"Are you sure? Is there even a teleportation formation that strong?"
Floating high in the skies, above even the clouds, a massive dragon muttered in a worried tone.
Before him, a displeased looking man sat on a massive bird with incredibly arrogant eyes. It was almost comical that the dragon seemed afraid of them, beings that were smaller than ants to him.
Tian Di, the dragon sighed. Just a week ago, he did indeed look upon humans like ants. Caging him for auction was not a simple task. The Myriad Beast Sect colluded with the Black Mountain sect, creating a massive formation with hundreds of Nascent Soul cultivators. Even so, the hard fought battle lasted for a full day, 13 cultivators dying in the process.
Tian Di was if anything, extremely confident of his strength. Yet, his instincts told him the man and the bird would easily crush him. Even more insulting, the man was wearing robes that said he was only an inner disciple? Was that some kind of joke?
Senior Han glared at the dragon for a moment before nodding wordlessly.
Tian Di trembled, holding back his anger. That accursed human was looking down upon him! He cursed to himself, swearing that he would give the human a good thrashing. One day... once his cultivation advanced.
He didn't believe the two beings before him saved him without an ulterior motive, but with their strength, there was no way he could escape. The only thing he could do was to hope he wouldn't be chained, filthy humans harvesting his blood, flesh and scales as they regenerated for the rest of his life.
At that moment, his whiskers sensed a powerful force descending. Before he could react, he was pulled into a dimension filled with thousands of swirling colours, tunnelling through space itself.
Tian Di roared, but no sound came out.
“I am... the Myriad Realms Heaven Array...”
A sentient teleportation array?! Why was it trying to talk to him?
"Where are you taking me?" he said with soulsense.
"I... have no idea," it answered.
"Huh? What do you mean-"
Before he could finish, he was ejected. Tian Di was dazed for a moment. What in the world just happened?
The first thing that struck him was the intensity of the qi! It was so thick, he felt like he was drowning in it. Even without him actively trying to absorb it, it was almost as if the qi was trying to force itself into his meridians.
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Beneath him, the largest tree he had ever seen loomed. It was the first time he had ever seen a tree that came anywhere close to his current size, let alone one that made him feel tiny. Was this how the humans saw trees? His impression of trees was practically how humans viewed grass or vegetables. There were even some trees he snacked on as finger food, though most were nasty and bitter.
Tian Di's qi sense pierced the endless clouds far below, sensing endless rows of beautiful buildings, some areas filled with lush forests instead.
"This is your sect?" he said, in awe.
Senior Han nodded impatiently.
"I need to talk to someone. For now, just stay on the tree and try not to make trouble while I'm gone."
Insufferable human... Tian Di let out a cold snort.
For a few moments, the dragon mulled over what it should do. He thought about cultivating, taking advantage of the immense qi to finally reach the peak of Nascent Soul. But from the words of the human, it seemed he would be coming back soon.
Tian Di was not a fan of being interrupted during cultivation, sometimes spending several years, unmoving; he decided he would try to cultivate once the matters were dealt with. At least, if they didn't immediately harvest or butcher him for ingredients. He hoped they were just trying to enslave him. Despite how much he hated the idea, it was better than death.
After looking around cautiously, he reached into his mane, carefully pulling out a shrivelled old lady.
Her eyes were shut and she wasn't breathing. Not that it meant she was dead, cultivators didn't need air. But she was certainly not in a good state. Looking closely, Tian Di noted her complexion seemed healthier, though minimally. It seemed the qi was doing her good.
He gave her a look of contempt before putting her back.
The dragon slowly descended, weaving through the branches of the tree. How nostalgic... back when he was still young, he remembered hiding in trees, away from literally blood-thirsty demonic beasts.
The disciples and buildings beneath, which his divine sense had glimpsed, soon came into range. Any further and he would be unable to sense their cultivation bases.
He raised a finger, sending out a sliver of divine sense. It flowed through the air, touching an unassuming inner disciple, who was drunk, wobbling as he walked aimlessly. Tian Di had a look of contempt on his face, but in an instant, it vanished. He couldn't sense the drunkard's cultivation base!
The disciples hiccuped, before looking up with a puzzled look. Tian Di rushed up the branches, gritting his teeth. He had an inkling this was the case previously, but now, he was completely sure.
This sect was in a different world, where Nascent Soul was not the peak! The reason why even humans were stronger than him was simple: their cultivation was overwhelmingly higher!
A formation capable of teleporting people from such absurd distances... terrifying.
He had thoughts of trying to escape while that human was gone, but now, such thoughts had faded. There was no way he would be able to escape.
The thought of that was both terrifying and exciting at the same time. While for the first time, he was at the equivalent of the bottom of the food chain, it also meant there were new heights to soar to.
A nefarious grin came over the dragon's face. He had no doubts now that he would be able to overtake that human and teach him a lesson.
Suddenly, he felt something land on his face, jolting him out of his thoughts. It was the bird that saved him!
"Your face makes a pretty good perch, let granddaddy sit here for a while."
Tian Di nearly roared in anger.