The final day of the second week arrived, carrying with it a palpable sense of anticipation that settled over the entire Asura Demon Clan. Today was the day of the final treatment. The news had spread through the volcanic city, and a respectful, hopeful silence reigned. Disciples ceased their ferocious sparring, elders paused their duties, and all eyes were turned towards the sealed, black stone entrance of the Earth-Heart Grotto.
Inside the vast, subterranean cavern, the atmosphere was thick with a nervous, sacred energy. Li Yu stood calmly before the slumbering Earth-Striding Wyrm. Beside him, Clan Lord Mo Jian and a small retinue, including Elder Kaelen and a quiet, humbled Mo Ling, watched with bated breath.
Over the past two weeks, the Guardian's transformation had been nothing short of miraculous. Its breathing was no longer a shallow, ragged whisper, but a deep, resonant rumble that was like the slow breathing of the mountain itself. Its stone-like hide had lost its brittle, dusty quality, and a faint, healthy luster had returned, the mineral veins within it seeming to glow with a soft, internal light.
"Today, we reawaken its spirit," Li Yu stated, his voice calm and steady, a reassuring anchor in the sea of their anxiety. "The corrupted energies have been purged. Its three elemental veins are now clean, but the Water vein remains weak. Today, we will relight the fire."
He stepped forward, placing his palms on the great wyrm's snout. He closed his eyes, and his consciousness plunged into the abyss-black ocean of his spiritual core. He did not draw power out this time. He did the opposite.
His nascent soul, the ethereal, crimson-gold leviathan, stirred in the star-dusted depths. It opened its mouth and let out a silent, spiritual roar. A torrent of the purest, most vibrant life-affirming energy, drawn from the very heart of the Koi's Sanctuary and tempered by his own profound cultivation, surged from Li Yu's body. It was an azure-gold stream of light, a stark, beautiful contrast to the fiery gloom of the caldera, and it flowed from his hands directly into the Guardian's dormant spirit.
If his previous treatments had been the careful work of a surgeon removing a poison, this was the act of a god breathing life back into creation. The energy was not just water-elemental; it was the very concept of life itself, a gentle but irresistible tide that washed through the wyrm's depleted spiritual channels.
The observers watched in stunned silence. The azure-gold light spread from Li Yu's hands, creating a web of shimmering, golden veins across the Guardian's massive head, then its neck, and then its entire, colossal body.
Deep within the beast's soul, the depleted Water vein, a dry and cracked riverbed, was met with a revitalizing flood. The pure energy did not just fill it; it healed it, nourishing the weakened channel and coaxing it back to life. As the Water vein began to flow once more, it acted as a perfect, harmonious medium for the other two. The stagnant Earth energy began to circulate, its power becoming deep and stable instead of brittle. The chaotic Wind energy was soothed, its power becoming swift and agile instead of destructive. The broken cycle was being restored.
For a full hour, Li Yu poured his energy into the beast, his own face growing pale with the immense effort. Finally, he felt a change. A new, powerful pulse from within the wyrm. Its own spirit, its own Water vein, was beginning to generate its own energy once more. His work was done.
He slowly pulled his hands back, the azure-gold light fading. He was breathing heavily, but a smile of deep satisfaction was on his face.
He took a step back and waited.
For a long, silent moment, nothing happened. Then, a deep, shuddering breath racked the Guardian's colossal frame. Its stone-like hide began to vibrate, and the dull, outer layer cracked, flaking away in large chunks like old pottery, revealing a new hide beneath. This new skin was a deep, lustrous obsidian, and the mineral veins within it glowed with a brilliant, inner light, as if it were shot through with seams of raw, uncut diamonds and sapphires.
Then, its eyes opened.
Two eyes, each one a vast, molten orb of pure, ancient gold, blinked slowly, clearing the sleep of months. They were not clouded with pain or madness. They were clear, ancient, and filled with a profound, terrifying wisdom.
The Earth-Striding Wyrm was awake.
It slowly lifted its massive head, a movement that displaced the very air in the cavern. It looked at its own body, at its new, vibrant hide, and let out a low, rumbling sound, a croon of confusion that turned into a deep, resonant purr of pure, unadulterated pleasure. It stretched its powerful limbs, its obsidian claws scraping against the rock, no longer a dying giant, but a monarch reclaiming its throne.
Its gaze then fell upon the small group of humans. It looked at a tearful Mo Jian, at a relieved Kaelen, at an awestruck Mo Ling. Finally, its vast, golden eyes settled on Li Yu.
It lowered its colossal head until its snout was level with Li Yu's chest. A wave of profound, ancient gratitude, a feeling far more eloquent than any words, washed over him. The great beast then nudged him gently, a gesture of deep, personal affection and acknowledgment. It had recognized its savior.
A joyous, triumphant roar erupted from Mo Jian. The Guardian was not just healed; it was stronger, more vibrant than it had been in a century. The malady had been a curse, but the cure had been a rebirth.
"You have done it!" the Clan Lord cried, rushing forward, his usual stern demeanor completely gone, replaced by the pure, unadulterated joy of a man whose family had been saved from the brink of death. "Guest Elder Li, you have given my clan back its soul! I… we are forever in your debt!"
That night, a grand, yet private, banquet was held in Li Yu's honor. The mood was one of unrestrained celebration. After the feast, Mo Jian, his face flushed with gratitude and strong demonic wine, led Li Yu to the clan's treasury.
"A debt must be repaid," Mo Jian said, his voice heavy with sincerity. He gestured to the mountains of spirit stones and rare materials that filled the vault. "Take a few items from here that you want. It is a paltry sum compared to what you have done for us."
Li Yu looked at the glittering wealth, his expression calm. "Clan Lord, you honor me, but I cannot accept these. My journey here was to repay the honor you showed me during the Beast Tide. To accept payment would be to diminish the friendship between us."
Mo Jian was taken aback. "But… we must offer you something! It is a matter of our clan's honor!"
A slow, thoughtful smile touched Li Yu's lips. "There is… something. I have no need of spirit stones. My true passion, as you know, is in the study and nurturing of beasts. If you would allow it, I would be honored to see your clan's collection of unique aquatic species. That would be a reward far greater to me than any mountain of gold."
Mo Jian stared at him for a moment, then let out a booming laugh of pure, relieved joy. The request was so humble, so perfectly in character for the mysterious healer, that it only deepened his respect. "Of course! A thousand times, yes! Come, I will show you myself!"
He led Li Yu to a series of deep, thermally heated pools near the magma river, where the clan kept its rarest aquatic beasts. It was a treasure trove of life that made Li Yu's eyes light up with a genuine, scientific curiosity. There were Magma-Fin Eels that swam through superheated water, Obsidian-Shelled Prawns whose carapaces were as hard as refined steel, and strange, beautiful Gloom-Lily Jellyfish that pulsed with a soft, shadowy light.
Li Yu walked among the pools, his gaze taking in every detail. "These are magnificent," he said with sincere appreciation. "Truly unique to this volcanic environment." He then turned to Mo Jian, his expression respectful. "If your clan has a surplus, I would be deeply grateful if you would be willing to part with a single breeding pair of each. They would be the pride of my own humble menagerie."
"A breeding pair? That is all?" Mo Jian asked, stunned by the modesty of the request. "Take as many as you wish!"
"A single pair is all I need to begin," Li Yu said with a smile. "A healthy ecosystem is built on careful cultivation, not plunder."
Deeply moved by Li Yu's wisdom and humility, Mo Jian personally oversaw the collection of the beasts. As they were preparing the last of the transport tanks, Li Yu made his final proposal.
"Clan Lord," he began, "your clan possesses many unique resources—these beasts, the demonic herbs from your mountains, the rare ores from your volcano. And my own Deepwater Menagerie produces a steady supply of high-quality, pure-energy spirit beast flesh, a resource I believe would be of great benefit to your clan's disciples in strengthening their physical bodies."
He looked at Mo Jian, his eyes sharp and clear. "I would like to propose a formal trade agreement. Let us connect our two homes. My business partner, the Golden Shell Guild, can handle all the logistics, ensuring a safe and efficient trade route between us. We can exchange the resources we have in abundance for the ones we lack. It would be a partnership of mutual benefit, strengthening us both."
Mo Jian looked at the young man before him. He had come to them as a healer. He had saved their Guardian, protected their clan, and asked for almost nothing in return. And now, he was offering them not just a one-time trade, but a long-term alliance, a bridge between the demonic and righteous worlds, built on the foundation of mutual profit and respect.
The Clan Lord of the Asura Demon Clan broke into a wide, genuine grin. "Guest Elder Li Yu," he said, extending a hand, his grip like iron. "It would be our clan's greatest honor to become your business partner."