Eternal Emerald Dragon

The holds were not like the Sea of Realms. There were no distinct spheres floating against each other in any kind of pattern. It was pure darkness save to those of the Eternal Realm.

At that realm, eyes were next to useless for taking in information. Light needed a source and to hit something for the eyes to take in what was. Aside from the golden barrier and the soft glow of the Sea of Realms, the holds were a void.

An Eternal Realm, however, had Path Power. It touches each part of their foundation and affects even their aura. With Path power, holds lit up like a Christmas tree. There was a reason they were called holds.

They contained the massive power of the Eternal Realm cultivator that was carved out by their power. It was a living world made solely on the power of the cultivator alone and only an equally powerful container could hold it in.

It formed a barrier that repelled the other holds while not causing a disruption. It was both awe inspiring and a warning.

Space was not infinite yet the natives never seemed to worry about it.

A wounded dark figure flew in the emptiness in between and sneered once more at the idiocy around him.

His anger asserted itself as he worked to purge the latest wave of pain. How?! How had Lind Frey gained power so quickly?! No matter how many clues or guides were left behind, the others took so long to ascend in power.

If not for the fact that he also had to acclimate to his newly absorbed variant, he would have long ago wiped out Lind Frey and that useless harem of whores!

All those weaklings that resisted him until the very end of their lives were with him. He tormented them while not quite refining them completely.

It amused him as new versions or alternate possibilities were brought in to add to the chorus in his dantian.

All that joy was now drowned out by the shocking confrontation. He had been about to start siphoning the new emerald Qi variance until he adapted to it. He had learned a trick with enough exposure to actually ignore the consumption ability of harmonic Qi.

The sole hold out was always Lind Frey. His Fusion Qi was always different and the change made it more dangerous.

The Great One finally reached where he needed to reach. It was an empty place even to Eternal Realm senses but that was because it was not a hold. It was an artifact.

One of the versions gained a solid foundation in artifacts far beyond the others. It had been an attempt to meet weapon for weapon Lind Frey kept pumping out to erase Fiends.

Like his nemesis, he saw how limited other cultivators were in how they used artifacts. He infused his Path power into a panel and a door silently slid to the side. A darker maw was opened and he stepped through.

The dark steel door slid shut before a kind of light flickered on. Fiend light was not useful to anyone but his kind. The silence was welcome as he limped down the corridor and came to another door.

Compared to the first, there were far more intricate lines to make formation. He carefully touched several spots that seemed random but let the Qi flow until the door dissolved.

He passed once more and when the door reappeared he could finally breathe. The outer hull was like a filter and buffer specifically keyed to Lind Frey. Even if the thrice cursed dragon was right next to it, he would be blind, deaf, and dumb about how close he was.

The main complex was a fortress. It was full of traps, weapons, and various ways to kill any intruder. Ever since he created it, no one had found it.

He had improved it and added onto it until he was caged after one battle. He had worried the now relatively free Lind Frey and company might discover it then, yet they had mostly failed.

With each version of him winning, his strength had only grown until finally the cage had broken down. No new Fusion Path Lind Frey was coming to reinforce it!

Still, he had been thwarted severely twice now. The first time had truly been his own hubris. He knew what happened when Lind Frey was cornered. He was never more dangerous when nothing was left to stop him charging ahead.

The cage, for instance, had not been a long thought up plan. It had been a shocking self sacrifice that left the Great One impotent for untold billions of years!

He finally entered his quarters. He immediately sat down and began to refine the souls inside him. He needed them to counter the infuriating emerald Qi eating away at him.

It was not Path or Intent that attacked him! It was the next step! Lind Frey had found it on his final life and now it was a true race against time. If Lind Frey ascended or even got close to it, they would be on an even playing field and that was death!

"DAMN IT!" His rage shook the walls. The various trophies he had collected over so many lifetimes drew his eye and a small orb drew his eye. It was a dark azure but a new smile crossed his smoky face.

His white orbs became crescents as he did something no other Fiend could do. It would cause untold damage to their foundation if they tried.

He extracted a soul from his dantian.

After so many experiences and wisdom from his other selves were absorbed into him, he had learned a safe way to do it. Of course, it was not pleasant for the soul in question.

Being taken in was horrific on a mental level but Fiends did very little damage to the soul they took in. Obviously, why would they hurt their cultivation and life source?

Taking it back out, however, required him to stimulate the soul and make it feel the world around it. In other words, the person inside was fully aware of the horror of their situation as they were removed.

He was not entirely sure how much was lost, but it did not matter. Finally, after a few days, a floating azure figure was between his ash grey hands.

He smiled down at it and laughed.

"Failure that he was, at least one thing was done right. He got you again for me." The orb then floated over and a dark steel stopper slid aside as he forced the soul inside.

He sealed it instantly and waited. Even he was unsure how long it would take to stabilize but that was not the point. The point was that Lind Frey thought all he could do was avenge the fallen.

Even if it was just freeing what was left of their souls from his death, it would just be letting it out into existence. The dragon never suspected that he had a new horror awaiting him.

Months passed and he returned to his peak condition. The orb flared and he smiled at it. If anyone else saw it, they would run screaming into the night. There was no true joy in it, just sadistic glee.

"What was your name again? He screamed it so often in my memories and swore to kill me? Do you know your name?" He laughed darkly. The sphere flared and he knew it was afraid.

"Come, come, surely you remember now? A fresh version of you was fused together, surely they remember?" He enjoyed the terror and pain but he was truly guiding it to remember. It was important that it remembered.

Bait had to be real for his plan.

Eventually, the hazy energy began to take on a shape. It was a sinuous body with dark azure scales. It could not seem to decide if they had wings or limbs but eventually settled on both.

The small figure glared up at him and he laughed brightly. She remembered!

[He will kill you!] Her weak voice only amused him more but he did not care. She remembered and now her soul had taken on her shape!

"Oh, he will try, but he is young. I am forever. Once he is removed, you will all become part of my rise to true eternal life!" The small dragon stared at him coldly but she was just a soul.

On a whim, she could be back in his dantian with ease. Unlike the others he had taken in, she was one of the few constants in his life. Even his first wives could vary but the being in the orb was almost always there.

He tossed the orb up into the air before he began to plan. A simple threat would not work. Lind Frey was emotional but not idiotic. He knew his loved ones very well.

They would die to see him fall. There was no chance such a simple plan would work. Yet, if there was a chance to save her. That was different. If even a sliver of a chance existed, Lind Frey would not hesitate.

He then turned to the corner of his quarters and his smile grew. A ravaged and barely alive man was chained to the wall. His foundation was crippled but not enough to unravel his existence.

"Your brother tried to save you, I should have thanked him for his efforts. Now, a very good idea has come to me." He knelt before the once proud man. His sandy hair and dark eyes were still full of resistance but the Great One held up the orb.

"You know her, yes?" The man wanted to deny it but the Fiend knew the truth. It was clear to him with ease. "Good. You are going to tell him the truth."

Confusion flared on the man's face. Even the small dragon soul could not hide her shock. He laughed.

"Oh, you misunderstand. What is left of you will tell the truth." His free hand snapped out and screams followed but he did not fully take out the soul. The body was withered even further and not much kept it working.

In that state, the arm began to move as if possessed and blood was used to write a single name on the cleanest part of the robes.

"Thank you, Younger Twin. Join your brother in me." The arm snapped back and the soul was shredded as it was mostly absorbed. Just enough was left behind to leave a body but not survive for long.

He quickly dragged the husk back to the exterior and shot it towards Lind Frey.

The trap was now baited. All that was left was to see if Lind Frey saw it or saw his beloved Lanbao was not as lost as he had thought.

Dark laughter echoed in the dark corner of the space as the door slid shut and the waiting began.

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