Eternal Emerald Dragon

Chapter 600 - 599 - Cruelty of Earth

Lind was in the lowest part of the city as he was in the lotus position.  His hands would point at different points in the large room as Gravis and Sheena slammed the strange artifacts into the soil.

The moment each spike was fully immersed in the soil, the cylinder began to glow with a different element until 18 of them were arranged around Lind at the center.

"Sheena, head up to prepare for any unexpected issues.  Gravis, lead the soldiers for the attack."  Lind gave his orders and both bowed before leaving him alone.

Lind had been able to Forge for 2 months and had not been idle.  The wall was the result of his ability to reach midHeaven grade 6.  The trick inside of it was a weaving under his imprint.

Unlike other weavings, Lind had been inspired by all he had seen the Soulmancers do and wondered if he could do the same.  Their attacks and abilities were unique to themselves but should not be inherent to the corrupted version they practiced.

Sure enough, if he took a piece of his soul and resonated it with his weaving, it was forever connected to him.  It meant no one else could affect it and Lind now had remote control of the restorative or destruction functions he built into the wall.

In other words, the city could no longer rely on that wall if Lind decided to crumble it.

He had also cleared out a space beneath the overseer's palace.  No one had understood why but it was because he was leading his enemy into a trap.  Earth was a cruel place where wars had long revealed the many ways for people to die.

Cultivators waged war fairly openly but could set up traps with formations or other nasty attacks but that was more for catching off guard than really leading someone in.  Inheritances were more likely to have that but not warfare.

It was a strange mentality but Earth had exhaustive ways to kill people either directly or indirectly.  Cultivators were far more resilient but Lind had learned they relied far too much on their own strength.

If he had done that, the Two Rivers would have been wiped out long ago.  He always assumed his enemy had a horrifying attack waiting to unleash on him.  It was part of why he was still alive.

The artifacts he had created were not something easily replicated as it required a rather strange idea he had since he had begun studying the 3 elemental systems.  Only recently had he made significant progress with Celestial Qi that he noticed some interesting facets.

Each artifact glowed with 1 of the 6 of each system.  They were not perfectly aligned as he had done it by what he wanted to do.  Each arrangement had different results but for the current one, he needed to touch on Earth and Darkness Laws.

Ever since he had met with Lanbao he had actually begun to study the very first glimmering of Laws.  He realized he must have touched on something he could barely remember and even now, he barely touched on them.

Without an Immortal to guide him or at least consult, he could only go off the many conversations he had with Immortals and Divine beings on cultivation he had over his life.  He had such lucky encounters but they always held back and now he understood why.

Laws of physics were something Lind had a fair grasp of as he was able to perfectly recall his education with his improved mind, but Laws in cultivation felt very different.  It was like he was touching something truly basic to reality.

He also noticed that the few pieces he grasped improved his moon in ways different than before.  The 6 streams of elements became thicker as he understood elements far better than anything else in his life.

The artifacts around him were a direct result of his desire to expand his knowledge and he stumbled on a terrifying application of tools made to help him study.  Now, he would use it.  A part of him was regretful but he was not holding back or he would be trapped inside the Law Binding to the end of his life.

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Lili was looking at the city they sieged but noticed there were changes in the last few days.  The World Realms had been replaced by Star Tiers.  She had wondered where they were but the change was too coincidental for her instincts.

The Silent Drum training idea gave her one.  Drums had 2 ends.  While some could be struck on both sides, many were only his on one side and that inspired her.  No one could fly without an artifact and defenses were just as strong in a city to stop that working.

Also, they could not get enough people airborne to make a difference.

That left underground.  While there were defenses for the wall, it had limits.  It took 4 days to get below that but now a third of the army was being led underground to come up inside the city and bring an end to the stalemate.

Tyden and half of the Soulmancers were with them as they would be key.  For some reason, they could not reap the souls from the city despite attempts to do so.

She agreed some kind of formation had been implemented to guard against that ability specifically.

"Lady Lili, they are almost beyond the wall."  A soldier reported and she noted the improved morale with it.  The stymied force had been fracturing but now that real progress was occurring, she smiled.

"Good, prepare to–"  She was about to give orders when she stunningly saw the gates swing open.  It was not expected but before she could assume it was her forces moving faster than news, she saw the walls were now fully manned against them with humans and demons.

What was going on?  Before anyone could react, the earth began to shift beneath their feet and Lili felt a sinking feeling in her stomach as Sun Tiers emerged!

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Jintok was pushing the diggers hard.  They were converting the soil into stone which condensed it enough to make a path forward.  It was difficult to manipulate physical soil like that but transforming one kind of element into a different form was normal, it was hardly done in the current method.

He had to concede that Lili had an idea they should have had long ago.  When waiting them out failed and direct attack failed, they should have been sneaking their way in.

"Lord Jintok, the soil feels different here."  One of the sweating soldiers reported to him.  He was well muscled as most primary earth Qi cultivators would be.

"What do you mean it feels–"  Jintok was about to ask when he felt his soul stir in danger!  He was foolish in many ways but his experience was the real deal or he would not have come as far as he had as a Soulmancer.

The stone behind them suddenly cracked as the ground began to shake.

"Stabilize it!  Full strength, spare nothing!"  Jintok commanded and saw the dark tan of elements flare but then stared as the very Qi the cultivators summoned went out of their control!

That was impossible!

A cultivator's Qi was always theirs to command.  It could not be simply taken away like that!  Even a formation that absorbed Qi could not take it from the cultivator actively as Jintok saw the other 5 elements start to flow out of the diggers' bodies!

"RETREAT!"  He shouted the order but he was too late as the roof caved in.  He did not panic.  Cultivators at the Heaven Realm were hardly bothered by being just buried in soil and stone.

He knew which way to go but when he tried to manipulate the earth around him, it hardened instead!  Further, his own Qi began to be taken from him!  He tried to use his weaving but with his hands trapped, he could not engrave!

He was not only trapped but his Qi was somehow being taken from him!  How?!

The more he tried to escape, the worse his situation.  It was like he was ensnaring himself.  His senses as a Soulmancer felt the soldiers die around him.  While he could not engrave, he could extend his life with their souls!

He pulled on his own soul but a change occurred again.

The earth around him changed and Jintok could feel nothing!  He finally began to panic as without souls, he would die buried in the stone beneath the city!

He was not like the rabble!  He was meant to live forever!  He was not like the old husk Tyden!  That foolish old man was already a foot in the grave and he would rise above him!

Jintok could not even take a breath in the darkness deep in the solidified stone coffin around him.  The entire underground force that had been prepared to invade had been ensnared as 18 flows of Qi trapped them.

The normal cultivators died when their Qi was extracted into the soil around them.  All their elements were used in an Art they did not understand but Lind did.

All 6 elementals knew how to integrate the elements into each Art.  Lind went beyond it with his current set up because his enemy was weavers.

Weavers could do terrifying things if given the chance to, so the demonic and Celestial Qi created an effect in concert with his Cementing Art.  He had no name for what it was but it cut off any soul effect instantly as he had learned.

Even with his ability to engrave free, he could not create any weavings under the effect of those 2 elemental systems included into the Cementing Art.  It was normally used to create the foundation of buildings or entrap enemies.

Soil and stone could be fused with earth Qi in such a fashion and had such applications but Lind now used it to bury the soldiers alive.  He did not feel good about it but his enemies were far more merciless.

"Go."  He spoke a single word and knew the Sun Tiers from the Two Rivers were no doubt heading out as not only did underground suffer, but so did the army outside.

He could only destabilize the earth on the surface but the loss of over a third of their force, they would be off kilter among other things.

It gave them the best odds and Lind focused on ensuring the Soulmancers trapped below did not get out.  He had to watch them die over the course of several days, by which time the army outside had been decimated.