Eternal Emerald Dragon

Chapter 513 - 512 - Burying the Hatchet

Lind felt like he was skipping around the Floating Isles but on his way back to see Yor, he decided one more major stop that was difficult.

The dark gray stone walls were topped with serrated blades to allow no easy access and the formations seemed sharp at all angles.

Everything was set up to shatter blades.

It seemed appropriate for the Sword Breakers Sect.  The main gate was open as guards let in traders, itinerant cultivators, and their own disciples to the outer areas.  The towers and bustling streets were quite warm compared to what he expected.

There was only 1 thing that stood out was the total lack of swords in any stall.  Any other weapon was available but even for the common folk, such weapons were forbidden.

Lind noted a few swordsmen here or there but clearly they were baiting for a fight from their rough looks and permanent frowns.

He bought some food and got a feel for the mood of the place before heading towards the sect proper.  He did not display any identification as he had no idea how he would be received.

Still, he noted the disciples standing guard at the inner wall were all tier 5 Sky Realms.  Not inconsiderable power but their robes confirmed they were only inner court disciples.  Likely they were not going to be able to advance after their current tier.

Unlike the previous gate, only the disciples and a few select merchants entered or left from ahead.  Lind observed but saw no way not to cause a commotion so he closed his eyes and let his senses stretch out carefully.

Few could tell what he was doing but the disciple guards both narrowed their eyes at him.  One nodded at the other as they were about to capture a possible enemy when both their communication jade stones flared up.

[There should be a man in a black cloak with his eyes closed at this moment.  Let him pass and do not stop him!  - Sect Master Baihu]

Shock flooded both men as the imprint was true so the message was real.

They looked up to find a young man smiling at them before bowing and entering the gate.  They could not process what had just happened!

Lind was able to swiftly advance but the guards at each gate were stunned each time until he reached the elder area of the complex.  Here the towers were piercing into the sky but he noted they still gave off the feeling of hating swords.

It made him wonder who founded the sect and why but he doubted he would ever find such answers.  Or, at least, not truthful ones.

A slim man came to greet him but clearly had no idea why Lind was important.

"I am here to escort you to our Sect Master, Fellow Daoist."  Lind was a tier 8 and he did not hide it.  It made things a little easier for the guards and the Elder.  Lind bowed and followed him up several flights of stairs before they came to a lone courtyard.

It was surrounded on all sides by the larger structures but Lind saw the genius of it with the formations.  A swordsman would be unable to strike down without their aura or intent being shattered by the buildings around the courtyard.

The sect master of the Sword Breakers Sect was in the open but would break any blade that came at him.

In the center of a garden was a large old man still full of vitality but Lind could see his Qi was sluggish.  His cultivation had come to an end.

The Elder bowed and left them alone.  It was only when the man stood at his full height that Lind pulled back his hood and bowed low.

"Junior greets senior."  The white mane of hair surrounded a gristiled visage that had seen far too much battle to be touched by simple niceties but the pale eyes flickered with some rage.

"There was a time I would have enjoyed gutting you right here for my grandson's soul to find rest, but that time has passed.  I would have doomed our realm if I had succeeded."  Lind was a little surprised at how highly he was valued but still kept his guard up.

"I heard you forgave me after I died, Sect Master Baihu.  I appreciated that and the rest of your actions.  I also heard you will not advance despite having the ability to do so."  The old man nodded and Lind saw what was hidden before.

Graves.

They all had the same family name and Lind bowed low to them.  A look of appreciation passed over the old man's face.

"You should know my replacement has been chosen.  He is no friend to you or your allies."  Lind nodded but then placed a vial in front of Baihu.

It sparkled but its color was constantly changing.  It felt very profound as Baihu realized it was low Heaven grade 6.

"What is this?"  Baihu examined it but could not figure out its purpose.

"I have healed Lady Chyou.  I did not think you would accept the same thing so I chose a different track.  It is limited but all Dao leads to the same goal and due to certain circumstances, I know there is a cycle of rebirth."  Baihu nodded but was still confused.

"That elixir is an improvement of one I made a long time ago.  It cannot change the past but it can allow for a special state of mind to be reached.  Take it or not, it is up to you, but I came to sever our karma before things get crazy again."  The old man looked up at that and saw Lind was serious.

He popped the seal and downed the whole elixir.  It burned down his throat but in a pleasant way.  Baihu felt light headed and suddenly realized he was surrounded by emerald flames.

They were not hot but very comfortable as he assumed a lotus position in front of the graves.  His mind was suddenly free as his soul sang a sad song.

Tears fell down his face when a gentle hand suddenly touched it.

Baihu was angry to be interrupted from the pleasant state by Lind when he realized the hand was too small.

He slowly looked up to see the smiling face of his granddaughter!  Her eyes were like creamy jade and her smile was the sun.  Her pigtails were uneven just as they had always been in life but she felt so real.

"Why is grandpa crying?"  Her voice was distant but then others joined her.  He saw his son and his wife.  He saw his daughter, his father, and all his family before him.  They did not speak just words but sensations.

His memory was alive again in front of him.  His grandson looked sullen but he was there.

What was this?

"The dead can never return once reborn, but they are a part of us.  We carry them with us.  The Elixir of Soul Memory is complex but basically, the pieces they left with you are still there."  Baihu wept as he felt the love and warmth of his loved ones once more.

His once lethargic Qi flow sped up a bit and everything became clearer.  He did not know how long he was in that state but eventually they all came to him and said it was time to sleep for now.

He did not want them to go but the parting was not so bitter and his heart felt infinitely lighter.

His grandson was the last to go and he simply looked upset but still hugged his grandfather before glaring at what had to be Lind Frey.

The feeling of lightheadedness passed and Baihu was in front of the graves once more but it was all different.  He felt like he had touched on something sacred and relished it a bit longer.

Lind made no noise and dared not move.

Finally, Baihu stood up and bowed low to the graves.  He turned and his once taciturn eyes were full of wonder.

"Why?"  It was a wonderful gift but why give it at all?  The public forgiveness had already been put out long ago and any enmity had long been lost compared to the new reality of the Floating Isles.

"I had a complicated family history and lost a lot of time with them.  I was also forced to not have a father as I grew up.  The rest does not matter but while you forgave me, I had yet to forgive you.  A lot of people suffered and were hurt in the fight between us."  Lind bowed low to the graves once more.

"I respect your choice but I wanted you to remember what a lot of us forget.  Those we have lost are with us, especially cultivators, always."  Baihu felt like something fell into place in his mind and enlightenment was briefly with him but he could not hold onto it.

Baihu then bowed low to Lind.

"Master Frey.  I wish you well and may your family always be healthy."  Lind smiled then and bowed back.

The 2 old enemies had never met until that moment but now parted as equals.  They would never be friends but they had stopped being enemies from that point forward.

Lind left the sect as quietly as he arrived but Baihu made some changes afterward that rocked the sect.  The originally chosen successor was challenged by Baihu in open combat to prove his worth.

It was not unexpected to fight for your place in the sect but the elders were angry that Baihu was acting up at the very end.  Yet when they tried to look him in the eye, none could.

The man that wanted to replace Baihu entered the ring full of arrogance and dismissal of the old man.  He was killed in less than 2 moves by Baihu.  The crowd went wild as the Baihu of old stood before them.

A tournament was then held and it was as if a fog had been stripped away.  All had been simply going with the flow of events but now they were hot blooded and looking to claim their fortune.

Even the Elders got involved!

The bloody battles that followed were stunning and brutal, but it seemed to purge a darkness in all of them they had ignored.  The darkness of complacency.  They had weathered the storm of chaos but forgot how to struggle ahead.

When all was said and done, a single woman stood over Baihu as he died.  He was smiling up at her as she smiled down at him.  She was covered in scars but she held up her mace and shield in victory as the crowd went wild.

The Sword Breakers Sect was re-awakened and prepared for what was to come.