Eternal Emerald Dragon

Chapter 1357 - 1256 - The Past is Never Set

Lind was forced to dodge as the power from the 4 were all above him! One on one, he was confident to defeat most Fiends. Those before him were defeated by him in the past too.

That realization made him wonder something. He checked his memories but nothing seemed out of place.

He saw their corpses, or rather their last gasps before his harmony reduced them to ash.

These were not projections but the real beings in front of him too. Xing was still bleeding.

Vile Qi filled the air between them but he was shocked as the streams reacted to it! His own Celestial Qi had not done a thing!

Emerald harmonic Qi flared from all the streams which irritated the 4 Fiends no end but it did not harm them!

"It seems I will need to go all out against you." A fifth Fiend suddenly sprang from the darkness.

Rage exploded in Lind at seeing a familiar face.

"ZEROD!" The Immortal Fiend that threatened his family and all he loved. The Fiend that had nearly cost him everything and brought down the Great One to kill Lanbao was right in front of him once more!

The man smiled wide at him as his dark robes shimmered with power.

"All Hail the Origin!" Fiend lightning distorted the darkness where nothing else had made a ripple. Even the streams of his life shifted and for the first time, Lind felt a sense of dislocation.

Many of the threads vanished!

It was not the Fiend Qi, but the shifted position that caused it! He had no time to ponder why that was as he felt like something shifted in his soul.

It was only a moment, but in a battle like theirs, a moment was all the enemy needed!

A blade resonating with their vile Qi sliced open his skin like it was paper! Blood spurted from his injuries and his mouth at the same time.

He saw the very first Fiend he ever met sneer at him but then shock crossed his face as a dragon claw pierced his heart.

"Go to Hell!" For a moment, his disturbing eyes lost the arrogant look and fear crossed them as he looked down before emerald flames consumed his body.

The sound of an ancient bell sounded suddenly and Lind felt his body grow very faint. It was like he had nearly died!

His memory suddenly changed! He remembered his original encounter in that first Void of Heaven. He saw the demon getting ready to attack them but then he vanished!

Lind was then never sent into the void nor did he reach the Barren Realm! What was going on?!

He was panicking when his harmony flared like a sun. All the Fiends backed off and his streams of his life seemed to flow in reverse! His original memories were restored but he felt like he paid a massive price for it.

"Oh ho? That is an interesting application of a Dao. I had not thought of that. I will add it to one of my projects. Time is such an interesting Dao, but seeing yours interact like that gives me ideas." Xing spoke in earnest but Lind was using that time to recover.

Just what had happened?

Zerod laughed as he leaned over the main stream.

"You are so young. You do not realize the danger of fighting in this place. The fool that made this trial must be insane to expect an Immortal to be able to understand it. Do you want to know? In recognition of your feat, I am willing to tell you." Zerod looked at him condescendingly but Lind refused.

"I am going to pass on my own or not at all. I am going to kill you all again!" Laughter that made his ears grate welcomed his words.

"You really do not understand, ant. Feel free!" Xing summoned a whip and it moved like a snake to attack him while the others used spears and swords to strike him.

The taunt gave him pause. He had killed one and it changed his history before his harmony put it back. While he had recovered somewhat, he did not know enough to calculate if he could really do what he threatened.

It seemed like these are not merely Fiends taken from his past as images or replicas, but the actual Fiends themselves! His past could be changed!

If he killed them, while not bad in the short term, it could have drastic consequences to the long term. Zerod in particular was dangerous.

Xing was a close second. If they were pulled from too early in his timeline, his entire life could change!

"Why are you not affecting my timeline by pulling them like this?" A sneer appeared on all their faces but even more Fiends appeared! Some he did not recognize but he suspected all were from his past!

"Immortals are so limited. They feel so confident that their souls can survive body death but do not understand how fragile they are. A single wave of my actual hand, and you would never be born!" He narrowed his eyes but sneered back at his foes.

"If that was true, why did you try to recruit me instead? I killed your avatars and repelled you as well. What does it say about you if a mere ant can make you fail?" That wiped the sneers from his foes. Cold anger radiated from them all but he did not care.

He was buying time!

He had to understand the threat killing them represented but he then noticed new threads spawning away from the main stream!

The calm stability seemed to have vanished and it only amused his foes.

"Such branching from just our battles. Truly, you are a weak ant." Zerod lorded over him. Lind felt anger but he did not act rashly.

He wanted to focus on the trial but he truly had to figure out how to deal with his current situation.

The Great One was interfering but clearly it did not violate the rules. If it did, the spirit or soul would have enacted to expel the Fiends as a whole.

A sudden thought occurred to him. He then used his aura to touch the main streams to the near present state.

Women appeared until Lind could not offer anymore of his power to the life streams.

Lanbao with her azure features looked around in surprise but the Fiends frowned deeply.

"You are an irksome creature as always. I will kill–" Cyntilla appeared like the chomping down maw of a wolf on Xing. Kora made a tornado to attack another while his other wives moved like lightning to disable or capture the Fiends.

The place became chaotic but his wives were endangered! They were only Immortals and the Great One seemed able to exert his full power through the Fiends.

He acted quickly to protect them but it drained him severely. His harmonic flame dimmed at one point.

It was only then that Lind understood the danger he faced. The Fiends knew his tactics and had access to a higher level of power.

He tried to support his wives but the Fiends were faster. A massive wave of harmonic Qi bought him time to send them all back.

Mocking laughter echoed in the darkness.

"So weak! You rely on those useless tools you call family. They cannot even slow me down!" Lind collapsed under the pressure as even more Fiends appeared. His history was unraveling now.

He could feel his memories shift at last just by their presence.

"I do not have to attack your past directly. I can simply deny your victories and confrontations. Without those, how many would actually support you? How much could you learn about yourself without adversaries like us?" Zerod stood tall and he could not even speak.

Lind had lost a lot of his Qi but also his body felt like it was barely holding on. What was going on?

He stumbled and Xing almost hit him with her whips. She then sneered at him as she laughed. The voices and laughter grated on his very soul.

"I will tell you a secret. The past is never set. Only when you claim the Dao, can your existence be safe from such an attack. As an Immortal, you are noth–" The Fiends all froze and looked around.

Lind had no idea what was going on until a familiar voice finally boomed in the darkness.

[You will return the Fiends to their respective places in history or I will invoke Heaven's Wrath on you directly.] The Divine Soul appeared and was enraged.

Zerod and Xing smiled wide as they joined hands.

"You cannot stop me." A shockwave spread out but for once Lind felt no threat. He realized that the battle was not only beyond him but seemed unable to affect him due to some rule of Heaven and Earth.

The soul tried to resist but was dispersed into nothing and Lind was left alone with his enemies.

Still, his eyes narrowed as he realized he was approaching the situation incorrectly. Zerod was looking down at him with a sword in his hand as he went to attack.

The clang of metal was heard as another Zerod appeared! The shock on both their faces was the only warning before they vanished and Lind slowly stood up.

More Fiends appeared until only Xing remained as they canceled each other out.

She was incensed as she looked at him.

"What did you do?!" Lind then smiled but stayed silent. It had been a guess but if the past could be changed, why couldn't he play the same game.

Science fiction postulated that the same matter could not occupy the same space and time. He had just tested it and proven it!

The Fiends were real and conjuring them from even earlier in their timelines caused a dangerous paradox that even the Great One could not ignore. He would face damage at the least. He was forced to send back his puppets.

"You will not defeat me here!" Xing unleashed an attack but emerald flames consumed it all. He then finally produced a bloody and beaten version of her. It was the final moments before he defeated her.

The healthy version coughed up blood and glared at him as both faded away. The instant they were gone, Lind collapsed. He had paid a harsh price to meddle with his timelines. He had nothing left to give and the world fell away as he passed out.