A channel of multi-colored light suddenly entered John's vision. The channel was about ten feet wide, and he found himself being propelled through it at immense speeds. The translucent barrier of the channel revealed a storm of chaotic space on the other side, the power of which chilled him to his bones.
'If I were to be ejected into that chaotic space, my body would be reduced to nothingness in an instant..let's hope that doesn't happen.'
John continued to be propelled through the channel for nearly a minute, and was surprised to find that it did not make him feel any pain, only slight discomfort. The continuous tumbling however was starting to make him queasy. It seemed as if gravity did not exist within this channel.
"I wonder where this channel is taking me to. I hope it's not too far from home," John grumbled. He was still quite pissed off about how he had been treated by Celestial Soulrend in the end. He had found him a suitable successor, and Celestial Soulrend still cast him off into this channel.
However, when John thought back to how Soulrend seemed to struggle against the whirlpool above, he figured Soulrend really was telling the truth. With his soul on the verge of collapse, he did not have the strength to send them both out through the whirlpool, which was incredibly strong above the temple.
'I wonder how long this channel goes for-...'
John's thoughts were quickly cut off as he found himself rapidly ejected out of the spatial channel. The light of the sun once again warmed his face as John found himself violently propelled forward. He tumbled head over heals on the hard ground for nearly half a mile before his body finally came to a stop. His bones felt as if they were almost shattered, and he was sure that he would have been half-dead if not for his powerful body.
"Ouch, what the hell? Couldn't that have been a bit more gentle?" John grumbled as he massaged his sore head.
After composing himself, John stood up and looked around to see if he could spot anything familiar, but the scene all around him was completely unfamiliar. He stood on a large field of grass and flowers, with towering trees sporadically dotting the landscape. Their canopies spread tall and wide, making the field feel incredibly vivid and alive. Majestic mountains, larger than any he had seen in his life towered into the sky in the far distance.
John turned around, and saw that behind him, from where he had just been ejected, was a massive whirlpool of energy almost identical to the one in the pocket realm. However, he could tell that this whirlpool was very slowly losing its strength.
John took a deep breath, and was surprised to find that the Qi density in this place was incredibly high. It was as high as the pocket realm, and was much higher than back at home.
"It seems like this isn't the Yuan Continent that I know and call home. I need to figure out where I am," John mumbled to himself as he looked all around to make sure the coast was clear.
Roar!
An incredibly loud roar that nearly shattered his eardrums boomed out. John felt his body groan in pain at the mere sound of the beasts roar.
He quickly turned his head to the source of the sound, and was horrified to find a powerful beast sitting on one of the top branches of a nearby tree. Although the beast was nearly half a mile away, its roar had caused severe damage to his body already. Its cultivation level was higher than any beast he had ever seen, and was far beyond what he was capable of fighting.
"A drake? Aren't those supposed to be mythical?"
John was dismayed to find the source of the roar was a drake. He had seen a picture of this beast in his library, although the book said none had existed in the surrounding land for thousands of years.
Before he could even react, the drake jumped up and spread its wings to take flight. Its speed was faster than anything John had ever seen, and it was almost upon him before he could react.
…
"The portal is showing signs of collapse, they're about to come out," one elder of the Varis Clan stated loudly. His loud words roused the attention of all in the ancestral building.
"It is! But isn't this too early? They should have another two weeks inside," Cade Fenix stated, slightly confused. Every single pocket realm opening lasted three months exactly, without exception. However, this one was closing much sooner than anticipated.
"True, I wonder what's going on," Waylon Varis responded, equally curious as to why this was happening.
Discussions began to heat up inside the ancestral building, and before long, the silhouettes of twenty-seven people began to shimmer into existence in front of the portal.
"Twenty five? It seems like five have died inside," one elder called out. Thirty entered, while only twenty seven were being sent out. Clearly, a few had perished.
"Seems like a few died this time around as well. Let's hope it's from the trials and not fighting between each other like last time," another said.
If the Five who perished were truly caused by infighting, then that would be a massive problem, similar to last time.
A few seconds later, all of the twenty five bodies completely phased into existence, revealing the identity of each one. The identities revealed that the five missing were one Mist Creation junior from the Ronan Clan, one Mist Creation junior from the Flowing River Sect, two from the Crimson Valley Sect, and John himself.
Waylon Varis's eyes turned stern, while Barden and Cade's faces both turned ashen. They quickly identified that John was one of the missing parties. Barden's ashen face soon turned red as his rage began to grow, and he was about to erupt when Waylon quickly stepped forward.
A powerful pressure descended on the group of juniors, and a stern voice quickly followed.
"We are missing five juniors. Tell me, what happened to them," Waylon spoke up in a raised voice.