Eternal Emerald Dragon

Chapter 525 - 524 - The Envoys

A strange feeling had come to the Floating Isles over the last 5 years.  Where once the tension of smaller powers were worried about battles breaking out, they now felt a pressure lifted as all powers were focusing on the new competition.

Rumors had swirled until official announcements came out for the rules, restrictions, and prizes had been spread around by Starfire House.  Babylon Guild certified those announcements as well so many were now excited.

There were low grade 6 rewards!  There were also many rewards at the lower levels that enticed many.

The Moebius Competition was currently pulling all resources and attention to disciples or promising seeds of various powers were being nurtured.  There was also another announcement that made such a thing calm greedy powers down.

Anyone currently at war or found to have wiped out powers to procure resources would be excluded by the Babylon Guild's discretion.

That was not a new rule but usually was not very strict, but the legends of Lind Frey included his defense of the Ravaged Islands' small villages when he first arrived so many took that announcement to mean only equal powers could fight.

Thus, a new time of peace finally truly settled across the isles.  There were some wicked powers but with the cover of the so-called righteous powers no longer active, they too restricted their movements as the rule did not include their destruction.

The pools on the most western isles suddenly bubbled over with power as several beings arrived.  Normally it would only be a handful at most but there were now over 100!

The group had various robes and emblems but were all identically amazed at the density of Qi and the sensation of using the pools.  Unlike teleportation, the ascension pools felt like being pulled up sharply, even to the tier 1 Sky Realms.

The Sky Realms on the platform also felt suppressed a bit compared to the freedom of the lower world.

As all looked around in wonder or enjoyed the density of Qi, a demoness in robes of all 6 demonic elements stepped forward.  Her pale lavender skin made her ethereally beautiful but her power at tier 5 made all bow in respect.

The symbol of Moebius Sect on her robes also informed they she was the one coming for them.

"I welcome all of you to the Floating Isles.  For the Sky Realms, you will find you adjust quickly but can return to your powers without issue unless you break through to tier 2.  If that happens, know you will need to pick new representatives for the competition."  Many Sky Realms frowned at her words but understood.

It was like cultivating with half the effort in the Floating Isles and some of them were high tier 1 so it was not impossible they could break through.

Once a Sky Realm reached tier 2, they could not return to the lower world without damaging their meridians or dantian due to the pressure pushing the higher density Qi outward violently.

"We will not take too much time here, please follow me."  Kexin led the group away from the pools as various other powers representatives looked on.  They normally would recruit promising ascenders or note them for later depending on what they saw, but now they could only look on as the party left.

The rumors of the lower world being invited to the competition was true, it seemed.

Many wondered how the World Realms would get around when Kexin paused at the edge of the open area of the pools.

"Please bear with me a moment."  She then raised her right hand that had a golden storage ring on it.  Many eyes narrowed as demonic storage rings were much rarer than normal cultivator rings.

Such a thing was not easy to find but signaled a supreme power as a backer without a doubt.

The air distorted as a massive vessel appeared.  Anyone from the lower world noticed how the hull resembled a ship of the sea but the top was completely covered how a flying artifact would sometimes be.

Many at first thought it was a flying artifact until they noticed an oddity.  It was not demonic Qi coming from it!  It was also floating all on its own!

Jade communication stones lit up quickly as several experts had no idea how such a thing could exist!  An artifact had to be of the same elemental alignment as the cultivator.  Even the cores Lind Frey had created for refiners to use had such a limitation.

How was a demon using a ship that gave off human Qi?!

A hatch swung open and a plank lowered.

"Please, follow me."  Kexin then flew up into the ship as the Sky Realms went after her and the World Realms used the plank.  They were all amazed as once on the plank the feeling of security washed over them.  There was clearly a formation to prevent any accidents once on it.

All the rest of the area looked on as the over 100 people easily fit inside before the plank retracted and the hatch swung shut.

Air, fire, and light Qi flared as the vessel lifted and all got a better look at it.  It was indeed much like the ships of the sea in design but rather than sails, another half covered the top as 3 Qi sails extended to fly on the flow of elemental Qi natural to the Floating Isles.

Many wondered how it would deal with the aether beasts between islands before it shimmered and vanished!  All sensation of the vessel disappeared as if it never existed!  If not for the clear impressions all had, they would wonder if all they saw had been an illusion!

Moebius Sect had just revealed something startling and no power in the world knew what to do about it as their understanding of it was little to nothing.

Inside the ship, the envoys of each power were floored by the high quality of the interior, surprising them as the exterior was mostly wood with some metal fixtures.  The interior was high quality silver and gold lining creamy jade stone walls.

The elemental crystals glowed brightly as Qi flowed inside the vessel at a higher density than the area they arrived in.  It was stunning to them as they also realized while there were artifacts embedded into the hull, the ship itself was not an artifact at all!

A demon was controlling it as if she was a human or aether child of the same elements!

Further, they sensed all 6 elements equally inside the ship whereas outside, it was very uneven most of the time.

"For those that wish to cultivate, your quarters are all assigned."  Each envoy suddenly saw the labels over each room along the hallway and moved swiftly to see the quarters were not massive but far more comfortable than any sea vessel.

Further, demons found demonic Qi in their quarters!  No one could even formulate a question as the display of prowess floored them.

Even the Sky Realms swallowed their normal pride as it was evident that the Moebius Sect was far more powerful than they realized.  The lower world branch had ruled their continent without issues since the Demon Empire fell.

Kexin smiled as the vessel flew through the skies.  She had felt free when she flew for the first time in the lower world but the dangers between islands had always felt restrictive to her but now, she was flying freely once again.

The Sky Realms recognized her as they had met her on occasion as her role as Sect Master over the centuries, but the World Realms were new to her.

The ship swiftly crossed the islands but it would still take over a week to get where they were going.  By teleportation arrays it would take over a month due to the limits of the resources to use the arrays.

If the ship she was in became more common, many teleportation arrays would become obsolete.

Kexin knew that was not possible since the requirements to create the ship was near impossible to replicate currently.  The ship had been named by her as it was a gift from Lind.

Sylvan Wings was smoothly flying before one of the envoys finally came up to her.

They observed her working on the pedestal but she knew their understanding of it would not be deep.  It took her close to half a year to master flying the ship herself even with the creator himself helping her.

"Senior Kexin, it has been some time."  The aether child was from the Elemental Sect in Indelia.  They were one of the first invited by Lind.  They were a primary aether child that was very rare.  Four elements were usually the limit for aether children.

"It has been Inare.  You finally became a Sky Realm."  She smirked as he blushed.  His hair looked like a rainbow but his skin and eyes revealed the 4 elements that made up his dantian.

"Is Master Frey truly giving us this chance?"  She did not show her anger at his question but it was because she understood his perspective.

Even as a Sky Realm, the lower world experts knew the truth of how they were viewed.  In the last 300 years it had gotten worse.  If before there was a polite facade to let lower world powers think they could be valued in the Floating Isles, the last 300 years had ripped that away.

The generosity to even glance at them as they ascended was already a gift in many of their eyes.  Slavery was not unheard of to spike for those that first arrived but there were still those left alone, mostly from the supreme powers.

Kexin smiled as she handed him a jade slip.

The man sunk his senses into it before tears fell down his face.  In it was the terms Lind would be discussing with them but he had given Kexin a copy to give those that asked.  It was highly detailed and clearly made so no loophole existed.

He was being clear that he valued ability, not origin.  The competition was not about simply patting the back of already powerful experts, but to show what was possible no matter where someone came from.

"Master Frey has never forgotten where he came from.  If he can rise to what he has become, so can others.  He wants to show the Floating Isles that the cultivation world is not what we believe it to be but what it is."  She then became sharp and he felt her aura flare of all 6 demonic elements.

"Heaven and Earth are fair, so shall Moebius Sect be."  Inare felt it once more as he had a century ago facing Kexin over a negotiation table.  She was a kind and fair sect master but anyone that thought she was a sheltered princess would be left dead on the ground without knowing how they died.

Moebius Sect was the same.  They were hosting a competition but they were also challenging the status quo with a blade few would see coming.  He almost pitied the native powers, but not enough to warn them.  He bowed and returned to relay what he had learned to the others.

The time for them to prove their worth had truly come!