Myriad Rivers to the Sea

Chapter 1079: The Shattered Bubble

The four travelers continued their journey west as the dirt road stretched toward the distant horizon while the morning sun cast long shadows across the open plains. The chaotic battles and politics of The Onyx Market as well as the incoming coalition forces were no longer a concern for Li Yu. The Zhan and Li clans would eventually have to settle things in that territory once the training session was over but that was a problem for another day. For now, his only focus was putting distance between his group and the inevitable power struggle taking place behind them. As they traveled through the sweeping fields of tall grass, Garren watched his new group with focused eyes and a sense of curiosity.

To the rocky elemental’s surprise, Li Yu took personal charge of preparing their meals. Garren assumed a powerful cultivator who commanded others would simply consume stored nutrient pills or demand his followers handle such menial tasks. However, the supposed master of the group stood by a crackling campfire and cooked breakfast with enjoyment.

Li Yu summoned his natal fire to build a steady cooking hearth as he controlled the temperature with precise focus. He then took thick cuts of beast meat and used hic fire to manually cook all the pieces at once while tossing seasoned roots into a heavy iron pot. The aroma of spices filled the air and brought a sense of calm to the morning. It was a surprise to Garren but it was a very welcomed one. Watching Li Yu carefully season the broth reconfirmed the decision Garren made to join them and accept the soul seal.

The food turned out to be exceptionally good as Garren sat on a large stone and ate a heavy portion of the morning stew while enjoying the rich flavors. When the meal was finished, Li Yu walked over and handed Garren a small leather pouch filled with glowing ores. The minerals were rich in earth Qi and were meant to be consumed to aid his rocky cultivation.

Borum walked over a moment later and dropped a large handful of rocky chunks into the lap of the smaller elemental. Since Garren was only at the Soul Transformation realm, the ores Borum considered useless trash were treasures to him. The dense energy hidden within the discarded stones was enough to push Garren closer to a breakthrough. He quickly thanked them both and absorbed the energy to strengthen his gray exterior before they resumed their hike.

They packed up their camp and walked for several more hours before the sun reached its peak. The group decided to stop for lunch by a random stream that cut through a shallow valley. The location possessed no memorable features and it was just a quiet spot with running water to rest their feet. Faen sat by the edge of the stream to wash the dust from her boots while Borum and Garren gathered dry wood to build a small fire.

Li Yu walked a short distance away from the water and expanded his senses to secure their perimeter. He swept his divine sense through the entire surrounding area to ensure it was a safe place to be. The area seemed clear of any threats at first glance but a very faint ripple caught his attention. If they had not chosen to set up camp in this spot for lunch, he would not have scanned the surrounding area so carefully and he would have easily walked right past the hidden anomaly.

He approached the source of the ripple and stopped near a patch of flattened weeds. His eyes could not see anything out of the ordinary but his spiritual senses insisted an object was resting right in front of him. Thinking he had stumbled upon some hidden treasure left behind by a fallen cultivator, Li Yu reached his hand forward to interact with the anomaly. His fingers simply passed through the empty air without feeling any physical resistance.

Li Yu frowned as his fingers passed through without any resistance at all. ‘The object must utilize advanced void laws to hide its physical form.’ He thought to himself.

He tapped into his own spatial laws and coated his hand in a layer of twisting energy. Li Yu reached out again but his hand still passed right through the space.

‘Is the hiding technique incredibly advanced and requires a very high level of spatial comprehension to bypass?’ Li Yu continued to ponder but not give up.

Li Yu narrowed his eyes and pushed his understanding of the void to its very maximum limit. The ambient energy around his body hummed as he forced his Qi to sync with the hidden barrier which seemed to be in its own pocket of space. He reached his hand forward a third time and his fingers finally brushed against a solid surface and it felt like a smooth sphere of dense glass hovering just above the dirt.

Li Yu drew his glaive and coated the curved blade in a thick layer of spatial energy as he raised the weapon and struck the invisible barrier with a sharp cleaving motion. The air fractured with the sound of breaking crystal as a hidden void bubble shattered into sparkling fragments that dissolved into the wind.

With the barrier gone, what was inside quickly revealed itself as the other three came running towards him. Li Yu lowered his glaive and his eyes widened in surprise at what they saw laying before them. Two women were lying unconscious on the dirt and they were in absolutely terrible shape. They were the two Mirage Dragions from earlier that just about everyone had assumed were dead from the explosion.

Seline was lying on her back and her breathing was dangerously shallow. She had clearly taken the brunt of the crystal lotus explosion and used her own body to shield her younger sibling. Seline was missing her right arm and her right leg. The force of the blast had torn the limbs away and blasted the shimmering dragon scales right off her remaining skin. She was practically naked since her robes were incinerated but the sight was far from alluring. It was a hideous display of severe and traumatic wounds.

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A good quarter of her face looked like it had melted under extreme heat and her right cheek was burned down to the bone. However, she was still alive. She was a Sovereign realm expert after all and their bodies were incredibly strong. It also helped that she was not bleeding from any of her wounds because the intense heat of the explosion had sealed the wounds and cauterized the flesh almost immediately afterwards.

Alys was lying beside her older sister in a similar state. The younger sibling was in bad shape but her injuries were slightly better than Seline. Alys was missing her left arm but both of her legs were still attached. She was also mostly naked and covered in deep burns like her sister. Li Yu noticed the seal that previously bound her cultivation was gone.

Seline had likely removed the restriction right after they escaped from the explosion. It was a very fortunate thing she did because Alys would have surely died from her wounds if her body could not naturally circulate her Origin Awakening energy to fight off the lingering damage.

Faen finally arrived over to the broken bubble with Borum and Garren trailing closely behind her. The group stood around the two fallen women in stunned silence that they would run into them again and here of all places. It seemed Seline and Alys made it out alive using the destructive treasure but they only managed to travel this far before their injuries forced them to set up the void bubble and collapse from injuries.

Li Yu looked at the broken sisters and debated whether he should help them or not. He thought about the natural cycle of the cultivation world and whether or not it made sense to help. However, after a brief moment he slightly scolded himself for being too pragmatic to even be considering it at such a time. On top of it all, with the two city rulers already defeated and Darius claiming the city, there should not be anyone actively chasing these two women right now. The Sovereign threat was eliminated and the sisters were isolated in the wilderness.

He walked over to the older sister first and scanned his Qi through her battered body. It became quickly clear that she had consumed several healing pills before passing out because a faint medicinal energy was fighting to keep her body going. Li Yu retrieved a few pills from his own spatial ring and carefully placed them into her mouth.

He then pressed his palms against her charred chest and sent a surge of rich Life Qi into her meridians to help stabilize her failing condition. He moved over to Alys and repeated the process. He fed her the medicinal pills and guided his Life Qi through her damaged pathways until her erratic breathing settled into a steadier rhythm.

"Secure the area," Li Yu instructed his three companions while looking up from the grass. "Set up our own defensive arrays to hide this camp from any passing travelers. I do not feel confident in moving them right now. Their internal injuries are too fragile and carrying them could cause them to suffer ."

Borum and Garren immediately went to work while Faen retrieved several array disks from her storage ring to mask their presence. Li Yu pulled a large blanket from his storage ring and draped it over the two women. The sight of their melted flesh and exposed bones was nasty to look at and the blanket offered them a small shred of dignity while they recovered.

Li Yu sat cross legged on the grass directly between Seline and Alys as he placed his left hand on the shoulder of the older sister and his right hand on the shoulder of the younger sibling. He closed his eyes and began to perform his healing techniques to slowly repair their ravaged bodies.

He continued this strenuous process for a good portion of the day and only paused his efforts to take brief breaks for meals while the sun slowly crossed the sky and dipped below the horizon. Mending the bodies of a Sovereign and an Origin Awakening expert required an astronomical amount of energy and his Karma Severing reserves were deep but the constant drain of outputting Qi eventually began to empty his internal core. Knowing he could not stop the treatment for a long time without risking a severe relapse in their conditions, Li Yu focused his mind and called on what he needed the most right now, Qi.

A glowing portal opened in the air above the campsite and Krag manifested his presence through the gateway. The nine pale heads of the Supreme Exalt beast emerged from the spatial tear and looked down at the grassy field and to his surprise there were no enemies around. This was the very first time Li Yu had summoned the giant beast outside of a battlefield.

Krag swayed his long necks and looked at the two broken women lying beneath the blanket. The beast sensed the rapid drain on Li Yu and then felt the established a Qi link that funneled his vast reserves into Li Yu. The rich energy of the Supreme Exalt flowed into Li Yu and allowed the young cultivator to maintain his healing output without any interruption.

"You summon me to act as a healer?" Krag asked with a voice that echoed directly into Li Yu's mind. The nine heads clicked their fragile jaws in amusement. "I am a beast destined to conquer the heavens and you use my energy to mend the broken bones of strangers? You truly are different and not in a good way."

"I needed the extra Qi," Li Yu replied calmly through their mental link. "I appreciate the assistance, Krag."

The beast lowered one of its pale heads until it was hovering just a few inches away from Li Yu and the milky white eyes stared at the young cultivator with a mixture of curiosity and disdain.

"You have a kind heart," Krag mocked with a deep rumble of laughter. "You risk your own resources and your safety for creatures you do not even know. That kind heart will get you killed. The heavens do not reward foolish mercy, you should know by now they only reward strength and survival."

"I have heard that warning many times," Li Yu answered without opening his eyes or breaking his concentration on the healing process. "I know the risks of helping strangers. But I made my choice and chose my path. I will deal with the consequences if they arrive but thank you for the reminder Krag."

The giant beast snorted and a plume of cold mist sprayed from its nostrils. "Do not say I did not warn you when a blade finds its way into your back."

Krag did not withdraw his support despite his cynical words. The beast continued to supply a steady stream of dense Qi into Li Yu's meridians. The night sky darkened once again and the stars reflected off the surface of the nearby stream. Li Yu focused his mind entirely on the complex task of mending their bodies and ignored the quiet sounds of the wilderness around them, knowing he could trust the others to watch out for him. He would stay by their side and continue his healing efforts until they were stable enough to be moved.