Chapter 16: The Yulan River
The largest inland river on the Yulan Continent was undoubtedly the Yulan River. Its main channel connected the O'Brien Empire, the Yulan Empire, the Luoao Empire, and the Rhine Empire. Numerous tributaries of the Yulan River spread across every region of the four great empires of the Yulan Continent.
It could be said that the Yulan River nurtured the majority of humanity on the Yulan Continent.
"So vast a river," Linley said softly, sitting on the deck of a large passenger vessel, gazing at the endless, surging waters of the Yulan River. His heart was filled with awe.
This vessel was one Linley had hired directly.
For ten thousand gold coins, it would take them to the river port closest to Ershi County City. That port was less than a hundred miles from Ershi County City.
As Linley saw it, if they continued along the normal route, they would likely face countless assassination attempts along the way. It was far better to simply hire a vessel and sail south along the Yulan River with the current...
The vessel had been hired on a whim by Linley. He didn't believe that everyone on board could be one of Weide's wife's people. After all, around Blackrock City, her influence didn't extend this far.
"Brother Lei," Jenny said, walking out from the cabin.
The wind was strong in the middle of the river, blowing Jenny's long dress and hair. She smiled at Linley, walked over, and sat down on the deck beside him. "Brother Lei, back then I said I'd hire you for ten thousand gold coins," she said, a little embarrassed.
To Jenny and Keane, ten thousand gold coins was a huge sum.
But who would have thought that Linley would directly rent such a large vessel? The rental price for this kind of ship was extremely expensive. For the journey from Blackrock City to Ershi County City, it cost ten thousand gold coins. And that was only after the owner saw the black panther beside Linley and, out of respect for a strong practitioner like him, gave a very low discounted price.
Linley's commission was 'ten thousand gold coins.' So far, he had only taken one gold coin.
But now, he had already paid out ten thousand gold coins. No wonder Jenny felt a bit awkward. Jenny and her brother wanted to pay, but unfortunately, they had no money right now.
"Jenny, don't you think the scenery here is beautiful?" Linley stood up and walked to the edge of the deck, which was lined with iron chains.
Linley rested his hand on the chains, looking around.
The surging waters of the Yulan River stretched for tens of thousands of miles. In wide places, it was several miles across; in narrow places, it was still several hundred meters wide. The 'mother river' of the entire Yulan Continent. Who knew how many people it had nurtured? The recorded history of the Yulan Continent stretched back hundreds of thousands of years.
"This Yulan River must have existed for at least hundreds of thousands of years," Linley mused.
Gazing at the surging river, he couldn't help but imagine the scene from hundreds of millennia ago. Observing this vast, mighty river, Linley's heart felt more open and expansive.
"People and nations from hundreds of thousands of years ago have long since turned to dust and ceased to exist. Compared to this cycle of history, the rise and fall of nations, personal grievances seem so insignificant."
Facing the boundless river, Linley had a unique insight.
"Today, the Yulan Continent is dominated by six behemoths: the four great empires, the Radiant Church, and the Dark Church." Linley's heart was calm and undisturbed.
Since childhood, Linley's goal had been to fulfill his father's wish and to reach the pinnacle of cultivation.
But after his father's death, Linley's entire soul had fallen into darkness. A path of revenge, a path of slaughter... On this path, Linley had also lost Grandpa Doehring.
Three years of arduous training in the Mountain Range of Magical Beasts had cleansed his soul, calming his heart like still water and allowing him to completely transform, like a butterfly emerging from its cocoon.
"Only by reaching the pinnacle of cultivation can I achieve my goals. The Radiant Church, that behemoth... didn't it still choose to retreat when facing the king of the Mountain Range of Magical Beasts, 'Dylin'?"
Linley had absolute confidence in his heart.
"One day, I too will reach that pinnacle." Looking at the surging river, Linley's ambition soared.
*******
The captain steering the vessel was very relaxed. The currents of the Yulan River were swift, but far safer than the ocean. He was even leisurely chatting with the sailors beside him.
"Hey, see that black panther?" the captain said proudly. "That's a magical beast. You watch, my son will tame a magical beast of his own before long."
"Captain, that's a panther-type magical beast. Can your son tame it?" a nearby sailor laughed. The status difference between a captain and a sailor wasn't that great; they were all men who made their living on the water.
The captain sighed with admiration. "High-level magical beasts... I really admire those strong practitioners. Remember last year, when I went to the imperial capital and saw the Wargod's Gate recruiting nominal disciples? Wow, you have no idea how many strong practitioners there were. Some rode giant magical beasts, others rode flying magical beasts... All those experts rushed over, competing for that single spot. In those battles, the experts moved so fast I only saw blurs. Too fast, too fast."
The sailors also began boasting about the experts they had seen.
In the O'Brien Empire, almost every child grew up wanting to become a strong practitioner, and entering the Wargod's Gate was the ultimate goal.
...
Linley sat cross-legged on the deck, letting the strong wind blow against him. The heavy sword of Blackdusk rested on his legs. With his eyes closed, he quietly sensed the surging power of the Yulan River.
"Force is the force of the heavens, the force of the earth, the force of the boundless rivers and seas." Linley's soul completely merged with the wind, even sensing the vast riverbed of the Yulan River and the endless land surrounding it.
Naturally, he could also sense the swift current.
The vessel sailed downstream with the current, occasionally stopping to allow everyone to eat. But Linley remained seated cross-legged on the deck, not eating a single meal.
In the blink of an eye, six days passed.
"Sis, Brother Lei hasn't eaten or drunk anything. Is he okay?" Keane pointed at Linley, who was still sitting cross-legged on the deck, and asked Jenny worriedly.
Jenny was also a little worried. She shook her head helplessly. "I don't know, but Bebe won't let us get close."
"Don't worry," the captain said, walking over with a chuckle. "Those top-tier experts aren't like us ordinary people. To them, a ten-thousand-foot cliff is no obstacle, and even a million-strong army can't stop them. I've heard of people who go without food or drink for months while in meditation. At their level, going without food or drink for a few months is normal." The captain said 'normal,' but there was still a hint of envy in his eyes.
Jenny and Keane were even more astonished by the captain's words.
"Could it be like this?"
Suddenly, a muttering voice sounded. Jenny, Keane, and the captain all turned to look. When they did, they were startled.
Linley, holding the heavy sword of Blackdusk, actually leaped from the vessel into the river.
"Brother Lei!" Jenny cried out in alarm.
The three of them immediately ran to the front deck. When they reached the chains, they were shocked to see Linley standing on the water's surface, holding the heavy sword of Blackdusk. He rose and fell with the waves of the Yulan River, but didn't sink at all.
This sight left them utterly dumbfounded.
Flying through the air was something only possible for those who had reached the Saint-level.
"Earth, fire, water, wind..." Linley murmured softly. At the same time, he suddenly thrust his heavy sword upward. As the heavy sword of Blackdusk pierced upward, it seemed to tear a hole in the sky, producing a terrifying shriek.
At the same time, the water around Linley's body shot straight up into the air.
"Haha!" Linley's loud laughter rang out. Then, his figure began to constantly shift and move across the surface of the Yulan River. The river water, following Linley's movements and his heavy sword, continuously surged and roared.
The water within a hundred meters of Linley seemed to go mad.
Sometimes, the water shot dozens of meters into the air. Sometimes, it formed a huge whirlpool. Sometimes, the water shot out in all directions like sharp arrows. Sometimes, the water swirled around Linley...
"Clang." The clear sound of the heavy sword being sheathed was heard.
The previously frenzied water suddenly calmed down. In the blink of an eye, the Yulan River returned to its original calm, with only a gentle swell. Linley stood on the undulating water, but didn't sink at all.
This time, Linley hadn't used wind magic to offset the gravity of the heavy sword of Blackdusk.
Instead, he relied on his understanding and application of 'force.'
"This 'force' is the force of heaven and earth, and also the force of earth, fire, water, and wind." A smile appeared on Linley's face. He lightly tapped his foot and leaped directly back onto the vessel's deck.
His understanding of 'force' had always been approached from the perspectives of earth and wind. But these six days of meditation had allowed him to sense the fluctuations of water. He also recalled the passion of practicing fire magic, the passion of the fire element.
Heaviness, ethereality, suppleness, passion.
The four elements merged together. With a single sword strike, he could move heaven and earth. This was the true 'force.' The 'force' Linley had understood before was merely the first step.
"Brother Lei, you just now, you just..." Keane was a little excited but didn't know what to say.
Jenny also looked at Linley with admiration.
What Linley had just done left them utterly stunned. Even the captain, who had been traveling on the river for a long time, had never seen such an astonishing sight.
"That was just training," Linley said calmly with a smile.
Although the family's recorded texts said that the highest level of heavy weapon training was the third level, the realm of 'force,' Linley had a feeling.
The 'force' level was not the end.
There was something beyond it.
After reaching the 'force' level, especially after his soul had merged with nature, he always had a feeling... that there was a higher realm. Linley had a vague sense of it, but he couldn't quite grasp it.
"Battle qi and strength are just a foundation. How much attacking power you can unleash depends heavily on your realm," Linley realized at this moment.
For example, if you had a million jin of brute force, but you were too clumsy in your attacks, you might only be able to use ten percent of your strength.
Through hard training, you might be able to use thirty percent.
A master could use seventy percent.
What Linley needed to do was to use one hundred percent, and even, by borrowing the force of heaven and earth, unleash an attack stronger than his own strength.
"Jenny, Keane, how long until we reach the river port?" Linley asked.
"About another day," the captain answered from nearby.
Linley nodded and directly instructed, "Alright, we won't stop at the port closest to Ershi County City. We'll stop at the port just before it."
"Yes, Lord Lei." Although the captain didn't understand the reason, he still obeyed.
******
Linley's decision to travel by river threw Weide's wife's people into chaos. The red-haired man, 'Code,' eventually found out that Linley and his group had hired a vessel and were traveling down the Yulan River.
No matter how skilled the pharmacist, Holmer, was, he couldn't just cross several hundred meters or more of river water and board someone else's ship. If he did board, the other party would probably suspect him.
So, they could only wait at the river ports.
But...
According to their calculations, the vessel should have arrived at this port.
"What's going on? They should have been here yesterday, right?" Holmer the pharmacist sat in a civilian house in a small town near the river port.
"Master Holmer, please be patient," one of Weide's wife's subordinates said anxiously.
Suddenly, the door of the house was thrown open. One of Weide's wife's subordinates rushed in excitedly and said indignantly, "Master Holmer, that group didn't stop at this port. They stopped at the previous port. They've already reached Red Sand Town, which is very close to Ershi County City. They'll probably arrive in Ershi County City tonight."
"Arrive tonight?" Holmer the pharmacist was stunned.
"Quick, we need to leave immediately." Holmer the pharmacist immediately gave the order, and the group hurriedly rushed back towards Ershi County City.
(Two chapters for today, finished)