Chapter 222: Prelude

As all Mercenary group squadrons filled in the teleportation portals, the City Lord and the black robe Mage stayed rooted in their spots. 

The black robe Mage looked on indifferently down at New Branch City.

But the City Lord's eyes appeared to be specifically searching for something in the dwindling crowds of people. 

After only several seconds, the City Lord and the black robe Mage were soon left alone. 

The City Lord still had his gaze lingering on the ground.

As he didn't specifically find what he was looking for, several questions began entering the City Lord's mind. He turned his gaze over to the black robe Mage, asking him, 

"Try as I might, I oddly couldn't sense any of those Ice Nine Tail sect youths. Have you had any luck sensing them?"

The black robe Mage indifferent eyes had finally perked up. Though it appeared as he wasn't looking, he had his Magical Sense locked on the Mercenaries squadron groups the entire time.

However, he had ended shaking his head, having the same amount of luck as the City Lord. "No luck on my side. But it's odd….we most certainly sense their necklace arrival in the City. And yet, in just a few odd days, I'm having all sorts of trouble sending them again. As if they just….disappeared."

A sight frown dawned the City Lord's face. The Ice Nine Tail sect was a true wild card that neither could accurately predict against or control. 

Them not being able to sense those youths anymore only draw an ominous feeling within the City Lord and the black robe Mage.

The City Lord shook his head, trying to rid himself of such worrying thoughts. "Perhaps what Kian said really is true. Maybe the Sect gave them more advanced masking items. Either way….let's just hope this ominousness is only a fleeting feeling."

The black robe Mage grunted in agreement. "Hm. Don't get so downtrodden no-" 

Abruptly, his mouth froze mid-sentence, not speaking a single word after. 

An overwhelming sensation suddenly took hold of his entire body, soul, and mind!

The black robe Mage's pupils heavily dilated; an uncontrollable shiver wracked his body as the pool of cold sweats drenched his face in mere seconds. 

The sudden sensation taking hold of him was pure, utter fear!

At the same time, the City Lord was also undergoing equal overwhelming fear sensations. He felt as if his body was tightly trapped, unable to move even a single inch anymore. 

Simultaneously, their own Spirit and Magical Senses were crazily erupting. Both of their senses were filled with an imminent threat of death! 

With just any wrong move on their parts, the City Lord and the black robe Mage truly believed they would die. They who stood at the summit of the whole New Branch City were instantly thrown to their wit's end.

Without any movement on their parts, the City Lord and the black robe Mage felt an abrupt shift in space. 

It was as if something or someone had just ripped the spatial space open around them just to appear here.

And it was then it appeared right in front of them. 

The City Lord and the black robe Mage only felt the chaos explosively increase in their minds. Whoever had appeared right in front of them was akin to death door appearing to reap their souls.

The figure in front of them popped in from thin air like she was an actual ghost. 

The City Lord and the black robe Mage were utterly stunned by this figure's appearance. And this stunning look only inspired fear within anyone that had dared to gaze upon it.

This person was a towering tall woman whose heights even managed to topple over both the City Lord and the black robe Mage. 

Her face was immensely frightening, full of decrypted ancient horrid scars. Fresh blood stained her face as well, which only multiplied the haunting image she naturally emits. 

A long dirt grain white shirt ran down the woman's body, falling all the way down to her ankles. Her shirt as well was brightly coated with fresh blood and dried up bloodstains. 

However, there was one main attraction this woman had that topped all of her terrifying aspects. 

It was two beating yellow eyes that gleamed out of her face.

With just one glance at those bright yellow eyes, the City Lord and the black robe Mage felt as if their souls were on display. Those piercing yellow eyes felt gave a feeling their souls were getting tightly grasped, locking them in a tight cage. 

The terrifying yellow-eyed woman has finally made her appearance!

And her gaze didn't even bother with the City Lord or the black robe Mage. Her eyes immediately directed down towards a specific spot in the City, utterly ignoring the mighty warriors beside her like they were thin air.

The City Lord and the black robe Mage indeed couldn't pierce any power or aura radiating from her. Yet, their Spirit and Magical Sense were frantically going off, alerting them that death was truly near them.

Their bodies as well instinctively wanted to run from this tremendous danger. Yet they both remained rooted to their spots, unwilling to try anything rash. 

Even though this haunting, yellow-eyed woman seemingly has no powers. Both the City Lord and the black robe Mage weren't fools. 

Though they reached a legendary boundary in their own prowess, they both weren't overconfident or arrogant enough to ignore the blatant danger senses.

When only two seconds of a tense-filled deathly silence passed, the City Lord eyes suddenly glowed up. 

'This-this sensation….ahh!! It's exactly the same as that time! Only now…. it's far more ferocious!'  The City Lord came upon an even more frightening realization. 

Those brief moments days ago when his City was drowned by a soul-wracking fear sensation, that sensation is exactly the same as he is experiencing now!

Just only, like he had identified, the sensation explosively multiplied to the point where it was nearly unrecognizable. 

The City Lord wasn't sure if the black robe Mage also came to this realization. But he obviously had no time to check.

The City Lord's lips began to quiver as he steeled every single nerve in his body, attempting to speak. "Who-who are-" 

The City Lord had immediately shut up when the yellow-eyed woman took one look at him.

Gazing directly into that chilling face pulled the City Lord into sudden mental hell. 

"This!! Arhhh!!!" 

The City Lord felt a head-splitting headache nearly shattered his mind in an instance! His hand instantly clutched his head, drawing blood from the center of his skull from his sheer force.

However, the pain from tightly gripping his skull was absolutely nothing to the mind-shattering headache brought on to him. 

The black robe Mage felt suffocated even though he wasn't even targeted. 

With just one look, a mighty Grand Sage was forced to a state of absolute hellish pain. If there were any residual doubts left in the black robe Mage mind, it instantly vanished away after that display of sheer disparity. 

The yellow-eyed woman indifferently turned her eyes away from the City Lord as if she had just stared at a mere bug on the side of the road. 

Her gaze had then quickly crossed over to the Magic staff still in the black robe Mage hands.

Her yellow eyes gained a slight twinkle within them, looking the Magic Staff up and down. For a brief second, her gaze crossed over to the black robe Mage. 

"Ah-ah-AHH!!'" And just like the City Lord, the black robe Mage immediately clutched his head. A tremendous head-splitting headache wracked his entire head, throwing him into mental torture. 

With the black robe Mage wallowing in pain, the yellow-eyed woman's gaze turned back on his Magic Staff.

"They are very near….and the more I sense from those two, the more foulness and mistakes I sense from them. This thing….it will take me to them." The yellow-eyed woman carelessly thought out loud, not bothered by who could potentially hear her.

She had then casually swiped her hands towards the Magic Staff. 

Such a relaxed movement actually caused a tremendous suction force to swallow the City Lord and the black robe Mage whole! 

"AHHH!!" 

They both loudly shrieked as the suction force was far too powerful. Their bodies were getting painfully twisted, and the energy inside their bodies got instantly decimated by her suction force.

The pain nearly made them both pass out as they felt like their souls were getting sucked out of their bodies. 

However, this excruciating agony lasted for only a mere split second. 

When the suction force abruptly vanished, the City Lord and the black robe Mage were still left shaking.

That mere split second felt like several hours! 

And when their eyes blinked over to the yellow-eyed woman, they weren't really surprised by what they saw. 

The Magic Staff was firmly grasped in her scar hands.

While the City Lord and the black robe Mage were bewildered by that extreme power, neither attempted anything.  They couldn't do anything, nor did they want to do anything.

The yellow-eyed woman's gaze focused on the numerous teleportation portals. She pointed the Magic Staff towards them and in that instance, 

'Chi!' 

A yellow beam burst out of the tip of the Magic Staff!

The Magical yellow beam roared towards the teleportation portals, destroying the air currents and spatial space in its general area as it flew out. 

In a second, the Magical yellow beam clashed against one of the teleportation portals.

'BANG!!' 

A loud impact reverberated throughout the entire New Branch City, shaking the several thousand miles City to its root! 

"Ahhh!?!" 

"What's going on?!" 

"This isn't a part of the event, right?!"

The original residents of New Branch City were all wracked with confusion as they experienced the tremendous earthquake. There were even some powerful Heavenly King residents in the City, yet not even they could keep their balance with this massive earthquake.

The City Lord and the black robe Mage were in the same position, experiencing their whole worlds violently quake. 

After a few seconds of intense tumblings, the shaking abruptly stopped.

The City Lord and the black robe Mage snapped their eyes over to the teleportation portals while feeling their mind-splitting headache worsen. 

But they still got surprised by what they witnessed.

All other teleportation portals had disappeared, leaving only one left. And this last teleportation portal was a strange mix of yellow and blue. 

"Tch. If only I had more control. No matter. That realm should be changed enough." The yellow-eyed woman had remarked to himself. 

She didn't bother turning back to the City Lord and the black robe Mage and instantly vanished from their sights.

The City Lord and the black robe Mage quickly shifted their eyes back on the single teleportation portal. But they were only able to catch a yellow whiff of the yellow-eyed woman before she disappeared into the portal.

"Haaaah….shit." The City Lord let a tremendous breath he didn't even know he was holding. 

While the black robe Mage was violently clenching his palm to the point where blood was drawn.

Their headaches were still roaring on, but it at least became just a bit better after the yellow-eyed woman disappeared. 

The City Lord forcefully collected his bearings and told the black robe Mage, "We need to get back and prepare now. I have no idea what's going to happen to them in that realm. But something abyssal will strike us all."