Grand Ancestral Bloodlines

In an unknown corner of the world, a familiar with a lanky and somewhat curved build, almost as though his body was trying to shape itself into a scythe, suddenly awoke. He sat in the depths of a dingy cave, his body mostly obscured in the darkness. The only part of his could be clearly seen were those two, eerie green eyes, hovering as though willow wisps. This man was unsurprisingly the Twin Reaper.

It was one thing if the avatars of the Throne challenge were dead, nothing much would happen. But if they were alive, especially if they had grown so powerful, their understanding and feelings toward Karma and the Strings of Fate were undoubtedly deep.

This wasn't to say that their consciousness had partaken in the battle. If it had, even with Ryu's skill and advantages, it would be impossible to outduel the consciousness of a Dao Lord even if it was weaker than him in cultivation, let alone stronger.

However, the Twin Reaper was alerted to the happenings afterward. Quickly, he caught up to everything his avatar had experienced, and a white-yellow grin appeared to match the hovering green willow wisps.

Ryu stood to his feet. Black flames danced across his skin as though it was scattered across a marbled surface. It slid so smoothly that it would almost remind one of an illusory and flickering oil. Despite the intensity, it couldn't harm Ryu in the slightest.

To his back, the phantom of a Dark Phoenix slowly faded, and Ryu's expression slowly paled. But as quickly as this began, Ryu returned to his original self instantly. It was as though he had never been injured in the slightest.

He didn't know how many more enemies he would have to face, but this one was strong. Very strong.

According to history, they would only grow stronger from here on out.

The trouble was that the Twin Reaper was the kind of expert that wouldn't be able to display their full potential so early on. As they continued to progress, they would slowly pull away from their competition by making incremental gains, until suddenly they reached a height the former geniuses couldn't fathom.

Ryu had gotten a real look at his mind when his Dao was active, and he understood the kind of person the Twin Reaper was.

He was a man who would win by any means necessary, and he had built his strength upon a pile of bones and a sea of blood.

When he said that his parents had died of old age, he hadn't been lying. But that also implied something else.

His parents had never even stepped past the lower Realms of the Sky God Realm. If Ryu was correct, they had probably not even managed to become True Sky Gods like their son had. And yet, here was the Twin Reaper.

"He must be incredibly powerful by now. I can feel that he is still alive."

Ryu looked up toward the sky, his expression calm. It seemed he had a tendency of making adversaries that were far stronger than himself. It was both irritating and amusing.

"Aika is powerful, but she's too strait-laced, too stubborn, and her mind isn't flexible enough. This sort of enemy is the kind that could run circles around her even if her raw strength is greater."

Ryu wasn't put off by the conclusion. He was very much used to it.

Relying on himself was what he did the best. And that was why he was here to claim this Throne.

Nothing would stop him, even if he had to offend another ten Twin Reapers.

His confidence and his self-assurance, though, weren't something that the public shared. And that was precisely why the reaction to his victory in this round shook them to their cores.

Whether it was Aika and the others of the Radiant Star Sect, or their four enemy Sects, each one was stumped. Not understanding what they were seeing.

Of course, many of them thought it was because Aika had taken action to obscure exactly what they were seeing. Although they could see Ryu, they couldn't get any information about what abilities he was relying on, exactly the methods he was using, or even a clear understanding of what his real cultivation was at the moment.

What they didn't know was that even Aika was stumped, a fact that could only make her smile bitterly. He had trusted her apparently, but still insisted on taking precautions himself. It was as though working on his own was ingrained into his very soul right now.

Ryu advanced forward, soon facing another enemy. Unsurprisingly, they were in the True Sky God Realm as well, but they were even younger than the Twin Reaper had been. She almost appeared like a teenager.

Despite how young she looked, there was something off-putting about her eyes. One was a ball of opaque white and another was a dense black. There was no distinction between sclera, irises, or pupils.

If not for this, her features were akin to an adorable little doll, right down to her button nose and rosy cheeks.

In her palm, a silver whip that appeared to be forged of links of metal, almost like dragon scales, lay. It looped on the floor before her and flickered with white and black lights.

This time, Ryu didn't say anything. He could sense already that this young woman would have a reaction that would perfectly counter his Dao.

Indifference.

Even so, he sensed an excitement bubbling up in his heart.

His blood boiled, his Birthed Phenomena roared into existence, and Runes of silver and dark-silver appeared around him, his body entering a relaxed battle stance.

And then, his eyes flared.

"[Earth Gate]... open."

The skies quaked. A huge, looming gate appeared over Ryu as he activated [Earth Gate] in its truest and most powerful glory.

Aika's eyes opened so wide they seemed to be ready to fall out of her sockets.

"Fuck!"