A Gathering of Dark Wizards

An underground Chamber of Secrets.

The underground Chamber of Secrets was no different from before; it was pitch black, without a single ray of light, and there was nothing inside except for the four walls.

The old man remained seated in the center of the Chamber of Secrets of Secrets, tightly bound by eight serpentine chains of different colors. These chains were the embodiment of the Eight Serpents Sealing Technique performed by Salazar Slytherin, one of the Four Founders of Hogwarts, at the cost of his life.

The difference was that the magical energy emanating from the old man was no longer the lifeless stillness of the past; instead, it now subtly surged with an undercurrent that sent chills down one's spine.

The eight snake chains began to appear dull and lifeless, their once ferocious snake heads losing their former ferocity and appearing listless.

Four people dressed in black robes knelt quietly on the floor in front of him, their backs straight, without uttering a word.

"Master, as you instructed, everyone has been brought." Jafar was usually fierce and menacing, bowed his head respectfully with a gentle expression, showing no trace of his usual ferocity.

"Very good," the old man opened his eyes, revealing crimson Snake Eyes. Although he didn't even open his mouth, his deep and powerful voice resounded directly in the room, clearly indicating some kind of extremely profound mental magic.

As the old man spoke, the eight snake chains became restless, wriggling on his body and trying to tighten their grip. However, the old man's face remained calm, showing no change whatsoever, clearly unmoved by the snake chains' movements.

"Now that everyone is here, I won't waste any more words. Let's get straight to the point—I am Herpo. Some of you may not have heard of me. I am the ancestor of the Parseltongue lineage, and people call me the Vile Herpo," the old man said.

Voldemort was slightly moved. Ever since he learned Morgan le Fay's true identity, he knew that there were a few immortals in the world who had avoided death and survived to this day by special means. He did not expect that someone had done this as early as ancient times, which was more than five hundred years earlier than Morgan le Fay's Middle Ages!

Morgan LeFee seemed to have already guessed the old man's identity and showed no surprise.

"I've summoned you here today not only to discuss our next steps, but..." Herpo said, "But before that, we must have an open and honest discussion to establish a foundation of mutual trust for cooperation. I need to know—what is your ultimate goal in cooperating with us to overthrow the Wizarding World?"

"You go first, Lord Dark Lord," Morgan said with a sweet, girlish smile.

"My first goal is to take control of the Ministry of Magic, starting in Great Britain and gradually expanding to other Europe countries. Once I have power, I will purge those Muggle-born who steal magical power, abolish those nonsensical laws and regulations, and allow the ancient and noble bloodline to rule the world once more," Voldemort said in a deep voice.

"Pure-blood Supremacy..." Herpo murmured, then chuckled coldly, "You think that because you consider yourself different, you've discovered that you have ancient blood flowing through your veins, right?"

Voldemort scoffed, "The blood that flows in my veins is that of Slytherin." His tone was filled with undisguised pride.

The eight snake chains binding Herpo seemed to be stimulated by something, and they raised their heads in unison, constantly flicking their tongues and emitting a shrill hissing sound.

Herpo sneered and said coldly, "Ridiculous. Do you know that the sealing technique that binds me now comes from your ancestor, Salazar Slytherin?"

"What?" Voldemort exclaimed in surprise, "Is our ancestor still alive?"

"Strictly speaking, he has long since lost his life in the true sense. What remains here is only a fragment of his soul. You know the magic of splitting a soul, right?" Herpo said.

Voldemort nodded. Having already created six Horcrux, he was extremely skilled in the ritual, techniques, and process of splitting souls. If Slytherin only had a wisp of soul left, he could not be considered alive; at most, he would only retain a trace of will to maintain the power of the seal.

"In truth, all you want is to prove your own extraordinary qualities," Herpo said. "My intelligence tells me that when you dealt with those ancient bloodline wizards who opposed you, your methods weren't exactly merciful. The so-called Pure-blood Supremacy is just a facade. What you truly seek is nothing more than to make everyone in the world fear you and remember your name."

Morgan le Fay had said something similar back in Little Hangleton Cemetery, so Voldemort wasn't surprised.

"That's not contradictory," Voldemort's eyes gleamed with a strange light. He displayed rare patience and explained in a low voice, "If I ultimately succeed in rebuilding a magical world ruled by ancient bloodlines, allowing the power of wizarding bloodlines to be purified and sublimated, and bringing back those long-lost, incredibly powerful, and earth-shattering Ancient Magic, restoring the glory of wizards in ancient times—"

"The Wizarding World has entered a new golden age, and from this day forward, the world will remember my name—" Voldemort said coldly, "As a great man of the Wizarding World, as the great Lord Voldemort."

Herpo's expression remained calm and indifferent as he turned to Morgan and asked, "So, Ms. Leffe, is what you also seeking world domination?"

Morgan shook his head slightly and said in a low voice, "Back then, I was blinded by greed and fell for King Arthur's trick, causing the Avalon School to decline from its peak, and ultimately even losing its stronghold on the Avalon Island... I have let down my teacher, I have let down my brothers and sisters who followed me..."

"I will reclaim what I have lost—" She raised her head, her eyes shining with unwavering determination, and said in a deep voice, "I will rebuild the Avalon School, I will restore its Arthur Avalon School!"

"Hehe," a strange smile curved Herpo's lips, his originally crimson Snake Eyes slowly darkening, "You all have good ideas, but in my opinion, they're all unrealistic fantasies."

Voldemort and Morgan were neither benevolent men nor women; both were ruthless and bloodthirsty figures in their respective factions. When Herpo mocked them like this, their expressions immediately turned cold, and they unconsciously exuded a dangerous aura.

Jafar and Barbarossa were both manipulated by Herpo. They had no choice but to obey Herpo's orders unconditionally. At this moment, the two of them snorted coldly and released violent magic, faintly rivaling Fumo and the other two.