Grand Ancestral Bloodlines

Ryu smiled, feeling as though the surrounding waters were quickly becoming an extension of himself.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

The scepters in their palms shattered before his barrage, their chests exploding next, and then came their heads.

Ryu didn't seem to notice his fists continuing in a flurry. It wasn't until the barrage of craters in the water subsided that he could see what was on the other side.

"Seems I went a bit too far." Ryu said.

He had originally entered this ocean with the intention of only killing those on his kill list, but circumstances didn't seem to want him to stick to this plan. These two hadn't offended him at all, but in the cultivation world, this didn't seem to matter even in the slightest.

Ryu's moral compass had always been the same. He cared little for those unrelated to him and very much for those that were. He drew the world into two teams and had a completely different set of rules depending on which side you stood on.

And he felt not the slightest hint of guilt for that.

Ryu looked back toward Empana, who was looking at him with a complicated expression. The first time he met Ryu, he wasn't even a World Sea Realm expert yet, let alone a Sky God. That Empana could have killed Ryu with a flick of a finger.

Yet, it was also that Ryu that had led them all by the nose, even destroying his stepmother as though he hadn't been an ant to them all. In the end, he helped his wife to benefit the most, and the crown that should have been his own was taken by another.

Empana took a breath and cupped his fist. There didn't seem to be any hatred in his eyes at all. He calmly bowed and expressed his gratitude.

"Thank you for you help, Ryu. I cannot thank you enough. If there is any way-."

"There is." Ryu smiled. "Become my Summon."

Empana froze. With his head lowered, he didn't say anything for a long while. Well, in reality, it was just a few seconds. But with the thinking speed of Sky Gods like them, if such a time were translated to what a mortal might experience, it would be as much as hours.

Even so, Ryu knew that Empana spent most of that time simply in a state of shock. But the response was Ryu's own turn to be shocked.

"Okay."

Ryu blinked. Even Selheira, who wasn't paying much attention, looked up at Empana curiously.

The Crystal Dragon descendant knew well what kind of ask this was. The word "Summon" sounded nice, but it wasn't much different from being a slave. Your life and death were no longer under your control. Instead, they were all at the whims of your master.

Ryu didn't expect this at all. But when Empana looked up and met his gaze, he couldn't help but grin wildly.

In the past, Ryu was a very stubborn person. If he was in Empana's position, even if someone had saved him, he would have rather died than become a Summon. Even now, that was the case as well.

Hypocrisy wasn't something that bothered him much, and that was part of the reason his Dao Heart was so firm.

But, even though he would never do it himself, that didn't mean he couldn't see Empana's merit.

The man had the strongest Dao Heart Ryu had ever laid eyes. Even his own could only be said to be equal in this regard.

What sort of firm resolve did it take to accept such a thing?

Much like comprehension, one's temperament wasn't decided by what you did, but rather how you did it and the reasonings as to why.

Another person could have, much like Empana, agreed to be a Summon. But this person might have reacted out of fear of death or fear of Ryu.

Empana wasn't afraid of Ryu, nor was he afraid of death. Ryu could see as much in his eyes.

The reason he accepted was because, on his moral compass, this was what he should do.

Ryu had saved his life, so his life was now Ryu's... until the day came that he could either repay Ryu or surpass him.

Seeing that fire in Empana's eyes that had yet to fade, he could see that there was no dejectedness in this young man's eyes. His heart was a blazing lamp in the darkness.

At that moment, Ryu couldn't help but think of Starlight as well. He was another that could look dead into Ryu's brightness and still come out the other side with a resplendently shining Dao Heart.

Ryu was far from the only person in the world of cultivation who had firm resolve.

And the further along in cultivation you went, the more what was in your heart mattered.

Whether it was Starlight, or Hrakka who followed through on her bet without hesitation, or Empana, who was willing to hand over his life...

Their talent might be lacking, but their talent wouldn't be their limiter in this life.

"Good." Ryu's voice boomed. "Follow me. I will bring you to the ninth layer."

Ryu took a step and began to move toward the sixth layer.

Empana's gaze flickered, but he followed after. He didn't ask any questions about when Ryu would complete the ceremony or anything of the like. Quite frankly, he wasn't even sure how it would work.

They swiftly made it to the next barrier. This time, Ryu just directly avoided all conflict along the way. That was because he knew that it would take time to get Empana to this level.

It was unfortunate that his Inner World was suppressed, or else he would have brought out Hrakka as well.

"First, try to comprehend it yourself. I will observe first."

Empana nodded, still somewhat in shock that they had made it here so easily. If avoiding all the beasts and other participants was so easy, everyone would do it.

He took a breath and focused on the opportunity before him.