Eternal Emerald Dragon

Chapter 1498 - 1497 - Blending with the Crowd

The auction was finally over. The excitement of the end had resulted in a new land being established in a few days.

The Hollow Lands saw an explosive change as the new Harmonic Law Crystal changed the very nature of the barren area it was taken to. No one could confirm how far it would go but it had already claimed over 200 thousand square kilometers!

Nearby areas were growing concerned until the lands shifted to fill in other barren stretches inside the Hollow Lands. If no Immortal claimed them or they were simply too far away, the lands normally began to expand over such areas anyway.

In the current case, the maps would have to be drastically redrawn as almost everything shifted again in major ways.

The sole exception was oddly the closest land to it. The Throne of Defiance did not move a single millimeter from what anyone could tell.

The burning emerald flames seemed to easily push back on the expanding lands to make it shift away from it!

On the far side, many thousands of kilometers away, other Thrones similarly did not move as lands shifted. They were locked in place! They did not prevent other lands from moving, but they, themselves, did not budge.

A new appreciation for the power of Thrones was felt by all but the prospects of new resources made many salivate with greed.

The crystal made a demonic paradise but a change occurred that none expected. Despite the expectations of many for it to be related to blue fire, a blue harmonic flame meant nothing like that.

Instead, its color could only indicate the field it was related to. Demonic harmonies were rarer than natural harmonies, but Lind Frey was an expert in both.

It actually dealt with vitality. Plants, beasts, and other creatures that fell under the sway of the crystal were all transformed into demonic versions but their vitality was off the charts! Killing them was next to impossible!

Lind had warned them but few listened until they saw the reality of the Harmonic Law Crystal. Demons were brutal beings, preferring fists to words most of the time, but often overlooked that part of the reason was abundant vitality.

The flow of life was very strong in them compared to other races. Injuries and other ailments hardly slowed them down unless it was truly crippling.

The Law of Vitality was not demonic in and of itself but when applied to demons, it far surpassed others.

It was actually good it was such a passive Law as it could have been like Kexin's Domination or Tessa's Corruption Harmony. That could have made a hellish land in a very different sense.

Vitality seemed like a wonderful thing and it was, but too much of a good thing led to a new issue very quickly.

All out war for survival! Everything was powerful and needed resources to maintain that vitality. Energy was burned very quickly and needed to be replaced. It became an underground beast and plant war!

The Heavenly Maiden Sect, demon powers, and a few others worked quickly to contain it as the obvious danger to them all was clear. Harmonic Dragons and Frey Clan experts quickly set up formation and weaving wards that could be moved as needed.

The land expanded for months but that was not the concern of unrelated parties leaving the Throne of Defiance.

The limit of the invitation was for the tournament or those that won slots to stay for the next 2,000 years. Everyone else had to leave.

Some exceptions were made as those that lost their masters or sects due to the Fiends had been given the option to stay. Almost none said no but a few did decide to return to their families to see what they could do to help.

None were stopped, only warned that they would face harsh harassment from others despite their proven innocence. The offer to return inside of 3 years was offered to them.

A massive number of beings left the Throne of Defiance much like when the main tournament ended. Those that could afford to stay were not small at all, at least 60% of the whole crowd plus contestants had stayed behind!

Now, all must leave.

The main entrances in the Sovereign, Hollow, and Under Lands had a constant flow of people and flying artifacts.

The fact it was so peaceful and regulated was a tribute to the administration of the Harmonic Dragons. They brooked no foolishness and did not even allow the chance for a spoiled young master or mistress to even try to exert authority.

Everyone was issued a path and sequence to leave. Some were given time as the Divine Sword Sect had just completed watching Dea Arc ascend. The sword cultivators were still ensnared by enlightenment and thus allowed to leave as they could.

The demons and other allied powers had left earlier to set up the Harmonic Law Crystal so that took a huge chunk away before the final mass exodus. Those unable to afford flying artifacts trundled on caravans to head to the nearest teleportation arrays.

They were mostly support staff brought in that now went home with storage treasure full of rewards for their hard work. Representatives of various guilds also left that way as they had to go back to try and either rebuild or start anew.

The aura of gloom was not hard to pick up from several caravans and many avoided them like a plague.

The rest were itinerant cultivators who had taken a chance in the tournament or simply came to spend all they had at the auction to try and change their fate.

Many walked away disappointed in that regard but seeing the battles, crafting, and even the auras of the various items had inspired them.

A slim man with a rough black beard streaked with white was in that crowd. He had a bag on his back indicating he could even afford a storage treasure at all. He was hardly unique but being so poor meant he only had weapons and camping gear with him.

His leather cloak was well worn and frayed in a few places. His aura was stable at the peak of the Crystal Tier so he was but one of a sea of middle power Immortals.

If anyone had thought to look at his eyes, however, they would have been shocked at the reptilian emerald orbs looking back at them!

Lind was able to alter his human appearance to an extent without illusion arrays but his eyes never changed. It was a strange limitation he had never quite figured out.

He could change them to his old color but they would remain reptilian in appearance. He had no idea why that worked when nothing else did either.

So he had practiced and found he had quite a bit of liberty with his shape. There were other limits. He could not become a woman or another race, for instance, but in the human male spectrum he had some leeway.

His aura was a combination of artifacts, weaving, and his own skill. The half-step Dao Nodes actually allowed him more flexibility in what he could hide but a peak Sovereign Tier might still pick up on the Dao coming faintly from him.

They would have to get close though.

Lind did not let his guard down, though. Just because he was able to fool dragons, did not mean it would hold true for Fiends or Celestials. They might be able to find him as easily as breathing but he had no time to test it nor wanted to risk more finding out his ability to disguise himself.

He was hardly the first Sovereign Tier to blend into the crowd to explore, but they depended on more external help to hide than he did. The gear on his back was really his own from a long time ago.

He had left it out to absorb the ambient Qi of the 4th layer to make sure it could both withstand it and not stand out. Something from a mortal realm would stand out like a sore thumb otherwise.

He also made sure they were refined by others to have some common effects like a light ward to keep most beasts at bay or hide his presence.

A simple light crystal lantern hung at his belt that had seen far better days but had been a gift from the Old Man in the Frey Clan.

Lind treasured such things and he had so few left.

Now, it acted to let him seem like a Crystal Tier traveling with the vast river of people heading home. He had no set goal but would simply travel for the moment. It was better that way.

He had to take his time and truly blend in while he could. He highly doubted he could hide his identity forever but it was better not to draw attention at the beginning. Far too many eyes were watching.

Various reasons likely were covered that were close to the Throne but if anyone locked on him, he had to assume they knew who he was.

He had forgotten how slow 2 feet were but he enjoyed the sunlight and firm road beneath his feet. He had at least a month of travel to reach the nearest teleportation array or transit point.

He pulled his hood low and kept walking as he listened to the grumbling of others. They were envious of those that could afford to fly on artifacts while they were grounded and it took too much Qi to fly.

Tearing through space was possible normally but not with so many Immortals in close proximity. It would likely cause a massive incident or tear a hole into the void.

Thus, terrestrial travel was the only option. Lind walked on and kept his sense open to any suspicious individuals.