Myriad Rivers to the Sea

Chapter 868: The Cost of Space

The captain stared down at Li Yu with his golden reptilian eyes. The massive broadsword rested on his shoulder and the younger guards kept their spears leveled."If you do not state your purpose, we will bind you." The captain warned.

Li Yu looked around the rocky plateau. He did not know the laws of this realm or the strength of the Crimson Scale Clan. Getting arrested in a foreign land was a foolish choice when he lacked basic information. They could drag him to a dungeon or offer him as food to a stronger beast.

"I am just passing through." Li Yu replied. "I have no intention of invading your hunting grounds."

"Words are wind." The captain growled as he gestured with his free hand. "Bind him. We will let the clan chief decide what to do with him."

The five dragon people stepped forward and they reached for heavy ropes made out of what looked to be woven vines but was clearly something strong. It was hanging from their belts.

Li Yu did not wait for them to close the distance. He channeled Qi and activated his Void Step technique. In most places, stepping through the void was as easy as breathing. He could cross massive distances with a simple thought.

He expected to vanish and reappear miles away. But the moment he forced his will into the spatial fabric, a heavy resistance pushed back against his mind. The space here was incredibly dense just like the last time he had gone through such a rift. It felt like trying to punch through a solid wall of iron instead of parting a thin curtain.

Li Yu gritted his teeth and forced a massive surge of Qi. The space tore open with a sharp cracking sound and he stepped into the void as quickly as he could, vanishing from the rocky plateau.

The dragon guards stopped in their tracks. Their eyes went wide with shock at the sudden disappearance. The captain tightened his grip on his broadsword and scanned the area.

"He tore the space." The captain murmured in surprise. "Spread out and search the perimeter. He could not have gone far unless he is incredibly powerful. If we can’t find him, it will be a good thing that we can’t."

The guards took to the skies on their leathery wings but their search was in vain. Li Yu was already gone. Miles away from the Labyrinth of Lost Scales, the air shimmered on a barren rocky outcropping. Li Yu stumbled out of the void and landed hard on his hands and knees.

He gasped for air the moment he came out. His chest heaved and sweat poured down his forehead. The brief spatial jump had drained a massive portion of his Qi reserves. It was a staggering loss of energy for such a short distance and showed that his mastery of the void wasn’t quite good enough for this place.

He sat back on the rough stone and wiped his face. He analyzed the air around him and the feeling of the spatial tear. The laws of this realm were heavier and more rigid. The spatial fabric was thick and tough. He realized that relying on Void Step for casual travel or rapid combat evasion would be highly dangerous here. It would drain him dry before a fight even reached its climax.

"I will need to be extra careful in the future." Li Yu told himself.

He retrieved a few spirit stones from his storage ring. He crushed them in his hands and absorbed the pure energy to replenish his depleted meridians since he did not know what to expect next. It would be best to keep himself in top condition at all times until he understood this place better. He sat on the rocky outcropping until his breathing returned to normal and his strength recovered.

Li Yu stood up and looked at the landscape stretching out before him. It was a harsh and rugged terrain with deep canyons cut through jagged mountains and wide rivers carved through rocky plains.

He resumed his exploration on foot and kept his presence masked to avoid drawing attention. As he traveled, he began to notice the signs of habitation. But they were not the signs he was used to seeing.

There were no wooden houses, stone pavilions or paved roads. The settlements here were built for beasts. He saw a towering cliff face riddled with massive holes. Giant avian creatures flew in and out of the hollowed spaces, carrying long branches to weave into their intricate nests.

Later in the day, he passed a wide crater filled with sprawling burrows. Insectoid beasts with hard carapaces scurried around the entrances, dragging massive carcasses down into the dark tunnels. He even spotted a den constructed from the bleached bones of colossal monsters, inhabited by heavily muscled feline beasts.

It was a realm of raw nature. Homes were built for survival rather than comfort.

After two days of traveling through the rugged terrain, Li Yu arrived at the base of a rough mountain. The stone was dark and jagged, making the climb more difficult. He scaled the rocky slopes and was navigating around deep fissures and loose boulders.

Near the middle of the mountain, he found a shallow cave system sheltered by a large stone overhang. He stopped near the entrance as he noticed things. A small fire crackled in the center of the cavern and around the fire sat a group of humanoid figures.

They were salamander people. They possessed slender frames covered in bright orange and black skin. Their hands and feet were webbed and their faces featured large, dark, expressive eyes. They were not wearing leaves or grass. They wore patched tunics of rough spun cloth and durable leather belts. They carried spears forged from dark iron and had short rusted blades at their hips.

There were only about fifteen of them. It was a tiny village but it would be more accurate to call it a tribe. It looked more like a desperate gathering of refugees than a proper settlement.

One of the younger salamanders noticed Li Yu standing near the cave entrance. He let out a sharp hiss and pointed his iron spear at him. The rest of the people quickly jumped to their feet and they formed a tight defensive circle while raising their weapons.

They were cautious but their hands were trembling. Li Yu's spiritual sense swiped outward and he could sense their cultivation levels. The strongest among them was barely at the Core Formation realm. They were incredibly weak compared to the predators roaming the lands in the forest.

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Li Yu raised his hands to show they were empty. He stepped into the light of the fire and kept his aura suppressed.

"I mean you no harm." Li Yu said softly. "I am a traveler and I am just looking for a place to rest. I am a stranger here and would like to understand the land."

The salamander people looked at each other in confusion. An older figure pushed through the defensive circle. His orange skin was faded, wrinkled and he leaned heavily on a twisted wooden staff capped with a heavy brass ornament.

"Lower your weapons." The elder ordered his people.

The younger salamander people reluctantly lowered their iron spears but they kept their dark eyes fixed on Li Yu. The elder ignored them and stepped forward to study Li Yu.

"You are a strange creature." The elder rasped. His voice was dry and weak. "We do not see many travelers on this barren rock. But hospitality is the way of the mountain. I am Elder Narkis. You may share our fire."

"Thank you." Li Yu said with a slight bow. He walked slowly over and sat down on a flat stone near the flames.

The gathering slowly relaxed as well. They returned to their spots around the fire. A young female salamander approached Li Yu with a dented metal cup and she offered it to him with shaking hands.

Li Yu took the cup and saw it contained a few mouthfuls of lukewarm water. Another villager brought over a tin plate holding a small portion of dried moss and roasted insects. It was a meager offering but they were offering it to him anyway. It was likely a significant portion of their daily rations, yet they gave it to a stranger without asking for payment.

Li Yu felt a pang of sympathy for these people. He drank a small sip of the water to honor their custom as he didn’t want to look down on them. He then placed the tin plate of insects on the ground.

"I appreciate the food." Li Yu said. "But as a traveler, I bring my own provisions and it is only right to share with my hosts."

He waved his hand over the empty ground next to the fire. A pile of fresh supplies materialized from his storage ring. There were large cuts of roasted meat, baskets of sweet berries and several jugs of clear water. Li Yu had always enjoyed food in his travels so food and drinks was something he never lacked. He made sure the meat taken out were from lower cultivation beasts as to not harm his hosts.

The salamander people gasped at the sudden arrival of food. Their large dark eyes widened in shock and hunger. They had never seen such a bounty of high quality food like this in their lives.

"Please." Li Yu gestured to the pile. "Eat."

Elder Narkis nodded his approval to the others. The villagers slowly went forward and began to eat. Li Yu could see that they wanted to devour the food as quickly as possible but in front of their guest, they were taking their time. However, they still tore into the roasted meat and drank the fresh water greedily. The tension in the cave vanished and was replaced by the sounds of a joyful albeit unexpected feast.

Li Yu sat near Elder Narkis while the others ate and he handed the old salamander a soft piece of fruit.

"You have a kind heart, traveler." Elder Narkis said while looking at him. He took a bite of the fruit and closed his eyes in bliss. "My people have not tasted such sweetness in many moons."

"Why do you live on this rough mountain?" Li Yu asked. "There are rivers and fertile plains in the valleys below, at least from what I can see."

Elder Narkis let out a long and dry sigh. He looked out into the dark night beyond the cave entrance.

"The valleys do not belong to us." The elder explained. "This land is ruled by the strong. The strong take the fertile ground and the weak are pushed into the barren stones."

Li Yu listened closely and he was beginning to understand the political structure of this realm.

"Is there an empire?" Li Yu asked. "Or a ruling king who governs the territories?"

"There is no single king." Elder Narkis shook his head. "Species join with their own species. The tigers run with the tigers. The wolves run with the wolves. They view everyone else as enemies or prey for the most part. There are alliances between some tribes, but overall, everyone fights for their own kind."

"And your kind?" Li Yu prompted.

"We are weak." The elder admitted without shame. "We do not have thick scales like the dragons or sharp claws like the panthers. Our Qi is thin as well and we have no natural advantage when it comes to combat. When a stronger tribe claims our home, we do not fight. We move."

The elder pointed a webbed finger at the rocky walls of the shallow cave.

"We have moved several times in just my lifetime alone." Elder Narkis continued. "We survive by always giving in and giving way. We surrender our territory to avoid being slaughtered but each time we flee, we are squeezed into worse places. Places with little to no resources. This mountain is harsh but the strong tribes do not want it. So we gather here and try to survive another day."

Li Yu looked at the small group of people with sadness. They were just families trying to exist in a brutal landscape. Their strategy of constant submission had kept them alive but it had reduced their quality of life to near starvation.

He thought about the cultivation worlds he knew. The strong sects claimed the best spirit veins and the highest mountains. The rogue cultivators and the weak clans were forced to scavenge in the dangerous borderlands. The trappings of civilization often hid the cruel reality of the food chain, but here, the rules were bare and undeniable.

‘Power dictates the borders and weakness is a sin that nature punishes. That is the way of most realms, sadly.’ Li Yu thought to himself.

The feast eventually came to an end. The salamander people sat around the fire with full stomachs and contented expressions. Many had taken portions to save for later but no one was ashamed of it. Several of the younger ones had already fallen asleep against the warm cave walls.

Li Yu stood up and brushed off his robes. The night was growing late and he wanted to continue his journey at first light. Elder Narkis stood up with the help of his brass capped staff.

"You are leaving soon?" The elder observed.

"I must continue my travels." Li Yu replied. "I am seeking a way to understand this land."

"The land is dangerous for those without a tribe." Elder Narkis warned. "Tread carefully, young man."

Li Yu smiled at his caring words. He reached into his storage ring one last time and he pulled out several large sacks of rice, dried meats and thick animal pelts. He piled them near the back of the cave.

He then retrieved a few small wooden boxes and he handed them directly to Elder Narkis.

"These are healing herbs and basic pills." Li Yu explained. "Use them sparingly. Break the pills into small pieces and mix them with water before drinking. They will help cure illnesses and heal minor wounds."

He made sure to provide only low tier medicine. If he gave them powerful cultivator pills, the chaotic energy would cause their weak meridians to burst. Elder Narkis looked at the boxes in his trembling hands and tears welled up in his large dark eyes. They had just met this stranger but he had already helped them out so much without asking for anything in return.

"You have given us life." The elder rasped. He bowed his head deeply.

"It is just a small gift for your hospitality." Li Yu said with a smile. These were the first people in this new realm that had actually welcomed him, even though it was hesitantly. "Take care of your people, Elder Narkis. I wish you luck."

He walked out of the shallow cave and stood on the rough mountain path. He looked up at the twin moons hanging in the night sky. He wanted to keep exploring and was also afraid that him being here would attract unwanted attention to these people. Li Yu gathered his thoughts, turned and began his descent down the dark mountain. He left the salamander people behind and stepped back into the wild unknown.