Chapter 551: Mei Lin Battles Shuang Lian with Wit
“Got it!” Bu Quan nearly leapt for joy upon seeing the large pouch frozen solid.
She gazed at her mentor with admiration.
From the recent battle, Bu Quan had witnessed the vast gap between herself and Shuang Lian, yet she had also learned much.
Her lack of combat experience was the sole reason for her inexperience in battle.
With her intelligence, she could achieve extraordinary results in many areas if she dedicated herself.
Shuang Lian secretly relished her disciple’s admiring gaze, though outwardly she remained composed, glancing at Bu Quan. “See? You still have much to learn.”
Bu Quan nodded repeatedly, voicing her most profound realization: “First, I need a mage tower!”
“Uh...” Shuang Lian froze in surprise.
Bu Quan burst out laughing: "Master, thank you for the demonstration. I feel much more confident facing Yi Jiu now."
“But... are we really going to kill him?”
“He's begged for mercy multiple times and offered a hefty price for his life.”
Shuang Lian's expression turned stern as she fixed Bu Quan with a steady gaze. “Kill. You must kill him!”
Bu Quan's heart jolted, and he looked at his mentor in confusion.
A faint pressure lingered in Shuang Lian's calm gaze: “Remember, he is your enemy!”
“Yi Jiu once sought to harm you. Had I not intervened in time, you might have lost your life.”
“Killing such an enemy is the proper course.”
“Your hesitation stems from two things.”
"First, you remain too kind-hearted. Seeing Yi Jiu tortured into a pitiful, wretched state, watching him beg for mercy, it softened your heart!"
"Such kindness is profoundly foolish. Do you believe me? Give Yi Jiu another chance to fight, and he'll strike you down faster, with even more ruthless battle skill."
"Second, you fear the repercussions of eliminating a gold level opponent. Is that it?"
Bu Quan nodded.
Shuang Lian understood her so well, striking right at the core of her thoughts.
Bu Quan said, “Teacher, yesterday you mentioned the Thieves' Guild inquired about Yi Jiu's whereabouts.”
“We've already discovered Yi Jiu is a key member of the Thieves' Guild.”
“You didn't reveal the truth to the Thieves' Guild.”
“I feared that if word leaked out after killing Yi Jiu, the Thieves' Guild would turn against us!”
Shuang Lian smiled faintly: “Your reasoning is sound.”
She gazed at Bu Quan; her heart filled with pity.
In her youth, Bu Quan had endured brutal beatings and oppression from the Bayonet Gang, which led to the death of her nanny. Though not related by blood, the nanny had raised Bu Quan from childhood, their bond as close as mother and daughter. This loss dealt Bu Quan an immense blow.
Fortunately, Bu Quan later joined the Alchemy Guild, escaping the Bayonet Gang's continued clutches.
Such life experiences profoundly shaped Bu Quan's character and mindset.
Bu Quan was acutely aware of the Alchemy Guild's formidable power, and when facing the Thieves' Guild, a rival organization of the same level, she inevitably felt constrained and hesitant.
“The Thieves' Guild differs greatly from our Alchemy Guild,” Shuang Lian explained patiently.
“Because Thieves' Guild members don't just gather intelligence or conduct reconnaissance; they also carry out tasks like assassinations.”
“Therefore, the Thieves' Guild finds it difficult to openly protect its members.”
“We are the aggrieved party. Yi Jiu's assassination attempt failed, and we killed him in return, it's only natural.”
“The Thieves' Guild contacted us because they offered a high price to attempt a ransom if Yi Jiu fell into my hands.”
“But if we killed Yi Jiu, the Thieves' Guild would never openly retaliate against us.”
“If they would do that, they wouldn't survive this long.”
“Those with needs will find them and pay for their services, but the vast majority dislike them.”
Shuang Lian stroked Bu Quan's head: “And one crucial point, we are members of the Alchemy Guild!”
“Even if we kill Yi Jiu in public, the Thieves' Guild won't dare speak up.”
“Remember, we have backing.”
Bu Quan nodded.
After Shuang Lian's guidance, she resolved: “Then I'll do my best to eliminate Yi Jiu!”
Shuang Lian nodded: Even with the mage tower and magic formations, taking down Yi Jiu remains challenging for you right now."
“This is your homework assignment.”
“You may only leave the tower once it's completed.”
“I'll finish it as quickly as possible!” Bu Quan declared fiercely.
Yet no sooner had she spoken than a shrill alarm pierced the control room.
The tower spirit immediately spoke: “The demi-plane has suffered a spatial breach; spatial defenses have been penetrated.”
“Detecting divine power. Analyzing divine power. Divine power unknown!”
“Decoding divine spell. Emergency decoding in progress...”
"What?!" Shuang Lian and Bu Quan were shocked.
Shuang Lian hastily summoned the demi-plane's magic projection. The teacher and student then witnessed Yi Jiu praying within the snow cave, as shifting light and shadow revealed the landscape of another realm.
"This is a divine spell for teleportation! Divine power that can't be analyzed? I specifically acquired the Divine Power Compendium; it catalogs nearly every deity's aura in the Main Plane."
Shuang Lian's eyes flashed with fury: "I never imagined Yi Jiu was a believer of an unknown deity! Using him as a coordinate, the enemy could open a portal and teleport directly into my demi-plane."
Within mere seconds, Shuang Lian had grasped the situation.
The situation was critical. Shuang Lian immediately acted with full force, manipulating the mage tower to enter the Honey snow demi-plane.
In a snow cave, Yi Jiu knelt, pouring his entire being into prayer.
The spatial fluctuations from the mage tower's arrival and the overwhelming aura sent shivers down his spine.
Yet he didn't even lift his head, praying with every ounce of strength, rapidly depleting the divine favor he'd painstakingly accumulated.
It wasn't just Yi Jiu exerting himself. Within the Tranquil Hill Divine Domain, the duelists led by Mei Lin were also praying with all their might.
This caused the Tranquil Hill's space surrounding Yi Jiu to rapidly expand. What had been a constantly shifting blur of light and shadow quickly stabilized and sharpened.
Spell - Spatial Anchor!
After several seconds of brewing, the towering mage tower suspended overhead erupted with magic once more, casting the spell successfully.
A massive, translucent Spatial Anchor plummeted vertically, anchoring itself directly above Yi Jiu's head.
The anchor swiftly dissipated, but the spatial fluctuations triggered by the divine spell were rapidly suppressed.
The anchor's effect was immediate!
Yet it didn't halt the expansion entirely. The divine domain space triggered by the spell continued to expand slowly, though at a pace several times slower than before.
Shuang Lian continued manipulating the mage tower, casting spells.
Blizzards swirled, enveloping Yi Jiu.
Ice arrows and snowballs shot forth, ice elements rapidly coalescing to surround and attack Yi Jiu from all sides.
With no other choice, Yi Jiu halted his prayers and fought his way back.
"What should we do? Yi Jiu has stopped praying, and the divine domain space is being gradually pushed back!"
“Shuang Lian paid a heavy price in the demi-plane. The magic formation she constructed actually managed to block the descent of the divine domain.”
Gu Dong and the others began to panic.
The Divine Domain Descent failed to materialize, intercepted mid-cast by Shuang Lian's timely intervention.
Trapped within Tranquil Hill Divine Domain, Gu Dong and the others couldn't channel the spell sufficiently to force their way in.
Unable to join the battle, this group of gold level powerhouses could only watch helplessly!
Yet Mei Lin, the supreme leader of this operation, showed no signs of panic. Instead, a hint of anticipation flickered in her eyes.
Her beautiful eyes swept the room, taking in everyone's expressions before deliberately teasing them, “Rest assured, help will come.”
"Oh? Could Lady Mei Lin have planted someone close to Shuang Lian?"
"No, it's more likely one of Shuang Lian's students was bribed. After all, Shuang Lian favors Bu Quan the most, showing her considerable favoritism. This has already stirred discontent among many students."
Gu Dong and the others possessed solid military training. Before battle, they had memorized all relevant intelligence thoroughly.
But Mei Lin shook her head. “In such a short time, bribery would be difficult and risky.”
“If the bribery failed, word would leak out, alerting Shuang Lian and causing us to lose the element of surprise.”
“This time, the one aiding us is Shuang Lian herself!”
Mei Lin smiled confidently.
Gu Dong and the others froze in shock, then exchanged bewildered glances.
Had anyone else made such a claim, they would have voiced heavy skepticism immediately. But this was Mei Lin speaking.
Mei Lin wasn't just a magician, she was a commander in the First Navy.
Her leadership was exceptional. Under her command, the First Navy had crushed numerous powerful pirate factions. Her command abilities were universally recognized by the military.
"But getting Shuang Lian to help us against herself? How could that possibly work?" Gu Dong and the others couldn't wrap their heads around it.