Eternal Emerald Dragon

Chapter 751 - 750 - Preparing for the Future

"Do we need to address this?"  Kilna was being serious as she put off a grim air.  It was clear she was hinting that there should be 'accidents' or perhaps other measures taken.  Close or not, a sudden change in the power balance would bring out a lot of issues.

"On the contrary, let them rise.  It will finally get those fools in the dark to act."  Valkyrie was the one who countered and Xian nodded with her.

"Agreed, those gnats that have been hiding from the war in our shadow will not let such a thing pass."  Aldar smirked at how naive they all were.

"You are all missing the point.  In our world, strength is what rules.  While the sheer number of Immortals gives the Sanctuary Empire strength, their vast territory dilutes it.  But, if the ruling power suddenly has peak quality Immortals, what do you think some powers would do?  Namely those that ride the divide of morality to the very edge."  He sat back as the other 3 took in his words.

While he preferred a battlefield, it would be bad if a slaughter house began.  In a sense, that was what they would do.

With such an obvious tilt in power, mercantile, production, and shadier powers were try to ride the coattails and seize a more powerful advantage over others.

There were some that would also be threatened, like the slavers, who would not sit still while a known opponent rose up in front of them.

Assassins would find contracts flying in to try and kill members of the family.  New negotiations for resources and the flow of goods would be redone to try and win the goodwill.

In short, chaos would unfold.

"For being nearly blind, you still see to the heart of the problem."  It had sort of happened before.  When the Fiends pushed them back or destroyed a power as they had in the most recent massive offensive, a reshuffling would occur.

Some powers stayed as fixtures and brought stability but the current issue would not be like that.

In a very real sense, the only powers that could stand up to the Sanctuary Empire would be the Heavenly Maiden Sect and 2 neutral powers.

The Helion Trading Guild, the master of the best auctions in the Heaven Realm lands, and Wangluo Syndicate.  The latter was the undisputed master of information networks but all of it was up for sale.

They did have limits but if someone crossed the Alliance, the Syndicate would often have the information needed.  No one knew how they did it but many knew they had incredibly powerful Immortals behind them.

In comparison, the Helion Trading Guild was more straightforward.  The Starfire House was not even close to their rival yet now had the backing of the Sanctuary Empire.  Thus the 2 mercantile powers had become equals of sorts.

If such powerful Immortals rose in the Imperial family, the 2 neutral powers may feel compelled to move to keep things calm.

The worst case scenario was the 6 elementals.

If Lind Frey could become a Divine quality Immortal, he had shown the ability to guide the rest in the wake of his path.

The natural ability of them to face the 7th tribulation was also not a small matter!

"You walked us down the path you blind bastard, so tell us your plan."  Xian downed his tea and brought out a gourd that was very pungent.  It also made Aldar smile.

"Direct as always, you grubby barbarian."  Kilna was smiling as she spoke but Valkyrie simply looked at Aldar.

"I am of the mind to get closer to the boy.  I do not mean an ally either, but a true friend.  He has shown a remarkable desire to help and guide others across the world.  My own sect has benefited greatly without being asked for any compensation.  I am sure you 2 have the same experience."  Both Kilna and Valkyrie nodded.

Xian snorted but kept quiet.  The usual way of things was to hoard and extort benefits for every iota of cultivation secrets.

Inheritances were cruel trials that proved the point.  Finding an heir would be easier if cultivators held open recruitment but the selfish nature of the vast majority made that plan moot.

Lind Frey was an extreme outlier but due to the fact it was 6 elementals, the issues most would expect did not crop up.  The sheer necessity to everyone made it far more valuable to spread it around and simply ensure he got as many resources as possible to keep going.

The birth of the Moebius Sect was no doubt in part due to a similar line of thinking from what Aldar could learn.

"You may find that difficult to hold onto."  Valkyrie looked bitter as she spoke.  She had a stormy history with Lind Frey.  While things had improved, the cost to her sect was clear.  The aforementioned Mistress of Illusions had once been part of her sect.

The Goddess of Life and Death also had been part of her sect and abused by idiots in the mortal realm.

The losses had force Valkyrie to take some punitive measures across all branches as it was found to be a rather common issue.  The loss of such promising cultivators was not a small thing at all!

Still, the damage was done.

There was also the not small fact that even though Lind was sealed away in a Law Binding, his wives not only ran the Heaven Realm version of their sect but kept the lower realm branches inline!

Such a plan was clearly his will as it aligned with his previous actions.

"So after scaring us near to death, your great plan is to make friends?"  Xian did not seem impressed but a cold chill suddenly came over the pavilion.  Kilna looked like she was getting excited but Valkyrie merely prepared to shield herself.

"You may not share my opinion, but do not dare disrespect me again."  Despite his old age, Aldar felt like a naked blade at that moment.  He was ready to kill and Xian actually swallowed his wine incorrectly to the point he nearly choked on it.

The pile of corpses in Aldar's wake was not small.

Xian bowed as he did respect Aldar but he still made his stance clear.

"Power corrupts, so I cannot become friends with such a dangerous group.  I will kill them if they try to disrupt the Alliance."  Despite his life as a loner, Xian felt strongly that their survival hinged on the smooth running of the Alliance.

Aldar could respect that stance, in fact it had been his own on more than one occasion.

"My sect's stance is already friendly, but I have had it clearly said not to expect a personal invitation ever."  Valkyrie's words made the other 3 perk up.

She was not known to tolerate such arrogant behavior.  What had changed?

She saw all of them looking and simply sighed before revealing the public side of things.

"He revived a lost branch and basically gave us the second largest influx of Immortals of all the powers.  Despite deeply respecting him, their loyalty was given to us.  Further, his orders about distributing grade 7 elixirs to all Immortals saved my body and many lives that would have been lost otherwise."  Her words made Aldar nod in affirmation.

It was a large part of his own decision.

"We see no reason to get closer, ourselves, as we are already friends.  He is the most open minded human or dragon we have ever known and his contribution to us is already legendary."  The rise of demonic elixirs was a monumental accomplishment due to Lind Frey.

"So I will be alone in my defiance?"  Xian sneered but both Kilna and Aldar looked at him like he was an idiot.

"An enemy at the gate is better than a friend at the back."  Kilna suddenly spoke up and made the 3 humans wince.  The demon saying was clear enough.  A known enemy was easy to plan for but the knife in the back was harder to guard against.

"While she is a bit direct, it is wiser to get closer to him before his guard is up."  Aldar spoke but Valkyrie shook her head.

"You are all naive.  Be open and honest.  He will treat you accordingly.  If you earn respect, he will give it, but if you cross his bottomline, he will stand against you even if it seems suicidal."  She recalled starkly the day an oath allowed her to descend to a mortal realm.

She had been feeling so constrained but the Blood Empire had been created by the Fiends.  Heaven bent its rules where they were concerned.

Still, it was only barely bent and that foolish man had defied her.  In her haste and arrogance, she broke an alliance that could have been of massive benefit to her sect for all eternity.

Now, it was gone.

As was often said, there was no medicine for regret.

Xian snorted but kept quiet while Kilna merely smiled.  Aldar stroked his chin but then shrugged.

"Regardless, we must get closer to this rising power.  If we wait, they will simply suspect us on principle."  All 4 nodded at his words.

"Tell me something, do all 4 of you think I am an idiot or simply lackadaisical about 4 members of the supreme sects meeting in my Empire?"  A voice suddenly spoke over them all as the air shimmered.

A man with tanned skin, black hair streaked with emerald, and crimson robes stood nearby with a woman of sapphire and gold next to him.

Kilna leapt to attack before a massive dragon claw slammed her back.  A gigantic emerald Qi blade slapped Aldar's sword away like it was a toothpick.  Xian simply smiled as he drank more wine.

Valkyrie felt her eyes twitch in annoyance.  How much had he heard?!

That was not all,  Each of them felt the power of nascent Laws!  They were multiplicative in effect so how many Laws had he comprehended and he was not even an Immortal yet?!

"Mind if I join you for tea?"  Lind smiled as Annabelle stood by him.  The Emperor had come to the group rather than the other way around.