Grand Ancestral Bloodlines

King Cultus had never been so furious in his life. But, there was little to nothing that he could do. He could tell that Ryu had just used an incredibly high level escape treasure, one even he wasn't capable of stopping. From the very beginning, Ryu had been correct. It didn't matter what he did, he wouldn't be able to stop Ryu no matter what.

Those with Heavenly Pupils were uniquely suited to escaping. Because of their Inner Worlds, they could activate treasures without even taking them out. Even if King Cultus had been ready for Ryu to disappear like this, there was still absolutely nothing he could have done about it.

It felt like his face have been slapped repeatedly on this day alone and it left him infuriated. It was an emotion he hadn't felt maybe ever in his life, and yet just today alone, he had felt at least two separate peaks of it.

The Faeries remained silent, many of them clenching their fists in silence. No one liked to be called a coward, especially not by someone they deemed to be weaker than themselves. But, reality was a cruel mistress.

King Ficia and Quibus sighed, looking toward one another. They too were furious. It could be said that the only reason they managed to remain level-headed was because they had no choice. How could all three Kings lose their minds to fury all at once?

"Return." King Cultus said coldly.

He turned, heading for the depths of the half Ethereal Plane. His steps remained heavy as a murderous intent lit his eyes.

What he and the Faeries didn't know was that it wouldn't be long before they fell into a crisis brought about by their own hands.

**

Ryu and Ailsa reappeared in a land of scorching heat. The ground was laden with crimson stones and even the mountain peaks in the far off distance seemed to be formed of melted and solidified obsidian.

Ailsa, though, wasn't paying attention to the scenery at all. Instead, she was still looking toward Ryu's side profile, her gaze twinkling.

"You see, this is why I don't like explaining myself." Ryu said half jokingly. "I said way too much."

Though Ryu said this in jest, it was true. He had accidentally let slip that he was an Origin Grade Ruin Master and that his family had been destroyed by the Martial Gods. He had clearly gotten lost in his fury and his mouth ran faster than his brain did. He honestly wouldn't be very surprised if this caused him trouble in the future.

But, as of right now, he didn't care. None of it mattered.

He had just seen Elena for the first time in years and he protected Ailsa from her family. As a man, he felt quite fulfilled right now.

When it came to matters with Elena, he had already decided to take things slowly. They would have trillions of years together, that he was certain of. He didn't believe that in that time, he couldn't capture her heart once again.

He would start from square one and keep the strand of her soul within him locked away. Only when she truly accepted him as her husband once again would he release it. In this life, the last, and any coming lives, she would always be his wife. Anyone who tried to stand in the way of that could taste his blade.

As for Ailsa, he wouldn't neglect her either. She was by his side now and she helped him grow. Her grievances were his grievances. He wouldn't allow her to be slighted by anyone in this life, the last or any coming either. She would forever be his woman.

In Ryu's mind, only these two women mattered. The others he didn't even consider, with the exception of Yaana, of course. But, he was still on the fence on how to deal with this relationship. He saw the current Yaana as a little sister even if she refused to allow him to do so. He would allow time to dictate that. Maybe there'd come a day where he no longer felt that barrier.

"You wanted to use that ability to kill them?" Ailsa suddenly said.

"Why do you ask as if you don't know?" Ryu grinned.

"You awakened it so early?"

"You could say your husband is a bit talented, right?"

Ailsa burst into a fit of giggles. It seemed that Ryu was becoming that mischievous little boy again. She had wondered if she would ever see him outside of his memories.

"This is a good thing, your survivability will go up. But…"

"Mhm." Ryu nodded. "I'll have to stay injured but that's not too bad. I don't want to forget this injury too soon. It's a nice reminder for me."

Ailsa shook her head. A 'nice' reminder? He was practically half dead right now. The idea that he wanted to keep it as a memento was beyond Ailsa's understanding. But, at the same time, if Ryu didn't use that ability, Ailsa wasn't certain if she could heal him in a short time. It would at least take a few years. She didn't want Ryu to suffer for so long, but he was clearly determined.

"Don't think of it that way, think of it like a trump card I'm keeping. After all, I have to go to the Armament Guild, if I don't have something like this, it'll be too dangerous."

Ailsa's watery eyes looked up toward Ryu, clearly unconvinced.

"Okay, okay. How about you take this as a challenge? My entire body has been torn to shreds by the prowess of a Sky God. The only reason I'm alive is because it would be counterintuitive for the Phoenix Sky God to kill me since I'm their Heir. Isn't this a great opportunity for Body Cultivation?"

Ailsa blinked, her eyes suddenly lighting up.

It was indeed a very good opportunity. In fact, Ryu had been progressing so fast that her initial worries about him proceeding too smoothly could begin to shine through at any moment. After all, it had to be remembered that the reason why Ryu underwent the pain of training rather than using the Incubator to make all energy easy to absorb was precisely because cultivation that was too smooth resulted in poor foundations.

"Alright, fine. I'll think of something." Ailsa's smile bloomed.

Ryu smiled as well, feeling better now that Ailsa was also feeling better.

Taking a deep breath, he looked off into the distance, his breathing becoming steadier. With a thought, he brought out Yaana who had been cooped up for too long.

"… Where are we?" Yaana asked, looking around curiously. "It's very hot."

Ryu's gaze flashed with a complicated light.

"This is the first layer of the Fire Shrine."

"Fire Shrine?"

"Right. Shrines appeared here on our Shrine World at an unknown time and for unknown reasons. According to convention, they should have appeared near the end of the Primordial Era during the breakdown of Primordial Qi into the qi we know today. However, the first Shrine wasn't found until the Shrine Era and they didn't become prominently used until the Golden Era. In fact, it could be said that the reason the Golden Era was known as such was precisely because of the Shrines."

Yaana blinked with curiosity, looking out into the land of fire.

"What are Shrines, exactly?"

"Well… Simply put they give the Saint or Saintess that has been acknowledged by them a fast track to forming their own Godhood. When a Saint or Saintess is in the territory of their Shrine, their strength is no weaker than anyone who has formed their Godhood."

"Godhood?"

Ryu was about to respond but Ailsa stopped him.

"Knowing too much too early can be detrimental to your growth. You're going along fine right now, Little Yaana. In fact, you're progressing very fast. If you know too much about the path ahead, it could bias you."

Ryu nodded and accepted Ailsa's judgment. As for Yaana, she readily nodded, having a deep trust in Ailsa already despite their short time together.

Ryu looked off into the distance. He was still too weak to gain the acknowledgement of the Shrine. It wasn't about his cultivation or battle prowess, but he had to form a Minor Godhood for himself first before he could even attempt it. He was still too far away.

But, what was clear was that it might not take him as long as he believed to reach that point. The fact his Pupils awakened that ability so early meant that the future potential of his eyes may be beyond that of his predecessors. He felt like the entire world had opened up to him the moment he broke through.

Ryu took another deep breath, calming himself and steadying his mind.

At that moment, a shimmering band of qi began to form before the three of them.

Without hesitation, Ryu fell to his knees and lowered his head to the ground without the slightest hint of reluctance.

"Grandfather!"

The sound of Ryu's head reverberated throughout the Shrine World, not caring an ounce for the pain wracking his body.