Grand Ancestral Bloodlines

The uproar of Jojo's breakthrough was felt across thousands of kilometers. It felt as though the air was constantly being sliced apart by large scythes of regal blades, moving so quickly and violently that they seemed to supercharge the air itself, raising the temperature by steady increments of one or two degrees at a time.

It was the kind of breakthrough that these people had never felt before, the kind of breakthrough one might only expect to see on the Eighth Heaven.

Ryu's lip curled into a smirk. It seemed that it had all paid off.

No one but he knew of this power of his Dao, and if he had had a softer temperament in the past, he would have been more like Old Wan, starting off in the First Heaven and diligently raising up a small power of elites that would slowly grow into a wellspring of vibrant, undefeatable talent.

In a few million years, he'd probably be able to nurture an entire Sect and Clan worth of Ancient Dao users, likely with a handful of Founding Dao users sprinkled in for good measure. If that was matched with his alchemy and blacksmithing skill, not to mention his formation mastery, what chance would the Martial Gods stand?

In truth, if he laid down his blade, he could do the same for the Radiant Star Sect right this moment. It would even be easier than what he was thinking of previously because they already had the foundation of an Eighth Heaven Sect, especially if he was able to destroy the Fading Star Sect and fuse them back together.

Unfortunately, though Ryu had mellowed out quite a bit... he still had no interest in this matter.

What he was interested in wasn't the easiest path to rise to the top; he wanted to use his own fists to do so. While it was fun to do this once in a while, especially when there was something important like a Battle of Faith on the line, he had no intention of being like Old Wan, plotting and scheming from that background.

It could be said that this was why he loved the game of Domain so much.

Plotting and scheming was fun, but lounging around and waiting for months, years, decades, maybe even generations for a single plan to bloom properly, wasn't like him in the slightest.

Domain was like a microcosm of reality, and it could be quickly accelerated.

This plot alone, one that wasn't even truly finished just yet, had taken him over three months of constant pressure and back and forth travel to execute. The worst part was he hadn't even fought a single battle, and other than some accumulation of qi that took place passively due to his new constitution, nothing else happened.

'Even so...' Ryu thought, looking in the skies toward the temporarily floating Jojo. '... I should use this a little bit more often.'

After a grin, he looked off into the distance to find that his guests were already in range.

As expected, they had sent the big wigs, but they didn't appear in public. Instead, they wanted to avoid this if at all possible. This was to one, save face, and for two, they didn't want to put themselves in line of fire of Aika. If she truly was here like they assumed, they wanted to be able to quickly use their own methods of escape.

As such, while Ryu could sense two Omniscient Gods thanks to [Third Perspective], only a group of Perfect Sky Gods were swiftly approaching. This made his life far easier.

This wasn't because he could handle such powerful existences, but rather because she could.

"Little Silk."

A dancing, spiraling wind of ice and cold formed around Ryu, rising into the air and suddenly becoming the delicate beauty of a butterfly.

Little Silk's wings could only be said to be a work of art. They were as thin as cicadas and looked as though the slightest touch could break them apart like fragile glass. They exuded a shimmering white, silver, and sky blue, embroidered with an almost psychedelic pattern that entranced the eyes.

Ryu stepped onto her back and rose into the air.

"Alright, you've had your fun; let's go."

Jojo gazed over to see Ryu holding out a hand.

She still felt quite some resistance to this man, and she was smart enough to know that she was being used as a pawn. Now that she was a Sky God, and one with such a powerful foundation at that, she no longer had to fear Ryu either. A large part of her wanted to end this farce.

If she went back to the Raging Inferno Sect now, they wouldn't even have the capital to punish her. They needed her, and her breakthrough had changed every aspect of their dynamic.

However, was that in her personality?

They had burned her once. What right did they have to partake in her ascend now?

Plus... she could feel that none of this was a coincidence, even right down to her sudden breakthrough.

It sensed odd that Ryu would merely come here to show her off. And if he was going to show her off, why not do so in Raging Inferno Sect territory? Was it a coincidence that they had been teleported to the only place that had these pillars?

Suddenly, her eyes widened. Apparently, she only realized now that there was a real beast beneath Ryu's feet.

How was it possible for this bastard to do so many impossible things? Did he understand how hard it was to tame a beast of the Seventh Heaven? Did he know what kind of trouble even bringing a tamed beast from the Sixth Heaven could cause here?

"You..."

Jojo suddenly felt exasperated. Did this man not understand how to take a rest for a moment?!

"I'm coming with you only so that I can kick your ass."

She spoke through gritted teeth, eventually taking Ryu's hand.

What she didn't expect was that she wouldn't even have the strength to resist before her waist was pulled into his body.