Eternal Emerald Dragon

Chapter 1807 - 1806 - Impossible

Lind had not seen a mortal in a very long time. Technically speaking, mortals were in all worlds yet they could not exist in the upper layers of the Celestial Fields nor the Divine Lands outside the womb.

That was true of beasts, plants, insects, and so forth. Even Elementals could not condense in their basic phantom form in the Divine Lands. Manifestation could not occur above the 1st layer of the Celestial Fields.

Thus, holding a mortal in his arms in the Divine Lands was flat out impossible. The powerful Qi would break them apart! He quickly covered her in his aura yet he found no issues.

The dantian, beastial traits, and who knew what else were fused to her to keep her alive and be used as a tool. As he now had an unobstructed view, he felt only horror at what he saw.

A chimera was the closest thing he could think of.

He tore through space and did not care if he was detected. The commotion from the Heavens would cover him.

He appeared in his courtyard and wasted no time.

[QING! I NEED YOU NOW!] He could do a lot for a body but a soul was not his best. She snapped into his room and saw the strange girl in his arms. Rather than the usual teasing, she became grim then shocked.

"A mort–?!" He waved her off and she nodded as she quickly set up an array to safeguard the life in their hands.

The pair were supreme experts and did their work quickly. Lind did not spare a thought as he confirmed what was original to the girl and what was forced on her.

Some of it was easy to fix. The dantian was essentially an artifact inserted into her. He removed it and healed her with his harmonic Qi alone. The bestial features were more troublesome.

Her body had become fused and separating it would be dangerous. While only mortal, her body would need energy to recover from such a major change. The energy in the Divine Lands would pop her like a balloon!

"Who did this?!" Qing’s voice was full of venom. It was rare to see her so angry but it did not stop her from sifting the poor girl’s spiritual damage.

The others came in but quickly went into action. Ethry and Kora sent word to get resources the pair might need. Lysanna kept Ryl at bay with Chu. Shoti made a quick sketch and got her network to look into the origin of the girl. Karu was able to create a formation with Annabelle that made the whole courtyard sparse with Qi.

They all put forth an effort as much as they could yet her life was fading away. It was not due to the conflict of the Divine Lands. The butchers had done horrific things to her and the severing of the connection had likely been too much.

"Lind–" Qing was gentle but his emerald eyes would not yield. He looked up and his aura changed.

[She is innocent. She was never meant to be here. You punished her abuser but you will let her die after all this? Is that truly fair?!] It might be more merciful to let her die yet her soul would be destroyed if she died in the Divine Lands.

Lind was not asking for everything but at least Samsara. Was that too much to ask?

Thunder rumbled above. Everyone backed off but something strange then occurred. Instead of tribulation or some kind of phenomenon, a figure appeared.

They were faint but clearly humanoid. The rest of them could not look at the figure but Lind was not bothered at all.

{You should not feel guilt. You did not know. The crimes were greater than you imagined. She is innocent but we cannot spare her. She does not belong here.}

Lind wanted to be angry but it was not the spirits’ fault.

He could not save her. He could not get her to a place that could help her because what had been done to her was beyond Immortals let alone the lower realms.

[Can I save her with my Divine Authority?] His instincts had warned him off, but price mattered little to him. The spirit looked at him with pity.

{Even your entire lifespan could not save her. We wanted to tell you in person. You may comfort her in her last moments. That is all either of us can do.}

Lind shook with rage. His anger wanted an outlet but he could not get ahold of the culprits just yet. He wanted to burn the world!

"What about several lifetime’s then?" A voice suddenly spoke up. He whirled to find Sun standing in the doorway. He was not playful nor teasing at that moment.

The spirit looked at him and sighed.

{Your fate would end. There will be no more rebirths. Your soul will enter the cycle and no longer be you. Do you understand?} Lind was shaking his head as the golden palm clasped his shoulder.

"You do not get a say in this boy! We have saved the world! I have become a legend! I cannot ask for more but this young lass was never meant to be here. I am not a True Lord of just my race, but all my people." Sun then summoned his staff and caressed it. "I should be long dead if not for you. We all should."

He then walked over and looked at the spirit. He held out his staff and smiled.

"Can my friend here help her too?" The spirit actually looked shocked for a moment before smiling.

{It is a part of you. It will not share your fate if you proceed. Are you sure?} Sun laughed as he twirled the staff. The True Lord then looked at Lind and held out his hand.

"My friend, what better way to go than fighting the impossible? Even if no memory remains, can you imagine my next life?" Lind felt tears in his eyes. He wanted to save the girl but to sacrifice a friend?

He could not do it. He could not do it!

In that moment of desperation, his dantian stirred. All the connections and history had made the choice possible. Sun was willing to sacrifice his existence for an innocent. His wives had put forth all their effort to help her. Even the spirits of Heaven and Earth had descended to directly tell him his options.

{All bonds weave the pattern.}

Time slowed down. His dantian did not condense a Mystery but he grasped a facet. He could not get the rest yet he did not need it. He saw another path.

His hand raised and it was like he could see it all. Every meeting, every connection, and all his choices flowed into his mind.

He was smiling as all the stress of the moment left his shoulders. He looked at the frail young girl and dropped his hand on her chest. The Mystery energy flowed through him and she became part of his pattern.

He was not sure of the result but he knew it was the right choice. All he had met were united with him. They wanted to save a life.

Time resumed but the spirit was slack jawed as the rest realized Lind had moved somehow without anyone noticing. Sun was turning confused but all froze as something strange happened.

The girl, who had been dying despite all their efforts, now stabilized and began breathing normally. Lind felt his legs weaken as he began to fall. Sun was the closest and caught him.

"What?! How?!" Sun was shaken but his wives smiled. Lind had done the impossible once more.

"I will never sacrifice a friend for my desire to defy fate. Thank you, though, for being you." Lind was so tired but he forced his mind to work as Sun held him up.

Ryl then got loose and looked at the young girl in excitement. His tail was wagging hard.

[Packleader! We have a new member!] Lind was confused but then realized what he had done. He smiled and then began to laugh. Everyone looked at him as if he was crazy but he could not help it.

{What–what have you done?} The spirit was staring at him as if he was an alien. Lind shrugged his shoulders.

"I felt clarity and grasped a facet of my new Mystery. Tapestry is still not condensed but I understood part of it. I got enough that for a moment, I understood what I could do." His words confused everyone yet the spirit looked at him differently.

The figure floated to him and seemed to consider something before it leaned over him.

{You do not have much time left. The war outside is going badly. If you can do what you just said, there is hope.} He doubted anyone else heard the words that time as the spirit vanished.

Lind felt his recent hope dim. He had known he was on a deadline but hearing it was going badly returned the pressure. Still, now that he had one facet, the rest would be easier.

Once he had 2 Master Tier Mysteries, he would be able to deduce the third far faster.

For now, he relished his miracle. A mortal in the Divine Lands was now resting in peace.

His body finally gave in and he felt darkness closing in. A smile on his lips could not be erased by anything.

⬧⬧⬧⬧

Sun had come at the request of Karu. Lind had been fighting an impossible battle and would need all the friends he could get. When he saw the desperation on Lind’s face and the small human girl dying, he realized he was at peace.

He had lived for so long and had so many adventures but Lind had shown him a path forward he had never been able to grasp. He had helped eradicate the Fiend race and overcome armies all on his own!

Yet, his noble sacrifice had been rejected and Lind had broken the rules of the cultivation world once more. Still, he was glad to be alive.

He looked at the young girl and could see her fate had changed dramatically. He was likely the only one that understood what Lind had pulled off. She was now connected to Lind’s path and since he was beyond fate, she was now shielded from the rules in part.

Only he had done that for himself long ago. Lind’s next Mystery was terrifyingly powerful. Lind had 1 facet and broke the rules of the world!

He sighed as he picked up Lind in a princess carry and took him to another bed. He would stay around to be sure yet he smiled.

His friend was so unwilling to sacrifice others he had broken his bottleneck to save them. He was crazy but Sun loved him for it.