Eternal Emerald Dragon

Chapter 1700 - 1699 - Hidden World

Time became lost to Lind as he delved deeper into the Earth. The array was vast to the point even he could not grasp the scope of it.

His initial assumptions no longer made sense. He had eventually confirmed that the pattern spread outward across the entirety of the Northern Hemisphere!

There was an outer layer that became the 'secret' bases holding the energy weapons and new metal blades.

Lind quickly understood that was the mask over the true array leading deeper into the Earth. The hidden connections did not just lead to other arrays but down into the crust.

Lind had not seen day nor night in who knew how long. He did not have a watch or other way to track it anymore. His sealed senses meant he could not gauge things easily since sleep was not needed for him.

He had no hunger thus far but that may not hold true forever. His harmony was sustaining him but if he kept exerting himself, it was likely he would regain the need to eat.

He was able to map out the tunnels of pure darkness to the point he began to see a pattern.

The outer layer was simply a subsurface connection between the segmented arrays. They were part of a larger whole but he needed to see them all to figure out what it actually did. Obviously some of it was to generate power for the machines but how had it been done at all?

Modern technology and cultivation energies were inherently incompatible. Imagine a cultivator using fire and light Qi to try and charge a battery. The level of control and tolerance could not be felt by instinct. The battery would blow up every time!

Further, natural treasures and background Qi forces would disrupt technology built on the assumption of a world like Earth. While artifacts mimicked tablets or other advanced technology, it could not be the same.

Laws and Daos simply were impossible to be used by human technology, but now he saw there was a small crossover.

Fiend Qi was being infused somehow into the materials and using the owner of the item as a fuel source.

That required a deep grasp of Earth technology and cultivation limits under that technology. The arrays clearly helped that process at their massive size.

It still left a problem. Fiend Qi did not magically make energy guns and swords or daggers. It required processing, raw materials, and expert refiners based on what he had seen.

Lind finally figured out the inner structure. The tunnels that led deep into the surface had 2 functions beyond connection. He could feel with his bare hands a very weak flow of Qi. It was purely being drawn from deeper in the crust, maybe even from the mantle.

The other function was less obvious until he noticed something when he tapped the wall. It conducted sound perfectly and with his heightened senses, he could feel the echo come back.

Usually it was solid soil and stone but he had a change at times and realized the tunnels forced modern cable or other underground structures moved around the arrays! They were unbreakable to modern technology!

He knew after a certain point, he would be well beyond the concern of that but he had confirmed it at several points that any underground structure went around the tunnel he was in!

The hidden network created the spaces for the exposed parts of the array above!

He sighed as the exact mechanism eluded him once more but he filed it away and continued his descent.

At no time did he find any drops or slides as he walked but the angle could become very steep. Only his control over his body stopped him from falling.

He noticed no change in pressure or even a feeling of wind which told him there was an isolated structure. He did feel breathable air but how it was being maintained he could not fathom.

There were no vents nor any sign of air flow.

Lind stopped suddenly when a circle appeared ahead of him. It was absolute darkness to that point so the only reason he could discern a circle was light! Yet, it was not like any light he had ever encountered in his life.

It was not from technology nor Qi, but it had to be made by something.

He carefully made sure to be silent as he advanced and poked his head out. What he saw actually made his jaw drop!

A massive cavern spread out before him and a very dark light was emitted from metal pylons sticking out of the floor and rising to the ceiling.

They were tapered until they became discs at the top of each. He felt it! Qi! He was feeling Qi!

It was also exactly what he had been expecting for so long but he did not understand why the vile Fiend Qi was gently dispersing from the pylons. He reached out his hands and the instant the particles touched him, emerald sparks ignited and natural Qi briefly appeared before breaking down.

He carefully approached the dark metal pylon nearest to him and carefully examined it. There were no inscriptions or any indication of a formation but it was one piece with the base and lead back into the network of tunnels he just left.

He pondered for a long time before his eyes went wide.

"Using souls to generate Fiend Qi?" It would work but the efficiency would be abominable.

How many millions would have to die to generate what he was seeing?! Lind could not fathom it. Even the total collapse of civilization may not explain what he was seeing.

Further, it contradicted his expectations. If he had shifted all of Earth's fate to change his own, it would not explain what he was seeing.

It would have to have been built fairly quickly and spread across the subterranean world while hiding it from the natives over a span of time that predated mankind!

A sudden thought came to him.

"No way–" He was about to try and test the material when his instincts flared.

He moved so fast he became a blur but his movements were restricted by the many pylons. It limited how many directions he could go and something nearly swiped at his arm!

His emerald eyes narrowed as he focused on his instincts. There was only 1 enemy and they were not nearly as powerful as him!

He could not use his flames safely but a roar was still within his ability!

The draconic roar shook the area and a scream revealed his foe's location instantly. He shot across the branches and slammed someone into a pylon's surface.

Emerald light flared and the ash gray skin was revealed! A Fiend!

She was very slim but the otherworldly beauty was clear as she screamed in his grasp. Her skin turned black but it was far slower than usual. He now had confirmation his harmony was not fully restricted but it was still not as powerful as it was supposed to be.

"Who are you?!" His voice thundered but the female Fiend could not answer as her arms were reduced to cinders in his grasp. The flame did not spread but the damage clearly shocked her.

She tried to escape but Lind kicked her legs out from under her and carefully ensured his robe sleeves pinned her back to the floor. His strength was far above hers and while he could not be certain, she was not a Divine Fiend for certain to his best guess.

She could still resist his harmony so she had to at least be an Immortal Fiend.

A Heaven Fiend would have burned entirely based on his tests.

Also, no Heaven Fiend could survive on such pathetic levels of Fiend Qi if his guess was right.

"Let me go you damned beast! You are nothing–" His hand slammed very close to her face. Her strands of white hair were instantly vaporized that brushed against his skin.

"Do you know who I am?" His voice was deadly serious but she slowly shook her head. Lind arched an eyebrow but moved on. "Why did you destroy civilization?" He knew she had not but he wanted to see what she did say.

Her reaction was instant.

"ME?! I WANTED IT! I WORKED HARD TO PUSH THIS PATHETIC WORLD TO THE POINT I COULD GET OFF OF IT IN A FEW CENTURIES!" The words affirmed what he wanted to know.

"You wiped out the world periodically to survive, didn't you?" It was another guess but she went still before glancing back at him. He could not see them in the dark but her disturbing eyes likely were narrowed at him.

"Do you know about the Great Bastard coming from this planet?" That question made her tense up and then try to look at him.

"WHAT?! THIS WORTHLESS WORLD IS WHERE THE GREAT LORD CAME FROM?!" Lind sneered. He suspected there was no point in revealing he also came from it but that left a mystery.

"You do not know who I am but you know who he is? How long have you been here?" Her glare could be felt but her next words nearly made him jump away from her.

"I fled the collapse of the Divine Lands. The final Refinement was a death sentence. When time and space fractured, billions of us fled. All we could do was buy time and try to escape into the lower worlds." Lind narrowed his eyes.

"There was no battle? No emerald dragon challenged him?" The woman began to shake as she laughed.

"Battle? There was no one to stop him! The Great Lord will consume all of us in time. He will come for us all!" Lind felt something drop from his shoulders and heart. He knew where she came from.

She came from the very first iteration. She likely–!

His heart froze. The world was dying for some unknown reason. A Fiend had come to a mortal world but had not triggered Heaven and Earth.

She said they escaped to the lower worlds to live.

"BASTARD! You used them to start siphoning the lower worlds!" The instant he spoke, the screen appeared.

{Progress: 74%}