Grand Ancestral Bloodlines

Ryu's gaze shifted and landed on Jojo. As expected, this woman was quite calm as though she was prepared to accept anything that might happen, even if it meant returning to the Sect that had thrown her aside like trash.

She didn't look to Ryu for help, and didn't even glance at Old Wan who would technically be her best chance. She just sat there, her expression calm.

Deep within her eyes, however, there was a burning passion. It seemed she had already sworn that if she survived this, and one day held power on the same level of these Sky Gods, she would wipe them all out without the slightest hesitation.

The humiliation of this day... she would return tenfold, a hundredfold, a thousandfold.

Ryu fell into his own thoughts. He knew that there was something else he was missing; the Fading Star Sect wasn't just taking a hard stance for the sake of saving the Raging Inferno Sect. There was definitely something deeper, and it was probably related to the Convergence and the Title Stele.

At that moment, another powerhouse appeared in the skies. Compared to the Fading Star Sect, her arrival was much more muted. Ryu could almost feel the gloominess around Aika. She was so powerful, and yet so helpless at the same time. She was a fighter, she wasn't a planner like Old Wan. She just wanted to use her overwhelming power to overturn everything, but she didn't expect that things would end up like this.

She was worn out and it showed on that beautiful face of hers. She knew that she had made a mistake, but the idea of having to swallow this sort of humiliation after she worked so hard to get back here filled her with fury.

She had thought that she would never be able to see this stage again. Back on the First Heaven, as she grew older day by day, without a breakthrough in sight, she thought that her friends, her family, her mother, her father, her siblings, would have all died in vain.

Finally seizing an opportunity to reverse the tide, she rushed back up here even though Samson and Old Wan had advised her not to. And now, she was doing the same thing she had been doing on the First Heaven, sitting around and waiting.

Even standing here in silence, it was taking everything in her to not unleash a bloody storm of attacks.

The whispers in the back of her head were loud. So long as she killed this man, it would all be over. How would they be able to survive her assault without a Dao Sovereign?

Of course, this was foolish. These Sects had deeply ingrained inheritances. Taking down even the Raging Inferno Sect on her own would be a tall task and put her life on the line, let alone the Fading Star Sect.

Qi flickered around her, roaring with life. And yet, to a layman, it looked as though she was just standing there. Maybe only the Dao Lords could see just how dangerous it would be even to touch her slightly right now. Their entire existence may very well be wiped off the map.

"Senior Aika," a bright voice came from below.

Ryu looked as though he had just met his idol. It was a sharp contrast to how he had been acting just now; he looked completely starstruck.

From speaking casually to the head of the Fading Star Sect, to fawning over this little, even somewhat weak-looking petite woman in the skies, he had done a complete 180.

Aika turned toward Ryu, her expression lagged behind the surprise in her eyes. Ryu had never treated her like this before; he was clearly giving her a great amount of face right now.

"Heh..." she laughed, feeling that it was too funny. How had this little guy done that? He was just a Fragmented Sky God, and yet everyone was putting so much gravity on his reactions.

Ryu bowed sincerely. If Eska had been there, she would have practically fallen out of her seat.

The only person Ryu had ever bowed to was his master. But this small action suddenly made a great alteration pull at the air.

The audience just felt like it was a particularly strong breeze, but those at the Dao Lord level and beyond felt their pupils constrict.

Just how much Faith was concentrated on this boy that his bow carried so much weight.

Aika felt it the most strongly. Her body seemed to lighten as though the wind itself was supporting her.

The skies rumbled and the clouds parted. In the far-off distance, Aika could feel the well-spring of the Radiant Star Sect's dried Faith Well begin to bubble again, a large amount of Faith pooling together and rushing forth in a flood.

Aika's brows raised. Her cultivation didn't increase, but she suddenly felt so much more...

That was all; she sensed more. More of what, it was hard to tell at first. Until she tightened her fists and a great amount of Star Qi accumulated.

Her eyes widened.

Her Bloodline. The Radiant Star Sect's Core Teaching. The way the two linked...

She had disregarded something. Her standard of talent was far beyond this Heaven. She had a Peak Chaos Grade Bloodline, and her Dao was strong enough to allow her to enter the Dao Sovereign Realm.

Suddenly, she punched out.

Dao Sovereign Fading Shadow's eyes narrowed. He placed a hand on Starlight's shoulder and retreated in a flash. But the fist that would have crashed with him dissipated just a centimeter before his face before trickling into the surrounding wind as though it was nothing more than a feint.

Ryu straightened himself out, his eyes filled with a hint of annoyance. But then he shook his head and sighed. He owed Aika. She had helped him out a lot and never really asked for anything in return other than to be a disciple of her Sect. So, let that be repayment.

Crushing the Faith of others wasn't the only thing you could do in the middle of a Faith War; you could also bolster your Well of Faith.

All this time, Aika had been fighting with two hands tied behind her back, her Bloodline and foundational techniques restrained by the Radiant Star Sect's lack of Faith. Now, however...

Things had changed.