Lind looked a bit ragged after facing his progenitor tribulation. He had thought the battle was over but the boiling black clouds told another story.
"What is it waiting for?" The pressure did not seem to be building but holding steady.
[We do not need lightning to judge you, True Lord of Dragons.] A chorus of voices suddenly entered his head. He could not find a source but lances of pure elental Qi began to descend from the clouds!
From all 18 pillars, figures erged but Lind narrowed his eyes. The ground was blasted and destroyed from his tribulation but the feet of the figures did not disturb even a single stone.
He tried to perceive the pillars but his Talents did not respond.
[You have walked through the fire of a cultivator but now you must answer to us.] Lind slowly felt fear as he realized what the figures had to be. Spirits of Heaven and Earth!
They were vague, possibly humanoid but little else could be picked out, yet all 18 advanced.
It was only as he looked around that he realized his body was still in the crater! It was partially sitting up and the world was frozen!
He slowly turned back to find himself surrounded.
[Let the examination begin.]
The chorus of voices were the last thing he heard before pain lanced through him. Flashes of his life beca clear to him and he recognized them!
It was monts from all the way back to when he was in the Rakathi Wastes!
He was being judged from when he accepted senior dragon soul into his life!
He saw how he faced the facility at the heart of Rakathi and how he dismantled it. He watched as he faced Altair and took it down. He watched each key step of his life but only those where he chose to use his authority!
Every single one!
His marriage and any action prior to his eting with senior dragon soul did not ever co up.
The flow of ti was lost to him as he fell to his knees. He was weakening! Had he abused his power? What was the point of this review?
The flow of events paused suddenly as it ca to the Temple of Fire. It was the first ti he truly invoked the full authority of a True Lord. The Divine Trial soul had been arrogant and he took it to task.
He finally got a breather but then his soul scread in pain far more than previous! He felt like sothing essential was being pulled out but just as he thought it was going to go away, the flood of life ca back to him.
[Decision approved.]
The 2 words shook him and then the parade of events moved on. It proceeded onto his major involvent in key events in the Celestial Fields but he felt odd. Why did it skip the event where he broke the Realm Refiner?
That thought led him to realize that certain events were missing. Any event tied to Fiends!
Why were they not being judged?
He suddenly exerted his aura and the events broke off as all 18 figures stepped back in surprise.
[How did you do that?] There was no panic in the chorus of voices but Lind had to take a few breaths to gather himself.
"You were ignoring key monts and when I focused on them, my strength returned. Why are you not examining my acts against the Fiends?" There was a pause as the figures seed to commune with each other before turning back to him.
[The shadows of the traitor are not an issue. Any decision made to combat them is acceptable.] Lind frowned.
That was wrong. Fighting to live was not wrong, but ignoring the balance of his actions only in relation to cultivators vs Fiends was ignoring serious issues.
His heart demons had been born from that conflict when he beca a Heaven Realm and lost Lanbao.
He slowly stood up and put his arms behind his back.
"A True Lord is not sothing I fully grasp but if you are judging , then judge it all. Just because I side against your enemy does not make
right." The silence felt heavy as the 18 figures communed once more.
Blinding pain knocked him on his backside as all events were pulled up. His soul began to break apart!
Why was it so painful?!
As he saw every event after he took on senior dragon soul with the Fiend conflicts included burned his mind!
White was blinding him and he wondered if he had been foolish until it suddenly stopped.
He slowly felt his body co back to him but realized a mory was frozen. It was the mont Lanbao died.
He had made his Oath to kill that being from the bottom of his heart and he was confused as to why they were stopping at that mont.
[We have extracted all the monts of your life. You have not fully abused your position but you have enforced your personal code rather than objective justice.] He felt like a chunk of his lifespan was gone at that mont!
He suddenly grasped why no True Lord could speak about their tribulation. It was unique to each one!
The current mory brought tears to his eyes with anger as he looked at the massive shadow with white eyes looking down on them all like ants.
"Why is that still showing?" His voice sounded cracked and hollow but he could still speak. The figures began to fade until only 6 remained.
They were the Celestial Qi versions!
[Your Oath will lead to your death. Do you understand this?] The chorus was smaller but he slowly stood up and looked at the 6 figures.
"Even if it does, he will go with . I will bring an end to what he has done!" Thunder rumbled above and the 6 figures seed to consider sothing before stepping forward.
[Do not face him in the Divine Lands. The world will die with you both. You must wait until you step beyond. You will understand when you are there. It is a very small chance, but it will be the only mont you can succeed.]
He was confused and wanted to ask what they were talking about but he was tossed back into his physical body like a leaf in the wind!
The instant he returned to his body, he was assaulted by the pressure above building quickly! He thought it was even more but then felt like he was being lifted up!
He was ascending!
A figure blurred to him just as a massive shaft of light ripped open the sky! All nearby looked up and saw a view of new lands! They were covered in cities, mountains far larger than anything they had, and also cultivators!
Qi concentrated around him with Delenn but he focused on several jade slips in his ring that he imprinted and sent out to his wives.
They would study them later but he could only send his love after that as he was pulled into the sky against his will.
He had no say in it at all!
Delenn clung to him and he realized if she let go, she would fall! Gravity still worked, it was only the force of his breakthrough that was forcing him to leave!
He tumbled upward and wondered where he would end up.
The limit that only his sky ships could break before was easily passed before the pair were flung into the rip in the sky.
It slamd shut behind them and the clouds vanished.
Frey City was in silence as much of the Celestial Fields felt a shift in the air. Shard Tiers that had felt restrictions on their cultivation took a small step forward. There was still a lot for them to do but they now felt they could ascend!
The surviving Fiends also felt fear. Access to Crystal Tiers would spell their doom unless their own kind descended too!
No one knew what the next layer held but all knew that Lind had saved the Celestial Fields once before. He would certainly do it again!
????????
Lind felt the air whistle past his ears as he tried to control their speed. Delenn was also trying but both were stunned that they failed! Immortals could fly, so why couldn't they?!
He tried to focus on the environnt but it only confused him. The Qi felt wrong. He wanted to focus on it but the ground was closing in!
He quickly shifted his tactic and used his dragon flight. He expected it to be easy but it was like the natural gift of his race was sluggish to respond! How was that possible?!
He then used his harmony and his crystal lit up barely as he had just made it but the change was finally noticeable. His dragon flight kicked in just before they reached the top of so trees with black bark.
The pair tumbled still as they hit a branch and he could only slow their fall until the slapped into a bog!
The water, moss, and reed grass sloshed around them as the pair finally stopped. The silence descended as Lind slowly stood up in so pain with Delenn having a broken arm!
"What is wrong with this place?" Her words made him focus but that was not all. He finally felt what was wrong not only in the Qi but in the trees around them.
Partially, it was all made of Fiend Qi! The entire world was tainted around them!
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