Myriad Rivers to the Sea

Chapter 851: The Grand Envoy

Li Yu sat still on the wooden floor of the small house. His eyes were closed shut and sweat beaded along his forehead. He was locked in a fierce internal struggle.The pressure pressing down on his consciousness was immense. It felt as though an entire ocean was trying to crush his mind into a diamond. He assumed this was the natural resistance and chaotic nature of hosting an ancient being. Li Yu focused entirely on maintaining the stability of his ethereal foundation.

He fought the crushing weight for what felt like hours. He routed his Qi through his meridians and reinforced the walls of his inner space. Then the pressure simply snapped.

It did not fade away slowly. It vanished instantly. The suffocating weight evaporated and left Li Yu gasping for air. He took a deep and ragged breath. His shoulders slumped slightly as the violent tension drained from his muscles.

He did not know it but the pressure had been entirely fake. Elysia had generated the oppressive force the moment she entered his body to keep his consciousness locked outside for the short time. She had used the distraction to secure her privacy with the Human Soul and the Fisherman.

Now that her emotional reunion was complete and her poison was safely extracted, she had dropped the illusion. She had also officially severed her ancient connection to the core of the Omen Realm.

Li Yu wiped the sweat from his brow. He felt a sense of relief after it was over. He believed the integration process was finally complete and the ancient soul had settled into her new home. He regulated his breathing and sent his spectral projection inward.

His consciousness manifested in the sky high above the boundless Ocean of Qi. He looked out across and he immediately noticed the change to the landscape.

A brand new island was floating away from the main one. It was incredibly detailed and lush. Li Yu flew closer and realized it was an exact replica of the spatial pocket in the physical world. The large crystal pond was filled with ethereal fish. The vegetable fields were neatly tilled and organized. The small wooden house sat quietly at the end of a dirt path.

Li Yu shook his head and he let out a dry chuckle.

‘She had made herself at home real quick.’ Li Yu thought.

He descended toward the new island and landed softly on the dirt path. The spiritual air here felt incredibly dense and vibrant. He walked toward the wooden house to check on his new tenant and he stopped a few paces away from the front porch.

Elysia was sitting at a small wooden table outside the house. She was holding a delicate clay teacup. Sitting directly across from her was his Human Soul. His slightly younger look-a-like was holding its own teacup and smiling pleasantly at the ancient Ancestor. Li Yu raised an eyebrow.

He watched them sip their tea in quiet companionship but did not think too much about the strange scene. Li Yu figured it was probably just the souls feeling each other out or neighbors getting acquainted.

Elysia noticed his arrival. She set her teacup down and stood up. The Human Soul remained seated but offered Li Yu a polite nod. Elysia smoothed her radiant white robes and walked over to him. She stopped a respectful distance away and offered him a very deep and formal bow.

"I cannot express my gratitude enough," Elysia said softly. She kept her head bowed for a long moment. "Thank you for letting me stay here. Your foundation is incredible. It is the perfect sanctuary that I was looking for."

Li Yu studied her face as she straightened her posture. The sickly grey undertone that had marred her features in the outside world was almost entirely gone. She looked significantly healthier. Her ethereal form was dense and vibrant.

Li Yu assumed the rapid improvement was simply the result of her detaching from the dying realm core and resting within him. That was the goal after all. He had no idea that the Fisherman had forcefully ripped nearly all of the Lemorian poison out of her chest just minutes prior.

Elysia was not going to tell him either. She knew she would be completely fine in a few days but her powers would take a long time to fully return back to what they once were. However, if she revealed that she was perfectly fine, he might ask her to leave. She did not want to leave. She wanted to be exactly where she was. She wanted to stay on this peaceful island and drink tea with the soul she had waited eras to reunite with.

"You are welcome," Li Yu replied evenly. "But remember the rules if you are going to live in my soul space."

"Of course," Elysia nodded eagerly. She looked at him with absolute cooperation. "Whatever you require."

"Do not cause trouble here," Li Yu stated firmly. "You are free to do and create as you please on this island. You can raise your fish and grow your spiritual herbs. But you must keep in mind that you are not alone in this space. I have other souls residing here. I expect everyone to respect each other and maintain the peace."

Elysia smiled warmly. "I understand completely. I promise I will not cause any disruptions."

Li Yu nodded. He decided it was best to introduce everyone properly. He sent a ripple of intent across to each one.

He called over the other residents.

The Fisherman appeared first. He materialized on the dirt path with his woven bamboo hat pulled low over his eyes. He held his fishing rod casually over his shoulder and he did not look at Elysia. He simply stood beside Li Yu and waited.

Muddy came next. The large beast trotted down from the sky and landed heavily on the grass. It snorted and chewed on a mouthful of spiritual weeds. It glanced at Elysia with mild curiosity before going back to its meal.

The Koi Soul swam down from the clouds. The massive Koi circled the island twice. It radiated a warm and majestic light before it settled into the air right behind Li Yu.

Li Yu looked out toward the endless waters below. He still had no real control over the Whale Soul. The colossal beast usually ignored his commands and did whatever it pleased. But he figured he should at least try to summon it for the introduction. He focused his intent and sent a heavy call into the depths of the ocean.

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The spiritual waters began to churn. A massive shadow eclipsed the depths.

To Li Yu’s surprise the ocean erupted. The Whale breached the surface. The scale of the beast was always somewhat terrifying. It rose high into the spiritual sky and cast a massive shadow over Elysia’s new island. The Whale let out a deep and resonant hum that vibrated through the very fabric of the soul space. It acknowledged the call and hovered silently in the air.

Li Yu looked back at Elysia. He gestured to the gathering of supreme ethereal entities.

"These are my other souls," Li Yu explained. He focused his gaze mainly on her since she was the foreign person entering their established dynamic. "I expect everyone to get along. This is a sanctuary not a battlefield."

Elysia looked at all of them and for once was a person that wasn’t surprised by them all. She did not look intimidated in the slightest. Her dark eyes sparkled with genuine delight as if she couldn’t be happier.

"There is absolutely no need to worry Li Yu," Elysia said with a bright smile. "I am very much looking forward to having such nice neighbors. I thank you again for this opportunity."

Li Yu found her cheerful demeanor a bit jarring for a supposedly ruthless tyrant but he accepted her words. Things were happening a bit too quickly this day for his mind to process it all. The integration was stable and the rules were set. There was no need to linger any longer.

"We should return," Li Yu said. "It is time to handle other matters in the physical world. Your council is waiting."

Elysia nodded. "I will follow your lead."

Li Yu pulled his spectral projection out of the inner world. His consciousness snapped back into his physical body.

He opened his eyes in the quiet wooden house. He took a deep breath of the damp and floral air and he felt perfectly normal. There was no lingering pain and no corrupting poison bleeding into his other souls. The process had been a complete success which came as a big relief.

Elysia reappeared on the outside as well. She moved with a renewed grace and vigor that she did not have for years. Since her soul was currently resting safely inside Li Yu and the poison was mostly gone, her physical projection looked incredible.

She walked past Li Yu and stepped out onto the front porch. She raised her pale hand and swiped her fingers through the air.

The complex array matrix glowing on the ceiling of the spatial pocket instantly shattered and the wards she had raised to lock the space down dissolved into harmless motes of light. The heavy isolation was lifted.

Elysia looked down the long dirt path toward the massive iron doors. She sent a sharp pulse of commanding Qi outward. A moment later the colossal doors groaned and slowly swung open.

The thirty seven Eidolon leaders were waiting anxiously on the other side. Haelan and Jhyra stood at the front of the group. The two Core Wardens flanked them. The rest of the council members were packed tightly into the subterranean cavern.

They had spent the entire time standing in dread. They fully expected the doors to remain sealed for weeks possibly but no one was willing to leave. Soul integration was a notoriously slow and dangerous process when others had to do it. For their very own ancestor, they did not know what to expect.

It required meticulous alignment and gradual exposure to prevent the host from dying or some kind of clash. They had been terrified that Elysia’s sudden fury would cause her to rush the process and kill Li Yu instantly, ending their own hopes of survival.

When the iron doors opened they braced themselves for a disaster. They expected to see Li Yu’s corpse or an enraged Ancestor demanding new sacrifices and to find another body. Instead, they saw Elysia standing calmly on the wooden porch. Li Yu stood right beside her and looked completely unharmed.

Haelan blinked in shock. He stepped cautiously through the massive threshold. Jhyra and the rest of the council followed him into the vibrant spatial pocket. They walked down the dirt path with hesitant but hurried steps. They kept their eyes darting between the young boy and their Ancestor.

They stopped a few yards away from the porch and all of them dropped to one knee and bowed their heads in unison.

"Ancestor," Haelan said. His voice trembled slightly. "The doors opened so quickly. Is the process... is it complete?"

Elysia looked down at the council that ruled over her entire empire. Her dark eyes were calm and authoritative. This time they had some warmth to them. The terrifying fury from earlier had vanished.

"It was a complete success," Elysia announced. Her melodic voice carried effortlessly across the quiet farm. "I have detached my form from the Omen Realm core. I am now resting safely within his soul space and I already feel significantly better. You all have done extremely well to find me this vessel."

She did not tell them that her poison was nearly cured. She let them assume the relief was simply from the change of environment. The thirty seven leaders were absolutely stunned. They looked at each other in disbelief that it was over so quickly. The blade hanging over their heads for the last 20 years was simply shattered. Some even had thoughts that being bound to this boy was not so bad afterall.

It had been less than an hour and all their worries had melted away. The youth was not just a compatible vessel. He was actually their savior.

Haelan let out a long breath of relief. "This is joyous news, Ancestor! Your survival ensures the future of our empire. We will immediately begin the preparations to reward the vessel as promised."

Elysia raised her hand to silence him.

"You will not refer to him as a vessel anymore," Elysia commanded coldly. The sudden edge in her voice made Haelan and the other council members flinch.

‘You just called him a vessel…’ Haelan thought to himself. ‘I was just using your words to not anger you…’

"He has provided me with a perfect sanctuary. He has saved our bloodline from total annihilation. His status must reflect the magnitude of his contribution and the fact that I am within him." Elysia said.

She looked at Li Yu and then back to Haelan.

"Li Yu is hereby given the title of Grand Envoy of the Omen Realm," Elysia declared. Her words echoed with the weight of imperial law. "He holds a rank above all others in this empire. His authority is second only to my own. His words are my words. His commands are my commands."

The entire council froze. The silence that fell over the dirt path was deafening. Haelan’s jaw parted slightly. Jhyra looked up with wide amethyst eyes. The thirty five council members and the two Core Wardens were completely paralyzed by the decree.

They were stunned beyond words. They stared at Elysia and tried to process what they had just heard.

‘What the heck had happened inside this wooden house? Wasn’t she furious? Now he is above trillions and below just herself?’ They all seemed to think simultaneously.

This was not what she had said she would do during their briefings earlier. She had agreed to give him access to the treasuries and treat him like an honored guest. She had never once mentioned elevating a foreign human youth to the absolute peak of their civilization.

They had just spent the entire journey from The Veil nursing their wounded pride over being bound to a Law Integration junior. They had consoled themselves with the fact that it was a temporary humiliation necessary for survival. Now their Ancestor had just officially handed him the keys to the entire empire. He was not just their contract master anymore. He was officially their superior in the Eidolon hierarchy.

"Ancestor," Jhyra managed to whisper. She was walking a very dangerous line by questioning the decree but the shock was too great. "The title of Grand Envoy has not been granted since the ancient wars of old. Only one other was given this title and he disappeared along with the end of that war. It gives him control over our military forces and our territories. Are you certain this is wise?"

Elysia narrowed her eyes. The temperature in the spatial pocket plummeted. The warm breeze turned into a freezing gale.

"Do you question my judgment, Jhyra?" Elysia asked softly. The terrifying pressure returned and pressed the council members firmly into the dirt.

"No Ancestor!" Jhyra quickly pressed her forehead against the ground. "I would never. We simply wish to understand. This is giving him infinitely more than what we had bargained for."