Grand Ancestral Bloodlines

The legend of the Heaven's Gate hadn't appeared in generations, and the legends built around it were akin to the stuff of mythos.

It was said that the Earth's Gate held the secrets to Life and the Heaven's Gate held the secrets to Existence. They sat on two opposing ends of reality, creating the parameters by which creation itself could flourish.

And today... The Heaven's Gate had appeared again.

They were tall and looming, so much so that no matter where you stood on the Ninth Heaven, they could be seen as clear as day.

Golds, silvers and bronzes, wound together in a fanciful embroidery that encompassed all that ever had been and ever would be stood in an impossible tall arch.

And with a step, Ryu took a step through it.

It was a simple action, one unadorned and lacking any sort of flair. His hair danced gently, a delicate glow gliding across his blemishless skin.

His Qi Realm cultivation rose to the Peak of the True God Realm. His Body Realm cultivation rose to the Pinnacle of the False Realm. His Mental Realm cultivation rose to an unmatched level within the True Realm.

His Dao rose from the False Grade to the True Grade. His Internal Matrix thrummed and advanced as well, raising his Dao to an equivalent Realm of the Perfect Grade.

His Inheritances and Comprehensions all advanced, his fluttering hair dancing with more and more fervor as his Childe of Chaos and Childe of Order constitutions blended together into a tempestuous rain.

Ryu had thought about what he should do here. Should he fight a long, drawn out battle? Should he try and hide his cards to the best of his ability? Should he restrain himself and find a more clever or unique method to seek justice for his wife?

But then he understood something.

This was no longer the lower Heavens. The very people who had targeted him as a child were present in this land.

They knew of his Beyond Perfect Extreme Spiritual Foundation. They knew of his Mysteries of Heaven and Earth Pupils. They knew of his Chaotic Silk Meridians.

In that case... Why not give them a taste of the strength they had feared so much they took steps to suppress it in the crib?

His eyes of now and his eyes of back then were not even comparable. In the past, a single use of Earth Gate or Heaven's Gate would leave him unable to use it for months to years depending on the situation.

But now? This was his power. And it was entirely under his control.

PCHU!

Janus tried to dodge but he felt the laws of the world break around him. He suddenly couldn't tell up from down or left from right. He thought he was moving away, but he ended up running right into Ryu's claws.

His chest was pierced by five incisions at once, and his eyes couldn't help but widen into saucers. He could feel the edges of Ryu's claws grazing against his heart, lightly touching the soft flesh as though gently checking if it could handle being punctured.

"Impossible... Impossible..." Janus' eyes were completely filled with despair. The Control that Ryu had exhibited just now was that of a Transcendent. It was definitely Transcendent Control, but how could a False Sky God possibly have Transcendent Control?!

A Transcendent with Spacetime Soul Nature... How could anyone beneath the Transcended Sky God Realm possibly defeat him?!

'No... it's possible...' Janus thought, his eyes dimming further. '... It would just have to be one of those monsters...'

Janus realized now more than ever how large the gap between him and one of those geniuses that scoffed at their standards. They didn't play by the rules of common sense... because they didn't have to.

Since he couldn't win in a straight up fight... then he would just have to find another way.

Janus roared, feeling Ryu's claws about to crush his heart.

The shattered formation of his courtyard was suddenly replaced by another, one hidden beneath the first and also one that Janus had never had any reason to activate before.

But just as it was about to take form, Ryu's other hand flickered, piercing a finger right through the heart of the formation.

"It has been a very long time since my Heavenly Pupils have appeared... so long, in fact... that it seems that you all have forgotten its majesty... Let me remind you."

Ryu's claws squeezed down and Janus' heart was torn to shreds.

Janus' eyes hung wide open, his mouth just as wide as blood leaked from it in a waterfall. He coughed, then chuckled a bitter laugh.

"I hope you've enjoyed this small victory," Janus coughed again, the crown of qi above his head flickering into and out of existence.

Ryu didn't say anything, but he could truly feel the strong vitality of Martial Gods at the moment. Granted, Janus was a Perfect Sky God. But he looked like he could still live for several days even with his heart in such a state.

BOOM!

"But I already knew that it would be useless. That formation had another purpose entirely, one I'm sure you saw through as well and didn't give a damn about. That's the thing about you monsters... always so arrogant... always believing that you're above it all... Never being able to see the bigger picture...

"... For you to appear now, though... it means you saved my big sister from the Dreg Hunt... and if you saved her, that almost certainly means that you clashed with Enrika... and considering your arrogance... she's almost certainly dead...

"Do you think that a Beast Mimicry disciple would just appear in Martial God territory without ... rhyme... or reason...?"

Janus suddenly heard a chuckle that caught him off guard. Soon, he found himself lifted up by the wounds in his chest until he looked at Ryu face to face.

"Congratulations," Ryu said with a smile. "You've earned yourself an extension on your life."

Confusion painted Janus' expression.

"Confused? Don't be. Wouldn't it be a shame if you didn't see your little scheme fall flat on its face?"