Grand Ancestral Bloodlines

1761 Me?

The World Devouring stomach was obviously one of the greatest talents of the World Serpents. In fact, it was to the World Serpents what the Lightning Seed was to the Qilins, or Rebirth was to the Phoenixes.

This World Devouring talent was clearly incomplete, and was only capable of dealing with flames, but that didn't change just how shocking it was. Just by virtue of its existence, Empana had actually gained far more immunity against flames than even Ryu's Rebirth Flame allowed. It was truly shocking.

Just with this alone, it was clear that Empana's gains were excellent. In this regard, Ryu could only sigh.

If they didn't suppress his inner world, he could have allowed his other Summon to appear as well. Her gains would likely be just as great, if not more so, because her foundation was deeper than Empana's.

While her Dao Heart was definitely weaker than the Lizard Demon's, it wasn't by a large amount. He could tell that she was certainly strong of will as well.

But there was no use crying over spilt milk. There was still some time. Maybe if he made it to the ninth layer, he could make a breakthrough that would shake him free of this suppression entirely.

Once that happened, he would truly be able to take his summons to another level.

Or, maybe…

'If I understand this Rotten Sea deeply enough, it's possible that I could replicate it in my inner world. But such a thing is certainly easier said than done. This is a world capable of suppressing even my eyes. Even if I can replicate it, at least in the interim, it won't be as powerful as I would like it to be.'

As Ryu thought about this, Empana was undergoing another world of changes.

In order to withstand the existence of the World Devouring stomach, it was impossible for his body to remain the same. Just by virtue of gaining a world within himself, he was being forced to grow stronger just to fight back against the drain it had on him.

It also had to be remembered that the World Serpents were beasts. This meant that their cultivation system was entirely built from the body. So, when Ryu said "stomach", he meant so literally. It wasn't just hovering around in a similar location, but it was truly in his stomach, right above the location of his dantian.

It seemed that Empana was undergoing a similar evolution to Selheira, though not completely analogous. The difference was that while Selheira was a beast becoming more human, Empana was a Demon becoming more beast.

A true one-to-one comparison would be if Empana had been a human instead. But that made observing the result all the more interesting.

The inner organs were the location of the Seven Corporeal Souls. Watching the evolution and change was a true boon to Ryu, and he felt that his understanding of the world was deepening in ways he could have never imagined before.

**

Empana's eyes suddenly flashed open, a radiant light coming from them.

The first thing Ryu noticed was that his eyes were now slit.

Of the Lizard Demons, Empana was the most human-like due to his weak Bloodline. But now, it was impossible to look at his eyes and not feel as though a true Demon was staring into your soul.

That might have been the first thing Ryu noticed, but that was only because before this, he had witnessed the growth of something far more shocking.

Empana's lower legs had been mostly blown off by his previous battle, but now it was replaced with a long snake tail. Each one of its crimson scaled reflected as though they held a world of burning fire within, though this was mostly an illusion.

Another obvious change was Empana's sheer size.

In the past, he had been even shorter than Ryu. But now…

Ryu looked up as Empana stood in the waters. He stumbled a bit, not understand exactly what was happening. When he tried to use his legs, he realized that there was only a single one.

He felt a bit downcast, but recovered quickly.

It wasn't impossible to regrow a limb, it was just that the cost skyrocketed depending on your cultivation level. It would cost a breath of air, given his current wealth, to repair the limb of a mortal. But a Perfect Sky God like him? Even given his poor talent?

It simply wasn't something he could afford.

Since those below Dao God couldn't fly on the Ninth Plane, that would make his life even more troublesome. But he had fought through far worse with far less power at his disposal.

He felt like he could accomplish anything.

That was when it hit Empana…

Why didn't he feel any pain?

His mind had been consumed by this pain for the last several days. It felt like he was constantly clawing back from the jaws of hell, but the devils wouldn't let him free.

But now he felt… good?

Ryu's lip curled as Empana finally realized his situation.

At this moment, Empana stood even taller than a Fire Giant of his cultivation level. He loomed at 20 meters tall and his body's strength was so powerful that his heartbeat resonated like a clap of thunder in Ryu's ears.

His face and upper body were still humanoid and attractive by the same standards, but his tail had become a looming monstrosity that would shake even the oldest ancestors of the Lizard Demons to their very core.

If he stood on the tip of his tail instead of the flat of it, he would have been at least 30 meters tall.

Empana looked down at himself and then noticed Ryu. Realizing the size disparity between the two, he felt his heart lurch into his throat.

When he finally felt his own current power, his eyes glazed over in shock, his body and heart trembling despite his Dao Heart.

"… This is me?"

His words lingered in the dark sea.