Eternal Emerald Dragon

Chapter 356 - 355 - Emperor's Plan

The devastated northern areas of Sarth were recovering what they could.  The powers completely wiped from the map were swallowed by their neighbors or new powers were able to lay their foundation from the ruins.

It would take centuries for it all to completely settle but that was the problem of the Divine Sword Sect, Heavenly Maiden Sect, and even the Shadow Sect.  The Rith continent was an entirely different kind of mess but Moebius Sect was the one saddled with that problem.

Many were irked by this but since the decry came from the Heavenly Maiden Sect, no one argued with it.  When many learned of the logistical and resource intensive issues, they actually seemed pleased since Moebius Sect had risen up so high so quickly.

While the broad strokes were being done, a gathering was being called in Cimmeria.

The various powers sent representatives, but all were stunned by the reason.  Empress Resha had been brought by Lind Frey to reveal the truth behind the wars.  Further, it was rumored that Fiends were involved.

The lower powers had no inkling of what those were and those that did know were actually disturbed.

"You never can just arrive to say hello, can you?"  A man with thinning hair and resplendent fiery robes stood next to Lind Frey.  He was at the peak of the Diamond Tier but could break through at any time.

"Senior Dan is exaggerating.  I knew the only place to have this out was in Cimmeria and Starfire House is the strongest power in the Stardust Emporium."  Lind spoke only truth.  Starfire House was essentially the power behind the founding of Cimmeria as it was now and the Emporium was born from that creation.

The man glanced across the chaos of the meeting hall and looked back at Lind with a chagrined look.  At the center of the room was a recessed dias that held Resha in chains.  Kexin had already spoken with her but both knew Resha's fate.

She was only alive so that the truth could be laid bare.

"It is clear the previous Emperor to Yor wanted the truth laid bare as well and died for it."  Lind had confirmed many of his theories and learned of even more terrifying facts.  The Demon Empire had been essentially a Fiend resource farm.  Fiends only seemed to want one thing, cultivator's life force.

While the Demon Empire had taken in many slaves over the millions of years it existed, it was not enough.  The Fiends had made preparations for a massive influx by consuming an entire mortal realm!

The plan was audacious as it was horrifying.  The one kink in it was the Heavenly Maiden Sect.  They were one of the main powers aware of the methods of the Fiends and had sent branches into as many as they could.

Others had followed suit but not for any noble reason, simply to not let the Maidens horde the influx of resources and personnel.

Finding prodigies from the mortal realms was very helpful but too random while raising a steady base of mortals to rise up the realms to join them in the war above.

The same theory in a way to the Fiends, just a lot more moral.

Dan nodded as the more they unearthed, the more disturbing the move became.  The demons were well known allies to the Fiends but like Darkmoor and now the Demon Hall in the 3 continents, there were demonic powers heavily against the Fiends as well.

The Imperial family of the Demon Empire were the core as well as several sworn subordinate noble houses.  After that, it was a simple matter for Fiends to spur on their growth once a connection was established.

A true portal would be discovered but communication would go unnoticed forever unless directly exposed.  If that was all, it simply was a flow of resources most cultivation powers would find hard to catch or realize, but anything with them was no longer simple.

Instead, they sent instructions on how to construct demonic artifacts that would slowly refine Nightfall Demons.  It had the benefit of extending their lives for a time, but it turned them into living artifacts.

The life force was taken from their victims whole and then returned to the Fiends via the very same communication method setup.  It was an ingenious and terrifying revelation that would have been completely missed if Valkyrie had been allowed to wipe the Demon Empire from the continent.

After interrogating Resha, it was clear each Emperor or Empress of the Demon Empire had harsh restrictions placed upon them.  Oddly enough, Lind Frey's own breakthroughs in elemental relationships that loosened the control on the previous Emperor.

He used that slim wiggle room to completely cause the destruction of the Fiend's plans.  Just like a true demon, he had no mercy for anyone.  He actually expected the complete destruction of the Demon Empire.

Whether the secret would be discovered was secondary, all that mattered was stopping that branch of the process from ever working again.  Now that the 2 supreme sects had established deep roots, they were unlikely to let such a power rise again.

Hence the reason he sent Kexin to Lind Frey.  Even the Fiends would be curious if a 6 elemental could be developed as that would give them more power to work with.  Both Yor and his father clearly never planned to allow that to happen.

They simply hoped for Lind's character to take in the stray princess of the empire.

"What will happen to the demons that have advanced to the Floating Isles?"  Lind had talked with Kexin but was not sure what all would happen.  Dan became grim faced.

"From what I could tell, the vast majority of the sects and powers associated with the Demon Empire suffered a mass extinction.  It happened all at once much like what you described happened in the Demon Empire."  Lind frowned.

It meant Yor was dead but that felt wrong.  Yor was a lot of things, but consigning himself to death was very much not his style.  Kexin had survived so clearly whatever Valkyrie needed to kill them instantly was something that had to be engraved into their very being.

It also was clearly something passed to Valkyrie to use to kill with a snap of her fingers.

"Master Frey, I also heard that there was a, um, falling out with the Heavenly Maiden Sect and you."  Dan had better connections than most so word had already reached him.  Lind's eyes became cold at them.

"I refused to accept genocide as a viable result.  Wyndam is here but Kexin and the other elders are already working to get people over there to take over.  The food and shelter issues are the largest problems and I refuse to let the Conclave rise again."  The pressure off of Lind made Dan blink but it made him a bit sad when such a longstanding relationship was shattered.

The Heavenly Maiden Sect allowed Lind Frey to grow to what he became.  The gift of elixirs and Forging results spoke for themselves.  The sheer comprehensive revolution of the elements could not be rated for the cultivation world.

To have such an alliance collapse made Dan frustrated as Starfire House had an excellent relationship with both.  Lind also was married to 3 Maidens so he was unsure how that would work out.

As if reading his mind, Lind looked to as a question but Dan held up his hands.

"Internal politics of the supreme sects is beyond me in the Floating Isles.  Compared to down here, the Heavenly Maiden Sect has a much heavier hand but presents a unified front to outsiders."  Dan did not push boundaries but a sudden chill up his spine occurred when he thought of Lady Estelle.

She would likely go to any lengths after all Lind had done for them.  The profits alone from Lind's elixirs and Forged items were equal to an entire kingdom's contributions.

On top of that, Lind had been quite friendly and level headed which was rather rare with cultivators.  As they grew stronger, they tended to become selfish and self centered.  If they were part of a powerful faction, they also tended to lay on the laurels of that group.

Lind went out of his way to humble his disciples to remind them that answers can never be assumed.  The results had produced 2 generations of cultivators that while still selfish, were not as closed minded as many others.

Lind nodded at Dan's words but still wished he could reach out to his wives to see how they were doing.

A signal rang in the meeting room to show all had arrived.

All took their seats as Dan introduced the prisoner followed by Lind relating all he had found in the Demon Empire.  The revelations left many infuriated and shocked.  The fact that the Fiends had been seeding mortal realms via demons made them more maligned but Lind had made a point of Darkmoor Kingdom being present.

The fact none of the Darkmoor Kingdom nobility died like the Demon Empire proved they were truly a separate entity.  Debate began but on one thing all were agreed.  Resha had to be publicly tried for her aggression against Sarth and clear designs on all life in the mortal realm.

All else was more of where and to what extent the truth would be revealed.  The knowledge of Fiends was restricted for good reason as mental fears could manifest heart demons.  It would do far more harm than good to spread it around.

The debates raged on as Resha was left to languish in the middle of the room.  Her fate sealed and she could only look soulless as all her dreams of conquest were just tools for greater powers to consume lives whether demon or human.

⬧⬧⬧⬧

The place often referred to as the Heaven Realm was once simply called the Intermediary Realm.  It was the physical location Heaven Realm cultivators broke the final shackles of mortality and prepared for their journey as an Immortal in the Celestial Fields.

As time passed, the Heaven Realms wanted the place to be synonymous with them.  Thus the Heaven Realm became both a place and a term for cultivators.

In one of the vast continents that could easily hold the entire mortal realm of the 3 continents and the Floating Isles in a single quarter of it was a sprawling amount of white towers.  Compared to Sarth or the Floating Isles, the entirety of the area could swallow them whole.

It was surrounded by a massive wall with trees taller than mountains looming nearby.

Valkyrie appeared exhausted in her chambers as she recovered her cultivation.  Compared to when she was in the mortal world, she now exuded the true cultivation of a Heaven Realm at the middle of the Moon Tier.

"Sect Master, I have a report from the mortal world you visited."  A voice broke her concentration but as she left orders only for important matters to interfere, her cultivation was not too affected.

"Come."  Her pink eyes were cold as she recalled the upstart mortal that forced her to capitulate.  While some of the elders had argued at first, the full story had left them in agreement with her choice.

One of the disciples at the 5 tier of the Sky Realm entered.  It showed the vast difference between worlds that a Sky Realm was only a disciple in the main branch of the sect.  They would still be elders down in the upper mortal realms.

The lithe young girl bowed and held out a jade slip.  Valkyrie quickly perused it with only a perfunctory interest but her face drained of all color instantly at its contents.

"Send word to all branches!  I want any demonic power in a mortal realm wiped from existence now!"  The disciple did not move right away and seemed to blanch as she did not wish to object to her Sect Master's orders.

"Um, about that.  Moebius Sect has sent out a way to find the culprits accurately.  It has been tested and approved by the Alliance."  Valkyrie let her aura flare as the jade slip was crushed into powder.

"DAMN YOU, LIND FREY!"  Valkyrie knew many of their 'allies' would enjoy her embarrassment but would not openly oppose her.  In fact, she suspected their embracing of his offer was to annoy her directly.

The disciple quickly left as Valkyrie returned to her cultivation in anger.