GRAND ANCESTRAL BLOODLINES

Ryu’s sword pierced out, catching Balthar’s head on its tip. Its blade pierced through his skull, skewering him like he was some sort of piece of meat rather than someone’s life.

Solara hardly reacted to this at all, the smile on her face having long faded and her eyes having long closed. She had returned to a calm state, unbothered and unfettered.

Ryu, however…

With a tremble of his wrist, Balthar’s head shattered, a rain of flesh and blood falling.

Ryu looked up to the skies, ignoring Xalvador as though he was nothing more than air. To Ryu… one opponent, especially not one he had exchanged so many blows with already, was worth his time or attention.

Solara had certainly triggered him a little bit. When his competitive spirit was stoked, his gear changed as well. He had never felt what it felt like to have a true rival before.

He rarely respected anyone, and most of his enemies were people he thought had little more on them than years. When he was facing people like that, it was hard to care.

They were those he knew he would surpass in due time; how could they make him care?

What Ryu had also never considered was that always being so confident was a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it made him dauntless. But on the other hand, it also meant that he would never truly feel the weight of a challenge.

Was it still bravery if you didn’t feel fear?

This was the paradox Ryu had always faced.

Only against an opponent that could truly make him feel something would there be a difference.

In the past, that had once been Sarriel, but she had become his wife. He couldn’t possibly use her as a target, now could he?

There was also the Phoenix Sky God, but whoever they were, they were still much too far away from him.

Now… there was this Solara. This was far more interesting, and she had also pulled out a great deal from him.

She had an interesting effect on him.

Feeling the sword and saber qi rotating around him, Ryu smiled lightly, allowing it to sink into him silently. It was doubtful that most would be able to sense it. Not even Xalvador had noticed this tidbit.

He had been thinking about how to win this for a while now. After this Godblade challenge was finished, the odds that the real battle for claiming a Title would begin were extremely high.

In that case, it would be no holds barred, and his chances to rely so heavily on his comprehension would be limited.

It was no secret why he could kill so easily here. Everyone was limited to their skill alone, and it was impossible to outskill Ryu of all people.

So how would he survive the next round?

His body had nothing left other than his Chaos Qi. His Embryonic Qi production had slowed to a crawl, every droplet being diverted in an attempt to undo the damage of the Karmic Flames.

But Karmic Flames were precisely what burned Corpse Poison into being. It might be a form of energy even higher than Embryonic Qi and its counterpart. It was just that it wasn’t something that could be wielded by cultivators.

Then again… Embryonic Qi wasn’t meant to be wielded either.

Regardless, Ryu’s Embryonic Qi was completely occupied with an extremely slow-paced healing.

The only reason he had his Chaos Qi at all was because it was connected to a separate world. But his Chaotic Silk Meridians… well, they were the third strongest material in the world, not the first. And even if it was the first, it wouldn’t stand a chance against such boiling Karmic Flames.

While he still had his Chaos Qi, just circulating it made him feel as though thousands of fire ants were rushing through him.

His actual body and physical strength had even less to be said about them. They were all but destroyed. He was barely standing.

Right now, he hardly looked like much of a human at all. From a handsome young man, he looked like a walking corpse—and the only reason he didn’t look like a charred corpse instead was because of the Phoenix Princess.

But he had already used up what he could from that, and at best, the changes were cosmetic.

This was all to say… how the hell should he win?

Well, the answer had been obvious to Ryu from the start. If his Body Realm was useless, and his Qi Realm was compromised, the answer would lie within his Mental Realm.

That was simple enough to Ryu. He would figure the rest out.

Of course, Karmic Flames wouldn’t have such an obvious weakness to it. It definitely targeted his soul as well.

The difference was that Ryu had a Perfect Blackbody Soul. Compared to the rest of his body, he could withstand the hit with much greater ease to his Mental Realm…

Especially since he had done something quite crazy that he hadn’t let Sarriel sense. But that was something that he would keep in his back pocket as he continued to suppress the pain that came from this very choice.

Still, all of this was to say that his Mental Realm was weaker now than it had been in the past, and by a considerable amount at that. Though he could still use it with much greater ease than his other two Realms, it wasn’t ideal…

At least not for now.

He still needed time. He needed a hold over until he was ready, until he could truly unleash.

Ryu just thought about using his Summons and Corpse Puppets. That was the obvious answer. It was the smart answer. It was what any sane man would do.

But he didn’t want to.

There was no elaborate reason, no great secret, no logical deduction.

He just wanted to claim this Title with his own hands.

So he made a different decision.

Why not just create a new cultivation method? Sounded simple enough.

The Sword Saber Soul method sounded so unique. What made him especially curious was why the Phoenix Princess added the Soul aspect to the name at all. Why not just Sword Saber?

After analyzing the method, he understood why. Controlling Sword and Saber qi to cooperate with one another was incredibly difficult. They were incredibly incompatible.

Though, that could be said for all of the Weapon Auras. They were designed to be themselves, not anything else. But it could be said that the Saber and Sword were special opposites because they took such similar forms, and yet completed such different actions.

In order to force them to sync, the Phoenix Princess needed the Soul aspect. She was using her heart as a guide to direct her weapon to harmonize. As such, her Weapon Aura was as much her soul as it was her Saber and Sword.

And that fascinated Ryu. It was a truly unique method. It was just that the Phoenix Princess was too weak, her comprehension too lacking.

All Ryu needed to do was feel out the rhythm of her soul to sense when she was harmonizing and when she was switching over. During a lull, he lopped her head off, timing it perfectly.

However, he had ended up keeping her Blood Essence for himself for good reason.

Barely anything about him had changed after sucking up the Phoenix Princess’ Blood Essence. That was because very few realized that it was all focused in his Mental Realm.

The winding, invisible filaments of Sword and Saber qi were intertwining with his Soul, pulling at the white flame and forming layers of formations that filled in the gaps.

These “gaps” were actually just examples of severe damage to his soul.

But now, these Sword Saber Soul formations were filling in the gaps.

The question was… what were they doing? What did it even mean to form formations of Sword and Saber qi in the first place?

Well… the world was just going to have to wait to find that out. That was because this little nephew of his seemed just about done.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The Tribulation above shuddered.

The first thing anyone noticed were the majestic, metallic silver wings of a Lightning Roc.

They flapped out from the black clouds, blowing a tempest of wind into the surroundings.

And then a neck just as majestic, long and mighty, stretched out.

The savage call of a bird standing on a mountain peak echoed, a screech that stopped time and reversed the flow of space shot into the surroundings.

The feathers of the Roc Prince’s wings spread out, sharp Spear qi radiating out in all directions.

And for the second time that day…

The Heavenly Court Doors opened.

Ryu clicked his tongue. “Maybe I’m a little bit too good at this.”

They were just simple words, and yet they made the hearts of several tremble uncontrollably as they suddenly understood something.

Several gazes snapped to Ryu with a feverish intent.

Ryu rested his feather blade on his shoulder, chuckling.

“Are you under the impression that if you capture me I might help you reach an entirely new level? Why is the world filled with such stupid people? If this is what I’ve done for someone else…” Ryu’s momentum began to grow, his soul finally becoming whole again. A savage momentum spread, violent and filled with unbridled killing intent. “… What the hell do you think I’ve done for myself?”

“I’ve already given enough warnings. Come if you dare. My blade is still thirsty.”

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