Eternal Emerald Dragon

Chapter 1363 - 1362 - Preparing the Platform

Lind could feel the pressure within his dantian trying to break free. It was not so bad when he emerged but the longer time passed, the more the pressure built. His little demonstration to Lina had actually helped a bit.

The Monastery was not a complex structure as it had been carved into a peak like most buildings but the majority of the structure was underground. The resources were thin as old mines riddled the now honeycombed slopes.

He had heard it had once been home to a Buddhist sect but all records were lost so it was only a rumor. It had already been abandoned long before the soulless were unleashed on the Endless Peaks.

When Lina had begun to master her abilities, she needed a place of her own. After all she had done during the long conflict, he made sure she could hold a place of her own. A few other beasts joined her at first but the constant attention to use her gift drove them off.

He hoped she would be able to flourish in the future but she walked her own path now. Immortals especially had to grasp their own futures as he was learning more and more.

After meeting with Annabelle, he had covertly passed along his jade slips and some other insights to the Frey Clan. He had been displeased by the existence of the Sigma Empire but he could not dictate all 6 elementals like a God.

Still, he was pleased that Fey had taught them a harsh lesson. He dared not act as the moment he was revealed to the world at large, many would come for whatever secrets they thought he had.

He was running out of time as information brokers were more terrifying than Fiends when it came to their specialty. The instant they got a whiff of his location, the vultures would pounce and there would be no stopping them then.

Divine Inheritances negated a lot of the norms cultivators usually enjoyed. While the Frey Clan was considered a supreme power and did have many advantages, the one weakness it had was time.

While their numbers were increasing, it would only take a good strike to wipe out their foundation in the 3rd layer. They simply did not have the numbers of the older supreme powers.

Their alliances were also not as rock solid as they could be. Immortals were pragmatic creatures when it came down to it most of the time, but when it came to gaining benefits, they could be as impatient as any mortal.

Bottlenecks and stagnant progress would drive an Immortal to desperation once it was clear they had exhausted their potential. The physical body was no longer the limit of their existence but it was essential to advance.

While the Immortal Qi could sustain it for millions of years at their level, it still would wear down and collapse like a mortal in time. The soul would endure but without the body to anchor it, that too would begin to disperse in a few million years more.

Techniques, treasures, and even simple ritual grounds like the dragons used were ways to extend that life. Yet, without both body and soul, a cultivator's journey would come to an end.

Lind knew well that Divine Inheritances were like a free pass to Immortals and thus he would become a massive target for many reasons. Fey had avoided it due her demonstration of power but also because of her new title.

She was an Inheritor of all 3 Inheritances. Long history of Inheritors had taught how useless it was to try and pry secrets from them. The trials for an Inheritor proved their worth. Also, Divine Realm cultivators were notorious for laying retribution traps to protect their Inheritors.

Lind had read records of fools that ignored those warnings from the past. Entire sects and countries were wiped out in ways no one entirely understood. They were just gone.

He pushed it all aside as he flew over the peaks under the Monastery's control. One of them had thick clouds around it. It was not a ward, just a visual impairment to prevent outsiders from looking in.

He had a small crystal key that lit up and the clouds let him in without obstruction. He quickly came to a flat area dominated by an ancient metal circle. It was inlaid with jade, crystals, and complex inscriptions.

There were empty slots too that he had come to place his resources. Ascension platforms for the final Immortal tribulation were made of much sterner stuff and tempered by the lightning the users faced.

Immortal Qi stones were but one part. The quality of the protections he could invoke would depend on the resources used. Lind intended to use rather unconventional resources.

He summoned crystals many would be stunned to find. It had been the work of centuries and many experiments to nurture them, but it had been worth it.

Harmonic crystals. Specifically his own harmony. Once he made them for his starships, he then worked on other uses that were not so insane on power requirements.

The shimmering emerald shards were not as profound at the large ones he made for the starships. It had taken him nearly 500 years to make stable crystals the size of his palm. They previously blew apart to dust when he tried to make them that small.

Now, he smiled as he placed 6 of them in the place an elemental crystal was supposed to go. The channels carved into the metal were then laced with crushed elemental crystals.

Unlike how it was supposed to be used, however, he used all 18 elements. Celestial crystals did not exist naturally at the moment, but the Frey Clan had been carefully using his old Seed designs to nurture all kinds of resources.

The Celestial Seed was incredibly difficult as only he could nurture it for millennia at first. Only after that minimum amount of time passed did true resources start to grow.

Now, he would consume all he had harvested before going inside the Inheritances to make a rather unique ascension platform effect.

The platforms were meant to resonate with the user and help mitigate the strain of the tribulations. It sounded like a cheat but it was no different from setting up formations to help contain the effects.

By making an environment that resonated with him, he could control it far more easily and mitigate any extraneous damage caused by the tribulations he would face. He was going overboard because he assumed they would be nasty.

The Endless Peaks did not have anywhere near as much land as the lower layers. Mortal realms might be in a similar boat but most of them could also exceed the viable landmass of the Endless Peaks.

So the cultivators had made these platforms to actually help contain the damage or anytime a Sovereign Tier ascended, it would be a disaster and not a welcome event for anyone.

He had read several incomplete histories that spoke of more floating islands at one time in the 3rd layer but they were almost all gone now until the new practice was created.

SInce then, only a handful of issues had occurred and most of those were due to external influence rather than the tribulations themselves.

The issue Lind faced was part of why he chose to come to Lina. His spiritual signature was well known in the halls of power. Allies and enemies alike kept an eye out for him. The moment he started his tribulation, he would not be able to hold back.

While the platform could aid his spirit, it would not hide it. There was no point to that when the platforms were created. A spirit signature was not something essential to preventing damage.

Lina, as a Spiritwalker, had several skills unique to her. The unlocking of potential was one many would covet, but being able to shield a spirit signature was not something many would find a use for normally.

He had no doubt many would think it useful for infiltration but there were so many logistical issues aside from spirit signature that it would be a minor consideration anyway. Almost no one would think of having her hide him during his tribulation.

Containing it would be impossible and total suppression could be interpreted as interfering by Heaven and Earth. Regulating it, however, was well within her ability. All people would know was that someone was facing a tribulation but not who.

The mystery might draw some interest but by the time many could cross to the relatively empty area around the Monastery, he would be in the thick of it that no sane person would dare to interfere.

Lina too, would be safe as even using an Art or technique could draw Heaven's Wrath during a tribulation.

He checked the formations and material foundation of the platform but found it not only in perfect working order but also had a slight aura of Heaven and Earth throughout it. He had studied a few of such platforms when making one for the Icy Path but he had never encountered such an aura before.

"This might help, I hope." Lind smiled as he finally floated back up and saw the flow of energy was starting on the platform. His harmonic crystals lit up like emerald eyes but it would take a few days before it was ready. It was not as simple as turning it on but getting to a critical level of power.

The preparations were complete but a frown crossed his face as he turned back towards the Monastery.

"Sigh, just how slow of a learner are you not to realize the power needed to breach your defenses?" A familiar youth with soldiers had appeared above the Spirit Monastery. He flew to go deal with it and hoped it would draw attention earlier than he wanted.