Chương 1175: Chapter 1173: The Worldheart Clan

The morning after Gongsun Lian departed passed with a quiet stillness over the Five Star Lakes. Li Yu spent his time practicing his techniques in the reinforced clearing near the rocky edge of his valley while the cool spring breeze provided a welcome relief from his physical exertion. He focused on the fluid motions of his techniques and pushed the lingering concerns regarding his foundation to the back of his mind.

The sound of a tearing spatial rift echoing above the estate broke his concentration and he lowered his weapon to look up at the sky. A rift opened in the clouds and a familiar figure stepped out from the turbulent spatial currents. Zhan Tielan descended toward the central hub with a fierce intensity radiating from her very presence. She wore her armor that still carried the faint metallic scent of recent battles and her aura hummed with a heavy pressure that caused the nearby critters to take flight or run off.

Her sharp eyes scanned the estate before locking onto her son standing in the clearing. The stern expression on her face instantly melted into a warm maternal smile and she altered her trajectory to land softly on the grass a few paces away from him.

"Mother!" Li Yu said with a bright smile while walking forward to greet her.

"Look at you," Tielan laughed softly and pulled her son into a tight embrace.

"I received word that you were caught up in many interesting things while I have been awhile. It would seem that you are drawn towards dangers or things have a way of happening while you are around. I secured my own objectives faster so I could return home. I am glad to see you standing here in one piece."

"I am fine," Li Yu replied while returning the hug.

"The campaign was successful and I gained a lot of experience fighting alongside grandfather and the generals. I guess I shouldn't say fighting alongside them, I mostly just watched. It is very good to have you back home and you are safe as well." Tielan pulled back and inspected him from head to toe with a critical eye. She noted the robust energy flowing through his body and the sturdy foundation of his Creation Lord realm but a mother always worried about her child.

"You look well but you also look like you have not been eating well which is quite rare for a food lover like yourself. Put your weapons away and come to the pagoda. I am going to cook a proper meal for you." Li Yu did not argue with that offer as it was quite special. He loved his own cooking but there was always something special about a meal prepared by his mother. Li Yu stored his weapons away and followed Tielan as she walked toward the tall dark wood building sitting at the center of the estate.

Tielan quickly changed out of her heavy battle armor and dressed in comfortable dark blue robes that allowed her to move freely. She took over the spacious kitchen located on the first floor of the pagoda and began preparing a variety of dishes with practiced efficiency. While she did not enjoy cooking like her son did, she was still versed in it since she cooked for them when he was much younger.

She chopped crisp vegetables and sliced thick cuts of tender beast meat while Li Yu sat at a nearby wooden table to keep her company. The savory aroma of rich spices and boiling broth quickly filled the room and made Li Yu realize just how hungry he actually was. They talked as she cooked and the conversation flowed easily between them. Tielan shared a few brief stories about her recent battles and how her own forces managed to repel a stubborn incursion.

She spoke with a fierce pride regarding her troops and Li Yu listened intently while admiring her unwavering strength. She was a direct person who did not play around much with others and her leadership style reflected that same no nonsense attitude. Tielan finished the preparations and brought several steaming plates of food over to the table. She sat down across from her son and they began to eat together in a comfortable harmony. The tender meat melted in his mouth and the rich broth warmed his stomach.

They enjoyed the meal while the afternoon sun filtered through the open windows and cast a warm glow across the room. Once they finished eating and the plates were pushed aside, Li Yu decided it was time to share his lingering problem. He poured two cups of hot tea and handed one to his mother before taking a deep breath.

"There is something we need to discuss regarding my inner world," Li Yu began while looking down at the swirling tea in his cup.

"Something happened during the final battle against the Hollow Husk." He explained the situation involving the colossal squid and the dense ancient Qi he absorbed through his Koi martial spirit. He told her about the overwhelming pressure that threatened to break his physical vessel and how he forcefully redirected a large portion of that energy directly into his inner world to save his own life. Tielan sat still and her eyes narrowed as she absorbed the gravity of his words.

"The foreign laws caused my inner world to fracture in a sense and isolate the energy," Li Yu continued while meeting her intense gaze.

"It formed a dark ocean at the edge and I cannot access it. There is an invisible barrier keeping my divine sense out and I do not know what those reality warping laws are doing inside my foundation." The wooden cup in Tielan's hand cracked under the sudden pressure of her grip. Her aura flared with a sudden and violent protective anger that rattled the wooden beams of the pagoda.

"That stubborn old fool let this happen to my boy under his watch?!" Tielan hissed with a fierce light burning in her eyes.

"He drags you into a war against those horrors and does not even bother to check you before leaving you here alone? He just dropped you off and went back to his own duties while you have a ticking problem sitting in your inner world?"

"Mother, grandpa did not know," Li Yu said quickly while reaching out to place a calming hand over hers.

"I was unconscious when we returned and he left before I thought it was an issue to bring up. I only realized the extent of the isolation after he was already gone. He did not abandon me with a known problem." Tielan let out a sharp breath and loosened her grip on the cracked cup. She knew her son was right and she was just cursing her father in the heat of the moment. That was simply how she operated when it came to the safety of her family.

Tielan was quick to get fired up and she directed her anger at the most available target. She took a sip of her tea from the cracked cup because she had already sealed the crack with her own Qi and drank until it calmed her nerves. After a little bit she focused her attention back on the issue at hand.

"Tell me everything," Tielan demanded with a serious tone.

"Go into great detail about the exact sensation of the Qi, how the barrier formed and what you have felt since that day. Leave nothing out." Li Yu nodded and spent the next hour detailing every aspect of the event in as much detail as he could. Since he didn't know what it could be, he left nothing out and let his mother's vast knowledge be the judge.

He then recounted his conversations with Lian and shared the story she told him regarding the ancient cultivator who spiraled into madness after absorbing an evil spirit. Tielan listened in silence while tapping her finger against the wooden table. She pondered the information carefully and cross referenced it with her own knowledge of cultivation. Like Lian, she too has heard of this happening before over the long history of the Myriad Realms. This book's true home is on another platform.

Check it out there for the real experience.

"Lian is right to be cautious," Tielan finally said after a long period of thought.

"These things do happen in the cultivation world and they are highly unpredictable. Mutations within an inner world can offer incredible benefits if it goes well and aligns with your Dao but they can also serve as fatal flaws if they clash with you. It is very hard to tell which one it is going to be until the mutation fully manifests itself and begins to affect you." She stood up and began pacing across the wooden floor while her mind worked rapidly to find a solution.

"We cannot just sit here and wait to see if you go mad or if you gain a new technique. We need to evaluate that dark ocean and understand the barrier isolating it. But normal healers and standard experts cannot peer into the inner world of another person accurately." Tielan stopped pacing and a spark of realization lit up her sharp eyes. She turned to face her son with a determined expression.

"I know exactly who can help us," Tielan declared while crossing her arms.

"I will take you to get this evaluated by the Worldheart Clan. They are a specialized group that studies the inner world and focuses on its development more than most other powers in the Myriad Realms. If I had to guess, I would place them firmly in the top five groups for inner world knowledge across the cosmos."

"Are they trustworthy?" Li Yu asked while trusting his mother's judgment but wanting to be sure.

"I am very familiar with them," Tielan assured him with a confident nod.

"They owe me a personal favor for helping them during a conflict many years ago. The Supreme Elders there will not deny my request for aid. We are not going to wait around and see what happens. We are going right now and be proactive." Li Yu knew better than to argue with his mother when she made a decision. He stood up and followed her out of the pagoda. Tielan did not bother gathering any supplies or notifying the estate staff.

She raised her hand and channeled her robust Qi to tear a spatial rift directly above the Five Star Lakes. She grabbed Li Yu by the shoulder and guided him into the swirling portal without a second thought. They traveled through the chaotic spatial currents for a short duration before stepping out into a bright and vibrant sky. Li Yu blinked against the sudden sunlight and took a moment to observe their new surroundings. They had arrived in the Luminous Realm.

The world below them looked beautiful and prosperous with sprawling green plains, towering mountain ranges and wide rushing rivers. The environment felt pretty normal overall when compared to the other major realms he had visited in the past. There were bustling cities built along the trade routes and grand pavilions nestled in the high peaks. However, one distinct feature stood out immediately. There was a noticeable increase in beasts of all kinds roaming around the realm.

Flocks of majestic winged serpents soared through the clouds alongside the cultivators while herds of glowing deer grazed peacefully in the open fields near the mortal settlements. The beasts did not act aggressive or territorial and the local cultivators treated them with a familiar respect. In fact the majority of the cultivators here were beasts themselves or descended from beasts. It was a realm where beastkind and untamed nature lived in a close interwoven harmony.

"This realm is very lively," Li Yu noted while watching a pair of giant golden eagles fly past them.

"The beast population here is much higher than usual because of the Worldheart Clan and their specific history," Tielan explained as they began to fly toward a grand mountain range in the distance.

"The local culture revolves around understanding the natural world and the creatures that inhabit it."

"Why is the clan so focused on the inner world if their realm is heavily populated by beasts?" Li Yu asked while keeping pace with his mother.

"Because their defining ancestor was not a human," Tielan revealed with a tone of respect for the ancient history.

"The clan traces its true lineage and its foundational teachings back to a creature known as or called itself the Genesis Elephant." Li Yu raised an eyebrow at the name and waited for her to elaborate. It was a pretty grand name but he had never heard of such a beast until now. He knew that powerful beast bloodlines often founded great clans but the focus on the inner world was unique.

"The Genesis Elephant was a unique beast," Tielan continued while keeping her eyes fixed on their destination.

"It was an anomaly of nature because it was born with an innate inner world right from birth. That is something that should be impossible. A cultivator must reach the Creation Lord realm and forge their understanding of the laws to create an inner world. But this creature was born with a foundational realm already existing inside. You were able to create an inner world early as well, before the Creation Lord realm but you didn't have it from birth."

Li Yu still did not know that he was able to get an inner world earlier than normal due to items that Khaos had given him during one of his breakthroughs. He thought it was simply something that happened by chance and could not be explained.

"Could it use the inner world right away?" Li Yu asked while feeling a surge of curiosity.

"No," Tielan shook her head.

"The Genesis Elephant could not use it at all until it reached the equivalent of the Creation Lord realm just like everyone else. The inner world remained dormant and inaccessible for combat during its early life. But the mere presence of that innate world gave the beast a head start. The inner world grew and matured alongside the physical body of the elephant for centuries before it was ever opened."

They flew over a wide shimmering lake and Tielan pointed toward the towering peaks ahead where grand architectural structures were carved directly into the stone.

"Because of that early development, the Genesis Elephant possessed a foundation that was incredibly sturdy," Tielan explained.

"When it finally accessed the inner world, the beast wielded a power that crushed its peers. The creature spent its entire life studying the mechanics of its own inner world and passed those teachings down to its descendants and followers. That is how the Worldheart Clan became so knowledgeable and focused on this specific aspect of cultivation. Since they already have an edge in regards to knowledge, they want to keep that edge by continuing to explore its depths."

"Do the descendants of the clan inherit this innate inner world from birth as well?" Li Yu asked while wondering if he was about to meet a clan full of anomalies.

"It is actually incredibly rare," Tielan answered while slowing their flight speed as they approached the clan territory.

"Not all of the descendants are born with it. In fact it was such a rare thing that only one other person has been born with an innate inner world within their clan history. At least that is the only one they have ever publicly acknowledged and that event happened several generations ago. But the fact that another within their clan did so as well already shows how special their bloodline is."

"Even without the innate trait, they must be very strong if they hold the top five position for inner world knowledge," Li Yu stated while looking at the impressive gates of the clan approaching in the distance.

"Their knowledge helped make them formidable," Tielan agreed with a nod.

"They possess certain refinement techniques that aid the growth and stability of their inner worlds. Now you must understand that their techniques do not drastically give them immensely stronger inner worlds on their own. All things empower an inner world equally, such as the further understanding of laws, accumulating dense Qi and gathering rare resources. There are no shortcuts to raw power or special technique that lets you stand above all.

Otherwise they would be lording over everyone within the Myriad Realms and that is not the case." She turned her head to look at him to further explain.

"However, the true terror of their knowledge lies in their efficiency," Tielan explained clearly.

"If you took two cultivators with the exact same comprehension, the exact same talent and everything else being equal and one had the teachings and refinement of the Worldheart Clan, the one from this clan would crush the other person in a fight. Their inner world would be optimized to channel power smoother, recover faster and endure heavier impacts. That is why we are here. If anyone can figure out how to bypass that invisible barrier and analyze your dark ocean, it is them."

Li Yu nodded and felt a renewed sense of hope. His mother was fierce and direct but she always knew how to handle a crisis. They descended toward the grand stone gates of the Worldheart Clan ready to call in a favor and find the answers he desperately needed.