Cloud Raiment City, outside the Main Estate.

Zhang Xian stepped through the courtyard gate, his gaze sweeping over the industrial panorama of the city. Below him stretched endless rows of workshops and alchemy halls, their chimneys belching smoke and spiritual residue into the sky. The rumble of massive furnaces formed a constant, low-frequency thrum, while mechanical puppets directed traffic in the streets with clockwork precision.

It was a staggering sight. This wasn’t just a city; it was a machine—a complex economic engine built by generations of the Yun family.

And now, it’s mine to leverage.

With the system and his obscene wealth, it was time to elevate the Great Liang Kingdom. The threat of the Seven Emotions was existential; having a personal army was no longer a luxury, but a necessity. He had more spirit stones than he could spend in ten lifetimes—why not build an empire?

Just as his ambitions began to soar, a sharp twitch pulsed between his eyebrows.

It was faint—a fleeting brush of cold against his soul—but it sent a jolt of adrenaline through his veins.

Zhang Xian froze, his eyes narrowing as he scanned the surroundings. The sun was bright, the clouds drifted lazily, and the city below hummed with its usual orderly chaos. His divine sense swept the area, probing for killing intent or hidden spiritual fluctuations, but found nothing.

Instinctively, his hand went to his chest, brushing against a small, nondescript pendant beneath his robes. It was a passive detection treasure, similar to the [Rock Heart], designed to resonate with hidden hostility.

A false alarm?

Or did sleeping with Yun Wanqing offend one of her secret admirers?

He shook his head, suppressing the unease, but the feeling lingered like a bad taste. He turned sharply on his heel and marched back into the estate.

In the courtyard, Yun Qi looked up from a stack of ledgers, surprised to see him return so quickly. “Brother Zhang? Going back upstairs already?”

Zhang Xian’s expression was grim. “Arrange a quiet chamber for me. I need to enter secluded cultivation. Immediately.”

“Seclusion?” Yun Qi blinked, a look of newfound respect crossing his face.

He had assumed that after last night’s… extensive negotiations… Zhang Xian would spend the day clinging to his aunt like sticky candy. To turn around and dive into cultivation instead?

Perhaps I misjudged him. The man has discipline.

For the next seven days, Zhang Xian did not leave his room. He shut out the world, focusing entirely on stabilizing his foundation and preparing for the storm he sensed on the horizon.

Meanwhile, the Yun family mobilized.

Seven days later, the group assembled in the main hall. Zhang Xian emerged from seclusion, his aura tighter, denser, and humming with restrained power.

He surveyed the team: Inspector Zhiyin, Old Pavilion Master Yun He, Yun Wanqing, and the floating cloud bed carrying the still-unconscious Yun Zhen’er. They were escorted by a single Peak Golden Core guardian and two trusted attendants.

Zhang Xian turned to Yun Qi. “Brother Yun, you aren’t coming to the Southern Capital?”

Yun Qi laughed, a carefree sound. “Someone has to mind the store. The Cloud Raiment Pavilion is too big to leave unguarded.”

He stomped his foot on the stone floor. “Besides, this city has been fortified for centuries. The [Thousand Clouds Spirit Locking Formation] links every workshop, store, and street lamp into a single defensive grid. Even a Nascent Soul would break their teeth trying to bite us. The Southern Region is vast; surely the demons have better targets than a merchant guild?”

His tone softened as he looked at them. “You all are the ones walking into the fire. Be careful.”

Old Yun He stroked his beard, frowning slightly. “Zhang Xian, reports say the teleportation nodes around the capital have been sabotaged. Perhaps a flying vessel would be safer? Slower, yes, but less prone to interference.”

Zhang Xian considered it, then shook his head. “A vessel is a slow-moving target in open sky. We stick to the arrays. Since the direct line to the capital is down, we’ll bounce to the nearest major city with an intact node, then fly the last leg. It should only take half a day.”

Yun Wanqing looked at her daughter’s sleeping form, then nodded at Zhang Xian. “We follow your lead.”

“Good.” Zhang Xian gestured to the door. “Let’s move.”

The group wasted no time, proceeding directly to the city’s central Teleportation Hall. The massive array was already primed, the complex runes on the floor pulsing with a deep, oceanic blue light.

They stepped onto the platform. Yun Wanqing kept the cloud bed close to her side. Zhang Xian stood next to her, giving a final nod of farewell to Yun Qi.

“Activate!” the presiding elder commanded.

The air shrieked as spatial energy flooded the chamber. A pillar of blinding white light erupted, swallowing them whole.

The sensation of long-distance teleportation was like being tumbled in a dryer filled with glass. Time stretched and warped.

When the light finally died down, the group stumbled, disoriented, onto the platform of the destination city.

Yun Wanqing rubbed her temples, fighting back nausea. The journey had taken hours of subjective time inside the chaotic void. She blinked, her vision clearing, and looked around to check on everyone.

Her blood ran cold.

Zhang Xian was gone.

“Where is he?” Yun He barked, his divine sense exploding outward in a panic. “Where is Zhang Xian?”

There was no trace of him. The space where he had stood was empty.

Only Zhiyin remained calm, though her expression was grave. “Mid-transit,” she said coolly. “I felt a spatial disturbance. An external force intercepted his signature and pulled him out of the stream.”

“Intercepted?” Yun Wanqing’s voice cracked. “A spatial ambush?”

She understood instantly. Someone had hijacked the teleportation tunnel. Her hands trembling, she ripped the [United Heart Winged Pendant] from her sash. The jade was glowing with a soft, frantic rhythm, pulsing in sync with its twin.

“Qingqing, what are you doing?” Yun He shouted.

“I’m going to him!” Tears streamed down her face as she clutched the jade. “The pendant can lock onto him. I can teleport to his location!”

“Don’t be a fool!” Yun He grabbed her wrist, his grip like iron. “The transit took hours! In real time, half a day has passed since he was taken! Whatever trap he fell into has already sprung. The enemy capable of intercepting a teleportation stream is at least a Nascent Soul expert! You go there now, you die. And worse, you become a hostage that gets him killed!”

Yun Wanqing struggled, deaf to his logic, her eyes blurred with tears. She raised the pendant, desperate to trigger it—

Flashback: Half a Day Earlier.

Mid-Teleportation.

The stream of white light was stable, a tunnel through the void. Then, abruptly, it turned viscous.

Zhang Xian felt a sensation like cold tar wrapping around his limbs. His pupils constricted.

Spatial Anchor.

Someone on the outside had locked onto his specific coordinates. Before he could even circulate his qi, a violent force yanked him sideways, tearing him out of the protected tunnel.

The world spun. Colors inverted. The screaming of the void deafened him.

Then, gravity returned with a bone-jarring slam.

Zhang Xian hit solid ground. He was on a stone platform, surrounded by unfamiliar mountains.

Before his vision could clear, the sky above him turned black.

A massive beam of sword qi—heavy, lethal, and terrifyingly familiar—tore through the clouds, descending like the wrath of god directly toward his skull.