Chương 360: The Gathering of the Continent

Groups of enemies would spot them, hover with undisguised hatred and then give them a wide berth, a fragile truce was holding. After nearly a day of flight, they arrived. The "shimmering visible wound" Li Yu had seen from a distance was a terrifying magnificent reality. It was a massive, vertical tear in the very fabric of the world, a pulsating fissure of light at least a mile high, from which an aura of impossibly ancient and complex power washed over the land in silent waves.

Below this celestial rift, the barren southern wastes had been transformed. A massive, sprawling tent city had erupted, split perfectly in two by a glowing line of runes etched into the earth. On their side, the northern side, was the camp of the Allied Forces: an orderly, if hastily constructed, city of pavilions, banners and magical wards glowing with the blue, green and white lights of the various sects.

On the southern side, just a few hundred yards away was the enemy's encampment: a chaotic, menacing sprawl of black iron-plated structures, crude lean-tos made of beast hides and dark unsettling banners. Demonic Qi and a palpable aura of bloodlust rolled off it in waves. The two armies, numbering in the tens of thousands, were camped practically on top of each other, separated only by this ancient line. Li Yu's group descended, landing in an open area designated for new arrivals.

Torin and Roric were visibly awed by the sheer scale of the gathering.

"Commander," Torin whispered, his voice trembling with excitement, "I'll... I'll go register our arrival with the Stone Binders Sect command. I will find you after and introduce you to the prominent figures here!" Li Yu simply nodded and the small group from Blackstone Gully dispersed, eager to find their own sects. Li Yu, belonging to none of them, stood alone for a moment, an island of white in a sea of activity.

"BROTHER LI! A GLORIOUS DAY FOR A CRUSADE, IS IT NOT?" Li Yu didn't even have to turn to know who it was. The booming joyous voice cut through the camp's murmur. He turned to see Jian Xuan striding towards him, his own white robe immaculate, his face beaming with a truly offensive amount of cheerful fanaticism. He was alone, drawing wary glances from nearby cultivators who recognized the robes and gave him a wide berth.

People may have acknowledged the cult's strength but they were also convinced its members were dangerously unhinged.

"It seems you've been busy," Li Yu said dryly.

"The work of the Crab God is never-ending!" Jian declared, clasping his hands together.

"The field was ripe for harvest and we reaped a terrible bounty for our Lord!" As Jian spoke, a disturbance came from across the demarcation line. A group of heavily armored Beast Faction warriors had approached the glowing runes, their eyes fixed on Li Yu. They were led by a hulking tiger-striped man with a serrated two-handed blade resting on his shoulder.

"So that's him," the tiger-man growled, his voice carrying easily.

"The 'Little Crab.' You look even more pathetic up close. You hide behind your Soul Formation masters but in the ruins there is no one to protect you. Your head will make a fine trophy for the Beast Lord!" His companions laughed, a collection of harsh barking sounds. Li Yu merely watched them, his expression unchanged. Jian Xuan, however, looked positively delighted.

"Friends!" he called out, his voice bright and cheerful. The tiger-man and his group sneered. Jian beamed and took one step forward, clasping his hands in his now-famous prayer stance.

"It seems you are eager to hear the word of the Crab God! I was just about to recite the glorious third verse! It is a particularly moving one, about how the divine claw..." He took a deep, theatrical breath.

"PRAISE THE GOD CRAB, HIS MIGHTY CLAW! HIS—" The reaction was instantaneous. The tiger-man who had been the picture of savage bravado, physically recoiled as if struck. His companions stumbled back, their faces draining of color.

"MADMAN!" the tiger-man roared, a new note of genuine panic in his voice.

"CEASE YOUR RACKET! We... we were just jesting! We honor the truce!" They practically fled, disappearing back into the dark mass of their camp. Jian Xuan stopped mid-verse and let out a light airy chuckle. He turned back to Li Yu, his eyes sparkling with amusement.

"They are so... eager for his word. And yet so fearful of his glory. A paradox, is it not?" The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. Nearby allied disciples who had been watching quickly looked away, many shivering slightly. They didn't look awestruck; they looked disturbed. It was one thing to hear about the cult's lunacy but to see it used to repel a fearsome Beast Faction captain was terrifying.

It confirmed their beliefs: the Crab Cult was a nest of psychos but they were effective psychos.

"Do you know anything about this place, Jian?" Li Yu said, ignoring the onlookers. Jian's demeanor shifted instantly. The manic, "Loud One" persona faded, replaced by his analytical self. He gestured with his chin towards the shimmering rift.

"It's called the 'Ruins of Teaching.' An ancient pocket dimension. There are two fundamental, inviolable rules." He held up one finger.

"First: The outer ruins are under a powerful ancient formation. It absolutely forbids fighting. You can't even draw a weapon with hostile intent. It's a 'safe zone' for everyone to find their own opportunities. A library, not a battlefield." He held up a second finger.

"Second: After a set period, 300 years ago it was one month, the formation in the center of the ruins drops, revealing the 'Central Battlefield.' And there, anything goes. It's a slaughterhouse, a free-for-all for resources. Soul Formation experts can kill Core disciples. No rules, no cultivation limits."

"A library, then a slaughterhouse," Li Yu summarized.

"Exactly," Jian confirmed.

"A cultivator's dream. A chance to get stronger for free, then a chance to use that new strength to kill your rivals and get rich. That's why the truce had to happen. Not too many would miss this. I was also told that last time the event only took three weeks on the outside to complete. Inside it is one month for the library and two months for the battlefield. There must be some manipulations of time laws in there." Li Yu nodded, his gaze sweeping over the massive sprawling camps.

This was the true gathering of the continent, a congregation of power far beyond what Fort Torrent had held.

"Ah, Commander Little Crab! Commander Jian Xuan!" Torin Stonehand was hurrying back, his face still flushed with excitement from registering with his sect.

"Oh, by the ancestors, everyone is here. Have you seen?"

"Jian was just explaining," Li Yu said.

"You know these people?"

"Some of them!" Torin said, puffing his chest out slightly. As a long-time 4th-Level Core disciple, he knew the political landscape well.

"This truce... it's drawn out the neutral powers as well. The ones who were content to watch the continent burn." Torin pointed discreetly towards a quiet, pristine corner of the allied camp where a series of beautiful, azure-blue pavilions had been erected. They were shimmering with clean powerful arrays.

"See them? The Azure Spire. They're from the high northern mountains. They see this entire war as a 'southern squabble' beneath their notice." Li Yu's gaze fell on a woman in pale blue robes, standing apart from her disciples, her aura cold and sharp as the mountain air. She was a Soul Formation expert, at the 6th-Level.

"That's High Mystic Caelia," Torin whispered.

"And the one she's speaking to... the young woman with the jade hairpin. That's her prized disciple, Sylvia. They call her the 'Azure Wind.' She's at the 6th-Level Core Formation, but her 'Azure Wind Sword Art' is said to be inescapable. Very cold, that one." Torin then gestured to a different, rowdier section of the camp where massive, fur-lined tents were pitched and the smell of roasting meat and strong ale filled the air. Hulking men and women, built like mountains, were laughing and shouting.

"The Ironheart Clans," Torin said.

"A nomadic confederation from the Western Deserts. They aren't allied or enemy; they're mercenaries. They fight for whoever pays. Their leader is Great Chieftain Korgath, a 3rd-Level Soul Formation brute. His 'best disciple' is his son, Dargan the Red-Axe. 7th-Level Core Formation. He's that one." Torin indicated a giant of a young man with a braided red beard, who was currently in a loud drunken argument with a massive rune-etched greataxe strapped to his back.

"So that is some of the neutrals," Li Yu observed.

"And our allies?"

"Everyone," Torin said, his tone turning more serious as he guided them towards the center of the allied camp. The banners of the great sects were flying high. Li Yu saw the familiar faces of Theron, Kaelen, and Lyra, all in conference near a large command pavilion.

"Look, Commander," Torin said, his voice dropping.

"The top disciples... they're all here. It's... it's important to understand," he added quickly, "a lot of them aren't 'disciples' in the way you'd think. They're monsters. Most could have taken an Elder position decades ago but they're being groomed for something more—Sect Leader, Grand Elder... so they remain on the disciple rankings." He pointed.

"See that man over there, by the Skyfire Academy banner, the one already reading a scroll? That's Jarek Volkov, Rank 4. A terrifying scholar-warrior. They say he analyzes a battlefield like it's a textbook." Li Yu glanced over at him.

"And over there with Grand Elder Theron," Torin continued, "That's Faelan Nightwind (Rank 3) and Bronwyn Steel (Rank 6). Both from the Forest of the Radiant Dawn, Theron's prized geniuses." Then, Torin gestured towards a woman in sleek dark armor, standing with a group of Ashen Blade disciples. Her hand rested on the hilt of her saber.

"That's Evandra Vane," Torin whispered, his voice a mix of awe and fear.

"Rank 2. A true monster on the battlefield. They say she's been chasing the top spot for ages." Evandra was watching him. Her gray eyes were not hateful, nor awestruck. They were sharp, analytical and filled with a burning, unconcealed competitiveness. She was sizing him up, her grim smile a silent challenge. Li Yu met her gaze for a moment then looked away unbothered.

"And him," Torin said, his voice dropping to a hush.

"Commander, that's him." He was looking at a disciple standing alone, near the Stone Binders Sect's main tent. The man was tall, impossibly broad-shouldered and seemed as rooted in the earth as a mountain. He just... stood there, his eyes closed, his aura as heavy and unmoving as granite.

"Roric Heavystrike," Torin breathed.

"Rank 1. The undisputed strongest disciple in the Allied Forces. 9th-Level Core Formation. They say his 'Stone Binder's Physique' makes him practically invulnerable. He is... a legend." Li Yu gaze left them all after seeing them once. They slowly were rising to the massive silent tear in the sky. That was the only thing here that held his interest. He had never been a part of something quite like this and he was excited to see what was inside.