Myriad Rivers to the Sea

The military pens of the Violet Deep were also a marvel of craftsmanship. Commander Vaneer led Li Yu and Malos down a winding staircase carved directly into the dark coral cliff. The bustling sounds of the coastal capital slowly faded away. They were replaced by the rhythmic and crashing of ocean waves. It sounded like the low, echoing roars of thousands of war beasts.

The pens were not small cages. They were massive artificial lagoons and deep water trenches that were separated by thick barriers of water Qi. Elite beast tamers walked along the suspended stone walkways with exhausted expressions. The recent war and normal duties of defending had taken a massive toll on the aquatic vanguard and the healers were completely overwhelmed.

Vaneer stopped at a shallow lagoon filled with heavily armored seahorses. These were Foundation Establishment beasts used for rapid coastal patrols. Several of them lay listlessly near the surface. Their dark blue scales were peeling and their breathing was incredibly shallow.

"They pushed their speed too hard during the retreat maneuvers," Vaneer explained with a heavy sigh. "Our healers say their water meridians are fractured but they cannot pinpoint the exact blockages. The beasts are in too much pain and no one can identify the way to treat them.."

Li Yu stepped forward and knelt by the edge of the crystal clear water. He closed his eyes and activated the subtle aura of his Koi Martial Spirit. They immediately broadcasted their localized pain directly into his mind.

"The blockages are clustered near their primary dorsal fins," Li Yu noted calmly. He rolled up his sleeves and dipped his hands into the cool water. He did not forget to absorb a bit of Qi from all the aquatic beasts in the region. It was something he wasn’t able to do in a long time since coming to this world. But now it was time once again to feast.

As usual with beasts that weren’t his enemies, he only took very little and avoided anyone that was already injured. The energy went directly into the sphere floating inside his inner world. It had become somewhat of a basecamp from which he drew Qi out of for cultivation.

The seahorses normally thrashed when the military healers approached. This time they sensed the soothing life force radiating from the human and swam weakly toward his palms. Li Yu channeled his Laws of Life. A soft emerald green energy spread through the water and seeped into the beasts. He meticulously guided his Qi to knit their fractured meridians back together. Doing what he could before letting their own constitutions take over the rest of the recovery.

"A classic case of extreme Qi exhaustion!" Malos bellowed suddenly. The ancient Demon Lord struck a dramatic pose on the walkway. "Quickly Doctor Li! Apply the soothing arts before their cores destabilize!"

Li Yu paused and gave Malos a completely blank look.

"I am the Shouting Assistant." Malos reminded the baffled beast tamers standing nearby. He puffed out his chest and nodded sagely. "I diagnose the invisible ailments while the Quiet Physician does the manual labor. It is a highly efficient system."

Li Yu just shook his head and returned to his work. Within minutes the seahorses brightened entirely. Their dark blue scales regained their vibrant luster and they began swimming with rapid joyful energy around Li Yu's hands. They chirped happily and nudged his fingers in gratitude.

"Flawless execution!" Malos shouted while pulling a pristine white silk towel from his spatial ring. He slapped the towel onto Li Yu's shoulder with excessive enthusiasm. "Wipe the sweat from your brow Doctor! We have many patients remaining!"

Li Yu had not broken a single drop of sweat but he took the towel anyway. He dried his hands with it and stood up. Vaneer was in a good mood seeing that Li Yu had the capability after all.

They moved deeper into the facility and approached a dry enclosure. A massive, volcanic ash hound lay on its side. It was a terrestrial beast captured during the recent border skirmishes and repurposed for terrestrial guard duty along the cliffs. The beast possessed a Core Formation aura but it was currently whimpering and coughing up black sludge.

"He ate something he shouldn't have," Li Yu said before Vaneer could even explain. Li Yu reached out and touched the hound's burning snout. He felt the specific elemental signature of toxic deep sea coral rotting inside its stomach. The hound had likely scavenged a tainted fish near the docks. He had seen something like this several times already during his lifetime and was able to spot it quickly.

The military healers had been trying to force the hound to swallow purging pills. The pills were only making the beast violently ill because the deep sea toxin was actively resisting the fire attributed medicine.

Li Yu did not need complex alchemy. He was entirely immune to poison and possessed the Devouring Abyssal Leviathan Physique. He placed his palm directly on the hound's abdomen. He activated his devouring arts and simply sucked the toxic rot right out of the beast. The black sludge dissolved into raw energy and was absorbed harmlessly into his own foundation.

The ash hound immediately stopped coughing. It let out a loud happy bark and licked Li Yu's hand.

"Incredible extraction technique!" Malos announced loudly to the growing crowd of beast tamers following them. "Notice the complete lack of surgical tools! This is the pinnacle of the medical Dao! Another towel for the physician!" Many ignored him but the result was undeniable.

Malos slapped another folded silk towel onto Li Yu's other shoulder. Li Yu sighed and tossed both towels back to the Demon Lord.

"Please stop yelling Malos," Li Yu requested politely. "You are going to startle the larger patients."

"Nonsense!" Malos cheered. "A good assistant maintains high morale! High morale makes healing faster. Everyone knows that."

Vaneer led them toward the deeper trenches. The beasts here were larger and much more dangerous. They reached an enclosed trench holding a Nascent Soul anglerfish. The beast was the size of a warship. Its usually blinding lure was sputtering weakly and covered in a parasitic shadow fungus of sorts. The anglerfish was thrashing violently and smashing its massive body against the coral walls in agony.

"It picked up the parasite fighting off something," Vaneer yelled over the crashing waves. "The fungus feeds on the light attribute Qi. It is eating the beast's lure and driving it mad. We cannot cut it off! It would be like destroying half of the beast's core."

"The beast is unruly!" Malos declared loudly. He stepped to the edge of the trench and rolled up his sleeves. "Assistant Malos shall administer the anesthetic!"

Before Li Yu could stop him, Malos released a microscopic fraction of his Demon Lord aura. He condensed the crushing weight of a Sovereign and dropped it specifically onto the anglerfish. The massive beast instantly froze in terror. Its eyes rolled back and it went completely limp. It floated to the surface like a massive dead log.

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

"The patient is ready for surgery!" Malos cheered and offered Li Yu a thumbs up.

Li Yu stared at the paralyzed beast. It was a unique approach but it was undeniably effective. Li Yu jumped down from the walkway and landed lightly on the beast's massive snout.

He examined the shadow fungus closely. It was deeply rooted in the fleshy lure. Li Yu used his Void Qi to form a highly condensed and razor sharp blade over his index finger. He moved with the practiced precision of a master artisan. He surgically scraped the fungus away from the lure and devoured the residual shadow Qi to prevent it from spreading.

Meanwhile he was using his Laws of Life to keep additional flesh from being damaged. He then channeled his Laws of Life into the open wound. He accelerated the healing process and regrew the damaged tissue. The lure slowly sparked back to life and glowed with the brilliant warmth of a small sun. It would still take much more time to get back to perfect health but it was the step in the right direction..

Li Yu jumped back up to the walkway. He gave Malos a nod and Malos lifted his terrifying aura.

The anglerfish woke up with a massive gasp. It thrashed for a moment before realizing the agonizing pain was mostly gone. The massive war beast looked up at Li Yu and let out a low rumbling purr that vibrated the entire coral cliff.

"We saved another one!" Malos boasted to Vaneer. "We are the greatest medical duo in the history of the Violet Deep! I will now become his manager. If you want to do business with us, you need to pay."

Vaneer was completely speechless. He wanted to ignore Malos because he was only ever speaking nonsense since they had arrived. However, Malos was a Demon Lord and to ignore a Demon Lord would be asking for an early trip to the grave.

Not knowing what else to do, the commander led them down further. The water here was incredibly cold and dark. A single colossal lagoon held a Soul Transformation beast. It was a Leviathan Serpent. The creature had fought on the front lines against the Ironwood forces and its injuries were horrific.

The serpent was incredibly long and its dark blue scales were thicker than castle walls. A massive jagged chunk of petrified ironwood was embedded deep in its side. The wood was still alive. It was actively growing thick roots into the serpent's flesh and siphoning its life force even though its user was long dead.

"This is one of our best vanguard beasts." Vaneer whispered with sorrow. "The healers cannot remove the wood. If they cut the roots, the ironwood will instantly detonate its stored Qi and kill the serpent from the inside. We are just making it comfortable until it passes."

Li Yu studied the wound with intense focus. This was a true challenge. The roots were wrapped entirely around the beast's primary heart. It required extreme precision and a massive reserve of Qi to fix. He thought through several methods that might or could work. After studying it and probing it, Li Yu came up with a plan that might work.

"I need to devour the ambient wood Qi to neutralize the detonation threat," Li Yu explained his plan aloud. "But draining the Qi will cause the beast's heart to fail. I have to simultaneously flood the serpent with life Qi to keep its heart beating during the extraction. I will then isolate the heart with Void Qi from the roots as they weaken."

"A highly advanced procedure!" Malos shouted while vigorously rubbing his hands together. "I shall manage the bleeding! Keeping the beast still while you work."

With no other other options to choose from, Veneer decided to gamble on a chance that it could work. He prepared to help out wherever needed.

Li Yu stepped off the platform and floated down to the massive ironwood stump protruding from the serpent. The beast let out a weak rattling hiss as he approached but it did not have the strength to fight. Even still, Malos performed his duties and was keeping the beast in place. Li Yu placed his hand gently on the beast's cold scales and projected his Koi’s empathy. He sent waves of calm reassurance into the predator's mind.

The serpent stopped hissing and closed its yellow eyes.

Li Yu placed both hands on the jagged ironwood stump. He took a deep breath and pushed his Devouring Abyssal Leviathan Physique to its absolute limit. Together with his Koi martial spirit, he acted as a localized black hole. He drew the chaotic and parasitic wood Qi directly out and pulled it into his own body.

At the exact same time he unleashed a torrent of pure emerald energy. He channeled his healing arts using the Laws of Life directly into the serpent's body to artificially sustain its failing heart. As the roots weakened, he began to weave Void Qi around the heart of the beast to protect it from further damage.

The process was incredibly delicate. If he devoured too fast the roots would snap and detonate. If he healed too slowly the beast would die of shock. Li Yu stood perfectly still with his eyes closed entirely focused on the flow of energy within the massive beast. He was beginning to sweat and pushing his senses, control and mastery to its very limits.

The minutes dragged on. Vaneer held his breath. Even Malos stopped shouting and watched in silence. Slowly, the thick roots began to wither and turn gray as Li Yu drained their power. Once the wood Qi was entirely neutralized Li Yu gave a sharp powerful tug.

The ironwood stump slid out of the wound with a sickening wet sound.

A geyser of dark blood immediately erupted from the open cavity. Malos was actually helpful like he said he would be. The Demon Lord pointed a single finger from the walkway and used his Qi. He pinched and sealed the massive severed arteries preventing the serpent from bleeding out.

Li Yu tossed the dead ironwood stump aside. He washed the massive open wound with a mix of his the Laws of Destruction in conjunction with his healing arts. He was destroying the left over Qi from the original attack so the wound could actually heal.

He then accelerated the serpent's natural healing factor and watched as the thick muscle and bone aggressively knitted back together. Vaneer fed the beast an additional healing pill to further aid it. Li Yu then finally sealed the flesh completely leaving only a pale scar where the lethal wound had been. It would take much more time for it to heal over but at least it could begin the process.

Li Yu floated back up to the walkway and let out a long breath. The entire process had drained him but he learned a lot from it. As he grew stronger and his own understanding grew, he saw the usefulness for each law. Just now the Law of Destruction was used to aid in the healing process and Void was used to protect. Applications weren’t just limited to what you’d originally think. Opening Li Yu’s mind to more possibilities.

The Leviathan Serpent opened its massive yellow eyes. It took a deep rumbling breath. The pain that had been slowly killing it was mostly gone. The beast raised its head high above the water and let out a deafening roar of gratitude that shook the surrounding area. The serpent then bowed its massive head until its snout touched the stone walkway right at Li Yu's feet.

Commander Vaneer felt great. This beast had been in many battles with him and he didn’t want to see it die. He was overwhelmed that a fellow warrior and friend would get to live on. These beasts were the pride of their military and Li Yu had helped out.

"Brother Li Yu," Vaneer said with his voice thick with emotion. "I do not have the words to thank you. You have given the Violet Deep a gift upon your arrival."

"It was my pleasure Commander," Li Yu smiled while wiping his hands on another of the silk towels Malos had forced upon him. "I am a beast physician. It is simply what I do."

"And I am the Shouting Assistant!" Malos chimed in while offering a grand bow to some cheering beast tamers. "We accept all forms of praise and admiration! Payment too if you have it."

Vaneer then looked at Li Yu with a sudden hesitant expression. Li Yu had already helped them out so much already. He was supposed to be viewing the sights around the capital, not helping heal the war beasts here.

"Brother Li Yu, your skills are truly beyond what I thought." Vaneer started carefully. "You have already done so much but I must ask one final favor. We have two guardian beasts. They are incredibly ancient and powerful. Something seems wrong with one of them. We haven’t been able to figure it out. Would you be willing to take a look at them?"

Li Yu looked at the hopeful commander. Since he was already helping, he would help the entire way. He saw it as an additional learning experience. The job he just took on just now had opened a few new doors for him. Perhaps meeting the guardian beasts of this capital will further open a few more doors.

"I would be happy to," Li Yu agreed with a nod. "Lead the way."