Chapter 116

The Final Secret Council

The oval-shaped council chamber floated within a rift in the void, with seven thrones forged from different materials encircling the crystal round table at its center.

A galaxy-like glow flowed across the tabletop, resembling fireflies frozen in amber.

At a certain moment—

The dimly lit chamber suddenly brightened.

A beam of golden light poured down from the void fissure, illuminating the second throne from the left—the translucent Soul Throne—making it shine with complete clarity.

As the light faded, a terrifying figure shrouded in green radiance sat solemnly upon it.

Immediately after, golden light also cascaded onto the third throne on the right—the Eye of the Abyss Throne and a bizarre master covered in tentacles and compound eyes slowly manifested.

“Sleeper, the sacrifices I sent to you… did you receive them?”

As the Lord of the Bizarre, Stuart, had just begun to speak, the god of death across from him abruptly stood up, soul power surging and causing the entire hall to tremble violently.

“What did you say you did?!” The Sleeper’s voice seemed to echo from the ends of the heavens, yet also exploded directly within the mind.

Stuart’s previously smiling expression gradually faded.

“My followers and subordinate gods have already sent tens of millions of fresh souls as offerings to the realm of the dead. Are you trying to go back on your word?”

“The Styx has been severed!” The voice of the Death God, the Sleeper, cracked like earth from a frozen grave.

He raised his fist and slammed it against the crystal table. “Tens of millions of sacrificed souls? I saw nothing!”

The tentacles on the Lord of the Bizarre’s body writhed wildly.

He let out a low chuckle. “Sleeper, do you dare question a chief deity?!”

“If not you, then who else could interfere with the Styx?”

The Sleeper did not back down an inch.

As the chief deity who governed the Law of the Soul, he knew well that Stuart did, in fact, possess the power to affect the Styx.

Moreover, this guy had long harbored intentions of stealing the Law of the Soul from the realm of the dead. Given the chance, he would undoubtedly strike while one was down without hesitation.

At that thought, ghostly flames ignited in the Sleeper’s eyes. “You intend to violate the rules established by the ‘Final Secret Council’ and interfere in another god’s domain!”

“I interfered with the realm of the dead?!” The Lord of the Bizarre’s form twisted into a grotesque vortex. “In this operation, I’ve paid a greater price than any of you. The anchor points in the Wizard Plane, the sacrificial arrays of mortal kingdoms—even my very ‘essence’—were all fused into the council! And now, you accuse me of embezzling the offerings? What good would that do me?”

“Who else could explain this matter clearly but you?” the Sleeper replied coldly. “You alien evil gods are constantly scheming to invade the Primary Plane.”

“Hmph, better than you so-called rulers of the planes, rats hiding in that cage called the Old Lands…”

“What did you say?!”

The Sleeper slammed the table, his terrifying voice echoing through the chamber.

“I said—you rats!”

“!!!”

“Enough!”

Just as the two chief deities were on the verge of clashing within the Final Secret Council chamber—

With a thunderous boom, the golden throne at the center revealed a towering figure clad in solar armor.

His bell-like voice trembled the hall, and the crystal tabletop—resilient even against the Lord of the Bizarre—cracked with several fine lines.

The God of Light, Helios, had arrived.

At the same time, the third throne to the left was lazily occupied by the voluptuous elemental giantess, Alice.

With that, all three Pillar Gods of the Old Lands were now present.

Alice covered her lips and giggled. “Go on, don’t chicken out. Let me see which of you soul-law wielders is truly stronger.”

“Alice!” The God of Light cut her off in a deep voice, the sacred radiance around him dispelling the murderous tension. “Now is not the time for sowing discord.”

The named elemental giantess narrowed her fox-like eyes and said nothing more.

She simply sat like a spectator, legs long and straight, swaying leisurely on the high-backed chair.

The sky-blue split skirt slipped to both sides at her thighs, revealing vast swathes of skin as pale as snow.

Only then did the God of Light turn his gaze to the other two. “Do you still remember the vow and purpose of the Final Secret Council? Infighting will only give the wizards of the Star Law Institute an opportunity.”

The Sleeper slowly seated himself again on the Soul Throne, sneering coldly. “Then explain—where did the sacrifices go?”

The God of Light pointed to the end of the Styx, visible through the spatial rift.

“Investigate it yourself.”

“If I leave the Sea of Eternal Slumber, the Crown Wizards of the Divine Remains Round Table will immediately detect planar fluctuations—”

“Then act quickly,” the God of Light interrupted. “Reclaim the souls and restart the sacrifice before the Star Law Institute has time to respond. Alice will temporarily seal the entrance to the Old Lands to block the wizards.”

A long silence followed.

The Soul Throne was once again shrouded in shadow, and the Sleeper’s presence faded into the void.

The Lord of the Bizarre gave a cold snort and vanished in turn.

Alice rose from the Elemental Throne, her graceful figure moving with serpentine elegance as she approached the Throne of Light.

She rested her chin gently on Helios’s shoulder armor.

Breathing softly into his ear, she whispered, “Are you truly planning to cooperate with an Outer God to carve up the Primary Plane?”

Helios remained unmoved as a mountain, only casting a sidelong glance at the coquettish Alice.

“If it allows the Three Pillar Gods to regain their former glory—cooperation is not out of the question.”

“Really?” Alice whispered, lips pressed together. “Those greedy Outer Gods want far more than to simply share the Primary Plane with us.”

“And as you know, the way they gather faith is far more direct than ours.”

The Three Pillar Gods held dominion over the fundamental laws of the planes—light that dispels all darkness, death that guides souls, and the elements that form matter.

Though these principles were indispensable to humankind,

In the eyes of mortals, such divine authorities were far less enticing than the laws of money, war, or even dreams wielded by the Outer Gods.

Rather than pure devotion, humans preferred gods from whom tangible benefits could be obtained through offerings.

“Alice, I know what you’re trying to say.”

Helios’s voice remained as calm as it had been for millennia, as if everything was under control. “But since we signed the Old Pact, we lost the right to spread faith across the Four Islands. Without leveraging the Outer Gods’ influence, we will never return to the Primary Plane.”

“But…”

“There is no ‘but’.”

Helios cut her off. “What happens after we descend upon the Primary Plane can be dealt with later. I don’t want to hear another word from you about it.”

“Seal off the entrance to the Old Lands immediately.” Seeing her face darken, he turned his head to glare, pressure crashing down like a mountain. “Do you understand? I will not tolerate any mistakes from you!”

Under the overwhelming divine pressure, Alice lowered her eyes, her lashes hiding the flickering light within them. “As you command.”

Satisfied with the response, the figure of the God of Light gradually faded away, leaving only the elemental giantess standing alone in the vastness of the Final Secret Council.

She bit her red lips, fingertips unconsciously tracing the ancient patterns on the armrest of her throne.

No one knew how much time had passed…

There was a time when, before the rise of the wizards, the gods could still unite under the Three Pillar Gods to resist the invasions from beyond.

And now, they had fallen so far as to consort with evil gods… A lone sigh echoed faintly through the rift in the void.