The massive drake rapidly approached John, and was almost upon him in no time. A scythe suddenly appeared in John's hands as he stared at the beast. He knew he was absolutely no match for it, but he wasn't about to die without at least attempting to fight.
He was just about to unleash his supreme battle art when he heard a loud shout.
"Naya, stop!"
The drake, which was just twenty yards from John came to a sudden halt, surprising him. John quickly turned his head to see two people approaching him. They were two middle aged men, and both wore grey robes, making it impossible for him to identify them.
With just a few steps, the two unknown men crossed over a mile of distance and appeared in front of him before he could react.
'So fast…'
John had never seen anyone move this fast before. They were even faster than his father, who was a Core Formation expert.
As the two men appeared in front of him, the drake obediently walked over and stood behind them, acting as a loyal sentry.
'They're controlling such a powerful beast? Who are these people?'
"Who are you? How did you end up in this restricted zone?"
While thinking about their identities, one of the men spoke up and asked John who he was.
'What should I tell them? I still don't know where I am or who they are, so the less I tell them the better.'
John put away his scythe and addressed the two men in a humble and slightly timid tone.
"My name is John. As for how I ended up here, I do not know that answer. I was kidnapped recently and knocked unconscious, and I just woke up now."
Although it was a flimsy story, John was sure that they had no way to refute this. However, he didn't know if they would care if he wound up here on purpose or not. Based on their stern questioning and calling it a restricted zone, John was sure that no one was supposed to be here.
"Kidnapped and left here? How could we believe such a lie?" the man spoke up in an unbelieving tone.
"Look at me, and how strong I am. Just this drake of yours is enough to kill me one hundred times over in an instant. How would I be able to get in here on my own?"
Although he wasn't sure exactly where he was, just based on the strength of these two men, John was sure that he would be unable to make it to this land on his own strength. The two men hadn't released their aura's yet, and John wasn't about to be rude and use his divine sense to inspect them, so he was still unsure of exactly how high their cultivation's were.
At the very least however, he knew that they were Core Formation at the minimum.
While John was thinking about this, one of the men powerfully released his aura and spread his divine sense over the nearby expanse of land, clearly looking for other hidden parties.
'Meridian Forging, and at the peak as well!'
John was incredibly shocked to find out that this man was at the very peak of Meridian Forging. Such a cultivation would put him at the very precipice of power in John's homeland, and it was even stronger than the patriarch of the Varis Clan.
'Clearly I'm not near home anymore. I wonder where I am?'
"There's truly no one else here. Perhaps your story is the truth. But regardless of it being the truth or not, this is a restricted area, and you are not permitted to be here. We will escort you out of here."
Whether or not the man believed him, John's strength was far beneath his notice, and the man was unconcerned about anything he could accomplish with his strength. He clearly wasn't strong enough to get to this land alone, but no other parties were spotted.
"I understand. As I was saying, I was kidnapped recently, and I just want to get home," John responded in a humble tone, making himself appear sheepish to sell the story.
"Mhm, hop on," the guard commanded as he hopped on the back of the drake.
"Hop on!" John exclaimed. He had never ridden on a flying beast before, and was a bit hesitant, especially one as powerful as a drake, but it appeared that the man was giving him no other choice.
"Ok," John responded with a head nod as he walked over to the drake and climbed up it. The beast's body emanated an extremely powerful aura as John touched it, and he was shocked to find that it was at the peak of Meridian Forging as well.
'Just what is this place? How is everyone so strong?'
"Naya, fly," the man commanded, and the drake quickly spread its wings and took to the sky.
'Wow, this is amazing,'
John watched the ground quickly grow farther away in his vision. The wind rushed through his long hair as the drake sped through the skies, revealing the full expanse of the land below. The sparsely forested land outside of the energy whirlpool expanded for dozens of miles, and powerful beasts similar to the drake were seen roaming the lands, giving it an incredibly vibrant but dangerous feeling.
In the distance, the expansive mountain range jutted high into the sky. As they approached closer, John could start to spot massive palaces dotting the mountainside. Thousands of massive palaces, temples, and other buildings soon appeared in his vision, and covered an area for dozens of miles in each direction throughout the forested mountain range. Many towering waterfalls crashed on the rocks below, causing the mountains to be shrouded in a light but permanent mist. The sunlight crashed through the mist, giving the area an ethereal glow.
Tens of thousands of people were seen going about their business in the streets below. Rainbows weaved throughout the mist, and many powerful flying mounts were seen flying all throughout the area, making it look like an immortal paradise. An incredibly massive blue and white palace towered over the rest in the very center, and it was so tall that it seemed to pierce into the clouds high above.
John stared in awe at the scene, and the man next to him noticed his shock, but said nothing. The scene overwhelmed him, and John couldn't help but ask the man about it.
"I've never seen such a place in my life...just where are we?"
The man was caught slightly unprepared by John's question. Everyone in the entire land should know this place, even if they didn't know how they came to be within it, but he answered nonetheless. A small tinge of pride hung on his face as he spoke out.
"This...is the grounds of the Heavenly Lightning Sect!"