Ryu felt his heart freeze over, but he quickly recollected himself. This was definitely no normal level of problematic matter.
The matter of reincarnation was deeply ingrained into the culture of every True Realm. The Cycles of Life, Death, and Reincarnation didn’t need to be further explained, their importance was obvious by their titles alone.
If Reincarnation was cut off, there would obviously be no Life, there could only be Death. It was the equivalent of the passing of a World.
Even with this said, Ryu knew that Ailsa had held back in her words… Though everyone claimed that a connection to the Heavens insisted in them all, this was just the human way of overinflating their own importance. While many truly believed one’s Mental Realm and Dantian acted as bridges to the Heavens, the reality was that they acted as bridges to one’s Protector Spirit which was the true bridge.
With the death of a Protector Spirit, the path to cultivation would be cut off… permanently for all.
Ryu no longer had to worry about this matter due to his Realm Heart. In the future, if he slowly grew its strength, he would naturally be capable of reaching the pinnacle of cultivation even without a Protector Spirit. However, this was a matter that would devastate the remainder of the Shrine Plane. And somehow… Ryu was absolutely certain that this wasn’t occurring naturally.
He thought back to matters he had shoved to the back of his mind long ago… Just who were these Martial Gods? Why had Ryu never heard of them before? How could individuals with enough power to cripple his Tatsuya Clan exist without his knowledge?
There were too many things he didn’t have answers to. Even to now, he was still baffled by the scene he saw on the day of his death… Those odd movements in the Stars of Fate that triggered his [Intuition]…
Was there really someone in existence capable of moving Fate to their whim? Was this person Ryu’s true enemy all along?
‘Ailsa, I can’t ignore this matter. I had severed ties with the Tor Clan, but with the death of my grandfather… I can’t allow their bloodline to fall into obscurity anymore. And, even without this debt of gratitude I must repay… my Tatsuya Clan… Granny Miriam’s little sister… I can’t leave them to suffer this Fate.’
Ryu had already decided to help, but he had no idea what to do. In the grey, endless space, there didn’t seem to be any obvious path forward.
He had come here seeking treasures, only to be the only witness to a conspiracy with unfathomable roots.
Though it was a massive leap in logic, Ryu’s mind was spinning at unbelievable speeds. Though his Shrine Realm was near the pinnacle Realms of their Cosmos, it still wasn’t the very best. Though their Shrines were quite unique, there were plenty of other Realms with treasures and Holy Lands just as mysterious and enigmatic.
What did all of this mean? It meant that there definitely wasn’t anything exceptionally unique or special about Ryu’s Shrine Realm. So… Why would they be chosen of all Realms…? Unless… They weren’t the only target to begin with!
‘Little Ryu, you should be able to navigate this space even better than I. Another benefit of the Realm Heart is subtle comprehension. Truthfully, for most who fuse with a Realm Heart, their comprehension abilities skyrocket to godly levels. However, you won’t notice this benefit much only due to the fact your comprehension is at inconceivable heights to begin with thanks to the Origin Flame and your Heavenly Pupils.
‘Still, where you will see this benefit most is in your instincts. You have a keen sensitivity to the Heavens only special beasts and Faeries have currently, and that sensitivity is even more potent when its related to matters of other Realms Hearts and Protector Spirits.
‘Though it’s a bit cheesy, listening to your heart is your best option right now.’
Ryu calmly accepted Ailsa’s words. He was quite grateful for her guidance though he didn’t always express it.
Soon, he fell into a Meditative State. The crippled Zu Clan Elder couldn’t help but shudder in disbelief as she watched this scene to the side. Since when was it so easy to enter such a state? But why did she feel that this most definitely wasn’t Ryu’s first time?
The moment Ryu slipped from the first State of Meditation, to Breath of Earth, and even into Breath of Heaven, the female elder almost fainted from shock. These matters really were things Ryu did every day. But he had forgotten how shocking they were long ago.
One had to remember that Ryu entering just Breath of Earth was enough to shock a party filled with the topmost experts of the Shrine Plane back during his birthday. If it was enough to shock those of the Shrine Plane, how could a mere Connecting Heaven Realm expert of the Pedestal Plane withstand such stimulation?
Suddenly, under Ryu’s urging, Little Rock who had been fluttering aimlessly began to fly with purpose once more. Though it wasn’t particularly fast, it was most definitely far better than the past.
It seemed like only a few flaps of his gorgeous, silver-plated wings, but the scenery had already changed greatly.
The bland grey fog suddenly concentrated into numerous vortexes that looked no different from countless roads. However, these roads all formed a massive sphere of fog in the center. However, this was no normal sphere by any stretch of the imagination. The moment Ryu laid eyes on it, he felt his heart constrict.
He felt the vastitudes of creation itself within this sphere…
Thinking back to the death of the man from before, Ryu suddenly understood. When that man died, he disappeared into bland grey ash and melded into the world around him… Could it be that this place was actually so important? Could this be the root of the Shrine Realm’s Cycle of Reincarnation?
Feeling the faint agitation in his bloodline, Ryu knew he was correct. However, it was impossible for this to be the true root… In all likelihood, this was only a small portion. Maybe it was only a very small part of the path.
If this was the true core, there was no way Ryu would be able to stand here no matter how weak Shrine Mountain had become.