Myriad Rivers to the Sea

Chapter 1104: Feel Different but Strong

Li Yu shifted his consciousness away from the soul island and directed his focus deeper into his internal foundation. He arrived within the borders of his Koi Sanctuary to take a quiet moment to observe the changes since his martial spirit had undergone an evolution in the tribulation as well. The spatial boundaries had not changed much but he noticed that the environment itself was undergoing a refinement from its previous self.The volume of the realm did not increase further during this visit but the ambient Qi had become incredibly denser. The air felt thick with vibrant life force and it almost felt like walking through a warm mist of energy that wrapped around you and welcomed you. A rich vitality pulsed through the entire realm and nourished the life within.

He looked out over the sprawling green fields, oceans and the sparkling rivers weaving through the landscape. He looked forward to seeing his personal army grow and train within this pristine environment because the dense energy would naturally accelerate their cultivation.

A sudden thought crossed his mind as he remembered that a portion of his troops were stationed inside the sanctuary while the violent tribulation took place. The breakthrough happened so suddenly that he didn’t think about them during that time. He quickly extended his divine sense across the lakes and forests to check on their condition. The change of the Koi Sanctuary and what had happened could have been dangerous for anyone caught in the middle of it.

He located his soldiers gathered near the edge of a newly formed mountain range and flew down to meet them. Thankfully nothing bad had happened to this place during the tribulation. Li Yu descended from the sky and landed on the grassy plains right in front of their encampment.

"My Lord," the lead person called out and dropped to one knee. The rest of the troops quickly followed suit and bowed their heads in respect.

"Rise," Li Yu commanded with a gentle wave of his hand. Li Yu had not asked them to call him lord, in fact he didn’t want it. However, commander Shan made sure everyone within the army did and allowed for no room to disagree. "Are you all unharmed after the recent events?"

"We are unharmed, my Lord," the captain replied while standing back up. The soldier looked around at the towering trees and the dense mist of Qi settling over the grass. "We were quite surprised by what happened a few weeks ago. The sky turned a brilliant shade of purple and this world shook but overall nothing bad happened. The laws in the air shifted violently before settling into this dense state. What happened on the outside to cause such an upheaval?"

"I underwent a heavenly tribulation," Li Yu explained. "The heavens sent down an execution within the tribulation storm to erase me and I barely survived the ordeal. However, the rewards transformed this sanctuary into what you see now."

Li Yu then went on to explain in more detail what had happened on the outside and his current state. The soldiers stood in silence as they processed the magnitude of his words and his near death experience. Some regretted not being able to witness such a grand event while others were thankful their tribulation breakthrough was nowhere near as dangerous.

"We are happy that you made it through, my lord." the captain said with reverence shining in his eyes. "We hope you recover quickly from your injuries so you may continue to push forward and light the path ahead."

"Thank you," Li Yu replied with a warm smile. "Take advantage of this new environment to train and push your limits. You are stuck here for now until my body awakens but hopefully it won’t be too long before I fully recover. I will leave you to your training."

He left the troops to their own devices and soared up into the sky of the sanctuary. He searched the thick clouds and found his evolved martial spirit resting quietly among the gentle winds. The creature was much shorter in length now compared to its old serpentine shape but its overall volume did not decrease at all. The body was bulky and whale-like with grand dragonic wings extending from its sides. The elegant koi head featured long flowing whiskers that drifted through the air like silk ribbons caught in a breeze.

Li Yu floated closer and reached out to pet the smooth scales covering the large snout of the beast. The spirit let out a low rumbling hum of contentment and leaned its heavy head into his touch. It had been some time since the two of them bonded in such a way and it brought both of them a great sense of comfort.

"Thank you," Li Yu whispered to the winged creature. "Thank you for everything you did during the tribulation. I would not have survived without your help throughout and especially at the end."

Li Yu now was as good a time as any to rekindle their bond. He decided to stay in the sky and spend several days just chatting with the gentle giant. He sat on the broad back of the creature and once again began to pour out his own soul to the majestic looking beast.

He spoke about his lingering fears and his most ambitious hopes for the future. Li Yu talked about his dreams of building a safe pavilion by a quiet lake with Lian and watching his family rest without the looming threat of war. He shared his desire to see the domains at peace and he voiced his insecurities about what the future could hold. Since he had the time, he talked about anything and everything to his martial spirit.

The simple act of bonding with the spirit created a resonance within his core. As he shared his thoughts and stroked the sleek scales, the rate at which his physical body and Qi and soul harmonized began to go much faster. The jagged edges of his fragmented spiritual sea smoothed out under the calming presence of his loyal companion.

However, that accelerated healing was not the primary point of his visit. It was just nice to be able to sit and talk without worrying about anything else. He had just suffered the most pain and physical suffering he had ever had to endure. It was nice to just not worry about cultivation and let everything else.

After a full month and a week of recovery within his room, Li Yu finally opened his physical eyes.

He woke up alone in the quiet chamber and stared up at the carved stone ceiling. He did not rush to sit up or move his limbs right away. He took his time to adjust to the new sensations coursing through his flesh because it was clear that getting used to this body was not going to be something that happened quickly. He was a fundamentally different person now on a biological and spiritual level.

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His cultivation realm rested four major steps higher than before the storms had come. He had skipped past those realms and officially stood as a Creation Lord. It was not just a simple increase in his energy reserves either, just about everything was different now. His Heavenly Leviathan Physique had evolved from the one previous and it was a terrifying evolution that would also take time to get used to.

He felt an ocean of raw physical power waiting just beneath his skin and felt the natural toughness that his body now processed. Li Y flexed his fingers and felt so much stronger that he honestly believed he could crush his past Karma Severing self with a single flick of his wrist without using even an ounce of his Qi.

He felt like a god.

That specific thought was terrifying because the arrogance instantly got to his head and he barely noticed it. A dangerous sense of supremacy bloomed in his chest as he felt deeply connected to the Dao. The complex laws of the Myriad Realms became incredibly clear to him and things that did not make any sense to him before now fit together like a simple puzzle of just two pieces. He could sense the flow of life and death in the air around him and he could feel the spatial boundaries holding the room together. It felt as if he had been blind his entire life and now could see.

It felt amazing to possess such clarity but it was also a bit terrifying to realize how blind he used to be. ‘Was this how other experts in this realm saw the world every single day? Had I just been a tiny ant dancing around in front of cultivators of this caliber while thinking I was strong?’

The realization humbled him and washed away a portion of the dangerous arrogance bubbling in his mind. Li Yu decided not to rush out of the room just yet as he still felt really disconnected with his new body and the vast reserves of Qi settling in his body. His soul also felt like it was heavier and required more effort to utilize or control. It would take more time to truly reharmonize everything and align his mind with his new physical reality.

After just a bit he felt incredibly tired once again and he closed his eyes and allowed himself to fall back asleep on the jade bed. Li Yu woke up again the next day and spent several hours repeating the process of testing his limbs and circulating his energy. He focused on grounding his thoughts and pushing away the god like illusions clouding his judgment but it was extremely difficult. He felt completely different from before and it wasn’t a feeling he could shake off in the short term. Once he felt comfortable enough to stand without breaking the floorboards, he finally stepped out of the bed and walked toward the doors to face the outside world once more.

He pushed the doors open and stepped out into the bright hallway.

Commander Shan stood guard outside the chamber like an immovable stone statue. The warrior turned around and his eyes lit up with joy when he saw the young lord standing on his own two feet. He was happy to see that he had fully recovered but even more happy to feel the immense power radiating from the boy. Li Yu didn’t have good enough control of his new powers just yet so it was not restrained as it normally was. Shan then dropped to one knee and bowed deeply to show his respect.

"Welcome back, my Lord," Shan greeted him with a warm and relieved tone. "I am very glad you have returned to us safely."

"Thank you, Shan," Li Yu replied and offered a bright smile. "It is good to be awake again. Thank you for guarding me during this time."

The news of his awakening spread quickly through different channels and his parents were immediately notified of his recovery. They were not able to just return as they pleased so it would be a few days before they could make it back to see him.

Two days later, Zhan Tielan stepped through a spatial tear and arrived back home. She found her son sitting in a quiet courtyard and did not hesitate to pull him into a tight embrace.

"You worried us so much." Tielan said softly while holding him close and resting her chin on his shoulder. "I am so happy to see you awake and well."

Li Canghai arrived a day after his wife and he shared the same relief. They both knew he was recovering and should have been okay but seeing the physical form themselves was what they needed to truly feel at peace.

Canghai hugged his son tightly as well and stepped back to inspect the young man with a proud gaze. The parents were not able to stay for long due to the pressing demands of the front lines but they were happy to see him again and enjoy the little time they had together.

Li Yu began telling his parents everything that he experienced during the tribulation, recalling what had happened inside. Hearing what had happened and what he endured was just as bad as waiting for him on the outside a little over a month ago. The pain and suffering he described broke their hearts but in the end he was okay now. They both each made a mental note to try to get something for him to somehow make up for his pain.

"How do you feel now?" Canghai asked while pouring a fragrant cup for his son. "Your aura is incredibly denser now and your aura was already incredibly strong for your realm. It feels like looking at a deep ocean rather than a cultivator."

"I currently feel very disconnected," Li Yu admitted and wrapped his hands around the warm teacup. "I jumped too many realms at once and my body was nearly completely reborn. I feel like a stranger in my own skin right now. I can see things much clearer now but seeing things more clearly has made other things more cloudy. Like processing too much information and not knowing how to understand it. Overall, it makes me realize how fragile I used to be."

Tielan reached across the table and placed her hand over his to offer a comforting squeeze.

"That is a natural reaction to such a drastic breakthrough and who knows what else you were given by passing such a tribulation." Tielan explained with a knowing smile. "Becoming a Creation Lord alters the very way your soul perceives reality as well. It will take time before things feel normal again and your mind catches up to your new foundation. Perhaps you will discover even more secrets hidden within yourself during this time"

"Do not rush the adjustment period," Canghai added with a supportive nod and smile. "Spend time doing mundane things and ground yourself in the present moment and the feeling will go away naturally. Do what you are best at and relax as much as possible."

Li Yu chuckled and thanked his parents for the solid advice while cherishing the short time they spent together. They finished their tea and shared one last round of hugs before Tielan and Canghai opened spatial tears to return to their respective border fronts.

Later that same afternoon, the space in the courtyard rippled and Zhan Tian stepped out of the void. The Worldkeeper came holding two wooden fishing poles in his hand. He looked at his grandson and offered a bright and welcoming smile.

"I heard you were feeling a bit disconnected from reality," Zhan Tian said while tossing one of the wooden poles to Li Yu. "There is no better way to ground your soul than sitting quietly by the water."

Li Yu caught the pole and a genuine laugh escaped his lips, ‘It really is nice to have such a loving family.’ Li Yu instantly thought to himself.

The grandfather and grandson left the courtyard but did not return to the five star lakes. Zhan Tian took him somewhere in the wild and went fishing by a serene lake that they spotted. The two began to talk about Li Yu’s experience during the tribulation, like he did with his parents while the two enjoyed fishing, just like how it was before the tribulation had come.