Eternal Emerald Dragon

Chapter 1693 - 1692 - Conquerors

Far to the north where snow had claimed most of the land, there was a meeting between 2 beasts taking place.

The table had wine, food, and maps across it. It was clear that the pair had been talking for some time. The humans standing guard or locked in chains were exhausted. They had been up for days but the pair of beings in front of them did not know rest.

"We have laid a good foundation here in Green City and Viking City. The bandits and other issues are now resolved." A robust older man spoke as his well muscled body sat back on the groaning wooden chair.

Unlike the middle and southern cities, the northern cities retained more of their original foundations. The main reason being they were not filled with far too tall buildings and had been firmly safe from both flood and surface disruption.

They still fell into chaos as all support outside was wiped away, but compared to other areas, it was far more alive!

The large man had fiery hair streaked with white as his dark yellow eyes surveyed their territory.

"The point is to get the trial over with, Senior Hellfire Tiger. I grow sick of the restrictions and the attitudes of this tiny world." A sickly young man with dark green to almost black hair was more meticulous about his appearance.

The Hellfire Tiger was barrel chested and had his chest with arms exposed while the sickly man had a figure hugging black robe. Anyone that thought him weak, however, would pay a severe price for it.

The large man smiled but nodded his head as he pointed to the area of the map marked in red.

"The digging had made progress. We should be able to see what is hidden soon, junior–" A hiss came from the sickly man and anyone paying close attention would notice the robes rippled far more than a quick movement should allow.

The Hellfire Tiger sighed. That race was always a touchy bunch about even being named. A True Lord was very rare for them but it remained a fact that one existed every now and again.

"Regardless, it is too slow. We need to–" Both froze as a familiar voice came from outside their conference room. Almost in sync, the pair sighed as the sturdy wood and steel doors were blasted inward.

The humans not quick enough to evade died. The casual violence was followed by the emergence of a midnight black haired man with nearly voids for eyes.

He was well balanced but both men simply looked bored that he had come. Yet, his next words made them snap upright!

"The Kun is dead! He was rescued from those barbaric humans to the south but then killed!" The strange weapons could harm them but killing was highly unlikely given a Divine Realm cultivator's vitality. The only thing that could truly kill them was another of their kind.

"Do you know who did it?" The sickly man was already done. One less rival for the trial was a good thing to him clearly. The black haired man snapped out his fist but it was easily caught by the Hellfire Tiger.

"Regardless of your history, we do not care. His death is a concern so do you know who did it?" While the sickly man was no match for the newcomer, the Hellfire Tiger was clearly superior to them both.

"I do not know exactly but I do know who got him out. Some beast with emerald hair and reptilian eyes. He also seems immune to the human weapons entirely." The coloring meant little but the word emerald made the sickly man snap to attention.

The Hellfire Tiger was excited about a new rival.

"Was his skin deeply tanned? Did he seem very strong?!" The sudden interest from the usually subdued man made both surprised. The Hellfire Tiger was about to ask why when the black haired youth sucked in his breath and turned pale.

"Him?! Could it be him?!" The Hellfire Tiger was now getting a bit annoyed. Who could make 2 True Lords react so strongly and he had not heard of them?

"Voidshadow Dragon, who makes you so nervous?" The race name made the youth snap out of it but he only looked even more terrified.

"True Lord Lind Frey, the Emerald Dragon." It was the sickly man who answered and even the Hellfire Tiger lost a breath. If anyone was to ask the most famous, or infamous, True Lord of the current age, Lind Frey would be number one without a doubt.

The Great One was actively offering bounties and his actions with the Glass Palace as well as some rumored actions in other places had kept him on the map. On top of all that, he was a progenitor.

Even among the myriad beast races, such beings were rare and highly respected.

The race born from him was called the Harmonic Dragons and they had cut a swathe through the Fiend battlefronts that even distant lands had heard of their heroics.

It also helped their own battles with Fiends sometimes included cursing those dragons and Lind Frey in the same breath.

While his actual abilities were unknown outside of a very few demonstrations, his tactical and training results were crystal clear to all. He had outwitted the oldest curse on all of existence more than once.

He had clearly trained and raised an entire race to be proficient in not only combat but in coordination with other races. Beasts normally had immense difficulty fighting in their natural forms as part of other races but the Harmonic Dragons did so with ease.

It also was rumored a Divine Ryuu was one of his mates. Even the Hellfire Tiger, despite a strong aversion to dragons, would sell his soul for a chance to have one of those as his mate.

Unlike other dragon races, the Divine Ryuu bloodline could accommodate all elemental affinities no matter the primary or secondary arrangement.

Further, the children of those dragons were always immensely powerful with very high potential.

So much accomplished by such a young cultivator was the stuff of legends.

"So, he has become a candidate too. I wonder how he found out about the coliseum?" The Hellfire Tiger was ready to move on but the other 2 grasped something their companion missed.

There were some distinct traits well known about Lind Frey! Chief among them being how powerful cultivators treated weaker beings!

The pair looked at the now dead humans and chained humans with a feeling of dread. While it was clear the trial was not a normal space, they had long reached the conclusion it was a real place, not a specially created one.

It meant, the people they had killed and enslaved were real!

Despite mental projection being sealed, the pair instantly had the same thought.

[What are we going to do?!]

"Ahem, perhaps we should change how we treat the humans." The sickly man spoke up and the Hellfire Tiger froze as he was about to sit back down. The Voidshadow Dragon rolled his eyes.

It did not matter. The other 2 would never understand but a dragon followed through their path regardless of what the other party tried to do. The sins were completed, now the executioner just had to swing the ax!

"What is going on? Why the sudden concern for these ants?" The Hellfire Tiger was a strong warrior and steadfast leader of his people but other races meant little to him unless they were strong.

The other 2 were similar but shivered. Of all the True Lords to enter the trial, Lind Frey was perhaps the most terrifying.

His growth was explosive and it was clear he had extensive abilities in dealing with unfavorable conditions. His survival meant those that opposed him were dead or otherwise rendered useless.

His speed also meant his foundation was horrifyingly solid and broad. Such power was hard won and no True Lord would accept external aid in breaking through. Their closeness to Heaven and Earth made such aid unnecessary.

Only condensing Mysteries made all equal.

It was the pursuit of the final tier that drove many. A Divine Lord could perceive that most elusive step of the Divine Realm!

Reaching the Master Tier was like a smooth cliff above them. They could see more power but could not find the path forward at all!

The few Master Tiers that taught others ultimately withheld that crucial step with vague and enigmatic suggestions. No one knew a sure way to move save beasts.

If one could become a Divine Lord, it was known that reaching the Master Tier was only a matter of time!

Now, the 3 of them knew a threat had come. The fact they had abused and slaughtered wantonly while stubbornly proceeding as if they were in their own domains never occurred to them.

The 3 quickly changed the tone of the meeting. They set aside all other goals and began to plan. They had to seek out Lind Frey or he would come for them on his terms. While he was strong in the Divine Lands, they were all reduced to their bodies alone here.

In all their planning, not one of them stopped to ask a question.

Where was Lind Frey now?