Several hours later, Lord Azure Dragon appeared in the Teleportation Hall of Tianyan City, accompanied by two disciples. The handful of guards stationed there were startled and immediately stepped out of the hall to greet him.
"Greetings, Elder Azure Dragon. May this junior ask what brings the Elder here?" The Void Refinement cultivator leading the group addressed Lord Azure Dragon with the utmost respect.
It was clear he already knew that Lord Azure Dragon had become one of Tianyan City's Elders — hence the title.
"Open the teleportation array at once. I have urgent matters and need to leave immediately." Lord Azure Dragon swept his gaze across the teleportation arrays filling the hall and issued his order without a shred of courtesy.
"What? The Elder intends to use the teleportation array? May I ask whether you carry a written order or token from the Elder Council?" The Void Refinement cultivator was taken aback and asked hesitantly.
"Hmph. As a member of the Elder Council, why should using a teleportation array require so much fuss? Open it now!" Lord Azure Dragon narrowed his eyes, his expression turning cold.
"Elder Azure Dragon, this junior means no disrespect, but the Elder Council issued a strict mandate just two days ago. Starting from that point, regardless of status, all cultivators wishing to use the teleportation arrays must obtain the Elder Council's approval first. I would ask the Elder not to make things difficult for us. If we defy the order, the severe punishment that follows would be unavoidable." The Void Refinement cultivator's face was etched with distress.
"Is that so. In that case, I won't make things difficult for you. I'll go to the Elder Council and obtain a token then!" Lord Azure Dragon's expression shifted slightly, but after a moment's thought, his features relaxed.
"Thank you for your understanding, Elder. This junior respectfully sees you out— ah! Senior Azure Dragon, what are you doing?!" The cultivator had been wearing an apologetic smile, but in the very next instant, he suddenly felt the air around him tighten, and his entire body became utterly immovable.
He was not alone. The other guards who had come out to greet Lord Azure Dragon were equally paralyzed by some invisible force, their faces contorting with terror.
"Don't panic. I simply have urgent business that cannot afford the slightest delay. I have no choice but to teleport away on my own." Only then did Lord Azure Dragon release the hand seals he had been secretly forming within his sleeve, a trace of coldness crossing his face.
He raised one hand, and a white jade token suddenly appeared in it. He waved it toward the layered restrictions behind the hall doors.
A beam of white light shot forth instantly, and wherever it passed, the hall's restrictions dissolved and collapsed one after another.
Seeing this, a hint of delight surfaced on Lord Azure Dragon's face. He immediately led his disciples in broad strides into the hall, found a dedicated small-scale teleportation array, and stepped onto it without delay.
A deep hum resonated through the air!
The array activated in an instant. After a flash of white light, Lord Azure Dragon and the three disciples vanished without a trace.
Only then did the Void Refinement cultivator and the other guards feel the pressure release from their bodies, regaining the ability to move.
"This is bad — report what happened here to the Elder Council at once! You, restore the restrictions to their original state immediately!" The leading cultivator, his heart a maelstrom of shock and fury, barked panicked orders to his subordinates the moment he could move again.
At his command, some cultivators frantically pulled out communication plates, while others produced formation flags and discs, beginning to repair the protective restrictions that Lord Azure Dragon had shattered.
The entire Teleportation Hall descended into chaos.
And just at that moment, the very teleportation array that had just carried Lord Azure Dragon away suddenly emitted a low hum once more — it had been activated again.
Within the flickering spiritual light, an incredibly small shadow flickered past and was swiftly teleported away.
None of the cultivators in the hall, regardless of their level, could make out what that shadow actually was.
"Did… did something just teleport out?" Amid the stunned silence, one guard swallowed hard and murmured doubtfully, wondering whether his eyes had deceived him.
Meanwhile, Lord Azure Dragon was hurtling through a bluestone passage carved deep within a mountain, flying at tremendous speed with his two disciples. After a few flickers, they burst out through an entrance cleverly concealed by restrictions. After briefly orienting themselves, they shot off toward a specific direction.
And shortly after the three had departed, a faint streak of golden light emerged from the same entrance, pursuing Lord Azure Dragon without the slightest hesitation.
…
Half a day later, over a desolate stretch of wilderness countless miles from Tianyan City, a broad beam of azure light enveloped three figures, slicing through the sky at high altitude.
Within the escape light, Lord Azure Dragon's face was grim, his eyes flickering restlessly as though deliberating over some weighty matter.
Far below at the edge of heaven and earth, a faint yellow line became visible.
They were about to leave the wastelands behind and plunge into a boundless desert.
It was at that moment that, barely a dozen zhang behind the azure escape light, two explosive booms shattered the silence!
Two faint golden shadows tore through the void and shot forward, and with a single flicker, appeared mere inches from the escape light.
A piercing shriek of claw strikes rang out as a storm of claw projections erupted from the two shadows, enveloping Lord Azure Dragon so tightly that not a drop of rain could have slipped through.
Where the claw strikes swept, golden silk threads materialized out of thin air, crisscrossing densely to weave an inescapable net, leaving absolutely no room to dodge.