Chapter 473: Returning to Central Plains
Chapter 473: Returning to Central Plains
"All right, since that's the case, I'll take my leave. By the way, I must thank you for your timely rescue earlier. Time is running out. I'll treat you to our Lei Clan's secret good wine next time..."
Mang Tian Chi didn't seem to be interested in interacting with others. With a wave of his hand, he didn't wait for Xiao Ming to respond. His figure shifted, causing ripples in the space, and he quickly disappeared.
Seeing the old man disappear so quickly made Xiao Ming feel helpless. He turned his head to see Hei Qing approaching.
"Phew, I finally found you. It's lucky that you have the Dragon Seal set by the Dragon Emperor in your body, otherwise, it would have been quite a challenge to find you."
Seeing that Xiao Ming was unharmed, Hei Qing also breathed a sigh of relief and said.
"I had a little mishap in the lightning pool, so I came out on my own."
Xiao Ming smiled without going into the details of what had happened in the lightning pool. Then he waved his hand and said, "I have mostly completed my cultivation. Let's go back..."
"Sure, I'm getting bored waiting here..."
Hearing this, Hei Qing's mood improved and he nodded quickly. His body then emitted a brilliant radiance before transforming into a massive black dragon. Xiao Ming climbed onto the dragon's back with a slight flicker of his body.
A resonant dragon roar echoed as they transformed into a streak of light that quickly soared away, disappearing into the distant empty space.
...
Upon returning to the Ancient Dragon Island, Xiao Ming noticed that the island had grown considerably, and the dilapidated appearance was no longer there.
"Hehe, it's possible that the other three Dragon Islands have been moved back," Hei Qing scratched his head as he looked at Ancient Dragon Island.
Xiao Ming nodded in agreement. The four Dragon Islands were originally united, but later they split apart. Now that the Ancient Void Dragon Tribe had reunified, it was likely that the islands would merge back together.
"Xiao Ming, you've finally returned. The Void Lightning Pool is extremely dangerous. I was worried that you might have some accidents there..."
Just as Xiao Ming and Hei Qing entered the Dragon Island, the figure of Zhu Li appeared in front of them. He smiled at Xiao Ming and said with a friendly expression.
Although the Ancient Void Dragon Tribe had many powerful members, the elders who had returned from the void had already developed solitary personalities. The other experts from the other three islands hadn't been assigned any significant roles due to the short time of the reunification.
As for the First and Second Elders of the Eastern Dragon Tribe, they were still in seclusion. Thus, only Zhu Li, a Half-Saint, remained to assist Zi Yan in leading the Ancient Void Dragon Tribe.
Earlier, when Xiao Ming inquired about the location of the Void Lightning Pool, it was Zhu Li who told him.
Zhu Li was greeted by both Xiao Ming and Hei Qing before they started talking.
"Xiao Ming!"
In the middle of their conversation, a euphoric voice was heard from below, and immediately a purple figure flashed and rushed to Xiao Ming's side.
"Zi Yan."
Looking at the vivacious girl in front of him, Xiao Ming was pleasantly surprised and asked, "Is everything settled?"
"Hm! The past month has been really exhausting for me. If I had known that, I would have let the elders take care of those matters." Zi Yan's delicate face wrinkled slightly and said with a slight bitterness.
Hei Qing and Zhu Li exchanged a wry smile as they looked at Zi Yan's slightly wrinkled face. It seemed that after Zi Yan's body matured, she only showed such expressions in front of Xiao Ming.
"There are some things that don't need to be done in person." Xiao Ming stroked Zi Yan's silky hair and gave her what he thought was the "best" advice.
After all, as Alliance Leader, he might not even have time to leave Holy Pill City if he didn't delegate tasks to others.
Zi Yan nodded and then said to him, having suddenly remembered something.
"I have already sent Elder Zhu Zhen to Holy Pill City. He sent a message back the day before yesterday saying that the Heavenly Court wants you to return as soon as possible."
"Oh? Did they mention what it was about?"
"They didn't specify." Zi Yan shook her head.
Xiao Ming fell into contemplation. He had wanted to absorb the Dragon Phoenix Origin Fruit together with Zi Yan on Ancient Dragon Island. But why did the Alliance decide to send a message now?
It disrupted his plans. However, since the Alliance had called him back, he naturally had to return. Delaying his breakthrough for a while wouldn't matter much.
"Are you planning to return to the Central Plains? I might as well accompany you..."
Seeing Xiao Ming's expression, Zi Yan immediately understood his intention. She smiled and suggested to him.
Xiao Ming was slightly surprised and asked, "The situation on Dragon Island is still in the early stages of recovery; is it really okay for you to leave at this time?"
As he spoke, Xiao Ming looked at Elder Zhu Li and Hei Qing. The current situation of the Ancient Dragon Island was different from that of Heavenly Court.
"This... the elders will handle the affairs of the island. If the Dragon Emperor wants to leave, there shouldn't be a problem." Elder Zhu Li paused for a moment before answering.
As Zi Yan had mentioned, the island's affairs were almost settled. The remaining matters could be dealt with by the elders. Since she wanted to leave, they had no intention of stopping her.
Xiao Ming finally nodded when he heard Zhu Li's answer. With Zi Yan by his side, they could absorb the Dragon Phoenix Origin Fruit whenever they wanted to break through. This could actually be considered a good thing.
"When should we leave?" Seeing Xiao Ming's approval, Zi Yan's eyes shone with excitement and there was a hint of impatience in her tone.
Xiao Ming smiled and looked at her. Given Zi Yan's personality, she was probably getting a little restless on the Ancient Dragon Island and wanted to take this opportunity to get some fresh air.
"Since there's nothing urgent here, let's go now..."
With a wave of his sleeve, a spatial channel opened beside him. He stepped into it first. After giving a few quick instructions, Zi Yan hurried into the spatial channel under Zhu Li and Hei Qing's gaze.
...
Lazy clouds floated across the azure sky and warm sunlight poured down from the horizon, giving everything a sense of languor.
Swoosh!
Suddenly, ripples spread across the calm sky, and a spatial rift slowly opened. Two figures stepped out of it.
"We've finally left that damned Dragon Island! I really don't understand why those people moved to that ghostly place in the past."
Zi Yan took a deep breath of fresh air as she emerged from the rift. Her delicate cheeks carried a hint of intoxication as she stretched out her arms.
During her time on Ancient Dragon Island, she maintained the majesty of the Dragon Emperor. However, now that she had left the island, her true nature was immediately revealed and all traces of that majesty were completely gone.
Xiao Ming could only shake his head. He had known for a long time that Zi Yan's original personality had never changed; she had just been hiding it.
She only showed this side of herself to those closest to her.
"Let's go. We're already within the Heavenly Court's sphere of influence. We should be able to reach Holy Pill City soon..."
Xiao Ming looked around and determined their location. Then he waved his hand and they quickly flew in the direction of Holy Pill City.
At their current speed, Xiao Ming and Zi Yan were nothing short of terrifying. In just a few minutes, they passed numerous cities below them. However, the condition of these cities raised Xiao Ming's eyebrows. Many of them looked ramshackle and worn as if they had been through a major battle.
'It seems that the Heavenly Court hasn't been peaceful in this past month.'
Observing the situation along the way, Xiao Ming thought to himself. Then, with a sudden burst of speed, they disappeared into the horizon with a blink, leaving the scene behind.