Chapter 144: Battle
Just like the heroes in an RPG who encounter NPCs that aid them on their journey, at this moment, the Federation’s transcendentals were struck by a similar feeling.
Especially when the girl, noticing their hesitation, smiled faintly and asked, “Perhaps… you need a little help?”
But clearly, they weren’t the protagonists of some grand adventure story. More accurately, they were mere background characters—irrelevant passersby.
Because the very next second, the young boy, who had originally been targeting the [Lamp] attribute transcendental, suddenly charged straight toward the girl without a word, launching a lethal attack.
In fact, not only him—two others who had remained silent until now also erupted with intense surges of transcendental energy, and they too targeted the mysterious girl.
Almost instantly, a fierce battle broke out, with the Federation’s group completely ignored in the process.
Only then did they realize: the three attackers all possessed the [Cup] attribute.
After all, when they activated their abilities, the sickening yet bizarrely enchanting aura that overflowed from them was far too obvious.
As for being immediately recognized by her enemies the moment she appeared, Xu Zhi didn’t mind. However, even though she had been prepared, when all three archbishops struck her simultaneously with their transcendental powers, she still suffered a strong mental impact.
She had already analyzed their abilities. All three archbishops shared a common power: [Mental Attack], though each had a different effect depending on their vocation.
These effects were closely tied to their classes. Xu Zhi referred to them as debuffs—stack all three, and the victim was essentially crippled.
Fortunately, Xu Zhi’s mental strength far surpassed theirs. Even with a combined assault, she didn’t lose herself, though she was affected to a degree—her movements became sluggish for a few seconds, and her thoughts were briefly disrupted.
“So rude,” Xu Zhi muttered as she backed away, her tone light, but her mind alert. A simultaneous offensive from three archbishops could indeed cause her a brief delay—and in battle, that kind of delay could be fatal.
“Politeness? Maybe you’ll get some once you’re dead,” Ye Yan sneered arrogantly. Among the trio, he was the only one with melee capabilities, so he was the first to charge forward when Xu Zhi appeared.
Though Ye Yan appeared unarmed, Xu Zhi still immediately drew her blade, deflecting each of his attacks just before they landed. She managed to parry every time—precisely and skillfully.
This was one of Ye Yan’s abilities. His attacks weren’t bound by what the naked eye could perceive—they were faster and longer-ranged than they appeared.
This unusual timing and range made his attacks dangerous if you didn’t understand them.
Moreover, while he seemed to be fighting barehanded, when Xu Zhi’s sword clashed with his strikes, there was the clear ring of metal-on-metal. He likely possessed some kind of invisible weapon.
“Such a sneaky way to fight,” Xu Zhi said while dodging and seeking an opening.
“Hmph, like you’re any better!”
Ye Yan was frustrated. How was Xu Zhi predicting the timing and range of his attacks so precisely? How did she even know his abilities?
Strangely, Ye Yan felt as if she could see right through him.
What annoyed him even more was Xu Zhi’s elusive movement. If he wasn’t fully focused, he couldn’t even track her next steps—he’d nearly been slashed several times already.
“Damn mist!”
Ye Yan realized the cloak Xu Zhi wore was likely to blame. Its color blended with the surrounding fog, messing with his vision and making it hard to track her movements.
He even began to suspect that he was the one being suppressed in this fight.
That idea infuriated Ye Yan, but he refused to accept it. He blamed it all on the cloak.
“If it weren’t for that cursed cloak, how could a mere human transcendental hold her own against me?!”
“Just relying on external tools!”
As his words fell, a light chuckle echoed from within the mist.
“Aren’t you the one relying more on others?” the girl replied. “Compared to me, you’re clearly the one leaning harder on external help.”
“Is it because you know you can’t beat me alone?”
Ye Yan’s face turned bright red. His attacks became faster and more aggressive. Xu Zhi could tell right away that she had hit a sore spot in this [Prideful] archbishop.
But she wasn’t done.
She wasn’t using her full strength on Ye Yan at all—and she was also multitasking, because she knew what the other two archbishops were capable of. She suspected they were just waiting for the right chance to strike and kill her in one blow.
She couldn’t let her guard down.
And as an archbishop, Ye Yan’s abilities certainly weren’t limited to just mental attacks and this bizarre time-difference assault.
Transcendentals in the second stage typically possessed a wide range of base enhancements: strength, speed, regeneration. While Ye Yan’s baseline stats didn’t match Xu Zhi’s, he did have other powers.
To Xu Zhi, Ye Yan’s movements and internal energy fluctuations were as clear as daylight. If it were a 1v1, taking him out would be no problem.
And now, she clearly saw a new energy surge within Ye Yan, different from his earlier attacks. It must be another ability.
Without hesitation, Xu Zhi retreated a few steps and sent her dog companion charging forward to keep Ye Yan occupied.
As soon as Ye Yan activated his new power, the dog’s movements slowed.
This was Ye Yan’s other transcendental ability—he could generate a ten-meter-radius “magnetic field” around himself that suppressed the reactions of any biological entities within it.
That included movement, thought, and even the activation of transcendental abilities—everything would become sluggish and dull within the field.
“Afraid now?” Seeing Xu Zhi retreat, Ye Yan smirked.
Xu Zhi nodded calmly. “Terrified.”
As she spoke, dozens of moths burst from her body. In the black mist, their gray wings stood out like glowing embers. Everyone immediately turned to look at them.
The three archbishops did as well.
But the moment they instinctively looked at the moths, they realized their mistake and swiftly averted their gaze, summoning their energy to resist the moth invasion.
Xu Zhi seized the moment and sent Yi—who had been hiding in the shadows—and Zhen, who had been hovering above, diving toward Ye Yan.
Her goal: eliminate one first.
And she wasn’t lying—she was wary of Ye Yan’s magnetic field. Because she knew what the other two hadn’t yet shown.
If she stayed in the magnetic field too long and her reaction time or ability activation slowed by even half a second, she could be fatally wounded.
