Eternal Emerald Dragon

Chapter 1014 - 1013 - Slipping Away

The dead of night did not mean much to cultivators. Some techniques needed the light of the stars and moons to advance or even just the lack of the sun itself. Sleep was more of a choice for Immortals so stopping at sunset was no longer a requirement either.

Still, cultivators are social creatures and taking time to rest from a day or more of labor was normal. Isolation was also normal for cultivation sessions.

Thus night time could be lively or empty depending on the location.

Lind and Delenn chose to leave at the deepest part of the night. The moons in the sky were currently far away on the horizon so it was even darker than normal. The pair were currently at an alley in Amber Scale City.

Unlike before when they got out of Kun City, they were not using a gateway at all.

"You know they will be angry at us." Delenn teased him but he only nodded. She understood they had to be gone before anyone noticed they were not in their alcoves in the cavern.

"Better their anger than anyone trying to trace our path." His words made her solemn. After last time, they had faced a lot of enemies but the Shandor Syndicate was still very much out there.

They had left Amber Scale City alone due to the Starhide Wolves protection. Now, with so many Heaven Realms, even Immortals would not risk attacking.

It was not worth it.

Teegan's cultivation had exploded forth as she stormed through the Star Tier in only a few months but the 14 disciples of Lind were not far behind her! The Harmonic Key Elixir combined with harmonic tempering seemed to complement them very well!

Delenn could now fly for very limited time too!

She could not tear through space at all still.

Lind grasped her hand as he tore through space and the world shifted around them. No one was nearby and sounds blared as they returned to the world.

A discovery Lind kept to himself was that the new gateways let him get the coordinates he needed to travel.

Just around the corner they saw a newly modified gateway as expected.

Lind was nearly exhausted but the pair swiftly moved into the night. The cobbled streets were ancient but Delenn actually smiled as she looked around.

"You really got us to Crescent City! It is on the very edge of my Empire but still! How can you go so far?" Even by her reckoning, Lind had a very unusual ability to tear through space for far longer than any Immortal she knew of.

Even legendary figures could not do what he did!

"I am still unsure on that. I think it might be a mental block for most but there is no real way to test it." His wives had tried to replicate his feat but they could not. No other 6 elemental could either.

Lind suspected it was his knowledge from Earth that might be the key. The understanding of relative position over far greater distances was commonplace there.

Most cultivators did not really grasp coordinate systems aside from formation masters. Also, they might simply think there is a limit due to Spatial Laws.

Lind had grasped things in line with his scientific knowledge so that was the only advantage he had!

The pair moved down the street until the raucous sound of taverns reached them. It was unknown how large the time difference was but given how active the streets were, it was fairly early in the evening in the city.

"Won't the city officials object to us showing up like this?" Lind had never actually tried to slip into a city like they just had. He assumed it was the trade off of maintaining the Law Bindings and the assumption that tearing through space was no longer possible.

"They should not bother us but we are at the edge of several powers and–" She was about to continue when she trailed off and stared at the horizon.

Lind looked up and felt a bit of dislocation wash over him. A pristinely white tower soared into the sky and even under the starlit sky, he could see the gold trim on its balconies and peak.

Only 1 sect had such a color scheme and placed towers in other powers.

"Is that what I think it is?" He still wanted to confirm as it was possible other powers could be using a variant of the colors. Delenn slowly nodded but she looked disturbed.

"Why is it here? They should not have a war tower in Crescent City?" The term confused him. War tower? It just looked like any other tower the Heavenly Maiden Sect had set up but then he noticed odd things.

The Qi around the tower was incredibly dense, indicating a formation was in operation and at full strength. He used his Eyes to check out the sky and frowned.

There were 3 more towers that were also in the color scheme of the Heavenly Maiden Sect. His aura was careful but he could not breach their defenses without alerting someone.

"What is a war tower?" Delenn shook herself at his question.

"Sects that go to war will lay claim to cities by erecting towers to form a sort of gestalt formation. It will act as both defense and weapon if threatened." Lind glanced once more and began to see what she meant.

The Qi was being used to generate a kind of passive ward that was ready to switch based on the attack or command given. The other 3 towers were all connected to make it even more powerful!

"Why would they need 4 war towers?" His question made Delenn whip her head around in shock. She then waved for them to go to a tavern. They needed uptodate information to see what they could learn.

A slightly rundown tavern that had the doorway misaligned with the frame was closest. They both pulled out cloaks that had seen better days and covered themselves.

Their entrance was hardly noticed as at least 3 shouting matches were going on over what might have been a gambling game gone wrong or simply an argument gone overboard.

Despite the shouting, the bartender never even glanced up and Lind noticed no one dared use one of the chairs as a weapon. Only fists were used.

They made their way to the bar and noticed Sky Stones were being used.

"We are full up. No room." Before they could even ask for drinks, the unshaven barkeep dismissed them.

"A couple of drinks would be fine, yes?" Lind had not considered staying there but the slim man checked the stones before slamming down 2 wooden mugs. The frothy drink actually made his draconic instincts recoil!

Delenn sniffed at it before smiling.

"Old Grog!" She then slammed it before he could ask and slammed the drink on the wooden bar. Lind sniffed at it and nearly gagged! What was it that could make a cultivator react like that?!

"Ah, a good drinker! Here!" The man actually became warmer as something much more tolerable was put out for her. Lind prayed for the spirits to watch over him and downed it like she had.

It felt like raw sewage but that meant it had to be a grade 7 substance to affect him like that!

His body went to work purifying it and he had never been so thankful as his throat burned!

"Brave soul. You need to channel Qi when drinking the Grog or it will be a horrible experience." The bartender was now laughing as Delenn sipped at her current azure drink.

"Thank you for the lesson." Lind's voice was a bit hoarse but the man smirked as a wine was placed out that actually soothed his throat!

"You 2 are new. You look too well rested to have come from the most recent battle with Eternal Darkness Sect." Lind did not know how the man could tell but as he looked around he saw it.

The almost desperate need to live was more clear to him now. The energy in the tavern was to escape. He had seen it before in wars. The time between battles that were not on the frontline were spent living to the fullest.

In contrast, both of them were calm and steady.

"We just arrived. Why are the Heavenly Maidens at war with the Eternal Darkness Sect?" The bartender stared at Delenn as if she had grown an extra head.

"The Heavenly Maidens are not at war with anyone. They simply got drawn in like all the rest of the central sects. The new resources are up for grabs but no one can claim them." Lind frowned as Tsunade had never mentioned any such issue to the west of them.

"I was in the east but heard nothing of this until we got here, why?" His question made the man laugh as he tossed an empty glass into a stone tub.

"It has been raging since before the Corruption started. The tainted Qi just made them take a break before resuming. It was a new mine that was actually a whole Ruin never found before. Further, it was a Divine Ruin." Lind then understood.

"How many sects are after it? Surely the smaller ones can not compete?" Delenn asked but the bartender shrugged.

"Hard to say. Those Maidens are here in Crescent City but not like they talk to lowly us. They just take volunteers and reward them with Sky Stones for every enemy killed. No one can claim the entrance even after a million years. Once any of them pull ahead, the others unite against them." Lind was incredulous.

They had been at war for over a million years?! The Corruption likely threw a wrench into their true ability to fight but still, it was ridiculous!

"What kind of Divine Ruin could possibly be worth such blood and tears?" Delenn asked the question he wanted to but the bartender finally glanced around before

"Supposedly, back at the beginning, they found a plaque that said "Younger Twin Legacy" that refers to the younger brother of the Divine Twin Miracles. Their Inheritances are transcendental!" Delenn could only nod but Lind froze.

He summoned his elixir badge quietly and it reacted instantly. He felt a pull to the north and east. It was his Master!

{Candidate Detected. Come to the Trial.} Words suddenly burned in his mind and Lind knew he had to join the battle. Fate seemed to be kind as he had come to a city with the exact sect he needed.

He felt distrustful of that coincidence but it was possible his Master was behind it! Either way, he needed to get more information!