Eternal Emerald Dragon

Chapter 782 - 781 - Waste of Time

Lind was basking in the celebration as he understood he had become an Immortal but his tribulation was far from over.  He had wondered how it would shape up but starting off with the celebration was not bad, yet it left him afraid of what was to come.

He felt the progenitor tribulation closing in when his eyes narrowed.

While most had to be focused on overcoming their tribulation, he was able to ride the clouds and see the tragedy unfold.  Before he could stop it, Kilna died but he was able to save Xian.

Aldar had betrayed them and an object came flying in.

He had expected Fiend Qi but it was demonic Qi instead.  He looked at the flag producing demonic Qi and withstood the desire to laugh.

It was clear his enemies did not understand him at all!  He happily studied the demonic Qi and incorporated it into his dantian!

His sliver was now formed but his true trial was to come!

Yet, he felt the anger of the Heavens.  Someone had tried to interfere in his tribulation and it wanted them to pay!

"It is a waste of time.  They failed so let me face what I have to."  His words seemed to make the boiling clouds closing in pause in shock before they surged forward.  The black clouds joined the ones above him as roars began to be heard.

It was coming, the progenitor tribulation.

He was about to prepare when his mind suddenly felt foggy.  His thoughts were disordered and his ability to control Qi was slipping.  What was going on?

He swiftly located the artifact that had been tossed towards him and tried to move towards it but his leg went the opposite direction he wanted and his arms pinwheeled, throwing off his balance.

It was not a Qi disruption but a mental one!  Damn it!

He had underestimated his enemies!  What better way to kill someone in a tribulation than to disrupt their mind and worse, Heaven would not always recognize such a thing as interference!

He was not actually being harmed or directly disrupted, it was simply messing with his perception.  He was supposed to be able to focus through the immense pain and pressure of a tribulation so if he could not, it was on him!

"Clever."  He could speak at least but the feeling of danger was getting greater!  The progenitor tribulation would be far from kind and he would definitely die!  He very much doubted a last moment save would come for him that time!

"Think damn it!"  He tried to get his brain to work but it was like moving through mud.

He kept trying but it was no use.  If thinking did not work, he had one last resort.  He let go.

His human body was violently transformed and a massive emerald dragon took its place.  Normally, he controlled the transformation but he simply let all that draconic instinct loose at once.

The world shook with the roar of anger that even the Heavens paused.  It was not the cry of just any dragon but a Divine Progenitor.

Aldar was swiftly leaving but froze as Heaven locked onto him and then he heard it.  A draconic roar actually made him feel fear.

Why?  What was going on?  He had been given the artifact from his Mistress.  The woman that promised he could finally break the shackles holding him back.

He was not a fool, he knew the price he would pay but he had been surprised when instead of becoming a thrall or being tied to her with the life force of one of his pupils, she instead gave him an ancient manual.

It was a sword master's manual from before the Cataclysm!  It actually was a real cultivation manual that could help him.

When he asked why, she simply told him to read it and he saw the reason.  The only way to break his shackles was by killing his beloved per the manual.  Severing all ties to the past and he knew he could not do it.

He knew the line he could not cross, even for his own advancement.

"You can't do it yet but there will come a time you will.  Your honor will demand you to stand back but I know you.  You will always have the thought.  Now, about your lifespan…"  She gave him pills and a few techniques to buy him time.

The plain truth was he was nearly out of time.  He should have died over a thousand years ago but he clung on.  As the time passed, he found the manual helped him in many ways but the ultimate step remained the final obstacle.

Yet, as he engaged with Kilna, he realized she would one day leave him behind and likely not mourn him too long.  Demons viewed relationships very differently.  Certainly she did, but he still loved their time together.

Widow never tried to trick him or do anything and that was the trap.  His honor.  She knew how to trap him better than he suspected.  The Fiends could trick many into the longevity trap but she used his honor and desire for becoming stronger.

Finally, he fell to her scheme and planned it out when he was given a new opportunity.

A mission to put a stop to the disruptive actions of Lind Frey.  Aldar disliked the entire premise of the Sanctuary Empire.  They accepted all races and the goal was to improve all as a group rather than pursue strength.

He had carved a path of blood and death to reach his current place and respected the strong but Lind Frey despised that selfish outlook.

He believed in power and his sword, not the corruptive inclusiveness of the Sanctuary Empire.  Demons and beasts living alongside people was fine but actually raising their strength together was foolishness in his mind.

All his talk of alliance was just to appease his sect's idiotic desire to get more elixirs and other high grade items.

They were all so weak!

Now, he stared as a mere pup challenged him!  The dragon was massive, easily 2 to 3 kilometers long but he should just be a fresh Sliver Tier.  Why did he fear it?

The horns and claws were powerful but he sent out sword intent to deflect the attacks.

Lighting struck them down!  He looked up and understood his fear.  It was not just the dragon but the Heavens were against him.

"You hide behind the power of Heaven once more!  I know the truth about you!  Only the mercy of Heaven and pure luck got you here!  You did not earn your place among us!"  Aldar was mad.  He knew he was wrong but no longer cared.  He had done what had to be done but now that upstart was taking it away!

The emerald eyes were cold as the black clouds boiled as 18 colors of lightning took the form of a dragon!

He recognized the natural and demonic elements but the other 6 were unknown to him!  They were not Fiend Qi, what were they!

[You have left the Dao.  You have betrayed all your ideals.  You interfere in my path and Heaven knows!]

Lind's voice suddenly boomed all around him as Xian appeared with Kilna's body.  It was withered and quite dead but golden light fell from the sky.

"NO!  You will not rob this from me!"  Aldar had killed her for his ascension!  He had committed to the path but that child tried to rob it from him!  His sword blazed with aura and tried to shatter her body but the dragons easily stopped him.

They looked at him coldly yet did not advance.

The aura made him terrified but only Lind attacked.  The sinuous body snapped forward but Aldar could easily deflect it normally but as Kilna recovered, his power dropped!

He had not broken through but he was losing what he had already earned!  How was that happening?

All his long life carving out his power was wasting away, why?

[Little human, you tried to use the Sacrificial Heart Manual.  The price of killing your beloved was not paid in the first place.  Now, you suffer deviation!]

A voice he did not know came to him but it was cold and unfeeling yet Lind had attacked him like the beast he was!

Aldar felt all his cultivation fading as the golden light around Kilna restored her flesh as her eyes snapped open!

"You cannot do this to me!  My Mistress gave me all I needed and I did it!"  The dragon did not respond with more than a roar.

Aldar struck with his sword but it did nothing anymore.  He began to age even more.

The fangs tried to snap on his arm but Aldar moved like lightning.  The jaws snapped closed but caught nothing.

It was not even a contest but Aldar felt all the strength and power fading from his body.  Kilna looked on coldly as her missing arm did not recover but her dark eyes did not miss Aldar stumble.

[You have wasted your time.  I will not allow you to continue!]

The dragon finally sneered as Aldar fell to the ground.  He raged but his strength faded as the 18 lightning dragons stood over him.

"I–I–I will not–" Lind's claws pierced his heart.

Aldar tried to fling the boy away but his power was fading too fast.  His desperate gamble had failed as his life fled from him.

[Die.]

Lind withdrew his claws and his mind finally cleared as Aldar died.  Lind had destroyed his soul.  The body turned to ash in that instant.

Lind felt his mind clear and felt pity.  A waste of a life had happened in front of him.  Aldar died after sacrificing so much to try and advance.  Lind shattered his soul with his simple attack.

Aldar had no defense left as the dragon ripped him apart.  He wanted to fight back but it was like he was a Heaven Realm once more.

"No–"  Aldar tried to fight back but then darkness closed in.  He had dreamed of becoming a Shard Tier but it was all for nothing.

Aldar died under Lind's attack.  An Immortal died twice, the body and the soul.  Lind destroyed the soul and left a body without a mark on it.

The tribulation continued.