Chương 1165: Chapter 1163: The Organic Fortress

While they had been waiting in the quiet square of Titan's Keep for the generals to arrive, Li Yu had closed his eyes and sent his consciousness diving into his inner soul space. The external world faded away as he stood before the sprawling majesty of his own mental landscape. The towering Yin Yang vortex rotated slowly in the center of the domain while projecting a balance of life and death across the vast area.

He needed to prepare for the upcoming raid and ensuring he had the means to secure live captives was his top priority because that was what his grandfather was counting on him for. Li Yu turned his attention toward the section of his soul space where the Fisherman Soul resided. The Fisherman held his long rod over the glowing water while waiting for a catch that only he could see. Li Yu approached the edge and offered a respectful bow to the ancient figure.

"I am heading into a battle against the Hollow Husk species," Li Yu spoke clearly while keeping his tone respectful.

"As you already know, they possess suicide seals designed to detonate their minds upon capture. You saved our efforts by pulling those seals out during the ambush in the Frostveil Realm. I respectfully ask for your continued help in removing those seals during the upcoming battles so we can gather more intelligence." The Fisherman Soul slowly turned his head to look at Li Yu from beneath his woven straw hat.

The Fisherman raised his ethereal rod and a glowing hook emerged from the spiritual water to dangle in the air between them.

"The waters of fate require a balance to be maintained." The Fisherman's voice that was full of hatred, anger and other negative emotions was back and echoed Li Yu's mind.

"I will do as you ask when you call upon me. I will ensure they cannot embrace death on their own terms as that is too good of an option for them. But a catch of such value requires a proper offering in return."

"What do you require of me?" Li Yu asked while watching the glowing hook sway gently.

"You must promise to do something for me when the right time comes," the Fisherman replied with a cryptic tone.

"I will ask for a favor in the future and you must fulfill it without hesitation. This is not the first time I have asked this, we can tie it all together in one favor. Do we have an accord?" Li Yu did not know what this mysterious entity would demand of him later on but the immediate tactical advantage was too great to pass up. From what he has experienced, the Fisherman seemed to always have his best interest in mind anyways so he wasn't worried about it.

He needed to build his aquatic forces and understand the enemy. He offered another respectful bow.

"We have an accord," Li Yu agreed firmly.

"I will honor your request when the time comes." The Fisherman Soul offered a slow nod before turning back toward the tranquil waters to resume his silent vigil. Li Yu pulled his consciousness back to the physical world just in time to see the first spatial rifts tearing open in the sky above Titan's Keep as the Eight Prime Generals arrived to answer the call of the Worldkeeper.

That brief memory faded from Li Yu's mind as he stepped out of the swirling spatial vortex alongside his grandfather and the gathered strike force. The heavy atmosphere of Titan's Keep was replaced by the crushing silence of the void. The cultivators immediately circulated their Qi to sustain their bodies and anchor themselves in the empty expanse of dark space. They did not find a traditional realm waiting for them at the extracted coordinates.

The void stretched out in all directions with distant stars providing only a faint illumination. Zhan Tian narrowed his eyes and gripped his glaive as he peered into the dark space.

"They are hiding behind natural illusions generated by their own biology," Zhan Tian transmitted his voice through Qi so the entire strike force could hear him.

"Shatter the veil." The Worldkeeper swung his glaive in a wide arc and released a crescent of light that tore through the empty space ahead. The energy collided with an invisible barrier and shattered it like fragile glass as the space distorted violently before peeling back to reveal a grotesque organic structure floating in the darkness. It was a towering fortress made entirely of dark pulsating flesh and jagged bone structures.

Thick veins the size of rivers pumped glowing green fluids across the outer membranes while giant sensory appendages drifted lazily in the void currents. The structure resembled a monstrous heart ripped from a deity and left to rot in the dark. The strike team were expecting such a structure since they had faced similar organic bases during their long campaigns inside the zone.

"Break it open and leave none alive," Zhan Tian commanded as his aura flared like a blazing sun in the cold void. A battle erupted in an instant as the Worldkeeper led the charge with any hesitation and his generals either went their own way or followed along depending on their objectives. Zhan Tian crossed the distance in a single step and brought his glaive down upon the outer shell of the fortress. The blade sliced through the thick and rubbery flesh while exposing the twisting corridors inside in an instant.

Dark blood sprayed into the void and a chorus of horrific screeches echoed through as the Hollow Husk defenders swarmed out to meet the attackers. Elder Huo Zheng followed right behind and swung his broadsword to unleash a wave of golden sword Qi. The attack severed dozens of squid creatures in half before they could even launch their own strikes in a one sided massacre. The true devastation began as the Eight Prime Generals unleashed their unique cultivation arts upon the alien horde.

General Goliath brought devastation to the battlefield through his use of physical force. The towering brawler charged directly into the thickest cluster of enemies and slammed his spiked gauntlets together. The resulting shockwave rippled through space and crushed the internal organs of hundreds of Hollow Husk warriors in an instant.

The creatures possessed rubbery bodies meant to absorb blunt force but General Goliath bypassed their exterior defense by vibrating his Qi at a frequency that targeted their internal structures directly. They were well versed in fighting such creatures.

"Watch your surroundings and especially your footing, Boran," General Goliath laughed boisterously while throwing a heavy punch that shattered a bone pillar of the fortress.

"The flesh beneath our boots is soft and shifts with every strike."

"I understand, Master," Boran yelled over the din of battle. The sturdy disciple wore thick iron rings around his forearms and stayed close to his master's shadow. He did not possess the same overwhelming force as Goliath but he made up for it with precise and heavy palm strikes. When a group of squid creatures tried to ambush the towering general from the left flank, Boran stepped forward and slammed his iron rings together. The sound generated a focused concussive blast that knocked the attackers off balance.

Boran followed up by driving his glowing palms into the skulls of the creatures and crushing them with a sickening crunch. Master and disciple moved like a coordinated storm of physical force sweeping away the defenders with ease while watching each other's blind spots. On the other side of the vanguard it was even more gruesome and vicious. General Draken became a force of violence that was rare to see even on a battlefield.

The brute roared like a wild beast and swung his heavy battleaxe with reckless abandon for any kind of defense. The weapon radiated an aura of carnage that grew denser every time his blade cleaved through an enemy and the general's bloodlust only increased with each swing. General Draken was fueled by the bloodshed around him and his physical strength multiplied as he waded deeper into the gore and he loved every single of it The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

The squid creatures tried to swarm him using their long tentacles to bind his limbs but General Draken simply flexed his bulging muscles and tore the appendages apart with ease. They were no match for him in any kind of measurable aspect and could only be cut down to fuel his enjoyment. Since this was an ambush by Zhan Tian's team, they also held the upper hand in readiness and caught their opponents unprepared and scrambling.

General Draken spun his battleaxe in a wide circle and generated a vortex of sharp Qi that reduced the surrounding defenders to a bloody mist as well as damaging the fortress even further. General Draken fought alone and his wild swings left no safe ground for allies but his path of destruction drew the attention of countless defenders away from the rest of the strike force.

The other generals spread out across the void to secure their roles and destroy the outer defensive nodes of the organic structure while General Goliath and General Draken tore through the center. Li Yu stayed close to Zhan Tian while remaining safely behind him to avoid any of the real power houses here. General Yue stood right beside Li Yu to fulfill her promise of guarding the grandson of her lord while keeping an eye on the overall battle. Yue would do what was needed and fill in if there were dangers.

Until then, she simply just had to follow along Zhan Tian and watch over his grandson. She unslung her mystical guqin and held it floating in front of her. General Yue plucked the strings with a strange grace and released a haunting melody that vibrated through the area. Threads of condensed Qi shot out from her instrument and sliced through the void to decapitate any squid creature that tried to approach their position.

Her movements were smooth and unhurried as she controlled the tempo of the immediate battlefield with a serene expression on her face.

"Keep the rhythm steady but ever changing, Mei," General Yue instructed her disciple without taking her eyes off the approaching enemy horde.

"Do not let them find the center or rhythm of our song."

"Yes, Master," Mei replied as she held a silver pipa in her hands. The young woman rapidly plucked the strings of her instrument and released a flurry of sharp notes that formed an invisible shield around their group just in case. The notes acted as a physical barrier that deflected the bone like projectiles fired by the Hollow Husk warriors.

"Lin, weave the lower octaves into the domain," General Yue added while launching another wave of lethal Qi threads.

"We need to confuse their senses and lock down this area before any kind of communication can leave this area."

"Understood, Master," Lin answered while resting a wooden erhu on her lap. She drew her bow across the two strings and produced a deep sorrowful sound that merged seamlessly with the music of Yue and Mei. The combined notes cast a disorienting illusionary domain across a large portion of the fortress exterior. The Hollow Husk defenders caught within the domain began to thrash wildly and attack each other in a state of violent confusion while being torn apart by the music.

They saw their own allies as terrifying predators and tore into each other with their jagged barbs. The music twisted their instincts into a weapon used against themselves and those that had no one to attack simply died over time from the technique. Their most important role was making sure the entire area was locked down and sealed. There could be no forms of communication that can escape this fortress to let the other bases know that they are under attack.

They needed to regain the upper hand in surprise so this was one of the most important tasks that General Yue was in charge of. Li Yu stood in the center of this protective musical domain and felt his own blood burning with anticipation. He had already put away Star Abyss because from how the fighting was going, his grandfather did not intend for him to fight at all. He was to do something that was more important for his future growth.

The generals were handling the physical destruction and he needed to secure the spoils that only he could collect. He focused his mind and unleashed his martial spirit. The Koi swam gracefully through the empty sky within his Koi Sanctuary with glowing scales of red and gold while shining brightly against the backdrop. The range at which the Koi martial spirit could absorb Qi had greatly increased since its evolution and it seemed to possess an even more overwhelming authority over all aquatic bloodlines.

This was something that Li Yu had noticed during the fight with the twenty Hollow Husk from before. The absorb was much faster and smoother than before. While he couldn't test the range back then, he felt that should have increased as well and it had. The ethereal Koi opened its mouth and generated a powerful suction force that acted like a vacuum on the entire area. The Hollow Husk species carried a distinct aquatic nature and they were susceptible to the authority of the Koi.

Just as before with the twenty that tried to ambush him, Qi rushed out of the creatures and flowed like glowing rivers through the void directly into the mouth of the giant fish. It did not matter if they were alive, dying or were already dead, seas of Qi was flowing towards Li Yu. Li Yu braced himself and opened his meridians to receive the bounty. The ethereal Koi filtered the chaotic energy and funneled oceans of pure and refined Qi down into his body.

The influx of power was staggering but his body was able to handle it. He felt his Ocean of Qi expanding rapidly as the energy fed the foundation of his Creation Lord cultivation. The laws of the world became just a bit clearer in his mind and his inner world projection grew denser with every breath he took.

'This is incredible,' Li Yu thought as the energy washed through his body and soul.

'The amount of Qi gathered from an entire army of these creatures is pushing my boundaries faster than taking pills ever could.' The squids tried to fight back against the suction force but they had other things to worry about as well. The generals continued their onslaught and many were disoriented by the musical domain that locked down the entire area.

Whenever a group of defenders tried to focus their attacks on resisting the giant fish, General Yue would casually pluck a sharp chord on her guqin to sever them into pieces before they could even coordinate themselves. The synchronization between the guardians and the harvesters was a deadly dance. Li Yu let the Koi run wild and suction at its maximum capability.

He drained the life force and the internal energy of the Hollow Husk creatures while the elite strike force systematically dismantled the organic fortress. He watched Zhan Tian slice through a towering bone gate with a single flick of his glaive and observed the martial insights hidden within the strike. Zhan Tian fought with a calm certainty that proved he was the master of his domain and a seasoned warrior that had seen just about everything.

The Worldkeeper did not waste a single drop of Qi as he navigated the chaotic battlefield. Every swing of his glaive served a distinct purpose and shattered the complex defensive arrays hidden within the fleshy walls of the base with precision and power. The sheer efficiency of his movements provided Li Yu with a lesson in what was probably higher tier combat. He understood now why his grandfather had commented on his usage of Qi when performing his hurricane of steel technique.

Li Yu was absorbing the insights of watching experts utilize their laws in real combat while his own power surged toward new heights. He maintained his focus on the ethereal Koi and directed its suction force deeper into the fortress to make sure he could catch every drop. The dark space was painted with glowing blood and flashing cultivation arts as the strike force quickly pushed deeper into the enemy stronghold.

They were bringing swift and brutal justice to the monsters that had consumed the Frostmoon Empire and other realms. Li Yu prepared his mind to call upon the Fisherman Soul as they approached the inner chambers where the leadership of this base was likely hiding. The leadership of this place never came to face them for one reason or another. Li Yu believed it was because the ambush was so sudden that there was little time to react.

Their species was being mowed down as soon as they came into view of the generals that the leadership could not pass on their orders or come up with a strategy to fight back. They were probably also trying to send this vital information out but were encountering the seal that General Yue and her disciples were maintaining. Either way, Li Yu had to begin to prepare for his part in all of this.

He had not needed to do anything this entire time but soon he would be needed and could only hope that the Fisherman Soul could once again do the job that was needed. They needed them alive to extract additional information and hopefully find more of these fortresses.