Grand Ancestral Bloodlines

Ryu slowly lowered his blade, looking toward the black robed man. The latter had already landed on his feet, his smile still there.

'The gap is pretty big, huh?"

Though he had this thought, Ryu didn't really seem to be very panicked. However, his deductions were spot on, that much he was certain of. By this point, he had already assimilated over 600 Golden Protector Spirits, and by his estimations, this young man hadn't taken in even a hundred.

Of course, it was also the case that the more spirits you absorbed of the same rank, the less obvious the benefits. But even so, the fact he had taken Ryu's strike so easily meant that at their base strengths, the gap was quite large.

Ryu was quite curious about who this man was, but observing him seriously for the first time, Ryu actually smiled too. That was because he felt like he was looking at a young man he had seen before, this black robed young man and Adlael were actually so similar, they might as well have been carbon copies of one another despite not looking like the same person at all, and Ryu found it quite amusing.

"So between the two of you," Ryu suddenly said. "Who's the leader and who's the puppet on a string?"

For the third time in the short moments he had met Ryu, the black robed young man was startled again, and this time, he didn't quite recover quick enough.

The reason Ryu found all of this so amusing was because two grown men didn't just happen to share the same personality. There were only two options, either they were raised by the same person, or one had latched onto the other, following his footsteps very closely before breaking off and deluding himself into thinking he was his own person.

The first felt unlikely, mostly because they looked dissimilar enough that it wasn't a possibility that they'd be siblings, even if they differed by one parent. Plus, Ryu was very good at reading auras, unless someone had been perfectly veiled, or changed their Bloodline, he would be able to sense such a thing in a single glance.

Of course, it was possible that they were instead raised by the same master and that was why they had come out so similarly, and Ryu was more receptive to this sort of explanation. It might even explain why they seemed to be so pitted against one another. After all, if there were inheritances that required bloody conflict to pick out one successor, there were some masters cruel enough to do that to their direct disciples.

However, Ryu found the second explanation far more amusing, and judging by the black robed young man's response, he felt that it was even more unlikely.

Ryu hissed and clicked his tongue. "Judging by that reaction, it seems that you're the little brother holding onto the hem of his elder brother's robe, huh? I've always thought about what it might feel like to be an older sibling, it was just unfortunate that my parents had to try for years just to have me, so it's unknown whether I'll ever get the chance. But seeing it here in the flesh, I don't know if I want it anymore. Would my younger brother be able to have his own personality? Though, I guess if it was a younger sister, it might be a bit easier on her."

The black robed young man fell into silence. He tried to smile again out of habit, but it came out more forced than he expected. It was only after a few more seconds that he truly relaxed.

"This is your Dao," he uttered with a smile as though he had finally understood something and had "exposed" Ryu. "It's quite powerful, extremely so. I didn't expect that... Or maybe I should have since your Ancestor is a Half-Step Dao God. It would be difficult for a descendant to be mediocre. It should be at least on the verge of the Ancient Grade if not a half-step in. Congratulations. Once you become a Sky God, you'll immediately defeat the majority of those here."

Ryu's smile didn't fade, though the implication was clear.

"Oh? You noticed? Not bad. I guess you do have some insight of your own."

The black robed young man found himself being far more ticked off than usual, mostly because he felt that he only had part of the story, he felt like he was missing something. He didn't usually try to grasp straws when he was facing off against someone in a war of words, because feigning omnipotence was far stronger than guessing.

If you guessed wrong, then your façade of greatness would shatter, and he felt that his already had.

What he had sensed wasn't Ryu's Dao, but rather a small part of it, and a small part of it not actively activated either. This was Ryu's Dividing Sin, or at least his Dividing Sin in part.

Dividing Sin was the mirror of Dividing Karma. The latter could already see through the thoughts and intentions of people, but the former could comprehend them, ripping them open layer by layer, forcing open open wounds and pouring salt into them.

When Ryu had uttered that he could become the most supreme of court ministers with just Dividing Karma alone, he wasn't lying. If he used Dividing Sin at the same time, or even combined their functions into one as he was able, breaking down the resolve of a young man like this with just a few words was as easy as breathing.

When Ryu had uttered that he could become the most supreme of court ministers with just Dividing Karma alone, he wasn't lying. If he used Dividing Sin at the same time, or even combined their functions into one as he was able, breaking down the resolve of a young man like this with just a few words was as easy as breathing.

That's because no matter how talented this young man was, what he didn't have for certain was a Founding Dao. The black robed young man wasn't facing a Half-Step Ancient Dao at all, he was facing a true Founding Dao, and existence of the level of which he had never graced before.

He knew that he should control himself, he knew that Ryu was trying to get him riled up, but it simply didn't matter.

When a future Dao God spoke, you listened.

The young man gripped his fists, his smile becoming colder.