Chapter 553: The Duelists Besiege the Magician Tower

Honey Snow Tower was forcibly dragged into the Tranquil Hill Divine Domain.

Both the tower spirit and Shuang Lian were conducting full-scale reconnaissance while rushing to repair the mage tower.

Bu Quan shouted nervously, “The enemy is attacking! So many of them, all gold level!”

Charging at the forefront was a burly, bare-chested man wielding a ram's-horn hammer.

It was Mo Gui Ji.

Mei Lin had only extended a simple invitation, and he immediately came to join the battle.

Next came Qing Hong Yan, the half rabbitman, half alchemy machine.

The other gold level fighters instinctively kept their distance from him.

Gu Dong and He Gai Tou formed the second wave.

Mei Lin and Xue Tuan Zi both rose into the air, beginning to channel their spells.

Yi Jiu, having consumed potions before engaging, lagged behind.

Yet one trailed even further: the wood elf Zhu Gan.

Ban Lan Gen, Qing Hong Yan, Gu Dong, He Gai Tou, Mei Lin, Xue Tuan Zi, Yi Jiu, and Zhu Gan. Eight gold level duelists united to assault the Honey Snow Tower!

But the tower struck first.

Beams erupted from the mage tower, dazzlingly colorful and encompassing all elemental forces except the negative energy of the undead.

The beams moved with astonishing speed. Mo Gui Ji and Qing Hong Yan were struck, each blown back by explosions of flame and lightning.

Gu Dong dodged decisively, while He Gai Tou hurled his round-brimmed straw hat as a flying shield to block the attack.

Xue Tuan Zi utilized frost magic to endure the impact.

Mei Lin, however, shattered upon contact, revealing she had merely projected an illusion as a decoy, her true form unknown to all.

Yi Jiu dodged with remarkable ease this time.

Zhu Gan proved even more effortless. Wielding a jade-green spear with a specially crafted tip, he lightly flicked the beams, sending them flying off course.

Honey Snow Tower's assault failed to halt the gold level duelists.

Soon, two magicians' spells were cast successfully. One spell turned into countless snowballs that slammed into the mage tower, exploding constantly. The other spell reinforced the other gold level duelists, making their attacks more ferocious.

As the two sides were too close in distance, Honey Snow Tower fell into a disadvantage.

After all, its attack range was exceptionally wide, far surpassing that of Snow Bird Harbor's mage tower. The latter's offensive and defensive reach encompassed the entire Snow Bird Harbor!

After withstanding a wave of attacks, the gold level fighters charged to the very front of the mage tower.

A barrage of gold level battle skills struck the mage tower.

At the gold level, battle qi could be condensed and projected independently, offering great flexibility. Even without flight capabilities, the battle skill itself could maneuver through the air.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The mage tower endured the barrage while launching a full-force counterattack against the gold duelists.

Though bulky and unwieldy, the tower possessed exceptional defensive capabilities. The Gold level duelists, however, held the advantage in numbers. They divided their attacks and moved with agility, evading most strikes.

For a time, both sides fought fiercely, locked in a stalemate.

"I never imagined Honey Snow Tower's defenses would be this formidable! This is no ordinary mage tower!"

"It's the newest among the kingdom's mage towers, but precisely because of that, advanced alchemy techniques were employed in its construction. Don't forget the kingdom's Alchemy Guild contributed its expertise to help Shuang Lian build it."

“The foundational structure alone surpasses most ancient mage towers.”

“Didn't you all see the intel? The funds Shuang Lian invested in this tower could have built half a naval fleet!”

The gold level duelists exchanged these remarks between combat bursts.

The engagement had been underway for a while now. They had surrounded the mage tower, attacking it fiercely from all sides.

Yet, they couldn't break through!

The Honey Snow Tower displayed remarkably strong defenses, though it wasn't even operating at peak defensive capacity. Remember, it had just traversed a spatial vortex.

Gu Dong voluntarily withdrew, secretly contacting Mei Lin and reporting, “Lord, may we unleash our full power?”

"We've followed your orders, holding back our true strength and familiar battle skills. But at this rate, breaching the mage tower's defenses is impossible!"

Mei Lin stood at the edge of the battlefield, gazing distantly at the mage tower and shaking her head slightly. “Be patient.”

“Since we've drawn the Honey Snow Tower into the divine domain, the outcome of this battle is already predetermined.”

“Victory will undoubtedly be ours!”

“Shuang Lian and Bu Quan are doomed.”

“The most critical task now is maintaining secrecy!”

“Though the mage tower cannot traverse space to escape, that doesn't mean information can't.”

“Once our identities are exposed, and Shuang Lian happens to possess such means of transmitting information outward, our situation will become quite troublesome.”

Gu Dong nodded, fully agreeing with Mei Lin's words.

But the others differed from Gu Dong; they lacked military backgrounds.

Bao Li Gen was knocked flying before regaining his footing. He roared at Mei Lin: “This turtle shell is such a nuisance! I can't use my full strength and just have to take the beating. What kind of nonsense is this?!”

Xue Tuan Zi frowned deeply and sent a magic message: "Mei Lin, what are we going to do if this keeps up? I have a crucial alchemy experiment pending, its success or failure determines my standing in the contest."

Zhu Gan had engaged in the least combat and bore not a single scratch, remaining as serene as ever.

He even yawned: "Attacking a mage tower is rather dull. Compared to that, fishing is far more entertaining."

Qing Hong Yan was the only one without complaints.

He grew increasingly frenzied as the battle progressed, his attacks fierce and relentless. His eyes turned deeper crimson as he chanted incantations under his breath. The duelists all kept their distance from him.

Yi Jiu drank the potion, receiving significant healing that restored his combat strength to 80% of its original level.

He was serious about facing Shuang Lian!

But seriousness alone wasn't enough. His prolonged assault yielded no breakthrough, only landing him in a beating time and again. It was frustrating and infuriating.

“If I unleash my Piercing Force and activate my gold level battle skill, I might break straight into the mage tower!”

“But I must find the weakest defensive spot.”

“Scouting alone makes timely detection nearly impossible.”

The key word here was “timely.” The mage tower was simultaneously under assault and undergoing repairs.

Even vulnerable sections could be patched up in short order.

Yi Jiu turned to glance at Mei Lin, considering leveraging her reconnaissance skills. But the thought shattered the moment it formed.

“Damn it, what am I thinking?”

“The interior of the mage tower is equally perilous. I have no idea how formidable its internal defenses are!”

"Besides, why should I take such a risk? Why should I go all out?"

Yi Jiu had been captured by Shuang Lian once before, and his previous collaboration with Mei Lin had been far from smooth.

He also recalled that even if he took the extraordinary risk and achieved the best possible outcome, defeating Shuang Lian and destroying the Honey Snow Tower, how much of the spoils would he actually receive?

Mei Lin now held the reins of power. How much could Yi Jiu truly claim under her rule?

The other duelists harbored unfavorable views of Yi Jiu. The likelihood of them banding together to ostracize him was quite high.

At this realization, Yi Jiu unconsciously slowed his offensive pace, beginning to coast through the fight.

Every move made by both sides on the battlefield fell under Mei Lin's watchful eye.

She sighed deeply within.

There was no other way. This wasn't the kingdom's navy. Mobilizing these experts had already required immense effort and resources.

Among them, some had been coasting from the start, biding their time, like Zhu Gan.

Most, under Mei Lin's orders, held back their true combat strength to avoid exposure.

Yi Jiu's identity was already out in the open. He was the only one on the field without that concern.

Yet their past collaboration, the recent rescue, and Yi Jiu's inherent character and values made it impossible to pin hopes on him launching a surprise assault to break the stalemate.

The mage tower's formidable defenses had even dampened the fighting spirit of brutes like Bao Li Gen.

The only one whose battle intent kept rising was Qing Hong Yan. But this guy, when he went berserk, would even kill his own allies!

“Honey Snow Tower...” Mei Lin's gaze fixed on the mage tower.

Her initial tactical plan had succeeded. Under her leadership, the duelists had successfully dragged the mage tower into the Tranquil Hill Divine Domain.

It was like a pitfall had been dug, and the prey had fallen in, unable to escape the peril.

But this prey was too formidable for the hunters to strike.

Still, Mei Lin had anticipated this outcome before the battle began.

Detailed intelligence gathered beforehand had already hinted at this possibility. And now, actual combat had fully confirmed her suspicions.

For this very scenario, Mei Lin had devised a solution.

“Use your divine favor! Let us unite in prayer!” Mei Lin commanded.

Gu Dong hesitated: “Are we really going to do this?”

Prayers rarely grant believers their heart's desire.

But expending divine favor could secure a targeted divine blessing. Especially here in the divine domain of Tranquil Hill, where prayers received direct answers.

The downside? It consumed a significant amount of divine favor!

Gu Dong said, “My divine favor isn't abundant, and accumulating it normally is quite troublesome.”

Mei Lin replied, “It doesn't matter.”

“Just do your utmost.”

"Whatever divine favor is expended, I will provide corresponding compensation after this battle. I have already made this clear to all of you."

“Indeed, that is so.” Gu Dong nodded, saying no more.

He wasn't defying orders, nor was he stingy with his divine favor. Rather, he feared others might react with extreme caution toward the expenditure of divine favor!

This was merely Gu Dong's reminder to Mei Lin.

Mei Lin knew this well, fully understanding that even generous post-battle compensation could never fully offset the value of divine favor.

For divine favor could not be bought or sold, but only earned through the personal actions of the duelists themselves.

As holy warriors of the Dueling God, their sacred duties made earning divine favor exceedingly difficult. Mei Lin's personal accumulation peaked at 2100. Most duelists hovered below 1000.

Holy warriors weren't like missionaries or bishops, who held advantages in divine favor acquisition.

They certainly weren't like the fishman youngster, who could earn thousands of divine favor simply by sleeping.

Deep Sea Monster Fish.

The fishman youngster awoke once more.

“Divine favor has increased again.”

“This time it surpassed 5000!”

“The concentration of the Surging Wave fishman bloodline... has reached 48%!”