Eternal Emerald Dragon

Chapter 185 - 184 - Dread Desert

Rith was the most dangerous continent but it was not due to the Demon Empire or the twisted Conclave at each end of the continent.  It was due to the Dread Desert.  It was a desolate stretch of land that had a strange effect on cultivators.

It was very thin for Qi but it was not a Ruin or other structure but the beasts that lived there that sucked the Qi out of the very world.  They were named quite simply, dread snakes for that reason, hence the name of the desert.

Rather than be a place to find treasures or an Inheritance, it was a place of death.  The Qi inside a cultivator not only drew the snakes, but it was pulled out the more powerful a cultivator was.

A Sky Realm would quickly be unable to fly after only a few days there but flying artifacts would work for a month at grade 4.  Grade 3 lasted longer but would lose functionality faster due to the limits of the materials and inscriptions.

World Realms at Gold or Diamond did not fare much better than Sky Realms at tier 1.

Iron Tier was actually the safest tier to be even though grade 3 artifacts and weapons would degrade in less than a month functionally.  The final 2 tiers did much better but Soul Realms were not safe at all despite being weaker.

Soul Realms could not withstand the draw of Qi at all and would be crippled in a week if they were in the desert proper.

The few safe spaces were villages and towns made near the coasts where the snakes could not risk going near due to being a tasty meal for some of the beasts that lived in the oceans around the continents.

The Conclave was the largest city on Rith aside from the Demon empire that was protected by the Demon's Teeth.

Mortals, as an exception, could live safely relatively speaking in the Dread Desert but they could not benefit from any artifacts many of their contemporaries enjoyed on the other continents.

The main reason mortals lived in the desert was to escape the power of cultivators.  Even so, many cultivators came for various reasons as well but they could never stay.  Lind sat on the deck of a ship slowly approaching the coast.

"Are you sure you still want to come with me?"  It was very late to ask but Lind turned towards his companion and a rather dark brown haired head smiled at him sweetly as she nodded.

Annabelle's illusion ability was now frightening.

She had always been incredibly gifted but Lind had learned a few tricks to see that she was using them at least if not through them.  Yet now, if he did not know it was her, he would have no idea.

Instead of water and light, she made it seem as if fire and air were her elements.  The ability to hide even Qi from his Sky Eyes was not a small thing at all.  Lind had come to rely on his Eyes to see the truth of at least the flow of Qi but Annabelle humbled his beliefs.

It meant he had to be more critical of what he saw but it was not bad to be humbled in his view.  The continent in front of them already seemed to simmer but it was due to heat more than any technique or formation.

"We will be reaching the Conclave docks just after midday.  Be sure you have your travel papers or jade slips.  Don't say I did not warn you."  Lind was still adjusting to the kind of place they were going but he noted how most of the people on the creaking dual sailboat were human with a few demons here or there.

The vast majority were rough looking mercenaries or simply grim faced rogue cultivators that barely spoke to anyone outside of their groups.  Compared to Fortune Way, this trip after 3 months had been stressful and guarded.

There had been 3 killings but no one said a single word of objection while Lind was far outnumbered unless he revealed his status as a low grade 4 elixir master.  Even on Rith, grade 4 masters were left alone unless there was no chance of being caught.  Higher powers in the Floating Isles could be drawn to them if they were not careful.

If he wanted to get into Rith without a hassle, he had to go as Taren Cord once more.  That alias was quickly forgotten in the 6 years he was gone but the black hair was now made by Annabelle so it looked far more real than the dye job he did before.

They wore pale yellow robes that were actually an added layer of protection.  They were being sent as new workers to a Sapphire Auction House located on the farside of the Dread Desert.  Of all powers, the Sapphire Auction House members were the least molested.

They were also invisible.  The Conclave severely punished anyone that obstructed their employees but more than half the cultivators that lived in Rith were criminal in nature.

Lind noted on the first day that everyone on the ship glanced at their robes and promptly ignored both of them.  It made the journey peaceful aside from the killings but it did make it hard to ask questions.

The pitted stone dock jutted out from the rundown warehouses as they finally pulled the boat to the dock.  Annabelle immediately grasped his hand and they made their way to the gang plank but just like the whole journey, the passengers and crew acted like they did not exist.

The city representatives looked terrified of their robes and just waved them on without saying a word to them.  Lind shrugged and walked into the dry heat of Rith.  The small rock formations around them protected from the dread snakes the same as the waters did.

The city was carved out of the stone but there was a healthy wall cutting off the Dread Desert.  There was only a single gate to let people in or out and it was heavily regulated from what Qing had taught them.

The residents built taller and taller buildings that were held up by refined metals that lacked any elemental Qi infused into them.  Even far from the snakes, their ability to absorb Qi still affected the Conclave.

Lind felt a slight discomfort but that was all.  He glanced at Annabelle and saw her frown but that was all.  She likey was starting to burn through Qi maintaining her illusion so they moved through the narrow streets to get out as quickly as possible.

Any one that saw them, whether richly dressed people to clearly crippled cultivators, they all avoided the couple as if they were a plague.  Lind wondered at the extreme reaction but did not question the gift as it speeded their move through the city.

They finally reached the large line that led up to the gate to leave but here, there their robes only garnered a glance and that was all.  A few guards in tan and white robes noted them but that was all.  The sun moved through the searing blue sky but Lind only kept an eye on Annabelle who was clearly struggling to maintain their appearances.

There were arguments and sometimes cultivators dragged off to cells they were unlikely to leave ever again from what Qing said.  Entering the Conclave was very easy, but leaving was not.

Thankfully, these consequences made the line move fast and the guards looked at them before holding out his hands.  The dark skinned man did not smile nor speak but Qing knew about this as well.  Lind used a bracelet on his right arm to summon a bag that he tossed over.

The guard examined it before smiling and waving at the operators above who opened the gate.  Lind had noted that the gate only opened a few times while they were in line.

"May you have a safe journey in the desert of death."  The guard smiled and Lind was surprised to see a formation on his teeth.  He only glanced but grasped its use.  The thin Q was always causing an imbalance but the people here could carve out a way to cultivate by literally engraving arrays on them to contain their Qi.

It barely worked, but it did work.

They passed through the gate and made their way over towards a caravan they hoped was still there.  The final passengers were negotiating with the caravan master but looked stunned at them until they saw their pale yellow robes.

"Ah, Sapphire Auction House acolytes!  Welcome to Rith!"  A stunningly pale man greeted them but Lind could see he was a mid Iron Tier while most of the rest were a mix of Sand or Stone Tier.

Lind bowed and they paid some low World Stones.  They were the most stable form of currency but Rith was a rare place where cultivators could accept gold as well so he had brought some just in case.

Just like on the ship, the other passengers ignored the couple as they pulled their hoods up to rest.  Annabelle let the illusions go as she finally could not hold on anymore.

Their hoods had some arrays woven into them but only enough to not draw attention.  The wagons lit up as world stones were fed into the formations.  It was the only way to keep them working as they crossed the desert.

Lind observed them for a bit but he then realized something odd.  He felt the pull on his Qi but his harmony seemed to be able to stabilize him.  This made him curious as the issue should be the differential in Qi pulling it out of him rather than the snakes directly.

He focused and found he could not cultivate as expected but he was not losing Qi like Annabelle had and was.  He saw she was very low on Qi and pulled out a pill for her to eat.  As that was not uncommon in the Dread Desert, no one made any comment.

Pills were worth their weight in gold on Rith.  Elixirs were enough to rule a town easily.

Lind was careful but the storage bracelet given by Su was weakening at an alarming rate to his Eyes whereas the storage ring was hardly bothered.

"Get some rest but make sure your storage treasure is stable."  Lind warned Annabelle and she nodded before frowning at her necklace.  She took some things out and handed them to him but no one even glanced at them aside from the driver of the caravan now and again.

Lind carefully manipulated Qi around him but it was far harder compared to before.  Even so, he got a sensation to the west and north once more.  Cyntilla had moved a bit but not much.

He hoped that meant she was ok but he was easily weeks away at best.  Even then, they had to recover at the coast before heading into the desert.  Lind prayed to the spirits to watch over her and wished the caravan would go faster.