Eternal Emerald Dragon

Chapter 1159 - 1158 - Undercurrents

Lind had Chu with him as Ranger and Oz followed.

The brothers had wanted to come as well but he gave them orders to protect Katerina and the rest. Next to Chu, they were now the most powerful members of their group.

"Ranger, keep an eye on all shadows but only send me Katara's name if you see something dangerous. It will not be something they expect." Lind spoke aloud but their area was isolated by a weaving for the moment.

They were moving through the inner gardens to the main palace but he could already feel auras brushing against his shields.

"Master, while I am happy to serve, why am I coming to this meeting?" Oz's head of white hair was now neatly slicked back and his robes were finer than usual. Ranger's was also more sharp looking but had generally already been dressing better since their stay in the palace.

Lind smirked as he looked at Oz.

"I trust your eyes and ears to catch more than mine. Immortals are too confident around lower realms. Further, you have far more knowledge of the current era than I. Books and jade slips are just words. People are dynamic and ever changing." All the history and research would not help him with living people.

Fans exaggerate their hero's accomplishments while kingdoms downplay their rivals. Every record had to be taken with a grain of salt due to that.

A knowing look came into his pale eyes and the old man nodded.

The guards were all in smart dress and shining armor in the pathways and halls but all of them bowed low as they passed. Lind sighed as he saw the hand of Princess Fyre at work. Her father respected him, but would never issue an order to have the guards bow like that.

The main stairwell came into sight but a pair was unexpectedly waiting for them.

With her ever present blindfold and form fitting clothes, the Piercer of the Veil Immortal looked resplendent in violet and gold shades. The crimson flaming crystal on her right breast declared her power clearly but the grim looking young prince next to her was no slouch either.

His red hair was neatly tied back with a silver clasp and his robes were replaced with almost a suit from Earth style! His boots were fine leather with a dark belt cinched at his waist. The dark clothes made his pale red eyes stand out even more sharply from his tanned face.

"Greetings, Lord Emerald Immortal and his party. I welcome you to the palace." The 5th Prince bowed low and gave a formal greeting. The auras were dense but Lind waved his hand and they moved away.

"You can speak freely." The prince smiled in appreciation.

"My father says you owe him a spar at full strength for all of this. The various powers that have come are all supreme or treated as such. They also do not like each other much." It was not unusual in Lind's experience. After the 1st layer had been recovered, cultivators were reminded what it was like not to be solely focused on the Fiend War.

Given breathing room, repressed ambitions flared and greed was allowed more free reign. It had cost him precious friends due to that.

Lind also saw how childish the mortal powers were when Immortal powers could level whole mountain ranges at a whim.

Compared to that, the great wars he had fought until then seemed paltry indeed but he never forgot how desperate everyone had been.

"I actually do not know all that showed up, please enlighten me." The party moved while the pressure increased but Lind smiled in amusement. His elemental theories had clearly not spread too far or were treated as air. The power was strong but flawed.

His much more efficient and stronger wards could not be breached by them.

Still, if they put their all into it, the sheer numbers would eventually succeed. Thankfully, being in a foreign power and surrounded by rivals, they did not go that far.

Oz looked nervous, as if he could feel the pressure but Lind paid more attention to the prince.

The Heavenly Maiden Sect and Divine Sword Sect were surprising but not unexpected. They wanted him. Hell, any power wanted a Triple Maester but those 2 sects knew more about him than most.

His token had not been activated so whoever came did not know about it or did not want to give away the connection.

The Golden Vermillion Inn was shocking. The person that had come was a full blooded phoenix! He had a good relationship with them but why had they come? He suspected there was more than mere curiosity to it.

The Stonelight Guild was hardly unexpected at all. Still, he had thought it would take years for news to reach them in the current state of the world. The main headquarters was very far and the branches were generally sparse.

The Corruption had disrupted their once robust network yet it seemed he had been made a priority for them as well. He also suspected both Mills and Jur were involved there.

The Fionan Empire was a given but the Emperor had sent his wife! Petryn was also with her! Teegan had come as well but he could feel a new presence with her! A dragon!

Cold sweat broke out when he sensed that but he pushed it aside.

The last 2 were the most confusing but the most suspect as well. The Bloodmoon Sect was a demonic sect. No one knew why they had come but Lind knew demons were some of the best agents for Fiends. If they wanted to hide their bloodthirsty ways, it was the best place to hide.

The demonic honor, however, could be prickly. If he got on its good side, they would be steadfast companions, but if on the wrong side, they would be never ending headaches. He noticed Oz had reacted to that name but only barely.

Anyone else would have missed it but he did not. Ranger knew only rumors about them but he respected them.

The last one was the most suspicious. The Dawn Imperium was a power that rose after the Corruption began. It had been a backwater power back then but rose sharply afterwards in the chaos.

They were hardly the only one but the massive power they unleashed had been highly suspect. Still, there was no guilt with having strong warriors or methods. Lind still made a note to be wary.

He had no idea why the last 2 had come but Oz, once again, had a reaction. The Dawn Imperium seemed to make the man flinch hard before hiding it. Lind was not the only one to notice that time but no one commented.

"You could cut the tension with a knife in the hall at the moment. If not for wanting to meet you, I suspect they would tear into each other without regard." The 5th Prince looked tired.

The powers had not all arrived at once but all knew they were coming. It had taken close to 8 months before all of them settled in. What Lind found suspicious was the timing though.

Despite the disparate origins, they all left at roughly the same time. His message to the Fionan Empire was not exactly public, yet all those powers found out where he was at the same time.

He did not believe in coincidence and it further strengthened his belief that his enemies had come as well. To be fair, non-Fiend powers were just as likely to be his enemies given his moral code and actions.

The Heavenly Maiden Sect was not the one he knew. Katara had warned him to be careful and he honored her words.

The Divine Sword Sect, while still sword addicts in every way, was likely the same.

The rest were total unknowns but it was nigh impossible for all of them to have gotten the information at the same time and leave at roughly the same moment.

"Piercer of the Veil Immortal, how dark is the road ahead?" His question made her freeze in place and go pale.

"How did you–?" His glance seemed to inform her before she slowly nodded. "From the moment you sent out your message, my vision clouded over. When they started to arrive, it was like a black morass of fog stopped my gifts from working even in a minor capacity."

Lind recognized such a description so he sighed before emerald light flared around him.

Before anyone could react, it shot outward like a shockwave before slamming into everyone in all directions. Many felt their dantians shake in joy, some felt enlightenment wash over their minds, but there were a few that screamed in pain.

Lind frowned as most were servants, or random people in the city. He noted them all down and sent a message to Gilgamesh. The man sent back confirmation but no one in the hall reacted.

"Was I wrong or just unlucky?" Actual Fiend agents were exposed by his sweep but they were all clearly minor individuals. The fact none of the envoys reacted meant 2 possibilities. The first was that he had failed. No Fiend allies had come.

The second, and more terrifying, was that there were allies of the Fiends but they were wise enough to not enter into any of the contracts or benefits usually given by them. If so, they were far more dangerous in that proving their allegiance would be nigh impossible.

The few he had exposed were already captured under Gilgamesh's orders.

"Husband, something is wrong." He glanced at Chu but he also noticed Ranger was irritated. Lind cast his aura out and finally smiled.

"Not wrong after all but they are clever. Keep an eye on them, Ranger." The 5th Prince, Oz, and Piercer of the Veil Immortal were confused. What was Lind talking about? He did not explain as they finally arrived.

The next battle was about to begin. The kind of battle he loathed. Politics.