"Ah…" Sarriel was at a loss on how to reply. "… I had no choice but to come here. It's a world that fits perfectly with my affinities and it's not so weak that I can't progress and not too strong that I have to worry about my life."
If the powerhouses of the Moon World heard this girl's words, it was hard to tell how they'd react. A woman they would see as no more than a little girl actually didn't deem them to be a very big threat. In some ways, it was quite funny. But, in reality, it was the truth.
This world had a hard cap at the Dao Pedestal Realm, it was impossible to improve beyond this limit.
In the past, the powerhouses who reached such a level weren't even allowed to run rampant on this Moon World. Instead, they would have been assimilated into the Awoken Moon Sect. And, they would have gladly accepted this. After all, this was the only path for them to ever hope to surpass this cap.
As a result of this, the overall level of this Moon World when Ryu's Clan ruled it never surpassed the Path Extinction Realm and it was perfectly controlled.
After millions of years of being left to their own devices, though, these old rules had long since been forgotten. It was very unlikely that these powerhouses would still remember the rules of old. This was why Ryu didn't bother to try and use his status to his benefit.
Even if Ryu could use this status, though, he definitely wouldn't. Living a cushy, well protected life wouldn't help him improve as fast as he needed to.
"And your Clan?" Ryu asked.
"They…" Sarriel fell into silence.
Most people would wonder how such a powerful Clan could possibly run into trouble. But, this was probably the last thing someone like Ryu who had been through so much would ask. He knew well exactly how such a powerful Clan could fall.
As such, Ryu didn't press for more answers.
He assumed that whatever happened should have been a big deal. But, for Sarriel to have experienced it, it must have happened within the last 5000 years. For obvious reasons, Ryu wouldn't have information on such a thing.
After a moment of silence, Sarriel finally gathered up the will to speak again.
"After I finish with Tri Palace, I will be confident enough to go off to a larger world. When that time comes, I'll step into the real cultivation world and grow to my full potential. Then, I will get my revenge."
Ryu raised an eyebrow, but he didn't say anything in response. It seemed that even this shy girl had ambitions of her own. But, who didn't? It would make less sense if she had none and was simply wasting her time away in such an inferior Sect.
However, what Sarriel said next left Ryu not knowing whether to laugh or cry.
"Y… You can come with me!"
Ryu was speechless.
His normal instinct would be to say yes. After all, the greater danger he was in, the better. He didn't care much for Sarriel, but if she could bring him a challenge to push himself to his limits, he would take it.
But, the issue here was that whatever enemy Sarriel was facing, an enemy that could threaten even the Fey, an ancient race no lesser than the Ancestral Beasts, was definitely not to be trifled with. Ryu would go as far as to believe that if he had the strength to help Sarriel with this, he would already have the power he needed to avenge his family.
In such a situation… What point would there be in still challenging himself like this…?
'What point would there be…' Ryu silently thought to himself.
For some reason, he looked into the skies. Having left the range of the Moonlight Blossom Sect, the sky was no longer shrouded by a perpetual darkness. Instead, thick white clouds precipitating an endless fluttering snow hung above, covering much of the sun's rays.
There was hardly an inch of the Moon World that wasn't shrouded by snow. But, this high up, it was a beautiful sight to behold.
Ryu reached out a palm, holding Little Gem in one arm and allowing the other to catch this soft, fluttering snow.
Sarriel found herself watching Ryu with her mouth partially hanging open. If it wasn't for the drizzle of drool the threatened to fall from the corner of her mouth, she would have never snapped out of it. It was just that the contrast between Ryu's fluttering white hair and gently falling snow made her heart go wild.
The Fey were as close to nature as anything in existence. For Sarriel, Ryu's Ice Jade Crystal Body was a lethal shot. Whenever she got distracted, it took all her will power to not pounce on Ryu.
Ryu didn't seem to notice the fatal attraction he presented. He simply continued to look into the skies, mumbling the same words again and again.
'… What point would there be…? What point does there need to be? I want to stand at the top of the world with my own two feet."
Ryu had been born atop the world. His talent was the greatest, his clan was the strongest, his wealth was endless, his blessings were infinite. But, in all of that, he still sought a thrill that his weak body refused to allow him to feel.
To ascend the mountain on his own, to crush his enemies beneath his feet, to split the skies with his gaze alone and raze the earth with a thought. This was him. Whether his family was in danger or not, he would want to stand above all that there was.
He wanted to sit on that mountain again with a peak higher than the clouds. But this time, he didn't want it to be because he was born there.
His fist clenched, crushing the snow that had accumulated on his palm.
"Sure." Ryu replied plainly. "I'll go with you."
Sarriel felt her vision go blurry, a jet of blood shooting out from her delicate nose.
'He's so cool...'