Chapter 208: An Angel, Huh? Don’t Let Me Catch You!
The territory of the Eternal Clan was vast, with tall city walls encircling the outer perimeter.
Looking through the city gate, one could see various tall and magnificent buildings inside.
Zhang Yangqing couldn’t help but wonder if the native inhabitants of this world had perhaps over-invested their skill points in architectural craftsmanship.
The nameless mountain village they encountered upon arrival already had three-story buildings, and this place was even more impressive in scale.
The houses inside weren’t numerous and were spaced far apart, but their architectural structures were exceptionally ornate.
This didn’t resemble a mountain village or small town at all; it felt more like an estate of villas.
He was also quite curious about what the cities in this world might look like. Would they be even more magnificent than this?
The further one looked inwards, the steeper the terrain became.
At the very heart of the Eternal Clan’s territory stood a massive castle.
No explanation was needed; that was undoubtedly the residence of the Eternal Clan’s ruler.
In this Land of Perpetual Winter, the Eternal Clan’s stronghold stood like a towering mountain, eliciting awe from all passing climbers.
The outskirts of the stronghold were dotted with many ice sculptures, which appeared incredibly lifelike.
Upon closer inspection, one could see intricate details, including skin texture and hair, making it clear these were not ordinary ice sculptures.
The Eternal Clan would preserve the bodies of powerful beings who attacked them as ice sculptures, serving as a warning to all.
This was more than enough to demonstrate their formidable strength.
The two Eternal Clan members guarding the gate stood two meters tall, their auras vast and imposing.
Their faces were concealed behind red bone masks, and their eyes, large as copper bells, looked rather frightening.
Most ordinary Chosen Ones wouldn’t dare meet their gaze.
Even when the Goateed Captain went up to plead their case, they sternly refused, stating they did not accept outsiders.
This left the climbing expedition in a predicament. With the blizzard approaching, if they couldn’t find shelter from the cold and couldn’t light a fire, they wouldn’t just struggle to find the Frostneedle Sacred Tree tomorrow—they’d likely freeze to death tonight.
Just as the expedition was at a loss, a faint, flickering shadow caught their attention.
It was as if a spell had been cast on them; their gazes were drawn towards the shadow.
Noticing their attention, the shadow leisurely trotted away, seemingly beckoning them to follow.
The expedition members exchanged glances. The Goateed Captain’s experience told him it might be safe to follow now.
After all, the Eternal Clan was the most powerful race in this world. They possessed endless lifespans.
Moreover, they seemed unkillable, belonging to an immortal and indestructible type.
Based on the Chosen Ones’ understanding, their combat prowess should be comparable to that of special paranormal entities.
Perhaps in this strange world, the Eternal Clan was the so-called “special paranormal” type.
Their immortality alone was already bizarre enough.
Not to mention the presence of so many special paranormal entities here, it was enough to make anyone hesitate.
As everyone knows, unless the rules for killing them are found, few Chosen Ones would dare directly confront special paranormal entities.
The goal of the Chosen Ones and the expedition was simply to survive the night, to find shelter from the cold.
Picking a fight with the Eternal Clan here would be unwise, so the Chosen Ones decided to follow the plotline.
Snowflakes began to drift from the sky, and the cold was intensifying.
Many Chosen Ones calculated that in such a blizzard, they might not last more than two hours before freezing to death.
And this was among the physically stronger Chosen Ones.
The weaker ones were already starting to shiver uncontrollably before long.
After pursuing for a distance, the expedition finally got a clear look at the shadow.
The humanoid creature before them wasn’t tall, about one meter in height.
But its body was wrapped up tightly, with a cardboard helmet securely fitted over its head.
There were two holes in the cardboard, seemingly serving as windows for it to observe the outside world.
Just as Zhang Yangqing and the other teammates were puzzled, the Goateed Captain actually initiated a conversation with this cardboard-helmeted being, appearing quite familiar.
The voice from the other side sounded somewhat childish, likely that of a child.
And judging by its appearance, it didn’t seem to possess much combat power.
It was a mystery how it managed to survive in such a dangerous place.
From the conversation between the Goateed Captain and the cardboard child, some clues could be gleaned.
First, the Goateed Captain and the cardboard child did indeed know each other. The Captain’s clan lived on the outskirts of this icy wasteland, while the cardboard child’s clan resided in areas closer to the interior.
Because wars had broken out on this continent in the past, many clans had come here to escape the conflict and settled down.
They had lived here for hundreds, even thousands, of years and had already begun adapting to life here.
Not only were they acquainted, but the Goateed Captain and the cardboard child’s father were old friends.
After chatting for a while, the child began leading the way.
Along the journey, the Goateed Captain briefed the expedition about the local situation.
The cardboard child’s race was called the Black Feather Clan, possessing extremely high cold resistance.
They originally lived in this very area, the place the expedition had just reached.
But a few years ago, the powerful Eternal Clan arrived to suppress the angel’s descent and forcibly occupied their land.
Thus, they had to establish a new settlement on a vacant plot not far away.
Besides hunting for sustenance, they sometimes went down the mountain to trade goods for daily necessities, and occasionally relied on hosting travelers to earn some income.
Hosting travelers?
The Violet-Eyed Woman in Zhang Yangqing’s team seemed skeptical. Wasn’t the best way to earn rewards to simply slaughter the entire expedition?
Her thoughts likely mirrored what many others were considering.
After all, except for the Goateed Captain, everyone in the expedition was visiting this place for the first time.
After facing two dangerous situations, they were beginning to grow more vigilant.
So, the Violet-Eyed Woman said, “Captain, perhaps we should still try to find a way with the Eternal Clan. They can’t just stand by and let us die, right?”
This statement was a rather subtle expression of her concerns.
The Goateed Captain seemed to sense her worries and said with a smile, “Don’t worry, his father is definitely a good man.”
Seeing that the others weren’t entirely convinced, the Goateed Captain recounted his past climbing experiences.
Because the closer one got to the center of this region, the more likely one was to find treasures.
To become stronger, one needed to venture up the mountain to seek these treasures.
In his youth, the Goateed Captain often came to this area, though via other routes.
The other routes weren’t as perilous as this Chosen Ones’ climbing journey.
Perhaps due to the angel’s descent, other paths had become “tainted” and impassable.
Back in the day, the area inhabited by the Black Feather Clan was also a resting spot for many climbers.
As the cardboard child said, their clan did indeed rely on hosting climbers for income.
And it had grown into a small market of considerable scale.
Many people also traded for treasures at this small market.
He recalled a few years ago, when he found a treasure in an ice cave, but a ferocious beast guarded it.
A fierce battle ensued between man and beast. The beast was slain, but he was severely wounded and poisoned during the fight.
As he grew dizzy and was about to collapse, he faintly saw someone approaching.
He thought someone was trying to profit from their struggle, to kill him and claim the treasure for free.
Such things were not uncommon in this area.
But unexpectedly, when he woke up the next day, he found himself in the Black Feather Clan’s settlement.
The treasure he had found was placed beside him.
The one who saved him was the Black Feather Clan’s chieftain, the cardboard child’s father.
The chieftain could have easily killed him and taken all the treasures back then.
But he didn’t. It was then that the Goateed Captain realized the Black Feather Clan valued their reputation more than life itself.
According to him, the expedition might not trust him, but they must trust the Black Feather Clan.
Many in this world might deceive them, but the Black Feather Clan would not.
They were a clan with strong principles.
However, the Goateed Captain’s words left many present somewhat unconvinced.
Even some Chosen Ones didn’t fully understand.
After all, they had all come from so-called “cities.”
They were accustomed to deception, betrayal, and backstabbing.
Even for a tiny bit of profit, brothers might fight to the death.
Some Chosen Ones had even sold out teammates to survive.
In this world, could there truly be people who valued reputation more than life?
The Goateed Captain knew they might struggle to comprehend and didn’t elaborate further.
He had said all he could. Saying more might only breed more suspicion.
The other expedition members remained highly cautious but had no alternative.
If the Eternal Clan wouldn’t let them in, they could only temporarily rest at the Black Feather Clan’s place.
Besides, they had already stayed in the nameless mountain village and the sanatorium’s basement. What more did they have to fear?
As long as they survived tonight, they could continue their journey tomorrow.
Moreover, every member of the expedition possessed unique skills. If they couldn’t handle the Eternal Clan, surely they could deal with other clans.
After passing through a forest, the group came upon a populated area.
It could be called a small mountain village, though its scale wasn’t small either, with buildings of two stories or more.
The Chosen Ones admired their architectural skill.
There were about forty households. About twenty households to the north had a pair of white feathers hanging on their doors, marking them as the White Feather Clan.
Another twenty households to the south had a pair of black feathers, indicating the Black Feather Clan settlement where the expedition would stay.
Seeing the expedition’s arrival, the Black Feather Clan members warmly came out to greet them, seeming as if they hadn’t seen living visitors in a long time.
The White Feather Clan members, however, stood watching from the sidelines, distinctly separate, with no intention of approaching.
By this point, some Chosen Ones had begun to suspect whether the Goateed Captain might be a paranormal entity.
If he were, then the current situation could be explained.
The Egyptian Chosen One, Rahman, even formulated a hypothesis in his mind.
If the Goateed Captain were a paranormal entity, his goal would likely be to safely lead the expedition to this spot and then kill them all.
Just like in the nameless mountain village, by stripping the expedition members of their abilities, the paranormal entities could grow stronger.
They accumulated power by continuously attacking and devouring climbers.
Their objective? That was easy to explain: to attack the Eternal Clan and reclaim their occupied territory.
If the Eternal Clan was unkillable, then perhaps by worshipping the Harvest God, they could devour the Eternal Clan.
This might be the only way to defeat the immortal and indestructible.
However, one point didn’t quite fit: if the Goateed Captain were a paranormal entity, why take them to the Eternal Clan’s gate only to be turned away?
Wouldn’t it be better to lead them directly here, avoiding any suspicion from the expedition?
Seeing the genuine, heartfelt smiles on the faces of the Black Feather Clan members, Rahman was somewhat puzzled.
“Am I just being paranoid? They don’t seem like bad people…”
Whether they were or not, Rahman exchanged a glance with his other teammates.
His gaze swept over everyone, then subtly indicated towards the Goateed Captain, who was enthusiastically greeting the Black Feather Clan.
Rahman’s meaning was: Later, let’s find a chance to talk privately, away from the Goateed Captain. It’s too crowded here to speak freely.
The other teammates nodded in silent understanding.
Their recent cooperation had helped them understand each other better.
Sometimes, just a glance was enough to grasp the other’s meaning.
Zhang Yangqing’s team didn’t have as much scheming and suspicion, precisely because they didn’t trust each other!
Because scheming implies maintaining surface harmony while internally guessing the other’s identity and motives, yet being hesitant to voice it.
Since there was no trust, there was no room for suspicion.
In everyone’s eyes, apart from Zhang Yangqing, none of the others seemed reliable.
After chatting with the Goateed Captain for a while, the Black Feather Clan chieftain warmly welcomed the other expedition members.
This chieftain had a resolute gaze and an honest face that exuded trustworthiness at first glance.
Yet, for some reason, the other Chosen Ones felt something was off, remaining wary.
On their way, the expedition had seen many temples in this icy wasteland, with people worshipping various gods.
This Feather Clan village also had its own temple.
Following custom, visitors entering the village should first pay their respects at the temple.
Pushing open the door, the expedition saw a vividly colored statue.
This statue resembled a fallen angel, with one black wing and one white wing.
It rather fittingly represented the Feather Clan’s characteristics.
Most Chosen Ones followed local customs and began paying their respects, showing reverence to the statue.
Only Zhang Yangqing couldn’t be bothered to worship.
But the Black Feather Clan members didn’t comment; as long as some expedition members paid their respects, it was sufficient.
After all, people here were understanding. Different faiths had different rules.
At this moment, Zhang Yangqing noticed several rules inscribed below the statue.
Mountaineering Rules:
[Rule 11: Remember, your teammates will not harm you, no matter the circumstances.]
[Rule 12: Angels possess potent contamination. If you encounter an angel, try to avoid its eyes.]
[Rule 13: The Eternal Clan is powerful and possesses immunity to contamination.]
[Rule 14: If attacked by an angel, you can seek help from ‘humans,’ but ‘humans’ are an unstable factor.]
[Rule 15: Consuming the Frostneedle Fruit after obtaining it allows you to clear the instance.]
[Rule 16: The White Feather Clan can help you, but they can also harm you. If you need their assistance, you must fulfill their requests.]
While many Chosen Ones were still memorizing and pondering the rules, Zhang Yangqing seemed to already know how to identify which teammates were paranormal entities.
It practically spelled out the answer.
Later, he’d just need to employ a few tactics.
His methods might be something only he could pull off; whether other Chosen Ones could manage was another story.
As for this instance’s hidden mission, Zhang Yangqing had already guessed it.
The key to earning rewards lay in how to eliminate that so-called angel.
And the rules also provided a method to kill the angel: find the so-called ‘humans.’
But this task posed immense difficulty for other Chosen Ones.
First, they’d need to consider how to convince their teammates to kill the angel and what benefits that would bring.
Second, they’d need to find the doctor from the sanatorium, as he disappeared along with the humans. Finding him would lead to the humans.
Finally, of course, they must avoid being killed by the angel themselves.
Once dead, it was game over.
Most Chosen Ones performed quite well in this stage, earning rewards in smaller segments. As the instance’s difficulty increased, leaving with an S-rank evaluation was highly probable.
For ordinary Chosen Ones, achieving an S-rank was already excellent. Taking the great risk to kill the angel might not be worth it.
Besides, the rules stated that humans were an unstable factor. Was venturing such great risk truly worthwhile?
Thus, the hidden mission of killing the angel naturally fell to the few Transcendent-level beings present in this instance.
Transcendents like Gregorio were assessing the risks of killing the angel, considering the contamination issue.
Zhang Yangqing didn’t overthink it. An angel, huh? Don’t let me catch you!
Once I lay eyes on you, consider the mission accomplished. It’s that simple.
The Egyptian Chosen One, Rahman, was contemplating the rules’ meanings.
If he read correctly, the final rule mentioned fulfilling the White Feather Clan’s requests, not the Black Feather Clan’s.
Yet, they were currently in the Black Feather Clan’s settlement.
“Does the rule imply I should contact the White Feather Clan? Does that mean the Black Feather Clan truly has problems?”
With this in mind, Rahman remained alert.
As for Rule 11’s statement, Rahman pondered deeply.
He seemed to have an idea on how to test whether a teammate was a paranormal entity, but his method also carried significant risk to himself.
So, he considered using someone else.
Rahman’s approach represented the limit of what ordinary Chosen Ones might conceive.
[Rule 10: Your teammates are not weak. If you wish to seek a teammate’s help, first confirm they are indeed your teammate.]
[Rule 11: Remember, your teammates will not harm you, no matter the circumstances.]
Based on these two rules, a genuine teammate would certainly help the Chosen One within reasonable bounds.
Apart from paranormal entities, others in the team seemed unwilling to let teammates die.
Therefore, one only needed to find a way to put oneself in danger, then ask for help from teammates. The one who didn’t help likely wasn’t a true teammate.
And this needed to be done in a private setting.
However, doing so carried a real risk of getting oneself killed.
Thus, it might be better to have another teammate conduct the experiment and observe their reactions.
While somewhat unfair to genuine teammates, it was better than risking one’s own life.
Rahman hadn’t yet found the right opportunity to act, but he seemed to have a plan in mind.
Before that, he could first ascertain the Goateed Captain’s true identity.
After paying respects at the temple, the Chosen Ones followed the Black Feather Clan chieftain out.
But upon exiting the temple, they noticed there were other climbing expeditions staying at the lodgings here—two teams, it seemed.
These two teams cast somewhat unfriendly glances towards the Chosen Ones’ group.
