Grand Ancestral Bloodlines-Chapter 2266 Open

The man was wreathed in golden armor, a sharpened trident of silvery gold resting in the palm of his hands. His hair looked like filaments of white gold stretching out into the world in a beautiful stream of milky light, and beneath his feet, a chariot of gold pulled by a duo of unicorns with horns that were equally as polished gold lay.

Almighty.

From his beard to his white hair, to the weapon in his hands and the beasts that pulled the vessel he chose to ride, it was a man who embodied that world in every sense of it.

And then came the sea of warriors at his back.

One after another, geniuses from this and past eras appeared.

Off in a distant location, the Title Stele trembled as their Titles returned to it, and the influence of Fate in the world began to sway violently in return.

Before, Ryu had practically had a monopoly on it all. When Yaana returned, there was some odd, teetering balance to it that made his Fate vulnerable.

And now, with all of these geniuses returning and taking slivers of the pie for themselves, it was like the Heavens were trying to forcefully rebalance everything.

Ryu found that using [Lines of Fate] and his other Heavenly Pupils abilities was becoming harder and harder. Not to the point that he couldn't use them, but definitely to the point where he was beginning to feel like his Focus Qi was taking a far more substantial hit.

Even after finding a method to replenish his Focus Qi, it could be said that this was still his greatest weakness by far. He simply hadn't cultivated for long enough to raise it naturally, and as such, from his wounds and his qi, his Embryonic Qi was diverted the most toward helping his Focus Qi remain at decent levels.

Now, Ryu could see how it would be possible for him to lose. His Embryonic Qi made him practically invincible. When it was matched with his continuous ability to read, react, and improve through comprehension, he was an opponent that was both unkillable and endlessly more difficult to deal with.

But because of how overpowered his Embryonic Qi was, if he ever ran out of it, well… he had experienced that once before during the Title Stele. Even after fighting for days on end, he only managed to recover a few droplets.

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Now he had rivers running through him again. But at this pace of usage, he had gone from being able to fight indefinitely to a few months to years at most, if he really became judicious.

It also seemed that the Dao Gods he was facing off against were only becoming more powerful.

Ryu should have been growing stronger as well. But unfortunately, when it came to favor from the Heavens, Dao Gods still had an advantage.

These were literally Heaven's Gates. The control that Dao Gods had took precedent because they were meant to be the true rulers of these Gates before the Almighty monopolized them for himself.

It could be said that the Fate coming out of it now, as a result, was being directed by the very man on the chariot. And as such… if Ryu wanted some of it, he had to fight against a man with the Title of Almighty to claim some.

And that would only drain his Focus Qi and stamina even faster.

Ryu took a breath as the last of his injuries slowly healed themselves. The pressure he was facing continuously increased, but none were more obvious than Zercius and Primus.

Zercius reacted as though he had finally returned home. The last of his age faded from his face, and his hair began to shimmer with its own beautiful white, cascading down his shoulders.

His chains, once still carrying the slightest hint of an illusory light, solidified. It looked like he was manifesting chains of black and royal blue, the dark and bright hues contrasting beautifully against one another.

As for Primus, a manifestation slowly appeared behind him, taking the shape of a woman. She was gorgeous beyond what words could describe, and yet carried with her a gentle demeanor that made one's heart melt rather than filling it with the heat a woman of her caliber came with.

She lowered her head gently, wrapping her arms around Primus and kissing the top of his head before she slowly faded away.

BOOM!

Primus' aura began to climb.

Deep inside, his blood was boiling and rumbling.

From the Lower Dao God Realm, he entered the Middle. And from the Middle, he moved to the Higher, and from the Higher, he moved to the Peak. And then, just when it seemed he had reached the very edge of his limits, his aura continued to spill over until it touched upon something Ryu had experienced once before…

At the hands of Iam.

The three powerhouses formed a trifecta in the air, so imposing that it was almost easy to forget the other powerhouses all around them.

Ryu took a breath and exhaled. Raising up his great swordstaff, he rested one on his shoulder and calmly aimed the other toward the ground at a slight angle.

He looked calm and relaxed, the blood that littered his robes having little to do with the state of his body. Right now, he was already long since back to his peak.

Deep inside, his blood was boiling and rumbling.

The cries of his wife filled his ears, the weight of a Clan that had yet to be born hanging in the balance. And yet, all he could feel was his blood boiling in his veins.

All his life, moments like this right here… it was what he had always chased, it was what he had always wanted.

The chance to fight to be the best, to stand on top of a mountain and look down arrogantly upon everyone else.

He didn't just want to stand there though. He wanted to stand alone.

He remembered looking out over Shrine Mountain, down to the world below, hoping for the day he could have sat there under his own power instead of that of his Clan's.

Today, he would do that.

"[Earth's Gate]. Open."

Ryu's voice rumbled, a shimmering light pulsing from his eyes.

"[Heaven's Gate]…."

The world trembled at its very seams.

"Open."