Eternal Emerald Dragon

Chapter 1542 - 1541 - Options

The 4 True Lords returned to the surface but Lind was oblivious to the limits the other 3 had hit while he did not.

Once they were in a secure room, deep in the palace for Helsgath, he told them the truth. All 3 grew grim as they understood the situation Lind was in.

"So, if someone figures out what that barrier actually is, they will attack it until you are truly dead?" Vitality was not simply for the body but the life force that kept the soul alive. If Lind exhausted it, he was done.

"You are sure you cannot speed up your cultivation?" Kaltara asked him but Lind shrugged it off.

"In the time it would take to reach the peak of the Sovereign Tier, I would be found out and long dead. Further, my soul needs further tempering. I came here originally to complete that aspect as phoenix races are the most experienced in that area." Helsgath nodded but frowned.

"While I could help you if you were a phoenix, it is not so easy for other races. Our tempering methods require the ability to be reborn from ashes and flame." Lind nodded as he had already known that.

"I have been reborn myself once before. I assume all 3 of you know that now?" The flinch from Kaltara and Helsgath confirmed his suspicion.

They had known and that meant one thing.

"You are all part of the same faction?" All 3 nodded at him. He sighed as it seemed like his situation was far more public than he liked.

"You are hardly the only one. We are desperate for any hope. A reborn soul has far more potential. It was the reason the faction endorsed the process in the first place but you know the risks to those that helped you?" Van asked and Lind nodded.

It seemed the karma he invoked came back on the women that greeted him after his death. He recalled the alien figure that met him after the false Inheritance incident and how he was now being punished.

"Are they crippled when we fail?" The 3 True Lords shrugged or showed they did not know. It was knowledge beyond their realm.

He was getting tired of that.

"In your experiences, race memory included, is there a way to expedite a solid foundation and soul to the peak of the Immortal Realm? I accept any risks." His direct declaration made it clear he was serious.

The 3 True Lords actually glanced at each other and began a lengthy discussion.

While there were many extreme methods, none helped Lind. The timeline was too long. The shortest was a thousand years and it was too damned long.

The conversation devolved from there to rumors and guesses but Lind felt like they were holding back.

"I can use your Daos. Are there specific race methods you would recommend?" Lind knew they were holding back but his question made them all freeze.

Van spoke up first.

"Dragons and Rocs are not exactly allies. While I have many racial methods to advance rapidly, none of them would work. It would hinge on you being a bird race at the very least. Still, I can relay them to you if they inspire you." Lind nodded and a new discussion followed.

He learned that Rocs and Tortoise bloodlines followed several radical methods to advance via their advantages in air, water, and other elemental methods. Lind dismissed them as he could do them but they would not help him.

He was likely only to see the same results as the current absorption of Dao energy.

Helsgath, however, spoke on something that intrigued him.

"What are the Rebirth Grounds?" Helsgath looked uncomfortable at his question but it was Kaltara who answered.

"This Throne is like a dream for phoenixes. It not only has the various flame Daos but a place for even their race to push their souls to the extreme/" Her words made Lind even more intrigued.

Helsgath glared at her but she thumbed her nose at him.

"You may have all your previous life memories but you are still a kid to me! I especially won't forget that day anytime soon. Your previous Silver Lord Fan left quite an impression on me." Van sighed while Helsgath looked shocked.

"B–but that was nearly a billion years ago!" Kaltara looked at him as if he was a very slow pupil.

Lind, of course, knew that of all beast bloodlines, black shelled tortoise was the longest lived. A normal Sovereign Tier could easily hit that number so a True Lord that was granted insane vitality could leave it laughably far behind.

Lind, however, still wanted an answer to his question.

"It is not a safe option. Even for a phoenix it is a last resort." Van spoke up and Helsgath had a strong reaction. The rivalry between the 2 races was still there but Lind frowned.

"Last resort? Exactly what options do you imagine I have left to explore?" His words made all 3 blink in recognition. His situation was very bad and he had a sword at his neck to boot.

"I will take it from here, if you don't mind seniors?" Helsgath's wine red eyes bored into the other 2 yet they hardly seemed phased. He then glanced towards the heart of the Throne but sighed.

"For the record, all of the Matriarchs and Patriarchs would have my head but we 4 know the true danger over us. Without that shield, the Great One would pick up right where he left off." Lind had actually overlooked that.

Liberating the thralls and other Fiends under the Great Bastard's control had really been a stopgap as there had to be a limit or price to be paid but Helsgath was right. The superior foundations from native Divine Land cultivators would give their enemy unlimited ammo.

He was also clearly seeing all life but his own as worthless tools.

A vague memory came back to Lind. A feeling of impending doom in the moment that made him lash out with his Authority and harmony all at once!

The Great Bastard was already trying to send more when Lind erected the barrier!

"The Rebirth Grounds are a place that appeared billions of years ago. It is unknown the exact time due to the fact it was found by accident. An ancient Elder at the end of her lives, facing True Death that no resurrection could endure, yet a phenomenon appeared. Lightning the same color as her flames." Lind found that normal.

He had faced lightning the same color as his harmony after all and he had seen others do so. Helsgath seemed to grasp his misconception.

"It was not a tribulation nor were there any clouds in the sky. The lightning also was not the usual kind a cultivator could conjure either. It was attuned to her soul. It was also merciless." Helsgath actually became uncomfortable.

Lind was fascinated. Yet, he felt he had to point something out.

"My harmonic lightning would be like that. None of you have seen it but it would fit that description save the lack of tribulation clouds." He went on to describe the tribulations. The 3 True Lords were actually fascinated by it but Helsgath shook his head.

"It is not like that at all. The records I have read and the race memory showed me something far more terrifying." He paused as he glanced at Kaltara but she actually looked serious back at him.

"Any phoenix that faces that lightning is ripped apart and rebuilt. Over and over." Lind tilted his head. That definitely did not sound fun but why would it do that?

Also, he could see why it would work for a phoenix. Theoretically their bodies and their souls were far more intertwined than other races. It was proven in the life cycle they lived.

Reborn from the ashes over and over was a natural part of their existence.

He could see why they did not think that would work for him but 6 elementals were different. Their souls were fused to their harmony and he doubted he would have the body he did without it too.

His elemental nodes were from that as well.

"What exactly have the survivors become?" Lind looked at Helsgath but he shook his head.

"Only a handful survived. Of those, none were the same but immediately after they faced harsh ascension tribulations that I have never heard the names for. Only 1 of those succeeded." Lind felt grim but it told him it was a double threat.

While it held hope to move on, it invoked a steep cost. Whatever tribulation he might have faced walking the normal path of millions of years of cultivation, he would instead have to overcome a much harsher hurdle.

"So, not only will it advance my soul, it will advance my foundation but keep me on the edge of life and death?" It was quite an efficient if suicidal way to overcome a bottleneck. For a phoenix nearing the end of their life and facing True Death, it might be an acceptable thing to try.

"What do I need to do to get ready?" Helsgath's eyes went wide but the other 2 did not seem surprised.

Lind had no choice. He had to speed up his cultivation if had any hope of survival.