Chapter 667 - To Lay Down Arms Is True Strength, and So He Sleeps Again - Part 1

The heavy iron door was slightly ajar. The spiral corridor within the tower was bathed in the quiet glow of wall-mounted lights, casting their pale radiance onto the mysterious black ice, revealing a faint, shimmering blue haze that drifted like mist.

Li Yuan stood silently, staring at the beautiful woman sealed within the cylindrical column of ice.

Bathed in that ethereal blue light, her figure flickered between shadow and shimmer.

Before this iron door opened, she had undoubtedly been frozen in darkness for years, maybe decades.

Li Yuan’s heart, long silent, suddenly stirred again.

His expression turned sorrowful.

Madam Bright Moon, who was also known as Tang Eleven, had been watching Li Yuan closely. Only now, upon seeing that look on his face, did the final weight in her chest finally ease.

No matter how much information Li Yuan had revealed about Tang Nian before, she had still been overwhelmed, unable to fully believe it.

But a father's gaze, especially in a moment like this, did not lie.

"Have you figured out a way to revive her?" Li Yuan asked suddenly.

“The spiritual energy is gone. Yin and Yang no longer exist. We are like fish left stranded on land after the tide retreats,” Tang Eleven replied.

“Only, because of the soul iron within us, we are among the last to die. When the fish sacrifice themselves, drawing out all the moisture left in their bodies just to keep the smallest, weakest ones alive, then maybe, just maybe, those two can still cling to life a little longer.

“But even then, it’s only temporary. A fragile extension of life, unless...the tide returns again. Or unless we discover a new source of transcendent power in this new world. But sadly, the first is beyond our reach...and the second...remains elusive.”

She let out a long, weary sigh. “They say the secret of the new world's transcendence lies on the final page of the Human Emperor’s Martial Canon. I’ve turned that page over and over for decades... And I still can’t understand it. I just can’t.”

Though Tang Eleven was a puppet, she had come to possess something dangerously close to real life. Her voice now trembled with pain and desperation.

“I can die. I’m willing to give up everything...but I want the young lady to live. I

need

her to live! No matter the cost. No matter what I have to do.” Her eyes burned red with emotion.

Li Yuan said gently, “It’s normal not to understand the Human Emperor’s Martial Canon. This new era’s power...it might lie in some unforeseen moment. And until that moment arrives, no one can seize it. The Human Emperor merely wrote down the beginner’s path, making it easier for others to step onto that road.”

Tang Eleven bowed her head and whispered, “But the young lady and I...we can’t wait much longer...”

Li Yuan looked up at the woman in the ice. His expression softened further.

He closed his eyes, thinking deeply for a moment, and then asked quietly, “If the tide were to return...how much could you and Nian Nian absorb?”

“Huh...?” Tang Eleven froze. She had been about to object, but catching herself, remembering who stood before her, she quickly answered with respect.

“We may not be restored to our peak...but we could endure for at least another 30 years. And in those 30 years...who’s to say a new kind of transcendence won’t appear?” Tang Eleven replied. “If we find a new source of transcendent power, then we’ll have a new source of water. And we’ll throw everything we have into it, for even the faintest hope of survival.”

Li Yuan nodded. “Then make preparations. The spiritual tide will return here briefly. I can’t say how long it’ll last.”

“You...what are you planning to do?” Tang Eleven’s eyes widened in shock.

Li Yuan answered calmly, “I’ll become that tide. For a short time, I’ll transform myself into a surge of spiritual energy to flood you and Nian Nian. But you’d best be ready. First, to absorb as much of it as possible. Second, to make arrangements for the Tang Sect. And third...”

He paused. “Once you’ve absorbed the energy, will you be able to fight?”

Emotion sparked in Tang Eleven’s eyes, but she quickly gathered herself, thinking it through. When she spoke again, her voice was calm, measured.

“The Tang Sect is strong. Our hidden weapons and poisons are like a porcupine’s spines, like the venom of a serpent, lethal and a force to be reckoned with. Ordinary experts, we can handle easily. And those we can’t defeat outright, we can still trap with mechanisms and hidden weapons. I truly believe there is no enemy in this world that the Tang Sect cannot kill.”

She continued, “There’s only one scenario where the Tang Sect might fall, being overwhelmed by sheer numbers. If the enemy sends wave after wave, they’ll eventually deplete our mechanisms, our poison, and our stamina. But so long as I’m alive, I can act at the critical moment, strike straight at the enemy commander amidst thousands and end the battle in a single blow. That way, we won’t have to burn through all our resources.”

She paused, and her voice lowered. “The reason I can say all this with confidence is because...part of this body of mine once belonged to Tang Da. No...no, it was your remains. The bones you left behind at the Western Extremes. There was still flame in them, residual energy. That’s the only reason I’ve been able to hold out this long.”

Li Yuan said nothing more. He simply pulled aside his grey robe and reached for the two blades at his waist.

Both were treasured weapons.

Even if he didn’t care much for fame, everyone in the world knew these were the blades of the legendary Lord Yu

Li Yuan drew the twin blades and handed them to Tang Eleven. “There are some things I need you to do. Once you recover. Go carry them out for me.”

“And what about you?” she asked.

Li Yuan’s solemn expression softened. He smiled.

“If Nian Nian wakes up, tell her this. Chase after the new transcendence with all her heart. And tell her godfather is just going to take a nap. When he wakes up, he’ll come find her.”

What he had to do was, in truth, very simple.

First, continue exploring the Eastern Sea and Western Extremes, searching for Ping An and Sheng’er.

Second, head north to find the Huyan Clan and make them honor their promise to hand over the Beast Gate, something that was useless to them but invaluable to him.

Third, quiet the chaos of this age.

𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

He hoped to bring the warring sides to a truce. And his two blades, one to hang above the Emperor’s dragon throne, the other above the Divine Sovereign’s seat, would serve as a silent warning.

Someone is watching. Don’t overstep.

As for how to solve problems like these in the future, Li Yuan felt it was best to respect the natural course of societal development. If monarchy no longer suited the times, then perhaps it was time to establish a parliament. And the members of that parliament? Chosen by the people, of course.

But this was still an age before the explosion of transcendence. Li Yuan had no way of knowing what the future held. So, for now, that was nothing more than a vague, half-formed idea.

What he

could

do, what he

had

to do, was bring an end to the war. To restrain both sides from their reckless slaughter of the innocent.

He would have Tang Eleven carry his blades as a message to both the Emperor and Divine Sovereign, that in the face of true power, their might meant nothing.

It wasn’t his place to deliver this message himself, but someone like Tang Eleven was perfect for the task.

After all, his

return

, his reawakening, had a time limit.

And deep down, he could feel it. Just like the old myths and stories he'd read before crossing into this world. When gods and demons awoke, it was always fleeting. Sooner or later, they returned to their slumber.

In those stories, the plot often followed a familiar arc: strange events would unfold in some distant land, all tied to secret cultists preparing a forbidden ritual meant to awaken some ancient god. A lone hero would appear at the last moment to stop them, barely succeeding. And just as the god’s eyes began to open, they would shut again, plunging back into sleep.

Gods couldn’t be killed, but they

did

need to sleep.

Li Yuan sensed that he was no different.

His true self, his original form, was a god in this world, undeniably so.

But such a god could not remain for long.

Tang Eleven rose immediately and began making preparations.

Li Yuan, meanwhile, took up residence in the Tang Sect’s central tower.

It was the most mysterious place in the entire sect. The disciples only knew that the Grand Matron and Madam Bright Moon lived there. No one else was allowed near.

Now, Lord Yu had become the third person to take up long-term residence there.

And, notably, the first man to remain longer than an hour.

That one-hour record was soon broken.

And broken again. Repeatedly.

Clearly, Tang Eleven’s preparations weren’t going to be done in a day.