Eternal Emerald Dragon

Chapter 644 - 643 - Wards vs Sects

One of the major changes as the centuries passed under Lind's rule was the birth of independent powers.

Sects were actively encouraged as Lind knew there would always be those that wanted to live differently from his laws and rules.  The only condition he gave was an acknowledgement that they honor any treatise or law for the public good.

If they took up a place in the Hinterlands, they had to negotiate with the aether beasts that ruled there.  Lind had some sway with them but he would side with them against any arrogant fools.

Several foolhardy sects had died shortly after being founded due to that.

Those that set up inside the Wards territory had to pay taxes to the capital but aside from that they simply had to live in harmony.  That being said, any wicked or nefarious actions would be harshly punished.

At first, aside from those few who did not take Lind's words seriously, things were rather peaceful.  As time passed, however, a few sects quickly rose to power due to their focus.

There were 3 that quickly spread in less than a century due to clear planning.  There was no objection to that so long as local powers agreed but Lind saw a few issues crop up in the recent decades.

The Forge of the Stars Sect was a massively potent refining sect.  They specialized in artifacts that could create immense defenses or offensive effects.  Battles could break out between bandits and other groups that had returned over the centuries as well.

The Law Binding gave some advantages but a single being could not always pick out where groups might be hiding.

Lind also felt it was good for the younger generations to have some challenges.  A heavily regulated life would leave them without the instincts and experiences to make them truly strong.

There was a limit and the bandits figured out that if they attacked villages wantonly, they would be hunted to extermination.

An emerald and azure dragon-like creatures razing mountains and caves into molten slag was burned into history too many times for them to ignore.

They stuck to attacking caravans and took their chances against any guards there.  Lind made sure to provide soldiers for anything between the wards but smaller powers had to pay for such things on their own.

Still, inside a certain range of the Wards, they were safe.

All that meant that sects usually took up space in the Wards for safety but now the Forge of the Stars Sect could crush most bandits and establish branches closer to raw materials.  They wore gray and black robes that seemed to glimmer with power.

Any bandit group that saw their disciples out in the wild would wisely leave them alone.  It was simply not worth it.

The other 2 sects were a more tempting target anyway.

Secret Flame Sect was the alchemy powerhouse that literally crushed all rivals like they had been born to be the leader.  Lind's theories of elemental foundation helped them in particular.

The other thing was their namesake.  A man and woman had been born with incredible fire Qi manipulation control.  They had experimented until they made something similar to a Pill Fire.  It was a reference to a natural fire alchemists would collect and cultivate that could speed along pill creation.

The fact they created such a fire with their own Qi was actually of interest to Lind who helped them develop it.  A mere century later, the sect they founded exploded in pill quality.

They also adopted Lind's approach of including demons in their numbers to cover all cultivators.  Now, they had branches in all 7 Wards, but their caravans were constantly under attack.

Conversely, many volunteered to protect them as rather than Qi stones or other resources, pills were the payment!  Even so, it was a risky business.  If teleportation did not consume so many resources, it would be used more by them.

The last sect was something Lind had been stunned a bit by.  There were ancient ruins deep in the Hinterlands found nearly 250 years after he had incorporated all the wards under him.

It still had defenses working and were very powerful but with gaps.  Lind was the only person alive that could undo them as he was very familiar with them.

It was a Heavenly Maiden Sect branch!  Lind had examined the records and learned Suzen was a true bastard.

He also learned how Suzen had betrayed the Fiends at long last.  The Maidens had learned the truth but tried to turn the Law Binding in their favor. It was not a bad idea but Suzen was good at being weaker in appearance than fact.

The sniveling coward wanted a way out of being a puppet and used the Maidens to figure out how.  Then, he leaked the Maidens trying to get at the Law Core so the Fiends took care of them right before the Law Binding was established.

There was a large segment of former slaves and those from Orwellia Empire soul control that were drawn to the ideals.  While he warned them they would not be official, he saw no need to stand in their way.

He told them they would have to appeal to Valkyrie, or however was the Sect Master when they found a way out.

He had studied all the records and helped set the foundation in those ruins but in less than 50 years they had exploded in quality disciples.  Not a century later, they became the first true multifaceted sect.

Their techniques, once Lind explained what he recalled from his time with the Maidens, helped them spur on results unlike any had believed possible.  The Heavenly Maidens rose up to be on par with the other 2 very quickly.

The bandits went wild trying to capture or ensnare a Heavenly Maiden due to obvious reasons.  Lind almost pitied the idiots as they never seemed to learn.

Of all the sects established under his rule, the Heavenly Maiden Sect had Arts, techniques, and other secrets long buried that crushed the slapdash cultivators that made up the bandits.

It was quite pathetic they kept throwing themselves into a fire like that.

Most of the time the 3 powerful sects were rivals that kept the Wards happy, but the Heavenly Maiden Sect was based in the Hinterlands with branches spreading out.  Some of the demons objected to how they approached the Ward of Hope, but mostly it was reduced to the disciples being 'nosy.'

Lind knew the way the demons lived was not easy for humans to accept, but thus far they were closer to Drakmor demons rather than the Blood Empire.  Still, some wicked powers had taken root inside demonic territories.

Assassins being the most troublesome groups to be known.  Lind saw the arrogance of Valkyrie in the point of view the Maidens used lately but they still respected him.  He did not hide his conflict with Valkyrie but the members of the resurrected branch would die defending Lind.

He was not sure how the future meeting would go but he would not miss it!

Currently, Lind was hoping for some crisis to pop up as he sat on his throne with Linghu and Lanbao on either side of him.

In front of them were the 7 representatives of the Wards and the 3 major sects.  They had been arguing about resources for close to 8 months and had gotten nowhere.

The present issue was due to the fact that peak Sun Tiers were not easy to maintain, let alone reach.  While some of the old generation were not too bad, their poor foundations left them with limited potential.

In the 5 centuries under Lind's teachings, the entire Law Binding now had far higher quality Moon and Sun Tiers that subsumed resources.  All knew there were not infinite resources but they disagreed on allocation.

The main disagreement was over the known Qi stone mines as well as special areas to grow rare herbs.  Ores were not too bad, but crystals were damned near impossible to get outside of Qi stone mines.

Forge of Stars wanted mid to peak grade 6 crystals for catalysts while the Secret Flame wanted them for some rare pills.  The Heavenly Maidens wanted them for cultivation materials.  That was just one point of argument.

Lind had taught them about building Seed Caves but those took a very long time to be profitable.  The Ward of Hope was still second to the Two Rivers for all demonic resources.  It turned out to be wise as resource consumption had become insane.

"Why does Haim need more grade 6 earth crystals?  Demons need metal, not earth Qi.  We need them for our armors!"  A young man made a valid point but before Lind could try to mediate, the demoness sneered at him.

"We need to refine your elements for making more Seeds.  If we do it now, we will be able to stabilize our shortages in the future."  Lind sighed as they kept going round and round.

Some were petty, but most were quite reasonable.  Yet, none would bend to a compromise no matter what!

Seriously, who in their right mind would want to be an Emperor?

Lind was about to speak when a human woman spoke up with dark red hair.  She was from the Secret Flame Sect.

"There is a place with rich elemental crystals.  We have found it but there seems to be some kind of protection on it.  If we cooperate, we can harvest all–"  Lind's aura spiked instantly.

"Desolate Song is off limits."  His voice brooked no argument but all the members of the meeting tilted their heads while Lanbao suddenly also became irritable.

"Emperor Frey, if you saw how many there are, surely you would see we could–"  Another man with violently green hair tried to reason with him but Lind's eyes were cold.

"I have seen it as that is where I arrived over 700 years ago."  Silence fell on the room as Lanbao stared at him.  "That place is sacred.  Would you have me dig through the graveyards of your families after all?"

Lanbao nodded in respect to Lind but the rest were all confused.  What was the Emperor talking about?

"I am not kidding, Desolate Song is marked clearly on all maps.  Do not take even a single speck from that place."  Lind then stood up.  It was clear he was ending the talks for the day.  He glanced at Linghu who nodded at him.

None missed that and knew the Law Binding observation function would be monitoring that area.  More than a few were irritated but most were curious.  What was Desolate Song to the Emperor?  What was the reference to graves about?

"Contact the Head Mistress and see if we have any records."  A woman with dark hair and deeply tanned skin sent a message to a young girl in bright white robes behind her.  Emperor Lind was not a whimsical man, so if he stomped on an idea, there had to be a good reason for it.

She would learn of it and act accordingly.