Deep within the Moonlight Blossom Sect, old monsters were stirred from their slumber. But, at this moment, even they were unable to move a single inch.
The ceilings, and sometimes even coffin lids, above their heads seemed to disappear, revealing the vast expanse of the universe.
No matter who it was, no matter where they were, all they could see were their Fate Stars, hanging above their heads as though teasing them with glimpses of the future.
Under normal circumstances, it took an impossible level of prowess to gaze upon a Fate Stars, so much so that only Sky Gods were capable of such a feat. There were only very rare exceptions to this rule.
However, even with such a temptation before them, many hesitated to act.
Was this really something they wanted to do? Was gazing upon one's Fate so casually something one should want even if the opportunity was right before them?
Even Ryu, who had the ability to gaze upon his Fate Star whenever he pleased, had not done so even a single time since his reincarnation. It was as though he had completely forgotten about the core ability of the Mysteries of Heaven and Earth Pupils.
But, make no mistake, he had been very purposeful with his actions.
Was it fear? Even Ryu didn't dare to claim that it wasn't.
He did fear. He feared looking back up again and seeing that same bright silver star, that same burning mercury behemoth that would shine so brightly but die just as fast.
However, there was another reason. In this life, Ryu had sworn not to care for Fate any longer.
Whether his Star had signs of longevity after his rebirth or not… who cared?
As long as he hadn't accomplished his goals, he refused to die. Till the day he saw his family again, held Elena in his embrace again… he would never falter.
Unfortunately, the same resolve Ryu had wasn't shared by everyone. While many feared to look, others couldn't contain themselves, losing themselves in the sight of their Fate Stars.
This was where the true trouble began.
Being able to gaze upon one's Fate was one matter. However, to interpret it was a different matter entirely.
Many became lost in the sight, strong pulses of Karmic Qi marring their vision and tainting their energy.
The Karma of the Moon World suddenly became turbulent. The future of the plane bent and twisted in odd ways, deviating from the natural order of things.
If Ryu was back here and used Lines of Fate, it would look like the strings everything was made of had suddenly become entangled, losing their proper order.
Ailsa, who sat to Ryu's back, looked up as well, the expanse of the night sky revealed to her sight despite the fact they both were hundreds of meters below the ground.
'Interesting…'
Unlike the others, Ailsa didn't even gaze upon her Fate Star. She knew better to do so.
As the wielder of the Mysteries of Heaven and Earth Pupils, Ryu could gaze upon his Fate without being affected by it, but the same couldn't be said for others. The irony of it was all was that if this was put into simple terms, others could change their Fate but Ryu could not…
Of course, this was a gross over simplification. Rather than saying this, it might be more accurate to say that others were naive enough to believe that they could.
These sounded like two completely opposing statements. But the truth was that both were just as real.
All this said, this wasn't what had caught Ailsa's interest. Though she didn't wield Ryu'a Pupils, she was still very sensitive to energies. She could feel the Karmic Qi of the Moon World shifting.
'I see…'
Ailsa's lip curled.
'You all want to take advantage of my Little Ryu? Be sure to not swallow your own tongues in your greed.'
Ailsa smiled a beautiful smile. It held a charm beyond words and an allure beyond understanding. Unfortunately, there was no one here to witness it.
There was a reason Ailsa had always said changing one's Fate was difficult but not impossible…
When she first met Ryu, he was a bitter man who seemed to be completely enraged at the world. In her disappointment, she had pointed out to Ryu that compared to others, he was in a position most couldn't even dream of. He had unspeakable talent many would never even witness, let alone achieve themselves. Compared to them, he was far more fitted to fighting against Fate. What right did he have to complain?
Of course, as she came to know more about Ryu, she found that this bitterness of his wasn't hidden behind a lack of effort. It could be said that she had also never met anyone who worked as hard as he did…
Still, the Heavens were fair. Though only those like Ryu could truly grasp their Fate, there were still chances for others to do so as well.
In such a turbulent situation, the powerhouses of the Moon World were gaining such an opportunity at this very moment.
Due to Ryu's evolution taking place here, this Plane had gained an opportunity to evolve. As things stood now, the Dao Pedestal Realm was the highest echelon of strength possible. But, if this opportunity was properly grasped, this Plane could blossom in a world no weaker than the Shrine Plane!
However, in Ailsa's eyes, this would just be a bunch of old farts taking advantage of her Life Partner. This turbulent Fate could indeed benefit an entire world, but wouldn't it be better suited to her Life Partner?
Unfortunately, things weren't so simple. Ryu was a bit too weak as things stood now to fight for this Fate…
'This is good, though… Though Little Ryu is still a bit weak, after I'm finished with him, it won't be completely impossible to make a difference… the Heavens will be biased toward youths with potential to begin with… Yes, yes… it should be just enough…'
Ailsa's ruby eyes glowed.
This was an unexpected opportunity. If Ryu could grasp it… even she was looking forward to the result.
But, it would be a long and bloody road and might even require the entire Moon World acknowledging the Ice Phoenix Clan as their rulers once more. To say that this would be dangerous was an understatement.
In the end, Ailsa could only focus on the task at hand. Ultimately, strength remained as the most important factor.
After unsealing Ryu's ninth node, Ailsa redirected the Essence.
With unstoppable momentum, she broke open Ryu's Third, Fourth, Fifth and Sixth Qi Vessel, completing the first cycle and allowing him to step into the Connecting Heaven Realm.
The Connecting Heaven Realm was the process of Connecting all of one's Pulses and Vessels. Each of these cycles would form a dormant Ring that would become the foundation of one's Immortal Rings in the Immortal Ring Realm.
This Realm was known as the final Realm of mortals. It's function symbolized completing the cycle of mortality, shedding the mundane, and becoming a True Immortal.
However, Ailsa didn't complete this process for Ryu. This was an exceptionally important step and it would be more detrimental than helpful to receive another's aid.
That said, even if it wasn't a detriment, Ailsa had already decided upon a far better use for the remaining Essence.
At that moment, the evolution of Ryu's Pupils finally slowed to a crawl, the skin of his eyelids reddening beneath the searing heat.
Just in time, another wave of Essence even more bountiful fell from the skies in congratulations and was gladly swept up by Ailsa.
With a thought, Ailsa directed some of this Essence toward Ryu, flooding his Bloodlines with strength and breaking open his Third Body Vessel.
Ryu's body bulged, unprecedented strength rushing through him.
In the blink of an eye, Ryu's strength soared past 125 000 000 jin, his veins screaming and whining as his blood rampaged through.
However, Ailsa was no longer worried about Ryu. Her lovely, slender hands formed multiple complex hand seals.
The Essence surged toward her. With the connection she had as Ryu's Life Partner, their intimacy might not have been at an extreme, but it was deep enough that the Essence wouldn't rebuff her attempts at taking it for herself.
With a thought, Ailsa called out both Nemesis and Little Rock.
Nemesis was fine, but by now, Little Rock had a wing span of over ten meters. It would be much larger if not for Nemesis sharing his Adept Body Talent with the little one.
Luckily, this size was about perfect for a flying beast. After all, riding a horse into a battle versus a bird were vastly different matters. Between five to ten meters was perfect for Little Rock.
"Nemesis, be sure to help Little Rock through this process. Your Adept Body Talent will be especially important to the little one during this evolution."
"~Nie! Nie!"
"~Qi!~!"
"This will hurt. Prepare yourself."
Ailsa reached out and grabbed a portion of Ryu's Rebirth Flames. Her hand seals continued to quicken, an ancient formation appearing to her back. On one hand, there were flickering illusory Flames, on the other, a dense fog of Essence that would make even a Path Extinction Realm expert salivate with greed hung.
If Ryu had been there, he would have recognized this ancient formarion as a Birthed Phenomena. But, as for its uses, he would be at a loss without hours of study.
Without another word, Ailsa sent a flood of qi toward Little Rock.