Grand Ancestral Bloodlines

Ryu seemed unmoved as he spoke these words.

If he had to be honest with himself, he might have been far too devastated to be so uncaring previously. Though he hadn't known Sarriel for long, he had already admitted to himself multiple times that she had already had a great impact on his life. Whether or not those things were real hardly mattered, they were still his perspective on things.

However, the Ryu of then wasn't the same now. And, after finding Yaana, his heart was in a state of absolute peace. Sarriel's betrayal didn't make him feel much of anything at this moment. At most, he only felt that it was unfortunate.

Of course, even if he wasn't in such a peaceful state right now, he still wouldn't show Sarriel much of a reaction to begin with. He was very much used to burying what he truly felt inside and maybe it was due to this that Sarriel wouldn't be able to tell much of a difference either way. But, what she thought now was irrelevant to him.

The one thing that hadn't changed between his former self and his current self was that the opinions of others was less than trash, and… He hated to explain himself.

Third Sister's cloak fluttered and whether by coincidence or because she allowed it to happen, a wisp of wind caught just enough of her hood to blow it off. What was beneath it wasn't far from Ryu's expectations at all.

A black veil. A pair of violet eyes. Long flowing black hair. And a twin pair of drooping Fey ears that gave her an ethereal charm.

Even now, there was no doubt that she was among the most beautiful women Ryu had ever seen. Maybe only Eska and Ailsa could match up to her. Women with high cultivation and Faeries truly had an advantage in this regard.

However, her beauty wasn't enough to get him to dance to the tune of her fingers even before, so it most definitely wasn't enough now.

It could be said that ever since Ryu had his talk with Eska, he had been aware that there was a more than 90% likelihood he would be standing here facing her like this. It was just that he couldn't' have ever guessed that it would come so soon.

Back then, Ryu had deduced it quite perfectly:

… 'Theoretically, if one was dead set on producing a new Heavenly Pupil that could help with your control over Spiritual Qi, and one had decided that the best way to do this was through your talent absorption bloodline, then such a person who was already invested in the Nether Realm to begin with might take advantage of this to transport all of these talents from across Eras into just one, easily accessible, convenient place.' …

Sarriel fit this description all too perfectly.

She was from a race of people who should have been wiped out. She had great talent in the yin path and the Mental Realm. She had just so happened to be at the Half-Step Path Extinction Realm, despite the fact she could have broken through long ago, seemingly waiting for something…

The fact the Sarriel was among the transported here from a different Era was practically as obvious as the sun was on a bright day. And yet, for some reason, she didn't tell Ryu these things despite having had numerous chances to do so.

Beyond that, there were too many coincidences.

Why would Sarriel appear in the Moon World? She claimed that it was because she was scared of her Pupils being discovered in a stronger world, but if there was any pair of Heavenly Pupils that didn't have to worry about it, it was the Truth Pupils—the pair most adept at deception.

It was clear that Sarriel was in the Moon World for the sake of the Tri Palace. This was something that Ryu would be able to easily accept, and yet she had still lied about it as though she wanted to put some artificial distance between herself and it…

Even now, Ryu still wasn't sure if his lost year was related to Sarriel, but that hardly mattered anymore because the two things he had experienced in this place put the nail in Sarriel's proverbial coffin.

The first was her 'random teleportation'.

No matter how you sliced it, it was too ridiculous for a Legacy World to ignore the barrier of an Origin Grade treasure. A treasure at that level was practically its own world. If there was anything that should be able to bypass the mechanisms of this Legacy World, it was a treasure of that caliber.

But, even then, maybe because he was too naïve, but Ryu had still been willing to believe it was all a coincidence… Until he came across the illusion formation.

There was no formation in existence capable of fooling his eyes so well, no illusion capable of confusing him so thoroughly. The only possible explanation were the Truth Pupils taking action.

Maybe Ryu had never surpassed Sarriel in seals undone to begin with. Maybe, from the very beginning, she had been feigning weakness.

There was only one existence that could fool the eyes of a Legacy World formed by such a powerful individual, only one existence that could allow those who surpassed the cultivation cap to enter this place. It was too obvious.

What were her goals? Her purpose? Why she wanted to fool him? To use him? Ryu had no idea, nor did he care to speculate. All he knew was that this Legacy World was important to him and he wouldn't' allow anyone to stand in his way.

Sarriel gazed toward Ryu without a word. Even now, the way she looked at him was far different from what had been there in the past.

Before, all Ryu could see was shyness, hesitancy, and a budding crush she had on him. There was also a constant internal strife as though she was always trying to figure out how to gain his favor just a bit better day by day. It was the kind of gaze that made Ryu feel guilty that he didn't just accept her with open arms from the very beginning.

What he saw now couldn't even be compared. At this moment, it might as well have been that they were completely different people, as though the Sarriel of the past had long since died.

There was coldness, loftiness, arrogance… There was a pride that sunk deep into her bones and pervaded her surroundings. It was the kind of look a person who loved no one but themselves could form, and it was ironically exactly the kind of look Ryu loved to see in a woman.

Ryu wasn't sure whether he should be amused or not. The true Sarriel was exactly the woman he liked the most. In fact, she fulfilled this role even far better than Eska ever could. While Eska's pride was forged through years of experience and her high cultivation, Sarriel's was something she was born with. She didn't feel the need to 'earn' it to prove it to others, she was she, and that was enough.

You didn't like it? Well, she also disdained to explain herself.

If Ancestor Ember had been present, those eyes alone would have been enough for him to recognize this woman. It was the very same woman who called him weak for being afraid of the Tatsuya name, the very same woman who told him to conquer the Pedestal Plane, the very same woman who saw the Martial Gods as nothing more than another stepping stone in her path.

The two coldly glared at one another, one indifferent, the other prideful.

"Your lips tasted pretty good."

The words came out of nowhere. The more carefree Ryu became, the more words he seemed to speak in battle. He had even bothered to spare a trio of Demon Barons a few sentences earlier. But now, he was clearly provoking a mother dragon.

However, Sarriel didn't seem to react very much at all.

"And you were quite average." She spoke lightly. "Four out of ten."

"I guess the Truth Pupils are better at deception than I thought." Ryu replied with hardly a breath. "If they can fool even their owner like this."

"I think the one being fooled is the one that thought they touched me at all."

Ryu's lip curled. "Are you trying to convince me? Or yourself?"

Sarriel's gaze flashed with a hint of killing intent before her veil shifted. The wind blew, causing her veil to reveal just the slightest hint of the fiendish grin hidden underneath.

"They always said you were good at enraging people with your words. I guess I can say that I've experienced this first hand today."

"I can help you experience a lot of other firsts today if that's what you want."

"I'm going to enjoy pounding that handsome face in." Sarriel sneered, her aura suddenly blazing to life.

"Not the first time I've heard that." Ryu replied, his gaze sharpening.

In an instant, the two vanished.

When they reappeared, their fists collided. And, for that moment, it felt as though the entire mountain would collapse.