Chapter 36: The Collapse of the Mage Tower

“What good are you all?! Why did you allow His Highness, the Holy Son, to enter that tower?! It’s been three days! A full three days! If anything happens to His Highness, the Holy Son, every single one of you will be sent to the plains to kill goblins!”

Outside the Mage Tower, Yanate sternly reprimanded the knights stationed there.

Beside him, Ye Ying and Nan Fenghua also stood.

Nan Fenghua bit her lip, struggling to hold back her tears. Ye Ying watched her, her face as still as an ancient well, yet her mind was filled with profound doubt.

‘Did he only become the Holy Son to enter this tower? Is there something inside so valuable that he would go to such lengths?’

Before she could ponder further, Nan Fenghua clutched her arm, her eyes brimming with tears as she looked at her.

“Godmother, please let me go in. Brother Holy Son must be trapped inside. He must be so helpless right now.”

Ye Ying looked at her own Saintess, a slight twitch in her brow. Though they had only met a few times, she could sense that Zhang Luan was not one to gamble with his life. If he dared to enter, he surely had a way out.

And if that fellow never emerged, all the better. It would spare her from having to obey a man.

“Absolutely not. The things hidden within this Mage Tower are far more terrifying than you can imagine. I once followed my mentor inside, but in the end, I didn’t even know how I got out.”

“But that was you back then, Godmother. With your current strength, you can definitely go in and—”

“Saintess!”

Ye Ying’s voice rose slightly.

“Don’t be reckless. While my strength here is passable, Akamana City is merely a remote, insignificant place. Compared to truly powerful nations, I am nothing. This Mage Tower has stood here for countless years; its dangers are beyond your comprehension.”

This was the truth. Although Ye Ying’s current level was the highest in all the regions near Akamana City, it was only in comparison to its immediate surroundings. The world was full of formidable experts. Akamana City, as it stood, wasn’t even a frog in a well.

The frog in a well could at least see a patch of sky through the well’s opening. Akamana City could only see the frog itself.

“But!”

Nan Fenghua was about to argue further when, at that very moment, the ground suddenly trembled.

Ye Ying frowned, clasping her hands together. A silver-white iris spear materialized in her grip, and she plunged it into the ground. Ripples of silver-white energy spread outwards. She shouted loudly to everyone:

“Don’t panic! It’s just a minor earthquake!”

No sooner had she spoken than she felt a tremor of unease. If it were truly an earthquake, the divine art of stone displacement she had just cast should have quelled the vibrations. Yet, the trembling persisted, growing steadily stronger.

She lifted her gaze, finally discovering the source of the tremors. The Mage Tower, which had brought nightmares to countless people, had actually…

Collapsed???

Boom! Boom! Boom!!!

“Disperse! Form battle formations! Prepare for combat at any moment!”

An anxious expression flickered across Ye Ying’s face. She still remembered the terror she had once felt. She hadn’t even seen what the monsters within this high tower looked like. Regardless, if even one of those creatures capable of concealing themselves managed to escape, it would be an immense loss for Akamana City. Even worse, it could give the Demonic Bombardment Papacy an opportunity to launch a war.

Thus, her apprehension was inevitable.

Smoke and dust billowed. Under Yanate’s command, the knights formed their battle array, their strength elevated by Ye Ying’s Blessing Aura.

Tap, tap, tap…

The sound of footsteps crunching over gravel emerged from the dust. Ye Ying stared intently toward the Mage Tower as a humanoid shadow flickered into view. She took a deep breath, and silver-white magic arrays appeared around her one after another, then merged into her skin, transforming into sacred divine marks.

This was one of her divine arts, Valkyrie Descent, her strongest combat form. She was ready to permanently seal off the entire area, never to be reopened.

The humanoid shadow grew increasingly distinct. Ye Ying’s eyes turned a pure silver, and the iris spear hummed softly. She transformed into a silver lightning bolt, charging towards the figure with a fierce gale.

Striking first always offered a greater chance of victory than reacting—this was the most important lesson her master had taught her.

“Demon, prepare to die!”

The spear descended from the sky with thunderous might. The figure paused, and in the next instant, vanished from its original spot. With a resounding crash, the gust of wind from the spear scattered all the dust. Ye Ying was about to continue her assault, but then she abruptly froze.

“Holy Son???”

Not far away, Zhang Luan looked at Ye Ying in her Valkyrie mode, a hint of admiration in his eyes. While her usual ascetic beauty was certainly appealing, this uninhibited Valkyrie form had been the fantasy object of many otaku in his previous life.

“Yes, it’s me. What? Do you still intend to stab me with that thing?”

Ye Ying frowned, clasping her hands together. The iris spear slowly faded, and the divine纹 on her body dissolved into specks of shimmering light that dispersed into the air.

“No, I just didn’t see clearly. What exactly happened? This Mage Tower…”

“I destroyed it. Don’t worry, everything inside is gone too.”

Zhang Luan tossed a coin in his hand, smiling cheerfully.

Ye Ying clearly didn’t believe him, but she said no more. Instead, she turned to Yanate, who had rushed over, and instructed:

“Seal the city. Conduct a thorough inspection.”

Yanate instinctively glanced at Zhang Luan, saw he wasn’t paying much attention, nodded, and then departed.

Ye Ying’s distrust was understandable in Zhang Luan’s eyes. He had just arrived and already caused such an incident. If even one monster had escaped, it would be a significant loss for Akamana City. However, Ye Ying didn’t know that those evil spirits feared sunlight. Even if a few stragglers had slipped through, they wouldn’t get far under the sun’s rays before being annihilated.

Not far away, Nan Fenghua spotted Zhang Luan’s figure. Her previously sorrowful expression immediately transformed into joy. Dropping her Saintess’s decorum, she ran swiftly into the ruins.

She threw herself directly into Zhang Luan’s arms, speaking with a choked sob:

“Waaah, Brother Zhang Luan, you disappeared for three days! I thought something terrible had happened to you. You scared me to death!”

Zhang Luan laughed heartily twice. He was about to comfort the crybaby when he suddenly realized something was amiss.

“Wait, how long was I gone?”

“Three days. Why?”

Zhang Luan rubbed his temples. He had only been in the Mage Tower for at most three hours, yet three days had passed outside? This implied that the flow of time inside the Mage Tower was completely different from the outside world.

“Nothing. I’m a bit tired. Let’s head back. Oh, and if I’m not mistaken, Akamana’s divine arts include one that increases lifespan, right, High Priestess Ye Ying?”