Eternal Emerald Dragon

Chapter 1394 - 1393 - Obstacles

Lind felt like he had cast a thousand artifacts into his hearth and Forged them to the limit on top of making a thousand elixirs at the same time. He had unleashed the Storm of Defiance until that moment and he had no control over it.

It was pure chance it struck who he wanted or maybe his desire had influenced it a bit. Still, Fey had been nearly struck as well so he had been right to warn her.

He saw she was beyond her limits as well but they could recover in time in both their cases. He also had to use a sliver of his Dao to fly even as a dragon. Compared to the Storm Art, however, it was nothing.

He happily released it all and examined his dantian for any damage but all seemed well. He doubted he would be so lucky against more enemies in the future.

He had the element of surprise and Fey on his side that had also proven how dangerous she could be. They had won but burned a great many bridges doing it.

He saw the group as he landed and a smile cracked his face as some of his wives and friends rushed to him.

They had an impromptu catch up session and he noticed a few were injured which showed they had faced cultivators on the same level as them. He had a few elixirs left to heal which he handed out.

Once the initial gathering was done, they moved back to Barbatos' forest as it was Lind's home base.

They did not have much space at his home but there was a clearing they put to use.

He produced tables, tea, and some food if any wanted some. Barbatos was conspicuously looking around and Lind sighed as summoned barrels of wine. The smile on the Silver Tiger's face made him sigh once more.

Lind took a seat next to Cyntilla and Qing. The pair had come to lead and support the Under Lands while Fey had come to direct combat if needed. She had been the final defense if necessary but became the vanguard once the war had to end.

"So, aside from Fey, did anyone else act to fight in the war?" Lind had noticed some injuries but nothing severe.

"Fey took on the troublesome ones but we broke up their forces below the Crystal Tier. Radiant Tiers were restricted but without forces they had to withdraw." He nodded at Qing's words.

The norms dictated their reactions. Once they lost their allowed forces to fight, the higher realm cultivators let it go. Likely also, they heard their Sovereign Tiers were ambushed successfully.

Loss on both sides left them no choice but to retreat.

Lind was glad no one on their side had died but his choice locked them onto a difficult path in the future.

"The Crimson Venom Spiders are devastated but they will recover." He informed them of his battle with them. A few asked about his new Storm Art but he declined to reveal it as it was not fully completed.

Any information on it could make people attempt something dangerous if he did not fully grasp all the aspects of it. The issue was he tied it to his Dao, not just his harmony. If other 6 elementals tried to follow his incomplete path, it could end in disaster.

"So, Ethry is held by a fallen dragon clan. Where are they?" Lind brought the meeting around. He could still feel the connection to her, so she was alive, but that was all he could tell.

The group became silent and he knew he was going to be told some bad things.

"We have something odd. Ethry was definitely taken to the Throne held by the Divine Ryuu Clan but now they have lost her and the supposed chosen mate. They are going crazy over there." Lind frowned deeply. What was going on?

The Divine Ryuu Clan had taken her but now they lost her and the dragon pursuing her?

"Any leads? Did the Stone Hide Clan betray them?" Lind asked the obvious but Fey was the one that answered.

"Actually, I think both parties are culpable. It stinks of a coverup to me. The DIvine Ryuu Clan does not want to be called out for their practices and allowed for this to happen." Lind sighed as the politics of it made some sense.

Even if he could prove their collusion, they could sacrifice a member of their clan to save them from further repercussions. The why of it eluded him but it no longer mattered in the short term.

"So where is she and when can I get there?" Silence fell at his question. All seemed to avert their eyes and he knew there was a piece of news he really was not going to like.

"True Lord, leaving the Under Lands is not as easy as opening a door. We can enter the Hollow Lands that way as they are just like us in many aspects. We are treated the same in the eyes of the Sovereign Lands." Barbatos finally spoke up after drinking from what looked like a giant fang to Lind.

The Silver Tiger was not his usual jovial self but pointed at Fey.

"Goddess, please show him your token." Fey produced a simple jade token inlaid with a metal Lind had not heard of. He searched his mind but the strange gold white color did not match anything he knew of.

He wanted to examine it but the instant he tried to touch it, he was repelled! No one seemed surprised but he saw others produce similar tokens.

"If you had landed in the Sovereign Lands, you would have been issued the same token. Just like ours here help mitigate the loss of Qi, the Sovereign Land version identifies their members. It cannot be faked as it is tied to the soul of the person." Lind found that dangerous.

Soul slate, candles, and more were held by trusted elders and family most of the time. To issue such an item as mere identification seemed absurd. It had to serve another purpose.

Barbatos seemed to read his mind.

"As you might expect, if you are exiled, the token is shattered. It also damages the foundation of a cultivator. Once in the Under Lands, it could take centuries to recover." Lind had been right.

It was a token of identity and punishment all in one.

"Can they be shattered remotely?" Barbatos looked to the others as he did not know.

"They could but we had ours modified once we got our hands on them. Your students have come far, Lind." Qing smiled his way. She then frowned sadly. "However, we cannot give you one. The inherent design has a limit on it that it must be cast and given in the Sovereign Lands."

Lind found such a requirement odd. How would the array know where someone was unless–?!

He let his fingers glow and sigils appeared. No one said a word until a massive array suddenly appeared above them. Strands of Qi traced to each token the group members wore.

The only exceptions were himself and the Under Land natives. Lind sneered as he understood. The same array that pulled most of the Qi away from the Under Lands also tied itself to the jade tokens.

His Eyes glowed as he ripped apart the method but was shocked when he failed! It was not a question of array alone but really the physical location! He could not bypass it!

"Some kind of anchor or formation eye? Maybe the creator tied it to something specific on the Sovereign Land side." Lind mumbled before he saw Cyntilla and Qing smirking at him.

He sighed and held up his hands in surrender.

"So I can't just waltz into the Sovereign Lands. Anything else?" Qing stepped forward and touched his arm. She did so anytime she knew he was going to get angry.

"Lind, my beloved, the Thrones held by beasts are restricted to their race alone. We cannot enter there freely. Even having the blood of a dragon is not enough. Only you or one of your children with Ethry like Hei could go there." He was confused, why was he going to get angry at such a restriction?

She then sighed as she continued.

"The restrictions seem to include those with beast souls. I am not sure how they know or what separates them, but it is recorded that several people who gained a beast soul were never able to enter the Thrones of their respective races." Anger flared in Lind. He knew what kind of sacrifice or action it took to get a beast soul.

It was not something that could be given or stolen, it had to be earned. He had never intended to become one but his sacrifice of his life for Ethry triggered the judgement on him long ago.

To deny that sacrifice that even the Heavens acknowledge was the height of arrogance!

"To Hell with that! I will not be told where I can and cannot go as a dragon!" His rage radiated off of him.

"Lind, there is one more obstacle in particular for you." Cyntilla spoke up and summoned a scroll. She unfurled it and he recognized his portrait instantly.

It was not a wanted poster but it was an enticement to find him. It was who issued it that was the problem.

{Elixir City, Forging City, and Weaver City put forth a bounty of 1 million peak Immortal Qi stones for the location or information on Lind Frey.}