Eternal Emerald Dragon

Chapter 1711 - 1710 - Survivors

Lind felt sand under his body. The smooth texture was clear that it was not natural but he slowly opened his eyes to find blue sky and the familiar feeling of Qi, Laws, and Daos filled the air.

He was back in the Divine Lands. How much time had passed?

{Divine Lord Lind Frey returned. Trial completed. Duration inside: 7000 years. Duration in Divine Lands: 4 years.}

The spectral screen vanished and Lind looked around to realize he was in the heart of the coliseum. The stands were empty but the sands were not.

Lind saw a familiar woman waiting patiently at the far wall from him. Her azure hair and pale blue skin marked her as the Shen True Lord. Her aura now showed as a Divine Lord!

"What happened to the dragon?" His question made her flinch but before that, she trembled at his power.

They were both Divine Lords but Lind far outclassed her!

He felt it was similar to bloodlines. His dragon bloodline might not necessarily overpower hers but with the Divine quality, it would be superior. Yet, his Divine Lord Authority felt far more potent than hers.

It was a strange feeling. True Lords were not like that at all. He felt like he was meeting family when other True Lords had come before him but the Shen felt like an inferior bloodline to him!

She seemed aware of it too as her eyes went wide.

"I take it you were the one that did better than the other 2?" She slowly nodded but he did not feel anyone else nearby. Had she been waiting? Why?

She also was looking at him weirdly. It was almost like she could see through him but did not find what she was looking for.

"Ahem, he was apparently possessed." Lind narrowed his eyes at that. It should not have been possible. Even though they had both been tainted by Fiend Qi, he had purified them. How had the dragon been possessed?

He closed his eyes and realized there was a way. If the dragon had suppressed his nature and caused a massive imbalance, it would have been like leaving the door wide open for the Bastard.

Under such unique conditions, it was a very poor choice. Why the dragon would suppress his nature was unknown but it no longer mattered. He was dead.

"What–what did you do in the trial?" The Shen's voice snapped him out of his thoughts but looked at her confused.

"Didn't you see the world restored?" Lind had seen it get that far before the notice popped up to let him see his former mother.

She now looked at him confused.

"What was restored? I only remember not completing the trial but meeting the requirements to become a Divine Lord. I do recall feeling like you did something too but the trial of the Divine Lord is always sealed afterward. It prevents any attempt to raise a new Divine Lord candidate with any advantage." Lind stared at her.

He clearly remembered everything. She just said the dragon was possessed but that she did not remember the trial? His confusion had to be clear as she quickly waved her hand and made him notice something missing from her hands.

She had no ring!

He glanced at his own right hand but the newly transformed emerald ring was there as before. Why did she not have a ring?

[It is not a certain thing, Master. Some Divine Lords, like the wurm we left on the Emerald Isle, did not retain their Guardian as a freed spirit ring.] Haro spoke and Lind accepted it for the moment.

It made him have a lot of questions but those could come later.

[Why can I remember everything?] He had triple checked but he recalled both the wasteland Earth and the restored Earth. He had no gaps he could detect at all.

[She was partially correct. Most Divine Lord survivors will have their memories sealed but it is not to prevent preparing a future candidate. It is because nothing is free. The higher you achieve, the more resources used to fuel the transformation into a Divine Lord.] Lind suddenly understood.

The limitless vitality and feeling of greater power had been flooding his body when it came to him. If meeting only a certain threshold, only so much can be given and the cultivator had to compensate for what they lacked in help.

He got the maximum aid and thus retained everything.

"Nevermind. I was resistant to something that muddled all of your senses and distracted from the resolution. Also, quite a bit of luck." She seemed to accept that but then became nervous. If she truly could not recall the trial, he did not know why she would be nervous around him.

"Um, senior, I have a strong impression I am to lead you to my home. Ever since I emerged and as I stabilized my foundation, I felt it impossible to leave without you." Lind arched an eyebrow. He had not given her any such command.

He then took his Divine Authority for a spin. He commanded the past to be revealed to him. It was a strange feeling not to use Dao nor Law to manipulate reality. The most shocking part was instead of vitality being spent, he gained more!

He saw the trial from her perspective and saw the imprint left behind by one of his alternate selves. It seemed like it was consumed too.

Why couldn't things just be straightforward? Nope, being mysterious and holding back critical information seemed like the only way cultivators worked the more powerful they became!

He knew some matters were dangerous but at his current realm, why hold back? Maybe the imprint could not truly think and simply could not chance that the Shen ignoring his command.

It also might mean the imprint's knowledge was moot to him too. He was now in the final layer of the Journeyman Tier. The Qi Layer.

Still, he had not really been to the Northern Continent. It might be worth exploring before trying to find opportunities to inspire the final 3 Mysteries.

"Do you mind if we fly in a ship?" His question caught her off guard but his aura had locked on to the very object he wanted to find. It had only been 4 years, so not much time for a cultivator at all.

She nodded and space blinked around them. There was no sensation of movement nor of space being torn open. They simply shifted! Lind was more surprised at the ease of it than anyone.

He had just thought about going to the ship as he prepared to tear through space but now he was on the main deck!

The pair had not even taken a breath when people swiftly appeared with weapons drawn and auras flaring. Lind would have felt threatened even before because he designed those weapons himself.

Yet now, he saw flaws! It was shocking how easy it would be to destroy them or prevent them from even working! What was going on?!

He quickly realized his Talents had been dramatically transformed far beyond anything he thought possible. He had always been parsing Qi, Laws, and Daos as he improved them but now he was touching on something even he did not fully understand!

Mysteries were not solely about a Divine Realm dantian but also their creations! If the creator had an incomplete or flawed grasp of their Mysteries, those flaws would be part of anything they made!

The Shen seemed equally unconcerned but likely because a single word from her would reduce everyone to so much mush including their souls.

[Calm down, it is me.] Lind sent his thoughts outward and the crew smiled wide as they lowered their weapons, but not their guard. It was only when Karu's white fox tail lit up and cast some Art to confirm no illusions that things truly relaxed.

Qing emerged and smiled at him. He waved but then saw her glance at the Shen and arch an eyebrow at him. He rolled his eyes.

"This is Divine Lord–" Lind suddenly realized he never learned her name! He scratched the side of his face but she did not seem to mind.

"Aristrossa." The name meant little but the title made even the non-beasts flinch. Lind nodded at his crew.

"We will be taking her home. Set sail and take your time. We have to plan our arrival." The crew moved as the 2 Divine Lords descended to the control deck. Aristrossa actually froze as she took in the complex controls and work stations.

He did not have to explain it as he plugged in the coordinates. Karu took the command and the ship began to move.

"Just–just what is this?" He smiled and Qing went with him to his quarters that had a larger space. The 3 took some tea and Lind confirmed he too was a Divine Lord now. He also explained part of what the artifact did.

He then affirmed that more than ⅔ of the True Lords had died but not how they died. He felt no need to air what he learned about himself and the Bastard in that place.

He also would not talk about Earth until he was certain it was totally safe.

They then turned to Aristrossa and waited for her to tell them what they needed to know about where they were going.