The woman's fists clenched and unclenched, her gaze flickering several times.
The ability to cause a Godhood to collapse, just what kind of ridiculous concept was this? It would be one thing if Ryu was a Sky God himself, a True Sky God old monster who had outlasted even an entire Era to make it to this day. But, he was very clearly not that.
The rational part of the woman told her that this was a feat almost impossible to replicate. This single word Ryu had written seemed simple, but it was the equivalent of an artist's magnum opus. It was a once in a lifetime event that would be impossible to turn on and off like a faucet.
In addition to this, the circumstances were too perfect. It was clear that Ryu had needed a large amount of this Sky God's aura to accomplish this. But, could he have done this on another battlefield? Ryu couldn't possibly be a specialist in all weapons, right? If this was a Holy Battle Ground of another faction, maybe he wouldn't even be able to take a single step in.
Then there was the fact that the actions of the Sky God had to match what Ryu was punishing them for. If this Sky God had done something positive rather than negative, ruining such an important and treasured resource for the younger generation, Ryu's attack on their Godhood wouldn't have worked. In fact, the reverse would have happened. Ryu would have actually strengthened their Godhood instead.
Everything about this event said it was a once in a lifetime moment. Whether it was Ryu's enlightenment, the circumstances of the Holy Battle Ground, and the actions of the Sky God, all of them aligned perfectly to allow this to happen.
And yet… The woman felt a deep and instinctual fear.
Something told her that this wasn't so simple, it wasn't a one time thing. It was rather the beginning of something extraordinarily fearsome, the creation of a Dao so profound and grand that it would be unmatched throughout history.
Ryu stood there, basking in his enlightenment as though he couldn't sense the flickering killing intent of the woman. As things stood now, even if Ryu couldn't defeat a Sky God or even a World Sea Realm expert in this Holy Battle Ground, he could most definitely force them into a retreat.
The martial world was just like this. Even this seemingly mild tempered woman, a Sky God who had even allowed him to all but curse in her face without much of a reaction, might still repay kindness with animosity.
Thanks to Ryu, it was likely that the progress this woman had made in this Holy Battle Ground would all come together. The blockages caused by the 'assassin' Sky God were all gone so all her loose bits of inspiration would be able to be completed one after another. After billions of years of meditation, it would all fuse into one, allowing her to improve by leaps and bounds.
It wasn't just her, but the entire sword faction, at least the ones who had frequented this Holy Battle Ground—a number that shouldn't' be few—would likewise benefit from this greatly.
No matter how naïve and innocent a Sky God seemed, they were still a Sky God. How much had they experienced in their lives? How much hardship did they have to suffer through to make it to their level?
Even though Ryu didn't think much of them because he felt he would accomplish what they had as well, that didn't mean he couldn't acknowledge the harsh path they had tread. And, in knowing this, he also understood that while this woman seemed to be kind and gentle, she most definitely had the capacity to be cruel and ruthless if the situation required it. Someone without at least this amount of resolve would have never made it so far in the martial world.
Ryu wasn't one to be fooled by a pretty face. He had seen too many of them and had rejected more than even he could count. To him, there wasn't much of a difference between those beauties and the Sky God before him. Plus, hadn't he already tasted what it felt like to be with a woman with such high cultivation?
This was all to say that he had been ready from the very beginning.
There were two choices this woman could make. Well… There were three. But, Ryu wasn't naïve enough to believe that she would pick the third.
The first choice was to kill him. Like this, all thoughts of future trouble would be erased.
However, it seemed that this woman had a conscience, so even Ryu didn't believe she would go so far. Maybe if he hadn't done anything for her, she would be able to do this. But, since his actions had helped her out so profoundly, her disposition didn't seem to allow her to ignore that.
Of course, there was another more substantial reason, and that was fear. Matters of Karma and Fate were especially heavy the higher your cultivation Realm. Repaying kindness with enmity was still possible, of course, or else there would never be wars—Sky Gods would never allow them. However, this was only up to a certain point.
That made Ryu deduce that she would likely choose the second option: to cripple him by disrupting his breakthrough.
The current Ryu was in a state of enlightenment and by the measure of anyone else, this was the most vulnerable position a person could be in. If there was a chance to deal with this problem while causing the lowest hit of Karma to herself, the woman would, of course, choose this path.
Finally, the third option an the one Ryu thought was the most ridiculous, was for her to simply let him go. Such a conclusion to Ryu seemed ridiculous to the point of being asinine. There was simply no chance that such a thing would happen.
The woman's gaze trembled before solidifying with resolution.