Chapter 830: Dust Settles

Lei En and the two others teleported back to the control room.

Earlier, the Silver Star Duke and the Storm Queen were standing guard here in perfect sync, protecting the Iola Core so the enemy couldn't slip in. They hadn't seen the battle by the sea; when they saw Lei En and the two others emerge from the portal, the Silver Star Duke asked immediately, "Where are they? Did he escape?"

The Shadow King's speed and elusiveness even give the Holy Soul Wizard a headache.

The three returned in less than half a minute, and the outcome was predictable.

"Dead."

Ishina still held Lei En's earth‑shattering slash in her mind, perhaps never to forget it in a lifetime, and said calmly, "He has already been slain by Lei En."

"So fast!"

The Silver Star Duke and the Storm Queen were both shocked and couldn't help but look at Lei En; a Saint Rank Shadow King had actually been swiftly slain by him.

If they were in his place, they probably couldn't have done it and would likely have been escaped by the opponent.

The two gained a renewed understanding of Lei En's strength.

Lei En showed no trace of pride and said in a deep voice, "This time the enemy is a formidable opponent and came prepared."

He recited the Shadow King's Soul Trigger Technique.

After hearing, the Silver Star Duke's expression turned grim, feeling a lingering dread. Fortunately, Lei En reacted in time, using his own body to shield the Shadow King from the spell attack; otherwise, not only would the Iola Core have been lost, but the four sisters and Lei En present might already have died.

Earlier, when Lei En proposed setting a trap to draw out the enemy, she was somewhat reluctant because it was too troublesome, and summoning the sisters would incur a debt to them.

As the elder sister, needing her younger sisters' help felt truly shameful.

But Lei En persisted, and she finally agreed reluctantly.

Fortunately…

"Lei En, you saved our lives; I owe you a favor," the Silver Star Duke said gratefully. The earlier dispute at the auction was merely about money, but today's enemy threatened lives, and her resentment toward Lei En instantly dissolved.

Lei En waved a hand indifferently.

He didn't care at all about the Silver Star Duke's attitude; whether she forgave him or not made no difference.

"Using the Shadow King as a death knight—such a crazy, insidious plan must be the work of the Shadow Blade," the Storm Queen analyzed.

Kuilu nodded, "I sensed the Deceiver's aura on him."

The Deceiver Luoxi is the God of Magic's chief nemesis.

The seven sisters have fought Luoxi's "Shadow Blade" and "Deceiver's Hand" for centuries, eradicating countless heretical god followers, and are very familiar with them.

"This is revenge."

The Silver Star Duke gritted her teeth, "Because of Matzos."

The year before last, she led a raid on Matzos City on the Shabukang Tainai Continent; the city's light and dark sides were both controlled by Luoxi's followers, most residents were Luoxi's adherents, supplying abundant faith power, which was crucial to the God of Magic and one of His largest footholds in the mortal world.

Lei En also took part in that operation.

Naturally, the Silver Star Duke thought today's assault was a retaliation by the Shadow Blade for the slaughter of Matzos City.

Her massacre of Matzos was also because the Shadow Blade caused massive losses in Longshande, nearly blowing down the Silver Star Tower and losing the Iola Core.

The followers of the two deities have slain each other countless times in the past.

Unless a deity falls, the slaughter will never cease.

"I've recorded today's vendetta!"

The Storm Queen never hides her emotions; everyone knows her vengeful nature, and now her eyes blaze with fury, clearly already plotting her retaliation.

The God of Magic's followers are rooted in the Empire, while Luoxi's adherents are scattered across the ethnically mixed, politically tangled, constantly conflicted Shabukang Tainai Continent; without the mile‑long Shi Jie Shan Mai separating them, a protracted, devastating war would inevitably break out, with countless casualties.

"Delairza, Ailasan, once you finalize the plan, inform me—how can I be left out of the goddess's purge of enemies?" Kuilu said seriously.

Ishina remained silent, but her cold expression conveyed her thoughts.

"Fine."

The Silver Star Duke nodded in response, then looked at Lei En and earnestly asked, "Lei En, you're also a follower of the goddess; are you interested in joining us?"

She plans to repair and remodel the floating city, then pull off a massive heist!

If only the sisters act, the Saint Rank combat power should be sufficient, but their Transcendent Legion is lacking; bringing Lei En along with his elite corps, Thundercast Celestial Soldiers, and the Holy Spear Knight Corps would make her plan far safer.

Lei En saw through the Silver Star Duke's intentions at a glance.

She now urgently needs money; the raid on Matzos last year was lucrative, so revenge is real but doesn't preclude plundering for profit.

However, he didn't agree immediately, his face showing contemplation.

He had seen more than the four sisters.

The Shadow King is indeed a follower of Luoxi, but he is also a duplicate, a trick spirit controlled by a trickster.

When they killed the Shadow King just now, the device failed to capture the soul.

A trickster who can control Saint Rank elites must himself be Saint Rank; the trickster is a rare transcendent profession exclusive to Luoxi's followers, and ascending to a Saint Rank "Trick Master" is even rarer, fewer than Holy Soul Wizards.

It is said that only three Trick Masters exist within the Shadow Blade, and today's attacker is likely one of them.

However, the Trick Master isn't necessarily the true mastermind.

Infiltrating the floating city's control room to launch a suicide attack is a tactic Lei En finds very familiar—it's the same one he had Reslin execute last year.

ParrasFloatingCity still remains on the wasteland outside Urgel City!

Hong Shi Duke is putting theory into practice.

One must admit, the move is truly ruthless. If successful, both he and the four sisters would die in the New Village floating city's explosion, eliminating a strong opponent, the Mo Du faction would lose two members, and the Naiser faction would instantly regain control of the Supreme Council—a win on many fronts.

Even if Ouroin Master fully defected to the Mo Du faction, he could at most equal the Naiser faction, no longer dominating alone; the Balance faction, that front‑line weed, could stir things up again.

As the saying goes, when one side falls, many benefit.

Otherwise, where did the Nine-ring Greater Disintegrate in the Shadow King's Soul Trigger Technique come from?

That spell was invented by Tim*Kenan Master; although it spread early from his Flaniss Floating City, many wizards have learned it historically, yet only a handful can elevate the Greater Disintegrate to nine rings.

According to Lei En, besides Tim*Kenan, Augulevi Master also masters the Nine-ring Greater Disintegrate.

The strongest wizard in history still has a pact with him, hoping to cooperate in the future; before fulfilling it, he is unlikely to act against Lei En.

So, the suspicion on TimKainanMaster is very strong.

Of course, it doesn't rule out that Duke Hong Shi deliberately framed it; perhaps another Wizard upgraded Greater Disintegrate to the Ninth Ring.

But one thing is certain.

Today's attack must have been orchestrated behind the scenes by Duke Hong Shi!

In the projection meeting a week ago, when I said I would auction the Floating City, Kerstong was clearly very interested, yet he never showed up. One possibility is that after hearing about my capture of the New Village Floating City, he immediately suspected that he himself was the perpetrator of last year's attack on ParrasFloatingCity, using similar methods.

For a Holy Soul Wizard, actions require no evidence at all.

Just strike back.

Even if he guessed wrong, this attack is still a complete gain for Duke Hong Shi; even the trickster master of the Shadow Blade would find it hard to resist the temptation to kill the God of Magic's Chosen One.

Duke Hong Shi planned this attack, and he used Reslin's method; this is actually a warning, as he has already fixed his own target as the perpetrator of the Parras attack.

You bomb my Floating City, I'll bomb yours too!

Both sides have long been immortal foes; now they have cast aside all scruples, rules, and false pretenses, unleashing every means for a single goal—to kill the other!

It is foreseeable that ParrasFloatingCity is now defending at full strength, and Kerstong has secretly raised the alert to the maximum.

Lei En suppressed the urge for immediate retaliation.

Wait a bit longer!

Now is not the time; once I become Consul and wield the Empire's administrative power, you'll be the first I cut down, and the overthrow of the Supreme Council will start with you.

But I cannot remain completely restrained; I must give Kerstong some resistance.

Lei En immediately had an idea.

There are many methods: harassing territories, sowing chaos, sabotaging the tax system of the Great Prairie, manipulating public opinion to smear him, delaying ParrasFloatingCity's reconstruction; in short, Kerstong must not have it too easy, keep pressure on him so he has no time for other matters.

In the Obsidian Tower, a dozen Thundercast Celestial Soldiers sprang into action at once.

They shed their signature golden armor, set aside the Lightning Hammer and Bolt Gun, altered their appearance, becoming a dozen completely different people—tall, short, stout, thin, with wholly distinct looks—disguised as various extraordinary professions: berserker, ranger, Shadow Warrior, Wizard, gunner, demon hunter, Iron Guard, and so on.

The Thundercast Celestial Soldiers secretly teleported to Glamorogen, opened a portal to leave the castle, and vanished into Mo Du's endless crowds.

Next, they will assume different identities and travel via various routes to the Empire's northern Great Prairie, infiltrating Urgel City to lie low.

Then, cause trouble!

Lei En was lost in thought, his attention on the Thundercast Celestial Soldiers, when Storm Queen asked impatiently, "Lei En, what do you say?"

The other three sisters were also waiting for his answer.

Lei En looked at the four sisters and found that the God of Magic's daughters were all religious zealots, truly the Chosen One, and when dealing with enemies of the deity they shed their usual composure and kindness, becoming wholly murderous; even the cold‑tempered Ishina was no exception.

"Madam, once you present a detailed plan, I will consider whether to join," Lei En replied very cautiously.

Retaliating with the Shadow Blade is not wrong; they are the executors of this attack.

But it depends on timing.

If the target chosen by Duke Silver Star for retaliation, and her plan is decent, and I can still spare a hand later, I wouldn't mind playing along with her.

Lei En did not agree immediately, which disappointed Duke Silver Star a bit, but he did not force the issue; the current Lei En is no longer someone he can command.

At that moment, Lei En opened a portal.

The tall, white‑bearded Anxiwodasi stepped out, and upon seeing the Iola Core in the control room intact along with Lei En and the other four, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

The four sisters quickly bowed and greeted, "We have met Master Anxiwodasi."

Anxiwodasi nodded in response, then asked, "Lei En, who are you fighting?"

After hearing the account, Anxiwodasi's expression was very serious, and he gave Lei En a deep look.

He knew Lei En's feud with Duke Hong Shi and immediately guessed that today's attack was Hong Shi's handiwork, which gave him a massive headache; not only could the internal clash of the Empire's two top powers not be resolved, it also indirectly proved that Kerstong truly colluded with the followers of Luo Xi.

Following Augulevi Master, Duke Hong Shi also betrayed the Empire, betrayed the Supreme Council, and betrayed the God of Magic!

Anxiwodasi was even more worried that Lei En might act in anger, but seeing his calm face, he was greatly surprised.

"Madam, let's complete the transaction first," Lei En said to Duke Silver Star, noting that the teacher was also present, making the deal safer.

"Fine." Duke Silver Star gladly agreed.

Anxiwodasi and the three sisters stepped back, watching the two press their hands onto their respective Iola Cores, quickly breaking the soul binding.

This time, the soul binding was truly broken.

The Iola Core of the Floating City dimmed, and the control room's rune array lost its power source, becoming mere decoration. Kuilu, following prior instructions, released a long‑prepared spatial seal, preventing outsiders from teleporting into the control room.

Lei En swapped places with Duke Silver Star, moved to the metal rack, and placed his hand on it.

In an instant, a stream of information flooded his mind.

When the Iola Core is ownerless, anyone who touches it will actively transmit a series of complex rune imprints, requesting to merge with a soul and establish a link.

Responding to this request causes the Iola Core to soul‑bind.

Lei En had bound once not long ago, so he responded without hesitation, injecting a wisp of his weak soul energy into the Iola Core. Deep within its core, a mysterious flame flickered to life, emitting multicolored light as if reborn.

The rune array simultaneously changed, channeling into the soul space.

A minute later, a miniature crystal sphere representing the Iola Core appeared directly above the World Tree, indicating the soul binding succeeded.

In Lei En's view, a projection of the Iola Core materialized, its energy output at a trough, merely maintaining its own operation—'standby'.

Thus it was easy to grasp.

But Duke Silver Star did not have it so easy; a flood of information from the entire Floating City poured into her mind, causing her to hum softly, her expression twisted, clearly enduring a throbbing headache.

Everyone present knew this was normal and waited patiently.

For a little over an hour.

Only after a little over an hour did Duke Silver Star open her eyes, her face brimming with uncontrollable joy and excitement, shouting, "I now have a Floating City too!"

Kuilu was very envious, "Congratulations, sister."

Ishina said nothing, but a hint of regret flashed in her eyes; she is a demon swordsman, and this lifetime she has no fate with a Floating City.

Only Storm Queen gave a contemptuous smile; she has owned a Floating City for over a hundred years.

"Congratulations, Silverstar."

Anxiwodasi also offered a congratulation, and didn't forget to glance at Lei En. Duke Silverstar took a little over an hour to master Fu Kong Cheng, which is the normal case. Back then Lei En finished it in just a few seconds, causing Anxiwodasi to doubt whether his own talent wasn't that good?

"Thank you, sisters, thank you, Master Anxiwodasi!"

Duke Silverstar, proud and satisfied, responded to everyone one by one, finally his gaze fell on Lei En, paused, and said sincerely: "Thank you, Lei En! Without you, I wouldn't have obtained Fu Kong Cheng so quickly and fulfilled a three‑hundred‑year‑long wish."

With that thanks, the grudge between the two was erased from then on.

Lei En gave a calm smile, "Madam, you flatter me; this Fu Kong Cheng is your own achievement, I merely went along with it."

Duke Silverstar listened with great comfort, and suddenly found Lei En increasingly pleasant to look at.

"Please allow us to take our leave."

Lei En had Duke Silverstar open the control room's main door; a squad of Extreme Warriors entered, lifted the metal frame of the Iola Core, and swiftly departed Fu Kong Cheng, delivering it to Genla Morgan Castle.

The New Village Floating City now has a new master; outsiders should not linger long.

Anxiwodasi and the three sisters also each took their leave; only Duke Silverstar remained in the control room. She looked at the empty control room, feeling deeply satisfied.

Finally…

I finally have a Fu Kong Cheng too!

In her joy, Duke Silverstar's vision displayed a projection of the Fu Kong Cheng.

She intended to carefully admire her Fu Kong Cheng, assess the damage, and figure out how to repair it so it could take off again and return to Longshande.

Soon, Duke Silverstar's gaze became fixed.

"What are these things?"

When she saw the entire Fu Kong Cheng, especially the largest lower level, piled with hundreds of thousands of foul‑smelling, nauseating undead corpses, piled as high as mountains, resembling the Abyssal netherworld, she could no longer contain herself, her eyes blazing with fury, and she let out a high‑pitched scream.

All the people of Gra Morgan heard a woman's voice emanating from the Fu Kong Cheng:

"Ryan Augustus, I hate you!"

Volume Six ends, reaching exactly three million words today. Tomorrow is Volume Seven: Golden Throne!

(End of chapter)