Eternal Emerald Dragon

Chapter 1480 - 1479 - Playing with Fire

Lind was able to maintain a stable walk back to his waiting area. His pallor and weakened state were overlooked by almost all.

His ring drew his attention as he saw a communication jade stone was glowing. He quickly downed a few elixirs and sighed as he brought it out.

[Are you insane?! Do you know what would have happened if that creature used your projection as a bridge to attack us?!] He winced as Qing started shouting at him. She was not versed in containment of tribulations and also someone had to retain their suite while Lind was participating in the tournament.

Fey was still recovering from her fight so she was out while the rest were now outside working with hit tool spirits to help Dea Arc safely get through his tribulation.

[I stuck to memory only. He cannot use my memory like that. I also heavily isolated my entire existence to be safe.] The reason he was so weak was to contain the effects of using the image of the Great One.

Very few knew of the dangers of invoking a Divine Realm cultivator's true visage and aura. If that cultivator was paying attention and the source was powerful enough, they could project a part of themselves to the lower worlds!

Lind fulfilled all the requirements but took precautions against it. What he projected was pure memory. It was not imagination or some kind of mental scenario to train someone, it was his feelings he conveyed, not the actual aura of the Great One.

It was still a dangerous line and he had felt something try to find him during the fight. It had been immensely powerful but there was not enough resonance for it to work, thankfully.

Even so, Eldritch was far beyond the Immortal Realm. It took all Lind had to break its power and only because Lind was using an actual existence against the imagination of his creator.

Imagination should not be underestimated but reality can be far more harsh than something only in the mind. Perceived fear could be far worse than the reality but the reverse was also true.

Someone might think they truly understand horrific events as they imagine themselves in place of terrible times and experiences, but unless someone had actually lived them, imagination usually fell short.

It was the issue of all levels that leaders born to the role could never truly understand those that felt powerless in their day to day lives. No matter how humble a life such a person tried to lead, the restraints of reality were hardly felt by them.

It created a false impression too. People often thought empathy was about putting themselves in someone else's place but Lind thought it was more the capacity to accept others experiences while not tainting them with uninformed perspective.

Other's pain was valid, but truly understanding it was not always possible.

[Are you listening to me?!] Qing's voice suddenly snapped him out of his tangents and he felt deep guilt. Of everyone he knew, Qing was actually the best at truly understanding the suffering of others.

Sadly, her early experiences made that possible as she was scarred more deeply than most. When you have lived through and overcome horrific events, it was far easier to grasp the pain of others.

[I am still recovering but I did lose myself in my thoughts. I apologize deeply, my love.] He put all his sincerity into his words. He truly was sorry. He also realized he was in worse shape than he had expected.

She seemed to pick up on that as she began to examine him with questions. His mental state was not good.

It seemed even using just the memory had messed with his mental landscape more than he realized.

She then began to treat it like a session and time slipped away before he knew it.

The 3rd round had begun for the main tournament!

The red segment was almost halfway done and he had missed Cyntilla fighting again! He was going to get an earful for that one.

Missing the last one due to Dea Arc was one thing, but missing her last fight due to his actions was going to be blasted away as being irresponsible.

He also made a note that using memory the way he had was playing with fire. Divine Realm beings were very different from Immortals.

They operated on principles he did not understand at all. He even chastised himself as he had 2 living of examples of how powerful memory was to a Divine Realm.

Kora and Tal had died long ago in the Divine Realm lands, but Skinwlker's Inhertiance was a living memory preserved exactly as it had been during that time. Lind's interference allowed just a fragment of Skinwalker's power to manifest the pair as they had regained their lives.

It often hurt his head to wonder if their original souls were restored or if they were simply the 2 he had met in the Inheritance transformed to exist outside of it. Either way, the power of a Divine Memory had always been terrifying.

Now, he understood that invoking the complete image and aura of a Divine Realm could have dangerous ramifications beyond even his estimates. How close had he come to killing them all?

It left him cold to think about that moment now. Maybe he really was mad?

He focused on the duels as the remainder of his segment did not pose much of a challenge to him until he faced the Immortal Berserker. His next opponent was another demon but he was a body cultivator.

He had strength to rival just about anyone, even pure dragons, but Lind had yet to see him use a single Art aside from internal strengthening. If that was all the man had, it would be a brawl but one he could easily win.

His body was in far better shape than the rest of him!

⬧⬧⬧⬧

Far from the Throne of Defiance, deep underground in one of the supreme powers that espoused righteousness but only when it suited them, a meeting had been called.

It was not a meeting of guilds, elders, or other above board kind, but ash gray perfect looking individuals with white hair and disturbing eyes gathered. They wore armor, robes, or anything that felt comfortable as they took their seats.

There were only about a dozen of them but they represented millions. The Fiends had lost far too many of their numbers during the Frenzy, yet they had recovered more than anyone had imagined.

Still, the gathered faces were not happy. They were not there to discuss future plans and ambitions but about failure.

A door opened and a man walked in with his arms exposed for all to see. His feline grace only accentuated his too perfect jawline and impossibly handsome features. His muscles were not too bulky nor too shallow.

He was a sculpture of perfection but anyone looking upon him would feel their soul shrivel and terror rip their hearts apart as his eyes stripped away their existence. He was a peak Sovereign Tier Fiend.

Only a handful of them existed but they were all nightmares on 2 legs.

The group looked at him and bowed as one. While Fiends were not exactly sociable creatures, strength was universally respected.

"I will make this brief. Our plan of infiltration via the guilds has collapsed due to Senway of the Blood Seekers Sect and that idiot Guren from the Blue Heart Guild. They were mediocre masters of medium powers but they triggered those damn contingencies while the targets were under Lind Frey's authority." His voice was calm but his tone and eyes made even the other Fiends shiver. He was very, very angry.

"How di–" A voluptuous woman started to ask a question when her head was removed from her neck. Everyone jumped at the sudden beheading but then the head slowly regrew.

"No one will speak until I allow it. Do so again, and I will end you." She looked terrified as no one had seen him move but all knew he had struck. "Understand why I am angry. We finally had a way to thwart the bastard dragon but due to human's idiocy, he now has artifacts to study."

They all understood then. It had taken thousands of years before they finally grasped a way to stop the infernal power of 6 elementals. If their Qi was vulnerable, what about their souls?

It had been a simple question and easily tested. Many Fiends were sacrificed to understand it, but it had borne fruit. Their souls were not purified! They could use that against them!

It had worked better than they imagined but it was all ruined now that Lind Frey had something to examine. They did not underestimate their enemy. His ingenuity was the chief cause of their current losses.

He had inspired generations that were currently a thorn in all their operations across the Celestial Fields.

"Worse, I have just had one of our spies confirm he has guided one of those aether children to the Divine Realm. Their tribulation is ongoing as we sit here." That revelation shocked many.

Already?! They knew the point of the tournament was to use the beneficial environment to make progress but they already had success?!

That was not good. While a new Immortal did not make much of a difference, a new Divine Realm in the war was a vast chasm of improvement. If the quality of their tribulation was higher too, it was just that much worse.

"We have received new orders. Lind Frey cannot be allowed to continue. No more infiltrations. No more corruption of local powers. Our sole focus is his death. Any means can be employed and any ideas will be vetted before they are attempted. Chaos will only help him, we need cold calculation. Am I clear?" The dozen Fiends slowly grasped what was going on.

The Great One had felt a threat. Before, their God had been annoyed, but now he was telling them Lind Frey would become a Divine Realm! It must be stopped. If that man became Divine, his power would be terrifying!

A hand was raised and the Sovereign Fiend nodded. The slim woman stood up and smoothed out her battle dress.

"Forgive me, but given he has access to Dao, how are we supposed to kill him?" All of them shivered at that moment.

It was true. Lind Frey had left many Immortals in the dust and he was not even at the peak! If he wanted, they were dead before they knew how, but their leader finally smiled.

"The tournament has given us a gift. His soul is injured. He cannot afford the time for it to heal naturally so he will need to head out to special places to accelerate it." Smiles began to bloom in the room.

Dao was tied to the soul. If he was injured, they had a chance. The room began to explode with ideas as the leader looked on. Lind Frey must die and the window to kill him had been opened by the man himself.