Grand Ancestral Bloodlines

Wynhorn's gaze narrowed when she heard these words. 

She didn't find Ryu's words too surprising. The Martial Gods had done a lot since they appeared and had offended many powers. Someone having a grudge against them wasn't odd in the slightest. In fact, it could be said that every major power had caused some child somewhere to grieve and rage for the sake of revenge. It was honestly just part of the way of life in the martial world. 

The difference was… 99.99% of those children didn't have even a fraction of Ryu's talent. Though Wynhorn was too jaded to be certain of Ryu's future success, what she was certain of was that if Ryu was allowed to grow and the Martial Gods didn't snuff him out before he matured, he would be a devastating sort of enemy to have. 

However, was this enough? 

Wynhorn was being pulled from two angles. On one hand, though she wasn't entirely on the side of the Martial Gods, she wasn't entirely opposed to them either. They were already here, weren't they? Shouldn't they just learn to coexist at that point? 

On the other hand, she felt that such a line of thinking was too naïve. Her personal strength was extraordinarily important and if she could piggyback Ryu's Dao, she felt like she would have a chance at breaking through in the next several billion years. 

Though that might sound like a long time to a mortal, to Sky Gods, they practically counted sets of a hundred million the same way a mortal would count a single year. To say that she could complete such a breakthrough in a few decades was astonishing. 

"Why do you hate the Martial Gods?" 

Wynhorn subconsciously asked this question, trying to hide her indecision. She truly couldn't settle on a single thought right this moment. She decided that maybe she could leave it to Ryu to convince her one way or another. 

"That's not the question you should be asking." Ryu replied. "Instead, you should be asking yourself why it is that you've tolerated them at all."

Wynhorn's gaze narrowed. She didn't even notice that she had subconsciously begun to communicate with Ryu as though he was her equal. In fact, their difference in height was only becoming more and more obvious the longer they spoke and the longer she had to look up to meet his gaze though she had long since stood to her feet. 

"The Shrine World is maybe the most mysterious world in the universe. For a long time, it wasn't ruled by anyone, and the Guilds, the most powerful existences of the martial world, set up their networks elsewhere knowing full well that claiming this world for yourself would result in an all out war. 

"The Mercenary Guild built their headquarters in a virtual world. This Armament Guild built their headquarters in the depths of space, hanging their cities upon nothing. The Necromancy Guild stationed themselves at one of the known entrances to the Nether World. But, none of you touched the Shrine World. 

"In that time, the Shrine World was own by nobody. Until, that is, Primus formed his Clan."

Wynhorn's expression changed wildly, looking at Ryu as though he had lost his mind. If not for the sake of her face, she might have explosively retreated backward. How could you casually say the first name of a Sky God like that as though it wasn't a big deal? In fact, she could even hear a bit of disdain and disregard in Ryu's cadence. Had he lost his mind?!

Wynhorn didn't even remember the fact that Ryu had treated her with even more obvious disrespect. To ogle a True Sky God… Maybe only Ryu would dare to do so. 

"It was completely unexpected that such a powerful Clan would claim the Shrine World for themselves, but it was still acceptable because the Tatsuya's shared much of its strength with other Clans. It wasn't a monopoly. There were still many other powerhouses taking part, forming a pseudo fourth Guild of sorts that you three powers had to respect. 

"But now…"

Ryu looked into Wynhorn's eyes, unperturbed. Her irises seemed to flicker from shades of deep blue to deep purple depending on how the light hit it, and he could sense a hidden sharpness deep within, tucked behind her feminine charms. 

"But now the Shrine World, a place that had once been the centerpiece of the martial world and a place filled with mysteries and curiosities yet to be explored, has now been monopolized by outsiders who seemingly appeared from thin air.

"Now you tell me… Why have you tolerated them?"

Wynhorn's pupils trembled.

The Shrine World had always been one of endless mysteries that could never be dug up entirely. Many Sky Gods had explored Shrines pertaining to them, many of whom were True Sky Gods and even transcended above, but none had ever been able to dig up the true core secrets hidden within. It was to the point where there were even an unknown number of Shrines to begin with… 

The Shrine World used to be a place that those who were worthy could explore. The Tatsuya Clan made much of its wealth by exchanging the rights of visitation with various powerhouses of the universe. But now, no one but those who submitted to the Martial Gods could even think of stepping foot in one. 

The good news was that the Martial Gods had lost many of the Shrines the Tatsuya and their allies had once controlled. But, the bad news was that it didn't matter… Aside from Ryu who could teleport directly into one of these Shrines using the one use escape items his grandparents had left behind for him, who else could do the same? 

This alone should have been more than enough for people to rebel and be enraged by the actions of the Martial Gods. But, the issue was that their hands had clawed their way much too deeply into the roots of the martial world. Their influence was practically everywhere. 

This wasn't a light hearted sort of risk. Wynhorn truly didn't know what sort of decision to make. However, Ryu's words shook her once more. 

"Are you a swordswoman? Or a coward?"