The decision, once made, was acted upon with Li Yu's usual quiet efficiency. He spent the rest of the day in the Asura Demon Clan's grand library, poring over every map and intelligence report they had on the Ironmaw Range and the surrounding territories. Clan Lord Mo Jian, eager to assist his new friend, had given him unrestricted access to the clan's most detailed intelligence.
"The Ironmaw Range is a natural fortress," Mo Jian explained, his finger tracing a line on a topographical map made of beast hide. "It's a treacherous land of sharp peaks and deep, winding valleys. This is why this new 'King' has been able to consolidate his power so quickly."
"What is his goal?" Li Yu asked, his expression one of genuine curiosity. "The report said he defeated the Iron Heart Sect's leader but let him go. That is not the act of a mindless brute."
"No, it is not," Mo Jian agreed, his expression grim. "His goal appears to be singular: wealth. The Ironmaw Range is a chokepoint for all common trade and travel to the north. His unified bandits now control every path. They demand an exorbitant toll from any who wish to pass. If you pay, you are allowed to proceed unharmed. If you refuse… they take everything. He is not a mass murderer, but an incredibly effective and ruthless businessman who is strangling the life out of the region's common folk."
Li Yu nodded slowly, a thoughtful look on his face. "Fear is a useful tool for a ruler. The people he is oppressing will not be his allies. They will be a sea of eyes and ears, waiting for a savior." His plan began to form. It was not a plan of stealth and assassination, but one of overwhelming, public presence. He would not be a ghost; he would be a tidal wave.
That evening, he bid his farewells. "I will investigate this matter personally," he told Mo Jian. "This instability is a threat to the peace of the region, and therefore, a threat to our new partnership. It is better to deal with it now."
Mo Jian offered him an entire legion of his best warriors, an offer Li Yu politely but firmly refused. "A large force would be seen as an invasion by your clan. This is a matter for my own organization to handle." He offered a reassuring smile. "Do not worry, Clan Lord. As you know, the Golden Shell Guild has… significant resources. I will be well protected. This is a business problem, and we will handle it as such."
The mention of his mysterious and terrifyingly powerful backers was all the reassurance Mo Jian needed. He knew better than to question the methods of a young man who had a being like Spine at his beck and call.
Under the cover of the caldera's perpetual twilight, Li Yu left the Asura Demon Clan's city. Once he was miles away in the desolate, mountainous terrain, he summoned his transport: the swift and silent Skyshroud Leviathan, Tempest. He leaped onto the great beast's back, and they rose into the night sky, turning north towards the troubled Ironmaw Range.
He did not fly directly to the mountains. Instead, he spent the next two days visiting the small, downtrodden towns and villages that dotted the foothills. He moved as a simple, wandering cultivator, his aura suppressed, a friendly and unassuming presence.
He sat in local taverns, listening to the hushed, fearful whispers of merchants and travelers. He visited the struggling markets, speaking with farmers who could no longer sell their goods and craftsmen who could no longer receive their materials.
The information he gathered was consistent and grim. The stories all matched what Mo Jian had told him, colored with the raw, personal pain of the common people. The bandits were disciplined, demanding the toll and leaving those who paid alone, but their price was so high it was ruinous. The Bandit King was a tyrant, strangling the life from the entire region for his own profit.
With the intelligence confirmed, Li Yu decided his reconnaissance was over. It was time to enter the lion's den.
He guided Tempest to a secluded, high-altitude mountain lake and recalled the great beast into his sanctuary. He then proceeded on foot, a lone figure walking towards the imposing, jagged peaks of the Ironmaw Range.
He did not try to sneak in. He knew the bandits would have countless watch posts and patrols. His goal was not to avoid them, but to be found. It was, as he had reasoned, far easier for them to bring him to their leader than for him to search for a hidden fortress in this vast, treacherous terrain. He wanted to create a scene, an undeniable display of power that would force the King's hand.
He walked the main, now-deserted trade path, his steps calm and unhurried. For a full day, he saw nothing but the desolate, windswept beauty of the mountains. But he could feel the eyes on him, the faint, hostile flickers of spiritual sense from hidden lookouts.
On the second day, as he was passing through a narrow, winding canyon, they finally made their move.
From the cliffs above, dozens of figures leaped down, surrounding him in a cloud of dust and malicious intent. They were a motley crew, their armor a patchwork of stolen goods, their faces scarred and cruel.
Their cultivation levels were varied, with the vast majority at the Mid to Late stages of the Qi Condensation realm, a handful of Early Foundation Establishment grunts, and their leader, a man with a jagged scar across his face, at the 7th level of the Foundation Establishment realm.
"Well, well," the scarred man sneered, his eyes raking over Li Yu's fine, righteous sect robes. "Look what we have here. A lost little lamb. The King's toll for passing through this canyon is everything you own. Hand over your storage ring peacefully, and you can walk away with your life. Refuse… and we'll take it from your corpse."
Li Yu simply smiled, a calm, almost pitying, expression on his face. He looked at the forty-plus bandits surrounding him. "This is an excellent opportunity," he murmured to himself.
He did not draw a weapon. He did not release his true aura. He simply raised a hand, and the shimmering, watery portal to his Koi's Sanctuary opened beside him.
The bandits stared, their sneers turning to confusion. And then, the monsters came out to play.
First came Crimson, the Flood Dragon, his jade scales shimmering as he coiled in the air, a low, menacing hiss escaping his fangs. Then came Volt & Jolt, the three-tailed spirit eels, crackling with a contained, golden lightning. Then, Ying and Zhao, the Abyssal Water-Drakes, their midnight-blue forms exuding an aura of cold, calculating intelligence.
Aegis and Bastion, the Iron-Shell Guardian Turtles, appeared with a heavy, solid thud. Fury and Rage, the Azure-Clawed Hydras, materialized, their multiple heads weaving and snapping. Finally, the two colossal Stygian Maw-Lurkers faded into existence, their sheer size casting a dark shadow over the canyon.
The entire, terrifying menagerie of Li Yu's named beasts, his personal army of monsters, stood ready. He could feel their eagerness, their raw, predatory instinct straining at the leash.
"It has been a while since you have had a proper hunt," Li Yu projected to them, his mental voice calm. "This is a good chance for some training. Do not kill them all. I need one to guide us. The rest… are yours to subdue."
The bandits, who had been frozen in a state of pure, mind-shattering terror, finally broke. The sight before them was not a battle; it was an apocalypse. They turned to flee, but it was too late.
With a unified, joyous, and utterly terrifying roar, Li Yu's beasts charged.
The canyon devolved into a scene of absolute, one-sided carnage. Crimson was a whirlwind of water and mist, washing over a group of bandits. Volt & Jolt were streaks of golden lightning, their thunderous attacks leaving smoking, paralyzed bodies in their wake.
Ying and Zhao were a pair of peerless generals, their coordinated strikes and abyssal water blasts tearing through the enemy ranks with flawless precision. The Hydras were a vortex of snapping heads and tearing claws, while the great Aegis turtles were simply an unbreakable, moving wall, crushing any who stood in their path.
The battle was over in less than a minute. The canyon floor was littered with the broken, groaning bodies of bandits. The scarred leader, who had been the target of a joint, non-lethal strike from Ying and Zhao, lay on the ground, his limbs bound by solidified abyssal water, his face a mask of pure, abject terror.
Li Yu recalled his beasts to the side, who were thrumming with the pleasant, post-battle energy of a hunt well done. He walked over to the terrified, captured bandit leader.
"Now then," Li Yu said, his voice as calm and pleasant as ever. "I believe you were about to show me the way to your King."