Eternal Emerald Dragon

Chapter 832 - 831 - Sacred Path Entrance

It took the better part of a year to settle the citadel.  Removing the corruption so abruptly left a lot of power vacuums many wanted to fill.  It took quite an effort to keep things moving the direction Lind wanted it to go.

He also took the time to set up some rules for the manufacturing sections to make them more streamlined and controlled.  It would be pointless just to get the cultivators under control to have alchemists or others burn through resources unchecked.

Now, Lind stood at the barrier around the maw into the earth.  He could feel powerful Qi and Laws coming from it but it dispersed almost immediately.

"Lord Frey, when will you return?"  Tiana stood behind him but she now held much more power than a year ago.  Lis and Little Fluffy were looking sad right behind her.

"I plan to, but I have no idea how long it will take.  Lis, you listen to Tiana.  Little Fluffy, you take care of everyone."  Those last words may have sounded odd to many but Little Fluffy had flourished near the Sacred Path.

She had become a peak Moon Tier in very little time.  Lis had progressed as well to the peak of the Sky Realm under the teachings Lind and the other Immortals imparted.

There was a young woman next to him with golden skin that looked excited to go with him.  It had been a bit of an argument but the honest truth was Lind was the only person that could guide Hope in the entire world.

"You will come back, right?"  Lis was nearly crying but he smiled and patted her head as Little Fluffy rubbed her head back and forth against his and Hope's robes.

A voluptuous woman walked up and he smiled at her.

"Yue, I am glad you could make it."  The citadel now had better relations with the beasts but only a few truly interacted with them.  Yue was a bit of an exception.  She did not have any formal connection to the humans but still visited Lind and the girls.

"I had to as Orion continues to ask when he will be released."  She smirked but he smiled back.  The rope was quite simple, it bound the individual so long as they did not vow to not betray the owner.

Lind had transferred it to Yue but Orion was stubborn. He refused to swear to a wolf.

Swearing to him was acceptable but Lind would still not trust him.  Orion had been an Inquisitor for the Empire and despite the fortune he had come across, he remained the cold demon he was before.

Gel had gone out once she became a Star Tier to find the lost demons to try and build a new power to at least help out with the various issues of the border.

Despite all that happened. There are more lands to the north and south.  Lind had just scratched the surface of the Celestial Fields even in its current state.

A fire had been lit in her and he was confident enough to trust her after all she had done in the last year.

"We will see if he can prove his good intentions or not when we return.  Thank you for everything you have done, Yue."  Lind bowed low and she smiled at him.  Hope ran forward and hugged her tight.

The Wolf Goddess and Hope had bonded a lot over the last year.

"Big Sister Yue, I will come back!"  Yue smiled as she patted Hope's head gently.

"I know you will."  The little girl ran back to Lind who took in the sprawling city before putting his hand to cause a shimmer to appear.  The colors cascaded until an archway opened up.

According to Ogden, no human had successfully gotten through the barrier since the dragons erected it.

The pair of dragon and Celestial walked through and the barrier sealed behind them.  The feeling of Immortal Qi and Laws increased massively.

"The song is so much better here!"  Hope was ecstatic!  She was stuck at the peak of the Star Tier for no reason he could understand.

He smiled as they entered what he thought would be an artificial cavern but then he was left in awe!

Massive crystal veins of natural and demonic Qi were all around them in perfect harmony.  Despite leaving daylight behind, the glow of Qi lit the tunnel clearly for them to see.

Both of them looked at massive stalagmites and stalactites but they were still able to move forward.

"I see, it is not artificial at all.  It is literally a natural phenomenon.  It already existed and survived the Cataclysm."  Hope nodded at his words but she frowned.

"There is a scary sound farther in.  It makes me afraid."  He was curious what she was referring to but his senses were muddled due to the sheer power in the tunnel.

As they investigated the area, he noted some broken swords and other metal items that likely came from the humans' attempt to enter a million years ago.

There were rich ores as well but Lind left it all in place.  He did not dare to affect the purity of the tunnel.

He began to frown as the signs of battle continued no matter how deeply they explored.

Why was there so much battle evidence so deep into the Sacred Paths?

Days passed when a branch finally showed up.  Lind could clearly feel the dragon aura down the right path but the left also drew him.  He felt something familiar but he could not place it.  How could something he knows be in that place?

"Something sad is that way."  He arched an eyebrow at Hope's words but his instinct told him he had to go.

"Stay behind me, Hope."  She seemed confused at his choice to go down the left path.

The tunnel was massive and several passages branched off it but he followed the feeling and came across a shocking scene.

Skeletons, weapons, artifacts, and a fog filled a massive cavern where several tunnels came together.  The bones were black to pale white but their size revealed even more.  Massive beasts had died in that place that he recognized.

Dragons, tigers, and other divine bloodlines!

He felt it but that was not what bothered him.  He felt a familiar presence near the center of the battlefield.

"It is bad here.  Can we go?"  Surprise crossed Lind's face.  Hope had faced some horrific things in her life but that cavern actually bothered her!  He quickly scanned the room and felt them.

Souls endured here!

Immortals had died here!

"Get behind me!"  It was too late to run but strangely despite preparing to defend himself, there was no reaction.

The fog was not fog at all but dense spiritual Qi.  Why were none of the souls reacting to their presence?

He began to back away slowly but his heart quivered.  The feeling at the center called to him and he felt like if he left, he would regret it all of his days.

"Hope, stay here in the tunnel.  Something is calling for me."  She slowly nodded as he handed her 2 formation plates that she could activate with any Qi.

He wandered into the fog but his skills as a weaver told him the souls were strangely restrained.  There was no sign of formations or weavings but something was holding them back.

As he moved through the skeletons of giant beasts, he finally came across a skeleton shape he knew very well.

It was more like a giant snake but the small bones showed it had tiny arms and the massive jaw looked so familiar.

A flash of prismatic scales went through his mind as finally recognized the feeling.  Family, he was sensing family.

"I am the husband of Ethry, a Divine Ryuu.  She was sent to the mortal realm by a human friend of 2 Immortal Divine Dragons.  She is alive and well and has a child of her own."  He spoke aloud and waited.

At first, he thought he would have to use his aura or perhaps try to magnify the bond but slowly, a dragon took shape.  It could not have fit in the cavern when alive but likely had shrunk back then to fit.

[I feel it, the bond of spirit between 2 dragons.  My daughter lives?]  A male voice came through but no other.  Only 1 of them was there?  The imprint on Ethry's egg had made it clear the human and the 2 dragons died together.

[Her name is Ethry.  She is of 6 elements and my mate.  You have a grandson named Hei.]  He switched to thought projection.  A joyous feeling filled the cavern before a tall man appeared in place of the dragon.

[I have held on in this dark place that has become my tomb for so long.  Many died here trying to kill me and my brethren.  We all died together here far from the sun and sky.]  Lind looked around and slowly understood.

The hunt for dragons had led to the Sacred Paths.  The dragon, white tigers, and others fought to the death and only death won.

In other words, that battle was from long before the Cataclysm.  The reason no souls rose up to attack was because they could not.  Aside from a dragon or their divine bloodline, they were already falling apart.

[There is much to discuss, Father-in-Law.  I am Lind Frey…]  He began the tale and wondered what he would tell Ethry when they rejoined in the future.  Still, a feeling of warmth was in his heart as the tall soul eagerly asked questions about his daughter and grandson.

It was bittersweet as a family reunion but a welcome one.