Eternal Emerald Dragon

Chapter 189 - 188 - Cyntilla Hunting

The Dread Desert was a massive place but an ascension tribulation was able to disrupt all of it.  A massive sandstorm was kicked up then made worse as it passed over the sunken areas before it took a life of its own and disrupted all the lives currently wandering in its dunes.

Not all knew the cause but any cultivator within a thousand kilometers had felt the tribulation pressure to a varying degree.  Currently, a small group of demons were huddled inside a specially reinforced tent.

They used such tents when moving in the Dread Desert.  It allowed them to recuperate and face the next week or as long as they needed to be in the desert.  The dark violet material was inscribed with several arrays as well as slots to insert Purgatory Stones.

Unlike World Stones, demonic Qi did much better in the Dread Desert.  The peak of Diamond Tier for them did not suffer the same severity of effects as their human counterparts.  Their Qi was still extracted at a faster rate but they could fight for far longer.

As such, any time the Blood Empire made a move in the Dread Desert, it brought a lot of attention from the other peak powers of the 3 continents.

Ironically, the Empire was not planning any attack but hunting for a demoness that had become a thorn in their side.  At first it was simply a political gain when Trynith offered up his daughter's hand in marriage in exchange for some Darkmoor secrets, but things had changed in the 6 years since Lind Frey disappeared.

Instead of simply hiding, the woman had begun to disrupt the flow of illicit trading from the Conclave to the Blood Empire.  She also somehow found out about the black markets where smuggled goods were being brought in.

Imperial Crown Prince Yor had been amused but those that were trying to overcome him were not.  The simple fact was, demons were as selfish as humans when it came to power or cultivation but they were far less indirect.

They spoke their challenges openly, but still needed some assurance of success.  Suicide was not useful afterall.  Thus, many Blood Empire nobles worked with confederates to try and pool resources to rise up higher in the echelons of power.

The methods were immaterial, results were all that mattered.

So when Cyntilla began disrupting the flow of goods, all Yor cared about is that it was his enemies.  Then he learned they were all the allies of the most annoying Duke in his Empire.  Duke Krieg.  He was an ambitious but useful demon.

He was somewhat loyal to Yor's father but if Yor ascends the throne, Krieg would be first in line to challenge his authority.  Nothing about that was wrong to Yor's mind as the Blood Empire was not like the weak willed fools elsewhere.

If Yor was weak, he would die, simple as that.  No demon noble would even blink about the change in power, although it would likely cause chaos for a few decades in the shadows.  The Empire was strong but it was often a bloodbath when a new Emperor transitioned to power.

So Yor's amusement only increased as all the demons that worked with Krieg on his deal with Trynith were getting their metaphorical butts handed to them by 1 demoness had amused him to no end.

Then Duke Krieg sent out raiding parties to the Dread Desert.  Yor was far less amused but could honestly hang the Duke out to dry if push came to shove.  Now one of those parties had the Duke's son, Creel, going over their map of the area as they weathered out the storm.

Creel was a massive mountain of muscle but he also had a good mind to go with his proud body.  He was currently at the peak of Iron Tier and had earned his place as a leader through rivers of blood.  The men following him were fanatically loyal save Trynith with them.  Creel had dragged the scheming man along with them to suffer in the Dread Desert.

Creel despised the man, but his daughter had grown on him.  She would make a fine wife!  His dim gold eyes poured over the map and smiled.  The dark lavender skin made the smile stand out all the more as his midnight black hair framed his face.

"This storm is a blessing.  Without a proper shelter like us, she will be forced into 1 of 3 areas.  Two of them are infested by dread snake nests so if she is alive, she must be heading or at here."  He pointed to an old location of a town that had been destroyed by the snakes but still had many structures standing.

The Blood Empire had used them enough to reinforce some of the arrays while there.  If the girl had Purgatory Stones, she would be easily able to weather the storm.  She would also be trapped at last between 3 of their search parties.

The long hunt would finally come to an end.

"She may not wait out the storm there.  She would not want to be trapped."  Creel sneered in his heart at Trynith's words but his other followers openly laughed at the man.  Despite his high tier in the World Realm, the man knew nothing of the Dread Desert.

"She will have no choice.  Her Qi will be sucked dry if she does not find shelter and she would be defenseless not only to us but the storm itself."  Sandstorms in the Dread Desert were lethal not just because of the sand's speed and cutting power but because the draining effect increased for some reason.

Some theorized the dread snakes were exposed by the storms and pulled harder on the Qi in the world to survive but of course, no one could investigate to be sure.  Even Sky Realms would die in such storms with ease.

The name for the snakes and desert were not without cause after all.

"The storm should pass in a couple of days.  Rest and we will head to that area then!"  Creel rolled up the map and laid down on the rug that served as his bed out in the desert.  A cot was too uncomfortable and the tent was well reinforced to repel any issues aside from a Diamond Tier dread snake.

If their luck was that bad, it would not really matter what preparations they took, but those snakes were very rare.  To see one at all was already a once in a thousand year miracle.  Besides, demonic Qi seemed unappealing to them so the snakes tended to leave them alone.

Creel closed his eyes in anticipation of finally capturing his worthy bride.

⬧⬧⬧⬧

A small fire barely survived the whistling winds inside a cave above a twisting mass of scales and hisses.  The storm was a blessing for Cyntilla as she could finally lose the trackers that had nearly penned her in.

She had some maps from the Sapphire Auction House or other sources but one glance at the area had shown her the trap waiting if she took the safe route.  She smirked at the idea of those idiots going to the little ruined town to look for her but she was not there.

It was still a risk to come to a dread snake nest, but the storm made them dive for cover like most everyone else.  She was able to get by the older snakes and erect some Iron Tier demon cave covers.  They took Purgatory Stones to work but it would be enough.

If she was human or an aether child, the snakes would have happily gobbled her up, but a lone demon was only good for meat and even then only if there was no other option.  The baby snakes had looked at her but their own siblings were far richer in Qi and meat.

Part of why the Dread Snakes did not conquer the whole of Rith was due to the fact they cannibalize each other until only a few remain.  Then those snakes head out into the desert to hunt for Qi sources or prey.  It was a rare chance to see Soul Realm dread snakes as usually they were only witnessed in the World Realm.

The sizzling meat was barely palatable but she laughed at the thought of her father losing face with every victory.  The man treated her like a commodity.  An object that only existed to further his goals, but she refused.

Even if she had not met Lind, she would have defied him for what he did to her mother.  A flash of worry entered her heart as her mother had barely escaped 8 years ago when Trynith betrayed Darkmoor Kingdom.

Cyntilla had literally bought time by speaking to her father while her mother snuck away.  The few servants loyal to her also stayed behind to make it seem like she was there.  She prayed to the spirits that her mother was safe.

Her own escape had been easier.  Trynith assumed she had no ability to fight back once she was on a boat but Cyntilla would rather risk death than give in to that bastard.

They had just been in sight of the shore of the Blood Empire when she dove overboard.  A massive salamander was nearby and made a beeline for her.  She knew it would be a powerful World Realm, Gold Tier at least, but her luck was really bad.

It was a low Diamond Tier.  Still, she stuck to her guts and used an artifact she had gotten from Ryu.  He had recently gotten engaged and because he could not gift Lind for his victory, he instead gave it to his 'future bride.'  She appreciated the use of tradition to give her a powerful artifact.

It flared with peak Diamond Tier power in poison that made the salamander panic.  It shot straight up into the very boat her father was on.  She smiled as she swam away as they battled with the aether beast.

She had no doubt they would survive but the artifact only lasted for a short time.  All creatures below peak Diamond Tier avoided her as she finally reached the shore.  She pulled out a specially made black leather cloak and changed clothes so she could head into the Dread Desert.

She spent the next 2 years basically carving out a life while improving her strength.  She had no desire to simply hide, but she needed more power.  It took longer in the Dread Desert, but for demons, it was not impossible.

Once she reached the Iron Tier, she had collected all the information she needed about her father's goals and alliances.  She did not care that they were hunting her, she began to hunt their lifelines.

Caravans were actually easy to destroy.  They depended on the chest of Purgatory Stones or World Stones to keep arrays working.  All one had to do was damage the formation on the chest and all the stones would be lost in short order.

She had nearly died any number of times, but each time she dragged her bloody and limping body back to a safe haven for a time to recover before heading out again.  For the 6 years after Lind 'died' she redoubled her efforts and found many agents of competitors happy for her help.

Her acid and poison were a powerful combination in the demonic side of the world.

There were times she hoped her father had been killed and others she wondered if it would be her last time being alive.  She suddenly felt the mark on her cheek tingle.  It had been doing that more lately and she recognized who was making it do that.

"You are getting closer.  Why?  You are back but why are you coming here?  I was a fool to mark you.  Just let me go."  Cyntilla could have undone the mark on her end and freed Lind, but every time she did, she remembered the day the emerald bolt of lightning found her.

However he had made the Heavens rejoice, he had let her know he was alive directly.  He cared about her!  She just could not break the bond.  When she was so low and ready to just give in to death, the mark on her cheek would resonate.

She was now relying on him as he had relied on her.  Had he felt this alone?  Had he felt this hopeless?  She did not know but she could not sever their bond.  Now, he was coming and she actually felt tempted to cut him off regardless of what it would do to her.  She did not want him to die.

He must have heard or found out she was getting cornered and now was coming.  A part of her felt warm at that but the warrior in her called him a fool.  Even so, he was keeping his word to come for her.  How could she deny him the chance?

She looked up at the rough ceiling and wondered if she would get to see him before she was captured.