Chapter 730: Section 518: Shuanglian vs Cai Jing + Large Cup + Zhong Bei (Supplement: 2/11)
Zhong Bei, Master Da Bei, and Cai Jing, three mages, were standing in front of the Snow Honey Tower.
Looking up at the towering Mage Tower, envy shone in the eyes of Cai Jing and the others.
Having a Mage Tower was no easy feat.
The cost of constructing a Mage Tower was immense, and for most mages, it was something they could only dream of. Usually, it took the wealth of a regional power to finance such a creation.
Of course, that regional power had to be wealthy. Places like Snake Rat Island simply lacked the means to bear the cost of building a Mage Tower.
For a mage, possessing a Mage Tower—even the smallest one—brought significant benefits. Let alone the Honey Snow Tower before them, which stood five stories tall.
Zhong Bei, Master Da Bei, and Cai Jing had rushed to the Ice Sculpture Kingdom immediately after using a Teleportation Array on Flower Skirt Island to escape from the hands of Qian Xing, a pirate of formidable strength.
After all, the safest place near Flower Skirt Island was the Ice Sculpture Kingdom.
Once in the Ice Sculpture Kingdom, Master Da Bei, using his status and rights, quickly led the other two through Teleportation Arrays in various towns to reach the Royal Capital.
Upon entering the headquarters of the Alchemy Guild, they made their intentions and story known.
The Alchemy Guild took the matter very seriously.
Because this was related to the inheritance of the Prosperous Hybrid Master—a treasure of Legendary Level.
Although Master Cai Jing had previously had disputes with the Alchemy Guild, these conflicts naturally melted away in the face of huge benefits.
But before they could proceed with actual collaboration, there was another obstacle.
As the Guild Master of the Alchemy Guild put it, "Before we collaborate on developing the inheritance of the Prosperous Hybrid Master, we must thoroughly consider the stance of another elder."
The existence that could cause concern for the Guild Master of the Alchemy Guild in the Ice Sculpture Kingdom was the mentor of Bu Quan—the Tower Master of the Honey Snow Tower—Shuanglian.
The Guild Master continued to advise the three, "You might not be aware of Shuanglian’s attitude towards Bu Quan. She truly intends to groom Bu Quan as her heir."
"Even sending Bu Quan to Snowbird Port was an intentional move to give her a chance to temper herself."
"So, it’s best if you could obtain Shuanglian’s forgiveness before this collaboration and confrontation. Otherwise, based on her nature, she would likely cause significant trouble in our cooperation."
Subsequently, Cai Jing and the others arrived at the Honey Snow Tower to officially visit Shuanglian.
"I hope we can explain things clearly," Zhong Bei the mage said anxiously.
Master Da Bei comforted his son, "I am here, and just like Shuanglian, I am an elder of the Alchemy Guild. Be steady during the conversation and don’t damage the harmony!"
Master Cai Jing shook his head, his tone sour, "Bu Quan was nurtured by the Tower Master and joined a Mercenary Group? What was she thinking?"
Although Cai Jing was a Gold Level powerhouse, he truly envied Bu Quan, a Silver Level genius.
To compete for cultivation resources, Cai Jing had even resorted to making fake potions, which led the Alchemy Guild to exile this rule-breaker.
While Master Cai Jing was previously unaware of the matters involving Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps, now, with the intention to visit Shuanglian, Zhong Bei and Master Da Bei laid all cards on the table.
Including why they sought Cai Jing to produce counterfeit Dragon Power Riding Potions.
Consequently, Master Cai Jing understood the whole story and also learned about the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps, Bu Quan, and more.
"We have one part of the inheritance of the Prosperous Hybrid Master. If all else fails, we can just hand it over to Shuanglian as a bargaining chip!"
Master Cai Jing was speaking when suddenly, the space around them violently fluctuated.
The three mages attempted to teleport away, but at that moment, the Mage Tower before them erupted with power, firmly suppressing them in place.
Caught off guard by the spatial turbulence, they were swept away.
The scene before their eyes changed abruptly.
The next moment, the three had been transported from the headquarters of the Alchemy Guild into a world of ice and snow.
The fierce wind howled, picking up mounds of snow.
Amidst the whirl of snowflakes, a colossal humanoid phantom took shape.
The towering figure stretched to the heavens, bearing a striking resemblance to Shuanglian.
Master Da Bei was the first to recognize it and immediately cried out, "Elder Shuanglian, it’s me, Da Bei! Hold on, we can talk this through."
Zhong Bei the mage also hastily called out, panicked, "Elder Shuanglian, I can explain, I can explain everything."
The snow-formed phantom looked down at the three ants below, its voice booming and echoing throughout the heavens, "Explain what? What’s there to explain?"
"You lost my student and still have the audacity to come to me."
"Even if you brought others with you, they’re not your salvation!"
With that, the phantom suddenly disintegrated, turning into a tumultuous snowstorm.
The snowflakes swept in, mixed with the roaring wind.
The temperature plummeted rapidly, quickly chilling them to the core.
In the mages’ field of vision, everything was a vast white expanse, with countless snowflakes converging from all directions in a mighty onslaught.
The trio was like mere mortals caught in the throws of a centennial blizzard.
So insignificant!
So powerless!
The three of them felt a chill in their hearts, a thread of despair emerging from deep within.
"No, I don’t want to die here!" Zhong Bei cried, clutching his head.
Cai Jing shot Da Bei a glance, having overestimated the latter’s dignity, he didn’t expect this visit to Shuanglian to land them in such peril.
Master Cai Jing hurriedly cast spells, first erecting a Mage Shield to stabilize their stance, and then waving his Magic Wand to sweep away the surrounding snow, clearing their vision.
In the midst of it all, he did not forget to plant seeds, waiting for them to take root and grow.
Master Da Bei also promptly followed suit, using magic to counter the fierce blizzard.
Compared to them, Zhong Bei, a mere Silver Level Mage, was completely outmatched by the natural disaster.
In fact, even the two Golden Levels found it tough.
"This is bad, my Golden Level spells don’t have their expected power," Master Cai Jing quickly realized something was amiss.
"This is Shuanglian’s half-plane, she’s managed this place too formidably. Fighting here, we, as her enemies, are severely suppressed!" Da Bei hurriedly explained.
Cai Jing was taken aback and asked anxiously, "Shuanglian is only a Golden Level, how could she have a half-plane?"
Da Bei said, "Rumor has it that during one of her excursions into the Star Realm, she accidentally discovered a juvenile half-plane. After successfully capturing it, she bound the half-plane to the Honey Snow Tower. She’s spent a fortune persistently nurturing it; now it seems that the half-plane, though not yet mature, is at least in its adolescent phase!"
Cai Jing was so envious he couldn’t find the words.
"You still have the mood to talk!" From within the storm, Shuanglian’s stern voice was heard.
The next moment, the blizzard’s fury escalated wildly.
Countless Ice Bursts, Ice Blades, and Ice Arrows were shot toward the three Mages.
Spikes of ice also emerged from the ground, dense and numerous, like a phalanx of long spears.
The three Mages hurriedly ascended, barely avoiding being frozen by the blizzard--only to land back on the ground and endure the brunt of the ice spike onslaught.
Frost Magic—Ice Blade Technique, Ice Arrow Technique, Earth Spike Technique—Ice.
Frost Magic—Cold Wind Skill, Tornado—Snow, Blizzard Skill.
Frost Magic—Ice Seal Skill, Ice Freeze Technique, Snow Dance Skill.
Amidst his resistance, Cai Jing saw various types of Frost Magic in Shuanglian’s attacks.
"These spells have been cast so naturally by her, without a trace of artifice."
"Damn it, she’s an alchemist, not a Frost Battle Mage?!"
Before arriving, Cai Jing had learned a lot about Shuanglian from Da Bei. Compared to the actual situation, the gap between the intelligence received and reality was ludicrously wide!
Da Bei noticed Cai Jing’s reproachful gaze and quickly explained, "Shuanglian has set up at least three sets of Super Magic Arrays within her half-plane!"
"What’s the use of saying this now?" Cai Jing scoffed, "Hand over your son."
"I think Shuanglian just wants to give your son a harsh lesson!"
"You are an old face of the Alchemy Guild, and I’ve just joined. We are all Golden Levels; Shuanglian won’t really kill us."
Without a second thought, Da Bei shook his head to Cai Jing’s suggestion.
No matter how disappointed he was in Zhong Bei, he was his only son; how could he possibly hand him over?
Da Bei wanted to resist stubbornly: "Hold on a little longer! Shuanglian bringing us into the half-plane clearly means she doesn’t want our battle to draw the Guild’s intervention."
"The intense spatial fluctuations just now must have attracted many watchful eyes."
"If we just hold out a bit longer, someone from the Guild will come to intervene!"
With such an onslaught from Shuanglian, Da Bei dared not even think about winning. He was now focused on buying time until reinforcements arrived!
But how could Shuanglian not understand his thinking? The next moment, a mournful sound of the cold wind reached into the hearts of the three Mages.
A surge of sorrow and grief quickly welled up deep within them.
In an instant, this emotion became overwhelmingly intense, like a breached dam, rapidly engulfing their hearts.
Tears involuntarily welled up in their eyes, as tears of sorrow streamed down.
Overwhelmed with grief, their spirits fluctuated violently, no longer stable, and the failure rate of their spellcasting skyrocketed.
Zhong Bei was the worst off, already half-kneeling in the snow, completely losing his resistance.
He cried and wailed painfully, clutching the hem of Da Bei’s Mage robe, his cries hoarse and desperate.
"Stop screaming; you make it sound like I’m dead," Da Bei scolded, also overwhelmed with sadness. Fearful of spellcasting failure, he had to slow down the formation of the Magic Model.
As a result, his spellcasting frequency dropped significantly and the already precarious defense circle immediately shrank.
The fearsome blizzard, like an avalanche from Snow Peak, bore down upon the three Mages.
"Shuanglian has also mastered mind-affecting magic?" Cai Jing cried to Da Bei, "At this rate, we’re doomed!"
"None of the seeds I’ve sown have sprouted; if you have an ace up your sleeve, use it now."
Gritting his teeth, Da Bei pulled out a scroll from his chest.
He tore it open, releasing a defensive spell.
An aura of the Holy Domain Level!
The next moment, towering Ice Walls rapidly rose from all sides, enclosing the three Mages. Then, Ice Walls also condensed beneath their feet and above their heads, forming a complete icy enclosure.