Chapter 698 – The Emperor of the Yu Dynasty, Calming the Battlefield of Love and Jealousy - Part 3

Inhale, exhale...

With each breath, Li Yuan felt the mountains and rivers rise and fall with him. The energy of the land was flowing into his body, not to strengthen his flesh, but to deepen his command over it.

The carriage was on its way back to the Tang Sect.

And Li Yuan, never one to waste time, was cultivating during the journey.

This technique he used. It was just a breathing method.

And that was the problem.

There was

nothing

beyond the breathing.

After only a few rounds, he stopped. He was stuck again.

Ever since becoming the new master of the Tang Sect and completing the bestowal ceremony to claim authority over the land, he’d known he needed something more, something beyond what the Human Emperor’s breathing method could offer. A higher-level technique that would allow him to draw even greater power from the land.

He had thought about this issue long ago. Ever since discovering that the Human Emperor’s Martial Canon was a cultivation technique in disguise, he’d been seeking a more advanced version. He’d tried countless times. And by now, he already had an answer in mind.

By dusk, the carriage was still en route.

Li Yuan instructed the others to head into the town ahead, while he and Xie Yu remained outside, in the wild.

“What are we doing?” Xie Yu crossed her arms and legs, chin raised with pride.

Li Yuan replied solemnly, “This so-called

breathing

, it’s really about sensing the rhythm of the mountains and rivers, and then syncing your own self with that rhythm. Ordinary people can’t do it because they can’t see the golden light between the land.”

Xie Yu immediately grew serious. She had also been cultivating during their travels. She knew exactly what he meant.

Li Yuan continued, “But what then? Suppose you’ve reached the limit of what breathing can offer. Suppose you’ve hit a wall, but still want to go further, what do you do?”

Without waiting for a response, Li Yuan continued on his own, “There are three paths forward. First, conquest. Win the recognition of more mountains and rivers. That’s your cultivation resource. Second, deepen the complexity of your

true insight

. That’s your art. Third, elevate the breathing method. That, you can think of as your core technique.”

He paused for a breath, then added, “As for that third path, here’s my conclusion. Breathing isn’t enough. You need to

draw.

My thinking is...since the power of the land isn’t ours, but borrowed, then breathing is just a form of drawing it in. If we want to harness greater power, then we need to increase the force of that draw.”

As he spoke, he suddenly raised a hand and slid into a starting stance, then burst into motion, shifting between palm strikes and fists in a fluid, martial dance.

To the untrained eye, his movements were just vigorous and imposing, full of momentum. But to Xie Yu, the rhythm was unmistakable.

She could sense it. The way he constantly adjusted his flow, the way he matched each breath with the natural cadence of the world. In the golden tide of mountain and river energy, he moved precisely with the current.

And that tide responded.

The golden light began to gather around him, swirling tighter and tighter until he shone like a radiant sun. And just as swiftly, when he finished the set, he exhaled long and deep, dispersing the glow in an instant.

“Did you catch anything?” Li Yuan asked.

Xie Yu nodded.

“The Qi of the Mountains and Rivers is the source. Once we channel that power, it forms a kind of armor over our bodies, granting us strength beyond what any martial artist could possess. One thought activates it. One thought disperses it.

“But if we lose the source, we’re no different from ordinary martial artists. And your method, it lets you draw more of that power than usual.”

Li Yuan replied, “The more of it you can pull in at once, the stronger you become. Whether it’s through breathing or body movement, it’s all about pushing your limit outward. Once you reach a certain limit, you’ll be able to tap directly into that level of energy without needing to build up to it. Try it for yourself. Maybe combining body movement with the breathing method is the true path to mastery.”

Xie Yu gave a firm nod. Then she drew her sword, closed her eyes, took a breath and began to move.

Li Yuan watched the flow of

Qi

around her, occasionally offering quiet pointers from the side.

With memories from two lifetimes, Xie Yu’s cultivation speed was extraordinary.

And so they traveled, pausing along the way as Li Yuan both refined the technique he was developing and guided Xie Yu in her training.

𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

˙·٠✧🐗➶➴🏹✧٠·˙

July arrived.

Li Yuan’s group had finally returned to the Tang Sect.

The moment they arrived, Li Yuan headed straight for the Central Tower.

Inside, both Lady Yu and Tang Nian were cultivating, the former on the ninth floor and latter on the tenth.

Golden Qi surged through the tower, though it was clearly thinner than before.

That was because the

ruler

of this region had changed. The Qi no longer favored Lady Yu.

And yet, she bore no resentment nor regret because she loved Lord Yu.

When she sensed his arrival, she rose at once. Her eyes sparkled with delight as she looked at him. Noticing the dust on his robe, she asked, half-smiling, “You came straight to see me after returning?”

Without waiting for his answer, she stepped forward and brushed the dust from his shoulder.

“This trip,” she said softly, “went well, didn’t it?”

Li Yuan said quietly, “There’s something I don’t want to hide from you.”

“What is it?” Lady Yu’s expression shifted. She sensed something was off.

Li Yuan looked at her, the words about Xie Yu on the tip of his tongue. But the silence between them had grown so heavy, so fragile, that he could already see the consequences of speaking. So instead, he leaned in and wrapped his arms around her.

“I missed you,” he whispered.

Lady Yu let out a soft breath, then hooked her arms around his neck.

That night, passion filled the room.

By the time dawn broke and the skies cleared, Lady Yu lay nestled in Li Yuan’s arms, eyes closed, her voice gentle, “You’re carrying something in your heart.”

Li Yuan opened his eyes.

She tapped a slender finger against his chest and murmured, “We’re husband and wife, the closest people in the world. You can’t hide anything from me. So tell me...what was it you wanted to say yesterday?”

Li Yuan said, “I’ve lived twice. In my last life, I was Lord Yu. But before that...I was the Primordial Emperor.”

“Primordial Emperor?” Lady Yu’s eyes flew open. “You mean, Li Yuan?”

She knew the name, of course she did.

In fact, anyone of status in this world

had

to know that name.

The Primordial Emperor was the grandfather of Emperor Xuan, and the foundational figure who allowed the Ying Clan to seize power in the first place.

Li Yuan could feel the warmth in her body turn cold and stiff in his arms, but he pressed on. “Do you know what that means?”

Lady Yu’s mind was in chaos.

Li Yuan said, “Do you remember the Princess of the Central Capital?”

Lady Yu clapped her hands over her ears. “Stop... Don’t say any more... It’s all in the past!”

But of course she remembered that legendary woman.

The Princess of the Central Capital was a towering figure of her era, one who had lived through the reigns of both the Human Emperor and Emperor Xuan. During the Human Emperor’s rule, she had been the noble Princess of the Central Capital. Under Emperor Xuan, she became the virtuous and revered Grand Empress Dowager.

And that princess’s father...was the Primordial Emperor.

They had just spent a night entwined in love, and yet this truth was harder to digest than any blade.

Lady Yu couldn’t come to terms with it.

So Li Yuan stayed with her, trained with her, and tried to ease her turmoil.

And when her emotions had finally settled just a little, he told her one more truth.

That the Princess of the Central Capital’s mother...had also been reborn.

At first, Lady Yu froze in disbelief.

Then, the realization slammed into her, and she let out a sharp, almost animalistic scream.

She turned on her heel and shot into the sky, trying to flee as fast and far as possible.

But just as she launched into the air, strange, lifeless puppets began crawling up from the ground, grotesque figures forged of soul iron, stripped of consciousness and spirit.

These were not mere tools. They were forged from Tang Nian’s very memories.

Now, they were her weapons.

Tang Nian stepped up to the railing, looked from her godfather to Lady Yu, and said calmly, “Tang Zhuo, this old woman promises you, this man will still love you, no matter what.”

Lady Yu blinked, stunned. “Grand Matron Tang...you...?”

Tang Nian smiled faintly. “I’m also from the Primordial Emperor’s era. Back then...he was my godfather. I know him well.”

Lady Yu stood there, breathing heavily, her eyes darting between Tang Nian and Li Yuan. Tears welled up, then rolled down her cheeks in great, silent drops.

In the next heartbeat, she turned and vanished, shooting across the sky like a bolt of lightning.

Li Yuan immediately gave chase, and easily caught up. He flew alongside her, matching her speed, her path.

Wherever she fled, he followed.

He was stronger than Lady Yu.

That was the truth, and it had to be said eventually. The fact that she’d held herself together long enough for him to say it in person was already more than he could’ve hoped for.

After flying for what felt like an eternity, Lady Yu finally grew tired. She landed on a cliff edge, only to see Li Yuan catching up fast.

With a flick of her sleeves, her Plume of the Divine burst forth, dozens of golden feathers shot at him like streaks of lightning.

“Ahhh!” Li Yuan pretended to be caught off guard and tumbled to the ground dramatically.

Lady Yu blinked in surprise. She instinctively took a step to leave, but her heart wavered. She hesitated, then took a few steps toward him...only to pause again, suspicious. Maybe this was just another one of Li Yuan’s schemes. So she stopped a short distance away and leaned forward cautiously. “You...you okay?”

“Ahhh... Ow... Ughh...”

Li Yuan clutched his chest, face contorted in pain. He’d used a similar trick before with Xie Yu. But back then, he’d done it while disguised as Ximen Gucheng.

Now, it was different. Now he stood before her as both Lord Yu

and

his true self.

Xie Yu could forgive Ximen Gucheng because Gucheng wasn’t really Li Yuan.

But Lady Yu? She would forgive Lord Yu...and unfortunately for them both, Lord Yu

was

Li Yuan.

“I don’t care if you stab me a few more times,” he rasped painfully, “as long as it helps you feel better.” He coughed, and a cloud of blood mist sprayed from his lips.

Lady Yu froze, stunned. Her anger vanished in an instant, replaced by worry.

The former overlord of the Tang Sect stomped her foot, voice raised in frustration. “Why didn’t you block it?! You

could’ve

blocked it!”

Li Yuan’s face was pale, but he still managed a weak smile. “Zhuo’er, as long as

you’re

happy...”

She looked at him and apparently saw no trace of deceit in his eyes. With a long sigh, she murmured, “You impossible man... Tell me this, and don’t lie. Was your love for me ever real?”

Li Yuan’s voice was hoarse as he recited, “By the Heavens, I swear to know you and never let that bond fade. Mountains may crumble, rivers may run dry. Thunder may roar in winter, and snow fall in summer. Heaven and Earth may split, and only then would I dare part from you.”

When he finished, he gasped for breath, then managed to summon the weakest of smiles. Looking into her eyes, he added with a deep tenderness:

“There was once a sincere love right in front of me, and I didn’t cherish it. I only realized what I’d lost when it was too late. If Heaven gave me another chance, I’d tell that girl three words...” He looked directly at her. “I love you.”

“You...” Lady Yu choked on a sob.

But Li Yuan wasn’t done. “And if I

had

to add a time limit to that love...I’d say a thousand lifetimes.”

Lady Yu burst into tears and rushed to him, throwing her arms around him.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered, trembling. “I’m so sorry. It was my fault. I was being petty... I should’ve known. A man like you, so perfect, how could he belong to just one woman? But I was afraid. I was greedy. I was wrong. Please...will you forgive me?”