Eternal Emerald Dragon

Chapter 1828: Chapter 1827 - Lost

Lind had stumbled into being a 6 elemental. He had become one, in fact, without realizing he was cultivating at all. He had then had to dive into history, Ruins, and any scrap of a lead to reach the World Realm without ruining his foundation.

He had only been able to do it but standing on the shoulders of predecessors trying to find a solution as he had been.

Going from ease to extreme difficulty were humbling experiences in different ways. He had assumed he knew how the world worked and had his horizons expanded massively. Then, while others were able to relatively easily move forward, he had to work just to find a way to keep things stable every step of the way!

Once that hurdle had been overcome, however, it was like Heaven and Earth did not want him to stop! He had gone through the Sand to Iron Tiers like they were not even there!

A wrench was then tossed into his path as his soul was changed and he nearly died in the process. He had to start over and add on the changes as they came.

Still, it was not nearly as hard as before. His tribulations were horrifying yet he had been warned so he could at least prepare himself.

The Heaven Realm seemed like a compensation when it came at last. He skipped an entire Tier and then found ways to incorporate other elements into his dantian. He chose to add the difficulty because his enemies were just that horrific.

He needed as much power as he could and no one else would see it coming. His harmony made it possible so he forged that difficult path willingly.

The Immortal Realm was his lowest. He had to watch loved ones sacrifice themselves and selfish desires destroy the unity he had hoped to keep them all going. He lost faith in himself, Heaven and Earth, and finally his family.

His soul was very battered but the very family he wanted to discard came for him and humbled him. It was a very difficult journey in a different way.

It also led him to a kind of enlightenment that he was not able to shoulder it all. He should not be doing that.

He walked a better path from there and then came the Divine Realm. Compared to the difficulty of the Soul Realm to the World Realm, he had far more help in grasping what he had to do.

The battles, running, and all the obstacles seemed to tower over him, yet he eventually got there. The final, impossible, task was the Master Tier.

Unlike anything else, he defined the path alone. He had to pull everything to find out he wanted and needed before attempting to condense anything.

He had been under the pressure of a war that could end everything. He had faced the Bastard at long last and did not want any chance of escape.

It was ironic that the thing the Fiend was escaping became his first Master Tier layer, Time.

Time was the one great fear left to Fiends. They only endured so long as they consumed lives to do so. Ancient monsters in legends were the same, if more tragic depending on their origins.

The Bastard, though, knew what he was doing and broke all the rules to defy death.

Lind took great pleasure in bringing the hammer of time down on him.

After all that rush to grow stronger, the next layer eluded him for a time. He had no worries as it was more about too many possibilities and trying to keep in mind his ultimate foe awaited.

Karu and he had gone in depth which led to his journey. It worked out far better than expected if not in the most direct way.

Ryl, fighting Luxor, and even the revelation of the Glass Palace remnants had ultimately led to the Tapestry Layer.

It was a new Mystery and the annoyance of having to tell others about it led to the birth of the Heart of Origins.

It helped him feel that his next Mystery was tied to his professions. It was so clear and he had long prepared his Emerald Haven with resources for his own use.

It seemed so clear and simple for what he had to do.

At one time, he had truly believed that.

"Creator, are you all right?" A young spirit child spoke. Floating in their body was a dagger that many powers would fight wars over but the childlike innocence did not match its body.

Lind was currently sitting on the floor of his furnace room. His hair was singed and tangled. His skin was covered in dark smudges, flecks of various materials, and even his own scales!

The little spirit was hardly alone. A small community had been born during his attempt to bring clarity to his next Mystery. The truly awe inspiring ones were from elixir tools.

They seemed to know far more than they should about the essence of all things.

However, currently, they were all staying far away from him aside from the dagger.

The reason was Lind was at the center of a storm of destruction. He had not harmed a single spirit filled artifact or one that could condense one. He was not that far gone, but the rest of everything he had made was so much slag now.

A million years. He had crafted for a solid million years. He had made progress in his professions and could safely say that he was the peak in elixir masters, Forging, and weaving without any bragging.

The issue was, it made not a damn bit of difference to his Mystery.

The Emerald Haven, once overflowing with resources, was barren. He had gotten so desperate he had made a nearly impossible artifact made of grass!

It was a fan that was a little girl in its spirit hiding behind a hulking form. That spirit was a bit odd as they were not humanoid projection but a living gargoyle.

They were a very gentle spirit as well. He had always been kind and patient with them. He had made things across all grades and had never shown his temper to them.

Yet, when he ran out of anything to work with, Lind had let his frustration run wild. Every work of art or useful tool that would have been desired by billions across the Divine Lands were now so much dust.

He had increased the passage of time so only a century had been spent outside, yet it had come to nothing. He was nowhere.

"I am sorry to you all. I did not mean to go that far but I have been–useless." His voice was hoarse and lacking the life it once held. The small spirit came closer and patted his head. Lind felt guilty even more.

He had scared them. He had never wanted that.

"It is all right, Creator. You have made all these wonderful things, you can do it again." Lind resisted snorting. Even a blind man and an idiot could grasp that. Still, the spirit meant well.

He smiled and nodded. He could not summon the energy for more.

The tiny fan girl spirit poked her head out.

"I am sorry I could not help you, Creator." That made Lind grimace. He finally got up and his robes were revealed to be in tatters.

The non-stop creation sessions had worn out their defenses even though they were Mystery Grade. It showed the kind of energies he had been able to tap into.

The gargoyle could not manipulate their face yet, but he could feel they were tense as he came near. He held up his hands as he knelt down and smiled at the precocious girl.

Her hair was merged into her back but it moved as if it was curly. She was the picture of adorable.

"Nothing I did was any of your faults. I failed in my goal due to my own inability. I am just–lost." Lind did not know what to do.

He had gone far beyond his previous skill, made more living artifacts at a smaller scale and yet nothing mattered. He was already on the path and could not change it.

The issue was him. It was impossible for it to be anything else.

The little girl looked around at the thousands of artifacts with spirits and weavings still intact from his rampage.

Some were blended with weaving and Forging together as many of his creations were. He had even applied it to making an elixir and combined all 3 professions.

It was very difficult, but not impossible. He had thought that was the key, yet the result was unchanged. He had no answers or clues.

There was nothing.

He waved his hand and the mess was cleaned up instantly. All that time he had spent creating and destroying led to nothing.

He now had a small army of spirit artifacts, weapons, and even elixir spirits!

Such a thing would be a craftsmen of legends and it brought no joy to Lind. He needed his last Mystery! Why was it not happening?!

The anger was burnt out and all that was left was the hollow feeling in his heart. He had failed.

One day, soon or not, all would fall to the original Bastard. He patted the heads of the smaller spirits and left the workshop entirely. The once vibrant Haven was just as empty as his heart.

He swept his hands once more and he seeded what he could. Without starting over from scratch, there was nothing else he could do. He would have to leave seclusion and spend what time he had left with his family.

The fire that once burned in his eyes was gone. Lind did not know what he would tell them.

He was going to have to take care of his new creations as well. They had matured quite a bit for most of them but the nascent souls would be cared for until they were ready to find partners if they so wished to.

He turned away and found the small girl right behind him. She was a miracle in a way. It should have failed but he pushed his Forging and weaving to the limits to make her fan from the common grass.

She was a Mystery Grade item despite her source materials.

She tugged on his ragged robes and he knelt down. She then hugged him hard.

"I love you, Creator. Do not be so sad. We all love you. Not just because you made us either!" He smiled gently as he hugged her back. In a very real sense, they were all his children.

"You can call me–!" His dantian thudded and his body arched in pain as Mystery Energy slammed into him. He was flooded with power and had no way to control it! Darkness closed in as he heard her scream for help.