284: Chapter 285 An Even Cruelering World

Following Lin Muyang's instructions, Alice activated the 【Sky-Riding Ice Shuttle】 once again. Space rippled slightly around her, and like a figure merging into ripples on water, she instantly vanished from the airspace where the previous floating building complex had been located. The next moment, she appeared in another high-altitude area thousands of kilometers away.

Looking around, the scene was much the same as before. Countless buildings of various styles floated between the azure sky and the thick sea of clouds, layered atop one another to form another massive and complex sky city. The higher one went, the more magnificent and sparse the buildings became, and the energy fluctuations they emitted grew stronger and more obscure. Clearly, the rules in this region were the same: the stronger the Class Transferee, the higher they lived. Height not only symbolized status but also meant fewer neighbors, more private space, and a relatively lower probability of encountering unexpected intrusions from the ground or the same altitude.

Down below, through the gaps in the thin clouds, the vast, desolate land could be vaguely seen. It remained a paradise for monsters, with various terrifying Auras intertwined; one could barely perceive any stable light of civilization belonging to humanity.

Through the fragmented information collected by the Nether Eye, combined with the fragments of ancient knowledge about this world in Alice's bloodline, Lin Muyang gained a clearer outline of the social structure and survival patterns of the Atlantis World.

"Humans born here have lived within these floating sky bastions since they could remember," Lin Muyang's voice echoed in Alice's mind, carrying a hint of emotion. "What is beneath their feet is not solid ground, but floating platforms maintained by magic. Only upon reaching eighteen, undergoing the class transfer ceremony, and awakening their talents do they truly step through the gates of this cruel world."

"But problems follow," he continued his analysis. "Inside these sky bastions, there are no low-level secret realms suitable for low-level Class Transferees to train. The safe, comfortable aerial home has also become a greenhouse that imprisons newcomers."

This was completely different from the situation on Blue Star. On Blue Star, although the practical combat opportunities provided by schools were limited, there were numerous secret realm entrances suitable for Class Transferees of different levels around cities and in the wilderness. In Atlantis, however, all known, relatively stable secret realm entrances were almost entirely distributed on the surface, which had been completely occupied by monsters. To level up and obtain resources, newcomers had to leave the safe skies and venture deep into the perilous ground.

Therefore, in Atlantis, the role of Class Transferee schools was magnified infinitely. Every such institution had to have a powerhouse with a level exceeding 400 stationed there. One of their core tasks was to organize and escort each batch of newly awakened Class Transferees to the surface, to find and enter secret realms suitable for their levels.

This was undoubtedly a high-risk, high-cost task. The escorting powerhouse needed to deal with various monster attacks that might be encountered along the way, ensure the students arrived safely at the secret realm entrance, and maintain a perimeter guard to prevent accidents while the students were inside. Because of this, the Class Transferees who could obtain the qualification for surface training had inevitably undergone strict screening.

"Talent has become a more cruel passport here," Lin Muyang observed. "Only newcomers with a talent rating of B-grade or higher are eligible to be included on the escort list and obtain that precious opportunity to train in the surface secret realms. Those below B-grade, unless they have a special background or pay an unimaginable price, are very likely to be trapped in the sky bastions for life, engaged in auxiliary work, with slow leveling and stagnant strength."

To maximize the safety and growth efficiency of these seeds, human society in Atlantis also poured in considerable resources. Every newcomer who obtained the qualification would, before their first trip to the surface, receive a free, tailor-made departure set based on their awakened class and talent. This equipment started at silver rank, and those with excellent performance or outstanding talent could even directly obtain gold rank equipment. As their levels increased and they demonstrated greater potential, they could also apply for support with higher-grade equipment and skill books.

"The competitive pressure is immense, the survival environment is harsh, but correspondingly, the resource support obtained by the elite far exceeds that of Blue Star," Lin Muyang summarized. "This is a world that takes the law of survival of the fittest to the extreme. For the continuation of the race, all resources must be tilted toward those with the most potential."

Under this extreme external pressure, despite the potential existence of various factional disputes and class conflicts within the human society of the Atlantis World, they displayed a superficial, high degree of consistency on the fundamental issue of fighting monsters and defending their sky home. At the very least, there was extensive cooperation and tacit understanding among major factions and nations regarding maintaining the sky bastion defense systems, organizing surface training, and sharing some key intelligence and resources.

Looking at Blue Star by contrast, there were still many barriers and competitions between countries. Although the monster crisis was severe, it had not yet reached the point of forcing all of humanity to put aside their differences and unite completely. Lin Muyang even thought that if he hadn't appeared, given Blue Star's current development trajectory and the speed of monster evolution, perhaps in a few hundred years, it would also be forced to follow the same path as Atlantis, retreating to isolated islands or the sky, internally forced to unite under the pressure of survival.

"The few preset hidden coordinate points, Alice, have you recorded them all?" Lin Muyang withdrew his wandering thoughts and returned to the current task.

"Yes, Master. In the four cardinal directions, in remote areas at least 5,000 kilometers away from the main sky bastion clusters, the coordinates have all been collected. One is located in a deep-sea trench, one is a perennially frozen polar wasteland, one is an underground lava cave in an active volcanic zone, and the last is this underground cavern on the Eternal Night Side where we are currently located." Alice responded quickly and transmitted the precise spatial coordinate data to Lin Muyang and Gui Wanwan via the soul link.

"This situation is unexpectedly favorable." Lin Muyang's lips curled slightly into a smile of a plan coming together. "I was originally worried that operating in the Atlantis World would quickly attract the attention of local powerhouses. Now it seems that the vast and dangerous surface, as well as the Eternal Night Side of the planet where humans are almost extinct, provide us with excellent hidden activity space."

His original plan was to infiltrate low-profile, slowly collect intelligence, and then find opportunities to obtain mythic grade or even higher-level resources. But now it seemed he could be a bit bolder. As long as they avoided those high-level secret realm areas clearly marked and guarded by major factions, and operated on the desolate surface or in the deep sea, the risk of exposure would be greatly reduced.

"In that case, our first step is to find an area in the middle or lower layers of a sky bastion with high population mobility to listen for some basic intelligence," Lin Muyang decided. "Understand this world's power system classification, major faction distribution, common currency, resource trading channels, and so on. Information is the foundation of action."

He was not too worried about Alice's safety. She had the Divine Concealment status, various life-saving and reconnaissance skills brought by the link, and his own remote support. As long as she didn't actively provoke those top-tier old monsters living in the highest floating cities with unfathomable Auras, it would be difficult for her to be discovered while operating in the relatively "civilian" areas below.

Gui Wanwan's voice came through the soul link, carrying a hint of helpless amusement: "Master, I was originally worried about whether opening a spatial rift in the sky would be too conspicuous. Now it seems we have to open it on the ground, or even on the seabed."

"Exactly," Lin Muyang affirmed. "And according to Alice's preliminary reconnaissance, both the surface and the deep sea are infested with large numbers of powerful monsters, including many of sky-opening grade. These monsters themselves generate various energy fluctuations and spatial disturbances. The fluctuations generated when we open the spatial rift, mixed in with them, are like a drop of water merging into the ocean, making it difficult for specific monitoring equipment or individuals with keen perception to accurately capture and locate."

To avoid any contingencies to the maximum extent, Lin Muyang rejected the plan to set the permanent spatial passage exit beneath the ruins of Alice's family castle. Although it was hidden, it had, after all, once had traces of human activity and was not safe enough.

The finally selected location was the Eternal Night Side of the Atlantis planet, which always faced away from the star. This hemisphere was shrouded in darkness and cold all year round, with only a few observation stations relying on geothermal heat or magic, and very few traces of human activity. The specific exit was set deep within a desolate mountain range, in a large underground cavern system occupied by a legendary-grade monster tribe called Cave Demon Sheep. Here, the monster Auras were mixed, and the space was already unstable due to geological activity and monster abilities, serving as a natural cover.

"For this preliminary exploration, just the three of us will go," Lin Muyang made the final decision. "Me, Xiao Wan, and Alice. Everyone else stay in the Eternal Garden to stand by, consolidate the power after the breakthrough, and familiarize yourselves with the link abilities."

"Understood," Gui Wanwan and Alice responded simultaneously.

Eternal Garden, back garden.

Gui Wanwan stood on a relatively open patch of grass, closed her eyes, and formed a complex hand seal in front of her chest. Her long silver-white hair moved without wind, and grayish, netherworld energy, as if from the depths of the Nine Netherworlds, began to flow around her. These energies were not violent, but rather carried a cold sense of order, and under her guidance, they slowly converged on a point in the space in front of her.

The space began to emit a low hum, like a plucked string. That point quickly became unstable, light twisted, matter blurred, and finally, as if torn open by an invisible hand, it formed an oval rift about two meters long and three meters high, with gray mist flowing along its edges. Inside the rift was chaotic, swirling colored light, connecting to the unknown other side.

Meanwhile, in the Atlantis World, deep in the underground cavern of the selected mountain range on the Eternal Night Side.

The air began to tremble there as well. The Cave Demon Sheep inhabiting this place—a kind of gregarious monster with a size comparable to a rhinoceros, curved giant horns on their heads, and fur as hard as rock—awoke one after another from their slumber or play. They were generally level 350 or above, the overlords of this underground area. At this moment, they became restless, their crimson eyes looking vigilantly toward a corner in the depths of the cavern that had originally been empty.

There, space rippled like the surface of water, and a gray rift, exactly the same as the one in the Eternal Garden's back garden, emerged quietly. Pure and unfamiliar netherworld energy seeped out in wisps, completely incompatible with the earth element and shadow energy originally permeating the cavern, immediately provoking strong hostility from the Cave Demon Sheep tribe.

"Mee—!!"

An exceptionally large monster sheep leader let out a low roar, like rocks grinding together. Immediately, dozens of Cave Demon Sheep poured out from the shadows and from behind the rock walls. They formed a formation, giant horns lowered, hooves scraping the ground, assuming a charging posture, and slowly surrounded the spatial rift. They could feel the unfamiliar Aura coming from behind the rift, and for them, with their extremely strong territorial awareness, this was a naked invasion.

However, before they could launch an attack, a figure was faster than them.

Alice's figure, like a ghost, stepped out from the newly stabilized spatial rift. She still maintained her disguised appearance of a human girl, her light blue eyes calmly sweeping across the group of ferocious monsters in front of her. Without a word, she raised her fair right hand, fingers spread, and aimed at the swarming herd of demon sheep.

The next moment, pure and blazing golden flames erupted violently in front of her palm without warning!

【World Purifying Flame】!

This was a talent skill from Feng Ling, now blooming in Alice's hands through the link. Although its power was reduced because it was not cast by the original owner, under the terrifying enhancement of Lin Muyang's multiple Auras, its momentum was still extremely shocking!

The golden flames did not spray scattered, but turned into a surging wave of fire, instantly sweeping across the entire cavern entrance! Wherever the flames passed, rocks melted, air twisted, and the fur of the demon sheep, which was sufficient to resist ordinary sword slashes, was ignited and carbonized like paper in front of this flame containing sacred purifying power!

"Mee—!!!"

The shrill, miserable howls instantly resounded through the cavern. The dozen or so Cave Demon Sheep charging at the front could not even struggle before turning into fly ash in the golden wave of fire. The demon sheep behind were terrified and wanted to retreat, but the fire spread too fast, and the scorching heat wave and sacred pressure made their movements sluggish.

Just one wave of the hand, one skill.

Dozens of legendary-grade monsters with an average level exceeding 350 were either dead or injured, their formation completely broken. The surviving Cave Demon Sheep screamed in terror, scrambling and crawling as they fled toward the depths of the cavern, never daring to look back at the figure that seemed like the descent of a fire goddess.

Alice slowly lowered her hand, and the golden flames extinguished, leaving only the scorching breath in the air and a charred trail on the ground.