Eternal Emerald Dragon

Chapter 1683 - 1682 - Frozen but not Dead

Lind had heard stories in the last few centuries but seeing was a stark contrast to the reality.

He had not considered in a very long time the lack of seasons he had gotten used to. Mortal realms still had them to an extent but it was due to the weak Laws affected by the natural layout of resources, elemental force, and various other things born at the moment the realm formed.

The barren realms, for instance, appeared to have very quick cycles of seasons whereas the one he grew up in was fairly stable.

In contrast, the higher realms became more like fixed environments but even the Heaven Realm Lands and Celestial Fields had seasons up through the 2nd layer.

The confluence or interaction of various grand forces did allow for a single region to shift unless the Laws were extremely strong.

The Divine Lands were not like that. The environment was relatively rigid but that left a mystery he had always wondered.

How could anything truly survive without that cycle even with Qi supporting them? The answer was both shocking and simpler than imagined.

Rather than seasons, a balance had been struck by the profound foundations of each continent interacting with the Void Ocean currents around them.

The Void Ocean stabilized things with the unending depths coughing up energy from dying Divine Realm cultivators to various realms.

The more profound or dense the energy, it rose up and influenced the surface. Without the continents, it would break down to return and possibly become seeds for new worlds or add to existing ones.

The 4 continents had always been there, supposedly, yet their environments took time. The Western Lament was now very chaotic and had shifted things from what history said was once fairly well balanced continents.

The Southern Continent became very humid and almost tropical by Lind's context while the Eastern Continent gained deserts and then vast plains before the few surviving ranges made large zones of high value to all.

The Northern Continent got the short end of the stick due to its relative closeness to the Western Lament.

The destruction reached one edge, one coast, and began a horrifying unraveling of a once pleasant region.

Ice and storms swept over it and killed many races that could not adapt or were not compatible with such a place at all.

Yet, while it was frozen over, it was far from dead. There were also pockets of life preserved due to the nature of Master Tiers leaving powerful artifacts or legacies behind at the height of their power.

On top of all that, the changes created a rather unique environment that bred resources that were usually too scarce to harvest on a regular basis.

Both demonic and natural Qi had powerful combinations that needed ice to work properly of certain quality but the time needed to nurture powerful ice environments was cost prohibitive for many in warm or hot climates.

The Northern Continent became a place for powers that practiced such techniques or Arts to flock to it.

Ice Dragons and Yin Dragons practically exploded in population given a whole continent to live on, but Heaven and Earth were not so kind as to have all positives.

To everything, there is a limit.

The energies took epochs to settle and Lind suspected the greed of many races made another imbalance backlash on all the fools that thought they had an endless supply of new resources.

The storms that had transformed the continent did not leave. They became the new cycle of life and death.

There is now the Windless Season, the Silence, Ravaged Winds, and finally Breakout season.

The Breakout was more of a reference than an actual season. It was the time that those that survived the horrific storms shattered the possibly meters thick ice to find the empty places all around them.

The Windless season was exactly as advertised. It was a few months when the winds practically died. The Silence was a short span when any normal noise of animal, plant, or even cracking ice stopped.

It revealed the temperatures were dropping fast and the worst of it was coming. The Ravaged Winds Season was the storm. It moved slowly across the continent and could last anywhere from 3 months all the way up to 9 months.

The Silence was the final warning to set up defenses and flee but Lind was more interested in what the Divine Lord thought he would find there.

He needed experiences, strength, and possibly a miracle if he could find it. Karu affirmed he had only gone once to the Northern Continent but it was mostly about gathering forces.

In other words, he was in uncharted territory.

From above, the Northern Continent was unlike anywhere else. The once calm white clouds below were just gray. Steel gray with darkening limbs moving here or there. He could feel the power in those clouds and it made even his draconic instincts flare in warning.

"It is said that those that thrive in the Northern Continent can walk unchallenged anywhere. Nothing compares to the trials of this place." Karu spoke up as he was still immersed in the ship's external readings.

He could see below the clouds and it was beautiful. White, blue, gray, and other dull colors reflected back in his aura. Vast rifts moved deep into the soil and stone but he could see it all reflect the meager light that got through.

The central areas had not seen sunlight since the loss of the Western Continent he was sure but he did confirm several contrasted areas. There were places that still had green!

Some were simply small pockets that clearly had been carefully carved out and were now protected by powerful barriers. He could swear he saw the energy of those barriers nearly freeze as he watched.

"Any idea what the Divine Lord sent us here for?" Lind had not felt any pull or anything as they flew over the continent. It was true they were far above the restricted zone but he still should have felt anything if it was potent enough.

Karu scrunched up her narrow face before shaking her head.

"There are too many possible rumors associated with this place but I do know at least one area that might interest you." Lind pulled back and opened his eyes to look at her smirking.

"Well?" She then activated a panel and swept through some information before she flipped a switch and what she was looking at appeared on his display.

He saw a rather sparse map of what was a coastal area of the Northern Continent. It was a fairly recent map but the name of a place stood out to him.

[Older Twin Colesseum]

It was at the heart of a massive city but he noticed at least a 5 to 8 kilometer gap around the structure to the rest of the city.

A colosseum? Why would a Forger make a colosseum and put their name on it? He had made a lot of large objects like his ships but none carried his name.

They were named for constellations, old friends, or even a whim, but never his name. The only things he might put his name on would be an Inheritance or something like them.

He consulted their position and smiled as it was not too far away.

"What the hell, why not? Let's check it out." Qing smirked from the hatch and he knew Karu and she had conspired to distract him a bit as it had been a tedious flight.

The ship moved easily above the storms and clouds but as they got closer, they found a gap. It was not a natural gap either.

A very smooth circular opening of the clouds allowed sunlight to pierce the thick cloud cover and give a very interesting horizon for above and below.

The dark gray clouds were thick around the cut but never pushed inward. Ice and snow were clearly there but could not breach the area either. Lind guessed it was 2-300 square kilometers.

A decent size but not as big as the city on the map he looked at. A quick glance through the ship senses and he confirmed part of the city was in eternal winter while the central area was warm as the depths of summer.

He was curious how there was no condensation billowing at the border but the structure at the heart drew his eye.

Seeing it on a map was never as good as the real thing but several facts stood out. The biggest being it was made of metal! It was a dark brown metal but Lind knew that was likely due to refraction of the barrier.

A thick barrier unlike anything he had ever seen stood out to his senses. It was far beyond any security a place should need but that was as far as he got before his right hand suddenly burned.

He quickly brought it up and the black ring on his hand that had been there for so long it was a part of him, now was lit up like a sun as the emerald dragon on it began to move.

{Candidate Detected.}

{Evaluation = Above expectations}

{Authority = Fully Empowered}

{Karmic Balance = Restitution Inclined}

{Conditions met. Displacement commencing}

Lind barely had time to register the strange words appearing in a projection before the world vanished in a world of white. He could not resist it at all!

The last thing he heard was Haro's voice.

[Good luck, Master.]