Chapter 1798: Chapter 1797 - Bonds or Connections?

Any concern that people would come looking for him was now firmly removed from Lind’s mind. He had unleashed a level of chaos that would distract just about every power for the foreseeable future.

Ryl was oblivious as to what had happened but Lind knew a series of progenitors had just been born. How that was parsed with Heaven and Earth he had no idea but the introduction of a whole new species would have unprecedented effects.

The ancient metaphor of a pebble on a still pond was very apt. Ryl had made a major change but it was his much smaller choice that sent out ripples no one could track.

The various beasts were all contacting their subordinates and he had no doubt there would be an active effort to locate and monitor the new races.

The species born by Ryl was now explosively arriving everywhere! Further, as many might not yet be aware, Lind would allow for 3 varieties of the new species!

Natural and demonic were a given with enough time and right conditions, but Celestial Beasts were much more rare.

Celestials were all golden skinned and impossibly beautiful humanoid beings. Yet, there were rare Celestial Beasts. These were not so much examples of a beastial counterpart but beast bloodlines that successfully incorporated Celestial Qi into their bodies.

It was another path for Celestials to examine the various worlds. Just like Celestials, however, the beasts would also have to be Immortals and born by manifestation. That last criteria was much harder in the actual lands Immortals resided in.

The rules of Heaven and Earth were replaced by Laws that were not as conducive to such events. Even the Heaven Realm Lands had a sharp drop off in such moments save for Elementals as part of their natural lifecycle.

Lind had just upended that!

Even with just 6 elements to make combinations out of, he had studied them all to an extreme level before they fused to make his Origin Seeds.

What Lind was trying to understand, that every beast present took for granted, was the process. Why did being a pack race lead to such an event? Why did they treat it as inevitable?

He could understand he was the cause since he was acknowledged as the packleader but why did it happen?

His mind was trying to take it all in but it was not as simple as the bond between him and Ryl. It was the source but not the cause. Heaven and Earth were fair.

He had seen time and again how it kept the balance especially when cultivators made a massive imbalance that needed correction.

That did not explain what just happened to him!

[Ethry?] It was as if she had been waiting for him to sort things out. She gently lifted him up.

"It is alright, this is not a secret thing. It is also something that can happen if a progenitor is born. Ryl is not one likely because of your interference as well." Lind had already understood that.

Ryl had not been born solely on their own ability. He had supplemented their vitality with his own power. Due to that, Lind had added his own contribution to the creation of the new race.

The reward of overcoming the tribulation was the perfection of the new race. No longer was Ryl a single generation beast but the start of a new one and many more.

Lind had accelerated that process immensely. That was where he was confused. Why?

"Beasts are closer to nature as you well know. We react to our environment and can be influenced by major shifts from the external world as much as refining our own bloodlines." She continued but Lind felt his mind shift.

The patterns he had long studied for ideas came back in full force. Beasts, unlike the other races, were often considered as close to aether children or Elementals as any others could be.

Humans and demons did not actually fit in many places. They actively had to seek out and condense their foundations through massive efforts. Beasts and the others essentially exist and know how to move forward.

Beasts consume, aether children are born with intent, and Elementals condense their experiences to grow stronger. Yet, beasts had a strong variation in their own segment.

Aether children essentially are the same no matter where they condensed. They would always be the ideal mix of elements for the intent they were born from.

Elementals were Qi incarnate given form. Their intelligence could be laid at the feet of a similar process to Celestials that the world shaped it by interaction.

Beasts were almost slaves to their instincts. Consumption of stronger prey allowed them to grow and advance. It was only when they had higher quality bloodlines or realms that intelligence would allow them to branch out.

Intelligence was needed to reach the peak of the Heaven and Immortal Realms. The Divine Realm went without saying but even there, beasts found a new advantage.

Lind had struggled a great deal to start but his draconic foundation allowed him to make massive leaps where humans and demons would struggle for millions of years.

Lind also realized his connections to his family were critical, yet they were normal bonds. The support of willing family and friends was obviously going to lead to better results than any forced path.

Yet, it led to a parallel in beasts. Packs were not the only form of predators, but the various herds, roosts, and so forth. Those connections were not the same as family. Beasts could leave if they so desired or as part of their natural lifecycle.

His eyes lit up as he was still listening to Ethry.

"Race memory is the true source of our knowledge. Every time a new race is truly born, if they have a more powerful packleader like you are, Heaven and Earth will compensate the higher realm cultivator by allowing the new race to arise across the realms." Lind almost slipped out of his enlightenment.

That sounded like something made up! Heaven and Earth was not in the habit of compensation unless karma was involved! He was about to speak but froze.

Beasts were not people! Ethry was trying to explain something that was poorly conveyed by words! Beasts were hierarchical existences. If a much more powerful beast safeguarded the lower realm beast that succeeded to create an entire new race, would there not be a reward?

Otherwise, simply being the guardian of a new race would not be held in such high esteem as evidenced by the chaos he had unleashed.

Ryl’s success meant he was due a reward and in the world of beasts, that meant one of three things. Food, mates, and propagation!

His creation of the Throne of Defiance had resulted in his wishes being fulfilled! The Harmonic Dragons were given the ideal environment to grow and thrive in their nascent state!

It was not a question of bonds or connections, but the very nature of beasts! It was the very nature of his own life as both a dragon and a human!

At some point, Ethry had stopped talking as she felt the changes in him. All the Master Tiers felt their jaws drop as the power coming off of Lind was clearly early signs of a new Master Tier layer!

How?! It was too soon! 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Lind was barely aware but he knew they were worrying over too much. It was more like he was grasping the shape of the next step only. He had no facets and no complete picture but he did finally understand he had been trying to see the wrong thing.

He had thought it had something to do with bonds or connections but he had been wrong. He suddenly felt the need to engrave.

His hair floated as he began to make weaving after weaving. The sigils were like individual cultivators to him now. Alone, they represented a unique path.

The cultivator would operate perfectly fine on their own, yet they would reach a limit quickly. It was only when a trace connected it to another could their power transform.

The trace was more than a pack or family. It was also conflict, random acts of kindness, discarding the weak, and any form of interaction between cultivators.

His dantian and mind began to strain as the Mystery was too big. It was nearly too much but he could almost feel it. The bottleneck was unraveling!

He looked at Ryl and the dark blue eyes were full of faith in him. The single member of his pack was still so young but the faith came from their journey.

The sound of a chain snapping filled his mind and power exploded outward as the Heavens rejoiced!

His bottleneck broke apart and a name faintly entered his mind.

{Tapestry Layer.}

That was all he could grasp before he collapsed. Sweat covered his body heavily as he lay breathing heavily on the floor. Not a single beast dared come near him as the feeling of profound energy was still too strong.

Aristrossa and the other Master Tiers could not understand what happened. The various layers might have different facets composing them, but the names were known.

The Time Layer, while very damned rare, was known. Some had expected him to reach for the Space Layer as the 2 combined were nearly legendary. Yet the new Mystery was hidden from them!

It meant it was new! Lind had condensed the beginning of a Mystery that had never been touched on before!

Nearly all their heads slowly swiveled between the newly born Dusk Grypwolf and Lind. A new race never seen before and a new Mystery Layer not long after?

None of them were sure what to think but the struggle for Lind would be much harder. Just as a new race, a new Mystery Layer could only be defined by its first maker.

They looked forward to it and what awaiting the future!