Eternal Emerald Dragon

Chapter 1520 - 1519 - Dissonance

The authorities thanked Lind profusely when he turned in what identifying items he found. The fact he included storage treasures, with the items intact, also endeared him but he knew they would have demanded an examination of his own if he had not.

Still, there was a check, it was just not aggressive.

After he was cleared, he headed to a different inn. His movements seemed smooth but inside he was disturbed.

He had begun to examine his condition and while his soul had improved immensely, his mental stability looked fine, yet it was wrong.

He imagined Cyntilla, in all her glory, and then the last moment they had spoken. Until that moment, it had been painful and full of joy all mixed in as each part of their lives played out.

His children, friends, and wives were core to his existence but now, where his emotions should have been, there was a dullness.

What had gone wrong? Even the anger at the humans that initiated the killing was like a last gasp of his emotions.

He assumed a lotus position and dispersed his disguise entirely. He delved into all aspects of his existence trying to find a solution.

Loss of emotion might be desirable to many cultivators but it all depended on their path. His Dao of Defiance was born in his emotions. If he lost that fire, he would grow cold to all in his life.

He would also stagnate in his cultivation!

He still felt rage at the Great One but it was far less visceral than usual. He would say that was terrifying but only disquiet was all he could muster!

"Something has gone wrong, but what?" He had simply improved his soul to catch up with his body and foundation.

His mind was ridiculously refined by everything so why were his emotions disappearing?

[M–master?] A weak Haro suddenly spoke up and Lind glanced at his ring. He expected relief, maybe some joy, but simply affirmation that his ring spirit had returned.

"Haro, are you able to analyze my foundation if I let you?" A feeling of confirmation came through and then pressure followed. Lind did nothing to stop it.

It seemed to take a long time but it suddenly spiked around his harmony.

[What–what have you done, Master?!] Haro's voice was much stronger as he appeared faintly in the air. His size was also reduced but his face was a mask of deep concern.

Lind explained what had happened since Haro had to hibernate. Some of it left him stunned but the last part clearly made him disturbed.

[Master, refining a soul is extremely dangerous with that method! You exposed your coreself to powerful intents, Daos, and Laws you have not mastered at all! It has damaged your connection to your soul!] Lind knew that going in and had acted accordingly but it seemed he had overlooked a basic thing.

As soon as Haro pointed it out he looked at his harmony and while it flickered normally inside his crystal, he felt a dissonance looking at it.

It was as if he was seeing a projection of it rather than the raging inferno he knew it could be.

It was only when it was pointed out that he felt it at last.

Lind examined and the previous injuries were just fine and mostly healed as planned but he had strained the connection itself!

"How bad is it?" Deep concern was all he could muster but Haro looked grim. He then scanned Lind once more before a slight easing of his brow occurred.

[Master, I want to make this clear to you. Normally, such damage would be a True Death sentence. Your soul would start to fracture as the forces of body and soul collapsed.] Lind jolted at that.

He had clearly made a grave mistake but then why was Haro looking relaxed?

[I know very little about 6 elementals, but it seems your harmony being fused to your soul is allowing the connection to restore itself slowly. Your half step Divine Nodes are also helping that process. In this case, your advanced state not only saved your life but is repairing the damage.] Lind felt it. Haro still had bad news to deliver.

[Given your current state, any use of your harmony will make the damage worse. What elements and Laws you use must remain in the Immortal Realm alone.] Lind then transformed a part of his body to his current demonic disguise.

He gauged the result and did not see any new damage. Haro nodded in affirmation that he was fine to transform.

However, when he tried to suppress his aura, Haro stopped him.

[You can't do it. Any action like that will cause damage the longer you maintain it.] Shock finally filled Lind as he grasped something.

He had come through his refinement just barely! His emotions had been working fine but then he suppressed his aura again on his journey back! He had been killing himself!

"How long am I stuck like this?" Haro once more shrugged his faint shoulders before disappearing.

[Since normally you would be dead, I have no idea but I do know nothing exists that can help you this time. I would recommend nurturing your harmony for now and see if it helps but nothing else.] Lind sighed before realizing a new problem.

A demon had rented his current room but he was unable to hide his aura any longer! If he was human or an aether child, it would not be too much of a problem, but even a blind man would know his aura was not demonic!

He quickly scanned his ring and found a few things that could help in the short term. He sighed as he was going to have a much longer stay in Carta than expected.

He transformed his appearance and set out several formation plates. Annabelle to the rescue once more.

The elements were shielded first then demonic elements replaced them. He then summoned one of the maids. He truthfully revealed he had discovered an injury from his journey into the battlefield and would need to extend his stay until things stabilized.

She looked at him with pity but the glint of greed was there as he handed over a pouch full of Immortal Stones. It was enough for a year but it exhausted the demonic disguise's budget.

He never realized how quickly cultivators could burn through their resources until he had to live on a budget! He had been spoiled by his harmony and abilities to find resources for himself or help others to pay him!

Once she was gone, he laid out Law Grade protection formation plates and weaving plates. He was not taking chances, even if it revealed he was a Sovereign Tier.

He then sighed and began to cultivate to restore the connection between body and soul.

⬧⬧⬧⬧

"Dead? How did they die?" A bored older man was looking over reports as the trembling servant was face down on the floor. The older man had more white in his hair than gold but his resemblance to his children was often commented on.

"M–m–majesty, the 5th Princess and her entourage all died in an instant at Carta City. Records indicate they entered the battlegro–" A tired sigh came from the man as he looked up. His face was starting to show signs of aging.

He had to be millions of years old for the body to start wearing down. He was still hale and hearty but it meant his soul would lose its housing soon.

"She knew the risks and I warned against it. Why are you so worried about the most likely outcome?" His daughter might be called the 5th princess but strictly speaking she was the third 5th princess as his children often chose to be foolish.

He did not let them escape the consequences of their actions and had to kill a few himself over his lifetime for trying to steal his throne!

"They were not killed by Dao or the expected methods. It was some kind of energy the lanterns could not process. I only know its color was a dark green." For the first time, King Mandrell of Goresh Kingdom leaned forward.

He flung out his hand and tore through space to retrieve the relevant lantern. He examined it slowly before nodding in confirmation.

"Leave and seal my chambers." The servant seemed to blur before the door slammed shut. The seals went up to isolate the rooms.

Unlike other leaders of kingdoms or empires, his quarters were functional with only the decorations minimally needed for his office to be displayed. The colors of gray and blue lined in gold hung on the walls while light crystal torches flickered like flames.

His stone desk was covered in scrolls and jade slips neatly organized for the various duties he had to address but now he simply leaned back in his leather chair before a shift in the air told him his guest had arrived.

"I found him. He killed one of my idiot children. He is in Carta City but he must be disguised or hiding some other way. I would check who she ran into and investigate them all." He glanced over to see a vivacious and barely dressed female Fiend smiling at him.

She swayed slowly across the room and fire finally filled his eyes.

"Your reward, as always." No other words but he began to remove his robes as he pulled her to his bedchamber.

King Mandrell was an unusual Fiend ally. He did not ask for longevity or power, he had grasped those on his own. What he wanted more than anything in the world was a companion that could remain unchanged forever and simply be his in the moment whenever he wished.

It was a rather unique arrangement even for the Fiends but the benefits were immense as nothing could be traced back to them while getting mountains of resources! King Mandrell had many enemies and sired many children, so he always set them tasks to cause enough death to hide their actions.

All he asked for in return was to select a female Fiend to be with him. Not obey him nor be his subordinate, simply to please him whenever he desired to the full extent of his wishes.

The female Fiend, of course, benefited much as well. She had consumed so many of his foolish sons after they were peak Crystal or Radiant Tiers. She had become a Sovereign Tier because of the man in her arms and had no complaints.

Now, he had given them a solid lead on Lind Frey. She would reward him well that night.