Spellcasting Gods

It took more than ten minutes before Lucius finally uttered those words.

It goes without saying that this letter was merely a notification, informing him to be prepared to serve the Dark Lord at any time.

But as he plotted to control the Ministry of Magic and make the Malfoy family the dominant force in the British wizarding world, he had no desire for the Dark Lord to return at this moment.

After all, compared to the domineering style of the Flood Demon, who believed "those who obey me prosper, those who oppose me perish," he gradually came to prefer Zhang Cheng's conciliatory strategy, which allowed him to quietly control everything from behind the scenes rather than foolishly rushing to the forefront and becoming the target of everyone's criticism.

Unfortunately, Lucius did not yet believe he had enough power to resist his former master's call, so after hesitating for a moment, he resolutely used Apparition to arrive near a dense forest.

Just as he was looking around at his surroundings, a chilling voice suddenly echoed in his ears: "Ah! My loyal servant has finally answered the call and appeared!"

“Master…Master?!” Lucius couldn’t help but shudder and quickly knelt on one knee to express his respect, even though he still didn’t know where the Dark Lord was hiding or whether he had really regained his power.

"My servant! Tell me, why haven't you come looking for me and helping me all these years?" Voldemort's voice was tinged with hatred.

“I’m sorry, Master! Dumbledore and his henchmen have been tracking down and suppressing the Death Eaters, so much so that we’ve all gone into hiding and dared not make any rash moves,” Lucius explained, his voice trembling.

"Dumbledore!" Upon hearing this name, Voldemort unleashed a surge of murderous intent, but for some reason, he quickly regained his composure. "Fine, I can overlook your actions, but you must do one thing for me. Invite that mysterious wizard from the East to meet me; I need his power now..."

Chapter 0746 Agreement Reached

Without a doubt, Lucius Malfoy dared not disobey Voldemort's orders, even though the Dark Lord was now extremely weak and could be killed by his pursuers at any moment.

Without any hesitation!

Upon returning to the manor, he immediately wrote a letter, which he mailed to his son Draco via owl, and Draco then passed it on to Zhang Cheng.

The reason for this extra step was mainly to prevent the letters from being intercepted by people with ulterior motives.

After all, a father writing a letter to his son wouldn't attract much attention, but if he wrote to a professor working at Hogwarts, many people, including Dumbledore, would be very wary.

About a day later, Zhang Cheng received the letter written in invisible ink. He slightly curled the corners of his mouth and muttered to himself in a voice only he could hear, "What is this? An invitation? Or does some arrogant guy think he can control me like he controls other idiots?"

“Master! I think this is more like a plea for help! You should know that his current situation is not good, and he can't even be considered alive in the strict sense.” The Supreme Authority coldly expressed its opinion.

For an artifact truly imbued with countless powerful forces, it did not take the wizards of this world seriously.

Whether it's Dumbledore or Voldemort, whose name ordinary wizards dare not even utter, they are both fundamentally far from transcending the boundaries of mortals.

Although the latter grasped some of the rules of death and used them to create Horcruxes, such unorthodox gadgets, mortals are still mortals. Not to mention facing an incomparably powerful god, even many superhumans can easily kill him.

"Help! That sounds interesting. But I doubt whether he has the guts to come out and meet me in his current state," Zhang Cheng teased with a playful expression.

"Hahahaha! Unless he's a madman or a fool, he would never be so stupid as to appear directly in front of you; that would be tantamount to suicide. If I were him, I would choose to conduct this conversation in a safe place through some kind of magic or medium." The Supreme Authority, undoubtedly well aware of its creator's character, let out a piercing laugh.

“That’s right! If he dares to appear directly in front of me, I will not hesitate to strip away his soul and extract everything I want from it.”

After saying that, a cold glint flashed in Zhang Cheng's eyes. Based on the coordinates provided on the letter, he raised his hand and snapped his fingers.

Snapped!

next second...

He appeared directly in the deepest part of the dense forest, surrounded by tall trees and only a huge floor-length mirror that seemed somewhat out of place in the environment.

Clearly, this mirror was intentionally left behind by the other party as a medium for communication.

As a powerful spellcaster capable of turning the entire British magical world upside down, Voldemort wasn't exactly stupid; he understood that he couldn't afford to take any risks in his current state.

Gazing at the ripples constantly appearing in the mirror, Zhang Cheng couldn't help but smile and bow slightly, taking the initiative to greet him: "Good afternoon, Your Excellency."

"Hello, mysterious wizard from the East." Voldemort's half-dead appearance gradually became visible through the mirror.

It has to be said that he was in a really bad state at the moment. He was barely surviving by possessing the bodies of living beings in a semi-soul state. Not only was his strength weakened to the extreme, but he also had to change his body almost every once in a while.

The two men stared into each other's eyes through the medium without saying a word for a full five minutes before Zhang Cheng broke the silence with a smile: "May I ask, what brings you here? Or, to put it another way, what can I do for you?"

"Wait, my dear friend, before we talk about cooperation, I think we should get to know each other a little. According to what I've heard, you seem to be conducting some interesting experiments about life, is that right?" Voldemort asked meaningfully.

It goes without saying that he probably used Legilimency or similar magic when he met Lucius before.

“Yes, I’m trying to reach into the realm of the gods and create a completely new intelligent life form from nothing. Of course, it’s too difficult to do this at this stage, so I plan to start with transformation. So, you’re also interested in this topic?” Zhang Cheng didn’t try to deny it and readily admitted it.

"The creation of life! What a magnificent feat! How could I not be interested! I invited you here so that you could help me create a more powerful and perfect body." Voldemort responded in a passionate voice.

As a master of dark magic, he understands better than anyone how difficult human body modification is, especially the techniques of wizard body modification, which were completely lost hundreds of years ago.

If I could possess a modified, powerful body, defeating Dumbledore wouldn't be too difficult.

"Oh? Then you'll probably have to wait a while. With my current technology, I can't meet your requirements for the time being." Zhang Cheng spread his hands helplessly, pretending to be unable to help.

"That's alright, I've always been patient. You can take your time with your research. Also, I heard you accepted Dumbledore's invitation to teach at Hogwarts. Tell me, what do you think of his philosophy?"

When he asked this question, Voldemort grinned, revealing a sarcastic smile.

"Boring and uninteresting, I wonder if this answer satisfies you?" Zhang Cheng replied meaningfully.

"Ah! It seems exactly as I imagined. You and he are not of the same ilk. I wonder if I would have the honor of inviting you to join us in creating the future of the magical world?" Voldemort extended his right hand.

Zhang Cheng pretended to hesitate for a few seconds, then readily nodded in agreement, saying, "Joining is no problem, but I have one small additional condition."

"Please speak!"

"I want all your knowledge about crafting Horcruxes!"

"Hordeals?" Voldemort's eyes flashed with surprise and wariness, but he quickly burst into laughter. "Heh heh, I can agree to your terms, but you must create a perfect body for me in return."

"Deal! Wishing us a pleasant cooperation!"

Having received the promise he wanted, Zhang Cheng immediately reached his right hand into the mirror without hesitation and clasped it with the cold, pale hand that looked like that of a dead person.

"It's a pleasure working with you! I believe you and I will become the perfect partners." A terrifying red light flashed in Voldemort's eyes.

Based on his preconceived notions, anyone who wanted to obtain the method of creating Horcruxes was essentially the same as himself, pursuing immense power and near-eternal life, and was naturally Albus Dumbledore's enemy.

But the Dark Lord didn't know that Zhang Cheng wasn't after the creation of Horcruxes themselves, but rather the secret of integrating his own soul into the rules of death.

Once they obtain this secret, their attitude will completely change, and they will stab you in the back with a fatal blow.

Betraying allies is as easy for him as eating and drinking; he feels absolutely no guilt about it.

You have to understand that allies are meant to be betrayed from the very beginning; it's just a matter of whether the price and timing are right...

Chapter 0747 A Broken Friendship

"How did it go? How did your talks go?"

As soon as Zhang Cheng returned to Malfoy Manor, Lucius quickly stood up and asked him anxiously.

This meeting was crucial to the survival of the Malfoy family; if either side was dissatisfied, he could face annihilation.

“Don’t worry, I’ve already reached a cooperation agreement with Lord Voldemort, and from now on I’m his close ally. As for you, I don’t think he’ll mind letting the Malfoy family change their allegiance,” Zhang Cheng reassured him with a smile.

"That's great! This is the best news I've heard in recent years, bar none." Lucius immediately breathed a sigh of relief, gradually relaxing his tense nerves.

Those who have never been in the eye of a storm can never imagine how fragile and helpless ordinary people are in the face of extremely powerful forces; even being slightly affected by them can lead to their annihilation.

Although Malfoy was a nobleman with a long history and considerable influence, and his own spellcasting skills were not bad, he still could not compete with the top wizards. The most typical example is when Voldemort rose to power and began to massacre those wizarding families who were unwilling to submit to him. No family was spared except for the "Boy Who Lived".

Zhang Cheng clearly understood what the other person was thinking. He picked up the teapot, poured himself a cup of hot tea, took a small sip, and then said without turning his head, "Do you know what will happen next?"

“I know! That lord will return from the dead and wreak havoc in the magical world.” Lucius answered without hesitation.

To be precise, any wizard who knows even a little about Voldemort understands that he will never give up his mad ambition and desires, but will instead use killing and death to announce his return.

“That’s right! So do you know what the Malfoy family should do next?” Zhang Cheng asked with a half-smile.

This time, Lucius hesitated noticeably, then quickly shook his head with a wry smile: "No, I don't know. Please give your instructions. Also, should I continue with the Ministry of Magic's infiltration plan?"

"Of course we must continue! Although chaos and disorder are the ultimate forms of all things in the universe, human society is an orderly collection. Even the most evil beings will establish a set of rules to maintain their rule. Therefore, the Ministry of Magic, to a certain extent, represents the order of the wizarding world. If you control it, it's equivalent to controlling the order. No matter how the world changes in the future, as long as you carefully choose your stance, you can maintain a fairly high position. Moreover, I have many plans that require the Ministry of Magic's assistance, very, very interesting plans..."

As the last word slipped out, Zhang Cheng's eyes revealed undisguised malice.

He had no intention of letting the future story unfold like the original, allowing Dumbledore and his followers to stay at Hogwarts and wreak havoc. He planned to purge all those guys out next year, turning the school into a place to cultivate true wizards, rather than a bunch of useless cowards who would only tremble in fear at the first sign of danger.

That's right!

In his eyes, three-quarters of the graduates from Hogwarts were unqualified.

Such inferior spellcasters would be mercilessly eliminated not only in Forgotten Realms, where the apprentice mortality rate is over 70%, but even in the relatively milder Azeroth.

Why is the status of spellcasters far higher than that of other professions in most magical worlds?

The answer is simple!

To become a qualified spellcaster, one needs talent, perseverance, and tenacity. They are truly one in a thousand or one in ten thousand talents, the elite of the elite.

But what about Hogwarts?

It's more accurate to call it a vocational training center than a magic school, as the vast majority of its graduates are not worthy of being called spellcasters, but merely skilled workers who know a little magic.

Even though he was prepared to destroy the entire world, Zhang Cheng wanted to bring the school back on track first, rather than watching it continue to degenerate.

“Understood! Thank you for your guidance. I swear the Malfoy family will always be loyal to you.” Lucius placed one hand on his chest and bowed deeply.

"Alright, go ahead and do your thing. I need to get back quickly. That old man Dumbledore has been keeping a close eye on me lately, and I don't want him to find anything out about me."

After saying that, Zhang Cheng waved his hand and immediately activated a teleportation spell, disappearing from the spot.

……

Meanwhile, inside the Room of Requirement at Hogwarts Castle, Harry Potter is wielding his wand, locked in a fierce battle with his former most hated enemy, Draco Malfoy.

Since their skill levels were similar, they didn't hold back and were both eager to defeat each other.

Unfortunately, Harry was ultimately less experienced and was caught off guard by Draco's attack. He slammed into the wall, coughing up a mouthful of black blood and his face contorted in pain.

"Healed to full health!" Dobby, the house-elf who had been hiding nearby, rushed out and cast a healing spell on him.

Harry quickly struggled to his feet, staring with his sharp eyes, and said, "I'll win next time."

"Hmph! I'm always ready to accept your challenge!" Draco replied proudly, raising his chin.

“Still as annoying as ever! But you’re a good opponent! At least on the path of pursuing power, why don’t we walk together? What do you think?” Harry Potter put away his wand and extended his right hand.

“Agreed! In any case, we are both students of the teacher, and I believe you understand what I mean.” Draco hesitated for a moment, then extended his hand to shake hands with the other.

“Yes, I understand. Only teachers can make us stronger and make those who look down on us pay the price. But you have to promise me that this must be kept a secret, or we’ll be in big trouble,” Harry reminded him calmly.

“I’m not stupid, I know what to do. But you, how are you going to deal with those two annoying tagalongs? Granger and Weasley still stubbornly believe that you’re still their best friend, what a naive idea.” Draco grinned, revealing a mocking expression.

In fact, he didn't really hate the "savior," he just couldn't stand that the other person had abandoned him and chosen to befriend someone like Ron.

"You don't need to worry! I will settle things with them, but not now."