Chapter 656 Better Off

Everyone froze in shock, even Overseer Eudo himself.

The truth was that Overseer Eudo had been furious in the beginning. Ryu was meant to be his chance to rise up again, a chance to strive for the goals of his youth.

But, as time passed on, he cooled down and simply smiled bitterly. He had realized long ago that things were unfair to Ryu. He was practically guaranteed to die while he as an Overseer just had to stand on the sidelines and reap the benefits.

He had known from the very beginning the kind of danger Ryu would be in, and yet he hadn’t said a single word, knowing well that Ryu was likely ignorant about it all. In the end, he simply sighed to himself. Such a person had practically fallen out of the sky and onto his lap to begin with, and he was sure that even if the Heaven’s didn’t kill Ryu, then the Martial Gods certainly would. At that point, it would be him who pushed Ryu toward his death… So why would Ryu still choose to help him?

Eudo hadn’t even known that controlling the dark gold flames was possible to begin with. After seeing Ryu do it, then seeing Elena do it subsequently, he just had to admit that he would never reach such a level.

Of course, what he didn’t know was that Ryu was the only one who could do so. Elena only gained the ability after absorbing such a large amount of it. But regardless of the truth, this was the reality he was stuck in until he was suddenly pulled out by a strong an sturdy hand…

The irony that this strong hand came from an Immortal Ring level child was most definitely not lost on him. But, for a long while, he had no idea how to react in the slightest…

Until he realized that he had suddenly become the absolute center of attention.

In the history of the Martial Gods, no one had ever absorbed as much of the dark gold flame as Elena had. But, if there was a person to be ranked second, it had suddenly become Eudo. Such a truth was baffling to an extreme and no one could wrap their heads around why Ryu had done it.

Some speculated that he was trying to ward off problems for himself and that maybe he truly was a coward. But, if that was the case then wouldn’t he have just given it to Galkos? Why would he give it to someone else?

Of course, there was the possibility that he hoped that Eudo would protect him in exchange for this favor. This made sense, Eudo was probably his one chance to leave this place alive. But, shouldn’t he had used it as leverage? Wasn’t it too stupid to give it to Eudo first without making any demands…?

And then there was the answer that only those who knew Ryu best would grasp…

He simply didn’t care.

This dark gold flame was something the Martial Gods scratched and clawed for, but it was meaningless to him. Others might think he couldn’t feel anything because his cultivation was too low, but what senses could higher cultivation give him that the Mysteries of Heaven and Earth Pupils could not?

He didn’t choose to give the remaining half to Elena because he could tell that she had reached a point of saturation. As for why he chose to give it to Eudo, it was simply clearing up the seeds of Karma. The stronger you became, the more important such things were. Since Eudo had allowed him a chance to come here and see his wife, he would repay it. Now, their relationship could be considered null.

As for the rest of these people? Well, like he had said already… What were they going to do about it?

BANG!

Galkos fist slammed through the air. It had yet to even land on anything and yet the wind had already imploded, crashing toward Ryu’s chest as though its true target was on the other side.

Ryu raised his hand to stop the oncoming blow but suddenly hesitated. In that split moment, the fist had already collided with his chest.

BANG!

Ryu flew out like a streaking meteor, his speed through the air reaching such a fast pace that his body began to crackle and pop, sparks of fire lighting his back and body as though he was cutting through the atmosphere.

Ryu crashed into the ground, his body skidding along the wreckage and tearing a stretch several meters deep with every passing second. It felt for a moment that his entire body would erupt into a ball of flames, burning him to ash. Just a single punch had already put him in such a seemingly sorry state.

Galkos took a step forward, his gait filled with purpose as a dense white gold fog hung around his body. His white-gold eyes twinkled with rage, his every breath causing billowing cyclones to zoom in and out of his lungs.

What Galkos didn’t notice, though, was that Elena, who had just been by his side, only felt the slightest breeze. The wind picked up slightly, causing her hair to sweep before her eyes for just a moment. By the time she pushed it away and revealed her twinkling pink diamond gaze to the world again, they were just as placid as they had always been.

Galkos continued to walk forward, his momentum imposing. No one felt surprised by the result, even if Ryu had somehow managed to complete his 13th Rite, what was that in the face of a higher cultivation Realm? Especially since Galkos had completed his 11th Rite to begin with.

However, at that moment, a hand came out from the trenches and slowly flexed.

With a light leap, Ryu appeared above ground again, sending a glance toward his chest. Right in the center, a dent in the shape of a fist could be found just above his heart. If not for his Realm Heart, he would likely be in a life or death situation right now.

Ryu patted his chest as though he was wiping it clear of dust. By the time his palm moved downward again, the dent was gone, revealing a broad chest covered in dark violet scales.

“To come so close to hurting her… I think you’re better off dead.”

Ryu vanished from where he stood.