Eternal Emerald Dragon

Chapter 1369 - 1368 - Sovereign

Lind was exhausted to the point that elixirs could no longer help him. Taking so many back to back had reduced their effects. It was a pain but time had to pass for the body to purify itself for elixirs to have any effect.

It would be like caffeine or any other drug in his old world. There was a limit before the body built up a tolerance. While recovering Qi had no such limitation technically, the recovery portion of his elixirs did have a limit.

Currently, he would need peak Law Grade elixirs to have any effect and he simply did not have that many.

The pressure was building. He had faced the tribulation all must, then his Law Tribulation, and an extra Dao one was tacked on due to his current state. That left the final step for a Radiant to become a Sovereign Tier.

The soul must transform!

He could not simply become a zone of power but truly control the building blocks that Laws made.

He looked at the power building but it was like there was confusion. Lightning sparked until a golden nexus appeared above him. Confusion filled Lind as he knew already that was not right.

A golden lightning bolt with such a gentle feeling should be a reward, not a tribulation.

Indeed, the bolt slammed into him but instead of pain, soothing relief filled him. His soul responded and he finally understood.

The Dao Tribulation had accidentally re-forged his soul in the same process. In other words, his soul was ready to ascend and transform.

Sadly, he knew that was the end of normal. For anyone else, it would be the last step but now he faced the last 2 sessions of his tribulations.

He was a Divine Progenitor Dragon. He must carve his place in the Heavens at each step of his cultivation. Combined on top of that was his status of being a True Lord.

He was always faced with horrific tribulations that would break most people. He had also nearly been broken several times by his tribulations. The last one was a bit of a problem too.

Haro had interfered and while both had paid a price for it, it was not impossible for Heaven and Earth to make it much harder for him now.

The reward for success finished and Lind stood transformed. His flesh glowed with health and he felt like the world was more transparent to him. Laws were not just concepts but actual objects he could manipulate like a musician with their instrument.

He felt like he could impose his will on them as well. He realized the power of a Sovereign Tier would be terrifying in the lower layers. They would be akin to gods.

No one could stop them even in the Immortal Realm.

He barely had time to enjoy his new limits when a roar came from above. The black clouds sparked with lightning as a shape began to coalesce as it had so many times before.

There was a difference, however. Unlike the previous times, Lind felt his blood boil in excitement but also with amusement.

"If this was before, you would be a problem, but I am vastly different from when I was a Crystal Tier." Lind let his Qi flow in his meridians but his body began to transform far faster than ever before.

His massive dragon form appeared as the lightning counterpart roared down at him. All the elements composed its construct and yet its superiority seemed feeble as Lind exerted his bloodline.

The fearsome lightning construct roared at him but a swipe of his emerald tail dispersed it. He felt pain but it was nothing compared to before. The shift of pressure also came quickly.

Happiness. Heaven was happy that he was growing stronger. It was the first time he had truly felt what Ethry did when she faced a tribulation.

It also confirmed a suspicion he had. Fate had been against him from the beginning. Any attempt to overcome the path before him had been harshly punished.

Now that he was walking his own path, he was treated like other Divine beasts.

The dragon construct shattered and then streamed into his body. He felt his bloodline be refined and improve to a far more profound level compared to before. The very same feeling he had before about the world around him also washed over his draconic aspects.

He truly understood for the first time what it meant to be a progenitor. It was not just about mating and creating children but truly carving out a path for a new race of dragon.

The incident at Blood Talon Peak was actually similar to what he would do in the future. He felt the instinct to claim roosts of eggs but he quickly got it under control. It was a powerful instinct but thankfully he had many millennia to curtail the drive of each instinct.

Still, it made him curious to attempt it if he could.

As always, however, the tribulation called his attention once more. The aura was far from peaceful and seemed to become on par with the Dao Tribulation!

The black clouds grew denser and he felt his instincts scream at him.

The next tribulation would be neither kind nor easy to overcome. He also suspected it would not be discrete rounds but a true storm of a trial.

How long had he been facing the current tribulations? Time had become gray for him as he was unsure of anything.

Powerful bolts of lightning began to gather but they were all shifting in colors. The inability to predict the quality was a minor consideration as he felt something else. A rule was trying to be imposed on him and he knew what to do.

He used his Authority to retain his freedom. It was merely the opening volley but the color of the clouds were shifting now.

The real challenge was to come. Lind prepared all he could but he did not even grasp when it started. A flash of light was all he had when his arm was torn away from him!

A scream left him as he quickly focused on stopping the bleeding.

What was that?! He had never faced a tribulation with that kind of speed before! He also felt his vitality being directly attacked. His eyes flared and he was able to restore his arm entirely in a breath.

He looked up and tried to trace the next attack but a flash came and his left leg was gone! He collapsed in a pool of blood. What was going on?! What was the point of the tribulation?

He felt no anger but it was clearly trying to kill him slowly!

His previous tribulations had been a direct challenge or some aspect of his True Lord status but why was it simply picking him apart?

The rule had been too vague to define but very little life had been used to repel it. So what was going on with the–

He barely dodged a strike to his neck! He would have lost his body again! The limbs were one thing, but losing his head would be impossible to heal! His soul would have to start again.

His eyes narrowed in anger. He was done being bullied by powers greater than himself!

His intent flowed into the world around him. He grasped the Laws of Conduction, Attraction, and all the others that allowed lightning to flow. He made them stop. The clouds above rumbled heavily and a flash was the only warning he received!

His hands were obliterated with his feet at the same time! He fell again and was covered in his own blood. He was getting lightheaded but he quickly stopped it again. His limbs grew back slowly.

He was running out of chances. His vitality was going to be used up just to heal himself at that rate!

He was facing the Sovereign Tier tribulation. It was not just about the base of his cultivation, but about all aspects. He looked up in understanding at that moment.

A True Lord was more than a Sovereign Tier. Simply imposing his will was not enough. Changing Laws and the world at his whim were not the same as a True Lord.

A True Lord led their race and defended it from threats far beyond normal levels. The genocide of dragons only took place because of the strict requirements for their True Lord. If one had existed back then, it would have failed miserably.

Lind stood up and stared at the rumbling sky.

[Enough. Come.] He commanded and lightning manifested around him. It was of all 18 elements and a harmonic dragon to boot. The emerald dragon corralled the others to face what came.

Finally, the flash was followed by Lind seeing the threat to his followers. He imposed his Authority to improve the lightning dragons. They easily deflected the lighting and absorbed a part of it.

He understood! He was to take the power of Heaven and Earth for the final step of the Immortal Realm!

Strikes came faster and faster as the clouds began to thin. The tribulation continued until there was a single final bolt that slammed into the emerald lightning dragon. The group roared in victory as Lind felt hollowed out.

He had used a lot of vitality to pull off his survival, yet the dragons around him looked at him in joy. They dispersed and were absorbed back into him. The Authority used to make them was restored plus the power they absorbed!

His lifespan had been in the hundreds of millions already but now he could live for a billion years with ease! That was far beyond most races!

The sky did not clear up as a final bolt of light shot out of the blue. It grasped him and pulled him up. He had no strength left to resist as he quickly left the surface and the wind roared until a tear opened up.

He saw violet and dark forests before he felt gravity reassert itself on him. He looked back to see a final glimpse of the 3rd layer before it snapped shut.

He was finally a Sovereign Tier and in the 4th layer!