Myriad Rivers to the Sea

Li Yu walked away from the sandstone cliffs of Redcliff alongside his two new companions as the expansive plains of the Mosaic Realm stretched out before them while vibrant flora swayed under the gentle breeze. Borum and Faen kept a watchful eye on the surrounding wilderness; they knew these lands could sometimes be dangerous. They traveled for several days across the diverse landscape before a towering set of walls finally appeared on the horizon.

Silverguard City earned its name from the brilliant metallic ore forged into its high gates and defensive battlements. The city served as a primary hub for trade within this region of the realm. A steady stream of merchant caravans and wandering cultivators flowed through the wide entrance while armored guards inspected cargo to maintain strict order. Li Yu paid the entrance fee using spirit stones and led his people into the bustling streets.

The interior of Silverguard City presented a vibrant tapestry of different cultures, races and architectural styles. Stone pavilions stood next to elegant wooden teahouses while open air markets offered exotic goods from across the myriad domains. Li Yu found a busy food stall located near the central plaza and ordered a generous platter of roasted river fowl along with three bowls of spiced root soup for his group.

They took their seats at a sturdy wooden table while Li Yu let his divine sense drift over the crowded plaza. He wanted to catch up on the latest news circulating through the realm since local taverns always provided the best source of raw information.

"I heard that two new factions have suddenly sprang up." A scarred mercenary whispered to his companion at a neighboring table. "There is one in the Shattered Peaks and one in the Spirit Woods. They are just sitting there now while most likely building up their internal defenses."

"That makes them even more terrifying," the second mercenary replied while taking a nervous sip of his ale. "All the local sects and groups are growing wary of them. They are not out expanding but they seem powerful."

"I heard a local coalition tried to test the borders of the Shattered Peaks just three days ago," the scarred man continued with a grim tone. "They sent a team to demand tribute and warned the newcomers to leave the territory. The newcomers refused the warning and slaughtered the entire coalition after they refused to leave. They only spared the neutral witnesses standing on the hills so the survivors could spread the message back to their leaders. They are not a force to take lightly and they seem ruthless."

Li Yu listened to the gossip and smiled into his soup. His family members were clearly making their presence known while establishing a firm foothold in the untamed wilderness. They were only staying put so the juniors had some time to train and experience different things in as controlled of an environment as they could prepare but also in an unpredictable and unknown environment. It was actually quite smart of the clans to do this but they could only do this because they had forces to spare to hold onto a fort and to defend their people at a moment’s notice.

Just as he finished his meal, he felt three familiar Qi signatures approaching his table. He looked up and saw three young men wearing unmarked grey robes walking through the crowd. He recognized them as Zhan Feng, Zhan Ren and Zhan Lei from the transport ship they had taken to get here.

Everyone was introduced to one another but it was mostly introducing them to Li Yu as everyone for the most part already knew about one another. They had chosen to travel together for added safety. Zhan Feng rested at the Half King realm while Zhan Ren had reached the King realm and Zhan Lei was firmly planted in the Law Seed realm.

The three disciples noticed him sitting at the stall and their faces lit up with surprise to finally run into someone else here. They hurried over to his table and offered respectful nods at him to not draw too much attention. They were not shocked to find him eating street food since his culinary habits were well known to the clan but they were definitely surprised by his current company.

"It is good to see you, Li Yu," Zhan Feng greeted while taking a seat across from him. The Half King expert cast a curious glance toward the towering earth elemental and the deer kin woman. "You have only been traveling for a short time yet you have already procured the services of two Domain King experts. Most of our peers are off looking for rare treasures and spiritual herbs rather than recruiting powerful retainers."

"Opportunities present themselves in many different forms," Li Yu answered with a warm tone while signaling the stall owner to bring more food to the table. "Borum and Faen have proven to be excellent company on my travels. What news do you bring from the road?" 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

Zhan Ren leaned forward and created a small isolation area around them to ensure the surrounding tables could not overhear their conversation. "We heard a troubling report regarding the Li Clan forces operating in the Spirit Woods. It seems Li Mei wiped out an entire town a few days ago."

Li Yu stopped holding his wooden spoon and frowned. "An entire town? Li Mei is a fierce warrior but she is not a mindless butcher. What provoked such a drastic response?"

"A local syndicate operating within that town ambushed a weaker Li Clan disciple who was traveling alone to gather herbs," Zhan Lei explained with a serious expression. "They trapped him in an array and nearly caused him to lose his life before he managed to crush his emergency token. The elders saved him but did not do anything to the town, leaving that for the younger generation. So Li Mei arrived and demanded the town hand over the culprits. When the local leaders refused and tried to protect the syndicate, she leveled the entire settlement. It was what they deserved for harboring such people."

Li Yu absorbed the grim information while a silence fell over the table. He thought of all the intricate threads of karma that the clans of his parents must carry upon their shoulders. The foundation of their overwhelming strength was built upon countless deaths and generations of ruthless slaughter to reach their level within the Myriad Realms.

A clan had to project terrifying authority and crush any perceived weakness or else they would be devoured by rival empires. The burden of that much bloodshed was heavy to bear indeed. However, Li Yu understood it was not just his burden to bear alone and that he shouldn’t be crushed by it. It was the harsh reality of the universe they lived in and every member of the family carried a piece of that weight.

Li Mei had protected the clan and was doing what a clan heir should do. She most likely stopped what she was doing and went out of her way to do so. Besides his discovery of her demon heart relating to him, Li Yu has always thought she processed strong qualities of a clan heir. Not as good as Zhan Chen, but he preferred Zhan Chen’s style over Li Mei’s. That didn’t mean her methods were any less effective, in fact, they were probably more effective for such a large clan.

"Such is the path we walk," Li Yu finally said softly while breaking the silence. "The strong dictate the rules of survival and it was their bad luck and bad choices that led them there."

The stall owner arrived with a fresh platter of roasted meats and the group shifted their conversation toward lighter topics. They shared stories about the strange beasts they had encountered and the unique environments scattered across the Mosaic Realm. After finishing their hearty meal, the three disciples stood up and bid Li Yu a respectful farewell. They planned to check the local merchants for weapon refining materials while Li Yu intended to visit the aquatic markets.

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Li Yu led his two companions away from the central plaza and navigated through the winding streets until he reached a district filled with deep stone pools and flowing water channels. The air smelled of salt and fresh rain. He wanted to procure some unique additions for his Five Star Lakes back home as well as his Koi sanctuary.

He spent the next two hours inspecting the various stalls and negotiating with the beast tamers. Some of his more notable purchases were of a school of slender river eels that generated passive sparks of lightning Qi along their dark scales. He acquired a pair of armored sharks possessing dense bone plating over their gills to patrol the deeper waters within the Koi Sanctuary.

He even bought a large octopus with shifting camouflage patterns that radiated a calming water affinity. He tried to find another one to create a breeding pair but had no such luck. He carefully transferred the living purchases into his Koi Sanctuary for now and allowed the creatures to breed up in numbers.

While he was leaving the market district and heading back toward the main thoroughfare, a loud crash echoed through the city streets. The sound of shattering wood and shouting voices rose above the ambient noise of the crowd.

Li Yu followed the commotion and found a chaotic scene unfolding near a wide intersection. A luxurious carriage pulled by two scaled horses lay tilted on its side with a broken wheel. A group of heavily armed guards wearing vibrant purple uniforms formed a tight circle around the wreckage.

Standing opposite the purple clad guards were the three Zhan Clan disciples he had just shared a meal with a few hours ago. Zhan Feng, Zhan Ren and Zhan Lei stood shoulder to shoulder while defensive Qi flared around their bodies.

"We already told you we do not want to cause any conflict," Zhan Feng stated with a calm but firm voice while raising his hands to show he held no weapon. "Your carriage driver lost control of the beasts and ran directly into us while we were walking down the street. We did not do anything wrong and we were not even making an issue out of our torn robes."

A young man wearing expensive silk garments stepped out from behind the wall of guards. He possessed a sharp aristocratic face and had a relatively weak aura compared to the guards. This was Jarek Thorne, a noble son of the second most powerful faction residing in Silverguard City. While he was not the direct heir to the clan, his status as the son of a prominent family member afforded him a great deal of unearned arrogance.

"You dare stand in the path of the Thorne Clan and then claim innocence?" Jarek sneered while pointing a finger adorned with jeweled rings toward the three disciples. "You filthy wandering beggars damaged my property and frightened my beasts. You will kneel on these stones and cripple your own cultivation bases as an apology or my guards will do it for you."

Li Yu watched from the edge of the gathering crowd with his arms crossed over his chest. He saw that the disciples could handle themselves against the guards in question. This expedition was meant for training and gaining more real world experience. He was not going to interfere in a street scuffle unless their lives were in actual danger.

The Thorne Clan guards drew their steel sabers and charged forward to enforce the unreasonable will of their young master. They attacked with sweeping strikes infused with generic fire and metal elemental energy.

The three Zhan disciples did not draw any weapons but they did not retreat either. Zhan Ren stepped forward and stomped his boot against the paving stones. A thick wall of hardened earth erupted from the street to block the incoming blades. Zhan Lei darted around the earthen barrier and delivered a series of rapid palm strikes cloaked in crackling lightning Qi that sent two guards flying backward into the broken carriage. Zhan Feng manipulated wind Qi to deflect a barrage of fire projectiles while launching swift kicks that swept the remaining attackers off their feet.

The disciples pushed the guards back easily while maintaining remarkable discipline to not seriously injure or kill anyone. They fought a purely defensive battle to show they harbored no aggressive intent toward the local powers here within the city. They merely protected themselves from the unprovoked assault.

Jarek Thorne watched his guards suffer a humiliating defeat at the hands of three wandering vagabonds. His face twisted into a mask of rage as his pride took a severe blow in front of what he would consider to be commoners looking at him. He reached into his silk robes and pulled out a carved jade token before crushing it within his fist.

"You will all die today for attacking the Thorne Clan!" Jarek promised with a venomous snarl.

The three disciples realized the situation had escalated beyond a simple misunderstanding. They decided to strike first and secure him as a hostage before his clan reinforcements could arrive. Zhan Feng and Zhan Lei surged forward with a burst of speed to capture the young noble since they felt confident operating as a unified team.

Before they could reach him, a heavy spatial pressure descended upon the street and forced the disciples to halt their advance. Two elderly men wearing intricate purple robes dropped down from the rooftops and landed directly in front of Jarek. The elders radiated the oppressive auras of the Domain King realm and their presence forced the surrounding civilians to stumble backward in fear.

At the exact same time, a squad of city guards wearing polished silver armor marched into the intersection from the opposite direction. They carried long halberds and moved with precise military coordination. These were the enforcers of the Astor Clan, the ruling faction that maintained order and authority across Silverguard City.

"Everyone stand down immediately," the captain of the silver guards shouted while striking the butt of his halberd against the ground. "No fighting is allowed within the city walls. Peace is the most important law of this sanctuary. Everyone involved in this disturbance will be taken away for an elder of the Astor Clan to judge and deal with."

One of the newly arrived Thorne elders stepped forward and narrowed his eyes at the guard captain.

"These three foreign brutes attacked our young noble and hurt the prestige of our family," the Thorne elder declared with a cold and demanding tone. "They need to die right here on the street to serve as a warning to others."

The elder signaled his men to advance but the Astor guards did not show any fear and they did not stand down. They leveled their halberds and formed a solid defensive line between the two factions.

"These are the rules of Silverguard," the captain replied without taking a single step back. "Are you daring to break them in broad daylight? Are you truly willing to face the judgment of the Astor Clan over a broken carriage wheel?"

The Thorne elder frowned and clenched his fists. He possessed the martial strength to slaughter the city guards but doing so would ignite a full scale war within the city streets. He did not back down but he did not order the attack either. The intersection fell into a tense and heavy standstill while the surrounding citizens held their breath.

The suffocating tension finally broke when a young woman wearing elegant white and silver robes walked calmly through the line of city guards. She possessed striking features and carried herself with the undeniable authority of a born ruler. This was Sera Astor, the female heir of the ruling clan. She projected a stable Law Integration aura.

"There will be no bloodshed today," Sera announced with a commanding voice that echoed off the stone buildings. "No fighting is allowed within our borders. Everyone standing here, including the foreign wanderers, the Thorne elders and the aggressive forces that just arrived, are to be arrested and dealt with accordingly."

Jarek Thorne opened his mouth to argue but a powerful gust of wind swept down the street and silenced his complaints. A young man wearing a silver crown and a luxurious purple cloak stepped out from the swirling air. He possessed an aura that matched Sera’s. This was Tuwan Thorne, the true heir of the Thorne Clan.

Tuwan stepped in front of his younger relative and met Sera Astor with a cold stare.

"There is no way my people are going anywhere with your guards," Tuwan stated with a smooth but dangerous tone. "They acted in clear self defense against these violent beggars. My people will not be getting arrested today or any other day for defending themselves."

Li Yu observed the hostile exchange and realized there was clearly much more happening here than just a random encounter over a small dispute. The blatant disrespect shown by the true Thorne heir toward the ruling authority proved the two major clans were actively probing each other for weakness.

The broken carriage was merely a convenient excuse to test the political boundaries of the city and push the Astor Clan into a difficult corner. The standoff continued as neither side seemed willing to yield their ground on the crowded street.