Eternal Emerald Dragon

Chapter 646 - 645 - Desolate Song Raid

Months of arguments finally settled at last so Lind flew out to simply relax.  He had a new round of meetings with some advisors and counselors later in the month for some new villages that wanted to be established but those should be easy.

Even 5 centuries later, a lot of people had died and recovery of the original population took a long time as cultivators did not have children easily.

The increase in mortals also made some issues with food but that was fairly easy to solve too.  A few hunts in the Hinterlands could find some low cultivation beasts to fill the gap between crops.

Pills and elixirs made sure the body was taken care of by any shortage of the imbalanced diet.

After not hearing from Lanbao, Lind went to check on her when his Eyes caught some fluctuating Qi.  It was not natural but he was close to the Desolate Song.  A rise of irritation came from his emotions but then he simply calmed himself and followed it.

It was better to catch them all at once rather than spook them into hiding.  It was clear someone had not taken his orders to heart.

He also looked for Lanbao but strangely did not find her in his range.  He could reach very far, over 10,000 kilometers at full detail, over 50,000 meters if he focused on a single point.

Where was she?

He finally came into sight of the silent but glittering crystal sands.  He heard the haunting sounds as the wind whistled between the oddly floating crystals.

He saw one burst and knew it was the final end of the corpse left behind.  Lind slowed but stayed in the air as he finally saw some ground distort to reveal an unexpected group.

They had ragged clothes but they were a tad too neat to be bandits.  In other words, they had dressed themselves up like bandits in case they were seen.  He scanned them carefully with his Eyes but did not see any identifying badge or article of clothing on them.

He focused on his ears and could hear them planning to harvest some crystals.  None of the voices were familiar but just as he was about to act, lighting flew from the forest behind them.

It was in the shape of a spear.  He narrowed his eyes as he recognized that particular Art.  Lighting Spear was a grade 2 Art that could be carried through grade 5 by increasing the density of Qi and quality of the shape.

The current spear was peak grade 3 in strength.  It hardly bothered the 'bandits' but they were quick to set up a formation with their numbers that Lind recognized.

"So, the Forge of Stars Sect disobeyed me."  The formation was one they specialized in.  It was the Hammer Battle Formation.  The moment all were in place, flows of Qi quickly manifested to condense on their fists.

Lind watched as the battle unfolded.  It was almost comical how they avoided damaging the Desolate Song because they wanted the crystals.  The fists had become like hammers and could not be cut easily.

So long as they stayed in formation, they could produce fearsome hand to hand combat.  It also could be used to have a group refine ores quickly and efficiently.  The attackers were hidden in the trees, but his Eyes saw all.

The pristine white robes made him frown.  Why were the Maidens there?  Were they only attacking to hoard it for themselves?

He listened as best he could but while the Forge of Stars Sect simply gave out battle commands, the Maidens were silent.

"They have a Seer."  Lind had heard a few had been born with the gift to guide battle.  The Heavenly Maiden Sect had a couple and they made a group attack a nightmare to deal with.  Much like Heaven Realms mental communication ability, a Seer could use air and darkness to send commands while watching the battlefield in real time.

If the Seer had light Qi as well, they were flat out unreasonable.

The tactic of using one like in the current battle was a classic technique of the Maidens.

Lind waited but neither side seemed to get an advantage as they held back to prevent damage to their goal.  He was again about to intervene when a presence entered his range at last.

Lanbao shot across the sky, unseen by those below, to join him.

"Lord Frey, why are you here?"  She seemed remarkably unconcerned about the battle below but to her, it was like kids playing with toys so it made sense.

"I wanted some time in the sky before my next round of meetings.  Where were you?"  His voice was calm but Lanbao shivered.  Lind knew his bloodline had activated slightly as she had not been where she was supposed to be.

"This is the second raid on the Desolate Song.  I would say real bandits as I traced them back to a cavern.  I just finished wiping them out and found some messages you will be interested in."  He caught the slips she gave him and sunk his senses into it.

Neither bothered with the battle for the moment as he examined what he saw.

"Forge of the Stars Sect has been dealing with some of the bandits?"  It made no sense.  Bribing them to keep away sure, but working with them did no good.  The bandits often died out and were replaced later.  Any agreement would not last more than a few years, but the slips in his hands were decades old.

"It is my understanding they are working for an elder of the sect, not the sect as a whole."  Lind frowned as it might look like that but he wanted to be sure.  "I already put the Emerald Souls on it."

He nodded.  Many knew the Emerald Souls were his guards but very few knew they were also his intelligence network.  The Blood Sworn still existed but most thought of them as a kind of special forces for large issues like beast tides.

"So, they scouted out the Desolate Song and now a 'bandit' group came to harvest.  What about the Maidens?"  Lind looked at Lanbao but she shrugged her shoulders.

"They came here some time ago but stayed in the forest the last month or so.  As they did not advance, I simply kept an eye on them.  The bandits came from the north so the Maidens did not see them."  Lind nodded as the battle seemed to reach a climax.

The fake bandits seemed to have lost their patience.  LInd had had enough.

Once more, he was stopped as a cloud of darkness covered the fake bandits.  It was Eyless Night!  It was a very difficult Art to use during the daytime, even the barely-there version of the Heaven Realm.

A cultivator needed darkness, air, and water to pull that off.  It made a smoke screen of black clouds that only the user could see through, but with a Seer on the Maiden's side, they could relay orders accurately even in that Art.

The fake bandits were suddenly crushed like they were rank amateurs.

"Seal their cultivations and take them back to the nearest branch in Visha City.  We will contact the guards about the bandit activity as well."  A voice spoke out firmly but Lind narrowed his eyes.

He knew that voice.

"Hello, Melody.  I see you are doing well."  A woman jumped as she looked up to see Lind and Lanbao floating above them.  She smiled to see him and some tension drained from him.

While many had stayed with the Two Rivers, once Lind moved to the Core Hall, some decided to head out into the world to find their calling.

Melody was one such as she had been with him when they discovered the ruins of a Heavenly Maiden Sect branch.  She had been attracted by the idea of such a sect and his stories about them.

"Emperor Lind!"  She clearly almost hugged him but held back at the last moment.  She was getting better at flying.  Once a cultivator reached Heaven Realm, they could fly once more, but Star Tiers did not get far.

Moon Tiers were the true flight ability.

She was a low Sun Tier, but he noticed she was almost to the next step.  She was a very hard worker.

"Keke's wedding was the last time we met.  How have you been?"  He did not broach the subject of why they were present in a place he forbade anyone but she did not seem to mind.  Unlike the other Maidens, who looked nervous, she smiled wide.

"I have more family now!  The twins are quite healthy and now in the Soul Realm!"  Lind nodded.  He knew about them.  Keke had gotten a bit drunk and called Lind by his name for the first time in centuries.

Lind had even played with them as babies.  It made Keke's poor wife nearly faint that the Emperor of them all was happily playing with her children!

"You are doing well yourself from what I can see.  So, anything you want to say to me?"  He went from smiling to solemn and Melody quickly bowed.  She then pointed at the fake bandits.

"The Vice-Sect Master suspected the Desolate Song would be raided.  She ordered us to guard the paths on this side as there is known bandit activity.  Although, they fought harder than any bandits."  Melody's eyes narrowed as she reviewed the battle as Lind nodded.

"I am glad of the help but someone could have asked.  I would have been happy to discuss it."  He was not lying.  Tying up Lanbao forever would be impossible but if a sect or Ward wanted to guard the area, he was willing to hear them out.

"I believe they were on their way to you, but we did not want to leave a window of opportunity.  There were some bandits–"  Melody was about to speak when Lanbao coughed.

"Yes, they are no longer a problem.  Those real bandits are dead.  As for these, they are not bandits technically."  The now bound group flinched under his stare before one of them were lifted into mid air.

Lind tore the left sleeve off the ragged leather armor to reveal a scarred shoulder.  It was the very location a sect brand should have been.  The man's face paled as Lind looked at him coldly.

"I do not care what story you might have, I am going to the sect.  Melody, please continue with Lanbao in watching over the Desolate Song, but be warned, do not interfere inside its borders."  Lind then turned and bowed to the floating crystals.  All but Lanbao were confused but Lind left before anyone could ask what he was doing.

His aura was rising and many pitied what was about to happen to the Forge of the Stars Sect.