Myriad Rivers to the Sea

Chapter 1103: Ripples of the Awakening

While Li Yu was brought to rest in the secluded chamber, his parents had returned to their respective posts on their own battle fronts. They had spent two weeks away from there unplanned but thankfully only a few negative things had happened during their absence. Their trusted leaders were well prepared and quickly stepped up to take the lead in their absence. The war machine continued to turn smoothly without their direct supervision for those few weeks but they were met with new challenges to overcome upon returning.

Rumors and wild legends naturally spread out within the Zhan Clan regarding the tribulation that might never be matched in history. Clan members far away from the home realm whispered among themselves about a heavenly execution and the birth of a young legend but as a family they kept the true details to themselves. The five hidden forces floating in the void were all deeply loyal to Li Yu and they would never spread sensitive information to the public about him.

However, even if the truth did spread across the realms, it did not truly matter in the end. Li Yu was already known to have a special status as the grandson of the Worldkeeper and his parents were also famous warlords themselves.

His name already existed on countless enemy bounties so he would not gain any new enemies or be targeted more than he already was. The Zhan Clan was far from weak and his secret legions unknown to even himself kept maneuvering in the dark to keep him away from the true dangers of the cosmos, at least for now.

During the month long recovery that Li Yu was undergoing, Li Canghai was able to find time and took a brief moment away from his command tent to handle another matter. He headed toward a secluded mountain ridge where his teacher liked to visit every now again. Li Canghai had been told that the Heaven Severing Ancestor was here.

He found his teacher sitting on a flat stone overlooking the endless valleys below. Zhan rested his hands on his knees while observing the shifting winds.

"Master Zhan," Canghai called out as he approached the stone and offered a bow of respect. "I am glad to find you here today. I wanted to speak with you about what happened during my son’s tribulation."

Zhan turned his head and gestured for his disciple to sit beside him.

"You have questions about my presence there. I knew you would." Zhan stated while looking back out over the valleys. "You saw me leading a force and you want to know why I was there guarding your son."

"I do," Canghai admitted and took a seat on the cold stone. "I noticed your presence and it left me confused. You have guided my cultivation for many eras, yet I did not know you commanded such a force or that you had any connection to Li Yu. Ever since my rescue from the Temporal Dao Stone, my son seems very mysterious and he has groups loyal to him that do not quite make sense to me. I have of course asked them to explain themselves but nothing was given."

Zhan laughed out loud and the booming sound echoed down the mountain ridge. He was one of the few beings in the universe who understood the complex truth of the situation. Zhan knew all about the ancient era and the time traveling anomaly that brought Li Yu and himself together. He understood that his master was actually the young man recovering back at the Zhan Clan headquarters.

‘I cannot tell his father the truth, it is not the time yet. I must wait for the correct timing or I could impact many things. I am still not truly sure if that event of time travel was a random chance caused by a spatial rift or if it is an ability Li Yu truly possesses.'

Zhan felt it was not the right time to reveal such a thing. Secrets involving the manipulation of time were dangerous and they were better kept as hidden as possible to prevent potential deviations. The fewer people who knew the truth, the better it would be for Li Yu and his future progression.

"My connection to your son is difficult to explain," Zhan said and offered a vague smile. "The cosmos weaves strange threads and our paths crossed in a way that forged a deep mutual respect. You do not need to worry about the specific details right now."

Canghai frowned slightly and looked at his teacher with a protective gleam in his eyes. "He is my only child, Master Zhan. I appreciate everything you have done for me but I must protect him above all else. In order to best protect him, I need to understand as much as possible. You must tell me if you know something I don’t."

"I have his best interest at heart," Zhan replied with a firm and serious tone. "You know my history and you know my vows. I would never harm a member of the Li family and I will certainly never harm Li Yu. That much is an undeniable fact that I swear upon my entire sword path. My blade is drawn to protect him, just as yours is."

"Of course you would not harm him," Canghai said quickly to avoid offending his teacher. "I know your honor is beyond question and I know your character. It is just strange to see so many powerful factions rallying behind a young man who has no place knowing them. It makes a father worry."

Zhan reached over and patted his disciple on the shoulder. "The younger generation will always overtake the old and surprise us, Canghai. They carve their own paths and build their own legends. You should be proud that he commands such loyalty, perhaps he will even be able to help you one day."

"I do not want him to help me or share my burdens, I want him to be safe and happy above all else. If there is ever anything relating to my son or his safety, please tell me," Canghai requested while looking deeply into his teacher's eyes. "I want to be prepared for whatever threats come his way."

"Of course I will tell you if I knew." Zhan agreed with a warm nod. "We both want what is best for him and I will stand together with you if such a time ever arose. Now stop bothering me about such matters, you should know if it's not matters relating to the sword, I don’t even want to be talking about it.”

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

Canghai smiled at his teacher and thanked him. He backed away from asking any more probing questions as he knew his teacher would not tell him anything further and it was enough that the intentions were good. He had never seen his teacher care that much about anyone before outside of sword training. It was good to have another powerful person watching over his family and having someone so strong care about his son brought a great deal of comfort to his heart.

Far away at the Li Clan headquarters, another member of the Li family received the shocking news. As heir to the Li Clan, she had access to information that others in the clan wouldn’t.

Li Mei sat in a quiet study and rested her brush on an ink stone after reading the contents of a glowing jade slip that had just been delivered by a senior elder. She was currently tasked with managing clan logistics and mediating resource disputes with local sects so her desk was covered in supply manifests.

The jade slip had detailed the terrifying tribulation that took place at the Zhan Clan and confirmed that Li Yu was at the center of it and also that he had survived the ordeal.

She lowered the jade slip and sat in stunned silence as she processed the information. The scale of the event described in the report was hard to comprehend and the toll it took on her cousin sounded like a living nightmare. He had endured the wrath of the cosmos like no one had before and most likely achieved a level of strength that matched such a test. Just from cultivation realms alone, he stood two realms ahead of herself now and a realm above Zhan Chen as well.

Not long ago this news would have sent her into a spiral of deep paranoia and bitter jealousy. She would have viewed his rapid advancement as a direct threat to her position as the heir and the pressure from the clan elders would have crushed her spirit. What better person than a young prodigy like Li Yu himself to lead the Li Clan into the future.

However, those dark feelings no longer existed within her mind. She knew him a lot better now and he would hate such a position. It would impede his carefree nature, his freedom and many other things he enjoyed doing. The position and him were like water and oil, one never mixing with the other.

Her relaxing painting session with Li Yu had also allowed her to achieve a state of enlightenment and break through to the Sword Heart realm. She had physically sliced through the demonic hearts hiding in her spiritual sea and destroyed the different fears that had plagued her life.

Instead of feeling bad or worried that he was now much stronger than her, the only feelings she immediately felt was that she was relieved that he had survived. She knew the cosmos was a cruel place and making it out of such a calamity was a miracle worth celebrating.

She was happy to hear that he was resting safely and recovering at his home. That his journey did not end there and they would have chances to meet and perhaps paint together once again for fun. Li Mei stood up from her desk and walked over to the far wall of her study with a faint smile on her face.

She looked at a framed canvas hanging prominently in the center of the room. It was the very first painting she had created when she took up the brush for the first time after becoming heir. The mountains originally had no one on them when she first painted it with Li Yu next to her. However, after she had gotten back she had decided to add a new detail to the landscape to finish the painting before hanging it.

Li Mei had carefully added two small figures sitting on the mountain peak and overlooking the sect below it as the sun rose. She wanted to capture the exact moment she fell in love with painting once more and the person who had enabled such a thing. The painting was placed up so she could always remember the moment and as equally as important, the lessons it carried.

'Rest well, cousin,' Li Mei thought as she traced the edge of the wooden frame. 'You have earned your hard fought victory.'

Back at the Zhan Clan headquarters, the month long recovery continued in the silent jade chamber. Li Yu remained asleep on the cold stone bed while his body and Qi continued to slowly harmonize under the gentle flow of ambient energy.

The wooden doors of the chamber suddenly clicked open and a figure stepped through the threshold. The guards stationed outside did not shout or raise their weapons because this visitor was let in by the clan leadership.

Khaos walked into the quiet room and closed the doors softly behind him. The man approached the jade bed and looked down at the comatose young cultivator with a thoughtful expression. The ambient energy in the room seemed to warp and bend around Khaos as he sealed off the room from any outside peering.

"I knew you would reach this state eventually," Khaos commented out loud as he crossed his arms and tilted his head. "But it would seem several things have changed along the way. That is not how your advancement was described to me in the stories..."

Khaos paced slowly around the bed while keeping his eyes locked on the steady rise and fall of Li Yu's chest.

"If I knew such a devastating thing would happen to you, I would have helped you in some way to prepare more for it," Khaos continued in a low voice. "It would seem the timeline is shifting more than I had thought and the events are playing out differently than I anticipated."

He stopped at the foot of the bed and rambled to himself while trying to piece together the cosmic puzzle.

"Things are changing from how they should be and I do not know if it is for the better or for the worse…" Khaos muttered and ran a hand through his hair. "The threads of fate are tangling and with these changes, I do not know what to expect anymore. The people you have gathered and the trials you have faced are rewriting the rules of the board but this isn’t unexpected."

He let out a short breath and a small smile touched his lips as he accepted the uncertainty of his situation.

"But then again, I only know a few vague details anyway so it does not change much in the end," Khaos said to the sleeping boy. "I was never counting on having clear pieces of information for the future or let that be the source of my plans. Knowledge fades and prophecies fail when pushed against the raw chaos of reality."

Khaos turned his gaze toward the window and looked out at the sprawling Zhan Clan estate. He saw the warriors training in the courtyards and felt the dense martial intent rising into the sky.

"I have always believed in strength and creating more strength," Khaos stated with a firm conviction echoing in his voice. "That is the only true constant in this universe. As long as you build your strength and gather loyal allies, it does not matter what the changing future brings. With enough raw power, you will be ready for whatever steps out of the dark."

He turned back to Li Yu and reached out to gently pat the edge of the jade bed. The young man had defied the odds and proven that he possessed the strength needed to face the unknown.

"You did a good job, Li Yu," Khaos praised him sincerely. "You survived the wrath of the heavens like no one else ever had and you created a legend that will echo across history. Rest now and let your body heal. The real work begins once more when you wake up."

Khaos turned around and walked back toward the doors. He slipped out of the chamber and left the young man to continue his long and quiet recovery in peace.