Eternal Emerald Dragon

Chapter 435 - 434 - Hierarchy of Beasts

It took some time for things to come down.  Lind had to summon a chair he had in his storage ring he had made that could withstand his transformation if needed.  It was hardly the first time he broke furniture.

As it was explained to him, Lady Gua was reaching the point that she was stagnating her cultivation to administer the Mengcong.  Advancing in the Heaven Realm became a snail's pace even for aether beasts.

It did not help that as the overlord of an area on Wild Heart Isle, she was expected to do many things because she was the strongest.  Despite being different races, aether beasts had a strong hierarchy that they adhered to.

A pride or group could wander as their instincts dictated but if they came to an area held by a stronger beast, they could challenge the leader for their own use.  War did not even come into it as it was simply the law of survival but that changed when they reached the Heaven Realm.

Heaven Realm beasts were undisputed rulers in the Floating Isles.  They could not be challenged save by another Heaven Realm and even then it was solely for taking more territory.  After all, the more beasts one controls, the more food to progress their cultivation.

Heaven Realm also complicated their cultivation by requiring the beasts to incorporate elements the same as everyone else.  Thus, Lady Gua was currently studying the 4 elements she was missing.  She had air and darkness currently but was close to adding earth.

Lind wished he could perceive the process but he was too weak to do so.  That fact led him to conclude the Divine Guardian had all 6 elements, thus her greater power.

"So you see, Lord Frey, your offer came at a critical moment and was enticing for not just me, but the other Heaven Realms as well."  Lady Gua sipped at her tea as Lind grasped the enormity of what was being asked.

While the aether beasts did not generally concern themselves with the human world, Heaven Realms did.  They had heard about his theories and it had helped a little but that little was far more than they achieved on their own.

Later, after learning from Ethry, Tal, and so many aether beasts in the Inheritance, Lind had sent that on as well.  The explosive growth of many aether beasts followed but only for those similar to the ones he studied.

He did not have infinite time and while it was fascinating, not all beasts were willing to let him study their dantians.

That situation had now changed.

There was actually a long list of beasts that would be happy to submit to his study but he could not study Star Tier dantians anymore than before!  He was only a Sky Realm!

He could, however, study all the way up to tier 9 of the Sky Realm of each element for a corresponding race.  It would facilitate many beasts and his own elemental theories helped in general.

If offered far more data than he could dream of but he had so much to do!  Weaving was finally progressing and the sect was barely set up.  He had not even seen his room!

"I appreciate and will look forward to that but my limits are clear.  I may have Heaven Eyes and Touch, but I have long learned that means I can only see the Qi used, not the cultivators themselves."  Lind spoke the truth and then saw profound darkness and air woven into strands.

Lady Gua was delicate as a complex shape took form before his very eyes and a spark went off in his head.

"Your blending of those 2 are excellent but air and darkness need not be so heavy.  They are both capable of much more delicate applications."  Lind's own Qi flowed as he not only replicated the webs but while his were lower quality Qi the level of control seemed far superior!

Her web had to be held up by her legs while Lind's floated on the air without anything but his own Qi working.  As he fell into it his mind saw gaps in hers and earth Qi began to integrate which made the 8 eyes of Lady Gua bulge in comprehension!

Her aura instantly increased as the Qi moved into her and she smiled a wide smile!

"I see, I was forcing my own interpretation of earth Qi onto my constructs but that is not the way.  I am not forcing the elements, but incorporating them."  His wives looked on with smug smiles but then Lady Gua blurred before she was on top of Lind!

"We should have a child!"  Before anyone could move, Lind vanished!  Now all were shocked as no one could find him.  Even Lady Gua was unable to locate him until a clawed hand was at her throat.

"Never do that again."  A guttural voice spoke as her top eyes saw a partially transformed Lind standing behind her.  She had no idea how he moved but she understood he had expected it.

Despite being a higher realm, her bloodline was suppressed once more.  She gulped as her instinct to mate only rose higher but the cold reptilian eyes left no doubt he would use all his power to fight.

She had no desire to harm him, quite the opposite, so she could only shrug.

"I think you will find many beasts that will desire you, little dragon.  I will comply but what could you actually do to stop someone as strong as me?"  Lind sneered at her and she did not like it but then her senses froze!

He changed back into a human and his aura was disgusting!  She was revolted!  She had all her instincts screaming to stay far away from him.

"If you think I did not have to deal with aether beasts chasing me, you are not imaginative enough.  I had Divine Realm beings trying to tame me.  I refused to be a plaything so as you just taught me, I learned a little trick."  An artifact appeared in Lind's hands.

Ethry felt no different looking at him but that artifact made her skin crawl.

"It took the better part of 2 years, but I finally figured out it is more than strength that attracts beasts.  There are pheromones, Qi waves, and so much more.  Disrupting pheromones is damned near impossible in cultivators due to how our bodies work, but Qi waves, I can work with those."  Lind then looked at his wives and was glad none of them were affected.

It was the one weakness of the technique.  Bonds were built between cultivators by more than words and actions.  They literally called someone family and Heaven and Earth seemed to acknowledge that if meant on both sides.

Tal was his daughter, for example, so far as Heaven and Earth was concerned.  None of his techniques worked when he tried testing them but Lady Dierdra practically ran for the hills on a few of them.

"Please stop it, I do not wish to be disgusted with you."  Lady Gua had tears in her eyes but Lind did not stop it, not yet.

"Swear.  Swear before Heaven and Earth you will never force yourself on me again."  Indignation filled her face but given a choice between her cultivation or her lust, she chose the former.

After her oath, Lind looked appealing but now she could not touch him!  It was unfair.

"Husband, when you say you were chased?"  Qing's words now made Lind shiver as he saw 6 pairs of eyes staring him down while Fey laughed!  Her laughter made all swivel and soften their faces.

"I am more than happy to catch up with you all.  Now that we have reached an understanding, I too would like to hear about the sect!"  Lind left Lady Gua to digest her new comprehension while the rest of them moved on to the rest of the tower.

⬧⬧⬧⬧

Far away from Mengcong was a place of mountains and lakes.  It would take at least a month of flight to reach it for Lind at tier 3 but it was actually his closest neighbor.  Many caves were dug into the sides of the mountains and the clack of beaks with the ruffle of wings could be heard.

It was the home of several varieties of avian species but 2 were prominent in the east and west respectively.  The Light Ravens and the Fire Hawks.  They were both quite rare but extremely powerful birds.

They ruled the mountains and lakes well but a rare meeting of the 2 leaders was occurring.  They were both Heaven Realms and over 3000 years old.  The Light Raven looked like a mature woman with resplendent robes of midnight that sparkled.  The Fire Hawk was a fiery maned man that had broad shoulders and bare chested.

His eyes were bright and the many scars were not an affectation of his change but real battle scars.

"You heard it as well?"  The man's voice was gruff but respectful to his counterpart.  The millennia of ruling was not the only reason as more than a few scars were from the very woman in front of him.

She nodded her white head of hair but then sneered at the light of battle that appeared in his golden eyes.  The man was a battle junky, plain and simple but he had good leadership instincts that led him to where he was.

"It likely means that man has finally arrived.  Gua has broken the code we have maintained for billions of years.  Even if we can benefit, we are not humans!  They are vile and traitorous creatures!"  That point of view was the most common and not without reason.

Many cultivators had tricked, ambushed, or in some way betrayed aether beasts of the Sky Realm since time immemorial.  While individuals could be exempted, Lind Frey was only a rumor.  The roar earlier laid some worries to rest but it was still a bunch of humans, demons, and aether children laying claim to a part of their world!

It was not allowed!

"If you heard that magnificent roar, then you know fighting him would be unwise.  Weaker or not, his bloodline is superior enough to be felt in just a voice!"  She bowed at his words but then she waved her delicate hand as a third figure appeared.

A frown crossed the Fire Hawk's rugged features as a man with 8 legs appeared.  He had brown leathers but his fingertips were bright green.  He disliked spiders.

"Great Han, I praise you for your continued success in the recent battles."  The silky voice made Han shiver in disgust.  Even if the words were true, the eyes held nothing but contempt for his strength.

"I need no praise from the likes of you, Whisker."  Anger flared on the man's face.

"My name is Jing!"  Han shrugged and just thought it was the same difference.  Han shrugged but turned back to his counterpart.

"Lira, you understand what this will mean?"  The excitement in his eyes dimmed a bit but hers sparkled with gold!

"War, it will mean war of course."  She did not seem disturbed by her actions and Han felt like the pure battle would be denied him.  If he was the purity of the phoenix, she was the arrogance.

The 3 of them began to plan how it would all unfold in the future.