Eternal Emerald Dragon

Chapter 1625 - 1624 - Divine Awakening

In training Sun, Lind made a rather alarming discovery. While he was called a Divine Progenitor and had used bloodline domination many times on instinct, he had never actually understood what a Divine Bloodline was.

Measured quality, determined effectiveness, and even confirmed he could resonate with other Divine Bloodlines regardless of race, yet he had never delved that deeply into it.

What made a bloodline Divine? A blessing of Heaven and Earth? An ancient ancestor from the primordial beginnings of all? He had no such answers. Even fellow ancient races like the phoenix or other dragons could not pull that answer from the Race Memory.

When he met Sun, he doubted some claims to being a Divine Bloodline but he still felt response and almost any beast that turned into a True Lord would be one or become one.

It was only as he thrashed the monkey to within a centimeter of his life that he realized Sun was odd. He was powerful and had speed that put even speed based beasts to shame.

A cheetah or other cat had extreme speed and agility but Sun could do circles around them without trying. His staff work was legendary. Lind had studied enough weapons for his Battle Aura to grasp that Sun was possibly the best staff wielder he had ever known.

Yet, Lind could defeat him with ease. The issue was a kind of dissonance with blood, body, and soul. He was a Divine Realm but something was very wrong.

It was only as he truly studied Sun that he found Karu gave him a good comparison to figure it out.

Karu was like him. She had become a Divine Progenitor and she was as clear as day to him about her status. He had confirmed she could command demon foxes with ease when they were in the special realm at the palace.

Yet, compared to them, Sun was muted. It was like his Divine Bloodline was only half there.

The inconsistency was not smooth, however. At times, especially in battle, Lind felt it flare and the power Sun could produce was actually dangerous to him. Yet, it would suddenly peter out as if it never existed.

Only after a month of pure battle training did he understand.

Sun was a True Lord, but his Divine Bloodline was dormant. It would break through in desperate moments but only to the extent of that very moment. There was no follow through or grasping of what needed to be done.

Karu confirmed the feeling Sun gave at those times to be similar to the Divine Monkey in her future memories.

She had never met him but recordings on jade slips included auras. Even partial auras were enough to identify people later.

Lind had never encountered such an odd being before. Heaven and Earth recognized him as a True Lord but did not acknowledge his Authority. He was a Divine Bloodline but not fully unleashed.

Karu was equally confused as one of those actions should have led to the others catching up, but it had not happened.

Suddenly, Lind had a thought.

"Sun, may I see your staff for a moment?" The monkey suddenly hugged the staff like it was his own child. Lind stared at the man firmly with a look that stated he could hand it over or Lind could take it from him like he was a baby.

The many bouts made it clear Sun could not stand up to him.

The staff hummed as it fell into his hands. He had repaired it already and the spirit inside was warm to him but Lind was only examining something specific.

Sure enough, he found a beast core at the heart of the staff. It was not used as a catalyst or infused to achieve any effect but it was completely unresponsive to his scan. Locking onto it, he handed the staff back to Sun.

The instant the monkey grasped the staff back, the core lit up like a blazing star.

A flow of energy moved up the left arm, circulated throughout Sun's body, and returned via his right arm.

Dragons used Divine Inheritances, phoenixes were reborn over and over to refine their existence, and all manner of beasts had their True Lords chosen by trial but it was a first to see a weapon make it possible.

"Sun, was there a ceremony to test who could wield this staff?" His question caught the monkey off guard but then he smiled wide as he nodded.

"The strongest who beat all the others at the World Realm would have a chance to touch the staff for good fortune. When I did it, it leapt into my hands and would not respond to any other!" A twitch of a vein throbbed on Lind's forehead.

He stood corrected. Sun was not a battle maniac. He was but one of an entire race of battle maniacs!

A desperate need to leave the island filled him but he had no choice. Sun had led to his second Mystery of Samsara being condensed. Even if fate no longer bound him, he was not so ungrateful to abandon the island to suffering.

He suspected a very dark event led to Sun's true awakening but it had not gone that far yet.

It also told him that Sun was having far too much having the tar beat out of him. He had to take a different approach.

Actively trying to kill Sun would not work. He had faced death numerous times from his stories but it had never triggered his Divine Awakening. Lind could attempt to use his Authority, it was higher than Sun's but it was not likely to get a good result either.

A short cut that way never went well in the long run.

What could he do? He was a Triple Maester so really, there was only 1 option.

Before Sun or anyone could react, Lind conjured his Dao Weapon. It was also a staff but it had been through changes. The Life and Death layers had added aspects from his Mysteries to it, but now a silvery sheen showed on the plant like vines along its length.

The gold and black pieces were closer to just any leaf or limited spots but the silver was connecting them. A flicker of something passed in his mind but he could not hold onto it.

Instead, he focused on his newly condensed Mystery. Samsara unlocks hidden regrets and opportunities.

He understood its own application to him, but how would it interact with Sun? He had hopes for it.

He took on a new stance and the aura around him felt so heavy that Karu had to back off in shock. Gaia looked at him strangely and suddenly assumed a lotus position but he was solely focused on Sun.

The monkey smiled as the staff suddenly grew in size. It was not an ability he had shown before but Lind just focused on his state. It was not easy to hold onto it. He felt if he slipped for even an instant, it would shatter.

Mysteries were concepts condensed into a form Divine Realm cultivators used to shape their path. If the Mystery led to a dead end, their advancement would stop but thus far, his Mysteries were broad. That same feature also meant it took him longer to polish and improve each new piece of his layers.

Now, he was putting the newly minted one to use before he had a chance to fully grasp its implications. It was more instinct than anything that it would work.

The 2 staves clacked together in a blur of attacks. Sun used his feet as often as his hands but was shocked as Lind was able to keep up at first. It was clear to all, as time passed, that it was slowly shifting back to Sun's favor.

Karu looked stunned but then a shift happened. Silvery light flared on the emerald staff and the world changed.

Lind was no longer a Divine Realm. He was just a Heaven Realm, finally emerging from the Law Binding by the Law Gate he had created.

The joy of that freedom was squashed as Lanbao and he saw the looming shadow with piercing white eyes locking onto them.

They were both helpless at that moment. Lind felt the shadow of oblivion close in but then he was on the ground looking up at the sinuous tail of Lanbao retracting as she took the full brunt of the attack.

Her soul ripped from her body as her eyes looked right at him and became empty. His greatest regret was revealed by his Mystery and Lind felt affirmation that he would not stop moving forward but Sun had a vastly different reaction.

He was there too, as if living the same moment.

The feelings rocked his body and the staff in his hands shifted back to its normal size. It then shimmered with golden light as Sun screamed. He had seen and faced death but it was simply a part of life.

He had not truly felt when a Fiend stole a living soul to consume it before. He had never watched a beloved family member reduced to a cultivation resource.

His blood sang as the staff resonated and the Heavens rumbled. Lind fell to his knees as his hold of both his Dao Weapon and his Mystery backlashed onto him. Karu caught him and pulled him back.

Neither knew what was about to happen but the feeling above was not threatening, it was welcoming. Lind had not felt it in some time but it was Heaven rejoicing. Sun's dark fur became tinged with gold but not fully replaced.

His dark eyes glimmered with new knowledge and his frivolous attitude vanished as he grew slightly from 1 to 1.5 meters. Yet, Lind felt like the once rigid body was more flexible than that.

The dark clouds became golden and a shaft of pure white struck down to surround Sun. Lind felt a pressure then of something looking at him as well but could do nothing about it.

{Awaken.} He heard a voice in his mind but saw Sun roar in joy as the light retracted and his now robust figure shrunk back to the lithe form of before.

Lind knew, though, the power was far beyond his previous abilities. Lind felt exhaustion coming for him and hoped Sun would not lose his head with his new power but the monkey faded from his senses before he could warn him.

Darkness claimed his mind and he hoped to wake up to a patiently waiting Sun!