Myriad Rivers to the Sea

The recovery process lasted a full month and began in a secluded and heavily guarded chamber of the Zhan Clan headquarters. Li Yu lay perfectly still on a bed carved from a single pristine block of ancient spirit jade. The ambient energy in the room flowed over his dormant figure like a gentle river providing a constant supply of nurturing essence to his exhausted physical shell.

He remained laying there in absolute silence while a transformation took place deep within his body. His soul, body, Qi and other parts of him all needed to resynchronize after enduring the brutal execution of the cosmic execution block. He was nearly a completely different person than the one that had gone into the tribulation, practically born anew once again.

The toll of being pushed to the very brink of true death and then reviving was severe. He had managed to break through four major realms and officially step into the Creation Lord stage but that miraculous leap demanded a heavy price. The microscopic scales weaving over his bones and under his skin required time to settle into a harmonious state with his new flesh as well. Every cell in his newly forged Heavenly Leviathan Physique needed to adapt to the staggering power now resting within.

His physical body rested in a deep state of suspended animation and his mind mainly rested alongside it. The trauma of feeling his own flesh rot away and smelling his own decay had placed a heavy burden on his mental state. The entire tribulation did. The quiet sanctuary of sleep offered him a necessary reprieve from the clarity of his new cultivation realm.

Time flowed smoothly in the outside world and two weeks slowly passed by. Halfway through the scheduled month of recovery his mind finally regained its sense of awareness.

Li Yu tried to open his physical eyes but his body remained unresponsive to him. His limbs felt incredibly heavy and disconnected from his conscious will. The synchronization process was far from finished so his physical vessel was simply not ready to wake up yet, regardless of how much he willed it so. He did not panic though, understanding the delicate nature of such damage and knew that rushing the process would only invite disastrous consequences for his future path.

Instead, Li Yu used this quiet time to do a few things that had been weighing subconsciously in his mind since the tribulation ended. He projected his ethereal consciousness inward and descended into the vast expanse of his own internal foundation. He arrived in the boundless space containing his Ocean of Qi.

As his glowing ethereal form drifted above the waters, he immediately noticed that his Ocean of Qi was very different now. Its usual serene opalescent color was still present and shining with a pearlescent beauty but the calm surface was gone. The entire ocean was crackling with vibrant lightning all over.

The vast expanse of liquid energy looked like it was heavily electrified and there was lightning constantly weaving deep within the currents. Li Yu hovered in the air and watched the spectacular display of elemental power. Lightning of all different kinds of colors sparked and danced across the waves. The energy possessed a strange sentience as the colored arcs sometimes came together to form intricate shapes.

He watched a cluster of azure lightning weave itself into the shape of a soaring dragon that crashed back into the waves. A moment later a burst of crimson sparks coalesced into a brilliant phoenix that fluttered its wings before dissolving into the opalescent sea. He even saw sharp bolts of silver and gold form into the shapes of ancient spears and heavy broadswords drifting along the surface.

Li Yu lowered his ethereal form and reappeared directly on the surface of the electrified waters. The wild lightning did not attack him or repel his presence. The colorful arcs rushed over to him and swirled around his ankles in a playful manner, almost as if they were alive. It seemed like the elemental energy was actively welcoming him home and that it had missed him.

He extended his glowing hand and willed some of the energy to come to him. He wanted to test his connection to what he had absorbed during his rebirth. Strangely enough, the specific energy that answered his call was the black purple and white lightning.

The lethal tri-colored energy rose from the depths of the ocean and floated gently into the palm of his hand. It did not carry the suffocating aura of finality or the heavy presence of death anymore. It rested in his palm and danced around playfully, almost like a warm candle flame.

Li Yu looked at the dancing sparks and chuckled a bit to himself. This was the very thing that was sent to erase his existence just a few short weeks ago and had nearly done so. The cosmos had deployed this specific execution energy to kill him and turn his bones to dust. Now the fearsome lightning rested in his hand and they seemed like incredibly close friends sharing a quiet moment together.

'That is how the path goes sometimes,' Li Yu thought while watching the lightning sway in his palm. 'Sometimes the worst enemies become your greatest allies. Sometimes the very thing that was sent to kill you is exactly what makes you stronger in the end.'

He gently tipped his hand forward and released the tri-colored lightning back into the opalescent ocean. The deadly sparks happily dissolved into the rolling waves and resumed their endless dance with the other elemental shapes.

Li Yu shifted his focus upward and his ethereal form vanished from the surface of the sea. He reappeared a moment later on the floating soul island suspended above the Ocean of Qi.

The environment here was different than usual. His Human soul was currently away spending time with Elysia, as it usually does since she had joined, on her own distant island but this specific floating rock usually hosted his other companions. Muddy was often found grazing on the spiritual grass while the old grandma Xyphyra managed the small details of the island like a dedicated servant.

But as Li Yu stepped onto the soft grass, he noticed that Xyphyra was nowhere to be seen. He scanned the perimeter and realized that surprisingly no other soul was present on the island either. Muddy was gone and the usual ambient sounds of the spiritual beast were entirely absent.

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The only soul occupying the island now was the Fisherman.

The figure sat near the edge of the floating landmass with his legs crossed and his fishing pole resting across his lap. The weathered straw hat cast a deep shadow over his features and his simple woven cloak fluttered gently in the ethereal breeze. It was like he had banished the other inhabitants from the area or perhaps they simply knew to leave him alone out of respect or fear.

Li Yu walked slowly across the grass and stopped a respectful distance away from the seated figure. He straightened his posture and bowed deeply to the Fisherman soul. He held the bow for a long time to convey the true depth of his gratitude.

"Thank you," Li Yu said with sincerity ringing in his voice. "Thank you for saving my life once again."

The Fisherman did not move or acknowledge the bow. He remained seated and kept his hidden gaze fixed on the electrified ocean far below them. Li Yu rose from his bow and stood quietly for a moment. He then spoke up again but kept his tone gentle and respectful.

"I have a lot of questions about what happened and about who you truly are," Li Yu said while looking at the weathered cloak. "Could you answer them for me?"

The Fisherman remained quiet. The only sound on the island was the distant crackle of lightning echoing up from the opalescent sea.

Li Yu did not push the issue immediately though. He stood there and waited patiently while the minutes stretched out into a long and heavy silence. He knew this entity carried secrets and demanding answers would accomplish nothing, just like every other time before. After a long while Li Yu took a small breath and asked again in a soft voice.

"Will you tell me?" Li Yu asked.

Another long stretch of silence went by and the ethereal breeze rustled the grass around their feet. Li Yu was prepared to wait for as long as it took and he kept his gaze steady. Then finally the Fisherman answered him.

"The only thing you need to know is that I would never harm you," the Fisherman spoke and his voice echoed across the quiet island. "I only have your best interest at heart."

The words themselves were comforting and offered a solid vow of protection but the voice delivering them was unsettling. The tone was exactly the same as when the Fisherman had challenged the tribulation clouds.

It still carried a crushing weight of negative emotions. Li Yu could hear endless layers of raw hatred and deep resentment woven into every syllable. He could hear bitter blame and a burning anger that felt like it could incinerate the heavens themselves. It was the voice of someone who had endured endless years of suffering and carried the scars of ruined worlds.

Li Yu listened to the heavy sorrow bleeding through the words and he felt a deep ache form in his own chest.

"I know that already," Li Yu said without a single trace of hesitation. "Your actions after all this time have proven yourself to me many times over. That is something I have never questioned and I have always trusted you with my life."

He took a step closer to the seated phantom and lowered his voice to a compassionate whisper.

"However, that is not what I am asking about right now," Li Yu continued. "I want to ask about how you are doing."

The Fisherman shifted slightly and the tip of his straw hat tilted upward just a fraction.

"You always seemed fine when you were resting here in silence," Li Yu explained while gesturing to the peaceful island around them. "But your voice says something else now that you have finally spoken to me. You carry so much pain and anger. I am a great listener and I would be happy to lend an ear if you ever want to talk about it."

A strange sound rumbled from beneath the woven cloak. The Fisherman laughed out loud in a surprisingly carefree manner. The booming sound echoed across the empty island and bounced off the invisible boundaries of the spiritual space but even that supposedly joyful laughter carried those dark negative emotions. The resentment and the sorrow were permanently etched into the very fabric of his existence and seemed to never go away.

"Brat," the Fisherman said while his laughter slowly faded into a quiet sigh. "You are much too young to worry about me."

The phantom reached up and adjusted the brim of his straw hat.

"Focus on your own path," the Fisherman instructed with a firm and commanding tone. "Focus on getting stronger and achieving those grand goals you hold in your heart. The universe is vast and the challenges waiting for you will require every ounce of your dedication."

The towering figure paused for a moment and the air around the island grew incredibly still. The playful lightning in the ocean below seemed to quiet down as if anticipating the next words.

"Most importantly," the Fisherman said while his voice dropped into a deadly serious register. "Do not forget those feelings you felt when you were near death. Do not forget the unfairness and the despair of having your life stripped away by the heavens. Let that memory fuel your fire but let your feelings of hope at the exact same moment guide you forward when the path gets dark."

Li Yu stood still and let the advice sink deep into his soul, instinctively feeling that it was important. He remembered the feeling clearly as well. He remembered the smell of his own rotting flesh and the crushing weight of the lightning. Li Yu remembered the bitter taste of unrealized dreams and the agonizing sorrow of thinking he would never see his loved ones again. He remembered the fierce defiance that ignited in his core when he decided he wanted to live and conquer his fate.

Of course he remembered it all. How could he ever forget the crucible that forged him into what he was now.

"I will remember," Li Yu said with a burning intensity shining in his ethereal eyes.

He stepped back and bowed deeply to the Fisherman one more time. The respect he held for this mysterious being was boundless and he wanted to honor him but didn’t know how.

"Thank you again for giving me the chance to continue," Li Yu said while rising from his bow and looking at the weathered figure. "I will achieve those goals that I promised myself. I will gather the strength I need and I will stand at the very top of the Myriad Realms in order to achieve them."

The Fisherman did not offer another spoken reply. The phantom simply turned his head back toward the vast electrified ocean and resumed his silent vigil over the internal world. He sat like an ancient statue carved from shadow but now Li Yu saw something else. It was a sorrow or perhaps hatred, Li Yu couldn’t put his finger on it.

Li Yu offered a final respectful nod and allowed his ethereal form to fade away from the floating island. He drifted back down into the depths of his thoughts to resume the long and delicate process of harmonizing his body and his soul. He had a long recovery ahead of him but his mind was now a bit clearer and his determination had never been more unbreakable. Li Yu didn’t realize it now but his Dao Heart was in a currently perfect shape and it will remain as such.

The floating island returned to its usual silence as the young cultivator departed. The Fisherman sat alone on the edge of the grass and watched the blue and crimson lightning dragons dance across the opalescent waves far below. The ancient phantom remained quiet on the outside but a quiet thought echoed through the endless depths of his own mind.

'I hope you do,' the Fisherman thought internally while gripping his fishing pole. 'I really do hope you do.'