Chapter 142: Entering Cloud City
In the end, the position of team leader still remained in the hands of the capital.
However, it wasn’t the [Lamp] attribute person, but a man who looked like a Federal officer. His eyes were sharp. Unlike most of the other Transcendents who squandered their powers uncontrollably, even though he too had been lured into the chaos by the boy’s manipulations, he instinctively restrained himself.
He even took on the role of a peacemaker, trying to stop the increasingly unruly Transcendents.
When the baffling scuffle finally ended, reason slowly returned to the group. But none of them realized they had been influenced. That arrogance had already taken root deep in their hearts, imperceptibly making them believe that all their emotions and impulses came from within themselves.
This was a dimensional suppression from a higher tier onto a lower one. Ye Yan hadn’t even truly activated his ability, yet he had already left an irreversible impact on the human Transcendents present.
If it weren’t for Xu Zhi, why would he bother acting alongside a bunch of ants?
At that thought, the boy blamed Xu Zhi entirely for his sour mood.
And so, without her knowing a thing, a giant pot of blame was neatly placed on Xu Zhi’s head.
After the farce concluded, the Transcendents quickly dispersed. Originally, they were supposed to continue discussions to formulate a basic plan, but after this incident—some injured and tensions running high—the meeting had to be cut short.
The plan would now be drafted solely by the Federation.
Soon, the time arrived for the “gate” to Cloud City to open.
To recognize each other more easily after entering Cloud City, the ten team members all wore special combat suits. Given the anticipated difficulties such as the breakdown of communication devices, they also prepared a variety of potentially useful tools.
At first glance, the path into Cloud City didn’t seem special. But once traversed, it became clear—the deeper you went, the denser the mist became, obscuring the way and causing disorienting loops. The fog outside the city seemed just like ordinary mist, carrying no notable energy.
But now, as the agreed-upon time arrived, the light mist shrouding the entry path began to churn and condense.
A “door” made of fog suddenly formed before their eyes.
And behind it—darkness.
“It’s… real.” Although they had assumed it likely wasn’t a hoax, seeing the door appear before them made the reality of entering Cloud City truly sink in.
“Let’s go before it closes.” Someone urged. And so, under many watchful eyes, the group stepped through the mysterious gate.
The moment they entered, it was as if they had crossed from day into night.
In the Federation, even at dusk, there was still ample light. But here in Cloud City, the darkness was abrupt and complete.
Cloud City’s dusk was indistinguishable from night in the outside world. Only faint traces of light allowed them to barely see in front of them, but beyond a certain distance—shrouded in fog—nothing could be seen.
“This is… Cloud City?”
The group stood frozen, feeling the transcendent energy flow into their bodies without even trying to absorb it. A flood of complex emotions surfaced in their hearts.
Were the people who had stayed in Cloud City really bathing in this level of transcendent energy every moment for the past half year?
They themselves had to either spend enormous amounts of money or earn significant merits just to enter a [Transcendent Energy Laboratory] built by the Federation to experience air rich in energy—but even that was far less pure than what Cloud City offered.
Directly absorbing from the core posed risks for Transcendents, but the lab’s energy was gentler, more easily absorbed by humans.
“This is really…”
Someone spoke in a tone close to a sigh.
“Let’s move forward. Xu Zhi said she’d come pick us up. Where is she?”
The speaker looked toward Lin Zizhen.
Lin Zizhen appeared calm, but inwardly was conflicted. He wanted to say: What are you looking at me for?
He couldn’t figure out Xu Zhi’s personality at all. From what little he did know, she definitely wasn’t the kind to give him advance notice.
But in this team, his connection with Xu Zhi was key to his standing, so of course he wouldn’t say “Honestly, I’m nobody to Xu Zhi.”
“This is her turf. Maybe… she’s already here?”
That was all Lin Zizhen could offer.
In truth, he had no idea. For all he knew, Xu Zhi might’ve completely forgotten this event and was off having fun somewhere. It wouldn’t be surprising.
And oddly enough—he was right.
Xu Zhi had indeed arrived.
She was cloaked, and no one had noticed her.
Even the three archbishops couldn’t detect her presence. Her level was now higher than theirs, and with her cloak’s concealment, even they failed to notice the observer lurking in the mist nearby.
“Anyway, let’s keep moving.”
The Transcendents had no intention of standing still. One of their missions was to investigate Cloud City as thoroughly as possible.
Leaving behind a faintly glowing device to alert them in case Xu Zhi showed up, the group proceeded deeper into the city.
Xu Zhi followed them silently, not revealing herself. She needed to observe first.
Even though she planned to confront the archbishops directly, she wasn’t reckless. Charging at them the moment they arrived would be plain stupid.
Surely they had prepared. Better to take advantage of being hidden and gather intel while the enemy was exposed.
As for how she observed—
The team hadn’t walked far when the [Lamp] attribute transcendent suddenly said, “Stop.”
His tone was urgent and slightly anxious.
Before he even spoke, the three archbishops had already turned their gaze toward the darkness ahead.
“What’s wrong?”
Someone asked, confused.
The [Lamp] attribute user pressed his lips together, regaining some composure before speaking: “There are aberrants ahead.”
Someone frowned. “That’s all?”
Aberrants were to be expected in Cloud City, with its pervasive black mist. They had already prepared for this, so why the alarm?
“No.”
The [Lamp] user interrupted him. “There are at least five aberrants ahead.”
As he spoke, over a dozen crimson eyes suddenly lit up in the dark fog ahead.
“…That many?”
With five aberrants, they’d need at least two people per creature. Not an easy fight.
Worse yet, they realized the aberrants here—nurtured in Cloud City’s high-density energy—were likely on a whole different level from the ones outside.
Xu Zhi watched coldly from a tall building.
The moment they entered her line of sight, she had already identified the three archbishops.
And those aberrants hadn’t been summoned by her. They were simply drawn by the presence of the Transcendents. If they stayed longer, even more aberrants would come.
After all, Xu Zhi had forbidden the aberrants from harming Cloud City’s residents. But these newcomers—fresh prey—were fair game.
She had no intention of interfering. She had already activated [Eye of Secrets] to start analyzing the archbishops’ abilities. But that would take time—these three were at the same tier as her, just slightly weaker. Still, breaking down their abilities required a good amount of time and energy.
Hang in there, she thought. Just don’t die before I finish.
Of course, that thought was aimed at the Federation’s Transcendents.
