Grand Ancestral Bloodlines
chapter-1985

Ryu sat on Little Silk's back with his eyes half-closed. Hope's body shrank into his lap and he breathed in her delicate scent.

Until now, he had been meticulously taking care of her injuries, though she insisted she was fine.

Truthfully speaking, she was closer to alright than not. She had a great ability to protect herself, and her healing factor wasn't bad. Plus, even if it wasn't, she was the Favor Alchemy God. She could just concoct a pill if she couldn't naturally heal something. But Ryu would be upset even if a hair on her head was harmed, let alone the fact she was actually bleeding.

Luckily, he had Embryonic Qi and was able to help her even if she was a Dao God.

And then, in a rare moment of peace, he was able to hold her in his arms in silence.

There was something about a woman's body, though so small and seemingly fragile, that made him feel a great deal of comfort. Though, he didn't find the dichotomy of it all amusing. Hope's body felt as though he could break it by accident, and yet it was very much the opposite. In all likelihood, if she wasn't careful, he was the one that would be in pain.

The Human Emperor followed after the two of them from the distance, giving them their space. As time passed, he got more used to the scene. If he, as a Peak Dao God, had still chosen to follow this young man, then was the fact a Lower Dao God fell in love with him really so shocking? If anything, the former was more shocking.

It was just that the Human Emperor wasn't used to seeing himself as a powerhouse. He spent so much of his life lowering himself for the sake of survival.

But now…

He had chosen another path.

Humans would certainly die as a result. But if things worked out the way he hoped in the end, then there would be light at the end of the tunnel.

…

The skies warped and the earth rapidly changed beneath them. Soon, over the horizon, they could see their destination clearly.

The front lines.

Whether it was Selheira or Mae, both of them were unknown existences. Without a backer like Ailsa to help them, doing something like entering a Holy World was impossible. In fact, they might not want such a thing.

After all, it had to be remembered that Mae was still in hiding, not wanting to expose her identity as a Dream Wraith. And on the other hand, Selheira was technically a beast.

If any one of them was thoroughly investigated, it would lead to problems. As such, they both made the smart choice to stay here on the frontlines where things might be more dangerous, but there would also be plenty of opportunity to train and keep themselves hidden at the same time.

Ryu had chosen to leave Selheira here because it was her choice. She had the pride of a dragon and didn't want to constantly be following after him even though a part of her heart pined after such a thing.

As for Mae, he originally wanted to find her immediately but thought differently of it when he felt Selheira's wishes.

He had met Mae when she was young. Unlike his other wives, she herself hadn't truly decided what kind of person she wanted to be, and he didn't want to make that choice for her.

In the end, he felt that this training experience the Dream Wraiths were forcing onto their young was actually a good thing. So other than contacting her here and there to let her know that he had come for her, he was completely hands-off.

Well… not completely. After all, he still had Lu'card, Empana, and Ianjor around. Though, only in a slight capacity.

They lingered around the battlefield from time to time just to make sure that anything untoward didn't happen. After all, comparatively speaking, the cultivations of the two were too weak, and they were too beautiful. That was a terrible combination in any cultivation world, let alone this one where they didn't have the backing of powerful families.

Some time a decade or so ago, Selheira and Mae had met up and were now on the battlefield together, and this was the battlefield that Ryu was approaching from the skies.

At this moment, there was no battle ongoing, so the encampment was filled with just the usual hustle and bustle. As a result, the appearance of such a powerful beast definitely warranted some attention, and it only became worse when Hope and the Human Emperor were sensed.

Ryu didn't seem to care, though, as he descended from the skies.

At the moment, his clothing was still in tatters and covered in blood. And yet, there was a certain sharpness and aura to him that couldn't be ignored in the slightest.

He walked forward calmly.

By the time he touched the ground, the main tents of the encampment had already opened up and several Dao Sovereigns had appeared, frowning.

A human?

It wasn't like they had never seen a human before, but one coming with such fanfare and arrogance was simply something they didn't have a box of memories for. It was so shocking they didn't even know what to say or do.

At that moment, however, two women with beauty beyond words appeared.

One had a head of snow-white hair and blue eyes that looked like an exploding nebula had been set off within them.

The other had a head of jet-black cascading hair and eyes of delicate crimson that suddenly carried a rare gentleness to them.

The two women felt Ryu's presence almost immediately, but they weren't sure what to do. Before, Ryu had hidden his relation to them for their safety. Should they run to his side? Or should they stay put?

The answer was quickly given to them as Ryu smiled and opened his arms.