Chapter 567: Council Comes to Aid

In an unknown minor plane, Sa Bu La's transformed phoenix raced desperately.

They flew while casting, like a huge meteor streaking across the high sky, continuously spewing fire arrows like fireworks; the power was low, merely a Two‑ring Technique, but the sheer number was the advantage, dozens per second, falling like a celestial maiden scattering blossoms, forming clusters of burning flame on the ground.

The fire arrows had a long range; released by the phoenix, their range doubled again to exceed a kilometer, and they could burn for a longer duration.

Where the phoenix passed, within a kilometer of its path a chaotic sea of fire formed.

Even a Lich could not extinguish the fire on a large scale instantly.

Moreover, the phoenix could leap through fire; this displacement technique involved no spatial manipulation—just a thought could teleport it into flames up to a kilometer away. When Sa Bu La gave up trying to leave the plane, seeking only to be reborn through fire, the Lich's attempt to kill them outright became very tricky.

Nevertheless, they still faced peril after peril.

In just a few minutes, Sa Bu La was killed three times; the most dangerous death would have been irreversible if Lei En's Mirror Image had not sacrificed its own life to buy a few seconds, nearly preventing resurrection.

After that, Lei En had only his final Mirror Image left.

Boom!

A column of flame rose several meters; Sa Bu La rebirthed from the fire and leapt out, their complexion extremely pale and spirit very languid.

The phoenix's rebirth was not without cost; each resurrection weakened Sa Bu La's soul a bit. After being killed seven times in a row and revived seven times, their soul power was nearly depleted; another one or two deaths would damage their spirit essence, dropping their strength below Holy Soul.

Sa Bu La turned to look at the distant Lich.

This resurrection occurred farther away, and Lei En's final Mirror Image stood beside them, prompting a sigh of relief.

They skillfully transformed into a phoenix and took off, while Lei En raised the war hammer and followed.

During high‑speed flight, a weary voice from the phoenix's beak, Sa Bu La's, said, "Why hasn't the Supreme Council come to rescue us yet?"

The Supreme Council's rescue is their only hope, and the source of the belief that has kept them going.

Lei En gave no answer.

The two were ambushed during a holo‑conference; the Supreme Council would certainly not stand by while they die.

Perhaps the Naisir faction's Holy Soul Wizard harbors selfish motives, unwilling to let the teacher later control the council, deliberately delaying rescue time, even ignoring the death, but the teacher would certainly not stand idly by.

However, wanting to rescue does not guarantee success.

The Lich came prepared and would certainly conceal the coordinates of that spatial shift; in life, he was the strongest wizard in history, his power and magical knowledge unrivaled by the Supreme Council.

This minor plane had also been sealed by some method.

The Lich, also an Arcane specialist in space‑time spells, might not be deciphered quickly by other Holy Soul Wizards unless the God of Magic intervenes.

In a meeting of a newly promoted Holy Soul Wizard, the goddess could not have been unaware.

However, Lei En had just realized that this minor plane is one of the Prime Material Plane's subsidiary planes; the deity's true form would be hard to descend, both time‑consuming and dangerous.

The goddess's descent in avatar also requires time.

Perhaps the deity's avatar possesses divinity, unafraid of Time Stop, but the Lich does not rely solely on time‑based spells; his power, dazzling through the ages, can rely on those instant Nine‑ring Techniques that cannot be exhausted, making the goddess's avatar not necessarily his match.

Sa Bu La also understood all this; their questioning was merely an attempt, in the dire situation, to draw some confidence to persevere from Lei En.

Amid the whistling of flight, Lei En fell silent.

Only after a few seconds did he reply, "The teacher will not abandon us."

"Master Anxiwodasi …"

Sa Bu La's mood was complicated; they had already guessed the reason for this ambush.

First, because they chose to side with Anxiwodasi, giving the Mo Du faction the upper hand in the Supreme Council; second, publicly declaring they would hold a coronation ceremony at BrewotzAcademy, forcing the true form of Augulevi Master to appear.

If they died, the factional balance of the Supreme Council would remain intact, and the coronation ceremony would naturally be unnecessary.

Afterward the Lich denied everything, simply offering an excuse for missing the meeting; after all, death leaves no proof.

Sa Bu La couldn't help feeling a bit resentful.

But they also knew that without Anxiwodasi, they could not achieve Holy Soul Ascension; the favor was too great to betray.

No one expected Augulevi Master to truly fall, striking with thunderous methods that gave no chance to react.

Had luck not been on their side, Lei En would also have been shifted, and they would have died long ago.

While the two were fleeing, a purple circular ring suddenly emerged from the void, impeccably precise, draping over the phoenix soaring at high speed.

"Binding Ring!"

Lei En's heart sank; this was a Binding Ring upgraded to the Seventh Ring, which not only blocks teleportation and dashing but also confines space, rendering fire‑leap unusable.

The last time, Sa Bu La died just like that.

His gaze swept, and he immediately saw the Lich's figure leap from the void a hundred meters to the right, about to unleash Time Stop in the next instant.

Each Time Stop inevitably brings casualties.

Lei En reacted like lightning, without hesitation, hurling a Space‑Time Shock toward the Lich while shouting, "Confession!"

Almost the instant after the Lich materialized, the Space‑Time Shock struck him, causing an extremely brief moment of disarray that prevented the Time Stop from being cast; immediately the "Confession" took effect, slipping in through the void, the blue flame in the Lich's eyes dimming, and the malicious invading emotion was quelled.

Confession took effect!

Previously Lei En had used Wish Spell to cast Confession many times; this was the first to work. The Lich hovered mid‑air, his mind stripped of offensive intent, his expression blank, with a hint of struggle.

Sa Bu La instantly sensed the Lich's daze, and without hesitation flew back, eyes blazing with fire, the phoenix engulfed in fierce flames, erupting with terrifying heat.

They cast a counter‑spell.

Three breaths later, a massive pillar of fire coalesced high above, over ten meters in diameter, the scarlet flame thick as magma, spewing countless flames like a dense waterfall, hammering down onto the Lich's crown.

Nine‑ring Technique — Scorching Flame Waterfall!

This was the strongest spell Sa Bu La mastered, also one of the highest‑tier fire spells, with both vast range and astonishingly high lethality.

The Scorching Flame Waterfall inflicted more than fire damage; it could shatter various force fields, magical substances, and protective barriers, and its core could even burn through space.

"Go!"

After releasing the Scorching Flame Waterfall, Sa Bu La didn't glance at the outcome, immediately escaping via fire‑leap.

Lei En also unleashed the Thunder God's Hammer at full power and fled.

During flight, he looked back to see the Lich struck by the massive fire pillar, a waterfall of flame engulfing his silhouette. Boom— a massive roar, the sky shuddered, the ground trembled, and the scorching fire swept the space within hundreds of meters, turning it into a terrifying sea of flame.

This sea of fire looks a bit blurry; the space has been burned and warped.

Such a powerful spell instantly made Lei En's eyes flicker, as if he were struck by a scorching waterfall, and he could not say for sure he would survive.

Sure enough, no Holy Soul Wizard is like Yi Yu!

Sabbath Dean was slain seven times in a row, not because he was weak but because Augulevi was too strong. A Holy Soul Wizard who had just advanced to Level 20 and a Holy Soul Wizard of Level 41 differ not by a factor of two but by three, five, or even more than ten times!

Being slain seven times in a row by the strongest Wizard in history and still not dying shows Sabbath's strength.

Before that thought could settle, Lei En's complexion changed dramatically.

A figure clad in a splendid magical robe flashed out of the fire sea—it was the Lich. A layer of flame clung to his exterior, burning the spatial barrier into its true form, like an oval shield that surged violently, the fire burning inward, ultimately failing to reach the Lich's core.

The moment he left the fire sea, the flames were instantly extinguished, and the Lich appeared completely unharmed.

"It couldn't even hurt him!"

Lei En was helpless.

Sabbath, seeing this, frantically flapped his wings and fled.

However, the Lich behind opened a portal, instantly blocking the front, then cast Time Replication, copying himself from the future and teleporting to the side, forming an encircling formation.

The cooldown interval for Time Replication is relatively long, requiring half a minute.

Nevertheless, the spell's potency is undeniable; a single Lich is already formidable, and two Liches working together leave Sabbath virtually no chance to escape.

Each time Sabbath is surrounded by Liches, he dies once.

Sabbath hurriedly turned back, trying to flee the Lich's encirclement, leapt through the fire, returning to the flame arrows that erupted behind him, not far from Lei En.

He knew that only Lei En's help could give him a chance to survive now.

Lei En also moved forward proactively.

This is his last Mirror Image; if killed again, Sabbath would have to fight alone.

But Lei En hesitated not at all; without his aid, Sabbath could never survive until the Supreme Council's rescue.

The two Liches continuously teleported closer, one blocking the front, the other teleporting to the fiery path behind, compressing Sabbath's escape space.

In just two or three seconds, Sabbath was forced into a range of less than a kilometer.

No matter which direction he tried to fly, the Lich would teleport before him; to avoid entering the Time Stop zone, Sabbath could only keep changing direction or leap backward into the fire.

A phoenix and two Liches darted back and forth within a kilometer, like fleeting shadows.

Eventually, the Lich still had the superior technique.

In the final second of Time Replication, Sabbath was forced into a dead end; the wind‑and‑thunder wings behind Lei En flared, timing the move to fly to Sabbath's next fire‑leap landing spot.

Just then, the Lich successfully unleashed Time Stop.

The entire world froze.

The phoenix was like an insect trapped in amber, unable to move.

Lei En happened to stand in front of Sabbath; the Key of Doors allowed him to barely resist the overwhelming effect of Time Stop, his Willpower preserving his consciousness. While the Lich cast, he strained to shout loudly, "Heaven! Hall! Of! Light!"

A massive holy light shone down.

The source of the Heaven Light spell lay outside the Time Stop zone, activating instantly, scorching the Lich's skin; the pain slowed his casting.

But this time, the Lich had pre‑applied protection; a shadow appeared over his head, shielding him from the light.

Then, one Nine-ring Technique after another surged forth.

Half of the spells targeted Lei En, the other half targeted Sabbath behind him.

Before Time Stop ended, Lei En's gaze drifted toward the distant ground; most of the flame arrows Sabbath had launched were already extinguished, leaving fewer than dozens of small flames, all relatively close.

When this Mirror Image dies, Sabbath's revival spot is easy to predict.

Moreover, the Lich would never allow Sabbath to be reborn in the fire; without his own help, Sabbath would likely face a barrage of Nine-ring Techniques the moment he revived.

"It's over!"

Lei En thought to himself, "The shortest‑lived Holy Soul Wizard in history is about to be born."

He felt a pang of guilt, realizing that his and his teacher's plan had caused Sabbath Dean's death; had he known, he should have used a gentler method rather than cornering Augulevi Master completely, prompting a reckless counterattack.

Tick! Tick!

Time passed second by second.

The Lich's cast spells increased rapidly, and soon the final second arrived; once that second passed, it would be Sabbath Dean's death.

Just as Lei En despaired, he suddenly felt something.

His ears seemed to hear something shattering, the surrounding space trembled, and the scene before him changed, instantly being teleported away.

Lei En instantly realized the temporal shackles had been lifted.

He found he wasn't far away; a few li ahead stood the Lich, releasing the final Nine-ring Technique. As Time Stop ended, the spell's power erupted but was completely nullified.

Sabbath's voice sounded behind him: "We are saved!"

Having escaped death, he was both shocked and delighted.

Lei En also let out a long sigh of relief; at this moment, the only ones who could save him were surely the Supreme Council.

"Fortunately we made it in time."

A familiar voice came, and Prophet Medif materialized from the void beside them, holding a simple life‑sized staff, a prismatic shield surrounding his body. Looking toward the Lich, he exclaimed in shock, "Indeed it is Augulevi; he truly has fallen!"

"Your Excellency, Prophet," Lei En called out.

Sabbath's face was full of gratitude.

He was about to speak, but Prophet Medif waved his hand and shook his head, saying, "No need to thank me. Augulevi sealed this minor plane, hiding its coordinates; if the Goddess hadn't intervened personally, we couldn't have arrived so quickly."

"The Goddess intervened!" Sabbath paled in horror.

Lei En, however, keenly heard the word "we," and realized Augulevi had not continued the pursuit, but remained on guard.

Boom!

A massive flame corridor opened in the sky, and Anxiwodasi stepped out.

In front of the lich, an old man in simple white robes, with white beard and hair, appeared, holding a white wooden staff, a sword at his waist, kind-eyed and benevolent, his appearance extremely unique.

Ouroin Master!

To the lich's left, a tall portal also opened simultaneously, and a strong bald male walked out—TimKainanMaster.

To the lich's right, thousands of demon souls were suddenly summoned, among them the most striking being a mountain-sized dragon demon; their master, the Silver Star Duke, was nowhere to be found.

Behind the lich, a disheveled old man in messy clothes, holding a pipe, stood silently; he is Wantuosrui*Howai Master.

Lei En faintly sensed that several Holy Soul Wizards were hidden in the darkness.

This space had also been locked onto by a powerful caster; the Supreme Council's Holy Soul Wizards laid a heavenly net and earthly trap, surrounding the lich.

People often complain about the name Wantuosrui*Howai; it is indeed 12345, his prototype is Elminster, and 12345 is his nickname……

(End of chapter)