Not only was he now destitute of qi, but he was also injured to the point even standing seemed impossible. This injury was so severe that the punch he received from Edwin was like child's play. Before his newly awakened Ice Flame, even injuries caused by Edwin would have no choice to be healed. But Ryu could feel that an injury caused by Essence of the enraged Heavens was far beyond his abilities…
Let alone worrying about his cultivation's inability to progress from now onward, he might not live for another few hours.
Tears fell uncontrollably from Ailsa's cheeks. There was so much she wanted to say but couldn't say at the same time. Saying anything at all would have been useless.
It was then that Lucien fell into a state of uncontrollable laughter.
"To think…" He wiped tears from his eyes. "… A man who haughtily called himself a Throne just days ago would fail to reach even the fourth Realm of cultivation. If others heard about this, maybe all the Thrones of the world would hunt you down for daring to taint their name."
Once the shock of the blade scar wore off, Lucien couldn't help but laugh a genuine laughter. It truly was too funny. For the Mortal Planes, the Spiritual Severing Realm was a lofty Realm beyond many of their wildest imaginations, but for the Core Region, such a Realm was merely a steppingstone of the younger generation. For Ryu to fail… It was no wonder why he was laughing.
Of course, it wasn't just Lucien who found this funny. The other Connecting Heaven Realm geniuses who had rushed over in thoughts of the treasure that formed beneath the tribulation clouds also felt their tenseness relax to a hearty laughter.
"Phew." Lucien's eyes sharpened once more. "If you know what's good for you, you'll hand over the treasure born this region. Do that, then maybe I'll let you become a slave of mine for the next few months."
"Hey Lucien." A gruff Connecting Heaven Realm genius of the Minn Clan called out. "Have you noticed that we can't sense any cultivation from him anymore? Let alone just failing and returning to the Lower Qi Refinement Realm, it looks like it's far worse than that."
Lucien was partially stunned by these words. When he checked to see that second-in-line Heir of the Minn Clan was correct, the amusement in his eyes grew to new levels.
"Since that's the case, there's no point in even speaking conditions with him. I don't need a cripple for a slave, plus this kind of life is what you deserve for daring to provoke my elder brother. Look at his height, then look at yours. Is there even a need to compare?" Lucien sneered with disdain.
"Vygil, you can have any belongings he has on him, but the treasure that formed here is mine." Lucien said without regard for the Minn Clan's genius.
"You can't do as you please here, Lucien. Your big brother is nowhere in sight. You'll have to rely on yourself." A genius of the Ofera Clan replied with disdain.
Lucien grinned, completely unperturbed. "If you want to compete with me, feeling free."
Ryu struggled to his feet. He had responded to the jeering he received at all, he simply didn't have the heart to.
Half of him wanted to continue lying on the ground. If he was only fighting for himself, maybe that really would have been the choice he made. However, even he himself didn't realize he had already risen to his knees before he truly registered his own actions.
His intestines threatened to spill outward as he pushed himself up, but he could only hold them in place with his forearm, applying whatever small strength he had left.
Of the eighteen Connecting Heaven Realm geniuses who had entered this Small Realm, three of them were already here. There was no doubt that others were already rushing over at their fastest possible speeds as well.
How he would face them? Ryu didn't know. Would he survive? Ryu didn't know. Had his road come to an end so soon…? Even that, the most pressing question in Ryu's mind, was completely unknown.
"Don't complain so much. He's a 'Throne' after all. He's bound to have exploited his Sect out of some good things."
"Don't bullshit me. What the hell could I ever want from a trash Fifth Order Sect? Do you think I'm a newborn? Fight me if you're so confident."
As he slowly rose from his knees, listening to the three geniuses of the Lao, Minn and Ofera Clans, Ryu felt a little lost.
Hardship rarely appeared at expected times. Often, one would be blindsided.
Though their words were harsh, weren't they also correct? Who could have ever expected that the haughty Ryu would fail at such an early step of cultivation? Ryu, the man with the first ranked Heavenly Pupils? Ryu, the man with four Ancestral Grade Bloodlines? Ryu, the man with Ice Jade Crystal bones? Ryu, the man who swore to slaughter the rulers of this plane?
All of it seemed like nothing more than a joke now. In fact, this joke was even worse than when he had been born with a False Spiritual Foundation. At least then, his hope had been completely cut off from the very beginning. But, this time, they dangled a carrot before him, lighting a path of hope. If he just worked hard enough, if he just shed enough blood, if he just grit his teeth and suffered through everything thrown at him, he would one day reach the goals he sought after.
But... here he was, a failure, listening to the snide remarks of those he felt were so far beneath him, ants that he could of squashed even as a mortal in his first life. Yet, there was nothing he could say. None of the words they had spoken were wrong or false. He had failed and his path into the future seemed to be cut off...
The Heavens really were nothing but trash.