Chương 854: Chapter 853: Invisible Hands

Li Yu rested for another two days within the peaceful spatial pocket. He spent his time cultivating and practicing his staff techniques in the vibrant fields. The air was rich with spiritual energy and it was a great environment to consolidate his foundation after the recent chaotic events. On the afternoon of the second day, the colossal iron doors groaned open. Li Yu stopped his practice and rested Star Crusher against his shoulder. A single figure walked through the massive threshold. It was Torend.

The former general walked with the heavy steps of a man walking to the gallows. Torend stopped a few paces away from Li Yu and he dropped to one knee. He then bowed his head.

"Grand Envoy." Torend said. His voice was steady but lacked its usual commanding edge.

"I have settled all of my affairs now. I have said my goodbyes and now I am ready to serve you for the rest of my life." Li Yu looked down at the kneeling man. He felt a brief pang of sympathy. He knew Torend was the son of Haelan and Jhyra now. He knew the Eidolon leaders had essentially sacrificed their own child to secure the current peace. Li Yu was pragmatic and would use things given to him but he was not a slaver.

Torrend had never shown any signs of wanting to be with Li Yu and never really got the chance to know him in order to do so. Li Yu never wanted this man to serve him to begin with.

"Stand up." Li Yu commanded. Torend stood up slowly. He kept his eyes focused on the dirt path. Li Yu reached into his inner soul space. He located the specific soul fragment that belonged to Torend and he canceled their contract. Li Yu tossed the glowing fragment of Torend's soul back at him. The soul fragment floated across the gap and sank seamlessly back into Torend's chest. Torend stumbled backward in stock. His eyes widened in surprise and then terror.

He gripped his own chest as the fragment integrated back into his foundation. He fell to his knees once again.

"What are you doing?" Torend asked. His voice was cracked with panic.

"Why are you returning my soul? This will kill me!" In the cultivation world severing a life and death contract without prior agreement usually meant the master was discarding the servant. It was often the precursor to an execution. A master only returned a bound soul if they no longer found the servant useful or planned to wipe them out completely. In Torend's case, he was told by his parents back then that he would either serve or die. Li Yu of course didn't let him go completely free.

He kept the contract of Torend not being able to reveal information about Li Yu in place. There was no reason to allow him to freely discuss anything he might have learned about Li Yu to others. Before Li Yu could explain his reasoning the wooden door of the house creaked open. Elysia stepped out onto the porch as if she had been waiting. She moved with an elegant and effortless grace towards them. Her dark eyes swept over the kneeling general and then settled on Li Yu. She understood Li Yu's intentions perfectly.

She knew his soul very well from their shared past in the ancient eras. It could be said that she was someone who knew him best. She knew he possessed a fundamental kindness and had zero desire to drag a captive servant across the cosmos. She also knew he needed to maintain his authority as the Grand Envoy so she decided to step in. She would solve this for him in a way that benefited him and still achieve what he wanted.

"No one would dare do such a thing in my presence." Elysia said. Her melodic voice carried a commanding weight that made Torend freeze in place. She walked down the porch steps and stood beside Li Yu. She looked down at Torend with an expression of mild disappointment.

"The Grand Envoy is freeing you because you are simply too weak." Elysia stated smoothly.

"Your cultivation is inadequate to serve as his personal retainer. He requires protectors and servants of a much higher caliber. I demand higher caliber people for him and I decree it so. You are dismissed from his service." Torend stared up at his Ancestor. He was completely baffled. He was a powerful general of the Eidolon Court. He commanded vast amounts of troops and possessed immense strength. Being called too weak was a massive blow to his pride.

However, the realization of what this truly meant slowly washed over him. He was not being executed. He was just being fired. He was getting his life back and getting his freedom from this boy. This meant he would not have to leave his realm and follow a stranger into the who knows what forever. His thoughts drifted to the Ancestor doing this to help him or his parents out of this situation and he became immensely grateful. Torend bowed his head so low his forehead touched the dirt.

"I understand, Ancestor." Torend said. His voice trembled with a mixture of wounded pride and relief.

"Thank you, Grand Envoy for your mercy." Torend stood up quickly after that. He offered one last formal bow and then turned around to leave. He practically ran back up the dirt path toward the iron doors. He left without fully understanding how to feel about the brutal assessment of his strength and his newfound freedom. Overall, he was just incredibly happy to be free. Li Yu watched the doors close behind Torend. He turned to look at Elysia.

"Thank you for the cover." Li Yu said as he understood what she had just done. However, he also misunderstood her.

"But I need to be clear. I am not looking for new guardians or servants to replace him. I travel better alone, no that's not right, I prefer to travel with friends." The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. Elysia smiled warmly at him.

"I know. You value your freedom, your independence and the people you care about. I will not force you into any other soul contracts. You will not have to drag an unwanted entourage across the cosmos unless you wish for it." Li Yu nodded at her in appreciation.

'It's really odd. She always seems to know my thoughts. Is this part of the soul transfer process? Can she feel or know my thoughts or emotions now?' Li Yu thought to himself but had no real answer to. He turned and walked back out into the fields to resume his staff practice. He took her words at face value and didn't truly understand who she was to him. Elysia watched him head back out to swing the heavy staff. Inside her head, she thought she did not need to force him into soul contracts anyway.

She had an entire empire at her disposal to do what she needed. She could protect him and orchestrate his reality without him ever knowing or the needing of his approval.

'I've been with you longer than you have been with yourself. I will just take some liberties on your behalf, my love.' She thought to herself with a warm smile. Later that night the artificial sky of the spatial pocket turned a deep and starry black. Li Yu was resting inside the wooden house after a long day of practice and training. Elysia walked to the very edge of the spatial pocket and she sent a silent command. A few moments later, the colossal iron doors opened slightly.

A small group of Eidolon leaders slipped inside. Haelan and Jhyra were among them. The other council members had already returned to their respective duties across the empire and were not present. The few remaining leaders approached Elysia and dropped to one knee in the shadows of the trees.

"Ancestor." Haelan whispered.

"You summoned us." Elysia looked down at them and her expression was completely serious. It was devoid of any warmth yet at the same time it carried a love for them deep down.

"The Grand Envoy will most likely be traveling through the Omen Realm soon." Elysia commanded quietly.

"As long as he is within the reach of our empire, I want everything to be smooth sailing for him. You must be entirely discrete if possible. He must never know we are interfering. But the important thing is that his path must be perfectly smooth." The council members exchanged confused glances in the dark.

"Smooth sailing Ancestor?" Jhyra asked carefully.

"Do you mean we should clear the roads of bandits and beasts?"

"I mean exactly what I say." Elysia replied. Her tone brooked no arguments.

"If he decides to sit down and beg on the streets, you will ensure people are throwing wealth into his bowl. If he wanders into a mortal village and decides to lord over it, you will send our very best logistical experts over in disguise to manage the territory for him. If he goes into the mountains to dig for spirit stones, you will make sure he keeps running into massive and untouched spirit stone veins. I think you can understand what I mean." Haelan blinked rapidly while processing what she was saying.

He stared at the dirt and didn't dare look up. This was not just protection, she wanted them to rig the entire world in his favor.

"Do you understand the idea?" Elysia asked after not hearing anything back right away. Her voice turned dangerously cold.

"We understand perfectly, Ancestor." Haelan answered quickly. The request was completely absurd but it was not actually difficult for them to achieve. They assumed she just wanted her host to have a very good time within their borders.

"We will assign a specialized unit to him." Jhyra offered.

"We have a group of five powerful but more importantly skilled experts who are perfect for this. We will have them follow him at all times from a safe distance. They will report back whatever he needs so we can get things done ahead of his arrival." Elysia nodded in approval.

"Make sure they are skilled. He has sharp senses but he is a bit dull when it comes to realizing things."

"They are usually used as invisible protectors for our most vital rising talents." Jhyra explained. The people being discussed were weaker than Torend but they are vastly more skilled in stealth and concealment. They understand these kinds of observation assignments much better than a frontline general would."

"Good." Elysia said.

"See to it immediately. Now, we move to the second matter." The council members braced themselves for more ridiculous requests.

"I want you to heavily increase your efforts into training The Phantom Scythes." Elysia ordered. The silence that followed was absolute. Haelan actually stopped breathing for a second. Jhyra gripped the fabric of her robes tightly. The Phantom Scythes was a name rarely spoken aloud even within the deepest vaults of the council. It was a secret legion that Elysia had ordered the empire to train since its inception.

It was actually more accurate to say that the legion was the purpose for the Empire establishing a long time ago. They were centered around extreme speed, perfect stealth and absolute assassinations. They were the blades in the dark that no one wanted to face. The Eidolon Court already possessed terrifying military might. They were created back in the ancient eras when Elysia was still spending her days with Li Yu's half soul. She had established the legion and kept them mostly hidden all the way till now.

The council was ordered to maintain their resources and increase their numbers over the eras. The legion occasionally took on covert missions to keep their skills high and their people trained. But overall, they had been sitting on standby for thousands of years.

"Ancestor." Haelan said. His voice was thick with dread.

"The Phantom Scythes are fully funded as you have always commanded. But you know we cannot direct them. They answer to no council member."

"I know." Elysia said coldly. This was the source of the council's fear in anything relating to The Phantom Scythes. This was a legion that even the ruling council could not command. Only Elysia possessed the authority to order them to do anything significant. The council merely paid the bills and supplied the weapons.

"I want to ensure they are in tip top shape for any sudden summons." Elysia continued. She looked out into the artificial stars.

"I want them fully armed and ready to deploy at a moment's notice. Tell their commanders that their time is finally coming." This command truly surprised and terrified the kneeling leaders. A secret legion of experts had been waiting for eras now. A lot of their best and brightest talents joined this legion throughout the eras and were never seen again. Now their Ancestor was telling them the wait was almost over. They realized she was preparing to unveil this hidden force to the cosmos soon.

They could only assume it was tied to the Grand Envoy and the massive changes sweeping through their empire. Perhaps she was going to use them against their mortal enemy after this poisoning attempt. They were not sure. Li Yu didn't know it now, but this new legion would eventually join the ranks of Li Yu's backing. They would stand alongside the Veiled Lotus, the Leviathan Smashing Vanguard and the Golden Shell Phalanx.

"It will be done exactly as you command." Haelan promised. He bowed his head deeply and his blood began to boil. He had felt that the empire had been peaceful for far too long. This was perhaps the catalyst that sparked another realm or multiple realm conquest.

"Leave." Elysia said. The council members stood up and melted back into the shadows. The colossal iron doors closed with a soft click and Elysia stood alone in the dark for quite some time. She smiled up at the artificial sky. She was going to make sure her Grand Envoy had the most pleasant and safe journey of his entire life.