Eternal Emerald Dragon

Chapter 289 - 288 - Dragon Soul

Lind had felt like he benefited far too much from the dying Ruin.  It would not become a Relic.  There was nothing left once the Immortal dragon was finished.  She wished him well and seemed to become a beam of light that broke the fragile shell of the Ruin entirely before she disappeared.

Lightning immediately began to blast away and shatter rock like it was a hot knife through butter.  The only exception was the shrine cave.

The illusion lost its power but the lightning still did not even come close to it.  As he was not in a hurry, Lind pondered over the vast ocean of knowledge he had inherited.

Dragon souls were not unique.  The Heavens were always watching cultivators and karma was not the only measure used to judge actions.  While Lind's actions could be considered selfless, he had acted to save a loved one.

Such an action would normally only add to karmic restitution but Divine Dragons and other divine races were different.  They were blessed by Heaven and Earth.  In a sense, they were the descendants of the children of Heaven and Earth.

Thus, by restoring Ethry and protecting her at the cost of his life, Lind actually had his soul evaluated by Heaven and Earth, or the spirits of them, directly.  If they had found him wanting or if his actions were taken in the hopes of changing his soul, he would have been dispersed back into the cycle of samsara.

Fortunately, Lind was found worthy.

His soul was transformed from a human one, into a dragon.  The strange pressure he put out that made Kalen and Ethry so terrified was because unlike the current living generations, his soul was transformed directly by Heaven and Earth.

The same would happen for the other Divine Beasts.  The phoenix, the white tiger, and the black shelled turtle.  If he had done the same for them his soul would have taken on those aspects.

Terrifyingly, it was possible to add another Divine soul to himself but it would be basically suicide as his current cultivation could in no way withstand 2 such transformations.

Once the soul was returned, the body would receive the benefits of the corresponding race.  In Lind's case, he received the supreme toughness, strength, and longevity of the Divine Dragons.

Lind had learned there several Divine Branches but Ethry was simply known at the Divine Ryuu Clan.  There were also 2 others that had birthed a myriad of dragon clans.  Sadly, the information was incomplete in his head.  It was there, but he could not understand it yet.

Lind now understood why he recovered nearly 10 years faster than predicted.  Dragons already had a massive recovery rate from wounds that would kill or at least incapacitate other beings, they shook off.

It was also why using the soul pressure drained him so.  His body was not strong enough to maintain it.  Once he broke through to Gold Tier, he could see how he fared.

The lightning seemed to calm down at last so Lind began to prepare to leave but he saw the shrine still standing and felt conflicted.

He then thought of something.  With the legacy of the Ruin, he felt a bottleneck give way in his mind.  He had been studying hard and finally something clicked into place.

The pressure in the air became oppressive but there was no one to endure it.  Lind's finger tips began to glow emerald as he wove complex sigils in the air.  The prize he had claimed from the realm spirit of the tournament was the basics of weaving.

Unlike elixirs or Forging, Lind had a great deal of difficulty understanding weaving.  It worked for him.  Others told him the jade slips made no sense at all to them.  Still, he could never get it to work, but now he knew why.

He understood his human soul.  He had fused it to his foundation and harmony long ago so the feeling was there, but only now did he grasp his current dragon soul.  It was still only passable as grade 1, low grade at that, but the very air was carved by his power.

It felt very draining and dangerous as the slips had stated multiple times.  Weaving was imbuing sigils with your will to create an effect.  Sigils were a mix of inscription and arrays.  Enough arrays built a formation but inscriptions replicated effects through the medium it was carved into.

Lind was sweating profusely before the emerald glow lit up the floating sigils.  The tunnel was covered once more but a small emblem was on one side if you were careful looking for it.  He bowed and nearly fell over.

"You should cultivate before heading out, Young Soul."  Lind nearly jumped as an older female voice filled his head!  He whirled around, or tried to before he became dizzy.

"I am only with you now.  I have a little time left and I wanted to guide you for that part of it.  You are far more interesting but weaving is a very dangerous profession.  For all its power, it risks worse than death if you over exert or make a mistake.

"The Ruin Spirit, you are in me?!"  Lind did not feel anything wrong, if anything he felt normal, but a sharp memory flared and sudden rage became clear that was not his own.

"That bastard survived!  I am glad you killed that last gasp of his, but far too many died in his false Inheritance!"  Lind was surprised.  All the spirits he had met, while clearly based on someone or part of someone, had severe limits on what knowledge they could share with the next generation.

Now, Lind was freely told about an Immortal level criminal and further some of the scope of his crimes.

"I am not a spirit as you understand it.  Dragons cannot do that.  If you ever create an Inheritance, you will understand that better.  I was nearing the end of my physical life but our spirit can endure for a time.  In the right conditions, for a very long time."  Lind felt shocked as that was definitely not available in the knowledge he had gained!

"So you can see my thoughts, what about what I see now?"  A feeling of amusement passed through his body.

"I promise, there is nothing to interest me in you.  If it makes you feel better, my connection to the physical world is quite weak.  I am dying, if more slowly than you would believe.  We dragons do not like to give in."  Lind felt pride flare not from his new guest but his own heart.

"Is there a chance of me being consumed in this process?"  It was the one piece of information he could not find.  It was strange as he would think a warning would be relevant.

"Ho, ho ho.  You do not understand.  You are not awakening an existing bloodline forged by billions of years of ancestors, you are the beginning of a new line of Divine Dragon bloodline.  There is no one before you."  Lind felt floored at that revelation.  "Still, instincts are strong so you should learn to control them or your legacy will become problematic in the future."

Lind was about to nod when he froze.  If finally sunk in.

"Wait!  I am starting a NEW Divine Dragon bloodline?!"  Outright laughter rang in his head and while Lind was annoyed, the feeling of joy in the woman was not unpleasant.

"Yes, you are definitely a Divine Dragon, to be specific, a Divine Ancestor Dragon.  It is why that poor little girl cowered in front of you.  The ancestral quality to your soul is instinctively above any living dragon."  That made a bit of sense to Lind.  He was essentially the beginning of his line and because it was made Divine, he was like those dragons long ago in the mists of the birth of the realms.

"Wait, why do I affect the Akashic Bloodline then?"  Lind was confused as to why a purely demonic bloodline would also be cowed by him.  He summoned up the memories of Kalen and a visceral reaction came from the old woman.

"So, one of those fools still lives.  We thought we got them all.  The Akashic Bloodline is a pompous name for what the ancient demons created from combining their unique way of using Qi and dragons."  Lind was floored but he finally understood where that violence came from.

He doubted the demons and dragons worked together willingly.

"By the spirits, some of the descendants must have fled through descension pools to escape our wrath.  Even we dragons cannot search every mortal realm."  Her words kept opening new ideas to Lind.  He found he had more and more questions but the fact the Akashic Bloodline was partially draconic explained a lot.

He carefully brought up the last 4 years with Kalen and all that had been accomplished.  Astonishment now flowed over him but then cackling laughter followed.

"Of course!  You are an ancestor!  You could impose a new condition on that terrible excuse for a bloodline.  You helped that boy more than you know.  That bloodline absolutely consumes its host but your soul supersedes it in every way!"  Lind slowly grasped what she meant.

In other words, he had been wrong.  It was not careful training that freed Kalen from the curse of his blood, but Lind literally protecting his soul and mind until they were strong enough to conquer the Akashic Bloodline.

"Is there anything I should be careful of?  I do not wish to cause harm?"  The presence in his soul was surprised but then a short laugh came from her.

"You underestimate your instinctual control.  You have clear ideas when using your power and it obeys.  Your love for the young Divine Dragon will shield her from any harmful effect while your long ingrained instincts of teaching guided your soul to mold the Akashic Bloodline."  A feeling of pride rose in his heart but Lind quashed it.  There was a vast difference between luck and active control.

"I will need your guidance, senior."  Lind bowed out of habit but respect was given to such a benevolent senior.  Even the pride and rage he often felt was curtailed by this dragon soul.  "How should I call you?"

A sudden feeling of anxiousness flowed through him but it was quickly suppressed.  Why would asking for her name cause such a reaction?

"Calling me senior is fine and you can think it.  Speaking is not necessary."  Lind did not think he could get used to that.  Frankly, he often spoke out loud during his research.  His wives found it helpful to know if it was safe to interfere with a critical step in case it was not clear from his control of Qi.

"Then, senior, I hope you understand I am on a journey to reach the Gold Tier and beyond.  While your legacy is very important, it does not aid me in that goal."  There was hardly a ripple from her but Lind felt curiosity.

He focused his memories on his journey and was satisfied that his progress could surprise and impress the dragon soul residing in him.

"You have struggled and achieved something no one succeeded in since the dawn of cultivation so far as I know."  Lind frowned at that.  While he accepted he had found a way, he felt the larger problem was no one tried to focus on it.

Cultivators tried to progress even at great risk to their potential.  It was true of all combinations of elements.  Lind took his time because he understood he had to.  He had already died once and maybe his lack of fear on that aspect gave him the patience to try and get it right.

"It is a good attitude, far too rare.  The best cultivators often acquire it later in their journey but to have it so early will lay a foundation of frightening potential."  Lind felt satisfied and looked out at the lightning blasted land.  It was brutal but hopefully it would lead to inspiration.

He moved north and east to go deeper into the wastes and see what he could find.