Chapter 555: A Persisting War of Attrition
Before the multitude of gold level duelists, Mei Lin openly admitted her mistake.
Gu Dong declared, “No harm done! When we unleash our true power, I refuse to believe the mage tower won't fall!”
Mo Gui Ji countered, “They used a legend level artifact, isn't that even better? I've never laid hands on such high-grade spoils before.”
Mei Lin shook her head slightly. "If I'm not mistaken, that legendary artifact is the Old King's Crowbar. We've lost the conditions for a swift victory."
“Victory is ours. that was sealed the moment the mage tower entered the divine domain.”
“But this will inevitably be a protracted war.”
"Therefore, do not reveal your identities. If she can produce a legendary artifact, she might possess communication methods capable of breaching the divine domain."
The ensuing battle proved Mei Lin's point.
The duelists' assault couldn't penetrate the defensive layers of the Honey Snow Tower.
The Old King's Crowbar remained potent, but this time it leveraged not divine power, but the duelists' attacks, even the divine domain itself.
“Our most powerful battle skills are being siphoned away, becoming tools for Shuang Lian to strike back at us!”
“The closer I get to the mage tower, the more I feel the very heavens and earth rejecting me. This is supposed to be our home turf!”
“The Old King's Crowbar... How did Shuang Lian come to possess such an artifact?”
The duelists' prolonged siege yielded no breakthrough, leaving them disheartened and restless.
None felt it worse than Yi Jiu.
He had once been stranded in the Honey snow demi-plane, fighting and fleeing endlessly, feeling the entire world conspiring against him. Now that damned feeling had returned!
The space surrounding the mage tower repelled the duelists, instead shielding the invader tower itself.
“A legend level artifact...” Mei Lin sighed.
Equipment of this caliber was exceedingly rare. Having witnessed its combat effectiveness firsthand, Mei Lin could easily guess its significance.
A piece of intelligence suddenly flashed through her mind: “In her youth, Shuang Lian successfully captured a young demi-plane. Was this true?”
“Or did she encounter a more mature demi-plane? Did she use the Old King's Crowbar to pry open its defenses and seize it?”
"Damn it! How dare she!!” Mo Gui Ji, frustrated by his failure to breach the defenses, grew increasingly enraged. He shouted accusingly, “This is blasphemy! Utter, blatant blasphemy! Why does our Lord not severely punish this blasphemer deserving of death?!"
The divine domain was the gods' home. Not only did Shuang Lian battle within it, she pried off a portion to serve her own ends.
This was nothing short of slapping the god in the face.
Yet throughout the conflict, the duelists had given it their all, while the Dueling God remained utterly silent.
This was highly unusual.
When deities suffered such humiliation, they almost always intervened to uphold their reputation.
Reputation was paramount to deities, the greater their renown, the easier their propagation. Conversely, allowing a gold level duelist like Shuang Lian to push them around like this would utterly destroy the Dueling God's reputation. Who would trust a deity too weak to eliminate the mage tower, demonstrating such feeble control over the divine domain?
This would be extremely detrimental to the Dueling God's future propagation of faith!
Yet, the Dueling God remained utterly still.
“It... seems as if He doesn't exist at all.”
Some duelists' eyes flickered, their expressions shifting between shadow and light, already grasping part of the truth.
“The will to fight has plummeted to rock bottom. Alas...” Mei Lin sighed.
Had she known Shuang Lian possessed the Old King's Crowbar, she would never have devised such a tactic.
Now, she was stuck between a rock and a hard place, forced to push forward regardless.
“A war of attrition is our best option moving forward.”
“This will be a protracted battle. I will assign each of you to maintain constant harassment and surveillance of the mage tower.”
"The Old King's Crowbar can handle mature demi-planes, but it cannot overcome the Tranquil Hill Divine Domain. Its leverage over the divine domain has limits."
“Moreover, the legend level artifact is a guaranteed energy hog!”
Mei Lin tried to rally the men.
But the other gold level members weren't fools. Immediately, someone retorted: “Give us a break.”
"Shuang Lian has her honey snow. Her demi-plane is the kingdom's largest honey snow production site."
Honey snow, a unique resource that could be consumed or used as a specialized elemental crystal to feed magic pools, converting into magic power.
Mei Lin's gaze darkened as she reiterated, “That's why I said this will be a protracted battle!”
The duelists' clash with the mage tower drew the attention of another group.
“What's happening over there?”
“It sounds like a fierce battle is underway!”
“Ridiculous! This is the Tranquil Hill Divine Domain, how could any enemy possibly invade?”
This group was none other than the remnants of the Bayonet Gang.
The commotion from the divine power surge had drawn their attention.
As the divine power dissipated, the intensity of the battle plummeted, and they could no longer detect any signs of combat.
"Let's begin, Hen Fa.” Xiong Ju looked at Lan Zao, issuing a challenge. “Let me see what you've gained lately."
Lan Zao nodded and stepped into the center of the clearing.
Their sparring commenced.
Xiong Ju launched the first attack, aiming to draw Lan Zao into close combat.
But Lan Zao, the moment the sparring began, pulled back explosively, striving to create distance.
Bang, bang, bang...
As he retreated, he continuously fired bursts from his mouth.
Battle skill - Air Cannon.
Xiong Ju charged forward while taking the hits.
Each air cannon shell packed a solid punch, but the real issue was Lan Zao's increasingly precise shooting. His air cannons varied in power, mixing feints with real shots, making it impossible for Xiong Ju to react in time and significantly increasing his battle qi consumption.
Several shells slammed near Xiong Ju's feet, severely disrupting his advance.
Xiong Ju growled in frustration, momentarily unable to counter Lan Zao.
Watching the sparring match, Bing Xiao and Spring Boxer both shared the same thought: “He's gotten stronger again...”
Neither was the least bit surprised.
Since Lan Zao converted his faith, he received daily infusions of relevant experience during training.
This made wielding projectiles in combat second nature to him. Had he relied solely on his own efforts, it might have taken years to achieve such results.
Prayer, and receiving the divine blessing of the Dueling God in the Tranquil Hill Divine Domain, was an unparalleled shortcut to cultivation!
“Still, Hen Fa definitely isn't a match for Xiong Ju.”
“Xiong Ju's faith level is probably already at the pious level, right?”
Bing Xiao and Spring Boxer exchanged glances in secret.
Among everyone present, aside from Spring Boxer, the one who had made the most progress wasn't Lan Zao, but Xiong Ju.
Xiong Ju's devotion to the Dueling God grew ever stronger, yielding increasingly abundant divine blessings.
“Ha! Gotcha!” Xiong Ju finally closed in on Lan Zao.
Unable to maintain distance any longer, Lan Zao had no choice but to raise his fist for a direct clash.
Xiong Ju's blow was powerful and heavy. Even in his fishman form, with bulging muscles, Lan Zao was no match.
In an instant, Lan Zao was sent flying by Xiong Ju's punch, instantly incapacitated for further combat!
“What a pity,” Spring Boxer sighed inwardly, watching Lan Zao lie defeated on the ground. “Your level of devotion, like the others, is simply too low.”
“If this continues, I'll have no choice but to leave all of you behind in Tranquil Hill.”