Chapter 593: Tranquil Hill Divine Domain
Tranquil Hill Divine Domain.
Honey Snow Tower, control room.
Shuang Lian sat cross-legged mid-air, eyes tightly closed. Countless magic runes drifted around her body, weaving chains of arcane symbols.
Nearly a hundred magic rune chains connected one end to Shuang Lian's mind, while the other ends sank into the surrounding walls, linking to the tower spirit residing in the middle layer.
Waves of magic fluctuations continuously radiated outward from Shuang Lian's body, forming ceaseless ripples of energy.
Suddenly, Shuang Lian snapped her eyes open, her gaze blazing with dazzling brilliance.
In an instant, the fiery intensity in her eyes vanished.
The intense magic fluctuations died down as well.
Shuang Lian drifted slowly downward until her feet touched the ground.
The magic runes vanished into thin air, severing the link between Shuang Lian and the tower spirit.
Her hair fell wildly about her shoulders. The moment her feet touched the ground, an overwhelming wave of exhaustion washed over her entire body.
She longed to collapse onto a bed and sleep soundly right then and there!
Gritting her teeth, she forced herself to endure, reflecting on the results of this extreme calculation.
“The tower spirit has reached its absolute limit.”
“It was insufficient to calculate the flaw in this divine domain, unable to locate the spatial weak point.”
"But it did once again validate my conjecture, this divine domain truly is ownerless. The reason the Old King's Crowbar proved ineffective lies in that hill on the horizon!"
Honey Snow Tower was built from nothing by Shuang Lian herself.
The tower spirit within was also conjured by Shuang Lian herself through magic, existing as a kind of personal avatar. For this, she paid a heavy price, her mental capacity was permanently and drastically reduced, never to be restored.
Yet this sacrifice brought immense benefits.
For instance, the tower spirit could flawlessly control and govern every aspect of the Honey Snow Tower, far more profoundly and thoroughly than Shuang Lian herself could ever achieve.
Moreover, the tower spirit's computational abilities surpassed Shuang Lian's own. When Shuang Lian and the tower spirit were tightly linked, forming a unified mind, their combined computational power surged severalfold, far exceeding Shuang Lian's limits before the tower spirit's creation.
This was an extreme calculation.
Such calculations could not be sustained for long. While Shuang Lian herself still had reserves, the tower spirit could not endure.
Before the tower spirit was burnt out, Shuang Lian proactively halted the extreme computation.
“We must investigate that hill.”
Forcing herself to rise despite her exhaustion, Shuang Lian opened the control level doors and descended the stairs.
Soon, she gathered the students within the mage tower to hear their reports.
“Teacher, while you were performing the extreme calculations, we transported 3.5 tons of honey snow from the demi-plane.”
“As per your instructions, we maintained the public magic pool at full capacity, keeping the magic power reserve line consistently above 80%.”
"Tower Master, during this period, the enemy launched three waves of attacks. Though different gold level forces engaged us, none managed to fully breach our defenses. Repair work has been ongoing, and the tower structure remains near intact."
“Teacher, the lightning defense formation you ordered us to construct is now operational.”
“Teacher, we've continuously transmitted messages outward, yet we've received no response—not a single one.”
…
After hearing all the reports, Shuang Lian declared, “Cease all external communications.”
The students exchanged bewildered glances.
Ever since the fall of the Honey Snow Tower, they had been sending distress signals outward. Of course, these signals were encrypted, only the Ice Sculpture Kingdom's Alchemy Guild possessed the means to decode them.
Shuang Lian feared that revealing the location of the ownerless divine domain would attract more rivals. Outwardly, she stated, “Through this calculation, I've identified a vulnerability in this place.”
With a flick of her finger, a magic projection materialized, revealing a hazy image of Tranquil Hill.
“This is the core location.”
“By controlling this place, no, by exploring it and gathering sufficient intelligence, we can break free.”
“Now, I need to assemble an exploration team. Those interested step forward. I will reward you handsomely.”
Shuang Lian spoke truthfully.
This was primarily because she possessed an artifact of legend level—the Old King's Crowbar.
The more information gathered, the greater the crowbar's power would become, enabling her to pry open a crack in the Tranquil Hill Divine Domain and escape successfully.
Of course, Shuang Lian's ambitions reached far beyond mere escape.
She sought to pry open a larger share, to lay claim to, and ultimately control, this wondrous land!
Her students fell silent.
None showed eagerness at the call for volunteers. When Shuang Lian's gaze swept over them, their eyes darted away.
Her expression darkened.
Bu Quan, watching from the crowd, couldn't bear it. Remembering Shuang Lian's kindness to her, she was about to step forward when Shuang Lian shot her a fierce glare.
Bu Quan flinched, her foot retreating the instant it lifted.
Only then did Shuang Lian soften her expression. “Since none of you wish to volunteer, then so be it. I won't force you.”
Indeed, these magicians and apprentices were mostly scholarly or research-oriented types, with few skilled in combat. Even those possessing some combat ability, after witnessing the earlier fierce clash, dared not risk themselves by leaving the mage tower to explore this space.
Shuang Lian had anticipated this outcome. She proceeded with her arrangements: “Then we shall draw snow elements here.”
Despite their fall into the Tranquil Hill Divine Domain, the connection between the Honey Snow Tower and the demi-plane remained intact.
A coordinate anchor from the demi-plane was anchored upon the Honey Snow Tower.
The Old King's Crowbar had pried open a crack, preserving the link between the mage tower and the demi-plane, preventing it from being severed by the divine domain.
Within Shuang Lian's demi-plane, vast swathes of honey snow coexisted with numerous magic creatures. The most formidable among them were two gold level snow elementals.
When Yi Jiu had fallen into the demi-plane, these two snow elementals had pursued and hunted him, posing significant threats.
These two snow elementals were Shuang Lian's own magic pets.
Shuang Lian was wealthy, in fact, she was extremely wealthy!
Such wealth translated directly into corresponding power for a magician.
“Using these two magic pets as the main force for the exploration team, supplemented by some alchemy puppets for reconnaissance, is feasible,” Shuang Lian mused inwardly.
Outside the tower.
The duelists had changed shifts.
Gu Dong replaced Bao Li Gen, once again standing outside the mage tower.
Gazing at the tower, he sighed inwardly: “The Ice Sculpture National Ceremony has drawn all the duelists' attention away. We'll have to leave the Honey Snow Tower unattended for now.”
“Hope nothing unexpected happens during this time.”
Gu Dong crushed the snow beneath his foot with a stomp, launching himself toward the mage tower like a cannonball.
At the foot of Tranquil Hill.
A valley cabin.
Spring Boxer and Bing Xiao were engaged in a confidential discussion.
“That mage tower that was breached hasn't been destroyed yet?” Spring Boxer expressed surprise.
Shuang Lian could see Tranquil Hill on the horizon. From Spring Boxer's vantage point, the tower silhouette of the Honey Snow Tower, now miniature, could also be seen.
Mei Lin had also relayed relevant intelligence to Bing Xiao.
Thus, both Bing Xiao and Spring Boxer were aware of the situation.
Bing Xiao shook his head slightly. “The mage tower is not our concern. For us, the most crucial task is to uncover the traitor lurking among us!”
Spring Boxer frowned. “Does our Lord intend to stand idly by?”
Bing Xiao's expression grew solemn as he rebuked Spring Boxer. “How could we presume to fathom the thoughts of the deity?”
"In my view, this is a challenge our Lord has deliberately bestowed upon us, a trial. Not only does it test our mettle, but it also helps us grow stronger."
Spring Boxer hastily acknowledged the lesson and returned to the matter of the traitor.
Bing Xiao sighed: "All this time, we've speculated and investigated everyone, yet we still can't be certain. Everyone is a suspect, yet no one is truly suspect."
Spring Boxer pondered, “If that's the case, perhaps we should shift our approach.”
“Lord Bing Xiao, your previous approach was actually quite sound.”
“My previous approach?” Bing Xiao froze in surprise. “You mean relying on faith?”
He shook his head immediately. “Faith alone can't identify the traitor.”
"But it can create constraints. Once the traitor betrays us, they'll face punishment. From that perspective, all we need to do is deepen their faith as much as possible."
“You're absolutely right!” Bing Xiao pondered for a moment, his gaze toward Spring Boxer now tinged with a hint of relief. In that fleeting moment, he saw Teng Dong Lang in Spring Boxer.
Spring Boxer had been Teng Dong Lang's coffin bearer. With Bing Xiao's aid, he had successfully laid Teng Dong Lang's remains to rest in Tranquil Hill.
Thus, in the days that followed, he gradually absorbed Teng Dong Lang's memories and experiences from before his death.
Now, Spring Boxer has fully assimilated them.
The innocence and youthfulness that once graced his face had faded, leaving almost no trace behind.
Teng Dong Lang's legacy profoundly shaped him, forging a more exceptional and formidable Spring Boxer in remarkably short time.
Spring Boxer's behavioral habits, operational style, and even thought processes had advanced significantly.
He continued, “As long as everyone remains deeply devoted to our Lord, even if a traitor betrays us, our losses won't be excessive.”
“Until we can identify the traitor, this is our only strategy.”
Bing Xiao agreed, then analyzed, “Xiong Ju's devotion has reached the level of a fanatic.”
“The focus is on the others.”
“Let us ‘assist’ them a little. What do you think?”
In the past, Spring Boxer wouldn't have understood, but now he grasped Bing Xiao's implied meaning instantly.
Spring Boxer nodded. “Let me speak with them individually.”
Not long after.
Lan Zao was summoned and entered the wooden hut alone, meeting Spring Boxer.
“He really has changed,” Lan Zao thought inwardly.
Were it not for Spring Boxer retaining his former appearance, Lan Zao would have almost mistaken him for someone else.
After exchanging pleasantries, Spring Boxer got straight to the point: “When we first arrived, to maintain stability, we didn't reveal the truth...”
After hearing Spring Boxer's words, cold sweat beaded on Lan Zao's forehead.
His eyes widened in disbelief as he confirmed, “If my faith doesn't reach the devout level, I'll... die?”
Spring Boxer nodded, his expression grave.
He stated he absolutely did not want to see this happen, but he was powerless to prevent it.
“Pray fervently.”
“Devote yourself wholeheartedly to our Lord, that is your only sliver of hope.”
“This applies not just to you, but to everyone else as well.”
“You've already experienced the blessings of faith in our Lord, haven't you?”
"This is our Lord's divine domain. Only true believers may enter freely; outsiders cannot come and go as they please. Do you understand?"
Lan Zao was intimidated, his face grim. He nodded slightly, his voice hoarse: “I understand.”
Just like the Charming Blue Archbishop Zhou Zhang had done, to spread doctrine and faith, the Spring Boxer also employed death threats to coerce the other members of the Bayonet Gang into actively converting, deepening their devotion to the Dueling God.