Grand Ancestral Bloodlines

The Fifth Heaven felt... weak. Standing high in the skies, this was the only thought Ryu could have. He didn't even feel the usual restraint of the Heavenly Laws pressing him down, and he wasn't even using his Sword God aura to fly either. Though, he was using a hint of his Cosmos Fog to bend the laws to his will, allowing him to fly as though it was the First Heaven.

He remembered the first time he stepped foot into this land. Even the First Heaven was such a heavy burden on him. Anyone else would have said that they "didn't expect this" or that "everything had happened too fast," but Ryu only grinned. This was what his sweat and blood had earned him. He wouldn't diminish his accomplishments with the fake humility of polite society.

"Elizaren!"

His voice boomed, the Sect below quaking.

The land was quite beautiful. It radiated the sharp aura of the glaive, even the waterfalls of gold in the far off distance that started from nothing and disappearing into nothingness just as quickly, radiated that same sharp aura.

However, what did its beauty have to do with Ryu?

The booming echo of his voice caused the Clan to shake and quake. At the same time, several powerful auras locked onto his position, their killing intent practically palpable. Ryu could feel their thoughts oh so clearly.

The feeling of having his eyes back was so intoxicating, far more intoxicating than his Dao alone had ever been... at least in the past. Now that his eyes were unsealed and the gateway to his soul was free and clear, Ryu could finally feel the true strength of his Founding Dao. It was only now he realized just how much his sealed eyes had held him back.

Sensing the aura of the True Sky God Elizaren down below, he wasn't fazed for even a moment. A Sky God two Realms above his own...? Who cares?

Elizaren was shocked by what he was seeing. He remembered Ryu's words, how could he not? But since then, so many things had happened. The Dream Asuras had vanished, and the Radiant Star Sect which they had once seen as a middling Sect, had suddenly risen to the Seventh Heaven.

Some speculated that maybe they had already been wiped out. It wasn't like the Seventh Heaven would take kindly to the appearance of a new Sect, and they didn't have a pipeline of information from above either.

However, the fact that Ryu was here and being so bold at that... how could they still believe that?

Elizaren hesitated. The problem he was facing wasn't Ryu. If Ryu thought he could cross two cultivation Realms to battle him, he was sorely mistaken.

Even the difference between the Lower Fragmented Realm and the Middle Fragmented Realm was as large as an entire cultivation Realm had been in the non-God Realms. How could Ryu jump across eight entire sub-Realms? That was asinine.

However, he couldn't just battle Ryu out in the open like this. What if the Radiant Star Sect found out he slaughtered Ryu? Just one of their elders would be enough to wipe their Sect off the map, let alone Aika or the entire Sect's wrath.

The Radiant Star Sect had just elevated up and they were lacking in Faith. Due to this, they were among the most vulnerable of the Seventh Heaven Sects and Clans. In this moment of crisis, they wouldn't permit anyone to easily step on their prestige, or else they would be all but finished.

They most definitely wouldn't permit a Fifth Heaven Sect to do so.

Elizaren's expression became green. What was he going to do?

"Are all those of the Sky Clan cowards? I know exactly where you are, why haven't you appeared before me yet?!"

The conceit in Ryu's voice was palpable.

Vie, who was the start of all of this, was completely shaken. He had made it into the Complete Heavenly Path, and he was even a half-step into the Sky God Realm as well. But he had already returned from the Seventh Heaven.

The gap between himself and those true geniuses was far too wide, and he sensed himself to be far too arrogant in the past. Now Ryu had somehow stepped into the Sky God Realm ahead of him?!

At that moment, a voice echoed in Elizaren's ears. They couldn't permit their own prestige to take too much of a hit either, or else where would they put their faces?

Gritting his teeth, Elizaren used a flying vessel to enter the air. He couldn't even stand within it on his own.

With a stern face, he met Ryu's gaze.

"I will not harm you during this battle. I hope you'll remember my kindness and not attempt to use the might of your Sect to pressure my Sky Clan. We will let bygones be bygones after this battle."

Ryu looked into Elizaren's eyes as though he was looking at a fool.

"You... overestimate yourself. In this world, there is no one that can harm even a hair on my woman's head without signing their own death warrant."

"YOU-?!"

At that moment, a billowing Cosmos Fog came off from Ryu's body. It looked like a normal grey cloud at first, but then it began to spark with light, and within tiny micro-tears, it was possible to catch a glance of the cosmos within.

In an instant, the two were enveloped in this dense domain, while the Spiritual Senses of the Omniscient Sky Gods of the Clan couldn't even manage to penetrate.

Ryu's eyes flashed. "[Earth Gate]... Open"

"You..." Elizaren's eyes widened when he understood what he was seeing, a panic taking hold of his heart. "Heavenly... Heavenly..."

Ryu drew two fingers across the air as the glow in his eyes slowly faded.

Those of the Sky Clan watched with rapt attention, but they didn't expect that the fog would slowly dissipate just moments later.

Ryu stood to one side, Elizaren to the other.

Just when they considered that Ryu's bluster was all for show, Elizaren's body trembled and then slowly fell from the skies... In two pieces.