Grand Ancestral Bloodlines
chapter-1992

After confirming that his earlier realizations were correct, Ryu had a decision to make.

Would he go to the other worlds and take the casy path?

Or would he end it where it should be ended?

Truthfully, he already knew the answer. He didn't even need to ask himself because he knew the reality he was facing.

His pride would never allow him to take the easy way out even if he knew it was foolish.

But at least this time... he wasn't being completely willful.

Ryu had never really had to deal with a Heart Demon in his lifetime. Or rather, the times he would have were either triggered by someone or something else, or he wasn't able to feel the full effects of

it.

For example, his first life could be certainly said to have birthed a Heart Demon in him. But he hadn't even been able to cultivate, so it was minimal. And at the same time, his Dao Heart wasn't even with him, so there was nothing for it to latch onto.

Then there was the time Mae's Dream Asura Clan caused his Dao Heart to shatter. That could be considered another form of a Heart Demon, but it was more artificial than not. It wasn't even his fault back then; it was the shoddy workmanship of the Crafter who forged it.

Had it not been for the fact that the person who forged those stairs was far beyond him in strength, he would have been able to easily shatter those illusions.

This time, however... although his Dao Heart was doing a good job suppressing it, this could very easily become something more troublesome.

It would have been one thing if he hadn't been able to tell. But now that he could, he couldn't let it

go.

No. He wouldn't let it go.

Ryu flipped his great swordstaffs in his hands and, in a flash of light, they disappeared into his flesh once more.

"I'll call you two Bloodless Judgment."

BOOM! CRACK!

The skies split and a tribulation began to fall from above. However, this one was far more normal than the last.

Ryu just took a seat as bolts of lightning descended. Even when the streaks of lightning formed into Heavenly Knights that pierced into his body, he didn't react.

The wounds he suffered were just rapidly healed and his Embryonic Qi continued to slowly circulate. His control over his body was immaculate, and he seemed to treat the Tribulation like it was his own personal backyard, gathering up the fierce lightning and bolstering his Lightning Seed.

The fact that this tribulation could hurt him at all, though, was a testament to just how powerful it was. The land around him was certainly left charred and crucified, but Ryu didn't mind it.

A long while later, and very naked, he stood to his feet.

His skin peeled off of him in layers and he soon looked as though he had just been born.

The tattoos on his body faded until they became like brand marks on his skin, somewhat subtle and yet clear at the same time.

With a wave of his hand, he put on a new set of robes and the intent in his eyes blazed.

"Hope, I'll need a pill that can help push my Mental Realm up to par

Hope blinked, still in somewhat of a daze. But she understood what he meant soon after.

Ryu had the Perfect Blackbody Soul; he could practically expand his soul indefinitely even within the same Realm.

Even if he didn't break through, the strength he could add by expanding his Spiritual Sea was no joke. Plus, a pill to gather Spiritual Quintessence was far easier to concoct than one that helped one break through.

Following this, the breakthroughs would obviously come more naturally anyway.

For Ryu's current soul strength, it really only took Hope a wave of the hand.

Although Ryu could forge such a pill himself, he would need ingredients he didn't have and extra time and effort. By comparison, Hope could gather what she needed for Fate itself. And all things considered, her depth of alchemical knowledge was still far deeper than his own. It was just that he was far better at using the knowledge he already had to create things that were new and unique. Ryu swallowed the pill as he walked back toward Little Silk.

With every step he took, his Spiritual Quintessence soared until it finally began to reach the limits of his body.

Watching Ryu take in so much Spiritual Quintessence, Lu'card's lip couldn't help but twitch.

normal person's soul would have already burst apart. The amount of Spiritual Quintessence it would take for Ryu to reach a state appropriate for the current power of his body was absolutely ridiculous. It was hard to even put into words just how ridiculous it all was.

However, Ryu took it all in stride.

With the connection between his eyes and soul now, it was even easier. He was able to take the Quintessence that was coming in and manipulate its Fate such that it believed it had always been a part of him.

Let alone absorbing the Quintessence, it didn't believe that this was what was happening. Instead, it felt like it was just returning home, and that made something that might have been a complicated and difficult process as easy as breathing.

By the time Ryu got to Little Silk, his aura was already settling down.

He looked back to the Human Emperor and nodded.

"Let's return to your Human Domain. They should be learning the truth right about now; the timing is good"

The Human Emperor was in such shock that he wasn't even quite sure how to respond. He could only dully nod, looking at Ryu as though he was staring at a deity.

"Lu'card, where is lanjor? It's time!"

"How would I know?' Lu'card snorted.

The two had gone their separate ways a long time ago.

"Found him." Ryu said. "Let's go."

"Then why the hell did you bother to ask me? Do you just like ordering me around?"

"Maybe!"

Ryu's laughter peeled across the skies like streaking lightning.