Eternal Emerald Dragon

Lind did not dare to breathe or move as he knew the being before him far outclassed him. The aliens could crush his mind but his body was on par with theirs. The massive creature before him could sneeze and he knew only death awaited him.

He had faced death a lot in his life but at that moment, he knew he was a simple whim away from it. He had never been so aware of his body or how much he had not appreciated the time he had with his family.

The Bastard and wars could not be ignored, yet he still felt he could have done more. His children had grown up so fast before they got busy with their own cultivation journeys.

Their long lives meant far more opportunities but there was always something else that had to be done. The strange surge of regret was about to swallow him when his Harmonic Core lit up like a sun in his mind.

"I NEVER WASTED A MOMENT! DON'T YOU DARE MAKE ME DOUBT THAT!" His voice could not cross the empty space but his intent flared just as bright. He worried he had just given away his position to the Bastard more than angering the creature, yet he did not care.

He had been so sure of his safety he had never considered his own worries and regrets could be magnified with such ease! He had thought of attacks to just wipe him out, not make him drown in his insecurities.

He was covered in a cold sweat but the large creature did not react.

{!^@&$#^(!%&^$*(!%$^!@(}

Gibberish suddenly thundered in his head and blood spurted from his nose, mouth, ears, and eyes. Compared to Xeyra's attempt, he knew if he had not built the filter, he would have been wiped from existence right there!

The creature silently floated and Lind could only slowly gather himself. He could not even transmit.

Haro suddenly appeared and his figure distorted before stabilizing. Lind tried to put him back into the ring but then froze when he saw his face. His dark eyes were saucers!

He was about to transmit when he glanced in the direction of their enemy. Suddenly, the world changed around them. They were somewhere else but it was unlike anywhere they had been before.

It was not a hold nor a Divine Land. It was, however, a world. There were black clouds in the sky with lightning and thunder flaring randomly. Mountains stretched as far as they could perceive and there was nothing else.

Yet, the power of the Qi there was far more potent than any hold Lind had learned about.

There was also no Intent, Path, or Essence power at all to his newly enhanced senses.

"It really is!" Haro was suddenly excited and looked like he had just found a mountain of gold or his favorite food he had never been able to find no matter how he looked. Lind was confused when a very familiar but alien feeling came to his attention.

Heaven and Earth! It was Heaven and Earth but it was not the one he knew. It was also far more powerful than was supposed to be possible. It was at the Eternal Realm!

He was a step below the sensation he felt.

It was only then he realized what was missing. The massive creature was missing! It had clearly moved them but to where?!

"Master! This is inside! We are inside Heaven and Earth!" Haro's words made him freeze. As a spirit, Haro would have a much clearer sense of such an event but it only threw all Lind's plans out the window.

The First was Heaven and Earth? That made no sense! He thought the ascended Eternal Realm cultivators or the ones consumed in the Harvest were what created that core of Yin and Yang.

The Heaven and Earth he had grown up under even affirmed that! So what was he in right now?!

Haro was about to talk but then his eyes rolled back and there was a flash as he was put back into the ring.

A suppressive feeling came from the sky and Lind fell to his knees. His bones snapped like twigs and he slammed his palms onto the rocky surface. The stone was bone dry, no moisture was in any direction at all.

He looked up and felt a familiar feeling of tribulation gathering but then it slowly dispersed. The clouds remained yet it was now just random.

He tried to exert his power but was shocked when he realized his Path, Intent, and Essence were locked away! He was little better than a mortal!

His Harmonic Core, however, was flaring with emerald light. It spread slowly and as it did, he felt slightly better. After an unknown amount of time, he could sit up at least and be more comfortable.

He looked at his bleeding hands and limbs. They were barely healing. His draconic abilities were also sealed. What was it all about?

{You have survived. Unexpected.} A chorus of voices entered his mind but they were gentle. It was as if they knew if they spoke too loudly, he would be gone. There was no one around him.

He looked up and had to ask the question lurking in his mind.

"How–how are you the First?" He was inside Heaven and Earth and there had been a massive creature. It was the only resolution he could come to.

{We are not the first, we are the Eternal of Beginning. We await the End.} Lind frowned. It was almost like that last sentence was reflex more than explanation. Still, he had to move on.

"Did you understand my question?" Silence stretched out before the air distorted. The shadowy figure of the Bastard appeared. It seemed so real but that was not the most shocking thing. Lind actually felt vile Fiend Qi!

His harmony finally flared and the Qi was erased with ease. The projection vanished as quickly as it appeared.

{You have broken the rules.} Lind did not flinch. Technically speaking he had no idea what his other selves had done save the knowledge he was given.

"So what? I should have let him consume everything? No more life at all but him forever?" He tried to keep his anger in check but it was there. The horror of those that had lost parts of themselves or when a Fiend died in lower realms and the tragedy was unleashed into the world.

Souls refined into almost nothing or all snatched away by the Bastard so there was no hope. Faced with such an end, who would not fight tooth and nail to survive.

{Punishment.} A single word and Lind braced but nothing happened. He slowly opened one eye then the other. No pain, no lightning, and no Wrath. What was going on?

He suddenly felt his power flood back into his body like a man dying of thirst finding water, he nearly overloaded on his own power!

He then braced again as maybe that was a required step before the pain began but time passed and nothing happened.

{Explain.} The chorus was gone and a single voice now spoke. He whirled to find a woman behind him that evaded all but his instinct to detect danger! She was not static, but always shifting between a Greek Goddess ideal and a warrior born to tear through armies.

She could absolutely kill him yet the confusion on her face was real.

"Explain what? Why did you restore my power?" She tilted her head as if she struggled to understand. Lind realized the rote feeling of the responses was very different from his own Heaven and Earth.

"I have a connection to my Heaven and Earth. Would that help?" Shock flowed across her face for the first time and the storm above seemed to intensify.

{Do not lie.} The chorus spoke once more but Lind looked up calmly.

He then reached out his hand and faintly felt a connection to his hold. It was the power he had condensed and it served him now. He may have moved on yet he maintained his connections with the Tapestry he had built.

[I swear by my dantian and by Heaven and Earth that nurtured me, all my words are true.] He could transmit and a massive drain on his dantian followed. It was not dangerous, but the power he needed.

The bleak landscape suddenly burst with color and Lind felt his head throb. He was acting like a bridge!

{Eternal of the Beginning, allow us to explain.} He was shocked when the far more warm and familiar chorus entered his mind.

The strain lessened immensely after that and Lind was then ignored. The woman before him closed her eyes but remained.

Time passed but without sun or moon, he had no idea how much. There were times of greater pressure but other times the woman before him showed signs of shock.

Eventually, the splash of color faded.

{The rest is up to you, Lind Frey.} His connection dimmed and he felt exhaustion wash over him. He was nearly as drained as his early days but he kept himself awake.

{You restored the rules by breaking the rules?} She spoke once more in his mind. He slowly nodded.

He then transmitted all of his life and revelations. There was no resistance and no questions. Slowly the storm above stilled.

He was bloody, covered in sweat, and physically healed but spiritually empty. He was at their mercy.

{You will die.} Her words were final but he smiled up at her.

"Probably. All that matters is I do not die alone. I will take him with me this time." His conviction seemed to come through. The spirit seemed to commune.

{The violation is beyond our power. We cannot harm him. He cannot harm us. If he ascends, it will be the end as you fear. The others will be consumed by him as well. Your power is all that remains.} It was like she was walking through the facts, hearing them aloud to make them real.

She looked up and nodded at something.

{You need to understand. You will die and no amount of power can save you. Yet, you have broken the rules as well. You must look beyond, beyond the Eternal Cycle. It is the only way to end the threat to us all.}

He wanted to ask what all that meant when the world went white. He was alive but a mountain of information was flooding his body and it was taking all he had to hold on!

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!