Eternal Emerald Dragon

Chapter 1027 - 1026 - Dark Truths

Salem had served in the Eternal SIn Sect's war forces for close to 500 thousand years but he could not recall anything in his entire life as tumultuous as the last day.

He was a man that indulged his desire for rage and violence to increase his cultivation. His bulging muscles were a testament to his desire to increase his strength but he had watched a battle at the full power of Crystal Tier that had not been seen in over a million years.

He then saw with stark clarity trying to advance his army when suddenly a free-for-all happened between all 3 branches of the allied forces. Not a single thing seemed wrong until the man with emerald hair appeared and cleared their heads.

The vile Fiend Qi in their blood was absolutely abhorrent to him but he could not deny reality. Then, he watched as that same man found 5 traitors as easy as breathing and claimed to be an ascender of all things!

He then spoke about something that made the 4 surviving traitors panic only to self-destruct like the stories of old that spoke about Fiend thralls discovered hiding in their midst.

He looked around after it was all over and saw looks of shock, some frozen in place without the ability to process, and the rest were just trying to wrap their minds around the fact they had just been fighting each other without questioning it.

"War Maiden, you seem to know this man?" He knew his allies of old at that point but he saw her slowly nod. "Care to explain why you hid an ascender when it had finally arrived?"

She turned and looked uncomfortable before relaying what happened. Salem liked this Lind Frey.

He knew there had to be more but they had to recover and head back to their camps. The truths they had learned had to be revealed!

He was about to give such an order when he stopped. The air around them was not tainted at all! How was that possible?

Few seemed to have noticed but those that did were taking advantage of it to polish their foundations or increase their cultivation.

It was a pity his demonic crystal could not benefit from the current environment.

He moved over to the trio currently standing over the prone emerald haired man. Even passed out, Salem felt the hairs on his neck stand on end. Every instinct he had told him not to even try to attack or he would pay a severe price for it.

"...can't go back, why not?!" The man currently left in charge of the Divine Knowledge Sect was holding the bridge of his nose in a clear sign of suppressing frustration. War Maiden Katara had the battle gift of the spirits but she still missed the point of things outside of battle.

"Because, the very arrays that controlled us would simply resume once we got back to any city. We are in the middle of nowhere and there was that massive bloodline array all over this place. It was way too complex to be just a place for the Ruin too." Salem spoke making the 3 jump as they had not paid attention to their surrounding.s

Even so, he glanced at the man and still felt danger.

"We are also entirely without artifacts, functioning robes, or supplies." The man spoke up and his hazel eyes were appreciative. It seemed he was tired.

"Time is against us. Staying in this place, even void of the array, will not save us. Bloodline arrays can regrow given enough resources. We dealt a massive blow but there was no core or flag anywhere here. Without that–" The broad shouldered woman rained on their parade of joy.

Salem felt grim at that moment before glancing in a certain direction. He then shook his head. Any suggestion to go to the Ruin would be met with resistance for good reason. Any party that could plan so long term to have set up a bloodline array even in the wilds of the world, would not be so foolish as to ignore the danger of a Divine Ruin.

The previous shield would be the first line of defense but he doubted it would be the last.

"Could they have taken over the Divine Ruin?!" The War Maiden scared him! Did she read minds?!

Delenn shook her head.

"I do not think so. If they had, I do not think we would all be talking here." Confusion swept them all until she explained that the prone Lind Frey was a direct student of the creator of that Ruin!

Everyone took a moment to process that but the slim man then paled.

"By the spirits! Did it command him to enter?!" Salem did not understand the panic but then Delenn nodded to confirm the odd question.

"It is a damned Legacy Ruin! Those are notorious! If there is no inheritor it will quietly disperse itself but if it finds one or one is currently cultivating and being tracked, it is almost worse than Fiends!" He and the War Maiden seemed confused but Salem noted Delenn was not.

"There are 2 weeks remaining on the deadline. However, I do not think you understand the severity of the issue." She looked down at the peacefully sleeping Lind with worry.

"The effects of the Corruption are worse than you imagine. It is not just about weakening Immortals, but the foundation of the Celestial Fields itself. Can you really imagine what would happen if that thing went on a rampage?" Salem did not quite grasp it but he understood the Ruin would act if Lind Frey did not enter it in 2 weeks.

Couldn't they just toss him in? Seems simple enough.

"And if he is not awake at that time, it could react badly too?" Again, the War Maiden was reading his mind! He did not like that!

"Why?" He had to ask but it was the other man that answered.

"To put it simply, Legacy Ruins are a great boon for an inheritor but they are complicated by the damage they have suffered. If this one was intact enough to call him, that is good, but it also means that unlike other Ruins it will be still strict as it was in the Inheritance. If the inheritor is not up to snuff, it can cause untold damage when the incomplete reactions unfold." Salem felt his head ache.

Give him blood and death he was fine but complicated things were terrible.

"If Lind does not wake up, the Ruin could automatically fail him but we have no way of knowing if it will simply eject him to unraveling violently with the power of a Divine Realm cultivator." Delenn spoke and Salem finally felt his heart still.

He was a bug to a Divine Realm. The entirety of the Celestial Fields could be snuffed out with a breath from one of them!

It was only 1 major cultivation realm but the gulf between an Immortal and a Divine was laughably large. Even the most incompetent Divine could kill them all with a thought!

It was only the restrictions of Heaven and Earth that kept things in check. Divine Realms could not, as a rule, interfere in the Celestial Fields. Ruins were breaking down from Inheritances but they are about chance and personal risk most of the time. Thus, Heaven and Earth did not restrict the ability to reach them.

"Then let's wake him up and get him in there!" It seemed simple but Delenn just smiled at him like he was a slow child.

"You are welcome to try." A new voice spoke and all turned quickly to see a dark skinned bald man in tan robes standing behind Lind. Only Delenn bowed low to him before the rest followed.

"Haro, how bad is he?" Delenn was very respectful to the new man but Salem now felt the desire to flee just looking at him. What was that man?!

"Bad. I think the karmic restitution was to try to mend him more than anything. The bloodline array seeped into his body quite a bit. He has repaired the physical damage but his soul is just as damaged. I have no idea when that will be fixed." He looked grimly at them.

Soul damage for an Immortal was especially dangerous. It affected their dantian, which was in a way their soul as well. Repairing it was not something simple at all! It was not fast no matter how anyone cut it.

"If we were back home, it would be a simple matter of putting him at the heart of the Clan or maybe even the dry dock, but this tainted layer is impeding his ability to recover." Salem was about to say what taint when his cobalt eyes narrowed.

The taint was returning.

"Is there any way to speak to Younger Twin?" All froze at that question. Haro did not immediately respond but then shook his head.

"While technically I am older and have enough authority, I am not the badge holder ultimately. I also do not think the Divine Will chose an arbitrary date. It may be that ever since Master came in range, a reaction has started that it cannot stop." A look of realization passed over her face.

"I have more bad news." All swiveled to the slim man but he was pointing back at the armies. The 4 turned and frowned as they saw their members passing out for no reason! An emerald ward suddenly sprung up around them!

"That is all I can do for you. Lady Delenn, you are fine due to Master's help already but these 3 will succumb once more when the ward fails. I have to go back." They all turned and the man was gone! Where did he go?!

Salem was about to ask when thin tendrils suddenly appeared on the ward! It was already flickering.

"We will not get the chance to enjoy our freedom it seems. They are not dead but I suspect our memories will be altered or suppressed. It seems it has already happened many times." Salem felt his anger rise when suddenly they all jumped back as Lind sat up!

"Won't even let me sleep, bastards." He sounded exhausted. His aura was very unstable as well!

"Lind–" He held up his hand to Delenn when an absolutely dark vial appeared in his hands. Just looking at it soothed many injuries in Salem's soul. His desire to pursue violence and hate faded massively.

"Last one." The words were only spoken once before the entire elixir was downed by Lind. His aura began to throb violently but then slowly stabilized. It was at least far better than before.

"A Heaven Grade 5 Soul Balm Elixir barely patched me up. The rest is up to me." He had never heard of such a legendary elixir but it did not take much to realize the ingredients had to be incredibly rare!

"What is that?!" A burning thirst of knowledge burned in the hazel eyes but Lind merely smirked and pointed at the 3 badges he summoned out.

"You need a very stupid Fiend to have left a ton of husks behind of other Fiends to try out some experiments as well as a desire to get something good out of all that evil." Salem was stunned! Fiends used others as resources but now here was someone that returned the favor!

"What about the souls?" War Maiden Katara clearly disapproved but Lind smiled up at her.

"I am not a monster. Besides, they were dead. No souls inside them anymore. It was more of an accident but it helped a lot of people they partially fed on for millions of years. I saved one in case of emergencies and it was the last. There can never be another." The 3 natives felt moved.

The terrible darkness of the Fiends was in their living memory. To know that dead Fiends could possibly restore what was taken in some fashion could hardly be called the same thing at all.

"You are going?" Lind nodded at Delenn's question.

"The war will not stop until the reason is gone. I can't do much, but here." Three new elixirs appeared in their hands. They were bright emerald but also many other colors.

"Harmonic Key Elixir. It should help you retain your minds. Be careful and trust Delenn." He then got up and limped away. All 3 downed the elixirs and Salem was stunned as many issues were resolved in his body.

They had touched on the dark truths of their world but only 1 man was facing them head on. That had to change!