txolops Chapter 360 Return to Tiannan
Chapter 360 Return to Tiannan
Through mental connection, Luo Ming clearly perceived the complex emotions transmitted by the Azure Dragon.
Although the Azure Dragon was quite intelligent, it had not yet taken human form and could not express itself clearly in words, but the core of the message it conveyed was very clear.
That powerful kin is rapidly approaching, and its target is clear: it's them! If they continue to follow Luo Ming, not only will they be captured, but they will also implicate their master.
Rather than being captured together, it's better to...
Luo Ming instantly understood what Qingjiao meant.
He remained silent for a moment, his heart filled with a mix of emotions.
"well……"
Luo Ming let out a long, silent sigh.
The struggle and reluctance in her eyes eventually turned into a deep calm.
He stopped his escape light, and with a thought, released the Azure Dragon from the Spirit Beast Bracelet.
His dark golden vertical pupils looked at Luo Ming, the fierceness he had shown when fighting enemies was gone, replaced by a clear longing and reluctance, like a child about to leave their loved ones, and a low, whimpering growl escaped his throat.
Luo Ming reached out and gently patted the cold, hard scales on the Azure Dragon's forehead.
Without further hesitation, he swiftly formed a complex hand seal and gently touched the center of the Azure Dragon's forehead.
"Buzz..."
The Azure Dragon's body trembled slightly, and a faint golden light appeared on its forehead. A drop of essence blood, only the size of a broad bean and emanating the same aura as Luo Ming, was slowly "drawn" out from the Azure Dragon's forehead by Luo Ming's magic.
This is the original mark of the "Master-Servant Contract" that was planted in the core of the Azure Dragon's soul when it was subdued!
Retrieving this drop of essence blood signifies that Luo Ming has voluntarily and completely released himself from the control and restraint of the Azure Dragon's soul. From now on, the Azure Dragon will no longer be his "spirit beast," but a completely free and independent individual.
If they don't take it out voluntarily, once the transformed dragon catches them, it will surely have the means to forcibly erase or destroy this drop of essence blood imprint with its strength. At that time, Luo Ming, as the "master", will inevitably suffer a backlash to his soul and suffer considerable losses.
"Go on, little one."
Immediately, he activated the Wind-Escape Shuttle with his mind, and the azure light rose again!
Luo Ming pushed his speed to the limit and sped away! His figure quickly became a small dot on the horizon.
Only the enormous body of the Azure Dragon remained, still hovering blankly on the sea surface. Its dark golden vertical pupils stared unblinkingly in the direction where Luo Ming had disappeared. Its huge head was slightly tilted, as if it was still processing everything that had just happened, as well as the mental connection that had suddenly become "empty" and lost some important bond.
After a long while, it seemed to finally understand. It raised its head and let out a long, drawn-out dragon roar in the direction Luo Ming had left.
Without hesitation, the Azure Dragon swung its massive body, its azure demonic power surging around it, and silently disappeared into the deep blue sea below, without splashing much water.
……
On the Wind-Escape Shuttle, Luo Ming was completely focused on controlling the shuttle, his expression calm, even excessively so.
"Strength... I'm still not strong enough!"
If he had the cultivation of the Nascent Soul stage and sufficient strength, why would he need to flee in such a sorry state, or be forced to abandon the spirit beast that had accompanied him for many years?
Perhaps sensing the complex and melancholic emotions in their master's heart, the Xuan Turtle and the Zhi Yang Bird, which had recovered most of their injuries through pills and rest, both inside the Five Spirit Bracelet, showed emotional fluctuations of worry and comfort.
"Haha, your master isn't that fragile. Let Xiaoqing return to the Flood Dragon Clan for a while. It might be more beneficial. Once we're stronger, we'll bring Xiaoqing back," Luo Ming said with a smile.
"Go to Tiannan! Through that ancient teleportation array!" Luo Ming made the decision instantly.
The Chaotic Star Sea is currently in a turbulent period. The Star Palace is at war with the Reverse Star Alliance, and the outer sea demons may also make moves. In addition, having offended the Flood Dragon Clan, staying here is fraught with danger.
Moreover, he now has several pressing matters that he must address as soon as possible.
First, his dantian and golden core were occupied by that drop of golden essence blood, causing him to lose all his magical power. This must be resolved as soon as possible.
Secondly, the Ghost King within the Myriad Souls Banner is about to break through, but now that he has lost his magic power, he cannot control the Myriad Souls Banner to effectively suppress or guide him.
Once the Ghost King breaks through to the Nascent Soul stage on his own within the banner, given his current state, he may not be able to suppress it, and might even be devoured by it, with unimaginable consequences!
Having made up his mind, Luo Ming no longer hesitated. After identifying the direction, he pushed the speed of the Wind Shuttle to the limit, even at the cost of consuming the last of his Wind Spirit Stones, transforming into an almost invisible thin blue line that streaked across the sky.
Two days later, after traveling day and night, Luo Ming finally arrived at the sea area he remembered. After a careful search and confirmation, he landed on a small, unremarkable black island with sparse vegetation.
Half a day later, the teleportation array that he had tampered with was finally repaired.
"Buzz—!"
The ancient teleportation array, silent for countless years, suddenly lit up with a soft white light, emitting strong spatial fluctuations. The light grew brighter and brighter, enveloping Luo Ming, who stood in the center of the array platform.
The next moment, the white light, along with Luo Ming's figure on the platform, vanished without a trace.
……
Meanwhile, far beyond the Chaotic Stars Sea, on Silver Shark Island, deep within the Bright Moon Tower.
Outside the secret chamber where Yuan Yao was in seclusion, which was heavily guarded by restrictions, the Wind Fox Beast, which had been lying in wait as if invisible, suddenly opened its dark and deep beast eyes without warning!
It raised its head and let out a very faint, low growl from its throat, filled with confusion and unease.
Deep within a long-abandoned, desolate, and dusty mine hall, a circular stone platform, several meters in diameter and covered with ancient and intricate rune patterns, stands silently in the darkness.
"Buzz—!"
Suddenly, the mine hall, which had been silent for countless years, was abruptly broken by a deep, resonant hum that seemed to vibrate the space itself!
Immediately afterwards, the restrictive runes on the teleportation array platform seemed to be activated instantly by an invisible force, and they lit up with dazzling white light one after another!
"brush--!"
A slightly tense and wary figure appeared out of thin air in the center of the array platform, accompanied by strong spatial fluctuations—it was Luo Ming, who had just been teleported from the Chaotic Star Sea!
"Huh?" Luo Ming raised an eyebrow, a look of surprise on his face.
"This place...is completely unguarded? Not even the most basic level of security formation?"
Luo Ming's mind raced, and several possibilities flashed through his mind. But in any case, the fact that there was no one guarding him was a good thing for him. He relaxed his tense mind a little, but he did not completely let his guard down.
Only then did he have time to carefully examine the mine hall, which he hadn't seen for over a hundred years.
A glance around revealed faint traces of old spells, sword marks, and dried, blackened blood on the ground and rock walls.
Luo Ming walked to the edge of the teleportation array. He pondered for a moment, then extended his right index finger. A faint but pure amount of blood energy gathered at the tip of his finger. Like the finest carving knife, he quietly made a light stroke on an inconspicuous rune node on the edge of the array platform that connected to a secondary energy loop.
This is naturally to prevent someone from teleporting over from the other side.
Having done all that, Luo Ming didn't linger. He checked his bearings and headed towards the passage leading to the mine exit that he remembered.
The passageway was even darker, with many sections collapsed and blocked by rubble. The air was thick with the smell of damp mold and rock dust.
Luo Ming frowned. He remembered that an exit had been opened up back then, but it was gone now. It seemed that more serious landslides or human damage had occurred here in the past hundred years.
He stopped, pondered for a moment, and then took out a giant axe magic weapon from his storage bag. The axe was jet black, with an ancient design, but its blade gleamed with a cold light.
"drink!"
Luo Ming let out a low shout, his arm muscles bulged, and the powerful blood and qi in his body poured into his arms. He swung the black giant axe and cleaved it down fiercely at the thick rock wall blocking the passage in front of him!
"BOOM—!!!"
A deafening roar echoed through the narrow mine tunnel! Debris flew everywhere, and dust billowed.
Under Luo Ming's powerful axe strike, the thick rock wall was cleaved open like tofu, creating a huge crack several feet deep and over ten feet long! Luo Ming continued his work without stopping, swinging his axe one after another, like a tireless humanoid mountain-splitting beast, forcefully carving out an upward passage through the blocked rock strata!
"boom!"
Luo Ming put away his black giant axe, dusted off the rock dust and dirt covering his body, and stepped out of the hole he had carved, standing once again under the long-lost southern sky.
He looked around and found himself on a barren hillside, with the hole he had just made under his feet. Large and small stones were scattered around him, and in the distance were rolling hills with sparse vegetation.
This is the site of that small spirit stone mine from back then, now completely abandoned and almost unrecognizable from its original state.
"Phew..." Luo Ming let out a long sigh of relief, put the giant axe back into his storage bag, and couldn't help but show a helpless bitter smile on his face.
Such rough work as splitting mountains and breaking rocks would have been best left to the Xuan Turtle, which is skilled in earth-遁 (earth-遁 is a type of magical escape technique) and strength, or to the Gold-Eating Insect Swarm, which relies on numbers and the ability to devour anything.
Unfortunately, the Xuan Turtle was damaged while protecting his physical body in the spatial turbulence, and is currently recovering slowly inside the Spirit Beast Bracelet with the help of pills and sleep, so it is not convenient to disturb it;
The Gold-Eating Insect swarm suffered heavy losses in the spatial turbulence, and its vitality was greatly depleted. More importantly, some of the surviving Gold-Eating Insects seemed to have been stimulated in some way or accumulated enough energy, and they were showing signs of entering an "egg-laying dormancy period". It was not advisable to use them at this time.
"Well, it's a blessing that I came back safely." Luo Ming quickly adjusted his mindset, looked up at the sky, and roughly determined the direction.
"The most urgent task is to find a market or town where cultivators are active and find out the current situation in Tiannan, as well as the progress of the war between the righteous and the demonic. After being away for more than a hundred years, I wonder what the world has become like." A glint of light flashed in Luo Ming's eyes.
Without further hesitation, a thought flashed beneath his feet, and the Wind-Escape Shuttle appeared silently.
Luo Ming smiled slightly, and with a sway of his body, he stood steadily on the flying shuttle.
"Walk!"