Eternal Emerald Dragon

Chapter 1408 - 1407 - Shifting Borders

Lind was able to leave the Throne of Living Flame in just 2 days. It took time to make a medallion for him, even more so when they learned they could not get his signature correct. He had to learn how to make one himself.

It shocked the refiners and Forgers of the phoenixes at how quickly he picked up the techniques to make one.

In the end, he made a whole batch for those that would need them soon, as when a Phoenix became a Heaven Realm, they would be sent on a journey to temper themselves.

Any goodwill might help down the road, so Lind did not mind the slight delay.

The other delay had been getting his map updated.

The Sovereign Lands, despite being far richer in Immortal Qi and Laws, were not very stable at the edges of each domain. Depending on how many Sovereign Tiers were enforcing it, the borders could shift drastically or whole new lands could be birthed in between.

Now, he stood at a wall of flames that felt more solid than any material he had ever encountered. It shimmered between all colors known and a few beyond the visual spectrum.

It was not Laws or Dao but pure creation by the original creators of the Throne. He finally got a true grasp as he stood at the giant crystalline gateway to the Sovereign Lands.

The stability and unbreakable feeling around him was close to the Divine Realm areas he had experiences in Inheritances.

He felt like he was seeing something similar but vastly different from that sensation.

"True Lord Frey, the gate will be released in a moment but are you sure you do not want an escort through the Shimmering Fields?" A fully decked out man was saluting him. In the time waiting or learning about the pendants, he had helped them improve elixirs drastically.

It was almost laughable they had succeeded in making them at all. It seemed the phoenix clans neglected to take into account the fact they were reborn beings. They had ingrained instincts they thought were right as they had worked previously.

Incorporating new knowledge was an easy thing for regular cultivators, how much harder would it be to overcome lifetimes of habits?

Regardless, results were the best indicator. They also refused to buy elixirs from other races but on that they would not compromise.

His elixirs simply destroyed theirs in quality and effectiveness. He also learned that having multiple effects was quite rare usually. He had just assumed that was normal.

Why hadn't Younger Twin ever said anything?

Regardless, the elixir masters has quickly absorbed his teachings and produced far better results. They could walk the rest of the way on their own.

"No, I am fine. Your son is a quick learner so he will advance to a higher grade elixir master soon." He well knew why the guard was so respectful. Hell, half the elders tried to slow his departure but their True Lord was having none of it.

Lind felt Qi flow and the gate actually shifted like a flame to create an opening in the wall! It was fascinating as it was not an array doing the work. Some kind of intent?

He wished he could study it but he had no more time.

"Thank you for your hospitality. I will return the favor someday." Space then tore open and he vanished.

He expected a smooth journey but he had only traveled for a few moments when he was forced to return.

He came tumbling out just outside a sparking expanse of crystal hills and fields.

It was quite beautiful for the few breaths he had to take it in as he smashed into what started as normal dirt but then became stone just before he hit it!

Even as he lay there collecting his thoughts, the stone became water! He then felt it get warm and flew up to at least stop experiencing what was happening. He looked around and felt awe at what he was seeing.

The Shimmering Fields lived up to its name. Elemental crystals predominantly made up the land and it was a work of art to see, but at the border was pure chaos.

He floated there and saw the borderlands shift between materials without any input from him. He could feel several wills and intents fighting it out but it was not active.

It was purely in the background and only where they met.

He then saw the sinuous lines retract as a new node of stone and earth appeared! He only then realized he was having an effect, it was just so chaotic it took time to manifest!

He studded the now stable slab of stone and landed on it. It was mostly solid but he could feel it was just barely holding on. He put more thought into it and it became almost normal in its sensation.

He also felt a small strain on his mind as it took constant attention to keep it up.

"Hmm, so it is not simply a matter of establishing it. You have to constantly keep supplying support or it will crumble." It changed his perspective but made the Under Lands stand out more to him.

While it had a lack of Qi and its lands could change, it was mostly due to uncontrolled Sovereign Tiers arriving.

The lands otherwise were fairly stable. It meant that the barrier pulling the Qi away had an unintended side effect.

As he studied his little island he slowly understood what it was.

"Laws. The Laws are weakened as well so they are more stable since they no longer respond actively. The intent stripped away, they settle to the most stable form." That also explained what happened to him.

Tearing through space was much like tunneling through Qi and Laws. If there was a massive disruption to what he understood between his origin and destination, there was no way to maintain the tear.

"Flying it is then, but if I just fly on my own, it will be like announcing myself. Sigh, I hope these still work." He then summoned a rather small version of his sky ships..

A rather modest vessel appeared but its materials were anything but. Each piece was Law Grade but far from the peak. It was proof of concept more than anything else.

To overcome the severity of Immortal Qi, he had created starships that required a power core made up of harmonic crystals and crazy systems to replicate his sky ship abilities.

Artifacts that flew were limited as the majority of arrays were to mostly protect the artifact's owner, maintain flight with all that entailed, and maybe a repair function or some kind of endurance support.

Inscriptions took up space and even the finest refiner or inscriber could only fit so much on a surface. It was why Forging was so highly valued as it bypassed the problem but the capacity of materials still reached a limit.

His solution had been to make several artifacts that worked together as part of a vessel. It was essentially to allow him to enjoy flying without expending his own Qi to do it.

The starships, though they worked, were resource hogs. Even his Seeds could not keep up enough to make many of them.

The skyships in comparison were far more efficient with a simple core that needed an initial charge before the absorption artifacts took over.

It took him millenia to solve the problem and now he had a new prototype that was even smaller than his first attempt at a skyship.

That had been a glorified sail boat with a dome put over it. It was closer to a submarine in that sense but what floated before him now was a sleek vessel.

It no longer narrowed like a boat as there was no need but it did narrow at one end and had small wing areas that held important artifacts.

The hatch was also not a simple door any longer but a sort of liquid metal that could retract and reform as needed. It also doubled as a defense or weapon at the command of the controller.

Surprisingly, it was the easiest piece to make.

The hardest part was the damned flying mechanism. A single artifact was not enough no matter how he Forged it. Instead, he had to create 3.

They actually layered on top of each other and allowed not only flight but precise attitude control.

Compared to the skyship or starship, it was infinitely faster and more maneuverable. It did come with a trade off on its limited size. If he made it too big, it was too much of a strain on the basic structure of the materials that he needed drastically more support.

It was his current obstacle to something that could haul people like the other ships but for a handful of people, it was sufficient. It was a bit snug if he had over 4 people though.

The silver metal set into the dark wood glowed as it disappeared into the edges. He saw the glow of the corridor as that was the other issue.

He could not hide the mechanisms at all as it added too much weight so the arrays were constantly glowing as it was operated.

He walked to the main control room in the middle and the ship shot into the air. Even a Sovereign Tier would have trouble tracking it.

The crystal levers and metal dials were also another limit on the materials. He needed the pure conductivity of both to make the controls thus far. He was always improving but it was flying smoothly through the air.

The scanner took in information and he saw the shifting was on a massive scale and not just at the border. Areas were changing so much that local landmarks were just not a thing.

The massive landmarks on his map, however, remained still. They were not changing and marked both Thrones and major powers. With those he plotted his course and zoomed through the sky.

"Ethry, I am coming." He spoke it aloud and felt his bond respond. She may not have heard him but she felt him coming closer. Spirits help any that got in his way now.