Eternal Emerald Dragon

Chapter 1275 - 1274 - Soul Cipher

A man screamed as he was chomped by a phantasmal wolf. Blood flew in the air as cries of pain soared until only silence fell on the artifact ship.

Unlike the starships created by the Frey Clan, it was a simple flying artifact the bandits had employed to attack trade caravans. Teleportation was expensive, so flying by artifact or ship was more lucrative in comparison despite the risks.

Aether beasts were an issue but bandits had returned to the Endless Peaks. The demoness with 2 short swords and virulent green eyes was death on 2 legs as she seemed to transform into a wolf at times.

Normally, Radiant Tiers would not be guards for any caravan, yet the bandits had been ripped apart by the demoness Radiant Tier. Normally, higher realm cultivators should not interfere unless directly threatened but bandits were a notable exception if they were also idiotic enough to attack anything with a Radiant Tier.

The demoness in question was now covered in blood but her virulent green eyes were serene. It was like she had simply stepped on some bugs.

To Cyntilla, they were. Even fellow Radiant Tiers did not pose much challenge unless they were as powerful a warrior as her. The caravan members cheered as the last bandit fell.

While no one was able to totally escape injury, no one was in danger of dying. The bandits artifact key array was shattered by her sword and allowed to fall from the sky once it was looted.

She went off to clean up after tossing the various storage treasures to the caravan leader. The ships were fine so they could keep flying as any repairs were done.

Her leathers were not even scratched but her swords had suffered some chipping due to a few surprising armors the bandits had.

"Must have stolen some high grade 7 armor. Bastards." She moved with a grace that would terrify any warrior. A glance told many that she was always ready to strike. She summoned a jade stone from her ring.

It lit up with sigils before her swords resonated.

The minor damage was slowly healed. It still left her in wonder when Lind's creations could just fix things like that. He tried explaining it once but she only grasped the surface of it.

"Mistress Cyntilla, we will be at Phantom Peak soon." She nodded at her cabin door as she heard the young man's voice. There were 2 reasons she was with such a minor caravan.

One was personal, but the other was Frey Clan business. They had finally established themselves 500 years ago. That was nothing in the grand scheme of things to cultivators but the shocking rise of products and quality took the Endless Peaks by storm.

Alchemy and other guilds now tried hard to recruit promising members of their clan if they could. Lind did not object if they wanted to go. He was back to his ways of spreading information as his Clan had far more expertise.

Also, his weaving had explosively improved. It was only now, after a few centuries, that other weavers had been able to replicate part of his ability.

She had watched him work tirelessly to build up the branch. He had done things that no one fully grasped too. While the actual construction of the Clan lands had been successful, she smirked at those spies and other organizations trying to get in without any luck.

The Frey Clan had become a bit mysterious on that front despite open trade with the Frost Heart Sect and others since it became self-sustaining.

The real mystery for some, though, was how herbs and other plants that needed sunlight and tropical climate thrived in their clan. Seeds had been purchased at times but the products produced needed a massive amount of such raw material to only be explained by raising those seeds in the Icy Path!

Some suspected a special realm but the normal spatial distortions of opening a gate were not detected by anyone. Further, the landscape needed to raise such plants was also far more than the mapped out space given for the Frey Clan.

There were a few structures but attempts to explore or infiltrate had failed spectacularly.

There were just a few soldiers guarding the entrance but no one had found it yet. The issue was the nature of the Icy Path worked against people for the most part. Small windows for Immortals to sneak around were hampered by the severity of the storms.

The beasts that thrived in there were also extremely dangerous.

The Icy Plains that were under the Frey Clan's control was notorious for being lethal to the unprepared due to whatever lived there. The 2 villages nearby had also fallen under their umbrella of protection.

She pushed the thoughts aside as she felt a chill pass over her body. They had arrived at Phantom Peak.

She moved down the corridor and entered the bridge of the ship she was on. A misty peak was barely visible but the ships slowed to encircle an area just outside the rance of the mists.

"I will take it from here." Cyntilla pushed her hand against the hull and the door slid open smoothly. Wind howled inside but none there were much bothered by it.

She flew up and out until she was in front of the ships.

[Sister, it is me.] She sent only a single message but the mists thinned considerably to reveal a massive fortress cut into the side. It had been completely invisible before and even she could not detect it until the mists thinned.

A dock was revealed that the ships could settle on. It was a sign the owner did not want the ships stored away by their owners. It was also a courtesy for those that could not do so anyway.

The caravan began to unload but her ship simply had a group move up the pathway to the entrance. The barrier there let them pass but only to a point.

The others went to various areas to drop off materials while Cyntilla moved on. Only she could rise up in the fortress.

The vast corridors were well decorated but she frowned as she recognized that the plush carpets, tapestries, and other decorations were not real. The owner of the castle was more than capable of making realistic illusions.

Only she and a handful of others could tell they were fake. The concern came from what was behind the illusions.

Cyntilla saw traps. She saw a lot of traps. They were not there previously but that was over a century ago.

She sighed as she made her way to the main structure before she finally saw signs of life. An ethereal beauty of azure and gold was cultivating in a beam of sunlight. It was an entrancing sight but Cyntilla ignored it.

She turned to the left and touched a stone that lit up at her fingertips. The wall shimmered to reveal a door.

It was simple with no handle but swung open silently to reveal a set of stairs going up the tower. She quickly hopped up the stairs until she found the true Annabelle sitting quietly in a chair reading.

She looked at her sister deeply and did not like what she saw. Dark circles were under her eyes and she looked paler than she should. Her beauty was unquestioned but she clearly needed rest.

"What happened?" Something had changed and they were close enough that small talk was unnecessary.

Annabelle looked up and smiled but it did not reach her eyes. It had not reached her eyes for over a thousand years.

"Pests, as you would say. They do not like my rejections." Cyntilla narrowed her eyes at that.

The Frey Clan was respected, but greed had allowed some personal matters to come to light. It was known that the founding family had fractured. Some had taken that as a sign to poach those that chose to live away from the clan proper.

Phantom Peak had been built by the Frey Clan at Lind's order. He did not involve himself out of respect for Annabelle's choice.

Cyntilla sighed before summoning a metal token into her hand. She tossed it to Annabelle who let it fall to the floor. It chipped the stone which showed how profound the material was.

A sinuous dragon was outlined on it.

"What is that for?" Distaste filled Annabelle's face but Cyntilla noticed a spark that had long been missing from her eyes. Anger or longing, either way, it was vital!

"A soul cipher. It is for you and before you ask, he does not know I brought it here. I did this on my own because you are being stubborn. Make a declaration of being part of the Clan and those pests will reduce at least." The item was the same plates Lind had created 5 centuries ago.

Annabelle carefully picked it up but made sure not to use her aura. She knew of the items but had never seen one.

"What will be required of me? To return?" Cyntilla shook her head but a lavender and virulent green version appeared in her hand.

"Watch." Cyntilla walked to the doorway she had just left and pressed the plate to the side. It flared and the doorway became foggy instantly! An icy waft of wind filled the chamber at that moment!

"This is the clan secret. With that, since we built this place, you can escape there any time. Trust me, we tested it." Annabelle actually looked relieved! Her aura infused and azure with gold spread on the dragon.

"Good, now we need to talk about these pests." Cyntilla became more serious as she took a seat and they caught up on recent events.