Eternal Emerald Dragon

Chapter 951 - 950 - Embers of War

The Frey Clan had always been prosperous but ever since the establishment of their Founder's Inheritance just 300 years ago, there had been an explosion in the economy and in cultivation!

The Founder had entered closed door seclusion for the final stretch of reaching the peak of the Shard Tier but many noticed the recent changes. The once thriving traffic had been slowed down.

Freely open roads had become guarded and a large area that was vacant to the north had begun to be cordoned off by the emerald cloaks. He had to be close!

The city was rife with rumors but all seemed excited. The Founder was going to become a Crystal Tier! No one knew what that would be like save a few survivors from the powers that endured the Cataclysm.

Even then, all they had were records as most Immortals had died or never seen it themselves in their lifetime.

It was that rare of an event before the Cataclysm.

Apparently the usual procedure was to have an elder of the respective power descend to escort them to the more resilient lands above.

The only ones that went through the tribulation were the ones that had no option. The reason being facing the tribulation in the 1st layer was very dangerous not only to the cultivator but the lands around him.

Before the Cataclysm, there had been powers of various sizes and a common agreement that no Shard Tier could advance in areas where any existed. The lightning of the tribulation was that dangerous just from its side effects!

Thankfully, the current state of the Celestial Fields, while well on their way to recovery, was still sparsely populated at the center where the Frey City was located. Even with its new branches, it barely put a scratch in the Endless Plains.

Forests had begun to spring up but they were barely in the World or Sky Realms at best with the plants or beasts.

It would be much longer before truly powerful forests rose up. A Crystal Tier tribulation could change that state as well.

All in all, the common population was looking forward to it, but the inner halls of the Frey Clan were far more grim.

Abby was currently holding an Elder meeting as disturbing news had come from the Chihong Kingdom and confirmed by their own agents. New Fiends had been found in the far northeastern lands.

The Widow and Mycea were confirmed to be contained as well as other relatively new Immortal Fiends recorded over the millenia. They had no match to the few confirmed sightings from the new area.

"The few teams we have out on journeys did confirm what was reported but the Fiends seemed well informed about us. Any time we tried to see them ourselves, they seemed to avoid us with remarkable accuracy." Shoti spoke up but there was no teasing light in her eyes or voice.

The other wives of Lind Frey were present as the seriousness of the issue prompted it.

The other branches with Rasker City as they were in the relative area were apprised as well. They had confirmed a disturbing lack of info back to Rasker as well.

That had to be intentional which spoke volumes about the Fiends' intentions.

"How are they able to track us so accurately even when we are actively looking for them?" Lysanna brought up the question that bothered them all.

Cyntilla was the one that stood up at that point.

"They are not explicitly avoiding us, they seem to avoid any cultivator at the Immortal or Heaven Realms if they cannot control the situation." That made it a bit better but only so much. It meant the Fiends were hiding while growing their strength.

"Have we found no traces with our detection artifacts?" Abby asked the question but the silence told her another disturbing fact. The Fiends hiding were very experienced at it.

"Why haven't these Fiends acted like the ones we are familiar with?" Qing broached the subject they were all worried about. The Fiends they knew were actively permeating any area they could.

They cajoled, bribed, or trapped cultivators into their control. It was all in the effort to live longer and grow stronger.

They plotted strategies like the assassination attempt that showed a terrifying level of patience to get maximum benefit. That facet was what made the Fiends horrific enemies.

Just because they engaged in normal conflict did not mean there was a far more subtle and long term plan unfolding without anyone noticing until it might be too late.

The current discoveries led to them fearing the current batch of Fiends was even more secretive. The fact they had gone unnoticed for an unknown amount of time made it worse as if they were being detected now, they did not fear being discovered as much as before!

"Should we inform the Founder?" Abby asked the Elders but only his wives were looked at for that answer. Silence ensued as even they were unsure.

Lind was preparing for the next step and was at a critical juncture. Delenn was guarding him from any possibility of interference in the last few decades. No one had seen him in that time and had not dared to reach out to him.

The Fiend issue was bad but they had plenty of Shard Tier Immortals to deploy. The issue was the power Fiends had demonstrated in the past was superior to them.

One on one, a Fiend had an almost inexhaustible well of Qi and could disrupt any Art or skill thrown at them. The only thing that worked was outnumbering them or 6 elementals.

The 6 elementals were far more effective than anything that came before and tilted the Heaven Realm lands back in the favor of the cultivators for a long time.

The Widow and Mycea seemed to be trying to overcome that deficiency but Lind's harmony laced artifacts proved a remaining annoyance to them.

Still, he had not relied on that and found weaving was also an effective weapon against them. The limited number of weavers was an issue but the support of the Frey Clan and other powers to grow them helped improve the conditions to train them.

Now, 6th circle weavers were far more common.

It was only a matter of time until 7th circle became far more accessible but it was growing closer each day.

As the weapons and tools became more accessible, hope increased for the cultivators to hopefully one day invade the Fiend territory.

If the Fiends were free to roam, however, they would be in a constant state of warfare if they could not be contained.

While the Frey Clan had the best weapons and experience to reach the northeastern areas, the Fiends' ability to hide effectively was better than anything they had experienced. The reports found a few signs of their presence but nothing that could be followed like a trail!

"Lind is focused on his advancement. He will not be able to effectively use his Qi or Laws from what Delenn explained. He could figure out what he needs any day now." Annabelle spoke up and surprised many at the meeting.

Him being so close was very good news. It also meant he could not be involved.

[While I am glad you all worry about me, I am not so foolish not to be prepared to act if needed.] Lind's voice suddenly was heard by all in their heads. Abby went eyes wide as space was torn open and a somewhat haggard Lind appeared.

He still had vibrant emerald hair trailing down his back and his dragon eyes seemed to strip away any secrets but his aura felt oppressive!

He was at the very peak of the Shard Tier.

Delenn also followed after looking irritated.

"I told you not to get distracted. The growth of the shard into a full crystal is the most dangerous step! You need to focus all your energies–" He held up his hand to halt her words.

"I do not disagree but I have been stuck for a decade at this step. My path is so different but I can tell I am close. Perhaps a battle with my full strength will enlighten me. Also, I can feel them." Delenn looked shocked as did the rest.

Lind could feel the Fiends?!

"Since when?" Kora spoke up but he only smiled before the air above them glowed with sigils! He did it so effortlessly as if the complex structure was child's play! Had he broken through on his weaving also?!

The air sparkled but the Qi felt strange to all there. Only the golden skinned Celestials from the drydock felt something click in place as they observed the demonstration.

"They are using Fiend Qi to nullify all traces but not so much as to be detected. I do not think these are new Fiends but thralls that were snuck out during all the chaos of either the expansion or the assassinations that slipped through. Once they got far enough, they built a new base as far from all the powers as they could." His words seemed far fetched but waited for his reasoning.

The air was solidified into a stretch of deep forest but dark structures were hidden within! They were covered in some moss and vines to show they had been there for some time.

"You all forget the Fiends lived in the Celestial Fields like all the other races. I destroyed the remnant of the Starbreaker Empire but there is no reason other pieces could not exist or a similar power on the other side of the Celestial Fields altogether." His words shook them.

Just as the various outer lands had ruins, treasures, and some oddities near the Sacred Paths, the Fiends could have the same.

The mapping trip Lind took had not been exhaustive as he would still be doing it but had tried to find that very possibility.

"If they had been hidden by a Crystal Tier Fiend, it could easily hide from me but the Fiends we know are far older than any of us. They likely have worked to reach such a spot if they got maps anywhere close to accurate. This is war." His voice made the reality solid.

The Fiends were breaking free and would not be contained. If Lind could find them, it would be the last time. There would be other issues in the future until it could not be stopped.

Abby felt fear in her heart but swallowed it as she stood up and bowed low to Lind.

"The Frey Clan requests your guidance once more, Founder!" He smiled at her and bowed back.

"By your command, Clan Head." The meeting shifted to studying what Lind could reveal and what they could do. It would be a bitter fight and it would be horrific in cost if they did not pull it off. The embers of war rose and the rest of the world would know about it very soon.