Eternal Emerald Dragon

Chapter 1199 - 1198 - Cold Immortal

Lind faced several more weeks in the Icy Path before the hordes moved on. It was one facet he could not quite grasp. Victory or defeat did not enter into it.

After a certain amount of time, the soulless would just migrate. He had a few records on that but thus far he had no pattern. With the enemy now baiting him, they seemed to make even more random choices.

Intelligence was still a must so he was forced to interact with information brokers such as they were. Any Immortal fighting on the frontlines was not denied service but Lind kept everyone at arm's length.

In many respects, his life had become simpler. His cave was very spartan but even his day to day was no longer as ascetic as it had once been. He was neck deep in battle and the rest of his time was spent in cultivation.

The rarity became going to a town or village for news. Now that the hordes had moved again, he would have to find them. It would not be difficult.

They slaughtered so many and the demons actively stayed in contact. The rough hewn stones were not fine work but they were stable.

They only worked for Radiant Tiers across massive distances due to their Qi needs but enough were made each year to ensure nearly all had them.

He summoned one from his storage bracelet. His ring had stopped working but not because of his loss of True Lord status. Haro was dying.

Now that he was a Radiant Tier, he could somehow see Haro's condition and knew he too had been sacrificed to save Lind at some point. Anger filled him with that thought.

He swept up the few traces in the simple cave and went back into the storm. The swirling clouds and piercing wind hardly slowed him down.

Ice formed on his limbs but it cracked off with each move of his body. His flame roared higher to keep him warm.

The stony path had razor sharp stones on either side but he knew it like the back of his hand as he moved forward.

There were blood stained craters frozen forever here or there. In time, they would be buried under more ice or scoured away by the harsh winds.

The complete lack of soulless bodies bothered him as he never once heard ice crack but their corpses always vanished.

The few kept for study by him had been consumed eventually by his flames but no such thing had happened in the wild to his knowledge.

He ignored all that as he came to a fork in the path. Down one way was a village for the huddled masses to hide from the ongoing slaughter.

Even if the soulless knew for 100% certain people were here, they could not withstand the cold like he could. In fact, only a handful of cultivators could do what Lind was doing.

The cold was not ordinary in the Icy Path. It was not as simple as fighting ice with fire. Qi ran out even in that instance but the Laws in the Icy Path were also just as fierce.

Only Immortals could combat Laws in the first place so that narrowed the field but the Law level was at Emergence. Emergent Laws were aligned with Radiants. They were the level where it was not about comprehension but integration of the Laws into the crystal.

An Immortal was becoming the Laws and thus radiating them as a source rather than refining them.

Radiants usually averaged a lifespan of 8 to 10 million years because of that. Emergent Laws were extremely difficult to progress as there was no set path anymore. It was a true test of an Immortal to complete that step.

Lind being stuck was not actually the Laws. He felt like he had actually pushed his Laws far head, even his harmony felt far more powerful than his Qi. Something else was holding him back but he did not know what was wrong.

He pushed all thoughts aside as he chose the other path. The village was just a place to live, not a place to thrive.

Lind felt several formations flare as he got farther down the path but he could also tell they were breaking down again. The formations needed constant maintenance due to the power of the Icy Path.

Even in his more remote state of mind, he felt some pity for those formation masters.

It took another day before he felt the wind finally start to weaken. The formations to divert them were only about 20 to 30% effective but that low percentage was enough to allow for the wall to exist in front of him.

Thick slabs of ice hung on a stone wall. Deep white and blues were the first real color but it was due to the stone used to make the wall. The stark gray behind him was rather uniform in comparison.

At the center of the wall was a sunken shadowed area. It had to be sunken in or it would just be sealed shut by the ice. It was just that potent. Warding the wind was enough to weaken it a bit, but only a bit.

The glow of Qi was invisible to the naked eye but his Law Eyes saw it clearly.

The outer formations dispelled the wind but the gate formations kept it semi-thawed. It was Law grade work for all of it by necessity but demonic Qi was not the best to use for those effects.

Natural Qi and Laws would be better. Demonic was better at destruction.

Some Maester had adapted and it was interesting but he no longer needed it. It would not make him stronger.

He steadily approached the gate and a glow came from his belt. His dark robes made it stand out even more in the misty path.

A matching array lit up on the door and a cracking sound was heard. The massive gate towered at least 20 meters but Lind calmly kept walking as it swung inward.

There were no guards as there was no point. Without the strength to survive and the amulet, only death awaited anyone in the Icy Path.

The wall was 10 meters thick but the gateway was misty as warm and cold met. He conjured a wall of water to keep it away from him while also absorbing the ice on his robes.

The loud thud shook the path as the gate slammed shut. Lind felt a barrier wash over him before he came to another wall. The one in front of him was shorter by half but it was far more well fortified.

The heavy aura made him pause as he then finished cleansing himself of any remaining ice. Another gate loomed ahead but it was only 10 meters high. That one, however, was crawling with demons.

Their lavender skin was marred with scars and some were missing eyes. A few arms were gone as well as legs but they had been replaced by artifacts. The soulless were vicious and regenerating a Radiant Tier body was not so easy without sufficient resources and time.

Time was the more pressing issue.

There was never truly any rest for the Radiant Tier demons. A large demon with both arms glistening with metallic replacements in several places. He had not lost all of his arms but to get them to work again had been a harsh effort.

Lind had elixirs that could help but it would only be a drop in a bucket.

He simply did not have enough and there were no herb gardens nor beast cores to use to make more. It was that dire. If it was not absolutely essential, nothing was done but the bare minimum.

The demon was nearly as tall as Lind which normally would hint at bestial traits but the way he walked was a bit too wooden. Likely his legs were replaced entirely.

A fist to chest was followed by bowing but Lind looked on coldly.

"I have explained not to do this. I need to go to the Bazaar. What is the price?" The demon did not seem offended but the younger ones behind him flushed in anger. The older ones rapped them on the head to stop them from dying.

Lind had nearly killed a few that got in his way already but only just shy of it. Every person was needed.

"Great Lor–" The tall demon spoke but Lind merely tore through space and appeared in front of the gate. He looked back and the large demon sighed before waving his hand. It seemed like a long standing practice between them.

Lind might have been told his name but he never took it in. Names did not mean much as death was much more certain in the current 3rd layer. The idyllic vistas were just hiding seas of blood and corpses.

A rather small fort was exposed but it was not a true fortress. It was simply heavily defended as it was one of the few routes to the Bazaar.

Normally, teleportation arrays would be used but a rather irritating feature of the soulless made that impossible. Tearing through space over a short distance was fine but using an array seemed to draw the soulless like a moth to flames.

They came in numbers that could not be denied too so all arrays were destroyed or unused. The Fiend ability to disrupt ease of travel was disturbing to Lind. Void of Heaven, the Corruption, and now the soulless.

Instead, a massive column shimmered to his Eyes. There was a crowd waiting for it to open but the pillar was one of the newer inventions due to the current situation.

Lind was actually interested in the camouflage effect as it had practical uses but it failed when in motion so he was only studying it on the side if he was looking for inspiration.

He kept walking without minding the dark looks but none that saw his emerald hair made a peep. His reputation preceded him. A few younger faces once again looked like they were about to shout or hop in his way but others held them back.

It was like Lind was an island and the demons parted to let him pass. No words spoken but the demons understood. No one mattered to him unless they could fight and only keeping them alive was the minimum he would do.

Lind looked up at the sky but like always, the endless storm blocked everything. The formations seemed to hide the column even more but he was not sure if that was a happy coincidence or a formation effect but it was simply a last look before leaving the Icy Path for a century or more most likely.

He came to the black door and waited until it slid up and shimmering steps were revealed. He sighed as the next part was annoying. He could not just fly up, even with his draconic skills, as that also would draw the soulless.

All he could do was start to walk and go as fast as was safe to do. It would take him a week on average to get up to the Bazaar but he was doing it for the last time. His test subjects had moved on and he had to go find them again.