Chapter 590: Undying, Unceasing

Blue Oak Duke!

A shaft of colored light fell from the sky, forming a blue oak tree's illusion above the Sabbath Dean's head; the pattern was intricate and delicate, and it will later become Sabbath's unique emblem.

The BrewotzAcademy's emblem centers on a blue oak tree, and the Sabbath Dean was bestowed the "Blue Oak" title—more fitting than any.

Ge Niu Si ascended the stage, cradling the prepared investiture scroll, ceremonial robes, and magical badge in both hands, and presented them to the Sabbath Dean.

He took the three items and again performed a solemn bow to the goddess.

Then he turned to face the audience below.

The attending guests rose, thundered applause, and witnessed the birth of a new duke with their own eyes.

"Congratulations, Your Grace the Duke!"

"Congratulations, Dean!"

Tens of thousands of spectators at the Phoenix Arena watched the entire investiture via projection; they widened their eyes, fearing to miss any detail. The arrival of the Twelve Holy Soul Wizards, the Consul's appearance, and even the goddess's Willpower descending thrilled everyone.

When the investiture concluded, the arena instantly erupted with a tsunami of shouts.

Boom! Boom! Boom…

Rows of magical flames rose across the academy, exploding into dazzling fireworks that lasted over a dozen minutes, leaving onlookers dazzled and full of praise.

The grand fireworks proclaimed BrewotzAcademy's entry into a brand‑new era.

Sabbath stood on the stage, receiving the crowd's cheers.

He savored the moment wholly his own; at that instant he was the Empire's focal point, and no one could outshine him.

Centuries of effort and sweat have finally borne the richest fruit!

Sabbath felt deeply satisfied, though his mood was also somewhat complex.

His gaze swept over the Holy Soul Wizards below and over more than a hundred high‑ranking Empire figures; he smiled at each, but lingered a few seconds only on Lei En, offering him a slight nod.

Except for Lei En, no one knew what he had endured; standing here to receive investiture today was sheer luck.

Lei En returned with a smile.

A few minutes later, the applause subsided.

The divine aura around the statue faded, and the goddess's Willpower had departed.

Sabbath descended to sit in the front row, joining the Holy Soul Wizards; instantly, only Consul Ge Niu Si remained below.

Ge Niu Si's expression turned solemn, as if about to announce a major matter.

The temple hall and arena audiences sensed something; the murmur faded to complete silence as tens of thousands held their breath.

Ge Niu Si paced slowly to the center, his face heavy with grief, and said, "Masters, councilors, and citizens of the Empire, I have bad news. In recent days you've likely heard that the founder of the Supreme Council, the greatest wizard in Empire's history, the widely revered Augulevi Master, has vanished."

"Wow…"

Before the Consul finished speaking, the hall and arena were already boiling with reaction.

Although everyone had read the empire‑shaking news in the papers and the authorities tacitly accepted its truth, hearing the Consul announce it himself still seemed unbelievable.

Anyone with even slight knowledge of Augulevi Master dared not believe it was true.

How could the strongest wizard, who lived over two thousand years and whose legend says even a deity's incarnation cannot match his sorcery, simply disappear?

The recent debates concluded that most think a misunderstanding is highly likely.

Yet the Consul shattered people's hope.

Augulevi Master truly vanished!

Ai Lun E Si's world contains countless planes, an endless heavens, a bottomless Abyss, and innumerable perilous realms; even deities cannot fathom them all. Generations of transcendants have ventured forth to explore the unknown, and disappearance is the most common outcome.

No matter how powerful a transcendant, disappearance remains possible.

Disappearance means death.

Augulevi Master is not the Empire's first vanished Holy Soul Wizard; centuries ago another Holy Soul Wizard disappeared and never returned.

The number of vanished legendary wizards is incalculable.

Among a thousand vanished, none ever returned; anyone who reappears after vanishing is a miracle.

After the shock, people sought the cause.

In the temple hall, an Empire councilor shouted, "Consul, when did Augulevi Master disappear?"

"I don't know," Ge Niu Si shook his head.

"Has Fu Kong Cheng found any clues to Augulevi Master's disappearance?"

"No," Ge Niu Si denied, then looked down and replied, "There are several Naiser elders here; you may question them on the spot."

All seven Naiser elders shook their heads.

Lei En's soul eye observed them and instantly sensed an anomaly; of the seven Naiser elders, six truly knew nothing, but one's emotional fluctuation was obvious—the former eighteenth‑level Arcane mage whose lifespan was ending!

During the investiture, a few Naiser elders whispered privately, and Lei En heard them. One elder called out the Arcane mage's name: "Desade."

Desade is lying!

He must know something about Augulevi Master.

"Did Augulevi Master leave any information?" someone questioned, "A Holy Soul Wizard cannot simply vanish."

"Augulevi Master has no reason to leave the Empire."

Empire councilors chattered with questions.

But Ge Niu Si and the Naiser elders were clueless, unable even to pinpoint when or where Augulevi Master vanished.

Lei En watched with a cold eye.

Ge Niu Si truly didn't know the truth; he attended that day's projection meeting, perhaps hearing speculation that something major had occurred inside the Supreme Council, but could not confirm.

Those in the know were only himself and the Twelve Holy Soul Wizards.

The Holy Soul Wizards seated in the front row were all expressionless and silent; KangJieladeGreatSage, who orchestrated the cover‑up, wore a face like a mechanical mask, revealing no emotion whatsoever.

Some also noticed that the Supreme Council's situation was very odd.

But no one dared to ask the Holy Soul Wizards.

Ge Nie Wu Si was questioned for a long time; he strained to keep his composure, his demeanor flawless, yet he truly knew nothing and was destined to give no satisfactory answer.

Finally, after a quarter of an hour.

People gradually realized the Consul's helplessness and gave up asking.

Tens of thousands of spectators at the Phoenix Arena were already shouting, but they were only watching remotely, had no right to question the Consul, and further noise would not help.

Ge Nie Wu Si exhaled silently.

Newly appointed Duke Sabbath Dean took the stage, cleared the Consul's dilemma, and said, "Now please proceed to the arena to watch this year's Wizard Exchange Competition award ceremony."

Several towering teleport gates opened in the hall, leading directly to the arena.

The guests rose and entered one after another.

All the Holy Soul Wizards attended the ceremony, and even the solitary PurpleFlameDuke and Black Robe Duke stayed, giving the new members of the Supreme Council a face.

Coming out of the teleport gates, the packed audience seats came into view.

Accompanying it was a deafening roar of cheers.

Over forty thousand spectators shouted hoarsely; normally one never gets to see a Holy Soul Wizard, yet today they saw twelve at once, the entire Supreme Council was present—how could anyone not be thrilled?

Such a once‑in‑a‑millennium event even made people forget Augulevi Master's disappearance.

Eleven high‑backed chairs were lined up in a row on the award stage.

Sabbath Dean, as host, presided over the champions' awards, so he did not reserve a seat for himself and thoughtfully placed the Empire's three big heads in the center.

Among the three big heads, Anxiwodasi occupied the core position.

Master Tim*Kenan and Duke Hong Shi sat on the left and right, slightly lower in rank than Anxiwodasi, while the remaining Holy Soul Wizards took the next seats on either side.

This arrangement revealed the underlying scheme to many.

Clearly, after Augulevi Master's disappearance, Anxiwodasi would replace him as the Empire's supreme leader, with the other two big heads beneath him.

Master Tim*Kenan silently accepted.

He knew the Balance faction was now waning, and the remaining two allies were also weak, lacking the right to contest Anxiwodasi.

Duke Hong Shi, however, wore a displeased expression, but most other Holy Soul Wizards had already taken seats, leaving him no chance to adjust his position; this shows that most Holy Soul Wizards tacitly accept the current layout, even GrandSage KangJieladeGreatSage, who would not gain support if he acted out.

The Consul, Empire senators, and great nobles all cast attentive gazes.

Those qualified to sit on the stage were all Empire power figures; they were attached to the Supreme Council, and the factional struggles of the Holy Soul Wizards greatly affected them.

All the Holy Soul Wizards sat down, except Duke Hong Shi, who remained standing, strikingly conspicuous.

People waited with bated breath for Duke Hong Shi's decision.

Turn hostile on the spot and challenge?

Or walk away, becoming a loser unwilling to face reality?

Duke Hong Shi, accustomed to countless storms, was not unsettled by this situation; his heart held only resentment.

If he commanded Naiser Floating City and rightfully became the leader of the Naiser faction, he would not be so passive.

And the mastermind behind all this is Lei En!

Duke Hong Shi looked at Lei En, who sat behind Anxiwodasi, and saw Lei En also staring at him, eyes full of mockery; instantly his suppressed fury flared.

He had never hated anyone so much.

Duke Hong Shi silently vowed that today's myriad hatreds would be fully settled with Lei En, repaying him tenfold, a hundredfold!

The two locked eyes, oblivious to anyone else.

Duke Hong Shi's gaze laid his thoughts bare, drawing the audience's attention, yet Lei En remained unflinching, his expression unchanged.

The Soul Eye saw everything.

Duke Hong Shi's soul color was originally red, signifying hostility; now the red deepened, from light red to dark red, further darkening until it became a blackish red, almost black!

This is hatred to the extreme; even a sea of blood cannot compare.

Lei En felt a slight chill in his heart.

Duke Hong Shi would be his most terrifying enemy; frankly, if he had a choice, he would not wish to become mortal enemies with a Thirty-level Holy Soul Wizard, but both sides' stances have driven the situation to an endless deadlock, leaving no room for choice.

Since he has already offended so severely, he must not hold back.

Lei En's eyes also flashed with danger as he contemplated how to eliminate this foe, including the opponent's subordinate Wizards, territories, even ParrasFloatingCity!

Idea after idea flashed through his mind.

"Hmph."

Duke Hong Shi let out a cold humph, shifted his gaze from Lei En, regained a calm, dignified bearing, and sat down to Anxiwodasi's left.

When he sat down, many people relaxed simultaneously.

Then various thoughts surfaced: Mo Du faction led by Weizelan dominating, how will this affect the Empire's structure? Should one change allegiances? How to reap enough profit from this shift?

The Empire's big figures scanned the three big heads, each lost in thought.

Sabbath Dean began the awards.

The Wizard Exchange Competition's three divisions each offered rewards for the top three, and of course the best rewards went to the three champions.

Amid the audience's cheers, the champion of the Beginner division first took the stage.

The Beginner division had the most contestants, and the skill gap among beginner Wizards and sorcerers was small; even major floating cities and transcendental academies could not guarantee their students would win.

The affiliation of past Beginner champions was highly uncertain.

This year was no different.

The ultimate winner was a Third‑level Wizard from a relatively obscure transcendental academy, a second‑tier school in the Empire, yet he produced a champion. When he, before the Holy Soul Wizards, received the prize—a legendary magical robe—from Sabbath Dean, he was so excited he nearly fainted.

The Runner‑up and third place in the Beginner division were similar.

Their prizes were less valuable than the champion's, but still proved their skill.

Next came the Mid‑stage division.

The champion was Lei En's student Galu, a half‑beast Wizard who burst onto the scene, crushing all opponents with the Beast Garden deck and formidable melee power, and winning first place without a doubt.

After taking the stage, Galu first saluted Lei En and, with great composure, called out, "Teacher."

He felt as if dreaming, yet was fully aware that standing here today owed to the teacher's guidance and the cost‑free cultivation resources poured into him.

Without Lei En, there would be no achievements now.

"Galu, you did well," Lei En replied with a smile.

The half‑beast grinned happily, cheerfully scratched his head, seeming more delighted by Lei En's praise than by winning the championship.

His reward was an epic‑level great axe, which he lifted in hand before leaving the stage.

Finally came the High‑tier group.

The most watched champion, the stunningly beautiful An Weila, just stepped onto the stage, and the audience erupted in enthusiastic cheers.

The runner‑up was Po Laruishi, and Da La Ma placed third.

The three of them simultaneously saluted Lei En, "Teacher."

Lei En smiled and nodded.

Instantly, the Holy Soul Wizards turned their gazes toward them.

Most Holy Soul Wizards hadn't paid attention to the exhibition match, but now they learned that the Mid‑stage and high‑tier champions were all Lei En's students.

With the eyes of Holy Soul Wizards, it was obvious that these young Wizards possessed extremely high talent, especially the Half‑elf An Weila; this young battle Wizard was even somewhat inscrutable to them, and seemed to harbor a rare, unique power within their body.

Po Laruishi and Da La Ma's strength was also neck‑and‑neck.

Such epoch‑making talents find the Legendary Peak bottleneck easy; unsurprisingly, they will each reach the Legendary Peak in the future, and may even challenge the Holy Soul Wizards!

"Lei En, how did you cultivate them?"

Ouroin Master couldn't help but ask, his gaze scanning An Weila, seemingly very interested in her.

(End of chapter)