"Ryu!"
The sound of a shout breathed out through huffing and puffing reached Ryu's ears.
The location of the teleportation array to the Moon World was quite sensitive. So, only the Castle Master could escort Ryu. In order to say goodbye to Little Sephare, Ryu had led her out of the Awoken Moon Sect's central Castle along with their now fifteen elders. Though, he hadn't expected to find Guiot standing here.
Since the Sect was female-only, Guiot wasn't allowed to move around freely. The fact he was here meant that he had likely broken some rules to rush over here. That said, considering all of the Divine Vessel Realm and above experts had been meeting with Ryu, there really was no one else powerful enough to stop him anyway.
As though confirming Ryu's speculations, a host of Outer and Inner Sect Elders were found rushing after Guiot. Judging by the displeased and tired expressions on their faces, there were none too happy about his actions.
Seeing that the situation may go badly, Guiot immediately lowered his head and bowed sincerely. In fact, his forehead nearly touched the floor despite the fact his lower half was standing upright.
"I'm sorry, I know I've broken the rules of your Sect, but I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if I didn't ask. Please take me with you, Throne Ryu!"
Ryu raised an eyebrow. At the same time, it seemed Castle Master Toria was more inclined to wait for Ryu's response because she stopped the flow of incoming ladies with a wave of her fair hand.
Unfortunately for Guiot, Ryu wasn't very fond of the idea. He didn't particularly dislike Guiot, but his mind was entirely focused on saving his family. He needed to push himself to his limits constantly. It was a day to day grind. If he had to account for someone so much weaker than him at the same time, it would slow down his progress too much.
However, equally as unfortunately for Ryu, before he could reject, Ailsa spoke covertly to him.
'You should accept his request.'
'Why?' Ryu couldn't help but frown. He really didn't like the idea.
If it was Melody, he'd probably accept. For one, he still wanted to repay Granny Miriam. And, secondly, Melody may very well be more powerful that his current self, so she wouldn't be a burden. However, Guiot had none of these things going for him.
'It will benefit you. Those with Soul Natures are different in that they can also have an impact on the environment around them. The entire purpose of the soul or the Mental Realm is communication with the Heavens.
'When you Visualize, you use runes that represent the fundamental laws of the Heavens. When you comprehend an Inheritance, it's your Mental Realm that acts as a bridge to the Faith of said Inheritance to call down upon Essence to increase your strength. Etcetera, etcetera.
'For those with Soul Natures, the Heavens is blessing them with comprehension, but it's fundamentally an external source. As such, it has a faint effect on the environment around them.
'For most, it would be impossible to take advantage of this. But, you have the Mysteries of Heaven and Earth Pupils. Being around someone with a Soul Nature, you'll be able to see things others don't. Maybe eventually, if you grasp the truths enough, you'll be able to incorporate them into your own strength.'
Ryu's frown eased hearing these words. He didn't just take Ailsa's word for it because he could very clearly see it himself.
After over a month, Ryu realized that it really would be impossible to turn [Ephemeral Tapestry] off, so the world had suddenly become a constant bright swirl of colors to him.
At first, he thought it would be annoying, but after a few days, he felt that it had become an inseparable part of him. He no longer wanted it to go away.
This aside, Ryu could very clearly see something unique about Guiot. Whereas qi mostly ignored everyone else, it seemed to 'linger' around Guiot for a moment longer, as though enjoying his presence more than it did others.
There was also something curious about Little Sephare. For her, the qi seemed denser and more filtered, as though there was a very specific type of qi that had a great affinity with her.
If this ability continued to evolve, there would likely come a day where Ryu could see through the limits and abilities of an opponent without exchanging even a single blow.
"Alright. I accept." Ryu said slowly. "However, it will be very dangerous. The Moon World was once ruled by the Awoken Moon Sect. As a result, it had structure and order. But now that the Awoken Moon Sect hasn't had the strength to oversee its matters for a while now, it's likely bred a dangerous atmosphere."
"I --."
"Hold on, let me finish." Ryu wanted Guiot to truly understand what kind of world he was entering. "The Moon World is one of extreme yin. If it's not policed properly, Yin Beasts and Wraiths will proliferate and populate. The potential of these creatures is far beyond the Ninth Order the Awoken Moon Sect once was, so in order to maintain control, the Sect had to stunt their growth before they reached their true strength.
"The world we're entering now could very well be filled with enemies far beyond our means to handle. Are you still certain you want to enter with me?"
"Yes!"
Guiot seemed to think that if he hesitated for even a moment, he would lose this opportunity, so he rushed to accept. He knew from the beginning that this would ultimately be a journey fraught with danger. Even if he didn't know that he might have to face Ninth Order Yin Beasts or Tenth Order Yin Wraiths, did it really make a difference?
He knew from the beginning that any enemy that could challenge Ryu would be of at least the Immortal Ring Realm. In fact, maybe this was just the low standard of the Pedestal Plane. Who knew if there were Connecting Heaven Realm experts who could match Ryu?
However, what Guiot knew without a doubt was that whether it was such an expert or one far more powerful, any one of them could defeat him with a single look. So why fret over the semantics of their exact strength? Since he had decided to do this, he would do it!
"Alright, since you agree, I have a mission for you."
"Anything!"
"Taking you along will be expensive. Since you're a Divine Vessel Realm expert, it will cost me ten Higher Immortal Qi Stones. By the end of the journey, you need to earn this amount on your own and return it to me."
Guiot's mouth hung open, completely unable to answer for a moment. This might have sounded like a simple task to Ryu, but to Guiot, he would have to shed blood, sweat and tears before he gathered even a single Lower Immortal Qi Stone, let alone a single Higher Immortal Qi Stone worth a million times that.
Toria smiled lightly, feeling a bit of pity for this young man. Their Throne was really too cold.
Taking a deep breath, Guiot settled himself. "Alright, I'll do it!"
"Good. Let's go then."
The separation was quite a bit more involved that Ryu would have liked. But, since he was quite fond of Little Sephare, he didn't mind waiting several moments while she tearfully bade her brother farewell.
Gisla was also brought over. She held her son's forearms so tightly that her own arms started to quake. She tried her best not to cry, but the worry kept bubbling over in her heart. What if she lost her son just like she lost her husband?
Ryu watched on with a hidden complexity in his own heart. Guiot's family might have been small, and he might have also suffered losses in his life, but he at the very least still had people who loved him remaining.
Ryu's resolve inwardly steeled several times over. There would come a day where he slaughtered the Martial Gods and brought his family back together.
Touching his own heart, his breathing became as steady as the surface of a lake.
Soon, he would be able to enter the Soul Birth Realm. Soon, he would be able to tell his wife that he was alive. Soon… He would be able to let Elena know that she wouldn't have to wait much longer.
After the small family of three finally separated, Toria took Ryu and Guiot to disappear into the Castle grounds.
They travelled into its depths, going down nine floors levels to leave them over a hundred meters beneath the surface.
The room they entered was filled with a grand ice-blue array. Guiot's teeth clattered, barely stopping his bones from freezing over.
The so-called 'eclipse' Ryu referred to was an eclipse of worlds. The Moon Realm and Shrine Realm would enter an alignment very soon that placed them the closest they could be in a hundred-year cycle. As a result of this, their moons and suns would intersect, casting a shadow upon both worlds.
Time ticked by before it finally occurred.
The ice blue room trembled slightly, their lines that etched its complex array growing brighter as the temperature plummeted. Ryu had no choice but to put a hand on Guiot's shoulder just to stop him from becoming an ice cube.
"Thank you, Castle Master." Ryu said with a nod. "Stay safe until I return."
Without another word, Ryu brought Guiot forward, leaving a beauty with a very complicated gaze behind. In a flash, they disappeared.
Ryu's vision blurred, a slight dizziness taking hold of him. It had been very long since he took such a long-distance teleportation formation. He couldn't help but use his free hand to touch his forehead, trying to regain his bearings.
The first sense Ryu regained wasn't his sight, but was rather his hearing.
Inexplicably, the sounds of clashing metal and harsh roars filled his ears. By the time his gaze cleared, he was rendered speechless.
Why the hell was he in the middle of a battlefield? No, more importantly, why the hell did that damned formation send him here?
Suddenly, as the only unknown, Ryu and Guiot became enemies of both sides.