Myriad Rivers to the Sea

Li Yu stood on the weathered wooden deck of the levitating skiff and looked out into the absolute dark. They had officially left The Veil. They were now adrift in the chaotic and terrifying expanse of the cosmic void.

Old Du stood at the stern of the small vessel. The ancient ferryman paddled in complete silence. His tattered grey robes drifted slightly despite the total lack of wind. The skiff glided effortlessly across the dark currents of space.

Daiki stood near the bow. The giant crimson demon gripped the wooden railing with his massive hands. His golden eyes were fixed on the distant darkness ahead. He was incredibly tense. The bravado he usually displayed in the open air restaurants was entirely gone. He looked like a soldier marching toward a battlefield he knew he could not survive.

"My father is not a reasonable man," Daiki spoke suddenly. His deep voice broke the heavy silence of the cosmic journey. "I need you to understand exactly what we are walking into, Li Yu. Lord Tarkan does not negotiate. He commands."

"I am aware. You have spoken of him so much I feel like I already know him." Li Yu replied with a smile. He stepped up beside his friend and leaned against the railing. "But you are not the same person who fled his realm years ago. You survived the engine of Astramentis. You have grown stronger."

"I have," Daiki agreed with a heavy sigh. "I broke through to the Domain King realm during my time there. I left home as a Law Integration expert like yourself. But my father is not a Domain King. He is in the Tribulation realm."

Li Yu frowned slightly. The hierarchy of the myriad realms was vast and often convoluted. He only knew of the names of the realms up to Paragon. He felt that was already enough since there was still such a long way to go to even reach there.

"I do not know the exact rankings that high up," Li Yu admitted honestly. "What is the gap between Domain King and Tribulation realm?"

Daiki turned to look at him. His expression was completely serious.

"It is a chasm that swallows most cultivators whole," Daiki explained. His voice carried the weight of a powerful clan’s teachings. "To step beyond Paragon, you must survive the Karma Severing realm."

Li Yu listened intently. He had heard the term mentioned in passing by the native elders but he had never understood the mechanics behind it.

"The Karma Severing realm is unique," Daiki continued. "It is not about gathering more power. It is a psychological crucible. To pass through it, you must undergo a tribulation based entirely on the karma you have sown throughout your long life leading up to there."

"A judgment of your actions?" Li Yu asked.

"No," Daiki shook his head firmly. "It is a common misconception but the cosmos does not judge you for being good or evil or otherwise. It only tests the stability of your Dao Heart. If a cultivator has lived a life of extreme evil and slaughter, the tribulation takes that heavy karma and creates a devil heart within them. It relentlessly assaults their mind and tries to drive them into permanent madness. If their will is not strong enough to conquer their own darkness, they become mindless beasts."

Daiki paused and looked back out at the starry void.

"Conversely, if a cultivator has lived a life of extreme righteousness and good deeds, the tribulation uses that positive karma against them," Daiki said softly. "It lulls them into an illusionary paradise. It gives them everything they ever wanted. Peace, love and absolute safety. It traps them in complacency. If their Dao Heart lacks the edge to sever those comforting illusions and seek the truth, they will sit smiling in that paradise forever while their physical body rots away. Then there is every bit of grey in between. What everyone experiences will vary but that is the basic idea."

Li Yu absorbed this information carefully. The concept was fascinating and brutal. The cosmos did not care about morality. It only cared about unyielding willpower. It made him think about the Pagoda of the Veiled Path. His pragmatic choices and his refusal to be morally blackmailed might actually serve him well when he eventually reached that stage. His Dao Heart was not burdened by the impossible desire to save everyone, nor was it corrupted by mindless slaughter.

"It is a terrifying test," Li Yu noted. "And your father passed it."

"He did," Daiki nodded grimly. "He conquered his karma and then later on stepped into the Tribulation realm. That is where the true physical danger begins. To enter and progress through the Tribulation realm, you must undergo elemental wrath from the cosmos itself. It is a tribulation of thunder, cosmic fire, destructive wind and others."

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Daiki gripped the wooden railing tighter. The wood groaned under the pressure.

"But it is not random," Daiki explained. "The cosmos sends elements specifically designed to counter the laws you have mastered. If you cultivate the Dao of Fire, the tribulation will send ice to freeze your soul. It is a brutal and unforgiving test of your true understanding of your own laws. If your comprehension is flawed or if your foundation is weak, the tribulation simply kills you. There is no second chance."

Li Yu finally understood the immense danger of the higher realms. Law Integration and Domain King were internal struggles. But Karma Severing and Tribulation were the first two realms where external cosmic forces directly intervened and actively tried to destroy you during a breakthrough.

"Thank you for the explanation," Li Yu said respectfully. "It is good to know exactly how high the mountain reaches."

Daiki offered a faint and humorless smile. "My father survived the thunder. He sits as one of the strongest of our realm. He is an absolute force of nature. We must tread very carefully when we speak with him."

Li Yu nodded in agreement. He would not underestimate Lord Tarkan.

The cosmic void slowly began to shift. The dark expanse of space was gradually replaced by a deep red. The skiff sailed through the glowing cosmic dust and approached. The energy in the void changed abruptly.

The moment they pierced the realm, Li Yu felt a heavy and oppressive weight settle over his shoulders. The ambient Qi here was different from the refined and peaceful energy of Kyokai City. It was incredibly dense, chaotic and harsh.

"Welcome to the Kurogane Realm," Daiki announced. He let go of the railing and stood tall.

Li Yu expanded his senses. He could feel the violent intent bleeding from the very earth below. He remembered the demonic realm he had visited. He remembered the brutal and unforgiving nature of Malos and the other demon kings. The Kurogane Realm felt remarkably similar.

It was most likely a place devoid of any gentle philosophy. Daiki had described it as a brutal realm where the strong ruled with absolute authority and the weak simply fought to survive another day.

Old Du steered the wooden skiff through. The landscape was a sprawling continent composed entirely of jagged grey stone and deep volcanic fissures. The ancient ferryman guided the skiff with practiced precision. They flew over vast wastelands and towering mountain ranges and were heading directly toward the center of the continent.

Eventually, a massive sprawl of dark architecture broke through the haze.

Old Du slowed the skiff and brought it to a gentle halt in the air. He had it hovering just above a high black ridge that overlooked a sprawling metropolis. The journey was over.

"This is as far as I go," Old Du rasped. The ferryman leaned heavily on his wooden paddle. "The capital is directly below. I will not involve myself in the politics of your clan."

Li Yu turned and offered the ancient survivor a respectful bow. "You have done more than enough, Old Du. Thank you for bringing us here."

"We had an agreement," Old Du replied simply. His weathered face remained perfectly impassive. "When you have secured your medicine and are ready to leave this place, contact me through your soul jade badge. I will return to pull you back. Once you step off my skiff in Kyokai City, the favor will be fully concluded."

"Understood," Li Yu agreed.

Daiki also offered the ferryman a respectful bow of thanks. The giant demon stepped over the side of the railing and dropped heavily onto the ridge. Li Yu followed and landed beside his friend with a soft thud.

They looked back as the grey mist of the cosmic boundary flared around the wooden skiff. Old Du did not say another word. He simply pushed his paddle into the empty air. The skiff slid backward and dissolved into the mist, vanishing from the Kurogane Realm.

Li Yu turned his attention to the sprawling city resting in the massive valley below.

It was a breathtaking and terrifying sight. The capital of the Blood Iron Clan was not built for beauty or comfort. It was a brutal engine of war and industry. The entire city was themed around dark metal, volcanic stone and roaring fire.

The outer walls were impossibly high. They were forged from solid blocks of black iron and reinforced with glowing red runes that pulsed with defensive intent. A churning river of molten lava encircled the entire fortress city. The intense heat radiated upward and was distorting the air and painting the sky in a permanent, bloody hue.

Inside the walls, the architecture was equally imposing. Jagged spires of dark grey stone pierced the ash filled sky. They looked like the broken teeth of an ancient leviathan. Giant foundries and weapon forges occupied entire city blocks. Towering chimneys belched thick columns of black smoke into the atmosphere, ensuring the sun was never truly visible.

The ambient Qi here was thick with the spilled intent of warriors. The faint and rhythmic sound of heavy hammers striking anvils echoed continuously from the valley below. It sounded like the beating heart of a metallic beast.

The design and structure reminded Li Yu of the capital of Ignis back on the demonic realm.

In the very center of the sprawling industrial nightmare stood the main palace. It was a colossal fortress. Rivers of liquid fire cascaded down the jagged stone walls and illuminated the iron banners that bore the crest of the Blood Iron Clan. It was a place that birthed tyrants.

Daiki stood on the ridge and stared down at the roaring forge fires of his home. His golden eyes reflected the violent red light of the lava below. He took a slow and deep breath of the sulfur choked air. His massive shoulders squared and his hands curled into tight fists. He was no longer running away from here.

"Let us go," Daiki rumbled. "It is time to see my father."