Grand Ancestral Bloodlines

A golden halo wrapped around Ryu\'s wrists. For a moment, it looked like the elaborate wrist cuffs of an Emperor\'s robe, carrying enigmatic symbols and runes that couldn\'t\' be deciphered at a single glance.

BANG!

The head of the Heaven\'s Warrior imploded beneath Ryu\'s might. In that moment, a mournful howl shot through the skies. It was the sort of sound that pierced to the core of even the most stoic of individuals. It felt less like something another was experiencing and more like something you were experiencing personally.

The dark gold flame that was hidden within the armor suddenly shot outward, drilling into Ryu\'s chest and causing the shirt of his robes to implode. A body toned to an extreme was revealed.

Whips of this dark gold flame licked at Ryu\'s skin but it no longer seemed capable of harming him. His back and chest flexed, causing the flame to burst into motes of lights that quickly sunk into his body. However, the unfortunate truth was that Ryu couldn\'t feel any changes within himself. It was as though the dark gold flame had done absolutely nothing.

\'This fire, it feels more like qi that presents as fire… As for what it feels like…\'

The concept in Ryu\'s head was very complex, but if he put it into the simplest terms, it felt like Essence had been corrupted and forced onto a path it wasn\'t meant to be on… no, it wasn\'t that it wasn\'t meant to be on it, but rather that it was unnatural for it to be on it. It was almost like finding out the kind old lady down the road had a terrible temper when you pushed her too far.

One would think that the opposite side of the coin was Chaos Qi, but while this dark gold flame felt similar to Chaos Qi, and even carried a similar color, Ryu was familiar enough with Chaos Qi to realize that this was a different sort of qi entirely.

The skies continued to howl, a quaking that even shook at Shrine Mountain taking hold. Unbeknownst to those here, several cracks began to appear in Ryu\'s mother\'s seal...

…

The shock Ryu had brought the World Sea Realm experts was not small by any measure. Even after Ryu\'s roar shocked them awake, it took them several moments to gather themselves up.

"Adonis!"

The roar suddenly shook the void, causing King Adonis to frown. There were very few people who dared to speak to him this way.

"What is the meaning of this? Who is this boy?!"

The one who spoke was an old man with a blindingly bald head an eyebrows so thick they could be a pair of mustaches. He was immediately incensed by what was happening and his temper was short.

Galkos was one of their future pillars but his ceremony was very clearly being ruined. To make matters worse, if they were right about Ryu, this would be a problem that could move up all the way to the level of their hidden elders. This matter was not a joke in the slightest.

"It isn\'t my job to do background checks for those that participate, my job was to decide nine who would participate from candidates that were already chosen. I\'d advise that you watch the way you speak to me."

"What did you say to me?!" The old man stood with a youthful vigor. It was clear that despite his old age, he wasn\'t anywhere near dying. In fact, those that looked old despite having such vigor were usually among the most powerful of their Realms. Without wasting energy on their looks, they put their everything into their strength.

Of course, this wasn\'t to say that King Adonis who looked young was weaker. This was because King Adonis was young enough to not have to waste energy on maintaining his looks either. But, in a Realm like the Peak of the World Sea Realm, the extra experience the older man had would give him a small edge in a battle that Adonis simply didn\'t have.

The old man, King Vinch, laughed darkly.

"Even your younger brother wouldn\'t dare to speak to me in this way. It seems that you\'ve forgotten who your seniors are."

King Adonis\' expression turned frighteningly cold when his younger brother was mentioned. Everyone knew that this was because the mysterious Throne of the Marial Gods was exactly this younger brother King Vinch had just mentioned. As for why this was a sore spot for King Adonis, this was an open secret as well…

"Men." Queen Solarae, Isemeine\'s mother, couldn\'t help but roll her eyes. "This isn\'t the moment to be fighting. Haven\'t you all noticed, yet? The Seal is weakening. If things continue like this, Little Sister Elena will be forced to take on her own trial at the same time as Galkos. If things end up like this, one of them will likely have to be sacrificed.

"So, instead of bumping heads and wasting time, how about you get the proper experts here to strengthen this seal now?!"

By the end of her words, Solarae was practically like a mother tigress ready to pounce on them all.

Unlike the others, she had not just one but two daughters who were chosen to be part of Elena\'s entourage. If such a thing happened, their lives would be in danger.

Even though Elena was that man\'s daughter, meaning that Galkos would definitley be the one that had to be sacrificed, the added danger would almost guarantee the deaths of Elena\'s entourage. That wasn\'t something Solarae was willing to see. And, if these men dared to cause it, she would kill them all!

Despite her promiscuity, she had only two children due to her talent and cultivation level. For all she knew, she had had more children in the past that had been wiped from existence and her mind in much this same way. This was the cruel Fate of being a Martial God in this way.

At that moment, her two men stood up at once, backing Solarae without hesitation. Clearly, they were Isemeine\'s father and Zenavey\'s father.

Facing the pressure of three King level existence, King Adonis and King Vinch really could only put their spat aside, especially seen Queen Solorae was known for her furious temper.

"We will work together to strengthen the seal, then. We can only hope that nothing else unexpected occurs. As for this boy… We can deal with him later." Isemeine\'s father spoke and they all agreed.

It was quite ironic… The enemy Ryu abhorred so much actually had stronger ties of kinship at its highest levels than most of the rest of the martial world seemed to…

…

While the World Sea Realm experts were furious, there was another person who was just as enraged, and that was, of course, Galkos. His expression had long since turn gloomy, looking toward Ryu\'s back as though to tear him to shreds.

Considering how Ryu was ignoring him now, he didn\'t waste his time opening his mouth to speak, that would just be seeking embarrassment. At least compared to others, he was smarter in this regard.

He simply looked toward the other eight and spoke evenly.

"I want him dead."