Myriad Rivers to the Sea

Chapter 922: Ripples of the Decree

The massive iron bells of the central fortress chimed with a deafening resonance that shook the very bedrock of the continent. The sound echoed across the hundreds of miles of dark metal structures and grueling training grounds. It was the signal for a decree.Millions of Zhan Clan disciples paused their brutal regimens to check it out. Everyone looked up at the sky. The dark clouds parted as a massive projection of Qi illuminated up. The words of Patriarch Zhan Yue were burned into the heavens for every single member of the clan. This was repeated at the site of every single vassal clan as well. There was no subtlety to the announcement, this was the style of the Zhan clan. Direct and domineering.

The decree announced the glorious return of Worldkeeper Zhan Tian from the dark zone. That news alone was enough to send a shockwave of triumphant roars across the lands. But the second half of the decree instantly silenced the cheers and plunged the entire clan into a state of shock.

Supreme Commander Tielan had a son and his name was Li Yu. He was the direct descendant of both the Zhan Clan and the Li Clan. The gossip ignited instantly across the sprawling courtyards.

"Commander Tielan has a son?" A muscular disciple gasped as he wiped the thick sweat from his brow. "How is that even possible? When did she have the time to raise an heir?"

"The decree says he was hidden away for his own safety." An older instructor replied. The man stroked his grey beard thoughtfully. "He grew up in the lower realms to avoid the enemies of his parents. That means he has lived completely outside of our walls."

"A lower realm?" A wealthy looking leader from a vassal clan scoffed. "Then his physical foundation must be absolute garbage. How can someone like that carry the Zhan bloodline?"

"You had better keep your voice down." Another elder warned sharply. He pointed a scarred finger up at the glowing words in the sky. "Did you read the final mandate? The Worldkeeper himself added a personal edict. Anyone who disrespects his grandson will be crushed instantly. We are ordered to present gifts with a smiling face if we cross his path."

A heavy gulp sounded among the group as no one dared to question the wrath of Zhan Tian.

As the shock of his existence settled, a new wave of intense discussion swept through the upper echelons of the clan. The elders and the side branch leaders gathered in their dark stone pavilions to dissect the political implications of the decree. The most surprising detail was not his birth. It was the explicit declaration that Li Yu would never hold the title of Clan Heir.

"He officially refuses the heir position." A side branch patriarch muttered. He paced around a heavy iron table. "Is it a trick? Is he trying to lower our guard before making a play for the ancestral seat?"

"You are thinking too small." A wiser elder sitting at the table countered as she poured a cup of bitter tea and shook her head. "Why would he want the heir position? What good is that empty title to him?"

"It grants access to the resources of the clan and also to command its forces." The side branch patriarch argued. "It grants command over the vassal forces."

"His mother already controls one of the strongest armies that is somewhat tied to the Zhan Clan on her own." The elder replied plainly. "And his grandfather is Zhan Tian. The Worldkeeper just returned from an endless crusade with a spatial ring full of treasures harvested from that place. Even without that he was a person that already has massive personal wealth. The grandson has everything he could ever need and vastly more than the official clan heir would ever be given."

The side branch patriarch stopped pacing and the logic was undeniable.

"The only difference the heir title makes is having a formal voice in the mundane politics of the family." The elder continued as she took a sip of her tea. "And Li Yu does not need a formal voice. If his influence or his personal strength grows to rival that of his grandfather, his words will simply become the law. He does not need to sit in the Patriarch's chair to rule. The Worldkeeper certainly does not sit in that chair, yet we all bow to him all the same."

The realization spread quickly through the intelligent members of the clan. Li Yu was not stepping away from the heir position out of weakness. He was stepping away because the position was simply beneath his current backing. He was a force of nature that existed outside the traditional hierarchy of their society.

Far away from the heavy gravity of the iron continent, the news reached the desolate realm and the training camp that Li Yu was at not long ago. The afternoon sun baked the packed dirt of the central plaza while the five hundred recruits of the vanguard army were arranged in their tight formations. They were bruised, battered and covered in grime from their morning drills in the elemental arrays.

Chief Instructor Lei Gang walked up the stone steps of the raised platform. He crossed his massive arms over his broad chest as his heavy gaze swept over the crowd. The recruits instantly stood straighter and prepared for another grueling session.

Lei Gang cleared his throat and the low rumble instantly silenced the plaza.

"Listen up." Lei Gang announced. His voice echoed across the quiet camp. "I have an official update regarding the roster. Recruit Li Yu has permanently departed the camp. His training here is officially concluded."

A murmur of confusion rippled through the tight formations.

"Did he quit?" A recruit in the second row whispered to his neighbor.

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"Maybe he pushed his blood vitality too far and crippled his foundation." Another recruit muttered quietly.

Lei Gang slammed his heavy boot into the stone platform. The sharp crack of kinetic force instantly killed the whispers.

"He did not quit." Lei Gang stated loudly. A rare grin actually broke across his scarred face. "He was recalled to his family to claim his true legacy. The decrees have already been issued across the Zhan Clan and its supporting vassals. It is no longer a secret."

Lei Gang leaned forward and looked directly at the crowd.

"You have spent roughly the last month bleeding in the dirt next to the only son of Supreme Commander Tielan." Lei Gang revealed. "He is the direct grandson of Worldkeeper Zhan Tian. As you know, that also makes him a descendant of the Li Clan."

The recruits stood frozen like statues of stone. Their minds raced back through the grueling weeks of the camp. They also remembered the Golden Horizon market. They remembered the ruthless Guild Master practically begging Li Yu to accept supreme treasures for free.

It all made perfect sense now even though his status didn’t quite match up to how the Golden Horizon was treating him. A collective wave of relief washed over the entire formation. Several recruits actually let out long breaths of gratitude.

They were so incredibly thankful that they had minded their own business. The camp was a brutal place where the strong sometimes preyed on the weak to secure better resources. But the recruits had mostly left Li Yu alone because he was too unknown. If any of them had tried to bully him or gang up on him during the free periods, they would have signed their own death warrants.

"Keep that in mind as you continue your training." Lei Gang instructed them. "You never truly know who is standing next to you in the mud. Now pair up and begin your drills. I want to hear the space crack!"

The recruits immediately broke into their pairs. They struck the empty air with renewed vigor. They were inspired by the fact that the son of the Supreme Commander had willingly endured the exact same dirt and blood that they were currently facing, not knowing that he had done so without truly knowing that.

Back on the iron continent, the sun began to set behind the dark metal fortresses. Deep within a heavily fortified sector of the clan grounds, an elegant but brutalist pavilion sat atop a high stone cliff. This was the designated residence of the official Zhan Clan Heir.

Inside the main training hall of the pavilion, a young man was engaged in his evening routine. He wore loose grey trousers and his torso was completely bare, revealing a physique carved from dense muscle and countless scars. This was Zhan Chen. He was the prodigy who had fought his way through thousands of elite cousins to secure the title of heir.

Zhan Chen was not swinging a sword. He was repeatedly striking a massive pillar of iron with his bare fists. He moved with a rhythmic and terrifying momentum.

"You are taking this far too calmly." A sharp voice called out from the entrance of the hall.

Zhan Chen stopped his strike but he did not turn around immediately. He slowly lowered his fists and took a deep breath to settle his surging Qi.

A young woman walked into the hall. She possessed sharp features and wore heavy dark armor that clicked slightly as she moved. This was Zhan Ling. She was Zhan Chen's younger sister and his most trusted political advisor. She held a glowing jade slip tightly in her hand.

"The Worldkeeper has returned." Zhan Chen said calmly. He turned around and grabbed a simple cloth to wipe the sweat from his neck. "And our aunt has a son. It is a glorious day for our bloodline. Why should I not be calm?"

"Because that son is a direct threat to your entire future." Zhan Ling snapped. She paced aggressively across the stone floor. "Did you read the decree carefully? They are shielding him with force. The Patriarch is essentially ordering the entire clan to bow to him."

"He is the grandson of the Worldkeeper." Zhan Chen replied evenly. He tossed the cloth aside. "He deserves respect, even if you don’t remember the boy, you have to respect the man."

"He is going to take your position!" Zhan Ling insisted. Her eyes were wide with paranoia. "He says he is not interested in the heir title. The decree makes a massive point of announcing that he will never hold it. But that is just a political play to lower our guard. Once he secures his foundation and gathers the support of the vassal clans, he will strike."

Zhan Chen walked over to a heavy wooden bench and sat down. He looked at his sister with a patient expression.

"You are projecting your own political schemes onto someone who operates on a completely different level." Zhan Chen explained softly. "You are looking at this through the narrow lens of our clan."

"I am looking at reality." Zhan Ling argued. She crossed her arms over her chest plate. "He is a Zhan. He will want to rule."

"He is not just a Zhan." Zhan Chen corrected her firmly. "He is the son of Tielan and Canghai. He possesses our bloodline of physical dominance but he also possesses the bloodline of the Li Clan. He has access to their Qi techniques and their legendary sword paths. He is a nexus of two entirely different cosmic powers."

Zhan Chen leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees.

"He does not just have the Zhan Clan." Zhan Chen continued. "He has the Li Clan as well. Why would someone with the combined backing of two forces like that and the personal protection of the Worldkeeper care about the administrative headaches of being an heir?"

Zhan Ling frowned deeply. The logic was sound but her paranoia was difficult to shake. "Power is an addiction. People always want more."

"If he wants more power, he will simply take it." Zhan Chen said honestly. "He will not need a title to do it. If his personal strength matches his lineage, he will surpass me entirely. And I welcome it."

Zhan Ling stared at her brother in disbelief. "You welcome losing your authority?"

"I welcome survival." Zhan Chen corrected her. His expression grew incredibly serious. "The cosmos is shifting. The crusade has returned but the Worldkeeper warned the Patriarch that the dark zones will open again in the future. We are going to face apocalyptic wars in our lifetime."

Zhan Chen stood up and looked out the open arches of the training hall toward the dark horizon.

"The title of heir means nothing if the iron continent is reduced to ash." Zhan Chen said quietly. "We need monsters to survive the coming storm. We need entities whose strength defies logic. If my new cousin is truly the monster the rumors suggest, then his return is the greatest blessing this clan could ever receive. I will not scheme against him. I will stand beside him."

Zhan Ling remained silent as she looked down at the glowing jade slip in her hand. Her brother's unwavering conviction slowly began to calm her racing thoughts. She realized that trying to fight a tide of that magnitude would only result in them drowning.

"I hope you are right about him." Zhan Ling finally whispered.

"I am." Zhan Chen smiled confidently and he turned back to the massive iron pillar. "Now let me finish my routine. I need to push my limits higher. I cannot look weak when I finally go to welcome our new cousin home."