There were only three Transmission Portals in total, and access was time-limited. Naturally, it was first-come, first-served!

Ye Luo and the Royal Academy gathered together, rushing toward one of the Transmission Portals. Everyone understood well that acting alone would likely result in being pushed aside by others!

At another Transmission Portal, a similar scene was unfolding.

A few young disciples, whose affiliations were unclear, had managed to obtain spots to enter the Cloud Palace and had even waited for its opening. Yet, at the final moment, they were blocked by others!

They had rushed toward the Transmission Portal as soon as it activated, but before they could enter, they were stopped by members of a powerful faction right outside.

Since the number of people who could enter was limited, and more people inside meant fiercer competition for treasures, powerful factions started deliberately excluding smaller ones at the entrance!

Ye Luo naturally noticed this scene, but he didn’t pay it any attention. He fully understood such situations were unavoidable.

Nobody dared block the Royal Academy’s entry; after all, the Royal Academy was essentially the host of the Cloud Palace, and its strength was indisputable!

"Everyone switch on the locator function on your wristbands. After entering, gather together as soon as possible. I will broadcast my signal—do your best to come to me!"

At the final moment before entering the Transmission Portal, Ye Luo ordered the group.

Before setting out, the Royal Academy had provided wristbands with new capabilities: a location-tracking function to pinpoint the positions of fellow academy members, enabling them to gather at any location.

After all, acting alone this time in the Cloud Palace wasn’t feasible!

"Yes, Ninth Highness!"

The group responded loudly, then collectively entered.

With a flash of light, the Transmission Portal functioned much like a Transmission Array.

Ye Luo stepped inside without hesitation!

Upon teleportation, participants were randomly assigned to various locations.

There was no designated target; no one knew where they might end up.

Unfortunately, Ye Luo seemed a bit unlucky this time, as he was teleported directly onto a fake mountain!

Cloud Palace, overall, was a colossal building. Though it had some vegetation, it didn’t have any real mountains—only human-made ones.

These fake mountains were numerous, scattered throughout the Cloud Palace.

Elsewhere, such fake mountains might merely serve decorative purposes.

But within the Cloud Palace, they were one of the most dangerous locations!

The Cloud Palace was perpetually surrounded by mist, giving rise to a unique type of Spiritual Body.

Known as Cloud Spirits, these creatures were shrouded in mystery. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

No one knew how Cloud Spirits came into existence. However, thanks to Xiao Qi, Ye Luo had some insights. These Cloud Spirits were likely akin to elves like Xiao Qi.

Cloud Spirits varied in size and power, with differing levels of threat.

Most Cloud Spirits liked hiding within the fake mountains!

This time, Ye Luo’s luck truly seemed bad. Instead of being teleported to the outer regions, he landed directly on the palace’s fringe—a hotspot for Cloud Spirit gatherings!

Ye Luo had barely appeared when a Cloud Spirit lunged at him.

Ye Luo, just teleported, hadn’t had a chance to grasp his situation!

If it were someone else, they’d certainly be caught off guard and defenseless. Fortunately, Ye Luo’s combat instincts were far beyond ordinary.

Without hesitation, Ye Luo drew the Lingyun Sword, slashing toward the Cloud Spirit in one fluid motion. He also executed a sudden backflip, retreating swiftly.

However, an attack made in haste was unlikely to defeat the Cloud Spirit!

With a deafening boom, Ye Luo shattered a nearby fake mountain, but failed to damage the Cloud Spirit. Instead, the mountain’s destruction attracted even more Cloud Spirits to Ye Luo’s position!

"Damn, I underestimated this!"

Ye Luo felt frustrated, but he wasted no time on distractions.

At that moment, Ye Luo produced a talisman.

This item had been provided by the Royal Academy instructors before their departure. Everyone received only three talismans, reserved for emergencies.

After all, talisman masters were even rarer than array masters. In the entire Great Tang Empire, there were only a handful of them.

It was said that talisman expertise originated from the Eighth Region—an ancient and mysterious technique!

Ye Luo had heard of talismans on Earth, but only after encountering them in person did he understand their remarkable intricacy.

Despite resembling mere scraps of paper, the power they unleashed was utterly terrifying!

As Ye Luo infused the talisman with Spiritual Power, it activated immediately.

A burst of flame soared into the sky.

In midair, the fire condensed into a gigantic firebird, which circled briefly before descending!

Yes, descending!

On the surface, its speed seemed slow, as if its impact would be unimpressive. However, when it actually touched the ground, its explosive force compelled even Ye Luo to retreat further!

"Boom!"

In an instant, the firebird transformed into a fiery inferno, its flames spreading in all directions. Within mere moments, an area spanning hundreds of meters was engulfed in fire, where numerous Cloud Spirits struggled helplessly.

Cloud Spirits couldn’t compare to Xiao Qi. Their power paled in comparison to both Xiao Qi and the Demon Clan’s Demon Spirits.

Thus, the firebird sealed within the talisman promptly decimated numerous Cloud Spirits!

Ye Luo furrowed his brows slightly. Such overwhelming power surpassed his expectations—what an extraordinary talisman master!

If given the chance, Ye Luo vowed to study this art someday!

With the flames dispersing the Cloud Spirits, Ye Luo didn’t hesitate for even a moment. He followed the path cleared by the fire, dashing ahead rapidly. He had to leave the area as quickly as possible—otherwise, he risked being surrounded again by the Cloud Spirits!