Eternal Emerald Dragon

Chapter 1395 - 1394 - Loophole

Lind felt backed into a corner.

His wife was kidnapped but beyond his reach. He could get to her but the price would no doubt be very high. His Clan had burned many bridges to stop a war that was used as a pretense to strip the Under Lands bare.

It would have recovered but it would not have mattered for all the dead that would be left behind afterwards.

There were not enough resources to go around and the slaughter would only benefit a handful of Sovereign Tiers.

Lind was so tired of it all on that fact alone, but he was also fairly young compared to other Immortals. He had time they did not.

The meeting was adjourned as the Frey Clan had to return to protect their lands from the coming reprisals.

Fey had to go as she was the strongest by far with her ability to use Dao. The father and daughter pair had shared insights but Lind had an edge she could never have. A harmony was with him since he began his journey, so using the Dao of Defiance was much easier for him than hers of Life and Death.

Still, both had benefited greatly.

Cyntilla also had to leave for similar reasons but stayed long enough to remind him not be so hard to get ahold of! He learned that Kora and the others had advanced or soon would be advancing which shocked him a bit.

Lysanna had been reaching her limits from what he had understood. He also confirmed that for many of his wives, the Sovereign Tier would be the end of their journey barring opportunities.

His mother would not advance any more as she had burned up a lot of her potential to become a Radiant Tier. Many of his children that survived had run into bottlenecks at the Crystal Tier but still had time to reach the Radiant Tier before they too had to settle for what they had.

He frowned as the feeling of time was slipping through his fingers in a different aspect came to him.

He continued to advance in ways unexpected to many due to being a 6 elemental and so many other ways, but a portion of his current lifespan could be the entirety of theirs!

He needed breathing space to simply reconnect if he could before they were gone. Memories flooded him for a time and regret followed afterward. He had broken or strained bonds he treasured so much now that they were slipping away.

Some would still talk to him but others may not.

"You are looking too far into the future again, Beloved." A voice tugged him back to the present as he felt arms embrace him from behind. He smiled as he looked back to see a head of blonde hair pressed against him.

"How do you always sense that, even when asleep?" They were in his bedroom and the moons lit the dark more than enough for his eyesight.

Qing looked up at him with a smile on her face that reached her eyes.

"You are a difficult man at times, Lind, but as we advanced, I felt your longing to hold on to your family more and more. It became a burden that was twisted against us, yet you persevered and after some harsh reminding, found a way back to us. Don't fall down that hole again and accept what we all have to." She was part wife and part counselor at that moment but he loved her for it.

She always took the view of what was possible without dismissing what was held in the heart.

"Accepting that all the family we loved will die before us is not something I like, Qing. It does not help that Ethry is in danger. They will kill her if I do not come." Both became grim but neither had an answer.

Without a token, Lind was trapped. He could enter the Hollow Lands but that was all he could do. More than that, they had no idea where the Stone Hide Clan had taken her now.

She been in the Divine Ryuu Clan's Throne but that was–

Lind suddenly froze. Qing looked up at him confused but then smiled.

"You thought of something?" He nodded and closed his eyes. He reviewed everything he had been taught and realized there was a loophole they all overlooked!

[Barbatos, can you hear me?] He reached out to the battle maniac and was pleased he got a quick response.

[True Lord? What is it? Are you ready for a spar now that you have satisfied yourself?] Lind would punch him later but the man was consistent at least.

[Do Thrones have the same restrictions as the rest of the 4th layer lands?] A long pause was followed by excitement that came back along the connection.

[They do not! Thrones are wholly independent from the Sovereign Lands rules!] Lind broke the connection and smiled.

"Qing, I need a Throne that reaches the Hollow Lands and the Sovereign Lands." Her face froze before a wide smile broke out.

"You realize they will foresee you using this path? They will be watching Thrones like hawks, waiting to pounce. Further, we angered many allies of those same Thrones." He understood but did not care.

Nothing would stop him.

She went to the table by the bed and retrieved her storage ring. She looked like a ghost in the moonlight but for Lind, it was angelic. A jade slip appeared and her aura flared until a smile crossed her face.

"There are 3." She handed the slip to him and he saw where she had highlighted the Thrones. There were indeed 3 Thrones that reached all the way down to the Hollow Lands from the Sovereign Lands.

Throne of Silver was host to a mix of humans and beasts living together for mineral goals. The founders had been a mix of Dark Scaled Moles and mercantile humans according to their legends.

Throne of the Root was a true plant power. It was a massive tree at the heart of it that nurtured its successors if needed but its roots were literal. Each root created special areas of elements or Laws that allies negotiated to use as much as possible for advancement.

The dryad was a distant relation that had her ancestors leave for exploration, not a crime.

The last one was the one that drew his interest because it was an isolated Throne compared to the first two.

The Throne of Living Fire.

It was a bit mysterious in that few confirmed facts were found. It was a Throne of the phoenix race but the exact clan in charge was totally unknown. Bori had already been scouted by them long ago but he insisted on sticking with Jur until she advanced.

What made him curious was why a phoenix based power would reach so deep underground. It also made it his best option.

The Throne predated the fall of the Under Lands and despite many overtures, the Throne of Living Fire had rebuffed the Sovereign Land alliances over and over.

"So, you will try to deal with a race that hates dragons on sight?" He smirked at her but nodded.

"Feng and Bori have taught me a lot but I will not be simply insisting they let me through. I can give them something they may want. The price will be the key. If not that way, the Throne of the Root is promising too." The dryad's reaction to his harmony made him leave that as a backup as it was also the most likely Throne to be under the watch of his enemies.

Qing frowned but slowly nodded.

"Just promise you will discuss any promises with us this time. We are here with you." He nodded. It was different this time around compared to before. He had been blazing a trail for so long alone but he was not alone anymore.

The pair then put aside future plans as the night was still young and they had a lot of catching up to do.

⬧⬧⬧⬧

Ethry was chained heavily to a stone wall. She was not uncomfortable outside the restraints but her companion was in much worse shape.

The young prismatic ryuu male was sweating from a fever as his injuries had been left untreated. His prideful words and declarations of revenge had resulted in his severe beating.

Qi was completely sealed within them but she was quietly examining the arrays holding her. They were ancient and powerful, but flawed. She revealed nothing as she slowly worked away at them.

She made little progress but she was not going to wait for help to come. The Stone Hide Clan was so much worse than her race memory warned her.

They had not fallen to the Fiends but it was clear they had become more tunnel visioned as time had passed. They were putting all their resources into destroying not only beast souls but anyone that 'diluted' the dragon race.

Her own son would have been on their list if he was not already far below their reach. Despite being born from her, a true dragon, they would treat him as an enemy due to his father alone!

It was no wonder the ancient True Lords had banished the clan. Even dragons, for all their pride as a race, could not live like these creatures. The Stone Hide Clan had once been millions of members but could only be measured in thousands now.

They were doomed but were more dangerous because they could not see it.

Lind was coming but she did not want him to face them on their home turf. Her instincts screamed at her of the danger. Thus, she slowly kept working on the arrays' flaws while the young man whimpered.

The dark stone and his painful sounds were her only companion but she never stopped. She would break free and the Stone Hide Clan would learn why the Frey Clan was considered so dangerous by powers far older than its existence.