Eternal Emerald Dragon

Chapter 1178 - 1177 - Generous Immortal

Scar Village was shaking in fear!

Two Immortals had battled but it had been totally one sided. Further, the righteous stance made it clear he would be back! The previously raucous fights and criminal actions were stopped in all directions.

A few tried to flee only to find a barrier around the entire village! The strongest person was at the Moon Tier and they could not even put a scratch in it!

"We have to get out! Does anyone have an artifact to crack a barrier?!" The medium level pimps were the most desperate to flee. They were too weak to offer someone else up but too high profile to hide!

They were not alone but their employees were the most likely to turn on them! Further, they could not silence them or the people would turn them in too! They could not win!

All too short a time passed when those sensitive to it felt space warp and an Immortal aura spread across it all instantly.

[Return in 3 breaths or die.] The tone was cold and no one dared disobey it.

The women held no hope for the supposedly righteous Immortal as nothing had ever changed no matter who came through. Things might improve for a time but it always reverted back in a handful of years.

Righteous cultivators always moved on and never stayed, even more so when it came to Immortals.

The man had vibrant emerald hair now but the aura was recognized by all. His fierce gaze scanned over the cowering crowd and his grim face made many begin to cry without a word spoken.

His inhuman vertically slit emerald eyes spoke of death and destruction to come. A few of the lowest criminals tried to hide their secret joy. It was a chance to rise up once the big fish were killed!

It had happened before and they were nothing compared to them!

Lind saw it all and sneered inside. Did they think him blind?

Emerald flames rose around his body as his fingers engraved into the air a very complex and incomprehensible weaving. Sigils very few knew of were created that he had developed to the best of his ability.

The density of the traces and Laws were at the limit of what he could do at the moment but the strain on his crystal and body were still almost beyond him. He had never actually tried to do what he was trying to do ever before.

Karmic Weight Weaving.

He could not invoke karmic retribution or restitution at all as that was under Heaven and Earth's purview, but there was something he could let be seen that was normally invisible.

Cultivators, in exchange for their longevity and power, exposed themselves to a far heavier karmic exposure than mortals. He had always wondered what exactly tipped the scales to invoke either of the consequences.

He had seen and experienced both, but they were extreme situations. He also did not know if time or severity was the deciding factor so he had made a way to actually see it.

Everyone, in all directions, lit up with gold and black engulfing their bodies. Some screamed while others were confused. Fear and worry filled them all but Lind looked around and was surprised at the number of nearly pure gold he saw around him.

Many of the women did not totally surprise him but many of the men he knew to be pimps were half and half! The sheer amount of black did not stun him at all but it was never pure.

There was always at least a third of gold around them. It was how it should be and enlightened him. Severity did heavily tip the scales but confrontation was also part of it.

A truly vile person confronted with a generally good one could resonate and invoke both retribution and restitution at once. He recalled his fortunate encounters and it was always in conflict. He felt his grasp of Karmic Laws improve but set it aside as he decided on the next step.

He tapped his weaving and those with over half of retribution on their bodies were lifted into the air.

"The rest of you back off." No one grasped why he did what he did but a few more informed cultivators felt shocked as they seemed to grasp it. Terror filled their eyes as they looked at their bodies and determination filled their hearts.

Karma was a powerful thing for cultivators and seeing their choices made manifest gave them clarity they would otherwise miss.

Lind ignored them.

The total number of people was nearly ⅔ of the whole village. They crossed many realms and walks of life but that did not matter to him at the moment. He let them down as the strain of keeping them floating was quite expensive to his dantian!

[Kneel.] An order went out and all those he had touched slammed into the dirt. "You will not die today. Death is a release and a chance at forgiveness. I am not so kind. You will have to earn your life going forward. None can kill you but none will ever obey you again."

His words seemed impossible to believe but not one of the kneeling people could get up! They did not understand what was happening. Lind closed his eyes before faint clouds gathered above.

[Mark them.] His voice reached all and the rumble of thunder caused all to tremble. The Heavens obeyed? How?!

Lighting blinded all as a myriad set of bolts flashed instantly. Lind felt a massive chunk of his lifespan vanish. He had plenty to burn but it told him he was enforcing his will far beyond normal.

He looked out and saw all the kneeling people were blinking in awe to see they were alive but now all noticed their right shoulders were marked with a scorched figure of a sinuous dragon with 3 horns!

[You are now mine to command. You will do the following…] He began to lay out new rules for the village and changed the name.

New Hope Village. He dispersed elixirs to purify and improve their cultivation foundations as Qi began to gather like a storm around him.

Lind gathered all 18 elements as clouds appeared above. It was different from before as the colors shifted until the earth began to rumble. All the buildings were dispersed by lighting of colors across the known elements.

The Celestial Qi was being scattered as he conjured it but his weavings were letting him purify the very ground beneath them in conjunction with his harmony. He laid the foundation until he raised his hands up like he was offering a sacrifice to the sky.

New buildings of stone and metal rose up! Towers at equal points with a new wall and gates were erected as if it was nothing! Commercial and residential buildings equally appeared until a brand new village replaced the old.

The ones left out of his branding all fell to their knees and kowtowed to Lind. Some wept in joy while others swore Oaths to change their ways.

[The ones marked by me shall be servants to the village but make no mistake, you cannot kill them. Vengeance may feel good but it will only lead to your doom. The brands on them will react to attacks and you will die not knowing how.] Lind flew up into the air and transformed into his dragon body.

He easily covered the whole village and many trembled at his majesty.

Lind was exaggerating slightly. A Sun Tier or Immortal Realm could easily survive but why explain that at the moment.

[Their penance is to serve. Death is only a release. You cannot abuse them as they will now follow my orders. The rest of you still have a chance to change your lives. I will not deny the darker road as your lives are your own to decide. However, there are limits to my tolerance!] Lind was not naïve.

Even in his Empire of old, brothels and other shady commodities existed. He could not extinguish them no matter his distaste. It was a matter of freedom. He was punishing those that had crossed the line but he let them have a chance.

Heaven and Earth were fair. He grasped it was not about a moral life but facing the consequences of the choices made. Enlightenment flooded his mind as his eyes glowed.

[I have but one firm line. Those that do true evil must be punished! My mercy today is because killing all of these would result in all your deaths. A village takes numbers so do not mistake my actions for such naïve intentions. If you cannot endure or repent, Heaven will disperse your soul itself.]

He was not making a command but telling the truth. He had seen it enough to know that at the end of a cultivator's life, karma played a part in whether they were reborn or dispersed for new souls to be created.

Lind dispersed his barrier and weaving as the new defenses enhanced the Law Binding effects. The tainted Qi was purified even more than before.

He left the village but the legend he carved into it would be remembered. Generations would be told! The people there swore it as they bowed long after he left them. Those marked knew they could never leave the village and cursed the Heavens yet they could only obey.

The Dragon Marked, as they would be called, began to fulfill Lind's orders. The village would never be the same!