Chapter 528 No Different
Ryu's body shook and quaked. However, his expression remained steady and unmoved.
A strength that seemed to pervade his very being took root, blazing a trail of white throughout his body.
The moment his Spiritual Foundation reconnected with him, Ryu could subconsciously tell that he didn't need to complete anymore Severings. The fusion was a level of perfection he had never experienced in his life before.
Ryu didn't fight back as the white flames surged into his meridians. A calmness pervaded his very soul as it danced with his Chaos Qi.
The two energies didn't seem to reject each other. It didn't feel that they had the same origin, in fact, they couldn't have felt anymore different. Rather, it was like they had a mutual respect, a nod of acceptance for two beings that shared a level of strength and power others could only dream of.
The two intertwined, racing along the outline of Ryu's Immortal Rings one after another.
At that moment, Ryu felt every cell of his body sing.
The source of evolution into the Immortal Realms should have been rooted in the Heavens. However, what Ryu had neglected before was that his own progression was rooted in something completely different…
His was an existence that existed outside the purview of Order. His was an existence that basked in Chaos.
The golden circle that displayed an inhuman level of perfection on Ryu's torso suddenly darkened to a blackish gold. White Flames erupted around its exterior, pulsing and dancing with a mysterious energy unblemished by the touch of the mundane.
At that moment, the name of his white flames were suddenly whispered into Ryu's ears.
When Ryu heard it, he felt his body shudder. It was spoken in a language that he couldn't understand, but as though it was pervaded with an emotion that existed across space and time, it touched the deepest part of his soul.
He felt like just the mere whisper of this name sent him to a different time. He watched all of existence pass by in the blink of an eye, only for him to snap back to the reality he was experiencing right this very moment.
Ryu's body shook, the ring on his torso blazing into a bright light that suddenly manifested to his back.
Trembling with a dark gold light surrounded by a ring of white flame, it felt like the halo of a deity as it grew to ten meters tall.
And then, it split.
The Death Worm Immortal Cave was already shaking due to the changes in the Nether Realm, but this change only made it worse.
Ryu's 13 Immortal Rings arranged themselves in a deadly formation. One hovered behind his figure, enveloping him in the center. To the sides, six arranged themselves in two columns of a curved line of three. They almost made themselves look like a massive pair of rings, causing the skies and energies around them to quake.
The sound of a barrier shattering resounded as Ryu's body continued to glow. The momentum was so fierce that he immediately broke into the 2nd Immortal Ring Stage.
His Immortal Rings pulsed and expanded, growing to 20 meters before suddenly concentrating in on themselves. Their density grew by a factor of more than just two, raging with a power that didn't seem like it would be satisfied until the world collapsed.
When they shrunk back down to 10 meters, their strength was undeniably far greater. Ryu felt as though all the energies of the world were at his beck and call. His [Ephemeral Tapestry] saw nothing but a thick blanket of colors. The concentration was so exaggerated that Ryu almost felt blinded.
The power coursing through him was so much that Ryu felt that he would implode if he didn't vent it all out right this moment.
However, before Ryu could even think of doing this, his Mental Realm suddenly trembled.
Ryu's expression changed. He quickly began to circulate his master's Skeleton Stage method, feeling that his soul was about to be birthed completely outside of his control.
Ryu would have never expected something like this to happen. With his poor Mental Realm talent, something like a spontaneous breakthrough was something he would never expect.
There were two forms of breakthroughs that stood above all others.
The first was to breakthrough relying on a high form of energy. This energy could be Essence, Chaos Qi, or even Primordial Yin. All of these high level energies could facilitate a perfect, smooth breakthrough without lingering issues.
The second was to breakthrough spontaneously.
For obvious reasons, both were rare, and the second especially was usually reserved for the greatest of geniuses. Ryu had never had to force a breakthrough in his entire life, even his failed attempt at his first Severing could fall into this category though the ending was unfortunate.
However, regardless of the reason, his soul was currently experiencing such a thing. All he could do was accept it and act on it.
But, it was exactly then that the situation changed once more. Even as Ryu wanted to use his master's method, the white flame suddenly acted.
What should have been a soul reformed of lightning and fire suddenly became one of purely white flame. And, what should have been a difficult process that Ryu would have sought out his master's help for became almost automated as though it was always meant to happen.
Ryu's Spiritual Sea began to be absorbed into his white flame outside of his control.
In what felt like just a moment, an endless sea that spanned over a thousand kilometers had been concentrated into a small, palm sized fire that looked more like a ball of cotton than a flickering flame.
Then, it began to change its form, rising up to stand above Ryu's Immortal Sakura, above his Divine Chaotic Annihilation, and above their volatile energies.
It grew a head and arms, its features becoming more pronounces and clear.
In the end, all that remained was a miniature figure sitting in silent meditation as white flames danced across its skin.
It looked no different from Ryu himself.