Eternal Emerald Dragon

Chapter 1719 - 1718 - True Refuge

Aristrossa had not been sure before but once she had returned home, she had felt the tug from the Jade Palace of Stars. It had been like she always knew how to reach whereas before there had been nothing but empty air.

She was only a Journeyman Tier of the Earth layer but becoming a Divine Lord put her on a level that even Master Tiers would respect.

Yet, when Lind Frey emerged from the trial, she felt like an ant! His presence alone dwarfed her!

She could tell he was the same level as her yet it seemed like his power was an ocean and hers was only a lake!

Why was he so much more powerful than her as a Divine Lord as well?!

Now, even though she thought she had an edge over him as being the new master of the palace, he had grown even stronger! She could feel the power of the Qi layer flowing off of him!

What was more, he was as stable as a mountain! There was not a ripple of instability normally associated with a recent breakthrough.

She could not recall the trial very well but she knew she had met Lind Frey inside it. His power was as bound as hers so she could not evaluate him, but she recalled how terrifying his physical strength alone had been!

He also showed a remarkable ability to analyze the Jade Palace of the Stars. She could tell he was trying to figure out how the base building material was made but even she, the new master, was denied that knowledge until she achieved the Master Tier.

She knew that instinctively. Once she came back to her home, it was like a race memory from someone other beast race filled her mind.

How did that work?

She shook her head as Lind Frey laid out his plans. He wanted to ensure the current state of the Starlit Refuge would be stable, which she heartily agreed with, but then he said he wanted to try and complete his Qi layer too?!

He made it sound like it was a given!

She had seen thousands of Divine Realm cultivators languish at the Samsara layer let alone the Qi layer!

Apprentice tiers were the most common Divine Realm cultivator. Journeyman Tiers were the default leaders of the Divine Lands due to the fact Master Tiers focused on their own cultivation most of the time.

Now, she met someone who treated the Journeyman Tier as an inconvenience!

Yet, she also felt hope. The world was on a knife edge. She could feel it. The gift of a Divine Lord was to be closer to Heaven and Earth. Things other cultivators struggled to grasp, came much easier to her.

Yet, that included the doom looming over them all. The Great One and the Fiends seemed to be reaching the endgame. Heaven and Earth were weakening but as she looked at Lind Frey, she saw power flowing from him into the foundation of the Divine Lands!

It fought back the vile Qi without any effort from him!

Did he know what was happening? She had never heard of a cultivator being able to neutralize the vile Qi of Fiends before. Yet now, she saw a being that seemed born to thwart them!

Hope bloomed as she offered a courtyard to Lind Frey and his wives. She then blinked as she realized she treated the Divine Nine Tailed fox as one of his mates.

The human, Qing, had impressed her as she was able to help many of the residents resolve the doubts and partial heart demons many of them had begun to form.

Such immense skill was so rare, even Aristrossa only knew of it in legend! Yet, according to Lind Frey, she had taught many to master such skills in his Clan!

That alone was insane but as he explained his current family arrangements, it only made her eyes go wider! How did such an insane ensemble of legendary beasts become his mates?! He seemed to have no limits!

She briefly thought about joining but something told her he would not accept her. It annoyed her but at the same time she felt like she was thinking too shallowly about it.

It was an instinct that Lind Frey did not simply gather mates based on what they could give him. That was odd for a beast.

Dragons and Phoenixes were legendary for their desire to mate with many partners.

Still, the group settled and she finally felt the ability to relax. The slowly shrinking living space had become so desperate that she had pushed her cultivation to the limit for thousands of years.

It was the first time since she was born that she was able to truly relax.

She explored the palace once more but suddenly realized she was in a place she had never seen at all. Earlier, she had registered herself and explored but the hall she was in had no doors or other hallways leading away from it.

She looked back and saw a night sky closing off any retreat!

She did not feel afraid, however, as she moved deeper into the hall and finally came to a wall that held a feeling of the void.

Slowly, a crack split it and the door swung inwards to reveal the long dead corpse of a beast she had only heard of in legends.

A hydra!

The many heads were shriveled and the main body was almost collapsed in on itself. She had never heard of a Divine Realm leaving a body behind but then she jumped as its eyes opened!

It then slowly rose up and she felt like a speck of dust in front of it.

[So, you are back.] She tilted her head in confusion but the beast did not elaborate as one of its heads looked in another direction before it smiled in a creepy way. [Good, he succeeded.]

Shock filled her but then all 7 heads looked at her before moving towards her.

The eyes were milky white but she had no doubt they could see her!

There was no breath but power flowed like a river off the beast.

[Lind Frey must find me before he leaves but before that, let him rest. He has been running for so long and needs to relax. The final battle will come no matter if he is ready or not. You will take him to the Mystery Pool a week from now.] Aristrossa never even imagined defying the beast.

She was a Divine Lord, technically a master of all beasts in range of her aura but the hydra in front of her was her superior!

What was above a Divine Lord?! She had no idea!

The hydra seemed to read her thoughts as all 7 heads had a rictus for a smile on them! Yet, she felt no danger. It was as if the beast did not really exist.

It then looked up and sighed.

[Yes, yes. I am bending the rules but we agreed it was necessary. Remember, Lind Frey must see me a week from now!]

She barely nodded when she was suddenly back in familiar halls. Had it been a dream? She knew it could not be but then she looked at the back of her right hand and saw a 7 headed hydra on it!

She gulped as she went to find her own rooms. There were no servants or other beings aside from the 3 she invited.

The palace, however, was pristine as if some servants kept it spotless. She now wondered how much of what she saw was real!

She entered the rooms marked for the Divine Lord and paused. She then opened the door by sliding it to the left and froze.

The room was huge, to allow any beast to relax in their natural state, but the mosaic had the 7 headed hydra!

A hearth happily held an astral flame that made the room the most comfortable for her. She smiled but froze once more as she noticed a massive book on the desk in the corner.

She carefully approached and saw the binding was heavily inscribed.

She touched the book and it slammed open to the first page.

{Divine Lord Aristrossa's Log}

{This artifact is for the current Divine Lord to record their research and progress for the Starlit Refuge.}

{Previous Divine Lords' entries can be accessed once authority level has been verified.}

Aristrossa infused her aura. She saw pages fill with several different hand writing styles. She then read them.

At first, she smiled but then slowly she began to frown. The entries all started with the joy of becoming a Divine Lord but then it revealed that they could do nothing. They could only enter and leave the special realm.

Why would they be drawn there if there was nothing they could do? She then recalled her experience and flipped through the pages. Yet, she never saw a single entry about meeting the 7 headed hydra.

She then got to a blank page and began to write when she went wide eyed. The last filled page had very familiar hand writing! It was her own!

{If you are seeing this, my other self, Lind Frey is our last hope. Help him any way you can and pray. Pray to anyone you can think of that he can save us all.}