Grand Ancestral Bloodlines

Veridia was far more patient in explaining these things than she would have been to almost anyone other than her own daughter. However, the more Ryu's reaction remained indifferent, the more annoyed she found herself getting.

She could tell that this was just Ryu's default state, it was really starting to piss her off. A Fire Dragon would have at least reacted with disdain, since when one would have been so calm? Even the Crystal Dragons weren't this annoying.

Maybe she had mentioned those names too casually, or maybe Ryu simply had no way of understanding from their names alone.

"You don't need to try and explain it again, I get it. But I also never said anything about joining any of them. I don't do well with Sects."

Veridia thought back and realized that Ryu had used the word "steal". She had just directly ignored it because that was even more ridiculous than what she was willing to accept. Even a Fire Dragon wouldn't be so crazy, none of this made any sense to her. In fact, she had thought that maybe she had mistranslated Ryu's meaning and just filled in the blanks herself.

But he...

Veridia shook her head. "What are you thinking? Even those hidden Guilds don't dare to steal from these powers. Don't think that your master's deterrence is that great. She might be a Dao God, and her husband might be one as well, and that's enough for people to not go out of their way to bully you, but if you're messing with their Faith, they will attack to kill regardless of who you are.

"Ultimately, the backing of two people is not enough to offset the prowess of an entire Sect. Even if you returned to the Fire Dragon Clan under your great grandfather's umbrella and were acknowledged as one of us, it still wouldn't be advisable to make an enemy out of one of these Sects."

Ryu's indifference broke out into a smile.

"Selheira, do you want to come with me? Or do you want to spend some more time with your mother?"

Selheira was about to answer when Ryu suddenly shook his head.

"Actually, that's okay. Just stay here. Don't worry, I'm not going to do anything stupid."

He could tell from his soul's fluctuations that she wanted to stay with her mother for a bit longer and actually wanted Ryu to stay with her. But Ryu felt that he had already wasted enough time. He hadn't forgotten the true reason he came to the Ninth Heaven, and that was to see Elena.

The rest of it could wait.

Well, now that he had learned that all the human Clans had the technique he needed, couldn't he just get his wife to steal it for him? Would it even count as stealing, then?

WHOOSH!

Little Silk appeared in a swirling icy wind.

Veridia snarled, dispersing the cold in a wave of heated breath that made Little Silk shiver.

Ryu sighed. Having a beast for a mother-in-law would really take some getting used to. Anyone else who did that, he would have already snapped at. Little Silk was his companion after all.

But he let it slide... again.

He stepped onto Little Silk's back and waved goodbye to the mother-daughter pair. However, just as he was about to go, he remembered something.

"Mother-in-law, can you point out the direction of the Martial Gods to me?"

Veridia was, once again, at a loss for words.

...

As Ryu streaked across the skies, he exuded a special aura. Around his neck, there was a thick Dragon Claw, one that was much too large to be used in a necklace. But Ryu didn't really have the luxury to complain about it.

The protective talisman of his master was still fresh and new. Those that were exceptionally powerful, at the Omniscient Sky God Realm and above, could sense the Faith gathered on him and make the conclusion that he wasn't one to offend, but those below weren't so smart.

In addition, that was just taking into account humans who were more adept at this sort of thing. When it came to beasts, who took up the majority of the Ninth Heaven, they weren't so particular and careful about such things.

In this sort of region, if Ryu didn't have deterrence that was more physical and real, he would die a hundred times over before he even understood what was happening.

And that was why this talon existed. It was the physical deterrence he needed and it was why no one dared to bother Selheira while they were on the Eighth Heaven.

Every time Little Silk flapped her wings, they would cross hundreds of kilometers. Space seemed to freeze, then crack, opening up a lane for them to cross in the blink of an eye.

As Ryu watched this in silence, sitting crosslegged on her back, he realized Little Silk's comprehension was reaching an extreme.

He thought about how, at a certain level, all cultivators had some control over space and time. It wasn't the first time he had thought of this. In fact, the first time he did, he had had a huge breakthrough in how he used his Spacetime Soul nature.

However, seeing it manifest in physical form before him now, he felt a smile creeping onto his face. It was like a confirmation of everything he had deduced earlier, and he felt much more confidence in himself.

This world was so large and vast. Even for him, it sometimes became overwhelming. There were too many things to learn, too many potential pitfalls that might ruin his foundation and his future, and none of that even mentioned the people who were always trying to kill him.

Ryu got lost in Little Silk's movements. There was something about the shattering of space and the reformation of it.

He thought about how long it had been since he had used Ice Qi in battle. He chuckled to himself. It had, indeed, been a while.

His Ice Phoenix Bloodline was his greatest defensive asset, but ever since [Immortal Sakura] became too weak for him to use, and he hadn't dedicated any time to improving it, it had ended up like this.

'Well, do I even need to? Eska would have already improved it for me.'

"Eska," Ryu called out.

"Yes, Lord Husband?"

"Your Immortal Sakura Visualization, can you transfer it to me again?"

"Yes, of course," there seemed to be a hint of happiness in her voice.

A stream of information entered Ryu's mind as he was lost in thought. The shimmering image of a gorgeous crystalline Immortal Sakura appeared to his back without much conscious thought.

As they flew through the skies, Ryu pulled out a paint brush and began to absentmindedly slide it through the air. Runes danced and the construct of the Immortal Sakura seemed to become more solid before fading away as though Ryu had erased it to try all over again.

Ryu lost himself in this feeling for months, not quite noticing the time tick by until his gaze sharpened and as a city in the distance sharpened.

As he entered the territory of the Martial Gods, he could finally feel it clearly... Elena's soul.

A smile crept onto his face. He could always vaguely feel her, but the feeling wasn't the same as it had been on Sacrum.

On Sacrum, he knew exactly where she was at all times. Well, he had after he awakened her Primordial Yin from a slumber during his second life.

However, in the True Martial World, other than knowing that she was alive and likely that she was on the Ninth Heaven... he knew nothing else.

A palm flipped over and a familiar jade appeared. He twirled it between his fingers, remembering the crazy girl that had filled it up with images that would make the devil blush he laughed.

The jade disappeared and he leapt off of Little Silk's back, swinging down from the skies with a soaring momentum.

He landed with a heavy boom that was much duller than he would have otherwise expected nonetheless. But he didn't care much.

He knew where Elena was, he just needed a teleportation channel to that location, and this city was going to be his ticket.

The appearance of a young man high in the skies wasn't eye-catching. There were many soaring through the skies like this, relying on various treasures...

However, there was only one riding on the back of a beast, and an Omniscient God Beast at that.

Ryu's entrance was so eye-catching that it wasn't an exaggeration to say that almost every soul in the city that could be looking toward him now was doing so.

Ryu's laughter boomed.

"Ninth Heaven! I, Ryu Tatsuya, am here!"

The skies flashed and rumbled, the foundations of the city shaking and quaking.

In the heart of the city, a large-bellied, sloppily dressed city lord wiped the sweat from his brows.

"I just want peace, just peace... I went out of my way to take over this fringe city on the outskirts of Martial God territory... Why am I so unlucky..."