Eternal Emerald Dragon

Chapter 1417 - 1416 - Diverse Paradise

"You should keep a tighter leash on the young ones, old friend." An old man in dark gray robes walked next to a gorgeous woman with pure white hair. His head was nearly bald but his face was full of power.

His steel eyes were dangerous but restrained as a simple broadsword swung at his hips. No decorations but none were needed.

The Divine Sword Sect, no matter how far up one went, remained the same. Their name was not for nothing as they were not native to the Celestial Fields. They had arrived epochs ago.

The person next to him was from a similar power but far more humble beginnings.

Her hair was white with age but her face and body were full of vitality and youth. She was known as the Ageless Maiden.

Her eyes were blind due to a curse but none dared cross her as she moved with the confidence of perfect sight. Her aura was not doing it either. None truly knew who she could 'see' but she also never used weapons.

She was a fearsome hand to hand combatant.

"We must all walk our paths. So long as it is her fate, I will not stop her from seeking her truth. You should know that, Render of Fate." The man frowned at the old title. He never claimed it but it stuck with him due to how many idiots kept challenging him because they believed they could not be denied what they wanted.

He had been far too righteous in his youth but he had no idea the shadow of his actions would follow him into his twilight years.

Both of them were very old peak Sovereign Tiers. They were part of a handful that had survived so long as many other Immortals died in battles, accidents, or just straight up murder.

The pair had become friends, enemies, and friends again as millions of years passed.

It was actually quite common so long as nothing deeply personal occurred. Immortals live long enough, everyone seems far too young and only those of the same generation mean anything to them.

"Even so, this is not the time–" The old man froze as did his companion. They were far from alone.

Just beyond the entrance they had been unsure what to expect. After 2000 years, even with beast powers, cities or towers were not uncommon. Given that Lind Frey was a Triple Maester of some repute, they even expected facilities pumping out elixirs, Forged items, and weaving plates galore.

They also could have seen a sea of dragons fighting over any and everything in sight. A range of mountains to even impossible areas of crystals and other resources dragons loved to hoard.

What no one expected was the feeling of resonance their crystals or dantians of the lower realms felt as they looked at paradise.

It was not a jungle, desert, or a specific terrain. They were all there! There was a series of ornate gates that clearly led down to the lower levels but dragons would enter or leave from them randomly.

There were mixed areas of natural, demonic, and Celestial Qi. Compared to the best sects or kingdoms, it was a glorious heaven!

People that had been stuck at bottlenecks for so long they could not remember what progress felt like, suddenly felt close to advancing!

"By the spirits, Dao. Dao floods this place!" Excitement came from the Ageless Maiden. The old man looked not only at her but saw others that had old injuries look like they were crying in joy.

His steel eyes narrowed as there were areas he could not scan at all. He did not feel defenses, it was more like his aura was just swallowed into a void.

His eyes alone, however, just plain old sight, could see a massive emerald glow at the heart of the Throne. It was like a storm but his heart trembled as he felt the sword in his crystal shimmered with a need.

He had not felt the fire to fight in so long but a smile stretched across his face as he nearly laughed.

"Clever bastard! We all expected negotiations, compromise, compensation, or some other arrogant act even, but not this!" Ageless Maiden could only nod as many moved to cultivate.

None of the dragons stopped them but the pair were old. They knew nothing in life was free.

[You are wise, seniors.] The old man blinked as a voice he never heard before spoke in his mind despite all his defenses. Ageless Maiden looked surprised as well but she bowed towards the center.

"True Lord Lind Frey, thank you for hosting this Convocation." Amusement filled his head before a mental chuckle came through.

[Like I had a choice. My seniors said since I started the mess, even if it was to save my wife, I had to host this. Also, I suspect they are just as curious as the rest of you.] Questions flashed in his mind but the scenery he could grasp drew him back.

"What is this place? How is this the Throne of Defiance?" Another chuckle was followed by exclamations of surprise!

"I can't progress! I was so close! I can feel there is nothing wrong but I can't take the final step."

Similar statements were heard and the old man closed his eyes before surprise flashed in his mind.

"It is not just Dao, there is also an absence! Something is missing, something I feel familiar with." He could almost name it but it was like the knowledge was slippery as an eel.

The Ageless Maiden suddenly looked pale before she summoned a blue crystal mounted in a silver lattice held in a golden base to allow it to spin freely. He saw her infuse Laws into it but what the Laws were shocked him.

Time, Space, and Life Laws!

That particular combination was used for Seers or those trying to grasp the truth of destiny or the possibilities when faced with dead ends in Inheritances or battles.

The artifact had to be of the same vein but he did not recognize it at all.

"Impossible. How is this even existing?" Her words were faint but he recognized the shock he had not seen in at least 20 million years. What happened?

She lifted her head up to him and held out the artifact. He had no ability in any of those Laws, save space. He touched and saw nothing changed.

He looked around but then narrowed his eyes. There was a faint blue glow around everyone. The older Immortals were brighter generally but a few Heaven Realms helping support the groups also had some bright halos.

Yet, nothing made sense until he looked back.

Very faint threads were clotting at the gateway. They were everywhere and connected to everything.

It was an intricate web of threads and a sliver of it came to him.

"Fate. This allows you to see the threads of fate?" He let go of the artifact and stepped back.

"It would be more accurate to say it lets me see the possible threads. I am not a Seer nor can any artifact divine your future perfectly, but analyzing patterns is something many artifacts can do. It was in a Ruin long ago but it took me until I was a Shard Tier to even get it to work." He had several items like that but he pushed his memories aside as he understood the problem.

"We are outside of fate here?!" She nodded and the issues now made sense as well. As cultivators advanced, karma and fate became far more important. Trying to actively alter the fate of oneself or others was extremely difficult but not impossible.

Those lucky few cultivators that seemed to have everything going their way were considered favored of fate but then others that had the Laws or skills could try to steal it.

In a place devoid of fate, many cultivators would be unable to advance because the next page could not be written! They would forever sever the path they had been on if they tried without understanding it!

[Impressive of you both. You are almost right. The Throne of Defiance is not a void of fate, but a denial of being dictated by it. It is a true choice. Heaven and Earth do not have a plan but there are patterns that have taken hold seeking balance.] The words actually made both flinch in pain.

Dao. The True Lord was speaking on a Dao!

"True Lord Frey, you need to explain or it will only cause resentment." Ageless Maiden spoke but the old man smirked as he looked around. It seemed the True Lord was far ahead of them.

He could hear fellow Sovereign Tiers explaining there was a Dao that had to be grasped to take a step forward. When the others learned that, they did not get depressed, but excited.

How often would they get to study a Dao outside of an Inheritance?!

The old man felt sorry for them. It was more complicated than they realized. He was no closer to advancement despite feeling inspired in the Throne of Defiance.

"To walk a path of your own choosing is not so easy." He mumbled but the Ageless Maiden heard him.

"In here, a cultivator might be able to feel closer to their Laws and elements but without being willing to shoulder it all alone, they will not advance. Yet, they are." She drew his eyes back to the flying forms of the Harmonic Dragons and a shock went through him.

An entire race! An entire race free of fate's threads!

What that meant for the future of the Celestial Fields he had no idea but he realized the revelation for him and the other Sovereign Tiers.

Lind Frey will not bow to fate or anyone. They were not meeting a naive Sovereign Tier but a true cultivator that faced his own future without any aid from Heaven and Earth!