Eternal Emerald Dragon

Chapter 291 - 290 - Impossible Conditions

Lind spent the better part of 6 months crossing the blasted lands of Rakathi.  After leaving the mountains behind, he had thought there might be places to have shelter for a night but the tribulation lightning never stopped.

He also discovered another problem.

Despite being perfectly comfortable back in the shrine, he was unable to cultivate for any length of time in the wastes.  The moment a crimson or cerulean bolt of lightning fell, his balance of elements would surge unexpectedly to the alignment of the lightning.

It took him 3 months to finally get through a full cycle and with the help of the senior dragon soul, he stabilized his foundation.  He had not even noticed it had become unstable until she pointed it out to him.

It had only started but apparently Rakathi was dangerous beyond just the lightning.  Unfortunately, the senior dragon soul had no knowledge of why it was happening.  She had both seen and heard of the wrath of Heaven and Earth, but it usually dispersed once its work was done.

Lind could agree as he had experienced a very slight one when making the elixir to save Fey.  It had been more about destroying his elixir than punishment but the principle was the same.

So why had Rakathi been punished and continued to be punished.  From what he understood, none of the original inhabitants were left.  Those that came to live there had nowhere else to go or were running/hiding from something.

Everyone else were only temporary visitors like him looking for the lost Ruins, Relics, and Inheritances if they could find them.  The lightning was powerful but not that powerful.

The distortions and higher grade materials could easily withstand it as demonstrated by the very weak Ruin distortion he had just encountered but no lightning came near it.

"There is no pattern to it.  If I did not know better, I would swear Heaven and Earth were still searching for their target."  Lind found that very unlikely but could only agree as he could not interpret the chaos around him at all.

After 6 months of wandering, he finally saw a structure in the distance.  His Eyes were useless in the storms so it was purely a visual spotting.  Still, he saw several bolts deflect or be absorbed somehow so he made his way towards it.

Despite having to be careful, he had made a considerable distance inward.  His body was now far more resilient and his stamina much easier to regulate thanks to the senior guiding him.  There had been a lot of wasted energy before as Lind did not truly understand how to control his new powers.

His skin literally hardened with scales but why was it the same color as his harmony?  The senior dragon soul was unsure as a 6 elemental human had never had such an opportunity before.

Lind had some ideas but it would take some testing to be sure.

The buildings became more distinct and reminded Lind of a fortress more than a village.  If he was to guess, it was about the size of 600 to 1000 person capacity but his Touch was dangerous to augment his senses so he could only estimate by eye.

Also, cultivators could maximize space in ways to make anything visible deceiving but in the current conditions, Lind was inclined to believe what he saw was all there was.  He had tried to use some artifacts to protect himself, but they shattered after only 2 bolts.

He believed simpler ones would be fine but it would take a stable environment to test.

None of his skills worked properly in Rakathi due to the very same tribulation bolts.  Let alone some could attract bolts if he was not careful.  The fact he saw structures left him very curious how even that was possible.

How did someone build in those conditions even just the old fashioned way?

Lind had come upon a stretch of wall but he could not see far enough with his senses to find a gate.  There was no sign of someone seeing him either, or they did not care.  He then turned to his right and began circling the sturdy wall as he analyzed it.

It had no arrays nor inscriptions but it was mostly made of metal slots between massive timbres.  Where did the wood come from?  He had not seen any forests or even just a copse of trees.  Metal could be mined, but transporting wood in the storms seemed an odd choice.

He followed the metal up and saw spikes of some kind at the end of each.  Occasionally lightning would strike and Qi would course safely down the wood into the ground.  Why?  The Qi could be used or stored to help create resources.

The principle might be more complex but it was an idea to explore.

Lind finally found an entrance but it was sealed shut.  Not by an array but a simple metal lock.  He did notice the 2 lightning rods on each side of it.  A smile spread on his face to see the trap.

If he tried to unlock the gate, the Qi in his body would draw lightning instantly.

Lind carefully stretched his senses but was stunned to find the metal absorbed it.  He had a new appreciation for it.  More ideas sparked but he suppressed them as he tried to find a way to be allowed in.

"Hello?!  Is anyone there?!"  His voice was enhanced but as if to mock him, a ripple of thunder drowned out his voice.  He looked up at the blackened skies in irritation and was about to try again when his instincts told him he was being watched.

It was not from the village, however, but behind him.

"Your instincts are better than humans, so you should be able to tell what is looking at you."  The senior's voice told him his interpretation was correct.  He turned around but only saw the blasted landscape, but it was not empty anymore.

Something was out there.

Lind knew cultivation allowed for a variety of beasts and aether beasts never conceived of on Earth, but even this world had limits.  The Rakathi Wastes was a place where it was impossible to thrive normally for humans, but beasts, if they could survive the lightning, could still survive if they had food.

"Can you tell what it is?"  Lind spoke out loud but the feeling of being watched intensified.  He was tempted to let his aura flare, yet the conditions around him gave him pause.  His Eyes, Touch, and senses were not only dulled but actively thrashed in that place.

What would happen if he truly let loose?  Sky Realms were struck down without mercy, and the presences he manifested could bring Sky Realms to their knees under the right conditions.

"No, but that only means it could be a variant or has been changed due to the strange environment.  It is not impossible that a fearsome beast could have been born here."  Lind nodded at her words but now he felt there were more eyes.

Lind suddenly felt his blood boil as if the audacity of the beasts enraged him.  He closed his eyes and calmed himself.  One of the consequences of learning to control his soul was to be exposed to stronger impulses that were muddled before.

Once he was in control his body tensed and then a dust cloud appeared by the gate where he once stood.

It was difficult to describe the feeling but the world seemed to slow to his eyes.

Sights, smells, and sounds were processed at a high speed.  He still had very human senses even with his augmentations from talents.  Still, he finally picked out movement in the dark ridges of land around him.

It was not fur, but stone!  A flash of lightning nearly blinded him but he recovered quickly to see massive aether beasts.

Earth and darkness swirled around them.  It made perfect sense!  Such elements would be essential to deflect or ground the lightning away from vital areas.  They looked almost like wolves with their snouts but they were the size of bears and had claws to match!

"Ah, a variant of serrated bears.  They are known for a terrifying set of claws that would cut someone terribly while their heads were attuned with sight, hearing, and smell on par with the best wolves."  Lind had never heard of such a beast but he had already seen a large variety to make it easy to grasp.

"They are not native so where did they come from?"  It was true.  The bestiary of the mortal realms were usually limited to normal beasts that would change and differentiate once they cultivated to higher realms.  Even at the peak of World Realm, however, they remained variants of the original animals.

The more fantastical beasts did exist but they were only found in Qi heavy areas.

The moment the thought came to him, Lind answered his own question.

"The unique conditions may have created a vicious manifestation threshold.  This place is a place of impossible levels of Qi naturally.  It would possibly bring beasts weaker but still normally found in the Heaven Realm at least."  Lind felt excitement.  Such a variety would be of great interest but only the strongest would survive Rakathi as well.

The bears were clearly hungry and their aura put them at the mid Iron Tier.  Normally, Lind would not be afraid of beasts, but the lightning made his Arts and artifacts useless.  All he had was his body.

"Do not fear, let your instincts guide you.  Let us see what you can do."  Lind listened to the senior's words and rushed at the bears.

Lind gave in to his instincts.  His skin turned emerald but his nails changed as well. They grew slightly longer but the truly frightening moment was when they changed color.  Like his skin, the nails turned a faint emerald.

His nails shredded the first beast but it was considerably tougher than he expected.  The skin looked like stone to him but it had metal in it as well.  Further, an entire pack surfaced, yet Lind only felt excitement rise.

He roared to the skies and something odd happened.  The previously ferocious beasts froze and fear was clear on their faces.  Lind could feel it.

The freshly killed beast excited him as blood pumped in his body before the pack ran from him.  The other odd thing was the lightning.  Rather than be attracted, it seemed to avoid him.  The curiosity snapped him out of the feral emotions, yet strangely he felt no need to consume the raw meat as he expected.

"You have no fire, young dragon soul.  Yet you did quite well."  Lind liked praise but he was conflicted on the current situation.

He was about to see if he could pull the beast core but then he once more felt eyes on him.  This time they were humans.  He could feel it and looked at the village to see the gate open and armed men coming at him.  It was clear he was about to have an encounter with the locals.

Lind hoped they would not ask too many questions.