Chapter 517: Shuang Lian vs Cai Jing, Da Bei, and Zhong Bei
The three magicians, Zhong Bei, Da Bei, and Cai Jing, stood before Snow Honey Tower.
Gazing up at the towering mage tower, Cai Jing and the others wore expressions of envy.
Owning a mage tower was no easy feat.
The construction costs were exorbitant, placing them beyond the reach of most magicians. Typically, only regional powers possessed the financial resources to construct one.
Of course, such regional powers also needed to be wealthy. Places like Snake Rat Island simply couldn't afford the cost of building a mage tower.
For magicians, controlling even the lowest level mage tower brought immense benefits. The Snow Honey Tower before them boasted a full five levels.
After escaping from Qian Xing via the teleportation formation on Flower Skirt Island, Zhong Bei, Da Bei, and Cai Jing immediately headed for the Ice Sculpture Kingdom.
After all, the safest place near Flower Skirt Island was the Ice Sculpture Kingdom.
Upon arriving at the Ice Sculpture Kingdom, Magician Da Bei leveraged his status and authority to swiftly transport the other two through various town teleportation formations, reaching the royal capital.
Upon entering the Alchemy Guild headquarters, they stated their intentions and recounted their journey.
The Alchemy Guild took this matter extremely seriously.
For it concerned the inheritance of Fan Sheng Za Zhong.
This was a legend level treasure!
Master Cai Jing had previously clashed with the Alchemy Guild, but in the face of such immense profit, those conflicts naturally melted away.
However, before formal cooperation could begin, one obstacle remained.
As the Alchemy Guildmaster stated: “Before jointly utilizing Master Fan Sheng Za Zhong's legacy, we must fully consider the stance of another elder.”
The figure commanding the respect of the Ice Sculpture Kingdom's Guildmaster was none other than Bu Quan's mentor - the Snow Honey Tower Master - Shuang Lian.
The Guildmaster continued to advise the trio: "You may not fully grasp Shuang Lian's feelings toward Bu Quan. She genuinely nurtured her as the chosen successor."
“Even allowing Bu Quan to depart for Snow Bird Harbor was a deliberate opportunity she granted her for growth.”
"Therefore, it would be best if you could secure Shuang Lian's personal understanding before proceeding with this collaboration. Otherwise, given her nature, she could very well create significant obstacles for our partnership."
Thus, Cai Jing and the others arrived at the Snow Honey Tower to formally visit Shuang Lian.
“I hope we can explain things clearly,” said Magician Zhong Bei, visibly uneasy.
Magician Da Bei reassured his son: “I'm here. Like Shuang Lian, I'm also an elder of the Alchemy Guild. During our conversation, stay composed and avoid any friction!"
Master Cai Jing shook his head, his tone bitter. “Bu Quan received cultivation from the mage tower master, yet she joined a mercenary group outright? What was she thinking?”
Though Cai Jing was a gold level powerhouse, he genuinely envied Bu Quan, a silver level prodigy.
In his quest for cultivation resources, Master Cai Jing had once resorted to manufacturing counterfeit potions, leading the Alchemy Guild to exile this rule-breaker.
Master Cai Jing had previously been unaware of the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps and Bu Quan's story. But since they were visiting Shuang Lian, magicians Zhong Bei and Da Bei naturally laid everything out.
This included why they sought out Cai Jing to forge counterfeit dragon rider potions.
Master Cai Jing thus learned the full story, gaining insight into the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps, Bu Quan, and other related information.
"We possess one of the inheritances of Fan Sheng Za Zhong. If all else fails, we'll simply hand it over to Shuang Lian as a bargaining chip!"
As Master Cai Jing spoke, the space suddenly erupted with violent fluctuations.
The three magicians attempted to vanish and retreat, but simultaneously, the mage towers before them erupted with power, pinning them firmly to the spot.
Caught off guard, the magicians were swept up by the spatial turbulence.
Their vision abruptly shifted.
In the next instant, they had been transported from the Alchemy Guild headquarters into a vast, frozen wasteland.
A fierce wind howled, whipping up mountains of snow.
Amidst the swirling snow, a colossal humanoid apparition coalesced.
This towering figure, reaching skyward and straddling the earth, bore an uncanny resemblance to Shuang Lian.
Da Bei was the first to recognize it, immediately shouting, “Elder Shuang Lian! It's me, Da Bei! Hold your fire! We can talk this out!”
Magician Zhong Bei also cried out anxiously, “Lord Shuang Lian, I can explain! I can explain everything!”
The snow-formed figure gazed down upon the three ants beneath its feet, its voice booming across the land: “Explain what? What is there to explain?”
“You lost my student, yet you dare come knocking on my door.”
“Even if you brought others with you, they're no match for me!”
With that, the shadowy figure abruptly shattered, transforming into a torrential blizzard.
Snowflakes pelted their faces, mingled with howling winds.
The temperature plummeted rapidly, soon freezing them to the bone.
In the three magicians' vision, everything was a white haze. Countless masses of ice and snow surged in from all directions, overwhelming them.
The three felt like ordinary mortals, trapped in a once-in-a-century catastrophic blizzard.
So small!
So weak!
A bitter sorrow welled up in their hearts, a thread of despair taking root deep within.
“No! I refuse to die here!” Zhong Bei shouted, clutching his head.
Cai Jing shot a glare at Da Bei. He had overestimated the latter's reputation. Never did he expect this visit to Shuang Lian would land them in such peril.
Master Cai Jing swiftly cast spells. First, he erected a magician shield to stabilize their position. Then, he swung his staff, flinging away the surrounding snow to clear their vision.
Amidst the chaos, he still found time to plant seeds, waiting for them to take root and sprout.
Magician Da Bei followed suit, casting spells to counter the raging blizzard.
Compared to them, Magician Zhong Bei was merely silver level, utterly inadequate against this natural disaster.
In truth, even the two gold level magicians found it difficult.
“This is bad. My gold level spells aren't packing their usual punch.” Master Cai Jing quickly sensed something amiss.
"This is Magician Shuang Lian's demi-plane. She's fortified it too well. Fighting here, we enemies suffer severe suppression!" Da Bei hurriedly explained.
Cai Jing's heart sank. She urgently asked, “Shuang Lian is only gold level. How could she possess a demi-plane?”
Da Bei replied, "Legend has it that she stumbled upon a young demi-plane during a stellar exploration. After capturing it, she bound the demi-plane to the Snow Honey Tower. She invested immense resources and nurtured it tirelessly. Now, even if it hasn't reached maturity, it's no infant!"
Cai Jing was speechless with envy.
“You still have the nerve to chat!” Shuang Lian's icy voice cut through the blizzard.
The next instant, the storm erupted into fury.
Countless ice blasts, ice blades, and ice arrows hurled toward the three magicians.
Spikes of ice erupted from the ground, densely packed like a phalanx of spears.
Cai Jing and his companions scrambled upward, nearly frozen solid by the gale. They had no choice but to land again, enduring the ice spike assault head-on.
Frost Magic - Ice Blade, Ice Arrow, Ice Ground Spike.
Frost Magic - Cold Wind, Tornado - Snow, Blizzard.
Frost Magic - Freezing, Frostbite, Snowflake Dance.
As Cai Jing fought back, he recognized the diverse formation of frost magic spells unleashed by Shuang Lian.
“She wields these spells with such natural ease, devoid of any trace of an amateur's clumsiness.”
“Damn it! Are you sure she's a magician specializing in alchemy, not a frost-elemental combat magician?”
Before arriving, Cai Jing had gleaned much information about Shuang Lian from Da Bei. Comparing this to the current situation, he felt the gap between intelligence and reality was absurdly huge!
Da Bei sensed Cai Jing's glare and hurriedly explained, “Magician Shuang Lian has at least three super magic formations deployed across the demi-plane!”
“What good does that do now?” Cai Jing sneered. “Hand over your son.”
“In my opinion, Shuang Lian just wants to teach your son a profound lesson!”
"You're a veteran of the Alchemy Guild, and I've only just joined. We're both gold level members, Shuang Lian wouldn't kill us outright."
Without a moment's hesitation, Da Bei rejected Cai Jing's suggestion outright.
No matter how disappointed he was in Zhong Bei, he was his son, his only son. How could he possibly hand Zhong Bei over?
Da Bei wanted to fight to the bitter end: "Hold out a little longer! Shuang Lian sucked us into this demi-plane precisely to prevent the guild from intervening in our battle."
“Those intense spatial fluctuations just now must have drawn plenty of attention.”
“If we hold out a little longer, the guild will send reinforcements!”
Faced with Shuang Lian's relentless assault, Da Bei dared not even dream of victory. His sole aim now was to stall for time until help arrived!
But how could Shuang Lian be unaware of his scheme? In the next instant, a piercing, icy wind swept into the hearts of Cai Jing and the others.
A wave of sorrow and grief surged from the depths of their souls.
In an instant, this emotion grew overwhelming, like a dam bursting, swiftly engulfing their hearts.
Their eyes reddened, and tears of profound sadness streamed down their faces.
They were overcome with grief, their minds in turmoil and no longer stable, causing their spellcasting failure rate to skyrocket.
Zhong Bei fared the worst, already half-kneeling in the snow, utterly unable to resist.
Tears and snot streaming down his face, he clung to the hem of Magician Da Bei's robes, wailing in agony until his voice cracked.
“Stop wailing! It sounds like I'm already dead!” Da Bei cursed, his own grief welling up. Fearing spell failure, he was forced to slow the construction of his magic model.
This drastically reduced his casting frequency, causing the already precarious defensive circle to shrink immediately.
The terrifying blizzard, like an avalanche of snow, bore down upon the three.
“Did Shuang Lian also study mental magic?” Cai Jing cried out to Da Bei, “At this rate, we're doomed!”
“Not a single seed I planted has sprouted. If you have any trump cards left, play them now.”
Gritting his teeth, Da Bei pulled a scroll from his robe.
He tore it open, unleashing a defensive spell.
A saint level aura!
In the next instant, towering ice walls shot up from all directions, encircling the trio. Soon, ice walls coalesced beneath their feet and above their heads, sealing them completely within.