Myriad Rivers to the Sea

Chapter 1117: The Beating Heart

Krag floated into the open space and his dark rocky shell hovered heavily in the warm air. The nine pale snake heads extended from the jagged fissures of his rocky body and they all stared directly at the pulsing organ. A silence fell over the cavern as the Supreme Exalt focused all his attention on the mysterious heart.'My instincts are screaming to me that this is very important to me.' Krag communicated through their mental link. 'My instincts are screaming at me to take it. There is a power resting within those veins and it resonates with my very being.'

Heiyuan remained wrapped securely around Li Yu's waist and the black serpent stiffened as he felt the overwhelming presence of the newcomer. The serpent looked at the towering mountain of dark rock floating above the pool and felt a primal fear grip his spirit. Krag did not bother to suppress his aura within the secluded cavern so the passive pressure of a Supreme Exalt radiated outward like a suffocating blanket.

Yuan was stunned by the raw power drifting from the rocky beast. The young serpent flicked his dark tongue and then noticed the thin pale necks extending from the impenetrable shell. Those frail heads looked incredibly weak compared to the grand defense of the body but Yuan did not mock him. The black snake possessed a terrifying ambition to devour the world yet he retained enough intelligence to recognize an apex predator when he saw one. He kept his silence and watched the exchange with wary eyes.

The quiet moment of discovery shattered just a few minutes later. Heavy footsteps echoed down the stone tunnel leading into the cavern and the sound of rushed breathing filled the air. Ruler Astrid burst into the underground chamber flanked by a dozen of her royal guards. The guards fanned out along the rocky shoreline and leveled their weapons at the unwelcomed guest. They were both angry and confused that Li Yu was already here and they did not even realize it until now.

Astrid looked at the floating form of Krag and then directed a furious glare toward Li Yu. Her pale skin flushed with anger and her pink gills flared wildly as she gripped a glowing jade scepter in her hand.

"I knew it!" Astrid yelled while pointing her scepter toward him. "You lied to us! You sneaked down here the moment the tremor distracted everyone. You claimed you were only here for our library but stealing our sacred treasure was your real purpose all along."

Li Yu kept his hands resting calmly at his sides and offered a polite bow to the angry ruler. "I apologize for the intrusion, Ruler Astrid. This was never my plan and I was truly here only for the library archives. However, after that tremor shook the capital my friend here was drawn to this specific area and we came down to investigate. I did not know this was a hidden place that belonged to your royal court."

"Do not insult my intelligence, human," Astrid snapped as she refused to accept his words. "You forced your way into our good graces and then slinked into the shadows to rob us. We will not let you leave this cavern with this knowledge."

She raised her scepter and summoned her elders through a specialized communication array embedded in this place. The air rippled near the tunnel entrance and several older Axolotl experts arrived in a rush of blue light. The most prominent figure among the reinforcements was a very old man leaning on a staff carved from bleached white bone. He possessed thick gray scales running down his neck and his eyes glowed with a dangerous inner light.

The royal guards and Astrid bowed their heads respectfully as the old man stepped forward. They greeted him as Ancestor Ulfric. Li Yu swept his divine sense over the newcomer and noted that Ulfric was in the Law Seed realm which made him a full major realm higher than Astrid and most likely the true pillar of the royal family.

Ulfric slammed the base of his bone staff against the stone floor and released his Law Seed aura to blanket the cavern. The pressure pressed down on the dark water and created a heavy field designed to lock Li Yu in place.

"You have made a grave mistake coming down here, scum." Ulfric said with a raspy voice dripping with malice. "You may be a King realm expert but you are outnumbered and outmatched in our domain."

Li Yu let out a soft sigh and shook his head at the situation at hand but it was actually him on the wrong side of things this time. He would not be able to explain himself out of this situation using any reasoning and it was unlikely that Krag would simply leave when commanded. Words were useless when the other party firmly believed they held the upper hand in a conflict anyways as Krag’s aura had already withdrawn when he approached the beating heart. Li Yu needed to change the dynamic of the conversation immediately.

He stopped suppressing his true power and allowed his aura to rise past the King realm. He skipped over the Law Seed and Law Integration stages before finally locking his pressure at the Domain King realm.

The resulting explosion of energy was catastrophic for the Axolotl experts that were present. The Domain King aura expanded outward like a solid wall of force and instantly shattered Ulfric's projected field. The air in the cavern grew so dense it became difficult to breathe and the stone walls even cracked slightly under the sudden strain as Li Yu’s control was still not perfect.

The royal guards collapsed to the ground instantly as their weapons clattered against the rocks. Astrid let out a choked gasp and was forced to her knees while trembling under the overwhelming weight. Ancestor Ulfric tried to stand his ground by leaning heavily on his bone staff but the staff splintered and snapped in half. The old man crashed to his knees and coughed up a mouthful of blue blood as the Domain King pressure crushed his resistance.

Li Yu walked forward slowly and looked down at the kneeling rulers with a calm expression that was without any malice. He reeled his aura back just enough to keep them from passing out but maintained enough pressure to ensure they stayed firmly on the ground.

"I told you this was a misunderstanding and just a chance occurrence that brought me here," Li Yu stated with a cold and even tone. "Do you really think I need to scheme or mislead your people if I truly wanted to claim what is resting in this pool? If my goal was theft from the start, I would simply take it by force and there is nothing any of you could do to stop me."

The harsh truth of his words hung in the warm air. Astrid and Ulfric stared at his boots while cold sweat dripped down their pale faces. They realized they had vastly underestimated the human stranger. A Domain King was a legendary figure that could slaughter their entire continent without breaking a sweat. The realization that he had spared them despite their insults made the conversation much easier to navigate now.

"We understand, senior," Ulfric managed to whisper while struggling to draw a breath. "Please forgive our ignorance. We were blinded by our duty to protect this sacred place."

With the hierarchy firmly established, Li Yu turned his attention back to the pool. Krag was still hovering near the beating heart and staring at the pulsing red veins.

"What is this thing?" Li Yu asked while gesturing toward the glowing organ. "Where did it come from?"

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Astrid kept her head bowed as she answered him. "We do not know, senior. It has always been here beneath the capital. Our ancestors found it by chance when they first settled in these swamps. We do not know whose heart it is or what kind of creature could possess such an organ. We only know that meditating near the pool allows our royal family to cultivate much faster due to the rich Qi it provides. It has always been dormant and silent though. Tonight is the first time it has ever started beating."

Li Yu found that information fascinating and directed his thoughts toward his rocky companion. 'Do you know what it is, Krag? You said it was calling to you.'

'I do not know its true origin,' Krag replied through their mental connection. 'I only know the energy within it feels compatible with my own strange mutation. The heart is calling out to me and offering a path forward that I might not be able to obtain otherwise.'

Li Yu pondered the situation and asked the next logical question. 'Are you intending to swallow it right now?' While Li Yu didn’t intend to steal such a treasure from the start, he was also not going to let it go either. Especially not when one of his companions said it could greatly help him. Li Yu did not care for these people and taking the treasure while morally wrong did not bother him in the slightest.

He was now pursuing power and the strength to help his family and secure his future. Li Yu was already willing to burden the karma of recruiting troops to his legion, both willingly and forcefully. He was always constantly bearing the burden of this two families and what they needed to do to remain strong. Li Yu wouldn’t mind taking on another bit of karma to take this heart away as well even if it wasn’t the righteous thing to do.

Krag shifted his grand shell in the air and the nine heads swayed thoughtfully. 'I do not know yet. My instincts tell me I should not swallow it at this moment. The energy is too raw and I need time to understand the vessel. I feel I could use it for something else entirely to change my fundamental nature but I do not understand what that process entails yet. I need more time to be with it and study its rhythms.'

Li Yu crossed his arms over his chest and frowned. 'What about traveling with me? We are heading toward the central continent soon and the dragons will not be easy opponents. Having you with me is a great advantage as I can fight for longer.'

Krag projected a feeling of solemn determination across their bond. 'I believe this is too rare an opportunity for me to pass up, Li Yu. You have your own path to walk, your own battles to fight and I have mine as well. My instincts are screaming that my major opportunity for evolution is tied to this beating heart. I must stay here.'

Li Yu debated the issue internally while listening to the slow thumping of the mysterious organ. Krag had served as his battery for major fights during their previous encounters. With the impending conflict against the unknown dragons approaching, he knew having a Supreme Exalt on standby would be incredibly useful.

However, he also recognized the importance of destiny in the cultivation world. If this was truly a great opportunity for Krag to break free from his stony prison, how could Li Yu be selfish enough to stop him? Forcing the beast to abandon his chance at evolution just to serve as a reserve energy source felt wrong and went against his own principles towards those that followed him.

Ultimately Li Yu decided to let Krag stay in the cavern. He rationalized the decision by thinking he could just head back to this realm later to pick Krag up after he found a way to leave it. He of course did not understand that he was in the distant past and leaving Krag here meant leaving him behind for countless eras and possibly never seeing each other again.

Li Yu also reasoned that his own cultivation had advanced significantly since they last fought together. He was now a Creation Lord in both body and Qi. Krag was at the Supreme Exalt stage which was now only one major realm above him. Because the gap between them had closed so drastically, Krag acting as a battery would not be nearly as effective as it was back when Li Yu was much weaker. The surge of power would not be the overwhelming trump card it used to be.

Deep down Li Yu knew that line of reasoning was mostly just coping with the loss of a powerful ally but it helped solidify his decision. He nodded his head and accepted the reality of the situation.

Li Yu turned his gaze back to the kneeling Axolotl rulers. "My companion wishes to remain here to study the heart. Is it okay if he stays in this cavern?"

Astrid and Ulfric exchanged a nervous glance. They were highly hesitant to allow a foreign beast to occupy their most sacred cultivation ground. The heart was one of the foundations of their royal power and leaving it in the hands of an unknown entity felt like a terrible risk.

Yet they were in no position to argue. What could they possibly do to stop him? Li Yu was a Domain King and he could easily slaughter them all and take the cavern by force if they refused.

Before either of them could formulate a polite response, Krag chimed in right away. The Supreme Exalt did not bother speaking through Li Yu this time. He bypassed the human entirely and projected his ancient heavy voice directly into the minds of everyone present in the cavern.

'They do not have a choice in the matter,' Krag declared with a voice that echoed like grinding tectonic plates in their skulls. 'I am not so soft and kind-hearted as my human friend.'

The moment the words registered in their minds, Krag took action. He did not ask for permission or negotiate terms. The giant beast instantly formed complex slave seals constructed from his own dense Qi and drove them directly into the souls of the Axolotl experts.

Astrid gasped in horror and Ulfric clawed at his chest as the burning seals branded their spiritual foundations. The royal guards slumped against the floor in agonizing pain as they were bound to the will of the giant rock beast.

To ensure their absolute obedience, Krag unleashed a tiny wisp of his true power at the Supreme Exalt realm for all to witness. The resulting pressure was so vast and terrifying that the cavern seemed to warp around them. The Domain King aura Li Yu had used earlier felt like a gentle breeze compared to the weight of a Supreme Exalt that was more heavy handed.

Astrid and Ulfric minds failed to comprehend the scale of the power pressing down on them. Krag was a full nine realms above their great ancestor. They did not even understand the terminology for the level of power they were witnessing or had any way to accurately guage his strength.

What they did not know was that Krag was heavily mutated and possessed almost zero physical offensive capabilities. They only felt the boundless pressure and realized his aura alone could easily snuff out their lives in an instant, which it could. Just smashing them with his raw Qi reserves was more than enough to obliterate their entire capital city so there was nothing for Krag to worry about regarding a rebellion even without the seals, it just made it much easier.

He became their hidden king in a matter of seconds and they were thoroughly terrified of his existence. Li Yu watched the brutal subjugation unfold and thought about stepping in to stop it. He could easily break the slave seals and enforce a more peaceful agreement. However, he quickly pushed the thought away and decided to remain passive.

Krag was a companion who had helped him survive terrible battles but that did not mean Li Yu had the right to dictate how the beast lived his life. Krag was a proud being and this was how beasts established dominance and how Krag had always behaved. Out of respect for his friend, Li Yu let him do as he wanted and allowed the Axolotls to become his servants.

As the tension in the room stabilized, Heiyuan uncoiled from Li Yu's waist and slithered down to the ground. The black serpent moved closer to the edge of the pool and stared at the pulsing red heart with hungry eyes. The ambient energy was intoxicating and Yuan could not resist the urge to feed.

'Can I take a small bite out of the heart?' Heiyuan asked Krag across the shared mental link while opening his dark jaws slightly.

Krag did not offer a verbal response. The Supreme Exalt simply gathered a small current of his vast Qi and flicked it toward the shoreline. The invisible force struck Heiyuan square in the chest and sent the black serpent flying backward through the air. Yuan crashed into the stone wall and tumbled across the dirt before coming to a dizzying halt.

'You are just a tiny snake trying to swallow the world,' Krag admonished the serpent through the mental link with a tone of mild amusement. 'Learn your place before you choke on things you cannot digest.'

Heiyuan shook his head to clear the stars from his vision and slithered back toward Li Yu. The serpent did not hiss or complain about the harsh treatment. He recognized the authority of the stronger beast and could only nod his head in reluctant agreement.

Li Yu smiled at the exchange and prepared to leave his companion behind in the dark cavern. The journey forward would be missing one of his weapons but he still felt he was ready to face it.