Myriad Rivers to the Sea

The universe has followed an ironclad rule that had governed the Myriad Realms since the very dawn of time. The heavens never cut off the path of survival for those brave enough to walk it. A tribulation did not gather merely to strike a cultivator down and turn them into forgotten ash. It also gathered to reward the one who could endure its punishing wrath and prove their right to exist. Li Yu had succeeded in surviving the agonizing execution, barely, but now he plunged directly into the heart of the storm to claim his rightful prize.

Li Yu flew into the center of the clouds with his skeletal frame bathed in the residual glow of his Fisherman soul. The death energy that had tried to rot his flesh away over the last few days suddenly inverted its lethal nature as the raw cosmic power recognized his victory over the crucible and transformed into a boundless ocean of creation energy. He floated in the center of the tempest while his broken body drank in the ambient laws of the universe.

His Devouring Abyssal Leviathan physique had undergone an evolution to become the Heavenly Leviathan Physique. The process was agonizing but it was filled with a vibrant and overwhelming life force that helped to push the pain away.

The microscopic layers of blue scales began to grow over his bones and then again over his muscles. Laws interweaved and settled into every cell of his being. Bits and traces of the lightning he had endured began traveling to every part of his body, empowering and settling in as well. Even the deadly black purple and white lightning could be found within his body and it would be up to Li Yu to discover what he could do with it all.

This intricate rebirth of his physical body drained a full third of the gathered clouds. The storm had used the first third to try to kill him over the past three days and it now sacrificed another third to rebuild him into something far greater than he once was. One full day passed within the swirling vortex as his body achieved its final restoration and the dark sky began to lighten.

With his new Heavenly Leviathan Physique secured and radiating power, Li Yu turned his attention to his Qi foundation. He opened his newly forged meridians and pulled the remaining third of the tribulation clouds into his being. The cosmic barrier separating him from the Tribulation realm shattered like fragile glass at the incoming energy. He did not even pause to consolidate his strength at this new stage as his power continued to soar. The heavenly energy pushed his cultivation forward like a raging river breaking through a paper dam.

He passed through the Tribulation stage and entered the Origin Awakening realm in a matter of hours. The vast energy pooled in his center and ignited the bright sparks of origin laws within his spiritual sea. He continued to draw upon the remaining storm to fuel his ascent and his aura swelled rapidly as he approached the Sovereign realm as well

Down below on the viewing balcony, Zhan Tian narrowed his eyes and spotted a critical problem developing in the sky. After such a cataclysm of an event, the rewards were equally as good but a problem had arisen. The young man needed even more Qi to absorb because the brutal test had pushed his potential far beyond the limits of the remaining storm. The heavenly energy gathered by the tribulation was running dry but Li Yu was still climbing toward the next great threshold. If a cultivator ran out of energy during a chain breakthrough, it could severely damage their foundation and ruin their future prospects for quite some time.

Zhan Tian did not hesitate to solve the issue for his beloved grandson, this was something he could actually help with. He quickly took out a vast portion of his own personal wealth and launched a stream of glowing storage rings into the sky. Li Canghai and Zhan Tielan saw the deficit through their own divine senses and immediately followed his lead. They emptied their spatial rings and sent mountains of high grade spirit stones and rare medicinal pills flying toward the shrinking storm.

The hidden legion leaders stationed in the void around the realm noticed the incoming shortfall as well. They acted in unison to support their lord in his critical hour and they spared no expense in doing so. Space rippled near the edge of the clouds and several glowing storage rings materialized right next to Li Yu from all different directions. The rings shattered upon arrival and their contents poured out for all the watching spectators to see.

The people watching from the distant ridges were stunned into absolute silence.

The Zhan Clan was inherently wealthy so the disciples standing on the ridges knew what true riches looked like. The personal wealth of the Worldkeeper and his warlord children was already staggering to behold but the other resources appearing out of the void easily overtook what the parents had provided.

Rivers of pristine divine crystals and ancient spiritual herbs flooded the sky. The resources formed a glowing nebula of wealth that eclipsed the sun and painted the clouds in shades of gold and jade. Vials of rare beast blood and condensed elemental cores hovered in the air like a constellation of stars and the sight was nearly as equally majestic as the tribulation clouds from before.

The largest contribution by far came from the Golden Shell Phalanx which had the support of Golden Horizon. They were the richest among the hidden forces due to their deep commercial ties across the realms and their ancient hoarding habits. They unleashed a torrent of resources that defied all common sense and proved their unwavering devotion to Li Yu.

Back in the void, Kui sat inside his opulent carriage and watched the resources envelop the young cultivator. The ancient turtle retainer tapped his golden cane against the floorboards and spoke to himself as he continued to watch.

"Wise Host!" Kui called out with a voice full of joy as he could now finally help out once again. "At the very least I can help you once again in this way."

Li Yu didn’t hear or see what was happening around him but he felt a warmth spreading without his chest and a faint smile touched his lips. He greedily absorbed all the floating wealth without holding back a single ounce of restraint as his pores opened wide and sucked the essence of the divine crystals and pills directly into his newly forged body. The influx of Qi stabilized his core and fueled his relentless ascent forward. The sky glowed with a brilliant radiance as the mountain of treasures dissolved into pure liquid energy and washed over his skin.

Zhan Tian rose into the sky alongside Li Canghai and Zhan Tielan. The Worldkeeper stood high above the ruined plaza and swept his gaze across the horizon. He pinpointed the five distinct auras hiding in the void beyond the realm and he now acknowledged the strength guarding the perimeter. He had always felt them but also felt that they bore no ill intentions, the opposite in fact. With Li Yu now safe, he could properly address them and what they had done during the tribulation and just now. He and Li Yu’s parents bowed respectfully to each specific direction where the leaders of the legions were stationed.

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They did not exactly know who all of these hidden protectors were but the strangers were clearly here with good intentions. It was incredibly rare for the revered Worldkeeper to bow to anyone in the cosmos but Zhan Tian always made an exception when it came to things dealing with his family. Their silent protection and generous help were worthy of his respect when it came to safeguarding his family. He set his pride aside to thank the unseen forces who had just helped his grandson.

Li Yu’s parents had met the Leviathan Smashing Vanguard and the Golden Shell Phalanx before, during the rescue mission of Li Canghai. They knew those two factions were fiercely loyal to Li Yu and commanded terrifying resources but they did not know the real reasons why. They of course knew of Lian and the Veil Lotus. However, there were now another two mysterious groups standing guard and caring for their son.

Li Canghai could vaguely feel the presence of his teacher, the Heaven Severing Ancestor, as the head of one of the mysterious groups but could not understand why he was here or the forces he led. The revelation brought a sense of awe to the parents as they realized their son commanded loyalties far beyond their own understanding and they were not sure how. Li Yu had built a foundation of support that rivaled the very top clans that he came from.

Zhan Tian straightened his posture and his voice boomed across the viewing ridges to address the lingering crowd.

"The tribulation process is over," Zhan Tian announced with a tone of firm finality. "Li Yu has barely made it but he made it. All disciples and elders are to go back to what they were doing and return to your duties. I thank everyone for their support during this time and we will hold a banquet for all those that helped today as a show of our gratitude."

The stunned spectators slowly began to disperse and they whispered excitedly among themselves. They had witnessed a miracle and their minds were overwhelmed by the scale of the event they had just witnessed. The young genius had survived the wrath of the cosmos and established a legend that would be told for generations to come.

However, they also all saw the state he was in towards the end and wondered if they themselves could have survived even a fraction of that or if they even wanted to. Many agreed internally they were happy with their own progress and rather not face such an execution from the heavens. Everyone casted one final look toward the glowing sky before returning to their respective training pavilions.

Up in the sky Li Yu continued to greedily absorb the vast ocean of provided resources. His cultivation continued on and pushed past the Sovereign realm and struck the heavy barrier of the Creation Lord realm. This specific breakthrough was known to be incredibly difficult for most cultivators because it required the forging of a personal domain and the creation of their internal world. Many peak Sovereign experts spent centuries stuck at this bottleneck while they tried to comprehend that step.

But Li Yu already possessed an inner world so this step was actually much easier for him than transitioning from Origin Awakening into the Sovereign stage. The bottleneck crumbled effortlessly under the weight of his gathered Qi and he officially finished his ascent at the Creation Lord realm. Li Yu had survived the calamity and advanced a full four major realms in a single step, creating another legend but most felt it was only right after what he had just survived.

His own inner world underwent a miraculous change. The spatial boundaries of his inner world expanded rapidly until the sanctuary reached the size of several entire realms put together, a massive increase in size. The borders pushed outward and established stable atmospheric layers capable of supporting more complex life besides his forest of laws.

The vibrant life taking hold inside the expanded space was breathtaking to witness. His Forest of Laws exploded in growth as towering trees representing various truths reached for the artificial sky. The Lightning Law tree crackled with vibrant blue energy and increased in size many times over. Not only that, there were numerous other trees coming up next to it, representing the different forms of lightning that Li Yu had been bombarded with and a tiny sapling that was colored black purple and white began to grow. The leaves of the ancient trees shimmered with dao insights and their roots dug deep into the spiritual soil to anchor the realm.

The new vast space was quickly filled with lush plant life and sprawling green fields. Deep oceans formed in the distance to provide a proper home for aquatic beasts and towering mountains rose to touch the clouds. The ecosystem balanced itself with a natural grace and established a thriving environment far removed from the brutal wars of the outside universe.

Non sentient beasts began to form from the dense ambient Qi and they soon roamed the pristine environments. Flocks of spiritual birds with radiant plumage took to the air while herds of glowing deer wandered through the expanded forests. Schools of ethereal fish swam through the newly formed rivers and silver insects buzzed among the blooming flowers. His inner world evolved from a simple spatial pocket into a true flourishing world capable of sustaining its own independent cycle of life.

Observing all of this happen immensely pushed forward Li Yu’s understanding of creation and life. He gained inspirations and insights in both as he watched his inner world evolve before his very eyes and couldn’t wait to integrate such understandings into his healing techniques.

The foundation of a true Creation Lord was firmly established within him and his connection to the natural laws deepened further. He was closer to the Dao than he ever has in his entire life, being reborn from the tribulation itself. Li Yu could feel the heartbeat of his inner world echoing in his own chest and he knew he had crossed a threshold that separated the strong from the truly elite. A creation lord could easily kill a Sovereign by projecting their inner world out and no being could survive such an attack without having an inner world themselves.

The dark tribulation clouds finally dissipated and the bright sun broke through to shine down upon the Zhan Clan headquarters. The sky returned to a serene blue and the oppressive weight of the cosmic execution faded away like a bad dream. The lingering scent of ozone and burnt stone was the only remaining evidence of the brutal struggle that had taken place.

Li Yu floated in the clear sky for a brief moment before his eyes rolled back in his head. The physical rebuilding was complete and his cultivation had reached incredible new heights but he was mentally spent. The agonizing torment of the last four days and then three days of evolution caught up to his exhausted mind and his mind finally crashed. He lost consciousness without making a single sound.

His body went limp and he began falling from the high altitude like a broken kite tumbling through the wind.

Zhan Tian vanished from his spot on the balcony and reappeared in the air to catch his grandson gently. The Worldkeeper held the unconscious young man close to his chest and let out a long sigh of relief, he hadn’t been this worried in ages and it took a toll on his mind as well.

He looked down at the peaceful face of the new Creation Lord and smiled brightly. The boy had defied the heavens and survived the crucible to claim his goals. Zhan Tian turned away from the ruined plaza and carried his grandson back to their home to rest.