Eternal Emerald Dragon

Chapter 720 - 719 - Stop Running

Lind flew high above the capital of the Sanctuary Empire.  There were already 3 major cities only a few days away that helped distribute their supplies to the various powers and take in resources as well.

Seeds were blooming each day at various levels but he was far from having some at the Heaven Realm fully recovered.  Thankfully his wives had set them up long ago so he was not starting from scratch.

One of the spires in his palace grounds was buzzing with Qi as he knew it was the formation masters working hard under the direction of Annabelle and her team.

Due to the nature of refining and alchemy, the other towers were nearly dead still but the last 3 production spires were almost wondrous in their feeling.

Elixirs used so much essence that its tower felt like it would float away to the senses of a cultivator while Forging was like a controlled storm.  The weaving tower seemed like it did not belong to the world.

The last 2 towers were martial training towers.  One was for Body Refining to Sky Realm cultivators while the last tower was Heaven and Immortal Realms.

It was far more robust in its defenses than others but it gave a place for each cultivation realm a place to officially train.

The arena he just left was one of many on the grounds outside the palace but still under its control.  His sons had made him proud in their progress but somehow he got in trouble!

He finally returned to the palace and noticed a distinct lack of guards.  Where were they all suddenly?  His wives had the power to order them but he could normally sense them even if they were hidden.

He made his way to the massive open space of stone and training weapons to find not only Shoti, but Cyntilla, Qing, and all his wives.

Lysanna was quite large but still able to get around.  They all looked deadly serious as they looked at him.  His smile at seeing them faded.

"You suddenly left a meeting to see our 3 sons butting heads, Lind.  Did you have fun?"  He was confused at Shoti's question.  He shrugged and nodded.

"The little guys have made a lot of progress.  Still need to learn control and reading the battlefield but that will come in time."  He found nothing wrong with his words but Shoti's violet eyes narrowed.  She ran a hand through her dark green hair and then Lind had to duck as a whip of shadow came right at him!

"Is that all you have to say about it?"  Cyntilla was now the one that spoke.  Her virulent green eyes were pleading with him for some reason.  Why was that?  What was wrong?

A sudden sense of danger came from his right as a double of her appeared there!  The one near the others vanished because it was a perfect illusion.

He had to summon Protean but instead of making a blade as he wished, the black cylinder remained unresponsive.

"What is going on?!"  Lind was getting angry but his weapon's lack of response was not the most shocking.

[Master, you need to stop.]

Haro now spoke up and sounded sad.  Why?  What was going on with everyone?

"Lind, what has happened in the last 15 years?"  Qing spoke up quietly but her voice always cut through to him without issue.  She looked sad at him.  He hated that look but he had to dodge another attack from a very familiar sword.

Fey was attacking too?!

She looked deadly serious at him.  Had they all gone mad?!

He was at the peak of mid Sun Tier but they were all at the peak of the whole damn Sun Tier or Immortals!

He was more curious than angry but the attacks kept coming.  Only Qing and Lysanna sat to the side but they looked at him strangely.  Kora suddenly transformed which the arena was designed to allow but it meant she was serious!

"Tell us!  Tell us what you have been doing for 15 years!"  Lind was a little busy but he had long been training to handle multiple attacks, yet something was wrong.  His Qi was sluggish but there was no foreign substance or other attack he knew of affecting him.

Lind was suddenly slammed from behind as a stone dral bowled him over.  Tal had always been a bit sneaky, striking at the perfect moment.

"ENOUGH!"  Lind tried to transform but it was only pain that answered him.

"Lind, when was the last time you transformed?  When was the last time you just stopped running?"  Qing's questions were becoming annoying but he noticed his breath was coming faster suddenly.  It was as if he had been fighting for hours but it had only been a few moments.

Even with his issues, they were not able to pin him down.  Ethry transformed as well but it was only to cut him off from any escape.  He had been fine, he was certain but as his mind raced with options a tiny voice began to speak up.

[Are you afraid?]

Panic was slowly overcoming him but not from the attacks.

"When you heard the boys were in a real fight, you left your class in a panic.  Shi and Kin saw it, Lind.  You have been running non-stop for 15 years."  Qing kept talking while the others were slowly corning him.

He knew their skills and without his peak condition, he was no match for them at all!  Even with all his skills, his wives were tenacious and nearly overpowered warriors all acknowledged.

[Why won't you answer?]

That damned voice spoke up again but he ignored it as he tried to pull more power from his sun yet it was like it had become a stone and refused to give anything!  His own body?!

[Master, you can't go for much longer, please stop!]  Haro's plea was ignored.  Lind was becoming frantic until a voice shouted over all of it.

"LEAVE ME ALONE!"  His harmony finally answered his call as his voice roared and all of the fighters were knocked back by the shockwave.  His Qi flowed once more but he was exhausted.

His hair was disheveled and his body was covered in sweat.  His eyes were wide and roving but the echo of his own voice could be heard coming back at him.

It was not the voice of anger, hatred, or any dark emotion.  It was desperation.  The desperate plea to leave him in peace.

Lind fell to his knees as he saw everyone pick themselves up.  Ethry was hardly fussed but Kora had been caught midair and fell down.  She was fine but Qing had raised a barrier to protect Lysanna.

"Do you feel better, husband?"  Lind snapped his head up at Qing.  She was still boring into him with her pale eyes that flickered between colors.

[Still running?]

The damned annoying voice finally became clear to Lind.  Now real anger came to him but at himself.

"When did you all know?"  His question made smiles spring up on their faces.

"Your actions have been odd but we laid it at being a new father since your other children were much older but also the death of Lanbao.  We frankly took too long to notice the changes in your orders and regimen to realize you were not cultivating but focusing on battle."  Lind nodded.

"How much of the last 15 years do you remember?"  Lind actually tried to remember and frowned.  There were stretches of months that connected but there were also foggy areas.  The fogginess had been increasing too.

"Not much but the highlights.  I remember the kids being born clearly and the 3 boys getting closer.  A few months around there.  I think I can remember when Hei turned human like it was nothing too.  I remember…I remember fighting."  Gentle hands encircled his shoulders.

He looked up to see Annabelle crying as she hugged him.

"Did I hurt anyone?"  Lind felt his heart and breath freeze as he waited but Qing released him.

"Only yourself.  You seemed to be holding on for the kids but when Lysanna was getting closer to her second child, we noticed how distant you were becoming compared to before.  One moment lovey dovey as we have known you to be, then it was like you were another person.  It rang alarm bells for me."  Qing knelt down and looked like she had been crying awhile.

"I hid it from you the most I think.  I thought I was dealing with it, maybe I was but I can't forget it.  I can't close my eyes without seeing her die and that thing treating it as if it was nothing."  Lind saw the dark shape once more and the voice came back.

[She would have killed you for being weak.]

A heart demon.  He had been slowly been getting taken over by a heart demon.  Unlike the past where it had massive symptoms with clear differences, it had been far more subtle.  Also, it was born from true concerns and a massive sense of grief.

He had truly thought he dodged it but he never sought out Qing after a few sessions.  The pregnancies had also kept it at bay but now it was not working.

"Lanbao, I just wanted to save you."  He spoke the words he had refused to say.  She was a Shard Tier Immortal but he still thought he could save her.  She was insanely stronger than him but he felt the need to save his family.

More arms surrounded him.

"Talk to us, all of us.  We love you, Lind."  Something broke as the tiny voice made one final jab.

[Pathetic man!  You will run again and I will be waiting!]

He actually agreed but he had to admit that to begin to move forward.  He spent the rest of the day talking and it was like poison being drawn from his body.  His dantian and body recovered quickly but nothing else occurred.

The most dangerous heart demons were the subtle ones.  If all the symptoms were missed, it would be too late.  Fey was crying in his arms as she had suffered from such a one and barely survived.

He had lost those memories the heart demon claimed but he could recover those around what he did remember.  Lind swore to be better about talking to his family and Qing pulled his ear to make it clear he would be not getting away from her for quite a while.

His general idea was not wrong but he had been slipping down a dark road for his empire.  It was time to put it back on track.