Myriad Rivers to the Sea

Chapter 892: The Arrogant Siren and the Border Trap

The team floated in the neutral waters once more while Li Yu looked back toward the murky outline of the toxic kelp forest. The direct approach had failed to mobilize the ruler but the knowledge they gained was still a powerful weapon."We can only wait now and see if there is any attack on Gart." Li Yu decided as he turned his focus toward the open ocean. "Mire is cautious but he is also a father who just learned the truth about his missing children. If he decides to strike Gart, we can join in or simply harvest from the aftermath of the fight. But we should not rely solely on his initiative."

Zhan hovered nearby with his scythe arms crossed and nodded in agreement. "A passive strategy rarely yields the best results in the wilds. We should dictate the pace of this conflict."

Li Yu agreed so he commanded the team to head back toward Gart's territory to scout for further opportunities. They traveled through the deep water trenches for the rest of the day and maintained a moderate pace to conserve their Qi. The dark rocky walls of the underwater canyons provided excellent cover as they navigated the treacherous landscape.

With Gart having eaten or scared off most other powerful beasts, their travels through was uneventful. As they rounded a massive bend in the trench, Talia raised a hand to halt the formation. Her amethyst eyes narrowed as she stared into the gloom ahead.

"The transport." Talia announced with a soft harmonic hiss. "The giant turtle again."

Li Yu then spotted the massive shadow moving slowly through the water. The beast of burden was swimming back toward the borders of Thalassa's domain after doing something else in Gart’s territory. The large metal carriage was still strapped to its back and the heavy chains groaned with every stroke of the turtle's flippers.

"We will attack it this time." Li Yu made the decision instantly. "We will capture or kill the siren inside that box. Taking out someone like that will cause more turmoil in these aquatic zones and turmoil will only be helpful for us right now."

He outlined a swift tactical strike through a Qi transmission. Ouros and Zhan would handle the turtle while Li Yu breached the carriage. Talia was tasked with securing the target before he could slip away into the deep currents.

The team moved like a single strike unit. Zhan initiated the ambush by vanishing into a blur of metallic green light and executing a swift movement technique that propelled him across the water. The mantis reappeared right beside the turtle's front left flipper and used the flat side of his scythe to deliver a concussive blow that staggered the beast.

Ouros followed up immediately by dropping like a heavy stone from the waters above. The bear grabbed the thick chains wrapped around the turtle's neck and used his immense physical strength to wrench the creature downward. The turtle let out a low rumble of surprise and was forced to crash heavily into the sandy seabed from the ambush.

Li Yu did not give the transport any time to recover. He surged forward through the water and summoned Star Crusher to his hands. He channeled his physical strength and swung the heavy staff directly into the side of the dark metal carriage.

The impact tore through the water and shattered the metal like brittle glass. The carriage crumpled inward as the kinetic force ripped it apart.

The pale blue siren was violently ejected from the wreckage. He tumbled through the water in a daze but quickly tried to summon a defensive water technique to stabilize himself from the sudden attack. He was a Paragon realm cultivator and possessed decent combat instincts but he was vastly outmatched by the coordinated assault. It was clear from his reaction speeds that he was not a true fighter, having obtained this level without much combat experience.

Before the siren could even gather his Qi, Talia struck from the shadows. The void viper materialized right behind him and wrapped her arms around his throat. She channeled her spatial energy and locked his meridians in a tight localized void seal that rendered him unable to fight back.

With the target secured Li Yu turned his attention back to the pinned turtle.

The beast was struggling against the heavy chains while Ouros held it down. It possessed the strength of a King realm entity but its movements were sluggish and also lacked any real combat intent. Li Yu swam closer and placed a hand on the thick mossy shell.

He did not need the turtle to speak because his Koi martial spirit allowed him to sense the thoughts and feelings of aquatic creatures. A wave of exhaustion washed over Li Yu's mind alongside a deep sense of despair. The turtle had been captured by the sirens decades ago and was forced to work as a pack animal through heavy abuse. It had no loyalty to Thalassa or Gart and only wished to rest.

"You are done carrying their burdens if you join me." Li Yu said softly as he projected a calming intent through his soul space.

He raised his free hand and tore the heavy iron chains away from the shell. With a wave of his arm he opened a massive spatial rift that connected directly to the vast oceans of his Koi Sanctuary.

The turtle sensed Li Yu’s intent, the pristine and untainted water flowing from the rift and felt an overwhelming wave of relief. It gladly allowed the spatial pull to drag its massive body through the portal. As it passed through the portal it formed a soul contract with the Koi martial spirit to live peacefully within.

The beast of burden was freed from its torment and became the newest addition to Li Yu's growing inner ecosystem, actually becoming one of the strongest inhabitants within it since Li Yu rarely took powerful beasts in.

Li Yu closed the rift and swam over to where Talia was holding the captive siren. They dragged the prisoner into a narrow side cave within the trench to avoid anyone from seeing them. Talia released the spatial seal just enough to allow the siren to speak but kept his combat Qi locked down.

The siren shook his head to clear the dizziness and glared at his captors. He did not show any fear despite being ambushed and surrounded by powerful entities. His pale blue face twisted into an arrogant sneer.

"Do you have any idea who you just attacked?" The siren spat as he looked at Li Yu with sheer disdain. "I am the son of the second in command to Thalassa the Abyssal Siren! My father commands the border legions and has the ear of a Tribulation ruler. You savage rogues will suffer a thousand deaths for laying hands on me."

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Li Yu looked at the captive with a blank expression. He had hoped to interrogate the operative to gain more insight into the deal with Gart but the immediate arrogance soured the mood.

"Let me go right now and leave all your spatial rings as tribute." The siren demanded as he misread Li Yu's silence for hesitation. "If you refuse me, the forces of my father will hunt you down and skin you alive."

The threats echoed in the small cave and triggered the lingering rage within Li Yu. His short tempered nature from before flared up immediately because he had spent weeks being threatened by ancient trees and territorial beasts. He had no patience left for entitled prisoners who thought their lineage granted them immunity from the brutal reality of the Ferine Realm.

"You talk too much." Li Yu said while his voice grew cold and flat.

He did not ask another question or attempt to negotiate. Li Yu simply raised Star Crusher and brought the heavy staff down on the siren's head with lethal force. The skull shattered instantly and the arrogant operative was killed before he could even register the fatal blow.

Talia blinked in surprise and dropped the lifeless body. She looked at Li Yu and realized her master truly did not care about faction politics or noble bloodlines. He was very short tempered and seemed to have no time for any kind of non-sense. He would kill first and figure it out later, at least that’s all she’s really seen of him.

"Remove his core." Li Yu ordered as he rested the staff on his shoulder. "We will use him to cause trouble between the rulers since he was so eager to brag about his status. He must be someone important if he was so arrogant."

Talia nodded and quickly harvested the Paragon realm core from the chest cavity. She handed it to Li Yu who stored it away before pointing toward the dark waters outside the cave.

"Take his body and dump it directly on the edge of the border between Gart and Thalassa." Li Yu instructed the viper. "Make sure it is easily found by them. A high ranking son turning up dead on the Tide Shark's doorstep will escalate tensions faster than any rumor or at least that is my hope. We will wait for you at the rendezvous point."

Talia turned into a streak of dark light and vanished into the void with the corpse. Li Yu led Zhan and Ouros to a secluded ridge near the border zones where they set up a hidden camp to wait for her return.

Three days passed in relative quiet as the team trained and monitored the distant currents. Talia eventually returned and materialized from a spatial fold looking slightly exhausted but satisfied with her work.

"It is done." Talia reported as she took a seat on a rocky outcropping. "I dumped the body near a major border marker where the oceanic Qi shifts from Gart's heavy pressure to Thalassa's abyssal chill. It will not take long for someone to notice."

Li Yu gave her back the core from the siren for a good job well done. It would help her cultivation as well as restore her strength. They did not have to wait long to see the results of their scheme.

Less than a day later the ambient water pressure near their hiding spot shifted as a group of fast moving signatures approached the border. Li Yu pushed his spiritual sense outward and observed the incoming forces from the safety of their secluded ridge.

A search party had arrived. Several more sirens were swimming aggressively through the water and they were clearly looking for the operative who had failed to return from his mission. They were an elite squad ranging from the half king level to the peak of the King realm.

The sirens did not travel alone because they rode upon various tamed sea beasts. Two of them sat atop massive armored crabs while three others rode sleek sea serpents that darted through the currents with lethal grace. They moved with a frantic energy as they scoured the region for any sign of their missing comrade. It would see the missing body wasn’t found yet but they had some other way of knowing he had gone missing or was dead.

"They look frantic." Zhan noted while his scythe arms twitched with anticipation. "And more importantly they look to be alone."

"Then we strike." Li Yu commanded as he drew Star Crusher. "Leave the beasts alive if you can so I can take them to the sanctuary. Disable the riders."

The team launched their second ambush with overwhelming force. They shot out from the secluded ridge and crashed into the search party before the sirens could even raise their weapons. They were much weaker than the original siren that they had killed so it was completely one sided.

Zhan bypassed the heavily armored crabs and went straight for the sea serpents. The mantis deployed his sword domain that severed the reins and saddles holding the riders in place. The sirens were thrown from their mounts and tumbled into the chaotic water.

Ouros tackled one of the massive crabs and pinned the snapping claws to the seabed. The brute strength of the bear was too much for the King realm beast to handle.

Li Yu moved through the chaos with fluid precision. He did not bother fighting the displaced beasts but instead focused his domain to suppress everyone. As soon as a sea serpent or a crab was staggered by his allies Li Yu opened a spatial rift and forced the creature into his Koi Sanctuary. He claimed five new powerful aquatic beasts in a matter of seconds to further populate his inner world. Similarly to the turtle, they were captured at some point in their lives.

The dismounted sirens tried to rally and form a defensive formation but they were quickly overwhelmed by Talia slipping through the void. The viper struck from the shadows and used her spectral tendrils to bind their limbs and lock their meridians just as she had done to the first operative.

The brief skirmish ended with all five sirens captured and bound on the rocky seabed.

Li Yu floated over them and looked down at his prisoners. He had hoped this group might offer some useful intelligence or show a bit of pragmatism given their situation. However the sirens proved to share the exact same fatal flaw as their dead comrade.

"You insolent fools!" The lead siren shouted as he struggled against the void bindings. "Do you know whose territory you are trespassing in? When the Abyssal Siren hears of this outrage you will be fed to the trench worms! Release us and beg for mercy!"

The other captive sirens chimed in with similar threats and arrogant demands. They were far too used to talking down to others and getting what they wanted through the reputation of their faction. They refused to acknowledge that their lives were currently in the hands of a superior force. Chances are that none of them had ever been on the disadvantaged side of things before.

Ouros let out a grating growl and shook his heavy head. Zhan clicked his mandibles in obvious disgust at the lack of awareness.

"They have a terrible attitude." Li Yu stated plainly while looking at his team. "They offer no value and they will never submit willingly. I have no use for entitled prisoners."

Li Yu raised his heavy staff and the brutal logic of the Ferine Realm took over. He did not offer them a second chance or attempt to correct their behavior. He executed the lead siren with a swift strike that shattered his skull and moved down the line to dispatch the rest of the search party without a hint of hesitation.

It was a ruthless move for sure but the sirens did not seem like good people to begin with. Li Yu felt no remorse as he ordered his team to harvest their cores.

"Take their bodies." Li Yu instructed Talia as he stored the fresh King realm cores in his ring. "Dump them on the border right next to where you left the first one. Let Thalassa's second in command find a pile of his dead elites on the Tide Shark's doorstep. We will see what happens after that."

Talia gathered the fresh corpses and slipped back into the void to complete her gruesome task. Li Yu and the rest of the team retreated into the shadows of the trench to wait for what was to come next.