Before confronting a new monarch, he first had to settle the old one. He sank his consciousness into his Koi's Sanctuary. The vast, inland sea of misty, life-giving energy was in a state of turmoil. The arrival of two Rank 7 Overlord Abyssal Water-Drakes and the massive influx of life essence from the slaughtered army had supercharged the environment.
He stood before the broken form of Kui, the Behemoth Turtle-Snake. "You are wounded," Li Yu's mental voice was a calm, simple statement.
"This one's shell is broken. This one's foundation is damaged," Kui's ancient, weary voice echoed back. "This one requires several months of deep slumber to mend."
"This sanctuary will accelerate your healing," Li Yu said. "But your true master resides here. You will serve him first and me second. Do you understand?"
"This one understands," Kui replied without a hint of hesitation. "The law of the master is absolute. This one submits to the true sovereign."
Li Yu opened the portal of his Koi Sanctuary and it sucked Kui inside. Kui's form materialized in the misty depths of the lake. The moment it did, the sanctuary's unique laws acted upon it, causing its colossal, three-hundred-foot form to rapidly shrink down to a more manageable, though still impressive, thirty feet in length. Its golden eyes widened in shock of being pulled to such a place.
The purity and potency of the life essence in this place… it was much richer than its own sacred spring. The crimson-gold mist, the very vitality of Li Yu's Koi spirit, washed over its shattered shell, a soothing, divine balm that immediately began to slowly mend the deepest of its injuries.
Its weary submission vanished, replaced by a sudden, booming enthusiasm that was completely at odds with its ancient, turtle-like form. "Magnificent! Truly magnificent!" Kui's mental voice was no longer slow and ponderous, but a vibrant, excited baritone. "Such a divine realm! The spiritual energy, the purity of the life essence! It is a paradise beyond this old one's wildest dreams! Wise Host, your methods are truly heaven-defying!"
From a distant, obsidian ledge, cold thought washed over the entire sanctuary, a silent declaration of authority that made the mighty Kui tremble. "You will rest in the deepest waters. You will not disturb my slumber unless commanded. You will obey the little host. This is my will."
Kui's boisterous praise immediately transformed into a tone of absolute, fervent reverence. "This lowly one, Kui, greets the Great Sovereign of the Void!" it projected, its now-smaller head bowing so low its chin touched the lakebed.
"Your presence is the sun and moon, your will is the law of the heavens! To be allowed to reside in your divine realm is the greatest honor of this one's long, insignificant life! This old turtle will be as silent as a stone at the bottom of the deepest trench! I will not make a single ripple without the Great Sovereign's command!"
With its new king settled and placated, Li Yu withdrew his consciousness, his own cultivation base now stable at the peak of the Seven Stage of the Foundation Establishment Realm. He had turned a battlefield into a banquet, a massacre into a milestone.
He didn't feel any kind of achievement however, such was the shock and impact of what he had just seen. His power seemed to be nothing more than a fleeting shadow against what Khaos had shown. It was unbelievable that such power could even be from this world.
Li Yu's world views have been limited by what he has seen and what he has read in text. This was the first time he's seen such overwhelming might and it was from someone who was always by his side. What he didn't know was, this scene would be shocking to anyone in the cultivation world. Khaos was an anomaly, just so vastly different that most would think his realm would be much higher.
Li Yu looked around the barren wasteland where the marsh had been. His work here was done. It was time to move on.
He arrived at the northern front to a world of stone and shattered earth. He found a high, secluded cliff that overlooked the battlefield, a perfect vantage point to observe his next target. He could feel its aura immediately. It was not the aquatic presence of Kui. It was a power as deep, heavy, and unyielding as the mountains themselves. He saw it in the center of its army, a true, living mountain.
The second Beast King was a Colossal Earth-Shaker Ape.This was the beast king that the sect masters had faced off against.
It stood over four hundred feet tall, its body not made of flesh and fur but of a dark, metallic and incredibly dense rock. Its eyes were two massive, burning crystals of raw, untamed earth energy and its every movement was a slow, ponderous and earth-shattering event.
It was not leading the charge. It simply stood, its massive arms crossed a silent unmovable king watching its subjects wage war.
Li Yu's spiritual sense swept over the Earth King's domain. As he had suspected, this was a purely terrestrial army. The beasts were creatures of rock, of stone, of the deep earth. He scanned the entire area, his mind a fine-toothed comb searching for any trace of an aquatic bloodline. He found only a handful of insignificant creatures—a few dozen small, three-eyed toads huddled fearfully in a small muddy underground stream at the very edge of the battlefield.
They were only Rank 1 beasts, their auras weak and terrified, swept up in a tide they did not belong to. For a moment, their aura felt somewhat familiar but it was only a fleeting thought. They were a meager prize but Li Yu was not one to waste the opportunity to add a different life form to his sanctuary. He marked their location in his mind, a small, secondary objective to be dealt with after the king had fallen.
With his minor harvest planned, he turned his full attention to the true problem. This Beast King was a completely different challenge. It was a creature of physical power. This was a battle that would be won not with cunning but with overwhelming force.
He looked at the colossal, unmoving form of the Earth-Shaker Ape, then at the tiny, fist-sized crab resting in his sanctuary.
Li Yu took a deep, steadying breath.
He stepped off the edge of the cliff, his form a descending shadow, his presence completely concealed by his profound art. He was not aiming for the Beast King itself. He was aiming for a quiet, secluded spot behind its massive, mountain-like form. The hunt was about to begin again.