Eternal Emerald Dragon

Chapter 1418 - 1417 - 3 True Lords

Lind sat in a chamber far removed from the border of his Throne. It had floating displays and readouts that would not be out of place in a control room of a bunker rather than deep in the heart of a volcano.

Crystal veins pulsed around him with power even he barely grasped but it was enough to allow him to see all that happened inside the wall of flames with a little outside of it.

What his current visitors were seeing was the literal tip of the iceberg. His displays showed underground caverns that were words unto themselves. It also showed drastic changes where his Throne touched on the Under Lands.

The regrowth and Qi had condensed to a level on par with the Sovereign Lands in a few decades once the Throne finally settled.

He was in a lotus position as he took it all in and smiled at the frustration of those that thought they could have a free ride.

It had taken over 1000 years for the Throne to settle. He had been immensely busy as the little dragons had run rampant demanding he play with them!

He was severely outnumbered but they grew up quickly and he saw how they shaped the very Throne around them!

It was the truth! The original volcano with peaks around it had been transformed not by him, but by them. As they advanced in their cultivation realm, the land nurtured them in return.

Eventually, it became a paradise of cultivation but with a catch.

Not a single trace of fate was allowed. The feeling of pressure in the background he had felt with critical decisions or even contemplating his advancement, was totally absent at last.

He was unsure how he felt about that as even he was unclear on how a void of fate could be allowed to exist like that.

It was not like he intended to do it but the result was before him for the past 2 millennia.

"You 2 need not be shy." He suddenly spoke to the chamber and 2 figures appeared as if emerging from water. It was a decent illusion but he felt hostility from the very tall man that stood next to the very short woman.

It would be comical if not for the clear resonance he felt from them.

"Arrogance will be your downfall, little lizard." The man had a very pinched face with faded gold eyes trying to pierce him if he was describing the sensation. The woman had wispy white hair and rolled her eyes.

Her body was stocky with power even Lind could feel. While he was at the mid Sovereign Tier, he felt they could crush him with a thought. He was starting to understand the quality of foundation made drastic differences in the final tier of the Immortal Realm.

The ones from the Under Lands were powerful without a doubt but he felt like he could take one or two on without an issue, but beyond that he was still doomed.

Compared to those in the Sovereign Lands, he doubted he could defeat a high Sovereign Tier without some kind of edge.

The last battle had been facilitated by the traitorous elders essentially committing suicide due to the Fiend's actions.

His own ability against the Fiends then came into place once he laid claim to the land.

Still, it had been bad at the beginning.

The pair were his counterparts that had called for the Convocation at his request. It had taken a ridiculous level of death to allow them to act.

True Lords, by definition, were solely the domain of aether beasts. Humans and other races had no need to obey them but their power demanded respect.

"Don't listen to him. He is just irritated that you have one of his kind as a mate. Junior Kora ignored him entirely!" Her belly shook as she laughed heartily while the thin man stared down at her.

Her aquamarine eyes were misty with tears but Lind felt they both looked down at him regardless of their words.

"I am grateful for your help. I doubt anyone would have come if I asked." Lind was dead serious. He had lit the fuse on a long simmering powder keg.

"You proved to us that the Under Lands will recover no matter what the Grand Array tries to do now. It means war was coming no matter what and the foolish cultists instigated you." The slim Roc True Lord actually backed him up.

Lind could not get a good read on them even after knowing them a few centuries.

"Is the little birdie not coming?" Lind winced at the name the Tortoise True Lord gave Helsgath would no doubt make him mad but the phoenix could not come to them.

"As I explained, he is not able to come per his Oaths. We will be here alone." Both of them nodded but he had already told them this before. They were not senile nor anywhere close to the end of their lives.

So they were either trying to catch him in some kind of lie or perhaps they were showing their disdain for the absent True Lord.

Lind suddenly swiveled his head around and frowned before a long sigh came from him.

"Pardon me a moment, seniors." Lind tore through space only to appear in a massive cavern with a bright ball of flame floating in the center of it. It was surprisingly cold as it was blue flame illuminating the rough hewn room.

He quickly found the source of his disturbance hiding in a cleft of the wall. A shimmering golden dragon with broken wings hissed up at him until his emerald eyes glowed.

"I told you not to play in here. You are a white flame Celestial dragon. Did they chase you here?" He was scolding the little dragon who tried to hide his maw under his broken wing but Lind was not having it.

"Don't try to play innocent with me. I have caught you here before chasing the shadow flame demon ryuu." It was true. The dragon in front of him was a male and he was already chasing a female but it was cross elemental sets.

He had no issue with that but she was clearly not interested from what he could see as they were still essentially babies.

The Celestial dragons all seemed to mature more quickly in some regards but also suffered from slow learning to Lind's experience.

"Now this is a strange place. It is more than just a demonic flame hovering there." Lind nearly jumped as he looked back to see the mismatched pair were observing the demonic cavern.

The cavern had crystals, moss, and other native plants to underground environments but they were all demonic with a slant to blue flame element.

There were a myriad other caverns and tunnel systems that could be a mix of elements or just a singular element like the current one.

He gently collected the wounded dragon who now really was hiding.

"Seniors, it is just a minor–" The short Tortoise True Lord suddenly looked at him sternly. He felt pressure but protected the little dragons from both of them.

Her eyes narrowed but looked at the small bundle shivering in his arms.

"You baby them too much. Their parents should be doing this." Lind became serious before pointing at himself.

"I am their ancestor. Further, they technically do not have parents in the conventional sense yet. Although, I am hopeful that will change soon." Confusion flared on both their faces but he pointed to one corner where an emerald vein glowed with 3 eggs growing on it.

Both now looked fascinated as they realized what they were seeing.

"Asexual reproduction?" Lind nodded at the Roc True Lord's question.

"From what I can tell, the Throne is supplying the energy to the transformed peaks I brought up from the 3rd layer. I suspect once that initial creation is used up, they will finally reproduce normally. Their numbers are just too low." He had examined them extensively and while they were all born of the emerald veins, they were not related to each other at all.

Still, the small bundle now hiding in his arms was not alone in crossing races. They were all harmonic dragons but they were still the distinct elemental sets.

None of the first generation had mated thus far but he was only guessing as to why. When more eggs grew after 500 years, it told him the process was ongoing.

He had no frame of reference and even Ethry and Kora could not point out anything for him. The race memories had limits after all.

"Is this how we all began?" The Roc True Lord spoke aloud the question all 3 of them wanted to know but no answers were coming.

"Let me take care of this little one and then our guests will be arriving soon." The pair slowly nodded but at least they were more respectful of him now. It seemed seeing his circumstances gave them a better feel for him as a person.

Lind looked at the small golden dragon who looked up at him fearfully.

"Behave after I fix you. I will be too busy to come find you again for a few weeks at least. Do you understand me?" He quickly nodded but Lind glared before he nodded more solemnly.

He healed him up and took him back to his nest. Each egg became a nest for the individual dragons that hatched from them.

He wished he could keep an eye on such troublemakers but the older dragons would be taking over from him while the Convocation was going on.

He hoped it would go well but nothing dealing with politics ever did. In fact, he expected entirely unreasonable demands mixed with opportunism to get more than they deserve regardless.

He tore through space only to arrive in a large hall with massive stone tables and 2 familiar faces waiting for him. One was expected as Ethry would not miss a chance to come back but the golden and sapphire woman next to her made him freeze in place.

She smiled at him but words failed him for the first time in a very long time.

"Lind, have you nothing to say to your wife?" Ethry's words nearly made him stumble. Wife? What? His mind could not seem to function and Annabelle smacked Ethry on the back of her head.

"We have much to discuss but that will come later. I am here as part of the Frey Clan once more." He slowly nodded and then quickly got prepared for the incoming people. He had to focus!