1327 God Beast
Mae was shocked.
In the True Marial World, beast taming was very difficult, especially in the higher Heavens. That was because the higher Heaven one entered, the more talented the beasts would become at a rate that was rapid to the Heavens in question.
By the Fourth, Fifth and Sixth Heavens, beasts would have already long since surpassed the Ancestral Grade and have entered the Origin Grades to become God Beasts. The shocking part about God Beasts was that, unlike humans, they were virtually guaranteed to reach their potential. So long as a God Beast was born, so long as they were given adequate time, they would reach the matching Sky God Realm to their Talent Grade.
Simply put, the largest concentration of Sky Gods wasn't within the human race, or other humanoid races, they were most definitely found within the beast races.
Of course, beasts couldn't just dominate the continent because of precisely that... there were many races among them as well. They might have the largest number of God level existences, but it didn't matter much due to the fact they weren't united. Expecting beasts to be united was similar to expecting all the Sects and Clans of the human and humanoid races to also be on the same side, it was ridiculous.
Even so, the Fourth, Fifth and Sixth Heavens had no notable beast tamers among them, that was because it was far too dangerous. If a beast came across a human using a beast as a pet or a mount, their first reaction would be immediate hostility, even more so than if they just came across a human normally.
The beasts might not be united, but they were one entity when it came to their hatred of beast tamers.
The only notable beast taming Sect in the whole of the True Martial World was one of the supreme rulers of the Ninth Heaven, one of the Nine Powers that laid claim to all the best resources and talents of the True Martial World. Only they had the cachet necessary to do such a thing.
Ryu had no idea about any of this. He had never thought much about it because his senior sister, Selheira, had her own beast companion and she wasn't shy about using it either. He wasn't familiar with the culture of the True Martial World, at least not as much as its residents as he hadn't grown up here. There were many minor particulars like this one that he completely missed.
So, when he saw the weird look on Mae's face, he was caught off guard. But after a moment, he simply assumed that she was surprised that he had a God Beast as a mount. That was indeed quite shocking.
What he didn't know is that Mae didn't even notice this until afterward, giving her the second shock of the day.
This was even more dangerous. The beasts might be enraged if a normal beast was taken as a mount, but it wouldn't be exaggerated. In fact, they ignored the use of unintelligent beasts, feeling it beneath them to care. However, a God Beast was a completely different matter. If they were alerted about this matter....
Mae sighed. She felt that this wasn't the right time to talk about such matters. Up ahead, the Lizard Demon city was already in an uproar, and many were quickly trying to command to close the city gates, but the process was slow. With such a long line of people having queued up on the outside, waiting to enter, how could they be willing to stay outside?
Usually, these people were quite obedient, not wanting to offend the Lizard Demon Race that was an supreme ruler in this region. But the moment their lives were on the line, how could they be bothered to care about this matter?
With so many of them trying to force their way into the gates before they closed, how could they close in a prompt fashion? In fact, blood and bloodshed erupted before Ryu had even lifted a single finger.
Many in the long line were merchants, and in order to cross the dangerous lands of the Nether Realm, how could they not have brought a large number of guards with them? Some even had small armies that they had been planning on leaving outside the city to enter smoothly, but the moment Ryu and the others appeared, they activated them.
Ryu took a breath, looking up at the violet and red skies. He didn't seem to be in a hurry to attack just yet, and was rather adjusting himself.
In reality, he was thinking about how novel this situation was. He had never been on a battlefield like this before, at least not with support to his back. The closest thing he could remember was when he had fought against the Martial Gods all on his own.
That feeling had made his blood boil. Relying on nothing more than the blades in his hand and the thumping of his heart to drive him forward, nothing could stop him.
He suddenly felt that Corps Formations weren't his style... He yearned for the day he wouldn't have to rely on such a thing at all.
Ryu closed his eyes for a moment. Breathing the foul air of the Nether Realm, his body should have felt uncomfortable, but he actually felt at peace. He wondered if he would find his father here...
Suddenly, his eyes snapped open and the garbage units found themselves standing at attention. Their fear and trepidation was washed away by a mighty tide.
Tattoos flashed across Ryu's skin, flickering in and out of existence in complex, swirling patterns that held the vicissitudes of an ancient aura.
The clouds above suddenly rumbled.
One after another, the members of his army swallowed the pill Ryu had given them. A large cloud of qi surged in from all directions, forming nine mighty golden pillars that rose around the army, piercing the ground and rushing up to the skies above.
"Charge."
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