The flying vessel came to a halt, and Zhang Yang appeared in mid-air, facing the members of the Flying Dragon Guard directly. "What do you intend to do?"

The Flying Dragon Guard's vessel also stopped, and the regular members of the guard drew their bows, each arrow inscribed with talismans, radiating spiritual power, clearly not ordinary arrows.

The Captain of the Flying Dragon Guard shouted loudly, "I suspect there are spies from enemy nations among you. Submit to our inspection immediately, or don't blame us for being rude."

Zhang Yang sneered coldly, "Your Cloudmount Empire truly doesn't regard our Azurecloud at all! Sending people to steal from our Azurecloud mines twice is one thing, but the Lord of Anqing City has quite the nerve, scheming against us and even daring to send people to pursue us. Who gave you such courage?"

The squad leader of the Flying Dragon Guard said coldly, "Enough talk. Everyone, come back with me for investigation. Only after everything is clear can you leave."

"Do I owe you respect?"

With a casual wave of his hand, Zhang Yang released a golden rope from his sleeve.

When it first emerged, it was only three feet long, but it grew rapidly in the wind, soon reaching over ten feet in length, as thick as a barrel, spiraling like a flying dragon towards the Flying Dragon Guard's vessel.

"A magical treasure, the Immortal-binding Rope!" the squad leader shouted, "Release the arrows!"

All members of the Flying Dragon Guard immediately fired their talisman-inscribed arrows, each arrowhead pulsing with spiritual power, striking the Immortal-binding Rope.

The arrows were like mere tickles, as the rope, like a true giant dragon, remained unmoved, continuing to coil and bind the vessel.

The squad leader of the Flying Dragon Guard was shocked, "It's a spirit-grade Immortal-binding Rope! Quickly, activate the vessel's shield and retreat to Anqing City at full speed."

Magical treasures are categorized into magical tools, treasure-grade tools, spirit-grade tools, and the legendary immortal-grade tools, each divided into nine ranks.

Rank one is the most valuable, rank nine the least.

As the highest level of spirit-grade magical treasure in the cultivation world, it's rarely seen, yet here it was.

The squad leader immediately realized the gravity of the situation and ordered a retreat.

With the full support of the Flying Dragon Guard, the vessel emitted a shield, resisting the Immortal-binding Rope.

Yet the rope, like a giant dragon, firmly ensnared the vessel.

In fact, it wasn't just the Captain of the Flying Dragon Guard who was shocked; Wang Mingyue was equally astonished.

She wasn't surprised that the Azurecloud Sect possessed a spirit-grade tool, given its ancient heritage of five thousand years.

However, the spiritual power required to wield a spirit-grade tool is beyond what a Golden Core cultivator can provide; usually, only a great cultivator can truly harness its power.

She saw clearly that Zhang Yang was indeed a Golden Core cultivator, perhaps even a Core Formation cultivator, his Golden Core not yet perfected. How could he possibly wield a spirit-grade Immortal-binding Rope?

What happened next was even more shocking.

Zhang Yang took an alchemical pill, restored his magical power, and threw out a cyan banner.

The banner rapidly expanded under the influence of spiritual power, attracting various laws of heaven and earth, and then Zhang Yang hurled the banner at the vessel bound by the Immortal-binding Rope.

The shield that had been resisting the rope shattered under the banner's influence.

"A Restriction-breaking Banner! And it's spirit-grade!"

The squad leader of the Flying Dragon Guard turned pale, knowing they were doomed.

Without the protection of the vessel's shield, even he, a Golden Core cultivator, had no power to resist, let alone the ordinary members.

"Get down!"

Zhang Yang waved his hand, forcibly pressing the vessel from the sky to the ground.

He then approached the vessel, examining the runes on it, completely unconcerned about the Flying Dragon Guard.

However, none of the Flying Dragon Guard dared to move.

The spirit-grade Immortal-binding Rope still coiled around the vessel, and any movement would mean certain death.

Their only option now was to await the Azurecloud Sect's judgment.

The squad leader of the Flying Dragon Guard trembled, unsure of what to say to Zhang Yang, his previous arrogance gone.

He was puzzled, not understanding why Zhang Yang was studying the vessel's runes.

Each vessel's runes are like passwords; without knowing these "passwords," the vessel cannot be controlled, and only the owner knows them.

So, he couldn't comprehend Zhang Yang's actions.

He pondered what to do next.

What he didn't expect was that after a moment, Zhang Yang smiled slightly and infused spiritual power along the vessel's runes.

"Get out!"

With Zhang Yang's shout, the members of the Flying Dragon Guard felt the vessel shake, ejecting them all.

Then, the massive vessel shrank to palm size, landing in Zhang Yang's hand.

The members of the Flying Dragon Guard were dumbfounded. This... this...

Quickly, the Captain reacted, shouting in despair, "That's our vessel, you can't take it."

He instinctively rushed forward to reclaim the vessel, as it was the core of each Flying Dragon Guard squad, more important than their lives. Losing the vessel meant their squad would be disbanded.

Zhang Yang raised his hand, "Freeze!"

A spell immobilized the Captain, rendering him unable to move.

"Go back and tell the Cloudmount Empire, I've taken the vessel. If you want it back, send someone in charge to Azurecloud to negotiate. Oh, and don't forget to offer compensation for your offenses. Although the Xiao Clan's mine theft has been resolved, your other issues remain unresolved!"

With that, he put away the Restriction-breaking Banner and the Immortal-binding Rope and turned to leave.

The Flying Dragon Guard could only watch as Zhang Yang and his companions departed. Once they were out of sight, the Captain, pale-faced, said, "Let's go back to Anqing City and report this immediately."

The situation had escalated beyond their control.

Soon, the Flying Dragon Guard returned to Anqing City.

Upon learning that the vessel had been taken, the Lord of Anqing City slumped into his chair, cold sweat dripping from his forehead.

"How could they dare? How could they dare?"

The vessel was a crucial strategic asset for the Flying Dragon Guard, and its loss was no trivial matter.

Even if it wasn't his fault, he would bear significant responsibility, let alone the fact that it was his doing.

In other words, his tenure as city lord was over.

He couldn't fathom why the Azurecloud Sect dared to seize the vessel.

The Azurecloud Sect had been in decline for so many years, yet they dared to provoke the Cloudmount Empire?

Then, a thought struck him: if he went to Azurecloud to apologize and offer compensation, could he retrieve the vessel?

As he prepared to do so, the Captain of the Flying Dragon Guard reminded him, "I've heard there are other unresolved issues between our Cloudmount Empire and Azurecloud. Besides, we might not get the vessel back."

The Lord of Anqing City's hopes plummeted.

Such a valuable vessel couldn't be easily returned.

He, as the Lord of Anqing City, couldn't afford compensation for a vessel.

He smiled bitterly, realizing he could only report the matter.

He regretted deeply, wishing he hadn't provoked Azurecloud in the first place.

If none of this had happened, everything would have been fine.

But there are no ifs!