GRAND ANCESTRAL BLOODLINES

Ryu coughed; his body almost entirely shutting down on him. He didn’t even need to look at himself to know that he wasn’t in a good condition. Well, the pain was certainly enough to tell him that.

And yet, his eyes weren’t focused on himself at all. Instead, he was looking ahead to the Roc Prince that basked in the tribulation lightning above, a wide grin on his face.

He had been told all his life that dual‐wielding spears was impossible, so much so that he had abandoned the path himself, taking another.

A part of him had always lusted after that for nothing more than his vanity. But for the sake of his wife, he didn’t bother to return to it.

He had tried other things, even going toward close combat for a while, but these were all in acknowledgement of Ailsa. It was what she would have wanted him to do.

This, though… this was for him.

He might not be the one basking in the glory, but he didn’t seem to care very much at all. As far as he was concerned, Little Rock’s son might as well be his own.

As for the price he had paid to allow it, he didn’t even think twice about it or even consider it much of an issue.

There was something about doing things the way you wanted to, when you wanted to, that embodied the Path of Cultivation he loved so much.

Nothing could make him feel more whole, more complete. Nothing could possibly satisfy him more than this right here.

The Godblade Title continued to tremble, shivering so fiercely that even with the Tribulation above, it was impossible to miss.

But by the time everyone noticed, it was already too late.

It shot into the skies.

Ryu’s grin became wider.

Xalvador and Balthar moved at the same time, but Ryu somehow appeared before them, his body littered with wounds.

“You didn’t imagine… that I would let you do as you pleased, right?” Ryu said lightly.

His demeanor changed, his smile fading. Standing there, littered with holes, lightning not of his own creation sparking across his body, he looked like he might keel over any moment now.

Xalvador held a simple sword, and Balthar rested a glaive on his shoulder.

The two came to a stop at the same time. For a pair of men that were always at loggerheads, they were oddly in sync right now.

They had seen the number of people that died at Ryu’s hand by now. Right this moment, they didn’t dare to take him as lightly as they had once wanted to.

They didn’t know who Yeger was, but since he could make it this far, he was certainly a genius amongst geniuses. Yet, he hadn’t hesitated to step away and leave the competition.

However, this pause of theirs only lasted the briefest instant.

Xalvador slashed out.

Right then, he didn’t look like the playboy or the casual fling. His eyes were emotionless as the bottom of the ocean, carrying the same unrelenting pressure. There was a sharpness to him that he always kept sheathed. And in a single instant of time, he released it all at once.

“Not bad.”

Ryu’s words echoed lightly.

He had no blades left, his great swordstaffs having been shattered by the Roc Prince.

It was hard to fathom just how shocking a feat this was. He had forged them with the help of a Dao Goddess, their materials formed of the bodies of False Shrines. And yet, they were now finished.

But there wasn’t the slightest bit of panic in Ryu’s eyes. In his life… he could remember a few embarrassing moments… but being scared of death… being scared of an enemy…

Those he couldn’t accept.

He flipped a palm and the blood of the Phoenix Princess surged, forming two rainbow swords of violet, blue, and pink. They took the shape of feathers, the very essence of the Phoenix Princess exuding from them.

The Saber Sword Soul Aura poured in from the surroundings, and Ryu seemed to have embodied everything about the Phoenix Princess’ path in an instant. But there was a difference.

This time it was perfect.

Ryu slashed out, the blade swift and heavy. After the briefest of clashes, it suddenly became flexible, his wrist trembling the slightest bit as it curved an arc through the air.

Xalvador’s pupils constricted as he felt his sword almost fly out his hand.

He quickly retreated, accelerating back.

Balthar’s eyes narrowed, but from start to finish, he didn’t move.

And neither did Ryu.

Standing in the same place, Ryu raised the blades as the booming Tribulation Clouds above grew more feverish.

“You see… I’ve never really had a blade path,” Ryu said lightly. “I’ve yet to decide the sort of path I want my weapons to embody. I just casually hop from thing to thing, mostly relying on fundamentals and finding the flaws of my enemies. So my style is bland and it only works well to counter… it’s not as good at taking the initiative.”

Ryu looked at them plainly.

“You’re probably wondering why I’m explaining this to you. Usually, I wouldn’t bother. I would rather have your heads on platters. But this time, I’m explaining this to you so that you understand how inferior you are.”

Ryu’s rainbow feather blades settled in the air, steady as the earth itself.

“I don’t even need to use my own path to defeat you. It’s unnecessary.”

Ryu had completely changed. Since the start, he had only waited for others to attack before finding their flaws and countering.

This time…

He took the initiative.

The aura of saber and sword, warlord and emperor, mixed across the skies. He attacked both Martial Gods at the same time.

Body beaten and broken…

He suppressed them with nothing more than skill.

It was clear to all that he didn’t have much strength in his arms. His every strike was slow, having to react to three sweeps of a blade with just one of his own.

Direct clashes he hadn’t been able to avoid before, he slipped out of them with ease. When the Martial God duo thought they would face a heavy strike, they experienced a swift change instead.

Ryu continuously baited them, and in the very moments they thought they could just ignore his heavy attacks and prepare for the swift ones, they suddenly came.

Balthar’s spear swept out, ready to parry what he thought would be yet another light strike, only to lose a hand.

As though Ryu could see through the future itself, his heavy chop continued, severing Balthar’s hand at the wrist.

“Pathetic.”

The word wormed into Balthar’s heart, echoing through his Dao Heart. If it wasn’t for just how firm it was, he would have felt it crushed right that instant.

He hurriedly retreated, holding out his spear with a single hand. But he was no Roc Prince, and he certainly was no Ryu. He might still have some skill, but it wasn’t nearly enough.

It truly was pathetic. With Balthar retreating, Xalvador might have held his own for a few moments, but quickly, wounds began to litter his body.

Ryu’s strength seemed to come from a different depth. He wasn’t just fighting to fight, there was someone in the skies that he was protecting, and these two were overestimating themselves if they thought they could make it by him.

Blood dripped from his feather blades.

“Disappointing.”

Neither Xalvador nor Balthar responded. From the start, the two of them hadn’t spoken a single word.

Balthar looked down at his lost hand. The bad news was obviously that he had lost it. The good news was that Ryu’s current weakness was very obvious.

His skill was heart shudderingly high. But his physical presence and prowess was highly limited. Because of that, Balthar was able to quite easily recover his hand before Ryu could destroy it entirely. Reattaching it wouldn’t be a problem.

However, there was a deep unwillingness within him.

Just how could a gap in comprehension be this vast? Were they not all geniuses?

“Together,” Xalvador spoke for the first time.

His voice was a bit stiff, as though he was saying a word that he didn’t want to.

No one really understood what this meant either. Hadn’t they already been working together? What was the point of saying this now?

Balthar gave Xalvador a look. But eventually, he nodded once. Putting his severed hand away, he raised his spear with a single arm.

The two stood shoulder to shoulder before Ryu, but all of a sudden, in his senses, they almost became a single person.

Ryu’s eyes narrowed. He had never seen such a thing before, and this shouldn’t be a bloodline ability. If it was, the Title would have suppressed it.

Plus, he knew what Bloodline abilities the both had. Xalvador was a Divine Wing and Balthar was a Divine Hegemon. Neither had the ability to do this.

But even in his narrowed eyes, there was a savage grin hidden within.

They had already tried to cheat his wife, wouldn’t it be natural that they try to cheat him?

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