Myriad Rivers to the Sea

Chapter 924: The Happiness of Peace

A full week had passed since the decrees shattered the established order of the two clans. Outside the high walls of the private courtyard, the iron continent was a storm of political maneuvering. Vassal clans were frantically gathering their treasures. Side branch elders were furiously revising their internal hierarchies. The entire Zhan clan was reacting to the sudden existence of a new young master within their ranks.

Li Yu ignored all of it.

He had not stepped foot outside the heavy iron doors of the courtyard for seven days. He did not care about the endless chatter or the desperate attempts by various leaders to schedule an audience with him. He only wanted to enjoy this incredibly precious window of time.

He was finally living as a family again.

Canghai had rejoined them on the evening of the third day. He had rapidly settled the borders and secured the shifting battle lines before tearing a rift straight back to his wife and son. Since that moment, the four of them had existed in a perfect and isolated bubble.

The morning sun crested over the dark fortresses of the clan grounds as the light spilled into the courtyard and illuminated the stone training floor.

Li Yu was already awake. He stood in the center of the yard and went through his morning practice. He channeled the Nexus Mind technique which he was still practicing to split his focus. A flawless Qi clone stood a few paces away from him.

Three swords were now floating in the air, Gilded Calamity, Firmament's End and Whispering Frost floated in the air and were flying around. He was pushing his multitasking limits and he was trying to weave the aggressive strikes of the swords with his own attacks.

"You look like a flock of startled birds." A booming voice interrupted.

Li Yu opened his eyes and allowed the Qi clone to dissipate. The three swords flew back into their sheaths with a sharp click.

Zhan Tian walked out of the main hall. The Worldkeeper wore loose grey trousers and a simple white tunic. He carried a massive clay jug of morning wine in one hand and a roasted beast leg in the other. Zhan Tian then sat down heavily on the stone bench and took a massive bite of the meat.

"Too much dancing." Zhan Tian critiqued through a mouthful of food. "You are being far too fancy and flashy. Qi clones and flying swords look very pretty but they waste energy."

Canghai walked out onto the porch a moment later but he was carrying a delicate cup of steaming tea.

"The sword path requires immense focus and finesse." Canghai noted with a calm smile. "He is practicing excellent control. He has potential to learn some of the best sword techniques of the Li Clan with just his sword control."

"Finesse is a crutch for people who lack the physical strength to simply break the front door down." Zhan Tian snorted. He took a swig from his clay jug. "That is not the way of our family, brat. You do not need to juggle flying blades. You just need a single weapon. Or better yet, no weapon at all. You just clench your fists and you smash the enemy until they stop moving."

Li Yu walked over to the table and poured himself a cup of water.

"I am taking advantage of all of my strengths." Li Yu countered with a smile. "I have the physical strength of the Zhan, the Qi reserves and power of the Li as well as my own unique soul strength. It would be foolish not to use all my strengths."

"Using them all is fine." Zhan Tian conceded stubbornly. "But your style is too scattered. If you truly want to use a weapon to utilize your reach, you should use a glaive. It is the perfect weapon for a warlord."

Zhan Tian reached into his spatial storage and pulled out a practice glaive. The weapon was forged from some sort of metal. It featured a long and heavy pole attached to a viciously curved blade.

"The glaive gives you the leverage to crush shields and the edge to sever limbs." Zhan Tian explained. He tossed the heavy weapon across the courtyard.

Li Yu caught the glaive effortlessly as he spun it once through the air. The balance was exquisite but the weapon felt inherently wrong in his hands. He tossed it back to his grandfather.

"I appreciate the advice, grandfather." Li Yu said politely. "But I already have a primary weapon that fits me perfectly."

Li Yu extended his right hand and a surge of energy ripped through the air. Star Crusher materialized in his grip. The black staff absorbed the morning sunlight and it did not reflect a single ray of illumination.

"The staff is much more fitting for me." Li Yu stated. He rested the heavy weapon against his shoulder and he looked at his grandfather as a mischievous glint appeared in his eyes.

"Besides." Li Yu added with a teasing grin. "A staff is essentially just a hammer with a really long handle. It is entirely blunt. It is designed only to smash things. A glaive relies on a sharp blade to cut. Honestly, my blunt staff is much more of a true Zhan weapon than your fancy bladed glaive. You are just trying to look elegant, Grandfather."

Canghai choked on his morning tea. He quickly turned his head and coughed into his sleeve to hide his laughter.

Zhan Tian froze at the words. He looked at the massive bladed weapon in his own hand and then looked at the brutal and featureless iron rod resting on his grandson's shoulder. The logic was infuriating but utterly flawless. It was also the first time his grandson had teased him and it felt great.

A booming laugh suddenly erupted from the Worldkeeper's chest. He slammed his hand down on the stone table as the impact cracked the thick rock.

"You little brat!" Zhan Tian roared with absolute amusement. "You dare lecture me on the philosophy of smashing? Bring that stick over here and let me see how good that weapon is."

Li Yu walked over and handed Star Crusher to his grandfather. Zhan Tian reached out and grabbed the black staff with one hand. The moment Li Yu let go, the weight of the weapon settled into the Worldkeeper's palm as it had done with the others that weren't Li Yu, Khaos or his father.

Zhan Tian's arm actually dropped a few inches before his muscles instinctively flared to compensate. Unlike the elders from the past, Worldkeeper was actually able to hold it. His eyes widened in shock though.

He gripped the staff with both hands and turned it over. He examined the material and noted how it must have something that made it much heavier in the hands of those it wasn’t supposed to be in.

Taken from NovelFire, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

"What in the cosmos is this?" Zhan Tian asked quietly. The amusement vanished and was replaced by professional evaluation. "This material is really impressive. Rivaling the strongest shells and armor of what I have faced recently."

"It is called Star Crusher." Li Yu explained. "Khaos gave it to me a long time ago in the lower realms."

Zhan Tian looked up sharply.

"He told me it was forged directly from his own outer shell after molting." Li Yu added.

Zhan Tian stared at the black staff for another long moment. He slowly handed it back to his grandson and a look of frustration crossed the old warlord's face. He let out a heavy sigh and crossed his arms over his chest.

"I can’t let that little crab outdo me." Zhan Tian grumbled. He sounded like a competitive child who had just lost a game. "He gave you a weapon forged from his own shell, that material is not easily come by. I cannot replace that. I do not have a single staff in my inventory that will be able to compete with it."

Zhan Tian hated losing to anyone. He especially hated losing when it came to providing for his own family. He was a renowned Worldkeeper. He was supposed to be the one showering his grandson with the greatest treasures in existence like he had done with that bone sword.

"Fine." Zhan Tian declared loudly as he stood up from the bench. "Your offensive capabilities are relatively sorted with that staff and those swords. But your defense is lacking. You cannot just rely on your bare skin to stop all the attacks. Even I wear armor to help me focus more on offense."

Zhan Tian waved his hand and a suit of heavy battle armor materialized on the stone table. It was forged from a dark metal and radiated a strong aura.

"Take this." Zhan Tian commanded. "It will stop a direct blow from a dragon."

Li Yu looked at the plates of armor and he smiled apologetically.

"I actually received some armor recently. They said it was quite powerful." Li Yu said softly. He did not want to continuously reject his grandfather's gifts but he also did not want to lie and take things he didn’t need.

“Nonsense, how could what you get from others better than what I give you?!” Zhan Tian roared slightly.

Li Yu reached into his Koi Sanctuary and pulled out the wooden box covered in sealing runes. He opened the lid, revealing the Phantom Aegis rested inside. It looked like solidified moonlight woven together with threads of dark shadow. It possessed no physical shape and flowed like liquid smoke within the confines of the wood. Zhan Tian stared at the ethereal fabric and he recognized its defensive capabilities.

"It functions as an inner armor. It has no weight and forms to my exact proportions. It repairs itself and defends against both physical and soul attacks. I still am not strong enough to fully activate its full potential but it helped me in my fight with a Tribulation Shark not long ago, allowing me to take more damage than I otherwise could."

Zhan Tian slowly sat back down on the bench and he rubbed his temples with his scarred fingers. He was completely outclassed again. The Ancestor of the Omen Realm had provided a very impressive piece of inner defense. VoidClaw had provided a great weapon.

"I am the Worldkeeper." Zhan Tian muttered to himself. "I am supposed to look amazing and cool to my grandson. Why am I losing out to a little crab and some random ancestor?"

Canghai smiled warmly and took another sip of his tea. He then leaned in to whisper to his father in law. "You do not need to compete, Father. Your presence here is the greatest gift he could receive."

"Nonsense." Zhan Tian snapped back. His competitive fire ignited once again. He stood up abruptly and stared at the Phantom Aegis.

"That Aegis is brilliant." Zhan Tian admitted. "But it is an inner armor. It is a soft shell meant to absorb the residual shock. You cannot walk onto a battlefield wearing nothing else but that. You need real armor on the outside. You need an outer shell that announces exactly who you are."

Zhan Tian closed his eyes and reached deep into his personal storage space. He bypassed the mountains of standard supreme treasures and dug into the private vault where he kept his most powerful treasures.

The air in the courtyard grew incredibly heavy as a metallic hum vibrated through the stone floor. Zhan Tian pulled his hand out of the void and he held a magnificent set of heavy battle armor.

It was a structural masterpiece. The design perfectly mirrored the massive white armor that Zhan Tian currently wore in combat. It possessed the same broad shoulders and the same layered and impenetrable chest plating.

However, the colors were entirely inverted.

Instead of radiant white, the armor was forged from an abyssal black metal that seemed to consume the surrounding light like Star Crusher did. Stark, brilliant white runic engravings traced the edges of the dark plates. The contrast was breathtaking to behold. It looked elegant, terrifying and undeniably imperial.

"Put this on." Zhan Tian ordered. His voice trembled slightly with anticipation. "Wear it over the Aegis."

Li Yu did not hesitate as he channeled his Qi into the Phantom Aegis first. The ethereal fabric instantly flowed out of the box and wrapped around his body. It formed a perfectly tailored, weightless under-layer of pale light and shadow.

He then reached out and touched the black armor.

The heavy plates resonated with his bloodline immediately. The armor separated into pieces and flew onto his body. The dark metal locked into place over his chest, shoulders and legs with a series of satisfying clicks. It readjusted to fit his form which was much less broad than that of Zhan Tian.

Li Yu stood in the center of the courtyard as he adjusted his shoulders and rolled his neck. The armor was incredibly heavy but his physical strength carried it effortlessly. The black plates absorbed the morning light, while the stark white runes hummed with latent power.

He looked like a young warlord that was going off to war.

"It fits perfectly." Li Yu said while he looked down at his gauntlets and clenched his fists. The power flowing through the metal was intoxicating. He looked up at his grandfather with a massive smile. "It looks incredible. Thank you, Grandfather."

Zhan Tian stared at his grandson and the frustration of being outdone vanished entirely. A wave of unadulterated joy washed over the old warrior's scarred face. He let out a booming laugh and stepped forward to clap Li Yu hard on the shoulder.

"Now that is what my grandson is supposed to look like!" Zhan Tian roared happily. "Let those cowards in the dark zones tremble when they see that black iron!"

Tielan walked out of the main hall and stepped onto the porch. She carried a tray of fresh morning pastries for the little family to eat. She stopped next to her husband and looked out at the courtyard.

She saw her legendary father laughing with complete abandon. She saw her son standing tall and proud in his new armor. She felt the steady and comforting presence of her husband standing right beside her.

The morning air smelled of sweet tea and fresh rain. The heavy burdens of supreme command, the endless cosmic wars and the agonizing separation faded into nothingness. Tielan smiled softly and a warmth settled deep into her chest.

She realized with clarity that this specific moment, standing on a simple wooden porch and watching her family argue over weapons and armor, was one of the happiest moments of her entire life. Tielan gripped the edges of the wooden tray and her eyes hardened with a sudden and terrifying resolve.

She had spent her life fighting for survival, not just her own but of countless others. She had commanded legions and burned entire sectors to protect the peace. She firmed up her will in that exact second. She would never let anything or anyone or anything take this away from her again. She would shatter the cosmos itself before she let this peace be broken.

A few feet away, Li Yu looked at the smiling faces of his family. He felt the exact same warmth spreading through his veins. The lonely nights felt like a distant nightmare. He silently promised himself that he would reach the absolute peak of cultivation just to ensure this courtyard remained safe forever.

Canghai took a quiet breath of the morning air. His hand rested gently near the hilt of his sword as he looked at his wife and his son. He knew the storms that were gathering on the horizon. He knew the enemies that were plotting in the shadows. Canghai made a silent vow to drown every single one of them in a sea of blood before they ever took a step toward his family.

Zhan Tian stopped laughing to look around as well. He looked at his daughter, his son in law and his grandson. The Worldkeeper crossed his arms and his fierce eyes softened for a fraction of a second before filling with an unbreakable iron will.

Three apex predators and one that was growing in that direction stood in the quiet morning light. They did not speak their vows aloud to one another. They did not need to. They all shared the exact same thought echoing in the depths of their souls.

They would do whatever it took to preserve this.