Grand Ancestral Bloodlines

Elena watched this scene, her heart trembling. She had no idea when Ryu had become this powerful. None of this made any sense.

From everything she knew, it was impossible even to cross a single barrier of cultivation for most. Geniuses might be able to do so within a Realm, but crossing a Realm...? That was a pipe dream for even them.

A Lower Transcendent could fight a Middle, maybe even a Higher or Peak if they were truly the cream of the crop. But a Peak Transcendent should never in a million years hope to battle a Lower Omniscient...

But she had heard tales, tales of geniuses that defied common sense and logic, of little babies born into the Sky God Realm from their first breath, of reality-breaking monsters who didn't take Realms seriously at all.

However, she had never seen such things with her own eyes, nor had she thought them to be real.

But wasn't this what was right before her eyes right now? How could she not believe it... no, even further than that, wasn't it only natural that her husband was among them?

This was the stage he had always deserved to be on, the stage he had constantly yearned for.

And yet, it was also this very stage that he had stepped onto for her sake. Maybe he had wanted to hide it for longer, maybe he had wanted to keep his truest trump cards under wraps so that his many enemies couldn't find a weakness to grab onto.

But he had thrown it all to the side for her.

For her, he revealed his Heavenly Pupils. For her, he revealed his Chaotic Silk Meridians. For her, he revealed his Founding Dao, his Ungradable Bloodlines, his world-shaking dominance.

All to show her this scene before her very eyes.

The Omniscient Sky Gods she had feared so much? What were they worth before her? Before them?

Ryu clenched his fists and the skies rumbled. The thunderous clouds formed a new baseline for the melody, thrumming to a steady cadence and shook the world.

And then a gorgeous sight was painted before their eyes.

The world was entirely formed of black and white aside from a celestial couple in the skies, the blue lightning that flashed within the black clouds, and the silver star high above them all.

It was a picturesque scene, one that should have only been possible to see in one's dreams.

"Come."

Ryu's deep voice rumbled, the streaks of blue striking down and landing in his palm.

An enormous blue steel paint brush was formed, one that looked more like a spear in size than what it truly was.

It spun in Ryu's palm as though he was ready to paint the Heavens themselves.

He lacked Dao Techniques despite having a Dao Vessel. So, he might as well create one right here and now.

He had robbed the world of its color... and now he would return it.

"[A God's Brush: Earth]."

Ryu's wrist flickered, the brush gliding through the skies and dancing down. It was an elegant stroke that seemed to paint an ancient character for Earth through the skies.

It was a stroke filled with the vicissitudes of creation. It didn't just represent Earth, it represented the foundation of all that was, the root of life, the bedrock of the Heavens.

When it fell to the ground, the three Omniscient Sky Gods felt as though the weight of the world was crushing them. The air became as heavy as a mountain and their bodies were crushed beneath its might.

"No, you can't die so early." Ryu said blandly.

BOOM!

The character fell onto the ground and in that moment, across Ryu's [Rob the World of its Color], the Earth seemed to return to normal.

The grassy lands, the tall trees, the Spiritual Herbs, it was all back.

The three Omniscient Sky Gods lay there, their bodies broken and their eyes dimmed. It looked as though they were already dead, but forcefully spared by the power of a God.

And yet Ryu flicked his wrist again.

"[A God's Brush: Heaven]."

The brush painted a stroke through the skies that shook the hearts of those witnessing it. It was a character that seemed to encompass the skies, looming overhead like the umbrella of everything there was.

Then it descended.

The world shook beneath the might of the technique, quivering and quaking that even the Sky Gods couldn't maintain their footing after their flying treasures had become useless.

The first had already been enough to crush them to pieces, and yet Ryu still drew the second as though he wasn't here for battle, he wasn't even here for dominance...

He was here to prove a point.

BOOM!

The skies exploded with color and the three Omniscient Sky Gods, just the same, exploded with a crimson rain of blood. Their bodies barely remained intact, the only thing remaining being their eyes filled with fear as though this was precisely what Ryu wanted Elena to see.

Ryu held out his paintbrush, the skies brimming with color and the earth overflowing with it. However, everything in between felt lifeless.

The chorus of music had reached its fever pitch, every stroke of color adding several more layers.

At that moment, Ryu's paintbrush suddenly exploded with golden-red flames. Rebirth Flames danced across the skies and those that saw it forgot to breathe.

Emperor Phoenix Patterns took shape and the call of a Phoenix rang out.

"In this world, no one has the right to make my wife feel fear. One day, whether Heaven, Earth, or what lies in between... I will control it all.

"[A God's Brush: Rebirth]."

The world seemed to resist the stroke of Ryu's brush. Whereas every previous line had been a seemingly simple movement, this time, his forearms bulged with veins that popped in their own rain of blood.

However, he didn't seem to notice, the character for Rebirth taking shape and forming in the skies.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

A Heavenly Tribulation began to form in the skies, but Ryu's mouth opened in laughter, swallowing its bolts with a puff of his chest.

Then, Rebirth descended and the world seemed to implode.