Eternal Emerald Dragon

Chapter 1548 - 1547 - Compromise

Lind's mind was whirling through many thoughts as he returned to his quarters. A Divine Will had touched on a phoenix or emerged in one and created the Rebirth Grounds to give their race an opportunity to advance.

It also explained the abysmal success rate. Very few souls could withstand the power from the Divine Realm. Haro also confirmed his guess.

Yet, a spirit was attached to it which meant there had to be more to it than a simple refinement or breakthrough of the final bottleneck of the Immortal Realm.

The issue was what were its parameters. A natural spirit was much closer to a living being. It was born into the world and grew under the conditions that spawned it but would be able to be reasoned with.

In other words, if the spirit had been born during the process of the Rebirth Grounds emerging due to Heaven and Earth, he could possibly explain why a dragon was attempting the process.

A constructed spirit was closer to what Abby and Ember had intended to be. Their artifacts were created with a specific and short term potential that once fulfilled would leave them with no reason to live.

Lind had been able to help them go past that limitation but only by fusing with their artifacts and pushing the boundaries of what was possible all on his own.

Luck and some opportunities had let him cross that finish line but there was zero chance he could replicate it with a spirit above the Immortal Realm. Especially with his Nodes beyond his reach and all but his harmony really working for him.

Its reaction to his scan via the flamestone also was not a good sign. It had taken it as an attack despite the analytical nature of his probe.

He could possibly accept it as defending the secrets of its ward but that would require contact.

As he paced in his room, he felt Helsgath and the 3 elder phoenixes come in once more. Their faces were grim but he gave them no time to ask questions.

"I have consulted my guardian and confirmed 2 things. A Divine Will manifested or emerged in the ancestor that is attributed to the first Rebirth Grounds appearance. It was not luck or fate but a directed will that made it. Heaven and Earth did allow it as well so the conditions had to be close too." He went on to relay what Haro told him.

Surprise bloomed on the elders' faces as they learned such places existed in the Divine Lands but darkened as he confirmed his last statement.

"I know natural vs constructed spirits very well. I have intimate experience with both. What I felt retaliated against me was not a natural being but one built for a purpose. It was a reflex like a command and the intent was clear." The council members wanted to refute him but a new figure suddenly appeared in the room.

Tan robes hugged her body as her vibrant blue eyes looked at Lind with caution.

"True Lord Lind Frey is correct. The spirit near the Rebirth Grounds is not natural. It is powerful and very dangerous. It is also wary of True Lord Lind Frey." That last part surprised him but Haro knew he was already on guard.

The 3 elders could only bow to her. A Guardian Spirit was leagues above them. Lind contemplated her words.

"Helsgath, why were you so insistent on the Path of Rebirth Flames? For a phoenix, it makes perfect sense but I am not like all of you." In the smaller group he felt more confident but the 4 became uncomfortable for some reason.

Akira scoffed at them.

"You have the fundamental essence of the phoenix inside you, True Lord Lind Frey but it is weak. It is not something easily spoken of as it normally indicates a low quality phoenix." Lind arched an eyebrow at that but understood what she was saying.

It even got a laugh out of him.

His emerald flames appeared as his eyes narrowed at it. He was limited in what he could do but the new sensation had been constantly on his mind. Now that he focused on it, he could see it was barely a seed in strength, but it still had potential.

A smile spread as his Art of Defiance was activated. Akira and the rest jumped as the essence feeling drastically improved until Lind frowned.

"Seems that all I can do on my own. So that Path ritual will help me nourish this essence." His mumbling was met with the slack jaws of everyone else in the room and the mental laugh from Haro.

He finally manifested but his presence was far more powerful than Akira now. The Immortals gulped at it.

"I think it wiser of you all to just accept my troublesome Master's ability to turn the rules we all knew so well on their head. I have been alive for epochs but have never seen a single cultivator so casually dismantle the foundations of our worlds." The bald headed man seemed like a wise sage at that moment. Some pity even came to their eyes as it must have been stressful to see Lind leap into what should have been certain doom and come out the otherside insanely stronger than before.

"True Lord Helsgath, it may be wise to seek a compromise. Constructed or not, the intent of the Rebirth Grounds is to help ascend. A unifying drive of all Immortals. The only danger is if it has a command to refuse any outsiders." All 4 phoenixes gulped as they could see that command existing.

"What compromise?" Akira was the one to ask but Haro only glanced at her before turning back to Helsgath.

"The Seeds have been having trouble inside the Throne, haven't they?" Lind's head shot up in surprise. He had not even asked about them. They should be well on their way to be self-sustaining!

Helsgath nodded.

"The Flame Seed is relatively fine but the other elements are giving us serious issues. The Earth Seed keeps leaching into flamestone if we do not actively keep it out." Lind was surprised.

Haro nodded as if he expected it.

"If the spirit is constructed, a clear benefit to the Throne should allow us to proceed." All seemed doubtful but Lind was focused on the issues with the Seeds.

It was only as he glanced down and understood what the Thrones were that the issue became clear.

"Dao is overpowering the Immortal resources. I should be able to fix that now." His words made all swivel to him but Haro nodded in confirmation.

"My Master's new Art should resolve the issue. We can test one before going to the spirit and will thus have proof–" All stopped as a familiar power came from Lind.

He had scanned the whole Throne so he knew where the Seeds were relatively. He felt the conflict in them now that he was looking for it. The Water Seed was in the worst shape so he started with that.

The very ground vibrated until a river of sweat seemed to form on Lind's skin. His face went pale but the vibration stopped and he nearly fell over before Haro caught him.

"The Water Seed should now be fixed." Darkness closed in as it had been a monumental effort. He had been right. It was far more difficult to use his Art than it had been on the 4 phoenixes in the room with him.

It was not time to see how long he was knocked out!

⬧⬧⬧⬧

Akira had been around nearly as long as Haro, so she had seen many miraculous things but what just happened shattered her understanding of the world.

She had known long ago about the nature of the Rebirth Grounds. She had previously been with a True Lord that had attempted it to overcome their own bottleneck. The terror of that day was still with her, as well as the True Death of her former Master.

The spirit had collected her from the dead ashes and then did something unexpected. It talked to her. It had questions and while she answered it, it seemed like it could not accept things outside of certain limitations.

She had little hope of True Lord Lind Frey succeeding, but after a further demonstration of his new Art of Defiance, she had begun to doubt her own assertions.

There were Master Tiers that could not do what this Sovereign Tier was doing!

Just what kind of terrifying Divine Realm would he become? A true elite or something beyond any known definition?

The threat of the Fiends had been underestimated for so long because the Divine Fiends, while hard to kill, were not nearly powerful enough to threaten the Master Tier powers.

Yet, the Great One had smashed their complacency to smithereens. He had swallowed whole powers before anyone realized and became a rival to the once implaccable order of the Divine Lands.

She knew how dire things were up there now. The once mighty organizations had fractured and even whole continents were becoming terrified that nothing could stop the Fiends.

Now, however, she understood the desperation of the factions to invest in outsiders. They needed beings not bound by the pre-conceptions of the cultivation worlds. They needed beings who asked questions or sought answers in ways others would dismiss as impossible before they even started.

As she saw Lind Frey gently placed onto his bed to rest, hope bloomed in her mind. A rare smile spread on her face before she returned to her own ring.

Perhaps, the worlds were not doomed yet.