Eternal Emerald Dragon

Chapter 1373 - 1372 - Rules of the Under Lands

Lind held an impromptu sermon on his elemental theories as well as the existence of the Celestials as it seemed that news had not made it to the Under Lands either.

As he lectured, a small crowd had come and he noticed Soul Realm and World Reams made of the vast majority but all took in his words like sponges. He noticed all were thinner than they should be but something else drew his attention.

No beasts. There was not a single beast in range of his aura which was considerable. He was restricted by the more powerful Qi and Laws but it was still nearly the size of the 3rd layer.

The fringes were unstable but he did not find a single beast pack anywhere! How was that possible?!

How did the lower realms survive without Qi infused meat?

He added to his questions for later but after a few days, the sermon ended. He had noticed the distribution of crude Qi infused bread from fields that had barely absorbed any Qi.

The humans left with their respective followers but the demons and the dryad stayed with him. He did not know what they expected but it was clear they had more to speak with him on.

He raised his hand before he erected a weaving directly with his own harmonic Qi. He was testing things again but not a sliver of his Qi was torn away. He noticed it took more Qi than it should but he understood he was the sole contributor rather than borrowing the background Qi as he was used to.

Eyes wide as saucers surrounded him from the one eyed demoness down to the Soul Realms that felt the shift in the Qi around them.

"I am simply taking precautions since others appeared at the end but did not reveal themselves." His words made the one eyed demoness look at him like he was prey all of a sudden. He quickly summoned a Clan plate he had made to save time.

On it was his immediate family and the cultivation realm they were at. It was a far more complex version of the Soul Slates but he only had the one so it was fine.

The demoness sighed in disappointment but understood his intent. He was not interested!!

"True Lord, what is it you wish to ask?" He turned to the dryad and his eyes glowed as he put more power into his Law Eyes. They were as powerful as any Immortal Eyes could be but he noticed he could not see much more than the thin Qi around him.

The cultivators had more Qi but even the Soul Realms were opaque to him.

"Is there some technique you are all employing to block me?" A smile cracked many faces before one of them removed a simple wooden amulet. The instant it was removed 2 things happened.

Lind could see the state of their cultivation clearly but also the Qi fled from their body. One of the demon men quickly helped his fellow put the wooden amulet back on and the flow stopped.

He understood instantly.

The demoness pulled out an amulet from a pouch at her waist. He noticed a distinct lack of storage treasures at that moment.

[Haro, are you all right? Abby and your sister too?] He quickly checked on them but all 3 spirits sent reassurance they were fine. It seemed his aura protected them but they felt like they could not project outside their artifact bodies.

He took the simple square shaped amulet and noticed it was inscribed with a simple array. It used the owner's Qi to activate but once it got going, it reduced the outflow of Qi by over 90%!

"Anyone born in the Under Lands is issued with that as soon as they attempt to breakthrough to the Soul or Demon Soul Realm. They also cannot go out alone anywhere. If a cultivator loses their amulet, they could be drained to the point of lethal deviation." Lind was surprised at the rule but then began to dive into it.

Essentially, the lower the realm, the more rules imposed on them. Never going out alone was survival but even opposing villages could not take the amulets unless it was a true corpse.

The Under Lands were hard enough to live as it was but if they started stealing amulets, it would become a matter to involve Immortals far too quickly.

Since there were no formations or artifacts to really stop them, that was a supremely undesirable situation for all.

Bandits were slaughtered by Immortals on discovery as well so banditry as a threat was almost non-existent.

There was also an emphasis on farming that led into an open market each year to divy up the crops. It seemed despite how vicious it could have been, the local villages had established rules to let them all not only survive but thrive in the limited Qi environment.

All the current Immortals were sent down either on ascension or due to punishments from the Sovereign Lands.

Heaven Realms were rarely sent down but sometimes accidents happened for them and they could run in the wrong direction in the Hollow Lands and once trapped in the Under Land, there was no way back.

He did not understand until he understood the issue was no one could truly recover to their peak except the Sky Realm and below.

Even then, Sky Realms in the higher tiers would struggle to do so even with the amulets. It added a set of rules regarding cultivation chambers not being entered under any circumstances.

Such chambers were relatively rare so that was not difficult.

The final rules were more informal due to the reality of their situation.

No sects could be formed. Cities could try to do so, but the sheer logistical issues made it difficult to sustain a cultivation city of any size.

It shocked him to his core to learn the Immortals were lords of villages! It was all they could support!

He truly felt how few resources they had at their disposal. He doubted there was much he could do as his small Seed artifacts would not last long enough to make a self-sustaining environment no matter how he looked at it.

The suppression was harsher than he realized but that was when the dryad surprised him.

"There are places of power, still. They existed before the artificial drain of Qi began and even that effect cannot touch them but they are not welcoming of humans or demons." The demoness looked irritated but it made Lind understand something instantly.

"The beasts are there?" She nodded but then he was confused as to why she was outside.

"An envoy is sent every 2 centuries to negotiate some resources that have to be consumed inside a place set aside for us. The slots are limited." Lind realized everyone was on a knife edge in some respects.

Unlike the Corruption that actively hurt everyone, the suppression limited people but it was not all over. Further, it was possible to be recruited to better lands every 10,000 years. If you could live that long, it was worth it.

Lind did not like it but he understood they were working with what they had.

He had some thoughts if there were natural sources of Qi that he could use to expand their range but the issue was the constant drain would still be there.

It would take some testing on his part.

"Are there any restrictions on communication to the 3rd layer?" He assumed yes but was surprised when the demoness smiled at him.

"For others, it would be an issue, but if the little weed allows it, they supposedly have a method to reach the 2nd layer." Lind looked at her and she looked put out by the demoness beating her to the punch.

Lind realized the Endless Peaks had no real enclave of power for plants or beasts unless it was a sect. Given how disruptive the Fiends had been, the Corruption left only the 2nd layer with any hope of contact.

"While Lady Pierce is correct, it has been limited in success. Although a recent alliance with a relatively new group has improved our reach. They are called the Frey Clan." Lind was proud he did not jolt or laugh at that moment but Haro was laughing hard in his mind!

Abby was also giggling but her sister was confused as to why the 2 spirits were amused.

"I believe that will work. Are there any restrictions or rules regarding the use of this channel of contact?" The dryad now smiled wide and shook her head.

"You are a True Lord. The Lord Barbatos will be happy to meet you in fact! Although–" She glanced at his family plate and Lind sighed. He knew it already. He was actually getting quite good at turning down offers.

"It is fine, I am used to it." He then glanced sharply to the south as his weaving reacted to someone trying to pierce it. He tore through space but it was like moving through mud. He frowned as that aspect should not be affected by the drain of Qi.

He realized it was the Laws being much more profound around him with no Qi to balance them out!

He pushed it aside as he found a dirty human male with wild frayed white hair poking at his weaving. The shocking thing was the instant he saw Lind, the man yelped and dove into the soil!

It parted instantly and sealed up before he could follow. He tried to part it, but it ignored his efforts!

He was not sure but the old man had been only a Sky Realm yet he felt far more profound than the others he had met.

Questions were spawned but he doubted anyone had answers. The reaction of the old man was so quick that even he, a fully empowered Immortal, was caught off guard.

No one in the current Under Lands could get close to such a man unless he wanted them to.