The council members finished their deliberations in the High Hall and immediately descended from the central tower back to the plaza, where Wu Xiao quickly arrived beneath the central crystal spire. He extended his hand once more to touch it.

A surge of immense energy flooded from his hand, integrating into his body. Yang Ying felt his mental link strengthen gradually, and within seconds, he could perceive the mental fluctuations of the entire Protoss race.

“The Path of the Khala is officially active. All Protoss citizens may now begin drawing upon the energy of the Crystal Spires.”

Yang Ying’s voice resonated through the mental link into the minds of every Protoss. Upon hearing this, all the Protoss immediately gathered beneath the nearest Crystal Spire and commenced the energy infusion.

Boktana and Glimoren also floated toward Yang Ying, each reaching out to place a hand upon a Crystal Spire.

“Why are you here as well? The Dark Templar lineage dislikes the Path of the Khala. Are you willing to surrender your selfhood, to listen to the collective voice?” Boktana expressed surprise at Glimoren’s participation.

“The Conclave. Without the participation of our Dark Templar lineage, how can it truly represent the entire Protoss race?” Glimoren replied. “Although I am personally uninterested in the Path of the Khala, this is clearly the direction for the Protoss future. The Hierarch will manage Protoss affairs through the Conclave, which will become the highest governing body. Therefore, a representative capable of speaking for the Dark Templar must exist. I shall make the sacrifice to be that representative.”

“That is a rare concession from a Dark Templar,” Boktana commented.

“Perhaps not. I believe there will be others in the Dark Templar lineage who share my perspective. Yes, I sense a few already. Good, very good,” Glimoren remarked.

Boktana accepted Glimoren’s reasoning and turned to Yang Ying. “Hierarch, the clone plan can commence.”

“Good.” Yang Ying closed his eyes, his soul beginning to fluctuate violently as it started to cleave according to his design.

Now a Master of several Peaks, such tasks were second nature to him. Within seconds, a portion of his soul was torn away from the main core. This new fragment possessed subtle differences from his previous clones. Yang Ying channeled all the energy infused from the Crystal Spire directly into this nascent soul.

The newly formed clone, Lixiu, immediately sensed the omnipresent mental linkage surrounding him; many Protoss citizens had already activated their deep mental connections.

Thoughts and emotions flowed into the clone, and his own thoughts and feelings synchronized with the collective. Through this exchange, he thoroughly grasped the essential soul characteristics of both the Luminary and Dark Executors.

“This degree is sufficient,” Yang Ying thought, and the clone’s soul began to change drastically.

To ensure this clone could serve as a filter for the Protoss mental network—connecting him to the network without exposing his own thoughts and emotions—Yang Ying had deliberately excised a portion of the clone soul’s essence during the separation. To use a more archaic term, it was incomplete, lacking what might be called the ‘three souls and seven spiritual aspects,’ not a whole entity.

Theoretically, this soul could not persist long. The loss of even a fraction of the soul’s essence would result in idiocy; losing more would lead to self-destruction. Yang Ying’s clone was of the latter type, destined for swift collapse. Therefore, to complete and solidify this soul, Glimoren proposed supplementing the missing parts with essence drawn from the Protoss collective.

Since the nature of the Protoss soul shared no fundamental disparity with Yang Ying’s Master-level soul, mutual complementarity was possible. However, without Glimoren, the Dark Executor deeply versed in soul studies, successfully executing this technical feat would have been highly improbable.

Yang Ying guided the clone soul, absorbing the Executor soul characteristics from the mental network, and used the Crystal Spire energy, shaped according to these characteristics, to fortify the clone soul. As the Crystal Spire energy leaned toward the Luminary aspect, Yang Ying introduced a portion of Void energy, which the Dark Templar specialized in, for balance.

After a period of nurturing, repair, and transformation, Yang Ying felt a sudden shift. A new, complete clone soul finally manifested before him.

Glimoren and Boktana witnessed a burst of purple flame erupt violently from Yang Ying. A purple light shone from his eyes, shooting toward the sky. Soon after, the purple flame separated from Yang Ying’s body, rising about ten meters into the air, gradually forming limbs, a torso, and a head. Coupled with the burning purple flames encasing it, it took on the form of an Executor.

But this was an Executor of purple hue!

It simultaneously bore the characteristics of both the Luminary and Dark Executors, presenting externally as a blend of red and blue—a violet color that carried an ethereal, dreamlike quality. At first glance, this mesmerizing purple appeared profoundly mysterious.

“This is a fusion of a Dark Executor and a Luminary Executor—neither strictly Luminary nor Dark. What should I call it?” Yang Ying mused, making a firm decision in his mind. “Let’s call him the Shadow Executor. As for the name… we can use the Protoss language and call him Kas.”

The moment Kas was born, the news transmitted across the Protoss mental network, and soon the entire race was aware.

“The immediate priority now is to elect the members of the Conclave,” Boktana stated. “Three hundred and sixty councilors in total, thirty-six core councilors, and one Speaker.”

This information was instantly relayed through the mental network. Most Protoss were still adjusting to the new mental linkage, but this did not prevent them from nominating their preferred kin.

The mental link merely connected their thoughts, making them transparent, not unifying them under a single consciousness. They retained their individuality; they were simply rendered extremely transparent before the collective.

It was worth noting that among the three races, the Zerg unified all minds under the Overmind. The Overmind’s will was absolute, representing the entirety of the Zerg consciousness. Compared to the Protoss Path of the Khala, the Zerg societal structure represented another extreme.

The Protoss were the epitome of democracy, where the Conclave, representing the majority of individuals, often overlooked the opinions of the minority. Conversely, the Zerg were the epitome of autocracy, where the Overmind utterly disregarded the input of individual Zerg units.

However, for Yang Ying, the outcome was the same. Since all Protoss regarded him as their Hierarch, he could represent the majority, even the entirety, wielding absolute authority through the Conclave—his commands would be instantly executed because his will was the collective will. The same applied to his role as the Zerg Overmind; only the superstructure differed. In essence, both groups rendered absolute obedience to him.

After nearly two hours of balloting, all members of the Conclave were elected, the entire process conducted within the mental linkage. Predictably, Yang Ying secured the Speaker’s seat through his clone, Kas. While Kas’s appearance was that of a glorious Executor, his core remained Yang Ying’s projection, no different from Blade or his other clones. Thus, Yang Ying held no fear that Kas would rebel, just as he did not worry about his own hands and feet turning against him.

Returning to the High Hall, every seat was now occupied. The two concentric circular tables belonged to the thirty-six core councilors, while the alcoves along the walls were reserved for the regular councilors. The Speaker’s seat, however, was not explicitly present.

This was because suspended above the High Hall’s ceiling was a small office designated for the Speaker. The Speaker’s chair resided within that office and possessed anti-gravity levitation, capable of descending into the main hall when required.

Glimoren and Boktana, as the prime representatives of their respective Executor classes, naturally secured spots among the thirty-six core councilors, even earning places in the higher echelon of the inner twelve seats. Representatives of every military caste were present among the core councilors. Yang Ying even spotted the oldest serving warrior in the entire Protoss race: the Zealot, Tylarot. He had been the very first Protoss warrior Yang Ying had birthed and was now the supreme commander of the Zealot Host. He, too, was placed within the inner circle of twelve core councilors.

Following the establishment of the Conclave, the Protoss spiritual energy began flowing toward it through the mental linkage channel. For each individual Protoss, this represented only a fraction of their total power, but concentrated, it amounted to several times the total spiritual tribute Yang Ying received from the Zerg.

Upon sensing the sheer magnitude of this spiritual force, Yang Ying let out an appreciative sound. The Protoss truly lived up to their reputation as a race built upon psionic civilization; their spiritual resources were astonishingly rich. With just over two hundred thousand citizens, they contributed over five million units of spiritual power.

However, this energy was not solely allocated to the Speaker. The Conclave’s distribution protocol had been set from its inception: Kas, as Speaker, would receive one-third; the thirty-six core councilors would share another third; and the three hundred and sixty regular councilors would receive the remaining third.

Yang Ying ultimately acquired over 1.7 million units of spiritual power. Combined with the nearly 1.2 million contributed by the Zerg, this was enough energy to manifest two Peak Masters simultaneously in the external world, or to sustain one Peak Master whose power approached three million units!

When Yang Ying attempted to channel all this spiritual energy back into his main body, his power level instantly soared past two million. Suddenly, the ground began to shake repeatedly. A flicker of awareness crossed his mind, and looking toward the center of the continent, he saw what he expected: the second light on the fifth layer had ignited. The area of the floating continent doubled in size, expanding to two million square kilometers!

He could see a colossal mountain range rising in the distance to the north, at the edge of the Human territory, ascending into the sky. Territory expansion was visible across all three races—new rivers, lakes, mountains, flora, fauna, and vibrant life were blossoming across the land; everything appeared robust and flourishing.

After entrusting all transformation affairs of the Protoss to the Shadow Executor, Kas, Yang Ying departed the floating continent and returned to the real world.

For the Protoss to fully adapt to the Path of the Khala and operate at peak efficiency would not be an overnight process. The strengthening of the mental link and the establishment of the Conclave had fundamentally altered the Protoss social structure. Old habits needed discarding, new protocols required drafting, and countless administrative details demanded immense focus to resolve.

Yang Ying knew that for the foreseeable future, the Conclave members would be occupied constantly. Fortunately, Kas, the Speaker, would handle the Speaker's duties, leaving Yang Ying to simply reap the results.

After sitting in the command center for a while, Kalia sought him out, carrying a letter which he placed before Yang Ying.

“Sir, this is a congratulatory letter from the Daelaam Temple. A Master delivered it to the Greyport office early this morning and it has just been relayed. It is likely in celebration of you becoming a Peak Master,” Kalia reported.

The computer networks of the 27th century were incredibly advanced, handling most communication digitally. However, physical correspondence had not vanished; it had transformed into a formal gesture of social etiquette, reserved only for significant occasions.

Master Merlin, returning from Hammer City, had immediately sent word to the Daelaam Temple regarding Yang Ying achieving Peak Master status. Soon after, the Temple sent congratulations via the network to the Terran Mercenary Group. However, the Temple apparently felt that a digital congratulation was insufficiently formal to convey their respect, so they dispatched a formal letter concurrently.

The physical letter traveled much slower than the network signal, which explained why it was only arriving now.

Yang Ying picked up the envelope and briefly scanned it. Seeing the sender listed as the Daelaam Temple Elder Council, and the destination as the Terran Mercenary Group Office in Greyport, Asteroid Belt, Yang Ying opened one of the letters and unfolded the paper. The congratulatory message followed a highly formal template, extending felicitations on Master Yang Ying’s ascension to the Peak realm and suggesting a visit to the Temple when time permitted. The official seal of the Daelaam Temple Elder Council was affixed at the bottom.

“Master Yang Ying…” Yang Ying murmured the four words, chuckling softly. “I am being called Master now, hah…” Turning the paper over, Yang Ying discovered writing on the reverse side.

There were four signatures. Yang Ying’s expression immediately grew serious as he read them in sequence: Kong Li, Tu Xin, Meriaiden Merlin, and Cicerely Landon. Each signature style was distinct, yet Yang Ying sensed that the will of the writer was embedded in every stroke, as if conforming to some intrinsic pattern.

“Kong Li, Tu Xin, and Meriaiden Merlin—they are all Peak Masters of the Daelaam Temple. This fourth one, Cicerely Landon, must be as well. That name sounds like a female Master. But there should be a fifth Peak Master in the Human sphere; why is he not signed on this letter?” Yang Ying pondered.

In truth, the first three were the Peak Masters who regularly appeared in public. The most famous among them was Master Kong Li, the Great Elder of the Daelaam Temple. Legend held that he became renowned across the world shortly after achieving Master status over a century ago. After a hundred years of devoted cultivation, his current power was staggering; he was widely regarded as the human closest to a god, the foremost expert in the Daelaam Temple.

However, in recent decades, he rarely left Earth and seldom engaged in combat, so the true extent of his strength remained largely unknown.

Yang Ying was not intimately familiar with Peak Master Tu Xin. Although they had participated in the Jupiter Campaign together and Master Tu Xin had led numerous missions, Yang Ying was merely the commander of a mercenary group at that time, a near-Master level cultivator; his rank was far too low to interact directly with Master Tu Xin.

Nevertheless, through hearsay, Yang Ying knew something of Master Tu Xin’s character. He was fiercely devoted to justice, showing no leniency toward the Ancient Legion or even scum among humanity, dealing with them decisively. Furthermore, Master Tu Xin was one of the most senior figures in the Daelaam Temple, possibly older than Master Kong Li—veritable ancient entity.

As for Master Merlin, he was the most familiar of the four Peak Masters to Yang Ying. For the past six months, he had been stationed in the Asteroid Belt, suppressing the activities of the Ape Worship Cult. Without him, Heralas would undoubtedly have caused far more trouble.

The first three were figures who appeared in public channels and whose details could be generally ascertained. However, the fourth, Cicerely Landon, clearly maintained a much lower profile. Yang Ying had never even heard the name before. Judging by the spiritual aura conveyed through her script, she undoubtedly possessed Peak Master strength.

Furthermore, her handwriting appeared elegant, delicate, and beautiful, which was one reason Yang Ying firmly presumed her to be a female Master—this was a conviction rather than a guess.

Yang Ying studied the four signatures one last time, discerned nothing more, and carefully slid the letter back into its envelope. He let go, using his psionic power to lift it onto a nearby bookshelf, placing it on the highest shelf.

“I’ll keep this as a souvenir. With the signatures of four Peak Masters, this letter obviously holds significant collectible value,” Yang Ying said to Kalia with a smile.

He paused, then opened a drawer beside his desk, rummaged through it, retrieved a sheet of paper, and took a fountain pen from the desk. “I will compose a reply now. Kalia, please ensure this is sent to the Daelaam Temple.”

“Understood, Sir,” Kalia responded.

“They sent four signatures; I will reply with a handwritten letter. That shows them due respect,” Yang Ying wrote a few lines on the paper, including greetings and thanks for their correspondence.

After finishing, Yang Ying signed it and handed it to Kalia. “Go now.”

“Yes, Sir.” Kalia took the letter and withdrew.

Earth. Inside a lavish hall, a symposium was underway. A group of impeccably dressed middle-aged and elderly individuals sat on plush sofas, sampling the finest red wine while exchanging various pieces of intelligence.

This location was a high-level salon hosted by members of the Directorate. Nearly everyone present was a member of the Directorate.

In a corner near the entrance, a long-bearded elder asked those beside him, “Have you heard? The commander of the Terran Mercenary Group has become a Peak Master.”

A bald elder scoffed dismissively. “What news is that? Yang Ying killed Heralas of the Ape Worship Cult in that small place—what was it called… right, Hammer—in that space station. Who here doesn’t already know this?”

The mention of Heralas caused a momentary hush among the surrounding individuals. Heralas had accumulated notorious infamy through relentless slaughter for half a century. They all understood the implications of killing him. After a few seconds, a thin man in the corner interjected, “Indeed. When I first heard about this, I didn’t believe it. I had my subordinates verify it twice before accepting it as fact.”

The bearded elder voiced his concern. “Our relationship with the Terran Mercenary Group is terrible. We hear a Peak Master can kill whomever they choose. Heralas is dead; doesn't that put us in grave danger? We must find a way to resolve this latent threat.”

The thin man sneered. “How do you propose we resolve it?”

The bearded elder brightened, clearly having prepared a course of action. “Killing him is unlikely. But we can, like the Daelaam Temple, force restrictions preventing him from acting against us ordinary people. Everyone has a weakness—be it money, women, family, or friends. If we find a leverage point, we can use coercion and temptation to restrain him…”

“Enough,” the bald elder cut him off with a wave of his hand. “You clearly haven’t dealt with the Terran Mercenary Group, but haven’t you heard how they operate? Do you know how the Caesar family fell? They provoked them, and even former Deputy Director Gaius was killed.”

“Of course I know,” the bearded elder retorted, clearly annoyed by the interruption. “Three centuries ago, when the Daelaam Temple was newly formed, they were far more bloodthirsty than the Terran Mercenary Group, yet they ultimately had to compromise. Ordinary people still form the vast majority of the world; only one in a million awakens. This world belongs to us, and the awakened are merely tools for our use. No matter how powerful Yang Ying the Peak Master is, can he truly stand against human society?”

“You point out it was three centuries ago,” interrupted a stout man whose weight nearly crushed the sofa cushion. “The times have changed. To incite society against Yang Ying now is utterly impossible.”

“Exactly,” the thin man agreed. “Although awakened individuals are still few, their influence is far greater now. The Daelaam Temple aligning with the Singer people has spread their influence into every facet, and their positive image has been established for over a century, deeply ingrained in the public mind. To stir up another wave of opposition against the awakened lacks sufficient foundation.”

“Yang Ying is not affiliated with the Daelaam Temple, so he isn't bound by their doctrine of not harming ordinary people. Allowing a Peak Master like him to roam freely undermines everyone’s sense of security.”

A mechanical voice suddenly filled the hall.

“Director?” Everyone immediately looked up, directing their gaze toward the source of the sound.

A highly realistic robot entered from the doorway. The members knew this robot served as the Director’s mouthpiece; the Director’s true identity was known only to a select few high-ranking council members.

A blue indicator light on the robot’s mouth flashed as it spoke. “Do not overestimate the positive image left behind by the Nian Neng Temple. You must face the fact that the public is incredibly foolish. We can effortlessly guide their thoughts in any direction we choose. Stirring up another wave of opposition against the Awakened is a very simple matter. As for dealing with Yang Ying, it is absolutely necessary; one side must fall for the feud between us and the Teran Mercenary Group to be settled.”

Boom!

The moment the words faded, a deafening roar ripped through the air, sending the entire salon skyward!

Those outside the establishment saw the sight and immediately shrieked. Several people instantly pulled out their communicators to report the incident.