Eternal Emerald Dragon

Chapter 1382 - 1381 - No

"No." Barbatos was in his natural Silver Tiger body but he was bleeding from several wounds and gravity was currently pushing him down into the soil.

Standing calmly across from him was an entirely unscathed Lind Frey. Lind was glaring as he tried to contain his rage.

Barbatos had barged into his home, interrupting his cultivation. Already he was in a bad mood but that went from bad to worse as Barbatos began to unload on him.

The damned tiger would not let him get a word in edgewise so Lind did the one thing the man seemed to grasp.

His claws had cut his silver hide with ease before gravity was altered to press him into the soil.

Once that got his attention, a calmer conversation was had but it only made Lind incensed.

"I will not force people to comply. Not only is it an abuse of my Authority, but it will not solve the problem. Idiocy and greed sadly go hand in hand. Unlike you that I caught off guard, the others will not be so easy to defeat, yes?" Barbatos tried to nod but his current position did not allow it. Still, Lind noted it.

Unlike others, Lind had a much clearer view of the power of True Lords. In the short term, or in battle, such commands could change the flow of events but long term imposition was not feasible.

A True Lord was not a god. He only had power so long as Heaven and Earth did not counteract him or until he exhausted his lifespan.

Still, he had a clear view of his power too. He could battle a high Sovereign Tier and win with ease. Even a peak Sovereign Tier, if caught off guard, would die if they had no chance to react.

Still, that changed in battle. Only a complete idiot would not be prepared for an attack in battle and Lind had no confidence that even his best artifact would be a toy in the hands of a peak Sovereign Tier.

Even his pseudo-Dao creations would not be enough in numbers. Based on Barbatos and a few others he had observed, Lind estimated only 2 peak Sovereign Tiers would be enough to overcome his battle power.

While that was insane on the face of it given the massive chasm between each minor tier of the cultivation realm, it did not change the fact Lind would quickly lose if he was not a True Lord.

No beast, no matter the race, would willingly attack a True Lord as it was useless. In defense of his life, his Authority cost nothing.

It was the most effective use and many True Lords had made excellent use of it throughout history.

Thus, only a suicidal fool would try.

Demons and other races did not have such issues but again, in self defense, Lind could enact his Authority creatively like a technique. Rather than a direct command on the cultivator, he could invoke Heavenly Wrath on command!

Actively going to war, however, would put the burden all on Lind. Intent matters and the Heavens were not blind. If Lind chose to act, the price would be paid in full no matter the danger to his life.

"True Lord, if they go to war, many innocents will die. You know I am right." Those words were undeniable. Cultivators were pragmatic but at the peak they were also desperate. A chance at free resources would be abused to the limit.

Lind would be spared but not left alone. No matter what he tried, once the invasion started, it would be too late.

Trying to warn the Hollow Lands also would not work as he had no connections there. Barbatos also made it clear there were no alliances or powers there. It was a place of individuals loosely working together.

While they would unite in conflict, there was a real chance they could lose from a surprise attack.

They would not listen to Lind even if beasts were also in charge of any areas near the border. There was a massive set of tunnels that were sealed to the Hollow Lands but there was a Throne near one as well.

Wisely, the faction going to war was avoiding angering that one as Thrones were far more powerful and always on the lookout for attacks but Lind felt they were naive to ignore it now.

According to what Barbatos told him, it was an insect hive led by a small group of peak Sovereign Tiers. It would be highly likely they would fish in troubled waters while no one was looking.

They were Crimson Poison Spiders. They excelled in traps laced with poison that would burn people from the inside out. It would leave the corpse ready to use as food, nesting for eggs, or even just as examples for enemies.

Insects were technically under his Authority but he doubted they would care one whit about his opinion let alone his Authority.

Spiders also were more likely to look at the long view compared to other races.

Lind still saw nothing but downsides but Barbatos was being naïve too.

"You understand there may be a punitive force coming anyway?" The golden eyes looked confused before they went wide.

All it would take was someone they feared keeping tabs on the status of the Under Lands. Signs of recovery could be used as an excuse too, it would just take more convincing.

Alternatively, a small force could be sent but all they would need were about 5 Sovereign Tiers at the peak with enough Immortals under them at full power to wipe the floor with key strategic areas and the fate of the Under Lands would be sealed.

There was also a final problem that Barabtos had overlooked.

Lind was no longer the only True Lord. None had been chosen in the lower 3 layers, but the 4th layer had 2 more beside him.

The Fiends had targeted any in the lower 3 layers for obvious reasons but the 4th layer had simply been locked away. Thus, any True Lord would be no threat on that front.

The 2 True Lords he knew of were both in the Sovereign Lands to the best of anyone's knowledge but like him, they wanted to avoid interlopers from bothering them. True Lords were often sought out like Barbatos was doing now.

One was a phoenix but he was unsure of which race. The other was known to be a Divine Xiangliu. A very dangerous race that some might call a hydra in other countries on old Earth.

Unlike the hydra, which also existed, its 9 heads were like a flower at the end of a long stem. Their bodies were massive and usually coiled to attack while the heads invoked devastation on the lands around them.

Flood and ruin followed in their wake whereas a hydra was a variant of the dragon race.

Due to the nature of that True Lord, its location was impossible to completely hide but the area around it was a death zone that kept people away. It was also very old so it may be only a soul but its devastating powers would persist according to what Barbatos knew from his race memory.

Lind could only hope to never cross paths with such a being as even he did not know how to overcome an aether beast that could change the terrain to its advantage. His Storm Arts held potential but if the effects could also be twisted, they were useless.

In the end, Lind's liabilities outweighed his advantages. He had been in similar positions but the stakes were so high with few solutions.

Executing the heads of the current war faction would slow down their end but the Sovereign and Hollow Lands could still send forces of their own volition.

The Throne was also a variable he could not control.

A feeling of nostalgia washed over him. He was back in the enclosed Law Binding in the Heaven Realm lands and surrounded by the Fiend controlled empires.

He only had a ragtag band of exiles and his advantage against the soulmancers due to his harmony.

He had no such advantage now but he was a True Lord which did give him some leeway.

His true issue was the other races. Elementals might listen to him given a chance, but the rest might not care. Aether children in the 4th layer were not associated with him directly unlike before.

Humans and demons were going to prioritize their needs over anything logical. It would be as useful as throwing a sponge at an avalanche.

Some force might be absorbed but the uncaring force would continue rolling over him. They would also likely try to capture him.

Celestials were not in the 4th layer at all to his knowledge. Fiends were but they were greatly reduced even now despite millennia to recover.

The hope of their interference was low.

They had no interest in the Under Lands due to the severe lack of Qi and beasts controlling the forests. There was literally nowhere for them to hide nor good food available there.

Lind could only see bloodshed one way or the other. He just wanted to progress his foundation at long last but instead he had to handle the current issue!

He sighed before releasing Barbatos and telling him to call all the Sovereign Tiers he could rely on. There was not much he could do but he could make things to give an advantage.

If he could not do it alone, he would make an army.