CHAPTER 346: CHAPTER 346 CLOUD CITY

Cheated?

Jiang Yuan looked slightly taken aback and vaguely said, "Uh, I just heard there’s treasure in the Mist Cloud, so I came to try my luck. I trouble Song Dao You to provide guidance."

"Definitely cheated." Song Zhi showed a "I knew it" expression and nodded, "The world is getting worse, nowadays this is not the Cloud City of old."

As he spoke, his stomach let out a loud growl, and Song Zhi’s face instantly turned slightly red with embarrassment.

"All this talking has made me hungry. If Song Dao You doesn’t mind, the moonlight is really good tonight, shall we have a simple meal on the ground?" Jiang Yuan, who has now seen much of the world and learned some manners of a "cultivator," immediately alleviated the awkwardness by taking out some food from his Storage Bag to restore physical strength whenever needed.

The other had not cultivated to the level of Fasting and happened to have been hungry all day without sparing to eat at all. Now, with steaming fragrant pork leg and roasted chicken laid before him, his rat-like eyes lit up.

"Oh my, this is really embarrassing..."

"I left home in a hurry and didn’t bring anything else, Song Dao You don’t mind." Jiang Yuan’s Storage Bag also didn’t have tables or chairs, so he had to sit on the ground and tear the roasted chicken in half, handing it over, while taking a bite himself.

Song Zhi saw this, and his moment of doubt was instantly dispelled, the encounter was accidental; the food was carried by the other, but him eating it showed it was non-toxic; besides, this is the earth realm of Cloud City, there should not be any Evil Cultivators, so he immediately thanked him and took a big bite.

"Mm!"

The unique fragrance of the roasted chicken rushed from the mouth straight to his brain, the chicken meat entered his mouth smooth and juicy, making him bewildered!

Having devoured half the roasted chicken leaving only bones, Song Zhi let out a satisfied breath, "Friend Jiang, sorry for the embarrassment. To be honest, I haven’t been living in Cloud City for more than a few years, I had no skill and little money so I became a Mist Cloud hunter.

Anyone with some abilities can thrive in the city.

Only talents like me with ordinary cultivation, not great cultivation technique, no strength, no family background nor other abilities would resort to this business. The big demons with high realm disdain the little gains every day from hunting Mist Cloud; but someone like me with low realm, bad luck would never return being swallowed by Mist Cloud!"

He held a chicken bone sincerely, "Friend Jiang, say no more, just being able to hustle this delicious food, you’d thrive in Cloud City!"

"So, Cloud City is indeed a good place to live?" Jiang Yuan pursued, "Can Song Dao You tell me in detail about the city? I’d be deeply grateful."

Just speaking is certainly useless; he grabbed a handful of Spirit Stones with sincerity, while handing over the pork leg.

"Actually, I was born in Cloud City from childhood, I understand it rather well, just that later my family fell..." Song Zhi took a bite of the fragrant and tender pork leg and opened up, "We all travel through the teleportation array in the city, it’s hard to understand the greatness of Cloud City.

The grassland beneath our feet reaches high into the clouds, and looking down from the border all around is a ten-thousand-feet abyss.

It is said that Cloud Prairie was once an ancient battlefield, during a battle between gods and demons a defeated demon summoned a meteorite, intending to perish together with the gods. The gods held up light to protect the entire Cloud Prairie, but the surroundings were blasted into ten-thousand-feet abyss by the meteorites.

These Mist Clouds that suddenly appear and disappear, with some treasures found inside, are said to be products of the god and demon battle back then.

Don’t be fooled by these clouds all white like snow, soft and fluffy, floating lightly; before Cloud City was established, the Demon Beasts and Demon Cultivators living on this prairie suffered greatly from the Mist Clouds!"

Jiang Yuan took a bite of meat and asked, "Is it related to what Dao You mentioned earlier being swallowed by Mist Clouds?"

"Swallowing is just one aspect. Mainly these clouds appear without warning, and disperse without order, anything alive covered by them would be whisked away. Even constructing buildings, digging underground caves, and guarding vigilantly don’t help much, many Demon Cultivators while cultivating or dreaming are unknowingly taken away.

If luck is good, taken elsewhere, clouds dispersing, falling to the ground, at best coming back; but with bad luck, swallowed or taken to the border where clouds scatter may fall into the abyss alive or smashing to death!"

Song Zhi spoke up to this point when a group of Mist Clouds quietly passed not far away, faintly a few frantic cries of "Help" were heard.

Before they could stand up, that giant cloud drifted away with the wind, the figure crying for help vanished, and the cry was gone.

"Alas! Another one is swallowed." He let out a heavy sigh, as if foreseeing his destiny, head hung low with sorrow surging within.

The surname and name of the person crying for help unknown, nor knowing if there is any family waiting for his return, witnessing a tragedy with one’s own eyes, Jiang Yuan’s heart was mixed with emotions. Full of wonder—where have those cultivators swallowed by Mist Clouds gone?

Could it be the teleportation gate leading to unknown regions indicated by the system analysis?

So many years, none of the swallowed cultivators have returned to reveal the truth?

"Friend Jiang saw just now, such tragedies happen frequently. Where did we leave off?" Talking while eating makes the mouth loud, Song Zhi gathered his mind and continued explaining, "Later, a brilliant Female Cultivator appeared on Cloud Prairie, who is none other than the City Lord of Cloud City.

She was born, grew up, gained wisdom to become a Demon Cultivator on this land, witnessing her father and sisters being swallowed by sudden appearing Mist Clouds during cultivation, unable to leave a last word.

When still young, the City Lord swore to build a city invincible to visits by Mist Clouds, to protect the life forms on the prairie. Many years later, Cloud City was established. It is said that multiple protective Arrays were set up around the city, City Lord personally defends it, so Mist Clouds must bypass the city, finally giving Demon Beasts and Demon Cultivators on Cloud Prairie a peaceful life.

Today, the city is more prosperous, just the teleportation arrays leading to other cities have four major arrays in the directions east, south, west, and north, convenient for travel, many Demon Cultivators venture to live in other cities, while many Demon Cultivators come to live in Cloud City.

The Cloud City of my childhood was under personal supervision of the City Lord, no theft during the day nor burglary at night, once any Demon Cultivator thought of doing evil they would be severely punished when caught. At the time, rumors circulated that the City Lord possessed a Demon Mirror Divine Artifact from the times of god and demon battle, helping her oversee the entire city.

Therefore, eliminating the scum within the city, and over time, the Demon Beasts, Demon Cultivators were all kind folk, many powerful Great Demons were willing for mutual benefit with Cloud City.

Unfortunately, my father who was doing business made great profits became too arrogant and ignorant, overlooked the stable environment advantages Cloud City provided, truly believed himself to be a business genius, thus migrated the entire family through teleportation to larger, more prosperous cities.

Upon arrival, found business experience from Cloud City didn’t work at all, City Lord protected him too well, made him unable to recognize the numerous deceitful tricks, in a few months falling victim to Evil Cultivators’ traps, found himself in debts.

Ultimately, parents died in foreign land, family members scattered each going their way, I was the latest to gain wisdom and worst at cultivation, had no ambition for eternal life, struggled to earn enough to use the teleportation array to return to Cloud City.

Regrettably, times have changed, Cloud City is not the same anymore, though still better in environment than other city controlled by Great Demons, occasionally no one cares about disputes among cultivators. I heard..."

Song Zhi spoke excitedly up to the crucial point, lowered his voice, "I’ve heard the City Lord in seclusion failed to advance, probably... her lifespan is running out. Alas! If rumors are true, there will surely be overt and covert conflict, Cloud City may not remain peaceful for long!"