Eternal Emerald Dragon

Chapter 1423 - 1422 - Denial

Lind wanted so badly to hit someone. It would bring immediate satisfaction but it would not resolve the current issue.

After nearly 5 straight days of attempts at negotiation. It had started fine enough with the acceptance that the Grand Array would no longer suppress the Under Lands due to the introduction of 6 elementals and their harmonies.

His Throne would speed up the process as well.

That had been a good start but it all fell apart from there. The issue came from the fact that a proposal was given to modify the Grand Array to account for the 6 elementals, even if it could not do so at the moment.

It started a firestorm that Lind had suppressed at first but the fact that the 4th layer had been at war previously left him with less stable ground to stand on.

It was a legitimate issue even if the generation that had been in that war was long dead. The Under Lands were understandably long since tired of being treated like lesser powers just by virtue of where they were born or resided.

The Hollow Lands actually shared part of that view.

While the vast majority of it had access to Qi, it still suffered from being stripped over at least a third of it.

The reason for the Grand Array had fulfilled its purpose, however, to end the cycle of wars the 4th layer had suffered until it was implemented. It was the peace of the gun, however.

Peace existed because nearly half the layer was suppressed by the other. Lind wanted to say actual peace could be brokered but he was not a leader of the Under Lands. Further, even Barbatos confirmed that if the Grand Array stopped working, the many residents of the Under Lands would want to vent their frustration for an epoch of suppression.

There would be war, even more than had been occurring before. Only the next time it would be possible to be the whole layer and not just the Sovereign Lands.

It had been bad enough as the Fiends had clearly taken advantage to insinuate themselves in many places. Lind had found a lot, but the bastards were not always obvious.

He also knew that the chaotic nature of the 4th layer interfered with his normal methods of detecting them. It was like trying to find light in a storm.

Glimpses could be caught, but that was all.

Lind heard the rather fair arguments of both sides. The Sovereign Lands had detailed records that matched those that survived in the Under Lands. In other words, the wars really did happen and the Grand Array brought them to an end.

It was not going in the direction he had hoped but the other 2 True Lords actually sided with him. The idiocy had to end as it would only result in karmic retribution on a scale few could grasp.

It was something that had been pushed down the road and now that it was coming to an end, many Immortals could feel it. The shift in the Heavens was felt by all but karma was not something faced outside of most tribulations or something extreme.

As the Sovereign Lands were now aware of the state of things, the Grand Array became a karmic debt that was coming home to roost.

They were aware of it too but wanted to shift things back to being in their favor to avoid it. If the status quo could be restored, the karmic debt would drop off them and only be faced by the one who made the array.

Lind had a strong suspicion the original creator actually got restitution as they were desperate to simply end the dangerous wars being waged across the 4th layer.

In other words, it was the best solution they could come up with and could easily have been from the Under Lands or Hollow Lands.

Still, it was all they could see. Any other avenue of resolution evaded them.

Further, the Supremacy Faction refused to accept becoming 'lesser' than they were before. They acted like all that came before did not matter but Lind was also seeing millions of years of supreme power pride he had not had to face before.

In his mortal realm, the supreme powers were mostly local in their concerns and interactions. In other words, the higher realms did not even enter into it. The Floating Isles had exposed him to a little of what he now saw but the Heaven Realm lands removed that with the war going on.

Survival was paramount at that time so petty squabbles were not only curtailed but actively squashed.

In the 4th layer, however, such deep rooted history was next to impossible to move. The 3 True Lords had made their position clear but it was like the various factions could not agree on anything save that the Grand Array was no longer doing its job.

Lind wanted to impose his will more but it seemed that was not going to work in the current state. Instead, he examined the problem from a different angle.

The main issue was the fact that Sovereign Tier Immortals fighting was next to impossible to stop. Only the pyrrhic victory really held them in check as what was lost was not so easy to regain.

They lived in denial of any other path but Lind had seen many ways to live. There were possibilities but it hindered on a change even he could not put a shape to.

[They certainly like to yell at each other. At the current rate, this will become a waste of our Authority and time.] The Tortoise True Lord spoke up but Lind could only nod.

He pushed all the noise aside and examined the problem at its most basic foundation.

The problem was 3 fold. The first being a way to keep relative peace without sacrificing a part of the 4th layer to do it. The Grand Array worked but clearly was not the answer.

The animosity built up had to have an outlet as well. It was clear as day they would never stop trying to hoard resources to advance their cultivation. His Throne was actually a spirits' sent miracle that could help but again, he needed a way to do it.

The last one was the most thorny. The shift in the Heavens aligned to karma made it clear that the Grand Array was never meant as a permanent solution. It was likely meant to buy time for something else but the Sovereign Lands grew used to being at an advantage and they did not want to give it up.

To dispel the karmic debt, he would have to use something lethal. Life and death battle would actually help resolve the karmic debt at the current moment but it would take time to fully equalize.

A flash of his past suddenly came back to him.

The Tri-Clan Tournament! It was an open battle platform for the promising youth to show off their prowess and further, to resolve rivalries between Clans. Rather than go to war in the Southern District, the tournament became a place to focus their efforts on as time passed.

Death was possible in that tournament but not encouraged. Lind would have to take a more brutal path.

Still, that left him with 2 issues. The biggest containing Sovereign Tier powers safely. The other was location.

The Under Lands had a tournament every 10,000 years to select promising cultivators for the Sovereign Lands but that benefit was no longer important.

So what would they all agree to? Resources were not a bad start but it was not enough. Trade and other avenues existed to try and get what they wanted. They could also simply wage war if they wished.

There had to be a greater incentive. Something that Sovereign Tiers would want very badly to make them shift their thinking.

His mind suddenly froze as an idea came to him. There was something they wanted very badly but could not win through war or theft. Something he, alone, could give.

It might be enough but first, he had to stop the incessant argument from continuing. He sighed as he decided on the direct approach.

Moving like the wind, he vanished from his seat and very quickly many Immortals were sent flying into the crystal walls around the room.

Silence descended as Lind calmly walked back up to his place. The other 2 True Lords were as stunned as anyone as they had not seen him move! How had he done that?!

"We are getting nowhere. No one will find an acceptable result other than to shout at each other. Instead, how about something new?" Many looked at him with varying degrees of positive and negative emotions. Yet, he noticed the dragons had abstained the entire time until now.

They let their auras make all in the room remind them just what kind of being was addressing them.

"I propose the following possibility. A tournament implemented at a fixed interval. It would be life and death held in this very Throne. To prevent any issues, only fixed points of transit will exist that stop any armies from moving through or Sovereign Tiers." A lot of frowns popped up but Lind smirked as the best part was to come.

"In exchange, the winners will be allowed to have limited slots to harvest from areas in the Throne of Defiance to cultivate with my own instruction on how the Dao works. I also possess the following Daos–" That was right. Lind was unique.

He now only had his harmonic Dao that was part of him but 6 others thanks to Abby and Ember. That revelation shocked everyone to their core, including the other 2 True Lords.

"I will also create artifacts, weapons, and vehicles for the winner to their specification so long as they can also find the materials." That last one made the Guild Faction snap to attention. He looked at them as well.

"Of course, the Guilds are welcome to participate in a different tournament to win a slot to learn all I have to offer on my specialties. It will be only a single lesson from a chosen field, but I assure you, it will open up many ideas." The Supremacy Faction members now looked unsure.

They had looked ready to object but that alternate tournament was of much more interest to them. A Triple Maester was rare and learning from him was akin to grasping the very thing they wanted but Lind sneered internally at the likely thoughts they had.

If they thought his lessons could lead to a new Grand Array, they missed the point. He had an entire Clan that was already well versed in his theories applying them everyday.

While he might have better insight, it still left a path to them they could not otherwise get.

"How, exactly, would you restrict the Sovereign Tiers?" An older woman spoke up from the Supremacy Faction. He smiled as his fingers flared to life.

Sigils formed faster than eyes could follow but the effect was instant. Every Sovereign Tier suddenly felt their power fall! It was not a seal, it was more like their power was simply separated from them.

Lind felt a massive drain on his dantian but his harmony flared happily. The Dao of Defiance was terrifying when applied like that.

"So, any other questions?" He revealed nothing of his current state and exuded an aura of complete strength as all realized he was still a Sovereign Tier! The other 2 True Lords also retained their aura!

Once more, Lind showed a terrifying skill but one that silenced many opposed to him. The next phase of the Convocation finally began.