ninety‑eight years without birthing a Holy Soul Wizard; the Supreme Council's membership has risen to thirteen, strengthening our power. This is both the goddess's blessing and Sabbath Dean's effort."

"Here I propose, Sabbath Pasival formally joins the Supreme Council!"

"Those opposed, please raise your hand."

As Anxiwodasi's voice fades, the Holy Soul Wizards turn to look toward the far end of the long table; even though Sabbath has lived for centuries, he knows this is merely procedural, yet his heart still tightens with nerves.

After waiting half a minute, no one raises a hand.

This is the most agonizing half‑minute of Sabbath's life.

Anxiwodasi loudly announces, "Welcome Sabbath Dean to our ranks!"

(End of chapter)