Chapter 571: Fall of the Holy Soul

The Holy Soul Wizards spread out in all directions, centered on the spot where the Lich vanished.

Ouroin Master, sword in one hand and staff in the other, a sturdy figure over three meters tall, stood in the middle, constantly shielded by a dozen layers of magical protection, and the massive wooden staff head emitted a dazzling white light.

This is one of the three spells he excels at: the Illumination Technique!

The basic one-ring Illumination Technique only provides light and has virtually no offensive power, but in Ouroin Master's hands its potency surpasses the Nine-ring Technique, and its strength can be scaled up or down for flexible use. It can concentrate into a single beam that inflicts terrifying damage, or spread widely to dispel darkness and evil, leaving nothing to hide.

At this moment, the tip of Ouroin Master's staff shone like a rising sunrise, a warm yet non‑glare white light that illuminated the dim plane, making the area within several miles as bright as day.

The bright light even reached into the future, revealing a vague silhouette.

It was the Lich in the River of Time!

A Lich in a static state has no protection whatsoever except for Time's End.

This space is fully locked by PurpleFlameDuke; even if he could break it, the Holy Soul Wizards would not give him enough time.

Perhaps the Lich's only hope is to pray to its master, the Lord of the Dead, one of the Abyss's four great evil gods.

Abyssal evil gods are gods of law, embodiments of rules and Willpower, unlike the native personified deity Ai Lun E Si; they act strictly according to their own standards.

If it were the Lord of Chaos, given Ourolevi's prominent status, there is a high chance he would intervene.

But the Lord of the Dead would not.

This ruler, who commands the true essence of death and all undead, dwells as an ancient evil god in the Abyssal underworld, the most terrifying being feared by all living beings, known as the Death God "Yegris", intervenes personally only when a massive invasion of the mortal realm to harvest souls occurs.

He treats worlds and planes as a chessboard, orchestrating grand strategies; every minion or follower is insignificant in his eyes, even the strongest Lich in history.

When not harvesting souls, the Lord of the Dead is merely a symbol of the "Death God".

Moreover, the God of Magic is surely watching, likely concealing this Holy Soul war, even hiding the plane's coordinates.

If the Lord of the Dead were to act, the goddess would never stand by idly.

"What about the Soul Box?"

Ouroin Master stared at the Lich's vague silhouette and asked rapidly.

This is also a concern of the other Holy Soul Wizards; each Lich possesses a Soul Box, and if killed, its soul can return to the Soul Box to revive.

If the Soul Box remains intact, the Lich is immortal.

Ourolevi will certainly hide his Soul Box in the most secret, secluded place; aside from him, almost no one could find it.

Killing a Lich without knowing the Soul Box's location is tantamount to letting it escape.

When the Lich returns for revenge, with his strength, any Holy Soul Wizard facing him one‑on‑one is no match; unless the members of the Supreme Council remain perpetually united, someday the Holy Soul Wizards will be slain one by one by the Lich.

The Holy Soul Wizards' gazes turned toward Anxiwodasi.

He had long known of Ourolevi's fall, having secretly plotted for so long, and was certainly prepared.

Sure enough, Anxiwodasi did not disappoint.

He produced a red gemstone that glittered, its interior covered with runes, already inscribed with spells and techniques. The Holy Soul Wizards instantly recognized it as a Sage Stone.

It was a gemstone handcrafted by GrandSage KangJieladeGreatSage.

KangJieladeGreatSage invented the Soul Stone, laying the foundation for countless supernaturals to hunt, preserve, study, and fuse magical souls; without Soul Stones, the number of human supernaturals would have dropped by at least ninety percent, and the Empire could never have reached its current zenith.

The Sage Stone is the ultimate upgraded version of the Soul Stone.

The Holy Soul Wizards immediately grasped Anxiwodasi's plan, and TimKainanMaster said, "We must restrain him."

"I will neutralize his Time's End staff," Ouroin Master said.

"I will bind him," Black Robe Duke added.

"I'll counter his spell," TimKainanMaster said, rubbing his bald head as his eyes flickered.

Wantuosui*Howai Master also spoke, "I will prevent his escape."

In a few brief words, the Holy Soul Wizards assigned their tasks; Anxiwodasi clutched the Sage Stone, focusing his mind, as he handled the plan's most critical step.

Silver Star Duke was about to speak when his pupils turned pitch black, as if he had become a different person.

Then a flash of Silver Fire erupted from her, and she vanished from sight.

Her army of magical souls launched an attack toward the nearest Howai Master, over two thousand souls: fire crow clouds, chimeras, wind lords in the sky; poison‑mist wolf spiders and hill giants on the ground, all wildly assaulting Howai Master's elemental souls, catching him off guard.

The most powerful Ancient Dragon Demon surged straight toward Ouroin Master within the encirclement.

With a charge, the mountain‑sized Ancient Dragon Demon leapt into the air, brandishing a massive crude great axe whose blade crackled with blinding lightning, slashing downwards with all its might.

"Delayed Advanced Enslavement Technique!"

"She's been controlled!"

Anxiwodasi and TimKainan's voices rang out; they instantly realized that when the Lich and Silver Star Duke swapped positions, they had employed sequential casting, secretly triggering the Advanced Enslavement Technique to control Silver Star Duke, delayed until now.

"Roar!"

Howai Master's transformed towering Flame Demon let out a roar, its area‑wide Fear Technique shaking the multitude of Silver Star Duke's magical souls.

His elemental souls were of higher quality; seizing the moment the opponent stalled, he unleashed a torrent of spells.

Winter King waved his hand, unleashing vast sheets of ice that froze the ground, rings of frost encasing souls; hidden in the wind, Qiqi Meike summoned a gale to bind foes, lightning streaked from the sky; a Crystal Tribe Giant stomped, shockwaves shattering nearby enemies; Void Lord instantly cast a Void Storm that collided with fire crow clouds, simultaneously slaying a dozen chimeras.

Other assorted elemental souls continued casting without pause.

But Silver Star Duke's magical souls were too numerous; he won by sheer volume, each slain soul instantly summoned back, as if his kills were inexhaustible.

The Holy Soul Wizards of the two Soul Guard Schools clashed, each commanding their own soul armies.

For a moment, the Holy Soul Wizards' plan was thrown into chaos.

With less than two seconds left before the Lich emerged from the River of Time, several Holy Soul Wizards exchanged glances, instantly reaching a silent agreement to hold off.

They must not give the Lich any chance to escape amid the chaos.

The final second.

The Ancient Dragon Demon's great axe had already descended onto Ouroin Master's head, yet he showed no intention of dodging; he had to guard the spot where the Lich would appear.

Ouroin Master planted his white wooden staff before him with a thunderous boom.

A semi‑transparent spherical force field radiated from the staff tip, solid as if, instantly expanding to over ten meters in diameter, repelling everything outward from its center.

Resist the force field!

This is one of the three spells Master Ouroin excels at.

The ancient dragon demon's great cleaver struck the force field, emitting a thunderous roar; the seemingly fragile, floating magical field remained unmoving, yet it rebounded the cleaver weighing over a hundred thousand pounds. When the dragon demon hit the ground, it was as if it struck a hard boulder, nearly stumbling.

"Step back!"

Master Ouroin shouted loudly, unleashing his third spell—Law Seal Shock!

At the same time, a blinding white beam struck the dragon demon's eyes, plunging it into blindness, its heart filled with terror, and it instantly turned and fled in panic.

All of this happened too fast, in the blink of an eye.

Master Ouroin repelled the ancient dragon demon, and before he could catch his breath, the Lich emerged half a second early from the river of time, only a few steps away.

It wasn't one Lich, but a full nine.

The nine Liches were scattered over several hundred meters, only one being the true body; the rest were harmless mirror‑image phantoms.

Bang!

Master Ouroin's wooden staff tip erupted with dazzling white light, sweeping all the Liches like lightning.

The Light Technique, originally without any offensive power, when he cast it possessed an unstoppable might, each ray imbued with five effects: "Scorching," "Demon‑warding," "Blinding," "Piercing," and "Vibrating!"

The Lich's eight mirror images instantly dissolved like foam, revealing the true body.

"Space‑Time Shock!"

Master Tim*Kenan pointed from afar.

The Lich's perception scrambled, its mind stalled for an infinitesimal instant, its thoughts blank, unable even to re‑raise its spatial barrier.

Master Ouroin swung a sword.

A blade‑thin flash of sword light zipped by; Master Ouroin appeared behind the Lich, whose right hand snapped off at the wrist, and Time's End fell to the ground.

"Ah..."

The Lich let out a painful scream; the void around it sprouted black tentacles, each over ten meters long and as thick as an arm, coiling around its body from all directions. Dark flames burned on the tentacles, shadow energy seeped into its skin, scorching its Holy Soul.

Evard's Black Tentacles and Soul Scorching, the two five‑ring Shadow Magic spells were merged by the Black Robe Duke into a single seven‑ring spell, renamed "Dark Flame Touch"!

The Black Robe Duke elevated Dark Flame Touch to nine rings; aside from Time Stop, it is his most powerful control spell.

Once bound by Dark Flame Touch, the soul‑scorching pain will strip the enemy of any casting ability.

Lei En, watching from afar, was awestruck.

The Black Robe Duke is an Arcane practitioner and a dark‑magic mage, the only dark‑magic mage to have attained a Holy Soul, and finally displayed superb Shadow Magic.

The Lich thrashed wildly, to no avail.

Even with a high level, he remains a Wizard of the Law Seal school; once all protections are broken, his frail body is exposed, weaker than a senior Iron Guard, unable to resist the nine‑ring binding spell.

The Lich endured excruciating pain to raise its spatial barrier.

Tim*Kenan launched another Greater Disintegrate, crackling wildly; the spatial barrier was shattered the moment it formed.

The Greater Disintegrate penetrated the Lich's body, causing it to shudder completely and fall into a dazed state.

At this moment, Anxiwodasi finally made a move.

He tossed the Sage Stone; the glittering Ruby Prison flashed once, landing in the Lich's intact left palm, and he instinctively grasped the gem.

"Iola*Augulevi!"

Anxiwodasi immediately shouted a name.

Upon hearing it, the Lich's eyes ignited with blue flames, seeming dazed; it was his true name from life.

No one had called his full name in ages; for over two thousand years, people addressed him as Augulevi Master, his surname. The given name Iola was rarely used, except in the naming of the Iola Core.

"You..."

The Lich finally regained its senses, understanding something.

It stared terrified at the Ruby Prison in its hand, letting out a howl filled with despair and rage.

The body of the strongest wizard in history instantly disintegrated into a puff of ash‑gray dust, his soul—a powerful spirit encircled by evil pale flame—being drawn into that Sage Stone.

With a snap, the Ruby Prison fell to the ground.

The battle finally ceased.

The Silver Star Duke's advanced Enslavement Spell ended, his mind cleared, and he hurriedly gathered the chaotic demon souls from the melee into his Soul Tower. He emerged, his face full of shame and fury, realizing he had been unknowingly controlled—a disgrace of unparalleled humiliation.

Several Holy Soul Wizards ignored their feelings, all staring at the Ruby Prison, waiting tensely for a few seconds; when it showed no change, they finally breathed a sigh of relief.

A witch's silhouette, her face hidden beneath a hood, materialized in the void.

PurpleFlameDuke Magna*Eilan.

"We will go as well."

Prophet Medif opened a portal and stepped through first, with Sabbath Dean following calmly.

Before entering, Lei En recalled he was still a Mirror Image, hesitated, and while the Holy Soul Wizards' attention remained on the battlefield, he delayed a few seconds, allowing his true self to silently traverse the plane, replace the mirror image, and, with his mind, guided Thunder God's Hammer back to the Dying Sun plane, dropping it into Anse's tomb.

With many Holy Soul Wizards present, it would be hard to hide Thunder God's Hammer; taking any risk was impossible.

When Lei En emerged through the portal, Prophet Medif gave him a strange look but said nothing.

It was only now that Lei En understood what was happening.

The teacher used the Sage Stone as a casting component, pre‑storing a "Soul‑Binding Technique" within the gem, engraving the target's true name onto it to form the trigger spell.

When the Lich grasped the Sage Stone and uttered its name, the spell would activate, killing the Lich and imprisoning its soul within the gem.

Soul‑Binding Technique is a Nine-ring Technique that can prevent the Lich's soul from returning to the Soul Box.

The Soul Stones commonly used by the transcendants are actually derived from the Soul‑Binding Technique by KangJieladeGreatSage; they require no Sage Stone—just a few ordinary gems, without needing to know a name beforehand—but lack the power to kill the target, and the soul cannot be confined long, dissipating as time passes.

A hush fell.

The Holy Soul Wizards' expressions were all complex.

The legendary Augulevi Master, the strongest wizard in history and founder of the Supreme Council, died just like that, and at the hands of his own.

I must say, this is a great irony!

Lei En can understand the feelings of the Holy Souls, breaking the silence he says: "Teacher…"

He wants to ask how to deal with the Lich's soul, but as soon as the words leave his mouth, a planar gateway made of pale spiritual energy opens before his eyes, and a powerful Wizard clad in dark‑red robes steps out, youthful face, very serious expression.

Duke Hong Shi Kaierston*Karser!

He holds a delicate iron box in his hand, instantly causing everyone present to show a slight change in complexion.

(End of Chapter)