ã€ŠConsuming Earths, Devouring Skiesã€‹


 -1 Cultivation Glossary

    Someone requested a reference in case you forget or are unsure. I¡¯m happy to present a simple glossary you can refer to.

    Essence Cultivation(Essence & Foundation):

    1st Realm: Qi Foundation.

    2nd Realm: Qi Revolving.

    3rd Realm: Essence Formation.

    --4th Realm[Foundational;Optional]: Dantian Refinement.

    --5th Realm[Foundational;Optional]: Pathway Expansion.

    6th Realm: Qi Unification.

    7th Realm: Origin Core.

    8th Realm: True Essence.

    --9th Realm[Foundational;Optional]: Crimson Star.

    [Essence] Realms are divided into five stages:

    Initial --> Mid --> Late --> Peak --> Half-step.

    [Foundational] Realms are divided into four stages:

    Initial --> Mid --> Late --> Peak

    At the [Foundational] Realms, you can breakthrough at any point(Initial through Peak) without restriction.

    -------------------------------------

    Heavenly Cultivation:

    --Heavenly Genesis Realm[Early-Middle-Upper]

    ---The Development of an attributed Heavenly Shrine.

    (Early-Stage) - True-Essence w/ Heavenly Aura.

    First Floor.

    Second Floor.

    Third Floor.

    (Middle-Stage) - True-Essence --> Heavenly Might.

    Fourth Floor.

    Fifth Floor.

    Sixth Floor.

    (Upper-Stage; Heavenly Commander) - Heavenly Might --> Heavenly Essence.

    Seventh Floor.

    Eighth Floor.

    Ninth Floor.

    --Heavenly Creation Realm(Heavenly Monarch)

    Initial Stage - Minor Heaven.

    Middle Stage - Grand Heaven.

    Late Stage - Original Law.

    Peak Stage - Original Path.

    -------------------------------------

    Soul Cultivation:

    Nascent-Level.

    Aurora Level.

    Astral Level.

    Divine Level.

    Immortal Level.

    Initial --> Advanced --> Perfect.

    -------------------------------------

    Dao ssification:

    Mortal Dao - Lower, Middle, Upper Tier.

    Grand Dao

    -------------------------------------

    Arts ssification:

    Martial Arts - Rting to the use of vital energy and the physical body.

    Qi Arts - Rting to the use of qi/qi-essence/true-essence.

    Soul Arts - Rting to the use of soul energy, soul form, spiritual sense, or soul me.

    Divided into [Five sses & Six Grades]:

    Internal, Aura, Manifestation, World, & Divine.

    Each category further divided into four grades:

    Low, Standard, Superior, & Pinnacle.

    Internal-based refers to self-contained art, typically one that rtes to themselves/internal/channeling. An example would be an art that enhances one¡¯s physical agility, physical defenses, or senses.

    Aura-based would use one¡¯s vital energy to create an aura/domain to affect or enhance one¡¯s abilities/affect your opponents.

    Manifestation-based is to manifest your attacks or defenses into a solid construct, either Vital, Qi, or Soul-rted. World-based is attacks that are on a grand scale, typically affecting a greater area.

    Divine-based arts are unique arts with miraculous effects that are outside of standard means, typically forbidden and requires a cost to be used.

    Master Level of each specific art is determined by four stages of sess:

    Initial Mastery --> Minor Mastery --> Major Mastery --> Perfection.

 Chapter 1 Prologue

    --Fortune Cemetery, Year 12,321 of the Rebirth Era.

    The world was encased in a myriad of ck clouds which little light seeped through. The entire surroundings of this world were filled with a rainbow flourish of both fresh and old blood. Corpses of all races, sizes, and colors littered it as if it was a battlefield of old; however, there were still sounds of those in their death throes and those eximing their battle-cries. While life and death continued to be unclearly defined within this world of constant struggle, a male youth adorned in white robes stood silently in mid-air.

    The chaos in this world was ignored.

    This individual who seemed like a youth possessed a solemn expression and a powerful aura which caused all those who looked towards him to cower away and try their luck in reaping lives elsewhere, lest their lives are reaped.

    The male youth had waist-length ck hair, a slim yet elegant figure, and a set of dazzling silver wings that seemed to illuminate the surroundings, but didn¡¯t possess the standard holy characteristics that these angelic-like wings would typically bestow upon mortals. Instead, these wings held an imposing and tyrannical feel that would cause those who looked upon them to feel their lives were no longer theirs.

    His eyes looked towards a dpidated ptial door, brownish in color, connected to nothing that stood upright, and untainted by the rainbow blood in its surroundings. It possessed an almost mundane aura, which could be easily overlooked as a lost object of one of the weaker individuals of this world.

    "Ezekiel!"

    A middle-aged man with waist-length silver hair, two silver wings positioned on his back spread wide, seemed to have blinked directly to the male youth¡¯s side. His expression contained confusion and a little reverence as he gazed at the youth beside him.

    "Jeremiah."

    The youth named Ezekiel acknowledged, his gaze towards the door remained unblinking and fixed.

    Those eyes were slightly heated.

    Observing this, the newly arrived Jeremiah remained silent. The youth before him was one of the unrivaled talents of the cultivation world and whatever he decided to do, he held no power to assert any questions. If he did and this angered Ezekiel, it¡¯s likely that even if the gods and buddhas wished for him to keep his life, he¡¯d still lose it here. To be more urate, even if they begged, the situation would likely be the same.

    This world was a battlefield filled with death, and with Ezekiel here, it became even more chaotic. The level of ughter performed just a few days ago would leave many psychopaths and cold-blooded murderers to grimace in inferiority. He had little desire to just be another name on his belt.

    Therefore, silent and waiting he remained.

    Luckily, he didn¡¯t wait for long.

    A ripple of almost endless power surged outwards quietly from the door. It swept almost this entire gargantuan world and brought about a sensation of infinite death and cmitous power. Feeling this, Jeremiah¡¯s expression turned so pale that it was as if he¡¯d seen death itself, and death gave him a date. Jeremiah sweated profusely while his eyes widened to the size of suns.

    The world went silent.

    The door opened silently.

    Ezekiel¡¯s eyes brightened to the point where the stars were inferior. Unlike hispatriot beside him, his expression was filled with no hint of fear. He vanished inwards with no hesitation.

    "E-Ezekiel!" Out of sheer fear, Jeremiah shouted. He stood there dumbfounded and fiercely panting. After a long while, he felt the auras of many that were both his equal and his inferior surge from the eight directions. Gritting his teeth so hard that blood dripped from the sides of his mouth, he followed after Ezekiel.

    --Sirius Titan Realm, Year 12,323 of the Rebirth Era.

    A dense light filled with brilliant sharpness sliced downwards towards a silver-robed male with unprecedented speed. The male responded with a slight smirk underneath his hood and a wave of his sword,pletely denying the light any choice in its continued existence as it was swiped into destruction.

    "Cease this, Ezekiel." A rough masculine voice demanded.

    A middle-aged man whose eyes were crimson red, muscles brimming to the brink upon his deep ck body, and a great swordrger than his own body within his hand that resembled a wolf¡¯s fang appeared almost out of thin air. His expression was filled with imperial malevolence as he calmly eyed Ezekiel from afar.

    "You can not escape, ept your death." He added. His tone was filled with a calmness and arrogance that could cause the heavens to feel insulted.

    Ezekiel, the youth in silver-robes, lifted his hood from his head to reveal a face so handsome that it seemed it was sculpted by the gods themselves. He held an arrogant smirk filled with absolute confidence. Whether it was in his own abilities or other factors, no one knew.

    "With just you?" Ezekiel responded.

    The middle-aged man looked calmly at Ezekiel as if his words or tone were the antics of a fool. As if on cue, many different auras of all types of intensity surged from the horizon in all directions. They seemed to be honing their flights towards this direction at top speed. Ezekiel¡¯s eyes didn¡¯t move from the man as his smirk never faded.

    "It¡¯s truly unfortunate, Ezekiel. Your legend, your life, it¡¯ll end here. Return that which you stole, and your end shall be one without pain. I give you my word." The middle-aged man said with a slight shake of his head, disregarding Ezekiel¡¯s false bravado. He¡¯d already considered every scenario and locked out every conceivable way for him to escape. There was nothing left but death for this talented youth.

    "You sure about that?" Ezekiel slightlyughed as he pulled out apass-like object with eight orientating arrows pointing in the eight directions.

    Witnessing this, the middle-aged man¡¯s eyes rose in curiosity, but suddenly this surprise turned into one of fierce panic and fear. An expression this man had not known for millennia. He reached out with his palm and grabbed, the world fiercely quaked, and it seemed that the very heavens would copse and the skies would rend.

    However, it was toote.

    With a sh of brilliant white light and a quiet ripple of power emitted from thepass, Ezekiel¡¯s body, under the copsing of the heavens and the skies, blipped out of existence. The man¡¯s expression changed harshly as the space that was originally inhabited by Ezekiel shattered into oblivion, but Ezekiel was already gone.

    --Crimson Devil Realm, Year 12,330 of the Rebirth Era.

    "Ar-Ariel...w-why?" Ezekiel, the silver-winged youth, struggled with all his might to utter those words between his heavy panting and upheavals of the chest. His once gorgeous wings were tainted with ck gases that seemed to seep into his soul. Inside the eyes once filled with unlimited confidence were unwilling disbelief, soul-deep pain, and sheer disappointment - the disappointment directed mostly towards himself.

    His gaze never left this once-so familiar figure.

    A grey-skinned, crimson-eyed girl dressed in a crimson knee-length dress with the visual appearance of a 17-18-year-old girl slowly muttered. She stood in mid-air with the air of an empress, and her gaze looked as if all beneath the heavens were under her control. This gaze contained deep contempt and disdain as she looked towards this once proud figure of the myriad realms. Now, he was nothing more than an individual waiting for his death.

    "You brought this upon yourself. Your foolish ambitions and wanton desires towards me." Her words were harsh, and to Ezekiel, this was the first time he¡¯d heard her speak in such a tone. She, who he trusted wholeheartedly. She, who obtained his heart. Heralded as the heavenly pairing of this millennia, but it seems men presume and the heavensugh.

    Ezekiel couldn¡¯t help butugh at this realization of her words and the reason for her actions.

    Seeing thisugh, Ariel simply said, "I never loved you. I have always wanted to kill you, and now...I¡¯ve done so." A sort of peaceful serenity was revealed in her voice.

    Ezekiel was silent at this. He was currently inflicted with a soul-decaying technique which he could not dispel with his cultivation. At this moment, almost ny percent of his soul had been corroded, and it was damage that¡¯d take centuries to repair. He calmed himself down and stood upright like a spear in mid-air as if saying: ¡¯Even if you or the world wants me to die, I¡¯ll die on my feet.¡¯ However, his eyes spoke even further volumes.

    Even if the heavens want me dead, they must be willing to pay the price. If you want me dead? Ha, you¡¯re not worthy, and I¡¯m not willing!

    A surging ghostly ze exploded from his eyes, and it seemed as if his entire cultivation was burning up as if to detonate his entire existence to take her with him to theherworld.

    "I, Ezekiel Zatanna Saintora, shall not die today. You, wash your neck. I¡¯ll take it someday, along with the others." His words were filled with no hint of exhaustion or pain and filled with undying resolution.

    Seeing this, Ariel¡¯s beautiful face scrunched up in an ugly fashion and darted away to avoid dying from Ezekiel¡¯s self-detonation. However, unlike what she thought would happen ¡ª a violent explosion ¡ª instead, it was as if Ezekiel¡¯s physical body was evaporated into air revealing only his soul form that was filled with ck gas. It flickered in and out of existence as if only a light blow would snuff out his soul.

    A white light, emitting an aura of both extreme life and extreme death ¡ª Samsara ¡ª emitted from the core of his soul. The ck gas was rid of almost instantly, revealing a weakened soul form of Ezekiel¡¯s silhouette in the world, and in his hand was apass with eight orientating arrows.

    Ariel¡¯s expression turned into one of absolute disbelief at the series of events that had just yed out. With her utmost speed, she rushed with zing light surrounding her towards Ezekiel¡¯s form, her hand formed a de and shed out in an attempt to destroy whatever Ezekiel¡¯s intentions may be.

    However...it was toote.

    With a sh of brilliant white light and a quiet ripple of power emitted from thepass, Ezekiel¡¯s soul blipped out of existence.

    Ariel¡¯s eyes widened as the words previously spoken of by Ezekiel resounded in her mind and very soul. Surprisingly, this girl¡¯s eyes dripped with wet tears.

    Tears of fear and despair.

    --Xiantu Realm, Year 12,330 of the Rebirth Era.

    Ezekiel soul form blipped into existence above a minor world and surged downwards. His eyes filled with unyielding determination and surging killing intent. With his physical body destroyed, his cultivation had been lost, and his soul form was severely weakened. However, he still possessed his personal possessions.

    He nced at the ethereal ring on his finger that seemed attached to his soul. It emitted slight spatial ripples. With this and his experience, it wouldn¡¯t be long before he returned to his previous strength. When that happened, his revenge will be swift on all those who betrayed him. On all those who hunted him. On all those he wished to kill!

    For now, he simply needed to find a physical body to host his soul, so that he can begin reconstructing a proper body for himself. As he plummeted downwards, his eyes caught sight on the grassy knolls of the hillside a boy youth running away. His eyes gleamed with unyielding resolve. Without hesitation, he directed his soul form to descend rapidly towards this youth. He will wipe out his soul, and start anew!

    Unfortunately, men presume and the heavensugh.

 Chapter 2 Yan Zaizen

    "Not like this!" A youth hysterically shrieked. The youth who shouted as if the skies were falling was currently putting the pedal to the metal on his internal engine as he dashed ferociously across the grassy ins. Originally, these ins and knolls were his safe haven, but today, it seems like it may be his death sentence. His head, in curiosity of his impending status of death, couldn¡¯t help but turn backwards slowly in anticipation of presumed safety. However, what weed his eyes were sights far more disastrous than originally believed.

    A meteor!

    A crimson meteor of almost blinding light was descending from the skies at unimaginable speeds. A few seconds ago, this meteor seemed to have the destination of a far-off scene, and all the youth wanted to achieve was to avoid any possible fallout from its descent. Unfortunately for his little life, the meteor seemed to have eyes and a mission as it shifted directions ever so slightly and seemed even closer than before.

    "What the fu-!" He couldn¡¯t help but curse the heavens for wanting his little life. What did he ever do to deserve this?

    Thinking about it, perhaps it wasn¡¯t entirely unwarranted.

    This youth, named Yan Zaizen, was amber-eyed, scrawny in physique, messy short ck hair, no more than sixteen years of age, and possessed a face that was neither distinctively attractive or overtly ugly for the eyes. Currently, he cursed his life choices. Staying in an isted in with nearby knolls to get away from it all left him in his current predicament. The nearest human life was tens of miles away from him, so outrunning this hell-bent meteor seemed to be a sweet dream of impossibility.

    The meteor reached ever closer until he could feel it radiating a sensation of distinct death.

    His life shed before his eyes so vividly at that moment.

    Yan Zaizen was just a normal boy in a ce called Meteorite City. It was named thus not because of the constant meteorites that wouldnd near the city, but because a thousand years ago, tens of thousands of meteors culled the entire poption - human and beast alike. The meteor shower spanned a thousand miles, and Meteorite City was created with its epicenter hoisting thergest existing meteor to date. Since then, only meteors that had a size that would be small and harmless upon entry to the world would fall. They were norger than a basketball, and that¡¯s always been the case since the culling shower.

    However, it seems like Yan Zaizen¡¯s luck will forever be bad.

    Yan Zaizen originated from one of the strongest family ns situated in the city and should be enjoying immense favor as he was a grandchild of the current n head from his mother¡¯s side, and for a time that was absolutely how he was treated. That was until his talent, at the age of five, was decided to be the lowest grade possible in both Body & Qi cultivation. This set off a series of events that soon lead to even more unfortunate events. It didn¡¯t help that before he was even five, both of his parents had already left this world and were now buried in the family¡¯s sacred cemetery, and thus he pretty much had to rely on himself from then on.

    Misfortune tends to be followed by even more misfortune, and his life was a superb example of that. At the age of seven, he fell for a girl named Ya Qinqan. It was child-level infatuation. She had the dream of entering one of the five great sects ¡ª Water Veil Sect ¡ª it had high standards for cultivation and age requirements to enter. It also had one irond rule: Females Only! Recognizing this, he tried to aid her the only way he could think of, he gave her a majority of his own n given resources.

    The Ya n and Yan n were allied forces in Meteorite City, but the Ya n are direct subordinates of the Yan n and one of the lesser ns in the power standings; therefore, the given resources of someone, even one talentless and devalued, but in the descendants line of the n head was vastly superior in both quality and quantity of what a normal member of the Ya n would receive. Not to mention, he still held the status as one of the grandsons of the n leader.

    To put it in perspective, he received far more resources than the direct descendants of the Ya n with exceptional talent! Let alone a basic member.

    The difference was just too vast - heaven and earth essentially.

    After this was done, his own cultivation into body & qi coupled with hisckluster innate talents put him at the bottom of thedder as a cultivator out of all of the city¡¯s youths. Ya Qinqan¡¯s cultivation, however, explosively rose as she already possessed greater innate talents than many and coupled with the resources given to her by Yan Zaizen and the ones given to her by her own n. With that, she directly entered the top ten of her generation in the city at the age of ten.

    This, however, lead to even more problems for poor little Yan Zaizen.

    Firstly, Yan Zaizen¡¯s decisions andckluster results lead to the n not giving him sufficient resources anymore at the age of ten, but the pigs fat had already been eaten. Ya Qinqan, unbeknownst to her n about the resources given to her, had received the utmost attention from her family and was given top quality resources that could rival the total Yan Zaizen could give. They essentially funneled all their hopes and dreams into her, heralding her as a genius, and further giving her all sorts of earthly treasures with heavenly waters. They spared no cost. This caused her cultivation to explode even further and talents to be further entuated. Even worse, although Yan Zaizen was given greatly reduced resources, he still gave her what he could to convey his determination and feelings for her. It was as if he was saying: ¡¯Even if I became a useless person, as long as the person I love seeds, be it disdainful gazes or dirty curses, I can bear it all!¡¯

    Obviously, this didn¡¯t work out well for the scrawny sap.

    At the age of thirteen, an incredibly talented and direct descendant in line to be the next n leader, Yan Jinzen, had dered his love for Ya Qinqan and with the approval of both the Ya and Yan family, they were engaged. The standard of engagement was thirteen years of age, but actual marriage happened at fifteen. Ya Qinqan and Yan Jinzen were the same age as Yan Zaizen and got married one year ago. They had already consummated theirmitment and Yan Zaizen had, at that moment, lost everything. His future, his girl, and even his dignity.

    Nothing went his way, and It didn¡¯t stop there.

    Yan Jinzen soon learned about Yan Zaizen¡¯s earlier attempts at trying to court Ya Qinqan, he saw his attempts as if an unworthy toad wanted to taste his swan¡¯s meat, and since then has suppressed him further within the n. With his father as the n¡¯s elder of resources and finances, Yan Zaizen was suppressed to the point where his living situation, the number of resources given, and even his standing in the n was absolutely the lowest of the low. For an entire three years, despite conventional practice, his cultivation and even his body had be rather poorpared to his age which exins the scrawny appearance of his.

    "Please, up above, if you spare this little life of mines, I¡¯ll change my ways! I¡¯ll stop stealing meat from Uncle Louzen¡¯s storage!" His mind swirled in his thoughts as he prayed to the heavens for mercy, willing to give up his pleasures in turn for this little life of his. However, as he ran forward, he could see the silhouette of the meteor inching ever closer, unrelenting as if on a mission to im what was his.

    His pupils constricted as a frightful sensation of death stroked his mind causing his hair to stand, his skin to crawl, his blood to turn cold, his scalp to tingle, and a sudden loss of breath. Tears slowly came from his eyes, but his legs didn¡¯t stop. No! They became like lightning of the horse he wished to be and he exerted over three hundred percent of his top speed,pletely defying his natural limits and causing his bones to crack as a result. Yan Zaizen was an individual that was absolutely terrified at the thought of death, especially when he¡¯d done so little if nothing at all with this life of his.

    He hadn¡¯t tasted all the gourmet foods of the world, hadn¡¯t gotten so much wealth that he could go into an auction and purchase everyst item with heartyughter, and hadn¡¯t even lost his virginity! That was beyond important and covered a majority of his regrets. He couldn¡¯t help but continue to pray and bargain as if to make a deal with the Gods and Devils in the sky for his life.

    "I will give up peeping! On...the weekends. I¡¯ll even give back the stuff I¡¯ve taken from Aunty Qin!" His thoughts went into a spiral, but then his expression turned odd as heter added into his prayers, "Maybe...actually, nevermind. I¡¯d rather die." As if the heavens were angry at his half-hearted plea, the meteor-like object was now mere inches away from his body, and even the sweat on his body felt like it was producing its own sweat. The bones in his legs were long since shattered from the intense pressure he ced upon them as he ran, and if not for his Qi Cultivation supporting it, he¡¯d already have flopped on the ground as a cripple and epted his fate.

    Whoosh!!!

    The impact didn¡¯t initiate a massive explosion as expected, nor did it shatter his body into a billion bloody pieces. It did, however, cause his body to be surrounded by a bright crimson glow, and the whites of his eyes could only be seen as he dropped face first on the ground. Completely unconscious. The invading crimson light wiggled its way inside his body like a parasite, but when it reached his core of existence ¡ª the soul ¡ª a switch seemed to have been flipped deep-within Yan Zaizen. An earth-shattering noise that seemed toe from an ancient existence erupted from his body. Yan Zaizen¡¯s body started to vibrate erratically as if experiencing a seizing episode.

    Something had been awakened.

    A resplendent ck light exploded from deep within Yan Zaizen¡¯s body, a light that seemed to originate from his very soul. It was apanied by the painful screams of another man¡¯s voice, which seemed to be in absolute agony at the moment, and it kept getting more intense. "What? This weak body is trying to devour my soul?! How?!" The voice was obviously rmed by the sudden, unprecedented development. "I can¡¯t escape, stop! STOP!" The voice grew more and more frantic, and it even resorted to begging our scrawny hero.

    Upon Yan Zaizen¡¯s be was tiny ck swirl that seemed to contain infinite darkness and even light seemed to be consumed by it whole, giving the swirl a slight glimmer of bright light around its edges. Despite it being no more than half an inch in radius, it possessed a tyrannical aura that seemed to outdo even kings of great nations.

    "Please! I¡¯ll give you anything, just stop whatever you¡¯re doing, please! I have things to do, people to ughter, so I can¡¯t die like this! PLEASE!!!" The begging tones could obviously be seen as something this voice wasn¡¯t used to, but at the moment, it seemed that everything was out of its control and that caused a deep fear to be ingrained into every single syble spoken.

    However, how was this voice, this remnant soul, supposed to know that even Yan Zaizen had no way to control this horrific ck light that seemed to wish to devour all. He was unconscious, so he also had no idea what was even happening.

    The crimson light almost instantly disappeared as it seemed to be sucked suddenly into the ck swirl on Yan Zaizen¡¯s be. There was no littlest struggle or further words shouted. The spirit that had flown from the sky like a meteor descending from the heavens and entered this boy¡¯s body had no longer existed in this world, or at least its consciousness didn¡¯t.

    The ck light slowly receded, and all of Yan Zai Xen¡¯s injuries produced by the earlier events started to heal at a visible rate. A perfectly snug silver ring appeared on his middle right-handed finger as if it was always there and made solely for him, while countless crimson streams surrounded by ck light slowly invaded his meridians before traveling back into his be. His eyes that were fully white before slowly returned to having that amber color to it. Luckily too, as those eyes were his most recognizable and personal favorite feature of his entire body!

    Three whole days passed. The sun rose, and a new story of a legend was born!

 Chapter 3 Alive! Ring?

    It was three days until Yan Zaizen twitched into consciousness, with dirt-filled coughs. His position was rather awkward, his headying face first into the grassy dirt while his arms and legs were spread out at odd angles. His outline was reminiscent of a murdered victim shot violently in the back. As for himself? He felt like one.

    "Wha...?" Yan Zaizen softly eximed as he got his bearings, sitting upright atop the grass with a little bit of struggle. Feeling the painful pulsing sensation in his forehead caused him to rub it vigorously. It wasn¡¯t long before it dawned on him as he ced his palm towards his face that he was alive. He was ALIVE!

    He yelped in excitement.

    "Haha, take that! Think you can take this tough life? Ha, look at yourself in the mirror to see if you¡¯re worthy." Jumping up and giving the middle-finger to no one in particr, Yan Zaizen came to a realization that, besides being slightly dirty, he was rtively fine. Don¡¯t seem to make sense that he got hit by a meteorite from the sky and simply can walk it off. Was he immortal? He patted his body all over, not to just remove the dirt, but checking to see if he had any holes or if anything was missing. Checking his crotch first, he sighed in relief.

    At least that wasn¡¯t harmed.

    Wait.

    He checked his legs. Upon doing so, he came to a realization that he had no broken bones. From his memories, that was incredibly vivid still, he was supporting his fleshy body with Qi due to the shattering of his leg bones from excessive force. However, that didn¡¯t seem to be the case. It gave him a feeling as if he just imagined the entire thing. It was slightly surreal.

    Looking around, he found no evidence of a meteor hitting, as if it was all truly a part of his imagination. The situation kept getting weirder as he noticed a silver ring resting tightly upon his middle-finger. This ring seemed to fit him perfectly, with no discerning marks but just in silver-band, as if it was always his. He traced it with his finger.

    Nothing happened.

    In his confusion, he couldn¡¯t help but check his body again for any other things he may have stolen in his sleep. I mean, not stolen but acquired with the luck of a finder. However, nothing else was there. Assuming that he wasn¡¯t going insane, then the meteorite existed. It targeted him. He broke his bones dashing for his little life and then was hit. In that case, perhaps...it wasn¡¯t a meteor? He looked at the silver-ring once more. He gazed intently at it.

    Could it be...?

    The ring was the meteorite. Was this some unearthly, heavenly, and supreme god-tier treasure? For it to descend upon the skies and chose him of all people. It chose him!

    "You have extraordinary judgment meteor ring." He nodded in approval like a teacher appraising his student for his good set of eyes. Meteor Ring? Yeah, he¡¯ll name it that. Seeing how that was all said and done, he continued to study the ring, and even tried to take it off his finger. He came to the realization that the ring was stuck like a mountain on the surface - it just won¡¯t budge.

    He tried using his Qi to interact with the ring, but all it did was shine slightly with the resplendent light of his Qi. Then, he tried flicking it with his fingers. Then, bring it up to the sun and maybe it¡¯ll illuminate some secret. Then, talked to it like a lover in hopes it would say something in response.

    "Baby,e on, you don¡¯t have to stay asleep. Let your man see what you can do."

    After trying every single conceivable method he could possibly think of, outside of shattering his precious, he fell on his butt in exhaustion. Not physically, but mentally. Perhaps his Cultivation in Qi was just too low to urge to Meteor Ring to awaken. Currently, he possessed a cultivation base at the Initial-Stage of the Qi Revolving Realm. Even if it may be low, it still meant he was an official cultivator.

    The Qi Realms, as he knows of it, were divided into the six Core Realms, three Foundational Realms. The Core Realms consisting of Qi Foundation, Qi Revolving, Essence Formation, Qi Unification, Origin Core, and True Essence. These are the realms that typically determines one¡¯sbat prowess, while the foundational realms determine the depth of the Core Realms. After Essence Formation Realm is the first two Foundational Realm - Dantian Refinement & Pathway Expansion respectively.

    Dantian Refinement is as it seems, one refines the Dantian ¡ª that which holds Qi ¡ª to contain more Qi which enhances one¡¯s endurance. Pathway Expansion refines the meridians & Qi pathways to enhance the speed of absorption of essence, refinement of essence, pathways durability, Qi cirction, and Qi recovery.

    The third Foundational Realm is after the True Essence Realm, the Crimson Star Realm. Which further refines one¡¯s heart into a newly developed Dantian to hold more Qi, enhancing its durability and storage to act as a second Dantian. Which leads to the metamorphosis of the heart, producing a True Heart Star. Each of the Realms is divided into four stages - Initial, Mid, Late, and Peak. However, Foundational Realms can achieve a breakthrough into the next realm at simply the initial-stage, making them unique, but by doing so one loses the ability to enhance their Qi Foundation forever. The average Cultivator ignored the Foundational Realms due to the high costs for progression.

    Therefore, perhaps to urge the Meteor Ring, Yan Zaizen required a much higher cultivation base than the initial-stage Qi Revolving. A soft sigh resounded filled with resignation and grievance. Currently, hisckluster cultivation was due to actions in his younger years. Yan Jizen & Ya Qinqan were at the Initial Essence Formation Realm, while he remained an entire Realm below despite being the same age as them. He¡¯s remained stuck in this stage for eight years, and now he¡¯s sixteen.

    Recalling all of these events that lead up to this result made him descend into depression once more. He lowered his head in sadness. It was why he liked to be alone, away from the mocking sneers, the harsh insults, and the ring ¡ª almost blinding ¡ª eyes of disappointment. It was as if he had a distinctive stench of failure. The stench of trash.

    Suddenly, he rapidly moved his lowered head to the side, almost reflectively. A wasp with a mission just attempted to strike him with its sharp stinger right in the face. However, instinctively, he dodged. His eyes turned to this wasp that seemed hell-bent on striking him buzz around in wild patterns. He looked at this wasp in amusement. "You want to harm this daddy?" Just as he was about to send this wasp to its wasp afterlife, he stopped.

    Then, his eyes widened!

    Impossible!

    He didn¡¯t notice it before, but his senses had been enhanced to an almost unnatural degree. Although Cultivators typically had enhanced senses, this mostly rted to energy perception, but not rting to the five senses. Only Body Cultivators, who refine their bodies, typically have enhanced sight, sound, smell, hearing, and touch. Yan Zaizen was no Body Cultivator, evident by his scrawny appearance.

    Then...

    His eyes widened into the size of suns, and he now realized that he could observe his entire surroundings. Not just visually see in front of him, but FEEL what¡¯s around him.

    "...Spiritual Sense?"

 Chapter 4 Spiritual Sense

    The sensation of omnipresence, no matter how limited, was extraordinary to anyone. Yan Zaizen, like many cultivators of his city, did not practice Soul Cultivation for many reasons. Yet, he possessed spiritual sense. Spiritual sense maintains a direct connection while transmitting the information to the mind in real-time. This would give one an often mistaken sensation like their five sensory perceptions have been enhanced but in truth, it only gives that impression.

    However, Soul Cultivation required specific materials or soul-attributed essence. Unlike standard essence liquid or crystals, which utilizes the world¡¯s all-present and varied essences to cultivate qi, Soul Cultivation¡¯s soul-attributed essence was far rarer and more difficult to obtain.

    If you had a variant soul, then cultivating the soul typically had other requirements that could be filled rather than soul-attributed essence. Unfortunately, he did not possess one - at least to his knowledge.

    So one can imagine his bewilderment.

    The angry wasp didn¡¯t seem to forget its intentions as it dived towards Yan Zaizen with fury, little did Yan Zaizen know that when he ran earlier, he had almost stomped this little wasp to death. However, when he went unconscious and started glowing with an unknown glow, the wasp turned tail and ran without even conceiving the notion of revenge. Then, Yan Zaizen woke up and the wasp had found his enemy once more. Unlike before, he didn¡¯t have the ck light surrounding him, thus it decided to strike!

    Unfortunately for the wasp, due to Yan Zaizen¡¯s enhanced perception and current cultivation, it was far from being Yan Zaizen¡¯s match. A wave of the hand and a surge of Qiter left the wasp without its life.

    "Incredible!" Still shocked by his discovery, he couldn¡¯t help but direct his gaze to the Meteor Ring. Was it because of this? Being unfamiliar with the concept of Soul Cultivation, he didn¡¯t know how much he¡¯d progressed, but he could actively sense his surroundings of up to one hundred meters around, and passively feel the surroundings of about three to four meters. If he focused in a single direction, even reaching five hundred meters was possible!

    Unfortunately, only grass and hills were around and no pretty girls, otherwise he¡¯d hope to use this new perception for...better things. However, he fully intends to do so when he returns. A mischievous grin couldn¡¯t help but form on his face.

    An idea formed in his little head after a while. Perhaps...

    He sent his newly acquired Spiritual Sense into the ring, and suddenly felt that his surroundings were no longer filled with just grass and hills, but a myriad of colorful and random assortment of items. It was like his perception was split, one outside and one inside the ring. His soul form, a characteristic that only Soul Cultivators possess, seemed to take shape inside the ring. Soul Forms is ssified as the body of your soul and determines its structure, characteristics, and status of your soul. Seeing his soul form, he felt odd.

    He was like a thin light. There was no silhouette of himself, but more so just a thin, squiggly line of light. He could see around the inside of the ring and even move at almost unsurpassable speeds inside, but it felt a little underwhelming being a line of light. Was this his soul? He¡¯d never seen storage ring where one can send their soul into. Most storage rings were constructed using spatial-attributed essence and materials to create a small pocket world, this pocket world can then be interacted with using one¡¯s Qi. Spiritual Sense wasn¡¯t required.

    However, this ring obviously required it for usage.

    From what little he did know of Soul Cultivation, it was divided into three aspects: Spiritual Sense, Soul Form, and Soul me. Spiritual Sense is awareness, Soul Form is one¡¯s soul body, and Soul me is the energy source that powers the Spiritual Sense and allows one¡¯s Soul Form to maintain itself. The Soul me is an essential aspect of Soul Cultivation, as it determines the strength of one¡¯s soul, and any damage to it essentially means damage to one¡¯s core existence.

    He couldn¡¯t see his soul me in this form. It didn¡¯t surprise him much, cause he didn¡¯t know much about cultivation rting to the soul, but it still gave him a start. He decided to put this at the back of his mind, and focus elsewhere.

    Like, the stuff in the ring.

    The ring seemed to be boundlessly vast, but only a very small area was upied. Looking around, he could see a myriad of different items. From liquids to crystals, to random stuff he didn¡¯t recognize like a piece of inky ck wood, apass that radiated a slight white light and a few books. The inky ck wood gave him a sensation of death, so he stayed away lest he loses his poor little life carelessly. As for thepass, it was odd, when he picked it up using a strand of soul energy, it opened and revealed apass with six orientating arrows. Typically, apass only has one - pointing north. This one pointed in all directions except directly east and west. It was as if it was missing a double-sided arrow.

    "Odd," he ced it down gently, trying to not do anything he¡¯d regret. Turning to the books, he picked one up and they all seemed to radiate a sensation of ancientness, and it gave him a weird feeling. I mean, how many times does one actually feel ancientness? The first book was titled in anguage he didn¡¯t understand, but it had a violet cover and only a single silver dot at its center. Flipping through it and feeling uneducated, he tossed it aside and picked up another. The second was the same. Once again, feeling like these books were mocking him for hisck of knowledge, it was thrown to the side.

    The following books all meet the same fate, each one was more violently thrown in frustration than the other. Until he came across thest book. It had a muscr male figure on the cover, but the figure was entirely white as if shaded thoroughly. The characters on the top read: Immortal Herculean Method. Immortal?!

    That word shot into Yan Zaizen¡¯s mind like a firework. Did this book lead to immortality? He didn¡¯t hesitate to open it. When he did, he felt like someone yed a prank on him. The book was nk. Each page held nothing but nk whiteness that left one frustrated. It was as if the greatest secrets of the world were written on the page and someone wiped it clean.

    "Shit! You bastard, if I get my hands on...wait." He realized he was inside the Meteor Ring, and well, wouldn¡¯t that mean the Meteor Ring was the one who wiped it? He let out a sigh of resignation. Well, since it was useless, he was going to toss it aside very violently. He pumped his soul energy into the book to get a good grasp of it so he could chuck it to the edges of this boundless space. However, the moment he did, the book vanished from his soul form¡¯s grasp and sank deep into his soul form.

    "What?" Bewildered, he looked at his soul form to see a small white crystal located within. Initially, it just stood there. After a while, he started spinning rapidly within his soul form dispersing little motes of light into it. Surprisingly, there was no pain, no sensation outside of feeling a little full. Thus, he remained calm.

    It had been about an hour before the crystal stopped its spinning. It shot out of his soul, leaving countless motes of light, and turned back into that once nk again book. During this hour, he just went about and explored the area. Outside of the odd items he couldn¡¯t conceive, he realized he was stupid rich. Yes, stupidly rich.

    The liquids and crystals in the ring were Essences!

    Essence is a vital part of cultivation. Essentially, everything has essence within it. World Essence is the Essence of the World and the mostmon type of Essence that is in abundance throughout the entire myriad realms, even in the air. You have elemental-types of essence, which contains essence of the natural elements orws. Condensed essence has three forms - air, liquid, and crystal. Each form has different grades, ranging from Low, Mid, and High.

    World Essence Liquid was the mostmon form of currency in the myriad realms. Typically, the liquid form is used to recover energy, enhance one¡¯s cultivation, strengthen one¡¯s body using various methods, power formations/arrays, used in alchemy and armament creation. While crystals were even more valuable, let alone World Essence that is attributed, those are worth beyond one¡¯s imagination. They could be used to greater effect than liquid essence. A substantial part of the resources withheld from him by the n was predominantly essence liquids.

    The Qi Revolving Realm requires an abundant amount of World Essence to convert it into Qi, erging one¡¯s Qi Revolving and strengthening one¡¯s cultivation. It was this detail that left him stranded in the initial-Stage of the Qi Revolving Realm for eight whole years. If he possessed abundant resources, disregarding hisckluster talent, reaching the peak-Stage of the Qi Revolving Realm would¡¯ve been quite easy in those eight years. However, he¡¯d given up his resources to Ya Qinqan for less than a decade of his life, leaving him stuck with this weak cultivation base.

    Now, however, he was beyond wealthy!

    There must be almost ten thousand drops of liquid essence and one hundred crystal essence. To further his excitement, he can tell that none of these essences were of the Low-grade! He was rich, baby!

 Chapter 5 Immortal Herculean Method

    "Shit! Why you doing this to me, baby?!" He looked towards the ring on his finger with frustration between his brows. Just when he thought he¡¯d struck it rich with the essences in the ring, he realized one major problem - he had no means to remove it. He racked his head repeatedly in an attempt to extract the objects out of the ring, even to the point where his newly acquired soul energy ran out, ejecting him from the ring, and giving him one hell of a headache. This put a damper on his dreams of enjoying immense wealth.

    He even had a dream of walking into an auction one day and bidding on everything whileughing. As the frustrated stares of the poor looked towards him in anger while their gazes contained heavy envy at his capability. All of that seems to be like a joke now.

    He sighed in resignation and noticed daylight was fading as the sun descended down the horizon. It was time to return home. Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t realize that he¡¯d spent three full days out in the middle of nowhere, and thus wasn¡¯t really in a rush to go home. Rationalizing it up to this point, he decided to walk fairly slowly back to Meteorite City.

    He felt exhausted anyhow, especially in regards to his soul. He¡¯d never felt exhausted spiritually before. It was fundamentally different than physical or mental exhaustion. Physical makes it feel like your body burns at parts from overexertion, while mental feels like you¡¯ve been hit with a bountiful injection of need-to-sleep. However, spiritual exhaustion felt more like a tingling feeling all-around andck of awareness. Before, he could sense the surroundings rather clearly, but now things were slightly blurry and dibobted. Like, the sky was obviously above him, but he felt like it wasn¡¯t.

    It was simply a strange sensation.

    It wasn¡¯t one he liked, but it wasn¡¯t so bad. He could still walk, albeit slouched, and his physical body and mental capabilities were still functioning. In truth, Yan Zaizen assumed mental and spiritual had little difference until he unlocked his Spiritual Sense. To him, it¡¯s like Spiritual Sense was connected to the five senses, but the five senses weren¡¯t connected to Spiritual Sense. If he used his Spiritual Sense to observe his surroundings, he¡¯ll receive what he¡¯d normally see with his eyes. But if he looked at something with his eyes, he wouldn¡¯t be perceiving it with his sense. It was definitely something one had to get used to.

    He had a lot of time to think about things, including the Meteor Ring. After some time, he finally remembered the motes of light that were emitted into his soul by the book. He couldn¡¯t figure out what those motes of light were or why the book-turned-crystal sent them into his soul. Earlier, he was too distracted by the concept of wealth and how quickly it was out of his reach that he didn¡¯t put much thought into it.

    Looking back, those motes of light originated from the book and entered his soul. Speaking logically, perhaps the contents of the book that had nk pages entered his soul. If so, what does that mean? How can he get ess to it? Thinking deeply, he decided to revisit his Spiritual Sense, even if he felt spiritually exhausted. His Spiritual Sense turned inwards. That felt beyond weird. It was as if he was peering into his body and soul. He could observe his heartbeat, the pulsations of his lungs, the inner-workings of his intestines, and even the light thumping of his brain. He learned quite a bit about the human anatomy on that alone. He almost felt like he was observing another person rather than himself.

    He had one word for that: Incredible.

    Putting his miraculous discovery of self-observation aside, he put more emphasis on his Spiritual Sense on his soul form - that squiggly line. He could see the motes of light. With a thought, the sense surged inside the soul form and touched the motes of light.

    Almost immediately, he stopped in ce.

    A flood of information surged from his soul to his spiritual sense to his brain. It was that sensation from before, where he felt like his spiritual sense was connected to his brain, but his brain wasn¡¯t connected to his spiritual sense or otherwise - the soul.

    "Immortal Herculean Method, first level: Nascent Herculean Physique. Immortal Herculean Method, second level: Grand Herculean Physique.¡¯¡¯ He whispered the information he received from the motes of light. They detailed the Immortal Herculean Method and its subsequent training practices and characteristics. However, what really drew his attention was the first description of the technique: ¡¯Be an Immortal Herculean! Exceed the heavens, and shatter the sky!¡¯

    How tyrannical!

    To exceed the heavens! How many people can put that into their technique¡¯s description. It felt ludicrous even thinking about it. Yan Zaizen, however, was ecstatic. Body Cultivation was seen through the myriad realms as an auxiliary form of cultivation, simr to alchemy, soul cultivation, or armament creation. Essentially, it¡¯s done often but rarely do people focus purely on it. Qi Cultivation has always been the main form of cultivation in the myriad realms, every race across all realms use Qi Cultivation, even if they may have different names for it, they all primarily cultivate energy.

    Even Yan Zaizen has done the bare minimum of Body Cultivation, and albeit it¡¯s not much, it has helped him enter the Qi Revolving Realm. Unlike Qi Cultivation with clearly defined limits of strengths and weaknesses, Body Cultivation is unique to each method in its strengths and weaknesses. They are typically divided by levels, but levels are not equal. For example, if the Immortal Herculean Method was as heaven-defying as it seems, then the first level may exceed another method¡¯s seven levels.

    Looking at it more, it seems the Immortal Herculean Method was divided into five levels and four stages of sess. The stages are ssified as Initial Sess, Minor Sess, Major Sess, and Perfection. The Immortal Herculean Method sure was incredible. As he continued to mentally perceive the instructions and characteristics of this method, he couldn¡¯t help but gasp and rapidly pant.

    The Nascent Immortal Physique was a method where one directly wrested control of their body¡¯s natural limiters and removed them. This would enable one¡¯s physique to reach a state of perfection, and different races had different levels of strength in regards to each stage of sess. However, from the Initial Sess Stage was determined to, at a minimum, be as strong as a Peak Qi Revolving Realm Cultivator! That was just the first stage! Not to mention the entire level.

    If one reached Perfection, their strength would rival a Qi Unification Cultivator. This was the same level as the upper echelons of his own n. The true caveat of the entire method was its description of possessing the ability to elerate healing.

    He couldn¡¯t help butugh loudly. He felt exceptionally good at the moment. This method of cultivation required no special resources or physique-type, simply the will and proper method. That meant he could just jump right into cultivating the method without any dy and advance all the way to the Perfection Stage without any external support.

    He didn¡¯t take to heart the part that required an exceptional will and its emphasis on it. Yan Zaizen was simply lost in his own thoughts of greatness and how he¡¯ll soar the skies with dazzling majesty. The peasants beneath his feet will shiver at his strength. The women would quiver at his sight in excitement.

    "Hahaha!" He couldn¡¯t hold hisughter any longer and faced the sky with an overly pleased expression. If one saw it and knew his thoughts, they may want to just walk up and p him - harshly.

    "Hm?" Hisughter stopped abruptly as he turned towards the horizon. He felt a strange sensation in the air, like a sensation of imminent death. Yan Zaizen had never felt this sensation so clearly, even while he was being chased ferociously by that meteor. It was like his instincts, his very soul, was firing on all cylinders to inform him of impending danger. However, there was nothing for miles. Deciding to be cautious with his little life, he started to pick up the pace, but doing so had the opposite effect. He felt even more danger.

    He sped up and the sensation increased. He transitioned from a fast walk to a jog to a run to a full-blown sprint and finally, it was as if he was flying across the surface of the grass. His Qi urged to the maximum of its capabilities and fueled his mad dash to safety, but nothing worked. He wished he had cultivated the Immortal Herculean Method at this moment, but if one wished for it then one simply doesn¡¯t have it.

    Abruptly, a sh of resplendent silver light appeared over the horizon.

 Chapter 6 Trapped!

    The silver light over the horizon caused Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes to constrict and his heart to palpitate. He knew where his sensation of imminent crisis originated from. However, upon seeing the silver light, his body froze. He tried urging his body to move, to survive, but it refused to budge. It was almost as if his soul was telling his body to stay still and obey its will. The feeling was almost as strange as the self-observation from earlier.

    "Hahahahaha! Still wish to run?!" Laughter filled with malevolent will surged across tens of miles in distance. Yan Zaizen urged his utmost strength to turn his head to see its source, only to see several blips of light from the horizon speeding towards his direction and bingrger.

    "Shit!" Yan Zaizen shouted. At this moment, his struggles to rid himself of this strange paralysis intensified only to be met with failure. His bones uttered cracking sounds, but his body didn¡¯t budge an inch. He could only watch as the blips of light flew over to reveal what surprised him even further.

    A group of people wearing simr martial attires were being chased by a dirty old man whoughed at the sky with a scythe in hand. The dirty old man was dressedpletely in ck, his eyes seemed overly sunken and almost unhealthy shade of pale-white covered his face, but his body released a tyrannical aura. His teeth were sparkling white, lips thin, and body seemed to be frail - reminiscent of Yan Zaizen¡¯s scrawny physique. The most notable feature was the glowing orb emitting resplendent and pulsating smoky light into the air from the man¡¯s dantian.

    Origin Core Realm!!!

    His heart released erratic heartbeats from this realization.

    Meteorite City was a rtivelyrge city with influence in the country of Presba, and not a single member has reached the Origin Core Realm. In Presba, he could only imagine the top ns and sects in the country would possess such domineering experts. The upper-echelons of his n, even his grandfather, were only at the peak of the Qi Unification Realm. The Origin Core Realm was essentially a legend in his eyes and not once did he ever think he¡¯d witness one with his eyes. Their status was lofty; their strength, insidiously powerful.

    He didn¡¯t have much time to think on this revtion any longer as the group of experts who were running stopped just above him several hundred feet in the air, and they ignored his existence like a human ignores an ant. Don¡¯t get him wrong, he loved this, but hated that they had to stop where he was. Do they want to take his little life in their battle?

    The experts¡¯ expressions were odd as they stopped, they looked around here and they then turned their eyes towards the dirty old man, who stopped just a few dozen meters from them whileughing. They seemed to be surprised, and their eyes hid a deep-seated level of fear. One of the experts spoke, "A formation?" This expert, unlike the others, had only vignce in his eyes - no fear.

    "You like it?" The dirty old man said with rxed andughing expression. It would seem as if he was just asking an old friend about how they liked his new tool or home. However, the expert couldn¡¯t help but retort, "Han Genji, do you really wish to go against my Soaring Cloud Sect?!" His tone held a hint of arrogance and aggression.

    Soaring Cloud Sect?!

    Yan Zaizen knew of the Soaring Cloud Sect, just like he knew of the Water Veil Sect. They were, with three others, apart of the Five Great Sects of Presba. The Soaring Cloud Sect had extraordinary prowess in cultivation and had a varied and agile number of methods. They weren¡¯t the weakest of the Five Great Sects either, and they definitely had Origin Core Realm experts holding the fort.

    The Five Great Sects of Presba were the Soaring Cloud Sect, Water Veil Sect, Earthly Titan Sect, Vanishing Fiend Sect, and Solitary Sword Sect. With the Solitary Sword Sect at the forefront of strength, they were extraordinary enough to possess enormous influence over the entire country. However, the five sects didn¡¯t just inspire awe inside Yan Zaizen, but also a little bit of sadness. If recalled, Ya Qinqan¡¯s dream of entering the female-only Water Veil Sect led to him giving her everything he had to realize her dream only to marry another. Yan Jinzen was also attempting to join the Soaring Cloud Sect. Thus, his feelings were undoubtedlyplex.

    In response to the Soaring Cloud expert¡¯s words, the dirty old man simply shed his teeth in a sinister smile that seemed to send a cold chill down one¡¯s spine.

    Witnessing this, the Soaring Cloud expert expression fell, and the others around him had the fear in their eyes intensify. Now they were caught in his formation, and it just meant their current predicament had been a premeditated act. Escaping with their lives may very well be a dream unless they were willing to pay an exceptional cost.

    "Fine. I, Gao Shiyan, shall fight you to the death." As he said this, a sword inexplicably revealed itself in his hands. The tightening of the hilt of his de only revealed his fluctuating emotions, despite his calm expression. However, the dirty old man simplyughed, "With just you? Hahaha!" The others realized the situation and adjusted their positioning rather quickly; each of them glowed with a resplendent smoky silver light that interconnected with each other, and then a brighter light poured into Gao Shiyan¡¯s body. Gao Shiyan¡¯s expression turned even calmer, and his grip on his sword tightened to the point where it resounded even to Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes.

    However, seeing this, the dirty old man ¡ª named Han Genji ¡ª simply shook his head. His eyes brimmed with yful amusement and a hint of pity. Unaffected by their attempts at establishing a formation, he began to finally take the initiative to speak. "You all chased me under the shade of being righteous and ridding this world of evil, but didn¡¯t you just want my life for your own gains? Now that I¡¯ve ascended to the Origin Core Realm, you want to retreat and even bargain for your lives? Howughable! What a good dream, what a good Soaring Cloud Sect!"

    His tone held grievance, and it seems like he had a thousand words to say, but could only say these. Gao Shiyan, however, just readied his Qi. From Yan Zaizen¡¯s perspective, he was familiar with the level of Qi pulsation, it was at the Qi Unification Realm, and likely not at the initial-stage, but a realm excellently cultivated. Normally, Yan Zaizen wouldn¡¯t be able to notice the difference, but with his soul having properly ascended to a cultivated status, it allowed his memory and sensations of before to be more vivid.

    The others around Gao Shiyan also possessed a simr aura of Qi Unification, but considerably weaker. Likely, they were at the Initial or mid-stage.

    At this point, Yan Zaizen determined a few things from their exchange. Firstly, he was currently in a formation. It makes sense that rarely any lifeforms were in this area except rather weak ones, and why no one evenes to these isted ins. It was simply that he never perceived it. Secondly, this formation has trapped not only him but also them. It seems he¡¯s been restricted from moving due to his low cultivation while they are likely weakened and understood running away was an impossibility within this formation. Third, they were going to fight to the death right here.

    Lastly, it¡¯s likely he¡¯ll lose his little life in the ensuing chaos.

 Chapter 7 Absolute Slaughter

    Yan Zaizen wanted to cry but no- wait, he was crying. The tears flowed from his eyes at his misfortune of today. First, a meteor with a mission chased him down like a criminal by the authorities. Then, a wasp tried to sting him in the face for god knows what, and albeit he did get his revenge for that act, he felt that the world was against him. Not to mention, when he found an almost heaven-ss fortune, but could only weep as he had no way to obtain it.

    Now, this.

    Who wouldn¡¯t cry at all this? It was like the heavens were taunting him one after another for fun. Well, screw the heavens! Screw this dirty old man! Screw this formation! Screw this ring! He felt beyond aggrieved like a beautiful virgin taken forcefully in the night by a bandit. Why did this have to happen to him?

    Regardless of his aggrieved state, not a single person in the area paid attention to him or his wallows. Han Genji looked towards the Soaring Cloud experts with a slight smile filled with sinister intentions as he brandished his scythe of death.

    The time for talking was over.

    Seven Qi Unification experts versus one Origin Core Realm expert. This will be the highest form ofbat that Yan Zaizen had ever witnessed, so since he was going to die, either way, he decided to pay full attention to this show and await the time when one of the ripples of energy wipes him out in body and soul.

    However, man presumes and the heavensugh.

    Han Genji vanished like a shadow dissipating in the sun. Gao Shiyan didn¡¯t panic but radiated a unique oppressive aura around himself that pressed against the surroundings. The grass directly beneath him was pressed tightly to the ground, and Yan Zaizen who were directly below them felt this overwhelming force. Gravity! It was a Gravity-based Art. Luckily, it seems it wasn¡¯t too strong and thus Yan Zaizen wasn¡¯t crushed to blood paste.

    Han Genji didn¡¯t reappear, and this obviously left Gao Shiyan further vignt of his surroundings. Currently, he was in the formation of his opponent. This left him at an obvious disadvantage, even if one disregarded Han Genji¡¯s cultivation.

    "Ahhhhh!" A shriek of intense horror resounded in the surroundings, causing all the cloud experts to look towards the source. What they saw left them in utter horror.

    One of their members had his body split in half. Not horizontally, but vertically. He was still screaming somewhat as the two halves of his body slowly lost their support in mid-air.

    Eh?

    Yan Zaizen, the one who was watching this all, was genuinely surprised. Then, horrified.

    As a cultivator, one experiences danger, and quite often. However, what horrified him wasn¡¯t the battle or gruesome sight of the person¡¯s organs and blood spraying all over him. No, that did surprise and terrify him to the extreme, but what truly left him quite literally pissing his pants was the Soaring Cloud experts.

    Besides Gao Shiyan...all of them didn¡¯t notice that their heads were spinning!

    They had curious and vignt looks, but not one of them released a single sound of their beheading. It was as if they didn¡¯t realize their lives were reaped.

    What the fuck!

    These were Qi Unification experts! The same level of cultivation as his own elders of his n, and yet this happened. He couldn¡¯t reconcile his mind, and his scalp numbed at the sight. His breathing became exacerbated by the events and caused the flowing blood from the air that fell to fall into his mouth. What more, he didn¡¯t even realize it himself. Pants pissed, organs falling from the sky, blood flowing like a river towards him, and he was paralyzed. This situation felt like a nightmare.

    It was only a few secondster that Gao Shiyan noticed his beheadedpanions when he saw several geysers of blood spray upward from their necks violently. Blood, a lot of it, got on him due to their close proximity. His expression went from calmness to curiosity toprehension to surprise and finally, absolute horror. A reminder, Gao Shiyan had his aura surrounding the area, and he didn¡¯t even perceive their deaths. This left his scalp tingling and his heart pulsating with fear.

    As a veteran expert, he didn¡¯t even consider fighting this monster any longer. He knew without his allies, he had zero chance, and the fact that they died under his watch meant even with them there was a zero chance. He needed to survive. To hell with anything and everything else. His body lite up with a resplendent brown-gold glow filled with the essence of gravity as he burned his Qi Essence. It was as if his body was on fire - a brown-gold fire. His aura pressed so hard that Yan Zaizen¡¯s body immediatelyid t on the ground and his bones continuously being fractured.

    Gao Shiyan didn¡¯t hesitate and executed what seemed to be a forbidden art as his body grew older in seconds, and like aet of light, he shot outwards with imperceptible speeds. Yan Zaizen couldn¡¯t see him any longer, and from the beginning to end, he didn¡¯t even see that dirty old man, Han Genji.

    "Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!!!" A scream of horror resounded, one that obviously originated from Gao Shiyan. One unbefitting a veteran expert in Yan Zaizen¡¯s imagination. Unfortunately, he couldn¡¯t look back due to the pressure on his body and thus could only hear the constant screams of Gao Shiyan from behind him. He could, however, hear his words.

    "Please, Han Genji, don¡¯t do this! We cane to an agreement!" His pleading tone grew more and more desperate as his blood-curdling screams didn¡¯t stop one bit. However, all Yan Zaizen can hear besides the screams was a malevolentughter that seems to want to send one¡¯s soul down the cold-embrace of hell.

    Then, nothing.

    The screaming andughter stopped, even the pressure on Yan Zaizen¡¯s body stopped. His bones were in a mess, and he couldn¡¯t even move if he wanted to. His Qi was gone at this point, using everyst ounce of it to resist the pressure from earlier. The only reason he didn¡¯t lose consciousness at this point because of his soul cultivation maintaining his awareness.

    Suddenly, a plop sound resounded near his face. He could see in front of him was a still beating heart like someone had just torn it out of someone¡¯s chest. The still-beating heart pumped blood and sttered more blood on his face. His pupils turned into a needle-point. A sensation of danger emerged in his heart.

    "Oh?" Han Genji¡¯s voice resounded. It held a bit of curiosity and interest. Yan Zaizen couldn¡¯t help but want to look his to-be-murderer in the eyes, so he struggled with all his might to see the man¡¯s face. However, when he did, he felt like his entire being had just descended into hell. This dirty old man gave him the feel of a death god. His life and death were no longer under his control, and this was an eerie sensation. One he had never felt before.

    "Initial Qi Revolving? Hm." Han Genji¡¯s sunken eyes looked at him, and he felt like that he waspletely naked. His entire existence wasid bare by those eyes. For a second, he was even thinking of pleading for his life, hoping someone of Han Genji¡¯s status wouldn¡¯t wipe out his existence. He knew it was wishful thinking, and if you wished for it - it¡¯s unlikely to happen.

    "Soul Cultivator? Nascent-Level...Advanced?!" Those words caused Yan Zaizen to be surprised. Nascent-level? Advanced? What did those mean? Did that mean his soul was advanced?

    Aughter broke him out of his stupor, and as he regarded Han Genji once more, he couldn¡¯t help but be in disbelief. He could see...excitement in his eyes. What did that mean?

 Chapter 8 Kidnapped?

    This can¡¯t be happening! Yan Zaizen thoughts were in a state ofplete chaos. He couldn¡¯t help but recall what just happened earlier. Han Genji simplyughed, grabbed him by the neck with a w of the hand, and took to the skies. The surroundings that were once filled with grassy ins and knolls sped past in a blur. Despite that, with his body already being broken already, he didn¡¯t even feel that he was flying in the sky. In truth, it was slightlyckluster.

    It was more like he was a passenger on a fast-moving train, which confused him even more. To his knowledge, only those whose reached the Qi Unification Realm can achieve flight, and although those in the Essence Formation can levitate - they can¡¯t do so for long. So he always had fantasies about flying, but upon experiencing, he felt it truly was a little disappointing.

    Just when Yan Zaizen intended to blurt out a question those this dirty old man hauling him towards the unknown like a baby chick, Han Genji spoke. "To have a Nascent Soul Form, and at the Advanced Stage no less at your age is interesting."

    Yan Zaizen was surprised by his words once more and further confused. Nascent Soul Form? Advanced Stage? He simply was unfamiliar with soul cultivation besides the most rudimentary-level of knowledge; thus, these words were no different than anothernguage to him. He didn¡¯t know where Nascent Soul Form was at or what Advanced Stage meant. For example, Qi Cultivation had 4 stages(Initial, Mid, Late, and Peak) but the Immortal Herculean Method had 4 levels of sess(Initial, Minor, Major, and Perfection). As for soul cultivation? Lord knows what Advanced Stage meant.

    Han Genji turned his sunken eyes towards Yan Zaizen, only to witness his distinct confusion. He furrowed his brows in contemtion. "It seems you don¡¯t know anything about cultivating the soul. Haha, how interesting. Many would love having your level of soul cultivation, but you don¡¯t even understand its significance." He was obviously amused at Yan Zaizen¡¯s ignorance which left Yan Zaizen frowning in dissatisfaction but continued, "Soul Cultivation is divided into five levels and three stages. Nascent, Aurora, Astral, Divine, and Immortal are the five levels. Initial, Advanced, and Perfection are the three stages."

    Immortal? Does that mean one has an immortal soul?! Yan Zaizen¡¯s thoughts spurred at his words. If he cultivated both the Immortal Herculean Method to perfection and reached the Immortal Soul Level...would he have an immortal body & soul?! Can immortality be achieved like this? One can imagine why his mind was filled with these thoughts - who wouldn¡¯t want immortality?

    Looking at Yan Zaizen¡¯s odd expressions caused Han Genji to loudlyugh. "Soul Cultivation is divided into three aspects: Soul Form, Soul me, and Spiritual Sense." Taking a pause to gather his thoughts while ensuring Yan Zaizen was listening, he continued, "Soul Form is the body of your soul and determines its structure, characteristics, and status of your soul while protecting your Soul me from external forces. Soul me is the me of your soul and all its energy is emitted or drawn from it, and all the essence of you, memories, feelings, and whatnot are stored here. If damaged or destroyed, well goodnight. Spiritual Sense is one¡¯s awareness of the world outside of the confines of one¡¯s five normal senses, directly connected to them and transmits to the brain."

    Hearing all this, his understanding of his soul strength and characteristics he explored earlier made a lot more sense. But he couldn¡¯t help but feel grievances when he learned that soul form determines the structure and characteristics of one¡¯s soul. Wouldn¡¯t that mean his soul was a weak thin squiggly line. He pouted.

    Wait.

    He just realized he hadn¡¯t felt an ounce of pain since his neck was seized by this dirty old man, otherwise, how could he be so leisurely at the moment? His bones were shattered. He understood not feeling it at the moment due to shock and adrenaline, but now he was absolutely calm. "My body?"

    Han Genji couldn¡¯t help butugh even louder than before. "Don¡¯t worry, I can¡¯t let you die just yet."

    Hearing those words, Yan Zaizen calmed down a little. It seems that Han Genji was doing something to his body where he wouldn¡¯t feel the excruciating pain from his broken state. He was slightly thankful, but then realized thetter part of his words - just yet.

    He sighed in resignation.

    When your life and death no longer belongs to you, it truly makes one depressed.

    Recognizing the situation going this direction, he decided to look at this dirty old man with resolve. "Please make my death painless," He begged. It¡¯s not that he wanted to die, but he just didn¡¯t want to suffer a painful death - quick and painless greatly preferred.

    "Hahahaha! Kill you? Are you even worthy?" Han Genjiughed with utter disdain as his request. It was as if killing a little Qi Revolving Cultivator personally would taint his status as a powerful cultivator.

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes lite up in response. He originally hoped that Han Genji would spare his poor little life due to his strength and status, but this confused him further. If he wasn¡¯t going to kill himter, then why did he snatch him and even removed the pain he should be experiencing? "Then, what do you want?" Cautiously asking, he observed the dirty old man¡¯s expression only to find out he simply smiled and continuedughing.

    Does this dirty old man ever stop smiling? It wasn¡¯t like it made him look anything but creepy.

    "Simple. You¡¯ll be my Ninth Disciple."

    What?

    Why?

    "Why?" He blurted out subconsciously.

    Han Genji stopped smiling and looked at him with a sharp gaze that sent shivers down his spine. Then, once again, a sinister smile lifted on his lips, "Because I desire it. Unless...you have objections?"

    No. No. No.

    Objections?

    Do you mean death wish?

    Sir, I have none of that, and I want none of it.

    Yan Zaizen shook his head vigorously in response.

    "Good! Good! Hahaha!" This dirty old man had more faces than an Asura.

 Chapter 9 Arriving Home

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s feelings were ratherplex at the moment. For most cultivators, they should feel ecstatic for being chosen as a disciple of an Origin Core Realm cultivator; however, he didn¡¯t feel happy. If anything, he felt more so helpless. Happy that his little life was safe for the moment, sad that he was essentially being kidnapped and threatened, while scared if this dirty old man would see through his fortune, albeit not obtainable by him, and rob him of it. Soplex that his nerves were essentially being chopped to pieces with each random chuckle or shed smile from this dirty old man.

    "Where are we going?" He asked.

    "Home." Han Genji replied.

    Home? Where was this home?

    Another helpless sigh resounded as he recalled that his home was getting further and further away.

    Han Genji¡¯s brow perked up, as he looked to the east. He directly pressed some of his Qi into Yan Zaizen¡¯s body which directly and deliberately made him lose consciousness. Since his life and death were in Han Ganji¡¯s hands, Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t even feel his consciousness being silenced.

    "You talk too much." Han Ganji muttered while frowning. Han Genji ceased his high-speed flight and maintained his status in mid-air. He silently waited, only moving Yan Zaizen¡¯s position from being dragged around by his w-hand to putting him over his shoulder like a sack of sand. He looked indifferent to the fact that Yan Zaizen was drenched in fresh blood which still dripped towards the ground below.

    A whileter, a figure radiating a faint trace of fiendish ck light appeared from the eastern horizon. The speed of this figure was astonishing, only taking it a few seconds before directly appearing in front of Han Genji.

    The figure was revealed to be a fiendishly handsome man looking no less than 25-26 years of age. He wore violet robes, had short ck hair, violet pupils, and had a familiar shade of pale. If one looked rather closely, despite the violet pupils, the rest of this man¡¯s facial features were slightly reminiscent of Han Genji¡¯s. His aura, however, felt more akin to a demon who escaped hell. It was very difficult to feel safe around someone emitting such a demonic aura.

    "Elder Brother." Han Genji¡¯s words were sharp and carried a hint of indifference. From this, one could tell their rtionship weren¡¯t friendly. However, in regards to this tone, it seemed that this older brother - Han Zhenji - didn¡¯t take it to heart.

    He only replied lightly with, "Did you obtain it?"

    Han Genji and his brother, Han Zhenji, stared at each other for quite some time. The tensions between them gradually started intensifying, and one could definitely see a hidden story between them.

    "What do you think?" Han Genji countered. His words caused Han Zhenji¡¯s eyes to light up with excitement. Seeing this, Han Genji couldn¡¯t help but sneer in contempt. He waved a hand producing a sleek ck box. The box was small, small enough to fit only a ring, but it radiated a powerful pulsating aura of the world¡¯s essence. A quick toss sent it flying to Han Zhenji, whereby he prompted received it. His eyes looked towards it with traces of tion and, if one looked very closely, anticipation.

    The box vanished in a sh, stored properly within his spatial ring. "Haha, little brother, I must thank you." It was only after obtaining what he desired that he turned to look at the bloodied figure being hauled by Han Genji like a sack of sand. "This is?" He inquired.

    "My disciple." Han Genji¡¯s tone started growing cold. Sensing this, Han Zhenji inquired nothing else but smiled lightly, radiating an aura of a friendly elder brother with good intentions. "Advanced Nascent Soul, it seems like my little brother has found quite a talented one this time. Haha, I must give you my congrattions!"

    "..."

    Still not perturbed by his brother¡¯s attitude, his dantian lit up with the shadow of an Origin Core, but one which radiated an aura even greater than Han Genji¡¯s. Han Genji¡¯s eyes grew even colder in response, his Origin Core¡¯s shadow revealed itself, radiating pure energy, and resplendent ck light faintly surrounded him.

    Whoosh!

    Han Zhenji turned around and departed quicker than he arrived.

    "..."

    --------------------------------------------------------

    About one thousand li away from Meteorite City was a location called the Eight Cmity Range. It was named such because it was surrounded by disaster beasts and eight tall mountains. Therefore, it was beyond dangerous. It was considered to be within the top three of danger zones in the entire country of Presba, situated firmly at number three in the rankings. The main reason for that was because there was a multitude of rank five and six disaster beasts that considered it their home.

    Disaster beasts were ranked from one to nine, with one and two being equivalent to Qi Revolving Cultivators, three and four equivalent to Essence Formation Cultivators, five and six being equivalent to Qi Unification Cultivators, and seven through nine being equivalent to Origin Core Cultivators. This meant there were beasts that could rival even the Yan n¡¯s upper echelon in Meteorite City, and thus the danger could be imagined.

    There are even rumors of there being a rank seven disaster beast ruling over the entire Eight Cmity Range.

    Han Genji flew towards the 3rd mountain to the left, disregarding the myriad of different roars resounding beneath him. For others, this may be considered a danger zone, but to Han Genji - someone in the Origin Core Realm - this was his safe haven, his home. It was his home back when he was still in the Qi Unification Realm, let alone now.

    The mountain range stood roughly 3 li high and was pointed with rough edges like a jagged de. One could tell that battles had taken ce around and even atop this mountain. It was called Kaija Mountain. It was named after a disaster beast that once lived there, but long met its demise.

    Han Genji arrived at a particr spot on the mountainside that seemed ordinary. As he walked towards the mountain, his body seemed like it was entering a body of water, and he vanished from the world. A slight ripple appeared at that spot, the only evidence that something unnatural urred. Even that onlysted several seconds before returning to calm.

    Perfectly concealed in the mountain was his home. The walls were wide with all sorts of ornaments and pirs. The entire inside didn¡¯t seem like a carved cave, but more like a pce hall. The floor was t and smooth, and there was a soft rug line thatid at the entrance of the cavern to arge ck door. Almost as if it was weing its owner back, and bringing him to his room.

    The cave itself was incredibly spacious. It had to be about three hundred meters wide, and twenty meters tall. The walls were adorned with a multitude of simr ck doors - simply smaller in size, and even the atmospheric essence in this room was incredibly dense. The doors themselves weren¡¯t lined up linearly, some were even atop other doors as if it there was a second floor, and a third, and a fourth. One¡¯s first impression, if unfamiliar, would think this was a maze of doors.

    When he arrived, two doors from both sides opened revealing two youths - a male and female. The male wore a smile that seemed ever present as he yelled in greeting, "Wee back, Master!" The female followed behind to give her greeting but in an indifferent and cold voice.

    "Your Ninth Brother is here. Take him to the Earthly Wood Spring." Han Genji said, his mood obviously not at its best. He chucked Yan Zaizen towards the male as if chucking a piece of garbage. The youthful male reacted quite quickly, using his Qi to stabilize Yan Zaizen¡¯s body to retrieve him. "Yes, Master."

    "I¡¯m going into seclusion. Inform me when he wakes up." After saying those few words, he walked straight towards thergest door and entered. The male looked towards the female only to receive not even a nce as she returned back to her quarters. Looking at the mangled and broken Yan Zaizen in his hands, his eyes glinted sharply with suspicion. However, he was diligent in his duties and immediately departed without dy.

 Chapter 10 Shin Xuanji

    "Ugh," Yan Zaizen slowly awoke from state of forced unconsciousness. His entire body felt both itchy and wet as he opened his eyes to survey the room. Observing the room, he saw an emerald color room with a ck door that stood out considerably. The room itself was quiterge, and even with a nce around, he felt that he couldn¡¯t see it all. He was situated in a rather shallow pool of liquid.

    "What¡¯s this?" He lifted up his palm to find green liquid seeping through his fingers. It was reminiscent of water but thicker. It smelled of a unique fragrance that made him feel rxed and safe, like entering the embrace and sce of nature. Despite the itchy feeling on his body, he didn¡¯t feel like it was ufortable, but more so like that itch was constantly being scratched.

    "I¡¯m surprised. With your injuries, I thought it¡¯d take longer." A voice said from behind him. Yan Zaizen¡¯s pupils constricted to a needle as he immediately turned around causing soft waves to ripple in the pool.

    "Who?!" He loudly asked.

    "Shin Xuanji, Master¡¯s eighth disciple. It¡¯s a pleasure, Ninth Brother." Appearing before Yan Zaizen with soft steps, Shin Xuanji held a slight smile emitting friendliness. This smile of friendliness made Yan Zaizen feel odd, and his instincts were tingling at the sight of this youth.

    Shin Xuanji looked to be around 19-20 years of age, incredibly handsome, soft ck eyes that brimmed with intelligence, and long shoulder-length ck hair. He wore ck robes in a simr fashion to Han Genji, but they weren¡¯t dirty or torn, and instead looked rather decent. The dirty old man looked like a bum off the side of the street, but this man looked like a handsome young master of some n.

    "Where am I?" He cautiously inquired, staying at the edge of the pool away from Shin Xuanji. For some reason, he kept feeling odd looking at that harmless smile of his.

    "Home, Ninth Brother." He answered.

    Yan Zaizen frowned at this. It seems like this youth and that dirty old man was more alike than he realized. They both loved to give crypt answers. Decisively deciding to ignore this youth, Yan Zaizen inspected his body with self-observation of his spiritual sense. He eximed in surprise upon finding out a majority of his injuries were almost healedpletely. There were faint motes of green light fluttering about his body, constantly helping his body self-repair his body properly and correctly.

    Shin Xuanji didn¡¯t take being ignored to heart, "You¡¯ve been healing in the Earthly Wood Spring for four full days, Ninth Brother. If you feel any difort, please, inform me." He approached the side of the pool while maintaining that slight smile filled with a friendly aura.

    "Earthly Wood Spring. This...?" Ceasing his self-observation, he turned towards the Earthly Wood Spring only to find out it indeed carried traces of wood-attributed essence. World Essence that was attributed carried all types of miraculous effects, and if used to cultivate in, one would have a greater understanding towards that specificw. If one had a cultivation method aligned with that element, their initial stages of cultivation would be far easier, and their foundation thicker than other cultivators of the same level. A single drop of attributed essence was one hundred times the worth of a drop of world essence.

    Too many uses, too little in the world.

    "Yes. The Earthly Wood Spring is filled with wood essence and through a formation set up by Master, can help rejuvenate and heal the body." He replied patiently, then added upon some thought, "But you, Ninth Brother, were in the pool for four days, your injuries must¡¯ve been quite intense." Shin Xuanji reached the pool, kneeled, and slowly caressed the Earthly Wood Spring.

    "May I know the name of Ninth Brother?" Shin Xuanji innocently asked. However, Yan Zaizen¡¯s soul felt a strange intent emitting from Shin Xuanji. Vignt and curious, he once more looked Shin Xuanji up and down in re-evaluation. This youth felt dangerous. However, he couldn¡¯t think of a reason to hide his name.

    "Yan Zaizen."

    The entire room stilled suddenly, making the atmosphere feel awkward and thick.

    "Yan? From the Yan n?" Shin Xuanji asked.

    "Yes."

    "Zen? From the head family line?"

    "...Yes."

    He wasn¡¯t surprised that the youth knew the Yan n or his family line, Zen, but what surprised him was the feeling of danger kept increasing with each passing second. Typically, the names of a few races in the myriad realms were named with their surname originating from their family, their family line name being integrated with their actual name. Therefore, Yan Zaizen¡¯s actual name would simply be ¡¯Zai¡¯. Han Genji and Han Zhenji were great examples of this, seeing as they were biological brothers.

    "Zai?" Shin Xuanji asked as if recalling something.

    "...Yes?"

    Shin Xuanji looked at Yan Zaizen with a pair of inquisitive eyes, and then the atmosphere and sensation of dangerpletely disappeared. "Ninth Brother Zai, Master instructed me to inform him of your awakening. I shall take my leave." Getting up, he left the room with soft and well-paced steps. Yan Zaizen simply eyed him out the door, only releasing a soft sigh of relief after he left.

    For some reason, he felt like he just escaped a death sentence.

    Thinking about it, perhaps it wasn¡¯t that simple.

    The door opened almost immediately, revealing a dirty old man with a slight smile. Truly, teacher and disciple had simrities. Asuras. Asuras the lot of them!

    "Come. Kowtow to your master." Han Genji demanded. Yan Zaizen was caughtpletely off guard.

    Who wants you as a master?!

    In truth, Yan Zaizen should be ecstatic - anyone would. An Origin Core Realm Cultivator taking you as a master is essentially being deemed a disciple of one of the powerhouses of the country, but Yan Zaizen felt differently. He had too many treasures that could easily be exposed by someone with a greater cultivation base, and he didn¡¯t know Han Genji intentions. He was beyond what vignt could describe.

    Han Genji frowned.

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s heart tightened. He felt like he had a choice to make, death or discipleship. Taking a deep breath, he rose up from the pool and trudged his way over. He kowtowed three times to this dirty old man.

    "Good! Good! Ninth Disciple of I, Han Genji, rise."

    Rising up and looking at this dirty old man with thatcent smile on his face, he decided that if he was going to be forced to be his disciple, then he might as well milk it for all its worth and pray his secret stash doesn¡¯t get exposed. "Disciple Greets Master."

    With a soft nod of approval, Han Genji turned and left. Hisst words lingering through the entire cavern, "I¡¯ll be going on a short trip. Lin Feilin, instruct him while I¡¯m gone."

    "Yes, Master." A cold, feminine voice responded.

    Lin Feilin?

    He walked through the door to catch a glimpse of Shin Xuanji and a female next to him. She looked like the epitome of ice-cold. He couldn¡¯t help but shiver just looking at her. She looked to be about 23-24, had ice-white hair, light blue eyes that chilled the room, a neutral expression of indifference, and quite beautiful in regards to appearance. Simrly, she donned a ck robe suitable for females adorned on his lithe body. It created a sharp contrast from her lightly colored features.

    She turned to him. Her eyes felt like a ck hole that sucked in all emotions and left only indifference. With a voice so cold it felt like it¡¯d just turned winter, "Ninth Brother, get dressed."

    He gulped. Looked downwards and found out he was naked.

    Butt. Naked.

    Shit, did I just kowtow in my birthday suit? Wait, where¡¯s my clothes?

    He turned towards Lin Feilin who seemed to have closed her eyes, and slight disgust at her lips. Was he really that disgusting to look at?

 Chapter 11 Lin Feilin

    After getting a set of ck robes simr to Shin Xuanji¡¯s, Yan Zaizen was finally looking the part of being Han Genji¡¯s disciple. His feelingsplex. However, with that old monster out of the way, he may be able to try to escape. At least, that¡¯s what he originally thought until he learned of Shin Xuanji & Lin Feilin¡¯s cultivation bases, Peak Qi Revolving and Initial Essence Formation respectively. Just Shin Xuanji would be enough to restrain him, let alone Lin Feilin.

    He walked over towards Lin Feilin, only to feel chilled by her eyes, and feeling awkward. Normally, Yan Zaizen wouldn¡¯t be this awkward around a woman, but this girl¡¯s chilled aura felt like being in a blizzard.

    What man scorned her?

    "Uh...Sis...um..." His words just came out awkward, not to mention he didn¡¯t know how to address her. ording to disciple etiquette, he should call her by the number she became inducted under the dirty old man, and then her name. However, he didn¡¯t know her number or her name.

    Seeing his plight, Shin Xuanji stepped forwards. "Sixth Sister Fei, I shall take my leave." Looking towards Yan Zaizen, he added, "Ninth Brother Zai, please be careful." Then, while maintaining that smile, he took off towards a door that seemed to be his quarters. Lin Feilin didn¡¯t even respond back or give him a nce at his words, her indifference was out of this world.

    Seeing this, he was both thankful and curious. Thankful for informing him of the proper way to refer to this Senior Sister of his, but also curious about the many doors in this wide hall. He didn¡¯t know he was in a cave, and thus figured he was in some odd pce with almost a hundred doors. All of them identical except the one in the center of the room that wasrger than most. He assumed that was the exit.

    "Uh, Sixth Sister Fei?" He inquired.

    "Your cultivation base is too low. Your Qi foundationcks stability. Your body isn¡¯t developed and hasn¡¯t fully healed. We¡¯ll focus on your Conceptual Law." Her ice-cold voice revealed all of Yan Zaizen¡¯s shorings, causing him to grimace at each of her words. However, when he thought about it, especially what she wished to focus on, he felt even more depressed.

    In the myriad realms, cultivation base was secondary to concepts andws in determining one¡¯s talent. One¡¯s cultivation base can be improved with resources, their foundations strengthened with resources, but concepts andws were based on individualprehension. Not to mention, they differ vastly from person to person. It¡¯s highly unlikely that two individualsprehending the samew would have the same concepts.

    Laws are individual characteristics of the world and its inner workings. One sees the world¡¯s surface with the eye and its inner core with the soul. Byprehending the world¡¯s inner workings in its essence, one would be able to draw upon its power to achieve varying effects. Laws were more general, typically indicative of a broad idea. For example, the Law of the Sword, Five Elements, or Yin-Yang.

    They were also divided into different grades, typically another indication of strength andplexity: Mortal, World, and Imperial. Mortal-Grade indicates aw that¡¯s an aspect of a whole but not independent, such as the Sword, Bone, Blood, or Decay. World-Grade has in abundance and conforms with the natural world, such as Gravity, Five Elements, or Space. Imperial-Gradews are those that have existed at the initiation of the myriad realms and are the highest level ofw one canprehend, such as Spacetime, Yin-Yang, or Samsara.

    While a concept is a person¡¯s personalprehension of thews, it can also rte to a specific legacy of a sect or personal path. The Sword Law is the world¡¯sw of the Mortal Sword, but each person¡¯sprehension may form differing concepts such as the Flowing Sword Concept or Tyrannical Sword Concept. They have their unique strengths and weaknesses, therefore being rather broad, but their overall strength enhancement would be simr.

    Each Conceptual Law is determined by five levels and four sesses. Simr to the Immortal Herculean Art in that regard. The levels were Nascent, Force, Manifestation, Domain, and Sovereign. While the four sesses are Initial Sess, Minor Sess, Major Sess, Perfection.

    Yan Zaizen however, in sixteen years of cultivation, hasn¡¯t developed his own concept. This quite literally meant he was trash of his generation.

    Seeing his reaction, Lin Feilin¡¯s indifferent gaze couldn¡¯t help but show a little bit of disdain and surprise. Assuming that his concept was only Mortal Grade, and in its early stages of development, hence his embarrassment, Lin Feilin demanded. "Show me your concept."

    Hearing that cold voice, he woke up from his depression and could only feel helpless.

    "I-I don¡¯t have one." He responded dejectedly.

    "?"

    "..."

    "What?"

    "Yeah."

    "You don¡¯t have one?"

    "..."

    Seeing hisck of response, Lin Feilin was now thoroughly surprised. This person before her was literal trash. Why did Master pick him to be his disciple? She couldn¡¯t help but think. She gave Yan Zaizen a closer look at his foundations. Her previous assessment was spot on. This youth was trash beyond trash. However, considering that her Master chose him as his disciple, he must have something about him, so she¡¯ll simply go through a checklist of talents.

    "Show me your strongest art." She demanded coldly.

    "..."

    Arts were divided into three categories, five sses, four grades, and four sesses.

    Three categories: Qi, Martial, and Soul.

    Qi Arts rted towards arts utilizing energy, Martial Arts are bodily arts using vital energies built up within one¡¯s body, and Soul arts are arts using soul energy.

    Five sses: Internal, Aura, Manifestation, World, & Divine.

    Internal refers to self-contained art, typically one that rtes to themselves/internal/channeling. An example of an Internal-ss Martial Art would be an art that enhances one¡¯s strikes or defends against them. Aura-based would use one¡¯s specific energy to create an aura/domain to affect or enhance one¡¯s abilities/affect your opponents. Simr to the Gravity Art from Fei Shiyan, who was killed by Han Genji.

    Manifestation arts means to manifest your attacks or defenses into a solid construct, either Vital, Qi, or Soul-rted. World-based are attacks that affect a grand scale. Divine-Based arts are unique arts with miraculous effects that are outside of standard means, typically forbidden and requires a cost for being used. The forbidden art Fei Shiyan used in his bid to escape Han Genji was a Divine-Based art.

    Four grades: Low, Standard, Superior, and Pinnacle.

    Four sesses: Initial Sess, Minor Sess, Major Sess, and Perfection.

    With a deep breath, rotating his cultivation base, his aura skyrocketed to the peak he could at the Initial Qi Revolving Realm. He performed the Yan n¡¯s internal-ss, low-grade Qi Art - Great Yan Fist. This art had been practiced to the minor sess stage, and therefore his strongest art. He mmed his fist into the ground, causing very little noise or any sort of disturbance.

    His eyes widened.

    So tough!

    However, Lin Feilin¡¯s thoughts differed.

    So WEAK?!

    He looked towards her in anticipation. She coldly looked at him, this time with even more of an icy-gaze.

    She said only one word, "Trash!"

 Chapter 12 Inky Black Wood?

    Lin Feilin did away with Yan Zaizen after learning he had no talents whatsoever, storing him in one of the cultivation rooms in the cavern hall and giving him ten drops of low-grade liquid essence. Her instructions? Rest.

    Yan Zaizen could tell that she had given up on him, but he didn¡¯t me her. In the Yan n, he was determined to have lowest-grade of talent possible at the tender age of five. If it wasn¡¯t for his grandfather being the n Lord, he wouldn¡¯t have received any worthwhile resources or arts. Then, after that, he gave all those resources to Ya Qinqan and stagnated in his cultivation. At ten, even those resources were snatched from him due to his worthless showing in cultivation.

    He couldn¡¯t help but sigh.

    Who told him to be such a poor sap?

    Observing the cultivation room, he realized it was rather spacious. It had a bed, a small reading table and chair, an area exclusive for movements in regards to martial arts, and even a pool of clean water. A closer look at the pool, one would realize that it emitted faint whirling sounds like it was being constantly cleaned. It seemed that a formation had been set up for that sake. Even the air was nice, being rather thick with essence - extremely suitable for cultivation.

    Yan Zaizen couldn¡¯t help but grow emotional. This cultivation room was almost ten times better than his own room. It reminded him of his parents¡¯ room, before their deaths.

    Many memories shed through his mind of histe father and mother.

    "Mother...Father..."

    He missed them.

    A lot.

    It was only a long while till he stabilized his emotions, and looked at the bottle that held ten drops of low-grade liquid essence. A hint of excitement gleamed in his eyes. In the n, he used to receive ten drops of essence every month for his cultivation among other things, but now he received one drop a month. A month! These ten drops that were so casually given to him by that ice-cold senior sister of his were ten months of resources he¡¯d receive from the n.

    Seems like being the disciple of an Origin Core Cultivator truly had its advantages. He felt sure that if he possessed enough talent, it¡¯s likely he would have received far more than that. Hopefully, he could still milk this situation fully.

    Firstly, he consumed a drop and rotated his cultivation base to expedite his healing. Despite the Earthly Wood Spring helping him mend his bones and flesh, he still had a few minor diforts and intended to get rid of those first. It required a total of three drops and an hour before he returned to his peak condition. Truly, cultivation was a pricey endeavor. If one gets injured, they can either expedite healing using resources or take a long time to do so naturally. Either way, one would lose something valuable, either money or time.

    He was inwardly surprised at the rate of his healing, using his self-observing spiritual sense made it much easier to target specific areas precisely, reducing resource expenditure and time required. It was also far more thorough, ensuring the removal of any hidden injuries that may remain. If Lin Feilin were to see his actions, she would be immediately enlightened as to why Han Genji was adamant on epting Yan Zaizen as his ninth disciple.

    Soul cultivation wasn¡¯t for everyone, but for those who embarked on it, they would possess an undeniable advantage over others in regards to healing or perception, especially in regards tows. As the saying goes, one sees the world with the eye and its inner core with the soul. His previous attainments into thews may be low, but his soul cultivation was an indication that it wouldn¡¯t be an issue in the future.

    "Advanced, Nascent Soul." Yan Zaizen mumbled. His thoughts were still absorbed in Han Genji¡¯s words from before, as well as his exnation of soul cultivation. The significance of it, he was sure he hadn¡¯t fully grasped it. Because, besides his soul cultivation being rare and valuable, he pretty much had no other areas worthy of being the disciple of an Origin Core cultivator. This, he knew. So it must have incredible benefits, perhaps even greater than simply reduced healing time.

    Thinking up to here, he decided to await Han Genji¡¯s return and let him exin the miraculousness of soul cultivation. As for now, he sent his sense into the Meteor Ring.

    Originally, when he explored the ring, he found out it was a nearly infinite space that had a small area with a multitude of books, materials, and wealth. Unfortunately, he had no way to remove them from the ring. He had to put aside this matter forter, but he had a faint feeling that his inability to remove anything from the ring or put anything inside was because of his soul cultivation being too low. If that was the case, then he truly felt lost.

    A treasure chest right in front of you, but incapable of doing anything but look.

    It was incredibly vexing.

    However, the Immortal Herculean Method was one of the books, and when he wrapped it around with his soul energy, it directly entered his soul and revealed its contents. Therefore, he decided to try to do that for the others.

    After several minutes of continuous failure, he finished going through each book with the same method that he used earlier and only met failure. It seems the immortal herculean method cultivation book was unique and could be assimted into one¡¯s soul, but the others were simply readable. Unfortunately, they were all innguages he didn¡¯t understand.

    "Forget it, I¡¯ll just cultivate." He said in defeat.

    As he was about to take his exit from the space, his spiritual sense caught a glimpse of the inky ck wood from before. Initially, he felt an overwhelming sensation of death from the wood, so he stayed away in fear for his poor little life. However, it currently had a white weak me flickering atop its surface, and the sensation of death was weakened considerably. What took its ce was a weak emission of life, which originated from the white me.

    The me was so small it seemed that even the slightest breath could snuff it out of existence, yet also looked like it would survive a tornado. It gave Yan Zaizen an odd sensation. Curiosity filled his heart, he slowly wiggled his thin line of a soul form over till he was no less than five meters away. Intending to stay a safe distance in case of anything unexpected happened.

    "What¡¯s this?"

    Observing it closer, it seems the white me emission of life was slowly getting stronger and stronger, and the sensation of death in the inky ck wood got weaker and weaker as a result. There was no equilibrium as if for one to exist, the other had to perish, but neither couldpletely destroy the other.

    "The wood represents death and the me represents life, when one reaches the extreme, the other is born." His personal insights to the scene shed through his mind. He hadn¡¯t realized that his soul had entered an almost perfect state of rity while observing the wood. Many cultivators could only wish to enter this state, but he¡¯d done so unintentionally, drawn by the exuberance and miraculousness of the events.

    A state of enlightenment!

    "The white me is persistent and unyielding, only when it decides its end does it perish. The wood is all present and looming, it can not be fully burned by the me, and reims what¡¯s been taken." A cycle of life and death circted inside his mind as all sorts of insightful ponderings of the inner workings of the me and wood rose.

    He didn¡¯t realize that he had watched the cycle of the me consuming the wood, and the wood reiming the me thirty-three times before his soul energy ran out and sent him out of the Meteor Ring.

    When he returned to the world, his eyes were glossed over while he fell into a trance. He felt like the myriadws of the world were right before him but also so far away. He could only reach out and grasp one of them, the nearest one. A white me fluttered about in his soul, and he grasped it tightly, unwilling to let such a beautiful thing disappear.

    Several hours passed before he awoke from his state of enlightenment.

    "This...concept? Unyielding me of Life!" He reached out his hand, a flickering white me slowly appeared within. It was weak and looked as if it would dissipate with a soft gust of wind, but also as if even if the world copsed, it wouldn¡¯t dissipate until it decided.

    This was thew of life! A World Law!

 Chapter 13 Unyielding Flame of Life

    Three days passed since his enlightenment. During these three days, he was pretty much left on how own. Lin Feilin, being diligent with her duty, only came once a day to give him a few drops of low-grade essence liquid, before retreating back to her quarters. Theckluster care did not induce dislike towards Lin Feilin. If anything, he rather enjoyed it. It was much better than being in the Yan n and suffering constant looks of derision and pity, while also being treated like trash. Quite a few of Yan Jinzen¡¯s henchmen would constantly mock him at every chance as if it was their life mission.

    Now, he had peace and quiet with resources for his cultivation. However, he couldn¡¯t help but ponder on what¡¯s happening in the Yan n. He¡¯s been missing for several days due to his kidnapping, and he couldn¡¯t even inform his grandfather that he was still alive. Did they send a search party for him? Could they still be searching? Was his grandfather grieving over his possible death? Did he cry? Those questions and other simr ones flittered inside his mind.

    For some reason, he felt like no one would care.

    No, impossible!

    He was the grandson of the n leader. If they didn¡¯t care about him, who would they care about?

    Putting those thoughts aside, he lifted up his palm to see a small white me twisting about. It was thew of life that he¡¯dprehended, the unyielding me of life. During these past few days, he discovered several traits regarding this incredible me. Despite it seeming to be weak, it couldn¡¯t be dispersed unless he desired it, and therefore would continuously feed off his Qi to survive. The me isn¡¯t hot, and can¡¯t be used to burn anything. He tried to ce it inside the pool, only to have it float like a leaf. It was an odd sight.

    The most interesting point is that it uses life as its fuel. inly speaking, it burns life force. If it wasn¡¯t for the fact that he created it, he felt that it would consume his life force to develop and maintain its own existence. Simr to how it consumed the inky ck wood to grow stronger. He could also absorb the me to pour pure life force into his body. Although the amount created from his own Qi was far too minuscule, it could still be used to heal injuries. He imagined it¡¯ll be stronger as his cultivation base enhances and the concept continues to develop.

    At the moment, the unyielding me of life could be ssified at the Nascent stage of development with Initial Sess. Essentially, the lowest level of conceptualw. However, it was a World Law! This meant it exceeded Mortal Laws inplexity and overall capabilities.

    For the first time in his life since he was five, he felt that he wasn¡¯t trash. How many cultivators can develop a world-level concept?

    "I can feel my body getting stronger." He remarked, clenching his fist and feeling the vital energies stored within his cells brim with lifeforce. Thew of life had a beneficial aspect of his physique. Thinking up to here, he turned his attention back the Immortal Herculean Method.

    ¡¯No special requirements, simply wrest control of the body¡¯s natural limiters, then remove. It shouldn¡¯t be that hard, right?¡¯ Quietly mumbling, he thought of the method to cultivate the method. He calmed his mind, allowed his heartbeat to reach a slow unfathomable rhythm, allowing his breathing to match it.

    Several hours passed while he maintained this unique state. Which each hour that passed, his heartbeat grew more and more powerful. It wasn¡¯t long until his heart seemed like a drum as it resounded loudly in the surroundings. Fortunately, the cultivation room was soundproof, so no one responded.

    "rgh!" Suddenly, Yan Zaizen lost control of his body and spat a mouthful of blood. His originally energetic and healthyplexion turned pale and sickly.

    "..Shit¡¯I can¡¯t...do this..." He spat before directly losing consciousness.

    A small white me danced atop his incapacitated body. It emitted wavy white smoke that entered his orifices, his originally sickly paleplexion got noticeably healthy, and his pained expression grew more peaceful. After a while, the me slowly seeped into his body and disappeared.

    Lin Feilin entered the room while he was unconscious, looking at his unconscious body including the blood thaty on the floor, her normally indifferent expression revealed a rare sight of shock. From what she could see, Yan Zaizen had overreached in his cultivation and went through Qi Deviation. She couldn¡¯t help but shake her head. A light of nostalgia shined in her eyes. Her gaze turned softer as she once more looked at Yan Zaizen¡¯s state.

    It didn¡¯t take long for her to clean the blood and used her Qi to lift him up and ce him on his bed, with the sheet covering him. She couldn¡¯t help but sigh and sadness gleamed in her eyes. "You may be trash now, but that doesn¡¯t mean it¡¯ll remain that way. For those without talent, they must struggle to thrive. For those without fate on their side, they must grasp fate for themselves. Work hard." Her tone seemed more like she was talking to herself rather than Yan Zaizen.

    The eyes of Lin Feilin revealed an unshakable level of resolve and sense of mission. She left quietly back to her quarters, obviously going to continue cultivating.

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes were open.

    He woke up near the end. When Lin Feilin said thosest words, he felt an indescribable feeling well up in his heart. Originally, at thest moment before he lost consciousness, he regretted practicing the Immortal Herculean Method, but now he felt that he can¡¯t just give up. His entire life was filled with one misfortune after another, but he always epted living in mediocrity. Whenever something became too hard, he simply gave up, arge majority of his failures were determined on that aspect alone. He even entertained the thought of, once upon a time, relying on Ya Qinqan¡¯s talent and strength for his future.

    Look how that ended up.

    He grinded his teeth, clenched his fists, and his eyes grew determined. He couldn¡¯t just give up whenever it got hard, rely on someone else, or hope the heavens will bless him with a godly object that allows him to transcend to great heights in one step. He nced towards the Meteor Ring at this thought. That¡¯s right, besides the Immortal Herculean Method and inky ck wood with white me, everything else was inessible due to hisck of strength.

    "Alright, let¡¯s try this once again."

 Chapter 14 A Herculean

    Hours of cultivation turned into days, which turned into weeks until an entire month had passed since Yan Zaizen¡¯s discipleship. During this time, his focus had been on cultivating the Immortal Herculean Method to the first level, to develop a nascent herculean physique. Each attempt that ended in failure left him in a state of weakness. Fortunately, his Unyielding me of Life kept him full of lifeforce. It was like a lifeline that enabled him to continuously practice. As long as it lived, so did he!

    Yan Zaizen had no idea that all of his failures should have lead to near immediate death. The bodily foundation he possessedcked the ability to attempt wrestling away the body¡¯s limitations and removing them. It simply wasn¡¯t sufficient, thereby causing his lifeforce and body incredible levels of stress. This should lead to death, ten times out of ten.

    However, Yan Zaizen was the exception!

    His Unyielding me of Life conceptualw forcefully stabilized and brought him back from the edge of death each and every time. As it did so, his body was constantly being refined and strengthened by the me, while his own understanding into the me deepened greatly. When he initially conceived it, like allws, it started out at the nascent level with initial sess; however, now the Unyielding me of life reached the major sess stage!

    This caused a qualitative change in its capabilities, and it flickered about far less, its stability is a sign of its progression.

    At the moment, his eyes shone with a distinctive light of vibrancy. His originally scrawny body started to fill out as the vital energies started to be refined, and one could sense an aura of exuberant lifeforce from it.

    He sat in the lotus position with his eyes closed, his breathing in a unique rhythm coinciding with the powerful and resounding beats of his heart. Each beat caused the cultivation room to slightly tremble. Yan Zaizen felt ensured that today was the day. The white me danced near his chest, as if using his heartbeat as music, and one could see ripples like waves appearing on the surface of his skin.

    BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

    His eyes opened sharply. "Exceed the heavens, shatter the skies!!!" He roared. Now, despite the soundproofing of the room, even Lin Feilin and Shin Xuanji were disturbed by slight reverberating sounds from their rooms. However, they simply took it as a sign of an earthquake and promptly ignored it. Little did they know, in the room next to them, their ninth junior brother was doing something that has never been aplished in the past one hundred thousand years by a human cultivator, since thest era!

    "BECOME A HERCULEAN! EXCEED THE HEAVENS!" His voice thundered. The world outside the mountain stirred, and the clouds grew restless while congregating above the mountain they resided in. The surrounding beasts looked towards the sky, their eyes filled with trepidation. One could see many rank five and under beasts retreating away from the mountain like a disaster was going to ur.

    Despite this, there was no heavenly lightninging for tribte those who defy it. Instead, the sky produced a single mote of golden light. Inparison to heavenly tribtion lightning, this was a thousand times worse!

    Heavenly Annihting Light!!!

    There was no tribtion set up by the heavens to enable you to exceed them, no, the point of the heavens were to act as regtors and controllers. Only things that are within the heavenlyw, but at the top, produces heavenly tribtion lightning to see if that specific cultivator can ovee and prove their worth. However, if something goes against naturalw that may exceed it, the heavens don¡¯t give you a chance, they annihte!

    Decisively.

    Without mercy.

    This mote of light was the fully concentrated force of the heavens, and it descended from the skies. As it traveled, the world seemed frozen in time, but in truth, it simply moved far too fast! It approached the cultivation room Yan Zaizen trained in, passing through the mountain like it wasn¡¯t even there. It was like he was frozen. His eyes were filled with blood-lines, his mouth wide open in a roar, and his body emitted vibrant signs of lifeforce.

    However, that didn¡¯t stop it from descending.

    It hovered over his be. It seemed like it was going beyond slow. Entering his be, then towards his soul form - that squiggly thin line. The intention? To ensure it wipes out this existence! As it reached the soul, it entered as if it was always meant to be there. It emitted light, with the intention of detonation. If detonated, anything within a hundred thousand li ofnd would simply vanish - including Yan Zaizen.

    As it charged up for detonation, a resplendent ck light exploded outwards from the depth of Yan Zaizen¡¯s soul. It surrounded the heavenly might as such a speed it seemed that the heavenly might itself was frozen in time. If that soul that attempted to invade Yan Zaizen¡¯s from before were to witness this, he¡¯d realize it was the same ck light that shone before taking his everything!

    The heavenly light started to vigorously tremble.

    Did it seem...scared?

    A portion of the light seemed to be drawn into the resplendent ck light, but it seemed the light was having none of it.

    It exploded out with power, repelling the ck light before ascending to the skies at an even faster speed than it came. It even left a portion of itself with the ck light.

    The heavenly annihtion light...ran?

    As it returned to the skies, the world returned to normal, and the clouds dispersed. No one in the Eight knew of what had just happened, something that hasn¡¯t happened since time immemorial! The ck light grabbed what remained of the light, and brought it towards Yan Zaizen¡¯s be, which produced a ck swirling symbol that seemed to consume all things, including natural light, which promptly distributed it ordingly, before disappearing as quickly as it came.

    As for Yan Zaizen - who didn¡¯t notice any of this - he thundered outwards, his heart¡¯s rhythm permanently changed, despite it not being as loud, it was far more powerful with each pump and filled with vital energies. His flesh and muscles shed with a slight golden glow, but it quickly subsided. His bones were whiter than snow. His lungs exuded powerful gusts of air and sucked them in. The limitations of his body were removed, and his physique changed to be a Herculean!

    "I did it!" His eyes gleamed with excitement.

    Nascent Herculean Physique, Initial Sess!

    He clenched his fists and felt the vital energies surging through it. His blood felt like powerful streams traveling to and fro his heart. He could feel the power held in his muscles, the density of his bones, and heightened physical functions of his body. "ording to the Method, the Initial Sess stage is the minimum equivalent to a Peak Qi Revolving Cultivator!"

    At minimum!!!

    From this day forward, he was trash no more. His path and fate were going to be decided by himself.

    Little did he know, this small deration wouldter lead him to produce incredible legends.

    He turned his attention to the white me near his chest, staying there like an even fateful and vignt guardian. As long as you live, I live. To his surprise, the white me waspletely stable and danced brilliantly about. "What? This...perfection?" He couldn¡¯t help but take a second look. Indeed! The white me had reached the peak of its stability. In one month, his conceptualw - a worldw - had reached the Perfection stage of the Nascent-level from its initial conception.

    "Hahahaha! Who says I¡¯m trash now?!" He couldn¡¯t help but loudlyugh in satisfaction. It wasn¡¯t just that, even his soul was enhanced, also reaching the Perfection stage of the Nascent-level! It seems fortune oftenes pairs. He still didn¡¯t know the full significance of this cultivation level, but his spiritual sense has been enhanced by nearly three times! That¡¯s a qualitative change.

    A knock on the door broke Yan Zaizen out of his satisfaction. A soft masculine voice echoed in his room, "Master is returning, Ninth Brother Zai. Please ready yourself and exit." The voice belonged to Shin Xuanji.

    Master?

    Han Genji!

    That dirty old man was back.

    Taking a deep breath, he readied himself and exited his room. It was time for his questions to be answered.

    "Greetings, Master!"

 Chapter 15 The Last Time

    Yan Zaizen was fully determined to get answers as he exited his cultivation room. However, what weed his vision was Shin Xuanji dripping in blood, not his own, and his master leaning against him with a paler than usual face. His expression no longer contained that ever-present and disturbing smile, but a weakness that seemed to have seeped into his bones. For some reason, despite having no good feelings about this dirty old man, Yan Zaizen felt aplex pain in his heart.

    For the very first time in his life, he saw Lin Feilin with an absolutely terrified expression. Shin Xuanji¡¯s expression wasn¡¯t much different, but there was a solemn resolve intermixed between his brows. He simply carried Han Genji towards the main door, bypassing both him and Lin Feilin as if they didn¡¯t exist.

    He didn¡¯t know what to do or what was happening.

    As a result, he simply stood there without moving.

    However, Han Genji¡¯s voice jolted him out of his inactivity. "Fei¡¯er, Xuan¡¯er, and boy. Listen." He realized at that moment that Han Genji didn¡¯t even know his name; however, he didn¡¯t feel angry because of it. If anything, he just felt moreplex. This could be the second time he¡¯s met this master of his, and each time blood was involved.

    "Enter my quarters. You all will leave here." Han Genji¡¯s tone was slow and demanding. It seemed it left no room for any objections.

    Lin Feilin followed his orders with a solemn expression without a trace of fear. Yan Zaizen did the same, but more so in confusion. He hoped he could get some answers about the situation. That was until he heard a thundering voice outside that reverberated with incredible power that caused even this cavern hall tremble.

    "Han Genji! Under the authority of the Soaring Cloud Sect, I, Gao Chuyan, am here for your arrest. Cease any resistance or be put to death." The voice held a certain authority that seemed to suggest it can seize the world in judgment.

    Chuyan?

    Wasn¡¯t the Soaring Cloud Sect elder Han Genji killed named Gao Shiyan?

    ording to naming sense, they were rted, and even in the same family line at that. He could assume somethings from this, and now he was frightened. Lin Feilin¡¯s expression of fear waspletely justified in his eyes. If Gao Chuyan hade for revenge, then their fates as Han Genji¡¯s disciples could be imagined. If the judgment was light, immediate death. If heavy, considerable torture followed by a painful end. He nced at the back of Lin Feilin, his mind wondered about how her fate would end up if captured. Would she be put to death or...?

    He shook his head to break away from these thoughts. He had to stay focus and see if there was a chance for survival. That was his top priority and his only priority.

    Despite having a slightly favorable impression of Lin Feilin, he didn¡¯t care much for the others. Han Genji kidnapped him under threat of death, forced him to be his disciple, and then left without so much as knowing his name. Shin Xuanji, however, seemed friendly but he could always feel a distinct sensation of danger and hatred emanating from him at every interaction. Having never offended the Soaring Cloud Sect, he didn¡¯t want to be enemies with a top sect for people he knew next to nothing about, and vice versa.

    Who would?

    Observing thergest door within the cavern hall, he had his thoughts on this. Originally, he assumed it was the exit but instead was the quarters of his so-called master. As he entered, he noticed the scenery was quite different from the other cultivation rooms. It wasn¡¯t overall fancy, but empty. The floor, walls, and ceiling were white with nothing around. The room was shaped in an evenly cubical shape, incredibly odd considering the other rooms were circr. At least, all the rooms he entered.

    Han Genji, dripping with blood, left the leverage of Shin Xuanji to stand on his own with a solemn expression. For some reason, when he did, Yan Zaizen had a feeling that he was an imposing and unyielding hero of the ages. This was the only time Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t feel like he was a dirty old man, but a hero ready to stand against any and all obstacle in his way.

    "I¡¯ll send you three away. You do not have to worry about the men outside." His voice carried a trace of weakness andforting. "I¡¯m your master. I won¡¯t let anything happen to you in our home." He turned to Lin Feilin, his words obviously seemed to be directed towards her.

    Lin Feilin was jolted out of her terrified daze when those words sounded. It was as if it reached deep into her souls and pulled her back to reality, disallowing her to continue getting lost in her thoughts. Her expression rxed and reverted back to her typical indifferent and frosty expression. It was as if the previously frightened version of Lin Feilin had never urred.

    Yan Zaizen was surprised. What level of trust would allow one to use a few words to restore someone¡¯s confidence? Their rtionship, their story, must be rather deep and rich. Seeing this, he couldn¡¯t help but feel slightly envious.

    "Master, where shall we go?" Shin Xuanji asked solemnly. It was only then that Yan Zaizen noticed that he was cing his hands on a section of the wall, channeling his Qi through it to produce rippling waves of energy.

    "I will send you all to the Basilisk Forest." As he said that, he ced his bloody palms on the floor, performing something simr to what Shin Xuanji did but on a greater scale.

    "And you?" Lin Feilin coldly inquired.

    He didn¡¯t respond.

    "Understood." Lin Feilin said as if she understood what he implied in silence.

    ¡¯The Spatial Everburst Formation is primed, location locked, and ready. Master, at your ready.¡¯ As Shin Xuanji spoke those words, myriad of dark-silver formations revealed themselves on the in white surface, giving it was a strange beauty. The world seemed to feel thick and heavy, while ripples appeared in the air.

    Yan Zaizen felt like a small boat in a great storm - he could only go with the flow. He pretty much understood nothing of what was said, and he felt as if he wasn¡¯t even there. He felt incredibly vexed at his ignorance. He could only look towards Han Genji whose expression grew calmer and calmer with each passing second.

    "Lin¡¯er, work hard, your fate is your own. Know this." He turned towards Lin Feilin and solemnly said.

    "En." She responded with a slight nod.

    Turning to Shin Xuanji, "Xuan¡¯er, never stop your pursuit of the strong. Only they can make decisions and protect the people they care about."

    To Yan Zaizen, this seemed like a set ofst words said to one¡¯s disciple. Wait...did that mean?

    Han Genji didn¡¯t give Yan Zaizen time to think, turning towards him with the intentions to speak.

    "Ninth Brother name is Yan Zaizen." Shin Xuanji interrupted and stated. His expression remained neutral, but his words contained a faint trace of hatred that couldn¡¯t be hidden.

    Han Genji halted his words, turning to Shin Xuanji, and then back to Yan Zaizen. A burst of realization sparked in his mind, and a trace of apology mixed with guilt surfaced in his eyes. Seeing this, Yan Zaizen grew even more confused. Did this Shin Xuanji hate him? And if so, for what?

    Han Genji could only sigh in helplessness, and the weakness in his body revealed itself, "He¡¯s your Ninth Brother now. Take care of each other, regardless of the past." He looked at Yan Zaizen¡¯s confused eyes and seemed to have thought of something, "Zai¡¯er, you¡¯re more gifted than you know." With that, he flicked his finger, and a ray of light appeared from his spatial ring and shot towards Yan Zaizen.

    He caught the ray of light and realized it was a piece of transparent jade. He couldn¡¯t figure out what it was, but it radiated slight fluctuations reminiscent of soul energy. His questions only continued to grow in number. There was just so much he didn¡¯t understand.

    "It¡¯s time." Han Genji decided. The myriad of silver formations that adorned the walls started to light up rapidly around them, some started to spin rapidly in ce, and others protruded out from the surface to arrive around Shin Xuanji, Lin Feilin, and Yan Zaizen. A miraculous power that seemed to manipte thew of space radiated out. Yan Zaizen¡¯s world turned silver, and felt like a multitude of hands were gripping his body about to throw him outwards.

    He tried to say something, but in the world of silver, sound felt dibobted. None of his words were coherent, as if the sound got chopped up along the way. He could only barely see the silhouettes of his two senior disciples. Turning to what seemed to be Lin Feilin¡¯s figure, he saw her figure trembling and her fists clenched tightly.

    Was she...crying?

    Turning towards Shin Xuanji, he could see his figure simply staring at his direction with an unrelenting gaze.

    This...?

    He couldn¡¯t find Han Genji¡¯s figure no matter how he looked. He had a sudden feeling in the pit of his stomach that this would be thest time he ever saw that dirty old man.

 Chapter 16 Basilisk Fores

    Nearly ten thousand li away from the Eight Cmity Range was the Basilisk Forest. The forest had lush greens and exquisite trees that shone with a faint glow of emerald light. Home to reptilian and serpent-type disaster beasts, which included the Legendary King Basilisk - the ruler of the region. The King Basilisk was a rank eight beasts of extraordinary power that rivaled Origin Core cultivators.

    The air was permeated with wood-attributed essence, making it a blessed cultivation grounds for any cultivator who practiced wood-based arts or cultivation methods.

    In an area within the forest, a sh of resplendent silver light spontaneously exploded. The local residents reacted violently by fleeing with their slithering bodies or short stubby legs. In the silver light were three figures, two males and one female, each seemed to be upied with their own thoughts.

    They were the disciples of Han Genji.

    Yan Zaizen, who never experienced spatial shifting before, felt like his stomach wasing up as he bent his body to vomit out a small pool of bodily fluids. Even though he possesses a herculean physique and was far physically stronger than before, the feeling of spatial shifting was like being on a high-speed roller coaster. Completely different than when he was carried at high speed by Han Genji.

    He assumed they would be teleported, but instead they were simply hauled at high speeds with a cover of a protection formation in space. They moved so fast that others wouldn¡¯t be able to see their trail without having a high cultivation, and even if they did see, they couldn¡¯t interact with them unless theyprehend the appropriatews. It was essentially the safest method of travel, but it¡¯s not Yan Zaizen¡¯s first time hearing about something like this.

    For example, mostrge ns ¡ª like the Yan n ¡ª would have something simr, but for objects rather than people. To personally experience it, he felt dibobted. His sense of direction was all over the ce, unable to tell left from right, and his mind felt beyond dizzy.

    While he was experiencing this, Lin Feilin and Shin Xuanji were in much better shape. They almost immediately shook off the effects using their Qi and proceeded to check the area for their location.

    "It seems we¡¯re close to the center." Shin Xuanji remarked as he pointed towards a tree in the distance. This tree was exceptionally tall and eclipsed the rest in size. It even twisted about and had two tree crowns yet one trunk. It gave one a frightening and mysterious feeling. "That¡¯s the Basilisk Tree. From its location, we should be south-east. More than two hundred li away from the border and the territory of the Earthly Titan Sect." He continued to point out their current location, looking towards Lin Feilin who nodded in agreement. Her expression was still cold, but if one looked closely, one could see slight tears having been in existence.

    After finishing almost emptying out his stomach, he turned to Shin Xuanji in surprise. He heard of the Basilisk Tree before. Its location was the infamous beastial grounds for serpents and lizards - the Basilisk Forest! He recalled what Han Genji once said. It seems he really sent them to this forest.

    "What now?" He couldn¡¯t help but ask. In truth, he still had many questions about everything including the possible status of Han Genji. However, his question had got him a single nce from Shin Xuanji before he simply turned towards Lin Feilin and ignored him.

    Seems like this Shin Xuanji truly has some form of hatred towards me, but why?

    "Master sent us here; our fates are our own." Lin Feilin answered coldly, her eyes looking about in vignce. "He left a backup n at the Earthly Titan Sect. If you wish to join the Sect and seek safety, simply go there and find Elder Wei. He¡¯ll allow you to enter as a Disciple of the Sect." She said, but obviously, this wasn¡¯t going to be her intention.

    Surprised by the foresight of Han Genji, he couldn¡¯t help but contemte his options. Should he go to the Earthly Titan Sect or go home?

    He understood why his master would choose the Earthly Titan Sect, considering its one of the five great sects alongside the Soaring Cloud Sect, and were eternal enemies with them. They were essentially at war, engaging in conflict both on the surface and in the shadows. Since the Soaring Cloud Sect was pursuing Han Genji, it seems staying there would ensure one¡¯s safety. However, when he thought about it, he decided against it.

    For one, he didn¡¯t really consider himself Han Genji¡¯s disciple.

    Second, no one outside of these two people here knew he was Han Genji¡¯s disciple and thus no proof.

    Third, if he joins under as Han Genji¡¯s disciple identity, the enmity between the Soaring Cloud Sect and himself would be set. It¡¯s likely they would hunt him till he¡¯s dead, using both in the light and dark methods to carry out their goal. After all, a disciple chosen by an Origin Core Cultivator cannot be considered a non-threat. Remove the roots to end all problematic growths.

    He had little intentions of making an enemy or himself a target and losing his poor little life as a result. Despite a few liquid essences, what did he really receive under his tutge? It was as fleeting as the wind; It was as brief as a ray of light.

    "Sixth Sister, I¡¯ll be going to the Earthly Titan Sect." Shin Xuanji stated his stance. Lin Feilin didn¡¯t seem too surprised as she looked towards him with a slight nod. She turned towards Yan Zaizen.

    "I-I...I won¡¯t join the Earthly Titan Sect." He hesitantly replied. In truth, it did seem great to join one of the great sects, but he also didn¡¯t want trouble to follow him. If he could join of his own merits, then great, but even then, the Earthly Titan Sect wasn¡¯t his first choice. He had a family, and if he decided to join a sect, there were things he needed to do before taking that step. He¡¯s not selfish, and he still loved his grandfather.

    The reason he says this is because Yan Jinzen was likely to join the Soaring Cloud Sect while Ya Qinqan joins the Water Veil Sect. While the Water Veil Sect is neutral in regards to the Soaring Cloud Sect and Earthly Titan Sect, the Soaring Cloud Sect was still far closer to the Yan n than the Earthly Titan Sect. The Basilisk Forest was over ten thousand li away from the Yan n, and the Yan n had deep ties with the Soaring Cloud Sect.

    He could never join the Earthly Titan Sect for fear of harming his family if he was ever forced to choose or end up disgracing his parents¡¯ memories by being branded a traitor. With those considerations, he naturally wouldn¡¯t join.

    Because of Han Genji, he felt conflicted about joining the Soaring Cloud Sect as well. It just made everything a headache.

    "I see. Then, we¡¯ll depart here." Lin Feilin said. It seems she had her own considerations and ns, unwilling to have Yan Zaizen, who would need protection, and thus were willing to separate. She didn¡¯t even give them time to respond. Executing an exquisite movement-type Qi Art, she vanished.

    Unprepared, Yan Zaizen stammered as he held out his hand in an attempt to stop her, but she was already gone. Although he could sense her direction with his powerful spiritual sense, he didn¡¯t chase after her. He knew that doing so wouldn¡¯t aplish anything.

    He could only sigh.

    "Originally, I intended to kill you." A frosty voice resounded in Yan Zaizen¡¯s ear causing him to turn his head. It originated from Shin Xuanji. His expression was calm, but one could see deep-seated killing intent within his ck pupils. "However, Master would be ashamed of me if I did. So I won¡¯t." He traced Yan Zaizen with his gaze and turned away about to take his leave.

    "Wait!" Yan Zaizen shouted, then added, "Why?!"

    "I will kill everyst one of you." Shin Xuanji didn¡¯t turn around, but his voice turned absolute zero and exceedingly cruel.

    Despite not seeing his face, Yan Zaizen could tell he was doing everything in his power not to turn around and strike him dead. Even his body slightly trembled.

    "One of me?" Yan Zaizen felt puzzled.

    "Every. Last. Yan!" Every word was spoken with untold hatred and deep pain.

    "..."

    Shin Xuanji executed his own movement-art, vanishing as well.

    Yan Zaizen felt enlightened. When he first met Shin Xuanji, he kept feeling a sensation of danger and a hint of killing intent. Even the look in Han Genji¡¯s eyes when he was informed of his name, and how Shin Xuanji was willing to join the Earthly Titan Sect so decisively. A death grudge seemed to be formed between Shin Xuanji and the Yan n. Something that would require the entire n¡¯s annihtion to correct and Han Genji knew about it.

    He took a deep breath, looking at where Shin Xuanji left. It seems this Eighth Brother of his, the next time they meet, would likely end in one of their deaths.

    "As long as I¡¯m alive, I¡¯ll never let that happen." He quietly stated, swearing an oath to himself.

 Chapter 17 The Soul Jade

    "The Basilisk Forest..." Yan Zaizen couldn¡¯t help but feel somewhat lost. His current location could be considered incredibly far away from the Yan n - over ten thousands li. With his cultivation, it¡¯ll take several years to get back to the Yan n. Not to mention the obstacles he¡¯d have to face especially since true flight capabilities required a cultivation base at the Qi Unification. His current realm was only at the peak-initial Qi Revolving realm.

    Considering his cultivation base and where he was, it would be unlikely for him to even survive this ce. If it wasn¡¯t for him possessing a Nascent Herculean Physique and a Perfect Nascent Soul, he would be unwilling to leave his two fellow disciples. Well, perhaps not Shin Xuanji. However, he would definitely have stuck with the Essence Formation Lin Feilin until he left the forest, otherwise, it¡¯d be certain death.

    "For now, I need to exit this forest." He nned, looking at the Basilisk Tree, and then at the opposite direction behind him. As long as he ventured away from the tree, he¡¯ll exit at some point. Thinking up to here, he decided his path and left.

    The Basilisk Forest truly lived up to its reputation of being the home of serpents and reptiles. With his spiritual sense, he could sense many slithering and scaly creatures roaming about. He could tell their cultivation were by no means weak. Each beast he came across was at least rank two or above, and rank two meant around thete-stage Qi Revolving realm. Rank three beasts were equivalent to Essence Formation beasts, and he stayed away from them like the gue.

    Using his spiritual sense, he took paths away from the truly dangerous ones, and to prevent himself from having to fight and attract attention, he would purposefully avoid even the rank two disaster beasts. Currently, he wasn¡¯t looking to obtain disaster beasts cores or temper himself. This environment would be suitable if he was at the Essence Formation, but he wasn¡¯t. In truth, he couldn¡¯t help but wonder if Shin Xuanji would be able to escape the forest alive.

    With histe Qi Revolving Realm, it didn¡¯t seem likely. However, the more he thought about it, he didn¡¯t know Shin Xuanji¡¯sprehensivebat strength or talents. Not to mention, he was a disciple of Han Genji - an Origin Core Cultivator. He couldn¡¯t be too weak. He may actually be incredibly strong. In that case...

    He couldn¡¯t help but sigh.

    He never felt the burden the possible extermination of his entire n brought before. It felt like a thousand-pound weight at the back of one¡¯s mind, constantly weighing down on your thoughts and mood.

    "Is this how grandfather feels all the time?" He couldn¡¯t help but mumble.

    Wait.

    He forgot something.

    Looking down at his palm, he saw the transparent piece of jade with slight soul energy fluctuations. This was the jade Han Genji gave him before sending him away. The transparent jade was smooth and cold to the touch and made him feel calm.

    "Is this a soul jade?"

    Soul jades were items that detailed arts, methods, insights into thews, or other information of varied usefulness. The jade would allow you to view the contents directly with your spiritual sense with absolute rity, and even if the jade is in an entirely differentnguage that one didn¡¯t understand, one could still use their souls toprehend it. These jades were especially tough, rare and could only be essed by those with soul cultivation. Some soul jades could only be used when your soul cultivation reached a certain point, or if you cultivate a specific soul art.

    Finding a rtively safe beast-free zone, he sat down quietly. His spiritual sense seeped into the jade and scanned its contents.

    "Pneuma Disruption Soul Art...Anima Shield Soul Art...Source Sonar Soul Art..." There were three arts listed in the jade, one for offense, defense, and a unique means to use spiritual sense. Pneuma Disruption Soul Art was an aura-ss soul attack that destroyed one¡¯s concentration and caused chaos within the soul. It seems its main focus was on destroying one¡¯s process of thought and rendering your opponent inept in battle temporarily or even permanently. Once the soul was in chaos, your mind would be heavily affected as a result.

    The Anima Shield Soul Art was an internal-ss soul art that constructed a shield to defend against other soul arts, and the world-ss Source Sonar Soul Art allowed one to increase the range of one¡¯s sense by sending it out in waves and receiving them back. It wasn¡¯t as immediate as the normal usage of spiritual sense, but it enabled you to search a wide area and receive details about certain individuals whereabouts from a far distance. It was excellent in searching for people or gathering information of the battlefield.

    He took a deep breath. Disbelief surged in his eyes as he looked towards the soul jade. The most unbelievable thing was that each of these arts was of the Superior-Grade. This grade of art would be core arts in top sects and ns. Even the Yan n only had one Superior-Grade art, but this jade contained three!

    "Han Genji..." His emotions were incrediblyplex at the moment. He didn¡¯t consider himself a disciple of Han Genji, but for his first and only thing given were of this level. How could one not feel conflicted?

    He clenched the soul jade strongly. Should he practice it? If he did, would that mean he epts Han Genji as his master? He felt that this jade just became so much heavier all of a sudden. Normally, a person wouldn¡¯t care about these things and focus on their individual strength first and foremost, but this was a matter that had to do with Yan Zaizen¡¯s personal principles.

    If he epts, then he would consider himself a true disciple of Han Genji.

    If he declines, then he¡¯ll just sell the soul jade without practicing it.

    A long whileter, he made his decision. Practice it! Study it! Master it!

    Even if Han Genji became his Master, then that would be fine, it didn¡¯t mean he had to risk his little life or anything for a grudge. He had already kowtowed, naked, to Han Genji. He addressed him as Master before and even received his tutge - no matter how remote.

    "I, Yan Zaizen, ept you as my Master from this day forward." He swore an internal oath of discipleship. He looked at the soul jade and sent his spiritual sense back inside.

 Chapter 18 Rank Three Beas

    The Basilisk Forest, in the country of Presba, was widely known to be a neutral hunting grounds for a majority of the powers located near. Despite the rank eight Basilisk King possessing the strength of ate Origin Core Realm Cultivator, it still wasn¡¯t considered one of the three danger zones of Presba like the Eight Cmity Range.

    The reason for this was simple: Disaster Beasts.

    The serpents and lizards that inhabited the forest were at most rank four, and never stronger. Due to this and the sheer number of disaster beasts located in it, it¡¯s one of the most popr hunting grounds for cultivators, both rogue and non-rogue alike. However, that didn¡¯t mean it wasn¡¯t dangerous. In actuality, it was exceptionally dangerous. Often times cultivators out hunting for herbs or beast cores were killed not by strength, but by being besieged by outnumbering blitz tactics or ambushes set up by the beasts.

    This didn¡¯t even include the other cultivators out that may be hunting you.

    All it took, even for someone at the Qi Unification Realm, is a moment of carelessness before your life was reaped before your very eyes.

    At a location not too far from Yan Zaizen, a group of individuals ¡ª three females and two males ¡ª dressed in customary hunting gear of the area, were resting next to a beautiful cerulean python¡¯s corpse. The cerulean python was dozens of feet in length and had the body that could consume a full-grown person. It had the strength of a rank three beast, equivalent to the early to mid-Essence Formation.

    "I told you this was a bad idea!" A woman shouted. This woman was about 23-24 years of age, an average appearance that wouldn¡¯t attract too many gazes in a crowd, and held an emerald-green sword in her hand at the ready. She seemed to be looking about with traces of fear in her eyes, every twitch of a branch, shake of a leaf, or minuscule sound would have her shift her body as if ready to face a fierce group of enemies in that direction.

    Seeing her clearly panicked antics, one of the younger girls rolled her eyes, looking at the cerulean python¡¯s corpse with a tinge of greed and excitement. The girl looked to be about 15-16, butpletely different from the woman. She had a beautiful countenance, as white as snow, a voluptuous body that didn¡¯t match her youthfulness, and wore tight-fitting clothes that entuated her curves. Out of all the members here, she had the least amount of armor, but also the one with the least amount of injuries.

    "We¡¯ve already done it, why continue toin?" A middle-aged man with a stern expression said. This man held a sweaty and pale youth in his hand, the other male, and he seemed to have a grotesque wound on his left calf. It was wrapped up in gauze, and the man was attempting to send Qi to the youth body to support his healing. However, one could see the wound was delivered to him by the deceased python, and the skin around it was in the process of turning purple. If not for the middle-aged man and youth¡¯s effort to suppress it, it¡¯s likely the poison would have already traveled through his entire body and rendered him dead.

    "I¡¯ve set up the formation." Another girl, who wore ck, circr spectacles, a petite body and short ck hair said. Despite her shortness and petiteness, one could tell that she was likely older than even the youngest member of the group by her age. She came from the distance, and when the average-looking woman saw her, it seemed as if she obtained some sce and her fear considerably lessened.

    Ignoring the average woman¡¯s emotional state, she inly looked towards the poisoned youth with furrowed brows.

    "How is he?"

    "Ugh...It doesn¡¯t look good." The middle-aged man said.

    "If you listened to me, Bai Wangzhe, and didn¡¯t get greedy, would we be in this mess?" The average looking woman remarked.

    "Shut up, Xing Xuehan!" Bai Wangzhe didn¡¯t seem to be in the mood for this woman at the moment. He clenched his teeth and stared daggers at her. One could obviously see they didn¡¯t like each other. However, the others in the groups had their own thoughts. The wound of the youth was inflicted by a rank three disaster beast, this wasn¡¯t something this group could handle or had the preparations to handle.

    None of them were optimistic about his chances.

    "For now, the formations have been set up. We can rest, and try to tend to Bai Dongzhe. We can figure out our next movester, and harvest the core of the Cerulean Python while we do so." The woman with ck spectacles said, obviously demonstrating her role as the leader of the group. Bai Wangzhe looked towards her with gratefulness. Bai Dongzhe was his brother, after all, and he wasn¡¯t willing to not try every avable option.

    Xing Xuehan only looked towards Bai Wangzhe and sneered with contempt. She sat down and decided to tend to her wounds silently.

    The beautiful girl, named Su Fengyan, kept her gaze honed on the Cerulean Python. Out of everyone here, she possessed the lowest cultivation. Ying Sumian, the leader, and Bai Wangzhe had the cultivation at the Initial Essence Formation. Xing Xuehan possessed the cultivation of the Half-step Essence Formation, Bai Dongzhe cultivation was thete Qi Revolving, and Su Fengyan had the strength of the mid-Qi Revolving. This group, hunting in the Basilisk Forest was not considered weak but also not considered strong.

    "El-elder...Bro-brother..." Bai Dongzhe said weakly. One could see that it took every amount of effort he could to do so. There were evident traces of fear in his eyes and expression.

    "Shhhh. Don¡¯t speak, just focus on healing, okay?" Bai Wangzhe immediately grabbed his spatial pouch, used a bit of Qi to open it, found a pill, and ced it in Bai Dongzhe mouth. Seeing his brother¡¯s panicked expression and willingness to use even the best pill he possessed for him left his heart warm, and a faint trace of hope whizzed through his mind. Perhaps he would be able to survive?

    Ying Sumian looked towards the wound, calcting its effects and strength, she didn¡¯t have a good expression on her face. "We need to amputate." She said decisively. However, her words caused Bai Dongzhe to feel like it was dropped into a cold pool. Amputation was a drastic course of action that would affect him his entire life and even his cultivation. With his backing and strength, it would be near impossible to find the medicine which can regrow limbs. This may save his life, but turn him into a cripple.

    Hearing this, even his brother was shocked, but the other two girls didn¡¯t have as shocked of a reaction, as if expecting this oue. Xing Xuehan even poured fuel on the fire that was their panic, "If we don¡¯t do so soon, it¡¯s possible we may have to do soter, but even more of the leg...or other parts."

    Despite what she said may be the truth, it didn¡¯t stop Bai Wangzhe from shooting her a gaze filled with killing intent. It seemed this bitch of a woman likely held some responsibility for his younger brother¡¯s injury. One could just see that he¡¯d like nothing more than to rip her throat apart.

    Seeing this, Ying Sumian intervened, "She¡¯s right. However, this is your choice."

    "W-we...brother...we may have a chance to save my leg!" Bai Dongzhe obviously didn¡¯t wish to ruin his future with this course of action. If he did, what would be the point in even living? Seeing his brother¡¯s reaction, Bai Wangzhe didn¡¯t respond, his expression turned solemn.

    "I thi-"

    ROAR!!!

    A sound thundered off in the distance. It startled every one of the members, and their expressions showed a mixture of fear and solemness. This roar was incredibly familiar to them, and it had imed lives of their group before, hunting them continuously thest few days.

    Katori Lesser Dragon!!!

    A Katori was a lizard with faint traces of dragon bloodline, and they were incredibly vicious hunters. They wouldn¡¯t let off their prey if they¡¯ve honed on to them until they were all dead. It had ck scales, a great maw filled with sharp teeth, ws that could shred through tree bark like paper and the ability to spew a concentrated beam of wood-energy. It had the strength of a peak rank three beasts, sitting solidly in the peak-mid Essence Formation. In the Basilisk Forest, there weren¡¯t many, but the few that there was be nightmares for weak hunting teams like these five.

    The stomping of itsrge body resounded in the forest as trees were toppled in its mad dash, and it wasn¡¯t long before it shed with the barrier formation set up by Ying Sumian and treated it like paper, piercing through with little obstruction.

    "Shit, we have to run!" Xing Xuehan hysterically screamed. However, she couldn¡¯t move. The roar had been a soul attack that affected her, causing temporary paralysis. For her, with no soul cultivation, this was especially effective. Only Ying Sumian and Bai Wangzhe, with their strong Qi cultivations, were capable of resisting, but they were still affected.

    It didn¡¯t take long before the Katori appeared before them.

    Just when they were all wallowing in despair, a shadow appeared beside therge lizard head of the Katori.

    "Great Yan Fist!"

    A masculine voice bellowed out, and the shadow¡¯s fist collided fiercely with the Katori¡¯s dome. A soul-shattering sound resounded followed by bits and pieces of brain matter and bone fragments shot out from the point of contact. Its scales crushed inwards, and the Katori howled hysterically in pain. Thest howl it would ever release.

    A hard thud resounded followed by the skidding of its body due to its running momentum.

    The Katori, in its final moments of conscious life, looked around to see the group of individuals it was hunting. For the first time in its life, it had regretted hunting humans. If he left them be, would he have followed them and met this monster?

    Its thoughts couldn¡¯t be understood by any of the five. They were justpletely and utterly stunned speechless.

    The shadow from earlier slowly walked towards the Katori¡¯s corpse, cranking his neck and muttering to himself. He was adorned in ck robes befitting of a cultivator, but not a hunter of Basilisk Forest, as not a speck of armor was located on his body. His appearance wasn¡¯t incredibly attractive, but it wasn¡¯t ugly either. He was a little bit thin, but that was passable considering his healthy cheeks and vibrant amber eyes. It was Yan Zaizen!

    "This thing sure knows how to run." He carelesslymented.

 Chapter 19 Fierce Prowess

    Several hours before, Yan Zaizen was practicing the Soul Art: Pneuma Disruption at his own leisure. Despite being surrounded by disaster beasts from the left and right, he didn¡¯t feel any sort of fear in regards to this. A majority of the beasts that roamed about were only at the rank one or two and the asional rank three. His cultivation may be weak, but his soul cultivation was at the Perfect Nascent-level. Therefore, it wasn¡¯t hard for him to get a forewarning if beasts of a high rank intended to cross his paths.

    Whenever that happened, he would just decisively avoid their path of travel.

    The soul art was considerably difficult toprehend, even to the initial sess stage. If one thought about it, It made sense. Superior-grade arts weren¡¯t given such a title for fun, but because amongst arts in its category, it was truly above standard-grade in both effect and difficulty. Pinnacle-grade arts, the arts that reigned at the apex of their category, were the only arts that stood above.

    Originally, he was never aplished at arts. One could look at his famed Great Yan Fist, a low-grade Qi Art, but in all of his years of cultivation was only at the minor sess stage. Nheless, he wasn¡¯t frustrated. Before, he simply never genuinely tried, but now was different. Thus, he put all of his mind and talents intoprehending how to use his soul energy in ordance with the art.

    After an hour, he felt dejected by hisck of sess. He kicked a tree in frustration, causing a rank two serpent beast to slither towards him. Recognizing this, he didn¡¯t avoid it like normal but actually waited while it approached with bared fangs. When it did, Yan Zaizen, who was filled with frustration, propelled himself above it, raised his leg, and stomped down with all his frustrations. He didn¡¯t fear this snake because, ording to the Immortal Herculean Method, his mortal body should possess the strength to rival even a peak-Qi Revolving Cultivator.

    This one stomp possessed power Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t even know he had. The wind whistled at the force of his leg. Before the snake could even react, it was smashed into a puddle of blood and scales. Even more so, Yan Zaizen¡¯s legs were deeply imprinted into the ground.

    "What?!" Shocked at his sudden disy of explosive power, his eyes widened at the scene. This was a rank two disaster beast with strength equivalent to ate-Qi Revolving Cultivator!

    It was ttened like paste with one stomp!

    It had taken him a while before he lifted his feet out of the ground, revealing the foot-shaped hole that dripped with snake flesh and blood.

    "The Immortal Herculean Method dered that the Minimum...strength would be peak-Qi Revolving Realm at the Initial Sess Stage. Then..." He contemted his circumstance and started to reassess the assumption of his strength. Thinking up to here, he wore an excited grin.

    He was formidable!

    Time to find out how much.

    The next couple of hours left the Basilisk Forest in aplete and utter nightmare. Every beast he came across, be it rank one or rank two would have their lives reaped and cores harvested by him. At one point, his pockets were too full, and he had to fashion a bag using the skin and scales of a lizard. He liked it.

    "Hahaha!" He couldn¡¯t help butugh uproariously. He could easily do away with rank one or two beasts with a flick of his finger, quite literally. Earlier, he met a group of rank one snakes who attempted to ambush him from the trees, but each and every one of them encountered their end with a flick to their heads, causing them to explode violently.

    This meant his body cultivation had already reached Essence Formation in strength, but he couldn¡¯t tell by how much. The only urate way was to find more formidable opponents. That was when he saw a Rank Three Katori Lesser Dragon roaming about, seemingly following someone or something¡¯s trail. He contemted for a bit. However, seeing that it definitely possessed the aura of a rank three beast with his keen spiritual sense, he decided to seize the chance.

    If he wasn¡¯t the Dragon¡¯s match, he could simply retreat, right?

    Thinking up to here, he rushed it.

    The Katori saw this, felt challenged, and replied with a fierce rush of its own.

    The Katori was not his match.

    It ran away.

    Fast.

    Where was its ferociousness now, its majesty of the strong? However, how could Yan Zaizen let his prey escape? "Come back for daddy, my precious beast core!"

    At the present, he currently stood over the corpse of this particr Katori,ughing at the sheer ease of process of eliminating this beast. By his calction, it¡¯s entirely possible his strength was near the peak-Essence Formation by body cultivation alone. Whether it was his speed, senses, or physical strength, all of them far exceeded the Katori. It was simply that he didn¡¯t know how to properly exert his newly revealed strength that it ran quite a distance away before its death. Even the soul strike itunched had little effect on Yan Zaizen¡¯s Perfect Nascent Soul.

    It was only after this that he realized there were five individuals gawking at him like a monster. Feeling slightly awkward, he rubbed his nose and turned his attention towards the Katori. Without a sound uttered from anyone, he simply removed its beast core located near its heart, deposited it in his bulging bag of beast cores and turned to take off.

    Seeing this, Xing Xuehan was the first to break out of her reverie. She immediately rushed forth, which caused Yan Zaizen to turn and look towards her. His actions caused her to stop abruptly.

    He rose his brow at this. Are they...scared of him? He rubbed his nose again. This sensation felt new, but it was a much-appreciated one. It made him feel strong. With a slight chuckle, he inquired, "You need something?"

    "Y-yes! I want to thank you." Xing Xuehan stammered.

    This average looking woman wanted to thank him? His gaze turned towards Su Fengyan and her beautiful appearance. She seemed around his age. For Yan Zaizen, he would rather get thanked by this cutey. However, he¡¯ll take what he can get, even if he didn¡¯t really do anything special for them.

    "Sure. You¡¯re wee." He nodded with an expression of heroism, like what he assumed powerful cultivators looked like when they save others with grace. However, due to his unnaturalness towards making this expression, it looked a little awkward and overly solemn.

    His words were like a wake-up call to them all, and they looked towards the body of the Katori that had taken the lives of their members. It all felt slightly surreal, especially to Su Fengyan, and only because Yan Zaizen Qi Cultivation was even weaker than hers. His age also looked simr to hers, being around 15-16 years of age.

    Ying Sumian disyed her leadership role as she immediately stepped forward with a calm expression. "I and all the others owe you great thanks, Young Hero." Her words contained traces of great respect. The sudden addressing of ¡¯Young Hero¡¯ made Yan Zaizen feel better than he imagined. For once in his life, he truly felt what it meant to be respected for his own personal strength, and not his status as the grandchild of the Yan n Leader.

    "Mhm." He nodded with a slight smile. In truth, he felt somewhat awkward at the moment. Not because of thepliments, but because he wanted to leave. Just didn¡¯t know how without being overly rude. I mean, they were thanking him so earnestly. Thinking up to here, he looked towards the Katori body and realized something.

    "You can have its body. I have no need for it."

    The body of a rank three beast, especially a peak one like the Katori, was incredibly valuable. Unfortunately, even if he wanted to take the body with him, because he didn¡¯t have a spatial bag and the Meteor Ring didn¡¯t allow him to take things out or put things in, he could only leave this piece of fortune behind. Coming to the conclusion that they wanted the body and probably didn¡¯t want to seem rude, he simply gave it to them.

    His words caused all of the members to look towards the bulky body of this peak rank three beast, and their eyes shined with desire and greed. The body of this beast was equivalent in price to its beast core. To them, the worth of its corpse was equal to what they gained in their entire hunting venture! With this, they can return home with full pockets.

    Nodding his head in response, he was ready to leave.

    "Wait!"

    Again?

    Turning to look at the one who shouted, it was a sweaty pale youth with a ratherrge wound on his leg. From the looks of it, he was poisoned.

    Bai Dongzhe gulped but gathered his bravery to speak once more. "Benefactor! Please, can you help us?"

    Help?

 Chapter 20 Miraculous Law of Life

    When it came to interacting with people, Yan Zaizen wasn¡¯t like most people. He was rather unsociable. During his initial childhood, he had the protection of his parents, the love of his grandfather, and the care of the n. However, after their deaths, the revealing of his talents, and his subsequent failures that followed, he was treated like an outcast. Everyone pitied him or mocked him. Some even treated him as a fool andughed in his face. It was because of these events that he wasn¡¯t veryfortable with people and why he didn¡¯t take Lin Feilin or Shin Xuanji¡¯s previous attitudes to heart.

    Oftentimes, he would act out for attention by stealing. Such as stealing Uncle Louzen¡¯s extra food or Auntie Qin¡¯s undergarments. Well, thetter was because of his puberty phase. Nevertheless, he stole them. Other times, he would take off without prior notice outside the n and hide away from his sadness produced by his bleak reality. It was because of this that he came across Han Genji and the subsequent events that happened after which lead to this point. It was because of all these things, that he rarely interacted with people earnestly.

    Therefore, when asked to help, he just stared at this pale youth with furrowed brows.

    "..." Bai Dongzhe looked at Yan Zaizen with a pleading expression.

    "..." Yan Zaizen continued to stare with not a word.

    "..."

    "..."

    "..."

    That pleading expression turned awkward and with a trace of fear. Why wasn¡¯t he speaking? Bai Dongzhe couldn¡¯t help but think odd thoughts. The event just turned into a staring contest as both didn¡¯t seem like they were going to utter another word. Yan Zaizen, for his own reasons. Bai Dongzhe, cause he was a little scared.

    This continued for a full minute before Ying Sumian decisively broke the silence. "Young Hero, what he means is, currently we have someone who¡¯s injured, as you can see and wanted to see if you have anything which can help the situation. If not, we¡¯re still indebted to you." Her words exhibited her well-trained mind and adeptness towards the situation. Her voice was like a refreshing spring.

    "Oh?" Looking at the pale youth once more, then seeing the poisoned wound on his calf, he couldn¡¯t help bute to a sudden realization that he was surrounded by poisonous things he wasn¡¯t equipped to handle. This scared him a little, urging him to want to leave as soon as possible.

    "Should we...amputate?" He hesitatingly suggested. In truth, he didn¡¯t know much about poisons and only the very basic of wound treatment. Typically, that involved the usage of Qi, but his cultivation was below even this youth. What could he do?

    Hearing his words, Bai Dongzhe¡¯s expression fell considerably. Was he truly going to be a cripple to live? Bai Wangzhe had stayed silent during this entire event, continuing to funnel Qi into his brother¡¯s body relentlessly to repress the poison, and even he started to look pale from exhaustion. However, his expression also fell when he heard Yan Zaizen¡¯s suggestion.

    "I see, thank you Young Hero, but we¡¯ll try to find another way." Ying Sumian said, obviously taking Bai Dongzhe¡¯s feelings into ount.

    Originally, Yan Zaizen wanted to take his leave immediately, but now he felt somewhat guilty. He didn¡¯t know why, but he felt like there was a way for him to help this young man, but he just couldn¡¯t think of it. It was like an itch at the back of the head that he just couldn¡¯t scratch.

    Lowering his head, he started concentrating his full mental faculties. He sat and started ruminating on what he could do.

    Seeing this, Ying Sumian once more decisively gave an order. "I¡¯ll reset the formations that were broken by the Katori. Xing Xuehan and Su Fengyan, dismantle the Cerulean Python for materials and store the excess in the spatial bag. Afterward, we¡¯ll focus on the Katori." Her words woke up everyone. She excluded the Bai Brothers because of their predicament and walked to the perimeter to once more repair the formation.

    Xing Xuehan wanted to object, thinking they shouldn¡¯t be resting and just leave. What if another Katories along? However, she looked at the sitting Yan Zaizen and her heart calmed. As long as he was here, they were safe. Su Fengyan also looked towards Yan Zaizen, but her expression was filled with a strange glint.

    The practiced movement of a hunter team in dismantling a disaster beasts assets was shown in full at this moment. It only took them twenty minutes before the Cerulean Snake¡¯s important bits ¡ª eyes, galldder, venom sack, and fangs ¡ª were removed without damaging the corpse. If Yan Zaizen saw this, he¡¯d be genuinely surprised. Later, the corpse and contents were stored in their spatial bag which Ying Sumian had previously given them.

    After an hour, Ying Sumian came back, with a slightly wary expression. Setting up formations twice in a brief period of time was rather draining even to an Essence Formation cultivator like herself. Her eyes looked towards Yan Zaizen, and realizing he hasn¡¯t moved from his spot while mumbling some words to himself, she left him alone to help with the Katori corpse.

    The Katori corpse was even harder to dismantle, and it had too many important pieces. After realizing they didn¡¯t have the strength to take damage the head, they gave up and stored the entire body into the spatial bag, and begun to rest.

    Xing Xuehan sat near Yan Zaizen. Her gaze from time to time moving towards him and away like a shy girl in high school. Yan Zaizen may not be incredibly handsome, but he had what many handsome men did not have - strength. To someone like her, attraction towards Yan Zaizen was amplified because of this. A girl like her, in a dangerous forest like this, simply wants to feel safe. Yan Zaizen provided this transparent sense of safety. Not to mention, it¡¯s not like he doesn¡¯t have any good features. That vibrant amber eyes and his youthful look was quite charming in its own right.

    It was nearing night time, several hours had passed since Yan Zaizen¡¯s arrival, but he still remained in thought. Until...

    "I got it!" It was a eureka moment for Yan Zaizen. "I have the Unyielding me of Life. If I used this with my Qi to target the poisoned area of his leg, it might help. mes burn things, right?" He wasn¡¯tpletely sure on if it was possible, but it was the only thing hours of contemtion left him with. He was even thinking of injecting Bai Dongzhe with his blood and hoping his Herculean Physique could produce a miracle.

    His exmation attracted the attention of the others, especially Xing Xuehan who was right next to him. Walking towards Bai Dongzhe, he ignored the confused gazes of everyone and ced his hand on the poisoned area of his leg. Seeing this, Bai Dongzhe and Bai Wangzhe were startled. Bai Wangzhe almost attacked Yan Zaizen thinking he was going to amputate his brother¡¯s leg, but thinking about his weakness and Yan Zaizen¡¯s strength, he gave up. He knew what needed to be done, and if someone strong did it, then his brother would live.

    Maybe Bai Dongzhe would hate Yan Zaizen for life instead of him. That would be a preferable end.

    Not even considering Bai Wangzhe¡¯s thoughts, Yan Zaizen funneled his Qi into the wound. Using his enhanced spiritual sense, he could feel in an unusually urate representation of Bai Dongzhe¡¯s body. He could even see his organs, all of them. Setting aside his disgust, he concentrated. His peak initial-Qi Revolving Realm Qi started to swim through his body. It surrounded all the poisoned area, causing Bai Dongzhe to wince and howl in pain.

    Yan Zaizen wasn¡¯t very adept at using his Qi into another body, so he caused damage as a result. It was like a knife searing through you from the inside, so his nightmarish screams were expected.

    The others looked onwards. Said nothing, each of their expressions solemn. However, Su Fengyan looked a little worried.

    After wrapping up all of the poisoned parts of the leg, he ignited the conceptual worldw: Unyielding me of Life! His Qi as the medium augmenting it, it exploded violently inside the leg. The leg glowed bright and appeared to be surrounded by a vibrant white me.

    Yan Zaizen was right about one thing and wrong about another.

    He was right that the Law of Life could counteract thew of poison, as poison is typically rted towards degrading life or affecting it. Therefore, it works both ways. Life Qi can degrade poison and affect it. He was wrong in that the Unyielding me of Life burns. It does not. It doesn¡¯t emit heat either. The concept of a me is to consume and thrive and to emit a form of unique energy.

    A few examples being frost me, which consumes heat and emits frost.

    Yin me consumes soul energy but emits burning emissions that affect only the soul.

    Unyielding me of Life consumes the essence of the world as well as the energy of its creator but emits pure lifeforce energy.

    His understanding as he observed the me degrade the poison rapidly with powerful lifeforce energy made his own understanding of the me to be enhanced. He felt that he¡¯d already touched upon a boundary of the next level - Force-level Concept.

    Possessing a strong soul typically meant one¡¯s perception of thews were clearer, but one¡¯sprehension was dependant on the individual. An individual who had a Perfect Nascent Soul could perceive the same thing Yan Zaizen saw, but that didn¡¯t mean they would touch upon the concept of force rting to theirw.

    The lifeforce energy only took a minute before the poison waspletely eradicated, and the remnant energy surged into Bai Dongzhe, causing his originally pale face to grow remarkably healthier. It healed all the damage Yan Zaizen had caused with his untrained intrusion.

    "I¡¯m helping! I¡¯m helping!" An excited grin emerged on his face, his eyes bright. Even though the Qi consumption was a little much, since he started with a full tank, he was left with more than half. Not to mention, he felt like this little white me was getting closer to him on a spiritual level, and that felt brilliant.

    However, when he looked around, Ying Sumian, Su Fengyan, and Xing Xuehan were wide-eyed and in disbelief.

    "L-lifews?" Ying Sumian stuttered. Her usually calm appearance waspletely thrown away as her mouth gaped in shock, and her eyes as wide as an egg.

 Chapter 21 Siphoning Shadow of Death

    Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t truly grasp the significance of a worldw in the cultivation world, especially the significance of the lifews. So when he witnessed the reactions of everyone around him, he felt out of ce and ufortable, but also a little bit of pride welled up in him.

    "A worldw?!" Xing Xuehan shouted. Her gaze towards Yan Zaizen that previously held shallow affection turned incredibly deep almost instantly. At this moment, from her eyes, Yan Zaizen felt that if he wanted to ask her to have his babies, she¡¯d volunteer and kill all other up-anders. It wasn¡¯t just Xing Xuehan, but Su Fengyan¡¯s eyes were also not too far off, as if she was looking at a treasure from the heavens.

    Clearing his throat, he got up and calmly brushed himself off. He took on a heroic expression, this time a little less awkward, and nodded slightly in acknowledgment. His actions had a casual feel to it as if using a worldw was nothing special. Just another Tuesday morning.

    Ying Sumian tried to calm the raging waves in her heart. Yan Zaizen may not recognize the importance of a World Law, especially the lifew, but she did. They all did.

    In this world, there were the threews: Mortal, World, and Imperial. Each with their own significance, but what people don¡¯t realize is that out of the entire poption of Presba, which ranges in the ten billion in number, the percentage of cultivators numbering about ny-percent of that, and yet less than one-percentprehend a Mortal Law. That was less than ny million out of nine billion cultivators!

    Even then, Mortal Laws were divided even further into their own grades and level of difficulty in terms of perception, from weak ones to strong. Additionally, the majority of that numberprehend weak Mortal Laws. The amount thatprehend World-gradews?

    Less than 0.1% of the individuals whoprehendws.

    A grand total of about ny thousand.

    Ny Thousand Cultivators out of Nine Billion!

    Going further, the amount that wouldprehend the strongws such as life, space, or yin would amount to less than a hundred in the entire country. As for Imperial Laws? Don¡¯t even think of it, none since Presba¡¯s establishment as a country.

    Clearing his throat, Yan Zaizen looked at Bai Dongzhe¡¯s healthy expression and gave himself a mental job well done. "Do you know the direction of the nearest ce with people?" He asked, ignoring their shocked expressions. After much thought, he realized that walking without focus wasn¡¯t smart and should simply ask for directions. That way, he¡¯d avoid getting lost as well.

    "..."

    "?"

    "..."

    "...You don¡¯t know?" He asked, seeing no one respond.

    Xing Xuehan was the first one to speak, "Y-yes! We know. We¡¯re going there after we rest. Considering we currently have enough materials. Right, Ying Sumian?" Her voice was a little hurried.

    "Ahem, yes. After daybreak, we¡¯ll take our leave. We can apany you there if you wish." She gathered her bearings and calmly said.

    Hearing this, Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes lit up in excitement. He never even considered having a guide. Since they were experienced hunters, they should know all of the safe locations and ways to exit this forest. He also needed to find someway to unload these beast cores, and they should be experienced in that as well. His Qi cultivation was just a little too low at the moment, and he needed to seize his hand on some resources for his cultivation. The only thing he had in his bag was beast cores. All the essence liquid he received from Lin Feilin had long since been depleted.

    "Okay." He agreed, walking over to where he was thinking, sat back down, and started to ruminate over that feeling he had with the white me earlier. It seems that when hisprehension on the driving force of the unyielding white me reached a certain point, it would evolve. Thinking up to here, he couldn¡¯t help but wonder about the inky ck wood. It wasn¡¯t only the lifeforce the wood had, but something remarkably simr to death.

    The rest just gazed at him silently with a hint of solemnness. Each with their own thoughts.

    Yan Zaizen sent his spiritual sense into the ring. Since heprehended the white me¡¯s lifews perhaps he couldprehend the inky ck wood¡¯s deathws as well. After some thought, he approached the inky ck wood. Unfortunately, the deathws were currently in the cycle phase where it was incredibly weak. The small white me dazzled brilliantly while consuming the essence of the wood.

    "The me is at its highest. When life reaches an extreme, it plunges to death. When death reaches its extreme, it gives birth to life." He thought. The wood never disappears, but the white me does, or perhaps the white me goes into a state of hibernation in which he couldn¡¯t sense it. Regardless, there are times where he can¡¯t sense a hint of life on the inky ck wood, such as when he first saw it.

    He waited patiently. It didn¡¯t take long before the white me¡¯s cycle reached its zenith. The inky ck wood seemed to have been waiting for its moment, as it started to get stronger, siphoning off the strength from the white me. The me consumes the aura of death to produce life, but the wood siphons off the me¡¯s life to produce death.

    He kept on gaining further and further insights into the essence of their interaction. Unlike before, he didn¡¯t enter a state of enlightenment. Instead, he felt abnormally aware. It was as if he had alreadyprehended the inky ck wood¡¯s deathws, but simply incapable of grabbing it. What he didn¡¯t realize, was that life and deathws naturally conflicted. Normally, they wouldn¡¯t be able to exist together but only are created when the other is at its end. Therefore, when he had grabbed a hold of the lifew from before, the deathw was right next to it, but gradually faded due to his choice.

    His connection to the deathw was exceptionally faint, to the point where he could only feel an inkling of its existence.

    However, ignorance and persistent curiosity can sometimes lead to extraordinary things. The first fire lit. The first wheel rolled. The first fish taking its first steps on the shore.

    He didn¡¯t give up, in fact, he tried even harder. The cycle of life and death of the inky ck wood and unyielding white me continued for one hundred and eight times. A sh of golden light revealed itself in his soul, slightly reminiscent of the heavens.

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes turned misty.

    His aura fluctuated as he once more entered a state of rare enlightenment.

    "The white me is persistent and unyielding, only when it reaches its end, does it perish. The wood is all present and looming, it can not be fully burned by the me, and reims what¡¯s been taken by the me." The words he once spoke during hisprehension of the unyielding white me before was repeated. This time, however, more was added. "Death siphons life. Death can only exist where life is, it feeds off, it grows from, and it stays immortal because...as long as life exists, so does it."

    A sh of deep ck color surged into his originally amber pupils. The others were resting and therefore didn¡¯t detect the brilliance of his state. Even Xing Xuehan who slept right next to him, with a nket over her body, didn¡¯t sense a single thing as it was beyond herprehension.

    A slight grin appeared on his face as he returned back to that space where he felt all thews were near, yet incredibly far. He saw the vibrant white me that refused to yield to any and all, and a ck wooden orb slowly rotating around it, as if waiting for it an opportunity to strike. Always present and always looming about.

    "The Siphoning Shadow of Death." He opened his left hand, revealing a perfectly circr ck orb. He opened his right hand, revealing an unyielding white me.

    I¡¯m Yan Zaizen, one World Law? Pssh. I canprehend two.

    Yan Zaizen had no idea that what he just did, bncing two opposing worldws in one soul, was unprecedented in the entire realm.

 Chapter 22 A Scheme?

    "Someone¡¯s breached the formation!" Ying Sumain shouted, alerting the others. Yan Zaizen was the first one to respond, as he wasn¡¯t asleep, and he immediately rose. His brows furrowed as his spiritual sense circted in the surroundings. With his acute spiritual sense, he could observe the presence of a group of eight men standing behind a transparent film of Qi.

    "The formation?"

    It seems the formation that Ying Sumian set up was a Qi barrier. It was likely connected to something which is why she realized there were individuals attempting to breach the formation. However, what surprised him was that there was a youth, about twenty years of age, was kneeling as he sent out Qi symbols into the air. A formation slowly took form.

    "A formation specialist?" He muttered. However, when Ying Sumian and the rest heard his muttering, their expressions turned pale. "They have a formation specialist with them?" Ying Sumain asked, her voice clearly filled with panic. Yan Zaizen only slightly nodded in response.

    "Did they ce a barrier?" She asked, this time her voice was filled with urgency.

    ce a barrier? Did she mean her barrier?

    Seeing his confusion Ying Sumian rified, "I didn¡¯t set up a barrier. I set up a repulsion field!"

    Hearing this, he was shocked. No wonder he didn¡¯t sense any barrier when he entered earlier. However, there was a light feeling of resistance, but since he was chasing after the Katori, there was little time to consider such a weak feeling. He nodded once more in confirmation. Ying Sumian¡¯s expression dropped immediately.

    Normally, that repulsion field would keep rank two beasts out, not rank three, and definitely not someone with Yan Zaizen¡¯s extremely strong mortal body.

    "Shit! We need to escape!" Bai Wangzhe yelled. However, Ying Sumian didn¡¯t move. She looked upwards, her eyes shing with a radiant light. She was using an internal-ss perception-based Qi Art unique to formation specialists. It was like her eyes were stars in the night sky. Her expression that didn¡¯t seem like it could drop further turned dull. One could tell this Qi Art drained her considerably, and probably the situation itself.

    "It¡¯s a World Entrapment Barrier. A rank four formation." Her voice solemn. The others all revealed pale expressions on their faces, except for two people. No one was noticing, but Yan Zaizen released his spiritual sense outwards scanning the area. This charming young girl, Su Fengyan, was eyeing him with worry. However, it didn¡¯t feel like she was anxious about his safety or his willingness to protect her, but seemed like she worried about him being here.

    He didn¡¯t get much time to think about it beforeughter filled with haughtiness and ill-intentions resounded. They all focused their attention towards its origin. Eight men, dressed in full hunter gear, appeared with one ahead of the rest. His aura was brilliant, revealing the strength of ate-Essence Formation cultivator. The rest were within the Essence Formation, but a mixture of initial and mid.

    The leader of this group of men was exceptionally handsome, seemed to be about 24-25 years of age had auburn hair, muscr physique, and a brilliantly white smile. His radiant eyes looked towards the group, sensing their cultivation levels, and couldn¡¯t help butugh once more.

    "Brilliant. Little Sister, you truly are extraordinary! You always know how to pick¡¯em." His words confused the group, but Yan Zaizen looked towards Su Fengyan who still stared at him with an uneasiness in her eyes. She executed a movement-based Qi Art,pletely catching the rest in shock, and appeared beside the handsome young man.

    When one looked close, they truly had simr features such as their hair color and good-looks.

    "Su Fengyan?!" Xing Xuehan feltpletely shocked and blindsided by events. She just couldn¡¯tprehend what was happening.

    "I see." Ying Sumien¡¯s expression was solemn, yet contained a sort of calm. "You nned this from the beginning, didn¡¯t you?"

    "..." Su Fengyan remained quiet, looking at Yan Zaizen.

    "Haha! Fools, of course we did. Why risk our lives fighting these beasts when we can simply let you idiots do the work. Hahaha!" The young man, named Su Shinyan, couldn¡¯t help but be jubnt. Sending his sister to scout out hunters, form a group, then have them hunt for months gaining spoil after spoils then taking them was a hell of a lot better than them risking their lives.

    "However," A sly, sinister smile appeared on his face. "If you¡¯re willing to please my brothers for a while, perhaps we can let you off, and grant you something for your efforts." His words caused the others in his entourage tough. However, the formation specialist youth among them remained quiet.

    "Mister, if you leave, we can offer you a great share of our profits." Su Fengyan offered. This caused theughter of the group to fall silent, each of them looked at Su Fengyan in bewilderment. From what they recalled, this charming girl was an incredibly vicious and greedy rose, and she wouldn¡¯t even let a dog flee if it meant a penny in hand for its death. Yet, here she was, proposing a deal to someone to share their profits.

    Su Shinyan¡¯s eyes narrowed as he looked towards this sister of his, and then at Yan Zaizen. It was a fairly skinny youth with an aura at the Initial-Qi Revolving Realm. He was inconsequential. However, unlike some brainless individuals, he was far shrewder in thinking. Observing his sister¡¯s expression and words, he turned to Yan Zaizen and assumed he had a great status. Her unwillingness to offend him lead to her proposal.

    "Sir, may I know your name?" He asked politely, obviously taking this seriously. The rest of the group, including Ying Sumian¡¯s, looked towards Yan Zaizen.

    "Haha, my name?" He asked with a hint of yfulness, not an ounce of fear in his heart. "Han Zaiji." Deciding that since the Yan Family were allied with the Soaring Cloud Sect, it¡¯d be too risky to announce his true name to others, so he took the n and family name of his master - Han Genji.

    Hearing this, everyone came up with a nk.

    Han n?

    Ji Family?

    Never heard of it!

    "If I asked you to leave, would you do so?" Yan Zaizen said with a slight smile. In truth, he didn¡¯t care much about these people, but they were going to be his guide. He even wanted to fight, his eyes filled with battle intent.

    However, his words made silence fall. Su Shinyan¡¯s eyes turned fierce, and he looked towards Su Fengyan. Was this guy really as much of a threat as she assumes? But what happened next surprised him greatly.

    "If we can have the Katori corpse, we¡¯ll leave immediately." Su Fengyan decisively stated.

    Katori?

    A Katori corpse?

    The group of men was in shock. A Katori was a rank three beast, and one that rivaled a peak-mid Essence Formation Cultivator, but what more, it was wood-attributed giving it a home-field advantage. If they were to try to hunt one, they may suffer some loses, and it may even escape. Yet, there was a corpse here?

    Yan Zaizen was surprised at her decisiveness but nevertheless maintained his smile.

    "And if I say no?"

    "Then, just the Cerulean Python corpse." She negotiated.

    "No."

    "Then-"

    "No."

    He wanted to fight, but he wasn¡¯t one to fight and kill just because. However, if they made the first move or disyed killing intent, he would be absolutely vicious. He was also unwilling to give anything to these bandits, those who betray the people who trusted them were scum, and those who took advantage of that trust to reap lives were worse. Determining his stance on the matter, Su Fengyan¡¯s expression fell, but she wasn¡¯t a fool.

    "Brother, since Mister Han refuses. Let us leave." She looked towards her brother, her eyes filled with resolve and pleading. To her, Yan Zaizen was someone who could kill a Katori with one blow, someone who possessed a mysterious background andprehended an upper-worldw. No matter what, she didn¡¯t wish for today to be the day she dies. The attitude and intent in Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes were clear.

    Want it? Let¡¯s fight!

    However, her brother wasn¡¯t as willing. He shouted, "What are you talking about? You nned this, and...if we kill him, then whoever is behind him won¡¯t matter. The dead tell no tales."

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes lit up, and his fists clenched. "I¡¯ll give you three seconds," he said, his body filling up with powerful vital energy and lifeforce. Hearing those words, the others were incensed. They looked like bulls who saw red, waiting for the gates to open to smash Yan Zaizen to bits.

    "Three..."

    "Two..."

    "One..."

 Chapter 23 Shock and Awe

    "You dare threaten us?!" Su Shinyan yelled in heart-palpitating fury. His fury was so tremendous that his eyes gleamed with killing intent as he stared at Yan Zaizen. The others apart and Ying Sumian¡¯s hunter group shuddered at the sight of those eyes. The killing intent of ate-Essence Formation cultivator was not to be underestimated.

    He pointed towards Yan Zaizen and shouted, "Men, kill hi-"

    He was interrupted by Su Fengyan, who upon grasping the situation, turned immediately around and ran away urging her full Qi capabilities. This action caused everyone, including Yan Zaizen, to be inplete disbelief and utter shock.

    "What...?" Su Shinyan was bewildered, and his originally handsome face looked absolutely lost and ugly as it was mixed with surprise and burning fury. He turned to witness his sister already a bit away, continuing to urge her movement art to its maximum, and he felt like with each step she took her mastery of the art increased.

    "..."

    Everyone was stunned speechless.

    "S-sis...sister?!" It took him a second before he could gather his bearings and shouted towards her direction.

    "Run!" Was her only response, her voice filled with urgency.

    They turned to look towards Yan Zaizen once more. However, all they saw was him with a slight smile on his face.

    "Zero."

    Hearing this, the group of men, including the quiet formation specialist, expression changed. The formation specialist was the most decisive out of the bunch, retrieving and shattering a small light-green pearl in his fist. His entire body was enveloped by surging wind Qi, and he vanished from everyone¡¯s eyes.

    "An escape talisman?!" One of the men who were closest to the youth, couldn¡¯t help but exim. However, it was thest thing he said in this life.

    A shadow appeared in front of him, a slim hand reached out as if it just broke through space and shot for his throat. The man was at the initial-Essence Formation, therefore had good instincts and reaction, but the speed was far too quick for his senses.

    Yan Zaizen grasped the man¡¯s throat in his hand and mercilessly crushed.

    CRUNCH!

    The man¡¯s neck exploded in a mess of flesh and blood. His eyes were wide in disbelief, and his head leaned sideways, no longer having the support of his spine. Yan Zaizen¡¯s robe was coated in blood, and his eyes revealed a fierce battle intent that could not be hidden.

    In truth, Yan Zaizen always had a merciless and fearless streak. When he saw Han Genji murder those Soaring Cloud Experts, he was simply shocked and horrified at the fact it was done in such a clean and concise way. He was no soft marshmallow. He knew that in the cultivation world one must kill or be killed, and cultivation was filled with nine parts death and one part life. Fights were asmon as the clouds, and ns were decimated daily.

    If you don¡¯t have the ability to fight, then you¡¯ll die.

    However, he was never strong enough.

    Now, he was.

    Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t pause for a second, his eyes revealing his intention to kill. He bolted towards another initial-Essence Formation cultivator within the group. He knew that if he was surrounded or allowed them to set up some sort of formation, it¡¯ll likely be an incredibly difficult fight from then on.

    Su Shinyan¡¯s eyes shrunk. The death of his ally was surprising to him, but he was an experienced hunter, and thus his reaction rebound was rather fast. "Set up Hexagonal-Cross Formation!" He ordered. He roared as his body exploded with lightning-Qi, looking like a lightning god descending from the heavens, he pulled out a bright yellow saber and executed a profound movement art.

    It was Yan Zaizen¡¯s turn for his eyes to shrink. Su Shinyan¡¯s explosion caused him to pause from surprise. An aura-based art? He could feel his muscles and body feeling numb, and despite the lightning-Qi not actuallying into contact with him, he could feel its stinging sensation.

    Su Shinyan¡¯s robust body appeared right in front of Yan Zaizen¡¯s path, intercepting almost instantly.

    Such speed?! Yan Zaizen shock grew, however, he didn¡¯t dare allow himself to continue his pause. The aura Qi-Art of Su Shinyan was making his body feel number with each passing micro-second, and he couldn¡¯t let this continue. His eyes filled with an unusually icy-cold light. No longer holding back, he exerted his full strength, punching towards Su Shinyan with everything he had. The wind sheared from its path, and howling whistled, his fist almost instantly appeared before Su Shinyan.

    Frightened, Su Shinyan saw that the fist contained power he couldn¡¯t dodge, but didn¡¯t retreat. Instead, he urged the full force of his armor, weapon, and Qi in unison. "Lightning Ruination!" He thundered, the lightning glow in his saber exploded outwards to meet this incredible fist.

    BOOM!!!

    They collided. An explosion so deafening that the world went silent afterward resounded. Su Shinyan was sent flying, his armor shattered, his saber destroyed, and his hands a mangled mess. Like a kite with a broken string, he was propelled far into the forest and disappeared. His life and death unknown.

    Yan Zaizen, however, was sent back a few dozen meters away. His fist was dripping with some blood and surrounded by remnant lightning-Qi, but he was rtively fine. Inwardly shocked by his explosive power, he couldn¡¯t help but think to himself if his assumption on his previous strength was off.

    This dy of the collision, however, was sufficient enough for the group of well-trained hunters to execute the Hexagonal-Cross Formation. They each held a vibrantly glowing stone filled with wonderous energies, whilst standing in a small-shaped hexagon. The one facing Yan Zaizen, a mid-Essence Formation cultivator was the leader, while the rest acted as support and stood behind.

    The Hexagonal-Cross Formation was a rank three unified formation that allows the leader to draw upon the Qi of the rest to execute attacks that are several times more powerful than normal.

    "Time to die!" The mid-Essence Formation cultivator dered.

    Yan Zaizen snorted coldly at his deration and started to focus his soul energy.

    A formation was insidiously difficult to deal with, and unless broken, he¡¯ll be in for one hell of a fight. The leader of this group had the Qi of five other Essence Formation cultivators funneling into him, enhancing his abilities, and making his aura rise to something between peak-Essence Formation and initial-Qi Unification - Half-step Qi Unification. This level of strength exceeded Su Shinyan¡¯s by quite a bit.

    With this, he decided to take a risk. He didn¡¯t know if it¡¯ll work in any degree, but if it did, this would make the fight so much easier.

    "Pneuma Disruption!" He shouted inwardly, his charged soul energy shot towards the leader of the group with an imperceptible speed. Soul Arts were incredibly powerful because of their incredible speeds that even Origin Core Realm Cultivators couldn¡¯t dodge, and unless one had cultivation into the soul, it¡¯ll be incredibly difficult to deal with without prior preparations or a strong cultivation base.

    The soul energy reached the leader in a blink, his eyes almost instantly turned absent-minded. Almost immediately, he lost control of the formation, and the other five were subsequently expelled due to the chaos. Each of them coughed blood and disyed a hint of weakness. When the formation backfired, everyone involved suffered a disastrous and unified fate.

    Yan Zaizen underestimated his soul strength. Even though the Soul Art he used couldn¡¯t even be considered at the stage of Initial Sess, the foundation of it was pretty much understood. Invade your opponent¡¯s soul, wreak havoc. His soul cultivation was at the Perfect Nascent Soul while his opponent didn¡¯t possess any.

    He couldn¡¯t even defend against this reckless assault of Yan Zaizen.

    His soul fire was bombarded and snuffed out in a second, immediately sentencing him to aatose state of death. His body may live for a short while, but he was undeniably dead.

    Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t let his excitement at this discovery dy his initial goal - eradication!

    His body propelled forward to reach an initial-Essence Formation cultivator, his fist whirled and smashed upon his chest. His chest cavity caved in. His body flew and smashed directly into a nearby tree, only stopping after the violent collision that left the tree snapped in two.

    He didn¡¯t stop for a second, continuing with this ferocious momentum.

    His right leg kicked out with explosive force, smashing against the cranium of a mid-Essence Formation, inducing a soul-rendering scream followed by a bloody explosion. The bone fragments, blood, and brain matter sprayed on another cultivator. The sudden impact sent him on his butt, and Yan Zaizen did not leave this disy of carelessness unexploited.

    A short dash and a roaring fist to the headter left the man without a life.

    A hellish scream echoed, as one of the members realized the circumstance and turned tail. His attempts to run didn¡¯t escape Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes and appeared directly behind him, his slightly skinny hands were ced on the man¡¯s head. Seeing Yan Zaizen¡¯s hands appear, one on his mouth and another on the back of his head so suddenly, he wanted to say something.

    SNAP!

    A twist of his wrists turned the man¡¯s head aplete 360¡ã.

    The other two were dealt with quickly enough, incapable of running. It may have been long to describe, but the entire set of events from Su Fengyan¡¯s escape to thest two¡¯s deaths only took less than a minute. Yan Zaizen demonstrated his natural killer instincts as a cultivator, truly merciless, but considering the hunter group¡¯s intentions, they should¡¯ve known that this could happen.

    He looked towards Su Shinyan¡¯s direction but realized he was gone. Even his spiritual sense couldn¡¯t locate him.

    "Cold-blooded." Yan Zaizen remarked. Leaving his teammates to die and running off truly felt malicious. Still, Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t chase. He felt toozy to do so. However, he wasn¡¯t toozy to perform the age-old tradition of takings his spoils of war. He looted every one of their bodies, and even their cracked armors were taken.

    Looking at his gains, he couldn¡¯t help but smile with a little bit of happiness. Most of this came from the fact that he now possessed a spatial bag! Before, he had to fashion a bag out of skin and scales, but now he could just store everything. Arge reason for his actions had to do with obtaining these bags.

    Unfortunately, the Meteor Ring still didn¡¯t allow him to take things away or store things into it. If it did, he wouldn¡¯t even be in his situation of having too many things and nowhere to store it. A soft sigh resounded as he remembered how there was a treasure on his finger that he had no ess to.

    He turned to witness the startled expression of Ying Sumian¡¯s group. Realizing the rank four entrapment barrier disappeared with the formation youth, he felt relieved. With a slight smile and a chuckle he suggested, "We should leave."

    He genuinely wanted to get back home.

 Chapter 24 Xuanwu City

    After a little bit of cleaning up, Yan Zaizen sat down and pondered. Currently, his mortal body and body cultivation were incredibly powerful. However, the method in the Immortal Herculean Method states the minimum level of strength could rival a peak-Qi Revolving cultivator. At first, he thought since it stated the minimum and not maximum, his strength could reach the Essence Formation, but then the battle urred.

    Su Shinyan, ate-Essence Formation Cultivator fully equipped with ranked weaponry and armor, lost in a one-on-one direct sh with just his fist alone. This level of character could easily be an upper-rank Elder of the Yan n, but to him, it was a little too puny. It could be that Su Shinyan was a book with a gilded cover but no content, but it seemed unlikely due to his upation.

    He checked and double-checked his level of sess into the Nascent Herculean Physique, but it retained signs of being wholly within the initial-sess stage. So it just made things more confusing.

    He was almost certain his physical body could rival an initial-Qi Unification cultivator inbat.

    Looking at his bleeding fist and the deep cut left on it by Su Shinyan¡¯s saber, he couldn¡¯t help but contemte. A surge of Qi whirled around his fist, a trace of the Unyielding me of Life brought forth, and the wound started to heal at visible speeds. It only took two minutes before the wound healedpletely. With widened eyes, he looked in disbelief. However, thinking about it, he quickly calmed down.

    His conceptualw of life, the Unyielding me of Life, was at the Perfect Nascent-level -- touching upon the Force-level. Not to mention, it embodied the essence of lifeforce. It makes sense that, even with his weak cultivation, he could heal a wound this minor so quickly.

    Could that be it?

    Perhaps the conceptualw of life strengthened his body considerably. He believed this line of thinking for a second, before shaking his head. Even if a worldw was so miraculous, the Unyielding me of Life¡¯s enhancing effect versus the amount of time since it was conceptualized was too short for this level of increase. Otherwise, he could immediately reach the Origin Core Realm in strength within a year. That didn¡¯t seem likely.

    It had to be something else.

    After thinking of all possible avenues, he could only assume that the Immortal Herculean Method was wrong in its description or its guess was considerably undervalued. He could only shake his head and put it at the back of his mind for the moment.

    "Are we ready?" He asked carelessly.

    Ying Sumian looked towards this slightly skinny yet absolutely frightening youth and could only say in response, "Young Hero, when you¡¯re ready, we¡¯re ready." Her words pretty much coincided with what Yan Zaizen wanted. His eyes lit up with excitement and nodded.

    "I¡¯m ready. Let¡¯s go."

    ---------------------------------------------------------------------

    The journey was quite smooth. Using his powerful spiritual sense, he avoided any dangerous areas, and for those he wasn¡¯t sure about, he¡¯d inform the others and they¡¯d deliberate and decide their path. This made the travel easy, and for beasts that were unfortunate to cross their paths, they lost their lives with their cores. This was almost easy money, and after Yan Zaizen learned of the prices for the beast cores of Basilisk Forest, his eyes lit up with greed.

    A rank one beast core, around the initial/mid-Qi Revolving Realm, was worth about 3-5 drops of low-grade liquid essence. A rank two beast core, around thete/peak-Qi Revolving Realm, was worth about 10-15 drop of low-grade liquid essence. A rank three beast core, around the initial/mid-Essence Formation Realm, was worth about 1 drop of mid-grade liquid essence. A drop of mid-grade liquid essence had the same value as 100 drops of low-grade liquid essence. Not only was it purer than low-grade essence, it was far more effective in the conversion to Qi, in alchemy, armament creation, or even refining one¡¯s foundation.

    Therefore, he had a vast amount of wealth with his current load, and he didn¡¯t mind having more.

    They traveled day and night, soon several weeks passed by. At this point, Yan Zaizen was quite familiar with the others in the squad, and even a form of camaraderie was being established. From young, Yan Zaizen never really had friends, except when his parents were still alive.

    At least, he didn¡¯t have real friends.

    The moment misfortune hit, they skedaddled faster than a hare seeing a wild dog.

    He didn¡¯t know if the others were like this, albeit he assumed they were, it still felt nice to have some form of friendlypany. Especially in a forest where nearly everything was poisonous and wouldn¡¯t mind eating you, dissolving you in their stomach acid, and release you as waste after getting all they need from you.

    Finally, after their several weeks of travel, they reached their destination: Xuanwu City.

    Xuanwu City was thergest city established in the Basilisk Forest. It was considered safe haven by all hunters of the forest. Its rules were strict and the punishments dealt out were swift, but what truly gives the city clout was the owners and regtors ¡ª Earthly Titan Sect. It was one of the top five sects in the entire country, with cultivators at the Origin Core Realm, giving it immense power and influence. Anyone who dares goes against it, would be the same as an ant going against a behemoth. No way of survival.

    Yan Zaizen found this to be interesting, especially learning that amongst the five sects, the Earthly Titan Sect had the most unorthodox method - Body Cultivation. A majority of their members excel in cultivating their bodies, and they possessed some of the greatest martial arts of the country. However, body cultivation required a firm will and deep pockets. Therefore, they made a ton of profits from external sources, like the Xuanwu City.

    As he approached the city in the middle of the Basilisk Forest, he was absolutely surprised. It had walls as high as one hundred meters high,pletely made of ck metal, and towers situated at the top radiating with energy. They were defensive means against any beast horde that may strike. The trees werepletely cleared away, and he didn¡¯t see a single one in sight. This gave him some relief, considering the dangers of the forest like traps, poison, among other things.

    The ce was incredibly lively. Some hunters were seeking refuge and safety within its walls to recuperate after a fierce struggle, others were bringing in their trophies of victory, and more many were getting ready to start their hopeful venture into the forest for harvest. Cultivators ranged from many levels, but many were in groups at the Qi Revolving Realm with a leader or two at the Essence Formation Realm.

    This was Yan Zaizen¡¯s first time seeing so many people dressed in a myriad of different armors and organizations. It was like an entirely new world to him.

    Spreading his spiritual sense outwards, he turned towards a direction. Seeing who was there, his eyes widened as he said with shock, "You¡¯re here?!"

 Chapter 25 Meeting Again

    "Brother Zai, is there something wrong?" A tender feminine voice said beside Yan Zaizen. Yan Zaizen was brought back from his shock as he turned to his side to see Xing Xuehan. This woman was quite interesting. It¡¯s been several weeks since their joined travel, and at every opportunity, she¡¯d try to establish closer rtions with Yan Zaizen. She even looked prettier than she did before, she obviously didn¡¯t care about her appearance, but now she did.

    The gestures she made disyed her feminine side, and her willingness was subtle yet enough for Yan Zaizen to know of her intentions. He could be absolutely certain at this point that this woman here didn¡¯t even care if he decided to take her forcibly tomorrow and if anything, she would probably wish for it to get closer to him. Her actions were quite refreshing to Yan Zaizen. He couldn¡¯t help but wish that Ya Qinqan was so enamored with him like this Xing Xuehan.

    "Nothing. Just saw someone from my past." He replied, his eyes turning back to a group of individuals outside of the gate. They seemed to be waiting for something before going out to venture outside. The group had three females and about ten males. Despite them each having different forms of attire, they all had inmon a symbol of a white shadow silhouette of a fiend. One of the females was exceptionally cold and exuding an aura of indifference. It was as if the world itself didn¡¯t matter to her, and the only thing that could even catch a glimpse of her interest was only the heavens itself.

    Xing Xuehan, in her curiousness of Yan Zaizen¡¯s affairs, followed his eyes and saw the group. She thought for a second and spoke, "Those are members of the Vanishing Fiend Sect." Her words gave Yan Zaizen a start.

    The Vanishing Fiend Sect was one of the top five sects of Presba, but it was considered the weakest out of the five. Due to a massive civil war that took ce between two internal factions, it had immense changes. Despite all of that, it still holds the title of one of the top five sects, and barely anyone would argue on this. That was because, inparison to those second-rate sects, those at the top could send one member of their upper-echelon and tten all life in those sects. The difference was that great.

    "Why is Lin Feilin a part of the Vanishing Fiend Sect?" He muttered to himself. This icy-cold Senior Sister of his abandoned him within a poisonous forest and left to handle her own business. It seems that business rted to joining the Vanishing Fiend Sect.

    However, when he thought about it, it made sense. From what he recalled, the Vanishing Fiend Sect was allied loosely with the Earthly Titan Sect, but they weren¡¯t in direct opposition to the Soaring Cloud Sect. Staying inside the Vanishing Fiend Sect for cultivation would be far easier than dealing with the constant pressure of war inside the Earthly Titan Sect.

    But one question still remained, how did she join so quickly?

    He had no doubt that Lin Feilin was an exceptionally powerful cultivator, but its only been a few weeks, nearly a month since they departed from each other. Looking at it simply, he was a day behind her in his journey to Xuanwu City, but she seemed to already be established and ready to continue her cultivation path. Could it be that Han Genji left a backup n for the Vanishing Fiend Sect like the Earthly Titan Sect, but only for Lin Feilin, or did she have a connection with them originally? Thinking up to here, he realized he still knew nothing about his two fellow disciples. Not only that, he was the Ninth Disciple of Han Genji, so where were the other Disciples?

    His questions never ceased, and he felt almost frustrated at it all. From the moment he was taken by Han Genji, he had questions. When they were transported to this ce so suddenly, he had questions. Now, he sees Lin Feilin, and he still had questions.

    He decided to get some answers!

    "I¡¯m going to go over to greet a friend. I¡¯ll be back." He said, his steps already taking him forward. The others were shocked, especially Xing Xuehan, but hearing his serious tone, she decided to stay back with her group as to not be too noisy and annoying Yan Zaizen.

    As he approached, Lin Feilin sensed something and turned in his direction. Her originally icy-cold eyes lit up in surprise. Those males who were paying close attention to Lin Feilin¡¯s every action noted this and turned their attention towards Yan Zaizen. Seeing this initial-Qi Revolving Realm cultivator walk towards them, they were slightly surprised.

    As he approached, a tall, pale-looking, and robust male of about 23-24 years of age walked outwards and held his hand out. "Halt!" His words contained an authority that could not be defied. Yan Zaizen was startled and stopped subconsciously. This man had muscles that seemed like it was forged from metal, and his stature was incredible. Even Yan Zaizen could only reach his shoulders in height. His cultivation was extraordinary as well, possessing the strength of at the peak mid-Essence Formation. However, his more interesting point was the vital energies emitted from those robust muscles. Yan Zaizen assumed that his body was weaker than his by a considerable amount, but still stronger than the majority of people he¡¯se across since now - even in his own n.

    "Do you even have the qualifications to approach?" He inquired domineering. The others beside him, including the women, sneered at Yan Zaizen. He had a weak, shaky Qi Foundation, and his attire was without symbol or mark. They couldn¡¯t tell the strength of his physical body, cause a Herculean Physique wasn¡¯t something they can hope toprehend, but they felt it wasn¡¯t worth anything, only being around the strength of the peak-Qi Revolving Realm.

    If Yan Zaizen knew their thoughts, he would be absolutely surprised. The main reason was that the Immortal Herculean Method stated that his vital energies would be at that level. Body cultivation is determined by one¡¯s vital energy emission, typically, the stronger it is, the stronger the body. However, Yan Zaizen¡¯s body was, unknowingly, tempered by a trace of Heavenly Annihtion Light absorbed by that mysterious ck light, and therefore was far stronger due to its refining. Therefore, his vital energies were in the peak-Qi Revolving Realm, but his actual physical body was nearing the Qi Unification Realm in terms of strength.

    It was this very reason that Su Shinyan was skeptical about Yan Zaizen¡¯s threat potential, and even Su Fengyan wasn¡¯t sure but was unwilling to gamble with her life.

    Looking towards Lin Feilin, he thought for a second. With a cautious tone, "I want to thank this sister here for her help earlier, it helped me greatly." His words were apanied by a smile. He thought about his words cause he didn¡¯t know if Lin Feilin was willing to let her identity be exposed, and he didn¡¯t want to expose his own.

    Seeing this, Lin Feilin¡¯s eyes lit up. The others drew their gazes towards Lin Feilin, assuming she aided him in the Basilisk Forest. However, Lin Feilin didn¡¯t care for their assumptions or gazes. She calmly said, "Come. I have something I want to speak to you about." Her icy-cold voice held a simr authority to the robust man from earlier.

    Yan Zaizen simply nodded in response. This is what he wanted.

    Hearing her words, some wanted to say something, but the gazes of the men who originally paid close attention to Lin Feilin revealed sharp gazes as if wanting to see if anyone would dare to object her desires. This caused the others in the group to swallow their words.

    Lin Feilin walked off towards the distance, and Yan Zaizen followed under the multitude of gazes. He wasn¡¯t particrly perturbed. These types of gazes were far less disturbing than the ones he suffered in his own n.

    After several minutes of walking, Lin Feilin stopped at a remote corner of the forest. She turned to see Yan Zaizen quietly following her. Waving her hand, a barrier of Qi erected preventing any form of sound from escaping their uing conversation.

    "You survived." Her icy-tone still ever prevalent in her voice, one couldn¡¯t know if she was happy or sad about that fact. However, Yan Zaizen knew this icy-cold yet beautiful Senior Sister of his was far kinder than one may think. He still remembered her words and actions from before.

    "Yeah, with some struggles. Haha." He chuckled casually.

    "What do you want?" She got straight to the point.

    Hearing this, Yan Zaizen¡¯s expression turned solemn. "I have some questions I hope Sixth Sister can answer."

    "Oh? Then ask."

 Chapter 26 Answers

    Finally, the time for him to learn of all the questions he was curious about could be answered at this very moment. He felt fidgety from his anticipation. Taking a deep breath to calm himself down, he looked towards Lin Feilin.

    "Who is Han Genji?" His first question was one he had the most out of all else. Who was this master of his? He only had two meetings with him, one where he was drenched in blood, and the other where Han Genji was drenched in blood.

    "Han Genji is my and your Master." She said, her tone still icy-cold. She added, "He was born in the Vanishing Fiend Sect¡¯s Han n to the Ji Family-line."

    Vanishing Fiend Sect?! So it made sense that he had connections with both the Vanishing Fiend Sect and the Earthly Titan Sect so that his disciples could join either or.

    He hesitated for a while but asked with a hint of nervousness, "Is he still alive?"

    "Yes. He¡¯s been captured by the Soaring Cloud Sect and will be sentenced to death soon." She stated, her voice may seem cold, but at the moment she said the word ¡¯death,¡¯ he could see her lips quiver slightly. However, sheposed herself quickly, not revealing anything after.

    "I see..." Yan Zaizen wasn¡¯t a fool who thought he could stop the Soaring Cloud Sect¡¯s execution. If his master¡¯s allies don¡¯t appear, then it¡¯s likely his death was all but dated. "Then, what¡¯s Eighth Brother¡¯s story?" This was the second most important matter to him. Shin Xuanji dered the eradication of the Yan Family, but Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t know a single thing about him.

    Lin Feilin looked towards Yan Zaizen, her eyes obviously filled with aplexity. "Shin Xuanji belonged to the Shin n, one of the n¡¯s directly under the Yan n about fifteen years ago. They, who were found guilty of treason, sufferedplete annihtion by the Yan n."

    What?!

    If Shin Xuanji¡¯s n was eradicated by the Yan n, then all of his former actions made sense. Unfortunately, Yan Zaizen was no more than one year old at the time and didn¡¯t remember a single thing about those days. However, his grandfather was still the n leader at the time, which meant that he gave the order of extermination. Considering it more, if they were charged with treason, then their eradication was warranted. He was not a soft-hearted person, and you reap what you sow.

    Traitors should be swiftly eliminated.

    Seeing Yan Zaizen¡¯s thoughts in her eyes, Lin Feilin couldn¡¯t help but slightly shake her head and only said a few more words. "It¡¯s moreplicated than you think and moreplicated than I can exin." After those words, she wouldn¡¯t answer anything about the Shin n¡¯s circumstances, and likely it was because she didn¡¯t want to specte or simply doesn¡¯t wish to say something unnecessary.

    "What is Master¡¯s grudge against the Soaring Cloud Sect?" He remembered when he first met Han Genji, he said something about being chased about by the Soaring Cloud Sect, and that he was simply unwilling to let them leave with their lives because of it. There had to be a story behind that.

    "The civil war, that urred in the Vanishing Fiend Sect, left the Vanishing Fiend Sect weakened. However, Master was one of their prominent talents and thus a variable the enemies of the sect would love to eliminate. The Soaring Cloud Sect saw an opportunity to kill him, took it, but ended up killing his wife instead." Her words were clear and exined the story thoroughly. She took a brief pause then continued, "Master desired revenge. However, the weakened Vanishing Fiend Sect abandoned him. He took matters into his own hands and ughtered countless Soaring Cloud Sect cultivators. After he broke through the Origin Core Realm, they were even more hell-bent on killing him. However, they¡¯ll probably subject him to many unique tortures before doing so."

    Han Genji¡¯s story was genuinely tragic. He was talented in a weakened sect; the enemy took advantage of that, and he lost his lover. His sect abandoned him so decisively and then left him to his own devices. Then, he ended up being captured by those very enemies who executed his lover.

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s fist clenched, his feelings were soplex. Should he be angry, fueled by the desire for revenge? Should he be indifferent, ignoring these matters that don¡¯t really concern him? Or something else? He just didn¡¯t know. He did know that no matter what he felt and, at this moment, he didn¡¯t have any power to decide things.

    Lin Feilin¡¯s eyes lit up. She reminded, "You weren¡¯t close to Master. You have no obligation to be drawn into his death grudge for someone you barely knew. It is his true disciples¡¯ responsibility." Her words were harsh but also somewhat true.

    He softly sighed knowing she was telling the truth. Perhaps, if his cultivation reaches a point where his every word was an imperial decree, he could decide what he wanted to do. Until then, forget it.

    "What about his other disciples? Where are they?"

    "Dead." She stated.

    "..."

    "..."

    "I see."

    "Anything else?" She inquired.

    He was silent, looking towards the ground in thought. Only after quite a while did he look up and asked, "How do I get home?" His voice was filled with desire and homesickness. He wanted to go back home.

    Lin Feilin looked towards Yan Zaizen with softer eyes. Indeed, he was just a kid who was kidnapped from his home, brought to a ce too far away from it, and then left there without any guidance. It wouldn¡¯t be strange if that¡¯s all he wanted. The rest of his questions were just curiosity from his experiences, but this is what he truly wanted to ask all along.

    "There exists a spatial tform within Xuanxu City. If you earn enough, you can use it and be sent to the Zhu Que City. It¡¯s a city situated near the Soaring Cloud Territory. From there, it shouldn¡¯t take you more than a few months to reach the Yan n." Her words obviously disyed her knowledge of the Yan n¡¯s location and methods of travel.

    "Truly?!" Yan Zaizen, for the first time in a long while, he was overjoyed. He felt like a lost dog that got the scent of its owner once more. He could finally return home!

    "However, you¡¯ll have to wait eight months." She said, bringing him back to reality.

    "What?! Why?!" His words were filled with agitation. Why eight months?

    "The tform only operates one time out of the year, the next time would be in eight months." She stated. However, she added, "If you wanted to leave the Basilisk Forest, it¡¯ll take you about that long with your cultivation and that¡¯s considering you can escape alive. However, after that, you¡¯ll still be thousands of li away. It¡¯ll take you years with your cultivation, even if you travel day and night."

    He knew she was telling the truth. Perhaps if he was just traveling in a straight line, it would be better, but he couldn¡¯t. There would be areas he must pass, detours he had to take, and not to mention the variety of other things that can go wrong on a trip.

    "Fine. Eight months it is." He wasn¡¯t that dejected. Considering the time span of travel between the Zhu Que City and Meteorite City, it wouldn¡¯t take more than a month or two.

    During this time, he could focus on cultivation and maybe go about hunting for some wealth. If he¡¯s going to go back to his n, he may as well do it with filled pockets!

 Chapter 27 Entering the City

    After asking a few more questions that lifted up the hazy fog he felt he was in, he left Lin Feilin and returned back to his original group. They awaited his return very diligently. When they saw him stride back over, they each revealed their own unique expressions. The Bai Brother¡¯s had smiles on their faces, filled with gratefulness and relief. It seemed they assumed that Yan Zaizen may leave and join the groupprised of Vanishing Fiend Disciples. Ying Sumian had a calm expression, but her eyes contained an unusual glint that was very hard to read. While Xing Xuehan had a wide-smile and took the initiative to walk over and greeted him on his return.

    "Shall we enter the city?" He asked, looking at the giant gateprised of ck steel. He couldn¡¯t help but notice the walls once more and marvel its craftsmanship. They even had etchings of a turtle with a serpent for a tail with a ferocious expression that seemed remarkably lifelike. From his knowledge, this was the depiction of a legendary Xuanwu. However, from his understanding, the Xuanwu was a divine beast, not a disaster beast.

    Divine Beasts all had the strength that was at the minimum at the True Cloud Realm, a realm beyond the Origin Core. This level of strength could be considered the very peak for a country such as Presba, but to divine beasts, they were all born at this level. He wished that one day he could see a real Xuanwu beast in the flesh.

    They approached the gates and paid the fee for entry. Regardless of what faction you belonged to, you had to pay a monthly membership at the least to gain entrance to the city. Luckily, it wasn¡¯t too expensive. This would have to constantly be renewed if you wished to stay within the city, and even if you decide to reside in the city for just a day, you still had to pay for the full month. Thus, many hunters would exploit full advantage of their month-long membership.

    With the wealth he obtained from those hunters, he paid his way rather easily. The others were already prepared and experienced and thus had yearly memberships paid already. They just showed their badge and entered.

    The inside of the city was magnificent. The streets were wide, the crowd varied from the weak to strong, and there were so many colorful venues out there. He learned that the city actually had their own natives, and the natives would earn money by acting as guides amongst hunting parties. He also learned that Su Fengyan was one of the natives who joined their party under the guise of traveling. They met misfortune after misfortune, which was actually normal for hunting parties, but in hindsight, it may have been Su Fengyan¡¯s way of whittling down their group - which she aplished.

    "Where do we sell our harvest?" Yan Zaizen asked no one in particr, looking about like a tourist. Ever so often, his eyes would shine with a light of fascination.

    "If you want the best and fairest of prices, you can go to Great Serpentine Emporium." Ying Sumian answered promptly. Exining further, "The Great Serpentine Emporium is owned and run by the Earthly Titan Sect. They are thergest and most profitable exchange within the entire Xuanxu City. However, to enter, you must either have a high enough cultivation or proof of wealth."

    "Proof of wealth?" Yan Zaizen questioned curiously.

    "Yes. You must be able to produce a rank three beast core, disy a certain amount of liquid essence or have a reputation. As for cultivation, you need to have at least the initial-Essence Formation cultivation base." Ying Sumian¡¯s knowledge was broad, especially pertaining to requirements. Yan Zaizen couldn¡¯t help but take a look at this bespectacled woman. Many of his questions from the past few weeks have been answered by her in a perfect manner each and every time.

    Seeing him look her way, Ying Sumian just slightly smiled in response. Yan Zaizen kept feeling this girl wasn¡¯t simple, at least her intelligence wasn¡¯t low. "So let¡¯s go there." He suggested. The rest nodded. It seemed like they were his entourage, going where he goes, waiting where he waits and doing what he does. He was never this popr before but he could get used to this feeling.

    As they proceeded on the way, Yan Zaizen realized that the number of factions in the city was extraordinary. Many first-rate, second-rate, and third-rate sects had bases here, except the Water Veil Sect and Soaring Cloud Sect. However, that was only expected considering their standings with each other. Even the Solitary Sword Sect had members here. Each and every one of them had extraordinary auras and cultivation bases. They truly earned their right of being called the number one sect in the entire Presba, undisputed.

    "The Solitary Sword Sect is located quite far from here, but they temper a few of their talents in the Basilisk Forest. Each disciple of the Solitary Sword Sect has extraordinary battle prowess and foundation. There¡¯s a saying in the Basilisk Forest: ¡¯Never fight a Solitary Sword Cultivator with the same cultivation, regardless of the numerical advantage¡¯." Ying Sumian listed off some things she knew seeing Yan Zaizen curiosity.

    He was startled by the saying. Wouldn¡¯t that mean that the Solitary Sword Sect was undefeatable at the same level of cultivation? Is that even possible?

    Truly, the world was filled with all sorts of things.

    The Great Serpentine Emporium was ster in both size and appearance. It was shaped like a pce covered in the same ck metal used to build the gates, and a giant snake simr to the tail of a Xuanwu was surrounding it. It demonstrated an aura of immensity and ferocity that one felt to their core. He couldn¡¯t help but gulp in surprise. Even the Yan n, a second-rate n, couldn¡¯t be measured up in ferociousness to this single pce.

    The door guard looked towards Yan Zaizen¡¯s group with calm eyes as they approached. Yan Zaizen looked towards this scrawny old man with narrowed eyes. He may just be positioned as a door guard, but his cultivation alone was at the Qi Unification Realm, likely initial or mid. With his keen spiritual sense, he could easily deduce this man¡¯s cultivation regardless of how he tried to hide it.

    "Greetings, Senior." He politely said while sping his hands, not underestimating this man. The others in Yan Zaizen group, especially Xing Xuehan, was surprised by his actions. It must be understood that this doorman¡¯s cultivation was masked, making it seem like his cultivation was only at the peak-Qi Revolving Realm. Therefore, many would be disrespectful and only go through the formalities with the man to gain entry. Even the man was surprised by Yan Zaizen straightforward greeting, but he regained his calm appearance after some thought.

    "Present your badge or proof for entry," he stated curtly.

    Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t find his tone rude but simply tapped his spatial bag to reveal the rank three Katori core. The door guard was unable to keep his calm expression any longer, looking at Yan Zaizen, he seemed to be an ordinary cultivator with a shaky Qi foundation and a firm Body cultivation, but nothing too impressive. As for his Soul Cultivation, the man couldn¡¯t see through it like Han Genji could. It wasn¡¯t the matter of cultivation difference, but simply that Yan Zaizen knew how to control the emissions of his spiritual sense now and thus wasn¡¯t so easily seen through unless you were at the Origin Core Realm.

    Analyzing the core for a second, "Will you be selling?"

    "Yes, senior." He responded again, not skipping on the politeness.

    The door guard looked at Yan Zaizen with narrowed eyes, then looked towards the people around him then asked, "They will be your guests?" Yan Zaizen nodded in response. The door guard wasted no more time, tapping his spatial bag to reveal a token of entry and tossed it towards Yan Zaizen rather rudely. Yan Zaizen simply caught it and thanked him in response. However, the others in the group felt this door guard was being too full of himself and wanted to put him in his ce, but considering where they were, they didn¡¯t.

    They simply proceeded inside the emporium.

    After they passed, the door guard couldn¡¯t help but look at Yan Zaizen. "This boy, even after my rude action, he remained calm, and there wasn¡¯t an ounce of hatred in his heart. Yet, the others that follow him couldn¡¯t hold back and even wanted to defend him. His politeness wasn¡¯t fake either." He thought further on the matter and smiled.

    Interesting.

 Chapter 28 Long-Awaited Breakthrough

    As they entered the shop, Ying Sumian informed Yan Zaizen of each aspect of it. "The Great Serpentine Emporium is known for selling a variety of different needs for cultivators like us, especially when we venture out into the Basilisk Forest. There¡¯s a section for pills, elixirs, armaments, talismans, maps, formation crystals and materials. The materials are raw things such as beast cores, herbs for alchemy, or minerals for armament creation. The things you sell will likely end up there." She exined. She pointed out each section which she referred to in a timely manner, letting not only Yan Zaizen, but the others in the group, be well-educated in regards to the emporium.

    Yan Zaizen was inwardly startled.

    Did they sell so much?

    "The Emporium is divided into three floor-levels. The first level, the one we¡¯re currently in, sells the mostmon of goods. They would typically have most rank one and two pills, formation crystals, talismans and low-grade earth-rank armaments," she rified. "The second level has rank three items and mid-grade earth-rank armaments. The third level has rank four items and custom armament you can order."

    Yan Zaizen was awed by this ce. Before, in the Yan n, he had never entered a ce like this. Everything was given to him, and he didn¡¯t have to work for anything. Even if he was given a low-position in the n, he was still the n Leader¡¯s grandson. As for armaments? He was never given one. Members of the n needed to disy a certain level of mastery in specific arts before being granted one, and his disy of arts was embarrassing, to say the least.

    He recalled Su Shinyan armaments. He possessed lightning armor and saber, and it was arge reason he wasn¡¯t killed by his punch. Even still, he was severely wounded. If Yan Zaizen had an armament that could enhance his strength, even a low-grade earth-rank one, he was sure he could¡¯ve killed him with a single punch.

    A beautiful woman with a slight smile appeared before Yan Zaizen, "Greetings, Sir. Do you need anything?" Yan Zaizen and even the others in the group were inwardly shocked. For one, this person had the emporium¡¯s logo on her attire, which indicates her status as a member of the emporium. However, what shocked them wasn¡¯t her being apart of this ce, buting to greet them specifically. One must know that even Essence Formation Cultivators are left to their own devices to navigate the emporium, but an employee came specifically to ask if they required help.

    The others couldn¡¯t help but nce towards Yan Zaizen, feeling that his status and background grew more mysterious and extraordinary. However, after some thought, it didn¡¯t seem odd. He possessed a battle prowess nearing the Qi Unification Realm,prehended a worldw, and he was extraordinarily young. This indicated that his status was exceptional somehow, but they didn¡¯t know how.

    Ignoring their whimsical thoughts, even Yan Zaizen felt odd. He knew his status was equivalent to mud, and his outward cultivation was worth less than that in this sort of ce. Nheless, he was still approached.

    "Y-Yes, I would like to sell some things." He said hesitantly. He wasn¡¯t well versed in being a high-tier guest, besides in his dreams. The beautiful woman simply smiled at his nervousness but continued with the utmost professionalism.

    "Then please,e this way." She walked towards the stairs. This had shocked everyone yet again, and many couldn¡¯t help but feel like their hearts couldn¡¯t handle the many surprisesing from all directions. Still, with some initial hesitation, they followed. They immediately bypassed the first level and second level, reaching the third level.

    It was oddly minimalistic. Inparison to the morous first level or even grander second level, the third level had very few notable areas of brilliance. There were only nine doors, a few chairs and tables for waiting, and some artistic paintings on the wall. It was almost too simplistic. The other rooms had people walking around, a multitude of diverse shops set up by different people, and some even used aggressive tactics to lure their customers in. Such as beautiful women or giving out exceptional deals.

    This ce had none of that.

    It wasn¡¯t long before they were brought before a door. "Please, only one person." Her voice was melodious and gentle with a slight tinge of pleading for forgiveness.

    Yan Zaizen nodded, giving the others a nce, and apanying her through the door. When he entered the room, it felt like he entered an entirely different world. The essence of the air was incredibly thick, giving all cultivators of Qi a sensation offort, and filled with a soothing scent of incense. There was a chair, but it wasposed of crystallized essence. A chair made up of crystal essence!!! A single low-grade crystal essence was worth ten drops of high-grade liquid essence. If one converted that into low-grade liquid essence, that would be equivalent to one million drops!!!

    Looking at this chair closely, he realized that the chair was made up of unrefined crystallized essence. If the entire chair was refined to purity, it would probably be equivalent to one low-grade crystal essence. Despite that, it was nevertheless an astronomical disy of wealth. He obtained one drop of low-grade essence a month, yet one million essence drops were being used as a chair. Only high-level Qi Unification cultivators or higher could afford such a raw disy of wealth.

    "Please, sit." The employee gestured, and then left. Leaving no other instructions.

    Feeling a little lost, he decided to sit down. The moment he did, he felt a wave of essence surge into his body, causing all of his meridians to feel stimted and energized. He could feel his Qi flow proceeding faster than normal and siphoning off the essence from the chair into it like a greedy wolf. He was in absolute bliss and released odd moaning sounds from time to time. It took only one hour before his cyclone in his dantian expanded filled with Qi. An explosive sound resounded in his body, and he could feel his cultivation elevate to new heights.

    "Mid-Qi Revolving Realm!" He couldn¡¯t help but exim. He could even feel his shaky foundation get solidified a little, making his Qi pathways wider, his meridians stronger, and his dantian filled to the brim with energy.

    He hadn¡¯t felt a breakthrough like this for years. Which makes sense, because hisst Qi breakthrough was nearly eight years ago - when he had broken through the Qi Revolving Realm. So it was a much-weed sensation.

    "Are you enjoying yourself?" A voice inquired.

    What?!

    He was startled to the point where he shot out of the chair, his eyes looked around anxiously as if he was caught doing something bad. However, almost instinctively, he sat back down for that sweet sensation once more. An old man appeared in front of him with an amiable smile on his face. His attire informed one that he was an upper-echelon member of the emporium.

    Shocked, he couldn¡¯t help but say, "Wait...you?!"

 Chapter 29 Anima Syndicate

    Yan Zaizen was surprised. The old man in front of him was the door guard from earlier, the one who, despite his profound cultivation base, was acting as a servant to the emporium. He lookedpletely different from their earlier encounter. He had a more refined dressing, a pair of vibrant eyes, while also possessing the aura and prestige of a high-ranking member of the cultivation society.

    "Congrattions on your breakthrough." His tone, unlike before, held an amiable hint like a senior expert praising a junior. It made one feel like they should respect him, trust him, and allow him in. He continued, introducing himself, "My name¡¯s Wu Yuanxu, if you like, you can call me Elder Brother Yuan." His smile was filled with benevolence, but Yan Zaizen couldn¡¯t help but feel this old man was a little bit shameless. He was likely hundreds of years in age, but he wanted to be called Elder Brother? Elder Senior more like it.

    Recognizing Yan Zaizen¡¯s thoughts, Wu Yuanxu cleared his throat.

    "Anyhow, you came to sell?" He asked.

    Yan Zaizen came to his senses. Regardless of this old man¡¯s hobbies, at least he seemed to have good intentions, so any business transaction should go smoothly. Grabbing a spatial bag, he passed it to Wu Yuanxu. After receiving the bag, Wu Yuanxu simply sent his Qi into it to examine its contents. After some deliberation, "twelve drops of mid-grade liquid essence for all."

    "What?!" Yan Zaizen couldn¡¯t help but blurt out. Twelve drops of mid-grade liquid essence were equivalent to 1,200 drops of low-grade liquid essence. The Katori beast core was worth just one drop of mid-grade liquid essence and its body another, but he didn¡¯t have the body and only the core. Even if you took the bodies and cores of the beasts he collected during his weeks of travel to the Xuanwu city, he didn¡¯t believe he made more than five drops of mid-grade liquid essence. Yet, this old man stated over twice that amount to sell.

    "Haha, at the third floor, you receive near market price on your sold items." Wu Yuanxu heartilyughed at Yan Zaizen¡¯s response. This answered Yan Zaizen question in regards to price. Typically, if sold, the price of the things would be over double its sell rate, sometimes even triple. So upon hearing this, he calmed down and nodded in eptance.

    Wu Yuanxu nodded, retrieved twelve tiny bottles from his spatial ring. Each bottle contained a drop of mid-grade liquid essence and glimmered with a silvery glow. He passed it over and smiled. Yan Zaizen wasn¡¯t courteous, immediately depositing the bottles into his spatial bag. His expression was quite content. This amount of wealth should allow him to smoothly enter the peak-Qi Revolving Realm in a short period of time. He could even stabilize his shaky Qi Foundation. His intention after leaving this ce was to go back to the Basilisk Forest after a round of cultivation and acquire more wealth if it was this profitable.

    "What¡¯s your name." Wu Yuanxu asked suddenly.

    "What?"

    "Your name. What is it?"

    "...Han Zaiji." He answered after some deliberation. It was odd that he wanted to know his name. However, after some deliberation, he decided to use this pseudonym of his.

    "I mean, your real name."

    "!!" Yan Zaizen eyes penciled. There should be no one who knew his name was fake, or even who he was except Lin Feilin. If they learned he was from the Yan n, while in enemy territory, it¡¯s likely he¡¯ll be captured and swiftly dealt with. He got up, readying himself for action. Hopefully, this old man underestimates him, and he could use that opportunity to escape. However, what the old man said next shocked him to his core.

    "I know you¡¯re of the Yan n, allied to the Soaring Cloud Sect and who Han Genji is to you." His words were stated as if all were revealed. Yan Zaizen felt naked, all of his secrets exposed, and it was beyond ufortable.

    "Haha, no need to get too tense. I have no ill-intentions." Wu Yuanxu obviously tried tofort Yan Zaizen, but it didn¡¯t work. If anything, Yan Zaizen was now ready more than ever to take his departure at the first opportunity. However, he added, "The soul jade you possess is something I personally gave to Han Genji."

    "What?!" Disbelief was all Yan Zaizen felt at this moment. The soul jade of his was in his spatial bag, and one usually can¡¯t see the contents of a spatial bag. "Wait, how did you know I¡¯m from the Yan n?" A question popped up into his mind.

    Wu Yuanxu old face only revealed a soft smile and said, "I¡¯m old."

    It made some sense. If Wu Yuanxu was familiar with the Yan n¡¯s physical features, then it¡¯s entirely possible he recognized him based on his physical appearance, after all, he was someone from the Yan. However, he had a sneaky suspicion that what he said wasn¡¯t the truth. It¡¯s not like he could force him to tell the truth, so he just stayed silent.

    "I noticed a few of the beasts you killed were without a single wound, in perfect condition. You were even capable of seeing through my cultivation. Using an arcane art, I sensed the soul jade in your bag and knew who you were from there." He exined patiently. He didn¡¯t seem to be in a rush, as if he didn¡¯t notice Yan Zaizen¡¯s primed preparations. "So, you must be the disciple Han Genji mentioned, the one who possessed an Advanced Nascent Soul but without a method."

    Many things connected for him. Han Genji obtained the soul jade from the Xuanwu City - from Wu Yuanxu. Perhaps for him, it would take years to get here from the Eight Cmity Mountain, but to someone at the Origin Core Realm, it would probably take less than a week.

    "What do you want?" Yan Zaizen felt like all this had a purpose. Perhaps this old man wanted the soul jade back or something else from Yan Zaizen.

    "Simple," Wu Yuanxu pulled out a medallion from his spatial ring and held it in his palms. The medallion was made of fine silver, it had the mark of a cyan cross, very simr to a Temr cross, but the ends were rounded and the center had a golden glimmering dot. He tossed the medallion to Yan Zaizen, "To join the Anima Syndicate."

    Catching the medallion in his hands, Yan Zaizen couldn¡¯t help but be inwardly shocked. The medallion felt like it had no weight to him, but he could tell by how it was thrown it was incredibly heavy. He looked towards the smiling Wu Yuanxu, "Anima Syndicate?"

    "Yes. An organization of like-minded cultivators in pursuit of the peak height of soul cultivation. It spans beyond the four countries and into the entire realm." His words held a profound sense of pride and obsession. "To enter, you must be inducted by a member and possess at least the cultivation of the Advanced Nascent Soul. If you didn¡¯t have at least that," he paused, his eyes looking at the medallion in Yan Zaizen¡¯s hands, "You wouldn¡¯t have been able to lift the Anima Medallion."

    This was too sudden. He didn¡¯t know what to say, especially when he heard its an organization that exceeds the four countries whichprise the continent and spans the entire realm. What did that mean? It means it¡¯s an organization that was farrger than any top rated sect in Presba or any of the other countries on the continent.

    "And I can just join like that?" He asked cautiously. Wu Yuanxu chuckled and nodded. However, Yan Zaizen wouldn¡¯t make any reckless decision. He may not have the smartest mind, but he also understood the concept of understanding every decision you make. "What benefits do I get?" Of course, he had his priorities.

    Benefits Vs Risk!

    "Being considered a member of Anima will allow you to enter any of our bases in the entire realm. Regardless if it¡¯s to escape from enemies, to rest, or to cultivate safely. However, you won¡¯t be able to rely on the organization to deal with your enemies. That would be for you, but if the others decide to aid you, then that¡¯s okay." He paused for in contemtion, "You¡¯ll be able to purchase unique resources that can help you propel your soul cultivation, of course, that¡¯ll be if you can afford it. You¡¯ll receive a soul cultivation method. You already have our arts, so that can be considered a taste."

    Hearing all these good things that would be presented for free essentially, he was skeptical. "And the detriments?" He couldn¡¯t help but ask.

    "None. Well, besides not being able to use the Syndicate¡¯s resources as you please, and we won¡¯t avenge your death if you do die. So saying you¡¯re apart of the Syndicate won¡¯t save you. The trade-off is that you can join whatever power you wish, and swear whatever allegiances you want. We do not delve into political situations. As for assignments given to the Syndicate, you¡¯ll be able to ept if you wish and decline if you wish. However, rather than talk about declining, you¡¯ll probably have a difficult time to ept due to the rewards drawing all members." Heughed at his words. Assuredly, the syndicate wouldn¡¯t force you to do missions, but the mission rewards were so great that there would be many others willing to take the opportunity if you do not.

    "So, what do you say?"

    "...YES!!!"

 Chapter 30 Spirit Matrix Method

    Yan Zaizen was alone in the third level room, sitting firmly on the essence chair, and his gaze honed onto the two objects in his hand.

    In his left, a soul jade was given to him by Wu Yuanxu. It contained a Soul Cultivation Method ¡ª Spirit Matrix Method ¡ª which contains an essence cirction method for cultivation, a detailed information about the characteristics and dividers of soul cultivation, and a method to formte one¡¯s soul form. At first, Yan Zaizen wasn¡¯t sure about what thetter meant, but after having it exined he was enlightened. The reason his soul was a thin, squiggly line was because there was no method being used to mold it into a proper shape. Now, he obtained one.

    In his right, the Anima Syndicate Medallion. This Medallion could only be held by those who possessed soul cultivation, and it acts as proof of his membership. He learned the golden dot determined his standing in the Syndicate. Currently, he was at the lowest standing - Anima Initiate. Above Anima Initiate was Anima Lieutenant and Anima Commander. One can only rise in rankings by performing missions, but by doing so, you¡¯ll be given priority on future missions and have a few other benefits when entering the headquarters spread throughout the realm.

    It wasn¡¯t just that. The Anima Syndicate Medallion even had a map, one that covers in detail the entire realm. When Yan Zaizen looked at the contents, he felt his spirit leave his body in shock. He knew there were four countries on this continent, but what he didn¡¯t know was that there were three continents in this realm. Unlike normally, a continent was like a celestial body, a, but on each was just onerge area called a continent. This is why they¡¯re called continents, and the Medallion was essentially a star map.

    There were also millions of inds scattered around each and every. The number of lives in a single realm couldn¡¯t even be determined by the trillions. This made him recognize the meaning of living as a frog in a well.

    "...the world truly is endless." He couldn¡¯t help but sigh in resignation at his ignorance. It¡¯s likely the many people of this continent will die without ever knowing there were other continents or millions of inds scattered everywhere. Some might not even know that there was more than one country, now that he thought about it. Not everyone had the luxury of being educated by arge n like him.

    He stayed in the chair for another hour, reading the soul jade¡¯s contents, and absorbing the essence in the chair. However, the beautiful woman from earlier entered and escorted him out, leaving him pouting in indignation. If he could stay in that chair for several days, he felt that reaching the peak-Qi Revolving Realm would be an absolute certainty. Unfortunately, there were barely any such good things in the world.

    Even his decision to join the Anima Syndicate wasn¡¯t entirely good. Besides safety at specific locations and cultivation methods detailing the soul and various soul arts, there wasn¡¯t much. That may seem like a lot, but you get no protection from their name, you have topete with other members, and even other members can y you if you offend them. The environment was tough andpetitive, but after learning more about soul cultivation, he wasn¡¯t surprised.

    Soul cultivation can only be advanced using soul essence, enlightenment, and extremely rare and unique methods. Progression of your level was much easier than breaking through a level. That required enlightenment and good fortune. A lot of enlightenment and good fortune.

    The method described Nascent Level as the gateway to the soul, and a majority of the races could not even reach this point of soul cultivation. However, even an Initial Nascent Soul could allow you to be as strong as an Essence Formation Realm. While one¡¯sprehensive soulbat strength rted to the myriad of arts they learn and to what degree. An Advanced Nascent Soul rivaled a Qi Unification, and a Perfect Nascent Soul rivaled the Origin Core Realm.

    "This means...my soul cultivation progressed to the point it can rival an Origin Core?!" When Yan Zaizen first learned of it, this was his reaction. He didn¡¯t even know how. His progression coincided with the development of his conceptualw, but from what he read, this only helps soul development a little and is nothing but support. He waspletely clueless as to how his level of soul cultivation risen so greatly.

    This was absolutely ridiculous.

    He utilized the described methods in the Spirit Matrix Method to test if he truly had a Perfect Nascent Soul, and he truly did. To his surprise, he realized it was unlikely that Wu Yuanxu knew.

    "He probably thought I was only at the Advanced Nascent Soul...just like Han Genji told him."

    When he questioned Wu Yuanxu about his soul cultivation level, he informed him that he was in the Advanced Nascent Soul, close to the Perfect Nascent Soul. This meant his soul cultivation was greater than a monster that was hundreds of years old!

    How?!

    He had a headache thinking about it. He felt like the crucial parts of his life was just sheared away. Leading to this point, where he can¡¯t even recall why he was so impressive. Now he understood why Han Genji wanted to snatch him to be his disciple, he had the soul cultivation that could rival a Qi Unification Cultivator at the age of sixteen!

    However, now he had the cultivation that could rival an Origin Core Cultivator at the age of sixteen!!

    While walking out of the door, he looked towards the Meteor Ring on his finger. This ordinarily looking ring that descended from the sky could be the only reason. It must¡¯ve awakened his soul, and when he developed his Herculean Physique, it had to have done something to advance his soul cultivation once more.

    "You are beautiful, perfect, awe-inspiring, and majestic ring. You¡¯re absolutely amazing!" Heplimented, kissing the ring on his finger in gratitude.

    Little did Yan Zaizen know, the Meteor Ring had absolutely nothing to do with his advancement.

    When he got out and didn¡¯t see Ying Sumian¡¯s group, he questioned the beautifuldy, and only to reveal that they had to take off and left him a message saying they were reporting to their guild. He didn¡¯t even know they had a guild, but if they were apart of it, then fine. He¡¯ll just find some ce to rest for the night. He had a lot of cultivation to do.

 Chapter 31 Three Months

    After purchasing lodging in Xuanwu City and paying the year-round residency membership, Yan Zaizen was ready to cultivate. Thest time he decided to cultivate this diligently was because he was kidnapped and had literally nothing else to do. Luckily, he was given a steady supply of cultivation resources from Lin Feilin during that time. However, a majority of it was to help with his injuries from cultivating the Immortal Herculean Method, but now he was focusing elsewhere.

    Firstly, the Spirit Matrix Method was a priority. He had to develop his own soul form. Secondly, the three souls arts in the soul jade. Lastly, Qi Cultivation. This was his itinerary for his next cultivation session.

    "In eight months, I¡¯ll take the spatial tform to Zhu Que City, then go back home." Yan Zaizen couldn¡¯t help but feel everything he discovered was surreal. ording to soul cultivation, he had the strength that exceeded his own grandfather. It would be quite awkward returning home.

    "Would he just immediately dere me as the sessor of the n Leader on the spot?" He couldn¡¯t help but chuckle loudly at this thought. It¡¯s always been a dream of his to be the n Leader of the Yan n, and now it may just be a reality. Thus, he needed to cultivate to turn that raw, untapped strength into something he can properly use.

    After one month, besides gaining initial sess in the three soul arts ¡ª Pneuma Disruption Soul Art, Anima Shield Soul Art, and Source Sonar Soul Art ¡ª his Qi cultivation rose quickly from the mid-Qi Revolving Realm to the peak. The mid-grade liquid essence was extraordinary in covering up hiscking foundation and rising his cultivation. It only required ten drops to do so, and he still had two left for further cultivation.

    He still couldn¡¯t formte his own soul form, leaving him with just a thin, squiggly line. It wasn¡¯t ideal, but he recognized the difficulty to construct one¡¯s soul form was exceptional. Therefore, he didn¡¯t get impatient. He had time, seven months to be exact.

    Another month passed.

    Using the other two drops of mid-grade liquid essence, he was capable of ascending to the half-step of Essence Formation Realm. His dantian produced Qi-Essence, and albeit it wasn¡¯t enough to fill his body, it filled up about two percent. When he condenses his Qi into Qi-Essence and has five percent of his body filled, he¡¯ll have officially advanced to the initial-Essence Formation Realm.

    Qi-Essence was exceptionally difficult to condense, but it was purer and more powerful than normal Qi, and thus establishes a significant difference between Qi Revolving and Essence Formation. If one had abundant amounts of liquid essence, it wouldn¡¯t be too difficult to continue condensing Qi-Essence, but hecked any more wealth. Therefore, his Qi Cultivation had to progress at a slow pace until then.

    He didn¡¯t progress in developing his soul form or progressing the mastery of his soul arts. His soul arts proficiency increased in usage and control, but it wasn¡¯t enough to signify an upgrade in mastery. The higher the mastery of an art, as well as its grade, determine the effects when used. Excluding cultivation level, of course.

    Another month shed by.

    "It took me three months." He couldn¡¯t help but sigh in relief.

    He finally developed his soul form!

    Its form was in the shape of himself, a splitting image, except cyan in color with a ck dot at its be. When he tried interacting with this dot, it didn¡¯t do anything, as if sleeping. He didn¡¯t know what it was, but he felt it was exceptional. He had a gut feeling that if his soul cultivation reached a certain point, this ck dot would reveal its mysteries.

    Moving around in the vast area of the Meteor Ring was far easier, and he could even perceive more inside. It was like his soul cultivation lost its raw feeling, it was easier to control, contain and distribute. Even his spiritual sense underwent an advancement; he could sense ten times the range from before. Before, his spiritual sense could reach about three hundred meters, but now he could sense up to three thousand! The rity of it all became heightened as well, from the shape of grass, the vibrations of the ground from the stomping of people, to even the lifeforce aura individuals emitted.

    He could observe it all.

    The strength of the Soul Arts rose explosively. He felt as if before he was wielding a stick with a pointy edge, and now he was using a metallic spear.

    Now, he could change his cultivation goals, and focus on the Immortal Herculean Method. He didn¡¯t know why his body was refined to such an extraordinary state, but if it was the Method, then he wanted to increase his body cultivation as quickly as possible.

    He could see himself in the future. A soul of an immortal, the body of an immortal, and the Qi cultivation that could rival the heavens. Regardless of how unlikely that was, he felt a sensation of exhration and ecstasy just imagining it.

    "Hahahaha!!!"

    KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!

    A set of panicked knocks resounded at his door. His mood went sour seeing how the knocks were so loud and annoying. Begrudgingly, he got up to answer the door. The moment he did, he saw a petite, bespectacled woman with reddened eyes at his door. His eyes widened in shock.

    Ying Sumian?!

    "Lord Zai, please help me!" She pleaded with a sense of urgency and desperation. He could tell she¡¯s been crying. He couldn¡¯t help but be surprised at her. Originally, she always called him by the title of Young Hero, and he loved it, but being called Lord made him feel giddy. He couldn¡¯t describe the happiness in his heart, but that also made him feel a little guilty looking at Ying Sumian¡¯s crying expression.

    Composing himself enough to ask, "With?"

    He tried to sound like a powerful cultivator who could swipe all worries with just a word, or hold the skies. His back was straighter, and his eyes glowed with radiance.

    "My family needs help...if they don¡¯t get it...I fear..." Her tone was filled with despair. It seems the Ying n was having troubles, wherever they were, but why would shee asking him for help? Sure, he disyed extraordinary prowess before, but it wasn¡¯t ¡¯hold the sky and move the heavens¡¯ level of prowess.

    "What help can I provide?" His expression turned solemn. He wasn¡¯t sure if he could offer help, and if he couldn¡¯t then what?

    "I can exin on the way. We must hurry!" She urged, obviously not wanting to reveal anything if he wouldn¡¯t help. If he declined, then she¡¯d likely try a different avenue or a different person. He had a peculiar feeling as if he was following along some sort of contrived plot.

    "Where?" He inquired.

    "Sky Titan City!" She eximed.

    What?!

    Sky Titan City was right near the Earthly Titan Sect and was its capital in the entire territory. Why would her family be located there? What help can he give there?!

    "You mean..." His voice trailing off, he was going to decline to help her. There was no reason to ept such a plot. Sure, he and Ying Sumian were close, but it seemed like this request may very well be life-threatening. He contemted an excuse, and his eyes lit up when he came up with a perfectly reasonable one.

    "It¡¯s too far. I have to take the Spatial tform in Five Months. I won¡¯t make it back in time." He couldn¡¯t help but nod inwardly at his excuse. It was a legitimate one. He wasn¡¯t someone who would drop everything and help every damsel in distress. Hell, he didn¡¯t even really help herst time.

    "I have a sky boat! We can make it the Sky Titan City in a few weeks, and return the same!" She urgently exined,pletely destroying his excuse. However, he was astonished. A sky boat was an armament that could sail through the skies at exceptional speed, and since its through the sky, you can avoid many obstacles in your path or attempted robberies that would otherwise take ce. It was exceptionally expensive, and even with his twelve mid-grade essence drops, he still couldn¡¯t afford one.

    Despite being impressed, he still wasn¡¯t going to ept. There was no reason to.

    Ying Sumian could see him contemting another excuse, and she started to panic inwardly. She shouted, "You can keep the sky boat after! I swear!"

    He nced at her in shock. He looked deep into her eyes and said, "DEAL!"

 Chapter 32 Skyship

    The Skyship soared across the Basilisk Forest with little to no obstruction. A majority of the serpents and lizards of the Basilisk Forest had no flight capabilities, allowing for a safe travel.

    Ying Sumian stood quietly at the helm of the ship, her expression calm and serene. There was not the slightest trace of that desperate girl from before. Yan Zaizen couldn¡¯t help but be suspicious about the entire situation. It could be that she was calm because he decided to help her family, but he didn¡¯t think it was that simple. In truth, he didn¡¯t even think it was that at all.

    However, whenever he asked her about the situation, she simply responded with vague answers and reassured him that his help was essential. At first, Yan Zaizen was incredibly skeptical, and he was even contemting taking the Sky Ship like a bandit in daylight.

    Regrettably, Ying Sumian exined the ship could only be operated by using a special qi-art that needed to be taught. She would only pass it over to him after he helps. He investigated this over the course of their trip, and it was true.

    He couldn¡¯t help but sigh. If it wasn¡¯t for the sheer value of the skyship, he would never have epted. His greed got the better of him, but whenever he looked at this beautiful skyship, his mind became calmer towards epting the situation.

    The skyship had the appearance of a sea ship, except it had curved wings at its base and only two floors. The top floor was the deck, and the helm was located there. It had a sole ship mast near its stern, but instead of having a normal sail, it was a transparent film that had a myriad of different formations shaped in a square. It dazzled with a faint glow of faint blue light.

    The second floor had a multitude of different rooms used for passengers, cultivation, or storage of cargo. Unlike normal ships, it merely required a lone person to steer the ship, as all of itsponents were interconnected and controlled from the helm with a unique qi-art.

    The value of this ship ranged from five to six hundred drops of mid-grade liquid essence. If tranted into low-grade liquid essence, that would be over 50,000 drops! The sheer amount made Yan Zaizen salivate with greed. It was this precise reason why he agreed to Ying Sumian¡¯s request almost instantly. It also had flight speed that rivaled Qi Unification Cultivators, and only required essence as fuel to run. Therefore, anyone could operate it regardless of one¡¯s cultivation base.

    If he had this ship and enough essence, traveling to Meteorite City from the Basilisk Forest wouldn¡¯t remain a dream. It wouldn¡¯t take years; it¡¯ll take months.

    He still harbored his doubts, however. Like how this ship was obtained by Ying Sumian, someone who had to struggle in the Basilisk Forest for money. She just kept getting more and more mysterious. Regardless, he had already agreed, and with his soul cultivation, he had a little confidence in being able to ovee any trial as long as it didn¡¯t concern fighting an entire army.

    "How long will it take to reach Sky Titan City?" Yan Zaizen asked, his eyes staring at the shifting surroundings and thin barrier that protected the deck from rushing winds.

    "Shouldn¡¯t take any longer than eighteen days." She responded.

    "Eighteen days, huh?" He decided to go back to his room on the bottom floor. If he had to wait eighteen days, he may as well spend it cultivating.

    His room was rather spacious, and it waspletely different from any lodging he was ced in before, even in Xuanwu City. It had faint light from the myriad formations that were iid in it. With this, the cirction of essence was constant and made itfortable. There was a broad, circr window which one could view to see the port side of the ship. One could see the clouds and the forest from its view.

    There was afortable bed that seemed to be stabilized by some formation so the slight vibrations of the ship wouldn¡¯t disturb one¡¯s rest. A table and chair on the side with a set of sky-fairing books located on it. There was even a map of the Earthly Titan Territory ced on the walls. It was an educating sight. Unfortunately, it didn¡¯t have any other territory.

    He sat on the bed, cross-legged, and started to contemte his abilities. For a while now, he¡¯s never really had a focus, and thisck of focus was because of his mediocrity from earlier. Now, however, he had a soul cultivation that rivaled the Origin Core Realm, but without enlightenment and fortune chances, breaking through to the next level ¡ª Aurora Soul ¡ª would be impossible.

    His Qi Cultivation has risen to the half-step Essence Formation Realm, and his qi foundation was now far more stable than before. Despite this, he possessed no means to progress besides constant condensation of his qi to qi-essence. Therefore, for both soul and qi, he was at a bottleneck he couldn¡¯t progress with time or resources. Only his body cultivation had a chance of progression in this short period of time.

    Unfortunately, it took him a month to establish his Herculean Physique, and he knew even if he could progress it a bit, it wouldn¡¯t reach the minor sess stage in eighteen days.

    "In that case, that leaves you two." He muttered to himself, his hands clenched violently. When they opened up, it revealed a tiny white me that shimmered with life and an orb of darkness that radiated death. They were his conceptualws, the Unyielding me of Life and Siphoning Shadow of Death respectively.

    The Unyielding me of Life had already touched upon the force concept and reached the Perfect Nascent Stage, and its stability was unquestionable. For his Siphoning Shadow of Death, it was conceptualized about four months ago and had progressed even without him doing anything. It seems it was feeding and developing off the Unyielding me of Life. The situation resembled the inky ck wood.

    It had already reached the Minor Sess Stage. He felt that its aura of death had grown stronger than before. Simr to the Unyielding me of Life, he could use his qi to fuel the death aura, from testing, anything thates into contact with it would have its lifeforce aura siphoned from it. It can even take the form of a myriad of shadows, from a shadow hand to a spike. Regardless, it¡¯s physical form wasn¡¯t capable of interacting with objects and therefore couldn¡¯t be used to lift things. As it came into contact with lifeforce, as it siphoned, it would also convert. The absorbed lifeforce would be deathly aura, thereby increasing its own strength and siphoning even greater amounts with each passing second.

    Now, he was thinking of developing a technique to better channel these two powers. While the Unyielding me of Life isn¡¯t suited for offensivebat, the Siphoning Shadow of Death was. If he could devise a proper way to ensnare his opponents to death, then he wouldn¡¯t even need to take action to y them.

    He got to work, his mind formting all sorts of ideas.

 Chapter 33 Sky Titan City

    "We¡¯re here!" Ying Sumian¡¯s voice resounded throughout the ship. Yan Zaizen¡¯s originally tightly shut eyes opened, revealing a dazzling brilliance. If one looked closely, they could see a grin on his lips, his left hand was a deep ck color, and his right hand was a pure white. He couldn¡¯t be more excited at this point.

    Taking a step outside and onto the deck, his eyes widened in shock. He could see Sky Titan City and he couldn¡¯t help but think it was well worth its name. Unlike Xuanwu City, it had grey stone walls. But also unlike Xuanwu City, the majority of its buildings were skyscrapers! They seemed as if they could touch the sky, supporting it for the world itself.

    He was panting at the phenomenal sight.

    In his entire life, he had never seen anything remotely close to this. The walls themselves were incredibly tall, albeit not as tall as the highest building, but it was fairly close. On the surface of the walls were etched incredibly profound formations that almost seemed like runic markings of the ancients. The markings shimmered with slight light, but he imagined when activated, they would light the entire world in its brilliance. There were four gates, each pointing in the four directions, but the gate he saw had a giant depiction of a titan holding up a celestial star - an entire!

    "This..." He was literally stunned speechless, and more so than any time in his entire life. It was like looking at the city of Divine Titans in person. The pressure it emanated made one feel naturally inferior and frail inparison.

    "Sky Titan City is the capital of the Earthly Titan territory." Ying Sumian suddenly appeared beside him. With a slight smile, she exined, "It can take your breath away." Her eyes dazzled with an odd glint unbeknownst to Yan Zaizen. He merely nodded absentmindedly in response, agreeing with her words. He was proof of that.

    It took a long while before he recovered and he looked towards Ying Sumian. "Are you going to tell me what you need help with now?" He inquired, his eyes releasing a strong sensation of doubt and wariness.

    She didn¡¯t seem panicked as she took a deep breath and spoke, "The Ying n is a second-tier n that resides in the Sky Titan City. My younger cousin is troubled and needs your help. With your talents, you may be able to remedy her issue." She exined, albeit it was vague still, it remained that he could make some sense of this request.

    After thinking about it, he realized it¡¯s likely this younger cousin of hers is hurt or poisoned like Bai Dongzhe, and she needs his help to expel it with his lifew. Now he understood why, despite the Ying Family being a second-tier force ¡ª equivalent to the Yan n ¡ª they required him. They would have Qi Unification Realm Cultivators or at least simr, but sometimes you can¡¯t always use your profound cultivation base to dissolve your issues.

    "I see." Yan Zaizen was actually calmer knowing this. It should be a straightforward job, and then he¡¯ll be off back to Xuanwu City and await the spatial tform.

    "Oh! Does the Earthly Titan Sect have a spatial tform?" He inquired.

    "Yes, however, you require permission from the Earthly Titan Sect to use, and wealth will have no effect." She stated tly. This threw a wrench into Yan Zaizen¡¯s ns. If the Sky Titan Sect was easily essible like the Xuanwu City, then he could just use it to get transported to Zhu Que City. Home would just be a step away with the Skyship in hand. Unfortunately, getting permission from the Earthly Titan Sect would likely be extremely hard with no status.

    Thinking up to here, he looked at Ying Sumian. She felt his gaze and revealed a slight smile, "If you do this for the Ying n, using the spatial tform wouldn¡¯t be a problem." Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes lit up in response.

    Good! Good! Good!

    Seems like the heavens are assisting me!

    "Okay. Then let¡¯s do this." He had an expression of a grand expert, as if anything he wants to do, even if the world was against him, he could do so. After somete night practice, he was getting genuinely good at making these type of expressions.

    After several hours, they arrived at the gigantic gate of the Sky Titan City. Being up close was truly astounding. The titan seemed too lifelike as if he could touch its skin and hear its heartbeat.

    He expected entry was going to be slightly difficult, but it wasn¡¯t. The moment they flew towards the gate, a concentrated beam of light hit the ship nearly blinding him, but Ying Sumian was rather calm. She retrieved a badge and pointed it up at the light. The badge radiated a slight purple glimmer, and the light vanished. They were then allowed to just fly through a slight opening in the gate meant for small ships.

    He could¡¯ve sworn that while they were flying, the opening wasn¡¯t there, but it didn¡¯t seem like it had anything to cover it. It left him a little baffled.

    "Only those with a titan¡¯s badge can enter. This opening is there, but it¡¯s also not." She tried to exin, but one could tell she didn¡¯t understand its mechanics either. Was it an illusion or a formation that was destroyed to create the opening, then produce material recing what was destroyed? Could it possess spatial properties? Her exnation only made Yan Zaizen more confused and curious.

    Ying Sumian steered the skyship into the opening skillfully. When they passed and he looked back, the opening vanished as if it was never there.

    "Strange..."

    The buildings were truly as grand as he expected, but he realized that besides the few skyscrapers that can be seen above the wall, a massive amount of the buildings were actually quite small. At least, they were smaller than the wall itself. For some reason, he felt a little relief. If all the buildings were asrge as the wall, then he would probably lose his mind in wonder.

    "How long till we reach the Ying n?" He inquired. He truly wanted to get done with this quickly.

    "It¡¯ll only be a few minutes." She stated while navigating through the buildings, her voice calm. However, Yan Zaizen kept getting a weird feeling. Ying Sumian didn¡¯t seem like she had ill-intentions, but it felt like she had a hidden agenda. He started to think about her earlier words a bit more carefully and felt like the vagueness could describe other situations too. However, she had no reason to act against him. So perhaps he was just overthinking it.

    It wasn¡¯t long before he finally saw the Ying n. The city was truly massive, and despite being called a city, it was more the size of a miniature state. Sky Titan City housed the myriad of upper-tier factions and ns in the territory, and not all of them had skyscrapers.

    The Ying n didn¡¯t.

    They had normal buildings, houses, and even businesses were operating out of it. It was more like a district. He learned from Ying Sumian that if he wanted to buynd on the Ying n¡¯s property, it was possible. He could also set up shop, or even start his own n under the Ying n¡¯s protection.

    "Why would I need protection in the city?" He couldn¡¯t help but ask. The city was well-fortified and ruled over by the Earthly Titan Sect. Its citizens and residents should be protected to the highest degree, right?

    However, he was oh-so-wrong. The inside of the city was like a hotpot of many different forces, and therefore conflict and even wars would obviously take ce. It was regted by the Earthly Titan Sect, but only in case of massive wars. Minor skirmishes or even killing a young master can stew conflict, but it wouldn¡¯t elicit any reaction from the sect itself.

    Essentially, you¡¯re protected from the outside, but inside with allied forces, it¡¯s fair game. Therefore, even executions ur or people killing a path towards a n could ur. However, the forces had aplex system of alliances. Nothing incredible typically happens because offending a weak force may cause you to offend a stronger one leading to conflict with them instead.

    The struggle for resources and hot-blooded personalities all put into a cage. This ce didn¡¯t seem as majestic as he imagined.

 Chapter 34 Ying Clan

    The Ying n¡¯s grounds weren¡¯t impressive. At least, to Yan Zaizen who grew up in the Yan n, the grounds were slightly worse than the Yan n¡¯s. It was vast and filled with people, businesses, houses, and pathways. The center was a magnificent structure that¡¯s likely the main pce of the n. That had to be the most impressive aspect of the entire grounds.

    Noticing hisckluster reaction towards this location, Ying Sumian couldn¡¯t help but chuckle. "It may seem ordinary inparison to other forces, but if you look close, you may change your mind." Her words were cryptic, but Yan Zaizen listened. His spiritual sense expanded.

    "What?!" He was startled. Inside the pathways, buildings and houses were incredibly discreet formations. They each seemed to have miraculous functions such as gathering loose essence in the air, condensing it together and releasing it outwards. This made the entire atmosphere near those areas to have a thick quality of essence. With that, one would feel morefortable, and their cultivation would progress far smoother than normal.

    There were other things as well, such as defensive formations that spanned the entire building. Unless someone was at about the mid-Essence Formation Realm, damaging any building, regardless of how small, would be incredibly difficult. This level could be considered an elder to third-tier forces and elites warriors of second-tier forces. Even the Yan n didn¡¯t have exquisite formations covering their buildings or roads.

    Ying Sumian revealed a pleased expression, "Indeed. The Ying n specializes in developing formation masters. The majority of our standings is based deeply into this, and we¡¯re not mediocre."

    Incredible!

    The Yan n didn¡¯t have any particr focus, and even amongst second-tier forces, they weren¡¯t exactly the highest but were strong enough to maintain their position for nearly a thousand years. Jack of all trades, master of none. Those words earned stability.

    They entered the grounds without a single person halting them. In fact, the people below looked at the skyship with hints of reverence and awe. It seemed this skyship was recognizable. Could it be that Ying Sumian had a lofty status within her n? If so, wonderful! This would be considerably easier.

    As they approached the gates, a group of people was standing outside of it. All of which were males. There was an auburn-haired, handsome youth about 17-18 years old that stood there with a hint of arrogance and superiority. Behind him were two old men with robust bodies and grey hair, but their bodies revealed a strong aura of vital energy.

    Next to them was an elegant middle-aged man dressed in a silver robe with a few formations deeply etched within that gave him a serene feeling. His ebony hair had some greys on the side, indicating his age, and he had a slight smile as if the cruelty of the world cannot hinder his peaceful thoughts. Behind him were two young men that had a fair amount of resemnce to the middle-aged man. One had an indifferent expression, while the other had a glint of violence and dislike directed towards the arrogant youth.

    However, the youth didn¡¯t seem to mind, as if it was beneath him to care.

    Yan Zaizen was a little surprised. With his spiritual sense, he could tell that the three older men were all in the Qi Unification Realm while the three youths were in the Essence Formation. Their auras may be repressed, but they were exceptionally stable.

    Ying Sumiannded the skyship just a few hundred meters away from them. She looked towards Yan Zaizen, but she had a slight hint of guilt in her eyes. Yan Zaizen¡¯s keen senses noticed this. What was this girl nning?

    "Lord Zai, please." She motioned with her hand for him to exit. He simply nodded and walked out. When he did, he could feel the prating gazes of the six men. It wasn¡¯t ufortable, but it did feel invasive. Regardless, since he was here to help ¡ª if that was the case ¡ª he didn¡¯t mind them having doubts and only lightly frowned.

    Ying Sumian walked in front of him, escorting him towards the pce gates where the six stood. When they approached, the youth with an aggressive air spoke first. "Cousin Su, do you have an exnation for your actions?" No one said anything to his words, as if they were all wondering the same thing.

    "I apologize." Her voice was steady, as if this was in her calctions, "n Lord, I wish you can forgive me for my past transgressions." She directed her gaze towards the middle-aged man.

    n Lord?!

    Was this man the Ying n Lord?

    Thinking about it, it made sense. His cultivation base, aura reminiscent of his grandfather, and attire all seemed to suggest the lord of a n.

    "Haha, it¡¯s fine. You¡¯re fine, and the skyship has returned undamaged. Therefore, we can turn this major matter into a minor one." His voice was calm and clear, even jubnt as his eyes gazed at the skyship from afar. However, it didn¡¯t seem like he was going topletely let her off with a few words.

    Yan Zaizen, however, was thoroughly confused.

    This skyship belongs to me after this is done, old man!

    "Since father says it¡¯s fine, it¡¯s fine. However, you will suffer some punishments." The aggressive air youth spoke as if her future fate would be dictated by him. Ying Sumian didn¡¯t even flinch at this and instead looked towards the arrogant youth with the two old men. Witnessing this, the aggressive youth spoke, "This is He Shijing, a member of the He n." His tone was obviously unfriendly.

    "n Lord designate of the He n." He Shijin snorted. His attitude also not friendly. "Shall we continue, Lord Ying?" The youth was incredibly impatient.

    "Of course." Ying Fenmian, the n Lord, said. It seemed they were discussing something important.

    "Wait!" Ying Sumian shouted, her expression calm. She grabbed everyone¡¯s attention almost instantly, even Yan Zaizen who was confused, was abruptly jolted by this shout. She continued neither slowly or quickly, her words clear, "Ying Yimian cannot be married." This caused everyone to be confused and startled, even Yan Zaizen was a little caught off-guard.

    Who was Ying Yimian?

    Why can¡¯t she be married?

    "What is this nonsense?!" He Shijing flew into a rage over her statement, and it was as if he wanted to p her into the ground. However, he restrained himself.

    Ying Sumian showed not an ounce of fear on her expression as she stared at He Shijing. She stated, "Ying Yimian cannot be married, because she is in love with another. I, Ying Sumian, stole the skyship to find the one she dreams of day and night, her thoughts unstable and wanting for his figure." She turned to Yan Zaizen. The others also, eerily in unison, shifted their gazes towards him.

    The shocked expression on his face could not be hidden. This entire development was out of his prediction. He, however, turned back to look at the skyship in curiosity. He was searching for this figure who stole this young girl¡¯s heart so harshly.

    He wanted to see if he could receive some advice.

    However, there was no one behind him.

 Chapter 35 Im Engaged?

    He was immediately bewildered by theck of a strapping young man who could encapste a woman¡¯s every thought and desire. He squinted, trying to see if there was someone even further than the skyship, but s, no one. Yan Zaizen may be a little slow on the uptake sometimes, but it didn¡¯t take long before he figured out the situation.

    A deep gulp resounded from his throat.

    Could it be?

    Turning back around, he witnessed the gaze of everyst individual trained on him. However, each and every gaze contained a different emotion. The most prominent was He Shijing whose emotion was bleeding fury and rampantughter. "Him?!" He asked, his tone clearly looking down on Yan Zaizen. He added, "Is this a joke?"

    Yan Zaizen was a little embarrassed and angry. Embarrassed because the entire situation felt awkward, but angered when he was being regarded as a joke. With a snap of his fingers, he could possess all women at his feet! Who was he to determine if he could snatch a woman¡¯s heart? Who was he to determine that he couldn¡¯t ensnare her every thought? His talent and prowess was not something this little man couldprehend.

    This Ying Yimian would be lucky if he decides to give her a nce, let alone take her as his woman.

    He recalled Xing Xuehan and Su Fengyan¡¯s expressions of desire when they looked at him after his abilities were revealed. Confidence started to bubble up inside him, and his expression turned aloft and haughty - just like he practiced.

    Heughed even louder than He Shijing,pletely masking the sound with his ownughter.

    "Hahaha!"

    However, He Shijing subconsciously started tough louder, as if his pride was pricked.

    "Hahaha!!"

    Yan Zaizen saw this as a challenge,ughing even louder and even putting his qi cultivation base into it.

    "HAHAHA!!"

    He Shijing frowned at this tant challenge. Perhaps earlier he did it subconsciously, but now that he was being challenged, he circted his cultivation base to its maximum and amplified his voice to the maximum.

    "HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!"

    The sound was so loud that the He n¡¯s old men and Ying n¡¯s members had to cover their ears due to the pain. At this point, theughter was like a screeching bark. Even Yan Zaizen was surprised, covering his ears with qi to prevent any damage. This person was louder than his old bitch when she barked. The female dog, of course.

    Ying Fenmian frowned. "SILENCE!" His voice was filled with the empirical authority of a n lord that could not be mimicked unless you controlled the lives of countless in your hands. This immediately silenced He Shijing. Everyone, even Ying Sumian, was looking at He Shijing with an odd expression. They all inwardly shook their heads.

    Ying Fenmian looked at Yan Zaizen inquisitively. Getting a little frustrated at these events, Ying Fenmian strongly demanded, "Exin." His gaze and question were directed at Ying Sumian.

    "Yes." She said, trying to ignore the previous events. "This is Han Zaiji, an ally of the Vanishing Fiend Sect." She exined. However, Yan Zaizen was immediately confused by this. An ally of the Vanishing Fiend Sect? Since when?!

    Ying Fenmian, on the other hand, eyes lit up in contemtion. "Han? Ji?" He asked.

    "Yes." Ying Sumian promptly replied.

    That¡¯s when it hit Yan Zaizen like it came from the dao of bricks.

    Earlier when they first met, he said his name was Han Zaiji. On top of that, he met the Vanishing Fiend Sect. At the time, he didn¡¯t think it was a big deal, but that was because he didn¡¯t know the connection his Master had at the time. The Vanishing Fiend Sect had a Han n and Ji Family. It¡¯s unlikely that Ying Sumian knew of the conversation between him and Lin Feilin, so she clearly put what pieces she had together.

    Not only that, heprehended a worldw and had an exquisite body cultivation. This with all the other levels of evidence linked all to this conclusion.

    He was a low-key talented member of the Vanishing Fiend Sect.

    However, He Shijing wasn¡¯t too happy about this. He understood what being a member of the Vanishing Fiend Sect meant, but so what? He belonged to a first-tier force, one controlled by a genuine Origin Core Patriarch! What did it matter if he was just some junior of one of therge sects? To him, that meant shit all!

    "Who cares who he is? I¡¯m here for Ying Yimian¡¯s hand in marriage. Can we end this farce?!" His voice contained both arrogance and fury. It seemed his patience ran out, and simply wanted to get this over with.

    Ying Sumian¡¯s gaze turned incredibly hostile as she looked at this He Shijing. However, she didn¡¯t say anything to him who treated Ying Yimian like the most recent conquest of his, which he could obtain with a word. She merely looked at this uncle of hers, Ying Fenmian, and uttered some words that shocked everyone present. "He¡¯s sixteen years old, body cultivation that rivals a Half-step Qi Unification Cultivator, and..." She paused, looking at all of their shocked expressions a pleased feeling welled up inside her. She wasn¡¯t the only one, Yan Zaizen felt absolutely proud of his achievement as if he had won some contest.

    However, He Shijing didn¡¯t care about no half-step whatever. "So what?! I¡¯m twenty, at the mid-Essence Formation, my body cultivation rivals thete-Essence Formation, and..." This time, he paused. His expression filled with a deep-seated pride and spoke, no, roared, "I¡¯m the n Lord designate of the He n!"

    Indeed, the He n was a genuine first-tier force with an Origin Core Patriarch at the helm of it. It could not be underestimated. However, Ying Sumian had an impish smirk on her face, as if what this person said was nothing. She continued, "Heprehended a worldw."

    The entire world went silent, even He Shijin. They all trained their gazes on Yan Zaizen. Seeing him being the center of attention, he lifted his chin up and his eyes shone with every ounce of haughty heroism he could muster. Damn right! He was that amazing, but...

    These guys genuinely love parading other people¡¯s aplishments!

    Ying Fenmian was the first to recover, and his expression had an odd smile. "Oh?! Han Zaiji! I remember now. Yi Yimian truly couldn¡¯t stop thinking about you, she even mentioned you to me before." He said as if he just remembered everything. "At first, I thought you were just a dream of hers. However, now that I see you in person, you truly have my approval. The absolute picture of heroism with extraordinary good looks to match!"

    What?

    What?!

    WHAT?!

    This guy was absolutely shameless. Shameless beyond shameless. However, what he said nextpletely grabbed the definition of shameless and changed it to say: Ying Fenming.

    "Since you¡¯ve arrived, we can now make it official. We¡¯ll begin with the engagement celebration! It¡¯ll be glorious! Come. Come. We have much to discuss for the wedding!" He revealed an absolutely jubnt expression, and his tone was filled with genuine happiness. He arrived next to Yan Zaizen, grabbing his elbow, and dragging him into the n¡¯s pce. Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t even get a chance to say a word, but he was happy someone said he had good looks.

    When they passed He Shijing, he said with a slightly apologetic tone, "Apologies, I have much to discuss with my future son-inw. I hope you won¡¯t me me. I¡¯ll have my sons escort you out." He was quick, leaving everyone speechless as he and Yan Zaizen disappeared inside the pce.

    He Shijing was gobsmacked.

    What? Was this for real?!

 Chapter 36 Ying Clan Troubles

    To his surprise, Yan Zaizen was ced in a chair. It was an odd sensation. It¡¯s not like he voluntarily gave up his free-will, but it was as if he just went with the flow of things. One second, he was curing a cousin for a skyship. The next second, he was engaged to a woman he never met.

    However, the chair was prettyfy.

    He observed his surroundings, finding out he was in some lounge of some sorts, but it was very minimalistic like the grounds. Despite that, he could tell there was more than meets the eye. Everything, even this chair, was covered in formations of some sort. Perhaps that¡¯s why he felt sofortable.

    "Han Zaiji, correct?" An elegant middle-aged man slide into his vision, his eyes filled with an inquisitive gaze. It was Ying Fenmian. Yan Zaizen only nodded slightly, maintaining silence. It didn¡¯t take long before Ying Sumian walked in. Her expression when she looked at Yan Zaizen was incredibly guilty. She signaled with her eyes that she would exin everythingter. However, Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t care about this.

    "The skyship." His eyes focused on her.

    "Oh?" Ying Fenmian was surprised hearing his words. He turned to Ying Sumian, his nce filled with questioning. Ying Sumian immediately exined.

    "I promised him that he would receive the skyship in exchange." She said.

    "I see." Ying Fenmian said, his expression a little solemn at her words. A skyship wasn¡¯t cheap. However, if what Ying Sumian said earlier was the truth ¡ª that this boy hadprehended a worldw ¡ª then giving it up for him to be a part of their family would be small inparison.

    "Which worldw have youprehended?" A question he truly wanted to ask from the moment he heard it was finally asked. Yan Zaizen finally calmed down during this exchange, organizing his thoughts and looking towards Ying Fenmian. He had a feeling this man knew all Ying Sumian said was absolute bullshit. However, he didn¡¯t seem to care. If anything, he looked a little relieved.

    "Wait! Wait! Exin, now!" He wasn¡¯t going to be schemed against or pulled along any longer. He demanded answers. What the hell just happened, and why did it happen? Was it even necessary?!

    Ying Fenmian frowned.

    Ying Sumian cleared her throat at Yan Zaizen¡¯s reaction. She immediately started exining, "I apologize for this, Han Zaiji. The He n¡¯s designate ¡ª He Shijing ¡ª is trying to pressure our family to marry Ying Yimian to him by using the He n¡¯s forces. However, he already has three wives, and my cousin hates his guts. Thu-"

    "Wait!" He sharply interrupted. "Why not just directly decline the proposal?"

    Ying Sumian heaved a sigh, which was filled with resignation. "We couldn¡¯t. It¡¯splex." She didn¡¯t even know where to start, but Ying Fenmian continued.

    "If we declined their proposal, our n would no longer exist." He said calmly, exining it simply.

    "What do you mean? I¡¯m confused, why am I necessary? Why does it matter if I¡¯m here, you¡¯re still under threat of n annihtion if you decline, right?" To him, none of this made sense.

    "Because if we have the backing of the Vanishing Fiend Sect, we couldn¡¯t be touched. So, you with your talent and background marrying into the family would remove all potential problems that may ur." Ying Sumian rified.

    Yan Zaizen thought they were out of their damn minds. Why would he agree to any of this even if his background and talent were sufficient?! Why not just marry your daughter to the He n. Things like this happen all the time; you don¡¯t always get to marry who you want.

    Ya Qinqan.

    His thoughts traveled back to the Yan n. He was in love with her, but he didn¡¯t know how she truly felt. He always held out some hope that she was waiting for him to explode forth with exceptional talent and they would live happily ever after. However, the n allowed Yan Jinzen and her to marry. From what he knows, they¡¯ve already consummated their marriage. To him, this was a humiliation he couldn¡¯t stand. He even wished she would rather end her life thany with Yan Jinzen, only wanting and needing him alone.

    He calmed down his disordered emotions after a while. He softly said, "My master, Han Genji, defected from the Vanishing Fiend Sect. I adopted his name as a recement for now. I have no backing of one of the great sects." Every word contained a monotonous tone filled with brute honesty.

    Ying Fenmian and Ying Sumian were shocked. Ying Fenmian turned towards Ying Sumian, seeing her shocked expression, and knowing that she deduced wrong. Close, but wrong. This made this entire situation moreplicated.

    "But...you met the Vanishing Fiend Sect¡¯s hunting party, and even met one of their valued members!" She tried to reason, but it seems like she was just reasoning with herself.

    "She was simply a woman I knew due to my master. I asked her some questions, nothing more." He exined, shaking his head at this entire situation.

    While she was panicking, Ying Fenmian was a lot calmer. He looked towards Yan Zaizen with a furrowed brow. One could see he was currently contemting the entire situation. His eyes lit up in realization.

    "What worldw have youprehended?" He asked this question once before but got no answer. Now that he was asking again, it seemed that Ying Sumian found a rope out of her panic. Yan Zaizen could only sigh.

    "I¡¯veprehended the lifew."

    Ying Fenmian¡¯s eyes lit up with brilliance. A concept developed from the lifew would be considered in the upper-tier in conceptual worldws. The situation could definitely be scavenged. Not to mention even if his master was Han Genji, someone he knew was being executed shortly, it didn¡¯t matter. That was over at the Soaring Cloud Sect. Here, he was safe.

    This could work.

    "Are you willing to marry my daughter?" He asked.

    "Absolutely not." Yan Zaizen responded.

    "Why?"

    "I don¡¯t know her. I also don¡¯t have my grandparents or parents permission to do so. I will never marry someone without it." He believed in being a filial child. Although he wouldn¡¯t mind having a gorgeous woman as a wife, he still had to speak to his parents grave to inform them beforehand until turned twenty, and even more so, he needed to get permission from his grandfather and grandmother. He was still a member of the Yan n, and likely to be its next lord when he returns.

    He absolutely cannot decide his marriage himself. Not yet.

    Ying Fenmian was surprised at this response. This boy was rather diligent in his duties as a child. He felt moved. "Do you have a problem with being dered as her fianc¨¦ by title only? At least till another solution is determined." He asked, settling for the next best thing. If he became his future son-inw by title, then that could buy them time. Not to mention, someone whoprehended a worldw would have to try really hard not to be a major character in the future, let alone an upper-tier conceptual worldw.

    "I do."

    "...What if I give you the skyship?"

    "DEAL!"

 Chapter 37 Self-Reflection

    Yan Zaizen was situated in a guest courtyard for high-valued ones in the Ying n. The resident inside the courtyard had several formations that were dedicated towards cultivation support and privacy guarantees. It had a sereneyout with a small pond filled with white fishes, nts of colorful nature growing in a small garden, and a big oak tree that would providefortable shade from the sun.

    This could be considered rather upscaled if onepared to the general minimalistic design of the Ying n, but at this moment, Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t feelfortable.

    Sitting cross-legged near the pond, he had a frustrated expression on his face. Over the course of the several months, since he¡¯s met Han Genji, everything that has happened felt like he was just going with the flow like a spineless puppet. He went against his instincts and was now in this situation.

    Firstly, he was kidnapped, forced to be a disciple of the one that kidnapped him, and then teleported away from his home.

    Secondly, he was abandoned in a forest by the people who should¡¯ve been his seniors.

    Thirdly, he agreed to join an unknown organization with very little actual benefits the moment it was presented to him.

    Lastly, he was plotted against to be this key piece of salvation for this Ying n.

    In truth, thest two situations were because his greed got the better of him. The organization provided a soul cultivation method that he truly needed that was on par with the superior-grade arts from before. This in and of itself was worth joining an organization that didn¡¯t restrict you. As for being brought along by Ying Sumian to heal someone and get a skyship in return, that was sheer greed inspired.

    His frustration was infuriatingly deep. He merely wanted to go home, not get schemed against here and there and be a tool for someone else. Why did he have to do any of this? Who did they think he was?

    He was tired of this shit.

    "Hehe..." Earlier, when they offered him the skyship in exchange for his name, he had little intentions to actually be the fianc¨¦ of Ying whatever. He just wanted to get his hands on the method to control the skyship. They underestimated his prowess, believing he only had the strength of a half-step Qi Unification cultivator only.

    This would be their downfall.

    His eyes lit up with resplendent brightness. Tapping his bag, he retrieved the qi-method that described how to control the skyship. With this, what fianc¨¦? He was going to steal the skyship and leave. The Ying Family is technically the Yan Family¡¯s enemies, why should he help them with their issues? Let them all die.

    "Hahaha!" He couldn¡¯t help but feel abnormally content with his intelligence. Normally, he wasn¡¯t very smart, but over time, he started to see more and more of the outside world, and thus didn¡¯t restrict his thoughts to just a young master. If you can scheme, why can¡¯t I?

    This method wasn¡¯t extremely hard to practice either. With his Perfect Nascent soul cultivation coupled with his half-step Essence Formation cultivation base, controlling this skyship will be a cinch. As for getting there? He didn¡¯t even need to sneak around. He had the soul cultivation that was equivalent to the Origin Core Realm, who could stop him?

    All he needed was the method, and now he was like a tiger with wings. Nothing could stop him.

    "Hm?" He turned, noticing movement outside of his door. It was a female, young, and had a very stable aura.

    "Mister Han, can Ie in?" A tender and sweet sounding voice that could make some men weak sounded. Yan Zaizen was baffled. Who was this? He didn¡¯t answer at first but used his spiritual sense to examine the neer. After realizing she had no means to threaten him with her cultivation level at the initial-Essence Formation, he decided to see what she wanted.

    "Who are you? What do you want?" He didn¡¯t get up, simply asked.

    There was a silence for a while. Then, the woman didn¡¯t even bother waiting for him to open the door as a trace of qi erupted and the door opened. Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyebrows furrowed. Enter his room without permission? Was she courting death?

    A sh of killing intent surged into his eyes. This was the first time he ever revealed such a look, and mostly because his privacy was being infringed on. He was prepared to wipe out the soul of the intruder, and if they ask why, then he could simply say he assumed it was an intruder.

    However, when the person entered and revealed herself under the moonlit sky, he was immediately thunderstruck.

    The girl was about 18-19 years of age, had a smooth as jade countenance that shimmered elegantly in the light, a set of bright blue eyes that seemed like a set of lunar stars, and a lithe figure thatpleted the ensemble of beauty. Her body had a silk robe that faintly shone with formation diagrams, long waist-length ck hair fell elegantly from her head, soft pink lips and a perfect little nose.

    This was a beauty.

    The door closed behind her softly, the sound waking Yan Zaizen up from his stupor. Even the sh of killing intent in his eyes was nowhere to be found as if it never existed. He wanted to say quite a few things, but nothing came out of his mouth.

    "Mister Han, my name¡¯s Ying Yimian." Her voice was like music.

    Yan Zaizen loudly gulped. This girl was a weakness for many men, and he wasn¡¯t excluded. It took a long while before he got his wits about him to realize this was his supposed ¡¯fianc¨¦.¡¯ For a split second, he thought, if he truly married this woman perhaps he would be satisfied with life. However, that thought was immediately discarded. He had his own aspirations now, and he was going to be the n Leader of the Yan n. He wouldn¡¯t throw that aside now.

    He had to show his entire family that he was no longer trash, and when those previously mocking gazes nced at him, they would now contain fear and reverence. However, he¡¯ll definitely get his revenge on those who took it too far.

    "What do you want?" He said, his expression more solemn.

    Ying Yimian looked at this husband-to-be with a steady gaze. He had an ordinary appearance, not ugly, but not attractive either. His amber eyes shone with a developing form of intelligence and yet-to-solidify personality, indicating his young age. A slightly skinny form, unlike the usual muscr men who cultivate the body. These weren¡¯t too terrible, but besides his worldwprehension at his young age, he didn¡¯t have anything truly special about him.

    Earlier, when she learned that her fianc¨¦ was decided, she couldn¡¯t help but feel aggrieved. Because of her beauty, she would likely be the cause of her n¡¯s downfall. She was unwilling to not be in control of her own fate. Even though it was exined to her that this boy was only to be used as a pawn to dy the situation, she didn¡¯t believe it. She knew her father, and if this boy trulyprehended an upper-tier conceptual worldw, then he would undoubtedly send her into his bed.

    If it wasn¡¯t for her unwillingness to marry that scum with three wives already, and her threat of suicide, her father would be happy to send her off to garner more benefits for the Ying Family.

    However, she had her own schemes and thoughts. She had already stolen a massive number of resources and wealth from the n vault and didn¡¯t intend to be the cause of her n¡¯s downfall, or even let this n use her as a pawn for its own advancement while limiting her own future. Screw them all!

    Her n was simple.

    Take what she can, leave the n, and live her own life.

    However, she had a problem.

    She would never get outside of the city with her cultivation or an ordinary traveling vessel. Her immediate capture and retrieval were imminent.

    Unless she had a skyship. This lead to another problem, she didn¡¯t have the method to use one. Only a few people had the method, and none of them would give it to her. She wouldn¡¯t ask her cousin ¡ª Ying Sumian ¡ª because she had her own thoughts and schemes. She didn¡¯t bring this boy here for Ying Yimian or the n, but for only herself and her own future. She didn¡¯t trust Ying Sumian one bit.

    However, when she learned that this boy was given the method, thoughts clicked in her mind, and she devised her strategy. All she had to do was use her beauty, get what she wanted, and vanish like a shadow.

    With the most dazzling smile she could muster, she said, "I believe you can help me."

 Chapter 38 To Each Their Own Scheme

    "With?" Yan Zaizen felt that his instincts tingle once more. From his previous experiences, he knew this girl had her own schemes. He couldn¡¯t help but inwardly reveal a cold smile, but on the surface, he revealed a look of a boy already swooned with young love. Ever since he¡¯s been practicing expressions, he¡¯s been getting good at all sorts - even the one that disyed love. He felt that his expressions and the realism of them in the future will definitely be important to be showing off and tricking others.

    Ying Yimian couldn¡¯t help but inwardly groan at Yan Zaizen¡¯s disgusting expression. All it took was a smile and a tender voice and this boy was already nipping at her skirts, probably would be willing to die for her. This couldn¡¯t be helped, ever since she was young, she was beautiful and desired by many, so for him to reveal this disy to her felt expected.

    "Mister Han, I thank you greatly for helping the Ying n, and I¡¯m eternally grateful." She first revealed her gratefulness at her task, trying to draw him in as if she owed him. When men think women owe them, they feel like they must do everything to further that debt and get what all men want. It was disgusting but effective in manipting them.

    "I heard that the skyship was given to you, is that true?" She asked, innocently.

    Yan Zaizen couldn¡¯t help but be surprised at this question. Why would she care about the skyship? Now that he thought about it, he didn¡¯t even know where it was. He did know a skyship couldn¡¯t be stored in normal spatial bags or rings, so its likely located in some type ofnding hangar.

    "Yes. The skyship was given to me." He nodded, his expression revealing deep pride. This wasn¡¯t exactly fake, but it wasn¡¯t wholly true either. It was given to him, but he didn¡¯t even know where it was! How could one be proud?

    "Oh?!" She released a delighted yelp that could sway any man¡¯s heart. "I was wondering...if you can help me fulfill a dream of mines since I was young." She said, looking at him with expectation and desire.

    "What dream?"

    "I wish to go the Serene Moon Cove. It¡¯s only a few li outside of Sky Titan City, but its too far and I¡¯ll never make it back before I¡¯m discovered." She stated. Her words revealing her desire. She added, "My father has never let me out due to fear of me being in danger, but if we leave quietly with your strength, all problems should be dealt with."

    Oh?!

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes revealed a trace of interest. This girl wanted to go somewhere outside of the city and wanted to rely on him to do so. To most men, they would think this would be excellent. They could develop feelings amongst them by doing something wicked and personal like travel to a spectacr location. However, he didn¡¯t know what this Serene Moon Cove was nor did he care about it.

    This girl wasn¡¯t that simple.

    He could feel from her a passionate desire to leave. Something simr to his own desire. If she left, she would definitely note back. As for Serene Moon Cove? That¡¯s likely a load of bullshit. She apparently doesn¡¯t know how to operate the skyship, and since he had the method, she came to him. However, if that was her intentions, then she must know where the skyship is!

    "Of course! With my strength and talent, any problem would be abolished with a snap of my fingers!" He shamelessly eximed. However, his eyes revealed a disappointed look and a hint of embarrassment. "However, I don¡¯t know where the skyship is, so I can¡¯t go." His apologetic look was a little awkward, but it did its job. He made a mental note that he needed to practice it a bit more.

    "I know where it is, Mister Han." She stated. "If we leave right away, we can take off ande back before they know a single thing. That way, we won¡¯t get in trouble. I promise." She urged, reassuring him that all troubles would be wiped away as long as they were not discovered.

    Yan Zaizen was more than happy to act in this little y. He let out a surprised sound and put on a contemting expression. After a while, he looked towards her with lustful desire and with a beaming smile, nodded vigorously. "In that case, we should go."

    Seeing that look on his face, Ying Yimian felt inwardly disgusted. If he wasn¡¯t a genius, she would be plotting his death like all the other men before. If it wasn¡¯t for He Shijing being from a bigger n, he wouldn¡¯t be able to escape her de. However, that despicable man left her with little choice but to leave or be forced to marry someone with three other women by his side.

    Yan Zaizen got up, dusted himself off, and walked towards her. "Lead the way, Miss Ying."

    Several minutester, they had a clear route. Yan Zaizen was surprised, this girl¡¯s schemes truly was thick. The route from his courtyard to the skyship hangar was cleared out. With his spiritual sense, he could tell that all the guards were looking at other directions deliberately and some were gone from their post. Somehow, she orchestrated this enough to make sure no one was there to witness her escape.

    If it wasn¡¯t for him possessing an abnormal soul cultivation, he would¡¯ve thought she had cultivated her soul to an exceptional degree. Avoiding each and every obstacle due to her unnatural sense. There must¡¯ve been a mix of bribery and lies to get something like this done. Indeed, when they reached the hangar where the skyship was, there was only a single person there awaiting their arrival.

    He was a middle-aged man, slightly handsome with a profound cultivation at the initial-Qi Unification Realm. When they approached, Yan Zaizen could feel some deep-seated hostility and well-hidden killing intent when he looked at him. However, when he nced at Ying Yimian, he revealed a look of unyielding love.

    "Big Brother Zhi, is it done?" Ying Yimian asked as she approached. The middle-aged man named Ying Zhihao only nodded slightly in response, revealing a silver spatial ring on his finger with a hint of pride on his face. While wearing a smile, she turned to Yan Zaizen and exined, "Big Brother is my protector, as an added assurance, and he¡¯s brought delicacies so we can enjoy at the cove."

    Pssh. Bullshit. He didn¡¯t believe a single word.

    "It¡¯s likely that spatial ring held a majority of your n¡¯s entire fortune, this big brother Zhi was likely the one you n to use to get rid of me after it was done to leave no witnesses, and likely this man¡¯s fate won¡¯t end up good either." Finally, he started listening to his inner instincts and thoughts about people¡¯s intentions. However, Yan Zaizen simply nodded in understanding, revealing a relieved expression which elicited acent smile from Yi Yimian.

    "Do you have the method on you?" Ying Zhihao asked coldly.

    "Haha, no. The n lord had only let me peruse it for memorization. All in the cranium, but I know how to operate it." He lied. Obviously, he wouldn¡¯t tell the truth, this man would probably just attack right then and there. Ying Zhihao snorted in response.

    They got on the skyship, and Yan Zaizen took the helm. Using the unique qi method described in the book, he initiated the startup procedure. It seems the skyship was already fully fueled beforehand. Nice! It started without a hitch and floated slowly into the sky.

    Ying Zhihao was not as stupid as Yan Zaizen assumed he was. He knew that Ying Yimian¡¯s heart was insidious, and she obtained an expensive poison called the qi diffusion powder. With it, even a Qi Unification cultivator¡¯s qi would be scattered andck stability, making them as useless as a mortal. During that time, it was likely his end wouldn¡¯t be good.

    However, he truly desired this gorgeous girl, and when she approached him with her ideas, he epted after some contemtion. Using her ideas and methods, he was capable of taking 70% of the entire n¡¯s wealth without an issue. If he tried doing that with just himself, it would be certain death. Now, all he had to do was get this ship a good enough distance away, kill Yan Zaizen because he obviously had the method on him and then he would have his way with Yi Yimian to his heart¡¯s desire.

    He already took the antidote for the qi diffusion powder and was thus immune. Without that, she wasn¡¯t his match. After everything happened, they would simply assume that Yan Zaizen and Ying Yimian left after stealing a load from the n. As for him? No one even knew he was in the n at this moment, and he already had his alibi.

    After he ravaged Ying Yimian till he was satisfied, he would kill her, dispose of her corpse, return to the n, and with 70% of the n¡¯s wealth and the skyship, his rise would be unstoppable. Bing an Origin Core Cultivator wouldn¡¯t remain a simple dream any longer. This little girl thinks she can use him as a tool?

    She was a thousand years too young.

 Chapter 39 End Resul

    Escaping Sky Titan City wasn¡¯t filled with a tense aura or battle tethering over life and death, both Ying Zhihao and Ying Yimian were having a conversation andughing while Yan Zaizen was controlling the skyship. There were no sudden developments, and they had already nned everything. It didn¡¯t take long, only a few minutes, before they reached the western gate with the skyship¡¯s maximum speed. When they approached the gate, Ying Yimian simply produced a titan badge ¡ª simr to the one Ying Sumian had earlier ¡ª and a location on the gate miraculously opened.

    They proceeded through it without a single obstacle.

    "That was a lot easier than I thought it would be." Yan Zaizen couldn¡¯t help but remark at the sheer ease of their escape. His eyes glowed with suspicion, but then he thought about what they wanted to aplish. They likely removed anything that would¡¯ve been an obstacle. This meant they were nning this for a long time.

    Looking at the spatial ring on Ying Zhihao¡¯s finger, he couldn¡¯t help but feel his mouth turning dry. He had a distinct belief that the ring had an extraordinary amount of wealth. Likely it had Ying Zhihao¡¯s wealth and likely even a portion of the n¡¯s. There¡¯s no way it had delicacies like Ying Yimian said. He was tempted.

    He thought this through.

    It¡¯s unlikely that the Ying n would be notified for several hours, and even after that, they would probably have to determine which direction they went. With the skyship¡¯s speed, there¡¯s no way in hell they would have enough time to search all directions. This could be seen when Ying Sumian was said to have stolen the skyship before, but there was no one who could stop her. Its maximum speed could rival the consistent speed of a high-stage Qi Unification cultivator, and all it needed was essence for that speed to be maintained. This meant unless one had an Origin Core cultivation base, catching up would be impossible.

    Even if he wanted to search for the ship after a few hours, it would be extremely difficult without a direction. The speed covered in those hours would vastly exceed his spiritual sense range, even if he used the Source Sonar Soul Art.

    It¡¯s likely they¡¯ll make their move to reap away his life after several hours. If they decide to take action, he will definitely respond in kind. He was never a kind-hearted individual. He assumed they would likely want to park the ship somewhere so they don¡¯t crash because of him piloting it.

    To be honest, he was quite curious. How did this Ying Yimian n to deal with this Qi Unification Cultivator?

    The beautiful moonlight shone on the skyship as they traveled west. Several hours passed by quickly, and they had already reached an incredibly far distance from Sky Titan City. The essence fuel reserves were only down by about 3%, this was extraordinary. He was sure he could take advantage of this to make it back home even if he didn¡¯t use the Xuanwu City spatial tform. It took about eighteen days to arrive with Ying Sumian, but if he traveled at maximum speed, it would presumably require two.

    "We shouldnd. We need to figure out where we are inparison to where the Serene Moon Cove is on the map." Ying Sumian suggested.

    "Agreed. After finding our direction, we won¡¯t be lost due to any unforeseen circumstance," Ying Zhihao said in agreement. Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes sparkled with a cunning light.

    It¡¯s going to start soon.

    "Okay. I don¡¯t want to get lost. If we do, we won¡¯t be able to make our way back before we get in trouble." As he said this, he revealed a worried tone. Both of the Ying¡¯s had a cunning smile on their faces, both with their own ideas.

    They swiftlynded in a forest¡¯s t in area. The skyship truly was extraordinary. Itnded softly with barely any sound, and when it initiated or flew through the sky it was as stealthy as a shadow. It didn¡¯t disturb the wildlife or any of the inhabitants nearby.

    The three, Ying Zhihao, Ying Yimian, and Yan Zaizen gathered together on the deck. They each had varied expressions. From a cold indifferent expression, a pleasant smile, and an impish look of anticipatory lust respectively.

    "Where are we?" Yan Zaizen asked.

    BANG!!!

    A thunderous sound resounded that originated from below. A profound formation on the deck of the skyship revealed itself. If one was familiar with formations, they would notice this formation was recently set up. Both Yan Zaizen and Ying Zhihao revealed shocked expressions, while Ying Yimian had a vicious smile that caused her original sweet beauty to turn devilish.

    A white wispy smoke erupted upwards and seeped into the skin and orifices of Yan Zaizen and Ying Zhihao. They were stunned, and immediately realized they couldn¡¯t move. Their physical bodies were restrained by the formation, and when the white smoke forced its way into their bodies, Yan Zaizen felt his qi begin to be chaotic and diffuse rapidly whenever he tried to use it. If it wasn¡¯t for that, this level of formation could be easily shattered, but without their qi, it was useless.

    However, Ying Zhihao didn¡¯t feel this chaotic situation. Despite this, he still revealed a weakened appearance. As if he couldn¡¯t move his physical body or use his qi. Powder-like substance funneled into his body by the white smoke.

    Ying Yimianughed lightly after the white smoke dissipated revealing her cold eyes and triumphant smile. "Truly, toads after swan meat." She remarked with disdain. "Mister Han, I must thank you. My father wouldn¡¯t give me the method to use the ship, but to you, he was willing to let his guard down due to his weakness and your potential. He even gave you the book! That stingy old coot." The sweet and tender Ying Yimian was gone, and what reced it was a foul-mouthed arrogance.

    "As for you, Big Brother Zhi. You¡¯re pathetic. You think I didn¡¯t know your intentions? Psst, fool." She pulled out a dagger from her spatial bag and walked over towards Ying Zhihao. It seems her intention was to reap his life first.

    Ying Zhihao revealed a fearful expression, he shouted loudly, "I loved you Ying Yimian! We were supposed to kill this fool, and live happily ever after! Was it all a lie?!" His voice was frantic. Ying Zhihao had extraordinary acting skills. If he was in another world, he would likely win some sort of award.

    "Hahaha! Loved me? Just die." She didn¡¯t even want to pander to his nonsensical thoughts. When she reached his side, she raised the dagger and struck down intending to plunge it deep inside his skull. At this time, a sh of devious light revealed in Ying Zhihao¡¯s eyes. Ying Yimian was surprised by this sudden change and wanted to end his life as quickly as possible to prevent any unforeseen circumstances.

    However, an eruption of powerful qi exploded outwards. Ying Yimian, with her initial-Essence Formation cultivation base, was sent backwards and smashed heavily towards the railings of the skyboat. A grunt of pain followed by a grimacing expression was revealed on Ying Yimian face. Her eyes filled with disbelief.

    "How?!"

    Ying Zhihao stood there with a sharp aura, his qi cultivation base rotating without any hindrance from the poison. He coldly smiled, vanishing from her sight with his movement art and reappearing beside her, decisively sending a palm filled with qi towards her dantian.

    "NO!!" She couldn¡¯t help but cry out in fear. She merely had the cultivation base of an initial-Essence Formation, to someone at the initial-Qi Unification she was simply a dead fish on a cutting board.

    The palm struck fiercely, a fierce qi surged that shattered her dantian and severed her pathways. She was officially crippled. The light in her lovely blue eyes dimmed greatly, and a mouthful of blood revealed sprayed outwards.

    How could this have happened? She nned everything perfectly. She set up the formation. She got a poison that not even a Qi Unification Cultivator could fight and even picked someone who didn¡¯t have a profound body cultivation so it would be easier to deliver a deadly strike with her weapon. Yet, here she was, crippled. The fate she was trying so hard to fight for was taken away from her instantly. It¡¯s likely her only path left was death.

    Her thoughts spun and she thought that maybe marrying He Shijing would¡¯ve been better than this.

    "Bitch, scheming against me?! You¡¯re a billion years too young." He spat a wad of spit at her face in disgust and disdain. He was a Qi Unification Cultivator, if he wasn¡¯t intelligent, he would¡¯ve died long ago. "I¡¯ll be sure to give you a lot of my love before sending you off."

    Yan Zaizen, on the other hand, was absolutely surprised by these events. He thought for sure that Ying Zhihao would die, but then again, it made more sense that the situation didn¡¯t happen. Ying Zhihao must be hundreds of years old, living in a hotpot ofplexity that was the Sky Titan City, and yet he still was capable of attaining his level. Anyone who could do that, under those circumstances, wouldn¡¯t be so childish as to be schemed against sessfully by a girl not even twenty.

    He couldn¡¯t help but shake his head and had his horizons broadened by these events. This world was cruel, with one mistake, your death was all but ensured.

    Unfortunately for Ying Zhihao, the person who he wanted to get rid of was him.

    PNEUMA DISRUPTION!

    A surge of powerful soul energy shot directly for Ying Zhihao¡¯s soul form. This soul art had reached the peak initial sess, was superior-grade, and possessed extraordinary offensive power. With his soul cultivation at the Perfect Nascent Soul, while the target merely had the soul cultivation at the Initial Nascent Soul, the effect could be imagined. Especially when the target didn¡¯t set up any active defenses due to his ignorance and negligence.

    "Wha?!" Ying Zhihao¡¯sst words was thus. A stream of powerful foreign soul energy directed itself towards his soul me and snuffed it out suddenly. His body crumbled to the ground like a puppet without its strings support. His body may be alive, but he was essentially in aa without any way to wake up.

 Chapter 40 Serene Moon Cove

    With a little muscr flexing, Yan Zaizen freed himself of the restraint from the formation. For someone like him whose body was refined to be close to the Qi Unification Realm, it wasn¡¯t hard for him to shatter this formation after some effort. In truth, this formation wasn¡¯t set up for Yan Zaizen, but for Ying Zhihao who had very little body cultivation, and therefore cannot restrain him for more than a few moments.

    Checking his qi, Yan Zaizen discovered it still in a state of constant diffusion. Until the effects were removed either with the antidote or time, he¡¯d be stuck here unable to pilot the skyship.

    Wait.

    After some thought, he produced a white me in his hand, and although it wasn¡¯t supported by his qi, it was supported by his soul energy. The Unyielding me of Life consumes any type of energy from its owner to produce lifeforce energy, even vital or soul energies. As long as it possessed something to feed off of, it¡¯ll unyieldingly persist.

    He circted the white me through his body,pletely using its overwhelming lifeforce tobat the toxicponents of the qi diffusion powder. It counteracted its effects by cleansing his body with lifeforce energy.

    After a while, he could feel the qi in his body be stable. It brought him a sensation of relief, liberating him of his worries. He looked towards the dim-eyed Ying Yimian. Her fate was trulymentable. He couldn¡¯t find any reason to actually care. She brought this about due to her own poor nning and underestimation. He decided to take her end as a lesson for himself.

    The first thing he did was decisively ending Ying Zhihao¡¯s life with a palm strike to the heart. He could be considered dead, but until his life truly ended, Yan Zaizen wouldn¡¯t feelfortable.

    "Do you have any way to contact your family?" He asked Ying Yimian.

    After doing the deed, he took the spatial ring off Ying Zhihao¡¯s corpse and looked at its contents. His eyes widened in absolute shock. This...this was the wealth that may even exceed the Yan n¡¯s entire decadal earnings.

    "Incredible!" With this, he could apparently buy several skyships and then some more, and if he felt that wasn¡¯t enough, he could buy one or two more for fun. His expression made Ying Yimian feel horrible. Her eyes filled with hatred as she stared at him.

    What he or Ying Yimian didn¡¯t notice, was that a wisp of smoke exited from Ying Zhihao¡¯s corpse and silently entered Yan Zaizen¡¯s be. If one could see it, they would see Ying Zhihao¡¯s almost atom-sized soul form within the wisp. It looked nk and without life.

    If he had killed Ying Zhihao sooner, she wouldn¡¯t be crippled now. That bastard! She inwardly swore she would kill him soon. Especially since, remembering his lustful expression, he¡¯ll definitely attempt to ravage her virgin body. When he does, he¡¯ll die.

    This was her trump card.

    She had an exquisite formation ced in her womb, so when she was forcefully taken without permission, it¡¯ll activate and instantaneously kill that person with an insidious poison. Since no one would expect it, even Ying Zhihao would¡¯ve died. Nevertheless, Yan Zaizen.

    Unfortunately, it was only enough for one person otherwise she would have used it instead of the qi diffusion powder, and the delivery system was in a unique location for optimal efficiency. She was, however, uncertain as to how he dealt with Ying Zhihao. But that didn¡¯t matter now.

    Yan Zaizen, however, was not that type of person. "Do you have no way?" He asked again. However, seeing her just look at him with anger and didn¡¯t answer, he couldn¡¯t help but shrug. If she didn¡¯t want to answer, that was on her.

    He took the spatial materials on her body without being the least bit courteous. Her wealth was astounding as well. It seems like they robbed their n on two fronts. One took it from their reserves, while the other took their visible wealth. That¡¯s just sad. The Ying n was robbed blind by these two people, and they likely don¡¯t even have their pants left.

    Yet, here he was with all the gains.

    He grabbed Ying Zhihao¡¯s body and threw it over the skyship out to the area below. A loud thudter, he walked over to Ying Yimian. Seeing him do so, she was anxious that he would kill her instead of taking her sexually. However, Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t really n on doing either. He grabbed her and like trash, tossed her overboard.

    A surprised scream and soft thudter, the skyship was powered and disappeared into the horizon.

    If she didn¡¯t have a way to contact her n, he had no intention of bringing her back, and he didn¡¯t feel like directly killing a beauty either or letting her die so easily. However, leaving them to die, that was another matter entirely, especially since she attempted to kill him. To him, she deserves to suffer.

    If she does end up living, it doesn¡¯t really matter. No one knew what his real name was, and no one even knew he was from the Yan n. They only knew him as Han Zaiji. She was also crippled, and he knew the amount of wealth required to re-establish one¡¯s qi foundation was extraordinarily difficult, requiring a ton of resources. Who would be willing to pay so much for a lowly traitor?

    That¡¯s if she lived.

    He also had a profound soul cultivation base that could instantly snuff out the life of an initial-Qi Unification cultivator. What did he have to be afraid of?

    "Oh, wait..."

    He used his spiritual sense to cover the entire skyship, probing everyst bit of it, and found a small spot on the ship that wasn¡¯t covered with anything before. He parked the ship temporarily and walked towards the formation. His eyes lit up with surprise.

    "Makes sense. Considering it was stolen once, it could be stolen again." This formation released a unique form of energy and was incredibly discreet. With his soul energies, qi and physical strength, he smashed downwards to shatter the formation. The ship shook violently, but it was still undamaged. As for the formation, it waspletely and thoroughly destroyed.

    His intelligence was rising as well as his own vignce. If he had just left without checking, they would¡¯ve tracked him down. He couldn¡¯t allow that to happen.

    With a chuckle, he returned to the helm and flew the skyship away.

    "I still have five months. I should park this baby, cultivate in a location, and then go to the Xuanwu City for the spatial tform. They should be able to send off a skyship as well." He thought a bit and decided. Remembering the map from before, he knew there was a good location tond quietly with little exposure. It was the cove mentioned earlier by Ying Yimian. The Serene Moon Cove that Ying Yimian talked about was real, but Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t know if that was the case at the time.

    During the flight, Ying Yimian informed him of the cove¡¯s existence and where it was on the map. It seemed like a good location tond. As he arrived, he discovered why it was called the Serene Moon Cove. The cove was illuminated by soft moonlight and had a wide cavern filled with it.

    It was wide enough to hold the skyship, and there was no one inside. There was a reason for that, but Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t think about it too much, merely entering andnding the ship.

    He stretched his arms a little with a rxed expression. The world was finally going his way. He was free and obtained all these spoils without lifting a single finger. If there was ever such a thing like a fortuitous encounter in this world, this was it.

    "Hahaha!" Hisughter filled the cave. He truly felt satisfied.

    Suddenly, he felt a little dizzy. The dizzy sensation turned into disorientation, and then he fell to his knees with weakness. He urged his soul energy, but it seemed like it wasn¡¯t responding. His body was still filled with powerful vital energies, and his qi was still filled to the brim with energy, but his soul energy seemed to be going inactive as if under attack. Seeing the situation, he immediately activated the formations of the ship to protect himself.

    A soft thud after, heid there unconsciously on the cold deck. His soul form exited his body, and a swirling ck hole now reced the ck dot from before. The moonlight in the cove shone vigorously, but then every ray directed itself towards his soul form. The ck hole at his be swirled even more intensely, sucking in the vibrant moonlight in the cave towards it.

    The soul form¡¯s eyes shone brilliantly, and a faint trace of moonlight surged within itself. If Yan Zaizen was conscious enough to witness this, he would be shocked.

    "What?!" A voice, filled with deste horror surged out from deep within the cove.

    Ying Yimian had chosen the cove because of a distinct and eerie rumor. The rumor suggested that during the full moon, an extraordinary monster would kill all within the cove. She felt it was the most logical way to entice Yan Zaizen¡¯s manly and curious side, seeking to protect the beauty and prove the rumors wrong. She never really intended to go.

    However, he wasn¡¯t a native of the territory and thus had no idea about the rumors. As for her words or schemes at the time, Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t give a flying shit. One could clearly see why with the end result of the entire situation. Even if Ying Zhihao didn¡¯t take action, Yan Zaizen would¡¯ve still been able to kill them both.

    The ck hole at his be immediately started growing in size, sucking in more moonlight within the cove, even the rocks and water of the cove started to be drawn into it by the powerful suction force. The horrified voice sounded out once more, "What the hell is that thing?!"

    You see, this monster was a soul form without a physical body, consuming the vital energies of its victims with the intent of reforming its body. Regrettably, only weak individuals approached the cove and thus despite it being more than several decades, he wasn¡¯t close to finishing his body. When he saw Yan Zaizen, he immediately used a soul art to attack and invade his soul with the intention to snuff it out, and we all know how that works out for anyone who tries.

    Even the Heavenly Annihtion Light had to run away!!

    "Wait! Wait!! Wait!!!" The voice tried to plead as its soul was sucked into the ck hole. It couldn¡¯t resist one bit and felt itself being drawn in. No matter how it screamed, begged, or tried to reason and apologize, the ck hole was uncaring. His soul form was devoured as well as all the moonlight that sparkled in the cove.

    The soul form released rays of beautiful light, and if one looked closely, they could see a light simr to the Aurora Borealis formed within it. It had a beautiful silver-blue color, and within it was a small inky ck shadow and a white me that danced around each other like lovers.

 Chapter 41 Aurora Soul

    It was morning when Yan Zaizen finally woke up. The sunlight shone in the cove in a simr way that the moonlight did. "What...happened?!" Getting himself up, he realized that the surrounding walls were missing a few rocks here and there. The skyship seemed fine, but the formation shield he activated was gone. The first thing he did in his panic was to check the status of the ship because, without it, he had no way of getting to Xuanwu City on time.

    Thankfully, the skyship was fine, but the essence fuel reserves werepletely gone. This bewildered him. He imagined something had attacked him and tried to destroy the shield, but could do nothing butpletely deplete the fuel reserves. Therefore, he was safe. He didn¡¯t care about the fuel, he had essence in his possession to fuel this skyship dozens of times.

    As long as he was alive, what else mattered?

    "Hm..." He felt that something was off. He couldn¡¯t quite put his finger on it, but something was different. Looking around, he didn¡¯t find anything out of ce. Looking at his body, he had all of his clothes, his limbs, and hair. However, he just couldn¡¯t put his finger on it. He used his spiritual sense to see if there was anything in the surroundings, but when he did his eyes widenedrger than they¡¯ve ever been before.

    "Impossible!" He screamed. His spiritual sense was no longer limited to 3,000 meters. No, it could reach nearly 50,000 meters!!! The rity of it was exceptional. He could feel every ounce of movement of the water, the grass, insects, or even the air. This was beyond unbelievable!

    "But...how?!" He questioned.

    Wait.

    He checked his Soul Form and when he did, he realized there was a silver-blue Aurora Borealis floating snuggly within it. Within it, a ck shadow and white me circting around each other like they were dancing partners. These were his conceptualws! Wouldn¡¯t that mean...he broke through the Aurora Soul Realm?! How was that possible?

    Over the past few months, he¡¯s been progressing at such a fast speed that he found it unbelievable. It was like, a lifetime of misfortune would follow a lifetime of fortune. He looked at the Meteor Ring and attributed all of his increases to it. He felt that if that meteor never hit him, he would¡¯ve never reached this level in his lifetime.

    He entered the Meteor Ring, and when he did, he noticed an Aurora Borealis floating and lightning up this space. It was several thousand timesrger than the one in his soul form, and it was extraordinarily beautiful. It seems the Meteor Ring and his soul was interconnected. Makes sense, it could only be used with soul energy and it couldn¡¯t be taken off. So, it¡¯s likely attached to his soul.

    Thinking up to here, he grabbed one of the books from before. As he held it, he had a strange sensation like he could take it with him. Acting on this, he focused his intentions and wrapped the book with his soul energy.

    It vanished.

    "!!!" His mind was startled, and then an iparable happiness surged in his eyes. He can finally take things out! He exited out of the ring and saw the book in his hand. He covered it with his soul energy once more and focused his intentions to send it into the ring.

    It vanished.

    The book returned to the ring as if it was never in the real world.

    "HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!" He felt an iparable level of happiness and excitement at the moment. Not only did his soul break through the Aurora Realm, he can now take the fortune in the Meteor Ring as his own, and obtained a great fortune of a skyship and nearly an entire n¡¯s wealth. He just felt satisfied.

    After several hours of happy antics ofughter, chuckles, and hehes, he finally calmed down. He looked at the skyship with a little thought. Could he? He ced his hand on it, and it vanished. By now, his control over the removal and storage function of the ring has been thoroughly tested. The skyship can be stored and removed with a little bit of soul energy. He learned, regardless of size or essence emissions, it always used the same amount of soul energy.

    This meant he could store and retrieve the ship at a moment¡¯s notice without any dy. This ring was beyond magical. Now, he had four months before he can return home. During which, he can now cultivate in this location, and wouldn¡¯t have to worry about the skyship being spotted identally.

    "Now, what should I begin with?" After he calmed down, he realized he had a ton of time to spare and resources to waste. Four months of continuous cultivation? Not only would he be seventeen, but his cultivation will rise incredibly high.

    Unfortunately, his body cultivation had to be put on hold. The core reason for this was because it couldn¡¯t be sped up with resources, and required just time and effort. Only after he reaches the Perfect Stage of the Nascent Herculean Physique will he be able to use resources to propel his cultivation. This was because the initial stage is about removing the limiters of the body and reconstructing the body into aplete Herculean, not enhancing the physique. That required time, time which he did not have at the moment.

    He didn¡¯t even think about soul cultivation. It was high, and even if he used the spirit essence material in the Meteor Ring for his cultivation, the amount of headway he could reach in four to five months would be minimal.

    Which left qi cultivation and conceptualwprehension!

    Qi Cultivation is all about using resources to propel one¡¯s cultivation. While all forms of cultivation required resources, Qi Cultivation overall uses the most and had the most benefits generally speaking. Because it¡¯s pretty much linear for every cultivator, there¡¯s no great difference like there is in Body Cultivation or require incredibly high enlightenment like Soul Cultivation.

    He took out a mid-grade essence crystal from the Meteor Ring. His eyes lit up with avarice. When he first saw this, he was surprised. If to put it in perspective, the unrefined essence chair in the Great Serpentine Emporium was worth 1,000,000 drops of low-grade liquid essence. However, that was only a low-grade essence crystal. This mid-grade essence crystal was worth 100 low-grade essence crystal.

    That¡¯s right.

    100,000,000 drops of low-grade freaking liquid essence!!!

    With this alone, he was wealthy enough to go to an auction and buy everything. However, he decided to use this for cultivation. Despite being the same grade as the respective drops, it¡¯spletely different. Imagine a drop of water vs a diamond. The value was astronomically different, and that¡¯s the same for its effect. In terms of purity, essence concentration, and rarity, it was beyond any form of liquid essence could rival.

    Typically, low-grade essence drops were used for Qi Revolving and Essence Formation Cultivators. Mid-grade essence drops for Essence Formation and Qi Unification Cultivators. High-grade essence drops for Qi Unification and Origin Core Cultivators. In terms of essence crystals, only Origin Core and True Essence Cultivators would typically use them.

    Now he, at the half-step Essence Formation Realm, was nning to use it to enhance and solidify his cultivation base. Who could match his level of spendthrift?

    "Time to get started!" Holding the crystal essence in hand, he could feel it radiating a pure form of essence he has nevere across before. Anticipation colored his face, and he began.

 Chapter 42 Falsities Abound

    In the Ying n¡¯s ptial manor, a group of old-aged individuals with profound cultivation bases and steady auras gathered. At their head was Ying Fenmian, his expression was incredibly unpleasant. Ying Sumian was kneeling on the floor right beside him, her expression filled with fear and marks that indicated her previous status as a torture victim.

    Earlier, they had found out that the Ying n¡¯s skyship was taken yet again, and both of their secure vaults had been robbed. Although not everything was taken, everything that was rare and valuable was taken. Immediately, everyone was rounded up to ount for their whereabouts. It was revealed that the boy named Han Zaiji and Ying Yimian were missing.

    They didn¡¯t ount for those who weren¡¯t even in the n yet, and thus Ying Zhihao¡¯s n would truly have worked if not for his miscalction. s, fate has already determined his end.

    Further investigation left them bewildered by the direction the skyship had taken. Considering that Ying Fenmian was the one that provided Yan Zaizen with the method, he was bearing a tremendous responsibility and pressure in regards to this matter.

    There were many theories at hand, but the most realistic was premeditated theft. This is why Ying Sumian was immediately captured and tortured. She brought Yan Zaizen into this and even had suggested offering him the method to pilot the skyship as assurance. However, there¡¯s no way that Ying Sumian could¡¯ve robbed the vault or grand vault. This meant there were others in on it.

    Unfortunately, the people who Ying Yimian promised to give a portion of the gains to at a rendezvous were tricked all the same. The same goes for those who were fooled into thinking she merely wanted to fly around in the skyship, unbeknownst to the theft n. That being said, it¡¯s unlikely they¡¯ll confess to their part in it because their end wouldn¡¯t be any better than Ying Yimian if they did so.

    That¡¯s just courting death.

    The investigation went on for a while, but nothing else came up. There were no sighting reports that were urate or could be trusted. Ying Yimian and Ying Zhihao truly left no clues that could be followed. They set up false reports from all the gates with various levels of truths and witnesses. This was fairly easy considering the Ying n didn¡¯t possess massive clout in the city and many were willing to offend them for a fee.

    The situation turned dire from this. Even if they searched in all eight directions, the chances of finding them were nearly impossible. Especially if one considers that they can change directions, hide out at a location, or leave the skyship somewhere and pave their journey with their feet.

    It was ingenious; if Yan Zaizen had heard of the circumstances, he would have apuded them for their craftiness.

    What more, they had even refueled the skyship for future use.

    Ying Fenmian inwardly groaned at this. He couldn¡¯t believe there was such a high level of corruption in the n. There was no way this could¡¯ve been pulled off with just two juniors. It¡¯s even likely that a few of these old men here were in on it, but no one said a single word.

    Frustrating!

    If he could, he would p each one of these despicable cowards to death.

    "n Lord, I thi-" One of the older males in the group spoke, wanting to point out that it was pointless. However, an old woman interrupted with viciousness in her voice.

    "We put a tracker on the ship, just in case something like this were to happen again. Let¡¯s find the ones responsible, and show them how the Ying n deals with thieves!" She looked raring to go, her eyes filled with malicious fire. If Ying Fenmian knew that she was one of the few who got tricked into thinking she¡¯d receive some profits from the vault theft, but unbeknownst to the skyship theft, one could imagine how much blood he would lose from anger.

    "We can¡¯t. The tracker was destroyed." Ying Fenmian calmly said. How could that not have been his first action? Unfortunately, he only knew of the incident in the morning, while the tracker was destroyed in the night. It was essentially impossible, even to locate where it originally was.

    Calcting the time, the skyship had been gone for nearly 12 hours. This mess just keeps getting worse by the minute. While skyships were valuable, their grand vault contained enough wealth for a dozen of them. Over half of it was taken!

    Each person revealed a deste expression. The truth pill was ced before them, and they couldn¡¯t help but swallow it. For the ones who were implicit in the plot, they didn¡¯t say anything else. Either because they were hoping to still get resources, to capture the skyship back or simply didn¡¯t want to court death.

    Ying Femian looked towards his brother, his eyes filled with fierce intent. "Your daughter was likely the one mostplicit in this endeavor. Your response, brother?" He asked, but anyone who heard him knew he wanted to torture this brother of his as he believed he was also involved.

    Ying Sumian¡¯s father¡¯s expression changed, but he was decisive. "The n¡¯s resources are our first and foremost priority. Torture her for more information. If she doesn¡¯t confess, kill her. If she does, cripple her." With that, Ying Sumian¡¯s expression dropped. She felt horrible.

    However, she was indeed knowledgeable about the event, but she didn¡¯t know Ying Yimian was going to steal anything but the skyship. After they left, she would then offer herself to be the recement apology to He Shijing as his wife, rising in her status, despite her mediocre talent. This was her intentions, but Ying Yimian screwed her. A simple thieving of the skyship would¡¯ve led to very little issues but a search, but how could the Ying n find her? Now, she was in this situation because of Ying Yimian¡¯s machinations.

    That bitch.

    She was carried off by a few men. Her end, no matter what it would be, wouldn¡¯t be good.

    "n Lord!" A young man walked in, his brow filled with sweat from his earlier rush. He captured the attention of all the elders. "Ying Yimian¡¯s emergency crystal has been shattered!" He urgently conveyed. When they heard this, their eyes widened in surprise.

    It seems that Ying Yimian did have a way to convey her situation to the n. Everyone¡¯s expression changed, asking where, and when they received the information, all of the elders used their maximum cultivation base and took to the skies.

    Nearly half a dayter, they arrived next at a grassy in. There was a barrier erected, keeping the local disaster beasts away. In that barrier Ying Zhihao¡¯s corpse and Ying Yimian¡¯s crippled form. She looked truly helpless, like a mortal, and when one saw her they couldn¡¯t help but want to help. If one looked at Ying Zhihao¡¯s corpse, he had scratches all over his face, likely caused by Ying Yimian.

    As the elders approached, they dispersed the barrier set up. Ying Yimian looked like she saw the miracle. However, none of the elders had good expressions on their faces, but she didn¡¯t seem to mind, as if ignorant of the entire matter. A few of the elders who were in on a part of the plot couldn¡¯t help but be worried. Some was even considering killing her before she could speak, but doing so in front of Ying Fenmian was still the same as courting death.

    They could only hope nothing incriminating would pop up.

    They were thankful after hearing what she had to say.

    So it seems that Ying Zhihao used her desire to pilot the skyship as a lure. After hearing that Han Zaiji had the method, Ying Zhihao convinced him toe and pilot his skyship since he owned it ording to the n Lord. He nned everything and they encountered no obstructions. She thought there was something wrong with Ying Zhihao¡¯s actions, but she nheless trusted him. After they hadnded, he immediately attacked and crippled her with the intention of ravaging her and ending her life.

    However, Han Zaiji used a trump card and killed Ying Zhihao. He threw both of them away, not caring about her life and death, looted their possessions and took off towards a certain direction.

    After exining what ¡¯her¡¯ side of the story was, she also told them she didn¡¯t know the n was robbed. The elders who knew didn¡¯t say anything, for obvious reasons. Ying Fenmian felt what she said had some truth, but it still meant the n had internal corruption. However, now that a majority of the wealth in the n was taken by some unknown, they couldn¡¯t really have an internal conflict because of this at the moment.

    After learning the direction Yan Zaizen went, they searched but found nothing. With the skyship hidden, the territory being far too vast, and him being able to shift directions after taking one, they were once again at an impasse.

    They made a depressing discovery.

    Their shit was gone, and it wasn¡¯ting back.

 Chapter 43 Consecutive Breakthroughs!

    Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t know what had just happened or the eternal hatred he had just formed with an entire n, but he also wouldn¡¯t care if he did. His priority, at the moment, was cultivating with his full undivided attention.

    With the mid-grade essence crystal, he focused refining it thoroughly. The pure essence entered from the pores into the myriad of meridians, surging through his pathways, and entering his dantian where it was converted into Qi. However, its purity was so great that when he converted it, it was already at the qi-essence form. The purer, stronger, and overall greater form of Qi.

    This discovery caused him to explode with jubtion. With this, it would essentially cut down his conversion time by several dozen times. This put the ¡¯twice the results for half the effort¡¯ saying to shame. Originally, he needed only 5% of his Qi to be converted into qi-essence before making a proper breakthrough to the Essence Formation Realm. By expelling his basic qi and converting the essence directly into qi-essence, he ascended to the Essence Formation after a single day!

    If he keeps going at this rate, he should be able to reach 40% in two weeks and 100% in six weeks! 5% was the initial stage, 40% for the mid, 80% forte and 100% for the peak!

    When he¡¯spleted his conversion, he would be able to unify his qi with his dantian, allowing him to naturally produce qi-essence and use it inbat. If one used their qi-essence in the Essence Formation Realm, the power of their attacks would definitely be great, but it¡¯ll cause their cultivation to drop as a result. This is why many were unwilling to do so, letting dozens of years go to waste unless it was a life or death situation.

    Qi Unification Cultivators didn¡¯t need to worry about that. All the qi they produced was qi-essence.

    Despite this, the Qi Realms were divided into six core and three foundational realms. The first two foundational realms were significant dividers in determining the strong and weak amongst the Qi Unification Realm. This excludes one¡¯s art mastery or conceptualwsprehended.

    The two foundational realms ¡ª Dantian Refinement & Pathway Expansion ¡ª which determined how durable and the amount of energy your dantian and pathways can contain. This would yrgely into one¡¯s endurance and qi output in their arts.

    Some arts required massive quantities of qi to execute, with a stronger dantian andrger pathway, one would have the reserves and be able to execute it quickly without worry about damage to one¡¯s foundation. However, the resources required to cultivate these two things were exceptionally expensive. At least, not a single person in the Yan n had been able to reach the peak stages in both before ascending to the Qi Unification Realm.

    Yan Zaizen intended doing just that.

    Weeks passed by.

    Initial-Essence Formation!

    Mid-Essence Formation!

    Late-Essence Formation!!

    Peak-Essence Formation!!!

    His breakthroughs were exceptionally easy with the stone at hand and only took time. Now, each foundation realm was divided into the four stages, initial, mid,te, and peak with their own identifying markers. When he ascended to the peak-Essence Formation, he didn¡¯t even use 5% of the mid-grade crystal essence. The worth of this one crystal could cover a century of Yan n¡¯s expenses and then some. Not to mention, he had more in his ring.

    "Let¡¯s do this!" He gritted his teeth. He could see it now, when he returned back to the n, when he saw Ya Qinqan or sees those mocking faces, they would be thoroughly surprised at his transformation. As for his parents, he couldn¡¯t wait to tell them about his adventures. When he recalled his parents grave, he couldn¡¯t help but be overwhelmed with emotions. It took him quite a while before he could refocus himself and continue with the refinements.

    He refined his dantian first.

    Initial-Dantian Refinement!

    Mid-Dantian Refinement!

    Late-Dantian Refinement!!

    Peak-Dantian Refinement!!!

    He could feel that his dantian was improving with each step and the energy he could contain was growing. When he reached the initial-stage, his dantian could already contain two times the amount of qi than before. The mid-stage was five times the amount of qi! Thete-stage rose to ten times! The peak-stage rose to thirteen times!! Inbat, the reason many cultivators lose against their equals was due to their differing endurance and qi pacing. Now, he reached the absolute peak in endurance!

    He could store thirteen times more qi than before. Of course, the amount of qi-essence he possessed was a fraction of that amount, but it won¡¯t be that way when he can unify his cultivation and start producing essence-qi naturally. The empty space would quickly fill up with powerful essence-qi.

    Next was Pathway Expansion. This also helped increase the resilience of the meridians, but focuses a majority of its attention on the Qi pathways. It was a general rule of thumb that when one reaches a certain level of dantian refinement, it was suggested to do the same for Pathway Expansion. That meant the peak!

    Initial-Pathway Expansion!

    His pathway expanded in size while being coated with a thickeryer of fleshy walls. His meridians were erged allowing more energy to be generated and expelled from it. This would also make it more durable when absorbing essence, which would directly rte to his future cultivation speed as well as recovery speed after a battle.

    Mid-Pathway Expansion!

    Late-Pathway Expansion!!

    Peak-Pathway Expansion!!!

    He could feel his entire body elevate to another level. When he looked at the mid-grade crystal, just over half of it was used. When he saw this, he realized why no one had ever reached the peak-foundation realms in the Yan n. The number of resources that would be required was far too great unless one had the incredibly rare essence crystals.

    If this mid-grade crystal was revealed to the world, he imagined the entire country would fight for it. It may even be beneficial for Origin Core Cultivators to breakthrough into the True Essence Realm, developing actual true-essence in their dantian.

    He couldn¡¯t help but sigh and look at the Meteor Ring. This thing has been his most fortunate finding in his entire life, and the resources within it haven¡¯t even been remotely used. He wondered where it all came from, and which type of god did it belong to. Would it bring him misfortune down the line?

    He took a deep breath and rid himself of those ill-thoughts and a wad of turbid air. Regrettably, he wouldn¡¯t be able to break-through the Qi Unification Realm at this moment. The four-month limit was over, and his cultivation session now done. It was time for him to go home, but first, to Xuanwu City!

    His future ns:

    Go to Xuanwu City, use the Spatial tform to Zhu Que City, and travel via skyship to the Meteorite City. After arriving, show in great grandeur and shock the world with the new him!

    His current appearance was no longer skinny, but he was now just slightly thin with a well-defined muscr frame. His eyes shone with a vibrant lifeforce that had a trace of lifew. Over the course of the four months, Yan Zaizen¡¯s conceptualw of life ascended to the Force-Level, containing a trace of the truew of life.

    It wasn¡¯t simply that. His conceptualw of death also ascended to the perfect Nascent level almost wlessly. It feeds off life force, and thus got stronger and stronger as time went on by siphoning from the Unyielding me of Life. The Nascent-level was about developing one¡¯s main concept, such as the concept emitted by the Inky ck Wood, and Yan Zaizen has reached the zenith in terms of that.

    After one¡¯s concept had fully formed, they retrace back to their ancestors, the truew they originate from. They contain a trace of truew, allowing them to grow stronger and bringing out more power of that individual concept. When one reaches the required amount ofprehension towards the trace of truew, they can touch the Manifestation-level.

    With this, they could manifest their conceptualw and affect certainws in the world. After the manifestation-level reaches perfection, they could produce a domain that only allows theirws to exist.

    There was a rule amongst the supreme cultivators of the world: While in another¡¯s domain, your life and death no longer belonged to you. Essentially, they are the absolute king of their domain. Thest level ofws represented the absolute control of yourw, the Sovereign-level.

    Yan Zaizen had only taken the first step into the world ofws, byprehending a trace of the lifew and integrating it into his conceptualw. Now, he¡¯ll require more and more enlightenment. He could tell that the distance his conceptualw of death had to the Force-level was massive. Despite this, he still intended toprehend these two conceptualws wholeheartedly.

    He felt like he had his path, and he wanted to follow it to the end. Taking a deep breath, he looked towards Xuanwu City. For some reason, he felt like the sky was filled with blood and screams of agony. However, this sky filled with blood and agony was exceptionally far away. He could see silhouettes of figures on their knees, begging for mercy, and a dazzling female figure filled with destion and regret.

    However, when he blinked, the sky was normal as if none of it ever urred. After witnessing that scene, even for a moment, he felt incredibly odd. As if destiny was calling him.

    "Did I...naw, it was just my imagination." He muttered to himself infort.

 Chapter 44 Returning to Xuanwu City

    In Xuanwu City.

    "Are you sure?" A middle-aged man asked, his expression filled with tiredness and solemnity. He looked towards the two girls beside him. One of them was an astounding beauty but looked a little pale, her aura shaky with a hint of instability and her body seemed frail. The other had sses and had an expression of extreme indifference. Her cultivation was non-existent, obviously having been wasted. Unlike the beauty, she wasn¡¯t given heavenly materials to restore her cultivation after being crippled.

    These two girls were Ying Yimian and Ying Sumian respectively.

    Ying Fenmian felt a headache whenever he looked at these two girls. Currently, the Ying n was in a disastrous state. The majority of its resources was taken, many members were corrupt, and they had be aughing stock of the entire Sky Titan City. Luckily, they didn¡¯t lose all their support.

    "Don¡¯t worry. He¡¯ll be here." An auburn-haired handsome youth walked forward and said casually as if he wasn¡¯t worried about being wrong. He was He Shijing. When he looked towards Ying Yimian, his eyes couldn¡¯t help but disy a bit of anger. Initially, he intended to marry this beautiful girl, but someone wasted her cultivation.

    This was not giving him, He Shijing, the He n Lord designate, any face. Unfortunately, that person was dead and couldn¡¯t be tortured, but the other one was still breathing. Even if he wasn¡¯t directly responsible, his rage was red all the same.

    "Han Zaiji will arrive." His words were filled with confidence. However, if he was wrong, who would care? No one could bring it up with him, they weren¡¯t worthy, especially not the current Ying n. He simply said it tofort Ying Yimian.

    Ying Sumian simply stayed silent. However, Ying Yimian got physically closer to He Shijing, grasping his hands into her own. One could tell that she epted him wholeheartedly from her stance. Not to mention, it seemed that she was distancing herself from her father.

    When Ying Yimian was found, she was already crippled. The Ying n nor her Father were willing to use thest bit of their resources for her recovery. This frustrated her. Although she did betray the n, they didn¡¯t have any proof! They used nonsensical reasons to deny her recovery, and of course, this originated from the many elders she cheated.

    Then He Shijing came along.

    With a snap of his fingers, he allocated his n¡¯s resources, and she was restored in a months time. She regained her former cultivation, and her body was recovered somewhat. However, the trade-off was marrying He Shijing. She epted, of course. Who could ept being a cripple? That¡¯s the same as asking someone who lost their legs if they were willing to marry a billionaire who can help them restore them.

    Who wouldn¡¯t?!

    What detriments do you have? In the cultivation world, status and strength were important, and He Shijing was a n Lord designate of a first-tier n. All of its resources were funneled into his cultivation, and he will definitely be one of the strongest in his n when he grows up, if not the strongest in his entire n.

    Originally, she felt her potential and n was sufficient and thus unwilling to settle for just him, but after the events that happened, she felt defeated and her thoughts changed. Not to mention, her anger for Ying Zhihao couldn¡¯t be released because he was already dead. However, Han Zaiji was not, and felt he was partly responsible for her defeat. Even if it didn¡¯t make a lick of sense.

    Seeing his daughter act this way towards He Shijing, Ying Fenmian couldn¡¯t help but shake his head. After rescuing her, he could feel that she was heavily involved in this matter, and if misfortune hadn¡¯t hit her, she would probably be outside enjoying the n¡¯s wealth in full while they scrambled for sand without pockets. He couldn¡¯t believe he raised someone like this.

    "If he said he wille to the Xuanwu City for the spatial tform, then he should be here today. He shouldn¡¯t be expecting us. We¡¯ll trap him, get what belongs to us back, and give him a despicable end." He Shijing said as if he was a god, determining the future with a single word.

    "You¡¯re right. Not to mention, if he ns toe with the skyship, it¡¯ll be noticed. We already have people on the lookout. A skyship can¡¯t be stored in spatial rings or bags, and therefore he¡¯ll either leave it closeby ore with it." Ying Fenmian deduced. They even had a special technique to sense the types of formations on a skyship, if it¡¯s nearby, it¡¯ll be honed on immediately.

    "With Nine Qi Unification Cultivators, 180 Essence Formation Cultivators, and a rank seven formation set up. He¡¯ll have no escape, regardless of his trump cards." He Shijing stated. From what Ying Yimian told them, Han Zaiji used a talisman that killed an initial-Qi Unification cultivator like Ying Zhihao. If that¡¯s the case, they just had to be wary of that and other unknown capabilities. They prepared to the teeth, mainly because the resources of the n was worth it.

    While they were scouting for Yan Zaizen, he was already nearby. He didn¡¯t need to use the skyship to fly into the city. He felt it was too conspicuous and may cause issues if others were looking for it. He was already starting to think with caution. After being pulled along, forced into a few situations, and schemed against multiple times, his vignce rose up, and he thought three times about everything.

    When he arrived, he found something strange. With his immensely powerful spiritual sense derived from his Aurora Soul, he could feel the presence of a massive amount of Qi Unification and Essence Formation cultivators in Xuanwu City. He found this odd. There could be justification for it if they were all going somewhere due to the spatial tform activating today, but a few were spread out constantly looking about as if watching. The others were crowded together in the city in wait, these cultivators obviously seemed to be waiting for the spatial tform to activate.

    His brows furrowed when he saw this. Could it be the Ying Family? How could they know he was going to...?

    Wait.

    He remembered when Ying Sumian requested him to help the Ying n, at that time he said he couldn¡¯t because he had to take the spatial tform in five months. "Shit...So they set up a trap for me?" After thinking up to here, his eyes shed with a vicious killing intent.

    No one will stop him from getting home, even if it was an army. His first thoughts weren¡¯t to take the skyship and ride home, no, he waited four months for this, if he took that route, it would still take too long for him. Not to mention, he had no love for the Ying n at this moment.

    Oh?

    He noticed a person was flying towards his direction rather casually. When he scanned the person with his power spiritual sense, it shuddered slightly and slowed down. Afterward, it sped up towards his direction.

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes lit up in surprise. That was Wu Yuanxu! The personage of the Anima Syndicate and Great Serpentine Emporium. He waited for his arrival. His current location was pretty isted. Wu Yuanxu must¡¯ve found his location due to the soul jade fluctuation. He didn¡¯t put that into his Meteor Ring for the express purpose of finding Wu Yuanxu. However, at that time, he didn¡¯t realize a trap was being set for him.

    When Wu Yuanxu arrived, his expression was quite solemn. There was a trace of hesitation and fear in his eyes. As he was flying over, an incredibly invasive spiritual sense that invaded his every existence swept out. This spiritual sense must either originate from a power soul art or an incredibly profound soul cultivation. Either way, it startled him.

    Following the soul jade fluctuation, he intended to find Yan Zaizen and warn him before he entered the city. After learning of the news with his status, how the Ying n and He n was hunting a Han Zaiji, he knew it was Yan Zaizen due to their earlier interaction. He couldn¡¯t just let his friend¡¯s disciple perish. So when he saw Yan Zaizen, his eyes lit up with relief.

    "It seems you¡¯re okay." He said, his voice vignt.

    Yan Zaizen couldn¡¯t help but smile at Wu Yuanxu¡¯s tone. This individual had the soul cultivation at the Advanced Nascent Soul, which was far inferior to his own, but he couldn¡¯t help but have a good impression towards this old man. He answered quite a few questions earlier and even gave him a huge benefit in selling his goods.

    "Of course, Senior-Uncle Yuan. Why wouldn¡¯t I be?" He asked. In truth, Yan Zaizen was a little infuriated. Sure, he stole a massive amount of the Ying n¡¯s wealth, but who told them to try to convince him to marry a conniving bitch? If she didn¡¯t try scheming her way out, he would¡¯ve just taken the skyship, what he was already owed. Perhaps, when he grew up, he¡¯d havee back and take Ying Yimian as his second or third wife out of guilt or give her some resources as an apology.

    However, this girl was too devilish. She used her looks and intelligence to convince and lure in numerous Ying n members to betray the n for profit or other reasons. Moreover, she intended to leave the n high and dry, and everyone who assisted her would be deste traitors. He didn¡¯t regret not killing her directly though, because even if he did, the Ying n would still be here because of Ying Sumian. She still deserved to live as a cripple for her betrayal towards the Ying n.

    Death was too easy for her. Yan Zaizen despised traitors the most.

    "The Ying n and He n set up a trap for you inside Xuanwu City." He stated, confirming Yan Zaizen¡¯s suspicions. He wasn¡¯t too concerned. Nothing was going to stop him from using the Spatial tform if he could.

    "Has the Earthly Titan Sect closed off the Spatial tform? Are they allowing people to enter?" He inquired. If the Earthly Titan Sect was backing those two ns, his situation would be dire. In which case, he may as well just leave and take the long route home. He can¡¯t use it if it wasn¡¯t being opened, so what¡¯s the point?

    "No. If you get to the spatial tform, I¡¯ll be able to activate it for you, and send you to Zhu Que City." He said, obviously he had massive power over the Spatial tform in the city. This delighted Yan Zaizen. If that was the case, then he can go.

    "However, they have set up a blockade, unless you bypass it, it¡¯ll be impossible for you to enter the city. There¡¯s even a rank seven formation, it¡¯ll be powered by many cultivators, no matter what, they¡¯re intent on capturing or killing you." His words had a dire tone to it as if this was an impossible mission.

    With the number of Qi Unification cultivators inside the city and Essence Formation Cultivators, not to mention the rank seven formation that could rival an Origin Core Realm expert.

    However, Yan Zaizen eyes shed with increasing murderous intent. "They set up all of that for me? Oh, how nice of a weing gift." His tone was filled with anger. He didn¡¯t have any pleasant feelings towards the Earthly Titan Sect or its subordinate ns.

    One must remember, he was born in the Yan n. The Yan n are enemies with the Earthly Titan Sect and Vanishing Fiend Sect due to their allies being the Soaring Cloud Sect and Water Veil Sect. So if a subordinate n wanted to go against him, so be it.

    He¡¯ll take not only their possessions; he¡¯ll also take their lives

    "Good. Go, I¡¯ll be there soon. Ready it for my arrival." He said, his tone almost imperious, his eyes sharp, and his aura dominant.

    Wu Yuanxu was surprised. He remembered a few months ago how Yan Zaizen was. He was a person who was rather childish and naive, but it seems like his eyes were opening to the world of cultivation. He may not have fully formed his own cultivation path, but he could see it. He nodded, "Be careful. If you can¡¯t, it¡¯s fine if you wait next year." With thatst piece of advice, he took off.

    Yan Zaizen looked towards the city gates that seemed so tall before, but now it seemed shorter and climbable. "They want to hinder me from going home? I¡¯ll teach them a lesson they¡¯ll never forget." He was unwilling to be pushed around any longer, and it was about time people realized the consequences of thinking that they could do so.

    He started to walk slowly towards the gate with full view, not hiding from the perceptions of others. Each step seemed to contain a trace of faint aurora-like light.

 Chapter 45 Pawn No More, Formulating Ones Dao!

    After reaching the Aurora Soul Realm, Yan Zaizen learned that his soul energy was no longer ethereal in essence, but was now corporeal and can interact with objects. With this, he could use his soul energy to do something simr to telekic control. Typically, one could move objects by using one¡¯s Qi, but it¡¯s not really strong and its rtive to one¡¯s cultivation base. However, by using this corporeal telekic force, he canunch soul attacks as well as control objects to an even finer and greater degree.

    He took a deep breath, and the wind around him surged wildly. The atmosphere changed as if emitting a formless dao. This dao was imperious and unyielding in its desire for self-control, self-choice, and decisive actions. This dao seemed to resonate with the world essence and changed its quality.

    He remembered Han Genji, how confident he was as he stared at individuals as if they were chickens ready to be reaped at his leisure, and how decisive he was. If you offend me, I¡¯ll grant you suffering that was worse than death! If you plot against me, I¡¯ll make it my life mission to end you!!

    He lost his lover and dedicated his life to eradicating all those who were responsible. If you ally with those responsible? He¡¯ll eliminate you too. As long as I breathe, you will not have a good night sleep.

    As he walked, his aura attracted attention from those nearby.

    "Who¡¯s that? He seems like trouble."

    "He¡¯s only at the peak-Essence Formation Realm, but he seems like he¡¯s ready to go against the world."

    "Those eyes...I¡¯m scared, mommy!"

    Many individuals who were waiting for entry into the city couldn¡¯t help but be surprised. Their voices filling the air as he walked passed them. One of the Essence Formation cultivators on the lookout for Yan Zaizen saw him approaching the gate, his eyes widened with surprise. He immediately pulled out a short-range transmission stone, sending out a message to all those who had simr stones, and it said: "He¡¯s at the western gate!"

    Almost immediately, surging auras of all types of strength appeared and shot viciously towards the gate. However, Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t even flinch at the surge. His eyes narrowed, and his qi-cultivation base rotated. He made a shout backed by its power, "If you do not want to die. Stand! Down!" His words were filled with killing intent and authority.

    However, when the auras approaching heard these words, none of them stopped. Instead, they rushed even quicker. Their eyes filled with anger and rage. Who was he to determine if they needed to stand down? Who was he to say they would die?! Fool!!!

    Yan Zaizen did not give another warning.

    An essence formation cultivator at thete-stage dashed forward with an earth-rank sword at hand, his eyes shing with avarice and anger. He was the one who sent the warning message, and if he could kill or severely injure Yan Zaizen, he would receive a merit that would help him push towards the Qi Unification Realm. He had to seize this chance.

    Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t even put this imbecile in his eyes. With a wave of his hand, a telekic pulse surged out shing with silver-blue light. Its speed was so quick that perhaps even an Origin Core Cultivator wouldn¡¯t be able to see it properly. When it hit him, his body exploded into a ssh of gore as if he was hit by a high-speed contact-grenade. Before he did, his soul me and form was wiped out thoroughly.

    It didn¡¯t stop there, six more Essence Formation cultivators of varying levels got into a formation to amplify their powers, the one in the leadunched an incredibly powerful manifestation of fire in the shape of a sword. As it approached it heated up the surroundings. This strike could even threaten Qi Unification Cultivators, but to Yan Zaizen?

    He waved his hand, sending out a telekic pulse like before, it collided with the sword of fire, causing it to explode out of existence, but the pulse of energy didn¡¯t simply stop there. As it was flying in mid-air, Yan Zaizen waved his hand once more, re-directing it towards the center of the formation. It smashed fiercely on the ground, releasing a burst of fragmented aurora lights that sent the cultivators flying away.

    When theynded, not one of them had their lives. Each of their bodies limp, their souls eradicated.

    He kept walking slowly towards the gates, his eyes calm, and aura surging outwards. Trying to bully him with numbers? Foolish.

    After that, the Essence Formation cultivators were surprised. Theymunicated with each other and decided to onlyunch long-range powerful strikes. Unfortunately, these attacks would even harm the surrounding innocents who hadn¡¯t escaped out of range yet. This caused Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes to sparkle with killing intent like never before.

    "Dare to hurt others when dealing with me? Do you even have the time?!" He shouted violently. His body exploded in torrential silver-blue light, and like thin strings of light, they shot towards each Essence Formation Cultivator¡¯s be so urately that it as if it was being done surgically.

    Before they could release their attacks, each and every one of them lost their lives. A small hole burrowed into their cranium, leaking out blood and brain matter.

    Finally, the Qi Unification Cultivators arrived. When they witnessed this scene, they were shocked. At least thirty Essence Formation that was on watch at the gate was dead before they could even arrive. They must¡¯ve taken no less than ten seconds!!

    Their expressions were solemn. They were contemting their n of action. None of them reached their cultivation by being rash and jumping into a situation they couldn¡¯t figure out.

    However, how would Yan Zaizen give them that time? His eyes glowed with an aurora light. Since they were in mid-air, why shouldn¡¯t he be? He lightly smashed his right foot on the ground, propelling himself upwards, and when he ascended to their height, his body suddenly stopped. Essence Formation Cultivators can temporarily levitate, but they can¡¯t maintain that height for long.

    Yan Zaizen wasn¡¯t using his qi cultivation base to achieve this flight, but his soul cultivation base to maintain his flight. His body glowed with a silver-blue light. He gave them one warning, they choose this. He had no mercy left.

    Dozens of tendrils of Aurora-based light surged outwards at speeds that were iprehensible for all but the most elite Qi Unification Realm Cultivators. There were only six Qi Unification Cultivators on the scene, and they were certainly not elites. Some weren¡¯t even at the mid-stage of the realm.

    Their eyes shone with fear and panic. They attempted to run, but the aurora-light tendrils were simply too fast. They were wrapped up, restrained and they felt a pressure on their souls. They felt they couldn¡¯t even properly circte their qi, and the qi they could move wasn¡¯t sufficient to break out of these tendrils formed from Aurora-based soul energy.

    Three Qi Unification Cultivators appeared at the eastern gate, carried with them were He Shijing, Ying Yimian, and Ying Sumian. Ying Fanmian was one of the Qi Unification, and the other two were the old men Yan Zaizen saw when he first met He Shijing. When they saw the scene, their eyes widened, and their mouths agape in shock.

    A peak-Essence Formation Cultivator with a body cultivation at the peak-Qi Revolving Realm was flying in the mid-air, tendrils extended from his body and restrained six Qi Unification Cultivators to the point they couldn¡¯t even speak.

    Yan Zaizen saw these six arrive, and his eyes turned vicious. He wanted to just go home, but they dared set up a blockade to prevent him from doing so. Not to mention, he didn¡¯t like any of them. This Ying Fenmian, Ying Sumian, and Ying Yimian wanted to use him as a pawn for their own schemes. As for He n, he simply didn¡¯t like He Shijing. He didn¡¯t really need a reason. He just hated how he looked at him - like he was insignificant.

    The mocking gaze contained that was oh-so-familiar to him. You dare look at me like that? Then, you don¡¯t treasure your life.

    Ying Fenmian was the first one to speak up, "Wait! We can talk this out!" He saw the situation develop and knew he wasn¡¯t Yan Zaizen¡¯s match; he had no intentions of getting closer. As for relying on the Earthly Titan Sect¡¯s Xuanwu City¡¯s representative to act, that was dreaming. Before they started this, it had been mentioned that not a single official member of Xuanwu City will interfere.

    At the time, this was obviously something he wanted because Yan Zaizen had their entire n¡¯s fortune. If the Xuanwu City dealt with him and took it, saying they couldn¡¯t find it, it would be their own loss. Now, he regretted making such apromise.

 Chapter 46 A New Powerhouse!

    Yan Zaizen wasn¡¯t an unreasonable individual with no sense of mercy. He looked at Ying Fenmian, "Fine. All of you, cripple your cultivation." His words were decisive. Not letting them off with an apology or leaving room for discussion. They wanted to capture and kill him! They wanted to use him as a pawn! They should already be happy for this act of mercy.

    However, when He Shijing heard that and his expression turned livid. He shouted viciously, "Activate the Formation!"

    "Wait!!" Ying Fenmian tried to stop He Shijing from acting, but the people controlling the formation were from the He n, not the Ying n.

    A brilliant light illuminated the skies. Yan Zaizen looked at this formation and found that there were 36 stones floating above, resonating and connecting, producing an exquisite formation. "A rank seven formation..."

    He thought for a second and then spoke, "Fine. Then, die." With a thought, the tendrils clenched, the soul mes and forms of the Qi Unification cultivators were immediately snuffed out of existence. Their bodies went limb, and their final gazes held untold hatred towards not only Yan Zaizen but He Shijing.

    "A formation requires all pieces, remove one piece, and it¡¯s impossible to activate at its full power. The most direct way of doing so is by overpowering the formation to eliminate an essential part of it." He thought from his earlier studies on formation in the Yan n. Typically, the foundation of this never changes. This is why he was capable of destroying the tracking formation by shattering its foundation with force.

    The same applies here, no matter how high ranked.

    "AHHHHHHHH!!!" He screamed, mustering up a massive amount of soul energy that produced hundreds of tendrils. They didn¡¯t stop at that, while the others gawked at these aurora-like tendrils of light, they fused together into one. As they did, each tendril becamerger andrger until it turned into one massive tendril. This tendril looked as if it had the Aurora Borealis inside of it, and it was breathtakingly beautiful.

    The onlookers were shocked, and deep within Xuanwu City, an elderly woman had a very solemn expression. She was the elder of the Earthly Titan Sect that was assigned to act as overseer and City Lord of Xuanwu City. Her cultivation base was extraordinarily profound, at the Origin Core Realm! When she saw the tendril, she felt imminent danger to herself. She felt that this tendril could bring her fatal harm. Inwardly, she was terrified.

    As an Origin Core expert, how could she not be knowledgeable about soul cultivators? After one reaches the Perfect Nascent Soul, which rivaled a weak origin core cultivator, they can ascend to the Aurora Soul. The Aurora Soul could rival a peak-Origin Core Realm practitioner, but what¡¯s different between the Nascent Soul and Aurora Soul, was that the Aurora Soul could be corporeal, possesses extraordinary telekic prowess, and can exhibit raw power simr to a weak-O C.

    If Yan Zaizen were to use Pneuma Disruption, the attack could, if used properly, eliminate all those under the True Essence Realm. As of right now, he had only made use of the corporeal ability of the Aurora Realm, and thus his strength was capable of sweeping all those under the Origin Core Realm.

    Her eyes revealed a trace of fear and panic. Someone at this level of power would be a powerhouse in the entire country of Presba! What made her scared wasn¡¯t because of the battle outside, but what made her panic, was that he used the name ¡¯Han Zaiji¡¯, which meant he was connected to Han Genji. If he learned that Han Genji was dealt with by both the Soaring Cloud Sect and Earthly Titan Sect jointly due to their greed, despite their differences, would he act against them in the future?

    Yes! Who wouldn¡¯t?

    However, what could she do but hope that day doesn¡¯te? "I could..." Her eyes glinted with a malicious thought.

    Back at the battle, the erged tendril shot towards the sky rending the sky with its power. It collided fiercely with one of the formation stones. Initially, the formation resisted the forceful strike. This gave all those below hope, but then the stone started to crack before their eyes due to the strain.

    Yan Zaizen released another thundering roar. A second tendril the same size as the one attacking formed suddenly and shot out. It reinforced the first in its assault. The moment this urred, the formation looked as it reached a critical point, and itpletely shattered the stone into nothing. Perhaps if the formation was formted by Qi Unification Cultivators and not Essence Formation Cultivators, the formation wouldn¡¯t have been so easy to destroy.

    After its destruction, the formation exploded and the people managing the formation all suffered rebound.

    Unfortunately, those in the Essence Formation Realm exploded from the rebound. Their lives ended. The blood surged into the skies, and some of them screamed harshly, unwilling to yield to death, but s, they died all the same.

    The sky was filled with bits of organs, blood, and screams of unwillingness. Nearly 50 Essence Formation Cultivators operated the formation, and they all died violently from the rebound. The formation copsed. Bits and pieces of itnding on the ground harmlessly.

    Yan Zaizen felt an exhaustion of the soul, but his qi and vital energies were still as vibrant as ever. He Shijing was surprised at what was happening, he was contemting leaving, but then he saw Yan Zaizen tired out of his mind taking deep breaths to adjust. He roaringly ordered one of his Qi Unification Henchmen, "Kill him while he¡¯s weak!"

    Hearing this, Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes were eerily calm. He looked at He Shijing from a distance, his gaze staring at all that he was and all that he is. Now, It was all that he will ever be.

    "Die."

    A surge of soul energy shot forward at speeds that even Origin Core Cultivators couldn¡¯t react to. It was Pneuma Disruption! Thest thing he saw was Yan Zaizen looking at him, judging him, and deeming him unfit to live. His soul me was snuffed out, and his body lost its support like a puppet cut of its strings.

    The two Qi Unification Cultivators were surprised. Witnessing this, they panicked, and one of them took off immediately. Clearly, he had no intention of dying today. As for the other, he looked towards Yan Zaizen solemnly. He cupped his hands and said a few words, "I apologize if I have offended you. Please spare me."

    "Hmph." Yan Zaizen only snorted in response, his eyes looking towards the Qi Unification Cultivator who was fleeing in the distance.

    Pneuma Disruption!

    His flying body fell from the sky andnded harshly on the ground with a soft thud. Seeing this, everyone in the crowd was shocked. This guy...he was a monster!!

    However, he didn¡¯t y the one who begged for his life. Seeing this, the old man bowed courteously, giving thanks before taking off. Everyone was waiting with bated breath for his death, but he sessively fled the scene. However, before he leftpletely, he had released a soft grunt that caused him to pause mid-air, and then he continued onwards.

    Yan Zaizen was not one to execute someone who begged for their life, especially if they didn¡¯t directly take action towards him. However, how could he just let him off like that? He used a weakened Pneuma Disruption to damage his soul as punishment for his actions. He turned towards those of the Ying n, his eyes looked towards them with hellish indifference.

 Chapter 47 Unexpected Even

    Ying Fenmian felt a chill run down his spine when he saw Yan Zaizen¡¯s gaze. How could he have ever predicted things would turn out this way? In truth, he did have the intentions of finding and killing Yan Zaizen for his actions of leaving his daughter to die and robbing the n. However, now he simply regretted it all. Several Qi Unification elders of the Ying n lost their lives as well as many elites at the Essence Formation. With the loss of the Ying n¡¯s wealth, their mission having failed to retrieve it, and the death of the He n Leader-designate ¡ª He Shijing ¡ª it was impossible for the Ying n to survive this or salvage the situation.

    Ying Sumian, however, was feelingplex. The Ying n crippled her, and she had no good feelings towards the He n. Originally, she wanted to marry He Shijing, but because of Ying Yimian¡¯s treachery, she was crippled instead. If it wasn¡¯t for that, she would probably turn around and strangle the life out of Ying Yimian¡¯s body with her own hands.

    Therefore, she wasplex over the course of events but was rtively calm. If Yan Zaizen killed her, it would be the same as living now.

    Ying Yimian, on the other hand, was terrified. She just watched the support she was reliant on killed with a single nce. Her legs were weak, and she realized that the reason Ying Zhihao was dead. He simply wasn¡¯t Yan Zaizen¡¯s match, not because of a talisman or whatever. She had thoughts of submitting to Yan Zaizen using her beauty, but when she looked at his indifferent gaze, she knew that¡¯ll be the same as courting death.

    Yan Zaizen was contemting what to do with these three. "Cripple her," he said, pointing towards Ying Yimian while looking at Ying Fenmian, "Then, cripple yourself." His words contained a formless aura of authority. It was as if a King had made a decree, do it or die!

    Ying Fenmian paled, but after some thought, he calmed himself down. With a decisive gaze, he grabbed Ying Yimian who was too scared to even run and mmed a palm at her newly repaired dantian. A surge of energy shattered it once more and then severed her pathways.

    In his haste, he had forgotten about her circumstance. Because her cultivation was crippled once before, Ying Yimian funneled too much energy into the blow. She spat out several mouthfuls of blood, shrieked harshly, and lost consciousness.

    He noticed his mistake and couldn¡¯t help but feel a little apologetic towards this daughter of his. However, upon realizing this entire event urred because of her unwillingness to marry He Shijing, and then she agreed anyway, he felt a little better.

    Taking a deep breath, he caused the qi-essence in his dantian to explode, sending waves of energy that shattered his dantian, severed his pathways and damaged his meridians. He spat out a mouthful of blood, his expression paled, and he could barely stand. Despite this, he didn¡¯t scream despite the monstrous level of pain he was feeling. He simply looked at Yan Zaizen with a gaze pleading for mercy.

    Yan Zaizen lightly nodded at this decisiveness. In truth, he intended to kill both of them, but after some thought, he felt it was too merciful for them.

    He felt exhausted. He took flight, traveling towards the spatial tform in the city. The spiritual exhaustion felt so horrible, and he simply wanted to rest his soul.

    Wait.

    He noticed something was happening around him. Wisps of virtually invisible smoke floated around him, and one by one they entered his be. "What?!" He found this to be quite strange. However, his spiritual exhaustion started to decrease considerably. Taking a more thorough look, he analyzed his soul form to notice that the wisps were traveling to the ck spot on his soul form.

    Before, he couldn¡¯t even see these wisps, but now he could see them like air in the cold. It was faint, but he could see it. When he took a closer look, his eyes widened in shock! They were the soul forms of those he killed, and they radiated an odd soul energy. When they entered the ck dot on his soul form¡¯s be, they disappeared and his soul exhaustion weakened.

    In thest battle, several cultivators had soul cultivation at the initial-Nascent Soul Realm, and just like Ying Zhihao, their soul forms exited their bodies and entered his be. But, unlike before, he could perceive them clearly and could clearly feel its effects. As they entered his soul, he could feel it strengthening as well as restoring his soul energy.

    "What is this?" Opening his eyes, he touched his be but didn¡¯t feel anything. He didn¡¯t know why this thing appeared on his soul or why it could devour the soul forms of others that he killed, but it could. Did this mean he could...? Was this how his soul enhanced so quickly? He couldn¡¯t help but think. However, he felt it was the logical conclusion.

    Taking a deep breath, he felt that even if he thought about it, the mystery wouldn¡¯t be solved. He can, however, absorb the soul forms of those he killed and recover his exhausted soul energy as a result. The refining of the souls was rtively quick, by the time he reached the spatial tform, all the soul form wisps were thoroughly devoured.

    He no longer felt spiritually exhausted. He just felt slightly tired.

    "You..." When he arrived, Wu Yuanxu was there with widened eyes. As someone who was apart of the Anima Syndicate, how could he not know the significance of all the previous events? An Aurora Soul! Even in the entire country of Presba, that was a soul cultivation that could determine the lives of countless and stand at the peak.

    Yan Zaizen smiled at his reaction. "I¡¯ll be troubling Senior Uncle." Naturally, he was referring to the Spatial tform. As he said this, he noticed something, looking upwards. There on a tall building stood an elderly woman with a profound cultivation base at the Origin Core Realm. She must be the representative for the Xuanwu City. Since she didn¡¯t interfere in the previous events, it meant she didn¡¯t want to get involved. He couldn¡¯t help but give her his silent thanks in a nod.

    He didn¡¯t know if he could handle an Origin Core powerhouse. That waspletely different than destroying a rank seven formation.

    "Mhm. I¡¯ll send you off. When you get back, don¡¯t forget this old man." He said, his face containing a smile that was good-intended but looked a little ugly. One could tell he felt overwhelmed yet equally excited. "Don¡¯t forget to go to the Anima Syndicate to officiate your membership." He said, but this time through soul transmission.

    When Yan Zaizen received it, he was startled. It was like someone was talking directly into his head. He had heard stories, but he didn¡¯t know how to do it. That would be profoundly useful in having private talks.

    Seeing Yan Zaizen surprise at the soul transmission, he reacted swiftly, throwing a soul jade towards him. Yan Zaizen caught it, sent his sense into it without any dy, and found it had the soul transmission art. It was only of the low-grade, divine-ss art but it had an incredible use. As long as your spiritual sense can reach an area, you could send a message to anyone and everyone within that area immediately.

    "Truly useful...Thanks."

    He jumped onto the tform, not wanting to wait any longer. Surprisingly, he was the only one on the tform. The others only looked at him in awe and fear. Only now did he realize that his actions earlier was witnessed by all the forces in Xuanwu City. It¡¯s likely that everyone here will report to their superiors about him, and tell them of his existence. Perhaps overnight, he¡¯ll be a legend of Xuanwu City.

    Smiling with excitement, he gave Wu Yuanxu the nod to proceed. With a slight surge of qi-essence, the entire tform erupted in silver light. He remembered this feeling; It was simr to when he was sent away by Han Genji at that time. A formation enveloped him, about to send him off towards Zhu Que City.

    He would finally be able to go home from there.

    As the tform was activated, a shadow appeared beside Wu Yuanxu. This shocked him, and he intended to retaliate, but a surge of qi-essence blew him through several buildings like a rocket being propelled into the sky. The shadow ced its palms on the control module for the formation and as it was being sent out, the shadow shattered it ruthlessly. A silver light exploded from the tform. Yan Zaizen, who was about to be sent off, vanished into thin air.

    With his spiritual sense, Yan Zaizen saw all that was happening. His eyes widened, but unfortunately, the spatial tform¡¯s formation restricted his movements in a miraculous fashion. He couldn¡¯t act. The shadow had dealt with Wu Yuanxu decisively and immediately shattered the formation.

    "NOOO!!!" He roared, his aurora-like soul energy solidified and attempted to breach the formation, but it felt like space restricted it from moving the moment it was formed. He thundered in frustration. Right before he vanished, he saw the one who took action.

    "YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" His heart was filled with infinite rage, and his developing Dao aura manifested giving rise to a tyrannical surging force, but it did little to stop his fate.

    When he disappeared, everyone then reacted and looked towards the shadow. All of their eyes widened, and some cried out two words: "City Lord?!"

    Indeed, the old woman at the Origin Core Realm had interfered with the transmission, shattering the spatial tform formation, and sending Yan Zaizen into chaotic space where his fate was all but determined. "No one can survive the chaotic space, and even if he could do so shortly, he can¡¯t escape."

    Everyone was shocked at her words.

    Why would she do such a thing?

    Someone screamed, "Wu Yuanxu is dead!!" When that was announced, everyone¡¯s expression was shocked. So decisive! Plot against someone; eliminate their allies. None of the crowd¡¯s looks disturbed her, and she even held a faint smile of relief on those wrinkling lips. Her worries from earlier would nevere to fruition, and thus she¡¯ll be able to sleep peacefully tonight.

    She vanished from everyone¡¯s sight.

 Chapter 48 Chaotic Space

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s rage in his heart was beyond the word intense. It was almost overpowering every other sensation in his body. He just wanted to go home! Why does this keep happening?! Yet, Wu Yuanxu had been dealt an extraordinary blow and he was schemed against once more.

    When he thought of Wu Yuanxu, his rage couldn¡¯t help but turn into sorrow, but then even more rage filled him. He knew Wu Yuanwu was dead. The strikepletely blew through his chest and leaving a gaping hole, one without a heart and some other organs. Others may not have seen what happened, but with his spiritual sense, how could he not?

    "Senior Uncle Yuan..." The old man was nice to him from the moment he met him, he inducted him into the Anima Syndicate, warned him about the Ying and He n, and even operated the spatial tform for him. However, he died!

    Why?!

    If she wanted to kill him, so be it. But why kill Wu Yuanxu?

    He did nothing.

    He didn¡¯t deserve it.

    With gritted teeth, he was shot into some unknown area ofplete darkness. There was no light, no stars, no earth, no air, no world essence, and no life. This was chaotic space!

    Currently, he could feel it trying to rip him to shreds, sending him throughout all space into tiny bits until his existence was thoroughly wiped out.

    Fortunately, his aurora-like soul energy covered his body and resisted the ripping force. However, it was being worn down quickly. It¡¯s only been thirty seconds, but it felt like several days. It didn¡¯t take long before his soul energy was exhausted, and he could no longer resist the ripping force.

    It tore at his body, but his Herculean Physique was not one to be underestimated. Even with it, bits of his flesh was being ripped off his body. His entire existence was being pulled apart as if being shredded from its molecr bond.

    "Ahhh!!!" He screamed in agony. The ripping force wasn¡¯t limited to just his physical body even his soul form felt it. "I...need...to...survive!" He told himself, he kept on doing so till he lost count. No matter what, he needed to survive. Survive, go home, and get revenge for Wu Yuanxu¡¯s death.

    Most importantly, he needed to go home.

    When he thought of why his desire to return home remained constant, he couldn¡¯t help but feel tears well in his eyes. As they did, the tears were ripped apart from all directions into nothingness.

    He was seventeen this year. Every month for the past twelve years, he would visit his parents¡¯ graves, clean them and tell them about his life, his troubles, his achievements, and his hopes. He had so much to tell now. Before, it was always filled with bad news, but now...he had so much to tell.

    So much.

    He wondered if the people of his n were taking care of their graves in his absence. If they kept his mother¡¯s favorite flowers watered and left with enough sunlight so they could be as pleasant as the smile he remembered. If his father¡¯s favorite wine was poured on his grave so he could tell his drunken jokes to his mother in the afterlife. The things they loved the most, did people give it to them so they can enjoy it? Would they wonder why he¡¯s gone? If he¡¯s dead...

    Would they be worried?

    The tears flowed from his eyes like a stream.

    He just wanted to tell his parents he was okay. That he was better than okay. That he wasn¡¯t talentless, he wasn¡¯t destined to be a failure, and that they can rest assured that he¡¯ll live a good life. Like they wanted him to.

    But what now...

    The ripping force had already ripped apart all of his belongings except the Meteor Ring, leaving himpletely naked. In foresight of the events, he ced everything he had inside the Meteor Ring of any importance. He could feel every inch of his skin being pulled away in an infinite number of directions. Originally, he tried to use essence liquid or crystals from his ring to recover his strength, but the moment it was taken out, it was ripped apart into nothingness.

    A mid-grade essence crystal was gone just like that.

    "I can¡¯t die...I can¡¯t...I can...I" Time slowly passed and it felt like several weeks at this point, but only several minutes had truly passed. It was hard to get one¡¯s bearings in chaotic space while being ripped apart from all directions.

    His skin was already gone, as well as his hair and bits of his muscr flesh. He was slowly being torn apart into nothing. His consciousness was teetering on copse. He was lucky that cultivators didn¡¯t need air to survive like mortals. Otherwise, he would¡¯ve suffocated long ago.

    A soft white glow appeared from his chest. It danced about softly, emitting faint traces of lifeforce energy, but it was severely tiny. Despite this, it kept dancing, and with every tick of movement, it sent a surge of lifeforce that stabilized Yan Zaizen¡¯s remaining life. It was burning his qi to restore his flesh, skin, and strengthening his body. However, the ripping rate was far greater than the restoration.

    It kept struggling, but the energy it could feed off became less and less. It started losing its stability, flickering as if about to go out. If one listened to the dancing me close, they could hear sounds of faint crackling. It was struggling, being unyielding, and never willing to fade! It would protect its life and the life of its owner.

    The conceptualw of the Unyielding me of Life! This little guy didn¡¯t quit. It couldn¡¯t.

    Time continued to pass by, but the Unyielding me of Life kept Yan Zaizen alive. However, at this point, he only had some muscle left. His skin was thoroughly gone, and a faint trace of death surged from his body.

    From this faint trace of death, an orb shot out of his chest and circled the flicking white me like a predator. It didn¡¯t do anything for a while, but when the unyielding white me was about to wince out of existence, it surged with a siphoning suction, absorbing the chaotic space and remnant me of life. The white me was sucked into the orb and seemed to have vanished.

    Just like how the white me can consume the energy of its user to produce lifeforce, the ck shadow orb can do the inverse - siphoning from external energies to produce death. If one looked closely, the orb of death kept siphoning the chaotic space, permeating an aura of death, but the unyielding me of life didn¡¯t vanish. Due to siphoning the chaotic space, the ripping force on Yan Zaizen was diminished considerably.

    Atop its inky ck surface, a tiny, almost minuscule, white me was silently dancing. As the orb continued to siphon the surrounding space to erge and enhanced itself, it reached a point where itpletely encapsted Yan Zaizen. However, as the concept derived from Yan Zaizen, it was incapable of affecting him. It then reached a zenith, and the white me exploded outwards. It grew violently, absorbing the aura of death in the surroundings, and taking its ce.

    The death energy may have been created by itself but its existence relied on Yan Zaizen, therefore making the death energy a part of Yan Zaizen. The white me could absorb it due to this, strengthening itself as a result. It was as if Yan Zaizen was the inky ck wood.

    The orb of death shrunk while the white me grew. The white me reced the ck shadow surrounding Yan Zaizen. A surge of lifeforce energy integrated itself into his body. It was truly simr to the concept prevalent in the inky ck wood. The aura of death would siphon the me¡¯s strength, reaching the zenith, and then the white me would absorb it in return. However, the white me couldn¡¯t thoroughly consume the aura of death either, creating a strange equilibrium that protected Yan Zaizen thoroughly.

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s physical body restored at a visible rate. His hair grew back, his skin returned, and his muscture which was thinned to almost nothingness restored itself. It hadn¡¯t taken long before he regained consciousness and saw himself surrounded by arge white me.

    He looked at his healing palms that seemed to be surrounded by mes, "me of Life?!"

 Chapter 49 Truth of Law & Dao

    What was happening was absolutely shocking. The white me has always protected Yan Zaizen lifeforce, especially when he was practicing the Immortal Herculean Method. At that time, he should¡¯ve died several times over, but the white me kept a tinge of his lifeforce alive and helped it grow. This is what enabled him to develop his Herculean Physique.

    "How did you...? How am I...?" He looked at his physical body that was just as perfect as new, and even the ripping force of space didn¡¯t affect him much. He looked towards an orb ofplete ckness.

    Siphoning Shadow of Death?!

    It was viciously siphoning the chaotic space in the vicinity, trying to resist the white mes dominance, but the white me only grew more powerful as a result. One could feel a deep sense ofpetitive unwillingnessing from it.

    "Do..ws have sentience?" This was his first thought after seeing these events. It was like his two concepts were alive, and in truth,ws were not dead. They truly had their own thoughts and intentions, but typically restricted to the concept itself. If they didn¡¯t, how could they grow? How could they return back to their beginning? They needed the ability to search, and with the support of cultivators, they have the potential to do so until they be one with their originators or evolve into something independent.

    They may not be considered truly alive, but they certainly were not dead.

    He gulped at this discovery. He felt like intent could develop something simr to this, especially when he felt his own dao formting. It was a sort of intent, but one that originated from himself. Perhaps his current developing dao was just a concept trying to be aw. His eyes were filled with the wonders of the world and how great it was.

    If his dao became aw, could othersprehend it? Could they develop conceptualws? This...

    There was definitely a difference between a dao and aw, one felt internal while the other felt external.

    He decided to put all of these thoughts into the back of his mind. Right now, he needed to figure out a way to escape while he had the chance. "How can I escape?!" He tried using his spiritual sense, but he found an odd discovery.

    His soul form was inactive!!

    It seemed to have been put into a hibernation state, and albeit he could think, and use a little of his spiritual sense, he couldn¡¯t use any of his soul energy. It was odd. The ck dot on its forehead was still normal, but he could tell it was likely undergoing some unknown transformation. He wasn¡¯t knowledgeable enough to know what was happening, so he decisively decided to try to find another way.

    Looking around, all he saw was ck darkness. He assumed space was silver, like the light from the formation, but instead, it waspletely ck with no sign of anything. "Perhaps...this is what chaotic space was? So much chaos that nothing can exist within it, only space itself." He came to this conclusion, but that didn¡¯t help him.

    Wait.

    Shit!

    He tried essing his Meteor Ring, but without soul energy, he couldn¡¯t take anything in or out of it. This left him feeling helpless. If he took out an essence crystal or two, he would have more time to think. He regretted not thinking of doing so earlier.

    Wait.

    Think.

    He looked towards the chaotic space. After which, he looked at the white me and ck orb that werepeting fiercely. His next idea exploded like a bout of madness. What if heprehended thews of space! If he could develop a conceptualw of space then perhaps he could use it to open space and exit. If he couldn¡¯t, then it¡¯s likely he¡¯ll never be able to escape under these circumstances.

    "Okay Zai, you have this. You¡¯veprehended two worldws already, what¡¯s a third?" He said, trying tofort himself. He knew that spacews were incredible and to gainprehension towards it would be as difficult as life or death. Luckily, he had the chaotic space around him to help.

    Comprehending thews and developing a concept requiredmunication and spiritual opening. When he conceptualized his two currentws, he felt his every existence enter the vast world ofws and grab the one most suited for himself at the time. Firstly, it was the white me. Secondly, it was a ck orb.

    Normally, a person wouldn¡¯t be able tomunicate with aw just because they wanted to. They needed a medium, a teacher, or something else to do so. They would also need a concept to actualize thew. Yan Zaizen, however, has both a medium and someone who taught him space. This thing has been trying to rip him apart for thest while. If that¡¯s not physical teaching, he didn¡¯t know what was.

    He just needed toprehend this ripping force, and perhaps he could rip open a hole through space.

    Ideally, it¡¯ll work out and all will be well.

    If he failed, death would be the only thing that awaited.

    Repeating the process of what he felt before, he started to verbalize his conceptual understandings in his mind. "Chaotic space has a ripping force that is omnipresent, omni-consistent and affects all things. It separates into infinite directions, and gathers in..." His eyes lit up. He shook his head, removing thest bit from his mind, concluding it was incorrect, "and it stretches towards the infinite spans of space."

    The chaotic space was unique, as it wasn¡¯t stable space. If oneprehends stable space, they couldprehend spatial transmission, portal creation, or even isting space. However, chaotic space has never been conceptualized by anyone, simply because chaotic space was not an area where life can exist. If it wasn¡¯t for Yan Zaizen¡¯s Herculean Physique, Unyielding me of Life, Siphoning Shadow of Death, and his own Dao formting, he would not be strong enough to live for even a second in this area.

    However, the Herculean Physique exceeds the heavens. How could space rip it easily? How could it be burned easily? How could it be defeated so easily by that which it exceeds?! Even though it¡¯s only at the Nascent Herculean Physique, it¡¯s still a Herculean Physique.

    "Chaotic Space focuses on the way of chaos, but what is it? Is it truly chaotic?" He couldn¡¯t help but think. He didn¡¯t feel like space was in chaos, but more so like it was simply being pulled apart in all directions.

    "Wait...what if chaotic space isn¡¯t chaotic. What if..." His mind blew up with thoughts, and he looked around and it hit him. The ripping force, the difficulty to formte a sense of time and theck of any type of existence. If one thinks about it simply, it is chaotic. To him, however, this isn¡¯t chaotic space, but a ne that acts as a glue for all things! The shadow behind the scenes, regting and keeping all things stable. It was like the myriad workings of the human body, all working together to keep itself alive.

    This was the reason why he was sent here after the formation was shattered. He was in a transition, and because of the error, he was sent into the background. It was like the myriad worlds was a tube, and everything outside was chaotic space. If the tube suddenly had a hole in as you were sliding by, when you get sent through it, you¡¯ll just enter the outside. The hole would then be immediately fixed.

    The ripping of space is just different spaces being stabilized. The peak of stability requires an infinite amount of moving gears, if this space was the gears, then it makes sense why he was being ripped apart from an infinite number of directions.

    His eyes nked. The area seemed to vanish, and before his eyes was a familiar scene. He felt incredibly close to the myriadws, but also so exceptionally far. However, there was one thing he felt the closest to. As he looked at it, he was surprised.

    It was a dark silver humanoid form, but an infinite number of bright silver lines traveled through it like veins. He felt the myriad of space in this humanoid form. Why was it humanoid? It had the gender of neither male nor female, but it had a head, arms, legs, and everything else except a face.

    A shadow that¡¯s an orb and now chaotic space that¡¯s humanoid shape? Was this his concept? Was it the form of his concept? He reached out to grab it, and when he came into contact with it, its face formed revealing a copy of himself. Its eyes opened and revealed a profound gaze of peak stability, like everything within itself was perfectly unified at that moment.

    "Spatial Form of Infinite Stability." He silently said to himself. This spatial form held within it the peak stability to space, it was the background that enabled teleportation, portal creation or spatial transmission. It contained the essence of all spatial stability.

    This...could it be an Imperial Law?

    He felt like it was so, but only one part of it.

    "Time?" His eyes lit up, but he shook his head. Now wasn¡¯t the time to think about other things. He needed to escape. He didn¡¯t know how far he traveled or where he was, or even if he could rip open space. He felt he could, but also that he shouldn¡¯t. It was as if the spatial form was telling him that ripping open space would cause issues.

    He trusted his instincts. Then he¡¯ll simply shift into the tube! Closing his eyes, he recalled the white me and orb of death into his body. After they had disappeared, he realized the chaotic space was no longer ripping him apart, not because of the siphoning power of death, but it was as if it epted him.

    He waved his hand softly and felt like he was touching a wall. He pushed into the wall. It was like he was a hot knife through butter. He slipped out just like that.

 Chapter 50 What Country is this?!

    An extremely fine slit appeared in empty space, it widened until it gradually formed the outline of a human figure. This human shape was male, a little skinny, but overall well-formed. With a popping sound, the outline turned into an actual person.

    Yan Zaizen went through space like he was a sharp knife through bread. It felt odd. There wasn¡¯t any difort, but it was more like...teleportation. Going from one ce to another as if you just took a slight step. When he appeared, hended softly on the cold floor. He gathered his bearings and felt like he understood what just happened. This ce and the ce in the chaotic space was one and the same. It was like he just walked through a door outside.

    Taking a deep breath, he decided to observe his surroundings. He saw impressively designed white tile floors, white walls that looked like it prevented all forms of sensory perception from entering, and a part of the floor was hollowed out and filled with steaming hot water.

    "A bath?" He couldn¡¯t help but conclude. However, the more he looked around, he realized it was the size of a public bath, but the pool of water was only sufficient for a few people. There were several towels of different lengths nearby, but each one was folded was gathered together on the same rack as if used by a single person. Besides that spot, not a single other spot had towels.

    "Where am I? Whatever, I¡¯ll first find a door." He looked around, as he moved he realized his qi was overdrawn by his shifting in space, his soul form was in a state of hibernation, and his vital energies were nearly drained dry. Despite this, his body brimmed with vibrant lifeforce, obviously originating from the Unyielding White me. Regrettably, he couldn¡¯t convert this vibrant lifeforce into something he could actually use.

    After searching around a little, he finally found the door. It was a light blue door, but it had no handle. He checked to see if it slides, but it did not. Using his weakened spiritual sense, he realized the door required qi to open. Not only that, it required a unique method simr to the skyship. It even prevented people from investigating the outside with spiritual sense.

    Shit!

    Where the hell was he?

    It was leaving an incrediblyrge cage after finding a way out, and then being locked in a considerably smaller one.

    Screw it.

    He clenched his fist and readied to smash directly into the door. Even if he didn¡¯t have his vital energy at its maximum, he still had his refined body that could rival a Qi Unification Cultivator. As he was about to deliver a pounding on the door, a light suddenly shone from the door, prompting him to take a step back in shock.

    "Someone¡¯sing in..." He couldn¡¯t help but mutter to himself. Hopefully, it¡¯s someone weak, then he could just brute force his way. However, he was absolutely stunned when it revealed who was on the other side.

    As the door swung open, a woman¡¯s figure revealed itself. She looked no younger than twenty, had sapphire hair, sapphire eyes, the fairest skin he ever saw, and a countenance that could put Su Fengyan or Ying Yimian to shame. She was like the precise definition of feminine beauty. It wasn¡¯t just that; she had no clothes on. Her beautifully lithe body was in full view of Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes.

    He feasted on it thoroughly and blinked so he could have another serving.

    "..." The woman was silent. Her expression wasn¡¯t filled with surprise, anger, or calm. It had a casual feel to it, like the one everyone typically has when they¡¯re going about doing things. As if she was thinking about other things, but not too deeply. It was exceptionally exquisite to Yan Zaizen.

    "..."

    "..."

    It took them awhile before the situation donned on both of them. The woman¡¯s expression turned from slight surprise, curiosity, realization,plete surprise, and then absolute horror all in that order. Yan Zaizen couldn¡¯t help but feel like he joined her in this rollercoaster of emotions.

    "I..." He tried to exin, but before he could the woman screamed at the top of her lungs.

    "ASSASSIN!!" Her words were like a shriek, a cry for help from the entire world dering his presence. His eyes widened. Assassin?! Where?! However, before he could say another word, several figures with exceptional auras entered the room and struck at him with a unified qi-essence filled strike.

    "Wa-" He wanted to say something but was immediately interrupted by surging sts of qi. He used crossed his arms to protect his head and block what he could. The fierce strike smashed him violently, sending him crashing into the wall several dozen meters away. He created a small crater with his body and could¡¯ve sworn he felt something shatter.

    Before he could speak, he was already surrounded, many chains manifested from qi-essence circted around his legs, arms, neck, and torso. His eyes caught glimpse of the woman who called out an assassin alert once more and realized she was fully clothed. The attackers were all women, but next to her was a white-haired middle-aged man with an exceptionally powerful aura.

    Origin Core!!

    He was brought up, ced on his knees, and positioned to face them. It was simr to him being a prisoner awaiting execution. The muscles of his body felt sore and in pain. Seems like without his vital energies, he couldn¡¯t execute the full strength of his refined body. Despite this fact, he was strong enough to withstand several strikes from multiple Qi Unification Cultivators.

    The middle-aged man walked forward with slow and steady steps, his eyes ncing at Yan Zaizen¡¯s necked form as if wishing to see through all his secrets. Seeing this gaze, Yan Zaizen felt stifled. He wanted to speak, but his throat was being held by two qi-essence formed ropes, and any attempt caused them to be tighter.

    He wished he had his soul cultivation. He could execute all of these people! It¡¯s been quite a while since he felt like his life was no longer his. It brought him back to his early days with Han Genji kidnapping him. It still felt horrible.

    "Who sent you?" The middle-aged man¡¯s rough voice sounded out, questioning Yan Zaizen from the get-go. After realizing that Yan Zaizen wanted to speak but was restricted, the ones who controlled his throat loosened up their grip.

    "Ahem..." He cleared his throat, contemting his next moves, but realizing the situation, he decided to just tell the truth. "No one. I was on a spatial tform, someone plotted against me and the next thing I know I was here." His voice was rough, filled with anger at this humiliation. His answer caught everyone, including the middle-aged man off guard. They expected silence in death or a deration of intent, but never did they imagine he would try to exin himself.

    The middle-aged man could tell this boy was exceptionally young and filled with vibrant lifeforce. It¡¯s likely he belonged to a powerful force, but he was plotted against. "Which force do you belong to?" He questioned more.

    "The Yan n." He thought about lying, but then realized there wasn¡¯t a real reason to do so unless he desired to put himself in danger. If they investigate his background or wordster, they would be able to verify if what he says is true or false, if false they could sentence him to death.

    "Yan n?" The middle-aged man was clueless. It made sense. The Yan n was just a middling second-tier force in Meteorite City, and it wasn¡¯t the main n there either. Inparison, the five great sects and three great ns were widely known, but there were countless second-tier and third-tier forces. As for first-tier forces, they existed and would be more widely known, like the He n.

    "Yes. The Yan n in Meteorite City. I¡¯m Yan Zaizen, the grandson of the n Lord." As he spoke with a little bit of pride, dering his identity, the others around him were clueless. This felt depressing. He decided to just stay silent. If they didn¡¯t believe in his situation, he¡¯d have to fight, but if they did, then perhaps there was a way out of this situation.

    "There is no Meteorite City in Grux. Where do youe from?" The middle-aged man seemed to have picked up some clues.

    "What? Grux? Wait...this isn¡¯t Presba?!" He heard of Grux before from Wu Yuanxu. It was one of the four great countries of the world, alongside Presba, Amber, and Fenri. Unlike Presba¡¯s forests and ins fillednds; Grux was filled with mountains, mines, and deste earth. It was known for their armament creations, and they had deep mineral reserves which they¡¯ve been mining for tens of thousands of years. It was even stipted that they hadn¡¯t even touched 10% of those resources.

    Hearing him mention Presba, everyone was shocked this time. The middle-aged man was solemn. If what Yan Zaizen said was true, then someone sent him to Grux, which was over a hundred thousand li away from Presba. Either they truly wanted to send him away to die, or he¡¯s lying. If it¡¯s the former, he didn¡¯t like being a tool for someone else to use to kill discreetly. If it¡¯s thetter, why even lie about it?

    He heaved a heavy sigh. There¡¯s no way he wouldn¡¯t have noticed someone infiltrating, which meant he truly did get teleported here. Right when he was about to spare Yan Zaizen and interrogate him in a morefortable environment, the sapphire haired young woman dered coldly.

    "Five hundred years in the Deep Mines. If he survives, then he¡¯ll be given his freedom. If not, then that¡¯s the crime for trespassing regardless of the circumstances." She looked at Yan Zaizen as if wanted to scoop out his eyes. With a snort, she left.

    The middle-aged man was about to say something, but after thinking about it a little longer, he knew there was no way this decision would be overturned. In truth, it¡¯s already fortunate that Yan Zaizen wasn¡¯t immediately sentenced to death after profaning this youngdy of Grux. This was the imperial pce, after all.

 Chapter 51 Prisoner

    Grux was a massive country with a vastnd that spanned hundreds of thousands of li in all directions. A majority of its surface were filled with rocks, mountains, and hills and thus didn¡¯t have Presba¡¯s lush greenery and a myriad of races. However, it wasn¡¯t all bad. Due to its geographical topography, itcked disaster beasts and therefore was rtively safe. Its rocky area makes it perfect for mining material for armaments and buildings.

    Of course, safety and a good resource that many could tap into due to its immensity had its own issues.

    Overpoption.

    This level of overpoption was extraordinary. For every child born in Presba, ten was born in Grux. Due to its overpoption, rtive safety, and abundant resource that literally anyone can mine to make it on their own, forces with power started massively dominating territories. Not only that, theyunched a system of indentured servitude. In truth, it was just massive very. Since you can¡¯t expect elite cultivators to spend hundreds upon hundreds of years wasting their time mining every minute, they simply got others to do so, willing or not.

    The imperial pce of Grux was the central hub to the strongest individuals with the highest amount of ves in the entire country. They also possessed the most amount of mineral deposits in the entire country, making their wealth extraordinary. Unlike normal countries that fight for resources like pills, essence materials, or heavenly materials, Grux fights for ves.

    People were resources.

    The more you had, the easier it was for you to earn. That was its policy. Because of this, the millions of inds and the other three countries were their highest buyers. If you had to say where a majority of the armaments materials came from in this world, it¡¯ll be in Grux.

    Yan Zaizen hated this ce.

    If you¡¯re weak or weren¡¯t born into a great family, you were treated like amodity. Then, those who were treated like amodity, the few who can excel and rise in strength, treated others asmodities in return. It was a normal way of life for this country. You either make it as a ve owner or stay a ve for your entire life in the mines.

    There were upsides to this, however. Because of the extraordinarilyrge ve market, many workers have to offer excellent conditions for their ves, otherwise it may instigate a revolt or lead to others taking them. If you treat your people good, they¡¯ll work till their bones were brittle and their backs were broken.

    When Yan Zaizen was young, his father once told him about this ce, and how industrialized it was. He informed him that out of all the countries, Grux had the best conditions for the lower ss. With the bad alwayses the good.

    He let out a sigh.

    The good was only for those who weren¡¯t given punishments for crimes they didn¡¯t intend tomit. Those who were branded as criminals were given the absolute worst level of conditions. Carried off like a piece of meat, he was ced in a well-structured cell, awaiting his assignment.

    "Five hundred years...screw that. If my soul energy can be reawakened, I could simply leave. Even if that middle-aged man wanted me to stay; I could still leave!" He hated how his soul form was currently undergoing some sort of transformation. However, you have to make do with what you have. He needed to build up his strength, unfortunately...

    "These cuffs are causing any qi I create to dissipate." He looked at the ck metallic cuffs on his wrists and although they weren¡¯t connected, they still restricted him from condensing qi. His soul energy wasn¡¯t affected nor was his vital energies, but his qi was. It wasn¡¯t simply that. He couldn¡¯t absorb essence energy from the world. His qi cultivation wouldn¡¯t be able to advance in that case.

    "I can still cultivate my vital energies. It¡¯s likely because they intend to use me to work the mines. If I can¡¯t use my vital energies, I can¡¯t mine effectively. However, body cultivation requires essence tempering or resources to do. This means people couldn¡¯t cultivate their body either. As for soul cultivation, they probably didn¡¯t even consider due to the sheer difficulty. This would be my benefit, but...I can¡¯t use my soul energy." He quietly murmured his analysis of the situation.

    If he recovers his vital energies, he¡¯ll be able to use his refined body to its maximum, but escaping with only a Qi-Unificationbat prowess would be impossible. Since he didn¡¯t know how long it would be before his soul cultivation returned, he had to n for the immediate.

    The Immortal Herculean Method!

    The Nascent Herculean Physique only required fierce will, not resources. With this, he can increase his strength continuously. If he reaches the perfection-level, he may be able to leave if an opportunity presented itself. This was the n. It was his only n.

    After several hours, he was taken away, ced on a ship filled with unsavory characters, and transported elsewhere. He looked around and realized there wasn¡¯t just grown men, but women and children here too. They must¡¯vemitted some crime. Some of these women looked like they were recently well taken care of, and so did the children.

    "These people belonged to an enemy force of another. They were forcefully taken after their defeat, and to survive, had to agree to work the Deep Mines." A gruff voice spoke. Yan Zaizen was surprised at the narration, looking towards the man who spoke. He had a set of torn robes, a dirty face, and a skinny appearance. He reminded him of a beggar on the streets. The only things noticeable were his eyes had a grey-blue color to it, making it a sight of beauty.

    "Name¡¯s Tao." He said, his voice still deep and filled with masculinity.

    "I didn¡¯t ask." Yan Zaizen stated inly.

    "But you were curious." The man said with a smile, his teeth abnormally white. It was a sharpparison to his dirty face and robes. He added, "You¡¯re not from around here, are you?"

    Remaining calm outwardly, but inwardly he was vignt. This man named Tao, without a family name, without a n name was simply too perceptive. He contemted for a second, "How did you know?"

    "Your eyes."

    "My eyes?" He asked.

    "They¡¯re not filled with hopelessness despite me mentioning the Deep Mines," Tao spoke with an ambiguous smile on his face.

 Chapter 52 The Dao

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s expression darkened. Was the deep mines something he should know? He couldn¡¯t help but ask, "What is the Deep Mines?" Tao chuckled lightly, pointed towards the rest of the people who were also isted in this small space. Following his fingers, he realized the thing he missed. Everyst one of them had either insanity or despair in their eyes. There was no other type of emotion, only he and Tao were different.

    Tao said lightly, "The Deep Mines are where the dregs of the world go to die."

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes suffused with a fierce killing intent, his dao aura started to radiate slightly, causing the atmosphere to change its quality. When this happened, Tao¡¯s eyes widened in surprise for the first time. "A Nascent Dao?!"

    The surrounding people felt this formless pressure emitting from Yan Zaizen¡¯s body, and backed up in fear. Yan Zaizen¡¯s dao wasn¡¯t truly formed yet and could be considered in its early stages, but it had indeed formed. It gave one a sensation of seeing a sovereign of ughter and authority.

    Tao spoke in a heavy voice filled with fear, "You have a Dao? Why are you even here?!"

    Yan Zaizen, however, was confused. His dao aura dissipated as he looked towards this Tao inquisitively. "What¡¯s a Dao?" In truth, he didn¡¯t know about this nor was he taught this. It makes sense, a dao was simply too rare for one to develop. Tao was surprised at his question. To not know of the dao but to haveprehended a dao. Should that even be possible?! Unless...

    He took a deep breath, looking at everyone and realizing they stayed at the edges, fearing the aura of Yan Zaizen¡¯s dao. Looking at Yan Zaizen, his eyes glimmered with a faint trace of hope. "The Dao is a form ofw. Aw that originates from yourself. You can even bestow others your Dao, and with it, possessors would be able to enhance their cultivation paths, regardless if its qi, soul, body, formations, armament creation, or anything for that matter."

    He looked at Yan Zaizen, seeing him soaking up this information, he felt his conclusion was correct. This boy truly developed his own dao. "To formte a Dao, you need to have encountered and been baptized by heaven¡¯s grace! However, most people take the dao of others into themselves for power. Simr to how we derive power from thews, we cultivate the dao in a simr fashion."

    When Yan Zaizen heard that, he felt clueless. He didn¡¯t take a dao from others, and he felt like everything he had belonged to him. Unbeknownst to him, the Heavenly Annihtion Light baptized him. In front it, all creation bows! In front of it, all things are eliminated! Unless, of course, you exceed the heavens.

    "Typically, heaven¡¯s grace means oveing the heavenly tribtion. If you can ovee it, you can formte your own dao." Tao further exined.

    Yan Zaizen could only shake his head. What tribtion? It just came into existence. Not all information was reliable, it seems.

    Seeing his skepticism, Tao added, "However, the knowledge of men are limited. I do not know all, so your situation could be different." He felt more reassured after saying this. In truth, he didn¡¯t know it all, so it wasn¡¯t untrue.

    Contemting for a bit, "How does one use this dao for cultivation?" This question was developed after hearing his exnation. If it can be used to enhance one¡¯s cultivation path, then won¡¯t that be incredible?

    Tao was at a loss as to how to respond. It was clearly apparent that he had only heard stories or depictions but never seen an actual dao before. They were simply too rare. Not many in the entire realm would know of a dao, and having the opportunity to be bestowed another¡¯s dao? That would be small. "From what I gather, you just use it when you¡¯re cultivating." He said, his words obviously uncertain.

    With a silent sigh, Yan Zaizen nodded. Regardless of this dao or whatever, he still needed to escape. "What is so special about the Deep Mines that it¡¯s so nightmarish?"He couldn¡¯t help but ask. The Deep Mines were the ce he was sent to by that sapphire haired woman, and his term was five hundred years. If it was so hellish, then why did he need to be sentenced here for five hundred years? She even said that if he survived, he¡¯ll be given his freedom.

    "The Deep Mines are a set of mines that go far into the earth. It¡¯s a ce of no escape and if you don¡¯t reach your quota, you¡¯ll be immediately executed. Only those with special circumstances are taken there." Tao stated, his voice abnormally calm.

    "If the Deep Mines require such circumstances, how did you get sent there?" He inquired.

    "I asked the wrong question, at the wrong time." Tao merely said, obviously not willing to borate. "You?"

    "I was schemed against, survived,nded in some noble woman¡¯s pce as a result, and then was sent here for trespassing." He spat out, his shoulders shrugging at the very memory. When he gets free, he¡¯ll be sure she regrets her actions. She should¡¯ve killed him, but he will not spare her.

    "A noblewoman? Unfortunate." Taomented over Yan Zaizen multiple bouts of misfortune. To be schemed against, survive,nd in some ce, and then be sent to the Deep Mines was a harsh series of events.

    They suddenly stopped moving, and the isted space had a part of it open up. They were located in some box-like construct, and when he saw the outside, he only saw holes and earth. They were urged outside by the guards, and when they exited the scene was absolutely stunning.

    Those holes he saw from inside were actually enormously wide. They each were hundreds of meters wide and as deep as the eye can see. "This..." He was genuinely shocked speechless. Inparison to the hailing skyscrapers of Sky Titan City, this was like the opposite. Holes that drilled into hell itself and beyond. There were howling winds that seemed like wraiths crying for souls.

    There was a giant formation that spanned miles situated above that seemed to regte the holes, keeping track and surveince over them. Every so often, shipments of minerals would soar out of the cage by some beams of energy, and enter the formation, also disappearing. It seems the formation was multiyered and multi-purpose. To survey, to collect, and likely to defend.

    "How deep do they go?" Yan Zaizen couldn¡¯t help ask.

    Tao directly answered with, "Some say, as deep as the world itself."

 Chapter 53 The Deep Mines

    The Deep Mines truly was deep. When they were brought beside one, he looked down and could feel a sensation of endlessness and despair. The sheer darkness of it was extraordinary. If one had keen senses, they could hear painful moans, repetitive groans, and death throes from time to time. He could feel that the number of lives in this one deep hole likely exceeded the millions. He couldn¡¯t even imagine the others.

    They were ushered into a small box where they had to cluster together, and Tao stood next to him. His expression had a slight smile. This calmness was a stark contrast to the tears of the children, women, and even the men who were with them. As for him, he didn¡¯t believe he could be held by something like this. He looked up to that massive formation that spanned miles, and couldn¡¯t help but grow curious.

    Being as perceptive as always, Tao exined, "The formation is categorized as being a rank nine. However, its strength is closer to the rank eight. The reason for its rank nine is because of its sheer scope and uses. It¡¯s called the Deep Mine God Formation. It was dubbed that by the residents of the Deep Mines, as it stays there like a god looking down at them from up high. There¡¯s even a cult group that believes in the spirit of the Deep Mine God Formation. Lunatics."

    Tao¡¯s knowledge was rather useful to him and answered many of his questions. If it wasn¡¯t for him, he would be wildly ignorant about many things, including the dao.

    They kept descending in the small box. An initial-Qi Unification Cultivator was escorting them downwards. As they got further and further, it got darker and darker. It was like someone was slowly extinguishing the lights, and despite the sun still being as high as it could be, it seemed to slowly vanish as they descended deeper.

    1 li.

    10 li.

    100 li.

    They stopped at about 320 li down. This was terrifyingly deep inside the earth. It took an entire seven days of descension to do so. That was the length of the distance of the basilisk forest. Luckily, the box they were in was like a flight armament and soared down quickly. One thing he felt from these mines was that it truly felt endless.

    As they kept descending and the light disappeared, the box lit up in violent brilliance. He could see small lighting crystals embedded into the walls that seemed to be connected to a formation. There was a 100 around every meter of depth. Despite this, the light wasn¡¯t very intense. It did reveal tunnels and in these tunnels were haggard people going in and out with various tools. Every so often, there were groups of individuals who were carrying dead bodies, and instead of sending them up, they would just throw them deeper into the mine.

    It was a depressing sight. Their bodies would fall and there would be no sound, as if endless. "What is at the bottom?" He couldn¡¯t help but ask softly. However, his words captured the attention of the Qi Unification Cultivator, and the man couldn¡¯t help but sneer with a trace of disdain and contempt. "If you¡¯re so curious, jump and see."

    Even though the man said it as a way to mock Yan Zaizen, he genuinely felt tempted. He felt like there was something living down there. His understanding of the lifew reached the force-level, and he could sense lifeforce signatures. When he looked downward, he felt a faint one that seemed exceptionally vague. However, as he descended downwards, the signature grew clearer. He didn¡¯t know how far he was from that odd lifeforce, but it urged the natural curiosity in his bones.

    He made himself a promise, if he gets stronger, he¡¯lle down here and see what truly lies in these holes.

    They were sent off onto a tform, next to them were three tunnels of the same size, and three boxes attached to it. The Qi Unification Cultivator started exining the rules.

    For one, everyone has to deliver a certain number of materials into the box. They have to put it into their own spatial boxes, and then put it in the box for it to be shipped and counted. If they fail to do so, a member wille and end their life. If they fail to put in the right number of quota each day, a member wille and end their life. If they fight against the overseers, a member wille and end their lives. Essentially, follow the rules, or someone wille and reap away your life.

    After that, he ascended in the box they left. In each of their hands was a small box, and on it was numbers. If they each looked at their cuffs, the numbers matched the boxes. "So this is how it is, doesn¡¯t seem too bad." He remarked. It seems pretty straightforward, do the job, stay alive.

    However, Tao couldn¡¯t help but shake his head at such naive thoughts. He exined, "In the cave, you¡¯re given the bare minimum of food. No essence material will be given and the essence in the air cannot be condensed because of these cuffs. Body cultivation requires resources we do not have. As you continue, you¡¯ll get weaker and weaker. Not to mention, every day, your quota increases by a tiny bit. In the end, everyone sooner orter ends up..." As his words trailed off, he looked at the cliff that was seemingly bottomless.

    The implication of his words caused everyone to shiver.

    "However, they wouldn¡¯t let you work without some assurance. As long as youst the number of years assigned, you can get your freedom. Otherwise, who would work?" He lightly chuckled, but no one felt the desire tough.

    "All I have to do is work for ten years, ain¡¯t much. You can even reduce the time if you put more ore into your box by a few days." He said, shrugging, but the others couldn¡¯t help but be shocked at the number of years. Most of them only had a few years of work, and even then they may not make it, let alone ten years.

    "Ten years...?" Was it always so short? Yan Zaizen was surprised, if so, why was he given five hundred years? He looked at the box that was given to them and indeed, he had five hundred years.

    "How long were you given, kid?" Tao was curious, peeking at the number represented on his box. His eyes widened in surprise and shock. "Fi-Five Hundred?!" When his words escaped his lips, everyone¡¯s expression turned terrifying. That was essentially a death sentence!

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s expression fell. "I see." His teeth gritted, and his dao aura manifested causing the air to feel stifling. "You truly wish to kill me. I¡¯ll make sure you regret it." The amount of killing intent caused the despair they were feeling about the Deep Mines to dissipate, many stepped away in overwhelming fear. Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes were far too dangerous at this moment.

    Tao couldn¡¯t help but shake his head. He felt that anyone who could formte their own dao was not to be messed with, and if one had no choice, they should be immediately killed. Whoever made this choice was likely going to be washing their neck for him to im it should he survive.

 Chapter 54 Overcoming Your Own Struggles

    The days in the Deep Mines were abnormally long. The design of it was for you to work continuously with only your sheer desire to survive supporting you. Once you give up, only death woulde, by your hands or theirs. Whenever Yan Zaizen looked off the side into the deep pit, he could feel a bit of desperation from within the pit of his stomach. There were even times where workers of the mine, those condemned to this hell, would jump off into the depths to end their misery.

    Witnessing these acts, his heart suffused with a dark coldness.

    "Was it truly so horrendous? Was it truly worth it?" To give up one¡¯s life to end your suffering. Why not fight? This type of naive thought that formted was would soon be wiped from his mind.

    Deep Mines, Day One:

    The overseer arrived. This was an evil-looking man with malicious eyes filled with disdain andughter. When he arrived, he informed every new arrival of their jobs and what would happen if one fails to fulfill their quota in the Deep Mines.

    The situation of the Deep Mines was truly hellish. The living circumstances were barely anything. You can sleep where you want, you¡¯ll be provided with two meals a day which you can ration as you wish, even kill if you want, but all with a daily quota one must achieve. The quota will increase with each day by a certain amount. If one failed to reach it, the overseer would personallye and im their lives. That was their duties.

    They were all given a pickaxe, a spatial box to put the ore they mined, and a chance. The chance to be absolved of their crimes and be free men. When the overseer informed each of the new arrivals about their chance of freedom, and all they have to do is work their time off. He even exined that if you put in more ore into the spatial box upon delivery, more time will be taken off.

    The children, the women, and even the men were filled with excitement. However, when Yan Zaizen saw Tao and the other workers who¡¯ve been here for several weeks or months, they merely shook their head in silence. This confused Yan Zaizen a little. From the stipted circumstances, it seems to be remarkably easy.

    Deep Mines, Day Three:

    He could see hope deep within the newly arrived crew¡¯s eyes whenever they worked. They raised their pickaxes with vigor, trying to get over their quota, and ate with gusto. They all wished to survive, to see the sun once more, and taste freedom.

    "It¡¯s only day three. Don¡¯t get too caught up." Tao cautioned from the side, his eyes filled with a calm. He still held a slight smile, but that smile was filled with a unique emotion that Yan Zaizen couldn¡¯t discern. However, since Tao informed him to focus, he¡¯ll do so. He had five hundred years after all.

    Deep Mines, Day Seven:

    He could see the effect on the others when theycked world essence in their bodies. Even if they can¡¯t utilize their qi, the essence in their bodies was starting to dry out. With essence energy, one could survive chaotic space, not eating for years, but now the food was starting to be incredibly crucial to survival. They were gradually turning into ordinary mortals.

    As for him, he had a massive amount of lifeforce energy to feed off of. Even if he went without food for several months, it would be fine. Tao was simr, but for a different reason. It seemed the essence within his body was abnormally abundant, and thus still maintained its existence. He couldn¡¯t figure out his cultivation level due to his weakened spiritual sense, but he imagined it was profound.

    Deep Mines, Day Thirty:

    The first incident urred. With theck of essence, people started requiring food more. Especially the adults. A man stole a young boy¡¯s food for himself. This man was part of the crew that came with him, and so was the boy. At that time, Yan Zaizen was about to teach that man a lesson but was stopped by Tao. He was puzzled.

    "In this world, if you can¡¯t survive yourself, you¡¯ll die sooner orter. Trust me." His eyes were solemn, and he looked towards the boy then looked away. He continued extracting the ore with his scrawny body. Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t like this. However, he didn¡¯t take action against the man. Instead, he arrived next to the crying boy and gave him his food.

    In the background, Tao merely shook his head.

    Deep Mines, Day Forty:

    The incident of taking the boy¡¯s food kept urring, and each time Yan Zaizen would give the boy his food. He was so close to killing the man himself, but he restrained himself under Tao¡¯s cautioning. It wasn¡¯t long before the boy went to Yan Zaizen to help him reach his quota. Surprised, Yan Zaizen thought about it. However, right when he was about to agree, Tao came up and sped his shoulder.

    His brows furrowed at this. "What do you mean by this?" His eyes contained a little fury when he saw Tao¡¯s action. However, Tao didn¡¯t stop gripping his shoulder and only gripped it tighter. His words resounded in Yan Zaizen¡¯s ears.

    "If you help now, it won¡¯t stop." Those were the only words he said, and then he looked towards the others who were also looking at Yan Zaizen. The women, the kids, and even a few of the exhausted men with little hope in their eyes.

    He couldn¡¯t help but gulp at this realization.

    Indeed. If you help one child, why won¡¯t you help the second, and if a helpless woman were to appear in front of you, could you say no? Would you be able to help them all, and if you don¡¯t, would they take revenge out of you or the ones you¡¯re helping? Would they feel resentment? Not to mention, he realized he¡¯ll likely have to do more work and thereby expending more energy as time passed. Right now, he was fine thanks to the Unyielding me of Life¡¯s lifeforce energy from before, but that wouldn¡¯tst for five hundred years. Hell, it wouldn¡¯t evenst six months.

    He remembered how long this boy had in here: Three years or 1,095 days.

    He closed his eyes. Taking a deep breath, he opened them with a resolve in his gaze. "You must be able to do this yourself." He remembered when he first started cultivation, and how his father looked at him with those tough eyes. When he first hurt himself and wanted to stop due to the pain, his father reminded him that path of cultivation is hard, and if you can¡¯t ovee the small struggles, when the life-and-death struggles happen your life will no longer be yours to decide.

    How will you react then?

    Those three years, when nearing its end, the amount of ore he¡¯d have to put in his spatial box would be astronomical. Would he be able to help him for three years as well as himself? In this world, whether it¡¯s as a ve, a cultivator or a mortal, one must walk forward in this dark world of cultivation and ovee their own struggles.

    The young boy¡¯s expression revealed his despondency. When he looked at Yan Zaizen, he revealed his disappointment. As if saying that he thought he could rely on him for everything.

 Chapter 55 Any Means Necessary

    Deep Mines, Day Sixty-Two:

    The first person to miss the quota urred after two months. Surprisingly, it was not a young child but a woman that looked like she was in herte twenties. She couldn¡¯t be considered a beauty, but neither could she be called ugly. When she originally showed up with Yan Zaizen and the rest, her eyes were filled with hope and determination, but now it was filled with destion and exhaustion.

    When she realized that she wouldn¡¯t make it, she pressed other people for assistance, but at this time all the miners had stopped trying to deliver more than their fair share due to the quota increase. They hit their limit and rested for the day to restore their energy for the next.

    As Yan Zaizen saw this, he couldn¡¯t help but feel his heart go soft, but then he remembered the young boy and how if she couldn¡¯t reach her quota this time, it¡¯s very unlikely for her to do so in the future. Tao was looking at the scene calmly, and when she arrived to ask him for ore, he declined her tly.

    Yan Zaizen could see that he didn¡¯t do so without mercy. Tao wasn¡¯t someone who waspletely emotionless, but more so that he understood the reality of their situation better than others.

    The time to deliver their ore was arriving, and the woman was panicking. She even tried to steal another¡¯s spatial box, only to be brutally pped away. With her body dried up of essence energy, she was no longer a cultivator, but a mortal. Her vital energies were at its all-time low, and even if she knew any martial arts, they were absolutely worthless at the moment.

    She just stood there crying her eyes out, as if cursing at the cruelty of the world. It truly pulled at Yan Zaizen¡¯s heartstrings, but Tao kept him from acting impulsively. Reminding him that one day of support will do nothing for her situation unless you¡¯re willing to help her through her entire sentence at the expense of your own safety.

    While Yan Zaizen felt a little terrible at leaving the woman to her own fate, an old miner walked towards her with a slight smile. He reached out his hand. Her gaze directed itself towards this man¡¯s soft smile, and it seemed as if it was her saving grace at life. The man spoke soft words that only those nearby could truly hear, but with Yan Zaizen¡¯s and Tao¡¯s previous cultivation, how could they not hear it?

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s face darkened, but Tao¡¯s expression remained the same.

    Thedy looked awkward for a moment but then nodded decisively. She grabbed his hand, and he took her towards one of the auxiliary tunnels in their main tunnel. The onlookers were confused, but soon their confusion dissipated with heartbreaking realization.

    Soft moans and harsh grunts were released from that particr tunnel. Many of the young women¡¯s eyes dimmed at this, while the men¡¯s eyes lit up in startling realization. They eyed the other women of the mine, looking at them withscivious gazes.

    "In the mine, one must use any means necessary to survive, to struggle for one more day," Tao said, his words filled with unspeakable meanings. As he did, a harsh shriek sounded behind them and passed them like a meteor. It was originally soft, but then it got louder, and after it reached its zenith, it started bing softer once more.

    Tao looked behind him, seeing a figure descending downwards without any support, his face filled with unwillingness and fear. Yan Zaizen looked down at the pit and saw as the figure continued to descend into the darkness until his shrieks faded from audible range.

    "By any means," Tao repeated, going back to mine once more.

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes dimmed. This person was obviously notmitting suicide but was pushed. He recalled how the woman attempted to steal another¡¯s spatial box, and a chill went down his spine. He calmed himself down and made a vow to never give up his will to struggle and always to remain vignt.

    He started contemting his options. He couldn¡¯t use his soul cultivation due to its current state of change, his qi cultivation would be impossible with these cuffs on, which only leaves his body cultivation. Initially, he didn¡¯t practice the Immortal Herculean Method due to believing that his soul cultivation would return quickly, and then he could take his leave. However, it seems that thought was unrealistic. If he stagnated in this ce waiting for some semnce of hope in his soul cultivation, it would be unlikely for him to be able to make it, as well as unwise in the long run.

    In this world, one must struggle for every ounce of light they can obtain in their grasp. He looked towards Tao. This man may seem a little cold, but he could tell that it was definitely due to his experience. He knew how the Deep Mines were and what was required to survive. After all, he needed to survive ten years. Most of these people only needed to survive a few.

    Deep Mines, Ny-Nine:

    Luckily for him, the Immortal Herculean Physique didn¡¯t require resources until one reached the second level of the physique, the Grand Herculean Physique. At that level, one would require an extraordinary amount of resources for progression, and even some very specific things. The first level only required him to reach his physical body¡¯s maximum potential by removings it limiters and modifying the body¡¯s internal structure into a Herculean Physique.

    The saying that this physique can exceed the heavens didn¡¯t feel like an exaggeration to Yan Zaizen any longer. While he was in chaotic space being ripped apart, his Nascent Herculean Physiquested longer in that environment than his soul energy. It was also only at the initial stage of sess.

    "I¡¯m nearing the minor sess." He remarked, clenching his fist and feeling his body¡¯s new strength. He realized that changing his physique increased his base attributes, increased the levels of his vital energies and its recovery speed, as well as changed how he looked. Initially, his body was scrawny nearing unhealthy, after he reached the initial sess, he gained some muscle and fat. This muscle and fat couldn¡¯t be dissipated as if in a perpetual state of existence by a strange form ofw.

    As for the situation in the mine, he could tell that the many women of the group were ignited by the others actions. Every now and then, they would use what they could offer to get more ore, and even extra ones from the men. There was even apetition as to who could obtain the most. The men and even some of the few boys who¡¯ve just reached of age had indulged in thispetition wholeheartedly.

    Tao would sometimes even joke about Yan Zaizen taking part, but he refused each and every time. As for Tao, he simplyughed and didn¡¯t respond. This made Tao even more mysterious.

    Deep Mines, Day One Hundred-Twelve:

    The first incident of what seemed like an idental death urred today. Two of the women were arguing over something about theirpetition andcking ore for the quota, one of them got too heated and sent a strike at another. Then, one thing led to another, and one of them was pushed off the cliff into the deep pit. When this happened, everyone was silent except for the person who screamed hellishly in indignation and fear as they fell. Yan Zaizen and Tao were too far to help, and could only watch.

    "That wasn¡¯t idental," Tao said mysteriously. He looked at a spatial box in the corner and then continued eating his food.

    Yan Zaizen was surprised, looking at the one who pushed the other off the cliff. Her eyes contained a well-concealed happiness as she headed towards a spatial box that obviously wasn¡¯t hers.

    "By any means." He whispered, returning back to his food.

 Chapter 56 Cruel

    Deep Mines, Day One-Hundred Fifty Three:

    "Finally!" Yan Zaizen excitedly eximed. He took a deep breath and released a powerful gust of internal breath. It took him three months to achieve a breakthrough from the initial sess to the minor sess. This jump may seem to be divided by a single word, but the change was immediately noticeable.

    He grew a few centimeters taller, his body grew more muscr and defined, his eyes radiated with vibrant energy, and he was informed by Tao that his features were bing more masculinely handsome. At first, Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t believe him, but after he got some of the women and men to partake in the critique, it seemed that he was growing better-looking.

    Yan Zaizen had always had average looks, but to think there would be such a change. If before he could be considered a five in a scale of ten, now he was about seven. This delighted him and even made him wish to cultivate more.

    The others were suspicious of his development, but after some thought, they dismissed their ideas. If Yan Zaizen wished to use his remaining energies to better his looks, what should they say to such a fool? If Yan Zaizen knew what they were thinking, he would probably rub his nose in embarrassment.

    Regardless, he had to continue on this road of development. He could tell his soul wasn¡¯t even close to reawakening. At the moment, this was his only path avable.

    Deep Mines, Day One-Hundred Eighty-Six:

    "I can¡¯t do this anymore!" A young boy, not even eight years old, jumped off and into the deep pit.

    Yan Zaizen, Tao, and the rest couldn¡¯t even spare their energy to intervene. This boy had sought tomit suicide several times in the past week, but each time Yan Zaizen stopped him and tried to instill him with hope, but he seemed to have given up. As he jumped off, and secondster realized that no one was going to save him, he screamed a scream a boy should never have to scream. A deep regret permeated the air.

    Everyone couldn¡¯t help but feel their hearts grow colder. The boy wasn¡¯t the first to do so. He was just the first that was so young. A few of the old miners threw themselves over, epting the warm embrace of death in this cold hole.

    "The world is cruel," Tao said.

    "If you don¡¯t have the desire to struggle, then you¡¯ve already been defeated," Yan Zaizen added. The earlier look of hope towards humanity was dwindling. His eyes were opened a lot towards the result of deprivation andcking one¡¯s will to survive.

    A young woman who originally used other means to make her quota couldn¡¯t reach it. However, she didn¡¯t kill herself or try to kill others. This woman believed herself cunning, and she had an idea for possible freedom in her eyes. When the overseer arrived due to her quota being unfulfilled, she immediately took action.

    "I apologize, I hope you can show mercy." Her voice was filled with the most amount of charm she could muster. The overseer couldn¡¯t help but smile, his eyes filled with lust and contempt. When the others witnessed this, especially the other women, their eyes widened with surprise but also hope. If they could bewitch the overseer then, they would be able to ride through their sentence with ease.

    The overseer informed her that he¡¯ll be giving her ¡¯punishment,¡¯ took her away, andughed triumphantly. When the others saw this, they hated themselves for not thinking of it first. Despite this, none of the women were going to throw their quota aside. What if that overseer was absent, and another, maybe a woman appeared. What would they do? Die?

    Deep Mines, Day One-Hundred Eighty-Nine:

    Three dayster, the overseer returned. In his hands was a naked body.

    It was the woman!

    She was alive, but her breathing was shallow as if she was in a vicious battle for three days and three nights. Her body had bruises all over, and her eyes were dim. When the others witnessed this, their eyes were filled with a little dread. The men looked at the overseer in fear, but some held envy.

    He grabbed the exposed body of the woman and held her out. Despite herck of breath, she struggled to speak, "Master, thank you for bringing me back." She had a feeble smile with those words. Yan Zaizen and Tao looked onwards withplex emotions.

    "Let me ask you all something." The overseer said, his eyes filled with amusement as if looking at a group of worthless sheep. "Do you know how it feels to die?"

    What?

    Everyone was a little confused butrgely held fear in their eyes at his words. No one answered, simply stared with caution.

    Seeing this, the overseerughed wildly. "She¡¯s about to find out." When he said that, he grabbed the naked woman by the nape of her neck and lifted her up for all to see. She wanted to struggle after realizing the circumstance she was in, but there was nothing she could do with her weak body. The overseer exerted pressure on his grip. One could see her skin around her neck tighten, imprinting the shape of his fingers. The grip continued tightening, there was a rubbery sound of something being squashed slowly taking ce.

    Yan Zaizen gulped.

    Tao stared calmly.

    Some clenched their teeth in hatred at themselves.

    The women looked onwards with fear and caution.

    Crack. Crack. Crack.

    The woman somehow mustered enough strength to grip at the fingers embedded into her neck, trying to wrench them away, her legs kicked wildly, and her throat released a stifled sound. Her eyes seemed to be nearing the state of popping out of her skull, and lines of saliva formted on the sides of her lips.

    CRACK!!!

    A final crack resounded. Her struggles ceased. Like a puppet who lost its strings, she went limp, her head lingered powerlessly to the side, and the struggle in her eyes ceased. A maliciousughter resounded from the overseer, his eyes filled with disdain and contempt at all those he looked at. "If you miss your quota, you¡¯ll know how it feels to die. Hahaha!" With that, he took off in flight causing everyone to haveplex expressions, the body of the woman dropped into the deep pit.

    "Cruel," Tao muttered.

    Yan Zaizen stared at the overseer, his eyes shing with a murderous glint.

 Chapter 57 Daughter of Lofty Status

    Sittingzily atop an embroiled couch was a sapphire-haired beauty, servants around her fanned her from various angles, keeping her cup of wine filled, and her te had various arrangements of fresh fruit. Her eyes were filled with deep boredom, looking about in daydreams and nonsensical thoughts. This beautiful woman was the one that Yan Zaizen had mistakenly barged into, his eyes having stained her body, and his current sentence within the Deep Mines was her judgment.

    The room she was in was filled with a white and blue imperial decor with traces of gold designs giving it a very wealthy feel. A young man entered, kneeling on the floor, escorting that man was the one who Yan Zaizen would remember from before. He was the middle-aged Origin Core Realm Cultivator who interrogated him.

    Their arrival didn¡¯t seem to catch the girl¡¯s interest. She only nced at them slightly before picking a grape and cing it in her mouth. The young man who kneeled rose slowly and approached with quiet and cautious steps. When he arrived, he spoke clearly. "Lady Di, I have the report on the one named ¡¯Yan Zaizen."

    This, however, didn¡¯t seem to catch the woman¡¯s attention either. She only let loose a soft snort, her mood obviously turning worse. This man was the one who intruded in her bath, saw her body, and still got away with it so easily. If it wasn¡¯t because the circumstance was special, she would have had his eyes gouged, castrated, and burnt to death.

    The young male didn¡¯t seem to feel dejected by herck of attention and he proceeded, "He¡¯s a citizen of Presba, a member of the Yan n which is located at a ce called Meteorite City. It is a second-tier force within the country and doesn¡¯t possess much significance amongst the myriad forces of Presba. Even amongst second-tier forces, they were quite middle-tier." The man listed off information about Yan Zaizen¡¯s origins. However, this only caused the woman to continue eating her grapes calmly.

    The middle-aged man couldn¡¯t help but shake his head inwardly. The boy was unjustly sentenced to his fate because of others schemes. He survived, but then was given a death sentence soon afterward. His enemies must be feeling relieved.

    The young man then proceeded to inform her about Yan Zaizen. "He¡¯s seventeen this year, and in his n, he¡¯s regarded as a talentless individual, despite being the n Lord¡¯s grandson. About a year ago, he went missing randomly. Many amongst the n believe him dead, others believe he ran away in disgrace, and barely anyone is showing any form of grief on this matter. They didn¡¯t even search more than three days for him." If Yan Zaizen heard this, he wouldn¡¯t be surprised but still feel disappointed in his family.

    "Hmph." Lady Di snorted, she looked towards the middle-aged man with an expression of ¡¯I-told-you-so.¡¯ The middle-aged man couldn¡¯t help but lightly shake his head with a little embarrassment. Earlier, he tried getting her to save Yan Zaizen from the Deep Mines, but she refused. He finally convinced her to agree if he had some powerful force that would exchange resources for him.

    He evidently didn¡¯t.

    "Is that all?" Lady Dizily said. The young man shook his head, indicating he had no more information. In truth, they devoted almost a half a year to gather this information because of the sheer distance. The young man felt it was a waste of resources to do so much for a nobody.

    Lady Di waved her hand in casual dismissal. The young man took his leave after a deep bow. The middle-aged man stepped up, "I apologize, it seems my worries were unfounded."

    She shook her head slightly, "Elder Lu, Your heart is just too kind." She didn¡¯t truly have any intention of letting Yan Zaizen out. If he did have a tremendous force, she¡¯d simply make sure he was killed. But since he didn¡¯t, he could die slowly in the Deep Mines.

    Elder Lu couldn¡¯t help but warily smiled. It seems that no matter what, this man was fated to die. If only he didn¡¯t meet this woman of lofty status. He couldn¡¯t help but take a look at this Lady Di. She was extraordinarily beautiful and was the daughter to the Military Commander of the entire Imperial force. If it wasn¡¯t for that fact, herckluster mindset towards cultivation would¡¯vended her in some man¡¯s bed as a wife or a concubine.

    However, she hit the lottery with her birth.

    Lady Di contemted somethings for a bit before her eyes lit up and looked towards Elder Lu, "Has Prince Ren arrived?" She seemed to be showing excitement for the first time since Elder Lu arrived.

    Elder Lu helplessly smiled and nodded, "He arrived yesterday, and rested for the day. He should be in his room at the moment."

    Prince Ren was the third prince to the Grux¡¯s Imperial Emperor. His third son, and despite his age already nearing three hundred years, he had yet to take a wife. He had extraordinary good-looks, imperial grace, intelligent in both battle and strategy, incredible cultivation talent that allowed him toprehend a lower-tier World Law, but a World Law nevertheless. The number of people who couldprehend a single worldw in the entirety of Presba was about ny thousand people per nine billion. This was an extraordinarily low number.

    Many women were attempting to gain his attention, not just for status, but for a good husband with infinite potential. Out of the many cultivators in Grux, in thest ten thousand years, he was the one given the most hope of progressing to the True Essence Realm. There were even hopes of being dered the next Emperor of Grux.

    "Great! I¡¯ll go meet him." Her voice was uppity, and she rose from the couch rather quickly. Her eyes were filled with anticipation and her steps were spry. She took her exit and behind her were several of her trusted servants.

    Elder Lu looked onwards but couldn¡¯t help but inwardly shake his head. He had a little understanding of Prince Ren¡¯s personality and he would likely only pick someone with exceptional cultivation talent or who he truly fancied. As for Lady Di, she didn¡¯t reach either requirement. For thest hundred years, she¡¯s been riding on his coattails in hopes of capturing his attention.

    He couldn¡¯t help but look out an open window. His thoughts remembered that naked figure whose life was innocent, but he was still given a guilty sentence. "Five Hundred Years...sigh..." He remembered when he was younger, and how he was given something simr. If it wasn¡¯t for the Military Commander back then, he would¡¯ve suffered a simr fate.

    He silently disappeared, following Lady Di amidst the shadows.

 Chapter 58 Cycle of the Deep Mines

    Deep Mines, Day Two-Hundred Twenty:

    Today was the day another batch of new arrivals came. At the time, Yan Zaizen was mining some ore, his body filled with dirt and sweat, but his physical stature was bing more impressive. His muscles were slightly erged, and the definition of them was more noticeable. His height kept increasing a centimeter or half every week or two. At this moment, his previous height of five feet six waspletely dispelled, and he was five feet nine.

    The cultivation into the Immortal Herculean Method was slow but incredibly effective. His body wasn¡¯t being actively refined, but it was undergoing an evolutionary advancement. He could feel the thickness of his cells, the purity of his vital energies, blood, organs, and even his teeth change theirposition and structure. He felt like he was no longer physically human, or at least he was half-human. This change didn¡¯t dissuade Yan Zaizen. Instead, it motivated him further.

    Tao caught on to his advancement and gradual changes and finally asked about it. Yan Zaizen told him the truth, at least in regards to the method, but when Tao heard it, he was shocked. Unfortunately, Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t know how to properly verbalize the cultivation method despite cultivating it. He found this quite strange. It was as if he couldprehend it, but he couldn¡¯t teach it. Unless someone merged the motes of light that defined the Immortal Herculean Method clearly, it would be impossible for another to grasp its method.

    Tao understood that some methods were like this, and it was purposefully done to prevent widespread distribution of key skills. Unless youpletely master the method, it would be impossible to make another copy for others to peruse.

    When the new arrivals saw all the old miners, they held looks of hope and despair. Some knew of the cruel rumors of the Deep Mines, while others were ignorant and believed they could survive since others were working hard to do so.

    No one said anything.

    Out of the people that originally arrived, the amount that was left was a pitiable number of about a dozen. This was startling low considering they came with numbers nearing a hundred. A majority of that number willingly leaped into the depths of the hole.

    There were many reasons to do so, failure to reach the quota, escape in death, insanity, or even pushed by others. Tao and Yan Zaizen kept to themselves when the new group arrived, not paying attention to anyone.

    Tao muttered, "And the cycle continues."

    Deep Mines, Day Two-Hundred Eighty-Seven.

    The first person of the new group missed their quota. It was a young man who looked nothing more than skin and bone, but he was unwilling to simply give up with this. When the overseer arrived, he asked for a private discussion. The overseer, obviously intrigued, took him up on his offer.

    After some time, they returned. The young man had a slight smile on his face, his eyes containing contempt as he looked at the other miners. It was obvious that he believed that his discussion had worked. The new miners had gazes of envy, whereas the older ones simply shook their heads and looked at the man with a bit of pity.

    Unfortunately, whatever he said didn¡¯t work. This time, the overseer lifted the young man up forcefully and ripped off his limbs one by one in front of everyone. Some of the blood even sshed on some of the neers causing them to tremble in horror.

    When all limbs were removed and the horrible shrieking filled the mine, the overseer gripped the young man¡¯s head and twisted it until it popped off like a cap on a bottle. His blood had already been nearly drained, but his neck still spewed violently with blood. It gave everyone chills. Everyone except Yan Zaizen, Tao, and the old miners who were rather calm at this.

    They simply went back to work.

    Deep Mines, Day Three-Hundred Forty:

    A powerful breath was released from Yan Zaizen¡¯s body. His lungs had evolved its structure, and he realized that he no longer had just two lungs but four. The other two were oddly ced and smaller than the first and were situated within his other two lungs. It seemed bizarre, but it worked wlessly. It was as if he could absorb the essence energy from the air and perfectly refine it into his oxygenated blood through these two additional lungs. With each breath, his blood would be enhanced in quality and his vital energies he could muster increased in quantity.

    It was a fabulous feeling.

    The Major Sess Stage of the Nascent Herculean Physique was defined by several changes to one¡¯s organic structure, but due to its ambiguity, it could genuinely be anything. Some races with gills may have changes to it, some with wings may have changes to that, or those who were made of other materials may have other changes. The miraculousness of the Immortal Herculean Method was near limitless.

    He was no longer five-feet nine-inches, but five-feet eleven-inches. A leap of two inches and his good-looks started to be more prominent. Whenever the overseer would appear, to not arouse any questions, he would hide in the back. Especially considering that the majority of people herecked fat but had defined muscles from constant work. He, however, had both abundant flesh and muscles. Even Tao¡¯s scrawny appearance became more so.

    This day was not only memorable because of his breakthrough, but Yan Zaizen also made a discovery. There was a group of nearby miners who believed that they had sufficient body cultivation to sneakily escape the pit through a climb. The moment they tried, the formation up above activated and sent a light beam of pure energy turning them into dust.

    "I...see..." In truth, Yan Zaizen had hopes of climbing to escape if his soul cultivation didn¡¯t awaken. After achieving the Major Sess Stage, his vital energies at its peak could be considered at the half-step Qi Unification Realm. However, this was in terms of aura intensity, as for his body cultivation actual strength, he felt that if he was truly at his peak, he could definitely go toe-to-toe with any Qi Unification practitioner.

    "However, it¡¯s not enough." He couldn¡¯t help but sigh, his voice filled with exhaustion. The amount of ore he had to mine each day became increasingly higher to the point where a majority of his time was to travel to a suitable ce and mine for several hours. If it wasn¡¯t for his body cultivation reaching this level, it¡¯s likely he would truly die.

    A significant reason why he could survive up till now was due to what Tao had taught him about the Dao aura of his. By infusing it into his pickaxe, he could strengthen its structure and sharpness. By infusing it into the Unyielding me of Life conceptualw, he could strengthen the lifeforce it emits. By infusing his Dao aura into his physical body, his entire self-changed dramatically, capable of exhibiting more power than before.

    It was such a miraculous thing. It reminded him of aw, and how it could be used to enhance one¡¯s capabilities, typically via qi. However, one¡¯s Dao was essentially a universalw that could be applied to anything and everything. Also, it wasn¡¯t exhausting to use, as if it was limitless. Tao had once told him that those with a Dao had faster cultivation speeds, higherprehensivebat abilities and even the ability to excel in many things.

    At first, he was skeptical. However, now he could truly see it. He understood why the dao was seeked by many.

    The sole reason he could achieve the Major Sess Stage of the Immortal Herculean Physique wasrgely because of his Dao infusion during the transformation process. It was like an amplifier to all things, and it could also put immense pressure on others. If he didn¡¯t have his own Dao, perhaps several years would¡¯ve been needed before he could achieve major sess.

    Despite all this, it was still hellish to reach the quota each and every day, especially in an environment filled with depression, despair, and death.

    Well, one thing was beneficial from this sort of environment.

    Yan Zaizen clenched his hand tightly. An inky ck shadow was squirmy its way out of his hand. It contained an aura that was overly prevalent in the atmosphere. It looked as if it wanted to feed on the essence of death, and especially downwards in the pit. Whenever he conjured this conceptualw, it seemed drawn to the depths of the Deep Mines.

    This inky ck shadow was the Siphoning Shadow of Death; it had reached the Force-level, and even to the minor sess over this time. It contained more traces of truew than his white me, but despite this, the white me still couldn¡¯t be defeated by the ck shadow. It was extraordinary.

    Despite its weakness to the white me, it seems like it was getting stronger and stronger in this ce surrounded by death of both the body and soul. It may be hell to others, including himself, but to the inky ck shadow it was different ¡ª it was home.

    "Ahhhhhhh!!!" A shriek once more resounded shortly nearby before slowly disappearing.

    It seems another was pushed off.

 Chapter 59 Self-Awareness & Willingness

    Deep Mines, Day Five-Hundred Forty-Eight:

    "The Dao truly is extraordinary," Yan Zaizen ced his pickaxe down, his body rested on a piece of debris. His ability to infuse this wonderous internalw into all things was exceptional, and the benefits it contained was numerous to near infinite. It¡¯s been nearly two years, but his mental state and will had grown exceptionally well in this environment.

    The constant pressure for freedom, from the many deaths, from the despair and the cruelty of the world continuously tempered his mindset and beliefs. His continuous discussions with Tao during this time about the world outside, cultivation, and life itself allowed his mind to be sharper. Many things he didn¡¯t originally know, he knew, and things he felt were unrealistic was brought to light.

    Tao was like a teacher constantly providing him non-intrusive advice and spreading his knowledge. Tao, of course, did so mainly to not lose his mind in this hell. Yan Zaizen never felt that slipping of the mind due to his Dao giving him a strengthened sense of focus and rity. There wasn¡¯t hope in his eyes like others, but certainty and patience. This was the stark difference between Yan Zaizen from day one and now; he no longer had a na?ve mind filled with baseless hope.

    The cruel reality of the Deep Mines was a lot more devastating than he originally assumed. It¡¯s been nearly two years, and he had never seen a single individual in his vicinity go up to freedom. The ones who arrived with him had all perished one way or another. As for the second group that arrived, they had perished as well. Only he and Tao remained. The newly arrived crew seemed to be establishing another cycle of hope and despair.

    "It wouldn¡¯t be called the Heavenly Dao if it wasn¡¯t," Tao said, he walked over and sat beside Yan Zaizen. In his hands were their daily rations. Before, Tao was scrawny, and now he was nothing more than bones at this point. His eyes were sunken, his stomach was caved inwards, but his gaze held a trace of unyielding intelligence. His teeth were still remarkably white, and even Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t know how he was keeping them such.

    "Yeah, Yeah. Heavenly Dao. You must first be blessed by the Heavens before being able to develop it. You say that every time." Yan Zaizen carelessly dismissed, grabbing his ration from Tao and slowly eating it. It was a tasteless oatmeal mixture filled with enough nutrients for the body to live but not enough to produce sufficient energy to work at the peak. Despite this, Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t dislike it.

    Taoughed softly, digging into his oatmeal. The others nearby were doing the same, and the newly arrived individuals were eating with vigor, slight traces of hope in their eyes and unyielding will.

    Tao seemed to have thought of something, looking at Yan Zaizen up and down, "Did you breakthrough?" He noticed that Yan Zaizen was covering his body and face in cloth, concealing his impressive visage and physical stature. Yan Zaizen just looked upwards, swallowing the little oatmeal in his mouth. He didn¡¯t seem to contain any happiness in his gaze, but just an unyielding will and undying resolve.

    "Yeah..." He answered.

    Yan Zaizen had achieved the Perfect Stage of the Nascent Herculean Physique. When he did, his bones became thicker, his quad-lungs further disyed their ability to send essence into the blood to strengthen one¡¯s body constantly, and his amber eyes became a shade lighter. His looks became far better-looking than before. Among men, he would definitely be rated as a nine out of ten. The only w would have to be his gaze were a lot calmer and concealed than before.

    "Not enough?" Tao inquired.

    Yan Zaizen shook his head.

    Indeed, his n of using the Immortal Herculean Method to escape couldn¡¯t work. At the moment, his vital energies could rival thete-Qi Unification Cultivators at its peak. However, with his current situation, reaching that peak was unlikely. Even if he was at his peak, he still wouldn¡¯t be able to escape due to the formation and the climbing restraint. However, this didn¡¯t shake his will, only forced him to relocate his focus.

    Regrettably, the Dao couldn¡¯t be cultivated through desire, but through experiences. Tao didn¡¯t know what level his Dao was at, but it was certainly at its development phase. He said that the Dao typically has unique characteristics of each individual, and that characteristic would manifest itself when a Dao waspleted. Unfortunately, he hadn¡¯t developed this yet.

    Tao lowered his head in thought. Then asked softly, "What will you do when you leave this ce?"

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes flickered with an odd glint. "Besides the obvious?" He carelessly chuckled.

    "Besides the obvious." Tao solemnly said.

    "I was born in the Yan n, a second-tier force in Presba. My Mother and Father were buried at our n¡¯s ancestral graveyard. I¡¯ll visit them. I¡¯ll say what needs to be said and do what needs to be done." He stated, his voice filled with resolve. He took a deep breath and continued, "When I was younger, I fell in love with a girl. She married my cousin. The things I did in my youth, I don¡¯t regret, but now that I¡¯m older, I feel I should talk to her. To tell her that I don¡¯t hate her for her choice or actions." His voice was filled with a sort of relief.

    "Oh?" Tao was surprised, this was the first time Yan Zaizen truly answered his question. Over thest five hundred days, every time this question was asked, he¡¯d be brushed off. "You don¡¯t hate her? For not choosing you?" He inquired curiously. Most men, especially young ones, would feel enraged from not being chosen.

    Yan Zaizen softly shook his head. "The cultivation world is filled with dangers and cruelty. When I was younger, I wanted to rely on her talent for my own rise. I wanted to have wealth, safety, status, good food, excellent wine, and a beautiful woman by my side. I wanted to be protected. I wanted to give a little and gain everything. Haha, I was truly young."

    He truly felt that the person he was three years ago was too different from now. He had been kidnapped from his home, teleported far away, traveled in a forest of poisonous beasts, got schemed against and almost married another, performed a ughter towards all those who stood in his way and was schemed against once more. It didn¡¯t stop there. When he survived all that, he was unfortunate enough tond in a ce that essentially sent him to hell on earth.

    His mind was a lot clearer than before. He understood the importance of talent, will, and ability. Han Genji lost his lover because of his weakness and others schemes. Was it any different from how he lost her?

    "Her choice, no one can know whether it was the right or wrong one. One thing I know, the younger me did not deserve her. I ept this. I know this." Saying this aloud felt like a weight was lifted from his mind. "What about you?" He turned his head to look at this deep-voiced man filled with knowledge and mysteries.

    Tao contemted for a moment, "My future is over. I have nothing to do and nowhere to go." His voice quivered slightly when he said this. Yan Zaizen was startled. What did that mean? He could tell that the story there was exceptional but alsoplicated. A man with no n and no family name, thrown into hell and left there to rot.

    "I see..." Yan Zaizen closed his eyes. He said some words carelessly, "What about joining me? We¡¯ll travel the vast realm, see the myriad sights it has to offer and enjoy our lives."

    However, these few careless words shook Tao to his very core. He slowly turned towards Yan Zaizen, his eyes seemed wet and his fists were clenched. This boy in front of him was exceptional, but escaping was nothing but a dream. He knew this. There was no way of escape, and no one has ever escaped the Deep Mines. Despite struggling to survive due to an unwillingness to concede, he contemted jumping off the cliff every day since. Yet, when those words were spoken, he felt a tinge of hope well up in him.

    He didn¡¯t say anything, only nodded with a slight grunt of agreement. He feared that if he spoke, it¡¯s likely he¡¯d reveal a side that a man shouldn¡¯t show carelessly.

    Yan Zaizen slightly smiled as he looked upwards. "If I see you again, what will you think?"

 Chapter 60 Do You Know How It Feels?

    Deep Mines, Seven-Hundred Seventy-Seven:

    The days truly felt endless, filled with repetition and indistinguishable time. At this time, Yan Zaizen could only barely assume how long has passed on the outside. Some days, he truly felt that he was going insane, but most felt quite normal.

    Even Tao, who had undergone a change since that day, stumbled in his mentality. The sheer amount of ore they had to mine to fit their quota was monstrous. They worked constantly in an attempt each and every day and couldn¡¯t stop. Most of their days were filled with mining, and it became to the point where even Yan Zaizen couldn¡¯t cultivate other things.

    Yan Zaizen was pounding away at the walls, rocks, and debris for ore when mid-swing, he paused.

    "What...?" He was stunned. He could feel...his soul?! He immediately investigated his soul form¡¯s status, and what he saw gave him a sensation of joy. The soul form wasn¡¯t Yan Zaizen, but an outer shell of himself that protects his soul, his true soul form was the thin, squiggly line from before. That could be considered his soul me.

    It is because of this that he could stillprehend thew, remain active, construct and recall memories, as well as utilize a weakened form of spiritual sense. His soul form was like a cocoon that restricted his soul energy, only allowing the bare minimum as if it was undergoing an evolution.

    The soul form was now finished with that evolution!

    "Finally." A breath of relief escaped his lips, and he could feel his body bex after the countless days of continuous work. He dropped his pickaxe and closed his eyes. He entered his sea of consciousness, the space where his soul form was stored, and examined it thoroughly. His soul form had three major changes. Firstly, the Aurora Borealis within it was more brilliant than before, having motes of white light that contained traces of the Dao.

    "My soul form now has my Dao incorporated into it?" He was startled. He recalled how the Spatial Form of Infinite Stability, Unyielding me of Life, and Siphoning Shadow of Death had upied his soul form. In it, the white me and inky ck orb danced around each other like lovers and rivals, but the Spatial Form of Infinite Stability was simply standing within it. Now, there were motes of his Dao floating about in his soul form, and it was nearly uncountable.

    "It seems like...it doesn¡¯t have any form, yet." He remarked.

    The second change was its be and eyes. His soul form¡¯s eyes were pitch ck and seemed to contain endless hunger within them, and this caused even Yan Zaizen¡¯s mouth to dry. This was his own soul form, but it left him feeling odd. As for his be, it was no longer a dot. It was a swirling ck hole that seemed to attract everything, to consume everything, and had an insatiable need to devour all things.

    The third was the most noticeable which was how his soul form looked. It was an exact representation of himself. Unlike before where it was simply a blue-ish humanoid figure, this thing had his muscles, his definitions, every strand of hair, and even had nails. It was still blue, but it was like a blue him.

    "It¡¯s so lifelike. Like looking at a colored mirror." He couldn¡¯t help but pant at this discovery. He didn¡¯t know how much this would affect him or even why this transformation urred, but he had his assumptions. He believed, due to the timing, that his soul change was highly rted to the formtion of his Dao. It was as if him discovering his Dao lead to his soul undergoing a transformation. At first, it was only suspicions, but seeing the soul form before him, he felt it was closer to the truth.

    As for the swirling ck hole, the endlessly deep ck eyes, and perfect reflection-like soul form, he felt like it was still rted to his Dao as well.

    He opened his eyes and felt excited. His soul had obviously undergone a massive evolution, and if the Spirit Matrix Method description was telling the truth in regards to cultivation indication, he had reached the Advanced Aurora Soul.

    Tao was mindlessly swinging his pickaxe until he felt something was strange. He found Yan Zaizen soon afterward and him standing there motionless. "Did he?" Tao feared the worst, but luckily it didn¡¯te true. Yan Zaizen opened his eyes soon afterward. His gaze was vastly different from before. It didn¡¯t contain that concealed patience, but reckless excitement.

    "Hahahahaha!!" Yan Zaizen couldn¡¯t help butugh loudly, startling everyone in the mines. Tao was surprised. Assuming that he lost his mind, Tao rushed over.

    "You...okay?" His tone was cautious. In the Deep Mines, you see people crack far too often. However, how could Yan Zaizen care about his cautious tone? He keptughing, he truly felt great so how could he not?

    "Tao! You ready to join me?" He turned towards Tao with a wide grin.

    "..." He looked at Yan Zaizen for a long moment before nodding, adding, "Always and forever." His resolve was beyond strong at this moment. He couldn¡¯t help but be a little excited.

    Yan Zaizen waved his hand, sending a gentle telekic pulse outwards that shattered Tao¡¯s cuff. Then, with another, he removed his own. Taking a deep breath, he could sense the essence in the air coalesce into qi as it was drawn into his body. His actions caused all the miners to be startled, looking at him with curiosity. Tao¡¯s eyes lit up with tion and anticipation.

    "Is it enough?" Tao excited asked.

    Yan Zaizen softly nodded.

    Checking the Meteor Ring, he found out that many of the items within were gone. All of the essence crystals and other cultivation resources vanished, leaving only the books, ck wood, Ying n¡¯s spatial ring and the oddpass. He looked upwards and saw an Aurora Borealis that was several hundred timesrger than before, and a ck hole directly above it. However, this ck hole only stayed there harmlessly, not swirling and consuming anything below.

    "I see." He noted this change. It seems his previous assumption was likely correct. His rapid advancement in soul cultivation had to do with the mysterious ck hole on his be. It was absorbing things to develop his soul, but that made him question even more, what did he absorb initially? When he first developed soul cultivation, it was when Han Genji caught sight of him back then, and the only thing that happened was the appearance of the Meteor Ring. Could it be the Meteor Ring was the reason for the ck hole?

    He felt that wasn¡¯t correct.

    cing those confusing thoughts at the back of his head, he retrieved the spatial ring containing the Ying n¡¯s vast fortune. He withdrew it instantly. Taking out a few drops high-grade of essence liquid, he gave a few to Tao and consumed a few himself.

    Tao was shocked. The ordinary ring that seemedpletely inconspicuous was a spatial ring? The reason why the ring wasn¡¯t taken during Yan Zaizen¡¯s arrest or arrival here was only that it did not emit a spatial signature. This caused the ring to look ordinary as if a memento rather than a storage device. It was a truly strange object that continued to bewilder Yan Zaizen. It was as if only he could sense its profound features.

    "Recover. We leave today." He stated. However, he looked upwards and after some thought, he changed his mind. "We¡¯ll recover today and leave tomorrow. There¡¯s something I have to do."

    The others in the cave felt the pristine essence fluctuation from the drops and couldn¡¯t help but salivate. Some of the prisoners even desired to steal from them. However, they soon realized that the two didn¡¯t have cuffs restricting them, and thus retreat. After all, it would be the same as courting death.

    Whenever they approached, Tao would give them a look filled with murderous intentions. They backed off immediately, some even thinking of snitching their circumstances to the overseer in hopes of reducing their sentences.

    As they recovered, Yan Zaizen was surprised at Tao¡¯s cultivation base. It truly was profound; He was a half-step Origin Core Realm Cultivator! This cultivation was by no means low, and it could be considered rather high. For him to be sentenced to the Deep Mines, despite his cultivation, it left much to be answered.

    Time slowly passed.

    Soon, the quota was received and shipped off. Tao and Yan Zaizen obviously didn¡¯t meet their quota for the day. Several hourster, the overseer who¡¯s watched over them the past two years descended with a malevolent chuckle. The other miners felt a cold chill travel through their spines. The one who terrorized their every dream was currentlying. The only sce they could obtain was that they had met their quota and thus would not be killed today.

    As for the other two? A few even had expressions of schadenfreude, mostly they were the newbies who held some hope for their futures, unable to see the reality of their own bleak situation.

    "Two this time? Haha, good. I feel like ying a game today." The overseerughed, his eyes glinting with anticipation. For years, there have been many individuals who¡¯ve been toyed to death by him. In his eyes, these people were nothing more than tools for the kingdom¡¯s wealth and his amusement.

    Yan Zaizen stayed silent, as did Tao. Their eyes simply trained on the overseer, both with a rtively calm look, but the emotion concealed within each of their eyes were very different. The overseer only had a cultivation base at the initial-Qi Unification Realm and wasn¡¯t a threat even if Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t recover his soul cultivation. However, he couldn¡¯t take action due to the fallout that would obviously ensue.

    "How about this, I¡¯ll let you two fight. The one who kills the other, I¡¯ll spare them today." The overseer proposed.

    "Silence." Yan Zaizen spoke. As he did, a silver-blue light shed and entered the overseer¡¯s body in a blink. No one in the vicinity, not even the overseer, could react to the sheer speed of this light. However, the overseer¡¯s expression was filled with mocking and a little anger, he tried tough but as he did, he found out that no voice was emitted.

    He immediately discovered the oddity; he was unable to speak. He tried screaming, shouting, and even attempting to make a myriad of different sounds with his throat but nothing came out. ¡¯What did he do to me?!¡¯ He looked towards Yan Zaizen with intense fear, but also killing intent. When one is in a life or death situation, their fear could produce two effects: fight or flight. Each person would react differently, and this overseer had the heart of a ruthless man, typically unless the situation was too far gone from his control, he would choose to fight.

    Currently, Yan Zaizen had his features concealed with only his amber eyes revealed through the ck cloth. Those eyes were filled with an eerie calm. He spoke one more word, "Halt." Unlike before, there was no sh of silver-blue light but the overseer¡¯s squirming body. His original intention of charging towards Yan Zaizen and ying him was immediately put to a pause as his body froze in an awkward position in mid-air.

    Step.

    Step.

    Step.

    Yan Zaizen took three steps, ascending into mid-air, while his body was supported by faint silver-blue light. In those three steps, he arrived next to the overseer with no less than a meter of distance between them. At this point, the overseer¡¯s eyes were starting to be filled with an essence of true fear.

    "Do. You. Know. How. It. Feels. To. Die?" Yan Zaizen words were spoken slowly, each and every word was apanied by that meter of distance lessening by a few inches until he was directly facing the overseer, looking straight into his eyes.

    A cold grin suffused on his lips, "You will."

    Yan Zaizen touched the man¡¯s be, a sh of silver-blue light surged into his soul ravaging his everything it could without immediately killing this man. One could say the damage to the soul was the harshest pain one could suffer. It was like being ripped apart from the inside. The overseer squirmed, shaking violently, his eyes bulging from his head, and his eyes started to lose its color.

    "The pain of the soul is terrifying. I know, but what¡¯s worse is being ripped apart from an infinite number of directions in total darkness while you wait for death." He calmly said, cocking his head sideways to look at the twitching form of the overseer. "Speak." Hemanded.

    "Ahhhrhrhrsyfhsfuwrg!! Pl...pl-please!" The overseer tried speaking but was having obvious difficulties. Yan Zaizen cocked his head to the other side, his eyes calm. Seeing this, the overseer realized the situation was not one in which he could control, and his first instincts of preservation kicked in.

    "Beg."

    "Pl-please! Spa-spar-spare me!! I¡¯ll...I¡¯ll do anything!!! I¡¯ll tell you everything I know, how to escape, and more! PLEASE!" Nearing the end, his voice became more clear and stronger, reverberating throughout the area.

    "I wonder, is that what they said? Is that what they hoped you¡¯d do for them? I wonder, what did you do to them when they did?" His questions sent a shiver through all the miners, especially the older ones. "Oh, I know." He lifted his hand and ced it on the overseer¡¯s chest, "You let them know how it felt to die." A light push of the man¡¯s body propelled him very slowly backward, but space started to contort as if his bodynded on a soft marshmallow, theyers of space folded around him, and then a popping sound urred.

    He vanished.

    "Chaotic Space, someone like you, you¡¯ll enjoy the experience."

 Chapter 61 Whats Below?

    Wearing a clean violet martial cultivator outfit from the Ying n¡¯s spatial ring, he looked at himself thoroughly. Over the past two years, his changes were extraordinary. To the point where his mother and father would barely recognize him, and he wasn¡¯t sure how he felt about it all.

    His muscles were robust and defined as if sculpted like a greek statue, his pectoral muscles were elegantly made as if chiseled, his face was handsome and filled with masculine charm, the amber eyes of his sparkled with vibrant strength and lifeforce, and his height reached six feet.

    Tao flew over to Yan Zaizen, his body radiating faint traces of origin aura. When he arrived, he looked at Yan Zaizen curiously. He remembered when this boy first arrived, how he was like a newborn child looking curiously at the gates of hell, but now he felt more like a man ready to ascend to the heavens.

    When Yan Zaizen first informed him that his soul cultivation could rival an Origin Core practitioner, he was skeptical. Who wouldn¡¯t be? He was only 17 years old, and soul cultivation required a massive amount of specific resources and enlightenment to progress. Out of all the cultivation methods, soul cultivation was the most difficult and time-consuming. If someone told him three years ago that a 17-year-old kid reached the Aurora Soul Realm, he would¡¯ve dismissed them as being insane or uneducated.

    But here he was.

    Yan Zaizen found another outfit from the Ying¡¯s n spatial ring and handed it to Tao. It was an identical pair with his current violet attire. These outfits weren¡¯t normal by any means. They were shrouded in formations designed to gather essence for cultivation and qi recovery, defensive formation for protection against all types of energies, and tight-fitting, stretchable fabric that conforms to any body type.

    The outfit could be considered an earth-rank armament of the top-grade. It was designed to be worn against and by Qi Unification Cultivators and thus wasn¡¯t that effective inbat situations at the Origin Core Realm. Despite this, it was suitable for both Yan Zaizen and Tao.

    "This seemed to have been created by a formation specialist. Do you know how to create formations also?" Tao inquired. These outfits truly were exceptionally crafted, the Ying n was a formation n with over a thousand years of legacy after all. If they couldn¡¯t make an earth-rank, top-grade armament with rank six formations embedded into it, they would¡¯ve been a shame to all armament creationist ns realm-wide.

    "Naw. A n was nice enough to let me keep them, it¡¯s a long story." He responded with a slight smile. If the Ying n heard his words, they would probably be spewing copious amounts of blood out of hate and indignation.

    "Mhm." Tao nodded, using his qi-essence to remove the embedded dirt in his skin, regaining his original color of brown skin, dark brown hair and pearly white teeth. "What now?"

    "There¡¯s something I want to check out before we leave." Yan Zaizen said, looking deep into the hole. Earlier, when he arrived, he felt an odd life signature from below. Over the two years, he felt that odd life signature constantly fluctuate between strong and weak erratically. Whenever it became strong, he could feel something inside him resonate with it. This sensation kept getting stronger and stronger with each fluctuation.

    "Something¡¯s calling me. I just don¡¯t know what." His tone was filled with curiosity. With his soul cultivation recovered, if he wanted to leave, no one could stop him from doing so.

    Tao followed Yan Zaizen¡¯s gaze, slowly nodding his head. "In that case, shall we go down?" He was willing to follow this boy anywhere. Not only because he saved his life, but because over the two years, they¡¯ve be remarkably close. Even if he was nearing 700 years in age, he felt close to Yan Zaizen. Not to mention that Yan Zaizen¡¯s soul cultivation base exceeded his own considerably, he had no qualms about following him to the ends of the earth.

    If it wasn¡¯t for Yan Zaizen, he would¡¯ve jumped off this cliff a year ago and arrived in the underworld.

    "...Absolutely."

    Yan Zaizen withdrew his silver-blue soul energy from his body. This action caused his body to suddenly descend downwards. Initially, it was slow, but as he continued going downwards the speed of his descent increased to terminal velocity.

    "Hahaha! Down we go!" Tao chuckled seeing Yan Zaizen be so decisive. He withdrew the levitating force of his qi-essence, falling downwards following Yan Zaizen, but his qi-essence still formed a faint barrier around his skin to prevent any damage. Unlike Yan Zaizen, he didn¡¯t have a profound body cultivation.

    They continued their descent, passing the many people who were working the mines, and most didn¡¯t even give them a nce. A person saw them two falling and jumped after them in suicide. Yan Zaizen ignored him, letting him fall.

    1 li.

    10 li.

    100 li.

    They were falling for quite a while. The hole seemed virtually endless. "How far does this truly go?" He couldn¡¯t help but inwardly question. It seems that no matter how deep they went within the hole, they weren¡¯t even close to reaching the bottom. However, the odd life signature became more and more vibrant with every meter traveled.

    From his discussions with Tao, he learned quite a lot about these Deep Mines. It was created over ten thousand years ago, before the new era of the myriad world was established, during the Chaos Era. The current era was the Rebirth Era, and it started over twelve thousand years ago after the Chaos Era ended.

    The Chaos Era was just like its name described - full of chaos. It was an era filled with a great war that terrorized every inch of the myriad realms. Many beings at the height of power fell, and worlds were destroyed. It was so chaotic that even entire realms fell,id barren with no life or chance for life to be born anew.

    When the Rebirth Era was ushered, it signified the end of the chaos. It hoped for the rebirth of a cultivation society after a near total copse. It seeded. The myriad realms were no longer drenched in blood and death, but stable and developing once more to its former glory.

    When Yan Zaizen first heard of this, his mind was blown. When he was younger, he only knew of the continent and the four countries inhabiting it. When Wu Yuanxu informed him of the Anima Society, he learned that the realm he resided in was called the Xiantu Realm, named after the Xiantu Empire. The Realm had three habitables called continents due to each having onergend mass followed by millions of minor ones. He was currently living on the continent named the Fallen Stars Continent.

    He remembered Meteorite City and how its poption was decimated by falling meteors. As he heard of its name, it brought about a sense that made them seem heavily connected. Many believe a majority of the resources on the continent was from the asteroids that traveled the void. They bombarded the and gave it its many characteristics and unique lifeforms.

    Due to the vast amount of time that passed since the Chaos Era, not many people knew much about the Deep Mines except that it was exceptionally deep. Tao informed him that even the Grux Empire wasn¡¯t able to explore the depth of the holes. It seemed that there were many mysteries about not only its depths but how it was formed that its own country didn¡¯t know about.

    After traveling 700 li downwards, Yan Zaizen stopped his falling momentum as a silver-blue light surrounded his body. Tao attempted doing the same, but his ability to stop was far inferior to Yan Zaizen and he kept going for another kilometer. He had to fly back up to meet Yan Zaizen, but one could tell the energy required to stop his momentum exhausted him.

    "You found something?" Tao inquired.

    Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t answer right away but continued gazing at the wall to his furthest right. There, a fluctuating grey light was being emitted, but it was embedded deeply within the wall. This grey light indicated spiritual life, and it was the first time he¡¯d encountered such a thing.

    Their current distance beneath exceeded 1,000 li in total. The mines no longer existed, and there were no guards, miners, or dug out mining holes in this area. It just looked like a deep dark hole with no light, and even Tao could only see Yan Zaizen through his qi-sense. If Yan Zaizen concealed his qi-aura, he¡¯d be invisible to Tao right now.

    "You don¡¯t see it?" It took a while before Yan Zaizen asked.

    Tao was shocked, looking around but only seeing darkness. He tried using his qi-sense to find any form of energy fluctuation, but he came up with absolutely nothing. He didn¡¯t like using his spiritual sense due to its limited range and cultivation of the Initial Nascent Soul Realm, but even while using it now, he still he couldn¡¯t find anything.

    "No. What is it?"

    "A grey light. It has a low-life emission, but its spiritual, not physical. I¡¯ve never seen a spiritual life form before." He couldn¡¯t help but be bewildered. Normally, cultivators have a physical lifeforce energy and when it goes kaput, then your body is dead. Without a working body, your soul will slowly exit it and enter the cycle of reincarnation. However, souls don¡¯t give life emissions, because they don¡¯t have lifeforce energy, they have soul me to indicate consciousness and energy base - that¡¯s their life signature.

    This also meant that lifew can¡¯t heal soul damage, which is why its something feared by all cultivators. Only heavenly resources, specific pills, or a considerable amount of time-extensive cultivation can help restore the soul me to its peak. This also means deathws can¡¯t directly affect the soul either. If one wanted to affect the life or death of the soul, one would need to merge the two worldws with the worldw of souls and produce the Imperial Law of Samsara.

    Tao was shocked when he heard Yan Zaizen¡¯s description. He contemted for a long while. Something struck him like lightning as he jumped in shock, "A TRUE SPIRIT?!"

 Chapter 62 Spirit-Rank Armamen

    Yan Zaizen was startled by Tao¡¯s outburst. A True Spirit? He¡¯d nevere across anything remotely simr, and even during their two years of constant discussions, Tao had never mentioned a True Spirit before. Let alone seeing Tao act this way when mentioning anything. Whatever this True Spirit was, it must be an extraordinary existence.

    "What¡¯s a true spirit?" He inquired with anticipation leaking from his voice.

    It took Tao a while before his emotions calmed down before he could answer the question. "In this world, we use armaments. Armaments represent all tools, weapons, shields, and items. They hold miraculous effects and can amplify a cultivator¡¯sprehensivebat strength, regardless of their cultivation path." He exined. Yan Zaizen already knew that much.

    Armaments were the lifeblood of many cultivators. The skyship, the violet outfit he was currently wearing, the armor wielded by the hunters in the Basilisk Forest, or spatial rings used to store things.

    Tao continued, "Armaments can be divided into four ranks and four grades. These things are typically determined by its effect inparison to others in its ssification, but it can also be determined by other factors as well. The four ranks are Earth, Sky, Spirit, and World. As for the grades, Low, Mid, High, and Top. Earth-rank is the mostmon type of armament mainly because they are armaments without a Spirit Form."

    Yan Zaizen was soaking up all of this information. He knew very little about armaments outside of Earth-ranked ones. He felt this would be vastly beneficial for his future cultivation.

    "To be ranked as Earth-rank is simple and only requires a well-crafted base and some additional formations embedded within. The Spirit Form is what every earth rank armamentcks. A Spirit Form is the initial development of a True Spirit, an artificial soul. The Spirit Form could operate formations to its highest degree amplifying the characteristics of the armament, but itcks any form of advanced intelligence. When an armament has a Spirit Form, it can be ssified as a Sky-rank Armament."

    "After the Spirit Form develops advanced intelligence, sentience and even the ability to cultivate does it be a True Spirit. Its physical body would be the armament, and its True Spirit would represent its soul. This means they wouldn¡¯t be any different from you or me in terms of their ability to think and grow. They develop unique abilities based on their circumstances of birth and cultivate to improve their grade. This is an indication of them being at the Spirit-rank. When the True Spirit evolves and bes a Spirit World, only then does it be a World-rank armament."

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes were widened in absolute shock. A living armament? He had never considered that possibility. He digested all the information he was just given and cross-referenced what he knew with the situation that he was in.

    "This grey light has an odd life fluctuation, likely because it originates from an armament and not an organic body. It¡¯s possible...that only I can perceive it due to myprehension of lifews, and perhaps my high soul cultivation." He came to the conclusion that this must be a spirit-rank armament or higher.

    However, that begs the question: Why was it here?

    "Can you reach it?" Tao inquired, now calm once more. In the cultivation world, the rank of a weapon didn¡¯t indicate its raw strength but its capabilities in general. Therefore, it¡¯s entirely possible for this armament to be invaluable to anyone. The sheer number of resources required to develop an armament with a True Spirit was truly exceptional.

    The majority of cultivators in the Xiantu Realm used earth-rank. Even Origin Core Realm experts used earth-rank, top-grade armaments. Only a scant number of them had sky-rank armaments due to the difficulty in creating an artificial soul stable enough to operate formations.

    Yan Zaizen took a deep breath to contain his excitement. "I¡¯ll try."

    He flew over towards the wall, cautiously getting closer. As he did, he realized the sensation of life was getting more distinct. It kept increasing until he reached the wall.

    "It¡¯s in the wall?" He muttered in surprise. If that¡¯s the case, it made sense why it wasn¡¯t discovered if others explored this area before. Perhaps they didn¡¯t have a high cultivation base, but they would definitely discover it if something was sticking outside or on the wall.

    He gently ced his palm on the wall and could feel the cold earth. A sh of silver-blue light formted a sharp tendril, lighting up the dark area. The tendril pierced into the earthly wall and drilling until it reached the grey lifeforce, and then it attempted to wrap around it.

    BOOM!!!

    "Arrrgh!!" Yan Zaizen screamed suddenly, causing Tao to be startled. However, it was brief, and then Yan Zaizen simply stood there nkly. Tao arrived next to him, attempting to see what happened, but he found out that Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes were closed. Despite this, his silver-blue energy was still surrounding him enabling his flight. The tendril was still drilled into the wall, and his lifeforce was vibrant as always.

    "Damage to the soul?" He thought but quickly dismissed the idea. Soul damage would cause soul energy to be unstable, but Yan Zaizen¡¯s soul energy tendril was stable. Something must¡¯ve happened that jolted Yan Zaizen to his current state.

    While Tao was curious about Yan Zaizen¡¯s predicament, Yan Zaizen himself was in an entirely different world. It felt like a sea of consciousness, but it waspletely grey in color. When he arrived, he arrived in soul form. His eyes held ck endlessness, his be swirled, an infinite number of white motes of light swam within it, a white me and inky ck orb danced around each other while a silver-copy of Yan Zaizen stood there in inactivity - as if it¡¯ll never falter.

    "Such an odd soul form!" A womanly voice shouted with surprise. This voice resounded from all directions making it quite difficult to pinpoint its origin.

    Yan Zaizen was startled, looking around to see only grey in the surroundings. "Where am I?" He asked the voice. Despite the sudden situation, he was remarkablyposed. He analyzed what had just happened. His soul came into contact with another, it dragged his soul form from his body, but he could still feel the connection with his physical body. It didn¡¯t feel like his soul form was dragged away, but more so that it merged into another sea of consciousness.

    "You¡¯re in my consciousness." The womanly voice stated. This voice was calm, steady, and strong. It felt like it originated from a leader or noblewoman of a country. It didn¡¯t contain an innate authority, but more so a gentle serenity.

    "Why?" He inquired with furrowed brows.

    "..." The voice didn¡¯t respond.

    Encountering this, Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t panic. Instead, he started to think more about the situation till an idea struck him. "You¡¯re dying?"

    "..."

    "..."

    "I am." She responded after a while, her voice still calm.

    "Are you an armament?"

    "Yes, I am."

    "Spirit-rank?"

    "Yes."

    "Your name?" He inquired. From her t replies andck of a violent response to his appearance, it seemed his intrusion into her sea of consciousness was willing on her part. In the cultivation world, especially in the Deep Mines, many people rarely do a thing without some form of benefit to themselves. If she allowed him in, she undoubtedly wanted something.

    "I¡¯ve been known by many names over the years. You can call me...Pinaka."

 Chapter 63 Pinaka, The Wayward Bow

    "Pinaka?" Yan Zaizen felt the name itself was strange by his world¡¯s standards, but thinking about it, an armament¡¯s name is determined by its owner. What right did he have to say the name was strange?

    "Does this name bother you?" The voice resounded, obviously dissatisfied with Yan Zaizen¡¯s tone.

    He only chuckled lightly at her question. In truth, it didn¡¯t bother him as much as it spiked his curiosity. Regardless, he wasn¡¯t going to try to get into it with this spirit. "Do you not have a form?" He responded with a question instead, avoiding hers.

    Suddenly, in front of Yan Zaizen, grey misty wisps gathered. They continued gathering until they formted a humanoid-shape, and then continued to be further defined. The height of this spirit was simr his own, but its shape was womanly. It developed graceful curves, a slender waist, voluptuous breasts, and perk buttocks. It was the image of a woman with all of its extraordinary traits many men dream of.

    The spirit kept forming until its appearance solidified into that of a grey-robed woman with jade-like skin, grey eyes, and dull silver hair. Her lips looked semi-full with a soft glisten to it. Surprisingly, Yan Zaizen wasn¡¯t filled with sexual desire when he stared at her. Instead, he felt an abundance of curiosity.

    It wasn¡¯t that he didn¡¯t find this gorgeous woman attractive, but his thoughts were focused elsewhere. The time in the Deep Mines shaped him differently, and he didn¡¯t treat beauty as his main trait of desire in a woman. A trait he desired, but not one he desperately needed. In his youth, Ya Qinqan was beautiful to him, and yet the him now wouldn¡¯t select her as his ideal woman.

    Pinaka saw Yan Zaizen¡¯s innocent eyes at her form and couldn¡¯t help but be surprised. Typically, when she roamed the realms before, any individual who truly saw her form would growscivious. Had her charms dwindled due to the time or did she find a man who had different preferences?

    "You¡¯ve let me in for a reason. You¡¯re going to exin?" Yan Zaizen patiently asked.

    Pinaka realized that this boy seemed to possess a calm mind, this was worthy of her appreciation. "You were right. I¡¯m dying. I need your help. I need your soul energy." She exined.

    Soul energy? It seems that Spirit-rank armaments feed off soul energy. If one thought about it, it made sense considering their forms. "Couldn¡¯t you simply take it?" Yan Zaizen asked. In truth, he realized he wasn¡¯t a match for this woman in terms of the soul. She pulled his soul form into her sea of consciousness almost instantly, and he couldn¡¯t do a single thing to fight it off. If she wanted to take his soul energy, it¡¯s likely she could just absorb his entire soul.

    Pinaka, however, didn¡¯t do this. "You think I¡¯m an idiot?" She responded coldly, her eyes containing some hostility for the first time.

    Yan Zaizen was dumbfounded. Why would she think he was treating her as such?

    Pinaka furrowed her brow, looking at his surprised reaction she doubted herself for a second. After a while, her hostility dissipated and her voice returned to its normal calm. "Your soul is protected. If anyone tries anything, they¡¯ll trigger whatever trap that wasid there."

    What?

    WHAT?!

    A trap in my soul?

    "What do you mean?" He was honestly stupefied. Yan Zaizen has never been conscious of his eliminating beings of unnatural prowess or sending the heavenly light of annihtion running to the hills. This was the first time he was informed that his soul held a trap.

    Pinaka was still calm. "I don¡¯t know the details, but your soul has a trigger. Anyone who¡¯s foolish enough to attempt to forcefully harm your soul would trigger a mechanism. I don¡¯t know what it would do, but I know doing so is suicide. Even if you do not know, that¡¯s the case." She was rather patient with her words, exining in detail, but since she didn¡¯t know the specifics, she simply said what she could.

    Yan Zaizen fell silent for a long while. He softly touched his be. He remembered the ck hole in the Meteor Ring. It looked like his soul forms eyes, and his be looked like it but swirling continuously. He felt an unnatural connection to this swirling ck hole as if it was protecting him. He couldn¡¯t exin such a sensation before, but with Pinaka¡¯s innocent verification, it seems that¡¯s the case. It was protecting him.

    But why?

    "What will I get if I help you?" Realizing that Pinaka won¡¯t take action against him or rather can¡¯t, he decided to get straight to the point. In the world of cultivation, if one wanted something they either must take it or exchange for it.

    Pinaka nodded at this. "If you help me recover, I¡¯ll allow you to use me until then. Afterward, we¡¯ll part ways."

    "Use you?" Yan Zaizen was intrigued. "What are you?"

    "A bow." Pinaka answered tly.

    "I...don¡¯t know how to use a bow."

    "I¡¯ll give you a cultivation method."

    "I don¡¯t have arrows."

    "You don¡¯t need any."

    "How long will it take you to recover?"

    "With your current soul cultivation, a mere one thousand years." She said it as if one thousand years were an insignificant number. After some thought, she added, "However, if you find cultivation materials suitable for the soul, that can be expedited."

    "...Deal, under two conditions." Yan Zaizen wasn¡¯t like he was before, jumping at the heels of every good deal. If it wasn¡¯t for the fact he knew she couldn¡¯t act against him and he wasn¡¯t her match, he¡¯d have left and forced this armament to submit somehow. However, due to this impasse, he decided to agree with a few conditions.

    Pinaka furrowed her brow. She felt obviously dissatisfied she was being bargained with. Despite this, she let Yan Zaizen continue without interjection.

    "One, a soul oath and bond must be established for one thousand years. Total. Even if your recovery is expedited, one thousand years." Yan Zaizen demanded adamantly. A soul oath was an incredibly miraculous urrence. When sworn, two souls be connected and the agreement of the two are settled, if ever broken, the one who broke the oath would have their soul dragged down by the underworld.

    This was different than a heavenly oath, where if one breaks this oath, one¡¯s physical body and soul would be continuously punished for a certain duration. Despite it being a certain duration, barely anyone can survive constant heavenly tribtion but its possible. If a soul oath was broken, their souls would literally be dragged down to a situation simr to hell itself, never being able to reincarnate.

    Pinaka frowned, but she didn¡¯t disagree. In truth, she didn¡¯t have any other choice and therefore no leverage. She could continue waiting, but it¡¯s been over ten thousand years since she arrived here, the chances of someone else with an Aurora Soul and Dao arriving to meet her conditions would be nigh impossible. She needed someone with their own dao to assimte as her own. Her original dao originated from another, but he¡¯s been killed and his dao abolished from existence. She could no longer draw from it.

    Many cultivators in the myriad realms were ignorant of a significant fact about True Spirits. For a Spirit Form to evolve into a True Spirit, a spirit must possess a dao. A dao was aw that existed on its own, one that could theoretically rival and even exceed the heavenlyws. It was the only way an artificial soul that has developed sentience can exist underneath the heavens. Due to the fact that she no longer could draw from a dao, the heavens would smite her with Heavenly Annihtion Light if she ever decided to reveal herself, as she would be ssified as an abhorrent existence it could not tolerate.

    "Two, don¡¯t ever lie to me." He stared at her, his eyes calm.

    Pinaka eyes widened a little. She thought about it and then nodded in acquiescence.

    "Great! Yan Zaizen, it¡¯s a pleasure to meet you. I hope we¡¯ll be good partners." His mood changed for the better, and when he looked at her there was a little excitement in his eyes.

    "Pinaka, the Wayward Bow. Likewise."

 Chapter 64 Rudras Archery of Pralaya

    After swearing the Soul Oath, Yan Zaizen felt a little more assured facing this grey-robed beauty. Initially, he was skeptical of her intentions. He had been schemed against and attacked from angles of all kinds during his journey thus far, how could he not be? However, with the oath sworn, there was very little to be wary of.

    Pinaka could sense Yan Zaizen¡¯s change in disposition towards her. She found this boy interesting, especially one so young to have his soul cultivation, soul protection, and innate calmness. She¡¯s seen many geniuses and talented warriors in her day, but this boy gave her a unique and fresh feeling. It was quite odd.

    "Now. We need to establish a Dao Link." She stated.

    "Dao Link?" At first, he was confused, but then he recalled what Tao had informed him before. The dao could be transmitted to others, allowing them to be stronger, and it could amplify cultivation of all forms. It held miraculous qualities, but he didn¡¯t know how one could take another¡¯s dao as their own.

    Pinaka realized this, "A Dao Link is simple." She held out her hand, "Grab my hand, and channel your dao through your soul." Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t hesitate. He held onto Pinaka¡¯s hand delicately, but when he felt her soul form, he was bewildered. As a soul form, one typically doesn¡¯t give off any heat signature or feel temperatures for that matter, but he felt like a cool-breeze was caressing his hand constantly.

    Whoosh!

    A sound urred, and Yan Zaizen felt a mysterious connection within his soul. This connection attempted to reach inside of him and grab hold of one of the infinite motes of white light within his soul form.

    "Give me ess to a piece of your dao. Deliver it through yourself and into my hand." Pinaka instructed calmly. She wasn¡¯t bothered by how Yan Zaizen held her hand.

    "Okay." He responded. A mote of white light within his soul form was isted. This mote of light started to shine brightly, and he could feel a feeling quite simr to when heprehended his threews. The mote he¡¯d isted felt close, but the others were exceptionally distant and unreachable.

    "This is...incredible!" He remarked. Originally, he had a theory that the dao andw were closely rted, and it seemed to be the case. If he could gain ess to the innumerable amount of light like this one, could he gainplete mastery of his dao? Would it be the same as mastering everyw under the heavens?!

    "Send it," Pinaka instructed with a little impatience. Jolted back from his random thoughts, he controlled this isted mote of light and steered it through his soul form. It reached his arm, his hand, to his fingers, and then into Pinaka¡¯s soul form. The moment itnded inside Pinaka¡¯s soul form, she released a moan that left one¡¯s imagination in the wild.

    She breathed in a wad of air, her eyes closed, and her soul form lighting up with a white light. Almost immediately, her dull silver hair transformed to a white color, and her eyes and robe turned bright silver. She seemed to have undergone a slight change of existence.

    "You..." Yan Zaizen could feel an intimate connection with her. It felt like she was a part of him. "What happened?" He couldn¡¯t hold back his curiosity as he asked.

    Pinaka¡¯s originally calm expression turned imperialistic and dominant, she was filled with confidence and an unyielding aura. It was a stark difference from her calm and near emotionless state from before. She looked at her robe and hair. The difference wasn¡¯t much, but it left her sighing. That confident gaze turned towards Yan Zaizen, "Your dao is very tyrannical, you know. Who would¡¯ve thought someone so calm outwardly would be so concealed inwardly. Truly wondrous."

    Yan Zaizen felt a little embarrassed at her words but gathered some clues as to what happened to her. It seemed like her soul form was highly dependant on the dao of her user, and since she took his dao that held imperial tyranny and an unyielding confidence, her soul form took those characteristics.

    In the Deep Mines, not once did he believe he was going to die there. When he was trapped in the chaotic space, he didn¡¯t give up because he couldn¡¯t. When his way was being barred by two ns, he forced his way through with sheer violence. A dao is shaped by one¡¯s experiences, this is what Tao said. He truly believed it now.

    "Haha, so what now?" Figuring it out, he decided to try to speed this along. He did have to escape the Deep Mines after all. Pinaka gave a soft snort at his actions, obviously affected by the imperialistic dao she¡¯d just taken in.

    "I promised you a cultivation method to use. After I give you that, I¡¯ll stay within your soul form. I can directly absorb your soul energy to help myself recover." She stated. Yan Zaizen was surprised, but then thought of the situation. What if she took a majority of his soul energy and leaving him without the ability to fight?

    Pinaka noticed his thoughts, now being connected with him via his dao, she could tell the type of person he¡¯s likely to develop into and even a fair bit of his thoughts. "You have no need to worry, I won¡¯t take too much. You¡¯ll still be able to use it as you like." Her words reassured, but she contained a little bit of disdain as if his thoughts were beneath her. Feeling herself disy this trace of disdain, she frowned. Yan Zaizen¡¯s dao did affect her personality, but it didn¡¯t determine it. She still had her own. Before this disy of disdain would be concealed deeply, but now it was hard to do so.

    Yan Zaizen saw the disdain in her eyes and couldn¡¯t help butugh. She reminded him of those cold beauties who fought beside the heroes in stories. "Alright. What¡¯s this cultivation method?" He inquired.

    "It¡¯s called the Rudra¡¯s Archery of Prya. It¡¯s a cultivation method, but it does not contain arts. You¡¯ll have to figure out that by yourself, as your dao is unlikely to match the arts I know." She stated, extending her right index finger, she ced it on Yan Zaizen¡¯s soul form¡¯s chest. A mote of grey light shot out from the tip and into his soul form. It then traveled throughout his soul form before returning back to her fingertip.

    When he saw this, his eyes widened. This was exactly like the Immortal Herculean Method from before. The book turned into motes of light and gave him information in regards to the cultivation method. This time wasn¡¯t much different, and he could feel some information funnel into his mind as if it was always there.

    "Archery of Prya. One Bow, Pure Destruction. One Arrow, Annihte All." He waspletely stunned.

    "This...this is a cultivation method of a conceptualw!!!" Not once, not ever, has hee across a cultivation method that trains into a conceptualw. The main reason for thisck of cultivation arts that practice conceptualws were due to the requirements to create one. To produce a cultivation method such as this, one needed to reach the Sovereign Level of understanding in one¡¯sw! Otherwise, how else can you properlyprehend a conceptualw to its zenith and inscribe it for future generations.

    This was like how a white belt in karate wouldn¡¯t be able to describe how to properly kick a person once and incapacitate an enemy, but a ck belt would know dozens of different variations to do so and describe it sufficiently enough to instruct others with very little error.

    Pinaka shook her head, her eyes once more filled with disdain she couldn¡¯t conceal. A sh of white light erupted from her and she entered Yan Zaizen¡¯s soul form. The sea of consciousness they were in started to be sucked into his soul form, and almost immediately he was propelled out and back into his body.

    Tao had been waiting for hours at this point. Yan Zaizen had essentially turned into stone, unwilling to move, and unable to be moved. It was odd. When he tried to investigate, a silver-blue light sparked and sent him flying. He actually got sent nearly three li downwards before being able to stop himself. Seems like Yan Zaizen¡¯s current state had a defensive mechanism set up. He even tried to investigate a few more times but to no avail.

    Yan Zaizen finally awoke, looking towards the wary Tao who seemed to be a little worse for wear. "What happened to you?" He couldn¡¯t help but ask. Tao chuckled embarrassedly avoiding the conversation, "Just been messing around. What happened to you?"

    "A Spirit-Rank Armament by the name of Pinaka, the Wayward Bow, asked me for my help. I¡¯ve agreed, and now she¡¯s resting in my soul." He replied calmly. Tao was stunned. One can get a Spirit-Rank Armament with just that? Seeing his reaction, Yan Zaizen couldn¡¯t help butugh. "Well, I think it¡¯s time we leave." He looked upwards at the endless darkness, but his gaze seemed to prate through it all to outside.

    "Yes, lets!" Tao was excited.

 Chapter 65 Unexpectedly Calm Escape

    They flew upwards, bypassing all of the miners and overseers of the Deep Mines. Surprisingly, they weren¡¯t stopped. At first, Yan Zaizen found this strange, but after thinking a little bit about the matter, it made sense. The overseers don¡¯t expect anyone but officials to be well-dressed and flying within the mines. Considering the time and his actions of essentially murdering the overseer, he expected that there would be individuals who would be on the lookout for them.

    It was likewyers walking about in a prison, no one expected them to be there or knew why they were there, so they just let them leave whenever they wished.

    They did investigate for days, actually. However, when they learned that Yan Zaizen and Tao had descended downwards like fools, they just assumed they were dead and continued onwards with their respective duties. It¡¯s been nearly ten days since that incident, so the two of them didn¡¯t have any interference.

    Tao figured out the situation as well, realizing that it¡¯s incredibly likely they¡¯ll simply be able to just fly out and away without a single individual moving to stop them. "Where will we go after? The Imperial Pce?" He inquired. He was truly interested in Yan Zaizen¡¯s course of action after their escape.

    Yan Zaizen was silent for a long moment. He knew that going to the Imperial Pce would be suicide. When he first arrived, he felt an intense rage and an aggressive impulse for revenge, but after deducing the identity of the woman who sent him here and the Imperial Pce¡¯s general strength, he decided against it. Even after he realized his soul cultivation had jumped an entire stage, he didn¡¯t dare act rashly.

    ording to cultivation strength, his Advanced Aurora Soul strength would ce him at the initial/mid-True Essence Realm. However, that¡¯s only his soul attacks. His corporeal telekic maniption would only rival a peak-Origin Core Realm, and this wasn¡¯t enough. Perhaps an Origin Core Cultivator was a powerhouse in Presba, but the peak powers of the Four Countries were at the True Essence Realm.

    If he decided to attack alone with his current strength, he would be bombarded with formations filled with Origin Core Experts, elites at the True Essence Realm, and sheer numbers all outfitted with extraordinary armaments. If he did that, perhaps he¡¯ll be able to kill many, but escaping would be a different matter entirely. He didn¡¯t believe something would fall out of the sky and help him at thest second to escape, not to mention, he had more pressing issues.

    THAT OLD BITCH!

    If it wasn¡¯t for her, he wouldn¡¯t have been ced in hell on earth working like a ve for two years. He would be home, and Wu Yuanxu would still be alive. He swore he would make her regret her very existence, and eliminate the roots!

    "We need to go back to Presba." He stated calmly. Tao wasn¡¯t surprised, nodding lightly in response. He knew that Yan Zaizen was sent to Chaotic Space by a conniving woman and even killed one of his friends in front of him. Sure, the imperial pce was closer, but it was more fortified and held an unknown amount of hidden strength. It would be foolish to attack it head-on.

    "I¡¯ll find some way to get that woman outside of the pce when I return, then I¡¯ll kill her." He coldly said. After learning from Tao¡¯s stories of other events simr to his, he knew that attacking the pce for one girl was ridiculous. That didn¡¯t mean he was going to let her off. He simply needed to wait for her to leave, take action then, and be decisive.

    "She¡¯ll likely be a participant in the Xiantu Dao Trials," Tao stated.

    The Xiantu Dao Trial was a trial set up by the Xiantu Empire, the ruler of this realm, and they hold it every century. All those under four hundred years will be allowed to participate, but it was quite bloody with an exceptionally high mortality rate. The ones who do well in the trial would be given extraordinary rewards, the possibility of a position in the Xiantu Empire, and most important of all, obtain the Dao of the Xiantu Emperor.

    Of course, all the members of the royal family from all the countries and even geniuses from the myriad inds would gather as well.

    It may be a perilous venture for those without backing, but for those with it, it was quite safe. If you were to publically take action against someone, you must be ready to deal with the retaliation. When Yan Zaizen heard this, he shook his head decisively.

    Perhaps this would be a suitable path for others, but it wasn¡¯t for him. He needed to kill the woman without being discovered, or else his grandfather and the people he cared about would be harmed. It would be better if they believed he was dead until he decided otherwise. That was a small reason. The true reason for his refusal was time. It was going to be held in 43 years - he couldn¡¯t wait that long.

    "I¡¯ll find some other way."

    They finally saw the opening of the Deep Mines as they continued their ascension. The Deep Mines God Formation was rotating slowly above them. Stopping, they noticed that at the edges of the holes were numerous individuals who were being taken out of their carriages and ced within flight boxes. This brought back Yan Zaizen to when he first arrived. He was taken off a carriage and ced in one of those flight boxes, taken down to the deep mines, and forced to work under the threat of death.

    He had an impulsive desire to turn everything into chaos. However, through gritted teeth, he held back this impulse. Tao informed him previously of the cruel reality of Grux. Due to overpoption, very will always be a matter. A few thousands of years ago, Grux had a revolution for freedom in regards to very and the cruelness of it. The ones leading the revolution won.

    This, however, left them with an even greater issue. very no longer existed, and thus there were no horrendous work conditions forced on others. This, however, caused the country¡¯s total yield of wealth to drop by a startling 90%. Why would people work harshly if they no longer needed to? Could they simply focus on cultivation and live longer lives by breaking-through to higher realms? The low yield meant low trades for cultivation resources.

    Without very, violence and greed ran rampant as resources became insufficient to support the new age of cultivators. Vicious wars were started easily, and people ughtered each other decisively. It swiftly turned into a chaotic country filled with death and disorder. Freedom brought that, freedom to choose to cultivate freely. The current rulers of Grux were actually the ones who won the revolution. They re-established very, but with better conditions than before. This seemed to have settled the issue.

    However, a few idealists who seemed to have forgotten history still resist, trying to lead a rebellion against very. For other countries, very may be oppressive, but due to the sheer number of people and hard to obtain resources in Grux, without it, lives would be ended over small matters. Wars would be started overnd, wealth, and innocents would be ughtered viciously. Now, any war that urs, the innocents are given absolute safety and priority. They were seen as objects and tools but still protected by all, even criminals.

    You don¡¯t rob people of their lives for wealth in Grux.

    You rob people of their people.

    This caused a unique dynamic to be created within the country. Therefore, Yan Zaizen resisted the temptation to act. It would bring very little good in doing so.

    Taking a deep breath, he looked away towards the sky. "We¡¯ve finally left. Let¡¯s go." Tao nodded in reply. They both flew away, with Tao possessing the cultivation of a half-step Origin Core, none of the guards thought it was suspicious that they were simply passing. It wasn¡¯t long before the Deep Mines were behind them, and the future before them.

 Chapter 66 Learning Archery, Issues Arise!

    Within the skyship, Tao manned the helm while leisurely piloting it across the skies. At the edge of the skyship, Yan Zaizen wielded a bow in hand and arrow nocked. He aimed it outwards towards the fast moving surroundings, steadily focusing his concentration and breathing.

    It¡¯s been two weeks since their escape from Grux. During this time, Tao recovered to his peak state and reimed his half-step Origin Core Cultivation, while Yan Zaizen had been practicing archery without pause. He was pleasantly surprised when he found a high-grade bow and a few arrows in the Ying n¡¯s spatial ring. With these, he could practice the basics on a bow that wasn¡¯t Pinaka.

    The Rudra¡¯s Archery of Prya was a Conceptual Law Cultivation Method that instructed how to connect and develop the Archery of Pure Destruction. It focused on sheer offensive power and speed to the absolute maximum. Most archery styles would focus on uracy or tricks such as curving, spinning or rapid fire, but this conceptualw focused on the concept of ¡¯One Arrow, Annihte All.¡¯

    His body was turned sideways, legs spread apart, the arrow fully nocked into a half-moon shape, his hand held the bowstring and arrow in a mongolian draw, his head facing the arrow¡¯s point, and his breathing steady. For thest three days, Yan Zaizen has been in this position. The cultivation method is all about stimting the string of the bow, increasing its draw weight, infusing one¡¯s qi into the arrow, and when released the speed and power of the arrow would be highly dependant on the individual¡¯s strength. The qi infused would contain traces of the conceptualw thereby giving it even greater destructive abilities.

    This undoubtedly required a strong bow and body to execute. If the bow was too weak, it would copse due to the stimtion, but if your body was too weak then the task of holding it at its peak would be far too straining. So without both, you may be able to execute the style of archery, but it wouldn¡¯t be at its peak.

    One thing that Yan Zaizen found especially annoying about this was that uracy is dependant on individual skill. This requires constant practice, not to mention the establishment of the correct form. As forprehending thew of Archery, it was likely the easiest for him. As time passed over the two weeks, he had alreadye into contact with the Archery of Pure Destruction.

    Thew of Archery was only a mortalw, but it was still impressive to learn it within ten days. Earlier, when heprehended it, he couldn¡¯t help but marvel at his own personal genius. His ability toprehendws was astoundingly high. Thew of life, death, space, and now archery.

    It¡¯s unfortunate the Yan n didn¡¯t test one¡¯swprehension talent. If they did, wouldn¡¯t they have discovered his talents long ago?

    A small rocky mountain appeared in the distance. On the skyship, the surroundings may be moving fast, but with Yan Zaizen¡¯s spiritual sense, he could scan for tens of li in distance, let alone perceive properly in a vessel.

    He softly breathed in, and then out.

    RELEASE!

    The arrow was let loose from the bow, firing at iprehensible speeds to the point where it looked like a line shadow as it cut through the air. The arrow was creating a meteoric reaction as if piercing through the atmosphere, it formed a visible air-cap that seemed to be slightly brimming with destructive light. However, before the arrow could reach the mountain, it suffered an ation and disintegrated into dust.

    The residual destructive force continued unabated and collided with the mountain, causing a huge explosion that prated a hole from end to end. When Yan Zaizen witnessed this, he couldn¡¯t help but sigh.

    "Pinaka was right." He couldn¡¯t help but say dejectedly despite the obvious power of his arrow. Originally, when he was practicing, Pinaka didn¡¯t have any issues to bring up, but when heprehended the conceptualw as well as used the method of cultivation, she informed him that the arrow would be unable to hold up to the physical force. His vital energies were at thete-Qi Unification Realm, but in terms of his physical attributes, even Tao could only handle a few blows of his.

    "With my physique being able to rival the Origin Core Realm, the strain from the destructive qi that could be withstood at peak release is too high. The bow and arrow cannot handle it." He looked at the bow and saw a myriad of cracks on its surface. Initially, Yan Zaizen could fire fairly consistently without much damage, but now, he would be lucky if he could get two shots off. What¡¯s worse, if he incorporated his dao to amplify its effects, the bow would copse right then and there.

    He believed, at peak strength, he could kill a group of initial-Origin Core Cultivators with a single arrow.

    However, the bow¡¯s resistance wasn¡¯t the only issue. It was the umtion of weight and power. Currently, his cultivation was at the peak-Essence Formation Realm, so to umte enough weight and power required too much time to be effective in practical battle. If it wasn¡¯t for his foundational realms ¡ª Dantian Refinement & Pathway Expansion ¡ª being at the peak-stage, it¡¯s unlikely for him to be able to even reach peak power.

    If he had a higher cultivation, he could reach peak power quicker. He couldn¡¯t help but sigh.

    Tao looked back at themotion, seeing Yan Zaizen have issues people could only dream about, he couldn¡¯t help but chuckle. "You know, to solve your problem, just increase your qi-cultivation." He couldn¡¯t help but remark casually. He then added, "Or use Pinaka, didn¡¯t she say you wouldn¡¯t have this issue with her?"

    Pinaka was a spirit-rank bow that could produce arrows from essence in the surroundings at iprehensible speeds, solidify it to a crystal state, and thus there would be a lot less strain as its resilience would be top-notch. However, The Archery of Prya required qi to increase the draw weight of the bow in ordance with the conceptualw as well as into the arrow for maximum speed and power. Even with Pinaka, he still would be slow due to hisckluster qi cultivation base.

    This was an aspect of a majority ofws and why qi cultivation was the most effective way to bring out its strength. Laws originate from the heavens, and the world within the heavens produces essence, to cultivate qi, you convert this essence into your own for usage. Due to this, the energy source that¡¯s most efficient and effective withws was qi.

    This was true for allws. However,ws like the Unyielding me of Life that consumes a source to produce another force or any type of me-basedw, wouldn¡¯t have this particr weakness. They¡¯re capable of siphoning from all sources of its wielder¡¯s energy, including vital energy, and producing an equal effect regardless.

    Dejected, Yan Zaizen stored away the near-copsed bow and made way towards the helm. "I know. However, the Ying n¡¯s resources are finite. With powering the skyship, we don¡¯t have much essence left. A majority of its wealth are items, armaments, or raw materials which aren¡¯t beneficial for cultivation." He stated, detailing his dilemma.

    The Ying n¡¯s resources were abundant but put into use for qi cultivation, they weren¡¯t sufficient after the skyship and Tao¡¯s full recovery. "We need to sell off some of these materials for liquid essence." Yan Zaizen said with a hint of impatience. Ever since he realized that his qi cultivation base was his issue, he couldn¡¯t help but feel irritated.

    Tao chuckled, "Xi¨¡o City is only a day away. We¡¯ll be able to unload your materials for essence and buy some pills for cultivation as well. Not to mention, it has a spatial tform we could use."

    Xi¨¡o City was simr to Sky Titan City of the Earthly Titan Territory, it was a hotpot of many different forces but the most notable difference was that it focused on alchemy, armaments, and essence exchange. It was the most suitable location for purchasing a variety of pills, elixirs, or essence. In the entire Grux Country, Xi¨¡o City was the capital for cultivation purchases by the upper-echelon.

    It¡¯s even rumored that it has a True Essence Cultivator by the name of Xi¨¡o that governs the city. It¡¯s due to this that the city is iparable to Sky Titan City. Earthly Titan Sect may be a first-tier force, but if you asked if they had a True Essence cultivator, they would have none. Only Imperial-tier forces would have True Essence Realm experts that neared four or five.

    It was due to this that Tao felt quite rxed after knowing Yan Zaizen¡¯s soul cultivation. When Yan Zaizen was at the Initial Aurora Soul Realm, he was a powerhouse of the entire continent. Now, his soul cultivation reached the Advanced Aurora Soul Realm, essentially making him a peak power among the entire continent. What should he be wary of? Not to mention, Yan Zaizen had his own dao!

    Who did he have to fear?! They could walk sideways and everyone could only apuse.

 Chapter 67 Xiè†©o City

    Xi¨¡o City was truly beautiful. At its center was an emerald mountain that touched the clouds, around this mountain was a myriad of different pces that seemed like residences of immortals, and at its peak was a white-gold pce that seemed grander than them all. Atop this grand pce was arge character (÷Ì) that meant mountain spirit. It softly throbbed like a heart, and gave the entire mountain a sensation of living.

    Around the mountain were numerous buildings of varying heights, small andrge courtyards, many different shops, and a vast number of people. It truly gave one to an understanding of a lively city with picturesque scenery.

    "Xi¨¡o City truly lives up to its name. It feels like the mountain is alive." Yan Zaizenmented. Tao flew towards the city at a slower speed, making way towards its entrance. Unlike Sky Titan City, Xi¨¡o City had norge gates or walls to defend it, but rather small ones that only risen about ten meters. Despite this, no one would underestimate this city¡¯s defenses. Atop that mountain likely lived a True Essence Cultivator.

    "In more ways than one," Tao said with reverence clear in his gaze. "The mountain actually has a spirit. The entire mountain is a sky-rank armament!" Tao added.

    "What?!" Yan Zaizen was startled. A sky-rank armament meant it possessed a spirit form, and in many ways truly did indicate that the mountain had a spirit. However, how could an armament be a mountain?! This shocked him into an eye-opening reality. His horizons were truly widened today.

    "Do you know what it can it do?" He asked curiously.

    "It¡¯s not truly a secret. It¡¯s primarily a defensive armament that can erect a shield, but it can also release a tremor like sound wave that could affect the soul of others." Tao exined. After contemting for a bit, he added, "But, even if it was used against you, it¡¯s unlikely to affect you."

    Yan Zaizen nodded lightly in response.

    They swiftly arrived at the gate, where the skyship was promptly stored, and they made their way towards the gates. Surprisingly, it didn¡¯t have an intricate system to gain ess, unlike Sky Titan City. One simply needed to pay a small fee before entering. It seems the city didn¡¯t need to screen people closely due to the sheer deterrence factor a mountain armament and True Essence expert brings.

    "Are you familiar with the city?" Yan Zaizen turned to Tao who seemed to be overly excited, looking about with his signature pearly white smile.

    "Familiar? Of course! Xi¨¡o City is far too famous, and anyone who¡¯ve attempted to breakthrough into the Qi Unification Realm woulde here for additional support. Well, if they can. I came here about five hundred years ago, and it still looks great, no, even better!" Tao exined. Yan Zaizen recalled that Tao was about 700 years old, and couldn¡¯t help but think he¡¯s a little too old.

    As if he saw through Yan Zaizen¡¯s thoughts, he said with a little scoff, "You¡¯re just a monster, an oddity, a freak! I¡¯ll have you know, I¡¯m rather young for my cultivation. The average lifespan of a Qi Unification Cultivator is about twelve hundred years, let alone an Origin Core Realm Cultivator. I reached the Qi Unification Realm at two hundred and did it from the bottom." His exnation was greatly defensive as if insulting his age insulted his whole life of cultivation.

    Yan Zaizen chuckled softly in response. However, he knew what Tao said was the truth. Even Yan Jinzen was only at the initial-Essence Formation Realm at 16, so was Ya Qinqan, and they could be ssified as top-grade amongst second tier forces. The only reason his cultivation exploded was due to him using an essence crystal, the conversion rate for qi-essence was reduced considerably as it wasn¡¯t even needed with crystals. Even he didn¡¯t expect his cultivation to rise so quickly till he discovered its effects.

    Now, he was 19 years old, and Yan Jinzen was the same. If you calcted him entering the Soaring Cloud Sect with his talent and possibly bing an inner court disciple, then he¡¯ll likely be at the mid-Essence Formation Realm. If it was a first-tier force while being the top-rated disciple, then it¡¯s likely they would be at thete/peak-Essence Formation Realm. As for grand or imperial-tier force? Even he wasn¡¯t sure. Perhaps Qi Unification Realm.

    The reason he couldn¡¯t calcte it was due to the Foundational Realms and the time spent there by each individual cultivator was different.

    "So, where do we go?" Yan Zaizen asked, trying to change the subject.

    "To the Xi¨¡o Emporium! With my cultivation, it wouldn¡¯t be hard to enter. There, they sell all types of things, from armaments to pills, to arts! It¡¯s also the fairest when you sell amongst the many shops, but it¡¯s also incredibly difficult to enter." Tao said, pointing towards a tall, rectangr building that seemed to have seven floors and outfitted greatly. It was vast, and even Yan Zaizen could see it from the entrance.

    It reminded him of the Great Serpentine Emporium in Xuanwu City. Thinking up to here, he took out his Anima Syndicate Medallion. Surprisingly, Xi¨¡o City had a headquarters here. Does this mean that if one hid in the Xi¨¡o City, they would be protected by its True Essence expert? Could it be the True Essence expert was apart of the Anima Syndicate?

    These thoughts fluttered about, but he soon put them away and stored away the medallion. He became lost in thought as he remembered Wu Yuanxu.

    "What did you say?" Tao asked someone who was casually talking with a friend of theirs in the street. The person was a middle-aged man with ate-Essence Formation cultivation, so when he saw Tao¡¯s attire and cultivation he couldn¡¯t see through, he immediately took a respectful stance.

    "Sir, I said that Prince Ren was at the Xi¨¡o Emporium." This middle-aged man answered.

    Tao flicked his sleeve causing the middle-aged man to jump in fright, "No! Not that, the other thing!"

    "Uh...that Lady Su, Lady Di, and Lady Bao was apanying him." The man was shaking. Tao¡¯s aura leaked due to his impatience and revealed he was at the half-step Origin Core. With this cultivation, a palm p can turn him to mush. How could he not be scared?

    Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t mind Tao¡¯s escapades until ¡¯Lady Di¡¯ was mentioned. His eyes flickered with a murderous light as he turned towards the middle-aged man. However, Tao gave him a look of to remain calm and then continued to question the middle-aged man.

    "Why are they here?"

    "Uh...Prince Ren is purchasing an Origin Consolidation Pill at the Xi¨¡o Emporium. The others are apanying him for their own reasons, but I don¡¯t know what for." The movements and actions of people of high status were hard to keep silent, especially when everyone and anyone will recognize you.

    Tao motioned for him to leave with a bottle of low-grade essence drops softlynding on his chest. Typically, for high-ranking cultivators, whenever they ask lower-level cultivators for something, they would reward them if they do their jobs satisfactory. It was one of those unofficial rules of cultivation. It was because of this that many cultivators hope to be stopped by stronger cultivators for help or questions.

    This was something even Yan Zaizen knew of. It was like a general rule of cultivation that was never said but always followed. Only those who were dirt poor or stingy beyondpare would ask for something and give nothing in return.

    Tao¡¯s expression was solemn. "An Origin Consolidation Pill is a pill that pretty much guarantees one a breakthrough into the Origin Core Realm if they¡¯re in the half-step." He exined, but continued, "Lady Di is the daughter of the Imperial Commander of Grux, while the others statuses are somewhat simr. What do you think?"

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s wore a cold grin and his eyes suffused with killing intent, "It seems the heavens are helping me! Hahahaha!!!" He couldn¡¯t help butugh loudly, but to all those who heard it, they felt a chill run through their spines.

 Chapter 68 Start of a Scheme

    Yan Zaizen and Tao resided in a restaurant called the Blue Lagoon. On the table, several empty bowls and wine bottles were scattered about. One could tell they¡¯ve been here for hours discussing. "What do you think?" Yan Zaizen inquired Tao¡¯s opinion through soul transmission. Their discussion was held privately so that no one could overhear.

    Tao had a solemn expression and his eyes flickered with traces of contemtion. After a long moment, he slightly nodded in response. "I think it¡¯ll work."

    Yan Zaizen leaned back in his chair and smiled with confidence. "Then, we¡¯ll do it." He was quite confident in his devised n.

    "However," Tao said revealing a cautious gaze, "If we¡¯re discovered, it could mean the Yan n could be destroyed as a result, and we would be enemies of Grux."

    Yan Zaizen snorted softly, "If they have the ability. Without their formations set up at the Imperial Pce, I don¡¯t fear them." Despite saying this, he was still cautious of the hidden forces of the Imperial Pce of Grux. How could he not be?

    "Then, we¡¯ll need to take action immediately after they leave the city. If it works, it¡¯s likely we won¡¯t have to worry about anything for quite a while." Tao stated, his expression was no longer solemn but had a look of calm resolve instead.

    Nodding in response, Yan Zaizen instructed, "Go to the Emporium, sell off the things, I¡¯ll keep watch outside the city." With that, he got up and took his leave. Tao simply nodded and took off as well.

    -----------------------------------------

    Several days passed since that discussion.

    At the outskirts of Xi¨¡o City was a group of eloquently dressed individuals. They gave off an aura of royalty and status.

    "Prince Ren, shall I prepare the skyship?" A middle-aged woman asked respectfully. Besides her was a handsome young man with ck hair, auburn eyes, an extraordinary physique filled with abundant muscles and light bronze skin. He was dressed in a ck and gold martial artist robe with a gold dilong(earth dragon) circling around as if trying to climb the heavens against all odds.

    This was Prince Ren, or Grux Renlong, with the name of the country to indicate his status. Typically, imperial members such as Prince/Princess/High-Ranking Members would have non-traditional n names based on their country of origin. An example would be Lady Di, whose full name was Grux Diyi, even though she was only the daughter of the Imperial Commander. She belonged to the Imperial n but her family line was Yi and not Long like the Emperor.

    "Prepare it." Prince Ren instructed. He took a nce beside him to see three women with different vors. He felt a headache throughout this entire trip. Due to his status and talent, many women were attracted to him like bees to honey, and it irritated him to no end. If it wasn¡¯t for the fact that these three women have families of iparable status within the Empire, he¡¯d have brushed them off long ago. Unfortunately, offending them could hurt his chance of bing Crown Prince. So, he had to grit his teeth and ept the situation.

    He already had someone he loved, but her status wasn¡¯t an appropriate match, and thus he¡¯ll likely have to take her as a concubine unless he bes Crown Prince and do well in the Xiantu Dao Trials. He didn¡¯t wish to ruin his chances of ascending or lowering his status by being engaged to someone without the appropriate status. Thus, he could only stall and focus on the Xiantu Dao Trials.

    He took another nce and saw a young woman beside Lady Di, she was the handmaiden of Lady Di.

    This was the woman which he loved. However, his gaze was concealed and he quickly redirected his focus elsewhere. If something slip, it¡¯s likely that her life would be in danger considering Lady Di¡¯s personality and feelings for him.

    He couldn¡¯t help but inwardly sigh.

    "Prince Ren, obtaining the Origin Consolidation Pill will definitely assure you victory in the Xiantu Dao Trials." A youngdy said. She had short ck hair, soft ck eyes, a lithe figure, and dressed in an elegant robe. She was Lady Su, or Dai Suyan, the daughter of Duke Dai. Her father held an impressive dukedom and ruled with an iron fist. He was a dual cultivator of body and qi, and had a half-step True Essence Cultivation in both, allowing him to rival a True Essence Cultivator.

    It was because of her father¡¯s connections with the City Lord of Xi¨¡o that he was capable of convincing him to create an Origin Consolidating Pill. This pill was extraordinary, pretty much guaranteeing an incredibly stable breakthrough into the Origin Core Realm. Only the City Lord of Xi¨¡o and a few recluses, who were a grand-tier alchemist, would be able to seed in creating it.

    "Even without it, you would still have extraordinary results at the trial, this only makes it more likely for your brilliance to shine." Lady Bao responded, obviously trying to downy the significance of an Origin Consolidation Pill. Her status was the least out of all three, but only because of the authority behind her. Her father was a True Essence Cultivator allied with Grux independently. He didn¡¯t have a massive force,nd, or imperial status.

    She was extraordinarily beautiful with light amethyst hair, a voluptuous and sexy body that would drive many men to insanity and long legs. Simr to Dai Suyan, not possessing the Grux surname, her full name was Bai Baobao.

    An elegant skyship appeared at the entrance awaiting their arrival. It was ck with a golden dilong wrapped around it indicating its status as an imperial vessel, several timesrger than Yan Zaizen¡¯s, and gave off an aura of imperial authority. Comparing the Ying n¡¯s skyship to this would be likeparing a wooden cart to a car, there was just too much of a difference.

    The ship held several dozen Qi Unification Realm cultivators specifically there to upkeep the ship, while four individuals stood side by side peering at the youngsters. Within these groups of four was Elder Lu, the one who interrogated Yan Zaizen before. All four had fluctuations at the Origin Core, and none of them were at the initial-stage.

    Amongst them was the middle-aged woman who spoke to Prince Ren before. She had a calm expression as she waited for Prince Ren to enter the skyship.

    They all entered, continuing their bickering,pliments, and trying to outdo each in verbalbat, but Prince Ren seemed disinterested. As for Lady Di, she was unusually quiet. However, her expression was one of lofty standing, as if speaking and arguing with these two were beneath her and they were nothing more than jumping monkeys. This obviously was registered by the two girls, but they simply sneered and ignored her.

    Others may be afraid of her, but were they? Acting high and mighty, yet having simr status. They couldn¡¯t help but reveal their contempt.

    The skyship initiated its formations and took off, en route to the Imperial Pce.

    Several hundred li away was a figure in a ck faceless mask with no eyes or any other holes, he wore a ck martial artist robe, had a tall and physically imposing physique, and floated in mid-air. He waited calmly as the skyship approached from a distance, when it reached a few li away, a soul transmission resounded in the minds of everyone aboard the dilong skyship.

    "Come here."

    This startled everyst person, their eyes flickering with traces of anger at being demanded and caution for someone capable of sending a voice to them through the barriers of the ship. Prince Ren was the calmest, while the threedies were only curious with no fear in their eyes. The four Origin Core Cultivators on board turned solemn and serious.

    "Halt!" Prince Ren instructed, causing the skyship to stop immediately. He looked towards the middle-aged woman, "Elder Mei, I¡¯ll have to ask you to settle this matter." The middle-aged woman nodded immediately and executed her movement art, vanishing from everyone¡¯s sights.

    She appeared several li away, her calm eyes had a hint of surprise. The man before her had his features obscured and his qi aura sealed. She couldn¡¯t assume his intention or cultivation base.

    "Who are you?" She asked calmly. As ate-Origin Core Realm Cultivator, she didn¡¯t fear anyone besides the true elites of the continent, and even then she was confident in being able to escape.

    "I¡¯m looking for someone." The man asked with an odd voice, one couldn¡¯t tell if it was young or old. Elder Mei¡¯s brows furrowed, a little bit of anger suffusing into her eyes. It¡¯s been quite a while since someone dared to directly ignore her questions. She almost impulsively took action, but she calmed herself and decided to probe first.

    "If I don¡¯t know who you are, how am I supposed to know who you¡¯re looking for?" She responded, but her voice was a little bit colder.

    "He¡¯s my disciple." The voice responded as if ignoring her question once more.

    This truly got to her, and her aura started to fluctuate strongly. Her qi cultivation base was ready to explode at a moment¡¯s notice. "Who is this disciple of yours, and why would we know where he is?" Despite this, she still continued despite her riled up emotions, disying her experience and high tolerance.

    "His name¡¯s Yan Zaizen."

 Chapter 69 Who Did You Offend?

    Yan Zaizen? Who the hell was that?

    Elder Mei was confused, and her wildly fluctuating aura dwindled. There was no reason to be hostile to an unknown individual if the reason they arrived wasn¡¯t something they could fulfill. However, she decided to be thorough, asking, "Yan Zaizen?"

    The man in the ck mask didn¡¯t respond for awhile, as if contemting Elder Mei¡¯s response and reaction. Elder Mei saw his silence and felt the man properly realized she knew nothing of this disciple of his. It¡¯s possible he was confused, and therefore felt a little lost.

    After a long moment, he spoke with that odd voice that was filled with ambiguity, "Three years ago, I found a boy with an exceptionalprehensive ability towards thews. Unfortunately, he and I were separated. Two years ago, he wasunched into chaotic space after a spatial tform had been tampered with mid-activation. He escaped thanks to an Item I gave him, but he was sent away to this location. It took me time to find out that he was sent into the Imperial Pce of Grux." The man¡¯s exnationid all of it out there.

    Elder Mei couldn¡¯t tell if he was lying or not. For one, it¡¯s indeed possible to be sent to chaotic space by a tampered spatial tform, but getting out was much harder. If this story was true, the item used would definitely be a world-ss treasure. Unfortunately, she truly did not know of any incident where someone appeared in the Imperial Pce by mistake, if they did, it¡¯s likely she would¡¯ve known and they¡¯d have been dealt with properly.

    "I don¡¯t know of any Yan Zaizen or individual that fits your description." She said decisively, about to take off and ignore this man.

    "I located the area where he should¡¯ve been sent. It¡¯s located within the little girl called Grux Diyi¡¯s bath. Ask her or I¡¯ll do it myself." His voice contained traces of a threat. He obviously wasn¡¯t willing to let things sit as is.

    This threat touched Elder Mei¡¯s reverse scale, and she immediately erupted with her cultivation base. "You dare threaten the Imperial Pce?!" She thundered into action, using an exceptionally ghosty movement art, she vanished, appearing above the masked man with her palm striking downwards.

    "Die." Her voice was filled with chilling killing intent. This palm lit up in light as qi-essence exploded outwards. A cerulean beam of energy shot out attempting to prate the masked man¡¯s figure. This attack at this range could cause the death of an initial-Origin Core Realm expert if careless. However, the masked man didn¡¯t seem frightened or even remotely reacting to her actions, as if the attack was inconsequential.

    A silver-blue light surged outwards from his body, this silver-blue light solidified into a barrier surrounding the masked man¡¯s figure, and the cerulean beam smashed heavily against it. It reverberated slightly, but nothing more.

    Elder Mei¡¯s eyes widened greatly afterward. "Soul Cultivation?!" She immediately distanced herself, performing a qi-art to guard her soul form, and stared at this man with an extraordinary level of newly disyed vignce.

    Earlier, that was nothing more than a probing attack, but it gave her so much information. Initially, she didn¡¯t take the transmission to heart, but now she realized she had to re-evaluate her n of action. Soul cultivators were incredibly difficult to deal with due to their methods, and the speed of their soul energy was far faster than qi due to itsposition.

    "Who are you?" She asked once more, but this time with less arrogance in her voice.

    "Where is my disciple?" The masked man countered. "You have three minutes. If you do not provide an answer, I kill everyone on board." Those words caused Elder Mei¡¯s expression to stiffen, and then to be iparably frightened. Initially, she didn¡¯t have time to consider every aspect of how her attack was defended against, but now realizing what had just transpired, she was filled with fear.

    She directly turned around and flew back to the skyship, her mind thinking of the situation. "A soul cultivation at the Initial Aurora Soul would only have the Corporeal Strength of an initial-Origin Core Realm cultivator at most. Even still, it couldn¡¯t easily block my probing attack. Which means..." She mumbled, her expression bing worse and worse with every word.

    After she deduced that the masked man¡¯s cultivation was likely at the Advanced Aurora Soul Realm, her entire body shivered. Regardless of the methods they¡¯ve prepared, this was not something they could stop with the individuals or formations they have on board. If they requested the Xi¨¡o City¡¯s Lord for help and he acted, then the situation could be dealt with. However, everyone knew his rtionship with the Imperial Family was less than amicable. If it wasn¡¯t for Lady Su¡¯s Father, it¡¯s unlikely he would¡¯ve helped concoct a pill for an Imperial Member.

    When she returned back to the skyship, her expression was solemn. The others who saw that also took solemn expressions in response. Prince Ren still maintained his calm expression and took the initiative to ask, "What happened?"

    Elder Mei turned, looked at Lady Di, and felt odd. She was silent for a long moment, causing everyone¡¯s eyes to focus on Lady Di in curiosity. Elder Mei asked with anger causing her voice to tremble, "WHO DID YOU OFFEND?!" She was exceptionally loud, and everyone on the skyship heard her voice. All the Origin Core Cultivators, including Elder Lu, was startled. Even Prince Ren looked at Lady Di with shock for the first time.

    As a cultivator at thete-Origin Core Realm, it was rare for her to lose her calm, but the situation felt incredibly stifling. If Prince Ren had offended someone, then she would fight to the death as is her duty, but if it was due to someone that she wasn¡¯t tasked to protect ¡ª or even liked ¡ª she truly felt like throwing them to the wolves.

    Elder Mei calmed herself down and exined the situation. As each word of the situation was revealed, including the cultivation of the assant and his intentions if they do not inform him of his disciple¡¯s whereabouts.

    Elder Lu¡¯s expression was the gloomiest of the group from hearing this story.

    In hindsight, it made little sense for a young boy like that to suddenly appear and escape chaotic space. Originally, he just believed something went wrong with the coordinates, and he was purposefully sent there to be dealt with. After some thought, that didn¡¯t seem like it was possible. The imperial pce had mechanisms to prevent being spatial transmitted into the pce for obvious reasons. When he thought of it before, he dismissed it because there were holes in any and all systems, but now that it was exined, he felt dumb.

    If Elder Lu¡¯s expression was like this, one could imagine Lady Di¡¯s. Initially, she didn¡¯t care about offending whoever, but now she truly was scared. Elder Mei had anger in her voice, and everyone looked at her with odd expressions, and some of them even felt schadenfreude at her predicament. However, none of them realized the severity of the situation until Elder Lu exined the situation.

    "Yan Zaizen is the name of a boy we know. He intruded randomly in the imperial pce and was mistaken as an assassin, but after determining he wasn¡¯t, the punishment for intruding into the pce was given." Elder Lu felt a little bit of helplessness. He knew back then that what they did wasn¡¯t right, and now look at the situation that developed as a result.

    He truly felt remorseful.

    Prince Ren spoke up at this moment, "He¡¯s dead?"

    Elder Lu couldn¡¯t answer that directly.

    "Then, where?"

    Lady Di ultimately responded, "He was sent to the Deep Mines." When she spoke, everyone looked towards her in unison, and their expressions turned iparably ugly. Each one of them knew of the mortality rate in the Deep Mines, it was pretty much 99.99%. A majority of people die within the year of being sent there and the treatment they received was horrendous. The only few that survive are those sentenced to a few months in the Deep Mines as casual punishment.

    "How long has he been there?" Prince Ren asked.

    "..." Lady Di stayed silent, her expression slowly bing uglier.

    "Two years ago." Elder Lu spoke, his expression couldn¡¯t be gloomier. After that was said, everyst person¡¯s expression turned as gloomy. This entire situation was just unfortunate. They didn¡¯t even consider Yan Zaizen¡¯s survival, automatically assuming his death.

    "What are our choices?" Prince Ren was the only one who kept a cool-head at this moment, disying his natural talents in the face of adversity. It truly brought the tense atmosphere down a few notches.

    Elder Mei responded, "We can attempt to run back to Xi¨¡o City, and hope the Xi¨¡o City¡¯s Lord would intervene, giving our Imperial Pce face. If we do that, he¡¯ll likely strike but with the defensive formations on the skyship, we may be able to make it." Despite her suggesting this, she knew the truth of the matter and the likelihood of that happening was even lower than Yan Zaizen surviving two years in the Deep Mines.

    "We can attempt to have a conversation, tell him the truth, and see how it ys out." Elder Lu said, but he wasn¡¯t optimistic. If his disciple was sent to the Deep Mines, he would kill everyone involved. Why wouldn¡¯t he?

    One of the Origin Core Elders, a person from the Dai Dukedom, spoke up, offering an alternative, "I¡¯ll be blunt. Both of your ns end up with all of us dead. We only have two true courses of action, and I¡¯m sure Prince Ren knows them well." This elder looked at Prince Ren, as did everyone else, and waited. His job was to protect Lady Su. As for everyone else?

    Everyone else be damned!

    Regardless of what they suggested, Prince Ren would be the one who made the final decision, but the question was: could he?

    Prince Ren furrowed his brow in contemtion. Elder Lu and Lady Di¡¯s expression turned iparably dark, and they weren¡¯t ignorant in regards to these ¡¯two¡¯ choices.

    First Choice: Inform him the truth, then give him Lady Di and Elder Lu as a form of apology, the two responsible for the death of his disciple, and handle the situation from there.

    Second Choice: Fight to the death and hope.

    Besides these two choices, the other choices had a chance of backfiring. He wasn¡¯t ignorant of the City Lord¡¯s distaste for the imperial family, and he knew that anything else would be suicide. If only True Essence Cultivators could teleport, but they¡¯d never be able to arrive in an hour let alone in a few minutes.

    Lady Di shouted courageously, "We should fight!" Her response was an obvious and expected one. She didn¡¯t wish to die, and if she was given up, could her father me Prince Ren? No. It¡¯s likely her father would be removed from his position due to this regardless, and could even be killed to prevent a possibility of rebellion. It would weaken the empire, but at least there wouldn¡¯t be an unknown variable lingering near the Imperial Family like an aggrieved knife.

    If they all died because she handled a situation poorly in the past, her father would offend everyone and his fate probably won¡¯t be any better than hers.

    Either choice just leads to hell.

    Prince Ren heard Lady Di¡¯s words and could read her thoughts, he shook his head in refusal. If the cultivator was just a normal True Essence Cultivator, sure, fight to the death! However, he was a soul cultivator. If he was a master, then with a single word, he could wipe out all of their souls. Their protective armaments could do nothing to block it. It wouldn¡¯t be a fight; it would be a massacre.

    As for running away, could they outrun soul energy? The answer was simple: no. Soul energy was the fastest form of energy withoutws backing it. It would be impossible to outrun for a few hundred meters let alone a few li.

    "Invite him aboard. Regardless, we¡¯ll inform him of his disciple¡¯s situation and move on from there." He instructed Elder Mei. She sighed hopelessly and took off. They all knew the decision he made. Elder Lu and Lady Di¡¯s expression fell, and Lady Di screamed, "If you¡¯re bringing that man on-board, then we¡¯ll leave! Let¡¯s go, Elder Lu!" She attempted to take off, but Elder Lu blocked her, shaking his head in refusal.

    "If we leave, we¡¯re dead. We¡¯re not going to be able to escape his spiritual sense or soul energy range. Right now, the best thing we can do is wait." He understood the situation, and if they left, it was the same as suicide. They just got to hope that Prince Ren could work something out. Prince Ren never said he would be giving them up, and if anyone coulde up with a n, it was him.

    As for Prince Ren, his eyes revealed a calm decisiveness and willingness to gamble. He withdrew a silver jade talisman and crushed it soon after.

 Chapter 70 Taking It All!

    Several days earlier, Yan Zaizen and Tao had conceived a n together and further refined it out. The n¡¯s initial step was to halt the skyship en route to their destination with an appropriate distance away from Xi¨¡o City. Afterward, take on the guise of Yan Zaizen¡¯s mysterious and powerful master. Due to Yan Zaizen¡¯s profound soul cultivation, this was quite easy.

    Originally, Yan Zaizen wanted to simply capitalize on this opportunity to kill everyone aboard and take off with their possessions. However, Tao informed him that each royal member had a unique formation inscribed on their person, if they are killed, the person who killed them would be immediately branded with a profound mark. They could then be tracked by the entirety of Grux.

    This wasn¡¯t good.

    Not to mention, if he took action against a Prince, it¡¯s likely the blowback would be strong. However, Yan Zaizen still didn¡¯t care. He truly was intending to ughter them all if they got in his way, but Tao offered a better alternative.

    After posing as a mysterious master of a dead disciple, he could get his revenge and only offend a single person: The Imperial Military Commander. This was a lot better than offending the entire country. This was because the others would definitely feel pressured to give up Lady Di in exchange for their own lives, and the Imperial Military Commander¡¯s position would instantly degrade, causing him to likely lose his position, and maybe even be killed.

    The Grux Empire was aplex mess, and the Imperial Military Commander was highly disliked by many, and his vicious ways were seen as detrimental to the country¡¯s development. He doesn¡¯t take into consideration the proper way of doing things and even abuses his power tantly due to his rtionship with the Ancient Emperor - the previous Emperor of Grux.

    However, his own strength wascking a little to be in such a peak position. By only possessing a half-step True Essence Cultivation, many felt they were the better fit for such an authoritative position. Despite this, no one was willing to offend him with no basis or reason, but many wanted his position. If this new situation cropped up, it¡¯s likely the possibility of revenge would be eradicated by the Imperial Pce itself.

    When Yan Zaizen heard this, he was quite surprised. Tao¡¯s knowledge of theplexities of the pce was extraordinary. After some consideration, he agreed. After a bit more discussion, they put it into action. Yan Zaizen even included a small detail to rid themselves of their current issue.

    The person in the ck mask was Yan Zaizen.

    Elder Mei invited him onto the skyship, and he followed silently in assent to her invitation. They arrived on board. When they did, everyone¡¯s gazes looked at his nk ck mask with unease and fear. Being so close to a soul cultivator felt stifling as if he could reap their lives away with a single nce.

    Prince Ren stepped up at this moment while others stood their distance. "Greetings, Senior." Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t respond, simply looking in Lady Di¡¯s direction. Underneath his mask, his eyes were bloodshot red filled with killing intent and the memories of the Deep Mines surged out. If it wasn¡¯t for him thinking that a quick death was too easy, he would¡¯ve killed her off right then and there.

    Witnessing this, Prince Ren coughed awkwardly. He began exining the situation and how there¡¯s a possibility that Yan Zaizen was alive in the Deep Mines. He even suggested that he would personallye with him to check, with the Emperor beside him of course. However, Yan Zaizen snorted in response.

    "You think I¡¯m a fool?!" His disguised voice shouted furiously. Everyone instantly went on the defensive, using their respective qi-arts to defend their souls against any sudden attack. Each of them was surrounded by faint traces of multi-colored light indicating the barrier they set up around themselves. However, Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t take any of their actions to heart.

    "I¡¯ve known that my disciple died a month ago, and where." His voice was calm, but immediately everyone¡¯s eyes widened in shock. Yan Zaizen was dead? He knew for certain? Then! Everyone immediately felt an uneasy feeling, especially the Origin Core Cultivators, they each protected their respective juniors.

    "I wanted to know the why." When he said that, he looked towards Lady Di and reached out his hand. A silver-blue light condensed into a massive aurora-like hand that mimicked Yan Zaizen¡¯s movements, grasping towards her direction. The speed of its formation and movement was exceptionally fast. Even the Origin Core Cultivators reactions were slow in the face of this hand, and Lady Di was immediately grabbed and brought to his side almost instantly.

    She shrieked in horror, scream for help from the people around her. Surprisingly, Elder Lu didn¡¯t fight back, as if knowing it was futile with his mid-Origin Core cultivation. Instead, he pleaded, "Sir! Please, our actions are inexcusable, but your disciple is already dead. Must you make an enemy of the Imperial Pce?" The pleading contained traces of a threat, but surprisingly, no one else chimed in. Elder Mei stood protectively in front of Prince Ren, and even Prince Ren had a solemn expression but maintained his silence as if afraid that he would be targeted if he spoke.

    Yan Zaizen looked at Elder Lu, shifting his head to the side in interest, "Enemy of the Imperial Pce?" He turned towards Prince Ren and the others, "Is this true?" However, the moment he said that everyone went silent, looking down at their feet in avoidance. Some even cursed Elder Lu for his words, trying to implicate them with this shit-for-brains woman.

    If she had handled the situation properly, then how could Yan Zaizen be dead? How could they be in this situation? With a proper interrogation, they would¡¯ve discovered his background and his story. If anything, Yan Zaizen may even be treated like a respected guest! Not sent to the mines to die like a degenerate.

    Yan Zaizen nodded softly at this. It seems Tao¡¯s assumption of them not willing to fight back was right, but if he left it just at that, how could he be satisfied? "You all will pay for my disciple¡¯s death, either with wealth or with your lives." Yan Zaizen¡¯s voice suddenly filled with intense killing intent, and his real intentions were revealed.

    When everyone heard his words, their expressions changed.

    Was he robbing us?

    "If you hold back, I¡¯ll consider as if you wish to offer your lives to him in the underworld. I¡¯ll ept such payment, and I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll be able to rest peacefully with you beside him." His words were tantly informing them that this was essentially a robbery. However, Prince Ren¡¯s eyes lit up with an odd light.

    The others felt disgruntled at the realization of the circumstance. They cursed Lady Di once more for this.

    Lady Di continued her struggle, looking at Prince Ren as if he was herst saving grace. The tears in her eyes flowed like a river, and it gave her the feeling of a misfortunate beauty. However, no one had the feeling of jumping out to be the white knight for her plight.

    Elder Lu, surprisingly, was the first to act. He removed his spatial ring and immediately sent it to Yan Zaizen. This shocked everyone present. Elder Lu was the protector of Lady Di, was this meant to be given as an offering for Lady Di?

    However, Elder Lu¡¯s next words turned everyone¡¯s mind to a nk, "Sir, this is my offering to your disciple. I hope you can forgive me. To be honest, I wanted to help your disciple, but I simply didn¡¯t have the authority." He had a look of deep regret stered across his face, one could see the sincerity within.

    In truth, this wasn¡¯t false. He¡¯d worked for the Imperial Commander before his rise and cultivated all the way up to this point, but he truly hated the Commander and this daughter of his. For nearly two thousand years, he worked and worked, did things he felt was immoral, all because of a debt he owed.

    Now that he was in a life-or-death crisis due to their action, he felt aggrieved and no longer willing. He was done. The debt had been paid with his two thousand years of service.

    "Please allow me to leave!"

    Yan Zaizen feltpletely blindsided by the course of events. He didn¡¯t know about the specifics of themander¡¯s reputation or his daughters myriad of deeds that felt horrible to most, but he couldn¡¯t help but empathize with that aggrieved voice.

    He gave a soft nod, grabbing the spatial ring. Elder Lu took off like a beam of light, prating the sky and disappearing in a few seconds. Just like that, Lady Di lost her protector. Her emotions as she watched Elder Lu leave her to her fate felt incrediblyplex, and then venomous as she cursed him heavily for his cowardice.

    "I¡¯ll find you and have you killed, you bastard!" She screamed viciously.

    As for the others, they were cultivators who reached their current levels in this dirt pit of an environment due to their decisiveness. The crew immediately took off their respective spatial bags and rings, throwing it to Yan Zaizen, exiting the skyship, and waiting for the others. They were smart enough to know that if this was a robbery, this skyship will definitely be taken.

    One of the individuals wanted to keep a spatial bag for himself, taking off, but a sh of silver-blue light caused him to tumble towards the ground as a corpse. This startled everyone, especially the high-status individuals on the ship who were reluctant despite the situation in front of them.

    "He wanted to pay with his life instead of his wealth. I epted." Yan Zaizenmented coldly, a spatial bag flying out of the corpse and into Yan Zaizen¡¯s hand. When everyone saw this, their hearts turned cold. For those earlier, they felt lucky they weren¡¯t greedy.

    "You either pay with all you have or with all you are." His words were a like a basin of cold water on everyone¡¯s faces. The others were quick, delivering their respective wealth to him, not hiding a cent, and taking off immediately. The first person amongst the Origin Core Realm cultivators to take action was Lady Bao¡¯s protector. He removed her ring and bag as well as his own, threw it towards Yan Zaizen and took off despite Lady Bao¡¯s persistent protest.

    Who would be willing to give up everything they¡¯ve earned and gained? All of their lucky chances, all of their umted wealth, and do so willingly? Some prideful individuals would rather lose their lives before giving up their possessions.

    But the protectors¡¯ job is to protect their life, not their belongings.

    "You all have fifteen seconds to make a decision." Yan Zaizen said, looking towards Xi¨¡o City as he felt something approaching rapidly. His expression under the mask turned solemn, and he looked towards the only two groups left ¡ª Prince Ren¡¯s and Lady Su¡¯s.

    A deep sigh resounded from Lady Su¡¯s protector, and he took the same course of action as Lady Bao¡¯s. Despite Lady Su¡¯s protest, he took her and flew away. Elder Mei and Prince Ren were the only ones left on the skyship. Prince Ren took the initiative to speak, "Senior, I thi-"

    "Five seconds." Yan Zaizen interjected, not paying him any mind.

    He withdrew his spatial ring from his finger and threw it. His eyes looked at the spatial ring with a great amount of reluctance. It had the Origin Consolidation Pill as well as many fortuitous encounters he¡¯de across, but none of that mattered if he was dead. Elder Mei followed suit, grabbing Prince Ren and taking off from the skyship.

    Yan Zaizen immediately wrapped all the possessions with his soul energy and deposited them into the Meteor Ring. When that happened, everyst Origin Core Cultivator, including Prince Ren, Lady Bao, Lady Su, and Lady Di coughed up blood several times. They even fell out of the sky, their eyes filled with fear and surprise.

    When Yan Zaizen saw this, he was startled as well.

    Then he thought about what had just happened, and his eyes turned cold as he recalled Xuanwu City. That was a rebound from a formation being forcefully disconnected or broken. It¡¯s likely each of their possessions had a profound formation on it in case someone decided to deprive them of their possessions, or perhaps there was something inside their ring that held a tracking formation. Regardless, when it entered the Meteor Ring, the connection was forcefully cut.

    He knew that the greater the formation, the greater the rebound. Fortunately, the Meteor Ring is like an isted dimension, it would immediately break any formation that tried to track its location. Yan Zaizen was pleasantly surprised at this newly discovered feature. "I wonder how you¡¯ll feel from this." He said, cing his palm on the imperial skyship, and then it entered the Meteor Ring.

    Tens of thousands of li away, in a particr Imperial Pce¡¯s formation master¡¯s room, a sudden explosion took ce. The defenders of the room rushed in with vignce. After a quick survey of the room, they saw the bloodied corpse of the formation master who imnted a tracking formation on the skyship. The formation on the skyship was of the grand-rank, something equivalent to the True Essence Realm, but when it was forcibly disconnected, the feedback shattered his soul and exploded his body instantly.

    Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t know what had just happened, but he was truly hoping something like that would ur. However, when he looked at the Origin Core Realm cultivators being fine, he couldn¡¯t help but sigh in disappointment. "It must¡¯ve been someone else..." He mumbled.

    Yan Zaizen swiftly directed his gaze back to Xi¨¡o City. He could see a resplendent emerald light shooting towards this way from a distance like aet. A loud, thundering voice resounded for thousands of li. "Leave Lady Di unharmed and depart!" It was incredibly domineering and carried endless authority as if it didn¡¯t allow any objections.

 Chapter 71 Lord Xiè†©o

    When Prince Ren heard that voice in the distance, he felt relieved. Earlier, he invited Yan Zaizen on board not to discuss whether Lady Di should be left alive or not, but to stall for time. Luckily, he could stall for an extra minute or two, and this was sufficient enough for the Xi¨¡o City Lord to arrive. If he didn¡¯t, then his Origin Consolidating Pill would¡¯ve been lost, and his chances of breaking through to the mid-Origin Core Realm before the Xiantu Dao Trials would be like smoke ¡ª quickly dissipating with the wind.

    Before Yan Zaizen¡¯s arrival, he crushed a transmission talisman that ryed a message to Lord Xi¨¡o. In it detailed the circumstance they were in and their possible fate of death. Unfortunately, he knew this wouldn¡¯t move Lord Xi¨¡o an inch, so he made a deal.

    If the Xi¨¡o City ensured all of their safety, including Lady Di, then he would give him an Aurora Manifestation Pill.

    Originally, he obtained it from an ancient treasure trove and kept it a secret for his own preparations for the Xiantu Dao Trials. The pill was simr to the Origin Consolidation Pill, it could help one manifest their Aurora Soul. It was priceless. However, with the current circumstances, he felt it was worth it to prevent his own death. Unfortunately, Yan Zaizen had stolen the Aurora Manifestation Pill and even severed his connection with his spatial ring.

    How was he to know that Yan Zaizen would be so decisive and rob them over their connection with Lady Di instead of killing them in anger?

    Lord Xi¨¡o¡¯s eyes were filled with greed when he heard of the Aurora Manifestation Pill in Prince Ren¡¯s possession. Normally, he wouldn¡¯t care about the Imperial Family¡¯s fate, but that pill was incalcble in terms of value. The development of the Aurora Soul typically required not just resources but enlightenment also, and despite having cultivated the soul for thousands of years, he couldn¡¯t manifest his Aurora. The Aurora Manifestation Pill was one of the few things that could bypass that enlightenment requirement.

    Now there was a chance to obtain it, and he was going to take it.

    Lord Xi¨¡o had deep ck hair and eyes, a middle-aged appearance filled with masculinity, a goatee, bronze skin, and robust body. He truly looked like a powerful city lord.

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s brows furrowed and his eyes behind the mask narrowed. After some quick calctions, he knew he didn¡¯t have the ability to outrun this neer. Soul energy may be able to move at an incredibly fast speed, but when it came to flight, qi cultivation was king, while dashing speed on the ground had body cultivation at the throne. Not to mention, he didn¡¯t have any soul art based around movement to use, unlike this neer.

    Lord Xi¨¡o saw Yan Zaizen not move at his words, he couldn¡¯t help but feel uneasy, but when he considered his cultivation base and arts, he sped up with confidence.

    Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t intend to let Lord Xi¨¡o arrive in grand fashion while doing nothing, he waved his hand directly knocking Lady Di unconscious, and then she vanished in thin air, stored directly into his Meteor Ring at a remote corner.

    "That worked?!" He was inwardly surprised at what had just happened. Despite performing the action himself, he didn¡¯t fully believe the Meteor Ring could store living things within it. I mean, he had his suspicions due to its differences to a normal spatial ring, but he wasn¡¯t absolutely sure.

    Anyways, if Lady Di had died due to entering the Meteor Ring, who cares? Fortunately for him, she was just unconscious in the isted world of the Meteor Ring. Unfortunately for her, she was just unconscious in the isted world of the Meteor Ring.

    When Lord Xi¨¡o saw Lady Di disappear suddenly, his eyes widened with surprise and couldn¡¯t help but stop a few kilometers away from Yan Zaizen. What had just happened surprised him, but if she was dead, then what could he do? Should he fight this man with an Advanced Aurora Soul Cultivation to the death to save a dead person? What would be the point?

    Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t care about his doubt. A sh of silver-blue light exploded violently around his body as several thousand sharp tendrils the size of arms erupted from his body. He took a step and soared towards Lord Xi¨¡o with a fierce momentum.

    Lord Xi¨¡o snorted in response. His body erupting with an incredibly dense emerald green light filled with true-essence, the sheer pressure caused the surrounding mountains the tremble, the ground to fracture, and the sky to roil about violently. He stood there looking like a god of his own world, the sky quickly developed an emerald tint, and his energy waves fluctuated for dozens of li.

    Yan Zaizen saw this and immediately realized what was happening. An aura-based qi-art was being executed. As he approached in range, he could feel his body suddenly grow heavier as if he had a mountain on his shoulders. If one didn¡¯t have a profound body cultivation, they could be squashed to sheer dust from this pressure alone.

    Fortunately for him, this pressure was insignificant to him who possessed the Immortal Herculean Physique.

    Yan Zaizen powered through the emerald sky without pause. Lord Xi¨¡o was shocked seeing this. It didn¡¯t seem like Yan Zaizen was using his soul energy to resist the power of his aura, but simply resisted it normally with his physical body. His eyes narrowed in solemness. He grabbed at the space before him, causing the surrounding aura to condense into a ball of pure emerald energy.

    Lord Xi¨¡o shouted a battle cry that caused the ground to tremble and the spectators watching with a cultivation under the Origin Core Realm to drop to their knees.

    He readied his arm as the energy condensed andnded in his palm. He viciously threw the ball of energy towards Yan Zaizen. Its speed was like lightning as it traveled through the sky causing the surroundings it passed to bepressed, as if the ball of energy was a with its own gravitational force.

    Yan Zaizen reacted by using hundreds of soul tendrils to intercept the ball of energy, but as they got near, the tendrils bent in odd ways as if getting pressured by intense gravity. Some of the tendrils copsed then and there. Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes widened at this but didn¡¯t panic. He pushed forward until the tendrils collided with the ball of energy to intercept.

    BOOM!!!

    The moment it did, an explosion of emerald light erupted, disintegrating all tendrils that went to intercept, and the residual force made its way like an ocean wave towards Yan Zaizen.

    "Shit!" Yan Zaizen immediately covered himself in his remaining tendrils until it formed a spherical barrier of silver-blue light, and the wave of emerald energy collided ferociously with the barrier.

    The moment it did, the solidified soul energy constructed into a barrier developed a myriad of cracks and seemed only to require a single finger to shatter it. However, it didn¡¯t shatter as Yan Zaizen kept reinforcing it with his soul energy. Yan Zaizen, however, was sent flying backwards even faster than his forward momentum.

    It was only after several hundred meters of distance did he stop in mid-air. His eyes filled with surprise. "The true essence ball exploded and turned into a wave? But his arts should revolve around mountain concepts, how did it explode?!" He calmed himself, realizing that his thoughts were too narrow inbat, and his experiences were simplycking.

    That attack contained two conceptualws, not one. Thew of mountains and waves. These twows incorporated caused a surging and oppressive force that could not be underestimated to be created.

    As for Lord Xi¨¡o, his eyes widened even more so. One must know, he prepared this strike with about 40% of his true essence, and it was a superior-grade art practiced to Major Sess infused with two conceptualws. He¡¯s been preparing for that art since he received the message from Prince Ren. By preparing his energy earlier, he could deliver an explosive unexpected attack at the start.

    He was almost sure that Yan Zaizen should be killed, hell, even an initial-True Essence Cultivator caught by surprise would be severely injured let alone a soul cultivator who took it head on.

    Unfortunately for him, Yan Zaizen¡¯s soul energy was far stronger than the average Advanced Aurora Soul Realm, and his corporeal form could rival an initial-True Essence Cultivator in strength. With soul energy ability to produce nearly all its energy instantly, how could a mere 40% of his qi kill Yan Zaizen?

    Yan Zaizen realized the circumstances of this, and his mood turned slightly better, but he didn¡¯t dare to rx. He couldn¡¯t be careless. He reformted his thousands of tendrils once more in almost an instant, and his eyes shone with a violent light. The world started to change once more, but this time the change was smaller but far more intense. His dao aura filled with tyrannical intensity and unyielding ferocity erupted, filling his tendrils with motes of white light. Each tendril grew three times thicker and far more resplendent than before.

    When Lord Xi¨¡o saw the thousand of tendrils reform almost instantly and stronger than before, he inwardly groaned. This is why soul cultivators were so damn troublesome to deal with. Unlike qi cultivators who have to gather their energy and release it cautiously lest they explode their qi-pathways and meridians, soul cultivators could release all of their energy without care. Not to mention the sheer speed of soul energy was astonishing. This reason was also why he prepared beforehand. He contemted whether he should just withdraw.

    However, Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t care about his thoughts or frustrations.

    PNEUMA DISRUPTION!

    He exploded out a wave of soul energy that was terrifyingly fast. It was empowered by his dao and backed by the full force of his soul cultivation base. The only issue was that his mastery of it was only at the peak-initial mastery. Despite that, this was an exceptionally powerful soul attack.

    "WHAT?!" Lord Xi¨¡o was shocked by the soul attack that he was overly familiar with beingunched by this masked cultivator. However, he couldn¡¯t think about it too closely as he executed his soul-defensive qi-art as well as a soul art that Yan Zaizen was familiar with - Anima Shield!

    The wave of soul energy violently shook his soul form. His eyes widened as he felt the foreign dao of another integrated within the attack, this soul energy was tyrannical and unyielding in its persistence. It didn¡¯te as a single wave, but a dozen.

    "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!" He screamed ferociously in pain as his initial defenses copsed quickly, blood spewed from his mouth, and his eyes dimmed as his soul was damaged with just the first wave, let alone when all twelve hit.

    His appearance was ugly and his face even more so. Pain to the soul was iparable to any other type of pain and its effects were horrendous. Let alone healing the damage, it could take centuries. His eyes filled with grievance and fear.

    He was about to take his leave and flee, this wasn¡¯t worth it. He¡¯ll force that the Prince to give him the Aurora Manifestation Pill in exchange for bringing him away safely.

    He looked towards Prince Ren direction and was about to fly over, but Prince Ren could see his intentions and immediately interrupted with a shout backed by his Half-step Origin Core cultivation base. "He robbed us!" He feared that the Xi¨¡o City Lord would simply run away, and they would all suffer losses with no gains.

    Those words resounded out for hundreds of li and caused him to stop immediately. He looked towards the group once more and realized that no spatial fluctuations were emitted from them.

    "Shit!" He clenched his teeth and produced a talisman, he shattered it decisively. A silhouette of an emerald mountain appeared in the space above, and spatial energy erupted from it.

    "What?!" Yan Zaizen was startled as this gigantic mountain silhouette appeared above the sky. "That¡¯s...the Mountain at the center of Xi¨¡o?!" He was inwardly shocked as his pupils turned into needles. Recalling what Tao informed him, this mountain was a sky-ranked armament used by the Xi¨¡o City Lord to defend the city.

    Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t realize that the Pneuma Disruption he just used infused with his dao threatened the Xi¨¡o City Lord greatly. It could threaten those at the mid-True Essence Realm at its current strength, let alone the Xi¨¡o City Lord at the initial-True Essence Realm. He immediately used a one-time rare talisman that could send the mountain to his side. He was taking this seriously and even putting his life on the line.

 Chapter 72 No Longer Yours

    Yan Zaizen felt a sensation of intense deadly crisis, and it felt incredibly strong. His instincts screamed at him that if that mountain arrived, it could threaten his very life. It was the strongest he had ever felt, even stronger than when he was running away from the meteorite descending from the sky before. "I can¡¯t let it appear." He concluded, his mind rapidly thinking of solutions.

    He looked at the mountain and realized something peculiar and familiar about its current state.

    Could it be?!

    Taking a deep breath, he spread his arms wide. "I hope this works." He mumbled, his hands started to glow with resplendent silver light, then the silver light erupted over his entire bodypletely overwhelming the silver-blue light in brilliance. He ran the idea of it into his mind once more and felt correct.

    Currently, the emerald mountain was not here, it was instead in a state of mid-transition, so physically speaking, it wasn¡¯t here but in Xi¨¡o City. It was reminiscent of a spatial tform in Xuanwu City, but unlike the spatial formation that Han Genju used to get them to escape ten thousand li. The former transports in a simr way to teleportation, while thetter was more of a physical movement shift. Simr to when he was on the spatial tform, there¡¯s a small window where one could directly interfere with the preparatory phase of the teleportation.

    However, the talisman seemed to be a one-time spatial tform that would send the mountain where it was shattered. This meant the mountain had to have a spatial tform beneath it enabling this, and it must be massive. The wealth to send it just once must be extraordinary.

    A cold grin suffused on Yan Zaizen¡¯s lips. A beam of silver light shot towards the silhouette of the emerald mountain. Lord Xi¨¡o was shocked seeing this, his eyes widening at this event. What was he doing?

    Unfortunately, they were actually quite a distance from each other and he was far too weak to attack when the opponent had thousands of tendrils surrounding him in defense. He needed to prepare another big attack, so he simply did that while waiting for the mountain to arrive tounch a powerful strike.

    Despite it taking so long to describe the happenings, the entire engagement had been less than thirty seconds.

    The mountain was hit by the silver light which originated from the Spatial Form of Infinite Stability, and like a shadow, the power that it drew itself from destabilized in a simr way as the spatial tform was tampered with at Xuanwu City.

    POOF!

    The entire mountain vanished. Not just the shadow, but the mountain itself.

    Lord Xi¨¡o, Elder Mei, Prince Ren, and everyone else in their group or those who were watching from afar due to this high-level fight catching their attention, had their eyes turned into a needlepoint.

    "Wh...what just happened?!" Someone who was a part of the imperial skyship¡¯s crew shouted in shock.

    "The...the transference...failed..." Elder Mei said, but then she turned instinctively towards Xi¨¡o City, and albeit it was exceptionally far away, the mountain that was always visible was no longer there.

    "IMPOSSIBLE!!!" Her entire existence trembled from the sheer shock, and her mind turned dull at the sight of a missing mountain. Her shrieking voice caused everyone, including Lord Xi¨¡o to look towards Xi¨¡o City. There was a form of pure silence in the world, even the wind, the earth, the animals, and their breathing halted as if in agreement of shock.

    "WHAT?!" Lord Xi¨¡o felt his mind explode from this realization. He looked towards Yan Zaizen with eyes filled with intense anger and intense shock as well as fear, "WHAT DID YOU DO?!"

    As for Yan Zaizen, he felt iparably exhausted as nearly all of his qi was drained in one go. Most people urged caution when releasing their qi all at once due to the damage it can do to one¡¯s qi-pathways and meridians, but for him, they have been refined to the peak, and his Herculean Physique strengthened them even more. He could withstand such a force at the qi strength of a peak-Essence Formation Realm.

    This didn¡¯t mean it wouldn¡¯t wear him down. He wasn¡¯t physically exhausted or spiritual exhausted, but it was like someone took out all of the blood in his body in one go. It felt odd, exhausting, and empty.

    However, "It worked!" He couldn¡¯t help but chuckle softly with hints of exhaustion behind the mask, but he wasn¡¯t done yet.

    "This mountain is no longer yours." His voice was icy-cold filled with imperialistic vor as if stating a fact that couldn¡¯t be any more true.

    He touched the empty space and his hand seemed to be vanishing into nothingness. A secondter, the Xi¨¡o City lord immediately felt as if his connection to the emerald mountain was severed. A massive amount of blood spewed out of his body and he copsed from the sky almost instantly. As everyone witnessed this, their eyes widened once more with shock and fear.

    What happened?

    Yan Zaizen had disrupted the spatial transference, but when he did, he arranged for it to be nearby temporarily. When he reached into chaotic space, he touched the mountain and stored it inside the Meteor Ring thereby cutting the connection it possessed with Lord Xi¨¡o. If Lord Xi¨¡o had been in direct control of the mountain, this would¡¯ve been an impossible feat, but how could he when it wasn¡¯t even in the same ne of existence?

    It was like snatching money from a bank with no one there to guard it, and the bank had an open door to your room.

    "Hmph." Yan Zaizen snorted, he originally was going to kill this man, but he realized that the Xi¨¡o City Lord was probably a member of Anima Syndicate. The only indication of this was when he attacked his soul, the Anima Shield appeared to defend his soul form. The Anima Shield was a superior-grade art that was a staple to the Anima Syndicate Members upon introduction. At least, Wu Yuanxu said those were core techniques for all members. He couldn¡¯t be certain, but if that was the case, he would spare him even though he didn¡¯t have to.

    However, he wouldn¡¯t spare his spatial ring.

    He flew over to Lord Xi¨¡o¡¯s unconscious body covered in blood, used a tendril to wrap around and take all of his spatial possessions, and then he left a transmission in his conscious for when he awoke. It detailed that he was apart of the Anima Syndicate and that his life was spared due to this and only this. However, there wouldn¡¯t be a next time.

    In truth, there was another reason. How long would it take someone to reach the True Essence Realm? How much talent do they need to possess? How much determination must they have? He felt like killing someone who reached this level of cultivation without a deep grudge to be a little wasteful. Of course, if they had a life or death grudge, then to the underworld they go. However, that wasn¡¯t the case here.

    Yan Zaizen looked at the group of imperial members from afar, his eyes slowly suffusing with viciousness. He sent a message to Prince Ren via soul transmission. "As long as Lady Di¡¯s father lives, I¡¯ll make it my life mission to kill all those from the royal pce. Especially you." His words were spoken with no intent to conceal his murderous desires, and he wanted to make clear his thoughts unlike his original intention of letting them handle it themselves. He couldn¡¯t let this root stay unplucked, not to mention, Prince Ren¡¯s words from before obviously meant that he called the Xi¨¡o Lord here.

    This made him want to kill this bastard immediately, but he held it back.

    Just as he was about to leave, he contemted for a moment, then protectively wrapped his soul energy around the Xi¨¡o¡¯s body that shouldst for a few hours, enough time for him to wake up. He knew the rtionship between the royal family and Xi¨¡o wasn¡¯t exactly a good one, so he took some precautions.

    He took off in flight, disappearing in the distance with a line of silver-blue light trailing behind him like a rainbow and aurora borealis fused into one.

    A long distance away, Yan Zaizen met up with Tao. After informing him of what happened, Tao was utterly shocked. He had stayed a long distance away in fear of being recognized, but to think the reverberations he felt before was a battle with a True Essence Cultivator. He readied the skyship and prepared their departure. Due to the circumstances with the mountain transference, it¡¯s unlikely that the spatial tform in Xi¨¡o will be functional for a while, so they¡¯ll have to travel a few months to the nearest one.

    "So, what are you going to do with her?" Tao asked, looking at an unconscious Lady Di on the deck.

    Yan Zaizen chuckled evilly, his eyes filled with malevolent intentions. "Many things." He answered vaguely. One could tell that Lady Di¡¯s fate wasn¡¯t going to be a good one.

    ----------------------------------------

    Several weekster, Lady Di¡¯s father was sentenced to treason and put to death. Due to many people already looking for an excuse to removed, coupled with Yan Zaizen¡¯sbat prowess and the message he left behind, the Emperor was rather decisive. His possessions were taken and he was immediately dealt with ordingly. It wasn¡¯t just him, but the entire Yi family line was destroyed to root out any possible threats to the empire.

    His death was publicized and many verified it with their own eyes before the entire country soon knew. The new Imperial Commander would be determined in the uing month, and many upper-echelon members felt relieved after the affair. Especially after they realized that the Yi family almost caused the Imperial Family to have an enemy Aurora Soul cultivator that could rival a mid-True Essence Cultivator.

    If initial-True Essence cultivation puts you at the peak power of the entire country, then mid-True Essence cultivation puts you at the highest point on the continent. In the entire Grux Empire, not a singlete-True Essence cultivator exists. The Imperial Commander himself was only at the half-step True Essence Realm, and his position was given to him due to his merits and favoritism of the previous Emperor.

    This is why many people dared to desire his position. Besides the Ancient Emperor, Current Emperor, previous Imperial Commander, Lady Bao¡¯s father, and the Imperial Schr, there were no other True Essence Cultivators loyal to the empire. As for mid-True Essence Cultivation, only the Ancient Emperor possessed this level of cultivation.

    It is due to this that Xi¨¡o City Lord, who possessed a sky-rank armament with an initial-True Essence Cultivation, was given due respect despite his obvious disagreements with the royal family, and why offending a mid-True Essence soul cultivator for a disliked militarymander wasn¡¯t a wise move. Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t even realize that he could¡¯ve directly gone to the Imperial Pce itself and demand his head, and after his strength was revealed, they would¡¯ve done so swiftly to appeal to him and try to recruit him into their kingdom. Unfortunately, they could no longer do this due to circumstances.

    As for robbing everyone, no one took it seriously. I mean, which individual had the balls to tackle Yan Zaizen? That¡¯s courting death to prom and then trying to take her forcefully after. If that¡¯s not asking for death to strike you, then what was?

 Chapter 73 Relieving Ones Hatred

    "What do you want?!" Diyi shouted, her eyes filled with anxiousness and fear. Yan Zaizen¡¯s masked figure stood imposingly nearby, looking at her without staring. Currently, the skyship was making its way to Sky Heart City, a location with a spatial tform that would primarily be used for trades, but on asion, one could pay an exuberant fee to use the tform for personal use.

    Tao had suggested this location, but this still meant with the current speed of Ying¡¯s skyship, they would take nearly two months. This left him much time.

    "Do you know who I am?" His tone was like the song of hell behind the mask. Diyi was shocked, in truth, she didn¡¯t think she would be killed, but that she would be ransomed back to her father for a massive fee by this greedy fellow. Unfortunately for her, she was within the Meteor Ring during the battle, so she just assumed this person was simply a greedy individual out for profit.

    "I-I...You¡¯re his master, right?" She asked cautiously, a little dumbfounded by the question.

    "Hahaha!" Yan Zaizenughed maliciously. "No. I¡¯m not his master."

    "Wh-what? Then..." If this person wasn¡¯t his master, then all he said was made-up, so who was he? Unless he¡¯s lying, but why would there be a need for that? It¡¯s not like it scared her, her situation remained the same regardless.

    Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t continue but walked up to Diyi. Currently, she wore the qi diffusion cuffs, the same one he was forced to wear for two years. As she saw him approach, she backed up with fear. One could see the anxiousness and her folding her arm around her chest, that she believed Yan Zaizen was going to take other measures. Witnessing this, Yan Zaizen softly chuckled.

    As if he would ever give this woman such pleasure.

    Instead, he rose his right hand high and struck down.

    SLAP!

    This p resounded for several hundred meters, echoing throughout the entire skyship, and apanied by a scream of horror and pain. Diyi¡¯s body flew backward and mmed against the wall, several of her back teeth shoot out of her mouth, and blood sprayed the walls. A crunching sound resounded, indicating a few bones of Diyi¡¯s was fractured when she hit the wall.

    "Do you know who I am?" He asked once again, approaching once more.

    Diyi was dazed from the previous strike, her eyes blurry, tears welling up, and her hands held her swollen face. She tried to gather her bearings as she looked towards the approaching masked man with eyes filled with fear. "Who are you?!" She screamed, but her words were apanied by bits of blood and shattered teeth.

    Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t answer. He approached once more. This time, his left hand raised, and without her being able to react, he struck the other cheek.

    SLAP!

    Her body slid across the floor and smashed heavily into some items near the other side of the wall. As her body made contact with the wall, the ship shuddered from the impact. At this point, one could see her spewing out copious amounts of blood, and barely able to lift her body up. She could barely speak as she grumbled some words together that seemed to be pleading.

    However, Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t care. "Do you know who I am?"

    SLAP!

    SLAP!

    SLAP!

    SLAP!!

    SLAP!!!

    He kept pping her, keeping her awake for each and every resounding p, and using just enough force for it to hurt, but not enough to kill. Despite Diyi¡¯s beauty and frail looking appearance, her body had been tempered and refined by a myriad of energies, and her qi-cultivation was at the initial-Qi Unification Realm, so she wasn¡¯t a weakling.

    She could take this much.

    After several more ps that totaled twenty-six, one for each month that he was forced to work as a ve in those mines. "Do you know who I am?" He asked again, this was the twenty-sixth time. However, at this point, Diyi could no longer speak, her eyes misty with blood, her teeth were either shattered within her mouth, inside her stomach with copious amounts of blood or on the floor.

    Diyi didn¡¯t even try to answer, she had given up trying to answer after the seventh p. Yan Zaizen approached, causing her body to flinch in fear and anxiousness at the pain of being pped once more. However, Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t strike, but simply got face-to-face with her with barely two inches of space between them.

    "This is who I am."

    He slowly removed his nk ck mask. As he did so, he slowly revealed an appearance of handsome masculinity, light bronze skin, a head of short ck hair, and bright amber eyes filled with vibrancy. Diyi would definitely not notice Yan Zaizen before, as their appearance were simply too different, but as she looked at those amber eyes, her eyes widened with shock.

    She may not remember how he looked, but she remembered those lustrous amber eyes filled with vibrant light. "Y...Y-You! YOU!!!" Her body trembled as she came to a realization. When she did, she realized that this person was a little older but also a much more handsome version of the reason she was in this predicament.

    "Yes." Yan Zaizen said, his voice filled with anger. "I am Yan Zaizen."

    Diyi felt like she was losing her mind.

    How?! How could he still be alive? How could he be so strong? Why did this happen?

    Observing her reaction, Yan Zaizen felt incredibly satisfied. However, he just couldn¡¯t hold it in as he clenched his fist. This fist was filled with much of his anguish and anger during his stay in the Deep Mines, it was filled with his unpleasant memories, and he struck down harshly towards her face.

    BOOM!!!

    The punch nearly caved in her pretty little face, knocking her unconscious almost immediately, and mmed her violently into the wall. This time, the wall was imprinted with her outline, and several sounds of shattered bones resounded a lot deeper than before.

    "Tao!" He shouted, calming his breathing and feeling liberated slightly. He could feel his Dao reaching a particr point, but he felt it wasn¡¯t yet aplished.

    Tao reacted quickly, arriving into the room, and seeing the mess filled with broken tools, tables, and filled with scattered bits of blood. Diyi¡¯s body which would have made any man fall into bedevilment was tainted with blood and deformed in shape. As for her face? There¡¯s no need to say anything else.

    At this moment, Tao had already informed Yan Zaizen that he was wholly dedicated to following him. It wasn¡¯t going to be a position of partners but of subordinate and friend. Initially, Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t like this due to the time spent in the Deep Mines, but Tao was adamant on this. His words were, "If it wasn¡¯t for you, I would¡¯ve jumped off that cliff and died sooner orter. I owe you my life, and I intend to pay you back with it."

    Considering the determined gaze in his eyes, Yan Zaizen relented. Now, their rtionship was simr to leader and subordinate. "Clean her up, set her on the post and ready it. I¡¯m not done with her yet." He slowly walked off out the door.

    Tao looked at Diyi and couldn¡¯t help but shake his head in sympathy. "I¡¯ve said it before, the one who offended a monster like him was going to be washing their neck to be imedter. Now, let me go wash your neck." Despite his words, he didn¡¯t feel this was undeserved. Yan Zaizen may not know her dark deeds deeply, but how could he not? Especially considering who he was before.

 Chapter 74 Accepting One More

    Atop the skyship was two tall wooden posts spread a bit of distance from themselves. Between these two posts, was a young girl attached to barbed rope by her feet and arms that sliced into her skin relentlessly. Her face was filled with bruises, but a majority of her wounds to her bones and flesh seemed to have been healed by miraculous medicine as faint signs of injury remained.

    Besides her, three individuals stood a distance away, one of which was a scrawny man with pearly white teeth, a handsomely tall youth with an outstanding physique, and a middle-aged man. The first two were Yan Zaizen and Tao, but the third was Elder Lu - Diyi¡¯s former protector. Currently, he was kowtowing to Yan Zaizen.

    "Lord Zai, please!" His voice was filled with pleading and desperation.

    If anyone from the Grux Empire saw this, they would assume Elder Lu was pleading for mercy in regards to Diyi¡¯s current fate, but that was not the case. Instead, he arrived after sneakily following Yan Zaizen to the skyship and maintaining a suitable distance. Initially, Yan Zaizen felt that this man had ill-intentions towards him and Tao but didn¡¯t act despite knowing from day one due to his curiosity. However, he was surprised to find out the real reason for his actions.

    He wanted to work for Yan Zaizen.

    This was a mid-Origin Core Realm expert!! And yet, he wanted to work for Yan Zaizen!

    "Lord Zai, I¡¯ve left the Grux Empire, and a hit has undoubtedly been ced on my head due to my actions. I hope you can ept my request!" His tone was filled with begging, but one could tell that he had other choices he could make. However, what would be better than working for someone at the very peak of power and by choice no less!

    In his entire life, Elder Lu was forced to work for someone he didn¡¯t choose to do so to fulfill a debt. However, after escaping from that person¡¯s clutches, he didn¡¯t have anywhere to go without being targeted for his actions. If he could follow Yan Zaizen, then he would be fully protected even if he publicized his location to all of Grux.

    "Why would I want someone like you, who¡¯s willing to leave the one he was tasked to protect to die. Regardless of decisiveness, it doesn¡¯t exactly inspire confidence for your loyalty." Yan Zaizen¡¯s voice was calm, and his words struck true. Elder Lu couldn¡¯t even respond, only staying in a kowtow position frozen due to awkwardness.

    Tao, however, was the one to interject. "Elder Lu is named Bai Lufeng, and his story is..." Tao immediately retold Bai Lufeng¡¯s entire life story and what he believed his personality was. Bai Lufeng genuinely was a good person at heart but one caught between loyalty and morality. Despite this, he chose loyalty for two thousand years until an incident happened that called his morality into question.

    Bai Lufeng refused to ughter a vige filled with people and send all the children to the Deep Mines on orders of Diyi¡¯s Father. Due to his insubordination, he was given the punishment of protecting Diyi, and even still his morality was tested again and again by hermands. The fact he was decisive and leaving the entirety of Grux while remaining untainted by the two¡¯s personality disyed his good characteristics.

    Yan Zaizen was shocked as he looked at Tao. How did Tao know all of this? Bai Lufeng, however, wasn¡¯t shocked. Instead, he looked at Tao with his eyes shining with brilliance.

    Normally, Tao was unwilling to talk about his background in-depth, and Yan Zaizen respected his decision. However, now he was truly curious.

    Tao could see Yan Zaizen¡¯s curiosity and felt odd in his heart. After a long moment of silence, his eyes became decisive as he exined, "My name before was Grux Taohe, and my master was the Imperial Schr."

    What?!

    "You mean..." It made sense. Truly, it made sense.

    The Imperial Schr wasn¡¯t an empty title. It was given to the one deemed with the most knowledge in the entire kingdom, some could even say country, and Tao was always incredibly intelligent and knowledgeable. He knew about the Dao the moment he saw Yan Zaizen¡¯s aura, something that even the others who watched his battle couldn¡¯t deduce at first sight. He knew about armaments to an incredible degree, and their conversations had told him a lot about the inner-workings of Grux and its history.

    Yan Zaizen held the impulse to ask why he was no longer apart of Grux despite having the Imperial Schr, a True Essence Cultivator, as his master. Not to mention, asking why he was sent to the Deep Mines for ten years.

    Could it be?

    Tao sighed at Yan Zaizen¡¯s myriad of thoughts, he continued to exin, "Long story short, I voiced opinions that wasn¡¯t exactly...popr with the upper-echelon of the Empire. My Master stripped me of my name, status and sent me to the Deep Mines as punishment." Despite it not going into too much depth, it matched with Yan Zaizen¡¯s assumption.

    "Hm. Your past is your past." Yan Zaizen nodded, not caring about who he was before. Considering he was sent to the Deep Mines to die, why would he have good feelings towards the Empire or his former master? He even helped to plot against the royal family, no wonder he was so willing to take the risk.

    Looking at Bai Lufeng, Yan Zaizen contemted. Having a mid-Origin Core Realm servant would be incredibly impressive and useful. Not to mention, he was loyal and moral and considering that he also posed no threat to Yan Zaizen, he felt no reason not to agree. "Sure. However, you¡¯ll need to make a soul oath." Yan Zaizen said, his tone held for no debate.

    Bai Lufeng thought for a second and nodded in agreement. A soul oath wasn¡¯t something that could be easily aplished and could only be set up by someone at the Aurora Soul Realm, otherwise, most people kept to heavenly oaths. However, for heavenly tribtions, depending on the weight of the oath, the punishment wasn¡¯t as intense and could be survived with personal strength or outside help.

    Soul Oaths wasn¡¯t like that at all. If you break it, unless someone was heaven-defyingly great, your soul would be sent to the underworld.

    After the Soul Oath had been sworn, Yan Zaizen informed Bai Lufeng to fly the skyship towards Sky Heart City. Tao gave Bai Lufeng the qi method to pilot the ship. However, Bai Lufeng suddenly recalled something.

    "Wait! Lord Zai, the-"

    "Don¡¯t call me Lord Zai, makes me feel old." Yan Zaizen interjected quickly. It truly didn¡¯t feelfortable being called Lord Zai, despite possessing his overwhelming strength. He was only neen after all.

    Bai Lufeng was startled but then realized after understanding who Yan Zaizen was. In truth, when he arrived, he was shocked to death. Yan Zaizen was alive, survived the Deep Mines for two years, and came back with a cultivation that could rival peak powers in the continent. When he saw the quick but intense battle between Yan Zaizen and Lord Xi¨¡o, he was enthralled. If he were to fight either one of them, it¡¯s unlikely he could survive a single blow, but it truly left one filled with respect for both of them.

    Now, this mysterious person, that filled him with respect, was actually a neen-year-old boy with a heaven-defying soul cultivation.

    "Young Lord Zai?" Bai Lufeng tested, his voice cautious with every word. Yan Zaizen looked thoughtfully for a second and nodded in eptance. That truly felt more suitable for him.

    "Young Lord Zai, Lady Di¡¯s Father was killed yesterday. The Yi family was uprooted, and an apology was issued for your disci- I mean, your punishment being handled improperly. They have even sent a notice of invitation. The Emperor wants to personally apologize for the incident, hoping to seek reconciliation." Bai Lufeng had connections everywhere, and he didn¡¯t dare to make a move to join Yan Zaizen until he knew the Imperial Pce¡¯s personal position on the matter.

    Yan Zaizen expected this, hell, it was what they were going for. As for the Yi Family being killed, they could only me others for bringing them down.

    "Mhm." He softly nodded in response, obviously not being surprised at this piece of news. "What about the Xi¨¡o City Lord?" This was what he truly was concerned over.

    "He returned to Xi¨¡o City and went into secluded recovery to tend to his wounds due to your battle from earlier."

    Yan Zaizen felt a little relieved. He was a member of the Anima Syndicate and despite members being able to kill other members, it didn¡¯t seem right to do so. In truth, he only spared him for Wu Yuanxu. If it wasn¡¯t for Wu Yuanxu detailing the Anima Syndicate with such zest and zeal, then he would¡¯ve ended his life then and there.

    "Alright. Go." Yan Zaizen instructed, sending Bai Lufeng off to pilot the skyship. Turning towards Tao, his voice contained a chilly intent, "Did you bring it?" Tao nodded in response, handing Yan Zaizen a spatial ring.

    He slowly walked towards Diyi, "We aren¡¯t finished."

 Chapter 75 Your Choice, Your Fate

    Wuh-PSSSH!

    The sound of a whip cracking in the air resounded as it snapped viciously onto flesh. The shearing of flesh and blood caused wisps of it to soar about.

    "AHHHH!" Diyi shrieked in pain and horror. Her back had one long line of sheared flesh that went bone deep.

    "When you sentenced me to 500 years in hell, did you hope I¡¯d die?" Yan Zaizen¡¯s calm voice resounded in the surroundings.

    Wuh-PSSSH!

    Another whip wasshed viciously on Diyi¡¯s back. Her painful shriek echoed within the air once more, causing the myriad of lifeforms beneath the skyship as it passed by to shiver and feel ufortable. Many feltplex emotions, like pity, indifference, or fear.

    Despite his question, Diyi refused to answer.

    Wuh-PSSSH!

    "AHHHHHHHHHH!!"

    Another whipshed out violently.

    "Did you hope I would jump into that deep, dark hole in despair and regret? No matter. I did not, but your father is dead. Your family is dead."

    Wuh-PSSSH!

    "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!"

    "It was because of your choice that day. Your indifference towards my life. Your indifference towards my innocence."

    Wuh-PSSSH!

    "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!"

    Each whip wasshed out harder than thest, viciously removing flesh, blood and bone. All of Yan Zaizen¡¯s two years of grievance and anger empowered each and every swing. However, Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t have a smile or happiness on his face. Instead, his facial expression had a calm solemness to it.

    "Did the me then deserve it? Do you even regret it?"

    Wuh-PSSSH!

    "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!"

    "If I was in your shoes, and I made your choice. I wouldn¡¯t. I would me myself, sure. However, I would never regret a choice I made."

    Wuh-PSSSH!

    This continued until 26shes resounded, one for each month of his life taken by the Deep Mines. Afterward, Diyi¡¯s back held very little flesh or bone, being drenched in blood and filled with sweat. Her breathing wasn¡¯t steady, and her lifeforce was at an all-time low.

    He handed the whip drenched in her blood to Tao, and walked in front of her to see her dim eyes. When their eyes met, he could see those eyes filled with hatred and anger. Yan Zaizen shook his head and sighed softly. "Choices are what we live by, and as long as we live, our choices determine our fate."

    He felt himself fall into remembrance as his words sounded out, even Tao beside him felt emotional. It was true, choices are what we all live by.

    Tao chose to voice his opinion and reaped the consequences, a life, and a death in the Deep Mines. Bai Lufeng chose to stay loyal and his morality kept being pushed until he couldn¡¯t make that choice any longer but was punished after. Diyi chose to sentence him to 500 years into the Deep Mines, knowing that even if he could survive ten years, he would never be able to escape alive. This was a death sentence which would¡¯ve likely lead to his suicide in hopelessness.

    As for Yan Zaizen, he chose to be Han Genji¡¯s disciple. If he had refused, his life might have been reaped or perhaps Han Genji would¡¯ve left him alone. Who knew what could¡¯ve happened on that day? However, that choice of his lead him to here, to this time, to this ce, with these people.

    "I¡¯ve given you two punishments to relieve my hatred. Killing you would only be a caveat to end all roots, but it is not necessary or required." Yan Zaizen stated, his voice filled with a soft calm. Diyi trembled hearing about his desire to kill her. She didn¡¯t want to die, otherwise, how could she get revenge for all this? Her hatred for Yan Zaizen could reach the heavens and back!

    "So, I¡¯ll give you two choices. You can die by my hands or be my ve for five hundred years." He offered.

    Diyi was shocked but then turned incredibly angry. She gritted her teeth fiercely and bitingly dered, "Hahaha! ve?! For you?! I¡¯d much rather die!!!" Her body trembled in her anger. Yan Zaizen simply looked towards her and slight nodded in understanding.

    "Understood." If he was given the choice of being a ve for five hundred years or die, given her circumstances, he felt that he would choose five hundred years instantly. He would never give up because as long as he held an ounce of breath in his body, he would always try to conceive of a way to victory. This would¡¯ve been his decision in a heartbeat, even in anger.

    He slowly reached his hand outwards, preparing to grasp her head and send her on her way. Of course, he wasn¡¯t going to make it fast. She would most certainly die slowly, very slowly, but die nheless.

    Seeing this hand reach towards her, she became iparably terrified. As it moved slowly towards her, she could see her life shing before her very eyes. The life she led, the things she did, the choices she made, and the fate she caused her father. She felt truly horrible and intense regret welled up within the pit of her stomach.

    Would she have done things differently had she known it¡¯d end this way? Of course!

    Could she? No.

    Memories of her father shed in her mind, and it stopped at a moment when she was younger. Her father was there, holding her shoulders as she cried, and he looked at her with powerfully fierce eyes. "Crying is useless. What does it do for you? Reveal your weakness? Make you feel slightly better? Does it change the reason you¡¯re sad? No. As long as you have the will, anything that makes you sad can be upended and reversed to bring you happiness. Remember this young one. Only you can change your reality."

    Her father¡¯s voice resounded in her mind, and she looked towards the approaching hand with a different resolve. She spoke up suddenly, "Wait! I¡¯ll do it!" Her mind was clear at the moment of life or death, as long as she was alive and had the will, what couldn¡¯t she change? A ve for 500 years? Let¡¯s see what she can do in those 500 years!

    Yan Zaizen, however, looked towards those resolved eyes and shook his head softly. "I gave you a choice. You made it." His hand grabbed her forehead, mping on it powerfully. Realizing her situation, she pleaded loudly and looked at Yan Zaizen¡¯s arm with fear. "Wait! Wait! I¡¯ll do it, 500 years! I¡¯ll do 1,000 years! I can do it!"

    She didn¡¯t want to die!

    As long as she lived, she could change her fate! She could determine her reality!

    With a soft sigh, "When you made your choice on that day, it couldn¡¯t be turned back. When you made your choice today, it still can¡¯t be turned back." A stream of soul energy tunneled into her soul form, ravishing it thoroughly. The pain of soul caused her to shriek like never before. The sound caused Bai Lufeng and Tao¡¯s hearts to grow cold suffusing with terror, but no shock at these events.

    It continued for a full hour before suddenly going silent.

    Yan Zaizen untied Diyi¡¯s corpse from the posts and carried it to the railings at the edge of the skyship. Bai Lufeng couldn¡¯t help but see Diyi¡¯s bloodied and disfigured corpse and feel a little pain in his heart, but he could only shake his head in pity. All the time he was beside her, he kept trying to give her advice to change her ways, but she believed herself invincible. Unfortunately, in this world, Gods can die, even Buddhas can be tortured, and even the heavens can shatter.

    No one¡¯s invincible.

    "I gave her a chance; her fate was decided by herself. If you make your choice, you must be willing to deal with the consequences, whatever they may be. That is how we live. There is no ce for regrets." His voice was filled with absolute calm, he threw Diyi¡¯s corpse overboard. As she treated life beneath her like trash, her final fate will be the same.

    A sudden weight lifted from his body, and he could feel a little bit of himself before the Deep Mines resurface, the light-hearted, naive, curious and humor-filled self. A slight smile appeared on his face. He may never be able to return to the him before after being exposed to so much darkness, but that didn¡¯t mean he would be consumed by this darkness.

    His dao aura manifested instinctively, shrouding him with a tyrannical ferocity filled with unyielding confidence in oneself, but now it had a trace of decisiveness and warmth. Slowly, it was giving shape and form to something heaven-equalling.

 Chapter 76 Calculating Ones Wealth

    "This is..." Tao¡¯s mouth gaped in shock.

    "To think you..." Bai Lufeng had eyes shining with greed and excitement.

    "Hehehehehehe!" Yan Zaizen was giggling like a little schoolgirl, holding his sides and wiping off the saliva that couldn¡¯t help but form at the corner of his lips. To be honest, both Tao and Bai Lufeng mind¡¯s reeled at his appearance, finding it somewhat disgusting despite their rtionship.

    Three men were located in one of the skyship¡¯s many rooms, but this was thergest and held cargo of all sorts. They were located in a circle as they looked down at a brown, four-legged table that was filled with spatial rings and bags. These spatial objects were things Yan Zaizen had taken off of the previous crew of Qi Unification Cultivators, Origin Core Protectors, a Prince and youngdies who held high status in grux, as well as a True Essence Cultivator. Not to mention, this True Essence Cultivator was a grand-tier alchemist!

    The sheer amount of wealth in his spatial ring that was the umtion of his entire life possessions could be imagined. It was no wonder that the trio was struck dumb with greed.

    "How much is it?" Bai Lufeng couldn¡¯t help but ask, but it elicited Tao and Yan Zaizen to look at him with ruthless expressions. This caused him to gulp, and he realized that it¡¯s unlikely for him to have any piece of this pie. As for his ring that was taken by Yan Zaizen before, it was returned, and that¡¯s probably the most he¡¯ll receive.

    Tao ignored Bai Lufeng and calcted with his fingers, "In terms of wealth and value of all objectsbined, this entire thing should be worth about...3 billion drops of low-grade liquid essence."

    When this was said, both Yan Zaizen and Bai Lufeng¡¯s gaze turned so heated that the entire world probably need sunscreen. 3 BILLION DROPS! That was an astronomical amount of wealth that went to the point that it could rival the entirety of all first-tier powers within the country. All first tier powersbined!

    To put it in perspective, 3 billion drops, if transformed into crystal essence, would be 30 mid-grade essence crystals. Low-Grade Essence Crystals was used for True Essence Cultivators for their qi cultivation, but mid-grade was for even higher! Of course, even if one possesses the proper essence, doesn¡¯t mean they could reach the next level. Arge reason had to be due to time.

    To put this heart-breaking fact into perspective as well, Yan Zaizen took four months to reach the peak in Essence Formation, Dantian Refinement, and Pathway Expansion, but that was with a mid-grade essence crystal which shaved off several years for refinement. As one continued their cultivation, their personal absorption rate and refinement speed don¡¯t change much; Therefore, their cultivation speed starts to drop as cultivating bes more and more time-consuming. This is why many use alchemic pills or elixirs to expedite their cultivation speed, but this has a price such as an impurity in the qiwork or simply difficulty in production.

    It is also why many go into closed-door cultivation for decades, centuries, or even millennia. You may have the resources, but that doesn¡¯t mean you have the time. For those who struggle with their life on the line to gather resources, they are even more unlikely to reach the peak of cultivation without heaven-defying luck or skill.

    It is also why talent is highly regarded as it indicated one¡¯s personal absorption speed of essence or medicinal effectiveness towards one¡¯s body. When Yan Zaizen was young, his talent was deemed the lowest of the low based on this and his poor artprehension. Thus, he¡¯ll need more time and resources than others to reach the same level.

    This doesn¡¯t even ount for the traveling,bat, andws that cultivators need to expend time on.

    This is why no one took him seriously or felt he would rise. Without innate talent, progressing to the True Essence Realm with a limited lifespan was a dream of everyone except the highborn of the country.

    Luckily, his old body¡¯s talent had been cast off and born anew. He now held the talent of a Herculean and as his physique developed, so will his ability to refine and process essence or any type of material. After all, the materials required to be refined by a Herculean for advancement was by no means ordinary under the heavens.

    "We also obtained seven Origin Consolidation Pill, twenty-eight Godly Unification Elixir, one True Essence Sublimation Pill, one Aurora Manifestation Pill, and..." Tao continued to list the particrs of their loot. While the Origin Consolidation Pill may be rare to the Imperial Pce, but to a Grand-tier Alchemist like the Xi¨¡o City Lord, they weren¡¯t much.

    If he wasn¡¯t capable of gathering a massive force, how could he create a city and still be at odds with the royal family? Even if he was at the initial-True Essence Realm, the Ancient Emperor could still kill him easily, as each step in that realm was like the difference between the sky and earth. Yet, that didn¡¯t happen. The reason was his status as the greatest Grand-tier alchemist in all of Grux and the ability to gather and produce his own force.

    How else did he obtain the wealth to set up a spatial tform that could teleport an entire mountain?! Let alone an entire sky-rank armament that was a literal mountain.

    The Godly Unification Elixir was a top-grade elixir that can help one enter and progress through the Qi Unification Realm up to thete-stage, while the True Essence Sublimation Pill was a grand-tier pill that could help one reach the True Essence Realm! This pill was heaven-defying, but help doesn¡¯t mean a guarantee, but it still increased your chances.

    Unlike the Origin Consolidation Pill which pretty much guaranteed sess if one was at the half-step Origin Core Realm, but this pill only increased your chances at seeding. Breaking through a new cultivation wasn¡¯t considered easy by any means, and the higher you go, the harder it bes.

    "Aurora Manifestation Pill?" Yan Zaizen was intrigued. This was the first time he¡¯d heard of any of these except the ones rting to the Qi Unification Realm. One must know, the Yan n only possessed those at thete-Qi Unification Realm at best. Even then, there were only two or three.

    Tao wasn¡¯t shocked that Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t know, especially since Yan Zaizen seemed to be naturally talented with the soul, would he even require resources like this? "An Aurora Manifestation Pill is used to help condense one¡¯s Aurora, thereby reaching the Aurora Soul Realm." He exined quite patiently, but inwardly, he was shocked.

    This was an ancient pill and many of the resources to make this pill can¡¯t be obtained in the Xiantu Realm. What surprised him even further was that it originated from the Prince¡¯s Ring. If he had to guess, it exins why the Xi¨¡o City Lord decided to fight Yan Zaizen and interfere in Imperial business. This pill must¡¯ve lured him in snuggly, even willing to shatter a priceless talisman to bring his sky-ranked armament to battle.

    Unfortunately for him, his losses were staggering. It¡¯s highly unlikely he¡¯ll ever help the Imperial Family again.

    Yan Zaizen was surprised, but it wasn¡¯t helpful to him, so he didn¡¯t put it into his mind as valuable. As for Bai Lufeng, his eyes were so wide that it seemed his eyelids never existed. If Yan Zaizen could be considered ignorant of its existence and uncaring of its value, then Bai Lufeng could be considered ignorant of its existence, but fully aware of its value.

    This could help one reach the Initial Aurora Soul! That would make one equivalent to a half-step True Essence Cultivator. A single pill can achieve that. Of course, one had to reach the Perfect Nascent Soul Realm beforehand, but the leap was astronomically high.

    "Well, I¡¯ll take all the Godly Unification Elixirs. Since we have time before we arrive in Sky Heart City, I think it¡¯s about right for me to make my breakthrough. As for the Origin Consolidating Pill, Tao, you can use it to make your breakthrough as well. As for...you..." Yan Zaizen allocated the resources and shifted his gaze to Bai Lufeng.

    The moment this gazended on him, he felt an odd sensation of awkwardness as he coughed. Before Yan Zaizen could continue, he spoke, "I¡¯ll pilot the ship to Sky Heart City. I have done nothing to obtain any resources, and I¡¯m not in any particr rush for a breakthrough." His response was rather perfect, as Yan Zaizen only nodded in agreement.

    Tao knew Bai Lufeng was bullshitting, but regardless, he wouldn¡¯t see any resources for now.

    After storing everything and distributing the things that Tao needed for a stable breakthrough, Yan Zaizen went to his private quarters and prepared for his breakthrough to the Qi Unification Realm.

 Chapter 77 A Glimpse at the Heavens

    Yan Zaizen sat neatly in the lotus position atop a jade tform. The jade tform was quite useful for cultivation and meditation as it gave off wisps of essence that felt soothing to breathe and rxed the mind. As for around this jade tform, ten bottles of Godly Unification Elixir was evenly and neatly ced in reach. With his current state of being regted to a suitable state for cultivation and resources at hand, Yan Zaizen readied himself mentally.

    "Qi Unification Realm." He started running through the various methods used to make a breakthrough into the realm as well as what it provides.

    In qi-cultivation, one starts out at the Qi Foundation Realm by awakening their meridians, opening their pathways, and forging their dantian. After one does those three things, they could be considered at thete-stage. When each of these aspects wasbined together, enabling one to produce qi from essence, they reach the peak-stage.

    To breakthrough the Qi Foundation Realm into the Revolving Qi Realm, one must have a proper cirction of qi until it formtes a cyclone. As this cyclone expands, one¡¯s qi cirction speed and release speed enhances.

    After the Revolving Qi Realm was the Essence Formation Realm. To breakthrough, a cultivator refines their qi into qi-essence. This typically requires a lot of essence, time, and patience to remain in istion for an extended period of time. As one goes from possessing 1% of qi-essence to 100%, they progress in the realm. As the qi-essence fills the dantian, pathways, and meridians, it enhances the quality of one¡¯s qi, enabling their arts to be increasingly stronger, while also increasing the durability of those three aspects.

    Qi Unification Realm was the demarcation line in cultivation, and the only one that requires more than just essence. It entails a full-blown evolutionary transformation of one¡¯s dantian, pathways, and meridians to the point where ordinary qi is no longer produced and these systems are naturally attuned to creating and maintaining qi-essence. In the cultivation world, a single Qi Unification expert could kill one hundred Essence Realm cultivators. Many attempts to break through this line, but a majority fail.

    One could see the importance of Qi Unification Experts by looking at how forces are in the cultivation world. In the Fallen Stars Continent, third-tier powers have at least an initial-Qi Unification expert at the helm, second-tier powers have ate-Qi Unification expert, first-tier powers have an initial-Origin Core Realm, grand-tier powers have a peak-Origin Core expert, and imperial-tier powers have a mid-True Essence expert.

    In the continent, there was no such thing as a fourth-tier power, as any power of that grade would be as worthless as a pile of mortals. While those at the imperial-tier powers could dere their own country just like that.

    As for ascending to the Origin Core, one must develop their origin source and condense all their qi-essence to formte an Origin Core. An origin source was essentially the deepest source of energy contained in every living thing¡¯s body, essentially rting to their ancestral origins. In this realm, bloodlines awaken and yed a huge part in future cultivation as well as battle prowess. At this point, the difference in Origin Core cultivators can start to be as great as the sky and the earth.

    To progress in the Origin Core, one must continue to tap into their origin source and continue feeding it to grow and develop, developing their bloodline or innate characteristics of their race to the highest.

    True Essence Realm was essentially the peak of the Essence Path, they undergo the second evolutionary transformation simr to Qi Unification, but this time, their goal is to produce true-essence and not qi-essence. This transformation difference won¡¯t be as simple as the sky and earth, but the heaven and earth.

    After organizing the information he possessed in regards to cultivation, he reaffirmed his belief on this path. Qi cultivation was essential to properly utilizews, this was evident by his exhaustion using the Spatial Form of Infinite Stability against the Xi¨¡o City Lord.

    He needed to progress.

    Picking up a bottle of Godly Unification Elixir, he downed it slowly. It tasted incredibly sweet and tart, like a chocte covered green apple. Who would¡¯ve thought that elixirs would taste so delicious? As it traversed downwards to the base of his stomach, it miraculously redirected towards his dantian, and filled his dantian. A sudden surging of energy and rumbling sounds echoed within his body, and he could feel his heart beat rapidly in response.

    With the body of a herculean, his innate bodily talent was exceptionally higher than he could ever imagine. Typically, to consume and refine this grade of elixir, one would require about a week or so, but Yan Zaizen felt the medicinal efficacy surging to his meridians, pathways, and dantian at a remarkable speed. In a few minutes, all of it was gone, but his three qi aspects were radiating with a unique energy.

    "This...The transformation...is ready?" He was shocked inwardly. As cultivators, they know their bodies as well as they know their own names, and he could feel his body being ready to steadily step into the Qi Unification Realm with a single thought.

    What he didn¡¯t know was that the foundational realms - Dantian Refinement & Pathways Expansion - were key to the ease he felt. When one cultivated these both to the maximum, breaking through to the Qi Unification was as easy as putting on one¡¯s shoes, but how many could actually reach this level? What more, who would be willing to do so?

    Yan Zaizen had an initial Herculean Physique when he cultivated for four months straight, not only that, he possessed an essence crystal worth 100,000,000 low-grade drops of liquid essence, and he used a little over half during his breakthroughs! He used 60,000,000 low-grade drops of liquid essence in four months! If anyone else was given the same, they would still take years or a decade to refine their pathways, meridians, and dantian.

    Unless they were given specific pills or elixirs to expedite, but he used pure and unadulterated essence, refined it into his own, and even refined his qi aspects. In only four months!

    At the time, it wasn¡¯t anything special, but now he could feel the difference was astronomical, especially with a true Herculean Physique!

    "I see, my assumption was right. The Herculean Physique truly enhances one¡¯s innate endowments towards essence. To exceed the heavens, huh." He took a deep breath to calm himself down and even felt a little awkward. He anticipated to be in this room for over a month, but it seems it¡¯ll only take him a few days.

    "Well, I guess I can see how far I can reach in the Qi Unification Realm." He decisively decided, not willing to forgo his cultivation session due to being too outstanding. Talent is nothing without hard work.

    His qi aspects started to reverberate loudly, resonating with the surroundings, and emitting rays of light. The Spatial Form of Infinite Stability, Unyielding me of Life, and Siphoning Shadow of Death segregated from his soul form, floating silently above him, each releasing a different color of light indicating their respective truews. Silver for space, bright white for life, and inky ck for death.

    Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t notice at the time due to the circumstance, and then his qi was suppressed soon thereafter in the Deep Mines making it nearly impossible to verify, but his Spatial Form of Infinite Stability at conception was already at the Perfect Nascent Stage. The concept couldn¡¯t be improved further and reached its zenith as is. When he utilized his qi infused with spatial conceptualw to interact with the Xi¨¡o Mountain in mid-transit, it broke through that barrier of originating with its originw, allowing it to ascend.

    All three of hisws were within the force level, while his Siphoning Shadow of Death was stronger than the other two. They all brimmed with traces of the truews under the heavens.

    Yan Zaizen could feel them outside of his soul, but he wasn¡¯t quite sure as to what was happening. What he didn¡¯t know or Tao didn¡¯t tell him, was that the reason why cultivators withws were overwhelmingly stronger than those without had to do with the baptism they receive during their evolutionary stages of Qi Unification & True Essence.

    The three concepts emitted bright light as they drew from the surrounding heavenly essence, they sparkled with traces of dazzling gold that seemed to contain the myriad of stars under the heavens. They drew upon the heavenly power to initiate a baptism of not only themselves but their owner.

    Yan Zaizen could feel his soul illuminate, and his connection to the heavens bing clearer than ever before.

    "This is..." He pondered slowly, and many things that he originally didn¡¯t understand about the heavens were slowly illuminated. He looked outwards and saw another silhouette amongst the three, it formted slowly but surely as his rity towards the heavens became greater.

    "The conceptualw...Archery of Pure Destruction isn¡¯t a singlew, but...two." His eyes felt like he could see mysteries he couldn¡¯tprehend before. How could he have not known this? Pinaka had never once given him any advice on this, but he stillprehended the conceptualw. Never did he believe it was twows merged into a single concept.

    "Was this possible?!" Could twows be one? In truth, threews could be one! Thew of life, death, and soul creates the Imperial Law of Samsara! If one couldprehend that, they could control the ability of reincarnation under the heavens, or even interfere with it. The Yin-Yang Imperial Law merges the concept of Yin and Yang. The Imperial Law of Spacetime uses both Space and Time, while Eternity mixes the Imperial Law of Samsara and Spacetime. If even Imperial Laws could be merged, it was obvious a world and mortal one could!

    Yan Zaizen felt as if his entire world was expanded, and he knew of the path to follow. Thew of life and death could be the Imperial Law of Rebirth! With this, one¡¯s physical existence would be limitless and evesting!

    "The Laws...they¡¯re so miraculous!" His voice was filled with reverence and admiration as he pondered the heavens in his state.

    BOOM!!!

    Suddenly, his connection with the heavens was severed and his blood grew hot, his heart started to beat at rates that should¡¯ve been impossible, and he breathed in a breath that sucked in all the essence energy within ten li!

    A single sentence was uttered within his mind that caused him to feel overwhelmed.

    "EXCEED THE HEAVENS!!!"

    Immediately, he could feel a whole new world before him. However, this world only had two things he could see, a shadow of his physical body and a semi-transparent me filled with white motes. This me gave off incredibly powerful fluctuations that gave the sensation of tyrannical ferocity, unyielding confidence, decisiveness, and warmth.

    MY DAO?!

    He was shocked, but even more so by the outline of his physical body. Despite seeming so small, it seemed as if it could eclipse all of the heavens with a single palm.

    "Wait...that¡¯s!!!" His eyes widened as he looked above the herculean form, a swirling ck hole several million timesrger than both were swirling about. Initially, he didn¡¯t recognize it, but he felt a profound emptiness and desire to consume all creation from it that drew his attention. If the Herculean form seemed like it could cover the heavens with a single palm, then this ck hole could consume all the heavens with a single movement!

    A single thought!!

    His scalp tingled, and his mind reeled in utter shock.

    Luckily, before he went absolutely mad from the sensation, he returned back to his room drenched in sweat. He could tell that despite it seeming like hours had passed, perhaps less than a second had truly passed in reality.

    The threews were no longer above him but within his soul form actingpletely normal, however, now there was a bow and arrow filled to the brim with destructive intention. As for his physical body, he could feel traces of thew of life, death, space, archery, and destruction lingering in every aspect of his cells.

    As for his cultivation, he had reached the peak of the initial-Qi Unification Realm, and his body hadpleted its evolutionary phase, but he felt that it truly was insignificant inparison to his true gains, inparison to that ck hole.

    "What the hell...was that?" The ck hole filled his mind with confusion and questions, but he had the feeling that sooner orter, he¡¯ll learn the truth. He just had to search for it.

 Chapter 78 Bloodlines

    After that whole ordeal, only a few hours had passed since. Not to mention, when he breathed in to consume all the essence within 10 li, the ship¡¯s fuel was also depleted as well. They had almost crashed if it wasn¡¯t for Bai Lufeng stabilizing the ship with his qi-cultivation base, and refueling it with his own resources. Fortunately, this was the Ying¡¯s skyship and not the Imperial skyship, otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t be able to fuel it with just his wealth alone.

    The days continued to pass. Yan Zaizen and Tao remained in closed-door cultivation in an attempt to further their cultivation base while Bai Lufeng was left piloting the ship day and night. Of course to him, someone who lived nearly three thousand years, this wasn¡¯t much. In truth, it was rather peaceful to him. It¡¯s been a while since he could simply watch the sights without a care in the world.

    "I guess having a young lord who could rival a mid-True Essence Cultivator truly lets one rx." He couldn¡¯t help but chuckle to himself in self-satisfaction, feeling his decision was definitely a good one. Not to mention, Tao was a morally just person and he would never follow someone like Diyi¡¯s father, so he didn¡¯t have to worry about ughtering innocents or sending children out to die in the Deep Mines. Life was truly looking up for him.

    After three weeks, in Tao¡¯s cultivation room, an eruption of condensed qi-essence filled with origin source surged outward in a domineering fashion. This eruption even riled Yan Zaizen awake from his cultivation state. "He broke through?" With a smile on his face, Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes shone with dazzling brilliance.

    A confidentughter resounded outwards from Tao¡¯s cabin. To break through to the Origin Core Realm at 700 years old was exceptionally fast, albeit it couldn¡¯t match Prince Ren, it definitely disyed his innate talents. He didn¡¯t even tryparing himself to Yan Zaizen, but onlypared himself to the myriad of other geniuses within Grux.

    Yan Zaizen and Tao left their rooms and met up at the helm of the ship. Bai Lufeng had a slight smile on his face looking at Tao. He remembered his breakthrough into the Origin Core Realm, and that was a thousand years ago. Despite this, he didn¡¯t feel despondent at breaking through at the age of a sixteen hundred years old but felt utterly prideful.

    To origin core cultivators, three thousand years could be considered mid-life, still possessing about another two thousand, while Qi Unification cultivators have about fifteen hundred years of life on average.

    He was one of the lucky few to breakthrough nearing the end of his life, extending it, and progressing promptly afterwards. As one¡¯s cultivation base increases, so does the resource quality one could fight for or earn from others. It was due to this that he reached the mid-Origin Core a few decades ago.

    "Young Master Zai and Tao, congrattions on your breakthroughs," He noted to offer congrattions to Yan Zaizen before Tao, obviously a bit of ass-kissing there. Tao couldn¡¯t help but chuckle at his little wordy antics while Yan Zaizen simply smiled.

    "Your cultivation base has grown quite exceptional rather quickly," Taomented, looking closely at Yan Zaizen. His heart was filled with shock, considering the time span being only three weeks, but Yan Zaizen had already reached thete-Qi Unification Realm from the peak-Essence Formation, and his foundation was exceptionally sturdy and robust. The qi essence his body contained made his aura incredibly intense, and one could tell he was still trying to regte it as can be seen from its leakage.

    What Tao still had yet to know was that his qi-essence now inherently carried the characteristics of life, death, space, archery, and destruction after the baptism of thews. If he wished to execute any qi-art, it would contain characteristics of these five even before reaching the Origin Core Realm. It won¡¯t be their concepts but their actual truew. Over the past week or so, he¡¯s been trying to regte the aura leakage pertaining to hisws and not his qi-essence. This was why he still hadn¡¯t stabilized his cultivation base¡¯s aura.

    "You¡¯re one to speak! Haha." Yan Zaizen was in an exceptionally gleeful mood, and the youthfulness reminiscent of his time in the Yan n couldn¡¯t help but resurface, of course without the depression.

    Tao smiled lightly, his eyes suffused with unyielding confidence as if infected by Yan Zaizen¡¯s Dao. He clenched his fist, a burst of origin-infused qi-essence exploded outwards from within, and its power was not to be underestimated. If one looked closely, they could see traces of wind cycling about like a twister.

    "Law of wind?" Yan Zaizen was shocked. Did Taoprehend a worldw?

    However, Tao immediately corrected, "It¡¯s thew of cyclone, not wind." His words contained a trace of reluctance and disappointment. Thew of cyclone was essentially thew that focused upon centrifugal force with the concept of cirction. It could be used to produce whirlwinds, whirlpools, or even to interfere with an external force. It was a profound mortalw, but still a weak one inparison to all things.

    "Thew of cyclone, not bad." Yan Zaizen nodded in approval. Any cultivator who couldprehend aw, no matter mortal or world, was exceptional in their own right.

    However, Tao couldn¡¯t help but sigh softly at that response. "The concept originates from my bloodline. Essentially, my ancestor reached the True Essence Realm andprehended the cyclonew to the Manifestation-Level. The main reason it¡¯s called that is due to thews being able to manifest in the bloodline of your descendants. So..." He felt reluctant to say more, but continued, "My qi-essence will have traces and properties of thisw to the Perfect Force Level simply by progressing through the Origin Core Realm from initial to peak. Regrettably, there¡¯s no conceptualw but simply a trace of truew."

    Yan Zaizen had his mind enlightened. Without a concept, a truew was just raw and uncontrolled. So, when one¡¯s bloodline is awakened at the Origin Core Realm it meant thews their ancestorsprehended would baptize their qi-essence.

    "I wonder...whatws I¡¯llprehend." He couldn¡¯t help but mutter in curiosity.

    Bai Lufeng chimed in pridefully, "My bloodline is swordw." Thew of sword, spear, axe, and shield were actually mortalws that were the mostmon bloodline, but they could not be underestimated. A cultivator with swordw had qi-essence with incredible sharpness and agility, a spear could prate a myriad of things, the axe can cleave through the skies, and shield could defend one¡¯s very existence.

    Yan Zaizen nodded, his eyes gleaming in anticipation of his own bloodlinew.

    "Well, one¡¯s bloodline could containws, but it could also contain a special vital energy source, or soul energy source, but that¡¯s incredibly rare. The difficulty in passing one¡¯s bloodline using these two methods was exceptionally higher than the first." Tao further exined, essentially exining that one¡¯s bloodline wasn¡¯t limited to just thew, but extends to the body and soul as well.

    "How far till Sky Heart City?" He inquired, his anticipation was high, but his goal remained the same.

    "About eight days." Bai Lufeng calcted and determined.

    "Let¡¯s get there and celebrate our achievements with drink and food!" Yan Zaizen said loudly, filled with excitement. Tao agreed with his signature pearly white smile, and Bai Lufeng¡¯s eyes lit in excitement.

    "Sky Heart City is known for its most famous restaurant, the Heavenly Heart! Filled with beautiful women, great food, and powerful cultivators." Bai Lufeng exined, one could see his excitement gleaming even greater than before. He was obviously hoping to reach there sooner.

    "Hahaha! If it doesn¡¯t have that, how could we celebrate properly?" They all chuckled in unison, but their tones were a little odd. They were like a band of men filled with concealed intentions towards the outside world, while the guys near them understood them perfectly.

 Chapter 79 Sky Heart City

    Sky Heart City wasn¡¯t like Xi¨¡o City, Sky Titan City, or Xuanwu City. It was a very residential and tourist attraction type of city, mostly used for pleasure rather than business. They may have a few shops that sell armaments, pills, elixirs, arts, and materials, but it was mostly filled with restaurants, bars, servicing centers, gambling, inns, and auctions. It was closely rted to Xi¨¡o City, having the Grand Xi¨¡o Auction once every decade that sends exclusive and impressive items for sale.

    However, by itself, it doesn¡¯t do auctions for items truly indicating its status as purely attraction based. It mostly did auctions rting to buying or selling ves. Typically, certain people who were willing to sell themselves for a certain number of years on a certain contract to do certain things will appear in these types of auctions.

    These individuals would sell themselves on their skills like alchemy, armament creation, or appearance and abilities within certain particr areas.

    It didn¡¯t have grand walls, but a sort of surrounding beige gate filled with many openings where one could simply walk or fly through by self, mount or skyship. It truly was weing individuals with its ease of ess. Not only that, entrance didn¡¯t require a single fee. One could simply enter. Of course, if you want to park your skyship in certain locations, that¡¯ll cost you, but besides that, nothing was required.

    "This ce is quite intriguing." Yan Zaizen carelesslymented. The world truly was wide, and he¡¯s now visited many different cities. A hunter city, a hotpot of forces city, a city filled with alchemist and armament creators, and now a city designed to attract individuals with all sorts of alluring features. To stay in their luxury inns and to enjoy your desires, whatever that may be.

    "Indeed! Sky Heart City is extraordinary, but it¡¯s not something to be underestimated. There are three leaders of Sky Heart City and each one of them possesses the cultivation at the half-step True Essence Realm!" Bai Lufeng said excitedly as they entered the city andnded. The skyship vanished into Yan Zaizen¡¯s Meteor Ring, and they proceeded to walk the streets.

    "Three Leaders?" Yan Zaizen inquired, but when he saw Bai Lufeng eyes grow heated, he felt a little bit awkward and took two steps away. Tao followed suit, his eyes gleaming with wariness at Bai Lufeng¡¯s state. This man may be morally upright and loyal to the bone, but he showed his bad side whenever women were involved. Yan Zaizen and Tao figured this out quite quickly.

    "The Three Leaders are the Ya Sisters! A group of triplets who belongs to no n, Xinya, Linya, and Chenya! Not only are they triplets, but they are exceptional beauties with profound cultivation bases. Not to mention, out of the three sisters, only Xinya is married with children, but the others have yet to take a man as their own! They are still virgins!" Bai Lufeng¡¯s eyes glowed with radiance, and Yan Zaizen started to feel a little frightened from his words, even the individuals around them couldn¡¯t help but reel in disgust.

    Tao chuckled, dispelling a little of the awkwardness in the atmosphere. "Truly, but Linya and Chenya will never take a man unless they beat their tests." Hisments seem to shut Bai Lufeng down immediately, and his dreams were shattered like fragile ss. He pouted but didn¡¯t say anything more.

    "Tests?" Yan Zaizen inquired.

    "Yeah. They each swore an oath to belong to anyone who could meet their base requirement and beat their test. If so, they¡¯ll marry that person. Well, there are a few requirements, and you only need to reach one. One of them is to be a grand-tier alchemist, the second is to be an Origin Core Cultivator before the age of two hundred, the third is to be able to create a spirit form, fourth is to defeat all three of them in battle, but one cannot be in the True Essence Realm, and thest but definitely not easiest,prehend a World Law to the Force-level before the Origin Core Realm." Tao exined with little care, he knew he matched none of those requirements and therefore wasn¡¯t even considered worthy.

    However, Yan Zaizen could technically meet one of those, in regards to the World Law. "What about soul cultivation? Is it also apart of the second and fourth?" If it was, then he could theoretically meet both conditions.

    Tao thought for a second and realized the circumstances. His eyes widened and he nodded. "As long as you reach the Aurora Soul before two hundred years old, you¡¯ll be qualified. Haha, surprisingly, you¡¯re not the first to ask such a question."

    About a few hundred years ago, a soul cultivator who was extraordinary reached the Perfect Nascent Soul Realm in under fifty years, and he proposed this exact question. Unfortunately, after the two hundred years mark passed, he couldn¡¯t condense his aurora. He asked with his head held high and his chest filled with pride and confidence but left everyone around disappointed. If it was so easy to reach the Aurora Soul Realm, why was the several thousand years old Xi¨¡o still at the Perfect Nascent Soul?

    Bai Lufeng soon realized why Yan Zaizen asked those questions, and his eyes went wide. "I-If you decide to marry one, you could definitely do so!" His voice contained a hint of envy but also excitement. Yan Zaizen chuckled awkwardly. He only asked in curiosity; he had no intention of marrying anyone.

    Tao, however, couldn¡¯t help but sneer with disdain for the very first time since Yan Zaizen knew him. "Marry them? Haha, are they worthy? To Young Lord Zai, they¡¯re nothing more than beauty with no substance, could that interest him?! Haha!" For some odd reason, Tao felt a little infuriated at Bai Lufengment. He truly believed Yan Zaizen¡¯s worth exceeded them by a considerable degree.

    From what he knew, Yan Zaizenprehended his own personal Dao, has a body cultivation that could rival an Origin Core Realm expert, has a soul cultivation that puts him at the very peak of the entire continent and only possessed the age of neen!! He also suspected that Yan Zaizen possessed the spatial worldw, but he wasn¡¯t entirely sure. If he did, what right did they truly have to even desire Yan Zaizen¡¯s infinite potential?

    He coldly scoffed, not saying another word. However, his words caught the attention of everyone around, and their eyes honed onto Tao¡¯s figure like a target at a gun range. Suddenly bing the center of attention, Tao simply scoffed once more and continued on his way.

    "HALT!" A female voice yelled filled with authority and anger. A figure appeared like a shadow in front of them, utilizing an exquisite movement art and revealing herself to them all. "What did you say?!" This person questioned, obviously with a hint of threatening.

    Yan Zaizen took a survey of the female that arrived, and he was surprised. She looked about neen to twenty, had blonde hair, sparkling azure eyes filled with a hot fire, a voluptuous body with a round bust her outfit could barely hold let alone hide, long legs that were as smooth as jade and a lithe waist. These attributes alone could cause a man to desire her but together created a uniquely sexual and explosive appearance.

    She was dressed in a female grey martial art uniform with a red trim and belt. It truly entuated her incredible curves and dazzling features.

    However, Tao didn¡¯t back down. "I said: Marry them? Haha, are they worthy? To Young Lord Zai, they¡¯re nothing more than beauty with no substance, could that interest him?! Haha!" He repeated his earlier word for word, but this time his voice was louder. Bai Lufeng¡¯s eyes widened, and even Yan Zaizen was stunned stupid by this brazen deration.

    He even felt a little embarrassed, considering Tao was referring to him. He rubbed his nose almost unconsciously and looked away trying to hold back a slight smile.

    "What did you say?!" This beautiful young woman¡¯s eyes suffused with intense anger and her qi-cultivation base erupted violently, causing many bystanders to be sent away and objects in the street flying about. She did not have a weak cultivation, possessing the cultivation of ate-Qi Unification Realm, simr to Yan Zaizen. However, unlike Yan Zaizen, she was definitely older than neen and only retained her youth due to her cultivation. From her lifeforce signature, she seemed closer to two hundred years old.

    Tao, however, snorted disdainfully in response.

    "This...person truly was the disciple of the Imperial Schr. Sobative and unrelenting in his beliefs!" Yan Zaizen was surprised at this side of Tao.

    When one thinks about it, the fact that he was optimistic initially at the Deep Mines and capable ofsting two years, one could imagine his persistence and self-pride being exceptionally high. He probably debated many people and was even sent away due to his differing views of the empire. Despite knowing the consequences that it¡¯ll ensure, he still dered them!

    Only someone with exceptional pride and confidence could do such a thing, it truly corrted with Yan Zaizen¡¯s Dao.

    Imperialistic, check.

    Unyielding confidence, check.

    Decisive, check.

    Filled with warmth, check.

    Truly synchronized. Only now did he realize why he and Tao got along so damn well.

    The young woman seemed ready to strike, her qi-essence red to the heavens causing amotion visible by many. Even the guards were now approaching from a distance, ready to investigate the situation and handle it ordingly. Unfortunately, their cultivation were between thete-Essence Formation and half-step Qi Unification.

    "Take it back, or die!" Her voice was filled with murderous intent as if her very existence was insulted. However, Tao onlyughed with contempt. Who did this girl think she was?

    No longer holding back, she exploded outwards due to this tant provocation. Her exquisite movement art sent her explosively forward like a volcano erupting, and the heat in the surrounding area suddenly risen by several dozen degrees. She clenched her fist, a trace of blue fire ignited giving off an incredibly hot aura and swung it directly towards Tao¡¯s chest.

    Bai Lufeng remained where he was, feeling a little shocked by the incident but also a little amused. As for Yan Zaizen, he was also amused and watched the show, unwilling to move. He was also curious about Tao¡¯s prowess.

    As the fist neared the group, Tao snorted explosively causing the world to feel like it was funneling inwards towards him. A trace of cyclone truew erupted outwards, and his energy turned into a twister that circled around their group. His qi-essence was filled with origin source, and not something normal qi-essence could contend with, but what was surprising was what happened next.

    The young woman continued with her fist until it smashed the twister of qi-essence heavily, but instead of being propelled backward or sent flying by the force as everyone expected, she roared viciously. Her aura rose once more and the temperature of the surroundings increased by several dozen degrees. The fire on her fist covered her entire body, and she literally melted her way through the twisting qi-essence, instantly destabilizing it with her forward momentum and prating through it.

    Tao was startled. Yan Zaizen was surprised. Bai Lufeng was shocked.

    All of them had one thought, "Conceptualw of fire?!"

 Chapter 80 Qiao Qinya

    When the young woman initially produced blue fire, everyone with experience assumed it was heatws due to the sudden change of the surrounding temperature, but it was actually firews! Firews, including the rest of the elementalws, were World Laws, but low-tier amongst worldws. Anyone could produce mes with the proper qi art, but to actually produce mes with firews were fundamentally different.

    It required a conceptualw into fire.

    Tao realized the seriousness of the situation, and his cultivation base erupted with fierce momentum. Regardless of firews, his cultivation base was at the initial-Origin Core, it wasn¡¯t something ate-Qi Unification Cultivator could match with simply their qi-essence. To ovee this overwhelming gap required profound qi-arts, highprehension intows, high-tier armaments at either the pseudo-sky or sky-rank, and most importantly, your opponent cannot have any of those things.

    Unfortunately for the young woman, she only possessed two, and how could Taock profound qi-arts? With a wave of his sleeve, an explosive tsunami-like wave of qi-essence surged outwards and smashed heavily against the young woman¡¯s impending fist. She was immediately halted and sent backwards.

    Tao started getting serious, his aura radiated with the full strength of his cultivation base, and the atmosphere started to feel like it was swirling with Tao at the center. The bystanders felt like they were getting dizzy and disorientated, some even fell onto their butts and others fell on their faces.

    As for the young woman, her eyes zed even greater with battle intent, and her aura started to exceed the norms of what ate-Qi Unification cultivation should be able to exude.

    One could obviously tell she was unwilling to concede and even wished to end Tao¡¯s life then and there. "If I was at your realm, I could kill you with a single palm for your insolence!" She shouted, her voice filled with anger and arrogance.

    However, Tao snorted in defiance. He had just broken through a week ago, his cultivation was by no means stable and he could barely use a maximum potential of his cultivation. Otherwise, how could this girl break through his defensive art? Even with a worldw, she wouldn¡¯t be able to do such a thing unless sheprehended it to the force-level and that...that was unlikely!

    "Halt immediately." A deep voice filled with calm resounded. Everyone in the surroundings looked about for its origin, but before they could determine it, the voice spoke once more. "What is this about?" This voice caused everyone to search once more and they all stared in shock. The voice originated from a young man, about twenty years old in appearance, with long blue hair tied in a ponytail, a grey martial art attire, and deep ck eyes.

    He was currently standing between Tao and the young woman, to others, it seemed like he appeared like a ghost. However, Yan Zaizen wasn¡¯t as surprised. All he did was use refractionws to distort others vision, and then used a concealment art that prevented others from sensing him with qi-sense or weak spiritual sense. As for Yan Zaizen, his spiritual sense was extraordinary, how could this little trick fool him?

    The young woman, upon seeing the person arrive, had her eyes filled with excitement and then viciousness as she turned to Tao. She pointed with her finger at Tao and shoutedly exined, "This boor of a man insulted Linya and Chenya! Saying they were nothing more than beauty with no substance!"

    However, despite everyone¡¯s judging eyes on him, Tao arrogantly retorted, "Who cares if I said this? What does it concern you?!"

    This caused the young woman to explode, she shouted in an imperialistic manner, her bountiful chest bounced, her chin pointed slightly upwards, and her eyes looked down at Tao as if she was an individual from above, "I am Qin, from the n of Qiao and the family of Ya! The daughter of Xinya! If anyone should show concern, of course it¡¯d be me! Who are you to say such words?!" She immediately shot back with words, shocking not only Tao but Yan Zaizen and Bai Lufeng also.

    "This..." Tao actually felt awkward for the first time. He didn¡¯t regret saying it, and he would say it again if she asked, but he felt a little embarrassed at saying ¡¯who cares¡¯. He coughed lightly, looking at Yan Zaizen.

    Yan Zaizen couldn¡¯t help but helplessly smile. This might actually blow up to be a big issue. He was just ready to walk over and try to smooth things out when the blue-haired man spoke with authority.

    "Insulting the family of Ya in the Sky Heart City is punishable by death." When his voice resounded, he smashed a talisman, shocking everyone around. However, some expected this to happen, as if it has happened before.

    The moment the talisman broke, six Origin Core cultivators who guarded the city appeared like shadows in the night, they surrounded Tao, Bai Lufeng and Yan Zaizen with cold eyes. Each one of these Origin Core cultivators had an initial-Origin Core Realm cultivation, and they definitely knew how to set up a formation to amplify their strength. Not to mention, the blue-haired man was at mid-Origin Core as well.

    However, Tao and Bai Lufeng¡¯s expressions weren¡¯t filled with panic, but both had differing expressions. Tao questioned inwardly that the freedom of speech in this city was restricted, and how it was such rubbish! While Bai Lufeng had a trace of disdain in his face as he nced at the Origin Core cultivators, he even chuckled softly and looked as if he was waiting for a show.

    Yan Zaizen, however, feltplex. He needed to use the spatial tform of the Sky Heart City, not be enemies with them. He stepped up at this moment, "This doesn¡¯t need to escte. His actions are not worth death; we can talk this out. Perhaps we could have a drinkter, haha." Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t beg or plead but stated his intentions with a rather calm tone. There wasn¡¯t a hint of fear on his face as if this was just an inconvenience.

    However, seeing ate-Qi Unification Cultivator step up to try to remedy the situation caused the Origin Core Cultivators to sneer with contempt. Qiao Qinya and the blue-haired man weren¡¯t exempt from this.

    "Drinks?" The blue haired man shook his head in response, "Not only will he be sentenced to death, so will you two for being associated with this crime." He spoke calmly, as if their deaths were just a word away.

    "HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!" Bai Lufeng immediately couldn¡¯t hold hisughter as he let loose. It was trulyughable. They were going to unfairly prosecute both of them simply because they were allies? Trying to pull the roots to prevent future troubles? Hrious! Perhaps if this was used on someone else, it would totally work, but this was Yan Zaizen!

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s expression darkened, and his eyes suffused with a murderous chill. Sentencing someone to death for a crime they didn¡¯tmit? Wasn¡¯t this exactly the same with Diyi? His anger couldn¡¯t be contained.

    "You will regret today. And your Ya family?" His voice was as cold as winter and as hellish as the devil himself, "They will pay an incredible price for your folly." Why would the Ya Family pay? If it wasn¡¯t for their stupid rule, would this even happen? Preventing people from insulting you, foolish!

    However, when the surrounding cultivators heard this, they couldn¡¯t help but feel awkward and chuckle a little. It was hard tough loudly because Bai Lufeng was stillughing, holding his guts, and clearing away his tears. It took a pat on the shoulder from Tao to stop him.

    The blue-haired man felt insulted, and actually, those eyes of Yan Zaizen scared him a little, but he¡¯d never admit it. He simply dered after mustering up his confidence once more, "Kill them!"

 Chapter 81 Keeping Ones Word

    As the trio heard his orders, they went silent. As for the Origin Core experts surrounding them, they erupted with their full cultivation base inciting a whirlwind of turbulent energy that swept the area. At this point, many residents took shelter at shops protected by a myriad of formations. Those with a sufficient cultivation base simply put some distance so they could enjoy the ensuing show.

    Tao and Bai Lufeng immediately stepped closer to Yan Zaizen almost instinctively. Bai Lufeng may have the cultivation base at the mid-Origin Core, but that didn¡¯t mean he could handle six initial-Origin Core experts working together as a team easily. If they fought, the victor wouldn¡¯t easily be determined. As for the newly ascended Tao, he wouldn¡¯t evenst a few exchanges under the pressure of six equally powerful experts.

    Those in the surroundings who were perceptive saw their acts and calm expressions and felt bewildered by their actions. One must know, Yan Zaizen looked young and gave off a very vibrant lifeforce indicating his life lived was incredibly short, and yet two Origin Core Realm experts were essentially hiding behind ate-Qi Unification expert.

    Did they believe he would throw out his profound background and these men would step back? If so, every single person in the surrounding crowds thought they were foolish idiots.

    However, Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t care about their thoughts. His eyes flickered with a trace of silver-blue aurora light and his soul cultivation base was slowly revealed. The silver-blue light repelled the aura of the six experts, easily eliminating the pressure the trio felt.

    "What?! Aurora Soul Realm?" The blue-haired man, named Qiao Jianhong, had a voice filled with shock. As an expert who lived for thousands of years, how could he not recognize that particr type of light emission? His expression turned incredibly solemn and this situation was now serious. The Aurora Soul Realm was essentially the equivalent to a half-step True Essence Realm expert, and only a few people in the entire Sky Heart City could rival such prowess.

    Unfortunately for Qiao Jianhong, that was the Initial Aurora Soul, but the Advanced Aurora Soul could rival a mid-True Essence Cultivator! If it wasn¡¯t for Yan Zaizen¡¯sck of soul art practice, with his dao infused within, it may even be able to instantly kill those at the mid-True Essence Realm!

    A surging wave of telekic soul energy exploded outwards like a tidal wave that hit all six experts before they could even react. The aura they released was instantly silenced as they copsed one by one like puppets with their strings cut. A strand of soul energy immediately robbed them of their spatial possessions and delivered it swiftly to Tao. Tao received them and couldn¡¯t help but inwardly shake his head with a smile.

    Despite Yan Zaizen¡¯s anger, he didn¡¯t forget to rob everyone involved. It truly made one realize that everyone has their faults. This young man had acquired a penchant for robbery.

    This happened too suddenly and the crowd couldn¡¯t react. They all had expressions as if watching a show once more and then their faces slowly, very slowly, transitioned from surprise, confusion, realization, and then to deep, deep fear.

    "What just happened?!"

    "Are they...dead?"

    "Did I...what just...whaaaat?!"

    Some of the crowd couldn¡¯t even formte proper sentences as they tried to wrap their heads around what had just urred. As for Bai Lufeng, he didn¡¯t forget to let out a snidement, "Pssh, Tao¡¯s words may have been very arrogant, but they were the truth. Young Lord Zai, is anyone worthy of him?" His words felt nonsensical, but in the Fallen Stars Continent, it would truly be absolutely impossible to find someone who could rival Yan Zaizen¡¯s age, talent, and personal prowess.

    Qiao Jianhong¡¯s widened eyes were aghast at the scene before him. Luckily, he could still sense slight breathing from the six experts indicating they were alive, but the same couldn¡¯t be said for him if he stayed. Normally, as one of the Captains of the Sky Heart Guardians, he would fight an enemy to the death, but was there a need to do so if you couldn¡¯t even stand up to their breath?

    His full cultivation base erupted as he executed a divine-ss secret qi-art, causing his blue hair to have grey highlights as if lifeforce was drained from him, but his aura rose to rival that of ate-Origin Core Realm cultivator. With his movement art and concealment art, he went invisible from everyone¡¯s sight like a ghost, his body taking off, even leaving Qiao Qinya behind.

    "They won¡¯t hurt Qiao Qinya, her status is too high. As for me, I could be killed. This is okay!" Qiao Jianhong quietly rationalized within his heart. However, as he traveled several hundred meters away, a silver-blue hand constructed of soul energy that appeared simrly like a ghost wrapped around his fleeing form. To others, he may be invisible to qi-sense and visual perception, but Yan Zaizen¡¯s spiritual sense could reach several hundred thousands of meters of distance with the highest rity possible.

    How could he possibly escape?

    Like a chicken being brought to the ughtering table, he was dragged back in a sh and mmed harshly at Yan Zaizen¡¯s feet. He tried to struggle, but the soul energy invaded his soul form causing his concentration to be at an all-time low. He couldn¡¯t urge his qi-essence or struggle free with his physical body.

    Yan Zaizen cold eyes looked at this man as if he was already dead. The hand tightened eliciting shrieking screeches of pain as the bones in Qiao Jianhong¡¯s body was slowly crushed.

    The entire incident may have took long to describe, but it happened in less than three seconds time. Qiao Qinya could barely react with her current cultivation base. Even Tao felt like everything shed by his eyes, he didn¡¯t see much except a sh of silver-blue light, the copse of the surrounding experts, arrival of the spatial rings, and Qiao Jianhong being brought before Yan Zaizen forcefully.

    "You...you..." Qiao Qinya could barely formte a sentence as her mind was filled with shock and awe.

    "Wait!" A delicate but powerful female voice resounded from afar. This voice was profoundly familiar to Qiao Qinya as her mental state slightly recovered.

    "M-Mother!" Qiao Qinya called out.

    Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t even pay this voice any mind as the soul hand continued to tighten.

    CRACK! CRACK!! CRACK!!!

    Each shattered bone was more resounding than thest.

    "Please, wait!" The voice spoke once more. A shadow arrived like a sh of brilliance before Qiao Qinya, obviously in a protective stance. Yan Zaizen finally lifted his eyes to see the woman¡¯s appearance. She looked like an older more mature version of Qiao Qinya¡¯s, with blonde hair, azure eyes, and an explosive body.

    "One hundred million." Yan Zaizen said calmly.

    What?!

    One hundred million? One hundred million of what?

    Xinya, a half-step True Essence Cultivator, face darkened and her brows furrowed. Others may not understand what he meant, but she clearly did. The moment her daughter fought with Tao, she had kept her eyes and ears to the situation. Initially, she intended to not interfere, letting things take its course and the trio to die an unfair death for their insult. However, the situation spiraled swiftly out of control.

    With her cultivation base, she still required a few seconds before she could arrive on the scene, and when she recognized Yan Zaizen¡¯s soul cultivation, she rushed with post-haste. If her daughter died because of this, she would have no one to cry to.

    Especially since she knew who this man was. Initially, there was no face to the mask, but after seeing his soul cultivation on full disy and its silver-blue appearance, it could only be ¡¯him¡¯. The incident that happened out of Xi¨¡o City urred nearly two months ago, as a high-ranking cultivator, how could she not know about it?

    This man robbed the imperial family, stole the sky-rank mountain of Xi¨¡o City, and defeated the Xi¨¡o City Lord! Each of these feats alone could be considered extraordinary, but together? It was beyond such words.

    She was inwardly surprised at his youthfulness, but couldn¡¯t let that cloud her judgment or take him any less seriously. "I would first like to apologize for this incident on behalf of the entire Sky Heart City." She said with grace, her eyes containing no trace of arrogance but filled with apologetic intent.

    Yan Zaizen couldn¡¯t help but snort at her words. If he was weak, wouldn¡¯t he have been sentenced to death? Yet, she apologizes. Who would buy such bullshit?

    "Two hundred million." His only response was an increase to the number he dered. This caused a shock to Xinya, and she knew that using normal methods on someone like this wouldn¡¯t be smart. Taking a deep breath, she nodded in assent. "Agreed. Can you please-" As she looked towards Qiao Jianhong, Yan Zaizen interrupted her with a calm voice.

    "He has two choices: cripple himself or I cripple him." His tone may have been calm but his words were vicious. Did they take him for someone who wouldn¡¯t go through with his word? This man will regret his actions and they will pay.

    Xinya¡¯s brow furrowed and she grew angry at his unwillingness to suffer a single loss, but requiring all others to do so. If she agreed to this with the eyes of tens of thousands watching, what face would she have left in Sky Heart City?

    "I¡¯ll add an additional one hundred million if you can spare him." She offered, obviously willing to lose wealth but not willing to lose face.

    "Three hundred million." He said, directly raising the price once more. He turned towards Qiao Jianhong and asked, "What¡¯s your choice?" He brought Qiao Jianhong to stand upright, his body still restrained by the giant hand.

    "Choi...ce?" From the conversion just now, Qiao Jianhong felt that he was being freed for a price, but he still wanted him to make a choice? It was at that moment that Xinya and the rest realized what had just happened. The crowd sucked in a wad of cold air in response.

    Did he just increase the base price for letting this go because she offered to pay him for mercy? How vicious! He even increased it by the same amount she offered, what if she offered more? Would the price be increased by that much?

    "You have five seconds." Yan Zaizen dered, ignoring the gazes of Xinya and the crowd.

    Qiao Jianhong was filled with fear, turning towards Xinya with hopes of her interfering to handle the situation. However, she stood there with her brows furrowed as if she was calcting the situation. Indeed, she was calcting the situation. Unfortunately, in a world of cultivation, true power exceeds all else.

    Her face could only suffer this p.

    Yan Zaizen could rival the peak power of the entire continent, but their Sky Heart City could barely handle a single initial-True Essence Realm Cultivator if they had all their experts together. With one of them missing, and their backer ¡ªthe Xi¨¡o City Lord ¡ª being severely injured, this entire situation could immediately erupt into something irreparable.

    Regrettably, she could do nothing for the situation if Yan Zaizen was adamant on taking action.

    Qiao Jianhong eyes were filled with deep fear and hopelessness. If he was crippled, his life as a cultivator was essentially over. As your cultivation increases, so does the stakes. To cripple an Origin Core Realm Cultivator, one had to shatter their origin core and thoroughly ravage their origin source. Not only will their bloodline by iprehensibly weakened, but their very future in cultivation would be hindered as forming another Origin Core was as likely as ruling the heavens.

    "Time¡¯s up." Yan Zaizen dered, his soul energy seeping viciously inside Qiao Jianhong¡¯s pores into his meridians, his pathways, his dantian, and surrounding his Origin Core. With a thought, all of it was severed and crushed into fine powder.

    There was loud scream that reached the heavens resounding as a result, Qiao Jianhong¡¯s body spewed out blood from all of his orifices and his body went limp shortly after. His breathing was so shallow that even a top-tier doctor would assume he was dead.

    Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t even bother looking at this bloody body, and simply flung it to the side like garbage. He only spoke four words, "I keep my word."

 Chapter 82 Im Coming Home

    Yan Zaizen, Tao, and Bai Lufeng were currently sitting at the table of the main hall within the Sky Heart Pce - the central hub of the Ya Family. They were sipping essence tea and rxing infortable chairs. Bai Lufeng expression was filled with excitement, Tao was rather calm, and Yan Zaizen had aid-back appearance as his legs were ced on the table and his body leaned back.

    After the incident in the Sky Heart City streets, they were brought to Sky Heart Pce as a show of ¡¯apology¡¯ and ¡¯respect.¡¯ Yan Zaizen couldn¡¯t care less about their attempts to appease him, his intentions were quite simple: Use the Spatial tform, get to Zhu Que City, and go home.

    Luckily, Yan Zaizen realized the severity of his power and status at the moment. Tao had informed him of it once before, but he never truly had it sink in. It was this very reason why he didn¡¯t care about revealing his cultivation prowess or identity any longer. If anything, the Imperial Family might send people over to the Yan Family in an attempt to set up an alliance rather than attack them. As for all the others he offended, they were either dead or too scared of his retaliation.

    This is how it felt to be truly powerful, feared, and respected.

    "Young Lord Zai, shall we stay here for a while?" Bai Lufeng inquired, obviously desiring to stay in Sky Heart City whilst being treated like a highly-respected guest. The things he could do with Yan Zaizen¡¯s identity backing him, the ces he could go, and the people he could offend. In truth, he was a morally upright individual who valued loyalty, but he was a little bit nonsensical at times. A little girl crazy, incredibly arrogant, and easily excitable.

    Yan Zaizen never would¡¯ve guessed this before. A respected mid-Origin Core Realm cultivator having a personality like that. Truly, people let their true selfe out around those they trust. After the Soul Oath was sworn, Bai Lufeng truly treated Yan Zaizen like his Young Lord. Not to mention, Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t need to be protected, if anything, Bai Lufeng needed to be protected.

    Yan Zaizen had a little headache over his antics, especially when heughed in the faces of everyone because of their actions earlier. It made the entire situation awkward, but Yan Zaizen couldn¡¯t just say, ¡¯Stop being who you truly are around me!¡¯ That wouldn¡¯t feel right and make things more awkward. So, he¡¯ll just let him be, for now.

    "We¡¯ll dine at Heavenly Heart, then take the spatial tform to Zhu Que City in Presba." With those words, he continued leisurely sipping his tea in rxation. Bai Lufeng felt a little disappointed, but at least they could dine at the Heavenly Heart. In that case, this trip could be considered worth it.

    The soft patter of footsteps resounded outside as Xinya entered the room with a slight smile and beautiful outfit that entuated her beautiful features. Bai Lufeng¡¯s eyes lit up, Tao remained calm, and Yan Zaizen yawned slightly at her appearance. This woman was married with children, so he didn¡¯t feel any interest towards women already imed by another.

    Seeing his reaction, Xinya couldn¡¯t help but sigh inwardly. It wasn¡¯t that she wanted to use her looks to gain his forgiveness, but she hoped his reaction wouldn¡¯t be so icy and disinterested. She could only bring out a spatial ring and ce it on the table. Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t even move, Tao immediately reached for it and scanned it with his sense. His eyes were still calm as he turned to Yan Zaizen and nodded softly.

    The spatial ring had the average worth of three hundred million drops of low-grade liquid essence within. This was an extraordinary amount of wealth, but to a tourist attraction town controlled by three half-step True Essence Cultivators, this may be very little.

    Xinya¡¯s gaze flickered as she saw this interaction. She knew who these two people beside Yan Zaizen were. One was Grux Taohe, the former disciple of the Imperial Schr, who was sentenced to the deep mines about two years ago. The other was Bai Lufeng, former protector of Diyi, the daughter of the now-deceased Imperial Commander. It was bewildering that they both were working for Yan Zaizen, no wonder they were capable of robbing the Imperial Pce blind while uprooting the Imperial Commander.

    "Now, the issue is settled." Yan Zaizen dered, rising up from his seat, and smoothing out his attire. Tao and Bai Lufeng followed suit, preparing to leave. However, Xinya immediately interjected.

    "Sir, now that that¡¯s been settled. I hope we can discuss other business."

    Yan Zaizen looked at her unsurprised and simply nodded in assent.

    Xinya felt relieved that he wasn¡¯t entirely unreasonable. It seems now that the previous event had been wiped clean, he was truly neutral in his opinions and actions. She couldn¡¯t help but think that this young man was someone who knew how to handle grudges and favors despite his youth.

    "On behalf of the Xi¨¡o City Lord, I wish to exchange for the Xi¨¡o Mountain." She said respectively, her words direct. Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes flickered slightly.

    Interesting, so they wanted to reim the mountain he took?

    After contemting it for a bit, it truly made sense. The Sky Heart City and Xi¨¡o City Lord had a close rtionship, being mutual allies. Not to mention, Yan Zaizen had no use for a giant mountain which didn¡¯t conform with his ownws. He already possessed Pinaka, what other armament did he require?

    He looked towards Tao, and Tao answered promptly. "One point two billion."

    Bai Lufeng eyes widened with shock and awe. Despite them obtaining about three billion of wealth from earlier, this typically rted to alchemy and armaments. That¡¯s not even mentioning it was everyst thing those people owned, and yet it still only totaled to three billion!

    However, despite Bai Lufeng¡¯s reaction, Xinya nodded her head softly as if she expected that price. She removed a spatial ring from her person andid it on the table. Tao¡¯s eyes were filled with shock now, and he grabbed the ring. When he scanned it, it was truly hard to hold his disbelief. It truly contained resources that averaged out to his dered price.

    Yan Zaizen was surprised there was no haggling involved and she was this direct. He was originally going to increase it by one hundred million for each haggle attempt to extort more wealth, but she was incredibly decisive and prepared. Tao nodded softly to indicate the wealth presented is correct.

    Yan Zaizen felt helpless and couldn¡¯t help but chuckle a little shamelessly in regret. He could only agree to the exchange due to her decisiveness.

    Xinya felt like she could understand Yan Zaizen¡¯s personality a bit from their previous interaction, which is why she made sure she had varying forms of wealth in different spatial rings to match whatever price he asked. Of course, if he desired a price that was too high, then she could only take her things and leave. As for the price of a sky-rank armament? The price was a bit excessive, but for a sky-rank armament that was a literal mountain? That was low-balling it.

    Normally, a mountain couldn¡¯t fit inside a spatial ring due to limited size capacity, but the Meteor Ring was different. It had sufficient space to hold hundreds of these mountains.

    They took to the skies and reached an open field sufficient enough tond the mountain. With a wave of his hand, the mountain formted instantly in mid-air as if it was always there. It settled just a few inches from the ground and when it fell, the world trembled and the earth quaked. The ground cracked continuously until the mountain was properly settled.

    Seeing this, Yan Zaizen prepared to leave. After the celebration at the Heavenly Heart, he intended to immediately use the spatial tform. He was truly impatient. However, he was stopped once more.

    "Sir, the Dilong Skyship. I hope you can sell it to me." She requested once more. Initially, Yan Zaizen was surprised and unwilling. However, after some contemtion, it made little sense to keep the skyship. Typically, every skyship needed a special qi-method to operate the myriad of formations. This was something he didn¡¯t possess, nor did he believe that the Imperial Pce would give it to him. At most, they would probably trade for it.

    That being said, it meant the skyship was essentially a hunk of metal.

    To him it was useless, but perhaps to Xinya or others in Sky Heart City, it could be used.

    Tao responded with his price deration, "Five hundred million." This might actually be considered low-balling it, but the skyship was essentially useless without the proper method, and they didn¡¯t have it. Tao was aware and thus didn¡¯t try to ce the price too high.

    Gaining even a single drop would be better than letting it sit there pointlessly, not to mention it was far too hot to sell. It would be like cing a target on your back from the Imperial Pce.

    Xinya disyed her readiness once more, throwing yet another spatial ring at Tao. The exchange was incredibly swift and smooth, and the skyship shifted hands.

    Yan Zaizen was quite satisfied with all this. In just a single day, he gained two billion in wealth, not to mention his previous gains which were nearing three billion. He truly was so rich that he spat gold at this point.

    Xinya left promptly, but not before Yan Zaizen informed her of his desire to use the spatial tform. Surprisingly, she easily agreed to this request, and for free no less. This made everything much easier. He truly liked how Xinya handled matters. If she wished to appease him, then this was a great way to do so.

    Today, he celebrates. Tomorrow, he¡¯s off.

    "Sufficient power enables all things." Yan Zaizen softly muttered to himself in realization. Considering that he crippled a member of her city without mercy, humiliating her by undermining her authority and extorting a vast quantity of wealth, she still was attempting to form a rtionship with him. It truly widens one¡¯s horizons.

    "Our gains are extraordinary this time," Taomented at the side.

    Yan Zaizen chuckled, "Not to mention, I only sold the things I took. No real effort on my part." Indeed. Yan Zaizen sold things that weren¡¯t even his to begin with and extorted money for an offense.

    "Alright, let¡¯s go to the Heavenly Heart! Let¡¯s celebrate! Haha!" He was in an exceptionally good mood at the moment. He made a ton of money, got free ess to the spatial tform, and his cultivation base was higher than ever. Everything was looking up and home was in sight.

    The next day, they celebrated to their heart¡¯s content. Drinking, joking and eating delicious food. Tao revealed his drunken shamelessness, surprisingly he seemed to turn into quite the pervert after downing a few.

    Some imperial schr, huh?

    What surprised them all was that Bai Lufeng was a crier and couldn¡¯t hold his liquor despite his thousands of years of existence. He whiningly cried in exquisite detail of how his father would beat him for being such a yboy during his youth. He even mentioned that he probably had fathered a lot of children, but because of his old, unfaithful ways, he didn¡¯t know where they were, how many there were, or even what they were doing.

    To think Bai Lufeng was such a horndog and unfaithful father. Unfortunately, this happened quite often in the cultivation world, especially in Grux which is filled with ten times the poption of Presba. At least Bai Lufeng wished he knew them and would love it if they found him. Even that was far better than many.

    As for Yan Zaizen, he was astonished when he discovered that he couldn¡¯t get drunk. His blood and body were that of a Herculean, let alone getting drunk, even getting poisoned would be difficult. Despite this, Yan Zaizen couldn¡¯t help but joke around and engage with the others.

    Augh here, a pat on the back there, a whistle at a beauty here, and just enjoying the good food, wine, andpany.

    To Yan Zaizen and Tao who spent two years in the Deep Mines, this was a very much needed affair.

    As the night ended and the sun was rising, Yan Zaizen was sitting calmly in his chair, staring at the ceiling as Bai Lufeng was unconscious,ying in a puddle of his own tears nearby. Tao had three women with barely anything covering their delicate bodiesying next to him on the floor. They lookedfortable and cozy, and he had the biggest smile imaginable.

    "I miss you, Mother...Father...I promise, I¡¯ming home." He softly muttered, his eyes glistening.

 Chapter 83 Arriving In Zhu Que City

    "You ready?!" Yan Zaizen asked excitedly, his eyes brimming with vibrant energy. Tao and Bai Lufeng were beside him. Bai Lufeng had an expression of calm, which was unexpected, while Tao had a paleplexion.

    Underneath their feet was a t, wide silver tform filled with remarkable inscriptions of formations. It dazzled with faint silver light here and there, exuding a faint aura of spatialws and power.

    "Yes, Young Lord Zai!" Bai Lufeng acknowledged his readied state with a nod. He was about to leave his country behind, enter a new one, and start a whole new journey.

    "Of course, Young Lord Zai." Tao also followed, holding his mouth slightly as if he would vomit at any moment. Earlier in the Heavenly Heart, he drank to the limit and was now suffering a horrendous hangover. As for Bai Lufeng, his age and experience with hangovers made him quite adept at handling them.

    Yan Zaizen chuckled, his eyes filled with life and anticipation. Two years ago, he was in a situation simr to this but was thwarted by those with evil intentions. However, he didn¡¯t need to deal with that here. Those who could tamper with the spatial tform knew that he survived chaotic space before, and with his prowess, who would dare offend him?

    He turned towards Xinya who operated the formation personally, her eyes filled with a soft tenderness and her appearance as beautiful as ever. "Activating. Safe travels, Sir Zai," She said with a warm smile. When she did, Yan Zaizen felt a strange sensation flow through his body.

    For a split second, he remembered his mother¡¯s smile.

    His father would often take him out to practice cultivation and teach him the myriad things required to survive in a world like this. Whenever he would look back, his mother would be there, waving them off with a light smile filled with soft tenderness. He could remember her words...

    "Be safe, my boys!"

    As the silver formations filled with spatial energy erupted, surrounding the three, Yan Zaizen finally recovered. He revealed a smile so wide and happy that all those who saw couldn¡¯t help but be shocked. This smile coupled with his extraordinarily youthful and handsome appearance caused even Xinya to be deeply stunned.

    "Thanks!" He said softly, his eyes glistening.

    Finally, he was returning.

    A sh of silver lightter and the three abruptly vanished into thin air. The transference wasplete.

    Qiao Qinya arrived next to her mother side after the entire event. She couldn¡¯t help but say softly, "Mother, do you think he¡¯s the one? The one ¡¯she¡¯ talked about?" Her face had a slight frown, obviously feeling a little conflicted.

    Xinya gently shook her head, "If he is, we¡¯ll know in the future. If not, then it doesn¡¯t matter." She turned and disappeared like a shadow.

    Qiao Qinya stayed there for several more minutes in deep contemtion. "I hope he¡¯s not." She vanished as well, following after her mother.

    -----------------------------

    --Xiantu Realm, Year 12,333 of the Rebirth Era.

    -Zhu Que City, Presba.

    Located within the Soaring Cloud Sect¡¯s territory, a city with tall scarlet walls stood proudly. Within the center of this city was a phoenix statue that seemed so remarkably lifelike that many people believed it was a fossilized phoenix. Beneath this astonishingly breathtakingndmark was a silver tform. Normally, this tform was only used once a year or when people needed to travel vast distances, countries, or to inds, but today, it erupted with silver-light that blinded all those that dared to look at it.

    The overseer of the spatial tform was a stout, middle-aged man with a hairy patch beneath his lip and round belly. When he noticed the tform¡¯s reaction, he was surprised. He instinctively checked the arrival manifest, but s, there was none due to arrive today.

    Then...illegal usage?

    Typically, to arrive at a spatial tform required pre-nned notification, otherwise, it may be misconstrued as an act of war. For example, the Xuanwu City had a specific day of usage throughout the year with specific locations which individuals can be sent to. Because it¡¯s connected to a hunting grounds called the Basilisk Forest, many people could enter as they wished, even the Soaring Cloud and Water Veil Sect members. However, they refuse to do so because they may be hunted with no way of returning.

    It was simply an ill-wise decision.

    When an arrival urs outside of a specific schedule, they would immediately be considered as having trespassed and it could worsen rtions. As for the Sky Heart City? What did they care if a first-tier force was offended? They had the backing of a True Essence powerhouse and were a grand-tier force and not a weak one.

    You¡¯d first have to ask if the Sky Heart City even took the Soaring Cloud Sect seriously and if thetter is even willing to offend the former.

    The round-belly middle-aged man, named Gu Luoyang, immediately crushed a talisman and shouted amidst the brilliant silver light. "Unauthorized ARRIVAL!" His words caused the surrounding cultivators and guards to feel surprised, but then, remembering their training, they readied themselves.

    Before long, they surrounded the tform by the hundreds. Even the City Lord had made his way over, his cultivation base of the initial-Origin Core surging, causing the surrounding soldiers to look up and feel more confident in their actions.

    "HAI!" They all readied for battle or any unexpected urrences.

    Suddenly, the silver light abated. As it dwindled, three figures appeared. They were all male. The one on the left had a head full of white hair and a middle-aged appearance. He couldn¡¯t be considered handsome, but he had an aura that revealed the wisdom of age.

    The one on the right had a skinny figure, a head full of ck hair, a unique set of gray-blue eyes that seemed to contain a wealth of knowledge and a slightly pale skin as if he was sick.

    Thest one in the middle was a tall, astonishingly handsome youth with muscles that seemed to be sculptured by the gods, a height that reached six feet, ck hair, light bronze skin, and vibrant amber eyes filled with life. Between his brows were a tyrannical ferocity and unyielding self-confidence, and it caused all those looking to imagine a young prince looking at his nation.

    Bai Lufeng looked at the individuals who were surrounding them and couldn¡¯t help but chuckle in contempt. He knew what was happening, but he still found it entertaining. It seems like this fellow enjoyed chaos and watching those with little power overestimate themselves. Yan Zaizen couldn¡¯t help but inwardly shake his head at his personality. Morality, loyalty, and cultivation base aside, this fellow doesn¡¯t seem like he has any good features.

    "BLARGH!!!" Tao tried to keep hisposure and normal calm, but he immediately bellied over and blew chunks on the tform. The event was so surprising and disgusting that all of the onlookers and even Yan Zaizen couldn¡¯t help but unconsciously take a step back.

    "Wh-when did I eat fish?" He couldn¡¯t help but surprisingly exim as he looked at his puddle of puke while wiping his lips.

    "..." Yan Zaizen remained silent, looking at the puddle in curiosity. "We didn¡¯t have...fish..." He couldn¡¯t help but think aloud. With that, he took another step away from Tao.

    Bai Lufeng couldn¡¯t help but shake his head, softly muttering, "Youngsters these days are so weak. Tch, tch."

    Tao red at Bai Lufeng, his ears keen enough to hear the insult, if it wasn¡¯t for his cultivation base being lesser than Bai Lufeng, he would¡¯ve given him a p for that.

    The short interlude made the entire situation awkward. The three were surrounded by hundreds of guards and even under the watchful eye of an initial-Origin Core expert, yet they had enough time to puke and joke around. The overseer of the spatial tform had a profound cultivation base at the mid-Qi Unification Realm, yet this was the first time he ever encountered anything like this.

    Instinctively, he stepped forward and tried to look as imposing and fearsome as he could. "Identify yourselves! Otherwise, we will kill without mercy!" His voice was backed by his cultivation base, causing nearly the entire city to hear him. As if on cue, the Origin Core City Lord erupted with his cultivation base as if warning the new arrivals to listen or else.

    Originally anticipating this result, Tao was going to go forward, but he felt that doing so after his little mishap would be overly embarrassing and wouldn¡¯t garner the same amount of respect. He looked towards Bai Lufeng and motioned him to take the stage.

    Bai Lufengughed with a tone filled with arrogance and stepped up imperiously. His qi cultivation base at the mid-Origin Core Realm violently exploded outwards causing all those underneath the Origin Core to feel as if they were being stabbed with thousands of des. His aura was filled with a prating sharpness causing many to fall to their knees or those with weak cultivation bases to immediately lose consciousness.

    "I am Bai Lufeng, bring me your City Lord!" He demanded, his words and actions left them no quarter for retreat. Yan Zaizen just shook his head, the aura not affecting him in the slightest. He didn¡¯t mind this, but it was still a bit much, no?

    The City Lord, Zou Jingyi, was shocked. This person¡¯s cultivation base exceeded his own and his foundation was obviously far more thorough by the depth and intensity of his aura. He calcted what would ur if they fought, with his soldiers, and he determined that there would be a draw with heavy losses on their side and his escape.

    He couldn¡¯t help but look towards the other two and felt that they were exceptional as well. As a cultivator who had lived for thousands of years, he knew how to pick his battles, and this was not a battle to casually pick if avoidance was possible.

    He flew down from the sky, his stance and facial expression filled with neutral respect. The moment he stepped down, Bai Lufeng looked him up and down, and couldn¡¯t help but scoff a little. "It¡¯s you?! I thought you were just the overseer." His words obviously meant to antagonize the other party. Truly, if it wasn¡¯t for this man¡¯s entric personality and arrogance, he would be perfect.

    The city lord couldn¡¯t help but be taken aback. Was this fellow trying to fight? He was almost unwilling to hold in his anger, but after contemting the consequences, he calmed down and nodded. "I am the City Lord of Zhu Que City. May I ask who you three are?"

    "No." Bai Lufeng said decisively. This took everyone by surprise, even Tao, such disrespect was incredible. Even the city lord didn¡¯t know how to react to that, being stunned speechless. Bai Lufeng, however, continued speaking with towering arrogance, "We¡¯ve arrived and we¡¯re leaving, that¡¯s all that you need to know." After saying that, he looked towards Yan Zaizen with a ¡¯did I do well¡¯ expression.

    Yan Zaizen softly sighed in resignation. He was so overly direct that their original n of action felt awkward to enact now. Initially, they were going to gain some information about the situation, but now, he just didn¡¯t have the mood to continue. They had other ways to gain information.

    "Whatever, let¡¯s go." A multi-colored qi-essence filled with traces of varyingws erupted from his body. His cultivation at thete-Qi Unification Realm truly disyed its capabilities at this moment, but his aura was so strong that even the city lord felt he was inferior.

    After his qi-essence had been baptized by his worldws three times, his aura was far stronger and even contained faint traces of truew within. Yan Zaizen figured out that during each of his Qi Unification stage breakthroughs, hisws would exit his soul form and radiate him with their energies, but only if his conceptualws were at the force-level, containing traces of their truews.

    After being baptized by hisws during the Qi Unification process, his ability to make use of his conceptualws was far greater than before, even his Unyielding me of Life, which could consume all forms of his energy to produce lifeforce, would produce more vibrant lifeforce emissions if he used his qi-essence as the medium. It was even greater than his soul energy in quality but not quantity.

    He exploded outwards, soaring through the skies at breakneck speeds that left all those watching breathlessly in shock. Bai Lufeng nodded and followed after.

    Just as Tao was about to follow, he stopped, blew another chunk on the spatial tform. After a while, while looking slightly embarrassed, he erupted with his initial-Origin Core cultivation base and took off as well.

    Everyone just looked onwards, shocked by the set of events.

    Who were they?

    As for the city lord, his expression turned solemn, and he soared towards his office. "I have to report this." He muttered before leaving.

 Chapter 84 Wherever You Two Are

    Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t use the skyship to fly towards Meteorite City. Its maximum speed only reached an average peak-Qi Unification Realm and that would take a day or two from where they were. He couldn¡¯t wait any longer. His qi cultivation base was profound enough to rival the basic flight speed of a half-step Origin Core cultivator. When coupled with Tao¡¯s flight-based internal qi-art ¡ª the Ascending Raindrops Technique ¡ª which was a superior-grade art with his current cultivation base, he could rival an initial-Origin Core cultivator.

    When he was at the initial-Qi Revolving Realm, Lin Feilin previously informed him that traveling to Meteorite City from Zhu Que City would take him a few months to arrive, but now that his speed rivaled that of an Origin Core cultivator, those few months would be turned into a short few hours.

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes were filled with yearning and desire. After three years of constantly wanting, being forced into things, of being schemed against, pulled apart, and forced into very, he would finally arrive where he considered home.

    Tao and Bai Lufeng could see Yan Zaizen¡¯s heightened emotional state, so they tactfully stayed silent, not attempting to have a conversation during the trip. During their time together, how could they not know of Yan Zaizen¡¯s story, especially Tao? He knew of his fate of being called trash, his forced discipleship, his almost marriage, how he plowed through two ns attempting to stop him, and then being schemed against by the Xuanwu City Lord and being condemned to die.

    It was as if the heavens were purposefully filling his paths with roadblock after roadblock, but still, he never conceded, holding onto the hope of one day returning back to the ce he was most familiar with. It was the ce that held his saddest of memories filled with abuse, failure, and depression. But also the ce filled with his happiest of memories, filled with the smiles of his mother, the scent of his father, and the warmth of his own bed.

    Never do we get to choose our family, but that family gets to choose how you remember them. How you will cherish them. How you will love them. His parents did a good job with him.

    Several hours of silence passed as they soared through the skies like aet, the many experts and cities they passed looked up with trepidation. The auras of those three were too terrifying, and this was the territory of the first-tier Soaring Cloud Sect, the highest cultivation in that sect was thete-Origin Core Realm. So sensing those three intense auras passing like lightning made them feel both fearful and relieved that they weren¡¯t here for them.

    "There it is!" Yan Zaizen shouted, his voice filled with childish exuberance. It was as if his youthfulness was leaking and the individual he was before was slowly resurfacing.

    Meteorite City stood there intact and lively as ever. It wasn¡¯t nearly as impressive as the myriad cities he¡¯s visited and seen in these past three years, but it was definitely the one that gave him the warmest of feelings. Not because the Yan n was there, not even because of the prospect of meeting his grandfather once more, no, he felt those feelings because this is where his mother and fatherid to rest.

    The corners of his eyes moistened. "I made it home," his voice was exceptionally soft but filled with overwhelming emotion. It hadn¡¯t taken long before they arrived at the city gates with their respective auras still highlighted within the sky. The residents of Meteorite City directed their gazes towards the approaching qi signatures. Many were indescribably shocked while others were filled with caution and curiosity. A few promptly took their loved ones and hid their children away.

    The many ns within Meteorite City were alerted, and they sent ambassadors as quickly as possible to wee the new arrivals.

    Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t even wait for any of them. Instead, he took off. As for Tao and Bai Lufeng, they stayed and waited. This wasn¡¯t the time to follow him nor was it their ce.

    This was his moment.

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s speed was exceptionally quick to the point where it only took a few seconds from reaching the city gate to reaching the Yan n¡¯s gates, but when he arrived, he was stunned. The gates were normal, there were people inside maintaining the property and seemed to have been doing so for quite a while.

    "Where...they..." He couldn¡¯t find them. Not a single person he remembered from the Yan n was here, not even the servants. Initially, he didn¡¯t use his spiritual sense, but now he did. His sensory range exceeded 600 li in distance, and the rity of it was so incredible that he could perceive the pping of a wasp¡¯s wings from maximum distance or the stomping of ants within their colony underground.

    "This...?" He was bewildered, but after a second, he immediately refocused. His sense immediately spread to the ancestral grounds, and his eyes lit up. Who cares if the Yan n was gone? His body was like the shadow of lightning as he arrived at his parents¡¯ tombs.

    They were buried in polished wooden caskets risen up by stone tforms, the insides were cushioned with feathery materials for softness, but these weren¡¯t ordinary feathers, they originated from rank four disaster beasts. For the Yan n, this was exceptional. As the daughter-inw and son of the n leader, how could they not have decent burial caskets?

    Beneath the stone tform was an area where offerings could be presented. Typically, he would upkeep flowers for his mother, giving them sunlight since she loved the sun and gardening so much. For his father, he would offer his favorite wine, and even drink it with him sometimes like they did when he was younger. Of course, they wouldn¡¯t tell his mother.

    He didn¡¯t know when, but tears started to fall from his eyes like rain droplets. The water formed a steady stream that seemed to flow endlessly.

    "Mother...Father...I¡¯m sorry." He kneeled down on the ground so heavily that the ground shattered, and he kowtowed so deeply that the world itself filled with sorrow. "I¡¯m...so...so...sorry." His hands clenched to the point where it bled, his eyes were so red and a puddle was slowly forming from his tears beneath him.

    "I-I¡¯m...okay. I¡¯m okay! I¡¯m alive. I haven¡¯t died. I haven¡¯t died." His voice started to break in between his words. He couldn¡¯t hold it in. Every month, he would clean and maintain his mother¡¯s and father¡¯s grave, give them offering for the afterlife, and tell them his stories. Every so often, he would make them up, but he¡¯d feel guilty afterwards and always tell the truth.

    After three hours of this, he finally got up. His forehead was slightly dirty, and his eyes were filled with redness. He calmed himself down and proceeded to do what he remembered. What he needed to do. He produced a broom he had Tao prepare in Xi¨¡o City and begun to sweep the dust surrounding the caskets. He kept doing so until it was free of all dust.

    "That¡¯s done!" He smilingly dered. "With all this dirt and dust around you, you must¡¯ve felt quite angry, Mother." He chuckled, moving towards his father¡¯s grave. He produced various forms of wine andid down near the stone tform. Father, I came across these delicious wines I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll love. I even got your favorite." He poured a little of each every few minutes.

    Between each pour, he would interject his own opinion of the wine. "This one I got from a restaurant in Xuanwu City! It¡¯s a little too sweet, but I heard it has a Cerulean Serpents galldder inside of it. Since I saw a dead one in the forest, I thought I should bring one here. It¡¯s supposed to be useful in curing ailments. I wonder if it¡¯s true."

    "This one is very strong! The tart taste is intense, I got it from the Ying n. They offered me some after wanting me to be a scapegoat for them. With a wine like this, I would¡¯ve refused even if I was willing prior. Haha! Oh! Don¡¯t worry mom. I wouldn¡¯t get married without telling you."

    "Ooooh! This one¡¯s from Xi¨¡o City, a ce called the Blue Lagoon. It¡¯s called that because of its Blue Lagoon Wine that looks blue. It¡¯s definitely the best wine I¡¯ve ever tasted. Woo! It feels so good going down, you¡¯d love it."

    "Heavenly Heart¡¯s wine...I was skeptical at first, but it¡¯s definitely worth the insane price. It got two origin core cultivators dirt drunk until one cried and the other couldn¡¯t control his impulses! Haha, it works wonders. I bet you¡¯d be telling jokes all day with just a single sip. Haha."

    This continued for every wine he¡¯d encountered. It was nighttime by the time he was done, but he still wasn¡¯t intoxicated. In truth, he wished he could be at this very moment.

    He went to his mother¡¯s casket, caressing the surface softly, and feeling the chill it exuded. "Mother, one of these days, I¡¯ll ce you in a location filled with dazzling flowers to the point where you¡¯ll be intoxicated. The world¡¯s beauty would surround you with such brilliance that you wouldn¡¯t even be able to stop smiling even if you wanted. I promise."

    He took a deep breath. There were many things left unsaid, but he knew they couldn¡¯t stay here. "I¡¯m sorry if this angers you, but I promise I¡¯ll make up for it when I see you myself." He waved his hand, and the two coffins were stored within the Meteor Ring.

    There were two spots which he personally arranged for them, one was filled with dazzling earth and flowers, sunstones were floating up above with brilliant sunlight shining down, and the other had a myriad of wine bottles and pouches surrounding it, including a few he already offered.

    "The Yan n doesn¡¯t deserve to be your resting ce. They don¡¯t deserve that honor." He gently said, his voice filled with firm resolution. It took awhile for his emotions to stabilize, and when he looked up, the sun was already rising.

    "This is no longer my home. No longer our home. Home will be wherever you two are. Wherever we are."

 Chapter 85 Events After Three Years

    "Young Lord Zai," Tao called out as he stepped forward, arriving next to Yan Zaizen, his expression the epitome of solemnity. Bai Lufeng was nearby, but he was silent, only staying beside Tao respectfully, but his face was also filled with a solemness that could darken the skies.

    When Yan Zaizen departed his parents¡¯ former ancestral graveyard, they were standing there at the gates in waiting. He could tell that they had something to say after meeting with the official ambassadors of Meteorite City. His mind drew some guesses, such as the disappearance of the Yan n. It didn¡¯t seem like they were killed to thest man as there was no indication of battle.

    It was more like they all upped and left suddenly.

    The Yan n wasn¡¯t the only n that seemed to have vanished from Meteorite City. When he surveyed this area with his spiritual sense, he discovered the Ya n was no longer there as well.

    "Tao, what is it?" He inquired, his eyes still slightly red from his cries from earlier. Despite this, Tao and Bai Lufeng showed no surprise as if expecting this result. If anything, they probably assumed the situation would be worse. Yan Zaizen¡¯s journey thus far had been filled with ill-intentions and actions drawing him further and further away from home.

    It¡¯s likely anyone would breakdown when they returned, but Yan Zaizen had formted his own Dao. If his mentality was fragile, that would be an impossible feat.

    "There¡¯s been an incident," Tao informed. Yan Zaizen halted him from further exining with a motion. Tao was originally going to continue exining, but seeing Yan Zaizen¡¯s action, he stoppedpletely.

    "Let¡¯s talk elsewhere." After those words were spoken, he took off. He didn¡¯t wish to stay in this city filled with memories any longer. He already had to hold himself back from killing a few people he despised when he arrived. These people were no longer worth his notice, time or effort.

    They soared away likeets through the sky. They stopped several li away from Meteorite City. It was a grassy in with small hills surrounding it. "This ce. It¡¯s where I met my Master." He quietly said. Tao and Bai Lufeng examined the area in detail and discovered that there was an incrediblyrge formation set in ce. When Yan Zaizen would travel here constantly for a retreat from his bleak reality, he never noticed the formation. Now, however, he could see it clearly in its inactive state.

    "A spatial and illusionary formationbined, quite profound. It¡¯s stationary but exceptionally powerful. If you¡¯re trapped in there, fighting would be incredibly difficult." Tao soft muttered exining its characteristics. Recalling the story of how Yan Zaizen first met his master, it made sense why he couldpletely obliterate a group of Qi Unification experts without them being able to react.

    They settled here, the skyship appearing andnding softly on the grassy ins. Arriving on the deck, Yan Zaizen looked towards Tao with curiosity.

    "The situation that urred is a littleplicated, but I¡¯ll start from the beginning." One could feel that the situation required some organizing to properly convey without confusion. Fortunately, Tao was a schr who held incredible knowledge and ability rting to information. "Two and a half years ago, two incidents of importance happened. The first, Yan Jinzen of the Yan n sessively joined the Soaring Cloud Sect. When he did, heprehended a conceptualw based on the Mortal Law of the Spear. Soon afterward, he was inducted as the personal disciple of a Grand Elder of the Sect."

    A Grand Elder of a first-tier sect would definitely be at the mid-Origin Core Realm at the very least. His fortune truly was exceptional to be epted by someone of that standing, Yan Zaizen couldn¡¯t help but think. In truth, he intended to thoroughly cripple Yan Jinzen simply because of the hell he put him through. Well, his ns haven¡¯t changed, he still intended to cripple him at the first chance he gets.

    "This was an extraordinary bolster to the Yan n, and their hegemony over Meteorite City solidified. They even possessed clout to rival upper second-tier forces. Then, a girl from the Ya n appeared who joined the Water Veil Sect, and simr to Yan Jinzen, she disyed an exceptional talent, but one that far surpassed Yan Jinzen. Sheprehended a conceptualw based on the World Law of Water. She was immediately given the title of the Sect Leader¡¯s Disciple."

    "Normally, this should¡¯ve been great for the Yan n, considering this girl, Ya Qinqan, was married to Yan Jinzen. They were truly a pair of heavenly talents. Unfortunately, Ya Qinqan used her newfound status to propose a mutual annulment of their marriage."

    "What?!" Yan Zaizen felt deeply shocked at this information. "How? Ya Qinqan and Yan Jinzen had already consummated their rtions. Not to mention, why?!" His emotions started to get riled up and memories of his youth started to rise up as he gave birth to an unforgiving idea. For some odd reason, he truly wished she desired to break from Yan Jinzen due to his disappearance. However, he immediately shook his head in disbelief.

    ¡¯Even if she did, she¡¯s already made her choice.¡¯

    Tao continued, "It seems that the Water Veil Sect only epts virgins who possess their primal Yin for certain positions. I¡¯ve heard of sects, who only ept men or women if they¡¯ve maintained their primal energy, Yin or Yang. It can be both detrimental and beneficial to keeping it and losing it. It can help one develop certain conceptualws, practice specific arts, or even cultivate in bodily methods to enhance one¡¯s innate talent. It seems the Water Veil Sect was this type of sect."

    Yan Zaizen was speechless. He never knew. Why didn¡¯t he know? Why did no one tell him?

    Tao could see Yan Zaizen¡¯s speechlessness and hurriedly exined, "You¡¯re misunderstanding. The Water Veil Sect only epts virgins for Inner Court Disciples or higher of the sect. They still allow non-virgins into the sect if they possess sufficient talent and capabilities."

    Oh? That made more sense. If it had a special cultivation method that utilizes primal Yin, it only makes sense that it was kept secret from someone like him. Then that begs the question, why did the news that Ya Qinqan and Yan Jinzen having consummated their marriage circted? Could it have been a ploy to further push him into despair and hopelessness? To push him to the point where he had lost everything for good? Was it to force him to suicide?!

    At this thought, his eyes grew ferocious. "I swear, I¡¯ll make you suffer Yan Jinzen." He dered with his very soul. Bai Lufeng had informed him of how the Yan n didn¡¯t even spend more than a few days to search for him. It¡¯s likely because they believed hemitted suicide, but regardless, they should¡¯ve searched for his body at least...

    His thoughts towards the Yan n had already hit rock bottom, but that didn¡¯t mean he disliked everyone in there. His grandfather was on shaky grounds, but his aunt and uncle were always there for him through the bad and the good. He wouldn¡¯t just leave without giving them a warning.

    "After this happened, the Ya n was relocated into the Water Veil Sect¡¯s territory. Normally, this wouldn¡¯t be an issue, but because of Yan Jinzen¡¯s status as the disciple of the Soaring Cloud Sect Grand Elder, this was seen as a direct insult. Long story short, they refused. Ya Qinqan and the Water Veil Sect publicly revealed the dissolution of their marriage."

    "This was obviously forceful and seen as another insult towards the Soaring Cloud Sect. It seems they retaliated by capturing and imprisoning prominent members of the Ya n. All so that Ya Qinqan would be forced to maintain the marriage agreement. The Soaring Cloud Sect has always been domineering and this move seemed to be right up their alley. Unfortunately for them, the Sect Leader of the Water Veil Sect revealed an astonishing cultivation at the initial-True Essence Realm. This originally top-rank first-tier force directly revealed strength that put them in the middle of the grand-tier powers of Presba. They rivaled the Solitary Sword Sect and a few top ns."

    "The Sect Leader, in domineering fashion, killed her way through the Soaring Cloud Sect with a group of elites, devastating the entire grounds and directly killing the Grand Elder responsible for this situation. As for Yan Jinzen, he was crippled by the Sect Leader before she departed. It took the Solitary Sword Sect to step in to de-escte the situation."

    "..."

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s mind was filled with so many what-the-flying-hell feelings at the moment that his mind felt dull. So, Yan Jinzen was crippled...just like that? A first-tier power may be great, but in front of a True Essence expert, they were nothing but ants. Typically, to be a grand-tier power, one must be at the half-step True Essence Realm, but the Water Veil Sect didn¡¯t even go through that process.

    They directly jumped to the mid-ranks of grand-tier force! With a single expert!

    "After the Water Veil Sect rose to prominence with a single step, the Earthly Titan Sect became their subordinate power. Shocking the country even further." Tao couldn¡¯t help but pause as if this next part was sensitive, "As for the Yan n, several months ago, the Water Veil Sect rounded them up and took them into their territory for reasons unknown. As for their fate, that¡¯s also unknown."

    "..."

    Bai Lufeng wanted to step up and say something, but Tao stopped him with a pat on the shoulder. At the moment, Yan Zaizen mind was a mess and slowly digested all this information. He didn¡¯t care about the Yan n as a whole, but his aunt and uncle didn¡¯t deserve to be dealt with horribly. As for the rest?

    The rest be damned!

    "My Master? Han Genji?" After organizing his thoughts, he asked the one question he truly wanted Tao to look into. However, Tao averted his gaze slightly, obviously unwilling to deliver the news. Despite this, he mustered up his courage with a deep breath.

    "He was killed one year ago by the Soaring Cloud Sect."

    "..."

    "..."

    "I see. Do you know who¡¯s responsible?" He inquired, his face indifferent, but his eyes contained traces of flickering motes of white light. His Dao aura, which typically would erupt outwards due to his riled emotions, was no longer uncontroble and wild. It was contained within him with a higher intensity and concentration than ever before. Even Tao and Bai Lufeng couldn¡¯t help but feel weak at the knees from his gaze, despite their profound cultivation bases.

    "I do," Tao responded.

    "Do you know who acted against me in Xuanwu City?"

    "I do."

    "Then, let¡¯s kill."

 Chapter 86 Killing With A Though

    --Soaring Cloud Sect, Council Auditorium.

    "The Solitary Sword Sect is quite persistent in its desire to take us as a subordinate force." An elderly man spoke, his voice filled with untold worries. To his left, a middle-aged man with a heroic disposition with an aura of a concealed sword edge. To his right, an elderly woman with eyes as sharp as knives and hair as white as snow.

    A middle-aged man with light blue hair stood before them as they sat up above on their pedestal. His attire was extraordinary and his aura contained a lofty air. On his back was a single broadsword fastened by an archaic belt with no scabbard. This middle-aged man was the representative for the Solitary Sword Sect. His qi cultivation was profound as he radiated an aura at thete-Origin Core Realm.

    "Of course. I suggest you make your decision by today." The representative, Zhao Huoli, said forcefully. The two Grand Elders and Sect Leader of the Soaring Cloud Sect couldn¡¯t help but frown.

    Due to the Yan n situation, the Soaring Cloud Sect lost their strongest ally - The Water Veil Sect. Not to mention, their former ally had risen to the status of a grand-tier force and killed their way into the Soaring Cloud Sect with vicious violence. They lost a good portion of their forces in the resistance and a Grand Elder level character.

    They were truly in the hole of misfortune, one they dug themselves into.

    The Solitary Sword Sect had helped them weather the storm by interfering with the Water Veil Sect¡¯s invasion, thereby allowing the Soaring Cloud Sect a temporary reprieve. However, the Solitary Sword Sect was not one to act out of good intentions and asked for a price - their loyalty. To officially be the subordinate of the Solitary Sword Sect would cause the Soaring Cloud Sect to lose their ability to develop outside of being an exceptional faction.

    It was essentially the merging of powers, the weaker one will obviously crumble apart at its foundation as therger one consumed it to strengthen itself. Their top talents, their legacies, their unique resources, their entire territory and more will be given up to reinforce the Solitary Sword Sect¡¯s position within the country.

    The three upper-echelon members did not wish for this to happen. Unfortunately, they were given an ultimatum: To kneel in subservience or be left to await the Water Veil Sect¡¯s revenge. To anyrge force, these two choices felt like choosing between a thick red rope and a thick blue rope to tie around your neck.

    "I¡¯ll be awaiting your decision." Zhao Huoli said before departing without dismissal. To him, these individuals were pathetic and useless. Due to a boy from an irrelevant n and their overconfidence, they were left in a position where they essentially had no way out. They could choose to slowly tatter off by being assimted by the Solitary Sword Sect or die under the Water Veil Sect¡¯s attacks.

    After several minutes of silence, the Sect Leader spoke, "Our choices are limited. I believe...we have no choice." His words were spoken with a strong sense of weakness and defeat. He couldn¡¯t help but regret his inaction in the previous events. What should¡¯ve been a small issue blew up to be the nail in their coffin.

    The others around couldn¡¯t help but deeply sigh in helplessness. It seems the heavens truly did not want the Soaring Cloud Sect to exist under its brilliance any longer.

    BANG!!

    A young woman, about twenty years of age with average looks, barged into the Council Auditorium causing the doors to explode open. She was drenched in sweat, her breathingbored, and her eyes red with terror. Following behind her, Zhao Huoli had a solemn expression. The sudden intrusion caused the three upper-ranked members to rise from their seats and stare inquisitively.

    "What is the meaning of this?" The n Leader inquired, his gaze growing a little irritated at the low-ranking member with the cultivation of the initial-Essence Formation Realm barging in unannounced. The other two Grand Elders maintained their silence, carefully awaiting for this situation to be exined.

    "T-the...th-the!" The young woman tried to speak, but it was as if her lungs were caught in her throat.

    Zhao Huoli decided to step forward, "Everyst one of your members has lost consciousness." His words were solemn but had a strange calm to it. As a sword cultivator with his cultivation, he faced many life or death situations in his lifetime. His calm was embedded deep into his bones. In fact, it would an oddity if anything other than a heaven eclipsing palm were to shake his calm.

    "What?! What are you talking about?" The n Leader questioned, obviously disbelieving of his words. He spread his qi-sense outwards and felt the qi signatures of everyone it swept to be docile as if in a state of unconsciousness. The Grand Elders took the same course of action, discovering the same issue, their minds reeling in shock.

    "How? What is going on?"

    The moment those words left his mouth, a handsome youth dressed in violet attire appeared outside the entrance of the auditorium. Behind him were two individuals, one who looked scrawny but intelligent and another who felt lofty but calm. The youth¡¯s eyes were simrly calm, but it contained traces of unyielding confidence and imperialistic vor.

    Their arrival caused all individuals present to turn their eyes towards them. Zhao Huoli could tell the situation wasn¡¯t favorable and as he wasn¡¯t a part of the Soaring Cloud Sect, he had no intention to offend individuals of unknown origin if it was avoidable. He took a step back towards the wall and conceded the way for these gentlemen.

    The n Leader and Grand Elders saw his action and felt confused. "Who are you?" The n Leader asked, his hands holding a talisman ready to crush it at a moment¡¯s notice.

    These three were obviously the trio, Yan Zaizen, Tao, and Bai Lufeng. Initially, Yan Zaizen had tasked Tao with gathering information about Han Genji¡¯s trial and execution. What he learned bothered him greatly. The entire upper-echelon of the Soaring Cloud Sect desired Han Genji¡¯s death, and they tortured him for two years for revenge. This left him in a dilemma.

    What should he do?

    His original intention was to kill those responsible, but if all the cultivators of a certain level were responsible, how could he rectify this situation? Both Tao and Bai Lufeng had their own suggestions. Tao, the cool-headed and intelligent one, wanted him to find specific individuals who personally took action, not including those who simply had ill-intent and eliminate only them. This was a slow process that could take quite a while.

    Bai Lufeng, on the other way, said it simply, "It¡¯s a first-tier force, with your current abilities Young Lord Zai, you could level the entire sect with a thought." This was the fastest method and wouldn¡¯t take a long investigation. Initially, he leaned towards Tao¡¯s suggestion, because it¡¯ll simply be horrible to eradicate all those who weren¡¯t even remotely rted to the situation.

    So he made a decision.

    Kill all members of the Upper Echelon regardless and kill those publicly advocating for Han Genji¡¯s death. After some more information gathering from Tao, he discovered who exactly these people were. As for the numerous individuals who were unconscious outside, that was simply Yan Zaizen¡¯s course of action to gain entry.

    Soaring Cloud Sect truly was just a top-rank first-tier force. They didn¡¯t even have a half-step True Essence Cultivator. Their Grand Elders were at thete-Origin Core Realm, and the Sect Leader was the same. Only the Ancestral Elder was at the peak-Origin Core Realm. Therefore, he was already killed by Yan Zaizen to prevent any unforeseen issues. They had no defense against his level of soul cultivation and the speed at which his soul energy moved could make an initial-True Essence expert feel slow as a snail.

    It took him less than two minutes to subdue the entire Soaring Cloud Sect from the gates. With his spiritual sense, nothing could escape his reach. As for the young woman who barged in, she was a member of the Yan n. It was only a coincidence that she ran to the council auditorium. Unsurprisingly, she didn¡¯t recognize Yan Zaizen at first sight. It made sense, at the time he was scrawny, average-looking, and weak.

    Now, he was the exact opposite.

    Not only the Ancestral Elder whoy dead in his quarters, but everyone who was rted to Han Genji¡¯s execution wasying as a corpse. Only these three individuals were left untouched. As for Zhao Huoli? Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t even spare him a nce.

    "Do you remember Han Genji?" Yan Zaizen asked. The others were shocked that Han Genji, a man executed a year ago, was now being brought forward. The myriad of reasons caused their minds to inwardly panic with fearful thoughts. Whoever this youth was, he was someone who could kill them with a single thought. They knew this from the feats outside. Even if it wasn¡¯t this youth specifically who was personally taking actions, the others beside him obviously stood in a subordinate position indicating his status.

    The n Leader¡¯s face darkened with solemness, "I do. May I ask what¡¯s your rtionship with him?" His words were soft and cautious, obviously afraid ofing off rude and unintentionally offending the other.

    Yan Zaizen, however, didn¡¯t care about his actions. "Good. I am his disciple, and he¡¯s my Master. That year, when you killed his lover. That year, when you captured him. That year, when you publicly tortured him till his execution. I want you to know that your death, it¡¯ll be the offering for his peace in the afterlife. As his disciple, I will achieve this." When his words were spoken everyone was frozen in disbelief and shock.

    WHAT?!

    If Han Genji had a youth with the ability to achieve such a feat, why didn¡¯t he say so sooner? Why didn¡¯t he ask for help? This felt iprehensible to them. "Wh-What are you talking about? How could...How could you be his disciple?" The woman with sharp eyes asked, her voice filled with trembling.

    However, Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t even bother answering. "You can die quick and painlessly or you can die slow and very, very painfully. What¡¯s your choice?"

 Chapter 87 The Why

    Seeing that the situation was unfavorable, the n Leader immediately shattered the talisman in his hand, causing a bright formation that filled the entirety of the Soaring Cloud Sect¡¯s grounds. "Haha! You think yo-" The n Leader wasughingly about to monologue his trump card when suddenly the bright formation shattered almost instantly upon activation.

    "This..." Everyone was speechless.

    "Choose." Yan Zaizen spoke, his voice a little impatient. Did this old coot truly think he wouldn¡¯t dismantle the formation¡¯s core the moment he entered the grounds? To him, it was like a bunch of babies trying to guard a sandcastle. He could crumble it with a mere thought.

    The female Grand Elder immediately stepped up, "Why do you...have to do this? We can-" She tried to bargain but was immediately interrupted by Yan Zaizen¡¯s sharp voice.

    "Choose!"

    The eldest male Grand Elder couldn¡¯t handle this, his eyes revealed a decisive light. His cultivation base erupted at full force, and his aura caused the surroundings to feel like a swamp. As Yan Zaizen tried to move his arm, he felt like his body was trudging through a sea of mud.

    ¡¯Conceptualw of liquid earth?¡¯ He couldn¡¯t help but conclude based on its qualities. Surprisingly, this grand elderprehended a worldw, albeit a basic-tier worldw, but a worldw, nheless. Unfortunately, this conceptualw has yet to touch upon the force level and thus contained no traces of truew originating from earth. Its power was several dozens of times weaker than it should¡¯ve been.

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes flickered with silver-blue light. A sudden sh of resplendent light surged outward and the aura that was once zing brilliantly silenced immediately. The grand elder copsed like a puppet with his string cut. If one examined closely, they could tell he was still alive but unconscious. It seemed like his soul was knocked out into a state of paralysis.

    "He has chosen painful. Will you do the same?" Yan Zaizen words were filled with an imperialistic vor, as if he decided their life or death, and he truly did. The n Lord¡¯s expression was darker than any expression that could ever be. Was this how his life would end? Because of some insignificant pebble getting lucky to befriend a person of exceptional prowess? It truly made one feel stifled as if the heavens had already deemed their deaths.

    "Painless." The female grand elder spoke, her voice now filled with calmness. "In this world, we live and die based on our choices, based on our rtionships, and based on our association. If today I die, then I¡¯m happy I can choose how." Her voice contained boundless wisdom and rity. Seeing Yan Zaizen destroying their formation, eliminating all of their forces, and killing someone of her equivalence in terms of prowess with a nce, she no longer had any thoughts of an alternative but death.

    At least she could choose how.

    "Then, I have a question." Yan Zaizen stated, continuing, "The Xuanwu City Lord of three years ago. What is her rtionship with you, and what does she have against Han Genji?"

    During his two years in the Deep Mines, he kept asking himself: ¡¯why did she attempt to kill me?¡¯ Initially, he had no idea, but then it hit him. The City Lord didn¡¯t interfere in hisbat with the two ns outside of Xuanwu City. She must¡¯ve known who he was, or at least, who she believed he was - Han Zaiji! His alias he used for the Ying n and his exnation of rtion to Han Genji.

    However, that begged the question, why? Han Genji was allied with the Earthly Titan Sect and they likely supported him in the background against his crusade against the Soaring Cloud Sect. What reason did they have to kill him? His first instincts were simple, the Xuanwu City Lord was a spy of the Soaring Cloud Sect. It was the only thing that made sense to him, but he needed to confirm.

    However, he found out he was wrong.

    After discovering that Yan Zaizen was looking into the Xuanwu City Lord and Earthly Titan Sect, the n leader¡¯s eyes lit up with brilliance. It¡¯s unlikely for him to escape death today, but he could definitely drag the Earthly Titan Sect with them!

    That was sufficient!

    "I¡¯ll exin." He stepped out, his expression that was originally dark was reced with soft calmness. The female grand elder looked towards him and simply nodded, understanding his thoughts.

    "Three years ago, the Xuanwu City Lord and several Elders of the Earthly Titan Sect participated in the capturing of Han Genji. They helped lure him to a favorable location due to their rtionship and his trust, and attempted to eliminate him. Unfortunately, Han Genji possessed exceptional prowess in shadowws and illusory arts. He was an extraordinarily difficult individual to deal with, despite his weak cultivation base."

    "If it wasn¡¯t for their help, our operation would¡¯ve been impossible." His words obviously urged to ce a considerable amount of me on the Earthly Titan Sect. He even listed the specific individuals who participated in the event and who they dealt with, the current Sect Leader of the Earthly Titan Sect, Yao Wuying."

    Yan Zaizen was a little startled, but after learning about the details, it madeplete sense now. If, at the time, he would¡¯ve learned of their joint operation through some channel, the Earthly Titan Sect would have a powerhouse with astounding soul cultivation as a threat. She took the opportunity the moment it presented itself to eliminate the threat.

    "Clever...but I¡¯m still alive." He silently muttered.

    "Why did they ally with you, their enemy?" Yan Zaizen inquired.

    "Han Genji stole a piece of a mid-grade essence crystal, and we attempted to retrieve it. This piece could easily allow either of us to reach the grand-tier force by developing a half-step True Essence cultivator. Unfortunately, mid-transit, Han Genji snatched it. The very reason we kept him alive was for him to reveal where the crystal was. If found, we would split it in half. Till the very end, he refused. He waster executed and our operation ended." He answered immediately.

    A piece of mid-grade essence crystal? A PIECE? He was executed over a piece!! It wasn¡¯t even a full essence crystal, but a piece! He knew that low-grade essence crystal is top quality material used for True Essence cultivators, while mid-grade was exceptionally beneficial to them, but it still infuriated him. He also knew that Han Genji and the Soaring Cloud Sect couldn¡¯t live under the same sky, but it still felt ridiculous that the Earthly Titan Sect would agree.

    It was probably moreplicated than this, but the missing part was likely known only by the Earthly Titan Sect.

    Softly nodding at the answer while holding in his anger, Yan Zaizen continued his questioning, "Why was the Yan n taken by the Water Veil Sect?"

    The n leader didn¡¯t even skip a beat to answer, even though he was curious as to how this matters, if it leads to another force that he hated to suffer, why not spill everything? "After the dispute, the Ya n left and resided in the Water Veil Territory. Unfortunately, the Yan n didn¡¯t like this and attacked the Ya n, killing a few and capturing others. From what I know, the Water Veil Sect demanded us to hand them over orunch full-blown war. We relented. In truth, we were going to eliminate them ourselves. I suppose the Ya n wanted the pleasure." He spoke casually.

    The Yan n was the source of their issues; how could they not decide to thoroughly eliminate this failure of a n?

    Yan Zaizen was quiet for a moment, following up, "Do you know if they¡¯re still alive?" However, the n leader immediately shook his head, obviously ignorant.

    Taking a deep breath, he gave a soft nod. "Thanks." A tendril constructed of silver-blue aurora-like soul energy formed, with two sharp movements, both of thest of the upper-echelon members of the Soaring Cloud Sect was dealt with. Their deaths as painless as possible.

    Finally taking a gander at Zhao Huoli, he spoke softly, "Do you know what¡¯s happened to the Yan n?"

    This question caused shivers to run down Zhao Huoli¡¯s spine, and he couldn¡¯t help but shake his head nervously. The Water Veil Sect was now a grand-tier force with a True Essence expert at the helm; they wouldn¡¯t dare send spies to investigate details regarding them at this very moment. It¡¯ll be like asking for conflict if a mishap urred.

    Suddenly, his vision turned ck as he slipped into unconsciousness.

    Yan Zaizen turned around, ignoring the young woman¡¯s startled look. With a voice filled with harsh anger, he instructed, "Take it all."

    -------------------------------------------

    Author¡¯s Notes:

    Thest chapter of the week and the beginning of a new week with 15/Week(Minus Bonus)! A few announcements:

    1) $10 Patreon Tier shall be reinstated with +10 Chapters Advance. As an apology for the low chapter week, there will be 3 bonus chapters on Friday/Saturday/Sunday. This will be decided by a poll for all patreons. I gotta make it up somehow for that slow week, you know?

    2) A New Patreon-Tier has been created, at $20 as well as a new goal! You guys are seriously amazing for hitting the goal so quickly, I never even imagined this would be possible, I truly love you all and thankful for every one of you.

    3) To allow those who are willing to further support me as a writer and the story itself, I¡¯ll be adding a donation goal for bonus chapters(Likely next month). With lesser mary strain, I can put more effort into writing, so I can churn out even more chapters.

    4) Discord Server has been set up! With this, you cane over andmunicate with me, discuss with friends of other novels, or simply rx with some good conversation.

    Discord Server: https://discord.gg/fg34Tf3

    5) Glossary still in progress, should be finished within the week or definitely next month. It truly is a lot of information! Not to mention, constantly updating with each new chapter.

 Chapter 88 Why We Figh

    Tao¡¯s eyes revealed an unusual glint at Yan Zaizen¡¯s instruction. Yan Zaizen was undergoing a shift in personality, buttely, he¡¯s grown to develop a penchant for wealth and robbery. Every single chance to obtain further wealth was taken to its fullest. He couldn¡¯t help but worry if Yan Zaizen may let his greed get the better of him in the uing days, because the majority of grudges and deaths were produced by greed.

    Bai Lufeng, however, didn¡¯t have the same worries. Since Yan Zaizen stood at the apex of the country, what did he have to fear? If he wanted to rob the world, then rob the world. If he wanted to kill, then kill! This was the cultivator¡¯s way - strength above all else.

    They both nodded despite their own differing opinions and made their move to sweep the entirety of the slumbering Soaring Cloud Sect clean. Everyst piece of wealth it had, all spatial possessions on everyone¡¯s waist, finger or wrist was taken.

    "The Water Veil Sect..." Yan Zaizen silently mumbled, his thoughts conflicted. He couldn¡¯t help but think about Ya Qinqan and her current status within the sect. If the Yan n was eradicated by her, should he get revenge?

    This may seem like an easy question considering all Ya Qinqan had done to him, but in truth, it was anything but. She was his first love, for nearly a decade he desired her, helped her, and wanted to see her dreams fulfilled. Now, her dreams were fulfilled, her marriage to Yan Jinzen was cut off, and she was obviously an unwilling participant in it all.

    "If she was pressured by the Yan n to marry Yan Jinzen, then...should I truly hate her? If she was never truly with him, should I forget her or try again? Then...the Yan n...I..." Earlier in the Deep Mines, he made his peace with her actions, but this new piece of information illuminated an entirely different path that he thought was impossible. He felt so conflicted with his choices. The motes of white light signifying his dao started dim with these thoughts.

    "Fool." Pinaka¡¯s soft voice filled with a tyrannical re resounded in his soul. Yan Zaizen eyes widened with surprise at this insult. For the past month, Pinaka had remained silent, leaving him with only the cultivation art and some understandings of her. Besides that, she never really spoke unless necessary.

    He closed his eyes, entering his sea of consciousness. Within this sea, a white-robed, silver-haired beauty looked at him with disdain prevalent within her gaze. If one looked closely, they could even see contempt.

    "Pinaka..."

    "You¡¯re a fool," Pinaka stated once more, but her voice a lot colder than before. She snorted and continued despite Yan Zaizen¡¯s solemn expression, "You¡¯re a cultivator, you fight to rival the heavens, to exceed the heavens, and to be an existence that signifies immortality! Yet, despite developing such a tyrannical dao, you have the mindset of a child." She couldn¡¯t help but berate him.

    Earlier, while she was resting, she could feel his dao fluctuating with a hint of instability. This was very dangerous for many people, especially her who relied on his dao to exist beneath the current heavens. How could she tolerate something that threatened her existence? How could she stay silent?

    "Your emotions are far too unstable. Whatever you¡¯re thinking of, I¡¯ll ask you one question: Do you truly desire it?" She spoke, her words straightforward and blunt.

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes widened in shock. She was right...did he truly desire Ya Qinqan to be his? If so, what will he do if he had to face her, to kill her or try to make her his?

    Pinaka didn¡¯t wait for him to continue this line of thought, "As a cultivator, we fight for what we want, and even the heavens stand against us. Yet, we fight it with all we are. If you desire it, THEN TAKE IT! With your dao, questioning what you want is the same as shattering who you are!"

    For a long moment, silence fell. Yan Zaizen felt a trace of himself be further refined and polished.

    After a while, he smiled softly, "The person I am, the one I wish to be, isn¡¯t one who begs a woman to be with him or force them to do so. The person I am, the one I shall be, wants love, beauty, talent, and willingness. One that can match my own, one that can exceed my own. That¡¯s who I am. That¡¯s what I desire." His words contained a strange force as the motes of light slowly started to radiate with brilliance. One could see that his dao was strengthened, and his soul resonating topletion.

    Ya Qinqan may have been his first love, but if she truly loved him, she would¡¯ve said so. She would¡¯ve actively fought to be with him. With his Grandfather as the n Leader, if she was adamant about being with him, no one would say a single thing, who could?

    But she didn¡¯t. Just like him, Yan Jinzen was given the same treatment. When she reached a higher sky, she abandoned them. He truly was a fool for thinking otherwise.

    He looked at his soul form and couldn¡¯t help but be surprised. The aurora condensed within him was bing more and more brilliant, but its size remained the same. It continued to shine to the point that it overshadowed even hisws.

    "This..." He was shocked at this new development.

    Pinaka¡¯s brows furrowed in contemtion. After a long while of analyzing the situation, "Your soul is peculiar. Your progression isn¡¯t shocking, those with their own dao typically find enlightenment regarding the soul easier than those without. However, your soul form truly is odd."

    "What do you mean?" Yan Zaizen couldn¡¯t help but ask. This entire situation felt odd, and he¡¯d never personally experienced it before.

    Pinaka could see from his ignorant expression that he truly didn¡¯t know what was happening. She found this even more peculiar. Typically, enlightenment is required to progress through soul cultivation, and this feeling should be incredibly familiar with any Advanced Aurora Soul Realm cultivator. This only made her more curious as to why he looked ignorant.

    "You¡¯ve reached a breakthrough point. All youck is the proper soul essence to erge your Aurora, and you¡¯ll step into the Perfect Aurora Soul Realm." She stated, however, she frowned even deeper this time. "However, I suggest you wait."

    "What? Why?" Yan Zaizen felt excited to know his soul cultivation was progressing but felt confused at her words. Why wait? Wasn¡¯t it great if he broke through quickly?

    "Do you know why soul cultivation is considered an auxiliary form of cultivation?" She asked, but seeing his obvious ignorance, she continued, "You¡¯re currently within a small insignificant realm where the cultivators are essentially trash. However, despite this, when you attacked the initial-True Essence cultivator with twelve consecutive strikes of your soul art, he was left alive with minor injuries. Your soul cultivation with your dao infused could rival the mid-True Essence Realm, and yet...." Her voice was filled with disdain.

    "..."

    Now, Yan Zaizen realized the circumstance. Indeed, despite his soul cultivation being incredibly strong, it couldn¡¯t finish off the Xi¨¡o City Lord. Of course, a majority of the reason was hisck of soul art mastery, but if a true mid-True Essence Cultivator were to attack with the same ferocity, the Xi¨¡o City Lord would be brought to an inch of his life.

    "Yourprehension into arts is horrendous. It isn¡¯t rted to your soul but your mentality. Unless you¡¯ve found and master a proper mental cultivation art to develop your cognitive talent, you¡¯ll take thousands of years to reach the major sess stage of a superior-grade art." Her words were harsh but true.

    Yan Zaizen couldn¡¯t help but grimace at those words. He may be incredibly talented intows, but he was absolute trash atprehending arts. He spent eight years practicing the Great Yan Fist to the minor sess stage, and that was a low-grade art. The only reason he could be said to have reached the peak initial-stage mastery in his soul arts had heavily to do with his profound soul cultivation base.

    "Soul cultivation isbeled auxiliary because it is a supporting cultivation path, but the main path, the path that allows one to rival the heavens, to exceed the heavens, has to do with the Qi path." She exined. The Qi path allowed one to absorb the essence of the heavens, turn it into your own, and thenprehend the myriadws to draw power from it. By developing your own conceptualw, you could, theoretically, have such concept exceed the very heavens themselves.

    This was why it was called a concept. An idea of your own taken from thews under the heavens.

    "Yourck of Qi proficiency will cause you to stagnate, and even now, you can¡¯t even find your origin source because you¡¯ve relied too heavily on soul cultivation. You haven¡¯t even gained the slightest bit ofprehension into your origin source, your bloodline, or even used it in battle. All this time, you¡¯ve used nothing but soul cultivation, despiteprehending four worldws and a mortalw." She snorted, her voice obviously filled with discontent.

    "..."

    He didn¡¯t know how to respond. Soul cultivation ced him at the highest of the cultivationdder within the Fallen Stars Continent, but if what she said is true, then soul cultivation isn¡¯t the path one takes to reach the peak. Her words enlightened him but left him without a way forward.

    Initially, he was nning to focus heavily on his soul cultivation, but now it felt silly. If his arts took several thousand years to reach major proficiency, then how long would it take for three? Ten thousand of years? What about to perfect them? Tens of thousands of years? Hundreds?

    Would he live that long?

    "Then, what should I do?" He asked, his eyes went dim.

    "Simple. Allow me to absorb your soul energy to about ny-five percent. With that, you¡¯ll have enough to use your spiritual sense, but not enough to rely on it heavily in battle. Focus on your conceptualws, your qi cultivation, your body cultivation, and qi arts. Only when you must, should you use your soul arts to deal with your enemies. When you¡¯ve broken through the Origin Core Realm, then breakthrough to the Perfect Aurora Soul Realm. The benefits will be greater." She stated.

    Yan Zaizen was a little skeptical towards her intentions with this offer, but he felt that what she was saying was correct, and she couldn¡¯t lie to him due to their soul oath.

    He has yet to find his origin source nor has he felt his bloodline. Tao and Bai Lufeng informed him that to reach the peak of the Qi Unification Realm, one must locate and excavate their origin source. Nothing could help one uncover it, no alchemy or support of others, but yourself.

    This was why the Origin Core Realm could be considered an impossible step for the majority of cultivators who could proceed to the Qi Unification Realm.

    Taking a deep breath, he thought for a moment and nodded. "Let¡¯s do this." He truly wished to find out his bloodline, but if soul cultivation would limit his ability to do so, then this was all he could do.

 Chapter 89 The Two Books

    Seeing his decisiveness, Pinaka nodded in appreciation. "In ordance with our agreement, you can utilize me in any situation you need. With this, you¡¯ll still exceed all those on this continent." Her words left Yan Zaizen a little reassured in his decision. Indeed, he possessed Pinaka, a spirit-rank armament with a profound power. If he used her in ordance with his qi cultivation base andws, who could rival him?

    He rubbed his nose softly in realization.

    Wait.

    "I don¡¯t have any suitable qi arts to use." He stated, realizing his dilemma had yet to pass. Besides the Yan n¡¯s low-grade arts and Tao¡¯s Ascending Raindrops Technique, he didn¡¯t have any other arts for qi. Not to mention, none of his arts enabled him to properly utilize hisws. If he decided to rely on his cultivation base, wouldn¡¯t he be far weaker than others due to this?

    Pinaka was shocked dumb for a second, looking at Yan Zaizen as if he was an idiot. If one truly looked into her eyes, they weren¡¯t filled with contempt or disdain, but sheer disbelief at the highest form of stupidity.

    Seeing this look on her face, he felt ufortable. ¡¯Why was she looking at me like that?¡¯ He couldn¡¯t help but think, shifting his eyes away from that gaze.

    "You...you..." Pinaka truly felt shocked hearing his words. As she was resting inside his soul, they were interconnected in more ways than one. Earlier, she had investigated the Meteor Ring thoroughly and found an incredible trove of books scattered about as if it was thrown around like trash. At first, she just assumed he was a disorganized person that ced very little value in arts due to hisck of talent, so she felt disdain, but now she felt trulyplex.

    "You!" She raised her hand almost instinctively, wanting so hard to make a swiping motion to p some intelligence into this individual, but she restrained herself. After a long moment, she calmed down. "You have several arts within your sub-dimensional ethereal ring."

    For a second, Yan Zaizen was confused. Sub-dimensional ethereal ring? However, it soon hit him. The Meteor Ring! He couldn¡¯t help but remember him calling it that because it came from a meteor that struck him, but now it made a lot more sense. The sub-dimensional ethereal ring was like its own dimension and only the soul could interact with it.

    The arts must be those books with the strangenguages.

    "I..." He wanted to respond with the truth, but he felt that he¡¯ll only elicit an expression of disdain from her, so he couldn¡¯t help but hesitate. Only after struggling internally for a while did he reply, "I can¡¯t read any of those books."

    Pinaka went nk for a second but soon recovered. A helpless sigh resounded, "You have an Aurora Soul Realm cultivation base, you can read and understand mostnguages." She pointed out, as if saying something that was fairly known in the myriad realms.

    It was true, allnguages originate from the soul, and despite them having different characters or writing styles, they all originate from that aspect to facilitate propermunication.

    When one reaches a high enough soul realm, they could instinctivelyprehend writtennguages or even understand spokennguages. Speaking or writing it would be incredibly difficult and takes practice, but being able to read it? That was simple.

    There were exceptions, of course. For example, if a soul at the Astral Soul Realm or above created anguage, then only those who¡¯ve previously studied thenguage or possess simr cultivation base would be able toprehend it. Some special code-likenguages could only beprehended with the proper codex for reference.

    There were a bit more, but all of these were the minority. The majority of usednguages synonymously with the same race typically are produced from the most basic of souls. As long as one was in the Perfect Nascent Soul, they¡¯d be able toprehend it.

    Indeed, when Pinaka exined all this, Yan Zaizen realized why she thought he was dumb. At the time, he was at the Advanced Nascent Soul and because he felt he couldn¡¯t read them again, he never tried again. This realization made him gulp with shame.

    "I see." Feeling her gaze on him, he shifted to the Meteor Ring. In almost an instant, he was before the scattered books. Pinaka soon formted beside him. He was going to pick one up, but a thought hit him. He turned to Pinaka and asked, "Which one is suitable for me?"

    There was no need to look through all of them. He imagined quite a few was useless for him to practice and Pinaka wouldn¡¯t lie, or rather, she couldn¡¯t due to the soul oath, and he trusted her.

    Earlier, Pinaka had already read all of the books. All of them were at the superior-grade or above. Unfortunately, many of them truly were unsuitable for Yan Zaizen due to his race, conceptualws, or cultivation base. This was why she followed him, but seeing him ask for her help, she couldn¡¯t help but feel a little happy.

    She took a solemn expression, obviously taking this seriously. "Hm...Most of these books are all conceptual methods, so they train a specific conceptualw, and thus their arts are defined by the concepts. Unless you¡¯veprehended the concept, you¡¯d be unable to bring out the full strength of the arts. However, there are two exceptions for you."

    She waved her hand causing two books to float before Yan Zaizen. He analyzed them and couldn¡¯t help but be a little shocked. The first one had a violet cover with a single silver dot. This was the first book he ever picked up and he remembered it well. The second was a book with the depiction of a white with two ck rings circling it.

    "The first book is a conceptual method called Violet Way of Spatial Shifting. It details how to properly utilize spatialws, but its concept pales inparison to yours." She mentioned, recalling the Spatial Form of Infinite Stability. That conceptualw pretty much covered every concept except spatial chaos. Therefore, all the arts in that book should be usable to Yan Zaizen and even brought to greater effect than normal.

    "The second book is called the Grand Heavenly Zone. It¡¯s a pinnacle-grade aura-based conceptual art."

    Pinnacle-Grade?!

    In arts, pinnacle-grade arts typically referred to the absolute apex in its category. This indicated that this art stood at the apex of all aura-based arts!!

    Wait.

    "Conceptual art?" This was the first time Yan Zaizen heard of this. There were qi-arts, soul arts, and martial arts, but he¡¯s never heard of conceptual art.

    Pinaka didn¡¯t even bother to give him the satisfaction of her disdain and directly exined, "Conceptual arts rely on your conceptualws. The greater your conceptualw, the stronger the art. The higher your mastery, the greater the art." This art relied on conceptualws, so the more profound the concept, the greater its effect. The greater thew it¡¯s based on ¡ª Mortal, World, or Imperial ¡ª the stronger it bes.

    "I¡¯m truly surprised you have this art in your possession. This was originally an art of someone who exceeded the heavens. With every word he said, all listened. With every movement he made, all bowed in submission. With a single wave of his hand, he could cause the heavens to copse. This shouldn¡¯t even exist beneath the heavens but beyond that." Pinaka spoke, her words filled with reverence and respect. One could tell she knew who this individual was and likely even had interactions in the past with him.

    However, Yan Zaizen focused on herst words. "Beyond the heavens?" Inwardly, he was shocked. He knew of exceeding the heavens, but what was beyond? What could cultivators fight so hard to reach?

    Pinaka looked at him with a bit of pity. This caused Yan Zaizen to be dumbfounded.

    She only spoke a few words, "Below the heavens are the earths and the skies, beyond the heavens are the earths and the skies."

    What?! What the hell did that mean?

    "When you¡¯ve reached a point where you take your first step towards the heavens, you¡¯ll know. Until then, I suggest you focus on other things." With those words, she vanished from his sight, leaving him more confused than he had ever been before.

 Chapter 90 Meeting Once Again

    Yan Zaizen waited at the entrance of the Soaring Cloud Sect, his expression filled with contemtion. The words from Pinaka left him feelingplex.

    ¡¯Below the heavens are the earths and skies, beyond the heavens are the earths and skies.¡¯

    Did exceeding the heavens mean going to the earths and skies beyond it? If so, what were the heavens? He felt like it wasn¡¯t something like the sky but more so like...a force. This force contained the myriad of things, thews, life, death, and souls. You require its blessings to construct your own dao, which could rival it, which could allow you to exceed it, but...why?

    He felt like the world he lived in was far tooplex with far too many mysteries. Not to mention, his own. He touched his be and felt really lost. Earlier, when he killed those upper-echelon members, their soul forms flew out of their bodies into his be. Later, it was devoured by the ck hole and fueled his own strength.

    "Is this my bloodline or...is this something else?" He couldn¡¯t help but question inwardly. He asked Pinaka about it but was left with no answer. Her only response: "I¡¯m unsure." Despite this, she knew that there was a trap in his soul. Any attempt to take it for their own uses would result in it activating, which would devour all intruders.

    The mysteries were ceaselessly being created with each step he took in his cultivation path. Perhaps, one day, he¡¯ll reach a point where all answersid before him.

    Several hourster, Tao and Bai Lufeng arrived, their eyes filled with excitement and content. One could see they robbed the Soaring Cloud Sect for all its worth, and probably even its foundation.

    "Let¡¯s go." He instructed, bringing out the skyship and taking off.

    Bai Lufeng¡¯s eyes lit up as he piloted the ship. To him, it was truly worth following Yan Zaizen on this trip. Despite his youth, he was ruthless to his enemies. From henceforth, the Soaring Cloud Sect would no longer exist. He looked on the deck, seeing Yan Zaizen seated cross-legged with his eyes closed. Tao was leaning on the ship¡¯s railing, looking out at the passing surroundings with interest.

    "Where are we heading, Young Lord Zai?" Bai Lufeng inquired.

    Initially, Yan Zaizen was nning on going to the Earthly Titan Sect for revenge, both personally and for Han Genji. However, he decided to check on his family first. Despite his shaky rtionship with his n, he still had few people he cared about, like his grandfather, his aunt, and uncle. They showed him care when others spat on his face.

    Inparison, the Earthly Titan Sect will always be there and getting his revenge would only be a mere thought away. In terms of strength, the Earthly Titan Sect and Soaring Cloud Sect were rtively even. There was not much to worry about.

    However, the Yan n and their fate left him feeling uneasy. It was to the point that Yan Zaizen asked Pinaka to enact the n of consuming the majority of his soul energy for her recovery after he finishes his business in Presba.

    He wasn¡¯t an idiot to think that he could use histe-Qi Unification to easily trounce an initial-True Essence realm cultivator backed by numerous forces without it. Pinaka understood this too and agreed without hesitation. What was a few months to her? She had a thousand years left.

    "To the Water Veil Territory. We¡¯ll make an appearance at the Water Veil Sect." He determined. Tao nodded softly, as if judging Yan Zaizen correctly. If he truly insisted on waiting to check his n¡¯s status, the cold-bloodedness would be a little terrifying. Regardless of how they treated you, they were still family. You should always check up on family, if only just to be sure. Of course, if they were dead, whether you feel anything significant is up to you.

    Not to mention, it was more convenient to travel to the Water Veil Territory than go to the Earthly Titan Territory.

    Bai Lufeng nodded, knowing Yan Zaizen¡¯s intentions, and shifted course towards the Water Veil Territory. This trip on the skyship should take a few weeks, as for reaching the Water Veil Sect, perhaps a month and a half.

    Several weekster, Yan Zaizen was trying toprehend the Violet Way of Spatial Shifting qi-arts. The first one was a superior-grade art called The Nine Void Shifting Art, a movement-based internal art that allowed one to physically shift through the spatial void. Both unfortunately and fortunately for Yan Zaizen, whenever he tried to execute the art, he kept shifting into chaotic space. Chaotic space was incapable of bringing him any harm, but it was filled with nothingness.

    However, after a while, he realized that he could execute the art using chaotic space instead of the spatial void. Shifting in the spatial void revealed fluctuations which could be noticed by others, despite the speed being incredible, it was a little too noticeable. As for chaotic space, entering and exiting it was as silent as the arrival of night.

    The only issue was determining the destination for exit and keeping awareness of one¡¯s location both inside and outside chaotic space. While spatial void entering or exiting leaves noticeable fluctuations, it¡¯s also easier to navigate within. Chaotic space, however, was incredibly difficult. It took him two weeks of non-stop practice before he could keep minimal awareness of the outside world.

    Luckily, he developed a trick to it. By leaving his spiritual sense connected both into and outside of chaotic space, he could determine his destination. This, however, had its issues. His spiritual sense connection couldn¡¯tst for long, so long-distance travel was essentially impossible. However, as long as it was within 10 li, he could shift there almost instantly.

    He also found something interesting and disturbing at the same time.

    Chaotic space ran on a different timeline than the normal world. Essentially, it was for every day that passed in chaotic space, merely an hour passed in the myriad realms. However, this was its most consistent time difference. Sometimes, it can even be a minute having passed instead.

    When Pinaka informed him that he was three years older than he originally thought, he was bbergasted to the point he couldn¡¯t move. He was stuck in chaotic space for three years but was unconscious for most of it. Today, by bone age, he was twenty-two years old instead of neen.

    For three full years, the white me and inky ck orb kept him living. For three full years, he was constantly pulled apart by chaotic space. In hindsight, it made sense he was capable ofprehending a conceptualw based on it.

    With the time difference, he could practice cultivation in chaotic space. Unfortunately, chaotic space was the least suitable ce for most forms of cultivation exceptprehending spatialws or practicing spatial arts.

    "Since it uses chaotic space and not the void, I guess I should change its name, huh?" He muttered softly to him. After a while, his eyes lit up in brilliance as he eximed, "Infinite Chaotic Immersion Art!" He couldn¡¯t help but feel somewhat proud of his naming sense. It fit better with his conceptualw and its execution.

    "WAIT!!" His eyes widened in surprise as he thundered aloud. In a sh, he merged into chaotic space with a slight, nearly imperceptible pop sound. Almost an instantter, he arrived on the deck of the skyship. Tao was looking about at the world on the deck. He was writing in his cultivation diary, a diary where one keeps all their insights into their cultivation within the book.

    As for Bai Lufeng, he was whistling carefreely as he held the helm of the skyship. Sometimes he would do a little daring shift here, a little twirl there to keep himself entertained. With the formations on the ship, it¡¯d be nearly impossible to disturb Yan Zaizen or Tao within the ship.

    Suddenly, Yan Zaizen¡¯s shout from his cultivation room resounded causing them to be startled. However, no fear was on their faces. One could see that their belief in Yan Zaizen¡¯s ability had already left them with afortable sensation of safety.

    As Yan Zaizen emerged from chaotic space with the most subtle popping sound, he dashed towards the railings and looked outwards. His expression was filled with disbelief and a little excitement. Tao and Bai Lufeng were curious, looking outwards too. However, they didn¡¯t have Yan Zaizen extraordinary spiritual sense and could only use what they could.

    Inside the Water Veil Territory, a young woman dressed in white sat beside a pond slowly caressing the clear water with her hand. She was a beauty with a chilling aura that made one feel as if they were in a blizzard. Beside her was an older woman, she was a mature beauty with icy-blue hair and a freezing chill in her eyes far more intense than the young woman¡¯s aura. It was as if her gaze could freeze one¡¯s soul.

    However, whenever she looked at the young woman, she revealed a slight trace of warmth. If one looked closely, they could see a slight resemnce between them.

    "Fei¡¯er." The woman called out, despite her chilly tone, her voice contained faint warmth. The young woman stopped her caressing and looked at the middle-aged woman, she couldn¡¯t help but reveal a conflicted gaze deep within her pupils. However, that gaze was swiftly concealed with indifference.

    "I¡¯m ready." She replied, getting up and straightening out her robe.

    The middle-aged woman seemed to want to say something but remained silent. Until her brows furrowed and she looked towards a certain direction.

    From there, three figures were slowly flying over on a skyship.

 Chapter 91 The Reunion

    "I can¡¯t believe she¡¯s here." Yan Zaizen softly muttered to himself, feeling slightly bewildered while simultaneously being excited. Earlier, Yan Zaizen kept his spiritual sense spread outwards for practicing his new Infinite Chaotic Immersion Art and inadvertently recognized a lifeforce signature he was quite familiar with.

    This signature belonged to the one and only: Lin Feilin!

    Earlier, when Han Genji initially took him to his mountain, Lin Feilin was responsible for him. He still remembered when he overdid his cultivation and lost consciousness. When he regained consciousness, Lin Feilin helped him to bed and even gave him words of encouragement. She kept giving him resources and exined little details about cultivation to him. It may have been brief, but it was a time where he was naive and weak.

    She took care of him then, and he owed her for that.

    After, they met in Xuanwu City. She patiently exined several of his questions with pristine detail and even informed him how to get back home. At the time, she was in the Vanishing Fiend Sect, or at least, she was within a group of Vanishing Fiend Sect disciples. If there were anyone he truly felt good-will towards, it would be his aunt, uncle, Tao and Lin Feilin.

    As the skyship approached, the middle-aged woman was obviously on guard. As if readying herself, a slight trace of her qi cultivation base seeped outwards in warning.

    "Oh? A peak-Qi Unification cultivator?" Bai Lufeng amusedly inspected, his eyes revealed a little yfulness. As for Tao, he looked at the two women and back at Yan Zaizen. "Is that her?" He asked, obviously having some clues as to who the young woman was. Yan Zaizen softly nodded in reply.

    The skyshipnded softly nearby. Surprisingly, the middle-aged woman stood her ground, not taking off in a hurry. This was only because if these three were intent on chasing after her, the skyship would be able to do so easily. What was the point? She also didn¡¯t know their intentions or reasoning fornding.

    Yan Zaizen was the first to jump off the edge of the ship andnd. Bai Lufeng and Tao followed, staying a step behind Yan Zaizen as they approached the two.

    Lin Feilin looked at the three and couldn¡¯t help but feel slightly odd in her heart. As if she should recognize one of them but couldn¡¯t. It was like an itch in one¡¯s head that just constantly irritated you because it¡¯s at the tip of your tongue.

    It made sense; Yan Zaizen had changed too drastically during these three years. Not only did he be more muscr, taller, and better looking, but his amber eyes contained vibrancy that itcked before. Furthermore, his dao gave him a unique aura of an immeasurable confidence. All of the traits that weren¡¯t synonymous with Yan Zaizen before.

    As for the middle-aged woman, she was more vignt in her response, directly asking, "May I ask what I, Lin Qinlin, can help you three with?"

    Yan Zaizen looked at this woman and couldn¡¯t help but be slightly surprised. This Lin Qinlin looked about 50-60% simr to Lin Feilin and she possesses the same n Name and Family Line as Lin Feilin. This obviously indicated their rtions. At that point, his expression was slightly more respectful than his neutral smile. For all he knew, this was Lin Feilin¡¯s mother or aunt. He didn¡¯t want to make a bad first impression.

    "It is a pleasure to meet you, Lin Qinlin. My name is Yan Zaizen. This is Tao, and this is Bai Lufeng. They¡¯re mypanions." His tone was respectful as he introduced himself and the others, trying to not elicit any violent reaction from Lin Qinlin.

    "What?!" Lin Feilin was so shocked that she couldn¡¯t help but exim aloud in disbelief. Her expression turned ferocious and her qi cultivation base at the mid-Essence Formation Realm exploded outwards.

    "You lie!" Lin Feilin couldn¡¯t believe it. The Yan Zaizen she remembered was a malnourished youth filled with a weak intensity, and that was three years ago. He was trash beyond trash, not someone who could even be on a skyship let alone be the obvious leader of one. No matter what, she couldn¡¯t, no, wouldn¡¯t believe it. Her icy-cold expression contained a hint of intense ferocity that Yan Zaizen had never felt before from her.

    The middle-aged woman¡¯s cultivation base exploded as well, readying for a fight to ensue. Seeing her niece¡¯s reaction, how could she not be ready?

    Bai Lufeng had a nearly imperceptible sneer on his face seeing their reactions. It was truly like seeing small white bunnies trying to bark at a dragon. However, Yan Zaizen chuckled softly at this.

    He responded with words he¡¯ll never forget, "You may be trash now, but that doesn¡¯t mean it¡¯ll remain that way. For those without talent, they must struggle to thrive. For those without fate on their side, they must grasp fate for themselves. Work hard." Every word contained a trace of emotion that was impossible to miss. These words had a profound effect on Yan Zaizen more than anyone could imagine. At the time, he contemted quitting cultivating the Immortal Herculean Method due to his fear of death, but because of those well-timed words, he kept going.

    Because of these very words, his dao manifested the unyielding confidence aspect. That¡¯s how profoundly important it was to him.

    Lin Feilin was stunned for a long moment, her aura deting almost instantly upon hearing those words. Despite those words being said three years ago, she had an impable memory, and those words were important to herself as well.

    "You...you..." She couldn¡¯t believe what was happening in front of her.

    Yan Zaizen had a big smile on his face, "I wonder, am I still trash?" His qi cultivation base amplified by his dao slowly revealed itself, but its aura was so intensely dominating that even Tao couldn¡¯t match. The surroundings were filled with a myriad of lights as traces ofws scattered about like vapor within the wind.

    This made the already tall and handsome Yan Zaizen be even more prominently so. Even the middle-aged woman could feel her heart skip a beat looking at him during this moment. The effect on Lin Feilin was far greater. She waspletely silenced, unsure of what to say.

    However, it wasn¡¯t over. As if not wanting to be left behind, Bai Lufeng slowly had his qi cultivation base erupted causing a sharpness to permeate the air.

    "ORIGIN CORE REALM!!" Lin Qinlin¡¯s eyes widened in shock.

    Tao, obviously disliking that Bai Lufeng was trying to show off, revealed his cultivation base as well.

    "TWO?!" Lin Qinlin couldn¡¯t help but feel profoundly shocked. Why would two Origin Core Realm experts be here, and who was this kid that they obviously followed? She couldn¡¯t wrap her mind around all this. To her, Origin Core Realm experts were top-tier kings and queens of their respective areas. Anyone of them could take a city as their own, or create a first-tier force that could fight for resources and territory.

    Yan Zaizen looked at Lin Feilin with a soft gaze, "It¡¯s been three years. It¡¯s good to see you again."

 Chapter 92 The Tale of Lin Feilin

    Dusk slowly arrived, drawing down the sun and revealing the bright silver moon. Sitting near a campfire made by Tao, Lin Feilin and Yan Zaizen sat across from each other in conversation.

    Lin Feilin eyes were still filled with a faint disbelief, but she was far calmer than before. The icy-aura she once radiated was toned down, and a strange beautiful look of inquiry dominated her expression. It¡¯s been several hours since their reunion and Yan Zaizen had been telling her about his journey thus far. Each detail was far more surprising than thest.

    The Ying Family¡¯s scheme, the two ns trap, him being schemed against by the Xuanwu City Lord, the events of Grux, what he discovered on his return and the fate of the Soaring Cloud Sect.

    "Do you mean..." Her lips were quivering as she said in disbelief. She tried to cover it up, but unlike before when they met in Xuanwu City, she couldn¡¯t. The weight of the Soaring Cloud Sect and the revenge of her master gradually being lifted up seemed to have done something to her mentally.

    "Yes. The Soaring Cloud Sect is no more. Master has been avenged and all those responsible for his wife¡¯s death has followed along." He said confidently, reassuring her of his actions once more. However, he didn¡¯t expect that when his words were said, Lin Feilin eyes would glisten with tears.

    "You..." Before he could say more, the tears flowed like two streams. She tried to wipe her tears away with her sleeve, but it continued to fall.

    "I¡¯m...thank you. Thank you so much." Her words caused Yan Zaizen to feel surprised, but soon after, he had a slight smile. It¡¯s truly unfortunate that he couldn¡¯t save Han Genji¡¯s life, but he was stuck in the Deep Mines at the time. What could he do? However, seeing the expression of sublime relief stered on Lin Feilin¡¯s beautiful face made it all feel worth it.

    "You don¡¯t know what this means to me." She said, her face filling up with a smile so beautiful that the surrounding world turned dim almost instantly. It was as if her smile devoured all the beauty in the world, leaving only it and it alone to be marveled at by all.

    He couldn¡¯t help but feel his heart skip several beats and restart with such a thump that he could¡¯ve sworn it echoed outwards. For a second, he lost his bearings as he couldn¡¯t help but imagine what life would be like if a girl as beautiful as Lin Feilin would be his wife. Would he be satisfied?

    Lin Feilin noticed his strange expression and revealed a curious stare. Yan Zaizen saw this gaze and rubbed his nose in a little embarrassment at his thoughts. Clearing his throat, he attempted to change the subject, "What about you? What has happened to you in these three years?"

    This was truly a question that left him bewildered and wanting answers. Three years ago, he saw her with the Vanishing Fiend Sect and now she was in the Water Veil Territory. Not to mention, she seemed to be with her rtive. Only now did he realize that he knew next to nothing about Lin Feilin outside of her status as a fellow disciple.

    Hearing his question, Lin Feilin corrected her posture and wiped her tears off. With a sniffle to pull all of her crying back, her eyes turned solemn and a little bit sad. It made it hard for one not to feel pity towards his icy-cold beauty.

    "I joined the Vanishing Fiend Sect, however, when I did, I met my aunt who I thought was dead soon after." She looked at Lin Qinlin and said. Currently, Lin Qinlin was having a conversation with Bai Lufeng, and one could see that he was flirting with her. His posture, hand movement, and eyes were filled with clues of this. Yan Zaizen couldn¡¯t help but inwardly shake his head, but it didn¡¯t seem like Lin Qinlin was ignoring him.

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes widened slightly as he realized that this middle-aged woman was blushing like a little girl in the springtime of love. What the hell was he saying? He made a mental note to try to get notes from Bai Lufeng, but of course, without Tao knowing.

    Unbeknownst to Yan Zaizen, Tao intended to do the same.

    Lin Feilin continued, ignoring her aunt¡¯s interactions, "She¡¯s an elder of the Water Veil Sect. She invited me to join with a few of my other n members, and I did." Her story was rather simple, but Yan Zaizen felt that she wasn¡¯t telling him everything.

    That being said, three years is truly not a long time for any major change to happen to a person. For example, Bai Lufeng was three thousand years old and Tao was seven hundred years old. For cultivators with long lifespans, three years could just be a single cultivation session - even to someone at the Essence Formation Realm.

    "Your n?" Yan Zaizen inquired, his words obviously wanting to know more.

    Lin Feilin stayed silent for a long moment, as if unwilling to respond, but she clenched her fist and seemed to have made an internal decision.

    "I was born to the Lin n within the Water Veil Territory. The Lin n owned a bountiful mine at the border of the Soaring Cloud Sect territory. Ten years ago, our n was nearly annihted, and the mine was taken by what they called ¡¯bandits¡¯. However, the Soaring Cloud Sect still took control of the mine soon afterwards which, as you can suspect, meant they likely had something to do with it." She exined.

    Yan Zaizen now understood why she was so relieved that the Soaring Cloud Sect was eliminated. Simr to Shin Xuanji, Lin Feilin suffered a simr situation at the hands of the Soaring Cloud Sect. Truly, the cultivation world was cruel and vicious. Without strength or proper backing, it¡¯s highly likely your end wille swiftly. As for why the Yan n was capable of surviving for nearly a thousand years, that was due to Meteorite City and the Soaring Cloud Sect¡¯s support.

    Meteorite City was far away from any external enemies and was the local hegemon for hundreds of years with no one capable of usurping their position. They seemed to also have been decisive in eliminating all of their internal enemies thoroughly. Unfortunately, it seems that Shin Xuanji survived. Not to mention, their downfall was caused by the hubris of Yan Jinzen and the Soaring Cloud Sect.

    "The cultivation world truly is vicious. A single mistake is all it takes..." He couldn¡¯t help but silently whisper to himself.

    "A portion of my n members survived and took shelter under the Water Veil Sect. The females were inducted as older disciples and outer elders, while the males were sent elsewhere. It was how the Lin Family survived. Of my direct family line, only my aunt is alive. As for me, I¡¯ve been invited as an Inner Disciple of the Water Veil Sect." Lin Feilin¡¯s life story wasn¡¯t overlyplicated and aligned with the truth that was the cruelty of cultivation - the strong prevailed.

    She was fortunate enough to survive and be an inner court disciple of the Water Veil Sect despite her age. To most, this would be a blessing. However, when she said it, it didn¡¯t feel like one.

    "Is that it?" Yan Zaizen asked, feeling as if an important piece of her story was missing. For example, why she was outside of the Water Veil Sect with her aunt despite being an Inner Disciple. Shouldn¡¯t she try to cultivate her best for revenge against the Soaring Cloud Sect?

    Lin Feilin eyes turned icy-cold and her expression gradually turned indifferent. "I agreed to an engagement with another."

    What?!

    Yan Zaizen couldn¡¯t help but feel inwardly shocked and also a little saddened at this. For some odd inexplicable reason, he felt a little frustrated. However, this frustration was fleeting and unstable as if it was barely there.

    "Six months ago, I agreed to marry a man by the name of Khan Saiyu. He¡¯s the direct descendant of a Grand Elder in the Earthly Titan Sect. The reason..." She looked as if she wanted to continue, but now she felt a little lost. The reason was obvious: Revenge for Han Genji and the Lin n.

    However, now what?

    Everything has already been cleared up before she even knew what to do. However, the marriage was set for a month from now. Her leaving the sect¡¯s grounds was so that she could clear her thoughts and ready herself mentally for the sacrifice. But was there a reason to do so anymore?

    Shockingly, when Yan Zaizen heard her and knew of the implications, he couldn¡¯t help but chuckle loudly. It drew the attention of Tao, Bai Lufeng, and Lin Qinlin. He loudly asked, his voice filled with tyrannical ferocity, "Do you want to get married to this man?!"

    Despite being shocked, as if instinctively, she shook her head softly. When Lin Qinlin saw this, her expression instantly turned somber. Her refusal after her previous eptance could have severe repercussions for the entire Lin Family within the Water Veil Sect. Their status wasn¡¯t high, their strength wasn¡¯t great, and the Earthly Titan Sect and Water Veil Sect had a deep connection that no one knew until their alliance.

    However, how could Yan Zaizen care even if he knew any of this?

    "Then fine!" He thundered, "As your Ninth Brother, how could I let you marry unwillingly? If you say yes, then heavens better not say no. If you say no, I dare anyone in this entire country to say otherwise!" His voice was filled with rambunctiousughter. His expression reverted back to his previously practiced heroic expression, but this time, with his handsome features and tall stature, he truly looked like a hero described in books.

    "Let¡¯s annul this engagement! Are you willing?" He turned towards Lin Feilin and reached out his hand to her. His eyes filled with unyielding confidence and warmth. For some inexplicable reason, she felt that as long as she grabbed his hand, the world itself would have to make way. It filled her with confidence. She looked at Lin Qinlin¡¯s dark expression filled with shock and surprise, and couldn¡¯t help but nod inwardly.

    She grabbed his hand with gusto.

    "Haha! I am!" Her icy-cold voice and indifferent expression melted away, filled with an infectiously mesmerizing smile and warm happiness.

 Chapter 93 The Infectious Dao

    "The dao truly is infectious," Taomented by the side, his eyes flickering with traces of profound intelligence. As a person who spent two years besides Yan Zaizen, he knew this more than anyone. A person with the dao could gather followers as easily as picking up a pebble on the side of the street. People intentionally and unintentionally flock around, desiring what they have, and seeking the dao within them.

    Earlier, even he realized that his personality was being slowly affected by Yan Zaizen¡¯s dao. Not to mention, this dao was still in its developmental stages, but it was still so incredibly strong that he felt the desire to listen to Yan Zaizen¡¯s every word and watch his every action.

    "Tyrannical ferocity, somber calmness, unyielding confidence, ice-cold decisiveness, and heartfelt warmth. To have so many characteristics that synchronize so perfectly together, if the rumors are true, his dao will certainly be an extraordinary one." Tao whispered to himself, looking at Yan Zaizen and Lin Feilin.

    From what he knew, the dao in its early stages was born from one¡¯s past experiences and actions, and there were quite a few whose dao would shatter before fully forming. Yan Zaizen almost suffered this due to his indecisiveness andck of confidence when thinking of Ya Qinqan, and only when he rectified these thoughts, was his dao further entuated towardspletion. If he had kept that unstable mindset, it¡¯s possible his dao could¡¯ve shattered and vanished from existence. This is why Pinaka helped him, if that happened, then the heavens would surely smite her.

    The dao was a fragile internalw that existed within oneself. It was like manifesting your ownw, one that solely belongs to you and you only. When Yan Zaizen saw the motes of light before, his assumption was correct, if hebined all the motes of light into a single entity andprehended it thoroughly, it truly would rival heavenlyw as a whole.

    It could, theoretically, be its own heaven.

    For those with a dao even greater than normal, it could even exceed it.

    "What is the heavens truly?" Tao couldn¡¯t help but mutter softly, his eyes filled with confusion and ponderance. Many knew what the heavens were, the regtor and controller of the myriad realms, but many records state that it¡¯s so much more than just that. Some records even mention that the heavens are the dao and the dao was the heavens. Unfortunately, his realm andprehension were far too low to sift through the truths and falsities of these rumors.

    "Fei¡¯er, this is serious!" Lin Qinlin shouted, her tone was exasperated by their ignorantly casual words. The world didn¡¯t just work like that. You couldn¡¯t make a promise and break it without consequences, and simply deciding that you would no longer marry someone you swore to was a humiliating affair that could breed a death grudge.

    However, Bai Lufeng spoke before Lin Qinlin could continue. Despite loving to see weaklings overestimate themselves and underestimate others, he couldn¡¯t allow this beauty to do so. "Qinlin, you must understand, Young Lord Zai, ahem, if he decides that she won¡¯t be married. I don¡¯t think anyone on the continent could tell him otherwise." He was trying to figure out a way to say it without revealing too much.

    This, however, only caused Lin Qinlin to feel further infuriated, but she kept it all inward seeing Bai Lufeng speak. Bai Lufeng was a mid-Origin Core Realm cultivator who took an interest in her, and he was her ticket into the Origin Core Realm. Earlier, they were just talking about a grand-tier Origin Consolidation Pill that could guarantee half-step Origin Core cultivators an ascension into the realm.

    How could she ruin her chances to argue over this?

    If it wasn¡¯t for that, why would she flirt so obviously with another man? She had a little more self-respect than others, but an additional three thousand plus years of life, as well as a huge standing in the cultivation world, was sufficient for her to ce that respect into the trash bin. Not to mention, a mid-Origin Core Realm expert as a backer would set her up nicely for the future. Each stage in the realm was like the difference between the earth and the sky.

    She went silent, nodding towards him with a shy expression. Bai Lufeng could see her thoughts and couldn¡¯t help butugh inwardly. There were countless people like this Lin Qinlin. The ones who act high and mighty to all those lower, but obedient and seeking favoritism from those stronger and more wealthy than themselves.

    The non-cultivation world had a name for them: Gold-diggers.

    Despite this, Bai Lufeng was ecstatic.

    Tao looked over and couldn¡¯t help but inwardly shake his head. In the cultivation world, one truly doesn¡¯t know how important strength and wealth is until they¡¯ve lived hundreds or thousands of years in struggle. Women like Lin Qinlin were a dime a dozen, quite literally. It wasn¡¯t just restricted to women either, but men take the same course of actions. Many are willing to throw down their bottom lines for wealth, status, personal power, and most importantly, longevity.

    This is why robbery was so prevalent in the cultivation world and why Grux ve culture was required with their poption density and resources.

    Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t take Lin Qinlin seriously. He looked at Lin Feilin¡¯s soft hand which was within his own, and couldn¡¯t help but have particr thoughts. As for Lin Feilin, she was staring at him with that mesmerizing smile on her face and looked at him as if he was the only person in the world. A little embarrassed, he looked at Bai Lufeng and instructed, "Let¡¯s go."

    Bai Lufeng promptly nodded, executing his movement art and arriving at the helm of the skyship. He brought it closer, for ease of boarding.

    Lin Feilin seemed to notice her hand being in contact with Yan Zaizen for a little too long, and she quickly pulled it away. Her expression returning back to its icy-cold gaze and indifferent expression, but it was hard not to see the soft blush on her face. She jumped onto the skyship first, as if trying to avoid his gaze.

    Yan Zaizenughed at this. Yan Zaizen and Tao slowly ascended on the deck, while Lin Qinlin also followed suit. Internally, she was cursing their actions and hoped that nothing too serious takes ce. After they realize their overestimation, perhaps they¡¯ll even join the Water Veil Sect. She arrived next to Bai Lufeng, her face still containing that flirty shy expression and she engaged in conversation with him.

    Tao escorted Lin Feilin to a cultivation cabin as per her request and Yan Zaizen stayed on the deck looking at the surroundings in deep contemtion. Only when Tao returned and arrived beside Yan Zaizen did his eyes show signs of activity. "Tao, my Dao. Do you..." This wasn¡¯t the first time he realized the effect he had on people. In the Deep Mines, he could make others feel fear due to his tyrannical ferocity, and now, he could obviously tell that Lin Feilin was affected by his unyielding confidence and warmth.

    He realized that the lower one¡¯s soul cultivation base and qi cultivation was, the easier it was to affect them. He feared that her feelings of warmth were gained from his own, and his existential thoughts of them possibly pairing could affect her feelings as well. Could it be...that if she developed feelings for him, it wasn¡¯t her own?

    This scared him a little.

    Tao, however, could only sigh at his thoughts. "I can¡¯t say for certain, but she trusted your word of the Soaring Cloud Sect destruction without a single shred of proof. She trusted you to help her out despite the repercussions if you failed. If she¡¯s smart, then she should have realized this. But she didn¡¯t."

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s heart dropped. Indeed, his dao can inspire confidence not only from himself but to others, and her low cultivation base caused her to naturally trust him. In that case, was it real? Would any feelings she has for him be nothing less than maniption via his dao? If he said that he loved her, would she respond in kind despite not knowing him more than a month? Despite them not interacting too deeply?

    He felt that would be the case.

    "I said it before, no one on this continent is worthy of you. If you decide to formte your own harem, it¡¯ll only take a snap of your fingers and the women will pile, but if you want something true, then that¡¯ll be difficult. However, if you wait till your dao fully formte, it shouldn¡¯t be too difficult to find someone. At this moment, your dao aura is slowly condensing and bing stable, but it leaks far too often. When you can prevent that from happening, you¡¯ll know it¡¯s true. Until then, don¡¯t think about it too much or stifle your desires. Act how you wish." Tao reassured him.

    Yan Zaizen couldn¡¯t help but feel irritated by this. However, if that¡¯s the case, then he¡¯ll simply wait. Perhaps he and Lin Feilin had a future, perhaps they didn¡¯t, but he¡¯ll have to wait until that dayes.

    "Those who possess the dao has the grace of the heavens bestowed upon them, what individual can resist willingly? It¡¯s like resisting the very heavens, too difficult." Pinaka¡¯s voice resounded within his consciousness. One can hear the sheer bitterness in her voice from these words. However, she didn¡¯t say anything else and slowly went back into deep recovery.

    Yan Zaizen sighed, his eyes looking at the skies. "Well, I¡¯m young anyways. I have time." Heforted himself, his gaze filled with the unyielding confidence of his future.

 Chapter 94 Water Veil Sec

    Yan Zaizen was within his cabin contemting his Infinite Chaotic Immersion Art, and he felt that this art could be used for things other than just movement. What if he could send an enemy attack into chaotic space and redirect it? When this thought arrived, he attempted it with Tao but was left sorely disappointed.

    The moment an attack unprotected by his qi-essence entered chaotic space, it would be ripped apart in an infinite number of directions. Due to the time difference within, a second was like a minute. Barely anything could survive this.

    That being said, it wasn¡¯t aplete failure. He could use it to immerse enemy attacks for defense, but when he tried, he realized the strain was incredible. This had to do with his low cultivation base and reserves. Therger the opening into chaotic space, the greater the qi-essence consumption to do so, and this maderge, wide-scale attacks difficult to send into chaotic space.

    Not to mention, the greater the power he attempted to send through, the higher the qi-essence consumption. This meant it had limited capabilities for now, but the theory left many possibilities that could only be excavated with a higher cultivation base.

    For example, things with his qi-essence weren¡¯t affected by the chaotic space ripping effect. If he shot an arrow into chaotic space and had it reappear right in front of an enemy, the surprise factor would be unimaginable. For an arrow to suddenly appear an inch from you without any indication, who could defend against such an attack?!

    He just needed to get proficient at sending other objects besides himself inside and controlling their exit paths. The level of control was staggeringly high, and he didn¡¯t possess it yet.

    While he was practicing his art, the others were doing their own things. Tao was currently at the helm of the ship, while Bai Lufeng and Lin Qinlin were absent. Lin Feilin was cultivating in her personal cabin without leaving. As for the two absentees, if one looked closely, they were both in Bai Lufeng¡¯s cabin doing god knows what.

    What shocked Yan Zaizen was that Bai Lufeng asked him if he could have an Origin Consolidating Pill. It wasn¡¯t to use, but for disy. Seeing his pathetic begging expression, Yan Zaizen relented. He even decided to give it to him. To Yan Zaizen, an Origin Consolidating Pill didn¡¯t have too much value at the moment. He had six after Tao used one, so what¡¯s the point of being stingy? If he needed more, he could simply buy themter.

    He also found out that an Origin Consolidating Pill could help initial-Origin Core Realm cultivators to progress to the mid-stage. So he gave Tao three for his own usage while keeping the other three for himself. Since he didn¡¯t need any at the moment, he gave one to Bai Lufeng.

    Because of this, Bai Lufeng and Lin Qinlin were currently engaging in dubious activities. It was only when they arrived within the Water Veil Sect¡¯s borders did they exit out of their cabin.

    Lin Qinlin had a deep blush on her face and Bai Lufeng¡¯s expression was satisfied and content. That being said, Bai Lufeng still had the Origin Consolidating Pill in his possession. He was quite the stingy one.

    Yan Zaizen originally felt a little disgusted at both of them, but recalling the cruel nature of the cultivation world such as life within the Deep Mines, he shrugged it off. In there, women and men gave themselves up for far less than an Origin Consolidating Pill. They gave themselves up for a tiny bit of ore to fill their quota for the day.

    The continuation of your life didn¡¯t hinge on your dignity, but on your willingness to survive at any opportunity possible. He recalled Diyi and how he would¡¯ve decided to be a ve for 500 years if it meant a chance at survival, unlike her.

    Thinking up to here, Yan Zaizen actually felt some respect for Lin Qinlin¡¯s decisiveness. For a chance at three thousand additional years, an incredibly high status in the cultivation world, and personal power, she was willing to do this. It was only just for a slight chance, not a guarantee, but that slight chance! That required some hardcore decisiveness. If it worked, the ones who died of old age or weakness because of their pride would certainly not have thestugh.

    Yan Zaizen arrived on the deck, looking at the border of the Water Veil Sect. He was inwardly shocked at the sight. The Water Veil Sect had an actual water curtain that created a demarcation line that differentiated it from the outside territory. It covered hundreds of li ofnd and formted a circr line. The water curtain itself was thousands of meters in height with an inch of thickness. The fact that it spanned around the entire border from beginning to end made one marvel at the profoundness of it all.

    It wasn¡¯t just him who was shocked, even Bai Lufeng and Tao was stunned at the sight. It was as if the entire sect area was covered in an actual water veil. If anything, the sect was true to its name.

    Lin Qinlin couldn¡¯t help but feel a sense of pride well up inside seeing their stunned expressions. She began to exin, "This is called the Mazu Veil Formation. It spans the entire border and without proper identification, entering would be nearly impossible. With this, even the Solitary Sword Sect or the three great ns would have to ask for permission to enter."

    In truth, this formation didn¡¯t exist on this scale until their True Essence cultivator emerged recently, but it was still a point of pride. Before, instead of the border, it only surrounded the sect itself. However, with the rise to the True Essence Realm, the things one could do was obviously on a greater scale.

    Tao, however, couldn¡¯t help but scoff at her remarks. "If it could cover the entirety of the Water Veil Territory, perhaps I¡¯d be impressed, but this formation isn¡¯t evenrger than the Deep Mine God Formation, nor does its capabilities or scopee remotely close." This may be a profound formation but it was quite insignificantpared to the Deep Mine God Formation. This formation could barely be considered a rank eight, but the Deep Mine God Formation was dubbed a rank nine. It may be only a single rank, but the difference was huge.

    Lin Qinlin couldn¡¯t help but be shocked and a little infuriated, but she didn¡¯t know what the Deep Mine God Formation was, and she felt it¡¯d be slightly inappropriate to argue with an Origin Core cultivator. She kept silent, not wanting to worsen her rtions with them and ruining her chances at obtaining that pill. However, inwardly, she cursed Tao¡¯sck of appreciation.

    Lin Feilin arrived on the deck soon after, her eyes lit up but also filled with slight worry. After segregating from Yan Zaizen for week or so, she grew more clear-headed. She couldn¡¯t help but be worried about her rashness and how she easily believed Yan Zaizen¡¯s story. How could she believe Yan Zaizen actually eliminated the Soaring Cloud Sect which stood tall for thousands of years in a single day? She felt it impossible.

    However, now she was on this tiger, and it¡¯s unlikely she¡¯ll be able to get off. If something goes wrong, she¡¯ll have to n for that.

    As they approached the water curtain, they stood just a few meters away from it. Tao couldn¡¯t help but ask, "How do we enter? Do we just...barge through?" Since he was piloting the skyship at this moment, he truly felt a little lost.

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s brows furrowed. He knew the main reason as to why he was here - to check on the Yan n - but he was a little hesitant because of Lin Feilin¡¯s situation. In regards to the Yan n¡¯s status, when he asked Lin Feilin, she said she wasn¡¯t sure. As for Lin Qinlin, she also wasn¡¯t of a high enough status to know. She does know, however, that the Yan n was indeed captured and brought into the borders.

    As for their fate? Unknown.

    He was contemting taking an aggressive route, ignoring Lin Feilin¡¯s rtions with the Water Veil Sect.

    "Wait." Lin Qinlin said, retrieving a talisman and shattering it. This was a transmission talisman, one simr to the one Prince Ren used to contact the Xi¨¡o City Lord. One would ce a message within the talisman, shatter it, thereby activating the formation, and a qi transmission would be sent towards a ry formation.

    Several minutester, a young woman with short brown hair appeared outside of the curtain with inquisitive eyes. She inspected the skyship and all those on board. Tao and Bai Lufeng didn¡¯t bother to hide their qi cultivation bases, allowing it to seep through and reveal their prowess. This immediately elicited an expression of respect from the young woman.

    She exited the curtain, "May I board?" She asked, her tone was filled with neutral respect. This disyed that she wasn¡¯t being subservient to the other party simply because of their high cultivation and she had her own pride. Yan Zaizen nodded at her question, but she didn¡¯t even take Yan Zaizen seriously. She awaited Bai Lufeng¡¯s response.

    "..."

    "..."

    Several dozen seconds passed in awkward silence. They all waited for her to board and she waited for them to give her permission. Yan Zaizen actually felt slightly enraged at her dismissal of his response. He stepped up, speaking loudly, "If you don¡¯t wish to board, then no need to ask. Say what you wish to say." Yan Zaizen tone was tyrannical to the apex. Bai Lufeng chuckled and Tao softly shook his head.

    The girl was surprised, but after looking at Lin Qinlin, she garnered a little of the situation and realized she offended someone inadvertently. She apologized and attempted to board but was decisively stopped by Bai Lufeng. "Unless our Young Lord says otherwise, remain where you are." His words were domineering as well, and she was stunned silly.

    This was the Water Veil Sect territory, who did they think they were? Did they believe themselves invincible because of their cultivation bases? Disgusting. To a True Essence expert, they were ants, and she was backed by one. She looked at Lin Qinlin and her expression turned calm without any neutral respect any longer, her tone even a little rude.

    "Lin Qinlin and Lin Feilin, you two are allowed. However, the others must wait outside until we get proper permission and proof of identity." She stated, her voice contained a trace of coldness. Initially, she was going to let them in after some background verification, but if they want to enter? Well, they can wait for a few weeks or even months before permission is granted.

    That¡¯ll teach them that being arrogant before the Water Veil Sect was beyond their capabilities.

    Lin Qinlin¡¯s expression paled at their interaction and she had wished this wouldn¡¯t ur. She looked at Lin Feilin and motioned her to proceed with her. She looked at Bai Lufeng and apologetically whispered something to him, but Bai Lufeng had a slight smile on his face at all this with no anger present. To him, what was a Water Veil Sect?

    Yan Zaizen furrowed his brow at this development. He inquired, "How long will getting this proper permission take?" In truth, Yan Zaizen suspected that with a formation of this size, they must be pretty intense with their security, so waiting actually felt proper. This was also what Lin Qinlin informed them of beforehand, it may take a few hours before entering, but with their cultivation bases revealed, they shouldn¡¯t take longer than a few minutes.

    However, the young woman had a soft sneer on her face at his question, "It could take a few weeks or even a few months at thetest. Our sect is currently heavily backed up on arrivals." She said, her tone containing a hint of an apology that was obviously false with a hint of mocking.

    Yan Zaizen thought for a second, and realized the situation. His eyes flickered with a vicious light.

    Tao looked at Yan Zaizen, "What should we do?"

    What should they do?

    What could they do?!

    They weren¡¯t here for hugs and cookies!

    They weren¡¯t here for permission!

    THEY WERE HERE FOR HIS CLAN!

    He should¡¯ve done this from the very moment he arrived.

    "Simple," his tone contained a trace of tyrannical ferocity filled with imperial dominance, "Let¡¯s go see this sect leader of theirs." The moment he said this, his body released soft silver-blue light causing the skyship to be shrouded in the mirage of a beautifully resplendent aurora. His dao aura erupted with a tyrannical ferocity that even caused the young woman to flinch with deep fear.

    "Hahahaha! Let¡¯s!!!" Bai Lufengughed loudly to the heavens, his Origin Core cultivation base fully erupting with the sharpness of daggers and swords. Tao followed suit, the world twirling inwardly with him at the center. He couldn¡¯t help but feel infected by Yan Zaizen¡¯s and Bai Lufeng rambunctious actions.

    Lin Feilin and Lin Qinlin¡¯s eyes turned into a needlepoint. The young woman felt something brush past her, and she directly lost consciousness. Her body following straight downwards from mid-air, creating a soft thud from the impact to the ground.

    "FORWARD!" Yan Zaizen thundered, his soul cultivation base started to fill with motes of resplendent white lights that caused the aurora to condense to an even greater degree.

 Chapter 95 Beyond Tyrannical!

    "Yes, sir!" Tao responded, using his full cultivation base to operate the skyship. The condensed aurora covered the skyship defensively as it drove its way into the water curtain. The water curtain had the thickness of about an inch, but even still, it could withstand a full force attack of a peak-Qi Unification Cultivator. Despite this, it was prated like a piece of flimsy paper.

    Lin Feilin and Lin Qinlin were stupefied by their actions to the point where they had their mouths agape with shock, and their eyes widened to the point their eyelids seemed non-existent. They couldn¡¯t even process what was happening or why.

    At the Water Veil Sect, a group of individuals at the Qi Unification Realm were monitoring the barrier for any suspicious activity or movement. Since the revealing of their True Essence Sectmaster, their jobs became quitex and boring. No one even tried to infiltrate, not even the typical criminals who would attempt to enter the premises for thievery or kidnapping of disciples appeared. It truly felt dull to them.

    "Liao Yating, have you reached the major sess stage in the Liquid Veil Steps yet?" A young woman asked another, filling their boredom with idle chat about cultivation. The woman named Liao Yating couldn¡¯t help but reveal a slight smile at the other¡¯s question. Indeed, she did. Raising a standard-grade movement-based internal qi art to the major sess stage was exceptional within the sect, and she focused a majority of her time on this. She was dubbed as one of top ten fastest mid-Qi Unification Cultivators within the sect.

    She had her pride.

    Just as she was about to respond, another young woman shouted urgently, "Intruder!!!" This caught all of their attention, and they looked at the formation before them to see an image of the intruder. A skyship surrounded by a strange aurora filled with motes of white light shoot into the territory with terrifying speed towards the sect¡¯s main pce.

    Each one of them was surprised, and immediately reacted like they¡¯ve done hundreds of times before. "Alert the Mazu Guard!" They sat at the formation sending messages to all the required parties. However, none of them was scared in the slightest. They had a True Essence cultivator backing them, who did they fear in Presba? Let alone a small and cheap ship like this one.

    Unfortunately for them, this small ship had Yan Zaizen onboard.

    "What are you doing?!" Lin Qinlin exasperatedly shouted out. She was panicking greatly at the moment. She understood the severity of barging into the Water Veil Territory without permission - it was immediate death, with no mercy. If she was wrapped up in this and med, then what Origin Consolidating Pill? Would it matter if she was dead?

    Lin Feilin felt like she wanted to say something, but the sheer pressure from the three¡¯s cultivation bases left her feeling suppressed. Her cultivation was at the mid-Essence Formation and it was far too low inparison. Any of these individuals breaths could send her to the afterlife, and she felt caution in her heart. However, there was also a hint of excitement in her eyes.

    Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t even spare Lin Qinlin a nce. With his soul cultivation base infused with his tyrannical dao, he sent a soul transmission to all individuals within 600 li distance! Reaching not only all the members currently living in the surrounding area but all those in the sect¡¯s main pce.

    "Sect Leader of the Water Veil Sect! You have 30 seconds to arrive before me, or today, the Water Veil Sect shall no longer exist. Choose!!" His voice was filled with a tyrannical ferocity that even an emperor would find hard to match.

    To others, they may respect this sect, but why should he? If anything happened to his aunt or uncle, everyst one of them will be buried alongside them!

    EVERY LAST ONE!!!

    Tao¡¯s eyes flickered with a trace of intelligent light. Yan Zaizen seemed to have developed a personality that heavily judged people on their decisions or actions. It started with Diyi, when he gave her a choice to live or die. Then, he did the same to Qiao Jianhong, he could choose to cripple himself or be crippled. The Soaring Cloud three upper echelons had the choice of a slow death filled with pain and suffering or a quick death. Even Lin Feilin was given a choice to stay engaged or annul it.

    Now, he was giving the Water Veil Sect the same type of choice as the others. It changed based on the situation, but whenever he was angry, he would give his enemies no quarter for escape.

    In the Sectmaster¡¯s private quarters, a beautiful woman filled with an unnaturally profound elegance opened her eyes when she received the soul transmission. Her eyes flickered with anger. If one perceived her cultivation base, they could feel true-essence surging within her.

    This person was overestimating himself! This was her territory; how dare anyone disrespect her? To her, even a mid-True Essence Cultivator wouldn¡¯t be stupid enough to attack an initial-True Essence Realm Cultivator in their own home. It was foolish and ridiculous.

    An example would be the Xi¨¡o City¡¯s Lord. If Yan Zaizen had attacked Xi¨¡o City filled with abundant formations, an army, and a sky-rank armament holding down the fort, that battle would¡¯ve gone incredibly different. Even just the sky-rank armament¡¯s silhouette alone brought a sensation of profound danger to him.

    However, was this the Xi¨¡o City¡¯s Lord?

    No!

    He was a well-established True Essence Cultivator with a sky-rank armament, vast quantities of wealth from alchemy, and subordinates that could take down the Water Veil Sect alone. How many half-step True Essence Cultivators did they have? While the Water Veil Sect had none, but just one initial-True Essence Cultivator - the Sectmaster, Yao Wuying, herself.

    Her movements were quick as she executed the Liquid Veil Steps. With a single step, it brought her outside the main pce in a blink. The next step brought her several li away, arriving in sight of the little skyship wrapped in a silver-blue aurora. Her brows furrowed at this. "Soul cultivator?" After a while, she snorted in disdain and contempt.

    "You overestimate yourself." Her voice was calm and without a trace of anger. It was as if she treated whoever was on the skyship as insignificant. A surge of true-essence appeared within her palm, a small water ball was constructed. It was perfectly spherical without any bulge, hinting at its stability.

    Multi-Dragon Surging Rivers!

    She propelled the spherical ball as she unleashed her conceptualw of water: Myriad Transformation of Clear Water! With this, she could take any form of water and create constructs of varyingplexities. It was also the same concept developed by her disciple, Ya Qinqan, and this coincidence is what lead to her taking her in.

    Several dozenrge and long dragons with a length simr to the Eiffel tower appeared from that small ball ofpressed water-based true-essence. These dragons shrouded the sky almost instantly. Their rush caused the surrounding skies to be sundered ceaselessly and the ground to tremble from the vibrations of their movements.

    They opened their mouths and released a soundless roar that could cause all minds to quake at the sight.

    As the people onboard saw this, Lin Feilin and Lin Qinlin felt their souls leave their bodies in fright. Just a touch of one of those dragons was enough to extinguish their entire existence. Tao and Bai Lufeng turned serious. This attack may seem to have been done casually, but even if they ignited their very Origin Core¡¯s and executed secret arts, they couldn¡¯t hope to block this single strike.

    The difference was far too huge!

    However, Yan Zaizen eyes filled with intense tyranny and a smirk filled with battle intent.

    ROAR!!!

    He thundered out a roar so loud that the sundered skies quaked and all existences below kneeled in inferiority. His soul cultivation that neared the Perfect Aurora Soul Realm exploded viciously. Sure, with her concept, she may be able to transform her true-essence intorge entities, but how could thatpare with the speed of soul energy?!

    Yan Zaizen stepped outwards, his body shrouded in silver-blue light. Immediately, hundreds of dragons in a simr design to the Water Veil Sectmaster appeared within a blink of the eye. The sky may have been shrouded by the water dragons, but it was directly reced by Yan Zaizen¡¯s silver-blue soul dragons. Hundreds of dragons soared the skies, releasing an actual roar that caused all those with weak soul cultivations to fall unconscious almost immediately.

    You think you can outdo me?

    I¡¯d like to see you try.

    When the hundreds of dragons appeared in her sight, her eyes turned into a needlepoint as she could feel a subtle soul pressure from them. Initially, she suspected this individual¡¯s cultivation was at the Advanced Aurora Soul Realm, but this strength exceeded that by far!

    Her assumption was indeed right, but he could be considered at the half-step Perfect Aurora Soul Realm with an infused dao. With this, even if he doesn¡¯t use any soul arts, he could rival the peak initial-True Essence Realm. With soul energies incredible speed and quick formation, how could shepare?

    Before she could even react, her dozens of water dragons collided fiercely with the soul dragons. Their collision caused the earth to quake and the sky to disperse. If one looked at the sky, they could see faint traces of outer space from above. The very atmosphere of the was being ripped apart in their confrontation! Luckily, this wasn¡¯t weak and didn¡¯t shatter instantly.

    The soul dragons overwhelmed the water dragons in less than a second. Not only were they superior in number but also in speed and power. The dragons, however, didn¡¯t cease their advance. They continued their movement towards the Water Veil Sect Leader with a speed she couldn¡¯t even match even with her movement art.

    Her eyes widened as she retreated, her hands formting another ball of spherical water, pushing it out to create another dozen water dragons, but they were cleaned up as quickly as they were created. She released several more spherical orbs of water to dy the soul dragons, but the sheer numbers were too much for her to respond to immediately.

    She revealed a decisive gaze, a veil appeared on her face that seemed like the surface of a rippling ocean, and her aura skyrocketed in power.

    When Yan Zaizen saw this, his eyes narrowed. However, he could see that this was a pseudo sky-rank armament. It wasn¡¯t a true sky rank armament, but one with a formting Spirit Form. Due to its ipletion, it couldn¡¯t exhibit the full strength that a sky-rank armament could. Despite this, the power gained was not small.

    However, there was an issue with pseudo and true sky-rank armaments and that was consumption rate. The reason why no cultivator uses sky-rank, even pseudo sky-rank armaments, carelessly had to do with essence consumption. A single usage could very well take 10% of an entire initial-True Essence realm cultivators reserves, and that was on the low side.

    As for the Xi¨¡o Mountain? One could imagine what a single usage could consume. As for a pseudo sky-rank armament, specifically, the Oceanic Water Veil, the legacy armament of the sect, would consume about 15% of her true-essence with each usage. However, with great consumption,es great power.

    Immediately, she released a spherical orb of water once more, but this time, it was covered with traces of oceanic ripples. It felt far greater than any other sphere thus far. This sphere, when released, transformed into a boundless ocean that surged across several dozens of li with profound power.

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes narrowed further, his gaze decisive. Immediately, Pinaka appeared within his hands as he pulled back not only the string but the soul dragons swarming forward. They instantly retreated like a sh, but they didn¡¯t disappear, instead, they condensed around the bow.

    An arrow was condensed from the essence of the heavens, formting a crystalized arrow radiating with profound power. This was an arrow condensed from essence, infused with the characteristics of Pinaka¡¯s power! It alone was terrifying. However, this wasn¡¯t enough.

    The condensed soul energy integrated into the arrow causing it to possess silver-blue light radiating with soul-shaking power. A majority of his qi-essence surged inside, giving it a destructive conceptualw. Taking a deep breath in, he aimed the arrow at the sea of water surging towards him. It was like a single man facing a world of water! Yet, the man simply looked forward without any hesitation or fear on his face.

    Breath out.

    Release.

    SOAR!

    "One Arrow! Annihte ALL!"

 Chapter 96 A Single Arrow!

    As the arrow was released, the world itself slowed down. It wasn¡¯t as if time slowed, but more so, the arrow was traveling far too fast. This was the first time Yan Zaizen had ever released an arrow backed by Pinaka, his conceptualws, and his qi and soul cultivation base! The sheer pressure it ced on his body caused his bones to fracture and his skin to rip apart almost instantly upon release.

    Fortunately, the Immortal Herculean Method isn¡¯t called ¡¯Immortal¡¯ for re. It held an extraordinary elerated factor for healing wounds, and thisyer of damage healed almost as quickly as it appeared. How could such a heaven-defying physique ever be normal? It could survive who knows how long in chaotic space by itself? It was because of this healing factor!

    And that was at the initial sess!

    At the perfection stage, how could it not be hundreds of times greater? Despite his vital energies being consumed quickly, it was still extraordinary.

    As the arrow traveled through the air, the sky didn¡¯t ripple, the earth didn¡¯t quake nor split, but it was like a silent night.

    "What?!" Internally, a profound sensation of danger caused the Water Veil Sectmaster¡¯s eyes to shrink to a needlepoint. She tried to instinctively take a step away for retreat, but her movement art was simply far too slow.

    The arrow collided with the oceanic wave of water and prated it as easily as flimsy paper. As it did, an aura of destruction suffused within the oceanic wave like a ripple which caused the water to vanish into thin air. By the time it exited the oceanic wave, half of it was disintegrated, and even still, the Water Veil Sectmaster still couldn¡¯t move.

    Seeing this, her first reaction was the simplest and most decisive. She directly ignited her true essence within her pathways. The ignition of one¡¯s true-essence would cause an extraordinary surge of power to erupt outwards, often times allowing one to exceed a stage temporarily at the cost of cultivation base drop afterward. However, only qi-essence or above could withstand such ignition.

    It was almost instant as the true-essence in her body caused her aura and power to rival the peak initial-True Essence Realm. It may just have a ¡¯peak¡¯ added, but each stage difference or single step was a world of difference for a True Essence Cultivator.

    Her strength directly increased by several times.

    She didn¡¯t stop there as she forcefully drew upon the power of the sect¡¯s grand formation for further support.

    However, the arrow didn¡¯t show mercy, approaching with a silver-blue soul-piercing light. Despite this taking a long time to describe, the events happened in less than a blink of an eye!

    The arrow arrived before her instantly and collided with her defensive true-essence.

    BOOM!!!

    A single explosion was heard as the world was filled with rustling winds for hundreds of li. Everyone within the border of the Water Veil Sect could feel the turbulent winds produced by the explosion, while the nearby area was nearly vanquished entirely.

    Several secondster, the explosion produced a mushroom dust cloud filled with the essence of destruction and pration, the characteristics of the Archery of Pure Destruction. The sky directly above no longer had clouds or even an atmosphere. Everyone could see the myriad of stars as if it was nighttime. Several li of distance was rendered out from existence by this single arrow.

    Yan Zaizen was panting a little, the exertion on his soul, qi, and vital energies was pretty heavy to release this single arrow. The benefits of having Pinaka, a spirit-rank armament, was that the consumption wasn¡¯t considerably massive for each usage and she could adjust for her user. This strength may be great, but that was less than 1% of her true strength.

    "If I was at full strength, simply my arrow alone could do hundreds of times more damage." Pinaka was obviously discontent as she scoffed. Luckily, only Yan Zaizen could hear her as the rest would probably die from these words. If that was the case, could they even be considered ants in front of her?

    However, Yan Zaizen was truly shocked at the events. He had hopes, but it wasn¡¯t clear. Now, he understood what Pinaka meant when she mentioned that with her and his current cultivation, he could still dominate the entire continent.

    Several seconds passed and a faint feeble figure appeared within the dust cloud. Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes narrowed as he scanned with his spiritual sense. He was inwardly surprised.

    She was alive.

    Indeed. The Water Veil sectmaster not only ignited her true-essence but she overdrew on her meridians and pathways, which pulled out everyst ounce of power from her pseudo sky-rank armament. She even drew power from the Mazu Veil Formation. If one looked up, they would no longer see any water curtain surrounding the territory of the sect. All of these things in conjunction allowed her to survive with little damage physically, but the soul damage was still a bit severe.

    When she appeared, her expression was solemn beyondpare. She looked towards Yan Zaizen, her eyes filled with anger and grievance but also defeat. From this day forward, it¡¯s unlikely she would be arrogant due to her cultivation any longer.

    Yan Zaizen faintly smiled triumphantly, "If you simply arrived peacefully and obediently, this could¡¯ve been avoided." He spoke the truth, but how was a person going to react when a small ship appeared in their hometown acting arrogant to all hell? How would he respond? How would anyone?

    At this moment, she truly felt enraged and wanted nothing more than to kill Yan Zaizen, but she was intelligent and regained her clear head after this near-death experience. That single arrow could cause the main pce of her sect to copse in a second. She couldn¡¯t afford to be muddle-headed in anger when her sect faced true danger.

    She slowly approached the skyship and Yan Zaizen stepped forward, flying to meet her in mid-air. Tao and Bai Lufeng were incredibly shocked by the sequence of events. It urred so fast that a single blink could¡¯ve caused them to miss it. It was so massive that the skies rippled and the earth was decimated, and even a li wide hole appeared in the sky.

    It was still open! But slowly repairing.

    As for Lin Qinlin and Lin Feilin, they didn¡¯t even see most of what happened. Several sky-devouring dragons appeared, disappeared, and then a huge explosion that shook them to their core was released. To them, this was like two to three seconds.

    Fights between true experts are done and decided in seconds, and sometimes, milliseconds. Unless one had a weak cultivation base, this was typically the case.

    The Water Veil Sectmaster, Yao Wuhen, looked at this powerful yet handsome youth with disbelief and shock. From his vibrant aura of lifeforce, he couldn¡¯t be more than a century in years! Did she just...barely survive against a junior? She truly felt inwardly pathetic, but continued anyhow with a dark expression, "What do you want?"

    For the first time, Yan Zaizen could clearly see this sectmaster. She was most certainly a beauty despite her damaged attire from their fight. Long ck water-like flowing hair, soft eyes that resembled clear water, a lithe physique and phoenix eyes. Her skin was as white as snow and not a single natural blemish could be seen anywhere.

    If it wasn¡¯t for earlier, Yan Zaizen¡¯s first impression of this woman would be exceedingly high by her looks alone.

    "I¡¯m here for the Yan n." Yan Zaizen voice was direct, immediately dering his objective. There was no longer a reason to deal with this diplomatically. If something happened to his aunt or uncle, to rectify this crime, he¡¯ll bury everyst one of the Water Veil Sect members with them.

    Innocent or not!

    Hearing this, Yao Wuhen was shocked. Her eyes narrowed, and she spoke with a strong voice, "What for?"

    Yan Zaizen immediately revealed fierce killing intent as his silver-blue aurora light manifested in the skies above, white motes of light swam through by an infinite amount, and his aura surged to the heavens and back. "Where! Are! They?!" He thundered every word, his eyes filled with malicious intent. If his family was killed and he didn¡¯t get revenge, how was he supposed to face his mother? How could he face his father?

    "This..." Yao Wuhen felt a profound sensation of danger as she instinctively took a step back. Seeing this, she felt slightly humiliated, but she understood the circumstance. Her current state mayck physical damage but her cultivation suffered a huge drop. If they exchanged blows once more, with all her trump cards gone or used up, she would face certain death.

    Even if she gathered up her elites, her fate would remain the same.

    She furrowed her brows and considered the situation, not caring about what would happen to the Yan n, she spoke decisively. "They are currently situated in a location in our territory."

    What?

    Wait...What?!

    They were alive?

    Yan Zaizen felt odd, and his fierce momentum deted almost instantly. This entire situation was because he assumed the Water Veil Sect eliminated the Yan n due to their transgression against the Ya n. In truth, he was going to bury both the Water Veil Sect and the Ya n with them, especially since the Ya n could be considered traitors.

    He truly hated traitors.

    "Where?" His voice turned soft subconsciously.

    Yao Wuhen was now even more shocked than before, her expression filled with hints of confusion. She couldn¡¯t help but ask, "Who are you?"

    Yan Zaizen softly smiled, a smile filled with unyielding confidence and warmth, "Me? My name¡¯s Yan Zaizen. Grandson of the Yan n Lord."

    Yao Wuhen was stunned into silence.

    ...what?

    ...What?!

    ...WHAT?!

 Chapter 97 The Yan Clan Lives!

    Yao Wuhen¡¯s expression darkened, her elegant countenance to turned heavy and filled with internal screams. Truly, she wished to scream out her mind. She had never felt so stifled before since her childhood, but this young man before her...

    "Yan Zaizen? The one that died." Her voice was filled with deep frustration, as if Yan Zaizen was trying to y her for a fool. For one, this man barely had any physical features simr to the Yan n. As someone who¡¯vee across them, they all have specific hereditary traits and distinctions.

    Originally, Yan Zaizen truly did have those traits, but the Immortal Herculean Method had remodeled his entire physique, even his originally average face was transformed. Unless one was exceptionally close to Yan Zaizen, they would nevere to the conclusion that he was the same person. This could obviously be seen by Lin Feilin not recognizing him or even believing him afterwards.

    Yan Zaizen helplessly smiled, shaking his head with a little shrug, "I¡¯m not dead. However, believe what you will." In truth, he didn¡¯t have to prove anything to Yao Wuhen. It¡¯s already lucky that he doesn¡¯t cut her down for her attacks earlier. Seeing the doubt in her face, Yan Zaizen grew bored, "Take me to them."

    Yao Wuhen eyes squinted slightly. She truly did not like being ordered around in her own backyard, but recalling the battle from earlier, she silently nodded in agreement. Currently, her bodily state was in a mess, and even flying was difficult for her. If it wasn¡¯t for her good poker face, she would be drenched in sweat and heaving out a lung.

    Her cultivation base will most certainly suffer a drop due to this battle, and if she could keep her True Essence cultivation base, that would be a miracle in and of itself. This single battle, which urred in the blink of an eye, had ruined a majority of her ns for the future.

    She nced at the skyship, seeing Lin Qinlin and Lin Feilin, her eyes radiated hints of anger. However, she didn¡¯t say anything, turned around and slowly flew away towards the west. Yan Zaizen followed, his eyes ncing towards the main pce to the north. Several battleships were flying through the skies with a unique insignia.

    "The Mazu Guard?"

    The Mazu Guard was an elite group of warriors from the Water Veil Sect, they knew how to formte a profound formation that could rival a half-step True Essence cultivator. Due to this very army, the Water Veil Sect was given the title of a top first-tier force before their sudden rise. However, to Yan Zaizen?

    They were ants.

    Directly ignoring them, he continued following behind Yao Wuhen.

    Yao Wuhen took out a talisman from her spatial ring and sent a message to the Mazu Guard. Earlier, the Mazu Guard was on their way, but the sudden cmitous exchange caused them to halt as they waited for their sectmaster to handle the situation. However, when they arrived, they could see a small skyship, their sectmaster, and an unknown youth following behind her.

    When they received the talisman transmission from Yao Wuhen, they halted and realized the severity of the situation.

    She only ryed a single word: Retreat!

    Due to her injury, Yao Wuhen took several minutes before reaching a deep valley etched between two mountains. Unless one looked closely, they would be unable to see the cluster of people or makeshift houses within it. When Yan Zaizen scanned this ce with his spiritual sense, his eyes widened with surprise.

    Everyone was here.

    "Uncle Lou, Aunt Qin..." He felt inwardly relieved at their health. They may not be living in the best conditions, but they were living. After his parents died, his talent was determined, and life hit an all-time low for him, these two showed kindness. He couldn¡¯t help but chuckle as he recalled his memories.

    Oftentimes, he would steal Uncle Lou¡¯s wine and food for himself. As for Aunt Lin, as puberty hit, so did certain...urges. He would steal her undergarments for activities. He would even peek on her in the baths quite often, and many times the others wished to kill him, but she remained on his side always. Well, she still gave him beatings, but at least it wasn¡¯t castration.

    Surprisingly, Aunt Lin wasn¡¯t rted to the Yan n. She was an outsider that married into the Yan n. Even still, she was married into the ¡¯Lan¡¯ family line. Despite this, she still treated Yan Zaizen like a nephew, despite his actions or failures. Uncle Lou was his true Uncle, a brother of his father, and son to his grandfather.

    When his father died, Uncle Lou didn¡¯t try to rece him, but heforted Yan Zaizen many times, such as teaching him how to be shameless and how to steal. Arge majority of his desire for beautiful women, good wine, great food, and immense wealth stemmed from Uncle Lou. If there were anyone that the previous him remotely resembled, it¡¯ll be Uncle Lou.

    They and his grandfather were the only people he cared about.

    He chuckled at his nostalgic thoughts, not bothering about Yao Wuhen any longer. He wasn¡¯t apologetic for his actions earlier or her current state. However, he felt a little awkward considering the situation was moreplex than he originally thought.

    He nced towards Yao Wuhen, who looked at him with cold eyes, and his originally happy chuckle transitioned into an awkward one.

    Clearing his throat, "What happened?"

    Yao Wuhen still felt unbearably stifled at this young individual who seemed to ignore the fact that they engaged in a battle where a single slip could¡¯ve ended either of their lives - especially hers. She inwardly groaned, exining with an indifferent voice, "The Yan nmitted crimes against our subordinate family, the Ya n. However, instead of eliminating them, they were imprisoned in this valley and ced under close watch. Many in the Ya n advocated for their survival, and even my own disciple desired it as well."

    She nced towards the Yan n and couldn¡¯t help but be inwardly happy at their situation. With Yan Zaizen current prowess, he could threaten her and the Water Veil Sect¡¯s very existence. If they had handled the situation as she wanted it, eliminating all without mercy, then wouldn¡¯t she be running away with her life? However, could she escape Yan Zaizen?

    "I see...I guess...they aren¡¯t traitors." There was a slight smile on his face. It seems that even when one rises, there were still people who remembered the favors given to them once before. In that case, everything was fine. This was all he wanted to verify, their safety and life.

    "My Grandfather, Aunt Qin, and Uncle Louzen." He listed out three individuals, looking at her with a solemn expression.

    How could Yao Wuhen, with her thousands of years of life, not recognize his meaning? He didn¡¯t care about the Yan n, but he cared about those three individuals and only those three individuals.

    However, what Yao Wuhen didn¡¯t know, was that if she buried the Yan n, even if they were excluded, she would be buried alongside them. It wasn¡¯t because Yan Zaizen had any special feelings towards anyone else, but that he wouldn¡¯t be able to face his mother and father in the afterlife if he didn¡¯t get revenge.

    His father and mother loved the n.

    "Fine." She responded tly.

    Yan Zaizen revealed a slight smile, waving his hand causing a small bottle to shot towards Yao Wuhen. Surprised, she instinctively caught it with her true-essence. Looking at this small bottle with only a single tiny pellet within caused her eyes to furrow in contemtion.

    "It¡¯s a grand-tier Earthly Rejuvenation Pill. Make sure you take care of the n, especially those three." He said, turning around and traveling back towards the skyship. He wasn¡¯t here to meet the Yan n or free them for their actions, he only cared about three people, and he made sure she knew this, but he couldn¡¯t leave them like this. If something happened to them or they weren¡¯t treated well, he would feel slight guilt towards his parents. However, he feltfortable leaving them in the hands of a True Essence expert who he could threaten.

    As for the Ya n? Who cares.

    Ya Qinqan? He truly didn¡¯t give a shit.

    Yao Wuhen eyes widened with an immense amount of shock. "Earthly Rejuvenation Pill?!" This was a grand-tier pill that could help a True Essence Realm cultivator heal their wounds after over exhaustion and damage. It was like a second life. With this, she would definitely recover within a few months of time. The worth of this pill was so extraordinary that a first-tier force could sell their roots and still be unable to obtain it.

    Even those who¡¯ve been crippled in the Origin Core Realm has a slight chance of recovery taking this pill. That was as hard as ascending the heavens! Typically, a grand-tier alchemist would never sell something so heaven-defying, especially if they were in the True Essence Realm. Who would sell another life?!

    Unbeknownst to her, Yan Zaizen had taken several of these pills off the Xi¨¡o City¡¯s Lord. When the Xi¨¡o City¡¯s Lord learned that his spatial ring was stolen, he was so enraged he coughed up a body worth of blood and passed out in extreme indignation. He even swore to get revenge on Yan Zaizen for his actions one day, even if he was part of the Anima Syndicate.

    Tao originally estimated the wealth of the total possessions to be three billion, but many things were just basic market price. A pill like this wouldn¡¯t be sold normally in the Fallen Stars Continent, but in auctions for far greater than its market price. In truth, many of the pills in his ring would have a worth far higher than originally estimated.

    He was the greatest grand-tier alchemist of an entire country after all.

    "Oh!" Yan Zaizen stopped his return, looking towards Yao Wuhen, "The marriage between Lin Feilin and Khan Saiyu, end it. With her status as my Senior Sister and me standing firmly behind her, he isn¡¯t even worthy to carry her shoes. If they refuse, tell them they can all be buried." He gave a cold grin and directly left.

    "..."

    Yao Wuhen felt surprised, but then a realization dawned on her. Lin Feilin? She recalled the two on the skyship and recognized the young girl at the mid-Essence Formation Realm. "I see..." Looking at the pill in her hand, she had a thought. Her eyes glowed brilliantly with intelligence.

    She spoke loudly enough for Yan Zaizen¡¯s departing figure to hear, "Your identity?!"

    Yan Zaizenughed at her thoughts, shouting to the skies, "As long as those three are safe, as long as Lin Feilin is happy, my identity will protect them." This was indirectly agreeing to her request to reveal his identity to the world as well as his cultivation prowess. If anything, it should serve as an invisible barrier to protect the people he wanted without actually being there.

    He would never have guessed that one day his very existence would shield others. This would also mean that as long as they were taken care of properly, he would back the Water Veil Sect. He threw a transmission talisman towards Yao Wuhen. Like a speeding bullet, it appeared before her instantly. She properly stored it and felt inwardly satisfied with all of these events.

    Even if the situation was at a knife¡¯s edge, Yan Zaizen¡¯s prowess could take down grand-tier forces alone. In the country of Presba, he represented the equivalence of a mid-True Essence Cultivator. This level of deterrence would cause all to think three times before taking action.

    At the end of the day, this was worth it. Of course, she had little intention of revealing who he was exactly, she needed to keep that a secret or else the Yan n may be a little too arrogant.

 Chapter 98 Shin Xuanjis Choice

    Yan Zaizen yawningly stretched out his fatigued muscles, feeling a wave of relief surge throughout his body. Taking a deep breath, the surrounding essence was quickly siphoned from the vicinity to enhance his blood cirction.

    "Today felt so long." He casually remarked, looking towards the skyship suspended in mid-air. On board, Tao, Bai Lufeng, Lin Qin, and Lin Feilin stared at him like curious peacocks. He couldn¡¯t help but lightly chuckle. To think, three years ago, he was considered the lowest form on the continent. Now, he could say a single word, and the myriad forces of the continent would have to take it into serious consideration.

    "Don¡¯t get toocent. Your cultivation may be exceptional on this tiny, but you¡¯re still insignificant in the myriad realms." Pinaka¡¯s voice resounded, one filled with obvious disdain at Yan Zaizen¡¯s mentality. However, Yan Zaizen simply shrugged carelessly. He had long realized that Pinaka was affected by his Dao and had a tyrannical ferocity about her she couldn¡¯t directly control as a True Spirit, so he didn¡¯t feel insulted.

    Sure, he may be insignificant now, but what about in the future? Everything required one step at a time, and he hasn¡¯t even taken his first step yet. Now that he was forging his own path, he needed to close off all the karma gathered in the continent before he decides to travel to higher realms.

    Arriving on the skyship, he looked at Lin Feilin, and smilingly said, "Your marriage is now called off. If anyone gives you any trouble,in to the sectmaster. She¡¯ll help in an instant. Haha."

    His words were so casual that it felt surreal to her. She looked at this handsome, tall, powerful Ninth Brother of hers and couldn¡¯t help but feel her heart flutter slightly. For her, he disyed his dominance to the sectmaster and arranged for her status. How many would do this? How many had such capabilities?

    Of course, in reality, Yan Zaizen only did that by a whim. His true intention of arriving here was due to the Yan n. Lin Feilin, however, assumed he went solely for her, creating this misunderstanding. Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t attempt to clear up her thoughts, looking towards Tao. "We¡¯ll be leaving. I still have some unfinished business."

    Lin Feilin broke out of her stupor, looking at Yan Zaizen with soft eyes filled with reluctance. "Do you have to leave...so soon?" Her voice turned quiet andpletely unlike her usual self. Yan Zaizen was startled, looking at this icy-cold Senior Sister of his, and couldn¡¯t help but feel odd in his heart.

    "You don¡¯t have to worry." Yan Zaizen eyes sparkled with radiance, reaching his hand out to grab the edge of her chin with his curled index finger. He brought her eyes to his and smiled softly, "I¡¯ll be back, one day. At that time, you can tell me all the things I¡¯ve missed." Yan Zaizen attempted to put on the most dashing expression he could, looking softly into her eyes, but inwardly he was a little bit nervous.

    This was his first attempt at acting like a cool heroic hero to the icy-cold beauty. To capture her heart permanently with a single nce. Initially, he thought she would act aggressively at being randomly touched, but instead, she blushed from ear to ear, avoiding his radiant gaze. However, she didn¡¯t try to remove his hand from her chin.

    With the softest voice one would ever hear, she softly replied, "Okay." After that, Yan Zaizen removed his hand and felt satisfied. This move was something Bai Lufeng had transmitted to him when attempting to attract a girl¡¯s attention and reviewing their responses at physical contact. If they were repulsed, it was a no. If they blushed and acted shy, they were a full yes!

    After a little more conversation, the trio departed from the Water Veil Territory. Lin Qinlin wanted to stay, but was decisively rejected by Yan Zaizen. He gave her an elixir called the Origin Excavation Elixir, and sent her on her way. It was far less efficient than the Origin Consolidating Pill, but it could help a peak-Qi Unification Cultivator reach the half-step Origin Core Realm.

    Initially, Yan Zaizen assumed Bai Lufeng would plead on her behalf, but he was silent. He said nothing as she was sent off. One could see that he truly didn¡¯t care about this woman.

    Truly a yboy.

    ----------------------------

    Two monthster, in the Earthly Titan Sect, there was an outrage of panic within. There were many people dashing to and fro locations with rapid steps, their cultivation bases fully erupted, and their faces filled with fear.

    It happened so suddenly.

    Several minutes ago, several of the upper echelon members suddenly fainted dead. Upon examination, it was revealed their souls were directly snuffed out of existence by a powerful force. However, only selective people were hit. There was also a Grand Elder who went missing suddenly, but no one could find her. They searched for any semnce of answers or order, trying to get their bearings amidst this chaotic situation.

    There would be times where someone would be perfectly fine, but then the next second, they would drop dead suddenly.

    "What is happening?! Calm down, everyone!"

    "ARE WE BEING PUNISHED?!"

    "Where is Grand Elder Kiyun?! The Sectmaster is missing as well!"

    "Oh...god...its the heavens! We¡¯ve angered the heavens!!!"

    While all this was going on, a male youth with intelligent ck eyes, long ck hair, and a countenance that seemed to hint his long-gone handsomeness was bound heavily in a metal cage. He wore a set of qi diffusion cuffs, and his body was filled withceration marks indicating torture. His eyes were filled with intelligence, but severely dim in light and overwhelmed with exhaustion.

    This was Shin Xuanji!

    His decision to join the Earthly Titan Sect backfired greatly. Three years ago, when he joined, they immediately captured him and interrogated him with extreme prejudice. For three full years, he was constantly tortured by the sect for information about Han Genji. The only reason he wasn¡¯t killed had to do with him revealing subtle hints that he knew the location of the piece of mid-grade essence crystal in Han Genji¡¯s possession.

    He would never fully tell them, but simply that it was hidden somewhere that only he knew. He was hoping, praying, that as long as he breathed, there was a chance to ovee the situation. In truth, he¡¯s been given every torture method possible. From the pulling off one¡¯s nails, the breaking of the fingers, and even castration, and yet he refused to break.

    His personal hatred for the Earthly Titan Sect now exceeded the Yan n by thousands of times. People he trusted betrayed his master and himself for wealth. It was disgusting. However, that was the cruelty of the cultivation world. If you do not possess strength and backing, you¡¯re nothing more than fish on the chopping block for those higher up the pyramid.

    How could he contend when his cultivation was only at the peak-Qi Revolving Realm? He was insignificant. However, he was filled with a drive to change his fate. To go against what the heavens demanded of him!

    He understood that the moment they felt he was no longer a source of information, they would immediately exterminate his life. How could they let Han Genji¡¯s disciple survive in this world? Why would they leave a ticking bomb so close to them?

    "I swear, I¡¯ll kill them all!" He silently swore. If one looked closely, he had no teeth in his mouth and his tongue held countlesscerations. His skin was sickly pale, he was beyond scrawny as if he hadn¡¯t eaten for weeks, and his lifeforce was like a flickering me unwilling to be exhausted by the cruel gust of the world.

    POP!

    A tall, handsome youth appeared like a ghost within Shin Xuanji¡¯s cell. His eyes revealed a profound realization as he stood behind the bound Shin Xuanji. "So...I figured this would be your fate after learning of their betrayal." He silently thought, his eyes staring at Shin Xuanji¡¯s pathetic appearance. Initially, he was going to sweep all possible threats to his aunt and uncle, including this Senior Brother of his. However, the world was truly too cruel.

    "Howe...we all have such unfortunate fates." Yan Zaizen muttered, realizing that the lives of himself, Shin Xuanji, and Lin Feilin were horrendous. They either had their n eradicated or treated like ves at one point in time. However, out of the three, Shin Xuanji truly had the worst of it.

    Shin Xuanji was constantly mumbling his sworn oath to himself, attempting to keep himself sane. With a quick spiritual sense examination, Yan Zaizen could see all that was done to him during these past three years. He took a deep breath, gathered his thoughts, and decisively decided.

    "Three years ago, you didn¡¯t act against me during my weakest hour because of our rtionship, our bond as fellow disciples. Today, I¡¯ll repay that kindness. I¡¯ll give you another choice, your fate will be your own to decide." His body was covered by a silver-blue light, disguising his features.

    Slowly, he appeared within Shin Xuanji¡¯s line-of-sight. This startled him greatly, his eyes looking at this silver-blue silhouette, not with fear, but filled with hatred and unyielding will.

    "You have a choice." Yan Zaizen¡¯s voice boomed within his soul.

    "You can forget your hatred with the Yan n. If you do, you¡¯ll be given a chance. You¡¯ll be given freedom, wealth, protection, and the ability to grow. The chance for vengeance." His words entered directly into Shin Xuanji¡¯s soul, "or, you can choose to stay. Await your fate, whatever that may be."

    When Shin Xuanji heard those choices, his eyes glowed with a long-forgotten radiance. In truth, he thought he was having delusions, that this was a manifestation of his will to fight on. If he chose the path to wait, wouldn¡¯t it be the same as epting death?! The choice was obvious.

    "Yan n? Compared to the Yan n, the Earthly Titan Sect deserves a thousand deaths!!" He said, but due to hisck of teeth, it came out a little incoherently. However, Yan Zaizen understood it all. "The Yan n killed my family, but if it means getting my revenge on the Earthly Titan Sect, then I can forgive it all!"

    Indeed.

    When one experiences tragedy from afar, the reaction isn¡¯t nearly as intense as experiencing it yourself. Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t understand the full story of the Shin n, but that didn¡¯t mean Shin Xuanji knew it either.

    "Swear on your very soul!" Yan Zaizen voice boomed.

    Shin Xuanji thundered with a chaotic roar filled with anger and hatred. "I SWEAR ON MY SOUL!! LET ME GET REVENGE!" Traces of blood leaked from his mouth as the scabbedcerations on his tongue started to bleed. It gave him a very horrendous and malicious appearance.

    "Then, so be it."

 Chapter 99 Finished

    Yan Zaizen shifted through chaotic space with his Infinite Chaotic Immersion Art, arriving aboard the skyship with Shin Xuanji tucked between his arm. Shin Xuanji¡¯s body was limp as he was thoroughly unconscious. Earlier, he had decided to swear a soul oath to pardon the Yan n for a chance at survival.

    Yan Zaizen fulfilled his words.

    When he appeared, two individuals were staring at Yan Zaizen with eyes filled with trepidation. They were the Sectmaster of the Earthly Titan Sect, Yao Wuying, and the previous Xuanwu City Lord. Beside them were Bai Lufeng and Tao, standing guard over their restricted form. Both had silver-blue shackles constructed from soul energy binding their physical bodies and souls.

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes were colder than the harshest winter as he looked at these two. The murderous desire within his body was contained very well, but it still caused them to tremble in fear. Directly ignoring these two, Yan Zaizen instructed Bai Lufeng, "Help him refine an Earthly Rejuvenation Pill and clean him up." Yan Zaizen sent Shin Xuanji¡¯s frail body into Bai Lufeng¡¯s arms. Floating atop Shin Xuanji¡¯s head was a small bottle with a single pill inside.

    With an Earthly Rejuvenation Pill, even if Shin Xuanji didn¡¯t want to fully recover, he would have no choice. This wouldn¡¯t be able to help him with his castrated genitals, but it would help with his nearly destroyed organs, qi pathways, meridians, and dantian. His cultivation path will be unlocked once more, as for regaining his ability to reproduce, that¡¯ll be something he¡¯ll have to strive for alone.

    Bai Lufeng nodded swiftly, taking Shin Xuanji and the pill down beneath the skyship with no hesitation. At this point, Bai Lufeng truly epted Yan Zaizen as his leader, and wouldn¡¯t question a single decision he made, nor would he even ask why.

    As for Tao, his brows lifted upwards, but he remained silent. He simply awaited instructions.

    Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t give any, instead, he walked towards the restrained duo on the deck of the ship. "Do you know who I am?" He asked, his voice chilly. This was faintly reminiscent to his interaction with Diyi. However, this time it seemed a little different. He was a lot moreposed instead of being filled with intense festering rage.

    Yao Wuying shook his head. He was a ratherrge man, one filled with incredible muscr features, a height that exceeded Yan Zaizen¡¯s, and emitted a brilliant vital energy aura. However, before Yan Zaizen, he was like a tiny child afraid of giving his parents the wrong answer. As for the Xuanwu City Lord, her elderly features were filled with fear.

    "Han Zaiji."

    "!!!" Both of their eyes narrowed to a pinpoint, and their bodies instinctively struggled. Unfortunately, the bindings only tightened, causing their souls and bodies to suffer further damage. This strugglested several seconds before they regained their original calm.

    Yan Zaizen sighed softly. In truth, he truly wanted to kill this Sectmaster of the Earthly Titan Sect. However, taking Shin Xuanji¡¯s situation into ount, he decided against it. If anyone deserves revenge, then Shin Xuanji should do so himself, with his own power, with his own methods.

    That didn¡¯t mean he was going to let him off, however. His hands gripped Yao Wuying¡¯s head tightly, causing panic to suffuse his gaze, and a burst of silver-blue light exploded outwards. It tunneled into his body, ravaging his pathways,cerating his meridians, pummeling his dantian, copsing his vital energies, cracking his origin core and damaging his soul form.

    However, he didn¡¯t fully cripple him.

    Instead, this form of damage will require vast amounts of resources and time to rectify. The sheer pain from the damage inflicted caused Yao Wuying to directly lose consciousness. Yan Zaizen looked towards Tao, and Tao nodded as if understanding. He grabbed Yao Wuying¡¯s body and flew towards the Earthly Titan Sect.

    This left the Xuanwu City Lord and Yan Zaizen alone. Seeing him utterly decimate her leader, she felt all hope for her was lost. She wanted to speak but her throat was sealed and her qi was hard to urge under the soul suppression. Even if she wanted to beg for her life, she couldn¡¯t.

    Nor would Yan Zaizen let her.

    "You sent me to chaotic space to die. I know why." He slowly straightened his back, looked at the sky, and said with a calm tone. "If it wasn¡¯t for you, I would¡¯ve never been enved. However, if it wasn¡¯t for you, I wouldn¡¯t be who I am today." Karma was a miraculously strange thing in the world beneath the heavens. It elicited and defined the cause and effects of the myriad things in this world, and yet, it was beyond being predictable.

    Yan Zaizen wasn¡¯t a fool. If he had gone home, he would¡¯ve been imprisoned by the Water Veil Sect, or even killed by the sectmaster due to his potential. They wanted to keep the Yan n down, and his talent would¡¯ve been uneptable.

    Being sent into chaotic space dropped him off in Grux, allowed him to meet Tao, allowed him to advance hisws, allowed him to obtain Pinaka, allowed him toprehend further on what the Dao truly was, allowed him to amass wealth, subordinates and power quickly. If he had gone home, perhaps none of that would¡¯ve happened. Perhaps, just perhaps, he would¡¯ve been unjustly killed after attempting to take the spot of the n Leader.

    However, no one could truly know.

    The only thing they could know was the present, the here and now, the effects of past actions and the changes to one¡¯s outlook on life. The current him only exist because of that action. If that action never happened, would the current him exist?

    The answer was simple: No.

    However, that didn¡¯t mean he feltplex or conflicted about his decisions in life or the current path he treads. "I will give you a choice." He looked at the Xuanwu City¡¯s Lord with coldly indifferent eyes. These eyes were remarkably simr to when he looked at Diyi. From this, he decided to offer her a choice. "I can leave you with your cultivation and send you into chaotic space. Or, I can cripple you, then send you into chaotic space."

    Her eyes widened at these choices. Weren¡¯t they the same as giving her the death sentence? What was the point of these choices?

    Yan Zaizen, however, didn¡¯t think so. She did have an infinitesimally small chance to survive, but so did he. One was an infinitesimally small chance at survival while the other was certain death.

    He waved his hand, removing the restriction from her throat. "You have ten seconds to choose."

    "Wait! I¡¯m sorry, this...we can work something out! I have wealth! I have secrets, I can tell you these things, I can help you!" She pleaded for her life. As someone who¡¯ve lived for thousands of years, how could she resign herself to death so easily? The point of cultivation is to further one¡¯s lifespan, to advance towards the heavens one step at a time and rival it. To be able to fight for and achieve immortality!

    Who would be willing to die?!

    Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t respond. Her ten seconds were used up pleading for her life. This was her choice. He tapped her be with his index finger, causing a silver-blue light to surge into her body, thoroughly crippling her initial-Origin Core Cultivation.

    He brought her to her feet, kept her awake by stimting her soul, and looked her in the eyes. "In my entire life, the one I hated the most in this world...was you." With that, he ced his palm on her chest, pushing her lightly backwards. The silver-blue restraints vanished into thin air, and her body started merging with the surroundings like entering a soft, hot marshmallow.

    POP!

    The scene was remarkably simr to the overseer in the Deep Mines. However, this time, Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes glowed with silver light radiating spatial fluctuations. He could see her within the chaotic space. Her grey hair follicles, her wrinkled skin, her clothes, and blood were being ripped apart in an infinite number of directions. She wed the surrounding space, screamed violently, and twisted in odd ways.

    Her right leg was the first to go, separating from her body, and being torn to nothingness. Then, her skin, her other limbs, her torso, and then finally, her head. Yan Zaizen could see the emotions in her eyes, filled with pain, regret, and unwillingness. The same emotions his eyes must¡¯ve had in this dark emptiness. It wasn¡¯t long before everything from her blood to her soul was dissipated into nothingness.

    This was how she wanted him to die. This was the fate she left him to. Now, this was the fate he¡¯d given her.

    Several minutester, Tao returned. He saw Yan Zaizen stand alone on the deck, his eyes filled with a sort of peace and calm that one could get when they have no regrets in life. It gave him a sensation of looking at a sage at the height of his life, radiating serenity and transcendence.

    Truly, he was finished.

 Chapter 100 Direction

    After a brief silence, Yan Zaizen stretched his muscles and felt as if a mountain was no longer attached to his back, murky rivers no longer hindered his steps, and the skies were without dark clouds.

    "I¡¯m finished..." He silently muttered, his face covered with a brilliant smile. Before this one smile, the world lost its heavenly luster. Tao was stunned. During the nearly three years of theirpanionship, he had never witnessed Yan Zaizen produce a smile this extraordinary before. Perhaps a confident smirk, a warm smile, but never one so free and at ease.

    "Tao, set a course to Presba¡¯s Capital," Yan Zaizen instructed. Tao broke free from his shocked state and softly nodded in assent. For some reason, he felt happier somehow; he felt freer than ever before.

    "Do you remember what I said before?" Yan Zaizen asked ambiguously, his back facing Tao.

    Tao softly chuckled, "We¡¯ll travel the vast realm, see the myriad sights it has to offer." These words were spoken to him by Yan Zaizen in the Deep Mines, when he was at his lowest, struggling to survive an additional day in a world filled with death and despair. Those very words were said when his life was at its lowest possible. He had lost his family, his n, his future and was left with nothing but death before him.

    Then, Yan Zaizen arrived.

    Yan Zaizen pointed his index finger towards the sky, his eyes closed in peace. "And enjoy our lives." He finished Tao¡¯s words. These words may sound very ambiguous and wishful, but this meant the world to him. Tao was his only living friend outside of family, and in truth, likely his first true friend in this world. They¡¯ve gone to hell and escaped together, they were unlikely to ever meet, but somehow they did.

    A young naive boy with little knowledge of the world with very little status and an intelligent schr whose knowledge and status was of the highest within his country. Somehow, their paths crossed on that day, at that group, and their fates were interconnected forever.

    Yan Zaizen was silent for a brief moment, but continued, "What about joining me?"

    Tao boisterouslyughed in response, his eyes glistening with faint traces of tears. He now realized why he felt so marvelous at this moment. "I¡¯ll join you; I¡¯ll follow you anywhere, everywhere."

    Yan Zaizen gently smiled, making his way to his cabin. A profound gleam suffused his eyes, and he couldn¡¯t help but feel content for the first time in his life.

    --------------------------------

    "Master." A young woman softly said. This young woman had long-flowing brte hair with soft, clear brown eyes that seemed to ripple like water, wless skin, a countenance that could bring down kingdoms with a nce and the aura of high status. A lithe body that could be described as perfect, a set of milky-white mounds that bounced ever so slightly with every movement of her body. It could cause any man¡¯s inner fire to re at the sight. Her legs were supple with the excellent shape, entuating her already perfect figure, cherry pink lips that seemed to be the epitome of softness, and thin eyebrows that perfected her attractive ensemble.

    An older, more mature woman whose attractiveness slightly lost out to the young woman stood before her. They were currently aboard a sky-blue skyship that was exceptionally well-designed and constructed. Inparison to Yan Zaizen¡¯s skyship, this one was significantly greater in terms of speed, size, and defenses.

    If Yan Zaizen was here, he would recognize both of these women!

    Yao Wuhen.

    And.

    Ya Qinqan!

    Yao Wuhen had used the Earthly Rejuvenation Pill to make a full recovery, maintaining her initial-True Essence Cultivation. However, her pseudo-sky rank armament was still damaged, but besides that, the entire battle garnered little losses. If anything, she obtained greater benefits by gaining an ally that could rival an entire grand-tier force alone.

    In her hand was the transmission talisman given to her by Yan Zaizen. Within it was a strand of Yan Zaizen¡¯s spiritual sense, if crushed, he would not only receive the message but location of the individual who crushed it. She recognized this and felt grateful. Essentially, this was a threat. Anyone who scanned it could easily see the half-step Perfect Aurora Soul Realm signature emitted.

    All she had to do was hold this out, and anyone wanting to take action against her must first consider the consequences. In truth, Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t expect her to wield it as a threat but simply a form ofmunication in case the Yan n was in danger. Segregating one¡¯s spiritual sense was a difficult thing to do, and it hurt so he wasn¡¯t too keen on doing it. For his aunt and uncle¡¯s safety, he gave her one.

    "Yes." Yao Wuhen looked at this disciple of hers with pride. It was fate that they both held the same conceptualwprehension, and her talent and will was exceptional. She didn¡¯t know the story of Yan Zaizen and Ya Qinqan, in truth, not many people did. Even Yan Jinzen only knew Yan Zaizen favored Ya Qinqan, but who didn¡¯t favor her?

    She was beautiful, talented and had the potential to be extraordinary. Who wouldn¡¯t favor this? In the course of these three to four years, she¡¯d already cultivated to the peak-Essence Formation Realm and had begun to refine her dantian to the mid-Dantian Refinement Realm. To achieve this in three years, even with a True Essence Master, was exceptional!

    Of course, she didn¡¯t have Yan Zaizen¡¯s Herculean Physique or Mid-Grade essence crystal, so this could be considered extraordinary.

    "Are we truly going to the Capital?" Ya Qinqan asked, her eyes suffused with a flickering light of expectation.

    Yao Wuhen could read her disciple¡¯s emotions and couldn¡¯t help but lightly smile. "I¡¯ve already arranged for you to meet prominent youths of your generation, so be sure to use this opportunity to advance your rtions."

    "Yes!" Ya Qinqan responded. From the Ya n, a subordinate to a second-tier force, to the disciple of a True Essence expert, someone who stood near the peak of the continent. Her rise was sudden but much appreciated. When she was younger, she always desired to join the Water Veil Sect. Now, it¡¯s likely she¡¯ll be its next Sectmaster.

    She looked towards the skies with eyes filled with ambition. "It was all worth it," she silently muttered to herself. Her future was limitless.

    --------------------------------

    Several days passed since the Earthly Titan Sect¡¯s disaster.

    At an expansiveke within the Earthly Titan Territory, Bai Lufeng brought a youth filled with intelligent eyes and a handsome appearance. This youth had a calm expression and eyes that carried untold hatred and fearsome will.

    It was Shin Xuanji!

    It only required a few days for Shin Xuanji to recoverpletely with the Earthly Rejuvenation Pill. It was so spectacr that his cultivation that was originally at the peak-Qi Revolving Realm had risen to the peak-Essence Formation Realm. The sheer medicinal potential that could fully restore a True Essence Realm expert was hugely beneficial to his physique and cultivation. Even his vital energies were enhanced greatly by this.

    However, his eyes contained no excitement, only a chilling calm.

    "Here." Bai Lufeng turned around, throwing a spatial ring, spatial bag, and spatial bracelet to Shin Xuanji. They were specially prepared by Yan Zaizen to amodate Shin Xuanji¡¯s cultivation in the future, not to mention, it contained quite a bit of escape, defensive, and offensive talismans that could resist Qi Unification experts.

    It wasn¡¯t enough to dominate the world, but enough to get him started on his next task.

    Shin Xuanji caught the spatial objects and positioned them onto himself without any hesitation. His eyes never leaving Bai Lufeng¡¯s form. He had so many questions. In truth, he had very little idea what had happened. One moment, he was tied up in a dungeon of the Earthly Titan Sect, the next, he was freed receiving resources he could never dream of with a cultivation boost that seemed heaven-defying.

    Bai Lufeng could see his gaze filled with questions and couldn¡¯t help but softly shake his head. He didn¡¯t know who this youth was, but he had his orders and wouldn¡¯t disobey for no reason. Not bothering with Shin Xuanji any further, he flew away like aet through the skies. Shin Xuanji could only watch him depart.

    After several minutes had passed, he looked at his violet martial outfit and spatial objects with a hint of surprise. "Yan n..." He whispered, but he could feel a pressure in his soul that restricted him from actively taking action against them. Gathering a deep breath, he nodded to himself. Resolve suffused his eyes, "As long as I can get my revenge, I can forgive them this once."

    He picked a direction and slowly walked off.

    Little did Yan Zaizen know, this Eighth Brother of his will cause a storm that¡¯ll never be forgotten among the myriad realms.

 Chapter 101 Previous Owners Intentions

    "So you¡¯re saying a Regalia of the Heavens is?" Yan Zaizen questioned, his mind somewhat feeling dizzy. Before him was Pinaka in her soul form, her eyes filled with slight hints of impatience and annoyance. Earlier, Yan Zaizen had asked her a question regarding the Immortal Herculean Method: "What¡¯s a Regalia of the Heavens?"

    Despite exining several times, Yan Zaizen found it hard toprehend due to the contradiction of the name. However, Pinaka only snorted softly and still proceeded to break down her exnation. "The Regalia of the Heavens is an object with its own concept. It is a part of the heavens, but also separate. They are exceptionally rare and aremonly used or created by those who¡¯ve reached the peak of their conceptualws."

    "..." Yan Zaizen still found this hard to understand. A part of but separate? It bewildered him to the point his brain hurt. However, Pinaka had already realized that Yan Zaizen mental intelligence was somewhat low. It was due to this that hisprehension of arts was considered the lowest possible but also why hisprehension and development speed of thews was exceptionally fast.

    For those who try toprehend the heavens, typically their thoughts make constant incorrect conclusions leading to ack of advancement, but to those who don¡¯t have suchplicated thoughts, they find it much easier to connect with and progress in theirws. To put it simply, those who had a simple outlook had heightened understanding of the world¡¯s simplicity despite itsplexity. It was like a child looking at a riddle and figuring out the answer in a second while an adult would contemte it over and over yet still might get it wrong.

    This didn¡¯t mean Yan Zaizen was a stupid person, simply that he wasn¡¯t educated enough to think inplex manners simr to a child. With proper teaching and time, it¡¯s highly likely he could rival Tao and even exceed him in intelligence due to this mentality and dao.

    "Think of it as a physical object that was originally a part of the Heavens but separated from it after. Therefore, it is no longer connected to the heavens. It¡¯s why they¡¯re exceptionally rare and incredibly difficult to obtain. If one reaches the peak of a concept, they can create these Regalia¡¯s easily, but if not, they can only dream of obtaining one." Pinaka further exined.

    Yan Zaizen finally seemed to have gotten something, but then he felt incredibly frustrated afterward. The Immortal Herculean Method required a Regalia of the Heavens to progress to the 2nd Level: Grand Herculean Physique. One has to refine it to determine the characteristics and attribute of their physique; therefore, no two herculean physiques were the same because all conceptualws have slight differences.

    "You obtained the sub-dimensional ethereal ring from another, right?" Pinaka asked, her voice filled with curiosity.

    "Hm? I don¡¯t know. It just appeared on my finger after a meteor hit me." Yan Zaizenmented, but thinking about it, it was unlikely that the meteor was a meteor.

    After a brief moment of silence, Pinaka responded, "You obtained that method from a book within the ring, so the previous owner should¡¯ve had intentions to cultivate in it. If my guess is correct, that piece of ck wood with the white me should be a Regalia of the Heavens." She pointed out, entering the Meteor Ring¡¯s space and arriving next to the inky ck wood with the small white me atop. One could tell from her words that she wasn¡¯tpletely sure.

    Yan Zaizen followed her inside, arriving next to the inky ck wood, and his eyes lit up in realization. The firstw heprehended was the Unyielding me of Life and it originated from the white me atop the ck wood.

    "Not only that, thispass seems to be a trans-spatial divinepass." She pointed towards the six-arrowedpass with a missing double-sided arrow pointing east to west. It gave off faint traces of silver light yet still seemed ordinary in existence.

    "Trans-spatial divinepass?"

    "Mhm. It¡¯s an object that is exceedingly rare in the myriad realms, but it¡¯s also unreliable. If used, you¡¯ll be sent to any ce beneath the heavens. You could end up dead or worse. If your luck isn¡¯t exceptionally good, you¡¯ll die in some random remote corner alone." Looking at thepass, she couldn¡¯t help but wonder why this thing was here and how it was obtained.

    From her knowledge, this object shouldn¡¯t exist beneath this particr heaven. Even in the previous Era, this shouldn¡¯t exist here. This item wasn¡¯t just ouwed by the heavens but more so, it was too heaven-defying. This could be the only object that could travel to any corner of the heavens without restriction, even if the Lord of this Heaven blocked off an area personally, thispass could enter or exit from it.

    She didn¡¯t bother exining its background, as it wasn¡¯t truly important to know nor was shepletely sure.

    Picking up thepass, Yan Zaizen inspected it a little and felt that it contained a conceptualw that his Spatial Form of Infinite Stability was happy to see. The moment he touched it with his soul form, he could feel his spatial avatar twitch subtly in excitement as if it wanted to hold it dearly.

    "Strange..." However, Yan Zaizen quickly put it down. If it could send someone to any ce and they could die, he didn¡¯t want to use it. His luck had never been that good, and he had no intentions to gamble with his life.

    "So, if I refine this inky ck wood, I could progress to the Grand Herculean Physique?" He inquired, picking up the inky ck wood and feeling the sensation of death and faint traces of unyielding life. Before, he was scared to even get close, but now, he felt incredibly familiar with it.

    "I¡¯m not sure, but if the Immortal Herculean Method you practice truly requires you to refine a Regalia, it must be one exceptional method. If you can refine it, I wonder what will happen." Shemented, her mind shing with interest. A Regalia could only be created by the heavens naturally or by those who¡¯ve reached the peak ofws. The people who could reach the peak of their conceptualw would typically exceed or rival the heavens in power and status.

    How could it be so easy to obtain?

    The fact there was one here surprised her, but also made her curious as to who the previous owner of this ring was. From Yan Zaizen¡¯s words, the resources were more than enough to build an extraordinary physique, a qi cultivation that exceeds the True Essence Realm, and recover or progress the soul.

    Unfortunately, all of those resources were siphoned by the ck hole during Yan Zaizen¡¯s soul transformation. Pinaka¡¯s curiosity held no end. This person was the most likely one who¡¯ve entered the Heavenly Genesis Realm or exceeded it! If so, this person was an absolute monster in the cultivation world and couldn¡¯t be someone who wasn¡¯t well-known in the myriad realms.

    One must know, even the Xiantu Emperor who ruled over the Xiantu Realm, who possessed a Dao, was only at the initial-stages of the Heavenly Genesis Realm.

    Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t know about Pinaka¡¯s turbulent thoughts. He looked at the inky ck wood with anticipation dominating his gaze. The method to develop a Grand Herculean Physique required one to refine a Regalia of the Heavens and finalizing one¡¯s physique traits. If one could refine a regalia based off thunder, they would receive a physique based around thunder, simr to fire, space, sword, or blood.

    Wouldn¡¯t this mean his physique would be based off life and death? Would his physique contain specific characteristics of the Siphoning Shadow of Death and Unyielding me of Life? If so, how extraordinary would that be?!

    He was excited beyond belief.

    However, he was frustrated further after reading the requirements to progress the Grand Herculean Physique after reaching it. It stated that he needed something called Heavenly Law Liquid. When he asked Pinaka, she said it was essentially essence liquid to the highest form possible. There were no low-grade, mid-grade, or high-grade Heavenly Law Liquid, but simply a consistent quality per drop.

    It seems the heavens produces it and it was typically found in areas where heavenly tribtions take ce. The stronger the heavenly tribtion, the greater the chance of its creation, but it was still fairly unlikely. It contains traces of exceptionally potent heavenly essence and is used by Heavenly Genesis Realm experts. He truly felt frustrated after hearing what Heavenly Genesis Realm was - the realm above True Essence and Crimson Star Realm.

    He truly realized that his current cultivation was just the tip of the iceberg, there was still so much further to go!

    Regardless, he¡¯ll have to deal with that when the time came, for now, it was time to refine this inky ck wood and white me!

 Chapter 102 Grand Herculean Physique

    Due to the possibility that the skyship may be disturbed during his refining process, Yan Zaizen had decided to take a break from his travels to the capital. Finding a quiet mountain and carving out a cave for himself, he sat in there with excitement. Tao decided to use this time to not only further stabilize his foundation but practice his arts. Bai Lufeng, however, decided to stand guard while refining an Origin Consolidation Pill.

    Taking a deep breath, Yan Zaizen readjusted his mental state. Pinaka was now hibernating within his soul form, absorbing his soul energy with little restraint. As previously agreed upon, Yan Zaizen would focus on body and qi cultivation to further his progression to excavate his origin source and bloodline. If he could do so, it seems when he reaches the Perfect Aurora Soul Realm, a miraculous change may ur giving him untold benefits. He wasn¡¯t sure what, but he trusted Pinaka¡¯s advice.

    She was beyond him in age, which indicated that she had boundless experience. Not to mention, they were connected via his dao. With this intimate connection, he could feel her intentions.

    "Refine the Regalia with your heart..." He softly whispered. The description wasn¡¯t overly specific in intricacies, but at least it had a method to do so.

    His breathing slowly entered a strange rhythm. As his breathing did so, so did his heartbeat. This rhythm seemed to call upon a miraculous power hidden deep within his cells and called upon some unknown force from within.

    THUMP!

    THUMP!!

    THUMP!!!

    The surface of his body started to glow with a faint golden light that seemed to wish to break free from the heavenly restraints. It gave the surrounding area a suppressive feel that left one breathless and trembling in fear. Despite being several li away from Yan Zaizen, Tao was instantly disturbed. He felt an inherent but deep prating fear that seemed to burrow deep into his soul.

    The profound feeling was like staring at the world rushing towards you with malicious intent. Before long, his body was filled with sweat and he could barely move.

    Bai Lufeng was even worse. Not only was he kneeling, but clutching at his heart, feeling overwhelmed with a terrifyingly profound sensation of inferiority and insignificance. It was as if the sound was informing him that his existence was less than dust itself. Even tears started dripping from his eyes instinctively.

    "I¡¯m...crying...?" He couldn¡¯t help but touch his eyes to feel its moistness. It¡¯s been thousands of years since hest cried, but now he couldn¡¯t stop himself. Biting his lips in defiance, he roared outwards, but the thumping only increased which turned that defiant roar into a tiny whimper of submission.

    Tao had already folded into a fetal position, his body trembling incessantly with each thumping sound. The other existences within tens of li range were simr. This experience was as if the heavens were informing them of their insignificance and pointless existence.

    They wanted to defy its words but simply couldn¡¯t.

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s reaction waspletely different. His amber eyes glowed with traces of golden light that seemed to prate all existence and his body thumped so loudly that the world trembled around him, but where he sat, it was as still as it could be. It was as if the itself couldn¡¯t stop trembling but afraid of disturbing Yan Zaizen¡¯s cultivation.

    "AHHHHHH!!!" Thundering out a roar that caused the skies to roil and the 3,000-meter mountain to develop an infinite amount of cracks as if it would shatter with the slightest touch.

    The inky ck wood seemed to be drawn by some unknown power as it floated beside Yan Zaizen, specifically where his powerful heart was releasing that imperious sound. It released strings of ck and white, entering his heart slowly. As the strings were drawn into him, the inky ck wood shrunk little by little.

    After several minutes, the inky ck wood and white me no longer existed outside, but its conceptualw and powerid within Yan Zaizen¡¯s heart. If one could rip open his heart, they would see white and ck strings circling around as if in a beautiful dance.

    Slowly, that originally red heart started to change, its color bing golden with traces of ck and white. As it did, his bones became whiter than snow, his lungs became as ck as the darkest night, and his blood had a mixture of the three colors.

    An unprecedented evolution was being undergone that has never been done before! There have been other cultivators of the Grand Herculean Physique, but never have they merged two conceptualws into one heart! There have been many that have tried during the eras, but all failed. However, due to the synchronized existence between the two, it was possible!

    His heart grew twice its size, and his bones were harder than ever before and muscles had became strengthened yet remained supple and flexible. His skin was now wless without a single natural blemish, and his physical features were dashing to the limit! Unlike beautiful men with feminine features, Yan Zaizen could be ssified as an exceptionally handsome man with astonishing male features!

    Vibrant amber-gold eyes, powerfully sculptured muscles, tall stature, chiseled cheekbones, and perfect facial features! The pinnacle of a man!

    A long while flew by in an instant.

    Slowly, Yan Zaizen opened his eyes to reveal bright amber-gold eyes that shined with siphoning maism and unlimited lifeforce. A smirk tugged at his lips as he revealed his set of pearly white teeth. A breath of air was released, but it wasn¡¯t turbid by any means, but filled with an alluring vor! A clench of his fist caused the surrounding air to yield to his motion.

    "Grand Herculean Physique." He silently muttered to himself, standing upright inside the cave and discovering he was now two inches taller, standing at six feet and two inches. His muscles weren¡¯t bulky, but they possessed an explosive feeling with traces of profound suppleness and flexibility. He felt that he could shatter a mountain with a single blow.

    He could shatter the sky with a single blow!

    "Your...progression..." Pinaka¡¯s soft voice resounded within his soul, it was filled with shock and awe. If anyone was familiar with Yan Zaizen¡¯s physical condition, it would be the one who was connected to his soul. She could feel his extraordinary vital energy that was exceptionally potent to the point where she quivered slightly.

    Of course, this was only because she was weakened. If she was at her full, this aura could barely make her twitch.

    "This is only the initial-stage of the Grand Herculean Physique. I wonder...how strong am I now?" After refining the Regalia, he could feel his connection to thews of life and death had be exceptionally profound and clear. With a motion of his qi, he revealed a brilliant white me in his right palm and an inky ck orb in his left. His eyes shined with dazzling light of excitement.

    "Perfect Force Level, of both." He remarked, noticing that the amount ofw they both possessed was full and they werepletely saturated. Perhaps in the near future, he¡¯ll be able to reach the Manifestation-level.

    Pinaka wasn¡¯t surprised, however. Having refined a Regalia of the Heavens, this advancement was expected. If anything, she expected it to be far higher. This was literally an object carved naturally by the heavens or created by someone who reached the peak of both conceptualws! Refining it into one¡¯s body would bring extraordinary effects!

    "Your strength...hard to estimate due to body cultivation physique strength being hard to gauge outside of actual battle, but your vital energies...it should rival those at the True Essence Realm in intensity." She softly calcted Yan Zaizen¡¯stest vital energies, but obviously, she couldn¡¯t be sure. Unless he revealed his vital energies to its maximum with a proper martial art, determining his strength would be nearly impossible.

    "Hahahaha!!!" Yan Zaizen couldn¡¯t help butugh. Not to mention, he felt like his blood contained traces of lifeforce so powerful that it scared him, while also having death aura mixed within that seemed to have originated from his lungs.

    With every breath, his quad-lungs would absorb the essence from the air, convert this essence into death-attributed essence, and this essence would flow into his blood and to his heart. When it did, the heart would absorb the death-attributed essence and convert it to even stronger lifeforce that would flow throughout the body to strengthen every aspect of his physique.

    He was truly getting stronger with every breath!

    It followed the same concept as the inky ck wood!!

    "AHHHHH!!" He roared towards the sky with a voice filled with exhration and power.

    However...

    The mountain he resided in that was nearing copse...

    Copsed...

 Chapter 103 Plan

    "Tao...you look like you¡¯ve had a mountain fall on you." Bai Lufeng said, stifling augh as he looked at Tao¡¯s appearance.

    Tao was covered in dust, his clothes ripped from the sharp rocks, and his body filled with cuts, bruises, and indentations from pelleting of rocks. Even if he had an Origin Realm cultivation base, that didn¡¯t mean he could handle a mountain copse on him. He was almost in tears as he felt sore all over, his gaze when he looked at Yan Zaizen was filled with an intense grievance.

    Yan Zaizen looked away, holding his smile. Not only did he cause both of them to feel a hint of inferiority that caused them to waddle up like babies for a bit, but he also caused a mountain to copse. He felt a little guilty, but it was a bit funny. The reason for that was simple.

    Earlier...

    "I don¡¯t know if you should cultivate in the same mountain as me," Yan Zaizen warned.

    "Pfft, even if you bring down the mountain, I¡¯ll be unharmed. I¡¯m not at the Origin Core Realm for show!" Tao responded in a voice filled with pride and reassurance.

    Yet...

    "Well, I did warn you..." Yan Zaizen quietly muttered, avoiding Tao¡¯s gaze while rubbing his nose lightly. Tao snorted in defiance, unwilling to ept that exnation.

    You copsed a mountain on top of me!

    How could I forgive you with just that?

    However, Yan Zaizen directly ignored his grievance and tried to change the subject. "Have you figured out the amount of wealth we¡¯ve umted so far?" This was a very important question. Thest time they checked their wealth was after the royal robbery, but now they¡¯ve robbed two first-tier sects ¡ª Soaring Cloud Sect & Earthly Titan Sect ¡ª and many of their experts. As for the Soaring Cloud Sect, they ripped it from its roots and pocketed it all.

    Tao¡¯s eyes lit up with excitement with a slight smile, as if his wounds didn¡¯t exist. He checked his spatial ring, his eyes suffused with a little bit of greed. "The Soaring Cloud Sect truly had some good things, some very rare materials they likely didn¡¯t know how to use or was saving it. Simr to the Earthly Titan Sect. Not to mention, I found a True Essence Sublimation Pill from the elderly male Soaring Cloud Sect¡¯s Grand Elder who fought back viciously in defiance."

    No wonder he fought back so fiercely, this pill was sufficient enough to help someone at half-step True Essence Realm breakthrough! It heightened the chances, but because his cultivation was far too low, he couldn¡¯t use it. They were all surprised that he possessed this pill.

    Those weren¡¯t the only incredible things. The Sectmasters of both sects possessed an extraordinary amount of wealth. Asmonly known in the cultivation world, even if someone had an extraordinary amount of essence to make a cultivation breakthrough, it still required a vast amount of time to refine those materials and thus cultivators, especially high-ranking ones, typically had a vast amount of low/mid-grade liquid essence drops.

    "Adding everything obtained after Sky Heart City, we¡¯ve gained nearly two billion in wealth. In total, we¡¯ve earned seven billion, and that is just market price estimations! If we had the highest price for all the rare materials and pills, we could easily reach ten billion!" His eyes suffused with intense greed.

    Bai Lufeng and Yan Zaizen weren¡¯t any different, their eyes filled with the light of greed. "We¡¯re rich! Hahaha!" Laughing towards the skies, Yan Zaizen felt iparably satisfied. However, Tao said words that broke their dreams. "We may have this amount of wealth, but we still have to trade it for actual essence to be worth much, otherwise...we just have a lot of useless materials we can¡¯t really make use of..."

    "..."

    Yeah...right.

    Even if the things they possessed were worth ten billion, that didn¡¯t mean they actually had ten billion in their possession. Yan Zaizen sighed in resignation, "What about in actual wealth?"

    "About two billion..." His voice was filled with a deted tone.

    Bai Lufeng¡¯s eyes widened with surprise. Two billion may be far less than ten billion, but that was still two billion! The equivalence to twenty mid-grade essence crystals! This amount of wealth would still blow grand-tier powers out of the water, but they looked like they were robbed! These people...if it wasn¡¯t for the fact Yan Zaizen could kill him with a thought, and Tao wasn¡¯t exactly a small fry, he would¡¯ve smacked them both upside the head.

    "Well, two billion is good enough. We can trade off the materials at the Capital, maybe auction a few of them off, right?" Yan Zaizen inquired. Tao responded with a slight nod in agreement.

    "Then, that¡¯s that. We have two True Essence Sublimation Pill, and many other grand-tier pills and elixirs, we can definitely sell them for top dor!" Yan Zaizen eximed.

    "..." Both Tao and Bai Lufeng remained silent.

    Did he really want to sell the pills and elixirs? Did he really want to sell the True Essence Sublimation Pills?! Was he insane?! They were priceless, who would ever even think about it?

    Seeing both of their looks, Yan Zaizen felt a little embarrassed after some thought. These pills and elixirs may not be useful to him now but they may be useful to him in the future. "Okay...we¡¯ll sell the materials for top dor!" He corrected.

    They both nodded in perfect sync.

    "Young Lord Zai, you¡¯ve changed." Bai Lufeng finally took notice of Yan Zaizen¡¯s extraordinary changes. Not only was he taller, he looked more attractive, even Bai Lufeng was feeling odd sensations from looking into those amber-gold eyes.

    Tao, however, didn¡¯t even take note. He pretty much saw Yan Zaizen grow a foot and change drastically during the Deep Mines over the course of two years, he was numb to it.

    "I¡¯ve had a breakthrough in my body cultivation method." Yan Zaizen casually replied. Bai Lufeng didn¡¯t know about the Immortal Herculean Physique, so he could only ept that response and not delve deeper. It was obvious Yan Zaizen wasn¡¯t willing to speak further on the subject.

    However, both Bai Lufeng and Tao couldn¡¯t help but conceal a deepplex feeling within their hearts. Earlier, they were in a terrible state of emotional and mental instability. Yan Zaizen¡¯s breakthrough had caused them to nearly copse in mentality as if the heavens deemed them irrelevant.

    Luckily, the moment Yan Zaizen finished his cultivation and arrived near them, they could feel his dao aura that radiated slightly quickly repair their mentality with unyielding confidence, warm sensation of safety, and they regained control of their lives once more.

    Essentially, just his presence alone allowed them to feel better.

    Tao felt this more prominently than Bai Lufeng, and he was relieved. Yan Zaizen became his guiding light of hope and he gained new ambitions and dreams under him. Around Yan Zaizen, he felt beyondfortable.

    "We¡¯ll cultivate for a few more months and take off towards the Presba Capital." Yan Zaizen dered. Tao and Bai Lufeng nodded in understanding.

    The Presba Capital was the capital city of the entire country. It housed numerous grand-tier ns, the imperial-tier royal n, and the solitary sword sect. Despite its name of being a city, it covered a vast amount ofnd that exceeded two thousand li.

    Yan Zaizen intended to use their continental-type Spatial tform. Unlike the spatial tform in Sky Heart City, Xuanwu City or Sky Titan City, this tform could travel to other continentals within the Xiantu Realm.

    This tform was how all major transactions between continents were performed, and it was due to this tform built by the Xiantu Empire that all the grand-tier or higher forces gathered within this so-called capital city. All four of the countries and a few other powers had their own continental-type spatial tform.

    "Xiantu Continent..." Yan Zaizen muttered softly to himself. This realm had three continentals each with millions of inds ¡ª Fallen Stars Continent, Mystic Wave Continent, and Xiantu Continent ¡ª but the Xiantu Empire was located at the Xiantu Continent.

    Not only was the Xiantu Empire located there but also the Main Headquarters of the Anima Syndicate! This was his destination. He could go to one of the lesser locations for membership, but the main headquarters were spoken of by Wu Yuanxu with an air of reverence.

    He mentioned the extraordinary cultivators there, the status one would receive if they were a high-ranking member and various things that fascinated Yan Zaizen.

    Not to mention, the Xiantu Continent was the strongest continental ground within the Xiantu Realm! Yan Zaizen¡¯s intentions were to explore the myriad realms! Why not have the continental capital of his birth realm as his first destination?

 Chapter 104 Tyrannical Martial Ar

    "Grand Herculean Physique..." Yan Zaizen was seated in a lotus position floating atop ake¡¯s surface. The intended n was to wait for several months to consolidate his body cultivation and practice his arts before restarting their journey to the Presba Capital.

    This was taking into consideration the time it took to refine an Origin Consolidating Pill for Bai Lufeng and Tao¡¯s own cultivation goals. Of course, a few months may not be much in the grand scheme of things, but it¡¯ll definitely be beneficial to perform ascetic cultivation after a breakthrough.

    "Your foundation is astounding." Pinaka softly admitted within Yan Zaizen¡¯s soul form. Oftentimes, they wouldmunicate via the soul unless Yan Zaizen decided to take the initiative to enter his sea of consciousness in soul form. She continued, "You possess a half-step Perfect Aurora Soul, a physique and vital energy that could rival the True Essence Realm, and a qi-cultivation that¡¯s been tempered by four worldws."

    If this was given to someone who was tens of thousands of years old, this wouldn¡¯t be impressive, but it was on someone who was twenty-two! Xiantu Realm may be weak in the overall scheme of things, but that didn¡¯t mean they were truly insignificant. The Xiantu Empire could control an entire realm after all, only those who¡¯ve taken a step towards rivaling the heavens could aplish such a feat.

    How could anyone who could perform such a feat be considered weak? How could the people they govern be weak? Yet, Yan Zaizen could probably eclipse a majority of the realm¡¯s poption at twenty-two.

    "Uhm...thanks." Yan Zaizen awkwardly said, rubbing his nose with eyes suffused with intense satisfaction. However, Pinaka¡¯s next words dumbed cold water on him.

    "If it wasn¡¯t for the fact you are unbelievably bad at practicing arts, you would be the perfect cultivator!" She mentioned as if praising him, but it felt like rocks pelleting his confidence.

    Yan Zaizen wanted to refuse but couldn¡¯t.

    It was true; Yan Zaizen was terrible at practicing arts. He¡¯s made zero headway into the Grand Heavenly Zone and had to change the Violet Way of Spatial Shifting to something else. This wasn¡¯t some ingenious move that should be praised, the Violet Way of Spatial Shifting aligned perfectly with Yan Zaizen¡¯s Spatial Form of Infinite Stability, but he simply couldn¡¯t figure out how to enter the spatial void.

    By all means, this was horrible.

    It was like someone tried to solve a puzzle to input specific blocks into specific holes, but because they couldn¡¯t figure out how, they threw the puzzle away and made their own blocks and holes. Because of this, he could only use the cultivation art as a reference and had to devise this new Infinite Chaotic Immersion Art by himself.

    Yan Zaizen had a dark expression on his face, his eyes filled with traces of reluctance and unyieldingness.

    Wait.

    Yan Zaizen had a miraculous memory pop into his head. "Earlier, you mentioned that if I had a mental cultivation art, I could fix this issue!"

    A mental cultivation art trains the psyche in a unique way which brings about a myriad of extraordinary effects, especially towards one¡¯sprehension towardsws, arts, or even the dao, memory, processing of information, heightened physical senses, and far more. It was exceptionally beneficial to armament creators and alchemists.

    However, it had its disadvantages. It could result in a split in personality,ck of impulse control, too much impulse control, emotional degradation, and in some cases, shattering of the psyche if cultivated improperly. One could even turn into apletely different individual mentally.

    A majority of the myriad realms do not cultivate the mind and it has even been ouwed by some races. Even in the Xiantu Realm, the number of circted mental arts could be counted on one¡¯s hand.

    Pinaka couldn¡¯t help but be stunned for a second, "Indeed, a mental cultivation art could help you fix this issue of your cognitiveprehension and perception. There is a major issue with that, however. Mental cultivation arts are very changing to your personality and for those who¡¯veprehended a dao, if you cultivate the wrong art, your dao would automatically copse."

    It¡¯s not like she wanted to keep things from Yan Zaizen, but she truly didn¡¯t have a mental art suitable for him. His tyrannical dao didn¡¯t fit the mental cultivation art she knew, which focuses on honing the mind with serenity and patience. Before she met Yan Zaizen, she was reserved and filled with gentle serenity, but Yan Zaizen¡¯s dao has already impacted her personality to an extraordinary degree. They were too opposing.

    She could barely contain her contempt, her disdain, or her harsh words. She and Yan Zaizen were different by the core, so their reactions to his dao were different, but give that type of dao to someone who¡¯s lived for countless years, seen many things, and having to interact with someone with very little knowledge.

    It was VERY hard to deal with.

    If it wasn¡¯t for Yan Zaizen¡¯s understanding of her personality shift due to his dao, it¡¯s highly likely with Yan Zaizen¡¯s dao, he would¡¯veshed out at her long ago. Fortunately, his dao was still in its nascent form which was evolving its characteristics and gained some warmth. Despite this, it didn¡¯t affect her enough to abate the distressing personality traits, but it did let her care more than before.

    "I see...so, no art? Even amongst the books?" Yan Zaizen inquired, unwilling to give up.

    "None that wouldn¡¯t cause your dao to shatter almost instantly."

    Yan Zaizen softly sighed with sadness, but not defeat! If he didn¡¯t have one on hand, that didn¡¯t mean a mental cultivation art suitable for him didn¡¯t exist! One day, he¡¯ll find one to properly cultivate his mental cognitive functions and improve his talent in arts.

    As for his intelligence, it wasn¡¯t horrible, but he was simply inexperienced, like a child. The more he learned, the greater he¡¯d progress. Unfortunately, his childhood wasn¡¯t filled with many lessons and schr studies.

    Taking a deep breath, he put his mind elsewhere, recalling the Immortal Herculean Method branded into his soul. "Now that I¡¯ve reached the Grand Herculean Physique, I can practice the Herculean Avatar Art." He decided.

    The Herculean Avatar Art was a manifestation-based martial art that wasn¡¯t really a unique art within its category. Pretty much all cultivation methods from qi, body, or soul would have an avatar art with slight variations in form and execution. It¡¯s because of this that it didn¡¯t have a specific grade or level of sesses. The moment you cultivate it, it¡¯ll progress alongside the progression of your cultivation.

    "Use your vital energies to manifest a Herculean Avatar. Eclipse the world with your palm, crush mountains with your feet, and conquer all with your gaze." He recited the basic synopsis. The Immortal Herculean Method truly had domineering descriptions for everything and he couldn¡¯t help but feel excited. Unfortunately, besides this Herculean Avatar Art, the Immortal Herculean Method had no other arts.

    "If I can cultivate this, I¡¯ll be able to manifest a herculean avatar out of my vital energy and fight with others!"

    Pinaka intervened, "You should be careful when you cultivate this art." She calmly reminded with traces of wary in her tone.

    Huh?

    "What do you mean?"

    "Avatar Arts are basic, but this cultivation method is beyond domineering and heaven-defying. You refined a Regalia of the Heavens simply to reach the second level, and there¡¯s still three more. There¡¯s no way this art is ordinary, and it may elicit odd consequences if you cultivate improperly." She warned, obviously fearing him improperly cultivating the art and causing a cultivation deviation moment that could take his life. Normally, she wouldn¡¯t warn anyone of something so basic, but Yan Zaizen had poor artprehension talent. If something went wrong during cultivation, it¡¯s likely he¡¯ll suffer miserably.

    "..." He understood what she meant. However, how could he just run away with those words? He had to cultivate it regardless!

    Four monthster, Tao and Bai Lufeng had finished their respective cultivation. They stood beside theke Yan Zaizen was cultivating above. However, their expressions were filled with extreme fear and backs drenched with cold sweat. As Origin Core Cultivators, they would¡¯ve never imagined an aura would cause them to feel such a reaction.

    It wasn¡¯t as intense as before when they were huddled like babies in a corner, but it wasn¡¯t that far off. It was like they¡¯d just saw a god before them in its full glory. Both of their mouths felt horrendously dry and their heartbeats were uncontrobly erratic.

    "HAHAHAHAHA!!!" Yan Zaizen wasughing at the center of theke, his eyes filled with an amber-gold luster that felt heaven-defying. His body gave off a strong sensation of vital energy that could put all the True Essence Realm cultivators he¡¯d met thus far deep into the dirt with shame.

    "I did it! Hehe!" He was beyond excited. Pinaka, on the other hand, was silent as night within his soul form. Currently, she was hurdled within his soul form absorbing his soul energy like a baby sucking a pacifier. Every now and then, one could see her bow form inside Yan Zaizen¡¯s soul quiver slightly.

    Yan Zaizen ignored herck of reaction, clenched his fists and felt like he was drenched in gold. The Herculean Avatar Art truly was domineering and his first true Martial Art that he felt proud to possess. Initially, he had his assumptions about the art, but its true form surprised him.

    Normally, Avatar Arts would simply manifest arger version of oneself, but this art was fundamentally different, just like Pinaka said, but it was spectacr in its difference. This was because of one of its core differences: It was easy to cultivate for Yan Zaizen.

    Unlike normal arts which were filled withplexities, this art focused on instinctual feelings for progression, it was very well suited for those with his mentality. Despite this art not having any defined mastery levels, he felt like he reached the very peak in just a few months.

    Hended softly beside the ufortable Tao and Bai Lufeng. As he wasughing softly, the fear in their eyes lessened unconsciously. After regaining their breaths andposure, they both said, "Congrattions, Young Lord Zai."

    "Mhm. We¡¯re ready to go?" He inquired. They both nodded in assent. Now that they¡¯ve finished their respective cultivation, they could depart.

 Chapter 105 Capital of Presba

    Presba¡¯s Capital was a hoarding-grounds of the myriad of grand-tier forces in Presba, including the Imperial-tier royal n. In Presba, there were only seven grand-tier forces, including the newly ascended Water Veil Sect.

    The three ns: Xin n, Ke n, and Li n.

    The two sects: Solitary Sword Sect and Water Veil Sect.

    The two pces: Dark Mist Pce and Earthly Fortune Pce.

    All of these forces had half-step True Essence or True Essence Cultivators at the helm, with the three strongest being the Xin n, Li n, Solitary Sword Sect, and Earthly Fortune Pce with peak Initial-True Essence experts dominating their region.

    There were also many first-tier and second-tier forces who were subordinates of these powers residing within the capital as well. Due to this, conflict wasmon and even war was sometimes executed within the capital. Despite this, it was still the safest ce in all of Presba. The Imperial n of Presba ruled over the central area in the capital which made all those nearby to not be bothered by any outside forces, typically dealing with internal issues instead.

    It was the only Imperial-tier force with a mid-True Essence expert simr to Grux. It was only because all of the countries were roughly at the same power that no wars among them ur. If it did, whoever ended up winning would just be swept by the other countries until the entire continental hierarchy copsed into chaos.

    The Presba Capital was divided into three sections, the outer wall, the inner wall, and the royal wall. Each wall circled around the vastnd sealing off any intruders and fortifying its defenses. Despite not fearing war due to the consequences, it didn¡¯t mean the country didn¡¯t prepare for it. The outer wall contained the myriad of second-tier and first-tier forces with countless civilians and cultivators making way with their lives.

    The inner wall mostly contained cultivators as civilians and was home to all the grand-tier forces, excluding the Water Veil Sect. The royal wall contained only the territory of the imperial-tier force that was the imperial family. Thend within the walls wasrge enough to rival all the ownednd of the grand-tier forces, not to mention it was far richer in terms of atmospheric essense density.

    Each wall stood a thousand meters high, filled with various formation inscriptions that would cause anyone analyzing them to feel a headache. Atop the walls were numerous guards patrolling on its broad surface. There were even houses located at the height of the walls, likely the barracks or residences of the guards.

    "It truly is extraordinary." Yan Zaizen couldn¡¯t help but exim in wonder. Out of all the cities he¡¯s seen, this was by far thergest and most spectacr he¡¯d everid his eyes on. The wall itself was so tall that he felt as if a mountain was before him, and the myriad of formations gave it a profound sensation that could cause one to prostrate in reverence.

    It took three full months since their cultivation session to arrive here. Yan Zaizen was now twenty-three years of age, if you considered his time in chaotic space, and he had a more refined aura than before. There were several events of note urred during their journey, such as an attempted robbery by a half-step Origin Core Realm pirate, helping a family survive the onught of bandits, and getting dirt drunk at one of the cities in their path.

    When they left the city, Bai Lufeng said something that caused both Yan Zaizen and Tao shocked.

    "I wonder...if I have another kid now..."

    Yan Zaizen and Tao just shook their heads at those words. This man truly was a yboy, but if these women fell for his moves, what were they to say? Not to mention, with Bai Lufeng¡¯s lifestyle from before, it¡¯s likely he left many children without a father. Actually, Bai Lufeng wasn¡¯t the only cultivator who took this lifestyle, but many others.

    Tao informed Yan Zaizen that fatherless children happen quite often in the myriad realms either due to the death and struggle cultivators must face or the journey to the peak takes them away. If you wish for a good future with protection for your kids, you will need strength, and in search of that strength, many men left their families. Tao was actually someone who suffered this fate.

    He was an orphan after both his father and mother died to the cruelty that was Grux in their search for strength. Despite this, his exceptional talent and intelligence got him noticed by the Imperial Schr at the time, and after many trials and tribtions, he took up the Imperial Schr¡¯s family name and Grux title.

    The world truly held limitless opportunities ready to be taken and limitless dangers ready to reap away lives at a moment¡¯s notice.

    "When we arrive, we should buy a better skyship." Yan Zaizen remarked. This skyship had the top speed of a peak-Qi Unification Cultivator, but that was exceptionally slow to all those on board. Just casual flight for any of them could leave this skyship in the dust. His words were greeted with simultaneous nods from Tao and Bai Lufeng.

    This skyship truly was horrible in terms of speed. If they had a better one, they could travel the myriad realms dozens of times faster. If it wasn¡¯t for theirck of rushing, they would¡¯ve already just flown to the capital with their own cultivation bases.

    They arrived at the outer gates of the capital. Each wall had four gates signifying the four directions, and they were about a hundred meters in height with several hundred meters in width. It was like a huge, rectangr gate. The first Yan Zaizen ever saw, but after seeing the myriad of people, skyships, andrge mounts traveling in and out of the capital, he could understand why it was so wide.

    "The poption within the capital exceeds one hundred million." Tao softly said at the side, looking at this grand city with calm eyes. Grux had ten times Presba¡¯s total poption, and they were in the tens of billions, but with a simrnd area. Seeing the dense number of people, he didn¡¯t even flinch. Not only that, Bai Lufeng had the same sentiments. This wasn¡¯t anything too extraordinary to him.

    Yan Zaizen had asked Tao about the issue of poption vs resources in Grux and why they didn¡¯t simply attack other countries with their sheer numbers. However, Tao educated him thoroughly. Grux had an abundance of materials but not cultivation resources. In the cultivation world, a single Origin Core expert could mindlessly ughter hundreds of thousands of Essence Formation cultivators with very little effort.

    Because of this, numbers barely matter in a war between cultivators. What matters is the highest cultivation, taking Yan Zaizen and Yao Wuhen¡¯s fight into consideration, they pretty much leveled several li of distance with a single exchange. In a war, the True Essence experts will determine the winners, but Grux cultivators in terms of strength were pretty even with the rest.

    Despite their boundless materials they can gain wealth off of, this still required time or alchemists to better make use of it. Yet, while they use this time, how could the others not also make use of this? Not to mention, make absurd trades with Grux who needed a vast amount of resources? Cultivating a single expert at the True Essence realm would take thousands of years. It was just too difficult.

    Presba, on the other hand, had the issue with disaster beasts. They were swarmed by it and clearing them off was an impossibility due to the divine beasts within it. This prevented them from removing a threat that impeded their sess. In Grux, they had very little disaster beasts, but Presba had to share their resources with them, or face a civil war within their country.

    Each country seemed to have their own respective issues that prevented their growth, but this bnce left the continent stable. The Mystic Wave Continent, from Tao¡¯s knowledge, was filled with an ever-existing war within the territory. It was like Presba but more vtile. The war between divine beasts and cultivators were extraordinary there.

    "The world truly is filled withplexities." Yan Zaizenmented at the side, feeling excited to see all the different situations and to interact with all types of races. When he first arrived in Xuanwu City, he had his first desire to meet an actual Divine Beast, perhaps...he¡¯ll be able to do so sooner than he originally believed.

    They entered the outer wall without trouble after paying a fee. It wasn¡¯t particrly expensive, but to purchase an ID for continuous entry and exit was. They didn¡¯t have any intention of leaving Presba except through the continental-type spatial tform, so there was no need for that.

 Chapter 106 Star Night Royal City

    "Star Night Royal City, the capital city of the Inner Walls within the capital itself. Thergest, most prosperous city within the Inner Walls. Home to the Earthly Fortune Pce and Xin n. Also, home to the continental spatial tform. Due to this, it could be considered a capital within a capital." Tao slowly listed off some information he¡¯d obtained of this city from records in Grux.

    Passing through the inner wall was as easy as the outer wall. As long as you have the proper wealth to purchase an entry pass, you can enter the inner wall. However, it was dozens of times more expensive than the outer wall.

    "Finally, we¡¯re here." Yan Zaizen remarked, looking at the astonishing skyscrapers and spectacr buildings with varied designs littering the city. He instructed Tao tond the skyship outside of the city gates. Afterward, he immediately stored the skyship within the Meteor Ring, causing quite a few people who were curious about their existence to have widened eyes. It was incredibly umon for a ring to be able to store a skyship, and unless it was specifically designed to hold the skyship, it was a near impossible feat.

    Anyone who could aplish or possess such means would definitely have an extraordinary status.

    Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t mind the gazes, looking at Bai Lufeng with some thought. His gaze caused Bai Lufeng to feel strange, and he was even fidgeting a little in his spot like a child being watched by their parent.

    "Don¡¯t cause any trouble in the city." Yan Zaizen warned. Earlier, while they were traveling through Presba, this man didn¡¯t only indulge in his desires, but he often caused issues with the natives. Of course, with his profound cultivation base, he could handle any issue, but it was still troublesome if he offended some great force.

    Bai Lufeng looked away with some shame, unable to muster any feeling of being aggrieved at the warning. Tao scanned Bai Lufeng and shook his head, disying his apparent disapproval of his abhorrent actions. If this Bai Lufeng was more like him, a schrly gentleman, how could he be in this position?

    However, Yan Zaizen turned his gaze to Tao. This time, his eyes became more solemn than before. "Especially you."

    What?!

    Tao was appalled at this usation and deration, taking a deep breath, reeling backwards, and cing his hand softly on his chest. His eyes filled with disbelief at such words. Could it be that Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t trust him? Him?! He couldn¡¯t help but put on an aggrieved expression of presumed innocence.

    Yan Zaizen directly ignored his bullshit expressions of disbelief and added, "No drinks."

    This Tao may seem all schrly and nice on the outside, but the moment he gets a bit of drink in him, he does the most ridiculous things. His hidden perversions would reveal itselfpletely leaving no trace of his previous schrly bearing. If Bai Lufeng caused them trouble due to his disdain and arrogance, then that¡¯s fine and reasonable. However, this person caused many fathers, mothers, daughters, and spouses to feel murderous rage at his acts.

    Unfortunately...his profound cultivation base just made him untouchable to most. Normally, Yan Zaizen wouldn¡¯t have to worry about these two, but in the Star Night Royal City, he truly felt the need to restrain them. Sure, he wasn¡¯t afraid of anyone in the country, even if the Ancient Emperor of Presba was before him, he¡¯d still have no fear, but that didn¡¯t mean he wanted to offend everyone in the country.

    These two would definitely act with unbridled methods if left alone due to his protection. It felt like watching two kids at a yground, afraid they may trouble the other kids. He looked at them with keen eyes, but for some odd reason, he truly felt like his warning was lost on the both of them.

    A soft sighter, he instructed, "Tao, sell the materials at the Earthly Fortune Pce. Bai Lufeng, arrange for the continental spatial tform at the earliest."

    They both nodded in response.

    Approaching the Star Night Royal Gates, they met a young man with ck hair and ample muscles fitted in a suit of armor. Surprisingly, at the gates, there was only this young man directly watching over entry and exits.

    The individuals in the city looked at him with apprehension, fear, and reverence. This young man looked in his mid-twenties, with vibrant eyes indicating an extraordinary lifeforce, and vital energy that felt suffocatingly strong. Bai Lufeng looked at the guard and others reactions to him, he couldn¡¯t help but scoff at it all.

    The guard only possessed the strength of an initial-Origin Core Realm and his vital energy aura was simr in intensity. The look on this guard¡¯s face was filled with arrogance and tyranny, and for some reason, it irked Bai Lufeng greatly. However, recalling Yan Zaizen¡¯s earlier warning, he decided to keep an indifferent expression on his face.

    Tao looked at this guard and couldn¡¯t help but appraise him. His young age and profound body and qi cultivation base indicated an extraordinary status and future. However, he was a mere gate guard. This was shocking.

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s reaction wasn¡¯t as intense. He directly ignored this man¡¯s traits and gave him no look of appraisal. Currently, Yan Zaizen had already built himself a steady foundation and with his dao filled with a tyrannical ferocity bordering on imperialistic sovereignty, how could he give anyone who works as a gate guard a gaze of appraisal?

    Were they even worth it?

    They directly stood in-front of the gates. The guard scanned them with his senses and his brow pricked in interest. Tao was young with an initial-Origin Core cultivation base and Bai Lufeng was at the mid-Origin Core Realm, how could this not cause the young man to feel surprised? Typically, in Star Night Royal City, those in that level of strength would typicallye with airs to the heavens and nose so high the sky was beneath them.

    However, Tao and Bai Lufeng were a step behind Yan Zaizen, obviously disying their inferiority in terms of status and importance. He looked at Yan Zaizen and furrowed his brows. Yan Zaizen vital energy aura and soul cultivation base was thoroughly hidden, but his qi cultivation base was at thete-Qi Unification Realm with an exceptionally youthful appearance.

    This caused the young guard to be surprised. He calcted that Yan Zaizen couldn¡¯t be more than a hundred-years-old, and for a junior to reach such a cultivation stage with a stable aura was exceptionally rare. He thought for a second, looking at Yan Zaizen with analyzing eyes.

    Being gazed at so intensely made Yan Zaizen a little ufortable, but since this was the guard¡¯s job, he would respect it. His personality has never been to eliminate people over the slightest of slights. Those he¡¯s killed thus far deserved to be killed.

    After a short while, the guard walked towards Yan Zaizen with steadily powerful steps. The armor on his body was exceptionally heavy that each step caused slight tremors through the ground for hundreds of meters. This would be like a mortal in the aftershock of an earthquake, but to cultivators, this was just a mild annoyance.

    "You, what¡¯s your name?" The guard asked, but the tone he spoke wasn¡¯t one filled with arrogance and disdain, but one filled with just a powerful domineering aura. The nearby individuals immediately drew their gazes over, looking at the guard and Yan Zaizen.

    "Oh god...to think they obtained ¡¯his¡¯ attention."

    "Xin Guanyu! He¡¯s making a move! What will he do?!"

    "...I wish I was in the city...hope I don¡¯t get caught in the crossfire..."

    Many individuals in the surroundings were having conversations rting to the young guard named Xin Guanyu.

    "Xin Guanyu?" Yan Zaizen silently thought. Star Night Royal City was controlled by the Xin n and Earthly Fortune Pce. Someone from the Xin n was actually the gate guard of the city, and one so young and obviously talented as well. This surprised Yan Zaizen, and the surrounding conversations intrigued him enough to give this Xin Guanyu an appraising eye.

    "Are you deaf?" Xin Guanyu frowned, looking at Yan Zaizen with a flickering light within his eyes. Bai Lufeng brows went up in excitement. Truly wishing for a conflict to ur at this moment, ready to watch the world burn. Tao, however, was solemn. Unlike Bai Lufeng, who wanted Yan Zaizen to throw the world into chaos with his exceptional prowess, Tao didn¡¯t want to create issues.

    Their goal was to use the continental spatial tform, not offend everyst power in existence.

    Yan Zaizen furrowed his brows but didn¡¯t take it seriously. "Yan Zaizen," he answered calmly.

    Yan Zaizen? Xin Guanyu couldn¡¯t recall any Yan n worthy of note. He could only assume that Yan Zaizen wished to remain anonymous due to reasons, but walking around with two Origin Core bodyguards was a little too noticeable.

    "Good. I¡¯m Xin Guanyu." His voice was truly bolstering to the atmosphere. "You can enter."

    What?!

    All that for...that?!

    Yan Zaizen felt puzzled.

 Chapter 107 Sun Huan

    Walking the vast and brilliant streets of Star Night Royal City, Yan Zaizen couldn¡¯t help but be lost in his thoughts. Earlier, Xin Guanyu approached him with vigor and dominance but didn¡¯t ask or do anything. Simply granted him entry.

    It was truly odd.

    Tao and Bai Lufeng was also a little confused by the events expecting something grand and epic to ur, but was left quite deted. Regardless, since no issues urred, they went along with their respective tasks. Tao had left for the Earthly Fortune Pce¡¯s Emporium to sell all their loose materials and to purchase other useful things such as a skyship, if possible.

    Bai Lufeng left to get an assigned time to use the continental spatial tform. Typically, spatial tforms would have specific days to be used to travel to specific ces. This was all worked out from behind the scenes by the owners¡¯ desire. Any outside use was generally considered an act of war. This situation was quite simr to the Xuanwu City spatial tform being used only once a year. However, that was only once a year to be sent outwards. They received many from other spatial tforms on varied days from many different locations.

    Arge reason for this was resources required for each use of the tform. Xuanwu City simply didn¡¯t have the materials or wealth to keep it functioning year round. Same could be said for a continental spatial tform in this city.

    As for Yan Zaizen, he didn¡¯t really have anything to do, but his experience in cities was just far too little. He decided to sightsee. However, the events from before simply took too much of his attention. He had a distinct feeling that this Xin Guanyu will be incredibly important or had a scheme set up that would involve him, perhaps with malicious intentions.

    If so...

    His eyes flickered with an intense murderous light.

    He¡¯ll kill all!

    "Liar! Liar! Liar!" The voice of a young woman resounded in the surroundings, causing all bystanders to look with intrigued interest. Even Yan Zaizen was attracted as he looked to see a beautiful, jadelike woman with a voluptuous figure that was tantalizing to all men. An average-looking young man, with an elegant white martial attire, a longsword brandished on his hip, and an aura like a sheathed de was in front of her.

    Currently, he had an expression that was ugly to the extreme, between crying andughing, trying to lower the woman¡¯s usations with every word. However, he failed with each attempt causing her to be further infuriated.

    "Lovers¡¯ spat?" Yan Zaizen chuckled inwardly, his eyes filled with amusement. He took the role of a bystander. Not many would know this, but Yan Zaizen loved drama! He enjoyed reading books about heroes and warriors traveling the world oveing countless trials and tribtions, but also those love-crazed men and women who lived and breathed for their spouses.

    He always imagined his mother and father were simr to those in their youths. The struggles, theughs, and the ¡¯as¡¯ from their heartfelt moments. It all truly got to him.

    The young man looked around as if hoping to grasp at straws for survival, and caught the sight of a handsomely brilliant young man with a violet martial attire, amber-gold eyes filled with brilliant lifeforce, a stable posture and glorious physique. His eyes flickered with disbelief but then suffused with intense excitement.

    As Yan Zaizen cultivated the Immortal Herculean Method, his appearance was bing more and more profoundly attractive. His originally amber-eyes which were once his favorite features were upgraded to amber-gold. This very feature also made him stand out in a crowd greatly, including his profound aura. If Yan Zaizen had been aware of his surroundings, he would¡¯ve noticed many females and males alike looking his way in intrigue and appraisal.

    In truth, this type of observation happened everywhere he went. However, he just ignored it subconsciously. Due to the trauma from his youth, he avoided looking at people who appraised him or stared at him. If he did notice, he would be parading the streets with a heroic expression filled with loftiness to muster more eyes of admiration.

    The young man dashed towards Yan Zaizen with steady steps, the young woman surprised but followed behind, her eyes filled with suspicion.

    "Brother! Why did you take so long?!" The young man, Sun Huan, slithered his way to Yan Zaizen side, wrapping his arm snuggly around Yan Zaizen¡¯s shoulder. Initially, Yan Zaizen was going to react violently to this sudden breach of personal space, but he was intrigued. He restrained himself and waited for this to y out.

    Seeing Yan Zaizen not fight back, the young man¡¯s eyes lit up with excitement.

    "Brother? Who¡¯s your brother?!" The young woman approached with eyes filled with suspicion. However, when she looked at Yan Zaizen¡¯s appearance, she felt odd. Her heart thumped slightly, and she felt slightly guilty. She turned her gaze away towards Sun Haun, hiding her emotions.

    "This is the person I was waiting for! I told you! I¡¯m not waiting for some other woman." Sun Huan said, using one more method to try to pacify her anger. However, she was still skeptical, but didn¡¯t wish to say anything cause of Yan Zaizen¡¯s extraordinary appearance. It was highly likely he was someone profoundly important, and she didn¡¯t wish to feel dumb by saying careless words.

    "Right? Brother?" Sun Huan¡¯s gaze seared through Yan Zaizen with helplessness.

    Inwardly, Yan Zaizen was chuckling like a maniac. This person was trying to get out of being caught cheating on his woman. This youngdy had a figure so voluptuously delicious that many wouldn¡¯t even think of cheating on her, but this average-looking swordsman had such balls.

    Yan Zaizen was just about to denounce it all and let it blow up in Sun Haun¡¯s face, perhaps snicker to the side as he watched the drama unfold, but a light glowed on the young woman¡¯s finger. A talisman transmission was received.

    After looking at it, her expression shifted to deep urgency, looking at Sun Huan and Yan Zaizen with a little bit of anger, but didn¡¯t pursue further. "Sun Huan, if I find you with another woman! I swear!" She threatened before utilizing a movement art to take off. The bystanders were disappointed, returning to their daily routine, but Yan Zaizen was even more disappointed.

    "He truly got out of this one..." Hemented silently.

    "Whew! I truly got out of that one!" Sun Huan said, patting Yan Zaizen on the back in good work. He was almost sure this bystander would ruin his fa?ade, but it seemed the heavens were on his side. Thinking a bit, he felt like he owed this bystander a bit for his silence. It was simr to how when one asks for information, they should repay for such information. If someone helps, they should receive help or reward in return.

    "I must thank you, uh...guy. My name¡¯s Sun Huan, how about I take you to eat at a great restaurant with the most extraordinary youths of this generation?!" His words were filled with excitement, but it didn¡¯t seem like he was actually excited. It was more like he was trying to sell Yan Zaizen something with a false belief in his product.

    However, Yan Zaizen only heard two words from that sentence.

    Free food!

    "DEAL!"

 Chapter 108 Seeing Her Again

    In Sky Night Royal City, there were many incredible locations for one to visit. However, there was always a single location that had the highest degree of prominence and raved reviews from all those who spoke its name. This location was called the Tian. It was a simple name, but it resounded gloriously throughout the city for having exclusive clientele, the greatest wine within all of Presba, and food that could make one a glutton.

    This was the general consensus to all those who¡¯ve had the luxury and privilege to dine at this restaurant.

    The building was rectangr in design, with three floors total, each ascending floor taller in height than the other. The walls were constructed from dreamwood, a materialmonly used in the creation of beds or chairs to emit an overlyfortable and pleasing sensation towards one¡¯s mind. The floor was paved with silver-gold wood that many didn¡¯t know the name of. It had the odd effect of naturally gathering essence energy from the air and releasing a stimting air that could promote one¡¯s cultivation.

    Simply staying in this restaurant for an hour could amount to a day of cultivation outside. There was a myriad of pirs ced intricately and meticulously around, each had unique inscriptions on them that gathered essence from the air and released it even thicker into the atmosphere. This coupled with the floors created a unique cycle that caused the air within the restaurant to be incredibly rich andfortable for cultivators.

    If a Qi Revolving cultivator could practice in this area for a week, they would immediately progress to the Essence Formation Realm with zero issues to their foundation.

    On the second floor reserved for those with prominent status, but not ones that rival half-step True Essence Cultivators, were five youths - three females and two males. They were exchanging conversation regarding various things, including cultivation, and other juicy details of the city. Each and every one of these youths had prominent statuses given to them by their masters, ns or sects.

    "Sun Huan iste...again." A beautiful young woman with long, fiery crimson hair and zing red eyes frustratedly remarked. Her body was exquisitely elegant, and her lips had a fiery red that made it look exceptionally plump filled with juicy vor. She was Li Ruogang, the daughter of the half-step True Essence Grand Elder within the Li n. Her status was exceptionally profound, capable of rivaling any of the threedies within Grux.

    "Why do we even care about him?" A handsome youth dressed in an elegant blue-robe questioned, his tone obviously filled with displeasure that others cared about Sun Huan. Despite this, his expression was calm and aloof. Ke Zedong was a member of the Ke n, his father and mother were both highly prominent members of their generations. His father was a warrior with a cultivation at the peak-Origin Core Realm while his mother held a recently attained title of a low-rank grand-tier alchemist.

    Unlike the Xi¨¡o City¡¯s Lord who was an official mid-rank grand-tier alchemist who produced many grand-tier elixirs and pills over the course of centuries. Despite this, she was still highly regarded amongst her peers.

    "..." A stoic male looked about with calm indifference that was far more real than Ke Zedong, he was dressed in ck with a spear leaning softly on his thighs. However, deep within those eyes, one could feel a faint battle intent that seemed to want to fight the heavens. He was the Dark Mist Pce¡¯s Core Disciple, Hei. Simr to Tao, he had no n name or family line.

    "He¡¯sing." A bespectacled, schr-like young woman with short ck hair voiced. She corrected her sses position with a slight push of her index finger, keeping her eyes honed to an open book in her hand. Despite her actions, no one voiced any objection to her actions. She belonged to the Earthly Fortune Pce with a high status, and simr to Hei, her name consisted of only hers: Mei.

    Thest individual had long brte hair, soft brown eyes that seemed to contain clear water, and a beauty that could rival any woman in this room. She was Ya Qinqan! They were all gathered in conversation, a gathering of those with high talents and potential that may dominate Presba in the future. None of these characters here could be slighted.

    As for Sun Huan, he didn¡¯t have a family-line, but he was a Core Disciple of the Solitary Sword Sect. Typically, those without a family-line were born as orphans and adopted by sects or ns. They would simply be given the name of the n or a n within the sect and their own names.

    Yan Zaizen looked at this three-storied but oddly proportioned building with an inquisitive eye. From Sun Huan¡¯s mouth, it seemed this location was incredibly prominent within the city and home to many talents and people of high talents. However, despite his words, he didn¡¯t seem to truly care much about this ce.

    "We¡¯re here." Sun Huan had a bored expression, losing any excited demeanor he once had. Witnessing this, Yan Zaizen felt a little awkward. He was here for free food, not really caring about Sun Huan¡¯s problems. After eating, he¡¯d take his leave. As for the geniuses gathered in the Star Night Royal City? He had little interest in it.

    "Gathered here to discuss the Heavenly Fortune Auction, yet having very little capital to get anything truly worthwhile." Sun Huan muttered, obviously feeling this gathering of talents that he was forced to attend by his superiors was irrelevant. However, the Heavenly Fortune Auction prickled Yan Zaizen¡¯s ears.

    "Heavenly Fortune Auction?"

    With the most unenthusiastic tone one could make, he replied, "Yes. It¡¯s something held once every century. Even True Essence Cultivators will be there, they¡¯ll be bidding for all sorts of miraculous treasures! Unfortunately..."

    I see.

    They were too poor to get anything worth shit.

    Yan Zaizen couldn¡¯t help but inwardly chuckle at this. However, the Heavenly Fortune Auction made his eyes shine with excitement. What if he sold the pills and elixirs in this auction? Wouldn¡¯t a storm be created and the wealth he could im be massive? Although Tao and Bai Lufeng would definitely dislike this, he could purchase a lot more useful things to him at the moment.

    Like a grand skyship!

    They walked into the restaurant. A young girl with a soft-like beauty greeted them, but seeing Sun Huan, she nodded and informed them that they were allowed to proceed to the second floor.

    The ce truly felt extraordinary to Yan Zaizen, his eyes flickering with various lights of interest. The floor, walls, and pirs were extraordinary. Even the smell was heavenly! He licked his lips in excitement, he would truly break this young man¡¯s wallet if given the chance.

    If someone offers free food, you take them for the ride of their lifetime! One filled with regret!!

    Well, he did make that girl angry, he deserves it. Mhm, definitely deserves it!

    His eyes flickering with a malicious light, chuckling evilly inside, but his stomach was rumbling with anticipation. Sun Huan felt a chill run down his spine as he felt sudden danger, but after scanning the area, he couldn¡¯t feel any.

    "Perhaps...I¡¯m imagining thing..." He couldn¡¯t help but silently mutter to himself infort.

    "Finally, you¡¯re here!" Ke Zedong said with hints of impatience. They entered the room under the urging of a waiter, arriving in the VIP closed off area filled with elegant paintings and exquisite design patterns etched everywhere. There were many different formations etched in this room, one that isted sound, prevented qi or soul sense from prating, and defensive formations making it incredibly resilient.

    As Yan Zaizen walked in, the five had their gazes pulled towards him. Each one of them had differing expressions, ranging from indifference, curiosity, surprise, anger, and disbelief. Hei was indifferent, Mei had curiosity in her gaze as she studied Yan Zaizen¡¯s masculine features and sculpted-like physique, Li Ruogang was surprised, Ke Zedong held anger within his eyes, and Ya Qinqan was in disbelief at the appearance of a new individual.

    "Who the hell is this?!" Ke Zedong exploded, questioning with fury at Sun Huan¡¯s obvious disrespect for not only beingte but inviting someone new without notice. Not to mention, this person was exceptionally handsome, and that would lessen his chances of taking any of these girls as his own.

    "He¡¯s my sworn brother. You have a problem with that?" Sun Huan eyes turned sharp, his body exuded an aura filled with a domineering sharpness that was even greater than Bai Lufeng¡¯s at its essence. Despite this, he was only at the peak-Essence Formation Realm.

    All of them were.

    They were developing their foundational realms ¡ª Dantian Refinement & Pathway Expansion ¡ª so their realms were rather low inparison to those who¡¯ve skipped those realms. However, how could that mean they¡¯re weak? Each one of these individuals had high status with an extraordinary foundation; their battle prowess would rival normal Qi Unification experts, perhaps even those at the mid-stage!

    Ke Zedong flinched slightly at this, his momentum obviously lessening greatly at those words. He snorted coldly and looked unconcerned. He was obviously afraid of this Sun Huan.

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes widened with shock so intense that his mind seemed to have been shaken. His reaction was noticed by all those in the room, curious as to why he was eyeing Ya Qinqan in such a way.

    "You..." His words trailed off.

 Chapter 109 Everything!

    Ya Qinqan was his first love. Someone he wished to see seed in life and initially felt extremely conflicted about. However, that was until recently. Not only was he more aware of the schemes in the cultivation world, its cruelty, but he also came to terms with her actions from before. Initially, he wanted to ride on her fame, talent and wealth to enjoy his own life.

    This was a fundamentally wed idealism in the cultivation world.

    To enjoy life, one must rely on themselves. To gain power and status, the most stable is your own. If you don¡¯t wish your life and death to be controlled by others, you need the power to exceed them!

    Thest time they met he was talentless, had pathetic cultivation base, no wealth, disregarded by his n, and had no future. Why would she choose him? All he¡¯d done is give her resources that he didn¡¯t even obtain himself, but resources he¡¯d received from another party.

    Did he expect her to give everything up to him, her virginity, her love, and her loyalty? Yes, at the time.

    Now?

    No. It wasn¡¯t realistic. He knew that.

    His idiocy and willingness at the time obligated her to nothing, and sure, she could¡¯ve rejected his resources, but who would? Especially in this world where any leg up over thepetition was fought for with teeth and blows! If he was in a simr situation, how could he refuse? It may sound despicable, but it was also the truth.

    He always imagined how he would react if he met Ya Qinqan. At the time she chose Yan Jinzen, he felt enraged and wanted nothing more than to get revenge on Yan Jinzen for taking what was his.

    In the Deep Mines, he imagined that he would talk to her directly. He would inform her he held no anger and had moved on peacefully in understanding. When Pinaka discussed the concept of being a cultivator, he had no intentions to speak to her any longer. He was moving to the myriad realms to explore it! How could he care? Why should he?

    Her life no longer had any rtion to his own. If it wasn¡¯t for this coincidence, it¡¯s unlikely Yan Zaizen and Ya Qinqan would¡¯ve ever met again. However, the heavens worked in mysterious ways, and karma must be closed off.

    Regardless of any rationalization, Yan Zaizen would always have his thoughts trace back to his childhood, to Ya Qinqan, and it could impact his future cultivation.

    Surrounded by odd gazes, Yan Zaizen closed his eyes and eased his mind. At the moment, acting irrationally was inappropriate. Should he kill her? For what reason? For him willingly giving her resources? That¡¯s like killing a homeless guy because you gave him a quarter and he spent it. Who would do such a thing?

    He wasn¡¯t one to kill at the slightest of slights nor did he have any intentions to be someone who does.

    At the moment, Ya Qinqan was a fly to him. She was like an insignificant flower that lingered in the background of his mind, a flower he could annihte with a single blow of his lungs. Was she worthy of any emotional response from him?

    He opened his eyes slowly, his gaze filled with unyielding confidence and warmth. A soft, brilliant smile tugged at his lips, "Greetings!"

    With his change in demeanor, all of them didn¡¯t know how to react. The women felt their hearts race slightly at this smile, feeling odd in their hearts, while the men felt unusual as well.

    However, Hei¡¯s pupils constricted to a needlepoint in disbelief. He belonged to the Dark Mist Pce. The Dark Mist Pce wasn¡¯t overly strong like the rest of the respective grand-tier forces, but their leader had been bestowed a Dao by the Xiantu Emperor. He recognized that feeling instantly, the aura of a dao.

    The others, however, weren¡¯t frequently in contact with this aura so they didn¡¯t know. In truth, about 99.9% of the people on this, including True Essence Cultivators, wouldn¡¯t immediately recognize the aura of a dao. Only schrs who¡¯ve read about it extensively or those who¡¯ve personally experienced it before.

    "This guy is..." Hei¡¯s expression turned solemn, and there was a hint of fear in his heart. In the Xiantu Realm, only a few people that didn¡¯t number more than a hundred had the dao of the Xiantu Emperor. This meant the trillions of people of this realm was vastly ignorant. However, this aura of the dao didn¡¯t coincide with that dao. This was an entirely different dao!

    In that case, who the hell was this person?

    "He¡¯ll be eating with us, I¡¯m sure you all won¡¯t mind. Let¡¯s sit." Sun Huan acted domineeringly,zily dering before taking his seat. The waiter stayed silent throughout and only approached when Sun Huan sat, giving him many golden menus filled with all sorts of dishes and wines.

    Yan Zaizen slightly smiled, looking at the waiter in patience. The waiter wasn¡¯t inexperienced, the moment he acted and ced the menus in front of Sun Huan, he immediately produced a chair near Sun Huan and ced it appropriately, politely gesturing for Yan Zaizen to take his seat.

    Yan Zaizen epted. A set of menus were also ced in front of him. The rest was just curious about who this was, but no one took the initiative.

    Seeing the situation, Sun Huan exined, "He¡¯s someone who helped me out of a bind. I¡¯ll only be treating him to a meal, you all can talk as freely as before." Directly ignoring their discontented gazes, he ced his feetzily on the table and proceeded to read the menus.

    Li Ruogang couldn¡¯t hold in her curiosity any longer, "Who are you?" She didn¡¯t wish to dine with any unimportant person from the streets; she felt it was beneath her.

    "Yeah, who are you?" Ke Zedong echoed, his eyes filled with irritation at everything.

    Yan Zaizen chuckled lightly, ncing across the room with a trace of interest in his eyes. If he had taken the proper route, cultivated slowly with a high status, would he have been like the youths here? Gathering together with simrly aged cultivators with fairly even potential?

    With his current cultivation, the difference in status that would be produced by it, these youths should be happy to even receive a nce from him, including Ya Qinqan, and yet, they¡¯re so impatient and aggressive.

    It was truly funny.

    Rely on your daddy¡¯s wealth? Rely on your mama¡¯s name? What good does that do for you? Real power that could send a decree that all on the continent must follow was greater than anything they possessed or likely ever would.

    His gaze, for the very first time, held a trace of potent disdain. This trace of disdain caused all those present to feel ufortable, as if they were being looked down upon from up high.

    He decided to simply not respond.

    They weren¡¯t at a level where he needed to.

    He signaled the waiter, causing him to arrive swiftly beside him with a look of calm, "What¡¯s your order, Young Lord?"

    "Everything." He responded.

    "Everything?" They all thought in surprise, including the waiter.

    "Young Lord, do you-"

    "Everything on the menu, that¡¯s my order. Is that a problem?" Yan Zaizen smiled softly, his amber-gold eyes shone a brilliant light. The waiter was shocked, looking at Sun Huan, who also had eyes as wide as a full moon.

    "Wha...what do you mean by everything?" Sun Huan¡¯s couldn¡¯t help but say carefully, his eyes filled with disbelief.

    "You said you would give me a meal for my help. Well, I want everything. I thank you in advance." Yan Zaizen said, chuckling with a satisfied tone. "Unless...you aren¡¯t a man of your word?"

    "Urgh!" This obviously hit a nerve on Sun Huan¡¯s pride. Yan Zaizen heard about those swordsmen of the Solitary Sword Sect, they were essentially those who always looked forward, fought to the very end with unyielding confidence, and never went back on their word or conscious. Typically, the Solitary Sword Sect practices conceptualws that coincide with those specific paths.

    The waiter, obviously in the tough spot, looked at Sun Huan who looked like he was about to spit out a mouthful of blood. His eyes were filled with reluctance, and he could feel the intense pain of his wallet. Tian may be a prestigious restaurant, but it wasn¡¯t incredibly expensive to the point where you¡¯d go broke so easily. After all, it was only food.

    A majority of cultivators can go without eating for months, years, or even decades. They rely on their essence to sustain themselves, and unless they were body cultivators, they would sometimes not touch food for centuries, only having wines of varied types.

    "Young Lord...Do yo-" The waiter was about to say something to ease the situation, but Sun Huan rose his palm up to gesture him to cease. With gritted teeth, he looked at Yan Zaizen and shouted, "EVERYTHING!"

 Chapter 110 Knot Undone

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s demand and domineering attitude left all those at the table speechless. Hei was cautious, not taking his disdain personally. Anyone who possessed a dao wasn¡¯t low in status or talent. A dao was essentially an amplifier that could heighten all things like armament creation, alchemy, soul, body, and qi. It was something that was miraculous beyond belief and ced one easily at the top.

    Despite the Dark Mist Pce leader only having the cultivation at the Half-step True Essence Realm, no True Essence cultivator would ever dare treat him disrespectfully. This was the gravity of the dao.

    Ke Zedong, however, felt angry, but he wasn¡¯t an idiot. If he was all arrogance and no brains, it¡¯d be far too easy to cause the fall of his power with his actions, and thus, he took a road of caution. This young man obviously didn¡¯t treat them with any concern, and even if it was irritating, they didn¡¯t know his identity. He could be the Prince of Amber for all they know.

    Mei¡¯s eyes flickered with intelligence, as if deducing something. Ya Qinqan had the most innocent of reactions, simply being unconcerned. This young man may be arrogant and handsome, but he wasn¡¯t someone she felt was important to her life. He was nothing more than an interlude.

    However, Li Ruogang¡¯s gaze flickered with malicious intent. To be directly ignored never felt good for anyone, and if it wasn¡¯t for the fact that this youth having a higher cultivation base, she would¡¯ve already taught him a lesson. Sitting angrily, she felt stifled.

    Yan Zaizen, on the other hand, concerned himself with none of their reactions. "You said there was an auction being held in the city, right?" He inquired to Sun Huan who was ming with eyes filled with anger.

    "Yes!" He said through gritted teeth, if he pushed down anymore, his gums would bleed. He had to hold himself back from pulling out his de and taking this youth¡¯s head for robbing him blind. However, he wasn¡¯t a malicious murderer who¡¯d kill because of his own idiocy. This event will serve as a lesson to never invite someone to a meal without establishing clear limits beforehand.

    A valuable life lesson!

    Valuable indeed!

    "When is it being held?" Yan Zaizen¡¯s tone was casual, his eyes filled with satisfaction. Seeing his gaze, Sun Huan let out a deep sigh of resignation, giving his wallet its final goodbye, and returning to his normal demeanor.

    He was quite quick to bounce back!

    Sword cultivators typically had sharp and firm wills, living by the edge of the de, and containing unyielding confidence in each stroke. If his mentality had fallen due to this minor setback, how could he aplish great things in the future?

    "Tomorrow. As I said before, it happens once a century and is extraordinary. Unfortunately, with this meal..." His tone near the end contained some discontent, but he continued, "They will have earth and sky pills and elixirs, pseudo sky-rank armaments, peak earth-rank armaments, rare materials and a myriad of arts!"

    Alchemy was divided into many tiers, with Earth-tier pills and elixirs typically for Qi Foundation, Qi Revolving, and Essence Formation Realm Cultivators. Sky-tier were typically used for Dantian Refinement, Pathway Expansion, and Qi Unification Cultivators. Grand-tier pills were the highest form of alchemy tier for the Essence Path, for the Origin Core, True Essence and Crimson Star Realms!

    Alchemy that exceeded those was ced in the heaven-tier. They were useful for those in the Heavenly Genesis Realm and higher! However, to even see one would be nearly impossible in the Xiantu Realm.

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes lit up in anticipation, he inquired, "What about Grand-tier pills and elixirs or sky-rank armaments?"

    His words elicited disdain from every one of the members, but Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t take this heart, they couldn¡¯t even touch these types of pills let alone buy them. As for him? He had an established alchemist¡¯s centuries worth of creations. Any pill he brought out would be grand-tier!

    "They¡¯ll be in the auction, but if they doe out, it¡¯ll definitely cause a bidding storm to arise! Only those at the highest level would have knowledge of items at that level, so don¡¯t ask me for the specifics."

    After another round of conversation about the auction, the first te of food arrived. Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes lit up as he saw a golden-fish drenched in dazzling white broth with specks of golden kes within. It looked like food one would imagine an immortal would consume.

    Seeing the food arrive, the others started having conversations, ignoring Yan Zaizen¡¯s presence and getting into their own rhythm. Yan Zaizen learned a lot from their conversations, including some juicy gossip they unintentionally spilled.

    Hei, however, didn¡¯t engage in conversation. He stayed stoic and silent, his eyes sometimes flittering with caution when he looked at Yan Zaizen. Ya Qinqan was actually a lot different than what Yan Zaizen originally assumed. Before, she wasn¡¯t very talkative, only speaking short sentences or making small gestures. However, in this group of geniuses, she wasfortable enough to talk, argue and evenugh.

    He just realized...the only time he saw herugh was when he made a joke as he delivered resources. Was it real?

    Probably not.

    This new side of Ya Qinqan wasn¡¯t new. It was just never revealed to Yan Zaizen.

    "To think...I was such a fool when I was younger. Recalling all my attempts, my average looks, and my weak strength, I truly was pathetic thinking I could buy her affection." He thought, his eyes flickering with lights of calm and serenity. This person before him was the real Ya Qinqan, not the one he idolized and desired when he was younger.

    He could feel a knot deep within his heart, hidden behind his confidence,e undone.

    There was no more self-anger. No more ¡¯what if¡¯s?¡¯

    This person was an entirely different person. So, why should he feel like she was his first love? In truth, the one he fell in love with was imaginary, a figment of his imagination created to deal with the death of his parents. The affection he imagined, the life he desired, and more. He knew that now.

    Li Ruogang still had an itch she couldn¡¯t scratch whenever she looked at Yan Zaizen, even though he was handsome and had an aura about him that seemed dazzling, she felt irritated that he ignored her. She just couldn¡¯t handle it. Clenching her teeth, she made up her mind.

    "You, are we supposed to just call you Mr. random person? What¡¯s your name?" This time, her voice was filled with a thundering momentum.

    Yan Zaizen lightly chuckled and smiled at this girl¡¯s persistence. Was it even necessary? After today, it¡¯s unlikely they¡¯ll ever have too deep of an interaction. Yet, despite this, all the conversation around him stopped at her question. Seeing this, Yan Zaizen softly shook his head and relented.

    "My name¡¯s Yan Zaizen." His words were deliberately loud and clear in enunciation. "Remember it well."

 Chapter 111 Yan Zaizen?!

    "Yan Zaizen?!" Ya Qinqan¡¯s startling reaction of disbelief elicited curious gazes from all those present. When they looked at her beautiful countenance only shock and constricted pupils could be seen.

    "Yan Zaizen?" Mei¡¯s eyes shone with an intelligent light, her thoughts obviously reached a conclusion. As someone from the Earthly Fortune Pce, she regarded herself as a well-read individual that kept up with current events. Not to mention, she researched every individual that she interacts with thoroughly.

    If materials could be considered wealth, then knowledge was power. She believed in this philosophy.

    She knew of the Yan n mysterious disappearance within the Water Veil Territory. The squabble that urred due to Ya Qinqan¡¯s marriage disagreement with a Yan n member. Now that she thought about it, it made sense that Yan Zaizen¡¯s reaction was so intense when he walked in, his eyes focused on Ya Qinqan.

    Besides those thoughts, she had her assumptions, but just that. She couldn¡¯t bepletely sure.

    Ke Zedong also knew of Ya Qinqan¡¯s background. As someone who was attempting to court her, how could he not? Unfortunately, he didn¡¯t know as much as Mei did regarding the situation. Despite that, his eyes furrowed in contemtion.

    Hei didn¡¯t know much about the situation, so he wasn¡¯t even remotely affected, but he remembered that name intently. Sun Huan also had zero reaction to the name but felt quite interested by all the varied reactions.

    Li Ruogang understood a little about the situation, but it wasn¡¯t at the forefront of her memory, thus not making any immediate connection.

    "Impossible! Why take someone else¡¯s identity? Do you have no shame?!" Ya Qinqan immediately came to the most logical conclusion. This person had to be an imposter as the Yan Zaizen lookedpletely different, had a different aura, and his eyes had a weak amber color to it.

    This person before her was the exact opposite of the Yan Zaizen she remembered. If logic was taken into consideration, even if Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t kill himself, only three years passed since. Even if he cultivated with the heavens support, how could he be in the Qi Unification Realm and change so much?!

    "Hahaha! I¡¯m not that shameless." He couldn¡¯t help butugh intensely at her reaction, finding it quite funny. He decided that ying the ¡¯you are, you aren¡¯t¡¯ game was a waste of time and directly said some choice words.

    "Do you remember the times I¡¯d sneak out of the grounds to the Ya n for you? The times I would haul the materials on several trips to your doorsteps because I broke my spatial bracelet? Or how about the time I wanted to kiss you, but you told me you weren¡¯t ready? Directly leaving with the words: ¡¯Give me time.¡¯ Do you remember?"

    A smirk appeared on Yan Zaizen¡¯s face, his eyes shing with traces of disdain. Even if the Ya Qinqan from before was a figment of his imagination, that didn¡¯t mean he liked this one.

    The Ya Qinqan before him was an insignificant flower while her Master could only concede in defeat within his presence. She may embody the proper characertistics of the cultivation world, but those memories of his past still existed.

    "Im-impossible! How could you...you¡¯re..." She couldn¡¯t even finish a sentence. Her state of mind was in chaos due to disbelief. For a second, she believed she was dreaming it all. Could this be her internal demon manifesting?

    Seeing her state, Yan Zaizen couldn¡¯t help but shake his head at her pathetess. Who knew she was so basic in mentality? Tao was right, on this continent, it¡¯s highly unlikely any girl was worthy of him, Ya Qinqan included.

    "Oh, don¡¯t forget to tell your master to remember our agreement. Otherwise, The day the Water Veil Sect is drenched in blood wille." His tone was so casual that it didn¡¯t seem like a threat, more of a casual promise to pay money if someone performed a specific task.

    "..." Those words caused all of their pupils to constrict in utter disbelief.

    So brazen!

    Yao Wuhen was an initial-True Essence cultivator and yet he threatened to wash their entire sect in blood? Who would believe he had such capabilities?

    However, Mei¡¯s eyes flickered with some calction and information she obtained about the Water Veil Sect¡¯s assault nearly a year ago surfaced. It mentioned there was a young male at the forefront of it, but the Water Veil Sectmaster suffered injuries that required her to heal in seclusion.

    If what Yan Zaizen said earlier was true, then he, or someone he knew, defeated Yao Wuhen and let her live within her own territory! That person must have the strength of at the mid-True Essence Realm to achieve such a feat easily!

    That was someone who stood at the apex of the entire Fallen Stars Continent.

    "You..." Ya Qinqan couldn¡¯t gather her bearings to speak, still in shock at the realization of who was in front of her.

    Yan Zaizen simply ignored her, continuing to eat without feeling the slightest bit concerned.

    BOOM!!!

    A thunderously loud smashing sound echoed out throughout the entire Tian. All those within felt a tremor that shook them to the core.

    SWIPP!!!

    An odd tearing sound appeared that seemed like stic was ripped off with a swipe of one¡¯s hand. An aura erupted from afar bringing an intense pressure to all those in Tian.

    "What¡¯s happening?!" Su Huan was shocked, his heart felt like it was going to explode as the blood in his body felt torrential and flowed at odd speeds. He felt like his body¡¯s blood was affected by an external aura.

    "Blood Laws?" Yan Zaizen calmlymented. Everyone here, excluding Yan Zaizen, was clutching at their hearts, circting their qi to abate the symptoms, but was obviously struggling. As for him, he wasn¡¯t affected. How could a Herculean¡¯s heart or blood be so easily affected?

    "Li n, it¡¯s time you paid the price for your actions!" A booming sound rang out. Li Ruogang¡¯s eyes flickered with intense fear. It seems a great enemy with a grudge was outside.

    Tian restaurant may be fortified, but under the assault of a True Essence aura, it was of very little help. If a powerful expert wanted to enter here, the formations couldn¡¯t stop them for more than a few seconds. Fortunately, it wasn¡¯t the target.

    "Who would attack the Capital so brazenly?" Yan Zaizen casually questioned, his spiritual sense spreading outwards. He continued to eat an elegant fruit cake on his te, truly having no concerns at the outside events.

    "This is really good!" He muttered with a mouth filled with delicious cake.

    The outside was chaotic. There were thirteen individuals in unified blood-red attire fiercely assaulting a single man. There were also several other figures in the sky a distance away, but they didn¡¯t intervene, as if letting the man fend for himself.

    This man looked in his early thirties with a grand beard, a fiery-red robe with the character for ¡¯Li¡¯ embroidered on his back, chest and sleeve. He was surrounded by a world of fire that seemed intent on incinerating the world. Within his hand was a sky-rank armament in the shape of arge fan. With each swing, a storm of mes would incinerate all in its path.

    His cultivation was extraordinary!

    Peak initial-True Essence Realm!

    He was the Li n¡¯s Patriarch. From an outsider point of view, this was a premeditated conflict. The thirteen individuals each had a profound cultivation base and each held a talisman that shone with a resplendent cerulean light.

    Tente-Origin Core Cultivators, two peak-Original Core Cultivators, and one half-step True Essence Realm fought against one man. They each held peak earth-rank armaments while maintaining a perfectly executed formation that allowed them to rival a weak initial-True Essence expert. This formation created the manifestation of a 40-meter blood giant with the half-step True Essence expert at its lead.

    The talismans in their hands seemed to possess an incredible water-based true-essence aura. They released abined aura that weakened the Li Patriarch¡¯s fire-attributed true-essence. The aura it gave off was indeterminate, but to Yan Zaizen with his extraordinary spiritual sense, he could see they were linked to Yao Wuhen somehow.

    Despite this, Yao Wuhen was floating nearby like a bystander enjoying a show. The fight was taking ce several li in the sky, avoiding damage to the people on the ground. This seemed to be a deliberate agreement between both opposing parties.

    "Oh? If this continues, the Li n Patriarch will die soon." Yan Zaizenmented, the fight put an intense pressure on the Li n Patriarch, he seemed to have been injured before this fight so his cultivation was incredibly superficial. It¡¯s possible his base strength could barely be considered at the True Essence Realm, let alone defeating those well-prepared against him.

    A few dozen blows in several seconds passed and the aura in the sky continued to rise to the peak, but soon abated shortly afterwards. The Li n Patriarch was in just as Yan Zaizen predicted. The blood giant held a spear constructed of hardened blood that ran him through and caused his body to nearly explode in a torrent of blood and flesh.

    A few blows after that strike, his lifeforce was severed. Despite this, three of thete-Origin Core experts and one peak-Origin Core expert lost their life in his fierce retaliation. He ignited his true essence, but it just wasn¡¯t enough to survive.

    "It seems the Li n will decline." He casuallymented, causing all the genius youths to have eyes filled with shock. What just happened?

    Li Ruogang could barely catch her breath under that intense blood aura. When she heard Yan Zaizen words, she grew enraged. "Shut up! You don¡¯t have the right to decide that!"

    ncing at Li Ruogang¡¯s struggling form, Yan Zaizen shook his head slightly and proceeded to eat his cake. They were nothing but ants, how could they know the gravity of what just urred?

 Chapter 112 Fall of a Grand Clan

    Above Sky Night Royal City, high in the sky were seven figures floating with formidable auras. Each and every one of them was dressed in eye-catching attire signifying high status, and exuded faint traces of pure true-essence.

    "Who are they?! What just happened?" Someone asked the crowd below, looking upwards at the figures in utter shock from the cataclysmic battle.

    "Wasn¡¯t that the Li n Patriarch? Did he die?!"

    "The seven dressed in red, is that the uniform of the Blood Fiend Sect?!"

    Many different forms of questions were being circted through the crowd. When people heard the Blood Fiend Sect, they shivered as an icy chill slithered down their spines. In Presba, there were seven grand-tier powers that are local, homegrown, and under the Presba¡¯s Imperial Family¡¯s. However, that didn¡¯t mean all the grand-tier powers that existed within the country were only those seven.

    The Blood Fiend Sect was a grand-tier force without a specific loyalty and was based at the outskirts of Presba. They were considered a vile sect that cultivated in the profound arts rting to blood concepts. There were even rumors that they consumed the blood of their victims to enhance their body cultivation. They were renowned for their dual cultivation methods in both Qi and body, simr to how Earthly Titan Sect was defined by its body cultivation methods, or the Solitary Sword Sect was known for its profoundprehension into the Mortal Law of the Sword.

    Amongst the seven was Yao Wuhen whose eyes were filled with a shimmering brilliance. The Li n Patriarch¡¯s body lingered in mid-air, being held by the remnant energy of the deceased. When an expert at the True Essence Realm dies, their body exudes a profound aura that keeps the body afloat. This strange phenomenon was often a much-weed result to the cultivation world, especially high-ranking experts. This aura was often gathered to formte pills, elixirs, or even help promote the Spirit Form of a sky-rank armament.

    It was unbelievably valuable.

    The other six who watched from afar deeply understood this, their eyes also disying signs of greed and desire. However, none of them stepped forward, as if restrained by some decided agreement.

    The half-step True Essence Blood Fiend Sectmaster, Xue Hanjie, had an exhausted look in his eyes, but there wasn¡¯t any fear of the seven individuals who floated not far away, as if sure they wouldn¡¯t take action. He approached the body amidst their gazes, grabbing the corpse of the Li Family Patriarch, and taking out a silver-talisman.

    The silver talisman was a special spatial item that could store and preserve the aura of a True Essence expert. One could see he was well prepared, directly storing the corpse into the talisman with absolute caution. The only thing left behind was the ming crimson fan that exuded faint traces of burning mes. As he was about to approach, a cerulean water-attributed true-essence rope shot out and wrapped around the sky-rank armament.

    "You!" Xue Hanjie¡¯s eyes turned colder than the harshest winter, turning towards Yao Wuhen whose finger had an extension of true-essence. She had a faint smile on her lips, her eyes suffused with disdain.

    Xue Hanjie was livid! "What the meaning of this?! The n-"

    "The n?" Yao Wuhen coldly interrupted, "The n was for me to obtain the Incinerating Hell Fan, or do you have an objection?" With that, she took out a transmission talisman. The other six beside her looked at the talisman withplex emotions. Some were wary, some were suspicious, and others had furrowed brows of contemtion.

    Xue Hanjie¡¯s teeth had been clenched to the point that grinding noises were being produced. Earlier, the n was to use Yao Wuhen¡¯s talismans to help weaken the Li Family Patriarch, in return, they would pay her sufficiently for her effort, but all she did was formte talismans, it simply wasn¡¯t worth the sky-rank Incinerating Hell Fan of the Li n Patriarch. Its value was beyond description, and the cost was extraordinary.

    However, the talisman had the spiritual sense of a half-step Perfect Aurora Soul expert. If you were to be under the assumption that this person was not Yan Zaizen, inexperienced in soul arts, but one who had millennia of training and experience, then someone at the Advanced Soul Realm could be considered, on average, at the peak initial-True Essence. If they were extraordinary in mastery, they could rival a mid-True Essence Realm!

    This was a peak power in the Fallen Stars Continent. However, the meaning of a Perfect Aurora Soul Expert was far different by those standards. Even a weak one could rival a mid-True Essence expert, but a strong one? Dominating the entirety of Fallen Stars Continent was a thought. If it wasn¡¯t for Yan Zaizen¡¯s dao amplification, with his proficiency in arts, it would be nearly impossible for him to rival these standards.

    Everyst one of them saw this talisman as something worthy to feel apprehension towards. Especially a grand-tier power like the Blood Fiend Sect that had only one initial-True Essence expert at the helm. It would be suicide! One could see what could¡¯ve happened to the Water Veil Sect if Yan Zaizen was truly enraged.

    "Tch! Fine, however, don¡¯t expect-" Just as Xue Hanjie wanted to express his desire to nullify any form of payment agreed upon before, he was coldly interrupted once more.

    "I expect full payment. On. Time." Was all Yao Wuhen said, her eyes suffused with a cold light, and she directly stored away both the talisman and sky-rank fan, directly taking off towards the highest tower in Sky Night Royal City.

    "Arrogant." One of the true-essence experts said, this person was a middle-aged man with ck spots on his face, his eyes beady but held a vigorous aura. He watched as Yao Wuhen left, obviously discontent with her actions, and he wasn¡¯t the only one. However, what could they do? The talisman indicated a willing favor of a half-step Perfect Aurora Soul Realm expert. The threat of that, to any force, could not be underestimated. All that expert required was resources and time before he could step into that profound realm that could keep them up with nightmares. Who would willingly offend someone like that?

    Despite the others agreeing, they didn¡¯t do anything to stop her from leaving. Each and every one of them were at the initial or half-step True Essence Realm, they didn¡¯t have the qualifications or courage to do so. At least, not be the first to make a move.

    Xue Hanjie clenched his fists in rage but did nothing as well. He turned towards the six remaining experts and coldly said, "Is it done?" The six were leaders of external forces, not rted to the Presba Capital, only here for support of this venture and the Heavenly Fortune Auction. Surprisingly, the Imperial Family nor any of the allied powers of the Li n within the city took action or even shown up, leaving the Li n Patriarch alone to die.

    "The Li n¡¯s estate and properties are currently being imed, all n members are being exterminated, from elder to dog." The beady-eyed True Essence expert said, his expression filled with radiant happiness. The others silently nodded in their agreement with his statement.

    "Good, then we¡¯ll proceed as nned. From this day onwards, the Li n shall no longer exist beneath this sky!" Xue Hanjie said, his voice filled with tyrannical hatred. He and his experts were about to take off but were stopped by the beady-eyed expert.

    "Li Baigang¡¯s favored daughter is in the city." He mentioned casually, as if this information wasn¡¯t very important. However, he pointed towards the Tian restaurant, obviously with malicious intentions.

    "Oh?!" Xue Hanjie¡¯s eyes lit up with a maliciously violent light filled to the brim with deep-seated hatred, his piercing gaze looked towards the Tian restaurant. "Good!"

    Back in the Tian Restaurant, Yan Zaizen finished his cake, his eyes filled with enjoyment. His spiritual sense was observing the area ahead, his soul cultivation so profound that the others didn¡¯t even notice his spying or perhaps didn¡¯t care. "Oh? Seems like the Li n was schemed against by many grand-tier forces...I wonder what they did to receive such a fate." Silently musing in his thoughts, he couldn¡¯t help but nce towards Li Ruogang. He suspected that she was a part of the Li n from her intense reaction earlier.

    This beautiful and fiery woman will likely not live outside of today. It¡¯s obvious this operation was agreed upon by the Xin n, Earthly Fortune Pce, and Imperial Family. Otherwise, how could they be so brazen to attack in the capital? In that case, these powers were likely bought off, or the Li n simply wasn¡¯t very well liked.

    Personally, he disliked this. He hated traitors, especially those who betray their allies, but he wasn¡¯t very knowledgeable of the internal situation in the country to understand the undercurrents within. For all he knew, the Li n was a malicious n that offended others to no end. Which is likely the case, considering the unified action of many different forces in agreement. This, by any means, was an exceptionally difficult task to pull off.

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s expression darkened, "Oh? Did she use my talisman as a threat?" He didn¡¯t like this very much, but considering it could be used in this fashion, he felt his uncle and aunt were safer now. He feltfort in the knowledge that grand-tier forces were apprehensive at the mere sight of his talisman. This reassured him that Tao and Bai Lufeng would be safer in their operations from now on.

    "What¡¯s happening outside?!" Sun Huan questioned, his eyes filled with wary. The girl from earlier, the one he was arguing with, had been from the Li n. She didn¡¯t have an exceedingly high status, but he truly cared for her. In truth, he didn¡¯t cheat on her but was trying to keep something away from her. A present for her birthday he intended to purchase, but she caught him red-handed trying to get information on the item.

    As a sword cultivator, those they favored were exceptionally few, but every one of them held a piece of their heart.

    "The Li n Patriarch was killed a few seconds ago. There are a few peak experts working in conjunction to cull the entire Li n." He exined, his tone still casual, but Sun Huan¡¯s eyes revealed a profound fear. He urged his cultivation despite his turbulent blood flow and fiercely dashed towards the Tian¡¯s entrance.

    However, before he could reach the door, a figure burst into the Tian¡¯s entrance.

    Yan Zaizen looked at the figure and his eyes widened, "I see."

 Chapter 113 Love? Destruction. Enraged!

    The figure that barged into the entrance shocked all those present, including the other customers. It was a gracefully attractive figure with a voluptuous body that could ignite the fire in most men. Sun Huan eyes widened with shock, but then a sudden bout of relief surged into his bones. "Li Qiyu! Yo-you¡¯re okay!"

    The figure was Li Qiyu, the girl who Yan Zaizen met earlier who left due to a transmission. Her body was filled with sweat and her eyes held traces of panic. A slight sensation of relief suffused her eyes when she saw Sun Huan, but the panic was so dominant that she was shaking, directly pouncing into Sun Huan¡¯s embrace. "Huan! They¡¯re...they¡¯re killing everyone in the Li n in the capital! Everyone! Even those here!"

    Her words produced a shocking jerk to all who heard it, various expressions ranging from schadenfreude to fear emerged in their eyes. Many couldn¡¯t help but feel apprehensive. If she was a part of the Li n, would theye here regardless of the circumstances? Could they be coteral damage? Many were ready to take their leave, hoping to avoid cmity by furthering themselves from any Li n member.

    "I have to go." Ke Zedong said, his eyes looking at Li Ruogang with aplex emotion. Earlier, he was attempting to court this girl, but she rejected him harsher than the coldest of winters. If she had epted his advances, he would have probably used his Ke n status in an attempt to spare this girl specifically, but since that wasn¡¯t the case, he preferred to distance himself as far as possible.

    He took off immediately, leaving the restaurant without hesitation.

    "So decisive!" Yan Zaizenmented silently.

    Mei, Hei, and Ya Qinqan had profound gleams in their eyes at his sudden departure. Mei and Hei held great status in their respective forces. If Hei decided to take Li Ruogang as his wife, it¡¯s entirely possible they would agree. The Pce Master was a half-step True Essence expert with a bestowed dao, this was sufficient to cause all those to think three times before action.

    However, that wasn¡¯t the case. Despite this, he stayed, looking at Yan Zaizen¡¯s casual bystander attitude as he nced at everything with interest. Mei was intelligent enough to know that the Earthly Fortune Pce had consented to this action, taking no action against this, so she couldn¡¯t do anything even if she wanted to.

    Li Ruogang was panicking at Li Qiyu¡¯s words, her expression filled with fear.

    What could she do?

    "We need to leave. Now!" Sun Huan decisively said, grabbing Li Qiyu¡¯s hand and taking off towards the entrance. He needed to protect her by taking her to his sect¡¯s seniors. Taking out a transmission talisman, he crushed it.

    BOOM!!!

    A thunderous aura erupted, causing a pressure of pure qi-essence to be exerted on all the individuals in the restaurant. Sun Huan kneeled in pain, unable to move, his low cultivation base yielding instantly, and Li Qiyu screamed in fear, her voluptuous body mming heavily on the floor. Unlike Sun Huan, she had a weaker cultivation base and prowess, she couldn¡¯t resist a single second.

    Everyone except Yan Zaizen viciously plummeted heavily to the floor or their tables, resounding shrieks of pain and rm resounded with the harsh thuds of their fleshy bodies. "Pressure of a half-step True Essence Expert!" This was the most basic of aura arts, using one¡¯s aura to force a mighty pressure on your opponent. In an equal battle, this was irrelevant, but to those with weaker cultivations, this was all one needed to render them at your mercy.

    As for him? With his body cultivation, this pressure felt like a light breeze in the wind. To everyone else under the Origin Core Realm? This was a mountain on their hearts, heads, and limbs. This aura, if sufficient enough, could turn your enemy into meat paste with a single thought.

    The restaurant went silent, and even the mid-Origin Core owner who ruled over it didn¡¯t interject at this action, keeping silent and watching from afar. The soft patter of footsteps resounded as the door opened gently. A man dressed in blood-red attire with crimson eyes and an evil expression walked in slowly. His gaze scanned the surroundings with a meticulous sweep.

    "Two roaches hiding here, I see." Xue Hanjie¡¯s rough voice resounded, a slight chuckle between his words. He could feel the unique fire-based cultivation method of the Li n in two members, his eyes filled with excitement as he nced at the two girls, his eyes filled with malicious intent. Surprisingly, there was no lust in his eyes, but one could tell he wouldn¡¯t simply kill these two girls.

    If he wanted to do that, he wouldn¡¯t need to personally arrive. Simply his aura alone could target the two and turn them into meat paste.

    "Wait!" Sun Huan grunted in a shout, his qi cultivation base rotating in an attempt to erupt, but the pressure prevented it. He tried resisting, but all he could do was talk, his muscles were stiff and unmoving. Using all his vital energy, soul energy and qi, he mustered up enough resistance to talk. However, the consumption was so great he probably wouldn¡¯t be able to keep this up for long.

    "This...girl...is...under...my...protection!" Sun Huan¡¯s words contained unspeakable resolve, his body¡¯s potential erupting, trying to move an inch closer to shield the downed Li Qiyu.

    Xue Hanjie looked at Sun Huan for a moment, his eyes containing faint traces of disdain. This person overestimates his status, but knowing that Sun Huan could be a root that needed to be pulled out, he¡¯ll do so prematurely. Crippling him thoroughly, then giving him to the Solitary Sword Sect with somepensation should be enough. Heughed maliciously, "Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t kill her...yet. I have many, many things nned for her before she can die."

    Sun Huan¡¯s eyes shed with a cruel, cold light. "If...you...want...her...you¡¯ll...have to! GET! THROUGH! ME!!!" His body erupted just faintly, his swordw radiating outwards slicing the pressure enough to pull out the sword at his hilt and get into a haphazard sword stance. His body shifted slowly towards Li Qiyu¡¯s body, and his eyes revealed a resolve of life and death.

    If he wanted to get to her, he would have to kill him first!

    This thought brought out his conceptualw, Tempestuous de of the Sword, and advanced it to the Major Sess of the Nascent-level. If it was under normal circumstances, this would be exceptional. However, this did little good but to only disy an empty show of potential at critical moments, but with his weak cultivation base, he could do nothing more.

    "Fool." Xue Hanjie said after a brief pause. In the cultivation world, sword cultivators were too troublesome to deal with, and many advocated killing them directly to avoid any possible development. This only solidified his thought from crippling to directly killing.

    However, while this was going on, Yan Zaizen was looking disbelieving at his various tes of food. Especially the fruitcake that was incredibly delicious. If one looked at it, it would cause them to gasp in horror!

    It was...ttened!!!

    Due to the sudden pressure from Xue Hanjie, all the food with no protection suffered immediate damage. Unlike the aura that caused their blood to tumble, this was an exertion of force to all objects in the immediate area. If it wasn¡¯t for formations on the table and chairs, they would¡¯ve all copsed instantly. However, how could you put formations on food?!

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s facial expression was exceptionally ugly to behold. If one looked closely, it seemed that he was going to cry. This was his free meal! Now, all of it was ruined, and anything that was being made or prepared was likely destroyed.

    It would be impossible for him to obtain another one today.

    "It...was...so...good..." He silently muttered with invisible tears, his eyes filled with a pain of loss. It¡¯s been a while since he enjoyed top-quality food like this. It¡¯s always been his dream to dine like an immortal with top-ss food. The most important part: he had to pay for none of it! During their travels, they didn¡¯t go to any ce remotely as good as this. Even the Sky Heart City¡¯s restaurant fell far short.

    He felt a sudden urge of extreme rage swell up in him. Personally, he didn¡¯t care about the cmity of others. This was developed in the Deep Mines. He didn¡¯t even care if this Xue Hanjie killed everyone in this godforsaken restaurant, but he cared about what was his! What was his shouldn¡¯t be touched, destroyed, or taken by anyone!! This was a bottom-line of his that has always existed since young.

    "CHOOSE!!!" Yan Zaizen viciously thundered, his eyes suffused with seething fury. This voice was backed by histe-Qi Unification qi cultivation base, resounding outwards for more than 50 li. All the true-essence experts¡¯ eyes were drawn towards his direction, and Yao Wuhen lurched to a stop, her eyes filled with shock and fear. To everyone else at her level, this voice may have been just a voice backed by an irrelevant cultivation base, but to her, who had once heard this voice in her soul, this voice had an incredible significance.

    Xue Hanjie looked at Yan Zaizen, scanning his cultivation base and held a trace of disdain and contempt. He directly ordered, "Be silent, otherwise, this will be yourst meal." How could he take ate-Qi Unification junior seriously? To him, this person was an ant.

    Yan Zaizen directly dismissed his words, getting up from his seat, turning around, and walking slowly towards Xue Hanjie. This action caused Xue Hanjie¡¯s brows to rise in surprise. His qi-essence with traces of true-essence could be resisted so easily by this kid, he wasn¡¯t simple, but still not someone he considered a threat.

    "Who are you?" He inquired, he wasn¡¯t stupid. With his thousands of years of experience, how could he not notice Yan Zaizen¡¯s exceptional characteristics, it would be better to figure out his power before taking further action.

    "Choose!" Yan Zaizen repeated, his amber-gold eyes suffused with an intense calm that hid profound anger. "You can kneel in forgiveness, hand me everything in your possession aspensation, and leave. OR! Today will be the day you¡¯ll be crippled." To the spectators, this may be funny, but Yan Zaizen was serious.

    He didn¡¯t kill anyone for the slightest of slights, nor did he despise this man for his actions against the Li n or his previous words. As he learned in the Deep Mines, if one can¡¯t fend for themselves, then their fates would be decided by others. He may love stories of heroism, but that didn¡¯t mean he followed their philosophy.

    The world was vastly different than those made-up stories. It was cruel, filled with constant struggles for power, wealth, and love. Sun Huan¡¯s willingness to protect Li Qiyu with his life was an exceptionally moving moment, but Yan Zaizen wouldn¡¯t intervene because of that. There will always be people who are willing to die for another, and he was sure many individuals he killed before had those who would do the same.

    How could he be moved by this? He didn¡¯t believe himself a hypocrite. If he didn¡¯t consider you worthy of his protection, he simply wouldn¡¯t protect you.

    He was only moved by one desire: that his things were destroyed.

    This was touching his bottom line.

    Don¡¯t touch his shit.

    Simple.

 Chapter 114 Crippling, Robbing, & Leaving

    Xue Hanjie furrowed his brows in anger. Was this junior demanding him to give up his possessions or suffer crippling? Who did he believe himself to be? Normally, one would expect a violent response filled with arrogance and underestimation, but Xue Hanjie wasn¡¯t stupid.

    This youth had a powerful foundation and filled with profound confidence. It¡¯s likely that he didn¡¯t consider him a threat, but from his memory, he couldn¡¯t recall anyone who resembled this junior. Making such a threat haphazardly is how one gets killed, but acting in anger under a threat is how forces get wiped out. Underestimation is how the Li n Patriarch died today.

    He would not follow such an example.

    He twisted his right palm, causing a trace of qi-essence to surge outwards, aiming to turn Sun Huan into meat paste. His left hand pulled backwards, causing his physical pressure to change directions, causing Li Ruogang and Li Qiyu¡¯s body to shot towards him with a quickness.

    Whoever this kid was, he had little intention to y around any longer. He wouldn¡¯t attack some unknown individual due to anger nor would he give up his possessions because of a single sentence. If his seniores to discuss, he¡¯ll discuss and give a littlepensation for whatever inconvenience or grievance this person had. However, if nothinges of it, he¡¯ll go about his life.

    "Oh? I see. You made your choice then." Yan Zaizen decided, if someone didn¡¯t wish to choose, then he¡¯ll choose from them. This has always been the case. A sh of silver-blue light with motes of white light erupted from his pupils, despite his soul energy being limited to 5% maximum, this didn¡¯t mean it was useless, the power of a half-step Perfect Aurora Soul still remained with each percentage. To a half-step True Essence Cultivator? This was more than enough.

    PNEUMA DISRUPTION!

    An invisible ripple that no one could see surged outwards with astonishing speed. Xue Hanjie felt an overwhelming sensation of danger built up from thousands of years ofbat. However, the speed of soul energy was far too quick for him to react to, not to mention, he had exerted over 90% of his qi-essence in the battle earlier, how could he formte a suitable defense against this sudden attack?!

    He felt a tremendous pressure exert itself on his soul form, directly intending to prate and snuff out his soul me. A talisman ced within his body suddenly shattered, causing a barrier of energy to formte itself around his soul form. This was a method many cultivators would take against sudden soul attacks, but this barrier was useless against Yan Zaizen. If Yan Zaizen was a normal Advanced Aurora Soul expert, then this barrier would¡¯ve worked.

    Unfortunately, Yan Zaizen infused his dao into this strike! He was also at the half-step Perfect Aurora Soul Realm, how could this talisman stop his momentum?

    The barrier was shattered like ss, the aura rampaged inside his soul form, causing extensive damage and directly damaging his soul me. It flickered weakly in defiance. This soul me contained all of his memories, personality, and instincts within. If this me was gone, he would be nothing more than a vegetable without an imprinted consciousness.

    Fortunately for him, Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t go for the kill. Unfortunately for him, Xue Hanjie suffered extreme damage to his soul. A mouthful of vomit and blood suddenly spewed out his mouth like a geyser. His qi-essence immediately was left without control, dispersing in the air like a harmless blood-colored light. The Li female duo was dropped suddenly without his control.

    "AHHHHH!!!" He shrieked in unimaginable pain, holding his head and chest in unison. Due to the fact the soul was interconnected to his mind, if it was damaged harshly, it could cause damage to one¡¯s psyche. This shriek attracted the attention of all the experts in the city, and many auras were already making their way over, including Xue Hanjie¡¯s Blood Fiend Sect members.

    Yan Zaizen, however, didn¡¯t care about any of that. While Xue Hanjie squirmed in pain, he approached, arriving next to him with the Ascending Raindrops Technique. "I¡¯m not done." His words were exceedingly vicious, and he ced his strong hands atop Xue Hanjie¡¯s head, his eyes filled with malicious intent.

    A sh of imperceptible soul energy flickered into his body, severely damaging his meridians, pathways, and dantian. True Essence experts were insidiously difficult to cripple. Their meridians, pathways, and dantian were simply too extraordinary, and their Origin Core had already fusedpletely into their bodies. However, half-step True Essence Experts had a semi-fused Origin Core and could be targeted and destroyed with a sufficient force.

    If this was destroyed, their bloodline would no longer exist within their bodies with no hope for recovery. It was a very precarious stage of development.

    CRUSH!!

    Xue Hanjie¡¯s core was shattered mercilessly, his spatial possessions were extracted with the swiftness of a practiced thief. Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes shed slightly. The others were approaching.

    A light lit up on Yan Zaizen¡¯s finger.

    "Young Lord Zai! Please don¡¯t antagonize anyone. This could affect our ns for the spatial tform OR participate in the uing Heavenly Fortune Auction!" Tao¡¯s voice sounded a little toote via transmission talisman. It seems he heard Yan Zaizen¡¯s thunderous voice and wanted to warn him, but what happened urred too quickly.

    Yan Zaizen silently cursed Tao for histeness. He realized his actions were a little too rash, but he didn¡¯t regret it. While Tao may be perverted sometimes and Bai Lufeng may be arrogant under his protection, Yan Zaizen had his own issues. His dao was filled with tyrannical ferocity and ice-cold decisiveness. It was hard for him not to act if someone touched his bottom line.

    "Shit..." His eyes looked at Xue Hanjie unconscious body, then turned towards everyone who looked onwards with incredible shock dominating their every expression. He looked towards everyone and said some choice words, "If you mention this to anyone, I mean...ANYONE, I¡¯ll kill you and everyone behind you." His voice contained a viciousness that seemed to originate from hell.

    He wasn¡¯t truly going to kill them or everyone that was behind them for informing their superiors, but he could at least threaten to do so, right? Perhaps this would prevent word froming out.

    Well...

    Yeah, realistically, that definitely wouldn¡¯t work.

    He softly sighed in resignation after realizing his words were pretty much useless. He nced at Sun Huan holding Li Qiyu¡¯s body. Despite what he had to endure, the moment the pressure ceased, he used his power to quickly check on her condition. He couldn¡¯t help but feel his gaze turn a little softer towards this person with a hint of a good impression forming. There was no way someone like this could be a cheater with this attitude or disy, and he was sure Li Qiyu would never use him again.

    "This meal didn¡¯t count. You owe me another." His words were soft, ignoring theplex gazes of Ya Qinqan and the others. He stepped backwards, his body merged with the world as if it was a hot marshmallow, pulling space with it until his body, with a slight popping sound, disappeared from everyone¡¯s gazes.

    There was no spatial ripples or distortions, it was as if he simply stepped backwards and silently vanished into a painting. Nobody could believe their eyes, it was as if reality warped in front of them, and he just vanished. There was a strange silence permeating the air.

    A spiritual sense imprinted itself on Sun Huan¡¯s body; this spiritual sense contained 1% of his total energy, it may not be much, but it should be enough to protect him if he finds himself in trouble. He still owed Yan Zaizen a meal, after all. He can¡¯t do so if he¡¯s dead.

    The moment Yan Zaizen disappeared, the Blood Fiend Sect members dashed in to see Xue Hanjie¡¯s body with horror stered on their faces. They attempted to take action against Li Qiyu and Li Ruogang, but Sun Huan protected them relentlessly. It activated Yan Zaizen¡¯s spiritual sense, protecting his body and killing the Origin Core cultivators instantly.

    "Oh?" Yan Zaizen had just spent some time in chaotic space reduced time flow to see what Xue Hanjie had in his spatial possessions, and was surprised that his spiritual sense activated so quickly. Almost half of it was used in a single go. "Well...Tao will definitely be angry." He disliked being a hypocrite, after informing others to not cause trouble, he went and did so himself. It frustrated him a little, but what could he do?

    If he did nothing, it wouldn¡¯t conform with his dao, and Pinaka informed him that his dao was in a precarious situation and that, if one suppresses it, it could cause weakening or even shattering of his dao if he didn¡¯t act ording to his will.

    The corpse of the Li n¡¯s Patriarch was in a special talisman and many other materials, wealth, and resources were in the ring as well. It seems this person took not only his corpse but also Li n Patriarch¡¯s possessions. The wealth in the Li n Patriarch¡¯s possession alone exceeded the wealth of both the Soaring Cloud Sect and Earthly Titan Sectbined, even if you include the True Essence Sublimation Pill. Worthy of being a Patriarch of a peak grand-tier force.

    POP!

    He stepped out, arriving beside Tao imperceptibly. Tao¡¯s brows furrowed, but he wasn¡¯t shocked by Yan Zaizen¡¯s appearance considering his mastery over spatialws. "Did you...?" He inquired cautiously.

    Yan Zaizen chuckled softly with a little guilt in his tone, "I tried what I could to suppress the news."

    Tao softly sighed in helplessness, he could only hope nothinges of it.

 Chapter 115 Heavenly Fortune Auction

    The Sky Royal Tower was a location that offered the highest level of service for guests of high status within Sky Night Royal City. Its rooms were suitable for cultivation at the Origin Core Realm and above, well designed and reinforced with defensive and privacy formations, and filled with the highest-rated service within the entire city.

    In one of the V.I.P. rooms within the Sky Royal Tower, two females, one young and one old, one standing and one rxedly sitting, were having a conversation regarding today¡¯s earlier events.

    After Yan Zaizen left, his spiritual sense directly eliminated Blood Fiend Sect¡¯s remaining forces, causing a stir within the entire Sky Night Royal City. Even the Xin n and Earthly Fortune Sect were attracted to these events, but this was absolutely terrifying news for the Blood Fiend Sect. All of their upper-echelon members were wiped out in a short few minutes after a tremendous victory.

    It made all those who heard about it exim in wonder at the world¡¯s ever-shifting sands of fate. One second, the Blood Fiend Sect kills the Li n Patriarch; the next second, the Blood Fiend Sect members are killed.

    The two Li n n members were directly ced under Solitary Sword Sect¡¯s protection within the city thanks to Sun Huan¡¯s advocating their importance to him. Not to mention, his advancement in conceptualw were indicative of his exceptional talent, and his status within the n immediately rose.

    There was also the issue of Sun Huan having a protective spiritual sense on his body, and his unwillingness to leave Li Qiyu¡¯s side. Even if individuals had malicious thoughts, they couldn¡¯t do so until the spiritual sense dissipated naturally or ran out of soul energy.

    "I see." Yao Wuhen¡¯s eyes flickered in contemtion. Ya Qinqan¡¯s expression was calm with indifference, her eyes trying to conceal her shock as she retold events. To her, Yan Zaizen was a naive boy who she took advantage of. If it wasn¡¯t for him, she likely wouldn¡¯t be where she was, but that didn¡¯t mean she owed him anything. He decided his own fate with his actions, why would she carry any responsibility?

    Even in light of Yan Zaizen¡¯s exquisite disy of prowess, she didn¡¯t harbor any feelings of regret. She did, however, feel a slight fear temporarily. However, after realizing that Yan Zaizen could probably kill her with a thought if he wanted, her eyes suffused with relief. He didn¡¯t kill her then, so it¡¯s unlikely he would in the future.

    "Yan Zaizen...who is he to you?" Yao Wuhen didn¡¯t know the full story, so she was curious by her disciple¡¯s varied reactions. Ya Qinqan hid nothing, directly informing Yao Wuhen the entire story from her perspective. At the end, Yao Wuhen¡¯s eyes lit up with intelligence.

    "It¡¯s possible...he still has feelings for you. However, it¡¯s only a possibility, and not a strong one. However, him meeting you shouldn¡¯t be a coincidence. Regardless, after his disappearance, he must¡¯ve had a massive amount of enlightenment and resources to progress so quickly in three years. Theoretically, such advancement should be impossible by conventional means." She deduced from the information she had on hand, her mind suffusing with a myriad of ideas. However, she still couldn¡¯t figure out how he progressed so quickly.

    "For now, if you see him, maintain a positive rtionship with him. If possible, rekindling your rtionship with him will bring you unimaginable benefits. His strength, his current strength, would cause even the Ancient Emperor of Presba to take him seriously. If you can¡¯t, then it¡¯s fine. However, if you can, don¡¯t miss the chance." She informed Ya Qinqan of her thoughts.

    If Ya Qinqan could recapture Yan Zaizen¡¯s heart, then her status would exceed even her own. No one in the entire Fallen Stars Continent would act against her without thinking three times and then three times once more.

    Ya Qinqan¡¯s eyes flickered with a soft light of reluctance, but said nothing, only assenting with a nod.

    ------

    "Should I wear this mask?" Yan Zaizen inquired, his hand held the ck faceless mask he wore in Grux. After the incident, it¡¯s highly likely his face and name circted around, and many could be looking for him.

    "No, it¡¯s unnecessary. It¡¯s unlikely anyone would have malicious thoughts towards you with the situation of the Blood Fiend Sect being dealt with. If anything, they should want to ally themselves with you, so you have no need to disguise yourself." Tao informed, "I didn¡¯t want you to do anything rash earlier because we¡¯re unsure of the situation within the capital, but if you do, then you do. We can deal with it."

    Bai Lufeng sat peacefully to the side. His task waspleted as well, with the earliest time to travel to the Xiantu Realm being in a week¡¯s time. With his cultivation base, he was given a special reservation as well, so there was no hup with the procedure. However, he felt a little discontented that he was warned not to make trouble when Yan Zaizen nearly wiped out an entire force.

    "Good, since the Heavenly Fortune Auction is tomorrow, we should participate. Tao, submit this True Essence Sublimation Pill, and the other rare materials." He instructed. Initially, Tao felt this was a rash choice, but with Yan Zaizen¡¯s strength, potential, and the time it¡¯ll take himself or Bai Lufeng to reach the peak Origin Core or half-step True Essence Realm would be sufficient for them to obtain another.

    As for the materials used to craft pills, elixirs or armaments, they didn¡¯t need any of them. They weren¡¯t alchemists or armament creators, so they were essentially useless. After unloading all the other materials in the city, the only thing left was the incredibly rare materials or peak grand-tier alchemy items.

    "Also, what¡¯s so special about a corpse of a True Essence expert?" He inquired. Earlier, he had observed the flickering emotions of greed as the leaders of their forces gazed at the Li n Patriarch¡¯s corpse. Tao¡¯s eyes lit up, having seen the battle personally, he was shocked by the events. However, now, most of the wealth was obtained by Yan Zaizen with very little effort.

    "A True Essence corpse exudes a profound aura which has many uses. Their bloodline could be extracted and integrated into armaments to create a Spirit Form or for alchemy. The bones, blood, organs, or the true-essence within could also be used to produce elixirs, armament bodies, or pills. With a little refinement, you could make a puppet or a second body! Of course, that would require a profound soul cultivation. There¡¯s more as well, nearly limitless in uses." Tao exined, his eyes filled with excitement.

    "I see..." Yan Zaizen couldn¡¯t help but think about the value of this corpse. He had no idea what he wished to do with it. However, it was being preserved within the spatial talisman, so he had time. For now, he¡¯ll leave it until he finds a use. He wasn¡¯t a sentimental individual who would return the corpse back to the Li n.

    From his understanding, the Li n was all but destroyed. What use would that do?

    -----

    Tomorrow arrived like the flickering of a light switch. With it, the city was filled with an uproar ofmotion, rumors, and excitement. Many were dispensing of their irrelevant materials in hopes of obtaining something they needed during the Heavenly Fortune Auction. There was a selling madness during this time, and many were going crazy over the eradication of the Li n.

    There was news still circting that within the inner wall of the capital, all members of the Li n were being culled like degenerates in the street. There was even a bounty on each Li n member by name. Their detailed information like physical appearances and cultivation characteristics were revealed with frightening uracy.

    All could see the extreme preparation taken ce for this event. Despite this happening in the capital, no one from the Imperial Family responded nor did anyone from Sky Night Royal City. Everyone could deduce from this factor that those conducting this operation were given full consent from the grand-tier and higher forces of Presba.

    This was a frightening event, and many couldn¡¯t help but question what the Li n did to suffer such thorough destruction. However, the Heavenly Fortune Auction was such a grand event that many put this thought to the back of their minds, focusing on obtaining something useful for their own strength.

    "Presba is far crueler than Grux." Bai Lufengmented, standing a step behind Yan Zaizen with disdain in his eyes. Grux may be a ve country, but at least it treated its people with safety and care. If a n was annihted, they would be forced into very with the chance to regain their freedom with arduous effort. However, Presba directly annihted everyone from the elder to the dogs, and the citizens didn¡¯t particrly care about the fall of a grand-tier power that stood for thousands of years.

    Even the Imperial Family was indifferent.

    "Every country has their own tradition and mindset, this is simply normal for them. From what I know, unlike Grux, these people are subjected to strictpetition and constant war, not only against themselves but against disaster and divine beasts. They¡¯ve be ustomed to loss and seek personal strength to prevent more" Taomented his observation, and he was correct.

    In truth, despite Grux having an extraordinary poption, the birth rate and annual death percentage were far less than Presba. They possess far too little danger outside of dying from overexertion, while Presba had tobat beast and humankind alike, and the resources they possessed was unlike Grux, they were vastly limited due to sharing with the beasts.

    If Grux could be considered a ve country, then Presba was a country of fiercepetition. This was the very reason why everyone schemed, trying to outdo each other with intelligence and forenning. They were also a lot more decisive than most countries, immediately clearing out the roots of an issue before thinking about the consequences.

    Xue Hanjie was willing to kill Sun Huan but unwilling to touch Yan Zaizen, and the difference wasn¡¯t perceived strength or personal threat, butck of information. If he had known Yan Zaizen had a simr status to Sun Huan, he would¡¯ve acted without care, regardless if Yan Zaizen was at thete-Qi Unification Realm or not.

    "Yes." Yan Zaizen¡¯s mind pondered the fates of himself, Shin Xuanji, and Lin Feilin. He suffered neglect and scorn for weakness, despite his status within his n. Shin Xuanji had his entire n wiped out due to treason. Lin Feilin¡¯s n was eradicated by bandits who likely belonged to the Soaring Cloud Sect. Who knows what inner machinations were happening during any of these events, the countless scheming and vicious intent.

    They arrived at a grand building that stood one hundred meters high. The ck walls had a myriad of golden clouds etched on its surface. Each cloud emitted an aura reminiscent of looking at the heavens themselves. The doors were designed to resemble the depiction of heavens¡¯ gate, with a pearly white look and a resplendent glow. One could see that every inch of this building must¡¯ve been worth a fortune to construct, let alone the various formations inscribed within, but simply the door itself likely cost more than a normal grand-tier pill.

    Despite arrivingst minute, Yan Zaizen and the others obtained a personal V.I.P. box due to auctioning off the grand-tier True Essence Sublimation Pill. This left him satisfied, while others struggled for a basic seat, he was ushered by a beautiful maiden to his very own luxury box. Not to mention, the position of the box was high and befitting of a superior existence.

    "I¡¯ve never been to an auction before!" Yan Zaizen truly was excited by all this. When he was younger, he always dreamed of having sufficient wealth to attend an auction, and while he held a beautiful woman in his arms, he would bid to high heavens and sweep all things with a single word. Unfortunately, he didn¡¯t have a beautiful woman in his arms.

    "Our goal is the Heretical Lightning Skyship! With it being a pseudo sky-rank skyship with traces a lightning conceptualw, it¡¯s speed and abilities will definitely be exceptional!" Tao was excited as well, having been informed this due to their V.I.P. status. The Heretical Lightning Skyship, or any skyship, were defined by two majorponents: Armament-rank & Formation-tier.

    With a grade at the pseudo sky-rank and rank 8 formation base, its capabilities could not be underestimated. It¡¯s likely with the conceptualw within the developing Spirit Form and formations, it could rival a weak initial-True Essence expert in terms of raw speed. This was already beyond exceptional, as they could travel dozens of li in seconds!

    "Yes!" Yan Zaizen had his heart set out for this skyship, and no one was going to stop him from obtaining it.

 Chapter 116 Mine! Mine!! Mine!!!

    "Greetings, I¡¯ll be your auctioneer for the evening! Please take care of me." A womanly voice filled with delicate charm resounded, behind that voice was a woman filled with a seductive vor. She revealed herself atop the Heavenly tform at center stage. Her hair was long and ck, with jade-like perfect skin, clear ck eyes, and a voluptuous body fitted into a tight dress entuating her astonishing assets that would put even Li Qiyu to shame.

    Her arrival caused all of the average men¡¯s internal fires to burn, their eyes revealing desire and lust, while those who were more experienced remained calm at her appearance.

    She began by introducing the auction, exining the various rules of the auction, and safeguards in ce for the bids to reassure all individuals of their personal safety within the auction grounds. Not to mention, if they win a bid and require protection, they could pay a fee to be escorted by the Earthly Fortune Pce¡¯s experts or stay under their protection.

    Despite her seductive tone that drew in the minds of the simple men, her professionalism was extraordinarily outstanding. One could tell she was a formidable woman, having the cultivation at the initial-Origin Core Realm yet with an age that was far less than Tao. By her lifeforce, Yan Zaizen calcted she was around three hundred years old.

    It¡¯s likely her status was extraordinary within the Earthly Titan Pce also. The qualifications to host the Heavenly Auction, that was held once a century wasn¡¯t a simple feat to achieve. "That¡¯s Ming Qi. She¡¯s the great-granddaughter of Ming Yan, the Pce Master of the Earthly Titan Sect." Tao exined, his eyes radiant as he tried to discreetly scan her voluptuous body from head to toe. His posture, however, tried to remain schrly.

    Taking a look at this woman who¡¯s white peaks seemed like it would burst from her dress, Yan Zaizen couldn¡¯t help but flicker with a trace of lust. It truly wasn¡¯t his fault. This woman was talented by the entire country¡¯s standard, had a high status, and was exceptionally beautiful. She truly tailored all of his tastes. At least, by a superficial standard.

    Bai Lufeng saw Yan Zaizen¡¯s gaze and couldn¡¯t help but inwardly chuckle. He slyly remarked with corrupt intentions, "Young Lord Zai, does she suit your taste? If so, you can..." His words were overly obvious, causing Tao to frown slightly. Personally, Bai Lufeng didn¡¯t believe in monogamy, he also didn¡¯t believe in having a harem, but he believed in the fleeting moments of life.

    It¡¯d be mistaken if one thought Bai Lufeng was always this way. He once had a wife, a son he raised personally and a very settled life. Unfortunately, as his cultivation progressed, his wife and child¡¯s didn¡¯t. They died a natural death.

    In Grux, this was fairlymon due to the difficulty in obtaining resources. Even Bai Lufeng only progressed to the Origin Core Realm due to sheer luck, his lifespan nearing its end at the time. His son or wife couldn¡¯t ascend to the Qi Unification Realm. Therefore, their lives didn¡¯t exceed five hundred years.

    He outlived his grandchild, his great-grandchildren, and even further family lines. This was the cruelty in the cultivation world that silently sneaks up on you, no matter what you do, if you¡¯re talented, it¡¯s highly likely your loved ones will die a natural death before you, even if you could keep them safe, you can¡¯t keep them safe from time.

    Many male cultivators who suffered simr things would continuously get wives and children to abate the loneliness thates with exceptional talent and power. Some would only choose talented wives to ensure the maximum number of years with them. It¡¯s even worse for people at the True Essence Realm. The average lifespan of a peak-Essence Formation cultivator was five hundred years, Qi Unification Cultivator was fifteen hundred years, Origin Core was five thousand years, True Essence was twenty-five thousand years. However, for each step progressed into the True Essence Realm, one could receive an additional five thousand years.

    This doesn¡¯t even consider the additional lifespan you¡¯d receive from body cultivation, which may be lower inparison, but it mattered. They live exceptionally long lives, typically filled with constant death of allies, loved ones, and enemies. It was depressing, but when one tastes long-life and power, how could they fall into depression easily? Who could reach such a level with weak will?!

    This was also why Tao didn¡¯t say anything at Bai Lufeng¡¯s corrupting thoughts. It¡¯s not like Tao was a virgin. It¡¯s not like he didn¡¯t have women in his bed for one-night stands or enjoyed the asional dual cultivation. He wasn¡¯t monogamous, most cultivators aren¡¯t, especially those with exceptional talent. However, he didn¡¯t know Yan Zaizen¡¯s preferences or desires towards women.

    In truth, Tao had his suspicions about Yan Zaizen. Due to his childhood, it¡¯s unlikely he could trust a woman sincerely unless the feelings were true and proven. With his cultivation, talent and his dao, this was a difficult feat to achieve.

    However, Yan Zaizen¡¯s thoughts were different. He may be a little slow, but he understood the basic concept of outliving your loved ones. He was well aware of the fact those he knew within his n will likely die within the next thousand years. Even his grandfather will die in one or two hundred years if he can¡¯t develop his Origin Core. It was a sad reality, however...

    It was their reality.

    "I¡¯ll see." Yan Zaizen couldn¡¯t help but feel temptation in his heart when he looked at this Ming Qi, even if what he felt was superficial, perhaps it was time to lose his virginity. Thankfully, he would never force himself upon a girl; he had his principles and dao. If he did so, his dao would shatter instantly. To force a woman to be with you disyed ack of personal pride and self-confidence. How could his dao handle such actions?

    "We¡¯ll be auctioning our first item of the day, I¡¯m sure many of you have heard of its name, but I¡¯ll exin!" Ming Qi announced. From her spatial ring, a translucent bottle filled with a single blue pill was ced carefully upon the disy tform.

    Immediately, thousands of qi-senses and spiritual senses reached outwards to scan the contents of the bottle, and when they did, many people couldn¡¯t help but gasp in excitement.

    "Our first auction is a mid-grade grand-tier Origin Consolidating Pill!" Her words caused all those who were unfamiliar with the pill to gasp in awe. Immediately, a loud moring urred as many people verbally discussed this pill with fervent desire. In alchemy, pills were regarded by three grades in each tier: low, mid, and high. Typically, pills of the grand-tier suitable for Origin Core Cultivators would be low-grade, but the Origin Consolidating Pill was exceptional in its effect.

    "As many of you know, the Origin Consolidating Pill can guarantee the breakthrough at the half-step Origin Core cultivation! If one takes it while in the peak-Qi Unification Realm, they have an 80% chance of ascending to the next realm without anyplications! If you take other precautions, that percentage can be further increased!"

    "We¡¯ll be starting the bid at 4,000,000 drops of low-grade liquid essence! Each bid must be increased by 100,000 drops!" She stated, her eyes lighting up as she readied them all with expectations.

    "Unfortunate...that¡¯s mine." Yan Zaizenmented, his eyes filled with traces of disappointment. In stories, the first item to be auctioned is highly desired. He truly believed he could bid and win it. Unfortunately, this was an item he put up for auction. The Heavenly Auction would receive 5%seller¡¯ss fee, but the rest will belong to him.

    4,000,000 drops of liquid essence was an exceptionally high-price to many of the individuals here, but the pill was well worth it. It was essentially three thousand years of life, exceptional prowess, and status advancement. The market price would probably be around six million drops of liquid essence, but who would casually sell this valuable pill that could change one¡¯s destiny?

    As for those bidding, who knows if they¡¯ll ever be able to gain ess to this pill again?

    "4,100,000!"

    "4,500,000!"

    "5,200,000!"

    "6,400,000!"

    "8,200,000!"

    "10,120,000!"

    "Sold! 12.3 Million!" Ming Qi announced with excitement. This was double its market price. The only reason why more people didn¡¯t bid on it was likely due to them saving for greater items orck of funds.

    "Up next, a Crimson re Sunflower! An excellent material in alchemy for fire-attributed pills or elixirs! The price will start at 90,000 drops!"

    Yan Zaizen felt a little frustrated this was also one of his. It was sold by Tao earlier, he only submitted incredibly rare materials, but this one was sold casually. They must¡¯ve obtained it and decided to sell it in the auction. He just wanted to bid.

    "The third item, a Blue Sea Jade!" Also his.

    "The four item, a low-grade grand-tier elixir, the Origin Excavation Elixir!" Also his.

    "The fifth item!" Also his.

    "The tenth item!" Also his!

    "The thirtieth item!!" ALSO HIS!!

    Everyst item that showed up was something he sold, did the Heavenly Auction even have their own item?! "Did you sell them everything?!" Yan Zaizen inquired with a hint of anger, his eyes bearing down on Tao with grievance. His dream of heroically and dominatingly buying up every item was a pipe dream at this point. What was the meaning of buying up his own shit?

    Tao couldn¡¯t help but feel awkward. He didn¡¯t sell the exceptionally rare items that would cause war within a country, but they truly had a lot of irrelevant materials or useless armaments on hand, he sold them all at an above average selling price, but it was still a huge load. Was it...possible...that the Earthly Fortune Pce discarded all their ordinary wares and sold only the things he brought them? At first, he thought this wasn¡¯t the case, but by the hundredth item, there was literally no item presented that didn¡¯t originally belong to them.

    Yan Zaizen, at this point, had fire in his eyes. This entire auction that he was excited about was a total wash! Even if he earned a ton of wealth, amounting to several hundred million total from this endeavor, he truly felt dissatisfied.

    "We¡¯ll be auctioning the final three items!" Ming Qi said, her eyes vibrant with excitement at the sheerpetition that ensued. Many forces bid triple to even quadruple the market price for some items due to heated contests.

    "Finally!" Yan Zaizen remarked, his eyes filled with desire. The Heretical Lightning Skyship should be amongst these items, so he¡¯ll buy it with zero hesitations.

    "This next item, I must apologize, there were previously no information released pertaining to it, but I¡¯m sure all of you are prepared! However, many of you will know its name..." Ming Qi announced ambiguously, whetting the crowd¡¯s appetites and intensifying their curiosity.

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes lit up, for this item to not be released prior likely meant a fight would likely ensue because of it! In that case, it had to be exceptionally rare and valuable. He had to win it no matter what!

    However, Tao¡¯s gaze was odd. Bai Lufeng felt this entire auction should be called the Yan Zaizen Heavenly Auction instead. They both guessed what the next item was.

    "I reveal," Ming Qi slowly motioned drawing everyone¡¯s rapt attention, "A True Essence Sublimation Pill!!!" She announced with excitement that was so prevalent the entire crowd heard her tone heighten.

    "..." The crowd went silent.

    "WHAT?! GOD DAMMIT!!" At this point, Yan Zaizen was ready to flip tables in frustration. His voice was so loud that the entire box intensely vibrated.

 Chapter 117 Intense Bidding War

    The trembling of their luxury V.I.P. caused zeromotion. The surrounding bidders only assumed it was someone a little too excited, directly ignoring after a slight nce, their eyes drew back to the True Essence Sublimation Pill beside Ming Qi. Beside this pill, Ming Qi lost all importance. Literally, no one was looking at her at this moment.

    "You know what, forget it! I¡¯ll just win the other two items." This was the only concession he could make mentally without feelingpletely cheated out of his auction virginity.

    "A True Essence Sublimation Pill?! A peak high-grade grand-tier pill?! Where the hell did thate from?"

    "This...the storm that¡¯ll be created from this pill will be cmity inviting."

    "This is going to be so exciting!"

    There were many differentments flying about in excitement, while those with true intentions of buying this pill were solemn beyondpare. They calcted their personal funds. Some used talisman transmissions to pool remaining funds, attempting to convince others to withdraw from thepetition, and all types of method to gain a greater chance at obtaining the pill.

    "We¡¯ll begin the bid at...500 million drops! Each bid must be a minimum of 10 million!" There was no need to use her alluring features or words in an attempt to heighten thepetition for this pill, its very existence was a tonic forpetition. This pill essentially represented the chance for twenty thousand years of life, a status as a peak powerhouse, and prowess that¡¯ll be respected by all.

    How could they not be enticed? She didn¡¯t even need to exin its effects, those who would bid for this pill obviously knew what it was.

    A powerful aura at the half-step True Essence Realm surged in one of the V.I.P. boxes, causing everyone to draw their gazes over in excitement. Normally, if an expert of such degree erupted with their aura, many would be quivering in fear, but no one at this moment felt any sort of fear! Only excitement at the ensuingpetition.

    "Isn¡¯t that the Vice Pce Master of the Dark Mist Pce?!"

    "Oh god! It is, he¡¯s been at the half-step True Essence Realm for several thousand years now! He must be nearing the end of his lifespan. There¡¯s no way he¡¯ll allow this to be won easily!"

    Yan Zaizen gazed towards the box, his eyes zing with traces of vibrant lifeforce, and he could tell from the aura that the crowd was correct. This person¡¯s lifeforce signature was exceedingly dim, perhaps having a few dozen or a hundred years left. This may be a lot by mortal standards, but for powerful cultivators, this was a single cultivation session.

    "700 Million!" His old and withered voice resounded with a hint of steel-like resolve. One could see that he was willing to throw his entire wealth at this pill; it was too rare and too precious. To understand, in the entirety of Grux, only the Xi¨¡o City¡¯s Lord, who was its top grand-tier alchemist, was capable of producing this pill. In his entire life, he only produced two of these pills. This disyed its value.

    Presba doesn¡¯t even have anyone on the level of the Xi¨¡o City¡¯s Lord within its employ, they had to purchase their pills from other countries, but why would they sell them such a precious pill that could indicate an overall strength enhancement for the country?! The only reason the Earthly Fortune Pce was willing to sell this was due to its owner¡¯s wishes. Unwilling to offend him, they allowed it to be auctioned.

    However, they¡¯d be fools not to bid themselves.

    "800 Million!" A soft but firm voice directly increased the bid by one hundred million, showing no fear. Many individuals turned their gazes to see a young, handsome male with a profound gaze dressed in sky blue robe.

    "Isn¡¯t that Ming Shen, the son of the Earthly Fortune Pce¡¯s Pce Master? Why would he be bidding?!"

    "This is insane, could it be that someone auctioned off this pill?! It doesn¡¯t belong to the Earthly Fortune Pce?"

    "Stop being an idiot! Of course it doesn¡¯t belong to the Earthly Fortune Pce, if it did, why would they auction it off and not use it immediately? Some powerful expert must want it auctioned, and they had no choice!"

    "850 Million!" An elderly voice with a feminine charm resounded once more. This attracted everyone¡¯s eyes to feel the aura of someone everyone here knew! The Grand Elder of the Xin n, Xin Miaoyu! Thepetition continued as many more influential and elderly voices started to bid. Even the True Essence outsiderspeted vigorously, putting all of their wealth together in hopes of obtaining the pill.

    "1 Billion!"

    This bid shook everyone. To reach 1 billion was extraordinary, but after thinking of the pill¡¯s capabilities and what it offered, this was worth too little inparison. How could you estimate a profound cultivation base that dominated 99.9% of the continent and twenty thousand years of additional life minimum with 1 billion?!

    "1.1 Billion!" The bid was quickly surpassed by the first bidder, his eyes within the V.I.P. box were filled with crimson lines of blood. His hands were clenched so hard that the arm-rest was deformed. "I will win this!" He shouted, every single person present could feel his steeled resolve. Everyone could tell he was going all in, but how could he be the only one?!

    "1.3 Billion!" Ming Shenid another bid, not caring about a mere Vice Pce Master of a grand-tier power. His goal was to obtain this pill, and he had the full backing of the Earthly Fortune Pce. This was their homeground, how could he lose?!

    However, who cared if he was a part of some Earthly Fortune Pce? Who cared if this was his homeground?! This was a True Essence Sublimation Pill! This was a chance at a second life, at a higher point in that second life to boot! Who gave two flying shits about some Ming Shen?

    "1.6 Billion!" This bid caused gasps to resound, this price exceeded what Yan Zaizen obtained for a genuine sky-rank mountain! However, he had a gut feeling this wasn¡¯t going to stop at that.

    "2.5 Billion!" Xin Miaoyu said calmly. This very bid caused themotion to reach a peak, a jump of 900 million! This was extreme and the price was astonishing! Many individuals couldn¡¯t help but have their eyes ze in contemtion. From their point of view, this Xin Miaoyu must be absolutely certain she could ascend in her cultivation if she had this pill.

    However, before everyone could feel the shock from a wealth they¡¯ll never touch in their lifetimes, "4 BILLION!!!" Ming Shen thunderously dered, his aura ring revealing a peak-Origin Core Cultivation. At this point, everyone realized why he was bidding personally. With this pill and his talent, he had a high chance of reaching the True Essence Realm. How could he not bid?

    A cold, powerful voice resounded, "You all are pathetic! None of you are worthy! Stand down, this pill is mine. 4.3 Billion!" A neer entered the fray. Shockingly, when everyone looked at this person, their eyes widened to moons. Not a single person was exempt from this.

    "The Imperial Protector, Dong Wei?! Why is he here?" There were many intense reactions, but all those who were bidding had their expressions turn iparably solemn. A middle-aged man with silver-gray hair, a robust physique, and a vigorous aura revealed himself at one of the V.I.P. boxes. Obviously, he was intent on obtaining this pill despite already being at the peak of the initial-True Essence Realm.

    Many may not know this, but the True Essence Sublimation Pill could let a half-step True Essence expert have a 40% chance increase to their already existing chance at ascending to a higher stage. However, it also had a 10% chance increase to ascending into the mid-True Essence Realm! This was exceptional!

    However, how could the Imperial Family truly be the only people that know this?

    "Shut up! No one here is willing to be intimidated by your false bravado bullshit! 5 Billion!" Xin Miaoyu fearlessly bid while many others were silent as worms, afraid to take action.

    Dong Wei¡¯s eyes narrowed with an intense killing intent at being outbid and insulted. If it wasn¡¯t for his own internal pride and respect for auctions, he would¡¯ve directly snatched this True Essence Sublimation Pill in front of everyone. However, the Earthly Fortune Pce most assuredly had their peak of the Initial-True Essence Pce Master watching this auction carefully.

    In truth, they all had their own thoughts. The person who obtained the pill first will most definitely have the advantage over the others in obtaining it. However, they all knew there was a possibility of being robbed, but if someone like Dong Wei obtained it, then robbing it would be nearly impossible and not worth it.

    "HMPH! 7 Billion." Ming Shen snorted coldly, ignoring these individuals of high status and fully disying his intent on buying the pill. If he obtained it, he could simply hide here and take it; he didn¡¯t have to worry about being robbed. The only issue had to do with the price. The individual who sold this pill was definitely someone with an extraordinary prowess, if they bid too high but couldn¡¯t pay up, then they¡¯ll be directly offending someone they shouldn¡¯t.

    "AHHHHHH!!! 9.7 BILLION! THIS PILL WILL BE MINE!" The Dark Mist Vice Pce Master roared thunderously, throwing out his entire life savings market worth right then and there. His eyes no longer had any trace of whiteness but pure blood red; he was absolutely intent on buying this pill! All else be damned!! He crushed a transmission talisman decisively.

    His action was followed by others also crushing transmission talismans.

    Yan Zaizen looked onwards with intense shock at the events that were happening at this moment. "This..."

    Numerous lights lit up on people¡¯s fingers, receiving messages from their respective powers. Some of their eyes deted, but most had their eyes lit up withpetitive brilliance.

    Xin Miaoyu was the first to contest the bid, "11 Billion." Her voice was iparably calm, not holding back any longer. Wealth means absolutely shit without proper time to use it, they were just liquid essence, who cared? Liquid essence isn¡¯t even effective in breaking through to the True Essence Realm, hell, low-grade essence crystals were the same, only mid-grade essence crystals could help. However, even with it, it¡¯ll take hundreds of years to process all that essence! Who had such time to waste on an off-chance?! Even if they did, their chances wouldn¡¯t increase a single percentage!

    They didn¡¯t have the physique of a Herculean after all! This pill is far more immediate and effective than 100 mid-grade essence crystals.

    "You old hag, back the fuck off!!! 15 Billion!" Dong Wei thundered, his eyes were slowly suffusing with madness. Resources meant shit when it came to actual power and status, to him, this represented a chance at the very peak of the entire continent and five thousand years of additional life! This was not a battle he was willing to lose.

    He had to win!

    "I bid..." Ming Shen¡¯s voice resounded outwards, attracting the astonished and expectant gazes of all, "31.2 Billion."

    "..."

    "..."

    "..."

    Silence.

 Chapter 118 Payment & Departure

    "..." Yan Zaizen, Tao, and Bai Lufengpletely underestimated the value of the True Essence Sublimation Pill and what it represented. As each and every one of them was younger inparison to those bidding by several thousand or even ten thousand years, how could they possibly imagine it¡¯ll be worth this much? Even if you deduct the 5% from the Earthly Fortune Pce, they¡¯ll still receive nearly 30 billion! However, because they¡¯re buying it, there was no profiting fee!

    100% PROFIT!

    "Should we...sell the other one?" Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes darted towards Tao.

    "..." Bai Lufeng was astonished by such a question. If the pill was valued at this much, then it most definitely was difficult as all hell to obtain. Who in their right mind would give away this pill?

    "No." Tao mechanically answered. Not even willing to cater to the possibility any longer. One day, he may very well be in these people shoes, needing that little pill, and how would he feel if he didn¡¯t have it? Cry to his deathbed. The intensity of the auction caused Tao to forget that many have broken through to the True Essence Realm without this pill. Only those who were desperate or in an urgent need to increase their chances wanted this pill, because there was no guarantee they would breakthrough in their lifetime.

    "I see..."

    No one added a bid, many crushed transmission talismans, but only got responses which left them feeling hopeless. If they did an empty bid, it would be pointless. The moment you bid, your wealth would be verified, if you can¡¯t produce the sufficient amount, the auction would simply restart again without you.

    There was literally no point.

    Ming Qi¡¯s eyes were suffused with a trace of pain. Even for the Earthly Fortune Pce, 31.2 Billion was essentially all they could bid on the item. A single million more, and they¡¯ll have to start digging into their non-liquid assets. With this, their funds for the year and their reserve gathered over the centuries were gone just like that.

    Not to mention, if the Earthly Fortune Pce were to bid on an item, they can¡¯t take the 5% processing fee. Moreover, who would ept them taking a processing fee? That¡¯d be the truly shady bullshit.

    "No other bids?" Ming Qi probed but received zero response. Even the Dong Wei, the Imperial Protector of Presba, was silent. That bid exceeded his upper limits, how could he contest? Same went for everyone, but the Dark Mist Vice Pce Master¡¯s eyes filled with madness. Unfortunately, he didn¡¯t have anything close to that bid. His limit was hit at 9.7 billion.

    "Then, the winner of the bid is Ming Shen! I must congratte you, and hope for your sess!"

    Inparison to this bidding war, the other two bids ¡ª Heretical Lightning Skyship & Aurora Manifestation Pill ¡ª was exceptionally weak inparison. The skyship was immediately bought by Yan Zaizen for 2.3 Billion after a slightly fierce battle, but the Aurora Manifestation Pill was irrelevant to Yan Zaizen - he already had one.

    Several hours after the auction officially ended, Yan Zaizen, Tao and Bai Lufeng, waited within a luxury room filled with heavenly fruit, delicious wine, andfy chairs that far exceeded the Ying n¡¯s. Yan Zaizen did not have a disguise on. This was essentially telling them who he was, and the consequences of offending him.

    It was highly unlikely for them to not know who he was at this point with a few hours of information gathering. A full 31.2 Billion plus his other gains from the auction. Nearly 32 Billion in wealth gained just like that, and only 2.3 billion spent on the skyship.

    Ming Yen, Pce Master of the Earthly Fortune Pce, entered with a slight smile. However, Yan Zaizen stayed seated, while the others did the same. If Yan Zaizen wasn¡¯t there, they would stand and immediately bow in respectful greeting, but if their Young Lord made no move to do so, why would they?

    All Yan Zaizen had was a slight smile on his face filled with confidence, and eyes suffused with greed. The Pce Master didn¡¯t mind this, immediately walking up and cing a golden spatial ring on the table, slowly pushing it towards Yan Zaizen.

    Tao immediately reached to grab the ring, scanned the contents and after a while, nodded in confirmation. Yan Zaizen got up, not even greeting the Pce Master, directly taking his leave. Typically, a spatial ring couldn¡¯t hold a skyship, but simr to a True Essence Realm corpse, special talismans could do so. He had already obtained that and thus, there was no longer a need for him to remain.

    They left without a word exchanged between them.

    A light flickered within Ming Yan¡¯s eyes, but he didn¡¯t say anything. Others may not know what happened, but how could he not when Mei, a member of his force, was there? The person before him may be a youth, but his soul prowess was soul-shaking. He wasn¡¯t sure of his background or full strength, therefore, it was enough to not offend him.

    Six days drifted by quickly, the events of the Auction slowly subsided in excitement. There were countless individuals who stayed around the Heavenly tform with rapt attention. Their hopes of a grand battle due to the purchasing of the True Essence Sublimation Pill were high, but s, they had to leave with unfulfilled dreams.

    At the Earthly Fortune Pce, a grand formation was erected. It loomed over the territory like a bird of prey, constantly looking outwards for enemies while in preparation for any sort of mounted offense. The peak initial-True Essence Realm Pce Master, Ming Yen, sent word that his son, Ming Shen, will be undergoing closed door cultivation for the next two decades. Ming Yen will personally be acting as his Dharma Protector.

    At this news, very few were surprised. With Ming Shen¡¯s talent and resources at his disposal, it¡¯s highly possible for him to ascend to the True Essence Realm with the pill, if anything, he¡¯ll reach the half-step True Essence Realm. His future was potentially limitless.

    Yan Zaizen was leisurely rxing in a cotton-cushioned couch, his posture was the epitome ofziness. There was a wine gon in his right hand and a bowl of grapes that gave off a faint emerald luster. After the auction, he decided to stay in the Grand Bless Inn for the week. Its services were impable. The food, furniture, and formationspletely satisfied his desires.

    Neither Bai Lufeng or Tao was located within his room. They were located elsewhere, handling whatever types of business on the outside, and gathering information. Initially, Yan Zaizen intended to continue sightseeing, but with some convincing from Tao, he decided to just use his spiritual sense to inspect all ces possible.

    It was definitely azy type of sightseeing, but it was exciting. Currently, Yan Zaizen was spectating two individuals who were having an argument over a woman. It seemed she was ying them both, but with their pride, how could they find fault with her? They obviously took fault in the other man, as if they specifically had the intention of snatching their woman.

    They starteding to blows, erupting with their somewhat even cultivation base and fought viciously. Initially, it was only a slight sparring of dominance, but after some sly words from the woman and insults being thrownter, they started to fight with the intent to kill.

    To his surprise, as both of the men were near the end of their rope, about to concede for the day, the woman and another man had taken this opportunity to besiege both with strikes. In their moment of weakness, they were both in with shocked expressions. The man and woman kissed each other over their corpses, quickly robbing them of their spatial objects to even their shoes and burning their bodies to leave no evidence.

    "Tch. This ce truly is vicious." Yan Zaizenmented. It¡¯s been only six days and he¡¯d seen a myriad of schemes be created and executed. Some of them failed, some of them seeded, but they were all revealing of human nature. It¡¯s a wonder what people will do when they believe no one¡¯s watching. However, recalling the Deep Mines, the murder and suicides that happened there, it wasn¡¯t much better.

    In there, individuals killed for an extra day of life.

    In there, they killed themselves for peace.

    A soft resplendent light emanated from Yan Zaizen¡¯s spatial ring, the sign of a transmission being received by others. Yan Zaizen found it intriguing that spatial rings have their own specific ry signal, as long as someone is given the appropriate signal, they can crush a transmission talisman to send a one-way message.

    However, if one buys a special talisman, they canmunicate two-way without crushing, but depending on the distance, the dy for the message would extend in duration. How could he know of these miraculous things and not instantly buy them?

    He checked his message, "Young Lord Zai, the spatial tform is ready. We leave in five minutes." The voice came from Bai Lufeng.

    "It¡¯s about time!" Stretching ratherzily, Yan Zaizen took a step forward, slowly merging with the surroundings as an indiscernible popping sound resounded. His proficiency in Infinite Chaotic Immersion Art was being enhanced, not only in the ease of usage, but also how it could be used. Before, Yan Zaizen required his spiritual sense to exist outside, roaming about, and helping to determine his exit point. Now, however, he could feel faint characteristics of his immediate surroundings without spiritual sense within chaotic space.

    This may seem like a small step, but it was enormous. This removed the possibilities of his spiritual sense being distinguished beforehand, and someone predicting his exit point, immediately striking to eliminate him as a result. There still, however, was a vital weakness.

    Distance.

    With this method, he consumed a lot of his qi-essence to gain knowledge of the outside within chaotic space. His qi cultivation base truly was too shallow for such an advanced application of spatial maniption. This would likely continue until he ascends to the Origin Core Realm.

    "I wonder...what will be my bloodline?" His mind was slowly distracted as he arrived within a dark area of chaotic space that seemed indistinguishable from the rest. However, to Yan Zaizen, he could feel his spiritual sense aura emanating from Tao and Bai Lufeng¡¯s transmission talismans. A single step forward.

    Pop.

    Casually appearing beside Tao like a ghost, Yan Zaizen looked at his surroundings. The continental spatial tform was exceptionallyrge, about the base of an actual mountain, and the people surrounding it was as numerous as ants in a colony. Tao, acting as if Yan Zaizen was always beside him, exined, "Our departure time to the Dead Soul Desert in Xiantu Continent is in a few minutes."

    Yan Zaizen nodded, his eyes suffused with excitement.

    "Finally, the myriad realms awaits!"

 Chapter 119 Events After Departure

    Standing atop the spatial tform, Yan Zaizen¡¯s group of three waited for departure. A brilliant silver light that seemed to consume the sky in its radiance exploded violently outwards. Everyone, including Yan Zaizen¡¯s group, had to close their eyes lest they suffer immediate harm.

    Variousplex spatial formations revealed themselves, some exited the spatial tform and surrounded each individual on the tform like a protective eggshell. If one looked from afar, the entire sky in the spatial tforms vicinity revealed arge eggshell-like structure. This formation was at the grand-tier with thew of spatial transmission embedded within. The spatial energy fluctuations felt incredibly calm, unlike chaotic space.

    As a small human-sized formation encapsted each individual, Yan Zaizen could feel his Spatial Form of Infinite Stability radiate with an indistinguishable aura from the tform. "This?" Startled, Yan Zaizen looked at his Spatial Form of Infinite Stability that resided within his soul form, and he could see its silver-eyes slowly shine with a phenomenal silver light!

    "Is this...this is!" Interconnected with his conceptualw, he felt as if he understood something. It was like seeing a fraction of the world¡¯s many mysteries before him. Pinaka once mentioned that his conceptualw covered nearly the entirety of spatialws, besides disrupting spatial concepts, this conceptualw defined all others! As he cultivated the Violet Way of Spatial Shifting, he was unable to enter the spatial void, but that was because he didn¡¯t have any definite impression regarding it.

    It was like being told to navigate a city when you couldn¡¯t understand the map, but now...he felt as if he could understand the map!

    FLASH!!

    Yan Zaizen and all the others vanished into the spatial void, their bodies transmitted through an isted tunnel towards the end. Their bodies were shuttling through the void with exceptional speed. Typically, this sensation would be like traveling through a blinding tunnel of silver light at high speeds, but to Yan Zaizen, it was different! His eyes flickered with silver-light and peered into the spatial tunnel that was etched by the spatial tform.

    This was the first time he¡¯d truly viewed spatial tunneling within the void before. He had a distinct feeling that...if he wanted, he could simply step out. He had the feeling that if his cultivation base was higher, he could copse this entire tunnel with a single thought!

    "This...is the spatial void!" His silver-eyes radiated so brilliantly that they even outshone the light within the tunnel.

    ----------

    "Move!" A group of heavily armored individuals barged into Grand Bless Inn. Their fierce momentum was thunderous and unstoppable! Without any hesitation, they shattered the door and its resulting formations with sheer force. Entering Yan Zaizen¡¯s room, their eyes scanned the surroundings in shock and disbelief.

    An armored man with a sturdy physique, broad shoulders, a grand height that exceed Yan Zaizen¡¯s, and tiger-like eyes stepped outwards through his soldiers. The others moved aside in his presence with respect and reverence within their eyes.

    Dong Lin, the Commander of Royal Elite Army, had the qi cultivation base of initial-True Essence Realm, and a body cultivation that could rival it. His strength was legendary, having lived for nearly fifteen thousand years, and his reputation reached the ears of all in the Fallen Stars Continent. His eyes emanating tyrannical ferocity and bursting intensity were filled with discontent and a hint of anger.

    "How?" He seemed to have spoken casually, but it thundered to the point that those in the streets with weak cultivation bases copsed to their knees. However, when he asked this question, none of his men stepped up with a response.

    Only after ten seconds of unanswered silence, did he squint his eyes in frustration. A young, ck-haired woman appeared beside him like a shadowy sh, her body was slender, but it emanated a deep vital energy aura that could shatter a mountain. She spoke with the utmost respect in her tone, "From our information and surveince, the culprit ¡ª Yan Zaizen ¡ª was here a few minutes ago."

    Dong Lin didn¡¯t respond, sending his qi-sense outwards to scour several tens of li around, unfortunately, because of the spatial tform being activated, even his qi-sense couldn¡¯t prate its barrier. "He¡¯s gone." He dered, his tone unpleasant.

    However, the Royal Elite Army soldiers didn¡¯t quiver with fear at his discontent, instead, they radiated traces of unyielding ferocity that wished to make things right. Unfortunately, how could they? Yan Zaizen was just as gone as a gram of sand dumped into the ocean.

    "Find him!"

    They all disappeared with profound movement arts like silver shadows, despite their heavy armors, they were exceptionally agile. The young woman assented with a slight sound. Her body disappeared as a shadowy sh once more.

    For the next few minutes, the entire Sky Night Royal City was turned upside down, no rock was left unturned, every bucket of water searched, and any individual that seemed remotely shady was interrogated without any scruple. Their tyrannical actions didn¡¯t elicit any disy of discontent from anyone, simply fear that the one they were looking for was them, and then relief when they found out it wasn¡¯t.

    Unfortunately for them, Yan Zaizen was in the spatial void tunneling towards the Xiantu Realm. How could they find him? However, also fortunate. If Yan Zaizen was here, the rage he¡¯d feel from being searched for and pursued without proper exnation could¡¯ve established the death date of the Imperial n. Just that may not have enraged him enough, but after being used of a crime he didn¡¯tmit, one could imagine his reaction.

    Several hours passed, but Yan Zaizen was nowhere in sight.

    Ya Qinqan, Mei, Hei, Sun Huan, Li Qiyu, Li Ruogang, Ke Zedong, and Yao Wuhen were currently within an open field. This field was located within the Royal Wall, it was t and obviously meant for cultivation practice, and had a very isted feel to it.

    Yao Wuhen¡¯s brow was furrowed in contemtion. Earlier, her disciple was summoned by the Imperial n to the Royal Wall for questioning. But how could she simply allow such a thing to ur? She tagged along, her eyes suffused with discontent, but she imagined it had to do with Yan Zaizen. Luckily, no one knew that Yan Zaizen was her backer...yet.

    A kind-looking middle-aged man with greys at his temple, a dashingly handsome countenance, and addressed in light green robe slowly walked into the field. He had smiling eyes that gave one a strange and odd sensation as if a contradiction was currently taking ce. He was Dong Sei, the Imperial Prosecutor, and a cultivator at the initial-True Essence Realm. Unlike Grux, whose Imperial n¡¯s surnames would be determined by the name of the country, all those in the imperial title was given the name ¡¯Dong¡¯.

    Dong Wei - Imperial Protector, Dong Lin - Imperial Commander, or Dong Sei - Imperial Prosecutor. They weren¡¯t rted by blood, but they were rted by loyalties, a part of the Imperial n. Each one of them had an exceptional status within the entirety of the continent, and could even be considered heavyweights in their own right within the entire realm.

    As Dong Sei approached, he took out a folding fan, and slowly unfolded it. pping it casually on himself, he smilingly said, "Give me everything you know about this...Yan Zaizen." His words didn¡¯te as a request, but a demand. Yao Wuhen was calm on the outside, but her heart dropped several degrees.

    Did Yan Zaizen offend the imperial n somehow? If so, how?

    "What did this Yan Zaizen do?" Yao Wuhen inquired. Her expression still the very picture of serene calm. Dong Sei stopped pping his fan, his smiling eyes revealed a malicious light. This caused all those who saw, including Yao Wuhen, to feel an icy cold fear well up within their hearts.

    "I¡¯ll be frank, as each one of you will swear a soul oath. His crime is: tainting Princess Qin! The daughter of the Ancient Emperor. His sentence: DEATH!"

    ...What?

    ...What?!

    ...WHAT?!

 Chapter 120 Dead Soul Deser

    A silver beam of coruscating light prated the sky of the Xiantu Continent and violently entered deep into a sea of red sand. The red sand was disintegrated by the beam of light, clearing the area to reveal a white tform radiating faint silver light. This was the spatial tform located in the Dead Soul Desert!

    As the light slowly faded away, it revealed a little over a dozen figures. They stood atop the tform with disorientated eyes, some directly vomiting, while others were unconscious. Yan Zaizen was the only one that didn¡¯t lean over or show some intense reaction. Being spatially transmitted was like being sent to earth from space with only a small capsule protecting you. It was turbulent, blinding, and made you feel light-headed or directly lose consciousness, but due to his body cultivation, this wasn¡¯t much to him.

    Bai Lufeng and Tao¡¯s cultivation base were at the Origin Core Realm, so their reaction wasn¡¯t nearly as intense as others. However, they had to catch their breaths and circte their qi-essence to alleviate some of the disorientating side-effects.

    "Heyo!" A rambunctious voice called out, a figure arrived on the tform with a jollyughter. A round figure filled to the brim with fat appeared in everyone¡¯s vision. It was a bald male with a round belly, stubby legs, and stout arms. He dressed in a yellow martial art attire, but despite his characteristics, his face was exceptionally handsome. It was a deep contrast to those who raise up believing in a specific type of handsomeness.

    "Alright, so! You, you, you, and you!" The figure waved his hand, a trace of true-essence surged outwards to wrap around the form of everyone except Yan Zaizen¡¯s group of three. They floated without resistance and allowed themselves to be taken away.

    True Essence Realm?!

    This individual possessed a profound cultivation base at the True Essence Realm, and he seemed to be nearing the peak of the mid-stage. This was an exceptional cultivation and could ce one at the top in the entirety of Presba.

    "Oh? New arrivals! Wee! Enjoy your stay!" The man released his jollyughter once more and took off, vanishing into the horizon in an instant. Those at the True Essence Realm could travel several li in a single step, and this was just the bare minimum. With a profound movement art, conceptualw, and other factors like armament, they could, in a single step, travel 100¡¯s of li.

    "Huh..." Yan Zaizen gazed at the man¡¯s direction, and then his surroundings. Besides this giant mountain-like tform, there was literally nothing else! Just red sand. Tao had informed him of the Dead Soul Desert before, and the reason it was called as such. It was an odd area where several hundred thousands of li were nothing but a sea of red sand that sometimes exceeded mountains in height.

    This red sand had a special property. It could absorb soul energy from one¡¯s soul form. Because of that, it was one of the areas where soul crystals were naturally produced. Checking his soul energy, he could feel faint traces of his energy seeping into the sand as if returning to its origin. "Such a weird sand." Hearing about it and actually experiencing it was two very different things.

    "The Anima Syndicate chose this spot for its unique properties. It seems it has locations which can help with enlightenment." Yan Zaizen recalled a few things Wu Yuanxu informed him of. Recalling how he mentioned the extraordinariness of the Anima Syndicate, Yan Zaizen wished that Wu Yuanxu had traveled with him also. In truth, he just wished he was still alive.

    Tao¡¯s eyes flickered with traces of pondering, ncing to and fro in curiosity. As for Bai Lufeng, he felt a little ufortable in this sea of red sand. The feeling of having your soul energy siphoned against your will felt unpleasant.

    Taking out the Anima Syndicate¡¯s Medallion, he recalled the characteristics of this Medallion. Unless one had the cultivation at the Advanced Nascent Soul, they couldn¡¯t even lift it. This was how Wu Yuanxu tested him back then. His soul cultivation method was the Spirit Matrix Method, therefore, his soul energy had a unique quality to it which could activate the medallion¡¯s features.

    Yan Zaizen sent a trace of his soul energy into it. A map of the entire continent surged into his mind, of which included the Dead Soul Desert and the location of their Main Headquarters. After spreading his spiritual sense outwards, he furrowed his brows. Within this Dead Soul Desert, his spiritual sense could barely extend 1 li.

    Tao, seeing his frustration, realized something, and sent out his initial-Origin Core qi-sense outwards. Its range wasn¡¯t impeded by the Dead Soul Desert, but his spiritual sense definitely would be. As his cultivation was higher than Yan Zaizen, so was his qi-sense.

    "The white-ash wraith bone tree is located to the west about 15 li out," Tao informed. He knew about the map within the Anima Syndicate Medallion and its map of the entire continent, he even saw it before. Now that they had a prominentndmark on the map, they could figure out their location and venture towards the syndicate.

    Yan Zaizen softly nodded. After some calctions, he traveled to the north. Bai Lufeng and Tao followed along. As they flew across the desert, they saw a myriad of strange and bewitching things. There was a mirage that led one to a whirlpool of red sand, this location would swallow you up, suppress your soul and thoughts, and seal you within while slowly devouring your soul energy.

    There were ethereal birds with semi-transparent bodies flying about. They would fly towards anyone they see and attempt to phase through their bodies, taking a bit of their soul me with them, and they were immune to physical damage. This was insidious, it could consume your memories or even instincts. Essentially, devouring who you are.

    Only a profound cultivation base could elicit their hesitation and retreat. Fortunately, they had this in spades and weren¡¯t impeded by the odd creatures.

    In the distance was a sandstorm of red sand, and it seemed like a blood storm. It gave one a chilling feeling, it was essentially a fast-moving storm of death. If you were to enter without proper protection, your soul and thoughts would be suppressed and devoured by every speck of sand.

    "This ce truly has its dangers." Yan Zaizen realized why a True-Essence expert came to pick up the ones who arrived with them. They all had low cultivation bases and wouldn¡¯t survive a few days in this type of environment. After experiencing many of the dangers in the desert, Yan Zaizen finally took out his Heretical Lightning Skyship, having Tao pilot while he watched all the things from the safety of his skyship.

    With its speed that could rival a True Essence expert, they sped through the desert with incredible speed, passing desert ships, small tents, and even tantalizing oases of death.

    "In the myriad realms, there are far more dangerous areas," Tao remarked, his eyes scanning the surrounding with traces of wonder and excitement. "Some ces, even those at the True Essence Realm could lose their lives in a second!" Truly! While many people may consider the True Essence Realm as the peak of cultivation, it was only the end of the Essence Path. After the Essence Path, one must step towards the Heavenly Path!

    "I hope I can explore more areas one day!" Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes were filled to the brim with anticipation and excitement.

 Chapter 121 The Heavenly Path

    "This continent contains those who¡¯ve stepped into the Heavenly Path, I believe I should exin thoroughly to you." Pinaka¡¯s soft voice resounded, her voice a little hesitant. Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes lit up with shock. For a while, Pinaka was reluctant to enlighten him about the Heavenly Path. Considering that he was only at thete-Qi Unification Realm, it truly made sense that he should focus on the path in front of him and not beyond.

    However, he has always held a deep-seated curiosity towards the next step in cultivation.

    "I¡¯m only telling you this so you, someone with a tyrannical dao, won¡¯t do anything that¡¯ll get you killed. If you do, then I¡¯ll have to find another...that¡¯ll be troublesome." Yan Zaizen nodded, obviously not taking her seriously. He was just silently waiting for her to exin.

    "There are many forms of cultivation. Cultivation of heavenlyws, alchemy, armament creation, daos, arts, bloodline, the soul, the body, and finally, qi. Out of all these forms of cultivation, the qi interconnects them all in some form or way! The qi can allow the soul to live longer, allow the body to stay youthful longer, excavate and enhance one¡¯s bloodline, execute arts,prehend and utilize heavenlyws, and works in conjunction with the dao!"

    "This is not a coincidence. Even if you cultivate the soul purely, your body will eventually die. If you cultivated just the body, your soul will soon decay. You can¡¯t use soul energy or vital energy to execute heavenlyw or excavate the bloodline! Therefore, the qi path is supreme!"

    "The Qi Path has nine Essence Realm, three Heavenly Realms, but that¡¯s not it, there¡¯s another realm but I¡¯m unsure of its name or characteristics. The nine Realms are: Qi Foundation, Qi Revolving, Essence Formation, Dantian Refinement, Pathway Expansion, Qi Unification, Origin Core, True Essence, and Crimson Star! Each one of these realms has the goal of enhancing your qi in quality, quantity, or increasing your foundation that houses your qi."

    "By using essence underneath the heavens, one could progress in their cultivation, excavate their bloodline, and evolve their bodies! After one reaches the peak of the True Essence Realm, they can forgo the Crimson Star Realm and directly venture towards the Heavenly Path."

    "The Heavenly Path is divided into three realms: Heavenly Genesis Realm, Heavenly Creation Realm, and Heavenly Ascension Realm! If one had to describe the three in simple words, Heavenly Genesis - Create your Heavenly Foundation! Heavenly Creation - Create Your Own Heavens! Heavenly Ascension - EXCEED THE HEAVENS!" Her voice at the end overflowed with reverence, respect, and excitement.

    To create your own heavens?! To exceed the heavens?!

    He¡¯s heard the term of cultivating to rival the heavens, to exceed the heavens, but you can be the heavens?! Wait...then...

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes constricted in realization. Pinaka once said that this era was the Rebirth Era, and the era before it was the Chaos Era. Could it be...

    As if she read his mind, "Yes! The Chaos Era was ruled by a Heavenly Creation Expert! It was directly ended with his death and the recement of another Heavenly Creation Expert! In this world, there are only 33 heavens above our skies and earths, ruled by 33 Heavenly Creation Experts. Within their own heavens, they are gods! They could draw power from the core energy of the heavens. They could even change the rules of their heavens at will! However, even gods can be in!"

    "The greater the expert, the more prosperous the heavens they held sovereignty over." Pinaka¡¯s tyrannical eyes were filled with reverence to the max, and she couldn¡¯t help but daydream of days passed.

    "Wait...so...your previous owner?!" Yan Zaizen was always curious about this, could it be...Pinaka¡¯s owner was a Heavenly Creation Expert? Could he have created his own heaven?!

    "NO! My master may have been profoundly powerful with his own dao, but he was only at the peak middle-stages of the Heavenly Genesis Realm. However, don¡¯t underestimate such a level of strength. Those at that level could directly control dozens of realms! They were by no means something you can criticise!"

    Yan Zaizen held no criticism. He was filled with shock and awe. If so, then Pinaka¡¯s master must¡¯ve been exceptionally powerful.

    "Wait...you said middle-stages...what does that mean?" This was the first time he heard the plural form of middle-stages, typically it was mid-stage. Did the Heavenly Path have different levels than the Essence Path?

    "In the Heavenly Genesis Realm, one develops their Heavenly Foundation,monly referred to as their Heavenly Shrine! Using Heavenly Law Liquid and various heavenly materials, one can construct their Heavenly Shrine, and you would try to continuously build your Heavenly Shrine floor by floor for a total of Nine Floors. One to three is initial-stages, four to six is middle-stages, and seven to nine iste-stages of the Heavenly Genesis Realm."

    "However, there¡¯s a requirement! One must possess a dao! Even if you¡¯re at the peak-True Essence Realm, you¡¯ll have less than a 1% chance of surpassing heavenly tribtion to seed in forming your own dao! Because of this the majority, the VAST majority, of Heavenly Genesis Realm cultivators have bestowed daos."

    "However, if the person whose dao you¡¯ve taken perishes, and their dao vanishes, then you can choose to abandon their dao and your shrine, face Heavenly Tribtion without your shrine to retain it as your own dao, or take the dao of another. There are no other paths. You can not develop your own heaven, even your own foundation, without a dao!"

    "You also can¡¯t reign over one of the 33 Heavens without your own dao! Furthermore, you can¡¯t construct your heavenly shrine without the appropriateprehension into the heavens, so conceptualws be exceptionally important. To even take a step into the Heavenly Genesis Realm, you need to reach the manifestation-level of your concept, to reach the middle-stages, you need to reach the domain-level, and to reach thete-stages, you need to reach the sovereign-level!" Recalling this information, Pianka became emotional.

    Her previous master had reached the sovereign-level of his conceptualw, but couldn¡¯t construct his seventh-floor heavenly shrine. If he could¡¯ve...then...

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes lit up in shock. Manifestation-level? Then one can take a step towards the heavens! Manifest your concept, build your own Heavenly Foundation, and touch upon the heavens!

    Wait.

    "How does the Heavenly Shrine help your cultivation?" This was an important question, typically each realm had a different variation in terms of power in the Essence Path, and it made sense in every regard. However, how does the Heavenly Path differentiate power?

    "Hmph!" She snorted, obviously dissatisfied at Yan Zaizen¡¯s ignorance, "You should be able to make an educated guess! However, I¡¯ll tell you to avoid hurting your brain. Your Heavenly Shrine is constructed from heavenly materials and liquids. Your true-essence undergoes an evolution in quality and power with each additional floor. You can also directly draw power from the heavens within your floors as if it was your own, and since each floor requires vastly greater resources to construct, then the power difference between each floor bes as great as the sky and the earth!"

    Taking all of this information into himself, he couldn¡¯t help but marvel at the path of cultivation. To use the heavens to construct your own heavenly foundation, making its power your own, and reaching to a point where you can exceed the 33 heavens.

    It was incredible.

    "We¡¯re here!" Tao¡¯s voice broke Yan Zaizen out of his daydream. Looking ahead, he spotted a tall, dim grey door standing straight upright beneath a mountain of red sand. It stood upright and exuded a dull aura that seemed to consume one¡¯s soul when looked at directly. The door was oddly ced, it seemed like the mountain of red sand was the roof and walls, and all you needed to do was enter the door to enter a residence.

    "Hell¡¯s Soul Gate!" Yan Zaizen eximed. He was here, the Anima Syndicate¡¯s Main Headquarters! People who focus on cultivating their souls to the peak were here!

 Chapter 122 Bodily Death

    Arriving at the tall, dull gray door, Yan Zaizen stored his skyship. The surrounding area was filled with red sand, but this door stood tall amidst the storms. This was Hell¡¯s Soul Gate, something mentioned in both the Anima Syndicate¡¯s Medallion and Spirit Matrix Method. Despite its appearance of a door, it was a profound grand-tier soul-based formation which can send out a Pneuma Disruption that could kill True Essence Realm experts.

    Not only that, it could convert normal essence into soul-attributed energy, which was beyond special. In the Fallen Stars Continent, there was no such thing as that! However, there were formations that converted basic essence into attributed essence, just not pure energy like this one.

    Taking out the Anima Syndicate¡¯s Medallion, he sent his soul energy into it and ced it upon the door. The dull gray color started to slowly turn a brighter shade of gray, but after a while, it reverted back to its dull gray appearance.

    "?" Bai Lufeng was confused. Wasn¡¯t that the key to the door?

    However, Yan Zaizen and Tao simply waited.

    Several minutester, the gray door started to be incorporeal. It was as if it was turning into a ghost, and the insides were bing faintly clear. Besides darkness, they could see an old man with bright eyes, grey hair, and wrinkly face. He seemed to be in his 80¡¯s in terms of mortal years, but his back was straight, and his eyes carried intelligence and vibrance.

    It gave one an odd feeling of contrast. The old man¡¯s eyes looked over the three, and he spoke in a very weak yet ancient voice, "these two are?" The old man spoke directly to Yan Zaizen, as if knowing he was the one who held the medallion and the rest were randoms. In truth, how could he not have a method to discern one¡¯s soul cultivation base?

    If so, with a single nce, one could spot Tao and Bai Lufeng¡¯s Advanced Nascent Souls. In the qi cultivation world, they may be exceptional giving their qi cultivation base, but in the soul cultivation world, they were trash. If onepared them based on soul alone, It was likeparing a Qi Unification Cultivator to a True Essence Cultivator. The difference...it did not need a description.

    "They are mypanions." Yan Zaizen responded calmly, his eyes filled with intrigue as he inspected the old man. However, he received no information. Unlike others who may be able to perceive the soul strength, he didn¡¯t have such a method.

    "Mhm. Come." Turning around, he slowly walked into the darkness. Without hesitation, Yan Zaizen¡¯s group of three followed. They walked like mortals for nearly an hour before the darkness was abolished by white sunstones. The brilliance of this light was such an extraordinary shift that it blinded them temporarily.

    "You two, follow her," The old man instructed. "Followers aren¡¯t allowed further."

    After regaining his sight, he saw a cute young girl about twelve or thirteen years of age, her eyes were brilliant and one could tell she had a strong soul. Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t show any disagreement at his instructions. They weren¡¯t here for Tao or Bai Lufeng, but his official induction into the Anima Syndicate. Tao and Bai Lufeng agreed without any fuss, following the girl as she took them through a basic white door.

    "Follow me." The old man proceeded through a corridor. Yan Zaizen nced around, seeing that the current area they were in was a circr shape, and at the end of this was twelve white doors and three tall and long corridors. They had white sunstones emanating light at the top of the corridor, so there was no distinctive darkness as they walked through.

    "Your name?" The old man asked calmly.

    "Yan Zaizen."

    "You can call me Old Tai." He responded with his own name, it seemed he was polite.

    "Mhm, I shall."

    They travel for several hours by foot like mortals. Yan Zaizen couldn¡¯t help but wonder why they don¡¯t simply dash forward, these several hours could¡¯ve been reduced to seconds. However, it wasn¡¯t proper to do so. Since this old man didn¡¯t seem to be antagonizing or purposefully wasting time with malicious intentions, there was no need to break some rule he didn¡¯t know.

    After these hours, they arrived at another circr room, but this one had two silver tforms on the left and right. Besides that, there was an empty high-height podium. Old Tai brought him to the front of the podium, "Wait."

    After that, he went around until he situated himself at the high podium, looking down at Yan Zaizen. It seems this Old Tai was someone with a great status here.

    "Present your medallion."

    Yan Zaizen sent his medallion towards Old Tai with a trace of his soul energy, it floated into his hands, and he inspected it for a second. After a while, he looked at Yan Zaizen with curiosity. "This is a lesser medallion. Where did you obtain this?"

    Lesser medallion?! What did that mean?

    "I obtained it in the Fallen Stars Continent, in a city named Xuanwu City, from a person named Wu Yuanxu." He exined everything simply, there¡¯s not point in going into too detail.

    "I see. Wu Yuanxu..." As if trying to recall something, he constantly tapped the podium. "Ah! Wu Yuanxu. Earth-Rank, 4th Crest Member. Last recorded soul sultivation at the Advanced Nascent Soul. Current status: bodily death." He listed off some information, but when he reached thest bit, his expression twitched. He wanted to say something about the ranking. The Anima Syndicate Medallion he had indicated three rankings: Anima Initiate, Anima Lieutenant, and Anima Commander.

    However, before he could ask Pinaka¡¯s voice resounded in his mind.

    "Bodily Death?!" It sounded shocked, and Yan Zaizen was just as shocked.

    Bodily Death? That meant he was dead...right?

    Wait.

    "Bodily Death means he has a soul remnant or second soul! With his soul cultivation, it¡¯s impossible to produce a soul remnant, so he must¡¯ve segregated his soul at birth and linked the two, therefore his memories, instincts, and thoughts would all correspond to this second soul. However, without a body, one could only stay in a state of suspended animation." Pinaka exined, her voice filled with incredulity.

    One must know, the segregation of one¡¯s soul was exceptionally difficult to do, and it was essentially impossible as an adult. Only a newborn, with a nascent soul without any memories, instincts, or substantial thoughts created could do that, and that was extreme! The chance to survive was about 10%, but that did not mean it was okay! Afterwards, the segregation of the soul could cause countless problems!

    However...if it seeded...

    Hearing Pinaka¡¯s exnation, Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes widened with shock. Could this mean...Wu Yuanxu was alive?!

    Old Tai¡¯s eyes narrowed as he looked at Yan Zaizen, there was like a shroud preventing an in-depth inspection of his soul form. Only thing he could obtain from this youthful man was that his soul cultivation base reached the Aurora Soul Realm, but he couldn¡¯t determine its exact stage. Also, his lifeforce was far too vibrant to determine his age. If he went off vibrant lifeforce, then he had just been born. It was a little frustrating, like looking in a fog.

    "Wait, where¡¯s Wu Yuanxu¡¯s second soul?!" Yan Zaizen asked, his voice erratic and filled with excitement. Old Tai was a little shocked, but he regained his calm immediately.

    "Currently in our Anima Pond."

    "How can I revive him?!" Yan Zaizen nearly shouted out his lungs with this, his hand grabbing the podium. Wu Yuanxu died because of him, if he could save him, then he wanted to, no, needed to! It has been weighing on his heart for far too long.

    "You must either pay 100,000 contribution points or have a status of an Sky-Rank, 9th Crest Member to request it." Old Tai exined patiently.

    What? How much is 100,000 contribution points? How high of a status was a Sky-Rank, 9th Crest Member?

    Seeing Yan Zaizen¡¯s confusion, Old Tai exined, "Contribution Points is obtained by doing select missions by the syndicate, turning in materials, pills, or elixirs beneficial to soul development, earning a stipend depending on your status, or turning in unique cultivation methods, arts, and formations rting to the soul."

    "There are Three Ranks: Earth, Sky, and Heaven, with Crests from 1 to 9. Each additional crest can be obtained by turning in contribution points, this will allow you to possess more ess to the Anima Syndicate¡¯s storage of knowledge in regards to soul cultivation, arts, or materials." After this exnation, Old Tai waited for Yan Zaizen to digest what was said.

    It took him several dozen seconds before his eyes brightened inprehension, he understood now. Having never personally experienced a contribution points system or this type of ranking, using only a few dozen seconds was already extraordinary. "Will my soul cultivation base help my status?" He asked, curious if cultivation level mattered, especially since stipends were given to members because of it.

    Old Tai was surprised, not many would ask this question right off the bat. This child may seem to be a little slow, but he asked the most important question. Typically, people would start taking out items to see if they were worth anything in exchange, or ask if there were any missions avable.

    "Of course. One¡¯s cultivation base determine your minimum rank and crest status. Initial Nascent Soul: Earth-Rank, 1st Crest. Advanced Nascent Soul: Earth-Rank, 4th Crest. Perfect Nascent Soul: Earth-Rank, 9th Crest. The Sky-Rank and Heaven-Rank are simr, corresponding with the Aurora Soul Realm and Astral Soul Realm respectively." Old Tai felt happy to get all that out of the way.

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes lit up in happiness! Currently, his soul cultivation base was at the half-step Perfect Aurora Soul Realm, but itcked the requisite energy to make that final step. During this time, he¡¯s been focused on his qi cultivation base, but if all he needed was to breakthrough, then that was as simple as eating!

    "I need a cultivation room!" He shouted.

    He was going to save Wu Yuanxu!!!

 Chapter 123 Perfect Aurora Soul!

    "Wait, making your ascension now will cause you to lose out on a little bit when you break through to the Origin Core Realm." Pinaka warned, but obviously, she didn¡¯t do it in an urgent way, as if unwilling to stop Yan Zaizen from reviving Wu Yuanxu. As an existence that resided in his soul form, so close to his soul me, and interconnected with his dao, how could she not know how heavy Wu Yuanxu¡¯s death affected him?

    Not only that, it was the only thing, the blight on his life, that prevented his dao from reachingpletion! He was someone with tyrannical ferocity, unyielding confidence, ice-cold decisiveness, somber calmness, and warmth! At the time, he only developed his tyrannical ferocity, but he watched someone he considered his friend die in front of him, unable to stop it from happening.

    It was like a King of a Nation watching his friend be beheaded against his wishes. How painful would that hurt the king? How could they still have the face of a King?!

    "I will ascend now." He coldly informed Pinaka, not giving no quarter for any form of convincing. Pinaka didn¡¯t do so, remaining quiet as a result. Even if he lost a little bit of an enhancement if he did so now, it wasn¡¯t too important. However, if he couldplete his dao, it would be enormous! At the moment, his dao had the strength of a bestowed dao, this was why Hei in Sky Night Royal City didn¡¯t feel any great difference from his Pce Master.

    At that moment, they were on the same level.

    However, if he couldplete his dao, develop it into a grand dao! His own dao! The difference was as great as the sky and the earth.

    Old Tai brows perked up in suspicion, however, he didn¡¯t say anything due to not knowing exactly who this person was. "Here." He sent a medallion towards Yan Zaizen. With a quick scan, he felt like his previous question was answered. He was considered an Anima Initiate. It seems it didn¡¯t indicate status but was a title given to them by the organization whiches with responsibilities and organization-based authority.

    "Refine that with your spiritual sense, then you can go to one of the white doors in the main hall. In there, you¡¯ll be able to request a cultivation room." Old Tai informed.

    "What about soul resources? I thought I could exchange for resources with essence?" The reason Yan Zaizen asked was that normal essence was essentially useless for the soul. It required soul essence, but soul-attributed essence wasn¡¯t born from essence of the heavens, but it was essence of hell. Hell was the source of reincarnation, the rekindling of the souls, and such. It could be considered the soul hub of the 33 heavens and beyond.

    "Yes. You can. Go to the left corridor. At the end, you¡¯ll arrive at the exchange. If you wish to change your status, you¡¯ll have toe here. Currently, you have the status of Sky-Rank, 1st Crest." This was because he wasn¡¯t able to determine Yan Zaizen¡¯s soul cultivation, so gave him the default. If he wishes to change it, just needed to disy his cultivation base to him, and it¡¯d be as simple as that.

    Nodding in understanding, Yan Zaizen turned to dash off but suddenly stopped, asking, "Is it against the rules to speed through the corridor?" He didn¡¯t wish to break some rule of the Anima Syndicate. However, what he heard caused him to have a slightly ugly expression.

    "No."

    THEN WHY DID YOU WALK!?!?!

    Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t even have the mind to fuss, his body directly vanished into the corridor, in a second, he was already at the circr room. Looking at the left corridor, he dashed forwards, arriving at a simr room with two silver spatial tforms, and an elderly woman behind a high podium. If anything, this ce was symmetric and minimalistic in design. He also didn¡¯t see any other individual here, but then again, unless they arrived just now, it¡¯s likely they were within one of the twelve doors or in their respective forces.

    "Hm? What do you need?" The elderly woman spoke in a monotone voice filled with ancientness.

    "I need soul essence." He requested.

    "Mhm. Low-grade soul crystals are worth ten million essence each. Mid-grade soul crystals are worth 1 billion essence each." Seeing that Yan Zaizen was in the Aurora Soul Realm, shepletely disregarded liquid soul essence, and directly listed the price for soul crystals. They were simr to crystal essence, but they wereprised of soul energy of various quantities and purities. The higher the grade, the higher those characteristics.

    "You¡¯ll need about 3 Mid-grade soul crystals!" Pinaka informed. As a True Spirit with experience, how could she not be familiar with soul requirements?

    "I want 3 mid-grade soul crystals!" He immediately went into the Meteor Ring and moved the appropriate wealth, bringing it out without any hesitation in a spatial ring and offering it up.

    The old woman was a little shocked by the wealthy and vibrant young man. Whoever this young man was, he must¡¯ve had an exceptional status to be able to afford this by himself. No one has bought a mid-grade soul crystal in three centuries. However, as it wasn¡¯t like essence crystals which could directly ascend your cultivation, it wasn¡¯t worth much. Most of the time it¡¯ll be used in rare breakthroughs and recovery during missions. Despite this, the price was still far higher than normal because they are used to nourish and cultivate Spirit Forms and True Spirits.

    "Mhm." The transaction was quick and swift, and Yan Zaizen vanished as quickly as he arrived.

    Arriving at the white door that Tao and Bai Lufeng entered, Yan Zaizen knocked, causing the cute young girl from before to open it almost instantly. "I need a cultivation room." He straightforwardly asked, not willing to waste time. She simply nodded, gesturing him to enter. She brought him inside but the entire room was like a nk white space. After he entered, she left, closing the door leaving only a single door in a room filled with nk whiteness.

    "This..." He was truly bewildered, it was like this room stretched infinitely. Besides this white door that seemed to be standing on nothing, this entire room seemed like its own dimension.

    "Wow! A sub-dimensional space. It¡¯s a little small inparison to your ring, however." Pinakamented, her voice filled with wonder.

    What?!

    This was a sub-dimensional space? What a great cultivation grounds! Literally, for the soul, it required enlightenment into oneself, and typically this is done by experience and constant self-reflection and development. It¡¯s why all dedicated soul cultivators had bright eyes revealing wisdom. It¡¯s because they did!

    There may be those powerful cultivators may just brute-force their souls to a specific level, but those who take step by step advances with experiences and self-reflection into themselves had higher levels of self-awareness! For example, when Yan Zaizen understood what he wanted in a woman, it ignited his soul to reach the Perfect Aurora Soul.

    There are very few people in this world who truly knew what they wanted from a spouse, but Yan Zaizen did. It was this very reason why he didn¡¯t make a move on Ming Qi in Sky Night Royal City.

    "Alright, let¡¯s begin!" He sat down. The three soul crystals about the size of a palm fluctuated with a profound aura, they were ced around him in a triangle, and he calmed his mental state. With his dao, how could this be hard? Iplete or not, a dao is only developed by those with a strong will!

    His aurora projected itself outwards, radiating a silver-blue light that turned this world of white into an aurora! The beauty of it was as if sitting in the Aurora Borealis itself like it was a solid thing constantly fluctuating its beautiful colors and shine. However, Yan Zaizen couldn¡¯t focus on that as the soul essence within the crystals were being siphoned off rapidly.

    "Holy shit!" Pinaka¡¯s eyes widened with absolute disbelief. Typically, absorbing soul essence required more time than normal essence, but Yan Zaizen was absorbing it so fast as if he was drinking water. As she looked at his soul form, she saw his ck eyes swirling violently, and the soul energy was being rapidly absorbed by them.

    Normally, those ck eyes were stationary, but now they looked like versions of the swirling ck hole on his be. Looking inside the Meteor Ring, she could see the manifestation of the swirling ck hole above the Aurora Borealis of his, it was stationary.

    "What?" She became confused. The be was still swirling, his deep ck eyes were now swirling, but the ck hole manifested by his soul form was...stationary? How did that make sense? What the hell was the manifestation in the ring then? What the hell was the ck hole on his be?

    However, before she could think further, the Aurora Borealis manifested beneath therge ck hole standard expanding at a rapid rate, condensing with an even greater silver-blue resplendent luminescence. The ck hole once again started to swirl.

    "WHAT THE HELL?!" His eyes were, for the very first time, widened as an egg. It¡¯s only been like one minute, how could it advance so quickly? She exited the Meteor Ring and saw Yan Zaizen¡¯s soul form. His swirling ck eyes were stationary once more, while the aurora condensed in his soul form was absolutely perfect!

    Yan Zaizen opened his eyes to see that the three mid-grade soul crystals no longer existed. His eyes, which should¡¯ve been filled with happiness, was filled with so much confusion. Should...that have happened? He consumed the soul crystals in less than a minute! All of its essence was devoured like a quick meal, and he could feel his soul form experiencing an odd characteristic.

    Now that he thinks about it, this was the first time in his life that he used soul essence for cultivation...

    "You¡¯ve ascended to the Perfect Aurora Soul...how do you feel? Pinaka asked, her voice obviously cautious. Yan Zaizen¡¯s changes were too intense and happened too fast that she couldn¡¯t study it properly. She also personally knew that Yan Zaizen had no idea of his unique traits either, so there was no need to ask that.

    Clenching his fist, a silver-blue light that was brighter than ever before flickered. It seemed this soul energy was truly perfect. "I feel...okay! No! Better than okay!" He felt like his soul was galvanized with a peerless force. If he wanted, he was sure, he could kill Yao Wuhen within a single exchange!

    "Wu Yuanxu! I¡¯ll bring you back!" He dered, exiting the white door. His movement was filled with a pep and he dashed back to see Old Tai. Old Tai was shocked, considering Yan Zaizen was gone for like a minute. If that.

    "Is there something you want to ask?" Old Tai patiently asked once more.

    "Yes!" Yan Zaizen took a deep breath and then exhaled. His soul cultivation base erupted with an intense momentum that caused the very headquarters to tremble slightly in response. A perfect silver-blue aurora manifested itself within the room, causing Old Tai¡¯s eyes to turn into a needlepoint.

    "PERFECT AURORA SOUL?!" He was shocked to the point his heart stopped beating for a few seconds. If it wasn¡¯t for his strong cultivation base, it¡¯s likely he would have fainted dead from the surprise. A Perfect Aurora Soul wasn¡¯t to be underestimated, even in the Anima Syndicate, it was rare! If you had to put it intoparison, for every one hundred mid-True Essence Realm cultivators, there was one Perfect Aurora Soul Cultivator!

    Even he, who lived thousands of years, only had an Advanced Aurora Soul!

    POW!!

    Yan Zaizen mmed his hand on the podium, his eyes filled with silver-blue light.

    "Revive Wu Yuanxu!" Yan Zaizen demanded!

 Chapter 124 Dao Completion!

    It took Old Tai several seconds before his mind recollected its calm, staring at Yan Zaizen with reverence and admiration. Since this person¡¯s age couldn¡¯t be measured due to his vibrant lifeforce, it¡¯s likely he cultivated lifews, but with the indication of his soul strength, he must be thousands of years old and experienced innumerable events in his lifetime, properly understanding who he was to the core of his soul!

    These achievements deserved respect, admiration, and reverence.

    "Understood. However, it¡¯ll take three years to do so." Old Tai respectfully said.

    "Three years?" Yan Zaizen¡¯s brows furrowed, wondering if this Old Tai was lying to him or not. However, seeing his suspicions, Old Tai immediately added, "We need to reconstruct his body based on his soul me, then the procedure and limation period will require secluded areas. Until all this is done, he can¡¯t be considered as truly revived."

    "I see." It made sense, reviving a soul should require time, not to mention constructing their original body off just their soul me! He didn¡¯t even think that was possible, but he actually met someone who was trying to do just that in the Serene Moon Cove! There was a Perfect Aurora Soul cultivator who was hiding within to recover his energy and rebuild his body and soul by using others.

    His attempts at taking Yan Zaizen¡¯s soul energy left him devoured by the swirling ck hole. Yan Zaizen, at the time, didn¡¯t think too deeply about it. Simply assuming there was something in the cave that made him fall asleep, his understanding of the world simply wasn¡¯t sufficient.

    Ezekiel also tried to do something simr with a slight difference. He attempted to take over a body so he¡¯ll have a better chance at rebuilding his own, but his fate was the same.

    "So that¡¯s it? He¡¯ll be revived?" Yan Zaizen inquired cautiously, his heart thumping with hope.

    Old Tai nodded in confirmation, "His soul is too weak, if it was stronger, perhaps there would be a chance of failure, but at his current level, it¡¯s pretty much guaranteed. It¡¯s not like he¡¯s really dead to begin with."

    A surge of relief overwhelmed Yan Zaizen¡¯s body. Old Tai didn¡¯t realize how much those words meant to Yan Zaizen. They triggered something deep within his soul form.

    Silently, his dao reachedpletion.

    The white motes of light that fluttered around without direction or control gathered at a single point, Yan Zaizen¡¯s chest! They converged together rapidly like surging rivers meeting at a single point, formting a spherical white orb. In one second, this orb waspletely formed and perfect without any loose motes of white light.

    However, the motes of white light were no longer white! It was dark amber! Reminiscent of his eyes before he met Han Genji! It was as signifying his origin, untainted by the Immortal Herculean Method, Unyielding me of Life, or Aurora Soul Cultivation!

    His experiences in the past seemed to be relieved at this moment.

    Outside Xuanwu City, his Dao of Imperial Ferocity was formed!

    Within the Deep Mines, the Daos of Unyielding Confidence and Somber Calmness!

    His events with Diyi, when he gave her a choice. At that moment, his Dao of Cold Decisiveness was brought to the surface, even towards himself! If he was given the chance of 500 years of very or death, HE WOULD ALWAYS CHOOSE LIFE! Because with life, there¡¯s hope. With death, it¡¯s over.

    After he¡¯d finished his revenge, his Dao of Original Warmth that was once lost resurfaced, although only by a tiny amount, it was sufficient for him to maintain a hint of his original self forever! The naive child was there, and it¡¯ll always be!

    And now, the Dao of Relentless Pursuit! The willingness to throw away your own personal benefit or endure extreme torment for the things you desire! Benefits to his cultivation by holding off his ascension, spending 3 billion without any hesitation, and all the times he refused to give up! To return home, to escape the Deep Mines, to get revenge, and now! To revive Wu Yuanxu!

    All of these separate daos merged together into one perfect whole. The dark amber orb hovered at the center of his chest, radiating faint traces of light that seemed to be indicative of its qualitative change.

    This was his Dao!

    The Dao of Sovereign Ascension!

    All of this happened in merely an instant, but he could feel himself reach a level higher than ever before.

    "Your Mortal Dao ispleted!" Pinaka¡¯s excited voice resounded within his soul form. As Yan Zaizen¡¯s dao reachedpletion, it also changed her fundamentally. Her originally white robe was now dark-amber, and her eyes had traces of silver-blue. As she¡¯s been absorbing Yan Zaizen¡¯s Aurora-based soul energy, her eyes were no longer dominated by his dao color. Her hair became deep ck, as ck as Yan Zaizen¡¯s soul form¡¯s eyes.

    "What?!" She was confused by the changes to her hair. Normally, it should match her robe, but not anymore. Was it because of Yan Zaizen¡¯s odd soul form? Regardless, this was a much-weed change than simply white. That was nd and seemed empty, but now her soul form had a uniqueness to it. With his dao atpletion, his control over its aura should be perfect from henceforth.

    "Mortal Dao?" Yan Zaizen inquired. Seeing the changes, he was a little shocked by its speed of development. He expected the heavens to rage and roar, attacking with ferocity, or some epic requirement to reach, but it justpleted. Despite its disappointing development, he was satisfied.

    "Yes. A Mortal Dao is apleted dao without a True Origin. The True Origin is essentially a unique characteristic, this characteristic is something that¡¯s yours and only yours. No two are alike. It is with you at birth and death, but to obtain it, even I don¡¯t know the requirements. However, if you do obtain it, it bes a Grand Dao!" She was a little excited, but she has personally never met anyone with a Grand Dao. Those who could possess them were likely beyond the 33 heavens.

    "Hm. I see." Yan Zaizen took note, but he didn¡¯t feel anything like a True Origin. Regardless, he was excited! Heughed loudly, he felt like all good things were converging on his body at this moment. The revival of Wu Yuanxu, the ascension to the Perfect Aurora Soul Realm, and his dao reachingpletion! A trifecta of extraordinary developments.

    "Thank you, Old Tai!" He sincerely gave his thanks, even if Old Tai was simply following the rules of the Anima Syndicate, it was still worth to have someone to give thanks to.

    Old Tai looked a little panicked, waving his hand in disbelief and refusal, "No need. No need for thanks. I¡¯m simply doing my job." He looked a little embarrassed. To have a Perfect Aurora Soul Realm master give him thanks felt awkward. "You can stay here if you wish to cultivate. We have many different resources, arts, and information that you can peruse with your new status."

    After some thought, he added, "Would you like to be an Anima Lieutenant?"

    "Anima Lieutenant?"

    "Yes, there¡¯s three titles. Anima Initiate, which indicates you¡¯re a normal member who can, with the correct status, have ess to all things. However, an Anima Lieutenant can issue missions, have some control over Anima Syndicate¡¯s decisions, the ability to mobilize the organization¡¯s forces to a certain extent, free ess to some arts, and much more. You can also use the Anima Syndicate and represent it personally, so it¡¯ll be your backing in the Xiantu Realm." Old Tai exined thoroughly. Essentially, it was like bing an official member of the Anima Syndicate,pletely unlike before.

    "Will I be able to join another force?"

    "Of course. However, bing a Commander would be impossible if you do."

    "Can I develop my own force?"

    "Of course. If you do, you can still be a Commander." There was arge difference between being a part of a force and controlling one. There wouldn¡¯t be any conflict of interest in that regards, the person could represent both forces easily.

    "Pay?"

    "You¡¯ll receive a stipend of 1 low-grade soul crystal a month, essentially, 10 million drops of essence liquid."

    "DEAL!"

 Chapter 125 Two Years? No. Sixty Years!

    Tao, Bai Lufeng, and Yan Zaizen were currently situated in a residential area within the Anima Syndicate Headquarters. Surprisingly, the organization actually had rooms like this for their Lieutenants and Commanders. With his upgrade in title-rank, he was capable of utilizing it with Tao and Bai Lufeng. He was also capable of inducting them as Anima Initiates, allowing them some ess in the organization during their stay.

    "So, we¡¯ll be staying here for three years?" Bai Lufeng asked, his eyes flickering with an indiscernible emotion. However, Yan Zaizen could understand his thoughts. He saw the same type of emotion fluttering through Tao¡¯s eyes as well. It was reluctance! Having arrived at the Xiantu Continent, they wanted to explore the outside world.

    This emotion may be temporary, but it made sense. The Dead Soul Desert alone was fascinating, who knew what other miraculous areas this continent had? As an individual with the lowest time alive, he didn¡¯t have their intense desire to travel at first light.

    He had many years to live, after all.

    He could afford to take it slow. Not to mention, he truly wanted to peruse the archives of the Anima Syndicate! If he could gain experience, knowledge or train in his arts wouldn¡¯t his cultivation in general benefit? As the most inexperienced, he was also the weakest in terms of progression in arts. Disregarding his profound soul and body cultivation base, his arts were still at its lowest mastery.

    "How about this: Both of you travel the Xiantu Continent, gather information, establish connections, and go sightseeing. I¡¯ll join you after Wu Yuanxu is revived." Bai Lufeng¡¯s eyes shone with excitement. Tao, however, had aplex gaze. In truth, he wished to travel the myriad realms with Yan Zaizen.

    Just as he was about to shake his head, Yan Zaizen interrupted, "I know you¡¯re reluctant to stay, also reluctant to go, but I need you to gather detailed information about the Xiantu Realm that couldn¡¯t be obtained normally. That way, I avoid offending those I shouldn¡¯t offend. Also, I said the myriad realms. Not just a single continent."

    Yan Zaizen remembered his promise clearly, and he also held some reluctance within his heart about the situation. However, he understood his priorities. His increase in art mastery and experience was a must! He also had other ns as well, ns where Tao could not follow him.

    Tao¡¯s eyes flickered with refusal but after several days of convincing, he finally agreed. Bai Lufeng, however, required no convincing. He was ready to explore the outside world, meet the varied women of the continent, drink grand wine, and see the sights!

    After handing them the Heretical Lightning Skyship, wealth with resources and his well-wishes, he saw them off. They had his spiritual sense infused with his Mortal Dao on them, so even if they met an initial-True Essence expert, they should be safe.

    As for this Mortal Dao of his, he couldn¡¯t help but be a little surprised as he learned more about it. The Mortal Daos could be divided into three tiers: lower-tier, middle-tier, and upper-tier. Depending on the type of dao, the fusion of daos, and quality of said daos, it could be ssified as one of those tiers.

    His Dao of Sovereign Ascension was an upper-tier Mortal Dao!

    After merging six daos together, which was an exceedingly high amount to begin with, it could be considered as the highest form of Mortal Dao possible. It seems that if he had returned home, it¡¯s likely his dao would¡¯ve formted right then and there as the Dao of Imperial Ferocity. This would¡¯ve been considered a peak lower-tier dao.

    Both fortunately and unfortunately, his experiences left him with a dao of the highest tier. With this, he felt it was a little worth it to experience all those things. At least, emotionally, he didn¡¯tck experience.

    "Let¡¯s begin!"

    ----------

    Within chaotic space, Yan Zaizen sat stably in the lotus position, reading a book with rapt attention. Floating in chaotic space were dozens of other books and scrolls. They rotated around him as if within some special domain protecting them from the ripping force of chaotic space. His hands held two low-grade essence crystals to recover his qi as needed. With his Herculean Physique, he could drain and convert this essence into qi-essence within minutes. Luckily, with his low cultivation base, one crystal was enough to fill him several times over.

    His amber-gold eyes now contained an intelligent gleam within, something he clearlycked before. Even his aura was much more reserved.

    It¡¯s been two years, no, sixty years for him, since Tao and Bai Lufeng¡¯s departure. Within chaotic space, he experienced sixty years in a mere two of the outside world. By harnessing his conceptualw of space, he could stay within chaotic space¡¯s odd time flow for extended periods.

    Over the course of these sixty years, he¡¯s read a myriad of cultivation notes from his predecessors in regards to the soul, to cultivation arts in general, and practiced them diligently. His knowledge of the myriad realms was greatly supplemented by records within the Anima Syndicate. Even his cultivation advancement was extraordinary.

    The most notable change had to do with hisws. The Spatial Form of Infinite Stability had reached the Initial Manifestation-level, breaking a barrier that was exceptionally difficult. His extended stay in chaotic space enabled him to perceive incredible insights. It wasn¡¯t the only one. By refining the inky ck wood and white me, Yan Zaizen allowed his physique to contain the highest form of the conceptualw.

    Both his Unyielding me of Life and Siphoning Shadow of Death advanced to the manifestation-level. The Archery of Pure Destruction had only reached the minor-sess of the force-level, disying the slowest advancement speed, but considering the circumstances, it made sense.

    He even felt as if his stay in this odd flow of time helped him glean insight into a neww. Unfortunately, he couldn¡¯t develop any form of an enlightened concept from it.

    At the moment, he could manifest a stable space where things within weren¡¯t affected by the rippling force of chaotic space. Therefore, he didn¡¯t need to shroud objects in his qi-essence but simply project his manifested barrier.

    The Pneuma Disruption, Anima Shield, and Source Sonar Arts, the three staple arts for the Anima Syndicate, reached the major-sess stage. As the three arts primarily used by all members in the Anima Syndicate, it was also the one with the most cultivation notes. Studying them helped reach a higher mastery level with exceptional speed.

    He learned several new soul arts, including Soul Search Art, Compressed Telekic Manifestation Art, Spirit Perception Art, and many more which ranged from low-grade to superior-grade in quality. They allowed hisprehension towards soul energy and overall usage to dramatically change. He never realized how untrained he was in soul energy until he learned these various arts.

    The Violet Way of Spatial Shifting was something he restarted cultivating. As heprehended spatial shifting within the continental spatial tform tunnel, he was capable of taking this seriously. Unfortunately, he didn¡¯t exceed minor-sess in any of the arts detailed within, but it was still exceptional to reach his current mastery.

    This was how his sixty years went,prehending soul arts, spatialws, spatial arts, reading various forms of cultivation experiences of his predecessors, and trying to discover his origin source. Unfortunately, he hadn¡¯t even touched his origin source yet in these sixty years. He was incapable of locating it. However, he didn¡¯t give up qi cultivation due to this, continuing to invest time into locating his origin source.

    "Hm?" His eyes lit up as he discovered something. With a wave of his hand, all the books entered his Meteor Ring, and he took a step forward. As if slicing into a painting, he exited out of chaotic space and into his residential room within the Anima Syndicate Headquarters.

    Outside, Old Tai patiently waited as he knocked every minute or so. He was rather patient in his attempts. Old Tai had been a mentor to him thus far, helping him expand his knowledge and intelligence regarding the world.

    Opening the door, he could see Old Tai¡¯s brilliant eyes were even more dazzling than before. He chuckled at his child-like interest, "You seem rather excited."

    Old Tai dashed in, slithering his withered body into the room like a snake. Yan Zaizen softly chuckled, closing the door behind him. This Old Tai¡¯s true nature may seem wise and old, but he had some odd characteristics. For one, he disliked using his cultivation base to travel to any ce he could walk to. Another was his child-like invasiveness whenever he finds something interesting. It was like, he had to tell no matter what!

    "There¡¯s big news. Very big news." Old Tai¡¯s word dripped with anticipation, he waited several seconds as if to see if Yan Zaizen would ask ¡¯what news?¡¯

    "What news?" Yan Zaizen asked.

    "The Asura Phantom Pce sub-realm has been opened by the Xiantu Emperor!"

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes flickered with an intense interest. After spending time enhancing his knowledge and experience of the myriad realms, he would take some time off to read information about ancient powers, the Chaos Era, and the current Rebirth Era. The Asura Phantom Pce was a second-level heavenly-tier force during the Chaos Era! The reason why he knew this so specifically had to do with their cultivation in the soul, not just in soul cultivation, but the very heavenlyw of the soul!

    How could the Anima Syndicate not have detailed knowledge about such an ancient force? Not to mention, the remnants of its sub-realm was discovered centuries ago, but the Xiantu Emperor closed it off for further inspection, as if refusing to allow some remnant soul to be reborn by ident. It seems after several hundred years, the Xiantu Emperor had finally deemed it safe!

    As for the Xiantu Emperor, he was a second-floor Heavenly Genesis Cultivator! Therefore, the entire Xiantu Realm itself was only a second-level heavenly-tier force! Yet, the Asura Phantom Pce wasn¡¯t in control of a realm, but a sub-realm. During the Chaos Era, only the middle-tier Heavenly Genesis Cultivators could own a realm. Those at the Xiantu Emperor¡¯s level had sub-realms for their respective forces.

    However, this era was obviously different.

    "You going?" Yan Zaizen inquired, but Old Tai decisively shook his head in response.

    "I can¡¯t. I¡¯m too old, I¡¯ll never be able to contest with everyone else." Despite his wordsing off casually, it was the truth. Old Tai had a profound Advanced Soul Realm Cultivation base, but his qi-cultivation base was only at the half-step True Essence. His body had reached a point where it couldn¡¯t take that step any longer, and thus, he¡¯ll likely die unless he obtained some heaven-defying pill.

    "However! You can go!" Old Tai¡¯s eyes lit up with remarkable brilliance.

 Chapter 126 First Mission: Sub-Realm Exploration!

    The Asura Phantom Pce during the Chaos Era wasn¡¯t an impressive force. The highest cultivation base within could only rival a second-level Heavenly Genesis cultivator, and this, inparison to all, was an insignificant cultivation which could only control a sub-realm - a realm within a realm. Despite this, they were considered exceptional enough to keep vivid records of within the Anima Syndicate.

    This was because of one reason: The Soul!

    The Heavenly Law of Soul rivaled life, death, yin, yang, space, and time. For a force, any force, to be known for theirprehension into a heavenlyw at the world-tier makes them anything but ordinary. An example would be the Solitary Sword Sect¡¯sprehension into a Mortal Law of the Sword. With just this, they were considered a top-tier force within the Fallen Stars Continent.

    Yan Zaizen was currently outfitted in a tight-fitted, silver-blue martial attire that entuated his muscr physique. Above it was a thin ck robe that gave him a phenomenal appearance. This attire and robe weren¡¯t normal clothes, but low-grade sky-rank armaments that he directly received from the Anima Syndicate.

    As an Anima Lieutenant, his status within the Anima Syndicate was remarkable. Not only did he receive a monthly stipend, he received sky-rank attire befitting of his soul cultivation, ess to key records within the syndicate, special resources and arts.

    "So, this could be considered my first mission, huh." Standing atop a miniature spatial tform, Yan Zaizen said casually. After hearing the news of the Asura Phantom Pce, how could he not be moved enough to take a venture? Not to mention, his mission wasn¡¯t to actively take the lead. His mission was essentially being hired as a radar for the various dangers that may ur within the Asura Phantom Pce with his exceptional spiritual sense.

    The Asura Phantom Pce may have been eradicated during the Chaos Era, but that didn¡¯t mean its sub-realm wasn¡¯t filled with dangers and treasures. Because its pce was discovered to be intact, it could hold heaven-defying pills, elixirs, cultivation arts, armaments, methods, heavenly materials to build one¡¯s Heavenly Shrine, and more! This was enticing to many cultivators, and a variety of forces were going to be venturing inside in hopes to obtain even a fraction of the Asura Phantom Pce¡¯s remnant wealth.

    However, how could people willingly search a second-level heavenly-tier force without a guarantee? The Xiantu Emperor himself informed all that the pce held countless unimed treasures! However, whether they¡¯ll be able to obtain it, that¡¯ll be solely based on their own capabilities.

    It seemed the Asura Phantom Pce was abandoned, but many of its formations, gardens, halls, and more was leftpletely untouched. With formations still likely to be active, it made the location quite dangerous. This was a great opportunity for others, but if you looked at sub-realms as a whole, this wasn¡¯t umon.

    During the Chaos Era, many powers locked their sub-realms before departing in all-out war. If they were eradicated, it¡¯s unlikely their enemies could discover it by any means. However, on the battlefield, they would be eradicated to everyst man, woman, and child.

    "You must be cautious." Old Tai warned, his eyes filled with traces of worry and excitement. The things possibly held in the Asura Phantom Pce may be able to help him progress to the True Essence Realm! This meant twenty thousand years of additional life! Yan Zaizen chuckled softly.

    "Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m just there to act as a radar." Despite saying that, his eyes flickered with an imperceptible greed. He was essentially being hired as a guide via the Anima Syndicate to discover threats with his spiritual sense by an imperial-tier force. Not only did thise with an immediate payment of fifteen billion drops of essence, but he¡¯ll receive a percentage of all things obtained. From an observing point of view, this was an exceptionally easy job. Especially since your job is to locate and avoid danger.

    However, the things he wants for himself, how could he allow others to simply take it?

    A sh of resplendent silver light exploded from beneath him, his body was shrouded in a small silver-formation like a protective egg. Instantly, he vanished into the spatial void.

    SHISH!

    Old Tai¡¯s eyes couldn¡¯t help but be filled with hope. Yan Zaizen may look youthful, but he had a Perfect Aurora Soul Cultivation base. Even at the most weakest, this could be considered a mid-True Essence Realm equivalent! In the Xiantu Continent, this may be far moremon than in other continents, but that didn¡¯t mean it was irrelevant. He believed, with Yan Zaizen¡¯s cultivation base, he¡¯ll be able to gain much from this exploration of the Asura Phantom Pce.

    ----------

    Standing outside of the Asura Phantom Pce¡¯s spatial entrance, several thousand individuals were spread out amongst various groups. Each and every character here had a cultivation base at least within thete-Origin Core Realm! In the Xiantu Realm, there were many grand-tier and imperial-tier forces. After hearing the public news that the Xiantu Emperor will be opening the Asura Phantom Pce for all to explore, for all to gain their own opportunities, how could they not rush here?

    It was not only them, but even those outside of the Xiantu Realm decided to try their chances at iming from treasure.

    Some were here for hopes of breaking through into the True Essence Realm. Some were here to even prepare in formting their Heavenly Shrine! It wasn¡¯t just humanoid races but divine beasts as well were among the people here.

    Yan Zaizen, in a sh of silver light, appeared several hundred li away from this gathered ground. His eyes scanned his surroundings, and he was immediately shocked by what he saw. He could see giants! Not just humanoid ones, but divine beasts that were the size of several hundred meters in height or length. A gigantic bird with four wings sat peacefully among a group of other beasts, it would move its wings sometimes as if motioning in conversation. It was very human-like.

    He could see many differently dressed cultivators, some in unified outfits or armors, others dressed in their unique garments. There was even a group of twelve cultivators, all of which had an aura that could casually rival half-step True Essence experts in intensity. Each of them donned heavy, ck armor that released wisps of a deathly aura. It came off the armor like smoke from a fire. Many experts stayed a certain distance away from them but didn¡¯t seem too concerned.

    What shocked him greater than before were the humanoid-figures that looked like a mixture of beast and man. There was a man covered in gray-hair, had long, sharp canine teeth, and a splendid physique that could rival his own. It looked like he was a mixture of a wolf and man. His expression, however, was filled with a soft gaze as he chuckled in his group in merry conversation.

    It truly was a sharp contrast to what he believed a wolf-man would look like.

    "So many experts..." He remarked, noticing hundreds of auras with deep true-essence or vital energy that seemed to produce faint reverberations in the surrounding space with every breath. He couldn¡¯t tell their exact cultivation base, but he could be sure that some rivaled mid,te, and even peak-True Essence experts.

    Recalling his hired assignment, he scanned the surroundings. Apparently, he was hired by an imperial-tier Xiantu Continent¡¯s force named White Crane Sect. From Old Tai¡¯s description, it was fairly simr to the Water Veiled Sect in terms of its members. It primarily epted females as its primary cultivators. He was surprised at being requested by such a sect, but it seems a Perfect Aurora Soul Realm cultivation base was too rare to put an emphasis on gender, or perhaps they didn¡¯t consider him a threat.

    "Oh?" It seemed he wasn¡¯t the only one who was apart of the Anima Syndicate here; the Xi¨¡o City Lord was also within the crowd of experts. He stood there without the normal pride in his eyes, but instead, his gaze contained heightened vignce. As a grand-tier alchemist, it made sense that he would be brought along by a force. They could bring one incredible insight into specific materials, possesses an array of pills or elixirs that may help at a critical moment, and could conjure pills at a moment¡¯s notice if required.

    He didn¡¯t only just recognize the Xi¨¡o City Lord, but within what seemed to be a gathering of elite experts of Presba, Yao Wuhen stood beautifully to the side. She usually carried herself with profound elegance and pride, but she was rather cautious and humble at the moment.

    "Seems like this exploration attempt has garnered the attention of all within the Fallen Stars Continent, Mystic Wave Continent, and even the Xiantu Continent. Perhaps...even those outside of it." He softly muttered to himself, realizing for the very first time the gravity of the situation. These people were gathered by the thousands, and each held a profound cultivation base which would allow them to rule countless people! Yet, here they were, willing to venture into the unknown for benefits.

    This was the first time he¡¯d ever experienced such a thing. For some odd reason, he felt that he should¡¯ve started with smaller explorations. Unfortunately, with his rapid cultivation enhancement, he couldn¡¯t receive experience from such things when he could casually decimate all things with a swipe of his finger. Now, however, his first time venturing into a sub-realm had a high chance of being dangerous and lethal. Apetition filled with peak experts with a myriad of methods at their disposal.

    He felt somewhat relieved that his primary job was to act as a guide. At least, he wouldn¡¯t overestimate himself.

    Eyes flickering, he found the elegantly dressed group of White Crane Sect members. With a step, he slowly approached.

 Chapter 127 Myriad of Forces Gathered

    "..." Yao Wuhen¡¯s eyes slowly took a measure of each and every individual present. Despite being at the initial-True Essence Realm, she didn¡¯t feel too secure. The emanating pressure from some of these people was so subtly intense that it felt suffocating. There were even a few experts from afar who would shot nces at her, or some more brazen ones simply stared at her with hot gazes. It truly felt ufortable.

    She subtly edged closer to her group; her aura repressed to not draw any further attention.

    "Oh? Is this an advance?" A beady-eyed, middle-aged with ck spots doting his face chuckled at Yao Wuhen¡¯s actions. If one were at Sky Night Royal City during the fall of the Li n Patriarch, they would remember this particr man. He had floated in the skies specting the battle but took no action. Simr to Yao Wuhen, it seemed he wasplicit in the attack.

    Yao Wuhen coldly snorted, but she didn¡¯t take her step back. As someone who recently ascended to the True Essence Realm, how could she be ustomed to meeting so many powerful experts? There were even giants that could rival small hills in the background, and their every action caused the ground to tremble slightly. It truly was a little overwhelming.

    "Fu Jing, who would ever make an advance towards you?" An elderly woman coldly retorted. This was Xin Xiaoyu! Earlier, she was in the bidding war for the True Essence Sublimation Pill. Unfortunately, she lost.

    Fu Jing didn¡¯t say anything, obviously wanting to avoid arguing with this woman. Witnessing this, Xin Xiaoyu coldly smirked. If people saw these two, they would think they were enemies, but they weren¡¯t.

    Fu Jing had a cultivation base at the initial-True Essence Realm, and Xin Miaoyu only had a half-step True Essence cultivation base. If they were enemies, it would be too easy to rectify. By their difference in age-like appearance, one wouldn¡¯t expect that they grew up together.

    Not only that, they were married for three thousand years!

    However, due to cultivation differences, one looked rather middle-aged while the other was wrinkly like an elderly woman. In truth, this Fu Jing was only here because of Xin Xiaoyu. They were hoping to gain something heaven-defying pill or elixir which could help Xin Xiaoyu increase your cultivation base or longevity. Yao Wuhen, Fu Jing, and Xin Xiaoyu were a part of the Xin n¡¯s exploration team.

    At the center of their group was a handsome young man with a converged aura, his eyes sparkling with each nce about. Dressed in a green robe, the symbol of ¡¯Xin¡¯ was etched on its back. Despite his youthful appearance, he was the Xin n¡¯s Patriarch! His cultivation profound, not only in qi, but body and soul. Regarded as a genius when younger, he had the highest potential within the entirety of the Fallen Stars Continent to reach thete-True Essence Realm or higher.

    Within another group originating from Presba, there were three individuals at the head. They were surrounded by dozens of experts ranging from thete-Origin Core to half-step True Essence Realm. Each of those experts donned peak earth-rank armor, their eyes beneath their helmets were fiercely trained and honed with battle intent.

    The Royal Elite Army!

    Besides them were the Imperial Commander - Dong Sei, Imperial Prosecutor - Dong Lin and Ancient Emperor - Dong Long.

    "This exploration will be harder than I originally thought." Dong Sei, the Imperial Prosecutor, said with a heavy frown. There were experts at the mid,te, and even peak-True Essence Realm amongst them, and they would all be fighting for resources and opportunities. With a single wrong step, they could very well leave their lives within this sub-realm.

    However, the risk was worth it!

    Dong Long had a calm expression, his gaze roaming about. "We have an ally here. We shouldn¡¯t fear any particr force." His words indicated many things. Despite this, Dong Sei didn¡¯t lose his frown but deepened it instead. Many forces havee to an agreement to ally themselves with others in an attempt tobat the stronger forces, but that only did so much. If their group had peak strength, they could obtain more opportunities.

    However, while following the tail of another, it¡¯s unlikely they¡¯ll be able to obtain the highest benefits possible from this trip. That being said, it was still much safer. This was why the Ancient Emperor of their country had the courage to appear. The many imperial forces in the Xiantu Realm didn¡¯t send their greatest elites in fear of dying. Most only sent a few to garner benefits in this exploration, no matter how small.

    Arriving next to the White Crane Sect, Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes flickered. There were seven beautiful women with attires seeminglyprised of crane feathers. Their eyes shone with a unique pride that seemed overwhelming, for a split second, Yan Zaizen actually felt inferior. His dark-amber dao orb trembled slightly in response to this thought, but then his eyes lit up with a unyielding confidence in himself.

    "A bestowed dao!" He silently thought, his eyes making a quick scan of their respective auras. They each had simr prideful appearances, obviously indicative of like-minded individuals. How could it be so consistent without a bestowed dao shared among them?

    "The Dao of Unyielding Pride. Only a lower-tier Mortal Dao." Pinaka remarked with traces of disdain shing within her silver-blue eyes. Inparison, Yan Zaizen had the Dao of Sovereign Ascension - a peak upper-tier Mortal Dao. How could theypare?

    The one at the lead was a refined woman, her body lithe, possessing bountiful peaks that drew ones gave towards that proudly disyed deep valley between, and she had a white crown with a blood-red stone iid at its center. It wasn¡¯t particrly bedazzling to the eyes, but it was a sharp contrast inparison to the other women.

    Gu¨¤n Cui, the leader of the seven, calmly nced at Yan Zaizen. Noticing his extraordinary physical features, his exquisite physique that paired well with his outfit and a youthfully brilliant pair of eyes, she was a little astonished. Her eyes flickered with suspicion watching him approach.

    Yan Zaizen arrived before them, his expression containing a trace of a smile filled with confidence, "Greetings! I¡¯m the one you hired, Yan Zaizen." Gu¨¤n Cui eyes shed with fleeting shock, giving Yan Zaizen another nce. She expected an elderly expert, not some young boy. One must remember, soul cultivation relied heavily on one¡¯s life experiences andprehensions towards self-enlightenment. Typically, to reach a high-level in soul cultivation required constant years of self-reflection and personal progression.

    Anyone who could reach a high realm should, theoretically, be old with wisdom suffusing their every gaze. However, this boy contained faint traces of developing intelligent, youthful vibrancy, and a confident demeanor. He held none of the normally expected wizened light or traveled posture. Her brows furrowed. She was skeptical.

    "Do you have proof?" She asked calmly.

    Yan Zaizen wasn¡¯t surprised by her question. Taking out his Anima Syndicate¡¯s token, he sent his soul energy inside which projected the faint character that read: "Anima." Gu¨¤n Cui nodded, no longer doubting Yan Zaizen. From his soul energy fluctuation, she could see his cultivation was in the Aurora Soul Realm. She had hired someone experienced in spiritual sense arts, not someone who was old, so she couldn¡¯tin as long as he could do his job.

    It¡¯s not like he was the only one hired.

    Yan Zaizen intended to have a conversation, but none of them were too keen on holding conversations with him. It seemed they didn¡¯t put much importance on his existence, but he hadn¡¯t taken offense. Their bestowed dao was of unyielding pride. Unless they truly believed someone deserved their respect, they¡¯ll definitely be arrogant to the heavens.

    He didn¡¯t take offense. He was here to do a job after all, not pursue females.

    Several hourster, more experts started to arrive. The number of several thousand quickly exceed ten thousand, but the majority were in the Origin Core Realm as support. As for their group, they had two more arrivals. The first, Ma Xiuren, was a cute young girl with a profound gleam in her eyes. Yan Zaizen was a little shocked, seeing a girl that looked about seven or eight years old arriving alone, but when he caught a glimpse of her cultivation he was aghast.

    She was at the peak-Origin Core Realm in terms of qi, her body cultivation vital aura had faint traces of vastly exceeding that, and his soul perception could see a glimpse of her having condensed an aurora. What shocked him even more was her lifeforce signature! She was nearly three thousand years old! Despite that, she was outfitted in a light flower-dress and looked like a mortal child. However, the White Crane Members, even with their dao, didn¡¯t show the slightest bit of disrespect at her appearance.

    The second was a man called Tang Li. He was middle-aged, ordinary-looking with a slightly chubby appearance, but on his hands were ck gloves with intricate white inscriptions. Looking at them caused Yan Zaizen¡¯s mind to spin. He even gave off a faint medicinal scent that wasmonly exuded by alchemists. His cultivation was at the initial-True Essence Realm, which was already extraordinary alone.

    It seemed this force was well-prepared. A radar, an alchemist, and the little girl. Unfortunately, he wasn¡¯t actually sure what the little girl was. Whenever he tried to talk to her, she¡¯d simply smile cutely at him in silence disying a set of white teeth. It gave him a chill.

    As for Tang Li, he directly avoided Yan Zaizen, talking directly with the White Crane members flirtatiously. Shockingly, these girls filled with pride didn¡¯t immediately send him off, but subtly epted his advances.

    This shocked him deeply, but after some thought, he realized the circumstances. This man must be an exceptional alchemist, but his advances could not be casually dismissed. With each of their cultivations being at the initial-True Essence Realm, and the leader being at the mid-True Essence Realm, it¡¯s highly likely they¡¯ll require alchemists of his caliber for further progression.

    Who would willingly offend someone who could help them gain further power, status, and longevity? It would be a point of pride to be with a man who could offer such.

    BOOM!!!

    An explosive sound resounded in the surroundings, causing all forms of conversations to cease. A middle-aged man, dressed in a soft golden robe, shimmered into existence like a shadow. His appearance was as if a celestial shifted from the immortal realm to the mortal world. His appearance was extraordinarily handsome, filled with elegance and sovereignty with a gaze holding a deep-rooted confidence that attracted many. Yan Zaizen¡¯s pupils constricted slightly at this arrival.

    Xiantu Emperor!

    The Xiantu Emperor held a faint smile as he looked down from above, his long-flowing blonde hair and azure eyes revealed an unfathomable gleam. He waved his hand, sending talismans by the thousands outwards. They were sent likeets to each individual. As if expecting this, everyone reached out their hands to grab the golden pearl-shaped talisman before them.

    "An escape talisman." Yan Zaizen recalled when he first came across one of these. In the Basilisk Forest, he saw a formation inscriptionist shatter a pearl-like object, causing his body to be sent away with blinding speed. This talisman was likely prepared for people to use in case their life was in jeopardy. It makes sense; it¡¯s not like the Xiantu Emperor wanted his realm to suffer a huge blow to its strength.

    Xiantu Emperor didn¡¯t say a single word, turning around, and cing his palms together. Slowly, spatial reverberations were fluctuating all-around, causing everyone to look onwards with various emotions. Some had greed, some had hope, reverence, jealousy, or even unyielding ferocity. However, if all of these people were to have one thing inmon, it would be their desire to pursue a greater power!

    Spreading his palms apart slowly, a slit in space a mile long was segregated vertically. Within this spatial slit was another realm. It looked like a world of perpetual night with a crimson moon that hung in the sky like a sun.

    "Thirty years." A voice filled with grace and authority resounded from the Xiantu Emperor. The eyes of many flickered, but they didn¡¯t say anything. The first person rushed towards the slit, his cultivation base slightly revealed itself. Peak-True Essence Realm! As he entered the slit, others started to follow in his path, and before long, many were dashing into the slit at rapid speeds.

    It was like multi-colored meteors of various sizes were descending onto a new world.

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes lit up at all these events. "I wonder what awaits."

    The White Crane Sect¡¯s group shot towards the slit like the rest. He followed quietly along with his heart pounding in anticipation.

 Chapter 128 Asura Phantom Realm

    "AHHHH!!!"

    The moment Yan Zaizen passed through the Asura Phantom Realm¡¯s spatial entrance, he heard a hellish shriek of horror. rmed, he shifted his gaze to where it originated. Nearby was a man outfitted in white, heavy armor with ck-strips clutching his head in intense pain. He had ate-Origin Core qi cultivation base but his current aura felt like it was being washed in erratic chaos.

    "Wh-AHHH! Hel-AHHH!" The man screamed, trying to move his hand away from his head to clutch at his allies, but whenever he tried, he¡¯d release a loud scream of horrific pain. It wasn¡¯t just him, but there were others who were simrly affected, their allies watching cautiously on the side. Some were transmitting their qi-essence or true-essence to support them, but others were specting silently, obviously not wanting to take action without understanding the situation.

    Only a few dozen people were affected, which made it seem like an isted incident. Despite this, over ten thousand experts of various races and cultivations halted their steps to watch cautiously.

    "This..." Startled, he couldn¡¯t help but feel some fear in his heart. Taking a deep breath, he inspected this new realm.

    The realm looked like the representation of dusk filled with barrennd. However, instead of silver moonlight, the red moon released crimson moonlight. The moon itself looked like a dim sun dipped in blood. It emanated a soul-constricting luminescence that seemed to give one a sensation of deep oppression. Its size was dozens of timesrger than a normal moon, as if one could simply fly a few hundred li upwards and reach its surface.

    Tang Li¡¯s eyes flickered at themotion, his gaze turning towards the blood moon that hung perpetually in the sky like a god. "The Moon of Asura. It seems the rumor is true," hemented slowly, but there was no fear in his expression.

    Furrowing his brows, Yan Zaizen recalled the records regarding the Asura Phantom Realm. Supposedly, the Moon of Asura had a suppressive and corroding effect on the soul, and only those with sufficient soul strength could stay safely within its radiance. If they didn¡¯t meet this requirement, the blood-color moonlight would slowly erode their soul.

    As for why the vast majority of the group of ten thousand weren¡¯t affected, their soul cultivation had already reached the Perfect Nascent Soul or higher. As for those who were, they likely had soul cultivation bases that were inferior inparison.

    After everyone had discovered the oddity of the moonlight via various means, they started working together to shield their allies soul forms from erosion. However, if they didn¡¯t have a soul protective armament or talisman, it¡¯s likely their journey stops here.

    "Be sure to protect your soul," Gu¨¤n Cui warned, her eyes looking about at the barrennds of the Asura Phantom Realm. Nodding subconsciously, Yan Zaizen looked at the area. The sheer size of the area was shocking. From records, a sub-realm had a simr surface area to an entire continental. Essentially, this realm size could bepared to the entirety of the Fallen Stars Continent, including the water that contained countless inds.

    This was an immense size. Presba alone covered hundreds of thousands of li, let alone the entirety of the. If one estimated it, the size could reach billions of li in diameter!

    Despite this vast size to explore, not a single group segregated from the whole. They seemed to be inspecting the area or developing various ns based on their deductions. He could feel several senses scan pass him and reach outwards in every direction. Various individuals were meditating with closed eyes or utilizing various forms of armaments to bolster their perception.

    "Can you locate the Asura Phantom Pce?" Gu¨¤n Cui inquired, looking towards Yan Zaizen with calm eyes.

    "I see, they¡¯re trying to locate the pce." He silently thought, his eyes looking to and fro from various areas. Considering the sheer size, it¡¯ll be smart to deduce a direction to follow. If they traveled in a single direction without any logical lead, they may end up wasting all of their time.

    "I¡¯ll try." Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes lit up. His spiritual sense started to spread outwards in the four directions like a torrential wave of inspection. Quite a few who were in meditation were immediately broken out of it, their eyes glistening with shock. When Yan Zaizen¡¯s soul entered the Aurora Soul Realm, his spiritual sense could at most reach fifty kilometers in distance. However, as he continued to progress in his cultivation and understanding of spiritual sense, his maximum range reached twenty-five thousand li of distance.

    Inparison, the sheer size of the Asura Phantom Realm made it look insignificant. However, that was using pure spiritual sense.

    SOURCE SONAR ART!

    Utilizing the superior-grade soul art, which had reached major-sess, he could extend his range to reach hundreds of times greater than normal. Fifty million li of distance was immediately revealed with a sweeping sonar. As he searched, his eyes shone with a brilliant silver-blue light.

    "Oh?!" Looking upwards, he was shocked. The Asura Phantom Pce wasn¡¯t located within the barrennds of Asura Phantom Realm, but it was located on the surface of the crimson-blood moon that hung brilliantly in the sky. He was just about to mention this when his eyes flickered. An almost imperceptible surge of illusory energy emanated from the crimson-blood moon.

    "An Illusion?!" Taking a closer look, there was nothing wrong, as he could vividly perceive an elegant pce situated on its wide-surface. Even after verifying it for several minutes, it seemed the sensation he felt was purely his imagination.

    "What is it?" Pinaka asked. As she was situated in Yan Zaizen¡¯s soul and linked by dao, she could feel his doubt and confusion. Having the Dao of Sovereign Ascension didn¡¯t mean you followed your first instincts with absolute confidence. It¡¯s when you have absolute confidence in your endeavor; you follow that instinct.

    "The Moon of Asura seems to house the Asura Phantom Pce, but I could¡¯ve sworn a trace of illusory energy fluctuated for a brief moment. However, I can¡¯t find it." He remarked, his brows furrowed even deeper. "Perhaps..."

    Gu¨¤n Cui looked at Yan Zaizen with faint traces of impatience, the others were already formting ns on their next course of action and seemed to have already discovered the pce¡¯s location. Was this boy truly useful? If not, then what good was he here?

    Tang Li¡¯s eyes were closed, his spiritual perception surged outwards in all directions. Within his palm was a deep-blue orb the size of a palm. It radiated soft ripples of soul fluctuations, obviously an armament meant to enhance spiritual sense. It seemed he wasn¡¯t the type to willingly follow another without making sure. After a brief moment, "The Asura Phantom Pce is in the Moon of Asura. Tch, how intriguing." He had a smile on his face as if he thought how tricky the Asura Phantom Pce was.

    Gu¨¤n Cui¡¯s eyes lit up, looking at the Moon of Asura. If that¡¯s the case, reaching that will take time. However, she felt slightly frustrated at Yan Zaizen¡¯s uselessness. Tang Li, who wasn¡¯t even there to be a sensory guide, had discovered the location before him. In that case, what reason did she need him?

    Yan Zaizen, however, stared at the Moon of Asura. His gaze looked to be in a state of contemtion.

    "OH!" Immediately, he looked shocked and excited. Gazing around, he could feel something as if it was constantly moving but always near. Despite his reaction, there were already a few groups who took to the skies, surging towards the blood moon with incredible speeds like zingets. Before long, they were like dots in the sky. Gu¨¤n Cui was just about to follow, but Yan Zaizen¡¯s reaction caused her to cease.

    Tang Li, however, felt a little dissatisfied, but as he wasn¡¯t the leader, so he remained silent.

    "It¡¯s not above," turning his gaze downwards, "It¡¯s below!" Just as he said that several individuals of profound cultivation bases shot into the ground like moles burrowing into the earth. While the White Crane Sect and Tang Li were shocked by this action, Ma Xiuren¡¯s eyes shed with a mysterious light, and she clenched her tiny little fist.

    BOOM!

    She mmed it heavily into the ground, causing the earth itself to quake intensely. Her tiny fist contained a monstrous physical force, easily creating an empty tunnel that stretched for dozens of li downwards. Not offering any exnation, she jumped into the massive hole, and another resounding boom echoed secondster.

    She wasn¡¯t the only one, others were shrouding their bodies in qi, vital energy, or soul energy and tunneled into the earth. Some even had specially created tools for burrowing and their speed of doing so was exceptional. Gu¨¤n Cui and Tang Li revealed decisive gazes, jumping into the hole and following close behind Ma Xiuren. The other members of the White Crane Sect followed.

    With shining eyes, Yan Zaizen felt shocked by the monstrous strength of this little girl. However, he didn¡¯t wait long, dropping down without hesitation.

    "AHHHHHHHHHH!!!" Several heart-wrenching screams resounded outwards in horror. Turning back, he could see the Moon of Asura glow bright red, its radiance was filled with a soul-shaking aura. Several bodies of varying sizes dropped from the skies, no longer exuding any form of life or traces of a soul. Yan Zaizen¡¯s body shivered slightly, looking at the blood-red moon that seemed to have reaped their lives thoroughly.

    "One wrong choice...your life could end."

 Chapter 129 First Obstacle

    BOOM!

    100 li.

    BOOM!

    200 li.

    BOOM!

    300 li.

    Gu¨¤n Cui, Tang Li, Yan Zaizen and the White Crane Members followed deep into the earth with Ma Xiuren in the lead. With each smash of her tiny fist, a vigorous physical force would dig a deeper hole like a needle. Yan Zaizen could feel many different auras ahead and behind them, using various methods in an attempt to reach the core of the earth.

    He wasn¡¯t exactly sure how the others discovered the location of the Asura Phantom Pce, but he found it due to the illusoryws the Moon of Asura emitted. With that clue, he started reaching about and found out that the Moon of Asura has a very faint, almost indiscernible, link into the ground. This was amon confusion tactic listed in the Anima Syndicate¡¯s records.

    By projecting an illusory image linked to the true location, it¡¯ll feel as vivid and real as real could be. That¡¯s because when you scan the illusion, you¡¯ll be perceiving the actual location. Luckily, Yan Zaizen¡¯s spiritual sense was strong enough to notice the faint fluctuations of illusoryws. Not only that, he read about it so he had a reference to consider.

    They burrowed in the ground for several days. Their depth exceeded four hundred thousand li.

    "We¡¯re here!" Tang Li said, his eyes flickering. Exactly as he said this, another smash of Ma Xiuren¡¯s dainty fist caused the earth to copse. A hole that seemed like one reminiscent of a hole in the sky was revealed. They exited this hole which revealed a ce as if it was an entirely different world.

    There was an incredibly wide, cylindrical tower, but it was incredibly short, about 100 meters tall. Surrounding that tower was a moat of inky ck liquid that seethed with bubbles. If one saw the bubbles, they would realize some of them would asionally pop revealing traces of a dark-greenish miasma.

    The diameter of the tower was exceptional, about tens of li, but despite this, there was only a single door at its east. The moat of inky ck liquid surrounded the tower, but it was rather small, only 20 meters needed to be taken to cross it.

    The tens of thousands of experts looked onwards with vignce in their eyes, but some had brilliantly bright gazes filled with excitement. Indeed, this was only the entrance to the Asura Phantom Pce! Despite it not being incredibly grand as the one seen at the Moon of Asura, it was only because the pce itself was buried further beneath the earth.

    Despite knowing this, not a single individual burrowed deeper, staying several li in the sky.

    Gu¨¤n Cui¡¯s delicate and prideful brows were furrowed into contemtion, her eyes revealed an intelligent yet cautious light. "Mister Zai, what can you sense?" During the travel downwards, she realized this Yan Zaizen contained some ability and shouldn¡¯t be underestimated. The fates of those who took a step into the sky first were examples of his capabilities.

    She decided to trust him, for now.

    Yan Zaizen, however, didn¡¯t send his spiritual sense outwards. He felt a profound sensation of intense danger from the inky ck moat as if it radiated traces of death. However, it was uniquely different than his own concept of death. Just as he was contemting his course of action, several horrific shrieks of pain resounded once more.

    "Oh god!" Someone frenzied cried. This voice caught the thousands of experts gazes, spotting a giant that was several hundred meters in height. His skin was inky ck and his breaths released traces of dark-green smoke. Yan Zaizen¡¯s scalp went numb as he saw this, realizing this giant originally had healthy bronze skin.

    What caused his scalp to truly tinge with fear were his eyes. They werepletely white, without a semnce of consciousness, as if his soul was robbed from him and his body was thoroughly tainted by some unknown force. The giant wasn¡¯t the only case, beasts and humanoids alike started to experience simr situations.

    Someone from afar cried out, "Don¡¯t use your spiritual sense!"

    Just as Yan Zaizen was about to speak to Pinaka, a soft voice revealed itself from behind him.

    "Help...me...!"

    "!!"

    Everyone turned violently around to see one of the White Crane Sect members with a brilliant white light emitting from her eyes. Her left hand waspletely ck - very simr to the others affected. She seemed to be using her extraordinary true-essence to fight against the decaying effects of whatever¡¯s affecting her. Despite her struggles, one could see the ckness of her hand slowly extend to her wrist and approaching her forearm.

    It seems those with a higher cultivation base was affected slower, in that case, there are probably many individuals who were affected! Gu¨¤n Cui¡¯s eyes revealed a trace of shock, but then decisiveness. She removed a slender white sword from her spatial ring.

    SWISH!!

    The sword¡¯s movement was swift and true, immediately slicing off the woman¡¯s infected hand. The moment the hand was cut off, as if itcked the resistance to persist, it exploded into dark-green miasma like the bubbles in the moat. Many scenes simr to this were enacted. Since many didn¡¯t know how to deal with the situation, they could only take the quickest and crudest solution: REMOVAL!

    After the hand was cut off, one could see the woman¡¯s expression visibly soften in rxation. Tang Li produced a pill and elixir without any hesitation, without considering personal space, he directly stuffed the woman¡¯s mouth with the pill and sshed her amputated hand with an elixir.

    Shizz!

    A slight sizzle emitted from her bloody stump. In several seconds, the woman¡¯s hand was visibly healing and growing back. Within a minute, her hand was fully recovered with the softness of a baby child. Unfortunately, it wasn¡¯t tempered with true-essence, so it was considerably weaker. However, looking at her new hand, there was a happy gleam in her eyes as she looked at Tang Li with thanks.

    Tang Li¡¯s expression was solemn and so was the rest of the group.

    "It seems the moat can infect your spiritual sense with a unique soul poison. Spreading from your soul, it can corrode it and your body, ridding you of your lifeforce. However, removing the infected area physically prevents spread." Tang Li deduced.

    Gu¨¤n Cui added, "It¡¯s a mixture of soul, death, and poisonws. To think the Asura Phantom Pce is so cruel." The scenes around was shocking, and no one used their spiritual sense to survey the small moat. As for those who werepletely infected, they had low cultivation bases or simply weren¡¯t adept at handling poison, and thus were dead. Their bodies slowly diffused into a dark-green miasma and thoroughly vanished.

    Yan Zaizen was watching all of these events but felt shocked by Tang Li¡¯s actions of regrowing a hand in a minute. He understood the importance of having an alchemist in your group. Despite this, they¡¯ve now hit their first obstacle - the inky ck moat. If one can¡¯t scan it with spiritual sense, then how dangerous would it be to cross it?

    No one took the initiative. Instead, theynded on the ground and spread out in their respective groups. As if learning their lesson, no one carelessly took action, only slowly considering ns or making calctions. Due to the circumstances of the moat, he couldn¡¯t use his spiritual sense to survey thends and thus was left on the sidelines.

    Tang Li and Gu¨¤n Cui were discussing various ns of actions. From times to time, the White Crane Sect members would chime in with their ideas. As for Ma Xiuren, she stayed quiet like a mute, her eyes looking around like a lost little girl curious about the outside world.

    Like the breeze of a wind, three days passed by so suddenly. Yan Zaizen discovered several things during these three days. One, the realm¡¯s space was isted, and he couldn¡¯t enter chaotic space.

    Two, he couldn¡¯t prate through the spatial void, but it was exceptionally stable and it exceeded what his qi cultivation base could prate. If he was at the Origin Core Realm, perhaps, but as he was, it was an impossibility.

    Three, there was only one door into the pce - the short tower.

    Four, qi sense wasn¡¯t affected by the moat, only spiritual sense. Despite this, qi-sense couldn¡¯t prate into the moat for clues or into the tower. From these things, he realized he had no practical way of entering besides crossing the moat.

    "To be stopped at the door, truly frustrating." Yan Zaizen muttered, his gaze filled with discontent.

 Chapter 130 Corpse Puppe

    "You think it¡¯s that simple?" Yan Zaizen questioned Pinaka, his voice filled with disbelief. Earlier, Pinaka suggested that the moat only affected those whoe into contact with. If that was the case, one could, theoretically, walk up to the door and simply open it.

    "You all are overthinking the situation. Your assumption of the moat is pointlessly cautious. If there¡¯s no solution and no one willing to take the chance, then wouldn¡¯t you be stuck here forever?" Her words were true. If there wasn¡¯t a problem to begin with, their assumptions and deductions would be irrelevant and a waste of time. However, could it truly be so simple?

    "I see. In that case..." Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes flickered with intelligence. Recalling the Li n Patriarch¡¯s corpse, he¡¯d already refined it thoroughly to be a puppet of his. It didn¡¯t contain a trace of lifeforce or a soul, so the moat wouldn¡¯t be able to infect it normally. Despite that, its strength couldn¡¯t be fully maintained, nor could itsprehension into thews as that originated from the soul.

    If he could use the puppet to test Pinaka¡¯s theory, if he lost it, it wouldn¡¯t be much of an issue, but if he didn¡¯t, then it¡¯ll be fine. Normally, one would think that there should be others with puppets, but in truth, they weren¡¯t practical. For one, the stronger the puppet, the greater your spiritual sense requirement must be to control it. Not only that, the puppet is simr to a formation, if destroyed the bacsh would be intense.

    There were other issues as well, such as the inability to bring out its previous owner¡¯s full strength, ess their bloodline, cultivate them to be stronger, or anything really besides a body that could induce a bacsh.

    Corpse puppetry was essentially a lost art, and many would instead use a True Essence Realm¡¯s corpse for elixirs, pills, or armament creation. In the past, only incredibly strong cultivators who¡¯ve had aplishments in the soul would control puppets. Normally, they would control metallic puppets called golems who bolstered incredibly strong physical defense and contained Spirit Forms.

    Thinking up to here, he informed the group of his intentions, "I¡¯ll be sending my puppet to confirm a theory of mine." Their eyes flickered with interest but didn¡¯t say anything in refusal. Not a single cultivator amongst the thousands had a golem nor used a corpse puppet due to its issues.

    With a motion of his hand, a pale white faceless corpse emerged into the surroundings. Those who were keeping a lookout for anything out of the ordinary were immediately drawn to its existence. Their eyes glistened with intrigue, but simr to his group, they didn¡¯t say anything but stayed in observation.

    Not too far away from their current location, the Xi¨¡o City Lord was looking about cautiously. Noticing the oddity that attracted others attention, his eyes turned to see a handsome youth standing beside a faceless humanoid. For some reason, when he looked at the youth, his heart couldn¡¯t help but feel a little irritated. A bloom of hatred was slowly forming, but he didn¡¯t recognize why.

    Yao Wuhen and her group were far away, but they seemed to have noticed something and looked towards Yan Zaizen¡¯s direction.

    "Go!" Ignoring the nearby gazes honed on him, he sent the Li Patriarch¡¯s puppet towards the moat. Its body radiated with a dim true-essence containing traces of fire. At the moment, the Li Patriarch¡¯s corpse puppet only possessed sufficient strength to rival a half-step True Essence expert, but it was still sufficient.

    With a zooming dash, the puppet traversed several li of distance, causing everyone¡¯s eyes to be drawn to the rapidly moving form. It reached the moat in seconds, and then, without stopping, barreled through that twenty feet of distance. As it skipped past the inky ck moat, the moat showed no reaction. However, the door glistened with a faint crimson light.

    "This?!" Yan Zaizen was shocked. As he controlled this puppet with his spiritual sense tied to soul energy, he felt an indescribable feeling pass through his soul form. A bright crimson light shot out from the door, prating the corpse puppet. Like an electrical line, it traced back to Yan Zaizen from his connection with the corpse puppet and burrowed sharply between his brows.

    Everyone here, no matter how powerful, couldn¡¯t perceive what had just happened. Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes went nk for several seconds butter resumed its vibrant lifeforce. His brows furrowed in deep contemtion.

    The light seemed to wish to control his soul, to dominate and transform it into something else, but the moment it entered his brow, the swirling ck hole in his soul form¡¯s be gobbled it up instantly. Pinaka, however, saw it all.

    "That¡¯s..." She felt a little surprised but also expected it. One must remember that she originated from the Chaos Era. The chance that there was a soul attack at the gates of the Asura Phantom Pce was about 99% probability from her experience, but she knew it was irrelevant due to Yan Zaizen¡¯s innate soul protection. What she didn¡¯t expect, however, was Yan Zaizen gaining some benefits due to the attack.

    Yan Zaizen was shocked as well. From this attack, he gained knowledge. It was strange. The light transmitted information directly into mind before attempting to reach his soul. It held a faint intent to transform his soul. This transmitted knowledge would be beneficial to him afterward. However, due to his innate-soul protection from the ck hole, only the information was transmitted. It contained soul arts, a soul method for cultivation, andprehension into a unique Astral-gradenguage.

    This was anguage produced by someone who possessed an Astral Soul!

    The method was named the Phantom Monarch Method. One would cultivate their soul form into a phantom, which could exit the body, possess other bodies, consume and transform other souls into lesser phantoms. They could even evolve into a phantasm!

    "It wanted to turn me into a phantom?!" He was shocked, his back dripping in cold sweat at the thought, silently cursing Pinaka for her inappropriate reasoning. Sure, she was right, the moat was an irrelevant piece, but the door had a trap! Anyone who attempted to enter the door would be struck by a beam of crimson light that¡¯d infect and transform their soul into a freaking phantom!

    The corpse puppet remained standing beside the door,pletely inactive and awaiting orders.

    "Go!" A powerful, tyrannical voice shouted out as a cultivation base equivalent to thete-True Essence Realm erupted. A dashing middle-aged man dressed in a ck and white robe flew towards the door with blinding speed His group followed behind as if under some pre-decided course of action. This event caused everyone¡¯s eyes to re up in realization, and they took action immediately lest they bete.

    If the corpse puppet was fine, then the moat was safe! They just needed to open the door!

    Some people stayed behind, not willing to be the first to enter. In truth, their actions could be considered intelligent and would¡¯ve kept them alive if Yan Zaizen hadn¡¯t devoured the crimson light. Initially, it was supposed to infect someone and return, but since it was thoroughly consumed, there were no defenses left on the door.

    sting past the corpse puppet, thete-True Essence expertunched a palm containing a ferocious might. A manifestation of arge dark silver palm mmed heavily into the entrance. Almost immediately, it exploded, revealing a set of wide stairs that led down below. The man had no hesitation as his body soared downwards into the depths. In an instant, he disappeared into the stairs darkness. His allies followed behind decisively, gritting their teeth and praying.

    Soon, the entire stairs were flooded with experts of all sizes. Some flew at maximum speed, others flew modestly behind in caution, and a few waited.

    "Let¡¯s go!" Gu¨¤n Cui thunderously ordered. Her mid-True Essence cultivation base erupting in an elegant cyan light, a single step from her took her into the entrance and then into the stairs. The rest followed behind with zero hesitations. As for Yan Zaizen, he felt odd but kept up. As he approached the entrance, he grabbed the corpse puppet and restored it into the Meteor Ring.

    Tang Li spoke, "The Asura Phantom Pce has seven floors! Be cautious, it¡¯s likely we¡¯ll have to deal with remnant defensive formations at each floor."

    The Asura Phantom Pce was known to have seven floors, each with a corresponding theme. Each floor has their own halls, locations, and various other areas. The deeper one goes, the higher the benefits will likely be. However, one would still have to reach that floor! Luckily, it¡¯s been nearly 50,000 years since the Asura Phantom Pce has perished, and many of the formations were likely eroded by time andck of maintenance.

    It wasn¡¯t long before they arrived at the first floor. The room was wide and circr, very reminiscent of the Anima Syndicate¡¯s Main Floor. However, it didn¡¯t lead to any corridors. Instead, there was a vast empty space and a singr door that stood at the end of the entrance. The room could fit the giants that were hundreds of meters. The entrance to exit covered about several li of distance, but to them, this was a single step.

    But nobody took a step forward.

    The reason was simple.

    A single metallic humanoid figure stood there, patiently, with closed eyes and two long swords in its hands. Not only that, it had several faces, simr to an asura. The metal was deep red like the color of fresh blood, and it gave off a strange yet odd feeling to all those who saw it.

    It, alone, stood between the entrance and door to the other side.

 Chapter 131 Asura Golem

    "A golem based off an Asura?!" Pinaka¡¯s startled voice resounded.

    "What? A golem?" Looking at the dual-sword wielding, deep-red golem who stood there as if sleeping, he couldn¡¯t help but be shocked in his heart. A golem was simr to a puppet, but it was more of an armament than an object. A golem required a spirit form and special formations. This spirit form could be bestowed conceptualws, can wield other armaments, and be set down to act as a long-term guardian!

    Many forces, even today, had golems who defended special areas of their forces. Seeing one, he knew why no one took any further action. This was likely the second obstacle presented by the Asura Phantom Pce.

    "An Asura Golem..." Gu¨¤n Cui¡¯s tone was dense with vignce. There were nearly ten thousand experts here, in their realm, they stood at a high peak, but before this man-sized golem, they were unwilling to take a single action.

    "That door likely leads to the first floor halls." Tang Limented. The others¡¯ eyes flickered with even more vignce, looking at the others. If Tang Li could make this assumption, so could nearly everyone else. Even if they could ovee the golem, the real battle will happen in the corridor. At that time, everyone will be fighting for benefits.

    However, this presented with a strange question, who will try to proceed first? The group that does will likely be severely injured in the battle even if they win, and their ability to gain benefits in the first hall will be immediately shattered. However, if they send only a weak group tobat the golem, it¡¯s likely they¡¯ll all lose their lives as a result.

    Returning them to square one.

    "The first floor of the Asura Phantom Pce was known for cultivating their outer disciples. If by normal estimates, it¡¯s likely those disciples were at the Qi Unification Realm at minimum." Tang Li once moremented, his mind spiraling with various thoughts. The first floor held outer disciples, the second floor held inner disciples, the third floor held outer elders, the fourth floor held inner elders, the fifth floor held core disciples and core elders, sixth was the upper-echelons quarters, while seventh belonged to the Pce Master himself.

    This only considered residences. On each floor, there were rumored to be gardens hosting all sorts of herbs, training grounds and libraries for arts and cultivation, an alchemic hall for pills and elixir gathering, and even a forging center filled with materials. Simr to the Anima Syndicate, the Asura Phantom Pce had status and titles, therefore, each floor contained those with a higher strength.

    As for outer, inner, or core, they weren¡¯t the exact statuses or titles, but they were close enough.

    "Go!" Shockingly, someone gave an order. Seven individuals in brown unified martial attire, bursting with half-step True Essence cultivation bases exploded forwards in a manifestation formation. Immediately, they formed into a giant brown warrior wielding a grand buster de. A sharp light filled with a mountainous aura erupted from the de.

    SWISH!

    Decisively, the giant warrior shed downwards. The sheer pressured felt like it could crush the heart alone.

    BING!

    The Asura Golem¡¯s eyes lit up with a crimson light. It moved slowly, its two des cutting the very space, leavingstingcerations visible to all. It was like space itself was sliced in this motion. Without an ounce of fear, it took a step forward. Like a ghost, it shimmered out of existence leaving a ghostly afterimage. The giant sword that felt like a living mountain mmed heavily into the ground, missing its target. The ground itself violently quaked as if a mountain was dropped upon it.

    "What?!"

    Everyone¡¯s eyes widened in shock, but before anyone could locate the Asura Golem, the giant manifested from powerful qi-essence lurched to a stop.

    "Wait! Retreat!" The powerful voice that screamed out earlier shouted once more. His voice filled with urgency as he felt a profound sensation of crisis. He had an average-appearance but a deep-brown outfit with symbols that signified his respective force.

    His warning was far toote. Several blood-red lines revealed itself on the giant.

    BOOM!

    The formation copsed instantly, but before the others could react to the bacsh, a sword appeared from the spatial void, slicing violently at them with unprecedented speed. The first to go didn¡¯t even have time to spew out a blood from the bacsh of the formation shattering, his entire body was instantly turned into mincemeat by the Asura Golem¡¯s de. If one looked closely, it was like he was turned into spaghetti covered in tomato sauce and meat.

    However, the Asura Golem didn¡¯t cease after dispatching of the single expert. In a blink, the rest suffered the same fate. They weren¡¯t even given the right to react to the death of theirpanions.

    "..."

    An odd silence permeated the air.

    "SHIT! RU-!" Someone tried to exim, but a de pierced into his torso. A surge of crimson light erupted from his pores as if he had a sun beneath his skin. He expanded like a balloon as the light intensified. Before long, he exploded like a bombprised of flesh and bones. Some of itnded on the nearby experts. Witnessing this, everyone¡¯s scalp tinged with a profound sensation of danger.

    "It can use spatial void shifting! It can also evade both qi and spiritual sense!" Yan Zaizen deduced with a startled gaze. Without hesitation, he stepped back towards the stairs. He wasn¡¯t the only one. The others quickly followed, some even before him, their pupils constricted, and their minds trembling with a profound sensation of crisis.

    The Asura Golem¡¯s rampage didn¡¯t stop at that. It continued to swing its de viciously, aiming for the weakest and slowest of the group as if on purpose. Those at the Origin Core Realm held no hope of survival. The Asura Golem would shift to their side from the spatial void and with a single swipe of its de, they¡¯d turn into mincemeat, but for those stronger, they¡¯d be pierced through silently and explode as if a bomb detonated inside their bodies.

    Several seconds passed.

    That¡¯s all the time passed since everyone decided to retreat. However, over a hundred individuals from various forces were in within that very brief period of time. Many tried crushing their talismans by the Xiantu Emperor when they were targeted, but doing so at that time was simply too slow. Luckily, as long as they retreated to the stairs, the Asura Golem didn¡¯t strike. As if it was outside its range of action.

    Tang Li¡¯s brows were drenched in cold sweat. He could¡¯ve sworn that the Asura Golem only needed to nce at him to kill him. "What the hell?! How strong is that thing?!" He shouted out, his voice suffused with intense panic.

    Gu¨¤n Cui¡¯s eyes were filled with fear, looking at the surrounding individuals to see many, even those stronger than her, filled with the same intense fear.

    "It should be at the peak-True Essence Realm! Not to mention, it has been bestowed a concept of space and sword. Also, this entire room is like a formation amplifying its strengths. In here, I¡¯d imagine it could rival a newly ascended first-floor Heavenly Genesis expert!" Pinaka informed Yan Zaizen. Law of Space? Law of Sword? It seemed to be true; a golem could be bestowed various conceptualws.

    "Wow...this is only the first floor yet its guardian is exceptional!" Yan Zaizen muttered in disbelief. It seems the Asura Phantom Pce wasn¡¯t considered a second-level heavenly-tier force for nothing.

    "You¡¯re wrong," Pinaka stated, "this Asura Golem is likely its most powerful defense. Typically, the strongest form of defense would be left at the first level of breach. This is to dissuade others from pursuing further or touching a single bit of their treasures."

    Oh?

    If that¡¯s the case, it made sense. As long as they could ovee this guardian, wouldn¡¯t they have free reign over the rest of the treasures? Despite this, many didn¡¯t take action. They slowly deliberated, and the peak forces discussed amongst each other. It seems they also realized what Pinaka did.

    With nearly ten thousand experts in the stairs, everyone simply patiently waited. Some cultivation in meditation, others studied their arts or looked at references, while most discussed means and methods tobat the Asura Golem.

    Days turned to weeks.

    Weeks turned to months.

    Finally, after eight months, a valiant looking young man dressed in light-blue armor stepped upwards in front of everyone. Despite his youthful appearance, his cultivation was at a staggeringte-True Essence Realm!

    "Some of you may know me, but for those who don¡¯t. My name¡¯s Wu Kun! We¡¯vee up with a n to ovee this Asura Golem! However, we¡¯ll need everyone support in this endeavor. For those who are willing, please stay, but for those who aren¡¯t, please leave!" He gestured towards the exit, his actions and words were very domineering. Many felt discontented by those words.

    Who made him king?

    "Why should we leave?!" A half-step True Essence expert stepped out, looking discontented by being forced to help someone else in some godforsaken n they knew nothing about.

    Wu Kun simply smiled, his eyes suffused with an arrogant gleam, "Simple. We¡¯ll be passing this floor with certainly, but for those who wish to take advantage of our hard work, they don¡¯t deserve a piece. Let me see, do you not wish to help?"

    "How will you pass the golem?!" The expert questioned, many murmured behind him in agreement of his question. They should at least know what they¡¯d have to do before risking their lives. For all they knew, this person wanted to use their very lives to achieve that goal. Who would be willing to do such a thing?

    Wu Kun chuckled lightly, "Simple! We¡¯ll-" His voice thundered with pride, as if the world was in his hands.

    "Wait!" Someone shouted, "Where¡¯s the golem?!"

    "..."

    All gazes were instantly drawn to the room guarded by the Asura Golem. Within this room was a vast empty space with arge door at the other end, but no golem.

    ...Where¡¯s the golem?

 Chapter 132 Dao Dominating Spirit!

    Eight months ago.

    The Asura Golem¡¯s ughter had just concluded. Yan Zaizen and the others situated themselves safety at the stairs entrance. After the discovery of the Asura Golem¡¯s limited range of engagement, the thousands of experts sat in ponderance over this new obstacle.

    "...If its strength isparable to a Heavenly Genesis cultivator within its limited domain, how could we possibly advance?" This was a problem that Yan Zaizen and the others were ruminating upon, but not a single person could safety think of a way without suffering great losses.

    "..." Pinaka remained silent, not responding. If one could see her soul form, she had furrowed brows and lustrous eyes filled with imaginative musings. For a beauty such as her, it could easily ensnare one¡¯s heart with a nce. A brief period of pondering passed, Pinaka¡¯s gaze suffused with the visual representation of an intelligent concept being born.

    Eureka!

    "Eureka?" Yan Zaizen was bewildered. Despite Pinaka not directlymunicating, when this single thought exmation was reached, Yan Zaizen felt it like a powerful ripple surging outwards as if it contained a strangew or concept.

    "No need to worry. It¡¯s something I picked up from someone I met once." Pinaka directly dismissed his question, her eyes filled with potent excitement. She spoke with an enthusiastic tone, "There may be a way for you to defeat this golem."

    "How?"

    "In Golems, simr to sky-rank armaments, they are defined by two mainponents: the formation base and the Spirit Form. Currently, this Golem¡¯s Spirit Form does not have a controller, or its controller has long since died. It¡¯s only functioning with the barest of intelligence and the most basic of orders - stop all trespassers! It¡¯s not a guaranteed method, but the concept is straightforward: be the Spirit Form¡¯s new master!"

    "..." Yan Zaizen processed her words. In theory, it does seem simple. A spirit form without a controller is only an unintelligent robot following its basic orders. If one could be the new controller, theoretically, they could turn that robotic item into their own and have it follow new orders. In modern terms, it was like hacking into a program and changing its source code so it functions how you wish.

    Unfortunately...

    "How do we do that?"

    "For others, it may be impossible, but for you! You, a wielder of an upper-tier Mortal Dao, should be able to do it. All you need to do is establish a dao-link with it, forcefully." Pinaka exined.

    What?! Forcefully establish a dao-link? Wait...could his dao be integrated into spirit forms?! Despite his years of study in the Anima Syndicate, a majority of his topics fell on ancient civilization, soul-rted, or cultivation rted. The Dao, however, was not something they even had a detailed record of, let alone ways to use it.

    It did make sense, after all, to develop a Dao, one must ovee Heavenly Tribtion. Likely, out of everyone in the Xiantu Realm, which goes well beyond quintillions in number, less than ten has actually developed their own dao.

    That¡¯s the full total since the dawn of the Rebirth Era.

    "You can establish a dao-link, but doing so has its ownplications. Compatibility is one, but also the most important. Not everyone ispatible with your dao. Not to mention, if someone forcefully rejects your dao bestowment, you could suffer a devastating psychological and soul injury. Therefore, bestowing your dao is a delicate matter. However, you should be able to do it to a Golem¡¯s Spirit Form without anypatibility issues."

    "That¡¯s because, simr to me, Spirit Forms and True Spirits are artificial existences created outside of the hell & heavenly cycle. We can ept your dao, your internal heaven, much easier when weck one. Not to mention, it changes us." She paused emotionally for a brief moment after saying this, "if someone else had an original dao, they could attempt to do so as well."

    Amongst the thousands of cultivators, how could there not be any with a dao? However, they all had bestowed daos. A bestowed dao could not be passed on to another. It is also considerably weaker in terms of its effects it has on others.

    "Wait..." Yan Zaizen thoughts were turning. If the dao can be considered his personal heaven, then is that why it can affect all forms of his cultivation? Was he drawing power from his own internal heaven? Simr to how essence could be cultivated into qi, was the dao simr when bestowed to others? They take it, as long as theirpatible with it, they can convert it into their own but maintain their core personality?

    The concept of Heavenly Genesis was to build a Heavenly Shrine which allows you to refine your true-essence, body, and soul with the heavens. This led to an exceptional rise in overall prowess in body, soul, and mind. Is that why a dao is needed to take control over a heaven? In that case...could it be that the heavens are just empty shells without a foundation or core?

    This thought struck him like a lightning bolt. A sh of memory brought him back to when he saw his transparent me-like dao, a herculean avatar that could cover the heavens with its palm, and the ck hole that made the heavens look like an ant to a skyscraper. Could it be...the ck hole touched upon the realm that exceeded the Heavenly Path?!

    "Below the earths and the skies are the heavens...above the earths and the skies are the heavens." He didn¡¯t get this at first, but he felt like he touched upon the truth in this statement.

    "Alright!" He drew his mind back to focus. Currently, his mind was suffused with a breathtaking rity. "How do I start?"

    "Normally, even with a Mortal Dao, this would be difficult withouting directly in contact with the Spirit Form. However, I can establish a connection and have the Spirit Form, and you exist simultaneously in my sea of consciousness. In there, all you have to do is forcefully integrate your dao into it." Pinaka instructed, her tone turned slightly solemn. In truth, she didn¡¯t truly have an absolute guarantee it¡¯ll work, but this was a method.

    Recalling how she pulled him into her sea of consciousness when they first met, Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t doubt her capabilities.

    "How long will it take?" Yan Zaizen asked.

    "I¡¯m not sure. I¡¯m a True Spirit who willingly allowed your dao to link with my core existence, but this soul form may instinctively fight against you. You¡¯ll have to forcefully establish a link. If you fail, your very dao and soul could suffer injury. If you aren¡¯t sure-"

    "I¡¯m sure." Yan Zaizen interrupted. He was the controller of the Dao of Sovereign Ascension! The Dao of Relentless Pursuit, Unyielding Confidence, and Cold Decisiveness was intermixed into this dao as a part of a grand whole; how could he possibly take a step back?

    As if expecting this, Pinaka nodded. Within Yan Zaizen¡¯s soul form, she got into a lotus position, a translucent prayer mat materialized beneath her. Slowly, she started to hum a chant of profoundnguage that Yan Zaizen couldn¡¯tprehend. It sounded soul-shaking and soul-bewitching with a touch of divinity. This was his impression of thenguage.

    Before long, Yan Zaizen and a semi-translucent Asura shrouded by a crimson glow appeared within Pinaka¡¯s sea of consciousness.

    "It worked?" Remarking in intrigue, Yan Zaizen¡¯s expression turned solemn as he looked at the Asura Golem¡¯s Spirit Form. It seemed to be looking around with curiosity, its eyes flickering with traces of intelligence. After several seconds, his gaze steadied on Yan Zaizen¡¯s soul form.

    "Oh?" Revealing a shocked expression on its multi-faces, it couldn¡¯t help but tighten its ethereal fists. "I shall kill you, then break out of here." It dered, dual des manifesting in its hands.

    What?!

    From his understanding, Spirit Formscked intelligence. At least, theycked hardcore intelligence, functioning on basic instructions and instincts. Only True Spirits, who have their own personalities and the ability to cultivate independently, have a high intelligence. For it to reveal suchplex expressions, dere its intent and manifest spiritual weapons in a sea of consciousness that wasn¡¯t its own. That shouldn¡¯t be possible!

    "I was wrong!" Pinaka¡¯s urgent voice rumbled everywhere without any particr point of origin. However, there was no panic in her deration, but it was filled with excitement instead. "Yan Zaizen! Defeat this spirit!"

    "What? What is it?" Yan Zaizen¡¯s face turned iparably grave, he could feel a potent killing intent from the Asura Golem¡¯s Spirit.

    "It¡¯s not a Spirit Form! It¡¯s an Asura Spirit! You have to dominate it, establish your dao-link! You must!" Her voice rumbled once more. The Asura Golem¡¯s Spirit, however, didn¡¯t seem like he could hear it. It was as if the voice was isted from it.

    Asura Spirit? ASURA SPIRIT!?!

    An Asura Spirit was a spirit form, but it was created from an actual Asura¡¯s soul and converted into an armament spirit. In this world, one could extract the souls of other objects or races and make them a part of an armament. They were greater than Spirit Forms, but didn¡¯t have the ability to ascend to a True Spirit. Fortunately, they also didn¡¯t need to suffer heavenly tribtion without a dao protecting them.

    For example, the Xi¨¡o City Lord extracted the soul of an actual mountain to produce his armament. How could he, a peak grand-tier alchemist, not have such an extraordinary armament? Yan Zaizen previous feeling an intense sense of deadly crisis wasn¡¯t because of it being a sky-rank armament, but because it was a unique sky-rank armament! It contained the Mortal Law of Mountains to the manifestation-level!

    "Fine!" Yan Zaizen¡¯s dark-amber orb that contained his Mortal Dao ejected from his soul form, as if formting a profound connection to his heavenlyws, it split into a bow and arrow. Getting into a readied stance, his eyes shed with an intense light.

    A cold snort was released from the Asura Spirit. It thundered ferociously like a demon running rampage on the mortal world, in its hands were two des that seemed to have been drenched in blood.

    Breath in.

    Breath out.

    Release!

    The arrow soared.

    ----------

    Eight months of intense battle, Yan Zaizen had finally woken from his state. His eyes suffused with a light containing traces of refinement and brutality. With a wave of his hand, the Asura Golem vanished from its spot and into the Meteor Ring. Within the Meteor Ring, the Asura Golem stood there with eyes filled with sovereign brutality as if it was a king who had ughtered countless to arise to its throne.

    Pinaka¡¯s soul form materialized within the Meteor Ring. It appeared before the Asura Golem. Her eyes were iparably bright. "An actual Asura Spirit..."

    The Asura Golem didn¡¯t have the ability to disy facial expressions, but it released a soft arrogant-filled snort in discontent at Pinaka¡¯s appraising gaze.

 Chapter 133 Not Fast Enough

    "It¡¯s gone!!!" Ate-Origin Core Cultivator eximed in disbelief, but his tone was filled with fear and rm. His cultivation base wildly erupted in caution. Others followed suit, and soon the stairwell was filled with multi-colored auras ring about here and there. Many forms of senses, both qi and spiritual, was spread into the surroundings without care of impoliteness.

    These actions were especially prevalent in the weaker cultivators. Earlier, the Asura Golem specifically targeted them and started ying them like it was cutting wheat. How could they not be cautious? However, many had already forgotten the Asura Golem couldn¡¯t be sensed in their fear.

    Wu Kun¡¯s eyes shined light that coruscated into the area. After a second, his mind started to tinge with a thought. Looking about, he couldn¡¯t find any evidence of its existence.

    "An illusion?!" This was his first thought. The Asura Golem was an illusion produced by a discrete killing formation. However, due to some unknown circumstances, the formation must¡¯ve ceased. It could be due tock of energy due tock of maintenance or someone broke it silently. In that case, it¡¯s likely there was someone who was operating the formation either way.

    Could it be...?

    He wasn¡¯t the only one to think up this situation after a thorough scan of the surroundings. Considering the Asura Phantom Pce illusory farce on the Moon of Asura, it was highly likely. If this is true...

    BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

    Several explosions suddenly took ce as people erupted with their full cultivation bases, executing their most exquisite burst-movement art. It only took a second before dozens of figures reached the door that was once guarded by the Asura Golem. With abined effort of these individuals of varying sizes and races, their energies smashed heavily into it.

    BOOM!!

    The door splintered into countless pieces as it exploded violently. Several groups responded with mad dashes filled with various emotions from vigorous hope, deep greed, to sheer madness!

    "Go!" Gu¨¤n Cui once againmanded, her momentum surging with an elegant yet intense aura. With a step, she followed the masses into the door. Ma Xiuren¡¯s small form gently stepped forward and her body flickered like a vanishing shadow. Tang Li and the others followed. Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes were bright, but he stayed silent, following along without hesitation.

    After entering the door, there were twelve different vast square-shaped corridors. At this point, there were already people who¡¯ve scanned the corridors with their senses, after gaining a faint trace of direction, they explosively shot into it.

    Gu¨¤n Cui stopped at the first floor¡¯s main room. "We¡¯re looking for intense soul fluctuations, find them!" With a soul transmission, shemanded Yan Zaizen. As the group¡¯s guide, this was his purpose. Yan Zaizen stopped beside her, his eyes shed with silver-blue light for a split second.

    He pointed towards the seventh corridor from the left. Without hesitation, Gu¨¤n Cui dashed towards the 7th corridor. The rest followed closely behind, executing their respective movement arts. There were several groups and independent cultivators traveling this route, but none of them fought. However, if one looked at their eyes, they contained heightened vignce and shifting gazes filled with readiness.

    "Caution!" Gu¨¤n Cui warned, her eyes were simr to the others. Perhaps now it was peaceful, but the moment they met anything worthwhile, fighting will escte quickly. They dashed past several doors that seemed to be the location of residences or other locations. Yan Zaizen continued to dash forward and many of the stronger groups did so as well.

    A door that seemed simr to the rest appeared. Its size about ten meters and constructed from a special whitewood. "There!" Yan Zaizen pointed.

    Gu¨¤n Cui nodded slightly, not saying anything else. Her sky-rank sword was wielded in her hand. The others followed suit, besides Tang Li and Ma Xiuren, the rest wielded simr swords.

    "Sword cultivators?" Yan Zaizen was shocked, but after awhile, he felt it was appropriate. They were bestowed the Dao of Unyielding Pride, and it was simr to the Dao of Unyielding Confidence. The sword was perfectly attuned for these two daos, allowing one to develop unique conceptualws based on them.

    A group of five cultivators dressed in green-red robes with shaved heads like monks was already at the door. The leader, a wizened old man withrge, brown prayer beads tied around his neck, was at the forefront. His eyes revealed madness, and his cultivation base was leaking indicating he was at the mid-True Essence Realm. Not only that, the rest of the group also had initial-True Essence Realm cultivation bases.

    However, Gu¨¤n Cui didn¡¯t halt. Her sword shed with a resplendent white sword light infused with an unyielding pride in her stroke. The true-essence within caused the surroundings to feel sliced into pieces as it proceeded forward. The monk, however, had his eyes flicker with a trace of viciousness. From his hand, he threw out a prayer bead from beneath his long sleeves.

    This bead erged almost instantly by several hundred meters, colliding fiercely with the iing light. It nullified her the sword sh with rtive ease. Witnessing this, Gu¨¤n Cui¡¯s eyes flickered. She looked towards Yan Zaizen swiftly, "Again!"

    As if understanding, Yan Zaizen nodded. His eyes shed with silver-blue light, he then pointed further into the corridor. Gu¨¤n Cui¡¯s didn¡¯t even look at the monk, directly executing her movement art and bypassing the erged bead and door. Ma Xiuren and Tang Li¡¯s expressions were indifferent, not even gazing at the monks. They directly followed behind.

    The monks allowed them free passage, not taking action but remaining vignt. The leader couldn¡¯t help but feel slight approval at Gu¨¤n Cui¡¯s decisiveness. She realized that if they fought to the death, it¡¯ll be unlikely either would gain anything in the aftermath. Afterwards, she decisively chose elsewhere. After all, this was just the first floor, why risk your life for it?

    Unfortunately for Gu¨¤n Cui, the corridor she chose was picked by extraordinary groups due to her very requirement. They were also far faster, arriving at the doors Yan Zaizen would choose that possessed soul fluctuations. Some were even looted already. With the movement speed of powerful cultivators, a single second was enough to sweep a hundred li clean.

    It wasn¡¯t long before they exited and found a silver tform that radiated spatial fluctuations as if it was used to tunnel into the spatial void. However, the silver tform was shattered and destroyed. Many cultivators looked at the silver tform and their eyes glistened with intelligence and hatred. Entering the tform and decisively destroying it afterwards was risky, but it could reduce thepetition. At least, it¡¯ll dy others for a short period of time.

    However, how could everyone not have prepared for this?

    "We need to be faster." Gu¨¤n Cui tly stated. Yan Zaizen understood this. When the Asura Golem was discovered to be gone, several groups went ahead, and since they were looking for something specific on the first floor, how could it not be valuable and wanted by others? They weren¡¯t even the fastest group to enter, being rtively in the middle. They lost their opportunity at benefits because of this.

    She withdrew a silver orb that radiated spatial energy. Throwing it at the silver tform, the orb exploded and produced a silver tunnel at impact.

    "Go!" she dashed into the newly produced tunnel. They all followed her, arriving at the next floor. When they arrived, they were shocked. The room was quite simr, but instead of a golem at the middle of the floor between entrance and exit, there was a curtain of white liquid raining down in a thin line. It acted as a separation line.

    However, not a single person who arrived on time entered this thin white curtain. When Yan Zaizen saw this, he was reminded of the formation in the Water Veil Sect. Gu¨¤n Cui looked towards Yan Zaizen, "Your thoughts?" Obviously, as a member of the Anima Syndicate and a guide, he was supposed to scout out and deduce the danger levels of various obstacles.

    This was likely the second floor¡¯s obstacle, considering a door simr to the first floor was there, but it was several timesrger than the other. This likely indicated its higher requirement to do so. He was cautious, not carelessly spreading his spiritual sense, considering what happened with the inky ck moat. His eyes emanated a silver-blue aurora-like light. By focusing his spiritual sense into his optical perception, he could enhance his identification capabilities.

    "This is a soul-based water called Asura¡¯s milk. Despite its name, it doesn¡¯t originate from Asura¡¯s, but if your soul cultivation isn¡¯t sufficient to defend against it, it¡¯ll wash your soul me clean. It can, however, be used to strengthen one¡¯s spiritual sense, simr to how normal milk can help strengthen bones. However, that¡¯s if you could withstand its effects. " Pinaka stepped forward to exin.

    Yan Zaizen exined this information to the group. Tang Li¡¯s eyes flickered with intense greed. As an alchemist, Asura¡¯s milk was exceptionally rare. It could be used as a substitute for many different soul-based materials. It was also a vital ingredient for an ancient form that¡¯s been discarded called the Spiritual Hell Elixir. It was literally its coreponent, and all the rest still existed in the Xiantu Realm. If he could harvest it...

    While Gu¨¤n Cui was deciding on her next course of action, more people started tunneling into the second floor¡¯s room through the spatial tforms.

    "It¡¯s you?!" A voice shouted in surprise. Yan Zaizen¡¯s group turned around with interest, their auras may seem inactive, but they were ready to explode at a moment¡¯s notice if a fight was started. Yan Zaizen also turned but when he saw the person, he couldn¡¯t help but feel curious.

 Chapter 134 Your Crime!

    "..." The group that just arrived were the Presba Imperial Family¡¯s force. Dong Lin, the Imperial Prosecutor of Presba, were the one who previously shouted. When they arrived, they swept their gaze around at the surrounding cultivators. Typically, due to the cluster of thousands of cultivators with a variety of different sizes, spreading one¡¯s sense outwards without a peak cultivation base was detrimental. Therefore, they never once saw Yan Zaizen directly.

    However, now that they were one of the first few to arrive on the second floor¡¯s gate area, how could they not spot him in this mediocre amount of people?

    In Presba, Yan Zaizen had vanished mysteriously. Due to his chaotic immersion art, he could shift through chaotic space without leaving a single spatial trail. However, after he took off to the Dead Soul Desert, the Imperial Family put out an order of arrest. They even issued a bounty for information that could attract even grand-tier powers to search.

    Despite all this effort, they found nigh a hair nor nail of Yan Zaizen anywhere. Considering his outstanding appearance, it¡¯ll be unlikely there¡¯d be zero information about him. That was...unless he got off. They considered it, but if so, they couldn¡¯t do much. So, they decided to team up with the Wu n, a first-level heavenly-tier force in the Xiantu Continent.

    Their goal? To gain backers during this venture AND find Yan Zaizen with Wu n¡¯s support.

    As for Yan Zaizen, he was heavily ignorant of the outside world. For two years on the outside, but sixty years to him, he spent a majority of his time in cultivation or studies. Not to mention, how was he supposed to know he was a wanted man? He did no crime.

    At least no crime that wasn¡¯t standard in the cultivation world for those with power.

    "You!" Dong Sei, the Imperial Commander, thundered murderously. If one saw his eyes, they¡¯d see madness and deep-seated hatred within. For others, they may not recognize Yan Zaizen, but how could he not? For the past two years, this man had been his life goal.

    His cultivation base at the initial-True Essence Realm exploded outwards. However, he didn¡¯t rashly take action but only threateningly erupted with his aura. As for Yan Zaizen, he felt amused at all this. He felt like Tang Li or Ma Xiuren had done something, and he was more than willing to act as a bystander to enjoy the show.

    As for Dong Sei¡¯s aura? Pfft.

    Laughable.

    If it was Yan Zaizen before he left Presba, then perhaps he¡¯ll take this man seriously, but at the moment? One must know that, despite his qi cultivation not progressing, his soul cultivation reached the Perfect Aurora Soul Realm and his Mortal Dao reachedpletion! The amplification effect of his dao was dozens of times stronger than lower-tier daos and lower-tier daos were a few times stronger than his previous nascent dao!

    How could he be moved by an initial-True Essence expert¡¯s aura? It was like a bunny bearing its fangs at a T-Rex, it was cute.

    The Ancient Emperor¡¯s eyes flickered, realizing that Yan Zaizen was surrounded by a group of powerful cultivators that easily out-matched their current group. Therefore, he didn¡¯t re up like the others but quietly kept his thoughts inward.

    "Yan Zaizen." Dong Lin tly said, his eyes smiling but the rest of his expression felt off.

    "Oh?" Yan Zaizen was shocked by being directly called. Not only him, the rest of his group as well. It¡¯s not like Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t know who these people were. As a citizen of Presba, he was educated thoroughly about the Imperial Family¡¯s crest and faces of its upper-echelon. They were celebrities in Presba, who didn¡¯t know?

    "Are you ready to atone for your crime?" Dong Lin was incredibly calm, causing Dong Sei to slowly recede his thunderous aura and its tyrannical ferocity. He understood that acting was not beneficial to them at this moment, so he stayed his hand.

    "Crime?" Startled, Yan Zaizen questioned with genuine confusion. Considering that they seemed angered by his existence, could he have killed someone important? However, thinking about it, he never met anyone of importance. Not to mention, he didn¡¯t directly kill anyone in his time within the capital. Well, directly at least. The Blood Fiend Sect members were killed by his protective spiritual sense.

    "I wonder, what crime did I do?" He inquired curiously, his tone slightly yful. In truth, he didn¡¯t care about any crime they could pin on him. He¡¯ll just have them pardon that crime today, that is, if he did it. If they disagreed? Well, considering the circumstances and as a protective measure for his n, he¡¯ll directly exterminate.

    It may sound immature, but you can¡¯t falsely use anyone of a crime if you¡¯re dead. Just like your body when its merges back to the soil, all usations will fade to dust in death.

    Dong Lin furrowed his brows, scanning Yan Zaizen¡¯s group with his gaze. His eyes lit up as he recalled the White Crane Sect¡¯s information and mantra. With a devious glint in his eye, "Your crime of forcefully assaulting and tainting Princess Qin against her will." His words were calm, but he looked at the reactions of the White Crane Sect members.

    Shock.

    Disgust.

    Hatred!

    Their expressions flickered with various emotions. However, none of them were positive. As True Essence Cultivators, how could they not know who the Ancient Emperor of Presba was? They memorized all recognizable forces in Presba. You never know when you¡¯ll need to engage with them or be enemies with them. Understanding who¡¯s who is important in the cultivation world.

    For them, they wouldn¡¯t throw out this usation without irrefutable proof, nor would they publicize this fact amongst experts without even further proof. Not to mention, the first reaction they had was rather violent, backing their belief in this so-called crime.

    Almost instinctively, the White Crane Sect members wielded their des, shing with traces of swordw infused true-essence. Their prideful eyes turned fiercely sharp. However, none of them took action, obviously awaiting Yan Zaizen¡¯s reaction or response.

    Unfortunately for them, Yan Zaizen only tugged at his lips and furrowed his brows in contemtion. It was a rather indeterminate expression. "What proof do you have?" Yan Zaizen wasn¡¯t the type of person to shout ¡¯I¡¯m innocent, I¡¯m innocent!¡¯ He didn¡¯t have anything to prove, nor did he feel the need to deal with such troubles. If he went at their pace, it¡¯s likely he could dig a hole so deep he didn¡¯t know the truth anymore.

    Therefore, he rather advance the narrative at his own pace.

    Dong Lin didn¡¯t hesitate, withdrawing a translucent orb from his spatial ring. After an infusion of soul energy, a scene projected itself for all those to see. It was a point-of-view perspective. From his guess, it was likely Princess Qin¡¯s. He knew of this orb - a Soul Recollection Orb. As the soul me contained in-depth memory and instincts of the person, this Soul Recollection Orb could vividly copy specific memories within and disy them.

    Typically, they¡¯re used to pass on battle records from certain perspectives or cultivation lessons. The juniors of the n could view them for theoretical battle experience. It was mainly due to the fact that hundreds of exchanges could happen in seconds at the top-level. It¡¯ll be difficult for juniors to see these battle live, so they would slow it down using this item.

    Soon, ¡¯Yan Zaizen¡¯ appeared with his vibrant amber-gold eyes and handsome appearance. Violently, he struck Princess Qin, restricted her body with qi-essence, and proceeded to violently take her with a malicious smile. His voice, body type, and even vibrant eyes were the same as his. The only difference was that his expression during the actual crime was violent and evil that seemed to take pleasure in Princess Qin¡¯s pain.

    Princess Qin yelled constantly for mercy, begging to stop, and even asking for reasons and justifications. However, ¡¯Yan Zaizen¡¯ onlyughed maliciously in her face, only doing so harder, or striking her whenever she seemed to annoy him or weren¡¯t loud enough with her screams. Thissted for a few minutes. Then ¡¯Yan Zaizen¡¯ departed after reaching a personal climax.

    Many in the surroundings felt odd and intense emotions rise up in their hearts watching this scene, and some looked towards Yan Zaizen with extreme disgust. A Soul Recollection Orb couldn¡¯t be faked unless one possessed a profound soul cultivation. It¡¯s unlikely that Princess Qin, someone who was just mercilessly taken, had a soul cultivation base that could do so.

    Even Yan Zaizen himself would have a difficulty doing so.

    "This is YOUR CRIME!" Dong Lin shouted.

    However, Yan Zaizen furrowed his brows in thought. Witnessing this violent scene, the White Crane Sect members werepletely holding back their emotions and desires due to Gu¨¤n Cui¡¯s gesturing. Despite this, her eyes were also filled with intense anger. The White Crane Sect was a female-only sect and many of their cultivators were exceptionally beautiful and wanted by many. They had to constantly fight against those who take action against their girls.

    It became custom that they would destroy any force behind the person who did so and tortured the person¡¯s soul for one hundred years before death. Only then did people start thinking nine times before taking action. As women in a world where a murder was legitimate if you were stronger, how could it be easy? The same could be said for men, who must protect their women!

    "Well, one indisputable fact determines the person in that image wasn¡¯t me..." Yan Zaizen said slowly.

    "?" Many of them were shocked, wondering how he¡¯ll attempt to clear himself of this crime, but a vast majority who witnessed this scene had already deemed him guilty.

    Spreading out fingers to indicate the number of minutes that passed during the recollection, Yan Zaizen said with a confident tone, "Well, I would¡¯ve..sted longer than that."

    "..."

    "..."

    "..."

 Chapter 135 Tyrannical Proof

    In truth, Yan Zaizen had the most irrefutable proof of innocence. He was still a virgin. Unfortunately, to inspect this, he had topletely open all the secrets in his body and soul to verify this. This meant revealing his Herculean Physique, the Regalia refinement, his cultivation andws, and even his soul form would have to be vulnerable for this inspection.

    One¡¯s primal yin and yang were deeply connected to both the soul and body. This was why dual cultivation was exceptional and having many wives was amon thing for powerful male cultivators. It may not help the Essence Path, but body and soul cultivation would benefit greatly.

    Normally, this wouldn¡¯t be necessary. How many people were still virgins at his level of cultivation? However, he was just too young.

    Even factoring in chaotic space-time flow, he was only eighty-three. This was remarkably young for those in the True Essence Realm that could live for twenty-five thousand years on average.

    With those requirements to verify his innocence, he couldn¡¯t agree. He had far too many secrets, nor did he feel the need to reveal them all for some girl he¡¯d never met.

    Dong Lin smiled, "Is that all you have to say?"

    Yan Zaizen shook his head in helplessness. "That¡¯s not me," was his only response as he shrugged his shoulders. What more could he say?

    Dong Sei loudly chuckled, his beefy body andrge armor nking together with every chuckle. His eyes were as frosty as an icy-hell, "You are truly the lowest form of man."

    Earlier, Dong Sei or Dong Long didn¡¯t say anything as Dong Lin provided public proof of the crime. The reason for this was to incite public hatred and rid Yan Zaizen of his allies in the White Crane Sect. Without them, he was nothing more than ate-Qi Unification Cultivator with an Advanced Aurora Soul Cultivation.

    From Yao Wuhen, they gained information about Yan Zaizen. His cultivation at the time, his background, and who he was. They knew he had an exceptional talent in soul cultivation, defeated Yao Wuhen, and had a powerful destructive-based archery. In real time, only two years have passed, that¡¯s not enough for his cultivation to progress. Dong Sei or Dong Lin alone could defeat Yao Wuhen even easier than Yan Zaizen did.

    What did they have to fear?

    "The Soul Recollection Orb can¡¯t be fooled easily, even your aura is the same," Gu¨¤n Cui coldly stated. In truth, she was holding back because there was a slight possibility of it being false. As for needing him to navigate as a guide, they much rather not associate with someone of such filth. Thus, that was not in her considerations.

    Not to mention, Yan Zaizen hasn¡¯t helped them at all. Even the corpse test yielded, from an outside perspective, nothing important but revealing theck of traps. They would¡¯ve figured that out sooner orter.

    For those with good cultivations, they could easily obtain a woman or man for their bed in a willing manner. What need would there be to forcefully take another? Just as Dong Sei said, only the lowest of the low would do so.

    Yan Zaizen could feel the fluctuations of true-essence emanating from the women surrounding him. It was obvious they wished to take action.

    "Well, at least they have some restraint." He inwardly thought. Thinking about it, he was truly trying to find out a way to clear his name without revealing all of his secrets. However, nothing came up.

    "Tch! How pathetic!" Pinaka viciously eximed. "Use your brain! Why do you need to prove anything?!" Her voice was filled with deep discontent and frustration.

    Wait.

    That¡¯s right.

    Why did he need to prove anything?

    Originally, he was going to use force to clear his name anyways. The only reason why he was trying to think of other ways stemmed from his instinctual desire to protect his reputation. If news of this were to spread with this much evidence from the soul projection, he¡¯ll be known as that type of person forever.

    He chuckled loudly at his momentary idiocy; there was a much better way to prove his innocence. The surrounding gazes locked onto him with interest and disgust. He raised his hands up and mmed them together.

    p!

    p!

    p!

    "Bravo to you for this farce. Unfortunately, I have the most indisputable proof of innocence right here." He spoke his words deliberately, everyone was interested in what he had to say, hoping he wasn¡¯t joking this time around. Would he pull out a Soul Recollection Orb to verify his innocence? Allow himself to be soul searched to prove it? Swear a heavenly oath? Swear a soul oath? If he does and it works out, would they believe him?

    "It¡¯s simple really..." his gaze turned towards the three leaders of Presba¡¯s Imperial Family, "because I said I am."

    "..."

    "..."

    "..."

    Dong Sei felt enraged, not only him but everyone else. Such tyrannical words, such domineering attitude, and such confidence! Where did thise from? Gu¨¤n Cui nced at Yan Zaizen and seemed to have made a decision. She retracted her aura, and so did the rest. They simply took a step backwards signifying their support of Yan Zaizen was no more.

    Tang Li¡¯s eyes flickered, but he did the same.

    Ma Xiuren only stared at Yan Zaizen. Her dainty little fist clenched, but she didn¡¯t take action or retreat.

    Witnessing this, Dong Long was the first to take action. One must know, Princess Qin was his daughter! His youngest, most favored daughter! The killing intent that he suppressed so deeply before erupted like a volcano at its peak, and his aura caused the surrounding people to exim with interest and even praise. There were even a few weaker cultivators gesturing and shouting out condemnations for Yan Zaizen¡¯s words.

    Even if they¡¯ve done things like this in the past, it always felt good seeing other people suffer, especially for the true low-life cultivators in the audience.

    However, Yan Zaizen remained calm, continuing to speak, "If I wanted to take this...Princess Qin...what reason do I have to hide it? What reason do I even have to care to dere my innocence?" Hearing this, people from afar felt odd. Sure, this logic was true but only if a cultivator vastly exceeded the other party in strength.

    "With a single word, you¡¯d have given Princess Qin to me with joyful glee! Haha!" This was the straw that broke the camel¡¯s back. Dong Long, Dong Sei, and Dong Lin simultaneously shot towards Yan Zaizen. The full force of their cultivation base emanated a seemingly invincible pressure! That aura rolled towards Yan Zaizen like a violent storm intending to rip him to shreds. Everyone immediately distanced themselves from Yan Zaizen.

    Dong Long wielded an emerald spear with faint spiritual fluctuations. A sky-rank armament! It pierced forward, projecting a nearly peerless prating force that transformed into an insidiously vicious emerald-green dragon¡¯s head!

    Dong Sei punched forward with thunderous momentum. His vital energy and true-essence merged together perfectly to manifest arge dark-silver fist that contained vast power filled with thew of metal. It smashed heavily towards Yan Zaizen.

    Dong Lin removed a small folding fan from his spatial ring. Unfolding it, he swung it gracefully. A tall twister barreled forward that reached several hundred meters in height. It was infused with powerful wind-infused true-essence that rotated with the desire to ruin the world in every rotation.

    All three attacks shot towards Yan Zaizen in unison, striking with the intention to thoroughly kill him in body and soul!

    As for Yan Zaizen, he only shook his head slightly and stood where he was. He closed his eyes, and to those who were watching, it felt like he was giving up his life. As for the truth, the vital energies within Yan Zaizen¡¯s body was being rallied to action.

    SWINHHG!

    "Herculean Avatar Art!"

    His eyes opened as the attacks were no more than an inch away from his body.

    BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!!!

    Several violent explosions resounded that devastated a vast area. Luckily, everyone had high cultivation bases, unless the attack was directly aimed at them, they could easily repel the remnant energy.

    Tang Li was in disbelief, "he¡¯s dead?" It felt surreal. In truth, with how Yan Zaizen was talking, he expected more.

    Gu¨¤n Cui squinted her eyes, looking at the field wreathed in destructive true-essence. She had the faint feeling the situation wouldn¡¯t end with simply that.

    Indeed.

    As several seconds passed, the smoke cleared. Yan Zaizen, with his vibrant amber-gold eyes that shone through all, revealed himself brilliantly amidst the cloud of true-essence. As he slowly walked out, it looked as if the attacks nevernded. His clothes didn¡¯t even seem ruffled. As for him, he had slight differences but the distinctions were overly attracting.

    Situated at his be was a ck and white diamond that seemed to be swirling in constant motion against each other. There was a short, vertical golden-line just below both of his eyes as if they were tears. The normally ck hair had faint traces of gold highlights. His hands were covered in faint golden inscriptions that seemed exceptionally profound, the same could be said for his arms, legs, torso, and feet if it wasn¡¯t thoroughly covered by clothing.

    The Herculean Avatar Art was vastly different from normal manifestation arts that would project an image. Instead, It would make your body be used as the avatar of a Herculean! As your physique was truly brought to its maximum, one¡¯s physical attributes would be vastly increased as a result.

    If being a true Herculean could be considered aw, then this art used vital energy to erupt with thatw! As for the concept? It was the regalia that was refined!

    p!

    p!

    p!

    Yan Zaizen pped some more, his eyes suffused with tyrannical ferocity and unyielding confidence! "I¡¯ll say it again: with a single word, you¡¯d have given Princess Qin to me with joyful glee!" After finishing those words, he took several short steps forward, his gaze looking at the Dong group with hints of disdain.

    "Now, do you understand me? Well, if not, you will." Yan Zaizen took one more step forward and his figure vanished like a ghost in the night. This wasn¡¯t spatialws, but sheer imperceptible speed!

    "!!!"

    Dong Long felt a sensation of intense deadly crisis, he immediately retreated, but s! He was too slow. Appearing before him as if he teleported, Yan Zaizen reached out his palm, violently grabbing towards his throat.

    URGH!!

    The sound that the throat makes being grabbed resounded from Dong Long and before anyone could even blink, Yan Zaizen already had the mid-True Essence Dong Long at his mercy. His powerful vital energy suppressed Dong Long¡¯s cultivation base with rtive ease. In his hands, Dong Long was like a child trying to struggle against the grip of a god.

    As he fiercely struggled in defiance, the Siphoning Shadow of Death concept was draining Dong Long of his true-essence thoroughly. As it did, Yan Zaizen¡¯s vital energies seemed to be spiking with powerful lifeforce fluctuations.

    "What?!" Witnessing this, Dong Sei and Dong Lin¡¯s eyes nearly popped out of their heads. The other spectators were inwardly shocked, their gazes filled with disbelief. To many, if not the vast majority, they couldn¡¯t even see Yan Zaizen¡¯s shadow as he moved. It was like a blur in mist!

    Yan Zaizen smiled softly at all the exmations and shocked gazes, turning towards Dong Lin with a profound gleam in his eyes, "Let me ask you this, if I wanted to take this...Princess Qin, why would I need to deny it?" His hand slightly clenched causing Dong Long to squeak like a rubber ducky in pain.

    "Do I even need to? Haha."

    Indeed.

    The most definitive proof was the simplest: If I have to power to destroy all you are, all you can be, and all you will ever be, what reason do I have to sneak behind your back? If I did it openly, what could you even do?!

 Chapter 136 Harvesting

    "..."

    The silence that permeated the air was heart-twisting. The truth of the cultivation world was being revealed here. Why did powerful cultivators murder on the streets without care? Why did they eradicate entire families, ns, or forces to root any potential threat? With the power to exceed, you could do so openly and everyone would simply take it as par for the course.

    "It was their own weakness!"

    "This one person condemned the entire n to death!"

    "Her beauty was simply too great, cmity was bound to happen!"

    Whatever reason it may be, the fact of the matter was: The strongest could do whatever the hell they wanted, and the other party would be med for their weakness, idiocy, or having things people coveted! This was strength.

    It was the might to always be right.

    This was the world of cultivation!

    "Now, should I kill him or do you think I¡¯m innocent?" Yan Zaizen smilingly said. Those words were spoken as if he was asking him if he wanted to eat here or there in total casualness. As if the choice itself was irrelevant. Dong Lin¡¯s expression was beyond ugly. Dong Sei had an even uglier one.

    In truth, Dong Lin wasn¡¯t an idiot nor was Dong Sei. They knew that the moment Yan Zaizen disyed his incredible prowess, he had no reason to fear them thus no reason to lie. From just this disy, his body cultivation easily rivaled a peak-True Essence Cultivator! He could kill them all easily if he wanted and everyone would only say they brought it upon themselves for falsely using someone or overestimating themselves.

    After all, each difference in stage for the True Essence Realm was like the difference between the sky and the earth. Yan Zaizen¡¯s body cultivation could rival those at the peak-True Essence Realm, to those at the initial or mid-stages, it was like a Qi Unification expert versus an Origin Core expert.

    Ma Xiuren¡¯s eyes shined brilliantly at Yan Zaizen¡¯s domineering disy, while Tang Li¡¯s expression was solemn. Gu¨¤n Cui and her group also had a solemn expression. They all realized the truth of the circumstance. The crowd did as well. However, many had extra vignce in their eyes. To think that a seemingly middle-tier group actually had such an ace hidden! What if they engaged in life or death battle for benefits against them, wouldn¡¯t they just die?

    They were too cunning!

    "We understand! You¡¯re innocent." Dong Lin calmly eximed. There was no reason to continue fighting at this point unless they had a death wish.

    "Good! Good that you understand. Now, give me everything you have. Your spatial possessions, your clothes, your shoes, and your armaments. Then, if they satisfy me, I¡¯ll consider sparing his life. Oh, also yours." Yan Zaizen said with a warm smile. He wasn¡¯t a pushover. He hated being schemed against, but even worse, he hated being used of something he didn¡¯t do!

    If he was weak, wouldn¡¯t he be dead? Wouldn¡¯t they be extracting his spatial possessions, taking his clothes, his shoes, and his armaments from his corpse? So, he¡¯ll do the same.

    "!" Everyone was shocked. So ruthless. However, they truly brought this upon themselves. It was already lucky Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t directly kill them and take their things afterwards. He pretty much was giving them a way out, and many cultivators, a vast majority actually, would directly kill these people and eliminate their entire force when they returned.

    However, despite their ugly expressions, they gave up their possessions. This humiliation may be great but it¡¯s already lucky this was all that was asked for. If you could give them any positive points, they were decisive. Without their Ancient Emperor its likely they would suffer war and extermination when they returned, and if they all died here, their families and n will definitely be wantonly raided by others. It¡¯ll be lucky if Princess Qin isn¡¯t taken as a ve.

    "I like your decisiveness." After gathering everything, he ced them into the Meteor Ring. Various rebounds urred, with everyone amongst their group spurting various mouthfuls of blood. It seems they had tracking formations or other things interconnected to them within their possessions.

    SWOOSH!

    Yan Zaizen tossed Dong Long like a sack of potatoes. Turning towards Tang Li and Gu¨¤n Cui, his eyes flickered with a trace of disappointment. If he was weak, they would¡¯ve left him for dead, abandoning him with their actions. Despite their supposed team-up.

    However, what could Yan Zaizen expect? He didn¡¯t me them, because he would¡¯ve done the same thing! He didn¡¯t know them outside of their names, why would he clean up their own mess? Especially if he felt disgusted at their actions.

    He disliked being a hypocrite, so he tries hard to actively put himself in other people¡¯s shoes. "I¡¯ll consider my job as your guide terminated by your actions. Am I correct?" Yan Zaizen asked Gu¨¤n Cui.

    Surprisingly, she didn¡¯t have any fear in her eyes only unyielding pride, "That¡¯s correct." Her words were neutral in tone but decisive. Nodding in understanding, Yan Zaizennded near the Asura¡¯s Milk, his eyes shing with traces of silver-blue light.

    Hm?

    Turning to the side, he saw a cute little girl in a flower dress staring at him. It was Ma Xiuren! She was fairly close in proximity. Her gaze was honed on Yan Zaizen and she was smiling brightly at him. With that, he understood and nodded. "Fine, I guess it¡¯ll be just you and me." Earlier, Ma Xiuren didn¡¯t physically retreat, not to mention, she didn¡¯t seem to have any ill-intentions.

    Gu¨¤n Cui¡¯s expression was a little frustrated, but she didn¡¯t speak. Both of these characters were oddities with profound strength, and their decisions were theirs to make. As for Tang Li, his eyes flickered but he didn¡¯t step up.

    "What¡¯s the base requirement for someone to pass this Asura¡¯s Milk curtain?" Yan Zaizen asked Pinaka.

    "At least the Advanced Aurora Soul Realm or mid-True Essence Realm. However, with your cultivation, you should be able to harvest it." Pinaka said, her voice once again containing excitement.

    "Could this help you recover?" Hearing her excited tone, he felt this must be important to her.

    "Yes. Harvest as much as you can! Quickly, before others try!" She urged.

    Nodding, his body glowed with a trace of dense silver-blue aurora light. This was the first time he revealed his soul energy cultivation base fully.

    "What?!" Gu¨¤n Cui was stunned to a nk state. This person not only had a peak-True Essence rivaling body cultivation, but he also had a Perfect Aurora Soul Realm cultivation base?! This...

    The surrounding cultivators reeled in shock, their eyes disying deeper fear than ever before. If a body cultivation that could rival the peak of the True Essence Realm was frightening, thenbining that with a Perfect Aurora Soul Realm cultivation base made him an absolute monster. Fortunately, his qi cultivation was severelycking or else this person would be a demon at cultivation.

    If they knew Yan Zaizen was under one hundred years of age, their expressions would be far worse.

    Silver-blue soul energy flowed from his palms, directly manifesting a ten-meter hollow ball. Pushing it into the milk curtain, the ball started to slowly fill with pure white liquid.

    "What! He¡¯s taking the white liquid!" One of the cultivator¡¯s eximed. The moment he said this, several individuals immediately executed their movement arts andnded near the curtain. They formted a orb of true-essence simr to Yan Zaizen and attempted to harvest it in the same way.

    "Ahhh!" A shriek filled with horrific pain resounded. It drew everyone¡¯s gazes as they looked at the shrieker, his cultivation at the initial-True Essence Realm, but his body started to be drenched in pure whiteness. It was remarkably simr to the inky, ck moat¡¯s infection.

    He attempted to fight back against the white liquid as it shuttled its way through his body, but it didn¡¯t seem physical. It was at that moment that everyone realized the white liquid was ethereal in nature without physical form.

    Clutching his chest, his body was viciously fighting back against the liquid¡¯s attempt to wash his soul clean, but s, his rashness led to his immediate erasing of vitalponents in his soul form. With a soft thud, he mmed powerlessly to the ground. Surprisingly, he wasn¡¯t physically dead. His body still exuded a vibrant lifeforce and it couldn¡¯t be considered dead.

    Unfortunately, his soul me was washed clean by the Asura¡¯s Milk, maliciously wiping out his memories, instincts, and consciousness. If he wakes up, he¡¯ll be like a newborn baby without any sense of self.

    "This..." After that, no one else took action, immediately retracting their harvesting orbs of true-essence. Many were smart, waiting to see if others could do so before they attempted themselves. Others were lucky, their speed was simply far too slow so they couldn¡¯t take action. This saved their very consciousness.

    As for Yan Zaizen, he didn¡¯t even consider anyone else. After his orb was filled, he waved his hand to send the soul energy ball filled with Asura¡¯s Milk into his Meteor Ring. Afterwards, he immediately created another of the same size.

    After a while, others realized that Yan Zaizen was harvesting using soul energy and not true-essence. It was likely this very reason why it worked. Unfortunately, the person who tried to harvest next only had a Advanced Aurora Soul. Despite being able to resist its effects, it couldn¡¯t be harvested with such a little cultivation.

    That person suffered the same fate - his soul washed clean.

    Before long, nine thousand experts filled the room once more. Their eyes looked towards Yan Zaizen with curiosity, but didn¡¯t take action. From his soul energy fluctuation, his cultivation could rivalte-True Essence cultivators. There was little reason to offend someone like that for white liquid that many didn¡¯t trulyprehend.

    Before long, Wu Kun, the one who originally wanted everyone to work together in an attempt to deal with the Asura Golem, arrived with his allies. As a high-ranking member of the Wu n in the Xiantu Empire, a first-level heavenly-tier force, he had a unique arrogance about him.

    Unlike others, he didn¡¯t have any fear to have a conversation with Yan Zaizen openly despite his soul cultivation. "How are you capable of harvesting this white liquid?" He inquired.

    Yan Zaizen turned towards him with a slight smile, gazing at the Imperial Family members of Presba who were making their way towards the Wu n without proper clothes. His eyes gleamed with an intelligence, and he realized it was likely they were allied. He had some faint impressions of this Wu Kun individual.

    "If you have a cultivation of the mid-True Essence Realm or Advanced Aurora Soul Realm, you can prate the curtain. However, if you wish to harvest it, you¡¯ll need a Perfect Aurora Soul cultivation base." He said truthfully. It wasn¡¯t like he cared if others knew. If they had the capabilities to harvest the curtain, then go for it.

    From what Pinaka said, the Asura¡¯s Milk could fill an entire ocean. Despite filling several dozen ten-meter balls, the curtain showed no sign of disruption. It truly felt endless. Even if he spent several years harvesting, its unlikely he could take it all at the speed he was going. In truth, he had to do so carefully and focus all his energy into one ball as to not suffer any bacsh of the Asura¡¯s Milk like the others. Therefore, his speed was rather slow.

    "I see," Wu Kun nodded in understanding. After looking at the curtain of white liquid for a bit, his eyes shed with even further understanding. It seemed he realized this was Asura¡¯s Milk from what Yan Zaizen said.

    As for everyone else, their eyes shed with intelligence and wariness. They originally didn¡¯t know the requirements to pass the curtain, but now they realized. As most of the cultivators were currently in the room, they understood the limitation. Unless a group could gain a mid-True Essence expert to protect them, it¡¯ll be unlikely for them to bypass this room.

    Their journey would end here.

 Chapter 137 Still Too Young

    As Yan Zaizen was harvesting in peace, Wu Kun finally got interested in why the Presba¡¯s Imperial forces were half-naked without anything to call their own. Considering he allied with them, robbing them so directly was an affront to his name. His first intentions were to get back face for himself when he saw them.

    "..."

    Then, he heard what happened.

    The notion of revenge fluttered away like a blue jay in spring.

    "Understood. Men, give them some of your spare clothes." Was all he instructed, then he looked towards Yan Zaizen with a deeply concealed glint within his gaze. Yan Zaizen had two profound cultivation bases, one at the Perfect Aurora Soul Realm and peak-True Essence body cultivation. As this was only the entryway into the second floor, he had zero intentions of offending someone like this.

    He also thought it was absurd. If Yan Zaizen truly took Princess Qin forcefully because of her beauty, it would be far too simple to take her as his wife. With his prowess, he would only need to say a word, and Dong Long would easily agree. Hell, even Princess Qin herself would do so. With a husband of such strength, it¡¯ll be like bing the Empress of a continent. Even the Xiantu Empire would give him face!

    As for performing the deed for revenge? What reason did he have to do it in the shadows? He could simply do so openly, take her as a ve, and wipe out her entire force. From his knowledge, Dong Long was the strongest cultivator amongst Presba¡¯s Imperial Family. Killing him was as simple as a breath for Yan Zaizen. What issues could he have?

    After a while, many individuals were using special tools, abined soul energy construction of multiple individuals, or a profound soul cultivation to harvest the Asura¡¯s Milk. Unfortunately, a few people had their souls washed in failure, but most were cautious enough to be definitively sure they could harvest a single drop before taking action.

    Others were trying to figure out the requirements for them to take their group through the curtain. A group of three initial-True Essence Realm and several Origin Core cultivators pulled their strength together to prate the curtain. Regrettably, evenbined, their strength couldn¡¯t rival the mid-True Essence Realm. Their souls were directly cleansed in their attempt.

    As for their possessions, Yan Zaizen was the first to take action. His soul energy constructing a thick robe, it traveled at high-speed to snag all objects in their possessions. As for the True Essence experts, he snatched their bodies as well. With their soul mes wiped, they were essentially dead. He was always one to obtain a profit. A True Essence corpse was incredibly valuable.

    Many who watched had some discontent, but they didn¡¯t take action due to Yan Zaizen¡¯s prowess. He, of course, actively avoided those who still had experts to pick up their bodies. He wasn¡¯t so ruthless as to take their bodies from their friends and families. As for those who didn¡¯t have anyone? They were directly taken with zero hesitation.

    After three days, many experts had already passed to the second floor, but Yan Zaizen was still harvesting the Asura¡¯s Milk. Regardless of what¡¯s on the second floor, the Asura¡¯s Milk had a far greater worth than anything that¡¯d be there. As for his original group, they had long since departed. With their total strength, bypassing the curtain was an easy feat. However, harvesting the milk was impossible.

    Only after a month, did Yan Zaizen finally exit, entering the second floor. If he stayed here for too long, its likely everything in the entire pce would be taken by others. He couldn¡¯t have that.

    Just like he assumed, when he arrived at the main hall, this time with ten corridors, his spiritual sense revealed nothing but ransacked areas. There was even evidence of fierce battles taking ce. It seemed there was something of exceptional value within these doors. At least, enough to fight fiercely for.

    Ma Xiuren stayed silently by Yan Zaizen¡¯s side throughout. Due to the fact she decided to apany Yan Zaizen, she had missed her chance to fight for the second floor¡¯s treasures. Her eyes flickered as she carefully scanned the area, but she didn¡¯t feel the slightest hint of regret.

    "Let¡¯s go." Yan Zaizen urged. With that, they both traversed the halls towards a destroyed spatial tform. Yan Zaizen couldn¡¯t help but feel that thisyout was rather reminiscent of the Anima Syndicate¡¯s. The Anima Syndicate had three corridors, several doors, and at the end of each corridor, two miniaturized spatial tforms. It may not be the exact same but it was quite simr.

    Ma Xiuren withdrew a silver-orb. It was exactly the same one as Gu¨¤n Cui¡¯s. It seems the situation of destroying a spatial tform was quitemon in exploration campaigns and many prepared for it. Despite the initial travelers obviously destroying it during their departure, nine thousand cultivators still was capable of entering the second floor. Not to mention, there was no one on this floor except for them.

    This indicated that everyone made it to the third floor. At least, those who were alive.

    A spatial tunnel was produced by the silver-orb. With a leap, they both entered.

    What awaited them was simr to the first and second floor. A vast room with a single door at the further end. However, there was no one here. Whatever guarded the third floor was likely dealt with during the month they idled in harvesting.

    "I see..." Yan Zaizen felt a little discontent. However, he felt that Pinaka¡¯s previous words towards difficultly was correct. The first floor had the highest difficulty out of all the floors. This could be seen by the Golem¡¯s strength capable of rivaling a first-floor Heavenly Genesis expert in its domain, yet the Asura¡¯s Milk could be bypassed with a mid-True Essence strength. The third floor likely had simr defenses, but it was obviously not enough to stop all those who could reach here.

    Simr to the second floor, the third floor was ransacked. The battle here was far more intense than before. He could see burnt limbs scattered about without a torso, blood sprayed all over the floors and walls painted in its crimson color, and even areas within the corridors suffering severe damage. The greater the benefits, the greater the fighting.

    "I wonder how many died..." These were top-tier experts. In their respective continents, they could be rulers of billions, conquer as kings and queens for tens of thousands of years, but their lives were reaped here. It caused him to well up with mncholy.

    The world of cultivation may be defined by strength, but many in their pursuit of strength die. Their stories vanishing in the sands of time, their lives no longer affecting those around them and their fight against the heavens ending with theirst bemoaned breath.

    Would he suffer a simr fate one day? A fate where his breath ceased and his dao vanished?

    Ma Xiuren looked at Yan Zaizen curiously, noticing his intense reactions. She reached out and gently held Yan Zaizen¡¯s hand with her small dainty one.

    "Huh?" Feeling someone¡¯s hand intermingled with his own, Yan Zaizen was startled. His gaze turned to see a little girl with bright eyes and a soft smile. Despite this little girl having the age close to three thousand, that smile calmed down his mind. Taking a deep breath, he recollected his mental state.

    "As cultivators, we fight against the heavens. We fight against our fellow man. We fight against time itself. Our only reason for existence is to fight. Fight for a better life, to protect our loved ones, and to experience contentment without fear. If the dayes that I die, then I¡¯ll die. Until then, I¡¯ll fight." He silently muttered to himself, a dark-amber luster illuminating his gaze.

    "..." Pinaka stayed silent during this. For this, this specific realization, Yan Zaizen needed to find the path himself. As cultivators, no one¡¯s immortal, and the fighting never stopped. As she said before, we fight for us! But that also meant we die for us! Her former master had profound cultivation that could contend against the heavens and a dao of his own, and yet...he still perished beneath another¡¯s de.

    Ma Xiuren¡¯s hand clenched a little tighter, her gaze also upied with a zing luminance.

    As they reached the fourth floor, they discovered the situation wasn¡¯t much different. However, the fights here was beyond what words could describe. The most simple and direct way to do so: It was savage to the extreme. The corridors numbered six, yet each one was filled with pools of multicolored blood, pieces of bones and even brain matter. There were remnant true-essence and vital energy scattered about that caused the surroundings to feel turbulent and heavy.

    Yan Zaizen could even see feathers that seemed to originate from thatrge four-winged bird scattered about drenched in silver blood. There was even a giant¡¯s head...however only half of it remained. It was severely affected by the Mortal Law of Decay. The smell it emitted was horrendously putrid. The gaze in its singr eye was filled with an unwillingness to concede before being sharply removed.

    As his first Realm Exploration Campaign, he was surprised by all this. As he continued to approach the next spatial tform, Yan Zaizen saw a broken de.

    "This is..." His memory shed as he remembered Gu¨¤n Cui¡¯s sky-rank sword.

    This was it.

    He could sense her remnant true-essence lingering on the broken pieces. Ma Xiuren looked at the broken de and didn¡¯t show any shift of expression. Even towards the violence from the corridor, her bright eyes contained a trace of pureness that seemed untainted. Perhaps she had gotten used to such events. Perhaps she ignored them. However, Yan Zaizen felt a little relieved.

    "I¡¯m truly too young." He silently muttered in admittance. In his lifetime, he has killed. He has ughtered people, but typically he¡¯s always been in the superior position. Never had he faced struggles or seen someone die fighting with all their might and will. Regardless of his Dao, he was never in a situation where he had to fight with his life truly on the line.

    He looked towards the pathway that leads to the next spatial tform. A scene shed across his eyes. He held the body of a person, his eyes filled with crimson tears, and his mouth frothing with emotion. A stomach-curdling scream was released at the heavens. No, it seemed to go beyond that.

    In a split second, his vision returned as if the scene had never urred. There was a remnant of surrealism at it all. As if the scene was truly real but also wasn¡¯t.

    Before, when his cultivation base was weaker, he experienced something simr.

    Looking at his right hand, he felt a surrealness wash over him. "That...didn¡¯t look like me, but why...did it feel like me." He was more attuned towards the slight changes than before, and he wasn¡¯t so naive to believe it happened twice without reason. Almost instinctively, he caressed his be. This action caused him to freeze. Shaking his head, he realized the mysteries about him was far too great.

    His cultivation base has already reached a high-realm, yet he still discovered nothing about what the ck hole means or how it became a part of his soul.

    "Let¡¯s go." Those questions will be answered in the future, but he felt that day was far away. With that, they entered the fifth floor.

 Chapter 138 Sweeping The Fifth Floor

    The number of cultivators at the fifth-floor entrance was shockingly only six thousand in number. Witnessing the low number remaining, Yan Zaizen¡¯s expression was a little solemn. For four thousand experts to have died trying to make it this far, it truly was brutal.

    When the experts saw Yan Zaizen and Ma Xiuren appear, their eyes flickered with a vignt gaze. Many could be seen having already prepared their cultivation bases, yet there was no battle. During the venture, there were likely many who made enemies or fought to a tie for treasures. There were areas cordoned off by formations set by various experts. Within these areas were cultivators recovering from their wounds with all sorts of elixirs and pills.

    It seemed some groups teamed up together that weren¡¯t originally doing so. The stressful situation for the weaker teams must¡¯ve been rather harsh. How could they not decide to team up? Shockingly, Gu¨¤n Cui was still alive. Sheid in the lotus position within a formation that manifested a grand pure white crane. However, one of her members were no longer with them. As for the rest, they seemed to be severely injured.

    Near them were Wu Kun, Yao Wuhen¡¯s group, the Imperial Family of Presba, and a few other groups together in close proximity. Obviously, it seemed they had teamed up for survival. The Xi¨¡o City Lord was with another group farther away, their overall cultivation bases and number didn¡¯t lose out to Wu Kun¡¯s band of cultivators.

    "Alliances...I guess with benefits and their lives on the line, the most logical course of action is to share." Yan Zaizen muttered, his eyes fluttering about.

    Yao Wuhen was only at the initial-True Essence Realm, so making it thus far was an aplishment. However, she had a very disgruntled appearance. Her usual mature and elegant charm was washed with pain and exhaustion. When she felt someone¡¯s gaze upon herself and the sudden shift in atmospheric presence, her eyes opened to see Yan Zaizen standing next to a little girl in a flower dress.

    "Him!" During the Imperial Family usation event, she was still trying to make her way there. When they passed the second floor, they saw him, but because they were in a hurry, she didn¡¯t approach. Now, however, her eyes were brilliant. Thesest two floors had intense battles and close calls. If it wasn¡¯t for her earlier preparations, she would have lost her life.

    The enemies created weren¡¯t small.

    Taking out a mirror, she checked her appearance. With a slight usage of true-essence, she cleaned herself up. When Xin Xiaoyu and Fu Jing saw this, they were curious at her actions. However, when she upped and left the formation to walk towards Yan Zaizen, their eyes revealed a sparkle of realization.

    Wu Kun also noticed Yan Zaizen¡¯s arrival. It¡¯s been one month since the second floor; it seems Yan Zaizen finished his harvesting of the Asura¡¯s Milk. However, he didn¡¯t approach Yan Zaizen but simply gazed at him for a brief period. Afterward, his eyes closed in meditative recovery. As one of the strongest experts in his group, he had to fight at the forefront for any benefits. The strain on him was massive.

    "Mister Zai," Yao Wuhen called out, her voice filled with a calm elegance. Witnessing Yao Wuhen¡¯s approach, Yan Zaizen felt a little odd in his heart. A major reason had to be her very existence here. If she died, he¡¯d have to move his n elsewhere. That would be a little troublesome.

    "Yao Wuhen," despite his thoughts, he responded with a warm smile on his face. What he didn¡¯t know, was that nearby, the moment she walked out of the formation alone, a woman from another group with a cultivation base at the peak mid-True Essence Realm revealed a pair of murderously sharp eyes. If it wasn¡¯t for Yao Wuhen calling out Yan Zaizen¡¯s name, it¡¯s possible she would¡¯ve already attacked.

    Surprisingly, she didn¡¯t stop walking towards Yan Zaizen, directly arriving in close proximity to him amongst everyone¡¯s curious gaze. At this distance, he could smell her womanly scent in his nose. As a young man, he felt an odd sensation swell in his heart. Ma Xiuren looked at Yao Wuhen for a brief moment and turned towards the location of the woman revealing a ludicrous amount of killing intent. She remained silent as always.

    "Can I ask you a question?" Yao Wuhen asked, her voice was softer than a marshmallow, but it could still be heard by all the experts in the surroundings.

    Furrowing his brows, Yan Zaizen gave her a curious gaze. "Sure."

    "Can you protect me?" As she asked this, she brushed her hair gently to the side. Her gaze was soft and filled with vulnerability. Yan Zaizen was startled to nkness. Was she attempting to use her feminine guiles of beauty to bewitch him? To him, there was no reason for her to do such a thing; if something threatened her life, it would also threaten the lives of his uncle, aunt, and grandfather.

    If she died in here, then he¡¯ll simply relocate them. However, if it¡¯s carried to the outside, her sect may be annihted by an external force. It was best if everyone understood that he stood firmly behind her to have people think nine times before taking action.

    "Mhm. I¡¯ll protect you." With that, he turned towards the woman who revealed sharp killing intent, his expression turned dark as his eyes flickered with a silver-blue aurora-like radiance.

    "Do you wish to kill her?" When he asked this question, his voice was filled with tyrannical arrogance and murderous intent. The woman¡¯s expression changed drastically as she saw Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes sh a silver-blue color. She understood she wasn¡¯t his match, especially since she also witnessed him decimating Dong Long with very little effort. Inparison, her strength only exceeded Dong Long¡¯s by a bit.

    The woman thought for a brief moment and shook her head in denial. She understood her limits. A wrong answer and the defensive formation she was in wouldn¡¯tst two seconds. The killing intent in her eyes lessened considerably, and she stayed silent. Her allies behind her already had thoughts of casting her outwards if she provoked this monster of a man.

    Yan Zaizen looked away, not bothering with the woman any longer. He didn¡¯t know the issue Yao Wuhen had with her, but he wouldn¡¯t start a war over her. He wasn¡¯t going to be her dog that, at the bat of hershes and soft voice, would be sed on her enemies. He may not have a Dao of Pride, but he disliked being used by others.

    Ma Xiuren witnessed this, her eyes flickering with intelligent light. She subtly stepped closer to Yan Zaizen, her eyes tracing the contours of his face with a soft smile on her face.

    Yan Zaizen examined the surroundings and noticed that there wasn¡¯t a door that lead to the next level as before. This room didn¡¯t seem to have an exit or entrance. As they entered through a spatial tform, there was no tform that leads to higher levels. It seems it was also concealed.

    "Are we trapped?" He questioningly muttered but didn¡¯t feel like that was the case. If they were truly trapped, the others would¡¯ve worked together in unison topletely break free quickly to avoid any random events from urring.

    "Somewhat." Yao Wuhen calmly answered. It seems she regained her previous elegant and calm demeanor. She no longer had a soft gaze suffused with vulnerability. It seems, with Yan Zaizen¡¯s protection, she no longer felt insecure.

    "Oh? Then?"

    "This floor¡¯s objective is to find the door." She stated, looking about with observant eyes. She continued, "However, it¡¯s always moving. As this was the entrance to the fifth floor, only two remained, and all these floors belonged to important individuals. Only those with specific methods could exit this area. Without it, you¡¯ll be unable to go forward or backward in your steps. If we can find the entrance, open it, and enter. We can reach the fifth floor."

    An invisible door in constant motion. The Asura Phantom Pce truly had innovative methods to protect themselves. It may not be as destructive as the first floor¡¯s Asura Golem, but it was insidious to trap all intruders.

    "Others may be unable to sense the entrance, but I can. I can also open it!" Pinaka confidently said, her voice tinged with pride. As a True Spirit, one who was personally developed and merged with a Sovereign-level conceptualw, nourished by a sixth-floor Heavenly Genesis expert, and has boundless experience, how could she not perceive a hidden door?

    In truth, the door released very minute fluctuations of soul energy, but unless one had the specific sensory art or an Astral Soul Realm cultivation base, it¡¯ll be incredibly difficult to discover it or hone onto it. Of course, with the experts here, they likely had various methods to bypass this obstacle, but it¡¯ll likely be taxing and time-consuming to do so.

    Hearing this, Yan Zaizen wasn¡¯t shocked. He looked towards Yao Wuhen, "will you stay with me?"

    If she decided to travel with him, he would take her with him. Surprisingly, she didn¡¯t agree to his offer. Yao Wuhen had her own responsibilities and alliances, if she threw them away, she¡¯ll be looked down upon by all. Of course, asking Yan Zaizen to join them would be ridiculous.

    "Mhm." Acknowledging her response, his eyes shed with a trace of silver-blue. A spiritual sense marked itself on her body. As an initial-True Essence expert, she noticed this immediately and couldn¡¯t help but reveal gratitude in her eyes. Of course, with his agreement with Pinaka, he didn¡¯t have more than 5% of his soul energy at any given time, but it was still sufficient to protect her against mid-True Essence experts.

    Not to mention, it possessed his Mortal Dao amplification. 1% of his soul energy at the Perfect Aurora Soul Realm could cause injury to any initial-True Essence Realm, if one infused his dao into it, killing a mid-True Essence Realm expert wouldn¡¯t be difficult. The spiritual sense could also mark her body, if she was killed, Yan Zaizen would know by who and where.

    In truth, he did this selfishly. If she was killed, he would make arrangements for his n.

    "Ma Xiuren, let¡¯s go," he reached out his hand towards Ma Xiuren. For a second, she was a little surprised by his extended hand, but she grasped it firmly soon after the initial shock.

    Their bodies were covered by a silver-blue luminescent glow. With a step, they flew towards one point in the room with shocking speed. While in tow, Ma Xiuren calmly looked at all this.

    "What?!" Several individuals were shocked by Yan Zaizen suddenly propulsion forward. Looking curiously at Yan Zaizen, their eyes flickered with intelligent light. However, in an instant, Yan Zaizen and Ma Xiuren entered a pool of grey that seemed to suddenly appear on the wall. Their bodies sank, the auras they emitted vanished as they werepletely submerged.

    "MOVE!" Many also saw this, their bodies moving at exceptional speed. Ate-True Essence Expert nearby dashed towards the pool of grey color on the wall with zooming speed. He was mere inches away from the pool of grey before it vanished like the night at the arrival of the sun.

    BOOM! CRACK!!

    "AHHHHHHHH!!!" A shriek filled with intense pain resounded as a bloody spat was left on the wall. The expert had used his greatest speed with zero restraint. It was like a high-speed train smashing against an immovable wall. His bones, blood, and flesh st on the wall so heavily that the room shook with heavy vibrations. To all those present, it was like an earthquake had urred.

    Hiss!

    Everyone reeled back at that painful sight. The expert may have a profound qi cultivation base, but one could easily see his body cultivation was far weaker inparison. However, if it wasn¡¯t for his qi cultivation base, he would¡¯ve been killed instantly by this collision. Fortunately, he was just physically crippled. With time and medicine, he¡¯ll recover.

    On the fifth floor.

    Yan Zaizen arrived with Ma Xiuren in tow. The design was well maintained but only five corridors were constructed. Each corridor different auras. The furthest to the right had a strong medicinal smell. This one definitely had elixirs and pills.

    The one next to it had a serene droning sound emitting from the walls, but there were no doors at the walls of this corridor. Instead, there was just a single door at the end. From his experience, that door leads to the main garden within the floor. The door itself should contain a sub-dimension specifically designed for nourishing flora and herbs.

    Middle corridor contained very faint traces of differing qi¡¯s, from basic qi, to qi-essence, to true-essence. All of the qi that lingered seemed to have a spirituality of its own, likely originated from the World Law of Soul. From his estimations the location to the training fields and storage for essence materials used in training.

    To the left of the middle corridor was nothing. It was simr to the medicinal corridor with a singr door, but it didn¡¯t have any strong distinction. The sub-dimension it possessed must definitely be the arts and methods located within, and if the previous corridor didn¡¯t have essence materials, this one did!

    As for thest one, it gave off a strong metallic smell filled with spirituality. The storehouse for armaments!

    "Wait." Yan Zaizen was shocked, if his guesses were correct, then...where¡¯s the exit? Where were the residential areas?

    "Look up." As if reading his mind, Pinaka¡¯s voice answered his question. Looking up, he could see a wide and deep upward tunnel filled with various multi-colored doors. This caused his eyes to constrict suddenly. A tunnel upwards? He could tell, from the faint spatial fluctuations on the doors, that they were all sub-dimensional areas. At the end of this upward tunnel was a spatial tform.

    A faint smirk tugged at his lips. "Let¡¯s sweep it all."

    Yan Zaizen and Ma Xiuren took a single step forward. Their bodies vanished like ghosts as they went to pick this cepletely clean. As for the others? Everyone else be damned!

 Chapter 139 White-Bone Altar

    Two figures hovered mid-air next to a silver spatial tform. If one looked at their eyes, it revealed a brilliant light of happiness and satisfaction as if they won the lottery. In truth, they did. Earlier, they swept the entirety of the fifth floor from recorded arts and methods to armaments and alchemy.

    They split it fairly with a simple arrangement.

    Whoever obtained it, owned it.

    Surprisingly, Ma Xiuren didn¡¯t lose out to Yan Zaizen in wealth obtained. Her qi cultivation was at the peak-Origin Core Realm, but her body cultivation easily rivaled the mid-True Essence Realm in vital energies. That didn¡¯t even include her physique tempering from the method she practiced. With her physical speed, she snatched what she wanted and blew through any formations in her way.

    He felt more and more that she wasn¡¯t so simple.

    She gave him a sense of reliability. It wasn¡¯t just how she looked, being around a seven or eight-year-old girl, but all of her actions towards Yan Zaizen left him with a developed sense of trust. Despite this, they never held an actual conversation. Since she didn¡¯t talk, he didn¡¯t force her to but he was curious. Initially, he¡¯d assumed she was mute, but when he attempted to send her a soul transmission, she didn¡¯t reply either.

    Only shook her head.

    He found this strange, but everyone had their own personality. It¡¯s possible she had her own difficulties as well.

    "The sixth floor," Yan Zaizen muttered. The fifth floor was the area for Core Disciples, Core Elders and those of equivalent status. The sixth floor, however, was the quarters of the Upper-Echelon. Even if the formations had deteriorated with time, these members would likely ce exceptionally profound defenses against thieves both inside the sect and outside the sect.

    With their exceptionally profound cultivation bases, likely rivaling the first-floor of the Heavenly Genesis Realm, they couldn¡¯t be underestimated.

    "The next floor may not contain anything. All those at the upper-echelon wouldn¡¯t allow their things to be taken or stored in their residences." Pinakamented, her words seemed toe from experience. "When one reaches the Heavenly Genesis realm and constructs their heavenly shrine, they obtain an entire sub-dimension for themselves. Within it, they can keep all of their important objects or, if it¡¯srge enough, their entire possessions."

    When Yan Zaizen heard this, his expression darkened. In that case, what they just obtained could be everything that¡¯s left. In that case, they¡¯ll have to exit the same way they came in. When the otherse to check out the area to find it scavenged, they¡¯ll likely await his return in an alliance.

    Ma Xiuren seemed to have simr thoughts. Her eyes flickered with various lights suffused with caution and calction. If they exited right now, they could avoid this issue. The strong groups would still venture to the sixth and seventh floor for benefits. This couldn¡¯t be avoided. However, if it takes a long time to bypass the sixth floor¡¯s obstacle, then the others may catch up.

    In that case, they may team up right then and there. In this situation, they¡¯ll be stuck between a rock and a hard ce. That being said, how could Yan Zaizen back down? The sheer possibility of something grand beyond this floor was still there. If he could obtain it, then he¡¯ll try! He couldn¡¯t give up and back down, his Dao was of Sovereign Ascension after all!

    "I¡¯m going forward, what about you?" Yan Zaizen inquired. Ma Xiuren only gave a decisive nod. A slight smile surfaced on Yan Zaizen¡¯s face. It feels odd having someone by your side in a dangerous venture. The sensation was different than his time in the Deep Mines with Tao.

    It was satisfying!

    "En." With that, he activated the spatial tform. With a sh of silver light, both of their figures vanished.

    ----

    In the seventh floor of the Asura Phantom Pce, two figures that were incorporeal in form shimmered in and out of existence with instability. They were soul forms without bodies, but they had an odd characteristic. If Yan Zaizen saw them, he¡¯d recognize them as phantasms or spiritual phantoms. The formation that triggered at the entrance attempted to change him into a lesser version of one of these things that couldn¡¯t be considered alive or dead.

    They were souls that thrived by assimting other souls into their own for cultivation. Kneeling, they stood before a twoyered white-bone altar that stood thousands of meters high. The altar had dark-crimson blood on eachyer that seemed to be simmering in intense heat. At its peak, a sky-blue orb was ced like a divine object on a tform, it fluctuated with intense soul fluctuations.

    The altar released an aura of profound concealment. If one wasn¡¯t directly looking at the altar, it¡¯ll be as if it was never there.

    "We¡¯ve done it." One of the phantoms said, its voice filled with ancientness but suffused with excitement. This phantom looked like an old man with withered hair, skin, and dull, lifeless eyes. Despite this, the fluctuations that radiated from him could cause any expert in Asura Phantom Realm to quiver.

    The other phantom was of a young woman. She was an exceptional beauty and the exact opposite of the old man. Her hair was so long its length exceeded eight feet. Her figure was full, her eyes bright, and her illusory skin looked soft without any blemishes.

    "The Realm Lord of this Minor Realm is truly too gullible," the young woman spoke with intense disdain in her voice, "all we had to do was reveal the entrance to the realm and he sent sacrifices here without qualms. Now, with the help of their lifeforce, vital essence and souls, we¡¯ll be able to revive him!"

    The old phantasm didn¡¯t say anything, simply looked at the white-bone altar with traces of reverence in his eyes. To him, this was reviving his god. Now, all it¡¯ll take is time before the process will beplete.

    "Oh? It seems we¡¯ve got our first set of personal sacrifices," the young womanmented, her eyes looking at empty space with an amused glint in her eyes. However, the old man stayed looking at the altar with no shift in emotions. "If we can obtain them, we¡¯ll be able to shorten the time it¡¯ll take to revive him." Her words were deliberate as the once dull-eyes of the old man shone brilliantly afterwards.

    His ethereal body vanished suddenly.

    "Haha!" The young womanughed mischievously with content that she didn¡¯t possess for tens of thousands of years. Finally, her father was returning. When he did, she¡¯ll be able to reconstruct a proper soul form, reconstruct her body, and be reborn anew!

    ----

    With a sh of silver light, Yan Zaizen and Ma Xiuren appeared in an area of pure ckness. This area didn¡¯t seem like it had an up, down, left, or right. There was no light nor wind. It reminded him of chaotic space, but it was vastly different, as chaotic space didn¡¯t have anything, no aura, no fluctuations, just an omnipresent ripping force.

    They floated mid-air with surveying eyes. To their surprise, this floor contained nothing. "Could this be the sixth obstacle? Where we have to find another door?" Yan Zaizen asked Pinaka. However, for a long while, he got no response. Only after several minutes passed did she speak, but the words caused Yan Zaizen to feel insecure.

    "This is bad," she nervously said.

    "What do you mean?"

    "This is a shattered sub-dimensional realm. Typically, there¡¯s no way out." Pinaka informed, her voice filled with a nervous tone. For the first time, he felt Pinaka be nervous. One must know, she possessed Yan Zaizen¡¯s Mortal Dao of Sovereign Ascension which contained unyielding confidence. Yet, she was nervous.

    "No way out?!" Yan Zaizen was shocked, he shifted around to the left and right, his sense - both qi and spiritual - was sent out in a wanton fashion to search every inch of this location. Unfortunately, there was nothing but ckness. He even tried to use his qi-essencebined with his spatialws to breach space, but this location had far stronger space than before. No matter what he tried, he failed.

    He could reach millions of li in distance, but found absolutely nothing!

    Ma Xiuren also had an insecure glint within her eyes. It seemed she understood the situation, but she was inwardly shocked. Pinaka didn¡¯t mention it, but a sub-dimensional realm that¡¯s copsed, normally, one couldn¡¯t actually travel there. Typically, the sub-dimensional realm would be copsed while you¡¯re still inside. This would trap you in there forever, but it also meant no one could enter it forever. Unless you had a special method or tool to do so.

    "So what do we do?" Yan Zaizen, however, wasn¡¯t panicked. He wasn¡¯t knowledgeable about these things, but his confidence in the situation didn¡¯t drop a single ounce. Pinaka may have inherited his dao, but he created his dao! It was the representation of who he was, and it¡¯s not something that could be changed.

    "..." Pinaka and Ma Xiuren was silent. They truly had nothing they could do. This should¡¯ve been impossible. How could one prepare for the impossible?

    Witnessing theirck of reaction, Yan Zaizen softly nodded. "Then, we¡¯ll search around. If we entered, there must be a way to exit." With that, he flew forward at a steady pace. Ma Xiuren followed behind, her eyes looking at Yan Zaizen¡¯s confident smile and serene attitude. She didn¡¯t say anything but subtly stepped closer. The insecure feeling she felt at the situation started to melt like ice in summer.

    "If my qi cultivation base was higher, I would be able to exit this ce." Yan Zaizen silently thought, his gaze looking to and fro with caution. His current cultivation was only at thete-Qi Unification Realm, this was exceptionally low. Unfortunately, he couldn¡¯t locate where his Origin Source was.

    It was like...it wasn¡¯t in his body.

    Wait.

    His eyes flickered with a trace of acute light. However, before he could touch upon that insight, a ray of ck light that seemed to fuse perfectly with the ck surroundings shot towards them like a missile. It was concealed in a stealth, unable to be seen due to the background, unable to be sensed due to its characteristics, or heard due to its silent nature. An attack like this was the perfect strike in the dark, quite literally.

    Normally, Yan Zaizen wouldn¡¯t have noticed this, but he felt his soul form slightly tremble with an instinctual sensation of danger.

    "!"

    Herculean Avatar Art!!

    His body transformed instantly. With that, he decisively grabbed Ma Xiuren, and with a sh, they shifted several li away from their previous location. Having been suddenly grabbed and taken away like a little girl, Ma Xiuren felt odd. She looked towards Yan Zaizen to see him with vibrant amber-gold eyes filled with vignce. With that one nce, her vital energies rallied to its highest.

    In that tiny body, she released an aura that could cause mountains to copse and grown men to kneel in inferiority.

    "Who are you?!" Yan Zaizen shouted viciously towards the surroundings, his eyes suffused with tremendous killing intent.

 Chapter 140 Phantasm!

    He received no response from the surroundings. It¡¯s likely they weren¡¯t the first ones to arrive here by ident, but if that¡¯s the case, why would the person attack them? What good would that do?

    "...Yan Zaizen, be careful. It may be a phantasm." Pinaka¡¯s voice warned.

    Phantasm?!

    From the information he received from earlier at the entrance, Phantoms were soul forms that have gained their independence through unusual and unnatural methods. They do not conform to normal soul cultivation methods but follow along a unique path within the Heavenly Law of the Soul. Essentially, they live off soul energy, and they be unable to stay in a physical body or cultivate the heavens! They lose theirws except for theirprehension of soul concepts, and their soul energy is converted to phantom energy.

    In the simplest exnation, they no longer exist by conventional standards. They can vastly exceed standard lifespans, but in return, they also lose the ability to ever be a person again. By consuming souls, they can strengthen themselves and extend their soul life. However, consuming souls have issues, often times leading to a distorted personality or multiple personalities!

    Phantasms, however, were different. They¡¯ve cultivated to the peak of what phantoms could reach and were theoretically immortal! Unless they were killed, they were eternal. It was essentially the peak of thew of the soul! By cultivating off other souls instead of their own, they reach a stage simr to the Immortal Soul Realm! However, their strengths were considerably weaker.

    The most notable change isn¡¯t immortality but the evolution of their phantom energy into phantasm energy. It held many miraculous traits, such as being able to be silent and concealed within the world.

    A surge of torrential ck phantasm energy shifted through the ck space, making it seem invisible. Its target? Yan Zaizen and Ma Xiuren. It continued to approach with a silent momentum. If Yan Zaizen were to be hit by this, his soul would be damaged considerably despite his cultivation base.

    "!" He felt his soul tinge with another threat of danger. Grabbing Ma Xiuren again, he dashed away with ghost-like speed. He reappeared several hundred li away, his eyes flickering with a hint of fear. Even with his Dao, that didn¡¯t mean he was absent of fear. It just meant he had confidence in himself. However, there was something lurking in the shadows that felt like it could reap your life at a moment of carelessness.

    How could anyone not feel fear? Well, unless they had a Dao of Fearlessness!

    "There¡¯s something attacking us from the shadows, likely a Phantasm." Yan Zaizen calmly exined to Ma Xiuren. However, when he said that, her eyes were filled, for the very first time, with intense fear. Unlike Yan Zaizen, she didn¡¯t have a profound soul cultivation base to resist against an attack from a Phantasm. If she¡¯s hit once, her entire existence will cease to be.

    She clutched Yan Zaizen¡¯s hand with both of her small dainty hands, it felt cold. He could feel her fear pulsating through him, and he tightly gripped her hand in return. "Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll get us out of here." Just as he was about to use the spatialpass with no hesitation, Pinaka¡¯s voice resounded.

    "Don¡¯t! If you use the spatialpass, you¡¯ll leave her behind!" Her voice was beyond urgent. Normally, if Yan Zaizen dies, so will she, but if Yan Zaizen does this and she didn¡¯t tell him, it¡¯s likely their trust would be irrevocably shattered. If he makes that choice, it has to be his own with all the information present.

    "What?!" Before he could be stunned, he felt another sensation of profound danger. With a single step, he traversed several li, but the danger remained. "Shit!" He took another step, sting through the space with boundless speed, arriving several tens of li away. Unfortunately, the sensation of danger only became stronger.

    Despite traveling from here to there, trying to dodge the danger, the sensation became more potent than the second before. "Shit, I don¡¯t know where the attacks areing from or who¡¯s sending it! How am I supposed to fight this?" He felt frustrated, but he didn¡¯t stop moving about. This, however, was not a legitimate and long-term strategy.

    Sooner orter, he¡¯ll be hit. If and when that happens, he could lose his life. Even if he could survive due to the mysteries in his soul form, Ma Xiuren would certainly die!!

    Think! Think! Think!

    Each step was followed by various ns of action on how to handle the situation. Surprisingly, Pinaka stayed silent. It¡¯s unlikely she was ever in a situation simr to this one, after all, she didn¡¯t even believe they could enter a copsed sub-dimensional space in the first ce. Without the knowledge of how to escape, she was essentially useless.

    She wasn¡¯t foolish to think Yan Zaizen, with his current qi cultivation base, could fully utilize her to destroy this sub-dimensional space. With a cultivation at thete-Qi Unification realm, that¡¯ll be impossible! He¡¯ll only have a slight chance IF he was at the True Essence Realm.

    "Wait!" His mind that was spiraling with ideas honed onto one in particr. If he couldn¡¯t destroy the sub-dimensional realm, then perhaps...he could siphon it!

    With that, he stopped running. He grabbed Ma Xiuren¡¯s small body and ced her in his embrace, and rolled up like a ball. His tall, strong body filled with powerful muscles wrapped around her protectively. Despite the suddenness, Ma Xiuren only had her eyes sh with an intrigued light but allowed it. She even curled up and pushed deeper into his body.

    It was like a father protecting his daughter from bulletsing from all directions. After all, if she didn¡¯t do this, if the attack that they couldn¡¯t see hit, she¡¯ll die without a doubt. To have someone willing to protect themselves using their own body for her, she felt rather odd, but also calm about it all.

    SHAAH!!

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s curled body started to emit a vast aura of vital energy. It exploded outwards for tens of li, but the area still didn¡¯t reveal an ounce of light from its brilliance. However, before anything was said, this vital energy was suffused with the conceptualw of death - Siphoning Shadow of Death! The vital energy turned an inky ck that was even cker than the surroundings itself.

    The contrast was odd.

    SRVOOM! BOOM!!!

    A ray of phantasm energy prated the ck vital energy, but when it did, it slowed down in its momentum and was whittled down. Before the energy could reach a few meters away from Yan Zaizen, it vanished, all its energy was siphoned. This siphoned energy converted into even more deathly vital energy!

    It spread out further.

    SRVOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!!!

    The attacks didn¡¯t stop, but every time it came, it was whittled down and converted into a vital energy filled with a deathly aura. Yan Zaizen felt physically exhausted. Even though the deathly vital energy was growing in terms of quantity, his own vital energy was being drained at a considerable speed to expand its range.

    He was trying to siphon the entire sub-dimensional realm after all!

    "Hm?" The old phantasm was shocked by Yan Zaizen¡¯s defense. This aura was beyond strange. Typically, vital energy couldn¡¯t evene in contact with soulws, yet this vital energy could withstand his strikes. What he didn¡¯t know was that this deathw infused vital energy was the product of a refined Regalia of the Heavens! It contained a concept he couldn¡¯t even think to conceive. In truth, he didn¡¯t even know his energy was being siphoned.

    He simply believed Yan Zaizen was sending out more and more energy to defend. This was why he kept attacking.

    BOOM! BOOM!! BOOM!!!

    The phantasm ck rays shot ceaselessly in the vital energy shroud for several hours, but it only grewrger. By this point, Yan Zaizen felt thoroughly exhausted. His Herculean Avatar Art had already ended at about ten minutes in, but he maintained his control over the deathly aura. As for Ma Xiuren, her eyes were filled with profound fear. She felt like she was surrounded by death and only Yan Zaizen¡¯s strong body prevented it from reaching her.

    Unfortunately, this was her misunderstanding, but it was incredibly deep. The deathly aura kept increasing with each passing minute, but Yan Zaizen only looked more and more exhausted. He realized that siphoning off the entirety of the sub-dimensional realm was impossible!

    It was far too vast!!

    "This..." The old phantasm felt odd. How could he survive this? For him, his energy was nearly limitless. The only problem phantasms had were the intensity of their energy, not their reserves, so he could keep this up for a very long time. However, this shroud of deathly vital energy was persistent.

    "Let¡¯s see if it survives this," his ancient voice resounded as he focused his energy to the maximum. Since this man wanted to maintain his current state under the protection of this weird energy, he¡¯ll prate it directly with a concentrated st.

    "!" Several hours passed since thest attack, but Yan Zaizen felt an increasing sensation of danger approaching death from every second. He wrapped around Ma Xiuren even further, his heart beating with an increasing degree of fear, but his eyes were suffused with unyielding confidence and relentless pursuit for survival!

    Apressed beam of ck phantasm energy shot out with an intensity that even Yan Zaizen and Ma Xiuren could sense it. However, the speed of this energy was so quick that before they could even react, it smashed heavily into the shroud of deathly vital energy!

    VOSH!! BANG! BOOM!!!!

    The shroud nearly copsed, but the profound concept that the shroud originated from came from a literal piece of the heavens! How could it be defeated by just this? Viciously, as if its very dignity was insulted, the deathly vital energy converged around the beam of phantasm energy. Before long, it whittled the energy away, siphoning it and making itself far, far stronger than ever before!! It reached several hundred li of distance!

    "What?!" After several hours preparing an attack, it failed to prate?! The old phantasm was shocked beyond belief, and his eyes turned iparably serious. He realized at that moment that conventional methods wouldn¡¯t be able to handle this shroud of energy.

    This realization...

    However...

    WAS TOO LATE!

    Within Yan Zaizen¡¯s gaze flickered a white me.

    "me of Life, BURN!!!" Yan Zaizen shouted!

 Chapter 141 Sun of Lifeforce!

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s body wreathed in the Unyielding me of Life¡¯s aura! The lifeforce emissions were so staggering that the world went aze with light! For once, the darkness was pushed back as if Yan Zaizen¡¯s body acted like a miniature sun. This miniature sun suffused with immense lifeforce started burning the deathly vital energy in the surroundings!

    As if in defiance, the deathly vital energy violently roared! Transforming into a massive wave, it rushed towards Yan Zaizen¡¯s body with the intent of finally winning the never-ending battle with the white me! However, how could it win?

    The white me ignited the deathly vital energy it came into contact with, growing ever stronger and brighter than ever before!

    ROAR!!

    The roar contained a trace of unyielding ferocity, to the point it started to siphon off the copsed sub-dimensional space itself and everything else to supply its power! How could it give up so easily? It was now in a much stronger position than before. It had to win!!

    The surrounding space started to distort as the Siphoning Shadow of Death started to violently siphon off the spatial energies within. This shadow could even siphon off chaotic space amongst its ripping force, how could it not devour sub-dimensional space?!

    "What?!" The old phantasm was shocked, his eyes widening in immense horror. The shadow that seemed to have gone insane started siphoning the very space, and not just that, it started siphoning the remnant essence hidden within the realm, it started siphoning everything the sub-dimensional space was! Before long, the concealment energy that once shielded him and the spatial tform within the copsed sub-dimensional realm was siphoned as well.

    Indeed!

    How could the phantasm actually arrive here? How could Yan Zaizen arrive here? The only logical conclusion was that there was a spatial tform here! In fact, Yan Zaizen and Pinakanded right on it when they arrived. Unfortunately, it was concealed in a simr aura that concealed the white-bone altar. One must know, even the Xiantu Emperor couldn¡¯t sense the altar!

    How could Yan Zaizen? How could a weakened Pinaka?!

    Sensing the spatial fluctuation, Yan Zaizen¡¯s gaze shifted towards the tform. "This is!" His eyes lit up with shock, but then with realization. A confident smirk emerged on his lips, and with thest remnant of his vital energy, he sent it towards the Unyielding White me.

    The deathly vital energy, in close to a few seconds, waspletely burned away. As its recement, a brilliant white me that was tens of li in distance surged outwards with vibrant lifeforce.

    "Come to me!" Yan Zaizen roared, the white me heeded to hismand. It surged into his body refueling him with the vital energy he once lost, not only that, he had far more than before! Before long, this sun of lifeforce waspletely absorbed into his body. A white me surrounded him that illuminated hundreds of li of distance! The spatial tform and phantasm¡¯s body was mercilessly revealed under its brilliance.

    ROAR!!!

    Feeling exceptional, Yan Zaizen thunderously roared. With this thunderous roar, the sub-dimensional realm quaked as if it was in fear. He removed himself from his curled up state and looked at the spatial tform. Ma Xiuren was beyond shocked. Before, she was surrounded by an aura filled with endless death, but now, Yan Zaizen who was right beside her exuded boundless lifeforce! How could she not be shocked?

    "We¡¯re leaving!" With that, he grabbed Ma Xiuren¡¯s hand once more, but this time, it was filled with warmth. Shocked, he looked at Ma Xiuren. She didn¡¯t have an ounce of fear in her gaze. For several hours, he protected her with his own body. How could she be afraid when someone was willing to do such a thing for her?

    However, she only truly realized the danger she was in when she saw a ck beam of light prating Yan Zaizen¡¯s projected brilliance. If this struck her, it would, without question, end her life.

    As for Yan Zaizen? He smirked at this. With the enemy revealed, what should he be afraid of?

    Herculean Avatar Art!

    Once more, he executed the art, but unlike all previous times, the golden aura and colors were now pure white. His body exuded a boundless lifeforce as his eyes contained a color of pure white!

    Herculean Avatar Art: Life Form!!!

    He had entered an entirely new form as his vital energy was no longer vital energy, but lifeforce energy! Normal lifeforce is normal lifeforce, but lifeforce energy was fundamentally different. This was energy that one could execute arts with! A variant of vital energy! Simr to how phantasm energy is a variant form of soul energy, this was simr.

    "This!" Yan Zaizen looked at the white inscriptions on his hands. It exuded a profound lifeforce that exceeded any type of lifeforce he¡¯d seen before. With a clench of his fist, he could feel his strength had been amplified by several-fold! He could also feel his regeneration ability increase by a hundredfold in this form.

    In the records, it says no two Herculean¡¯s are alike! Was this why?

    This was why!

    With a gaze filled with lifeforce energy, he took a step forward. His body and Ma Xiuren¡¯s form was still there. A beam of ck energy prated their forms. However, only afterimages were left behind! This was an impossible phenomenon! This was an actual afterimage!

    Normally, afterimages are produced by ack of perceptual abilities in regards to those who view it, but this afterimage seemed to be space itselfgging behind! It felt like their actual bodies were still there!

    "What?!" The old phantasm was shocked, but before he could even think of anything else. Arge fist covered in white inscriptions barreled towards him with infinite momentum. This fist was Yan Zaizen¡¯s! He pushed forward with an indomitable momentum so fierce that his intent on smashing this phantasm to nothingness could be felt by the quivering of space itself!

    If it was before, Yan Zaizen would find it impossible to harm a phantasm due to theirck of physical body. A normal fist would simply zoom through it like a shadow. It was this very reason that led to the old phantasm remaining unmoved, instead, he was filled with a boundless confidence at Yan Zaizen¡¯s actions. However, this fist was infused with the heavenlyw of life. How could it not touch the heavenlyw of soul?

    After the punch failed, he intended to invade Yan Zaizen¡¯s soul and destroy it from the inside. Now that he no longer had that ck shroud of protection, killing him would be a simple matter.

    Unfortunately for him, the fist smashed heavily into his form with crushing force.

    Before he could react, he dissipated into nothing. There was no grand explosion or cry out of regret and fear, but the purest eradication of its existence upon the slightest touch.

    A phantasm could theoretically live forever, but if they¡¯re killed, they will die.

    "He¡¯s dead." Yan Zaizen said confidently. The moment his fist came into contact with the phantasm, he could feel his lifeforce energy smash it like a hammer towards a shell. He was thoroughly cracked into nothingness. The lifeforce signature that soul forms had, like Pinaka¡¯s, was no more.

    The lifeforce energy converted back into his vital energy, but the leftover energy, they seeped into his cells, bones, muscles, and blood. In almost an instant, his body felt thoroughly refined by the lifeforce energy. This feeling felt remarkably simr to when he first discovered the Unyielding me of Life. When he was situated in Han Genji¡¯s cavern, he would inject his lifeforce infused qi into his body. It would enhance his body slightly and help heal any wounds sustained.

    It truly felt good.

    The Herculean Avatar Art ended.

    "This tform was thoroughly hidden. Even I couldn¡¯t sense it!" Pinakamented, her mind feeling odd at the situation.

    "It¡¯s possible this was the sixth obstacle." Yan Zaizen added his own suspicion, but he felt like that wasn¡¯t correct. He didn¡¯t know why, but he truly felt it wasn¡¯t true. He had the faint suspicions that this was the sixth floor. Perhaps it was a sub-dimension that was copsed and connected to the fifth. With that, you could only enter the seventh floor from here, but with the concealed tform and guardian, you wouldn¡¯t be able to do so.

    "..." Ma Xiuren didn¡¯t say anything, but she was also having such thoughts.

    "I want you to understand that there¡¯s likely an even greater danger lying ahead. It¡¯s possible...your Xiantu Emperor made a mistake. There could be something incredibly dangerous here." Pinaka warned.

    "..." He didn¡¯t immediately respond. Earlier, he had to protect Ma Xiuren with his life essentially. If there¡¯s even greater danger ahead, it¡¯s likely she could lose her life even with his help. However, his inner curiosity was piqued! If this was the sixth obstacle or not, whatever beyond this spatial tform must¡¯ve been worthy to protect. He had to venture onwards.

    The only reason he decided to do so was the spatialpass! He had a way out. How could he be scared?!

    Looking at Ma Xiuren, "Will you go back?" His question was only to make sure she understood that going forward could lead to death and no benefits. If she decided to continue, she must understand the consequences. If there was a point of certain death, he would choose to survive - even if it was by himself. However, he had an idea that may work if the situation allows it. Storing her in his Meteor Ring may expose some of his secrets, but at least she¡¯ll be safe.

    "..." She didn¡¯t say a word but nced briefly at Yan Zaizen. Softly shaking her head in response, she took a step towards the spatial tform.

    Yan Zaizen saw this and chuckled. This girl was as adventurous as he was! "Fine then! Let¡¯s go!" With that, he stepped into the spatial tform with Ma Xiuren. A silver sh of lightter...

    They vanished!

 Chapter 142 Hell Path - Infernal Forger

    "What?! He¡¯s dead?" Startled to nkness, the young woman had an ugly expression on her face. As the two had been living together for tens of thousands of years, they¡¯ve formed a faint spiritual connection. The moment the old man died by Yan Zaizen¡¯s crushing fist, she immediately sensed it. As of now, her beautiful countenance was painted with an ugly expression. Her eyes flickered with a trace of urgency and disbelief.

    From their investigation of all those who¡¯ve entered the realm, there was no one who possessed a cultivation base equivalence to the first-floor of the Heavenly Genesis Realm amongst those who¡¯ve arrived. In their belief, it was safe if that was the case. They wouldn¡¯t need to close off the spatial tform connected to this floor. Their intentions to kill those who arrive at the copsed sub-dimensional space and bring their ripe bodies here as offerings to expedite the ritual would be derailed if an expert at that level arrived.

    However, now, It seems they miscalcted somehow.

    She was solemn and filled with deep fear. At this moment, the formation for the ritual had yet to reachpletion. Her father wasn¡¯t going to be able to revive without an appropriate amount of time, but if the expert could kill the old man, he could definitely prevent this from happening. She couldn¡¯t even stall for time. She wouldn¡¯t be their match due to the weakness that Phantasms have.

    They lose their physical bodies, their souls be incapable of progressing through the known soul realms, and they can not cultivate in the Essence Path. The price was steep, but the payoff was something everyone wished for: Immortality!

    However, it would be incorrect to say their strength was limited! It was simply that their only path left was insidiously difficult. If the Essence Path leads to the Heavenly Path, then the Phantasm Path leads to the Hell Path!

    In truth, many cultivators, even those who cultivate the Essence Path, could and would choose the Hell Path if they can. Simr to the Heavenly Path, the Hell Path built a Hell Altar to refine one¡¯s energy. For every floor, you¡¯ll need materials that originate from hell and drops of Hell Spirit Liquid!

    She looked towards the white-bone altar and couldn¡¯t help but reveal a profound sadness in her eyes, "was it all for nothing? The waiting...the dreaming...does the heavens truly wish no one to take the path of hell?!" At the end, her voice was filled with bubbling rage. If she had real teeth, her teeth would¡¯ve been grounded in frustration and defiance.

    "I don¡¯t ept!" She roared towards the skies, as if facing the actual heavens, and walked towards the white-bone altar. "Father...I¡¯m sorry...I won¡¯t be able to see you for a while." Caressing the altar, her body irradiated a luminescence glow of sky-blue. With eyes that seemed as if they¡¯ll cry, she slowly phased into the altar like a ghost.

    The moment she did, a silver sh of light entered the Seventh Floor. The duo arrived with caution in their hearts and intrigue in their eyes. However, when they arrived, there weren¡¯t any rooms, doors, and corridors. There was simply one very vast room with an unreasonablyrge white-bone altar that seemed like blood rained on it.

    "This?" Intrigued, Yan Zaizen took a closer look. Just as he was about to send his spiritual sense outwards, Pinaka¡¯s urgent voice resounded, "Wait!"

    He immediately ceased his action. Turning to Ma Xiuren, "Don¡¯t send out your sense," Yan Zaizen warned. Ma Xiuren merely nodded in understanding.

    "That¡¯s...that¡¯s a two-floor Hell Altar! The Asura Phantom Pce Master actually cultivated the Hell Path?! But..." She seemed utterly surprised, as if the Hell Path itself was a frightening thing. "The Hell Path...to think someone could actually build the second-level of their Hell Altar." Her voice turned into mumbling filled with fascination.

    "What do you mean?" Yan Zaizen inquired, his ignorance of the situation was rightfully so. Even Ma Xiuren did not know about the Hell Path. It was a very isted path, but it was a path many powerful soul cultivators take! The reason being?

    They had to venture to hell itself!!!

    The materials for hell could only be obtained from hell, unlike the heavenly materials which could be obtained within the myriad realms. But to reach hell, one must die first. Or at least, they must be able to escape their bodies with their souls. Acknowledging this, as those who cultivate the way of phantasms, it makes sense that the Pce Master sent forces into Hell to gather materials for his altar.

    However, simr to the staggering number of materials needed for the Heavenly Path, the Hell Path materials were scarce. Only the most dangerous locations of hell would possess enough materials, or you could only do so with constant expeditions to hell and time. However, the hell path didn¡¯t have nine levels but eighteen levels. This makes it even more difficult.

    Not to mention, to cultivate the Hell Path, simr to the Heavenly Path, it requires you to haveprehension into the Heavenly Law of the Soul. However, you must first reach the Sovereign-level to do so! A level that allows you to rival the Heavens to actively go against it.

    Or...

    "Yan Zaizen! THERE!" Pinaka¡¯s voice was filled with excitement as her soul form directed Yan Zaizen¡¯s gaze to atop the white bone altar. A sky-blue pearl-like orb rested neatly on top.

    "?" Yan Zaizen was a little confused.

    "To cultivate the Hell Path, one needs to have a sovereign-levelprehension into thew of the soul! However, there¡¯s a workaround. If you possessed a Regalia of the Heavens! A concept at the sovereign-level, you can construct your Hell Altar without the requisiteprehension!" Her voice dripped with excitement.

    Regalia of the Heavens?!

    Looking towards the sky-blue orb, his eyes flickered with greed. He knew first hand the brilliance of a Regalia. He had to obtain it. If the hell path could be bypassed then perhaps the heavenly path could too!

    "I¡¯m going!" With that, he immediately executed Herculean Avatar Art, taking a step forward, he swiftly advanced towards the Hell Altar. Hended on the altar¡¯s top tform. Ma Xiuren, however, didn¡¯t follow. Her eyes were filled with wariness, but she didn¡¯t retreat, only maintained her location. If one looked closely at her tiny body, they¡¯ll see her vital energies stimted in a state of readiness.

    As he arrived on the tform, his heated gaze honed onto the sky-blue orb. It emitted faint fluctuations of the soul, but it felt faintly different than soul energy he was familiar with. It was more like it embodied the core of the soul. Just being near it, he could feel his soul pull towards it with an intense desire of possession. Whether it came from his soul or the orb, he couldn¡¯t really tell.

    "What concept does this Regalia embody?" He curiously inquired.

    "It should be rted to phantoms," Pinaka responded, a little uncertainty could be heard in her voice.

    "I wonder...what would happen if I refined this Regalia into my body." He silently pondered, but he had a faint intuition that doing so would lead to his certain death. At least, doing so at this moment.

    "Hurry. Take it and leave!" Pinaka urged.

    "Mhm." Nodding in understanding, he reached to grab the sky-blue orb. He expected something tremendous to happen, like the copse of the hell altar, when he grabbed the sky-blue orb. However, the moment his palm came into contact with the sky-blue orb, his body radiated faint traces of brilliant white and inky ck light. It intertwined with the sky-blue light the orb emanated as if fighting off some unknown concept.

    "This...?" Yan Zaizen was shocked. It seemed that in the span of a second, his physical body which contained thews of life and death was ferociously exchanging innumerable blows with the regalia¡¯sw of the soul in an epic battle! To him, it felt like a slight pinch of the palm.

    In reality, if Yan Zaizen hadn¡¯t refined a Regalia into his physique, then his soul would¡¯ve been pulled into the orb and converted into a phantom-like existence. However, how could his concepts allow such domineering thing to ur?! If Yan Zaizen died, so did they!

    The sky-blue light was quickly subdued. It yielded, unable to contend with the unified effort of two World Laws. Yan Zaizen could see the sky-blue light dim slightly, but with that, hepletely grasped the orb without resistance. Even Pinaka didn¡¯t have any experience regarding these things, therefore, she didn¡¯t warn him of the possible dangers of touching the orb.

    Her previous master only reached the sovereign-level in the Mortal Law of Archery, which was a middle-tier Mortal Law, how could she know the unique characteristics of a Regalia based off a World Law? In fact, her master never created a Regalia of the Heavens.

    As he held the orb in his hand, he felt that the conceptualw within it didn¡¯t pertain to phantoms. It was more like...processing...

    PSH!!!

    "...wha?" Yan Zaizen looked downwards at his chest. His pupils constricted in disbelief!

    There was a sword as white as snow pierced into his chest. It faintly rippled in and out of existence as if it wasn¡¯t made from real materials but a construct of the ethereal soul. Even though he could visibly see it, his other senses couldn¡¯t find any semnce of its existence!

    PATUI!

    A spurt of blood leaked from his mouth, his throat choking slightly on the sudden surge of blood. From the cement of this de, his heart was thoroughly sliced apart. For a cultivator, especially a soul cultivator, the best way to kill someone was destroying their heart. If someone possesses a profound soul cultivation, they could, theoretically, survive a beheading. However, regardless of what cultivation path you take, a destroyed heart essentially meant death!

    The heart, after all, contained the source of your lifeforce! Unless your soul could exist outside of your body, you¡¯re dead.

    THUD!

    His body fell powerlessly on the hell altar like a puppet with its strings cut, his vision felt out of focus and distorted, and he could feel a profound sensation of death wrap around his body. The edges of his lips quivered in disbelief, shock, defiance, and anger! It twitched as if he wanted to roar to the heavens, but he couldn¡¯t feel connected to his physical body or soul at all.

    Was this how death felt?

 Chapter 143 Siphon It All!

    "To think...my daughter had to die for this." A voice filled with tyranny and ancientness resounded. Nearby Yan Zaizen¡¯s copsed form, a figure shimmered into existence wielding a snow-white de. This figure had a simr form to the phantasms from before, but he also had a white symbol of ¡¯hell¡¯ etched into his be. As if his soul was refined by hell itself.

    This soul form was slender, dressed in a sky-blue robe, and had white prayer beads the size of baseballs around his neck. Despite the ne of prayer beads, his translucent hair was long and filled with a water-like feel. It felt like an odd visual contradiction, yet strangely beautiful.

    His tyrannical gaze shifted to Yan Zaizen¡¯s copsed body, a hint of disdain streaked across his eyes. Turning this gaze away, he looked towards Ma Xiuren whose eyes was as erged as an egg. When she saw Yan Zaizen¡¯s pierced body and eventual copse, an indescribable pain stabbed into her heart. For this person she just met, when she saw his death, a tear flowed from her left eye. There was a sudden bout of anger in her heart, but she understood her limitations.

    The moment that figure¡¯s gaze reached her, she dashed away towards the spatial tform. If Yan Zaizen was instantly killed by this person, she wouldn¡¯t stand a chance.

    "Tch." A soft sound of ridicule surged from the soul form. He didn¡¯t take a step forward, but his body shimmered out of existence. These people caused his daughter to give up her life to give him a few minutes of life before his revival. All so that he may survive their presumed assault, but it seemed like his daughter overestimated their capabilities.

    These two didn¡¯t even know much about the Hell Altar nor did they have profound cultivation bases that could threaten him. With a single flick of his energy de, he killed one and with a single breath, he could kill the other. In his belief, his daughter should be able to do the same with her strength. Unfortunately, that girl was always overly dramatic and prone to quick decisions.

    Well, to him, when he properly revived, he¡¯ll just restore her soul form. To him who possessed a two-floor Hell Altar, that would be as easy as breathing itself, especially since she merged with it. Therefore, he didn¡¯t feel too bothered by it all. He¡¯ll use the few minutes he had left to torture this little girl for now...at least it¡¯ll relieve him of this frustration he felt.

    "Yan Zaizen! YAN ZAIZEN!!" Pinaka¡¯s voice continually called out to Yan Zaizen, but his soul form was encapsted in some form of pure white strings. The strings were slowly allowing his soul form to dissipate naturally without the support of his body, as if he had already died, despite Yan Zaizen¡¯s body still having a faint trace of life! If it wasn¡¯t for the fact the white strings contained hell energy, something unique to those who¡¯ve constructed their Hell Altar, she would¡¯ve done everything she could to destroy it.

    Unfortunately, as a soul form, she was powerless against these strings. She tried to think of anything, everything, but the only thing that could help the situation was Yan Zaizen waking up! Even his soul defense didn¡¯t react to this attack! It seemed as if it¡¯ll only act if directly attacked and not restrained.

    As for Yan Zaizen, the trace of lifeforce came from the shredded remnants of his heart. A very small, almost atom-sized, white me flickered defiantly. However, the destruction of the heart was too serious. The only thing the white me had left was the ability to defiantly resist dissipating into the ether. To all those who could see Yan Zaizen¡¯s body, it was as if he truly died without an ounce of lifeforce.

    "Finally!" A deep, dark voice filled with the essence of death resounded in the strangenguage of the heavens! This voice was spoken off from within Yan Zaizen¡¯s body, but not his heart. From his inky, ck quad-lungs!! That inky-ckness started to tremble slightly as if something was going to hatch from those lungs.

    Before, there was always an equal bnce between life and death, even in the Regalia itself! The Unyielding me of Life would persist perpetually, always burning the shadow of death away with its vibrant mes to prevent its rise, but the Siphoning Shadow of Death would always fight back, taking back what belonged to it while strengthening itself by siphoning the essence from others, never allowing itself to bepletely burnt away by those mes, but always looking for a chance to win!

    Yan Zaizen¡¯sws embedded in his souls were fundamentally different than the concept within the Regalia. As disyed earlier in the battle with the Phantasm, the concept contained aplete consciousness of its own. They both do!

    Long ago in chaotic space, Yan Zaizen spected about the truth of conceptualws! He had a faint belief that they were alive. During his moment of near death, the concept of death and life surged out to protect him. They were just mere concepts who were a part of his soul and yet they had faint traces of sentience and autonomy!

    However, the Regalia¡¯s were segregated from the heavens themselves. They not only had a consciousness, autonomy, but they were truly alive! Fortunately, Yan Zaizen¡¯s Herculean Physique was their catalyst now, they couldn¡¯t exist without him, so there¡¯s no conflict they could have with him. They even allow themselves to be used because that¡¯s what they want!

    If Yan Zaizen ever created his own heaven, these concepts would be gods of that heaven! How could they not wish for this? How could they not want this?! This is why they allow themselves to be segregated from the heavens in the first ce! Why be the fish swimming in the ocean when you could be the god of the ocean itself?!

    "Now! It¡¯s all MINE¡¯S!" The deep, dark voice resounded once more, its voice filled with anticipation and greed. With Yan Zaizen¡¯s heart destroyed, containing faint traces of life, the aura of death was so prevalent that it was beyond terrifying. From henceforth, there was nothing that could stop it! Usually, the Unyielding me of Life would never let itself be weakened to such an extent, but now it was different!

    As long as that me of life continued to flicker perpetually to maintain Yan Zaizen¡¯s life, it could siphon all! Afterward, the me would forever be its inferior!

    Then, if it wished, it could destroy the me once and for all with just a thought!!!

    "It¡¯s all mines, ALL OF IT!" A frightening aura of pure death permeated Yan Zaizen¡¯s surroundings. The hell altar in less than a second was submerged in an aura of inky, ck but incredibly pure death. This was unthinkable! A hell altar was constructed from materials originating from hell itself, for someone to destroy it, let alone siphon off its essence, was unbelievable!

    "What?!" The phantasm held onto a bloodied Ma Xiuren by his ethereal hands. One could see that she was tortured severely. Her body was filled with countless cuts, faintly reminiscent to a death by a thousand cuts. However, this torture for relief was ceased the moment he felt his existence was threatened.

    Witnessing his entire hell altar engulfed in a deathly aura, his eyes widened with shock and disbelief. Completely disregarding Ma Xiuren, tossing her to the side, he rushed at his fastest speed to arrive near his hell altar. However, when he tried to prate the deathly aura, he felt the remnant energy that was bestowed to him by his daughter¡¯s sacrifice vanish slowly.

    "What the?!" His mind reeled in fear and disbelief. If the energy disappears then so will he. In that case, he wouldn¡¯t be able to stop this from happening. Unfortunately, his current state was temporary and couldn¡¯t exert any strength of his hell altar.

    However, how could he give up like this?

    His eyes scanned the deathly aura, trying to find the sky-blue orb. If he could obtain the regalia, he had a slight chance of turning the situation around. The only reason he didn¡¯t immediately touch it was because of the Regalia¡¯s characteristics. His daughter¡¯s energy will most definitely vanish if he did so, but now, if he could galvanize the regalia into action, he had a chance of survival.

    In truth, he did.

    Unfortunately.

    Men presume, and the heavensugh.

    In this case, it was quite literal as the conceptualw of deathughed.

    The deathly aura continued to pervade every inch of the hell altar, siphoning its essence to strengthen itself. Without someone controlling the hell altar, it was nothing more than an ornament. Even the blood that lingered on the levels of the altar was absorbed gradually. When the Asura Phantom Pce Master saw this, his eyes were filled with anger and hatred.

    The blood was prepared specifically for the reconstruction of his physical body, but if it was gone, then his chances of reviving would drop to zero! Unable to see the sky-blue orb amidst the ck aura, he plummeted violently into the aura disregarding all consequences to reach Yan Zaizen¡¯s body. From his memory, the sky-blue orb was located there.

    At this point, he could tell that 3% of his hell altar¡¯s essence was siphoned by this deathly aura. As it continued to absorb more, the deathly aura grew thicker and thicker, and thus the amount it absorbed became greater and greater.

    The Asura Phantom Pce Master arrived where Yan Zaizen previously was, his personal energy levels were only about 10% at this point. He had to find the orb! However, when he arrived, he couldn¡¯t even find Yan Zaizen¡¯s body!! His mind was nearing total copse at this moment, pushing the deathly aura away to search but s, to hisst ounce of energy, he found nothing.

    If he knew that the death aura he risked everything to enter had shifted Yan Zaizen¡¯s body, he may do the impossible in his current state and spit out a wad of blood.

    Hisst thought was...

    "Could it be...the heavens truly wish for my death?!"

    Then, he vanished.

 Chapter 144 Defeating Death!

    "This is...bad." A light, feminine voice resounded quietly within the remnants of Yan Zaizen¡¯s heart. This voice belonged to the Unyielding me of Life that was refined by Yan Zaizen. Simr to how the lungs were the central hub for the Siphoning Shadow of Death, the heart was its home. When it was destroyed, 99.9% of its strength vanished just like that. If it wasn¡¯t for it¡¯s unwillingness to dissipate, it would¡¯ve long since vanished.

    In the myriad realms, many are ignorant of the uniqueness of each individual concepts story surrounding their creation. The two concepts of life and death have an interesting history amidst the heavens. If the white me could be considered the heavens protector, then the inky, ck shadow could be considered its destroyer. If the inky, ck shadow was left alone, it could take over the entirety of heavens!

    All of it.

    This was not an exaggeration.

    The white me¡¯s purpose for creation was to prevent this very urrence from happening. To forever stay stably and unyieldingly against this conceptualw that could siphon all things. Even chaotic space which, as a whole, was the embodiment of the Imperial Law of Spacetime, could do nothing to stop the Siphoning Shadow of Death from taking its essence. Not to mention, this was Yan Zaizen¡¯s concept! Inparison, the strength of the concept that originated from the Regalia was likeparing the difference between a pebble and a!

    If left unchecked, it¡¯ll perpetually grow stronger while all others would be weaker. This was its concept and it was the only concept with such capabilities!

    Unfortunately, by merging with Yan Zaizen, a gap in its abilities was now revealed. If Yan Zaizen wasn¡¯tpletely killed and the white me was weakened, the siphoning shadow of death could absorb all! However, how could the Unyielding me of Life purposefully end itself to prevent this from happening? It went against its very instinctual nature.

    This left it in realization of the fault that could be exploited! If no one extinguishes its existence so that Yan Zaizen could die, then the siphoning shadow of death would run rampant. Unfortunately, there¡¯s no way the shadow would allow others to kill him or it!

    At the moment, it had theplete advantage!

    Vbroom! Vbroom! Vbroom!

    Near Yan Zaizen¡¯s body, a sky-blue orb ferociously fought off the deathly aura attempting to siphon all of its existence. However, it was slowly being whittled down.

    Just like the white me and ck shadow, it had its own consciousness and concept. It enabled itself to be segregated from the heavens so that it may be a king of its own! It was even being used to establish a hell altar! It could be the king of hell!!

    Then, this happened.

    If it could cry, it would.

    "..." The white me flickered silently. Slowly, it extended a wisp of lifeforce towards the sky-blue orb. Because the siphoning shadow of death was attempting to avoid the white me in its wild consumption, it ignored the tiny wisp of lifeforce. This wisp of lifeforce reached the sky-blue orb and softly emitted a faint glow of pure whiteness.

    "If you...keep this up...you¡¯ll die." This was spoken in some unknown heavenlynguage, if anyone else heard it, they wouldn¡¯t even be able to register it on any sensory spectrum. When these words were heard by the sky-blue orb, it flickered defiantly with radiance. However, it knew the words spoken by the white me were true. The shadow was odd, it could devour the essence of the heavens themselves, and even the hell altar couldn¡¯t resist.

    "If...if we don¡¯t do something...we¡¯ll die." The white me sent once more.

    "!" The sky-blue orb trembled slightly, a faint trace of hope could be felt from it. If this wisp was sending it a message, it probably has a n!

    "However...you¡¯ll have to decide...if its worth it."

    "..."

    "..."

    "If I can survive, its worth it!" Was the only response from the sky-blue orb.

    "Understood." The white me sent over its ns, but as it did, the sky-blue orb felt a sensation of mncholy. However, in the end, it agreed. It started to flicker in and out of existence. In this state, the deathw couldn¡¯t perceive its existence as if it merged perfectly with its aura. Using its strength, it silently propelled itself over towards Yan Zaizen¡¯s heart area and phased into his body like a ghost.

    The only n that could work had to do with reconstructing Yan Zaizen¡¯s heart. If Yan Zaizen¡¯s heart could be reconstructed, then the white me could fight against death once more! However, it would be impossible to use lifeforce. The shadow wasn¡¯t an idiot by being careless. The first thing it did was siphon off all of Yan Zaizen¡¯s various energies - soul, vital, qi-essence!

    The white me was currently too weak. Without Yan Zaizen¡¯s energy reserves, it couldn¡¯t stimte itself to regrow his heart orbat the deathly aura. However, another regalia has the possibility to do so! If the sky-blue orb were to refine itself as the base of Yan Zaizen¡¯s heart, it would allow the me to draw upon the orbs strength as if it was Yan Zaizen¡¯s.

    The drawback?

    The sky-blue orb had to refine itself into Yan Zaizen¡¯s physique. However, how could it willingly ept this? The main reason why herculeans fail to refine two regalias had to do with the regalias unwillingness to ept another king within their heaven! The constant battle for supremacy would cause the herculean to die from the inside. The white me and ck shadow, however, was different. They were forced together by the heavens, and was merged perfectly! It was either they both be kings or neither of them does!

    This was something the heavens would always do. If Yan Zaizen mastered just the Unyielding White me, it could be segregated alone, but the Siphoning Shadow of Death could never be segregated without the me. The heavens would never allow it! For obvious reasons.

    Unfortunately for the sky-blue orb, the Regalia was under the threat of annihtion. The destruction of a regalia was an inconceivable feat. One must know, they¡¯ve existed as long as the heavens themselves. They were aspects of itsws! They were it and it were them! To destroy it one must first be able to destroy the heavens themselves.

    Now, it was left with two choices:

    Share your kingdom.

    Or.

    DEATH!

    The sky-blue orb took the ce of Yan Zaizen¡¯s heart, slowly radiating fluctuations of pure soulforce, and morphings its orb-like form into the shape of a heart. Slowly, it connected to Yan Zaizen¡¯s arteries and veins, and the unyielding white me entered into this newly constructed heart to im the space as its own. If the sky-blue regalia bes a part of Yan Zaizen, the white me could use its energy!

    The refinement process took as long as before, but surprisingly, the shadow of death which was greedily siphoning off the white altar¡¯s essence didn¡¯t notice! The sky-blue orb had some way to avoid its senses.

    Slowly, sky-blue light permeated throughout Yan Zaizen¡¯s body, his bones, his blood, his cells, and suffused into his eyes. Those eyes had no focus, as if they belonged to a dead man. With his soul tied up by the hell strings, his lifeforce being all but destroyed, he lost his connection to both soul and body. Without his soul, his mind could only process what it could perceive through its five senses, even then, the amount was very little that he couldn¡¯t even realize what was happening.

    He wasn¡¯t truly dead, simply had zero control over his body and his soul form was restricted. If anything, it was quite simr to when one¡¯s soul me was extinguished - aatose state.

    THUMP!

    THUMP!!

    THUMP!!!

    Several hourster, Yan Zaizen felt his newly constructed heartbeat for the first time. With each beat, it resonated an aura of pure soulforce and lifeforce fluctuations.

    "What?!" The shadow felt an oddity for the first time, looking back at Yan Zaizen¡¯s body. Earlier, it had moved Yan Zaizen¡¯s body to the edge after learning that someone wished to prate into the shroud of death. Unfortunately, the sky-blue orb had already entered Yan Zaizen¡¯s body before then. The disappearance of it didn¡¯t concern him, sooner orter, it¡¯ll siphon all its essence as well!

    Now, however, it felt threatened.

    ROAR!!

    It thunderously roared. Using the energy it siphoned from the hell altar, it made a mad dash towards Yan Zaizen¡¯s body. It had a feeling that if he didn¡¯t ensure the white me couldn¡¯t take any action, it¡¯ll never again have this chance.

    Unfortunately.

    A white me violently erupted from Yan Zaizen¡¯s body! This white me was slightly different as it contained a faint glow of sky-blue.

    "NO!!!" The deathly shadow felt enraged, questioning how this was possible. However, when it saw the faint traces of sky-blue, it had some ideas, and was furious! It knew what the white me did, but how could the white me ept this?! Doing this meant the heaven they would have would no longer be their own?! How could the sky-blue orb ept this?

    It was going to violently extinguish the sky-blue glow, but it lurched to a stop as a wisp of white surged into the deathly aura.

    An odd silence permeated the air.

    If the shadow had an expression, it would be incredibly ugly to behold.

    With the infusion, destroying the sky-blue orb was the same as killing the white me.

    It had a choice.

    One: Allow the white me to continue growing in strength through the infusion of the sky-blue orb. If he did, sooner orter it¡¯ll be strong enough to suppress it once more, but with the help of the sky-blue orb, it¡¯ll have enough strength to suppress it permanently and likely even exterminate it!

    After all, the white me was the only thing that could absorb its energy so thoroughly.

    Two: Destroy the white me, dying with it after Yan Zaizen¡¯s death. This was a suicidal choice.

    Three: ept the situation, assimte itself back willingly, and reinstate the bnce once more. In that way, the white me would segregate from the sky-blue orb, and they¡¯ll keep an intricate bnce of the three. The sky-blue orb had already refined itself into Yan Zaizen¡¯s physique, if they don¡¯t fight it, it can exist there.

    Anyone with these three choices would have an ugly expression. Possible Death, certain death, or returning back to normal with another person ruling your kingdom! It felt stifling beyond belief!

    However...what could it do?

    It admitted defeat.

    Several hourster, Yan Zaizen¡¯s soul restraint was removed by a soft sky-blue light. A surging trace of consciousness emerged in his mind, freeing hisws, and Pinaka from their confinement. To them, they had no idea what had just happened, and how it changed the very fundamentals of thews! If Yan Zaizen were to examine his body, his heart would seem as if it never changed, but with a faint trace of sky-blue, his lungs were still inky, ck in color, but his brain was sky-blue in color!

    The sky-blue orb morphed into a new heart but after the white me took control, it merged itself into Yan Zaizen¡¯s brain! After all, the heart was the white me¡¯s domain, not his. To co-exist, it needed its own. The brain was interconnected with the soul, so it was the most suitable.

    This was an unprecedented event which has never urred since the dawn of the 33 heavens! The merging of three conceptualws into a single physique via regalia refinement! If the circumstances were slightly different, with different regalia, this would be utterly impossible.

    Once more, they went silent as they awaited the growth of their own heaven.

 Chapter 145 Exi

    "Wh-what..." Yan Zaizen softly breathed out with a slight cough. Awakening, the first thing he saw was the dirt-ridden ground. It felt deste and dry, but it emitted faint red glow.

    Instinctively analyzing his physical condition, he felt an odd sensation linger in his heart, as if it was foreign, but also contained iparable familiarity. However, his introspection lead to a shocking discovery!

    His was heart was without injury and had faint traces of sky-blue light around it. It was simr to soul energy, but felt different. It was soulforce! Simr to lifeforce, it was the emissions of spiritual creatures like Pinaka and Phantoms. It was the odd aura that Yan Zaizen first discovered in the Deep Mines.

    Soulforce and lifeforce were intermixed with peak synchronicity, coexisting peacefully within his heart. Even more, this faint aura of these two forces traveled the entirety of his body, from bones to blood. There was a profound strength hidden in his body.

    Clenching his fist, he was shocked. The excess death aura that was siphoned from the hell altar by the shadow of death was converted into lifeforce energy by the white me. This life force energy was sent through Yan Zaizen¡¯s physique, refining it to an incredible degree! His physical body received an enormous enhancement in strength! Even if his vital energy didn¡¯t increase in aura intensity, his physical body was far beyond what it was before.

    He decided that when he returned, he¡¯ll do a more thorough inspection of all these changes.

    When he looked around, he realized that he wasn¡¯t in the Asura Phantom Pce any longer. A brilliant red glow shone down on him from up-high.

    The Moon of Asura!

    Ma Xiuren, who had cleaned herself up nicely with a new flower dress, was sitting quietly beside him. Her soft eyes lingered on his face, but one could see faint traces of disbelief in them. Earlier, the man who had ¡¯killed¡¯ Yan Zaizen left her alive in his panicked hurry. She lost consciousness soon afterwards.

    After several hours, she woke up to see Yan Zaizen breathing steadily in a sleep-state. The hole in his chest was healed and the soul form of that man was gone. Even the blood that seemed as if it was poured on the white-bone altar was gone, it was also considerably duller. It was no longer pure white, but dull gray as if most of its energy within was consumed somehow.

    However, she was relieved that she and Yan Zaizen were still alive, regardless of how. As a cultivator who lived for several thousand years, she knew that people had their secrets, and Yan Zaizen had his. Therefore, she exited the Asura Phantom Pce and took him out without question.

    As for the others, after bypassing the fifth floor, they were examining the dull-gray hell altar, trying to obtain some benefits from it. How could they bother with them? Not to mention, Yan Zaizen seemed to be asleep, not dead. If they acted rashly and he woke, wouldn¡¯t that be the same as courting death?

    "Thanks," Yan Zaizen sincerely said. He didn¡¯t know what happened, but regardless, Ma Xiuren had taken him out of the Asura Phantom Pce alive. That was more than enough to be grateful for.

    "..." She nodded softly in response. However, she wanted to say thank you instead. For quite a while, she was tortured by the Asura Phantom Pce Master. The torture was a death by a thousand cuts, but instead of a thousand, hecerated every inch of her body with nearly a hundred thousand small cuts. Each of these cuts caused soul-deep pain. Her current appearance was only suppressed but if one looked closely, tiny lines marked her entire body.

    At that moment, she wanted to die. However, somehow, they had survived while the Pce Master was gone.

    "I wonder why this keeps happening," Yan Zaizen softly muttered. Every time he goes unconscious, he awakens with new abilities or qualities. Firstly, it was the arrival of the Meteor Ring and a soul cultivation base. Secondly, he had ascended to the Aurora Soul Realm in the Serene Moon Cove. Thirdly, albeit it took sometime, his soul form had experienced incredible changes and his soul cultivation base increased.

    Now, his physical body had been strengthened to the point that he couldn¡¯t even begin to estimate. His heart now contained both soulforce and lifeforce. If he looked in the mirror, his amber-gold eyes, in the deep depths of his pupils, he could see faint wisps of sky-blue.

    "I¡¯m..." Pinaka voice resounded. She felt apologetic for her uselessness. As a True Spirit, she should¡¯ve been able to help Yan Zaizen. After all, at her peak, she was used by a peak middle-stage Heavenly Genesis expert. A measly two-floor Infernal Forger wouldn¡¯t even reach her eyes at her peak. Alone, she could¡¯ve killed him.

    Yet...he almost killed Yan Zaizen. He restricted his soul so that he could slowly die. If it wasn¡¯t for a surge of soulforce from the regalia, Yan Zaizen¡¯s soul would be damaged after being in a state simr to death for several hours.

    He also got trapped within sub-dimensional space but she could do nothing but stay silent. When was she ever this useless?

    "When will you recover?" Yan Zaizen smilingly said to Pinaka. He understood her dilemma. The dilemma of weakness. To be useless, to have your life and death controlled by others, to be unable to save those who you wished to live, and to be so weak you could only let others stomp all over you.

    It wasn¡¯t a good feeling. In truth, he detested this feeling and cultivated to rid himself of this feeling. What was the essence of his Mortal Dao? To relentlessly seek ascension and be a sovereign! Not just a sovereign, THE Sovereign.

    "At this rate, another 300 or 400 years..." Pinaka responded, but her voice didn¡¯t seem to contain any satisfaction at her speed.

    "Good! We can expedite that with resources. With our gains this time, it shouldn¡¯t be difficult. However..." his voice trailed off, shifting into his soul form and appearing beside Pinaka¡¯s, "I¡¯ll still need your guidance. For several hundred more years. Hehe." Yan Zaizen¡¯s smile was filled with warmth.

    Pinaka was stunned, but then realized who Yan Zaizen was. What his dao represented. Back there, wasn¡¯t Yan Zaizen just as useless? How could he expect her to know everything and handle all things just because she lived longer? She was injured, but she had already helped him so much.

    Could he have obtained the Asura Golem without her? No. Could he have obtained Asura Milk without her? Likely not. Would he even know anything about the Heavenly Path, Regalia of the Heavens, or the Hell Path without her? No.

    He would¡¯ve left the books in the Meteor Ring alone, would¡¯ve never reached the second level of the Herculean Physique, or understand a lot of the mysteries beneath the heavens without her. How could he me her?

    "En." Pinaka nodded, her eyes filled with determination and resolve.

    "Good. Now, I can finally explore my origin source." His eyes sparkled as he shifted into the Meteor Ring. At first, he wasn¡¯t sure why he couldn¡¯t find it in his body. With his senses and perception, it shouldn¡¯t be difficult.

    However, then he thought about everything that happened in chaotic space. How he was being ripped to pieces. He had the feeling that his origin source hid somewhere somehow by something, being protected in a simr way his soul was after hibernating.

    However, where?

    He looked up to see the spiraling ck hole in the Meteor Ring. His eyes flickered with a light of brilliance.

    Indeed.

    Somece connected to his body and soul, but safe and isted from chaotic space.

    In the Meteor Ring.

 Chapter 146 Origin Source

    An origin source was a trace of one¡¯s True Origin. It carried their bloodline and the energy birthed at their creation. All existences have it. Furthermore, this origin source could easily be discovered by those with proper perception and used with various methods of cultivation.

    After excavating your origin source, you awaken your most primal energy, then many paths would open for you. You can have it merged into your body or use it to construct an origin core in unique ways to bring about other effects. Then, you could strengthen this primal energy using resources or materials through refinement.

    It wasn¡¯t sentient likews. It shouldn¡¯t be able to hide on its own, it shouldn¡¯t be able to leave the body, but what if it was pulled away by ident or by something else? Could it be moved?

    Normally, this would cause the crippling of one¡¯s bloodline. However, what if it was still connected to you? The independent space inside the Meteor Ring was as much to Yan Zaizen as the empty space within his stomach. That rare, very rare, circumstance could lead to this event happening.

    His origin source was ced within the depth of that ck hole in the Meteor Ring! For thest sixty-plus years, it hid. Yan Zaizen was assured of this.

    Pinaka stood beside him. She also had her spections. Earlier, when Yan Zaizen made his ascension to the Perfect Aurora Soul Realm, the four ck holes - be, eyes, and Meteor Ring - looked oddly independent. The ck hole in the Meteor Ring was the most suspicious.

    In the Meteor Ring, Yan Zaizen¡¯s Aurora was projected along with the ck hole. Initially, she believed it was a manifestation of Yan Zaizen¡¯s ck hole in his be or eyes, but that theory went out the window the moment she discovered they functioned on different rules.

    The be perpetually swirls, the eyes only swirl during soul essence absorption, but the soul ring stops during soul essence absorption! Why? After some thought, the conclusion was simple.

    It was scared of Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes devouring force!

    After all, it was devouring essence and the origin source is a primal essence! What¡¯s truly surprising is that it could hide and actively do so. If that¡¯s the case, was there something unique about his bloodline? That ck hole was most certainly fake. In that case, how did it look and feel like the ck hole in his be?

    "To think my Origin Source was so close yet so well-hidden. Haha, I was even thinking that I didn¡¯t have any qi cultivation talent even with my physique." Yan Zaizenughingly remarked.

    "..." Pinaka stayed silent, observing the ck hole intently.

    "Well, I¡¯ll explore it when I return to the Anima Syndicate," deciding this, he returned back to the Asura Phantom Realm. Seeing Ma Xiuren patiently watch him with those soft eyes made him feel a little awkward. He must¡¯ve dazed off for a minute.

    He looked towards the slit in space.

    "I guess...this is where we separate. We gained a lot, survived a lot, and saw a lot. I think this was a good trip." Yan Zaizen smilingly said. In truth, despite it being brief, he felt that Ma Xiuren was someone important to him now, although only slightly.

    "..." She looked at Yan Zaizen for a long moment before nodding. Touching her spatial ring, she withdrew a medallion. It was white-gold with the character ¡¯Xiuhei¡¯ on one side and ¡¯Heaven¡¯ on the other. She used her small, dainty hand to grab Yan Zaizen¡¯s and ced it firmly into his palm.

    She looked deep into his eyes, trying to convey her intentions. However, Yan Zaizen still looked a little puzzled. She pouted slightly at his expression.

    Pst!

    She leaned forwards and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

    "...wha?" He was taken aback by the sudden kiss. Looking at her, he could see a faint blush, but she still looked into his eyes. Pointing at the medallion then herself, she took off towards the spatial slit.

    Yan Zaizen felt a little awkward being kissed by a little girl.

    Wait!

    She¡¯s at least three thousand years old!!!

    Then...could it be?

    He looked at the medallion and realized she wanted him to find this force called Xinhei. By doing so, he could meet her again. After a few minutes, he softly smiled.

    Wasn¡¯t he so charming that girls just wanted to kiss him?

    Hehe.

    Yeah, he was.

    However, his silly expression turned a little crestfallen. "I still haven¡¯t decided my objective." When he thought about how he hasn¡¯t lost his virginity yet, found a woman, or if he¡¯ll go the harem route, monogamous route, or free interactions route, he couldn¡¯t help but lower his head in contemtion.

    His cultivation base in the soul and body has already reached an extraordinary level where those old monsters who¡¯ve lived tens of thousands of years would quiver in fear, but he has never even kissed a woman.

    Sigh.

    Looking at the medallion in his hand, he released another sigh. It would feel too odd to be with a woman who looks seven or eight years old. Storing the medallion and putting these matters behind him, he finally got up. Just as he was about to fly towards the spatial rift, he heard a voice call him from afar.

    "Mister Zai!" This voice belonged to an elegant and graceful figure. Her beauty was exceptional to behold. It was Yao Wuhen.

    Seeing her, Yan Zaizen halted. It seems that his spiritual sense was still ced on her body. Beside her, several figures appeared that was quite familiar. Wu Kun and his group, Presba Imperials minus all their Origin Core Cultivators, Fu Jing, and Xin Xiaoyu.

    One could tell that each member suffered damage of varying kinds. It seems the short amount of time they had wasn¡¯t enough to heal for quite a few of them.

    "Mister Zai," Yao Wuhennded nearby, closing the distance to allow Yan Zaizen to smell her intoxicating feminine scent. He was shocked. Why was she trying so hard to obtain his attention? Even her dressing disyed a faint showing of a cleavage and her fine curves. To be honest, he had very little interest in this woman.

    Fu Jing couldn¡¯t help but look over at Yao Wuhen with her approachable demeanor. Faint traces of lust flitted about in his gaze. However, he contained it quite good whenever Xin Xiaoyu looked at him.

    Wu Kun ignored Yao Wuhen, looking at Yan Zaizen with a calcting gaze. The Presba Imperials had helpless expressions on their faces. Earlier, Yan Zaizen robbed them of the very clothes off their backs and the backers they obtained only shrugged at it all. If anything, Wu Kun seemed ready to throw them away if it meant being more eptable to Yan Zaizen.

    In hindsight, it seems he was truly framed. Why else did he need to deny it? What good would that do? If he did it, what could they do? Wallow and cry in their weakness? They weren¡¯t stupid enough to antagonize him. That¡¯s how forces vanish from the face of the earth.

    "Do you want me to remove my spiritual sense?" Yan Zaizen directly offered. It may be good to keep his spiritual sense on her, but through it, he could soundlessly spy on her. Anyone would feel ufortable with a camera on their body.

    She softly nodded. The protection wasn¡¯t worth theck of privacy. Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes shed a silver and sky-blue color, the spiritual sense was removed from her body.

    "Hm?" He noticed a slight shift in his Aurora. Taking a look, he realized that it wasn¡¯t silver-blue anymore. At least notpletely. It was now silver and sky-blue. This may seem like a minor change, but this transformation made his spiritual sense feel strange. As if there was a fundamental difference now, he just didn¡¯t know how.

    "Yan Zaizen, correct?" Wu Kun stepped up, the aura he exuded was phenomenal, as if he was a high-noble in a grand country. One could see from his brows, lips, and gaze that arrogance and confidence was bone-deep. However, when he stood in front of Yan Zaizen, he had the posture of neutral respect brought about from equals.

    Yan Zaizen inwardly praised him.

    "Yes."

    "I would like to trade with you, if you¡¯re willing," Wu Kun said.

    "A trade? Of what?" He was curious.

    "An Essence Apex Pill." Wu Kun calmly replied. However, when he said this, everyone went silent. This pill was an extraordinary pill because it has only one effect and it was 100% Guaranteed!

    Ascension fromte to peak stage in the True Essence Realm.

    This was definitely the hardest step to take for many. As for the Crimson Star Realm? If you can construct a Heavenly Shrine, who cares about that? They could immediately ascend to a point they could control an entire realm!

    Not to mention the lifespan increase by one hundred thousand years!

    Yan Zaizen furrowed his brows. Checking his inventory, he truly had an Essence Apex Pill and not just one. It was likely ced on the fifth floor by the phantasms to elicit further bloodshed to expedite the revival of the Asura Phantom Master.

    Unfortunately, Yan Zaizen and Ma Xiuren sweeped everything. Surprisingly, Ma Xiuren¡¯s first choice was aiming at materials, so he obtained all the pills as the trade off. What he didn¡¯t know was that materials were a lot more beneficial for body cultivation and building heavenly shrines. To Ma Xiuren, she was surprised Yan Zaizen went after pills instead.

    Their priorities being so different caused them to essentially split the entirety of the fifth floor.

    "How much?" Yan Zaizen inquired. He had three of these pills, at the moment, he, Tao, or Bai Lufeng didn¡¯t need them. So why keep it? By the time they reach such a level, it¡¯ll be in thousands of years. Who knew where he¡¯ll be then?

    "3.5 million." His words were spoken casually but everyone flinched at the price. However, Yan Zaizen had different thoughts.

    3.5 million? Wasn¡¯t this a little too low?

    Seeing Yan Zaizen¡¯s discontent, Wu Kun immediately spoke, "4 million!" He kept his words casual but if one saw the depths of his eyes, they could see a little quivering.

    However, Yan Zaizen was once more discontent. Was this guy taking him as a fool? He sold the True Essence Sublimation Pill for 31.2 billion! This guy thinks too highly of his reputation and too little of his own intelligence at this offer!

    Observing Yan Zaizen¡¯s expression as if he was insulted, Wu Kun¡¯s expression darkened. The others also had solemn expressions. This Yan Zaizen was truly merciless. Inwardly, Wu Kun believed it was because of the Presba Imperial Family that he was being so rigid. He cursed them under his breath.

    "Fine!" Wu Kun shouted, "5 million crystals! Final offer." The depths of his eyes revealed his fragile mental state.

    Wait.

    Wait...

    Wait!

    5 million crystals? Was...he talking about essence crystals? Was he talking about low-grade ones? Was...that themon currency for experts of his level?

    Indeed. True Essence Experts typically traded in crystals because liquid essence was ineffective for cultivation or recovery. As for the auction, if it wasn¡¯t for Yan Zaizen mad sells, how could there have been True Essence Experts there?

    In that case...5 million low-grade essence crystals was equivalent to...

    Five.

    Trillion.

    Liquid.

    Drops.

    "DEAL!"

 Chapter 147 Profound Thanks

    "Haha, then! He offered five trillion! I¡¯m telling you, it was amazing." Yan Zaizen said jubntly. Having returned to the Anima Syndicate, he met up with Old Tai, and they begun having a conversation regarding the overall events. He was embellishing a few things, such as using his cunning to haggle five trillion essence drops off Wu Kun, how he swept an entire floor clean with ferocious momentum against countless phantoms, meeting a heaven-toppling beauty who fell for his incredible charms, and causing the Presba Imperial Family to beg for forgiveness.

    None of it was true, but when he saw Old Tai¡¯s fanatical and childlike expressions grow more bright with each word, he couldn¡¯t help but do so. His illustrations kept bing more and more vivid and unbelievable.

    "Amazing! Ah! How I envy the youth of others..." Old Tai said, his enraptured expression fell with longing in his gaze. In truth, he knew about 90% of what Yan Zaizen said was overly exaggerated, but it still left him wanting for more.

    Old Tai cultivation base was solidly situated at the half-step True Essence Realm, incapable of making a single step of progression without heaven-defying support. Despite his soul cultivation at the Advanced Aurora Soul Realm, he still couldn¡¯t obtain such a pill or elixir. In this venture, he hoped Yan Zaizen woulde back with a solution to his issue. If not, he¡¯ll have only a century or so left before his inevitable death.

    This was the fear of all cultivators - dying of old age.

    It¡¯s the same as the heavens informing you that you¡¯ve reached the peak of your potential and destiny. It was demoralizing and left one filled with endless regret. Yan Zaizen understood this concept a little despite his young age. Having spent sixty years of his life in chaotic space, he realized how valuable time was and how quickly it passes.

    With a soft smile, Yan Zaizen waved his hand and produced a tiny bottle. In this bottle was a small-sized emerald pill radiating a faint glow. If one sniffed it, their bodies would feel stimted and renewed.

    "!" Old Tai¡¯s eyes widened at the revealing of this pill. As someone who searched intently for any possibility to ascend his current realm, how could he not know what this was? "True Qi Pill?!" He shouted. He started heaving out vast amounts of air. One could see from his gaze that there was excitement and deep-seated hope that shone brightly in his gaze.

    A True Qi Pill was a heaven-defying pill. However, because it¡¯s heaven-defying, it has its disadvantages. If one refined it, their bodies would undergo the transition into the True Essence Realm. However, the trade-off would be half the lifespan that would¡¯ve been received by the ascension would be excluded. Not only that, one¡¯s foundation would be iparably unstable. Essentially, the initial-True Essence Realm was the limit unless one obtained other heaven-defying items to supplement themselves.

    It was a second life.

    It was Old Tai¡¯s second life.

    "Take it." Pushing the bottle in Old Tai¡¯s hands, Yan Zaizen had a warm smile. This pill was essentially useless for him, but to others, they were exceptional! They were a breath of life that they¡¯d thought lost. An additional ten thousand years to be with family, to develop one¡¯s forces, or reach new heights.

    Old Tai didn¡¯t stand on ceremony, clutching the bottle with shaky hands and a trembling gaze. If one looked closely, they could see tears formte at the edge of his eyes. For many years, he thought he was going to die. That there was no hope. Now...

    He didn¡¯t just have hope; he had a certainty!

    "You should refine the pill. I have things I need to do as well." Yan Zaizen shooed Old Tai away seeing him in this overly emotional state. Usually, when he had things he wanted to tell someone, he would do so with rapt excitement. But now, his emotions were aplete mess that he was as silent as a mime. Like a doll, he was pushed out of the room by Yan Zaizen and the door closed behind him.

    After several minutes of staring at Yan Zaizen¡¯s door, Old Tai¡¯s eyes flickered with unimaginable levels of thanks.

    PLOP!

    He dropped on his knees and kowtowed, his gray hair and wrinkled body was quivering as tears slowly dripped on the floor. To Yan Zaizen, this may have just being a small gift, but to him, this was the world. This was his life. To many, they were willing to risk their lives for a chance at strength, status, and longevity, but that didn¡¯t mean they all could.

    How many half-step True Essence Cultivators went along in the Asura Phantom Realm? How many of them came back alive? Ten thousand entered but only six thousand left. As for the cultivation bases of the survivors? 90% of them was in the True Essence Realm or had equivalent cultivation bases! An example could be the Presba Imperial Family, they arrived with three True Essence experts and dozens of lower-realm cultivators, yet only the three of them survived.

    After three hours, Old Tai finally stood up. With another slight bow, he turned away and left. He¡¯ll never forget Yan Zaizen¡¯s seemingly simple act for the rest of his life.

    "He¡¯s finally gone." Chuckling softly, Yan Zaizen finally left the door. Since Old Tai was kowtowing outside, how could he simply ignore his existence? For the entire three hours, Yan Zaizen used his spiritual sense to see every quiver, every breath, and every intense emotional weep produced from Old Tai. How could he not ept all of this? His understanding of this gesture and the cultivation world grew with this event.

    "The cultivation world is not just about fighting the heavens for strength, but fighting the heavens for life." He felt like he touched one of the quintessential motivations of cultivation. Regardless if its body, soul, or essence, they all struggle for continued existence beneath the heavens.

    "Perhaps...Immortality is the true purpose of cultivation." Thinking this, he felt that his words was wrong but also not. It was an abstruse philosophy that he just couldn¡¯tprehend.

    He softly sighed in mncholy.

    cing these difficult thoughts away, he entered the Meteor Ring. He appeared with his soul form, gazing at the swirling ck hole that seemed to resemble the one above his be. For sixty years, he cultivated diligently in an attempt to find his Origin Source. He employed all sorts of methods, from calm self-meditation, scanning his body continuously with his spiritual sense, and even painful methods to expose a trace of his Origin Source.

    Yet, none of them worked.

    Now he knew why. His Origin Source was hiding within his Meteor Ring disguised as a manifested ck hole. What was unsure of was the characteristics of this Origin Source, of his bloodline, and why it was able to move outside of his body and hide. From his understanding, and Pinaka¡¯s, an Origin Source does not have intelligence. It was the most primary energy within your body, a trace of one¡¯s True Origin, and the only part of it actively essible by a cultivator.

    "I¡¯m unsure what it is, but you should be careful. Your body, your soul, and your very dao is a mystery." Pinaka informed. In truth, Yan Zaizen¡¯s body had profound mysteries such as his odd Origin Source, his soul that was protected by the ck hole, and how his dao should be an impossibility. To develop a Nascent Dao, one must ovee Heavenly Tribtions. Even peak-True Essence Cultivators had horrendous chances at doing so.

    The sess rate was infinitesimal. Throughout the entire Xiantu Realm¡¯s rule, excluding Yan Zaizen, there were less than ten individuals who¡¯ve developed their own dao. That included quintillions of people currently living in the realm and countless others who¡¯ve passed since. Logically speaking, Yan Zaizen shouldn¡¯t even be able to even formte a dao.

    "I know," Yan Zaizen replied. He had far too many mysteries, including in the mind as the images that seemed like him but wasn¡¯t had popped up twice now. He wasn¡¯t sure of what this all meant, but he knew one thing: He wasn¡¯t normal. At first, he thought he could¡¯ve been adopted, but that¡¯s an impossibility.

    For one, he looks just like his mother and father. As for their parents? They were both from the Yan n. Yes, Yan Zaizen was the son of distant cousins. Although they were quite removed from each other, they were still rted by a faint trace. If you wanted to look at any of their histories, then you just needed to look at the Yan n. Not to mention, he looked exactly like the Yan n members before his body cultivation advancements.

    It could be that the Yan n was special somehow, but he felt that wasn¡¯t the case. If it was, then the Yan n wouldn¡¯t have been so weak. It felt far moreplex than just that. Pinaka¡¯s assumption was reincarnation or lost of memories, but he felt those were unlikely as well. It was like his instincts were informing him of this.

    He had a faint feeling that all this was brought about by a random sequence of events. However, he couldn¡¯t be sure.

    "Alright, let¡¯s see what¡¯s inside this." Deciding to put this to the back of his mind, he floated towards the swirling ck hole. "I¡¯ll discover what you are!" His voice filled with resolve and anticipation.

    What was his bloodline?!

 Chapter 148 Bloodlines!

    What are bloodlines?

    This question isn¡¯t easy to answer for any cultivator, but it could be answered. Bloodlines could be regarded as a lineage inheritance, determined by the mixture of body and soul to produce your most primal energy during birth, and although bloodlines may be simr to each other, they are never the same. That¡¯s because no two souls born through natural means are the same.

    Unlike a Dao, bloodlines aren¡¯t determined by experiences or enlightenment. Unlike conceptualws, they do not need insights for progression. Unlike arts, bloodlines do not have a level of mastery.

    Your bloodline is fully mastered, fully controlled, and fully known of its traits at discovery. The only thing your bloodline requires is strengthening by materials beneath and above the heavens that arepatible with it.

    Yan Zaizen entered the swirling ck hole manifested in his Meteor Ring. As he did, he felt an odd sensation in his heart. It was like hearing the voice of a scared child. The soundless resonance made his heart quiver with a protective instinct. As a male, this was an experience he¡¯ll have trouble feeling in his entire life.

    Maternal instincts.

    Inside the manifested ck hole, Yan Zaizen saw nothing.

    That wasn¡¯t true. He saw only ckness. It was reminiscent to the copsed sub-dimensional space without light. It had an eerie feeling of endless nothingness, as if it had no beginning or end throughout.

    With furrowed brows, Yan Zaizen pondered with each step he took. "It seems my theory is correct." As the possessor of the swirling ck hole in his be, it wasn¡¯t like he never investigated it before. This was the exact feeling he felt when he did. Endless nothingness and perpetual devouring of all things.

    However, unlike the swirling ck hole, there was no suction or gravitating pull. This ck hole even had an end and a beginning which he could reach with his senses, despite his instincts telling him otherwise. Essentially, this ck hole was a fake.

    "You¡¯re...a copy," was his deduction. A copy meant to hide itself from what it feared by converting into that very thing. All things considered, it was an interesting tactic.

    "I have an idea what you are. What my bloodline is." His eyes flickered with an intelligent light, but there was no excitement. If his guess was correct, this bloodline will be troublesome to excavate if it truly decided to hide in defiance.

    Pinaka observed Yan Zaizen entering the ck hole, her thoughts were rapidly moving. After a while, her eyes lit up, "Use your Dao!" She shouted towards the ck hole. In truth, the Dao and Bloodline had an intrinsic connection with one another. They both were linked with the body and soul.

    Hearing this, Yan Zaizen softly nodded. In truth, he was already nning to do so to subdue this primal energy. His experience in handling situations had be increasingly cunning as he met situations like this. A soft dark-amber orb the size of a fist exited from his chest. A soft radiance emitted from the orb.

    "What?!" Yan Zaizen was startled. The ck hole started to suddenly quiver like it was going to copse. This quiver didn¡¯t feel like it was filled with fear but happiness and relief. What Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t notice was that when his dark-amber dao orb exited his soul form, the swirling ck hole at his be slowed in its rotation. It was so slight that even if Yan Zaizen was paying attention, he wouldn¡¯t have noticed.

    However, it seemed the fake ck hole did.

    Immediately, it copsed so quickly that Yan Zaizen found himself in the Meteor Ring¡¯s space with his Aurora illuminating his figure in its brilliance. As for the ck hole, it disappearedpletely.

    Looking around, Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes narrowed to a needlepoint. In front of him were two orbs of dark-amber that hovered silently next to one another. The size, aura, and radiance were exactly the same. If Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t have an intricate connection with his dao, he wouldn¡¯t be able to discern which was which.

    "As I thought..." In the Yan n, during its thousands of years in existence, not a single person could discover their bloodline. This meant, since its founding, the Yan n has never had an Origin Core expert!

    It seems this was why.

    The bloodline could disguise itself to be exactly like anything else. You could be looking at it and never find it. What if it mimicked a cell? Mimicked a strand of hair? Mimicked a tiny trace of qi within one of your many meridians?! A part of your soul?! How could anyone hope to discover their origin. It¡¯s also why if it decided to hide, Yan Zaizen would be hopeless.

    In truth, if it wasn¡¯t for Yan Zaizen¡¯s unique circumstances where it copied his ck hole and hid from it, even with his many methods, this bloodline would be impossible to discover. This was not an exaggeration. Unless he reached a heavenly cultivation base, it would be impossible to discover it.

    As for reaching a heavenly cultivation base, that¡¯s impossible without entering both the Origin Core and True Essence Realm. This was a horrifying dilemma. A conundrum that could not be solved.

    "My bloodline originates from the Heavenly Law of Mimicry," he muttered with a soft sigh. When he cultivated and studied at the Anima Syndicate, he came across bloodlines that were known thanks to various methods but impossible to discover. They were: Heavenly Law of Concealment, Mimicry, Nothingness, and Time.

    As for the first three, it was obvious why discovery was near to impossible. As for time, it had to do with discovery leading to a state of perpetual stasis, constant regression, or rapid aging. Discovering it was the same as death itself. Unlike decay, time was difficult to impede in any direction. As for decay or corrosion, they could be controlled and was rather harmless at discovery. Time...was not.

    He recalled Bai Lufeng¡¯s Sword Bloodline and Tao¡¯s Cyclone Bloodline, their bloodline was far more normal and standard. From his understanding, a bloodline will affect your qi-essence and true-essence. He didn¡¯t know what benefits this mimicry bloodline will give him, but he felt that it shouldn¡¯t be too horrible.

    After all, it was an Imperial Law!!!

    Rivaling spacetime, rebirth, yin-yang, and eternity.

    Retracting his dao orb, he reached to grab the mimicked orb. Surprisingly, it didn¡¯t resist. It allowed itself to be grabbed by his soul form. "Guess its true...primal energy doesn¡¯t have intelligence, but it seems to have instincts. At least, self-protective ones. I wonder...if it¡¯s because it originated from an Imperial Law." He remarked thoughtfully.

    "Wait." His eyes flickered as he held the mimicked orb. "If the ck hole on my be is a protective mechanism on my soul form, then what are my eyes?" This question left him bewildered. His soul form¡¯s eyes werepletely ck, not only that, it turns into swirling ck holes when he absorbed soul essence. Also, it only happens when he absorbs soul essence, nothing else.

    "Could it be...a soul-based bloodline?" He recalled what Tao informed him. Sometimes, bloodlines are soul or physique based. "I see. Haha," chuckling a little foolishly, he shook his head in defeat.

    A dual bloodline, but he didn¡¯t even check the most obvious spot. Simr to how the Heavenly Law of Mimicry could take action before the Origin Core Realm, his ck eyes were the same. He didn¡¯t even think that bloodlines were so damnplex. However, he would be lying if he said he wasn¡¯t excited.

    It was truly important that he had aw-based bloodline. If he didn¡¯t, entering Origin Core Realm would¡¯ve been impossible. Normally, only specific races or legacies have soul or physique-based bloodlines with different cultivation paths.

    Aw bloodline from the Yan n and a soul bloodline...the soul bloodline was likely developed during those two years in the Deep Mines. It should be artificial, hence he didn¡¯t receive any information about it. This meant he¡¯ll have to learn of its traits and abilities as he moved forward.

    As for the ck hole at his be, it was there since birth. It¡¯s possible that the ck holes in his eyes were copied from or was an extension of the one in his be. That transformation caused miraculous changes to his soul and origin source, creating a secondary soul-based bloodline.

    Quite interesting.

    "Now, time to enter the Origin Core Realm!" After unearthing a few mysteries, he felt satisfied. With a mimicry-based bloodline, a soul-based bloodline, and his extraordinary qi foundation, he intended to use all this momentum and ascend in a single step!

 Chapter 149 Origin Core Realm

    In regards to Qi Cultivation, it¡¯s been sixty-one years since hisst breakthrough. He couldn¡¯t help but recall his ease of progression to his current realm. Because of his outstanding foundation and avable resources, he progressed to thete-Qi Unification Realm with little issue. As for progressing speed, due to his Herculean Physique, his essence refinement speed was thousands of times stronger than before.

    Now, his physique had reached the second level with a regalia refined within. His talent couldn¡¯t be considered on the same level as before. As for resources? He obtained so many alchemic pills and elixirs from the Asura Phantom Realm and Grux that he had no worries on that front.

    This didn¡¯t even include the number of essence crystals he had in his possession. With the deal for the Apex Essence Pill, he had several million in hand. He also had a lot of materials, but he wouldn¡¯t sell those without getting a proper estimate.

    He didn¡¯tck foundation. He didn¡¯tck resources. He didn¡¯tck talent.. This ascension should be a smooth one.

    Taking his Origin Source, he couldn¡¯t help but marvel at it. Unlike before, it converted into its true form, a deep-white mist. It gave off a in yet chaotic feeling as if it represented all things yet also nothing. Excavating it, he sent it into his dantian using his qi-essence.

    Finding one¡¯s Origin Source and cing it into your dantian ssifies you as a peak-Qi Unification Realm. After condensing all of one¡¯s qi-essence to formte a Nascent Core, they could be considered at the half-step Origin Core Realm.

    He wasn¡¯t going to use normal ascension methods, that typically took time, and he had so many resources that it¡¯ll be a waste not to use them.

    He took out three items in various multiples:

    Firstly, 5 Origin Consolidating Pills. With this, he could condense his qi-essence to help formte his core and strengthen his Origin Source.

    Secondly, 12 Primal Crystallization Elixir. This was a top-grade elixir for the Origin Core Realm. With it, the constructing and reinforcement of one¡¯s Origin Core and enhancement of your Origin Source would ur. It is suitable for initial-stage tote-stage. It was an item obtained in the Asura Phantom Realm.

    Lastly, 100 Qi-Essence Replenishment Pill. With this, he can easily recover about 10-30% of his qi-essence in a brief period depending on the stage of the Origin Core Realm. These pills were exceptionally expensive. The greatest reason for defeats between near-equals in fights was energy deficiency. So, these pills were quite essential for anyone at the Origin Core Realm.

    With these preparations, he readied himself. Closing his eyes and steadying his breathing, his mental state became calm and his dao radiated its vast aura, permeating the surroundings. He was getting into a peak condition for cultivation.

    Three Months Later.

    Yan Zaizen, dressed in nothing butfortable leggings, exhaled a deep breath. This breath was exceptionally powerful, causing the training room to rumble chaotically. His body was glistening with sweat, his hair was wet, and his muscles trembled as if thirsty for essence.

    When he opened his eyes, those brilliant amber-gold eyes had traces of sky-blue. As for his aura? Extraordinary! A pure white core the size of a fist that seemed like an orb of crystal calmly rotated. With each rotation, the qi-essence in his body would be absorbed, and a cycle of refinement took ce.

    Origin Core Realm!

    Not only that. The size of his origin core was not the size of a nail or the size of a walnut! Late-Origin Core Realm! The qi-aura released had a in feeling but it felt like it contained all things yet none of it. Hisw-based bloodline had properly merged with his qi-essence!

    He also learned all of its secrets, and his mind was deeply shaken when he did. Lifting up his palm, he opened it t. Within it, a ball of deep-white qi-essence emerged. His thoughts shed. The ball of white transformed into a ball of purple. It radiated with thew of destruction!

    Another thought passed. The ball turned silver and rippled with spatial fluctuations!

    Another thought. The ball turned white once more but morphed into a long sword and radiated a fierce sharpness that could slice through the world! It felt like Bai Lufeng¡¯s bloodline!

    A cyclone that caused all things to funnel towards it was produced next. Cyclonews!

    A blue me that radiated all-consuming heat.

    A cerulean water that shifted to many different shapes.

    A small mountain that gave off the aura as if it contained a wave of pure force within.

    He changed that ball of white into a myriad of differentws and attributes. Although it was mimicked, so the conceptualws weren¡¯t pure and thus far weaker than the original, but the attributes were truly equal!

    In theory, he could mimic all attributed qi-essence. Water, fire, space, life, blood, and more! Of course, attributes have very little true meaning without proper arts, but he could use any and all qi-arts!

    Not only did he discover this, but he learned more about the sky-blue regalia that refined itself into his brain. It was the Shifting Spirit Orb of the Soul! It could process the spirit and soul, advancing it in any direction, be it phantoms or other spiritual forms. For Spirit Forms or True Spirits like Pinaka, this was the most beneficial!

    This orb was the reason that the Asura Phantom¡¯s daughter had thoughts of returning alive once more. Shifting her phantasm soul form into an actual soul! It made sense that the Asura Phantom Lord had arts that surrounded converting the soul into phantoms. It was this very concept that attempted to convert Yan Zaizen¡¯s soul beforehand.

    Furthermore, when it merged into his brain, it advanced his cognitive functions in a simr way as a Mental Cultivation Art! His processing ability, memory, and perception were heightened. It may not be as effective as an actual Mental Cultivation Art, but it didn¡¯t require any changes in personality, simply the powerful soulforce stimted his brain constantly. Not to mention, it had the ability to grow with his physique.

    As for Pinaka, his regalia emitted pure soulforce which she could absorb that was far more effective than Asura¡¯s Milk or his own soul energy. Her recovery was decreased by over ten times! She¡¯ll still need another year or so to fully recover, but she was nearly done.

    The reason she was absorbing Yan Zaizen¡¯s soul energy was to convert it into soulforce. Now Yan Zaizen could produce pure soulforce with just his vital energy alone in the same way he could produce lifeforce. With that, her recovery was fiercely elerated.

    Taking another deep breath, he could feel his muscles, flesh, and blood feel excited and thirsty. With his quad-lungs, he siphoned an extreme amount of essence with each breath. This essence was quickly converted into lifeforce by his heart and sent through his blood to strengthen every cell in his body.

    Clenching his fist, he had a confident smile filled with warmth and happiness. "I feel...in a few years, I could reach the True Essence Realm," if anyone else heard those words from a boy below a hundred-years-old, they¡¯ll think he was delusional. However, Yan Zaizen was absolutely confident!

    He also had a True Sublimation Pill, other high-quality resources, and exceptional talent with his physique. With all this and his impable foundation, he¡¯ll be able to reach such a level soon!

    He rose from his sitting position. The drips of sweat on his body contained a sweet, alluring smell and his muscles tensing and rxing periodically as if breathing. He estimated his current physical attributes. Despite his vital energies only rivaling a peak-True Essence Realm in intensity, his physical body strength was far, far greater.

    After siphoning all of the essence of the two-floor Hell Altar and revival materials for the Asura Phantom Pce Master, converting it into lifeforce energy and refining it into his cells, bones and blood, Yan Zaizen felt invincible within the Essence Path! He felt like he could truly step towards the heavens fearlessly!

    "Your cultivation, both foundation and characteristics on all fronts, is too exceptional," Pinaka voiced. In truth, her words weren¡¯t an exaggeration. His cultivation base truly was too exceptional. He had a Perfect Aurora Soul, a body that was invincible within the Essence Path, a qi cultivation at thete-Origin Core with a mimic bloodline, peak upper-tier Mortal Dao, and abined mixture of lifeforce and soulforce.

    Normally, souls or spirit-based forms have an exceedingly difficult time recovering injuries, but with soulforce, he could recover any damage short ofplete annihtion. This included with his physique¡¯s healing factor enables him to recover from pretty much any damage with sufficient energy and time.

    Not to mention,prehended threews to manifestation-level, all of which were upper-tier worldws,prehended five conceptualws total, on the cusp ofprehending the World Law of Time and Soul. To anyone, any of these feats made them an outstanding person who could stand above many, yet this was contained on a single body.

    Yan Zaizen had a confident smile, but it contained no arrogance. The Xiantu Realm was only a minor realm, a second-level heavenly-tier force. What about those major realms? Those ninth-level heavenly-tier forces? His talent in cultivation may be outstanding here, but to the myriad geniuses in all the realms, how could he be so impressive?

    Despite knowing his thoughts, Pinaka shook her head. When she was under her master, the people at Yan Zaizen¡¯s age was just at his current qi-cultivation base. He was truly underestimating himself with this mindset. At least he wasn¡¯t overly arrogant and narrow-minded, but there was something called being too modest.

    Well, at least it¡¯ll increase his desire to always improve, so she refused to say anything.

    Knock. Knock. Knock.

    Yan Zaizen looked towards the door to sense the little girl that he had met when he first arrived. He waved his hand. The sweat was swept away, and his attire shifted to his sky-rank official Anima Lieutenant¡¯s uniform.

    It was a tight fitting, martial outfit with a firm robe. It was sky-blue in color with a dark-silver trim and belt. The outfit entuated his perfect muscr outline and masculine features. With his lively pair of amber-gold eyes that exuded confidence and intelligence, it truly gave him an extraordinarily handsome appearance.

    Opening the door, Yan Zaizen looked at the small girl. "Wu Yuanxu has finished his recovery." Her voice was soft, yet clear, and filled with respect. Her eyes couldn¡¯t even match Yan Zaizen¡¯s, looking at her chest instead. It was obvious that despite her young looks, the seed of attraction was nted deeply into her heart.

    "He has?!" However, how could Yan Zaizen care about her? With a step, he vanished. Wu Yuanxu was someone who helped him towards the path of soul cultivation. Without him, Han Genji wouldn¡¯t have been able to obtain those soul arts, and he wouldn¡¯t have a soul method. Not to mention, early on, Wu Yuanxu was very good to him. But because of him, he was killed by a sudden attack.

    Now, he was revived! How could he care about anything else?

 Chapter 150 Wu Yuanxu

    Wu Yuanxu currently stood quietly in one of the sub-dimensional rooms. He wasn¡¯t cultivating, resting, or excited. On his face, which seemed to have reverted thirty years in appearance, giving him the appearance of a mildly handsome middle-aged man, was simply shock sshed with intense surrealism.

    He had died.

    He knew this much.

    Besides his most recent memory of the constant checks on the stability of his body by others,patibility of his soul with it, and his mental state, he recalled hisst memory. He was sending Yan Zaizen off. It was the boy he had much hope for, and he was supporting him in a venture to use the spatial tform.

    After doing so, he felt a pinch in his chest and his body zooming backwards with an incredible momentum. When he got his bearings for thest few seconds he had of consciousness, he saw a blurry figure from afar and his chest with a vast hole where his heart and other organs should be.

    So, he knew he had died.

    He was shocked to know that, during birth, the Anima Syndicate had offered his parents an initiative to be a part of an experiment. In return, they paid them handsomely. The experiment was to create a second soul segregated from the main one. They would monitor his mental state from the Anima Syndicate Headquarters for research.

    As a child born into the Anima Syndicate, he was shocked to discover this.

    As for his parents, they¡¯ve been dead for centuries and neglected to mention this. He knew...that splitting one¡¯s soul could lead to innumerable amount of issues to one¡¯s memory, psyche, and cultivation. He was told that his soul helped others understand that soul cultivation bes difficult with a second soul.

    However, this wasn¡¯t always the case. Those who could reach the Perfect Nascent Soul Realm despite the difficulties had zero issues afterwards. Which meant...his cultivation hindrance was due to their experiment.

    He didn¡¯t know if he should feel mad. If it wasn¡¯t for them, perhaps he could¡¯ve raised in cultivation, but if they didn¡¯t split his soul? He would be dead. He was beyond conflicted.

    While he was still immersed in his feelings, Yan Zaizen arrived inside the sub-dimensional room. Instinctively, Wu Yuanxu looked at Yan Zaizen and said, "Another test? I feel fine." Yan Zaizen now was vastly different than the Yan Zaizen before.

    His cultivation was pathetic, his aura was weak, his body was shorter, less handsome, and his eyes were vibrant amber in color filled with a basic intelligence - not amber-gold filled with confidence and greater intelligence. Witnessing this, Yan Zaizen chuckled. Wu Yuanxu had also changed, looking younger but obviously easily distinguishable.

    Suddenly, he walked up to Wu Yuanxu and gave him a tight hug. He had a strange feeling that if he didn¡¯t grasp Wu Yuanxu¡¯s physical form, it wasn¡¯t real. For sixty-plus years, he waited for this day.

    "What...?" Wu Yuanxu was startled. Having a strong looking handsome man hugging him in a tight embrace felt odd. However, he felt an intense feeling of warmth and relief from this young man. Yan Zaizen¡¯s dao could still affect people¡¯s emotions if his are too intense to control. Due to this, he didn¡¯t feel anything but good feelings towards this young man.

    After a while, Yan Zaizen separated, his eyes giving Wu Yuanxu a once over. "Haha, it seems they gave you a better body." Wu Yuanxu¡¯s body truly was extraordinary. It seems they nourished it with good materials. If he had to estimate his vital energies, he was at least in the Qi Unification Realm. This may seem small, but it was a powerful body by many standards.

    Confused, Wu Yuanxu couldn¡¯t help but ask, "Who are you?"

    "The kid you invited to the Anima Syndicate all those years ago. I don¡¯t think I ever personally gave you my name, so I¡¯ll introduce myself properly this time." He said, coughing to clear his throat after. Taking a step back, he sped his hand in a respectful greeting and a slight bow.

    "Member of the Yan n, Grandson to the Yan n Leader, ninth disciple of Han Genji, Anima Syndicate Lieutenant and an eternally grateful friend: Yan Zaizen. It¡¯s nice seeing you again." His words were filled with respect and warmth. To Wu Yuanxu, he didn¡¯t feel any sense of superiority of a strong cultivator to a weak one. He felt like a junior speaking to a kind senior.

    "Yo-You¡¯re that kid?" His eyes widened in disbelief. How could this be the case? From his memory, that kid was shorter, skinnier, had duller eyes, and a little bit stupid. He recalled being able to easily persuade him to joining the Anima Syndicate despite it offering barely any benefit.

    He was also happy despite that. It was very strange...and only solidified that the boy was simply too young and naive. If he read his eagerness to recruit him, he could¡¯ve negotiated for actual benefits, yet he epted with no disagreements.

    Looking at Yan Zaizen once more, he couldn¡¯t shake off his disbelief. Could it be...? The youth from before had an exceptional growth!

    "I¡¯m that kid," Yan Zaizen chortled. Wu Yuanxu eyes flickered and then he moved forward, he wrapped his arms around Yan Zaizen this time in a hug. In his eyes, he knew that the only reason he was alive was someone at the Anima Syndicate wanted his revival. Besides Yan Zaizen, who else did he know here? He was just an experiment. He wasn¡¯t even an sessful one.

    "I..." Startled initially, Yan Zaizen responded by hugging as well.

    Two men, one old and one young, were hugging silently in the room with hearts filled with gratitude. One helped the other early by setting a path in his life to follow, and the other helped the other by saving his life after death.

    "Sniff...sniff..." Tears dripped from Wu Yuanxu¡¯s face. They came out like a stream. Nobody will ever understand the terrifying pain, terrible regret, and cold loneliness he felt as heid there dying. If Wu Yuanxu knew Yan Zaizen could somewhat rte, perhaps they would be even closer.

    With a soft pat, Yan Zaizen felt relieved.

    Several hours passed.

    After their hugging sessions concluded, they sat down to enjoy various wines and talk. Yan Zaizen got to understand how Wu Yuanxu got a second soul, his past life before they met, and more. As for Wu Yuanxu, he got to know about Yan Zaizen¡¯s journey thus far, the fate of Han Genji, the fate of those who killed him, and more.

    They exchanged good conversation over delicious wine. They even talked about their goals. Yan Zaizen wanted to explore the Xiantu Empire, then move to a different realm. Likely, he¡¯ll go find Ma Xiuren¡¯s Xiuhei n. As for after that? He hadn¡¯t decided.

    Wu Yuanxu wanted to start his own n. At his death, he realized that he never left anything behind. This was his most intense regret. He wanted many children, beautiful wives, and a n that¡¯llst forever. He¡¯ll start at Presba and move to make his n deeply cemented into the entirety of the Xiantu Realm.

    Who knew, perhaps in the future, his n could one day rule this realm or another one? But that¡¯s what he wanted. Yan Zaizen wanted to convince him to travel with him, but the man¡¯s dream couldn¡¯t be aplished with free travel. He needed to settle down, make a territory, and develop slowly.

    Obviously, he wouldn¡¯t impose his own desires on him.

    "How about traveling with me for a bit? When I pick up Tao and Bai Lufeng, we¡¯ll go about to Presba together. After all, I do need to find out who tried to frame me." Yan Zaizen offered. Initially, Wu Yuanxu didn¡¯t want to impose, but when Yan Zaizen said he could handle any cultivation expenses or needs he required during, he agreed.

    He knew from Yan Zaizen stories that he had millions in low-grade essence crystals. If it was the him before, even a single essence crystal was unattainable. He only had a unrefined crystallized chair, but that wasn¡¯t even close to a real one.

    "Haha, I can¡¯t wait till you meet Tao and Bai Lufeng, they are definitely characters." He said joyfully.

    Little did Yan Zaizen know, both Tao and Bai Lufeng had their own struggles, and because of it, he¡¯ll be forced to step towards the heavens.

 Chapter 151 Duos Escapades

    Three years ago.

    In the Heretical Lightning Skyship, Tao was looking at the surroundings with a zing gleam filled with desire for adventure in his eyes. A new continent, a whole new structure and culture! As for Bai Lufeng, he was piloting the ship with a simr gleam in his gaze.

    However, it contained lust and anticipation at the luxuries this new world had to offer. He calcted his capital. Yan Zaizen¡¯s cultivation base was at the half-step Perfect Aurora Soul Realm. However, with his body cultivation, he could probably contend with a mid-True Essence Cultivator.

    With this backing, he should have some leeway to do many things in this new continent.

    Tao¡¯s thoughts were very different. He wished to travel the continent to gain intelligence, study the culture, and debate with their academics. After all, he was a schr in heart and mind. He truly wished to see if others within the continent could broaden his horizons or was simplyckluster.

    As of now, they didn¡¯t need to worry about wealth or resources for cultivation. With these things dealt with by Yan Zaizen, they were like rich tourists traveling to see the sights.

    The first city they came across was called the Crimson Blink City. The name originated from the fact a crimson tower that almost reached the sky would vanish at certain times of year suddenly - in a blink. As for the city itself, it contained simrities to Sky Titan City. It had a single major force with subordinate forces beneath it.

    Competition was fierce and infighting was often, but the major force would allow this type of environment to strengthen their subordinates. As for anything too massive like war, as long as it was warranted by actions, they wouldn¡¯t interfere. Therefore, even in the city, smaller forces could be wiped out without proper backing or a single mistake.

    When they arrived in the Heretical Lightning Skyship, many took notice immediately. Quite a few were curious about their identity. Others were specting, disseminating rumors about their status and backing. Some said that Tao was a young master of a reclusive n out to gain experience and Bai Lufeng was his personal aide.

    Others believed that Bai Lufeng and Tao was here on behalf of an expert¡¯s orders, carrying out special ns. In truth, this was only because of their weak cultivation bases inparison to their skyship grade. Not only that, Bai Lufeng was arrogant to all heavens while Tao seemed nurtured with a very educated nature that contained an aggressive edge.

    Bai Lufeng had lured beauties with promise of resources and grandness. With that, many women and even men were interested. Some even had husbands and boyfriends. In the cultivation world, each breakthrough brought benefits in longevity, status, personal strength, and potential.

    With Bai Lufeng¡¯s bait, how could those with ambition or desires resist? Some of them even epted his offer on behalf of their own men. Of course, if this urred, none of these rtionships were solid and based on pure love. Many men had multiple wives so sacrificing one for their own benefits was something they had very little shame doing.

    There were even men who decided to act as an entourage of Bai Lufeng while he stayed in the city. With a massive bevy of followers and beauties at hismand, he became known as ¡¯Money Bags Bai¡¯.

    Tao traveled to various schools, ns, and sects to debate with their schrs. However, his attitude wasn¡¯t any better than Bai¡¯s mboyant disy of wealth. He would set a bet for both sides, the loser of the debate in the discussion or intellectual exchange must kowtow ten times to the winner. Afterwards, they have to admit their inferiority.

    To many, this infuriated them! However, despite challenging and being challenged, he won every single contest of intellect. The bets increased from the other sides demands to win back face, from pping yourself a thousand times to embarrassing actions no one would ever do willingly.

    Due to the heavenly oath that would be sworn, they had no way to back out after defeat. Tao also showed no mercy, viciously stomping on their pride, and leaving them with little dignity.

    There was even a time where Tao offended someone with his blunt words, as he did, the force tried to capture him. Fortunately, the strongest power here was only a weak imperial-tier force with a mid-True Essence Realm. The moment Tao shed Yan Zaizen¡¯s talisman, they backed off reluctantly. While doing so, their gazes were filled with searing mes of hatred.

    Bai Lufeng had his ass-kissed by all for a bit of benefit while Tao infuriated all to the point killing intent was hard to conceal. They stayed doing this for three months. After, they took their sudden leave in the night.

    Bai Lufeng wealth was drained by 30% leaving him feeling saddened, but after some thought, he cheered up. With Yan Zaizen, who had a penchant for robbery, how could this wealth matter much?

    Tao, however, actually slept with an important young woman who became infatuated by his intelligence and confidence. However, this woman was supposed to be bestowed to the mid-True Essence Realm expert in the city. After discovering this fact, they left quickly with zero hesitation.

    Sure, Yan Zaizen¡¯s talisman may scare off some, but if the truly strong shows up, it¡¯s unlikely they¡¯ll leave with their lives. So like miscreants in the night, they lept towards the far horizon, never looking back.

    After a month of travel, they arrived at another city simr to Crimson Blink City. The cycle repeated. However, this time, Bai Lufeng had taught an arrogant young master a vicious lesson in arrogance: There was always someone more arrogant than yourself!

    He delivered a spanking session in front of arge crowd, viciously humiliating him in front of all. Tao couldn¡¯t help but shake his head at this, but didn¡¯t disapprove. Of course, the force behind this young master couldn¡¯t ept this. They were violently chased by a group of Origin Core experts with a True Essence expert at the head.

    It was quite difficult to evade them. Their pursuers kept seeking outside help, and even a bounty was ced on their heads. There were quite a few hunters that hunted them. After escaping it all thanks to Yan Zaizen¡¯s protective spiritual sense and the skyship, they hid away for a year. Afterwards, they left to venture into the one ce they truly wanted to go: Clear Divine City - Secondary Capital City of the Xiantu Empire.

    It was controlled by three first-level heavenly-tier forces! If Yan Zaizen was here, he¡¯d recognize two of the three forces - White Crane Sect & Wu n! Also, if Yan Zaizen was here, he¡¯d have a bad feeling looming over his heart. Whether it was for Tao and Bau Lufeng or for those in the city, only the heavens knew.

 Chapter 152 Clear Divine City

    WOOSH!

    The Heretical Lightning Skyship soared across the skies. As it did, it emitted bursts of lightning that¡¯ll wrap around it, if looked at from afar, it¡¯ll seem as if it¡¯ll transform into a lightning bolt from time to time. At the helm, Tao observed the surroundings with a tranquil expression. If one saw him, it¡¯ll be impossible to suspect that he was hunted relentlessly by many forces just a year before.

    "Clear Divine City," Tao softly said, recalling the various forms of information he had regarding the city. Clear Divine City was truly divine in both appearance and residents. Byparison, it was a much greater Capital of Presba. Outside of the Xiantu Empire¡¯s Capital City, it was thergest, most powerful city within the entire continent.

    Situated there were three heavenly-tier forces, dozens of imperial-tier forces, thousands of grand-tier forces, and countless weaker forces. The vastness of itsnd exceeded Presba¡¯s capital by hundreds of times and many times moreplex. Despite beingbeled as a city, many refer it as the Divine Battleground, many talents and forces wishing to make a sudden rise would venture within. Many, many fail in their attempts.

    The corpses of the fallen could only be stepping stones for the sesses.

    The three heavenly tier forces were the Wu n, White Crane Sect, and Broad Creed Pce. The White Crane Sect had only be heavenly-tier force recently thanks to a member of their sect marrying a rogue cultivator who¡¯ve developed their own Dao and built their first-floor Heavenly Shrine. After obtaining the dao, the White Crane current Sect master built her own Heavenly Shrine, officially rising the White Crane Sect¡¯s status to a heavenly-tier force.

    This development urred two thousand years ago. Since then, the White Crane Sect could be ssified as an equal entity to the other forces despite their overall weakness. This was only due to the backing of a Heavenly Genesis Realm Mortal Dao cultivator. With this, they could be described as fearsome. Essentially, offending them was the same as offending that expert.

    However, excluding external support, the Broad Creed Pce was the strongest force within Clear Divine City. They possessed three Heavenly Genesis cultivators with bestowed daos of the Xiantu Emperor. Despite this, they weren¡¯t actually subordinates of the Xiantu Emperor, but allies. It was odd, and many had spections regarding their true rtionship, but who within the realm had the courage to dig deeper?

    "I still think we should wait for Young Lord Zai to return," Bai Lufengmented beside Tao, his eyes filled with caution. In normal cities, he could, without restraint, act as he wished. However, this was Clear Divine City. The mortality rate in this city was massive, its undercurrents were far too deep, and the forces there wouldn¡¯t fear any half-step Perfect Aurora Soul Realm expert or someone who could rival a mid-True Essence Realm.

    He feared Tao would take action, do something outrageous, and get them chased by peak powers. Over these years he realized that, while he may be a little troublemaker, Tao was an INSANE one! With some thought, this was reasonable. He was stripped of his status, imprisoned, and sent to the Deep Mines to die. If one looked deeply into this, they¡¯ll realize this schr on the surface was a devil beneath.

    He would also say things first, deal with the consequencester, and charmed any beautiful woman in his path despite his scrawny, schrly appearance.

    "The bounties on our heads should still be up...I fear..." Bai Lufeng had always been the cautious one, always acting within the limits of his capabilities, and luring the deep, dark and selfish desires of others to satisfy his own ego. That being said, he didn¡¯t wish to throw himself to death. This could be seen when Yan Zaizen intended to capture Diyi. After saying a few words, he took off in abandonment. If he had to die, he didn¡¯t want to die because of someone else¡¯s actions!

    Screw your coteral casualty!

    "It¡¯ll be fine. Clear Divine City isn¡¯t a ce they can act carelessly, not to mention, this was for Young Lord Zai. We¡¯ll obtain information about the city, as per his orders." Despite saying this, his eyes flickered with unknown intentions. After his winning streak against every notable schr in the other cities, he felt hispetitiveness ignite fiercely.

    Bai Lufeng could clearly feel his intentions and moaned inwardly. This man may seem harmless, but he was truly the devil in sheep¡¯s clothing. Witnessing the situation veer off into an unfavorable path, Bai Lufeng suggested, "how about we split up to gather more information?" His suggestion was definitely filled with his desire to separate himself from this dark star who didn¡¯t care about consequences. At least, he considered his enemies strength beforehand.

    Tao¡¯s eyes lit up, a slight smile tugged at his lips, "Sure!" He didn¡¯t have any disagreements in doing so, Bai Lufeng often was too much deadweight anyhow. It¡¯ll be faster if he roamed alone. "However, I¡¯m keeping the skyship."

    "Huh!" Bai Lufeng felt dissatisfied by this arrangement, but what could he do? It¡¯s not like he could force Tao to give up reins of the skyship, and if he did, he probably wouldn¡¯t be alive after Yan Zaizen discovers this. After some thought, he felt this was beneficial to him. If he kept the skyship, it¡¯s possible it could be tracked by their enemies.

    Arriving at the outskirts of the City, they swiftly separated.

    ----

    Several months passed since their separation. Bai Lufeng was like a cautious mouse as he traveled from one location to another for fear of being too overt. He kept his head down and gathered information in regards to the citiesplexities. This was the first time he decided to diligently gather information and not indulge in his desires.

    However, there was a reason.

    When he arrived, he realized that the number of Origin Core Cultivators was insane!! If you see a cultivator, regardless of age, they were likely at the peak-Essence Formation Realm or higher. Inparison to Grux, this was terrifying. In the other cities, he noticed an upward trend in cultivation bases, but it was overly exaggerated here.

    Qi Unification Cultivators here were nothing more than lesser guards, waiters, and servants. Therefore, for every five Essence Formation cultivator, you¡¯ll find one Qi Unification Cultivator. The Origin Core Realm was simr! These people were littering the streets, flying about suddenly, and acting as guards to those with higher status.

    Typically, cultivation bases would see a steep decrease due to the difficulties in ascending per stage, but heavenly-tier forces truly were different. With some thought, one could realize that Qi Unification cultivators longevity was about three times those at the Essence Formation, and Origin Core was the same. Because of this longevity discrepancy and resource essibility in the continent, the situation of Origin Core experts walking about casually was produced.

    With this, how could he not keep his head down? He couldn¡¯t swagger as he wished, because it¡¯s likely the True Essence Experts who could live from twenty-five thousand to forty-five thousand years depending on stage was likely even more exaggerated.

    Currently, he was situated in a restaurant enjoying a delicious meal. He came here often to enjoy the food and listen in on casual conversations in hopes of gathering any form of useful information. Not to mention, he developed a liking towards general gossip.

    For example, the Broad Creed Pce¡¯s Elder, Yan Shi, proposed to several girls in the White Crane Sect, and despite his status, talent, and handsomeness was rejected by all of them! This was a hrious bit of information, considering he was the youngest Elder since Broad Creed Pce¡¯s inception. Or how it was said that Wu Kun ¡ª an Elder of the Wu n ¡ª had paid an insane and unreasonable price during the Asura Phantom Realm for a pill.

    There was even a bit of gossip about one of the top three young beauties of Clear Divine City, was looking for a partner to apany her. This caused many young men with exceptional talent to feel incredible tion! Many attempted to do all sorts of things to ensure they were picked.

    "Did you hear? Broad Creed Pce¡¯s Head Schr was challenged!" A middle-aged man with an Origin Core cultivation base said with interest.

    "Challenged? Who would, no, who could be dumb enough to challenge them in any way?!" A younger man, with faint physical simrities to the middle-aged man spoke, his voice filled with anger and insult. It was obvious that he idolized the Broad Creed Pce. Bai Lufeng¡¯s eyebrows perked, recalling that fellow he hadn¡¯t seen in months - Tao.

    "Tch! It¡¯s not that simple. Not only did he challenge, he won! At least, he won the first contest."

    "What? Pfft, Gibberish!" The young man refused to believe what the other man was saying, gesturing his hands about as if swatting a fly. One could see he didn¡¯t like his faith being shaken and would be willing to close his ears to all those who say otherwise.

    As if expecting this, the middle-aged man spoke, "Let me finish! It turned into a best of three, and during thest two matches, the one who challenged lost! Not only that, I heard he was forced into servitude for the rest of his miserable and foolish life!"

    Hearing this, the young man¡¯s eyes turned bright and his posture was enlivened by the news. "Tch, people always overestimate themselves. He definitely cheated the first time, otherwise, how could he even conceive the possibility of a win? Even if he did win, it had to be by simple luck or unfavorable conditions!"

    "..." Bai Lufeng¡¯s expression darkened considerably. Did Tao lose to the Broad Creed Pce? He scarcely believed such news. From his experience, he knew Tao was unreasonably intelligent. It was due to this very intelligence that he had immense pride and arrogance buried deep into his very bones. This and his unyielding confidence in his own abilities was quite simr to Yan Zaizen. If he lost, it¡¯s highly likely they cheated somehow or perhaps...

    He pulled out a talisman and checked its fluctuations. It looked like a t white coin and emitted faint traces of a cyclone forming. This was Tao¡¯s Life Talisman. An item only peak-Qi Unification Cultivators could produce. The talisman was interconnected to their origin and as long as they were alive it wouldn¡¯t change. However, if they were killed, the talisman would suffer a rebound that¡¯d crack it.

    After confirming the coin was intact, he sighed in relief. If Tao was killed somehow, then he could only imagine Yan Zaizen¡¯s reaction. As he recalled Yan Zaizen¡¯s Herculean Avatar Art, he shivered a little. He wasn¡¯t scared for Yan Zaizen, but for Broad Creed Mountain. This was indirectly offending a demonic genius without even knowing it. The fate of the Soaring Cloud Sect perfectly described how that situation ends.

    After paying for his meal and exiting the restaurant, he couldn¡¯t help but sigh softly. Should he inform Yan Zaizen? Taking out a transmission talisman, he was about to do so when a sh appeared in front of his face. Stunned, he looked up to see a mesmerizing face before him.

    This woman had skin as white as snow, ck eyes as proud as a phoenix, dressed in elegant white clothing with the mark of a crane located at her lower torso. Her long ck hair flowed as freely as the sky itself without any imperfection, her lithe body contained the most delectable curves benefiting of a beautiful woman, and thin eyebrows that seemed to perfect the ensemble of her bewitching existence.

    "I..." Bai Lufeng was struck dumb by the sudden appearance of this goddess. However, as he stuttered unable to say anything, the woman revealed a soft smile that seemed to cause the world to lose its colors.

    With a voice that was like heavenlyrks singing, "Can I ask you...to be mine?" Her voice was very bewitching, but nobody besides Bai Lufeng seemed to have heard it or even noticed her appearance.

    As if entranced, Bai Lufeng softly nodded in agreement without thought. "You¡¯re my hero. Please follow me," she gestured towards a direction and soared like an immortal through the air. Bai Lufeng followed along without hesitation. His cultivation base being pushed to its furthest to match her speed, as if he couldn¡¯t bear to lose sight of her figure. If others could see the woman, they¡¯d recognize her as one of the top three young beauties of the Clear Divine City, the one who was looking for a partner!

 Chapter 153 Bai Lufengs Fate

    "Let me out! NOW!!" Bai Lufeng, who waspletely naked, shouted viciously from arge bar-cage. The cage was sufficient to hold a hundred people with enough space to move about if they wanted to. It waspletely ck and released an aura that seemed to suppress the world. The gaps between the bars had only enough space for one¡¯s hand to reach through. The entire space was filled with darkness with only a single sunstone lightning up the cage itself and a little bit outwards.

    CLANG!

    BANG!!

    With a sudden jerk, Bai Lufeng mmed against the bars of the cage with his entire body weight, but it did little to help the situation. The nging sound drew Bai Lufeng to look at his right leg. A shackle with a chain attached to the center floor of the cage was firmly ced, and it rattled whenever he moved. His expression paled and his eyes looked somewhat lifeless.

    "Give up. You¡¯re wasting your energy." Bai Lufeng wasn¡¯t the only one in this cage, there were several dozen others, nearing fifty, who was in a simr situation. Each was naked, their legs shackled to the center floor and their faces pale, possessing very little life in their eyes. The one who spoke was a middle-aged man, his body was withered like a shriveled piece of paper, and thin to the bone.

    "Shut up!" Bai Lufengshed out. He felt beyond frustrated and angered by all this. This was essentially kidnapping, and what¡¯s worse, it¡¯s the worse type of kidnapping! They were a part of a harem pce! A male harem pce! Normally, this wouldn¡¯t be so bad, as being able to perform dual cultivation via intimate rtions with a wealthy woman, and typically beautiful as a result of this wealth, every day couldn¡¯t be bad.

    However!

    They were a part of a harem pce, but instead of sexual rtions, they were simply drained of their primal yang energy. This was something interconnected to their bodies and souls, and having it forcefully extracted is an incredibly painful process if not done through dual cultivation. It could damage one¡¯s lifeforce, make one impotent, and weaken their souls and bodies. The process itself could even kill, and if done repeatedly, will kill!

    His memory was filled with gaps. One moment, he was at the restaurant. The next, he was here, naked and drooling over some beautiful woman! He recognized this woman based on portraits he¡¯d seen before, but he never expected her to be so maliciously evil. Her actions were essentially draining them periodically for her own cultivation. With this, she could retain her most primal, untouched yin energy while simultaneously consuming men¡¯s yang energy to heighten her physical body and soul form.

    To many, both gods and men alike, this was disgusting, but this was actually rtivelymon in the cultivation world! For both men and women! By plucking the primal yin or yang energy from others bodies, they could utilize it to strengthen their own cultivation. Typically, men and women would do so by sexual rtions, so it¡¯s somewhat mutually beneficial and maximized its effects. However, there are rare cases where they wished to retain their untouched primal yin or yang, and for a specific cultivation method, they¡¯d obtain it through this malicious method.

    If they dual cultivated, the benefits would be mutually shared and more effective by dozens of times. To bnce this out, they would use the method of forceful plucking would require a massive amount of yang energy.

    They were essentially cows that were milked as wanted! As for Bai Lufeng? He was already milked several times already, and it was harsher than being cut by a thousand des. This was also why they picked cultivators without a background to subject to this! There would be no retaliation if they suddenly vanished or were killed off by the White Crane Sect. If someone does look for them, they could simply justify their actions with a false crime. What more could they do?

    BANG!!

    Bai Lufeng viciously mmed into the bars once more with his full body weight, his bones produced an audible cracking sound, and a groan of pain resounded. The others who witnessed this couldn¡¯t help but shake their heads in pity. They¡¯ve already epted their fates, but when they first came here, they did everything he was doing.

    "Let me go! My Young Lord isn¡¯t someone you wish to offend!" Bai Lufeng shouted towards whoever was guarding them, but he still didn¡¯t receive any response. "ARGH!! I swear! If you let me go right now, this event will be done, over, I¡¯ll even tell my Young Lord that...that...LET ME OUT!!"

    BANG!!!

    Bai Lufeng could feel the bones in his arm shatter, and his muscles were beyond bruised. The extraction of his primal yang energy severely weakened his body, causing it to be far more frail than normal. Despite this, he clenched his teeth in anger and cursed loudly.

    Step.

    Step.

    Step.

    The soft patter of footsteps resounded as a figure emerged from the shadows. It was a young man dressed inplete ck, his face feminine and good-looking, his eyes suffused with indifferent arrogance at all beneath the heavens, and a dominating aura that permeated the surroundings emanated from his body. Bai Lufeng¡¯s gaze was drawn to this young man, and his face flushed with anger, but also hope.

    Lifting up his battered body, he lunged towards the bars, clenching one in each hand tightly, and half his face attempting to seep through the gap. If one saw his bloodshot eyes, they¡¯d see that hope and desperation was prevalent within. "Let me out...if you do, my Young Lord will reward you handsomely!" Bai Lufeng attempted to bargain for his freedom, but the young man only approached at a measured pace, obviously unconcerned.

    Each sound of his steps sounded heavily within the room. It was as if it sounded off a strange cadence that led others hearts to its rhythm. When he arrived at the cage, all the prisoners looked at him with fearful gazes, "Reward?" The young man inquired as if curious about Bai Lufeng¡¯s proposition.

    "What reward could this...Young Lord give me?"

    Bai Lufeng gulped slightly, realizing that Yan Zaizen may be rich, but he wasn¡¯t nearly as wealthy as any imperial-tier force within the city. He could barely match peak grand-tier forces in wealth. Not to mention, his cultivation was a little too low to be used as a threat against the White Crane Sect. They were a heavenly-tier force after all! "He could give you...a True Essence Sublimation Pill!" Bai Lufeng said, his voice grasped at any hope.

    He wasn¡¯t sure if Yan Zaizen would trade a True Essence Sublimation Pill for him, but he had to try.

    "Hahaha," the young manughed coldly, his eyes suffused with disdain and intense contempt. He was a mid-True Essence expert, what did he need a True Essence Sublimation Pill for? Not to mention, it wasn¡¯t some heaven-defying pill. No, it was a pill that only increases one¡¯s chances of ascending to the True Essence Realm or mid-stage - not a guarantee.

    This was why Old Tai wasn¡¯t interested in Yan Zaizen¡¯s True Essence Sublimation Pill, his chances were horrendous to the extreme. Even if he took the pill, his chances would still be abysmal.

    "You should getfortable. You¡¯ll be here ¡¯till death." The young man dered, turning around and taking his leave. He was only slightly amused by Bai Lufeng, but with this, it should thoroughly crush his spirit. However, how could Bai Lufeng just give up like that?

    "I swear! If you don¡¯t let me out, you¡¯ll die! You¡¯ll all die!" The decibel of his voice went to its peak as the cage shook slightly as if responding to his threats with fear. However, all Bai Lufeng received wasughter from the shadows. Those in the cage shook their heads, resting once more, and awaiting their deaths. If one could see the look in their eyes, it was as if they were no longer alive.

    Screaming until his voice was hoarse and his body dropped helplessly in exhaustion, Bai Lufeng weakly leaned against the bars with a diminished will. With Tao likely in trouble, Yan Zaizen unbeknownst of their plight, and with him stuck in this cage, it¡¯s unlikely that he¡¯ll live to see the sun once more.

    This world was cruel.

 Chapter 154 Taos Fate

    Inside Broad Creed Pce¡¯s territory of Clear Divine City, a grand pce that seemed to be drenched in gold stood taller than all buildings within a 1,000 li. The pce exuded an aura of supreme elegance and wealth that could not be matched.

    It was the Yan n¡¯s Main Pce. The Yan n was one of the top families within Broad Creed Mountain, with a first-floor Heavenly Genesis expert at its helm. It had influence and power that could not be underestimated by any in the entire realm.

    Inside this pce was a luxuriously vast room filled with ornaments and furniture that seemed to be made of wealth. A single nce would have one shocked by the sheer price this room must¡¯ve cost.

    The floor alone was created from low-grade essence jade, a refined version of essence crystals. They were painted by a material that seemed to attract essence and release it in a further purified state. The walls were constructed from a Golden Heartwood, which can help promote soul cultivation based enlightenment and recovery.

    Simply staying in this room for an hour was like secluded cultivation for weeks.

    Lyingzily atop a soft, deep-white couch with white pillows embroidered with golden, was a young woman who had heaven-toppling, nation-copsing beauty. Her blonde hair seemed to be sprinkled with true gold, deep-blue eyes containing incredible levels of Intelligence, skin as wless as the heavens themselves, and a body that exuded premium sex appeal.

    She wore a golden dress with the ¡¯Yan¡¯ character etched firmly at her center torso. If one tried to look at the character, they¡¯d be instantly distracted by the bosom that seemed ready to burst and the deep valley that was formed from it.

    She was Yan Qiu, one of the three top young beauties within the Clear Divine City. To be ssified as a top beauty required three traits: Talent, Status, and Beauty.

    Yan Qiu was only three hundred years old with an initial Aurora Soul, a physical body that rivaled the initial-Origin Core Realm, a mid-Origin Core Realm qi cultivation base, andprehended a conceptual worldw to the force-level. This was an exceptional talent regardless of where you go in the entire realm.

    She was also the favored great-granddaughter of the Heavenly Genesis ancestor of the Yan n. Therefore, her status within the n or continent was by no means small. Very few could match her talent, status, and beauty.

    Beside this woman was a scrawny man with impossibly white teeth. If Bai Lufeng was here, not only would he recognize this young woman but also the man. Even Yan Zaizen would.

    It was Tao!

    Currently, he was dressed in a brown servant attire. Around his neck was a grey cor that seemed to release a very faint and dull light. His eyes seemed to be filled with fiery rage, but he stayed obediently to the side of this woman.

    As he stood silently aside, he recalled how he arrived at this fate. Several months ago, he and Bai Lufeng separated. At that time, he decided to quietly gather information about the city. He learned that there were many schrs who practiced the academic arts. With this, he couldn¡¯t hold back his desire to match wits with them in various contests.

    His first victim was a first-tier force within the city. After horrendously shaming them by disying their inferiority, he felt excited to challenge others. He kept escting till he arrived at a force called the Emerald Hand Sect - an imperial-tier force. They had someone called the Emerald Schr of Kunlun.

    With a name like that, grander than all, how could he resist? However, when he arrived, he found this young beautiful woman and the Head Schr of Broad Creed Pce in wait. He was challenged to a contest, best of three, with wits and deductive knowledge.

    Tao¡¯s arrogance, pride, and confidence were bone-deep, and the continuous victories only inted this. He epted, but the price?

    Servitude.

    The loser would be the ve of the victor, and this was a heavenly oath!

    In the first exchange, it was ordinary. Tao defeated her and the schr without mercy. However, during the second and third match, an expert of the Advanced Aurora Soul Realm interfered, causing his ability to process information and ess his memory to be severely affected.

    In short, she cheated.

    He lost.

    Furthermore, due to their heavenly oath, cheating or not, he had to abide by it lest he suffers smiting by the heavens. As one could imagine, he was infuriated by her actions and ways to obtain a victory. As a man who prides himself on his intellect, he never would resort to cheating and in a battle of schrs, this was frowned upon by all.

    Unfortunately, this malicious woman was not a schr. In truth, she was raised as one, dabbled in the academic arts, but she was not a true schr.

    Tao had little faith in escaping the situation himself and without Yan Zaizen soul energy to power his spiritual sense, escape was impossible. During their chase for several months, what little soul energy left behind by Yan Zaizen was used up. Not to mention, they closed off all outsidemunication in the contest, so he couldn¡¯t even alert him.

    However, despite being angry, he diligently abided by the heavenly oath. Not because he was scared of dying, as he much rather have his core dignity than life, but because of Yan Zaizen.

    Who was he? He was Yan Zaizen¡¯spanion, his friend, and if one considered the way they clicked together, his brother. That kid may be young, but he was incredibly talented and ferocious. All he needed to do was wait, if he endured for a few hundred years, Yan Zaizen will easily be able to extricate him from this situation.

    So, he¡¯ll wait.

    Wait for revenge.

    "Pour me another," Yan Qiu waved an empty cup crafted from solid jade. Without hesitation, Tao produced a wine jug from his spatial ring and filled the cup like a proper ve. His expression was calm, but his eyes seemed as if it contained a typhoon of mes.

    "Good boy. Seems like you¡¯re made for this sort of thing...being a ve, I mean." Yan Qiu merciless taunted with a slightugh. To her, people like Tao who overestimate themselves were far too easy to humiliate. In life, they believe themselves invincible. They weren¡¯t.

    "I see," a middle-aged man who emitted an extraordinary aura softly spoke. He sat down opposite of them, his eyes trained on Tao with ridicule and contempt. He was the expert Tao had turned a cuckold. In truth, the young woman was betrothed to him, and so it wasn¡¯t as serious.

    She was already killed for her actions. He was here to make sure Tao suffered the same fate. However, seeing him forced to be a servant until death left him more satisfied than ever. Of course, he also couldn¡¯t take action. As a mid-True Essence Cultivator, he was nothing in front of Broad Creed Pce. Even if he insisted on killing Tao, he still couldn¡¯t.

    "Now are you satisfied?" Yan Qiu said casually, obviously giving this expert who controlled an imperial-tier force no face. Despite this, the expert only nodded in eptance and smiled ingratiatingly. It seemed as if he wished to get on this woman¡¯s good side.

    However, Yan Qiu didn¡¯t seem to care about this, "Leave." She waved him away, sipping her wine with a bored expression. The expert only nodded, gave Tao a ridiculing smile and left. To him, he had already beenpensated by Broad Creed Pce. He just wished to see Tao personally. Now that he did, he waspletely at peace.

    Tao remembered his face. The moment Yan Zaizen returned, he¡¯ll definitely deliver revenge. In truth, Tao wished he could do so himself, but it¡¯s only that it¡¯ll take him a thousand or more years just to be his equal. He didn¡¯t have time for that.

    This man hunted him down and attempted to kill him. He was more than willing to let Yan Zaizen take action. With that thought, he smiled malevolently.

    Yan Qiu noticed his smile and chuckled, "You think just because he can¡¯t kill you, that your life will be allowed to proceed smoothly?" Her words carried derision, unbeknownst to her that Tao not only was smiling towards the expert but also her.

    "Your life will never be easy henceforth," smiling, she took a sip of her wine. Inwardly, Tao coldly chuckled.

    ¡¯Just you wait bitch, just you wait.¡¯

 Chapter 155 Relief & Arrival

    Xiantu Empire, Xiantu City.

    The city was far smaller than Clear Divine City,parable to Xuanwu City, yet it possessed a hundred times the elegance and feeling of an immortal location. There were no forces headquarter within this city besides the Xiantu Empire¡¯s. There were only a few liaisons of select forces that housed themselves here.

    Despite being imed as a city, it was more so arge immortal pce that stood high to the point the highest tower within caressed the sky itself. This tower was the location of the Xiantu Emperor¡¯s throne. It represented the sovereign symbol of an entire realm. No other building in the entire realm could reach such heights! If done, it was the same as attempting to supnt the Xiantu Regime!

    Within this very tower was a man that emanated the aura of the heavens. He had a face that could be deemed the definition of extraordinary looks with long-flowing blonde hair and azure eyes. If one looked closely, he had traits simr to Yan Qiu and many other Yan n members. The very reason was that the Broad Creed Pce was rted to him by blood!

    Indeed, not only did all the Heavenly Genesis Experts within the Pce had his Mortal Dao, but they had some rtion to him by blood. This was spected by many, but others weren¡¯t truly sure of this matter. However, the Xiantu Emperor doesn¡¯t consider them to be his subordinates, and that was because of this.

    A man that seemed to be in his 50¡¯s arrived silently within the tower, he kneeled in front of the Xiantu Emperor with practiced movements. He didn¡¯t speak, only waited patiently for the Emperor to do so first.

    The Xiantu Emperor silently gazed at this man, his azure eyes filled with a rare wariness, as if he was worried about the news being brought. "Speak."

    "Your Majesty, The Infernal Forger soul is dead. The Hell Altar, which has two-floors, ispletely drained of essence and its materials are useless. It seemed that, as you calcted, the Infernal Forger was dead. You were right, as always, Your Majesty." The man spoke reverently.

    "..." The Xiantu Emperor didn¡¯t smile, but deep within his eyes was relief. It may seem that a second-floor Hell Altar and second-floor Heavenly Shrine could be considered equal, but that¡¯s not the case. Currently,prehension of his conceptualw reached the major-sess of the Manifestation-level, but Infernal Forgers of the Hell Path needed the Sovereign-level of their concept, and it¡¯s the always the upper-tier World Law of the Soul.

    Unfortunately, the Xiantu Emperor had only mastered a lower-tier World Law. If onepared, his strength would be vastly inferior to an Infernal Forger of the same level. Therefore, he had massive fears that the Asura Phantom Realm was a plot to revive the remnant soul of an Infernal Forger. If so, then his actions and ipetence had threatened the entirety of his realm. Even the neighboring realms.

    However, it seems that wasn¡¯t the case.

    "Salvage whatever you can from the altar. You may go," he ordered. The old man vanished from his sight as if he was never there.

    Looking out of an opening in his tower that revealed the view of the clouds and vastnds that he held sovereignty over, his eyes flickered. "Just a little more...I¡¯ll be able to construct my third floor."

    If one reached the minor-sess stage of their conceptualw, they could use it to build the base for their first-floor. Major-sess for the second-floor and Perfection stage for the third-floor. For the Xiantu Emperor, he felt like he was on the cusp of finally reaching the Perfection stage, if so, his status within this heaven will undergo a high shift.

    -----

    Clear Divine City, Outskirts.

    A piercing sound resounded with a faint trace of silver light. The surrounding space rippled as if someone pierced into the ocean with a spear and from the center of this ripple, two men phased into existence from empty space.

    One was an extraordinary young man with amber-gold eyes, a perfect physique that wasn¡¯t too slim or muscr, an aura that seemed calm and warm. He was dressed in a silver and sky-blue Anima Syndicate¡¯s Lieutenant uniform.

    Beside him was a middle-aged man with a somewhat empty aura. His eyes were suffused with heavy surprise and shock. Looking about, he waspletely stunned. Just a few minutes ago, they were within the Dead Soul Desert, but now, after several minutes of being bathed in blinding silver light, they were in an empty area filled with lush life, trees, and actual mountains in the background.

    These two were Yan Zaizen and Wu Yuanxu.

    Earlier, Yan Zaizen had executed an art within the Violet Way of Spatial Shifting, piercing into the spatial void and traveling towards Tao and Bai Lufeng¡¯s signature. Now that he was in the Origin Core Realm with a manifestation-level spatial concept, and a bloodline that contained the Heavenly Law of Mimicry, he can easily do vast and quick long distance travels, no longer needing a skyship.

    Typically, due to him not having pure spatial attributed qi-essence, his spatial arts would be weakened to a third of its true strength. However, thanks to his mimicry bloodline, his qi-essence can mimic any attribute and perfectly perform any qi-art to its maximum.

    Before, hisws had bathed his essence in its glory, but that only turned a ten percent of total strength to thirty percent, but now it was far different. Not to mention, his Regalia-infused brain was far better at mastering arts. The Spatial Piercing Art was the first art that he reached the major-sess stage in regards to spatial arts, and it was a superior-grade art!

    Yan Zaizen frowned slightly. "Tao and Bai Lufeng¡¯s location...I can¡¯t find it." He softly muttered, his brows furrowing deeper. Taking out their life talismans, he knew they were both still alive, but it seemed his spiritual sense had long since depleted. The only reason he stopped here was due to losing Bai Lufeng¡¯s and Tao¡¯s trail nearby.

    "Sigh...to use up my spiritual sense, what did you guys get yourselves into?" With his spiritual sense, any initial-True Essence Expert would be little issue, but it¡¯ll still drain the energy by half. It could even kill a mid-True Essence Expert, but after it runs out of soul energy, the spiritual sense could no longer sustain itself.

    In truth, separation of spiritual sense was painful and many wouldn¡¯t do so. However, it acts as an independent sentry with limited energy. If the spiritual sense was still on their person, the originator could locate it, connect with it to view the immediate surroundings or kill whoever it was on.

    However, when it¡¯s separated, it was like an autonomous consciousness that acted in ordance with pre-given orders. He couldn¡¯t see anything or act from afar, without taking action to do so. However, if the individual who had their spiritual sense died, the leftover energy would transmit a message so that the originator would know certain things.

    The stronger one¡¯s soul cultivation base, the greater the information, the longer the spiritual sense canst, and more capabilities it¡¯ll possess.

    "Is this where your tworades are?" Wu Yuanxu finally broke out of his stupor, asking Yan Zaizen curiously. In truth, since Yan Zaizen revived him and could be dered an Anima Syndicate¡¯s Lieutenant, he had an unseen but reverent belief in his abilities.

    "Well, I feel that they were here several months ago...this should be...Clear Divine City Outskirts?" He exined, his spiritual sense searching the area to get an idea of their location. Luckily, Yan Zaizen had perused the records of the Xiantu Realm and many maps detailing characteristics of its geography so he recognized his location.

    "Clear Divine City?" Wu Yuanxu was slightly shocked but only nodded slightly.

    "Well, if they were here, it¡¯s likely they went in deep. Since I can¡¯t send my spiritual sense outwards without offending thousands of powers, I¡¯ll go to someone who may be able to help us locate them." Hemented, remembering the rules of etiquette in the myriad realms. By outrageously sending out your senses, it was like an open level of disrespect and sometimes, a heavy threat. Imagine being scanned deeply by a stranger or your home being spied on, it¡¯s something no one would like.

    He didn¡¯t wish to offend peak imperial-tier forces or heavenly-tier forces for no true reason. It¡¯s not like Tao or Bai Lufeng was dead. Therefore, he¡¯ll tread the side of caution.

 Chapter 156 Wu Clan

    Entering the city, Yan Zaizen and Wu Yuanxu were quite surprised. There were various districts, with each vast territory having their own set of them. Residential, shopping, main, and more. There were also main districts that were either run jointly by the heavenly-tier forces or the Xiantu Empire¡¯s regime.

    Not to mention, it was vast! Truly vast! Just in ten thousand li, there were hundreds of different territories, from minor ones controlled by subordinate forces or major ones who had their own sovereignty. Independent forces had rtions but they were truly independent with their ownnd, resources to mine, fish to gather, fields to pluck, and their own import and exports.

    It was like states and small countries. Theplexities within each territory were just as vastly intricate as their sizes. Sometimes, forces may be wiped out suddenly so everyone makes it a priority to cultivate and strive for protection within theirnd. Due to this, many alliances have been established and many had unfair terms and agreements.

    In Yan Zaizen¡¯s hand was a medallion, it was remarkably simr to Ma Xiuren¡¯s ¡¯Xiuhei - Heavenly¡¯ medallion but instead of those words, the medallion had ¡¯Wu¡¯ & ¡¯Elder¡¯ on both sides. It was the medallion Wu Kun gave him after their exchange. Due to Yan Zaizen¡¯s profound body and soul cultivation, Wu Kun felt it was right to befriend Yan Zaizen for the future despite feeling the rip of his wallet.

    Therefore, Yan Zaizen now had a token that represented Wu Kun. If one utilized their qi-essence, they could activate a formation that reveals its benefits and who it belonged to. This way, it was recognized by the n.

    His intention was to travel to the Wu n, meet Wu Kun, and see if he could utilize his resources to search for Tao and Bai Lufeng. With a cultivation base at thete-True Essence Realm and a heavenly-tier force behind him, the resources avable to him shouldn¡¯t be small. It would be far easier to do this than scour the entire city offending everyone.

    After a few hours of traveling, they arrived at the Wu n¡¯s Capital City - Hanxu City. If Xiantu City could be considered the capital of the Xiantu Realm, then Clear Divine City was the capital of the Xiantu Continent, and each territory had their own private capital city. In truth, the number of cities on the continent was astonishing. It truly was like each territory was a state or small country.

    Wu Yuanxu was pleased during their travels. In truth, Yan Zaizen could¡¯ve arrived here in minutes by shifting through space, but Wu Yuanxu was excited and wanted to see everything. As someone who never left Presba, he was truly fascinated by it all.

    As for Yan Zaizen, he relented quickly as he also wished to see the sights. Spatial shifting was a little too boring for his taste, he preferred this style. It reminded him of when they traveled to Presba¡¯s Capital City. By using a very slow skyship, they saw many sights and experienced many things.

    As those memories rushed into his mind, he couldn¡¯t help but miss Tao and Bai Lufeng. Tao would constantly teach him patiently, and Bai Lufeng would always try to corrupt him, but they were fun and felt warm to be around.

    Tao was like a big brother who had a hidden perverted streak and Bai Lufeng felt like that old uncle that was overly honest and often indulged in his desires. He couldn¡¯t wait to travel the rest of the Xiantu Realm with them.

    Once they reached the gates of the city, they were stopped by two armored guards that had mid-Origin Core qi cultivation bases. This shocked Yan Zaizen deeply. Sure, in the Asura Realm, there were thousands of powerful cultivators, but these people had such a cultivation yet guarded the gates. This was fascinating to him.

    However, after gaining entry thanks to the medallion, his shock strengthened. The city was filled with Qi Unification and Origin Core cultivators. They littered the surroundings like citizens, and even the weakest person he saw was at the mid-Essence Formation, and this was a child that looked like he was five.

    This shocked him too horribly. The difference in cultivation standard was immense. Since the Essence Path typically required materials only, it¡¯s to be expected from a prosperous city, but it was still shocking.

    However, if Yan Zaizen would ask how manyprehended their own conceptualw? The percentage would still match Presba¡¯s; same could be said about World Laws. There were just too little. Qi cultivation may seem high in this continent, but talent was talent. Innate bodily efficiency at absorbing essence, conversion speed into qi andprehensive talent were vastly different things.

    For example, Yan Zaizen¡¯sprehensive talent inws was absolutely monstrous, rivaling and even exceeding Heavenly Genesis experts, yet his original bodily talent was garbage that the same resources on him would be a tenth as effective on an average person.

    To exin, he needed ten times the resources to reach the same level as someone with average talent. This was the very reason why he was regarded as trash in his n, and reasonably so. It was also why people didn¡¯t suspect him not using his resources when he gave them to Ya Qinqan, but assumed they just weren¡¯t effective.

    A short, middle-aged man arrived in a grey robe with the symbol for ¡¯Wu¡¯ embroidered on his torso. He approached Yan Zaizen and made a short bow of respect, immediately cing himself on a lesser status than Yan Zaizen. Yan Zaizen inspected this man. He seemed to be four thousand years old but only in thete-Origin Core Realm. At this time, at most, he¡¯ll have one or two thousand years before his lifespan finished. However, his foundation was exceptionally solid. Breaking through to the True Essence Realm was just a matter of course for him.

    "Lord Zai, I apologize for the wait. Currently, Wu Kun is in secluded cultivation, but he¡¯s made arrangements for your stay. My name¡¯s Wu Jin; I work for Wu Kun. I¡¯ll be your guide and, if you need anything, please feel free to ask and I¡¯ll try to achieve it to the best of my ability." His words were spoken professionally and appropriately, holding a dense amount of respect within.

    Yan Zaizen softly nodded at this. Since Wu Kun obtained the Apex Essence Pill, it¡¯s likely he¡¯ll be in secluded meditation for several years before exiting, perhaps even a decade. He expected as much but still came with the medallion as a representative of his guest status.

    "I need you to find two people, can you do that?" Inquiring, Yan Zaizen felt a little anxious in his heart.

    "Of course, Lord Zai. All you have to do is pass along their profile and as long as they¡¯re in the Xiantu Realm, they could be found." He responded quickly. Normally, Wu Jin would never agree to this even if the person was ate-True Essence Cultivator. They weren¡¯t a force to search for someone, there were many other forces and channels that should be asked instead.

    However, Wu Kun had given explicit orders to please Yan Zaizen by any means outside of suicide. At first, he felt odd in his heart, but after learning that Yan Zaizen had a Perfect Aurora Soul Realm and body cultivation that could rival a peak-True Essence expert, he immediately felt it was only as expected.

    The true point of information was Perfect Aurora Soul Realm. This was something that could rival ate-True Essence expert, but the things they could do was far, far greater. Someone at that realm was greater than having tente-True Essence Cultivators in yourmand.

    This was not an exaggeration.

    "Here. Their names are Tao and Bai Lufeng," he handed Wu Jin a soul jade filled with their characteristics and appearance.

    "Please, follow me and allow me to show you a residence befitting someone of your stature Lord Zai. You can rest there while Iplete your task." Wu Jin said respectfully.

    Yan Zaizen nodded, looking at Wu Yuanxu. "After settling in, let¡¯s sightsee the city." When he said this, Wu Yuanxu¡¯s eyes lit up like christmas lights in the night. With a soft chuckle, Yan Zaizen followed Wu Jin.

 Chapter 157 News

    Several days of being treated like honored guests passed quickly. It truly was fun for both Yan Zaizen and Wu Yuanxu. They pretty much zed every top-tier location in the city. They dined like kings, drank like immortals, saw grand sights that resembled paradise on earth, and even enjoyed thepany of attractive women.

    Of course, Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t indulge in any intimate rtions, but he enjoyed theirpany as he drank, ate, and told stories of his adventures with some embellishments. They alsoughed at his jokes which made him feel proud. He even tried feeling the bodies of one or two of them after recalling how Bai Lufeng and Tao would often grope about. Surprisingly, these women epted such invasion with coquettish smiles andughs.

    It truly invigorated one¡¯s manhood. While Yan Zaizen could resist, the newly reborn Wu Yuanxu could not. In truth, each of the women offered were trained in sexual arts and proficient at dual cultivation with their qi cultivation bases being, at the minimum, in the Origin Core Realm.

    This shocked him even further. If you went to Sky Night Royal City or Sky Heart City, the women there who did such services would all be at the Essence Formation Realm. This was quite a sight to see. After quite a bit of fun and rxation, Wu Jin arrived in Yan Zaizen¡¯s spaciously elegant and extravagant room.

    He brought news and Yan Zaizen¡¯s expression was solemn after hearing it. He informed Yan Zaizen of their earlier adventures with the Heretical Lightning Skyship such as Bai Lufeng¡¯s splurge of wealth and Tao¡¯s challenges, their arrival in Clear Divine City, and the news afterwards.

    "Tao and Bai Lufeng were both hunted by a mid-True Essence expert but escaped while killing even an initial-True Essence expert. They then offended another power. Bounties were ced on their heads, and they went into hiding for a year. Subsequently, they arrived at Clear Divine City. Bai Lufeng was sighted here and there, but seemed to have suddenly vanished...while Tao was currently at Broad Creed Pce after losing a contest of wit and intellect." He repeated to himself in a silent mumble.

    He could scarcely believe it. It was pretty much impossible for Tao to lose a match of intellect! As for everything else, he expected at least this much. The death of the True Essence expert likely had to do with his spiritual sense activation.

    He furrowed his brows in contemtion. Bai Lufeng suddenly vanishing could be due to the mid-True Essence expert capturing him, but if that happened, Bai Lufeng would just bargain for his life after sending Yan Zaizen a transmission. However, he received nothing.

    He was also suspicious of Tao¡¯s circumstance as well. If he lost, no matter what, he should¡¯ve sent him a message. I mean, he was waiting, not dead. A simple message was just a crush away. Not to mention, despite him sending both of them messages, there was no response.

    The circumstances of their disappearance must be special. He genuinely suffered a headache as he softly chuckled. They were always like this, getting into trouble and offending people. For example, Tao in Sky Heart City or Bai Lufeng as they traveled to Sky Night Royal City. They both enjoyed his backing and the safety it represented so they would be arrogant to the heavens.

    In truth, one originally had a peak powerhouse for a master, and the other had an Imperial Commander backing him. Despite Bai Lufeng¡¯s moralpass being rtively decent, he was still iparably mischievous and liked to see the world in chaos. Tao argued against an entire country¡¯s policies and was sent to his death. How could he expect anything else?

    "Any clues on Bai Lufeng¡¯s whereabouts?" Yan Zaizen asked Wu Jin. Shockingly, Wu Jin was a little perturbed by the question, his eyes showing faint traces of hesitation but then helplessness.

    "Yes, Lord Zai. Individuals saw him flying towards an area. I did a little more digging and gained some news. It seems...it¡¯s highly possible that Bai Lufeng was captured by the White Crane Sect." He exined.

    "White Crane Sect?" He recalled Gu¨¤n Cui and the others he met in the Asura Phantom Realm. "Why would the White Crane Sect capture him?" However, after asking that question, he felt like he had an idea. What if Bai Lufeng had a forbidden affair with a member and was thus captured? Maybe...he was to be married! Thinking about it, he chuckled inwardly remembering his own circumstance in the Ying n.

    "It¡¯s...possible that he was obtained to be a part of a harem. A Yang Harem." Wu Jin¡¯s expression was solemn. As for Yan Zaizen, his eyes flickered. A harem?

    Seeing Yan Zaizen notprehending the gravity of the situation, he exined further, "A Yang Harem is not what you think. It isprised of a group of unfortunate men who have their primal yang forcefully extracted for the purpose of strengthening another¡¯s body and soul...typically a female...till death."

    "..." Yan Zaizen was silent. With a swipe of his hand, Bai Lufeng¡¯s life talisman appeared in his hand. As a soul cultivator who was a part of the Anima Syndicate, how could he not know the severity of having your primal yang extracted and the benefits it has for men and women. Especially to women.

    "White Crane Sect?" He inquired.

    "...Yes." Wu Jin responded.

    "Heavenly-tier force?"

    "Yes."

    "How sure are you?"

    "...95%. Our informationwork is one of the most urate in the entire realm. After all, Wu n is a heavenly-tier force." Wu Jin exined, feeling somewhat conflicted. His orders were to please Yan Zaizen, not inform him of his friend¡¯s hopeless fate.

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes flickered, "Who?"

    "With the Xiantu Trial nearby, likely one of the young geniuses in the White Crane Sect. As for someone capable of umting the reports I¡¯ve seen...likely Gu¨¤n Yao, one of the three most talented women the entire Clear Divine City and disciple of the Sect Master. Despite her secrecy, it¡¯s impossible to leave no trail."

    "..." Yan Zaizen was oddly silent. After an extremely long pause, "How long do you think he has?"

    "...After being taken for nearly 3 months, unlikely he¡¯llst another week if they¡¯re extracting properly." One could tell that Wu Jin was knowledgeable about this practice. In truth, many were. Even the Water Veil Sect employs this method. Many enemy forces would be subjected to this cruel fate. It was amon practice, especially amongst female-focused forces.

    "Understood. Thanks for your hospitality." With that, he rose from his seat and walked towards the door.

    "Wait! Lord Zai, what are you nning on doing?" He anxiously inquired, unwilling to see Yan Zaizen do anything rash. However, he felt his heart tremble as he gazed at Yan Zaizen¡¯s powerful back.

    With a voice filled with imperialistic dominance, he spoke with extraordinary presence, "Take care of Wu Yuanxu. I¡¯ll be leaving for a bit."

    With that, he left.

 Chapter 158 My Way

    "Lord Zai, I urge caution! The White Crane Sect isn¡¯t like normal forces. Another solution can be conceived!" Wu Jin insisted that Yan Zaizen slow down and think. However, Yan Zaizen continued his flight without pause.

    "Wu Jin, who has Tao?" Yan Zaizen calmly asked. Currently, he wasn¡¯t going to wait while Bai Lufeng was severely tortured and his primal yang being continuously extracted by others. To him, Bai Lufeng was family. Although their time together couldn¡¯t be considered long, Bai Lufeng had always treated Yan Zaizen well.

    "Lord Zai...Tao should be in the possession of Yan Qiu, another of the three top beauties of Clear Divine City." Wu Jin¡¯s tone was filled with helplessness but he informed Yan Zaizen properly, nheless. After all, that was his assignment.

    "What is with women and our fates..." Yan Zaizen silently muttered in his heart. For some odd reason, it was always women who trump over this trio. Although powerful experts or stronger forces would often be behind these women, it was like they had horrible fates with them.

    "Could it be a coincidence?" He thought, but he felt like that wasn¡¯t the case. It was as if women were just far more cunning, intelligent, and brazen than their male counterparts in the cultivation world. Therefore, they always find themselves at a disadvantage against them. While men were straightforward and often cowardly, the cultivation world he was exposed to thus far seemed to support this.

    After all, in terms of cultivators in the Xiantu Realm, women had longer lives and were greater in number. There were very little all-male forces but there were many, many all-female forces. If this didn¡¯t paint a vivid picture of their capabilities, then what did?

    Of course, it also seemed that women were weaker overall, so it felt very skewed yet oddly bnced. At least, in the Xiantu Realm. Personally, Yan Zaizen felt this had to do with the Essence Path, yet he wasn¡¯t sure how. It was as if the Essence Path was more suitable for men. To be exact, it was more like his specific race of females were weaker in cultivating the Essence Path.

    "Lord Zai, please allow me to speak on your behalf. The Wu n will try to act as a mediator to this situation." Wu Jin felt very nervous and offered. Normally, he wouldn¡¯t be willing to offend a force like the White Crane Sect for a guest, but Wu Kun would definitely deliver punishment if he didn¡¯t attempt his all.

    Yan Zaizen turned to Wu Jin. His eyes suffused with a somber calmness that perfectly hid his thoughts. Wu Jin felt his body tingle at this gaze. It was as if he was being silently appraised by a sovereign.

    "Okay," was all Yan Zaizen said. With that, he continued forward without further conversation. In truth, he wished for this to be settled with a few words. If it could be done, then he much rather take this path.

    After quite a while, they arrived at the White Crane Sect territory¡¯s border. They had a faint curtain of light that flickered as if it ethereal. This light was simr to the Water Veil Sect¡¯s but it didn¡¯t seem physical, as if its only job was to notify the sect of any arrivals.

    The curtain of light outlined their border and at a set measure of distance, tall, white towers were erected. On top of each of these towers was a statue of a white crane. It seemed elegant and grand, looking at the world beneath it with lofty pride.

    When Yan Zaizen saw this, his brows furrowed. He could tell each of those towers were sky-rank armaments. They seemed to form some unified formation that made him feel a little insecure. However, the feeling was faint. Even if the towers were directed towards him, this feeling still wouldn¡¯t be anything more than faint.

    Wu Jin took the lead, arriving beside one of the many tall, white towers. When he did, a middle-aged woman that carried an expression filled with indifference and authority flew out. Her qi cultivation base was at thete-Origin Core Realm, simr to Wu Jin. When she looked at Wu Jin and recognized his origin, her eyes turned colder.

    "Hm?" Yan Zaizen was shocked by this cold response. He wasn¡¯t familiar with the Wu n and White Crane Sect rtions. This was also why he wanted Tao to depart and gain detailed information about the Xiantu forces. Unfortunately, he was pretty much going in blind.

    Wu Jin didn¡¯t seem to be bothered, instead he pulled out a medallion. This medallion was simr to the one Wu Kun had given him, but it felt far more special with Wu Jin¡¯s personal aura embedded within as if it belonged solely to him.

    "I¡¯m here on behalf of Elder Wu Kun. I have a request for the White Crane Sect." Wu Jin stated, his tone was also indifferent as well as if he didn¡¯t care about a little guard. The middle-aged woman¡¯s brows furrowed. To her, Wu Kun was ate-True Essence expert who had a decent backing in the Wu n. Normally, she¡¯d dismiss such triviality from the Wu n, but if Wu Kun is involved and she was negligent towards her duties, it could bacsh on her.

    "I¡¯ll report it." She left after saying such.

    "..." Yan Zaizen saw this and felt that Wu Kun¡¯s status was rather well regarded. As if noticing his curiosity, Wu Jin exined, "Elder Wu Kun is the grandnephew of a Heavenly Genesis Ancestor within the n. He is also one of the top three in the entire n with the highest chance of reaching the Heavenly Genesis Realm.

    "I see." He nodded. However, Yan Zaizen realized it was a chance and not a certainty. This meant his conceptualw had yet to reach the minor manifestation-level. If it did, with the Apex Essence Pill, all he¡¯ll need was the appropriate materials to build his Heavenly Shrine.

    Several hours passed before the middle-aged woman returned. She informed them that an Elder of the n would be arriving to act as a liaison for this request.

    They waited an entire day before a skyship appeared in the distance. It was a medium-sized,pletely blue with arge white crane etched on both sides of the ship. From there, Yan Zaizen could feel multiple people operating and acting as crew on the ship.

    "Oh?" He felt a familiar aura from the ship.

    An elegantly beautiful woman with a white crown with a red gem revealed herself at the front of the ship. Her gaze carried unyielding pride, and her bosom had an alluring and deep valley.

    Gu¨¤n Cui!

    Yan Zaizen was a little surprised. Thest time he saw her was after the fifth-floor entrance of the Asura Phantom Realm. She was injured and lost her sky-rank sword. Now, it seemed she recovered.

    Her eyes traced Yan Zaizen and Wu Jin, slight surprise flickered in her eyes. Yan Zaizen was a member of the Anima Syndicate, had a Perfect Aurora Soul and profound body cultivation, and even in the entire Xiantu Realm, this was a powerhouse through and through. Now, he arrived before them.

    Originally, she was only here to give an appropriate amount of face to Wu Kun, but now, she was actually a lot more happy to see Yan Zaizen. Many suspected that he raided the fifth floor clean, and thus had a stockpile of useful items on hand. Not to mention, Yan Zaizen had ate-Origin Core Cultivation base now! This was nearly impossible in such a short span of time without heaven-defying pills.

    "Greetings,e aboard." She said.

    They didn¡¯t hesitate and boarded the skyship. Arriving in a private room suitable for discussion, they sat facing each other. "Miss Gu¨¤n Cui, I must say we¡¯re in a rush, so I¡¯ll skip the formalities, please excuse my rudeness." Wu Jin directly said, Gu¨¤n Cui softly nodded in response.

    "I¡¯m here looking for a man named Bai Lufeng. He¡¯s Lord Zai¡¯spanion." He exined.

    "..." She looked towards Yan Zaizen to see him with a calm expression. Her eyes revealed curiosity, but she continued to let Wu Jin exin without interruption.

    "To be frank, he was seen traveling to the White Crane Territory. We suspect...that he¡¯s been inducted into a Harem Pce for one of your members." Wu Jin said cautiously, obviously not wanting to say more on the subject and hoping just this will be enough.

    "..." Gu¨¤n Cui¡¯s eyes flickered. "Is he still alive?"

    Yan Zaizen removed a life talisman and showed it to Gu¨¤n Cui.

    "If he has been ¡¯inducted¡¯ into a Harem Pce, I¡¯ll be sure he gets news of your arrival." She responded. One could see she was unwilling to implicate her sect in this situation, but she knew what happens in the territory.

    "It¡¯s likely Gu¨¤n Yao." Yan Zaizen calmly added. This name caused Gu¨¤n Cui to furrow her brows. If it was anyone else, then this would be fine, but Gu¨¤n Yao...

    Gu¨¤n Yao, publically, would never reveal her ownership towards a Yang Harem. This was something that men harbored in deep hatred, simr to how women would hate a man filling up his harem with reluctant beauties.

    She had a faint trace of helplessness flickered in her eyes. Gu¨¤n Yao¡¯s status was special and although they originated from the same n, she was not someone that could be persuaded. Not to mention, she was ruthless to the extreme.

    She would never allow anyone who¡¯ve offended her or who she offended to live. This was amon rule in the cultivation rule to prevent your death urring at other¡¯s hands due to revenge. Clean the weed from its roots and be unforgiving.

    To her understanding, if it truly was Gu¨¤n Yao, she¡¯ll prefer to eliminate this Bai Lufeng and kill Yan Zaizen before even thinking about setting Bai Lufeng free.

    "..." Yan Zaizen observed Gu¨¤n Cui¡¯s reaction. Despite recovering quickly, she still revealed helplessness and pity. He expected as much the moment he learned that Bai Lufeng was captured by someone with high status. In truth, if he was ruthless, he would have the same mentality. If Bai Lufeng found new found inspiration, then he could dedicate his life to getting revenge, and if he did, it¡¯s possible that he could lead or be directly responsible for her death in the future.

    Wu Jin knew this. This was why he hesitated to inform Yan Zaizen about Bai Lufeng¡¯s situation. It was essentially a lost cause. If anything, this entire thing was a facade to disy that Wu Kun was willing to back Yan Zaizen. In the future, even if the situation turned out dire, Yan Zaizen would have a good impression of Wu Kun in the future.

    "En. I¡¯ll ask around." Gu¨¤n Cui said in a neutral tone.

    A heavy sigh resounded. Gu¨¤n Cui and Wu Jin¡¯s eyes turned towards Yan Zaizen. His next words caused their eyes to widen in shock.

    "You don¡¯t need to. I¡¯ll find him myself. My way." Taking a small step, a soft, almost indiscernible ¡¯pop¡¯ resounded. His body merged into the world¡¯s surroundings and vanished from existence.

    With negotiations obviously leading nowhere, he¡¯ll ensure Bai Lufeng¡¯s life himself. There was no longer a need to y along.

 Chapter 159 Decision

    "P-please! Let me go! I¡¯ll do anything. I¡¯ll pay you anything! PLEASE!!" A naked man, burly in physique, shouted in despair. With his feet shackled to the center of this bar-filled cage, his cultivation suppressed to it¡¯s absolute lowest, and surrounded by others who¡¯ve given up on life, this man shook the bars fiercely in rejection of his fate.

    Before him, a feminine looking man stood dressed entirely in ck, his eyes filled with mockery and contempt. "...And what will you pay me?" A slight evil smile tugged on his lips. He personally enjoyed watching these men suffer, begging for their lives fruitlessly in desperation, and it was somewhat a fetish for him. After this, he¡¯ll go and enjoy good wine and women simply to feel superior to all.

    "I, I¡¯ll...I-" The man tried to think, but he was scared of saying the wrong thing. However, at the end of his words, a figure appeared behind the ck-dressed feminine looking man. In this darkness, the one thing that stood out was the figure¡¯s vibrant amber-gold eyes that seemed to be filled with lifeforce. However, as he looked into those eyes, he felt his soul shake intensely as if he was looking at a sovereign of the known world.

    To the man, his eyes lit up with excitement seeing the man¡¯s dumbfounded response. He only relished the feeling more, "Nothing? How pathetic, and here I was thinking of letting you go." Despite his words, the naked, burly man said nothing as if his soul was encapsted by an unknown force. It was as if the ck-dressed man didn¡¯t exist, that the cage didn¡¯t exist, his despair no longer filled his mind, only sheer reverence and respectful fear.

    Yan Zaizen stared at a corner of the cage. Bai Lufeng¡¯s aura was weakly emitted somewhere in the pile of exhausted and skeleton-like bodies. His eyes turned towards this ck-dressed man, but there was not a single ounce of emotions within, as if looking at a dead man.

    "Oh...can¡¯t speak? Cat¡¯s got you-"

    Just as the man wished to taunt more, the palm that seemed as if it could exceed the heavens appeared from the darkness. Itshed violently on his head and all he felt was a sudden pinch. His eyes rolled behind his head, and his body lost its support. Physically, the man was deader than dead. However, in terms of the soul, Yan Zaizen immediately wrapped his soul me within his silver-blue soul energy.

    With the soul me in hand, Yan Zaizen ruthlessly prated it, utilizing the Soul Search Art to view all of his memories, most vulnerable secrets, and sense of self. He could view the perversion that seeped into this man¡¯s very bones. If Yan Zaizen¡¯s mentality was slightly weaker, he would retch at all of this. Fortunately, he has his own dao, his soul cultivation was exceptional, and his brain was enhanced greatly by the regalia of the soul.

    "Gu¨¤n Yao..." A stream of vivid information surged through his mind. This man worked for Gu¨¤n Yao and was an incredibly trusted man of hers. With his help, she established a Yang Harem to gather primal yang energy to enhance her primal yin, soul and body cultivation. This man was privy to all of her secrets, and they were very, very dark secrets. Secret assassinations, yang harems, schemes and plots against forces, and more.

    "Women...they truly are far more cunning than men." Clenching his hand, his soul me was directly snuffed out. Now, he was truly dead.

    Taking a step forward, Yan Zaizen shifted through space, appearing within the cage. As he did, he noted that the cage could conceal someone¡¯s aura. Unfortunately for her, Yan Zaizen¡¯s spiritual sense was exceptionally powerful with an upper-tier Mortal Dao amplifying its characteristics. Even if Bai Lufeng was sent into a sub-dimensional space, he¡¯ll be able to locate its entrance with ease.

    The only reason he didn¡¯t send his spiritual sense outwards to find Bai Lufeng previously was to avoid offending forces unintentionally, as they were alive, he didn¡¯t feel a pressing concern. In truth, if it wasn¡¯t for Wu Jin¡¯s urging, he would¡¯ve been here the moment he got the news.

    "Bai Lufeng..." Looking at the pile of skeleton-like bodies, Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes suffused with a profound sadness. If Bai Lufeng got into this situation by his own action, even if he was killed because of his own action, Yan Zaizen would only feel that it was unfortunate, but he was targeted due to hisck of backing. They picked rogue cultivators to avoid offending any powers and gaining too much attention.

    Because they were rogue cultivators without any stable backing, all they could do was wallow in their own despair, pathetically bargaining with the hidden wealth they may have. As for people looking for them? That was unlikely, and even if they did, what could they do? Unless they could be found, the only assumption was killed by robbery or grudge and body burnt to ashes.

    Waving his hand, the pile of bodies was pushed aside as a single one floated towards him slowly. A quick inspection revealed his body and soul cultivation was thoroughly crippled. His physical body was like bones with ayer of overly dried skin, as if he was a mummy with blood coursing through his veins. He was bordering death. In truth, perhaps one more extraction could¡¯ve snuffed out his existence. This...

    Pinaka solemnly analyzed him, "his psyche is in a mess. Bits of his soul me was extracted crudely with his primal yang, his body has already lost all trace of vital energy. A vast majority of his body is in necrosis. He¡¯s only alive by a single thread, but in truth...this isn¡¯t considered alive."

    Every word pounded Yan Zaizen¡¯s heart. "Can he recover?"

    "...theoretically, yes. His body could be reconstructed, before then, his soul me needs to be recovered so that a proper body can be extracted to house it. Then, his soul form needs to be repaired, his psyche will likely take hundreds of years to properly recover as his soul me will be in disorder for quite some time after all this is finished. If nothing goes wrong during this entire process, perhaps. It¡¯ll all be fine if he has the will to continue."

    Her words were like stabs into Yan Zaizen¡¯s heart. This state was very consistent with months of primal yang extraction, and it was already a miracle Bai Lufeng was even alive. With each passing moment, Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes became darker and darker, containing an inkling of savageness. Observing the change in his mental state, Pinaka continued, "There might be another way. Using your lifew to produce lifeforce and soulforce, you could recover him in a few years, but...it¡¯s not a guarantee."

    To be honest, she wasn¡¯t sure if it¡¯ll help. Personally, she never saw someone who¡¯s been in such a state before. This was essentially death. Arge reason why she felt it wasn¡¯t a guarantee was that...his primal yang was severely damaged. How could he recover this?

    Wait!

    "There is a third method," Pinaka¡¯s voice was filled with tyrannical ferocity and ice-cold decisiveness. Yan Zaizen¡¯s Mortal Dao was riled up, causing her words to be influenced greatly in tone.

    "Third method?"

    "Yes...all you have to do is obtain his primal yang that was extracted. To do that, you just need topletely extract the primal yin from the one who refined it. With that, your soulforce and lifeforce, his recovery would be all but assured."

    "..."

    Yan Zaizen was having a fierce internal conflict at the moment. It wasn¡¯t whether he should obtain the primal yin of Gu¨¤n Yao ¡ª that was a given ¡ª the conflict had to do with his actions towards the White Crane Sect.

    Give them a choice: give up Gu¨¤n Yao or else?

    OR.

    Kill?

    In truth, the majority of the White Crane Sect was innocent of this matter, thus giving them a choice was far more suitable, but his current emotions were incredibly turbulent as he looked at Bai Lufeng¡¯s desated body. However, if he was to kill Gu¨¤n Yao, then he¡¯ll be forming a lifetime grudge with the White Crane Sect, and his friends, families, and more may be in danger as a result. Either now or perhaps in the future.

    He closed his eyes. Even if he gave them a choice, they¡¯ll still fight. They had the Mortal Dao of Unyielding Pride after all, they wouldn¡¯t capitte to any lone person after a few words. Therefore, there was very little reason to give them a choice. Furthermore, it¡¯ll only give them time to prepare against him.

    Pinaka could sense Yan Zaizen¡¯s conflict, and she silently waited. However, with his Mortal Dao, she already knew his choice. This contemtion was simply going through the motions. With this decision, he¡¯ll never have to contemte a simr matter again. However, this decision wasn¡¯t an easy one.

    Firstly, the concept of killing an entire sect was theoretically impossible. There were likely many members of the White Crane Sect in the Xiantu Empire stationed outside of the territory, outside the continent, or even traveling to neighboring realms, both important and unimportant.

    Secondly, you¡¯ll have to be cold-blooded to y toddlers in their cribs and children in their ignorance. Even if you did make such a decision, you¡¯ll still be brought back at the struggle of who to kill. Not everyone in the territory belongs to the White Crane Sect and the myriad of alliances that were created would lead to unintentional offense.

    Thirdly, the vast area. The moment news of your ughter spreads, everyone will depart at their quickest speeds, and even Yan Zaizen wouldn¡¯t be able to keep track of them all if he was dyed inbat.

    With all these frustrating factors, the main one of keeping your identity a secret to protect your weaker loved ones was also incredibly difficult. In short, there was no clear way to perform the deed. As for the Earthly Titan Sect and Soaring Cloud Sect, no one knew that he was a part of the Yan n, even if they assumed, his strength in rtion to the Yan n would suggest otherwise.

    Thinking of all these things, he felt further frustrated.

    After several minutes passed, Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes opened revealing its amber-gold luster.

    "I¡¯ve made my decision."

 Chapter 160 Guè„¿n Yin

    Storing Bai Lufeng directly in his Meteor Ring, Yan Zaizen utilized the Chaotic Immersion Art. With a step, he vanished from the surroundings. As he stayed within chaotic space, his eyes flickered.

    "I need to capture Gu¨¤n Yao, leave no trace, and depart without anyone knowing." If anyone heard of his words, they¡¯d be struck with disbelief. Gu¨¤n Yao was the direct disciple of Gu¨¤n Yin, a first-floor Heavenly Genesis expert, and has the entire White Crane Sect standing behind her. Thankfully, to Yan Zaizen, this actually wasn¡¯t an issue. After searching the soul me that belonged to one of her trusted subordinates, he knew where she slept, where she cultivated, what she does and when, and her aura signature.

    One could say, Yan Zaizen¡¯s Chaotic Immersion Art was the greatest tool for assassination and escape. He could exit and leave without a single fluctuation, he could sense a vastyer of his surroundings inplete stealth, and stay in its time-flow for long periods of times. There were zero disadvantages to it, at least, from his point of view.

    In truth, it wasn¡¯t invincible. If a Heavenly Genesis expert deduced his action of entering entered chaotic space, they could rip open the fabric of space to enter as well. For example, the Xiantu Emperor ripped a slit in space towards the Asura Phantom Realm without building his heavenly shrine off spatialws. The only benefit is that they¡¯ll have to constantly defend against chaotic space¡¯s ripping force. This could be done for both spatial void and chaotic space, however, thetter consumes far, far more energy to do so.

    That wasn¡¯t all, despite being within chaotic space, he was always a part of the heavens. Therefore, an experienced expert could sense his location and track him down with the appropriate art. It had its weaknesses, but it also held unimaginable advantages.

    He took a step forward. With this step, he traveled several li across chaotic space. He took another step.

    -----

    Holy Crane City, the Capital City of the White Crane Territory. At the center of this city stood a pure white pce as if it contained the holiest of existences in the Xiantu Realm. Residing in this pce was a woman. This woman was dressed in a white gown without a single stain touching its surface. Her body was willowy, her height capable of matching Yan Zaizen¡¯s, her chest contained two small yet perfectly supple peaks, and her hair and eyes were cker than the River Styx.

    She seemed to exemplify all things pure, containing profound elegance and heavenly grace that could barely be matched. As she breathed, the heavens seemed to resonate with her. The surrounding space subtly trembled, but not in fear or joy, but in acquiescence of her presence. She silently sat on a jade bed, her legs crossed, and her body radiating a faint heavenly aura.

    This was Gu¨¤n Yin, the White Crane Sect¡¯s sectmaster. As a first-floor Heavenly Genesis cultivator, she held extraordinary sway on the way of the realm, her every word was imperial decrees, and her every movement was idolized and worshipped by all.

    The moment Yan Zaizen killed Gu¨¤n Yao¡¯s subordinate, her eyebrow faintly twitched. Her eyes opened, looking at the area Yan Zaizen was located at. As if she could prate the heavens itself, she observed Yan Zaizen soul searching Chen He. However, she didn¡¯t take action, only closing her eyes once more. To her, Chen He was only the subordinate of her disciple, and not something she felt responsible for. As always, her disciple should be the one to handle the situation.

    However, her eyebrows twitched once more. She looked towards the area again and noticed Yan Zaizen had disappeared. Not only this, he vanished like a ghost in the wind with no trace whatsoever.

    "This..." She grew concerned at that point. For someone to be able to enter and exit her territory without her noticing, killing whoever he wished, and doing whatever he wished wasn¡¯t a suitable situation she desired. A soft sigh resounded.

    "This once I¡¯ll deal with this issue for you." Her words were soft and filled with indifference. As if killing Yan Zaizen was as simple as taking out the trash. She decidedly re-entered her cultivation state.

    A minuteter, her eyes that revealed a calm purity widened with absolute shock and disbelief. Her eyes shed with golden light, piercing through the heavens to discover Yan Zaizen had entered her disciple¡¯s room. He bypassed the formations that prevented spatial shifting, bypassed the sensory formations, and bypassed physical walls without a single disturbance, and yet, he reached her room with little issue.

    Not to mention, he was in her room!

    As the sectmaster of the White Crane Sect, how could she not have a sensory formation that could monitor the entirety of her sect, specifically important areas or the sudden deaths of her members? Not to mention, as a Heavenly Genesis Realm cultivator, she could pierce through the heavenlyyers of physical substance and observe areas from an unimaginable distance away. Unless there was a specific formation that prevented her from observing, she could do so easily.

    How could she allow her disciple to be in such danger? She waved her hand, her true-essence infused with the essence of the heavens surged outwards. The space in front of her ripped open into a slit, interconnecting her room with Gu¨¤n Yao¡¯s, and with a step, she entered without dy. As she did, her eyes flickered with killing intent.

    Gu¨¤n Yao was cultivating quietly within her room, preparing for the Xiantu Dao Trials, and refining the primal yang she obtained. As Yan Zaizen saw this, his eyes shed with an intense murderous light. However, as it did, Pinaka¡¯s voice resounded.

    "Someone¡¯sing! Someone powerful! They know you¡¯re here, hurry!" Even Pinaka, who has experience with Heavenly Genesis experts, didn¡¯t expect Gu¨¤n Yin to have seen Yan Zaizen kill Chen He. Then, afterwards, decided to pay close attention to her disciple¡¯s room after discovering that he vanished into thin air without a trace.

    What?

    How?!

    He was shocked but didn¡¯t hesitate. At this point, if someone knew he was here, then they already knew who he was. In that case, why hesitate?

    With a step forward, he activated his Herculean Avatar Art. His speed traversed the short distance from where hended to where Gu¨¤n Yao cultivated in a blink. Gu¨¤n Yao didn¡¯t even get a chance to open her eyes before a silver-blue light shed across Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes. Her soul was directly impacted by his soul art, causing her to lose consciousness immediately. With that, he reached out to grab her, but a spatial slit formted directly in front of him.

    With widened eyes, he was in disbelief. A true-essence that seemed to be infused with the heavens shot out of the slit with speed that made his mind spin, but he didn¡¯t back down. He knew that the expert had to travel from where she was to here, and that¡¯ll take time, and even if it¡¯ll take a second - that was more than enough!

    Dao of Sovereign Ascension!

    His body erupted with potent vital energy that was further amplified by his Mortal Dao. As it did, the color of his vital energy was tinged with a dark-amber, but its power was several hundreds of times greater than normal. As the true-essence arrived in front of him, he waved his hand to meet it, smashing violently causing space itself to crack.

    BOOM!

    The resulting collision seemed as if it was twos colliding. The entire room copsed in a millisecond, as for Gu¨¤n Yao, she was protected by two spheres of heavenly-infused true-essence and dark-amber vital energy. Despite their collision, both of them consciously protected Gu¨¤n Yao¡¯s body from any harm. They each did so with their own reasons.

    Yan Zaizen with the intention to extract all her primal yin for Bai Lufeng, therefore needing her soul and body alive to do so.

    Gu¨¤n Yin with the intention to protect her disciple from harm.

    "What?!" Gu¨¤n Yin was shocked as she witnessed her true-essencee in contact with Yan Zaizen¡¯s body from the spatial slit, but as for his body, he was still and unaffected.

    "What?!" Yan Zaizen was equally shocked. This true-essence came from a first-floor Heavenly Genesis cultivator, but he deflected it with so much ease. It was like smacking a marshmallow. In truth, Yan Zaizen had barely any idea how strong he was if he went all out.

    His physique had been refined by the lifeforce energy that was equivalent to the materials needed to construct a two-floor Hell Altar, enough materials to reconstruct an Infernal Forger¡¯s body and a vast quantity of space itself. With all this, his physique had been refined to a phenomenal level.

    Not to mention, what was his Mortal Dao? A peak upper-tier Mortal Dao! The amplification effect it has on the body, vital energy, and arts was unsurpassable amongst upper-tier daos! With the Dao simultaneously amplifying all of these effects, while they also bolstered their own strength, Yan Zaizen¡¯s strength reached a stupendous degree.

    Therefore, theparison of him pping a marshmallow was not an exaggeration.

    "..." Even Pinaka was shocked.

    This shock left him visibly stunned, and he lost half of second of time, but he recovered immediately. His current state easily made up for lost time as he stepped forward, and his hand pierced through Gu¨¤n Yin¡¯s sphere of true-essence like a hot knife through butter. He violently grasped Gu¨¤n Yao¡¯s throat.

    "HALT!" From the spatial slit, Gu¨¤n Yin¡¯s holy appearance was immediately reced with a venomously violent expression, her true-essence erupted with such intensity that it seemed as if she was using a divine art to bolster her strength. Even Yan Zaizen was shocked by her fluctuations, but he felt very little fear as she headed towards him. In truth, he even had a smirk on his face.

    With a wave, Gu¨¤n Yao¡¯s body was directly stored in the Meteor Ring, and he dashed directly into the spatial slit.

    WILLINGLY!

    "Your disciple dares to harm my subordinate?! You¡¯ll pay as well!" His voice was filled with a tyrannical ferocity that caused space itself to tremble vigorously. Within his dark amber-gold eyes held a trace of unyielding confidence! Even while facing a Heavenly Genesis expert, he held absolutely no fear!

 Chapter 161 Dominance!

    "I¡¯ll kill you!" Gu¨¤n Yin¡¯s Dao of Unyielding Pride erupted as she was surrounded by a faint white light, her aura spiked in intensity by several times, but unfortunately,pared to Yan Zaizen¡¯s Dao, her amplification was far too little. As a bestowed dao of the peak lower-tier, it couldn¡¯t even be mentioned in the same breath as Yan Zaizen¡¯s.

    Towards her threat, Yan Zaizen only coldly smiled. At first, he was terrified at the thought of facing a Heavenly Genesis expert, but now that one was before him, he felt absolutely zero fear. If anything, he felt excitement and battle intent. To truly know one¡¯sbat strength, one must enterbat!

    Gu¨¤n Yin didn¡¯t hesitate, despite being in the spatial slit, she directly turned her palm, bringing forth a peak-grade sky-rank armament. The armament was a white saber, from de to hilt, and it gave off faint fluctuations of sharpness that seemed ready to sever the world with a single sh. As she brandished her saber, a prideful and tyrannical aura erupted from its point. The spatial void quaked ferociously.

    However, she didn¡¯t stop there. Her dantian radiated a vast heavenly aura. From within, a heavenly shrine with only one-level manifested so clearly that one could glimpse at it from any directions. To Yan Zaizen, he was intrigued and also a little wary. This was the first time witnessing a heavenly shrine in action. It looked like a building, to be more urate, like a temple.

    It had a t roof with curved tips, pirs supporting the roof, an entrance, a foundation, and even a hollow inside. The pirs had white saber markings etched onto it, the hollow inside had swirling orbs of condensed heavenly energy floating about, and the entire pce was golden with a faint white glow. Despite this description, it was norger than a baby¡¯s fist!

    "She¡¯sprehended a saber-based conceptualw, and built her Heavenly Shrine around that, be careful. The offensive power of a saberw should not be underestimated." Pinaka warned. Despite having total confidence in Yan Zaizen¡¯s abilities to survive and fight, she felt it was necessary to do this much.

    As if reinforcing the idea that Heavenly Genesis cultivators need to be taken seriously, Gu¨¤n Yin raised her saber, and with unyielding momentum, she valiantly chopped down! Saber energy sliced outwards with speed that exceeded Yan Zaizen¡¯s soul energy by a considerable degree, and before long, it¡¯d already reached him.

    With a clenched fist, Yan Zaizen barreled forward without fear. He punched outwards, all the strength in his physical body was ced behind this strike as it met the saber energy head-on.

    BOOM!!!

    The surrounding spatial void started to fragment as if only a little more was required to shatter. The saber energy was dissipated upon the collision, and Yan Zaizen¡¯s fist was unharmed. As Gu¨¤n Yin saw this, her pupils constricted with intense fear. Yan Zaizen, on the other hand, felt even more confident than ever before. His previous wariness dissipated with that one punch.

    Unwilling to lower his momentum, taking a step forward, he shattered the fragile space beneath him. In the time it takes for a flint to spark, he arrived before her with a readied fist.

    With a thunderous shout, he barreled his fist towards her. Instinctively, she created a spherical barrier of true-essence. Unfortunately, the moment his fist came in contact with the sphere, it shattered like ss facing a high-speed cannonball.

    BOOM!!!

    Her willowy body viciously collided with Yan Zaizen¡¯s fist. With this, her body was sent flying like a loose kite in a grand storm as the residual energypletely shattered the surrounding spatial void. As if unwilling to hold them within its confines any longer, the spatial void spewed them out into the White Crane Sect¡¯s territory. With this, they were separated as they exited from different points several hundred li apart.

    However, how could Yan Zaizen give up his momentum?

    With his spiritual sense infused with his Mortal Dao, he located Gu¨¤n Yin¡¯s flying body instantly. With another step forward, he sundered the skies, shattered the solid earth beneath his feet, and prated across space like a missile. The level of physical exertion he ced on the surroundings caused the fragile continent to quiver as earthquakes gued the entire White Crane Sect¡¯s territory. Many buildings with weak foundations directly copsed!

    "This!" Gu¨¤n Yin¡¯s pupils constricted to a needlepoint. Her expression revealed utter disbelief and terrifying levels of fear at Yan Zaizen relentless pursuit. Yan Zaizen¡¯s speed was far, far too fast for her to react to. Even with her heavenly sense, she could only perceive himing, but not fully react to his attacks. The very first blow had already severely injured her physical body and qi foundation to the point it was nearing total copse.

    In front of this man before her, she couldn¡¯t even formte a proper defense.

    She was terrified.

    The sensation of an intense deadly crisis caused her scalp to turn numb as she sensed Yan Zaizen shot through several hundred of li in distance towards her within milliseconds.

    "!" With what little she could do, she constructed what little defense she could, withdrawing a talisman from her spatial ring, and crushing it without hesitation. The moment she did that, Yan Zaizen was already before her with viciousness spewing and a readied fist that seemed intent on shattering the world!

    With a thundering roar, he threw this fist forward with indomitable momentum, crashing against her barrier, prating said barrier, and smashing heavily against her physical body once more. With another resounding boom, she smashed helplessly into the ground. In her wake, she crushed countless residences and many other locations, producing a crater the size of a football field at her impact zone.

    "She has a pseudo spirit-rank defensive armament," Pinaka¡¯s notified Yan Zaizen. In truth, he realized that when he smashed into her before. It was as if a thin barrier dispersed a majority of the force in his fist while protecting her body from shattering. He stood in mid-air, his eyes looking at Gu¨¤n Yin¡¯s bloodied and broken body in the crater. Despite her protection, her body was essentially in shambles. If it was someone in the Essence Path, it¡¯s likely they¡¯d have long since perished.

    At this point, he wasn¡¯t in a rush to kill Gu¨¤n Yin. In truth, he didn¡¯t even wish to kill her to begin with. To reach her level of cultivation, she didn¡¯t deserve to die because of her disciple¡¯s mistakes. However, he needed to establish dominance and ry a message to all others: Do Not Offend Me.

    His gaze suddenly shifted towards the north. He could see a spatial slit forming; a new arrival wasing.

    He decided that he was going to make his identity known. He¡¯ll be a genuine powerhouse, with a name that resonates across the entire Xiantu Realm. With this, his subordinates will be directly protected by his name alone, and not a single person would dare offend him. Therefore, he wasn¡¯t in a rush.

    Gu¨¤n Yin stayed in her crater, her eyes flickering with rage and fury. Not only did this man steal her disciple, he also nearly copsed her physical body. If it wasn¡¯t for her pseudo spirit-ranked defensive armament, her life would¡¯ve already been reaped away. As she gazed at Yan Zaizen¡¯s calm expression as if her life and death were only a thought away, her eyes suffused with venomous hatred.

    From the spatial slit, a figure appeared with calm steps. He had a handsome appearance, looked like he was around sixteen or seventeen years old, but he had eyes that were filled with unlimited pride and wisdom. He dressed in a white martial robe that seemed to be without a hint of taint. His aura was profoundly steady, and space seemed to be obedient in his presence. This was an indication that he was a Heavenly Genesis expert.

    "The expert that bestowed his Mortal Dao to Gu¨¤n Yin," Yan Zaizen remarked. From his eyes and familiar aura of the dao, he could tell this was the person who bestowed his dao to the White Crane Sect. He was the reason for their rise. From what Yan Zaizen remembered, he married a woman from the sect.

    The young man¡¯s eyes looked at Gu¨¤n Yin bloodied and distorted body, his eyes suffused with a hint of disappointment. Shifting those very eyes, he looked at Yan Zaizen with an intrigued gaze.

    Yan Zaizen replied with his own. From his instincts, he felt zero fear from this person. As such, he decided to converse with Pinaka instead. "How strong do you think I am?" As he disyed his maximum capabilities which treated a one-floor Heavenly Genesis expert like trash, he felt Pinaka should be able to make a somewhat urate estimation.

    "Hm...From what I can see, your full strength should rival a peak two-floor Heavenly Genesis expert. If you were to execute actual martial arts with your Herculean Avatar Art: Life Form, it¡¯s hard to say." Her words contained a little surprise, but also intense excitement. She had her suspicions, but it seemed that her assumptions were true. Somehow, Yan Zaizen not only refined a second regalia into his body, but he also refined the strength of a two-floor hell altar into his body.

    As she was locked within his soul form by those threads of hell, she had no idea what happened. However, this meant Yan Zaizen was no longer a small character.

    "Your name?" The young man spoke, his voice carrying for thousands of li, yet he didn¡¯t seem to shout.

    "Yan Zaizen," he calmly replied, adding, "yours?"

    "Gu Yu."

    "So, shall we fight?" Yan Zaizen had a faint smile on his face, his fist clenching in anticipation. As it did, the world quaked slightly at the force he exerted by this simple action alone. In truth, he was raring to engage inbat. However, the young man only furrowed his brows, looking again towards Gu¨¤n Yin.

    "No." He waved his hand, sending a small, golden bottle towards Yan Zaizen. It sped towards him like aet. Witnessing this, Yan Zaizen was a little surprised. Catching the bottle in his palm, he looked at the contents. It was liquid, a small amount, perhaps a tenth of a fluid ounce. It radiated a heavenly aura, very simr to Gu¨¤n Yin¡¯s heavenly shrine.

    "Heavenly Law Liquid?" He was shocked. Why would the young man give him this? A single drop of this was beyond valuable, but this was around 50 drops of Heavenly Law Liquid. He looked at the young man with dense skepticism that couldn¡¯t be hidden.

    "Spare the White Crane Sect. All I ask." As he said that, he looked at Gu¨¤n Yin once more and shook his head with profound disappointment. How could he not know what happened? Gu¨¤n Yin offended someone that could rival the Xiantu Emperor! What the hell was she thinking?

    With that, he didn¡¯t even ask for any more information, simply re-entered his spatial slit. It closed behind him, and his aura vanished.

    "..." Gu¨¤n Yin was speechless.

    "..." Yan Zaizen was confused. When did he ever say he¡¯d destroy the White Crane Sect? Well, cultivators were far more decisive than normal, and he likely just jumped to the most logical conclusion based on the given circumstances. In that case, he turned towards Gu¨¤n Yin. He fully intended to end her existence. After all, it¡¯s not like he agreed to spare her nor did he even agree to spare the White Crane Sect.

    Witnessing Yan Zaizen turn his focus back on her while radiating dense killing intent, her entire body felt icy-cold, especially her heart. "Wait!" Her holy, untouchable appearance shattered as she shouted in full panic.

    "Hm?" Halting, he looked at her with curious eyes.

    "Here!" Taking out a simr golden bottle, she threw it viciously towards Yan Zaizen.

    Directly afterwards, she decisively shouted with a tone as sharp as a de, "From henceforth, Gu¨¤n Yao is no longer a disciple of I, Gu¨¤n Yin, nor is she a disciple of the White Crane Sect! Her actions are condemnable and hated by both gods and men alike! I swear a heavenly oath that I, Gu¨¤n Yin, shall not seek revenge for my former disciple¡¯s fate! Whether she dies or otherwise!" Her voice resounded across the entire continent. A faint song of the heavens resonated.

    "..."

    WHAT?!

 Chapter 162 A Cultivators Decisiveness

    Catching the bottle of Heavenly Law Liquid, Yan Zaizen pondered silently. His gaze never left Gu¨¤n Yin¡¯s figure. Her deration indicated aplete and thorough cut-off from Gu¨¤n Yao, essentially, she was trading Gu¨¤n Yao¡¯s life for her own, and even decreed such circumstances to the entire continent.

    Yan Zaizen recalled Bai Lufeng. In Grux, Yan Zaizen was going to kill Bai Lufeng with Diyi. Shockingly, Bai Lufeng decisively threw away Diyi like a piece of trash, no longer protecting her with his life, and taking off without hesitation. Not knowing the circumstances before, Yan Zaizen assumed he was a cold-blooded individual, but a smart one, nheless.

    After Bai Lufeng had joined him, Yan Zaizen curiously asked why he was so decisive that day. His response left him feeling shaken.

    "I didn¡¯t want to die for another person¡¯s action."

    It was that simple. It was this very reason he didn¡¯t massacre the entirety of the Soaring Cloud Sect or Earthly Titan Sect. To kill someone for another person¡¯s action felt ludacris to him, but it happened far too often in the cultivation world. Entire ns get implicated by a single choice of one person. Their result? Condemned to annihtion to the veryst.

    The Shin n of Shin Xuanji was like this. A few members likely orchestrated a n for treason, so the entire n was held responsible. Although one could deem it clearing the roots, it also felt a little needless. Yan Zaizen would never allow someone who offended him to live if it was a life or death grudge, but would he kill their sons, daughters, brothers or parents? Did they deserve death?

    This very reason was why he didn¡¯t go blindly massacre the entire White Crane Sect indiscriminately. However, Gu¨¤n Yin¡¯s disciple was taken right out from under her nose, therefore, he felt that he had to kill her. She was directly offended, and she directly offended him by attacking with the intention to kill. Yet...here she was, delivering Heavenly Law Liquid and renouncing her disciple for her life so decisively.

    If her support had stood by her side, it¡¯s entirely possible she would continue to press the attack in an alliance. However, considering the circumstances, she ceased immediately and searched for a way out.

    "Cultivators..." Yan Zaizen felt like he understood more about the cultivation world and its experts. He felt that only experts like this, like Bai Lufeng and Gu¨¤n Yin, would be able to live a longer life and reach greater heights.

    "Give me your defensive armament." With a soft sigh, Yan Zaizen directly demanded. Despite revealing a reluctant expression, she immediately removed her flexible armor from underneath her clothes. It seemed to be fit perfectly towards her body, as the breast indentations were perfect for hers. It also suited tall and slim women.

    With a throw, the armor arrived in Yan Zaizen¡¯s possession carrying a feminine scent. He checked the Heavenly Law Liquid once more, there were about ten or so drops in here, far less than what Gu Yu left him. However, he felt that someone of Gu Yu¡¯s strength was far greater than Gu¨¤n Yin, so it was to be expected.

    "From henceforth, I, Yan Zaizen, shall have no qualms with the White Crane Sect over this matter. However, if you dare offend me..." His eyes turned violently vicious, exuding pure and unadulterated killing intent. Gu¨¤n Yin only nodded in response.

    With that, he took a step, vanishing into the surroundings like a ghost.

    At his departure, a sigh filled with relief and happiness sounded.

    -----

    Three days passed.

    Yan Zaizen was located within the Wu n¡¯s estate. Wu Yuanxu was sitting to the side, watching as Yan Zaizen worked for several days without rest. Continuously, he¡¯d inject a bit of primal yin energy into Bai Lufeng¡¯s bodies, fill his body with vibrant lifeforce, and funnel soulforce into his soul. In these three days, Bai Lufeng no longer looked like a mummy. Instead, he looked normal. His body was beefy once more, his hair had a nice and vibrant sheen, his skin was without a blemish, and his primal yang seemed to be far stronger than before.

    However, he hadn¡¯t woken up.

    With his damage to his soul, his psyche was also inflicted simr damage. To recover, he¡¯ll have to pull together his instincts, memories, and personality into a single whole once more. This was only something he could do.

    Several hourster.

    "Cough! Cough!" Bai Lufeng hacked violently, as if he had just escaped from drowning in the ocean. His eyes were disyed deep confusion as he looked around. Suddenly, as if recalling a horrible memory, he shouted in despair and malicious violence, "You¡¯ll die! You¡¯ll all die!!"

    Yan Zaizen wasn¡¯t surprised. He only grasped Bai Lufeng¡¯s hand and sent a trace of soothing soul energy to calm his thoughts. After a while, his eyes finally focused on Yan Zaizen. "Y-Young...Lord?"

    "Tch. Look at you. Where¡¯s the Bai Lufeng from before? Hm?" Yan Zaizen snorted, looking away as if disappointed in Bai Lufeng. For a brief period, Bai Lufeng felt that he had died and gone to hell. The thought that shed inside his mind was just his desire before death.

    However, Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t allow that to continue.

    POW!

    pping him across the head, Yan Zaizen said calmly, "You were captured so easily. Then, you couldn¡¯t even escape yourself. Whatever! I cleaned it all up, it¡¯s time for you to decide what you want to do with her." Yan Zaizen berated him before pointing towards a weak looking Gu¨¤n Yao.

    Yan Zaizen had extracted her Yin Essence, but with his soul cultivation and Pinaka¡¯s understanding of the soul, how could he not properly extract it? Unlike the method she used, which was crude and painful, Yan Zaizen was clean...and painful.

    With that, she retained her looks, but her soul and body cultivation suffered a deep regression. Her eyes barely had any light in it, only suffused with weakness.

    When Bai Lufeng saw this, his eyes widened. It was only then, at that exact moment, that Bai Lufeng knew this wasn¡¯t a dream. The very scenario he harped about in despair had actually happened. Yan Zaizen arrived, killed and captured, saved and restored him to full, and letting him freely choose the punishment.

    A shameless smile appeared on his face, his eyes revealing the brightness it once had before. This caused Yan Zaizen to breathe a sigh of relief, but he knew, no matter what, this event will definitely affect Bai Lufeng deeply.

    "Before you decide, let me introduce you to Wu Yuanxu."

    -----

    The event in the White Crane Sect¡¯s territory spread like wildfire. Many powerful experts were observing and immediately sent out information to their factions, this information further spread until it reached themon citizen.

    Most, originally, only knew that Gu¨¤n Yao had done something unforgivable and had her status renounced. However, after some time, everyone understood that Gu¨¤n Yao offended someone that even Gu Yu didn¡¯t wish to fight. He had to personally bargain for the White Crane Sect to be spared.

    As for Gu¨¤n Yin, she decisively threw away Gu¨¤n Yao to save her own life. Many enemies of the White Crane Sect even embellished the details to further humiliate the White Crane Sect and Gu¨¤n Yin. However, Gu¨¤n Yin didn¡¯t respond to any of these usations.

    Surprisingly, Yan Zaizen was now a mystery character as countless rumors circted about him. Some believed he was a divine beast in human form. Others believed he was visiting the Xiantu Emperor and Gu¨¤n Yao offended him somehow in her ignorance.

    His picture was being circted in some channels. Unfortunately, it was his Herculean Avatar Art form and not his original. However, those who were in the Asura Phantom Realm as Yan Zaizen directly dealt with the Presba Imperials recognized him from his portrait.

    Immediately, news of his actions in the Asura Phantom Pce resounded. The talk of the realm was about this new, mysterious body cultivator with a profound soul cultivation. Many women would buy his portrait and look at it longingly while some hot-blooded guys set him as their idol. If one day, they could storm the White Crane Sect and emerge victoriously, their lives would beplete.

    In Xiantu City, the Xiantu Emperor had unfathomable eyes as he gazed into empty space. To him, Yan Zaizen was a mystery, a threat, an ally, and more. Currently, he had far too little information about him.

    A young man with a handsome appearance walked in, his posture and expression revealed unyielding pride with no respect. To him, the Xiantu Emperor was but an equal. To him, the Xiantu Emperor could defeat him but couldn¡¯t kill him. Therefore, he doesn¡¯t deserve his respect.

    This was Gu Yu.

    As he entered, the Xiantu Emperor seemed unperturbed by his existence. His gaze continued to focus on the outside, as if he was watching over the entire realm.

    "His name¡¯s Yan Zaizen. He has a Mortal Dao, his physical body has been refined thoroughly, and he has a Perfect Aurora Soul." Gu Yu neutrally said. This was the information he¡¯d gained from his initial encounter.

    "I see." Xiantu Emperor didn¡¯t take his gaze away. His tone was filled with an imperialistic vor as if all was in his grasp. "His Mortal Dao?"

    "I¡¯m unsure. However, it¡¯s definitely in the middle-tier." Gu Yu said with a shrug, his gaze followed the Xiantu Emperor, his eyes prated all. From what he saw, he could observe the Mystic Wave Continent¡¯stest battlefield. The number of lives that were reaped per second was astonishing.

    "He¡¯s currently at the Wu n. Deliver this message to him." With a wave of his hand, a jade letter appeared and floated towards Gu Yu where it remained afloat.

    Grabbing the letter, Gu Yu¡¯s eyes shifted away to the Xiantu Emperor, "Don¡¯t forget your Dao Trials." He reminded, vanishing directly afterwards.

    The Xiantu Emperor¡¯s gaze shone brightly after those words, a faint smile appearing on his face, "Another chess piece hasnded on the board. How interesting."

 Chapter 163 Finally!

    "Lord Zai, I apologize for any inconvenience." Wu Jin respectfully said. Currently, Yan Zaizen resided in the Wu n with Bai Lufeng and Wu Yuanxu. After the incident with Gu¨¤n Yin, his face was now circted across the entire continent and likely realm. It was truly shocking how fast news traveled.

    There was even news circting of his stay in the Wu n. He didn¡¯t mind this, if anything, this was what he wanted. After being known as a powerhouse of the realm, he¡¯ll have far more influence over events. Even the Anima Syndicate had sent him a transmission. They wished to promote him to an Anima Commander, but Yan Zaizen declined.

    His main concern was the rule that disallowed him from creating his own force. Of course, he didn¡¯t believe they could stop him, but he also didn¡¯t want to spit in their faces by doing so. Therefore, he refused.

    Waving his hands dismissively, "There was little inconvenience on your part. You tried, I appreciate the effort." Slowly, Yan Zaizen was gaining the air of an expert. His face was calm, his smile warm, but his aura and thoughts were unfathomable. He felt like he entered an entirely new world.

    "My first step towards the heavens...I truly like this feeling." His thoughts circted with ease, as there was little impeding his mental state. The only concern he had was Tao¡¯s fate. However, after learning about the circumstances of his heavenly oath, it truly left him a little helpless.

    To break an oath would cause one to face Heavenly Judgement, and the tribtions will determine if you live or die. The majority who breaks their oath, they die. Fortunately, the heavens will always leave open a path for survival. You just had to have the capabilities to walk it.

    Suddenly, Yan Zaizen¡¯s gaze turned as he felt the space being chaotically connected and ripped. Unlike spatialws where you shift through, warp or merge with space, Heavenly Genesis experts crudely use their power to rip open a tunnel. This leaves a very distinctive signature.

    "What?!" Wu Jin¡¯s eyes widened as he felt space tremble slightly. His heart started to rapidly beat, as if he was about to face the heavens itself.

    A spatial slit appeared within the room, and from this slit, Gu Yu arrived with calm and prideful eyes. He didn¡¯t even nce at Wu Jin or noted the senses of the Wu n¡¯s Heavenly Genesis expert who was peering through space. His gaze focused only on Yan Zaizen.

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s expression was calm, his eyes revealing interest at Gu Yu¡¯ arrival. To be honest, he quite liked Gu Yu. Not just because he gave him a stupid amount of wealth for no reason, but because he¡¯s decisive and to the point.

    "I¡¯m here to deliver a message." Gu Yu informed, sending a jade letter flying towards Yan Zaizen. Covering it with his qi-essence, Yan Zaizen drew it near and stored it within the Meteor Ring without a single word.

    Witnessing this, Gu Yu nodded. He turned back towards the spatial slit and reentered. As it closed, his aura vanished from the surroundings. Arriving freely and departing as one wished, truly the air of a proud expert.

    Despite the sinct exchange, Wu Jin¡¯s heart nearly stopped beating. Gu Yu¡¯s aura caused him to feel like he was before a god that he could only worship. He truly felt insignificant.

    As for Yan Zaizen, his brows furrowed. The message he received was from the Xiantu Emperor himself, and he felt a slight headache over it.

    "Let me get Tao." Yan Zaizen suddenly said, taking a step forward, space rippled as he shifted within. The surroundings rippled as if a rock was dropped in a pond. This method was far more efficient than ripping a slit in the fabric of space with brute force.

    -----

    Tao¡¯s expression was the very picture of boredom. After the news of Yan Zaizen asserting absolute dominance over Gu¨¤n Yin spread, Tao felt a little frustrated that Yan Zaizen hadn¡¯t alreadye to retrieve him. As for Yan Qiu, she kept him obediently by her side, ignorant of Tao¡¯s rtionship to Yan Zaizen.

    Currently, she was within a luxurious room with a dozen other geniuses from Broad Creed Pce¡¯s territory. They sat in a circle, exchanging thoughts on arts, people, or events while drinking grant wine. A few remained quiet, only observing with the asional engagement, while others were enlivened by their topic.

    "I knew Gu¨¤n Yao would bring down the White Crane Sect with her dirty deeds and arrogance that could topple the heavens." One young, handsome youthmented with a sneer. In the past, Gu¨¤n Yao rejected all of his advancements and even humiliated him before.

    "I agree. To think she would offend a Heavenly Genesis level expert! Truly a cmity waiting to happen." Another young man chimed in, his expression was filled with disdain.

    "It¡¯s possible her renowned beauty lead to her downfall." A pretty young woman sharply said, her eyes traveling to Yan Qiu. When she said this, others followed with a nce as well. To be honest, they knew very little as to why Gu¨¤n Yao was disavowed of her status and disciple status. Very few believed it was because of her actions that angered men and gods alike.

    As a heavenly-tier sect, how could there not be people who do far, far worse? Yet they had inferior statuses and still retained as a member of the sect.

    Yan Qiu wasn¡¯t bothered by their thoughts or words. Personally, she believed her status was far above a mere Gu¨¤n Yao. After all, she was actually rted to her ancestor, treated like a princess, and her overall force was greater than the White Crane Sect could ever imagine. If anyone desired to take action against her, they would have to measure themselves nine times then think nine more times.

    She decided to say a few words so others understood her thoughts, "Gu¨¤n Yao, she doe-" however, she was rudely interrupted. The surrounding space trembled slightly. All the young geniuses got up from their feet, their eyes filled with shock. Each one of them felt a heavy aura on their bodies, as if a mountain was approaching with unstoppable momentum.

    Outside, Yan Zaizen stood above the Broad Creed Mountain¡¯s Yan n Pce in mid-air with his arms behind his back. His short ck hair and silver and sky-blue robe blew with the wind. His gaze were the physical representation of the calmness of a silent ocean, but his gaze caused everywhere he looked to feel heavy. His smile contained warmth and unyielding confidence to stand against the heavens.

    He was like an immortal arriving in the mortal world. All that passed his gaze was but temporary and irrelevant. Only he, as he stood upright, would be the center the world.

    Inwardly, his thoughts were very different, "how do I look? Heroic? Epic? Like an immortal?!" He was like a jubnt child as he urged Pinaka to critique his expression. For a while, since Yan Zaizen left Han Genji¡¯s mountain, he has been practicing his expressions in private. All types, from lustful, heroic, angry, and even those filled with sadness.

    Therefore, he was getting greater and greater at it.

    "...You...look okay," was all Pinaka said, feeling quite awkward about this. She found it hrious that someone would actually practice their stances and expressions. Shouldn¡¯t theye naturally?

    A spatial slit appeared in front of Yan Zaizen. A tall, slim middle-aged man with blonde hair, deep-blue eyes, and a neutral expression exited from the slit. He donned dark-grey light armor beneath his light-grey robe. It was like a mixture of a warrior and a feudal lord. It gave him an aura of profound power and honor.

    The space around him trembled in obedience. "A Heavenly Genesis expert? Likely the Yan n¡¯s Ancestor." Yan Zaizen thought, his eyes disying nothing but unperturbed calmness.

    "My name is Yan Shijin, Ancestor of the Yan n, and Grand Elder of the Broad Creed Pce. May I ask why you¡¯vee?" Despite his calm outward appearance, Yan Shijin was inwardly wary. Essentially every Heavenly Genesis expert in the entire realm saw Yan Zaizen fight against Gu¨¤n Yin. With their ability to pierce through the heavens in observation, their heavenly sense, how could they not?

    Despite this, not a single person interfered. Not even the Xiantu Emperor. Either this person¡¯s strength equaled the Xiantu Emperor or exceeded him. Regardless, he didn¡¯t wish to offend someone of this caliber for no reason.

    "Mhm. Yan Zaizen, Anima Syndicate¡¯s Lieutenant." After replying with his identity, "I¡¯m here for my brother." Inwardly, Yan Zaizen found it intriguing that they had the same n name. However, if youpare the Yan n in the Fallen Stars Continent with the one here, it¡¯s like a dirt particle to a. The difference...it could induce suicide.

    "Your brother?" Hearing this, Yan Shijing felt his heart skip a beat. He was considering if Yan Zaizen was here for malicious intentions. If so, he should call the other members of Broad Creed Pce to handle this.

    "Mhm. He¡¯s a schr by the name of Tao. He had a contest with a member of your n: Yan Qiu. Afterward, he lost. I¡¯m suspecting the circumstances and I wish to get his opinion on the matter." Yan Zaizen exined. However, his words only caused Yan Shijing to grow warier of him. After all, Yan Qiu was his great-granddaughter and his most doted on rtive for thest thousand years.

    She was also a top beauty and had the potential to ascend to the Heavenly Genesis Realm. He didn¡¯t wish for anything to happen to her and knew of her mischievous ways. She may not be as bad as Gu¨¤n Yao, but as someone with her backing and arrogance, how could she keep her hands clean?

    Not waiting for Yan Shijing¡¯s response, he floated towards Tao¡¯s location.

    In the pce, all the geniuses heard the conversation outside clearly. Tao, who held a wine jug next to Yan Qiu, had thergest, most childish smile on his face. His pearly white teeth could blind like the sun.

    Yan Qiu¡¯s expression worsened the moment she heard Yan Zaizen¡¯s words. She was unsure of the situation outside, but considering her great-grandfather was outside to meet this new arrival, the person must be of equal or greater status than him.

    She nced at Tao¡¯s unbelievably bright smile and felt her heart grow cold.

    As for Tao?

    "Your time hase, you cheating witch!"

 Chapter 164 Fearless Facing Heaven

    Yan Qiu¡¯s eyes flickered as her mind calcted. However, Yan Zaizen and Yan Shijing had already entered the room. Yan Shijing¡¯s gave Yan Qiu a look suggesting her to not make any rash actions. Currently, Yan Zaizen had yet to turn hostile, so taking any course of action to offend would be unwise. As for preparations?

    The other two Heavenly Genesis Realm experts of Broad Creed Pce had been notified of his arrival. If anything happens, they are able to reach this location in a second. Yan Shijing was confident in stalling Yan Zaizen¡¯s movements if he only needed to do so for a second. After all, he was at the Heavenly Genesis Realm with confidence in his abilities.

    Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t care about their ns, their safeguards, or intentions. His gaze only saw Tao¡¯s brilliantly white smile. With that, his warmth overwhelmed him and he smiled. To Tao, it may have been three years, but to Yan Zaizen, it was over sixty years. As he recalled their time in the Deep Mines, he couldn¡¯t help but be washed with nostalgia.

    "Look what you got yourself into," his words caused all the geniuses who were gawking at his appearance to follow his gaze to Tao. Arriving with the Yan n¡¯s Ancestor, his attention wasn¡¯t focused on Yan Qiu but on a servant of hers. This left them perplex about the situation. All their assumptions were thrown out of the window.

    Tao coldly snorted, "If she hadn¡¯t cheated, how could I lose?"

    Yan Qiu¡¯s eyes gawked at Yan Zaizen with rapt attention. Her gaze traced his well-proportioned, well-crafted muscles, his domineering height, his amber-gold eyes that seemed to contain warmth and unlimited confidence, and a dashing countenance that put all men to shame. She was mesmerized by his looks and aura, her body tingling all over feeling unbearably hot. It reached the point that her legs shifted continuously to hide her twitching. Even her soft, smooth hands clenched and unclenched slowly.

    As a Heavenly Genesis expert, how could Yan Shijing miss this? It wasn¡¯t only Yan Qiu who was having this reaction, pretty much all the young female geniuses were fiddling in their seats with various emotions of embarrassment from shameful thoughts to brazen staring. There was even one who puffed out her chest unconsciously, revealing her deep valley and alluring curves.

    Tao was shocked by the sudden shift in atmosphere, but as he looked at all the female geniuses, he couldn¡¯t help but inwardly chuckle. He recalled when Yan Zaizen was in the Deep Mines, before he cultivated the Immortal Herculean Method, and how ordinary he looked. His eyes only had lifeforce butcked intelligence, his aura was unstable and violent, and now, it was theplete opposite.

    "Tao, break your heavenly oath." Yan Zaizen directly demanded. The problem with Heavenly Oaths is that they must be honored till death. Therefore, unless Tao broke the oath, he¡¯ll never be able to escape from being Yan Qiu¡¯s ve. Unless he killed Yan Qiu.

    "..."

    "..."

    "..."

    His words silenced everyone, including Tao. However, Tao looked at Yan Zaizen in the eyes and softly nodded. With that, he closed his eyes feeling the internal heavenly aura that resonated with his existence. It was like a song always reminding him of his oath, and if this song stops, then that meant his death or the time for his punishment.

    "I, Tao, break this heavenly oath!" His words caused the skies to darkened as if night, the air to turn turbid and oppressive, and the surrounding space started to tremble in fear. With a wave of his hand, Tao was directly brought over to him, and then directly stored in the Meteor Ring. Afterwards, he looked towards Yan Qiu, "I¡¯ll be back when this is over."

    With those words, he took a step forward, his body shifting through space to arrive outside. His eyes were calm, but deep within was intense excitement. Heavenly Tribtion was an act of punishment, but it had various levels to it. The stronger the one who swears the oath, the greater the punishment for breaking it. Therefore, unless you could rival the heavens, you¡¯ll never be able to handle punishment alone. Hence, 99% of cultivators see their lives end at this. Of course, only a small amount would actually break their oaths.

    The clouds above turned inky-ck. From time to time, they sparkled with vibrant, golden lightning that seemed like dragons soaring across the skies. Yan Shijing arrived outside, his eyes filled with fear. Every True Essence and Heavenly Genesis expert looked upwards with shock and horror. The only one in the entire continent that showed no reaction was the Xiantu Emperor, Gu Yu, and Yan Zaizen.

    Their gazes revealed only interest!

    "To ovee a Heavenly Tribtion, there are only two ways: Destroy the ck clouds suffused with heavenly lightning or survive until the heavenly lightning runs out," Pinaka informed. The act of oveing heavenly lightning has its benefits, not only does it enable one to develop their own nascent dao, but they can also gather Heavenly Law Liquid!

    However, a heavenly oath¡¯s punishment had slight differences. The case was, it was far, far stronger than the one to formte your own dao! Only lunatics would use a broken heavenly oath as a way to obtain Heavenly Law Liquid.

    "Well then!" Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes suffused with intense battle intent. He held out his hand, a faint light emerged from his chest and materialized in a bow! Pinaka¡¯s true form! As it appeared, all those who were watching had their eyes widened, even the Xiantu Emperor and Gu Yu.

    Pinaka had recovered about 90% of her strength, and as a weapon used by someone who was at the peak middle-stages of the Heavenly Genesis Realm, how could she be weak?! She wasn¡¯t just a spirit-rank armament, she was a top-grade spirit-rank armament! Even Gu¨¤n Yin, an actual Heavenly Genesis cultivator, only had a pseudo spirit-rank armament! The difference was far too huge to describe with words. However, if one tried to then:

    Alone, Pinaka could dominate the entire Xiantu Realm!!!

    Getting into stance, Yan Zaizen pulled by the bowstring. As he did, the essence of the world gathered at such a speed that it was as if ten thousand li of distance turned into a whirlpool of essence! This essence funneled into Pinaka¡¯s body as a crystalized arrow appeared. With the bow fully drawn, the arrow finished its gathering of the surrounding essence, processing it into a single arrow, and shined with a faint purple glow.

    This arrow contained destructionws within! To be exact, it carried the Archery of Pure Destruction conceptualw!

    Yan Zaizen felt his body being stressedpletely, and he couldn¡¯t help but be shocked by the feedback of the arrow. As for his qi-essence, it mimicked the exact signature of destruction and archery and was drained in a single go.

    The ck clouds started teeming with lightning dragons, swimming within as if they were its homes. From time to time, they¡¯d roar violently causing the hearts of all those who saw them to quiver. The clouds spanned an entire three hundred thousand li of distance! However, they were shrinking at a visible speed.

    From 300,000 to 100,000.

    100,000 to 10,000.

    10,000 to 1,000.

    1,000 to 1.

    As it condensed, the ck clouds no longer existed. Instead, they werepletely golden surrounded by brilliant lightning. It hovered above Yan Zaizen¡¯s head with heavenly ferocity, as if it wishes to destroy all that profaned its existence! Annihte all that dares to go against itsws!

    "HAHAHA! COME!" Yan Zaizen was fearless, his Mortal Dao of Sovereign Ascension exploded!!! The world was pressured by his dao, and despite not possessing a Heavenly Genesis qi cultivation base, the surrounding space trembled, but it wasn¡¯t in obedience! It was in inferiority and absolute submission!

    "If you want my brother to be a ve for his entire life, then you OVERESTIMATE YOURSELF!" Yan Zaizen thunderously roared, his voice surged outwards like violent dragons as the sky above the clouds sundered apart.

    ROAR!!!

    As if provoked intensely by Yan Zaizen¡¯s deration, the heavenly lightning dragons looked towards Yan Zaizen¡¯s with golden eyes, their gazes looked down on him with towering fury and supremacy. As if saying: ¡¯You overestimate yourself, your death shall dere this!"

    "Hahaha!" Yan Zaizen continued tough, hisughter was filled with madness, but his unyielding confidence didn¡¯t falter a single bit. In truth, any person who saw this would believe he was a madman. For some odd reason, Yan Zaizen felt enlivened while facing heavenly punishment. It was as if he¡¯d dealt with it thousands of times before, and it was very little to him. He gave it zero of his respect nor will he ever!

    Herculean Avatar Art!

    His form changed as faint golden inscriptions appeared on his body, and at his be was a diamond of swirling ck and white, but the outline of that diamond? It was sky-blue! He pulled Pinaka¡¯s bowstring further back, reaching 120% of its limit, and the pressure on his body increased hundred-fold, but he resisted it with a smile and a burning gaze.

    The atmospheric essence within the 500,000 li surged towards the crystalized arrow, and it increased in size by three times!

    "Impossible!" The Xiantu Emperor¡¯s eyes looked at Yan Zaizen facing Heavenly Tribtion fearlessly, galvanizing the surrounding essence for his use and even taunting the heavens themselves. Originally, this person was only a chess piece on his board, but it seems like he was an actual yer! To him, if he faced this arrow, all he could do was run! Run fast, fast and far!

    Gu Yu¡¯s eyes flickered, but his expression still contained that calm and prideful look. However, inwardly, his feelings were in turmoil. Did he have to courage to face heavenly tribtions with such fearlessness? The answer left him conflicted and his dao quivered.

    The concept of fighting one¡¯s Heavenly Tribtion was inconceivable! Even the Heavenly Tribtion of an Origin Core cultivator could kill all those in the realm! If the Origin Core Realm cultivator faced it alone, if he had sufficient talent, treasures, and will, perhaps he could wait it out, but defeat it? This was punishment, not the judgment to determine if your dao is sufficient to be given a chance or not. The difference was simply far, far too huge.

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s madugh ceased, his eyes contained unyielding confidence, and his physique thrummed with power! At this moment, he was very close to his absolute strongest state!

    Breathe in.

    Breathe out.

    RELEASE!!!

    The crystallized arrow soared across the sky, but it didn¡¯t cause any turbulent reactions from the surroundings. The skies weren¡¯t sundered, the earth didn¡¯t quake, and space did not ripple. The arrow moved through the air as if it was simply an ordinary arrow, all of its power and destruction was condensed within this single arrow, and not a single ounce of it was released!

    The heavenly lightning dragon fully condensed, seeing Yan Zaizen take action, it responded in kind. With a heaven-quaking roar, it pushed forward with a near invincible momentum. At this moment, the world went silent. Even the heartbeats, breathing, or even the mind of all onlookers went quiet! All that defined the existence of everyone was focused on this single crystal arrow facing this god-like lightning dragon!

    They continued forward until the inevitable collision urred.

    BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!!!!!!!!!

    SWOOOOOOOSH!!!!

    The very air, the very space, the very elements that quietly surrounded the ck cloud disappeared. It¡¯s not that they were scattered, shattered, or sent elsewhere. No. They were wiped out of existence.

    An orb of purple energy detonated into a perfect spherical orb that surrounded the inky, ck cloud and lightning dragon in its entirety. The sudden was deafening, but there were no gushes of wind, massive tsunamis created due to such an impact, or intense quaking of the earth. The inky, ck cloud that was immersed in that purple sphere of pure destruction.

    For three minutes, it stayed silently in the sky like a miniature sun radiating an aura that caused all those who felt it feel insignificant.

    After three minutes, the orb vanished. However, as those who looked at the sky where the tribtion gathered, they could see the brilliant outer space. For one li, the myriad of stars littered the skies, as if it was night, but there was no refilling that area as if it was permanently deleted.

    Yan Zaizen took a step forward, his eyes filled with excitement. With that step, he arrived in that empty area, and Pinaka was raised into the air. With a tap, Pinaka radiated a brilliant light that seemed to gather heavenly aura. Even though the clouds and tribtion may be destroyed, the deep heavenly aura could not be destroyed without possessing a power that equals to the heavens itself.

    Pinaka, as a spirit-rank armament for a Heavenly Genesis expert, had the function of gathering heavenly aura to produce Heavenly Law Liquid. However, she couldn¡¯t do so normally as the aura was far too little. It¡¯ll likely take a thousand years for simply one drop.

    Taking out the small, golden bottle he obtained from Gu¨¤n Yin, he held it beneath Pinaka¡¯s body. All onlookers saw Yan Zaizen harvest Heavenly Law Liquid as Pinaka produced a drop at a time. Before long, all the dense heavenly aura was refined into Heavenly Law Liquid.

    "Two hundred and thirty drops," a smile couldn¡¯t help but form on Yan Zaizen¡¯s lips. However, he also felt some fear. If the heavenly tribtion was stronger, it¡¯s unlikely he could harvest any. He also had very little intentions to try doing this again.

    From Pinaka¡¯s words, if the same person attempted to shield another from the heavenly tribtions, it¡¯ll invoke heaven¡¯s wrath, in which case, Heavenly Annihting Light will descend. If it descended, it would destroy you in body and soul without you being able to resist. Unless you rivaled the heavens, you were dead! If he wished to do so, he would have to wait 999 years before doing so.

    Unless it¡¯s the breaking of your own oath. However, in that case, the tribtion you¡¯ll face will far exceed the one he faced today. Even with Pinaka, it¡¯s unlikely he¡¯ll survive.

    Waving his hand, Tao appeared with a calm expression. Currently, Tao was the only one who was ignorant of the events that urred, nor did he understand the gravity of the punishment for his freedom. He was simply greeted casually by Yan Zaizen¡¯s warm smile, "It¡¯s done. Now, tell me what happened."

    With that, Tao had a mischievous glint in his eyes as he turned towards Yan Qiu.

 Chapter 165 Safety and Comfor

    Tao¡¯s expression caused Yan Zaizen to have a wary smile. In truth, he didn¡¯t believe that Tao would force the girl to service him or even kill her. Both Bai Lufeng and Tao may be arrogant, but they never kill without a justified reason.

    Yan Zaizen has done the same, except when he added his protective spiritual sense onto Sun Huan. In that case, he unintentionally killed Blood Fiend Sect¡¯s members. He prefers crippling than killing unless the offense warrants death.

    An example was Chen He, who guarded Bai Lufeng and watched him slowly wither to near death with pleasure. His death was warranted. So was Diyi¡¯s and those who directly harmed his master, Han Genji.

    Therefore, he knew that Tao wouldn¡¯t demand something outrageous like death or ve for life. However, when they approached Yan Qiu and Tao said his demand, Yan Zaizen was instantly silenced.

    It was...a little too tame.

    "Apologize! And admit that you cheated! The truth!"

    "..." Everyone was shocked. Many expected a former servant may ask for death, servitude, or something humiliating, but all Tao wanted was for her to publicly admit the truth.

    "It seems a schr¡¯s pride is an interesting thing." However, when he thought about it a little bit more, he felt Tao truly was far, far too tame. After being sentenced to death by his former foster parent, not once did he mention seeking revenge or going back. It was truly extraordinary.

    "Cultivators...some are kind, some are cunning, some are honest, some are vicious, and some are deceitful. However, they all act true to their hearts. They seek that, and for those who don¡¯t, they¡¯re destined to forever be nothing more than a speck beneath the heavens. A memory that¡¯ll vanish, and their dao never forming." Pinaka¡¯s tired yet emotional voice resounded.

    Enlightened, Yan Zaizen smiled. He always had pieces of why he liked being around Bai Lufeng and Tao, but that¡¯s because, no matter what, they were always true to their hearts. Those cultivators aligned very well with him. Not to mention, they weren¡¯t innately evil nor had a belief that murder solved all problems.

    In the cultivation world, these three were an oddity, and yet...fate brought them together.

    Yan Qiu apologized after getting her bearings, admitting how she cheated and who helped. Afterwards, she went to Yan Zaizen with an unusual gleam in her eyes. Her beauty was phenomenal to behold, and with that gleam in her eyes, many men couldn¡¯t stop their hearts from rapidly beating.

    "Greetings, my name¡¯s Yan Qiu." Her voice was soft, but her eyes contained clear intentions. Yan Zaizen felt a little awkward being gazed at in such a way, it was reminiscent to Lin Feilin, but he didn¡¯t lose his cool. Instead, he stepped towards her, causing all present to hone in on his movements.

    After getting in front of her, his hands slowly moved to brush against her forehead, moving aside a loose strand of hair on her head. After properly tucking it away, he drew his hands towards her chin. With his amber-gold eyes, he lifted her chin so their gaze perfectly matched.

    From this touch, he could feel her rapid heartbeat resonate through her tender skin. "Yan Zaizen, but you can call me Zai." His words were spoken with a heroic and calm re. At that moment, all the girl¡¯s heartbeats stopped.

    In the cultivation world, allowing someone to call you only by your name was considered an intimate action. With that, he swiftly turned towards a spatial tunnel behind Tao. He walked away, his robe fluttering in the wind and his presence in abundance.

    Taoughed inwardly, recalling Lin Feilin and how Yan Zaizen was getting better at this. However, knowing him, it¡¯s far too unlikely that he¡¯ll give Yan Qiu the time of day. If anything, this was Yan Zaizen¡¯s punishment for enving Tao. Her heart will never forget his figure.

    With the air of an expert and the tone of a hero, before he stepped into the spatial portal, "This meeting has concluded, but I¡¯ll be looking forward to the next." He walked forward.

    They vanished.

    "...I...Me too." Yan Qiu muttered softly. Yan Shijing witnessed this, but without Tao¡¯s knowledge of Yan Zaizen¡¯s developing habits, he was excited. If his great-granddaughter obtained the hand of an expert like that, the benefits they both would obtain could directly reach new, greater heights.

    -----

    Wu n, Yan Zaizen¡¯s Residence.

    A spatial ripple appeared. Both Bai Lufeng and Wu Yuanxu were talking together. During which they discovered they have very, very little inmon. Bai Lufeng was more of a hedonist while Wu Yuanxu was rather conservative. The difference in talent, upbringing, and age created this startling difference. While Bai Lufeng fought plenty of battles and seen many things in his three thousand years of life, Wu Yuanxu was a small character who lived for only several hundred years.

    One suffered untold struggles for survival, life, and saw the cruelty that a long one brings. Such as watching your wife, children, grandchildren die. To the point that you stop keeping track of your seed. However, Wu Yuanxu wishes to start his own n and watch his family rise.

    Despite this difference, they did get along. Not like Tao and Yan Zaizen, but close.

    From the spatial ripple, Yan Zaizen and Tao entered the room. Bai Lufeng and Wu Yuanxu¡¯s eyes brightened, they were expectant of Yan Zaizen¡¯s return. As they saw him with Tao in a brown ve attire, Bai Lufeng chuckled andmented, "You finally dressing appropriately?"

    Tao coldly snorted, ignoring Bai Lufeng. However, his eyes couldn¡¯t help see a slight light in Bai Lufeng¡¯s eyes that was vastly different than he was before. He didn¡¯t know what he experienced, but for some reason, he felt it was far worse than being someone¡¯s servant for a year. Therefore, he didn¡¯t say anything else.

    He went to the table and grabbed a wine jug, pouring himself a ss. He initiated conversation with Wu Yuanxu. As someone who was in the Deep Mines with Yan Zaizen, they exchanged a lot of stories, so he knew how this person helped him to his current path. It may have seemed small, but he understood a lot about soul cultivation from him.

    Yan Zaizen faintly smiled, grabbing a ss himself and sitting down. During these three years, one experienced near death, one actually died and revived, one was severely tortured, and another made a sworn oath to be a ve for his entire life. Yet, now they were together, healthy and vibrant enjoying good wine and goodpany.

    No matter how strong you get, this is what it means to enjoy life. To be surrounded by those who you want to be surrounded by. Drinking with those you wished to drink with and rxing in the safety andfort.

    --------------------------------

    [Author¡¯s Note]:

    This represents the end of Volume 2: A Step Towards Heaven.

    And the beginning of Volume 3.

    I¡¯ll be taking a break for a week(From 28th to the 4th). I think, truly, I need to take a break during each volume¡¯s end(Which I n to do from now on). We¡¯ve reached 165 Chapters in a little over two months and it has been an amazing journey! But as many suggest, it¡¯s about time I take a rxing break. I¡¯ve done a 7 chapter week before, but that was mostly filled with writing. It¡¯s time for a real break.

    The 10 Chapters unreleased for this week will be mass released for both Patreon(Depending on Tier) and here on Friday the 6th! So, next week, we¡¯ll be having a 26-Release Week. Biggest we¡¯ve ever done. I¡¯m excited to get this new volume underway! Next Volume will be the longest in length, filled with the most intense situations and battles thus far. Especially from the middle to end, I can¡¯t wait for you all to read!

 Chapter 166 An Invitation & A Question

    Within the Wu n, Yan Zaizen and Tao stood in a courtyard near a pond filled with white fish. Their expressions were slightly contemtive, while Yan Zaizen¡¯s brows were furrowed in frustration, Tao¡¯s expression was solemn.

    It¡¯s been one day since the Heavenly Tribtion event. Yan Zaizen had shocked the entire realm by fearlessly facing tribtions to free Tao from his oath. His name was now circting far and wide, being held in higher regard than the Xiantu Emperor himself.

    At this point, all elites of the realm at least knew his name. Those with deep informationworks even knew of his appearance. It seemed, with a single step, Yan Zaizen ushered himself into the spotlight. Despite this, Yan Zaizen still felt conflicted inside.

    One of the reasons for this conflict had to do with the jade letter given to him by the Xiantu Realm. Tao currently held it in his hands. Yan Zaizen was seeking consult from Tao on the matter. As for Bai Lufeng, his opinion didn¡¯t truly matter in this regard. As for his other concern, it was how he acted facing heavenly punishment. It was uncharacteristically like him.

    As for the letter, it was an invitation to the Xiantu Dao Trials. Unfortunately, it was in thirty-nine years from today. To cultivators at their level, thirty-nine years was a very, very short period of time.

    However, the problem was traveling to different realms. Strictly speaking, the quickest method to reach the neighboring realm would take twenty years ¡ª minimum. Between each realm was an area called the Border Expanse. It was a vast amount of empty space with no ability to sustain appropriate cultivation or habitats for standard living races.

    Because of this, they were caught between staying in the Xiantu Realm for forty-odd years or travel to another realm. Unfortunately, the only thing that could quicken their travel time through the Border Expanse was a realmship. A realmship could travel through the Border Expanse with phenomenal speeds by shifting through space. If they had this, they could leave and return in a short period of time.

    However, in the entire Xiantu Realm, there was not a single one. This left them in this dilemma. The Xiantu Emperor¡¯s invitation could lead to many benefits. However, if it was just an invite to the Xiantu Dao Trials, Yan Zaizen wouldn¡¯t care. It was the Xiantu Emperor¡¯s invitation to explore an area and obtain heaven-grade material. These were essential in constructing one¡¯s heavenly shrine!

    "Are you confident in joining this?" Tao questioned. Wherever the Xiantu Emperor would wish to explore would have dangers and many other challenges. If Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t feel confident in gaining anything, there was very little reason to ponder on the subject.

    "I¡¯m confident." His words were calm, but he had his suspicions on the Xiantu Emperor¡¯s intentions. If it wasn¡¯t dangerous, why wouldn¡¯t he monopolize the location? Therefore, he would have to be cautious.

    "In that case, it¡¯s only forty years. That¡¯ll be a blink to us. I can ascend in my cultivation while we wait. I believe, since a chance like this will definitely be hard toe by, you should seize it. As for our promise, we haven¡¯t even fully explored this realm yet. We have time." Tao softly patted Yan Zaizen on the shoulder and said. He knew this extraordinary young man held his opinions to heart. If he said they should leave, he¡¯d leave without any question.

    After all, they made a promise in the face of death.

    Nodding, Yan Zaizen felt a weight lifted from his shoulder. In truth, Pinaka had some thoughts about this invitation. She felt it had to do with the Deep Mines. As someone who stayed in its walls for thousands of years in hibernation, she felt that it was very mysterious. If it wasn¡¯t a sub-realm then it was likely the Deep Mines.

    "Until then, I n to cultivate in seclusion." Yan Zaizen directly said. In truth, Yan Zaizen enjoyed the art of cultivation, of power, and the life it brings. Growing up, Yan Zaizen often cultivated alone. Shunned by his n, dered to have no talent, he often cultivated arts. Outside of meeting Ya Qinqan, that was all he did.

    Unfortunately, his talent with qi cultivation wasckluster, including his artprehension. It was only when the Meteor Ring descended into his life that his fate changed. That he became truly powerful.

    Now, he can stand before the heavens, fearless and upright! The feeling was exhrating! He felt enlivened by his newfound strength. With this power, he could rule an entire realm!

    However, he stillcked in arts and dao application. With the Heavenly Law Liquid, he can further his body cultivation. With the resources and wealth he obtained from the Asura Phantom Realm, he can progress further into the Essence Path.

    He wished to furtherprehend and utilize these, turn them into more power so that, in the future, he¡¯ll never have to suffer. So that the people he cares for never has to suffer.

    Tao understood Yan Zaizen¡¯s thoughts. Therefore, he only gave his belief that this was the right path to follow. If anything, cultivating will ensure a better chance at obtaining materials with the Xiantu Emperor.

    They separated. Yan Zaizen decided to give Tao and Bai Lufeng the task of returning to Presba to investigate his impersonator and bring Wu Yuanxu with them. After obtaining various talismans, pills, elixirs, and armaments from Clear Divine City¡¯s Wu n¡¯s connections, they departed.

    Standing beside Bai Lufeng was an exceptionally beautiful woman, with a graceful body and phoenix-like eyes. However, her gaze was filled with a weak glow. She was Guan Yao. After Bai Lufeng¡¯s recovery, she swore a heavenly oath of servitude for ten thousand years for her life. Therefore, she was Bai Lufeng¡¯s personal servant.

    Yan Zaizen initially felt the time was a little harsh, but after remembering Bai Lufeng¡¯s state, that feeling faded like a soft breeze.

    Yan Zaizen gave his regards, seeing them off as they used a spatial tform for travel to Presba¡¯s Capital. He made sure to give them proper protection andmunication this time, so that if something happened, they can handle it till he arrived. As for the powerful talismans they brought with them, it should be enough to dominate the entire Fallen Stars Continent, not just Presba.

    Several dayster, Yan Zaizen was within chaotic space, floating within the endless ocean of darkness, he looked absent-minded. His gaze was without focus as he looked at the endless darkness, his arms were spread apart, and he let chaotic space move him about.

    He recalled the memories he had before. The ones that seemed like him but also wasn¡¯t. Also, how he acted when he looked towards the heavenly tribtion. It didn¡¯t feel like the person who stood there was him. The total disregard for the heavens...currently, he had vast respect for them, but facing them, it was like something influenced him to treat the heavens like trash.

    Then, he remembered his questions towards Pinaka about his existence. Why he had so many mysteries about him, who was he, what was he? This was messing with his thoughts, causing instability andck of focus. In this state, he couldn¡¯t cultivate, let alone do anything else.

    "Pinaka...what am I?" Yan Zaizen¡¯s tone was deeply emotional. Over the years, Yan Zaizen had experienced many things, both good and bad, but most of all, he knew his existence was shrouded in a mysterious haze.

    "..." Pinaka didn¡¯t reply, but her expression flickered betweenplex emotions. Once upon a time, Yan Zaizen and Pinaka had an agreement: To never lie. When Yan Zaizen described all the things he had experienced to try to figure out some of his mysteries, Pinaka was active until she heard one detail.

    Then, she turned silent.

    This one fact may seem incredibly insignificant, but when she heard it, her emotions destabilized to the point Yan Zaizen felt it.

    This detail: His soul form was a squiggly line.

    At first, Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t understand the significance. Wasn¡¯t that the rudimentary form of a normal soul form? This is what he assumed and many details informed that a soul form could be hazy and distorted. However, that¡¯s the difference.

    Hazy and distorted.

    Essentially, your soul should always, always model itself off your physical appearance. As your soul cultivation increases, its rity and purity would be enhanced. As you grow enlightened about yourself, your soul clears away any hazy and distortion. However, Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t have that.

    Yan Zaizen voice turned hoarse, "What am I?!" Pinaka¡¯s emotions became increasingly chaotic. Yan Zaizen recalled his life.

    His father. When he was only three, he was taught how to convert his developed qi from essence, taught how to hunt beasts, and how to joke around.

    His mother. Her smile that seemed to brighten the world left his heart feeling warm and his mind feeling safe. Her embraces could lull him to the most peaceful sleep imaginable.

    His aunt. Despite his talentless traits, she always cheered him on. Never getting angry at a single thing he did, whether stealing her undergarments or peeking on her in the bath.

    His uncle. The beatings he¡¯d receive from his hand whenever he stole from him. Being taught how to drink wine like his father. Knowing how to rx in life amidst dark days.

    He recalled the time he stood at the Serene Moon Cove. The sh in his vision. The woman, the despair as she looked at the heavens, and his violent emotions of sheer bloodlust.

    The timeter when he recalled holding a figure drenched in blood, crying to the very heavens in absolute rage, cursing all existence!

    His excitement when facing the heavens. His utterck of respect for it at that moment. It wasn¡¯t because of strength, but it stemmed deep within his soul. Where did thate from? It didn¡¯t feel like him...

    One was memories of himself, but what about the others? Why did he have a ck hole? Howe it didn¡¯t appear on his soul form originally? What was it? What was he? He was born in the Yan n; he didn¡¯t have any profound background. So howe he was so damn special?!

    "WHAT AM I?!" His mind had been an utter mess since arriving in chaotic space. The event where he faced the heavens truly felt like it wasn¡¯t him. This coupled with his shes of memories, the oddness that was the ck hole protecting his soul, and how his soul form wasn¡¯t a blurry shape of himself until after he cultivated a soul method.

    "Haaaaa..." Pinaka deeply sighed. "You¡¯re Yan Zaizen, but...your soul...isn¡¯t."

    -----

    [Author¡¯s Note]:

    The Start of Volume 3: The Myriad Realms.

    After a fairly decent break, we¡¯re back! I must say, the week break was great for the mentality. A lot of stress I felt washed away like sand in the ocean waves. Thank you all for being understanding, and a little apology for taking such a long break. I won¡¯t be taking a break until the end of Volume 3(As long as nothing unforeseen happens), so no worries about missing your daily dose of Yan Zaizen and CEDS.

    I¡¯ll discuss the schedule for this week and next week.

    Today[Thursday], will only be two chapters. Easing you guys in a little, then:

    Friday: 12 Chapters.

    Saturday: 6 Chapters.

    Sunday: 6 Chapters.

    Not only will we reach 16 Chapters this week(despite the break), we¡¯ll be doing a mass release of the previous weeks 10 Chapters to make up for the break(As well as for TGIF event) for a total of 26 chapters in 4 days. Normally, I know some authors may just write off their break week, but am I some authors? I got the Mortal Dao of Epic Authorship, I can¡¯t be basic yo.

    As for Patreon: All of Patreon will be updatedter! On the 9th(Monday), not the 4th as I previously said, mostly because of some final edits.

    Tier 1 will have 5 Advanced Chapters.

    Tier 2 will have 15 Advanced Chapters.

    Tier 3 will have 18 Advanced Chapters.

    Tier 4(TBA) will have ALL CHAPTERS WRITTEN AND UPDATED UPON FINALIZATION. I expect, sometimes, this tier will be low yield, but other times it will have like 30 or more chapters.

    This is going forward for the rest of the month. Not only will this support me in my daily life as an author but also allow you guys to get some additional content(A lot of it) for a fairly low price inparison to other authors. Why? Cause my Dao just won¡¯t allow me to do anything less. I¡¯m sure neither will you guys either lol.

    https://.patreon/KevinAscending

    ^Link for those interested in supporting the book/me/just likes to be a BAMF.

    Next Week, we¡¯ll still hit our 16 Chapters/Week schedule. Keep it consistent, the break didn¡¯t have any changes in the short or long run, either for the missing week or this month.

    Monday-Thursday: 2 Chapters.

    Friday-Saturday: 3 Chapters.

    Sunday: 2 Chapters.

    Other Notes: For Patreon, I haven¡¯t set on another goal yet to be reached for this month. I¡¯ll likely update it after the 4th tier is released. I have some ns for it, but it¡¯s still up in the air.

    I¡¯ll be doing a giveaway during this month, probably nearing the end of it, if logistics work out, even the middle.

    Thank you all for reading, supporting me, enjoying what you read, and giving the story an extraordinary review/rating!(To all those who did). Thank you all very, very much!

 Chapter 167 Heavens Error: Non-Entity

    "!!!" Yan Zaizen¡¯s mind shook. What did that mean?

    "To be more exact, you were born soulless. You should be...a Non-Entity. I don¡¯t know how you even exist. You should¡¯ve died at birth." Her voice contained deep emotions but also deep confusion.

    "Non-Entity?" Despite his shaken mind, he asked with a calm tone. His dao was still affecting him even at this moment.

    "...A Non-Entity, an existence that shouldn¡¯t exist. A mortal spawn that doesn¡¯t conform to the heavenlyw of samsara and creation. A life without a soul. An error. Yourck of a soul...it¡¯s why your body had no talent, your mind had trouble developing, and yourprehension towards thews are incredibly profound. After all, in your eyes, the heavens are viewed through a rity untouched by the taint of the soul cycle, untainted by mortal instincts deep within the soul."

    "Somehow, an artificial soul became your body¡¯s main soul. Someone or something ced something in you - that ck hole, hid it from the outside world and left you alone. I don¡¯t know why, but...that¡¯s my belief. Because...that squiggly line...that¡¯s a newly created Spirit Form¡¯s appearance. An artificial soul. It¡¯s probably why your bloodline was capable of escaping your soul because it¡¯s not connected to it."

    "..." He was silent for a long time, a very long time. It was a lot to process. He had an artificial soul, his bloodline left his soul because it wasn¡¯t connected to it, and his soul was ced in a body without a soul originally. "My memories?" His voice slightly trembled.

    "As a True Spirit, I was only born because of my creator. When an artificial soul is being forged, the creator has to utilize their own soul me, the very core of their soul, to do so. Like creating a mold for a sword. Even our gender and species is defined by theirs."

    "What you¡¯ve experienced ismon amongst artificial souls. It¡¯s called Soul Bleeding. Quite often, the creator¡¯s memories, instincts, and personality would bleed into the artificial soul. Their personality, beliefs towards certain things, and even their shape are injected into it." As she exined, she recalled the memories of her creator that she experienced.

    Herst master didn¡¯t create her. She started out as a Spirit Form and developed, changed hands a few times, and had a new physical body forged many times with new masters wielding them. When herst master obtained her, she ascended to the True Spirit in his hands, under his dao. A feeling of great mncholy overwhelmed her as she recalled this.

    "Haha, so...I¡¯m a fake soul?" He started chuckling to himself with a tinge of madness. Initially, it was soft, but it slowly rose in volume until it became a thunderousugh. If you take this into consideration, then all of it made sense.

    A Non-Entity. An existence that was an error of the heavens, born to die, but stayed alive. Then, what was the ck hole, and why was he created?

    What was the purpose of his existence?!

    A thought popped into his mind. "What...happens if I die?" From his knowledge, artificial souls don¡¯t coincide with the heavens and thus cannot experience reincarnation. If they die, their existence truly vanishes.

    "...I don¡¯t know. In truth, I¡¯m shocked by your circumstances. As a false soul with true intelligence, you shouldn¡¯t be able to cultivate your soul by the conventional standards under the heavenlyw and avoid heavenly punishment. You should be traveling our path. However, it seems your soul is special and you can tread that path, even develop your own dao. It¡¯s possible, you¡¯ll reincarnate..." The uncertainty in her voice was heavy. This was a first for her and likely everyone else beneath the heavens.

    An artificial soul that can cultivate the standard soul path! If others knew this, they would dissect him for study. Not to mention, he was a Non-Entity! His perception towards the heavens was untainted by mortal dust and the soul cycle! In a short sixty years, he¡¯s got insight into five, FIVE, different worldws. If anyone heard this, they wouldn¡¯t believe it.

    The reason why she knew of Non-Entities had to do with them often being used as Avatars! Because they don¡¯t have a soul, yet were pure in mind and sight. Experts would segregate a piece of their soul and ce it within. They would then use its unique trait to enhance theirprehension of thews.

    Unfortunately, they were far, far too rare. The heavens rarely make mistakes after all.

    The chances the infant¡¯s body isn¡¯t burned or buried after birth due to theck of a soul is already infinitesimal; Let alone obtaining the body.

    "I see." Yan Zaizen emotions calmed down. Learning he was an artificial soul came as a shock, and it made him question what part of him was truly his. Imagine finding out someone created you against naturalw and was influencing your actions in ways you didn¡¯t know, it was hard to reconcile with this.

    His eyes closed, his breathing steadied, and he floated in chaotic space for an indeterminate amount of time. Pinaka remained silent, sensing the fluctuations of Yan Zaizen¡¯s mental state. Only after quite a while did he open his eyes to reveal its amber-gold luster. "I¡¯ve decided."

    "...?"

    "To hell with it all! Artificial or real, I¡¯m still me. I was born from my mother, taught by my father, and lived under my name since birth. Perhaps, I¡¯ll learn more about why I exist or what¡¯s this ck hole in my soul, but until then, even if I never find out till death, I¡¯ll live my own life. Especially if this is my only one..." With that, he shifted into a seated lotus position in preparation to cultivate.

    "Let¡¯s cultivate; the myriad realms await!"

    His aura was fueled by his resolve to live his own path. Even if he was some artificial spirit initially, what did that mean for today? At the moment, he had a real soul, a real body, and real strength. His existence may be unnatural and artificial, but his current life isn¡¯t.

    Perhaps, If he gets stronger, he¡¯ll be able to learn who created him and why, maybe he¡¯ll figure out what this ck hole is, and how it became his bloodline. However, if he doesn¡¯t, then that¡¯s fate.

    Pinaka saw his mental recovery and seemed visibly relieved, but internally, her mind was anything but. She only had one question...if Yan Zaizen could take the conventional path, to be a real soul, a real existence...was it possible for her as well? Could she...be a true existence underneath the heavens?

    A life, a family, a physical body and more? Could she have this?

 Chapter 168 Cultivating the Heavens

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes were tightly shut. His muscles were rxed. Within chaotic space, there was only darkness. No air, sound, light, or smells. With hisprehension into thew of space, the ever-present ripping force no longer affected him.

    Therefore, Yan Zaizen was currently without his four main senses, but he could perceive so much more without them. In this state, his mind was free and open. It was as if he was floating not in chaotic space but the vast heavens itself. Raising his hand, he caressed the empty space.

    "Space is always present but invisible, but at its most primal form, it is untouchable. It is stable to the utmost, housing all, soul, body, and mind as the greatest home."

    CLENCH!

    Viciously clenching his hand, the surrounding space solidified. It turned into something touchable.

    "Time is always present..." His mind calcted, interconnecting with the vastws beneath the heavens. Since hisst closed door cultivation session, Yan Zaizen had felt thew of time, but he couldn¡¯t interconnect with it. It was as if his mind couldn¡¯t grasp its ever-elusive concept.

    Chaotic Space, at its core, was the Imperial Law of Spacetime. However, unlike space which is defined by its stability, time here is defined by its instability. It slows down and speeds up erratically. He spent sixty full years here yet only two years passed in the myriad realms.

    "Time is always present, but at its most primal form is untouchable but visible. It is chaotic to the utmost, being undefined and distorted. Unsuitable for all things. It progresses soul, body, and mind." His thoughts were soaring in the proverbial clouds. He felt free and at ease.

    The concept of space and time was the same as yin and yang, life and death, creation and destruction. They denoted very, very different things yet one without the other can only exist as an iplete whole beneath the heavens.

    Very slowly, his eyes opened. However, it no longer contained its amber-gold luster. Instead, it was filled with a chaotic dark-grey. If space was silver, then time was dark-grey. His eyes seemed to contain the very essence of time. One moment, they would give the feeling of hyper-eleration while another would give the feeling of halting to the absolute slowest.

    "What is time? Time is chaos and direction. What is space? Space is order and stationary." His words were slowly mumbled. As the dark-grey started to vanish from his eyes, so did the vestiges of time.

    He found himself floating within a space, but this space was incredibly familiar to him. There were countless motes of light of varying colors dotting the area. Each mote contained a concept. A concept that was born within the heavens.

    Heavenly Domain of Law!

    When Yan Zaizen first entered here, he was in Han Genji¡¯s mountain home. At the time, it was all so indistinct, but as his cultivation continued to increase as well as the strength of his senses and breadth of knowledge, he perceived it with heightened rity.

    His eyes were drawn to a familiar silver figure at the corner of his vision. Turning, he saw an ambiguous humanoid silver form that seemed to exude peak stability.

    "Spatial Form of Infinite Stability."

    As he looked at the motes of light surrounding it, he recalled Pinaka¡¯s words. The majority of concepts rting to space were beneath its feet. They floated around as if catering to its whim.

    "A concept that governs a majority of other concepts within a heavenlyw." Then he looked towards the other batch of silver motes. They were surrounding a single figure as well, but they swirled around it in utter chaos, holding no specific pattern in their flight.

    "Another? It¡¯s... Spatial Form of Chaos?" Yan Zaizen was shocked. It seems there were two sides to every coin. He started to feel that the heavens demanded bnce. Space and time, life and death, yin and yang. Even within thew itself, there are two parts representing absolute difference and perfect bnce.

    Turning away, he saw a dark-grey light thrumming in the distance. Unlike the other concepts, this one stood out as if calling for him. He felt chaotic time within this mote of light. Simr to before, it seems he needed to establish a connection with the concept. Afterward, he can house the concept in his soul and harness its power.

    Reaching out his hand, his body that seemed infinitely far away, appeared directly in front of this concept. His mind grasped at the concept. When it touched, he could feel his soul and mind be far, far clearer than before. A name appeared into his mind.

    "Temporal Wind of Eternal Change."

    His mind, soul, and thoughts returned back to his body. His eyes searching the surrounding space, but now, he could see faint dark-grey winds of time. They were wildly inconsistent, always shifting without order or timing.

    CLENCH!

    Clenching his hand, the dark-grey wind gathered towards his hand. As it did, the progression of his hand, its speed in movement or the pumping of his blood, started slowing down as if it existed on a different timeline.

    The dark-grey wind seemed to be the essence of time. If gathered, it slows down the progression of time, but the winds were incredibly sparse in some areas. These areas constantly shifted, causing time within them to be faster inparison to outside. It seems this was why time was so fast here and slow in the myriad realms. In the chaotic space, these sparse areas of temporal winds was abundant and ever-present.

    Whenever his body entered these areas, he could experience varied minutes in seconds of the outside world. However, if he entered one of the few areas with dense winds, time would slow down for him but speed up elsewhere. Despite this, his perception and sense of time remained ever consistent, a second to him was always a second, regardless of the outside progression.

    "I see..." Unclenching his hand, the dark-grey wind scattered, allowing his hand to return to normal. He felt that he had gained some insight into this. If the Nascent level allows you to exert minor control, Force level would enable you greater control, and Manifestation level allowed you to draw from the heavens and manifest it. He didn¡¯t know about Domain or Sovereign level, but he had some thoughts.

    Domain level likely meant establishing a minor heavenly space that only contains that Heavenly Law. From his assumption, Sovereign level could allow you to draw out a majority of the heavenlyw¡¯s power, if not all. It¡¯s probably why they can extract Regalias of Heaven.

    "Temporal Wind of Eternal Change?" Pinaka¡¯s voice was shocked. Being interconnected with Yan Zaizen¡¯s soul, she lived with his conceptualws, so she knew when a new one enters her domain. However, she couldn¡¯t believe it. With this, Yan Zaizen had developed four powerful concepts of World Laws. Thews of life, death, time, and space.

    If...he could also do soul.

    Just as she thought this, Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes lit up in sky-blue iridescent light. Internally, his brain was glowing with profound soul fluctuations.

    "Truly! A Non-Entity!" Pinaka couldn¡¯t help but feel amazed. She finally and truly understood why every expert wanted a Non-Entity as their secondary avatar. If their perception could be gained, even a tenth of it, the limits one could reach would be extraordinary. With their abilities to mentally perceivews without any clouding thoughts or confusion was truly heaven-defying.

    "Guess...that¡¯s why it¡¯s considered a heavenly mistake." While she wasmenting at Yan Zaizen¡¯s unfair advantage, Yan Zaizen was already back in the Heavenly Domain!

    In front of him was a world of sky-blue light. He felt an extraordinary soulforce undting from the area. There was a myriad of different types of soulforce intermixed within. As he weaved into the world of light, he could sense a familiar aura.

    "Phantasm?" Looking around, he found a sky-blue mote that seemed to fade in and out of existence. It had an imperishable feeling to it. It was as if, as long as it wasn¡¯t destroyed, it would survive all time!

    As he continued to swim through the light, he felt empty somehow. Suddenly, his mind shook! He discovered something.

    There was no soulforce simr to Pinaka¡¯s! Intelligent and self-sufficient. The only one that came close was the aura that resembled Spirit Forms. It seems True Spirits truly do not conform to Heavenly Law! However, in that case, how do they exist beneath the heavens?

    As he recalled this, he remembered an important phrase that stuck with him: "Below the heavens are the earths and skies, above the heavens are the earths and skies."

    Recalling the Immortal Herculean Method description, how it covers five levels yet the second required an object that denoted the peak of heavenlyw...he felt that he glimpsed upon the answer.

    "Could it be...? Someone...created a new concept?" This was his first thought. A concept created outside of the 33 heavens but incapable of being epted or rejected by them! They can only destroy if possible.

    He felt his horizons broaden. What was the world above the heavens?

    Just as his mind was slowly getting lost in unfathomable thoughts, a bright sky-blue light that seemed to embody everflowing spirituality attracted his attention from afar in the world of light.

    "This is?" As his desire to get closer emerged in his heart, he felt the world warp and he arrived directly before a mote of sky-blue light. It seemed indiscernible from others, but also vastly different. With a reach, he felt his soul enliven.

    SCREE!!

    A rion cry of all souls resounded suddenly, and he returned back to his body. He breathed out turbid air. This turbid air wasn¡¯t physically stored within his body but previously entrenched deeply in his soul. As it surged out of his body, it went from a small wisp to a stream to a gushing geyser of turbid air!

    It erupted from his mouth as if escaping from something within his soul. It looked demonic and if one looked closely, it seemed to contain a myriad of scenes and faces. This continued for thirty hours. For thirty full hours, in an amount that could fill argeke, turbid air escaped his soul. However, as it entered chaotic space, it was ruthlessly shredded by the indiscriminate force.

    Various cries appeared like a bird of various types. When all this happened, Yan Zaizen was terrified. He had a feeling that the air just released was living! If given some time, they could grip his soul in unimaginably terrifying ways.

    A name popped into his mind after.

    "Ever-Shifting Soul." He murmured. Information about thew that was deep within his brain started to emerge. He discovered it was a concept of processing the soul by purification, modification, and transition. To purify the soul, to modify the soul to ready it for the final step, transitioning the soul to another entity.

    Essentially, with this, he could theoretically process his soul into a phantasm! He now understood why, in the Asura Phantom Realm, there was a hell altar and phantasms. It seems this orb allowed the Pce Master to be and create one without consuming millions of souls as a phantom to do so.

    With thisw, you could even revert back to a normal soul or any soul under the heavenlyw! The only w? It couldn¡¯t create a soul.

    Filled with curiosity, he checked his soul. He found his dark-amber orb sitting nicely in the center, but at his soul form¡¯s brain area, a sky-blue orb was radiating sky-blue light. He felt that his soul had been thoroughly cleansed of any and all impurities. However, when did he...

    Oh...

    "Soul crystals." It was likely the impurities developed from using soul crystals. While practicing his soul arts, he used a lot of soul crystals to recover his lost soul energy. "Then...those things were?"

    He shivered, not wanting to think about it any longer. In truth, soul essence was produced by the soul of the living and dead. For example, the Dead Soul Desert¡¯s sand can absorb soul energy from others and form soul crystals. It¡¯s just in a neutral form that anyone could absorb for their own use. However, this soul essence leaves behind taint and filth in the soul. This could lead to many, many difficulties in soul progression and dy your ability to seek enlightenment.

    Taking a deep breath, he steadied his mind. Taking out a small, golden bottle filled with liquid, his gaze grew determined and heated. "Heavenly Law Liquid!"

 Chapter 169 Cultivating as a Herculean

    With the heavenlyw liquid in hand, Yan Zaizen recalled the Immortal Herculean Method. The initial description immediately captured his heart: ¡¯Be an Immortal Herculean! Exceed the heavens and shatter the skies!¡¯

    At first, he believed it was to simply be strong enough to rend the skies, but after recalling the earths and skies above the 33 heavens mentioned by Pinaka, he felt this description had a deeper meaning. As for bing immortal, at first he was skeptical, but after some sess in the technique, he believed it thoroughly.

    The method detailed five levels with four stages of sess each. The first level, Nascent Herculean Physique. The method requires only a strong will and sufficiently strong base body. Originally, Yan Zaizen qualified for the former but utterly failed at thetter. Fortunately, the Unyielding me of Life kept his life intact.

    After, hepleted the transformation of a Herculean in the Deep Mines. At that point, everything changed about his physiology. He grew taller, more muscr, incredibly handsome and had four lungs. Many of his organs and cells drastically changed. The most notable was his healing rate. It increased by thousands of times.

    Afterward, the second level, Grand Herculean Physique required a regalia of the heavens while needing heavenlyw liquid as a supplement through the stages. This level of requirement was near impossible for anyone to reach without stupendous luck. After all, only a cultivator who attained the sovereign level in their conceptualw can produce one. They also need to pay an extraordinary price to do so.

    As for heavenlyw liquid, that could only be obtained through condensing the aura within the 33 heavens. To obtain this, one must ovee heavenly tribtion, find gathering points of heavenly aura, or reach the Heavenly Genesis Realm to slowly condense the heavenly aura. All of which was difficult to achieve or find.

    The third level, Celestial Herculean Physique. It exined reaching a sufficient point to unlock the eight celestial gates in the body, breaking past heavenly enforced limits. Typically, doing so would be the same as death itself. In truth, just like the soul, physical bodies have a heavenlyw and myriad of concepts. All races have the eight celestial gates, but barely any couldprehend it, let alone open them.

    The fourth level, Rebirth Herculean Physique. From a single cell, one can reconstitute their entire physique. It¡¯s not immortality, but it was remarkably close.

    The final and fifth level, Eternal Immortal Herculean. There was no physique as your body would transcend the concept of physical limitations. Immortality!

    "This method truly desires to exceed the heavens, even the third stage is going directly against it!" Yan Zaizen eximed in awe. When he first read this method, he was more than just skeptical, but now...he felt it waspletely true and achievable.

    Lifting up the heavenlyw liquid within his hand, he pressed his finger on the top of the bottle. Slowly, he lifted his finger to reveal an extraordinary drop of golden liquid emanating the aura of the heavens following along. This single drop contained an insane amount of power and energy. This drop alone can destroy the entirety of Presba.

    "Refine each meridian, the six yang organs, five yin organs, and the acupuncture points of the body by using heavenlyw liquid." Yan Zaizen felt interested. Refining the body with the heavens to exceed the heavens, quite ironic. Refining the meridianspletely was considered minor sess. Refining the six yang and five yin organs was considered the major sess. Refining 2,033 acupuncture points was considered perfection.

    "Such a profound method. Not even Heavenly Genesis cultivators would directly refine their bodies with it. The sheer amount of power would cause massive damage in an attempt. At most, they¡¯ll infuse their vital energy or true-essence to dilute it to about one percent of a drop. Even then! They¡¯d be risking their lives." Pinakamented, her mind awed by the sheer audacity of this method.

    However, what could he do about this? The method had him refine a regalia to even reach this level. Now, it wanted him to use drops of liquid powerful enough to level an entire country, individually!

    Shaking off this mentality, he readied himself. "First, the twelve meridians."

    Time slowly, very slowly passed as chaotic space was filled with Yan Zaizen¡¯s pained grunts and exhausted heaving. After two weeks, he finally refined a single drop. Two whole weeks! Unfortunately, his body was in shambles. Blood covered it from head to toe and his body had numerouscerated opening as if energy just to erupted outwards.

    This was like putting a nuke inside your body. The strain could be imagined. Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes were no longer amber-gold butpletely dark-amber. He was invoking his Mortal Dao of Sovereign Ascension to its fullest. The Dao of Relentless Pursuit enabling him to continue his struggles regardless of the cost.

    It was only with that did he continue. The pain was unimaginable as if everyst one of your cells was exploding, every part of your body was ripping from the inside and your brain being pricked by a thousand needles. It felt horrible.

    "Another!" With clenched teeth, he dered. Another heavenly drop was pulled out and begun refining once more.

    It took him six months of constant refinement to finish and another three months to recover after. Only then did he start on the organs. He was shocked to discover that any part of him refined by heavenlyw liquid would have three incredibly powerful energies surging within that part: Deathly, Lifeforce, and Soulforce. They amplified his strength and his vital energy was slowly changing as the three forces intermixed in unison.

    After his organs were refined, he discovered a fourth energy type being born as his vital energy continued to increase in density, volume, and intensity. It felt like it contained deathly, lifeforce, and soulforce energy but also was entirely different.

    The process of refining all the organs took twenty-three years. During that time, hisprehension into the threews steadily increased. Both Unyielding me of Life and Siphoning Shadow of Death advanced to the minor-Manifestation level. With this, constructing a Heavenly Shrine was a certainty. As for Ever-Shifting Soul, it reached the major-Force level.

    Being a Non-Entity, he truly understood his gift. It was as if the heavens were as clear as the night sky in the country. The myriad of stars in that sky were thews. As long as he put in some effort, he can zoom into any star he wished.

    As for that trace of energy that appeared, Yan Zaizen recognized it. It was a trace of samsara! Thebination of life, death, and soulws. Whenbined in unison, it produces the Imperial Law of Samsara. He recalled his glimpse into thews in Grux. At that time, he learned thatws can bebined for strength like Archery of Pure Destruction or merged to produce a greaterw!

    If it wasn¡¯t for the life and death antagonistic rtionship, perhaps he could¡¯ve developed energy based on the Heavenly Law of Rebirth. Fortunately, it seemed the addition of the sky-blue orb has changed their rtionship.

    "Samsara-based vital energy..." He felt increasingly interested in it. Unfortunately, he couldn¡¯t control this energy. It stayed deep within his stomach, floating about as if it was independent. His stomach was also changing colors due to it, turning a dark-blue but then it would change to light-blue. It was like a clock, every twelve hours, it would change to the next.

    Ignoring that for now, he decided to continue cultivating. At this point, the loneliness of cultivation still didn¡¯t affect him. Pinaka was absolutely shocked at what happened next.

    Three hundred and fifty-six years passed. During which, Yan Zaizen did nothing but cultivate, read, asionally drank some wine, discussed some things with Pinaka or his parents, but besides that, nothing else. He stayed within chaotic space¡¯s lifeless environment without a single tick of impatience.

    In total, this was nearly four hundred years!!! Yet, Yan Zaizen remainedpletely unfazed even amidst the horrible pain to refine each acupuncture individually. Typically, experts would only seclude themselves in cultivation like this for a short period of time, but Yan Zaizen had barely lived twenty years of his life outside.

    It was as if chaotic space was his home.

    In truth, Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t mind. This type of cultivation was peaceful. Without people, without troubles, without conflict, simply him and his cultivation. No mocking gazes, schemes, or thoughts about the future.

    Not to mention...

    CLENCH!!!

    Clenching his fist, he could feel the epic power residing in his every cell, every bone, every fiber of muscle, and drop of blood.

    Perfect-Grand Herculean Physique!!

    Taking in a deep breath, the surrounding chaotic space was ruthlessly siphoned into his lungs, refined into deathly energy, sent to his heart to be converted to lifeforce energy, and then sent to every corner of his body. The constant refinement of the body with each breath felt exhrating!

    As for his brain, as it was fed lifeforce, it would be purified and modified into soulforce, enhancing his cognitive functions. With every breath, his memory, processing speed, and sensory perception were amplified bit by bit!

    His life, death, and soul conceptual art have already equalized during this stay! They were at the major-Manifestation level! With this, creating a second-floor Heavenly Shrine was possible. However, what¡¯s truly shocking was his time and spacews! As he stayed in the environment they originated from, they both ascended to the perfect-Manifestation level!

    "You¡¯re already capable of building a third-floor Heavenly Shrine. Truly awe-inspiring." Pinaka praised. If anyone told her that someone not even five hundred years oldprehended FIVE World Laws, she¡¯d look at them as if they were idiots.

    But now! Yan Zaizen talent was eclipsing the world already!

    "From my calctions, about eight years should¡¯ve passed outside." Within chaotic space, time was slowed down or sped up. The turbulent time-flow enables Yan Zaizen to experience four hundred years in only eight. This may seem like a benefit, but he was still four hundred years older in both body and soul.

    Therefore, he could still die of old age if he exceeds his lifespan.

    "Thirty-one years left before the Dao Trials...that¡¯s roughly nine hundred and thirty years." Pinaka calcted, feeling somewhat odd. Was Yan Zaizen nning on spending over a thousand years cultivating alone?! That¡¯s...

    "I¡¯ll leave in nine hundred years," he nodded rather casually. If anyone saw this casual attitude, they would be crossed between pping him or gawking at him. To him, what was nine hundred years? If he breaks through the True Essence Realm, he can live twenty-five thousand minimum. That wasn¡¯t even considering the fact he felt iparably safe in chaotic space.

    It truly was his home.

 Chapter 170 Already Chosen?!

    In a realm far, far away from Xiantu Realm.

    A realm with only a single, two suns, and nine moons. This was so enormous that it¡¯s diameter exceeded ten billion li. The was ced directly in the center of the realm, rotating elegantly within as if it was a sovereign of the whole realm! It seemed like, unlike normal realms, the two suns and nine moons rotated around the¡¯s axis rather than the other way around.

    The realm was called the Sirius Titan Realm(*). On one of its nine moons was a grand heavenly pce that exceeded the total size of Presba. It was ck in color but had a golden luminance that exuded heavenly might. Above this pce was a single character written in heavenlynguage! It only illustrated one word: "Gigantus."

    Despite the name, not a single individual that roamed its halls were beyond seven feet in height. Yet, it was proudly disyed and seemed to radiate some profound bodilyw. If Yan Zaizen had seen this character, he would have found its aura remarkably simr to the Herculean figure he saw before!

    In the outer halls of this pce, two elderly women were following a young girl in a hurry. The halls, even in the outer areas, were so wide that cities could be ced within.

    "Miss! Miss! Please, we need an answer." An elderly woman with grey hair but a goodplexion said with a tinge of panic in her voice. On her grey outfit was a character written in basguage: "Yun."

    The other elderlydy, however, had a worrying look in her eyes for the girl. She had a cyan outfit with the character ¡¯Xiuhei¡¯ on it.

    The young girl, who looked about thirteen or fourteen walked ahead with indifference in her eyes. She was pretty and from her developing body, one could tell she¡¯ll grow into having splendid assets worth being proud of. If Yan Zaizen saw this girl, he would be shocked!

    Ma Xiuren!

    It seemed she had aged seven or so years since their separation. For a cultivator, this wasn¡¯t so strange but for someone who was three thousand years old woman who had a little girl¡¯s body before, it brought a lot of questions.

    "..." Ma Xiuren didn¡¯t answer. She continued walking the wide outer halls till she arrived at a mountain-sized metallic door. With a clenched fist, she threw an earth-shattering punch. It rumbled forward with immense power.

    Boom!

    An explosive impact resounded. It seemed her physical body and vital energy was far stronger than before! The metallic door burst wide open as if a mortal violently kicked in a normal door.

    BANG!

    The doors smashed heavily to the wall as they were sprung open violently. Ma Xiuren flew in without hesitation and the two elderly women followed along. As they followed, the grey-robed woman had a look of contempt and disdain in her eyes. As for the cyan-robed woman, she looked even more worried.

    The inside of the room was filled with people taking care of various duties, but when the door smashed opened, they all looked towards Ma Xiuren with shock and suddenly, a look of clear contempt and ridicule appeared on every worker¡¯s face. As if they were united together in a nned course of action.

    Ignoring all the scorn and disdain she received, Ma Xiuren rushed forwards until she reached a tall, wide podium. Azy looking middle-aged man stood behind the podium. He took a single nce at Ma Xiuren and seemed to have turned ten timeszier.

    Without saying a single thing, Ma Xiuren pped a coin on the table. It had two sides depicting two characters, "Xiuhei" and "Heaven." After that, she simply left.

    However, the two elderly women looked at the token with utter shock in their eyes, no longer following Ma Xiuren any longer. Thezy looking man nced at the token and his eyes widened in disbelief. With a voice filled with awe, he shouted, "You¡¯ve chosen?!" The moment those words were said, the hundreds of people looked over in shock and widened eyes.

    "Who?!" He thundered, his eyes weren¡¯t filled with disbelief orziness any longer. Instead, it was filled with denseughter and mockery as if he had just heard the funniest joke in the world.

    "Fine! One thousand years! After, no objections!"

    BOOM! BOOM!! BOOM!!!

    He mmed his hand on the podium three times. Each m was louder than thest and it resounded for a hundred thousand li.

    "Hmph! Foolish!" The grey-robed woman snorted in contempt, directly departing.

    "Why...? Will it do any good?" The cyan-robed woman muttered, her voice filled with sudden weakness and exhaustion. "At least, it¡¯ll finally end." With that, she directly left.

    -----

    In chaotic space, suddenly, Yan Zaizen felt lightning circte throughout his body. "What?" Shocked, he analyzed his condition to find no abnormalities, but his instincts had just told him...somewhere...somehow, trouble was created.

    His eyes suffused with killing intent, immediately sending transmissions to Tao and Bai Lufeng. After learning that they hadn¡¯t done anything, he felt odd. "Then...what was that?"

    -----

    In Presba, Basilisk Forest.

    "Wait! Please!" A well-built middle-aged man shouted in fearful hysteria. He had an arm recently severed, a fresh sword scar ran from the top of his forehead down to his lip. If it was just an inch deeper, one could see that his life would¡¯ve been reaped.

    Wearing a blood-colored martial outfit with a ck belt and shoes, a man in a crimson oni-mask stood before him. In his hand was a pure-ck sword that seemed to contain an ocean of ck liquid that gave off a heavy scent of blood.

    If Yan Zaizen was here, he could recognize the muscr man. The Earthly Titan Sectmaster! Currently, he seemed to be horrendously pale, suffering from massive blood loss. His cultivation seemed to have been ignited for power and was in aplete wreck. Even if he went all out, even an initial-Qi Unification Cultivator could kill him, let alone the blood-colored figure.

    With a cultivation at the half-step Origin Core, he was more than enough to end the sectmaster. And he did.

    SWISH!

    A swipe of his de, without a single word, caused the sectmaster¡¯s head to soar through the skies. His body went limp, but shockingly, not a single ounce of blood erupted from his corpse. As if all blood was already moved beforehand.

    After taking action, the young man looked towards the sky and a weight as heavy as the earth itself seemed to have been lifted from his shoulder. A hoarse but powerful voice resounded, "Now, I must do better!" His voice was as dense as steel.

    He took a step and vanished from the area. The corpse of the sectmaster wouldter be a snack for a lucky little serpent. Little did the man know, this snake would one day shake the entirety of the Fallen Stars Continent!(**)

    ---------------

    (*) Prologue. Our first mention?!

    (**) I wonder how many people got this? Only true fans will. Mhm. True. Fans.

 Chapter 171 Twin Beauties

    In chaotic space, besides Yan Zaizen, two figures floated about. The first exuded a blood-red color, had a metallic body, muti-faced, and radiated a malicious and bloodthirsty aura. It was the Asura Golem! Beside it, with an examining gaze, Pinaka¡¯s soul form hovered silently.

    After recovering, she now retained the ability to appear as a soul form, in a simr way a phantom could. In the myriad realm, she could definitely be ssified as a heaven-toppling, earth-shattering, nation-copsing beauty. Her skin was as white as jade, eyes had a silver-blue color filled with vibrant intelligence, her hair was the deepest ck imaginable, and finishing her beautiful ensemble of features, her robe was dark-amber radiating a sovereign¡¯s aura.

    Pinaka touched the Asura Golem with her hands, her eyes lit up with a brilliant light, "I believe it¡¯s possible."

    "You sure?" Yan Zaizen¡¯s had been cultivating in chaotic space for such a long time that he almost forgot about the Asura Golem. From what Pinaka informed him, this Asura Golem had an actual Asura soul. As she tells it, an Asura was an entity from hell. It was a specific race that inhabited hell amongst other soul-based races. However, they were essentially at the top of the food chain within hell, even considered royalty! To obtain an Asura¡¯s soul was the same as kidnapping a prince from a kingdom.

    It was insanely difficult!

    Yet, somehow, the Asura Phantom Pce Master achieved it.

    "Yes." Pinaka¡¯s gaze started to grow with confidence the longer she examined the Asura soul. Her intention was simple but also incrediblyplex to do. Refine the Asura soul into a star! Yes, a soul star! To reach the Astral Soul Realm, one had to refine their Aurora, Soul me, and soul energy into a soul star. However, they would typically require a vast quantity of time and effort. Not to mention, it could lead to death if the soul me copsed during the process.

    Unless! You could refine a Hell Star. Unlike normal soul stars, a Hell Star was refined from the soul of a creature from hell, the stronger, the better. Because of a uniqueposition of a soul from hell, they could be perfectly utilized to rece the soul me and Aurora! Essentially, all you needed was the proper method, the requisite soul energy, and an actual soul from hell to refine a Hell Star.

    "If you could refine a Hell Star, the benefits you would receive couldn¡¯t be estimated. Not to mention, you¡¯ll still be able to refine your own Aurora Star. It¡¯ll be far easier to do so if you refined the Hell Star first." When she initially saw the Asura Golem, she was in disbelief. However, she realized this asura was like a newborn child, quite literally. Despite being so young inparison to other asuras, it was still this powerful!

    From this, one could imagine the strength of fully matured asuras.

    "Okay." After some consideration, Yan Zaizen nodded. Since the asura was already dao-linked to him, it shouldn¡¯t be hard to refine it thoroughly. As for this Hell Star, he wasn¡¯t exactly sure of the true benefits, even Pinaka wasn¡¯tpletely sure, but to have two central stars in his soul would definitely lead to benefits. As for how much or in what direction? He was excited to find out.

    "Good!" With bright eyes, Pinaka waved her hand releasing waves of her soul energy. It encapsted the asura in an egg-like structure. "We¡¯ll have to refine itpletely; this will definitely take some time. Come." Yan Zaizen followed along, his hands ced on the egg and sent his soul energy through. Surprisingly, the asura didn¡¯t beg or fight back. It seems its will truly had beenpletely shattered after bing the soul of a golem.

    -----

    Fallen Stars Continent, Presba.

    In the Water Veil Sect, two beautiful young women faced each other in fiercebat. One was dressed in icy-blue, her aura suffusing the atmosphere with a chilly air. With each wave of the deep-blue sword, ice-attributed qi-essence would be viciously unleashed in all sorts of shapes and sizes. Her icy-cold beauty was exceptional and her cultivation was nothing to mock.

    The other, which exchanged blows with equal ferocity, had a soft almost ocean-like aura that seemed to emanate an ever-changing aura. Her hands held no weapon, but on her face was a silk veil that disguised her features, but radiated immense power. As they exchanged blows, they flew across the skies, not holding back a single bit, but incapable of overwhelming their opponent.

    "Halt!" After several minutes of fiercebat, a soft but powerful voice resounded. The two ceased their exchange and dashed towards the voice with trained movements, as if they¡¯ve done this countless times before. They stood before an elegant woman that seemed to contain a fierce force within her body, and her gaze held an indiscernible emotion.

    This woman was Yao Wuhen, the Sectmaster of the Water Veil Sect!

    "Lin Feilin, Ya Qinqan...both of your progress have been astounding." Sheplimented as she praised these two girls. Lin Feilin¡¯s qi cultivation reached the mid-Qi Unification Realm, while her foundation was exceptionally stable, both her pathways and dantian reached thete-stage. While Ya Qinqan was the same! They were perfect equals in every way, from cultivation toprehension intows.

    While Ya Qinqan conceptual World Law of Water reached the initial-Force level, Lin Feilin was also exceptional! Her conceptual World Law of Ice reached the initial-Force level as well! Despite her cultivation beingte, when Bai Lufeng and Tao arrived in Presba, they specifically sought her out and provided her with all sorts of conceptual methods and arts suitable for her, grand-tier elixirs and pills, low-grade essence crystals, and armaments!

    This was under the direct request of Yan Zaizen. Due to this, she immediately caught up with Ya Qinqan in such a short period of time. Not to mention, due to Lin Feilin¡¯s rtionship with Yan Zaizen, Yao Wuhen epted her as a direct disciple, teaching her personally and advising her cultivation. With all this, it would be hard for her not to seed even if she tried.

    It paid off, as when Tao arrived and saw the rtionship between Lin Feilin and Yao Wuhen, he decided to reward her as an incentive for taking care of the Yan n and Yan Zaizen¡¯s Sixth Sister. Therefore, Yao Wuhen felt dden by her decision. It truly was a smart one. As for the Yan n, Yan Zaizen also provided them with resources and advice: ¡¯Qi Cultivation is impossible; cultivate the body and soul!¡¯

    Due to the Yan n¡¯s bloodline of mimicry, reaching the peak-Qi Unification Realm was as difficult as exceeding the heavens, let alone reaching the Origin Core Realm. Therefore, he left this for them and provided them with resources to allow them to explore this path. Perhaps, one day, they¡¯ll discover a way to initiate the Essence Path once more, but as of right now, they werepletely unsuited for it.

    After that, Tao and Bai Lufeng left to handle their main mission - finding Yan Zaizen¡¯s impersonator.

    "If you two can reach thete-Qi Unification Realm before the Xiantu Dao Trials, I¡¯ll allow you both to participate." Yao Wuhen informed, but in truth, her senses were intently focused on Lin Feilin nearly ignoring Ya Qinqan.

    "As you know, the Xiantu Dao Trials take ce once in millennia, therefore, this is your only chance. If you miss this, you¡¯ll be forced to travel a much harder path!" Yao Wuhen informed. In truth, the Xiantu Dao Trials truly was special. It doubled as a trial by fire with immense opportunities and a selection! Not only for the Xiantu Emperor¡¯s dao candidate but for all those old monsters looking for good disciples to continue their legacy!

    It was for this very reason that Yao Wuhen¡¯s focus was mostly on Lin Feilin. It¡¯s highly likely that many, many people will follow suit after knowing about her rtionship with Yan Zaizen. Wouldn¡¯t that be indirectly associating themselves with someone who could rival or even exceed the Xiantu Emperor? As a matter of fact, Presba Imperial Family came personally to Lin Feilin. They gave her gifts, invited her to wine, and more.

    Her status in the country was so frighteningly high that she felt a little overwhelmed. There were even a few young men attempting to capture her heart but was left with only the coldest of shoulders imaginable. If it wasn¡¯t for her status as Master, she felt that Lin Feilin wouldn¡¯t even give her face. There would be many True Essence experts willing to teach her their very legacies.

    After all, Yan Zaizen¡¯s name had already reached the entirety of the realm. Everyone knew of his achievements and many young women had him as their ideal man while young, hot-blooded men took him as their challenge or wished to be taken as his disciple. However, if any of them knew that Yan Zaizen wasn¡¯t even a hundred years old, they would be frightened out of their minds.

    "Yes, Master." Lin Feilin replied, her eyes icy-cold but her thoughts were still left with a rather surreal situation. A while ago, Yan Zaizen was weak and frail, passing out in Han Genji¡¯s cavern where she had to clean him up and ce him into bed. Now, he dominated the entire realm with a name far-and-wide. Not to mention, the resources, treatment, and lifestyle she had were essentially that of a goddess.

    Even her master had fear at displeasing her. She could sense it acutely by her actions, whether they were unconscious or conscious actions, they were still revealing a simple fact: ¡¯She was no longer a normal girl.¡¯

    She was even dered the next n Master of the Lin n. With a single word from her, a territory was etched out and they were thriving despite their small numbers. Marriages were happening that would¡¯ve been impossible and rtionships were fostering. It truly felt surreal. One moment, her family was wiped out, her master was killed, and she was going to be married off to a man she didn¡¯t love. The next?

    Her family was already stronger than before, her master¡¯s death was avenged, she no longer had to consider other¡¯s opinion on marriage, and she had a profound status. Her every word was weighed by all thoroughly, consideredplete, and agreed upon nearly unanimously.

    "Yes, Master." Ya Qinqan replied. To her, the sudden development of Yan Zaizen left her feeling odd in her heart. Others may not know of Yan Zaizen, but she truly did. He was nothing more than a talentless boy who foolishly yearned for her love. With everything he had, he helped her fiercely. He endured the ridicule of his n so that she could rise. She abandoned him the moment she got the chance. Now, he was in the sky while she was in the dirt struggling for the acknowledgment of others.

    Life was strange.

    Life was cruel.

    "We¡¯ll end today¡¯s training session. Dismissed." Yao Wuhen dered, but a secondter, she added, "Lin Feilin, I have something discuss with you. Stay behind."

    Lin Feilin calmly nodded, as if expecting this. For the past few years, Yao Wuhen had been giving her private lessons and bestowing her full knowledge of cultivation onto her without restraint. Arge reason for her quick development was thousands of years of experience being bestowed to her consistently.

    Ya Qinqan saw this and her eyes flickered, but she simply left. As she did, her hands clenched viciously. "I¡¯ll show you all!"

 Chapter 172 The Xiantu Realm Gathers

    "HAHAHA! Done!" Yan Zaizen¡¯s voice was filled with a thunderous jubnce. In chaotic space, Yan Zaizen floated about, but shockingly, there were two! One was seated in a lotus position, eyes closed, body radiating a vast and profound vital energy, andpletely still in movement.

    The other wasughing as he floated about, his body was not fleshy but ghostly as it shimmered with radiating light. Its skin was sky-blue, its eyes werepletely ck, at his be was a swirling ck hole, and within his translucent form was various uniquely colored shapes.

    A purple bow that radiated pure destructive force, a white me, an inky, ck orb, a sky-blue orb that emanated various spiritual auras, dark-grey gust of wind, and a silver miniature copy of Yan Zaizen floated about in peculiar patterns. A single dark-amber orb stood within the center of its torso as if it was the center of the soul itself!

    They represented Yan Zaizen¡¯s conceptualws and Mortal Dao!

    Unlike before, his soul no longer had an aurora within. Instead, there were thousands of stars staying stationary. They were either silver-blue and crimson-red. However, near his dao orb was two particrlyrge stars that looked like miniature suns. They were the Aurora Star and Hell Star Yan Zaizen had constructed.

    "With these, I can exist outside of my physical body." Yan Zaizenmented, looking at his silent body with an odd light. In truth, when he initially learned that a profound soul cultivation base could lead to the external projection of one¡¯s soul, he felt it couldn¡¯t be real. Yet, here he was. His body was still breathing, blood pumping, and lifeforce exceptionally abundant, but his soul simply wasn¡¯t there.

    "An Astral Soul can utilize Astral Projection. Unfortunately, it has its limitations." Pinakamented, standing beside Yan Zaizen¡¯s physical body. She was inspecting how it functioned and its characteristics of functionality. In truth, this was the first time she saw an Astral Soul Cultivator project themselves.

    Yan Zaizenmented over the limitations. Firstly, staying outside for extended periods of time will cause your soul to degrade. Secondly, you have no mental connection with your physical body. You literally projected everything that is you outwards, therefore, your body could be possessed by others if you were to do so. At least, if they could. Thirdly, your soul has no defense outside of its soul energy. A body is like powerful skin, so it adds anotheryer of protection.

    After all, a soul was insanely frail. In this form, if he took a direct blow from a Qi Unification Cultivator, he would instantly vanish into death.

    Thinking up to here, he returned to his body quickly to avoid any unexpected urrence. As he did, he felt a profound connection return as if two pieces of a whole was properly fit into a seamless whole. With a deep breath, his eyes opened. "Astral Projection..." He muttered, reminding himself to never do such a thing unless absolutely required. If he did so recklessly, he may not even know how he died.

    He recalled the Phantasm from before. As Yan Zaizen struck a blow towards him, he stayed therecent and willing to ept it all. Now, he died. Vanished like dust in the wind.

    "Let¡¯s continue." At the moment, he achieved an Astral Soul, but in truth, it didn¡¯t have many benefits. His current physical power already eclipsed what it could bring, and he wasn¡¯t skilled enough in soul arts to bring out the maximum potential of his soul realm. Therefore, he¡¯s decided to train in arts from henceforth. For the rest of this secluded cultivation, he¡¯ll train only in arts!

    -----

    Ten days till the Xiantu Dao Trials, a myriad of skyships of various sizes shrouded the sky. In Xiantu Continent, at the¡¯s outer orbit, several hundred thousand ships rested facing the Xiantu Continent.

    These ships represented essentially every grand-tier or greater force in the realm. They even included Xiantu Continent¡¯s own forces. Currently, the ships were waiting for something to ur with the utmost patience.

    On a cerulean blue skyship, Yao Wuhen stood at the helm. Her eyes gazed at the vast amount of skyships that littered the space and her eyes revealed faint traces of vignce while her brows were furrowed. Behind her were all the talented elites of her sect beneath the age of four hundred.

    They were a bevy of beautiful and talented women and gave off a very charming sight. Within this group were Lin Feilin and Ya Qinqan. They stood out as exceptional among the group with the highest cultivation base at thete-Qi Unification Realm and the best physical appearance.

    "Miss Wuhen," a calm voice called out. The voice originated from a middle-aged woman dressed in white. On her robe was an insignia depicting a rainbow cloud that seemed to be soaring across the skies. She approached the skyship.

    "Song Yu," Yao Wuhen responded. Towards this Song Yu, she had a deep impression. This woman was originally an elder under her predecessor, the former Water Veil Sectmaster. After marrying up, she became the fourth wife of a True Essence elder of the Rainbow Cloud Pce. In her youth, she was most definitely beautiful to obtain his attention.

    Song Yu swept her gaze across all the talents on the skyship. Her eyes lingered on Lin Feilin and Ya Qinqan before slightly nodding. "They¡¯re sufficient." Shemented, carelessly throwing a token towards Yao Wuhen. After that, she departed.

    Catching the token, Yao Wuhen¡¯s eyes lit up with a malicious light. It was as if received incredibly distasteful news. It was well-known that the Rainbow Cloud Pce¡¯s Young Pce Lord had a penchant for having talented female cultivators to dual cultivate with. The token held a message detailing to bring the top talents and top beauty to the Rainbow Cloud Pce¡¯s skyship.

    However, Yao Wuhen simply clenched her hands turning the token to dust. She directly ignored this. In truth, she had already received thirteen total orders simr to this. Some of the forces they originated from were known for their malicious means towards females. In truth, this happened quite often.

    Even for a sect like White Crane Sect, various heavenly-tier powers would engage in an attempt to obtain a wife or dual cultivation partner. Unlike her force which was rather weak, the White Crane Sect could decline and they could only suck it up.

    However, they were far more brazen and threatening towards forces like hers. There were many powers that originated from the Fallen Stars Continent which had taken simr action.

    "Ignore them." Yao Wuhen directly informed her disciples. Her eyes were looking about as if searching for something. She wished Yan Zaizen would show up already. All she needed to do was a single action and from then to the death of Yan Zaizen, no power would dare have other thoughts.

    Not too far away, Tao, Bai Lufeng, and Wu Yuanxu were located on the Heretical Lightning Skyship. They weren¡¯t noticeable amongst the crowd due to the Heretical Lightning Skyship average worth inparison to the other Skyships.

    "Thirty-nine years..." Tao had an odd look in his eyes. Bai Lufeng¡¯s gaze flickered at Tao¡¯s words. Indeed, it¡¯s been nearly forty years since Yan Zaizen secluded meditation and thest time they saw him.

    At the moment, Tao had a mid-Origin Core cultivation base while Bai Lufeng had a peak mid-Origin Core cultivation, very close tote. To them, even with top quality resources and immense wealth in hand, it still took them forty years to refine it to this extent. They even had decent bodily talent yet it still required so long.

    "He said he¡¯ll be here, I believe he will." Wu Yuanxu was a lot more rxed than Bai Lufeng and Tao. After all, Yan Zaizen could face the heavens and win. How many could say such things?

    In truth, the duo wasn¡¯t worried about Yan Zaizen. They were worried about how much he progressed. After all, not counting elerated time in chaotic space, Yan Zaizen reached his current level at 22 years old, if you added the present, he was 61 years old. If he only needed a few years to reach his current level, imagine nearly forty-years!

    While they were lost in their own thoughts, a young man radiating a terrifyingly oppressive aura. He moved through the skyship with a group of middle-aged and elderly members.

    He seemed to have a destination as he approached the Water Veil Sect¡¯s skyship. This caused all the girls onboard to frown and their eyebrows to twitch. As if his existence is to announce their most vulnerable thoughts, "Yao Wuhen, no? Well, regardless, send your top ten members to my ship."

    Just as he said this...

    BOOM!!!

    A grand explosion erupted, drawing everyone gazes, but what they saw was brutal. Despite being above the Xiantu Realm, apemen crushed a small skyship. They were quick, ughtering all the males on the skyship and grabbing all females. They then returned to their ship with wide smiles.

    "..." Yao Wuhen felt deep hatred for this shitty environment. This was the first preliminary test for the Xiantu Dao Trials. Essentially, if you don¡¯t have the ability to defend yourself, then that was your life.

    To be weeded out in such a manner was heavily favored towards females and not males. Mainly because, while men were immediately killed, women are given chances. It was a very unfortunate double-standard but many would likely argue that women have it worse.

    "You have three minutes." The young man spoke casually, as if giving them the choice of their own life or death. The young man nced at Yao Wuhen and Ya Qinqan. They were extraordinary beauties. He made a mental note to obtain these two no matter what.

    Yao Wuhen looked at the young man and had a warm smile on her face. This caused the men in their group to feel startled. The young man regained his bearings quicker than others, directly taking that reaction as an expression of submission.

    "Good. Since you¡¯re obedient, I¡¯ll take her first." He pointed directly at Lin Feilin with a smile. However, Ya Qinqan and Lin Feilin were shocked. Not only them but the other elites as well.

    As if happy about their reaction, he inwardly nodded, "After I¡¯m done, I¡¯ll return her safely. After, I¡¯ll choose another." He kindly smiled, casually saying as if his words were imperial decrees.

    "Choose." A voice suddenly sounded from behind the young man. He was shocked that an unfamiliar voice spoke behind him. Suddenly, he felt a chill run down his spine. He slowly, very slowly, turned his head to see an unimaginably handsome face with a pair of brilliant amber-gold eyes that seemed to contain his life and death.

    The elders behind him were floating unconscious within space. They were all naked, their clothes were taken along with their spatial possessions.

    "You!!" Shocked, the young man felt his world chaotically spin. This face was something embedded into his soul me and it brought forth all sorts of emotions.

    "Choose: To ept crippling or death." Yan Zaizen said.

    "I...I...wa-wait!" The young man stuttered his words, incapable of processing what was happening. However, Yan Zaizen gave him enough time. As always, if someone is unwilling to respond, Yan Zaizen would choose for them.

    He pointed his finger towards space and tapped. Suddenly, the young man lost consciousness. His dantian, pathways, and meridians werepletely severed. The man¡¯s origin core was turned into dust.

    With another tap, his clothes vanished and he floated in space. After handling that matter, Yan Zaizen finally turned towards Lin Feilin. "We meet again." His expression was filled with warmth. To him, this was his Sixth Sister. He recalled what she did for him before. She was the reason he didn¡¯t give up the Immortal Herculean Method.

    How could he let anyone profane her as long as he exists?

 Chapter 173 1,417 Years! Yan Clans Ancestor?

    Lin Feilin¡¯s watched the entire event with shock. The young man¡¯s arrogance could touch the heavens but before he could take any action, Yan Zaizen appeared like a ghost exiting a painting. Without hesitation, he dealt with him ordingly.

    Yao Wuhen¡¯s previous warm smile was because she saw Yan Zaizen standing there suddenly, not because of the young man¡¯s words. With a step, she approached. With a dress that showed off her delicious curves and envious valley, she sauntered towards him with elegant charm.

    "This woman truly wants to seduce me." Yan Zaizen recalled his previous interactions with this woman. Each time, she¡¯ll purposefully disy her beautiful features in a subtle way. Even her dress was more revealing than before. He had to admit, she had some good assets.

    Lin Feilin and the rest saw their master arrive in an elegant yet saucy manner brazenly amidst the eyes of countless watchers. They had varying thoughts.

    "Isn¡¯t that him?!" A trial participant shouted in excitement.

    "Yan Zaizen! He¡¯s finally here!" Another called out with even greater excitement.

    "..." Many female participants fixed up their outward appearances, taking stances and disying more curves to attract his attention even if they were hundreds of li away.

    There were countless discussions about Yan Zaizen identity but many were absolutely excited. That was because this was the Xiantu Dao Trials! The gathering of talents for a selection of, not only the Xiantu Emperor dao bestowment but every other powerhouse. There were many times when old monsters would pick beauties as wives in this event, and many considered Yan Zaizen to be that.

    "Mister Zai," Yao Wuhen arrived before Yan Zaizen with a fairly close distance. To all, this disyed her level of intimacy towards Yan Zaizen, as if dering who she was to all onlookers. If she took another step, she would essentially be touching him.

    Seeing her get to close, Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t bother with her. After all, she smelled good. It didn¡¯t bother him what other thinks, if he truly cared, it¡¯s likely he would¡¯vemitted suicide in the Yan n.

    Lin Feilin eyes flickered when she saw Yao Wuhen disy such a level of closeness to her Ninth Brother. Ya Qinqan only stayed silent.

    With a warm smile, Yan Zaizen took a step forward and the surrounding space rippled, both he and Yao Wuhen appeared on the Water Veil Sect¡¯s skyship.

    "!" Yao Wuhen and everyone else watching were stunned. There were even a few that lost track of Yan Zaizen for several seconds. As for Yan Zaizen, he walked towards Lin Felin and grabbed her delicate hands with his own.

    Lin Feilin felt her heartbeat unceasingly, but she remained calm on the outside. She felt a smooth, white pearl transfer itself from Yan Zaizen¡¯s strong hands into hers. Looking at it, she knew it was a talisman.

    "Good luck, Sixth Sister. Use it, if you must." With those words, the surrounding space rippled slightly and he vanished.

    Reappearing in his previous cultivation room if Tao, Bai Lufeng, and Wu Yuanxu¡¯s skyship, he rxed slightly. It didn¡¯t take long before they arrived with joyous expressions and inquisitive gazes. They felt that the current Yan Zaizen was unfathomable, but he acted the same towards them.

    After a round of talks and drinks, Bai Lufeng and Wu Yuanxu left, leaving only Tao and Yan Zaizen.

    "How long?" Tao asked. Others may not know, but Tao knew that Yan Zaizen cultivated in chaotic space. The time-flow there was chaotic bur far, far faster than the outside world. A minute here could be a day there.

    "1,417 Years." Sipping from a cup, Yan Zaizen calmly replied.

    "..." Tao was in disbelief but after a while, he regained his calm. To cultivate alone for nearly fifteen hundred years would cause a vast majority of cultivators to go utterly insane, but the man before him lookedpletely unfazed. As if those years were insignificant to him.

    "Cultivation?" Unlike normal people, Tao wasn¡¯t scared to ask what others considered forbidden.

    Finishing his cup, Yan Zaizen proceeded to calmly exin. "Perfection stage, the second level of the Immortal Herculean Physique. Condensed my Astral Star, achieving the Astral Soul Realm. Ascended to the True Essence Realm..." listing in summary, Tao listened intently.

    About three hundred years ago, Yan Zaizen had merged his Origin Core with his Unified Physique. His physique evolved, evolve qi-essence into true-essence that contains theplete essence of his bloodline. Although he was only in the Initial-True Essence Realm, the difference of his qi cultivation base before and now could bepared to a boulder and a mountain.

    This had urred naturally. With his adaptable bloodline, stable qi foundation, the physique of a herculean, heavenlyw liquid refined meridians, and time, Yan Zaizen seamlessly entered the True Essence Realm with no bottlenecks. However, entering the mid-True Essence Realm proved to be a little difficult.

    Even with the appropriate resources.

    Several hours passed before he finished detailing his cultivation. At this point, Tao was filled with awe and excitement. "Leaps and bounds," was his onlyment.

    "Tell me about the Xiantu Dao Trials."

    "Yes! After this time, I¡¯ve gained a lot more information. The Xiantu Dao Trials is held as a selection to find a candidate for the Xiantu Emperor¡¯s dao. It is set up into three stages. The first stage tests will and endurance with cultivation. It¡¯s based on age and was vastly important."

    "The second stage testsprehension into the heavens. Due to its importance to reach the heavenly genesis realm. As for the third stage, it testsbat strength and battle intelligence. This is the test that has the highest amount of mortalities."

    "After, the Xiantu Emperor will pick one out of the remaining participants to be bestowed his dao. Then, the other old monsters looking for disciples or talented young husbands, wives, or suitable dual cultivation partners for their disciples or children would take their pick from the remaining participants." Tao directly exined.

    "Of course, not many ept bing a wife, husband, or dual cultivation partner just because they¡¯re picked. Nothing is forced, at least, not openly. Your invitation will have you be a selector at the end of the trial."

    "Mhm." He nodded.

    Just as Tao had finished a spiritual sense swept across the skyship with a transmission: "You¡¯re invited to join the Xiantu Emperor¡¯s pre-trial banquet." With that, the transmission ended.

    Shockingly, only Yan Zaizen seemed to have heard the voice as Tao remainedpletely unaffected. "I¡¯ll be leaving for now. When this is over, we¡¯ll leave this realm."

    "Wait!" Just as Yan Zaizen was about to depart, Tao shouted suddenly. "We found your impersonator." He dered confidently with a smile.

    "Oh?" Yan Zaizen recalled the matter of Princess Qin in Presba. He almost forgot about that with the vast passing of years, but when he did, his eyes shed with killing intent.

    Witnessing this, Tao nodded. He left and came back with a youthful male with a weak aura. When the young man looked at Yan Zaizen, his weak eyes seemed to contain and unyielding attitude in the face of death.

    "As I thought, Xin Guanyu."

    At the entrance to Sky Night Royal City, Xin Guanyu was a guard. He had approached them for Yan Zaizen¡¯s name in a domineering fashion. Despite that, he didn¡¯t do anything but allowed them in. At the time, he felt like someone was attempting to scheme against him. He was right.

    "He targeted you because of your unknown background, making it easier for the Imperials to believe it was a stranger. Unfortunately, you were a little outside his imagination. With his meticulous nning with this Divine Replication Orb, he would have seeded if it wasn¡¯t for you." Tao took out a small, white orb that seemed to radiate aw of mimicry.

    This orb was called this by Xin Guanyu, it was not its real name. "It seems it can copy one¡¯s qi, soul, vital aura and change one¡¯s qi-attributes."

    "What?!" Pinaka¡¯s voice exploded from her resting state. She was in utter disbelief at the moment. Looking at the small, white orb, her eyes lit up. Yan Zaizen examined the orb as well and he was beyond shocked.

    The aura was insanely familiar. It was as if his very bloodline originated from this orb.

    "Regalia of the Heavens?!" Pinaka shouted. This realm was indeed special, containing two regalia of the heavens.

    Yan Zaizen, however, had his own thoughts. "This exins why the Yan n exists." With a wave of his hand, the orb flew towards his palm. The sensation of familiarity was astounding. It was as if he was before an ancestor.

    "Indeed, it seems the ancestor of your n had arrived in this realm, within Presba area, refined a regalia of the heavens and even started a lineage." She remarked. To refine a regalia of the heavens, one needs a sovereign levelprehension into the concept. Otherwise, it was impossible.

    Therefore, this had a high chance of belonging to Yan Zaizen¡¯s lineage ancestor.

    "Where did you get this? If you tell me, I¡¯ll spare your life." Yan Zaizen was direct, but Xin Guanyu stayed silent, his eyes revealing an unyielding resolve to carry the secret to his death. Obviously not believing in Yan Zaizen¡¯s words.

    "So be it." A step and Yan Zaizen appeared directly before Xin Guanyu. He ced his hand firmly on his head, eliciting all sorts of struggling attempts from Xin Guanyu, but a secondter it all faded as he dropped in unconsciousness. For a brief period, Yan Zaizen soul searched Xin Guanyu¡¯s soul me.

    "Could it really be such a coincidence?" During his search, he found out that Xin Guanyu had taken it from someone who took it from someone else. It¡¯s possible that thousands of years ago, during the chaos era, this was stolen from the Yan n.

    Now, it returned to the only person who could follow its legacy. It was like fate had a divine grip on these events. Regardless of what happened, this orb would always arrive back in its rightful hands.

    "I see. Send him to the Imperials, let Princess Qin get her revenge however she sees fit. She deserves that much." Yan Zaizen ordered and Tao nodded. With that, he left.

 Chapter 174 Xiantu Emperors Banque

    "Unfortunately, I can¡¯t refine this into my physique." Yan Zaizenmented. He knew that after his cultivation passed the refining regalia stage, it¡¯ll be impossible to do so again. His physique was finalized.

    "Not necessarily," Pinaka interjected. The unique characteristics of the Heavenly Law of Mimicry had high adaptability. It¡¯s possible it could be refined even after, or even if he used it just to strengthen his bloodline via refinement and gainprehension of the Law of Mimicry, it would be worth it.

    Yan Zaizen felt her thoughts from those words and looked at the white orb that seemed to contain nothing yet everything. Unlike regalia, bloodlines did not allow someone to gain aprehension into a conceptualw. They only allow the execution of the corew with their energy.

    Thus, even to this day, Yan Zaizen has gained no insight into the Heavenly Law of Mimicry. A huge reason for this had to do with theck of concept provided in the bloodline. Yan Zaizen felt he understood time for quite some while, but only afterprehending his own concept could he appropriately use it.

    Without establishing a connection with the heavenlyw, you can not use said heavenlyw. That being said, you can develop multiple concepts into the samew, it all relies on your abilities.

    "I¡¯ll consider more on thister." Keeping the regalia of mimicry, Yan Zaizen exited the spatial void. He appeared outside a golden pce that seemed to have originated from the world of immortals. "Quite a ce," hemented carelessly.

    "Indeed, it is." A voice resounded. A middle-aged man arrived with eyes of pure brown without a hint of pupils within. This sight was Yan Zaizen¡¯s first. However, from the man¡¯s aura, he immediately realized he was a Divine Beast in human form.

    "You can call me Eke, it¡¯s a pleasure to meet you Lord Yan Zaizen." Eke ¡ª a rank two Divine beast ¡ª bowed in courtesy. His manners and actions were profoundly polished, allowing Yan Zaizen to realize that beasts weren¡¯t so different from humans.

    He then recalled an interesting bit of information. It seemed that beasts and humans titles weren¡¯t regarded by their race. This was a designation done for countless years ago and was still regarded today for simplicity sake. However, beasts and humans have long since intermixed their bloodline. Even he had a beast bloodline within him. However, it was dormant.

    A majority of his dominate identity, including his bloodline, was human-like. Therefore, he could only appropriately walk the human path. In truth, body cultivation was an exclusively beast path, soul cultivation originated from races who belonged to hell, and qi cultivation was universal. The intermixing of races over the countless years have enabled essentially 99.9% of the poption in the myriad realms to choose any path.

    However, there was still the path most suitable for you. For example, this Eke was rank two Divine Beast. He refined his body with his origin source to reach this level and then strengthened it to this point. While the Essence Path refines origin source into cores, the Beastial Path refines it into their physical bodies, each rank is determined by how much they¡¯ve refined their body and bloodline.

    "Please, follow me." Eke politely said, gesturing for Yan Zaizen toe along. Yan Zaizen followed. After all, Eke was equivalent to a first-floor Heavenly Genesis Expert, of course he wouldn¡¯t be defiant with this extraordinary reception.

    They entered the pce, bypassing many guards and servers flying about at a rapid pace. Some were even panicked but kept working. "The banquet is quite busy, I hope you won¡¯t mind." Eke said.

    Shaking his head signaling hisck of care, he continued onwards with an intrigued gaze. It was only when he arrived at the main hall within the pce that he was shocked. If the hall could be described in a short phrase, to Yan Zaizen it¡¯d be: "Stupid Rich!"

    The materials that were the walls, floors, ceiling, pirs, tables, even the tes were constructed from high-grade essence crystals, and the food each seemed to contain faint heavenly aura that seemed prepared so meticulously that, if obtained by anyone waiting outside, their cultivation base will make a breakthrough with a single bite.

    The entire atmosphere was suffused with a mouth-watering smell of wine and meat. Having been in secluded cultivation for nearly fifteen hundred years, Yan Zaizen smacked his lips like a bum at an all-you-can-eat buffet. Not the standard food chain. The high-quality, hundred or two for entry locations filled with all sorts of extraordinary delicacies.

    He spotted white cake that seemed too moist and delicious that his mind went nk at the sight of it. Before he knew it, he ignored Eke¡¯s urging to meet certain people and arrived before the table. Everyone was standing about with wine and tes floating around them with their various powers. Therefore, the table had no one surrounding it.

    A fork, his personal cake eating fork, magically appeared in his hand and he proceeded to enjoy. A single bite and he felt like he was in the clouds. It had the part amount of softness, sweet taste, and sublime texture. It went into his stomach where it was devoured by the samsara-based vital energy within. As it did, it was like it was eaten and enjoyed a thousand times in the countless reincarnation cycle.

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s handsome face was filled with intoxication. He ignored the fact that everyone, EVERYONE, was looking at him with rapt attention. Either directly or his senses. It wasn¡¯t long before he tried the wine, a drumstick of meat, and more cake. His expression grew increasingly gluttonous. Yet, he hadn¡¯t even touched 0.01% of the total food here.

    Eke appeared beside Yan Zaizen, "Lord Ya-"

    "Is this all free?" Yan Zaizen directly interrupted, taking another bite with a sparkling gaze. Eke was shocked, but he nodded.

    "So I can eat as much as I want?"

    "Yes." Eke responded again almost as if it was an automated response.

    "Great," he looked at all the various cakes, meats, dishes of fruit and wine that seemed to be inly spread out for thousands of meters, "Mine." With a wave of his hand, everything was directly stored within his Meteor Ring. From the wine to everyst piece of cake.

    "..."

    "..."

    "..."

 Chapter 175 33 Heavenly Steps

    The entire crowd went silent as Yan Zaizen shamelessly took everyst drop of food. Each one of these individuals had profound backings or chances of bing Heavenly Genesis experts, but their minds went nk.

    In truth, it wasn¡¯t like no one wanted to do it. They all would if they could, but taking personal face into ount and the Xiantu Emperor, how could they do so? Fortunately, the servers immediately tried to rece all the taken food, but it was rather slow. Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t even pause, directly arriving towards a newly arrived emerald-colored cake and digging in.

    As for the food he just obtained?

    That was forter.

    "...Lord Yan Zaizen, there are quite a few people who wish to make your acquaintance." Eke regained his calm and urged once more. To him, Yan Zaizen was someone who reached or exceeded the Xiantu Emperor in power. He wouldn¡¯t stop him even if he decided to snatch his daughter. After all, each difference in floor-tier of the Heavenly Genesis Realm was massive.

    "Mhm. Let me finish this first." He enjoyed the cake as he wished, his hand reached out to grab newly ced wine jug, and he enjoyed that too. Each drop of this wine contained dense lifeforce and essence. If he were to give this to his aunt, she would regress ten years in appearance and live an additional ten years. Of course, to those like him, it¡¯ll be lucky if it gave him ten minutes.

    After eating for a while, he followed Eke towards a group of people. He was somewhat surprised to know that they were divine beasts as well. "Mystic Wave Continent?" His thoughts recalled the Mystic Wave Continent and how it was regarded as home for beast-kind. gued by constant fighting and wars for resources and territories. After all, to refine their bloodline, they needed raw materials infused with attributed essence.

    Therefore, a territory that produces these resources were often fought over.

    "This is Moana," he introduced a young woman with pure pink eyes and mesmerizing dress. She had a foxy body and incredible curves, her hair was brte and looked like soft fur. He realized that theck of pupils likely had to do with their human transformation as each divine beast didn¡¯t have them.

    "This is Grimm," a burly man filled with dense muscles and draped in wolf fur. He gave off a very primal alpha type of aura, but his smile, or at least an attempt at one, felt off.

    Yan Zaizen then realized that Eke didn¡¯t work for the Xiantu Emperor. Instead, he was a divine beast who awaited his arrival and gave him a reception. With this, his opinion of the Xiantu Emperor dropped a notch. "Can¡¯t even get someone to escort me?" He thought.

    The naming sense for divine beasts was odd, but he didn¡¯t question it. After all, typically only humans had the naming sense of n and personal name, sometimes family if wished. Only because there are far too many humans.

    "Greetings. Yan Zaizen." He replied, giving them both an acknowledging look. Afterward, they started to talk and discuss. While they did, Yan Zaizen was interested in everyone else. Many seem to want to walk up to him, but because of Eke¡¯s initiation, they were hesitant. Mainly because Yan Zaizen walked in with Eke, causing intense spections to be thrown about.

    Personally, he didn¡¯t care. He did see Wu Kun. Who, immediately exchanging nces,municated to him in a brief exchange. It seems the Apex Essence Pill had brought him to the peak-True Essence Realm. With hisprehension of conceptualws, he¡¯ll be able to reach the Heavenly Genesis Realm as long as he could obtain a dao.

    It was only after an hour did the Xiantu Emperor arrive. His golden hair, deep blue eyes, an elegant golden robe which exuded a heavenly aura, immediately stole the gazes of all. A smile filled with imperial presence was on his expression.

    As he took the center stage, he immediately gave an opening speech. It detailed his thanks for their arrival and various other things Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t particrly care about. In truth, he didn¡¯t even want to be here. If it wasn¡¯t for the expedition invitation, he would already be in another realm, exploring and having many adventures.

    However, the food helped ease his discontent greatly.

    "Let¡¯s begin the Xiantu Dao Trials!" With that, he pped his hands and the heavens seemed to tremble. At his heavenly aura fluctuations, everyone was stunned.

    "Third-floor Heavenly Genesis Realm?!" The keener eyes immediately recognized the Xiantu Emperor profound ascension to the next floor. There were a few with eyes filled with discontent, others with praise and awe, and others with sheer fear shaking their bones.

    "To think...he built his third floor. However, it¡¯s very recent and has yet to be fully solidified." Pinaka voiced. Despite her background, a peak initial-stage Heavenly Genesis expert could be considered extraordinary even during the chaos era. If they have a profound backing, they could have their own minor realm.

    Unlike now, in the rebirth era, where anyone who built their second-floor can own a minor realm.

    "Mhm." Yan Zaizen echoed her thoughts. Still, it was impressive.

    As space shook, above the Xiantu Continent, a single slit in space appeared. It wasn¡¯t long before, with the help of their seniors, all participants shot into the slit. This was the start of the Xiantu Dao Trials!

    Immediately, severalrge screens filled the Pce hall, revealing various angles within the spatial slit. From what Yan Zaizen could see, it was a sub-dimensional space, simr to the cultivation rooms in the Anima Syndicate.

    Withinrge, golden temple with four sides, each side had 33 wide, deep, and tall stairs. The entire temple was the size of a grand mountain. Each participantnded near it in vast numbers - about four hundred thousand. All of them were elites of their forces and ready to make a name on the stage.

    "The first test will be the 33 Heavenly Steps, I see." Eke said with an appraising gaze. Yan Zaizen had heard of this from Tao. It was a temte that released faint heavenly pressure. They one ascends each step, they¡¯d have to ovee the pressure. However, to pass, they just needed to reach step 13.

    A voice exined the rules to all participants. No talismans, armaments, or pre-set formations were allowed. If one reaches the 13th step, they pass. If they reach the 14th step, they will be awarded one low-grade essence crystal. This continues to multiply by ten for each step until the 30th.

    By then, one could earn one quadrillion low-grade, or ten trillion mid-grade, or ten billion high-grade essence crystals. In truth, it may sound extraordinary, but a single drop of heavenlyw liquid amounted to just that - ten billion high-grade essence crystals. Arge reason had to do with the irrelevance of essence crystals for Heavenly Genesis experts. They¡¯ve exceeded the limits if the Essence Path.

    If you reach the 31st step, a peak sky-grade armament. 32nd, a pinnacle grade art. If one could reach the 33rd, they would immediately earn the right to the Xiantu Dao Trial, no longer requiring to participate any longer.

    Yan Zaizen looked at the screens and found Lin Feilin¡¯s figure. He also found Prince Renlong from the Imperial Grux Family, it seems he reached the initial-Origin Core Realm despite Yan Zaizen stealing his pill. There were also countless other talents and notable figures including Yan Qiu.

    "You may begin." The voice resounded, causing all participants to soar towards those incrediblyrge steps at different paces. At the moment, no one was thinking of fighting or schemes. Their only thought was reaching the 13th step!

    "Hm?" Yan Zaizen caught the sight of a figure dressed in blood-red, donning an oni mask, and soaring towards the first step slowly. For some odd reason, Yan Zaizen felt a hint of familiarity with this person. His cultivation had already reached the initial-Origin Core Realm and his aura contained an astonishing amount of blood qi.

    "I wonder who¡¯ll reach the highest?" Grimm said, his eyes filled withpetitiveness. Both he, Eke, and Moana had their own group entering this trial. His question was towards the others, unwilling to lose to them in terms of disciples or children.

    However, Yan Zaizen eximed something almost instinctively that drew everyone¡¯s attention. "Isn¡¯t that?!"

    He slightly smiled, "it seems...no matter the adversity, us three disciples will always rise given the opportunity."

 Chapter 176 Shin Xuanjis Past & Future

    "This is it." Shin Xuanji, dressed in crimson and donning an oni-mask, said indifferently. With a gaze unmoving on the Heavenly Steps, he recalled his journey since arriving here.

    Born in the Shin n, he was nothing more than an ordinary member. He had no great backing, extraordinary talent, or status within the n. He was a maidservant¡¯s son, bestowed the name of Shin due to his father who was nothing more than a low-ranking member of the sect.

    His life couldn¡¯t be considered horrible, but it can¡¯t be considered grand either. Growing up, much of his time was staying with the other low-status children doing various activities. They dreamed and talked about reaching great heights, everyone¡¯s respect, immense wealth, and beautiful women. To him, those days of dreaming were his best childhood days.

    They all knew it was nearly impossible, but they still dared to dream.

    When he turned old enough to hunt, he was sent to handle a task far from the n by his father. Then, it happened.

    Their eradication.

    It was sudden and when he learned of the incident, he nearly broke down. The only thing he could think about was revenge. With that, he came to a friend of his to seek refuge. However, he was betrayed as, in the middle of the night, a pair of assassins were sent to reap away his life.

    Luckily, he avoided being poisoned by his friend and stayed up that night after a nightmare. He noticed their approach, almost instinctively, he ran. They chased him for several days until he couldn¡¯t run anymore. Without any qi left to fight, he was all but dead.

    Then, they showed up.

    Han Genji and Lin Feilin were traveling in the area. Lin Feilin was the one who took action, dispatching the assassins with exceptional ease. They saved him and epted him. That¡¯s how he became Han Genji¡¯s disciple.

    Later, his master suffered a tribtion he could not survive. Escaping to the Earthly Titan Sect, he was tortured viciously for information. Luckily, the sect didn¡¯t have anyone with a profound soul cultivation to soul search him. They had to use standard methods.

    With his knowledge and what he knew of his master¡¯s operation, he drew out his tortured life for every second possible. A silver-blue figure appeared with a choice he couldn¡¯t refuse. At the time, he didn¡¯t understand why this figure wanted him to swear a soul oath to forget past grievances towards the Yan n.

    Now, he knew.

    Yan Zaizen, his Ninth Brother, had achieved an extraordinary cultivation base. He was almost sure that Yan Zaizen was dead and some old monster had taken his body. To avoid any guilt, he removed the threat that was Shi Xuanji. In exchange, he gave Han Genji face to help him ovee his current situation.

    With that help, he traveled with a single-minded goal for revenge. Luckily, the Earthly Titan Sect was weakened considerably by Yan Zaizen, so getting his revenge was going to be easier.

    After a decade of traveling as a wandering traveler, he met a force called the Blood Fiend Sect who were running away from enemies in their original country, arriving in Presba due to them bordering them. Somehow, he was epted due to his age, cultivation, and perceived talent.

    Heprehended the Mortal Law of Blood and developed the Blood of ck Iron conceptualw. With it, he utilizes qi to create a very heavy blood qi that can consume other blood to grow denser. This achievement enabled him to be a disciple of an elder who took kindly to him.

    His rise was abrupt and even his loss of genitals was recovered by the former grand-tier force. He now had revenge in sight. Unfortunately, the enemies caught up and eradicated a majority of the sect. Besides a few others, his master and he escaped. However, his master suffered severe injuries while protecting him. The pills and elixirs he obtained from Yan Zaizen had already been depleted, so he couldn¡¯t help.

    Fortunately, he survived but with a cultivation base and foundation decrease. Despite this, they had to hide from their enemies, living in the mountains with just him and her. It didn¡¯t take long before the master and disciple rtionship copsed between them and became something more.

    Before he knew it, she had be pregnant. He was going to be a father! Decisively taking his former master as his wife, his mindset changed.

    His goals changed from getting revenge to providing for his wife and child. If Yan Zaizen had heard the story up to this, as someone who reads too many novels of rising after a tragedy, he would assume his family was killed with misfortune falling behind always.

    However, nothing like that happened. His wife gave birth to a beautiful daughter and they stayed in a first-tier force as a guest elder. Their life was smooth and without tragedy. It was he was discontent with this as his enemies continued to breathe and live.

    Leaving one day, he used his cultivation at the half-step Origin Core Realm and a sky-rank weapon to kill the Earthly Titan Sectmaster. During his way back, he felt his conceptualw of blood within his soul resonate with a something. Traveling, he found a ck colored drop of blood within a hidden cave.

    He had stumbled onto a regalia of heavenlyw! One that resonated with his own! With that, hisws grew by leaps and bounds, reaching the perfect-Force level in a short period of time. His cultivation reached the Initial-Origin Core Realm just before the Xiantu Dao Trials.

    He decisively decided to participate.

    If he could do well, the life of his wife and daughter would be greatly changed! He could also afford to help his wife restore her cultivation base and heal her damaged life source. He was doing this for them.

    Outside the Xiantu Continent, a teenage girl and middle-aged woman were looking at therge screens depicting the events in the sub-dimensional realm. They were on one of the many public skyships that carried hopefuls for a price.

    The girl had a very ordinary appearance in terms of countenance and body, but she had a very ¡¯girl-next-door¡¯ feel. The woman seemed to have heavy bags on her eyes, wrinkles forming on her face. If anyone with a decent cultivation would know her life source was damaged.

    "Mother...do you think Father will do well?" The girl¡¯s tender voice resounded with worry.

    "As long as hees back to us, that¡¯s all that matters." One could see the level of worry in her eyes were thousands of time greater than her daughter¡¯s. Her hand was already tightly clenched around her daughter¡¯s hand.

    "..." The young girl may not be very smart, but she understood that her father was in danger. She bit her lips and replied by clenching her mother¡¯s hand. "He will. I believe in him." She thought some more.

    "We believe in him."

    -----

    Shin Xuanji¡¯s eyes lit with a decisive fire. His life has been filled with ups and downs, but he can not let his current up be brought down no matter what. Even if he can¡¯t reach the 33rd step, he has to reach beyond the 13th!

    "You may begin." A grand voice resounded. The vast amount of participants dashed towards the heavenly steps with vigor and confidence. Somegged behind, feeling overwhelmed by the situation, but they followed along soon enough. Shin Xuanji wasn¡¯t a part of this group.

    He had already touched the first step and immediately felt the pressure they exuded. It wasn¡¯t limited to just the body but also soul. "If...your soul is weak, it¡¯ll weigh you down also." He made a note, but the pressure here wasn¡¯t close to unbearable.

    Turning around, he saw many people with equal cultivation bases struggle greatly. There were even some who had a weaker cultivation base that had their bones creak with each step they took.

    "What?" He was shocked. Then, he realized after some observation. These people likely had ages nearing 400 yet a simr or weaker cultivation base than him.

    "Pressure experienced is different based on age...I see." After deducing this, he noticed there were already several people on the 3rd step. They had Origin Core Cultivation bases and rtively young ages. In his opinion, these people likely belonged to heavenly-tier forces.

    He heard quite a fewments resound about them, but he ignored them. Regardless of how famous they were, they didn¡¯t matter to him. All that mattered was his next step towards his future.

    Kicking off the 1st step, he reached the 2nd.

    This was only the start!

 Chapter 177 Ascending Heaven, Shocking the Realm!

    "Ahhh!" A voice filled with horror shrieked with indignation and fear. The sound was so loud that many turned their head curiosity. What they saw caused their scalps to numb and their pupils to constrict.

    A woman was on the 3rd step...or what was originally a woman. Her cultivation base radiated an initial-Qi Unification aura, but her entire body was pressed down so much that she seemed t. Her bones were crushed to powder, her blood spewed out violently, and her head seemed like it was smashed with a hammer as half of it seemed to have been pounded in.

    "Holy sh-" A young man was about to scream when another simr sound resounded nearby. Turning around, the first thing he saw caused his eyes to tremble with intense disbelief and fear. An originally fat man was turned into a literal pancake. If one looked closely, they still wouldn¡¯t be able to discern arm from limb.

    The hearts of everyone nearby and even on the 2nd step raced at a rapid pace.

    Those two were dead after their initial scream.

    "..." Lin Feilin was nearby, her eyes filled with wariness and fear. At this point, she was contemting whether she should continue. This very thought crossed everyone¡¯s mind. However, someone from the fourth floor mockingly shouted.

    "Fools! If you¡¯re too old, too weak, step the hell down or lose your worthless, little lives." He coldly snorted, ignoring all the gazes and continued forward with little pressure. Quite a few had discontented gazes after being called fools and worthless, but no one said anything in reply. The scene just now left them visibly shaken.

    For many, his words enlightened them. The ages of these two were likely nearing the eligibility limit yet their cultivation were underwhelming. Those in a simr situation calcted their ages and cultivation base in an estimatedparison.

    About several ten thousand people just stopped. They returned to the base of the steps, watching others. Not all of them were old or weak, instead, they were going to calcte other¡¯s achievements and their own capabilities.

    This was smart. As long as there was someone around their age and cultivation base who could pass the 13th step, they would try. If they died in their attempt, they would just leave. What reason did they have to risk their lives?

    Lin Feilin couldn¡¯t do so. She was remarkably young and had a high cultivation base, she had a belief she could reach at least the 13th step in these circumstances. Not to mention, Ya Qinqan had already reached the 4th step. If she could do it, so can she. After all, she didn¡¯t want to be eclipsed by her rival.

    Shi Xuanji didn¡¯t even consider his failure yet. His intention was to experience the pressure personally, if it felt too heavy to resist, he would no longer ascend. His life was a priority after all. A young daughter and weak wife awaited his safe return.

    Outside, at the Xiantu Emperor¡¯s banquet, Yan Zaizen was watching with rapt attention. His hand, however, never stopped as he ate more and more cake. Eke, Grimm and Moana were cings bets on how far their disciples and descendants will achieve.

    "One drop of heavenly liquid," Grimm confidently bet on his most talented disciple reaching the highest step out of everyone else.

    "I¡¯ll match." Eke said, a soft smile on his face. If anyone saw this, they would see a sly old man.

    "Hmph." Moana coldly snorted. She wasn¡¯t confident enough to bet on any of her participants. However, she disliked being left out. Yan Zaizen found this funny as he discontented expression was cute, he turned towards Shin Xuanji with a smile. Many may not have noticed him, but he was truly decent. He was about seventy years old, had an initial Origin Core cultivation base, and a Perfect Nascent Soul. From his inspection, this test heavily relied on those three factors.

    With all this, he could easily match a heavenly-tier force genius. If given two hundred more years with proper resources, it¡¯s possible he could reach the mid-Origin Core Realm.

    An hour passed.

    Lin Feilin & Ya Qinqan: 10th Step.

    Shin Xuanji: 11th Step.

    "Oh?" Yan Zaizen was a little shocked by how Shin Xuanji exceeded the two beauties. Not to mention, he didn¡¯t seem too pressured. Instead, he was cautiously moving forward. "That¡¯s odd..." Yan Zaizen felt something was off.

    "You¡¯re considering just three factors, but the steps ce pressure onto the physical body as well. It seems this boy is cultivating bloodws. That¡¯s a bodilyw. If he reaches a high enough level, he can refine his body with blood qi in a simr fashion you can refine yours with life qi." Pinakamented. The moment she did, Yan Zaizen came to a realization.

    Since body refinement can¡¯t be appropriately measured unless inspected deeply in person, he neglected it. He softly nodded in eptance of his oversight.

    "His blood qi is exceptionally powerful for his age and cultivation base," Pinaka said once more with interest suffused in her voice. "It seems to contain dense bloodw energy, it may be at the perfect-Force level. It¡¯s possible...he¡¯s super close or at the Manifestation level." Pinaka, as a true spirit, could best a sixth-floor Heavenly Shrine expert in deducing aws aura in the soul even behind a screen.

    "Oh?!" He was surprised.

    That was exceptional. Lin Feilin was slightly older but she only reached the initial-Force level. Laws were divided into four stages: Initial, Minor, Major, and Perfect. As for the Force-level, it depended on one¡¯sprehension of the basew that the concept originated from. This was why Yan Zaizen¡¯s death concept rose in the Deep Mines. Heprehended deeper into deathw rather than the concept itself.

    This was also why soul and timew was easy to rise to the Manifestation-level. He had direct links to time and soulw in the chaotic space and brain respectively. Unbeknownst to him, Shin Xuanji also had a regalia to ponder over.

    "In that case, with a cultivation at the initial-Origin Core Realm, both of the first two trials will be easy for him." Yan Zaizenmented, his eyes flickering with intense anticipation.

    "Haha, so little? I, Xian Li, bets three drops of heavenly liquid!" A man bolstered with a bragging expression. It drew everyone¡¯s eyes as they realized who he was. This man was a first-floor Heavenly Genesis expert and belonged to the Xiantu Emperor¡¯s direct force. It seems everyone was making bets in their own social circles.

    "Oh? You scared? Do any of you dare to bet with me?" He traced his eyes around in disdain. He was fairly confident his disciple would take first ce in his specific circle and many here. The confidence in his gaze was dazzlingly obvious.

    Yan Zaizen directly stepped forward, "I¡¯m willing to bet, but I¡¯m curious if you dare." He was softly smiling at this.

    When Xian Li saw who stepped forward, his arrogant gaze immediately dropped several thousand notches and turned immediately respectful. "Sir Yan Zaizen, I do dare. I just hope..." his words trailed off purposefully. Yan Zaizen was chuckling inwardly.

    "You don¡¯t have to worry." Yan Zaizen waved his hand and a small, golden bottle filled with liquid appeared. In it was 73 drops of heavenlyw liquid. "How about this, I¡¯ll let everyone make a bet with me. If my choice loses to yours, I¡¯ll match your bet. If I win, it¡¯s mine. I¡¯ll even refrain from picking someone above a heavenly-tier force."

    He looked towards the crowd and they were shocked, but many looked at the bottle with greed. A person stepped up, it was a beautiful woman at the peak-True Essence Realm. "One drop." She took out an even smaller bottle that contained one drop of liquid.

    Before long, he had many, many takers. A person asked, "What if you run out of liquid Sir Yan Zaizen?" Yan Zaizen smiled, "Depending on how much I owe, I¡¯ll owe that person a favor."

    "One hundred drops of heavenly liquid." An old man near the Xiantu Emperor dered. Everyone¡¯s eyes drew to the old man and everyone was shocked. He was Mo, the second-floor Heavenly Genesis expert that serves the emperor only.

    Yan Zaizen smiled at this, nodding in eptance. "Any others?" At that moment, everyone realized the circumstances and felt this was an important time, not to mention Yan Zaizen was at a disadvantage. If he couldn¡¯t pick any from heavenly-tier forces, they had a massive advantage. Many believed he loved to recklessly gamble, and thus decided to take this opportunity.

    Before long, there was already over five hundred drops against him. "Then, who will be chosen?" He asked curiously.

    "If I may speak, Sir Yan Zaizen, you said we could pick anyone. What if two or more people pick the same person or you pick the person we¡¯ll pick?" Xian Li asked, his eyes shone with a sly glint.

    "It¡¯s a bet against me, not against others. You can pick whoever you want, even the same. You can also pick first. As long as I lose, I lose." These words caused many eyes to light up in session. Many of those lights contained deep greed and contempt.

    "Xiantu Yu," one person who bet two drops called out.

    "Xiantu Yu," another called out, he bet five drops.

    "Xiantu Yu," even Xian Li called out that name, betting eleven drops.

    Everyone, literally EVERYONE, who bet called out that one name.

    Yan Zaizen was curious about who that was, but he simply kept his casual expression with a slight smile. "I see. I pick Shin Xuanji." Yan Zaizen calmly dered.

    Who?

    This name caused many to be confused. However, Yan Zaizen pointed towards a boy dressed in a blood-crimson outfit and an Oni mask. Then, he smiled. He knew that a first-floor Heavenly shrine required one hundred drops for each concept embedded within, outside of materials for the physical structure itself which were far easier to obtain.

    As for these drops, typically, they would take a century for a first-floor Heavenly Genesis cultivator to refine one without support. With an average lifespan of one hundred and fifty thousand years, this wasn¡¯t much. However a hundred years was still a hundred years.

    He was making preparation for his future ascension. Not to mention, Pinaka had already given her guarantee towards Shin Xuanji. Out of everyone there, not a single person could match him in terms of potential. After all, the Manifestation level was typically something even peak-True Essence experts after tens of thousands had trouble reaching.

    Four hourster.

    "Impossible! Could he be cheating?"

    "Who is this boy?! He puts the Xiantu Yu, the direct descendant of the Xiantu Emperor so far behind?!"

    "Holy...how can he be so young yet so..."

    Prince Renlong: Exit at 12th Step.

    Ya Qinqan: Exit at 17th Step.

    Lin Felin: Exit at 17th Step.

    Yan Qiu: Exit at 22nd Step.

    Xiantu Yu: Exit at 27th Step.

    SHIN XUANJI: EXIT AT 30th STEP!!

    With a single trial, a single step, he eclipsed all others! As the world was stunned, Yan Zaizen had a dense smirk of satisfaction on his face. With the greediest smile imaginable, he chuckled loudly.

    "Time to pay up!"

 Chapter 178 The Mortal Bridge

    Collecting all the Heavenly Law Liquid from the begrudged losers, Yan Zaizen felt amazingly refreshed and content. Earning so much with so little effort; profiting off others sess. He couldn¡¯t help but think that his decision to help Shin Xuanji was worth it for this day alone.

    "Five hundred and thirty-two heavenly drops. Such a huge profit..." Eke had eyes filled with awe and envy. Yan Zaizen had looks, power, and wealth. If it wasn¡¯t for the fact he was a divine beast, male, and had his own pride, he would probably be nipping at Yan Zaizen¡¯s feet at the moment.

    Just as his thoughts reached this point, Moana sauntered towards Yan Zaizen. Her every step caused her round bottom and foxy curves to be disyed to its fullest. "Congrattions, Mister Zai," she called out with a sweet voice.

    Yan Zaizen was taken aback. He was reminded of Yao Wuhen and how she used that exact form of address towards him. Typically, normal greeting or addresses would include his full name - Yan Zaizen - with the n, his own, and family name. While intimate addresses of familiarity would be a title and personal name.

    Unless the title was an official one, such as a royal title like the Xiantu Emperor.

    He understood Yao Wuhen¡¯s intentions a little, attempting to get closer to draw further upon his influence, but seeing Moana, a divine beast that could rival a first-floor Heavenly Genesis expert, do the same felt abnormal.

    "You know..." Pinaka suddenly spoke, "if you wished to dual cultivate with this fox, she¡¯ll do so in a heartbeat." Her words werepletely true. In truth, every woman, EVERY ONE, in this hall wouldn¡¯t object. Dual cultivation is dependent on body and soul cultivation bases, it does very little good for the Essence or Heavenly Path.

    However, having a stronger body leads to a better foundation and soul typically meant an easier time inprehendingws and greater senses. With his profound cultivation base, it would be easy to lure them all, especially divine beasts.

    Yan Zaizen chuckled after realizing this. "Thank you, Miss Moana." His eyes lit up with an evaluating light, his eyes subtly checking her from head to toe, being sure to linger on her bountiful chest area. She truly was foxy.

    Seeing this, Moana got closer. They started engaging in vivid conversation. Before long, many started to engage with Yan Zaizen, asking him questions about Shin Xuanji or his true origins. No one believed the cockamamie background of originating from a second-tier force and being less than a hundred years old.

    Who would? Many believed he had posed as a youth who had died prior. In truth, everyone believed simr things. Even Lin Feilin and Shin Xuanji.

    Yan Zaizen was enjoying being surrounded by powerful, influential, and beautiful people while enjoying great wine and food.

    In a part of the room, Xiantu Emperor also had a bevy of people surrounding him. Many were shining his ego with ttery at his new breakthrough and grand reign. As for the Xiantu Emperor himself, his blue eyes contained traces of an emperor¡¯s warmth, but when he looked towards Yan Zaizen, his eyes would flicker imperceptibly for a moment before resuming conversation with others.

    ----------

    Shin Xuanji was shocked at his results. At the 30th Step, he stood with an exhausted expression. The 33 Heavenly Steps measured age, body, soul, and qi cultivation. Normally, Shin Xuanji should¡¯ve been weaker in all these aspects inparison to those elites with Heavenly-tier forces.

    However, he was under seventy years, had a Perfect Nascent Soul, a body cultivation tempered by the regalia of heaven¡¯s aura and his own blood qi, while having an initial-Origin Core cultivation base. He truly had an exceptional foundation as a cultivator.

    Inparison, Xiantu Yu was two hundred years old, an Initial Aurora Soul, a body that could rival the mid-Origin Core Realm, and ate-Origin Core cultivation base. The two main difference that truly decided how far they¡¯ll reach was age and qi cultivation.

    Conceptualws can be integrated with qi-essence to exhibit further power. While Xiantu Yu may have an advantage in raw cultivation base, he severelycked inwprehension. Shin Xuanji had reached the initial-Manifestation level while Xiantu Yuprehended to the major-Force level despite the vast age difference

    This alone, by a single level, led to a massive difference in strength. If they were to fight, Shin Xuanji would obviously lose, but if they were testing potential? Shin Xuanji dominated unquestionably.

    After the first trial was over, a spatial slit appeared above the steps as the pressure from the 13th step upwards faded. "All those who¡¯ve exceeded the 13th rise. All those who¡¯ve failed, LEAVE!" With a tyrannical tone, a grand voice resounded.

    Before long, all members reached the second trial. Shin Xuanji had his oni-mask on making his identity impossible to discover so the other participants could only specte and throw curious gazes at him.

    Shin Xuanji ignored them all.

    In the second trial¡¯s sub-dimensional space, a single dpidated bridge that connected to an ordinary looking gate at the far end. It was wide enough to contain a hundred people and gave off a rare feeling of heaviness. It seemed to extend exactly 999 steps forward, with the 1000th allowing entry into the gate.

    "This is?" Shin Xuanji was shocked, his eyes scanning the bridge with a careful gaze.

    Ya Qinqan had seeded, but she didn¡¯t feel proud. The other felt disadvantageous to those in her circumstance. She felt, if she was given her current treatment and a hundred years, she could conquer all 33 steps. "Others just started sooner." She rationalized, her belief in her potential never faltered.

    The voice exined the rules, ignoring everyone¡¯s thoughts. "Traverse the Mortal Bridge,prehend the mortal. As you do, the further you¡¯ll reach. Enter the gate before thirty days or fail." With that, the voice went silent.

    Many in the crowd were shocked, but a few others had their eyes brighten. Yan Qiu in particr, the granddaughter of Broad Creed Pce¡¯s Yan n Ancestor, had her eyes shine so brilliantly that it could blind others. "The Mortal Bridge! Stepping onto the bridge, you¡¯ll be given a random Mortal Law. The goal is toprehend thew, develop a concept, and reach a sufficient level to enter the gate. However, the Mortal Bridge allows one to better perceivews and concepts! It¡¯s an exceptional opportunity! A day here is like a year in the outside world."

    "1st to 332nd step is the initial stage of the Nascent level. 333rd to 665th step is the minor stage and 666th to 999th is the major stage. 1000th is perfection! Unless you master your concept, passing thatst step is impossible." She exined to one of her friends in the crowd.

    Shin Xuanji happened to be nearby, his eyes behind the mask flickered. With that, he directly stepped onto the bridge. Others followed without hesitation, after all, they were only given thirty days.

    As Lin Felin stepped on the bridge, she was stunned and warily smiled. The Mortal Law of Shield.

    Ya Qinqan had a solemn expression. The Mortal Law of Axe.

    Yan Qiu smiled softly. The Mortal Law of Softness.

    Xiantu Yu stared at Shin Xuanji, his eyes filled withpetitive aggressiveness. The Mortal Law of Hair.

    Shin Xuanji only looked with an odd expression behind his mask. The Mortal Law of Bone.

    Various expressions filled the faces of the participants. Not a single one obtained a Mortal Law they knew. The bridge could read the soul and give one an entirely differentw than you¡¯veprehended before.

    Day 1: No oneprehended their concept. Not a single participant took a step.

    Day 3: Xiantu Yuprehended his concept before everyone else, the Hair of Steel Spikes. It was intermixed with his Metal Law, allowing it to be exceptionally powerful. It was simr to the Archery of Pure Destruction, containing both Mortal and World.

    Day 4: Xiantu Yu reached his 73rd step. Hisprehension into his conceptualw was faster than all others.

    Day 5: Several other membersprehended their own concepts, taking their first steps. Yan Qiu was among them.

    Day 10: Xiantu Yu reached his 450th step, Yan Qiu - 378th. Ya Qinqan - 296th. Lin Feilin - 283rd. Shin Xuanji - 1st.

    Day 15: Many were shocked that Shin Xuanji didn¡¯t take a single step. While Xiantu Yu had already passed the 665th step, reaching 670th. Yan Qiu - 542nd. Ya Qinqan - 413th. Lin Feilin 407th.

    Day 22: Xiantu Yu - 880th. Yan Qiu - 732nd. Ya Qinqan - 727th. Lin Feilin - 733rd. Shin Xuanji - 1st.

    Day 29: Xiantu Yu - 999th. Yan Qiu - 1000th. Ya Qinqan - 1000th. Lin Feilin - 1000th. Shin Xuanji - 1st.

    At this day, Xiantu Yu¡¯s eyes were bloodshot. Dozens of participants had already passed, but he couldn¡¯t take that final step! He felt infuriated even if he had done better than 99% of the participants, this one step gued him considerably.

    In truth, he made a crucial mistake. The merging of conceptual arts made it exceptionally difficult toprehend. This could be seen by, despite being a Non-Entity, Yan Zaizen¡¯sprehension into the Archery of Pure Destruction was the slowest.

    This was due to one fact: the synergy requirement of mixing two very differentws. Even to this day, Yan Zaizen has only reached the perfect-Force level. This made it countless times harder to master, adding the stressful atmosphere of a time-limit and personal pride, one could imagine how that would end.

    When others saw this, especially the high-ranking spectators, they could only shake their heads in disappointment. With his current mental state, it was unlikely that he¡¯ll pass this trial. The Xiantu Emperor¡¯s eyes when he looked at this son of his turned increasingly apathetic. This would be a major hit to his face if his own son couldn¡¯t pass his trial.

    As for Shin Xuanji, his eyes were in a misty haze. At the moment, he wasprehending the Blood Iron Bone. It intermixes blood with bone, especially his own concept of the ck Iron Blood with the bone equivalent. It was miraculous and he had a faint feeling that blood and bone were asplex as space and time despite being mortalws.

    "Last Day!" The powerful voice announced. Shin Xuanji snapped out of his state. He was confused for a second but then he realized the situation. He took a step, then another, and another. Before long, as if he was walking across a park, he passed all others.

    When he reached the 999th step, his gaze stopped at Xiantu Yu. It flickered with a trace of pity. Then, he walked the 1000th step.

    Xiantu Yu roared ferociously seeing the blood-red oni mask with eyes of pity looking at him. Looking at him?! At this moment, he drew upon his potential and mind, focusing entirely on the task at hand. He became lost in a miraculous feeling of absolute focus.

    In this state, he felt he could reach it! He could do it! The final step was within reach and all others could only envy his talent, not pity it!

    "Time¡¯s up!" The voice announced. The bridge¡¯s amplifying effect abruptly ended. All participants left their state ofprehension. For those who passed the 1000th step, they had gleeful gazes. But...

    Their eyes drew upon a single figure that once held imperialistic aura so strong he resembled the Xiantu Emperor himself. He had eyes filled with a nkness. He stood there like a blind man with zero focus in his gaze.

    Yan Zaizen saw this and he couldn¡¯t help but shake his head. Pinaka said with deep pity, "To think he would recklessly dive into his concept like this...such potential, wasted."

    In the cultivation world, one could undergo something called cultivation deviation. It¡¯s when you lose yourself in cultivation or cultivate improperly. Normally, if done for the Essence or Bodily Path, you could suffer severe injuries, only in worse case scenarios does one suffer death.

    However,ws are interconnected with the soul. If one experiences it during soul cultivation, they could lose themselves entirely. Never to return. It was far worse when trying to perceive the heavens. You can get lost in the Heavenly Domain. Unless someone can be equivalent or exceed the heavens to extract your consciousness, you were essentially dead.

    "..." The crowd was silent. To think that the Xiantu Emperor¡¯s son...died...just like that?

 Chapter 179 Slaughter Array

    Within the sub-dimensional space of the Mortal Bridge, a door formed from white light appeared. "All those who reached the 1000th step, PROCEED." The voice announced.

    A forceful gust swept the bodies of all those who have yet to reach the 1000th step towards the spatial slit. They were sent out. Out of the hundreds of thousands of people, only 103 remained. The bridge eliminated a vast majority of participants.

    This shocked everyone, including Yan Zaizen. From his understanding, this trial should have two things - high mortality rate and a decent number of those who passed the three trials. However, this trial was quite different. Barely any died while many, many were directly eliminated.

    Yan Zaizen couldn¡¯t help but nce at the Xiantu Emperor. It seems this man had his ns. He had a faint feeling since arriving that this man was dangerous and very scheme-oriented. Yan Zaizen felt an innate sense of distrust and difort looking at him.

    Shin Xuanji and the others entered the white door. When they arrived at their destination, they recognized that they were alone. The world was a barren wastnd filled with dry ground, cloudy skies, and a chilly air. There was a grey sun that hung in the sky that released a frosty aura. It felt so cold that some had to use their qi-essence to abate the sensation.

    "Is this...another realm?" Shin Xuanji questioned as he looked around.

    "An array world?" Yan Zaizen was a little shocked as he saw the remaining participants appear on separate screens within another space. An array world was a sub-dimensional space that had been influenced by interconnecting formations. Typically, they were used for training, cultivation, growing herbs, or setting a specific environment toprehendws.

    After all, a sub-dimensional space was pretty empty. An array world would give it unique characteristics and make it habitable. Some even had their entire ns based in them or used to hide if cmity struck. It was like having a very, very small sub-realm for your own use.

    "To structure 103 array world¡¯s, it¡¯s quite extraordinary. The Xiantu Emperor¡¯s abilities and resources are quite deep." Grimmmented from the side.

    "That¡¯s incorrect. This is only one array world that was divided into 103 parts." Moana corrected. She was far more familiar with formations than Grimm. She could even be called a master formationist.

    Grimm coldly snorted. Getting corrected never felt good, but he kept silent. His mind still was in awe at the array world.

    "If I recall, this is the ughter World." Xian Li, who¡¯ve stayed quite close to Yan Zaizen, said. "It is a training simtion for members of the Xiantu Emperor¡¯s direct lineage. I think the Mortal Bridge is also a part of the Xiantu Emperor¡¯s tools to help cultivators. To think..." he felt bewildered by what the Xiantu Emperor brought out despite their previous exclusivity.

    The Mortal Bridge was a grand opportunity to test yourprehension and experience enhanced rity towards thews. While on it, one day trantes to one year of seeking enlightenment. Unfortunately, it only helps with conceptualws and not the overallws themselves, only helping till the perfect-Nascent level.

    "ughter World?" Curiosity filled Yan Zaizen¡¯s gaze. Fortunately, his curiosity was sated by the grand announcer.

    "The ughter World has nine levels. Each level has thirty-three enemies. Pass all nine levels,plete the trial. You can choose to leave in the next five minutes, but if you do not, you will be unable to leave until the trial ispleted or finished."

    "Thirty-three enemies? Nine levels?" Shin Xuanji was a little intrigued, but he remained stationary. All of the participants did. After all, they didn¡¯te here to quit.

    Within Shin Xuanji¡¯s world, the first enemy appeared within the barren world from nothing. It was humanoid, dressedpletely in grey armor, and held a single spear. Shin Xuanji observed this armored figure, realizing his qi cultivation base was only at the mid-Qi Unification Realm. His vital energy aura had the same intensity and his soul was at the Perfect Nascent Soul.

    With furrowed brows, he felt that he understood something. Despite this, he was going to strike. Withdrawing his ck de, he readied himself.

    Shmmm!

    Then, thirty-two of the exact same shimmered into existence, each holding a different mortal weapon. Some held bows, some hadnces, spears, tomahawks, swords, and even a whip. They had different weapons that went into thirty-three mortalws, each with the same cultivation bases, same armor, and same ferocity emanating from their bodies.

    Shin Xuanji didn¡¯t take this seriously. His origin core shined as his qi-essence infused with his origin swept out like a tide of ck blood. Within a second, it swept his enemies and crushed them all under its immense weight.

    For an Origin Core expert, a hundred Qi Unification warriors were nothing more than ants beneath a boot. The difference in realm alone constituted this fact, adding his foundation, concepts, and armaments, this was nothing more than a slight breeze.

    After a minute passed, thirty-three more appeared. Their souls were stronger, their auras, both vital and qi, reached thete-Qi Unification Realm. "I see..." With another wave of his sword, the enemies were easily demolished.

    Third level, peak-Qi Unification Realm. Shin Xuanji could deduce the levels in the future. He faced them with ease. Fourth level introduced half-step Origin Core experts. Each armored individual started to radiate auras ofws, as if they had discovered and excavated their origin sources.

    It¡¯s likely these levels were based on individual cultivation bases, likely rting to his qi cultivation base. This test specifically testedprehensivebat strength.

    The fifth level was harder than any other level thus far. Shin Xuanji struck with ferocity, fighting the experts with a ck bloody storm filled with immense weight. It crushed those unable to defend themselves.

    The sixth level had peak initial-Origin Core experts. Their great coordination was now capable of being properly exhibited. The difference in strength was slowly closing, forcing Shin Xuanji to expand more qi-essence to kill one.

    The seventh level was tougher, dealing with thirty-three mid-Origin Core experts left him sweating. It wasn¡¯t to the point where he was in lethal danger, but it was exhausting. With a bodily strength, qi-essence, and soul tactics that rivaled mid-Origin Core experts, Shin Xuanji felt the pressure pile.

    He suffered his first injury. A lightceration on his left arm caused by a thrown dagger. Their tactics were intermixed with short, mid, and long-range attacks. They would put unrelenting pressure in closebat and long-range soul strikes.

    "Then...the ninth level iste or peak-Origin Core experts?" Shin Xuanji realized the danger in this trial. It didn¡¯t test understanding inws butprehension into arts! Martial arts, qi arts, and soul arts. If youcked any of them and ced in a situation you couldn¡¯t adapt to, you¡¯ll lose your life.

    To sharpen the de by removing all impurities. To sharpen the person by removing all weaknesses.

    "Is this what it means to be a powerful cultivator?" The eight-level emerged, revealing peak mid-Origin Core experts. With a thunderous roar, Shin Xuanji waved his sword to produce an oceanic wave of ck blood.

    It crushed towards the thirty-three, but besides a few, the others dodged. They proceeded to engage Shin Xuanju in all forms ofbat. He suffered arge injury to the abdomen, ance prated his stomach ruthlessly. If it wasn¡¯t for his control of bloodws and strong body, he could¡¯ve died. His soul was also battered by the constant bombardment of soul arts.

    Shin Xuanji now understood an indisputable fact - without profound arts trained to their peaks, you¡¯ll always be at a disadvantage. This very lesson was why Yan Zaizen dedicated himself to arts for so many years. They were the foundation of any and all paths.

    His arts simply weren¡¯t trained enough. He had a profoundw cultivation, but in terms of utilization of thatw, he hasn¡¯t reached a high enough level. He simply was too young.

    A foundation isn¡¯t just based onprehension of the heavens or cultivation bases, but the application of those two things. This required time and effort, many geniuses may be able to have high realms orprehension inws, but they still lose to old monsters of equal cultivation. Why?

    Arts and experience.

    The ninth level started. Each armored expert radiated vast killing intent and cultivation prowess. They held their weapons with intense res through their helmets. With a spark, they took action, not caring about Shin Xuanji exhaustion or precarious situation. They ferociously attacked, each aiming for a vital point or an area that would induce further weakness if struck.

    Shin Xuanji raised his ck de, his hazy gaze looked at the iing enemies, but all he could see was his wife and daughter. His cultivation base erupted and he took a step forward. With a single de, he intended to carve out a better life for himself and his family.

    He had to, he must.

 Chapter 180 Decision

    A figure drenched in its own blood emerged from the ughter world. In its eyes, an unyielding belief to never concede radiated. As it appeared, the many observers were intrigued. They examined the figure with rapt attention.

    "I...did...it..." A tender, feminine voice resounded. Those eyes filled with unyielding belief trembled, returning back to a gaze as soft as water. Ya Qinqan was the first to defeat the ninth level and emerge.

    Her ninth level obstacle was thirty-three half step Origin Core cultivators. To ovee this struggle was beyond difficult for her. Her talent, foundation, nor cultivation was the highest possible, but she had one thing that kept her strong - her will.

    An unyielding belief and desire to seed. With this, herprehension in both her arts and conceptualw jumped an entire level. She experienced a baptism ofbat and refinement of her will that drew out her greatest potential.

    "To think...she¡¯s first." Yan Zaizen was inwardly shocked. Ya Qinqan always had something special about her, not just her beauty, but this was the first time he personally saw it. As a spectator, he witnessed her entire struggle from start to finish.

    It was reminiscent of a hero oveing struggles and rising above all. Regardless of the obstacle, regardless of the trial, they¡¯ll always ovee it.

    "This girl has an exceptional will, natural battle instincts, andprehension under pressure," Pinakamented, even she felt disbelief at Ya Qinqan¡¯s sess. "My former master once said that those with these characteristics are the worst to make an enemy of and the greatest to make a disciple of."

    "..." Yan Zaizen stayed silent. His emotions were ratherplex.

    After Ya Qinqan, another left the array. He was a burly man with no pupils in his eyes. He had a ferocity to him and his teeth were silver and sharp. He was a hybrid. His bloodline was mixed with a divine beast and human. If he was simply a divine beast, his cultivation would be at the True Essence Realm at the minimum. Only those hybrids can take human form without being Divine Beasts and typically traveled the Essence Path.

    His name was Coorg, the son of Grimm.

    "Hmph,ing out second." Grimm seemed displeased as he coldly snorted but if one saw his eyes, they would see it filled with deep pride. Several others exited, including Shin Xuanji.

    Unfortunately, Lin Feilin relied on external methods to protect her life and was taken out of the ughter array. Others followed suit, leaving only six.

    Ya Qinqan, Coorg, Shin Xuanji, Yan Qiu, Xiantu Na, and Wu Zen.

    Xiantu Na was the third member of the top beauties in Xiantu Realm and the grandniece of the Xiantu Emperor. Wu Zen was the direct son of the Wu n¡¯s Ancestor and next in line to take the chief position in the n.

    They were each bloodied from head to toe except Xiantu Na. She looked as if she wasn¡¯t touched once in the array.

    They were brought away by a mysterious force, cleaned up, and taken to the banquet. All of them were sent before the Xiantu Emperor and the others. The gazes of the top experts were honed on each of their bodies. They were analyzing their features and making considerations. Not as to who will im the Xiantu Emperor¡¯s dao, but who they personally favored. With Xiantu Yu¡¯s fall, Xiantu Na was the only choice to them for dao bestowment.

    The Xiantu Emperor had a profound gaze as he looked at each one of them, his gaze not lingering on any. "Congrattions for passing the Xiantu Dao Trials! Your sess has determined your astonishing talent, will, and potential. You¡¯ll be rewarded ordingly and given the opportunity to join the Xiantu Guard."

    When these words were said, the only one whose eyes lit up in excitement was Croog. As for the others, they add had varied expressions from solemnity to indifference. One could see that they hoped to be selected to possess the Xiantu Emperor¡¯s dao. If they had one, they could take their first step towards the heavens.

    "As for my selection..." His gaze swept them all once more. This time, he stopped on Shin Xuanji for a moment, his eyes flickering, but it shifted to another. "Ya Qinqan."

    "..."

    "..."

    "..."

    Everyone was silent. Xiantu Na had a look of disbelief. Croog¡¯s eyes widened to the size of eggs. Shin Xuanji nced curiously over and saw Ya Qinqan¡¯s intense reaction of stillness brought about by shock. Yan Qiu pouted her lips but she didn¡¯t seem to care much, her gaze subtly looked around for Yan Zaizen¡¯s figure. Wu Zen only closed his eyes, his thoughts kept hidden.

    The attendants at the banquet and selection were just as silent with simr or even greater reactions.

    "Haha. Makes sense." Yan Zaizen wasn¡¯t shocked at his choice after seeing the earlier events. He looked towards the Xiantu Emperor and felt this man truly was interesting.

    "His dao is the Mortal Dao of Belief. Ya Qinqan¡¯s determination, ruthlessness, and personal belief in herself led her to this moment. Typically, the belief in something or someone else, such as gods or idols, but to have the belief in yourself is definitely more suited." Pinakamented with a neutral tone, but she criticized, "It¡¯s only a lower-tier Mortal Dao, not even a peak one."

    Yan Zaizen looked towards Shin Xuanji. From his posture and aura, he had severe indifference towards the selection. It seemed more like a means to an end, but not the end all, be all.

    With a light chuckle, he walked over amidst all the surrounding gazes. He arrived next to Shin Xuanji and the others. The Xiantu Emperor¡¯s eyes were calm as he looked towards Yan Zaizen obvious sign of disrespect and disruption. As for Yan Zaizen, he didn¡¯t even consider the Xiantu Emperor¡¯s gaze.

    He had an instinctual feeling that this Xiantu Emperor and he would never be allies. They may not be enemies, but this man lived for himself and only himself. It¡¯s not that Yan Zaizen disliked this mentality, but it was those eyes filled with endless schemes of benefits that shook his mind.

    At first, he intended to travel with the Xiantu Emperor to explore some realm, but now that his cultivation had increased, his instincts were screaming fatal danger whenever he thought of it or looked at the Xiantu Emperor. It was as if he could hear the winds of time inform him that only danger and death awaited him.

    He didn¡¯t like this feeling. In the end, he decided to decline the Xiantu Emperor¡¯s proposal and leave. When he consulted Pinaka about this matter, she informed him that cultivators cultivate the very heavens. The reason why he could feel profound danger inbat, deadly crisis or a draw of some unknown force was due to this. The whispers of heaven.

    Acting on and measuring this feeling could lead to both misfortune and fortune, death or life. Yan Zaizen decided to act on this feeling.

    "Congrattions, Eighth Brother." When those words resounded, everyone turned to Shin Xuanji. Shin Xuanji turned around to see Yan Zaizen. His eyes were calm and he remembered the brief moments he had with this man.

    The bath.

    The forest.

    The dungeon.

    Now, here.

    They may be short, but each had a profound effect and led to this very moment. If Han Genji never brought Yan Zaizen to the mountain at that time, he would¡¯ve been killed by the Earthly Titan Sect. In truth, unbeknownst to him, he also wouldn¡¯t have had his daughter or wife if Yan Zaizen never, unintentionally, ughtered the elders of the Blood Fiend Sect.

    Fate worked in odd ways.

    Now, here he stood. Lookingpletely different, exuding an aura of exceptional power and profound status. The eyes of many looked at him with wariness, fear, respect, and desire. Yet, he only had a warm, calm smile on his face.

    Shin Xuanji ced his hand on his mask. Slowly, he removed it. As his face was revealed, Yan Zaizen lightly chuckled. The young man he saw in that bath once more was before him with little difference.

    "I feel we¡¯re connected by fate, by a bond. What do you say, will you ept my Dao?" Yan Zaizen words shocked all who heard it.

    "..." Shin Xuanji looked at Yan Zaizen with the most serious set of eyes imaginable. There was no excitement or any other emotion, but bone-crunching seriousness. "How does itpare?" In truth, Shin Xuanji didn¡¯t know much about the dao, not many did. He only knew that it was needed to step towards the heavens.

    Seeing this, Yan Zaizen carefreely chuckled once more. "In terms of the Dao, my Dao could bepared to the sun. His? Aet." Yan Zaizen inly said causing everyone to feel incredibly shocked. This was insulting one¡¯s dao! To think he would do such a thing right next to the Xiantu Emperor!

    When others expected the Xiantu Emperor to take action, he only stayed silent, observing it all indifferently. This immediately triggered all sorts of thoughts in their minds. The first and most prevalent: ¡¯he doesn¡¯t dare to act!¡¯

    "...I ept." Shin Xuanji answered calmly. With his intelligence, he felt that this ¡¯Ninth Brother¡¯ of his had a strength that vastly exceeded the emperor. If that was the case, then he¡¯ll ept.

    Ya Qinqan bit her lips, her initial shock wearing off as she watched this exchange. To her, this was a grand moment. Her grand moment. Then, Yan Zaizen shows up and pretty much tells everyone that her sess, the dao of the emperor, was trash.

    In truth, it was inparison. Yan Zaizen had a peak upper-tier dao. Mortal Daos were divided into three tiers, lower, middle, and upper. Yan Zaizen¡¯s dao was formted from multiple peak lower-tier and middle-tier daos in the most perfect and synergetic way possible, reaching the highest standard.

    With it having multiple daos embedded within, it was easier to bestow it to others. As long as they held apatibility to a single aspect of his dao, it was possible to obtain the entire thing. Not to mention, it was hundreds, if not thousands, of times more powerful than a lower-tier dao.

    "I believe, in the future, you¡¯ll structure your own dao." As he said that, he ced his index finger on Shin Xuanji¡¯s be. A light of dark-amber emerged on the point of contact, exuding an aura of peak sovereignty! All those who bore witness, including the Xiantu Emperor, had their souls tremble.

    Dao Bestowment!

    The action of bestowing a dao was easy if one trains in it. With Pinaka¡¯s help, his application of Dao Bestowment was phenomenal. After all, he intended to bestow it to Tao.

    Shin Xuanji felt something enter his soul but didn¡¯t resist. If Yan Zaizen wanted to harm him, he could¡¯ve killed him before or any second before now. A warmth filled his soul as a dark-amber diamond formed in his soul form, floating stationary at its center. It exuded an aura of unyielding confidence and tyrannical ferocity.

    His eyes flickered with dark-amber light, but his expression remained calm. If Shin Xuanji had a dao that resonated within him, it was either Original Warmth or Somber Calmness. One is a characteristic of never losing the piece of yourself despite tragedy and the other was a calmness in one¡¯s heart, even if you feel fear, hatred, or weakness. You¡¯ll remain calm in the darkest of times.

    It was this type of calmness that led Shin Xuanji to persist in leading the Earthly Titan Sect for three years in lies. As for his warmth, that was gained from his own family, something he lost before.

    The action happened quickly and everyone was absolutely shocked. Typically, a bestowal required weeks of struggle and there¡¯s a chance it may fail if the person is ipatible. Yet, this wasn¡¯t the case. It took seconds and formted perfectly.

    "Thanks." Shin Xuanji said, his tone filled with gratitude. This single word contained thanks for everything, including saving him before. Shin Xuanji felt that he owed Yan Zaizen too much.

    "Mhm." Yan Zaizen looked at the Xiantu Emperor. The Xiantu Emperor returned his gaze. As they shed, Yan Zaizen had a feeling that this man was a walking cmity. However, this gaze pretty much informed the emperor that Shin Xuanji was now under his protection.

    He turned away, he gave Eke¡¯s group a warm smile of thanks. Taking a step forward, he left as if he entered an imaginary painting, vanishing from everyone¡¯s gaze.

    "He..." A guard was stunned. The hall had spatial arrays to prevent spatial void maniption, but Yan Zaizen simply vanished. They didn¡¯t know that he entered chaotic space and not the spatial void.

    As Yan Zaizen reappeared, he was on the desk of the Heretical Lightning Skyship. His gaze flickered. "Eighth Brother..." He had a faint feeling that the myriad realms will need someone like him one day.

    Bai Lufeng was at the helm looking outwards. He felt a familiar aura and turned to see Yan Zaizen. With a smile, he asked, "Where shall we go?"

    Tao arrived on deck at about the same time, feeling a familiar aura arrive as well.

    With a smile, he looked towards Tao, "The myriad realms awaits."

    A light shined in each of their eyes. A light of adventure.

    ----------

    ZERO!!!

    I know you guys were waiting for the big countdown reveal and what it would mean. It¡¯s a giveaway!

    Giveaway Contest for Spirit Stones[100]~

    Details:

    To enter the giveaway, construct your Mortal Dao, regardless of what it may be. Send a description of what it is and/if it¡¯sprised of many different Mortal Daos[Like Sovereign¡¯s Ascension of our MC], to --> <--

    I will select, on July 9th, 2018 the winners of the contest and give them their rewards!

    Remember, Mortal Dao¡¯s describe personality traits or characteristics of living existences rather than standardws or concept. They are concepts of individuality. They can be simple, like greed, lust, or arrogance, but they can also beplex and a mixture of many daos and describe specific states of existence! Like Mortal Dao of Carefree Wanderer! Mortal Dao of NEET! Get creative! Mortal Dao of Cake Greed! I want to see all of your interesting and amazing ideas! Hopefully, some of them describe yourself.

 Chapter 181 The Border Expanse

    Within the Xiantu Continent¡¯s outer orbit, a pink skyship floated quietly. It was surrounded by countless others and despite its color, it was quite unassuming. Three beautiful women, two mature and one young, looked outwards from the deck.

    Each had varying expressions but they were filled with a solemness. If Yan Zaizen saw them, he would immediately recognize them. The youngdy was Qiao Qinya, the daughter of Xinya. He had met her in Sky Heart City in Grux before he returned to Presba.

    Beside her was twodies, both twins that were near mirror images. The only exception was the color of their outfits. They were Xinya and Chenya. Xinya was dressed in a light blue and Chenya had a dark orange outfit. They had simr designed, but were modest and showed very little skin or assets. Despite this, their countenance was astonishing and mesmerizing indicating they weren¡¯t average in any area.

    Qiao Qinya had her brows furrowed as she watched the events with her mother and aunt. The events at the banquet weren¡¯t shown, but the 33 Heavenly Steps, Mortal Bridge, and ughtering Array were shownpletely. The events left many shocked, especially Xiantu Yu¡¯s cultivation deviation.

    When she looked at the screens, her gaze was looking for Yan Zaizen¡¯s figure. She believed that Yan Zaizen should be participating. However, as she watched more and more and came to a realization that he wasn¡¯t there, she was shocked. Looking towards her mother, her gaze was lost and misty.

    Xinya shook her head slightly, "As I said before, it¡¯s possible it wasn¡¯t him." Earlier, when Yan Zaizen left Sky Heart City, Qiao Qinya was worried that Yan Zaizen was the person that was prophesied.

    At her birth, her aunt, Linya,prehended a glimpse of heavenly destiny. During which, she prophesied that a young man who will be her future spouse shall stir the very heavens with his achievements and talents. Unfortunately, the only clue she had was one fact: This person will participate in the Xiantu Dao Trials during her generation.

    This was her generation.

    "Then...who?" Her eyes looked at the scene, feeling lost and chaotic. To have, at birth, be told that your future had been set felt infuriating, but if this person could truly stir the heavens, then perhaps he was worth it.

    Perhaps.

    -----

    Yan Zaizen and crew was soaring through the Xiantu Realm heading away. On the deck of the ship, Yan Zaizen held a white orb in his hand with an unfathomable expression. This was the Regalia of Mimicry.

    "Are you sure?" He asked.

    "Almost certain," Pinaka responded.

    Yan Zaizen had suspicions but he wasn¡¯t certain but he recalled Shin Xuanji¡¯s age andwprehension and couldn¡¯t help but believe in the possibility. Shin Xuanji had a Regalia of Blood in his possession.

    Pinaka¡¯s ability to sensews and her personal understanding exceeded many, and when Yan Zaizen was personally interconnecting his dao to Shin Xuanji¡¯s soul, she was almost certain that Shin Xuanji had a regalia within his body. Specifically, it was a drop of ck blood in his heart.

    Its aura was constantly strengthening his blood and aiding hisprehension into the conceptualw. This was far too different than Yan Zaizen¡¯s Immortal Herculean Method. It wasn¡¯t merged into his body, it was within his body. Stored there safely and quietly.

    "Regalia of the soul, blood, and mimicry...This realm doesn¡¯t seem ordinary." Yan Zaizen mentioned. Specifically, the Fallen Stars Continent was unordinary. Not only did it have two regalias, it also had the Deep Mines that seemed endless with endless materials within.

    Even today, Yan Zaizen had deep curiosity towards the Deep Mines. His instincts faintly screamed danger whenever he would send his spiritual sense inside. Even from here, his spiritual sense could reach and cover half the continent, and yet when he reached the Deep Mines...he quivers uncontrobly.

    "One day, I¡¯ll see what¡¯s so special about the Deep Mines." Yan Zaizen promised himself, but at his current age, his current cultivation, he had very little desire to do so. Initially, he was willing to ept the Xiantu Emperor¡¯s proposal, but his instincts just sensed something off about the situation.

    It¡¯s possible his intention or goal wasn¡¯t the Deep Mines. It could¡¯ve been something different altogether.

    Putting all these thoughts to the back of his mind, Yan Zaizen stared back at moons ands in the far off distance. The Xiantu Realm was his home and now he was leaving it. Turning to look at the vast ckness of space, Yan Zaizen felt the endless possibilities.

    Checking his parents¡¯ corpses, Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes glimmered with sadness but also expectation. He had a feeling that one day, a day that may not be too far away, he may be able to revive them in body and soul. If that day happens, he¡¯ll be able to see them again.

    This wish was deeply embedded in his heart.

    They continued to fly for several days in the Heretical Lightning Skyship before they reached the edge of the realm territory. What lied ahead truly left one feeling the inconsequential size of their existence - The Border Expanse. It truly was an expanse of empty space.

    "The Border Expanse, the space between realms." Softly muttering, Yan Zaizen felt astonished in his heart. From what he researched, the Border Expanse was a vast amount of literal nothingness. In it, there was no air, essence, moisture, or heat. There was only faint dim light from other realms and empty space.

    It was an uninhabitable location that couldn¡¯t give birth to standard lifeforms. However, it could give birth. Somehow, the Border Expanse can give birth to unique creatures that weren¡¯t beast, human, or spiritual lifeform. Instead, they could be called void creatures.

    Their shapes were random and their abilities even more so. Some are as weak as a mortal but others can be as strong as the heavens itself. However, they could only exist within the Border Expanse. They were like fish in water, take them out of it, and they¡¯ll die. However, the Border Expanse wasn¡¯tpletely empty.

    The Border Expanse actually was simr to a realm, having people live there and work. They were pirates, scavengers, and runaways. Many individuals would take it as their profession to hunt travelers, who are loaded with preparations for long travel and take their possessions. Quite often, they¡¯ll take more than just that.

    Scavengers would look for broken sub-realms ors that floated within the vast space looking for treasure. Theses would turn into floating asteroids andets one sees from the myriad realms. Most of their profits were taken from broken skyships that were destroyed inbat by pirates or corpses that floated endlessly after death. The corpses were often sold as puppets or for other means.

    Runaways escaped their realms to hide in the vast expanse, hiding like rats and avoiding pursuit. Oftentimes, these people would be pirates for a living. They survived by stealing what belonged to others.

    Tao arrived next to Yan Zaizen, "The Border Expanse...the start of our journey." His voice contained excitement as he looked at the dark space. Yan Zaizen nodded slightly.

    His sense checked on Bai Lufeng who went below to ¡¯cultivate¡¯. Currently, Guan Yao was listlessly in a cage while Bai Lufeng was curled up in a fetal position. His hands clenched tightly around his knees and his eyes filled with agitation.

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes flickered. Tao only experienced a brief period of servitude, but Bai Lufeng essentially experienced the torture of the body, soul, and a copse of his psyche. Even if Yan Zaizen healed it, pieced what could back together, and saved him, this wasn¡¯t something to shrug off easily.

    It was over forty years ago and yet...

    Tao could sense Yan Zaizen¡¯s worries. As someone who stayed with Bai Lufeng for those forty years, he knew better than anyone the shift in personality that event caused. "He needs time." Saying this, they both remained silent.

 Chapter 182 An Inch Away

    Several weekster, Bai Lufeng started to pilot the skyship through the vast expanse of dark space. As he did, his eyes revealed a rare calmness. The empty space and dim lighting felt soothing to him. There was no one around to be seen or heard. This feeling was cathartic. It made him take the helm and the major role of pilot.

    Just him and the endless space.

    "The Elysian Realm..." Bai Lufeng muttered. The Elysian Realm wasn¡¯t a neighboring realm of the Xiantu Emperor, it was actually a little further than that by several decades of standard travel.

    In the Elysian Realm, there was a rumor about a unique location. This location connected to hell, the realm of all souls, and as long as you¡¯re willing to pay a price, you can talk to the dead. Many would travel far and wide to arrive there. And, unlike Xiantu Realm, it was a fifth-level heavenly-tier force.

    After hearing about this, Yan Zaizen decisively decided that it¡¯ll be his first location. Tao and Bai Lufeng also wanted to check out the rumor. Imagine, a location that allowed you to talk to the dead. Who wouldn¡¯t wish to travel there?

    However, they¡¯ll still need to pass the Deluge Realm. It was rumored to house all sorts of unique beasts and even different human races. When Yan Zaizen learned about this, he was shocked. Humans were ssified as arge,rge group of varied species in a simr way beasts were.

    There were humans who were born with wings, third eyes, gills, and even four or six arms! Shockingly, they weren¡¯t beasts or hybrids but variants of humans. The difference between a beast and human, despite both being able to take the form of the other, had to do with their internal systems.

    Divine beasts had different types of hearts, lungs, brains, and different species within its ssification. They even had different digestive systems. Humans were simr and could easily be differentiated. Humans synonymously share core traits while beasts do as well in their race line.

    For example, a humanoid race with wings would be the same internally as any other humanoid race, ssified as the same species. A divine beast bird would have wings, but their traits would only be shared with other birds. A divine beast serpent would be fundamentally different, yet still ssified as a beast.

    The only true simrity amongst races of humans and beasts were distinguishable auras. With this, you can tell if someone is a beast or a human regardless of race.

    This characteristic is why hybrids were different. They have the aura and bloodline of beasts and humans, capable of cultivating both paths.

    Yan Zaizen was quite excited to see other races of humans. He recalled how the female cultivators of his race wereckluster in the Essence Path, he wondered if other races have simr peculiarities or restrictions.

    Bai Lufeng was quietly looking at the dim, dark space, traveling ording to apass set to the Deluge Realm.

    "Hm?" His eyes caught glimpse of movement. Spreading his senses outward, he discovered nothing. It was still only dim, dark and empty space ahead. Several minutester.

    Swoosh!

    A faint swooshing sound resounded. It felt remarkably close. Bai Lufeng¡¯s ears perked and his eyes widened in an attempt to visually see what that was. He spread his sense out the furthest he could but discovered nothing in the empty space.

    "What...?" Bewildered, he decided not to take chances like before. He called Tao. Tao arrived with a solemn gaze, looking outwards from the helm, his senses spread outwards. However, he found nothing as well. He was about to dismiss Bai Lufeng¡¯s belief and return to cultivating.

    Wait.

    He turned to the left to see a skyship soaring in the distance. From where he was located, it was like a small dot of light in the vast darkness. It seemed to be of a lower quality than the Heretical Lightning Skyship, but it was traveling at full speed.

    Before long, three more lights that were moving faster appeared. They seem to be chasing after the skyship in front. As if noticing them, the fleeing skyship suddenly shifted directions,ing towards the Heretical Lightning Skyship.

    When Tao and Bai Lufeng noticed this, their expressions darkened. They pondered whether they should inform Yan Zaizen or not, by the speed difference and distance, it¡¯s unlikely the fleeing skyship will arrive where they were before the chasing skyships catch up.

    Bai Lufeng quivered for some odd reason. At the corner of his eye, he could¡¯ve sworn that a shadow passed by. He recalled memories of debating to inform Yan Zaizen or not before. This lead to his capture and subsequent torture.

    Immediately, Bai Lufeng transmitted a message to Yan Zaizen. Several secondster, he arrived with a sleepy andzy look on his face. Looking outwards, he could see the lights in the distance.

    "Young Lord, what should w-"

    Suddenly, Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes widened in absolute shock. "STOP!!!" He shouted loudly, causing Bai Lufeng and Tao to jump in fright. Tao took the helm and immediately ceased movement with zero hesitation. Bai Lufeng barely got out of his fright before Tao took action. He, however, didn¡¯t feel embarrassed at his startled response. After all, it was too sudden.

    "How...do they not see this?!" Yan Zaizen was shocked as he asked himself. In his vision, the dim, dark space wasn¡¯t dim. Instead, there were dozens, perhaps hundreds, of-sized fat, purplish creatures illuminating a faint light.

    They were like puffballs, hairs as thick as trees, and teeth asrge as mountains. They didn¡¯t have eyes, only a single mouth with thin, crusty lips. They were truly spherical in shape, but shockingly, they were moving at insane speeds despite their vast sizes.

    They were circling around both the Heretical Lightning Skyship and the other skyships like children at a yground. They bobbed up and down, weaved left and right, and avoided touching the light like they were ying a game. If it wasn¡¯t for Yan Zaizen eyes being particrly special, all he would see was tree thick hair.

    Yan Zaizan was shocked in fright, but his eyes revealed a trace of calmness. He had the faint feeling that these creatures could kill even the current him. He swallowed a wad of saliva and looked at the approaching ships.

    "What the fu-?!" Pinaka was aghast. Despite having lived for a very long time and traveled the vast realms, this was the first time she saw these creatures. It was only because she saw them through Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes. However, her or Yan Zaizen¡¯s spiritual sense couldn¡¯t detect them.

    After some close inspection, Yan Zaizen came to the conclusion that these creatures didn¡¯t have mass or matter. They were like ghosts the size of freakings. The only reason he could see them likely had to do with the soul-based regalia refined into his brain. Pinaka could only see them because she was connected to Yan Zaizen¡¯s senses.

    "What is it?" Tao asked, curious if someone they knew was on the skyships. However, Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t even respond. Instead, he looked to the left and right in curiosity. Thoses were just hovering and floating around the skyships. They didn¡¯t attack and would actively avoiding into contact with them.

    "Wait..." Yan Zaizen saw something abnormal in the distance. There was a purplish mouth-ball that was stationary. The rest were in constant motion, but this one stood still. It also had a faint redness to it as well as being dozens of times smaller. Its mouth was closed, looking just like a hairy ball with thin lips.

    This abnormal ball was located fairly close to the skyshipsing their way. Yan Zaizen noted that they wouldn¡¯te into contact with it. However, his instincts told him something would happen.

    Just like he imagined, the skyships were hundreds of thousands of il away, but the moment they broke past it, a faint swooshing sound resounded. He trembled slightly at this sound.

    Bai Lufeng abruptly said, "That sound, I heard it before..." When he said this, Yan Zaizen looked at him with curiosity. Just as he was about to ask a question, the small hairy mouth ball trembled. Its mouth opened wider than all the others and then, with a speed that left Yan Zaizen absolutely terrified, shot towards the four skyships.

    In a second, it closed the distance.

    In another second, it was already beside one pursuing skyships. In the eyes of everyone else, they just saw a skyship¡¯s light disappear. However, Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes revealed a different reality. The disbelief and shock were mounting to intense levels.

    "It...how?" The abnormal mouth-ball ate one of the skyships. Not only that, it¡¯s ck tongue licked its lips in delight afterward as if it just enjoyed a delicious meal.

    Afterward, the mouth-ball trembled and turned into a normal mouth-ball the size of a and lost its redness. This transformation happened in the time it takes to snap one¡¯s finger. Then, it started to yfully circle around the remaining skyships like the others.

    Just then, another mouth-ball appeared out of nowhere and gulped another skyship. This time, it was the fleeing one. Yan Zaizen trembled. He didn¡¯t even notice the other one approaching!

    He heavily gulped. It must¡¯ve been quite a distance away when it started its pursuit. Considering they were chasing and fleeing, they could¡¯ve met another one.

    For some odd reason, he felt a sensation of someone or something breathing down his neck.

    "What? Two disappeared?" Tao said in disbelief. The other ships noticed this and stopped. Then, a third odd mouth-ball appeared, but it stopped before consuming another. It just waited there, silently, patiently, as if waiting for its prey to move before taking action. The chills that ran across Yan Zaizen¡¯s spine when he saw the odd mouth-ball just linger left him feeling insecure.

    Wait.

    "It...stopped...when the ships stopped?" Yan Zaizen¡¯s mind was far more efficient at picking up information and piecing them together. Tao and Bai Lufeng turned towards him with questioning gazes, but they also had a deep fear in their eyes at the sudden disappearance of the two skyships. After all, the Border Expanse was a mystery to many.

    Yan Zaizen recalled the events thus far.

    The skyships passed the odd mouth-ball.

    A weird sound resonated, resembling swooshing.

    It chased after them, consumed a ship, and transformed.

    Another appeared, consuming another one.

    A third appeared but didn¡¯t consume the others when they stopped moving.

    Yan Zaizen was thinking...he recalled Bai Lufeng¡¯s mention of hearing the sound before. The sensation of having something or someone breathing down his neck.

    With widened eyes, he had an itchy desire to turn around. Slowly, very slowly, he turned. As he did, his pupils constricted to its absolute limit as, an inch away from their ship, there was a squirming hair as thick as trees and purple skin with a tinge of redness. Upwards, a set of teeth the size of mountains were frozen.

    He didn¡¯t know how long it had been there, but from the distance, it stopped from the others...

    It¡¯s possible...it was right next to them just as they stopped. A split second, maybe far, far less away.

    "Escape..." his voice came out as an inaudible whisper. He was calm, but his heart was filled with intense, dreadful fear.

    Bai Lufeng and Tao was ignorant, they both asked, "What?"

    "ESCAPE!" Yan Zaizen mmed his palm on the skyship. His true-essence erupted with everything he had, covering the skyshippletely and thoroughly. With a popping sound, the skyship merged into chaotic space.

    While in chaotic space, Yan Zaizen¡¯s shock didn¡¯t cease as his eyes flickered with silver light. Observing outside, the mouth-ball released a vast, thunderous, swooshing sound from its mouth. Instantly, the-sized balls went absolutely batshit crazy suffused with intense madness. It released an odd screech that sounded like rushing water and widened its mouth to seemingly impossible limits.

    A split secondter, the two skyships vanished in the bellies of two-sized mouth-balls nearby. Even the smaller mouth-balls were consumed. Before long, the-sized mouth-balls seemed like they were given the signal tomit mass cannibalism and self-genocide.

    With powerful chomps, they started to devour each other. After several minutes, there was one left...and it was the size of a small mountain. Yan Zaizen looked at the ball for a second, but before he could get a good look, it vanished.

    He didn¡¯t know if it traveled at a speed he couldn¡¯t see or if it entered a different dimension. Regardless, there was no longer any mouth-balls in sight.

    "Such...abnormal...creatures..." In hisplete confusion, he said weakly. Death was so close yet they didn¡¯t even know. Actually, he wasn¡¯t sure getting eaten lead to death, but he knew it wasn¡¯t good.

    At least, they survived this.

 Chapter 183 Thank You

    After exiting chaotic space several million li away, Yan Zaizen exined what he had just witnessed to Tao and Bai Lufeng. When he did, their expressions were painted with fear and their backs with cold sweat. They knew odd creatures existed in the Border Expanse but this was ridiculous.

    "At least, it¡¯s over now." Yan Zaizen said with a sigh of relief. Bai Lufeng and Tao nodded, thinking about how close they were to an unfortunate fate. Luckily, Yan Zaizen was quite capable and handled the situation with swiftness.

    "Deluge Realm will take about eighteen years to reach, I¡¯ll cultivate on the deck to handle any other odd events." Yan Zaizen announced. Neither of them had objections to this n. If anything, they felt safer knowing Yan Zaizen was watching.

    With that, they continued their journey through the Border Expanse. They even saw a floating nude corpse. It was a lycah woman. Her body was covered withcerations and ravaged marks. Her eyes disyed intense unwillingness and horrific pain. When they saw this, they couldn¡¯t help but shake their heads. Regardless of where one goes, the cultivation world will always be cruel.

    He stored the corpse in the Meteor Ring, he¡¯ll have a proper burial for her body when he finds it appropriate. He could at least do this much.

    Days turned to weeks, weeks to months, and months to twelve years.

    Yan Zaizen had been cultivating his qi cultivation base, but he discovered, after reaching the True Essence Realm, each step takes an immense amount of time and effort. Even with the resources obtained from the Asura Phantom Realm and Wu n shopping connections, his progress was as slow as a snail. After merging his Origin Core with his dantian and undergoing an evolution of the dantian, qi pathways, and meridians, he understood that each stage was a minor evolution to better suit true-essence storage and quality.

    Despite this, he had already reached the peak initial-True Essence Realm. However, taking that next step proved to be incredibly difficult. He figured it had to do with his meridians having been refined by heavenly liquid. Because of that, he had a rather difficult time ascending.

    Inversely, his umtion of essence or conversion to true-essence was ten thousand times faster than normal. He felt if he hadn¡¯t refined his meridians, he would¡¯ve ascended to the peak stage already. Unfortunately, this was the path he took due to his unfamiliarity.

    Pinaka did suggest that this was beneficial in the long run as the heavenly liquid will funnel into the dantian and qi pathways, bettering the quality of his true-essence, cirction, and reserves. It would also allow his body to contain a trace of heavenly aura, enabling an easier foundation to build a heavenly shrine.

    He agreed with this, obviously seeing the benefits. It¡¯s possible that his true-essence quality exceeded even peak-True Essence experts at the moment. Unfortunately, quality wasn¡¯t the only thing that made the Heavenly Genesis realm powerful.

    "Young Lord!" Bai Lufeng shouted. Yan Zaizen opened his eyes to see an approaching skyship in the distance. It was small anding towards them with swift speed. As a smaller vassal, it was even faster than the Heretical Lightning Skyship.

    Getting up, Yan Zaizen had a curious gaze. It wasn¡¯t long before the skyship was in close range. It looked as if it had been battered by attacks, its formations were in disarray, and there was only a single person onboard.

    This person was a woman. She had ripped clothes that exposed her soft skin, her body dripped with sweat, and her expression was pained but filled with brisk hope. She stopped nearby, her breathingbored as she waved her hands for Yan Zaizen and crew to stop.

    "Stop." Yan Zaizen ordered. Bai Lufeng halted the skyship near the other. His eyes looked at the female onboard and realized she wasn¡¯t their type of human race. Instead, her soft skin was blue. Her long waist-length hair had a deep blue-green color that looked mesmerizing. If it wasn¡¯t for her current haggard appearance, she could be called a beauty regardless of race.

    "Please, Help!" She said in a voice filled with weakness and excitement. Yan Zaizan motioned for Bai Lufeng to open the shields. The skyship the woman was on didn¡¯t seem like it was going tost much longer. The woman used herte-Origin Core cultivation base to fly over. As she did, she seemed weak and her cultivation base radiated odd fluctuations.

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes flickered.

    When she boarded, she looked as if she had found hope. Her gaze was looking at Yan Zaizen with thanks. She could see he was the leader on the ship, his cultivation was the highest as well.

    After some questions, Yan Zaizen learned of who she was and her current predicament. Firstly, she was a part of the main humanoid race in the Deluge Realm, called the Gunyu Race. Her group of cultivators from her sect was killed by a group of bandits. She was chased by this group of cultivators lead by a True Essence Expert. They pursued her through the Border Expanse with full intention to kill her, not wanting to leave witnesses.

    After she exined, she essentially begged for Yan Zaizen to shelter her. Hiding her in the ship so she can avoid pursuit. Yan Zaizen looked at her deeply and agreed. Before he did, he asked if the iing enemies would be able to outrun the Heretical Lightning Skyship. Her eyes flickered and she said no.

    Afterward, she was stowed away on the ship by Bai Lufeng.

    However, Yan Zaizen had a slight smile on his face. When Bai Lufeng returned and saw Yan Zaizen¡¯s smile, he was bewildered. "Young Lord, what is it?" He was truly curious.

    "We¡¯re about to get a faster skyship and a payday." Yan Zaizen was happy. However, Bai Lufeng was confused.

    Several months passed, Yan Zaizen calmly cultivated as they made their way to the Deluge Realm. Suddenly, Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes opened and his smile returned. "She took long enough."

    Stretching his muscles, he looked at the dim, dark space. He started to countdown in his head.

    5.

    4.

    3.

    2.

    1.

    Just as he finished, a spatial ripple emerged nearby. It was far bigger than any spatial ripple Yan Zaizen could create. When he saw this, his eyes lit up with excitement.

    Bai Lufeng¡¯s eyes widened, but then he recalled what Yan Zaizen had said before and made a realization. A smirk appeared on his face, one befitting the arrogant Bai Lufeng of old that enjoyed watching people overestimate themselves.

    Tao came on the deck with the Gunyu woman. The woman wore a shocked expression, while Tao¡¯s brows were furrowed. When he turned to see Yan Zaizen, he couldn¡¯t help but shake his head. He went back to his room, unwilling to deal with this mess.

    The Gunyu woman saw Tao just return without care, her heart shook a little. She saw Yan Zaizen¡¯s smile and Bai Lufeng¡¯s smirk, and her originally shaking heart went cold. She had a faint belief...that she had messed up.

    Immediately, a skyship three times the size of Yan Zaizen appeared. It waspletely ck and seem to merge invisibly with the Border Expanse like a backdrop of a painting. It was a skyship that could produce and travel through a spatial tunnel.

    It was a realmship!

    With this, traveling to different realms were simple. What took twelve years, could¡¯ve taken twelve days. The entire myriad realms were open for exploration. This was something even the Xiantu Emperor didn¡¯t have!

    On the tip of this newly arrived realmship, a burly, tall man released a heavenly aura equivalent to a first-floor Heavenly Genesis expert. He was also of the Gunyu race. His blue skin and beefy body felt oddly mesmerizing to look at. His eyes released a domineering and disdainful light.

    On the skyship, the Gunyu woman eyes, despite her earlier feeling, revealed a vicious light and cold sneer. She crushed a talisman and suddenly, the Heretical Lightning Skyship formations all copsed simultaneously. A deting sound echoed as all the formations of the skyship deactivated. With this, leaving with the skyship was no impossible.

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s smile didn¡¯t cease despite this. This Gunyu chick was tampering with the formations of the ship in secret this entire time she was here. She was a master formationist. However, despite witnessing it all, Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t stop her. Instead, he let her continue and waited patiently.

    He had to admit, her act was greatly done, but she made three crucial mistakes. Firstly, Yan Zaizen spiritual sense was at the Astral Soul Realm. He could easily tell her injuries were self-inflicted. As for everything else, the weakness, expressions, and such. They were real and thus incapable of being seen through.

    The second mistake? Underestimating Yan Zaizen¡¯s cultivation base.

    Third? Making the decision to board and target Yan Zaizen, this malignant star, skyship.

    Before the man could say a word, Yan Zaizen¡¯s smile grew as big as the crescent moon revealing spectacr pearly whites. His eyes contained an intense greed that caused all those to look at it feel insecure. Some even touched their spatial possessions instinctively.

    He looked at the beefy man and said, "Thank You."

    -----

    Outside the Deluge Realm, the surrounding space rippled. From this ripple, a realmship appeared.

    "We made it." Yan Zaizen looked at the sun, moon, and manys from afar. He was at the helm of his brand new, happily-gifted realmship. He caressed his new ship and felt nice. With a wave of his hand, he held a small water-attributed, one-floor Heavenly Shrine. It was surrounded by Yan Zaizen¡¯s vital energy.

    "This should sell for quite a lot in a realm of water, right?"

    Bai Lufeng couldn¡¯t stopughing, his hands held his sides, and his eyes formted tears.

    Earlier, literally just a few days ago, Yan Zaizen had taken everyst thing from those wannabe scheming robbers, clothing and all. After soul searching the captain, he obtained the method to pilot the ship. After, Yan Zaizen sent them far, far away using spatialws and told them to walk back home.

    Ruthless.

    The chances that they couldst in a space without essence and no skyship or possessions were disgustingly low. Even traveling to the nearest realm, Deluge Realm, would take an early-stage Heavenly Genesis cultivator centuries.

    Bai Lufeng couldn¡¯t stopughing looking at their varied expressions. Each of the crew members was looking at that woman who brought them there with eyes that could maim and kill. As for the captain, his heavenly shrine was forcefully taken and his cultivation regressed back to the peak-True Essence Realm and it was slowly weakening.

    He was beyond weak and immediately entered aa. Losing one¡¯s heavenly shrine does heavy damage to the soul, because their concepts were directly linked with it, and body. It¡¯s like having your arm removed brutally from your torso. However, to do so, one needed to have a strong enough soul cultivation to segregate the shrine and cultivation base to subdue and prevent the cultivator frommencing self-detonation.

    However, Bai Lufeng didn¡¯t care. Robbers deserve to be robbed.

    Tao was beside Yan Zaizen, he couldn¡¯t help but softly remark, "You sure your Dao isn¡¯t the Dao of Greed and Robbery?"

    "Hehe. Maybe it is?" Yan Zaizen deviously chuckled while brushing the bridge of his nose with his index finger.

 Chapter 184 Deluge Realm

    "Woah!" Yan Zaizen enthusiastically eximed. His eyes were suffused with child-like astonishment and curiosity as he entered the true borders of the Deluge Realm.

    It wasn¡¯t just him, Bai Lufeng and Tao had simr looks of amazement. The moment they entered the realm, it was like diving into the ocean. There was a faint blueyer that separated the Deluge Realm and Border Expanse. As they entered, their originally dim and dark lighting turned exceptionally bright and blue.

    Yan Zaizen waved his hand in the air and felt a slight resistance. The moisture in the air was really, really dense. It was like the outer space of this realm was frozen rain. Instantly, Yan Zaizen and the others were wet from head to toe as if they were underwater.

    "...That¡¯s?!" Yan Zaizen¡¯s amazement led him to look towards the sun of this world. It was big. Very big. And blue. Very blue.

    The mes that were originally orange-red in the Xiantu Realm was blue-green. It looked like an oceanic world on fire. Looking closely, he felt like he could see through the sun itself.

    "Aqua Sr Fire?!" Tao had read about it but seeing it left him breathless. Aqua Sr Fire was simr to Yang Sr Fire, or the fire that originated from the sun. This fire could even beprehended and was exceptionally powerful amongst fire concepts.

    Simr to the Yang Sr Fire, Aqua Sr Fire originates from a sun and emits light, warmth, and radiates profound energy levels. However, unlike Yang Sr Fire, it emits aquamarine light that colors the entire realm and releases dense moisture. Not just heat, but it actually radiates moisture throughout the realm.

    The feeling of being instantly wet and being drenched in water almost immediately was simr to how, if a normal sun was present, a person would instantly feel heat and warmth.

    Yan Zaizen truly felt that the world was filled with infinite possibilities.

    "Look!" Bai Lufeng dashed towards the railings and pointed at the sixs that orbited the sun. Their orbit was odd and it had one peculiarity that made it even more abnormal. There was arge, veryrge singr moon within the realm. This moon rotated around each in a cycle, as if it didn¡¯t have a set orbit.

    Thes themselves were water. Simply water. They were all bluer than the bluest of blues. The realm had water worlds ass. From what he could see, there wasn¡¯t a single trace ofnd on their surfaces.

    "The Deluge Realm is known for theirs and vicious floods that addyers uponyers of additional water to theirs each year. It¡¯s said, at a specific cycle, the moon and sun corrtes in a way that it gathers moisture in a Lunar Eclipse. After the cycle passes, the world is washed anew with a grand flood of the entire realm. If a sr eclipse happens, the flood gets so bad that the nearby Border Expanse floods as well for millions of li." Tao said in wonder. The Deluge Realm was truly a piece of excellently crafted work beneath the heavens.

    Yan Zaizen recalled the Gunyu Race. From what he understood, the Xiantu Realm¡¯s human race was called Lycah. They were rather weak, ordinary, and didn¡¯t have any special features at birth. They had odd bloodlines intermixed with a vast quantity of other races. In truth, Lycah was a derogatory term which meant ¡¯basic¡¯. At least in the universalnguage, it sounded simr.

    Despite this, they were known as a humanoid race with vast potential in terms of adding other bloodlines and developing. They were also the mostmon humanoid race in the Rebirth Era. Supposedly, the ruler of this era was a Lycah.

    Gunyu, however, were a race of people with gills that weren¡¯t gills and lungs that weren¡¯t lungs. They could breathe air, water, and essence. As for Lycah, if they didn¡¯t have a high cultivation base or water-based art, they can drown and suffocate. Despite their adaptability, they still can¡¯t live in the Border Expanse without their essence. Like all other races, they¡¯ll die.

    "From what I read, Lycah, Gunyu, and beasts suitable for water are the main poption of the world," Tao informed, ying around with the dense water in the air to form characters. Bai Lufeng and Yan Zaizen were doing the same. It seemed they were even having apetition as to who can write their names more quickly.

    Yan Zaizen won.

    "Lycah? Could they even survive in this environment?" Yan Zaizenmented. Currently, his physique allowed him to exist even in chaotic space without air so living here wouldn¡¯t be an issue, but that¡¯s because his body was no longer a Lycah but a Herculean.

    "It seems there¡¯s a qi-art that¡¯s prettymon that allows even Qi Foundation cultivators to extract air from the water." Tao didn¡¯t need air to breathe. The moment he underwent Qi Unification evolution, his body could survive in any environment with simply qi-essence alone.

    "Sixs..." Bai Lufeng muttered, they had different sizes but looked the same blue color. If it wasn¡¯t for the fact they had different sizes, he wouldn¡¯t be able to tell them apart. "Where do we go?"

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s ears perked when he heard that. A smile crossed his face. "When I soul searched that Gunyu Heavenly Genesis pirate, I gained some information. The Deluge is holding an auction!" His voice contained some excitement. Mostly because he can sell the heavenly altar.

    "Hm?" Yan Zaizen ced his hand in front of his face and his eyes flickered. As if in a trance, he muttered, "...To contain light, warmth, moisture, and energy. Bestow this to the world, echo out a living breath."

    Suddenly, his hand shone with an aquamarine. Tao and Bai Lufeng were shocked, their gazes focused in on Yan Zaizen¡¯s glowing palm.

    Boom!

    The water in the surroundings gathered, merged with his true-essence, and formted a mini-sized Aqua Sr Sphere. Emanating warmth, moisture, blue light, and bursting energy, it stayed perfectly formed in his palm.

    "!"

    "!"

    They both were shocked as they eyed the miniaturized sun. As if topare, they looked at the blue sun in the distance and back. With each time they did, the shock in their eyes grew.

    Yan Zaizen exited his daze and saw the sun. He felt a little bitter. Not because he justprehended a water-based concept, but he did so unwillingly. There wasn¡¯t even a Heavenly Domain where he could investigate thews. It was...

    "Sudden Inspiration?" Tao said with wonder. Typically, the event would happen from time to time. One moment, you are walking down the street, the next, you conceive an idea worth billions. However, in the cultivation world, it generally indicated an advance in understanding arts orws.

    "Yeah. Haha." Yan Zaizen awkwardly chuckled. He waved his palm, dispersing the miniature aqua sun. He could feel his understanding of the concept Aqua Sr Sphere increase with each passing second in the Deluge Realm. However, he was shocked that he didn¡¯tprehend Aqua Sr Fire. If he did, it could burn energy to produce moisture and water like the Unyielding me of Life.

    "The gifts of a Non-Entity..." Pinaka softlymented. She felt bad for all others in the world. Yan Zaizen will likely have many, many more of those moments while others could only dream of them.

    Ignoring Pinaka, Yan Zaizen picked out the the auction will be held in and drove down. Tao and Bai Lufeng werementing over how talented Yan Zaizen was inparison to themselves.

    -----

    [Author¡¯s Update]: Apologies for the two-day no releases. Something urgent suddenly came up, so there will be changes for this week. Firstly, the eight chapters unreleased from two days will be released as bonuses in thetter portion of July. I won¡¯t let these chapters owed float away in the ether.

    Chapter Release Rate will undergo a TEMPORARY change. This week will be a 7/week(1/day), instead of 16/week. I¡¯ll release an update regarding this schedule change on Sunday(15th) of this week. I¡¯m hoping to return back to 16/week at the earliest, if possible, even before next week. However, I won¡¯t make any hasty promises.

    Patreon will be updated, in full, from 5, 15, and 18 Chapters(Depending on Tier) today at or around 1 PM PST. I made a promise to you guys, and I won¡¯t, under any circumstance, fail you for wanting to support me in life and this novel beyondments, reviews, and power stones. For those who can¡¯t, don¡¯t be disheartened, I love you guys as well!

    Thank you all for participating in the contest giveaway, for all those who did participate, you made meugh, smile, sometimes frown a little. I enjoyed many, a few a little odd, but all creative, nevertheless. I¡¯ll announce winners tomorrow and send rewardster today. To the winners, enjoy your Spirit Stones!

    In the past three months since we started, this has been the first incident of missed releases, non-releases, and the second abrupt change in schedule rate. I do not, I repeat, I do not intend to make this a habit and I wish I didn¡¯t have to take such action. I love you guys, I love writing, and I love this novel as much as all of you, maybe even more! (Don¡¯t hang me for that). So, this feels horrible and even heartbreaking, but be assured! Unless I make my way to an early grave, this novel will bepleted.

 Chapter 185 Rain Flow City

    Entering the¡¯s atmosphere, Yan Zaizen was once again amazed. There was literally nond. All the cities were underwater. Even though he searched the pirate captain¡¯s soul, experiencing it first-hand left one breathless.

    The realmship prated the water, but when it did, they felt an immense pressure suddenly. The barrier around the realmship held but the water was let in. It seems the shielding was semi-permeable and allowed water without essence in. This was likely a special feature the Gunyu race enjoyed.

    As for the water, the moment it filled the shield, it felt like a mysterious force was pressing against their bodies. It felt heavy and crushing.

    "Gravity?" Yan Zaizen curiously asked.

    "Hydrostatic Pressure." Tao corrected, "The dense water ces force on other objects. It¡¯s noted that just ten inches of water here is like a li of distance in normal water." After describing that, he had to circte his qi-essence to deal with the pressure. Bai Lufeng followed. Soon, they dived down.

    Yan Zaizen felt a little pinch, but it wasn¡¯t incredible. However, he was shocked to discover that this distance would tten a mortal¡¯s body into nothing.

    "The Gunyu has a naturally adaptable body to the environment. They can swim in this pressure. Their physical bodies are unnaturally strong at birth as well. They could rival Essence Formation cultivators strength at birth." Tao added.

    "Interesting!" Essence Formation was the third step in the Essence Path. To be born with a body of that strength was an extraordinary advantage. Not close to divine beasts but still an advantage ifpared to Lycahs.

    It wasn¡¯t long before they reached the actual city. It waspletely made of sapphire jade that seemed to contain flushing water. To those unfamiliar with it, it felt like the city was swirling in a toilet. It wasn¡¯t long before they grew used to the cirction and saw the city for what it was.

    It was grand, had tall buildings with odd spirals, wide areas littered certain locations, and streets as wide as a river. it was like a country underwater. It was also based in the water without a foundation. Despite that, it waspletely stationary. "Rain Flow City, the capital city of the Deluge Realm." Yan Zaizen stated, then continued, "The Shangyang Auction held once a century, hosted by Yu Shi - The Realmlord of Deluge Realm - is located here."

    Unlike the Xiantu Realm, the Deluge Realm was more developed and had a third-floor Heavenly Genesis expert at the helm. If it wasn¡¯t for the Xiantu Emperor¡¯s recent construction of his third-floor, they could neverpare.

    Yan Zaizen felt boundless respect for anyone who can control a realm. He was unsure of his current strength, but he knew that any individual that can im a realm didn¡¯tprehend a Mortal Law, but a World Law. The difference in strength was easily understood. For example, Guan Yinprehended the saberw, a Mortal Law, but she truly wasn¡¯t much. The saberw wasn¡¯t even a peak Mortal Law.

    As they arrived at the barrier entrance to enter the city, they awaited reception from a guard. Yan Zaizen noted that the streets and open areas were empty. There didn¡¯t seem to be anyone outside, not even kids.

    Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!

    In a literal second, the realmship was surrounded by tens of thousands of Gunyu race warriors. They had sapphire armaments and held spears with emerald tips. The tips radiated a profound pressure that caused Tao and Bai Lufeng¡¯s hearts to beat rapidly.

    They encircled the realmship in a formation, activating various silver light talismans that seemed to constrict the surrounding space. With this, they prevented the realmship¡¯s spatial shifting abilities.

    Yan Zaizen could feel profound cultivation bases from each member and not a single one was less than mid-Origin Core Realm in either body or qi. There were several dozens at the True Essence Realm, there was even one at thete stage.

    "Power down your formations!" Thete-True Essence expert shouted fiercely. Yan Zaizen was shocked but then quickly understood. The realmship originally belonged to a first-floor Heavenly Genesis pirate. He had to be incredibly famous if he pirated nearby with that cultivation base.

    The realmship must¡¯ve been identified the moment they entered the realm. He wondered why, despite traveling so far and so deep, there was no Gunyu swimming around. Furthermore, there was no one outside the barrier. It was as if they cleared out all to prepare for a grand event.

    His thoughts weren¡¯t wrong.

    They cleared out all the citizens and guests, readied the formation andid in wait. The pirate captain was infamous for his devious schemes and brutal methods. He also owned a realmship thanks to a fortuitous encounter that left many with deep envy. Not even Shi Yu, the Realmlord of Deluge Realm, or the Xiantu Emperor owned a realmship.

    "Young Lord, I think they..." Bai Lufeng cautiously looked at the group. For some odd reason, he felt fear in his heart as if he was being watched by an all-mighty existence. He felt insecure and moved closer to Yan Zaizen. Only then did the feeling lessen.

    Yan Zaizen chuckled. He looked at the deep ocean sky, waved his hand to produce the water-attributed, first-floor heavenly shrine. Holding it up, he continued looking up at a specific location, "This realmship is now mine. I took it. I¡¯m here for the auction. Will you let me enter?" Yan Zaizen words caused all the surrounding warriors¡¯ hearts to tremble.

    Yan Zaizen had a profound understanding in spatialws. It wasn¡¯t hard for him to iste space and prevent the realmship from spatial shifting for a brief period of time. As for the captain, he may have constructed a World Law heavenly shrine, but he was nothing before Yan Zaizen¡¯s fist.

    It wasn¡¯t even a battle. It was a kidnapping. He was grabbed like a child, suppressed like Dong Long in the Asura Phantom Realm, and mercilessly soul searched against his will.

    Others may have trouble handling him, but Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t even give the man time to speak, let alone escape or even beg.

    A swirling force formed at the spot Yan Zaizen was looking. A grand whirlpool the size of a mountain was produced. Out of this whirlpool walked an elegantly dressed young man with blue-skin, greenish hair, and deep blue eyes that seemed to contain the entire ocean. If one looked too deeply, they¡¯ll feel like they were spiraling. It was a simr feeling as looking at Rain Flow City.

    The man carefully examined the heavenly shrine within Yan Zaizen¡¯s palm. It was about the size of a tennis ball. When he felt its aura, his gaze flickered unfathomably. A warm smile surfaced on his face, "Greetings, my honored guest. Apologies for the theatrics." With a wave of his hand, the tens of thousands of guards retreated as quickly as they arrived.

    "Apologies for not informing you earlier. I had my reservations about disturbing you." Yan Zaizen words were filled with lies. In truth, he had suspicions of who this young man was but not a certainty.

    "I see. Next time, you don¡¯t need to hold such reservations." He calmly waved his hand, opening arge hole in the city¡¯s barrier formation and motioned for Yan Zaizen to enter.

    Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t stand on ceremony. He ced the heavenly shrine away and motioned Tao to pilot the ship. They entered the city quickly.

    Bai Lufeng couldn¡¯t help but sigh. "With strength, the world opens. If it refuses to, you can force it." He thought in mncholy. If he had such power, he would never have suffered, his family would still be alive, and he would have countless options avable in life.

    After entering, Yan Zaizen exited the realmship. With a slow speed, he flew towards the elegant young man who entered as well. When the young man saw Yan Zaizen approach, his eyes flickered but maintained his smile. He calmly awaited Yan Zaizen arrival.

    "Yan Zaizen." The moment he arrived, he introduced himself.

    "Yu Shi." Yu Shi calmly responded.

    Now, Yan Zaizen knew this was the Deluge Realmlord, the third-floor Heavenly Genesis expert. He sent a transmission for Tao to wait.

    After some discussion, further exining the captain¡¯s fate, they settled some matters. With a final nod, Yan Zaizen left. Yu Shi eyes narrowed looking at Yan Zaizen¡¯s back then at the realmship. After a brief period, he took a step and the surrounding water swirled. He entered, disappearing as if he entered a spatial slit.

    When he arrived back on the realmship, "Let¡¯s go. The Auction starts in ten days. We¡¯ll explore the city until then!" He had an excited gleam in his eyes. Bai Lufeng and Tao were curious as to what they discussed, but they stayed silent.

    They knew that whatever just happened, their trip just got so much easier.

 Chapter 186 Exotic Society

    Rain Flow City was about the same size as a continent in the Xiantu Realm. Its surface area was enough room for several countries, but it was purely a city. The entire city was formed with countless buildings as far as the eye can see. They ranged from two stories to skyscrapers that reached tens of thousands of feet high.

    After the incident outside passed, the citizens of Rain Flow City exited from their respective hiding locations and resumed their normal agendas as if nothing urred. Yan Zaizen and crew was quite shocked to see the sudden resuming of activity.

    "They haven¡¯t even looked at us," Tao highlighted. The citizens didn¡¯t seem to care about the realmship or their existence. They proceeded to move along as if they were inconsequential. Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t mind this, looking at the vast number of people moving about.

    Just as Tao said, Lycahs had a dense poption in the city. The pressure within the city was at the absolute lowest, being as heavy as a normal pool. Furthermore, the essence density in the water was quite thick. It was suitable for any race to live in.

    Yan Zaizen kept the realmship in the Meteor Ring. "Each culture and inhabitants are different. It¡¯s possible these people often keep to themselves, or simply wish to avoid trouble." Yan Zaizen remarked,nding at a fairly bustling street. Tao and Bai Lufengnded near him. They realized his words were likely correct. Besides some minor nces of curiosity that¡¯d fade as soon as it emerged, many would simply continue onwards with their daily lives.

    The streets were remarkably quiet filling with swooshing sounds of water. Any conversation that took ce seemed to be transmitted through qi or soul energy. After all, they were underwater. If they talked underwater, it would simply be a jumbled mess.

    Everyone on the streets kept a certain distance, about four feet, from anyone not a part of their circle. Furrowing his brows, Yan Zaizen felt the society within the Deluge Realm truly was very, very different than the Xiantu Realm.

    Looking up, he could see countless people swimming in the city. Rain Flow City, after all, was immersed in water. Even at this moment, Yan Zaizen was submerged. Those above were traveling at high speeds with high cultivations. Witnessing this, Yan Zaizen inspected the individuals that were on the streets walking as if they were on the ground. His eyes shone with a brilliant light of realization.

    The ones who were walking on the streets had low cultivation bases. They were around the Qi Foundation to the Essence Formation Realm. The ones swimming swiftly above had cultivation bases at the Qi Unification Realm and higher. They included Lycah and Gunyu.

    "Seems like there¡¯s some fundamental hierarchy enforced in the city," Tao assumed, realizing that the buildings structures were quite odd. Every building was two story, but the first and second story was far apart. The buildings were taller than average and the first door touched the ground like a normal entrance, but the second was higher up.

    The individuals on the ground walked through the first floor calmly while the one¡¯s flying took the higher second story. There were some buildings with even nine total entrances, each higher than thest. Carefully looking at the residents swimming above them, they found that there seemed to be some invisible road oryer in the water.

    Just above them were initial-Qi Unification experts, above them was mid-Qi Unification experts, and so on.

    "You¡¯re right." Yan Zaizen felt somewhat ufortable. As they traveled above, they didn¡¯t even look down as if the people below them were non-existent. "For now, let¡¯s just check out the sights." Yan Zaizen dered causing both Bai Lufeng and Tao¡¯s eyes to shine brightly with excitement. They moved forward with high hopes and desire.

    Ten dayster.

    "Well, isn¡¯t this boring as all hell?" Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes flickered as he sat at a restaurant located on the ninth floor of a skyscraper. Bai Lufeng and Tao weren¡¯t here. In truth, they were here, they just were on a lower floor. Because of their low cultivation bases, they were prohibited from dining at his level. As for him? Because his cultivation base was TOO high, he couldn¡¯t dine with them.

    Their excuse?

    It¡¯ll make those with lower cultivation bases feel ¡¯ufortable¡¯ and ¡¯pressured¡¯.

    Yan Zaizen understood the logic but was still dissatisfied. With a higher cultivation base, people had a formless authority over weaker existence. It seems the society was constructed to prevent this exact scenario. Only in certain areas will you be able to interact with cultivators at your realm, but that was just in your realm. This didn¡¯t even factor inprehensivebat strength or talent, simply cultivation base.

    He was of the mind to simply say ¡¯screw all¡¯ towards the rules, but he wasn¡¯t here to disrupt the order of their established society. In his mind, he wasn¡¯t important enough to have the world focus on his every whim or desire, nor did he have the intentions to make it so. If he did use his cultivation base to oppress ordinary citizens, wouldn¡¯t that only highlight why this society needed to exist.

    "To each their own." He remarked, his mind filled to the brink with boredom. In the Rain Flow City, True Essence cultivators typically hid like tortoises in their shells. Interacting with any of them would require going to their ce of residence. Therefore, with the Origin Core experts denying interaction with him for society standard reasons, Yan Zaizen felt quite lonely.

    If it wasn¡¯t for the Shangyang Auction, he would have regretted arriving in the realm. At least, he¡¯d regret staying for ten days. As for Bai Lufeng, he felt the most oppressed. Because of the society¡¯s rules, he couldn¡¯t lure lower realm cultivators to his bed. His dream of sleeping with a harem of Gunyu women was shattered as he was left with Origin Core cultivators that didn¡¯t even treat him seriously.

    Tao was the most bored. Rain Flow City¡¯s society wasn¡¯t one that emphasized academics. Theirck of schrs left him even more bored than Bai Lufeng and Yan Zaizen. As for the libraries, he needed to receive special permission to enter, and he couldn¡¯t receive it even with Yan Zaizen¡¯s support. The rules were so airtight that Tao felt suffocated.

    Essentially, abusing one¡¯s cultivation base for an easier path was literally an impossibility. Their earlier assumption of life being easier for them was nothing but a delusion on their part. Yan Zaizen had only discussed some details regarding the Shangyang Auction and putting up the Heavenly Shrine. Besides that, there wasn¡¯t much to gain from it.

    After their lonely dining experience, Yan Zaizen and the others departed the restaurant with long faces.

    "At least...the Auction starts today." Yan Zaizen begrudgingly muttered. Tao looked hesitant for a second, but then abruptly said, "I think, we should depart directly. Elysian Realm is a pretty long ways from here." Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes revealed excitement.

    Indeed!

    In truth, with the realmship, it would only take about a month to arrive in the Elysian Realm from the Deluge Realm. Realmships prated spatial void, tunneling through it rapidly with astonishing speeds, and allowing them to soar through the Border Expanse without worrying about encountering odd creatures like those-sized mouth-balls.

    Yan Zaizen, with his cultivation base andprehension into spatialws, could do something simr, but the exertion that would be ced on him would be massive. At one time, Yan Zaizen was thinking of constructing his own realmship. To do so, one needed to reach aprehension into a spatial void concept at the Domain-level.

    Currently, Yan Zaizen¡¯s conceptualw, Spatial Form of Infinite Stability, had already reached that. After his cultivation session of nearly fifteen hundred years, all of hisws, besides Archery of Major Destruction, reached the initial-Domain level.

    Nascent level was determined by the depth of conceptualprehension. Reaching the perfect-stage of the Nascent Level indicated peakprehension of one¡¯s conceptualw.

    Force level represented truew energy integration. The conceptualw starts to develop the essence of their truew. Reaching the perfect-stage indicated peak integration of truew energy, allowing the conceptualw to maintain a strong connection with the heavenlyw.

    Manifestation level represented the ability to draw upon that connection and enhancing the conceptualw to extraordinary levels, capable of manifesting truew centered around the concept. Essentially, it was a level that focused on enhancing conceptual strength.

    Domain level represented establishing a true connection with the heavenlyw. When brought forth, the conceptualw could carve out an area of space beneath the heavens that solely belongs to it, capable of pushing out or destroying all othersws inferior to its own. Temporarily, the conceptualw could be the ruler of that space beneath heavens.

    Sovereign level turned the conceptualw into its own truew. No longer requiring the support of the heavens and even has the ability to create its own false heaven where it reigned king. At this point, one could forcefully integrate with the Heavenly Domain and excavate a piece of truew that resonates with their concept, capable of creating a Regalia of the Heavens.

    The realmship required a heavenly formation andprehension that reached the domain level. It¡¯s because of this requirement that the Xiantu Emperor and Deluge Realmlord didn¡¯t have the qualifications to own a realmship. Also why, despite the former pirate captain being a menace with a low cultivation base, one where Yu Shi needed only a breath to eliminate, could roam freely and do whatever he wished.

    The moment he met Yan Zaizen, he met the bane of most realmships - someone whoprehended spatialws to the domain level.

    "Let¡¯s hope we make a delicious profit from this heavenly shrine. Let¡¯s go!" Yan Zaizen and crew departed with high expectations.

 Chapter 187 Shangyang Auction - Different Rules?

    The Shangyang Auction was held in a wide, rectangr building that seemed to float within the sky at a certain height without a foundation. It stationarily lingered in the water like the Rain Flow City did in this world of water. It gave one a strange sensation of surrealism.

    The building was so wide that it seemed to stretch for several li in all directions. The altitude of the building indicated that only those at the Origin Core Realm or higher could attend. This seemed to be generally epted. The normal citizens below didn¡¯t seem too bothered or hyped by this event. Instead, the ones with the qualifications to enter just do so soundlessly and without disturbance.

    There wasn¡¯t a single guard, simply a single entrance. This entrance wasn¡¯t a door but just a tall and wide opening.

    "This ce is truly too different from Xiantu Realm," Taomented. He had read about different societies and cultures, and even in the Xiantu Realm, they had different religions and beliefs, but this was by far just...different. Everything felt so alien yet so familiar. The auctions held, restaurants, myriad of different forces, the cultivators air of supremacy, and more; yet all of this just made things even harder to adjust.

    "Yeah..." Yan Zaizen tried not to think about it, only arriving at the entrance and entering. He was curious how different the auction would be from what he was familiar with. In the Xiantu Realm, those with different statuses were located at better locations. They were also given the choice to remain anonymous if they so desired.

    "What!" Bai Lufeng, Tao, and Yan Zaizen were shocked as they entered the entrance. Their beliefs about auctions werepletely overturned.

    When they arrived, they saw people just idly floating about. There seemed to be nine levels of altitude, with the lower one indicating initial-Origin Core Realm. The highest level had experts who emanated traces of heavenly aura. There was no seating, no arrangement, just levels. Everyone just picked a spot and waited. Even the Heavenly Genesis experts just calmly floated in their designated areas, unbothered by all.

    At the center of the building was a deep blue tform that rippled and fluctuated with a swirling aura. No one was within ten thousand feet of this location, causing Yan Zaizen to realize it was the auction tform.

    Looking around, Yan Zaizen was curious. No one came to receive them. No one came to introduce the rules. There was simply an entrance and nothing more. The choice of remaining anonymous waspletely impossible in this setting. After all, there was only a wide open area and nothing else.

    "The Deluge Realm¡¯s societal standards and approach towards specific activities are just FAR too different. Aren¡¯t they scared of..." Yan Zaizen was truly about to question the mentality of those who designed this auction, but then he came to a realization. There¡¯s a low chance anyone would be able to fight within the city. In that case, buying whatever you want, whenever you want, without caring about others were possible.

    Thinking up to here, he decided to forgo his previous criticism.

    "I guess...we¡¯ll have to separate..." Bai Lufeng dejectedly said. In truth, Tao¡¯s cultivation base was actually higher than his own, being at thete-Origin Core Realm, while he was still at the mid-Origin Core Realm.

    Due to the events at the Xiantu Continent, Bai Lufeng¡¯s cultivation speed slowed down to a snail¡¯s crawl. There were even a few times he severely injured himself due to memory recalls at key moments. Therefore, if they were to find spots ordingly, he would be ced at a lower location than the other two.

    Even when they dined in restaurants, they had to do so separately.

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes flickered but he wasn¡¯t having it. They had been segregated too much thest few days and it felt beyond boring. "Don¡¯t resist," Yan Zaizen waved his hand and drew Tao and Bai Lufeng into the Meteor Ring. With a step, he arrived at the initial-True Essence Realm¡¯s level. When he arrived, he felt a ripple wash over him.

    He furrowed his brows. "It seems like they make sure you¡¯re located where you should." The ripple earlier had faint traces of spiritual sense, but it seemed to originate from a formation rather than an actual person. The society standards were heavily enforced.

    After getting into position, Yan Zaizen closed his eyes. His spiritual form appeared in the Meteor Ring, with a thought, his spiritual form took the form of a physical body representation. Therefore, he wasn¡¯t a walking figure of multi-color lights but looked as if he had a body of flesh.

    Tao and Bai Lufeng had expressions offort. They were staring at the two stars above the Meteor Ring. One was the Aurora Star. It wasrge, grand, and released an aura that soothed the soul. The other was the Asura Star, it had a very violent, vicious, and malevolent aura but it was like a far-off star inparison to the Aurora Star.

    "Astral Soul Realm..." Tao understood that the Meteor Ring projected a manifestation of Yan Zaizen¡¯s soul cultivation, so he wasn¡¯t stunned, but Bai Lufeng¡¯s eyes seemed to be lost in bliss as he stared at the star that seemed to emanate warmth. He had a desire to embrace it with his everything. The star gave him the feeling that, if he entered, everything in his life would beplete.

    Woosh!

    Yan Zaizen shifted near Bai Lufeng and Tao, "We¡¯ll view the auction here." He waved his hand, projecting a screen of the deep-blue tform in the center of the building. Bai Lufeng remained stationary as he stared at the star, while Tao had already broken out of his stupor after a sh of dark-amber light flickered in his gaze.

    With a pointed finger, he ced it at Bai Lufeng¡¯s be. A sh of dark-amber light that originated from his bestowed dao erupted. Bai Lufeng¡¯s eyes regained its normal rity. "I..." He looked lost, his gaze flickering with dark-amber light. Only after a few seconds did he regain his calm.

    "The Aurora Astral Star contain Yan Zaizen¡¯s Mortal Dao. The influence at the projection is hundreds of times stronger than normal. Keep your wits about yourself." Tao chuckled, recalling Lin Feilin in Presba. Yan Zaizen had mentioned if his dao was the reason she was influenced towards him. At the time, Yan Zaizen hadn¡¯t finished his Mortal Dao nor did he fully unleash it, yet Lin Feilin was like a baby chick to a father hen.

    She gravitated towards his warmth and tyrannical authority. Bai Lufeng just experienced this but several hundred of thousands of times greater. If it wasn¡¯t for the fact that Tao possessed Yan Zaizen¡¯s dao, even he would be greatly affected.

    Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t mind Bai Lufeng¡¯s reaction. In truth, he was looking at Bai Lufeng to gauge his reaction. Currently, Bai Lufeng¡¯s still had cracks in his psyche, evident by his cultivation speed and slight shifts in personality. Pinaka theorized that if Bai Lufeng obtained Yan Zaizen¡¯s Mortal Dao, it¡¯s possible those cracks in his psyche would be filled up. Yan Zaizen had other thoughts; therefore, he didn¡¯t bestow Bai Lufeng with his dao.

    "The auction is beginning," Tao pointed out. Their gazes drew to the projected screen to see a young gunyu woman swim on stage with a smile. When she arrived, she didn¡¯t speak, instead, she sent out a wide soul transmission to all participants.

    "Greetings all!" After the initial greeting, she proceeded to exin the rules and details of the auction. She alluded to some fascinating items being ced in this auction. The rules of this auction caused Yan Zaizen¡¯s group expressions to turn ugly. Bidding was done differently. Very differently! There was no intensepetitions or continuous bids, but only a single bid.

    You bid a single time on a single item. This bid can be ced at any time during the hour representation of the said item.

    If someone bids higher than you, you¡¯ll lose that item.

    At the end of the auction, the winning bidder will be sent a soul transmission to inform them of their sessful bid.

    It¡¯s like...this entire city were overt in their attempts at avoiding potentials of conflict.

    Holy shit.

    Essentially, bid high or don¡¯t bid at all.

    Not to mention, there¡¯s no way to know who wins a particr item since all bids are done by soul transmissions to the auctioneer. Afterward, the item would simply be won and moved on. At the end of the auction, you would pick up your items. When the auction concludes, the prices at which the items were sold would be released to the public for perusal.

    A deep, long sigh filled with depression was released from Yan Zaizen. Tao and Bai Lufeng felt odd in their hearts. Was this how the myriad realms were? The variety and possibilities scared them.

    Yan Zaizen felt saddened by the fact he couldn¡¯t attempt to buy everything in a tyrannical fashion. In Sky Night Royal City, he couldn¡¯t do so because a ny-nine percent of the items were his own. In Rain Flow City, he couldn¡¯t do so because no one would even know he bought it. He couldn¡¯t unt his absurd wealth obtained from robbery and extortion. He felt depressed.

    He received a soul transmission. This transmission resounded like a grand voice within the Meteor Ring, "First item: A grand-tier pill that can be considered at the peak of the tier. To be precise, it¡¯s at the apex! An Apex Essence Pill. Please, make your bid."

 Chapter 188 Bidding and...?

    "..." All three of them felt odd. For some reason, Yan Zaizen felt a sensation of D¨¦j¨¤ vu. If by some chance, the next hundred items were things he already had, he felt that he would go literally insane.

    "It seems they don¡¯t list any minimum price..." Tao stated, trying to shake off the feeling of familiarity of events. The Shangyang Auction does not list minimum prices due to their unique rules. You list, what you believe, an appropriate price you can afford. If you get outbid, then it¡¯s your loss for not valuing the item enough. It also tested your knowledge of the items worth.

    For example, an Apex Essence Pill¡¯s value was about four million low-grade essence crystal in worth. Inparison, a drop of heavenly liquid was worth one quadrillion low-grade essence crystals. To Yan Zaizen, this pill¡¯s value was insignificant. Heavenly Genesis experts could, on average, produce one heavenly drop a century, so their wealth allowed them to buy many, many things.

    Despite this, what they needed the most for cultivation was heavenly liquid, so obtaining it or using it to purchase things was unlikely. As for the bets at the Xiantu Banquet, a majority of those bets were one to three drops.

    Yan Zaizen checked his current wealth. After the Xiantu Banquet bets and robbing the pirate group, specifically the captain, the number of heavenly drops he possessed was seven hundred and six. The captain had one hundred and three drops on his person. This was already a staggering amount of wealth. As for the other things, they probably would be worth a few heavenly drops.

    As for the Apex Essence Pill, he had already obtained three in the Asura Phantom Realm, one of which he sold to Wu Kun, and several he obtained from the pirates. In total, he already had eight. Therefore, the pill wasn¡¯t valuable to him one bit.

    After an hour exactly, the next item was brought forth. Looking at the auctioneer, beside her was a blue longsword that radiated sharp ripples. "Next item: Sky-rank, mid-grade, water-attributed longsword named Ripple Wave de. This weapon has the rippling sword conceptualw embedded into the Spirit Form, making it highlyplementary to sword cultivators who practice simr waterws!"

    "..." Yan Zaizen grew bored. This very item wasn¡¯t unique, he actually obtained one just like it from the pirate group. Tao and Bai Lufeng¡¯s eyes, however, were shining. They were both sword users and thus felt incredibly fascinated by the sword. With their realms, handling a de of this level wasn¡¯t even possible, at least, they wouldn¡¯t be able to bring forth its full strength without true-essence.

    Sky-Rank armaments had Spirit Forms that contained conceptualws and formations thatplemented them. However, to fully bring out its full potential, one needed true-essence. The higher the grade, the more this was the case. Not to mention, a single usage of a low-grade, sky-rank armament could drain about ten to fifteen percent of an initial-True Essence experts true-essence. If they tried to, they¡¯d be sucked dry without even getting off a single strike.

    Spirit-Rank armaments had True Spirits with intelligence, they were mostly independent and relied on their own strength. For example, Pinaka could kill two-floor Heavenly Genesis experts by herself, even without Yan Zaizen¡¯s help. All Yan Zaizen can do is direct and merge his strength with Pinaka¡¯s, enhancing both of their capabilities. Therefore, even a Qi Foundation cultivator could wield a Spirit-Rank armament as long as the spirit was willing.

    "Next item: ..." As the auction continued, Yan Zaizen felt relieved. He didn¡¯t have some of the items shown which dissipated that ufortable feeling. Unfortunately, they weren¡¯t useful to him. Bai Lufeng and Tao didn¡¯t even consider asking for anything. Everything in the auction thus far required a True Essence Realm or higher to use, so having it wasn¡¯t important for them at the moment. As for pills, elixirs, and crystals for cultivation, they had Yan Zaizen who had the fattest of wallets right next to them, did they need any?

    "Next Item: Divine Aqua Stone. A heavenly material useful in constructing heavenly shrines rted to water-based conceptualws! Please, make your bid." The auctioneer announced. Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes lit up as he saw this. To build one¡¯s heavenly shrine, you typically needed heavenly-grade materials or materials that contained traces ofw energy born naturally beneath the 33 heavens.

    He hadprehended Aqua Sr Sphere conceptualw by ident, but with his unique circumstances, reaching the manifestation level was only a matter of time.

    In the Heavenly Path, one can construct multiple heavenly shrines. Doing so was rare, mainly because the difficulties in building one was already profoundly high. Theprehension ofws, even a single one, could take far, far too long for advancement. Furthermore, even if you built multiple shrines, your lifespan wouldn¡¯t experience an increase. Therefore, doing so was considered foolish unless one had astounding talents. After all, regardless of your race, as long as you belong to a certain species, you¡¯re subjected to lifespan limitations.

    Therefore, Gunyu, Lycah, or any other humanoid race had simr lifespan limitations at birth. Only when their body cultivation, soul cultivation, and qi/heavenly cultivation increases would this change. Thus, having 33 first-floor heavenly shrines would still leave you with an average of one hundred and fifty thousand years of life for a first-floor Heavenly Genesis expert.

    It was a division of limited time that simply wasn¡¯t worth it. However, Yan Zaizen currently had space, time, life, death, soul, archery with destruction, and now waterws. He had already reached the requirement to build heavenly shrines for all except waterw.

    "How much do you think we should bid?" He turned to Tao. Furrowing his brows, Tao was thinking of a good price to obtain the object. However, heavenly-grade material was astoundingly difficult to obtain. After all, they were used in pills, elixirs, heavenly shrines, armaments, talismans, and even formation gs. They had boundless uses and thus were quite pricey.

    He also had to consider how much this single material would lead to thepletion of a water-attributed heavenly shrine. From his understanding, it¡¯ll likelyplete about ten percent of a first floor. With all these variables to consider, he felt a little overwhelmed. This bidding method was astonishingly difficult to deal with. If he bid too low, then the object was lost. If he bid too high, then they would lose a lot from the deal.

    Even after thirty minutes, Tao couldn¡¯t decide. Bai Lufeng was shocked. Was deciding a bid so difficult? Is this why bids were an hour apart? Yan Zaizen, on the other hand, was quite patient. To him, he already had water-attributed heavenly material from the pirate captain. This was a decision of whether he should prepare more forter.

    After a while, he decided to simply make a mid.

    The average value of something like this was about 30 trillion low-grade essence stones.

    "300 trillion low-grade essence stones." He sent the soul transmission. It resounded within the Meteor Ring causing Tao and Bai Lufeng to be shocked.

    "Are you sure?" Tao asked cautiously. That was ten times the average price. It¡¯s unlikely anyone would buy such a thing at that price. With this, he was confident that Yan Zaizen would win thispletely.

    "I¡¯m sure." Yan Zaizen smiled. If this was normal bidding standards, he would probably be putting on an arrogant expression, flourishing his sleeves, and shouting domineeringly for someone to challenge him. However, he¡¯ll have to settle for a self-satisfied chuckle.

    The bid concluded.

    "..."

    "..."

    "..."

    All three of them were shocked.

    Typically, when a bid was won, the auctioneer would send a soul transmission to the winning party. However...

    "Where the hell is my message?!" Yan Zaizen¡¯s handsome face was ugly to the extreme. He bid ten times, TEN TIMES, the market price. How the hell did he lose? Who was the bastard that bid higher than that? Were they insane?!?! Did they want to fight?! COME AT ME!

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes were filled with anger and battle intent, as if he was personally insulted.

    Tao and Bai Lufeng looked at Yan Zaizen and realized that...maybe...just maybe...auctioning this way truly did avoid trouble. With Yan Zaizen¡¯s temperament, it¡¯s likely he¡¯ll rob the person who outbid him in a split second. In hindsight, it was probably for the best that Sky Night Royal City¡¯s auction was mostly Yan Zaizen¡¯s items. After all, anything he considered his was his reverse scale.

    Yan Zaizen felt dissatisfied but felt helpless. He just cursed bad luck on whoever took his item, this included eighteen generations of their family.

    In the auction room, Yan Zaizen¡¯s real body took out a moist, sulent velvet cake atop a golden te tofort himself. Projecting a shield to push away the water, he began to eat in frustration. His eyes darted about as he stuffed his face, as if trying to discreetly discover who outbid him.

 Chapter 189 Bai Lufengs Plea!

    "Bull! Total bull!" Yan Zaizen had already gone through seven different types of cake. Every time a bid for a water-attributed heavenly material went up, he would bid an absurd price, but every time, without fail, he would not obtain any message of winning. Which meant, he lost everyst one of his bids. At the moment, he was stressed.

    The atmosphere was different than one filled with intense bidding and slinging insults. It was an atmosphere of the unknown. However, even he was unwilling to throw money at things and suffer an intense loss. How sad would that be? After all, he loved obtaining things. But he loved his money more. In the end, in the cultivation world, it¡¯s possible he¡¯ll obtain these things using...other methods.

    Moreover, he could probably just find a greater realm and buy these things for less than the auctioned price. Unlike others who would take millennia or centuries to travel to other realms, he had a realmship!

    As the auction continued, he just simply stopped bidding on heavenly materials.

    "Next item: Our first heavenly-tier pill! Seventh State Earth Pill! This pill will allow you to reach the seventh state of self-enlightenment. If appropriately used, it could support you in enhancing your soul cultivation!" The auctioneer transmitted, her voice contained traces of excitement.

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s brows furrowed. He had heard of these pills. The seventh state was essentially overt awareness of the seventh sense. If the five senses were physical, the sixth was instinctual, then the seventh was personal awareness. It¡¯s one¡¯s perception of themselves rather than what they hear, see, feel, taste, or touch, but who they truly were.

    Essentially, this seventh state wasn¡¯t much different from enlightenment, except it only helped with understanding yourself through introspection. The eighth sense rted to the heavens and how it¡¯s perceived, typically rting tows and concepts. In records, it¡¯s stated that all existences have nine senses. However, no one knows what the ninth sense is.

    "The Seventh State has three pills, Earth, Sky, and Heaven," Tao exined, "Each was heavenly-tier, but the Earth Pill was only low-grade in quality. Even if you obtained it, or any of the others, it didn¡¯t mean you¡¯ll be able to progress in soul cultivation, simply be an additional support. It¡¯s quite simr to the True Sublimation Pill."

    Yan Zaizen nodded. Tao¡¯s words were the truth, even if he obtained it, it didn¡¯t mean he would or could make a breakthrough in his soul cultivation. It just meant that entering the state would ur. The greater the grade of the pill, the greater the immersion.

    However, Bai Lufeng¡¯s eyes flickered at this. To him, this pill was vastly important. He had a deep, deep heart demon embedded in his psyche. This directly impacted his soul. If he could enhance his soul cultivation, perhaps the hindrance would be alleviated or removed! Right now, he needed to face his demon through introspection and this could help it.

    Yan Zaizen knew this, but he didn¡¯t say anything. Instead, he nced at Bai Lufeng who was fidgeting.

    The market price of this pill was absurd.

    "...three quintillion essence crystals..." Tao muttered, causing Bai Lufeng to fidget even more. This was equivalent to three heavenly drops. THREE! This was three centuries of a Heavenly Genesis experts effort. That was just the base price.

    "Haaaaa..." Yan Zaizen deeply sighed. Bai Lufeng wasn¡¯t like Tao to him. Tao was a brother who he swore to travel the myriad realms with at their lowest. He would fight the very heavens for him fearlessly, but Bai Lufeng...he was more like a weak soldier who had very little use. He couldn¡¯t even pilot the realmship. If it wasn¡¯t for the fact that he¡¯s been loyal to Yan Zaizen since joining, he would¡¯ve left him in the Xiantu Realm.

    Bai Lufeng knew this. He felt awkward and guilty just wishing to ask. All those years ago, Yan Zaizen could¡¯ve killed him but instead, he let him join in their adventures. When he was kidnapped and tortured, Yan Zaizen saved his life. Yet...he desired much but could only offer little.

    After a while, Yan Zaizen rationalized.

    In the Border Expanse, those mouth-balls could¡¯ve taken their lives. If it wasn¡¯t for Bai Lufeng informing him, it¡¯s possible they could¡¯ve ended up in the belly of those things. In truth, this was the case. If Tao had experienced Bai Lufeng¡¯s feelings, his unreasonable confidence would¡¯ve led him to disregard it. Only Bai Lufeng, who learned his lesson in the Xiantu Realm about not immediately informing others, would¡¯ve taken such a course of action.

    "Five heavenly drops." Yan Zaizen directly announced, causing Tao to softly smile. Bai Lufeng was shocked. His gaze towards Yan Zaizen contained profound, immeasurable thanks.

    After an hour, "Mister, you¡¯ve won the bid for the Seventh State Earth Pill. Your assigned lot number for all purchases is 181. Thank you for your purchase." The auctioneer¡¯s soft, delicate voice resounded in the Meteor Ring. So, it seems that they truly did send messages. However, this left him disheartened. He truly lost all his previous bids.

    The bids continued.

    "We have a very special item! A dual cultivation cauldron, a hybrid of a Divine Beast - The Pale Arctic Wolf - and a human of the gigantus race!" The Auctioneer¡¯s voice was filled with brilliant excitement, and even her eyes were shining with profound light. As she did, a silver-bar cage was rolled into sight. It contained a naked woman.

    When Yan Zaizen and the others saw this woman, they were immensely shocked. The most notable feature of this woman was her ample, vastly ample, bosom. Despite her curvy figure, long legs, soft jade skin, deep-white hair that reached her feet, what stood out was her chest! Her figure was slightly thick, filled with delicate muscture that didn¡¯t take away from her soft skin or seem overly manly.

    Sheid on the floor, her legs bent. To her left leg, a single shackle was seen that extended to the center of the cage. Her naked body seemed untainted, but her long hair was in disarray. If it wasn¡¯t for the water asionally moving it to the side, it would be impossible to see her body clearly.

    "Breasts..." Tao¡¯s eyes revealed a deep light of perversion. Bai Lufeng, however, was trembling intensely as he watched the woman, naked, and attached by the leg to the center of the cage. His hands couldn¡¯t stop trembling, and his eyes started to lose focus. Memories were exploding in his mind, and he felt his body go unbearably cold.

    Internally, he could remember the screams of himself and others as they defiantly desired life.

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s brows furrowed. very wasn¡¯t umon in the cultivation world, at least in the Xiantu Empire. This was obviously represented by Grux, a literal ve-based country, but this was the first time he saw a human being auctioned as a cauldron. Her cultivation was at the peak-True Essence, but it had a faint heavenly aura.

    "Her heavenly shrine was taken?" Yan Zaizen noted. He was shocked to learn she was a gigantus. Shouldn¡¯t they be giant? She was about his height, if not a few inches lesser. He wasn¡¯t familiar with foreign races, so he was quite curious about them. Despite this, he had little intention of buying this woman.

    He could tell her body¡¯s vital energies reached the Heavenly Genesis realm in intensity, likely the first-floor. She would be an absolutely heavenly-tier dual cultivation partner. Not to mention, she had two unique bloodlines. The children¡¯s she could have would be extraordinary. Some may even use her as a breeding machine.

    What truly shocked him was why the Deluge Realmlord was auctioning this woman off. If he used her for his own uses, his cultivation would still benefit.

    "FREE HER!!!" Bai Lufeng shrieked. His mental state wasn¡¯t sane. Yan Zaizen saw him and waved his hand. Immediately, Bai Lufeng lost consciousness. Furrowing his brows, he couldn¡¯t help feel sympathetic for her, but it wasn¡¯t to the extent he would pay, likely, over a hundred heavenly drops for her because of it.

    Tao was silent, looking at the unconscious Bai Lufeng.

    "!"

    "AH!!" Bai Lufeng abruptly jumped out of unconsciousness, lunging towards Yan Zaizen. In his eyes was a madness that felt ridiculous and scalp numbing. There were even tears dripping from his eyes. Yan Zaizen was deeply startled. Just as he was about to send Bai Lufeng into a deeper state of unconsciousness, "PLEASE!! SAVE ME!!!"

    Thumm!

    His heart skipped a beat looking at those eyes filled with despair and urgency. Tao¡¯s mind was visibly shaken, he trembled at the sheer pain from those words. Biting his lips, he looked downwards. He couldn¡¯t imagine how it felt to live in darkness, being tortured in body and soul, and taunted by your captors. To wish to be saved but having such a wish unfulfilled day in and day out.

    Even suicide wasn¡¯t a possibility.

    "Haaaa....Calm down." His eyes shed with dark-amber light. Bai Lufeng visibly calmed down at that, his body shrouded in the profound warmth of his original existence. Like a child in his father¡¯s embrace, Bai Lufeng ceased any further outcry.

    "Two hundred heavenly drops." Yan Zaizen bid. If he didn¡¯t do this, he would feel guilty, not towards the woman, but towards Bai Lufeng. If he was lucky, perhaps, this may be cathartic for him. If so, then it¡¯ll be worth it. Even though it didn¡¯t make much sense, but his instincts whispered to him slightly that buying this woman had benefits, he just didn¡¯t know how.

    An hourter. "Mister, you¡¯ve won the bid for the Hybrid Cauldron. Your assigned lot number for all purchases is 181. Thank you for your purchase."

    "..." Yan Zaizen looked at Bai Lufeng with flickering emotions. While Bai Lufeng was standing there absentmindedly.

    Pinaka¡¯s voice sounded so that only Yan Zaizen could hear, "In life, wealth is temporary. Remember this."

    "..." Yan Zaizen understood her. In this world, at this moment, he had only two friends. A brother who he met at the precipice of death - Tao. A soldier who¡¯s loyal - Bai Lufeng. If Yan Zaizen hadn¡¯t risen so quickly in strength, Bai Lufeng still would¡¯ve stayed with him. Despite his weakness, he decided to travel to the myriad realms. Bai Lufeng was willing to explore the vast dangers that await.

    "Don¡¯t worry, I will never regret a choice I made." Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes shed with dark-amber light.

 Chapter 190 Lang Xue

    After that bid, Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t feel like bidding on anything else. He just continued to drink some wine while he watched the proceedings. Bai Lufeng had long since broken out of his stupor, his gaze had hints of shame. Having lost his mind just earlier, he felt that he was burdening Yan Zaizen and Tao. He grew up in Grux, a ve-centric country, and yet...the moment he saw someone enved, he red up with unstable emotions.

    This led to Yan Zaizen bidding two hundred heavenly drops for a person. The amount of wealth may exceed his eighteen generations life worth and then some. Tao didn¡¯t say anything, just watching Bai Lufeng. Deep within Bai Lufeng¡¯s eyes, there was a stable sensation offort. Despite his eyes of shame and guilt, his measured distance between Yan Zaizen grew even closer.

    At this moment, Bai Lufeng¡¯s subconscious actions revealed his deep relief and profound gratefulness. Yan Zaizen noticed this too. He could tell that parts of Bai Lufeng¡¯s psyche had stabilized, the cracks were mending.

    Sometimes, seeing someone avert an unfortunate fate you suffered helped. This was one of those cases.

    Just this alone was worth two hundred heavenly drops. After all, with his strength, what were two hundred drops? Just temporary drops in the ocean of his future. The realmship was worth nearly a hundred thousand heavenly drops, so he didn¡¯t feel like he lost much. After all, it¡¯s not like he can¡¯t earn more using...particr methods.

    The water-attributed heavenly shrine he ced on auction was soon presented. He wondered if he could make up his losses.

    The Shangyang Auction came to an end. The heavenly shrine was sold for one hundred and fifty-three heavenly drops. This made up some of his loss, it made him feel slightly better.

    After iming the two objects he won, Bai Lufeng was ced in the Meteor Ring to refine the Seventh State Earth Pill. With his current mental state, it was probably better for him to do so sooner rather thanter.

    Yan Zaizen and Tao left the water and entered the Deluge Realm¡¯s outer space. Personally, Yan Zaizen felt unreasonably ufortable in the Rain Flow City with their societal standards. After Yan Zaizen gave Yu Shi his goodbye, they departed quickly. At the moment, they were lingering within the realm¡¯s frozen raindrops. On the deck of the ship was the woman with mind-boggling sized breasts.

    Yan Zaizen clothed her in whatever he could find, but she was pretty much in an half-conscious state. To prevent any perversions, Yan Zaizen had Pinaka ce those clothes on her body. Tao only clicked his teeth at this. However, his eyes never left her chest.

    "She truly has an unreasonable set..." Yan Zaizenmented, looking at the white-haired womanying on the deck.

    "And they seem so firm and perky, should that even be possible at that size?" Tao, as a schr, felt that his understanding of anatomical physiques was severelycking at the moment. Yan Zaizen chuckled lightly, "There are races with six arms, wings, and even gills that aren¡¯t gills, lungs that aren¡¯t lungs, and here you are questioning if a big chest is possible."

    Rubbing the bridge of his nose, Tao awkwardly smiled. Attempting to change the subject, "what will we do with her?" This question caused Yan Zaizen¡¯s brows to furrow in contemtion. Obviously, Yan Zaizen wasn¡¯t the type to indulge in things she was bought for. His expression suddenly turned depressed.

    He recalled that he was already fifteen hundred years old yet still a virgin. Not only that, he¡¯s condensed his Astral Soul, reached the True Essence Realm, and has a body cultivation that could rival those who harness the power of the heavens...and yet...

    Rubbing his chin, Tao suggested, "You could use her to be a man, you know." After those words were spoken, his eyes traced the white-haired woman¡¯s outline once more. She had long legs, long white hair that reached her feet, soft jade-like skin, and a toned body with the right curves and thickness. Not to mention, her breasts were so full that even if Yan Zaizen used his two hands, he probably wouldn¡¯t be able to grasp onepletely.

    He was curious about how she looked. With her white hair, her facial features were obscured. Even in the water, all they could see were traces of her countenance and nothing more.

    "I have principles, you know. Willingly or never," Yan Zaizen dered proudly with his chest puffed out. He wanted love and willingness in his man-bing-moment. With a ve, it¡¯s nearly impossible to get one of those things, let alone both. He also wanted it to be mutually consensual. The difort of forcing a woman to be his would feel horrendous. It could shatter his pride as a man, perhaps even his Mortal Dao.

    Tao absentmindedly nodded, obviously predicting Yan Zaizen¡¯s response. After all, he knew Yan Zaizen¡¯s standards were simply unreasonable. He may say he wanted two things, but he wanted so much more. Beauty, talent, wealth, personality, and such. If you added those in, it¡¯s unlikely he¡¯ll find someone. After all, anyone with such would have incredibly high standards as well. The chance they didn¡¯t already have someone in mind made it even more difficult.

    "Urgh...mhhm," The white-haired woman softly moaned. Tao jumped, his heart racing. He stepped back towards Yan Zaizen, looking at the woman with deep curiosity and interest. He knew that Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t restrain her true-essence or vital energy, and albeit she may be weak at the moment, she could easily kill him in her current state with a p. After all, her body was still physically strong.

    Pushing her hair away, her snowy-white eyes opened to see Yan Zaizen and Tao dozens of meters away from her. She was initially confused, her mind trying to recall her circumstances, and then, as if the situation dawned on her, she shot upwards and bared her sharp canine teeth. She was about to strike when a profound sensation of weakness and emptiness erupted from both her soul and body.

    Yan Zaizen was shocked. This woman¡¯s eyes weren¡¯t like a divine beast. She had pupils. Not to mention, she had white eyes, but they were a clearer and denser white than the normal whites of a person¡¯s eyes. They were like pale, white snow. He couldn¡¯t help but feel mesmerized by them.

    "My...my heavenly shrine!!" The woman shrieked, holding her dantian with heavy despair. Her eyes turned towards Yan Zaizen to reveal a deep killing intent, but she knew that in her current state, killing Yan Zaizen would be impossible, let alone escaping. "Where¡¯s my heavenly shrine?!" She weakly roared, her sharp canines were bared in full.

    Looking at her appearance, she truly was a beauty. She had sharp eyes and a slightly curved nose that made her look cute as a puppy. Her pearly white teeth were perfect with a pink tongue and slightly red, puffy lips. They seemed to elicit a desire to kiss them deeply.

    "Haaaa..." Yan Zaizen sighed. If he wasn¡¯t such a gentleman, wouldn¡¯t this woman be his?

    "You were captured by someone else. I bought you for two hundred heavenly drops at the Shangyang Auction. I have no idea where your heavenly shrine is, nor do I have any intention to harm you. I don¡¯t even intend to keep you as a servant. In fact, you can go." Yan Zaizen pointed towards the side of the realmship at the end. His exnation was rapid-fire and filled with helplessness at the situation.

    The white-haired woman¡¯s eyes flickered, clearly trying to process what Yan Zaizen just said. She looked towards the side to see the outer space area of the Deluge Realm. She looked at the realmship beneath her. Turning, she saw Yan Zaizen and Tao looking at her with varying expressions. Yan Zaizen looked tired while Tao tried to keep his emotions hidden.

    Understanding her situation, she checked her newly given clothes. They were incredibly tight around the chest area. After all, it was difficult to find clothes that fit her. Yan Zaizen found what he could.

    Squinting her eyes, she took a deep breath, sat down, closed her eyes, and started meditating. She wanted to figure out her current bodily condition. Only after a few minutes, did she open her eyes with profound sadness. Her heavenly shrine was taken and her soul was damaged as a result. To heal this, she¡¯ll likely be wasting an extraordinary amount of time, not to mention, with the extraction, her current remaining lifeforce was severed by twenty percent permanently. Even if she somehow regained her shrine, this lifeforce will not return.

    Originally, Lang Xue was a first-floor Heavenly Genesis cultivator with a Perfect Aurora Soul and first-floor Heavenly Genesis rivaling body cultivation. Now, her body¡¯s vital energy was severely weakened and her heavenly cultivation was stolen. If she could recover, she¡¯d only have the strength of ate-True Essence Realm in both body and qi cultivation.

    "We have to go, so, can you leave?" Yan Zaizen was getting impatient. If it wasn¡¯t for the fact she was a beauty, he would¡¯ve already thrown her overboard. Her fate would then be her own. If she gets captured again, what was it to him? It¡¯s not like he would treat her like a ve or give her to Tao. After all, his purpose was to free her for Bai Lufeng, not protect her for life or even for a minute.

    Lang Xue¡¯s brows furrowed in agitation. She was a beauty and in a weak situation, but this man, regardless of how handsome he was, wanted to do away with her at the earliest second. She felt deep grievance. Also, she didn¡¯t understand why Yan Zaizen saved her just to let her go so carelessly. What was the point in spending two hundred heavenly drops?!

    "My name¡¯s Lang Xue." Introducing herself, she brushed aside strands of her white hair, "you saved me, so I owe you. I¡¯ll repay your heavenly drops and give you other things if you can help me and bring me back home." Her words were filled with an alluring tone that could elicit a man¡¯s inner fire.

    "..." Yan Zaizen was silent.

    "!!!" Tao¡¯s inner fire zed.

    "What do you say?" Her smile was filled with confidence despite her weakness. If someone saw her, they would feel all sorts of emotions.

    "No." Yan Zaizen waved his hand with furrowed brows, a burst of true-essence surged outwards and sent her overboard before she could even speak. "Let¡¯s go." He turned away, heading to the helm.

    -----

    [Author¡¯s Note]: [Update]: Two chapter releases will restart on Friday next week[July.20th]. It¡¯ll be a ten chapter release for next week with one for Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.

    Then, the eight bonus chapters from earlier this month will be released on Monday[July.23rd] in a Mass Release, and sixteen standard restarts after.

    Any further changes will be announced at the end of Volume 3. Thank you all for so much patience and support! I am truly touched, grateful, and feel empowered by all of your words!

 Chapter 191 Infernal Soul Oath

    Yan Zaizen had an instinctual feeling that her words invited danger. He didn¡¯t know what she was talking about, but her actions had a hint of deep maniption within. As for repaying him? He didn¡¯t think, for a second, he would see a single drop returned. His instincts were essentially alluding to him that fact. Therefore, with a wave, he sent her packing like all the other scheming girls who boarded his ships.

    "Ahhhh!!!" Leng Xue shrilly screamed after beingunched away. At the moment, she had barely any true-essence or soul energy. Her vital energies were barely enough for simple movements. If she fell, she would descend through the realm into the Border Expanse infinitely. The moment she entered the Border Expanse, she wouldn¡¯t be able to draw any essence from the heavens...she would die.

    Her heart went cold at this realization. The handsome young man from before truly wanted her to leave, either willingly or not. She was beyond confused by his actions. Her mind was so inted with confusion and frustration that she shrieked loudly, "why did you save me if you were going to kill me?!"

    "Oh?!" Yan Zaizen¡¯s suddenly realized his actions. He hadn¡¯t given her the spatial ring he prepared. She did so many things, said so many things, that he just felt so ufortable that he threw her off quickly. Tao ran to the railings, looking at Lang Xue fall through the frozen rain-filled outer space. At first, he was nning to help her, but a spatial ripple suddenly appeared below her. She went through it.

    THUD!

    Her body mmed heavily onto the deck of the realmship. A grunt was released and her breathing wasbored. She felt a heavy sensation of deadly crisis just now...her heart just couldn¡¯t stop racing.

    "Apologies, here." Yan Zaizen threw over a spatial ring filled with sufficient resources to recover as best she could. He didn¡¯t intend to protect her, but he didn¡¯t want her to die by his hands either. The spatial ringnded right next to her, causing her eyes to hone in on it despite her deep frustration. She realized what this was and grabbed it, after briefly scanning it, her eyes widened in shock.

    "This is it?!" She questioned in disbelief.

    "Yes." He waved his hand once more, sending her overboard. She screamed once more in indignation and grievance. If she could, she would w Yan Zaizen apart limb by limb. Tao coughed a little, feeling pity for Lang Xue¡¯s fate. If it was any other man, she would¡¯ve been a cauldron, but Yan Zaizen wanted her off his ship faster than light itself.

    "WAAAAAAIIiiiittttttt!!!!!!!!!!" She thunderously shouted with all her energy. Her voice was getting softer and softer as she dropped. Yan Zaizen just realized that...in Deluge Realm¡¯s outer space, there seemed to be some gravitational pull. Normally, objects would float in outer space due to theck of a gravitational pull, but this realm didn¡¯t work like that.

    He looked at the frozen rain once more, his brows furrowing. Howe the rain was frozen in an outer space with a gravitational force? Howe he was wet if the rain was frozen? Initially, this didn¡¯t dawn on him, but now it was starting to make him feel ufortable.

    Tao discovered this too, looking at the frozen rain. Even if he drew characters in it, they still remained. Yet...

    "This realm is abnormal, not just its society but itsws as well," Yan Zaizen murmured in confusion.

    "Wait! I came to this realm to find an object! I know where it is, but I was captured by the Realmlord!! PLEASE!!!" Somehow, she gathered her remaining soul energy and sent Yan Zaizen a soul transmission. Yan Zaizen still wasn¡¯t willing until she said some other words, "Not only are there other heavenly objects, there may even be a Regalia of the Heavens! I SWEAR!"

    "Oh?" Yan Zaizen¡¯s interest was piqued. With a snap of his fingers, a loud thud once again resounded. Lang Xue¡¯s body mmed onto the deck of the ship.

    Lang Xue¡¯s long, white hair was chaotically disheveled. Her breathing was heavy and filled with frustration. She looked exhausted and even weaker than before. When she looked towards Yan Zaizen, her eyes flickered in rage. However, she knew that she had to do this otherwise she would just be recaptured by the Realmlord. It¡¯s not like the resources in the ring was sufficient for her to make it to the next realm.

    "I¡¯ll split the heavenly treasures with you, eighty-twenty if you let me obtain them!" After a while, she gritted her teeth and said.

    "Hm?" Just as he was about to wave his hand once more as a negotiating tactic and to get more information, his brows furrowed suddenly. He looked upwards. Herst words weren¡¯t said in soul transmission, but in her actual voice. It seems it was heard by others who were discreetly watching. His eyes narrowed as an intense killing intent started to suffuse within them.

    For less than a thousandth of a second, he felt murderous, malicious, and vicious killing intent from above. It was so strong that even Pinaka felt it despite its briefness. "The Realmlord..." She mentioned, obviously knowing who had been watching.

    Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t like being spied on, his voice filled with tyrannical ferocity as he said coldly, "Yu Shi, may I ask why you¡¯re watching me?" The moment he said that, Lang Xue revealed an intense fear in her eyes. She looked at the space Yan Zaizen was gazing at and felt her heart tremble.

    In empty space, the frozen rain started to spiral rapidly formting a portal of sorts. From this portal, Yu Shi calmly walked out. Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes grew colder. He knew that Heavenly Genesis cultivators can use their true-essence to rip open space and view anything with their heavenly sense, but this person was doing it in such a difficult to perceive fashion.

    If Yan Zaizen¡¯s spiritual sense wasn¡¯t at the Astral Soul Realm, he wouldn¡¯t even be able to discover him. Simr to how, when Guan Yin was observing him, he didn¡¯t discover it.

    The elegant Realmlord, Yu Shi, walked out dressed in a sapphire-blue robe. His eyes contained an unfathomable emotion and his face held a soft smile. When Lang Xue saw this, her heart started to drop to arctic levels of coldness and despair. This man¡¯s eyes seemed to desire the world.

    To be a Realmlord, you needed several requirements. One, a World Law based heavenly shrine. Two, your own Mortal Dao. Three, a force that could govern a realm. After all, a single person, regardless of strength, can¡¯t govern an entire territory alone nor can they profit off its benefits to the maximum.

    This man¡¯s dao was Mortal Dao of Desire. He may seem calm, elegant, and warm, but he contained an intense desire towards a specific thing that exceeded all else. The most often focus of this dao...power. It¡¯s not so easy to develop the Dao of Desire. After all, Yan Zaizen desired power and many other things as well. Which dao wielder didn¡¯t?

    The level of intensity to develop the Dao of Desire must be stupendously ridiculous. It was a peak lower-tier Mortal Dao. Despite this, it was a troublesome dao. Imagine what bestowing desire into people could do.

    "Oh, Yan Zaizen. I wasn¡¯t watching you, I was looking for her." He warmly pointed towards Lang Xue. "You see, there¡¯s been a mix-up. She wasn¡¯t for sale. As a token of my apology, I¡¯ll repay what you bid and double it." His words were spoken casually, as if it was nothing. However, Yan Zaizen eyes grew colder. He could perceive the frozen rain was being galvanized somehow. They were faintly trembling.

    "Apologies, but I bought her, so she¡¯s mine. What¡¯s mine shall never be someone else¡¯s. You can leave." Yan Zaizen tyrannical dered, waving him off. Witnessing this, Yu Shi¡¯s originally unfathomable eyes turned cold and malicious. "Are you sure?" He asked with a tone that could freeze ice. The deep murderous aura was rolling off his body and his heavenly aura was on the verge of eruption.

    "Yes. I am." Yan Zaizen immediately retorted. He waved his hand, cing Lang Xue and Tao in the Meteor Ring. Afterward, he waved his hand again, the realmship and Bai Lufeng was stored next.

    He soul transmitted to Xue Lang while projecting his perception to her, "Tell me now! What are you talking about?! What treasure?!" He knew that Yu Shi wasn¡¯t going to let him go. If he sold Xue Lang originally, then he didn¡¯t expect her back. The fact he was watching Yan Zaizen discreetly indicated that he was there for him. Only after realizing that Lang Xue had something to offer did his ns change.

    In that case, it¡¯s likely he intended to attack Yan Zaizen from the very beginning for his realmship. It¡¯s even possible there¡¯s an ambush outside the realm. After all, Heavenly Genesis experts could causes to copse if they fought without care. Yu Shi obviously didn¡¯t want his realm to be affected, but he slipped up by revealing himself too early.

    Lang Xue was panicking. She didn¡¯t want to be taken by Yu Shi. She thought for a second on what she should reveal.

    "TELL ME EVERYTHING!! NOW!!! OR I LEAVE YOU!" Yan Zaizen thunderously shouted. He didn¡¯t have time for this.

    Outside, Yu Shi coldly smiled. Suddenly, the six waters started to glow faintly with aquamarine light. Yan Zaizen saw this and immediately reacted, he was going to escape. There was no need to fight Yu Shi in his own home.

    He took a step forward. Spatial ripples formted in front of him, he was going to shift through the spatial void.

    Yu Shi chuckled maliciously, "You think I wouldn¡¯t predict this?" The aquamarine light started to ripple outwards and came in contact with the surrounding space. Suddenly, all space was locked. Even the spatial ripple Yan Zaizen formed with his true-essence copsed.

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s brows furrowed. This was to prevent the realmship from departing, so it was more than enough to stop Yan Zaizen. After all, a realmship required a Domain levelws, and his spatialws only reached that limit.

    "You!" Yan Zaizen clenched his teeth, he suddenly felt a sensation of danger. Although, it was only a small amount. With his true-essence erupting once more, he attempted to enter chaotic space. The world warped oddly like he was entering a painting. A ripple of aquamarine light rippled outwards in response.

    POW!!!

    An explosion urred where he was and he was sent flying several li. His expression turned uglier. This formation created from sixs targeted spatialws, not simply the spatial void. He wasn¡¯t hurt by the resulting rebound, but he cursed his low cultivation base.

    If he had a spatial-attributed heavenly shrine, even a first-floor, he could easily break this damn formation. His understanding of thews was great, but his medium to utilize it wasn¡¯t. If it was vital energy or soul energy, he could easily leave ande as he damn well pleased.

    "TELL ME NOW!!!" Yan Zaizen shouted in frustration causing Tao, Bai Lufeng, and Lang Xue to jump up in fright. To Bai Lufeng and Tao, this was the first time Yan Zaizen seemed urgent. Was he truly in danger?

    "Okay, okay! There¡¯s a sub-realm in the Deluge Realm! I know where it¡¯s located, but when I arrived, the Realmlord spotted me and took me captive. I also have to key to open it! With it, the entire sub-realm ispletely mine. In it, there should be a Regalia of the Heavens! It should be saber-based, but there should also be a vast amount of heavenly materials and resources left!"

    "How?!" Yan Zaizen asked. It didn¡¯t seem realistic. The Asura Phantom Realm had resources because it was a lure, but what about other sub-realms? Why would they have resources?

    "It¡¯s an inheritance sub-realm! I earned it!!!" She shouted, clenching her fists and teeth. One could see that she was unwilling to share this information or give Yan Zaizen any of it. In truth, if the Deluge Realm had anyone at the Astral Soul Realm, they would¡¯ve searched her soul. Unfortunately, a Perfect Aurora Soul can¡¯t be searched without a higher soul cultivation base.

    When Yu Shi saw Lang Xue, all he saw was a payday. He desired it. The two hundred heavenly drops were beyond worth it. He also desired the realmship. This was why the Dao of Desire was so troublesome, it instilled apulsive need to do anything and everything to obtain what you want regardless of who they offend. It was different than greed or lust.

    "Swear a soul oath, we split it evenly!" At the moment, Lang Xue didn¡¯t know that Yu Shi wanted Yan Zaizen¡¯s realmship initially, so she was scared that he would give her up to him once more. After all, Yan Zaizen projected his current situation to her. This brought even more pressure to her.

    In the Deluge Realm outer space, Yan Zaizen was moving at quick speeds, his eyes looked at Yu Shi with deep coldness. Countless bits of frozen rain was piercing towards him, their individual power was sufficient to severely injure or kill a True Essence expert. Yan Zaizen realized why the realm¡¯sws felt odd. The entire realm was essentially constructed into a formation.

    Those raindrops were like lighting bullets intent to pierce all. He kept dodging and defending with his True Essence. Yu Shi simply watched, several spatial rifts were already nearby. They obviously originated from his force of Heavenly Genesis cultivators. He was cautious of Yan Zaizen and thus awaited backup before taking action.

    "I, Lang Xue, swear on my soul to the INFERNAL ENTITY, that I, Lang Xue, will split whatever treasure in the sub-realm with you fifty-fifty! You can keep the Regalia if there is one!" Her words were essentially screamed with extreme reluctance. Afterward, her eyes dimmed and he body drooped. She took the pose of a tragic beauty.

    Tao¡¯s heart raced at this sight. He gulped arge amount of saliva. His eyes catching the faint aura of hell that seemed to flicker on her body and disappear. A swear to the infernal entity was the highest soul oath possible, essentially cing an oath on the top existence of hell.

    "Zai! Are you okay?" Tao couldn¡¯t help but ask. Even Bai Lufeng¡¯s expression was filled with worry.

    "HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!" While they worried, Yan Zaizen was uproariouslyughing in celebration. Outside, thirteen Heavenly Genesis cultivators stared at Yan Zaizen maliciously, including Yu Shi. They all were of the Gunyu race, not a single Lycah amongst them, and they radiated profound heavenly auras. There were one two-floor Heavenly Genesis and eleven one-floor Heavenly Genesis experts. Despite this, Yan Zaizen continued tough.

    He stopped running.

    The bullet-like rain stabbed towards him with screeching momentum, but the moment they came in contact with his robe, they dispersed like simple drops of rain. His originally frustrated expression and tense eyes were no longer frustrated or tense. Instead, those amber-gold eyes had faint traces of a smile.

    "Choose! Surrender or," Yan Zaizen eyes flickered with dark-amber light, his Mortal Dao of Sovereign Ascension erupted outwards in a ferocious storm that caused all raindrops within 100 li to be blown apart, "Death!"

 Chapter 192 Herculean Vs Deluge Realm! 1

    A deep, powerful explosion erupted from Yan Zaizen¡¯s body. Every physical cell, every atomized particle in his body, was galvanized to its limits. The vital energy refined by heavenlyw liquid emanated intense ripples that caused space itself to bend and fluctuate oddly. With every breath, it was as if the air from his lungsmanded the heavens to submit!

    Yu Shi, however, only narrowed his eyes. Yan Zaizen¡¯s vital energy intensity may be powerful, but they barely matched up with a first-floor Heavenly Genesis expert. He didn¡¯t even consider Yan Zaizen a threat. Instead, he motioned towards the others with his right hand.

    The twelve Heavenly Genesis experts gathered. They entered an odd formation, their bodies emanated deep and powerful true-essence. Their heavenly shrines radiated iridescent light.

    Shriing!

    In perfect synchronization, they established a unified manifestation-based qi-art. A gigantic, aquamarine drop of water that could rival a mountain in size was formed. Yu Shi looked at Yan Zaizen with a cold smile. "You overestimate yourself."

    He raised his left hand, the frozen rain of the entire realm gathered towards at speeds that rivaled light. In a split second, a condensed drop of water the size of an inch was formted in his left palm. It fluctuated with such power that the surrounding space trembled.

    All the rain left so suddenly that Yan Zaizen was shocked. Looking at that single drop of rain, his instincts trembled with a sensation of a deadly crisis. It exceeded the Heavenly Genesis experts formation by ten times.

    "Be careful! There¡¯s a reason why they have the title of Realmlord!" Pinaka warned with haste, "do not hold back!"

    Initially, Yan Zaizen felt that after his cultivation session, his strength was enough to rival a Realmlord. After seeing Yu Shi galvanize the realm¡¯s rain, he knew that doing so with just his own cultivation base was unlikely.

    However, he hadplete confidence in himself. His earlier frustration was only because it was the first time he felt so stifled since the Asura Phantom Realm. His cultivation base still wasn¡¯t sufficient to prevent others from affecting hisws

    "Fine." Yan Zaizen calmed himself down, the smile in his eyes faded, reced by the intense tyranny of an emperor. His Mortal Dao fully erupted. His physical body and vital energy were enhanced to its maximum.

    Herculean Avatar Art: Life Soul Form!

    All of his vital energy disappeared. They were directly consumed by his heart. A white me surrounded by a sky-blue glow shrouded his body. Profound inscriptions formted on his body. Lifeforce and Soulforce erupted violently from his body.

    Yu Shi saw this and coldly snorted. Waving his right hand, a blue light connected with the giant raindrop manifested by the Heavenly Genesis experts. Next, an aquamarine beam of light so thin that it could barely be seen erupted from the sixs and attached to Yu Shi¡¯s back.

    His aura erupted. The entire realm shrieked as if crying. The intensity of his true-essence became greater and greater with each second. The power of sixary formations enhanced Yu Shi¡¯s cultivation base to the extreme.

    Yan Zaizen wasn¡¯t going to allow this to continue. With a single step, the surrounding space copsed. Outer space of the Deluge Realm turned dark and dim, unable to process light or all things. The sheer force of this step caused the realm itself to experience this!

    With neared the speed light itself, Yan Zaizen appeared before Yu Shi with his fist shrouded in a me of pale white. He threw this fist forward with indomitable might.

    The Heavenly Genesis experts looked at this with absolute disbelief! This level of power could easily rival a fourth-floor Heavenly Genesis expert!

    Yu Shi coldly sneered. Without even moving, the small raindrop in his hand vibrated. It, with its small body, shot towards Yan Zaizen so suddenly that even Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes widened in disbelief.

    "Watch out!" Pinaka screamed.

    Boom!

    The raindrop, like teleportation, appeared before his chest. It smashed so heavily that the realm and a million li distance shook.

    His body was sent flying faster than he originally arrived. Blood mist lingered where he previously was that formted his previous shape.

    A secondter, a raindrop appeared in Yu Shi¡¯s left palm.

    Yan Zaizen was sent into the border barrier of the Deluge Realm. Yu Shi, to prevent Yan Zaizen¡¯s escape, had already activated the realm¡¯s defensive formation. The aquamarine sun was glowing greatly, obviously feeding this very formation.

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s body was covered in deep crimson blood. The raindrop had crushed his bones, mangled his flesh, and caused his skin to explode. A giant dent was formted at the point of impact.

    "I..." Yan Zaizen¡¯s left eye had popped out and turned into mist after the collision. His lower face seemed to have been hit by an explosion and seemed twisted. The disbelief in his remaining right eye was intense.

    "..." Pinaka stayed silent. At the moment, anything she could say was irrelevant.

    "I see..." Yan Zaizen finally understood a truth: The world¡¯s experts have many, many methods at their disposal. Yu Shi used the realm in its entirety and his forces in unison with his own profound cultivation base.

    However, before he could think about this, Yu Shi¡¯s sent the raindrop once more towards Yan Zaizen. His intention was to kill Yan Zaizen, not give him a moment of rest. Ruthlessly, the raindrop appeared before Yan Zaizen.

    Doing what he could to defend, Yan Zaizen shifted his left arm to shield.

    Boom!

    He was sent smashing into the realm shield. His blood could fill arge pool. His left side of his body copsed. His left arm was nothing but mangled flesh and blood at this point. The only things that remainedpletely intact were his meridians and organs refined by the heavenly liquid.

    The raindrop appeared in Yu Shi¡¯s hand once more.

    "I see!" Yan Zaizen¡¯s remaining eye lit up. Taking a deep breath, Yan Zaizen¡¯s body erupted in bright white me. His previously damaged flesh and missing pieces started to heal and regrow with each blinking moment. In one second time, he recoveredpletely, but his lifeforce energy was reduced by seventy percent from this.

    This was the healing factor of a herculean! If cultivated to a high enough level, returning from a drop of blood was enough! Yu Shi¡¯s eyes widened witnessing this. In truth, he felt the lifews in Yan Zaizen¡¯s aura, but such a fast recovery was nearly impossible with his current vital energy intensity.

    Yan Zaizen eyed that raindrop, his mind calcting the time. While doing so, he clenched his fists.

    "I¡¯m not strong enough," Yan Zaizen stated calmly. "Physically." Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes flickered with silver-blue light that seemed to outshine the sun itself. Suddenly, it shed blood-red. Two stars manifested above his head the size of a small moon, one silver-blue and one blood-red with a hellish aura.

    "What?!" Yu Shi questioned his eyes. Two astral stars? However, he didn¡¯t let this affect his mental state no matter how impossible it seemed. The raindrop slightly vibrated.

    "Now!" With a vicious stomp of his foot, Yan Zaizen copsed space but didn¡¯t move. Instead, silver-blue soul energy formted a barrier around the raindrop that seemed to teleport.

    Yan Zaizen realized that the raindrop was indeed teleporting! It prated space in a small way as a Heavenly Genesis expert. The formation seemed to be able to hide its presence in a simr way that it hid Yu Shi when he was spying. With this, it prevented spatial movement while enhancing spatial movement of friendlies.

    This type of formation was the standard forbat formations - weaken your enemy, create an advantage yourself.

    Not only that, the raindrop had a weakness. The raindrop smashed heavily into the soul energy barrier. It halted for one ten-thousandth of a second. This small gap in time was sufficient.

    Yan Zaizen stepped forward, his Mortal Dao erupted and focused fully on amplifying his physical body. With his maximum speed, he dashed towards Yu Shi.

    Yu Shi¡¯s eyes shed. As if expecting this, he immediately retreated with his profound movement art. With this, even Yan Zaizen couldn¡¯t catch him in a brief period. However, Yan Zaizen wanted him to retreat.

    The raindrop seemed to have a cooldown upon being used, at least a full second before it could return to Yu Shi¡¯s hand. Instead, Yan Zaizen dashed towards the manifested raindrop interconnected to Yu Shi. With one eye silver-blue and one eye blood-red, he looked towards the raindrop.

    The group of heavenly experts recognized Yan Zaizen¡¯s attempt and sneered. The drop radiated blue light that seemed intent on outshining the world.

    Yan Zaizen was shocked. "It¡¯s a defensive formation and amplifying formation?" He could tell that the light seemed intent on repelling all forms of energy, including soul energy. However, Yan Zaizen¡¯s never wanted to use his soul energy to kill a Heavenly Genesis expert, especially a group working in unison.

    His Initial Astral Soul Realm cultivation rivaled first-floor Heavenly Genesis experts. Even if he included his secondary star, Mortal Dao amplification, it still wouldn¡¯t be enough to kill a Heavenly Genesis expert fully focused on defense. At best, he could wound their souls.

    No, from start to finish, he was relying on his most powerful cultivation base - his physical cultivation! A Herculean!

    He arrived next to the blue light, his eyes flickering with intense light. Suddenly, his white me started to recede and his lifeforce energy started to recede at an astonishing rate.

    "What is he doing?" One of the first-floor Heavenly Genesis experts questioned. However, no one knew.

    ROAR!!

    Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t physically roar, but a sound thunderously roared causing the heavens to shake in innate fear. This roar was once heard before. It originated from the Asura Phantom Realm. An inky, ck shadow that seemed to twist and wreathed around his body.

    Before long, the entire raindrop was shrouded by a deep, deep aura of death.

    Herculean Avatar Art: Death Form!

 Chapter 193 Herculean Vs Deluge Realm 2

    Deathly Energy!

    If lifeforce energy embodied all that is life, then deathly energy embodied the end of all that is life. His inscriptions turned cker than the Border Expanse and his eyes seemed to lose all forms of life. In his body, his heart was the only source of life throughout his body.

    It remained flickering in defiance. It watched the deathly aura like an unyielding guardian protecting all creation.

    "This!" The second-floor Heavenly Genesis expert was shocked. The raindrop was shrouded by an inky, blue aura. When he tried to sent his spiritual sense, qi sense, or heavenly sense outwards, it seemed to be ruthlessly devoured. This terrified him greatly.

    For ten li, a shroud of deathly aura encapsted everything within the Deluge Realm. This ten li grew to eleven li in a thousandth of a second.

    "What the hell?" Yu Shi was momentary stunned. Since this battle, Yan Zaizen kept doing odd things that seemed out of his cultivation base limits. The near-instant regeneration, the two astral stars, and now a shroud of death. Normally, this aura should kill him instantly. Not even a user of a death concept would infuse their living body with an aura of death.

    That¡¯s like courting death.

    Quite literally.

    He decided to end this quickly. The raindrop took a second to return to his left hand, but by that time, the aura of death already reached over eight hundred li.

    "Die!" He sent the raindrop piercing towards Yan Zaizen. Unfortunately, despite piercing space, the moment the raindrop entered the shroud, he lost connection with it. "What?!" Blood sprayed out of his mouth in ridiculous amounts.

    His eyes, for the first time, revealed intense and deep fear. "Get out!" He hurriedly shouted towards his men, but he received no response. His face turned horribly grim.

    One second.

    Two seconds.

    Three seconds.

    The deathly aura continued to expand. Yu Shi had already tried attacking this aura but his attacks seemed to diminish with each strike. Not only that, it grew bigger in response. He started to feel worried about his realm¡¯s fate.

    Suddenly, the shroud of death started to shrink. In a split second, it returned to its home - Yan Zaizen¡¯s lungs. Yan Zaizen was revealed but there was no raindrop or expert formation. Even the bodies of the experts were no longer present.

    He clenched his fist, his eyes revealing white mes. "Siphoning Shadow of Death...siphon all within the heavens...truly..." Yan Zaizen¡¯s deathly aura had siphoned heavenly genesis group¡¯s formation.

    The energy in their bodies waspletely siphoned taken after several seconds. Their physical bodies were restricted with soul energy and ced in the Meteor Ring. As for the Raindrop, Yan Zaizen isted the ripple that intervened with his spatialws.

    The moment the raindrop entered his deathly aura, it was sent into his chaotic space. This momentary loss of connection allowed Yan Zaizen to send the raindrop into his Meteor Ring, immediately disconnecting the connection it had to Yu Shi.

    This method was something he used back in Grux with the giant mountain. The raindrop¡¯s core was Yu Shi¡¯s pseudo spirit-rank armament, this was how he could control it. The frozen rain within the realm couldn¡¯t be gathered without a core medium. The moment it was taken, Yu Shi suffered an immense bacsh.

    From the moment Yan Zaizen saw that raindrop, he suspected this. After a moment, he thought of this n. It may have been simple overall, but Yan Zaizen¡¯s battle experience wasn¡¯t great. Not the mention, his death form had severe limitations. If it absorbed a certain amount, his white me will absorb the deathlyw for self-preservation.

    Not only that, his deathly aura couldn¡¯t be used for a vast amount of time after. Not to mention, if he uses his death form, he couldn¡¯t enter his life form until itpletes its maximum allowed absorption.

    He found this odd considering they were a part of his physique, but it seemed like they acted ording to their own rules. It frustrated Yan Zaizen, but he couldn¡¯t actually affect this regardless of how much he tried.

    As for now?

    The previously deathly aura receded and converted into lifeforce energy that shined so brightly that he radiated light like a miniature sun. He could feel his reserves recoverpletely. Eyes flickering, he turned towards Yu Shi.

    Yu Shi saw this and his face turned even grimmer. At the moment, he had suffered an intense bacsh, all his forces disappeared somehow, and Yan Zaizen¡¯s energy reserves had restored. His aura was even more intense than before.

    With a wave of his hands, his heavenly shrine emerged out from his dantian. It wasn¡¯t an actual pce but three upright pirs with a square foundation base beneath. The pirs were lined up in a straight line with one at the very center.

    This shocked Yan Zaizen. He had seen heavenly shrines and knew their shapes and structures varied greatly but he never knew that a heavenly shrine could be brought out willingly by an expert.

    "Be careful! He¡¯s igniting his heavenly shrine! He¡¯s going to sacrifice his condensed heavenly essence and floors for extraordinary but temporary power!" Pinaka warned.

    "What?!" Yan Zaizen was stunned dumb. Why would a Heavenly Genesis expert destroy their shrine? Couldn¡¯t he just make a concession? He recalled Guan Yin, he expected Yu Shi to be simr.

    Yan Zaizen was right and wrong. If it was any other expert in this situation, they would attempt to discuss before going all out. However, the Mortal Dao of Desire was essentially the representation of fixated madness. Anything he desired must be his through any means necessary, even sacrificing his own strength.

    This was why this dao was especially troublesome. Not to mention, Guan Yin had a bestowed dao, her personal pride wasn¡¯t nearly as intense as Gu Yu who developed it. She could lower her head if needed. If Gu Yu had to suffer humiliation, he would be just as mad as Yu Shi. However, he found it beneath himself to deal with Guan Yin¡¯s lethal problem.

    "Ahhh!" Yu Shi roared with madness. Extracting one¡¯s shrine came with an intense pain. However, if he ignited the heavenly essence condensed from heavenlyw liquid while it was in his dantian, it would be an act of self-detonation.

    Two of the three pirs started to burn with golden fire. Within this golden fire, the heavens seemed to be burning fiercely. Motes of blue light roamed in the golden fire. Each mote represented thews of water.

    Yu Shi¡¯s eyes turnedpletely blue.

    "HMPH!" Yan Zaizen coldly snorted. He wasn¡¯t an idiot to allow his enemy to reach his peak state. Murderous light shed in his eyes. He stomped forward.

    The world cried.

    The space begged for mercy.

    The realm quaked in fear.

    Yan Zaizen, with all of his lifeforce energy, shot outwards with his all. With a speed that could runps on light itself, he appeared before Yu Shi with eyes filled with the greatest desire to see another¡¯s death he had ever made.

    He had moved so fast that his skin ripped from his body. For every yard moved, his skin would be removed. However, that skin would be repaired just as fast. By the time he reached Yu Shi, he had left behind a skin-like trail that seemed like a set of countless shadows or afterimages.

    Yan Zaizen had moved faster than his body could withstand.

    "What the fu-" Yu Shi¡¯s madness waspletely eclipsed by his fear. He instinctively retreated but Yan Zaizen¡¯s fist shrouded by white light rumbled forward with earth-shattering force.

    The weakness of igniting the heavenly essence in one¡¯s heavenly shrine was the second of weakness where they no longer had it. Without ample preparation beforehand, doing so would only leave yourself open for a strike.

    "Wai-" Yu Shi felt intense regret. He wanted to speak up to dy Yan Zaizen. Perhaps if he could do so, he could finish his ignition and end this freak! Even to thest millisecond of his life, his desire for the realmship and Lang Xue was greater than anything else. Even his life.

    BOOM!!!

    The iing world-crushing fistnded heavily on Yu Shi¡¯s body. An explosion thundered. The shockwaves turned his physical body and soul into dust. In his eyes, the madness of desire remained.

    On this day, Yu Shi¡¯s Dao vanished.

    "..." Yan Zaizen¡¯s chest heaved up and down in exhaustion. He felt an intense sensation of a deadly crisis at the ignition of a three-floor heavenly shrine. Thatst movement consumed over ny percent of his lifeforce energy, including all the excess. He felt exhausted physically.

    "The battle between experts are determined in blinks. Under those circumstances, even a fourth-floor Heavenly Genesis expert could¡¯ve died instantly." Pinaka reminded.

    "It¡¯s unfortunate that I couldn¡¯t use you. With my cultivation base been too low, this level of opponent truly is too much." Yan Zaizenmented, waving his hand to obtain Yu Shi¡¯s heavenly shrine. Two pirs were half destroyed. He tapped it, sending all of Yu Shi¡¯s precious possessions into the Meteor Ring.

    Pinaka once informed him that Heavenly Genesis experts store their things within their shrines. They seem to be in an isted space that only the wielder could ess. Luckily, without Yu Shi being connected to it, he could ess it with rtive ease.

    It was because of this ability that he didn¡¯t realize initially that Yu Shi brought out an armament core for his formation. It was so seamlessly done that it was as if the realm¡¯s frozen rain gathered to a single point.

    With a heavy sigh, he looked towards the deteriorating realm formation shield and dims. He reminded himself to never fight a Realmlord again in his home ground. If Yu Shi didn¡¯t have a projectile armament, if he didn¡¯t suffer a heavy bacsh, if he decided to fight patiently instead of igniting his shrine, if Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t have soul energy fast and strong enough to iste the armament, if, if, if.

    Yan Zaizen felt that things could¡¯ve gone differently if any variable changed.

    Luckily, it didn¡¯t.

    He felt so sore. His skin shredded itself so many times that if he counted, he wouldn¡¯t finish in a year. The pain was intense that his body quivered slightly with every movement.

    He waved his hand, bringing out Lang Xue. Her eyes were dim. Yan Zaizen saw this and couldn¡¯t help but check out this woman once more. He shook his head, he felt that fate was an odd thing. If Bai Lufeng had never begged for her life, Yan Zaizen would¡¯ve left and been caught in an ambush. Who knew what Yu Shi had prepared. Maybe another formation, or perhaps he intended to utilize the entire realm to kill him.

    When he thought of the entire realm, the sun and giant moon didn¡¯t do anything impressive. He felt ny-nine percent sure that those two things would¡¯ve joined the assault. If so, could he have won?

    However, because of Bai Lufeng, he purchased her and caused Yu Shi to reveal his intent earlier than expected. This led to Yan Zaizen fighting in a different position.

    He felt that both this girl and Bai Lufeng had saved his life. As for Bai Lufeng, this was the second time he had done so.

    "What was your heavenly shrine attribute?" Yan Zaizen asked.

    "Saber..." She answered emotionlessly.

    Yan Zaizen checked Yu Shi¡¯s contents. With a wave of his hand, he brought out a one-floor Heavenly Shrine, "here." He ced it in front of her chest.

    "This?!" Her emotionless and dim eyes revealed life and excitement as she recognized the structure. It was a single sword that towered to the heavens atop a crescent foundation.

    She grabbed it and immediately reconnected with it. As it was originally hers, it only took a second before it was re-established into her dantian. The moment she did, the energy in the shrine gave her a boost in physical strength.

    She was once more whole. With a single breath, her heavenly shrine helped her refine the outside essence into true-essence mixed with a heavenly aura. Her heavenly aura and power to rip through space recovered in a short few seconds.

    Her beautifully eyes regained its fierce quality, she looked towards Yan Zaizen with a squinted, scrutinizing gaze. "Why?"

    Yan Zaizen chuckled helplessly at her question. "You may not realize it, but you helped me greatly. Now, let¡¯s get that treasure!" He waved his hand to bring out the realmship with Tao and Bai Lufeng.

    "What? What about Yu Shi?" She questioned, looking around to see the mess of the realm. Space was chaotic and distorted, trying to resume its normal state, but the damage was extensive. After all, Yan Zaizen had copsed the realm ruthlessly with each step.

    Yu Shi was more cautious and careful towards the realm state, but Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t care.

    "Hm? He¡¯s dead." With that, he got on the realmship, "let¡¯s go." He truly wished to go, his body was incredibly exhausted and his soul suffused severe drain from stopping that attack for even that brief period of time.

    "..." Her mind went nk for a second and then her expression revealed a hint of horror. What was the concept of killing a Realmlord in their own Realm?! She shivered and realized that Yan Zaizen had extraordinary strength.

    Her eyes shined brilliantly with intelligence. Later, it flickered with an unfathomable light. She stepped onto the realmship with hesitation no longer in her gaze. "That way." She calmly pointed towards one of the waters.

 Chapter 194 Inheritance Deposi

    In the Meteor Ring, Yan Zaizen was inspecting his soul form. At the moment, he realized that his soul suffered damage. He used his ethereal hands to roam around the numerous wounds that looked like scars. With each caress, a faint sky-blue light would flicker from his finger.

    Grimacing, Yan Zaizen clenched his teeth. Yan Zaizen understood that true-essence, vital energy, sheer concussive force, and ambient pressure can affect the soul. Unlike Phantasms, the soul was both a physical and spiritual entity.

    The raindrop armament formed from all the frozen rain in the Deluge Realm impacted his body twice. Each fierce contact damaged both his body and soul, injuring them both. The attempt at hindering the armament also caused him to suffer a slight bacsh. Unfortunately, his Immortal Herculean Method natural healing factor only extended to the physique. Therefore, he had to manually heal the damage to his soul.

    The sky-blue light was soulforce. It was guided to help patch the damaged areas of his soul.

    "Soulforce, even if it originates from vital energy, is exceptionally beneficial to the restoration to all soul forms," Pinaka muttered. She had personally healed off this soulforce. Even though her existence didn¡¯t conform to heavenlyw, soulforce was still her core.

    Yan Zaizen sighed. The Deluge Realm battle may have seemed easy but it put an unnatural pressure on his shoulders. He had the belief that others, maybe those stronger than Yu Shi, will desire his realmship. He understood why the previous owner stayed hidden in the Border Expanse.

    With his strength, at the first-floor Heavenly Genesis realm, it was like inviting personal disaster. It¡¯s probably why he departed and stayed away from the Deluge Realm. Yu Shi would¡¯ve killed him in a split second if given the opportunity.

    "My Qi Cultivation and Soul Cultivation just aren¡¯t sufficient. I got lucky this time." He sighed once again, a feeling of helplessness formted in his heart.

    "Focus on recovery, your remaining lifespan and talent are abundantly vast. In fifteen hundred years you reached your current level, who knows where you will be in ten thousand years." Pinakaforted. Her brows furrowed. Yan Zaizen had unyielding confidence, but this confidence didn¡¯t mean he was stupid. He understood his power was insufficient.

    If he faced a stronger enemy, this confidence would emerge, but in introspection, this trait is not well disyed. After all, only fools believe themselves invincible when the entire universe said otherwise.

    At the fifthrgest water, Lang Xue¡¯s gazed at a particr location in its outer orbit. It didn¡¯t seem any different than outer space filled with light and moisture. Tao had an anxious expression. He may not have seen the battle Yan Zaizen just endured, but the fact the residual battlefield was distorted and chaotic, he knew it was intense.

    Also, almost immediately, Yan Zaizen entered recovery cultivation. This indicated that his injury was not small. As for this white-haired beauty, he felt some suspicions towards her. His once perverted gaze revealed an intelligent light of deduction.

    Lang Xue could feel Tao¡¯s gaze but treated him like air. His cultivation base, his foundation, and even his age were far too little to warrant any attention from her. Instead, she believed that Tao and Bai Lufeng was nothing more than lucky attendants. They got fortune and served someone with a realmship and the strength to kill a Realmlord in his own territory.

    Truly lucky.

    "Where¡¯s this sub-realm?" Tao asked. However, Lang Xue directly ignored him. She looked towards Yan Zaizen who was seated in the lotus position not too far away.

    As if feeling her gaze, Yan Zaizen opened his eyes and gave her a cold gaze. He didn¡¯t like when people ignored him or his brother.

    When she saw this cold gaze that seemed to contain a hint of murder, she shivered. Immediately, she exined, "The sub-realm is called the Core Saber Realm, belonging to the Silver Saber Sect. However, they suffered a sect-copsing cmity, now only the elites live. They decided to pass their legacies to a new generation."

    "An elder left three saber keys. If imed, a person can enter an inheritance deposit of the realm that corresponds to the key." She paused for a while, her gaze filled with intense hope but then dejection, "It¡¯s rumored there¡¯s a Regalia of the Heavens in one of the deposits."

    She had found one of the saber keys afterpleting a trial. As a cultivator who pursued the saber path, she was actually searching for a key. She had located another, but someone else imed it. After fighting that person, the individual beat her back and escaped. Unfortunately, there was no news of the third one.

    "How do we enter?" Tao asked. Yan Zaizen closed his eyes. At the moment, recovery was a priority. Not to mention, fifty percent of the inheritance was secured. However, he realized that from her words, she lied about this Regalia of the Heavens. A regalia of the heavens wasn¡¯t asmon as one may think.

    They are often used to construct formations or armament bodies, but regardless, there¡¯s no way you¡¯ll obtain an actualplete regalia if they were. Yan Zaizen was lucky to find three intact, unused Regalia of the Heavens. Aplete regalia was the same as having a path to a seventh-floor Heavenly Genesis realm.

    After all, it represented the sovereign level of a conceptualw. It was simr to how a soul-based regalia could act as a recement for a sovereign levelprehension to construct a Hell Altar.

    "I have to go in and im the inheritance deposit left behind. I¡¯m unsure how long it¡¯ll take me. I may have to pass another trial to prove my worth." She mentioned, her gaze still on Yan Zaizen.

    Tao furrowed his brows. He felt that her words were lies. However, even if he did, what could he do? "Wait, where¡¯s the saber key?" The thought suddenly popped into his mind. She was caught by the Realmlord, how could she keep any possessions.

    When he said this, Lang Xue coldly snorted at Tao¡¯s ignorance.

    "Go." Yan Zaizen motioned with a wave of his hand. Despite her foxy, almost peak erotic body, Yan Zaizen truly didn¡¯t feel any form of interest towards her. Only appreciation. Therefore, he wasn¡¯t kind or patient with her for ¡¯points¡¯.

    Tao didn¡¯t erupt in anger due to this very reason.

    She jumped off the realmship towards the area. Tao moved to the railings and watched her dive towards that location she pointed out. Soon, a white light filled with bloodthirsty dominance and sharp pressure emanated from Lang Xue.

    "Saber Law!" Tao eximed with intrigue.

    Lang Xue¡¯s dantian erupted in brilliant light. Then, space started to distort. It wasn¡¯t a spatial ripple in the void, but a spatial tunnel. A grand white saber with a familiar aura she emitted formted suddenly. This was a door.

    Lang Xue stepped forward. She phased into the saber-shaped door and vanished.

    Yan Zaizen took a deep breath. His eyes looked at the door. "Unfortunate." He realized that the door was protected. If his cultivation reached the heavenly path, he may be able to bypass this safeguard, but his cultivation truly was too low.

    "Without a proper medium, your strength can never be fully exhibited." Hemented softly. This was true for many things. Not only did heck a proper cultivation base for hisws, he alsocked an armament for all three of his cultivation bases.

 Chapter 195 Two-Floor Heavenly Shrine

    Time slowly passed.

    Bai Lufeng consumed the Seventh State Earth Pill. Tao cultivated while looking at the saber door. Yan Zaizen focused on recovery.

    Thirteen years passed in a blink. To Yan Zaizen, Bai Lufeng or Tao, this was very little time. Yan Zaizen had fully recovered from his wounds. Bai Lufeng formted his Aurora Soul. It was silver-grey in color. Tao cultivation raised from thete-Origin Core to the peak-Origin Core Realm.

    With Yan Zaizen¡¯s vast resources, his progression was profoundly quick. Not to mention, Yan Zaizen gained even more wealth. The twelve Heavenly Genesis experts gave up all their possessions. Yan Zaizen was going to kill them, but they decisively swore soul oaths.

    In the soul oaths, they would keep all information about Yan Zaizen and his realmship hidden. They would give up everything they owned in their Heavenly Shrines and even turn in eighty percent of their respective forces wealth in exchange for their lives.

    Yan Zaizen contemted this. He could just kill them, take their heavenly shrines, and rob their respective powers. If anyone got in his way, he could have in them. However, he agreed to let them keep their lives.

    Instead, he agreed to their arrangement under two additional conditions. He still stole every one of their heavenly shrines. They were outraged, but clenched their teeth and epted it begrudgingly. Not to mention, they had to swear a soul oath to never take deliberate actions against him again, not simply keep his identity a secret.

    With that, he let them go. No future problems, no genocide, all profits. At the moment, his wealth was stupendous. He pretty much imed a good sixty percent of an entire realm¡¯s worth. It felt good.

    "Your Aqua Sr Sphere concept truly leaves one in wonder," Pinakamented. In Yan Zaizen¡¯s soul form, a water sun floated about radiating true waterw energy.

    "minor-Manifestation Level." Even he sighed at hisprehension capabilities. As he understood morews, his ability to progress otherws increased. "I¡¯ve fully recovered. I need to focus on my Essence Path...if I can reach the Heavenly Genesis Realm..."

    Just as he was deliberating on his cultivation path, the saber door flickered with an intense light. From it, a female figure appeared. She had long, silky white hair that went to her feet, a white martial outfit that radiated tyrannical sharpness, and her white eyes showed profundity that seemed to radiate a piece of heaven.

    Her chest area no longer had unreasonable tightness. With a proper outfit, it was perfectly held by a proper undergarment. Despite this, they were still as big as a grown man¡¯s head each. They stood proud and perky.

    Tao¡¯s eyes opened and he looked towards this woman, but his eyes no longer revealed perversion. Instead, he had some form of unyielding resolve. His eyes flickered with dark-amber light and his gaze became filled with a tyrannical confidence.

    Yan Zaizen has always been stronger than him, but that didn¡¯t mean he had to remain weak. One day, and there will be a time that this woman would no longer treat him like air. He would have clout and capabilities respected by all and not just have Yan Zaizen shield him.

    The scene of distorted space and helplessness he felt, he realized that the young man from before was already equivalent to a god inparison to himself.

    Yan Zaizen noticed the shift in mentality, but he couldn¡¯t think why it was brought forward. Perhaps it wasn¡¯t just a single thing but everything that has happened till now? Perhaps he always felt this way but it just revealed itself now?

    Lang Xue nced at Tao but only snorted. His gaze was rather presumptuous, she didn¡¯t like it. Her aura erupted in response. Her conceptualw ¡ª Silver Dusk of the Saber ¡ª radiated an essence of domineering ruthlessness and oppression that pressed forward to suppress all.

    Tao felt pressure on his body and couldn¡¯t help but feel like he was before the heavens. His eyes became even more unyielding.

    "Second-floor?" Yan Zaizen¡¯s brows perked. It seems this girl had used the resources she obtained in the inheritance deposit to enhance her cultivation. Lang Xue waved her hand, sending a spatial ring towards Yan Zaizen.

    With a wave of his hand, the spatial ring entered his hand. Swiftly sweeping the contents, he didn¡¯t feel that happy. Inparison, this was small to his gains from the Deluge Realm. He just nodded. He knew that there wouldn¡¯t be a Regalia of the Heavens, so he wasn¡¯t disappointed.

    "We¡¯re leaving.¡¯ Yan Zaizen walked towards the helm of the realmship. It was about time they left. Elysian Realm was only a month or so away.

    "Wait!" Lang Xue jumped towards the realmship. Shended on the deck. Yan Zaizen shot her a cold re which caused her steps to instantly halt. She felt aggrieved, what did she do to deserve such indifference? She was beautiful and she handed him the treasure as she promised.

    Any cultivator, even Yu Shi, would desire her or show some decency to impress her. Yet, this guy was cruel.

    "Leave." After saying that, Yan Zaizen grabbed the helm.

    "Wait! Can you send me back home? I¡¯ll pay." She asked, her tone was soft and held a hint of begging. Any normal man may immediately copse, but Yan Zaizen directly ignored her.

    If Lang Xue hadn¡¯t treated Tao like air, hadn¡¯t held other thoughts during their negotiation, perhaps he would be more kind and forting. However, he truly didn¡¯t care about her.

    Tao saw this and realized why Yan Zaizen was acting this way. He looked towards Lang Xue and thought for a second, "Brother Zai, we should agree." Tao¡¯s words shocked not only Yan Zaizen but Lang Xue.

    For Lang Xue, it was calling Yan Zaizen brother. Not senior brother, junior brother, number plus brother, or master, but brother. Her eyes flickered with suspicions.

    Yan Zaizen was shocked that Tao wanted to let her ride. At first, he was about to joke about his perversion and send her packing, but he discovered that Tao¡¯s eyes were filled with resolve. This was the first time he saw Tao like this. His brows furrowed in thought. This resolve didn¡¯t originate from his dao.

    Could it be Tao¡¯spetitiveness?

    He softly sighed. "Where?"

    Lang Xue¡¯s shock piled at the moment and she couldn¡¯t help but look at Tao once more. "Who was this person?" She couldn¡¯t help but think. Despite her shock, she replied swiftly, "Sirius Titan Realm. It¡¯s incredibly far from here. If I used a normal skyship, it could take me tens of thousands of years. However, with the realmship, it could only take a few decades."

    Yan Zaizen couldn¡¯t help but be shocked. How the hell did she arrive here? Did she travel for thousands of years?

    Noticing his thoughts, she exined, "I used a spatial tform nearby, took me three centuries of travel time to arrive at a nearby realm and three centuries to travel here." As a Heavenly Genesis expert, what was six hundred years to her?

    Tao mind rumbled. When she started to travel, he was likely at the Qi Unification Realm. Holy...he wondered about her true age. When his thoughts drifted to this, his mind couldn¡¯t help but go nk.

    Yan Zaizen felt even odder. He wasn¡¯t even born. His parents weren¡¯t born. Hell, his grandfather was likely an infant or not even born. Even though he stayed in chaotic space of fifteen hundred years, this wasn¡¯t real time.

    "You¡¯re going to have to wait. Elysian Realm is nearby, I¡¯ll be going there first. Then, after, I¡¯ll take you there." Yan Zaizen thought for a second and decided. Elysian Realm had a location where one couldmunicate with the dead. Even if it was only a loose rumor, he had to verify the possibility with his own eyes.

    If he could see his mother and father once more, it would be worth it.

    Lang Xue heard about Elysian Realm¡¯s uniqueness. It was spread that talking to the dead was a possibility, but one had to pay a certain price. It seemed the realm itself had a connection with Hell, the hub of all souls. Seeing Yan Zaizen dere his intent to travel there, she thought for a second and agreed. To her, the Elysian Realm was also a location she wished to visit if possible. Even if speaking to the dead was highly unlikely, but if it¡¯s so widespread, it must have some truth to it, right?

 Chapter 196 Unexpected Stop?

    Lang Xue and Tao cultivated at the deck, but they were separated at far ends. Yan Zaizen piloted the realmship through the spatial tunnel. Only three days passed since their departure from the Deluge Realm. Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes squinted as he looked forward.

    For a while now, he felt a bizarre and inexplicable feeling. It wasn¡¯t a sensation of danger, deadly crisis, or even difort and distrust. It was something he never felt before. It was hard to measure on a scale of intensity, but it was more like a whisper so silent that even if you got close to the origin of the sound, you still wouldn¡¯t be able to make it out.

    He described his feeling to Pinaka, but even Pinaka didn¡¯t know. She may be connected to his soul but she wasn¡¯t interconnected to his instincts. It was more so connected to his emotions. If he felt uneasy or afraid, she would be able to feel this directly, but if he had a strange feeling, it was up in the air. That was more so a thought and belief rather than an emotion.

    She suggested stopping the Realmship and taking a different path. He did, but the feeling didn¡¯t cease or increase. It started to make him feel ufortable. After witnessing the creatures of the Border Expanse, he didn¡¯t believe that being in the spatial void granted him invincibility.

    "Lang Xue, do you feel odd?" Yan Zaizen asked. Out of everyone here, she possessed heavenly sense, so her senses towards heavenly space was a lot are than his own. If she didn¡¯t feel anything, perhaps it was something else?

    Just like he expected, Lang Xue shook her head in confusion. She even sent out her heavenly sense outside the spatial void but found no difference.

    However, this only increased the unease in his heart.

    "Should I just stop?" Just as she was contemting, his eyes widened in shock. Suddenly, the spatial void tunnel distorted like a whirlpool. A secondter, it started to vanish like dust in the wind. It wasn¡¯t only him who witnessed this, Lang Xue and Tao¡¯s eyes shed open with disbelief and then horror. Was the spatial void copsing?

    This...!

    Yan Zaizen¡¯sprehension into space was a lot greater than both of them, so when the surrounding spatial void started to dissipate like dust, he felt like he understood something. He double-checked to make sure, "Yes...spatial tunnel isn¡¯t copsing. It¡¯s at its end...an abrupt end?"

    His deduction was that the spatial tunnel created by the realmship was being cut-off prematurely. Somehow, the space at the end is warping and being blown away like dust particles.

    VROOM!!

    Suddenly, they prated the end of the spatial tunnel. They exited and entered the Border Expanse.

    "WHAT?!" Yan Zaizen and the rest looked ahead with disbelief. There wasn¡¯t a horrific creature at the end. Instead, several dozen realmships were situated in a one hundred li range. The moment they exited the tunnel, they seemed to have entered a strange, empty space. Almost immediately, the formations on the realmship ceased functioning.

    "What?" One shock after another kept arising. Looking at the realmship, he swept his spiritual sense through but discovered nothing wrong with the formations. It was like some invisible force was causing the formations to deactivate willingly. He tried to interact with the formations but it was unresponsive.

    Tao arrived next to him, his brows furrowed as he looked towards the realmships that seemed like dead materials floating in a sea of dim space. Immediately, numerous amounts of spiritual senses and heavenly senses swept over towards the realmship. It seemed they didn¡¯t care about the people onboard, but more curious about the state of the ship itself.

    After a sweep, they left.

    "What is this?" Lang Xue asked with a trace of fear in her voice. She felt the heavenly sense of the people who swept over and they were all at the Heavenly Genesis realm. Some were even at the fifth-floor Heavenly Genesis realm! After all, to own your own realmship, you needed a profound cultivation base or background.

    "I¡¯m not sure, but the realmship¡¯s formations have ceased responding. Also, the space here is odd." Yan Zaizen exined, he snapped his finger. The spatial void ripples formted in front of him distorted into a whirlpool and vanished like dust particles. Just as he was testing the space¡¯s odd characteristics, a booming sound resounded nearby.

    A spatial tunnel that seemed like a cylindrical tube appeared. It was as if something had forcefully cut it in half and twisted it. Just like before, it turned into a whirlpool and dissipated like dust in the wind. The others who watched this swept their senses over as if hoping to understand the situation further. Another realmship appeared.

    The moment it did, all its formations powered down and the people onboard seemed shocked into a state of disbelief. Their senses scanned towards the others but they were met by even more powerful senses. The new arrivals senses were directly pushed back while the new senses scanned the realmship with a scrutinizing sweep.

    On the deck of this ship, a young woman in a red-dress had an angry pout on her face as if she was insulted. She was making a ruckus, kicking and cursing all the shameless people with little manners. However, the people onboard stopped her from acting out. They couldn¡¯t silence her, but they could at least prevent her from taking action withforting words.

    Numerous cold snorts resounded in this small piece of space. The young woman, who seemed to be around seventeen years old in appearance became further enraged. She pointed towards a specific realmship and shouted words such as, "Fire! Attack! Kill those bastards!" However, with the formations deactivated in this space, her words were nothing but empty derations.

    Yan Zaizen focused his attention elsewhere. He wondered why no one tried to exit, but seeing that everyone was staying in their realmship, he had no intention to find out. Having caution towards the unknown was always better than making a mad dash towards it. He attempted to send a soul transmission to one of the other ships, but his soul energy couldn¡¯t survive the outside space.

    As it was sent outwards, it twisted and faded like the spatial tunnel. His brows furrowed deeply in contemtion. Tao waited for Yan Zaizen to better understand the situation. Lang Xue performed her own tests, but it seemed she wasn¡¯t stupid enough to step off the ship.

    After a moment, "This space seems to disconnect soul energy and spatialws." He understood why the formations were unresponsive. They all had a Spirit Forms to operate them, but somehow, in this strange space, the connection the Spirit Forms have with the formations were segregated. His soul energy suffered a simr distortion and disconnection.

    Spiritual sense seems to function properly, but it couldn¡¯t extend past one hundred li in distance. It was like they were in an invisible bubble in the Border Expanse. He had a faint belief that, perhaps, the spatial tunnels were actually directed to this location instead of them driving through it.

    "It¡¯s possible the spatialws are being converged into this area. All spatial tunnels in a range are being drawn to this area, but I don¡¯t know how far of a range." Yan Zaizenmented again, but this caused Lang Xue¡¯s expression to change greatly. If something was drawing all the spatial tunnels to this area, then is this a lure of a powerful cultivator to take realmships?!

    It wasn¡¯t just Lang Xue who thought of this. The other experts were cautious. Many were already in a formation ready tobat any event that happens.

    "See if you can fly out!" The young woman¡¯s voice resounded once more. She had a very domineering attitude as she ordered one of her subordinates to fly out of the realmship into the bizarre space. With a sh the subordinate took off. The expert didn¡¯t hesitate despite the possible danger. His body erupted with true-essence. It shrouded his body protectively as he zed towards the edge of the one hundred li bubble.

    The moment he touched the edge, he prated it easily. A trace of tion appeared on his face as he turned around. As he did, Yan Zaizen, who was watched in rapt attention, had his eyes filled with unrestrained, intense sensation of horror. The tion on the face of the expert was still there, but his lower body had already distorted and vanished into dust.

    He didn¡¯t seem to notice. His true-essence directed to return back towards the bubble. However, the moment he hit the edge, it was as if the bubble turned into the hardest barrier imaginable. He smashed heavily into the barrier with a thud. His body exploded into a mist of blood. This mist of blood distorted and vanished into nothingness.

    "..."

    "..."

    "..."

    Many of the cautious realmship wielders looked onwards with trepidation and gratefulness. They were grateful that the young woman was an idiot enough to send her subordinate to his death.

 Chapter 197 Collapsed Sub-Realm?!

    "Reckless!" Lang Xue spat, her eyes filled with disdain towards the young woman¡¯s irresponsible actions. The expert may not have been a Heavenly Genesis expert, but he was still her subordinate and willing to take a risk for her. She shouldn¡¯t have sent him to test the dangers of the outside and subject his life to such unknowns.

    To her, people like this was despicable. A life, regardless of how frail or weak, deserved to be treated properly. Despite her thoughts, she only coldly snorted and turned her gaze away. This gaze tried to shroud her intense fear with irritation at the young woman¡¯s actions. Unfortunately, her heart that seemed to reverberate so loudly that even Tao could hear betrayed her emotions.

    Tao¡¯s eyes were calm despite the situation. He analyzed the information avable, organized it, and tried to make a deduction. Yan Zaizen was doing the same. At the moment, trying to conceive a n would be better than staying here. Luckily, since no one knows the dangers or rules of this bizarre space yet, there hasn¡¯t been anyone who has decided to fight or rob.

    From where he was, he could sense the sinister greed of others piercing over. After all, externally, Lang Xue was the strongest expert. Yan Zaizen¡¯s vital energy intensity barely reached the second-floor Heavenly Genesis realm. Externally, Lang Xue and Yan Zaizen were slightly equal, but the Heavenly Path had far more advantages and was more troublesome than the Bodily Path.

    "We¡¯re at the eye of a storm," Tao surmised. Lang Xue trembled at his words. At first, she wanted to directly smash his concept as that made zero sense, but after thinking about it, it seemed true. The current location seemed to be safe, but outside caused the soul and body to be subjected to the same force as the spatialws or soul energy.

    Yan Zaizen nodded, agreeing with his assumption. The Border Expanse was dim and dark. It also held countless unknowns. If an invisible storm that twisted spatialws and soul-based fluctuations were to be created suddenly, then it¡¯s possible. He recalled Bai Lufeng, checking on his state. He was currently cultivating in peace. After all, he was in a sound-isted room. With his low cultivation base, why would he send his sense outwards when nothing happened?

    He decided not to interrupt his cultivation. I mean, if they died, it doesn¡¯t really matter where he was, right?

    "If this is a storm, how was it formed?" Tao asked, his senses weren¡¯t strong enough to figure this out. From the information gathered, he just knew it was formed somehow. It¡¯s not like it was always here. If it was, then the realmships would be far more than just this few dozens. It was probably formed recently, very recently. After all, the myriad realms had hundreds of thousands of realmships soaring across space. A majority of them belonging to grand realms.

    Yan Zaizen thought on this...

    Wait.

    Taking a deep breath, Yan Zaizen¡¯s gaze flickered. "This space has essence, it¡¯s faint, but it exists."

    "What?! How?!" Lang Xue was in disbelief. The Border Expanse couldn¡¯t house essence. This very reason was why it wasn¡¯t habitable for normal lifeforms. However, after rotating her cultivation base, she discovered the same. The essence was faint, almost too thin to even notice, but still there.

    "Miss Hong Hong, please!" An elderly man, with a profound cultivation base at the third-floor of the Heavenly Genesis Realm, pleaded with an exhausted voice. The young woman from earlier was having another tantrum. She pointed towards the other side of the bubble wall. It seems she was demanding her subordinates to attack it with all they have.

    Everyone witnessed this and couldn¡¯t help but shake their heads. Dealing with know-it-all youngdies and masters were difficult as all hell. "Hmph...brats like these deserve death." Lang Xue eximed with a tinge of hatred.

    Yan Zaizen, however, felt odd. It was as if something was at the tip of his tongue, but he couldn¡¯t discover it.

    "If she attacks the bubble, what if it copses and lets in the storm?" Tao said with deep fear. He was hoping that they wouldn¡¯t take such an action. Others had the same mentality. Whatever force that was outside was outside right now, if they destroyed the bubble, wouldn¡¯t it be inside?

    "Wait! Copse!!" Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes widened. He looked upwards, then downwards, then to the sides, his eyes flickering with silver light. A profound light erupted from his eyes, "...A sub-realm copsed here." His words were said softly but it immediately caused the space of a 100 li to go silent. The young woman called Hong Hong turned her eyes towards Yan Zaizen.

    Cultivators truly had impable senses.

    The expressions of everyone was like a vivid movie depicting a process of vibrant reactions.

    First, curiosity at why someone would suggest such a thing.

    Second, disbelief at the ridiculous idea of it.

    Third, thoughtful recollection.

    Fourth, further disbelief at the ludicrous idea but a tinge of fear in their eyes.

    Fifth, contemtion at the legitimacy of the idea.

    Sixth, consequences if the idea was true.

    Seventh, a sh of brief fear.

    Eighth, further investigating the signs to disprove this idea.

    Ninth, ABSOLUTE HORROR!!!

    The world exploded in an uproar almost simultaneously. Everyone, EVERYONE, including Hong Hong went absolutely batshit crazy. Lang Xue underwent the same states of expressions, her eyes shed with such fear that she visibly trembled. Her heavy chest bounced without order.

    Yan Zaizen and Tao were the only calm individuals, but their hearts were sending waves and waves of fear throughout their bodies.

    "Holy shit! We need to leave, NOW!" The fifth-floor Heavenly Genesis expert directly brought out his Heavenly Shrine. It revealed a square tform with three wisps of golden mes lingering above it. Above the square tform was a thicker square tform with tworger wisps of golden mes. Immediately, the entirety of the five wisps directly expanded to three hundred feet.

    HE WAS IGNITING ALL FIVE OF HIS FLOORS!

    The world started to rage and roar, the sheer power of a full eruption of five floors was extraordinary. The surrounding space started to seethe and burn. It seemed the three hundred feet wisps of golden mes wanted to incinerate space itself. Shockingly, the expert didn¡¯t even consider anything. He directly grabbed his young master, a handsome young man that held a valiant red dot between his brows, and forcefully concentrated all of that immense power into a single hand.

    RIIIIIP!!!

    He wed in front of him, space immediately produced a small, very small, spatial slit. With the quickest speed possible, with the young master at hand, he dashed unhesitatingly into the spatial slit. The moment he entered, the heavenly shrine vanished into dust, obviously its power was fully concentrated into this single action.

    The other individuals on the realmship revealed expressions of horror seeing the top expert decisively cripple himself to save himself and his young master. A third-floor Heavenly Genesis expert followed suit, he ignited all his strength, but he didn¡¯t take his young master, instead only himself. He believed, with his strength, he could only save himself.

    Unfortunately...

    He ripped open space and entered. However, at the outside of the bubble barrier, he appeared just a few li away. When this happened, everyone noticed him. Many even verbally shouted and pointed out the man¡¯s existence. Without his heavenly shrine, he vanished faster than the man from earlier.

    "..."

    "..."

    "..."

    Everyone knew that...unless you reached the fourth-floor or higher, leaving was likely an impossibility.

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s brows furrowed, "If it¡¯s a copsed sub-realm, then next would be..." He looked towards the middle of the realm and his eyes started to quiver with fear. The moment his gaze moved to the center, everyone else seemed to have felt something and followed suit in unison. A small, very small silver hole calmly floated.

    This miniature silver hole that wasn¡¯t even an inch was rotating like the swirling ck hole in Yan Zaizen¡¯s be.

    A third-floor Heavenly Genesis expert fell to his knees, his very existence revealed despair and hopelessness. "We¡¯re doomed."

 Chapter 198 I Hope You Die!

    "Save ME!!" A beautiful young woman shouted towards a fourth-floor Heavenly Genesis expert. The expert had taken out her heavenly shrine, ignited it, and focused her power into her hand. She formted a de with it and struck forward. She directly ignored her young miss and escaped.

    Earlier, a fourth-floor expert tried to escape with a person, but he barely made it out of range in the storm. They couldn¡¯t see the fifth-floor cause he was too far away, but the fourth-floor expert appeared just at the outskirts. When everyone saw him, they were shocked. Unfortunately, the distance simply wasn¡¯t enough.

    He and his young master was directly pulled back into the storm and turned to dust.

    This expert wasn¡¯t risking it.

    In truth, her decision was the right one.

    Yan Zaizen watched this happen. Essentially, everyone was trying something. Most ignited their heavenly shrines if they believed they had sufficient power to escape. Some worked together in hopes of clearing the path, unfortunately, the more people entering, the less distance traveled in the spatial slit. Even in cooperation, it still wasn¡¯t enough.

    There was even some who crushed spatial talismans crafted by Heavenly Genesis experts, but the results were the same.

    Yan Zaizen understood why people were igniting their shrines. They needed enough power to rip open a spatial slit far enough to escape, but the force within the bubble restricted this action heavily. If they didn¡¯t do so, they would never garner enough distance to escape the storm. Also, if they don¡¯t, then they were essentially waiting for their deaths.

    His gaze turned towards the silver hole. It was no longer an inch but two inches. The distorting force and disruption capabilities were increasing. He felt that if it grew any more, it would be hard for him to even use the Meteor Ring. With a wave of his hand, he sent Tao, Lang Xue, Bai Lufeng, and the realmship into it. Also, many people were trying all sorts of methods and abandoned their realmships. It seemed the distortion made essing their heavenly shrines personal space an impossibility.

    His eyes glittered with greed. With a wave of his hand, he snatched those ghost ships with zero hesitation. He had already obtained three, and one was several timesrger than his current one.

    Hong Hong, the young woman dressed in red, saw this and felt a trace of contempt and disdain. Despite their situation, she STILL had the guile to look down on others! Her subordinates felt despair and were copsing mentally. They tried to contact the outside for help, but the distortion of soul transmissions and ry formations were too powerful.

    They were on their own.

    After collecting three realmships, his eyes were smiling. However, after realizing the circumstances, it flickered with solemness. "Any idea on what we will do?" He asked Pinaka.

    "Use your concept of death," Pinaka suggested. In truth, Yan Zaizen already had this idea, but he wanted to see if there was a better option. He galvanized his vital energy. With a thunderous eruption, he entered Herculean Avatar Art: Deathly Form! He dashed towards the bubble but didn¡¯t exit. Instead, he sent his Siphoning Shadow of Death¡¯s deathly aura towards the bubble.

    The surrounding space was being absorbed. The deathly aura exited the bubble, but the moment it did, it was ripped apart in the vicious yet invisible storm. It almost pulled Yan Zaizen towards the storm, Yan Zaizen decisively severed the aura from his body. The aura entered the invisible storm. It distorted violently, growing and weakening with each millisecond. The myriad of changes that urredsted for one second.

    The deathly aura disappeared.

    "..." Yan Zaizen and Pinaka were silent. He knew that thew of death wasn¡¯t invincible, but why now?! Every other time it¡¯s been triumphant. Yan Zaizen felt unlucky. In truth, he was and wasn¡¯t. The invisible storm¡¯s distorting force simply exceeded the siphoning speed of the shadow. It fought viciously trying to absorb it, but it was whittled down and subsequently destroyed.

    The weakness of any absorptionw was the speed of absorption vs the consumption of energy. If the former exceeds thetter, the absorptionw will always win. If thetter exceeds the former, the enemy will always win. This was a simple truth.

    If his vital energies were of a higher level, it may be able to resist or ovee the storm.

    Yan Zaizen turned around. The silver hole was three inches now. At this point, everyone was trying everything or had just given up. Some even prated the storm with a shroud, many groups tried this idea too, but the storm mercilessly ripped them into nothingness. Yan Zaizen felt inwardly shaken but also felt sad.

    "They are holding so much wealth, why do they have to throw it away?" Internally, he was crying blood at this tant waste of wealth. He wasn¡¯t going to stop them, at this point, he couldn¡¯t save them even if he wanted to - he hasn¡¯t even figured out how to save himself. The distortion force was so strong that ess to his Meteor Ring was nearly impossible. He could probably only ce and take out a small object.

    He regretted not taking more realmships earlier.

    "Focus!" Pinaka shouted impatiently.

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s expression turned gloomy. It¡¯s not that hecked focus, but he was confident that, somehow, he would seed. This was unyielding confidence disyed to its fullest extent. The full confidence in your ability in the face of seemingly impossible-to-ovee adversity. It allowed his mind to roam to other things with a carefree attitude, while somber calmness enabled him to remain calm.

    However, deep in his heart, he was feeling immense fear.

    "A copsed sub-realm is a greater deathtrap than a copsed sub-dimensional space." Yan Zaizenmented. A sub-dimensional space creates a zone of no exit or return, unless you had ess to spatial abilities. However, the copsed sub-realm would create an event that exceeded normal ck holes or supernovas. They can vary based on the size and intensity of the realm, but every iteration of a copse was deadly.

    If a star copses, a ck hole is formed after a supernova. If an independent space copses, it bes isted without any basic point of entry or exit. If an entire sub-realm, independent space, star,s, and essence were to copse, it would create two things: a storm and an explosion. The outside space of that sub-realm would produce a storm. The point of connection of the sub-realm and the actual realm, an explosion would take ce.

    This explosion could be described in two words: Heaven Destroying. The sheer force emitted from it was extraordinary, the pressure it brings, and the gravity it creates is ridiculous. The gravity can distort the concept of space and draw everything near it, typically towards the center of the explosion.

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes looked at the silver hole.

    This was the explosion.

    It may seem like it¡¯s moving an inch a second, but it was far, far worse. The entire sub-realm was exploding and expanding from that single inch. Soon, bits and pieces of surviving sub-realm will be sent outwards in a violent eruption. These bits and pieces wouldter be scavenged by the Border Expanse residents for their own fortune and survival.

    Trepidation shook Yan Zaizen¡¯s heart.

    The silver hole was four inches.

    He could feel the vast pressure exerting itself on his body. The True Essence experts had already turned to dust due to the force in a simr manner to the storm outside, they couldn¡¯t resist it regardless of their actions. Despair filled the eyes of everyone present.

    "If the explosion point reaches a maximum, it¡¯ll send a shockwave so strong it¡¯ll obliterate all things beneath the heaven in its range." Gulping, he calcted the time he had. About four to five seconds left. "Could I survive if I maintain Life Soul Form?" Yan Zaizen asked himself, but he knew it was an impossibility. The force will turn him into nothing faster than he could heal. Not even a speck of his existence would remain.

    "Miss Hong Hong, please!" The elderly man seemed to be begging the young woman, but she was pouting her lips as if refusing something. Yan Zaizen couldn¡¯t help but be curious. She drew everyone¡¯s despair-filled gazes, there were faint signs of hope from thismotion. Was it possible this little girl could save them?

    Hong Hong could feel the gazes of everyone, she stood on her realmship with a prideful expression, puffing out her t chest as if this was how it should be - being the center of attention. She spoke arrogantly, "I can save you all!" When she said this, she pulled out a golden talisman. When everyone saw this, their eyes revealed immense hope and happiness.

    This was a spatial talisman created by a seventh-floor Heavenly Genesis cultivator with a spatial-attributed heavenly shrine. It contained a regalia of space! Such a talisman must¡¯ve cost a lot of time, effort, and wealth to make! Was it given to this little girl?

    Many were already flying themselves towards the girl. She was their hope, even if they had to swear an oath for a long period of servitude, they were willing!

    "Do you all want me to save you?" She said, as if wanting to hear their pleas and offers. A few of the cultivators, both men and women alike shouted.

    "Please! I¡¯ll give you my heavenly shrine!"

    "I can swear a soul oath for one hundred thousand years of servitude!"

    "I can swear my entire life away! PLEASE, choose me!!"

    Many started to rush towards her area, hoping to be saved. Some even nced at others maliciously. The thought of eliminating thepetition arose in their hearts.

    Hong Hong looked even more prideful and arrogant, looking at Yan Zaizen who was looking calmly towards her. She asked, "Do you want me to save you?" Her voice was filled with confidence, as if she would see Yan Zaizen beg for his life.

    "..." Yan Zaizen was silent for a moment. Then, he calmly answered, "Hell no." With that, his eyes turned back towards the silver hole. It was now five inches. Despite the events, it took less than a second toplete all this with their extraordinary speed.

    "I knew you would but I wouldn¡¯t us-" The girl had already begun her prepared speech when her mind caught up with Yan Zaizen¡¯s response. What?! Hell NO?!

    "MISS!!" The elderly man shouted, obviously afraid that her antics will result in their deaths. Too many people were making their way over, if they reached them, it¡¯s possible unforeseen circumstances would happen. Luckily, the pressure made everyone move at a very, very slow pace.

    Hong Hong had an ugly expression on her face, she looked towards Yan Zaizen and then the others looking like despair-filled refugees seeking safety. She raised her right hand, then give them all the middle finger. "You all deserve death, you pathetic bastards!"

    She crushed the talisman, a spatial ripple shrouded the entire realmship, including them, and started to shimmer out of existence. With a cold look, she stared at Yan Zaizen, "I hope you die painfully!" With those words left behind, she vanished.

 Chapter 199 I Regret Nothing

    "I don¡¯t regret it." Pinaka abruptly dered.

    "...?" Yan Zaizen was startled by her words.

    "ording to our soul oath, I could¡¯ve left years ago. We both experienced a thousand years together, far more than previously agreed upon," she exined, continuing further, "I don¡¯t regret choosing to stay with you, even if we die today, I regret nothing."

    "..." A soft warmth permeated his heart. He knew Pinaka could¡¯ve left, but she didn¡¯t choose to. She could¡¯ve found a stronger partner, probably someone in the middle-stages of the Heavenly Genesis realm. But she didn¡¯t.

    "In the cultivation world, life and death are as close as exhaling and inhaling a breath. The only thing we can truly hope for is that we¡¯re surrounded by those we care about while we experience any of those things." Pinaka continued her words, a soft mncholy suffused in her voice.

    The silver hole was now six inches. Three more seconds before maximum potential and then the resulting explosion.

    Tao was in the Meteor Ring, looking at the vast space within, his eyes somewhat lost. Bai Lufeng cultivated in peace, his mind and soul undisturbed by any of these events. Lang Xue¡¯s thoughts were a chaotic mess. She knew that Yan Zaizen wouldn¡¯t be able to survive, after all, he was injured fighting the Deluge Realmlord. If he had the ability to kill the Deluge Realmlord without injury in his home, perhaps, but she had already epted her death.

    To her, fate wanted her life. All the experiences she suffered, her escapes, her lucky chances, her misfortunate events, and now her end. She relived all of them and felt that, no matter how hard she struggled, death continued to bite at her heels.

    "I guess...you can only run and fight for so long." A profound light of sadness and bitter regret shrouded her eyes.

    Even with Yan Zaizen¡¯s dao, the situation was bing grimmer. It was hard to maintain that unyielding confidence when death was staring at you in the face. Especially when you haven¡¯t thought of a way to escape. As the silver hole increases in strength, so does the storm. He tried sending more deathly aura, but it was gone in a millisecond. That was a thousand times faster than before.

    If he had a very, very slim chance before; he had none now.

    At this point, the exerted pressure pulverized the first-floor Heavenly Genesis experts into nothingness. Yan Zaizen solemnly watched this all happen. Memories of his life started to sh before his eyes. He recalled his parents. Despite his slowness at birth, they were always there for him. They took their time to teach him,ughed with him, embraced him when he cried, and soothed him to sleep. They didn¡¯t see him or treated him any lesser because he was their child.

    He shed to their deaths, or at least when he received the news. They were traveling in a group, a random bandit party attacked and robbed them of their possessions. Not only did his mother and father die, but so did a few others. When they returned, the survivors only had dead bodies to show.

    When he first saw his parents bodies, he remembered his first thought: "Why is mother and father sleeping?" For ten full weeks, he didn¡¯t realize they had died. Regardless of what others told him, he believed they were just sleeping and they would wake up soon. Many pitied him, thinking he simply wanted them alive. However, Yan Zaizen truly thought they were sleeping.

    It was only after those ten full weeks did it dawn on him what happened. He didn¡¯t cry. Instead, he talked to his parents like normal - as if they were alive. That continued for the next eleven years. Not once did he treat his parents as gone, but he knew they were dead.

    He remembered when he was eight. He saw a young girl that seemed to dazzle as she breathed. His first sight of her was in the Yan n¡¯s garden. She was surrounded by pink lotuses and dressed in bright yellow. Her countenance was impossibly perfect that he wished to see it every day. Yan Zaizen was immediately mesmerized. He, without an ounce of fear, talked to her on that day.

    He dedicated his life in hopes of being able to bring her dreams to fruition. Arge reason he did was that...his dream couldn¡¯te true. His mother and father would never open their eyes, hug him, orugh with him again. Despite all the scorn and mocking because of his low talent, it barely affected him. To put in bluntly, he was too slow to process a lot of it. Only when he got older did it truly sink in.

    Not once did he think of suicide despite the inhuman levels of treatmentter in that time. If he did, his parents would be alone. Despite this, the ufortable gazes and shattering of his dream made him want to get away from it all, but he couldn¡¯t leave his parents. He stayed in a grassy field his father often took him to.

    Then, he saw a meteor.

    His life changed.

    Han Genji, Basilisk Forest, Xing Xuehan and the others, Ying n, Xuanwu City, the Deep Mines, finding Pinaka, Sky Heart City, returning home, avenging Han Genji, saving Shin Xuanji, fighting Yao Wuhen, Sky Night Royal City, meeting Ya Qinqan once more, Dead Soul Desert, Anima Syndicate, Asura Phantom Realm, Xiantu Emperor¡¯s invitation, taking his first fearless step towards the heavenly path, facing heavenly tribtion, watching Shin Xuanji¡¯s rise, traversing the Border Expanse, Deluge Realm, and now here.

    When he recalled the important bits of his life, he realized that he had experienced many things but also so, so little. The sixteen-year-old him was nothing like he was today.

    "..." His eyes closed. The surrounding world went silent. The emotions of despair, the iing doom, and all of it vanished. At this single moment, only he existed.

    BOOM!!!

    His eyes snapped open. Within those eyes were no longer dark-amber, amber-gold, silver-blue, or golden light! Instead, only pure, absolute darkness remained!

    "I, too, regret nothing. However, unless I do everything I can before death, I¡¯ll regret it!!!" Yan Zaizen shouted explosively. His Mortal Dao of Sovereign Ascension erupted, but unlike before, this was a true eruption. His dark-amber dao orb materialized outside of the body. It radiated a profound light that seemed to be dering itself the rising sovereign of the universe!

    With calmness, it watches all. With unyielding confidence, it remains true to itself! With tyrannical ferocity, it exceeds all! With relentless pursuit, it never ceases or surrenders! Even in death.

    IT ASCENDS!

    The dark-amber orb transformed into a clone of Yan Zaizen. With a single step, Yan Zaizen and the clone merged into a single entity. No longer was the Mortal Dao limited to simply his soul, amplifying his various energies, but it became a single entity with his existence!

    "Absolute Dao Merge!" This method was incredibly risky, but it was the same as igniting your heavenly shrine. The only difference was the oue. With this, if someone shatters your body, it¡¯ll shatter your dao! However, as long as you exist, your dao will exist! As long you don¡¯t shatter, your dao will never shatter!

    The dark eyes spread to cover even his whites, before long, it started to swirl intensely. The world seemed to halt. The heavens seemed to halt. There was an unnatural hesitation of all existence. This brief period was so brief that light wouldn¡¯t be able to traverse a single millimeter during this period.

    Yan Zaizen recalled his life once more. All of this started, all of these events that led to now was due to a single entity. The ck hole in his be! He understood the concept. If his soul was assaulted, it would inadvertently trigger and eliminate the threat. However, it doesn¡¯t work for physical damage. This was evidenced by the fight with the Deluge Realmlord or Asura Phantom Realm when he was stabbed through his heart.

    He can die, this wasn¡¯t a question. If he dies naturally or killed by physical force, his soul can and will dissipate. However, if it was assaulted, the ck hole activates. His own bloodline, the two ck holes in his eyes consumed soul energy rapidly, but he didn¡¯t know any of its other abilities. At the moment, he was out of options.

    Even if he ignited his True Essence, Dao Merged, galvanized his soul me, even pushed his vital energies to its limits, he would still die today. That wasn¡¯t a question. The only thing he had left was the ck hole, so...he¡¯ll simply force it to activate!

    With his Dao Merged Soul Energy, he condensed all of his soul energy into a single dot in a split second.

    "DO SOMETHING!!!" Thundering to the heavens, he directly sent this soul energy dot towards his be in his soul form, not his physical body. It impacted directly into the swirling ck hole. For a second, there was resistance.

    Then...

    The soul energy vanished.

    "..." Another second passed, nothing happened.

    Another second passed, his body was feeling too much pressure. All the individuals that were in the space had already perished. If it wasn¡¯t for his Herculean healing factor, his body would¡¯ve turned into dust already. One more second before detonation.

    "...That¡¯s it..." His words came out with a heavy sigh. "Now, I regret nothing..."

    He closed his eyes.

    Another second passed.

    The silver hole trembled.

    KA!

    Facing upwards towards the vast heavens, his eyes were misty beneath his heavy lids. "Mother...Father...I have so much I want to tell you all. I can¡¯t wait to see you..."

    BOOM!!!!!!!!!

    The explosion was reminiscent to a supernova but thousands of times greater. The shockwaves radiated and the explosion surged outwards. They rumbled forward with the intent to turn all existence into nothingness.

    Shru!

    An inch away from Yan Zaizen¡¯s body, an indifferent shockwave that contained heaven-destroying force stayed. It seemed frozen in time. A small ck hole emerged from his be. It spun once, then twice.

 Chapter 200 Devour! Consume! Exceed!

    A third spin of the ck hole caused the shockwave to be pulled upwards like a slurp of water being extracted from space. In front of Yan Zaizen, a massive supernova at its nascent stage was urring, but it remained motionless.

    A fourth spin of the ck hole caused all of the shockwaves to enter it helplessly. A fifth spin caused wisps of the massive supernova to soar towards the ck hole. A sixth spin, the supernova energy, heat, and explosive force was flowing towards it like a liquefied stream of energy.

    The swirling ck hole continued to spin. With each rotation, the surrounding world¡¯s chaos was pulled towards it in an impossibly tyrannical manner. Before long, the swirling was so rapid that the supernova had already beenpletely absorbed, parts of the sub-realm were being consumed as well, the storm outside was being drawn simultaneously, and even the surrounding space itself was being ruthlessly and indifferently consumed!

    A single picosecond(*) passed.

    The surrounding space no longer contained anything, no people, no remnants of a realmship, no parts ofs, spatial storm or supernova. Only a single existence stood with his eyes closed in the vast emptiness of space. If someone saw him, they would be shocked. Not even the edge of his clothes was harmed after being in the center, literal center, of a sub-realm copse.

    After ten seconds, Yan Zaizen opened his eyes.

    Firstly, he slowly looked to the left.

    Then, he looked to the right.

    Bringing his hand to his face, he blinked heavily with both eyes.

    "I..." The realization of his survival slowly crept into his mind like a profound idea reaching itspletion. "I¡¯m ALIVE?!" Extreme tion filled his every cell as he wildly moved his arms and legs in triumphant. He pushed his fist into the sky and kicked the empty space.

    He could feel his legs and arms, he could feel his heart beating powerfully in his chest, and his lungs taking in the surrounding space, converting it into deathly aura, sending it into his bloodstream, converting it into lifeforce when it reached his heart, whichter converts to soulforce when it reached his brain, and all of his body being strengthened as a result.

    This is how it feels to be alive!

    He softly touched his be, "Thank you." He knew he had survived because of this mysterious ck hole imnted into his soul by whoever created him. In a situation of absolute despair, it saved his life!

    "YAN ZAIZEN!!!" Pinaka shouted, her voice filled with disbelief and urgency. It was like a wife called her husband when she finds a problem she can¡¯t handle alone. It wasn¡¯t often that Pinaka called him by his name, but when she did, it was typically important. He immediately, almost instinctively, entered his soul form in his sea of consciousness. Pinaka was there, staring at Yan Zaizen.

    "Hehe, see! We didn¡¯t die," rubbing his nose with a little awkwardness, he said with a wide smile. However, Pinaka still looked at him with a dead-on stare. Her brows perked up but then she turned solemn.

    "Do you not perceive the changes in your soul form? DO YOU NOT FEEL IT?!" She shouted at the end, unable to contain her horror and disbelief.

    "What?" Yan Zaizen was shocked by her response. What changes? He looked downwards towards his soul form, but when he saw his torso, his eyes widened to the point they couldn¡¯t widen further. His soul form was no longer bluish, it waspletely, thoroughly, entirely ck! It was so ck he couldn¡¯t visibly see his conceptualws, Mortal Dao, or Astral Stars.

    "I..." He froze. The strangest thing was that he could still sense the existence of all those things, but they just didn¡¯t seem to be there! "How is this possible?!"

    "..." Pinaka didn¡¯t even try to respond. She was as clueless as anyone else in this world. One moment, she was in Yan Zaizen¡¯s soul form. The next thing she knows, she was shrouded by infinite darkness and space. It was as if Yan Zaizen¡¯s soul form became an actual ck hole, pulling all existences into it without any scruples or care.

    It¡¯s not like she couldn¡¯t exit if she wished, and nothing really changed, but the sudden transformation panicked her greatly. She was worried that Yan Zaizen had suffered some immense change.

    Yan Zaizen calmed himself down. After surviving that sub-realm copse, he started to think these ck hole mysteries were far, far too deep. "My soul form¡¯s made some changes, nothing much. I can still connect to my conceptualws, Mortal Dao, and Astral Stars. Nothing¡¯s changed." These words calmed himself down, but then he realized he couldn¡¯t see the ck hole in his be any longer.

    He touched the be of his soul form.

    Pinaka spoke, "We should ma-"

    WOOSH!!!

    Suddenly, he felt carried through an infinite darkness, devouring, consuming, assimting all creation! Words echoed through his mind repeatedly at speeds that were nearly iprehensible. The cadence was so odd that he felt a splitting headache.

    "The Earth? Devour. Sky? Consume. Heavens? Exceed. The Earths and Skies, DEVOUR AND CONSUME ALL!!"

    "..." His mind was shaken to nkness. He felt a profound concept from these words. However, it wasn¡¯t a concept. No. It was greater. It was like aw. No. It was greater. It was like heavenlyw! No!! IT WAS GREATER!!

    His mind spiraled and reeled to the point he nearly lost himself. He couldn¡¯t keep himself focused as the words spoken in anguage that should bepletely foreign to him was more familiar to him than his own thoughts!

    "The Earth, Sky, Heavens - DEVOUR AND CONSUME ALL!"

    "Devour, Consume, Exceed - The Earths and Skies!"

    It was only with time that he realized that the cadence of the words formted two different phrases, not one!

    WOOSH!!

    Yan Zaizen shifted back to his soul form.

    "...ke sure that everything is okay. We should be careful so as to not cause any unforeseen issues." Pinaka finished his words from earlier. However, Yan Zaizen¡¯s gaze contained a profound light. Unfortunately, due to his pure ck soul form, Pinaka couldn¡¯t see it.

    "It¡¯s fine." Was all he said. He understood now. Closing his eyes, the ckness of his soul form became a background. The stars of his body once more resurfaced, the astral stars formted, his Mortal Dao, and conceptualws. They all took priority while the pure darkness became simply a background. When Pinaka saw this, she was stunned.

    "What...?"

    "My soul and the ck hole fused somehow. I have some control over it right now." He clenched his soul form, the words from earlier echoed in his mind, and he realized a profound truth. The Earth, the soul! The Sky, the body! The Heavens, the essence!

    Taking a deep breath, he returned back to his body. He whispered, "The Earth." His two eyes formed into two ck holes. They did not swirl, they remained stationary. However, he knew, if he desired it, he could devour and consume the soul!

    "The Sky," two ck holes at the center of two palms formed. It was stationary like his eyes. If he wished, all things physical would be devoured!

    "The Heavens!" At his be, a ck hole formed - stationary. If he wished? Allws beneath the heavens can be devoured!

    He recalled the Herculean Immortal Method: "Exceed the heavens and shatter the skies!" He realized skies meant the physical limitations of the body enforced by the heavens and likely more. It didn¡¯t mention the earth or earths, which further strengthened his belief in that profound truth.

    "Is this my bloodline?" Yan Zaizen muttered inquisitively, "or is it an unintended development?" Knowing he was a Non-Entity infused with an artificial soul and the ck hole, he didn¡¯t feel like this was an intended result. Could it be...the ck hole is the bloodline of another? Of his creator?

    Normally, he would have some guess whether something is right or wrong, but he couldn¡¯t get a single feeling on this. It was as if it exceeded his current limits of understanding.

    "Could that be it?" He mumbled to himself while Pinaka stayed quiet. She didn¡¯t know what had happened, but she could see the obvious change in Yan Zaizen. It seems he was telling the truth. He had gained control of this ck hole to a greater degree than before.

    It seems the ck eyes was just a single part of it divided into three. His first transformation happened with his eyes after consuming all of the resources found in the Meteor Ring, the next transformation likely only included his palms, and then his be, but because of the circumstances, this was sped up.

    Even she couldn¡¯t tell if this was nned or not.

    Looking at Yan Zaizen, she quietly muttered in her heart, "I hope everything works out...I can¡¯t lose you too."

    -----

    (*) - One trillionth of a second.

 Chapter 201 Every Breath

    "Haaaa..." Yan Zaizen deeply sighed, dismissing his five ck holes. He now understood more about this mysterious trait in his soul. It was divided into two parts, devour and consume. Devouring is simply a force that grabs all things. Consuming is to digest and convert what is devoured into actual energy which can then be redistributed.

    For example, soul crystals can be devoured and consumed at a fast speed, converted into his own usable soul energy.

    Whenever he consumed something soul-rted, his soul would receive direct benefits. The same could be said for body and essence. He also understood that the strength of the ck holes devouring force and consumption speed were directly interconnected to his individual cultivation in body, soul, and essence. It was hard to quantify due to the different metrics of standard, but at the moment, his body held the strongest devouring force.

    As for the protective seal, it was still there. When it activates, the greatest strength of the ck hole can be mustered. However, he can¡¯t control or direct this. He could only sigh. If he had direct control over this miraculous ck hole, what did he need to fear?

    "Let¡¯s go." After some thought, he decided to take his leave. Dwelling on these matters wouldn¡¯t do much good, after all. He actually didn¡¯t know where he was.

    Withdrawing the realmship, Lang Xue and Tao appeared along with. Their expressions were flicked with shock and disbelief. In truth, Tao didn¡¯t know much about a sub-realm copsing, but Lang Xue did.

    By now, they should¡¯ve died.

    Unless...

    When she saw Yan Zaizen, she understood ¡ª they survived. She softly sighed in relief, her hand pressed tightly against her grand-sized chest, and she calmed herself down. Tao, however, was a little more innocent. "Is it over?" He directly asked.

    "Mhm. However, I have no idea where we are." He mentioned, looking at Lang Xue in hopes she had a way to solve this. Otherwise, they will have to travel to another realm before getting their bearings. Luckily, Lang Xue did have a solution.

    She withdrew apass from her heavenly space. It had an arrow and no directional markings. Instead, there were strange characters on the surface of the arrow. It spun until it pointed towards a single direction, then the characters shed with a faint grey glow. "We¡¯re pretty close to the Sirius Titan Realm, but we¡¯re rather far from the Elysian Realm." As she spoke, her eyes flickered.

    Yan Zaizen furrowed his brows. Initially, he was going to travel to the Elysian Realm to see its rumored hell connection, but now...

    "Is that true?" He asked, his eyes looking at her every expression.

    "Of course! I have no reason to lie, hmph." Despite her words, her tone was a lot softer than before. She realized her estimation of Yan Zaizen was vastly below his capabilities. If he could escape a copsed sub-realm, then he had his abilities worthy to be top-ss.

    "Haaaa! Fine." Yan Zaizen shrugged, sending a soul transmission to Lang Xue detailing the piloting method, "Pilot the ship." After giving this order, he went into one of the cultivation rooms.

    With a realmship, they didn¡¯t need to worry about odd creatures because they could travel through the spatial void. He could spend his time resting, cultivating, andprehending the essence of his new bloodline.

    Lang Xue was caught off guard. To think that Yan Zaizen would suddenly give her the piloting method for the realmship, wasn¡¯t he scared that she would take control of it and leave?

    In truth, Yan Zaizen couldn¡¯t care less at this point. Mentally, he was fatigued to the limit. He felt a sudden urge to sleep swell within his mind. Unwilling to personal pilot the ship, he pawned off that responsibility.

    Bai Lufeng and Tao were incapable of piloting the ship due to their cultivation bases, but Lang Xue had such capabilities. Leave the task to those who can do it!

    He found afortable bed and just dropped into it. It¡¯s been a while, a very long while, since he slept like a mortal. When one¡¯s cultivation reaches the Essence Formation Realm, sleep bes non-essential. His mind wandered as his consciousness started to slip. Before long, his breathing reached an even rhythm. Sounds of snoring echoed in his chambers.

    A month passed as he slept.

    When he woke up, he had a sandy crust at the edge of his eyes. He rubbed his eyes to remove the diforting feeling. With a good stretch, he felt refreshed, but he still felt a slight urge to sleep a little longer.

    "Morning," Pinaka said softly. She was currently materialized in her soul form in the real world. Yan Zaizen trembled as he saw this True Spirit beauty. Pinaka¡¯s tone had changed subtly. It transitioned to a warmer, softer tone than before. If it wasn¡¯t for his familiarity with her, he wouldn¡¯t have noticed.

    He lightly chuckled, "Morning! Although, in the Border Expanse, can¡¯t really say its morning."

    Pinaka pouted but didn¡¯t respond. After that day, she felt odd in her heart. While Yan Zaizen slept, she protectively guarded his defenseless body and while doing so, whenever she looked at him, she found herself getting lost in chaotic thoughts.

    Looking at this spirit, Yan Zaizen couldn¡¯t help but feel grateful and warm. In the moment of one¡¯s expected death, true thoughts emerge. However, he softly sighed when he thought of something. cing these thoughts away, he asked suddenly, "Sirius Titan Realm, do you know of it?"

    "...A little. It has existed even before my birth in the Chaos Era. At that time, it was a seventh-level, heavenly-tier force. At least, that was tens of thousands of years ago. It was one of the major realms with two suns, a that exceeds the size of its suns, and moons that exceed the size of normals."

    "The name Titanes from its sheer immensity. Siriuses from its creator, the White Sirius Heavenly Monarch. An expert that reached the Heavenly Creation Realm." Her words caused Yan Zaizen¡¯s mind to shake. A realm created by a Heavenly Creation expert?

    Wait, in that case, why is it at the seventh-level?

    As if reading his mind, Pinaka moved her loose, long ck hair away from her face, "the White Sirius Heavenly Monarch perished long ago. The realm no longer belongs solely to his force or lineage and was imed by others. His name maintained within the realm was only in disy appropriate respect to its creator."

    Yan Zaizen looked at Pinaka as she calmly exined. This woman could always read his thoughts. Yet, he never felt ufortable by it. "Heavenly Monarchs, why the title? Did he rule this heaven?"

    Pinaka was startled initially by his question, but then she recalled how this was the first time she referred to the realm beyond Heavenly Genesis. "They are called Heavenly Monarchs because they can project their own minor heaven, much simr to a conceptual domain. They rule the entirety of this minor heaven. All experts at this level are given that title."

    "As for those who control one of the 33 heavens, they are called Heavenly Gods. After all, they control the heaven directly. Even Heavenly Genesis experts at the seventh level or higher are given the title of Heavenly Commanders. After all, they¡¯ve reached the sovereign-level."

    Yan Zaizen thoughts changed, he recalled an unruly girl dressed in red, Hong Hong, who cursed everyone to die - especially him. She baited and taunted them, giving everyone hope beforehand. Her sadistic means made Yan Zaizen feel immense disgust, but she had a spatial talisman created by a seventh-floor Heavenly Genesis expert.

    She escaped due to this very talisman.

    "Don¡¯t think about it too much. The difference of each floor is like the difference between the sky and earth." She said, obviously unwilling to dwell on it. She had her own share of bad feelings towards Heavenly Commanders. After all, her previous master was so close to iming that title before his demise.

    "The cultivation world is vast and grand. Even with my increase in strength, I feel that I¡¯m still so tiny inparison." Hemented. Meteorite City was his whole world before, but now, it was lesser than a speck of dust in the vast universe.

    "Until you stand at the highest point, you will always be unable to safely look down. As long as there¡¯s a sky above you, it can always copse." Pinaka muttered. Her words were recited as if she was quoting another.

    Shrugging, Yan Zaizen stretched once more, "I¡¯ll take one step at a time. Until the day I breathe myst breath, I¡¯ll journey on. Sooner orter, I¡¯ll either reach that point or the end of my path." His voice was careless and casual but contained profound meaning. "So I¡¯ll enjoy every breath I can." With a soft smile, heid back on his bed to drift off in his unfinished bit of rest.

    "..." Pinaka gazed at Yan Zaizen, her heart trembling, but she hid it well on her expression. Silently in her heart, "I¡¯ll follow every step and enjoy every breath with you. Perhaps one day..."

    Yan Zaizen slept infort.

    -----

    [Special official 200th Chapter Author¡¯s Note]: It¡¯s been three whole months since we started, April 20th is the day that I, in my living room, was sitting and chatting with my niece. She was talking about Episodes(Choose Your Story), and I was talking about how people write novels! She wanted to make episodes, I always had the intention to write novels. Dusting off a plot outline I¡¯ve been devising since forever with a deeppetitive mindset, I put my fingers on the keyboard.

    Consuming Earths, Devouring Skies was born.

    Now, here we are. It still amazes me to this day every time I recall that I¡¯ve written and published nearly 350k words[Counting Patreon] since. All I can say to the others who were like me, having the desire but not the drive to write, don¡¯t be afraid to simply put your work out there! You never know the end result. To those who supported me throughout, regardless of how, I¡¯m profoundly thankful.

 Chapter 202 Sirius Titan Realm

    Nearly a year passed since the sub-realm copse event. Bai Lufeng cultivation made a breakthrough, reaching thete-Origin Core Realm after all this time. His eyes no longer contained a fractured light, but a clear and calm ripple. From time to time, a sh of an aurora shifted through his gaze.

    After consuming the Seventh State Earth Pill, Bai Lufeng had restored his psyche. With this, his cultivation made a much-needed breakthrough and his soul leapt to the Aurora Soul Realm. With the proper resources, he immediately ascended without any issue.

    Unlike before, his gaze contained a trace of wisdom that wasn¡¯t normally found in those who lived for three thousand years. He stood at the deck, staring at the realm before him with intrigue and excitement.

    Tao¡¯s aura seemed to have experienced a change as well. His schrly aura became more hardened. After just this short period, he realized his own weakness. His eyes contained unyielding resolve to change this. He stood beside Bai Lufeng with a sharp gaze.

    Lang Xue was at the helm of the ship looking at the Sirius Titan Realm¡¯s outer space border. She felt indescribable feelings fluctuate in her heart.

    Yan Zaizen stood beside hispanions, his gaze focused on the entirety of the realm before him. When Pinaka informed him that the ¡¯Titan¡¯ in the name was to describe its immensity, he didn¡¯t believe it, but when he saw it...he was converted to a believer. Any of the nine moons exceeded the three continents in the Xiantu Realm,bined.

    The at the center of the realm exceeded the Deluge Realm in size alone. The two suns that rotated around the central seemed like moons instead of suns. The was that immense.

    "There¡¯s one, nine moons, and two suns?" He was stunned with awe at this sight. In the Deluge Realm, there was a water sun, sixspletelyprised of water, and a single moon. However, this realm caused him to be further awed.

    "Grand Sirius, the name of the." Lang Xue said with reverence. "The nine moons are called the Nine Earthly Moons. They house the top-tier experts, forces, and a vast majority of the realm¡¯s resident. As for Grand Sirius, it is not a ce you live, but a ce you explore."

    "It is aary formation that¡¯sprised of various trials. Due to the formation, there¡¯s no essence on the surface. It is as uninhabitable in the long-term as the Border Expanse." After she exined, all three of them were shaken to their core.

    Aary formation that is purely trials?

    Wait.

    As if she could conceive Yan Zaizen¡¯s thoughts before he even thought of it, Pinaka responded, "White Sirius Heavenly Monarch died. He didn¡¯t die bybat but by longevity limitations. Those at the Heavenly Creation Realm, depending on their stage, could live for millions of years, but he reached his limit. It¡¯s not as rare as you may think."

    Yan Zaizen was enlightened. Dying because of longevity limitations was the greatest cause of death in the cultivation world. "To think...even Heavenly Monarchs can die this way." The struggle for life and time was the greatest struggle of the cultivation world.

    He recalled Old Tai. His expression of happiness and profound thanks when Yan Zaizen gave him an opportunity at more years.

    Will he one day be biting at death¡¯s door and clinging for life?

    Putting these thoughts aside, Yan Zaizenmanded, "Let¡¯s go." With that, Lang Xue enthusiastically drove the realmship into the Sirius Titan Realm¡¯s outer space. The moment they entered, they felt an immense force press upon their bodies.

    The realmship was pulled towards a certain direction forcefully. Besides Lang Xue, the rest were startled. "Gravity?!" Tao eximed in disbelief. He could tell that a gravitational force was pulling them towards the gigantic Grand Sirius. However, they were at the very edges? How could they be affected by its gravity?

    "The Grand Sirius is the center of this realm. The suns and moons circte around its orbit, not the other way around. The more we go, the stronger the force. You¡¯ll need strong bodies or cultivation to resist the pressure." Lang Xue exined with a slight chuckle. Tao and Bai Lufeng nearly tilted out of the realmship.

    "A majority of cultivators in the realm cultivate the bodily path, using the gravity¡¯s force to enhance their strength. The actual surface is so difficult to withstand that without a strong body, you¡¯ll essentially turn into a pancake." Laughing, she continued to exin.

    While she was having fun at Tao¡¯s and Bai Lufeng¡¯s awkwardness, Yan Zaizen¡¯s brows were furrowed. He sent his sense into the Meteor Ring. A coin was glowing slightly.

    He arrived before it, picking it up with his soul form. Pinaka shimmered beside him. She saw the coin and her mouth pouted a little, as if she hadplex feelings when she saw it. "This is Ma Xiuren¡¯s token. Wait..."

    Did this mean?

    "Is this Ma Xiuren¡¯s home?!" He was in literal shock. He had tried to get information about Ma Xiuren¡¯s home, but even the White Crane Sect had no clue. She was just someone who suddenly joined their group during the Asura Phantom Realm. They only knew she had a good body cultivation.

    Looking at the coin, Yan Zaizen saw the ¡¯Xiuhei¡¯ and ¡¯Heaven¡¯ characters. He recalled Ma Xiuren. She had carried him out of the Asura Phantom Realm alive. During the exploration, they swept the fifth floor and he protected her from the Phantasm.

    And...

    He touched his cheek subconsciously.

    She had the physique of a little girl. Yan Zaizen shivered at that thought. For some reason, even though he knew she was over three thousand years old, it still felt odd even considering. With a sigh, he kept the coin in the Meteor Ring.

    Exiting, he realized they were flying towards the Grand Sirius. "Hm? Where are we going?" He asked Lang Xue.

    She had a faint smile, "before I return home, I need to im thest part of my inheritance." Her eyes shed apologetically. Yan Zaizen shrugged. He waved his hand, sending Bai Lufeng and Tao into the Meteor Ring.

    After all, the gravity was far too strong for them to withstand. If he let them on the surface, their fates would be pancakes and not the delicious kind.

    Since he was here, he might as well check out this so-called trial formation left by a Heavenly Monarch. Nearing the, the gravity truly was incredible. Even him, with a thoroughly refined body, could feel the pressure. It¡¯s possible only True Essence experts could resist the pressure slightly.

    Boom!

    They pierced through the atmosphere with incredible speed. There were countless skyships lingering outside the orbit. Some of them seemed to even house entire ns or civilizations from the numerous life signatures from them.

    He looked towards onerge, nearly half a small moon-sized skyship. This was the first time he saw a skyship this size, but there were billions of life signatures on this skyship. He was beyond awed.

    "The Nine Earthly Moons houses elite forces and a majority of the residents in the realm, but those ships, called Worldships, house the rest." Lang Xue exined.

    In those worldships, forces below the third-level heavenly-tier stayed. Their entire n, entire sects, and all ordinary mortals stayed in those gigantic ships, many of them orbiting one of the Nine Earthly Moons. Yan Zaizen was shocked by this. It seems the poption of the realm made the Xiantu Realm seem like a small town.

    There were thousands of worldships of varying sizes, carrying at a minimum of ten million life signatures. This frightened him. The sheer number of people left one speechless. He wondered how the society was different inparison to the Xiantu Realm and Deluge Realm.

    He recalled that Lang Xue was a gigantus and pale arctic wolf hybrid. He was interested in how divine beasts, normal beasts, and humans of different races interacted. After all, some of these worldships must have pure beast poptions or mixed.

    Was it like the Mystic Wave Continent or Presba? Filled withbat andpetition?

    As they dived deeper into the Grand Sirius, they passed eightyers of atmosphere before entering the actual. The gravity truly was nothing to scoff at. He rethought his previous assumption. He wasn¡¯t sure how strong one needed to be to stay here safely.

    Luckily, the realmship was quite sturdy. Besides a creak here and there at sharp upturns, it stably held.

    "Oh?" Yan Zaizen felt his heart race for a brief period. He looked around but found nothing. After a while, he focused elsewhere, dismissing his feeling.

    "Thank you, once again. I¡¯ll owe you a favor for this." Lang Xue said. Yan Zaizen calmly nodded. He was happy to be able to see another piece of the myriad realms. He held endless curiosity and interest, so he wasn¡¯t angered. However, he didn¡¯t take her words seriously.

 Chapter 203 Saber Inheritance

    Yan Zaizen breathed in a wad of natural air. It was true, the world had no atmospheric essence. He wondered why, but Lang Xue vaguely said it was the White Sirius Heavenly Monarch¡¯s intention.

    Considering this was the Heavenly Monarch¡¯s own creation and set of trials, he couldn¡¯t really question it. However, the was brimming with bustling life. Mostly floral or trees, but life nheless. Literally, the entire was covered in nt life. However, it wasn¡¯t super tall trees or skyscraper-like flowers. They were rather normal sized.

    He expected titan-sized nt life for this titan-sized realm.

    Looking around, he saw many people surrounding circles. It was just the outline, but each one had a person or countless people surrounding it. Some seemed to have established a camp while others seemed to be openly discussing. Sometimes, a person would enter a circle.

    They would vanish in a brief sh of brilliant light.

    This?!

    "What are those circles?" He asked. Some of the circles wererger than a continent, some were smaller than a single person, and some were of different colors. If one looked closely, they radiated strange auras.

    "Those are Grand Circles. They are trials by fire set up by the White Sirius Heavenly Monarch. The bigger the circle, the lesser the danger and the fewer points you can obtain from them if youplete them. They have different levels of difficulty as well. From red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet. Red is the highest difficulty and violet is the lowest. Points can be used after the trials for resources, armaments, or arts."

    She pointed towards another area, this one was a tform of a green color, not a circle. On the tform was a sword in a stone with only the hilt visible. The sword radiated a profound aura of calmness as if it was sheathed.

    "Those are inheritance tforms. If you can gain the acknowledgment of that trial, you can gain ess to the respective inheritance. They typically contain specific requirements and only allow a limited amount of people toplete. For example, my Saber Key was a green tform and had three sabers. If you can extract the saber, information about the inheritance will be given to you."

    "Sometimes, you can gain inheritance deposits. Most of them are on the, but not always. If they aren¡¯t on the, you must take it yourself." Her voice contained a tone of grievance. It seems she felt unlucky. After all, she had to travel six hundred years but still got captured and almost died.

    She pointed towards another area. It was different than before. Instead, it was a square outline. The square outlines had things inside them, however. They were spiritual bodies. "Spirit Squares. If you wish to obtain an armament spirit suitable for you, you can take the specific trial to obtain them. Of course, they are pretty much random."

    She pouted as if she suffered a bad experience before. To this day, the memory didn¡¯t sit too well with her.

    Yan Zaizen took this all in. He was truly surprised by the set of trials on the, not to mention, this was immense. He couldn¡¯t look in any direction without seeing some sort of trial, and sometimes, he could see hundreds of trials next to each other. Lang Xue was quite knowledgeable about the different trials. There were quite many, even those that were dependant on ughter and fighting others.

    "I truly cannot fathom how the White Sirius Heavenly Monarch established this world," Pinakamented, her eyes shined in amazement. Her previous master never actually visited the Sirius Titan Realm, but she regretted they didn¡¯t do so. The opportunities here was abundant to the high heavens.

    "We¡¯re here." Lang Xue dered.

    Looking outwards, Yan Zaizen saw an empty inheritance tform. On the tform, three grooves that seemed to hold sabers were embedded into it.

    This tform was an oddity. There was no one around. However, Yan Zaizen discovered the reason. The inheritance of this tform had been taken. Recalling what Lang Xue informed him, it seems all three saber keys were taken.

    After they exited the realmship, she soared towards the green tform that was about the size of a small pond. She pulled out a saber, but this saber wasn¡¯t the same saber as before. Yan Zaizen assumed she must¡¯ve obtained it from the inheritance deposit. "Could it be...?" He had his suspicions.

    With a stab, she sent the saber into one of the grooves. It was a perfect fit and it radiated a profoundly powerful saber aura that seemed intent or shing the world to eternal sleep! The dominance and unyielding ferocity it emitted caused Yan Zaizen¡¯s heart to tremble slightly.

    A brilliant white light erupted from the tform. From this light, a silhouette of a man emerged. He had a burly body, three meters in height, and a gaze that seemed to contain the end of all days. It felt oddly chilling. In his hand was a curved, one-meter long white saber.

    "My sessor." A voice resounded causing the space to ripple. Lang Xue¡¯s eyes, which were usually filled with pride, disyed intense respect. She stepped forward.

    The man of light looked at Lang Xue for a second. However, his gaze was unfathomable.

    "An astral remnant." Yan Zaizen deduced after seeing this scene. Simr to astral projection, Astral Soul Realm provided a myriad of otherworldly powers. One of these was the ability to produce an Astral Remnant. It was simr to spiritual sense separation but far more advanced. Astral Remnants can exist as long as it has energy and can even exist after the death of its owner.

    The most important aspect was that, if activated, the owner of the remnant will be aware of all things in real time. If their cultivation is sufficient, they can lock onto the area and descend using Astral Projection even several realms away.

    He was curious whether this person was alive or dead. However, he felt that he wasn¡¯t alive. His opinionated belief towards this changed. Was it possible the White Sirius Heavenly Monarch was allowing new inheritances to be added even after death? If so, this was the core for both experts looking for disciples and youngsters looking for masters.

    "Master." Lang Xue acknowledged, kowtowing. Yan Zaizen couldn¡¯t help but feel awkward that, during this important event of eptance, he was looking at Lang Xue¡¯s perk butt. After all, he was directly behind her.

    Despite this, he didn¡¯t take his eyes away. He was curious about the bestowal process. The astral remnant pointed his saber towards Lang Xue. With a sudden movement, he stabbed forward and pierced into her head.

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes lit up.

    The saber glowed and turned into a white wisp. This white wisp entered her be and faded. Lang Xue¡¯s eyes glowed a simr white and she moaned in ecstasy. The bestowment didn¡¯t just include theplete conceptual method of her saber conceptualw, but it contained the man¡¯s experience in cultivating the saber.

    "This man is at least at the seventh-floor!" Pinakamented, even she couldn¡¯t help but tremble. Lang Xue¡¯s luck truly is extraordinary. This was equivalent to Pinaka giving Yan Zaizen the Rudra¡¯s Law of Archery, the fortune was beyond extraordinary. Unfortunately, Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t have cultivation notes so her benefits exceeded his by a fair bit.

    After an hour, the astral remnant directly transmitted some words to Lang Xue. He looked towards Yan Zaizen, then dispersed into white light.

    Yan Zaizen looked at Lang Xue and realized that a spiritual strand was lingering in her body. His brows furrowed. A spiritual strand was another ability of the Astral Soul Realm. It¡¯s an inactive spiritual sense that¡¯s manually activated. This was essentially a threat and safeguard. As long as you had this strand, any expert will have to think twice. If they can¡¯t instantly kill you, they would be fearing your master¡¯s revenge.

    Not only that, because it¡¯s inactive, the person can¡¯t spy on the other like spiritual sense unless it¡¯s activated by the wielder. Furthermore, the strand willst until removed or is used. Even if the expert is dead, it can act as an empty gesture of backing.

    When Yan Zaizen saw this, he understood why Lang Xue wanted to return. Whatever her life was before, it had fundamentally changed with a seventh-floor expert with an Astral Soul acting as her backing, even if he was already dead. Moreover, her cultivation had reached the second-floor.

    After a while, Lang Xue rose with a proud expression. The struggle of her life before was all worth it for this moment.

    Smiling, Yan Zaizen sincerely congratted her for her sess. She epted and gave him thanks. After all, without him, she would¡¯ve been someone¡¯s ve.

    "Hm?" Yan Zaizen heart briefly raced once again. This time, he felt it deeply. It seemed like a calling. Looking at Lang Xue, he asked, "I¡¯m going to search around. You can go home, if wish."

    Thinking for a second, her eyes traced Yan Zaizen¡¯s handsome face and extraordinary physique. Eyes flickering, she responded, "I¡¯ll stay for a while. I¡¯m in no rush."

 Chapter 204 Unnamed Warhammer

    Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t fly using the realmship. Instead, he flew with his soul energy surrounding him. Lang Xue followed suit with her true-essence surrounding her body. Earlier, she had warned Yan Zaizen that theck of atmospheric essence meant it was impossible to recover true-essence which could affect trials, so he used his soul energy instead.

    He also learned that no one fights in the world because of this peculiar environment. If they viciously fought, they had no means to recover. Many were using their true-essence or vital energy to resist the gravity on the so consumption was even greater.

    Moreover, no one was here to fight and be killed. They were here for inheritances and lucky chances. However, on the moons and worldships, fighting andpetition were insanely fierce. After all, resources weren¡¯t unlimited.

    As he looked about, Yan Zaizen was shocked to see the racial diversity. There were those in the Draku, Gigantus, Lycah, and Houyi race. Draku was ck-scaled, purple-skinned race of humanoids. They had strong bodies and incredible levels of defense provided to them by their scales. They looked like ancient dragons in human form.

    The Gigantus race was normal in appearance, but their bloodline was a dominant trait so all of them had it as their origin source. With this bloodline, they can increase their body in size using Gigantus Transformation Art. Not only that, the insides of their bodies can store several times more true-essence or vital energy than normal. In battles of endurance, they were kings.

    The Houyi race had a unique dual bloodline, they can harness, store, and expel sr light with their bodies and souls. It¡¯s said they could even create and be suns that can scorch the earth and rend the sky.

    Not only that, there were a few minor races such as the Gunyu race or those from neighboring realms desiring to earn an inheritance or lucky chance.

    Besides humanoid races, they had divine beasts in spades. They were essentially as widespread as the three greatest humanoid races. The most prominent of divine beasts were wolves, coyotes, and foxes. They essentially dominated three of the Nine Earthly Moons.

    He saw quite a few hybrids and pure divine beasts. Some were even in their beast form, traveling casually. To Yan Zaizen who grew in the Xiantu Realm of Presba, this was a strange sight to him, but much weed. However, everyone was quite isted. They seemed to have a mission and was unwilling to engage with strangers. Shockingly, Lang Xue was often given odd gazes, some even contained contempt and disdain.

    Despite her unreasonable assets and ster beauty, she was still treated as such. He started to question if this was reality. Doesn¡¯t the world love beauty? Not to mention, these gazes originated from weaker individuals too. As if they had no fear or respect towards her.

    Lang Xue, however, puffed her grand chest out proudly and indifference in her eyes. Whenever she saw these people with weaker cultivation bases reveal their disdain, she would sneer andugh with tant contempt. This obviously caused quite a few to get enraged, but they didn¡¯t dare to take action.

    Yan Zaizen chuckled at this. He kind of wished that he had done that when he was in his n. Unfortunately, the past was the past.

    "Is this it?" After walking for who knows how long, Yan Zaizen arrived at a wide, red tform. On this red tform was a single object - a Warhammer. It was gold and silver with odd inscriptions littering the shaft and hammer head.

    The hammer was one-side t with a ripple pattern on its surface. The other side was a curved spike. This spike was longer than most, nearing half a meter. On the tform, the hammerid horizontal on a wide bench. The bench was made of unique jade and radiated a profound grey light that seemed to constrict the heart.

    "This?" Lang Xue was shocked seeing Yan Zaizen stop at a red tform, not to mention this particr tform. A red tform was something many just avoided. After all, difficulty didn¡¯t rte to worth, simply the danger involved in the trial. However, this one was notoriously famous.

    "What is it?" He could feel Lang Xue¡¯s surprise and couldn¡¯t stifle his curiosity.

    "It¡¯s an unnamed warhammer. No one knows which inheritance it belongs to, but the trial is simplistic yet beyond difficult." With that exnation, she suggested they move elsewhere.

    However, Yan Zaizen¡¯s curiosity increased. There was no one at this tform, but there were popr inheritances nearby. The crowd in a hundred li numbered more than ten thousand. Despite that, no one was even looking this way.

    "What¡¯s the trial requirement?"

    "...Lift up the warhammer." Lang Xue said with a sigh.

    Indeed!

    That did seem overly simplistic. However, how could a red trial be so simple? What about the danger? Even if you failed, it¡¯s not like you¡¯ll die.

    "If I wanted, I could lift this warhammer. After all, my physical strength is extraordinary and my cultivation is sufficient to do so. However, it¡¯s what happens after you get epted. Everyone, regardless of the person or cultivation, whopletes the initial test never returns after." She exined further.

    His heart shook. "Never return?"

    "En. If you seed, you get transported to the trial grounds. This ismon in inheritance trials. When I entered the sub-realm, there were a trial grounds within to obtain the treasures. To take a saber key, I had toprehend a specific conceptualw to a certain point, that was the entry trial only." She exined.

    Nodding in understanding, Yan Zaizen looked towards the warhammer. For some reason, he felt oddly close to the warhammer. Looking at it deeply, his mind shook. "Herculean inscriptions?"

    During the Herculean Avatar Art, Yan Zaizen¡¯s body creates mystic inscriptions. These inscriptions were profound and Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t understand them. His theory was that they were a unique formation set up using Herculeanws.

    The Herculeanw, concept, or race went against heavenly standards and wasn¡¯t a part of the heavenlyw. Aw created that had simrities to True Spirits, like Pinaka. They can exist and be cultivated beneath the heavens but weren¡¯t supported by it. They may even suffer retaliation.

    If this warhammer had rtions to the herculeans, then perhaps he should attempt the trial. Pinaka¡¯s voice interjected, "from what Lang Xue said, this trial is a never-to-return type. Is it wise?" She could already feel Yan Zaizen¡¯s desire emanate heavily from his soul.

    Without hesitation, Yan Zaizen responded, "of course." With that, he took a step forward. This step carried him onto the tform before the jade bench. Lang Xue¡¯s eyes widened. Fear and panic started to suffuse in her eyes as she reached out as if wanting to stop Yan Zaizen.

    Yan Zaizen turned his eyes towards Lang Xue with an inquisitive brow which caused her to halt suddenly. Her grand chest bounced with a springy set of bounces. The eyes of many darted over after noticing Yan Zaizen movements. Quite a few eyes drew to Lang Xue. Some had disdain and others had lust. The females in the crowd were pretty much indifferent as if her existence wasn¡¯t worth acknowledging.

    With furrowed brows, he had his suspicions towards Lang Xue. For one, why did she seem to care for him so much? His step was sudden, but he had other intentions with it. He wanted to see her reaction.

    It was far too intense for their current rtionship.

    His eyes flickered with an unfathomable light. He felt that this woman had other ideas towards him. It wasn¡¯t rtionship-based either, at least, he couldn¡¯t sense an ounce of heartwarming emotion of love. Instead, it was more of a staying close to a cherished object.

    Also, the looks of others seemed to tell a story he didn¡¯t understand.

    Lang Xue stopped herself, realizing from Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes that he had heavy suspicions. She immediately deduced that this was likely a test. Internally, she was panicking, but outwardly, she looked shocked and revealed warm worry.

    "No one returns from this! Don¡¯t throw your life away!"

    Yan Zaizen expression flickered subtly. This girl is scheming! He had the instinct from the beginning, but now he was certain of it. Her worry may be seen as an emotion you looked at a savior, but this girl was not soft-hearted. She was filled with ambition and intelligence. He did not believe a little bit of strength, good looks, and a single act was enough to establish him in her good books.

    "You can go," he coldly spat. Lang Xue seemed shocked and she seemed to want to say something, but Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes turned colder. She halted her words as it did. She stayed silent, but she didn¡¯t leave. Instead, her warm worry vanished like it never existed and she had a calm expression.

    "Hmph!" Yan Zaizen snorted at this. It seems she needed him for something and not just a ride home. After all, Heavenly Genesis experts can rip apart space and traverse through it at high speeds. What reason did she need a realmship in her own realm? She was her own realmship!

    "She wants or needs me for something, but she¡¯s unwilling to tell me what. It¡¯s probably dangerous or something I¡¯ll likely refuse..." Specting, Yan Zaizen felt a severe headache. He decided to ce this matter in the back of his mind. When he returns, he¡¯ll get more information from her.

    He ignored the crowd¡¯sments at his idiocy, act of courting death, or sly jokes. To him, this was juvenile and irrelevant.

    Gripping the shaft of the warhammer, he made a wrenching motion. At the moment, his immense strength originating from his fleshly body disyed itself in full. The warhammer was lifted up with ease just on physique power only.

    A golden light erupted and shrouded Yan Zaizen. He could feel the transmitting energy erupt. However, his eyes widened in shock. He seemed to want to say something. In the next second, he vanished before he could.

 Chapter 205 Sky Shatter

    "ARRRRGGGHHHH!!!" A hellish, heart-wrenching, horrifyingly loud shriek filled with immense pain pierced through the world.

    This world was the inside of a small cubical room. Despite being called ¡¯small¡¯ it was two li in area. It waspletely golden, but a dull gold that didn¡¯t blind with its shine. The dull gold radiated light, making it seem as if it was day.

    Within this enclosed box, a figure that was essentially a mesh of blood, jade-like bones, mangled and indistinguishable fleshid there with its mouth gaped open. The voice after the initial scream was nothing more than a hoarse whimper.

    The legs, arms, neck, and torso of this body were nearly ripped apart. It was as if a small tether of flesh connected all these individual parts that were once aplete whole. The face of this figure had a copsed in half, no eye, nose, or teeth on the right side of its face. Even half his brain seemed to have been crushed.

    It was as if someone had divided it with a perfect line.

    "Gurgle!" Blood sprayed from its mouth and its body twitched uncontrobly. Its remaining eye contained a trace of amber-gold but it was essentially dull.

    This horrifyingly nightmarish figure was Yan Zaizen!

    "Pina...Pinaka!" He tried to speak but the words were nearly gibberish. His soul felt suppressed by some ancient, profound force that exists and felt like it always will. He couldn¡¯t galvanize any energy - true-essence, vital energy, or soul energy.

    He couldn¡¯t even reach Pinaka. He could feel her presence, but he couldn¡¯t hear her.

    He twitched again. He was in so much pain. It was as if god¡¯s hammer and devil¡¯s de went to work on his entire body. The damage exceeded any damage he¡¯d ever suffered before. He even wanted to pass out, but whenever he tried, the pain would keep him awake. If anyone was in his position, they would¡¯ve already died.

    "What the hell!" His thoughts were filled with curses. Was the trial for the unnamed warhammer a deathtrap? If so, curse the eighteen generations and another eighteen generations of the person responsible!

    Wait.

    His remaining eye wiggled without stability in its socket. It was barely attached. It spun around like a billiard ball. He took in what he could before he lost connection when it fell out.

    "A golden room...why a room?" He questioned. If someone wanted to kill with certainty, an absolute death zone in the myriad realms would¡¯ve been a better ce.

    He calmed down, at least the best he could with his current circumstances.

    Boom!

    A resounding boom echoed. An ancient aura radiated that caused Yan Zaizen to shiver slightly. Unfortunately, he couldn¡¯t see.

    While he was struggling, the Immortal Herculean Physique was already disying its heaven-defying capabilities. His neck, arms, and legs were reconnectingpletely with his torso. His mashed organs were reconstructing with a faint trace of golden light.

    "You." A voice filled with rough and deep tone spoke. "You have survived the trial." The voice finished.

    "What?!" Yan Zaizen was shocked dumb, literally. What trial? This was a sneak attack, you bastard!

    Afterward, the voice and aura dissipated as if it was disappearing. Yan Zaizen felt the need to punch and rob the voice for all its worth. If it had gold teeth, he would take that too! If he had good hair, he¡¯d take that too! Hell, if his vital yang was still there! He¡¯d put it to damn good use!

    The grievance in his heart was earth-shattering.

    It took Yan Zaizen a full hour before his body was restored to full.

    Crack!

    He cracked his neck in frustration, the look in his eyes was a lot less evil now that he had time to think about it. The trial was essentially to have a strong enough physique to survive an unsuspecting attack. Without any energy to use, simply your body alone.

    He felt that he understood why no one survived. If it was based off vital energy or highest cultivation, then it¡¯s unlikely anyone could. After all, only divine beasts take the Bestial Path. The normal bodily path focuses primarily on vital energy enhancement, not physique refinement.

    The Immortal Herculean Method focuses on physique refinement, and he has lifeforce energy that helps. With this, his physical body could easily rival a third-floor Heavenly Genesis expert alone. His vital energy was remarkably weaker, being an entire floor lower.

    If the attack took his vital energy levels as a determining factor, then the blow he sustained was likely a full powered blow from a fourth-floor Heavenly Genesis expert. That¡¯s like Yan Zaizen taking an attack from Yu Shi without his lifeforce energy or vital energy.

    He would actually be in a far worse state.

    No one could survive that standard.

    Heavily sighing in helplessness, he felt wronged yet also understood. After all, it was a red trial, the hardest trial with the highest difficulty in Grand Sirius. Recalling that difficulty tranted to risk of dying. Now, it made sense.

    Taking a look around, he saw the unnamed warhammer. It had a silver shaft that was two meters, arge hammer with a curved back, and golden inscriptions. It radiated a faint golden light and looked heavier than a world, mightier than a realm, and more fearsome than death itself.

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes lit up.

    He walked over and grasped the handle. A trace of light surged into his mind. A string of information entered.

    "Transcending Imperial Sky Warhammer of Chi?" Yan Zaizen muttered the name of the warhammer. The moment he heard that name, he shrugged. "Sky Shatter sounds better, less of a mouthful. If the sky represents all things physical, then this represented shattering all skies." After deciding that, Yan Zaizen sifted through the rest of the information.

    This was an armament, but not a normal one. It didn¡¯t have a Spirit Form or True Spirit within. Instead, there were multiplex formations that seemed like a maze of absolute mind-boggling chaos. It was soplex that he imagined that there were likely a million different formations in the hammer¡¯s head alone.

    He understood that, in olden times, True Spirits or Spirit Forms, weren¡¯t added to weapons. Instead, formations were all that was required. A true weapon that you and you alone use. After the adding of the heaven-defying True Spirit, the ease of usage and creation shifted poprity.

    For example, even Yan Zaizen could use Pinaka with little strain. This meant that all cultivators in a generation could, theoretically, have spirit-rank armaments. It was cheaper and spirit forms have ess tows and can teach the junior generation. They can also evolve, so there was no need to throw away thousands to tens of thousands of years in work for a better, more suitable weapon after your first one can no longer keep up.

    This type of weapon became obsolete.

    Lifting it, Yan Zaizen felt a strange resonance, as if it was meant to be in his hands. "Good hammer!" He remarked.

    "Unfortunately, there¡¯s no conceptual methods with this hammer or arts. It¡¯s just a warhammer." He slightly sighed butforted himself a little by reminding how good the hammer felt in his hands.

    "Alright...let¡¯s go." He tapped the warhammer on the floor and the box copsed. This was the method given to him to exit. Only by wielding the warhammer is escape possible. A golden glow covered him and he disappeared.

 Chapter 206 Lang Xues Fate

    "Damn him." Lang Xue gnashed her teeth. Not only did he ignore her words, he epted the trial, and coldly told her to leave. Outside of the Sirius Titan Realm, not only was she talented but she was also quite beautiful. Who would ever wish for her to depart so easily?

    She nced at her chest. This grand chest was both her most alluring and annoying feature to her. It attracted the gazes of many males, igniting their lust and desire, but also it attached too much attention. This was her pride and her burden.

    A lycah male, short and average-looking, dressed in an emerald-green martial arts outfit, sauntered over with a sneer on his face. He had a first-floor Heavenly Genesis cultivation. Behind him was a group of fellow lycahs with simr outfits.

    Lang Xue noticed their approach and nced at them. On their shirts were a star-shaped lime-green embroidery. Inside this star was a me that looked vividly real. If one stared at it closely, it was slowly dancing as it flickering in the wind.

    "Oy! I¡¯m shocked to see you here." The short man sneered, his eyes contained deep contempt and disdain. "Seems like you¡¯ve finally decided to no longer pointlessly struggle and ept your ce in the world."

    Lang Xue¡¯s eyes turned ice-cold. If looks could kill, this short man would die an unimaginably horrible death. However, the short man¡¯s eyes and the others grew even more disdainful. They were even chuckling.

    Tens of thousands of years ago, Pinaka knew that the Sirius Titan Realm was a seventh-level heavenly-tier force. That was no longer the case. It had grown an entire level, with multiple forces reaching the eighth-level. Therefore, inparison to the Xiantu Realm, Heavenly Genesis experts were far, far moremon.

    The main reason for this could be described in a single word: Legacy.

    A sixth-level force wouldn¡¯t have a legacy. However, a seventh-level force would have conceptualw legacies due to reaching the sovereign level inwprehension. They could produce Regalias of the Heavens forprehension support of junior generation and conceptual methods that detailed specific notes, paths to cultivate, and arts.

    With this, the legacy of cultivators was far greater in these realms. This is even more prevalent in eighth-level forces and even more dominantly disyed in ninth-level forces. After all, their legacies were deeper and their experts could lead the junior generations down their pre-traveled path easier.

    Therefore, the number of Heavenly Genesis cultivators in the Sirius Titan Realm was extraordinary! However, in terms of status and power, lower-stages of the Heavenly Genesis realm was essentially the same as Origin Core experts in the Xiantu Realm. While middle-stages were simr to True Essence experts and upper-stages were the heavenly cultivators.

    Of course, this varied. If a heavenly cultivatorprehends a World Law, they would be valued higher. If they seed in condensing their own Mortal Dao, they would be valued even higher. The respect given is greater and the doors that are open are more numerous.

    Furthermore, an expert with a Mortal Law with a bestowed lower-tier dao could be considered the lowest foundation in the Heavenly Path.

    Lang Xue has this type of foundation. In truth, the majority did.

    Her Mortal Dao was bestowed upon her. It was the Mortal Dao of Diligence. This was a very, verymon dao. Essentially, as long as you¡¯re willing to put in the work in anything you do, you can ept it. In truth, ten percent of the Sirius Titan Realm cultivators at the lower-stages have this dao.

    Her concept was the Silver Dusk of the Saber, a concept of the Mortal Law of Saber. It encapstes oppressive, suppressive, and fierce end of the day.

    A single saber, at dusk, y all!

    She was the lowest form of the Heavenly Genesis Realm beneath the heavens. Even though she has imed a seventh-floor Heavenly Genesis expert as her master, this didn¡¯t mean much in the eyes of others. As cultivation continues to progress, there is one rule that never changes.

    World Laws, regardless of what, overwhelms ALL Mortal Laws. The same is true for Imperial Laws towards World Laws.

    The short man spat a wad of spit on the floor, "Yun Xuli." His words caused Lang Xue¡¯s expression to change. "If it wasn¡¯t for Lord Yun Xuli blessings, you think that walking around like this would be possible? Hurry and skedaddle back to his bed." The manughed, gave onest disdainful look and left.

    When this was said, the others, both male and female alike, sneered. Some felt pity, others feltplex, but the majority looked as if they were enjoying her situation.

    "You bastard! I¡¯ll kill you one day." Lang Xue swore in her heart. However, besides clenching her teeth, she said nothing in response. It was as if she could only take this insult.

    "Oh?" A voice resounded nearby. "I didn¡¯t think you were infamous rather than famous." Yan Zaizen appeared out of nowhere. He sauntered over, his eyes filled with a calm interest. He had finished the trial a while ago, but he was transported quite a distance away. He entered chaotic space and traveled here.

    He also realized that the location he was at likely was located in chaotic space. After all, he was gone for about thirty seconds in real-time despite the hour or so in the trial. This startled him a little, but he found it reasonable in the end. After all, where would you keep an inheritance?

    Lang Xue was shocked that Yan Zaizen appeared. Not to mention, he was wearing a different attire, it was a silver and blue robe and shirt. He looked far more dashing than before. Yan Zaizen¡¯s previous clothes were destroyed so he had no choice but to change. He felt helpless thinking about his previous dark-amber outfit and its value beingpletely wasted.

    "If you were going to trick me, why do so like this?" Lang Xue felt that Yan Zaizen hid, not participating in the trial, just to see if anyone would approach her without him. After that happened, he appeared.

    Yan Zaizen just shrugged. "What do you want from me?" The only reason he came back was to see what she wanted. If he had just left, he would always be curious and it¡¯ll itch at his brain.

    "..." She was silent.

    "Do you want me to be your husband?" He directly asked. He wasn¡¯t sure, but from the conversation, perhaps she wanted to use him as a shield against this Yun Xuli. If so, then the answer given was quite boring.

    "..." She still didn¡¯t respond, her eyes revealing deep hesitation.

    "If you don¡¯t answer, I¡¯m leaving." He sighed, said, and turned around.

    "Wait!" She sent him a soul transmission. The others outside who heard his words were already looking at Yan Zaizen with shook at his question. After a quick estimation of his strength, they coldly smiled and ignored him as if he was a fool for his ignorance.

    "I¡¯ll tell you, but not here."

    In the outer orbit of the Grand Sirius, Yan Zaizen, Tao, and Lang Xue were on the deck of the realmship. Bai Lufeng was cultivating. After his heart demon was dealt with, he¡¯s been heavily focusing on cultivation. Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t feel the need to disrupt him for this. After all, it didn¡¯t matter if he was here or not.

    "I¡¯m a half-breed, a hybrid of the Gigantus Race and the Pale Arctic Wolf. The Gigantus is extraordinary, but the Pale Arctic Wolf is a...the pale arctic wolves are true ves." Her words contained reluctance and unyielding defiance.

    "True ves?" Yan Zaizen was shocked. What¡¯s a ¡¯true¡¯ ve?

    Through clenched teeth, "The Pale Arctic Wolf had fought a grand war with the Yun n, a Gigantus Race seventh-tier force. They lost. After, their future generations were given an inherited ve seal. They are ves from birth to the Yun Family. I was born from the Yun Family and from an Pale Arctic Wolf. A disgrace, an existence that shouldn¡¯t exist."

    Yan Zaizen and Tao were silent. Their emotions wereplex. To think there was such a thing. Forever enving an entire race?!

    Lang Xue¡¯s eyes shed with profound sadness that seemed to illustrate her struggles. "Because of my unique birth, I was given an exception. I would have my ve seal removed if one of two things happen." When she reached this part, her teeth were clenched to the point it made screeching sounds. Yan Zaizen could¡¯ve sworn he heard her growl like a wolf.

    Tao was a little shocked.

    "...If I reached the Heavenly Genesis Realm equivalent in the bodily path before ten thousand years, if I be Yun Xuli¡¯s personal and private cauldron for one hundred and fifty thousand years, I¡¯ll be given my freedom."

    "..." Yan Zaizen was aghast.

    "..." Tao¡¯s mind went nk.

    Holy...

    So she didn¡¯t need Yan Zaizen as her husband. But then...what?

    "What about me? Why do you need me?" Yan Zaizen was genuinely curious.

    "...the second route." Her voice was low, but her eyes zed with an unfathomable light. "To buy my freedom."

    "..." Tao mind snapped back after hearing this. His eyes shed with brilliance. He now understood.

    Yan Zaizen did too. He sighed softly. "You were going to deliver me to them for the realmship?" After all, a realmship is something only top-tier forces have. Even fourth-level and fifth-level heavenly forces wouldn¡¯t have one or can afford one.

    It required a cultivator that reached the Domain level in spatialws. He reached that, but spatialws were a World Law. An upper-tier World Law! Reaching such a level was profoundly difficult. The myriad realms may berge, and there may be hundreds of thousands of realmships, but if you consider, truly consider the vastness of the myriad realms inparison, the rarity of it was incredible.

    Yan Zaizen had learned of the exact value of his realmship from the memories of the pirate captain. It was worth about three hundred thousand heavenly drops - market price. This was more than enough for someone to ascend to the fourth-floor, with some to spare to buy formations, talismans, and armaments to match.

    "How much do you need?" Tao asked suddenly, his eyes shing.

    "Eight hundred thousand...heavenly drops..."

    "..."

    "..."

    "Well, good luck with that." Yan Zaizen calmly said, walking towards the helm.

 Chapter 207 Unexpected Assaul

    Yan Zaizen had no desire to give his realmship or give away eight hundred thousand heavenly drops. If it wasn¡¯t for his perceptiveness, wouldn¡¯t he be brought to this Yun n and have his realmship taken from him?

    It¡¯s even possible that Lang Xue and crew would take his Meteor Ring by force. She may not know how much he has, because he kept the storage area for people and his personal wealth vastly distanced, but she knew he had a sub-dimensional ethereal ring.

    Who knows what she would¡¯ve done. Who knows if he would¡¯ve survived this.

    Tao, who originally wanted to help her, felt his body turn numb. Eight hundred thousand heavenly drops. He felt it was impossible. After all, he understood a few things about currency worth.

    "Please!" Lang Xue gritted her teeth and begged, "I promise, I¡¯ll pay you back! With this realmship, I would be nearly half done!" She knew it was helpless but she had to try. She understood Yan Zaizen¡¯s prowess exceeded hers, and this is why she wanted to deliver him to the Yun n.

    However, this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. If she could pay off about forty percent of her debt, then she has a chance! But...if not...

    Yan Zaizen had saved her before, for reasons she still didn¡¯t know. She felt, from this action, that he was a good person at heart that couldn¡¯t stand very. If so, perhaps he would be moved by her plight and help her.

    Unfortunately, Yan Zaizen was not a saint nor did he see any issue with very as a whole. After all, he grew up with servants. His parents had them, he had them, Tao lived in a ve society for god sake! Sure, her situation was most definitely horrendous, but her fate is her fate. Why should he bare such an insane loss for nothing in return?

    Even if she offered her body, Yan Zaizen still didn¡¯t think it was worth it.

    What¡¯s his is his.

    "Our road together ends here." Yan Zaizen directly waved for her to leave. He didn¡¯t intend to kick her off as before, mainly because he pitied her. No reason to kick her while she¡¯s down.

    "...Why don¡¯t you just leave?" Tao asked. After all, she was in the Deluge Realm. The distance between the two realms was incredible. If he was in her shoes, he would¡¯ve attempted to escape.

    Lang Xue nced at Tao, her eyes shed with a mysterious light. "I can request up to three thousand years of travel time. If I don¡¯t return by then, the ve seal will kill me."

    "...I see." Hearing this, Tao felt helpless. He knew Yan Zaizen had already made his decision, and he wasn¡¯t stupid enough to beg him to give her the realmship. After all, they were nning to journey the myriad realms together, without this ship, wouldn¡¯t they be subjecting themselves to a much, much harder time traveling?

    Yan Zaizen activated the ship¡¯s formation and took control of the helm. He was going to travel to the Elysian Realm.

    Witnessing this, Lang Xue¡¯s gaze turned dim. With a heavy sigh that seemed to contain the world on its shoulder, she moved to leave. Tao only watched in silence.

    Riiip!

    The spatial void was violently ripped to shreds. A few hundred meters away from them, a slit in space appeared. Yan Zaizen furrowed his brows, ncing at Lang Xue with cold eyes. However, Lang Xue was shocked.

    She truly was!

    Despite her words, she didn¡¯t intend to sell Yan Zaizen out. She had her own pride, after all. Yan Zaizen had saved her life, twice. When she mentioned that she owed him, she wasn¡¯t kidding. Of course, that just meant ensuring his survival. She still intended to send the realmship to the Yun n.

    Observing her shocked expression, Yan Zaizen¡¯s brows nearly connected.

    From the spatial void slit, several figures appeared. To be exact, seven men appeared. The one at the lead was a handsome young man with ck hair and bright eyes that seemed to contain the sky. He was dressed in a grey outfit with the ¡¯Yun¡¯ character embroidered onto his right chest.

    The character seemed to contain an aura of towering immensity that seemed to cause the space to quiver.

    The young man had an indifferent smile as he exited, his gaze honed onto Yan Zaizen¡¯s body with profoundly unfathomable intent. The others in his group had gazes of varying levels of intrigue and disdain. This caused Yan Zaizen, Tao, and especially Lang Xue to feel even more confused.

    "The token!" Pinaka eximed. Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes flickered, his soul form immediately projecting itself into the Meteor Ring. The ¡¯Xiuhei - Heaven¡¯ token was emitting faint light. It seemed to be heavy, strong, and ancient. Yan Zaizen could sense a trace of spatial energy within, but this energy was far too different fromw-based energy.

    It was like abination of spatial and soul energy. It felt hazy yet alive! Yan Zaizen was shocked. Howe he didn¡¯t notice this before?

    Lang Xue saw the young man and her body quivered, "Yun Baili!" Her words were low and deep. Her body and soul trembled. Those white eyes that seemed to contain endless snow were currently suffused with intense fear that originated from the depth of her soul. The soul mark within it shook slightly.

    The young man¡¯s gaze shifted to Lang Xue, then to the Realmship, and then back to Yan Zaizen. He only replied with a soft, "Oh." That word alone made it seem as if he had just understood the world¡¯s secrets.

    A middle-aged man behind Yun Baili, with a cultivation base at the third-floor Heavenly Genesis Realm, coldlyughed. "Lang Xue, when I heard you were back, I never believed you woulde back with a realmship. You must¡¯ve fooled this idiot, huh?" His words contained deep mockery and disdain.

    Biting her lips, she didn¡¯t respond. She didn¡¯t dare to.

    "No worries. The realmship will be gifted to us along with the token." Another man, this one was younger looking and more feminine, said casually.

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s expression turned frosty, containing dark, hellish killing intent. Those who believe they could take ANYTHING of his must first piss on the ground and look at their reflection through it. Then, consider: Were they worthy?!

    Tao retained his silence. However, his eyes also contained a deep murderous intent.

    "Give us the token." A burly man demanded. He had bronze skin, muscles that seemed evenrger and thicker than Yan Zaizen¡¯s, ck bushy eyebrows, and a vital aura that seemed, even at rest, as if it could crushs.

    Yan Zaizen was just about to take a step forward when Lang Xue immediately sent a soul transmission, "Don¡¯t fight them! The leader of that group is Yun Baili, he¡¯s Yun Xuli¡¯s older brother. He may not be as talented as Yun Xuli, but he¡¯s extraordinary!"

    Yan Zaizen halted slightly, giving this young man who had said only a single word since he arrived a look. His heavenly aura was concealed, but Yan Zaizen¡¯s spiritual sense could still sense an estimation. A fourth-level Heavenly Genesis expert. The other experts had varying cultivation bases but he felt they were all at least in the second or third level.

    "Hm?" Yun Baili slightly smiled, looking towards his left. Space rippled slightly at that area and seemed to be chaotic. He raised his hand towards the area and softly clenched. The space around the ripples was immediately surrounded by an awe-inspiring heavenly might that seemed to constrict the world. The spatial ripples fluctuations weakened considerably but still remained.

    Obviously, whoever tried to arrive was impeded by Yun Baili. He raised his other hand, with his index finger and forefinger extended, he pointed towards Yan Zaizen. He didn¡¯t even turn his head.

    "Understood!" The bronze, burly man shouted with vigor. He kicked off empty space, his vital energy towered towards the heavens, and with an open palm, he pped forward.

    This palm sent out a manifested palmprised of vital energy that exceeded even the realmship in size. Yan Zaizen was just about to take a step towards the palm, but he was immediately grabbed by Lang Xue. She was trembling, her gaze filled with fear and pleading. She begged, "Run!"

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s expression turned ugly. He felt incredibly stifled at the moment. This was because Lang Xue had essentially grabbed his arm with her entire body. She was far too close and her full breasts surrounded it without any mercy.

    This type of soft sensation was literally his first. He couldn¡¯t help but gulp unknowingly. Despite the deep panic dominating her expression, Yan Zaizen couldn¡¯t help but think that she truly was a beauty with extraordinary assets. If she was his...

    The palm shot toward the realmship not caring about Yan Zaizen¡¯s virgin emotions. The space trembled by its path, and Tao felt an endless pressure that could turn him to dust at the slightest touch.

    Witnessing this, Yan Zaizen waved his hand as his emotions instantly stabilized. The realmship¡¯s shields were brought to its maximum strength. Tao felt the pressure considerably lessen.

    Boom!

    The collision of palm and shield caused the realmship and space to shudder violently. The bronze man¡¯s eyes narrowed, and he took another step. This time, his palm was a fist. He threw it forward with an indomitable momentum that distorted the surrounding space.

    "Get off me." Yan Zaizen coldly demanded. However, Lang Xue did not move. Instead, she kept begging to flee. He cursed at her hard-headedness. He was just about to throw her off when space ripped viciously at the area Yun Baili was trying to suppress. His sealprised of heavenly might seemed to be copsing.

    "Hmph!" He softly snorted, his hand opened and then clenched once more. This time, it was backed by his full heavenly cultivation base. The rippling space once again weakened. The man¡¯s every action seemed casual and smooth, as if nothing could cause him to worry.

    The young, feminine-looking man from earlier saw this and stepped towards the realmship. His body was like water as he soared forth. From his dantian, a blue-colored shrine emerged. The surrounding space radiated a scintiting blue light. A deep-blue dragon of water manifested from his body. It was small, as small as a penny, but as it made its way towards the realmship, it expanded by a million times. Before long, it could rival a small mountain.

    As it shot outwards, a trail of dazzling blue light lingered. From this blue light, water seemed to be produced within outer space. Before long, a river formed behind the dragon.

    Boom! Boom!

    The realmship sustained two attacks. The shields were fracturing, unable to hold against another attack. This may have taken a long time to describe, but it all happened in the time it takes for a mortal to blink.

    "Fine!" Yan Zaizen coldly shouted. He touched the helm, and the realmship rippled with spatial fluctuations. This caused the other men behind Yun Baili to sneer withughter. In unison, they raised their palms facing the realmship. They clenched in a simr fashion to Yun Baili. The spatial ripples were isted by a collective heavenly-infused true-essence.

    The realmship was grounded by this unified seal. Yan Zaizen¡¯s expression turned ugly. He didn¡¯t even know Heavenly Genesis cultivators could so easily iste space with their true-essence. If so, then was space truly an impressivew?!

    However, Yan Zaizen¡¯s thinking was wrong. The same reason he couldn¡¯t use spacews before was applicable to the realmship. It¡¯s the medium and not the profundity of thew. This realmship used essence crystals, not heavenly drops. If it did, how could these early stage Heavenly Genesis experts hope to block it?

    He felt stifled, frustrated, and overall angry. Lang Xue saw this and was about to suggest they leave the realmship and make a run for it. It seems that she just wanted Yan Zaizen to live at this point. However, Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes flickered with coldness. However, before he could take action, a light emerged from his body.

    PA!

    A near-deafening sound reverberated. Even the men who were using their heavenly might to iste the ship paused and shivered slightly.

    Pinaka emerged from Yan Zaizen¡¯s soul in her soul form. With her greatest strength, she directly pped Lang Xue to the point she was sent to the edge of the realmship with a trail of blood spewing from her mouth. Her eyes contained a vicious intent filled with dislike towards Lang Xue.

    As a spirit-rank armament, her actual form could rival an early-stage Heavenly Genesis expert, so her ps were terrifyingly powerful.

    And she did not hold back.

    Yan Zaizen was shocked but before he could say anything, another round of attacks smashed into the realmship¡¯s barrier. It copsed like shattered ss. The attackers saw this and immediatelyunched another round of attacks.

    Yan Zaizen waved his hand, sending both Tao, Lang Xue, and the realmship into the Meteor Ring. He noticed that Lang Xue was bleeding with a deep palm print on her cheek. She was unconscious.

    "Damn..." He couldn¡¯t help but shudder at Pinaka¡¯s ruthlessness. However, she had already re-entered his soul. She only left him with, "Don¡¯t get distracted! And don¡¯t fight! Leave first. Figure out the situationter." Pinaka was experienced. She knew that fighting someone with a backing in their own realm would only cause them to bring their daddies and granddaddies if they were losing.

    The best solution was to depart.

    Yan Zaizen nodded. With her words, his mind refocused. His expression turned calm and then viciously tyrannical! As if all in the world must bow before his invincible might!

    Herculean Avatar Art!

    His body transformed, his Mortal Dao erupted, and his vital energy seethed. With a step backwards in retreat, he sent a punch forwards. It copsed the surrounding space, dissipating the surrounding true-essence for a millisecond. A single millisecond!

    That was enough.

    He timed it perfectly. With that millisecond of time, he vanished using the Infinite Chaotic Immersion Art.

    "What!?" The entirety of the seven, Yun Baili included, had their eyes widen in disbelief as they simultaneously eximed. Chaotic space merging was profoundly different than the spatial void shifting. It left no traces, as if it epted what was originally a part of it.

    Spatial void shifting was creating channels and moving through it. With enough power, all heavenly cultivators could tunnel through it even without a single ounce of understanding towards space.

    Unfortunately, unless you knew about chaotic space beforehand, locked onto the person with an art,prehended space, or one¡¯s heavenly cultivation reached a high enough level, you would simply lose the person as if they just vanished without a trace.

    By the time they retrieved their disbelieving expressions, Yan Zaizen had already departed far away.

    Yun Baili¡¯s expression was slightly ugly, ruining his handsome face. He loosened his clenched fist. The spatial ripples once suppressed exploded into a wide spatial rift. Three people emerged. They wore cyan outfits with ¡¯Xiuhei¡¯ character embroidered on it. They were two females, both middle-aged, and an elderly man.

    The elderly man was skinny, had ash-grey hair, and slightly wrinkled skin. His eyes had a wiseness to it, but it had barely any vitality. If one looked at his forehead, they would see beads of sweat. The man had a fourth-floor Heavenly Genesis cultivation base, rivaling Yun Baili, but obviously a much weaker aura and presence.

    His eyes were solemn. When he looked towards Yun Baili, his eyes turned deathly grave. Yun Baili didn¡¯t say a single word. He waved his hand, creating a spatial rift, and his men left as quickly as they arrived.

    The old man¡¯s eyes flickered at this, as if he understood something. He withdrew a token, it had ¡¯Xiuhei - Earth¡¯ on it. Earlier, it was resonating with its sister pair, but now it was as silent as night.

    "Howe he¡¯s here now? We were supposed to have nine hundred more years. This is troublesome! It ruins all our ns..." The man weakly muttered. He rubbed the token for a few seconds, but seeing nothing happen, he left with the two women.

 Chapter 208 In Hiding

    In chaotic space, Yan Zaizen and the realmship was shrouded by a silver barrier. Within this barrier, the ripping effect of chaotic space was nullified. At the moment, Yan Zaizen had his brows so furrowed that they were almost vertical.

    "What the hell is this thing?" He held the ¡¯Xiuhei - Heaven¡¯ token in his hand. He didn¡¯t understand the importance of it, but an extremely powerful cultivator brought a group of heavenly cultivators to obtain it.

    He recalled how it revealed a soul and spatial energy fusion before they arrived. As someone whoprehends spatial and soulws, he deduced somethings upon recollection. This seems to a remote talisman, when activated, it can be tracked and honed on. It was also possible for the token to formte a spatial tunnel or at least the initial stages of one. Another side would corroborate to fully establish the tunnel.

    "I¡¯m not sure, but this token isn¡¯t worthless. I don¡¯t know who this Ma Xiuren is, but she nearly got you hurt or worse." Pinaka remarked with faint anger radiating from her tone.

    "...I don¡¯t think that was her intention. I feel it¡¯s moreplicated than that." Yan Zaizen calmly responded as the image of the young seven or eight-year-old girl shed in his mind. At thest time they met, Yan Zaizen only had the strength of a peak-True Essence expert.

    Not to mention, Sirius Titan Realm was too far away from the Xiantu Realm. Without a realmship, who knew how long it would actually take to arrive in the Sirius Titan Realm? After all, Lang Xue, a heavenly expert, used six centuries to arrive in the Deluge Realm.

    "..." Pinaka didn¡¯t say anything in response. Yan Zaizen¡¯s instincts were exceptionally powerful. If she were to argue with him on this, it¡¯ll be solely based on her own selfish objective. Therefore, she remained silent.

    Yan Zaizen analyzed the token a few more times, then stored it away in the Meteor Ring. Checking up on Bai Lufeng, Tao, and Lang Xue. He realized that Lang Xue was still unconscious while Tao acted as her guardian while he cultivated. Bai Lufeng was still in his cultivation session, as if all this didn¡¯t happen.

    "This woman had a soul seal embedded in her soul me, it¡¯s affecting her instincts and beliefs." Pinaka¡¯s words contained some dissatisfaction but also a little pity. This type of soul seal is truly befitting a ¡¯true ve¡¯. They would subconsciously believe themselves inferior, have instincts to never defy their masters, and can¡¯t evenmit suicide.

    "Can it be undone?" Yan Zaizen asked curiously.

    "Yes. If your soul cultivation base reached the Perfect Astral Soul Realm. However, even the weakest could rival a seventh-floor Heavenly Genesis expert."

    "...Unfortunate." Yan Zaizen muttered. Well, he couldn¡¯t help her even if he wanted to. Five hundred thousand heavenly drops were something he could afford, especially after obtaining three more skyships during the sub-realm copse, but something he was unwilling to.

    Ultimately, Lang Xue wasn¡¯t his friend or lover. That was like a wealthy man who helped give a woman bus fair suddenly decide to give her ten million dors to set her up for life. He may be able to, but will he?

    "The Elysian Realm is nearly a century of travel away," Yan Zaizen softlymented. After the events in the sub-realm, his desire to talk to his parents had only deepened in intensity. However, when he thought about leaving, it was as if something inaudibly screamed towards him in great warning.

    "God damn instincts..." He fiercely cursed. He was unable to tell if it was rted towards the Elysian Realm or leaving the Sirius Titan Realm. Perhaps it was both? His instincts have been driving him this far, but it was just so unclear. It was simr to when he felt benefit from purchasing Lang Xue or the air of cmity from the Xiantu Emperor.

    "...As a non-entity, your instincts should be far greater than other beings. Your connection with the heavens is the purest and most untainted. You evenprehended a concept of time, so sensing characteristics of the future isn¡¯t impossible," Pinaka responded. She could feel his chaotic emotions through their connection.

    He knew she was telling the truth. After he refined his body with heavenlyw liquid, his instincts were getting stronger. Not only could he peer into events, he was capable of guessing Lang Xue¡¯s intent and Xiantu Emperor¡¯s malicious intent. The only issue he had was with Yu Shi. He was excellent at hiding his desires and intent to an absolutely abnormal level. It was his Dao which made sense.

    While in thought, he looked at Tao. He felt strange. Recently, Tao had been changing. He cultivated relentlessly and was progressing quickly. He would also reveal strange emotions when Lang Xue was involved. He had a faint belief that Tao had fallen for Lang Xue, but he also felt that wasn¡¯t theplete case.

    Sending a soul transmission, "Brother Tao, what do you think we should do given the situation?" After he fully exined their circumstances, including the token and the possibility they would continue being hunted, he was truly curious what Tao¡¯s answer would be. Regardless of his events, Tao had a greater degree of intelligence than him.

    Tao was silent for a while, thinking deeply on the subject. After a while, "Leaving has its merits, but if they truly desire this odd token, they should already have something set up to prevent us from taking it elsewhere. We should stay here. The Grand Sirius has inheritances for me, you, and Bai Lufeng." He paused briefly, looking at the unconscious Lang Xue, "however, we shouldn¡¯t help her any further. Lang Xue should be dropped off as soon as possible. Then, we can cultivate wholeheartedly without distractions. When we¡¯re satisfied, we could enter the Grand Sirius to seek inheritances."

    "..." He marveled at his choice. Tao¡¯s pursuit of strength had risen dramatically, it could be rted to his dao¡¯s influence or the events they dealt with since leaving. After all, Lang Xue was a reminder of his weakness, and as someone who almost suffered her fate due to a heavenly oath, it was a constant one at that.

    If you want to live a free life, relying on yourself is the only true course of action.

    "Mhm." Yan Zaizen agreed. He left a strand of spiritual sense on Lang Xue¡¯s body and sent her out of chaotic space. When she exited, the spiritual sense nudged her soul to awaken. With this, she¡¯ll be able to decide her own fate for now on.

    "In chaotic space, time flows inconsistently. With my cultivation into timews, I can control the time flow here. Two years can amount to two hundred years, at most." Yan Zaizen¡¯s Temporal Winds of Eternal Change enabled him to change the rate at which time flows. In chaotic space, thisw was increased by a hundred-fold in strength.

    Tao wasn¡¯t shocked. He knew that Yan Zaizen cultivated in this space and its odd environment. Unfortunately, during travel, he never had the time to enter with him. In truth, chaotic space wasn¡¯t that useful. Yan Zaizen was a non-entity, so his understanding intows was unprecedented.

    However, if one tried to cultivate other heavenlyws in chaotic space, they would find it iparably difficult with the chaotic time, ever-ripping force, andck of essence. Furthermore, it only expedites your cultivation in rtion to the real world. It doesn¡¯t actually have many uses in the cultivation world as a whole. Combat and usage of yourws, arts, or worldly experiences were the main method to advance in cultivation outside of the Essence Path.

    This was perfectly represented by Ya Qinqan¡¯s sess, Lin Feilin¡¯s growth bypeting with Ya Qinqan or Sun Huan breakthrough in the restaurant at Sky Night Royal City.

    Yan Zaizen was just an irregrity towards all these disadvantages.

    Tao nodded his head in understanding. With the resources Yan Zaizen obtained from his exploits, perhaps in two hundred years, reaching the peak-Essence Realm was possible. Unfortunately, the Heavenly Path requiredwprehension, and he wasn¡¯t close. This was why he and Bai Lufeng needed to obtain some inheritances.

    "Mhm." Yan Zaizen sat on the deck, in the lotus position, with closed eyes. "My True Essence cultivation is far too slow. I think...I should focus on one of the two aspects: Immortal Herculean Method and Bloodline." He softly muttered to himself. He had two bloodlines, mimicry and those swirling ck holes.

    He knew that, for those ck holes, he could devour and consume any material of a physical, spiritual, or essence nature. That would then be converted to their respective energy sources and added to his body. This energy can be used for refinement of the body, soul, or replenishment of his true-essence. He just didn¡¯t know how far and by how much he could devour or consume.

    He wasn¡¯t too sure what the essence nature meant. He knew it encapsted heavenly essence, but even if he consumed it, he didn¡¯t feel any direct change. It was as if it went into a bottomless well. He imagined it was because it was too weak.

    As for Mimicry, it was very low-key. It relied heavily on his cultivation base. It seems capable of replicating features near perfectly. It can turn his true-essence into any known attribute or even replicate concepts. However, the greater the mimicry target, the less true-to-source it bes making it considerably weaker. He tried to mimic the ck holes but besides aura and appearance, it could do nothing more.

    He even tried mimicking heavenlyw liquid, but it was only the case in appearance. It couldn¡¯t even gain its aura. Yan Zaizen felt that the reason aura was gained for the ck hole was because it was connected to his soul as well.

    "You should focus on your body cultivation first," Pinaka suggested. To her, Yan Zaizen¡¯s bloodline was a mystery that will slowly, very slowly reveal itself. As for the mimicry bloodline, it was far too underwhelming. Barely any bloodlines pertaining tows are actually focused upon by heavenly cultivators. After all, unlike body or soul, it can¡¯t grow in strength withoutprehension into thatw. The moment it exceeded the Force level, the bloodline wasn¡¯t worth anything.

    It was only useful as a guide to reach the perfect-Force level.

    "The Celestial Herculean Physique, open the eight celestial gates that defined heavenly restriction on the Mortal Body. I never understood this...people can refine their bodies to incredible, near limitless levels, what restrictions are there?" In the myriad realms, vital energy can be enhanced to rival heavenly cultivators. This was a fact.

    Yet, this method wished to break limits that didn¡¯t exist? He truly didn¡¯t understand it. It may sound impressive but it was just as confusing.

    "Incorrect. Vital energy cultivation is the Bodily Path, it focuses on increasing the intensity of the energy in each physical cell. When utilized, it can give one the sense of having a strong physical body. However, that¡¯s energy reliant. The trial you were in restricted that, and so, all failed as a result. The energy of the body may be cultivated to great heights, but the fleshy body can only be cultivated to a certain point under the heavenlyws."

    "For example, the size of the cells, the amount of energy the cells can store, the strength of the vital organs, the abilities of the vital organs, and more. Physical limitations that vital energy can¡¯t support. For example, your soul regalia enhanced brain and senses, lifeforce and soulforce producing heart, and lungs that could breathe in chaotic space or any substance to convert into deathly aura."

    "All of these exceed the standards of your race¡¯s physical capabilities," Pinaka exined. She had been thoroughly studying the Immortal Herculean Method and found that its profoundness was incredible. By all intents and purposes, Yan Zaizen was a Lycah. However, he was also a Herculean. An undefined race with unique characteristics based on specific and near unreplicable circumstances.

    "So, I open the first gate, then what? My regalia enhanced organs increase in ability?" He couldn¡¯t help but ask. The Immortal Herculean Method truly was incredibly profound. He still didn¡¯t understand the concept of it.

    "ording to the method, yes and more." She answered calmly.

    He pondered slightly on the possibilities if it did. Somehow, he grew incredibly excited. "Alright! Let¡¯s find out." He didn¡¯t know how strong his physique would be after, but he was sure it wouldn¡¯t be anything less than spectacr.

    "Oh! Wait," Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes twinkled and pulled out an object. "I feel I should handle this first."

 Chapter 209 Earthly Beginning & Heavenly End

    The Sirius Titan Realm had nine moons, each moon was owned by a seventh-tier force or higher and exceeded the Xiantu¡¯s Realm standards in size by several times. These moons originally were normal moons. They were unable to sustain standard ntlife thus incapable of containing wildlife.

    This was until the Grand Sirius was changed by The White Sirius Heavenly Monarch. After, the moons were terraformed into having characteristics reminiscent of actuals. Unfortunately, moons contain dense Yin-attributed essence. This made growth insidiously difficult to maintain. However, the moons were given the designation of the Nine Earthly Moons.

    Despite this, the realm thrived for tens of thousands after the Heavenly Monarch¡¯s death. All of this had to do with the inheritance system of the Grand Sirius. In particr, two trials that the Heavenly Monarch established in hisst years.

    The Earthly Beginning and the Heavenly End Trial.

    In the entire realm, only a few forces have sufficient clout to participate in the trial, and it can be done as long as you have two things. Firstly, a ¡¯Heaven¡¯ and ¡¯Earth¡¯ token; secondly, two participants - one male and one female from the younger generation for each trial.

    Unfortunately, there was a further twist.

    It was randomly bestowed to a single individual per Heavenly Commander¡¯s force in the realm.

    This random bestowment was given to the female gender, and then, they must select three other participants. Unfortunately, the others don¡¯t necessarily need the approval of the chosen female. They just needed the token. Although, the token can¡¯t initially be taken by anyone until the female selects. After, as long as you obtained the token, then you¡¯ll be able to participate.

    The trial could be taken at any time, but generally was decided by the force which owns the four tokens. After all, the chance to participate in the trial was of the utmost importance and may not arrive for another ten thousand or so years.

    There were two tokens for each side, one denoting heaven and the other denoting earth. A total of four tokens for each pair. When brought together, the trial shall initiate.

    On one of the Nine Earthly Moon, the Gigantus Moon, a grand immortal pce colored ck floated silently in mid-air. In this ce, there was a location that housed a vast group of people who belong to a single force.

    This location was filled with cyan-dressed figures, both male and female, both young-looking and old-looking, but standing notably from the rest was a single woman. She was young, about sixteen or seventeen in appearance. She was dressed in a cyan-robe but it had embroideries of flowers such as roses and sunflowers.

    Her phoenix eyes were bright, soft cherry lips, hair as ck as night, and her jade-like beauty were beyond perfect. She was like a lotus in full bloom. It entranced and mesmerized all that saw. Her jade slender arms and long legs revealed themselves without a single blemish anywhere to be seen.

    Those bright eyes seemed to contain an unprecedented level of intelligence but also a deep worry. If Yan Zaizen had seen this young, beautiful-beyond-description woman, his heart would tremble.

    Ma Xiuren!

    She was surrounded by members of the ¡¯Xiuhei¡¯ force. Each member present had a heavenly cultivation base and couldn¡¯t be considered nobodies, but in the Xiuhei force, they looked like nothing more than a weak faction. They each had varying emotions but the one emotion that was consistent was anxiety.

    "Miss, this..." The old man who had met Yun Baili, Jun Lei, spoke at this moment. The attention of all honed onto his body. One could see that he was hesitating to speak. Ma Xiuren¡¯s eyes moved to his figure, they revealed a deep calmness.

    Gathering his courage, he spoke, "We all agreed that you were to travel to the Asura Phantom Realm and pick someone, we even sealed your cultivation base to prevent any tracking, and yet...the one you choose made his way here." The eyes of the others shed, they looked at the young woman, their eyes flickering with various lights.

    "..." Ma Xiuren was silent. In truth, she didn¡¯t expect Yan Zaizen to make it here. He was supposed to stay alive in the Xiantu Realm until summoned. Afterward, he would be rewarded for keeping the token safe. As for the token, it would be removed from his possession.

    Even she felt a headache at this. The very reason she sealed her cultivation base, the reason she sent the token away, and more was now bing pointless.

    "If the token is here, then the Yun n will not stop until they obtain it. We have both ¡¯Earth¡¯ tokens, but the Xiuhei Sovereign has one ¡¯Heaven¡¯ token...if the Yun n obtain the second ¡¯Heaven¡¯ token..." This thought caused him to shudder.

    An elderly woman standing behind Ma Xiuren stepped up, "We may lose our qualifications to participate in the Heavenly End Trial." Her words left the entire atmosphere stale.

    There were four tokens, two ¡¯Earth¡¯ and two ¡¯Heaven¡¯, and they gave the qualifications to participate in the two special trials. They required a male and female pair for each trial. The ¡¯Xiuhei¡¯ qualifications were given to Ma Xiuren, and thus she had to choose three people within a certain time. Giving one to the Xiuhei Sovereign, one to another Gigantus force, she kept one for herself and gave another to Yan Zaizen.

    She had the ¡¯Earth¡¯ token to participate in the Earthly Beginning Trial. She needed to keep the other ¡¯Heaven¡¯ token for someone special. Unfortunately, Yan Zaizen was not that person. He was a guardian, a protector, but now that the token was here, the Yun n will definitely want to gain qualifications. Not only them but if news spread, the other forces may as well.

    This left them feeling despondent. After all, they were lucky to be selected, but their small and weak faction within the Xiuhei force didn¡¯t have the qualifications to actually contend with the tokens. This was why they gave two of the tokens to powerful forces - protection. The Yun n or any other force wouldn¡¯t dare try to snatch their token.

    Unfortunately, they could only keep one.

    Thest token was agreed to be free game. This was why they sent it away, hoping to reim it during the opening of the trial, and gaining qualifications to participate in the Heavenly End Trial as well. This scheme could¡¯ve worked. Even to this day, there were countless forces of the gigantus race looking for the token.

    "This person is still in the realm, he¡¯s hiding in chaotic space. The other forces are already trying to figure out a method to enter chaotic space and obtain the token." An elderly woman stated causing the hearts of everyone to drop. The fact they knew this would cause Yan Zaizen to be shocked.

    "If he tries to escape the realm, the Xiuhei Sovereign and other Heavenly Commanders have decided to jointly stop him. However, they won¡¯t take action until he does. It will be up to the younger generation capabilities to obtain the token in this case." She continued, this caused a few to breathe a sigh of relief.

    It seems that Tao¡¯s deduction and Yan Zaizen¡¯s instincts were right.

    "Miss, what shall we do?" Jun Lei asked with a lost tone.

    "..." Ma Xiuren¡¯s gaze flickered. She recalled Yan Zaizen figure and their adventures. Unfortunately, her force was only a fourth-level heavenly-tier force subordinate to the Xiuhei Sovereign. They didn¡¯t have enough strength to contest. The old man, Jun Lei, was their strongest expert.

    She softly shook her head. Everyone¡¯s gaze turned dejected. "The only thing we can do is push up the schedule to prepare for the trial. Ma Xiuren¡¯s cultivation base must be unsealed and we can still achieve good results. If he can keep the token in his possession, perhaps our future can still be salvaged."

    The others nodded their head in agreement. Their gazes turned to Ma Xiuren. She was only three thousand years old, but she was incredibly talented. A heaven-defying genius. She developed her own Middle-tier Mortal Dao,prehended a World Law, and reached a profound level in her bloodline ability. They were cing all their hopes on her.

    They had to.

 Chapter 210 Regalia of Mimicry

    In chaotic space, Yan Zaizen was on the deck of the realmship. He inhaled deeply. The surrounding space was siphoned into his lungs like oxygen, and then he exhaled. In this exhale, nothing was released, but chaotic space trembled.

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s blood seethed and roiled within his body like turbulent waves within the chaotic ocean. However, his blood no longer had that crimson red color. Instead, it was pure white. Within this ever-flowing whiteness, there was a cloudiness that seemed to contain everything but also nothing.

    After a while, Yan Zaizen expression turned confused. "ording to the records of the Immortal Herculean Method, being in possession of a singr Regalia was the limit. It detailed that conflict between two regalias would cause the cultivator¡¯s demise. Yet..." He truly felt that things recorded can¡¯t be trusted.

    His first Regalia infused was a dual, unified concept. His second fused with him somehow, and even he wasn¡¯t sure why or how. Now, the Regalia of Mimicry has essentially been merged into his blood seamlessly and without resistance.

    This caused him to question the method itself.

    "Your bloodline and the Regalia has a deep resonance. It originates from the same source, your ancestor, after all. It¡¯s possible that, with the unique adaptable characteristics of the Imperial Law of Mimicry, there¡¯s no conflict." Pinaka spected. Her eyes suddenly lit up in thought, "It¡¯s also possible that being an Imperial Law makes it a supreme existence between heavenlyws. No conflict is brought about because it would dominate."

    Yan Zaizen felt that the former was more likely than thetter. After all, when he merged the mimicry regalia into his blood, there were no resistance or reaction from either side. Perhaps the otherws just couldn¡¯t even sense the integration.

    In truth, it had two reasons. Firstly, the aura truly was already within Yan Zaizen¡¯s blood. Secondly, thew of mimicry base form truly seemed to contain all and nothing at all; the other regalia couldn¡¯t make heads or tails of it due to its nature.

    This made it merge with absolute perfection.

    "I wonder...if I can..." Yan Zaizen thought for a second. With a thought, he recalled Yun Baili. His aura, body shape, the look in his eyes, and even his domineering posture. His blood seethed and his vital energy silently erupted.

    Boom!

    A mist of white covered his body.

    This mist seemed to contain the constant changes of the world but also the absolute null. With a deep sounding exhale, the mist dispersed.

    Yan Zaizen stood as still as a dead tree. However, he no longer looked like himself. Instead, his existence now looked, felt, and was Yun Baili. His eyes were bright and seemed to contain the sky.

    "This?!" He was shocked that his idea worked. His eyes were brighter than the sun itself at this moment. There was nothing but disbelief and excitement in his gaze.

    He lifted his palm, clenched his hand softly, and sent out white-colored vital energy. This vital energy transformed into an aura of heavenly might. Although this heavenly might didn¡¯t truly have any true powers of the heavens, it was simply too real.

    "It can mimic heavenly might?!" His eyes widened. Then, he shifted his thoughts. A white mist covered his body and dispersed. A young man with a feminine countenance was birthed into existence.

    "Interesting!" As he spoke, his voice was no longer his. It was the young man who followed Yun Baili! Everything had been mimicked down to the cultivation base aura. His original bloodline couldn¡¯t do this, but the regalia was a construct at the sovereign level!

    It may not be able to replicate heavenly might to its fullest, but everything else can be done.

    "It¡¯s unfortunate that it can¡¯t directly copy objects." He sighed a little helplessly. Imagine the money he could make! However, this still left one with unlimited ideas.

    "Yan Zaizen...can you change back?" Pinaka softly requested. There was something odd about her voice. Yan Zaizen was startled. Despite this, he still returned back to his original state.

    "What is it?" Yan Zaizen asked.

    "...I like this form better." Pinaka didn¡¯t respond for a while, but this made Yan Zaizen even more startled. Then he smiled.

    "Understood. I¡¯ll try not to transform too often." With that, he went into analyzing more about his mimicry blood. He cut himself deeply and revealed that he truly bled white. With this, he didn¡¯t feel like a Lycah any longer.

    He also discovered a peculiar limitation. His vital energy couldn¡¯t modify external objects as easily as himself. Furthermore, he could only mimic external objects if he was in direct contact with them. Maintaining this mimicked state required far too much energy as well. At most, it couldst for two seconds. However, self-transformation took little to no energy.

    "Could it be due to my weak vital energy orprehension intows?" He assumed but felt that was only half of it. Taking a deeper look, he discovered he could transition his vital energy into any attribute, but infusing concepts into it used up too much energy.

    It¡¯s probably because concepts didn¡¯t have a proper medium. After all, concepts andws were mostly focused around the Essence and Heavenly Paths. The path of a Herculean already exceeded the standard path. It was truly heaven-defying; it used the heavens as the base to exceed it and seeded.

    He recalled how soul and spatial energy was intermixed into the token. This made him realize that for this to be aplished, it¡¯s possible that a Heavenly Commander or Monarch must¡¯ve created that token.

    "Ma Xiuren...what were you doing?" He sighed helplessly. Without talking to her, it would be unlikely that he would find an answer.

    "Alright, let¡¯s move on." He shook his head to remove loose thoughts. The next step was opening the first of the eight celestial gates, the Gate of Sky Opening.

    To do this, he¡¯ll have to die!

 Chapter 211 Gate of Sky Opening

    "To die as a mortal beneath Heavenly Law. Then, to ascend as an existence no longer tethered, no longer be subjected, no longer forced to abide by its restrictions. Open the sky, exceed the heavens!" Yan Zaizen recited the profound words written within the Immortal Herculean Method.

    The eight celestial gates denoted two aspects of opening and ascending, the first gate and eighth gate respectively. The other six revolve around the bodily limitations imposed by the heavens.

    When Shin Xuanji cultivated bone and bloodws, he felt they were profound and interconnected with vast simrities beneath the heavens, capable of rivaling World Laws or greater. This was true. Unfortunately, heavenlyw restricts it from being so. In truth, all Mortal Laws were restricted. As thews increase from World to Imperial, the fewer restrictions it has.

    The gates were as follows from first to eighth: Gate of Sky Opening, Gate of Sky Skin, Gate of Sky Flesh, Gate of Sky Yin & Yang, Gate of Sky Bone, Gate of Sky Mind, Gate of Sky Source, and Gate of Celestial Ascension.

    These were the eight celestial gates that opens and removes the limitations that the heavens ced on all physical existences. Each opening has its perils, especially the first and eighth gates. Each went directly against the heavenlyws.

    "The method describes experiencing true death, but is it possible?" Yan Zaizen questioned. Supposedly, one dies and then is reborn. It shouldn¡¯t be much of a struggle, but he suspected that his regalia wouldn¡¯t allow such a thing.

    It¡¯s possible that opening the Gate of Sky Opening would call heavenly retribution to descend. After all, this wasn¡¯t a tribtion but a direct attempt to undermine the heavens. If so, was this why he needed to die?

    "I don¡¯t think you can," Pinaka responded with uncertainty. "However, you¡¯ll have to try."

    Yan Zaizen helplessly sighed. To die and avoid heavenly retribution, but what happens if he was unable to stimte actual death. This truly felt bothersome. It went directly against the concept of the Unyielding me of Life.

    "Fine. However, if Heavenly Retribution descends, I can¡¯t be here." After saying this, he conjured his true-essence to encapste the realmship. This should keep it consistently within increased time-flow for a few years at least. He felt horribly drained afterwards, but he still persisted. After some more preparations, he departed to a far-off empty area of chaotic space.

    "Perhaps you shouldn¡¯t be in my soul in case something goes wrong." With a worried tone, Yan Zaizen warned Pinaka. However, Pinaka didn¡¯t respond. She maintained her silence and thus her stance.

    He felt warmth in his heart. During the sub-realm copse, Pinaka didn¡¯t regret that following him led to her demise. She stayed with him till their presumed end. Since then, their rtionship couldn¡¯t be described in the same vein as before. It was far closer than normal and Yan Zaizenpletely trusted Pinaka to his very soul.

    "Haaa!" He released a deep breath and steadied his mindpletely. To open the first gate, one had to first locate their bodily core restriction. It was an area that kept the body under heavenly limits. Typically, it was situated in a singr location depending on species.

    Herculeans isn¡¯t a term defined by species, even beasts or spirits with physical bodies subjected to heavenly restrictions can cultivate the art. Therefore, the location could change drastically based on species.

    Fortunately, for the species of humans, the restrictions were located in their core connector: the upper spinal cord. This didn¡¯t change based on race and was described in the Immortal Herculean Method.

    Yan Zaizen breathing followed the Immortal Herculean Method, it stimted a deep and loud thrumming sound from every cell of his body. His cloudy, white blood seethed, sky-blue brain pulsated, bright white heart thumped, and his inky, ck lungs expanded and contracted.

    His entire body was being galvanized to its utmost maximum in functionality. If any other herculeans were to perceive Yan Zaizen at this moment, they could die from shock and disbelief.

    Yan Zaizen had somehow refined four regalias into his body in peaceful unification. Even if the creator of the method were to see him, they would tremble in aghast!

    Shortly thereafter Yan Zaizen¡¯s body was slowing down, from the flow of blood, to the pulsing of his brain, to his cellsing to a stop. He could feel his senses dilute and his thought process slowly die. It was hard to conceive a single thought let alone ess his memory.

    "Was this...this...all heavenlyw?" Despite his state, he felt a profound realization circte rapidly. The sky emphasized the body, but to think it even incorporated mental thought and physical senses. From the beginning, he knew the brain was interconnected to the soul, but he didn¡¯t see how much till now.

    He couldn¡¯t use his spiritual sense!

    No, to be more urate, his spiritual sense could be sent outwards but he received distorted imagery and sounds. However, this was temporary. His Aurora Astral Star erupted with iridescent light.

    His senses became clear and no longer restricted to his brain. It was as if his soul became a brain itself that conformed to the heavenlyw. While his mind and senses were clear, his thoughts fired out like zing fireworks, "If the soul is interconnected to the heavens, then what does it mean to reach the divine? Could it mean...another path outside the heavens? Is the Divine Soul Realm simr to True Spirits and Herculeans?!"

    He felt that he touched upon brief enlightenment. However, it was still unclear and heavily doused in a misty fog.

    "Return!" He felt Pinaka¡¯s urgent intent as he was lost in his thoughts. He turned his attention back to his body. It was limp and even the lifeforce was non-existent. His physical body was dead.

    "Wait? I astral projected?" He came to a shocking, sudden realization at that moment. "Of course! Astral projection segregates the body and soul, this allows the soul to exist alone. To reach a realm where the soul and body can exist separately. The limits of the heavens! To be divine is to exist beyond these limits. Then..."

    However, before he could continue this line of thought, Pinaka¡¯s intent became so urgent that his astral form shivered. He returned to his body post-haste.

    His five senses were now dead. His sixth, seventh, and eight sense was all that existed at the moment, his purest of instincts that was uninhibited, his interpersonal sense, and his heavenly sense. This state of death was absolutely phenomenal!

    Unfortunately, he didn¡¯t have time to indulge in this wondrous sensation. "Find the gate!" His soul shivered and his eighth sense rting to the heavens thoroughly surveyed his spinal cord.

    At the upper part of his spinal cord, between the second and third vertebrae, a small, almost atom-sized, golden light radiated. He felt that, unless his body died, this would¡¯ve been impossible to perceive.

    Wait...

    He searched for his Unyielding me of Life in his heart. His existence trembled violently! It was silent. No, to be more exact, it was atomized in a simr fashion to the gate! It had shrunk to the point where it seemed to be sealed.

    The white me wasn¡¯t the only item that turned this size. The orb of death and soul also shrunk inside his body. There was also a cloudy, white mist that seemed to linger as if it was everything and nothing simultaneously!

    If that was it, he wouldn¡¯t be so incredibly shocked! There was a dark-grey dot in his stomach that seemed to contain the concept of rebirth, soul life, soul death, and an infinite cycle!

    If his thoughts weren¡¯t so restricted, he would¡¯ve realized this was thew of Samsara! To be exact, it was the concept of Source Cycle of Samsara! Abination of all three specific concepts!!

    "The Gate!" His instincts shouted as Pinaka¡¯s intent once again urged. If it wasn¡¯t for her constantly reminding him, Yan Zaizen would¡¯ve failed several times by now. In truth, his mind was far too curious and pure. This made it easy to get lost within the profoundness of the heavens.

    "Open! Shatter the Celestial Gate! Shatter the First Celestial Gate!! The Gate of Opening Sky!!!" He roared with his entire existence as he rumbled toward the atom-sized golden light. He abandoned his soul and existed as only a strand of his three external senses. This state of existence smashed heavily into this light.

    When he did, he submerged into it.

    The world changed before his eyes!

    Before him, a golden world appeared. Underneath this golden world was earths and skies. The earths and skies weres, suns, moons, outer space, chaotic space, and so, so much more! However, above it, Earths and Skies were king! They had simr traits but seemed far greater in intensity and immensity.

    As he tried to lift his existence to stare at this, he felt a needle-piercing pain. It hurt even greater than the Warhammer Trial! He couldn¡¯t help but look away.

    The area before him was a single gate. It had a rectangr appearance with a long vertical. The double-door reached a height he couldn¡¯t perceive. Its width was narrow, however. It was covered in inscriptions that looked less profound than his Herculean or Sky Shatter¡¯s inscriptions, but they radiated a simplicity that held all!

    "Push! Push forward!!!" Pinaka¡¯s intent kept urging him to continue. It was as if all that Yan Zaizen experienced, she did as well. Quivering, Yan Zaizen¡¯s existence radiated a deep amber-brown. He was no longer without form, but took the shape of his original form, but atop his head was a kingly crown! He dressed in a dark-amber Imperial Robe.

    This wasn¡¯t Yan Zaizen! Notpletely. However, he stepped forward with his eyes that were as dazzling as the stars. Towards this gate, his gaze contained deep contempt and disdain. With a cold snort, he lifted up his palm.

    His index finger and thumb connected softly.

    "Limit me? Hmph, even if all ny-nine of you decided to stand before me, would I flinch or would you tremble with fear?" Yan Zaizen was inwardly shocked into disbelief! He wasn¡¯t saying these words. It was more like these words were the deep intent and belief of his existence! Of his Mortal Dao!

    Also, ny-nine? Ny-nine heavens? He was deeply confused, but he didn¡¯t stop.

    He took another step forward...

    Snap!

    His fingers snapped. The gate trembled, the earths and skies beneath his feet grew silent and the world above heightened with vibrant activity! It released a shrieking sound that could cause the heavens to copse.

    Boom!

    The gate exploded. Bits and pieces of its existence turned into dust, but it didn¡¯t stop. Yan Zaizen¡¯s Sovereign form shifted to his original formless one, but at the center of this was a ck hole that swirled.

    The bits and pieces of the heavenly gate were drawn into the ck hole and vanished. Yan Zaizen felt a gushing aura re all around him. "Return!" His thoughts and instincts retreated. As he did, he resumed upancy of his dead body.

    His skin was decaying, his eyes were greyed, and his blood went stale. However, the moment he reconnected with his body, a profound aura seemed to emanate from it. Slowly, the white me returned, the sky-blue orb resumed its light emissions, and the dark orb continued to spin and siphon all creation!

    "Haaa..." his first breath left him feeling refreshed. His dead skin ked off his body, his eyes resumed their amber-gold color, and his white blood seethed and flowed like a grand river.

    After several hours, he was returned to his original state, but he was fundamentally different than before. Yan Zaizen clenched his fist slightly, without vital energy, chaotic space contorted! His fingers were grasping at nothing and crushing it!

    "My physical body...it has been refined?" He remarked with a little shock. He could feel limits on his lifeforce, soulforce, deathly aura, and white blood removed. However, his vital energy didn¡¯t increase nor did their respective abilities. It was as if vital energy had nothing to do with the Herculean Path.

    "Your soul absorbed something, this energy circted through your body. What was it?" Pinaka immediately questioned. She had been pushing Yan Zaizen every step, but she truly didn¡¯t see or feel anything besides Yan Zaizen¡¯s faint emotions at the time. Therefore, she didn¡¯t see the Sky Heaven Gate be shattered and absorbed by the ck hole or his kingly state.

    However, when the ck hole absorbed the heavenly bits, it converted that into energy for the body and only the body. The energy was vast and powerful, the refinement was quick and unbelievable, but the effects were evident.

    "!" Yan Zaizen was a little shocked. He remembered what happened earlier, but his feelings became moreplex. He felt another soul bleeding incident when he faced the Sky Heavenly Gate. He turned into a king! No! He turned into a sovereign!!!

    All beneath him turned silent! All before him trembled! And all who watched him cheered in excitement!

    It was shocking to the absolute extreme!

    Then...the ck hole manifested and consumed the heavens limits!

    "...Who created me...and...what did he mean by ny-nine of you?" From his knowledge, there were only thirty-three heavens!

    The world just kept bing more and more mysterious. One day, he¡¯ll find all these answers.

    This, he swore.

 Chapter 212 Imperial Law of Spacetime

    "Three years..." Yan Zaizen felt a sensation of odd bewilderment. When he was opening the gate, it felt like a minute or two, but three whole years had passed. For three years, his body was dead, his soul was inactive, and his three abnormal senses were away.

    It felt surreal.

    "You need to reprioritize your agenda," Pinaka stated softly. After Yan Zaizen ascended to the Gate of Sky Opening, his body was slowly adjusting. Until it properly limatized to his new limitations, it¡¯s difficult to shatter the second gate. Therefore, she suggested a rearrangement of cultivation goals.

    "..." When he heard Pinaka¡¯s words, a formless pressure enveloped his existence. It reminded him that others may be after him for this token. If that¡¯s the case, every second had to count. Tao and Bai Lufeng were taking simr actions, improving their cultivation bases.

    "Essence Path is too difficult to progress in," his tone was helpless and filled with frustration.

    "But you need to do it. Even if you focus onws, your cultivation base is too weak to utilize it." Her reminder caused Yan Zaizen¡¯s expression to grow unsightly. He recalled all the times his cultivation base formed a hindrance.

    "What if I cultivated a neww?" Yan Zaizen suddenly mentioned, "a fusion ofws!" He felt slightly excited at this prospect. In his breakthrough in Grux, he recalled thatws can be fused into a new, greaterw.

    "If you can, then do it." Pinaka left him with those words and went silent. It seemed she was awaiting Yan Zaizen¡¯s results. In truth, she wanted to test and see if Yan Zaizen can truly produce a conceptualw fused from two or more World Laws. If possible, it¡¯ll be an Imperial Law!

    If this Imperial Law reached the minor-Manifestation level, then wouldn¡¯t he build an absolutely soul-stirring heavenly altar?! Not to mention, the two World Laws would be far, far stronger when used through this newly developed fusion concept.

    In the myriad realms, the number of people that focus on Imperial Laws was nearly non-existent. Only after they reached their peak bottleneck would they attempt to fuse concepts for a slightly stronger power.

    The main reason for thisck of Imperial Heavenly Genesis cultivators was time. Even World Laws were far tooplex to deal with, let alone Imperial Laws, not to mention an Imperial Law fused from two concepts!!

    One could clearly see the difference between the two from Yan Zaizen¡¯s Archery of Pure Destruction and Xiantu Yu¡¯s cultivation deviation incident. Even a Mortal and Worldwbination were several dozen times harder than just a single World Law.

    "Hmph," he softly snorted. Pinaka¡¯s attitude obviously meant she didn¡¯t haveplete faith in his ability. He may be a non-entity, but even he understood the difficulty in this method. At first, he was going to attempt at fusing Life, Death, and Soul. However, he realized that doing so may lead to an even greater level of difficulty. Since this was his true first attempt, he threw the idea away.

    He decided to merge twows together - the World Law of Space and Time.

    He returned to the ship and sat down in the lotus position. His breathing stabilized in a unique and calming rhythm. The world of chaotic space seemed to reverberate slightly.

    "Chaotic space is a world that stabilizes the myriad realms. It contains the endless stability of space that allowed nothing else and the erratic instability of the flow of time. Onew of two opposite concepts. Inversely, the space of the world has weak instability and contains a myriad of all things but consistent time flow." He pondered the unique circumstances of hisws. He understood his direction of fusion. Essentially, heprehended the two core aspects of chaotic space.

    The other side of this spectrum was the space in the outside world. This world was without life or variation but the other world contained limitless life and countless variation. In both time and space, it was two sides of the same coin.

    He lifted his right palm, a silver spatial form that resembled himself emerged. He lifted his left palm, a dark-grey wind surged chaotically within as if it was eternally changing.

    "Haaa..." He exhaled softly. The two concepts within his soul trembled. He directly brought them outside his soul. They radiated an initial-Domain level of insight. Slowly, Yan Zaizen directed them to merge with his formted avatars.

    The concepts in his soul quickly reced them, their powers growing stronger and stronger with each passing second.

    "Spatial Form of Infinite Stability. Hold all space together, allow nothing else to disturb the foundation!" He recited in his heart. The silver figure got into a lotus position and radiated brilliant silver light.

    "Temporal Wind of Eternal Change. Time flows without definition or restriction. Free, true, and proper!" The dark-grey wind spiraled into a twister that kept growingrger and smaller, expanding outwards and contracting.

    "Fuse!" Carefully, he brought the two concepts together. He understood the dangers of doing this, but this was the method his instincts informed him to do. Creating a new concept would be improper! He needed to fuse or else he would never reach a proper level! This was his instincts, and they were right!

    Mastering the foundational concepts and merging them left for a better foundation for further developments, especially for Imperial Laws formed from two or more World Laws. After all, Imperial Laws were thousands of times more difficult toprehend.

    The two conceptualws were slowly brought together. As they did, chaotic space underwent slight changes. The dark-grey winds gathered around Yan Zaizen. The ripping force of chaotic space did so as well, but they lingered in apressed from just an inch away from his skin.

    The realmship seemed immune to these events. They were purely focused on Yan Zaizen¡¯s body. If that ripping force actually touched Yan Zaizen at this point, even though his body was thoroughly refined, he would still suffer severe injuries.

    "MERGE!" With a thunderous shout filled with Imperialistic vor, Yan Zaizen demanded! The concepts seemed to respond, quivering slightly in both fear and excitement!

    A sh of bright, tyrannical dark-amber light surged outwards from his gaze. His Mortal Dao stabilized his focus and soul. At the moment, he was truly at his peak state mentally!

    The two concepts slowly closed in, a trace of silver and dark-grey essence collided viciously. Despite no true wind existing in chaotic space, Yan Zaizen¡¯s clothes and hair fluttered as if in turbulent wind.

    They continued to collide like two beams of fierce energy. They seemed reluctant to fuse but they trembled with deep excitement as if nearing what makes them aplete whole!

    As Yan Zaizen continued, he reached a spot just an inch between. However, no matter how much he tried, thatst inch seemed impossible. Between the two, grey space was birthed. It contained infinite changes but eternal stability!

    "Come on!" He urged with a snarl.

    A soft whisper seemed to touch upon his ears. The chaotic space seemed to be in resonance, its very existencemunicating with Yan Zaizen¡¯s eighth sense. Startled, Yan Zaizen felt lost in the heavenly world.

    His eyes turned nk, filled with grey emptiness. It contained endless changes and peak stability.

    Before long, Yan Zaizen found himself in an area. However, this area was vastly different than the normal Heavenly Domain he was familiar with. This domain was vaster and seemed to contain everything beneath the heavens but also contained very little.

    His senses felt a calling from the distance. This distance seemed to be from a simr distance of the Deluge Realm and Sirius Titan Realm. Perhaps even greater! Yet, it seemed to be as short as an inch away.

    "This...what is this?" He looked around with his sense. "The Heavenly Domain has a myriad of differentws and concepts, nearly limitless! Yet..." He felt that this domain contained simr but only a few, very limited set.

    "Imperial Heavenly Domain? The domain above World and Mortal Laws? Wait..." Yan Zaizen had a crazy thought. What if the Heavenly Domain was divided into threeyers? Mortal, World, and Imperial? Was that why ssification was so clear? No one debated or argued if something was Mortal, World, or Imperial Law.

    It was as if it was decreed by the heavens themselves!

    This discovery left him with a sensation of excitement. He turned towards the calling whisper. A movement towards it sent him an inestimable distance. Before he could even blink, he was before a specific section of this Imperial Heavenly Domain. It was lifeless, faint ripping force and filled with chaotic time-flow.

    "Law of Spacetime? Realm of Chaotic Space?" His mind trembled as he received faint information about this concept! Chaotic space! Realm?!

    This grey space entered his existence. It transformed into a form, a unique form. It was him! However, it was odd!!

    This form had a brain and skin! Yes! A translucent grey skin with a ck, endless and empty outline of his brain!!! On his skin was a darker grey and it circted like wind-like curse marks. It continued to rotate around the form without end, always growing smaller and bigger without consistency.

    His existence shivered as he was sent back to his body. His nk eyes now seemed to contain an endless realm! Anyone who looked at him in the eyes would lose themselves and feel their very existence being ripped apart.

    "Haaa..." A deep breathter and his mind cleared. He checked his soul form to notice that the dark-grey wind and silver figure no longer existed. Instead, a single translucent grey figure with dark-grey curse marks and ck brain resided.

    "You did it..." Pinaka said, her voice filled with utter disbelief. Fusing a concept was beyond difficult, let alone fusing two World Laws into an Imperial Law!!

    "Non-Entity..." she softly remarked. Fusing was much more difficult thanprehending alone but left a weak foundation, but Yan Zaizen now had a decent foundation and a mind without taint to perceive the heavens.

    "You¡¯re impressed?" Chuckling, he analyzed the form once more. He realized that the concept was at the perfect-Force level. Was this what it meant as having a proper foundation?

    He waved his hand, chaotic space spiraled under hismand. The time deceleration and space¡¯s ripping force increased by a hundred-fold.

    "Oh?" Yan Zaizen felt shocked by his new-found control of chaotic space, but what really startled him was a sensation of being looked at. His eyes narrowed to slits and radiated tyrannical ferocity. Slowly, he calmed down.

    "There are Heavenly Commanders peering into chaotic space! They¡¯re watching you!" Pinaka eximed with a tinge of fear. As a Spirit Armament who belonged to someone who interacted with Heavenly Commanders, she was quite familiar with their aura. However, she couldn¡¯t sense it before or even now.

    Only when her owner sensed their gazes did she.

    After Yan Zaizenprehended chaotic space, he and it was the same. Anyone looking into it or within it would be immediately sensed by him, regardless of their cultivation base.

    "What?" Yan Zaizen was truly shocked! Did that mean they saw his cultivation?

    Sensing his worries, Pinaka calmed down and inspected the situation more thoroughly from Yan Zaizen¡¯s new-found chaotic space perception. "They don¡¯t seem like they¡¯re too honed onto your activities. Otherwise, even I would¡¯ve noticed. It¡¯s like they¡¯re just connecting to your aura and general location. It¡¯s probably due to the distorted time-flow of chaotic space that they can¡¯t take it further..." She analyzed and exined.

    This brought Yan Zaizen some relief. After all, he had far too many secrets on his body. Hell, even his body as a Non-Entity was a secret.

    "It seems Tao was right, if they¡¯re keeping track of us, it¡¯s because of this token. They likely don¡¯t wish for us to leave the realm." He felt that Tao¡¯s intelligence despite his low cultivation was astounding. His first thought was to sit still and cultivate in this space. If it wasn¡¯t for his instincts and Tao¡¯s advice, he would¡¯ve attempted to depart.

    Perhaps these Heavenly Commanders would¡¯ve taken action and captured him as a result. That would¡¯ve been unfavorable. He had little confidence to defeat someone at the seventh-floor or above.

    "For now, let¡¯s continue your cultivation," Pinaka suggested. They couldn¡¯t leave without being targeted or depart from this realm without being stopped. It wouldn¡¯t be hard for Heavenly Commanders to rip open a path into chaotic space. However, they haven¡¯t. They should use all this avable time to enhance their strength.

    "Mhm," he agreed. At the moment, theycked information and advantage of position. The only choice left was to get stronger! Else...they may not be able to determine their life or death in the future.

 Chapter 213 Paths

    "..." In a room with minimalistic decor, a simple chair and tea table was at the center. In this chair, a woman so beautiful that the world seemed wed inparison sipped emerald tea from a jade teacup.

    This woman wore a cyan outfit with sapphire embroidered sunflowers surrounding it. Her milky white legs revealed itself from beneath her elegant dress, her soft, tender arms slowly moved in harmony with the world, and her breathing seemed synced with the pulse of the Earthly Moon.

    An old man appeared into the room from the door like a mortal. He entered but his eyes contained very little vitality as if he was slowly withering away. He seemed exhausted beyond belief but still maintained an appropriate posture of respect in front of this youngdy.

    This was Jun Lei!

    The young woman was Ma Xiuren!

    No longer did she have a seventeen-year-old appearance but one that seemed closer to her early twenties. Her beauty matured greatly as she grew with age. If Yan Zaizen saw her today, it would be difficult to notice her with just appearance alone.

    "Miss, your cultivation has been unsealed. Should we make a move?" Jun Lei inquired, his expression was filled with exhaustion.

    "..." Ma Xiuren looked at Jun Lei, her eyes flickering with profound thought.

    "He¡¯s still in chaotic space. It is difficult to enter properly without getting lost or suffering. No one has found a way to do so safely without a Heavenly Commander interfering. After all, the ripping force in chaotic space was insidious and the time-flow is too chaotic. With the agreement devised by the Heavenly Commanders, no one who can reliably take action can." He exined.

    In truth, it wasn¡¯t that simple. Chaotic space was a horrendous environment unsuited for the living. Arge reason had to do with the ripping force, irregr time-flow, no sense of direction, and difficulty in traveling. Itcked essence,cked life, and any rip into it could send you into some distant, unknown area.

    In truth, besides knowing that Yan Zaizen was still in the realm¡¯s chaotic space zone, they actually couldn¡¯t figure out where. His barrier of chaotic space made it incredibly difficult to get any insight into his exact location.

    "It¡¯s possible he gained some spatial Heavenly Commander¡¯s talisman. This is why he¡¯s so difficult to find. His luck is truly outstanding. However, it won¡¯tst for long," Jun Lei added. Many had a simr thought. Not a single person attributed his escape to his ownprehension. Instead, they felt he obtained a realmship and a legacy from a spatial-attributed Heavenly Commander.

    This was definitely the most logical path to believe. After all, even Heavenly Commanders had difficulty locking onto his location. It was unbeknownst to them that Yan Zaizen¡¯sprehension had already reached the Domain-level.

    "..." Ma Xiuren was silent for a second, then she waved her delicate hands slightly. Jun Lei bowed slightly and directly took his leave. He felt happy and conflicted simultaneously. Ma Xiuren had decided to continue her cultivation until it was no longer possible. This was beneficial to him and her, but Yan Zaizen, this innocent child was drawn into this unwillingly.

    "Haaa...I can only hope for your survival." With that, Jun Lei put Yan Zaizen¡¯s fate into the back of his mind.

    As for Ma Xiuren, her eyes were slightly watery as she stared aimlessly outward. If she could help him, she would. Unfortunately...

    -----

    A handsome, elegant young man dressed in grey walked through the halls of the Yun n headquarters located on the Xiuhei Earthly Moon. He had bright eyes that seemed to contain the sky itself.

    Beside this man was a woman, she was a middle-aged beauty and had an aura of an empress. Her chin was held slightly high, her gaze was filled with haughtiness, and her stable and soft steps could capture the world¡¯s attention.

    Yun Baili, the young man, frowned and said, "Mother, I¡¯m certain of my sess." Yun Baili¡¯s tone was confident but held immense respect towards this woman.

    "Hmph," Yun Baili¡¯s mother, Yun Mengli, softly snorted. One could tell from her posture that she didn¡¯t have much confidence in this son of hers. "The eight other Earthly Moon forces have already decided on their four candidates. Your brother needs this token."

    For the Earthly Beginning and Heavenly End trials, four tokens were given to a random female on each of the Nine Earthly Moons. They have long since settled on their participants, only the Xiuhei Earthly Moon has yet to decide on their four. The current owners of a token were the Xiuhei Sovereign, Fate Fist Sect - a peak seventh-level force, Ma Xiuren who was selected at random, and Yan Zaizen.

    The first two powers were impossible to obtain the token from and they were protecting Ma Xiuren. This left only one token to fight for.

    "I know, Mother." Yun Baili¡¯s eyes softly shined with light. His younger brother, Yun Xuli, possessed far greater talent than him. Not only did he develop a middle-tier Mortal Dao, but hisprehension intows were unprecedented in the Yun n.

    "It¡¯s good that you do know." Her tone was slightly harsh. Suddenly, she recalled something and further anger flickered into her eyes, "if you didn¡¯t lose the token initially, would your grandfather be pressured to this extent?"

    Yun Baili¡¯s failure to grasp the token from Yan Zaizen left a bad taste in all the elders¡¯ mouths. Approval of Yun Baili had slipped considerably since then. Even Yun Xuli may have been affected if his grandfather didn¡¯t take the brunt of fault.

    Their grandfather was a grand elder at the sixth-floor Heavenly Genesis Realm. He had sufficient clout to make decisions and influence his talented descendants¡¯ rise. However, Yun Baili¡¯s failure left a gap of trust, especially after Yan Zaizen hid in the insufferably difficult chaotic space.

    "I will redeem myself, Mother." His tone turned slightly more obedient. He was aware of his fault. Therefore, he had no intention to fail again.

    "As long as you do," she snappily said, "for now, your father has devised a n. Unfortunately, you¡¯ll be in directpetition with the other forces. Be sure to seed."

    She stopped her steps, looked deeply into those bright eyes and her tone turned heavier than the world itself, "YOU can NOT fail! Or else, it¡¯s better if you don¡¯te back." With that, she waved her hand at him and walked away.

    He slightly bowed, remaining silent. After a while, his gaze flickered with an unprecedented level of resolve but also deep rage. He thought, "I won¡¯t fail. However, when the trial starts, I¡¯ll be the one to participate. Not him! When I return, let¡¯s see if you dare have such an attitude towards me!" With a slight tremble, he walked in the opposite direction.

    -----

    "Haaa..." Yan Zaizen sighed. On the deck of the realmship, he looked outwards at empty ckness that was chaotic space.

    Three hundred and sixty-three years have passed since their decision to cultivate. During this time, Yan Zaizen, Tao, and Bai Lufeng had diligently cultivated without any care for resource waste or usage. Despite this, a formless pressure enveloped his body.

    In the outside world, three and a half years had passed. While they cultivated, it seems the senses of those Heavenly Commanders had never left his general vicinity. Being under constant watch made him feel nervous.

    Soft steps echoed behind him as Tao arrived. Tao had undergone aplete change. In the span of fifty or sixty years, Tao went from half-step Origin Core Realm tote-Origin Core Realm. During which, Yan Zaizen¡¯s avable resources only kept growing in quantity and quality.

    Now, while cultivating for over three hundred years, he has ascended to the mid-True Essence Realm. With Yan Zaizen¡¯s recent breakthrough, they both were at the same level of cultivation once more.

    The reason Tao¡¯s realm didn¡¯t exceed mid-stage was due to his sudden shift in priorities. While cultivating in chaotic space, he gleaned insight into an aspect of spatialws. He developed a conceptualw!

    Spatial Point of Endless Force!

    It embodied a portion of Yan Zaizen¡¯ Spatial Form of Infinite Stability, but only the ripping force of chaotic space! This dyed his qi cultivation base by quite a bit, but toprehend and focus on an upper-tier World Law wasn¡¯t an incorrect decision.

    "You sense it too?" Tao remarked, looking in the direction of Yan Zaizen¡¯s gaze.

    "Mhm. They¡¯re setting up a formation to inverse chaotic space with the spatial void, then another to interact with the spatial void and seal it, forcing us out during the transition." Yan Zaizen¡¯s abilities enabled him to sense clearly the happenings of the outside world. During these three years, the gigantus forces were not idle. Instead, they conjured up a way to force Yan Zaizen out from hiding.

    In chaotic space, Yan Zaizen was too difficult to follow or find. It wasn¡¯t safe to send anyone but top spatial cultivators to do so. In that case, they decided to devise a method to force him out instead.

    Tao understood this. Heprehended a concept of chaotic space and felt a deep connection with it over these years. The formation was connecting with it at this very moment. If it activated, they would likely suffer.

    "Running is likely impossible," Tao surmised his assumption. In truth, with Heavenly Commanders on watch, it¡¯s unlikely they could escape. He looked towards Yan Zaizen and added, "should we ditch the token?"

    "The token was given to me by someone. Our fates may have touched briefly, but I¡¯m unwilling to give it to anyone besides her. Even if gods and devils demanded it, I wouldn¡¯t yield." Yan Zaizen calmly stated his intentions with a shake of his head.

    Tao softly nodded. As someone who was bestowed Yan Zaizen¡¯s dao and knew his mantra of ¡¯what¡¯s his is never anyone else¡¯s, nor should they touch it,¡¯ it¡¯s unlikely he would simply fold here.

    "What¡¯s the n?"

    "This token is designed to connect to another token. I believe that the token belongs to her. It¡¯s probably the people Yun Baili was hindering earlier. Perhaps, we just need to wait by stalling," Yan Zaizen assessed. His gaze towards that spot grew colder and colder.

    Unfortunately, he didn¡¯t know of Ma Xiuren¡¯s weakness. The strongest expert she had was Jun Lei, a half-dead fourth-floor Heavenly Genesis cultivator.

    "Fight. If the world refuses to open up a path, you make one yourself." Pinaka tyrannical voice resounded in his soul.

    Yan Zaizen revealed an innocent smile, but his eyes were colder than ice.

 Chapter 214 Whos First?

    In the outer space of the Sirius Titan Realm, several hundred heavenly cultivators floated silently. They were spread out in groups of fives and tens, but thergest group was about thirty.

    Each group belonged to the gigantus race forces within the Xiuhei Earthly Moon. They had the backing of fifth, sixth or seventh-level forces, but shockingly, each person present were a part of the younger generation.

    In the myriad realms, it was hard to ssify younger generation due to the vast lifespans cultivators have, but for heavenly cultivators, there was a universally epted rule: All those below 33,000 years were in the younger generation.

    They were in their early years of development and one¡¯s potential and talent in the heavenly path can generally be surmised by this.

    Yun Baili stood proudly amongst his group of six men. His eyes seemed to contain profound thoughts and sky-like brightness. The other six men were calmly surrounding him with respectful and calm expressions.

    In a group of eight not too far away, a young woman with auburn hair, willowy physique, and pale skin looked impatient. Her hands were folded across her sizable chest. She seemed to have worry in the depths of her gaze as she looked at other groups. The other men and women in her group also had cautious expressions.

    Finally, the girl spoke, "After forcing him out, how shall we do this?" When those words sounded, everyone¡¯s gaze honed onto her. There were quite a few who seemed relieved that she spoke and some who had mocking expressions. Particrly, Yun Baili¡¯s group was sneering.

    In another group, an elegantly dressed young man with emerald-green eyes stepped forward. He was handsome and radiated a very odd aura. It was as if the world was intense but calm at the same time.

    When he took his step, all those who sneered suddenly had solemn expressions. When the auburn-haired girl saw this, her eyes flickered with admiring emotion. It was borderline infatuation.

    This young man was called Hei Long, a member of the Xiuhei Sovereign¡¯s direct force. Amongst the gigantus race, Hei Long was considered in the top ten in terms of talent and potential. Ma Xiuren and Yun Xuli were within that list as well. However, he was widely considered the top talent! Unfortunately, he was too young.

    In truth, all of those on the list were below ten thousand years in age.

    "I suggest, to avoid further conflict due topetition, we establish a set of rules and methods." When he spoke, everyone listened. There were many sixth-level forces who were hesitant, but unwilling to give up their chance. They feared going into conflict with seventh-level forces.

    "What do you have in mind?" Yun Baili asked. To him, this was only a familiarity. This token was his! Fair or not.

    Hei Long smiled slightly, tracing his eyes on all those who came, "Our Elders say that whoever can obtain the token, it is theirs to do as they wish. This is an agreement even the Heavenly Commanders consented to. Therefore, we shouldn¡¯t fight amongst ourselves and give an opening for others to exploit it while worsening our rtions."

    "We can do this fairly. I have two solutions: One, each person takes a step forward to fight for the token. Whoever can im the token from the previous owner¡¯s hands, it will be theirs. Two, we obtain the token, then ask our seniors to host a fairpetition amongst ourselves after joining together." His voice was clear and his intention clearer. The one worthy enough to obtain it is the one who keeps it.

    "..." The crowd was silenced. The sixth-level forces were a little skeptical of this method but also couldn¡¯t really argue against it. After all, the current owner is confirmed to have a second-level Heavenly Genesis equivalent body cultivation. To them, to these talented members of the young generation, they had the confidence in fighting some nobody.

    "How will we make thepetition fair?" Yun Baili interjected. There were too many people with different levels of cultivation base andprehension. There were methods around it, butprehension and time to cultivate arts can¡¯t be erased.

    "We will make it fair. However, only if its agreed upon." Hei Long slightly smiled. There were ways to even out apetition, for example, don¡¯t measure based on cultivation base but an array or obstacle. The tournament could be apetition of who can get further than the rest.

    It was quite simr to the ughter Array or 33 Heavenly Steps in the Xiantu Realm. However, that takes talent into a heavy factor. No one wanted to do this.

    "I say we take a different method. We fight in groups of three. We choose three amongst every group, send them to fight. If unable to obtain victory in a certain time limit, then they lose their qualifications. We reset, another group tries." A rough, deep voice spoke. It was a man garbed in deep-ck. He had a hood on that prevented his features from being recognized, but everyone knew who he was.

    When they heard his words, everyone went silent. This was far more beneficial, and many agreed with it. Only those who barely had any chance, to begin with, were disgruntled.

    "I agree." Yun Baili and Hei Long nodded their heads nearly simultaneously. They agreed with this method greatly and since only those who were a part of the younger generation would participate, they were a hundred percent confident in winning.

    "However, there need to be two more rules," the hooded man spoke once more, "if you win, you must defend against the next two groups before being dered the winner. The order of groups is random. This will continue until a group can defend twice."

    "..." With these rules, it took in group strength, strategy, and luck. For the defending group, all they had to do wasst a certain time-limit twice. This gave everyone a chance. If they were lucky, they could be first and get two considerably weaker teams. This was something they could willingly ept.

    Yun Baili¡¯s eyes flickered with faint disdain, "How will we dec-" Suddenly, Yun Baili fell silent. His eyes traced towards an area with a hint of mild surprise. His sudden pause caused others to follow his gaze in curiosity. Few were surprised, others were confused, and a few had many had expressions of questioning.

    "This sounds like a fun game, but..." A voice resounded that echoed with faint mockery, "you didn¡¯t ask me if I wanted to y." This voice originated from a figure garbed in dark-amber, a head full of ck hair, amber-gold eyes that seemed to contain endless vitality, and a physique that was perfection itself.

    With a smile, this figure stood calmly in space a few hundred meters away from the other groups. In his hand, he wielded a warhammer that had beautiful inscriptions and a hammer head with ripples. It faced upwards as if dering to the world of its superior existence.

    Yan Zaizen had exited out of chaotic space before their formations could force him out. In this way, he took the initiative. He had to.

    "So, ording to this game, who¡¯s up first?" A slight shake of his hammer caused space to ripple, the hearts of all the onlookers shook with it. There were very few elites in the Sirius Titan Realm that didn¡¯t recognize that forbidden, red-trial unnamed warhammer! It had never been imed and even the top elites had fallen to its trial.

    This was even clearer for the gigantus race! After all, they were the only race that knew a little more about its history. In truth, it¡¯s nearly impossible to even wield properly! That¡¯s because the real hammer had the weight of an actual continent.

    Lifting it typically required people to use their true-essence or vital energy. To even swing without it slipping, the feat was nearly impossible without it. However, no matter the strength of one¡¯s vital energy or true-essence, they all failed the trial upon attempt.

    There was a wide-known saying in the Sirius Titan Realm: "The Unnamed Warhammer is only for the suicidal." This was known by all!

    Yet, Yan Zaizen wielded the warhammer without any trace of vital energy or true-essence fluctuation. When the younger generation recognized the warhammer, their eyes that originally held varying emotions synced up to a singr one: shock!

    Yan Zaizen had shattered the limits of the physique when he refined a regalia of the heavens into his body, then a third, then a fourth. When he truly removed the restrictions of his physical body by opening up the first Celestial Gate, absorbing the fragments, and distributing that energy to his physique, the power of his fleshy body was extraordinary.

    At the moment, Yan Zaizen wanted to see the limits of his abilities, and what better way than these foolish kids?

    "Be careful, Brother Zai." Tao¡¯s voice transmitted from the Meteor Ring. He was currently connected to Yan Zaizen¡¯s sensory perception to bear witness to the uing battle and developments. If need be, he will advise.

    Pinaka was silent. Yan Zaizen¡¯s new hammer exceeded her, she knew this instinctively. She may be a True Spirit with an armament body that could rival a third-floor Heavenly Genesis expert, but her true powerse out with coboration, not solo fighting. Unfortunately, Yan Zaizen hasn¡¯t constructed an archery-type Heavenly Shrine. Even if his cultivation ascended to the mid-stage of the True Essence Realm, he didn¡¯t have enough power to fully utilize her.

    However, the warhammer was different. Somehow, it fit Yan Zaizen like a glove. It was as if it was made for him. She decided to take a role simr to Tao, to advise and watch.

    Bai Lufeng exited seclusion. Yan Zaizen pulled him out. If he could experience this uing battle, it should be vastly beneficial to his cultivation.

    When he did exit, Yan Zaizen was shocked. Bai Lufeng had taken a myriad of resources for the soul, body, and essence cultivation with him, but when he came out, his essence cultivation base only reached the half-step True Essence Realm.

    To anyone, this was extraordinary but not too much with the resources given. The truly shocking fact was Bai Lufeng¡¯s soul cultivation; he reached the Perfect Aurora Soul Realm! His cultivation base seemed close to condensing his own Astral Star!

    Even Tao only reached the Aurora Soul Realm thanks to the Astral Manifestation Pill, but to progress any further required actual enlightenment! Deep enlightenment into the self!

    It seems Bai Lufeng¡¯s tragic event left himprehending his true self. With Yan Zaizen¡¯s pills, elixirs, and soul crystals, Bai Lufeng made breathtaking strides.

    He felt proud. To him, buying Lang Xue helped not only Bai Lufeng, Tao, and himself but so much more! Because of a faint instinctual feeling back then eluding benefits and Bai Lufeng¡¯s plea, he bought Lang Xue and was pulled into a myriad of events.

    The profits from the Deluge Realm, the unnamed warhammer, and hispanions mental states were improving.

    The benefits were inestimable!

    "Be careful, Young Lord Zai," Bai Lufeng warned but his voice was filled with encouragement and excitement. To him, Yan Zaizen was capable of doing anything and achieving everything.

    "No takers?" Yan Zaizen¡¯s smirk was suffused with contempt at this group of younger generations that treated his possessions and likely his life as a joke.

    The burly, bronze man from Yun Baili¡¯s group had his eyes ze with fighting intent. He stepped forward, not caring about their predefined rules. To him, he wanted that warhammer! He had to take the initiative!

    "Good! Come!" Yan Zaizenughed with a tyrannical vor. With a warhammer in hand, amber-gold eyes that seemed to contain life itself, and fighting intent that soared into the skies, he stepped forward.

 Chapter 215 Bodily Path, Fiendgod!

    The burly, bronze-skinned man was called Yun Jiangang; he belonged to the Yun n, but his family was nothing more than a subordinate of the Li family that Yun Baili and Yun Xuli belonged to. Despite this, he was a talent that reached the Bodily Path equivalent to a third-floor Heavenly Genesis Realm before thirty-three thousand years.

    This boundary was called a rank-three Fiendgod. By refining and enhancing the energy stored within the body, they can amplify their bodily prowess. The enhancement to their physique is limited by the Heavenly Laws, but this method enabled a direct bypass.

    In the Bodily Path, cultivators are defined by nine ranks and three stages. The three stages were initial, advanced, and peak. This was determined by the intensity of their vital energy and nothing more. In terms of flexibility in cultivation base, the Bodily Path allowed the least amount of deviation. Therefore, there aren¡¯t many people who can exceed a rank inbat without a Mortal Dao, supreme martial arts, or top-tier armaments.

    When Yun Jiangang stepped forward, his fighting intent and vital energy erupted into a torrential storm. Witnessing this, everyone took a step back. While they were formting a n to take action, they didn¡¯te to any actual agreement. However, when they saw Yan Zaizen wield the warhammer and appear abruptly, a majority of them exhibited caution.

    They would wait and see the fate of Yun Jiangang before deciding their next course of action. Yun Baili also took the same stance. That warhammer caused his heart to tremble and he felt a wisp of lethal danger in his heart.

    "Hmph!" Yan Zaizen coldly snorted. This Yun Jiangang was truly too slow. With a kick of his right leg at empty space, space rippled, and he soared out with ghostly speed. His speed was so fast that Yun Jiangang eyes constricted with shock. Before he could even shift his hand, a fist had already appeared before his chest.

    BOOM!

    Yan Zaizen used his free hand to deliver a ferocious strike. Yu Jiangang¡¯s body didn¡¯t shot backward. Instead, a vast booming shockwave echoed as Yan Zaizen¡¯s clenched fist made contact, and his body craned forwards.

    The sides of Yun Jiangang¡¯s mouth had dripping stomach fluids and his eyes had lost their focus. The torrential vital energy that shrouded his body dissipated like a fire in a gust of frosty air.

    "I...I..." Yun Jiangang tried speaking but his entire body, mind included, was dibobted. It was as of the life was knocked out of him. He directly lost consciousness in that frozen and odd pose.

    "...?" Yan Zaizen¡¯s brows furrowed. He didn¡¯t even punch with his full might or dash with his full speed. This was a probing action to get a gauge of his opponents strength. However...this felt like a mortal met a superhuman.

    This was not a fight.

    In the Deluge Realm, he had a remarkably difficult fight with Yu Shi. Now that he thought about it, Yu Shi had his own dao and formations of the entire realm aiding him. At that time, his strength could exceed a bestowed dao fourth-floor Heavenly cultivator.

    "..." When the other younger generation members, especially the ones with a weaker cultivation base than Yun Jiangang saw this, they were aghast! Even Yun Baili and Hei Long¡¯s pupils shrank and their hearts trembled.

    Talent aside, they couldn¡¯t even react to Yan Zaizen¡¯s movement!

    As Yun Jiangang lost the support of Yan Zaizen¡¯s fist, he floated in outer space like a dead, bent fish. Yan Zaizen clenched his fist and felt something. His gaze traced the unnamed warhammer. Just holding it, the inscriptions lit up faintly. It was nearly imperceptible.

    "It¡¯s enhancing my strength?" Yan Zaizen¡¯s thoughts spiraled. He had never wielded the warhammer in an actual fight and thus didn¡¯t detect the difference. Now that he couldpare himself to a rank-three Fiendgod, he realized its miraculous features.

    "It enhances my physique without my vital energy. How¡¯s that even possible?" He felt bewildered by the logic. After all, armaments were external tools, they didn¡¯t enhance one¡¯s strength directly from its foundations but empowered the energy that flowed through it.

    Pinaka was the excellent example of this. She had her own strength and miraculous features but shebined that with her user, not her user using that for himself.

    "Do you truly have a link to Herculeans?" He couldn¡¯t help but solemnly ponder. The amplification was not minor. In fact, it was impossibly huge. It seems to be resonating with his physique, so it increases the foundation of the user by a set amount. It was like a miraculous, inconceivablew.

    If a weak person wielded it, they would receive the same percentage of enhancement as a strong person. Therefore, the greater the physique, the greater the benefits.

    Yan Zaizen knew this from the information funneled into his mind. It didn¡¯t describe its passive increase but its active features. By channeling vital energy, true-essence, or other types of proper energy into Sky Shatter, it can enhance the user¡¯s body and vital energy by a set amount.

    At first, he thought ¡¯body and energy¡¯ were the same thing, but that evidently wasn¡¯t the case. Sky Shatter was truly heaven-defying!

    "So...is that why I only feel a reduced pressure now?" As he continued wielding Sky Shatter, this grand warhammer, the pressure he felt increasingly weakened. "With this, I wonder what is the upper limits of my strength?" He hefted Sky Shatter on his shoulder, a loud explosion urred as warhammer met flesh, but Yan Zaizen only stably stood atop space.

    With a devilish smirk filled with unyielding confidence, dark-amber eyes that zed with infinite vitality, and a sky-shattering momentum, Yan Zaizen turned towards the group of heavenly cultivators. He took a single step forward.

    "!" A vast majority of heavenly cultivators amongst the group flinched, taking a step backwards subconsciously and felt their hearts turn cold. The only ones that took no action were obvious, they were the cream of the crop such as Yun Baili, the auburn-haired girl, Hei Long, and the ck-hooded figure. They stood stably. Their eyes radiating various emotions such as pride and battle intent.

    This was notably so for Yun Baili. His bright gaze suffused with a tinge of madness and killing intent.

    Yan Zaizen felt some respect for those who didn¡¯t step back at his momentum. Despite this, it didn¡¯t stop him from taunting them further, "Weren¡¯t you deciding how to deal with me? What happened to all that zest and zeal? Or did I make you wet yourselves?" Chuckling in amusement, he took another step forward. However, his words caused the young generation cultivators, who stood at a high-standing amongst juniors, to feel their pride being personally attacked.

    None of them revealed fearful gazes any longer. Their gazes shifted towards anger and killing intent.

    "Haha!" The auburn-haired woman, Bing He, coldlyughed. The mere thought of Yan Zaizen insulting her left a putrid taste in her mouth. Amongst the many people here, she had immense pride in herself and her group. She turned towards Hei Long, "Apologies, I¡¯ll take the first move. Excuse me for my rudeness," with that, she performed a handseal.

    When Yan Zaizen saw this handseal, he felt his soul tremble suddenly. It was an odd sensation, as if it was being assaulted but not. It was very distinct, and the environment hadn¡¯t changed but it was as if what he saw was illusory.

    "Careful! She¡¯s a soul cultivator, you¡¯re under an illusory soul art!" Pinaka voice advised. As she was directly linked to Yan Zaizen¡¯s soul, she could sense irregrities that ur within.

    "Illusory soul art?" Yan Zaizen was startled. He recalled the Asura Phantom Realm. During that time, the moon in that realm held an illusory formation that projected falseness. As a soul cultivator himself, he was interested in how that was done. The unfortunate part left him crestfallen; the Anime Syndicate did not have such profound arts. Even Pinaka didn¡¯t understand conventional soul path illusory arts or methods. If she did, she couldn¡¯t actually use them.

    Before he could respond, he felt space shift suddenly and an unusual surging pressure enveloped his body. The pressure wasn¡¯t overly strong, something he could resist, but it made him feel sluggish and disorientated.

    "Hmph!" Coldly snorting, Yan Zaizen aurora astral star erupted with soul energy. This soul energy, at eruption, shattered some invisible binding that seemed to havetched onto his soul. The surrounding area suddenly shifted in his perception.

    "What?!" Confused, Yan Zaizen found himself surrounded by eight mountain-sized, grey coffins. Each coffin emanated ripples of profound soul energy and vital energy. They were interconnected, establishing a small space with him at the center. He could feel his body and soul under pressure, fortunately, his soul cultivation base and physique was far too strong to be subjected to any disadvantage.

    "This is a formation array!" Pinaka eximed. Just as Pinaka was about to go in-depth, the coffins ripples started to surge like oceanic waves, pummeling Yan Zaizen¡¯s body and soul ferociously. His body twitched slightly but nothing else. His soul absorbed all soul energy ripples that touched it, as if it was a never-ending ck hole that seemed to wish to consume, devour, and exceed all existence!

    "A fourth-grade heavenly formation?" Yan Zaizen calmly analyzed. Even without Pinaka¡¯s exnation, he could conclude this himself, after all, he did study for thousands of years. Formations, arrays, alchemy, and armament creation, he knew the very basics. These coffins were array gs. They surrounded the target and emitted soul and vital energy to pressure both the soul and body.

    Each array g was being handled by a heavenly cultivator. He suspected that this formation wasn¡¯t actually a fourth-grade heavenly formation, but just a small part of a muchrger formation. s, this method would be effective on any fourth-floor Heavenly Genesis cultivator and likely weaken fifth-floors, but to Yan Zaizen?

    This was a tickle.

    "ROAR!!" With a thunderous shout, Yan Zaizen stomped his feet causing space itself to tremble. This shocked Yan Zaizen a little. He intended to copse the surrounding space, disrupting the formation, but space had been stabilized to a much higher degree than normal. It was only a secondter that he came to an enlightened realization, the spatial formation they activated must¡¯ve stabilized the spatial void, causing it to be much harder to shift within or copse.

    "Alright, this is how I like it!" With an amused chuckle, his body erupted with his Mortal Dao. It was as if a sovereign had ascended, releasing tyrannical ferocity unmatched and ice-cold decisiveness that could cause even the most sinister of monsters hearts to turn cold.

    "Let¡¯s see if these coffins are as sturdy as they are big! Haha!" Yan Zaizen liked this, in his thousands of years of cultivation, he rarely could let loose and experience truebat. Seeing the myriad of methods used by experts against him, he was filled with an unmeasurable amount of expectation.

    With a kick-off dash, his body shifted like a shadow. The pressure emanating from the grey coffins couldn¡¯t hinder his movements in a single step. With a raised Sky Shatter, he faced one of the grey-coffins and smashed heavily in a downward arc. The coffin couldn¡¯t withstand a millisecond of force as it shattered like ss. From the hammer head of Sky Shatter, an invisible ripple emerged and engulfed the entirety of the coffin.

    Pieces of its existence erupted outwards from the point of impact, but these pieces didn¡¯t simply fly off, they disintegrated into dust.

    A hellish scream resounded filled with endless pain as a heavenly cultivator, male, and at the second-floor, appeared from behind the coffin in retreat. His heavenly shrine was igniting, his eyes filled with profound heavenly might, but his face wasn¡¯t one filled with decisiveness but one of unimaginable horror.

    As he peddled backward, the ripple that surged from Sky Shatter touched his body. The first toe in contact with it was his fingers. They disintegrated like dust in a calm gust of wind. The young man felt his mind numb at the sight and couldn¡¯t stop screaming. He could feel his physical body shatter from a cellr level, and even though he tried to fight it off with his true-essence, it couldn¡¯t dy the disintegration

    The others watched him with widened gazes, some even stepped back, and a few took a step forward, but nothing more. Initially, they were thinking about stepping in to save this man, forcing him to owe them a favor in the future, but what happened left them all bewildered and lost.

    The ripple was simply too fast and seemed to be honing onto the man¡¯s existence regardless of how much he attempted to maneuver. It started with fingers, then hand, then arm, then torso, then everything. It vanished like dust in the wind.

    Yan Zaizen watched this and felt deeply startled. Sky Shatter was marvelous, this he knew, but was it this marvelous?

 Chapter 216 Gigantus Corpses

    "Bing Yun!" Bing He cried. Her emotions immediately sunk into an abyss of sorrow, regret, and blistering rage!

    Bing Yun was her younger cousin, and he was only here to operate one of the coffins. With his death, she would have no way to exin this to her aunt and uncle after they return. Her gaze that seemed to spew fire andva turned towards Yan Zaizen. It contained unfathomable hatred and desire to consume flesh.

    "YOU!" She bared her teeth with madness. The others also had rage swell in their eyes and their auras radiating like the fiercest of fires.

    However, Yan Zaizen only chuckled in response. They wanted to trap him, kill him, and take the things he possessed. Was he supposed to not retaliate? What type of mentality did she have? Those who¡¯re willing to kill should be ready and willing to be killed.

    To Yan Zaizen who grew up in the Xiantu Realm, especially in Presba, murderous conflict wasmon and often between both humans and beasts, but in grand realms such as this, deaths were rtively umon amongst top-tier powers. Especially within the realm itself. After all, each power likely was interconnected to an even greater power.

    This left few willing to directly offend their backers, and at most, they would capture and subject them topensation rather than ughter. Typically, and this was a moremon aspect, the internal conflict would lead to killing than external conflict.

    "UNLEASH THEM!" She bellowed, forming a strange handseal once more. However, as the soul energy attempted to affect Yan Zaizen¡¯s senses, his soul energy surgedbating its influence immediately.

    "I may be interested in what you all can unleash, but I¡¯m not going to stand here and be a punching bag!" His eyes filled with killing intent. Initially, he didn¡¯t wish to directly kill anyone, but now that he had done so, it would be impossible to avoid any consequences. Hefting Sky Shatter, he moved his body towards Bing He.

    Bing He saw this, her eyes that were filled with madness suffused with a hint of caution and fear suddenly. She was a third-floor Heavenly Genesis cultivator, but she was fearful of Sky Shatter. In the entire Sirius Titan Realm, there wouldn¡¯t be a single person who was ignorant of its legacy. The fact it was being wielded so easily in Yan Zaizen¡¯s hands left her slightly reeling in shock, but also an intense greed welled inside her heart.

    If she could obtain Sky Shatter, with her Gigantus bloodline, she could immediately take a step towards elites!

    She changed her handseal, performing several in session, and profound soul energy radiated outwards. Yan Zaizen felt a sudden sting in his soul, but it vanished as quickly as it erupted. "A soul attack?" Startled, Yan Zaizen understood what happened.

    His unique soul form had been under attack but had immediately devoured the energy that struck it. He could only feel the soul energy he used to dispel the previous illusions had already recovered. "Hahaha!" With a madugh, he felt enlivened.

    To him, soul attacks were inconsequential!

    Unfortunately, illusions can still affect him.

    Witnessing Yan Zaizen not hindered by a single second from her attack, she started to panic. Retreating, she pulled the mountain-sized, grey coffin towards her side. The other coffins stopped functioning in a formation. However, this was before.

    An ominous sound resounded that was like crows dying in a violent storm.

    "What?" Turning around, Yan Zaizen felt shocked. The coffins were vibrating intensely, like something within wanted to explode outwards seeking freedom and rebirth. "Could these coffins actually have bodies in them?" Questioning, he became more vignt.

    The other six experts, with madness in their eyes, mmed their palms atop the coffins in unison. Their heavenly might and vital energy surged into the coffins without concern. It was as if they were even dumping their very vitality into the coffins. As someone who cultivated lifew, Yan Zaizen could see lifeforce energy being sent into the coffins.

    "This?!" He could feel that the six members suddenly grow older, but their appearance didn¡¯t change. That being said, they must¡¯ve lost at least ten thousand years of their lives in utilizing this art.

    CREAK!!

    The coffin lids opened like a door to theherworld. A deathly aura permeated the surroundings. The expressions of all the onlookers turned solemn, and Yan Zaizen furrowed his brows. This deathly aura was something he waspletely familiar with.

    "Rebirth Arts?" Pinaka¡¯s voice was filled with uncertainty, but she immediately added, "Reanimation Arts!"

    Reanimation Arts?

    They were arts that utilized lifeforce energy to temporarily bring back a corpses functionality. Yan Zaizen had refined a corpse into a puppet, but it was fundamentally different. Reanimation arts were a divine-ss art because the cost was one¡¯s own lifeforce, not just energy. Not only that, you could restore a corpse to carry some semnce of its abilities and consciousness.

    "Hmph! Idiots!" Yan Zaizen saw this and couldn¡¯t help but coldly snort. He ignored Bing He, dashing towards the six gigantic corpses. He could feel their vital energy stored in their bodies erupt with an unprecedented intensity. If he had to estimate, each of these corpses was at rank-five Fiendgods!

    As he appraised the corpses, he felt a tinge of danger in his heart. "Does this mean, my instincts suggest a rank-five Fiendgod corpse can pose danger to me?" As he calmly analyzed, his eyes flickered with an inky, ck light that seemed to embody death itself.

    Herculean Avatar Art: Death Form!

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s body was etched in profound inscriptions that radiated a deathly aura. He took a breath. The spatial void siphoned into his lungs. The deathly aura strengthened.

    "If I didn¡¯tprehend life and death, this would actually pose a threat, but now?" He approached the first gigantus corpse, it had the size of a mountain, and it took action. The wielder of this corpse stood atop its head, performing a handseal, it seemed to have established a connection. The cultivator merged into the corpse¡¯s head.

    "Oh?" Finding this intriguing, Yan Zaizen could suddenly feel the corpsee to life. With its gigantic hands that could copse hills, it smashed towards Yan Zaizen with a palm.

    Keeping Sky Shatter, Yan Zaizen extended his arms to intercept the iing palm. It smashed heavily into his body. A booming sound reverberated in the surrounding space, if normal cultivators beneath the heavenly path were nearby, they would immediately lose their hearing.

    "That lifeforce you injected into this corpse, I must thank you. It¡¯ll be a delicious meal!" With a malicious smile, he breathed in, and then the world seemed to be siphoned inwardly as space was drawn into it. However, the lifeforce infused in the corpse seemed to be especially targeted. It was wrenched away like candy from a baby, being pulled out in white wisps of energy, and entering Yan Zaizen¡¯s nostrils.

    "NO!" A voice resounded in the gigantus corpse. The head exploded violently as the cultivator darted out with a panicked rush. The others were shocked. White wisps were being pulled from his body as well, flowing into Yan Zaizen¡¯s nostrils.

    "MORE!" Breathing in more, the deathly aura extended to shroud the cultivator and corpse, and siphoned ruthlessly all that was within its space - especially lifeforce. The cultivator started to visibly age.

    "What the!" The other witnesses couldn¡¯t help but reel. They knew deathws could deteriorate lifeforce, drain vitality, or even terminate life itself, but never had they seen a concept where death absorbed life! When the cultivator finally escaped the deathly shroud, by igniting his heavenly shrine, he seemed to have aged by thirty years.

    To heavenly cultivators, this likely meant he lost fifty to sixty thousand years of life. As for the corpse, its entire existence was being siphoned. Its flesh, bones, stale blood, and remnant soul were being siphoned into Yan Zaizen¡¯s nostrils.

    They watched as, in three seconds, the entirety of this rank-five Fiendgod corpse was absorbed.

    The deathly aura around Yan Zaizen increased, by the shroud didn¡¯t. Purposefully keeping it restricted, Yan Zaizen could feel the limitations when he battled Yu Shi no longer existed. Before, Yan Zaizen couldn¡¯t utilize the death form as much as he wanted, when it siphoned a certain amount, it would immediately enter life soul form. However, it didn¡¯t so now.

    His eyes were no longer dark-amber, but inky, ck color that seemed to desire the very heavens. He felt immense power well in his body, but there was no more resistance from the concepts. It was as if it was tamed, or at least, it became obedient.

    "Is this the effect of the Sky Opening Gate?" He deeply questioned. In truth, it was. After removing the limitations of the heavens from his body, the regalia were no longer independent concepts but thoroughly merged within him without restriction. Therefore, his forms no longer had limitations or acted without his will.

    He smacked his lips as the inky, ck deathly aura surged in his body felt extraordinary. It was as if he was death itself and all those before him must await their judgment.

    His ck eyes turned towards the other corpses with immense desire and greed within.

    "I think I¡¯ll have another, please!"

 Chapter 217 One Punch

    "RUN!" A heavenly cultivator shouted, his cultivation base was erupting to its limits in retreat. The surrounding space trembled and he dashed away without any hesitation. As he looked back, his eyes constricted to a needlepoint in horror.

    This cultivator had originally been in the head of a gigantus corpse. Unfortunately, Yan Zaizen had just breathed in the entirety of this corpse and the lifeforce that stayed within. As he did, his shroud of deathly aura became denser and terrifying. The surrounding space it inhabited was being absorbed to the point it didn¡¯t seem as if it existed in the spatial void or chaotic space. It was as if it was a realm of death.

    Bing He had immense terror in her eyes as she retreated. The original madness and hatred she felt were still prevalent but it was beaten back and overwhelmed thoroughly by fear. The other heavenly cultivators created distance from the battle, leaving Yan Zaizen to enjoy himself thoroughly as the corpses were absorbed.

    At this moment, the whites of his eyes were ck, the inscriptions on his body extended and grew, it covered his entire body. As he walked, the aura of death was densely permeating the surroundings. A single look left one stifled and felt as if their existence was being siphoned by it.

    "Third one!" With a satisfied exmation, Yan Zaizen felt lively despite his deathly aura. Unfortunately, the other corpses were stored away, and they departed by ripping space and leaving without any hesitation. As he had to siphon the corpses, he couldn¡¯t follow them.

    "Tch, greedy people. Can¡¯t share?" He curled his lips in dissatisfaction. Yan Zaizen turned to check the others, but it seemed they had all used his tiny window of absorption to rip open rifts in space and depart, some of them ¡ª the weaker ones ¡ª used spatial talismans to depart. Because of the formations to restrict his escape via space, they were left with no other option.

    It was quiteughable.

    After a vast majority departed, only two groups remained.

    Yun Baili and Hei Long¡¯s.

    Even Bing He left. The only trump card she had was the coffins, but she wasn¡¯t willing to throw away thousands of years of her life to only have it be absorbed by another. Therefore, despite her high pride, she threw it aside and decided to focus on preserving her life.

    Hei Long had three individuals standing behind him. Each individual seemed to be profoundly powerful, having a heavenly cultivation base at the fourth-floor and wore calm expressions. To them, Yan Zaizen was definitely ferocious, but he wasn¡¯t invincible. Not to mention, they had their own methods.

    However, when Yan Zaizen turned his death-filled gaze towards their direction, they felt a tremor that originated from their souls and heavenly shrines. It was as if their conceptualws were trembling, desiring a retreat from this malevolent existence. Their calm expressions were simultaneously reced with solemn ones.

    Hei Long, however, had his eyes sh with an emerald-green light.

    "A Mortal Dao?" Yan Zaizen was intrigued. This young man seemed to radiate an aura of a true dao, not a bestowed one. These individuals generally are dozens, if not, hundreds of times stronger than their cultivation equivalent counterparts. This man still had a smile on his face, his conceptualws and soul didn¡¯t quiver a single bit.

    "It doesn¡¯t seem to be a lower-tier one either," Yan Zaizen noted, his eyes growing with interest.

    "Your cultivation is truly incredible, your Fiendgodw is remarkably profound!" Hei Long praised.

    He misunderstood Yan Zaizen¡¯s deathly aura with a vital energy base as a Fiendgodw. This was when Fiendgod Bodily Methods use specific heavenly materials to refine their bodies, typically rting to a specific concept or an overallw. This was why Ma Xiuren went after the heavenly materials in the Asura Phantom Realm rather than the pills, to find heavenly materials to help refine her vital energy.

    This type of Fiendgodw didn¡¯t rely onprehension but on intensity. The greater the Fiendgod rank, the greater thew¡¯s power. In the Xiantu Realm, Fiendgod Bodily Methods didn¡¯t exist. There wasn¡¯t a single individual who reached the Fiendgod level, only Yan Zaizen did unintentionally after refining his organs, meridians, and acupuncture points with Heavenly Law Liquid.

    Towards the Immortal Herculean Method, it takes the path of a Herculean, not a Fiendgod, therefore it doesn¡¯t focus upon vital energy and only inadvertently developed towards that path. Its primary focus was on the fleshy body itself.

    Yan Zaizenughed, "Thank you!" He didn¡¯t care if this young man thought wrongly, but apliment was something he could wholeheartedly ept.

    "Your Dao is fascinating as well, I must say, I feel even my dao is inferior inparison." Hei Long smilingly said, but Yan Zaizen only jubntlyughed in response.

    With an inhale, Yan Zaizen¡¯s deathly aura retracted,pletely merging into his body and painting his normally healthy skin an inky, ck color. "I wonder, what is it you want?" With a wave of his hand, a token appeared, "this?"

    The token appeared ordinary but had ¡¯Xiuhei - Heavenly¡¯ on its two sides. These characters gave one the feeling of an immensityparable to the heavens.

    Hei Long and Yun Baili¡¯s eyes lit up with a light suffused with intense desire after seeing this token, but they didn¡¯t take action. Patiently, they held their impulses down.

    "How about I offer a trade?" Hei Long proposed.

    "No." Decisively, Yan Zaizen rejected.

    "I see." Eyes flickering with emerald-green light, he tensed his heavenly might and the aura exuding from his body was awe-inspiring.

    "Oh? Spatialws?" Yan Zaizen could feel space fluctuate oddly for quite a distance. Unfortunately, the heavenly might that permeated the space was only at the two-floor in intensity. To Yan Zaizen, this didn¡¯t offer any threat. The moment it came into contact with his inky, ck skin, it was absorbed and caused the aura of death to increase in intensity.

    "..." Hei Long saw this and felt helpless internally. He had witnessed Yan Zaizen absorb the spatial void and even chaotic space leaving an absolute void that didn¡¯t affect him. His deathw enabled him to convert all sources into itself, that was troublesome. He calcted the possibilities of winning, but when he factored in Sky Shatter, the caution in his eyes increased.

    With a sigh, he gave onest look at the uniquely powerful Yan Zaizen, "You truly possess the qualifications to participate in the trials." With those words, he and his group decisively retreated. After they disappeared, Yan Zaizen felt awkward. He also felt a little dumb.

    "What trial?" Inquiring to no one particr, he looked at the token, "could it be that this token opened a trial? A unique one?" As he wasn¡¯t knowledgeable in the Sirius Titan Realm, he couldn¡¯t help but feel a little lost. Regardless, he didn¡¯t have any intention to participate in a trial with the token unless Ma Xiuren desired it. After all, this was her token, not his. He was only its keeper, using it as a light to find her.

    However, Yun Baili didn¡¯t seem to be like Hei Long, his eyes shing with ice-cold decisiveness and killing intent. To him, that token represented a better life and future. To him, this was his chance to no longer be within his brother¡¯s shadow and create his own shadow!

    He was nearly 33,000 years old. If he missed this trial, the next one could ur in ten thousand years, but only those below 33,000 years could participate! This was truly hisst chance.

    He didn¡¯t speak; instead, his hands motioned as his heavenly might erupted with its full force! He tapped into his bloodline, the gigantus bloodline! As it was galvanized to the maximum with his vital energy, his body grew to the size of a small mountain, reaching nearly two hundred meters in height!

    Gigantus Transformation!

    His physique and vital energy seemed to be far, far more abundant. The true-essence within his body seemed to be able to rival dozens of normal practitioners. With a shout, the other six cultivators followed, with Yun Jiangang absent, they erupted and grew in varying sizes. Some grew to one hundred meters while others grew about one hundred and fifty meters!

    "Oh?" Yan Zaizen was a little shocked. He saw the Gigantus Corpses rivaling small mountains, being able to reach three hundred meters in height, but to see the transformation itself felt surreal. Yun Baili¡¯s small body transformed, expanded in mass and aura, by a hundred times! This was something that directly broadened his horizons.

    "So this is why they call them the Gigantus race!" He marveled at the wondrous characteristics of human races. His eyes didn¡¯t contain a hint of vignce, instead, there was interest and excitement. "Let¡¯s see how strong I am without Sky Shatter!" One of the main reasons he kept Sky Shatter was that it was overwhelmingly strong, and he couldn¡¯t clearly define his limitations with it.

    This was a perfect opportunity to do so!

    Herculean Avatar Art: Life Soul Form!

    His deathly aura that was concentrated in his body started to ignite in white mes. The mes erupted like a storm as it shrouded Yan Zaizen¡¯s form, continuously burning away all the deathly aura as if it was a diseased rat meeting fire! The deathly aura continued to deteriorate, but as it did, the lifeforce energy that surged from his body erupted with an even greater intensity.

    His body was turned into a white sun of fire!

    Yun Baili didn¡¯t hesitate, he let loose a titanic roar causing space itself to quake violently. Withdrawing a double-sided axe from his heavenly shrine, his aura rose even further. This axe contained deep soulforce and radiated a profound conceptualw that resonated with the axe. It was as if every single movement could cleave apart the world and create it anew!

    "A spirit-rank armament?" Yan Zaizen was shocked. This was the first spirit-rank armament that he had seen besides Pinaka. However, this spirit-rank armament seemed tock Pinaka¡¯s depth and strength.

    "Tch, it¡¯s only a low-grade spirit armament. Nothing to marvel at," Pinaka¡¯s voice carried disdain. She was a mid-grade spirit armament, an armament that can materialize and was dao-linked to a peak upper-tier Mortal Dao. This spirit armament was connected to a middle-tier Bestowed Dao and didn¡¯t have the ability to materialize its spirit form.

    Inparison to her, the difference didn¡¯t even need to be described in words.

    Yun Baili wasn¡¯t done, the six others formed a unique formation that funneled their vital energy, soul energy, and heavenly true-essence into a single, profound manifestation. Another double-sided axe was created from this formation, remarkably simr to the spirit armament in size and design. Yun Baili gripped the manifested axe and the spirit armament, dual wielding both axes. As he did, his aura skyrocketed to an all-time high.

    "...Using your weaker members to formte a manifestation to enhance your personal prowess...just like Yu Shi," hemented. This was a fairlymon tactic used against stronger enemies or simply around leaders within a group. After all, you didn¡¯t need numbers to defeat a foe; you needed to simply be stronger than your foe.

    The soul energy, vital energy, and heavenly true-essence would amplify his soul defense, his physical prowess, and replenish his true-essence if need be. With this, he could execute abnormally powerful arts without being subjected to true-essence depletion, strike harder than ever before, and ignore soul attacks or illusions of a certain level.

    This was an undeniable advantage!

    "DIE!" Yun Baili rushed towards Yan Zaizen with a momentum that could copses. His eyes were suffused with killing intent that could freeze souls with fear and cause trained warriors to tremble.

    "Hmph!" With a step, Yan Zaizen kicked off empty space, propelling towards Yun Baili like a white sun! A streak of white light was left behind on his trail, and this while trail seemed to contain the essence of life itself. In less than a moment, Yan Zaizen and Yun Baili were in closebat range.

    Clench!

    With a fist radiating intense lifeforce energy, Yan Zaizen threw a punch forward with indomitable momentum.

    Yun Baili epted Yan Zaizen¡¯s direct challenge, lifting both of his axes, and cleaving downwards in unison. The space it passed seemed to be birthing illusory forms of life. This was a profound concept with the Mortal Law of Axe minorly fused with World Law of Life! Before this concept, all would be cleaved and life would be birthed! From this life, the wielder could draw in this energy to restore their physical state, but s!

    Yan Zaizen punch was thrown at an incredible speed,pletely exceeding the swinging momentum of the axe, and before it could collide with Yan Zaizen¡¯s body, the lifeforce energy had already suffused into his fist that mmed heavily into Yun Baili¡¯s gigantic torso!

    With a hellish scream, the sound of shattering ribs, dislocation of organs, and obliteration of flesh resounded! Yun Baili was directly sent thousands of li like a mite without strings! The formation manifested by hispatriots were shattered by the concussive force of flesh meeting lifeforce energy infused flesh. The spirit armament had left his hands as the blow struck.

    With bright eyes, Yan Zaizen immediately seized this armament with no hesitation. As Yun Baili flew away, blood surged out of his mouth, ears, eyes, and nose!

    "Only one blow, tch." Yan Zaizenmented as he stood with a dissatisfied expression. Yun Baili was essentially all bark and no bite. He had a middle-tier bestowed dao, a Mortal Law of Axe-based Heavenly Shrine with four floors, and the support of other heavenly cultivators. Even still, he was far, far too slow.

    In the span of that one punch, Yan Zaizen had the capabilities follow up three more times before he was sent away.

    "Guess that settles it; I¡¯m around the peak fifth-floor in terms of strength?" He mused, looking a little satisfied. If he had this strength, how could Yu Shi even think about damaging his soul and body? With a single blow, he could send him on his way. Not to mention, he still had Sky Shatter.

    "Urgh..."The heavenly cultivators that supported Yun Baili felt disoriented as they were blown back, their organs dislocated, and their minds were shaken. The moment Yun Baili was struck, he lost consciousness, this left them forced to protect themselves from the aftershock.

    Observing this, Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes lit up. "I think it¡¯s time for spoils of war, it¡¯s only right!"

    He stepped forward with malicious intentions. But suddenly, directly in front of him, a spatial rift that was three hundred thousand meters in height formed!

 Chapter 218 Zhou Xiuhei, Xiuhei Sovereign

    With eyes that resembled two white sr suns, Yan Zaizen inspected the rift before him. It was three hundred thousand li in size. This alone caused his heart to tremble, but what really caused him to feel apprehension was the rift itself.

    When it was created, it was seamlessly done. There was no indication org between creation on one side and the other. Earlier, Yan Baili had halted the spatial rift of a cultivator with his heavenly might. They ripped a spatial rift from one side, entered the spatial void, tunnels through it, and creates a second rift as their exit point.

    This was the fundamental of how heavenly cultivators travel through the spatial void with simply their heavenly might. Even when he fought Guan Yin, entering her rift, this was the case. There are even cultivators who can hide in the spatial void, observing others closely, and remaining hidden.

    Yu Shi used this method.

    However, this rift waspletely and thoroughly sudden. However, no one exited immediately. This meant they were traveling from their creation point.

    "This is a rift created by a Heavenly Commander. Their heavenly might undergoes a qualitative change at the seventh-floor. Be careful." Pinaka warned, her voice was calm but there was a tinge of worry within.

    Initially, Yan Zaize was about to depart into chaotic space, but he felt his instincts whispering slightly. It was very faint, but it eluded to the possibility of benefits. When he recalled Lang Xue, he decided to stay. He understood that his sixth sense, his instinctual sense, was far greater than normal due to his Non-Entity characteristics.

    His senses weren¡¯t tainted by the reincarnation cycle or mortal dust, being as clear as 20/20 vision while others had eyes filled with dust and oil. This attributed to hisprehension into the heavens via his eighth sense. Furthermore, he was curious. However, he wasn¡¯tpletely stupid.

    When the sub-realm copsed, Yan Zaizen had forgotten about the spatialpass. The trans-spatial divinepass could transport someone to anywhere beneath the heavens. Pinaka had once warned him that it could lead to his death, thus he kept it at the back of his mind.

    Only after the event did he recall thepass. With this, even if a Heavenly Commander desired him to stay, they¡¯ll have to return home in defeat. That being said, he still felt unsure about thispass. He got a very, very odd feeling that using thispass will lead him to ny-nine paths of death and one point of life. If there was any other situation, he would rather not use it.

    From the gigantic spatial rift, a middle-aged man appeared. This man was handsome, having defined features that gave him near perfect masculine features, a well-sculpted physique with sleek and supple muscles, a set of violet eyes that seemed to contain a profoundw, and a robe with wide sleeves.

    He had his arms folded behind his back, his expression was calm with a faint smile of warmth on his face. However...there was one feature that could not be overlooked.

    He was nearly three hundred thousand meters tall!

    Besides his height, he had an ordinary bodily proportion. His aura was concealed, but Yan Zaizen could feel his soul, vital energy, and true-essence tremble in his presence.

    Inparison, Yan Zaizen was like an ant to a human, likely even smaller. He floated at his midsection, looking with his eyes of white suns, and readied with a clenched fist. For some odd reason, Yan Zaizen felt his body be excited, as if it had found something important or familiar.

    Whoosh!

    The moving of his violet eyes caused a sound that made Yan Zaizen startled. It was as if a storm of wind formted and disappeared in an instant. Those warm violet eyes looked down, focusing on Yan Zaizen¡¯s body.

    Then, he smiled.

    "?" With furrowed brows, Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t do anything in response. Instead, he continued appraising this tower of a man. However, he couldn¡¯t gather any other information. "Pinaka?"

    "...this man is a Heavenly Commander and a Royal Fiendgod," Pinaka stated, her voice sounded oddly cowed. She had a greater perceptive ability than Yan Zaizen when it came to analyzing or measuringws or cultivation bases.

    "Royal Fiendgod?"

    "A Royal Fiendgod is an existence at the bodily path that has reached the seventh-rank or higher. Their vital energy undergoes a qualitative evolution, awakening a unique bloodline belonging solely to them, outside of their race. This bloodline can be passed along to their descendants, until the ninth generation, unless another Royal Fiendgod is born," Pinaka exined thoroughly.

    The reason that bodily bloodlines were so rare had to do with this limitation. For example, Lycahs didn¡¯t have a racial bloodline, and there were quite a lot of humanoid races with the same fate. However, this didn¡¯t mean a Lycah couldn¡¯t be born with a physical bloodline.

    If their ancestor reached the rank-seven Fiendgod, they could develop a unique bloodline dubbed as a "Royal" Bloodline.

    As for heavenly bloodlines, they simply required a manifestation-level conceptualw with a true-essence cultivation base.

    Soul bloodlines were unique developments, typically rare mutations of the soul unconnected to race. However, after being birthed, they can be passed down to descendants, but the chances weren¡¯t certain.

    "I see." Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes squinted.

    "Greetings, young one." The middle-aged man conversed via soul transmission.

    Yan Zaizen could feel an impressive soul energy fluctuation from this. "Advanced Astral Soul Realm? This guy¡¯s cultivation bases are..."

    Seeing Yan Zaizen¡¯sck of response, the middle-aged giant only smiled a little more, "I am the Xiuhei Sovereign, Lord of Xiuhei Earthly Moon, Zhou Xiuhei."

    "This!" This time, Yan Zaizen truly felt shocked in heart and mind. In ordance with Lang Xue words, the three major forces in the Sirius Titan Realm, one of them was the Xiuhei Earthly Moon. An eighth-level heavenly-tier force!

    He recovered, his mind filled with questions, "My name¡¯s Yan Zaizen. Wanderer." As he didn¡¯t belong to any specific force, he didn¡¯t have any fancy titles or domains, so he was simply a wanderer.

    "Perfect. As you know the token, the one which you defended, it belongs to the Xiuhei force." He stated, but there didn¡¯t seem to be any forcefulness or dominance in his voice.

    "I see." Despite that, even if this man wanted the token, Yan Zaizen wasn¡¯t going to give it up.

    "No worries, the token is officially yours." Throwing a curveball, he didn¡¯t seem to desire the token; instead, he seemed to want something else. "I¡¯ll be direct, young one, I wish to offer you a position as a Guest Elder of the Xiuhei Earthly Moon."

    "What?" Skeptical, Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t immediately answer. He was leaning towards refusing, mostly because he didn¡¯t wish to ept anymitments. After all, his promise with Tao to travel the world was still in effect. Well, considering this, he may as well make some things clear.

    "I still n to travel the myriad realms."

    "As long as you check in using a transmission ry every ten thousand years, you can travel to anywhere beneath this heaven." Zhou Xiuhei, the Xiuhei Sovereign, answered smoothly.

    "I don¡¯t really like restrictions."

    "As long as you don¡¯t cripple or kill without justifiable reason, you have no other restriction."

    "I¡¯m quitezy."

    "There¡¯s no mission obligation or requirement to have a personal force. As long as you wish, you can stay independent."

    "...I¡¯m not cheap."

    "The per-millennia stipend for a Guest Elder is one hundred thousand heavenly drops, initiation pay is five hundred thousand heavenly drops."

    "What the-" his first thought was to curse. Wasn¡¯t this too great? Holy shit. "How many Guest Elders do you have?" He couldn¡¯t help but ask. No way this was sustainable if they had several thousand as most sects of a grand size.

    "One, you¡¯ll be our second."

    "...Authority?"

    "You¡¯ll have all authority of a Lower-tier Elder. The ability to use a realmship for appropriate travels, move a portion of forces of the Xiuhei Earthly Moon, and..."

    As he continued to detail the benefits, Yan Zaizen was startled. Was this any different than being an Elder? Why the need for the ¡¯guest¡¯?

    Despite this exchange seemingly taking a long time to describe, all of this happened in the time it takes for a breath of time.

    "Haaa...with all that, how could I say no? But I do have a question...why me?" If there was only one other Guest Elder, why did this major power personally arrive to give him an offer to join? Any high-ranking member could do so in his ce.

    "Because you and I travel the same path, the Herculean Path." His words flowed with a smoothness that left Yan Zaizen processing it for a bit.

    "WHAT?!"

 Chapter 219 Outlawed?!

    Yan Zaizen thoughts experienced an abrupt derailment. This obstructed period of thought, this state of mind which left one feeling nk, was immediately reced with astronomical levels of shock and a very deep, almost suspicious, light of excitement. It¡¯s been a very, very long time since he had experienced true tion.

    To him, Zhou Xiuhei¡¯s words didn¡¯t just reveal that he wasn¡¯t alone, but it revealed that there was someone who could answer his questions! There were so many questions he wished to ask that when he went to sent a soul transmission, the word iprehensible wouldn¡¯t do it justice.

    Witnessing this, the titanic Zhou Xiuhei smiled with a hint ofughter within. Towards this young Herculean, he actually felt quite close and rx, his usual demeanor settling elsewhere as a grandfather-like smile surfaced. This feeling was hard to describe, but it felt like an instinctual connection of race. It wasn¡¯t stupendously close, but it was sufficient enough where Yan Zaizen could be perceived as a true member of a younger generation.

    "You have quite a few questions, young one," Zhou Xiuhei transmitted, "first, let¡¯s move venue before further conversation." With that, he turned his body that was like a small and entered the spatial rift. The spatial rift maintained its position, awaiting Yan Zaizen¡¯s entry.

    "...Be careful," Pinaka warned. She understood that Yan Zaizen would enter this rift of unknown location, not because he was overly confident or reckless, but because there was a slight chance at gaining answers to questions. During his life, Yan Zaizen had many teachers, but since he truly stepped into the path of cultivation, the questions of his existence and abilities left him frustrated and relentless in seeking answers.

    "I will." With that, he canceled his Herculean Avatar Art, the lifeforce energy integrating into his physique, refining it and giving it further vibrancy. His vital energy usage had alreadypletely recovered, with his body undergoing another silent refinement of lifeforce energy. Soaring into the rift, he had deep anticipation well into his heart.

    On the other side of the rift, a room that could be the very definition of grand and wealthy was revealed. The room was huge, immensely huge. The height of which was about five li high, the width was twenty li, and the length of which exceeded two hundred li! It was titanic in size and structured, shaped oddly but a rather spacious area.

    The walls, floor tiles, and ceiling were constructed from white jade. Shimmering atop this was a faint gold-color that gave the feeling of the heavens itself. On each tile was a profound formation that seemed to be infinitelyplex, each possessing an individual Spirit Form handling the formation itself. This indicated that each tile was a sky-rank armament!

    The walls were adorned by paintings detailing epic stories. The paintings emitting a faint soul fluctuation that seemed to draw in one¡¯s senses to experience the story detailed in the painting. If a mortal were to look at these paintings, they may never be able to extricate themselves.

    There were thirty-three translucent pirs, all of which werepletely gold and truly resonated an aura of the heavens! It was as if the heavens itself was miniaturized and ced within each individual pir. Within these pirs, one could see heavenlyw liquid drops floating within. Each pir had thousands of drops idling floating about. If one looked closely, they could see a drop smaller than the others. This drop was slowly growing in size and aura, reachingpletion of a true heavenlyw liquid!

    The ceiling had a formation sorge andplex that it expanded the entire twenty li. This formation was currently inactive, but simply it being there left one feeling inconsequential before it.

    At the center of this room was a violet throne. The material that constructed it was most definitely a top-grade heavenly material! The aura it emanated left one feeling repressed and inferior.

    The spatial rift appeared before this throne. When he first saw it, his Mortal Dao surged within his body, removing that repressed and inferior feeling it instilled. However, when he felt the remnant effects of the throne, he reeled.

    "A Dao Treasure?!" Yan Zaizen was shocked. Pinaka had one said that, as a wielder of a Mortal Dao, a true dao, one could refine a treasure. Typically, this treasure would act as a medium for a formation or as the core of an armament. It had many uses, but those were the two mostmon ones. Unfortunately, bestowed daos could not produce their own Dao Treasure.

    What¡¯s even more marvelous was the remarkable characteristics of a Dao Treasure. If the wielder of the Dao Perishes, their Dao Treasure can remain. It can be an icon, an immortal and deified symbol, and enable those who¡¯ve been bestowed a dao to maintain it! Furthermore, while the user was alive, the Dao Treasure could bestow others their dao! If they were dead, their dao will perish when theirst follower dies - their Dao Treasure dissipating like mortal dust.

    The only issue was the difficulty in actually refining one. ording to Pinaka, the greater the Mortal Dao, the longer it takes to refine a Dao Treasure.

    Swish.

    A figure appeared before Yan Zaizen, his figure was dominant and elusive. It left one feeling a strange contradiction that felt wonderful yet frustrating in the heart.

    Zhou Xiuhei was no longer three hundred thousand meters in height. He stood at a two and a half meter height, being taller than Yan Zaizen by a few inches. His violet robe even shrunk as well, but his aura was still concealed. On his handsome, near perfect, masculine face was a soft smile at Yan Zaizen¡¯s child-like amusement. Others may not be able to tell Yan Zaizen¡¯s age due to his vibrant lifews, but how could he not?

    Not even two thousand years of age, yet possessing this abundant level of umtion, foundation, andprehensivebat prowess. It truly left one sighing in awe and praise.

    "This is the Xiuhei Titan Hall, my home." Zhou Xiuhei¡¯s calmly exined with normal speech, his eyes shing with a hint of an odd emotion that felt out-of-ce. Yan Zaizen furrowed his brows, but didn¡¯t ask about it. Instead, he responded, "Thank you to inviting me to your abode, Xiuhei Sovereign."

    Then, "Are you really a herculean?" Yan Zaizen wasn¡¯t one to do much in terms of formalities ormon speech-patterns. Instead, he was rather unruly and direct.

    "En." Zhou Xiuhei nodded. A trace of vital energy that Yan Zaizen had never one felt before fluctuated within Zhou Xiuhei¡¯s body. Profound inscriptions, violet in color, materialized onto his skin. It covered a majority of his body, but those inscriptions emanated a unique aura that Yan Zaizen could not be any more familiar with!

    "Herculean Avatar Art!" This was the single martial art, or to put it bluntly, Fiendgod-based art, described within the Immortal Herculean Method. However, as Yan Zaizen observed the inscriptions more thoroughly, his expression turned odd.

    Witnessing this, Zhou Xiuhei inwardly praised Yan Zaizen for his sharp perception. "I, much like you, have taken the Herculean Path. The path to exceed the heavens, to shatter the skies, but unfortunately, we divert on this path to different roads."

    "Different roads?" When those words were said, Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes brimmed with interest and excitement! To others, they may not understand this, but to him, he felt keenly aware.

    "You cultivate the way of Immortality, but I cultivate the way of Unshatterable. Your focus on existing in perpetuity, creating a body that can revive off a single drop of blood, using only a single trace of physical existence. My art, The Unbreakable Herculean Method, focuses upon reaching a point where even if the heavens shatter, even if the skies copses, it will not." Zhou Xiuhei had a profound smile with a tinge of leaking pride as he spoke.

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s horizons broaden greatly! Two methods, two absolutely heaven-defying physiques! One that can rebirth as long as a single trace of it exists, the other which can not be destroyed by any means! How profound, how grand, how godly were herculeans?!

    However, this only constituted its absolute peak.

    Despite this, he could imagine that Zhou Xiuhei must have a near impregnable body towards those at his cultivation. After all, with the Herculean Avatar Art, a martial art based around vital energy, the greater the vital energy, the greater the characteristic of the art.

    "Herculeans, what are they?" Yan Zaizen once more directly asked a question. He didn¡¯t idle about or linger but went to the point.

    Zhou Xiuhei¡¯s eyes flickered with a nearly imperceptible light. "Herculeans is a Path, much like the Essence, Heavenly, Fiendgod, Infernal Forger, True Spirit, or Bestial Paths. An elusive yet dominantw that constitutes something far grander than the heavens, something that exceeds races and species." When those words were spoken, Yan Zaizen detected something odd in the tone, but it was too fleeting and too indistinguishable that he couldn¡¯t grasp it.

    He felt curious as this subject seems to touch Zhou Xiuhei in ways that weren¡¯t normal. His eyes would flicker and his tone would undergo a subtle shift. Obviously, Yan Zaizen discovered he was establishing a calm front. However, he felt a little warmth. After all, if he was putting on a calm front, then he was also putting on a patient front. With this attitude, he was calmly and patiently willing to answer any questions Yan Zaizen may have.

    "Wait, True Spirit?" Suddenly, his thoughts lurched to that single word. It wasn¡¯t just him, but even Pinaka jumped at those words.

    True Spirit Path?!

    "Mhm," nodding, Zhou Xiuhei exined, "the True Spirit, Infernal Forger, and Herculean paths are ouwed within the Rebirth Heaven. If cultivated, the Rebirth Heaven¡¯s will shall enforce and eliminate all those in vition of its rules. That being said, being a wielder of a Mortal Dao, bestowed or true, will enable you to bypass this to some extent. Unfortunately, the Herculean Path is forbidden to even be conceived, dao or not." As he exined, Yan Zaizen felt even more confused. Ouwed by the Rebirth Heaven¡¯s will?

    Aware of Yan Zaizen¡¯s confusion, he continued, "You may have heard, there are thirty-three heavens beneath the Earths and the Skies. Each heaven has a ruler, this ruler is dered as a Heavenly God amongst cultivators. The previous ruler of our heaven, was the Chaos Origin Heavenly God, wielding both creation and destruction, he established an epting heaven. His regime ended with his death."

    "The Rebirth Era of the 27th Heaven was established from that day forth. The Infernal Forger and Herculean Paths, with a few others, were closed off. For those like myself, cultivating during the Chaos Era, they were unaffected, but to neers. They would be sentenced toplete destruction in body and soul by Heavenly Annihtion Light, as decreed by the Extreme Rebirth Heavenly God." With those words said, Zhou Xiuhei gaze towards Yan Zaizen grew noticeably softer.

    In this Era, for thest thirteen thousand years, not a single new herculean had been born. Now, Yan Zaizen stood before him as an Immortal Herculean! What should¡¯ve been impossible was in fact reality!

 Chapter 220 Ezekiel & The Myriad Paths!

    "27th Heaven? Chaos Era? Rebirth Era? Ouwed by the Extreme Rebirth Heavenly God?!" Yan Zaizen muttered and he felt his mind reel from this information. If before his horizons were slightly broadened, now he was truly enlightened. Shockingly, even Pinaka was shocked by this information. However, to her, what was important was that True Spirit was a path, and one that was ouwed by this heaven!

    What did that mean?

    Others may not know, but she clearly knew!

    If the True Spirit Path was included into standard Heavenly Law, integrated into the Heavenly Domain, then she could transition herself into a conventional soul! She could cultivate, she could develop a physical body, and enter the samsara cycle! She could truly and thoroughly exist, not as an artificial existence, but as a heavenly existence!

    If that¡¯s the case, then...Yan Zaizen¡¯s situation makes sense!

    Earlier, her knowledge wasn¡¯t nearly profound toe up with a conclusion regarding Yan Zaizen¡¯s unique circumstance. After all, he was a Spirit Form that became a conventional soul! Spirit Forms were like the Essence Path to the Heavenly Path, a precursor in preparation of. They weren¡¯t subjected by the same limitations, but Spirit Forms could not be modified into true souls, this was a heavenly rule! If a Spirit Form were to gain intelligence, the heavens would descend and eliminate it!

    Fortunately, it wasn¡¯t to the same degree as the Herculean and Infernal Forger Paths. They suffered tribtion, if they seed, then they can exist without the support of heavenlyw. But for those truly ouwed, they were subjected to Heaven Annihtion Light! Before it, none can survive.

    If Yan Zaizen¡¯s creator exceeded heavenlyw, then it was entirely possible for him to subject Yan Zaizen¡¯s soul by unique standards. An artificial soul may be artificial, but perhaps, at the very beginning, Yan Zaizen was a conventional soul with an artificial appearance. Thinking to here, she became excited.

    As for Yan Zaizen, his brows were furrowed. His thoughts weren¡¯t focused on his situation, but on a more pressing one. If the Herculean Path was subjected to Heaven Annihtion Light, then...shouldn¡¯t he be dead?

    "Unless..." His eyes lit up as he recalled the swirling ck hole. Could it be...this unfathomable ck hole devoured and consumed the punishment? If so! "Hehe." He snickered with a little pride.

    Zhou Xiuhei didn¡¯t understand why Yan Zaizen was snickering so suddenly, but he found it somewhat funny. He too had the question of how Yan Zaizen survived. Fortunately, many of the reasons why Yan Zaizen could¡¯ve survived would¡¯ve meant he wasn¡¯t capable of knowing how or even remembering. Therefore, he didn¡¯t ask or care.

    The present was all that held true value.

    "Continue with your questions," Zhou Xiuhei patiently said.

    Snapping out of his stupor, Yan Zaizen immediately barraged Zhou Xiuhei with many questions, mostly about the origins of Herculeans and deviation in methods.

    The origin of Herculeans actually originated from an existence that reached the Heavenly Ascension Realm, establishing and enforcing his personalw unto all known heavens. In this way, all races with the proper methods could cultivate it ording to universalw. This could not be stopped; it could only be impeded or dealt with harshly with punishment.

    The deviation of methods for the first three levels, the Nascent Herculean Physique, Grand Herculean Physique, and Celestial Herculean Physique. After which, thest two levels for him were the Rebirth Herculean Physique and Eternal Immortal Herculean. For Zhou Xiuhei, hisst two was the Hardened Sky Herculean Physique and Unbreakable Sky Herculean.

    The naming sense aligned with their roads. However, he discovered an almost ridiculous fact! Zhou Xiuhei, a Royal Fiendgod, a seventh-floor Heavenly Genesis expert dubbed as a Heavenly Commander, and aged in the hundreds of thousands of years in age was only at the third gate of the Celestial Gates - Gate of Sky Flesh!

    Yan Zaizen initial reaction was extremely intense that Zhou Xiuhei didn¡¯t know whether tough or cry. Was opening a Celestial Gate, a core restriction among ALL heavenlyw that was enforced onto all race and species of creation, soughably easy?

    However, when he learned that Yan Zaizen had already opened his first gate, Zhou Xiuhei, with his hundreds of thousands of years of experience felt his mind reel in shock. His expression visibly changed by such a notable degree that even a mortal could capture it. After, his expression was solemn.

    The conversation after was filled with Zhou Xiuhei¡¯s expression bing more and more solemn, disbelief surging into his face, then helplessness, then simply numbness. The conversation proceeded for several hours.

    "I think...that¡¯s it." Yan Zaizen awkwardly rubbed his nose. If there was ever a thing as too many questions, this could be called an example. He had probably asked ten thousand questions, that wasn¡¯t even counting the follow-up ones. However, Zhou Xiuhei didn¡¯t seem impatient maintaining his calm as he answered each as thoroughly andpletely as possible. If anything, appreciation would surge into his eyes from time to time in Yan Zaizen¡¯s thorough grasp in asking important and core questions that many would¡¯ve subconsciously avoided.

    "Now, I have a question, young one." Zhou Xiuhei¡¯s words perked Yan Zaizen¡¯s ears.

    "Go ahead," he had no qualms with Zhou Xiuhei, and even felt a warm inclination towards this middle-aged great grandpa. Whenever Yan Zaizen referred to Zhou Xiuhei in his mind, he would just rece his name with Grandpa Xiu.

    "What is your rtion with Ezekiel Zatanna Saintora?" A sh of light suffused within his violet pupils, but the intent was malicious, but more so concerned.

    "Ezekiel Zatanna Saintora?" Baffled, Yan Zaizen tried to connect the name in his memory. Besides a faint trace of familiarity that seemed both real and unreal at the same time, there was no one he knew by that name. "Who¡¯s that?"

    "..." Zhou Xiuhei sharp gaze caught all of Yan Zaizen¡¯s reactions, but he couldn¡¯t help but feel skeptical. He looked towards the ethereal sub-dimensional ring on Yan Zaizen¡¯s finger. This ring was something he was wholly familiar with. After all, he and Ezekiel, as well as the other top-tier experts on the realm, held a connection that couldn¡¯t be denied.

    The truth of the matter?

    "Ezekiel Zatanna Saintora. This name, you will most definitely hear of it one day, but it¡¯s also a person I think highly of. I bestowed the Immortal Herculean Method to him." Zhou Xiuhei was calm as he stated.

    "!!!" Yan Zaizen nearly eximed aloud in shock. Was this the person who was absorbed by the swirling ck hole? The owner of the sub-dimensional ethereal ring?! The owner of the Meteor Ring?

    "Who is he?" The sheer amount of curiosity caused this question to explode with anticipation. To him, Ezekiel was both his attempted murderer and greatest benefactor. It was due to him, due to their fate, that Yan Zaizen could stably walk his current path.

    "..." Zhou Xiuhei softly sighed. Yan Zaizen¡¯s genuine reaction of ignorance then surprise likely meant that something happened to Ezekiel. It¡¯s possible that Ezekiel had bestowed Yan Zaizen his sub-dimensional ethereal ring before death, leaving him his legacy and other materials. It exined why he had the Regalia of life and death in his possession.

    "Ezekiel Zatanna Saintora is..." a sh of remorseful light flickered in his gaze, "...was the direct descendant of the Chaos Origin Heavenly God. An extraordinary, heaven-defying talent that could¡¯ve rivaled or even exceeded his family¡¯s legacy. After the death of the Chaos Origin Heavenly God, Ezekiel had departed with his entire race, which was ouwed beneath the 27th Heaven of the Rebirth Era as decreed by the Extreme Rebirth Heavenly God."

    "A hundred or so years ago, he suffered an unfortunate, unforeseen incident; his fate unknown. Before then, he hade to steal an object from the ck Sirius Heavenly Commander - Syi, directly stealing from the White Sirius Heavenly God¡¯s Pce, and enraging his entire lineage. This object was an offering from the current Extreme Rebirth Heavenly God, a unique Regalia of Life and Death." His eyes gazed deeply into Yan Zaizen¡¯s as he exined.

    "..." He understood. Ezekiel had stolen the Regalia of Life and Death from this realm. As the possessor of a Herculean Physique with both of thesews refined into his body, he must¡¯ve had a direct connection with Ezekiel. After all, Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t have enough strength or backing to obtain a Regalia, let alone one from the current Heavenly God of the 27th Heaven!

    There was also something bothering him if that was the case.

    As if knowing his thoughts, Zhou Xiuhei said coolly, "As a Guest Elder of my Xiuhei Earthly Moon, no one in this realm shall dare touch you without my explicit permission."

    Feeling somewhatforted by this, he still became lost in his thoughts. A question popped into his head. This question kept itching at his brain. "...How strong was Ezekiel?"

    "...Ezekiel was a top-notch talent. Thest I saw him, his Heavenly cultivation base reached the sixth-floor. However, if you defined him by just this, you¡¯ll be sorely mistaken. Mastering two World Laws to the Sovereign-level, Creation and Destruction, including the Mortal Law of the Sword. He was also a quad-cultivator, cultivating in Heavenly, Fiendgod, Source Soul, and Origin Path." As he exined, his tone was filled with an inherent tone of respect.

    "Soul Source Path? Origin Path?" Yan Zaizen was startled for a second, but he recalled the first. The Soul Source Path must be the conventional soul path that relies on introspection and development of one¡¯s soul. As for the Origin Path, he wasn¡¯t sure.

    "Beneath the myriad heavens, paths are numerous and mysterious. The Origin Path is something even I can¡¯t properly exin, but it dealt with cultivating one¡¯s Origin Source and True Origin. Even to this day, I have yet to touch upon my True Origin. Even my Origin Source was only a tiny trace of it enhanced countless times by my own effort, but as for myplete Origin Source, I have yet to truly grasp it." He deeply sighed, understanding that the Dao had a close connection to one¡¯s origin.

    "This world truly is vast and awe-inspiring," Yan Zaizen marveled.

 Chapter 221 Generous Grandpa Xiu

    After their conversation, Yan Zaizen was situated in a cultivation abode. It was a luxurious sub-dimensional space, a tiny world with a sun, moon, and cycle that could support life itself. There were trees, herbs being grown, heavenly materials being born, mortals and cultivators alike inhabiting its space and more within this miniature world. Even the sky above carried numerous stars that shone with sparkling incandescent light. They were miniature worlds in a profound formation that enabled various miraculous characteristics to be born within this world.

    He stayed in a grand pce. This pce was extraordinary in design for living and cultivation. It was a location that was revered by the inhabitants and even Yan Zaizen was treated like a true king.

    There were hundreds of maids, workers, and attendants to handle any and all measures he wished. He even learned that there were actual cities and cultivation sects within this miniaturized world. It fascinated him to no end! It was close to a sub-realm, but still maintained the characteristics of a sub-dimensional space.

    He recalled his own sub-dimensional ethereal ring. Its total space exceeded the world before him and it could be thoroughly manipted ording to his will. The only difference was that this cultivation abode, this miniaturized world within a carved dimensional space, wasn¡¯t mobile. It was situated in a fixed location and couldn¡¯t be moved without the effort of powerful cultivators.

    "Will I be able to create a world of my own one day?" He muttered silently as he washed his body in Purity Core Water. It was a water-based heavenly material that could soothe hidden injuries and rx the body, cleansing it of any external and internal impurities slowly. It reminded him of his conceptualw of the soul, but it rted purely towards the body and essence.

    Tao and Bai Lufeng were also nearby, soaking with him in the water. As they bathed in this ratherrge pool, they all had varying expressions.

    They had bared witness to the entire exchange from Yan Zaizen¡¯s perspective. In truth, there were times that Tao asked questions which Yan Zaizen would ry. This was actually quite frequent. Yan Zaizen was developing his intelligence, but Zhou Xiuhei¡¯s praise was wrongly given. If it wasn¡¯t for Tao¡¯s constant nagging of questions, Yan Zaizen would¡¯ve probably just asked a few of his most wanted questions and left it at that.

    "The myriad realms is just the tip of the iceberg. No matter, we¡¯ll explore it all, then onto the thirty-three heavens and beyond," Tao casuallymented with a thoroughly rxed expression on his face. If someone saw this self-satisfied expression with his words, they may desire to deliver a few ps. Bai Lufeng had the strangest of urges to do so.

    Yan Zaizen decided to ignore them. His thoughts lost in his own mind, "My Essence, Soul Source, and Fiendgod cultivation base is far too underwhelming. I haven¡¯t even touched upon the Heavenly Path. If it wasn¡¯t for my Herculean cultivation base, would I be a minor character?"

    "What about Ezekiel? Is that what a true genius is?" He helplessly sighed. The world had expanded to the point that he felt inconsequentially small. If it wasn¡¯t for this mysterious ck hole, would he even have what he did? Would he even be alive? As he recalled all this, he lowered his head.

    "You¡¯re barely two thousand years old. You¡¯veprehended an Imperial Law, opened the first Celestial Gate in the Herculean Path, reached the Astral Soul Realm, if you¡¯re not a true genius, then who is?" Pinaka chuckled, her tone carefree and rxed. For once in her life, her dream of bing an actual existence was alive. All she needed to do was grasp it and wrench this opportunity, this once illusory dream, to her! She had absolute confidence in Yan Zaizen being able to do so.

    Comforted by her words, he nodded slightly, "Grandpa Xiu said this token is a part of the Earthly Beginning, Heavenly End trial set up by the White Sirius Heavenly Monarch." As he said this, a token shaped like a coin appeared in his palm. This was the ¡¯Xiuhei - Heaven¡¯ token given to him by Ma Xiuren!

    Earlier, he learned about this token. It was a key for a male to enter the trial, the Heavenly End trial. Every ten thousand or so years, all the Heavenly Commanders would perform a ritual to produce four tokens. Then, they select a candidate of females and the token will be randomly selected to one of these females. Unfortunately, the candidates were in millions in number, thus it was difficult to purposefully manipte the trial.

    The female would then be able to choose three other individuals. They can either keep the female Heaven or Earth tokens. If so, they must give the other three to others. Due to an agreement, typically, those who are selected must keep the token within their possession to participate in the trial. Those of weaker forces were incapable of doing so. Those of stronger forces sent their elites quite consistently.

    "Did she want me to participate in the trial?" He couldn¡¯t help but think. After all, Zhou Xiuhei exined that at the start of the trial, whoever possessed the token would be transported to the trial grounds. As long as they were within this heaven, this was something they couldn¡¯t escape. If they threw it away, the nearest eligible individual would be selected.

    "Haaa..." A deep sighter, he closed his eyes and let his worries wash away with the impurities built up within his meridians, pathways, and dantian. Slowly, he was dozing off. With each passing second, the urge to enter deep sleep was encapsting his mind.

    "Young one." A voice that seemed to originate from a warm grandpa resounded within Yan Zaizen¡¯s soul.

    However, Yan Zaizen in response, only swatted the air randomly as if to rid himself of a pest. He turned slightly to his side, murmuring something indiscernible.

    "Young one!" The voice resounded one more, but louder this time.

    "Mphrm!" Yan Zaizen swatted both of his hands, causing both Bai Lufeng and Tao to notice and feel awkward. Yan Zaizen was a grown man, a cultivator no less, and yet he was tumbling in a state of half-sleep like a child. They assumed they were talking too loudly and started to send soul transmissions. After all, Yan Zaizen was their Young Lord and brother, if he wanted silence, they would honor it.

    "YOUNG ONE!" The voice¡¯s tone this time seemed to contain a bit of impatience.

    "WHAT!?!" Yan Zaizen thunderously shouted. The room trembled and both Tao and Bai Lufeng shivered. Tao almost instinctively went into the fetal position, recalling his memories within Presba. When Yan Zaizen had released an awe-inspiring aura that caused his soul to quake with inferiority. Now, as if reopening a deep scar, Tao performed a simr action.

    Only when he was half-bundled up did he realize his actions. He lightly coughed, straightening himself off and exerted his cultivation base to appear more stable than before. As for Bai Lufeng, his soul had been thoroughly mended and his psyche was far too sturdy to be affected by such an old feeling; therefore, he only raised his brows at Yan Zaizen but said nothing else.

    "..." Yan Zaizen was enraged, looking around with a tinge of madness in his eyes. You know how difficult it was for cultivators to go into a natural state of sleep?! Tiredness wasn¡¯t even a thing for them. In truth, by the Essence Formation Realm, sleep had already been rendered moot!

    Whoosh!

    A rift about his size appeared above Yan Zaizen. Startled, Yan Zaizen was about to take action before he was whisked into it without the ability to resist. He didn¡¯t even have time to scream!

    Bai Lufeng and Tao watched this and started to panic. However, they realized that couldn¡¯t do anything with their current cultivations. They couldn¡¯t even exit the sub-dimensional space without external help. They were helpless; wishing only for the best for Yan Zaizen.

    Half-naked and slightly frustrated, Yan Zaizen appeared in the Xiuhei Titan Hall. When he did, he saw a violet robed man, middle-aged in appearance, and dashingly handsome standing before him a mere meter away. In his eyes was calm, but the usually soft warmth had a little impatience within.

    Coughing in embarrassment, Yan Zaizen got up, "Greetings, Grandpa Xiu." Inadvertently, he had called Zhou Xiuhei, the Xiuhei Sovereign of the Sirius Titan Realm, by the name he kept mentioning in his mind.

    Zhou Xiuhei¡¯s brow twitched slightly, but he didn¡¯t mention it. If it was anyone else, even if they were rted to him, they would likely be ced into a ten thousand year detention for addressing him as such. However, when Zhou Xiuhei looked at Yan Zaizen, he couldn¡¯t help but feel connected to him in a profoundly intricate but subtle way.

    "Here," he threw a small, square-shaped, grey box towards Yan Zaizen. It hovered just mere inches from his chest. Looking at this box, Yan Zaizen was curious. He tried sending his spiritual sense and qi-sense to discover the contents of the box but was left without an answer.

    "This box has a pseudo-Heavenly Dimension within. You can refine it into your dantian, it¡¯ll be able to act as a substitute heavenly shrine until you develop your own. If you merge it into your heavenly shrine, you can erge your personal heavenly dimension. Within this box is a pill, a high-grade heavenly pill named the Essence Heaven Heart Pill." Zhou Xiuhei exined.

    Yan Zaizen was thoroughly shocked. In the cultivation world, heavenly-tier pills were divided into four grades: low, mid, high, and top. Each represented different uses, but the highest it goes, the greater its value. The Seventh State Earth Pill was only a low-grade heaven-tier pill.

    Low-grade, heaven-tier pills were useful forte-True Essence Realm to Crimson Star, but only strictly for the Essence Path. For different paths, they had different effects, but essentially, they helped produce Fiendgods, vital energy practitioners who rival the Heavenly Genesis Realm and supported one¡¯s ascension to the Astral Soul Realm, such as the Seventh State Earth Pill.

    Mid-grade, heaven-tier pills were useful for early-stage Heavenly Genesis cultivators, rank-one to three Fiendgods, and true Astral Soul Realm cultivators. High-grade, heaven-tier pills used for middle-stage Heavenly Genesis cultivators and rank-four to six Fiendgods. Top-grade, heaven-tier pills used for upper-stage Heavenly Genesis cultivators and rank-seven to nine Fiendgods.

    The Essence Heaven Heart Pill was a high-grade, heaven-tier pill that could help stabilize their foundation, improve their cultivation by leaps and freaking bounds, and develop one¡¯s Crimson Star! If it wasn¡¯t for its uses being utilized for lower-realm practitioners, it would be ridiculously expensive. That being said, it still was insanely expensive!

    "Your cultivation is hindered by the heavenlyw liquid you¡¯ve infused into your meridians. Because of this, your true-essence standard is far, far too high. In truth, you could be considered as having a perfect foundation in the Essence Path, but an incredibly difficult road to ascend. This should help you take that final step, reaching for the Heavenly Path in a single leap." Zhou Xiuhei patiently exined.

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes lit up like a sun! He knew there was a reason his cultivation was progressing too slowly, after all, his true-essence was incredibly strong, but he simply couldn¡¯t ascend. If onepared his true-essence to cultivators of his same stage, then he was hundreds, if not thousands of times greater than them. That being said, a first-floor Heavenly Genesis cultivator true-essence was still hundreds of thousands of times stronger than a peak-True Essence cultivator.

    When one reaches the fourth-floor, heavenly-infused true-essence evolves once more bing heavenly might! After reaching the Heavenly Commander level, their heavenly might is infused with genuine, heavenly essence! As they ascend to be a Heavenly Monarch, a cultivator at the Heavenly Creation Realm, their entire cultivation base is established with heavenly essence!

    Zhou Xiuhei saw Yan Zaizen excited expression and the tiny bit of impatience in his eyes dissipated like a me in cold wind, "Your first initial stipend is in there as well. Five hundred thousand heavenly drops. Your Guest Elder Token, spatial talisman devised by a seventh-floor spatial-attributed Heavenly Genesis cultivator, and an offensive talisman. If you crush it, you can unleash something equivalent to a casual blow from me." With that, he opened a rift before them.

    Yan Zaizen was still marveling as he grasped the small box into his hand like a treasure. To him, he only heard ¡¯five hundred thousand heavenly drops¡¯ and all else faded into the null. In one ear, out the other, but those words lingered forever! Before he knew it, he was sent back through the rift and reappeared in the sub-dimensional world; specifically, he was sent back to the pool.

    SPLASH!

    As he sshed into the water, causing Bai Lufeng and Tao to be overwhelmed by the wave, choking and wading the water away. Unfortunately, it was a heaven-grade material making it extremely difficult to resist. They were like ordinary mortals sshed with a ton of water, nearly drowning.

    Yan Zaizen ignored the two as they choked and gasped for breath, his mind filled with simply two words: "I¡¯m RICH!"

    ----------

    [Author¡¯s Note]: A brief break in preparation for the future and moving forward:

    After the 24th Chapter of this Week, from July 30th to August 1st, we¡¯ll be taking a very short three-day break in preparations of some changes! Our schedule for the week will also shift. Seven/Weekly, but more bonus chapters! These bonus chapters weekly may even, and oftentimes, exceed 16/Weekly.

    Don¡¯t be too scared! This is almost certainly a good thing in the long run, just only a defined schedule for seven chapters - 9 AM PST.

 Chapter 222 Crimson Star Realm, Secondary Dantian

    Yan Zaizen sat in the lotus position, his eyes closed, and his blood emitting a faint throbbing sound that echoed outwards. His current room was filled with dense, pure atmospheric essence. It was so incredibly thick that any Essence Formation Cultivator could leap from the early-stage to the peak-stage with a single hour of cultivation. Not only was it thick to the point that it appeared to be smoky wisps, but it was also incredibly pure. It held a translucent quality that seemed to be untainted by the world¡¯s natural taint.

    The room wasn¡¯trge; it was cubic-shaped and one hundred meters in area. The walls were made of white jade with a faint golden glow, very simr to Zhou Xiuhei¡¯s Xiuhei Titan Hall.

    "Hwooo!" Yan Zaizen inhaled. His quad-lungs expanded as a vast quantity of thick and pure essence was siphoned into it. Within a single breath, the entirety of the room¡¯s atmospheric essence was directly consumed. This essence wasn¡¯t converted into deathly energy but instead was diverted en route to the lungs. The essence funneled into his meridians and dantian via his qi pathways.

    His physique assimted the essence into his heavenly-tempered meridians, converting the essence into true-essence infused with a hint of heavenly aura. This true-essence surged into his qi-pathways, his dantian, and refunneled into his meridians. With each rotation, the true-essence would dwindle in quantity as it would be used to refine these three critical areas.

    He could feel his cultivation base strengthened by a tiny amount. His dantian and qi-pathways were not as bad, but his meridians were infinitely difficult to enhance. With this level of thick essence, any standard mid-True Essence cultivator would¡¯ve reached the peak of the mid orte-stage by now. Unfortunately for him, his cultivation was thousands of times more difficult.

    "Grandpa Xiu was correct," helplessly eximing, he felt conflicted in his heart. Who would¡¯ve thought that having TOO good of a foundation would be detrimental. It was truly mind-boggling. Pinaka would often call it ¡¯perfect cultivation¡¯ problems in jest. Disregarding her need to joke, it truly was as she said. Yan Zaizen¡¯s foundation was simply too solid.

    If hepared his expelling speed to others, his qi-pathways could amodate near-instantaneous gathering and release. If hepared his true-essence reserves in his dantian, it exceeded other cultivators of simr realm by hundreds. If hepared his conversion speed, processing speed, or stability of true-essence eruption, his far, far exceeded others at the same cultivation realm.

    He withdrew a small, grey box from the Meteor Ring. With a wave of his hand, a pill bottle was withdrawn from within. In this pill bottle, a nearly translucent pill with enlivened essence surged within. A slight throbbing surged from the pill in a rhythmic manner. "Essence Heaven Heart Pill!" With bright eyes, he didn¡¯t hesitate. With a motion, the pill directly entered his mouth and into his dantian.

    It stayed solidly within his dantian, slowly throbbing and emitting a faint heavenly aura that caused even Yan Zaizen to tremble slightly. As the aura was directly in his body, he couldn¡¯t help but do so.

    "Haaaa!" He exhaled his previous inhaled breath. As he did, the Essence Heaven Heart Pill rotated with the ferocity of a high-speed cyclone. It spun so quickly that the shape of the pill no longer existed. It was now a translucent tornado. With each spin, wisps of its medicinal efficacy were assimted into his dantian, which traveled through his paths, which reached his meridians, which continued its travel back towards the tornado.

    With each rotation, he could feel his cultivation rise rapidly.

    Truly RAPIDLY!!

    In two seconds, he had already reached thete-True Essence Realm! His body underwent the minor evolution in such a short period of time. Before it could stabilize, ten seconds passed. His essence cultivation bodily system reached its absolute limits! It could evolve no longer, undergoing onest change as his meridians were smooth like the surface of a pearl. His dantian¡¯s walls were toughened to its limits and his pathways were like thick, fleshy veins that carried immense amounts of blood without strain.

    "This pill!" Yan Zaizen eximed in euphoria. When one¡¯s cultivation makes a breakthrough, the feeling was as grand as losing your first time to a top-beauty - not like Yan Zaizen would know, but all the same.

    "Don¡¯t lose yourself in cultivation," Pinaka¡¯s voice softly warned from his soul. She was like an ever-vignt guardian standing by to prevent any hints of cultivation deviation or cultivation ecstasy. Thetter was particrly malicious.

    When breaking through, a person would experience a great pleasure that they could easily lose themselves to. If they do, their cultivation would no longer be controlled by themselves in an appropriate manner, often overdoing their cultivation which leads to injuries or even death! However, this death would be sudden and one would still be in pleasure during which!

    "En." Nodding, he refocused his priorities. Recalling the cultivation method for the Essence Path, he aimed at his next goal: Crimson Star Realm!

    In the Essence Path, there was Nine Realms - Six Core & Three Foundational. The realms were Qi Foundation, Qi Cyclone, Essence Formation, Dantian Refinement, Pathway Expansion, Origin Core, True Essence, and Crimson Star.

    Dantian Refinement, Pathway Expansion, and Crimson Star Realms were foundational realms and thus optional! In the myriad realms, specifically realms like Xiantu Realm or Deluge Realm, the average cultivator skips the Dantian Refinement, Pathway Expansion, and Crimson Star. Due to the fact they didn¡¯t directly enhance one¡¯s lifespan and took up a considerable amount of resources and time, they were often foregone for a quicker cultivation increase.

    However, as the level of realm continues to rise, this standard heavily changes. In the Sirius Titan Realm, the Dantian Refinement and Pathway Expansion were essentially foregone conclusions, the vast majority, even the ordinary cultivators, reached the peak-stage in both. Resources were far, far more abundant and the atmospheric essence was denser in quality, producing an easier time to cultivate.

    The Crimson Star Realm is an anomaly, however.

    Even in the Sirius Titan Realm, it is often foregone by even above average cultivators! There is one simple reason for this: difficulty.

    The concept of the Crimson Star Realm is the evolution and refinement of one¡¯s actual heart into a dantian! In the Essence Pathway, your three critical points - Dantian, Pathways, and Meridians - were often segregated from the rest of the body normal¡¯s system. This realm closes that bridge immediately. No longer will your entire body only receive faint refinement of essence through proximity but through actual refinement!

    The Six Yang & Five Yin Organs would bepletely interconnected via the heart like a secondary qi-pathway. Your entire body, at this point, bes a reserve of true-essence! If the dantian, a small central location in the upper-navel could hold a profound amount of true-essence, one could imagine what would happen if an entire body was turned into a dantian!

    "To evolve one¡¯s heart, you¡¯ll first have to construct an embryonic dantian within the core of it!" In the Qi Foundation Realm, one undergoes the awakening of their natural embryonic dantian, interconnecting it with their awakened meridians and pathways to produce qi.

    The Essence Heaven Heart Pill was specifically designed to help produce one¡¯s embryonic dantian within the core of the heart! As for the rest, that depended solely on yourself.

    The Essence Heaven Heart Pill continued to rotate rapidly as a tornado, a faint throbbing wisp of energy was extracted and sent into his heart. If it was anyone else¡¯s heart, this could very well severely damage the heart, and in truth, Yan Zaizen wasn¡¯t an exception! The difficulty of this realm had to do with the delicateness of the heart. After all, if a True Essence Realm expert had their heart destroyed, they would instantly die.

    The same was true for even Heavenly Genesis Cultivators! Even Fiendgods was not an exception! They may be able to use their heavenly might or vital energy to shroud and protect their hearts, but nothing more. Unless one¡¯s soul cultivation reached the Astral Soul Realm, they couldn¡¯t project their souls outside their bodies and their deaths were essentially sealed.

    Unfortunately, if soul cultivation isn¡¯t your path, then protecting your astral soul was as same as using paper to shield you from the rain - pointless!

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s heart was deeplycerated by the wisp of energy. Normally, thisceration would¡¯ve caused him to spew up blood and use his vital energy or true-essence to heal or patch up his heart. After, he¡¯ll restart when he fully heals his heart.

    However, Yan Zaizen was different!!!

    The moment the wisp sliced Yan Zaizen¡¯s heart during insertion, it immediately healed in less than the time it took for mortals to blink.

    "Huh?!" Shocked, Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes lit up. To others, the heart was a precious location that could instantly led to death, but Yan Zaizen¡¯s heart was actually destroyed! In the Asura Phantom Realm, his heart was ripped to literal shreds, yet he was still here.

    The one and only reason for this: his heart was refined and was essentially the embodiment of aw of life! Unless it was destroyed all at once, it would unyieldingly hold on against the heavens itself!

    Yan Zaizen immediately sped up the embryonic creation process. His heart wascerated nearly a million times. If anyone else took this line of action, their fates would¡¯ve been sealed, but Yan Zaizen onlyughed with tion and ecstasy! By this point, the embryonic dantian core was situated within his bright, white and fleshy heart. This heart faintly had a sky-blue aura, releasing subtle soul fluctuations.

    "EVOLVE!" Yan Zaizen thunderously roared, his true-essence in his bodypletely and thoroughly funneled into his heart. Normally, after the formation of the embryonic dantian core, they would slowly and steadily integrate their true-essence to undergo the proper evolutionary phase, but Yan Zaizen threw away all this needless caution. After all, he was an Immortal Herculean! He suspected, even without his unique heart, he could still do this easily!

    Time passed. In three days, Yan Zaizen¡¯s heart had been pummeled and smashed by powerful energy, but never did his heart relent in its healing. With every cut, it¡¯ll heal that cut. With every explosion of the aorta, it¡¯ll heal an aorta!

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s heart was now fundamentally different. Unlike normal hearts, mes emitted from the surface of his heart like an actual sun. It was confined but exceptionally powerful! This was true-essence. With each pump, true-essence would circte through his fleshy body, filling his body with ample amounts and refining his body with each and every pump.

    Not only that, his true-essence no longer was unattributed at its core! It was bright white with a faint trace of sky-blue! Normally, cultivators would pursue an attribute with their true-essence, such as Shin Xuanji¡¯s blood qi or Yao Wuhen¡¯s water-attributed true-essence. However, Yan Zaizen¡¯s true-essence had alwayscked any distinctive attribute. This became a moot point after his bloodline enabled him to shift to any attribute, but it stillcked a true core-attribute!

    Now, this core was filled.

    "Hwooo! Haaaa!" Inhaling and exhaling, Yan Zaizen felt enlivened. His entire body radiated true-essence. He felt that if he erupted with his true-essencepletely, perhaps he could rival a Heavenly Genesis Cultivator!

    "Peak-Crimson Star Realm? Hmph, wasn¡¯t that difficult." As he said that, he felt like an unnatural amount of cultivators within the myriad realms had their eyebrows twitch in irritation. Chuckling awkwardly, he stood up. With a quick stretch of his body, his eyes lit up.

    "The Crimson Star Realm is a foundational realm, but it is profoundly important! If you reach the seventh-floor of the Heavenly Genesis Realm, you¡¯ll develop a hint of heavenly essence! The Crimson Star will allow you to refine your body with heavenly essence, allowing you to be closer and closer to the heavens! The benefits are inestimable, especially when you attempt to produce your own heaven during the Heavenly Creation Realm!" Pinaka¡¯s voice was filled with excitement at Yan Zaizen¡¯s sess.

    "Mhm." He merely nodded. The benefits for any of the foundational realms were not small, this was obvious. Unfortunately, for those who reach the Heavenly Genesis Realm and develop heavenly might, they would be simply unable to refine their hearts without instantly killing themselves. After all, a wisp of true-essence was thousands of times weaker than a trace of heavenly might or aura.

 Chapter 223 Unfathomable Non-Entity, Sudden Inspiration!

    Yan Zaizen recalled Zhou Xiuhei¡¯s words: "The Herculean Path and Fiendgod Path is intrinsically different but silently linked. Unfortunately, they are, at the end of the day, different paths beneath the Earths and Skies. One cultivates the fleshy body to maximum potential; the other cultivates the energy stored within one¡¯s cells. This allows the body to undergo changes, even develop a bloodline based on your species, race, cultivation method, and vital energy qualities."

    "To cultivate the Fiendgod Path, you¡¯ll need to find a method suitable for you. Your physique may increase in strength, but your vital energy won¡¯t move an inch from the Herculean Path henceforth. However, your vital energy is crucial for the one Fiendgod-type martial arts we possess - Herculean Avatar Art. The greater your vital energy, the greater your refined regalia¡¯s potential."

    Those words originally left him despondent. After all, his Fiendgod cultivation only reached the second rank. His initial assumption of using heavenly drops to enhance his vital energy was immediately rejected by Zhou Xiuhei. If he integrated too much heavenlyw energy into his body, he¡¯ll slowly assimte into the heaven itself. For Heavenly Cultivators, the heavenlyw liquid is used in their heavenly shrines as a power cell, not to refine their bodies. After all, heavenlyw liquid was essentially the heaven¡¯s true atmospheric essence in its purest form.

    "You should wait till you find an appropriate Fiendgod cultivation method," Pinaka suggested. Agreeing, he put this matter to the back of his mind. Focusing on this wouldn¡¯t do any good.

    "I need space and time-attributed heavenly material..." As he murmured, he realized that he currently reached the requirements for the Heavenly Genesis Realm. A Mortal Dao, bestowed or true, minor-Manifestation level in aw, and peak-True Essence cultivation base. Finally, he could take a step into the heavenly path!

    "Young one," A voice once more resounded in his soul, causing Yan Zaizen to jump slightly. This old man truly didn¡¯t have any qualms with sending sudden soul transmissions. In truth, Yan Zaizen wasn¡¯t used to this type ofmunication. If he soul transmitted, it would be him towards others and not the other way around. Or, he would expect it like in the Deluge Realm.

    "Yes, Grandpa Xiu?" Yan Zaizen decisively decided to address Zhou Xiuhei as this and only this. Since that day at the pool, he couldn¡¯t sleep naturally no matter how hard he tried. He was inwardly pissed at him for halting his sleep, but he didn¡¯t dare to show it. His tone was honest and genuine whenever he addressed the Xiuhei Sovereign as such, leaving no qualms or issues that could be said.

    "...The Earthly Beginning and Heavenly End trials willmence shortly. I¡¯ll be bringing you to a gathering to meet the other participants." His words were swiftly said and the soul transmission abruptly severed. A spatial rift abruptly appeared above Yan Zaizen¡¯s head not even a millisecondter. Yan Zaizen¡¯s pupils constricted as he was helplessly drawn into the rift. He didn¡¯t know whether tough or cry, but he knew this grandpa hated being called such.

    With a cold ¡¯hmph¡¯, he decided that for as long as he lived, he¡¯ll address Zhou Xiuhei as Grandpa Xiu!

    His spatial void travels were brief. Within a second, he was brought to the end of the rift by an unfathomable heavenly might. He arrived directly outside a building. He looked at the sky, only to find that there were nine miniature suns and nine miniature moons floating about in an odd and rapid pattern. The movement of was so fast that he could see them gradually move despite the immense distance.

    Inspecting his front, he noticed that the building had the decor of an Imperial Hall. The artichoke roofs were dazzling gold, revealing a stifling, nearly awe-inspiring degree of heavenly aura. The columns were silver with gold characters. These characters were decorative and they weren¡¯t in a formation or were an inscription, they instead emanated heavenlyws of varying types.

    He could see a gold ¡¯fire¡¯ character flicker like a me. As he stared at it, he felt somewhat hot. The ¡¯earth¡¯ character gave him a sense of immense power and boundlessness that could house all. Each character depicted a World Law, not Mortal Laws. This left him feeling amazed.

    To write such characters, one needed to be able to reach the domain-level at least! To the Sirius Titan Realm, this may be a small matter, but it still affected Yan Zaizen deeply. Atop the roofs were floating characters, there was two that were of simr size but also had very, very different auras.

    The first character that drew his attention seemed to contain an unfettered ferocity bymon conventions. It was the ¡¯Sirius¡¯ character. It felt feral and vicious, but also elusive and profound. A top predator beneath the heavens!

    "Aw? But...it feels different..." Yan Zaizen was startled as he saw this character, even Pinaka was startled seeing this character. As if knowing his thoughts, a voice transmitted into his soul from somewhere unknown, "The Sirius Law is the personal, definedw of the White Sirius Heavenly Monarch. He established his own minor heaven, created his ownw, and cultivated it thoroughly! Unfortunately, thisw was brief and incapable of bing eternal like the True Spirit or Herculean Paths. If he seeded, the Sirius Law could be a truew epted by any heaven willing! If he ascends the heaven itself in his cultivation, it could be an eternal path."

    Zhou Xiuhei¡¯s voice caused Yan Zaizen¡¯s soul to tremble. Is that how True Spirit and Herculean Paths were established? Someone at the level of a Heavenly Creation Realm established their ownws? Then, they established their own paths! To ascend the heavens, to exceed the heavens, the Heavenly Ascension Realm!

    He now understood why the Herculean Path continued to speak about exceeding the heavens and shattering the skies. The creator of this path exceeded the heavens. None beneath heavens could reject his path, only ouw it!

    After settling his emotions, he turned towards the second character. It gave a profoundly familiar feeling. The moment Yan Zaizen looked at it, his eyes turned exceptionally cloudy and indistinct. Two lights, one inky, ck and one bright, white surged into his two pupils separately. Deep within his soul, the avatar for the Siphoning Shadow of Death and Unyielding me of Life flickered and abruptly vanished.

    Zhou Xiuhei¡¯s words continued, "the second character belongs to the current Heavenly God of the Rebirth Era, the Extreme Rebirth Heavenly God. It is a sign of respect towards this true hegemon of the 27th heaven." However, his words were lost to Yan Zaizen. He had been drowned in a state of inspiration.

    A split secondter, his two eyes that were originally one ck and one white surged. They flickered and converged. Within his gaze, two colors fought viciously for supremacy, but when one got the upperhand, the other weakened suddenly to near nothingness. The weakest one at its weakest state would flicker, vanishing from existence for a split second and then reappearing.

    When it did, it grew ever stronger until it could overpower the other light. This continued in an ending cycle of defeat and victory.

    Pzzt!

    A sound like buzzing resounded from Yan Zaizen¡¯s soul. This was a sound even Pinaka could not hear nor Zhou Xiuhei. When it ended, Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes were no longer contained just a single color. Instead, his pupils were a whirlpool of clearly defined inky ck and bright white.

    This ended as quickly as it appeared.

    Yan Zaizen woke from his earlier state. When he did, his expression was exceptionally odd, almost ugly to the extreme. It was as if someone had just fed him feces.

    "This!" Pinaka¡¯s startled voice resounded.

    Yan Zaizen deeply groaned. This wasn¡¯t a good sensation, regardless of what came from it! It felt like he lost control of his mind, soul, and existence for a brief period. He had felt this sensation once before in the Deluge Realm; it was called sudden inspiration. Heprehended the World Law of Water, Aqua Sr Sphere. At that time, he was just as bitter, if not even more so.

    It was as if his mind, soul, and body were no longer his. As if he was a puppet to the heavens and it felt disgusting. For someone who was an artificial soul, he disliked having his actions and thoughts controlled by some unknown force.

    "You...did you just...?" Pinaka was curious but in her voice was a faint trace of extreme tion.

    "Haaa...Extreme Cycle of Rebirth, Imperial Law of Rebirth." As he helplessly confirmed, he shifted his senses to his soul form. Within it, an avatar representing the Extreme Cycle of Rebirth appeared. A ck and white set of shadowy mes circled around each other like a Taiji diagram. They both fiercely fought to assimte the other, but to no end, forever being interlocked in a battle of eternity that could and shall never be broken! They represented perfect and extreme bnce.

    When Zhou Xiuhei mentioned that the Extreme Rebirth Heavenly God had given the White Sirius Heavenly Monarch a regalia of life and death, he felt this would happen sooner orter.

    He just didn¡¯t think it would happen so unexpectedly.

    What truly infuriated him was the inability to visit the Imperial Heavenly Domain once more. The more he visited, the greater he felt hisprehension of the heavens inner workings increased, but to have that robbed from him left a bitter taste in his mouth.

    "Wait..." Yan Zaizen was startled as he looked into the Extreme Cycle of Rebirth Avatar. Its level wasn¡¯t at the force-level, instead...it was at the perfect-Manifestation level. "How...?"

    In confusion, he briefly pondered. He made a conjecture; the heavenlyws leaned towards the Imperial Law of Rebirth.

    In truth, he was half right. It was suited for the Imperial Law of Rebirth, but thew of life and death actually had a far, far better advantage. After all, the Extreme Rebirth Heavenly God didn¡¯t establish his reign over this heaven using Imperial Law of Rebirth, but with Life and Death. This just led to Rebirth, abination of the two World Laws, being abundantly greater. As for the rest?

    Yan Zaizen was a Non-Entity! No other description needed to be said.

    "Enter." Zhou Xiuhei¡¯s voice resounded calmly in Yan Zaizen¡¯s soul.

    He truly felt conflicted, but he didn¡¯t continue to ponder and strode towards the entrance of this Imperial Hall. He realized that Zhou Xiuhei had purposefully sent him outside to have him get a sense of location and grandness it possesses. After all, he was currently seated atop a high table with nine other figures. Beneath them were a few dozen people, and then there were nine hundred and ny-nine tables that littered the floor in a profound fashion.

    Yan Zaizen realized that, just below the dozen of people, facing those dozens of people, was a secondary table that was slightly lower. There were only forty chairs. Each chair had a character. For each character, there were two ck chairs and two white chairs. Realizing that thirty-nine chairs were already upied, all of the nine-hundred and ny-nine tables being filled with people, and all the high-tables being upied, Yan Zaizen realized that he was thest person to arrive.

    As he arrived, he received countless spective gazes from people of highborn and high talent. The forty individuals didn¡¯t turn around, as they weren¡¯t facing him, but the true powerhouses of the realm!

    His gaze flickered with a faint trace of dark-amber and a slight smirk tugged at his lips. With a kingly stride, he sauntered through. The eyes of many elites and talents would typically leave an unfathomable pressure on any single individual, but to Yan Zaizen who had the Mortal Dao of Sovereign Ascension, this was merely a breeze!

    His eyes traced the tables and he could see food protected by a myriad of different formations. There was delicious looking, nearly impossibly so, assortments of food, pastries, and fruits! The wine was the only thing unprotected by the formation, allowing anyone to drink. The spread made the Xiantu Realm look like a poor man¡¯s shelter vs the greatest restaurant in the world.

    His tongue felt wet and his desires were immersed in desire to taste just a single bite. There was even a specific cake, it waspletely white with a golden lotus on top, that he wished to eat.

    Approaching the only empty seat, he turned to see a young woman to his left.

    When he saw this girl, his body, soul, and mind trembled!

 Chapter 224 Am I Interrupting?!

    "...Ma Xiuren?" As his soul, body, and mind shook, his thoughts came to an odd but likely conclusion. Before him, a young woman in her early twenties, beautiful by all ounts, sat gracefully in her seat. Her milky white, jade-like legs were tantalizing and seemed to be perfection itself without the slightest blemish. However, the most notable feature was her attire. Dressed in a short gown, cyan in color, embroidered with sapphire lotuses, she sat there like a celestial princess within a painting.

    Hair as ck as night, eyes suffused with an unfathomably profound glint, and an aura that seemed to contain immense force faintly surged.

    With a natural smile, Yan Zaizen casually greeted, "Ma Xiuren, it¡¯s been a while."

    She was no longer that young girl that looked six or seven years old, but a young woman with a remarkable countenance. Her figure was slim, her assets abundant, her aura was controlled, and her gaze left one feelingplex.

    "..." Ma Xiuren had detected Yan Zaizen¡¯s arrival from the moment he strolled in. To her, Yan Zaizen had helped her survive an unfortunate incident when her cultivation was sealed, helped her sweep a floor and gathered a good yield of rare and old heavenly materials from the previous era, and disyed a rare form of concern.

    Unfortunately, besides a simple nod of acknowledgment, she couldn¡¯t offer him anything else.

    Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t take this as a cold-shoulder. For some odd reason, he knew that this girl was a mute. It could be a heavenly oath, infernal oath, a powerful restriction, or a personal choice. Regardless, she refused tomunicate through any means outside of physical expressions and gestures.

    Smiling, he sat down to see the leaders of this gathering. Not a single one was simple, but three stood out. They sat at the very top, looking down from above like true rulers of their domain.

    A young man sat next to Zhou Xiuhei. His aura was ethereal and illusory, as if he and space were one and the same. He had the strangest feeling that if he blinked, he would no longer sense this man¡¯s existence.

    He wore a schr robe, violet in color, and silver-rimmed circr sses. At the be was a single silver dot that radiated an unfathomable aura that made Yan Zaizen feel slightly dizzy simply ncing at it.

    "Why do I feel..." Yan Zaizen couldn¡¯t help but mutter as his gazended on one of these top-tier existences. It was a divine beast in humanoid form. Standing at three meters in height, he had a body filled with a grand muscture with perfectly defined lines. His skin was ck,pletely, with crimson eyes that seemed to the contain the essence of bloodlust.

    With every breath, he gave Yan Zaizen the feeling of a top predator of an era. It reminded him of the ¡¯Sirius¡¯ character outside. What truly shocked Yan Zaizen was a de shaped like a wolf-tooth pierced to his right. It radiated imperialistic malevolence as if it could and will decide all fates with its sharpness.

    A mature middle-aged woman stood beside this divine beast, her eyes contained a shimmering light that seemed to burn Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes whenever he looked directly at her. "A Hunyi?" The Hunyi was a humanoid race that could absorb sr light into their bodies and soul, they can then utilize this for cultivation or unique racial arts. Out of all the people here, these three had an astounding level of strength that made him feel an intense sensation of caution.

    "Greetings all," A white-haired man¡¯s voice resounded. His voice carried through the entire hall, causing everyone to perk up their attention and focus. The man was the host of the gathering. He spoke greetings, formalized the reasons for this gathering, and gave specific thanks to those who helped create this gathering of elites and powerhouses.

    "To celebrate the initiation of the Earthly Beginning and Heavenly End trials?" As Yan Zaizen thought of the reason exined, he couldn¡¯t help but look towards Ma Xiuren. Noticing his gaze, she turned towards him and slightly smile. For a second, Yan Zaizen was stunned. The little girl in the Asura Phantom Realm oveid with the young woman before him. He could see a distinct resemnce.

    He sent her a soul transmission, "The token is yours, as it¡¯s always been."

    Ma Xiuren¡¯s body trembled as the message entered her soul. A few notable young elites noticed this tremble. Ma Xiuren was a beauty, but she also was a very, very strange case. Many young elites wished to have her as a dual cultivation partner, but s, they simply were unable to enter her heart.

    "..." To Ma Xiuren, the initial n was to have Yan Zaizen keep the token until the deadline was reached. The Heavenly Commanders in the trial would activate the unique spatial formation within; she would then receive the token and give it to a selected male elite of her force. This was the n. When she learned that Yan Zaizen was taken by the Xiuhei Sovereign, she had countless thoughts floating in her head, even that he was directly in by the Xiuhei Sovereign.

    Fortunately, that wasn¡¯t the case. This brought her deep relief.

    However, she learned that Yan Zaizen would actually be thest member of the trial!

    Before she could even reply, Yan Zaizen took out the trial¡¯s token and grabbed Ma Xiuren¡¯s soft, delicate hand. With the smoothest of motions, he ced the token inside her palm and smiled. To him, this token was a ceholder. An indicator of where she was and how to find her. If he had truly looked into it, outside of the Xiantu Realm, it wouldn¡¯t be hard to discover the identity of the token and the realm it belonged to.

    With this, it acted as the most perfectpass for finding his way. Not to mention, he believed that due to the deadline formation that would¡¯ve sent him to the Sirius Titan Realm anyhow, this was also a means for her to see him again.

    In his entire life, he had a small number of people he actually trusted. When he was incapacitated, where his life was decided by her hands, without an ounce of greed or schemes, she carried him safely outside the Asura Phantom Realm. He wasn¡¯t robbed, killed, or left for dead. In his heart, this was an unforgettable event.

    If he was presented a simr situation, he couldn¡¯t say for sure if he wouldn¡¯t rob the person aspensation for safe travels and the troubles of carrying him. Especially to someone he knew for a brief period of time with barely anymunication.

    His actions of giving Ma Xiuren the token caused even the host to stop his words. Zhou Xiuhei looked towards Yan Zaizen with furrowed brows, his gaze was filled to the brim with questioning. All the top young elites and peak powerhouses, the guests, and servants all were drawn towards Yan Zaizen¡¯s action.

    Lightly chuckling, Yan Zaizen sipped the wine offered by the event. He was casual and free amidst the gazes of all.

    Ma Xiuren understood the significance of this. It was essentially Yan Zaizen saying: "You lent it to me, I¡¯m only returning it." Nevertheless, the depth it touched in her heart was unnatural.

    Yan Zaizen did understand that this was supposed to be some opportunity that onlyes once in ten thousand years, the penultimate trial designed by the White Sirius Heavenly Monarch, but so what?

    Rubbing the token within her palm, Ma Xiuren looked dazedly at the token that held such a significance that it was worth more than an entire realm. In ten thousand years, only forty people have the qualifications to participate. Furthermore, that was only because ten Heavenly Commanders were epted by the Sirius Titan Realm.

    For each Heavenly Commander, four tokens were birthed for the trial. How many Heavenly Commanders have tried to gain the approval but failed in the end? They have long since departed the realm and founded their own force or powers, only visiting here for the trial by fires.

    Her eyes traced towards Yan Zaizen. He had amber-gold eyes filled with confidence and vibrant life, the perfect muscture that seemed to be sculpted by gods, and a handsome appearance brimming with masculinity. Recalling the stories earlier, many even suspected that he had a faint connection with the Extreme Rebirth Heavenly God.

    After all, hepleted a trial that led all other participants to their deaths, sent heavenly geniuses in retreat with his prowess, and seemed to have established a rtionship with the Xiuhei Sovereign while cultivating life and deathws.

    Looking at the token again, she recalled Yan Zaizen using his body to protect her from an unknown threat. The moment she actually saw the attack, her heart raced with deep insecurity and regret. After, she had watched Yan Zaizen be killed via de to the heart - typically fatal to all experts. As she was tortured relentlessly by the Asura Phantom Lord, knowing she¡¯ll die an unjust death by someone inferior to her true peak, she couldn¡¯t help but fall slightly into despair.

    Then, Yan Zaizen had revived, overturning a nearly impossible situation and winning against all odds! She also believed Yan Zaizen had traveled an immense distance, somehow obtained a realmship along the way, simply to meet her once more. Now that he did, the first thing he did was give her this! He had fought against those desiring the token and possessed the willingness to risk death by offending the powerhouses of this world! All so that he could give this token back to her?!

    In truth, Yan Zaizen did wish to find her, but she was not a top priority. After all, he didn¡¯t know where she was.

    A little emotional, her eyes turned red. With a deep inhale and exhale, she grabbed Yan Zaizen¡¯s hand. Startled, Yan Zaizen looked towards her curiously. He felt a hard object enter his palm.

    It was the token.

    "This? What do you mean by th-" Just as he was sending her a soul transmission, he felt a soft hand of flesh touch upon his face. With shifting eyes, he looked towards this jade-like hand. However, before he could make any further inquiry on the circumstances, a face as beautiful as the night sky erged in his vision. His eyes expanded to the size of full moons, shocked by the sudden sequence of events!

    A soft pair of cherry-red lips touched his own. His heart, refined thrice, was beating to an impossibly rapid rhythm!

    When he faced heavenly tribtion for Tao, he was fearless. His mind clear, free, and his confidence at the apex. When he faced the vast expanse, he had met frightening events, but through it all, he faced it with little fear and with everything he had! As he fought the Deluge Realm Lord, with an entire realm being used to fight him, he stepped forward with confidence!

    When he was facing the young elites of this world, heughed and enjoyed himself! As he faced the Xiuhei Sovereign, he held absolutely no fear! The more he experienced, the more his personality of a heroic cultivator was refined.

    Yet...

    Yet...

    As the moist lips touched his own, his body felt a euphoria of mutual contact. This was his first kiss in his entire life! And it was AWESOME!

    Having no experience with this, he ignored all the shocked onlookers, and greedily enjoyed the situation. The top tier powers had furrowed brows, amused smiles, or irritation. The young elites, especially the males, were enraged to the high heavens. Many of the young elites felt like they were just made a cuckold, their dreams shattering, and personally witnessing this act!

    Ma Xiuren¡¯s action was indeed impulsive, but she also felt that, in this world, the chance of finding anyone like Yan Zaizen was slim. She only meant to give him a slight kiss. With that, she backed away. After all, it was inappropriate and an act of youthful impulse. In truth, she regretted it slightly.

    However, how could Yan Zaizen let this pair of soft lips leave so quickly?! This was his first kiss and by God! He will not be robbed of it early!

    With eyes flickering with a trace of dark-amber, he leaned forward, one hand on her back, and another ced firmly above her perky buttocks, and his chest pressing against hers.

    He was unwilling to let this go! At that moment, panic suffused into Ma Xiuren¡¯s eyes. She wanted to say something, but couldn¡¯t.

    His lips and hers were pressed firmly together. As he recalled Bai Lufeng¡¯s advice towards pleasing a woman in all aspects, including in the kissing department, he immediately took it a step further.

    He used tongue!

    Viting her mouth, Ma Xiuren¡¯s eyes were no longer filled with panic but boundless awe! She may have done this impulsively, but Yan Zaizen was the literal representation of giving someone an inch, and they¡¯ll take a mile. In Yan Zaizen¡¯s case, it was given a mile and decisively taking the entire!

    "Mhm!" Zhou Xiuhei cleared his throat, sending waves of towards Yan Zaizen. His intent was clear: ¡¯Cease!¡¯ However, Yan Zaizen directly ignored it. He kept kissing and enjoying the sweet taste and feeling of the opposite sex. He understood now why Bai Lufeng and Tao was so damn promiscuous!

    "MHM!" Zhou Xiuhei cleared his throat once more, this time, nearly everyone felt their soul tremble. They could feel the irritation from his throat. Many felt angered as well, wanting to speak out, but since Zhou Xiuhei, the Xiuhei Sovereign, had already given his intent, all other voices were irrelevant. Or so they thought.

    Yan Zaizen felt his soul tremble. He removed himself from Ma Xiuren, his body still pressed firmly against hers in a tight embrace, and his eyes checking on her condition. She had a dazed expression on her face, a mixture of an awed and shy blush appeared on her cheeks. It made her even more beautiful than before.

    "Grandpa Xiu! What do you want? Can¡¯t you see I¡¯m doing something?!" He directly shouted in a loud voice, causing everyone, including all the peak experts to reel in shock. When did a junior, one who wasn¡¯t blood-rted, getrge enough stones to say such words?

    Yan Zaizen was truly irritated. This was his first kiss and now it¡¯s over!

    "..." Even Zhou Xiuhei himself reeled at being bad-mouthed by a junior. He understood that Yan Zaizen had a very casual approach to all things. When they first met, he didn¡¯t even pay respects to a member of the senior generation or politely inquire about the situation.

    "Oh?! Am I interrupting?!" Somehow, this powerful cultivator with hundreds of thousands of years around his belt sounded like a grumpy old man. It came out with a trace of warmth that feltpletely unnatural. Even he was shocked by his words, but so was everyone else!

    "Fine! You want to continue? Then I¡¯ll let you continue." He waved his hand, opening a spatial rift above Ma Xiuren and Yan Zaizen.

    "Wait! Grandpa Xiu! There¡¯s still the food!!!" As Yan Zaizen was helplessly carried away with Ma Xiuren in his arms, his eyes held deep remorse. The food wasn¡¯t able to be touched until after the opening ceremony. As his gaze traced the delicious assortments of meat, cake, and wine, he felt his heart grow cold. The rift closed.

    As he was sucked into the rift, hisst words made everyone sweat. Especially when, from beyond the spatial rift, a voice resounded in the hall. After all, Yan Zaizenprehended the Imperial Law of Spacetime - the Realm of Chaotic Space!

    Hisst words were: "SAVE ME SOME CAKE!!!"

 Chapter 225 Challenged

    "..." Silence pervaded throughout the hall. The sequence of events was unprecedented and entirely unexpected. Firstly, Yan Zaizen, a neer barely anyone knew outside of rumors appeared. With an astonishing amount of confidence, he swaggered into the hall amidst the gazes of peak leaders and talented youths.

    To the crowd, Ma Xiuren suddenly rose from her seat and directlyid a wet one on this unfamiliar Yan Zaizen. To all the young elites who strove to establish a rtionship with or obtain her unique features, they felt stifled and enraged. Some were so shocked by the events that they, to this very second, had nk expressions and empty minds.

    Then, Yan Zaizen, an outsider and nobody, called the Xiuhei Sovereign - a peak character - Grandpa Xiu. After having been angered, he was sent away by the Xiuhei Sovereign. What was truly unfathomable was Yan Zaizen¡¯sst words that feltpletely and thoroughly out of ce.

    "Hmph!" Zhou Xiuhei coldly snorted. His mood obviously didn¡¯t seem to be best, and it wasn¡¯t. Yan Zaizen had acted too unruly. In truth, he knew that Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t do so on purpose. After all, Ma Xiuren was the one who kissed him initially. All he did was ept itpletely and enjoyed everyst second.

    Could he me him? Yes. Should he? Hell yes.

    That doesn¡¯t take away Ma Xiuren¡¯s fault. However, he suspected something greater at y.

    "Oh?" The violet robed schr with a silver-dot on his be frowned, his eyes flickering with suspicions as he gazed at the closed rift. Turning towards Zhou Xiuhei, his eyes slightly widened. Others may not have noticed but Zhou Xiuhei had stealthily used his grand heavenly powers to, in the shadows, nab an assortment of cakes nearly unnoticed.

    There was even the white cake with the golden lotus. The reasons he noticed was that he had his eyes on that cake and his personal understanding of space exceeded everyone else.

    A little disgruntled, the schr said nothing in the end.

    "Continue," the schr ordered the host. After a brief bout of confusion, the host cleared his throat and continued. No one could argue that what Zhou Xiuhei did. Sending the two away was the most appropriate decision.

    -----

    Yan Zaizen was seated within his cultivation room back on the Xiuhei Earthly Moon. With a bored expression, his mind wondered.

    Zhou Xiuhei had segregated Ma Xiuren and him during spatial rift transit. However, that didn¡¯t stop him from reying the kiss in his head countless times. The Ma Xiuren now was different than the Ma Xiuren of yesteryear. She was a top-ss beauty who looked age-appropriate. No longer was she a six to seven year old girl in appearance.

    With that, he feltpletely satisfied that she was his first kiss.

    Pinaka had been thoroughly silent since. To her, she felt both stifled and relieved. Stifled for some odd reason and relieved that Yan Zaizen wasn¡¯t enamored. As she was connected to his soul, she also understood his feelings and thoughts to a certain extent. Yan Zaizen may be physically attracted or liking the act of physical contact, but he wasn¡¯t in love.

    This brought her endless amounts of relief.

    However, that didn¡¯t mean Yan Zaizen wouldn¡¯t develop to that point someday.

    After several days, Yan Zaizen was thoroughly bored. He had to stay in this room without leaving in istion. He felt like a kid, and it¡¯s not like he didn¡¯t try to leave. Whenever he did, a formation would activate and cease any and all attempts he made. It was frustrating.

    "I wonder if Ma Xiuren is being punished like this? If not, that¡¯s double standards! Not like it was my fault, anyhow." He pouted a little. For some odd reason, he didn¡¯t feel too angered from being imprisoned. He was just mildly annoyed.

    "Haaaa," a soft sigh resounded throughout his soul. This sigh felt iparably familiar.

    "Grandpa Xiu! This isn¡¯t fair!" He shouted verbally as if ready to throw a tantrum. Just as he was about toin further, using his cultivation base to amplify his voice, a small rift appeared before him. From this rift, rays of light appeared and arrived before Yan Zaizen.

    "This?!" He was shocked but then he became iparably excited. These were the assortment of cakeid out during the banquet. He didn¡¯t stand on ceremony, bringing out his personal eating fork. It was slightly curved, sharp ends, and made of a metal simr to white-gold.

    On that day, all cakes of the world cried as they lost a few more brethren to this legendary cake killing fork and man duo.

    After finishing, he had a face of ecstasy. Rubbing his stomach, he felt thoroughly satisfied. Since he could remember, his love for sweets reached near unfathomable levels, especially cake-like pastries. They were his one true weakness. As he cultivated, this became even more intense.

    This actually wasn¡¯t umon among cultivators. With long lives and loneliness often urring from cultivation, cultivators typically overly attach a liking or importance to specific things. Some choose objects or sex, some choose fighting or money, and quite a few choose food or wine. This was why the Xiantu Banquet amassed and brought out top-tier food in vast quantities.

    For cultivators, especially those who cultivate the Essence Path, food and air is a non-essential factor. One¡¯s body is nourished and tempered and survives by essence alone. Therefore, it is a pleasure and not a need.

    Even Zhou Xiuhei had his own likes. The violet schr was simr to Yan Zaizen in his likes. This was why he noticed Zhou Xiuhei¡¯s sneaky robbery.

    "You satisfied?" Knowing this, Zhou Xiuhei finally transmitted.

    Yan Zaizen heavily nodded with a solemn expression, "Yes, Grandpa Xiu. I forgive you."

    "..." Stunned by Yan Zaizen¡¯s casual shamelessness, he didn¡¯t even try. "You¡¯ve been challenged. Ready yourself."

    "What? Challenged by who?" Yan Zaizen was a little shocked. This came out of nowhere.

    "After the banquet, the fierce fighting of tokens cease. The next phase is challenging for the right to hold the token and participate in the trial." Zhou Xiuhei exined. The chaotic, outside fighting for the trial tokens was actually an unofficial matter. Long ago it was decided that those not of the younger generation could not participate in the fighting for the token.

    This was why Yan Zaizen only faced the hundreds of younger generation cultivators and no one else. After all, the Yun n was a seventh-tier force with an actual Heavenly Commander. When all candidates are chosen, the banquet is held.

    When the banquet ispleted, nine dayster, the trial would be initiated. If the tokens haven¡¯t been gathered in twelve hundred years within the Titan Sirius Realm, a formation would activate to bring the tokens back with their wielders. However, this formation was controlled by the Heavenly Commanders. The trial itself doesn¡¯t have a deadline.

    Then the banquet would be held. This was why Ma Xiuren executed her previous n, to get more time before the trial was initiated. Unfortunately, Yan Zaizen arrived in a little over a hundred years. With all the tokens gathered, the banquet was held.

    "During the gathering, those who believe themselves worthy can pay a price and challenge wielders to battle. If they win, they im ownership of the token and right to participate in the trial." Zhou Xiuhei further exined. His voice was quite calm. "You¡¯ve been challenged by Yun Xuli."

    "?" Yan Zaizen¡¯s brows furrowed. That name was familiar. After some thinking, he recalled Lang Xue and her grand-sized breasts. "Wasn¡¯t he the one that Lang Xue needed to be with for one hundred and fifty thousand years?" After some recollection, it was indeed so.

    However, "why should I ept this challenge?" Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t feel like fighting for this token. In truth, he didn¡¯t even care about this trial.

    "If you win, the payment he offered to issue the challenge is yours."

    "Hm? Payment? Mines?" Those words perked up his ears quickly. "What type of payment are we talking about here?"

    Chuckling inwardly, Zhou Xiuhei felt like he understood Yan Zaizen¡¯s personality a little more. He actually admired this, even if it was a little troublesome.

    "Ten heavenlyw crystals."

    "..."

    "..."

    "What did you say?"

    "Ten heavenlyw crystals."

    "No, no. What does that mean?"

    "..." Zhou Xiuhei was shocked. He expected Yan Zaizen to be shocked but not confused. In truth, Yan Zaizen had never heard of heavenlyw crystals, only liquid. Simr to essence liquid and essence crystals, one is a higher form of currency and used with those of a higher cultivation base. It had a thicker heavenly aura in vaster and purer quality. Those in the younger generation without a grand background or luck could go their entire lives not knowing about it.

    "Heavenlyw crystals are condensed and purified heavenlyw liquid, it¡¯s worth about one million heavenly drops each."

    "...what?"

    "Ten million heavenly drops total." This price to challenge was by no means small. Tokens rarely changed hands during the banquet due to the obscene amount of wealth required to issue a challenge. This was decided to prevent everyone and their mothers from challenging. Essentially, even the Yun n, a seventh-level heavenly force would be losing an arm and a leg to do so.

    "...Then why are we talking Grandpa Xiu, let¡¯s fight! We can¡¯t keep our mone- i mean, challenger waiting." With that, Yan Zaizen readied himself and waited to be zipped away by a spatial rift. By this point, he was already used to being snatched away by Zhou Xiuhei. Licking his lips, he felt excited!

    Ten million heavenly drops!!!

 Chapter 226 Heavenly Spiritless Golem

    In the Sirius Titan Realm, there is a location named the Sirius Dao Arena. During the height of the White Sirius Titan Monarch¡¯s life, this Dao Arena was designed for the disciples of his force to spar amongst themselves, settle any blood feud, and ept challenges from disciples of external powers. The Sirius Dao Arena was immense for an arena. In truth, to describe it as such would not do it justice.

    The Sirius Dao Arena was a sub-realm! It was a sub-realm personally created by the White Sirius Heavenly Monarch. It was also his first sub-realm he had created in his life! When one reaches the Heavenly Creation Realm, creating a sub-realm is truly an insignificant matter. Even a Heavenly Genesis cultivator could do so given a sufficient amount of time and materials. However, it¡¯s stability and characteristics would be highly dependant on the creator.

    The actual arena was a full, revolving around this was ten small moons. The world didn¡¯t have a sun, but it bore light from the skies in a magical manner. The light actually originated from the suns of the Sirius Titan Realm, a unique feature the White Sirius Heavenly Monarch established after reaching his peak.

    The lone could be described as a white marble constructed from jade. There was no trees,kes, or wildlife. It was essentially a dead with only a hard-surface of white.

    On one of the small moons were a group of people. These groups of people originated from the banquet from earlier. They were segregated in groups while some were maneuvering through the crowd to reach others. Those who did were dressed in servants clothing, carrying a special spatial ring containing all sorts of wines and delicacies for guests. These servants were male and female of varying races. There were even a few divine beasts amongst them.

    Standing in an isted sub-dimensional space above this moon, Zhou Xiuhei, the violet schr, and the others were seated on elegant chairs while being served various things.

    "To think that the Yun n actually has such capital. It truly makes one wonder about this Yun Xuli." A thin, white-haired middle-aged man, with eyes suffused with mockery, said disdainfully. When others looked at this man, they would feel a heavy pressure emanating from his body, particrly his fists. It was as if it contained all the world¡¯s intensity.

    He was dressed in a light-brown robe with a ck fist embroidered on his chest. This fist felt as if it contained the past, present, and future within. He was the Sectmaster of the Fate Fist Sect, a peak-seventh level heavenly-tier force.

    Sneering with his vicious canines, the ck-skinned, crimson-eyed divine beast in human form named Syi added, "From what I heard, the price they paid to afford this was not just ten heavenly crystals." Heughed maliciously, looking towards Zhou Xiuhei. A slight sh of caution flickered within his gaze, but it disappeared as quickly as it arrived.

    Zhou Xiuhei directly ignored Syi, his gaze and mind elsewhere.

    The violet schr, Shi Yan, smiled slightly, "regardless of the circumstance, this will be an entertaining show."

    -----

    While the rest stayed on the moon, a group of cultivators was floating above the outer space area of the arena. They were dressed in cyan robes of various designs, but they all had one synonymous trait that defined them as a singr force - a character embroidered onto their clothes. The ¡¯Yun¡¯ character was ced brazenly on their attires for all to see.

    At the center of this group was a young man. He had a slender physique, sharp eyes that seemed ready to slice all creation, a deep tyrannical aura that seemed bottomless and unfathomable, and eyes as blue as the sky itself. He seemed unfazed by the surrounding people harping in his ear both verbally and through soul transmission. These group of people was offering ttery or advice in the uing battle.

    "Enough," a voice thunderously resounded. A young man dressed in a cyan robe with long sleeves and white border arrived like a gust of wind before the group. The others silenced their transmissions and voices at this young man¡¯s arrival. To others, he may seem youthful, but to all these members of the Yun n, he was someone of the utmost importance - their Heavenly Commander!

    As he floated over, the young man, Yun Bo, swept his senses over Yun Xuli. The sensory sweep wasn¡¯t too deep, but it retrieved information about Yun Xuli¡¯s state. Yun Xuli¡¯s pulse was steady, his mind calm, and his eyes were like a sword sheathed. It was ready to be drawn and reveal to the world its unparalleled sharpness!

    Initially, he was going to give Yun Xuli some advice, but looking at his state at its peak, there was no need. With a slight nod, he gestured that all leave. He specifically sent soul transmissions to the select few he wished to stay. The others understood, bowing as a form of respect, they departed towards the upied moon above.

    Only three remained. One of which was Yun Baili, who wore an indifferent expression. The others were Yun Xuli¡¯s grandfather, Yun Chaoli, a sixth-floor Heavenly Genesis expert and Yun Ruli, Yun Xuli¡¯s father.

    "Yun Xuli, this isn¡¯t a fight you can lose. Know this, win. You have just this one chance." Yun Bo spoke directly.

    Nodding in understanding, "I will grasp this chance." His voice was calm and he projected an aura of confidence that couldn¡¯t be shaken. Observing this, Yun Bo nodded. Saying a few words to Yun Chaoli and Yun Ruli, he departed. They followed along with solemn expressions. They offered ast word of encouragement before departing with Yun Bo.

    Yun Xuli wasn¡¯t disturbed by this. His eyes that seemed ready to split the world in half was suffused with a keen battle intent that continued to rise with each passing second.

    Suddenly, a spatial rift appeared above Yun Xuli. A figure appeared with amber-gold eyes, a physical body that put many to shame, dark-amber robe, and holding a slight smile. Yan Zaizen had been thrown into the Sirius Dao Arena. During which, Zhou Xiuhei had informed him of how the Dao Arena worked.

    A Dao Arena was designed for sparring, training, or, settling blood feuds with bets or death. Two fighters of any strength could participate.

    When Yan Zaizen heard this, he felt a little curious. What about cultivation base differences? How could those with vastly different cultivation bases fight in a fair environment? How could they train? These questions bewildered him until he was informed of the unique characteristics of Dao Arenas and why only Heavenly Commanders possess them.

    In a Dao Arena, a participant would choose a Heavenly Spiritless Golem. These golems were essentially physical bodies without souls. Oftentimes, those at the Aurora Soul Realm, would project themselves into golems if their physical bodies were destroyed or too injured for quick repairs. Using Astral Projection, a cultivator could enter these golems.

    When Yan Zaizen appeared, he saw a single man standing not too far away. When he appraised him, he felt a little odd. This odd feeling didn¡¯t originate from his concealed sharpness or tyrannical disposition. It was more like he was looking at a pup trying to act powerful and mysterious, butughably so. It was truly odd to him as this was the first time the feel urred.

    Ignoring this feeling, he observed the before him. "It¡¯s like a marble...a veryrge marble..." This was his first impression of the arena.

    Yun Xuli¡¯s expression flickered. As he looked towards Yan Zaizen, he felt a deep sensation of inferiority. Circting his soul cultivation base and urging his heavenly shrine, he eased the feeling. However, his brows were furrowed slightly and the sharpness in his eyes received a harsh drop in intensity.

    "Prepare. In five minutes, begin," Shi Yan, the violet schr, sinctly announced throughout the sub-realm. As he did, space rippled beside Yun Xuli and Yan Zaizen. From this ripple, two silver humanoid shaped figures appeared. They were the size of an adult male, metallic looking, and held no clothes or facial features. On the surface of their bodies were a myriad of formations that seemed to be intricate butcked any sort of activity.

    When Yan Zaizen inspected this golem, he realized it had a cultivation base. It had vital energy equivalent to a rank-one Fiendgod and a qi system. It contained true-essence infused with a heavenly aura. Ifpared to a heavenly cultivator, it too would be at the first-floor of the Heavenly Genesis Realm.

    Yun Xuli didn¡¯t waste any time while Yan Zaizen thoughts were focused elsewhere. He projected his astral soul outside of his body and entered his golem. His soul form seeped into the golem like water to wood. As he entered, the faceless and featureless golem started to morph. It wiggled and trembled.

    "This is...?" This was a first for Yan Zaizen. It was a miraculous horizon broadening event as he watched the scene unfold. In a few seconds, the golem was no longer featureless as it took on the exact likeness of Yun Xuli. Yun Xuli¡¯s true body was enveloped by a unique power and sent upwards by about ten li. This power didn¡¯t seem to originate from an expert but the itself.

    "The has a formation to protect soulless physical bodies?" As he appraised the barrier, he realized that even if he went all out, it¡¯s unlikely he could produce a single dent on its surface. "Incredible!" Eximing, he felt astonished.

    cing his hand on the Heavenly Spiritless Golem, he projected his soul form into the golem. He didn¡¯t wish to reveal his soul form to others so he quietly channeled his soul form from his arm to the Heavenly Spiritless Golem. As he entered, it felt like he was in another world. This world was as thoroughlyplex as his real body, possessing tempered blood, strong organs, qi pathways, meridians, and even a dantian.

    A line of bright blue light originating from the golem reached his soul form. Seeing as there was nothing better to do, he followed the line until arriving at the source - the brain. In this brain, at the center of it, a hollow and translucent orb. "This must be themand center," deducing, he followed along until he was situated in that location.

    Vroom!

    A sound resonated from the golem¡¯s brain center as he upied its control center. Before Yan Zaizen could get his bearings, he felt his eyelids twitch and he opened them. "This is?" Bringing his hands to his face, he couldn¡¯t help but be in disbelief. His body waspletely metallic.

    "This is like being in a whole new body!" He felt the connection between soul and body. It was as if this was his true body and always was! It was such a strange experience. "This is soul possession?" He had heard about it and likely was almost a victim to it, but it felt surreal to actually be in another body. In truth, the Heavenly Spiritless Golem allowed an eased feeling when in possession due to itsck of a soul and materialposition. After all, body ipatibility urs and the fight against souls that typically leads to rejection or injury.

    The Heavenly Spiritless Golem was both dead and allowed any and all to have maximumpatibility not any inferior to their true bodies.

    "Heavenly Spiritless Golems are the best way to spar on equal terms. The cultivation base, energy reserves, and foundations were identical. Even one¡¯s soul energy is restrained and brought to a limited level of strength when utilized. With this, cultivation base inequality would not affect the fight." Pinaka exined, obviously familiar with this method. She added, "The only advantage a person can hold is age. However, age doesn¡¯t ount for simrities unless their talent was equal. Yourws and arts, twopletely dependant on talent, could bepared fairly."

    Nodding, Yan Zaizen faced the golem Yun Xuli resided in. His eyes widened in shock. Somehow, Yun Xuli had a silver sword that seemed to be ordinary. "When did he...?"

    "The Heavenly Spiritless Golem can construct any weapon you wish, simply think." Pinaka once more advised.

    "I see!" With a thought, he held out his hand and a Warhammer in the same shape and size as Sky Shatter appeared. With another thought, it vanished as if it was never there.

    "This is amazing!" He felt ted, the act of creating objects from nothing was incredible. He faced Yun Xuli, "I must thank you for delivering me this hefty payday!" A cold smirk formed as he shouted. To him, Yun Xuli had challenged him and hand-delivered him ten million heavenly drops. If it wasn¡¯t for their current circumstance, he could kiss him!

    As if unwilling to be inferior, Yun Xuli spoke with confidence and calmness, "I must thank you for holding onto that token for me. I hope you kept it clean."

    Laughing, Yan Zaizen conjured a longbow.

    "Ready?!" Shi Yan¡¯s voice reverberated throughout the sub-realm!

 Chapter 227 Miniaturized Heaven

    "..." A silent, lonely figure stood on an unupied moon staring at the Dao Arena. The figure belonged to Ma Xiuren whose gaze was suffused with worry and a profound light. Zhou Xiuhei discreetly ced her separately from the others. She understood why. Many of the youths and leaders of forces were enraged by her willful acts earlier. Even she felt lost at her thoughts and actions earlier.

    However, when she had been separated from Yan Zaizen, her thoughts and emotions became clear. Zhou Xiuhei had arrived and decisively isted her from others. The main reason for this was the influence she had been subjected to unknowingly.

    His words at the time were: "Your earlier actions are not your fault, do not dwell on it or let it drive you."

    At the time, she hadn¡¯t understood his words, but after some time, she did. Yan Zaizen was a possessor of a Mortal Dao. This Mortal Dao was an absolutely frighteningly powerful one. When subjected to the influence of another¡¯s dao, actions and thoughts can be heavily affected.

    The token was drenched in the Yan Zaizen¡¯s soul and dao aura, so when she came in contact with it, she was subtlety influenced by it. It may have been subtle, but it was nearly hypnosis. The degree of warmth and feelings she had towards Yan Zaizen was simr to a loving wife that trusted her husbandpletely.

    The token was bathed in Yan Zaizen¡¯s Astral Soul and Mortal Dao aura for nearly two thousand years while he stayed in chaotic space. Its special properties caused it to be a pseudo-Dao Treasure. If Yan Zaizen touched it, it¡¯ll seem normal and he¡¯ll remain unaffected, but others would be immediately subjected to its influence. At that time, if Yan Zaizen had wanted her to kneel, she would¡¯ve done so.

    It was that powerful.

    Zhou Xiuhei only noticed this after sending them away. To him, Ma Xiuren was not a figure who would publicly disgrace herself in front of a crowd of elites or peak figures. Moreover, she had a deeply reserved personality. Regrettably, the damage was mostly done.

    Yan Zaizen was ignorant to all this. He didn¡¯t even know the token could be a pseudo-Dao Treasure to begin with. If he did, he would¡¯ve cleansed it before handing it over to Ma Xiuren. After all, he liked Ma Xiuren for doing what she did, but that didn¡¯t mean he loved or wished to marry her. He had his own desired list of features for a wife, and being beautiful was only one.

    While she stood there as a witness to this fight, the epic battle below was beginning.

    -----

    Yun Xuli stood upright. His back was as straight as a javelin piercing the heavens and his eyes as sharp as a de. Inside the Heavenly Spiritless Golem, Yun Xuli¡¯s soul shone with vibrant light. Wielding a silver longsword, he emanated an aura of a peerless sword.

    Yun Xuli was a top-tier talent. This was something no realm beneath the 27th heaven could refute.

    He was eighteen thousand years old, developed a true Mortal Dao belonging to him,prehended and fused twows together to the domain-level, and possessed a mind for mastering high-level arts. His age with his aplishments in cultivation caused even Zhou Xiuhei, Shi Yan, and Syi to feel inferior inparison at that time.

    Yun Xuli brandished his de with a swish. The hearts of the young elites trembled from simply this movement. The profundity of thews and perfect movement in this simple action left a trace on their hearts. Even Yan Zaizen, who stood not too far away, couldn¡¯t help but narrow his eyes slightly.

    "Twows?" Yan Zaizen¡¯s questioned as his eighth sense, his heavenly sense, radiated outwards to probe the substantialness of Yun Xuli¡¯s action. As a Non-Entity who visited the Heavenly Domain several times, this caused him to be quite familiar withws, particrly worldws.

    "Mortal Law of the Sword and World Law of Metal?" He deduced, his heart faintly trembling. He couldn¡¯t help but praise Yun Xuli inwardly. Thew was most definitely in the minor or major-Domain. Despite cultivating for nearly two thousand years, his Archery of Pure Destruction had only reached the minor-Domain, but even still, he was a Non-Entity with a clear heaven-defying advantage.

    A slight smile appeared on his face. In this battle, he hadplete confidence, but actual battle experience amongst equals was truly difficult to obtain in the cultivation world. Although Yun Xuli may not be his equal in a battle between their real bodies, in this golem that established their strengths at the same level, this was a rare chance to really test his skills.

    These two¡¯s gazes met. A formless and intense pressure erupted between them. Winds started to turbulently rumble, releasing bellows simr to a thunderstorm, and their auras were rising to its peak.

    They were both developing their own momentum. This momentum was formless and difficult to truly describe, but it wasn¡¯t the initiative inbat but more so aura of the world and surging of one¡¯s personal energies.

    The observers weren¡¯t impatient, their eyes intently stared at the two gather their momentum, and discussing amongst themselves using soul transmissions. To them, they were watching a very rare show ofbat between two supposed elites of the younger generation. Many didn¡¯t know much about Yan Zaizen and thus ced their bets on Yun Xuli.

    "BEGIN!" Shi Yan¡¯s voice erupted instigating an explosion of the surrounding air between the two. Yan Zaizen¡¯s first movements weren¡¯t to step forward, but to retreat.

    Yun Xuli¡¯s de shone with a dense silver light that seemed ready to slice apart the world. He stepped forward, the space surrounding his feet erupted in silver light as he pressured forward. An illusory longsword reminiscent of his de manifested around his body and his body effused silver light. In a blink, he had already arrived one hundred meters away from Yan Zaizen. If it wasn¡¯t for Yan Zaizen¡¯s retreat, Yun Xuli would¡¯ve already been in closebat range.

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes shone. Yun Xuli¡¯s movement art was truly exquisite, it was as if all things, including space, was sliced away.

    He didn¡¯t have his refined body nor his regalia refined organs, closebat against someone who fused thew of sword and metal was incredibly disadvantageous to him. He understood this simple fact. After all, Yun Xuli¡¯s offensive power was staggeringly high with these twobinations.

    With a thought, an arrow was formed from the golem¡¯s unique formation and nocked onto the longbow. The arrow and longbow could be considered top-grade sky-rank armaments, allowing them to withstand thews and amodate many arts. Pulling the arrow back, the bow formed became like a crescent moon. The arrowhead started to effuse a purple light that radiated pure destructive energies.

    Yun Xuli was calm. His forward advance transitioned into a retreat, but he didn¡¯t retreat in a single line but zig-zagged like a de that was dazzling but difficult to perceive. He didn¡¯t strike but dodged.

    Oh?!

    Startled by this course of action, Yan Zaizen felt that his battle experience was toocking. Yun Xuli¡¯s current actions left him slightly baffled, but he continued his action. He didn¡¯t bother aiming for Yun Xuli, but simply released! The arrow soared into the sky, a trail of purple light formed as it did. The air and essence that came in contact with this trail exhibited signs of copse.

    With a step, Yun Xuli put a vast distance between him and the arrow,pletely leaving its trajectory.

    "Hm?" He suddenly felt an intent press on his body. Looking at the arrow, his eyes widened slightly. The purple arrow veered off and redirected towards him. However, it¡¯s turning speed was rather slow, but its traveling speed was still exceptional fast! With eyes that seemed as if he understood the world, he stopped retreating and stabbed his longsword forward.

    A silver ray of light surged from the tip of the de erupted outwards. This silver ray seemed to contain the hardness of metal and the sharpness of a sword.

    "Hmph!" With a cold snort, Yan Zaizen nocked a second arrow before the first one collided with the ray of light. It didn¡¯t aim for Yun Xuli, but an area elsewhere.

    RELEASE!

    SWOOSH!

    The arrow pierced forward with a speed that exceeded the previous arrow by three times.

    "Hm?!" Yun Xuli saw this arrow and then slightly smirked. He stepped towards Yan Zaizen, executing his movement art. Like a sword, he prated forward at staggering speeds.

    The high-speed arrow intercepted the silver-ray of light. It collided with the intent to divert, but when it collided with the ray of light. It was as if it had smashed upon a metal wall,pletely stalled and failed in its job. The silver-ray of light continued forward and smashed against the arrow suffused with destructive force.

    BOOM!

    A sizable explosion resounded that could decimate an entire mountain range. However, to Yan Zaizen and Yun Xuli, this explosion was insignificant to their momentums.

    "I see, his sword is sharp and dense!" After concluding, Yan Zaizen changed his priorities. Instead, he stepped forwards towards Yun Xuli with a nocked arrow. In a split second, they entered a range of fewer than ten meters of each other. Both had eyes radiatingbat intent and cold killing intent, but also an eerie calmness.

    Field of Metal Heart, Sword God!

    Yun Xuli executed his domain-based conceptual art, establishing a domain of sword light that encapsted the two within. Within this domain, hisws were amplified! Within this domain, his strength was at its peak!

    Grand Heavenly Zone!

    Yan Zaizen let loose a low-roar, his body erupting with vibrant heavenly-infused true-essence as he established the Grand Heavenly Zone! This was a pinnacle-grade, aura-based conceptual art! This was one of the two books that were appropriate for him by Pinaka¡¯s words. The Violet Way of Spatial Shifting was a conceptual method filled with varyingws, but the Grand Heavenly Zone was a pinnacle-grade, aura-based conceptual art!!!

    When he discovered this book, he realized he couldn¡¯t use it. Not fully at least. It required a heavenly cultivation base. Without that, it was essentially useless. Not to mention, because of his soul cultivation and body cultivation exceeding his essence cultivation by a decent amount, he never had a need for it. Now, in the Heavenly Spiritless Golem, his cultivation level enabled him to use true-essence infused with heavenly aura. With this, the Grand Heavenly Zone could truly make itself known!

    His body was surrounded by a spherical manifestation that extended to about one meter of distance. Within this sphere was flowing strands of translucent purple strings that emanated an aura of pure destruction. It immediately collided with Yun Xuli¡¯s domain. Almost immediately, the sword light was reduced to nothing by the strands of pure destruction.

    "!" Yun Xuli was shocked. It wasn¡¯t just him.

    "WHAT?!!" Zhou Xiuhei, Shi Yan, Syi, and all the other peak figures rose from their seats simultaneously. Not a single one was missing, and their eyes were as wide as eggs with mouths as disbelieving as the frog outside of the well.

    "Impossible!" Syi was the first to blurt out, his crimson-eyes contained a deep suspicion.

    Shi Yan was calmer than the others, his expression was also more solemn, "A miniaturized heaven." When those words were spoken, the rest went silent and pondered. Their expressions ranged from an eerie calm to deep greed.

    Yan Zaizen, however, didn¡¯t understand the significance of this. This was the same for him and Pinaka, after all, to develop one¡¯s own personal heaven required a Heavenly Creation cultivation base. Pinaka was just a weapon, not a cultivator. How could she know this?

    With an even deeper roar, his Grand Heavenly Zone, his miniaturized heavenly domain, expanded from one meter to ten meters in a blink.

    Yun Xuli¡¯s eyes constricted. Without hesitation, he backed away. Unfortunately, the zone expanded too fast covering a portion of his legs as he did. The portion of his legs, the feet, was eviscerated upon contact. It was as if they entered a world filled with destruction and therefore they were subjected to this one truew.

    They must be destroyed!

    With a groan, Yun Xuli executed his movement art to his fullest propelling himself away at incredible speeds.

    As for Yan Zaizen, he grimaced. Just this split second of activation cost more than sixty percent of his true-essence. He immediately canceled the art. With a cultivation base and full reserves of a first-floor Heavenly Genesis cultivator, he didn¡¯t realize how low it was. Even his true-essence in terms of amount was several hundred times more than this. In truth, that was because he reached peak-Dantian Refinement and peak-Crimson Star.

    "Damn!" Cursing, Yan Zaizen truly felt indignant. There was nothing detailing the art¡¯s, the true art, consumption on the reserves. His original intention was to exchange a few blows with Yun Xuli while testing out his arts, but now...if he continued doing so, he¡¯ll likely lose. With ten million heavenly drops on the line, he refused to lose.

    "Fine! Let¡¯s end this." He pulled his bow and arrow into a crescent moon. The arrow gradually turnedpletely purple, indicating it was deeply infused with destructive true-essence. Yan Zaizen utilized his mimicryw to transform his non-attributed true-essence into destruction-attributed true-essence. In thepetition, to establish fairness, the true-essence within the golems were attributeless, essentially lowering its potential to a tenth.

    With his Imperial Law of Mimicry, his true-essence could be modified as well, allowing him to utilize anyw with its maximum potential. As the onlookers saw this, especially the elites, they suffered a shock slightly lesser than before.

    "His true-essence has developed an attribute? How?!" The Sectmaster of the Fate Fist Sect lost hisposure. This should be, theoretically, impossible. After all, to have your essence develop an attribute it needed to be refined and tempered by heavenly materials orws. Furthermore, the meridians, qi-pathways, and dantian have to be refined to handle the varying essence. Not to mention, it¡¯s nearly impossible to fully convert the energies without constant tempering.

    Shi Yan turned towards Zhou Xiuhei who was just as shocked as the others. His eyes shined with an intrigued light. "This youth is not only a Herculean but can create a miniaturized heaven and instantly change the qualities of his true-essence. Not to mention...I sense the aura of the Violet Way of Spatial Shifting, my conceptual art, on his body. How many secrets does he have?" With those thoughts, he kept watching the fight.

    They all anticipated what would happen next.

 Chapter 228 Shift an Arrow! Shatter the Dao!

    Yun Xuli¡¯s expression was horrifying to look at. Despite being a Heavenly Spiritless Golem, his facial expressions were incredibly lifelike and genuine, reflective of his true emotions. As such, one could see the frustration and fear within his eyes. This was temporary, however. As an owner of a middle-tier Mortal Dao, how could his mental strength be so weak?

    With a thought, the inner formations of the Heavenly Spiritless Golem activated. By paying a certain amount of his heavenly-infused true-essence, his feet and the small portion of his legs regrew instantly. His reserves dropped by at least ten percent from this. The cost was worth it.

    To cultivators, they circte their true-essence throughout their entire body, without a body part, their meridians and qiwork would be severed limiting their strength considerably.

    In normal fights, this would have reduced his strength by twenty to thirty percent. Luckily, this was a fight utilizing external golems with regeneration mechanisms.

    His eyes grew sharper than ever before as they released scintiting silver light. It was as if his eyes had turned into suns of swords. Brandishing his sword once more, he swung viciously towards Yan Zaizen. The world was shrouded in a silver light that seemed to slice and crush all things simultaneously. This silver light condensed into a thick line, about the size of a finger, the length of which was about one hundred meters. It sped towards Yan Zaizen fueled by Yun Xuli¡¯s cultivation base and fury.

    However, this attack wasn¡¯t his only move. His eyes of silver light turned a brilliant sky-blue that seemed to brighten the entire world within. His aura underwent a drastic shift. His back grew straighter, his chin higher, and his eyes more tyrannical. It was as if he was above all and below none.

    Yan Zaizen eyes constricted slightly. "A Mortal Dao!" He recognized this aura. In truth, he felt it quite simr to his own, but there was a slight difference. "Tyrannical Ferocity?!"

    The Mortal Dao of Tyrannical Ferocity was a lower-tier Mortal Dao that could be considered frightening amongst its tier. Those who possessed it was innately tyrannical and their domineering attitude was as high as the heavens. In particr, the Mortal Dao of Tyrannical Ferocity focused on the ferocity aspect. When executed, one would be as fierce as a tiger, cruel as a predator, and domineering as a ruler. Regardless of who stood in their way or questioned their ideals, they would ferociously eliminate this obstacle.

    "That¡¯s not all!" Recognizing the difference, it looked as if Tyrannical Ferocity was only a part of this Mortal Dao. "A fusion dao?" As he looked at Yun Xuli¡¯s eyes that seemed to radiate innate supremacy, he couldn¡¯t help but chuckle. That¡¯s right, chuckle.

    "Haha! Your dao, the Dao of Tyrannical Supremacy?!" When he shouted those words, Yun Xuli¡¯s expression changed but grew more colder and domineering. His expression was as if he disregarded Yan Zaizen¡¯s insignificant existence. To him, Yan Zaizen was nothing but a bug on his road to the peak.

    Yan Zaizenughed even louder to the point that the space trembled and the clouds dispersed. The sword sh from earlier was still iing, but he was actually in the mood tough. This caused all those watching to feel odd in their hearts. If it was them, they wouldn¡¯t spare a moment doing such a reckless thing! Yet, Yan Zaizen continued ignoring the sharp silver light.

    "Interesting! Let me show you a REAL Dao!" As he said this, his aura seethed and erupted in an explosion!

    BOOM!!!

    His eyes shed with dark-amber, the entire sectional hemisphere of the Dao Arena shifted into a dark-amber hue, and the world was shrouded by a stiflingly oppressed air. As if a Sovereign had descended into the world! The world trembled, weing the arrival with cries of excitement!

    "What?!" At this point, the upper echelon was shocked to numbness. A miniaturized heaven, the ability to change one¡¯s true-essence at will, and a dao that could change the world!

    Syi, the divine beast with crimson-eyes and a frightening aura, felt his heart tremble. "An...upper-tier Mortal Dao?!" The moment those words were said disbelievingly, the others reeled in shock, a few even had cups in their hands which dropped to the ground. In this cultivation world, especially heavenly cultivators, the tier of a dao was important!

    A lower-tier dao could establish a lower-tier foundation for heavenly cultivators, and the greater one¡¯s tier, the greater the foundation and the more heavenlyw liquid that can institute in each floor of their pir!

    Lang Xue had the weakest foundation with a bestowed lower-tier Mortal Dao and a Mortal Law. In the 27th Heaven of the Extreme Rebirth Heavenly God, this wasmon amongst forty percent of the entire poption¡¯s heavenly cultivators! As the dao tier andw grade rise, the percentage of people with the standard drops dramatically. For those with an upper-tier dao and anyw, they¡¯ll be in the top of the top, even one ten thousandth of a single percentage was too much. As for bestowed? The numbers would rise, but not by much.

    Yun Xuli was considered a genius that could not be denied due to owning his own true Mortal Dao that was at the middle-tier, but the difference between tiers was monstrously huge. It couldn¡¯t even be described as the dirt and the clouds. As one¡¯s cultivation into the Heavenly Path continues, so did the relevance of their dao.

    To put it inly, even if a seventh-floor Heavenly Genesis expert with a World Law and Middle-tier Mortal Dao were to face a fourth-floor Heavenly Genesis expert with a World Law and Upper-tier Mortal Dao, they would be evenly matched if all other factors were the same.

    This was the huge difference.

    This was a VAST difference!!

    The moment Yan Zaizen¡¯s Mortal Dao of Sovereign Ascension erupted outwards, Yun Xuli¡¯s dao collided in a formless way with it. The collision was brief but intense. The world chaotically spiraled slightly as if in deep conflict with itself.

    The silver sword light reached Yan Zaizen.

    With a clenched fist, he threw it forward. This fist was enhanced with vital energy infused with his dao. As it was thrown, the air grew turbulent and chaotic, and the world seemed to halt its conflict in the face of this single fist.

    BOOM!!

    An explosion urred as fist met sword light. The light dissipated into the wind like sand. In the face of Yan Zaizen¡¯s fist, that sword light was like an egg meeting steel!

    Yan Zaizen was stillughing, his expression turning more and more imperialistic. "You may be tyrannical, but I¡¯m a Sovereign!" A regal charm emanated from him as he stepped forward. His momentum sky-rocketing into the sky! The Mortal Dao of Tyrannical Ferocity had simrities to Imperial Ferocity, but it held one slight yet critical difference. One was like a cruel animal while the other was a MONARCH!

    Even if their daos were simply alone, Yun Xuli could never hope topete with Yan Zaizen. After all, Imperial Ferocity was a peak lower-tier dao while Tyrannical Ferocity wasn¡¯t.

    With a newly nocked arrow, he pulled his bow back as his Mortal Dao infused with his true-essence. No longer was the arrow purple, suffused with destruction, but deep ck. It wasn¡¯t inky, but truly and deeply ck as if it contained nothing, including life or essence.

    Yun Xuli grimaced, his dao wavering heavily. To meet someone with a simr but more powerful dao than your own could be fatal, but it was rare. After all, how many upper-tier daos actually had ferocity within?! How many had supremacy or sovereign-based characteristics?!

    "Let¡¯s see if this works," Yan Zaizenughed even more brazenly, his eyes towards Yun Xuli was as if he was watching a child y with a sword. His eyes contained no respect, only deep imperialism and sensation of superiority. When he first met Yun Xuli, this was the feeling he received, and he was almost sure Yun Xuli felt something simr. And yet, it couldn¡¯t be truer.

    RELEASE!

    Yan Zaizen let loose his ck arrow, sending it flying towards Yun Xuli with a rather slow speed. After all, this arrow wasn¡¯t powered by destruction orws of archery.

    Yun Xuli¡¯s eyes flickered, his sky-blue gleam returning and being driven further by himself. With a thunderous roar, he erupted with a glow of sky-blue that shielded him from the dark-amber aura. "Your dao may be higher than mines, but you ARE NOT MY SUPERIOR! I AM SUPREME!!!" He shouted with all his might, his dao attempting to stabilize as his convictions and belief resonated with his soul. Immediately, his dao started to push back and regain control.

    Yan Zaizen stoppedughing, his eyes narrowing. This was his first battle of the dao and it was amongst two true daos. He was shocked to see that his dao aura was being pushed back by Yun Xuli¡¯s. That being said, he didn¡¯t feel threatened. In fact, this battle was already over.

    Yun Xuli flourished his de in a ferocious manner, his eyes filled with a will of supremacy and disdain. It was as if all before him, Yan Zaizen included, was nothing but ants meant to be stepped on. He shed outwards, his dao infused into his true-essence, and aiming to destroy Yan Zaizen¡¯s arrow. This will not only confirm his supremacy but his superiority! His theory was correct.

    If he could exert his supremacy over Yan Zaizen, it¡¯s possible Yan Zaizen¡¯s dao may falter slightly, allowing for him to strike even harder with his ultimate art. However, if he failed the consequence would be far more damaging. Unfortunately for him...

    The arrow, that looked as if it contained its own space, suddenly vanished. When it did, everyone who was watching its trajectory or sensing its aura was startled. Even the Heavenly Commanders had furrowed brows, unsure of where it went. After all, they didn¡¯t lock onto its presence outside of an overall sense of the battlefield. For this arrow to disappear from their senses felt nearly impossible.

    PUCH!

    "What?!" Yun Xuli¡¯s eyes widened. There was a hint of surprise and disbelief. "I...I..." His words were slow and he tried to say something. However, his head was experiencing an odd form copse, as if the head was being ripped apart.

    "Impossible!" The others in the crowd shouted nearly simultaneously. Between Yun Xuli¡¯s brows was an arrow!!!

    Before they could react, Yun Xuli¡¯s head copsed and exploded oddly and without any clear direction. It was like a turbulent cyclone or seven was in his head causing pieces to surge in all directions.

    Yan Zaizen always wished to transport an arrow into chaotic space and attack in a stealth, assassinating strike since he created the Infinite Chaotic Immersion Art. After heprehended the Realm of Chaotic Space, he now had the means to do so.

    "Hmph! Lang Xue is supposed to be with this for one hundred and fifty thousand years? With her looks, are you, an insignificant ant, even worthy?" Yan Zaizen transmitted to Yun Xuli¡¯s protected soul. The golem had taken a fatal blow to the head and therefore he had won ording to the rules ofbat. Unfortunately, the golems protected the soul and thus could not be killed, but his words were far more damaging than any soul attack.

    Yun Xuli¡¯s dao orb cracked within his soul.

 Chapter 229 Existence

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s actions were vicious and merciless. His transmitted taunt was essentially the same as shattering a person¡¯s belief in themselves, and albeit he used Lang Xue as the target, in truth it didn¡¯t matter. As long as he instigated the thought of weakness and inferiority into Yun Xuli, his fate would¡¯ve been the same.

    "Ahhh!!!" Yun Xuli¡¯s soul returned to his body. He clutched violently at his head. His eyes bloodshot, revealing a trace of madness and instability. That seemingly handsome and supreme appearance copsed as his eyes suffused with killing intent and hatred.

    However, Yan Zaizen only looked at Yun Xuli with frosty coldness. To him, Yun Xuli wished to take what belonged to him. Anyone who wished to snatch from the jaws of a sovereign must be willing to pay the price. In truth, Yan Zaizen wanted nothing more than to kill him and all those with simr thoughts.

    "..." Pinaka stayed silent throughout the fight, but Yan Zaizen¡¯sst words were unnaturally vicious. Sure, his Dao was Sovereign Ascension and his personality had always been casual and vicious towards his enemies, but this was true cruelty.

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s current emotional state was far crueler than before, as if he wished to copse all those against him with a single fist.

    "Ugh..." Yan Zaizen grasped his head and groaned. His eyes, which contained a dark-amber glint, flickered incessantly with various emotions. Deep within, he could feel his soul conflicting somewhat. With a step, he appeared before his protected body and ced his hand upon it. With a thought, his soul reinhabited his body. The moment he did, his eyes shed with a trace of understanding. There was an innate warmth effusing from his eyes, one that retained his original personality.

    The him whoughed at his father¡¯s jokes, felt peaceful in his mother¡¯s arms, and enjoyed adventure, wealth, and food.

    Pinaka realized this sudden change as well.

    "Soul bleeding?" Yan Zaizen silently asked. This wasn¡¯t the first incident, but it was never this intense. The killing intent and desires he had was truly at the very peak. Looking at Yun Xuli struggle violently as his nsmen arrived attempting to cate his sudden onset of insanity caused a chill to crawl into his spine.

    "I¡¯m..." looking at his hands, he felt more himself, "since I broke through to the Gate of Sky Opening, my personality is bing morebative and cruel. As if all life is my inferior. Could it be...is it truly soul bleeding?" When he discovered his status as a Non-Entity, Pinaka determined that his original state was simr to an artificial soul. After learning that there are other paths out there, he believed in the possibility that he wasn¡¯t an artificial soul. It was a possibility, but just a slight one.

    Supposedly, his creator¡¯s personality was supposed to be integrating into his own. Therefore, there were sudden bouts of changes, such as going against the heavens fearlessly or experiencing memories of his creator¡¯s. Is it possible, that wasn¡¯t the case? After all, this wasn¡¯t just slight personality characteristics.

    When he was facing the heavenly gate in his body, an uncontroble aspect of his existence awakened as if he was a sovereign of all things. With a snap of his fingers, the heavens copsed! This didn¡¯t feel like a memory or a slight personality change but as if his very existence, his very core was someone or something else. He trembled at the thought.

    From what he could determine, his keen perception towards the heavens was due to his Non-Entity status, but is it possible...there was more to it? The ck hole and kingly existence seemed to be independent yet conjoined with his own existence. What was the story behind them?!

    He felt a sudden throbbing headache. There was a sensation of deep exhaustion from his body, soul, and mind. He felt hopelessly tired and simply wished to sleep.

    A spatial rift appeared before his head, looking up, his eyes drooped slightly as if he was drained of all his energy. A sudden attraction power erupted from the spatial rift, sending Yan Zaizen through it.

    Suddenly, ten existences appeared like shadows. When they arrived, the world stopped moving and became obedient. Zhou Xiuhei was amongst this group, but his eyes contained a trace of coldness. The other nine was directing their gazes towards Zhou Xiuhei, and some of their eyes contained greed and ill-intent.

    Shi Yan and Syi were the only two who had rtively calmer expressions. Zhou Xiuhei looked towards Shi Yan and a ferocious glint appeared in his eyes. Deep, immeasurable killing intent erupted as his Royal Fiendgod cultivation base seemed on the brink ofplete eruption.

    The others¡¯ eyes shifted, backing away, looking at Zhou Xiuhei with caution but their gazes of greed and ill-intent didn¡¯t change.

    "No worries, Senior Xiuhei. I¡¯m looking after my own here." Shi Yan smilingly said, but Zhou Xiuhei eyes only grew colder. When he tried to send Yan Zaizen away to the Xiuhei Titan Hall, but his spatial rift was intercepted and halted by numerous individuals. As such, he also tried to halt their spatial rifts and arrive personally to swoop Yan Zaizen away. Unfortunately, the others followed along and even hindered him. Others may not have noticed, but he even exchanged a few quiet blows with the others during their travel here.

    The Yun n patriarch was actually killed by him during this brief exchange after attempting to hinder Zhou Xiuhei. The others suffered injuries of varying types, except Syi, Shi Yan, and the middle-aged woman.

    Syi arrived first, but a spatial rift had appeared and sucked him away. However, his expression was calm as he looked towards Shi Yan. With the heavenly might of everyone encapsting the area, even an eighth-floor Heavenly Genesis expert would have trouble sending Yan Zaizen away, but not Shi Yan.

    "Where is he?" Zhou Xiuhei questioned.

    "If you wish to see him, you can. I¡¯ve sent him to the Violet Source Pce." Maintaining his smile, he turned towards the others, "I invite you all toe to my Violet Source Pce." His words caused all those to feel enraged but also helpless. From their expressions, they understood that doing so was like handing their fates to Shi Yan.

    Zhou Xiuhei, however, didn¡¯t hesitate to answer, "Let¡¯s go."

    Syi nodded as well, "I¡¯ve always wanted to visit the Violet Source Pce! I wonder how grand it truly is." With a slight chuckle, his canines shed with a vicious intent.

    "If that¡¯s all who wish to go, then we should go. After all, he¡¯s waiting," said Shi Yan. With a wave of his hand, a spatial rift was produced. The others looked at the spatial rift hesitatingly, but they retreated away. In a split second, only Syi and Zhou Xiuhei remained. They both stepped through the rift without another word.

    Shi Yan took onest look towards the others and coldly smiled. They wished to obtain the method to establish their own Miniaturized Heaven, and likely get Yan Zaizen to bestow his dao to others. After all, a bestowed upper-tier dao was more powerful than a true lower-tier dao.

    "Hmph!"

    He stepped into the spatial rift.

 Chapter 230 Existential Slumber

    The Violet Source Pce was a sub-realm. It wasparable to the Asura Phantom Realm in size and structure. A sr sun that was silver, emanating scintiting sunlight that illuminated the entire realm. Twoary masses resolved around its orbit with no moon.

    Despite being calledary masses they were actually tforms, a t bottom with a thin, translucent dome film above. On these tforms were cities, buildings,nds, and life. The most notable was a violet pce situated at the center of one of the tforms. This pce was the size of an entire moon with an imperial decor and a silver orb floating above.

    This pce was called the same as the realm, the Violet Source Pce.

    For sub-realms, the edge of outer space was essentially a barrier that could not be prated through normal means. However, the Violet Source Pce was interconnected with the Border Expanse. Leaving this realm¡¯s outer edge would leave one within a specific area of the Border Expanse.

    Inside this grand violet pce, in the main hall, a spatial rift appeared. From this rift, a figure fell with a resounding thud.

    Yan Zaizen arrived in this hall unconscious. His sudden bout of exhaustion that seemed to originate from his soul and very existence drifted him to sleep.

    Three figures followed from the rift. They descended with varying expressions.

    "What did you do to him?" Zhou Xiuhei¡¯s expression turned murderous watching Yan Zaizen unconscious. When he scanned his body, he realized this wasn¡¯t normal mental unconsciousness. His essence flow slowed to a crawl, soul energy haspletely concealed itself, the energy stored within his cells were stagnating, and his bodily functions were at an all-time low.

    If it was a mortal, this would essentially be a state of death. It was as if his entire existence had fallen to sleep.

    Shi Yan frowned as he observed Yan Zaizen¡¯s condition. That frown deepened as he understood less and less. He wasn¡¯t afraid of Zhou Xiuhei, especially in his own domain. Yet, he cared about Yan Zaizen¡¯s life.

    Syi, who was a divine beast who cultivated the Bestial Path, eyes narrowed. "His existence, his origin is undergoing a change."

    Shi Yan was startled, "his existence?" Scanning once more, he found it believable. When Yan Zaizen had his body die and his soul underwent hibernation, his existence entered into his heavenly restriction, opening the Gate of Sky Opening.

    As someone who underwent this process, Zhou Xiuhei understood. He knew that Shi Yan or Syi did not have the ability to interact with a person¡¯s existence. Not even he did. If the soul was the construct that held one¡¯s memories, feelings, and instincts, then the brain helped process these and collect them. However, the existence was the source code of one¡¯s being.

    During Samsara, a soul is washed, but in truth, it¡¯s more so the shell that is the soul is removed and this source code is relocated to a new and fresh shell. This was why some werepletely different people, races, and species when they reincarnate.

    After all, souls differ across races and species.

    To interact with this source code called existence was beyond difficult. Likely only a Heavenly Creation expert could even touch it, let alone force it into slumber.

    The Bestial Path included merging the Origin Source into the physical body in a simr way an Essence Cultivator constructed their Origin Core. This Origin Source, this True Origin, was a portion of one¡¯s existence.

    Syi¡¯s understanding of existence was as profound as Zhou Xiuhei. However, Syi recognized the state. Cultivation deviation of the Bestial Path induced this state, but it was much more severe.

    "This reminds me of the Origin Path circumstance," Syi remarked.

    "Hm?" Shi Yan and Zhou Xiuhei simultaneously eximed. Both of them didn¡¯t have much knowledge about the Origin Path. It was a foreign path that belonged beyond the thirty-three heavens.

    "Ezekiel once showed me," Syi bitterly spat, "before he stole from us. He exined that the Origin Path touched upon the existence. This state is simr to a state described: Existential Slumber. During which, all functions enter a state of hibernation." As he exined, the memories from earlier resurged. His expression grew more and more bitter.

    Shi Yan and Zhou Xiuhei were silent. To them, this was new territory. Therefore, they could only ept such a response.

    "He seems to be functioning," Shi Yan deduced. Yan Zaizen¡¯s body was slowly assimting the atmospheric essence into his body. Normally, all parts of the body wouldn¡¯t function, but Yan Zaizen¡¯s quad-lungs were refined by the Siphoning Shadow of Death. It continuously absorbed regardless of his will or not. With his lungs working so did the rest of his bodily functions, sufficient enough to live.

    "I¡¯ll take him," Zhou Xiuhei waved his hand to generate heavenly might to surround Yan Zaizen¡¯s body.

    "No." Shi Yan tly responded, an invisible ripple radiated from all directions colliding with Zhou Xiuhei¡¯s heavenly might. It copsed. As the master of this sub-realm, Shi Yan held incredible power over its space.

    "He cultivates my Violet Way of Spatial Shifting, even developed a variant art with the Imperial Law of Spacetime. Therefore, he¡¯s a half-disciple of mine," Shi Yan stated calmly. Others may not be able to discover Yan Zaizen¡¯s spatial arts, but with his cultivation, how could he not?

    "..." Zhou Xiuhei was solemn. When Yan Zaizen spoke from beyond the spatial rift at the banquet, he used methods within the Violet Law of Spatial Shifting, a conceptual method devised and constructed by Shi Yan.

    However, Yan Zaizen was too important. He was the only Herculean born after the end of the Chaos Era. Towards this young man, he felt a sensation of kinship that went beyond species or race from day one.

    "What caused this?" Asking, Zhou Xiuhei didn¡¯t try to retrieve Yan Zaizen¡¯s body. If they truly fought, it¡¯s possible that Yan Zaizen in his current state could perish. Unwilling to see this happen, he simply changed topics.

    "I¡¯m unsure. He shouldn¡¯t be cultivating, it seems to be an unwilling state. Regardless," Syi answered, "I want to know his rtionship to Ezekiel. He¡¯s a Herculean with the Regalia of Life and Death refined into his body. MY lineage¡¯s treasure bestowed by the Extreme Rebirth Heavenly God." At this point, his breathing was nearly fuming of rage, "Where is Ezekiel?!"

    "..." Silent, Shi Yan awaited Zhou Xiuhei¡¯s answer. Even he was curious. After all, he had personally given Ezekiel the Violet Way of Spatial Shifting as a gift to use as a reference. Zhou Xiuhei had also given Ezekiel the Immortal Herculean Method. They were both deeply connected to him, even Syi invested a bit into him.

    Ezekiel was someone worthy of befriending, even if his entire race was ouwed in the 27th Heaven.

    "He doesn¡¯t know." Zhou Xiuhei answered calmly.

    "What do you mean by that?!" Syi snarled, his eyes filled with ferociousness.

    Coldly snorting, "He has never met Ezekiel! At least, Ezekiel didn¡¯t want to leave any evidence of his existence. Besides the sub-dimensional ethereal ring of his, a few legacies, I¡¯m unsure what else he left behind to him. "

    "What? You¡¯re saying Ezekiel chose this kid to be his sessor?!" Syi grew enraged.

    "Is that so hard to believe? He has an upper-tier Mortal Dao,prehended an Imperial Law to the manifestation-level at least, all before he stepped into the Heavenly Path. He has alsoprehended thew of destruction." Shi Yan voiced his opinion, immediately silencing Syi.

    To cultivators, one¡¯s foundation was critical. If Yan Zaizen could construct a first-floor Heavenly Shrine with an upper-tier Mortal Dao, an Imperial Law, and a solid Essence Path foundation, his future was limitless. It¡¯s possible he would be invincible within his cultivation level amongst the entire thirty-three heavens.

    Even Ezekiel fell slightly short inparison. However, just slightly.

    "Fine," his words were viciously spat and filled with reluctance, but he epted this. "Is Ezekiel dead?"

    "..." Unsure, they stayed silent.

    "Shit! That bastard! He stole our Sirius Core Method, we need this back! If this boy is his sessor, then he must have it!" Growling, he shouted. His bestial aura started to seethe, the air permeated vigorous and predatory energy.

    "Quiet!" Shi Yan frowned, shouting outwards. The Violet Source Pce trembled slightly and Syi¡¯s aura was immediately dissipated. "When he wakes, we¡¯ll ask him. The Sirius Core Method isn¡¯t useful to Herculean¡¯s anyhow." After saying this, he waved his hand to open a rift.

    "You¡¯re wee to protect his body in this ce until he wakes up," he instructed Zhou Xiuhei, "but he stays." With that, he entered the rift and left.

    Syi frowned, but said nothing. He sat down in a meditative pose and awaited Yan Zaizen¡¯s awakening. To him, what was waiting? He could live for millions of years, even a thousand years was little to him.

    Zhou Xiuhei sat as well, closing his eyes and awaiting Yan Zaizen¡¯s awakening. During which, the Earthly Beginning and Heavenly End trials were held off until then.

    ----------

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    Today is the day that I, your beloved and hardworking Author, and CEDS officially obtain premium status.

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    Now, I¡¯m doing that and more. With Premium as the start, this may actually transition into a long-term career! As I continue, I hope I¡¯ll improve with each step forward and attract even more people to enjoy these words of minesbined to formte a story.

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 Chapter 231 Memories

    "Where...am...I...?" A voice suffused with weakness and exhaustion questioned. It sounded ghostly, as if it was flickering in and out of reality.

    Yan Zaizen felt queasy. He tried to move, but his body was frozen. "What...?" Attempting to open his eyes, he received no reaction. His senses didn¡¯t work either. The surroundings were a state of perpetual nothingness, not even the sound of the wind was in the air.

    "...Am I dead?" His thoughts seemed to function but it didn¡¯t felt connected to his memories, as if they were independently formed and dissipated like sand. He couldn¡¯t retain any memory of his previous thoughts. It was only a very faint, vague feeling that he had ¡¯thought¡¯ of this before.

    "This state...it¡¯s what I was in when I opened the gate....right?" There was a brief but faint flickering light in the distance. This light seemed to contain a calling. It was exceptional powerful like hypnosis or subliminal messaging, attempting to persuade him to move towards it.

    As he kept ¡¯looking¡¯ at the light, he felt an exceptionally warm feeling like the womb of a mother or the embrace of a father. It felt protective, loving, and trustworthy.

    "I...need to...go..." His odd state tried to walk towards the light. As he did, he moved for the first time since an indefinite amount of time. As he inched forward, he felt an increasing sense of warmth. This warmth felt addicting and true.

    The light wasn¡¯t any discernible color. If one could say what color it was, it could be considered white as it held all and every color in existence, but it felt like a rainbow of infinite variety. What it appeared to be and what it felt like was fundamentally different.

    After a period of time, unsure of short or long, he arrived a short way from the light. The light radiated emissions of wispy smoke. This smoke seemed to be hands or ws. They pressed forward calmly. Before long, Yan Zaizen was surrounded by these hands and ws.

    "Is...this...death?" As he thought this, he had the strangest feeling that he was both smiling happily and frowning deeply at the same time. The conflict of emotions caused him to struggle deeply.

    As he was pulled closer and closer to the strange light, a sigh filled with the vicissitudes of time resounded. A single line, thin and nearly impossible to see, swept between Yan Zaizen and the light. The hands and ws were severed.

    Suddenly, a dark-amber glow erupted that pushed back the light. A demonic squealing sound erupted. It sounded hurt and angry, but it disappeared.

    "What...?" Calmly watching these events, Yan Zaizen was shocked. What was happening? Where was he? What is that sound? Those thoughts formted and dissipated. Before long, he had asked himself these questions nearly a thousand times in repetition.

    A shadow with a ghostly shimmer appeared before Yan Zaizen. "..." It didn¡¯t speak, but as Yan Zaizen ¡¯looked¡¯ at it, he felt profound sadness and warmth.

    A hand with an outstretched index finger formed from the ghostly figure. It pointed towards Yan Zaizen. It poked forward with a slow speed. Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t feel like he had a form or body, but as the finger approached, he felt a slight tremble throughout his entirety.

    Shaa!

    The finger ¡¯touched¡¯ him. It lit up brightly, slowly increasing in brightness as time passed. Before long, it was blinding as the sun. Like a fire in frosty air, the light dimmed until itpletely vanished.

    Yan Zaizen felt his thoughts be clearer, his memory retention returning, and his ¡¯form¡¯ felt as if it was in motion. Looking around, he saw the form that had touched him.

    His eyes widened in shock.

    "Me?" This was his first thought. However, he didn¡¯t know why. The ghostly shadow was faceless, featureless, and colorless, but he felt like it was him.

    The shadow simply remained silent. A hand stretched from the shadow once more, but this time, it gently touched Yan Zaizen without any light. It felt soft and warm, as if it was a father¡¯s touch onto his child.

    Before Yan Zaizen could ask any questions, the shadow grew unstable. It looked up and said something in anguage Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t understand. When Yan Zaizen tried to ¡¯look¡¯ up, his emotions went silent.

    It was a swirling ck hole that seemed to be the size of a universe. Despite that, he felt that he could view it all. It swirled slightly but siphoned nothing. Shockingly, Yan Zaizen¡¯s first thought was, "Me?!"

    As he said that, the ck hole seemed to cry a silent cry. It slightly trembled but stayed where it was. Yan Zaizen felt that it was there...protecting him, watching over him, and was him.

    The shadow faded. It minimized into a single colorless wisp and entered Yan Zaizen¡¯s current form of formlessness. As it did, Yan Zaizen felt a surge into his thoughts. It wasn¡¯t actual thoughts but memories.

    He found himself standing before a woman. Her kingdom and army drenched in blood. The woman kneeling on the ground in tears suffused with despair and regret.

    The scene shifted.

    He was gripping the body of a different woman. Tears of blood fell and a scream that seemed to prate the universe resounded. His eyes effused hatred to the highest limits.

    These two scenes were something Yan Zaizen had seen before.

    However, the second scene didn¡¯t end. It continued. After that heaven-quaking scream of passionate hatred and profound sadness, ¡¯he¡¯ raised his hand and stabbed it into his chest. With a pull, his heart was ripped from his chest.

    This heart contained vitality and essence that seemed impossible. With a swift motion, the heart was ced in the female¡¯s body. Shockingly, ¡¯he¡¯ didn¡¯t die. Instead, he looked upwards and flew towards the heavens with the beauty in his arms.

    Yan Zaizen felt himself cry tears of blood, but it was only a feeling and not real.

    A third scene appeared.

    This confused him. The ¡¯him¡¯ from earlier was with the woman from before, but this woman was also ¡¯him¡¯ but very much alive. They were standing beside ake, oneying calmly in the others embrace. Suddenly, Yan Zaizen felt at peace.

    The scene ended.

    Before he could think, he heard a voice from above, "You must...l-" This voice, despite being iplete, was soft but powerful.

    Shaa!

    His eyes opened. Standing before him was a middle-aged man and a ck-skinned man. Their gazes focused on Yan Zaizen and their eyes contained shock. Yan Zaizen had tears drenching his face and a wide smile on his face. It was as if he was happy to the extreme.

 Chapter 232 Three Thousand Years

    "You?" Syi was startled. Then, his gaze transitioned into one of deep solemnity.

    "You¡¯re awake," Zhou Xiuhei slightly smiled, arriving before Yan Zaizen and surveying his physical condition. Narrowing his eyes momentarily, he breathed out a sigh of relief.

    Confused by Zhou Xiuhei¡¯s reaction, Yan Zaizen asked, "what¡¯s wrong?"

    Syi snorted and stood, "You¡¯ve been in a state of existential slumber for over three thousand years, we should ask what¡¯s wrong!" He seemed slightly enraged.

    "What?!" In disbelief, he immediately rejected it. He had just entered a spatial rift and woke up. To him, it was like sleeping and being awakened by a jolting shock. It¡¯s impossible he was in whatever slumber for three thousand years.

    However, when he turned to Zhou Xiuhei to receive answers, all he received was a slight nod of affirmation.

    "..." Mind nk, he checked his body. To him, there was no change to anything, not even his soul cultivation base. It was like nothing happened.

    "Enough with this, give me the Sirius Core Method," Syi demanded, unwilling to wait one more second.

    Zhou Xiuhei nced at Syi, his eyes calm but frightening.

    Witnessing this, Syi coldly snorted, "Fine! If you have the method, I¡¯ll pay a fair price."

    "Sirius Core Method?" Things were moving fast and confusion. At the moment, his mind was still processing the three thousand years.

    "You¡¯re awake!" A teary voice erupted from Yan Zaizen¡¯s soul.

    "Pinaka?" Yan Zaizen would recognize this voice anywhere. It was soft and gentle, but now it was even more so. Suddenly, Pinaka projected her soul form before Yan Zaizen. Her eyes were a beautiful silver-blue, her long hair as ck as night itself, and her beauty mind-bogglingly. She was like a spiritual goddess descending from the heavens.

    Her eyes were happy and she seemed to have cried. Despite being unable to produce tears, she had an expression as if she was originally depressed to tears and shifted to utter happiness. This was what Yan Zaizen felt.

    "You..." Just as Yan Zaizen wanted to say something, he felt a warmth wrap around his body. It was odder than bodily warmth and more so one that touched the soul directly.

    Pinaka embraced himpletely. It was only now that he realized that Pinaka was quite tall, buxom, and curvaceous. As she had a long robe, he never got a good look. This was also the first time they ever came into direct contact.

    "I¡¯m happy you¡¯re alive!" She whispered softly in his ear with a hint of weakness. Unconsciously, he wrapped his arms around her body and tightly embraced her. When this happened, even Pinaka realized the circumstance, but she stayed.

    To her, Yan Zaizen soul had essentially been shut off. She could leave and exit as she wished, but she couldn¡¯t connect with him. It was like he was truly dead. Unlike before, Yan Zaizen¡¯s state was even scarier because she couldn¡¯t feel any hint of his existence.

    This terrified her. More than she ever thought it would.

    Zhou Xiuhei watched this and smiled slightly, "you have a goodpanion, she cared for your body while you were in that state. Even washing and redressing your body. Haha." After hearing this, Pinaka didn¡¯t grow embarrassed but her eyes grew softer.

    A spatial rift appeared not too far away. It attracted Syi and Zhou Xiuhei¡¯s gazes. From this rift, three men appeared. One was a middle-aged man with a tranquil gaze, another was a young man dressed in a white schr outfit with exceptionally white teeth and slim figure, and thest was a bespectacled violet-robed schr with a silver dot at his be.

    Yan Zaizen recognized the aura and turned his attention towards it. He still held Pinaka, however. She didn¡¯t let him go so it¡¯d be awkward if he did so first. As if noticing his thoughts, she turned into a ball of light and entered his body.

    "Brother, you¡¯re awake." The pearly-teeth, slim schr said with deep excitement in his voice.

    "Wait!" Syi was nearly fuming, his eyes were like seething blood. "Give me the method so I can leave. As agreed, here¡¯s payment!" He didn¡¯t wish to deal with this any longer. After three thousand years, he came to an agreement with Zhou Xiuhei. He threw a heavenly dimensional box towards Yan Zaizen.

    Catching it, Yan Zaizen was a little startled. He tried checking its contents but couldn¡¯t. Only those who developed heavenly sense could prate through this dimensional box.

    "Young one, do you have a method called the Sirius Core Method? If you do, the price is worth it," Zhou Xiuhei patiently asked.

    After thinking about it, he did. He had already memorized its contents, but it was too profound even for him, a Non-entity, so he never tried cultivating it.

    Yan Zaizen couldn¡¯t cultivate the Sirius Path even if he wanted to, for two reasons actually. One, it conflicted with the Herculean Path, literally following the same foundational development. Evolution and refinement of the physical body. Two, only those with the Sirius Regalia for reference and refine a Sirius Heavenly Shrine would be able to cultivate it.

    As for why Ezekiel had stolen it, it was the cultivation method of a Heavenly Creation expert, why not? Any reference was capable of enhancing one¡¯s knowledge and experience. If Yan Zaizen was given the same opportunity, he would make the same choice.

    He brought out the book and threw it towards Zhou Xiuhei unwilling to quibble. After all, if a Heavenly Commander says it¡¯s worth it to sell, then it was worth it. He also trusted Zhou Xiuhei and didn¡¯t wish to dy his answers with Syi¡¯s incessantints.

    Inspecting it briefly, Zhou Xiuhei delivered it to Syi who coldly snorted and left. As he left, a smile of deep excitement stered itself solidly on his face.

    "Good that that is dealt with," Shi Yan, the violet-robed schr smilingly said. "Now, before I let you all have a delightful reunion, I have a few questions."

    Zhou Xiuhei was calm unlike three thousand years ago. He stayed silent and waited. Bai Lufeng and Tao who stood beside Shi Yan remained silent as well. They seemed to respect Shi Yan a lot. Yan Zaizen was confused, but before he could inspect the situation, Shi Yan bombarded him with questions.

    "Do you cultivate the Violet Way of Spatial Law? Did you develop an Imperial Law of Spacetime? If so, what is it and how far have you progressed?" He seemed excited as he spoke but maintained the pose of a schr.

    Yan Zaizen briefly nced at Zhou Xiuhei only to get a soft smile and slight nod. With that, he didn¡¯t hide anything.

    "...Yes. Yes. Realm of Chaotic Space and Minor-Manifestation." He was sinct with his answers.

    Shi Yan¡¯s eyes lit up, "Then, what do you think about bing a Guest Elder of my Violet Source Pce?"

    "..." Another guest elder position? He was shocked to see that Zhou Xiuhei didn¡¯t seem to be against it. Being a guest elder of two forces? What if conflict erupts from them? He felt an instinctively desire to refuse, however...

    "You can ept, Young One. But be sure to get maximum benefits." Zhou Xiuhei calmly advised.

    This gramps!

    However...maximum benefits?

    "What would I receive in this Guest Elder position?" He inquired.

    "You¡¯ll be below one, me, but you would have the authority of a Head Elder. You can mobilize any and all avable forces you wish as long as it isn¡¯t against an ally. If you wish to do so,e to me first. You have ess to a majority of our resources. You can create your own force, whereby we¡¯ll instantly be equal allies. You¡¯ll receive your own Grand Realmship to travel as you wish, whenever you wish. Unless the force is at war, you can do anything you wish."

    "..."

    "..."

    "..."

    They. Were. All. Shocked.

    Wasn¡¯t this the same as a Patriarch?! Even Zhou Xiuhei felt it ridiculous. He also felt a little embarrassed.

    Yan Zaizen side-eyed Zhou Xiuhei, muttering how cheap Zhou Xiuhei was inparison.

    "Mhm!" Zhou Xiuhei coughed and looked away.

    "Why me? What do you want from me?" Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t rush into this. He understood Zhou Xiuhei¡¯s motivation, but not Shi Yan. Sure, he cultivated the same art, but wasn¡¯t this too much?

    Shi Yan smiled despite Yan Zaizen¡¯s suspicions, "I just have one condition..." he lifted his index finger, "when you reach the sovereign-level of your Imperial Law, you produce a Regalia for my, mhm, OUR Violet Source Pce."

    "...Sure." He was quite casual with that. He didn¡¯t know how long that¡¯ll take but considering his status as a Non-Entity, it shouldn¡¯t be hard. Shi Yan and Zhou Xiuhei¡¯s eyebrows twitched at his casualness. Imperial Laws were so difficult that many Heavenly Creation experts still haven¡¯t reached the Sovereign-level in one.

    "Then, wee!"

    Yan Zaizen turned his eyes towards Bai Lufeng and Tao, his gaze turned odd. "What?"

 Chapter 233 Time Flows On

    "Your cultivation?" Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes shed with realization and eptance as he faced Tao. Tao hadn¡¯t changed much outwardly but his cultivation was far from what he was before.

    Tao was originally at the mid-True Essence Realm, but now...he had stepped solidly into the Heavenly Path. "You¡¯ve built your second-floor?" Yan Zaizen was both happy and conflicted.

    Tao could sense his conflict. After all, he had essentially experienced aa, stagnating while others progressed. He was just as conflicted and happy as Yan Zaizen kept increasing in strength while his cultivation was slower than a crawl.

    "Mm, I¡¯ve built my second-floor using the Law of the Sword." With a smile, he walked up to Yan Zaizen and spread out his hands.

    With a chuckle, Yan Zaizen hugged Tao. To him, it may have been an instant, but to Tao who didn¡¯t know about his life or death, he likely felt indescribable emotions. When they came into contact, Yan Zaizen sensed a familiar aura on Tao.

    "You?" Shocked, he looked disbelievingly at Tao.

    Laughing with vigor, Tao nodded, "I married Lang Xue. Who would¡¯ve known?" When he said those words, he had a little pride in his eyes.

    "..." Processing this information, Yan Zaizen felt like he fell into a new world. Tao had Lang Xue aura deeply entrenched into his own, this was an indication of constant dual cultivation of the body and soul. Not to mention, Lang Xue¡¯s primal yin was far more special than normal, linked to divine beasts and the gigantus race.

    "Thanks to Xiuhei Sovereign, I was capable of shattering her binds and restriction, giving her and her race freedom. I¡¯ve also be an Inner Disciple of the Violet Source Pce. Pce Lord Yan has been generous and epted me." He exined.

    After all, during the previous altercation, the Yun n¡¯s Patriarch tried to kill Yan Zaizen and was thusly killed by Zhou Xiuhei. They no longer had as much power as before.

    "You¡¯veprehended a spatialw on your own, exhibited incredible insight into space, and thus are a natural fit for the Violet Source Pce." Shi Yan calmly stated, giving credit where credit¡¯s due.

    "It¡¯s because of my Brother¡¯s support and notes in cultivation that I could reach this step," humbly replying, he felt untold gratitude in his eyes.

    Yan Zaizen was nk for a moment but then joyouslyughed. "Good! Good!" He turned to Bai Lufeng and felt he was far different than before. His aura was nearly unfathomable.

    "My life and my fate belongs to you Young Lord, I don¡¯t dare to join any force unless you agreed." Bai Lufeng had calm eyes radiating a dense sense of loyalty. Towards Yan Zaizen, he owed much. Too much.

    Tao pat Bai Lufeng on the shoulder, "he¡¯s an absolute genius in cultivating the Soul Source Path. He¡¯s already reached the Advanced Astral Soul Realm."

    "What?!" Truly startled, he swept his sense over Bai Lufeng and found it to be true. His soul energy and astral star formed were dense and powerful. Were they always this talented?

    "You¡¯ve all truly progressed while I napped. Already caught up and exceeded me." Despite saying those words, he was truly happy. His smile said it all and his eyes radiated his truest of feelings.

    "How¡¯s your current state?" Zhou Xiuhei stepped forward and asked.

    "I¡¯m fine as far as I can tell." He wasn¡¯t truly certain and he was unsure why he slept for three thousand years, but he felt that, albeit on the surface he may not have changed, something at the very core of his existence has. He felt more like himself, no longer influenced by other things inducing a very conflicting feeling.

    It could be exined that he no longer felt like an independent existence was pressing on his own. He couldn¡¯t exin it clearly, but that¡¯s how he felt.

    "Good, the Earthly Beginning and Heavenly End Trials will start." Zhou Xiuhei may have said this calmly, but everyone could see the urgency in his eyes. It was faint but who here wasn¡¯t perceptive?

    Shi Yan agreed, "Yes. We¡¯ll start it now." Waving his sleeves, a rift appeared. "We don¡¯t have much time to waste. If you feel odd, then inform us immediately." He directed to Yan Zaizen before entering the rift.

    "Let¡¯s go." Zhou Xiuhei entered. Tao and Bai Lufeng waited for Yan Zaizen¡¯s orders. To them, he was still their Young Lord, their leader. Yan Zaizen felt a warmth permeate his heart.

    "Go."

    They entered the rift quickly.

    Yan Zaizen stood in the hall alone. His emotions wereplex. He missed so much. Tao¡¯s wedding, Bai Lufeng advancements, and who know how much more? What about his home? How was Lin Feilin? Shin Xuanji? The Yan n? Yao Wuhen? Ya...Qinqan?

    Three thousand years. Three thousand whole years!

    "What happened...?" Pinaka softly asked. Everyone glossed over Yan Zaizen¡¯s feelings. After all, what¡¯s three thousand years to a Heavenly cultivator minimum one hundred and fifty thousand years of life? It was a blip as one continued getting stronger. To some, it truly was a blink.

    But to Yan Zaizen, it felt far more substantial. This was a portion of his life that he couldn¡¯t get back or experience. Life that he missed and choices snatched from him.

    "I can barely remember much...but...I have the feeling that we¡¯re wrong." Yan Zaizen slowly said.

    "Wrong? How?" Pinaka was slightly startled. She understood there were a few things she was ignorant of or misunderstood, so she was open to her mistakes. Just a while ago, she was ignorant of the True Spirit Path despite being born from it.

    "I don¡¯t think my soul is artificial. I think...it¡¯s real, and...I don¡¯t think the ck hole is a part of my soul." When he said those words, Pinaka was shocked. Continuing, "It may be a part of who I am at the core, my very existence. I...just don¡¯t know how that¡¯s the case."

    "...soul reincarnation?" She offered after some pondering. In soul reincarnation, a person typically retains their soul shell and their core life, but the memories are repressed, not erased. This is done manually by powerful people interfering with the Samsara Cycle. Many, many Heavenly cultivators who reach an extraordinary prowess could do it.

    Therefore, people could experience their past lives. Only when they undergo true Samsara, entering hell and being washed thoroughly does it begin anew.

    "No." Shaking his head, he closed his eyes. "It¡¯s more than that. I just...don¡¯t know how." After saying those words, he felt a heavy weight on his heart. He recalled the voice at the end...the voice that said: "you must," but was interrupted.

    It was soft but powerful.

    Then his memories of ¡¯himself¡¯ experiencing all those events and doing all those things. ughtering an army, ripping out one¡¯s own heart, and calmly enjoying theke view with another ¡¯him¡¯.

    When he exined all this to Pinaka, she was silent. Especially when he exined how he no longer felt that internal conflict affecting his mental state. It was like a slight tug had disappeared at the edge of his mind.

    "The world is full of mysteries, and we strive to seek them. For now, we just need to continue down our path and search for answers. However, we must still live our own lives, don¡¯t lose sight of that." Pinaka warned. This was something her previous master lived by.

    "Time...I will find out what I am! I swear it." Calmly swearing an oath, he strode through the spatial rift.

 Chapter 234 Earthly Beginning & Heavenly End 1

    Within the Sirius Titan Realm, on the Grand Sirius - the world of trials, there was a door. This door was ordinary and had a standard size that could amodate the passage of a single person at a time. It was a mixture of gold and silver, as if representing the heavens and the earth. It connected to nothing but stood upright as it held the sky itself.

    Surrounding this door, for thousands of li, there was no one. Beyond that distance, there was a countless number of people dressed in multi-colored outfits and radiating auras that would seem like the gathering of gods for mortals.

    These people belonged to various forces within the Sirius Titan Realm. If one looked closely, they could see gigantic foxes and wolves, even humans, idling about. It was a grand sight.

    Whoosh!

    A spatial rift appeared within these crowds of cultivators. From this spatial rift, five men exited. They were Yan Zaizen, Zhou Xiuhei, Shi Yan, Tao, and Bai Lufeng. When they arrived, many eyes shifted to their direction. Some had a yearning, some had an unfathomable calmness, and the rare few held urging impatience.

    Seeing these crowds of experts, Yan Zaizen couldn¡¯t help but be startled. However, thissted temporarily. His gaze focused on that ordinary, lone door that stood like it held up the sky and guarded the earth.

    "Is this the trial?" Asking, he saw people walk into the thousands of li zone of emptiness. They walked proudly, their gazes filled with determination and calm. To them, they were both excited and nervous. This held their dreams for the future.

    "Yes. The Earthly Beginning and Heavenly End Trials are two in one. You¡¯ll be ssified by your token type for rewards and benefits, but the three sections of the trial will be the same." Zhou Xiuhei calmly exined.

    "...then why call it two trials if it¡¯s the same?" He was truly curious. It didn¡¯t make much sense.

    Shi Yan smiled, "Zhou Xiuhei may say its the same, and he isn¡¯t wrong, but the way toplete it is different. For the Earthly Beginning and Heavenly End trial, the deviation is in thest two trials. Your goals will be different but the trial will be the same." After exining, he nced around and saw the many individuals looking their way.

    "Go. This trial, do well." Shi Yan said, but his words didn¡¯t seem to contain that smiling tone. Instead, it was suffused with a solemnity that was quite rare for him.

    Yan Zaizen was a little shocked why they didn¡¯t inform him deeply about the two trials and what he¡¯ll have to achieve.

    Via soul transmission, Tao sent, "the two trials have countless variations and goals. Besides the main differences between the two tokens, there¡¯s not much else to be said. However, the first tests your talent, but you¡¯ll do well there."

    Yan Zaizen was enlightened. They didn¡¯t say anything because it wasn¡¯t possible to know of it. He took a deep breath. Closing his eyes, the image of himself became remarkably clearer. A trace of determination suffused in his eyes. Not for the trial, he could care less about it, but towards his future.

    He must be strong enough to find out who he is. He had to. This trial was just a step towards that.

    Just as he was about to take a step forward, his eyes flickered. He looked towards Zhou Xiuhei, "Grandpa Xiu..."

    "Hm? What is it, young one?"

    "Where¡¯s my money?" He asked innocently.

    "..."

    "..."

    "..."

    The crowd was shocked and Tao bitterly smiled. Bai Lufeng nodded silently, confirming that their Young Lord had yet to change.

    It was only when Yan Zaizen brought it up did Zhou Xiuheie to a sudden realization. Yan Zaizen had won the battle against Yun Xuli. With that, he waved his hand to send the ten heavenly crystals within a heavenly dimensional box.

    Grabbing it, Yan Zaizen frowned a little. Witnessing this frown, Zhou Xiuhei didn¡¯t know whether tough or cry. "The entire ten heavenly crystals are there."

    "..." Yan Zaizen¡¯s brows twitched. Was this gramps trying to cheat him? "I was a Guest Elder for...three thousand years."

    "..." Now, Zhou Xiuhei truly didn¡¯t know whether tough or cry. He sent a golden bottle into the heavenly dimensional box. "Three hundred thousand heavenly drops added. Satisfied? Now, go. Go." It was as if he was shoo¡¯ing Yan Zaizen away, trying to not be taken for more wealth.

    Yan Zaizen frowned once more. Shi Yan chuckled off to the side. Tao felt pity when he looked at Zhou Xiuhei, but he didn¡¯t dare show it.

    "When I get back, we¡¯ll settle other things." Putting the heavenly box into his Meteor Ring, Yan Zaizen departed. With the ¡¯Xiuhei - Heaven¡¯ token in hand, he entered the range of the door.

    There were thirty-nine other people near the door when he arrived. He recognized most of them from the banquet, but a few were new. It¡¯s possible that, with three thousand years to prepare, a few challenged others for the right to the token. Likely, his slumber allowed for them to grasp this opportunity.

    Looking around, he found a familiar figure. She was a picture of beauty, standing calmly with a cyan dress embroidered with various types of flowers. Her cherry lips and soft skin looked as if they were made from silk.

    When Yan Zaizen recalled the kiss from earlier, he couldn¡¯t help but smile. When Ma Xiuren saw Yan Zaizen, she had mixed feelings. Mostly because she was essentially mind-controlled into ruining her reputation, and also because she was happy he was alright.

    Yan Zaizen was the question mark on her life. They had met and interacted for a short period of time, about under a year. However, he hade here to meet her from a vast distance, gave her back the token, and even stole her first kiss. He was talented, handsome, and his personality wasn¡¯t horrendous.

    Despite this, she didn¡¯t know how she felt romantically. After all, she had far too many responsibilities on her shoulders and even people she felt better inclined to romantically. They may not have been as outstanding as Yan Zaizen, but they were a part of her life for longer.

    She silently waved towards him, a slight smile carrying a hint of awkwardness appeared.

    While she was thinking all this, Yan Zaizen was conversing about other things with Pinaka. "I wonder if I can get Grandpa Xiu to throw me an expensive feast, a very expensive one. I should have Pce Lord Yan and Grandpa Xiu do it together, maybe a trifecta celebration of Guest Elder and Awakening? I can even throw in three thousand birthdays into the mix. The amount of wealth I can get from this realm, it would be...hehe."

    If he threw a party where the top figures were invited and had to present a present, he could gain so much wealth as a result. His devious mind was churning with ideas.

    "..." Pinaka was silent, but she nodded in agreement.

 Chapter 235 Earthly Beginning & Heavenly End 2

    As the forty participants stood surrounding that lone door, the atmosphere grew tense and heavy. Even Ma Xiuren had a heavy look in her eyes. The responsibilities she carried were heavy, but more importantly, her future would likely be decided by this.

    This was their first andst chance. In the Earthly Beginning and Heavenly End Trials, being younger than 33,000 years was a minimum requirement. However, there was a restriction. You can only participate in the trial once a lifetime.

    Ooossh!

    Yan Zaizen and the others felt the tokens in their hands tremble. It was like holding a miniaturized earthquake.

    The world suddenly underwent a drastic change. No more was the sky bright from the two suns drenching it, but dark clouds shrouded the skies. No lightning was emitted but sounds of crackling resonated.

    Yan Zaizen felt the hair on his body rise. It felt like his body was experiencing a static charge. "This is?" He was bewildered and awed by the event. The sky grew darker and darker till the suns were no longer visible and all light waspletely and thoroughly repelled.

    Total darkness descended.

    "Concealing the skies," Yan Zaizen looked at the clouds that were obviously not clouds. They seemed to contain some unfathomablews that even he, as a Non-Entity, couldn¡¯t grasp properly.

    Vroom!

    A mechanical sound permeated the world. It wasn¡¯t particrly loud but everyone, regardless of their cultivation base, regardless if they were nearby like the participants or outside in the Worldships, heard this sound.

    The door illuminated in a radiant light of gold and silver. It became like a sun, sending rays of light in all directions. It was so bright that Yan Zaizen could only see the light. The bodies or forms of everyone else disappeared from his vision. Then, his ears were consumed by that mechanical sound.

    Before long, his spiritual sense no longer could see anything else but light or pick up anything else but that sound. As he tried to sense the life signatures of everyone, he found out there were no lifeforms around him.

    No.

    It would be more correct to say that the light being emitted from the door contained endless life that overwhelmed the life signatures of others. "This light...lifews are a part of it?" As he questioned, he realized that he could no longer hear Pinaka¡¯s voice or sense her presence. As if she was forced out of his soul.

    This continued for what seemed like a thousand years but was actually a few seconds.

    When the light faded, Yan Zaizen and the others were gone. The crowd was still there. However, if one looks at a few amongst the crowd, they would notice that they had their eyes closed. Their bodies radiated a faint trace of gold and silver light like the door.

    Zhou Xiuhei looked around calmly, unperturbed by the series of events.

    "Seems like they¡¯veprehended a bit of the Sirius Laws. He must be quite happy to find a few members that could travel the Sirius Path." Shi Yan scoffed slightly, looking at Syi who stood far away with shining eyes as he looked about.

    "The White Sirius Heavenly Monarch was truly unwilling to let his legacy die." Zhou Xiuheimented. In the Heavenly Creation Realm, cultivators could produce their ownw, then produce their own path, and if they could ascend the heavens, they could make it an eternal path. The True Spirit and Herculean was this type of path.

    What the White Sirius Heavenly Monarch did was unusual. He established his own heaven, built his ownw, and came to an agreement with the Heavenly Gods of the 27th Heaven to allow cultivation of it after his death. Therefore, the Sirius Path was not a true path. It could not be cultivated in other heavens, but those who¡¯veprehended the Sirius Law could build shrines attributed to it.

    With this shrine, they could utilize thew in any heaven. He may have failed in making his path eternal, but he made hisw avable to all. As long as his legacy is not destroyed, thisw could exist perpetually. It was akin to a Dao Treasure, except even after death, it can be learned and practiced.

    The Sirius Core Method was the White Sirius Heavenly Monarch conceptualw into the Sirius Law. Essentially, a guidebook on thew and the myriad arts of its founder. The fact Ezekiel was capable of stealing it from the clutches of his lineage denotes his extraordinary prowess and tactics.

    "If we were in the same situation, wouldn¡¯t we do the same?¡¯ Shi Yan smilingly questioned. His eyes looking at the door that was no longer shining an iridescent light.

    "I would," Zhou Xiuhei didn¡¯t hesitate to answer. For cultivators, their lives were to cultivate the heavens, to be its equals, and to exceed it. If they failed, the least they could do is allow their legacy to exist in perpetuity!

    Shi Yan nodded, turning towards Bai Lufeng. Bai Lufeng¡¯s body emitted a faint trace of gold and silver light. He had a faint smile on his face as he waved his hand. Bai Lufeng vanished.

    "It seems that you all truly are special." His words were mysterious in tone. With a nce at Tao who seemed absorbed in his own thoughts, Shi Yan smile grew wider.

    -----

    Yan Zaizen felt his body feel lighter than a feather. As a cultivator of his level, it was odd. After all, their bodies, if dropped from ten feet without control, his dense and powerful body could crush Mount Tai.

    His feet touched the ground suddenly and the light that engulfed his senses faded. When itpletely vanished, he looked around to see the forty otherpetitors who weren¡¯t far apart. However, they no longer had their original clothes.

    "This?" Yan Zaizen checked his current attire. It was a golden martial art outfit. Completely gold. It felt like silk on his skin and looked like it too. The others had varying uniforms, some outfits were silver and others were golden. The styles differed slightly. For example, there was one golden attire that had light armor above it.

    There was a silver attire with a cape, one with no shoes, and even one with long sleeves. He even found a girl who had no sleeves. She had outrageouslyrge breasts in a simr way as Lang Xue and a fit body that trumped Lang Xue. From her pupils, Yan Zaizen knew she was a divine beast in human form.

    Ma Xiuren attracted his attention even further. She had various flowers embroidered on her silver outfit, and her slim and graceful body truly entuated her beauty. Itplimented her countenance and ck hair perfectly.

    He couldn¡¯t help but appraise her. As if feeling his eyes, she turned towards Yan Zaizen and slightly smiled with a hint of awkwardness. Witnessing this, Yan Zaizen felt odd in his heart. It was like an admirer and suitor were trying to pursue a woman that didn¡¯t wish for his affection.

    "When did I be the side-character who¡¯s interested in the girl but..." As he quietlymented his circumstance, he recalled the stories he used to read. How the hero would destroy the handsome, talented young master in trials of fire and win the heart of the woman. Later, the younger master would be killed by the hero.

    Thinking of this, he looked around to see several men that could fit the hero situation. However, one person, in particr, fit this even greater. It was a young man with ck hair and ck eyes, he was slim and rather handsome, but he could be overlooked. However, he had that aura of a rare once-in-a-lifetime genius.

    From what he remembered, this man wasn¡¯t a part of the original forty. His slumber allowed him to gain a spot...this caused him to wonder.

    His delusions aside, he looked at his hands. On the backside of them were two characters. The first one, on his left hand, was the character ¡¯heaven¡¯. His other hand had ¡¯zero¡¯ character.

    "A number?" He was curious about this. The number was drawn in golden coloring and seems to be etched onto his skin. As if it existed between the skin and muscles.

    "Bajie, are you willing to make a bet?" The girl, who was big-breasted and fit, spoke with provocation in her voice. The man named Bajie was a divine beast, his hair waspletely white but his skin was dark ck in a simr way to Syi.

    "..." Bajie had a cool expression. He didn¡¯t respond but looked elsewhere. In front of them, three monoliths that seemed to reach about twenty meters high stood.

    Yan Zaizen recognized that this area was a sub-dimensional space. The walls were unseen, as if this was a world without limits. It was a t ground with white floors and ck sky. Despite the sky being ck, the floors emanated a light that wasn¡¯t too strong. It was capable of allowing him to see all within his visual range.

    "If I, Ta, score higher than you on this test, then you¡¯ll have to be my husband!" The divine beast female, Ta, spat out with vigor and greed. When she looked at Bajie, it was in a simr way to a man looks at a beautiful woman.

    "..." Yan Zaizen felt like this knowledge of the world was turning upside down. This woman was a beauty that could rival Lang Xue with assets that many desired. Yet...she was trying to bet against a man to get HIS hand in marriage?

    Shockingly, no one else had his expression. Some even had mockery on their faces when they looked at Ta, as if SHE was overestimating herself.

    Bajie nodded but didn¡¯t say anything in response. Ta¡¯s eyes grew excited and determined. This was a small interlude, but it seemed to have sparked a set of bets.

    A young man, handsome and dressed in light armor, spoke to another woman. He offered the bet to be married if he won in the same way as Ta, and the woman insulted him. Many snickered but sheter agreed, unwilling to believe herself inferior to that young man.

    Yan Zaizen couldn¡¯t help butugh a little. This event took ce amongst four different parties, one of which even had two female divine beasts going after a human male. This truly shocked him. However, when he looked towards this man, he realized he had a slight resemnce to Shi Yan.

    Before anything else could be said, a burly man with a body as ferocious as a mountain walked towards Ma Xiuren. This man was actually the Earthly Beginning participant of the Xiuhei force.

    "Ma Xiuren, I challenge you. If I win, you¡¯ll be my second wife, but if I lose, my family shall give you their regalia! I can swear a heavenly oath!" This burly man shouted. The others looked over with interest. For some reason, Yan Zaizen felt a little angry at trying to make her your SECOND wife. Just as he was about to step forward, Ma Xiuren nodded.

    "..." Yan Zaizen was caught off-guard. Was this a pretty standard thing to bet? Should he bet? If he did, to who and for what? In the end, he didn¡¯t do it. For one, he didn¡¯t even know what they were actually betting on and Ma Xiuren wasn¡¯t his.

    Whenever they looked at each other, she would give him that awkward smile. It rattled his heart a little. As he thought of this, Pinaka¡¯s form appeared in his mind. "She was ejected from my soul?" Just as he was about to investigate more, a voice filled with ancientness as if it would be there and always will be resounded.

    "Trial One: Trial of Source Potential - BEGIN!" Wisps of light emerged from the void and with speed that was too fast to react, it entered the participant¡¯s souls, Yan Zaizen included. Within this wisp was information about the trial.

 Chapter 236 Earthly Beginning & Heavenly End 3

    "That voice!" Yan Zaizen gnashed his teeth in vicious anger. This voice was quite familiar to him; it was the one that presided over Sky Shatter¡¯s trial! He felt a distinctive sensation on the left side of his body. It was an uncontroble, irritating, and squirming itch that seemed the slither from his brain to his big toe.

    During the Sky Shatter trial, the entire left side of his body experienced a physical copse from a sudden strike that he could not prepare for. If it wasn¡¯t for his Herculean physique, death would¡¯ve been his only option. Therefore, he carried quite a grudge over this voice.

    "Wait! Does that mean the voice belongs to..." As he pondered over how to get his revenge, he came to the realization that the voice belonged to the trial overseer. It¡¯s probable that the trial overseer was the artificial spirit meant to handle certain trials or even all the trials on Grand Sirius. If that was the case, the chance of him obtaining his revenge would be unlikely.

    This possibility left him feeling helpless and dispirited.

    Ever since Yan Zaizen stepped into this trial grounds, he felt isted. It was a very distinctive feeling as he looked around. Despite his achievements of dominating Yun Xuli, beating back the myriad of younger generations, or being associated with Zhou Xiuhei or Shi Yan, none of them even looked his way.

    In stories, he imagined that he would be gaining enemies or friends during these trials, be subjected to humiliation and oveing this humiliation by disying how truly awesome he was. Unfortunately, they didn¡¯t seem to care about his past, present, or even future.

    He pouted slightly. Shouldn¡¯t there be beautiful women trying to gain his hand in marriage?

    While hemented his current unpopr status, a young male walked up to one of the monoliths. Yan Zaizen recalled the information funneled into his mind earlier. The Trial of Source Potential had three monoliths that were determiners of talent. The first monolith was pure white, twenty meters high, about a person¡¯s length thick, and shaped like a long rectangr cube. It had smooth edges, sharp ends, and nk surface.

    As Yan Zaizen stared at it, it felt like his cells were tumbling about in excitement. "The Monolith of Physique," he softly muttered. In the cultivation world, one¡¯s physique was undeniably important and incredibly difficult to enhance due to the heavenlyws. Typically, a person¡¯s talent can be deduced by their physique and their path.

    For the Essence Path, those who could absorb and refine essence into qi with a high efficiency with barely any loss would be ssified as having good talent. When Yan Zaizen was young, during his early years, he had the worst bodily talent imaginable. After taking the path of the Herculean, he was sure that the Essence Path, Heavenly Path, and various other paths that use essence or energy was far easier for him with his talent being remarkable.

    He turned towards the monolith in the middle. It was golden that shimmered with a faint glowing shroud. As he observed this monolith, he felt his soul resonate slightly and his eighth sense picked up some form of interference. This interference caused his connections with his heavenlyw avatars to destabilize slightly.

    Taking his eyes away, he muttered, "The Monolith of the Heavens." This monolith would test one¡¯s eighth sense, the external sense one has towards the heavenlyws. The purer it was, the easier it was to connect and advance inws. This wasn¡¯t always a definitive determiner, as differentws also had differentplexities and intricacies that made them hard or easy for individuals.

    There were some who could, despite their eighth sense being rather frail, pick up a sword one day and reach the sovereign-level in a thousand years. There was also some who were simply unable to gain a single hint of insight despite having a pure heavenly sense. It was all a matter ofpatibility, intelligence, and insight as well as fortuitous urrences.

    A perfect example of this was Yan Zaizen. Despite being a Non-Entity, he didn¡¯tprehend a singlew until he met the meteor that fell from the sky. Arge reason for this was simple, exposure, knowledge, and pursuit. During his early years, he knew about the idea ofws, but never did he attempt toprehend them.

    In the Yan n, there was also no Origin Core cultivators, so even the most innatew-based bloodlines were something he had never seen. As for seeing Origin Core cultivators, he didn¡¯t have the status or reason to do so, let alone seeing them fight. It was only when he came across the Regalia of the Heavens that contained life and deathws that he glimpsed into the heavenlyws.

    Thest monolith was more intriguing. It was purely ck. "The Monolith of Arts," his eyes narrowed. The first two monoliths, he had zero issues with. However, the Monolith of Arts delivered a random art ording to your preferred path, regardless if it¡¯s the Bodily, Soul Source, Essence, or Heavenly Paths. It even mentioned the Bestial Path was avable. The monolith time limit was one month. You¡¯ll cultivate the art until a month has passed, demonstrate your sess, and receive a rating based on this.

    "It¡¯s been years since I¡¯ve was regarded as having no skill in the myriad arts. Now, I have an Astral Soul Realm cultivation base, a refined brain, and high-level arts I¡¯m skilled in or mastered. I can do this," psyching himself up, he realized that the young male from earlier had arrived at the white monolith - the Monolith of Physique.

    Raising his hand, he ced it on the monolith. A glow of pure white shrouded his body for a minute and then rescinded back into the monolith. The young man had a slight smile on his face but there was nervousness within the depths of his eyes. When Yan Zaizen inspected him, he could see his fist clenched and trembling slightly.

    The others only watched, their eyes suffused with solemnity or deep inspection. Yan Zaizen found this a little funny, "even if he does well, that doesn¡¯t affect your own results, does it?!" Just as he was thinking this, a dazzling light red at the top of the tall, cube monolith. This light projected a few characters that caused even his heart to drop.

    "Physique Grade - Third, Physique POTENTIAL - Four, Energy Compatibility - BELOW AVERAGE, Essence Compatibility - AVERAGE. Projected MAXIMUM Potential in Energy & Essence Path: General-ss!"

    When that line of characters was brought out, there were some who grimaced slightly. Yan Zaizen squinted in pity.

    In terms of Physique Grade, there were a total of nine grades. Potential denoted the maximum grade one could reach in their physique with enhancements, such as using vital energy to enhance the energy within the physique. Energy Compatibility suggested how your body can integrate, defuse, and produce through conversion of materials which contain energy rting tows, such as turning non-attributed qi into attributed qi. Essence Compatibility was simr, suggesting how the body handles the essence beneath the heavens.

    Thest bit truly was demoralizing. Maximum Potential indicated not aprehension intows, but the potential to convert a specific type of energy into something else. For Fiendgods or Heavenly Cultivators, each dividing path from the early to upper stages was significant. Comprehendingws was only a single prerequisite.

    For heavenly cultivators, when they ascend into the heavenly path, their true-essence infuses with a heavenly aura. When they reach the fourth-floor, or middle stages of the Heavenly Genesis Realm, they convert that true-essence into heavenly might. No longer who they possess true-essence, but heavenly energy produced from true-essence. As they ascend to the seventh-floor, or the upper-stages of the Heavenly Genesis Realm, they convert their heavenly might into heavenly essence which is integrated into their might. Only when one ascends to the Heavenly Creation Realm does their energy be purely heavenly essence.

    Essentially, ording to this rating, without a fortuitous encounter or heaven-defying material, he would never be able to produce heavenly essence because his physical body could not handle such conversion.

    As those words were disyed, Yan Zaizen could see a deep, heart-wrenching aura of despair overtake his body. It was as if he was told by God himself that he would never amount to more. There wasn¡¯t an ounce of struggle in his eyes, only bleak destion, as if he epted this wholeheartedly.

    "Haaa..." Yan Zaizen sighed.

 Chapter 237 Earthly Beginning & Heavenly End 4

    A few individuals scoffed, even verbalizing their contempt with debilitating insults. The truly unfortunate event was the young man being unable to defend himself. Yan Zaizen¡¯s expression grew grim. He imagined each one of these young individuals was heaven-defying individuals with vigor and valor that is willing to fight and exceed the heavens. Yet, a simple set of characters have already left one feeling lost and unwilling to continue.

    Yan Zaizen had a faint suspicion that if the young man wasn¡¯t in front of a crowd, he may very wellmit suicide at this moment.

    "Cultivators...we fight to rival the heavens and exceed it, but what happens if you¡¯re told that¡¯s not possible? Are you any different than a mortal without legs told he couldn¡¯t walk? Do we simply concede?" Yan Zaizen muttered to himself. Suddenly, he gnashed his teeth in unwillingness. His fist clenched deeply and his nails dug into his skin.

    He recalled his life before this when he was nothing more than a child being told by everyone that he was talentless, worthless, trash and without a future. They would spit insults and words indirectly to him, as if he was unaware, but obviously with hateful intentions. He ran away, far away, to a ce where those eyes and words were unable to follow him.

    He coldly hmphed, his eyes shing with dark-amber that seemed to resonate the aura of an*- imperialistic sovereign. Before his gaze, all must bow. Before his steps, his path was his own.

    "Wow! I didn¡¯t think there was such trash in this world, and you call yourself a cultivator?" He coldlyughed, attracting the gazes of the younger generation. Ma Xiuren was startled, she didn¡¯t think Yan Zaizen would take this moment to demoralize an individual. She frowned but didn¡¯t say anything.

    Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t care about any else¡¯s thoughts, he continued, "You get told your limits and you simply give up just like that? You should end your life right here, right now if that¡¯s the case." He spat out viciously. The young man¡¯s eyes flickered, turning towards Yan Zaizen with a nk look in his eyes. This caused Yan Zaizen to be further enraged.

    "Fools like you disgrace what we, as cultivators, represent." His tone grew more and more domineering, his chin rising higher, and the disdain in his eyes intensified. "We represent fighters, fighters against the heavens. We represent builders, builders of our own heavens! We represent creators, creators of our own path! Yet here you are, being told you¡¯re incapable of traveling one path to a certain extent and you¡¯re already willing to give up your life. I guess it wasn¡¯t worth much to begin with."

    At this point, everyone was watching him speak his own monologue. They sized him up and some even directly scoffed, as if he what he spoke was pure nonsense. However, Yan Zaizen persisted, ignoring the world¡¯s judgment, "If you can¡¯t be heaven-defying, exceed all expectations, how does one have the ability to exceed the heavens?! To create your own path?!"

    The young man trembled slightly and the nkness in his eyes shined slightly. It was only him, it was also Ma Xiuren and a few others as well.

    Yan Zaizen couldn¡¯t help but sigh at the mindset of younger cultivators. To him who rose from nothing, he truly believed that nothing was impossible. He had gone from a young man with no future to a god amongst mortals. His originally trashy talent and intelligence were changed by the Herculean Path. In this world, there were paths one could follow to change any and everything!

    Before, he couldn¡¯t demolish a mound of dirt, but now...he could crush a with a fist! The very aspect of cultivation denotes exceeding your limitations, so why care about some metric?

    "Hm?" Yan Zaizen looked at the monolith and noticed that it had changed its characters. On it was the number ¡¯8¡¯.

    The others noticed too, their gazes drawing onto the hand on the young man. On his hand that was originally a golden depiction of ¡¯zero,¡¯ there was an ¡¯eight¡¯ character.

    "So, your results determine your points." After deducing this, he looked towards the other monoliths. An eight didn¡¯t seem high, but there was no information about the numbers earlier. In the myriad realms, a sixth-floor Heavenly Genesis expert was still exceptional.

    "Wait...howe someone among the younger generations received such a low result?" Pondering a bit more, he couldn¡¯t help but be curious. These individuals should be the top younger generation of their faction and thus should receive high results, right? However, this became even more curious after another figure stepped up to the white monolith.

    This figure belonged to a beautiful golden-haired beauty, humanoid, and from the houyi race. Her skin seemed to glimmer with a faint, nearly imperceptible traces of sunlight emissions. The Houyi race was known for being able to absorb sunlight into their bodies and souls, capable of obtaining the race sr attribute for any path they decide to partake.

    "Physique Grade - Third, Physique POTENTIAL - Five, Energy Compatibility - AVERAGE, Essence Compatibility - BELOW AVERAGE. Projected MAXIMUM Potential in Energy & Essence Path: General-ss!"

    "..." The crowd was silent.

    "Her results aren¡¯t much greater than...his...how is this possible?" Yan Zaizen was a little startled. Shouldn¡¯t these be prospective Heavenly Commanders, why are all of their results low?

    The next result was a divine beast from a coyote race, but his results were even more depressing.

    "Physique Grade - Four, Physique POTENTIAL - Four, Energy Compatibility - INFERIOR, Essence Compatibility - BELOW AVERAGE. Projected MAXIMUM Potential in Energy & Essence Path: Lieutenant-ss!"

    "Wait! There¡¯s an additional line?" Yan Zaizen was startled slightly, looking at thest line with some curiosity. It read:

    "Bloodline Purity & Grade: Four. Primordial Bloodline POTENTIAL - Six. Projected MAXIMUM Potential in Bloodline: Lord-ss."

    When those lines were read, the expression of the divine beast turned ted. His face seemed to be ugly in ecstasy, and even the female divine beasts were looking at him with shining eyes.

    "Wait...Bestial Path focuses on the Bloodline and Origin Source, correct?" As he recalled the path¡¯s direction, he couldn¡¯t help but click his teeth. For the Bestial Path, they focus on refining and purifying their bloodline, attempting to reach their ancestors.

    In legends, all divine beasts originated from a single ancestor, a single existence, and waster born as its spawn with various evolutions. It¡¯s because of this that divine beasts could mate with any and all beasts, even if they aren¡¯t connected to their specific race. It may be difficult, but usible in a simr way as a Lycah being with a Gunyu.

    "So they were measured by the potential of their bloodline and how far it can reach in rtion to their ancestor? Interesting," pondering, he felt like he understood a little bit about how divine beast talents were decided. Unfortunately, the Bestial Path isn¡¯t something he could traverse.

    It also made sense because those who cultivate the Bestial Path cannot cultivate the Essence Path. They both required the origin source, one added to their essence and the other added to their bodies.

    "Could it be that...the Bestial Path rival the Heavenly Path?" After thinking up to here, he felt like he glimpsed into the heavens. In all the paths he encountered thus far, the Bestial Path was the only path he didn¡¯t have the ability to traverse if he wished to. There were even different ssifications for talents. As a Herculean, the only path he couldn¡¯t traverse was paths that conflicted with his own.

    Many others started to take the lead, including divine beasts, but besides that young female from earlier, no other person was capable of being ssified as Commander or Lord-ss. However, they had end scores from six to fifteen, with the fifteen belonging to the potential Lord-ss divine beast.

    Then, Bajie walked towards the monument. His white hair, ck body, and crimson eyes truly made him stand out. As he walked, Ta, the one who had made a bet with him earlier, had eyes suffused with determination and nervousness.

    Yan Zaizen was truly curious about this Bajie. He looked like a younger variation of Syi. In truth, he may actually be Syi¡¯s descendant.

    With a quick motion, his hand was ced firmly on the monolith. The glowing light released and surrounded Bajie entirely. When the glow retracted, everyone stopped their respective thoughts and turned towards the results.

    "What is this?!"

    "HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE!?!?"

    "NOOOO!!!" Ta shrieked, her eyes suffused with madness. Her eyes were filled with desire and also a little bit of hatred as she looked towards Bajie. It was as if her eyes were hating the fact that Bajie didn¡¯ty with her at this very moment, chasing her skirt, and bing hers and hers only.

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s response was different than all others, even Ma Xiuren who had slightly widened eyes, "Oh! That¡¯s quite impressive." He calmly regarded with a serene expression.

 Chapter 238 Earthly Beginning & Heavenly End 5

    "Bloodline Purity & Grade: Five. Primordial Bloodline POTENTIAL - Eight. Projected MAXIMUM Potential in Bloodline: Demigod-ss."

    "27."

    Regardless of whether they were human or beast, they all had intense reactions bordering on insanity. As for Yan Zaizen, his understanding of the bestial path wasn¡¯t too detailed, but his understanding of the number ¡¯27¡¯ gave many, many clues regarding the significance of his results. Inparison to the lord-ss, Bajie earned fourteen more points and wasbeled with the potential of a Demigod!

    Yan Zaizen felt that the demigod-ss was simr to the potential to be a Heavenly Monarch. If that¡¯s true, then this Bajie truly was outstanding. However, potential was potential. It was a unit of measurement of one¡¯s possible achievements under a pristine and trouble-free path. Oftentimes, a cultivator would experience potential setbacks or even premature death.

    Themotion brought about by Bajie¡¯s results was not minor. It actually empowered others, particrly the other male geniuses, to see their results inparison. As Yan Zaizen saw them saunter up to the monolith with boundless momentum, even his own heart raced.

    "The youthful..." hemented like an old man who lived countless years. He was observing as if he wasn¡¯t even a participating himself. From beginning to end, Yan Zaizen never considered taking this trial seriously. The determining of one¡¯s future further his indifference. He didn¡¯t need or desire anyone telling him how far his path was.

    His path was his own, not for some trial spirit¡¯s or an object to decide.

    Unfortunately, despite stepping up with youthful vigor and boundless momentum, everyone who took the exam was left disappointed. Not a single one of them had a Commander-ss, Lord-ss, or Demigod-ss rating, only reaching the General-ss or Noble-ss - a ss just shy of Lord-ss.

    The only three who have yet to take their test was Yan Zaizen, Ma Xiuren, and the humanoid boy that Yan Zaizen suspected was the hero of this trial.

    "He¡¯s quite calm." The young man with ck hair, ck eyes, slim physique, and handsome appearance while radiating a once-in-a-lifetime genius aura simply stood in observation. For some odd reason, Yan Zaizen felt his heart throbbing in anticipation.

    "ording to the stories, the hero will awe the crowd and obtain the eye of the beauty," looking at Ma Xiuren, his brows furrowed lightly. It couldn¡¯t be so stereotypical, right?

    However, the young man only calmly observed the area, sweeping his gaze on Ma Xiuren and him, obviously having no intention of going.

    "Haaa...I guess I¡¯m supposed to be the stepping stone for the hero?" As he sighed in helplessness, a sh of dark-amber light shot through his amber-gold pupils, "isn¡¯t this a bad mindset?" Recalling this distinctive sensation of inferiority, he furrowed his brows even further now.

    This young man was instilling a sense of inferiority. It wasn¡¯t like being before a king or sovereign, but more so an innate feeling of inferiority. Pondering more, "it¡¯s not a dao...after all, my dao is at the peak of the upper-tier. A dao¡¯s influence can be fought by another dao and typically sensed easily, but it¡¯s more like my soul me was affected. As if, deep within, my instincts relegated me as inferior."

    After deducing this much, his eyes revealed a rare vignce. He wasn¡¯t affected by soul strikes, but what if it¡¯s an aura-based soul art that affected one¡¯s subconscious?

    Before he could ponder further, Ma Xiuren stepped up. She arrived before the monolith amidst the eyes of all, including the male who swore a heavenly oath earlier. One could see a deep nervousness in his gaze, but also unwillingness and desire. After all, this is only one of the monoliths and thus can¡¯t decide the winner of their wager.

    cing her jade-like hands on the monolith, she calmly closed her eyes and felt the surging of unknown energy surround her. After a while, it receded.

    "..." Ma Xiuren seems to be slightly special. Yan Zaizen recalled their kiss and how her body felt. It was an astonishing feeling but it also made him curious. He felt Zhou Xiuhei¡¯s aura within her. This was distinct, very much so.

    "Could it be?¡¯ As he thought of this, he furrowed his brows sooner. If Ma Xiuren was Zhou Xiuhei¡¯s daughter, it¡¯s unlikely he would simply allow them to act so recklessly earlier. It must be something more special than just that.

    "Physique Grade - Five, Physique POTENTIAL - Eight, Energy Compatibility - SUPERIOR, Essence Compatibility - SUPERIOR. Projected MAXIMUM Potential in Energy & Essence Path: Commander-ss!"

    "23."

    "..." The crowd here didn¡¯t have such an intense reaction, as if they expected this.

    As for Yan Zaizen, he was calm. The moment he saw the results, he realized Ma Xiuren¡¯s circumstance.

    Ma Xiuren turned to Yan Zaizen, ncing at his area to see his response. She received a slight smile and a thumbs up. To her, Yan Zaizen was likely the person she trusted the most here. Not because of that kiss, but because she trusted no one else.

    "So, there could be such a thing?" Yan Zaizen muttered slightly, turning his gaze towards the ck-haired young man. The sensation of inferiority hadn¡¯t erupted, but he still felt a subtle force attempting to influence his soul.

    Now that he thought about it, no one was interacting with this young man. He looked towards Yan Zaizen with curiosity and patience.

    Chuckling slightly, Yan Zaizen walked up to the monolith, his eyes flickering with slight anticipation. If Pinaka was here, he imagined her words. "This monolith is irrelevant. As cultivators, we fight fate, the heavens, and each other in pursuit of a greater path."

    He missed her.

    With a soft touch, he ced his palm on the white monolith. A light erupted that wrapped around his body. This light entered his body, his bones, his cells, and even his heart. It thoroughly integrated itself and seemed to be constructed of some sort of variant spiritual sense.

    It felt like a small tingle throughout, but nothing painful. After a minute, the examination ended and the energy departed.

    Yan Zaizen looked up, so did the rest, but after two minutes, nothing came up. After five minutes, everyone grew suspicions. Even Yan Zaizen as he ced his palm on the monolith once more, yet it received no response.

    A few scoffed, believing Yan Zaizen¡¯s talent was so horrible that the test didn¡¯t even deign to offer a result report. However, Yan Zaizen had different concerns.

    "Shit, did I break it?" He tapped it a few times, "Did the formations inside shatter?" He tapped it some more, causing quite a few tough at his antics, but Yan Zaizen was genuinely concerned. If he broke this, Zhou Xiuhei and the rest may ask forpensation.

    He didn¡¯t wish to spend a single dime.

    "Hurry up! You work! You have to work!" As the rest felt pity for Yan Zaizen acts of desperation, even Ma Xiuren felt terrible. She looked at Yan Zaizen at the brink of tears.

    "Please! Work!" He could already feel his currently fat wallet dwindle significantly in size. Even if his thoughts were nonsensical, he felt that there¡¯s no way in hell he¡¯ll be able to get away with this.

    After a while, he sat down beside it and pondered, "I should me it on age, yeah. Age breaks everything." As he was thinking of excuses, the ck-haired young man walked towards Yan Zaizen.

    As he approached, Yan Zaizen felt the subtle force increased. With curious eyes, he looked at the young man who stood next to him, not even looking at him. Instead, the young man ced his palm solidly on the monolith. However, no reaction urred.

    This caused Yan Zaizen to panic even more. Did he truly break it?

    "It¡¯s broken, I should check the other monolith." As he thought this, he jumped up and rapidly made his way towards the golden monolith - The Monolith of the Heavens. The others were shocked by his actions. After all, they¡¯ve been taking their time thus far.

    Yan Zaizen was actually in a rush to not only check the other monoliths but to finish this trial. He touched the monolith, this time even softer than before.

    The monolith didn¡¯t emit a light, but a myriad of multicolor, brightly-lit motes appeared within the monolith. They floated about like butterflies, without order but in absolute beauty.

    "Oh? World Law Heavenly Domain?" He immediately recognized the inside of this monolith. It was a representation of the World Law Heavenly Domain. There was the world elements, earth, fire, water, wind, metal, wood, and lightning. He could see even the fusion concepts, such as Magma and Mud.

    As he looked at the representation, he realized it was like a very, veryrge venn diagram. With the domain as thergest circle. He could see where water crossed fire to produce steam. Where ice and water were. Water was like arge circle with ice within, but only a majority portion of it. The rest was outside interacting with other elements andws.

    "Is this..." As he nced at the myriadws, he felt like his understanding of the Heavenly Domain increased greatly. To him, everyw was clear without an ounce of haze. If he wished, he felt that he could easily grasp aw.

    However, the monolith was a barrier that could not be ovee.

    The monolith deactivated, returning back to an ordinary golden cube of stone. "This?" The others looked curiously, but unsure of Yan Zaizen¡¯s score.

    However, unlike before, there was no potential or grading report, simply a number: "33."

    "What!" The young man who was dispirited earlier shouted in disbelief. His eyes towards Yan Zaizen was that of an absolute monster. It wasn¡¯t simply him, Ma Xiuren, Bajie, and the young man with ck-hair had eyes as wide as eggs, mouths slightly gaped, and disbelief written over their entire face.

    After all, 33 was the highest score possible!

 Chapter 239 Earthly Beginning & Heavenly End 6

    Ignoring their exaggerated reactions, Yan Zaizen briskly walked towards thest monolith. To him, his score from earlier wasn¡¯t important. After all, he was a Non-Entity. His insights into the heavens were undeniably superior to a vast quantity of the residents in the thirty-three heavens, let alone this small group of geniuses.

    The third monolith was the Monolith of Arts. ording to the information from earlier, the Monolith of Arts was truly one that tested true talent. If the potential of the body rted to birth, bloodline, and race, then heavenly sense was the same.

    The Monolith of Arts tested one¡¯s intelligence, experience, insight, and adaptability. These traits were essential in mastering arts, regardless of what type. This was true for soul, qi, martial, beastial, or conceptual.

    Yan Zaizen arrived and ced his palm on its surface.

    Vroom!

    A deep sounding vibration reverberated throughout the world. However, this vibration wasn¡¯t reflected on the Monolith, but it emitted from Yan Zaizen¡¯s body.

    His body was vibrating intensely, but his expression was calm and his mind was clear.

    The others felt a sensation of surrealism, as if this scene shouldn¡¯t exist.

    Yan Zaizen felt his mind be drawn into an unknown world. This world waspletely grey. It was like a sea of grey as far as the eye could see.

    "What is this?" Inquiring, Yan Zaizen analyzed his current state. His current state was simr to when he underwent the opening of the Eight Celestial Gates or underwent Existential Slumber. He was formless and without a mind, body or soul, purely perception.

    Woosh!

    A sound attracted his attention. Turning towards it, he discovered a man. This man was himself. It was the physical manifestation of himself, an exact copy, all the way down to the lines of his arms, his amber-gold eyes, or his eyes that contained the original warmth of a sovereign and his life.

    Looking at him standing tall, it felt surreal.

    "How is this possible?" He tried to think, but the moment it was thought, it seemed to have disappeared. He couldn¡¯t recall his earlier thoughts or questions. They vanished as soon as they were conceived. All he could do was vaguely recall his intentions.

    "My current state..." he felt like he was on the cusp of discovering something essential, but it dissipated before it could finish.

    The copy of Yan Zaizen closed his eyes. Then, a light shone from his eyes that prated his lids. Even though it was hidden behind his lids, it felt like two suns. These two suns seemed to be even greater than any sun he had ever seen before.

    Yan Zaizen felt his formless state shudder slightly.

    Slowly, ¡¯Yan Zaizen¡¯ eyes opened. When it opened, the light did not radiate outwards, but was perfectly contained. It was as if his irises of amber-gold transformed into a vast realm with only a sea. This sea had a core, which was the pupils, and this core emitted rainbow light.

    The whites of his eyes were whiter than white itself. They were so pure, so clean, so vast that it was unimaginable.

    Without an ounce of light leaking, the radiant amber-gold sea that was his irises, the luminescent rainbow core was the pupils, and the vast, pure white was the scleras.

    Wherever this light nced at, the world unraveled. When this ¡¯Yan Zaizen¡¯ turned his gaze towards Yan Zaizen, it was as if his existence would crumble.

    His formlessness transformed into a swirling ck hole that seemed to consume an invisible material. Before long, all things were being devoured by this ck hole.

    As if sensing a threat, the monolith released a human-like cry. This cry caused all the younger generation to feel a headache and felt their minds be dibobted. Many had to circte their various cultivation bases to ease their thoughts and pain, but it wasn¡¯t very effective.

    "What the hell?! Who the hell is this guy?!" The man who held a standing wager with Ma Xiuren shouted, his eyes turning red and bloodshot from the pain.

    Bajie¡¯s expression turned solemn. Vast bestial energy erupted from his body, fighting off this cry.

    The others realized that internally circting their energies didn¡¯t repel the effects, so they took this line. Before long, every cultivator was like a surging tornado. Various forms of energy swirled around them and raged. The cry¡¯s soundwaves were halted by these surging energies.

    Ma Xiuren held a tinge of worry in her eyes. Yan Zaizen had caused an anomaly with the Monolith of Source Potential and reached the never-before-seen perfect score of 33 in the Monolith of the Heavens.

    Now, the Monolith of Arts were releasing a cry that seemed as if it was in danger. The others also noted the oddity surrounding Yan Zaizen. They each had their own individual thoughts, but curiosity dominated each of their thoughts.

    As for Yan Zaizen, the cry earlier attempted to defend against the ck hole, but it was useless. The ck hole continued to devour all. Luckily, the grey world didn¡¯t have much. However, the manifestation of ¡¯Yan Zaizen¡¯ was viciously pulled into it. With those unfathomable eyes, it attempted to fight, but nothing it did helped.

    It was devoured entirely.

    Yan Zaizen felt a stinging sensation resound in his head and returned to his body. When he did, he looked upwards subconsciously. His expression turned ugly.

    "0."

    He had recalled bits of what happened. The manifestation of him was demonstrating the art so that he may understand it, as normally done. Unfortunately, this art seemed to contain a unique concept that targeted one¡¯s core existence. Regardless of how profound it was, it was devoured by the protective seal in his soul.

    Because he consumed the avatar, he would be unable topare a monthter, thus failing the test. After all, the art only demonstrates with no other information. The task was to recreate the art the best one could and be scored on it. Perfect replica received a perfect score.

    It was like he epted the test and failed it at the same time.

    He was unresigned! If he didn¡¯t do this trial, fine, but he did, and he felt excited a little. After all, he couldpare with his fellow geniuses. Unfortunately...

    "What did you do?!" A random male genius said. Yan Zaizen directly ignored this nobody. Instead, he tried touching the monolith once more, but there was no response. Gnashing his teeth, he felt like punching this monolith for its unfairness! It wasn¡¯t like he told it to strike his core existence!!

    He was brooding when the random male genius once more shouted, "I don¡¯t care if you scored perfectly in the Monolith of the Heavens, if you break this Monolith too, I¡¯ll kill you!" He felt angered that Yan Zaizen ignored him.

    However, Yan Zaizen felt a bomb go off in his brain. He turned towards the young man and felt an itch to kill. However, Ma Xiuren appeared before him. She nced at him with an expression of ¡¯are you okay?¡¯

    Seeing this beauty who stole his first kiss, his emotions calmed. Giving a slight nod at her, he looked at the young man and coldly snorted. He took off towards a corner and sat in the lotus position.

    When the ck hole devoured the manifestation, its energy went into his soul but information funneled into his mind. "Eyes of the Enlightened Origin; See the Origin; See the Source!" He felt the wording odd and the information even odder.

    "An Origin Art?" This was the first time he saw an Origin Art, but he recalled Zhou Xiuhei¡¯s earlier words. Apparently, Ezekiel went down the Origin Path. At the time, he didn¡¯t know what it was...but perhaps.

    "Wait," as he continued to peruse the information, he became startled, "this isn¡¯t an art! It¡¯s a method?! A cultivation method!!!" Indeed, this was aplete method with two arts.

    The first art was called the Gaze of Enlightenment and the second was Gaze of Origin Shock. The first was a perception art while the second was an offensive art. He recalled the description and realized that thest art was used on him. It was the art that triggered his protective seal.

    Ruminating over the contents, he felt baffled. "Link the Eyes. Link the Origin. Establish Enlightenment. Four Levels!" This was a whole new path!

 Chapter 240 Earthly Beginning & Heavenly End 7

    Pure tion surfaced on his expression. But this expression was soon thrust into deep confusion. "ording to the information of the Monolith of Arts, it assigns an art that one is generally the most talented in. Howe I received an Origin Art? I haven¡¯t even cultivated the Origin Path."

    Normally, he should¡¯ve received a Martial Art, Soul Art, or Qi Art. After all, those were the three paths he had the most proficiency with. It was also the only three paths that had arts. The Herculean Path used only a single Martial Art that had a deep connection with the Bodily Path, but nothing more.

    If the cultivation method had no other arts, it¡¯s unlikely other arts exist. If they do, why would the White Sirius Heavenly Monarch have it?

    As he pondered, he came to no eptable conclusion. His first thought pulled him towards his Mortal Dao. To evolve into a Grand Dao, one needed to merge their True Origin with the Grand Dao, but that didn¡¯t make sense. After all, at the moment, the True Origin was beyond his reach.

    After thinking about it some more, he still found no answer.

    "Tch!" Ta loudly hissed and growled, her mood deteriorating. Yan Zaizen felt slightly startled and looked at everyone. He realized that many were standing next to the Monolith of Arts, and Bajie was nearest. Above the Monolith, a score of 24 showed.

    "She¡¯s mad he¡¯s doing well? Wow, didn¡¯t think women of other species were so aggressive. The fact she wished he would do worse despite desiring him is selfish." Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t know whether tough or cry. Among the divine beasts, the females challenged the males. Among the humans, the males challenged the females.

    Despite his amazing, nearly impossible score and deration of peak heavenly sense, no one even approached him. The divine beasts seemed uninterested while the humans were only curious, keeping their thoughts and actions reserved.

    Shouldn¡¯t he have many women try to court him at this point? He wished he was a divine beast.

    With a heavy sigh, he ignored them. To him, he was more shocked that he spent a month in thought. After all, the testpleted after a month. If Bajie and the rest were receiving scores, it was because a month had passed.

    After Bajie received his score, his body was shrouded by a beam of light from above. He was calm within this light, his eyes closed and his aura steady. With an imperceptible speed, he was shot into the sky. He vanished, but no one panicked.

    Instead, they touched the monolith to receive their scores. Then, they too were sent upwards.

    "Oh?" Finding this curious, he looked for Ma Xiuren to realize she wasn¡¯t here. "She must have already left." Pouting slightly, he wondered why he wasn¡¯t sent upwards. This became clear after a bit.

    After thirty-eight were sent upwards, Yan Zaizen and the young man with an unfathomable and maniptive feeling sat alone. At the moment, three months had already passed and they remained inplete silence. Externally, their expressions were calm and aura steady, but internally...

    "Damnit! Why did you have to break? Will I be stuck here forever?!" He felt ready to cry. This area was unsuitable for cultivation. He couldn¡¯t even ess his Meteor Ring. He tried everything to escape early.

    He used his spacetimew, his deathw, and even his waterw, yet...

    He was feeling hopeless. He could try to cultivate the Origin Path, but doing so left him vulnerable. This young man gave him a strange feeling, and he didn¡¯t trust him as far as he could throw him. If he was left in that state and the young man took action, he didn¡¯t want to think of the consequences.

    This insecure feeling left him perturbed. He cursed at the young man¡¯s attempt at being mysterious and being thest person to test his score. "You must have a pretty damn big ego! You must bepensating for something!!"

    Just as his curses and insults flew in his mind, the Monolith of Source Potential shone a light. Both Yan Zaizen and the young man looked over. Then, the young man¡¯s eyes widened, his mouth gaped, and his heart stopped physically beating.

    This wasn¡¯t because of fear but out of pure shock and disbelief.

    "Physique Grade - Nine, Physique POTENTIAL - Nine, Energy Compatibility - APEX, Essence Compatibility - APEX. Projected MAXIMUM Potential in Energy & Essence Path: Ascended-ss!"

    "..." Both were utterly speechless. What the...

    Then, another light appeared beneath it.

    "Bloodline Purity & Grade: Nine. Primordial Bloodline POTENTIAL - Nine. Projected MAXIMUM Potential in Bloodline: Sovereign-ss."

    "!!!" No longer were they speechless. Instead, it was as if the world itself was speechless.

    Yan Zaizen looked at the second line and felt odd, "I¡¯m a divine beast?" When he asked this, the young man¡¯s head turned towards Yan Zaizen like a wooden doll. There was a type of emotion and fear in his eyes that seemed unfathomable.

    "No. My body belongs to my Mother and Father. They had terrible talents and no rtion to beasts, so...Herculean?" This was his first assumption, and it was correct. Yan Zaizen¡¯s body and bloodline had evolved into a Herculean and even integrated a regalia into his lungs, heart, brain, and actual blood. They were all rted to the bloodline.

    "But why didn¡¯t it disy the same for humanoids with bloodlines? Is there a reason they aren¡¯t ssified as having a bloodline...or was it just too low grade?" As he thought more on the subject, he felt more at a loss.

    "Haaa..." he sighed deeply as if the world expected too little. "This Monolith truly has a good eye for potential." Earlier, he said this monolith wasn¡¯t set in stone, but now he wasplimenting it. Dryly coughing with his boasting, he rose up. A light shone from the sky.

    Seeing that he was about to be whisked away, he had a slight smile. He didn¡¯t grow overconfident because if an assessment from some stone. When he reached such a stage, then he can be overconfident. Until then, he wasn¡¯t immortal or infallible. A single trip up could lead to his death and inevitable end.

    A dead genius isn¡¯t a genius.

    The young man looked at Yan Zaizen for a bit. His eyes grew decisive, "Sir!"

    Turning towards the young man, Yan Zaizen grew curious.

    "My name¡¯s Wang Yi, I offer my eternal allegiance to you." He spoke with a clear voice radiating power and determination, even Yan Zaizen couldn¡¯t help but feel a little overwhelmed.

    "Sure." Yan Zaizen felt that his reasoning wasn¡¯t simple nor was his motive in this action, but he imagined he would receive many followers in his lifetime. If this person wanted to be his ve, why would he refuse? An extra servant that swore an oath would never be rejected. This was clearly seen with Bai Lufeng.

    At the time, he barely knew Bai Lufeng but praised him for his decisiveness and fearlessness. This young man was just as decisive. Back then, Yan Zaizen was at the peak of Grux. Now, he had the projected potential to stand at the peak of the heavens.

    The light shone from above and covered Yan Zaizen. "When we leave, you can make it official." He slightly smiled, his eyes flickered with a dark-amber glow. When this sh urred, Wang Yi felt his heart shudder.

    Woosh!

    Yan Zaizen was sent upwards.

 Chapter 241 Earthly Beginning & Heavenly End 8

    While being shuttled through a sea of luminous light, Yan Zaizen couldn¡¯t help but recall the incident earlier. The manifestation of ¡¯Yan Zaizen¡¯ which disyed an art of the Origin Path - Gaze of Origin Shock.

    He was curious about two things:

    Why did the Monolith decide to disy this to him?

    How did he obtain theplete cultivation method?

    He had no clue about the first question, but the second was reasoned. When he was in the Asura Phantom Realm, at the first-floor entryway, he was hit with a beam of soul energy that could transform the soul. This beam was thoroughly devoured and consumed by the ck hole. Despite this, he still retained the remnant information it carried.

    "The ck Hole can¡¯t absorb information or thoughts?" When he thought up to here, he felt it was incorrect. From what he learned, Ezekiel had been absorbed into his soul and likely other soul beings. Yet, he retained none of their memories or information.

    "Could it be rted to an unconventional soul structure or soul energy?" The soul beam carried profound soulws, including a phantom cultivation method. While the manifestation of ¡¯Yan Zaizen¡¯ carried an Origin Path cultivation method. If it was soul energy, he should¡¯ve been able to absorb information from soul crystals, but soul crystals were simply ambient soul energy emitted from living creatures and condensed over time.

    "I can¡¯t absorb information from soul mes or physical minds, but other non-sentient soul-based existences that carry information?" This was his conclusion, and he felt it was correct. If there was another source that carried information and was soul-based, he was almost certain he could retain information from it.

    Looking at his palm, he saw the light emitting from between his skin and muscles. "Sixty-six..." Supposedly, this number mattered greatly at the end of the trial. As he looked closer, he felt like something was wrong.

    Abruptly, the number changed. From ¡¯66¡¯, it converted to ¡¯Heavenly End¡¯.

    Before he could analyze the situation thoroughly, a burst of bright light exploded in front of him. For the first time since cultivating, he felt blinded by light.

    He could stare at suns or even arrive near one, yet he would still be able to retain his vision. Yet, he lost his vision due to this light.

    "What?!" At a loss of what to do, his eyes shed with a light of dark-amber. Any fear of the unknown that existed was sent away, reced by a tyrannical gaze that seemed to look at the world with arrogance. With the eruption of his dao, his calmness was regained and he closed his eyes.

    His body shuttling forward suddenly stopped. He felt solid ground beneath his feet and the heavenlyws circting around him. After opening his eyes, he narrowed them.

    A figure donned in white heavy armor stood before him. This figure had a sturdy, muscr build. He stood upright with a sword in right hand. Most notably, the white armor had w marks that seemed to emanate some profoundw.

    His helmet covered a majority of its face, leaving only the eyes to be seen. However, those weren¡¯t normal eyes. There was no pupils or irises within these eyes, but pure white sclera. It was as if looking at those eyes would drown you in a sea of white.

    Yan Zaizen took note of the sword in its right hand. The figure held it horizontally and it was perfectly still. The sword wasn¡¯t truly a sword, but more so a white wolf¡¯s fang that seemed to hone and emit the predatory supremacy of a ferocious beast.

    If Yan Zaizen¡¯s dao wasn¡¯t invoked, it¡¯s possible he would quiver in inferiority at the sight alone.

    The environment wasn¡¯t normal. There was a white sun above with a grey sky. The white was exceptionally brilliant and felt blinding. He concluded that the light from earlier emitted from this sun. This sun felt like a grand predator and the light released smells and felt like blood when it touched the sun.

    "What is this ce?" With a calm tone, but furrowed brows, Yan Zaizen directly asked. From what he was informed about the trial, all the trials were the same with different oues, but...there shouldn¡¯t be any trial that tests one¡¯s battle prowess.

    The three trials highlighted potential, intelligence, and will. The next trial should be a puzzle of some sort, not this. Unless...

    "What is it I¡¯m supposed to do?" He inquired, taking more information from the surroundings. If this was some sort of puzzle, he would definitely take this chance to absorb all the information he could. However, this area was essentially nk ground. The only two features were the white sun and grey sky.

    "Greetings, Yan Zaizen." The white armored figure, obviously male from the voice, spoke in a deep and growling like voice.

    Yan Zaizen became cautious. For one, this situation started to feel odd. "You know my name, but I don¡¯t know yours. Don¡¯t you find this rude?"

    "...I go by many names. Tu Hanxu, Xiha, or the White Sirius Heavenly Monarch. You can call me what you wish."

    "What?!" Yan Zaizen was deeply shocked. Was this person the White Sirius Heavenly Monarch? Shouldn¡¯t that be impossible? After all, he died tens of thousands of years ago during the Chaos Era!

    "Heavenly King Xiha." Yan Zaizen respectfully greeted. Heavenly Commanders are typically called Lord by equals, and Heavenly Lord by those with lesser status. Heavenly Monarchs were simr, with the ¡¯Heavenly¡¯ denoting a clear agreement to a lesser importance or status.

    To Yan Zaizen, it was entirely possible that this person was the White Sirius Heavenly Monarch. If not him truly, then it was an avatar he established before his death. Astral Remnants could exist after death and he was sure that Heavenly Cultivators could do simr things with his cultivation base.

    As he heard Yan Zaizen¡¯s form of address, his eyes turned nostalgic and if he wasn¡¯t covered by a suit of armor, Yan Zaizen could¡¯ve sworn he smiled. "Yan Zaizen, the one I¡¯ve been waiting for," Xiha spoke. His tone was quite ambiguous. Yan Zaizen couldn¡¯t determine if it was effused a sense of relief or pain.

    "Me?" Yan Zaizen thought for a brief period. If this was a trial then there had to be an end goal. It was likely his scores earlier determined his outstanding talent and thus met some criteria that the Heavenly Monarch left behind. If so, then this could be considered him meeting those standards.

    Xiha turned his sword vertical and then stabbed it into the ground. A rippling wave surged outwards as if the solid ground was water. This ripple carried an unfathomable distance.

    Yan Zaizen calmly watched this all. He didn¡¯t feel any malicious intentions from the Heavenly Monarch or any instinctive feelings of danger. Instead, there was a deep sensation of fortune at the horizons. All he had to do was wait.

    Xiha¡¯s eyes of white turned towards Yan Zaizen, they carried an unfathomable emotion and hint of sadness. "I was born forty million, three hundred thirty-three thousand years ago. I died three hundred thirty-three thousand years ago. On my forty millionth birthday, I perished and entered the cycle of Samsara."

    Yan Zaizen merely listened, but his mind had already been stunned. To live for forty million years! What type of concept was that?! Even peak Heavenly Commanders can live only a million years at most, and that¡¯s if they¡¯re lucky.

    Xiha continued, as he did, the world¡¯s surrounding changed to depict his story. He spoke of his early years, how he ughtered countless men and beasts. How, as a hybrid, he was subjected to disdain from both the human and beast races.

    Yan Zaizen was shocked to learn that forty million years ago, racism and speciesism was at its height. The humans and divine beasts were at constant war, and internally wasn¡¯t any different. They warred against anything different than themselves.

    "At the time, the 27th Heaven was unimed." An unimed heaven essentially meant a heaven without a Heavenly God. Yan Zaizen was enraptured by the story of his upbringing and his struggles.

    However, he also exined his failures. "As I reached the Heavenly Creation Realm, I attempted to im this heaven as my own but failed. My dao was unable to support it."

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s brows furrowed at this. Pinaka informed him that to obtain control of a Heaven, you needed a true dao. However, was it that simple? From Xiha¡¯s words, it didn¡¯t seem to be the case.

    "I became injured...with this dy, I lost to the Chaos Origin Heavenly God. My biggest regret was also my biggest fortune. I continued cultivating and developed my own path, my path that could exceed the heavens! The Sirius Path!"

    "Bing a Heavenly God means giving up your independence, potential, and merge your True Origin with the heavens. Forever, until death, you must exist with the heavens, but never can you be anything more! Unfortunately..." Xiha faced towards the skies, the surrounding shifted to a different imagery.

    Yan Zaizen saw Xiha dressed in an elegant white robe roaring towards the heavens with a wild expression. He was surrounded by a blinding white light. This white light was remarkably simr to the aura of the white sun and fang sword. The roar was filled with destion and sorrow. It caused Yan Zaizen to feel a heartfelt sense of mncholy and unwillingness within.

    "In the end, I failed." Xiha indifferently said.

    A bolt of lightning that seemed to exist outside of the heavens descended. Xiha was struck and his light dimmed.

    "My Path was unable to ascend." With those words, the world returned back to its original grey sky and white sun. His white gaze no longer faced the sky but collided with Yan Zaizen¡¯s gaze.

    Yan Zaizen felt an aching in his heart. As if those words were far too heavy to hear, putting an invisible pressure on his existence. A cultivator¡¯s goal is to rival the heavens and exceed it! Yet, the White Sirius Heavenly Monarch failed to do so. It felt stifling to hear.

    "I have one request."

    Taking a deep breath, Yan Zaizen could already guess this Heavenly Monarch¡¯s intentions. After all, he did all this so his legacy could continue despite his failure.

    "I wish for my Path to be eternal within the heavens. For as long as the heavens exist, so does it. As long as it exists, so does the heavens! This, I ask of you, Yan Zaizen!"

 Chapter 242 Earthly Beginning & Heavenly End 9

    "If you ascend to the peak-Heavenly Creation Realm, make my path eternal. In return, I will bestow you all I can." Xiha words were suffused with desperation and unwillingness. This great Heavenly Monarch of old was actually throwing his pride away and asking a junior to carry his dreams.

    Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t even need to think about this. His body erupted with a dark-amber aura. His eyes suffused with an imperialistic ferocity that seemed authoritative over all things in existence, an unyielding confidence that could never falter, and the desire to achieve all things.

    This was his Mortal Dao! The Dao of Sovereign Ascension!!

    "As long as it doesn¡¯t force me to take this path of yours, I ept." If he were to refuse, if he was to say he wasn¡¯t capable of doing so, or couldn¡¯t do so, his dao would shatter at that very moment. This was essentially the same as asking him if he was capable of reaching the peak! How could he ever say no?! What reason did he have to refuse?!

    Xiha¡¯s eyes of white flickered oddly. He nodded and the desperation in his stance faded. He stood upright, his eyes suffused with a regal charm of a Heavenly Monarch, and he stood before Yan Zaizen with deep pride. He may be dead, but he was still a monarch!

    "To do so is simple," he pushed out towards Yan Zaizen with his armored palm. From this palm, a white light shone like a star. The white sun above started to condense. It became asrge as a sun to as small as a palm in a split second. The world of grey still existed, but the white light was contained.

    This sun of white contained a profound concept within.

    "This is the True Origin of the Sirius Path." He pushed his hand out further. The palm-sized white sun arrived next to Yan Zaizen at lightning-like speed. "Merge this with the Heavenly Origin." As he said this, Yan Zaizen was startled.

    True Origin of a Path? Heavenly Origin?

    What did this mean?

    Xiha continued to exin to alleviate Yan Zaizen¡¯s confusion, "All things have a True Origin. It is the quintessential core of one¡¯s existence. To be a Heavenly God, you must merge your core existence with the heavens, unable to extricate for all eternity. To establish an eternal path all heavens, you must merge its True Origin with the Heavenly Origin, the core existence of all heavens."

    Yan Zaizen understood now. He was also deeply shocked. To merge your very existence to control the heavens felt extreme. He recalled his first thoughts of the heavens when he learned of it from Pinaka.

    He had the faintest feeling that the heavens were soulless. It was like a tool with a controller. Now he understood why. His horizons were deeply broadened.

    "To develop a Grand Dao, you need to merge your True Origin with your Mortal Dao...if that¡¯s the case...then I wonder..." As his thoughts wondered, the True Origin of the Sirius Path vibrated. Looking at this miniature core that looked like a white sun, Yan Zaizen smiled. Most would think this to be foolish, epting the lifelong goal of a Heavenly Monarch, but Yan Zaizen was thinking of other things.

    "This guy must be rich...I wonder what he¡¯ll give me." As his thoughts were consumed by a little greed, he touched the white sun. It submerged into his soul and became self-contained. It stayed within his ck soul without a single hint of resistance. However, Yan Zaizen felt no connection to it.

    He did have the feeling that if he was to die, the True Origin would return back to this realm. This felt further reinforced when the Heavenly Monarch didn¡¯t ask him to swear an oath.

    Ignoring these matters, he put his mind on more pressing concerns. "Now, what will you give me to aplish this mission?" Yan Zaizen was excited.

    Xiha nodded after witnessing the True Origin entering Yan Zaizen¡¯s soul without resistance. "Yan Zaizen, my benefactor, I have two things to bestow to you: an Origin Source True Egg and my Sirius ughter Robe." As he spoke, he waved his hand to send two lights towards Yan Zaizen.

    The first item was an egg. It wasn¡¯t white or any color. Instead, it was translucent like ss and about the size of a baby¡¯s fist. The second item was a white robe. It was pure without a hint of dirt or marks.

    It looked like the outer robe of a martial art outfit. Yan Zaizen recognized this robe. When Xiha had disyed his life, at the end when he roared to the heavens, he wore this exact robe. It was truly like an immortal¡¯s robe descending from the heavens.

    "The Origin Source True Egg is an embryonic item that can help establish a connection with your True Origin," Xiha exined with a quickened and hasty voice. For some odd reason, Yan Zaizen felt that he wanted to end this conversation soon.

    Yan Zaizen analyzed this Heavenly Monarch¡¯s clone or remnant and realized its current physical state was trembling slightly. It seemed as if it was going to copse. Even it¡¯s aura that seemed one with the world was dissipating at a rapid rate.

    Yan Zaizen still had questions he wanted to ask about the Origin Source True Egg, but Xiha didn¡¯t even bother to halt for a second. Instead, he continued his words, "My Sirius ughter Robe contains my Sirius Law and can be considered a Minor Creation Armament. It is my most cherished possession. With it, your offense and defense will be unparalleled within your realm, and it will protect you in this mission."

    Soon after, he faded like a ghost in the night. It was as if he didn¡¯t exist in this world and it was only a construct of Yan Zaizen¡¯s imagination. This startled Yan Zaizen deeply. He had so many more questions but was left with a quick description of the two objects with no other information.

    He waved his hand towards the objects and intended to send them into his Meteor Ring. Unfortunately, a faint light emitted from both which rejected this action. Furrowing his brows, he wrapped the two in his soul energy and pulled them into his soul.

    From his experience with Pinaka, he knew that True Spirit Armaments can be stored in the soul. It seemed these two items were unaffected by spatialws and could only be stored in the soul.

    They entered his soul form. However, when they did, the translucent egg seemed to have gone crazy. It rushed towards Yan Zaizen¡¯s Mortal Dao orb with no hesitation. It even emitted a faint cry that seemed to distort Yan Zaizen¡¯s soul form.

    "What?!" Yan Zaizen felt urgent. He gathered his soul energy to intercept and entrap the egg, but was left helpless. The egg was unstoppable. It shattered whatever barrier he constructed and headed for his Mortal Dao avatar. It was frighteningly fast.

    He was about to urge his ck hole bloodline but hesitated. If he absorbed this egg, would it simply vanish? This little bit of hesitation left him unable to take action any longer.

    It merged with his dark-amber orb and nothing else happened. With furrowed brows and frustrated eyes, Yan Zaizen was at a loss. Was this supposed to happen?

    Before he could even think further, a vortex of grey formed above him. It was like a spatial rift but in the form of a cycling vortex. He felt a force surround his body that was softer than Zhou Xiuhei¡¯s heavenly might but far more powerful.

    With a sudden jerk, his body was pulled towards the vortex. To test out the strength of this force, he tried to resist but felt even more powerless than when he faced Zhou Xiuhei. With a sigh, he couldn¡¯t help but hate how these old grandpas loved to send people away against their will.

    Entering the vortex, his eyes gleamed with light. This light wasn¡¯t intentionally emitted by him but seemed to originate from his soul form and reflect on his true body. "What? My Dao?!"

    Crack! Crack!

    He felt a sudden pressure within his soul form as his Mortal Dao orb started to crack, fine lines filled with a chaotic feeling spread across its surface.

 Chapter 243 Dao!

    "No!!!" Yan Zaizen was nearing madness as he was funneled uncontrobly through the spatial void. This tinge of madness was not unwarranted, as his Mortal Dao orb had be suffused with chaotic cracks. Currently, he was experiencing something simr to Yun Xuli before.

    His unyielding confidence in himself, somber calmness in the face of adversity, imperial ferocity that contained aggressive regal charm, and his other characteristics heightened and defined by his Mortal Dao was slowly experiencing intense instability.

    Yan Zaizen had experienced fear before, such as facing the unknown, but this was the first time since his dao emerged that fear disyed on his face. It was incredibly unsightly to behold.

    As he felt his characteristics that defined himself slowly deteriorate, the cracks appearing on the surface of his dao orb became thicker and deeper.

    "No! Not like this!!" Eyes zing with decisiveness, Yan Zaizen drew upon his Mortal Dao and brought out all he could. "Absolute Dao Merge!!!" His Mortal Dao orb projected outwards, transforming into a clone of himself. This dark-amber clone had countless cracks on its surface, as if it was thick ss smashed by a warhammer.

    "ROAR!" Thunderously bellowing, the clone turned into droplets of rain that submerged into Yan Zaizen¡¯s flesh and blood,pletely merging with him. His fiendgod, soul, and qi cultivation base circted vigorously! Using all he could, he attempted to dy the shattering of his dao.

    With ice-cold decisiveness and imperialistic charm, his eyes suffused with titanic fury. "If this is a plot against me, I swear I¡¯ll find your soul in hell and make you suffer a fate worse than death!!!" His madness grew stronger as he threatened the Heavenly Monarch himself.

    His voice caused trembling in the spatial void. His eyes started to undergo a change. No longer was it amber-gold, but misty white. It was as if it contained everything in existence yet also nothing at all. This was thew of mimicry! Specifically, it originated from his bloodline!

    A ck dot surfaced from his be. Slowly, this ck dot expanded until it covered nearly a tenth of his forehead. It started to swirl, bing a ck hole that seemed intent to devour all creation. As it spun, Yan Zaizen¡¯s gaze of misty white no longer contained madness but a kingly gaze, as if all things in creation were inferior inparison.

    A faint illusory form of a grand crown appeared on his head, and his aura suddenly underwent a dramatic shift. With this crown¡¯s appearance, he no longer had no control of his physical body as he was funneled through space. He halted in the middle of the spatial void tunnel.

    If Yan Zaizen had personally seen this crown, he would be iparably shocked! This crown was on the head of ¡¯him¡¯ during the Sky Opening Gate event. This figure had snapped his fingers and copsed heavens restriction! He elicited silence in all those beneath him and all those above cheered in excitement!

    At the moment, the spatial void force that pulled Yan Zaizen was quelled. He felt an indescribably vicious pain reminiscent to being in chaotic space, being ripped apart from all angles, once more. It was like something was being pulled out from the depths of his existence.

    Lifting his head, those eyes that seemed to contain nothing and everything blinked. No longer did they contain nothing, but ck holes! "Roar!!!" A more intense thunderous bellow resounded as Yan Zaizen faced the heavens above. The pain he felt was beyond description! He almost wanted to die!

    An indescribable amount of time flowed on...

    To Yan Zaizen, it felt like an eternity in torture!

    He blinked once more. Those eyes returned to a misty whiteness. Yan Zaizen could feel himself calm down and the pain subsiding. Looking at his trembling palms, he felt his heart tremble. "My Mortal Dao?"

    His Mortal Dao no longer had cracks. In truth, it had transformed. No longer was it dark-amber but resplendent amber-gold. He deactivated his Absolute Dao Merge. The features from before faded, revealing his Mortal Dao avatar once more.

    No longer was it an orb, but an egg! This egg was about the size of grown man¡¯s fist, several timesrger than before. Within this egg of amber-gold, a ck and white hole were intermixed and swirled in unison. It was like two different colored paints in a barrel being mixed.

    What was even more prominent was the illusory golden crown atop this egg. It radiated a kingly charm filled with regal vigor and innate superiority.

    A surge of information suddenly appeared within his mind and when it did, his eyes darkened. "A False Grand Dao?" Yan Zaizen eyes grew even darker. It was as if information from the universe were entering his mind by some unknown method, informing him of his circumstance. It was beyond mystical, like a godmunicating with someone without leaving a trace.

    "A False Grand Dao...the precursor to a true Grand Dao." Yan Zaizen calmly collected this ethereal and elusive information into his mind. As he learned more, his calmness increased.

    A Mortal Dao was an interpersonalw constructed from one¡¯s true definitions of a person¡¯s existence. If they are lustful to the core, they will develop a dao rting to lust. If they are murderous to the extreme, they will develop a dao rting to murder and killing. A person¡¯s core developed from experiences and beliefs as well as the intensity of it constructed one¡¯s Mortal Dao.

    This is what he understood. It was also aw that could directly strengthen and interact with all things, from essence to souls. It could be used to enhance one¡¯s bodily talent or increase the rate of cultivation regardless of the Path. This was what a Mortal Dao was.

    A Grand Dao was different. It was the product of one¡¯s True Origin, their existential self, merging with their Mortal Dao. From Pinaka¡¯s earlier descriptions, the Grand Dao has characteristics and unique powers of this world. It was also far, far stronger than the Mortal Dao it derived from.

    As for what happened to him, it was truly a perilous experience. If he didn¡¯t execute his Absolute Dao Merge, merging his Mortal Dao with all that he was, his Mortal Dao could¡¯ve shattered. By doing so, however, he was capable of gathering his Origin Source stored in his body, the trace aura of one¡¯s True Origin.

    The Origin Source True Egg¡¯s function was to gather the Origin Source and create a pseudo-True Origin. This pseudo-True Origin would slowly grow until it can locate and connect with the real True Origin. With this, after millions of years of development, one could easily find their True Origin, thereby having the ability to establish their Grand Dao.

    However, it was obvious that Xiha didn¡¯t think that the egg would be drawn to Yan Zaizen¡¯s Mortal Dao. This was because of one fact: No one would casually send unknown things into their soul form!!

    Yan Zaizen had also refined a Heavenly Spatial Box into his dantian which could store both the robe and the egg. However, Yan Zaizen¡¯s ignorance and empty, unused since refinement Heavenly Box had him send it to his soul form instead. This was him essentially being stupid.

    This was not something Xiha could predict. This was not something ANYONE could predict.

    As Yan Zaizen understood the situation further, he inwardly groaned. He didn¡¯t know what this False Grand Dao entailed, nor of how it¡¯ll affect his future. All he understood was the information given to him somehow.

    A False Grand Dao is a Mortal Dao suffused with a vast amount of his Origin Source. The gathering of his Origin Source was why he felt an intense, suicidal-inducing pain earlier. After all, the Origin Source was the aura and energy of his True Origin, it existed everywhere but was unable to be seen. The extraction of which wasn¡¯t an easy manner.

    Even the portion of his Origin Source, the Law of Mimicry, was only a part, a manifestation, of his True Origin. When he created his Origin Core, it enabled him to subtlety ess the Origin Source he couldn¡¯t discover, allowing it to develop into a bloodline!

    He took a deep breath and recalled the amber-gold egg into his soul form. When it rested within, it was no different than his Mortal Dao avatar. "...I have more clues." He softly smiled and breathed a sigh of relief.

    Despite the vicious pain he had to experience, his Mortal Dao transformation had helped him figure out a few things about himself. The mysteries of his past was slowly unveiling.

 Chapter 244 Mysteries Unveiled

    Yan Zaizen looked at his surroundings and felt relieved that the spatial void tunnel still existed. He wasn¡¯t sure how long he¡¯s been in this tunnel and hoped he wouldn¡¯t be lost somehow.

    He calcted his location with hisws and discovered the exit. With a step, he soared through the spatial void. He wasn¡¯t traveling as fast as he could, but slowly was pondering on the events earlier.

    "From the development of my False Grand Dao, I figured out a few things." With flickering eyes, he recalled the appearance of his Law of Mimicry, the Swirling ck Hole, and Kingly Crown.

    "One¡¯s bloodline is connected to the ancestral birth of their soul, body, and essence. This determines race and species, but my bloodline was only the Law of Mimicry. However,ter...it became the ck holes." As he deduced, he felt that the misty world was slowly growing clearer.

    "The ck hole is not connected to my soul, body, or essence, but my existence. No, more specifically, my True Origin! It wouldn¡¯t be suitable to say it is my True Origin, it would be more urate to describe it as being conjoined with it. After being triggered a few times, it slowly developed into my bloodline...which makes sense, the ck hole is quite invasive and already has a protective seal on my soul."

    "However! The Kingly existence that shattered the heavenly gate is the same! But...different...it seems to be protecting me from myself." As he thought of this, he felt a deep sadness in his heart for some reason. He recalled the scene when he underwent Existential Slumber. A light called him and he followed, but the kingly existence severed the connection. Later...it spoke to the ck hole from above.

    It was obviously protecting him at that moment, but Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t know from what. However, he felt that the soul bleeding events weren¡¯t soul bleeding! It was more like existential bleeding. This was why he felt like those memories were truly his own memories.

    If he had to factor a guess, multiple existences, including the Kingly existence and ck hole, was residing in his True Origin. It may just be those two, but he wasn¡¯t exactly sure.

    After a little more pondering, he felt confused. "I¡¯m a non-entity, born without a soul and without mortal taint, but...if I was an artificial soul, why are there different existences within me? Howe I¡¯ve never known?" His first exposure of...

    As he thought about it, he felt like there was a connection he missed. When his ck hole protective seal activated in the Serene Moon Cove, he experienced a memory soon afterward. Every time his ck hole seal activated, he would experience a slight rush of memories, except for the first time.

    Then, his soul transformed. Firstly, when he experienced chaotic space, the ck hole integrated into his soul after the Deep Mines. Could it be that hisws of life and death and Herculean Physique didn¡¯t keep him alive alone in chaotic space? Did the ck hole devour chaotic space as well?

    He couldn¡¯t remember. However, when the sub-realm copsed and it helped him, it also integrated into his soul even further, bing a full soul bloodline!

    Taking a deep breath, he felt a few incidents now made sense.

    "Even if I know this, I have no idea how, why, or who created me and left me in the Xiantu Realm." He sighed. He had just unveiled a few mysteries, but the core pieces still eluded him. The only thing he could be sure of was that he wasn¡¯t a reincarnation. If he was, his soul would¡¯ve been a true soul and he¡¯d have been tainted by the mortal dust of Samsara.

    "I feel like I¡¯m missing something important!" Rubbing his temples, he felt tired. Despite learning all this, it wouldn¡¯t do him any good. He even felt vexed that he misused the Origin Source True Egg. If he could find his True Origin, wouldn¡¯t all these questions be easily answered?

    He continued traveling towards the end of the spatial tunnel in the midst of thinking. It didn¡¯t take long before he saw a vortex at the other end. He sped up, prating through the vortex and exiting the spatial void. The exit closed behind him.

    As he arrived, he analyzed his surroundings.

    "This!!" His eyes widened in intense shock. "This isn¡¯t the Sirius Titan Realm!"

    The world before him waspletely different. There was a yellow sun at its center, and nines orbiting it. Thes had varying number of moons and had unique environments on each one. He looked at thest furthest from the sun and felt odd. It was a frozen habitat that was incredibly small inparison to others.

    The stars above seemed to flow seamlessly above like a sea and looked unimaginably beautiful.

    "Was this even considered a?" As he was lost in his thoughts, a soul transmission entered his mind. This soul transmission contained a grandness that Yan Zaizen found slightly startling. It was deep and seemed to originate from above.

    "Young man, may I ask why you are within my domain?" The voice asked, but the person didn¡¯t reveal himself.

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s gaze flickered as he looked about. This soul transmission was profound and powerful, it likely originated from someone who was beyond the Astral Soul Realm. This caused him to be cautious. He sent out his soul transmission.

    "I entered a spatial tunnel and lost my way. Sir, do you know where I am?" He didn¡¯t contain disrespect, but his respect wasn¡¯t high either.

    "I see, young man." The voice replied slowly. It seemed to be contemting the truth of Yan Zaizen¡¯s words or other matters. However, after a while, it continued, "You have stumbled into the Milky Way Realm."

    Yan Zaizen furrowed his brows. Milky Way Realm? He had done some research into realms before, and there may be many, but he recalled all the strong ones. If this man¡¯s soul cultivation was higher than his own, then this realm would¡¯ve been known.

    Witnessing Yan Zaizen¡¯s confusion, the voice inquired, "May I ask if you originate from the 27th Heaven?"

    Yan Zaizen felt his heart tremble as a faint possibility emerged in his thoughts. "Is this not be the 27th Heaven?" He asked, waiting on the answer with bated breath.

    "This is the 7th Heaven, young man." These words caused Yan Zaizen¡¯s heart to drop from the sky with a st at the end. How did this happen?!

    Just as he was wondering the possibilities, a white glow suffused with a soul-soothing aura shimmered in front of Yan Zaizen. This figure was dressed in white, with a white robe without a single stain, a grand white beard, and skin like flowing water.

    His eyes seemed to contain all things divine and watched the myriad lives in the world. He felt a stifling pressure and his soul radiated an urge to kneel in worship. This sensation was quite simr to what he felt from Wang Li during the trial. However, a sh of amber-gold fluctuated within his soul form and the sensation dissipated like dust in the wind.

    The man had a benevolent smile suffused with no ill-intentions. "It¡¯s been a while since someone used the inter-heaven spatial formation."

    Inter-heaven spatial formation? What the hell?! Did the Heavenly Monarch send him here on purpose? Such bullshit! He felt furious but kept hisposure. Calmly, he asked, "How do I get back?" This was the only thing that mattered.

    "You can¡¯t. At least, not for another thirty-three thousand years."

    "..." Yan Zaizen was about to flip his lid, "Why?!"

    The man in white didn¡¯t seem to be bothered by Yan Zaizen¡¯s frustration, slowly exining, "the inter-heaven formation is a natural formation created along with the heavens. It interconnects heavens together, and requires thirty-three thousand years to recharge between uses."

    "...Any other formation currently active?" He asked with hopeful eyes.

    "There¡¯s only one that goes from the 7th Heaven to the 27th Heaven, this one." The man ruthlessly crushed his hopes with a decisive blow.

    "...So I have to just wait...here?"

    "If you wish."

    "Goddamnit!" He thunderously roared with deep frustration in his eyes. Why did shit like this happen to him?!

 Chapter 245 Following

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s current mental state was brimming with zing fury and righteous indignation. His eyes suffused with untold rage and hatred, this was the first time in his life that he truly felt hatred.

    Firstly, Xiha had under-exined all the supposed ¡¯support¡¯ for achieving his beloved goal. This left a bitter taste in his mouth and a fire in his heart. If it wasn¡¯t for his quick action of performing the Absolute Dao Merge, his Dao could¡¯ve shattered into nothingness from the inside out.

    Even now, he still felt a bit of fear piercing his heart.

    Other than that, without any forewarning or preparation, he sent him to an entirely different heaven without any exnation!! Now, he wasn¡¯t able to return besides waiting for thirty-three thousand years?!

    He had half the mind to chuck this True Origin of the Sirius Path into the cold depths of chaotic space.

    "To hell with this!" Yan Zaizen decided to throw caution to the wind. Ignoring the man in white, he turned around with eyes as bright as suns. They surveyed the area for remnant spatial activity. He wasn¡¯t going to take this lying down, and he had a supremew - Realm of Chaotic Space!

    "There it is!" With an excited exmation, he dashed towards a specific location within the Milky Way¡¯s outer space border. Yan Zaizen was slightly relieved when he realized that the mechanics of space of this heaven was simr, if not the same, as the 27th Heaven.

    Arriving at a location that seemed no different than the rest, Yan Zaizen stretched out his index finger and pointed forward.

    "Oh?" A surprised sound resounded behind Yan Zaizen. It originated from the man in white. After a bit, he smiled. Without taking a step, his body shifted backward a considerable distance. He remained watching with a bit those calm, benevolent eyes.

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s finger rippled with vast true-essence. He was galvanizing his entire qi cultivation base. The surroundings started releasing an odd screeching sound as if space was metal and Yan Zaizen¡¯s finger was a prying bar scraping against it.

    Utilizing hisw of spacetime, he located the opening of the inter-heavenly spatial formation.

    "Hmph!" Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes grew colder. If a mortal had seen his eyes, their souls would be frozen and their blood stagnated for eternity, dying on the spot. He retracted his index finger and then spread his fingers apart. With his entire palm, he ruthlessly pressed forward on empty space that was the spatial formation.

    The ripples started to transform into waves of spatial energy and even time energy started to be chaotic as vague grey winds were being conjured from his palm.

    "You will OPEN FOR ME!" His palm started to grow thick veins and his arm was releasing a sound of bones cracking. At the moment, Yan Zaizen was attempting to forcibly reopen the vortex that sent him here. With his Herculean body as the foundation, he drew upon his true essence andws in its entirety to shatter a hole.

    If he could forcefully reopen the tunnel that still exists, he could simply travel back to the 27th Heaven. It sounds simple, but opening an ordinary spatial tunnel required an understanding in it or a heavenly cultivation base, but to open up a spatial tunnel that interconnected heavenly domains?

    Who knew the level of strength required.

    If it wasn¡¯t for fear of the tunnel copsing, Yan Zaizen would¡¯ve used his deathly aura to siphon off the opening.

    "So, he¡¯s a herculean?" The man in white silently mused, his benevolent smile never fading.

    Boom! Boom!

    The feedback from Yan Zaizen¡¯s attempts violently repelled him backwards, spouting out blood, and suffering severe internal injuries. However, as they came, they healed. He would immediately take another step forward and resume.

    "Fine!" Yan Zaizen felt his cultivation base andprehension was too weak. Initially, he didn¡¯t want to resort to using his dao for amplification as he didn¡¯t know the consequences of his actions yet, but his eyes zed with decisiveness.

    His back became straighter, his expression was suffused with the essence of imperial dominance, and his aura shifted drastically. No longer was he an ordinary cultivator with a warm and furious heart, but a sovereign with the pinnacle of regal charm.

    The amber-gold egg within his soul form effused no light, but an ethereal brilliance within that seemed brighter than any form of natural light. His eyes, which were originally amber-gold, became like a contained sun. His irises looked like seas of resplendent amber-goldva in constant motion. It was oddly beautiful.

    His true-essence changed subtly. It still contained its original structure, currently mimicking spacetime-attribute, but it seemed to change on a fundamental level. As if it was no longer true-essence but a greater form of energy rivaling the heavens.

    "Open," his voice was calmer than night itself. Yet, as he spoke, it was like an imperial decree of the highest degree had been evoked! If I say die, you die! If I say open, YOU OPEN!

    "!" The man in white eximed slightly, his smile vanishing and his eyes narrowing. His expression was now deeply solemn.

    The spatial ripples emitted from Yan Zaizen seemed to trigger something spectacr. The world¡¯s essence gathered around Yan Zaizen in an obsequious manner, as if he was their king. It was quite simr to how, when Yan Zaizen used Pinaka, the essence of the world gathered andpressed.

    However, this wasn¡¯t something Yan Zaizen intended to do with formations to manipte the heavens, but the heavens taking action itself! The essence that gathered were dense with spatial and temporalws, allowing them to support Yan Zaizen to the maximum.

    With one hand, he pressed again.

    Craaaaaack!

    A crack appeared in empty space. This crack was less than a millimeter in wide but as long as three grown men. Yan Zaizen grew ted as he looked between this crack. It was the spatial tunnel that he arrived in.

    However, before he could attempt to press further, his mind started to pound with a sensation of intense danger. It originated from the tunnel! However, Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t bat an eye! He pushed forward with relentless determination.

    BAM!

    The crack became an inch. The moment it did, the man in white that became aghast! He was in utter disbelief at the series of events. If anyone had even told him that a cultivator on the Essence Path was using his qi cultivation base to open up a inter-heavenly spatial tunnel, he would disregard their opinions from henceforth!

    Yet, here it was.

    Yan Zaizen was also in disbelief. His dao amplification wasn¡¯t simple. It felt as if it amplified hisws as well! This was a first! Before, his dao had only enhanced the medium of hisws, but now it acted as if his connection to heavenlyw was directly being enhanced.

    Just as he was reveling in his newfound power, he heard a soft, tender cry within his soul.

    "Zai..."

    Those words caused his heart to tremble as he looked at the crack in space. From there, a faint sound that seemed to calm his very heart resounded. His eyes of a king, no, of a sovereign, turned softer in an instant.

    "Pinaka?!" He lowly shouted. Before, he could assess more, a voice spoke from behind him.

    "You should stop. If you try to forcefully open up that spatial tunnel more, you could copse it and it¡¯ll be worse than an entire Grand Realm copsing." Initially, the man in white had no intentions to interfere. However, Yan Zaizen disyed an ability that should¡¯ve been well beyond his cultivation base and age. Not to mention, the bacsh that should¡¯ve killed anyone under the seventh-floor Heavenly Genesis Realm was being withstood by him without any harm.

    The only reason he allowed Yan Zaizen to do so was to expand his horizons and understand his limitations, but that didn¡¯t seem likely. With that, he decided to inform him of the consequences. "You can already see the split effusing cataclysmic energy." He calmly pointed out.

    Yan Zaizen was originally going to ignore him, but he looked at the crack and his pupils constricted. There was a one millimeter golden circle at the center of the crack. This was the same type of circle produced from a sub-realm copse!

    As it grew, so did the intensity of the explosion until it could no longer contain the energy and violently erupt.

    Earlier, he had felt a deep sensation of danger, but decisively ignored it! He didn¡¯t notice the cause before, but with a thorough inspection, it was as in as day. This caused his heart to race. If an inter-heavenly spatial tunnel were to copse, would the ck hole be able to devour it?

    No! His thinking was wrong. If it exploded, he still wouldn¡¯t be able to go home! If this man was telling the truth earlier, wouldn¡¯t he be stuck in the 27th Heaven?!

    He had to stop.

    "Zai!!" The voice was clearer than before.

    "Pinaka?!?!¡¯ Now he was sure. Pinaka was within the spatial tunnel! As she grew nearer to this heaven, the connection between them became stronger!

    During the beginning of the Earthly Beginning and Heavenly End Trial, Pinaka vanished. He didn¡¯t understand why or how, but he knew she was still alive. Not believing he was going to be sent to another heaven, he didn¡¯t feel one way or another about it. After all, he would see her after.

    However, the true reason Yan Zaizen wanted to rip open the heavens to return was because of Pinaka! When he thought of not seeing her for countless years, the rage in his heart turned into the fiercest of hatred.

    As he pressed against the crack, he felt the expansion of the golden circle and the resistance it offered. "Wait! If I close this now, what happens to the built up energy?" If this cataclysmic energy was being stored, where would it go if he stopped?

    "..." The man in white was confused, furrowing his brows, he answered, "it¡¯ll spread through the tunnel, it¡¯ll be harmless."

    These words to anyone else would be a relief and lead to the closing of the tunnel, but Yan Zaizen only felt dread! He absolutely can¡¯t!

    "Come!" He thunderously shouted, his amber-gold eyes became more tyrannical and fierce. He used two hands, gripping the crack as if it was a physical crack in a wall.

    "Even if the world is destroyed, she can not be!" His thoughts spiraled as he attempted tomunicate with Pinaka through the spatial crack. His body effused vibrant spatial-attributed vital energy as he used the Regalia of Mimicry ability! With this, he struggled to maintain the crack.

    Seeing Yan Zaizen take such actions, the man in white frowned but didn¡¯t make a move. Instead, he was curious at Yan Zaizen¡¯s actions and only watched.

    "I¡¯ming!" Pinaka¡¯s voice was as clear as day. This meant their connection was growing stronger.

    "Come on. Come on!" He felt his body split apart at a cellr level, but they regenerated at a pace that the destruction couldn¡¯t match. Keeping open the crack without expanding it was harder than opening it! For the first time in a long while, he felt his body reaching a limit.

    A soft blue light shone from the cracks. It approached at a staggering speed that seemed to be faster than light itself.

    Yan Zaizen grew deeply excited. The man in white wore an expression of understanding and smiled slightly. He actually misunderstood something. He believed Yan Zaizen¡¯s actions from the beginning was to save this spirit and not to return. Because of this, his impression of Yan Zaizen favorably shot up several points.

    The soft blue light shot like a bullet. Before Yan Zaizen could say anything, a soft physical form smashed heavily into his body. He released the crack and embraced this physical form.

    Boom!

    The crack mmed closed in an instant. A slight rumbling sound emitted in the surroundings. This was caused by the release of cataclysmic energy.

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s dao aura faded, and his expression had a hint of warmth. With a sly smile, he said jokingly, "following me to another heaven? Some may think things."

    In his embrace, a soft voice resounded that caused Yan Zaizen¡¯s heart to stop and his mind to go nk, "I¡¯ll follow you anywhere! Every step, every breath!"

 Chapter 246 Eloah

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s embrace subconsciously grew tighter. Before he could get a good look at this spirit in his arms, a light erupted and her figure faded as it entered his soul.

    Realizing that the soft feeling from earlier was no more, he chuckled softly, he didn¡¯t even care about how she followed him. He realized she was injured by this action and he had some thoughts on the matter. However, none of it mattered now.

    ncing at the closed spatial tunnel, he couldn¡¯t help but feel slightly depressed. Unless his cultivation base reached a point where he could travel the heavens freely, he wouldn¡¯t be able to go back home...would he? He would have to wait thirty-three thousand years.

    Screw that!

    He internally decided to build his heavenly shrine of spacetime, use his abilities and return! No one, NO ONE will decide what he does or where he will be any longer!

    Despite being deeply exhausted, he felt energized after his decision. With a deep breath, he took onest and deep look at the spatial tunnel.

    "There will be a day where nothing and no one can decide my fate or actions." An amber-gold light shone in the depths of his eyes.

    "Young man," the man in white called out. Yan Zaizen turned to look at this man. Initially, he was focused on other matters, but this person was quite sadistic. Not only did he not help, but he knew that if Yan Zaizen seeded it would caused a cataclysmic event. This left a bad taste in his mouth.

    However, he didn¡¯t call him out or cause any trouble. He just wanted to find somece to hold up until he could cultivate the heavenly path. He didn¡¯t wish to offend another realmlord for no reason. After all, it was obvious this man controlled this realm with a profound cultivation base. How else did he control an inter-heavenly spatial tunnel?

    "You can call me Yan Zaizen." Yan Zaizen indifferently responded.

    "Mhm. Yan Zaizen it is. Truly a name originating from the eastern heavens. As for me, call me Eloah." Eloah introduced himself, causing Yan Zaizen to frown. This was a unique naming sense reminded him of divine beasts, Syi, Eke, Ta, and Grimm. These were notable divine beasts names, but Eloah sounded odder.

    "Eloah, are you the realmlord of this realm?"

    Eloah had a mysterious smile as he lightly said, "You can say that. It¡¯s more urate to call me its protector than its lord."

    Yan Zaizen felt like those two things were indiscernible from the other, but he felt too tired to ask more. "Then, may I stay here?" He directly asked. To him, finding a peaceful location to build his heavenly shrine was his main priority.

    "You shouldn¡¯t." Almost with lightning speed, Eloah replied. Yan Zaizen was briefly startled, but that¡¯s it. If he couldn¡¯t stay here, he¡¯ll find some other ce. Looking around, he realized that there was a Border Expanse in this heaven too. In that case, he¡¯ll just travel to the nearest realm and stay there.

    "Apologies, I¡¯m not saying it¡¯s impossible, just that it would be unwise. Xiha did send you here for a reason." Eloah¡¯s said.

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s attention grew taut as he turned back towards Eloah. If Xiha, the White Sirius Heavenly Monarch, sent him here, there must be a reason. However, he felt a pit in his stomach.

    "I don¡¯t care what he orchestrated!" Rejecting decisively, Yan Zaizen waved his hand to produce his realmship. The ns of that man who sent him away without any say was irrelevant to him

    Eloah brows furrowed slightly, but it was nearly imperceptible. "You¡¯re his sessor, correct?"

    Yan Zaizen shrugged. What sessor? He already had half a mind to throw the True Origin of that old man into the depths of chaotic space, let alone iming to be his sessor, it¡¯s already noce that he hadn¡¯t done so already.

    Eloah could tell that Yan Zaizen¡¯s attitude towards Xiha was currently less than amicable. He didn¡¯t understand the fine points, but he could read the hearts of people easily.

    "Xiha¡¯s way of doing things have always been forceful and direct. I¡¯m sure your grievances are not unfounded, but he did send you here for a reason." Eloah tried to reason, but it wasn¡¯t too forceful. He wasn¡¯t the type of person to beg another.

    "How would you know?" Yan Zaizen indifferently asked. This old man spoke about Xiha with closeness, and he also watched over the inter-heavenly spatial formation that linked to the Sirius Titan Realm. There was quite a few questions he had, but they weren¡¯t too concerning.

    Eloah calmly exined, "Xiha had asked me before his death to establish a backdoor channel from his realm into the 7th Heaven. He informed me that one day his sessor wille through this channel. If he or she does, he asked for me to wee them."

    Looking at the inter-heavenly spatial formation, Yan Zaizen felt like a few things made sense. However, he didn¡¯t interrupt.

    "You should already know your task, but considering Xiha personality and your reaction, it¡¯s likely he didn¡¯t inform you directly. If so, then I¡¯ll exin your two options in his stead."

    Eloah waved his hand. A projection of a realm was shown. This realm gave off a very wild and fierce aura. The realm had a light-silver and dark-silver sun orbiting threes. The moons surrounding theses were blue, but this blue was a very odd shade of blue. It felt more red than blue, yet was clearly blue.

    When Yan Zaizen watched this, he felt like the Sirius Titan Realm was designed loosely off this realm for some odd reason.

    "Xiha was not born in the 27th Heaven, but the 7th Heaven. He was born to a race called Lycans, a race that were innately hybrids," Eloah exined. Yan Zaizen was shocked. When he recalled Xiha¡¯s history, he recalled the fierce speciesism and racism of the 27th heaven, but there was no mention of the 7th Heaven.

    He felt skeptical of Eloah¡¯s words. Not to mention, he wondered if Lycahs - his race - and Lycans had any connections.

    As if he understood Yan Zaizen¡¯s heart, Eloah continued his story, "Xiha was originally forced to depart the realm with his family. He used this spatial formation to escape along with various others of his race. They established a new life on the other side."

    When those words were said, Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes constricted slightly as a theory popped up in his mind. Could it be possible that those divine beasts were descendants of Lycans? If so, this confirmed his theory about Ma Xiuren. However, he didn¡¯t dare to rashly assume.

    "When he reached the peak of the Heavenly Genesis Realm, he returned. During which, he had rectified his past, and established a faction within his race. When he reached the Heavenly Creation, he ced a treasure trove in his race¡¯s ancestralnds. Only his sessor would be able to obtain it. I¡¯m assuming he left it for you."

    "So you have two choices, you can go im the trove left behind for you, or ignore it." Eloah words put the pieces together. However, Yan Zaizen felt disgruntled. He recalled Xiha¡¯s words from earlier, which stated that he would leave him all that he could if he epted his task. If the treasure trove contained this so called ¡¯all I can¡¯ then it made sense. After all, he was only given two items earlier. There wasn¡¯t any other raw wealth.

    Torn, Yan Zaizen felt frustrated. Thinking of the full wealth left behind by a Heavenly Monarch left him salivating, but the taste in his mouth was still bitter. This internal conflict caused him to be violently angry.

    "If he left it for you, you should take it. Take it all." Pinaka¡¯s soft yet domineering voice came from the depths of his soul.

    When he heard this, he could feel Pinaka¡¯s weakened state and the injures she suffered from traveling. His rage was reaching a new peak.

    "He wants me to take his treasures?" Yan Zaizen had a weird smile on his face. "Fine, I¡¯ll take it." That weird smile caused Eloah to feel the faintest of trembling of his heart. He had a bad premonition. However, when he recalled other matters, he calmed down.

    "It won¡¯t be that easy," Eloah calmly said. "The Canis Major Realm isn¡¯t in a peaceful state. You should be careful."

    Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t put Eloah¡¯s words to heart. Instead, he looked at him and had an idea, "can you directly send me there?" If Eloah was someone of extraordinary strength, this should be easy.

    Eloah nodded calmly. Even if Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t put his words to heart, he couldn¡¯t do anything more. He could only hope this young man coulde out alive. "Let there be!" Eloah brought his two palms together and closed his eyes.

    Yan Zaizen felt an odd sensation of surrealism. Faint power from thes below radiated. He saw gold motes of light travel towards Eloah. Yan Zaizen felt that the motes were slow, but they were exceptionally fast in reality! In a blink, they channeled into Eloah¡¯s hands.

    The golden light turned white and formed a mysterious power that made Yan Zaizen feel the need to prostrate from the depths of his so. When he looked at thes, he saw that the third from the sun had the most golden motes. It was mostly water but incredibly beautiful to look at. About ny percent of the motes originated from that.

    "Aary formation?" Yan Zaizen was curious, but he had an instinctive feeling that wasn¡¯t correct. Looking at Eloah once more, his pupils shrunk! He realized that there was no sign of vital aura or or heavenly aura surrounding him!

    How did he miss this?

    Eloah was just a soul form, but an incredibly realistic soul form. It wasn¡¯t just that!

    This entire realm had no cultivators!!! A brief sweep with his spiritual sense left him staggering mentally. The entire realm had very, very few living beings, but they seemed to be protected by some divine light. As he pondered in disbelief, Eloah was taking action.

    Eloah faced an empty area and spread his palms. He spoke an impossible toprehendnguage that left Yan Zaizen with a slight headache and a vortex was formed. This vortex existed in the Border Expanse and further away was the realm, Canis Major!

    "You¡¯re..." skeptical, he was about to ask, but recalled Eloah¡¯s previous words. He was a protector and not a realmlord...

    "I travel the Path of Soul Faith," Eloah spoke with a slight smile containing boundless benevolence. Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t inquire further. He felt that doing so would influence his soul in someway, and that could lead to untold consequences. With a brief nod, he kept his realmship and entered the vortex.

 Chapter 247 They Are Waiting

    In the Sirius Titan Realm, on Grand Sirius, a group of cultivators gathered around the lone silver and gold door that seemed to hold the sky above. Within this group were the cultivators that had taken the Earthly Beginning and Heavenly End Trials. Currently, the countless people that stood around were looking upwards with various expressions, a majority of which was amazement and curiosity.

    However, amongst these individuals, the truly powerful cultivators that dominated the realm had solemn expressions and furrowed brows.

    Above the door was a golden vortex the size of a small moon. It rotated with a gentleness but also contained horrifying spatial fluctuations that epassed the entirety of the Sirius Titan Realm. These fluctuations caused rippling waves to surge about in the entire realm, even the worldships and realmships neighboring the was stalled by these ripples.

    In the outer space of the Grand Sirius, there were countless, truly countless amounts of people standing about with the same awe as those on the ground.

    "What is that?!" An awed divine beast in humanoid form eximed, yet no one answered. This question has been cycling through every single social circle and hierarchy of ns, families, or packs. No one could urately make a guess, some assumed it was another realm invading, others believed it was a natural phenomenon of the myriad realms, and a few who were more informed realized that it was linked to the White Sirius Heavenly Monarch¡¯s penultimate trial.

    Zhou Xiuhei, Syi, Shi Yan, and the other peak powerhouses of the realm had their own thoughts as well.

    Zhou Xiuhei had an uglier expression than others as he looked at the depths of the golden vortex. Earlier, the spirit armament of Yan Zaizen had rushed away from his side and with a speed and decisiveness that bewildered him, and the spirit entered the golden vortex. When he tried to utilize his heavenly might to retrieve it, the ambient spatial ripples had shredded it into nothing.

    He could only watch as it entered. This left a bitter taste in his mouth as he wasn¡¯tpletely sure of the circumstances. His gaze turned towards the group that had exited the trials. When they exited, some were excited and others were dispirited. Obviously, those with dispirited expressions had results that were less than satisfactory. Yet, despite thempleting their trials, they now had awed and curious expressions. And Yan Zaizen still hadn¡¯t exited.

    This caused him to grow nervous and it mounted as the days passed. To die in the trials was impossible, so Yan Zaizen shouldn¡¯t have caused a mishap. When he understood what had happened during the first trial, he was skeptical. Could Yan Zaizen have truly broken a monument and be trapped in trials? It shouldn¡¯t be possible! Therefore, he threw that delusional idea into the trash.

    This, however, only served to cause his nervousness to grow.

    Shi Yan could see Zhou Xiuhei be visibly anxious as each minute passed. Knowing this old man who could dominate a sizable portion of the myriad realms, there was a faint trace of worry in his eyes. If Zhou Xiuhei were to do something reckless, it may lead to something he couldn¡¯t take back. With that in mind, he spoke, "Lord Xiuhei, this is a spatial formation of a grand scale. It¡¯s possible that, from its heavenly aura, it¡¯s an inter-heavenly spatial formation."

    "..." Zhou Xiuhei¡¯s eyes constricted slight and his aura was riled. The surrounding cultivators felt a heavy pressure on their bodies and hearts, some even directly experienced lightheadedness and was rendered nearly unconsciousness. However, he didn¡¯t take action.

    An inter-heavenly spatial formation was a special type of spatial formations that sent others to another heaven. However, there was more to it. The inside of an inter-heavenly spatial formation was, to put it simply, chaotic! Unless you were guided by a formless power established by a cultivator that could rival or was a peak-Heavenly Genesis expert, surviving was unlikely.

    Even he, who cultivated an unbreakable body, had very little confidence in surviving while navigating it. This brought his mind to the spirit armament they had recklessly entered. Could she really survive?

    "Since Yan Zaizen¡¯s armament had entered the spatial vortex, it¡¯s likely that Yan Zaizen was sent through it." Shi Yan calmly spected. Tao and Bai Lufeng had drastic changes in their expressions after hearing that. Bai Lufeng and Tao didn¡¯t know the about the intimate detail of the dangers regarding an inter-heavenly formation, so when they heard this, they didn¡¯t hesitate.

    BOOM! BOOM!!

    Both of their auras skyrocketed to their limits. With no hesitation, they shot forth with tyrannical momentum. To them, Yan Zaizen was not only their savior, their brother, their young lord, but he could no longer be divided by a ¡¯title¡¯. Their bond was so much more than just that.

    Shi Yan and Zhou Xiuhei were taken aback by their decisiveness. Before they could even react, the two were halfway towards the golden vortex. One could see that they were pushing their individual cultivation bases to the absolute limits!

    "It¡¯s admirable but reckless," Shi Yan calmly stated before he disappeared like a ghost. When he reappeared, Tao and Bai Lufeng were held by the necks by his two hands. Their expressions were filled with confusion and restlessness. Bai Lufeng was even emitting faint traces of killing intent, but Tao was rtively calmer.

    Only after Shi Yan exined the inter-heavenly spatial formation¡¯s dangers did they calm down. After learning that they wouldn¡¯t be able to traverse the inter-heavenly spatial formation, they could only hope that Yan Zaizen would return, if he did enter.

    The vortex stayed in the sky for an entire year before vanishing. During this year, Wang Li had exited the trials. When he did, he searched for Yan Zaizen, but learned that he had yet to exit the trial. However, when the trial officially ended and the vortex above closed, Wang Li realized that Yan Zaizen had likely been sent elsewhere. In the trials, it wasmon for inheritance bestowers to give requirements or send their imers to other realms.

    This was simr to Lang Xue situation. When she imed the key to her inheritance, she had to travel the vast myriad realms,plete a trial to obtain an inheritance deposit, and then return to im the official inheritance. This wasmon amongst inheritance trials, and thus, many assumed this was the case, including Zhou Xiuhei and Shi Yan.

    Bai Lufeng looked to the skies, "Be sure toe back soon, Young Lord." His eyes were crystal clear and there were faint traces of profundity that seemed to resonate with all souls.

    Tao¡¯s eyes were closed, his lips moving but no words were emitted. He was releasing a somber aura that had a tinge of slicing determination. If one read his lips from beginning to end, they would read, "Brother, you went to sleep for three thousand years...regardless of how long you take, I¡¯ll be waiting to explore the myriad realms and more with you."

    Lang Xue stood behind Tao, her expression was calm. To her, Yan Zaizen had indirectly dealt with her issue. The Yun n underwent an immediate decline after the death of their patriarch, the copse in the dao of their most talented genius, and Zhou Xiuhei¡¯s actions brought about by the Patriarch¡¯s intentions. Tao had, with the help of others, imed her freedom and the freedom of her family. With his confidence and earnest pursuit, she had fallen for this man she didn¡¯t even deign to put in her eyes before.

    All of these things, her freedom, her husband, and her current life was given to her by Yan Zaizen one way or another.

    She wished to thank him at least once.

    Ma Xiuren was the most conflicted. Yan Zaizen had essentially mind-controlled her unintentionally, and she never felt any romantic feelings for him, but she did owe him. Because of him, her n of having sufficient time to prepare was still met despite his premature arrival. Not only that, itsted for three thousand years! This was a huge boon to her achievements obtained from the Earthly Beginning Trial. With this, she had sufficient confidence in growing her force from henceforth!

    Now that he had suddenly vanished, she felt aplex array of emotions. She could only pray that he will one day return so that she may properly thank him.

    Zhou Xiuhei and Shi Yan stood shoulder to shoulder in the vast outer space of their realm, their eyes looking at the endless space before them.

    "He will return," Shi Yan calmly stated.

    "I know," Zhou Xiuhei replied. To him, Yan Zaizen was more than just a cultivator that traveled the same path. He felt a sort of kinship that he had never experienced before, and he couldn¡¯t help but be worried. However, he believed that when Yan Zaizen did return, he would bring no small amount of awe!

 Chapter 248 Calm Before The Storm

    "Soul Faith Path..." Yan Zaizen stood in the emptiness that was the Border Expanse as the vortex faded behind him. In the myriad realms and numerous heavens, there was countless paths. Not only that, a person could even create a new path!

    However, this path left him in fright. What was the definition of faith? Belief! Could it be that this man grew stronger the more souls believed in his own soul? Or the more souls he earnestly believed in?

    Could it be simr to the Soul Source Path that is defined by interpersonalprehension? As youprehend more about yourself, the more power you can exhibit and the further your soul developed. It could even be immortal.

    This path he understood. It was like the dao or the heavenlyw, it was likeprehending instincts and memories and developing your own personality basedw. This was probably why it was amon path in the 27th Heaven - its ease of cultivation.

    He had a distinct feeling that Eloah was truly immortal, at least in soul. When he spoke earlier, he mentioned Xiha and his family leaving through the inter-heavenly spatial formation, but that had to be forty million years ago! Yet, he still guarded that location?

    A sh of amber-gold flickered through his gaze as the reverence he felt for Eloah was destroyed! It was reced with calm respect. He had an instinctive feeling that developing fostering reverence towards Eloah would subject him to untold consequences. With a deep breath, he looked at the realm from afar.

    His eyes widened and he took a step back. At the moment, there were hundreds of modified realmships within the realm. These realmships were divided by color and to the farthest end of the realm from him, a spatial vortex was surrounded by dozens of incrediblyrge realmships.

    From this vortex, Yan Zaizen could see ships of varying sizes enter and exit repeatedly.

    The realmships had different marks, but the realm was divided cleanly by what seemed to be two factions. On one side, a single insignia was etched on all the realmships clearly and brazenly. It was a ck me with a holistic bird within. The bird looked like a Phoenix but it had four wings instead of two.

    The other side had various insignias but they were closely packed and obviously united.

    "A war? A realm war?" This was the first time he witnessed the calm before the storm of a realm war. He had read about it and even knew that the Elysian Realm was on the brink of it before his slumber, but seeing the modified realmships equipped with cannons and sharp objects left him feeling intrigued!

    "Is this what Eloah meant? If so, it makes sense..." When he recalled Eloah¡¯s words warning him that it may not be as easy as he assumed, he couldn¡¯t help but smile.

    He was right.

    Didn¡¯t this make things easier?

    He stepped forward, easily reducing the distance between him and the realm.

    Bam!

    "What?" Yan Zaizen felt a solid force impede his movements just as he was at the border that divided the realm and the Border Expanse. A soft ripple radiated outwards from his point of impact.

    "Is this?" Inspecting the solid construct thoroughly, he discovered that it was a very thin, nearly transparent film of energy. A barrier!

    This energy was suffused with a stable aura, but it didn¡¯t seem to exude a heavenly aura. Despite this, it felt as if it rted to the myriadws beneath it. "The barrier covers the entire realm?" Inquiring, Yan Zaizen shed ten thousand li away.

    Stopping, his palm touched the thin film. His brows furrowed slightly, "It¡¯s covering the entire realm like a bubble." After deducing this, he felt intrigued. This barrier covered the entirety of the Major Canis Realm. Was it for protection against the invaders or to keep away opportunist of other realms from interfering?

    His body shed backward, as he did, spatial-attributed true-essence surged around him. With a smile, he stepped forward and merged into the spatial void.

    Boom!

    A horrifying sound of flesh smashing against a solid rock resounded. An explosive ripple shot outwards near the barrier, whereupon Yan Zaizen was pushed out of the spatial void and sent back thousands of li. His forehead was covered in blood and his right arm was twisted in an odd direction.

    Despite this, his expression was the epitome of calm.

    Crack!

    With a sudden jerking motion, Yan Zaizen realigned his arm bone and the blood was wiped away. In less than the time it takes for a mortal to blink, Yan Zaizen had already recovered.

    "A barrier that is hindering spatial shifting? Is this a cage?" Yan Zaizen spected. With another nce, he paid closer attention towards the spatial vortex within the realm. If the Lycans were canine-based hybrids, then those who guarded this vortex was the invaders.

    "They established a spatial vortex and closed off spatial shifting? Is this a realm war or a ughter in the making? To cut off your opponent¡¯s route of escape..." Yan Zaizen felt the situation was a lot more dangerous than he originally assumed. If his thoughts were correct, this was a campaign to kill all the Lycans. Essentially, it may be total genocide. This had to have taken many years to n.

    "Hmph!" Coldly snorting, Yan Zaizen eyes shed with amber-gold and his body stood upright. His eyes were suffused with a regal charm of absolute superiority. "This barrier, do you think you qualify to stop me?" A smirk formed on his lips as he pressed forward with his palms.

    Just as he was about to galvanize the surrounding spatial and temporalws that constitutes spacetime to rip open an entryway, he felt a spatial fluctuation behind him.

    A realmship prated the spatial void nearby. This realmship was silver and its g contained the image of a wolf¡¯s teeth. Two drops of crimson blood seemed to be dripping from its fangs. It gave off a very predatory feeling that made Yan Zaizen narrow his eyes in curiosity.

    His False Grand Dao deactivated, and he observed the ship momentarily. The reason for that was the spatial fluctuations emitting from behind it.

    "More¡¯sing."

    Just as he said, several ships totaling seven emerged. However, these ships didn¡¯t have gs marking them. The people onboard also had various types of uniforms and attires signifying they were a part of different forces.

    Yan Zaizen grew silent as he pondered the circumstances and events. His eyes released a brilliance as he calcted some things. With a smile, he merged into chaotic space.

    On the silver ship with fangs as its g, a young, beautiful woman dressed in luxuriously beautiful furs were at the helm. She was scantily dressed, with her privates covered by a small cloth, her breasts were hidden by a thin strip of cloth, and her arms, legs, and back was covered by an external source of fur.

    She had clear hazel eyes with pupils, unlike pure divine beasts. With sharp nails that seemed like it can w gods and pierce buddhas, she gripped the helm.

    If Yan Zaizen saw her, no, if any man with a straight orientation were to see her as she was, it would be difficult for their inner fire to not be ignited. However, her eyes contained a deep viciousness that gave off a dangerous feeling. If it wasn¡¯t for the fact she was a top-tier beauty with incredible assests, Yan Zaizen wouldn¡¯t be sure whether to ssify her as a woman or a beast.

    "Princess Itai," a man three meters tall with thick and abundant muscles referred to the young woman. He was like a literal mountain as he stood tall, his eyes staring ahead at the barrier and the realmships within.

    Princess Itai growled, "Those bastards!" Baring her fangs, she looked particrly beastly. "We¡¯ve arrived with reinforcements, I just hope it¡¯ll be sufficient enough." As she said this, her gaze was turned towards the seven ships carrying various forces. To her, they were the lifeline of their race.

    She could only hope it would be enough.

 Chapter 249 Easily Exposed?!

    A young man with an average appearance and questionable physique sat in meditation on the deck of one of the ships. This young man radiated a heavenly aura equivalent to the second-floor Heavenly Genesis Realm. This heavenly aura had a distinctive sharpness to it, as if he radiated the profound mysteries of the sword.

    He dressed in an indeterminate attire that seemed to blend with everyone else¡¯s in its uniqueness but was very vague as to what force he represented. However, no one seemed to spare the young man a nce. Instead, the atmospheric air was dense with solemnity.

    This young man was Yan Zaizen! Utilizing the Regalia of Mimicry¡¯s abilities, he put together a few personal features from people he could remember and pped on Tao¡¯s aura. With this, he was essentially an entirely different person.

    "As I thought, this is a reinforcement shipment for the war." Earlier, Yan Zaizen fully intended to bulldoze the barrier, but this ship¡¯s appearance made things easier. If he went full force, it¡¯s possible he would attract too much attention which could lead to being attacked by both groups. Now, he could infiltrate the realm without drawing too much attention.

    "These people should have some way to temporarily bypass the barrier," Yan Zaizen assumed. Looking at everyone on board, he felt more reassured. There were Heavenly Genesis Cultivators in the early, middle, andter stages. Not only that, he felt various soul fluctuations that were exceptional.

    This didn¡¯t include the beastly aura he felt from various others. As someone who wasn¡¯t too informed on the Beastial Path, he could only specte. However, the individuals on board could easily contend with a seventh-level force.

    "Have you heard of the 7th Heaven?" Yan Zaizen quietly asked Pinaka. Since exiting from the inter-heavenly spatial formation, Pinaka had been somewhat silent. At the moment, she was drenched in and absorbing a vast quantity of Yan Zaizen¡¯s soulforce and soul energy.

    He wasn¡¯t quite sure what she experienced while traveling through the spatial tunnel, but it seemed to have injured her worse than the Deep Mines. However, he wasn¡¯t worried. Whatever she needed to recover, he would give her.

    "No," Pinaka curtly answered. Yan Zaizen awkwardly smiled. His question was ridiculous in hindsight. He wasn¡¯t even sure if sixth-floor Heavenly Genesis Cultivators had the ability to traverse between heavens.

    "A realm war..." When his mind turned towards war, he felt a heat build up in his heart. If it was the sixteen-year-old him, the very concept of a war would¡¯ve left him hiding in fear, but the current him felt oddly excited!

    "The amount of loot and wealth..." If Tao and Bai Lufeng had heard those words, they would warily smile. Yan Zaizen always had a distinct penchant to rob and steal, and what better way to do that than on the battlefield?

    Imagine the innumerable heavenly shrines! The storage of wealth and items! Even the physical bodies of cultivators would be priceless!

    Just the thought of it caused his lips to dry. He had to lick them slightly as a response. To others just casually ncing in his direction, they felt a shiver down their spines. Some even stepped away and checked their spatial storages instinctively.

    When they realized their actions, they felt awkward and would leave.

    "Well, I should first figure out the situation. And before I do ANYTHING, I need to ensure my trump cards to escape." Yan Zaizen had been put into too many situations where his cultivation base was far too inferior to escape. Heavenly might or formations could either impede spatial shifting of any type or restrict it all together.

    With a peak upper-tier dao, which was now a False Grand Dao, an Imperial Law of Spacetime, and a peak Essence Path cultivation base, he was more than ready to construct a heavenly shrine!

    He had a few reservations because the dao is supposed to be the foundation of a shrine, but his Mortal Dao was a False Grand Dao. He didn¡¯t know if there would be consequences or hindrances in the future. When he informed Pinaka about it, she only responded with a simple answer: "I don¡¯t know."

    This left him grasping at the dark abyss of the unknown. If it wasn¡¯t for that invisible stream of information in the spatial tunnel helping him understand his situation a little, would he even understand anything about this False Grand Dao?

    "We should be entering the realm soon. When we do, I should leave and find a location to construct my shrine." As he determined his ns, he felt excited.

    "Fellow Sir," an elderly man called out to Yan Zaizen. The elderly man had a hunched back and a withered aura, his vitality was dim and weak. It was like a candle¡¯s me at the end of its wax stick. His wrinkly skin and decrepit smell that was reminiscent of death were overshadowed by his bright and calm smile.

    Yan Zaizen wasn¡¯t used to the address, so he didn¡¯t immediately understand the man¡¯s intentions. Only when the old man repeated his words did Yan Zaizen realize the old man¡¯s actions to seize his attention.

    In the myriad realms and many heavens, cultures varied. Sometimes this difference was slight but oftentimes it was vastly different. It wasn¡¯t just realms, but even continents that shared the samend had such differences. A form of address difference was minor inparison.

    "Yes?" Yan Zaizen answered. To him who was foreign, he didn¡¯t want to stick out. He hadn¡¯t understood the differences in cultures or even thenguage. If it wasn¡¯t for his Astral Soul Realm cultivation base, he would bepletely confused. With his soul cultivation, he can negate the lingual barrier andmunicate with the soul directly.

    "Oh?" The old man was slightly surprised that Yan Zaizen used a soul transmission. However, he ignored it and asked his question, "May I ask you...which force you belong to?"

    "..." Was he found out so soon? Holy hell, he thought his disguise was perfect! Then again, he couldn¡¯t exactly pose as a force member. If they saw him and found him unfamiliar, it was the same as giving up his identity. This was why he wore an ambiguous disguise. Yet, he was still approached.

    He cursed this old, nearly lifeless man for being too damn nosy. "Why?" He inquired curiously, but internally he was already cursing the man¡¯s three generations.

    "Because...you¡¯re not supposed to be here." The old man kept his smile, but Yan Zaizen felt a chill roll down his spine. How the hell did he know that?

    Before Yan Zaizen could question ande up with a lie, "We¡¯re not idiots, Fellow Sir. You weren¡¯t here one moment and was here the next. Many discovered your appearance the moment you arrived. We do have our senses, you know." This old man kept smiling throughout.

    "..." For that split second, Yan Zaizen felt incredibly stupid.

    Pa!

    He mmed his palm in his face in shame. When people disguise themselves, isn¡¯t it usually never noticed? This was especially so in the stories he read of the heroes infiltrating the viinous factions!

    As he thought more on the subject, his expression darkened. If he was smart, he should¡¯ve snatched someone currently on the ship and swap with them while concealing his aura. If he did that, then wouldn¡¯t it have been smoothly done and unnoticed? He could also soul search them for information!

    Hindsight, it truly was perfect.

    He took mental notes for future events. He would just chalk this up as beginner¡¯s failure.

    "You don¡¯t have to worry, Fellow Sir. No one stopped you because they simply do not care." The old man tried tofort Yan Zaizen with some truth. In reality, Yan Zaizen¡¯s disguise was too perfect but his n of action was heavily wed.

    Because of his perfect disguise, all those who noticed him didn¡¯t feel any sort of threat from him. He was either too weak or simply irrelevant to the whole picture. Not to mention, if a guy wants to join a realm war with such a weak cultivation base, why did it matter to them?

    Let him court death.

    "I see," after discovering this fact, he did feel a little bit better.

    "I just wanted to ask if you wanted to join our force. Every additional member counts." The old man extended an offer.

    "So that¡¯s what this is about? He just wants me to strengthen his force." Silently thinking, Yan Zaizen felt it was a littleughable. No one cared about him enough to approach but this old man. Not only that, this old man¡¯s cultivation base wasn¡¯t low, being at the fourth-floor of the Heavenly Genesis Realm. However, to Yan Zaizen, even Yun Baili couldn¡¯t take a single punch from him.

    Strengthen his force? He would be his force!

    Thinking about it, he decided to seriously consider this. If he joined a weaker force, he could have an easier time disappearing to form his heavenly shrine. He could also gain an understanding of the overall situation. Thetter was most crucial.

    "I can join, but I have a condition." Yan Zaizen calmly said.

    The old man didn¡¯t seem too bothered that a second-floor Heavenly Genesis cultivator wanted to propose a condition. Instead, he smiled a little bit more. "Please."

    "I need to build my heavenly shrine...the next stage of it before I enter the battlefield."

    "The true war won¡¯t be happening for a few years. If you just need to build your next floor, you¡¯ll have plenty of time." The old man replied. After all, building a heavenly shrine took very little time. umting the necessary heavenly materials, heavenly liquid, andprehension was a different matter.

    With a smile, "then you¡¯ve got yourself a new member."

 Chapter 250 Guilds

    "Perfect! My name¡¯s Amos Ackner, a member of the Ethereal de Guild." Amos smiled broadly in tion. His withered aura and dim light in his eyes seemed to regain some of its youthful exuberance.

    "Guild?" Yan Zaizen silently questioned. He had heard of ns, families, sects, but he has never heard of a guild. What was that? Not only that, the name Amos Ackner was odd in and of itself. The person before him was obviously human, he was even a Lycah like himself, but his namepletely upended the 27th Heaven standard.

    In the 27th Heaven, a person¡¯s name is defined by three sections: n Name(Yan), Personal Name(Zai), and Family Name(Zen). The only exception was the removal of a n name or family name if they had none. It¡¯s even possible to have no family or n name. Tao perfectly embodied this example, having been adopted andter disowned by his n and family.

    However, the current name didn¡¯t seem to have any sort of trend and Yan Zaizen couldn¡¯t determine how it was constructed.

    In the end, he decided to be direct. "What¡¯s a guild?" Even if others suspected his foreign origin, they could only have suspicions. Moreover, Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t fear anyone on this ship.

    Amos was taken aback by the question and his eyes did flicker with suspicion in the end, but after some thought, he decided to answer. "Guilds are groups of individuals, factions so to speak, formted by those with a general focus orck of a stable backing. Oftentimes, they are forces developed by those without ns, families, or packs to establish a footing in the myriad realms."

    Yan Zaizen nodded. As he looked at the individuals in the various ships having different attires with different features and races, he realized that they all likely originated from these so-called guilds. However, he was shocked a little by the exnation. When Amos exined the function of guilds and how they were essentially rogue or independent cultivators gathering together who didn¡¯t have ns, families, or packs, he excluded sects.

    "What about sects?" As he had already decided to be direct, he asked.

    "Sects?" Amos aged face frowned in thought. Yan Zaizen realized that he didn¡¯t have the faintest clue what a sect was. In truth, a sect wasn¡¯t much different than a guild. However, there was a core difference that clearly separated them.

    Sects gathered loose or rogue cultivators and produced something simr to ns. In these sects, often there was intricate schemes and deadlybat between members for superiority.

    The struggles were endless and the resources limited. It created an environment of dog eat dog. He suspected the guilds were like this, but upon further exnation, he was very, very wrong.

    Guilds were forces devised by independent cultivators but there was barely any conflict within. Arge reason was that it carried a simrity to the Anima Syndicate. It was an organization loosely based around strength and authority, but the interactions between members were very little. You can even kill people in the guild openly if you wished. Within sects, this was heavily frowned upon and often led to hidden strikes and plotted schemes. There were even sects that delivered punishment by death for killing another member, regardless if they were in the wrong initially.

    Yan Zaizen frowned slightly when he heard this. He felt like there was more to it than just this, but being a member of the Anima Syndicate, a very simr organization, he didn¡¯t doubt theck of schemes. Unlike sects that were in directpetition, missions were determined to leave very little room for conflict and so was the hierarchy.

    Soon, Yan Zaizen walked with Amos to arrive in the Ethereal Sword Guild¡¯s location. When he arrived, he was a little startled. The reason was simple: they were all females! There was a total of seven members, including Amos, and besides Amos, the rest were young women with sharp eyes and radiated a sword aura.

    A young woman, about in her early twenties in regards to appearance, appraised Yan Zaizen with a deep and harsh look. This woman had long white hair and wore the Ethereal Sword Guild¡¯s uniform colors - silver. Her dress was slightly imperialistic and her hair flowed freely with the wind.

    "Senior Amos, is this man necessary?" She asked, not bothering to disguise her contempt and disdain for Yan Zaizen. Towards this attitude, Yan Zaizen wasughing internally. These women may be beauties, butpared to Ma Xiuren, his first kiss, or Pinaka, they couldn¡¯t hold a candle to their looks. This was the same with cultivation base.

    The young woman was at the second-floor of the Heavenly Genesis Realm, but she also had a very faint Astral Soul signature that seemed less intense than Yan Zaizen.

    The only thing Yan Zaizen found interesting was the racial diversity. Each of the seven had different races, but they didn¡¯t seem to be much different than Lycah than some markings or skin color. Therefore, Yan Zaizen couldn¡¯t figure out their unique characteristics.

    Amos smiled, "Ay, this Fellow Sir is an expert on the cusp of reaching the third-floor, with his inclusion, our chances of survival will increase." To him who was old, hisbat prowess wasn¡¯t too outstanding so any form of support was beneficial. After all, he was doing this so he could have a chance at life, not to die.

    "Oh?" The young woman, Ay, eximed curiously. She once again appraised Yan Zaizen, but his ordinary looks andckluster expressions left her disappointed.

    Yan Zaizen ignored this girl, offering greetings to the other women with politeness. He didn¡¯t bother inquiring why all of them were female. He had his own ideas, such as they were all a part of a group within the guild and did missions together. It¡¯s possible their teamwork was highly refined and thus they did all things together.

    Yan Zaizen recalled Yu Shi and Yun Baili. They had a bevy of weaker cultivators to help support their cultivation bases and arts, and because of this, their prowess was far more terrifying than normal. He wouldn¡¯t underestimate this group by any means, even if he was far stronger than them.

    The other girls were also polite, especially after hearing that he was on the cusp of building his third-floor. They treated him with respect and besides the third-floor females, the second-floor cultivators even had a shining light in their eyes.

    This allowed Yan Zaizen to once more realize that cultivation was difficult beyond imagination. A lot of these females may look in their twenties, but their life signatures were nearing one hundred thousand years! That was terrifying.

    To use one hundred thousand years of cultivation and only reach the second or third floor! Yun Baili was a genius of an eight-tier realm and in less than thirty-three thousand years, he built his fourth floor! The difference truly was massive.

    If hepared Tao, who was only about five thousand years old yet reached the second-floor, they were literal garbage.

    "Cultivation...is a struggle,"menting on the fates of all those who struggle for a higher level, for more life, for more power, and yet can never taste it in the end, he felt a mncholic feeling surge in his heart. Would his path one day be like this? There had to be a limit to the benefit of a Non-Entity!

    As they were discussing various subjects allowing Yan Zaizen to get a better understanding of the situation, a cold feminine voice echoed outwards! "All, ready for entry!" When these words were said, the cultivators¡¯ expressions became stern and heavy.

    "This is what I was waiting for!" Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes were the only one whose eyes lit up like Christmas lights! To gain entry into the realm without having to forcefully enter! If these ships were reinforcements, they likely had some method to enter despite the barrier. And he was right!

    The eight ships, with the silver one in lead, made their way towards the barrier. They weren¡¯t traveling very fast, but they were indeed moving. As they approached, a beam of silver light shot out from the Lycan¡¯s area. This light prated the barrier and established a spatial vortex forcefully! This spatial vortex was just outside the barrier but obviously interconnected to a location within it!

    "Spatialws!" Yan Zaizen¡¯s grew excited. The heavenly aura from this beam of energy wasn¡¯t at the upper-stages of the Heavenly Genesis Realm like Shi Yan, but was definitely between the fourth and sixth floor! That meant a cultivator had reached the minor-Domain or higher in Spatial Law! A World Law!

    The spatial vortex seemed to lead to emptiness, but all the cultivators on board had excited expressions. With their full speed, they dived into the spatial vortex!

    "Wait!" Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes narrowed as they approached the spatial vortex. When he got closer, to the point where several ships had already entered, his eyes widened. "Someone is interfering with the vortex!" Before he could alert others, the ship he resided in entered the spatial vortex.

 Chapter 251 Insidious Trap! Array!

    "The spatial tunnel has been subtly interfered with!" Yan Zaizen deduced as they entered the vortex. Others may not notice, but Yan Zaizenprehended the Spatial Form of Infinite Stability, it essentially covered the entirety of spatial spectrum except chaotic aspects of space such as distortions or copse. With the Imperial Law of Spacetime, he had an even greater understanding of it.

    Currently, the spatialws within the tunnel were subtly being redirected elsewhere.

    "Hmph!" Yan Zaizen coldly snorted. He pressed his right middle finger together with his thumb.

    SNAP!

    This snap wasn¡¯t very loud but a slight trembling urred in the spatial tunnel. However, after this trembling urred, Yan Zaizen only frowned further.

    Amos and the girls were shocked by Yan Zaizen¡¯s sudden actions. Ay even berated him for suddenly making a disturbance, but she was directly ignored.

    Yan Zaizen felt his earlier actions were immediately nullified by a strong opposing force. Because of this, they were still being redirected elsewhere. This person¡¯s spatialws exceeded his own!

    "Perfect Domain level or initial Sovereign level?" As he pondered, a loud shout resounded from the main ship. It was the feminine voice from earlier.

    "All ships prepare! The spatial tunnel has been tampered with!!" As she shouted, she erected her ship¡¯s shields and formations. The others ships didn¡¯t seem inexperienced, some even expected this. The formations for all the ships were activated immediately, but none of them attempted to shift through the void. If they did, it¡¯s highly possible that they could end up in chaotic space. After all, creating a tunnel within a tunnel was a highly intricate matter and realmships weren¡¯t soplex!

    On the silver ship, Princess Itai had a solemn expression as she held the helm with a tight grip. The helm itself seemed to be slightly bent from her forcefulness. The mountain-like man stood behind her, solemn but oddly calm.

    "If someone didn¡¯t try to interfere with the spatial vortex, we wouldn¡¯t have known!" Princess Itai bitingly said. She felt foolish in thinking that all was right. Yan Zaizen¡¯s actions earlier had essentially brought to light the tampering of the spatial vortex. The expert who established the vortex immediately sent a message to Princess Itai informing her of the circumstances.

    This was how she knew.

    Yan Zaizen had his suspicions, but he didn¡¯t care much about this. Instead, he focused his attention elsewhere. He closed his eyes to sense the spatial fluctuations at the end of the tunnel and deduced their location.

    "Oh? In the middle line of the realm?" He deduced that they were being redirected and would exit at the middle border between both forces. If so, then perhaps it wasn¡¯t so bad? However, he found out he was very, very wrong!

    As they exited, the ships were within some bubble-like construct. This was a miniature version of the barrier surrounding the realm, obviously set up by the enemy! When Princess Itai discovered this, her originally fierce eyes revealed a moment of helplessness and despair!

    "A trap?" The others came to the same conclusion. Many erupted with their cultivation bases and attempted to create an opening in the barrier, but nothing could break through it. There was even a few who attempted to ignite their heavenly shrines to reach their most powerful state, but even in conjunction with others, they still couldn¡¯t produce a dent in the barrier.

    Ay and the other girls¡¯ expressions paled, even Amos¡¯s eyes that were originally dim turned dimmer. It seemed they didn¡¯t expect such a situation to ur! After all, if they agreed to be reinforcements, they were likely pulled by the promise of resources and safety before the war! Yet...

    As many were attempting to break through the barrier, Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes looked at the enemy side. A titanic ship the size of a moon was in the distance. It was far in the distance, at least several hundred thousand li away, but Yan Zaizen could still feel vigorous energy fluctuations effusing from it.

    At the front of this ship, a single cannon the size of an entire mountain was mounted. This cannon had an indescribable amount of formations of vastplexities inscribed on its surface. Some of the inscriptions even reached into the barrel. It reminded Yan Zaizen of Sky Shatter.

    "Zai! That¡¯s aary Cannon!" Pinaka¡¯s voice resounded.

    ary Cannon?

    He recalled reading aboutary Cannons in the Anima Syndicate. It was essentially weapons of mass destruction devised to destroy entires in a single shot! It embodied destructionws, a worldw, and incorporated a massive amount of formations to focus and amplify thisw. With heavenlyw liquid as its power source, it could replicate destructive-attributed heavenly essence!

    Essentially, a single st from this cannon was the same as a seventh floor destruction-based Heavenly Shrine!

    "Oh," Was his only response.

    Before he could think further, the feminine voice originating from Princess Itai once more resounded. "All ships, defend to the utmost!" As she said this, her ship was shrouded in a denseyer of silver light. Thisyer of silver light didn¡¯t originate from the ship but from a talisman. It radiated a peak-Heavenly Genesis heavenly aura that was incredibly powerful.

    "She knows," Yan Zaizen calmly chuckled. Instead of informing others of the situation and saving as much as possible, she decided otherwise. She could bring as many people on the ship as possible before activating the life-saving talisman. However, if she did, it would definitely cause chaos amongst the ranks as they fought for a spot within the talisman¡¯s powerful shields. After all, no way all members could fit. Therefore, she decisively activated it after a brief warning.

    The others with a high level of intelligence saw this and cursed.

    So cruel!

    It wasn¡¯t like she had the only life-saving talisman obtained or bought through other means, but none of which had the capabilities to encapste the entirety of a realmship. Many others were shrouded by orbs of dense heavenly might that were obviously created by Heavenly Commanders. However, these shields only contained a few people at most.

    There were hundreds of thousands of people on the seven realmships!

    Yan Zaizen couldn¡¯t help butugh a little more at all this. He recalled the copse of the sub-realm. Self-preservation truly was the first and foremost priority of many! There were even a few others who were growing more and more listless as time went on.

    Some even stared at the cannon charging with calm expressions, ready to face death in its entirety. Amos had this reaction, his eyes were suffused with a dim light and an eerie calmness. As for the seven girls, many were trying to use their loose connections to contact others who were protected by lights, as for those who were just standing there useless, they didn¡¯t even try to join with them.

    In truth, with the vast difference in cultivation, it¡¯s unlikely for many to survive even if they did team up together against this cannon!

    Yan Zaizen only looked at all this with an amused gaze, then he softly tapped his finger in mid-air. A soft ripple radiated of space, but it was swiftly suppressed. "The barrier has the exact same characteristics as the realm barrier? So it is a cage!" He was rather calm despite the circumstance. To him, it was hard to disturb his heart after all the things he¡¯s been through.

    "What does it use to suppress spatial fluctuations? Is it a formation?" He tapped once more but shook his head soon afterwards. A formation would need a medium for energy, and he didn¡¯t recognize this medium. Typically, a formation would use heavenlyw liquid like the cannon, so it was even more unlikely to be a formation.

    "Oh?" As he ruminated on the subject, his eyes brightened. "So that¡¯s how! Such a profound way to utilize heavenly materials!" It¡¯s been a while since he came across an array! An array and a formation had many differences; an array could include formations, but many different formations were not an array!

    An array mainly used materials that gave off their ownws and energy in profound ways to execute and amplify various arts. It was essentially a proxy method to utilize arts!

    The reason why he couldn¡¯t find any heavenly aura on the surface of the barrier yet it contained vast profundities of heavenlyws was because it was constructed from heavenly material! It was also powered by them. However, arrays weren¡¯t restricted only to heavenly materials. An array¡¯s power source can include physical bodies, spiritual forms, or other miraculous sources.

    As for this particr array, not just the miniaturized version but the one that encapste the entire realm, the number of materials needed to do so was immense. Luckily, the energy in heavenly materials was vast. However, to do it on this scale, it would be a titanic expenditure! After all, it required copious amounts of top quality materials with dedicated array gs and a controller of a highprehension of respectivews to use!

    He also had other suspicions. He had a guess that the array actually used a multitude of Regalia of the Heavens as array gs! If so...it was beyond terrifying.

    "So that¡¯s it! The expert that manipted the spatial vortex without them noticing was also the same expert that constructed the barrier by using this array..." As he deduced this, he felt enlightened. The spatial methods from influencing the spatial tunnel and creating the barrier were simr and likely originated from the same array.

    "Is it possible that they hadn¡¯t discovered this fact?" Yan Zaizen felt that it was a little odd. If they knew this, then they must¡¯ve known that the spatial vortex could be tampered with...

    Or was it possible that they underestimated their opponent?

    "It¡¯s likely thetter," he concluded. There¡¯s no way an entire race couldn¡¯te to the same conclusion he did, in that case...the expert was hiding hisprehension and skills! He may still be hiding it!

    "A minor-Sovereign level expert? An expert on the same level as Shi Yan..." If his guess was correct, then unless the Lycans had an expert with attainments in space that could rival this, they were truly trapped in a cage with no way to escape! With an array of this level, would a peak-Heavenly Genesis expert be able to even leave if they wished?

    BUURRRGH!!!

    The canon had reached its peak in umting power!

    It was now ready to fire!

 Chapter 252 Fraction of a Second - Timing!

    "Haaa..." Yan Zaizen deeply sighed. To others, this was a helpless situation that was impossible to survive, but to him, this was actually child¡¯s y. These members of various guilds decided to ce their lives on the line to support the Lycans, regardless of their reasons why, they did! Yet, the Lycans ipetence has led them to a path straight to hell.

    He had a faint trace of pity for all these people. Their hopes, dreams, and future were closed off before they could even fight. "I guess this is what it means to die for someone else¡¯s cause?" As he muttered this, he wondered about the possibility of this happening in the 27th Heaven.

    He recalled Bai Lufeng, Guan Yin, Gu Yu, and the other cultivators he came across. They were decisive and often decided to put their lives as priority. People like them would decisively retreat or not act unless it was a certainty. However, when has war ever been a certainty?

    Shaking his head, he made some calctions. After, he sent out a mass soul transmission to all seven ships, excluding Princess Itai¡¯s!

    "There will be a moment, a fraction of a second, when the cannon¡¯s energy will disintegrate thews restricting spatial shifting! If you can capitalize on this moment, on this less than a thousandth of a second moment to escape, then you may have a chance!"

    As his words echoed in everyone¡¯s ears, many had their eyes brighten immediately! In that light was hope!

    If the cannon¡¯s energy had to destroy the barrier to enter, then there was a slight chance, a slight moment where there¡¯ll be no restriction! If they could escape in a quick enough manner, they could easily depart!

    However, as for who could grasp this chance? Destiny will decide.

    When Princess Itai heard this, her fierce eyes radiated a spark of hope! Her goal was to bring reinforcements to her people, and now they had a chance to live! If they did, they could still do so.

    It made sense that many didn¡¯tprehend the path of survival initially. Even Yan Zaizen only came to this conclusion after realizing that the barrier was an array! If the barrier copsed, so did the imposed restrictions! If it wasn¡¯t integrated together, they would all be dead!

    You can say this was a w in arrays!

    A slight one, but a w nheless.

    After delivering this piece of hope, Yan Zaizen looked towards Amos. "Stay near me," with a calm voice, he said. Amos¡¯s eyes lit up with a renewed brilliance as he stepped beside Yan Zaizen. He was so close that Yan Zaizen could smell his elderly odor. The smell of deathly aura emanating from his body was particrly strong. Others may not be able to notice, but Yan Zaizen did.

    "About a hundred or so years left? If that," he silently thought.

    Ay and the girl¡¯s heard Yan Zaizen¡¯s words. Some were shocked and others were skeptical. They even had questioning nces. However, Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t answer. Instead, he faced the cannon that was ready to fire.

    "It¡¯ll reach here in the blink of an eye." As he silently pondered, he made further calctions.

    "Stay by you? Why?" Ay inquired, her eyes showing deep conflict. It was obvious from her bodynguage that she leaned towards escaping the group and relying on others. However, Yan Zaizen¡¯s words and Amos¡¯s quick decision made her indecisive.

    Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t respond. He wasn¡¯t a good guy nor did he have the time to consider such matters or exin. He looked at the readied cannon with a narrowed gaze.

    Amos was the one who sent out soul transmissions to the girls, pleading for them to get near Yan Zaizen. Those who trusted Amos wholeheartedly and also had nowhere else to go rushed to his side. They closed in on Yan Zaizen, about a few inches away from his body. Normally, men would notice their fragrant smell, but Yan Zaizen only smelled a stench of death on each and every one of them.

    They were all so old that their lifeforce energy was dim and their deathly aura was feeding off it. It made him oddlyfortable. This likely had to do with his lungs essentially being made of death. He had the faint suspicions that deathws could elongate lifespans...

    "Come!" A middle-aged man with a somewhat handsome appearance shouted from afar. It seemed it was towards Ay to rush to his side in hopes of survival. However, she was still hesitant. As she wanted to truly decide, all the other girls beside one were beside Amos and Yan Zaizen. The one who departed was the youngest one out of them all. She arrived near the middle-aged man and stayed with a hopeful expression.

    As she nced at Ay, she even had a pleading expression of urgency in her eyes, obviously beckoning for Ay toe.

    But it was toote for Ay to decide.

    BOOM!!!!

    A booming noise that quaked the entire realm erupted! This thunderous boom was followed by a condensed beam of destructive energy that seemed intent on eradicating all in its path!

    Amos used his heavenly might, grabbing Ay¡¯s body and pulling her close. She fell into his embrace and rested there. She knew her indecision left her without a choice; therefore, she didn¡¯t dare to resist this force.

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s calctions were correct!

    In the literal blink of an eye, the beam had already collided with the thin film of barrier that caged them in! In a very, very small fraction of a second, the restrictivews copsed. This fraction of a second was so minute that even Yan Zaizen found it difficult to grasp! Yet...

    His eyes erupted with an amber-gold brilliance! With his right index finger and thumb, he snapped!

    SNAP!!

    This sound resounded clearly. As if they were entering a picture, Yan Zaizen, Amos, and the girls vanished!

    This small fraction of a second of freedom was immediately superseded by a destructive aura that demolished all spatial fluctuations! The girl who left the group and the middle-aged man attempted to grasp that timing of freedom, if only by luck, but undoubtedly failed! In body and soul, they were destroyed along with many others.

    Princess Itai could sense the soul signatures of those surrounding her vanish like a me in the chilly wind. Her teeth were clenched to the point where lines of blood appeared at the sides of her mouth! She was seething with rage!

    While she was feeling anger for those who died, and those who she could¡¯ve saved, she was protected by a life-saving spatial formation that resisted the destructive force. There were others who resorted to the same method. Only a few seeded!

    The cannon released a single beam of energy and onlysted for less than a second. After that, they were exposed. Princess Itai released an subconscious sigh of relief, but the guilt in her heart was non-existent. She just had anger and righteous indignation.

    "You think you¡¯re safe? Haha!" A tyrannical voice exploded in the surroundings. The expressions of all the survivors experienced a drastic change, and they looked towards the air.

    Above them, a middle-aged man with a ck robe with silver borders was chuckling maniacally. His long hair was pale white with streaks of cyan within. He didn¡¯t have any insignias determining his affiliation, but they all knew he was with the invaders!

    "Hmph!" A cold snort erupted! This cold snort originated from the Lycans side! Apanying this snort was an immensely powerful heavenly might that seemed viciously tyrannical! As it approached, it transformed into a hand that attempted to grip the survivors.

    "Hahaha! False bravado and nothing more!" The middle-aged man only continued to chuckle, his eyes suffused with disdain and contempt at this heavenly manifestation! Pushing his palm forward, an exceptional heavenly might exploded forth, but this heavenly might contained profound spatialws!

    While he did so, twelve silver lights of varying shades dazzled slightly around him. However, no one could see where these lights originated from or why they existed. It was like they erupted from space itself!

    In the time it took the heavenly hand to move an inch, the spatial-attributed heavenly might had already crossed the vastness of space and encapsted all the survivors! "For you to take action, must be someone pretty important amongst these people! Haha, I can¡¯t wait to have some fun with whoever it is!!" The man¡¯s voice was malicious and he obviously didn¡¯t put the other in his eyes.

    With a blink, the survivors were directly sent into the depths of the enemy territory.

    "NO!" The voice that released the cold snort shouted, his heavenly might erupted with golden brilliance suffused with dense savagery! However, the middle-aged man only continued his mad chuckle and faded into space as if he was never there. The only thing that lingered was his disdainful chuckle!

    In chaotic space, Yan Zaizen and the others lingered. The others were confused as to where they were, but Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t have time to deal with their curiosity or questions! His eyes emanated silver light as he looked through the vastness of chaotic space and in the direction of the middle-aged man.

    "So it was him!"

 Chapter 253 Well Wait!

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes emitted an intense glow of rampant greed! Even his breathing was rapid and heavy!

    "That array!" Yan Zaizen had just seen the intricacies of the array in action and he was ny percent certain that it embodied twelve Regalias of the Heavens! They were all spatial attributed with diversified conceptualws.

    To put it simply, twelve different spatial concepts! His conceptualw of infinite stability may epass the entirety of non-chaotic concepts, but if he could ponder over these regalias, constructs that had reached to sovereign-level, hisprehension would skyrocket! No, skyrocket is an understatement! He believed that in a few decades or even a century, he may be able to reach the sovereign level!

    In truth, he was awed by the middle-aged man¡¯s disy and wealth. His foundation, or the foundation of his force, must be absolutely terrifying to set up twelve regalias as array gs! The amount of wealth, time, effort, and difficulty to do so would be mind-blogging to even Shi Yan!

    This meant that a group of heavenlymanders must¡¯ve all reached the Sovereign-level of a World Law, and not a low-tier one but a top-tier World Law, and paid a heavy price to rip and condense a portion of heavenlyw!

    "If the invaders could invite such an expert...the Lycans chances are abysmal, to say the least," Yan Zaizen calmly spected in his greed. It¡¯s highly likely that in the uing years, Lycans will face the greatest cmity since their inception as a race.

    "I wonder what¡¯s the story behind this war," when he asked Amos earlier, he didn¡¯t get a clear response. It had something to do with resources, but it couldn¡¯t be that simple.

    The invaders had essentially dered open genocide! They caged them in and was preparing for all-out war. If it was for territory or resources, perhaps the Lycans as a whole would¡¯ve conceded and relented a piece of their possessions. Unless...they were far stronger than Yan Zaizen could see.

    However, he had a distinct feeling that the Lycans as a whole was not innately powerful. It¡¯s entirely possible that Xiha, the White Sirius Heavenly Monarch, was the strongest member of their race. He was a peak Heavenly Creation cultivator with his own defined path! However, Xiha was dead.

    Eloah informed him that Xiha and the Lycans had a shaky past, it even led to him running to another heaven! It remains to be seen if he left them anything. It was entirely possible that Yan Zaizen, the current inheritor of Xiha¡¯s legacy, had the key to obtain all that was left behind!

    "I want that array." The more his thoughts drew on the situation and more his greed rose. That array was priceless and would be incredibly beneficial to him. His mind was formting various strategies, but they were all either suicidal or impossible.

    As he stood there in intense thought, the others who were closely huddled together inside his chaotic space barrier were silent. Ay was particrly so. Her eyes even contained the wetness of tears as she held a broken object.

    It was a life talisman!

    This talisman was linked to the girl who chose to stay with the expert. She could still recall the young girl¡¯s pleading expression as she urged her to rush over. To her, this girl was closer to her than the others. However, her survival instincts left her in conflict. Her indecision caused Amos to act and bring her over.

    Because of that, she survived.

    Because of that, the girl didn¡¯t.

    Amos and the others could feel the aura of pain and sorrow. They could only stay silent while praying for the younger girl to travel safely through her journey to samsara. They even formed a strange handseal while doing so.

    Ay saw this and a hint of thankfulness and deep emotion surged in her gaze. She also followed suit, holding the life talisman close. She recited a few words that seemed heavily practiced.

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s thoughts were disturbed by this. He looked at the others actions and felt intrigued. As a cultivator, he understood religion and the act of praying. Mortals often mistake cultivators as gods in barrennds, but it wasn¡¯t something cultivators were subjected to.

    Yet, cultivators who pursue the heavens were now doing so in unison. He felt an indescribable emotion in his heart after discovering why. There was no guilt, but there was an odd trickle of warmth.

    "Soul Faith...praying for safe passage through Samsara..." Yan Zaizen felt that the 7th heaven was heavily based on religious principles and faith in the functions of the world. Perhaps it may not be too dominant, but it was definitely there.

    He recalled Wang Li and the feeling he felt. "Could it be that he travels a path based on this? Or was it different?" As he was lost in his thoughts, the situation outside suffered new developments.

    -----

    Due to the kidnapping of Princess Itai, the Lycans, or at least a portion of them, were readying for all-out battle! As for the invaders, they were gearing up as well, but in a unified matter! A clear disparity in opinions and leadership was disyed right then and there.

    At the Lycans side, in thergest and most terrifying realmship, a table of six was filled with prominent figures of the Lycan Race. This realmship had nearly three thousand cannons on each side of it! Each cannon could easily turn a fourth-floor Heavenly Genesis expert into dust! Embedded at the bottom of the realmship was a long-barreled cannon that seemed capable of eradicating an entire!

    These six figures were currently in discussion on this terrifying ship.

    "We MUST act now!!!" A tall figure with firm muscles, a sharp gaze, dressed in fur, and skin with a bronze sheen mmed the table in rage. This was King Moshe, the father of Princess Itai. His gaze was filled with madness for this daughter with a boy¡¯s name.

    The other five remained unmoved.

    A middle-aged woman, one with a ruthless appearance and a long scar that went from her right eyebrow to her left jaw, coldly spoke, "You sent your daughter on a reckless mission, and when it fails, you wish to prematurely initiate war? Do you believe yourself so important?" Her voice contained a violent nature that seemed hard to conceal and her eyes revealed deep contempt.

    The other four didn¡¯t agree with King Moshe¡¯s methods or risk. Furthermore, they had very little chance of winning an all-out war at the moment. They were currently attempting to call over support, but the response was rather slow. Despite that, without it, they were unlikely to win.

    They couldn¡¯t evenpromise!

    The Lycan Race as a whole and the Major Canis Realm was an eighth-level heavenly force! It was equivalent to the Sirius Titan Realm! However, their enemies, the Darnixian Race was far, far too strong! They were a ninth-level heavenly force, and it may be just a single level above, but the difference was massive!

    The Darnixian Race was a hybrid race, much like the Lycans, but they originated from the Dark Phoenix. Theirprehension into fire, darkness, and nirvanaws were beyond imaginable! They were a race defined by two worldw and one imperialw! Regardless of whether it was in the Bestial Path or Heavenly Path, they were monstrously gifted!

    They even had a Heavenly Monarch until recently! The only Heavenly Monarch that was created from the Lycan Race was Xiha, the White Sirius Heavenly Monarch, but they had chaotically fierce differences and an even worse history. Besides leaving a small trove of legacies during his early Heavenly Monarch days, he left nothing else to this race.

    Not a single life-saving treasure.

    This left them sighing in deep regret. Especially the fact that Xiha had reached the peak of the Heavenly Creation Realm!

    In truth, the only reason they weren¡¯tpleted eradicated by now had to do with the reasons and internal conflict of the Darnixian Race and their realm formation. With it, conquering them is exceptionally difficult.

    In the Deluge Realm, Yu Shi could exhibit the strength of a fourth-floor Heavenly Genesis cultivator with the support of his realm and formations. In the Major Canis Realm, if all the Lycans were to work in unison, their power was terrifying to the extreme! Yet, despite this terrifying to the extreme power, it paled inparison to a portion of Darnixian Race¡¯s connections and resources!

    Returning to the table, King Moshe¡¯s breathing was heavy and his eyes contained intense killing intent.

    "Your emotions are too unstable. If you were more capable, perhaps you would¡¯ve been able to save her." A young man with crimson leather armor mocked, holding nothing back. His eyes emitted even more contempt than the middle-aged woman.

    To think that Moshe wanted to cause their entire race to fall because of his ipetence! Keep dreaming.

    Everyone silently agreed. Obviously, they were an aggressive bunch, but they were right. Even King Moshe, behind all that irrational rage, knew this in his heart. It was his greatest shame and his greatest regret - his weakness.

    "We¡¯ve received a message from the enemy!" A messenger, who seemed to have a rather high status amongst messengers, arrived. In his palm was a soul jade that recorded a message. He didn¡¯t dare open it.

    King Moshe¡¯s eyes lit up and he demanded the message to be yed immediately. No one objected.

    When the messenger yed the message, the first image that popped up with Itai¡¯s naked body. She was tied up by coarse rope and all of her was revealed. There were faint traces of abuse on her soft skin, even blood constantly flowed near her groin. There seemed to be a deepceration on her upper thigh. Her eyes particrly contained a sense of despair and weakness.

    "Itai!" King Moshe fiercely shouted. His aura caused the entire room to tremble. His gaze seemed as if it wished to pull Itai from this image into safety. Into his arms!

    The middle-aged man from earlier emerged. His expression carried a smile filled with mockery and tion. He licked Itai¡¯s beautiful face with his long, red tongue. After he was done, he looked straight into the image, as if he was looking at King Moshe, "Your daughter, mhm! She¡¯s quite delicious. Did you kno-" His words immediately elicited a response and King Moshe violently smashed the soul jade instantly.

    If she was dead or her fate worse than that, he didn¡¯t want to know. He just knew that he had to kill that bastard. The others didn¡¯t have mockery in their eyes, nor did they have pity. To them, this entire scene was irrelevant and to be expected.

    "We¡¯ll wait!" King Moshe viciously dered. To him, it was no longer for survival, but for revenge.

 Chapter 254 Heavenly Path, Foundation Establishment!

    "Do you guys wish to be dropped in the Lycan territory?" Yan Zaizen calmly asked the group. His current emotional state was much more settled, the greed no longer shining in his eyes like a sun.

    "Ca-Can you send us out of this realm?" One of the girls hesitantly asked. The others silently agreed with gazes radiating deep hope. They obviously understood that Yan Zaizen current form and cultivation base was a deception. It¡¯s possible he was a Heavenly Commander in spatialws! If so, he should be able to get them away!

    After all, the hundreds of thousands of reinforcements were turned to dust or kidnapped. Only they survived and had no ability to help the Lycans.

    Shaking his head Yan Zaizen calmly exined, "There¡¯s arger barrier surrounding the realm. It¡¯s isting all channels of space, even chaotic. Entering or exiting is not something the current me can achieve at will, at least not with others."

    The expressions of others paled. In that case, wouldn¡¯t their life and death be determined by the Lycan¡¯s fate?

    Amos, however, had a broader vision. "He asked us if we wished to be dropped off on the Lycan¡¯s side, we can still choose the Darnixian side. If we did, it¡¯s possible they would let us go!" After he rified Yan Zaizen intent, the others had expressions of realization, but Ay had violent hatred!

    There was no need for her to say a single word to understand her desire.

    She hated the Darnixian! To her very core!

    After some discussion, Amos and the others decided to enter the Lycan territory. The likelihood of the Darnixian allowing them to live may be high, but they would most definitely be enved. This was not a fate they wanted, even if it meant life.

    With a movement of his hand, the group was sent into Lycan territory. Amos gave his earnest thanks. If it wasn¡¯t for Yan Zaizen saving them, they would¡¯ve most certainly perished earlier. Towards this thanks, Yan Zaizen only epted it and nothing more. To him, he could¡¯ve saved more using the Meteor Ring, but he didn¡¯t. The only reason he saved them was because of Amos¡¯s kind intentions.

    He wasn¡¯t a good guy.

    People will live and die by their choices. This is what he earnestly believed. If he had no connection to them, they held no meaning to him.

    Less than dust.

    Therefore, he wouldn¡¯t take any action to influence the fate their choices brought them.

    "The Ancestral Lands of the Lycans...the twelve spatial regalias...the wealth stored in those ships!" Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes erupted with a deep, terrifying light!

    "You¡¯ll need to build your heavenly shrine if any of your ns are to work," Pinaka gently reminded.

    "En," he agreed. It¡¯s been far too long since he cultivated the Essence Path, now was the time for his first step into the Heavenly Path! He remembered when Pinaka first introduced him to the Heavenly Path. In the Dead Soul Sea, he felt it was grand and majestic beyond imagination! Now, it was just a road he must walk!

    The him before and the him now was drastically different. His reverence of the heavens was essentially non-existent. He only held a casual form of respect towards it, and even that was little.

    "An Imperial Heavenly Shrine!" His eyes suffused with deep exhration from anticipation. Yan Zaizen had the best foundation possible, and albeit he didn¡¯t know how a Grand False Dao would interact with a Heavenly Shrine, he knew that his Mortal Dao was a peak upper-tier Mortal Dao - The Dao of Sovereign Ascension!

    With that as its basis, an Imperial Law, and a foundation established to the utmost degree! He was more than ready to take that one and final step. No longer will hisws be insufficiently utilized due to his medium!

    "I have a faint feeling that...my Heavenly Cultivation will easily exceed all my other paths with a single bound!" As he dered this, as he felt this deep in his heart, his excitement reached an absolute peak!

    Looking around briefly, he noted the barriers that seemed to seal off all forms of space, even chaotic space. "It¡¯s truly profound." He inwardly sighed. It¡¯s likely that one of the Regalias used in the array was connected to chaotic space. It was simr to how Tao¡¯s spatialw epassed the ripping force within.

    "This is a perfect enough location," pondering, he decided to use this location. The only thing he feared was that, during his construction, another person would arrive to hinder him. If it was in the Xiantu Realm, he would have zero worries about this. However, the Major Canis Realm had multiple Heavenly Commanders and even an expert in spatialws.

    Taking a deep breath, he sat in the lotus position, floating stably within the empty nothingness that was chaotic space. "My construct!" His mind was ruminating on this subject.

    To establish a Heavenly Shrine, one must first establish their Dao Foundation! It was called the Heavenly Foundation Establishment! It wasn¡¯t a realm but more so a foundational realm, much like the Crimson Star Realm.

    In the cultivation world, Yan Zaizen had seen many shrines. The most notable two were Guan Yin¡¯s and the fifth-floor Heavenly Genesis expert during the sub-realm copse. He had five orbs of mes, three floors, and nothing else. However, Guan Yin¡¯s was incrediblyplex. She was essentially a shrine, with pirs, floors, and various other features.

    This was called a foundation! It would house yourws, your heavenlyw liquid, and even your heavenly dimension that could store objects! It was said that those at the Heavenly Commander can even store living things in their heavenly dimension! This was also why no heavenly cultivator stored others in their heavenly dimension, it was incapable of doing something like the Meteor Ring - creating an independent dimension that supports life!

    All those in the heavenly dimension would be subjected to its immensity and power in full, uncontrolled and raw power. If a third-floor Heavenly Genesis cultivator entered a fire-attributed, first-floor Heavenly Genesis cultivator¡¯s heavenly dimension, they would burn to death! It was that simple.

    When Yan Zaizen merged heavenlyw liquid into his body, each drop could easily wipe out the entirety of Presba! The very minimum of establishing the first-floor ispressing and merging one hundred drops into one¡¯s foundation! That was the minimum! As the Mortal Dao bes greater, thew increases in tier, and theplexity of your foundation is determined!

    Guan Yin choose a foundation that required far, far more heavenlyw liquid than normal to offset her lower-tier Mortal Dao and Mortal Law! Essentially, she was stronger than Xue Lang!

    "Constructing your foundation is important as it determines the amount of heavenlyw liquid you¡¯d be able to assimte!" Pinaka reminded. This decision was one of the most, if not the biggest decision a heavenly cultivator could decide!

    "I already know my foundation!" Yan Zaizen eyes radiated an amber-gold glow that seemed to exist as a superior to all things in creation. In Yan Zaizen¡¯s heart, he knew what his foundation was, and what it had to be!

    Pyramid!

    In the cultivation world, the Pyramid was a universal icon that signifies the death of a king! In the Presba Imperial Family, in Grux Imperial Family, and even in ancient ns, pyramids were constructed as an icon to represent the king¡¯s legacy. However, it did so much more than that! It immortalized the king itself! It told the world: I, your king, am here! I, your king, ruled!!

    To Yan Zaizen, this gave a profound meaning, especially for a Heavenly Shrine. Even if he were to die, his heavenly shrine would always be proimed to the world that he, he as a cultivator, existed!

    "It¡¯s more than just that. A pyramid of my legacy, of my path. What I wish to be inside, is inside!" His eyes gleamed with a profound light that could cause schrs to tremble.

    "Let¡¯s begin!" His words were calm, his body effused an aura of calm, but his cells were emitting immense energy! An amber-gold egg formted an inch from his chest. This was the manifestation of his False Grand Dao! On this amber-gold egg, an illusory crown sat rightfully atop. It was as if the world destined for this egg to be king, it was a rule andw that could not be defied! Within this egg, a swirl of deep ckness and misty whiteness swirled against each other peacefully.

    Looking at this False Grand Dao avatar of his, his expression didn¡¯t change. Instead, he took a deep breath and put his right hand¡¯s middle-finger with his thumb.

    "Shatter!"

    SNAP!!

    This snap caused the chaotic space to fill with the sound of fierce rumbling. It was like a cry to the heavens! This gave Yan Zaizen the oddest feeling, as if he no longer needed to exert force over the temporal winds or ripping force within, they would simply obey hismanders!

    This snap caused the amber-gold egg to shatter into bits and pieces, like ss. Yet, Yan Zaizen¡¯s Dao was as stable as ever as his eyes effused amber-gold light. These pieces of sses floated about in ce, they radiated an ever-present light that seemed to shine across all of chaotic space.

    With his left hand, his middle-finger and thumb came together.

    SNAP!!

    "Construct!"

    His voice was like absolutemands that needed to be followed by all. For some odd reason, Yan Zaizen knew that this was not the standard way to construct a foundation, but it was definitely the right way for him. Typically, the dao¡¯s energy would be slowly poured like hot metal into a structure the individual wanted. It was a careful and cautious procedure. After all, no one wanted their dao to be destroyed!

    The amber-gold pieces turned into motes of white light that swirled together like a cyclone. This cyclone, with each rotation, spun faster and faster until the motes of light no longer looked like motes. It became a twister of amber-gold light!

    This twister flipped, expanded, and reshaped! It continued to do so until it became a pyramid that was in constant rotation. It became solid, but within this solidness, there was a clear division between the first-floor and ninth-floor! Within these floors, there were unique designs for each, but the top was the most important! Within the top was a throne! A throne and a casket embedded into the floor of the ninth-floor behind it!

    It was as if this floor represented a specific saying: "At the peak, this will tell the story of how I ruled, and It¡¯ll be where I rest!"

    This may have taken a short time to exin, but the process was exceptionally long! Decades!

    "Condense!" He thunderously roared once more, no longer doing anything else.

    BOOM!!!!

    An amber-gold pyramid was constructed!

    It was smaller than a baby¡¯s fist! The walls were transparent, obviouslycking substance. The designs within each floor, including the throne and casket, was dull andcked any heavenly quality.

    "Wait? What?!" Yan Zaizen was startled by a development. As he inspected the pyramid, the floor on each floor wasn¡¯t dull orck substance. Instead, they were different!

    "Each floor is a ck and white swirl?" As he questioned, he could see the swirl in constant motion. Then he looked at the throne and within this throne¡¯s seat, a crown - much like the one on the egg - sat neatly.

    "My heavenly shrine is? We¡¯ll figure outter." He felt like there were more mysteries to his heavenly shrine, but he¡¯ll have to time to explore it more. When he creates his second and others, he would closely study the development of these differences.

    With that, he raised his hand to the pyramid andmanded, "Return!" However, there was no response. With furrowed brows, he shouted once more with his dao circting in full, "RETURN!"

    At this moment, ording tomon logic, his Grand False Dao avatar should reform and recover within his soul. This was how the procedure typically went. After all, you couldn¡¯t merge your dao as a construct unless you actually merged it! Only when finished could you pull out its core essence and wait for it to recover with time, but...

    "What¡¯s happening?" Yan Zaizen was dumbfounded by these events. He was still deeply connected to his Grand False Dao, this was obvious by him being able to utilize its power. Even now, his irises were like amber-goldva was flowing within.

    "...Zai, I think-" Pinaka didn¡¯t have much knowledge regarding this, so she could only make an uneducated assumption. She even had intent onforting Yan Zaizen if something had gone wrong.

    However, before she could say another word, Yan Zaizen eximed with deep shock and even...excitement! "Is it really so?!"

 Chapter 255 Heavenly Shrine of EVERYTHING!

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s heart raced as he continued to look at this heavenly shrine of his, it was thrumming intensely! With a thought, he interfaced with the Meteor Ring as its absolute controller. Within this Meteor Ring was a wealth of things, including all the wealth he had ¡¯received¡¯ from others.

    The Meteor Ring was connected with his soul form and it was an urate reflection of that. When he looked above, he could see two astral star manifestations, one silver-blue and the other blood-red, yet they were emitting profoundly powerful light. This light was his innate soul aura!

    He turned to see that the sky was deep ck. This deep ckness may seem like empty darkness, but in truth, it was the body of a ck hole so massive that it covered the entirety of the Meteor Ring¡¯s space! This space was vast, iparably vast. After some investigations, Yan Zaizen discovered it was roughly the equivalent to a sub-realm! This was billions of li in distance.

    Not only that, the ring¡¯s surface was initially t. Completely and entirely t! However, with a single thought, Yan Zaizen could make it spherical, rectangr, or even cylindrical. It waspletely within his control.

    As Yan Zaizen looked at the ck hole which was the representation of his developed soul bloodline, his eyes emitted light filled with excitement and anticipation. Looking around, he found the heavenly source material he possessed, this included heavenly drops and heavenly crystals. There was an incredible amount!

    When he left the Sirius Titan Realm, he had ¡¯received¡¯ a vast quantity of wealth. It was the ten heavenly crystals and heavenly drops from Zhou Xiuhei. Grabbing a heavenly crystal, he exited the Meteor Ring.

    Within his physical body¡¯s right hand, a golden crystal the size of a pebble appeared in his hand. It was rhombus shaped and gave off immense levels of heavenly aura.

    Yan Zaizen once again drew his attention to his heavenly shrine, as he did, he wildlyughed. He reached out his left hand and clenched!

    When this hand clenched, chaotic space trembled fiercely. It continued to do so for an entire hour until an orb of deep ckness appeared. If only could see the winds of time, they would see raging dark-grey winds surging within. This was a heavenly material! To put it simply, it was condensed physical essence embodying the Law of Spacetime!

    When one reaches the force-level, their concepts be infused with the truew that they originate from. However, when they reached the manifestation-level, they could draw power from their truew. This was a vast difference! It was this characteristic that the manifestation-level was a prerequisite to constructing a heavenly shrine!

    After all, you needed to be able to draw upon the power of the truew!

    There were two types of heavenly materials. Those that leaned towards specific conceptualws, such as the Aqua-based heavenly material he obtained in the Deluge Realm, or those that embody the essence of the truew.

    With the former, the construction of a simr, conceptualw aligned heavenly shrine would be easier, allowing a smoother time with fusing and settling one¡¯s cultivation base. This would save an individual a vast quantity of time. However, thetter would have no disadvantage besides time consumption.

    This orb of spacetime was a heavenly material based off the former!

    Normally, this method of manifesting the truew into heavenly material would result in a truew heavenly material, but in chaotic space, a location that embodies a single concept, it created heavenly material around said concept!

    Yan Zaizen wore a dense smirk, "the benefits of an Imperial Law with a perfect setting gives me an absolute advantage in constructing my heavenly shrine!" He had profound confidence in himself because of this very reason! He could easily draw from chaotic space to create an infinite amount of heavenly material based solely on the Realm of Chaotic Space concept!

    However, this method didn¡¯t work for everyone. Firstly, Yan Zaizen¡¯s conceptualw was not at the manifestation level, but at the minor-Domain level. The time it required to create this piece of heavenly material was far lower. Yet, this produced heavenly material wouldn¡¯t be able to ount for one percent of a heavenly shrine! If a minor-Manifestation level cultivator wished to do the same, he would be dedicating years to achieve this feat!

    With a wave, the orb of chaotic space entered the first floor of his heavenly shrine. At the moment, he was going to merge this bit of heavenly material into his shrine. It would be the essence for its walls, designs, and other details within the floor of the pyramid. The first floor had paintings of his youth, his mother, father, and himself in his happiest years.

    It signified his beginning!

    The heavenly material merged into the walls, it turned into strings of ck light that flowed through the walls. This ck light was the source of spacetime in its purest form of energy!

    "Come on!" Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes were wide in observation. He had a theory and he believed it to be true.

    After the spacetime source essence circted around the first-floor once, the ck and white swirl started to rotate faster. As it did, Yan Zaizen¡¯s heart started to thump so loudly it seemed as if it would burst from his chest. His eyes became bloodshot as he refused to blink!

    Swoosh!

    A suction force was suddenly emitted from the floor, quite simr to Yan Zaizen¡¯s ck hole bloodline and protective soul seal. This was something Yan Zaizen wished to see! His eyes could no longer be described as bloodshot but crimson red with anticipation and excitement!

    The ck strings were drawn into the ck and white swirl.

    "YES!!" Yan Zaizen pumped his fist in the air.

    Pinaka was silent throughout, she watched it all from Yan Zaizen¡¯s perspective and she even felt her heart was pounding, even though she didn¡¯t have one. She had no idea why Yan Zaizen was so excited, but she couldn¡¯t help but be as well. When he pumped his fist into the air, she also clenched her soft hands into a fist and pumped them both into the air.

    When she was done and realized what she did, she blushed and felt somewhat embarrassed.

    "Did...he...see...?" She inwardly questioned.

    "YES!!!" Yan Zaizen shouted.

    Startled, Pinaka words stumbled slightly as if she was thinking of an exnation. The first thought was to ce it on Yan Zaizen¡¯s intense emotions! However, she knew that deep within her heart, that wasn¡¯t the case. It was simr to seeing someone passionate about something and you couldn¡¯t help but go along because you wish to be included!

    At the heavenly shrine, on the first floor, a string of misty white circted around the pyramid. This misty white seemed to embody all things but also nothing.

    However, to Yan Zaizen, it was everything!

    "The onews heavenly material that is impossible to create is the Imperial Law of Mimicry!" Yan Zaizen shouted to Pinaka. This was something they both knew, even the current Yan Zaizen whoprehended the Imperial Law of Mimicry to the manifestation level couldn¡¯t condense it! Whenever he did, it was always something else!

    It would be air, essence, water, or dirt! It could be things a part of the environment, but it felt baffling. That was because he couldn¡¯t turn it back!

    This was the first time, the very first time, that he saw the heavenly essence source from the heavenly material of Mimicry in his life! He even had faint suspicions that the Yan n Ancestor had reached the sovereign-level without a heavenly shrine based around it!

    This guess was absolutely correct!

    Simr to the Imperial Law of Nothingness, it could not be gathered appropriately. It mimicked all things, and when you condense it, it immediately mimics whatever ites into contact with the most! Afterward, it would be a permanent construct forever embodying those mimicked concepts.

    However, he was still holding his breath because of a single aspect. If heavenly essence is devoured and converted into the heavenly source of mimicry, then wouldn¡¯t it mean he could never formte his heavenly shrine?!

    With a concise motion of his finger, the tip of the heavenly crystal was severed. With a thought, it was sent into the pyramid that was his heavenly shrine. As it entered, it shone with vast golden light. This light exploded violently, but while within the confines of the pyramid, Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t feel a single quaking wave.

    This explosion caused the entire inside to be infused with a golden mist! When this happened, Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes glowed. Even after a day, his eyes still glowed! Because nothing, absolutely NOTHING, happened!

    His excitement had reached the apex, and his soul was happier than life itself. He couldn¡¯t help butugh loudly. Despite chaotic space being a void that carried nothing but ripping force and chaotic winds of time, it carried in an impossible manner.

    "Zai, what¡¯s happening?!" Pinaka, as a spiritual form, didn¡¯t understand much of what was happening. Even though she observed it, she could only get glimpses of the characteristics. To her, she was worried that Yan Zaizen¡¯s dao would be affected. To her, she just wanted everything to be okay.

    Yan Zaizen could feel Pinaka¡¯s curiosity and worry, his expression immediately grew calm as a result. He calmly exined, "My heavenly shrine merged with my False Grand Dao, this False Grand Dao avatar has characteristics of my bloodlines! The ck and white swirling hole represented the ck hole of my soul bloodline and mimicry-based white mist of my heavenly bloodline."

    "Somehow, with the inclusion of my False Grand Dao as the foundation, these characteristics and their respective features to also be included in my Heavenly Shrine. With the white mist and ck hole working in unison, the ck hole devours and converts materials into a heavenly essence source of mimicry, which is used topletely construct my heavenly shrine. Essentially..." Yan Zaizen¡¯s words flowed smoothly, but with each word, his voice became harder and harder to suppress his excitement.

    "I constructed a Heavenly Shrine of Mimicry!"

    "..." Pinaka furrowed her brows. All of this sounded wonderous, but wouldn¡¯t that mean its a disadvantage? After all, thew of mimicry was essentially useless...

    Wait...

    Wait...

    As she pondered on the matter, Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes grew brighter awaiting her to catch up.

    "WAIT! Doesn¡¯t that mean-" As she finally caught up, she was swiftly interrupted.

    "I HAVE A HEAVENLY SHRINE OF EVERYTHING!!!" Yan Zaizen loudly shouted in glee, unable to contain his excitement.

 Chapter 256 Perfection

    The very concept of being able to mimic any and every heavenlyw was unfathomably profound and strictly speaking, absolutely heaven-defying! When Yan Zaizen had mimicked his true-essence into an attribute, the Heavenly Commanders were startled into disbelief. If they knew Yan Zaizen could apply the same scenario to his heavenly aura-infused true-essence, their jaws would sweep the floor until it could be eaten off of!

    A heavenly shrine was very strict and it became the new center to execute arts and funnel true-essence! Even if you obtained a firew heavenly shrine, your waterws would not receive any increment of power from it! If you¡¯re a fifth-floor Heavenly Genesis cultivator, then unless it originated from your shrines corew, all otherws would only be a little stronger than a fully attribute-centric peak-True Essence Realm expert.

    With this as a seemingly irrevocablew, cultivators only used their heavenly shrine¡¯sw and nothing else!

    Yet, the Imperial Law of Mimicry shattered this irrevocablew as if it was bullshit being stomped by a bull!

    Pinaka and Yan Zaizen had eyes like twins, they couldn¡¯t contain their excitement.

    Suddenly, in front of Yan Zaizen, a faint sky-blue light surged in front of him. This faint sky-blue light became a figure that was staring at the pyramid with her own eyes!

    When this figure appeared before Yan Zaizen, he was rendered breathless. His eyes traced the countenance of this figure, and his breathless state was entirely warranted!

    Pinaka had always been a beauty, but at the moment, she was beautiful to the point that if perfection was personified, it would cry in inferiority! Her eyebrows were thin yet perfectly position, her spiritual surface that could be called her skin looked as soft and smooth as water itself, waist-length hair as dark and beautiful as night, and a willowy physique with long legs. Her eyes were as amber-gold as Yan Zaizen, seeming as if it contained movingva that could encapste the world!

    As for her attire, no longer did she wear a simple robe. An appropriately fitting misty white imperial robe with an amber-gold trim that seemed to originate from the Tang dynasty graced her body. As Yan Zaizen saw this new robe, he felt that only this robe, only this robe of misty-white that seemed to contain all things yet nothing, did her justice!

    As he watched this robe, it shifted in color and design. Sometimes it would be a bow and arrow, other times it would be a golden crown befitting a queen, and sometimes it would be swirling ck holes!

    Unlike most dresses of this design, the area around the legs did not touch the ground. Her feet and lower part of her legs werepletely revealed. Just this glimpse caused Yan Zaizen to gulp slightly. This was a subconscious action!

    As if sensing something, Pinaka turned around to see Yan Zaizen¡¯s dazed eyes. As one connected to his soul, she immediately felt his thoughts surge.

    "You..." was all she could say. At first, she was wondering if Yan Zaizen would like the fact that his False Grand Dao had heavily changed her, but looking at his appearance, she was vastly underestimating her new appeal. In truth, the only reason she survived the inter-heavenly spatial tform before was because of Yan Zaizen developing his False Grand Dao!

    Because of this, she received an inestimable amount of power!

    Despite that, she was still severely wounded.

    Slowly, Yan Zaizen¡¯s expression calmed down. In his eyes, an amber-gold light flickered. "In my earlier life...I always wanted a life filled with immense wealth, good food, and a beautiful woman," he stated as if he was talking about something profoundly important. "I obtained wealth! I obtained good food! Yet, I always wondered..."

    As his words flowed, as an existence connected to his soul and could understand his intent in all things, Pinaka¡¯s eyes widened as her soul form slightly throbbed.

    "Why did I never want for a beautiful woman?" With a burning gaze, he looked at this astonishingly beautiful woman before him. True spirit or not, this woman meant the world to him. He had met her when he only experienced neen years of life(at the time, he was twenty-two cause of chaotic space), and since then, she had followed him, helped him, and always been there for him.

    He spent two thousand years with this woman right by his side!

    With a step, he strode confidently towards Pinaka. He stopped merely an inch from her abundantly proud chest. The eyes of his was of a sovereign that seemed to desire all things in the world, ruled all things in the world, and willed for all things in this world. They shone so brightly at the moment. These eyes bore deeply into Pinaka¡¯s.

    Pinaka¡¯s thoughts were chaotic. Because of their soul connection, she could already feel Yan Zaizen¡¯s emotions and intent, so it was like knowing the end of a movie, yet she felt beyond nervous inside!

    As if she couldn¡¯t hold it in, she interjected nearly subconsciously, "I¡¯m a True...Spirit...I can¡¯t bear your children or enter reincarnation with you..." her words were true, but when it was said, profound sadness reverberated throughout chaotic space. The surrounding space itself trembled slightly, it was subtle that Pinaka and Yan Zaizen had no way of knowing, but it did! This tremble seemed to signify an intense sorrow, a sorrow of the heavens!

    From birth, Pinaka wished with her entire existence to one day be human! This was something she had never once told anyone, not even her old masters.

    However, what happened nextpletely caused her to be dazed.

    Yan Zaizenughed with the arrogance of gods infused within! "If you want a physical body, I¡¯ll force the heavens to make a perfect one for you! If you want to enter the reincarnation, I¡¯ll make the heavens ept you! If the heavens dare disobey, I¡¯ll destroy its will and create my own heaven!" His voice was spoken low and deep, but it contained immeasurable might!

    The pyramid that currently contained his Grand Dao faintly illuminated. Its rays of light were soft yet became the sun in chaotic space for a single moment.

    All things in chaotic space, all things within the Major Canis Realm, they all went silent for a single moment. This moment was brief, but as if unified in fear, the people, the air, the atmospheric essence or rays from light, it all paused without exception!

    All except Pinaka!

    Her entire body trembled slightly. A deep surge of excitement surged from her core.

    With a bright smile that seemed to contain perfection itself, she softly nodded, "Okay."

    That word!

    That single word willter cause a cmity of which even the heavens fate will be uncertain!

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s hand caressed Pinaka¡¯s soft cheek, as he did, Pinaka didn¡¯t blush or feel embarrassed. Her eyes suffused with deep confidence that could never shatter, and her eyes were that of a queen! They were demanding action!

    Yan Zaizen chuckled once more before he leaned in. Their lips, one made of flesh, another made of soulforce, touched! As they pressed together, although sparks did not fly, a fluctuation rippled! Yan Zaizen¡¯s physical body segregated from his soul.

    Astral Projection!

    His physical body moved away silently, but even then, Yan Zaizen¡¯s soul had never moved! Their two lips touched in utterpletion, two soul forms were connected via the lips in the vast emptiness of chaotic space. In this realm, only these two existed. In this realm, only these two mattered!

    If Ma Xiuren was his first kiss in his path as a man.

    Then, this was his first kiss in his path as a true sovereign!

    Their souls became indistinct. If one looked closer, they were merging slowly together into a single existence. However, this was not a fusion of souls. This was the highest form of intimacy two soul forms could ever possess!

    Soul Link!

    Their two souls, their soul sources, their spiritual sense, their soul energy, all of it mixed together in perfect harmony. Yan Zaizen could feel all of Pinaka¡¯s emotions and see all her memories, her fear at birth, her struggles in battle, her sadness at the deaths of her many masters - especially herst, and the happiness and content being beside Yan Zaizen. This contentment slowly transformed into something more.

    He even saw her jealousy. The dislike at protecting Ma Xiuren, albeit slight, in the Asura Phantom Realm. Her hatred towards Yao Wuhen for her tant attempts at seducing Yan Zaizen. The p against Lang Xue for her intimate contact and annoying behavior during the Sirius Titan Realm. The kiss of Ma Xiuren!

    As he felt all that, how it all started way before he even conceived a single thought of rtion with Pinaka.

    He realized the true turning point.

    The sub-realm copse!

    At the moment, she had no regrets as long as she died with Yan Zaizen!

    After who knows how long, their souls separated. However, when they did, they seemed intrinsically different. It was the light in their eyes as they looked at each other. They were...perfect.

 Chapter 257 Revelations!

    "Howe it takes so much?!" Yan Zaizen angrilyined. This wasn¡¯t the first time and unlikely thest.

    After the event with Pinaka where their souls linked, their rtionship didn¡¯t undergo a massive shift. Instead, it was like a rope had appeared, subtly and silently connecting the two. This feeling was miraculously deeper than their normal connection, but it still didn¡¯t change much.

    Pinaka was still Pinaka.

    Yan Zaizen was still Yan Zaizen.

    To think they would be love-sick was only a fool¡¯s thought.

    Off to the side, Pinaka calmly stared at the pyramid that was Yan Zaizen¡¯s heavenly shrine. She looked at the first three floors. They were filled to the brink with dense heavenly mist. This mist was the heavenly aura state within his heavenly shrine. For others, this may note off as mist, but a glob of liquid or a jelly-like substance.

    Regardless, mist was an exceptional state for heavenly aura! In this state, more can be gathered with less effort. Although this didn¡¯t benefit overall power, it enabled for a quicker umtion of heavenly aura.

    For a pyramid, each floor became smaller and smaller as one ascended. But as it did, the mist within became thicker and thicker.

    The walls and decorations within each floor were misty white. It was ever-shifting, as if it contained anything in this world, yet so white that it could also be nothing in this world. He had thoroughlypleted the first three floors.

    However, Yan Zaizen¡¯s current expression was not one who directly ascended to the third-floor Heavenly Genesis Realm in one go. Instead, he looked as if he was robbed with an unsightly facial expression.

    "An entire heavenlyw crystal! AN ENTIRE HEAVENLY LAW CRYSTAL FOR THREE FLOORS!" He gripped his hair and felt like pulling it all out. An entire heavenlyw crystal was worth one million heavenly drops.

    ONE FULL MILLION!

    That was an unfathomable amount of wealth. This could easily cultivate someone to the fifth-floor with an upper-tier Mortal Dao from nothing! This may seem underwhelming, but it was by no means so.

    If Yan Zaizen gave this crystal to Lang Xue, she could be a Heavenly Commander, a seventh-floor Heavenly Genesis expert at the very least! That¡¯s because her foundation was the lowest possible, but it took that much to reach three floors. If it took that much for three, imagine all nine.

    He felt helpless. When he recalled the heavenly materials devoured by his heavenly shrine, he felt even more bitter despite being extremely lucky. The swirling mixture of ck and white seemed only intent in absorbing other heavenly material and nothing else. This meant it wouldn¡¯t hinder his progression, but it wasn¡¯t all good.

    About ny-five percent of the heavenly materials he had ¡¯received¡¯ from others were consumed toplete his three floors. Even if he wished to construct another floor, he couldn¡¯t.

    "With the materials I had...it¡¯s not as bad as the heavenly drops usage, but it still hurts. The future cost will be..." As he muttered in indignation, he felt more and more upset.

    The only thing that left him feeling at ease was the pebble-sized amber-gold egg in his soul. Despite his False Grand Dao merging with the Heavenly Shrine, it suddenly started regrowing from nothing. He could tell that it¡¯ll take a while before it fully recovers, but this set his heart at ease.

    "Forget it," only after a long while did he finally calm down about the cost. With a wave of his hand, his heavenly shrine merged into his dantian. All heavenly shrines typically resided in the dantian. They would constantly nourish the true-essence within the body. This was how true-essence became heavenly aura-infused true-essence.

    When it settled in his dantian, he felt a surge of power rush through his pathways, funnel into his meridians, and enter his dantian. It was heavenly aura! This aura continued to cycle in a never-ending flow with the heavenly shrine as the origin.

    With this, Yan Zaizen¡¯s true-essence no longer leaned towards the life-attribute but was misty white representing the mimicry-attribute. After an limation period, Yan Zaizen felt his cultivation base settle. He could feel his Essence Path was no longer at the forefront of his cultivation.

    Pinaka was watching closely, her eyes never leaving Yan Zaizen as he adjusted. To her, Yan Zaizen¡¯s situation was rare. Therefore, she needed to ensure no major issues urred.

    Looking at Pinaka¡¯s hawk-like eyes, Yan Zaizen chuckled inwardly. He knew what she was waiting for, what she was truly waiting for.

    Closing his eyes, he interacted with his heavenly shrine in much the same way he interacted with his dantian. The first three floors of this originally misty-white pyramid slowly shifted to the color purple. It radiated the aura of destruction, of pure destruction, and his true-essence swiftly followed.

    Pinaka saw this and her eyes radiated light of pure tion. However, Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t smile, only furrowed his brows.

    "Is there something wrong?" Seeing his reaction, Pinaka asked.

    "..." Yan Zaizen was slightly lost in thought, unable to answer. After a minute of thought, his heavenly shrine shifted from its purple color to a zing red. This color represented Yan Zaizen¡¯s firew.

    Over the course of Yan Zaizen¡¯s life, he had unintentionally picked up many, manyws. That being said, they would often be ced aside.

    He had evenprehended the Mortal Law of the Axe after his battle with Yun Baili in the Sirius Titan Realm. However, it wasn¡¯t something he fancied nor decided to focus on in regards to arts. As for thew of fire, heprehended the zing me of Fire. It was a powerfulw that emphasized temperature and emission of heat. It had remarkable simrities to the Unyielding me of Life.

    By consuming other materials or energy, it can produce a higher degree of heat! Supposedly, it could reach the point where it could burn an actual sun! However, Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t feel too strongly about it. In truth, he didn¡¯t feel strongly about anyws outside of Spacetime, Rebirth, Soul, Mimicry, Destruction, and Archery.

    At least, he hasn¡¯te across aw that he felt connected to. However, this could easily be exined.

    In his life, chaotic space was more his home than anywhere else. His body was refined with life, death, soul, and mimicry regalias. While Pinaka¡¯s soul form embodies the conceptual fusion of Archery and Destruction.

    If you consider these factors, it made sense why all otherws felt disconnected to him.

    This zing me of Fire was at the minor-Manifestation level. Despite not feeling strongly with thesews, his insights never truly ceased and he had gainedprehension into fire sometimes by looking at meat grilling.

    A curse and a blessing of a Non-Entity.

    After all, sometimes the meat would burn.

    He attempted to use the second-floor of his heavenly shrine. However, the situation shocked him.

    The second and third floor was misty white!

    This was a truly shocking yet intriguing revtion.

    Even Pinaka couldn¡¯t help but exim.

    "..." Yan Zaizen¡¯s brows furrowed deeper. With a thought, the zing red shifted to an aquamarine blue! However, this time, it was only two-floors that changed. The third was still misty white!

    "My concept of fire is at the minor-Manifestation...but my concept of water is at the major-Manifestation. Am I limited by myprehension? Can I only ess higher floors if myprehension reaches the prerequisite of that floor?" His words were both grand and troubling.

    For heavenly shrines, floors can only be constructed when aw reaches a certain level and stage. It goes like this:

    First Floor: minor-Manifestation.

    Second Floor: major-Manifestation.

    Third Floor: perfect-Manifestation.

    Fourth Floor: minor-Domain.

    Fifth Floor: major-Domain.

    Sixth Floor: perfect-Domain.

    Seventh Floor: initial-Sovereign.

    Eighth Floor: minor-Sovereign.

    Ninth Floor: major-Sovereign.

    From what he understood, reaching the perfect-Sovereign level is one of the requirements to gain the qualifications to rival the heavens and establish a Minor Heaven!

    Then, the Heavenly Creation realm is divided by four stages: Minor Heaven, Grand Heaven, Original Law, Original Path.

    Xiha, the White Sirius Heavenly Monarch was at the Origin Path before his death! At this realm, one could live for tens of millions of years!

    After some more testing of his limitations, he verified it. When he did, his eyes emanated a radiant light of profound excitement! Yan Zaizen¡¯s conceptualw of mimicry was at the initial-Manifestation level! This meant there was nothing wrong with his heavenly shrine, but it also meant that if he wanted to build nine floors, he could in one go!

    Even if he may not be able to draw power from them viaws, he could still develop them to evolve his true-essence into heavenly might and heavenly essence! All he needed was the resources to do so!

    The moment this thought entered his mind, it echoed. It echoed endlessly!

 Chapter 258 Banhu Race

    "The Sirius ughter Robe," Yan Zaizen stood alone in chaotic space with a in white robe in front of him. It gave off a distinct aura of predator superiority that caused his white blood to surge.

    This robe was the second item given to him by the White Sirius Heavenly Monarch, Xiha. However, he didn¡¯t exin much about this robe. The only thing Yan Zaizen discovered was that it didn¡¯t use a True Spirit and functioned viaplex formations in a simr way to Sky Shatter.

    However, when Yan Zaizen tried to inspect the formations, his soul would often be lost in the maze ofplexities. It felt oddly stifling.

    "This robe is profound, it¡¯s likely a grade higher than Sky Shatter." Pinaka softlymented from within his soul.

    "But what grade is it?" Yan Zaizen frustratingly questioned. He knew that with the inclusion of the True Spirit Path in the recent eras of the 27th Heaven, an armament¡¯s grade was determined by formations, concepts, and True Spirit.

    For example, Pinaka was a mid-grade Spirit Armament. This couldn¡¯t change or be enhanced unless Pinaka was fundamentally modified. This was only because her current concepts, formations, and body reached its limit.

    Because hecked proficiency in formations, he couldn¡¯t enhance them. Because Pinaka¡¯s concepts are based around a sovereign-level fused conceptualw, he couldn¡¯t advance that. Not to mention, when True Spirits evolve from their Spirit Forms, their souls can¡¯t be enhanced.

    Pinaka had absorbed arge quantity of Yan Zaizen¡¯s soulforce yet could not breakthrough. In truth, the True Spirit Path was heavily wed.

    This was an aspect that Yan Zaizen discovered. The w is that, independently, it could not advance.

    "Was this why the heavens ouw it, even the 7th Heaven? Because its wed?" As he thought this, he looked at Pinaka looking beautifully in his soul form with an intrigued gaze. As if knowing that he was watching her, she looked up and softly smiled.

    Thump!

    His heart nearly skipped a beat.

    It took a while before he calmed himself down and softly cursed. This woman wasn¡¯t wed by any means.

    As for Sky Shatter and Sirius ughter Robe, they embodied the path of formations. They both seemed to exist as a segregated entity of the heavens. Sky Shatter embodied the Herculean Law while Sirius ughter Robe embodied Sirius Law. These weren¡¯t innate to the heavens.

    However, "what concept?" As he thought of thesews like heavenlyws, he recalled Zhou Xiuhei and his Unbreakable Herculean Method. Sky Shatter was likely constructed by another herculean which cultivated a different method.

    "You should try it on," Pinaka suggested.

    "Mhm," he agreed. After all, if he didn¡¯t take a step to discover the aspects of the robe, what¡¯s the point? With a wave, his current robe was sent into his Meteor Ring. With another wave, the Sirius ughter Robe reced it.

    When it did, it was slightly bigger than his body. Although it was described as slightly, it was nearly half a person longer than Yan Zaizen. The sleeves were nearly to his knees and it wrapped around him as snuggly as an oversized nket on a child.

    "...I look ridiculous." While he felt awed that Xiha was a very tall andrge man, Pinaka was covering her mouth with her hands. Her eyes smiling.

    Yan Zaizen mobilized his spiritual sense and integrated it into the Sirius ughter Robe. When he did, his eyes flickered. Information regarding the Sirius ughter Robe transmitted into his mind.

    "So that¡¯s it?" After it was done, he felt somewhat dissatisfied. With a thought, the white Sirius ughter Robe transformed. It became amber-gold. The size also reduced until it fit Yan Zaizen as well as a fitted material arts robe.

    Pinaka¡¯s eyes shined, "so? What else can it do?" This was an item by a Heavenly Monarch! One that had reached the peak of the Heavenly Creation Realm and established their own Path.

    "It¡¯s defensive-oriented, but it enhances my physical attributes in a simr way to Sky Shatter. However..." As he thought about it more, his brows sunk. "It focuses mostly on speed."

    "What¡¯s wrong with it?" Pinaka was curious, Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t say a negative but looked dismayed. As they were deeply linked by the soul, she knew he wasn¡¯t faking his dissatisfaction.

    "It¡¯s mostly speed-centric...not strength," heined.

    "..." Pinaka didn¡¯t know whether tough, cry, or p him across his head. He wasining that it focused mostly on speed rather than strength? Why?

    Grumbling, Yan Zaizen truly preferred strength over speed. What¡¯s the point in speed if you can shatter an entire billion li with a single blow, space and all within it. If you can¡¯t outrun the force of the blow, then you can only be destroyed. However, if you have the strength to defend and counterattack, who can be your match?

    "Whatever, let¡¯s go." Looking outward in the vast chaotic space, he smiled. No longer did he need to draw upon hisws to sense the outside world. With heavenly sense, an advanced version of qi-sense, he could see essentially the shadow of the Canis Major Realm.

    "Haha, let¡¯s go ¡¯receive¡¯ some more materials." With those words, he stepped forward and vanished.

    -----

    In the Lycan¡¯s Ancestral Burial Grounds, a group of Lycan cultivators was gathered. These cultivators were the top elites of the Lycan Race, Heavenly Commanders! King Moshe was also there, his eyes effused baleful hostility and fiery impatience.

    There were fourteen Lycan Race¡¯s Heavenly Commanders, and they were not alone. Two figures stood before them, a man and a woman who were obviously a couple, but they did not belong to the Lycan race. Instead, they had white hair, pure white fangs that left their mouths slightly, and three lines on each side of their cheeks.

    They were not divine beasts in human form but hybrids. They had a mixture of heavenly and beastial aura, but their heavenly aura was far more dominant than their bestial aura. Despite this, their heavenly aura seemed beast-like itself, creating a very confusing aura.

    Their pupils were golden and looked like a diamond. They belonged to the Banhu Race, descendants of Byakko or Baihu Race. The Banhu Race was exceptionally powerful and could rival the Darnixian Race in many ways.

    However, they were in a strange position. Originally, the Banhu Race were not in the 7th Heaven, but a part of the 27th Heaven. They heavily supported the war against the Extreme Rebirth Heavenly God beside the Chaos Origin Heavenly God. Unfortunately, with the defeat and death of the Chaos Origin Heavenly God, they had to depart in fear of eradication.

    Therefore, they departed to the 7th Heaven. As for how they knew the Lycan Race, it was through the White Sirius Heavenly Monarch. Xiha was an extraordinary figure in the 27th Heaven, many believing he could fight to be a Heavenly God at any time. Even the Extreme Rebirth Heavenly God paid his respects to Xiha even after death and bestowed his lineage with a Regalia of the Heavens.

    Because of Xiha, when they arrived in the 7th Heaven, they stayed as guests in the Canis Major Realm to gather their bearings. After they did, they departed.

    Since Yan Zaizen had cultivated in Chaotic Space, only a year had passed in real time. During this year, the Lycans had drawn upon their loose rtionship with the Banhu Race and hoped to receive their support.

    The two before them was themanding leaders of their race, both of which were eighth-floor Heavenly Genesis cultivators. As they stood before these Lycan Heavenly Commanders, they had rxed looks.

    Even the Darnixian race had to respect them, allowing them free entry and exit into the barrier despite the possibility of teaming up. This was the level of power these two possessed. However, even the Lycans had suspicions as to why they were so willing, as if they didn¡¯t believe they could gain the Banhu¡¯s support.

    "Jing Biao, are we in agreement?" The young man dressed in crimson leather armor asked in confirmation. He was called Admah, a seventh-floor Heavenly Genesis cultivator.

    In the entire Canis Major Realm, he was recognized as the second strongest. The only one that surpassed him was the Lycan Grand Ancestor Abrams, the sole eighth-floor Heavenly Genesis cultivator and ruler of the realm. It¡¯s because of him that the Canis Major Realm was ssified as an eighth level force.

    Jing Biao, the male Banhu, smiled and nodded. Within the depths of his eyes was a well-hidden light of mockery and disdain. While he was hidden, Jing Yu, his wife, was outspoken about her feelings.

    "If we say something once, don¡¯t make us say it again! Who do you think you are?" Her tone was aggressive and the Lycan Heavenly Commanders flinched, their expressions starting to shroud over in rage. Even Admah had trouble hiding his rage, but he remained calm, only nodding in response.

    Seeing this, Jing Yu coldly harrumphed and said no more. Jing Biao chuckled and insincerely apologized for Jing Yu¡¯s outburst,beling it as too much excitement at the deal.

    The others felt their hearts clench at his words. They truly felt a sharp pinch of deep shame emerge in their hearts when they thought about the deal.

    "Of course I¡¯m excited! I¡¯ve always wanted the remains of Heavenly Commanders of the Lycan Race for my personal collection." Jing Yu smilingly said, gripping Jing Bao¡¯s hand in a loving manner.

    Those words were like knives, peerlessly sharp and malicious.

    Yes!

    They were trading their ancestors remains for a way out!

    While this was going on, rather nearby, Yan Zaizen looked onwards with disgust in his eyes at those words. He was currently mimicking the aura of normal atmospheric essence. To all those in the area, he was nothing but.

    However, his expression was dark and filled with righteous rage. "Pathetic!"

 Chapter 259 Cleaned Ou

    Yan Zaizen was filled with rage. Initially, he had some reservations about his future ns, but now he had none!

    They sold their ancestors bodies! The very thought caused his bones to itch and his stomach to turn in disgust. He recalled his mother and father¡¯s corpses and how, if the Yan n were to do something simr to them, he would wipe them out! All ties would be severed and heads would roll endlessly!

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s gaze hardened. He stepped backwards, his body disappeared into chaotic space. After entering chaotic space, his eyes brightened to the degree that suns would lose their shine!

    "There!" A single step brought him into a specific location within chaotic space. Since his progression in his heavenly cultivation base, Yan Zaizen felt an indescribable degree of synchronicity with chaotic space. As he moved about, it was as if he was an invisible shadow of the real world, aware of all things in both realms.

    As he arrived, his heavenly shrine shifted to embody the concept of the Imperial Law of Spacetime - Realm of Chaotic Space. As it did, he felt his body reach a profound state, but he didn¡¯t stop taking action. With his index finger, he tapped out.

    As he did, his brows furrowed.

    He took a step forward and entered the Ancestral Burial Chambers, bypassing all barriers by entering through chaotic space. This location stored all the offerings given by descendants, the bodies of the Lycan¡¯s ancestors dating back millions of years, and likely an object that contained each Lycan¡¯s legacy in their lineage.

    This was to always remember their path and to honor the life they lived in a glorious fashion.

    In the 7th Heaven, praying and various forms of religious practices were often taken, and this was one that was truly taken seriously. To preserve a body in the 7th Heaven is the same as always giving their soul a way to reincarnate within the n, it acts as a light and beckon dering: "You were here. We¡¯re waiting!"

    However...

    "What?!" Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes widened in disbelief. This area was nearly a one thousand li in width and length, positioned underground and guarded year around by live sentries and an innumerable number of formations. Even Yan Zaizen entering the Ancestral Burial Chambers without being noticed had to do with his Regalia of Mimicry, Imperial Law of Spacetime, and profound foundation that further enhances these two with a Grand False Dao.

    As he arrived, his eyes widened in shock and disbelief. Surveying the Ancestral Burial Grounds, he tapped his finger in mid-air one, then twice, and then clenched his hand. With each movement, subtle fluctuations would reverberate through the area. Despite all this, his expression darkened.

    "...It¡¯s gone?" To his dismay, everything, EVERYTHING, was gone. It was a nk t grounds. There were no altars for praying and offering, no monolith inscribing their individual legacies and stories, or corpses in various caskets.

    There was nothing.

    No, that would be incorrect.

    There was air, moisture, faint traces of thin atmospheric essence, and a very clean floor. Yan Zaizen looked down and couldn¡¯t help but admire how clean it was - he could see his reflection.

    "Haha," he couldn¡¯t help but chuckle, "they were robbed before I could ¡¯im¡¯ my possessions." Yan Zaizen intended to clean Xiha¡¯s race out the moment he was forced to this heaven. This was further reinforced when he discovered their intentions of trading their ancestors bodies. Of course, he was going to just bury the bodies in Grand Sirius as another finger towards Xiha, knowing that their rtionship was rather shaky.

    But someone beat him to it.

    This was trulyughable.

    After another quick scan, he shook his head and shrugged. He stepped back and vanished.

    Seconds after his departure, the group of experts from above arrived.

    Yan Zaizen had already arrived at a specific location on the. This was a far-off location near the border of the Ancestral Burial Grounds. In his hand was a small box. This small box was a heavenly dimensional box, quite an ordinary one on the surface, but it contained a faint trace of Sirius Law.

    If Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t have the True Origin of the Sirius Path in his soul, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to discover its aura. However, there was a bitter smile on his face.

    ROAR!!!

    From the Ancestral Burial Chambers, a violent roar resembling a wolf resounded. It contained dense bloodlust and fury that seemed to know no bounds. A fearsome heavenly might surged like a pir, it was suffused with killing intent!

    Yan Zaizen calmly looked in its direction, but his heart didn¡¯t tremble nor did his blood boil in response. When he discovered this, he brought his palm to his face in inspection, as if wanting to see the changes of his body. Normally, he would experience reactions from such power.

    "You¡¯ve reached the peak-Crimson Star Realm, developing a second dantian and infusing your entire body with true-essence. Now that your true-essence has transformed and your heavenly cultivation base has been established, the strength that your body possesses isn¡¯t to be underestimated," Pinaka calmly informed. However, she left out many details.

    By heavenly aura standards(Heavenly Drops Used), Yan Zaizen could rival the weakest type of seventh-floor Heavenly Genesis expert, but by virtue of heavenly foundation andw tier, he outssed many easily. This didn¡¯t even factor the sheer amount of true-essence he had due to the Crimson Star Realm!

    Hisck of a response after hearing Admah, the second strongest expert in the Canis Major Realm, erupt was a huge indication of his theoretical strength. For example, if an Origin Core expert had erupted in rage, a Qi Unification expert would tremble, but a True Essence expert would find itughable.

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s current experience was absolutely neutral, a sign of simr strength.

    "I see." After calmly saying this, his eyes grew excited. His mind started to calcte and he formted a n!

    -----

    In the Ancestral Burial Chambers, Admah heavenly aura was dense and suffused with murderous intent. There was a deep madness in the depths of his eyes.

    However, it wasn¡¯t just him. King Moshe and the others were roaring like enraged canines! Their roars created a cacophony of vicious intent that could be heard through the entire. Many of them were checking on their ancestors¡¯ previous location, some held items in their hands using all sorts of methods to locate their specific blood-rted members, but the faces of each one continued to fall into further madness.

    Jing Baio saw this and frowned. Jing Yu, however, didn¡¯t care about their rage or madness. She was angry! As a possessor of the middle-tier Mortal Dao, Dao of Wild Arrogance, she couldn¡¯t help butsh out and speak her mind.

    "You ipetent fools! Can you not even protect your own ancestors?! Trash!!!" To her, those corpses were iparably precious to her. They contained secrets, bloodlines, and powers that could still be tapped. Yet, these mutts had lost them!

    "You idiotic mutts! Go fetch and find the person responsible!" She continued shouting, but the moment those words left her mouth, all the Heavenly Commanders trained their gazes on her like mad dogs. They seemed intent to kill this foul-mouthed bitch!

    Jing Yu saw their eyes and grew even further enraged. Just as she was about to speak once more, unwilling to back down, a seventh-floor Heavenly Genesis Lycan expert acted. He pushed forward, not caring about their location, and exploded towards Jing Yu.

    His heavenly might surged endlessly as his heavenly shrine revealed itself! With a roar, he sent a burst ofpressed sonic waves that turned into rippling shockwaves that shook all it passed! These shockwaves contained a forceful sound-based conceptualw!

    When this urred, the others were about to follow as a pack! To these people who showed no respect, why not go wild!

    However, in their madness, they forgot an important detail: Jing Yu¡¯s cultivation base.

    She coldly snorted and calmly pped out as if her taking action was beneath her. Despite this, she held nothing back as her p manifested into a tiger¡¯s w that seemed intent on shing all creation. It seemed to contain some profound tiger bloodline and swordw within! As the tiger w came into contact with the shockwaves, the shockwaves copsed faster than they formed.

    "What?!" The Lycan experts were stunned, especially the attacker. Seeing his attack copse so quickly and easily brought him back to his senses, but it was toote!

    The tiger¡¯s w was in front of him in a blink and it swiped at his body!

    "No!" Simultaneously, as if linked, all Lycan watchers cried either mentally or verbally. The w engulfed the body of the Lycan attacker and he was cleanly separated into four parts! His heavenly shrine was sliced heavily, severely damaged as it sufferedcerations across its surface.

    As one continues to cultivate in the heavenly path, each floor bes further and further apart. Only top-grade armament¡¯s, arts, foundation, or other forms of external support can help bridge that gap. However, if your opponent had equalbat efficiency and treasures, it would be like a mortal child vs a dragon.

    There was no need to say more.

    The Lycan expert¡¯s body didn¡¯t stop with just four pieces. It continued to be sliced by an invisible power imbued with profound swordws! In less time than it takes to spark a flint, his body turned into countless pieces of flesh and misty blood.

    Only his Astral Soul survived with the support of a unique treasure. Instantly, he gripped his damaged heavenly shrine with his soul energy and retreated.

    "Hmph! That¡¯s no longer yours but mine for your disrespect!" Jing Yu arrogantly eximed, her heavenly might surging forth. It manifested a gigantic hand that wrapped around the heavenly shrine and the astral soul.

    Seeing his current life or death circumstance, the Lycan expert decisively abandoned his heavenly shrine and caused his soul me to ze. The sudden burst in soul power with a divine, movement-based soul art in conjunction caused him to fall into Admah¡¯s arms.

    The heavenly shrine was grabbed and brought to Jing Yu, her eyes suffused with dissatisfaction and disregard for the Lycans. Throughout this entire process, Jing Biao was calm and held Jing Yu¡¯s hand like lovers.

    Only now did he speak, "enough ying around. You all should find the one responsible for this." After he chimed in, he nced at Jing Yu and they departed calmly as if the entire event held no meaning to them. The stares filled with hatred and fear affected them as much as a pebble affects a in descent.

    Admah held the Lycan expert¡¯s weakened soul form in his arms, his expression violent and ugly. Their fates became even more uncertain.

    Looking back at the empty Ancestral Burial Chambers, his expression grew listless. "Does the heavens wish for our destruction?" Was all he could say.

 Chapter 260 Lets Make a Deal

    "How vicious!" Yan Zaizen saw this in its entirety. The entire course of events was extraordinary. He even had faint suspicions on who robbed the Lycans.

    Pinaka coldlymented, "the fate of the weak, and the fate of those who¡¯ve offended others to the point of no return." She had no pity towards the Lycan race. There were very, very few reasons why a force wouldunch a full-blown war with the intent tomit genocide. Anyone who reached that point likely deserves a bit of the me.

    Yan Zaizen thoughts were in agreement. The Lycans seemed like a rambunctious bunch with fierce aggressiveness, it was likely in their nature to offend and fight. After all, what type of individual irrationally attacks someone they weren¡¯t a match for? When hepared species he came across before, they weren¡¯t so aggressive.

    "This makes me quite curious as to how the Lycans started this conflict." As he pondered on this thought, he was soaring through chaotic space. Arriving at the spatial array that sealed space, his eyes shined.

    "This array is established in multi-levels of space, including the spatial void, chaotic space, and standard space." Calmly analyzing this array, he found it more and more profound. He wondered if he could establish a simr restriction with his cultivation.

    Taking a step back, he pointed his index finger and waved it in the emptiness of chaotic space. A blip of light shined at the tip of his finger, then it expanded in a formless orb of light.

    Looking at this light, his brows furrowed for a bit. He tapped out once more, this time with his other index finger. It touched the formless light. Suddenly, the light shined even brighter than before. This eruption of vast silver light caused Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes to be suffused with ecstasy, like a person discovering a new continent.

    The silver light started to solidify until it created a silver spherical construct about the size of a fist. In this sphere, space was isted. It was as if a barrier had created two separate areas in space.

    "So quick?" Pinaka was startled. Yan Zaizen may be a Non-Entity, but this rted tows and not arts. This array was essentially an advanced art through mediums, yet Yan Zaizen deduced and replicated it in seconds. It seems his intelligence and deduction skills were truly advancing as he grew.

    "Haha!" With bolsteringughter, Yan Zaizen immersed in his grand achievement. "The n can work! I¡¯m ny-percent sure I can break this barrier!"

    The replication of the array art posed no difficulty to him because it was based heavily on conceptualws that he was intimately familiar with. The twelve regalias may cover separate spatial concepts, but they were all covered by the Spatial Form of Infinite Stability.

    When his World Law of Space ascended to the Imperial Law of Spacetime, hisprehension and control of space reached a whole new level. Therefore, all it took was a little testing, a little luck, and a lot of heaven-defying talent.

    "First, Lycans. Then, Regalias!" His eyes flickered with a light of greed. Like a shadow, he vanished.

    -----

    In a grand hall filled with grand statues of warriors and monarchs of the Lycan Race, fourteen Lycan cultivators circled with depressed expressions.

    The focus of this group was a grey-haired, long-bearded, slim, and hunchback old man. His eyes still contained a ferocious light, but the intensity of which made you realize he was far from his prime. This was the Grand Ancestor of the Lycans, an eighth-floor Heavenly Genesis Cultivator, that stood above all other Lycans in the realm.

    At this very moment, he seemed particrly tired as his expression was droopy and exhausted. One could see the situation had worn down his mentality. The others weren¡¯t an exception.

    "..." Admah was silent as he looked about. Compared to others, he was rather calm about the situation.

    "It¡¯s unfortunate..." The middle-aged woman with the scar on her face, Levana, slowly said. Her tone was filled with a trace of defeatism. Earlier, they had discovered who the culprit of the Ancestral Burial Chambers theft - Eitan Gal. This was the man who brazenly killed hundreds of thousands of outsiders, kidnapped Princess Itai, King Moshe¡¯s daughter, and trapped them within the spatial array.

    This one man was the bane of their existence, and his involvement left them with no escape other than to be exterminated to thest. Normally, with the help of their realm formation, they could fend off even ninth level forces, but Eitan had segregated the formation in half, essentially making it a non-factor.

    If it was only that, it wouldn¡¯t be hard to escape, but the barrier constructed from a profound array left them trapped. Earlier, King Moshe had used their spatial expert in hopes of creating a small opening to gather reinforcements. This led to them being all massacred and his daughter¡¯s fate as an unknown.

    His n was irrational and filled with desperation.

    A single man left them caged like animals, capable of nothing but waiting for extermination. They were downtrodden and defeated. To the point that they were so desperate that they had to make a deal with the Banhu Race to ensure their survival. Even though that deal was bitter and disgraceful.

    However, Eitan seemed to be a thousand moves ahead. Somehow, he robbed the Ancestral Burial Grounds and left without alerting the guards or formations.

    The way he achieved this was mind-boggling to them, but it was in a simr way as Yan Zaizen infiltration - chaotic space. After all, even Heavenly Commanders have a hellish time navigating chaotic space. Sometimes, they could enter one area and end up in an entirely different realm.

    Distance, direction, and time was nearly impossible to determine unless oneprehends the relevantws. It was this reason that, even through heavenly sense, even Heavenly Commanders in the Sirius Titan Realm can only vaguely pinpoint Yan Zaizen¡¯s location. If they entered themselves, they would struggle deeply and could even be lost.

    "Haaa...how did ite to this?" Abrams, the Ancestor, asked rhetorically.

    However, when these words were said, they all turned to Admah. In their eyes were faint hatred and dense fury.

    "Would any of us be in this mess if it wasn¡¯t for you?!" King Moshe violentlyshed out, his mentality was near copse with all the setbacks. The others had eyes confirming his words, only Levana was silent.

    "You too! You idiotic bitch!" King Moshe bared his fangs as he faced Levana, as if he was ready to rip them apart. Abrams softly sighed but didn¡¯t say anything to defuse the situation. With the current circumstance, they were all but finished. There was a way out, but it was a way they could never ept and the only reason why they still existed - to be true ves.

    If they dered themselves as true ves, their race will continue but forever be servants to the Darnixians. This truly was a terrible fate. But in the end, will this be their fates?

    Admah and Levana coldly snorted simultaneously, their eyes showing no fear for this self-proimed king!

    As the atmosphere became tense, a ripple surged at the end of the room. It drew everyone¡¯s attention. From this ripple, a young man dressed in an amber-gold robe, with an astonishing physique with a perfect set of muscles and proportions, and amber-gold eyes effusing the confidence to fight the heavens.

    Yan Zaizen arrived, under the bewildered and cautious gazes of them all, he calmly smiled disying his perfect set of white teeth, "If you want to live..." His words were smooth and caused the others expressions to change.

    "Let¡¯s make a deal."

    When those words were said, Abrams felt his heart shake. It was as if his savior had appeared, but this savior was a devil in angel skin.

 Chapter 261 Lesson For Another Time

    Heart trembling, each member of the Lycan had various expressions at Yan Zaizen¡¯s arrival. King Moshe¡¯s eyes were filled with madness and aggression as well as a hint of fear. Admah and Levana faces were dark and their eyes radiated a baleful yet powerful force. The others were either cautious or fearful.

    The only one that was different was Abrams. He was rtively calm in terms of outward appearance, despite his heart undergoing pounding gymnastics. This calm was cultivated from his years of existing and intuition.

    Yan Zaizen had appeared from the spatial void, inducing ripples, yet that shouldn¡¯t be possible due to their location. After all, the entire area for tens of thousands of li was space locked. Even Heavenly Commanders attempting to rip space in this location would find it immensely difficult.

    As for intuition, the man before him didn¡¯t seem to radiate an aura of murderous or vicious intent. Perhaps ill-intent, but nothing too violent. If he did, his methods disyed alone would cause the Lycan race as a whole to sweat.

    "Who are you?" King Moshe bitingly said, his aura trembling like the prequel to a devastating cmity. In his heart, he was shocked that no one, especially Admah and Abrams hadn¡¯t taken immediate action. Normally, they were like demons to possible threats - eradicate first, thinkter.

    Yan Zaizen could see exhaustion, vignce, and a faint trace of hope from the depths of their eyes. He couldn¡¯t help but think that the Lycans must¡¯ve truly been driven to the end of their rope. Originally, he expected to be tested by them in some way, perhaps attacked immediately upon reveal. During which, he would execute a few of his tricks to prove his abilities.

    As for the current situation?

    He felt no need to do so. It was depressing, almost heartbreakingly so. This one proud race was driven to the point that they were grasping at straws for any chance.

    Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t have aplete grasp of the situation, but that was exactly the Lycans state currently. The only two options left were death or to be ves until the end of their days. Both of which left them feeling weak and exhausted.

    Knitting his brows, Yan Zaizen eyes flickered with a trace of pity, but no sympathy. "My name¡¯s Yan Zaizen," he decided to use his real name and get straight to the point. His n to do theatrics that would awe the elites of the Lycan race was throw to aside.

    He raised his hand slowly, provoking even further caution from the Lycan Race. From this hand, a silver light emanated until they formted a spherical barrier with a hollow inside about the size of his palm.

    When this barrier appeared, all of their eyes widened in disbelief.

    "That¡¯s!" To them who had been tormented by this barrier, they could recognize it a mile away. Many of their expressions turned hostile as they looked at Yan Zaizen once more. Not only King Moshe, but the others auras and cultivation bases seemed to be shimmering, waiting for an order or signal tounch a full assault.

    Yan Zaizen calmly chuckled, his expression carefree, but internally, he felt a hint of caution. This was a room of fourteen Heavenly Commanders, if theyunched an attack in unison, even he didn¡¯t have absolute confidence to escape unscathed.

    Gripping the spatial barrier, he clenched his fingers slightly and the barrier shattered in countless pieces. It seemed so simple but the profundities in this action left all those watching bbergasted.

    "The deal is simple. You concede to my demands, and I can open an escape route through the barrier for you. I may even be able to remove the barrier entirely." His words were smooth and exuded limitless confidence, as if this action was as easy as swatting a fly.

    All the Lycan experts eyes widened, their hearts suffusing with that ever elusive hope. If the barrier no longer existed, they could scatter through the Border Expanse and regroup at ater date. The Darnixian Race would have to spend countless years hunting them all, if they could.

    However, if the barrier was removed, then perhaps the segregation of the realms, which hindered their realm formation, could also be undone! If that was done, the Darnixian¡¯s would¡¯ve entered this realm with no possibility to return. The situation would immediately be swapped as the realm formation could prevent their escape, empower their force, andunch devastating attacks.

    This was in a simr way as the Deluge Realm formation that hindered Yan Zaizen from entering the spatial void or chaotic space.

    Abrams¡¯s thick eyebrows furrowed deeply, "Why would we trust you?" His words resonated true. For all they knew, Yan Zaizen was working with the enemy, using this opportunity to weaken or rob their force further, cing them at an even greater situation filled with desperation and hopelessness.

    Yan Zaizen shook his head slightly, "I think you misunderstand." Those words caught the others off-guard. They assumed he would provide proof of rtion, swear a soul oath, infernal oath, or heavenly oath, yet he did none of that.

    "I don¡¯t need you to trust me, I don¡¯t even care if you do. My presence here at this time is coincidental and not on purpose. I don¡¯t care about the fate of your race or the fate of your enemies. I¡¯m here because I can see us making a deal which we both benefit. If you want to decline, do so." Yan Zaizen acted casual, shrugging his shoulders with a face of indifference. An oath was a heavy matter which he had little intention to perform.

    He had a faint feeling that his Non-Entity status would cause any oath he swears to backfire radically - especially a heavenly oath. This feeling existed even in the Asura Phantom Realm during the Princess Qin debacle.

    "..." Abrams slowly pondered. To trust in an unknown man that appeared in your home and telling you he wishes to save you felt batshit crazy. No one in their right minds would do so, but the Lycans were truly desperate. Any deal they make, outside of giving away their freedom, was worth it. If it wasn¡¯t for this single moment of weakness, the Lycans would¡¯ve already refused.

    After all, they were a prideful race.

    "What is it you want?" Abrams words caused the others to jump, looking at him in disbelief. Despite this, not a single person jumped out to say anything. Normally, they would, but the situation forced them to rely blindly on the words of a stranger.

    Of course, if Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t enter the room using spacews, replicate the barrier and shatter it, and have a cultivation base that was impossible to read. After all, Yan Zaizen had the aura of an Essence Formation Realm cultivator. If they believed that was his true strength, they should bash their brains in cause it was useless.

    "Here," he sent a soul transmission with his non-negotiable demands. It was as if he was holding the entire race hostage, leaving them with the option of life or death.

    This soul transmission was sent to all the Lycan experts and when they read it, their eyes bulged to the size of full moons. The level of disbelief and shock was astonishing. Yan Zaizen had a faint feeling that such expressions made in unison by Heavenly Commanders were impossible to replicate.

    "This...?!" Abrams felt his heart leave his body, and there was an illusion of bing a beggar in the streets like mortals. His eyes dimmed considerably. King Moshe staggered backwards, his hands seemed to be shaking uncontrobly and his mind visibly reeling.

    "Impossible!" Levana shouted, her head shaking continuously in a childish fashion, but she didn¡¯t seem to notice.

    The others had simr or more exaggerated actions and expressions.

    Yan Zaizen found thisughable, but he also felt a little unsure. "Did I ask for too little?" He thought to himself, expecting greater reactions. There was a faint hint of disappointment in his heart. He had asked for four thousand heavenly crystals, which amounts to four billion heavenly drops, and about a full-sized¡¯s weight of heavenly materials - regardless of what they were!

    "I told you, you should¡¯ve added another thousand heavenly crystals and a moon-sized worth of heavenly materials." Pinaka shrugged, not feeling an ounce of pity over Yan Zaizen¡¯s disappointment. Yan Zaizen, however, was a little cautious. He didn¡¯t want the Lycans to not be able to afford it.

    "..." Abrams closed his eyes in thought, calcting the cost and result if it was possible. After a long moment, a truly long moment, he nodded. "If you can remove the barrier and the segregation surrounding the realm, we¡¯ll agree."

    "What?!" As if a part of a harmony singing group, the Lycan experts, without exception, eximed.

    "Good. Bring it here, I¡¯ll do so after getting my payment." Yan Zaizen was casual, sitting down as he meditated in patience. It was as if his demands were little.

    "..." Abrams didn¡¯t speak. Instead, he grabbed the experts with his heavenly might and departed. Only Yan Zaizen remained in the room.

    "Maybe...I did ask for too little..." Yan Zaizen warily smiled. With a self-pledge, he swore that he would always go for maximum value when scamming, oh no wait, offering one¡¯s services with others. After that, he resolutely nodded and felt better.

 Chapter 262 New Art? Mystic Realm of Isolation!

    Lycan¡¯s Heavenly Vault.

    "Are we truly doing this?" Admah calmly asked. Abrams, the Lycan peak expert, slowly nodded his head in response. His eyes were dim, but in the depths of them was a faint hope. This hope wasn¡¯t towards Yan Zaizen but towards the heaven and their governed belief.

    In the belief system of the 7th Heaven, they deeply believe their Heavenly God, the True Faith Heavenly God, who is essentially their sky and their ground. In his teachings, he deems that in his heaven there will always be a route for salvation, but this route of salvation will require the will and desire to pursue it.

    The saying was simply put: "There is always a road of safety beneath the heavens."

    A male Heavenly Commander who had followed Abrams since their youths spoke, "I believe in Ancestral Lord¡¯s judgment." His words were filled with a near fanatical belief and steel-biting resolve, as if he was willing to live and die by Abrams choices.

    "..." Admah gave this man a side nce and said nothing else.

    King Moshe¡¯s eyes still contained hostility as he looked at Admah and Levana, but it was far less than before. "Do we have another choice? If the heavens have left us a path of escape, then this is it. What if we fail to grasp it?" The tone in his voice was slightly despondent.

    "What if it¡¯s not our path?" Levana softly voiced. To her, there were still options they could take, the most obvious being fighting with their very lives on the line. If the Lycan race as a whole was willing to go into battle with the mentality of self-detonation, igniting their heavenly shrines, or burning their primal blood, would the Darnixian actually be willing to pursue it to the end?

    "You wish to go down the path of mutual destruction in the slight hope we survive?!" King Moshe¡¯s rage once again red, "If it wasn¡¯t for you and Admah, would we even be in this situation?!" His fangs bared and his ws twitched, as if ready to reap away lives. He hated these two deeply. The others had expressions of discontent as well, but they kept their opinions to themselves. That being said, their silence was a tacit agreement to King Moshe¡¯s ims.

    Abrams deeply sighed. ncing at these two top-tier cultivators with the chance to supnt his current role as leader of their race, he feltplex emotions. This was especially so considering that Levana was his daughter. In truth, this is likely the only reason they weren¡¯t killed off for their actions.

    Looking at Abrams conflicted expression, King Moshe¡¯s thoughts traveled to his daughter whose fate was unknown. His daughter was safe from this cmity, being out of the realm, but she was adamant about trying to find a lifeline for the Lycan race. With her brave and heroic spirit, she recruited members of varying guilds in the promise of grand rewards. This force she umted was not to be underestimated, even seventh-floor Heavenly Genesis experts were recruited. s, her good intentions were for naught as the enemy was simply far too terrifying.

    The force copsed instantly in a trap, his daughter was captured by Eitan, and their fate remained as uncertain as before.

    With each memory shing of his daughter, from her birth, to her toddler-years as he taught her, to adolescence where she showed traces of being the woman she was today, and finally as she reached her current state, his thoughts became further dragged in madness and rage.

    "You ungrateful bastards! YOU ADULTEROUS BASTARDS WITH NO SHAME!!" His aura had erupted fully within the confines of the vault, his muscles violently bulged and veins sprouted as his blood flowed with immense vigor, and his eyes shined with the brilliance of an apex predator!

    Admah and Levana looked at King Moshe without the slightest hint of fear, their eyes even contained a trace of unified mockery. With their strength, which exceeded King Moshe, and their status and backing being the Ancestral Lord himself, how could they fear him? This disy was nothing but empty air.

    "Silence!" Abrams thunderously shouted. With those words, the essence that originated from the heavens turned sluggish slightly, causing a sensation of difort to all those present. King Moshe¡¯s momentum and aura were immediately doused, his expression ugly to the extreme. His eyes continued to emanate deep and unrestrained killing intent towards these two, his gaze never leaving them for a single moment. It was as if, as long as they spoke a single word, he would immediately strike disregarding even Abrams.

    "We must remain united to survive this," Abrams strongly stated. The others felt conflicted, but the majority agreed with the notion. After all, they were undoubtedly stronger together. This was proven countless times in their history, and why their race wasn¡¯t spread out among many realms like others.

    Abrams didn¡¯t feel like lingering any longer, double-checking Yan Zaizen¡¯s demands to ensure that all materials were gathered, he stepped forward. A spatial slit appeared before him and he entered it calmly. The others hesitated for a moment, their expressionsplex or filled with devoted belief. To many, this was a ridiculous route to take, but to those who had a high amount of faith, not only in their leader but in the heavens, they had radical hope.

    Stepping into the rift, they vanished from the vault. In the end, only Levana, Admah, and King Moshe remained.

    Levana looked deeply at King Moshe with a hint of disdain, "You should focus your wild energy elsewhere, like on your daughter perhaps." Leaving that aggressive remark, she stepped into the spatial slit. King Moshe growled deeply in response, wanting nothing more than to rip her limb from limb.

    Admah stood before King Moshe, looking him in the eyes, and the usual calmness in his gaze wavered. His eyes seemed as if it wanted to convey a thousand things, but he couldn¡¯t say one. After sounding a rare and soft sigh filled withplex and difficult to convey emotion, he stepped into the spatial rift.

    King Moshe¡¯s gaze flickered slightly. After witnessing that gaze and sigh left him feeling weak. "Admah...why did you...is she worth it?" Looking at the spatial rift, he also heavily sighed. The vault that was once a symbol for wealth and prosperity was instead filled with the conflicting emotions of the Lycan race. Soon, all had entered the rift.

    -----

    While those events took ce, Yan Zaizen remained seated in meditation. His thoughts were immersed in the heavenlyws. His replication of the barrier art left a profound mark in his mind. As he concentrated further on its essence, he felt that it could be improved further.

    "Barrier of Absolute Space? Istion Barrier of Space?" He felt his naming sense was off. Pinaka also showed no mercy, "Both of those names are too simple." As she rejected them, Yan Zaizen felt a little vexed. The concept of the art is to seal off multiyered space in an isted containment, such as a spherical barrier. Taking this line of understanding, shouldn¡¯t the name be along those lines?

    As if knowing his thoughts, Pinaka had an idea, "Why limit it to the confines of a barrier?" This idea to her wasn¡¯t clear, but she still voiced it.

    "...?" His brows raised, contemting her words deeply. Limited to a barrier? Isn¡¯t that the technique...

    "!" His eyes shone brilliantly with enlightenment. Standing up, his body emanated silver light. This silver light was only ten inches from his body, but it gave off a powerful feeling of spatialws. "A barrier is limited, but what if you can create a realm?"

    Suddenly, these words were like a re to the heavens. The silver light exploded outwards, dazzling the world in a silver light that seemed to drop like rain. In his immediate area, this silver rain of light seemed endless and ever-present. It went down, but it remained continuous and seemingly infinite in quantity within this ten-inch area.

    "This is?!" Pinaka was startled, her soul form appearing. She was in the rain. The rain seemed to exist in this space but also outside of it. It was visible but untouchable, as if it existed in a different space. "What is this?" It gave her an odd feeling as if she was no longer within normal space.

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes were brilliant beyond imagination! "Mystic Realm of Istion," he softly eximed, the excitement in his voice was unable to be hidden. This small space drew heavily upon the concept of chaotic space and its ability to interact and exist seamlessly with other folds of space, such as standard space and the spatial void.

    Focusing, he expanded the silver rain to ten yards. Pinaka felt a surge across her body but nothing more.

    "Try to leave."

    "Leave?" Curious, Pinaka walked to the boundary of this silver rain and attempted to step outside. The moment she did, her foot seemed to have touched a wall. It was incredibly hard. Pressing her hand against the boundary, she truly felt an iparably hard wall. It wasn¡¯t a t wall, more so like oceanic waves in constant motion, but it was impossible for her to exit.

    "What is this? Is this a barrier?" She questioned, unable to make heads or tails of it. It seemed to have the characteristics of the barrier, but it felt different somehow while inside. The silver light looks as if it¡¯s affecting her, but she couldn¡¯t find out the difference.

    "To you, it may not be much other than a barrier, but to spatial cultivators..." his eyes turned slightly evil and a chuckle filled with malevolence sounded, "to spatial cultivators, this is the bane of their existence."

    Furrowing her brows, she was about to ask more when a rift appeared in the room. With a shimmer, she reverted to a body of light and attempted to reenter Yan Zaizen¡¯s soul. However, her soul light went through Yan Zaizen. The moment that happened, she reverted back and looked at Yan Zaizen with deep shock.

    She realized she was still surrounded by the silver rain of light.

    "Haha," Yan Zaizen chuckled once more before ending the art. The silver rain vanished. With eyes filled with curiosity, she once again attempted to enter Yan Zaizen¡¯s soul. This time, it went off without a hitch.

    "How did you...?" Pinaka felt bewildered to the point of being beyond curious. She felt Yan Zaizen¡¯s aura and location, so she was sure he stood directly before her, but she went through him like he wasn¡¯t there. As if she was isted from him...

    While she was immersed in her thoughts, Abrams and the other walked in from the rift. Yan Zaizen felt a bubbling sensation of excitement. "Payday!"

 Chapter 263 Sixth Floor! Extraordinary Cost!

    Abrams slowly approached Yan Zaizen with a calm gaze and heavy steps. He exuded the aura of a ruler with each step. Oddly enough, Yan Zaizen felt no fear or innate respect from this man¡¯s overt presence cultivated likely for hundreds of thousands of years.

    Stopping about a meter away from Yan Zaizen, "How long will it take to remove the barrier?" This was an issue Abrams had most on his mind. Even without the vast quantity of wealth, this didn¡¯t deteriorate theirbat prowess as an eighth level force. If the barrier was taken down, they could truly resist.

    Yan Zaizen chuckled slightly, "In a month¡¯s time." To him with his unique heavenly shrine, his cultivation will truly explode in a single session!

    His answer caused Abrams¡¯s eyes to brighten from its usual dimness. Yan Zaizen¡¯s confidence was oddly infectious. His belief in overturning the situation strengthened unknowingly.

    Yan Zaizen could feel the change in trust. It was odd, but as he inspected the situation a little more, his pupils shrank slightly. "Is my Dao affecting a Heavenly Commander?!" He felt it was impossible. After all, Heavenly Commanders have lived an extraordinary amount of years and have fortified their mentality during which.

    However, looking into Abrams¡¯s eyes, he felt a distinctive simrity to Lin Feilin. "Is my Dao leaking?" As he inspected his dao avatar, he discovered it was still undergoing a restoration period.

    "Wait..." his heavenly shrine was currently cycling his true-essence, strengthening and infusing it with heavenly power. However, this true-essence filtered through his heavenly shrine had an aura simr to his Dao of Sovereign Ascension.

    "Is my dao automatically infused into my true-essence?" This thought brought about a distinct realization - Heavenly Cultivators never have their Mortal Dao¡¯s erupt for amplification. His channeling of his dao was powerful, often disying his dao¡¯s aura, but in all the fights he¡¯s seen between heavenly cultivators, their dao had never erupted in the same way as his.

    "Here," before he could ponder more on the subject, Abrams handed him a small, golden heavenly box. This box emanated heavenly fluctuations that felt oddly terrifying. Even Yan Zaizen couldn¡¯t help but furrow his brow at those fluctuations.

    "This is a Pure Heavenly Dimensional Box, meant to hold world-sized materials." Pinaka broke free from her thoughts about Yan Zaizen¡¯s new art and informed him of this box¡¯s characteristics. It seemed to be an advanced version of the Heavenly Dimensional Box, capable of holding more intense items and having a vaster space within.

    Not being polite, Yan Zaizen grabbed the box into his hand and stored it into his Meteor Ring. When this happened, Abrams¡¯s eyes slightly widened, his gaze honed onto Yan Zaizen¡¯s ring-bearing hand.

    "..." Abrams¡¯s eyes briefly flickered with an odd light.

    "One month¡¯s time." With those words, Yan Zaizen stepped backward and vanished into the background as if it was a painting.

    "Chaotic Space immersion?!" Startled, Abrams pupils contracted. To enter chaotic space so simply, no otherw but the half-Imperial Law - Spatial Form of Infinite Stability, or the Imperial Law - Realm of Chaotic Space could do so. As an expert who has lived for a very long time and experienced many things, his understandings of the heavenlyws were vast. The number of times he visited the heavenly domain could rival Yan Zaizen.

    "Was that?!" Even King Moshe and the other Heavenly Commanders stared in disbelief. When Yan Zaizen originally entered, deep and powerful spatial ripples fluctuated in the surroundings, but this was chaotic space immersion! It was like entering seamlessly into the backgrounds of space.

    "...Imperial Law? Ezekiel¡¯s ring...Who is he?" Abrams slowly asked no one in particr.

    -----

    Yan Zaizen arrived in chaotic space and calmly looked at the Meteor Ring. "That old man recognized the ring." After learning about Ezekiel, he never expected to find someone familiar with the ring on another heaven.

    "Was Ezekiel here? Wait...he was driven out of the 27th Heaven...could he havee here before?" Recalling Zhou Xiuhei¡¯s earlier words, he felt his guess was correct. If so, it¡¯s possible that Ezekiel¡¯s entire race could be located somewhere in the 7th Heaven.

    "If it wasn¡¯t for that old man¡¯s reaction, I wouldn¡¯t have suspected. Haaa..." With a soft sigh, he ced that thought to the back of his mind. Firstly, he needed to cultivate and then...he needed to properly ¡¯receive¡¯ his twelve regalias. "I also want that realmship with theary cannon!"

    The greed in his eyes turned incredibly dense. It was nearly tangible, bing like light bulbs in the empty darkness of chaotic space. When he saw thatary cannon fire, he truly held nothing but awe for it. He could imagine himself piloting a ship that could annihtes. The thought excited him to no end.

    "Zai, be sure to only take action when you¡¯re absolutely certain of sess," Pinaka advised. Her words were obviously hinting at the viability of his new art - Mystic Realm of Istion.

    "No worries. With the features of my heavenly shrine, the resources from Xiha and the Lycans, reaching ninth-floor is a certainty!"Enthusiasm brimmed from his body and his heart was pounding. Years ago, he would¡¯ve never imagined bing a heavenlymander so quickly, but now it¡¯s about to be a reality!

    In Chaotic Space, six monthster.

    "I hate this! How the hell is this possible?!" With a voice infused with dense hatred and a face filled with actual tears, Yan Zaizen looked at his heavenly shrine. There were only six floors filled with heavenly aura and the source of mimicry, with only a small portion of the seventhpleted.

    For the lowest level of Heavenly Cultivators, such as Lang Xue, a million drops of heavenly liquid were sufficient to develop the first to the seventh floor. However, if one looked at the requirement for the first floor, this number would seem ridiculous.

    Normally, about one hundred drops were required for the first floor. Normally. Even if the entire three floors were included, it wouldn¡¯t exceed ten thousand heavenly drops, but it still required about another nine hundred and ny thousand additional drops to reach thepletion of the seventh floor.

    In Yan Zaizen¡¯s case, the first floor required one million drops, a heavenly crystal, to establish. This didn¡¯t even include heavenly materials.

    With a depressed look, he nced at the heavenly boxes belonging to the Lycans and Xiha. They still contained heavenly crystals, a little over four thousand when added together, but all the heavenly materials were as gone as the sun during the darkest night.

    "You gluttonous thing!" He had the sudden urge to chuck this heavenly shrine into the depths of the unknown. It had consumed about two full-sizeds worth of heavenly materials, in return, only three floors were constructed. Three!

    "The conversion rate from the source essence of heavenly materials to the source essence of mimicry is truly too little..." Pinakamented softly, her expression also strange.

    In truth, Mortal Law based heavenly materials converted to less than 0.0001%, while World Law based heavenly materials had a 0.01% conversion rate into the source essence of mimicry. At first, this wasn¡¯t truly prevalent, but after continuous feeding and conversion, this truly was a limiting factor. After all, the majority of heavenly materials from both Xiha and the Lycans were Mortal Law based.

    "Haaa..." with a deep sigh, he urged his heavenly might. Indeed, heavenly might! After constructing his fourth shrine, an evolution was evoked that modified all the true-essence in his body into heavenly might. Despite being called heavenly might, it was better to describe it as pseudo-heavenly essence. It was the in-between conversion of true-essence and heavenly essence.

    However, even the heavenly essence of Heavenly Commanders was dubbed heavenly might, as its the most urate title to describe its characteristics. With heavenly might, one could truly connect with the heavens and even influence it subtly. They could construct heavenly clones. These heavenly clones were interconnected to the user as if it was them.

    If astral remnants were how soul cultivators left their mark on others, then heavenly clones were simr. However, there was a slight difference - heavenly clones could draw upon the essence of the world to live perpetually. While astral remnants consume their energy continuously to exist with the inability to extend their lifespans.

    Eyes brimming with excitement, Yan Zaizen clenched his fist to cause the heavenly might to explode like a bomb. The resulting shockwave caused chaotic space, a realm known for its stability, to tremble.

    "Your heavenly might is far stronger than normal..." Pinakamented,paring Yan Zaizen¡¯s heavenly might to her previous owner¡¯s. As she did, she felt increasingly awed. The difference was vast, truly vast. "Is it because of the structural foundation and heavenly crystals required to fill it? You did use over one thousand heavenly crystals...that¡¯s..."

    When those words were said, Yan Zaizen¡¯s face grimaced slightly but quickly returned to normal. A billion drops of heavenly liquid could not be underestimated. If it was given to a force, they could easily grow into a seventh or eighth level heavenly force from nothing. This was not an exaggeration.

    The only true issues that would prevent this wasprehension ofws, legacies, and resources of heavenly material. These things were much harder to obtain than heavenly crystals. Even a fourth-floor Heavenly Genesis cultivator could condense about a thousand drops a century, while a seventh-floor could condense twenty thousand drops.

    Heavenly materials can also be condensed but that¡¯s highly dependent on location andprehension,ws are talent based, and legacies are also tied into time existing and cultivation base. It was these factors that even though the Lycans have existed for over a hundred million years, they were still only an eighth-tier force.

    The only Heavenly Monarch in their entire history was Xiha, the White Sirius Heavenly Monarch.

    "Leaps and bounds," unable to contain his excitement, he eximed. Although his highest form ofprehension in heavenlyws was at the major-Domain, he could still construct his sixth floor! The only issue was resources, but there were always others still waiting for him to ¡¯receive¡¯ more.

    His eyes looked at the vastness at chaotic space, arge vortex existed in standard space. This vortex was the gateway into the Darnixian core realm. "An entire race..." Shortly afterward, he softly shook his head at the thought. If he went down that route, would it ever end?

 Chapter 264 How?!

    Despite six months passing in chaotic space, no more than a few days had passed in the Canis Major Realm. In these few days, the Lycan Race had taken a different approach from expected - preparation. The upper-echelon elites of the Darnixian race watched onwards as the Lycan¡¯s fitted their realmships and set up formations with solemn gazes.

    In the outer space of the Canis Major Realm, nine figures dressed in ck with dark crimson mes embroidered on their opulent robes stood atop a realmship. These nine cloaked figures had terrifying auras that seemed intent to drown the world in darkness while incinerating all within it. It was a frighteningly intense aura that left one¡¯s heart palpitating.

    At the lead of this group of nine, a handsome young man with ck eyes, pale skin, and a slender body held a ck scepter in his hand. This scepter was as tall as the man, nearly two meters, and emitted pure ck mes. Atop this scepter was an orb with the silhouette of a phoenix. This phoenix seemed ready to take flight one moment, but the next, it was perched calmly on the scepter. It gave one a feeling of being remarkably lifelike.

    With this scepter in hand, the heavenlyws of fire and darkness seemed obedient to this man¡¯s existence.

    "Lord Alexander, the Lycans actions...what are your orders?" An elderly woman that was a remarkable beauty despite her age stepped forward and humbly asked. As she did, her position was slightly bowed and her eyes looked downwards, as if looking at the young man before her was a disrespectful act. This elderly woman may seem servile, but she was by no means weak. Her aura was controlled but boundlessly vast to the point it was stifling.

    "They wish to fight to the death?" Lord Alexander, the Lord of the Darnixians, questioned with a slight smile. "No, that¡¯s not it." As his eyes that seemed to contain all the world¡¯s darkness gazed at the Lycan¡¯s overt actions, his smile slowly faded. "This isn¡¯t the preparation of a cornered animal facing extermination, but preparations of a war." The others behind him trembled at this, their expressions varied but solemn nheless.

    The most optimal conclusion was the Lycan¡¯s unequivocal surrender, forcing them to be true ves of the Darnixian race for eternity. However, even a cornered animal can still bite. If the Lycan¡¯s truly threw all caution to the wind, burning all their potential in ast bid of war, this would leave them suffering untold losses. This was not an oue they wished to see.

    "Do you mean?" The elderly woman, Lady Amber, eyes narrowed. Despite her words that seemed to be questioning in shock, she contained a deep malice and malevolent intent in her eyes. All these emotions seemed to re aggressive whenever she looked at a Lycan, regardless of their cultivation base or gender. Her feelings towards the race were undisguised and unmissable - pure and unadulterated hatred.

    "Call Sir Eitan," Lord Alexandermanded. The elderly woman¡¯s eyes flickered and she brought out a talisman. After a few seconds, a spatial ripple surged nearby as a middle-aged man dressed in a ck robe with silver borders arrived. His steps caused slight shimmering to ur, as if he wasn¡¯t stepping in midair but an entirely different dimension.

    The middle-aged man was Eitan Gal, the cultivator that had single-handedly driven the Lycans to despair and kidnapped King Moshe¡¯s daughter. His aura was indistinct and unstable, as if he was neither here nor there. This left one feeling dibobted as they looked at him, leaving a diforting feeling in the depths of their minds. Many of the figures standing behind Lord Alexander, excluding Lady Amber, subconsciously took half a step backward.

    "What is it?" Eitan spat, his attitude was entric and even before an individual such as the ruler of the Darnixian Race, he simply held no respect. His posture was rxed, his eyes scanning about carelessly, and his expression oddly casual. It was as if he was before no one in particr.

    "..." Lady Amber stayed silent, but the depths of her eyes zed a fire effusing killing intent. She did nothing to hold back her emotions, but Eitan only nced at her and rudely scoffed. "If you keep staring at me like that, maybe next time I won¡¯t let you be on top." Eitan sneered, his eyes roaming the surprisingly well-proportioned figure of this elderly woman.

    Ignoring these two, Lord Alexander directly spoke, "The Lycans seems to be preparing to fight, with the intention to win. Are you sure their escape route is closed?"

    "Hmph! Not only am I sure that even if that old fool Abrams took personal action, he still wouldn¡¯t be able to escape, but their realm formation has beenpletely segregated! Unless they gained the support of a peak Heavenly Commander, there¡¯s nothing to fear from these mutts." Eitan picked his ear with his pinky, sniffing casually, he turned his gaze towards a female figure in the back. His eyes roamed her body thoroughly, "seven out of ten."

    His attitude caused the Darnixians to frown, but they didn¡¯t speak a single word. Even the woman who was rudely judged kept her mouth shut, but the depths of her eyes did spew intense fire.

    "Understood." Lord Alexander¡¯s eyes squinted as he looked towards the Lycans that seemed like busy ants. The ufortable feeling in his heart continued to grow stronger. "Preparebat formation 77!" He decisively ordered. As the ruler of a race, there was no way he would bex under the assurance of another. A member behind him nodded, his body bursting into ck mes and disappearing.

    Secondster, the realmships set up a specific formation, while many different numbered groups of individuals were being grouping together in preparation.

    "Too cautious! As if I¡¯d let anything happen to my wife!" Eitan coldly spat. Obviously, he was dissatisfied by Lord Alexander¡¯s disbelief in his assurances. "I told you, you don-"

    CRACK!

    A sound of ss fracturing resounded throughout the entire realm. It was so incredibly loud that many low-level cultivators eardrums were destroyed, their eyes bleeding, and bodies shivering in fright. The crack started off as small as a hairline fracture, but then, BOOM! A booming explosion urred on the outside of the crack, a force pressing on the crack caused it to widen considerably. At this point, it could fit a single man.

    "What?!" Lord Alexander, Eitan, Lady Amber, and the rest was immediately startled. It wasn¡¯t simply them, the Lycans were shocked, their hearts tightening and eyes suffusing hope! Abrams¡¯ eyes shined as he saw this crack expand, his reckless bet relying solely on his belief of the heavens had borne fruit!

    BOOM!!

    Another explosion urred. No longer was the crack the size of a man but expanded to fit a fully grown tree.

    "Shit! Who do you think you are?!" Eitan loudly shouted. The eyes that once contained deep casualness now contained rage and fury with hints of insanity. With a step, the spatial void rippled and he entered. In less than a second, he was already outside of the realm by the crack. In the Canis Major Realm, only he could freely enter and exit the realm as he pleased.

    Inspecting the crack, his eyes became further enraged! Twelve silver lights of different shades rotated around him. These lights seemed to be near him but also in a different fold of space. As the silver lights shined, the crack was visibly repairing at remarkable speeds. It only took a blink before the crack was thoroughly healed.

    With eyes of fury, Eitan looked towards the vastness of the Border Expanse. "You think I can¡¯t sense your aura? Even if you hide in chaotic space, I, Eitan Gal, can still find you!"

    CLAP!

    CLAP!

    CLAP!

    Three resounding ps sounded nearby. Eitan Gal looked at an area just a few hundred meters away from him, his eyes shining with silver light.

    Yan Zaizen exited chaotic space, his amber-gold gaze suffused with confidence and amusement. "You truly know how to disappoint. I thought you could fix it from afar, so I made the crack a little bigger, but I guess that¡¯s the limitations of an array, right?" Yan Zaizen¡¯s words were like stabs towards Eitan, his expression twitching slightly.

    An array had many benefits, but also many detriments. For one, to keep the technique active, the array must be active. However, to keep it active, it required those who could operate the array to always be in direct control of the array. If there was no onemanding it, then the array would immediately go inactive. This was why Eitan Gal had to keep the array nearby at all times.

    As for formations, they were often self-operating, typically requiring maintenance. Formations would often utilize Spirit Forms or True Spirits to operate instead, allowing the efficiency to rise.

    There were also other limitations as well, such as the inability to repair the art from afar.

    "You¡¯re currently using the array to power three separate spatial arts, it must be quite a strain, huh?" Yan Zaizen smiled slightly. The first art was the barrier that isted multiyered space, the second was the realm segregation, and the third was subtly influencing space within the realm. This was why the spatial vortex was seamlessly interfered with, the art was previously active and thus harder to notice. Even Yan Zaizen only discovered it after entering a spatial tunnel under its influence.

    It was also through this that he could soundlessly rob the Lycan race¡¯s Ancestral Burial Chambers. Unlike Yan Zaizen, this man didn¡¯t have the ability to freely enter and exit chaotic space. After all, that required either the half-Imperial Law of Space or Imperial Law of Spacetime to do.

    "Who are you?" For the first time, Eitan¡¯s expression was solemn and dark. Despite not showing it, it truly was a tremendous strain on his mental faculties to remain in control of three separate, realm-sized arts.

    "Oh, I guess I could use the words you said before! False Bravado and nothing more!" Yan Zaizen originally prepared for a vast battle with the intricacies of space within, but this Eitan Gal wasn¡¯t close to his peak, nor could he be. After all, if he diverted his attention to a full battle, the arts he was currently sustaining would copse and he¡¯ll have to deal with the restrictions of the realm formation. If that happened, even he wasn¡¯t sure he could easily escape.

    "Well then, I¡¯ll just take those." Calmly speaking, Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes emitted dazzling brilliant silver light. This silver light expanded endlessly to cover both him and Eitan Gal before converting into silver rain. For thousands of li, including within the barrier, a formless influence pressed against all.

    Mystic Realm of Istion!

    Eitan Gal¡¯s felt frightened. The art was simply too fast that before he could even think, he had been fully surrounded. His array of silver light rotated around him, attempting to defend against the silver rain. "What?!" Startled, he realized that he couldn¡¯t ess his array¡¯s power, as if he was isted from it thoroughly.

    "I got this idea from the Xiao City¡¯s Lord. Normally, it wouldn¡¯t work, but from someone who purposefully keeps their possessions in a pseudoyer of constructed space, it makes it remarkably easy." Yan Zaizen dashed forward, his speed wasn¡¯t fast nor slow, but it still reached one of the shining silver lights no more than a few meters away from Eitan Gal.

    "You!" His heavenly might discharged outwards from his body, silver-colored might surged to overwhelm Yan Zaizen in its torrential energy. However, Yan Zaizen only calmly looked at this exploding might. "You¡¯re not even close," with a chuckle, he ignored Eitan¡¯s attack and reached out. With a swipe, the light dimmed and turned into a star-like silver object. This object radiated profound spatialws and seemed to originate from the heavens itself.

    "Ambitious!" Eitan grew enraged, watching his Regalia of the Heaven being snatched left his mind exploding with soul-devouring, bone-crushing intent! His heavenly might copsed around Yan Zaizen, attempting to crush his form in an endless surge of energy. Yet, as it smashed against Yan Zaizen¡¯s form, it shifted through his body like a ghost.

    "One down, eleven to go." Yan Zaizen remained unconcerned. As the first regalia was stolen, the arts it previously maintained copse as if it never existed. The barrier faded, the segregation line vanished, and the subtle influence that burdened space within the barrier disappeared.

    "How?! You...you¡¯re there!" His eyes bulged to the size of eggs. Yan Zaizen was literally a few meters away from him, he could sense his aura, physical body, and even the sound of his heartbeat, but the attack went through him like a ghost! As a spatial expert, he was familiar with spatial istion arts and personal creation of independentyers of space, he had done this very thing to hide his regalia, but this baffled him beyond his imagination!

    "You¡¯re aiming in the wrong direction, in the wrong time, in the wrong space." Yan Zaizen coolly said, his hand reaching out another regalia. With a calm swipe, it was in his possession.

    "What?!" Unable toprehend Yan Zaizen¡¯s words, he keptunching fierce attacks infused with spatialws. The was even a spatial de that seemed intent to slice through all folds of space, but when it reached Yan Zaizen, it went through him as if he didn¡¯t exist.

    Realizing the situation turning badly, he stepped forward to enter the spatial void, but as he did, he felt the world turn topsy-turvy, and his body remained in ce. At this point, his mind was near a total copse. As someone who reached the Sovereign-level in a World Law such as space, this was far beyond hisprehension! It was as if his hundreds of thousands of years of knowledge was overturned.

    "An illusion?!" As he drew to this conclusion, he utilized various illusion-dissipating methods, but nothing came about. The silver rain continued to fall endlessly, but not a single bit of it touched his body.

    "Wait...You¡¯re..." It was as if he had a eureka moment, his mind gained some understanding, but the core of it eluded him. It was at the very tip of his tongue, of his understanding, but it just seemed impossible.

    "You¡¯re getting there, just a little more. You can get there," Yan Zaizen urged as he retrieved the seventh regalia. His movements were as if he was retrieving his keys for his house, casual and carefree. He moved around Eitan easily, his hand reaching for the eighth regalia.

    "Impossible! It¡¯s impossible! You can¡¯t do that...could you?" As time passed, he slowly calmed down, his eyes suffused with the light of calction. "A realm? A sub-realm? No...timews? Wait...Wait!" It seemed as if he was on the border of obtaining enlightenment into a profoundw that exceeded his understanding, but Yan Zaizen grabbed thest regalia.

    SNAP!

    With a snap of his fingers, the silver rain vanished and so did he. The only things that remained were words that seemed to have been said long, long ago. "Thank you for keeping these things safe for me, I appreciate it. Truly."

    Eitan Gal turned around and realized that an intense battle with the realm formation fully active was currently erupting between the Lycans and Darnixians. The Darnixians were entrapped by the realm formation, being bombarded by experts in a ferocious assault. They seemed to be suffering loss after loss quickly.

    "This...this seems to have been going on for a long time?!" Eitan was deeply startled, his mind was nearly blown by this urrence. This battle and the resulting destruction seems days old, but...how was that possible? It¡¯s been only a minute at most...

    "Oh, also! Thanks for the offering, I¡¯ll enjoy it all!" Yan Zaizen¡¯s voice sounded once more, but this time, it caused Eitan¡¯s heart to quake. Offering?! Instinctively, he checked his heavenly dimension and his eyes turned nk.

    "How?!"

 Chapter 265 When I Wish, Where I Wish

    Yan Zaizen casually sauntered through the Border Expanse. With his current cultivation base, hisprehension of space, he could easily travel where he wished and leave when he wished. As he did, a smile as big as a crescent moon stayed frozen on his face.

    "How did you do that? He didn¡¯t even do anything as you took everything..." Pinaka¡¯s inquired curiously. From her perspective, Yan Zaizen had erected his Mystic Realm of Istion, strolled calmly to take every single regalia, and even pulled out the contents of Eitan Gal¡¯s heavenly dimension with sheer ease. As for Eitan, he stayed there frozen. Yan Zaizen did say a few words here and there, but besides that, nothing.

    "Haha," iparably happy, he felt satisfied with himself. "Well, its prettyplex to exin, hehe." Snickering, his face was the picture of excitement. "I created an independent space, no, it would be better to say, I independently created a second chaotic space which I inverted? That old man simply existed in that space, while I, existed in standard space. It was as if he was in chaotic space, and he was in chaotic space. I simply moved unhindered while he went through a different time flow. Before, I didn¡¯t affect your time flow, so we simply existed in different spaces."

    "OH!" Pinaka finally understood. Yan Zaizen¡¯s Mystic Realm produced an independent space with simrities to chaotic space. The flow of time could be manipted at will while all those within this realm existed in that different space. It was profound, but she immediately saw the ws.

    "It¡¯s an independent space, a pseudo-realm,yered atop the existing space. In that case, your aura, location, and actions can still be seen. Furthermore, you won¡¯t be able to interact with the other, and they wouldn¡¯t be able to interact with you."

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes shed, but he kept his smile. "Indeed. If I entered their space, I would be subjected to that time flow. It would be no different than normal. It has very littlebat potential, for now at least." The ws in his art, how could he not know of it?

    Furthermore, manipting time in any manner was draining, and if he wished to actively manipte the flow of time around heavenly cultivators? Forget it. Their natural heavenly aura would fiercely resist, to even slow them down slightly would expend too much heavenly might.

    He wasn¡¯t willing.

    However, in standard space, their natural heavenly aura couldn¡¯t affect the time flow! Therefore, all he needed was to create a space with a consistent time flow throughout. It wasbining the two aspects of chaotic space and standard space into one, establishing a unique realm with its own uniquews. It seamlessly bypassed the consumption issue. Moreover, he felt that the Mystic Realm of Istion could be further refined.

    This type of realm space also isted all otheryers of space. Therefore, to spatial cultivators, this was an absolute nightmare to deal with.

    However, there was one thing that bothered Pinaka, "How did you take the contents of his heavenly dimension?" This was a heaven-defying feat and shouldn¡¯t be possible! At least, it shouldn¡¯t be possible while it retained ownership.

    "Oh, that? I won¡¯t be trying to do that anytime soon..." his expression slightly grimaced with a trace of caution. To take the contents within a heavenly dimension, he had to segregate the two, heavenly dimension from heavenly shrine. He only isted it for a split second, but it consumed more than forty percent of his reserves! FORTY PERCENT!

    To add to the disaster, there was a moment in that split second where the heavenly dimension nearly copsed! He was almost certain that if it wasn¡¯t a spatial-attributed heavenly shrine, the dimension would¡¯ve copsed and he would¡¯ve suffered an unimaginable bacsh.

    He didn¡¯t know how this would affect the owner, but he knew that it would be frightening for him. It was like cutting the wires of a bomb with a thousand simr colored wires, he got lucky this once.

    "Forget it, let¡¯s go." Deciding to no longer waste time, he stepped forward. A ripple surged in space, and he entered the spatial void.

    -----

    Several hourster, in the spot Yan Zaizen vanished from, a shadow flickered into existence. This shadow became an iparably stable figure garbed in a grey-robe. On his face was a mask that fit perfectly to the contours of his face, which was delicate and sharp, with two eyes that contained silver irises. Underneath this mask was undeniably a handsome face of the ages.

    The figure¡¯s aura was indeterminate, and his means of movement seemed tied to chaos itself. His physique was slim and elegant yet oddly seemed to contain an unimaginably explosive energy. It was the only defining feature that was clear.

    Beneath the mask, the voice muttered a few words. These words were indiscernible and seemed to contain mystical magic. Numerous motes of dark-grey light appeared from nothing. These motes of light, if looked closely within, seemed to contain scenes of the ages. All the events in thest century were depicted clearly.

    One of these motes of light revealed a young man. This man¡¯s stance was upright, unconsciously exuding the stability of a king, and his eyes contained deep excitement. Over time, his expression shifted until it became neutral whereupon he entered the spatial void.

    The figure grabbed this particr mote of light. As itnded in his hand, it assimted into his palm. A couple of secondster, the figure¡¯s hand took the form of a w.

    Rip!

    With a gentle yet ferociously swift swipe, a spatial rift appeared. A sound lingered that seemed to be a new mote of dark-grey light. The motes vanished slowly, but the scene yed once more. At the end, the sound resonated before it vanished.

    "Atst."

    -----

    "It¡¯s truly a distance away," Yan Zaizen muttered softly as he exited the spatial void. The Milky Way Realm soon arrived in his sights. "It¡¯s truly so easy to travel through the spatial void, even if you consider chaotic spaces time flow changes, spatial void travel is by far faster." He couldn¡¯t help but marvel at this ability.

    Of course, for him with an Imperial Law of Spacetime, his ability to traverse the spatial void and establish tunnels surpassed the vast majority of all in existence. Not only was his travels more stable requiring a far less expenditure in energy, but also quicker in terms of determining the route and proper movements within.

    Weing his exit was a white-robed figure with white hair and a grand beard of snow white. He seemed to be the picture of purity. With an upright and mystical posture, he gave off the feeling as if the whole world was in his hands.

    "Eloah," Yan Zaizen greeted. It wasn¡¯t respectful but it wasn¡¯t disrespectful either.

    Eloah smiled at Yan Zaizen¡¯s return, his eyes that seemed to contain life¡¯s mysteries gleamed slightly. "It seems you obtained Xiha¡¯sst gift." Seeing Yan Zaizen reach the sixth-floor of the Heavenly Genesis Realm in such a remarkably short time felt mind-boggling, even for him.

    Yan Zaizen slightly pouted at the mention of Xiha, only after remembering that he was going to bury Xiha¡¯s ancestors on his did he feelfortable. "He only left a few heavenly crystals and random materials. I thought it would be greater."

    Eloah warily smiled. Yan Zaizen was obviously still peeved at Xiha¡¯s habits of half-exining things and forcefully imposing his ns on others. "Your harvests still seems bountiful."

    "Hehe, bountiful indeed." Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes flickered withughter, it was oddly mischievous and carried a hint of child-like triumph. "Regardless, I¡¯ll be taking my leave." Yan Zaizen enjoyed talking to Eloah, he was rather neutral and seemed to be unwilling to judge others. The fact he was visibly happy for Yan Zaizen¡¯s increasing in cultivation already put him in his good books.

    "Oh? It hasn¡¯t even been seven days." Eloah was quite shocked at Yan Zaizen¡¯s insistence on returning home. He should already know that the inter-heavenly spatial formation would copse if he forced it.

    "Seven days..." Although the time was inconsequential, Yan Zaizen truly realized that he barely lived in the normal flow of time. He was already five thousand years old, and despite staying years in chaotic space, it was merely a few days.

    "It¡¯s fine. I have no intent on being forceful. I will, however, no longer be subjected to someone else¡¯s ns in my destination or location. I shall go where I wish, when I wish." As he recalled his journey from day one, how he was taken by Han Genji against his will, he felt incredibly nostalgic.

    "Have I truly reached such a power?" He silently thought. He had been snatched and carried away from his home, sent to the Basilisk Forest against his desire without knowing a thing about it, sabotaged to entering chaotic space where he exited in a new country, sent to the other side of the heaven due to a sub-realm copse, pulled every which way by Zhou Xiuhei, and brought to an entirely foreign environment, no, an entirely different heaven by Xiha.

    As he recalled such things, it made him feel incredibly stifled but also...happy. Han Genji, an Origin Core Realm cultivator, changed his life and showed him kindness no one outside of five people had ever shown. The Basilisk Forest allowed him to grow as a person and face conflict. With that, he developed his Nascent Dao.

    Entering Grux may have been painful, but he met Tao, Bai Lufeng, and his woman, Pinaka. "Hehe, my woman." He chuckled childishly thinking about that imperialistic beauty in his soul. That beauty was all his.

    Not only that, his Dao grew even further and he became a person who understood the darkness of the world and how weakness can bring one¡¯s end. The world was cruel, but that didn¡¯t mean you had to deal with it.

    The sub-realm copse allowed him to understand his soul bloodline, something he hasn¡¯t had much opportunity to use, but also for Pinaka...it was a defining moment where she realized her feelings for him. Zhou Xiuhei brief interactions truly made him feel kinship and familial love. This was something he hadn¡¯t felt in a long while.

    He may on the surface call him Grandpa Xiu for revenge, but with each saying, it felt truer. As for entering this heaven? He was capable of scamming an entire race, stealing twelve space-based conceptual regalias, and obtained an extraordinary amount of wealth and personal power as a result.

    If he had stayed in the 27th Heaven, it was incredibly unlikely that his cultivation base would be remotely close to this. After all, even Zhou Xiuhei was poorer than the Lycan Race, far, far poorer.

    Recalling all these things left him with an odd feeling in his heart. Perhaps, sometimes, following the flow of events was the best decision one could make.

    Eloah calmly looked at Yan Zaizen, then nodded as if he understood. "Give me some time, I have something I wish to prepare for you before your departure."

    "?" Yan Zaizen was startled, but the look in Eloah¡¯s eyes seemed to convey a thousand things, and only good intent existed. His intuition felt that waiting for a while may also be the best choice, so he nodded in response.

    "You can rest within the realm, wherever you wish." Eloah smiled, satisfied with Yan Zaizen¡¯s eptance with ack of questioning. He shimmered out of sight. Yan Zaizen couldn¡¯t even find his aura.

    "Where did he go?" Waiting a few seconds, he looked downwards towards the sun and the nine(eight?)s rotating around it. His eyes honed onto the third from the sun, the one with no cultivators but many, many lives.

    "I guess I¡¯ll see what that¡¯s about." An itch of curiosity emerged in his heart. Eloah, if he was the protector of this realm, then why was he protecting it and who was he? Why did this realm have no cultivators? These questions continued to resound until they were particrly loud.

    With a step, he arrived at the edge of the blue. It was mostly water but had densendforms. It wasn¡¯t particrlyrge, but it was undeniably one thing...

    "Beautiful!"

 Chapter 266 Earth 1

    Since cultivating, Yan Zaizen has seen many extraordinary, awe-inspiring, odd, and jarrings, ces, and realms. This included the Border Expanse with its vast emptiness and odd creatures of mystical and unknown origins. The Dead Soul Sea which was mind-boggling with its own ecosystem, species, and a literal sea of red sand.

    Even the Deluge Realm had a water on fire ands constructed purely of water.

    However, this single felt soul-stirring! It was simply beautiful from afar, with its turbulent weather patterns that manifested all in unison, and variedndscapes.

    Vast deserts, clearkes, a sea of trees, mountains that reach the skies, and more. Yan Zaizen felt that, if he had to, this¡¯s conditions were top ss. It contained so much yet was so small.

    With a brief, non-invasive scan, he had already discovered countless lifeforms both on the surface and beneath the depths of the water. Some creatures were one of a kind, existing in a state of constant freedom. There were others, a race of humanoid creatures with vastly different characteristics.

    Some were dark-skinned, some pale, others brown-skinned, but each had their own individual traits. They seemed to stem from the same line but exist in such varied line.

    "They aren¡¯t Lycahs..." Yan Zaizen¡¯s brows furrowed. Lycahs was one of the mostmon human lineages, its origins stem deep and they popte incredibly quickly. Yet, these people were not Lycahs. In fact, if they weren¡¯t humanoid down to their organs, Yan Zaizen would suspect otherwise.

    With a deep breath, he slowly descended. His speed may have been described as ¡¯slowly¡¯ but he reached a mountain range in less than a second.

    None of the indigenous inhabitants were disturbed.

    "This?!" Looking at his hand, he felt his cultivation base into the heavens and his powerful vital energy experience a rumble.

    "Zai, do you feel that?" Pinaka softly eximed. As a True Spirit, normally, she wouldn¡¯t experience much while within Yan Zaizen¡¯s soul, but there was a strange force enveloping her. It was constraining her, preventing her from utilizing her soul force, and her formations which activated continuously by itself were slowly ceasing function.

    Yan Zaizen blinked, "my cultivation bases are bing sealed. It¡¯s remarkably simr to..." Furrowing his brows, Yan Zaizen pondered. In the Sky Shatter trial, an ancient force had suppressed his essence and vital energy. Due to this, he had to fend off a sudden attack with only his body.

    In a minute, his heavenly cultivation had be thoroughly sealed. Even his vital energy, the energy stored within his cells, were sealed. However, there wasn¡¯t a hint of difort.

    Shuu!

    Pinaka exited his soul, appearing in her soul form. However, when she did, her soul form couldn¡¯t float naturally. For the first time in a while, her footnded on the solid ground.

    "How is this possible?" The sensation of the wind in her hair, the minute vibrations of the earth beneath her feet, the moisture in the air on her lips and the feeling of the sunlight on her sky-blue skin.

    "What is it?" Curious, Yan Zaizen couldn¡¯t help but ask. The connection between them was deep and powerful, he could sense her rising excitement.

    "I can feel!" Her eyes were wide in tion, her smile was beyond beautiful which stunned Yan Zaizen silly.

    "Feel?"

    "I can feel it all!" Pinaka spun in ce, her amber-gold robe dazzled with the sunlight. Yan Zaizen heart trembled. True Spirits didn¡¯t have the nine senses of the world. They weren¡¯t natural inhabitants of the heavens, and Yan Zaizen thoroughly suspected they were a wed path forced on the heavens.

    It¡¯s possible that the True Spirit Path was simr to the Sirius Path, unable to be eternal, but through other means, it was imposed onto the heavens with no way to refute. However, Heavenly Gods ouwed it for this very reason.

    "The light?" He asked curiously, looking at the sun.

    "I can!" She shouted with a deep enthusiasm reminiscent of childlike glee at discovering the new wonders of the world.

    "The wind?"

    "I can!"

    "My hand?" He grabbed her hand, causing her spin to halt. Her expression disyed pure awe. This was the first time she truly felt Yan Zaizen with her spiritual form. His hands were powerful and smooth, like a king¡¯s.

    "Zai...Zai, I can..." her body softly trembled. The warmth of his hands surged into her body. Her spiritual body contained no temperature, so this feeling was prevalent.

    Yan Zaizen faintly smiled, confused how all of this happened. Wasn¡¯t this making the impossible possible? However, for right now, he didn¡¯t want to think about it. Instead, his eyes flickered with an intense light.

    Pinaka stared at Yan Zaizen¡¯s hand on hers. She gripped it, caressed it, and felt all it could offer. This one hand...

    "I wonder if those work," Yan Zaizen said.

    "Those?" She absent-mindedly replied, her mind lost in Yan Zaizen¡¯s hands. However, before she could continue to relish the surrealism of this event, a face appeared in her sights.

    This face was handsome, with amber-gold eyes that seemed to contain boundless confidence and warmth, and when they looked into hers, she trembled slightly.

    "These."

    He leaned in and touched her lips with his. It was a gentle kiss, one befitting lovers. Pinaka¡¯s eyes widened. For the first time, she could smell Yan Zaizen, feel the warmth of his lips, the warmth of his breath, and the pleasure of physical contact.

    It was extraordinary.

    For the rest of the¡¯s day, two figures connected and disconnected an innumerable amount of times that day.

    -----

    At thekeside was a simpleke house, in this house was a young man and a beautiful young woman. They roamed about with eyes of wonder as they discovered photos of the original inhabitants, the technology of this world, and its unusual physical structures.

    "They burn wood for warmth. A firece." Yan Zaizen poked at the burnt wood and inspected the soot-covered chimney. "Such a unique construct...they funnel the smoke outside the house through these." Yan Zaizen was in wonder.

    Pinaka was at a counter. On this counter was pictures of a family of four depicting varying locations and happy smiles. "They immortalized their happiness on this odd fabric..." Her hands touched the picture, the happiness within these pictures seemed to echo into her soul.

    "They have children..." A faint smile surfaced, her eyes ncing at Yan Zaizen eximing like a child at all the new objects. "Maybe one day..."

    "Hm? One day what?" Yan Zaizen turned towards her, a smile on his face. Obviously, he had heard her words.

    Blushing, she didn¡¯t look away. Her posture firm as she picked up the picture frame and showed them, her sky-blue fingers were gentle. "Maybe one day, we can have this." Her words were bold, recalling Yan Zaizen¡¯s promation left her feeling enthusiastic.

    Yan Zaizen chuckled, "Maybe?" He stepped towards her, "We will." He touched the picture gently as well, caressing her fingers that held the frame.

    "Mama, let¡¯s go! It¡¯s cold!" An exmation resounded outside. It originated from a young girl. Yan Zaizen and Pinaka smiled, she ced the frame down and disappeared with a step. Yan Zaizen frowned slightly, looking at the frame.

    "You will have this," he left as simply as she did.

    The family of four arrived. A young daughter, a younger son, and two parents. When they arrived, they didn¡¯t realize their house had been visited.

    Deep into the night, the young daughter noticed something on the counter. "Mama! A picture¡¯s on the counter!" She eximed, telling the mother of the lone picture of their family that stood without a frame.

 Chapter 267 Earth 2

    In the night sky hung the silver moon in full. Beneath this moon was a myriad of lifeforms, but two, in particr, stood out. A young man and woman sat at the peak of a pyramid structure. The surrounding area was t, but sandy. In the distance and all around, sand existed like an ocean.

    The two were eating. In their hands were halva, something often eaten by the indigenous poption.

    For the first time in her life, Pinaka felt the taste of food. She had tried all sorts of foods from this in a single day, from burritos to burgers, to ffels, and many more! The different foods left her feeling awed.

    "This world has so many tastes!" She eximed, her mouth stuffed with halva.

    Yan Zaizen nodded. "Not only that, it seems to contain the cultures of many different worlds in one. Even the culture of the 27th Heaven, and religious practices of the 7th Heaven is taken here in many forms. I suspect...this ce may contain the culture of all thirty-three heavens!" His words may sound far-fetched, but he believed it so.

    Not only that, there was far too much variety in this world. There were quadrupeds that resembled divine beasts but in a much smaller scale. Even the pyramid they sat on signified the burial location of a king, simr to the 27th heaven.

    "Mhm, so good!" Eximing in delight, she ignored Yan Zaizen¡¯s observation. He could only softly chuckle at this. He knew she wished to indulge in the simplicity and delight of this world, not wanting to dwell on its intrigue.

    "She¡¯s more of a foodie than me! I must...keep my cake safe." Yan Zaizen made a mental note to protect his.

    The days passed. It was beyond peaceful and exciting. The mountains that pierced the clouds, the oceans that touched the lowest portion of the surfaceyer of the, and even underwater volcanoes! They were like tourists traveling the world to see its wonders. With their strength, there was no limit to their freedom.

    On their seventh day, Yan Zaizen and Pinaka stayed within an abandoned building in a busy society. The humans went too and fro on mechanical machines andmunicated with small boxes. Yan Zaizen learned they were called ¡¯vehicles¡¯ and ¡¯phones¡¯ respectively. They weren¡¯t much different than skyships or transmission talismans, but they were so profound.

    However, not a single heavenlyw influenced anything on this. It was as if the heavens were forbidden from affecting this world. Even his cultivation bases, including his soul cultivation, was restrictedpletely. However, there was no sense of difort.

    The two enjoyed the world¡¯s mysteries as they ate something called ¡¯pizza¡¯ - a mixture of a pasted vegetable, cheese, and various meats - which was delicious.

    Looking at this beautiful girl pig out not caring about her image, Yan Zaizen felt his heart experience an extraordinary peace. Was this the life of the mortals in this world? If so, maybe only living for a short period of time was worth it. This thought felt further reinforced every time he saw that smile. The one that seemed to brighten the world.

    "Perhaps this will never end?" The thought of staying here forever was oddly appealing, yet he felt that if he did, he would regret it. Only after some thought did he realize where that instinct stemmed from. If he stayed, then Pinaka would never obtain her own physical body.

    They could never do anything more.

    Thinking here, his eyes traced Pinaka¡¯s sky-blue body. Her legs were slim yet oddly plump, her breasts and buttocks were full and perky. If he could...

    Gulping, he turned his eyes away. "Unfortunately...there¡¯s nothing down there. Haaa..." This thought reminded him of his virginity, never having tasted the deep physical intimacy between a man and a woman. However, he wasn¡¯t dissuaded.

    "My day wille." With that, he ate another slice of pizza.

    "Yan Zaizen." A voice surged in his soul, it belonged to Eloah. Yan Zaizen felt a slight tremble as he looked at Pinaka. She was currently gazing at him, a soft smile with eyes filled with reluctance but readiness. It seems Eloah had also sent her a message.

    Opening his mouth to speak, she shook her head and grabbed his hand. Her grip was tight, but her eyes remained honed on his. "This isn¡¯t our life." Her words were soft and stable.

    "Yet."

    A few minutester, Yan Zaizen in outer space in the Milky Way Realm. His eyes looked at the blue with fond memories. Those few days of peace could easily be the best days of his life.

    Eloah stood nearby, looking at Yan Zaizen with a neutral expression. In his hand was a pearl the size of a baseball. It was shiny and looked like a sapphire jewel. There was no distinctive aura, but it felt oddly spiritual.

    "Here," Eloah sent the pearl forward. Yan Zaizen nodded, grabbing it.

    "What is it?" He curiously scanned it with his heavenly sense and spiritual sense, but couldn¡¯t find anything extraordinary about this pearl.

    "It¡¯s a life-saving treasure for a spiritual form. If you crush it, it¡¯ll protect your soul or the soul of others for a century. However, only a century." Eloah calmly exined, but his eyes flickered with a profound light.

    "A soul protecting talisman?" Yan Zaizen furrowed his brows. "Why?" Why would he need a soul protecting treasure?

    Eloah was silent for a few seconds but only replied, "It maye in handy." That was all he said, the benevolent smile never reappearing on his face. This caused Yan Zaizen to furrow his brows even further. Eloah had always been a mystery, even his existence left him curious.

    "This...Its name?" Yan Zaizen kept the pearl and looked at the blue. He would never reject a free gift.

    Eloah closed his eyes. "Earth."

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s heart trembled violently at those words. That single word invoked a thought-provoking reaction, but Yan Zaizen felt unsure. His mind rumbled with theories, his eyes looking at this deeper than ever before.

    "I¡¯ll exin this, but after...be sure to remember that having faith is not a w of the mind, but the strength of the heart." Eloah¡¯s words seemed to contain a strange force, lifting Yan Zaizen from his mess of thoughts.

    "A piece of the Earths below." Eloah only said this single sentence.

    Yan Zaizen¡¯ body visibly shook. The Earths and Skies are below the heavens; The Earths and Skies are above the heavens. Yan Zaizen never understood the concept fully, but looking at this blue, his idea of it grew clearer.

    The ck Hole once immersed him in the thoughts of devouring the Earth and consuming the Sky. He deduced that the Earth meant all things spiritual and the Sky was all things physical. The heavens were the essence, but he felt like it was far moreplex.

    There was still so many missing pieces to the unfathomable puzzle, albeit it was slightly clearer. This that embodied the basic form of the heavens. Humans that didn¡¯t cultivate, beasts that looked like infant forms of divine beasts, and the myriad of brilliant ces in this world untainter by heavenlyws. Even his cultivation bases werepletely restricted.

    It was as if he was looking at the beginning of life in all forms.

    "If the Earths below is an infant state of life, then...? Could the Earths above contain gods?" At this thought, his heart quivered. To cultivators, gods often represented powerful cultivators, but could it be something far greater? Actual gods?

    "What is God? Mind not your thoughts, only the truth before you." Eloah¡¯s words were softly spoken, his eyes still closed.

    With a piercing gaze, Yan Zaizen honed in Eloah¡¯s spiritual form. Despite Eloah literally reading his thoughts, he didn¡¯t say anything in response.

    If what he says is true, then Eloah was protecting this. This piece of Earth. It might even be possible that he¡¯s protecting more than that. However, he had a distinct feeling that any more questions will not be answered.

    As if knowing his thoughts, "Your instincts are beyond this world, trust them." With that, he faded like a ghost in the night.

    "...who are you..." Even though his instincts and intuition about things were often correct, it didn¡¯t mean he was omniscient. He only felt a distinct feeling from people, events, or at a crossroad in his choices. This drove him in many of his actions. Such as finding Pinaka, not trusting the Xiantu Emperor, or seeing through Lang Xue¡¯s lies.

    "Thirty-three heavens, ny-nine heavens. Earths and Skies, below and above. My tri-existence, me, the ck hole, and the king. Why do I exist? What is a heaven? Why are there so many? Every step I take, every bit I learn, I feel as if three more questions emerge." With a sigh, he suddenly felt mentally exhausted.

    Only after a long while did his eyes clear. "Hmph! They¡¯lle as theye. For now, I have other goals." His eyes flickered with an intense light of resolve. With a step, he arrived near the inter-heavenly spatial formation. "From now on, my path is the path I choose."

 Chapter 268 Nothing

    "An inter-heavenly spatial formation..." Yan Zaizen slowly muttered. A spatial formation was essentially the door to an entry into a tunnel. This tunnel typically traveled through the spatial void, ayer of space in a simr way to chaotic space.

    However, if chaotic space and the spatial void were to bepared, it wouldn¡¯t be close.

    Chaotic space was the glue to all forms andyers of space and different flows of time. A backgroundyer behind all otheryers. Regardless if its self-created or natural, all spatialyers connect to chaotic space. The only exception was distorted space.

    The spatial void didn¡¯t have a different flow of time, but the distance traveled in the spatial void is magnified considerably. A single step through the void can be as long as a mile.

    When heavenly cultivators rip open the spatial void, they use their heavenly true-essence to create a makeshift tunnel. This makeshift tunnel isn¡¯t stable, but it can allow for ease of travel. However, as one¡¯s cultivation rises and their true-essence evolves further, the tunnel bes smoother, which results in a further magnification of distance within the tunnel.

    This mode of travel was remarkably fast, and distance is shortened considerably as a result.

    However, spatial formations were but a door into an entryway into a tunnel. This tunnel can exist in chaotic space, spatial void, or otheryers of space - including newly constructedyers that exist independently, like sub-realms. This was how others could travel to sub-realms hidden in another fold of space.

    The Xiantu Emperor had ripped open space to the Asura Phantom Realm, temporarily connecting two points of space. When Yan Zaizen first saw this, he felt fascinated by the level of raw power, but due to hisprehension into space at the time, it wasn¡¯t much.

    When a cultivator, especially those in the Heavenly Path, cultivate spatialws, their ability to manipte space bes exceptional. To Yan Zaizen who mastered the Realm of Chaotic Space, this was even further pronounced.

    "When I traveled through the inter-heavenly spatial formation, I assumed I went through the spatial void. However...what if I was wrong?" Yan Zaizen furrowed his brows, pondering the implications of this. The inter-heavenly spatial formation¡¯s entry was closed, unable to be opened.

    "I went through it too, It didn¡¯t feel any different from the spatial void," Pinaka offered herment. She had traveled through the formation using her full strength, drawing everything she had from Yan Zaizen¡¯s False Grand Dao link.

    "..." Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t respond; his silence caused Pinaka to grow silent. Currently, he had a sixth-floor Heavenly Shrine with a major-Domain level ofprehension into the Imperial Law of Spacetime - Realm of Chaotic Space.

    Thisw governed all things stable in regards to space. Besides teleportation, which derives from distorting space, Yan Zaizen could essentially do most things. This spatial formation was solidly within his domain.

    Raising his right hand, he pressed it to the void. The void rippled oddly, and its cadence was inconsistent with typical space ripples. Unlike before, Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t use force.

    Shuu!

    His heavenly shrine¡¯s first five floors transformed. A powerful aura containing space and time erupted, creating a space within each floor that resembled chaotic space. It was ck and endless, suffused with dark-grey winds. These winds seemed to be ever-present yet ever-changing.

    As his heavenly shrine changed, his heavenly might experienced a qualitative transformation. This heavenly might seemed to embody the qualities of chaotic space at its essence.

    From his palm, strands of heavenly might emerged. They tunneled into the void that Yan Zaizen pressed firmly against within the void. As it did, Yan Zaizen felt no resistance. Even though this formation enabled transportation between heavens, it was governed by the Spatial Form of Infinite Stability.

    A spiral vortex formted slowly. Initially, it was a small blip, but it quickly expanded to the size capable of fitting Yan Zaizen¡¯s body. A flicker of light passed Yan Zaizen¡¯s pupils.

    "This isn¡¯t connected to the spatial void...what is this?"

    "What?!" Pinaka¡¯s eximed in shock. "What do you mean?"

    With further calction, Yan Zaizen came to a conclusion. "...the formation creates a spatial void, but besides that...its connected to anotheryer of space. This space feels simr to the Border Expanse." He felt his senses grow cold as he continued to perceive through the vortex. This coldness was the first for him, but it aroused his curiosity.

    "Let¡¯s see what¡¯s on the other side."

    He stepped into the vortex.

    -----

    In the Milky Way Realm, several hours after Yan Zaizen¡¯s departure.

    A spatial slit emerged. From this spatial slit, a grey-robed, masked figure appeared. His silver irises gazed around, the light within containing incredible intelligence and sharpness. After a short while, he locked onto a location and stepped forward. Like a shadow exposed to the sun, he vanished. When he reappeared, he stood before the inter-heavenly spatial formation¡¯s location.

    "What? He entered the Vast Expanse?!" The masked man eximed, his tone obviously suffused with disbelief and shock. His fists clenched to the point crunching sounds emitted. From his reaction, one could tell hecked the ability to follow.

    "You¡¯ve returned." A soft light sparkled near the masked man. From this soft light, a man garbed in white and seemed to be the picture of purity itself appeared. This was Eloah. As he arrived, his eyes trained on the masked man¡¯s figure, his eyes flickering with a profound light.

    The masked man wasn¡¯t startled by this sudden arrival. Instead, he turned towards Eloah. From beneath the mask, a voice suffused with tion sounded, "It¡¯s been a while, Eloah."

    Eloah only acknowledged with a slight nod, his gaze turned towards the spatial formation. "You¡¯ve been given a second chance. Don¡¯t make the same mistake." Eloah¡¯s words may sound cryptic to outsiders, but the masked figure understood.

    "It¡¯s my father¡¯s," was all he said in response.

    "Haaa..." With a sigh that seemed to contain untold worries, he pointed his finger towards the spatial formation. As if the formation understood his desires, a hole of pure ckness appeared in the void. This hole was about the size of the masked figure.

    Witnessing this, the masked man gazed deeply at Eloah, his emotionsplex. However, he didn¡¯t linger for long. With a step, he entered the hole.

    "Sometimes...words are better than a sword," these words traveled through the hole and into the masked man¡¯s ears. However, he didn¡¯t stop. Instead, he sped up and exploded with a mind-blowing swiftness.

    Eloah didn¡¯t say another word, only sighing before vanishing.

    -----

    Exiting the spatial vortex, Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes widened in shock. His mouth was an ¡¯O¡¯ and his scale felt numb. It was as if his soul had been shaken at its core. The spatial vortex behind him copsed, his control over it slipped as it could no longer be supported without his active assistance.

    In his vision was nothing.

    There was truly nothing.

    No air, no essence, no moisture, no sound waves, no heat, no light, no heavenlyws, nor a single speck of life aura. For as far as his senses could go, there was utterly and terrifyingly nothing.

    "What is this ce?!?!" Pinaka¡¯s voice was many decibels higher as she felt horror in the depths of her soul. For someone who had Yan Zaizen¡¯s False Grand Dao, this was the first time she had ever reacted so shocked. This sensation into the depths of his mind, his soul, and every cell of his body.

    He looked all around, unable to find up, down, left or right. If it wasn¡¯t for his pulse, he couldn¡¯t ept his status of being alive. This ce seemed to be stifling all things in existence, allowing nothing to exist within its confines.

    Losing track of time, his mind stilled.

    Only a feeling of hopelessly drifting remained.

 Chapter 269 Vast Expanse

    Yan Zaizen remained adrift in the vast nothingness. He wasn¡¯t being propelled by any force, neither his own or belonging to this realm. Typically, even in outer space, the body would shift slightly due to faint traces of gravity imposing its rules onto the object. However, Yan Zaizen remained unmoving.

    His mind had already regained its stability and calm; his eyes looked like amber-goldva flowed within. Only by utilizing his False Grand Dao amplification was he capable of sustaining thought, but this left him bewildered. This ce seemed to contain nothing. There was nothing for billions of li in distance, and likely nothing further.

    "Why does this ce exist?" Questioning, Yan Zaizen felt it odd that an inter-heavenly spatial formation would produce a door into a location such as this. He had some guesses, but even then...it didn¡¯t exin why this ce existed. It contained no heavenlyw, no essence, and stifled the mind, cells, and soul. It was as if it contained no force, and thatck of a force was imposing an irrefutable force!

    The entire scenario felt contradictory and surreal.

    Pinaka was currently unconscious. Shockingly, Pinaka couldn¡¯t maintain her consciousness due to this force that was no force. It was as if her mind shut down in protection of itself. Likely, the only reason shested initially was due to the Dao Link they established.

    "Would a bestowed dao wielder be able to maintain their consciousness?" He wasn¡¯t particrly bothered by Pinaka¡¯s unconsciousness. Her soulforce was still vibrant and lively, and only her consciousness seemed to have undergone a period of slumber.

    "Haaa...enough," Yan Zaizen shook his head. He decided to reprioritize his focus - figuring out a way back to the 27th Heaven. Somehow, the inter-heavenly spatial formation tunneled from the 27th Heaven to the 7th Heaven, and he had to figure out how.

    Standing upright, or at least what he thought was upright, spread out his arms. From his hands, strings of ck heavenly might suffused with dark-grey wind surged outwards. Theyshed here and there, prated through one area and another, and continued to travel for many li. These strings remained connected to his hand, feeding him information through them.

    After several hours, his eyes brightened with exceptional brilliance. "So my original guess was correct. If the Border Expanse is sea, then the realms are the inds or continents. The heavens function on the same logic. This area is the thirty-three heavens Border Expanse, the area that segregates them. Despite this, it seems like the heavens are more so sub-realms, hidden within this Border Expanse...so is it different?" However, the moment his thoughts truly reached this point, he subconsciously shivered.

    He recalled the hairy mouth-balls.

    His pupils turned sky-blue, while his irises remained amber-goldva flowing within, and his eyes became exceptionally beautiful. By channeling the characteristics of his soul regalia infused into his brain, he looked about with a new set of eyes. However, what startled him even further was what he found...

    Nothing.

    The solemness in his eyes intensified.

    "Escaping isn¡¯t an issue, this entire area is connected to the 7th Heaven. A single spatial vortex connector would easily allow me to re-enter the 7th Heaven, but...where¡¯s the 27th Heaven?"

    BOOM!!!

    A loud explosion urred nearby. It was ear-splitting and even caused Yan Zaizen¡¯s ears, which were refined using the Immortal Herculean Method, to bleed immediately! His head felt as if it was being pounded. "What the?!" Yan Zaizen was truly startled. Luckily, his healing factor restored the damage instantly.

    A man-sized hole formted nearby. This hole was ck. It was too noticeable because this ce had no color. It had no distinctions and seemed as if it didn¡¯t even exist. Nothingness wasn¡¯t defined by the color ck, but by nothingness. This ck hole looked as if it was a stain on a white dress,pletely noticeable!

    From this man-sized hole, a grey-robed figure appeared. Within the eyes of this figure was startling silver light. However, this dense silver light was restricted into his irises like flowingva. When Yan Zaizen saw those eyes, his heart trembled. Those eyes were the eyes of a Grand False Dao Wielder!

    "Who are you?!" Yan Zaizen directly asked.

    However, the masked man didn¡¯t respond. Instead, he proceeded to summon a sword. There was a longsword in his right hand. This longsword gave off an aura of utter chaotic, its color being indeterminate. It was pure white, but it seemed as if it was only that because the myriad colors of the world were intermingled endlessly. It gave one a sensation of vertigo, as if they had stepped into the world of chaotic spiraling colors.

    This de was one meter long. Its edges were exceptionally sharp and terrifying. As it just stayed there in the vast nothingness, it seems as if nothingness was being cut!

    Yan Zaizen grew vignt. With a wave of his hand, Sky Shatter appeared! As it did, ripple surged from its hammer head, and the nothingness seemed to be crushed!

    The masked man¡¯s eyes narrowed dangerously. His intent was pure yet intensely murderous.

    Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t even bother asking another question. This man was intent on reaping away his life.

    SWOOSH!!

    The masked man advanced with sharp momentum. His de at his side, it seemed as if he was ready to fight the world. The dao aura of his exuded matchless dominance of the ages!

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s actions were nearly instinctual. With a step, he prated through the spatial void. His figure grew indistinct, but only a line of images remained as he propelled forward at breakneck speeds. The masked figure wasn¡¯t startled, this action was replied with a finger point of his free hand. The space surrounding Yan Zaizen grew chaotic!

    BOOM!!

    Yan Zaizen was sted out of the spatial void, his afterimages dissipated like dust as a result. Startled, he was shocked by two things! One, the afterimages in the vast nothingness! When one shifts through the spatial void, their aura should still be prevalent, but their image was in another space entirely. An afterimage shouldn¡¯t exist!

    However, in this vast nothingness, his afterimage was as clear as his own image. His brows knitted so deeply that it looked vertical. The second was the man¡¯s technique! It was as if a wall of chaos had surged in his path, pushing him out of the spatial void! The profundity of this was exceptional, beyond exinable.

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s five floors erupted in brilliance, and his heavenly might surged forth in a violent momentum. It was like a grand tsunami of spacetime intent or consuming millions of li! All things it passed by seemed to be subjected to its immense force but also an undeniably powerful ripping force and instability of time. This was the spacetime-attributed heavenly might in full.

    The eyes of the masked man widened slightly, but only slightly! With a calm flourish of his de, a wave of his de seemed a white light that seemed to embody the essence of chaos. Before a single nk urred, the white light embedded itself in the vast tsunami of spacetime. Like sand to the wind, the heavenly might copsed and turned into countless specks of dust!

    Slowly advancing, Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t waste time linger in confusion or shock. His eyes emitted heart-pounding, steel-rending battle intent. This battle intent eclipsed the vast nothingness above, creating a sky of amber-gold that radiated the aura of his dao! His momentum continued to rise. With Sky Shatter in hand, he barreled forth with the intent to crush all before him.

    Calmly watching this, the masked man softly chuckled. This chuckle was soft but echoed an incalcble amount of distance. Within the sound of this chuckle was a trace of absolute dominance! As it reached Yan Zaizen¡¯s ears, his False Grand Dao avatar, the amber-gold egg, started to tremble. Even the battle intent that painted the fake sky faded slightly.

    ROAR!!

    Thunderously roaring in violent reply, Yan Zaizen revealed the aura of a sovereign, of an imperial existence that could not be defied! It contained endless ferocity and unbreakable confidence. It directly whittled the influence of that chuckle to nothingness. In fact, the sky above was emitting a brilliance more magnificent than before!

    "An upper-tier False Grand Dao? Even a peak one..." The masked man quietly muttered. "Humph!" His eyes that contained sharp, silver brilliance shifted. No longer did it merely contain an unmatched sharpness, but dominance! This dominance was overpowering, imperialistic, and undefiable! An eruption of light shrouded the sky, releasing intense that wasn¡¯t battle intent, but a sovereign¡¯s intent!

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes widened, "A Sovereign¡¯s Dao?!" This dao¡¯s strength was simr to his own, fearsome and iparable! As these two daos shed, the fake sky was divided into silver and amber-gold light. They shed violently, releasing soul-shaking, ear-splitting sounds!

    "He also has a False Grand Dao?!" Feelingpletely shocked, oddly enough he didn¡¯t feel shocked, but excited! His stance changed, no longer did he slowly barrel forth with indomitable momentum, but remained standing upright as a steel pir! His eyes no longer contained ferocity, but an intent that gathered all that was his dao and becameplete!

    Sovereign¡¯s Intent!

    This intent shot into the sky from those eyes!

    The battle of intents surged above in the false sky, both of their daos shing endlessly to obtain absolute superiority! This was a battle between two sovereigns!

 Chapter 270 Clash of Sovereigns 1

    The false sky experience cmitous shifts. It would be ripped asunder, divided by two magnificent auras of silver and amber-gold, and the next would be as two worlds collided producing soul-crushing sounds.

    The two sovereigns stood in the absolute nothingness, immersed in their respective intents. The masked man radiated utter dominance that crushed all thoughts of dissent and defiance. Yan Zaizen radiated profound confidence and imperialistic stability that drew all near and ruled their thoughts.

    The two intents of their False Grand Dao was extraordinary beyond description. Despite a blow not being exchanged, the near-misses and near-death were innumerable. If either of their daos failed in this sh, their souls would suffer irreparable damage, much like Yun Xuli.

    "You wish to kill me? Do you have the ability?" Speaking calmly, Yan Zaizen spoke with a rich tone. Even though this nothingness contained no air for sound to travel, the words clearly echoed into the masked man¡¯s ears. He trembled slightly, his eyes narrowing.

    "Unable to make me yield, unable to take me stay, unable to take my life, what type of sovereign are you?" His words were biting, piercing the masked man¡¯s heart deeply. Every syble contained a profound essence of the Dao, shing directly with the soul.

    However, the effects were temporary. The masked man¡¯s dao was no less than Yan Zaizen¡¯s in quality or characteristics, both being exceptionally domineering and both possessing a quality exceptionally difficult to falter - Unyielding Confidence.

    Underneath that mask, a smile of confidence that could ensnare the hearts of many formed. They were equal, one filled with dominance and the other with imperial power.

    As far as Dao was concerned, there was no way two sovereigns possessing an unyielding belief in their selves would be subjected to defeat by the other.

    Yan Zaizen discovered this fact as well. The battle of daos was intense, but often a victor cannot be determined. This was what Pinaka informed him earlier, and this truly disyed itself now.

    "Haaa...I don¡¯t know why you wish to send yourself to an early grave, but I will oblige if you insist," Yan Zaizen tone was calm, but his words were as domineering as the heavens.

    A flicker of white light surged from his Sirius ughter Robe. The aura of this light was like the aura of an apex predator, above all beasts in the food chain! Yan Zaizen¡¯s body suffused with a primal essence of beasts. His body¡¯s muscles thickened, his bones became like steel while his joints were as flexible as rubber.

    The canines of his teeth sharpened, glistening with a surge of white light that contained a thick smell of blood. His sovereign¡¯s intent intermixed with a thick, overwhelming bloodlust!

    Roar!

    Unable to contain the immense bestial power circting through his body, he roared violently. The dao sky above had surging waves and segregated into pieces. It was as if the fake sky became fake clouds! It was beautiful beyond belief.

    This was Xiha¡¯s, the White Sirius Heavenly Monarch, personal Origin Armament! It contained the essence of his Law, the essence of his Path!

    The masked man¡¯s eyes revealed shock, but this shock had a hint of disbelief and pain in its depths. "Tu Hanxu..." those words were soft, so soft that it seemed to melt as it exited his mouth.

    "Suuuu...haaaa..." A deep breathter, the eyes filled with pain and shock vanished, and only battle intent remained. With his sword in hand, he no longer took a passive approach.

    Boom!!!

    A step forward propelled him like a rocket. In a fraction of a second, he was already before Yan Zaizen, his sword slicing towards his neck.

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s retreated instantly. His movements were exceptionally fast as the power of the Sirius ughter Robe was wholly disyed. The sword missed by a wide margin of a thousand li. Yan Zaizen had already traversed this far with a small step back.

    As he did, his eyes shined with brilliant light! "I¡¯m fast!" He grew excited. He knew that if he were in the heavens and moved at this speed, he would¡¯ve caused space to thoroughly copse for tens of thousands of li with that single step!

    "The robe also protects me from the counterforce of such speed!" During his battle with Yu Shi, his skin was peeled off and healed an astonishing number of times when he traveled less than a thousandth of this speed.

    The masked man was unsurprised. He pointed his right index finger at Yan Zaizen. This finger at its point irradiated a white light. The white light contained a simr aura to the sword, an aura of indeterminate chaos.

    Yan Zaizen could feel his surroundings. There was an invisible cage summoned instantly around, restricting his movements. It was tens of li wide, but it gave a dangerous feeling. "This was how he knocked me out of the spatial void," concluding, Yan Zaizen slightly frowned.

    The masked man pulled his sword back and sliced it forward. Before long, Yan Zaizen¡¯s entire vision was eclipsed by a white light that felt dizzying to look at. The cage didn¡¯t hinder this sword light, it even seemed to strengthen as he passed through.

    When Yan Zaizen saw this, his eyes glowed. His aura no longer was his own, but the indeterminate chaos that surged to envelop his body. He retreated once more, prating through the cage with no resistance.

    With that, his eyes lit up.

    As it did, the masked man¡¯s eyes noticeably dimmed. The method Yan Zaizen used had eliminated all his means of entrapment. "Thew of mimicry...Yan Wuzen?" The masked man¡¯s eyes kept emitting brief bursts of pain. It was as if Yan Zaizen kept bringing up unfortunate memories.

    While he wallowed in those memories, Yan Zaizen smirked. The confidence in his heart became even more stable. His heavenly shrine transformed, embodying thew of death. His aura grew dense with a deathly coldness that radiated outwards. This deathly aura was greedy, it even tried to absorb the nothingness that was the Vast Expanse, but it failed.

    Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t mind this failure. He was sure that this space was beyond the heavenlyws anyhow. It would be shocking if it seeded.

    With Sky Shatter in hand, he advanced. Now his forward momentum had returned. Near instantly, he stood before the masked man with a raised warhammer intent to annihte all! He swung viciously downward.

    Noticing Yan Zaizen¡¯s approach, the masked man eyes showed no fear, only more emotion. This time it was deep hatred. "Siphoning Shadow of Death..." With those words, he matched Yan Zaizen¡¯s strike, sending his de shing upwards with no hesitation.

    With warhammer vs sword, up to down and down to up, the oue seemed fixed. However, as the weapons¡¯ sh caused a resounding boom, the two were blown away from each other for thousands of li with no winner in sight.

    Sky Shatter¡¯s ripples were immersed in chaos before it could even reach the masked man¡¯s body. Even the shadow of death was eliminated without mercy.

    "He¡¯s so strong!" Yan Zaizen was aghast! This was the first time he went equally against someone concerning pure strength. Let alone when he held Sky Shatter and the Sirius ughter Robe that enhanced his physical attributes to an astounding degree!

    The masked man wasn¡¯t as shocked, but his eyes were flickering with profound light. That blow from Yan Zaizen contained his full strength, but the masked man¡¯s was the same.

    However, this proved one thing: regarding physical strength...Yan Zaizen was weaker! This included the Origin Armaments as a factor. Yan Zaizen had the momentum and the angle, even a heavy weapon, but with all his advantages, they only came out even.

    His expression became more solemn than ever before.

 Chapter 271 Clash of Sovereigns 2

    "The Heavenly Path is far weaker in this area..." Yan Zaizen deduced. The masked man had a heavenly cultivation base, but he hadn¡¯t tapped into it once. Only after a while did Yan Zaizen realize that heavenlyws couldn¡¯t be used here effectively. The inability to connect to the heavenlyws meant its strength was quickly reduced to the Force level.

    The manifestation level was to be able to draw power from the truew within the heavens. The domain level wasn¡¯t much different nor was the sovereign level.

    Even with his heavenly might, it was only a minuscule amount of strength he could evoke. Attributed heavenly might wasn¡¯t the same as the energy drawn from the heavens, being far weaker inparison.

    "What do you want?!" Yan Zaizen sent a soul transmission. This battle was only disying one fact: they were mostly equal. If they continued, who truly lives and dies was as predictable as the date the heavens will fall.

    Boom!

    The masked man replied with his sword. He pierced forward, his de point aiming at Yan Zaizen¡¯s be.

    "Fine!" Yan Zaizen hefted Sky Shatter and pressed forward. Their figures¡¯ immediately intersected, the crushing sounds of a hammer and slicing whistle of a sword resounded.

    Rumbling sounds boomed constantly. In a second¡¯s worth of time, thousands of blows were exchanged at lightning-like speeds. Between which there was frequent roars of a bestial nature or a collision of two metallic weapons.

    This continued for hours.

    Boom!

    Yan Zaizen retreated, his eyes were filled with a somber calmness. The Sirius ughter Robe was unharmed, but his arm inside it wasn¡¯t; his left arm had vanished from his shoulder entirely. Within his right hand was Sky Shatter with its shaft leaned against his right shoulder.

    The masked man wasn¡¯t much better, retreating as well. His left leg had vanished, it even faintly extended to his lower torso.

    Despite this, they were both calm. A secondter, their missing limbs were restored. Both in shocking ways. Yan Zaizen¡¯s body suffused intense lifeforce, reconstructing his arm naturally as if it was just a tiny cut, the cells regrowing entirely from the stump. There was no difference in its strength or meridians.

    The masked man¡¯s leg didn¡¯t heal. It would be better to say it was created. As if his body had taken a print of his leg and pasted it on his body. An exact replica recreated from nothing but self-created cells.

    "...A Herculean..." This was not the first time they exchanged limbs or even a portion of their bodies. This masked man had the same method as him - Immortal Herculean Method, but it was refined with a different regalia.

    It was the Regalia of Creation, a top-tier World Law on the same level as Life and Death.

    "Who are you?" At this point, he was seriously questioning what this was. There was even thoughts of retreating. The sword in this masked man¡¯s hands equaled the Sirius ughter Robe in quality, might even exceed it slightly, while their daos and physiques were aplete match.

    It was like fighting himself.

    Even the act of disregarding his own injuries offered no advantage, his enemy taking the same route.

    There were even faint signs of him losing. In terms of physical speed, he dominated thanks to the robe, but this masked man¡¯s strength was mind-boggling! If it wasn¡¯t for the defensive quality of the robe, his loss was already set in stone.

    The true issue was the energy consumption for Sky Shatter and the Sirius ughter Robe. They can be used by any energy source, but it still needed an energy source. His reserves were disastrously low. If this continued...

    The masked man didn¡¯t seem to care, he stepped forward and once more engaged Yan Zaizen in a brutal melee. "You want to whittle me down...without an energy source, I can¡¯t heal or use my Origin Armaments. Then I¡¯ll be easy to kill." Yan Zaizen¡¯s brows lifted, but he still advanced with a dauntless stride.

    Boom!

    Another collision ended and more limbs were lost in that exchanged. As they parted to heal, Yan Zaizen looked around for an opportunity to escape. It wouldn¡¯t take much to enter the 7th Heaven. The only issue was where he may end up if he does, his previous location lost in the melee andck of distinction.

    Wait!

    His False Grand Dao avatar housed within his soul trembled ever-so-slightly but this tremor was far more powerful than any before. His thoughts imbued uncertainty and weakness, characteristics unbing of a sovereign.

    If he were to retreat here, wouldn¡¯t he always retreat in the fact of near equals? Was that who he was? His dao may as well not exist in that case.

    "I won¡¯t lose here." His eyes zed with a tenacious and unyieling fire, and his back stood straighter and aura more stable. He kept Sky Shatter in the Meteor Ring.

    The masked man saw Yan Zaizen shift in stance and aura, his eyes narrowing. He nned to whittle Yan Zaizen down till he was sucked dry pf any energy. After all, killing an Immortal Herculean, even if hasn¡¯t reached the 5th Level, was as difficult as ascending the heavens!

    At their current level, their ability to heal extended to their entire body, including their hearts and brains. This meant the only way to truly kill them was to continuously waste away their energy, destroy their physical existence in one go or dissipate their souls.

    Boom!

    With his limbs healed, he advanced once more with a startling momentum. However, Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t move nor withdraw his Sky Shatter. Instead, he flipped his palms and turned them towards the masked man.

    "What?" The masked man became rapidly vignt, his speed slowing down and his strike wasn¡¯t fullyunched, his actions dominated by caution. This would afford him time to act in case of a drastic change to the situation.

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s palms rotated.

    No.

    The center of his palms rotated.

    No.

    The world of nothingness rotated around the center of his palms. It was an odd feeling, watching nothing so vividly be drawn into a spiral. It was like a mortal watching air move in a normal environment. You can¡¯t visibly see it, but you know its happening. Sometimes, you feel it too.

    The masked man¡¯s heart thumped so loudly that Yan Zaizen heard it. Those two palms manifested a ck hole at its center. This ck holes started to spiral. It seemed slow, but it was in actuality remarkably fast! Before the sword could arrive, it had already rotated over a million times.

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes were like two suns, emitting dense excitement.

    His soul bloodline!

    If the ck hole at his be referenced the heavens or essence, then his eyes represented the sky or spiritual and his palms represented the earth or physical! To devour, consume, and exceed!

    Witnessing this, the masked man retreated with a booming kick off. His eyes contained a deep fear that originated from his soul, maybe even down to his core existence. However, despite his quick retreat, his face felt lighter.

    Touching his face with his hands, his eyes widened.

    "...You...You¡¯re..." Yan Zaizen saw this face and felt startled. The mask this man wore was in his palms. He tried to devour it, but it seemed he couldn¡¯t. It¡¯s possible this mask had traces of physicality within, but most of it was like spiritual or essence rted. Thus,it was attracted but not devoured. As he held the mask, it was like holding an illusion. It flickered like a fading ghost.

    However, what truly concerned him was the man before him, or should he say youth? This person was remarkably young, his face slender and elegant with handsomeness that rivaled or even exceeded Yan Zaizen by a tad bit. His eyes were brilliantly silver with waist length ck hair.

    His physique held simrities to his face, slim and elegant, yet oddly explosive.

    Woosh!

    Behind the youth¡¯s back, a pair of silver wings unfurled as if they were no longer hidden from the world. It was angelic yet tyrannical and imposing. It almost seem as if it was refined by his Dao, gaining the traits of a sovereign¡¯s dominance. If a weaker individual gazed at these wings, they would feel as if their lives were no longer their own.

    "Who...are you?" Yan Zaizen was startled. He had no idea who this face belonged to. He had no idea what race he even belonged to! If so, why did he follow him all the way here to fight?

    The youth eyes slowly regained their normal calm, no longer disying a hint of fear. Yet, he didn¡¯t dare to approach Yan Zaizen again. For the first time since he arrived, he soul transmitted words, "Give me thepass."

    "..."

 Chapter 272 Three Questions & One Condition

    "Thepass..." Oddly enough, Yan Zaizen¡¯s expression contained no shock or surprise, only a soft contemtive calmness. His gaze lingered on this handsome youth with silver wings and extraordinary strength, his mind ring with various thoughts.

    Only after a long while did he softly speak, "The Lycan Leader noticed this ring." The ring on his finger was the Meteor Ring. It was a ethereal sub-dimensional ring. It contained an entirely segregated and independant space that was remarkably simr to a sub-realm.

    Normally, he would act aggressive towards anyone who even had a single design on anything he considered his, but his emotions were calmer than night. "Why?" He soul transmitted.

    "It¡¯s mine¡¯s." The youth answered candidly.

    Rubbing the Meteor Ring slightly, Yan Zaizen nodded slightly. "The only person who would be certain that I have thepass has to be rted to Ezekiel, the original owner of this ring. After all, I never revealed it once and the aura is in an entirely different dimension."

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s words caused the youth¡¯s eyes to constrict by an imperceptible degree.

    "How are you connected to Ezekiel?" This youth had an Origin Armament with characteristics of chaos, simr to the Chaos Origin Heavenly God. Yan Zaizen first had the suspicion that the person before him was Ezekiel¡¯s descendent. If so, this entire event made sense.

    "Does it matter? Give me thepass and I shall leave." The youth obviously had no intention to answer. His words weren¡¯t hostile but they seemed to contain a cold indifference.

    "No." Yan Zaizen tly replied. "If I enter the 7th Heaven, it wouldn¡¯t be hard to vanish without a trace. You should¡¯ve already guessed this much." He waved his hand to the side, this wave created a small line in nothingness. Pressing his palm on this line, it expanded into a ck hole. This ck hole intersected with the 7th Heaven.

    "If you want thispass, you will answer three of my questions in exchange. In full."

    The youth only nced at the hole and trained his gaze once more on Yan Zaizen. His sword was brandished slightly indicating his willingness to fight. He had methods to prevent Yan Zaizen from departing quickly, and they would once again fall into a disastrous melee.

    Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t say anything. He stored the illusory mask into the Meteor Ring and turned his free palm towards the youth.

    Shuu!

    A ck hole rotated calmly within. It seemed intent to devour all things physical!

    "..." The youth¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change, but his heart trembled. The fear that stemmed from the ck hole was soul deep and unable to be washed away.

    Yan Zaizen noticed this very slight reaction. Testing it, he stepped closer to the ck hole in space. As he was halfway through, the youth still didn¡¯t respond. Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes lit up with a profound brilliance.

    Stepping out of the hole, he closed it and smiled slightly. "You didn¡¯t use any soul arts despite that being the most effective way to handle Herculeans..." Yan Zaizen clearly said. Herculeans, even the Zhou Xiuhei, had unnaturally strong physical existences. Killing them through their bodies were incredibly difficult and time consuming, especially Immortal Herculeans, yet he didn¡¯t attack his soul.

    Noticing his fear to take action in the face of the ck hole, his reluctance to use soul arts, and his knowledgeable demands for thepass, he finally deduced somethings. This person before him wasn¡¯t Ezekiel¡¯s descendant!

    This person was Ezekiel!

    "You must¡¯ve been a soul remnant..." Yan Zaizen deduced, his eyes so bright with interest that the sun would seem dim. When those words were said, the youth didn¡¯t disy any shock or surprise.

    A soul remnant was a soul construct created at birth. The main soul is separated and one of them is housed elsewhere. The housed soul had all the memories, consciousness, and instincts of the main soul. They were forever interconnected, but it can cause untold issues.

    However, that was in the Anima Syndicate, a very low-level authority on the soul in the 27th Heaven. If a greater force focused on the soul, then wouldn¡¯t it be far improved?

    In truth, they were both considered the ¡¯true¡¯ soul. They were just separated from an early age. As one grew, the other grew alongside it in every way. If half of Yan Zaizen¡¯s soul was destroyed, he would still be him, so they were one entity made into two.

    The youth¡¯s eyes looked at Yan Zaizen. Those eyes were cold and indifferent, but he nodded in the end. That nod that confirmed everything! His irrational fear of the ck hole, hisck of soul arts in battle, and his exceptional prowess and possessions.

    "Who are you?" Asking, Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes blurred slightly. His start, his beginning, wasn¡¯t it due to this person before him?

    "Ezekiel Zatanna Saintora, Son of the Chaos Origin Heavenly God of the 27th Heaven, Son of the Sword Saintess of the 7th Heaven! Mypass!" Ezekiel¡¯s words were fierce and suffused with pride. His wings was flourished and his sword hand tightened on the grip.

    Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t know what the Sword Saintess was nor how important she was, but he still nodded. He waved his hand, apass with six directional arrows appeared. Thepass emitted faint traces of spatial energy that seemed to be exceptional profound. Yan Zaizen now knew that thispass contained several things, one of which was the Imperial Law of Spacetime.

    "Second question, what is the purpose of thispass?" Yan Zaizen asked. The reason Ezekiel answered with who he was so thoroughly was because of his condition earlier. If Ezekiel answered three of his questions in full, he was willing to return thispass aspensation.

    Ezekiel didn¡¯t hesitate in answering this question. To those with the dao of a sovereign, the one thing they would pride themselves in was keeping their promises and word the most. If they say they will kill, they will kill! If they say they will save, they will save! Even if gods and buddhas stood in their way, before a sovereign, they must kneel in obedience!

    "Thepass has two functions: Navigation and Teleportation. It can navigate and locate the 33 Heavens hidden within the Vast Expanse. If activated, it can also teleport a person anywhere in their heavenly cluster."

    "Heavenly cluster? Navigate?" His eyes brightened at those words. He noticed that this Vast Expanse was like an ocean and the heavens were hidden beneath it. He was in the area where the 7th Heaven existed, but he had no idea where the 27th Heaven was.

    Ezekiel could see Yan Zaizen confusion, his eyes flickering. However, after some thought, he added, "The 33 Heavens have eleven heavenly clusters, each cluster isposed of three heavens, such as the 7th, 17th, and 27th Heaven. This is one cluster. They are interconnected." After this addition, he didn¡¯t say anymore.

    However, Yan Zaizen felt enlightened. So thepass didn¡¯t just send someone anywhere through the heavens like Pinaka assumed, but anywhere through the heavenly cluster at random. So, if he used it, he had a chance at appearing in the 27th Heaven?

    Although it was tempting, he rejected the idea. Thispass can navigate the heavens, why would he roll the dice in the off-chance he could return?

    "Finally question, can you help me return to the 27th Heaven?" They had just attacked with full intent to end each other lives, but that didn¡¯t stop Yan Zaizen¡¯s n. He had no intention toy around for three hundred and thirty-three thousand years for the Inter-Heavenly spatial formation activated.

    "..." Ezekiel looked at Yan Zaizen deeply. There was no hatred in his eyes, even though Yan Zaizen had devoured his soul. Instead, a faint hint of respect formed in his eyes. Yan Zaizen had somehow reached this level in three thousand years. This was something even he had never aplished.

    "Under one condition..." He responded coolly.

    "...?"

    "If you help me kill those I NEED to kill!"

 Chapter 273 Heavenly Clusters

    "..." The vast nothingness carried a dense aura of killing intent, the words from Ezekiel¡¯s condition emanated a powerful force simr to an Imperial Decree.

    Yan Zaizen felt his mind tremble as a world permeating with blood and death abruptly surfaced within his field of vision. It was faintly illusory but felt remarkably real.

    Ezekiel¡¯s beautifully silver eyes radiated a chilling light. This light seemed to contain untold grievances and hatred. It was indescribable.

    However, those eyes weren¡¯t unfamiliar to him. Those eyes were his on more than one asion. When he saw Wu Yuanxu die, forced to enter chaotic space, and left to die with no visible way to escape. The thought of the Xuanwu City Lord was embedded deep into his heart.

    Then, Lady Diyi. She had sent him to die as a ve in a dark hole as a nobody over somethingpletely out of his control. As his awareness grew of his fate, so did his hatred.

    He rubbed thepass in his hand with his thumb. It felt smooth and radiated profound secrets. However, he didn¡¯t hesitate. With a toss, he sent it to Ezekiel.

    "I agree to your condition. Not only because of my own desire to return home, but because I owe you." His words were softly spoken but contained a powerful reverberation.

    Ezekiel caught thepass, his eyes flickering withplex emotions. The clearest one being sorrow and regret. He looked at Yan Zaizen for a long while.

    Thest words Yan Zaizen spoke was said sincerely with earnest. If Ezekiel hadn¡¯t appeared in his life, his current life wouldn¡¯t exist. Disregarding Ezekiel¡¯s ill-intentions, Yan Zaizen did owe him for everything he had. If he could, he would like to close off this karma.

    Ezekiel seemed to understand. Yan Zaizen cultivated his herculean method, had the life and death regalia, and a vast amount of resources that would make lower-tier heavenly tier forces war to thest, it was only natural that Yan Zaizen felt some sense of thanks.

    He slightly nodded in return. Yan Zaizen may not know it, but being devoured offered an extraordinary benefit to his cultivation and personal insights, especially towards the soul. Therefore, he felt a tinge of gratitude. Only a tinge.

    "Ready yourself," keeping his de, he held thepass. His body quaked visibly, a wisp of silver light emerged from his be and entered thepass. Thepass that had six directional arrows suddenly glowed with resplendent light. This light felt like space itself was being pushed away and contorted.

    A directional arrow, the missing double-headed arrow, manifested from this wisp. No longer did thepass seem as if it was missing two directions,pletely pointing towards the eight directions.

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes shined with interest. He kept Sky Shatter and observed. "It seems the functionality of thepass was iplete..." Yan Zaizen calmly spected. Ezekiel likely contained the method to utilize thepass in full, but others would likely be unable to do so.

    In hindsight, he was thankful that he didn¡¯t use thepass. The ufortable feeling in his heart whenever an opportunity presented itself, like in the sub-realm copse event, was rightfully followed. It¡¯s likely that the missing arrow could¡¯ve led to countlessplications.

    Thepass flickered with silver light effusing extraordinary spatialws. An image shone outwards, within this projection was three orbs. When Yan Zaizen saw these three orbs, his brows furrowed. These orbs were likes, but they were stacked on top of each other like blocks to a pir.

    "The three heavens are partial Earths, constructed and stabilized by a profound formation. Thirty-Three Heavens, Heavenly Pirs, Heavenly Clusters, Central Heaven, and Central Hell. This is our world." Ezekiel exined, his gaze profound and soft. It was as if he was exining the ocean, the seas, and the mountains.

    "The Eleven Pirs connects the thirty-three heavens as one, eachposed of three heavens called Heavenly Clusters. The 7th Heaven, 17th Heaven, and 27th Heavenprise the 7th Cluster, known as the Lucky Link Cluster. The Central Heaven is the core area, the source of the thirty-three heavens, while the Central Hell..." Ezekiel paused slightly, but even though it seemed he wished to continue, he didn¡¯t.

    Feeling his horizons deeply broadened, Yan Zaizen inspected the projection closely. A dark-grey dot appeared at the lower orb. This dark-grey dot flickered as if it was constantly refreshing. "Us?"

    "Yes." Ezekiel answered. He spoke a few mystic words and the world of nothingness vanished temporary and reced with a distorted world. This distorted world made Yan Zaizen unable to determine up from down, left from right, front from his back, and even his senses felt unreliable.

    This feelingsted a second before it vanished. When it did, Ezekiel had already kept thepass, his silver eyes were trained on Yan Zaizen¡¯s form and reaction. He gave a soft nod, looking elsewhere and stepped forward. "Let¡¯s go," he charged towards a direction that Yan Zaizen couldn¡¯t determine if it was up, but it felt like it.

    Yan Zaizen followed along without hesitation. His eyes were calm but his heart was filled with amazement. The heavens were likes stacked onto eachother. He realized that Xiha had to send him through the 17th Heaven and into the 7th Heaven! No wonder it took three hundred and thirty-three thousand years to recharge such a formation.

    After all, the heavens was absolutely massive. No, that was an understatement. If a small realm was a pebble, then a heaven was a mountain. It was far too great to be called massive. This was only considering a single heaven, let alone a cluster.

    They traveled for a long time. In fact, they traveled for five years nearly non-stop. Luckily, Yan Zaizen had resources to replenish his energies to keep up flight. Ezekiel was the same, his energy reserves was not enough thest the entire trip. If this world contained heavenlyws or essence, it would be far easier.

    They stopped to recover, sitting in the lotus position while facing each other with a short distance of two meters between them. During this five years, they hadn¡¯t exchanged a single word. Only after this time, while they were recovering their energy, did Ezekiel break this years-long silence. "We will be going to the 17th Heaven. After, when I¡¯m finished with what I need to do, then I¡¯ll send you to the 27th Heaven."

    "..." Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t respond, only nodding in understanding. From the projection, the 17th Heaven was something they had to cross regardless, so he didn¡¯t care. As forpleting this task, that was the deal anyhow. He had no objections.

    He only further reinforced his soul energy that encapsted Pinaka softly, protecting her from any unknown danger he maye across. His eyes were gentle and filled with warmth.

    He had many questions as to what the Vast Expanse was, why Pinaka was in her current state due to it, and more.

    He had so, so many questions.

    Looking at Ezekiel, his eyes flickered with a swift light.

    "Who is it you want to kill?" His words were a bit heavy. He had killed many times before, but this would be the first time he helped kill someone directly and with a ignorance of their crime. He felt an odd feeling swell in his heart.

    "..." Ezekiel¡¯s eyes turned iparably sharp, the intent within was so deadly that Yan Zaizen¡¯s ck lungs twitched. It was as if it knew that this person would feed it deathly aura one day. It was a shocking response.

    "Those that need to be killed." His voice was low but heavy and powerful. This was the answer he gave before, but it didn¡¯t answer his question. However, he could tell there was a story to it. After all, Ezekiel fiercely hated them but to him, the one who devoured a portion of his soul, he had none.

    However, before he could say another word, Ezekiel muttered softly to the point it was iprehensible, but Yan Zaizen could feel the purity of this hatred.

    "Ariel!"

 Chapter 274 Ezekiels Brief Story

    That nearly indistinguishable word was infused with such hatred that Yan Zaizen¡¯s refined heart fiercely trembled. Looking at Ezekiel, Yan Zaizen stayed silent. "Ariel..." Etching this name into his heart, he no longer sought to agitate Ezekiel with questions.

    However, Ezekiel didn¡¯t seem to see Yan Zaizen¡¯s gesture at silence. He inhaled deeply and exhaled a wad of turbid air. Those beautifully mesmerizing silver eyes of his seemed to contain a trace of peace and resolve.

    "Do you wish to know? Know why?" Ezekiel asked solemnly. He understood that Yan Zaizen was a sovereign, much like himself, and their personalities were likely remarkably simr. If Ezekiel was asked to kill for another person, he would want to know the why and judge for himself if he would do so, even if the person possessed something he required.

    This was about pride and choice. The pride and unwillingness to be another¡¯s tool. The choice to decide if that person deserved death.

    In truth, Ezekiel¡¯s instincts were spot on. Yan Zaizen truly wanted to know, but out of gratitude for helping him reach this point, he held his tongue. Not to mention, Ezekiel only asked to help, not to do the deed himself. This was much easier to rationalize with his dao.

    That being said, Yan Zaizen wouldn¡¯t refuse the offer to know the story. "Yes, I do."

    "..." Staring at Yan Zaizen for a long while, he nodded. "It started thousands of years ago, before the fall of my father, the Chaos Origin Heavenly God. I visited a realm, the Central Realm of the 17th Heaven, the Crimson Devil Realm."

    "I...fell for a woman, Ariel dius. Our times were unforgettable, our adventures glorious...At the time, I hadn¡¯t decided my feelings. When I did, I proposed...and she epted." Ezekiel¡¯sst words seemed to drop by several levels in terms of sound volume. It was nearly a whisper at this point.

    Yet, when those words were said, Yan Zaizen opened his eyes and could see the pain that stemmed from his aura.

    "However, my father lost his throne soon afterward. His death marked by a new ruler of my home. Our race was driven out like animals, only capable of escaping to other heavens, searching for a new home. I continued, continued on my path."

    "I entered the Fortune Cemetery, obtained a Soul Defying Celestial Heart, an item that can produce a soul remnant regardless of one¡¯s age with no drawbacks from splitting the soul. With this, I had a second life. The life I have now. My courage and ambition erupted. No longer did I need to live in fear, I can risk it all for it all. So I did...and I seeded every time. Even entering the 27th Heaven and stealing from a peak Heavenly Monarch wasn¡¯t scary! My cultivation base rose fiercely as a result."

    "Who knew...this would invite...cmity. I didn¡¯t realize how much...she hated me. Maybe it was because I no longer had my status or because she never loved me, but she betrayed me."

    "They knew I had a second life andid a curse on me to wipe out my existence, effectively eliminating all possibilities of revival. Luckily, my father left a Samsara Star of Origin in my soul. A star that can use the power of Samsara to dispel all curses, whether physical, spiritual, or existential. I survived and escaped..."

    "Then, I met you." His words ceased.

    Yan Zaizen expression was slightly dark. He knew the rest of the story from the clues. After dispelling the curse, he used thepass to travel to another heaven to hide, attempted to extinguish Yan Zaizen¡¯s soul and control his body.

    The rest of the story was thoroughly known. However, after being devoured by Yan Zaizen¡¯s bloodline, the Soul-Defying Celestial Heart that produced a soul remnant for him, even after birth, gave him a second life.

    "Despicable!" Yan Zaizen coldly thought. The issue he had was Ariel, even though Ezekiel didn¡¯t state it, she likely used her position in his heart to have him drop his guard and deliver the curse. If she didn¡¯t love him, why say yes?

    Sure, it may be moreplicated than what it seems, but it¡¯s also that simple. Not only did she agree to this marriage proposal, but she also betrayed his trust and revealed this hate she had hidden at the time of his assumed death. It¡¯s possible she wanted to kill him from day one.

    Yan Zaizen had no pity or sadness towards a person like this. However, he also didn¡¯t narrow-mindedly believe in a single person¡¯s ount. Ezekiel may have viewed the events as such, but it may have a broader story that he couldn¡¯t know or see due to his position.

    For example, Yan Zaizen believed that the Extreme Rebirth Heavenly God might have had a hand in this or those allied with him. Its also possible the Heavenly God of the 17th Heaven had a hand in it too. If Ezekiel, a talented son of a Former Heavenly God appeared, it would threaten your position.

    This was only unclear assumptions, but this was what his feelings were pushing him towards.

    "I know who my enemies are," Ezekiel coldly added. Yan Zaizen felt a chill. Turning towards Ezekiel, he saw eyes filled with dense, icy-cold killing intent.

    "Of course...If I cane to this assumption, how could he not?" Yan Zaizen thought.

    "My mask," Ezekiel tly said.

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes flickered. His first instincts were to reject. After iming things from others for so long, he had lost the feeling of giving them back. After some pondering, he waved his hand and sent the illusory mask towards Ezekiel.

    With a swipe, Ezekiel caught the mask and analyzed it. A slight flicker of helplessness appeared in his eyes. "The mask¡¯s physical alteration capabilities have been thoroughly removed."

    Yan Zaizen calmly shrugged. They were fighting, and the mask¡¯s physicality was devoured and consumed, how was it his fault?

    "The mask can hide my aura, but not my appearance." His silver wings flourished revealing beautiful and brilliant motes of silver light. Those silver lights seemed to contain Ezekiel¡¯s dao aura, suffused with the dominance of a sovereign.

    "Bloodline?" Yan Zaizen was curious about those wings and their effects. His first assumption was that they were refined to be Dao Treasures, but that didn¡¯t seem to be the case. The wings felt as if it was deeply interconnected to Ezekiel¡¯s existential core, carrying faint traces of his dao as a result.

    "Origin...Chaos..." Mumbling softly, he felt like he understood a trace of meaning behind the name to the Chaos Origin Heavenly God.

    Ezekiel ced the illusory mask on his face. The moment it did, it conformed perfectly, as if it was made for him. His aura was no longer brilliant but filled with chaos and an indistinguishable feeling. Only his physical body which seemed to contain the explosive power of a Herculean remained.

    However, unlike before, his wings remained. Not only that, the mask vanished and his face was perfectly revealed. Yan Zaizen could see Ezekiel¡¯s expression visibly grow darker by the moment. In the end, only a sigh was released.

    "So it¡¯s made up of two parts, physical and spiritual. Interesting..." Eyes as bright asnterns, Yan Zaizen felt enlightened. He felt that this knowledge was incredibly vital to his cultivation, the co-existence of spiritual and physical.

    "Let¡¯s go," Ezekiel indifferently said. He stood up in the nothingness and soared in what seemed to be the upwards direction. Yan Zaizen followed along, his mind ruminating over his findings. A light of profundity flickered in and out of existence.

    "Physical and Spiritual...Life and Death...Soul..." The mist within his stomach, the byproduct of his Regalia bodily fusion surged and twisted about. A faint rumble echoed from within his stomach.

    Ezekiel heard this rumble, turning towards Yan Zaizen in shock. "Is he hungry?"

 Chapter 275 Omniverse

    The flight continued in the Vast Expanse, a space filled with nothingness for dozens of years. The Vast Expanse was truly nothing. No color, light, essence, gravity or life. There weren¡¯t even aberrant creatures, weird spatial phenomena, or space itself. As Yan Zaizen traveled, there was no resistance at all.

    The feeling was so hard to describe that it was nearly impossible. After all, nothingness truly was unfathomably challenging to wrap one¡¯s head around.

    During their travels, Yan Zaizen had conversed with Ezekiel on many asions, learning about the Vast Expanse and its creation. Supposedly, the Vast Expanse has another name. This name was impossible to verbalize correctly by human tongue, but the closest pronunciation would be Non.

    The Non Universe. Ezekiel exined that the Non-Universe is vast, iparably so. It exceeded the thirty-three heavens and more. However, it was also ayer of existence to a greater whole called the Omniverse. Supposedly, it has nothing and can contain or sustain nothing.

    As for the heavens, Ezekiel wasn¡¯t sure. His answer was vague, exining that the heavens were apart of the Heavenly Universe, but that the name wasn¡¯t something those who¡¯ve reached the Heavenly God level and imed a heaven called it, nor did those who¡¯ve developed their ownws or paths.

    Instead, he stated that his father once called it the False Heaven Universe. This baffled him, but what confused him even further was that even that name wasn¡¯t epted and only the musings of his father at the time.

    "It seems to be a secret for those at the peak...I wonder..." He was trulying to understand that knowledge was power and power came with knowledge.

    There were also other things he came to know, including about his Ancestor.

    "Yan Wuzen fought by my Father¡¯s side. He, along with the remnants of the Yan Family was wiped out. Your branch seemed to have survived somehow. Perhaps out of pity." When Ezekiel said those words, he was indifferent, but his fists were clenched to the point cracking sounds resounded.

    "It seems Ezekiel and my Ancestor knew each other...likely close." Deducing this, he felt like there was more to it. For example, not only was the Yan n left alive in a corner and weakened in the Rebirth Era, but a Regalia of the Heavens was also left behind. Not only that but a Blood Regalia too.

    "Could it have been the Extreme Rebirth Heavenly God¡¯s intentions?" The more he thought about it, the more it seemed true. If the Heavenly God wanted to find all remnants of someone¡¯s lineage, shouldn¡¯t that be as simple as a thought away?

    Or was he overestimating their ability and potential?

    "We¡¯re here." Ezekiel halted his flight, his eyes calm and indifferent. In his hand was a silverpass. It radiated a faint glow of silver light.

    Halting as well, Yan Zaizen felt relieved. They had flown nearly non-stop for fifty years, and they weren¡¯t even at the edge of the 7th Heaven before. Without the spatial void and heavenlyws, it truly took too long to travel.

    He inspected the area, and in the midst of all this nothingness, he discovered not a single thing different. If it wasn¡¯t for Ezekiel taking the lead, he wouldn¡¯t even be able to tell his directions of up, down, left, right, let alone distinguish the area.

    "Open an entryway here," Ezekiel pointed in front of him, not even ncing at Yan Zaizen and he calmly ordered. Yan Zaizen¡¯s brows rose up in surprise. This was the first time Ezekiel had given him a direct order. This felt incredibly ufortable in his heart, and the unwillingness was abundant.

    "What¡¯s wro-" As if understanding his actions halfway, he groaned inwardly. Two sovereigns on a team were like two tigers in the same mountain; it was insidiously difficult. However, he calmed himself down and adjusted to the situation.

    "The 17th Heaven is here, if you can open an entryway, we could enter without trouble...can you?" His words were awkward, and even the sentence itself felt like it was modified a few times to ry his intentions.

    Yan Zaizen softly chuckled. He understood the dynamic created by two leaders on the same team, so he didn¡¯t take offense. Not to mention, at least he tried. He stepped forward and arrived at the location pointed at and used his finger to point at it.

    A hole formed about the size of a basketball. He pulled his finger back and the hole shrunk into a pea. Then, viciously, he pointed forward, and the hole expanded to fit several people.

    "Shall we?" He took a step forward and entered. Ezekiel gazed at where Yan Zaizen was for a second in deep thought, only after did he swiftly enter the hole.

    -----

    In the 17th Heaven, there was a minor realm. This minor realm had a single habitable, three deads, several habitable moons, and a single sun. It was remarkably small, and it could bepared to the Xiantu Realm¡¯s continental structures.

    In this realm, on that single habitable, a hole that seemed to extend into absolute nothingness was produced. This hole created no sound when produced and seemed to not truly exist in this realm. Only by looking at it directly could one see the oddity of its existence.

    From this hole, two figures emerged.

    "Finally!" Yan Zaizen excitedly eximed. The Non-Universe contained no essence, air, or light, but this realm had its own sun, was suffused with heavenly essence, and the oxygen felt oddly rxing to breathe.

    He had returned.

    "Here," Ezekiel calmly said, throwing an oval stone with an abnormally smooth surface towards Yan Zaizen¡¯s direction. With a quick movement, Yan Zaizen grasped it firmly in his palms.

    "This is?"

    "A talisman tomunicate. Send your spiritual sense into the stone, and it¡¯ll transmit to this one here," as Ezekiel exined, he pulled out his own oval stone that seemed to be a perfect replica of the other. The only difference was the color. While Yan Zaizen had the color of bright white, Ezekiel¡¯s stone was deep ck.

    Yan Zaizen analyzed this stone briefly and felt shocked. "This is a Yin-Yang Communion Talisman!" This talisman was legendary. During their training sessions, Pinaka once brought up these talismans. She exined that they possessed the ability tomunicate instantly regardless of distance. It was extremely intricate and rare, essentially two stones that were always interconnected with the other.

    Not only was the stone capable of transmitting messages, but also emotions and intent. With that, one could easily understand the inner thoughts of the others whenmunicating.

    However, the creation of such an item was genuinely high-ss and required someone whoprehended Yin and Yang to a certain degree. Therefore, like Realmships who required high-levelprehension of space, they were limited in number.

    "I¡¯ll send you a message when I¡¯m finished with my preparations." His words were brief and clear. His wings sprang wide beautifully before he turned into a silveret and disappeared into a spatial rift. Yan Zaizen felt shocked by the sudden departure. However, after some pondering, he only shrugged.

    "Well, I guess I¡¯ll cultivate for now." Nonchntly deciding this, he stepped forward and appeared before a mountain. With a tap of his finger, a cave had been instantly carved out. Entering the cave, he scanned around with bright eyes that shined with an incredibly distinct light.

    "Life, Death, and Soul...merging physical with spiritual in co-existence and establishing your own cycle. I feel it clearer now than ever before!" Earlier, he couldn¡¯tprehend thews of Samsara due to the Vast Expanse not containing the Heavenly Law Domain, but now...he truly felt ready.

    "MISS! RUN!!!" A deep, panicked voice urgently sounded nearby.

    "Hm?"

 Chapter 276 Curiosity Ignited

    With perked brows, Yan Zaizen swiftly scanned his spiritual sense outside. It swept at lightning speeds. Before long, the entire mountain range, its inhabitants, and all activities became known to him.

    As he learned more about the panicked voice outside, his brows that were initially risen in curiosity furrowed in silence.

    When he arrived, he had swept the entire realm¡¯s border almost instinctively. He had gotten traces of conversation of the weaker lifeforms. In quite a few of these conversations, he discovered that this realm was called the Graceful de Realm.

    This realm was ruled by a first-floor Heavenly Genesis cultivator. This cultivator was female and currently in the process of attempting to build her second floor. Yan Zaizen could sense the heavenly aura fluctuations from within the grandest pce on the.

    With his heavenly sense, its established defensive formations couldn¡¯t hinder his perception. Even the act of many women bathing...even men, but to Yan Zaizen, this was unable to disturb his heart.

    The itself was its only habitable one out of the four, and the moons were the homes to the most significant forces besides the strongest expert and likely ruler, who took the as her domain.

    All of this sounds quite normal, but there was something that disturbed him greatly - the status of men. With his brief scan earlier, he discovered that a majority of the men were given lesser statuses than women and a majority of the women were leaders and top-tier experts.

    It wasn¡¯t that men were ves, but that they were simply treated lesser. It also seems to even be an epted standard, a way of life practiced by all.

    Currently, outside a group of rebel males were hunting a group of women. These men were exceptionally well-cultivated and trained by this realm¡¯s standards, all being at the Origin Core Realm. They outnumbered the females 3 to 1. Not only that, their cultivations on average was far greater.

    However, a single woman with a single sword dyed them. With her cultivation at thete-Origin Core Realm, she sent out massive waves of qi-essence that hindered their every step.

    She was a typical beauty with ck hair and ck eyes. Her figure was slim, and her chest was barely sufficient enough to be called breasts, nearly t-chested, but she puffed out her chest proudly with each strike.

    On her green attire was a white flower. This white flower was a rose that looked as if it was blooming brilliantly in the sunlight. It was exquisitely beautiful and a well-crafted insignia.

    As she defended valiantly, she urged a young woman to run. This young woman was also a typical beauty, nothing too outstanding, but she had a natural look of being exceptionally pampered. It gave her a noble and princess-like feeling.

    Her breathing was nothing but heavy pants. Her outfit had rips and tears that seemed to be caused by natural terrain. She was like a mortal as she ran like someone who had never run before. It was like an odd wobble where she would move her arms, which was held somewhat closely to her chest, side to side.

    Yan Zaizen evenughed a little at this.

    Her cultivation base was rather low for the realm, being at the peak-Essence Formation Realm.

    "Lady Madeleine, why must you fight us so?" A middle-aged man shouted, his fists continuing to unleash vigorous qi-essence to pressure Madeleine, the woman defending. Despite his words, he continued to push forward.

    "Leave, then your lives will be spared." The woman named Madeleine coldly said while continuing to defend. The others attempted to circle her, but she would wave her palm to send qi-essence to hinder them or injure them. This made it exceptionally difficult to deal with.

    Not to mention, other women were fighting valiantly. With swords in hand, they stood their ground seemingly willing toy down their lives to ensure the young woman¡¯s escape.

    The other men in the group had vicious expressions. They attacked without mercy, and many of the women would lose their lives or heads in the exchange. Not only were they outnumbered but they were also the weaker group. If it weren¡¯t for Madeleine defending, assisting them, and preventing others from pursuing the girl, they would¡¯ve already been surrounded and killed.

    Yan Zaizen couldn¡¯t help but find this interesting but also frustrating. It made him realize that a single stage in cultivation difference was exceptional regardless what realm. Thedy was the onlyte-Origin Core Realm cultivator in the field, and she dominated the flow single-handedly.

    The only downside was themotion they brought. They were incredibly noisy and slow. Really slow. To Yan Zaizen, these people were moving at a snail¡¯s pace, and it irritated him.

    "Well...I guess its fine." Yan Zaizen decided to watch the show. After all, he was curious about how it would end. His bet? The men will capture the woman and depart. The only other course, to be truthful, was Madeleine igniting her Origin Core and having the opposing group suffer devastating losses and force a retreat.

    However, from her stance, that obviously wasn¡¯t going to happen. The pride she emitted between her brows indicated she had hope for her future and sess. Its unlikely she¡¯ll throw that away for this young woman

    Wait.

    Wait...

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes widened slightly. The young woman was passing by his newly-crafted cave. When he saw this, he couldn¡¯t help but chuckle. "This girl isn¡¯t THAT stupid, right?" Just as he was wondering if she¡¯ll enter a random cave and block her path of escape, she did just that.

    "Haaa...haaa...haaa..." Her pants were exceptionally loud. Her eyes saw the cave that in the mountain¡¯s side and those eyes lit up. Somehow, she rationalized that this ce could hide her from her pursuers. With a quick dash, she entered the cave.

    Yan Zaizen was quietly seated off the side. His eyes contained a dark mocking light. With a thought, his physical body merged with the environment in a perfect concealed camouge. Even if she walked beside her, she would be none the wiser.

    "I¡¯m not the hero-type." Yan Zaizen carelessly shrugged. Not to mention, he had some views on how men were treated in the realm. There was also the issue of ignorance. Who knew if this male force had suffered some injustice at the hands of this girl or the force behind her. If they did, then retaliation was the most logical course.

    What? Should he save her because she¡¯s beautiful? If she were to bepared the Pinaka, it would be likeparing a heavenly goddess to a dirty, diseased peasant. Theparison was just too extreme. To put it simply, she couldn¡¯t ignite his inner fire.

    "They won¡¯t find me here." The girl sounded confident.

    "Yes, they will." Yan Zaizen rolled his eyes.

    "Stupid girl!" Madeleine coldly spat in a near unhearable volume. She backed up, continued to sh her sword around.

    The middle-aged man that was approaching saw the girl¡¯s action and felt excited. The excitement leaked as heughed triumphantly. If Madeleine wished to defend a cave, it would be nearly impossible. It¡¯s the same as choosing your own wall to be backed up against.

    He pulled out a bead. This bead was small and brown. He threw it towards Madeleine with a happyugh. Madeleine¡¯s expression changed. She looked as if she was about to pull something out of her bag to contend with the bead, but instead, her eyes flickered with a profound light.

    She moved her thoughts away from her spatial ring and shed with her sword towards the bead. The bead exploded into a mass of earth-attributed qi-essence. It encapsted her form instantly, trapping her within a densely brown qi-essence orb.

    That bead was a talisman called the Earthen Entrapment Cage; it could restrain an Origin Core expert for a period of time. Unfortunately, to someone like Madeleine, it would only take a few seconds to attack. Still, this was an excellent means to keep her busy.

    He pushed his qi-essence to the max and exploded past the earthen cage and towards the cave. The other women eximed in shock, attempting to intercept. However, the other men kept them busy.

    In a second, he had arrived at the cave entrance before the young woman. His eyes was suffused with excitement and grabbed towards her. With her cultivation base, she couldn¡¯t even react before she was directly snatched and her cultivation base was sealed.

    The man ignited his qi-essence in a secret art. When he did, his cultivation seemed to be pushed to the peak mid-Origin Core, just a step away fromte-stage, and he darted off like a criminal.

    Yan Zaizen softly pped in his concealed space. This man was decisive. He ignited his qi-essence instead of his Origin Core, his cultivation base won¡¯t suffer a decrease, but his body will most definitely be heavily injured as a result. Furthermore, igniting one¡¯s qi-essence was far weaker in terms of power increase.

    As if on cue, the other men dashed away decisively, notunching another strike. Before long, they had vanished, and the expressions of the women were dejected and depressed. There were even some who had tears in their eyes.

    A brief periodter, the earthen cage exploded revealing Madeleine¡¯s figure. Her eyes stared at the location they fled, but her expression was only a little dark. She sighed softly and ordered their retreat. They left in another direction.

    "Not following?" Yan Zaizen was curious. It didn¡¯t seem like the men wanted to kill the young woman, so pursuing was possible in that case. "Perhaps its because this is what she wanted?" Yan Zaizen stared at Madeleine¡¯s figure through the void. She had the capabilities to prevent her entrapment, but she epted her fate at thest minute.

    "Maybe it was because of the young woman¡¯s stupidity? Or a pre-nned plot?" Yan Zaizen shrugged.

    "...I¡¯m curious now." Yan Zaizen ended his concealment. With a step, he vanished towards the direction of the men.

 Chapter 277 Picking up the Pen

    The group of men traveled for quite a while. As they moved, a group member executed concealment methods to disguise their tracks. These methods were useless to Yan Zaizen, but he couldn¡¯t help but praise their professionalism.

    "In a realm where women were dominant, howe there are so many powerful men?" As he followed along, he honestly felt intrigued. As the men traveled, Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes lit up. There were a few powerful auras up ahead. There were three. All three were at the True Essence Realm, and all three had the distinctive signature of men.

    What shocked him further was that an old man pulsated an aura at the peak-True Essence Realm. This old man, as well as the rest, were hidden underground. The other group brought themselves to an empty field with an incapacitated young woman in tow. They brought out an odd stone that emanated dense earth energy.

    Suddenly, the earth opened up, and they fell inside. A few secondster, the ground snapped shut and returned to normal. It was a very odd scene, as if time was reversed.

    Yan Zaizen arrived soundlessly after them. He stood on the once disturbed ground, his eyes lit with intrigue. "This formation has an essence of heavenlyw, truew of earth. Minor-Manifestation?" His eyes became even brighter. It seems that the creator of this formation had the qualification to build their heavenly shrine¡¯s first floor.

    "The old man?" As he inspected further, he nodded in confirmation. The old man was currently cultivating earth-based arts, and they contained truew of earth from the heavens.

    "A worldw...this formation seems to also hinder, no, confuse sense?" As he continued his examination, he couldn¡¯t help but feel praise. His heavenly sense was powered by his sixth-floor Heavenly Shrine, so it was utterly incapable of affecting his sense. However, to someone like the Realmlord, it was more than sufficient.

    Taking a step, he entered the earth. With his prowess, how could this formation hinder him? It only took a second before he hovered beside the leader of the group of men. His body was covered by spatial camouge. He truly was like a ghost just silently observing.

    The leader had a bedraggled appearance. There was even a line of blood flowing from his lips. Every time he wiped it away, he¡¯d cough a few times, and it would appear again. Burning one¡¯s qi-essence was like setting off bombs in the body, it was devastating.

    However, the middle-aged man¡¯s eyes were filled with excitement. Ever so often, he would nce at the young woman, and his eyes would be further excited.

    "To be this excited...what is she?" He inspected her body, but besides a somewhat solid foundation, there was nothing else. He even peeked into her spatial possessions and found nothing of particr interest.

    "I guess I¡¯ll just observe and wait." For some reason, Yan Zaizen felt somewhat excited. It was as if he would find gold at the end of this path. However...

    After a few days, Yan Zaizen¡¯s expression was indifferent. "To use the girl as a bargaining chip to obtain a few drops of Heavenly Law Liquid? Haaa..."

    The young girl had a good background. She was the only daughter to ate-True Essence expert and this expert doted on her dearly. It seems this expert had been hoarding heavenly drops to prepare for her ascension to the heavenly path, so they were ckmailing her.

    "This world doesn¡¯tck heavenly materials of the earth-attribute, so it wouldn¡¯t be hard to gather those...however...only special tools, special locations, and heavenly experts can condense heavenlyw liquid...it makes sense." He felt somewhat foolish for believing gold was at the end of the road, but the situation was still interesting.

    The group of men was a part of a long-standing organization that stemmed for tens of thousands of years. They were slowly preparing for the ascension of a male heavenly expert to end the oppression.

    This reminded him of how in Grux, despite the rebellion having worked and ended in failure - the rebellious side still resorting to very - there were still those who wished to change the status quo. It was admirable and oddly inspiring.

    Unlike Grux, this situation was much more logical. After all, Grux¡¯s situation with the Deep Mines and resources meant it was either peaceful very or constant war and death. There was no good alternative.

    "However...this person¡¯s ideology is quite extreme." Yan Zaizen furrowed his brows slightly. The old man had an extreme idea of rebellion, and that was essentially enving women for their long-standing oppression of men. This frustrated Yan Zaizen even further, his first thought was to eliminate all parties, but he decided against it.

    Even if he did interfere, kill both parties to thest, that wasn¡¯t his way nor would it solve the underlying issue at hand. It would just be a race of which gender can create an absolute expert first.

    If he did nothing, then men would either lose this battle and maintain their unequal status or women will be subjected to even harsher conditions than men currently.

    "Haaa..." he softly sighed, the myriad realms were vastly different and many situations are birthed from circumstance and individual belief, but sometimes...they caused headaches.

    "From their reserves and hisprehension, his ascension will ur in the next ten or twenty years, if he can gather the rest of the heavenlyw liquid." He calcted the time left, then turned towards a direction. This direction was where the Realmlord was located. She was currently in the midst of constructing her second-floor.

    He took notice that, unlike him, others required quite a bit of time to construct their shrines. He recalled Lang Xue taking several years...It likely had to do with the refinement of heavenly material to heavenly source energy. As for Yan Zaizen, all heavenly materials were instantly converted to mimicry-attributed heavenly source energy, so he avoided a very time-consuming step.

    "Mhhmm..." A soft moan resounded in his soul. He sent his sense into his soul to find Pinaka moaning while moving a little. It seems her odd sleep within the Vast Expanse was wearing off, but it seemed to be rather slow.

    He didn¡¯t try to force her to wake. Instead, he thought quietly as he looked at her. "What...if...could....maybe If...." mutterings and iplete sentences were said constantly. Every second caused his eyes to grow more and more brilliant until it was as if he had found the answer to a long-sought-after question.

    "Haha! I just need to find the right person." With those words, he left the headquarters of the rebel male forces.

    As he padded in the sky, his eyes drifted from ce to ce. "Male or Female? Maybe both?" As he said this, his eyes brightened further. He couldn¡¯t help but feel deeply excited. "Is this how it feels to be a story writer? Haha!" As he recalled all the stories he had read in his youth, he couldn¡¯t help butugh out loud.

    "This is going to be fun!"

    -----

    In a city called Sun Cross City, there was a young boy. This boy was around eleven or twelve years of age, his body was quite slim, his eyes were radiant, but his expression was exhausted. There were bruises over his body and even scars on his hands.

    He held a shear and was pruning bushes of a wealthy family. For years, his father, his grandfather, and his great-grandfather had taken the upation of gardening. They had even served this specific family for a while. His technique was clearly well-honed, and his eyes were focused and akin to a master performing his craft.

    Nearby were female guards watching him, their eyes were calm, but there was a distinct pride and superiority between their brows.

    The young boy continued to work. Several minutester, he triumphantly wiped the sweat off his brow. With a slight smile of pride, he appraised his work and nodded. In all respects, it was truly superb.

    However, just as he was about to leave, a woman walked out of the door. Her eyes sharp and effusing a high sense of self-worth. As she waltzed over to the young man, she didn¡¯t even nce at the boy. She looked only at the bush. With a wave of her hand, a surge of qi destroyed the bush.

    "I don¡¯t like it. You¡¯re fired." The young woman indifferently spat.

    The young boy¡¯s eyes widened. The leaves from the bush pped him in the face, and those words pped him in the mind.

    The young woman was the recent wife of the family leader. The family leader had a powerful mother and thus had a powerful enough backing to marry a nobledy. However, she was incredibly prejudiced towards male workers, recing them all with female counterparts. It was only because he left no reason for the family to remove him and his family¡¯s long-term service that he was the only male worker on the property.

    It seemed that today was the day that the woman had convinced the family head to do so.

    "Also, you can forget finding work in this town." She added, her eyes that were indifferent was also suffused with a little hatred. If it wasn¡¯t for this young boy, would she have to beg a man to get what she wished? The act of needing permission from the family head left her angered and entirely willing to push it all on this young boy.

    "I...I..." Over a hundred years of service ended on the biased words of a single woman. However, before he could sift through his thoughts so he can feel enraged or plead if need be, the guards seemed prepared, they directly grabbed him and escorted him out.

    Before he knew it, he was thrown on his back outside the family¡¯s grounds.

    Only after several dozen minutes did he pick up his cutting shears and walk home. He entered the ghetto. Here, there were quite a few ugly women and dirty men who lingered about. He arrived at an old wooden hut and arrived within.

    In this hut was only two beds. On one of these beds was a pale, sickly man who coughed every so often. The young man arrived next to the bed, grabbing the rag nearby and dabbing it in a pot of water. He carefully wiped the umted sweat from the man¡¯s forehead.

    "Da-Damian..." the man opened his eyes and weakly said. Seeing this young man of his, he couldn¡¯t help but be proud. However, he could see the boy¡¯s eyes were calmer than usual.

    "Son, what happened? Why are you not working at this time?" Checking the time, he knew it was too early for Damian

    "Nothing, Father. I just got off work earlier, with permission. I¡¯ll be working early tomorrow as a result." The young boy smiled, his eyes or his smile betrayed the pain in his heart. "I just wanted to make sure you were okay, so be sure to rest."

    The man felt something off, but trusted this reliable son of his and rested.

    Later that day, in his bed, the young man couldn¡¯t sleep. His thoughts were in disarray, but his will was firm like steel. "I¡¯ll find work somehow father...For you."

 Chapter 278 Searching for Stone

    "Get out!" A gravelly voice sounded followed by a heavy thump of flesh meeting solid ground. A soft cry of pain also followed, but there were grumbles as if the person attempted to stifle his voice.

    A rather olddy, about upper middle-aged and quite heavy-set, walked out of a building¡¯s entrance. The entrance could barely fit the woman in width. This was a liquor shop and bar, selling cheap and allowing ease of purchase, and thedy was its manager.

    The one thrown out forcefully was a young man no older than twelve. He was covered in scratches and dirt. This was Damian.

    "I have no need for pathetic boys here. Take your pity show and hike it! Ptui!" Thedy spat at Damian. Quite literally. Her words were aggressive and drew in the crowd¡¯s eyes. Some of the men in distance had their eyes flicker with a sorrowful light, and although they seemed to express the desire to say a few words, no one stepped up.

    Damian had a wad of spit on his left cheek, but his eyes didn¡¯t seem to contain a hint of anger or hatred. He simply stood up, calmly wiped off the spit, and deeply bowed. "Thank you for listening, I apologize if I was an inconvenience. Have a nice day, Barmaster Grenda." His words were the epitome of respect, and his actions were exceptional.

    The calm response left Barmaster Grenda reeling in shock. Not only her, quite a few who were watching were also in shock. If they had suffered such a violent response filled with disgust and violence, could they remain so calm? Could anyone?

    Damian, however, did. After bidding farewell, he calmly left and his eyes seemed to be contemting other matters. The matters on his mind was finding a job, which was bing more difficult by the minute. With the family head¡¯s wife cklisting him from gardening jobs, he could only attempt to work in the upation of manualbor.

    However, he was too young, he had no backing, and most importantly, he wasn¡¯t female. Despite females often avoiding jobs of manualbor, if they wished for it, it would be an easy task to obtain in this society. And although males often worked in manualbor, there was too muchpetition for a young boy to win during the hiring process.

    He didn¡¯t have the resources to cultivate in the Bodily Path, or even a high qi cultivation base - being only at the initial-Qi Cyclone. While the first realm of the Essence Path, the realm of Qi Foundation, was easy to enter and progress in without resources, unless you had resources, a good environment, good cultivation method, or decent talent, progressing through the Qi Cyclone Realm was too difficult.

    Yan Zaizen was sixteen and still in the realm, so one could see the difficulties.

    After an entire day, Damian had asked essentially all of the employers he possibly could in Sun Cross City. Some were kind, they would simply reject him with an excuse. Others would directly assault or insult him and his intelligence orpetence. Just like Barmaster Grenda, they would kick him out decisively.

    He returned home to his father who was still pale and coughing often. Taking care of his father was his top priority, and to do that, he needed an ie stream for medicine and food.

    "Urgh...cough...Da-Damian..." Damian¡¯s father weakly called. Damian quietly scurried over, his hand grabbing his father¡¯s. His hand was quite cold and it caused Yan Zaizen to frown slightly. "Yes?"

    "Is...cough...cough...is everything okay?"

    "Mhm. Just worked a littleter today, just a littlete. No worries." Damian smiled, but this smile wasn¡¯t false and filled with a genuineness that was hard toe by in this world. It was untainted by hardship and reality.

    It was only after a while that he cated his father¡¯s worries andid in bed. His eyes that had the glimmer of youth still burned with an ardent light. "I need to buy more food tomorrow...with the medicine costs added...we have enough for three days, five if I cut back my portions. During that time, I¡¯ll find a job!" With his mind focused on his goal, he slept peacefully.

    Five dayster.

    Sitting at the entrance to this shoddy hut he called home, Damian felt his heart plummet in the depths of a frosty world. He had run out of savings, had exhausted every option but not a single person was willing to hire him in the entire city, even when he threw away his pride and resorted to begging on his knees. They simplyughed, kicked, and spat at him.

    It was disheartening.

    "How can I take care of father? Be a hunter?" As he contemted the options left, he felt a stifling feeling as if the world around him was shrinking and on the verge of copse.

    A hunter was as it exined but a tad bit moreplex. They were more so scavengers than hunters. In this realm, divine beasts didn¡¯t inhabit the world, only humans and standard beasts. These beasts would be hunted often, but the world mostly breeds creatures in-house and ughters them for food, there was essentially no need to hunt, but still a need to pay.

    Hunting involved trying to obtain heavenly materials or earthly herbs. The heavenly materials in this realm are often called Objects of Law, as they are infused with truew and sometimes, specific conceptualws. If found, they are used to craft armaments, talismans, formations, or even array gs. The uses were nearly endless and practiced widely.

    As for earthly herbs, used for poisons, alchemy, and sometimes cultivation as they can often gather essence energy, even those of an attributed nature. Hunters hunt for these objects and thepetition is fiercely aggressive and deadly. Without a profound cultivation base, it was no different than courting death.

    This didn¡¯t factor in the environments that herbs or heavenly materials were birthed. They weren¡¯t always friendly and can have some dangerous natural formations surrounding them. If one was careless or weak, a single misstep can reap your life away faster than you can blink.

    "The surrounding areas are too dangerous...but...do I have a choice?" Cultivating has never been a priority for him. Not only was his talent average, but his resources, methods, and arts were practically non-existent. Even if he cultivated, he¡¯d be all tower and no foundation. "Well, its this or robbery, but I clearly don¡¯t have the strength for thetter."

    The next day, he readied himself and told his father that he was going to be gone for most of the day in an especially long project, but he should be back by tomorrow morning. After stringing up some food from the neighbors, which was as difficult as asking a cat for their catnip, and setting aside clean water and a tad bit of crushed medicine that barely covered a day¡¯s worth, he was set to depart.

    "I¡¯ll be back father!" With a smile and a chuckle, one filled with confidence and happiness, he left. His attitude and beliefs had never been tainted and neither has his resolve.

    Several minutes passed before his father spoke, his eyes weak but tears flowed in an endless stream. How could he not notice his son¡¯s bruises from the abuse of rejection or the attempt to hide away the food he was eating to prevent him from knowing it was lesser or the longer hours each day? As his father, how could he not notice?!?!

    "..." The amount of sorrow he felt was heart-wrenching. Why did he have to be sick? Why did he have to fail as a father? If...if he was born a woman, could he have given Damian the life he deserved?! Alone and crying heid, unable to work, unable to leave this shoddy hut, and filled with prayers for his son¡¯s safety.

    "I think he¡¯ll do, maybe I need to change my ns a little." A soft voice echoed like a ghost within the hut.

    -----

    The Ridge had an ordinary name, but it was quite exceptional. For beginning hunters, it was the ideal location. Oftentimes with a little digging, one could find Objects of Law rted to the Law of Stone. The Law of Stone was a Mortal Law that embodied the essence of a stone, dense and hard solid material. If lucky, these stones could contain traces of earth or metalws!

    The Law of Stone was an interestingw, and many often confuse it with the Law of Earth. However, before essence is refined into crystal, its often in a stone like form. Essence stones were typically in special locations or mines. Refining them was an exceptionally easy task that any cultivator could do, so its very unlikely to find an unrefined essence crystal.

    The Law of Stone could be described as thew of solidness of a material, be it earth, metal, essence, or water. If not, how could heavenly materials of fire, water, and even wind exist in stone form?

    There wasn¡¯t much danger in this area, mostly because it has been mostly cleaned out. Whatever¡¯s left is little leftovers and that was enough for hunters starting out in the beginning.

    A small boy was at the edge of The Ridge, his eyes surveying the area. He wasn¡¯t the only one and he wasn¡¯t the only male. In truth, there were dozens of people around, mostly young ones like Damian and they were all males.

    They seemed to have their own struggles as they searched relentlessly. Some didn¡¯t bring shovels, like Damian, either because they can¡¯t afford one or they didn¡¯t think about it, so they had to use their hands or normal rocks with sharp edges.

    There were a few that¡¯d use their qi to dig, but with their foundation, it was a brief excavation before exhaustion. Without essence liquid to recover, they had to spend hours or even days to fully recover.

    After several hours, Damian found nothing. His body was drenched in sweat and his hands were bloody, but he didn¡¯t stop.

    "Ahh!" A voice eximed nearby attracting everyone¡¯s attention. A boy, no older than sixteen, had found an object and held it in his hand with excitement written on his face. "I found a-"

    Boom!

    Just as he was in the midst of his excitement, a bone-crunching sound caused everyone¡¯s heart to tense. A rock had flown at rapid speeds and turned the boy¡¯s head to mush. His brain matter and pieces of his cranium had sshed on Damian¡¯s face. His left eye twitched in reflex.

    A figure appeared beside the headless boy. It was a cute figure, a young woman no older than ten? Maybe eleven. She grabbed the stone from the boy¡¯s corpse. For some reason, Damian felt bone snapping sounds as if the boy, even in death, refused to give up the rock.

    The young, cute girl appraised the rock and frowned. "Damn! It¡¯s just a normal rock. Idiot! Excited for nothing." She kicked the boy¡¯s body in frustration and left with an adorable pout.

    "..." For the next ten minutes, Damian was frozen. The others, however, returned to searching and cing the rocks, regardless of special or normal, into their bags. When its full, whether they find something or not, at least their lives wouldn¡¯t be taken as they returned home.

    "I need to find something for father." Snapping out of his daze, he continued searching with his bare hands.

    He had to.

 Chapter 279 Master-Disciple

    The bright moon hung silently in the sky. While most of the area slept peacefully, Damian was still searching relentlessly. At this point, the skin of his fingers were nearly non-existent. He had dug for so long that he felt like a machine, but he had no luck. Not a single Object of Law was revealed.

    The first thing to give out was his arms. They were sore and turned limp like soggy noodles. Even if he wanted to continue digging, he was physically incapable. There was a distinct glimmer in his eye still burning with the ardent mes of youth, but it was noticeably weaker.

    The next to give out was his legs. After putting his entire body in digging, his legs suffered greatly. Like a cracked table leg, he fell.

    On the ground, heid on his back calmly as he looked at the stars. "Beautiful..." The stars were always beautiful no matter what realm or heaven you were in, the stars were dazzling and contained boundless mysteries. The worries he had still remained, but inparison to the stars, they were smaller than a speck of dust.

    "I...I can sell some things tomorrow to meet daily demands. Yeah. I still have a few things..." Despite these ¡¯things¡¯ he mentioned seemingly being trivial, they included precious family mementos that contained sentimental value. All of which were on his father¡¯s side and none of his mother¡¯s.

    "It¡¯ll be fine. Tomorrow, I¡¯ll find something. I know I will." With a smile, he chuckled lightly beneath the stars. It was as if the future was bright and could never be dimmer than his beliefs.

    Yan Zaizen floated about nearby, his eyes shining in spatial concealment. "His optimism is unbelievable, almost foolish. I must say, he¡¯s almost nothing like my younger self. Even his talent is better than mines...haaa..." Over the past few days, Yan Zaizen had watched Damian¡¯s life with rapt attention.

    Initially, what caught his interest was him being kind despite being spat on and thrown out. He wanted to know if he was the cunning type, willing to seek revenge over the smallest offense in the future, but it waspletely different. He truly had no heart for revenge. It was as if, no matter how others treated him, his life and choices was the only things that mattered.

    All other things, the insults, the derogatory remarks, the inferior natural status of men, or violent attacks were nothing but dust in the wind.

    At the moment, even though he may be killed for finding a treasure, he still continued regardless, all so he could take care of his father. This gained his approval on many levels.

    At first, Yan Zaizen was thinking about creating his own storyline. A male and female experiences an exceptional lucky chance, guided by a powerful expert(him), and rising to prominence in a short period of time. With this, they would overturn the situation that was this realm¡¯s issues.

    Now, he had no heart for that.

    "In this life, I haven¡¯t taken a disciple. What better way than to do so here? And if he decides to kill all those who kicked him, spat on him, or insulted him, I have no objections in that either. As for this realm?" Yan Zaizen softly smiled, then a sudden thought entered his mind.

    "Is this what it means to dote on someone?" He found it quite amusing that he was already biased towards this youngster.

    "I think you should take him as your disciple." Pinaka¡¯s voice echoed in his soul, her tone was ratherzy as if she had just woken from sleep.

    "Oh?" He found it shocking that Pinaka had awakened at this time. However, considering her words, it seemed like she had been awake and aware for quite some time, yet unwilling to say anything.

    "I approve, if that means anything," she casually said.

    "It means everything! With that, it¡¯s settled." Yan Zaizenughed, his soul form appearing besides Pinaka. He inspected her soul form. "Do you know what happened to you?" He was quite curious about Pinaka¡¯s abrupt slumber in the Vast Expanse. He had his own guesses but he wanted to hear her recount her situation.

    "I¡¯m not sure...It was like my entire being went into slumber...I couldn¡¯t control it. However, I was conscious, just not capable of doing much. As if it was locked in." Pinaka thought for a moment and exined.

    "Existential Slumber. Is it because of the Law or Path of True Spirit doesn¡¯t exist in the Vast Expanse?" In the Non Universe, the heavens didn¡¯t exist so hisws were useless, and if they were disconnected from their origins, then perhaps that happened to Pinaka?

    This was the likeliest scenario and the one he believed the most. It also answered a question he had for a long time. Somehow, the True Spirit Path was officially recognized by the heavens but generally ouwed. The 27th, 17th, and 7th Heavens¡¯ Heavenly Domains didn¡¯t have a trace of theplete True Spirit Path, but they did have the Spirit Form Path.

    If the Essence Path is a prelude to the Heavenly Path, then the Spirit Form Path is a prelude to the True Spirit Path. However, it seems the True Spirit Path portion was thoroughly corrupted in some way where the Heavenly Gods of these heavens were unified in their decision to ouw.

    Its possible it was simr to the Sirius Path. It was inherently wed and thus unable to be an Eternal Path like Fiendgod Path, Bodily Path, Bestial Path, or Soul Source Path. It needed to be added manually to the True Origin of the Heavens.

    However, the Herculean Path was obviously an Eternal Path, but one that exceeds the Heavenly Domain, and thus could not be housed within the domain. This was his conclusion after factoring in what he knew. The heavens simply were inadequate to contain the Herculean Law and Path.

    However, it being ouwed was the 27th Heavenly God¡¯s choice. To be more specific, it was the Extreme Rebirth Heavenly God¡¯s choice. Before, the Chaos Origin Heavenly God had no restriction over it.

    If what he believes is true, then a way he couldplete his promises to Pinaka was to request a Heavenly God to allow the True Spirit Path within the heavens and convert her soul form via soulws into a conventional one.

    However, saying this and doing it was fundamentally different. This was merely a single way, however. It¡¯s possible that there may be other circumstances that would allow him to do so without such drastic action.

    "So, shall you take him as your disciple or what?" Noticing Yan Zaizen was slowly deviating from the main subject, Pinaka questioned.

    "Mhm." He stepped backwards, traveling out of Damian¡¯s sight, and cancelled his concealment art. If he just cancelled he might cause his disciple-to-be to die of fright. Unwilling to see this, he did so at a distance.

    At first, he was thinking of a grand entrance. If he appeared from a thunderbolt or from a world-sized rift in the sky! He would descend like an immortal of legend and take thismoner as his disciple. It would be spectacr! However, it would be shy. He wasn¡¯t sure if that fit him personally.

    Initially, he was going to leave two astral remnants with his two selections and some cultivation methods he had ¡¯imed¡¯ from others. With resources he had in his ring, their rise was unstoppable. However, this was his disciple! What need was there to be so roundabout?

    The best method is the most direct kind.

    Step.

    Step.

    Step.

    Damian awoke from his tired daze of dreams of happiness. His blurry vision caught sight of an amber-gold figure. This figure was tall, muscr, and had eyes that seemed like amber-gold stars in a sea of white!

    He felt like he was dreaming.

    It was only after he rubbed his eyes and blinked a few times did he notice Yan Zaizen standing a few feet away from him. To a child no older than twelve to be near a person of Yan Zaizen¡¯s stature, he felt small and insignificant.

    "ho-how may I help you, sir?" Damian¡¯s words were cautious as he tried to get up and perform a proper greeting. Unfortunately, his legs were wobbly and his arms still hurt.

    "Help me?" Yan Zaizen smiled, cing his hand on his chin. His fingers lightly caressed the bottom as if in thought, "I wonder...oh! If you¡¯re willing to be the disciple of I, Yan Zaizen, you would help me greatly."

    "W-wh-what?!" Stammering in shock, Damian felt the situation was surreal. He had never met this man in his life, yet he wanted him to be his disciple? Why?

    "No need to think about the why. When you¡¯ve reached my level of strength, the why isn¡¯t important and is almost always: ¡¯because I feel like it.¡¯" He chuckled a little, his eyes beaming with amusement.

    If only Han Genji was as cool as he imagined himself being right now. Instead, Han Genji ughtered a few people and kidnapped him suddenly without question. He felt as if his life was hanging on a yes to being his disciple. That was definitely a bad start for a disciple-master rtionship. After all, it was built on death and force.

    "..." Speechless, Damian felt the entire situation was surreal. Was he dreaming?

    "Come on, give me an answer. I¡¯m not a patient one." Yan Zaizen furrowed his brows slightly in feigned impatience.

    Seeing Yan Zaizen growing visibly impatient, his heart thumped in agitation. He had the inkling of a feeling that, if he refused, his life would never change. "Y-yes!" Damian answered stuttering throughout.

    "Yes what?"

    "Yes, Master!" He kowtowed immediately three times on the spot. There was no hesitation in his actions and it left Yan Zaizen startled. This boy¡¯s hands were nearly all muscle and his legs had minor fractures, but he acted quickly. Even the pain that afflicted him was stifling deeply. This level of decisiveness was both admirable and a little worrying, but if one hit rock bottom, then why would they ever refuse a free meal?

    "Good. Excellent. Splendid!" He felt excited as well, almost as much as Damian. "Now...Pinaka, how does one go about teaching a disciple?" As someone with no experience, he asked without any hesitation.

    "..."

 Chapter 280 Baptism of Lifeforce

    "Figure it out." Pinaka snorted softly and ignored Yan Zaizen. "I¡¯m going to recover my soulforce," she abruptly said, turning into a dot of light that silently siphoned Yan Zaizen¡¯s soul-attributed vital energy and soul energy to bolster her own.

    "..." Yan Zaizen¡¯s inner expression was ugly, but his outward expression before Damian was dignified and smiling. In his thoughts, "really? Aren¡¯t you supposed to be..."

    Then it hit him.

    When he was learning from Pinaka, she essentially transmitted the conceptual method to him, she chose suitable methods and arts based on what he already cultivated or just top-tier and could be cultivated, and exined the basis of cultivation to him. However...

    "Does she not know how to instruct a disciple properly?" Thinking about it, Pinaka was more a mentor of the cultivation way with a slight word of guidance, but she never offered a single word of instruction, but simply filled in his gaps of knowledge. Not a single word. His Non-Entity qualities had easily covered this, but on further thought, Pinaka seemed quite useless in terms teaching things.

    It makes sense.

    Pinaka was a True Spirit, a creation from a wed path that couldn¡¯t cultivate any arts, be it soul, qi, or martial. Even in terms of the Dao, she spected and guessed during the Asura Phantom Realm, sounding quite unsure of sess. This wasn¡¯t the only incident.

    Throughout his entire life, she had done nothing more than fill in gaps and specte. There were even times she had no clue of things, even Yan Zaizen¡¯s own knowledge exceeded hers in some aspects.

    He was quite sure that Pinaka didn¡¯t even understand the profoundness of thews inscribed on her...after all, she never taught him anything rting to it, even though his Archery of Pure Destruction had alwaysgged behind his other abilities.

    In retrospect, his question earlier entuated her disadvantages and heightened the notice of her limitations as a True Spirit. The ws were now clearly apparent. An intelligent lifeform that had a soul but couldn¡¯t use soul energy, relied on external formations or metallic bodies for growth, and...

    "..." He wanted to apologize but...would that be insensitive? In the end, he decided against it and that he would make it up to her in the future somehow.

    Looking at Damian, he couldn¡¯t help but smile. He waved his hand, a white me engulfed Damian. Shockingly, Damian didn¡¯t even utter a sound. He clenched his teeth and hoped for the best.

    This white me engulfed him and suffused his body with an uncanny and powerful force. This force was lifeforce. The wounds on his body healed instantly. As it continued to wash over his body, the lifeforce entrenched in his bones, blood, heart, brain, and muscles. Before long, his body had received a baptism of lifeforce.

    It was brief, but this single action would ce him as invincible to all those beneath the Qi Unification Realm.

    The me dissipated leaving only a wide-eyed and shocked Damian. His eyes not only contained disbelief, but when he looked at Yan Zaizen, they were filled with reverence and respect.

    "You can call that the first gift of our rtionship." Seeing how he¡¯ll have to wing this master role, he decided to bless Damian with good fortune.

    However, just as he was about to continue speaking, his eyes flickered briefly. "Oh? Maybe...I think two will do."

    "Master?" Confused by Yan Zaizen¡¯s sudden words, Damian looked at Yan Zaizen expectantly. From those words, he felt that a second gift will be bestowed. Currently, he felt an exceptionally powerful force surging in his body, and it nearly intoxicated him.

    However, Yan Zaizen chuckled and said, "Let¡¯s meet your Junior Sister." He waved his hand to produce a sword. This sword was a low-grade, sky-rank armament. It floated silently beside Damian.

    He was a little confused by all these magical things and odd words, "Junior Sister?"

    "Your second gift. Step on it. I¡¯m not a patient one." With a smile, he calmly said. His eyes radiating a light of dignity and profound power.

    Damian nodded, stepping on the sword, further exhibiting his astonishing decisiveness. The sword lifted slightly and Damian felt his bnce break, but a soft light emitted from the sword that propped him up. Stabilizing himself, his eyes grew even more excited.

    "A flying sword?!" He had heard of these armaments. They were like sword-shaped skyships. However, they only held one or two people. They were exceptionally expensive and only top-tier cultivators had them.

    Even Origin Core Realm experts could only drool at this, at least...that¡¯s the rumor.

    "Mhm. Your third gift will be given with the third gift of your Junior Sister. Let¡¯s go." He floated without warning and flew. The sword followed behind by his will. For now, Damian couldn¡¯t control a sky-rank armament, even if it was a miniature skyship.

    -----

    In the capital of the Graceful Sword Realm, there was a young maid. She was around sixteen or seventeen, her looks passable, with a lithe figure. This young maid serviced another young girl, about twelve or thirteen years of age. She had eyes of pride and dignity, but also a calmness rare in youths.

    They were in the core residential area of the zing Forest Mortal Faction, a sub-faction to the Graceful Sword Heavenly Faction - the top Heavenly Faction in the Graceful Sword Realm and ruler of the realm.

    In the 17th Realm, Factions were like a mixture of a Sect - following a certain doctrine in operation(i.e upations like alchemy and armament creation, cultivation methods, orws), and Guilds - a group of people seeking amon goal and protection. It isprised of many families, even ns. Theplexities within is often mind-boggling and hard to navigate.

    The young girl belonged to the ze n, one of the top two ns within the zing Forest Mortal Faction. The other being the Grove n.

    There were three figures before the young girl and maid, all three female. Within this group, a familiar face was among them.

    It was Madeleine!

    She had a calm expression but a respectful posture as she narrated the events that took ce earlier. To others, they may think this young girl was defenseless and too young, but this girl¡¯s identity was shocking!

    She was the n Lord of the ze n! Her cultivation was at thete-True Essence Realm!

    "They¡¯ve taken her?" Despite looking like a young girl, she had a husky voice simr to a heavy smoker. It was quite surreal and felt as if it was an illusion. This young girl was also a mother, the mother of the girl snatched earlier.

    "Yes," Madeleine respectfully replied. However, despite receiving this confirmation, the n Lord¡¯s eyes lit up and a smile formed on her lips.

    "Men, truly fools." She directly insulted,ter adding, "if you show them a piece of flesh, they would hound towards it mindlessly."

    When this was said, the young maid refilling a drink¡¯s expression subtly shifted. However, her actions wasn¡¯t impeded as she poured professionally.

    "Lord Dana, if I may ask, how did you know they¡¯ll take the bait? You kept word of her travels isted." A woman beside Madeleine curiously asked. Even Madeleine was intrigued. Their travels were truly kept isted, and although information leakage may exist, it shouldn¡¯t be enough to actionably organize a squad and ambush them so thoroughly.

    Now, a false nt has been sent to the men¡¯s headquarters. It wouldn¡¯t be long before their base was located and their entire force upended in a deadly assault.

    Lord Dana smirked, sipping some wine from her newly refilled ss, "Easy. A fly on the wall." When she said this, she turned towards the maid suddenly with an even wider smirk. "I think its about time to squash it. It has long outlived it usefulness."

    "!" The young maid¡¯s eyes widened suddenly, and as if she was going to say something and perhaps beg, she instead threw a orb forwards. This orb was the size of a child¡¯s marble, but it emanated deep earth energy. It seemed to contain the essence of earthw.

    "Haha! Your death will not be swift, but I must thank you, your actions have allowed us to end this pathetic insurgency." Lord Dana cackled, with a wave of her hand, fire-attributed true-essence shrouded the marble and rendered it useless. Her cultivation base had suddenly risen as well!

    Peak-True Essence Realm!

    Witnessing this, the young maid attempted to dash away. However, her cultivation base was only at the Initial-Qi Unification Realm; running away was but a dream in this terrifying reality. This was even more true with Lord Dana¡¯s cultivation base being thoroughly exposed.

    Her only hope was that talisman crafted by her leader, but it was sealed nearly in an instant. This was outside of her calctions.

    It wasn¡¯t long before she was shrouded in a me cage. She was naked, her clothes previously burnt to ashes, but her skin was only a little red from the heat. Lord Dana¡¯s control of fire was truly exceptional, mot burning her but removing all other possessions.

    "Fly, fly, little fly, where will you hide~? When will you die~? Haha." Lord Dana felt utterly triumphant. She had properly used a spy to feed false information, cultivating ignorance for this one single blow to any resistance to the current regime. Now that she no longer had any usefulness, her death will be satisfying. With this action, she would be thoroughly rewarded by the Realmlord.

    Maybe even ascending into the Heavenly Path wasn¡¯t a dream!

    The young maid, the spy, only closed her eyes and calmly awaited death. The only regret she had was that the end of the resistance will be due to her ipetence.

 Chapter 281 Amy Burr

    Yan Zaizen and Damian floated outside the residential pce of the ze n¡¯s n Lord. Damian¡¯s eyes were quite interesting. The light in them was filled with amazement and vigor. The act of flying thousands of li in a brief period left his heart pounding in excitement.

    Whenever he looked towards this master of his, he couldn¡¯t help but be curious. What did he see in him? He was nothing but a kid gardener with no outstanding talents. There was nothing else, but he didn¡¯t dare question his master¡¯s decision making.

    "He¡¯s definitely a True Lord!" A True Lord was a title for True Essence experts, and essentially the peak powerhouses outside of the Realmlord and her twin guardians who¡¯ve stepped into the heavens. When his mind spected Yan Zaizen¡¯s cultivation base, he felt even more excited.

    While Damian was lost in his excitement, Yan Zaizen was looking down at this pce before him. Within this luxurious pce, a young woman was trapped in a cage of fire. This young woman was a spy for the male insurgency.

    When he casually swept his sense over the realm earlier, this girl particrly stood out. Her actions at the time were of her arranging additional food for the male workers of the pce in secret. Her eyes had a hint of kindness and exuded a light of intelligence.

    Furthermore, she intrigued him.

    "A woman with exceptional talent, decent looks, and high intelligence relegated as a spy, acting as a maid for an insurgency against the realm¡¯s status quo." This truly baffled him. "Did she wish for the insurgency to seed and enforce an era of female oppression?"

    Her name was Amy Burr, a member of the Burr Family who worked for the zing Forest Mortal Faction¡¯s Grove n. They also had ties to the ze n. These ties and long-developed trust was why she could work personally for a True Lord of the ze n¡¯s n Lord.

    Her actions were reckless, implicating the Burr Family and even her life could be lost at the slightest carelessness. To risk all of this to help enable female oppression as a female yourself truly felt mind-boggling!

    It¡¯s possible she had a belief instilled into her by the insurgency or was falsely strung along by a false doctrine. Nevertheless, to be able to perform the job she¡¯s doing without a keen perception of circumstances seemed unlikely.

    "Let¡¯s see." Yan Zaizen¡¯s gaze pierced all obstructions and saw Amy in her bare naked, nearly roasted state. Her eyes were closed, and her breathing was calm. It was as if she was waiting for death, and indeed she was.

    "Greetings." Yan Zaizen soul transmitted, his voice bolstered by his dao instilling a sovereign¡¯s tone.

    "What?!" Amy¡¯s eyes opened in shock, her gaze confused and her heart trembled at this voice. As a cultivator of her level, she knew what a soul transmission was, but what shocked her was the fact she was receiving one.

    "Who...are you?" Her soul¡¯s voice was timid, yet calm. Yan Zaizen couldn¡¯t help but praise her calmness in the face of his voice. This only further proved that she was special, especially in terms of her mind.

    "Who I am doesn¡¯t matter, yet. However, I do have a question for you." Ignoring her curiosity, Yan Zaizen directly went to his objective.

    "..." Amy didn¡¯t respond, her eyes flickering with an intelligent and profound light. One could clearly see a myriad of calctions and possibilities surging in her mind. Yet, in the end, her eyes deted as she couldn¡¯tprehend the situation.

    This person was a male; he also could transmit his soul energy to her with the n Lord being none the wiser. After all, Lord Dana was still parading the fact of her victory and exining things to her subordinates. Despite her young girl form, she was quite a braggart. This much she knew, and she could even hear it, a purposeful ploy by Lord Dana to gloat in her face.

    "Why?" Yan Zaizen asked.

    "..." Amy couldn¡¯t understand Yan Zaizen¡¯s question, and she was still debating if she should answer.

    "Why did you help the male insurgents?" He rified, his words seemed to contain an odd power. This power emanated boundless warmth. When Amy heard this, she felt as if she could trust this man with her life. It was as if he contained all the warmth the world had to offer, and she wished to embrace it thoroughly.

    "I...I di-did it..." As she tried to answer, her words became choppy and hesitant. Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes lit up like two suns. "She¡¯s resisting the influence of my dao?" This was even more soul-shocking than her calm mentality.

    The Dao, especially his Dao, was exceptional beyond belief. Lin Feilin and Ma Xiuren were examples of such. With a word, he could influence their feelings, actions, and beliefs. It was startling and nearly devilish.

    Yet, this young woman at the Qi Unification Realm could resist its influence. "Is it the soul or...something else?" As he pondered, he asked the question once more, this time with his dao deeply entrenched within.

    "I did it because...the world isn¡¯t fair. It isn¡¯t equal and..." As she spoke, her words were very broad and a little confusing to hear.

    "The world, no matter what world, will never be equal. It will never be fair. Before birth, at conception, we are defined by our gics and parents. Then, we can use this and grow how we wish, further establishing inequality amongst others." Yan Zaizen said, directly destroying her reasoning. In truth, he even frowned at her words.

    When has the world ever been equal? When has it been fair? Wishing for such a thing was impossible, unless you destroy individuality, intelligence, race, and species ssification.

    This didn¡¯t even include the fact that the male insurgency didn¡¯t wish for inequality, but a shift in the status quo in regards to genders. Supporting either side meant one would have to suffer.

    "...I mean, the world we live in isn¡¯t fair." Her words were downcast and contained a deep sorrow. "Me and my brother were born together, our talents the same, our parents our the same, even our gics are the deeply simr...yet...he and I are not equals. Gender shouldn¡¯t determine inequality! Only strength!" She lowly shouted, her emotions riled.

    Yan Zaizen was taken aback. The fact such an event could happen did feel slightly ludicrous. Yet, he felt there was still more unsaid. Supporting the insurgency doesn¡¯t help...

    Oh.

    Yan Zaizen slightly smiled, "You wish to pit two forces against each other, weaken them in the process, and then what? Or use them as a springboard for resources by helping both sides? Increasing your own power and knowledge as a result? Change the current standards to strength and talent?"

    Amy¡¯s body trembled. It was like an earthquake had shaken her entire body. "..."

    "Fine, fine. I¡¯m sure those weren¡¯t your only ns, but in your situation, all of it is ashes now, no?" Yan Zaizen¡¯s voice was a little cold and mocking.

    "Think whatever you want." Amy closed her eyes, unwilling to exin further.

    Yan Zaizen felt her ideology and intelligence exceeded his calctions. This left him with even more praises. He had picked her out because of curiosity, but her beliefs were aligned towards ¡¯might makes right.¡¯ It was quite brutish, but an absolute truth in this world and something he agreed with.

    How else did this status quo even begin? A strong individual, stronger than all others, had a belief they enforced. Furthermore, no one had the capital to challenge said beliefs.

    If Yan Zaizen decided to casually kill this expert because of their belief, who would or could stop him? If he decided to say the rules will be inverted from then on? People will only believe that the previous way was wed and his way was perfect.

    Many males in this realm already believed in the unequal standard imposed, and they live by it with no objections as if it was as natural as breathing and sleeping.

    "In that case, I have one more question."

    "...?"

    "Do you ept I, Yan Zaizen, as your master?" Yan Zaizen¡¯s words no longer contained his dao, and his question was said in the calmest tone imaginable. It was as if, if she decides to refuse, he would continue on his life without looking back.

    "Master?" She was startled. Who was this person? Why did he do all this and what did he want her as a disciple for? However, her eyes flickered slightly. Normally, a male and a female master and disciple rtionship were forbidden by realmw. Thisw meant only women epted women, and men epted men.

    It further weakened the gender, disallowing males from obtaining powerful inheritances and structures. The entire social, economical, and power structure benefited females and suppressed men. The only difference is that men were not turned into ves.

    "Huuu...Haaa..." Taking a deep breath and exhaling, she closed her eyes. "I, Amy Burr of the Burr Family, is honored to be your disciple, Master." To her, who cared about the norms? If she refused, wasn¡¯t that the same as epting her death?

    Yan Zaizen nodded. He tapped his finger at the void. When this finger touched empty space, a ripple emerged. Amy Burr¡¯s body was covered in spatial energy, and her body rippled like water.

    Shuu!

    She vanished from her fiery cage, appearing beside Yan Zaizen and Damian. She didn¡¯t have any clothes on, but a white light covered her torso and groin, disallowing herself from being seen by anyone.

    Damian jumped in fright when a young woman appeared before him shrouded in white light. "Is this my Junior Sister? But...she¡¯s..." Damian obviously noticed the age difference.

    Yan Zaizen chuckled at his odd, yet hrious expression and ignored Amy¡¯s inquisitive look. "Let¡¯s talk elsewhere." He ced his thumb to his middle-finger and smiled.

    Snap!

    The two disciples and their new master silently vanished in the night.

 Chapter 282 Third Gif

    A spatial ripple appeared within Yan Zaizen¡¯s previously carved impromptu cavern home. From this spatial ripple, three figures emerged suddenly.

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes were bright as he calmly stepped out and observed the surroundings. Damian and Amy had two different expressions, the former was stunned into disbelief andtter was solemn and confused.

    However, they both had one simr thought: "Master is powerful!"

    Yan Zaizen, however, had a pair of furrowed brows and bright eyes. This new position was new to him and he didn¡¯t have a good idea how to start. When he thought of carrying out his ns, he returned to this cavern but it was whollycking.

    "This isn¡¯t quite befitting of me, is it?" As he thought about the situation more, if his living quarters were a small cave in a mountain side, wouldn¡¯t that bring shame to his name?

    "Miste-Master, I..." Amy stepped up, attempting to ask a question. It could be seen that it¡¯ll take some getting used to before she can unconsciously ept this man as her master.

    Yan Zaizen interrupted by waving his hand. "Do you ept me as your Master?" He asked once again, but this was only for one thing.

    With her intelligence, she immediately recognized Yan Zaizen¡¯s meaning and quickly kowtowed three times in eptance. Damian looked at this ¡¯Junior Sister¡¯ of perform the rite of formal eptance and respect. He couldn¡¯t help but suspect her age.

    She looked young but something told him that she was nearly or exceeding a century in age. After all, her cultivation was top-tier and typically the age of those exceeded their appearance. His master was a perfect example.

    He may be tall, had an outstanding physique, but his peerless looks and youthful appearance exuding a youthful vigor was likely a lie. He may be thousands or tens of thousands of years old.

    To be the ¡¯Senior Brother¡¯ of someone many times his age felt a little odd, even if it was based on time of eptance.

    Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t care about Damian¡¯s childish reservations. Instead, decided to bestow his two gifts of fortune to Amy.

    He extended the index finger of his right hand and pointed between Amy¡¯s brows. The finger looked slow, but regardless of how one saw it, the moment Yan Zaizen¡¯s finger was extended it had already touched Amy¡¯s be.

    "This isn¡¯t a gift of fortune for our rtionship, but a chance. Your foundation is unstable and filled with impurities. I shall give you a chance to rectify this issue that would¡¯ve gued you till death." Yan Zaizen tried to sound wise and powerful, and he took on an expression filled with dignity and intelligence.

    Amy was startled by Yan Zaizen¡¯s words, but when she instinctively wanted to defend herself, she realized she couldn¡¯t. Her foundational realms had only been at the mid-stages before her ascension to the Qi Unification Realm, and her cultivation base had been supported by mid quality pills that could often leave impurities in one¡¯s system.

    Seeing that Yan Zaizen was going to address this issue, she was confused. From her knowledge, when one reached the Qi Unification Realm, their foundation was mostly set, unable to be changed even by top tier pills.

    Yet, this new master of hers said otherwise! If so, how strong was he that even the top Mortal Factions of the world couldn¡¯t achieve such a feat? Could he be a cultivator that stepped into the heavenly way?

    Before she could wonder more, a surge of an unknown force swept her body for a split second. Suddenly, she felt dizzy and weak, nearly falling to her knees. It was only the white cover of light that kept her propped up, obviously controlled by Yan Zaizen¡¯s will.

    "My...my...?!" Her eyes widened in shock as she inspected her cultivation base.

    Even Damian was startled by the split second shift. One moment he couldn¡¯t get a clear indication of Amy¡¯s cultivation base, but then he could!

    Peak Qi Foundation Realm!

    Yan Zaizen had regressed her cultivation and even removed the traces of unification within her system. Her meridians, pathways, and dantians were no longer fused into a singr whole, meaning her cultivation had been wrested away with a thought!

    Yan Zaizen nodded slightly at his work. To de-unify one¡¯s essence system was quite a delicate feat, but his cultivation base was just too powerful. It was nothing more than a thought away. As for her qi-essence in her body, it had beenpletely washed away.

    Even her meridians were returned to their base state, unable to process anything more than qi. It was a thorough restart without permanent crippling.

    Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t do this to Damian, his foundation was non-existent, and his cultivation was only at the initial-Qi Cyclone Realm.

    Ignoring Amy¡¯s baffled expression, he tapped her forehead once more. A surge of white me engulfed her in a simr fashion to Damian. However, unlike before, her body wasn¡¯t infused with dense lifeforce. Instead, the white me targeted all the impurities within her body and burned it away.

    Then, the white me integrated into her body and gave her a simr baptism.

    Despite taking a while to exin, it all happened between two taps of his finger.

    "Your first gift and your second gift." Waving his hand, he brought out a flying sword that was nearly identical to Damian¡¯s. The only difference was the color, which was white. Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t give Amy time to process all this. Instead, he removed his finger from her forehead and rubbed the Meteor Ring slightly.

    Two amber gold-colored martial art outfits appeared. These outfits were also sky-rank armaments, but top grade and defensively oriented. He had to make some alterations such as embedding his spiritual sense to operate the functions on their behalf. After all, they couldn¡¯t execute these outfits functions alone.

    "The third gift, outfits signifying your status of the an disciple of I, Yan Zaizen." He briefly smiled and looked at the insignia etched onto the shoulder and back of the outfit. It may be a little too revealing, but he was always a person who operated overtly.

    The insignia was a warhammer with a swirling design etched on its side. It was upright and stood proudly facing the sky above. This sky had faint cracks on it, as if it was near a state of copse. It was simplistic but carried many things rted to him and his beliefs.

    When Damian saw those uniforms, his eyes became more and more brighter. In the span of a few minutes, his life had underwent a total shift. With a master like this, even if he was male, wouldn¡¯t he be able to take care of his father forever?

    Yan Zaizen could almost read Damian¡¯s thoughts and couldn¡¯t help but chuckle. He tapped out towards the entrance and set up a soul energy barrier. With this, no one should interrupt them unless the Realmlord herself arrived.

    "Here," passing the outfits to the two, he also took out a high-grade essence crystal. With a crush, he shattered the crystal and dispersed it into this cave only. Suddenly, this cave became the highest quality cultivation location on the. It was suffused with top-quality essence with no impurities.

    A single breath was astonishing to any cultivator, especially these two whose cultivations were near the initial steps.

    Wait.

    Yan Zaizen felt like something was missing. While he pondered, Damian and Amy was in a state of euphoria. Essence was like a tonic to all cultivators, the greater the quality and density, the more rxed they were. Some even describe the feeling as orgasmic.

    "Oh!" Yan Zaizen nearly smacked his forehead, but realized he was in the presence of his disciples, so he held back. "Qi Cultivation Methods." Yan Zaizen had never cultivated a specific method, his qi, qi-essence, and even his true-essence was mostly non-attributed. They were often just infused withw energy, so it was easy to mistake the two.

    Checking the Meteor Ring, he realized he owned a ton, an absolute ton, of qi cultivation methods. He had robbed too many sects, forces, even a realm and race once, so his possessions were outstanding to say the least. Since most of them were heavenly cultivators, they obviously had many methods. Some of these methods were just obtained and kept by them just because.

    He felt baffled and lost. There was at least several hundred thousand methods for qi cultivation alone! How could he decide which would be the best for them? Then, his headache grew even more intense.

    "Not only do I have to give them qi methods, but also arts!" If the number of methods he had was in the hundreds of thousands, then arts for qi was tens of millions.

    "Hmph! Truly useless," Pinaka voice resounded. Suddenly, four books emerged from his Meteor Ring. Yan Zaizen grabbed the books and felt shocked.

    "Penta-Elemental Source Method? Holy Wood Sage Method?" Yan Zaizen saw the two qi methods. One cultivated the fusion of five elements and the other cultivated wood-attribute to an extreme. They both were outstanding methods, obviously they originated from a top-tier force, perhaps the Lycans.

    Looking at the other two books, his eyes shined brightly, "Five Elemental Heaven Method and the Forest God¡¯s Mantra." They were both conceptual methods, within which was a set of suitable arts ranging from aura-based to even divine-based arts. It was astonishing and he remembered these books.

    They were in the Meteor Ring at the very start!

    They were both concepts that reached to sovereign-level! Yan Zaizen grew excited.

    He took the posture of a master and flicked the wood-based books to Amy and the elemental books to Damian. "Here¡¯s the cultivation legacies suitable for you both, read and practice it diligently. If you have any questions, you can save them until Ie back." Yan Zaizen said before he turned and vanished into the spatial void.

    The two grabbed the books with disbelief written on their faces. Curiosity abound, they immediately opened and read it thoroughly. While Damian was just excited to see his first cultivation methods, Amy was stunned and grew as ashen as death.

    These methods were very simr to the legendary god methods! Inscribed within was the process to be a god within the heavens!

    Of course, this only entailed reaching the Sovereign-level of anw, thereby bing equal to gods beneath the heaven for thatw, rivaling the heavens!

    -----

    Yan Zaizen appeared in outer space of the Graceful Sword Realm, "You¡¯re the best," Yan Zaizen sincerely said. Pinaka had spent the longest time reading through and looking through everything in the ring, so she knew it like the back of her hand. If it wasn¡¯t for her, he would be thoroughly lost.

    "Hmph!" She only snorted in response, but deep inside, Yan Zaizen could feel the beautifully triumphant smile she had on her face, and maybe even a slight blush.

 Chapter 283 Establishing the Inconceivable

    "I need to establish a location suitable for myself, something that will awe the world with a single nce." The moment he epted his two disciples and brought them away, he felt gued by this. As someone with a sovereign¡¯s dao, how could he ept a cave as his base?

    "The only issue is...this is the 17th Heaven and this realm isn¡¯t suitable to establish a base." Yan Zaizen¡¯s brows were furrowed in contemtion by this conundrum. "Should I make it a mobile pce?" After some thought, he threw the idea away.

    If he created a pce and made it mobile, his disciples would always need to travel with him or be aware of his location to get ess to it.

    "Oh!" A thought struck him like lightning. The moment this thought seeded in his mind, it grew to astonishing levels. He smirked slightly, his eyes effusing might and arrogance.

    "I can do it."

    He tapped to the west with his finger. A small ripple surged outward like water, this ripple may have been small, but it continued to ripple endlessly. His eyes brightened at this.

    He turned to the east and tapped out with his finger. Another identical ripple surged outward, it too seemed endless and evesting. Those bright eyes became increasingly brighter.

    He tapped to the south and the north, then with the tip of his right leg, he tapped downwards with his toes. With onest tap, the one upwards, he didn¡¯t use his finger but clenched his hand into a fist and punched upwards. The ripple created from this was massive, this massive spatial ripple seemed to encapste all the other smaller endlessly rippling waves.

    It continued until the ripple became the size of a small moon. When it reached this point, two figures on the turned their gazes upwards. Their eyes seemed to contain two graceful and sharp swords,pletely unsheathed and at the ready.

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s actions couldn¡¯t be hidden, nor did he wish it to be. However, only those who had heavenly sense could locate and perceive the disturbances produced by his actions.

    The ripples surged and then they vanished suddenly, as if it was all an illusion. Yan Zaizen smiled with a domineering light within his eyes, "If I can think of it, I can do it." It was as if he was dering to the heavens that his thoughts meant reality.

    He didn¡¯t move but suddenly vanished from sight. Shortly after his departure, two beautifully dressed figures appeared. One was wearing red while the other was wearing blue. Their gazes swept here and there but they were cautious. In their sharp gazes was even a bit of confusion.

    While they contemted and investigated, Yan Zaizen was in the Non Universe - the Vast Expanse. Normally, entering the Non Universe from the heavens should be iparably difficult, the only reason Yan Zaizen could enter it before was due to the inter-heavenly spatial formation.

    If the Vast Expanse was a sea, then the formation was a tunnel from one ind to the other. While the formation was inactive, the tunnel wasn¡¯t established but the entrances and sea remained. He pried open the locked entrance and entered the sea.

    It was quite simr to normal spatial formations and chaotic space. The only difference was the destinations, one was within the same heaven while the other was between two different heavens.

    Yan Zaizen had forcefully done something that should¡¯ve been, theoretically, impossible by heavenly limitations. However, Yan Zaizen¡¯s dao wasn¡¯t imposed by heavenly limitations but by his will. It was quite easy to replicate the feat with the help of Mimicry, Spatial Laws, the ck hole¡¯s devouring force, and his dao amplification.

    It may have seem simple, a few taps and a punch, but the intricacies was beyond profound and nearly indescribable by mortal means.

    "A universe without the heavens? Ha! Then, I¡¯ll just add a bit of my own." Yan Zaizen¡¯s voice was beyond arrogant and if the heavenly gods were to hear his words, they would be utterly shocked. They, those who resided over the heavens, would be shocked!

    Yan Zaizen tapped out, but there was a faint resistance. He coldly snorted, this snort contained a fierce force. Immediately, a ck hole emerged from his be.

    "At the beginning, I didn¡¯t understand what essence meant...now I feel it a little." Essence wasw. This was clear by the Essence Path which enabled one to use the heavenlyw. There may even be two Essence Paths, the one that depicts energy and the other that depictsws.

    However, he came to understand a pertinent fact. The heavenlyws weren¡¯t the onlyws of the universe, it also wasn¡¯t even the only universe. If the heavens are below the Earths and the Skies, then what was it?

    When he arrived to a piece of Earth at the 7th Heaven, he understood a little. The Earths below contained the beginning of life in its simplicity, and above contained greater existences. It¡¯s possible it even contained true gods.

    In that case, perhaps the heavens were created by these existences? The heavens were obviously not thews of the omniverse, however the Dao Path and Herculean Path that Ezekiel and he cultivated was. After all, only these paths worked in another universe.

    Pinaka was an example of this, immediately going into slumber after losing connection with the heavens. And to further support this, in the piece of Earth from below, she became an actual lifeform no longer constricted by her innate ws, nearly bing mortal. This meant there were profoundws in that piece of Earth that existed separately from the heavens.

    He had already understood that the ultimate goal of a cultivator was the make an Eternal Law and Path that follows it, to reach the Heavenly Ascension Realm. "I even suspect my Non-Entity body is the body all beings in the world above is born with."

    As he pondered this, he realized his mind was drifting off task.

    "Firstly," Yan Zaizen spoke as he turned hand into de and struck out in front of him. A shing mark infused with his dao emerged. Only the Dao energy apanied by his own spatial energy were barely usable here, and with this, he sliced open a path to the 17th Heaven.

    This path led not to his previous location, but within the core of the within the realm.

    He spread out his fingers and harshly grasped. A string of spacetime essence emerged from the 17th Heaven and wrapped around his arm. This string was thin but exceptionally powerful.

    With his other arm, he grasped at the nothingness. His fingertips erupted in amber-gold light. The nothingness was then drawn into the ck hole at his be. A strange event urred, the ck hole spiraled and nothingness seemed to be drawn in. It was beyond the description of surreal and felt more like bending reality itself.

    He smiled at this, he could feel the essence of the Vast Expanse entering his body. It was different than before, this essence was the pinnacle of purity, untainted by all things.

    "If my Non-Entity Physique is as I believe, and the Vast Expanse is as I believe, then there¡¯s aw of this universe I can grasp! Aw in this universe that I can harness, aw simr to Heavenly Law!" His pupils became a sea of amber-goldva so brilliant that even a sun the size of a gxy would seem dim inparison.

    His body started to surge with an unknown force. This unknown force was the pinnacle of pureness and contained a profound power. As Yan Zaizen felt this power, his body started to transform. Herculean markings started to emerge on his body and emanated an extraordinarily oppressive force. This force contained this pure force.

    "I was right!" As Yan Zaizen continued to devour nothingness, his body quivered and his everything started to be purer as a result.

    "The Non Law!" As he dered this force surging throughout his body, he closed his eyes and focused. His mind was clear as he sensed the profoundities of the Non Universe.

    Ny-Nine minutes passed.

    "Haha!" With his eyes still closed, he felt excited. Thews of this world were quite simr to the heavenlyw, but far, far more profound. There was no Heavenly Domain, which meant each concept derived from thew was strictly dependant on one¡¯s imagination and beliefs that conformed to its traits!

    In the heavens, spatialw was divided into two aspects, Infinite Stability and Distortion. All spatial concepts derived from these two traits, this was the limitations of the heavens! No matter your belief or thoughts, if they didn¡¯t conform to the concepts around these twows, your understanding, by heavenlyw, was wed.

    "The Non Law, Law of Purity." As he said this, the world shifted briefly. All the nothingness surrounding him emitted aw of purity so potent that existence itself seemed to be purified. If the Non Law was Heavenly Law, then the Law of Purity could be likened to the Law of Spacetime in its entirely, not segregated by a concept.

    "Law of Purity, Conceptual Law - Force of Pinnacle Purity." As his thoughts traveled here, he felt a surge in his soul. A pure force emerged in his soul. This force was undefined by shape but was hazy, it seemed to contain nothing, no color, no depth, or even substance. It was an avatar of hisw!

    "That¡¯s all I needed!" Yan Zaizen smirked domineering, his heart beating with fierce excitement. Did he justprehend thew of an entirely different universe and establish his own concept based on it?

    Yes.

    Yes he did.

    Even if thew itself couldn¡¯t be appropriately used outside of the universe, it still answered many questions he had about the heavens and the omniverse! Not to mention, himself!

    He grabbed the string of spacetime and his dao-infused fingers and he collided them together. Thew of this world amodated his wishes, suddenly creating a sub-space.

    This sub-space was between the Non Universe and the Heavenly Universe, connected by the twows of two different universes! By all means, this should¡¯ve been absolutely impossible! Yet, as he whoprehended thews of two universes, he achieved this impossibility!

    "Enter!" He shouted as his heavenly shrine erupted with energy. This energy poured into this sub-space endlessly.

    He was creating his own sub-realm!

 Chapter 284 Killing is Fun

    A subtle, soft sound was produced, it was like a pen hitting a pillow. This sound was the only indication of the Inconceivable being established - a sub-realm between two universes, powered and interconnected to both of their uniquews.

    Yan Zaizen entered this new subspace. It waspletely ck. It didn¡¯t have a sun,s, formations acting as stars or any other light emissions. At its current state, it waspletely unsuitable for the birth of life, but reliable for the sustainability of cultivators as the atmospheric essence was drawn over from the Heavenly Universe.

    "Oh?" Yan Zaizen inspected the location and felt intrigued. The Heavenly Law and Non Law connected to the sub-realm by two opposing directions, yet they had merged perfectly, the middle acting as an equator of sorts.

    He could feel thew of the heavens within, fire, sword, space, and even rock, yet he could also feel the Law of Purity which originated from the Non Law. Not only that, as they tunneled in, there was an odd interaction within this space.

    Especially towards the essence surging in. This essence was as pure as top-quality essence crystals. Even though all essence is essentially low-grade in quality, often impure and intermixed with all sorts of contaminants, this essence was pure to the limit!

    "If so, then..." As Yan Zaizen observed this oddity, he started to sense the profundities of the heavenlyws. As he did, his eyes brightened! Thews were unaffected, but simply pondering them within this space felt as if the mind and soul were purified.

    If it wasn¡¯t for the fact his body and soul was already at the peak purity, he felt that an experience like the time he had assimted the Regalia of the Soul would ur again - a forceful expunging of impurities.

    "Interesting, one¡¯s thoughts and soul would be unaffected by the normal impurities of the heavens." After determining this, he nodded in pride. "Only a ce like this was suitable for my base, and cultivation grounds for my disciples."

    With it between the two universes, he could easily enter this realm from any realm within the Heavenly Universe. This made it so, if he developed a spatial formation, he could have people directly sent here regardless of their location.

    There were some limitations currently, but he was fairly confident in the sub-realm¡¯s future.

    "Extraordinary!" Pinaka had stayed silent, observing Yan Zaizen achieve the absolute unthinkable. Of course, most of this was because she was forced to slumber in the Non Universe. She understood a little about this universe, but it still brought her wonders.

    Not to mention, in this sub-realm, she could consciously feel the Non Universe¡¯sws yet can remain awake.

    "You say that now, but we haven¡¯t even decorated it yet!" Yan Zaizen carelessly chuckled as if he wasn¡¯t a creator of a near impossible feat by heavenly standards.

    However, it was unfortunate that the sub-realm had a diameter of only roughly ten million in kilometers. At the moment, he couldn¡¯t expand it. It was like a very, very small by heavenly standards. However, for now, it would be suitable.

    With a gleeful chuckle, he pped his palms together and shouted, "let there be light!"

    -----

    In the makeshift cultivation cavern produced by Yan Zaizen, Amy and Damian were cultivating with excitement. Even though they were reading their respective methods, each breath they took caused their cultivation base to rise. It was extraordinary.

    In the one hour since Yan Zaizen left, their cultivation bases had already reached the peak-Qi Cyclone Realm by just circting their cultivation base normally!

    Amy may have lost her cultivation in a split second, but after spending some time in the cave, any grievances she had dispersed like sand in a storm. "Who is our Master?" She couldn¡¯t help but ask, turning to Damian.

    She wasn¡¯t sure who Damian was, but she felt that considering he had been with him longer, he had a better idea.

    Damian could feel her questioning gaze on him. It made him feel a little squeamish. However, when he thought about how Yan Zaizen was now his master, a person of profound power and likely a True Lord, a faint removal towards his developed inferiorityplex towards females urred.

    "I¡¯m not sure, but he¡¯s definitely a powerful cultivator, a True Lord!" Damian replied with excitement. However, this made Amy knit her brows in contemtion. It was obvious Damian was as clueless as she, and even more so.

    The books Yan Zaizen had casually given them were considered God-Tier Methods within the Graceful Sword Realm. Unless one touched the heavens, it would be impossible to acquire such an item! Yet, Damian assumed Yan Zaizen was a True Lord, and this indicated his life experiences were little to nothing.

    "His age is likely very close to his looks, if not exact." She thought, sighing to herself. This master of hers was a big mystery, but the reason he took them as disciples was also unknown, and this made her cautious. Could it be that she possessed an exceptional hidden talent that only powerful cultivators could discover?

    As she pondered more on this, the insurgency outside faced a cmity!

    -----

    The two women, one in red and one in blue, both twins, continued looking about in outer space. Their heavenly sense was sweeping the area thoroughly but still discovering no anomalies amongst the surroundings.

    E, the woman in red, asked coldly with a malevolent expression, "Could it have been a distraction?"

    Emma, the woman in blue, smiled calmly, "If so, its a minor one." After sweeping with their senses once more, they turned into twoets of light towards the main.

    "Ipetent, to think that idiot Dana is so useless that she allowed that spy to escape," E said with a hint of murdering intent. While they were searching, Dana had sent a transmission informing them of Amy¡¯s disappearance. It was unsure if she was capable of alerting the insurgency or not, but this moved up their timetable.

    They wouldn¡¯t be able to mark all the rebels discreetly with their heavenly sense, and will have to settle for the ones in the base. This caused their n to fully eliminate the insurgency to suffer considerably, infuriating them both.

    Emma smilingly said, "it¡¯s fine. At least removing the majority of the threat will lessen our burden." As they traveled at astonishing speeds, they conversed about many things, including punishing Dana for her ipetence. This was something both of them agreed upon.

    Shortly after, they arrived above the headquarters for the male insurgency. The false puppet they sent for bait was currently emitting a very discreet signal attuned to their heavenly sense. With that, it would be too easy to determine its location.

    "Allow me," Emma maintained her smile, not emitting an ounce of killing intent, as she raised her hand above her head. Her heavenly-infused true essence surged outwards from her fingers. This true essence was exceptionally sharp as it formed five swords the size of fingers.

    Swipe!

    Five swordsposed of true essence was sent downwards, entering the formation like raindrops, infiltrating the base, and erupting with dense sword energy. Shockingly, there weren¡¯t any signs of screams of exmations from the base as it swept about. Only the ripping and tearing of the true essence, flesh, and all within were diced into mincemeat.

    Before a heavenly cultivator, all those in the Essence Path were like ants, and this attack was the ant spray.

    In seconds, no life signatures were emitted from the base. A single attack, even without utilizing her heavenly shrine, had brought about a swift death to even the three True Essence experts within.

    "Let¡¯s go," E coldly said, taking off.

    Emma smiled as she looked at the ground that was ripped asunder. This smile was filled with glee and happiness, unlike a person who had just killed thousands of lives effortlessly. "Killing is so fun!"

 Chapter 285 Astral Soul Advancement!

    "There!" Yan Zaizen pped his hands in excitement, his face the picture of satisfaction and pride.

    The sub-realm before him had been thoroughly constructed. It had a sun, a, and a single moon. When he looked upon it, he felt it was quite simr to Earth from the 7th Heaven.

    The had given him such an impression that he decided to design his own sub-realm simr. However, this was only because the area was vastly limited. If it wasn¡¯t, he would build a realm on par with the Sirius Titan Realm.

    "For now, this will do." He turned towards the sr star, the sun, of the sub-realm. It was amber-gold with gold mes. Yan Zaizen had utilized hisprehension into thews to personally construct this sun, but it could only be considered a miniature sun.

    It contained thew of fire, light, and gravity from the Heavenly Laws,w of purity from the Non Universe Laws, and his own False Grand Dao energy. He wasn¡¯t proficient in formations, so he had to create the actual things from his ownprehensions. This gave it a truly authentic feeling.

    Normally, formations would be used for stars, suns,s, and moons. However, Yan Zaizen did this all from scratch and his own strength. This had its disadvantages, such as the inability to galvanize the power of the realm, but it wasn¡¯t needed.

    The sub-realm was too small, and his strength was far too great to receive any beneficial power from this sub-realm. Therefore, he had no issues.

    As for the moon, it was silver-blue and radiating spectacr light. It softly emitted rays of soulforce, soul energy, and thew of purity. This made it suitable for spiritual lifeforms, soul cultivators, and those rted to spirits to receive untold benefits. It required him using his own Astral Star as a model.

    The had a simrposition to Earth from the 7th Heaven. The only difference was theck of natural lifeforms and a profound force. It did, however, was connected to the Non Universe. At its core, there was a rift set up by him to the Non Universe.

    "It¡¯s small, but sufficient." Nodding to himself, he felt that this ce was quite suitable for him. The only issue...

    "I need to construct a residential pce for my cultivation, and a name!" As his mind drifted to this, he reached towards the. A heavenly might gathered at his palm and pushed forward. This heavenly might was infused with mimicryws.

    It touched the surface of the, and like magic, from its foundation to its peak tower, an immortal pce was constructed. It was amber-gold and white, dazzlingly brilliant yet of the utmost purity.

    It wasn¡¯trge, a mere few miles, but it gave off the feeling of being the center of the world.

    "Within my pce shall be chaotic space." Nodding at himself, he felt this was the most suitable. When he entered chaotic space in the future through this pce, he would have ess to its changeable timeflow and thews from both universes within. If he desired essence, he just needed to create a portal and siphon it if he wished.

    "Chaotic Space is your home," Pinaka softly said. To Yan Zaizen, chaotic space truly was his home; therefore, it was the best location for him to establish his cultivation grounds. The pce was nothing but a formality and with it being interconnected to two universes, he could ponder themfortably while others would find it quite difficult to reach him.

    "Let¡¯s go," he tapped out lightly and produced a rift. This rift was odd, it seemed to be connected to two locations like thebination between nothing and everything. When Yan Zaizen saw this, he nodded in approval.

    With a step, he entered the heavenly universe¡¯s 17th Heaven.

    Arriving in outer space, in his previous location, he furrowed his brows as he turned towards the. "They¡¯re going to wipe out the male insurgency?" At this moment, E and Emma had arrived at the base of the male rebels.

    "Haaa..." he felt slightly irritated and only because of who was in it - Amy Burr¡¯s Brother. Normally, he would let events run its course, their actions and faults led to their deaths - this was their choice. However, could he helplessly stand by while Amy Burr¡¯s brother is ughtered?

    As a person new to having disciples, he didn¡¯t wish for them to suffer so early. It could stunt their growths or warp their personalities.

    He tapped out and a ripple formted releasing a subtle fluctuation in space. This ripple soundlessly spread and wrapped around all the male rebel¡¯s with speed faster than light itself.

    Snap!

    Snapping his fingers, all within the base was teleported elsewhere, while mimicked clones reced them almost simultaneously. These clones were ughtered.

    "Haaa...if I do this for one, I should do the other." Ignoring the two heavenly experts, he turned towards a small city and saw Damian¡¯s father who was on hisst legs, his entire body emanated an air of death and disease.

    He tapped out once more, a white me emerging on his finger. This white me flickered and vanished as if it never existed, but it appeared within Damian¡¯s father¡¯s heart. "I¡¯ll help for a century, after...it¡¯ll be your son¡¯s duty to extend your life."

    The white me acted as a source of lifeforce, albeit his sickness had yet to be cured, his life would not be taken for a century. If nothing was done to help his life, he would surely die.

    "It¡¯s only right, but why did you save the entire male insurgency?" Pinaka approved of Yan Zaizen¡¯s actions, disying his kindness towards disciples, but not fully solving their problems. The only thing she suspected was Yan Zaizen¡¯s actions of saving the entire group instead of just Amy Burr¡¯s brother.

    "Bias." He tly stated. As a sovereign, he wasn¡¯t afraid to admit his opinions on the subject was skewed. As a man, how could he not be biased? He wouldn¡¯t help them in their agenda, but when it was to save one, he may as well save them all.

    "Their doctrine is disgusting, but they won¡¯t win regardless. It¡¯s likely Amy or Damian will take over this realm, establishing their own rules in the future. Their survival doesn¡¯t matter and they¡¯re on a clock. When the Realmlordpletes her second floor, her heavenly sense will be able to sense them even through that formation." Yan Zaizen exined his thoughts, but even still, he was clear that he had acted out of bias.

    Only those truly in touch with their own personalities can openly admit such a thing. He felt his soul tremble slightly.

    "Oh?" Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes lit up as he entered an introspection of his soul. He saw two Astral Stars radiating dense soul energy and brimming. They were even faintly thumping like heartbeats.

    It¡¯s been a while since his soul cultivation had made any movements. The Soul Source Path was all aboutprehending the essence of your experiences and self, enlightening your soul as a result. Over the years, he¡¯s learned quite a few things about himself and his stances, and with his dao, this was much faster than normal.

    Despite only living for five thousand years and consciously for two thousand, he was now on the cusp of an Advanced Astral Soul. "Fascinating! I just need the requisite soul energy toplete my breakthrough. Then, my soul could easily rival fourth or even fifth-floor Heavenly Genesis experts."

    He didn¡¯t wait, bringing out a vast quantity of soul crystals that littered about in outer space. His actions easily caught the attention of the twin guardians of the realm, E and Emma; however, he continued his actions without a care.

    His eyes transformed, no longer containing an amber glow but a deep ck depth that seemed endless. This ckness started to spiral and in the time it takes for one to blink, all the soul crystals had been absorbed.

    Boom!

    An astonishing booming sound emerged as both his Aurora Astral Star and his Asura Astral Star expanded, the light emanating from it grew stronger, but the most shocking feature was the light emitted. It was purer than any light in the universe, untainted by all beneath the heavens.

    "The Non Universe Laws?" Yan Zaizen felt shocked! The avatar of the conceptualw seemed to still be in effect as the pure force that was absorbed for ny-nine minutes entered his two astral stars, forever embedding itself within.

    All the remnant force within his body dissipated as a result, but his astral stars became brighter and brighter. It continued until it expanded once more!

    BOOM!

    Yan Zaizen felt this booming, and his eyes grew serious. He threw all the soul crystals he had within his ring, creating a small moon-sized cluster of crystals. With a thought, in the time for three blinks, the soul crystals entered through his eyes and funneled into his soul.

    The astral stars emitted light that out the pure light from before to shame!

    Perfect Astral Soul Realm!

    Yan Zaizen felt enlivened! He didn¡¯t understand how or why the Soul Source Path reacted to the force within the Non Universe the way it did, nor did he understand how the ck hole enabled his cultivation to rise without enlightenment, but he felt amazing. He wasn¡¯t one to look a gift horse in its mouth.

    As he relished the soul energy circting within his soul form, two figures appeared beside him, they were E and Emma! As they saw Yan Zaizen, their eyes were filled with curiosity, but one was smiling and the other frowned. They were like two opposing opposites.

    To them, Yan Zaizen had summoned soul crystals of an astronomical amount, then stored it. Then, he summoned even more, but immediately stored it again. The devouring was so fast that they didn¡¯t see them disappear within Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes.

    Yan Zaizen turned his attention to them, with a calm smile, he greeted them, "Hello."

 Chapter 286 Divine Duality Realm

    E¡¯s eyes were sharp, her lips threatening, and her intent ambiguous. Within the depths of her eyes, as she stared at this handsome, unknown man, she felt a faint light of superiority.

    Emma¡¯s eyes were smiling and her eyes were cheerful, but the light within was clearer, a deep hatred and feeling of superiority within.

    Yan Zaizen was taken aback by the two women. They were like two sides of a coin, like ebony and ivory, but within their core, they were still colors.

    "Two first-floor Heavenly Genesis cultivators dare show such emotions?" Pinaka¡¯s voice contained deep displeasure and distaste for these two, she was even trying to leave Yan Zaizen¡¯s soul form to deliver a swift p to both of them, but Yan Zaizen restrained her within his soul.

    "No need to take action." As his soul energy was at the Perfect Astral Soul Realm, he could easily confide Pinaka, but he didn¡¯t dare do so too much. He appeased her with some words and turned his attention to the two.

    Emma stepped forward, "Who are you?"

    "My name is Yan Zaizen, a wandering cultivator that happened toe across your realm." He smiled warmly in response to her question, unafraid of answering truthfully.

    "Then, wandering cultivator, you can take your leave." Emma maintained her smile as she seemingly politely gave Yan Zaizen a send-off, but in truth, it was exceptionally domineering order. Not only did she not call him by his name nor give him a respectful title, but she also didn¡¯t ask him to leave, just told him to.

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes flickered. However, he didn¡¯t say anything. Instead, he emitted an aura of a weak, second-floor Heavenly Genesis cultivator - Lang Xue¡¯s. This aura was faint, but it caused the twin¡¯s expressions to change.

    They weren¡¯t afraid, as their Realmlord had her own Dao, and Yan Zaizen¡¯s dao aura was simr to a bestowed one, but it still caused them to be cautious. "I think I¡¯ll stay for a while, if you don¡¯t mind."

    Not even seeing how they would respond, Yan Zaizen turned into aet and shot towards his makeshift cultivation cavern.

    Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t put the two in his mind, but Pinaka was different. "Kill them both, their eyes begs for blood and death!" She didn¡¯t just dislike them for their previous actions but their eyes seemed to contain a vicious light. It¡¯s highly possible these women were like Guan Yao, consuming the primal yang of male cultivators for their strength.

    However, Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t take action, but only because of curiosity and personal beliefs. "They are grindstones for my disciples; I need them around." Yan Zaizen calmly stated, silencing Pinaka. If Amy and Damian wished to enter the strong, they would have to ovee these two, and it¡¯ll likely be their first challenge towards the heavenly way. However, while Yan Zaizen had ns for them, they too had ns for Yan Zaizen.

    E¡¯s aura red, her heavenly shrine¡¯s outline was faintly visible within her dantian. "If you don¡¯t wish to leave, then you can stay here. Permanently." With a swift wave of her hand, she produced a red short sword.

    "Oh?" Yan Zaizen was startled, turning abruptly with eyes filled with shock. Before he could say anything, E had already executed a movement art that caused the surrounding area to be packed with manifestations of small swords. As she traveled, a dense river of these short swords seemed to be created, leaving an astonishingly beautiful trail in space.

    E saw the shock in her eyes and sped her, her sword emanating a deep killing intent. She drew back her de, arriving a few hundred meters away from Yan Zaizen before shing out with a slight exmation.

    "Ha!"

    A crescent sword lightprised of true essence sliced forth, even space itself wascerated by this de. This level of disy was quite normal for heavenly cultivators, but it seemed to be slightly stronger than average.

    "Why do all heavenly cultivators in their realms have to be so aggressive?" Yan Zaizen couldn¡¯t help but bitterly smile. He intended to use the two as whetstones for his disciples, but they had attacked with the utmost confidence and ferocity. "Fine." He was about to tap out when suddenly a cage of sword energy surrounded him. This cage wasn¡¯t huge, barely capable of containing his body, but it formed near instantly.

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s brows furrowed as he turned his gaze towards Emma, who smiled a bit away with a talisman in the shape of a tiny sword in her hand. This sword glimmered with a faint trace of light and it seemed to be in control of the realm¡¯s formations.

    "Haaa..." He sighed deeply. The crescent sword light soon arrived and drowned him in its power.

    "Ha!" E didn¡¯t cease her assault, slicing forth several dozen more crescent sword lights. Before long, Yan Zaizen¡¯s figure vanished within a world of sword light.

    A few secondster, after the sword light had dissipated, the two investigated Yan Zaizen¡¯s status, but more so, they were intent on taking any possessions he may have. However, as they swept their heavenly sense about, they couldn¡¯t find a damaged heavenly shrine or any spatial possessions.

    "..." Emma and E were silent, a faint premonition of cmity surged within their minds suddenly.

    "Your actions are unruly, prejudiced, aggressive, and above all, idiotic." Yan Zaizen appeared behind them, his eyes radiating traces of displeasure. Initially, his intent was to use the two as whetstones for his disciples, but if he allowed this to go unpunished, would he deserve his dao?!

    Emma and E turned around, their eyes were cautious but still radiated a sense of confidence and aggression. It seemed they believed that, if they continued, they would be able to ovee Yan Zaizen. As Yan Zaizen was shocked by their persistent gazes, their auras erupted into a storm of sword energy. Their auras merged, strengthening, as if they were one entity. Their heavenly aura was rising, infinitesimally closed to the second-floor Heavenly Genesis Realm.

    Shaking his head slightly, Yan Zaizen tapped out. He only tapped out once, but his aura erupted revealing an astonishing heavenly aura at the top-tier sixth-floor Heavenly Genesis Realm. It was only then that E and Emma¡¯s eyes shifted, no longer containing that unyielding and unreasonable confidence, instead was reced with deep fright.

    It was like a drop of water was facing an entire world of water, it was overwhelmingly!

    They wanted to speak, but Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t care. His finger that tapped out once more, the space around their bodies was sealed as a result. They were like toys sealed perfectly in stic, unable to move or speak. "Choose. Death or Life."

    Usually, Yan Zaizen would give more thorough choices, but he felt pissed at this point. He was close to eliminating them entirely, but he thought of his disciples and thought it was inappropriate and interfered with his ns.

    E and Emma¡¯s eyes were wide. Within the depths of which was pure fear and horror, but when Yan Zaizen gave them a choice, their eyes that were a world of fear became filled with hope.

    "Life!" Almost simultaneously, they sent a soul transmission to inform Yan Zaizen of their choices. Yan Zaizen nodded, giving them a slight praise for their decisiveness. If they were truly lost, unable to deal with the humiliation of bowing their heads to a man, then they would surely choose death. In that case, then he would do so unhesitantly.

    "Your heavenly shrine, your primal yin, and your possessions. This is the price for your actions." His words were soft but domineering beyond the heavens, as if it was an imperial decree from a god.

    He tapped out once. Their heavenly shrines were ripped from their dantians. The pain they suffered was unbearable. If they could speak verbally, they would most definitely be screaming while squirming.

    He tapped out once more. A profoundly powerful soul energy entered their bodies. Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t intend to physically snatch their primal yin, but extracting it for his own means. Luckily, since they were still virgins, their bodies primal yin may recover. "To live for so long yet not understanding the bliss between man and woman, truly unfortunate." He shook his head for a bit, then stopped.

    Wait, did he even know the bliss between man and woman? Did his soul link with Pinaka count?

    "..." Realizing his own unfortunate fate, he felt a little downcast, but then he recalled Pinaka¡¯s beauty and how he would most certainly find a body for her, he felt enlivened.

    He tapped out once more, all the possessions within their spatial possessions and heavenly shrines were extracted. This tap didn¡¯t just affect them, but it even reached into the pce on their. Before long, it was wiped clean and even the heavenly resources prepared for their leader¡¯s breakthrough was snatched as punishment.

    "You may leave." He didn¡¯t even tap out this time, only said these words, and their bodies vanished. When they reappeared, they were within the cultivation grounds of their Realmlord.

    "Their fates are now their own." With that, he took off.

    He continued flying until he reached the makeshift cavern, his eyes glowing with interest. Amy was surrounded by dense wood energy, siphoned from the world. Her essence was slowly converting into wood-attribute.

    Damian, however, was still reading and trying toprehend. Yan Zaizen nodded, epting this result. Amy had already cultivated methods before, turning her essence into wood-attribute, hailing from the Grove n who specialized in it. She also had hundreds of years on her belt, whereas Damian had nothing.

    "It won¡¯t be long before she reaches the Essence Formation Realm," Yan Zaizenmented.

    Entering the cavern, the two stopped their respective cultivations, whether it was reading or converting qi to essence, and looked towards Yan Zaizen nearly simultaneously. In their eyes were lights of excitement.

    "Let¡¯s go to our own realm, the Divine Duality Realm. Our home."

 Chapter 287 Damians Attention

    Divine Duality Realm. After contemting its origins and source, this was the name he settled on. As a sub-realm that connects two universes in unison, this felt more than appropriate.

    He didn¡¯t add the ¡¯sub¡¯ because, in its own right, it was a true realm and likely the first of its kind within the Heavenly and Non Universes.

    He tapped out and an odd space, nearly distorted as it seemed to border on nothingness and all things within the heavens, forming a unique duality. This space was a pacified rift was the first portal he established between the heavenly universe and his new realm.

    "Seems like there¡¯s truly issues to ovee, I may have to learn how to establish formations." The limitations weren¡¯t too extreme, but the issue of connectivity left him slightly frustrated . The Non Universe may seem to be stagnant, but it was like an ever-flowing river. Because it was connected to both universes, the sub-realm was constantly moving which made it difficult to locate.

    Inversely, the Heavenly Universe was iparably stable. If a sub-realm was produced within, it would stay there for all of time until it copses or was destroyed. An example was the Asura Phantom Realm, it was created near the Xiantu Realm and was still at its exact location to this day.

    Unfortunately, the sub-realm was still influenced by the Non Universe¡¯s continuous movements.

    The very reason he created a sun infused with his False Grand Dao energy was so that he could locate it, establishing a connection with some effort. Nevertheless, the difficulty in opening a portal and connecting with it would continue to grow as he got further away from it. This was the core reason why he needed to establish a formation, to lessen the stress and strain on locating and stabilizing its movements.

    It did have its benefits, however. Because it was created between two universes, he could ess it from any location within both universes, theoretically, at least. He wasn¡¯t sure if there was a distance limit, but he felt confident that, with his strength, it should be possible.

    The next step was creating talismans for his disciples, ones capable of independently establishing a portal themselves.

    "I¡¯ll find some spare time to delve into formationster." Deciding this, he motioned for the two to enter.

    -----

    Twelve yearster.

    The Graceful Sword Realm underwent massive upheavals. Firstly, the Realmlord had failed her breakthrough due to insufficient resources, unable to continue; she had to abandon her efforts and relegated back to the first-floor of the Heavenly Genesis Realm. This news wasn¡¯t widespread, but what was widespread was a piece of unsettling news: "The Realmlord¡¯s Pce was ROBBED!"

    While her losses individually could be hidden well, the losses of the entire realm after Yan Zaizen¡¯s thorough ¡¯iming¡¯ left a visible mark that all could see. Even the heavenly drops powering the realm¡¯s formations was ¡¯imed,¡¯ leaving them unable to activate it or any of their other formations. When this news spread, many were curious as to what was happening, and many even spected oundish things.

    However, all these were rumors.

    Secondly, the twin guardians, E and Emma, were no longer heavenly cultivators! This news spread like a contagious disease, unable to be hidden or prevented as they handled every single issue within the realm directly.

    Thirdly, the male insurgency started to garner more and more support after their miraculous survival. With the weakening of the Realmlord¡¯s Pce, many suspected that they had angered an expert, some even suspected that the male insurgency had been involved. This allowed them to be known more, and the ideological seed that they had nted were growing like crops in the minds of men everywhere.

    There were even some top-tier forces who had the intent to supersede the current regime, creating a very unstable andplex internal situation within the realm.

    The actions of the Realmlord¡¯s Pce didn¡¯t pacify the situation either, as they demanded the increase in tribute to make up for their losses towards all the top-tier forces. This action caused many forces to feel disgruntled, their eyes suffused with hatred and mocking at the Realmlord¡¯s Pce. Many were even calcting their own strength and the weakness of the pce, intending to make a move!

    The situation grew unstable by the day, and nothing helped. This was because of heavenly drops and heavenly formations that required them. It would take a first-floor Heavenly Genesis expert a century to create a single drop, yet they only had their Realmlord and thus no other resources. Since the Realmlord had used all the heavenly drops avable for her breakthrough, they had nothing to power their heavenly formations.

    With that, the other groups simply needed to figure out a way to handle the Realmlord¡¯s profound cultivation base and attack! As the thought was formed, the world started to grow restless!

    While all this took ce, Yan Zaizen was within his Pce within the Divine Duality Realm¡¯s personal chaotic space; his eyes focused on the book in his hand. This book was titled: ¡¯Advanced Formation Tactics, Vol.XI - Heavenly Formation Connectivity."

    Yan Zaizen had obtained a set of formation books along the way somehow, and he¡¯d been delving into it for the past few hundred years. In the outside world, only twelve years passed, but Yan Zaizen was far too used to the time discrepancies.

    "Formations are truly profound..." As he learned more, he realized howplex formations were. If it wasn¡¯t for his enhanced cognitive functions due to his regalia refined brain, he wasn¡¯t sure the original him would be capable of understanding a single thing written about formations.

    "Yes, they are," Pinaka proudly said.

    Pinaka gained a majority of her strength from formations, and her physical body was mostly a bundle of overlyplex formations. If anyone understood the difficult and profoundness of formations, it would be True Spirits who relied heavily on it.

    However, Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t find the pride in Pinaka¡¯s tone something to be excited about. The True Spirit Path was a deeply wed Path. It had to rely on formations and other existences to grow, limiting it to only being able to create artificial intelligence and nothing more. Yan Zaizen realized that, by itself, it could never reach the heavens in terms of strength.

    It was a little depressing.

    "Master!" A soft voice echoed. It belonged to Amy.

    "Yes?" Yan Zaizen had produced a talisman formunication, even through chaotic space, allowing them tomunicate with him if they needed it.

    "Disciple requires your assistance." The voice wasn¡¯t urgent. In truth, it was rather calm, but Yan Zaizen had long since gotten used to Amy¡¯s personality. As such, he knew it was an urgent matter.

    About five years ago, Yan Zaizen had allowed Damian and Amy to craft their own path in the Graceful Sword Realm after his seven years of constant support. In truth, his own understanding of the elements, including wood, had likely grown greater than theirs. Fortunately, this made giving them instructions easier.

    The only dissatisfaction he had was towards the Imperial Law of Samsara. Due to his sudden instruction and need to delve into formations, he hadn¡¯t the time to develop his conceptualw.

    Keeping the book, he stepped outwards and vanished.

    As if he materialized from nothing, he appeared beside Amy. She was dressed in her amber-gold attire, proudly disying his personal emblem to the world. In twelve years, her cultivation had skyrocketed to the peak-Qi Unification Realm. With Yan Zaizen¡¯s top tier environments, cultivation methods, and resources, it would be hard for her cultivation not to progress.

    "Master," Amy calmly bowed and gave greetings. Yan Zaizen warmly smiled, turning his eyes towards the situation.

    They were located in a courtyard. This courtyard wasn¡¯t anything too fancy, but it had a unique atmosphere that seemed good for cultivation. There was a clear pond with swimming fishes, an evenly t ground with both a dirt clearing and lush grass, and paths that led to a cultivation room and resting room. However, there was no life signatures for quite a distance.

    "Master, this is the n grounds of the Aquas n, a Mortal Faction with an Origin Core Matriarch." Amy exined, "I was invited here to help ease an issue with Damian."

    "Oh?" Yan Zaizen was surprised that there was an issue with Damian. The boy was definitely interesting, but he was rather straightforward. The only issue was likely his one-track mind when he finds something he¡¯s passionate about, such as providing for his father or gardening. When he decides on a path, he treks it to the best of his ability with no regrets.

    Amy could tell that Yan Zaizen was intrigued but wasn¡¯t deeply invested, so she continued to exin, "The Aquas n¡¯s young miss had met Damian while he was undergoing training. While they met, they had a disagreement. Initially, it didn¡¯t escte, but the young miss intended to capture and punish Damian for his insolence, using the entire n¡¯s resources to hunt for him."

    As he heard more of the situation, he didn¡¯t know whether tough or cry. This world had a deeply ingrained concept of gender superiority, and such, it wasn¡¯t umon for someone like Damian, who was shredding this belief, toe into conflict with others.

    "Damian didn¡¯t take too kindly to this and started to make it his mission to kill everyone in the n..." As she reached here, Yan Zaizen realized why she was here. Yan Zaizen wasn¡¯t against his disciples killing others. He didn¡¯t even have any guidelines towards how they conduct themselves. It was a simple mantra he taught: "Act as you wish, but do so with your life in mind."

    If they wish to be a viin, do so! Wish to be a hero of legend, do so!

    Regardless, be sure to understand that your life can be reaped as a consequence.

    Nevertheless, Yan Zaizen would avenge them, but he would not directly save them unless it was a situation that far, far exceeded their capabilities. Such as a heavenly cultivatoring to kill Amy, who was at the Qi Unification Realm.

    "You¡¯ve called me because of that?" Yan Zaizen furrowed his brows in a little displeasure. He expected it to be more urgent, but he didn¡¯t care for such a little situation. Even if Damian wasn¡¯t in the right here, he wouldn¡¯t interfere with his development or actions easily.

    "...Master, the issue is that...Damian ascended to the Origin Core Realm and already ughtered the entire n. Now, he¡¯s gotten the attention of the Realmlord¡¯s Pce and Insurgency."

    "Oh?!" This took him back a little. Damian was only twenty-three years old this day. A twenty-three-year-old Origin Core Realm cultivator? This was mind-boggling. However, upon thinking about it a little, Yan Zaizen felt it was only right. All the top-tier resources he left them, the requirements for the Origin Core Realm, and how it wasn¡¯t based on not just talent but luck in discovering your origin source.

    "It would be more urate to say...the Realmlord¡¯s Pce and Insurgency has gotten ¡¯his¡¯ attention." Amy rified, her tone awkward and helpless.

    "I see, haha." Yan Zaizen couldn¡¯t help butugh. Amy didn¡¯t call him because of the Aquas n¡¯s demise, but because she was worried that Damian would directly impact her own mission due to his single-mindedness. He didn¡¯t even need to understand the situation further to understand it all. However, the situation remained the same; he would not directly interfere with his disciple¡¯s decisions or choices.

    "I¡¯ll inform him not to kill your brother, but all his other choices are his own, so is yours." Leaving these words, he couldn¡¯t help but feel slightly proud of Damian¡¯s talent and actions. He returned to his pce, his eyes effusing deep anticipation. Hearing about his disciple¡¯s sess, he felt a sensation within his heart he had never felt before!

    "Damian, I have quite a bit of hope for you. Don¡¯t let down master!"

 Chapter 288 Profoundness of a Herculean!

    While the situation outside kept developing, Yan Zaizen had finished his preliminary studies of formations. It may be a stretch to call him a Formation Master, but his own knowledge towards them was far broader than before.

    "Will I be unable to watch Damian and Amy grow..." Yan Zaizen softly muttered, a tinge of unwillingness in his voice. A sudden feeling had just emerged, one that entered his heart like a seed and grew with each passing second. This seed, if interpreted openly, left him with a feeling that he would be departing soon and for an indefinite amount of time.

    A softly sighed, but he hade to trust his instincts since he started on the path of a true cultivator, and thus didn¡¯t doubt it. Even Eloah, this man of vast mystery, had said his instincts were unimaginably urate and profound.

    "Then, I¡¯ll use my time efficiently." Dering, Yan Zaizen kept all the formation books that lingered in chaotic space. Calmly standing upright, he inspected his physique. "The Immortal Herculean Method¡¯s third level is divided into eight celestial gates: Gate of Sky Opening, Gate of Sky Skin, Gate of Sky Flesh, Gate of Sky Yin & Yang, Gate of Sky Bone, Gate of Sky Mind, Gate of Sky Source, and Gate of Celestial Ascension."

    "The first gate, the Gate of Sky Opening, required one to die as a mortal and be reborn as an existence no longer tethered or restricted by heavenly limitations. At the time, he didn¡¯t think it was possible nor did I understand the profoundness of ¡¯existence,¡¯ but now...I understand it a little. After opening the first gate, my physical body had been adjusting to its new physique, disallowing me from undergoing any massive changes such as opening the other gates..."

    As he pondered more over his circumstances, he felt psyched for the future. After his existential slumber for three thousand years, he had eliminated a massive amount of time required. At this very moment, he could feel six points on his body highlighting a deeply entrenchedw. Thisw was something he was deeply familiar with.

    It was the Law of a Herculean!

    It was the Law of Physicality!

    He recalled the mnemonic inscriptions of the third level. "To die as a mortal beneath Heavenly Law. Then, to ascend as an existence no longer tethered, no longer be subjected, no longer forced to abide by its restrictions. Open the sky, exceed the heavens!" This was the first section written for the Gate of Sky Opening, but the next part detailed the second through fifth: The Gate of Sky Skin, Flesh, Yin & Yang, and Bone.

    "Shred the residual, shed the mortal." The sectional text only contained these words, but each letter inscribed detailed a process of a method that seemed to be as vivid as real life.

    A projection emerged in his mind. This projection disyed a gigantic humanoid figure without a face, without a skin color, without a defined gender, but it was unimaginably immense. Yan Zaizen pupils shrank!

    "This! This is the figure I saw when I ascended to the Qi Unification Realm!" As he remembered this event, he felt astonished. When he made his breakthrough into the Qi Unification Realm, he saw the heavens and glimpsed at all that it was. At the time, it was far too profound for him to understand, but now he knew!

    The heavens were below, but this figure was capable of shrouding the entirety of the heavens with its palms! While it was immense, the most defining and memorable aspect of that vision was the ck hole that made the heavens look like an ant! Even the Herculean was insignificant before it.

    While his mind was reeling, the herculean faced the sky and roared! This roar was powerful to the limits, shattering all above! However, as it roared, not only did the sky above shatter, but its skin started to fracture like ss visibly. These fractures began to expand until they virtually covered the entirety of the herculean¡¯s form!

    Then...

    THE SKY SHATTERED!!!

    So did the Herculean!!!

    However, it was a process. This process

    Firstly, the skin shattered leaving muscles and flesh. Then, the flesh started to thrum like a heartbeat, this thrumming continued until it was visibly pounding, and then BOOM! The muscles, veins, and every ounce of flesh imaginable started to copse visibly turning into dust, leaving only bones!

    It didn¡¯t cease there. Just above the private areas of both genders, a light of ck and white emerged. This ck and white was odd, as it didn¡¯t feel as if it was ¡¯ck and white¡¯ but just two extreme opposites. They co-existed in perfect harmony.

    "Yin and Yang?!" Yan Zaizen discovered the origin of these lights; they were the essence of a man and woman - primal yin and yang. When conceived, these two determine the gender and direction of an individual. Oftentimes, it could even define one¡¯s personality.

    "Is the reason why it doesn¡¯t have a gender is that the Yin and Yang is in perfect harmony?" As he gazed at the figure during this time, he felt that this was certain...however, his eyes narrowed. The essence of yin and yang didn¡¯t shatter or copse, instead...they became brighter, so bright that even though this was nothing more than a projection within his mind, he felt blinded!

    When he reimed his sight, the bones of the herculean had turned into dust as well.

    Returning to the present, he felt his mind be muddled and unsure. The method wasn¡¯t tooplicated, and he had confidence in achieving the aspect of shattering his body and shedding his mortal flesh, but the Gate of Yin & Yang had baffled him.

    "It didn¡¯t shatter, copse, or dissipate the essence of yin and gang, but they brightened to the point that the sun seemed dim inparison." He spent several hours trying to conceive a connection between ¡¯shred the residual, shed the mortal¡¯ and brightening, but nothing made sense. There was something else. As a male, he had a ratio of 9:1 in terms of Yang vs Yin.

    It would be fundamentally impossible for him to equalize this without changing his very gender, or at least...removing it. When he recalled the Herculean that had an indeterminate gender, he felt a shiver down his spine.

    "I may be willing to ept bing a woman, but I¡¯m not willing to ept being neither." As he said this, he felt odd in his heart. "Whatever! I¡¯ll open the second and third gate for now." Deciding this, he removed his clothes and remained naked.

    ording to the method, he had to conjure up thew of physicality embedded within two of the six points of his body to shatter his skin and copse his flesh. Thankfully, he didn¡¯t need to die a second time.

    "Shred the residual, shed the mortal!" As he repeated the mnemonic instruction filled with profound and hidden meaning, he felt a point within his body vibrate slightly. This point corrted to the Gate of Sky Skin, located between his stomach and ribs. This point was as small as the first, but unlike the Gate of Sky Opening, it didn¡¯t contain a heavenly gate that restricted physicality but contained the essence of physicality itself.

    "Gate of Sky Skin, OPEN!!!" As he shouted, he turned his eyes to the sky above chaotic space. Before, Yan Zaizen wasn¡¯t able to see a sky, but the moment he yelled, it was as if a sky of gold manifested into existence. Shocked, he saw the golden sky with pure white clouds! There was no sun, but it was illuminated and its light shined onto Yan Zaizen¡¯s body.

    These rays of light were not sunlight, but the light from the herculeanw! Behind this sky, behind this gate, was the power he needed to shatter his skin!

    ROAR!!!

    He bellowed violently, seemingly wishing to sunder this newly produced sky to absolute nothingness! The sky trembled, but nothing more.

    "What?!" Yan Zaizen was taken aback, his gaze uncertain as he looked towards this sky.

    "Do not roar as a Mortal. Roar as a Herculean!" Pinaka¡¯s voice sounded at the depths of his soul.

    "!" As if struck by lightning, he realized his error and smiled. This smile was filled with arrogance, confidence, warmth, ferocity, and persistence, "Thanks!"

    No longer did he hold back. His pupils were likeva of amber-gold, and his aura rose to the limits. At this moment, he stood upright like a sovereign gazing at the heavens, his eyes suffused with disdain and mockery! This may not be the heavens, but it was a distinctive limitation that restricted his path, and thus, it was no different.

    His murky white blood started to roil, his bright white heart thumped with an endless amount of lifeforce, his ck quad-lungs expanded and contracted with an intent to siphon all existence into death, and his brain emanated a sky-blue light that embodied the essence of souls.

    He took a single step upwards!

    At this moment, his regalias had been urged to their utmost, and his dao was like an unstoppable tempest!

    "Shatter for ME!"

    ROAR!!!!!!!!!!

 Chapter 289 Gate of Sky Skin!

    BOOM!!

    A sky-shattering, earth-rending, and heart-twisted sound thundered forth into existence! Yan Zaizen¡¯s roar, suffused with his Dao, suffused with the power drawn from his Regalia, and his own sheer will smashed against the golden sky!

    Chaotic space, despite its immense stability, started to tremble fiercely as rumbling sounds echoed outwards from all over. These sounds originated from chaotic space¡¯s attempt to stabilize itself amidst the tyrannical force!

    The golden skysted no longer than a blink of an eye before it turned into dust. It did not shatter, it did not dissipate, but it had turned into literal golden kes of dust that littered the world above! It was as if the sky of light and clouds had turned into a sky of specks, almost like a painting made from a thin brush.

    This unnatural event caused Yan Zaizen¡¯s brows to knit and his eyes to inspect the fascinating, unknown development.

    Shruuu~

    The golden dust started to cycle from a central point. At this central point, there was a swirling rotational force. This rotational force, by the second, continued to increase in velocity until it turned into a golden twister of dust.

    As it continued to rotate, the dust seemed to be merging until a golden twister seemed to contain heaven-rending winds. Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes narrowed, a faint sensation of danger erupted from his instincts, but he didn¡¯t retreat. Instead, he took a step forward!

    This step made have been lone one, but it carried him directly in front of this golden twister that seemed to increase as time psed. As he inspected this twister, he felt more and more uncertain. "This scene...the method doesn¡¯t describe anything like it..."

    In the method, the sky shatters but transforms into a mass of light, and this light would then enter the point within his body and shatter his skin. Afterward, the residual energy would remake his skin, merging it as the new temte to his physical existence. As such, even if he was only a mere drop of blood, he could reconstitute this new skin from nothing!

    However, this twister defied the progression of events described. Not only that, this twister gave him a faint sensation of danger.

    "...Is it because of my regalias?" As he thought of it more, he realized that...the power of his regalia¡¯s flowed deeply through the entirety of his body, even his skin. Regardless of which, they all affected his skin or every part of his body somewhat...

    There was also the fact that, in the method, there¡¯s nothing that describes being in possession of more than one regalia. It was deemed an impossibility by the method, but Yan Zaizen had somehow achieved a unified cohabitation of four regalias.

    "The sky didn¡¯t shatter...but turned into dust. Isn¡¯t that the requirement for the third gate? But...there¡¯s nothing but a twister..." At this point, he realized that, regardless of the reason, his path was slightly different than previous described. Despite his confused thoughts, the twister continued to rotate as an increased velocity. It became so intense that Yan Zaizen had to retreat slightly, his eyes suffused with caution.

    "...What do you think you should do?" Pinaka asked. This was as unknown territory to her as it was to Yan Zaizen, she was even more clueless regarding the sequence of events that had taken ce.

    Yan Zaizen pondered, "Grandpa Xiu once said that the methods were simr for Herculeans up to the third level. After which, a deviation would ur towards their own specialty. Is it possible that...the phenomenon for breaking through was different for herculeans as well?" As he answered this question, he realized that even Zhou Xiuhei, the Xiuhei Sovereign, would be unable to know this question.

    However, if it was different, then the oue would be the same regardless!

    "Then this brings up the question...if I¡¯m cultivating under a different set of circumstances, then am I still cultivating the Immortal Herculean Method or something else?" He could only sigh as this question would be impossible to answer at his current cultivation, and thus...he could only wait and specte.

    "My instincts are screaming danger, but within danger lies fortune!" As he shouted this, his eyes grew determined. He fearlessly jumped into the golden twister.

    Entering the twister, he felt the fierce speeds rip apart his body. His skin was under so much pressure that even his healing factor started to be unable to keep up! Even Ezekiel couldn¡¯t exceed his healing factor in high-speedbat, yet this twister was moving at such a high speed, producing such a powerful force, that it actually couldn¡¯t rival it!

    He felt an immense pain that reached his soul but didn¡¯t shout or scream. Instead, he closed his eyes and calmed his breathing.

    Shuu~

    Shuu~

    Shuu~

    A brief periodter, Yan Zaizen¡¯s skin no longer existed. However, the golden twister only continued to rotate at a faster speed. It continued to rotate and shrink. It wasn¡¯t long before it turned into an outline of Yan Zaizen, continually spinning and ripping apart any skin that wished to heal.

    Slowly, the twister stopped.

    "My skin is gone..." Yan Zaizen noted, his eyes could no longer remain closed as his eyelids had disappeared. He was nothing but flesh and blood without any skin covering him, looking particrly nasty and horrific. It wasn¡¯t as horrible as his half-copsed state in the Grand Sirius Titan Realm¡¯s Sky Shatter Trial, but it was fairly close. Even if he urged his healing factor and lifeforce energy, his skin would not regenerate!

    "Shred the residual, shed the mortal..." These words started to be slowly understood. His skin was sundered apart, no longer being apart of his base physical state.

    The golden twister started to condense around Yan Zaizen¡¯s body until it became a thinyer. This additionalyer seemed to be refining Yan Zaizen¡¯s body, bing thinner and thinner as it slowly reced his skin. The golden light started to change colors, regaining Yan Zaizen¡¯s original skin color. After a few minutes, the golden light vanished, leaving only his new skin.

    "Haaa!" Exhaling out all his pent-up frustration, he looked at his new skin. There was virtually no outward difference, but it was fundamentally different from henceforth. He clenched his fist and felt that his skin was now like a muscle, exhibiting extraordinary force!

    "The Gate of Sky Skin! Even the name makes sense..." When he recalled the golden sky that had turned to dust and now transformed into his newfound skin, he couldn¡¯t help but wonder how miraculous thews were. What¡¯s more, his skin wasn¡¯t the only thing that had changed!

    The shattered sky refined his muscles, bones, blood, and more! Before, his physical body could barely rival a fourth-floor Heavenly Genesis expert, but now...he felt like his physical body could match a Heavenly Commander!

    "Howe the strength increase is so intense?" Yan Zaizen felt baffled as he pounded his fist into his palms. A sound reminiscent to twos colliding resounded!

    "Is it?" Pinaka questioned, but then added, "Perhaps it has to do with the gates themselves or your own unique circumstances?"

    "..." The Eight Celestial Gates were divided into three rted to the physical body, skin, flesh, and bone, and three rted to other things, such as yin & yang, mind, and source, and two from the first gate of opening and the eighth gate of ascension. "You¡¯re probably right," feeling that she was correct, if only partly.

    With the unusual phenomenon, his four regalias, and the gates rting to the physical body were limited to three. It only made sense. He would have to ask Ezekiel and Grandpa Xiu for more information on the subject before deciding.

    "Regardless of the circumstance, my body hasn¡¯t adjusted to the new skin. I can¡¯t even sense my other five points any longer...It seems I have to wait a bit more before it truly bes one with my physical existence." As he pondered over the circumstance, he discovered his inability to sense his other gates. It was odd, but he had felt this once before¡ªwhen he opened the Gate of Sky Opening.

    "I feel a sense of urgency...it¡¯s increasing in intensity..." He felt further bothered by this urgent feeling! He could guess it originated from Ezekiel, but he didn¡¯t know why it continued to increase.

    "Let¡¯s focus on the Law of Samsara, my third Imperial Law!" His eyes lit up in excitement, throwing the urgent feeling at the deepest part of his heart.

    With the Law of Samsara, he may have a chance to revive his parents!

 Chapter 290 Samsara

    Gathering his mental facilities, Yan Zaizen meditated silently amidst the silence of chaotic space. Floating in a cross-legged position, he calmed his breathing and allowed his mind to roam freely in thought.

    The basis ofprehending aw had to do with two things, connections and concept. Firstly, connecting to the heavens, no matter how loosely. As a Non-Entity, his mind was untainted and unrestricted by heavenly limitations or weight, so this was as easy as a thought.

    It was this degree, this phenomenal degree of connectivity that his understanding of the heavens were the highest and, despite his unwillingness, he would often undergo enlightenment.

    Secondly, concept. This was vital and many fail inprehendingws because of this. The concept must be inline with the predefined conceptual limitations of aw. This was heavenly limitation as well, with the Non Universe not being subjected to this.

    Every concept Yan Zaizen had ever devised under heavenlyw was previously mapped out and created. With his connection to the heavens, his mind being unrestrained by arbitrary limitations, he could easily gleam upon a pre-established path.

    However, there are paths, ultimate paths, that include a multitude of concepts into a singr whole. The Imperial Law of Spacetime and Rebirth were excellent examples of this. They incorporated quite a lot of concepts, merged as a perfect whole. However, even thesews had concepts divided.

    "Realm of Chaotic Space." Yan Zaizen recalled his experience in connecting andprehending this imperial conceptualw. He had merged the essence of Space - Spatial Form of Infinite Stability - and Time - Temporal Wind of Eternal Change - to produce it.

    Now, he had to do the same for the Law of Samsara.

    "Huuuu! Haaaa..." He inhaled deeply and exhaled softly, his hands held in front of his chest.

    "Unyielding me of Life embodies life¡¯s evesting persistence and tenacity, burning all to strive for all. In the face of death, at its near end, it¡¯s will ignites all death!" As he pondered the profundity of the Unyielding me of Life, he recalled his first encounter with thisw.

    It was his firstw he had everprehended. It was in Han Genji¡¯s mountain base that had hundreds of doors. At the time, he was lost, confused, and helpless about the events beforehand.

    It was alsoughable in hindsight.

    He couldn¡¯t remove any materials from the Meteor Ring, leaving him vexed and wishing to cry, but with no one to cry to. At the time, he saw an inky, ck piece of wood and atop this wood was a small, pale white me.

    It was the regalia of Life and Death, the odd two Regalia into one, but in a state of perfect bnce. Two extremes existing together in a simr way as Yin and Yang.

    He couldn¡¯t help but feel nostalgia. The time at Han Genji¡¯s ce had been a defining moment in his life. It was here that heprehended his firstw, started his path as a Herculean, and the start of his journey home.

    "Life is truly full of mysteries," Musing slightly, he redirected his thoughts towards thews. A bright, white me emerged between his palms. It lingered there quietly, existing peacefully with all things.

    "Siphoning Shadow of Death embodies death¡¯s evesting persistence and tenacity, much akin to life, absorbing all into its embrace, strengthening itself so that it can assimte all. It has no end, has no beginning, but it¡¯s will is unrelenting in its pursuit and ambition!¡¯ Yan Zaizen felt the profoundness of death and how it was quite simr to life, but wholefully different.

    It was like the difference between selfless and selfish, protective and destructive, serene and chaotic, satisfied and ambitious! While one acts as a guardian, the other acts as a monster.

    "Yet...why do I feel that...the roles can be perfectly swapped and still remain consistent?" If life can be considered serene, it can also be considered chaotic, as it is never known for its consistency. If death can be considered a chaotic, then it can also be considered serene, as it death is death, and you can never be more dead than dead.

    If life can be considered selfless, then wouldn¡¯t always wanting to exist regardless of what it consumes be selfish?

    Yan Zaizen felt his thinking was a little too broad, but it was likely closer to the truth than anything else.

    An orb of inky, ck appeared next to the bright, white me. The orb seemed to be thrummed with an intense desire to siphon all creation, bringing all things into death, while the me seemed intent on allowing life to live peacefully!

    They seemed to interact with each other, slowly increasing and reducing in size. It was like the scene disyed by the inky, ck wood.

    "Orb of Ever-Shifting Soul!" Yan Zaizen recalled this soul. It was, originally, his belief in changing Pinaka to a conventional soul. Unfortunately, the True Spirit Path was ouwed by the heavens, so soulws had no affect on her.

    This conceptualw was quite particr. It denoted the concept of shifting one soul form into another, such as transforming a conventional soul into a Phantasm.

    His first contact with thisw was the first-floor of the Asura Phantom Realm, where a beam attempted to morph his soul into a mindless phantom. This phantom would kill until it transformed into a Phantasm.

    An orb of sky-blue appeared below his avatars of life and death. They established a perfect triangle, but the soul wasn¡¯t intimately connected like life and death, but it was close.

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes brightened, using his all to bring to three together in unison at the middle of the triangle! Rumbling sounds echoed as they became closer, a profound heavenly force started to fluctuate.

    When Yan Zaizen had firstly fused twows, a rippling force emanated that would¡¯ve severely injured him, but now, there was none of that. As his mind heightened, so did his control.

    The three concepts merged slowly. The force that rippled seemed to contain the essence of soul life, soul death, and soul stability. It seemed to lean towards the soul, unlike the Imperial Law of Rebirth.

    He blinked.

    He entered the heavenly domain. At this point, Yan Zaizen had been on all three levels of the heavenly domain over three hundred times, meaning that, just by living, he hadprehended more than a three hundredws! Therefore, at this point, entering the heavenly domain was almost as easy as entering chaotic space.

    As he appeared within this dark area that seemed to emanate the core of the heavens, he felt a familiar feeling. "The concept most attuned to myprehensions," as he carelessly said this, he stepped towards the direction of that feeling. Like lightning, he zoomed through the heavenly domain. It was as if the domain itself was shuttling his body to that feeling.

    As he arrived, he saw a spherical object. It was nearly transparent, its outer shell being a light-grey color. In truth, it wasn¡¯t light grey, but more so dark-white. It was such an odd color that perhaps saying it was the lightest shade of grey imaginable would be urate.

    Within the sphere was an image of a. It was as if this contained all life and death in a perfect cycle. "Establishing your own cycle by merging physicality and spirituality. It¡¯s not so different than creating your own sub-realm, with your ownws of time, space, and location." As he pondered this, he reached out towards this sphere.

    The moment his hand touched it, for the first time, he saw a scene sh before his eyes. This scene was of a world, a world he had never seen before, but within this world was a lone gear that turned clockwise eternally. He had a faint feeling that as long as this gear turned, so did all the souls in the world.

    However, in this world, thews of the soul was trembling, as if it was attempting to escape. On the top of this gear was a small figure dressed in white, holding a ck item that seemed like a de and a staff. This figure turned around but the face was hazy.

    "Hell?" As he tried to glimpse more at the scene, his consciousness was pushed out of the heavenly domain.

    As he returned to his mind, he felt information pertaining to the Imperial Law of Samsara emerge in his mind. "Cycle of Hell?" His first instincts told him this was correct, but another name suddenly materialized within his thoughts, "Samsara..." Yan Zaizen was startled.

    The name of the concept was just ¡¯Samsara?!¡¯

 Chapter 291 Border Expanse?

    "Samsara..." Yan Zaizen felt mystified by its inborn abilities. As an Imperial Law that governed the life, death, and stability of a soul, he was even further shocked by its characteristics.

    "You!" Abruptly, he became frustrated and enraged. His hands clenched into fists and the world quivered. This anger was justified.

    As he continued to perceive the profoundness of this art, he attempted to see if he could glimpse into the Samsara Cycle of this world. If so, wouldn¡¯t he be able to revive his parents or at least retrieve their soul? Yet...

    "What is it?" Pinaka was startled by Yan Zaizen intense reaction. Even though she was interconnected to his soul, she didn¡¯t understand the heavenlyws he cultivated. This was one of the limitations she possessed as an artificial soul.

    After a long while, Yan Zaizen finally calmed down. "...If I want to revive a soul, I need the soul." His words was bordering onmon sense, but how he said it left Pinaka unable to respond.

    "It¡¯s been thousands of years since my parents died, their souls are no long lingering in the heavens awaiting processing, but likely in hell."

    "...oh..." Pinaka understood now. Due to the time difference, their souls had already fully descended to hell and awaiting their reincarnation. If this was the case, then obtaining the soul was nearly impossible.

    "Wait..." Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes lit up, his hands rxed and a smile formed on his lips. A light of dark-white flickered in his eyes. This light seemed to contain the ability to control all souls, their life, their death, and their destination.

    Those eyes peered through space and an untold distance. It seemed that, as he looked forward, the world before him was no longer his world. Instead, it was a world of souls!

    "I¡¯ll find a way." As these words left his lips, he didn¡¯t exin. His hands reached out. This hand may seem normal but as it reached out souls would tremble.

    "Zai..." Pinaka felt her soul tremble slightly.

    "I see!" Yan Zaizen stepped out, exiting chaotic space and entering the Border Expanse. His eyes shined even more brilliantly as he looked upwards.

    He saw them.

    It wasn¡¯t a single lifeform but a myriad of lifeforms. These lifeforms were spiritual existences and even amidst these many odd and irregrly looking lifeforms, there was those-sized mouth-balls.

    Pinaka, connected to Yan Zaizen¡¯s sights, gawked as she saw an entirely different world. There were humanoid, animal-like, and creatures that could only be called monstrosities of creation.

    "What...what is this?" Pinaka had heard that the Border Expanse was home to many ill-begotten creatures that could scare even heavenly cultivators for a lifetime, but seeing it now...

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes zed a deep spiritual light as he nced around. The Border Expanse wasn¡¯t dark. Instead, it was blindingly bright that it seemed to reach an extreme which makes it dark. This light seemed to act as a shield for these spiritual creatures, inducing all other lifeforms into a blind-state.

    It was such an odd feeling. Before, Yan Zaizen had refined a soul regalia into his brain, enhancing his senses, but that was just like lowering that brightness from 100 to 99. Now, he could see it all.

    "The Border Expanse is Hell?" As he said this, he spotted a three-armed demonic creature with no legs. Its skin was wrinkly yet its face was like a baby¡¯s. This face had no eyes, with two ears that could be considered as recing those eyes, and a nose with gas emitting from it.

    Yan Zaizen was intrigued, but his previous thought felt incorrect. The Border Expanse was not hell. Instead...

    "It¡¯s..." Yan Zaizen felt his mind spiral as he looked around more. He felt his thoughts were impossible, inconceivable, but there was a bit of truth within. After all, he was capable of doing something simr.

    "False Heavenly Universe..." Recalling Ezekiel¡¯s words, he now saw why even Heavenly Gods felt this to be the case.

    "That vision..." When heprehended the Law of Samsara, he saw a small figure holding a staff with a de. This figure stood atop a gear and there was faint trembling, as if it wishes to break free. It gave him an odd feeling, but it also shed a little bit of light.

    "Interesting..." Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t fullyplete his thought, but felt like exploring the possibility even further. He was about to tap out, but reconsidered, his hand into a palm he sted forth. This palm started to emanate a dark-white color and seemed about to grasp a soul.

    Ting!

    "Hm?" Yan Zaizen ceased his actions, cancelling his spiritual light and reaching into the Meteor Ring. At a corner was an oval stone that flicker with bright white color. "Yin-Yang Communion Talisman?" Withdrawing the stone, he connected his spiritual sense within.

    "Yan Zaizen, here¡¯s the location. When you arrive, support the attackers." Ezekiel¡¯s voice rang out. Yan Zaizen furrowed his brows slightly as a Heavenly Map entered his mind with a specific location.

    "Isn¡¯t this remarkably close to the Central Heaven?" Yan Zaizen felt slightly baffled, but he didn¡¯t hesitate. The Border Expanse exists everywhere, he had more than enough time to search for some answers. His priority is still to return home.

    With a tap, he left an Astral Remnant on the and stepped forward. His body merged into the spatial void as his body emanated deep spatial heavenly might. With a speed that was astonishingly fast, he traversed the spatial void.

    "Zai, that world?" Pinaka asked, her mind still slightly trembling at the world hidden within the world.

    Yan Zaizen was like light as he shuttled through a spatial tunnel. His brows lifted at Pinaka¡¯s question. "That ¡¯world¡¯ shouldn¡¯t be a world like a heaven, but its possible its a copsed universe." Yan Zaizen spected, but he wasn¡¯t exactly sure.

    The only thing that¡¯s truly certain is that 99% of the creatures in Border Expanse could not interact with those in the Heavenly Universe, and the other 1% shifted in and out like the mouth-balls. However, even that didn¡¯tst.

    "A copsed universe? Like the Non Universe?" She was startled and faintly disbelieving of the notion.

    "I can¡¯t know for certain, but don¡¯t you find it odd that the Non Universe and the Heavenly Universe are so greatly different?" Yan Zaizen said, pausing briefly he added, "It¡¯s like the heavens are bubbles filled with restrictions and barricades within another world."

    With a step, he evoked his False Grand Dao, amplifying the speed he shuttled through the spatial void. He had a very strange and urgent feeling in his heart, one that continued to get more and more intense as if his life would be derailed if he was just a second too slow.

    "...I do feel like that but..." Pinaka was uncertain.

    Regardless of Pinaka¡¯s thoughts, Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t rest and continued forth. Not to mention, even he wasn¡¯t truly certain what he said was correct. He only had a few clues to base this off of, such as Ezekiel¡¯s recounts of a Heavenly God calling the universe ¡¯False,¡¯ the segregated spiritual world, and the image of the gear. There was more, but these made him more uncertain.

    Several minutes passed.

    "There!" Yan Zaizen felt the location getting close and pushed forth.

    Boom!

    He was halted by a solid object, like a wall. He didn¡¯t hesitate to deduce the situation nor was he shocked, "a spatial barrier? A war..."

    Coldly snorting, he punched forth as his Heavenly Shrine erupted with six floors of spacetime energy! The heavenly might was like a spear to a marshmallow, unstoppable!

    A hole his size was produced in the spatial void and he stepped in with maximum speed. In a blink, that hole closed.

 Chapter 292 Crimson Devil Realm!

    Crimson Devil Realm, 17th Heaven.

    Boom!

    "Ahhhhh!" A voice filled with horror, unwillingness, and righteous rage echoed.

    Bam!

    "Noooo! You bast-" Another voice sounded but was abruptly interrupted by a sound of flesh and bone meeting metal.

    Crack!

    "Kill! Kill! Die!"

    A multitude of voices filled with all types of emotions from pain, unwillingness, horror, regret, and pleasure. They resounded in the millions within the Crimson Devil Realm, a ¡¯titan¡¯ realm with a crimson sun, silver moon, and one.

    On this was a grand castle with a tower at its center. This tower was golden and reached the¡¯s sky, towering all other structures on its surface. At the top of this tower was a man. This man was slim, pale, but remarkably handsome with ck hair, crimson eyes, and an indifferent expression.

    He wore a pure white robe that served as a distinct contrast to his crimson pupils and deep, ck eyes. It gave off a very serene feeling, but for anyone looking at him with a high perception, they may be drenched in cold sweat by his bloody aura.

    Reflected in those crimson pupils that seemed to contain all the blood within the world were two realms.

    Yes, realms.

    Two entire realms were in motion, colliding with his realm¡¯s external formation, forcing their way into the Crimson Devil Realm. These were two uniquely created weaponized realms that could be considered the highest form of ship to transport enormous armies and one¡¯s geographical advantage.

    As the two realms that were less than a tenth the size of the Crimson Devil Realm were being driven into it, a mass of invaders rushed into it from gaps produced in the realm¡¯s formation due to the collision.

    At this moment, the Crimson Devil Realm¡¯s formation was preupied by the two realms and their formations, disallowing interference to deal with the invaders. Therefore, the inhabitants of this realm had been called to arms to defend itself.

    No, it would be more urate to say those inhabitants loyal to the Crimson Devil name had taken arms. Others, they were silently observing the situation, some solemn, some in excitement. Perhaps if the situation was a normal realm war, all forces would ally, but this situation was special.

    "...Ezekiel." The handsome man was the Realmlord of the Crimson Devil, a (Minor Heaven) Heavenly Creation cultivator with profound strength, Drac dius.

    The fighting had been ongoing for three years and billions of lives were lost, yet the enemy persisted. They persisted and demanded.

    Their demand?

    They will cease and retreat if a single person was turned over.

    Ariel dius, his sole daughter.

    If it was anyone else, Drac would not throw away his realm¡¯s stability and fate for a single person, but this was his only child.

    However, that brought another issue.

    It was ¡¯his¡¯ child. While differing heavens and different realms have varying beliefs and systems of society, one thing remains consistent throughout - preservation. Nearly half of the Realm¡¯s forces were unwilling to fight in this war when they had nothing to benefit or lose regardless of the oue.

    The other side had made their sole demand and even a heavenly oath to no longer take action or im territory after receiving or killing their target. This one move copsed the unity of the Crimson Devil Realm¡¯s forces. A clear divide took ce, those who were willing to fight and die for their leader and those who weren¡¯t.

    That being said, they understood the danger of not helping if their Realmlord, Drac dius, were to adhere to their demands or fend off the invaders. However, anyone who knew this Realmlord and his Dao knew that the former was impossible.

    While thetter, the other side had a (Minor Heaven) Heavenly Creation expert to fight and defend against him. This meant even if he did win somehow, he would be severely injured or worse as a consequence and they could easily retreat or take advantage of this.

    Atop the golden tower, Drac was looking at the battlefield that was the space upied by the three realms. It was like a venn diagram and the middle was thebination of three realms. His gaze was indifferent but his eyes tracked a single figure that wielded a sword, his silver wings pped here and there, and his expression was cool as he reaped life after life.

    This figure belonged to Ezekiel.

    "Father..." A voice sounded. It belonged to a young woman. She was crimson-eyed, pale-skinned, wearing a crimson dress and looked about seventeen to eighteen years old. She had an innate air of an empress, but her expression was solemn and somewhat pained.

    "Ariel..." Drac slowly said, turning to see this pride and joy of his. She was remarkably beautiful. Her beauty was gainedpletely from herte mother. His indifferent gaze unknowingly softened in her presence.

    "I shouldn¡¯t have failed..." Ariel¡¯s voice was soft and contained deep regret. Ezekiel was a proud figure within the heavens, and the connections he had established was heaven-shaking, earth-crumbling, and sky-rending! Not only did he obtain two weaponized realms but could even call upon an expert no weaker than her father.

    She didn¡¯t even want to think about how he garnered the loyalty of billions of experts willing to die for his cause. When they attacked, it was as if they were fighting for their god or savior. Thus, their lives no longer belonged to them but Ezekiel.

    It baffled all, especially the neighbouring realms and all within the Crimson Devil Realm. How high must one¡¯s luck and charisma be to achieve a tenth of his force? Let alone the entirety of it. The story behind this must be legendary!

    "Haaa..." Drac softly sighed, his gaze turning warmer. His daughter was a strong-willed woman, but more so, she was exceptionally prideful. When Ezekiel had been the son of a Heavenly God and a once in a million years talent with a limitless future, she was willing to ept him despite her personal dislike for his reckless personality and monogamous ways.

    However, when cmity hit the 27th Heaven¡¯s Chaos Origin God, Ezekiel¡¯s father, and Ezekiel became a dog without a home, she felt it was beneath her to associate with him. However, he was relentlessly still pursuing her. Despite Drac personally attempting to dissolve their rtion, he had mistakenly took it as Drac purposely separating them due to his misfortune. This only fueled his desire more.

    Yet...it was all the will of this daughter of his and Ezekiel learned this fact the hard way. Unfortunately, his life was too tough. Even after plotting to kill him without the possibility for revival, he still lived.

    Three thousand yearster, Ezekiel had drawn upon all his favors and reserve strength and dered upon war to im the life of this daughter of his.

    While he may be indifferent outwardly, inwardly he was heavily sighing. The only regret he had was not personally taking action to rid the vast heavens of the scourge called Ezekiel.

    "The past no longer matters, only the present and future." After those words, he turned towards the battlefield. The light in his crimson gaze held a decisiveness as terrifying as hell itself.

    -----

    Within the tri-realm battlefield.

    Shiiing!

    Ezekiel swept his de forth, cleanly sliced a pale figure in half, heavenly shrine, soul, and body! His de contained no blood as he retreated far away. A world of brightly colored lights formed where he was. The man he had just killed had his entirety eviscerated. This world was produced by nearly ten thousand heavenly cultivators at the middle-stages striking in unison.

    These cultivators were in a manifestation of a gigantic War God, dressed in multi-colored armor with a sword the size of a moon. Their bulging muscles were astonishing, their skin was translucent allowing one to see the nearly ten thousand cultivators and each of their expressions were vicious.

    It wasn¡¯t the only one, but it was definitely the strongest in this area.

    "..." Continuing his retreat, he entered one of the weaponized realms and exited the tri-realm battlefield. The time for singr battle had ended a short while ago, the enemy and his allies were establishing small moon-sized manifestations. Some were of weapons, others were humanoids like the War God, and a few were drops of crimson blood empowering and supporting others.

    If Yan Zaizen was here, he would recognize that the drops of crimson blood was simr to the Deluge Realm¡¯s raindrop manifestation. These formations were all designed for defense and strengthening.

    "Ezekiel." An old man with steel-colored hair and goatee appeared beside Ezekiel like a ghost. His expression was calm, but his eyes contained a dense emerald color. As he stepped on the air, faint illusory forms of various ntlife formed beneath his feet.

    "Hm?" Ezekiel faced this man, his posture and gaze exuding imperious calm.

    "The spatial cage has been established ahead of time, unless a Heavenly Cultivator with a (Minor) Heaven in space appeared, no one shall be leaving or exiting." This old man had eyes that were profound, but in the depths of which was dense battle intent.

    Nodding, Ezekiel turned towards the Crimson Devil Realm. "...It seems Yan Zaizen won¡¯t be able to make it." As he thought of that figure he hadmunicated with simply a few minutes ago, he felt odd. It was like an itch in his heart, a feeling unable to be deciphered.

    "Bring out the War Worldships," he ordered.

    The old man nodded and vanished, a smirk of excitement on his face. The true battle was about to begin!

 Chapter 293 War Worldships

    "Ready!" Ezekiel¡¯s voice boomed outwards, reaching the ears of all within the tri-realm battlefield. Many cultivators on both sides felt their hearts pound with fierce emotions, one side throbbed with inexplicable horror and the other with profound excitement.

    As his voice slowly dissipated, from the two realms, nine absolutely titanic ships emerged from the spatial void. They were awe-inspiring and impressive, far beyond mortalprehension, each outfitted with a dozenary cannons capable of turning a into literal dust. These cannons littered the sides, poking out like barrels of a rifle.

    As they arrived, they eclipsed all, creating a looming shadow like metallic gods. They were all emerald in color and easily exceeded the size of normals. Beneath their hulls were waves! These waves were silver and nearly transparent. The ships were cruising on spatialws!

    "Ready!" Ezekiel repeated, his eyes cold and his voice oozing with pure, unadulterated killing intent. It was as if he was asking not the ships but his enemies if they were ready to die. However, his gaze never left Drac¡¯s figure in the distance.

    The worldshipsary cannons started to thrum a deep and unfathomable sound. This sound became increasingly deeper and the cannons released fluctuations of destructive power. This destructive power caused ripples to radiate outwards that caused the hearts of all watchers to grow cold. No longer willing to stay, the fighters of Ezekiel¡¯s force hastily retreated.

    The same was done by the Crimson Devil Realm¡¯s forces!

    There was only a brief hesitation in their hearts, but when the first person took their leave in retreat, the others quickly followed like perfectly set dominoes. A tidal wave of cultivators made their way into their realm, hoping to reach their force¡¯s formation in time.

    "Aim!" Ezekiel fiercely shouted, his dao aura erupting as he stood upright with a sharp gaze and imperious posture. A domineering light shed as he fiercely flourished his sword. The worldships cannon¡¯s moved, as if linked to Ezekiel¡¯s consciousness and thoughts. All nine dozen cannons honed onto one area!

    The tower that stood taller than all others in the realm! Standing atop this tower was a figure with blood-colored eyes.

    Drac!

    The deep sound reached its zenith as it started to drown out all others. In the entire tri-realm area only the sound of energy gathering within the cannons could be heard.

    "How did they obtain so many War Worldships?" Ariel¡¯s expression turned ashen as death, her eyes suffused with fear at Ezekiel¡¯s sheer ability to rue treasures and allies that even their realm would find it difficult to ovee.

    A single War Worldship with one cannon was astonishing for even a ninth-tier heavenly force to possess, but nine ships with a dozen cannons on each?! This felt surreal to her.

    Just this power alone would triumph over all within the realm except her father. This originally was a war, but no longer. It felt more like an army of fully-armed knights facing an army of malnourished peasants.

    "Ezekiel...the boy of fortune..." Drac sighed. It was filled with the vicissitudes of years and regrets that he felt. "All retreat." Drac gave the order, but in truth, it was a redundant measure. The vast majority of cultivators had already made their retreat, fanning away from the cannons line of sight and flying towards their respective forces¡¯ headquarters or the edge of the realm in fear.

    Witnessing this, Ezekiel¡¯s forces unified in a grand roar! This roar rivaled the totality of the sound emitted by the cannons. The only two sounds that could be heard were a roar and a thrum!

    "FIRE!!!" Ezekiel heroically thrusted his sword forward, his fist clenched and his eyes gleaming with murderous light.

    Suuuu...

    BOOM!!!

    Nine dozen cannons shot forth pure destructive energy capable of leveling entires. This energy waspressed into balls the size of a small mountain and propelled at speeds faster than light!

    The old man with steel-colored hair and illusory ntlife growing beneath his feet with each step appeared. His emerald-like eyes contained deep excitement as he chuckled, a tinge of madness within. He tapped out with his palm. To all capable of watching his movements, it was as if he had tapped out once, but in reality, he had tapped out millions of times within the span it took for the balls of destructive energy to travel half the distance between itself and its target - Drac!

    "Merge!"

    As he thundered, the nine dozen destructive balls seemed to have been attracted by some profound heavenlyw. With the swiftness that could not be described, the balls converged into one and turned golden! This golden ball was no bigger than a person, but it emanated such powerful fluctuations that only a few could actually keep their senses and eyes open!

    Ezekiel¡¯s eyes bled due to this, but he continued to watch the ensuing events. Some were directly blinded by the golden light. It wasn¡¯t very bright, it could actually be described as bright as an average sun, but its rays destroyed all!

    "Hahaha!" The old manughed maniacally, his eyes filled with madness and battle intent. He didn¡¯t wait for the ball tond on the tallest tower, but moved forward with remarkable speed, hisughter echoing throughout.

    Drac¡¯s eyes remained calm, but his heart was anything but. "Ze¡¯Ya, if this is your desire, then so be it." Drac¡¯s words seemed to be directed at the old man, his eyes slowly suffusing with determination.

    Waving both of his hands forwards, the tower he stood upon vanished. Between his be appeared a mark in the same shape as the tower! As the tower vanished, so did Ariel!

    "Ariel...I would never risk your life when even I am uncertain of living. If I can not remove this threat for you, then I hope you, with fortune blessing upon you, be capable of living a peaceful life." His words contained deep sadness, but also deep resolve.

    Ezekiel¡¯s eyes widened, blood leaking like rivers. However, they weren¡¯t suffused with surprise at Drac¡¯s situation. No, this was already well within his calctions. What caused his eyes to widen was the tower mark between Drac¡¯s brows. It had a faint familiarity to it.

    BOOM!

    From the moment the cannons fired to this moment, nearly an instant had passed. The small, man-sized golden ball collided with a thin film of crimson just a few miles away from Drac!

    This explosion was heaven-shaking, earth-shattering, sky-sundering, as the sound alone released soundwaves so vast that the heavens turned deaf and the world grew silent!

    Ezekiel¡¯s eyes exploded into gore, his ears flowing with blood and bits of flesh. All the other cultivators suffered equal or worse damage, some even directly dying from the deafening sound, and a few near the epicenter that had their souls and body turned to dust from the intense vibration.

    This was even before the true, utterly mind-blowing, heaven-destroying shockwaves were emitted!

    It was like a tsunami of immense proportions had been summoned, smashing against any and all things within ten million li of the explosion! Lives were instantly lost, even entire forces that stayed near and loyal beside the Crimson Devil Realm¡¯s leadership were wiped clean.

    All sub-realms constituted within range copsed. No, it would be more urate to say they were vaporized!

    Only Drac stood, a small, thin barrier protecting him and only him. His eyes calm and the tower mark at his be glimmering with faint traces of odd, dim light.

    "That attack is like a casual one for us, so lets start the real battle! Come out and fight me, Crimson Devil Monarch! Come,e,e! Hahaha!" Ze¡¯Ya appeared a mere few inches away from Drac¡¯s barrier like a ghost, his palm raised. Although his words may hold some truth, to achieve this single attack, Ezekiel had expended a vast quantity of wealth that he could not produce again.

    Drac calmly waved his hand in response.

    Ezekiel¡¯s eyes had already been restored, the damage to his ears healed, and his gaze fixed once more on Drac. This will be a battle between Heavenly Monarchs!

    He couldn¡¯t miss a moment of it!

 Chapter 294 Eighteen-Floor Hell Altar!

    Ze¡¯Ya¡¯s raised palm mmed downwards. This palm seemed slow, remarkably slow, but in reality, it was exceptionally fast. It appeared to contain a myriad of illusory nt life that embodied a myriad ofws.

    Bam!

    A small, subtle sound that was difficult to hear even if you were a few steps away was released. In a fraction of second, a mountain of nt life seemed to have materialized into existence. It was only momentary, but it was as if the heavens had transformed into a world of flora and fauna!

    The thin barrier copsed into millions of trillions of dust particles.

    Drac¡¯s earlier wave of his sleeve, however, replied as if he expected as much. The crimson dust that was originally the barrier froze and then, each dust particle transformed into a drop of blood. These drops of blood were standard size, causing a world of blood to be quickly constructed. However, this world of blood seemed to be both vastlyrge,rger than a sub-realm, yet smaller than a particle of dust.

    Its size gave off a surreal, heaven-creating feeling, unable to be appropriatelyprehended. As if a small drop of blood contained a realm of its own, a realm of blood.

    As Ezekiel gazed at this blood, his mind spun. A needle-like stabbing sensation emerged from his temples. It became frustratingly difficult to conceive a thought. All thoughts he attempted to form seemed to be obsessed with blood, as if blood was his heaven and earth.

    Ze¡¯Ya smiled. To others, this drop of blood may be a vast world or a speck of dust, but to him, it was merely a drop of blood norger than any other. This drop of blood simply gave the illusion of many.

    "You think using your minor heaven in such a way will work against me? Crimson Devil Monarch, don¡¯t be a disappointment." Softly chuckling, he tapped his foot in mid-air. This tap caused the realm the to tremble briefly.

    The drop of blood dissipated into nothingness.

    Drac didn¡¯t seem too bothered by the blood¡¯s destruction. Instead, he stepped forward as he grasped with his right hand. Three drops of blood emerged from nothingness and rotated in ce before him. These three drops of blood were multi-colored, each containing a heaven of their own.

    Ze¡¯Ya replied, his emerald eyes turned into emerald suns that shone upon all in sight, including the three drops. This gaze was domineering, heaven-establishing, and soul-stirring! It contained infinite and varied forms of life, all of which were nt-based. The three drops trembled and seemed to slowly dissipate as they were bathed in light.

    "..." Drac¡¯s eyes suddenly turned into a sea of blood, no longer containing any light within, but just an unfathomable abyss of blood. He opened his mouth wide and breathed outwards lightly. A blood mist shot forward.

    This blood mist was the size of a child¡¯s fist, but it released an aura of a deep abyss that seemed never-ending and heaven-rivaling!

    Ze¡¯Ya, for the first time, retreated, but his smile and eyes suffused with battle intent never faded. Yet, they also contained a hint of surprise.

    This exchange may have taken a while to describe, but it urred in a small fraction of a literal second.

    Ze¡¯Ya formed a palm and pped forward while retreating, producing an emerald rose that met the blood mist. A collision urred. Normally, a small rose and a bit of blood mist should¡¯ve been underwhelming andckluster, but the moment these two objects met, the heavens stilled.

    All those not heavenly cultivators within the three realms froze. Their senses, bodies, lives, and souls simply froze. For half a second, it was as if the heavens paused to make corrections to all living things, to ensure their continued existence despite the conflict!

    When that half-second ended, an explosion erupted with the two as the center. This explosion was vast. Describing it as vast may be inurate. It was utterly titanic, encapsting half the entire titan realm that was the Crimson Devil Realm!

    "Hahahaha!" Ze¡¯Ya¡¯sughter was clear even amidst this explosion. An explosion of emerald and blood-colored light that washed away half the realm with half its poption!

    "A battle between Heavenly Monarchs is..." Ezekiel had never personally witnessed a battle in real life between two monarchs going all out. The sheer simplicity of their attacks followed by their overwhelming might was soul-stirring, causing him to pant.

    Luckily, the battle took ce in the Crimson Devil Realm; the two external realms were untouched as a result.

    "To think you would use your Heavenly Dao Source so early, and so desperately too! Truly disappointing!" Ze¡¯Ya¡¯s voice echoed, but it seemed to contain a hint of exhaustion. He had been caught off guard by the sudden eruption and detonation of Drac¡¯s Heavenly Dao Source.

    His figure emerged as the two lights faded to reveal a space that no longer contained realm properties. It was as if the Border Expanse had sliced into the realm, no longer keeping the Crimson Devil Realm and the two external realms connected.

    The cost?

    Half of the Crimson Devil Realm.

    Ze¡¯Ya stood amidst this Border Expanse area, blood dripping down from his lips like a slow river. His clothing was shredded, revealing only tattered robes and a gaunt figure beneath. The emerald light in his eyes was visibly dim, and his breathing was heavy. Surrounding him defensively was a thin barrier of bright green.

    Ze¡¯Ya was injured!

    Another figure was revealed, a crimson-eyed, pale-skinned man with an indifferent expression. Unlike Ze¡¯Ya, he wasn¡¯t bleeding, but his left arm and leg had vanished. A faint trace of emerald light was invading his flesh, preventing it from healing, leaving only odd flesh-wiggling to ur at the ends. Even within his eyes, an emerald rose silhouette flickered.

    Drac¡¯s actions were tantamount to a desperate attack, betting mostly all of it on this. His Minor Heaven was based around the Mortal Law of Blood, but Ze¡¯Ya¡¯s was the World Law of Wood. Regardless of any circumstance, their base strength was already vastly different, and this didn¡¯t even factor in experience.

    "Ezekiel...you truly havee prepared." Drac softly said, his gaze was the pinnacle of calm as he gazed upwards. Ezekiel matched his gaze, revealing a sovereign¡¯s dominance within. It contained boundless confidence despite looking at a heaven-rivaling existence!

    "I regret not taking action before, and I will die because of my mistake. However," Drac inhaled and exhaled, no longer considering Ze¡¯Ya as an obstacle, "I will not make the same mistake twice."

    At the moment, Ze¡¯Ya may seem to be in greater condition, but that was furthest from the truth. He had to utilize his own Heavenly Dao Source to counter Drac, leaving his minor heaven in shambles and his cultivation unstable. Even his Heavenly Dao Source was severely injured, if it wasn¡¯t for hisw being based on a World Law, his cultivation might have suffered a decrease, indefinitely.

    "What?!" At the moment, Ze¡¯Ya was oddly shocked as his cultivation base seemed to be stalled by some force. His eyes shrunk to a needle-point as he roared, "You disgrace of a heavenly cultivator! Ezekiel, FLEE!!!" The concern within his voice was deep and profound, like a father calling out to his son.

    He tried to turn his body but realized his cultivation, and his body was being hindered by an ancient, overwhelming force. This force wasn¡¯t too lethal, even under it, all it could do was restrict him for second or two, but that was more than enough.

    "Toote." Drac didn¡¯t bother, the tower mark on his be seemed to manifest once more in reality, but no longer did it merely stand upright proudly, but released a soul aura bordering on hellish! This tower had eighteen sections...almost as if it had eighteen floors!

    Ezekiel felt his soul experience an electrifying shock, his cultivation base erupting fully as he retreated. "How did he build an eighteen floor Hell Altar!?!?" Ezekiel¡¯s mind was spinning as he was looking at the unbelievable. The Hell Path was ouwed by the entirety of all heavens! It shouldn¡¯t exist!!!

    "Unless..." As his thoughts reached a certain point, his heart turned cold and his eyes were, for the first time in his life, suffused with fear! Even with half a titan realm of distance between them, he felt shaken and insecure!

    The tower that manifested was no bigger than a baseball, but it contained fluctuations that made all souls bow without question!

    "I, Drac dius, give my soul to eternal damnation in exchange for a request!" He did not speak themonnguage, but something that seemed oddly demonic, as if he was conjuring an existence from the depths of hell.

    "My request, SEAL HIS EXISTENCE TO THE ETERNAL!" A light of madness effused from his eyes as they turned from a sea of blood to a sea of hell! It was as if hell itself was taking over his entirety! The wretched screams of damned souls, filled with regret, pain, unspeakable horror, and eternal restlessness echoed.

    He pointed at Ezekiel in his madness, and at the corners of his lips was a calm smile. This smile was oddly peaceful, contradicting the deep resolve and madness his eyes revealed.

 Chapter 295 Crossroads

    Outside the Crimson Devil Realm, in the Spatial Void.

    "Hm?" The sensation of urgency was increasing by the second. Yan Zaizen stood calmly within the spatial void, his hands punching forth. As each punch was thrown, a burst of spacetime-based heavenly might would surge forth and pierce a thin barrier. As it was pierced, he would fly through it, only to meet another barrier.

    "This spatial array is astonishing..." Yan Zaizen couldn¡¯t help but praise despite the mounting nervousness within his heart. The current obstacle before him was a multiyered barrier of space, restricting all ess from any medium.

    Even if he tried to bypass it from the Non Universe, he would still meet obstruction. In truth, the issue had to do with the way the barrier worked. There was a vast amount of thin barriersyered a certain distance away from each other, but when they are destroyed or pierced through, that barrier dissipates, and another barrier formtes several barriers down.

    This created a never-ending cycle of barriers. Even Yan Zaizen, with hisprehension of spacetime, found this impossible to ovee in a short period. "This sensation keeps piling on." Biting his lips, he tried other methods, but all ended in failure.

    "What is this sensation?" Pinaka asked, realizing that Yan Zaizen kept verbalizing his thoughts, indicating his tense nerves. This was truly the first time she had saw him act this way.

    "It¡¯s hard to describe," Yan Zaizen said. He tapped out, causing a surging wave of endless time energy to flow. This time energy permeated into the barrier, and he pierced through. As he did, the barrier¡¯s deconstruction was slowed, which meant the barrier¡¯s reconstructionter should be dyed.

    "It¡¯s like...if I¡¯mte, some things in my life will cease to be a reality." Yan Zaizen tried to exin, but it truly was hard to describe a feeling. "But...I also feel that if I do make it on time, then...I¡¯ll lose something." This feeling was insanely vague, borderline impossible to decipher. He didn¡¯t know the importance of his feeling, but both sides seemed to cause him to suffer. Despite this, he continued to try various methods.

    "Cease to be a reality? Lose something?" Pinaka¡¯s lovely brows furrowed, her mind trying to get a more precise feel towards Yan Zaizen¡¯s soul, but it was impossible. They may be linked by their dao and have soul linked via intimacy, but feelings based on instincts like these were still vague and uncertain.

    "What do you think you should do?" Pinaka decided to ask. She could see that Yan Zaizen was trying, but not too strongly. His attempts were swift, eliminating ineffectual methods, but his mind was holding back.

    The time energy that surged forth indeed dyed the formation, but by too little to matter. Therefore, this method was eliminated.

    "..." This was the first time that his instincts left him at a crossroads, leaving him with no good choices. "If I lose something, I can gain it back, but if things in my life cease to be a reality, then I can only regret." His voice was calm, but it was tinged with a bit of sadness.

    His senses entered his soul, looking at Pinaka, who sat beautifully within.

    Thump.

    His heart deeply pounded once. A sh of despair, madness, and obsession surged in his pupils. These emotions were rarely seen in Yan Zaizen, not having been shown since that fateful day on the grassy knolls. However, it had shed for a short period that could not be registered by any entity of this world, not even Yan Zaizen.

    Pinaka noticed Yan Zaizen¡¯s spiritual sense, her eyes looked at where it was. A smile so beautiful that it could cause all things bright in the multiverse to dim beside it formed. "If that¡¯s the case, then you have your answer. Now, stop holding back." Berating, she closed her eyes to attune to Yan Zaizen¡¯s senses more clearly.

    "Mhm." Nodding in response, he stopped using his heavenly might and touched a barrier with his hand. A ck hole formed at his be. This ck hole seemed infinitely deep and boundless.

    "My bloodline is divided into two aspects, the Law of Mimicry and the ck Hole. The ck hole can devour physicality, spirituality, and essence. Essence beingws." As he recalled his act of consuming the Non Universe¡¯s core essence, he felt enlightened.

    "Essence, my be. Spirituality, my eyes. Physicality, my hands." the ck hole in his be swirled. This swirl was slow, but it was like a world eater of all things. As it swirled, the spatial barriers and even the spatial void started to contort as if it was gum being pulled.

    "This bloodline is vastly inferior to the protection of my existence, like a drop of water in a of water. Iparable." This was something he understood, as his bloodline was heavily connected to the strength of his soul, hence it being a soul bloodline.

    However, after reached the Perfect Astral Soul Realm, his soul bloodline could not be described as before. If he had devoured the Non Universe, it would¡¯ve been thousands of times greater, yet still, it was iparable to the original ck hole.

    The spatial barrier distortions started to increase, in a split second, he had directly devoured half the strength of an entire barrier. Not only was it thin, but it was nearly transparent. "Good!" Seeing it work, he narrowed the area of effect, limiting it to just around his body.

    He stepped forth, exploding with maximum speed like aet, zing through the spatial void with no hindrance. As he devoured sections of each barrier, a vast amount of energy was lost and thus, the reforming was heavily dyed. Before long, Yan Zaizen prated thest barrier, his eyes bright.

    -----

    Crimson Devil Realm, devastated region.

    "Drac, cease this!" Za¡¯Ya¡¯s eyes were dripping madness. A deep roar that seemed to emit from his body, not his mouth, resounded throughout. It was monstrous and caused the space surrounding him to tremble violently. Yet, the ancient force that restricted his cultivation remained despite his efforts, his eyes only allowed to watch as events happened.

    Ezekiel had already started to retreat with his all, but a sh of dim light surged from the tower that seemed to reflect in his pupils. With the eyes often being the windows to the soul, one could see that his soul had been affected.

    "Running is pointless," Drac calmly stated. This statement seemed true as the tower manifested from his be transformed into a line of light. It was like an invisible arrow had left a minor wake in space. It targeted Ezekiel¡¯s be mercilessly.

    Feeling a sensation of deadly crisis so profound that his mind rumbled, his heart thrummed violently, and his scalp was as numb as a dead man¡¯s stare, Ezekiel grunted. This sound was followed by a silver light shing within his pupils that were filled with dim light of an indeterminate color. This silver light emitted absolute dominance and imperious might, suffusing unwillingness and arrogance.

    He had evoked his False Grand Dao!

    Yet...

    As the silver light shed, the dim light turned dimmer. The silver light faded like a snowman in summer, melting in essence.

    Gurgh!

    Ezekiel spat out several mouthfuls of blood as his face paled, an expression filled with pain emerged, but an odd decisiveness shined in his eyes as the line of light traveled towards him. This line of light wasn¡¯t very fast, but it bypassed all obstacles like a ghost in the mortal world!

    "Hmph!" Coldly snorting, his back stood upright as he withdrew a silverpass with eight directional arrows pointing towards all eight directions. Without hesitation, he surged his might into thepass causing it to erupt with a fierce brilliance that could blind many!

    This was the trans-spatial divinepass! Thispass was actually far more profound than a normal trans-spatial divinepass that Pinaka was familiar with or even the rest of the world. Not only can it be used to teleport one across the myriad realms, but it can also do so across a single heavenly cluster, navigate the thirty-three heavens, and help one enter other universes!

    This was the very object Yan Zaizen needed to re-enter the 27th Heaven! Not only that, he would need it to even return to the 7th Heaven lest he be lost!

    Ezekiel had activated thepass for its function to teleport one throughout the heavenly cluster. In a blink, his physical body vanished away!

    "!!!" Ze¡¯Ya was relieved seeing Ezekiel use thepass for an escape, but his eyes widened fiercely after. Even Drac was deeply shaken, butter smiled triumphantly.

    "Ahhhh!" A deep shriek of pain sounded as Ezekiel¡¯s soul form had been locked by chains of an indeterminate color flickering with dim light. When he activated thepass, his physical body had been teleported away, including all his possessions, but his soul form had been locked by some profound force, causing this very event to ur!

    The forceful removal of one¡¯s soul from one¡¯s physical body was painful beyond belief. If done willingly, it would be a minor matter, but the events left Ezekiel¡¯s soul flickering like a candle in the wind. If it weren¡¯t for the chains that seemed intent on keeping his soul form stable, he likely would¡¯ve died!

    "What is that? What did you do?!" Ze¡¯Ya turned towards Drac, his heart filled with shock and pain. He had lived for millions of years, even saw numerous unbelievable events in his life, but this was the first time for him!

    "His and my existence have a shared fate that we can no longer change." As he said this, his crimson eyes flickered with dim light, and his pale expression turned whiter than snow. A distinct feeling of degradation of the soul and spirituality emanated from his eyes.

    "No!" Ezekiel violently struggled, but the chains continued to grow dimmer. The state of the chains didn¡¯t seem as if it was weakening but bing stronger. Despite all this taking time to describe, only two literal seconds had passed since the tower was summoned.

    Puut!

    Nearby, a figure pierced through the multiyered spatial barrier.

 Chapter 296 A Promise Must be Fulfilled!

    The figure¡¯s arrival didn¡¯t attract any attention from any party. Hovering silently in mid-air, Yan Zaizen surveyed his current surroundings. The first thing his eyes met was a figure, nearly translucent figure emanating pure soulforce. This figure was Ezekiel¡¯s soul and he howled a soul-screeching sound of pain.

    "..." Yan Zaizen was silent. Not taking immediate action, he looked at the current environment. He had arrived in one of the external realms, particrly the one Ezekiel was currently in. "Half of the Crimson Devil Realm has been obliterated..." This caused his heart to tremble slightly.

    To destroy a titan realm to this extent, even a hundred of him wasn¡¯t capable.

    Within the copsed space, now a territory of the Border Expanse, two figures stood proudly. A pale-faced man had a calm smile, his gaze emitting a dim light that caused Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes to brighten. The other man was howling and causing the space to tremble fiercely, but some unknown and unseeable force seemed to restrict his movements.

    All these observations took an instant, but he still didn¡¯t act. Instead, he turned his gaze towards Ezekiel¡¯s soul form that was chained. These chains caused his heart to tremble in a simr way as the pale-faced man¡¯s dim light, his eyes narrowed.

    "Those chains dim light seemed to release a very strange spirituality..." As he calcted the characteristics, he felt as if he was on the verge of figuring out the situation.

    "Ahhhh!" Ezekiel¡¯s howl intensified. A cold light emerged from his eyes, one filled with defying the heavens, and defying all creation! Gritting his teeth, he looked at Drac with decisive eyes.

    However, Drac only felt that any attempts Ezekiel made would be useless. Unfortunately, he also couldn¡¯t allow Ze¡¯Ya to interfere with the connection. After all, a Heavenly Creation expert¡¯s trump cards and abilities were not minor. If there was a way to escape and survive, then Ze¡¯Ya was it.

    Indeed, Ze¡¯Ya¡¯s roared fiercely and the binding restricting him shattered instantly. It didn¡¯t break because of his strength, but because it weakened considerably after three seconds.

    "If I kill you, then it all stops!" Ze¡¯Ya¡¯s eyes of madness intensified by ten thousand times, a willingness to die for Ezekiel¡¯s chance to live emerged. When it did, his aura felt incredibly desperate. He stepped forth, like a piercinget going through all creation, he transformed into an emerald light.

    The wake of this light was filled with flora and fauna that was diverse and infinite. If fiendgods can ignite their vital essence, if souls can ignite their soul mes, if Heavenly Genesis Cultivators can ignite their heavenly shrines, then Heavenly Creation cultivators ignite their entire being!!!

    After all, they no longer possessed a heavenly shrine that contained heavenly power, but they themselves became heaven! This was what it meant to rival the heavens!

    Ze¡¯Ya directly ignited his minor heaven, burning his life¡¯s work for a power that would cause all of heaven to tremble!

    The emerald light became increasingly brighter till it reached the peak of brightness! The entire realm and beyond, even in the Border Expanse beyond, transformed into a world of flora and fauna!

    "Hmph!" Drac coldly snorted, but inside he was panicking as a deep fear emerged in his heart! The ignition of a Heavenly Creation expert could even cause a Heavenly God to have some fear!

    "I will not allow you to interrupt my ns," Drac pulled out a copper coin. This copper coin was filled with cracks and emitted an aura of ancientness. This ancientness exceeded the concept of time, as if it had been created at the start of all creation.

    The odd thing about this copper coin was that both its surfaces were nk, although this wasn¡¯t the truth always. In a very brief fraction of time at every second, an image appeared. The images that shed was a spiral. One side spiraled left and the other spiraled right. However, at an even briefer time, characters that carried an unfathomable ancient aura seemed to pop up that couldn¡¯t be perceived by anyone outside of heaven-rivaling experts.

    "!" Ze¡¯Ya¡¯s madness turned into sudden shock as he looked at this coin. With a mind filled with disbelief, "How did you get a divine coin?! Which Celestial?!" As he shouted these nearly iprehensible words to all but peak experts, he didn¡¯t slow down but sped up.

    Drac didn¡¯t seem too inclined to answer as he pinched the ancient coin, shattering it into dust. However, oddly, the copper coin transformed into silver dust and not copper. This silver dust then seemed to have a will of its own, and with a speed that even Ze¡¯Ya couldn¡¯t perceive, it appeared before him.

    The dust seeped into his body like water into water. It was seamless as if this dust originated from his body all along and it was merely returning to him.

    "No!!" Yet, Ze¡¯Ya¡¯s madness didn¡¯t alleviate but intensified to the absolute limits. His eyes were bloodshot, so red that it was as if his eyes turned into a world of blood.

    In an instant, his body vanished.

    "...?!" Yan Zaizen felt his mind spiral. Somehow, the old man had vanished before his eyes. This disappearance wasn¡¯t like teleportation or shifting through space. There was no spatial energy, but he just vanished. It was as if he was written out of existence in a split moment.

    Ezekiel saw this ur and his eyes turned into full moons. Others may not understand what had happened, others may not even understand the significance of the Hell Altar, Drac¡¯s offering, the ancient force, ancient copper coin, or Ze¡¯Ya¡¯s words, but he did!

    The utter disbelief in his eyes was reflected thoroughly. It was as if he was shocked that Drac¡¯s trump cards were so vast and divine. If he had known this, he wouldn¡¯t have acted just yet! However, regrets were for the living, and his continued existence was an unknown at the moment, so he acted decisively.

    He didn¡¯t have a Samsara Star of Origin or a Soul-Defying Celestial Heart, so there were no do-overs any longer. If his soul perished or became trapped, he would indeed die. There will be no magical coins, balls, or any other object that could save him.

    "I, Ezekiel Zatanna Saintora!" Ezekiel thundered. He began to speak, but these words were nearly indecipherable and as if it was anguage that exceeded souls, exceeded the heavens, and stemmed from the source of all creation.

    These words seemed to resonate with the world. Not the heavenly realm, not the Heavenly Universe, but the world of all creation! A ripple that seemed to touch upon existence and the concept of such spread out slowly.

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes constricted as he saw this. This ripple felt like it stemmed from all creation and defined the origin of all things. It was odd, but it reminded him of the art in the Earthly Beginnings and Heavenly Ends trials...

    "Origin Path?!"

    As he was startled, Drac¡¯s expression was heavy and dark. On his forehead was beads of glistening sweat and his soul felt as if it was being pulled away from his body. However, because of Ezekiel¡¯s continued resistance, he had yet to descend to hell. Witnessing Ezekiel¡¯s attempts, his brows twitched.

    He took a step, in a sh, he appeared before Ezekiel¡¯s soul form. If, at this moment, Drac could end Ezekiel, then his soul would be saved. This was the method Ze¡¯Ya wished to do. Unfortunately, Drac couldn¡¯t do so out of fear!

    In truth, if he used the ancient copper coin, ancient force, and his powerful cultivation, killing Ezekiel would¡¯ve been easy. The only issue is...he assumed Ezekiel still had an extra life!! He could not risk it!

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s protective ck hole had turned Ezekiel¡¯s soul into nourishment, but to all those present, including Ze¡¯Ya, he had survived and recovered his cultivation. This was the most obvious conclusion; therefore, he acted to seal Ezekiel¡¯s soul in hell for eternity, disallowing any revival mechanics.

    After all, he had one shot. If it failed, Ezekiel would juste back and hunt down his daughter without end. Even his life would¡¯ve been imed by Ezekiel¡¯s boundless force.

    Even Ze¡¯Ya alone could kill him!

    He tapped out with his right index finger. This fingernded solidly on Ezekiel¡¯s be. Instantly, Drac turned into a mortal. All of his cultivation vanished in a moment, as it did, a barrier formed around him. Then, Ezekiel¡¯s existence stalled.

    The ripples and words he conjured ceased instantly. By sacrificing all, Drac had taken away Ezekiel¡¯s final card! Even as he turned visibly older, he had a faint smile on his face. This smile was one of peace and happiness. "Live a good life...this is what she would¡¯ve wanted for you." His words seemed aimed at a distant area of creation.

    Yan Zaizen eyes lit up brightly. He stepped forward, and a sh of spacetime heavenly might surged, he appeared before Ezekiel. Drac saw this but only calmly looked at this neer, but didn¡¯t feel too worried. No one could save them unless a Celestial appeared.

    Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t care about his thoughts. Instead, he looked at Ezekiel. "You gave me a promise, and YOU will fulfill it!" Yan Zaizen stated, his eyes ofva-like amber-gold surged. It was as if, even if Ezekiel wished to be sealed, Yan Zaizen wouldn¡¯t allow it!

 Chapter 297 What Have You Done?!

    Inspecting Ezekiel¡¯s situation, Yan Zaizen¡¯s brows furrowed, a calcting shine erupted from his eyes. The dim light within his Ezekiel¡¯s eyes contained a trace of the soul. No, it would be incorrect to say a ¡¯trace¡¯ but more like it contained a small amount of the quintessential essence of spirituality. This essence was boundless, insidious, and mind-shaking.

    The chains were different. It wasprised of an energy he had met once before. "In the Asura Phantom Realm, my soul was snared and constricted by energy simr...but far weaker." Yan Zaizen recalled the moment he faced death, his body dying, and his soul trapped and diminishing. His soul trembled slightly, but quickly settled into a calm.

    The memory was too haunting to dwell on.

    "Infernal...?" As he continued to think, Ezekiel¡¯s soul form was being strangled as the chains seemed to tighten. They were currently embedded into his soul form, causing his soul energy to dissipate.

    "Ezekiel is fighting somehow...I need more time." His eyes brightened, a dark-grey shed within his eyes. His eyes looked like a storm of time, eternally changing and ever-present. He grasped the empty space.

    Mystic Realm of Istion!

    A ripple surged. Ezekiel¡¯s rate of losing soul energy decreased considerably. It was as if the space he existed in was ten thousand times slower.

    Yan Zaizen knew that Ezekiel¡¯s bindings were connected to this space. The chains seem to be unable to be moved, so instead, Yan Zaizen constructed a realm of space with Ezekiel as its center. In this space, time flowed considerably slower.

    "This only buys me a few seconds," Yan Zaizen calcted briefly. A few seconds to mortals may be a few breaths, but to Yan Zaizen, it was enough toe up with a million different thoughts.

    He turned towards Drac, his eyes shing. He knew that if he could kill him, the current situation may cease immediately. This was the same method the old man attempted before vanishing. However, he was shrouded by a barrier. This barrier was profound and unfathomable, as if it was a heaven of its own.

    "He used his entire cultivation to protect himself?" Drac hadn¡¯t wished for a stray dog toe up when his soul was at its weakest and kill him when he couldn¡¯t take any action. If that happened, all his ns would be for naught. Therefore, he gave up his entire cultivation to protect himself from all threats at this critical moment.

    "Intelligent, decisive, and possesses unfathomable methods." Yan Zaizen coldly spected as he turned his gaze away. With his current cultivation base, he couldn¡¯t breakthrough or enter that barrier. With the energy within, even if he devoured it, it¡¯s unlikely he could devour it all in a few seconds, not unless the main ck hole activated.

    The energy of a Heavenly Creation expert was unimaginable. To them, a sub-realm copse was a tap of their finger away or a light breeze to their defenses.

    "Okay," Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t dally any further, if he did, its possible Ezekiel¡¯s life would be lost. He wasn¡¯t sure if he could help, but he would try. With his unyielding confidence, how could he back down?

    His eyes shifted in quality, no longer containing time, but a dark-white color, nearly impossible to describe regarding appearance. The only recognizing factor was its endlessness, unbreakable essence, and absolution towards all things souls.

    "Spirituality...souls..." Murmuring, Yan Zaizen felt a sensation of enlightenment. However, he forcefully shoved the thoughts down, honing hisplete focus on Ezekiel. The chains themselves seemed to be alive, but only that it emitted faint traces of soulforce, the energy equivalent to lifeforce for souls.

    Observing them at a decreased time flow left Yan Zaizen feeling slightly breathless. The chains were like an ocean, an ocean of soulforce that changed constantly. It was as if it was constructed of a thousand, no, tens of thousands, no...an infinite amount of different souls!

    These souls would change, constantly replenishing the energy in the chains and dragging Ezekiel¡¯s soul energy with it. It felt like Ezekiel¡¯s soul energy wasn¡¯t dissipating; instead, his soul energy would be snagged by a soul and carried off to somewhere unknown. Thi ¡¯somewhere unknown¡¯ was likely hell!

    "It¡¯s like hell itself is trying to take his soul! Regardless of their oddity, these chains are souls!" As he came to this conclusion, he tapped out.

    This tap was done with his finger, and it pressed on Ezekiel¡¯s soul. However, as the finger touched his soul, it phased through it. At the moment, Yan Zaizen and Ezekiel existed on two separate and independent realm spaces. They may be able to see each other, but their time-flow and current locations were simr to chaotic space and the spatial void.

    They exist near, one relying on the other, but wholly segregated. Despite this, the finger inserted itself into the chains. Yan Zaizen withdrew this finger, then tapped out again on another part of the chain. This continued for a total of nine times and each time left a glimmer of light.

    "The chains definitely originate from a Hell Altar and has soul energy in its purest form at its core. I¡¯m unsure of its name, but infernal essence may be the best name... it¡¯s like heavenly essence but embodies the souls!" The chains were indeedprised of infernal essence, the purest form of soul essence.

    The nine lights started to grow dimmer and dimmer until they vanished. When this happened, Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes brightened. An aura of death emerged from the chains, as if its essence were undergoing its final breath.

    "The Law of Samsara governs soul death, soul life, and soul stability...If myprehension was greater, these chains would copse with a thought!" The chains continued dying, slowly dimming and losing their restraint on Ezekiel. Despite time being ten thousand times slower for Ezekiel, Yan Zaizen could visibly see the chains diminish in strength.

    However, Yan Zaizen¡¯s body felt a surge of weakness. All the heavenly might in his body was infused into those nine taps, draining him considerably. His heavenly shrine turned dim; its surging might fell into a quiet slumber.

    However, Yan Zaizen only warily smiled. This was the result of giving it his all.

    Drac, however, eyes were as wide as full moons and horrified as a child seeing its hope crushed! "How?!" He questioned, his mind unable toprehend the course of events. If one looked closely, his eyes and lips were twitching uncontrobly.

    A young man appeared suddenly, slowed down Ezekiel¡¯s soul energy degradation with a grasp, then started to weaken the chains to the point they were dimmer than the light in his eyes! All of this felt ludicrous!

    "He only has a sixth-floor heavenly cultivation base! How?!?!" Feeling his sanity slowly wither, Drac felt a heart-wrenching, soul-crushing sensation of defeat. Ezekiel truly was the boy of fortune. It was as if the heavens were unwilling to let him die!

    Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t bother with him. With his cultivation gone, he couldn¡¯t take any action but watch in disbelief.

    "..." A second passed. The chains were dimmer and at the brink of vanishing, but they didn¡¯t disappear. Instead, they started growing brighter, stronger! "What?!" It was Yan Zaizen¡¯s time to be shocked, his eyes wide and his mind trembling.

    It was only after further observation that he cursed the thirty-three heavens, "The Law of Samsara governs life and death of the soul, but the chains areprised of pure infernal essence. It¡¯s galvanizing myw concept as its own, adopting its characteristics, undergoing samsara at its end! How can it do that?" The very method was how heavenly shrines were born. All Yan Zaizen did was provide a concept for it to feed off of.

    "I...I..." Yan Zaizen was at a lost. Normally, this shouldn¡¯t be possible. After all, infernal essence was not heavenly essence. Thews of Samsara originate from the heavens...

    Or...

    Yan Zaizen furrowed his brows deeply. The vision he saw when heprehended Samsara emerged. "Is infernal essence..." The thought of his previous theory arose, that the Border Expanse was a copsed universe. This universe hadyers preventing specific creatures of spirituality from interacting with the thirty-three heavens, especially realm or sub-realms.

    The only time they are seen, and only a fraction of those spiritual entities, were in the Border Expanse. A ce without essence.

    "Haaa..." Sighing deeply, he removed the Mystic Realm of Istion. His eyes turned into two swirling holes of ckness. This ckness seemed intent on devouring all the spirituality in existence.

    After trying normal methods, his soul bloodline was his only choice left. However, if he devoured the chains that were infusing into Ezekiel¡¯s soul, he was unsure if he could avoid harming Ezekiel. If he miscalcted by the slightest, Ezekiel might even die!

    "Do...it..." Ezekiel struggled to say, his voice the epitome of weakness, but his eyes were decisive. Drac had sealed his connection to the Origin, hispass from his father had failed him, and he was slowly wasting away by these chains, if this continued, he knew his end would be horrible.

    Yan Zaizen had absorbed the physicality of his mask, so he felt that Yan Zaizen had a means or method with his ck hole. Regardless if he ends up consuming him likest time, at least his soul wouldn¡¯t be trapped in Hell for eternity!

    Others may not know about Hell, but he did, and he feared it.

    Greatly!

    Hearing those words, Yan Zaizen no longer hesitated, his False Grand Dao erupting within his soul, revealing a brilliantyer of amber-gold around his body. It was like a semi-transparent sheet cloaking his entire body.

    Absolute Dao Merge!

    The ck hole was interconnected to the strength of his soul, thus he boosted it to its limits. After all, these chains seemed to contain the concept of hell itself!

    His eyes continued to swirl rapidly, devouring all things spiritual. A strand of dim, indiscernible in color light flowed from the chains and into his eyes. This strand was like a thread in a hand-knitted sweater, itprised of the entire thing!

    The chains started to shrink, diminishing greatly in all aspects. Ezekiel¡¯s soul energy was no longer being subjected by its powers. Instead, it was attempting to resist the pull of Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes!

    Shreeeeeeee!!!

    Shrieks of horror, enough to make ghosts piss themselves and demons run, echoed out! Yan Zaizen¡¯s ck holes ceased all movements.

    "What..." Yan Zaizen felt his soul stall, as if the sound had frozen him in fear.

    "Who dares?!" An ambiguous voice sounded from the void, it contained no clear characteristics of male or female, but had an odd reverb to it. Drac¡¯s expression changed, his eyes were so wide that a part of his eyes was outside of its sockets. The entire sequence of events left him aghast shocked, a lofty heaven-rivaling existence!

    With a voice that sounded as if someone had stepped on his manhood, Drac screamed, "What have you done?!?!"

 Chapter 298 River of Souls

    After the voice sounded, Ezekiel directly lost consciousness. It was as if he was forced into slumber, unable to resist the will of this voice. Yan Zaizen remained motionless, his eyes a sea of ck. No longer was his ck holes rotating.

    Only Drac moved like normal, despite his current mortal state. His barrier, however, rippled intensely. If one were to take a step back, they would realize that all living existences within the three realms seemed as if their souls had stopped. If one looked even closer, if they could, they would see that no spiritual lifeforms hidden by the myriadyers were present.

    For a trillion li, no lifeform that possessed a soul was moving. The beautiful Ariel, who was even locked within a well-hidden sub-realm nearby, was also frozen. Her guards were frozen too. They stood protectively around her, their eyes nk yet their expressions were filled with nervousness. One could see that the threat of Ezekiel left them all restless.

    "To interfere, who has such gall I wonder..." the voice that was ambiguous yet carried an odd reverb sounded once more. However, its tone was somewhat identifiable; it was amused with no hint of anger.

    The chains copsed, turning into discarnate souls that held no intelligence. These souls flowed endlessly, constantly flying about and vanishing. Then, when one disappeared, another seemed to be constructed from nothing. One could see that these souls had no features, no gender, and only the purest of soulforce.

    It continued until they started to converge a meter away from Yan Zaizen¡¯s stilled body. The souls amalgamated into a shape. Firstly, it was a strand of hair. This single strand of hair must¡¯ve contained a million souls flowing within. Then, more strands were constructed until a head of silky, long hair formed.

    This hair was beautiful and sky-blue, cascading waves of light shimmered downwards from its base like it was a waterfall. It truly left one feeling as if the things one considered beautiful before was thoroughly ugly!

    After the hair formed, a silhouette of a dark-white figure took shape. This shape was incredibly difficult to determine if it was male or female, it wasn¡¯t androgynous like Yan Zaizen¡¯s Herculean before, but more like the concept of gender was lost on this figure.

    When it formed, it had no eyes and no nose. It had ears that were pointy up and down, a mouth that was thick and soft, oddly feminine, but its eyebrows were bushy like a male.

    The figure had a smile that wasn¡¯t a smile. Up above, the surrounding space roiled about in anger, as if anxious, yet only did so and nothing more. This space was the heavens.

    Far away, a female looked towards the Crimson Devil Realm. She was beautiful, her figure voluptuous, her white clothing light yet revealed little, and her eyes seemed to contain sharpness that seemed able to sunder all. However, as she looked forward, her eyes flickered with disbelief.

    "...Please don¡¯te here." As those words were said, she clenched her palms into fists and noticed they were sweaty. If anyone had seen or heard those words from this woman, they would be shocked!

    She was the Heavenly God of the 17th Heaven!

    The Paradise Sword Heavenly God!

    The figure seemed to feel the gaze of another on it, its head turning in that direction with a smile of amusement.

    "No!" Yan Zaizen abruptly roared, his soul freed as he mustered all his power. A surging wind erupted from his body. Drenched in cold sweat, Yan Zaizen was heaving as if he had fought a ferocious battle with a god. Even his expression was ashen like death and his eyes dimmer than ever before!

    "Oh?" The figure released its odd voice once more, clearly somewhat shocked by Yan Zaizen¡¯s sudden roar. "To think..." The voice didn¡¯t continue. Instead, it waited.

    Yan Zaizen had felt a force that was even more frightful than the ancient force before. It was as if his soul was seized and enclosed by a giant hand. This hand contained an unfathomable spirituality and control over his soul, as if its fate could be determined with a clench of this hand.

    He felt scared, truly scared. However, at thest moment, his False Grand Dao surged outwards. A faint crown emerged in his soul, and he felt an unyielding desire surge. With all he had, he ripped open this giant hand and wrestled away his fate from its clutches. It was slightly surreal but horrifying.

    Regaining his vision, Yan Zaizen¡¯s pupils fiercely constricted. An odd figure was no more than a meter away from him. It had no eyes, no nose, strange ears, lips, and brows...

    Eyebrows without eyes!

    He had seen the myriad spiritual creatures beyond theyer in the Border Expanse, but this creature was heart-shaking and soul-confusing. It was as if it couldn¡¯t decide on its state, or it was every state possible yet none of it.

    He wanted to speak, but realized he couldn¡¯t...

    "You¡¯veprehended a portion of my...interesting...Were you..." The figure spoke, but it was as if it couldn¡¯t finish a single sentence. For some reason, its disturbing reverb aside, this irritated Yan Zaizen to the limit. He had a deep desire to smack its head and tell it to speak properly. This sensation left him feeling odd, a strange sense of familiarity emerging, as if that thought was amon one.

    The figure continued to ponder, his sentences still iplete and made no sense.

    "Since you wish to interfere, you¡¯ll pay the appropriate price. Your soul, for his." The figure seemed to have made a decision, its hand that had four fingers and a thumb yet the shadow of a thousand gently waved.

    From its hand, a soul chain emerged. This soul chain was the exact one that wrapped around Ezekiel.

    "No! No! No!" Drac felt his mind about to copse. If Ezekiel wasn¡¯t sealed, then it would all be for naught! His soul would be trapped eternally while Ezekiel would survive and his daughter would be at his mercy. He could not let that happen!

    "You can¡¯t! I want him, not that boy!" Disregarding the status of the entity before him, he roared fiercely. His eyes were bloodshot. The madness within was beyond the madness in Ze¡¯Ya¡¯s eyes before.

    "Oh?" Being roared at and told what to do, the figure¡¯s beautiful hair moved, and its head turned to ¡¯look¡¯ at Drac. Despite having no eyes, one could tell it wasn¡¯t too pleased. "A heavenly reject wish tomand me? Laughable." He waved his hand towards Drac. However, this hand didn¡¯t create a chain but a vortex.

    In this vortex was a sea. This sea was sky-blue and seemed peaceful and undisturbed, yet that was only at first nce. If one looked closely, the color seemed to change into a yellow and then sometimes ck...it was odd beyond belief.

    With a push of unknown force, Drac was sent into the vortex. As he entered, he screamed madly in rage and regret. He hated Ezekiel to the bone, but more so that meddling boy! Why would anyone in their right mind risk their life trying to stop the ritual?!

    As he entered the vortex, he couldn¡¯t help but look about as he dropped. He discovered something mind-boggling.

    The sea wasn¡¯t a sea...but a river...

    The vortex closed.

    Yan Zaizen saw all this and felt horrified. Others may not be able to see the river, or rather, what¡¯s inside it, but he did!

    It was a river of souls!

    Each soul was screeching and screaming as if in the most horrible of pain. They had varied shapes, some were humanoid, and others were animalistic, but they had that one aspect inmon. There were even a few souls trying to devour the others. In that brief nce, Yan Zaizen felt as if he saw a glimpse of true Hell.

    The soul chains were still tied to his body, starting to carry away his soul energy. He felt his soul be restrained, unable to evoke heavenlyw or soul arts. He tried to struggle, but it felt useless. He wanted to use the ck hole, but it wouldn¡¯t emerge!

    "Shit!" Even his physical body was useless.

    "Why struggle...you aplished your goal." The figure voice sounded, but the amusement in its voice was slowly lessening.

    "Activate! Activate! Activate!" Yan Zaizen tried to urge the protective seal on his existence to activate, the swirling ck hole. However, his heart went cold when an instinctual feeling emerged. Regardless of his desire, the seal won¡¯t activate unless his existence was threatened.

    Unfortunately, it was not.

    This reminded him of the Asura Phantom Realm when his body was dead and his soul was dissipating. At that time, his swirling ck hole remained stagnant.

    The only time the swirling ck hole activated by his demand was during the sub-realm copse, and only at thest second. It¡¯s likely because he was at the center of the explosion and it could¡¯ve destroyed him in body, soul, and existence. Therefore, his swirling ck hole emerged.

    He felt helpless. Even his dao went quiet. Everything that was urged by his soul couldn¡¯t be essed. His eyes were unwilling; his entire being was unwilling!

    "Zai..." A soft voice echoed out. This belonged to Pinaka. Since the moment Pinaka met him, she had been in his soul being apanion of his. His strength had risen so rapidly that she was never used as a weapon, even more, Yan Zaizen was unwilling to use her as such. To him, she was more than that.

    "Pin...aka!" He struggled to speak, his soul teetering on the verge of exhaustion. If it weren¡¯t for his recent soul cultivation breakthrough to the Perfect Astral Soul Realm, he would¡¯ve already been drained dry.

    "Zai...I¡¯m sorry I¡¯m so useless." Pinaka felt horrible. Outside of a single moment in Yan Zaizen¡¯s life, she had been unable to help. Even now, she was useless in his struggle for survival.

    When the sub-realm copse, she was useless.

    When heavenly cultivators besieged him in the Sirius Titan Realm, she was useless.

    When he had fallen into an existential slumber, she was useless.

    Throughout his adventures since, she could only watch him go through his decisions and life.

    "Yo-YOU! A..ar...are...no...t," he tried tomunicate, but it was bing increasingly difficult. His astral star had already gone from the Perfect Astral Soul to the Initial Astral Soul. It wasn¡¯t only carrying away his soul energy, but its essence, weakening it considerably.

    Yan Zaizen felt urgent; his eyes were the picture of hatred as he stared the figure in front of him. He wished nothing more than to kill it!

    In another second, his soul dropped from the Astral Soul Realm to the Initial Aurora Soul Realm, then fell to the Perfect Nascent Soul Realm the next!

    A surge of light suddenly emitted from his soul. This light of sky-blue was brilliant beyond description erupted from Yan Zaizen¡¯s body. Suddenly, it seemed to take on the aura and characteristics of Yan Zaizen¡¯s soul.

    Boom!

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s physical body slipped through the chains and floated downwards. However, a soul form was still bound. This soul form was not in the shape of Yan Zaizen, but it had a womanly figure of beauty and pride. In her eyes wasva-like amber gold that emitted rays of imperious light, and her flowing ck hair danced without wind.

    Those eyes were fierce, containing no regret.

    "If you want his soul, then you can have it!" As she thought this, the aura she released truly was perfectly identical to Yan Zaizen¡¯s. After soul-linking and dao-linking, they truly had very little difference concerning the soul.

    Also!

    Yan Zaizen soul had characteristics of an artificial soul!!!

    "Oh?" The figure felt slightly shocked once more but didn¡¯t feel too concerned. His ¡¯gaze¡¯ looked at Yan Zaizen¡¯s floating body, "I¡¯ll let this go..." As he decided this, he ¡¯looked¡¯ away. A vortex formed behind Pinaka. This vortex led to the river of souls!

 Chapter 299 Sacrifice?!

    "No!!!"

    Yan Zaizen regained a brief period of consciousness. His soul had been thoroughly drained, leaving him in a fiercely exhausted state. Currently, his cultivation was at the Advanced Nascent Soul Realm! Yet, he urged his all to shout.

    His shout didn¡¯t elicit any response from the figure, but Pinaka looked down. When she did, a smile blossomed with heaven-eclipsing beauty and radiance. She couldn¡¯t speak verbally, simr to Yan Zaizen, but she mouthed a few words with that smile.

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes widened, and his heart trembled. A roar that felt unreal surged in his throat. When it was bellowed out, the heavens quivered and shook violently. This may seem like a random shout of fury, but it actuallypleted into a single word:

    "PINAKA!"

    Pinaka held a pearl in her hand, and her body wrapped in the chain was sent into the vortex.

    It closed.

    The figure seemed intent on vanishing, as it no longer had a reason to remain. It stepped forth and seemed to merge with the world. If it returned from whence it came at this moment, Yan Zaizen had the feeling he would lose everything forever!

    "No! STAY!!!" His shout caused a pause, and the figure turned. Its ¡¯gaze¡¯ looked at Yan Zaizen in a simr way it ¡¯looked¡¯ at Drac, with displeasure.

    "I settled for this...you dare...truly I am..." The figure¡¯s habit of not finishing any sentences returned, causing Yan Zaizen¡¯s frustration to increase.

    "Fine. Die." The figure waved its fingers that were four and a thumb but felt like thousands. A wave of energy radiated outwards. This wave contained a soul-stirring quality, but it also emanated soul-destroying might! If this wave hit Yan Zaizen, his soul would most definitely vanish!

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s pupils constricted.

    "Is this it?" Yan Zaizen felt his end near...

    A powerful voice resounded, "You must never let fate triumph. Carve your own destiny, start anew. Yet, the past truly cannot be separated." It sounded profound and mysterious, but also utterly iprehensible to all who heard it. It was as if it was a mixture of seven sentences in three.

    However, the figure trembled, its eyes filled with disbelief as it deeply ¡¯looked¡¯ at Yan Zaizen.

    His expression was indifferent, the expression of a sovereign emerged and a trace of a crown appeared atop his head. This crown was hazy, but it had a beyond grand feeling to it.

    The ck holes that were his eyes had disappeared, leaving only amber-gold. He had no pupils or irises, just a sea of amber-gold remained. This gold sea seemed to be burning essence of Yan Zaizen¡¯s shrine to maintain itself.

    He stood upright and seemed to cause the heavens to tremble, but oddly, also pull towards him as if it were a child running to its father. "The false, the true, haaa...its truly unfortunate." Yan Zaizen voice was not his own. Instead, it truly felt like words of a king of all. Even its sigh felt as if it was disappointed at fate!

    "Yo...you?!" This was the first time the figure was truly in shock.

    ¡¯Yan Zaizen¡¯ waved his hand. The heavens seemed to answer as a might of untold levels surged, copsing around the soul-destroying wave. It was as if the heavens were the body, its might was antibodies, and the surging wave was a foreign pathogen. In less time than it takes to blink, the wave dissipated.

    ¡¯Yan Zaizen¡¯ stepped forward, in an instant, he appeared before the figure with a raised hand and smacked him on the side of his head.

    POW!

    It was an action that was familiar beyond belief, and it caused the figure to be stunned, unable to think. In truth, it didn¡¯t even exist currently but was an odd entity. In this form, physical things would be unable to interact with it, energy or matter.

    Yet, it was smacked.

    "Speak inplete sentences," ¡¯Yan Zaizen¡¯ sighed once more after admonishing this figure as if he was a child.

    "You... it¡¯s you?!" The figurepletely didn¡¯t care about getting smacked; instead, the figure¡¯s voice rose up in volume as if in disbelief and excitement.

    "No." Shaking his head, ¡¯Yan Zaizen¡¯ immediately denied. "My time has passed. It¡¯s him." Pointing to himself, he closed his eyes.

    The figure shook visibly, obviously realizing the situation from those words. A ¡¯look¡¯ of sadness appeared on its face, but then a look of confusion. "How? You...I..."

    ¡¯Yan Zaizen¡¯ red at him; he was still using false starts in his words.

    As if unwilling to be red at, the figure ¡¯looked¡¯ away and tried to articte its thoughts. "Where¡¯s ¡¯it¡¯?"

    ¡¯Yan Zaizen¡¯ sighed once more, totaling three times and this sigh contained the vicissitudes of age and exhaustion. "Him." He pointed to himself once more, pushing even deeper until it poked his body.

    The figure took a step back, as if out of fear. "How? Wait...is that how he disturbed the ritual...but then?"

    "If I didn¡¯t interfere, you would¡¯ve been lost. Your entirety, this avatar, and your true body." ¡¯Yan Zaizen¡¯ stated, but the figure didn¡¯t doubt, only feeling as if it had been saved. An expression of relief marked his ambiguous face.

    "Currently, I¡¯ve severed its connection with him. Thoroughly. Eliminating the potential for his soul to further mutate. Unfortunately, if I had allowed you to continue acting, ¡¯it¡¯ would¡¯ve..." Unwilling to continue, he turned away.

    Unwilling to hear more, the figure grew silent.

    "His destiny will bring him to your domain. Do not hinder." ¡¯Yan Zaizen¡¯ said this and no more. It was as if his eyes had calcted the path of destiny. The figure only ¡¯looked¡¯ solemnly at the figure before him and feltplex emotions. Nodding, he faded and said no more.

    When he faded, the souls of all beings resumed.

    Yan Zaizen had already returned to normal, his body exhausted and his mind swirling. He felt his body unnaturally empty, and couldn¡¯t help but inspect himself instinctively.

    "What?!" His heavenly shrine was still there, but all the heavenly source of mimicry that constructed it had disappeared. It was as if he had ignited his heavenly shrine for power...

    In truth, the figure had to draw upon Yan Zaizen¡¯s energy to emerge such as this, thereby eliminating his heavenly cultivation base. Yet, this was something he would never figure out.

    Unjustly cursing the figure for stealing what¡¯s his, he calmed himself down.

    He had survived.

    For now, that was all that mattered.

    He recalled Pinaka¡¯s words that were silently mouthed: "You have one hundred years..e for me, Zai." The pearl she held was the one Eloah had given him. Since he didn¡¯t need it, he had given it to Pinaka for protection.

    Thinking of Eloah, his expression flickered. "Did he know this would happen?" In the 7th Heaven, Eloah had said the protective talisman might e in handy¡¯ and it did. The reason he was so calm right now despite his earlier outburst was his faith, his faith in himself to save Pinaka in one hundred years.

    Eloah had told him that faith wasn¡¯t a w of the mind, but the strength of the heart. This may not have been meant for him, but said for Pinaka to have faith in him. If so, then...

    It¡¯s just unfortunate...

    Yet, he had never regretted nor never will he regret his choices. This was his Dao, the very core of it. Live by your choice, die by your choice, lose by your choice, gain by your choice.

    Even if he had died today, he would have epted it. After all, trying to rescue Ezekiel was his choice.

    Speaking of, Ezekiel¡¯s soul had awakened in a disorientated state. He was nothing more than a soul and his cultivation had decreased also, but not to the extent of Yan Zaizen, who was at the Advanced Nascent Soul Realm.

    His soul was at the Initial Aurora Soul Realm. Sadly, this was all his cultivation. His physical body had been sent elsewhere.

    Flying over, Yan Zaizen inspected Ezekiel to see his state. Only after seeing that all was fine, did he sigh in relief. Ezekiel was the only way he knew how to travel through the heavens and other universes at will. With hispass, he should be able to send him to Hell.

    For some reason, he felt like no one else would have such thoughts, nor should they.

    Ezekiel regained his consciousness and looked about, finding Yan Zaizen not too far away with a cool light in his eyes. It was soul-entrancing, as if he had absolute belief in himself. It held a charisma befitting a sovereign!

    "You..." With a little bit of time, he figured out where he was and made an assumption as to what happened. To him, Yan Zaizen interrupted the ritual and Drac was the only one dragged away. In truth, there were other possibilities, but if Drac had been in the myriad heavens, he would¡¯ve remained in the Crimson Devil Realm.

    After all, his daughter was still here. This was something even Drac didn¡¯t know Ezekiel knew. The hidden sub-realm in the Crimson Devil Realm!

    "Thank you," he was profoundly thankful. If Yan Zaizen hadn¡¯t arrived, his fate would¡¯ve been unimaginable.

    However, Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t care about Ezekiel¡¯s thanks or incorrect assumptions, he directly demanded, "I need thepass." Despite his calm, he was still feeling quite urgent. After all, his other half was locked away in Hell with a timer. He couldn¡¯t spare a second.

    "..." Ezekiel was silent.

    "..."

    "..."

    "...?"

    "I don¡¯t have it." Ezekiel calmly said.

    "Where is it?"

    "..."

    "..."

    "If my guess is correct, the Fortune Cemetery."

    "Guess?!" An extremely ugly expression emerged on his face. What the hell happened to thepass?!

 Chapter 300 Celestial Relocation Order

    Ezekiel felt a sense of helplessness witnessing Yan Zaizen¡¯s reaction. However, there was no guilt. Instead, his soul flickered with a silver light that felt overbearing to the extreme, disying dominance. His eyes, despite being in his soul form, turned cold.

    "The ritual earlier restrained my soul as I attempted to flee. Thepass, using a secret art, can send someone to anywhere in the heavenly cluster, but also to a location at the Heavenly Origin Grounds, the ZERO heaven. Otherwise known as the Fortune Cemetery." Ezekiel exined, not out of guilt, but to detail the situation to Yan Zaizen.

    "Because of the chains, my body and everything else was sent there as per my desire, likely, but my soul was not. For now, that¡¯s all I know."

    As for Yan Zaizen, he calmed down after hearing his exnation. His eyes shed with a gleaming light of amber-gold, standing on equal grounds to Ezekiel¡¯s aura. Truthfully, Yan Zaizen¡¯s feelings towards Ezekiel was solely gratitude, but they were wholly ipatible.

    After all, they were two sovereigns!

    However, it didn¡¯t change the fact that he felt somewhat frustrated by the course of events. This was the first time he had heard of this so-called Heavenly Origin Grounds or Fortune Cemetery, so he didn¡¯t know the significance of the situation yet.

    "Hmph," Ezekiel coldly snorted after seeing Yan Zaizen¡¯s emotions return to a state of calm. He knew it wasn¡¯t because of weakness but ignorance. Despite this, Yan Zaizen¡¯s ability to regain hisposure was astonishing.

    "I¡¯ll exin the rest to youter, but I still have things to do. Things such as fulfill our true agreement: Killing someone!" Ezekiel¡¯s eyes turned icy-cold and effused rays of vibrant killing intent. These rays came out crimson. It was a unique disy from his soul form due to his current state, being without a physical body.

    Yan Zaizen eyebrow lifted in curiosity, "is this how the soul seems without a physical body?" The fact intent was visible and its aura denser than normal felt surreal. It was only now that Yan Zaizen discovered that intent originated from the soul and the body shielded the outside world from it.

    "Dai¡¯Ya! Bai¡¯Ya!" Ezekiel yelled aloud, as if summoning something from the void. As he did, his soul fluctuated a ray of orange light. This light carried with it the essence of creation. The light shrouded his soul form and started to wiggle like squirming flesh.

    Yan Zaizen inspected this and realized that Ezekiel was utilizing the World Law of Creation. It was thisw that he constructed his herculean physique off of. Thew was profound and even on par with the World Law of Life. During their battle, it was thisw that kept constructing missing limbs.

    As for Yan Zaizen, he needed to heal from a point of his body, but Ezekiel can instantly create a new limb with the full ability of the former. Of course, both sides have their advantages and disadvantages. For one, the creation of a limb vs. healing consumed far too much energy of the body. Also, thew of life could temper the body and extend one¡¯s lifespan to an extraordinary degree. Yet, an aged limb when created is still an aged limb.

    The orange light surged for a brief period before a sh urred. In the next instant, Ezekiel had a body of flesh, blood, bone, and function. It was truly astonishing, but it didn¡¯t contain zero an ounce vital energy or herculeanws. After all, this body was created from thew of creation alone, not with the herculeanw.

    "This will do." Ezekiel clenched his hands a few times into a fist and pounded his chest. This body may not be as strong as his other one, but any True Essence expert would die to a single fist from it. He turned to Yan Zaizen, his eyes still cold, "I need to kill Ariel, your cultivation seemed to have suffered as well from helping me, so I won¡¯t ask you to continue."

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s brows furrowed, but he didn¡¯t deny his observation. Just like Ezekiel, his heavenly cultivation base was thoroughly gone, and his soul had dropped further in cultivation, being at the Advanced Nascent Soul Realm. Although his body was still as strong, he felt profoundly weak.

    Twoets of light shot towards them from the two external realms. These twoets had astonishing auras, radiating fluctuations that could be considered the peak of the Heavenly Genesis Realm. Yan Zaizen felt the ripple of their travel and turned.

    The twoets stopped before them expertly. They turned into two figures which looked like old men, both with steel-colored hair. They looked like twins, but their eyes were different colors.

    The one named Dai¡¯Ya had silver eyes, he was also wearing a neutral expression. He emanated faint spatial fluctuations. Yan Zaizen recognized this aura from the spatial barrier he met outside the realm. It¡¯s likely this was the expert who set up the barrier.

    The one named Bai¡¯Ya had aquamarine eyes that carried rippling waves of water. Staring at them made one feel as if they were in the vast ocean, without a boat, without a paddle. It felt lonely and filled with destion. A hint of depression and suicidal thoughts might emerge with a nce.

    This Bai¡¯Ya caused Yan Zaizen to frown. At the moment, his soul was particrly weak and he felt a sudden desire to let himself go and drown in his eyes. Initially, he thought this person was just a heavenly cultivator, but his soul cultivation must be astonishing, rivaling Yan Zaizen¡¯s peak - Perfect Astral Soul Realm!

    Ezekiel didn¡¯t seem affected, "Drac is gone, find the hidden secret realm. We capture her alive, but all else, SLAUGHTER!" Ezekiel¡¯s words were domineering andced with murderous intent and icy-coldness. The two, who looked quite simr to Ze¡¯Ya, nodded without hesitation. It seems Ezekiel¡¯s weakness didn¡¯t affect their undying loyalty to him.

    Yan Zaizen couldn¡¯t help but wonder how Ezekiel reached his current heights, but as the son of a fallen Heavenly God, it truly felt appropriate.

    Dai¡¯Ya and Bai¡¯Ya flew away with resplendent eyes. Yan Zaizen furrowed, from their appearances, he felt they were rted to Ze¡¯Ya, the old man with emerald eyes. They didn¡¯t seem to be brothers, but the rtion was there. It¡¯s likely they were father and sons.

    Ezekiel pressed his palm forward suddenly. An orb of emerald light was sent out from his palm. It emanated dense soul energy ripples directly simr to spiritual sense.

    "An Astral Remnant?" Yan Zaizen was a little surprised. It seems the old man left an Astral Remnant in Ezekiel¡¯s soul. That was quite protective.

    "Old man, you alive?" Ezekiel indifferently said. The orb thrummed slightly and a distant voice was sent through.

    "Yes! Thank all that you¡¯re okay!" The voice was from Ze¡¯Ya, but it was odd. Normally, an Astral Remnant was a clone or avatar of the user, and it can be used tomunicate, but the sound came out as if it was far, far away from the phone. It was very distance and soft.

    "Where are you?" Ezekiel asked.

    "Damn Celestial Relocation Order! I¡¯ve been sent to the Vast Expanse. I¡¯m near the 3rd Heaven. I¡¯ll be able to arrive in a few years, be safe till then." Ze¡¯Ya responded.

    3rd Heaven?! Yan Zaizen was startled. Was he sent to an entirely different Heavenly Cluster? A Celestial Relocation Order? Was that the ancient, brittle bronze coin from earlier?

    "...Mhm, I see. Enjoy the trip." Ezekiel casually said, unaffected by Ze¡¯Ya¡¯s current location.

    "Be safe." Ze¡¯Ya briefly paused before saying, he seemed genuinely concerned about Ezekiel. Then, the emerald-colored orb returned to Ezekiel¡¯s palm and merged together like water on water.

    "You can stay until I¡¯m finished." Dering this casual, he urged thews of the world and a sword domain formed. This domain was produced from the heavens solely, and he turned into a streak of sword light into the destroyed Crimson Devil Realm.

    Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t say anything in response, only thinking to himself, "I need to inspect my current state thoroughly."

 Chapter 301 Current State

    Yan Zaizen tapped his finger. Despite his heavenly cultivation base being depleted, he still contained his true-essence. With his true-essence, he opened a portal into chaotic space. With a step, he entered.

    Returning to the ce he often regarded as home, his hidden emotions surged to the surface. He clenched his fist and felt like half of his soul had been taken. In truth, Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t regret his choices, but he hated his own weakness. Would Pinaka have been taken if he could call upon the winds and the rain within the omniverse?

    If he was a Heavenly God or someone that rivaled the heavens, would he be subjected to such humiliation where his soul cultivation base was taken, his heavenly cultivation base was taken, and his woman was taken!

    NO!

    This was what he believed, even if it may not be exactly correct, this is what he believed.

    "There is still so much I don¡¯t know. My cultivation base has just increased far too much, too quickly! I¡¯m learning as I go, which is horrible and irresponsible." As he self-reflected, he understood his weakness: ignorance.

    If he knew that tampering with the chains would¡¯ve called upon a figure of hell, he could¡¯ve appropriately weighed his choices. Not only that, he truly was ignorant of many things.

    It was only a short while ago that he learned about the omniverse, heavenly clusters, and even other things which he had only glimpsed at, suh as that Celestial Relocation Order. What did that mean?

    The Origin Path! Why did the Crimson Devil Heavenly Monarch, Drac, feel the need to stop it? After all, could it have stopped such a powerful ritual? Even his devouring, consuming, exceeding ck hole soul bloodline was unable to prevent that creature from finishing the ritual.

    The Origin Path felt like a mystery, so did the Dao Path. He felt ignorant of his own paths! The only thing he had was an exceptionally untainted mind for the heavenlyws, being a Non-Entity. That and the ck hole is the only reason he could stand where he was.

    It wasn¡¯t enough.

    He inspected his soul form thoroughly. It truly had dropped to the Nascent Soul Realm, even his aurora had vanished and his astral stars. The only thing that remained was a strand of crimson red that was swimming in his soul; it was the Asura Soul.

    "Asura Soul..." As he thought about this soul, he furrowed his brows. He had a feeling that thew of soul in the heavens was profoundly wed. No, it was undoubtedly wed.

    When he had stepped on the path of cultivation, Han Genji had informed him that the conventional soul path had five levels: Nascent, Aurora, Astral, Divine, and Immortal. However, he felt that divine and immortal was impossible!

    It was nothing but a feeling, so he couldn¡¯t be certain. However, it felt as if this was because of a w in the heavenlyws. The truew of the soul, the essence of spirituality, was in hell. This was his belief.

    When heprehended thew of Samsara, he no longer felt like he was drawing power or seeing the heavens, but the universe that was copsed. Perhaps this universe was the true hell?

    Pondering this, he just felt helpless. All he had was instinctual feelings and they were too vague to draw any concrete conclusions. He could only ce this question aside and revisit another day.

    He continued inspecting himself, discovering that his Fiendgod cultivation, his vital energy, was untouched. However, it was still only at the level of a rank two Fiendgod, equivalent to a second-floor Heavenly Genesis expert. As for his physical body, he was still extraordinarily powerful.

    "That¡¯s a relief...haaa..." At least he wasn¡¯t powerless. As for his heavenly cultivation base, it was truly drained. There was only the pyramid foundation and nothing else. Luckily, the ck hole still swirled at its base, so no damage was done.

    "I spent so many resources..." He felt depressed. The amount of wealth he lost was extraordinary. Because his heavenly shrine converted any heavenly material into mimicry heavenly source, it required far more to create a single strand. Therefore, if the losses could be calcted, even the entire Lycan Race would weep, let alone Yan Zaizen.

    "My False Grand Dao is stable, and myw avatars are untouched. Good." After seeing his current condition, it could¡¯ve been worse. He had his soul bloodline, so all he needed was soul materials to re-cultivate.

    Unfortunately, he used it all earlier to ascend...

    "It¡¯s not that bad." He exited chaotic space, his eyes brilliant as he could see the twoets and sword domain still traveling. He didn¡¯t cultivate in Chaotic Space. If he did, he could forget about the time and waste it unknowingly. Therefore, he sat in the lotus position andprehended the essence of the heavenlyws.

    It only took a few minutes before Ezekiel returned. In his hands were an unconscious beauty, her cultivation thoroughly sealed and her soul unconscious. He had a calm look in his eye, a hint of relief and a profound sense of achievement.

    Yan Zaizen looked at him, his eyes calm as well. From the story earlier, this Ariel had caused Ezekiel to be pushed to the brink, with the intent to wipe out his existence. It was truly cruel. If she didn¡¯t like Ezekiel, couldn¡¯t she have just told him?

    However, he felt the situation was a little moreplicated, and indeed it was. Yan Zaizen couldn¡¯t see the full picture, so his entire perception would naturally be skewed to Ezekiel¡¯s story, but he wasn¡¯t too naive. There were many sides to every story.

    For example, him and Ya Qinqan. If he had told an outsider his plight, how she epted his resources, let him live in his delusion of them together, and married another, many would lean towards him. However, in truth, it was his own stupidity that led to the situation.

    Even Ya Qinqan wasn¡¯t willing to marry another, her path decided by her n and his n, who was stronger at the time. Her actions weren¡¯t wrong. Anyone will ept charity, but why must they give their everything back?

    Just because Yan Zaizen gave his disciples resources willingly, it didn¡¯t mean they owed him their lives. Therefore, she didn¡¯t owe him anything but gratitude, nor did he expect her to. Perhaps if he had been talented, his acts would¡¯ve been worthy enough to win her heart, but he wasn¡¯t.

    Looking at Bai Lufeng, he felt emotional. He was someone who outlived his wife and son, even his other descendants. If he had married Ya Qinqan and maintained his talent, wouldn¡¯t he die way before her? How sad would that be.

    This fact is why people desired others who were as talented or more talented than them.

    This situation and that situation may not be exactly simr, but they were two stories that had multiple points of view with many moving pieces. Yan Zaizen wouldn¡¯t foolishly believe in Ezekiel¡¯s side.

    Ezekiel didn¡¯t care about Yan Zaizen¡¯s thoughts or judgments. "The Fortune Cemetery is fraught with perils and death, it is at the Heavenly Origin Grounds, thus...it will be difficult for you." Stating this, he looked towards Yan Zaizen deeply.

    Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t understand all this nor did he care, but he shook his head. "Does it matter? You can get it. I¡¯ll wait."

    "..." Ezekiel looked at Yan Zaizen, but his brows furrowed. "Impossible," he spat.

    "...?" Yan Zaizen was taken aback. Was Ezekiel scared? Why did he say impossible?

    Seeing Yan Zaizen still not understand, Ezekiel exined, "If I had mypass, entering the grounds would be possible. However, one can only enter the Heavenly Origin Grounds once in their existence. I¡¯ve entered with my race before. Only with thepass can I bypass this restriction." After exining, Ezekiel took off towards one of the mobile realms. Behind him, Dai¡¯Ya and Bai¡¯Ya were behind him, following like loyal servants.

    Yan Zaizen immediately stepped forward and followed, arriving beside Ezekiel with a tinge of anger in his eyes. "So, send one of them to enter!" Yan Zaizen felt his tone turn murderous, if it were during other times, Yan Zaizen wouldn¡¯t have cared, but this time Pinaka¡¯s life was on the line.

    "Impossible." Ezekiel calmly responded, ignoring Yan Zaizen¡¯s reaction. "They¡¯ve already entered. Everyone I trust to obtain thepass has already gone. It¡¯s either you or no one." Ezekiel seemed to care nothing of his lost body, which made sense, but what about his armament?

    "You¡¯re saying that you¡¯ll leave your body and things there?" Yan Zaizen questioned angrily.

    "No. My sword is here." Ezekiel swiped his hand and a sword that seemed to contain chaos within appeared. "That¡¯s all that matters." Ezekiel ndly said. This armament was connected to his soul, it and his soul was one and the same. Regardless of where it was, it would exist as part of his soul. When Yan Zaizen had devoured him, this sword still existed because his soul existed.

    "..." Feeling beyond frustrated, Yan Zaizen felt the desire to send Ezekiel flying, but his intent was read and the lights of his two bodyguards¡¯ eyes shined. They looked at Yan Zaizen. If he acted, they would respond immediately.

    Coldly snorting at their gazes, Yan Zaizen intensely stared at Ezekiel. "Fine. How do I find thepass?" If this is how it¡¯s going to be, then so be it. He would find thepass alone.

    Ezekiel smiled, "Here." He tossed a silver coin towards Yan Zaizen. This coin had two sides, both of which were directional arrows of the east and the west. "If you can obtain it, then it¡¯s yours. Think of it as a gift for saving my life."

    Yan Zaizen felt that this coin held the missing arrows to thepass...it was probably how one controls it. "Was this how he found me?"

    Ezekiel flicked his finger and released a beam of spiritual sense. In this beam was the method of how to locate thepass and use it once obtained. Yan Zaizen received the spiritual sense and pondered. Without this coin, using thepass was near certain death. Yan Zaizen felt somewhat relieved for trusting his instincts during the sub-realm copse.

    "...how do I get to the Fortune Cemetery?" He didn¡¯t even want to talk to Ezekiel any longer, wanting to find thepass quickly and navigate to hell.

    "Dai¡¯Ya, take him," Ezekiel ordered.

    Dai¡¯Ya quietly nodded, pushing his palm outwards to the right and constructed a spatial vortex. Yan Zaizen looked at the vortex and realized it led to the spatial void. Dai¡¯Ya entered.

    He looked towards Ezekiel, his eyes flickering. It seems he had his own path now, no longer weighed down by his revenge. However, while Ezekiel¡¯s revenge had concluded, his had JUST begun!

    "I wonder if we¡¯ll meet again." Whispering this withplex emotions, he entered the spatial vortex after Dai¡¯Ya.

 Chapter 302 Paradise Sword Realm!

    "Pinaka, I¡¯ll find you." Yan Zaizen swore to himself. The travel time in the spatial void was exceptional. Currently, he was being led by Dai¡¯Ya, a ninth-floor Heavenly Genesis expert with a space-attributed shrine.

    Despite this, Yan Zaizen felt the rate at which they traveled was slow. This made sense. Yan Zaizenprehended the Imperial Law of Spacetime, hisprehensions into space was far higher than Dai¡¯Ya¡¯s despite their cultivation level difference.

    This difference didn¡¯t factor in techniques, however. Yan Zaizen understood that concerning profundity and application ofws he was inferior. Just as Yan Zaizen thought about the spatial barrier that hindered him, Dai¡¯Ya¡¯s silver eyes looked back.

    Those eyes were particrly piercing, as if he was looking at Yan Zaizen¡¯s everything. Normally, Yan Zaizen would scoff at this attempt, his heavenly cultivation may be inferior, but he could easily prevent such tant invasion. Now, he could only narrow his gaze and reveal a dense coldness.

    Dai¡¯Ya seemed calm, "You bypassed the barrier?" Dai¡¯Ya was curious how someone like Yan Zaizen had ovee his barrier. Earlier, he had been maintaining the barrier; therefore, he was unable to view the events within, such as Yan Zaizen saving Ezekiel.

    The barrier didn¡¯t just require him, but dozens of space-attributed heavenly cultivators in conjunction. Even a Heavenly Creation expert would find it incredibly difficult to near impossible to leave or enter the barrier.

    Yet...

    Yan Zaizen wasn¡¯t shocked by Dai¡¯Ya¡¯s question, but he wasn¡¯t naive or idiotic to spew his secrets, especially for free. He kept quiet, looking away from Dai¡¯Ya and continuing along.

    Dai¡¯Ya furrowed his brows and looked away. If Yan Zaizen felt the need to keep it to himself, then he wasn¡¯t one to force; everyone had secrets.

    During this time, Yan Zaizen slowly pondered. "The Fortune Cemetery...Heavenly Origin Grounds...is this where the Heavenly Origin is?" Xiha had given him the True Origin of the Sirius Law in hopes of integrating it into the Heavenly Origin, so he was unsure.

    Ezekiel had said a person could only enter once without thepass or likely some tool of equivalent power, so he had questions. However, he didn¡¯t ask Dai¡¯Ya. If he did, its likely Dai¡¯Ya would ask for an exchange of information, and he wasn¡¯t sure that his ability to lie would be sufficient.

    At the moment, he felt no desire to offend his guide.

    They traveled through the spatial void for three days. With Dai¡¯Ya¡¯s speed, three days was more than enough to travel from border to border of the 17th Heaven, so he felt skeptical. Unfortunately, he was ignorant, so he only analyzed the situation the best he could.

    Luckily, thanks to his understanding of spacews, he knew they were traveling in a roundabout way and not in circles. This brought him a hint of relief and questions.

    Dai¡¯Ya suddenly stopped. Yan Zaizen halted as well, his eyes shing silver as he inspected the outside within the spatial void. His brows furrowed. The outside was like a heavenly paradise.

    "Was this the center of the 17th Heaven?" As he inquired to himself, he looked towards Dai¡¯Ya.

    Dai¡¯Ya sped his hands and bowed, "1st Heaven, Dai¡¯Ya of Kun¡¯Lun asks for permission to enter." His tone was respectful and solemn, as if he was paying his respects and requesting at the same time.

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes lit up, "so he¡¯s from the 1st Heaven? Kun¡¯Lun?" This made sense, at least that he was an outsider. "What adventures have Ezekiel had?" He couldn¡¯t help but envy Ezekiel¡¯s life. He had been to ces he could only dream about at the moment and could gather a literal army to storm his enemies. His allies with the willingness to listen and die on his word.

    "He¡¯s like those heroes in the stories. His father¡¯s death, his n¡¯s unfortunate destiny of being driven away from their home, and yet, through it all he thrived." Admiring his belief of Ezekiel¡¯s life, he closed his eyes. "However...there must be many, many close calls. Like three days ago."

    Ezekiel had escaped his existence being threatened, devoured, and a hell entity trying to im his soul. He had a halo of luck that could exceed the heavens. Comparing his life, it didn¡¯t feel as morous. His rtionships were limited, his experiences were minor, and his luck has always been a little shitty.

    For example, being sent to the 7th Heaven by Xiha or losing Pinaka.

    "Haaa..." sighing, he refocused his mind.

    A voice filled with majesty and awesome might echoed in the spatial void. "For?" The voice only said one word, but it questioned everything and had many meanings.

    Dai¡¯Ya pondered, but internally he felt odd. This reaction or question wasn¡¯t a normal one. Yan Zaizen could see from Dai¡¯Ya¡¯s odd reaction that there was some truth in this. Acting as nothing more than a bystander, he watched.

    "On behalf of Ezekiel Zatanna Saintora, I am here to send someone to the Gate of Heaven, to enter the Fortune Cemetery." Exining, Dai¡¯Ya had a solemn expression.

    The voice didn¡¯t respond immediately. In truth, it didn¡¯t respond for an entire hour. Dai¡¯Ya remained with his hands sped, and his body bowed. Yan Zaizen felt odd. If he had to hold that position for a whole hour, it would no doubt create a death grudge. It was humiliating to leave one like this without exnation, or at least allowing them to wait in a neutral stance.

    "You are not allowed." The voice responded indifferently.

    Dai¡¯Ya was visibly taken aback, his expression darkening as if he was insulted and shocked at the same time. To him, Ezekiel¡¯s name carried immense weight in the 17th Heaven. At least, no one came to help the Crimson Devil Realm during the war, nor did he have trouble bringing two mobile realms and a literal army totaling billions.

    Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t understand all this, but he didn¡¯t care. Stepping past Dai¡¯Ya, he spoke, "Ezekiel may have sent me here via a guide, but our rtions is over with this. You may return." He coldly sent Dai¡¯Ya off with his words.

    Dai¡¯Ya seemed to have sensed something. Looking at Yan Zaizen, he couldn¡¯t help but reveal a hint of praise from his decisiveness. He nodded, saying nothing, he turned back and left. In a second, he had already vanished from sight.

    sping his hands, "I, Yan Zaizen of 27th Heaven, requests entry." His words were calm without a hint of fear.

    "I see." The voice once more resounded in an odd echo, but a circr portion of white in the sea of silver that was the spatial void appeared. Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t hesitate, stepping into the void.

    -----

    The Paradise Sword Realm was indeed a paradise. It wasn¡¯t a normal realm, but a single tnd mass that extends for countless miles. It was farrger than the Crimson Devil Realm in its entirety.

    The Paradise Sword Realm had three alternating suns, but they circted in different directions, circling the continent from above and under, but there is never three suns in the sky at any point in time. All three suns were mirror images with very little difference among them, but they were all gigantic.

    They also had differing distances to the continent. This enabled the continent to have twelve season cycle, three hot, three warm, three cold. These cycles often changed in odd orders, and they weren¡¯t yearly, but decadal.

    It enabled a very diverse growth of nt life and the evolution of organisms. The moon was only one. Unlike the three suns, it only existed above and circled in changing orbits. Despite this, night still urred because this moon was horrifyinglyrge!

    Regardless of the day or season, a silhouette of the moon could be seen in varying sizes. It was exceptional. At some times, the moon could be directly above, and it feels as if one could literally touch it by jumping.

    If the moon was a human in size, then the three suns were bunnies. While the suns hopped, the moon kept watch.

    The moon didn¡¯t have any lifeforms on it, beingpletely empty of all individuals, but it had a faint sharpness to all those with a high enough sense to see. Anyone who saw this would be shocked!

    This moon wasn¡¯t a normal moon but a regalia of the heavens that emanated a specific sword concept! Likely, the Paradise Sword Heavenly God¡¯s!

    Yan Zaizen exited the circr portal and arrived in mid-air above the continent. This continent was like an immortal realm. It had sky-touching mountains, cascading waterfalls that seemed incredibly pure, greenery so green that it couldn¡¯t be greener, and a dense and rxing atmosphere.

    He took in a deep breath and felt his body seem elevated! With his cultivation base having been reduced, he felt this even more so. "Such thick atmospheric essence! There¡¯s even formless heavenly essence! It would make gathering and condensing Heavenly Law Liquid a hundred times faster!

    Looking upwards at the moon, his eyes turned nk.

    Suddenly, a figure arrived from the distance. This figure was a young girl with a True Essence Realm cultivation base. She seemed incredibly young, likely fourteen, and her life energy reflected just that!

    When she arrived, she saw Yan Zaizen daze and made an awkward expression. A flicker of disdain shed in her eyes, "Sir."

 Chapter 303 Four Steps to Domain!

    Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t respond to the young woman¡¯s words. Instead, his nk eyes started to suffuse an odd light. This light was soft, peaceful, yet hidden within was a deadly sharpness. It felt like existing in paradise, but also like standing on the edge of a de.

    The contradicting feels garnered a vast power in application. Yan Zaizen imagined that, if he used this sword on someone, they may wee this de and willingly plunge themselves into death. It was insidious yet beautiful!

    "Sir." The young woman called out again, her expression neutral. She was somewhat confused as to why she was sent here. Her status was exceptional, and to act as a guide to a True Essence Cultivator that was obviously older than her felt beneath her. However, she wouldn¡¯t dare disobey an assignment.

    Inspecting Yan Zaizen once more, her eyes flickered. Yan Zaizen had a very ordinary vital energy. It didn¡¯t have an element, conceptual base, or uniqueness to it. It was pure vital energy cultivated without a cultivation method.

    Her observation was not wrong. The Immortal Herculean Method was a Herculean Path Method, not a Fiendgod Method. Therefore, Yan Zaizen¡¯s vital energy was just an unfocused byproduct without direction, yet his physical body was astonishing.

    However, Yan Zaizen vital energy was the same as Lang Xue¡¯s heavenly cultivation base, having the lowest foundation imaginable. As for his Herculean Path, it wasn¡¯t discernable easily.

    "Sir!" After waiting a few moments, she became impatient. She was an outer disciple of the Paradise Sword Pce! This Pce belonged to the Heavenly Ruler of the 17th Heaven! Her status was above even core disciples of ninth-tier forces!

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes slowly gained rity. He closed those eyes and felt an aura arise within him. This aura was the Paradisiacal de Concept. "de?" He pondered the definition of a de, as he regarded the concept more, he found himself in disbelief.

    This concept focuses not on the Mortal Law of the Sword but the World Law of the de? He felt startled. This was the first time he realized that aw existed that governed all sharp objects in creation, as if it defined anything with a sharp edge!

    "Regardless of if its the wind, water, wood, or metal...exceptional...could it be applied to all things sharp or can cut in the right circumstances?" He muttered to himself, not noticing the young woman spewing fire from her eyes in fury.

    If Yan Zaizen had remained nk, she wouldn¡¯t be as pissed, but he hade to and ignored her immediately. "Sir!!" She yelled, losing herposure.

    Yan Zaizen looked at her with an inquisitive brow, "who is she?" He didn¡¯t think there would be a guide for his entry or anyone arriving the greet him. For one, his status was unknown. Secondly, he belonged to another heaven and thus wasn¡¯t connected to this one. That was stated clearly before.

    Yet...

    "What is it?" He casually questioned, thinking she wanted to ask him a question or something. However, he didn¡¯t keep his gaze in the girl, instead looking downwards at the ground.

    He was dozens of li above the ground. The world below was merely forests with normal beasts, but these beasts were all equivalent to True Essence Realm experts in aura and fleshy bodies. His brows furrowed as he realized that these were not Divine Beasts but normal animals.

    "Sir, my name¡¯s Mei Adel. I¡¯m here to escort you to Immortal City." She tried to form a smile, but it was incredibly forced and looked a little awkward. One could see theck of experience in servicing someone in her actions, but also her desire to try.

    It wasmendable.

    Unfortunately, Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t care. Only the name of this ¡¯Immortal City¡¯ left him curious. His gaze turned towards Mei, "Immortal City?" It was truly brazen to tantly call a city immortal. It felt as if it was domineering and taunting all creation.

    "Please, follow me." Mei nodded and quickly turned around and flew away. Her speed was quite fast. It was even faster than normal peak-True Essence cultivators. Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes lit up. Her speed could rival heavenly cultivators, at least first-floors.

    He didn¡¯t immediately follow, looking towards the moon. With a wave of his finger, a de light surged. This de light felt like paradise, and anyone looking at it may be drawn into their fantasy, as if obtaining this de meant finding true peace and happiness.

    "Only death remains." He waved once more, this time the de light¡¯s aura was stronger than thest but it carried a sharpness to it. He turned towards Mei, his eyes flickering.

    "Perfect Nascent Level..." slowly muttering, he hadprehended the Paradisiacal de Concept fully in a few seconds.

    He took a step towards Mei, his body shifting force through the space and catching up. With this one step, he had cut the distance between them by a quarter. cing his index and middle-finger together, he waved his right arm as if his fingers were a de.

    The de light produced seemed to contain intense dew energy. It was sharper and contained the essence of sharpness.

    "Initial Force Level..." He had integrated the essence of the World Law of the de within his light. While the concept had a sharpness, it was superficial and without essence, only an aura, only a thought. Now, it could truly cut without the support of any energy medium.

    He took another step, reaching half-way between Mei and himself. Substituting de for finger, he shed in front of him. This sh contained a dense essence of sharpness.

    "Perfect Force Level..."

    Another step, the heavens trembled faintly as the aura of his concept and energy of thew merged, forming within the heavens and directly manifesting with only the heavens support. This sword that contained concept andw could interact and affect all beneath the heavens.

    "Initial Manifestation Level..."

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes narrowed, looking at the moon above. A light of profound enlightenment surged outwards instantly. He took another step, leaving only a quarter of the distance left between Mei and himself.

    Despite describing the distance shortage, Mei had kept traveling at full speed, so each step carried Yan Zaizen further than thest.

    As if connecting with the heavens, Yan Zaizen¡¯s fingers took on the illusion of a de with no hilt or distinctive sharp. It could be a sword, an axe, a spear, a scythe or even a kusarigama! It contained no defined trait except sharpness and the ability to cut!

    He shed upwards, then diagonally downwards, and then horizontal as he reached mid-way creating a ¡¯4¡¯. With each sh, the heavens were drawn in and manifested in the concept of Yan Zaizen¡¯s de. Each line thicker than thest.

    "Perfect Manifestation Level..." Yan Zaizen pondered slightly, taking another step forward. This forward step brought him before Mei. It startled her suddenly as she stopped abruptly. Yan Zaizen had perfectly shifted through the void of the realm, and not through anotheryer of space, but the actual void. It was like time and space was none existent concepts to Yan Zaizen¡¯s steps.

    It was very, very close to teleportation, but also not.

    Yan Zaizen tapped out, forming a one-sided war axe. This war axe was very simr to Sky Shatter in size and structure. The only difference is that, instead of a hammerhead, there was a curved de.

    He gripped the shaft of this axe. When he did, an aura surged outwards causing the heavens to shift suddenly. It was as if thews outside of one had been suppressed. This aura affected a small area, producing dew energy with the concept of the Paradisiacal de.

    Mei couldn¡¯t even be startled, her eyes turning nk as she seemed to have an expression of ecstasy and utter happiness. It was perverted yet incredibly alluring, as if she had reached her greatest dreams. It affected her very soul!

    "Domain Level!" Yan Zaizen felt the domain form with the war axe as the epicenter. It was astonishing! Even as a Non-Entity, this was his first timeprehending aw so thoroughly so quickly! Let alone a World Law!

    Looking at the moon once more, he felt extraordinary. That moon may be a Regalia of the Heavens, but its intensity was thousands of times greater! It was thergest legacy treasure he had ever seen!!!

 Chapter 304 An Eye?!

    "This realm is phenomenal." Yan Zaizen marveled at the remarkable aspects this realm offered,pletely losing himself in its wonders.

    He continued, "Isn¡¯t it, Pina...ka..."

    "..."

    A piercing feeling stabbed into his heart, causing it to throb uncontrobly. Emotionally, he grew unstable. Lips trembling, he clenched his fists and closed his eyes. This was the first time in his life that he felt such destion and loneliness in the entirety of his life.

    "You¡¯ve been with me essentially my entire life...I..." A sequence of memories shed through his mind, including the time he and Pinaka faced titanic water dragons at the Water Veil Sect. With one arrow, they pierced a hole into the sky! The time when she voiced her fearlessness in death, disying no regret for her choice in staying with Yan Zaizen passed their agreed upon time.

    "...Pinaka..." As these memories surged indescribable emotions within his heart and mind, his control over the heavens crumbled leading to the copse of his domain. The war axe transformed into shining dust within his hand. No longer under the influence of Yan Zaizen¡¯s domain, Mei regained her consciousness. Her expression revealed confusion, and then shock as she turned to Yan Zaizen.

    To her, she didn¡¯t know what had happened. It was as if she had fallen into a daydream all of a sudden.

    "Si-Sir..." Mei was somewhat confused, skeptical that Yan Zaizen had utilized some soul art on her when she hadn¡¯t noticed. However, Yan Zaizen¡¯s soul aura was particrly weak and incapable of being hidden from her sense. An Advanced Nascent Soul cultivator wouldn¡¯t have such an ability, so she felt it was nonsense. Shaking her head, she recalled Yan Zaizen¡¯s earlier ignorance that infuriated her and turned away. She continued flying.

    Yan Zaizen followed mindlessly. Unlike before, he kept up with her pace and stayed behind her. His mind felt muddled, the memories of Pinaka unable to be suppressed no matter what he tried.

    He recalled her irresponsibly brazen action of entering the Inter-Heavenly Spatial Formation and traveling across three heavens without hesitation. Despite the dangers, she had returned to him. Then, the time on Earth. In his life, those were his best days. She could feel, she was no different than a true mortal, and they had engaged in many mischievous acts. Thinking about those days, he couldn¡¯t help but smile in happiness.

    "I swear...I¡¯ll get you back." He looked up at the sky and saw the moon and sun above. "Didn¡¯t I make a promise before? I still haven¡¯t fulfilled that yet, so you can¡¯t leave me."

    They continued traveling for quite some time.

    Yan Zaizen was finally capable of calming his heart and mind, realizing he was no longer suitable toprehend the heavenlyws, he directed his focus elsewhere. "What realm is this?" Yan Zaizen asked Mei.

    When Mei heard this, she turned her head in shock and surprise. It was so intense that her eyes widened and her mouth was wide open. Yan Zaizen couldn¡¯t help but think that if she kept flying with her mouth open, something could fly in it.

    "You don¡¯t know?!" Mei found this truly unbelievable! Who was this guy?

    Yan Zaizen felt slightly awkward being stared at like that. It wasn¡¯t that he was an idiot, but when he was sent here, no one exined anything except something about the Gate of Heaven. Supposedly, this Gate of Heaven was the method to enter the Fortune Cemetery or the Heavenly Origin Grounds. However, there was nothing else he knew about this Gate of Heaven or Fortune Cemetery.

    He didn¡¯t know where it was, how to enter, or any other details.

    Witnessing Yan Zaizen¡¯s awkwardness, she felt as if she was sent to an alternate universe. She couldn¡¯t help but pinch herself to see if she was dreaming this entire event.

    "Haaa...This is the Paradise Sword Realm. THE Paradise Sword Realm." As she said this, her eyes flickered with pride and disdain. It was like she had be a young miss of some great family spouting off her background to Yan Zaizen, a peasant in her eyes.

    Yan Zaizen felt displeased, but he didn¡¯t take any action. After all, Mei to him was an insignificant character, so how could he lower himself in being petty?

    "The Paradise Sword Realm?" Yan Zaizen was only familiar with the 27th Heaven myriad realms, but the 17th Heaven was as unknown as the 7th Heaven to him. He only knew a little, but nothing more. As for the Paradise Sword Realm, he wasn¡¯t sure of the importance of this realm, but he assumed it held some profound significance.

    "You don¡¯t even know about the Paradise Sword Realm is? Where in the heavens are you from?" Mei disbelief at this point had already exceeded all the disbelief she could muster or have mustered in her short life.

    "I¡¯m from the 27th Heaven," he casually answered.

    Mei¡¯s eyes narrowed, unsure if Yan Zaizen was joking or not. After all, to cross between heavens, one needed a Heavenly Creation expert to do so. She found it hard to believe someone like Yan Zaizen had the backing of someone at that level. If he did, then she wouldn¡¯t be escorting him, a pce elder or someone greater would¡¯ve taken the duty.

    Ignoring Mei¡¯s suspicions, "The Immortal City, why is it called that?"

    "...I see." She softly sighed, "The Paradise Sword Realm is the home to the Paradise Sword Heavenly God! It holds the Paradise Sword Pce, the number one force beneath heaven! It would be better to say, the hegemon of the heaven is the Paradise Sword Pce! As for the Immortal City, it is the location of the Gate of Heaven! Regardless of what Era, even during ancient times, the Immortal City has always stood tall!" She was like an ardent fan proiming the wonders of her city,pletely giving a fervid description of the city.

    She talked about the Paradise Sword Pce and Realm, how one-sidedly wonderful they were, and the traits of the Immortal City. She even called it a true Immortal City! As she droned on, recalling all the details she could recall with enthusiasm that Yan Zaizen found slightly too intense, Yan Zaizen felt his horizons expand.

    He learned that the Paradise Sword Pce only epted females as disciples! His eyes flickered as he recalled the Graceful Sword Realm that disyed extreme oppression towards males and their worth. "It¡¯s possible a member who believed of this to a fanatical degree arrived there, believing in the unintentional propaganda of female superiority. After all...the leader of the heaven they existed beneath only allowed women within their sects...there had to be a reason for this."

    As he realized that, even if that wasn¡¯t the intention of the Paradise Sword Realm, it was probably an unconscious belief to those who grew up in a world such as this. There would always be those who took their personal beliefs and understanding of the world too far.

    "I wonder if there are realms that are the opposite..." After being exposed to so many different cultures and societies, he felt that it wasn¡¯t too unlikely for it to be the case.

    "Oh?" Yan Zaizen drew himself away from his thoughts and looked ahead. "WHAT?!?!" Yan Zaizen halted immediately, his eyes wide in disbelief and shock. "This...this?" Blinking, he was so fiercely taken aback that his energy went berserk, he directly coughed out several wads of blood!

    Mei didn¡¯t halt. She kept traveling until she heard Yan Zaizen spit blood. Turning around, she was shocked. Her brows furrowed. This person was supposed to be under her guide, if something happened to him, how could she ount for it? Traveling back, she ced her hand on his shoulder and sent true-essence into his body to help alleviate his injuries.

    Yan Zaizen was so shocked that he didn¡¯t even recognize Mei¡¯s action, his eyes staring ahead. Mei, on the other hand, was confused as she sent her true-essence into Yan Zaizen¡¯s body, she didn¡¯t sense any wounds as if the damage never urred. She removed her hands, looking at Yan Zaizen with a faint trace of disgust. The only reason to randomly spew blood is so she would touch his body, at least...that was the belief in her mind.

    To Yan Zaizen, his breathing becamebored, and his body felt restless. "How did I not see this before?!" His voice was a little high.

    "See what?!" Mei again, still filled with a faint trace of disgust, asked in curiosity. She turned around to see what Yan Zaizen was staring at, but it was just the open sky. To her, she saw only that - the sky.

    "What? You can¡¯t see that?!" Yan Zaizen pointed forwards with trembling fingers. He was unable to keep hisposure. It wasn¡¯t due to fear, but utter disbelief and shock!

    "See what? The sky?!" At this point, she felt that Yan Zaizen was ying tricks on her and felt annoyed. "We have to go, Sir. Please follow me." She ignored Yan Zaizen¡¯s antics and continued to fly en route to the Immortal City.

    "She...really doesn¡¯t see?" Yan Zaizen felt like he was going crazy. He looked up once more.

    There was an EYE!

 Chapter 305 An Odd Eye

    A single eye in the sky above. This eye was immense, indescribably so. The eye had golden pupils, silver irises, and white sclera. This eye was looking directly at all things, at everything, yet it seemed so far away, but so incredibly close! It truly was hard to describe the sensation of distance and immense size that this eye gave to a viewer. It was like the sun to Earth. The sun was small to all inhabitants of Earth, but the distance of the sun was ny-two million miles away! Not to mention its size.

    This, however, was even further in distance than the sun to Earth. Likely quintillion or even quintillion miles away! That may be a miscalction of distance. The distance could be greater, but never lesser! Yet...when Yan Zaizen saw it, it was ginormous! It was like a supermoon, but multiplied by a hundred in size! It covered nearly his entire line of sight, and the eye itself was staring at all things in this realm!

    "...What the hell..." He felt mystified by this. He had seen titan realms, suns, moons, and even the immensity of the ck hole in a vision, but only thest couldpare to this eye. "The mysteries of the heavens..." Muttering to himself, he somehow calmed his rumbling heart. Wiping off the wet blood that had still stayed on his lips, he went after Mei.

    "Wait..." Yan Zaizen hastily stopped himself. This eye was too immense; there¡¯s no way he could¡¯ve missed it when he arrived. Instead of pursuing Mei, he stepped back. He continued stepping back, shifting through the void while doing so, his distance from Mei erging at a breakneck pace. Only after traveling for a while did he stop, his eyes stared at the sky with solemness.

    "The eye vanished," he inspected the sky to realize that the eye was no longer there. "The eye can only be seen in a certain range? Could it originate from this Gate of Heaven or...maybe it¡¯s a Paradise Sword Realm observation art?" The eye likely didn¡¯t exist in the physical world. This was his assumption after realizing it could vanish from his eight senses.

    He stepped forward, moving very slowly until the eye reappeared. He looked at the ground, his eyes flickering with a profound light of calction. He dropped downwards,nding on the spot that was set as a demarcation line to view the eye. Below was a grassy in filled with beasts and humans undergoing various hunting activities or merely fetching materials from nearby.

    "The ground...nothing¡¯s strange?" He continued to inspect yet sensed nothing. However, he couldn¡¯t quite lose the feeling like there was something at this line. He touched the ground, his eyes transforming into a set of spiraling ck holes. Suddenly, a strand of something seemed to be extracted from the ground and entered his eyes. However, this strand entered his soul but couldn¡¯t be refined or consumed. It merely lingered in his soul.

    This strand was like a hair, thin and fragile, yet it stayed resilient through any force. "Spirituality? No...Yes?" Yan Zaizen continued to grow more confused as he inspected the strand. Its aura wasn¡¯t dissimr to the entity that had taken Pinaka, but it was also different. It was as if the strand had mutated somehow...this was the feeling he felt.

    Every so often, the strand would twirl and flip about without cause or reason within his soul as if it had an essence of spirituality of its own.

    Suddenly, he felt a cold air flow throughout his body. It caused him, a Herculean, to shiver uncontrobly. His heart couldn¡¯t help but grow cold as well, feeling as if he was being watched...

    He slowly turned his head.

    Lifting it up, he saw the sky.

    "!!!"

    The eye was constricted, and its narrowed gaze and sudden shift made it clear that it was looking...directly at Yan Zaizen!

    The strand within his soul wiggled and surged, but it couldn¡¯t escape. Yan Zaizen¡¯s soul bloodline had mutated from the swirling ck hole that could devour spirituality, physicality, and essence, after being devoured, unless Yan Zaizen willed otherwise, extricating oneself was impossible. Considering Yan Zaizen weakened soul state, this still was a fundamentalw of existence as a whole!

    The eye continued to stare at Yan Zaizen, its pupils and irises shrunken and intense, but Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t release the strand. Instead, his eyes grew brighter than ever before! At first, he thought there was malicious intent within the eyes, but that wasn¡¯t the case.

    It was abject fear!

    As he observed longer, the eye seemed to constrict even further, unable to hide its fear like a mortal. The strand continued to fight, but it was unable to obtain freedom within Yan Zaizen¡¯s unique soul. Cocking his head to the side, Yan Zaizen inspected the eye¡¯s reaction.

    "Interesting..." With a thought, he released the strand of odd spirituality. It merged back into the ground, bing a whole, and then vanishing from Yan Zaizen¡¯s senses once more. The eye kept its gaze on Yan Zaizen, but slowly its intensity disappeared. It regained its normal appearance after a short period but kept its gaze focused on Yan Zaizen.

    "This eye isn¡¯t an observation art...its alive. How is that possible? Could it be a spiritual creature like those in the Border Expanse? Unfortunately...it¡¯s too far away to sense its qualities, nor do I have any intention to inspect it closely." Yan Zaizen was unable to risk himself at the moment, especially when Pinaka currently had a time limit.

    Ignoring the eye, he shot towards Mei. With his speed, he swiftly caught up. Mei didn¡¯t find his disappearance concerning. She had purposely slowed down after realizing Yan Zaizen had halted and retreated. She felt that Yan Zaizen was doing this to get her attention once more, but she didn¡¯t feel he was worthy enough for him to gather such attention from her.

    "The eye is still following me...I wonder..." He could feel a particr gaze intently honed to him. However, this gaze was cautious and curious, as if it both feared Yan Zaizen but couldn¡¯t help but want to know more about him. This feeling left him thinking of a small child following a scary looking dog. It was somewhat cute.

    Before long, they arrived at the Immortal City.

    The city was truly a ce for immortals. It glimmered with a faint white light that gave off a holistic aura. The area wasn¡¯t fully industrialized by cultivation standards, included within its borders were tall mountains, long rivers, cascading waterfalls, and more. It gave off a sense of natural majesty.

    However, it did have residents, shops, skyscrapers that towered to the sky, and unique symbols denoting the Paradise Sword Pce. It was like the perfect mixture of beautiful nature and mortal creations.

    "Truly beautiful..."

    "Indeed!" Mei eximed, her eyes glimmering with pride and excitement.

    Yan Zaizen didn¡¯tment further, his eyes focusing on the border walls of the Immortal City. It wasn¡¯t tall. Actually, it was quite short with a height of nine meters. However, etched onto the walls were inscriptions that looked like a long painting. This painting had rivers and mountains with a sun and moon above. The clouds moved about, and it was as if the painting detailed the reincarnation cycle of day and night.

    The truly astonishing point was the vividness of it all. The sun, moon, clouds, rivers, and even the grass on the mountains moved. It wasn¡¯t like watching a painting, but like watching the real world pass through the endless time.

    Yan Zaizen noticed that some of the objects in the paintings were mirror images ofndmarks within the city. "This painting gives off a very ancient feeling...if that¡¯s the case, then perhaps its truly an immortal city?" Yan Zaizen soft said, marveling the profoundness of an Immortal City.

    "Yes!" Mei seemed ecstatic at Yan Zaizen¡¯s words. Normally, a person of the realm with a decent cultivation base has seen the Immortal City once or twice, so it wasn¡¯t that special to them, but when a neeres, it bes a life imprinting event. "The Immortal City has stood since time immemorial! The mountains and rivers inscribed on the walls have been there even before the Paradise Era!"

    Mei¡¯s enthusiasm caused Yan Zaizen to smile softly. He has seen many things in his life, and this would be something imprinted into his memory, but it wasn¡¯t too important. He had created a realm between two universes, was at the center of a sub-realm copse, seen a ck hole that seemed capable of devouring all, and even that giant eye above was beyond the city in his mind.

    They went past the gate, not eliciting any reaction from the guards. It seemed they were likely there only for show. After all, this was the Paradise Sword Realm. Who would cause an issue when the god of this heaven was two feet away?

    "Where¡¯s the Gate of Heaven?" Yan Zaizen looked around casually, then above. The eye was staring at Yan Zaizen without relenting. However, its gaze had returned to normal but seemed unwilling to let Yan Zaizen out of its sights. He couldn¡¯t help but chuckle softly. It was like a child unwilling to let something curious out of its sights.

    Mei didn¡¯t understand why Yan Zaizen was chuckling, she but continued leading the way. "The Gate of Heaven is at the center of the Immortal City."

    Earlier, Mei had informed him earlier during her excitement that the reason the city stood tall regardless of the era and will was due to the Gate of Heaven. It was the only method to enter the Heavenly Origin Grounds, the center of the thirty-three heavens.

    Yan Zaizen nodded faintly, but he felt curious. "That existence said ny-nine heavens...yet no one speaks of it. Is it possible it was wrong or is it a secret only the peak of the world knows?" As Yan Zaizen contemted this, they quickly made their way to the center of the city.

    The sights were remarkably beautiful. Yan Zaizen made a note to take Pinaka, Tao, and Bai Lufeng here one day. "Maybe there¡¯s an Immortal City in the 27th Heaven?"

    "We¡¯re here!"

 Chapter 306 Gate of Heaven

    The Gate of Heaven was not a ¡¯gate¡¯ per se. It was a cube. The cube was like crystal, refracting all lights to create a myriad disy of dazzling colors. Yan Zaizen felt his breath stuck in his chest as he saw this cube.

    The odd thing was the cube¡¯s position. It was bncing on one of its tips and was spiraling slowly. The slow spiral was incredibly beautiful with thebination of the shifting colors. "A gate..." Pondering on this, Yan Zaizen turned to Mei who had her eyes reflecting the shimmer of the cube.

    "This divine object is the Gate of Heaven." Mei was quite excited, nearly fanatical.

    Yan Zaizen looked around and learned that the cube wasn¡¯t guarded openly. It was ced on a lone jade tform without any guard. The cube itself wasn¡¯trge, no more than twenty meters high despite bncing on its tip, but it gave one a sensation of being infinitely vast within.

    There were a few people looking at the cube like a tourist attraction, but no one was making ways towards the cube. Yan Zaizen¡¯s brows furrowed, "is there a wait time before one can enter?" Yan Zaizen asked because spatial tforms were often activated on a set schedule. He felt that since this cube sent one into the Heavenly Origin Grounds, many people should¡¯ve wished to enter.

    However, he was shocked to hear what Mei had to say next. "No. The Gate is always open, and one simply needs to enter."

    "If that¡¯s so, why isn¡¯t anyone entering?" Yan Zaizen asked, inspecting the crowd once more. It was like this object of the highest degree was nothing more than a tourist attraction. It felt so odd that he couldn¡¯t wrap his head around it.

    Mei warily smiled, slightly embarrassed and also disdainful of Yan Zaizen, "The Gate of Heaven has been here since time Immemorial, open every second of every day. All those who wish to enter, have entered. Not to mention, the Gate of Heaven leads to the Fortune Cemetery. It is a ce that is synonymously known for its fortune within and absurd death rate."

    Yan Zaizen ruminated on her words. It made some sense. Ezekiel had informed him that the Fortune Cemetery contained high amounts of perils and death. It¡¯s unlikely that those born in the Paradise Sword Realm would feel the need to leave this blessed cultivation environment for danger and likely death.

    "Is the Fortune Cemetery truly horrible?"

    "..." Mei slowly turned around, looked at Yan Zaizen directly in the eyes. No more did her eyes contain fanaticism or, but a dense and heavy seriousness that caused Yan Zaizen to reflect such emotions.

    "Yes."

    "I see." Yan Zaizen nced at the cube once more, "why?"

    "There are many reasons, but only two sets itself apart. The Heavenly Origin Grounds is strange and odd, mysterious and ancient. One of these reasons is the fortune within leading to greed. If I had to say in the entire heavens which ce had the most treasures, then the Fortune Cemetery is undisputedly the top location. It contains countless and nearly infinite heavenly materials, a massive amount of heavenly crystal mines, and inheritances left by Heavenly Monarchs!"

    "This isn¡¯t even the rarest of things. There are rumors of items left by Celestials!" When Mei reached this point, his eyes became exceptionally bright.

    "Celestial?" Yan Zaizen couldn¡¯t help but ask.

    "Celestials! They are those legendary figures! You know!" Mei said, but Yan Zaizen pursed his lips. Mei obviously didn¡¯t know a single thing about celestials, so he didn¡¯t bother. Instead, he asked, "what¡¯s the second reason?"

    "Ah, yes!" Mei realized she nearly lost her track of thoughts, "the odd thing is that the Fortune Cemetery doesn¡¯t allow any path outside of the Heavenly Path, Fiendgod Path, Soul Source Path, Origin Path, and Dao Path." She exined.

    "Only allows those five paths?" Yan Zaizen furrowed his brows. Then, he recalled Ezekiel¡¯s words of the Fortune Cemetery being ¡¯difficult¡¯ for him. Was this the reason? However, he was a Herculean! It rivaled the Heavenly Path, likely even exceeds it, how could it be restricted? Not to mention, that rted to the refinement of the physical body. Could that be taken away?

    "Mhm." Mei looked at Yan Zaizen once more and realized his Fiendgod Cultivation was only at the rank two, and even had the lowest foundation. She didn¡¯t believe Yan Zaizen was here to enter but merely to tour the area, so she didn¡¯t even conceive the thought of this inconvenience.

    "There is also something else," Mei suddenly recalled something, "it contains a vast quantity of races and cultivators. It¡¯s nearly impossible to describe how many, as they originate from all thirty-three heavens! It is a blood grounds filled withplex statuses and cultivators. Awless area with even locals, those who were born there."

    She paused for a bit and continued, "however, it does contain an odd race...they have many names but are like beasts! They are everywhere and are considered nearly infinite and odd." Mei felt like she had exined a lot, but her knowledge was inevitablycking. After all, she was merely in her early teens and haven¡¯t thought too much about the Fortune Cemetery.

    "I see..." Yan Zaizen casually nodded, but his mind was elsewhere. If the Herculean Path was restricted, would his cultivation be severely limited? Should he cultivate his heavenly path before entering?

    "How long would it take to gather enough resources?" Yan Zaizen seriously contemted this matter, even factoring in chaotic space. He only had one hundred years, not a minute more or less. With his Herculean cultivation base, he could go about stealing and robbing, but this was the Paradise Sword Realm, and he couldn¡¯t take any action here.

    He inspected his Meteor Ring¡¯s contents and felt massively depressed. Losing everything in a moment felt horrible, especially after he had invested so much into it. He had no heavenly materials left, and that¡¯s the crucial aspect. He did have heavenly crystals, more than enough to re-cultivate, even cultivate beyond the sixth-floor, but it was only one crucial aspect of a shrine.

    The heavenly materials were the most important for him due to the uniqueness of his heavenly shrine.

    "Is there a ce to buy heavenly materials?" Yan Zaizen asked, he wouldn¡¯t do anything stupid like go in unprepared. If his Herculean cultivation was sealed in the Cemetery, he would be taking a considerable risk.

    "Yes. Many, actually." Mei mused for a bit and replied. The Paradise Sword Realm was not only the top realm in the 17th Heaven, but it was also the location of the Gate of Heaven. In the Fortune Cemetery, heavenly materials were abundant beyond belief. How could they becking?

    "You wish to purchase materials?" Mei asked curiously. Yan Zaizen was at the same cultivation as her, but he had a heavenly foundation, so all he needed wasprehension and sufficient resources to ascend to the Heavenly Path.

    "Mhm. It would be best to go to the best market in heavenly materials dealing, specifically one that sells any and all types." Yan Zaizen stated. He had a boundless wealth in terms of heavenly crystals, so he had no hesitation in spending.

    Mei furrowed her brows, "How do you n to purchase?"

    Confused, Yan Zaizen answered, "Heavenly crystals."

    "..." Mei went silent.

    "What?" Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t understand her reaction.

    "You do know this is THE Paradise Sword Realm. Not only that, this is the 17th Heaven. No, it would be better to say this is a Heavenly Area." Mei spoke with an odd voice. Her eyes couldn¡¯t restrain the disdain.

    Yan Zaizen was reaching the limit of his patience with her disdainful looks. "Exin." However, he remained calm.

    "...Heavenly Law Liquid or Crystals are essentially limitless here. It¡¯s like water or rocks, only suitable for one thing. However, every force has elite heavenly cultivators who can easily create these with a little bit of their time. Heavenly materials aren¡¯t limitless, however. It takes time to form, and even with a highprehension and cultivation base, creating them require a suitable environment and circumstances. Not to mention, natural forming materials are better than specific heavenly materials aligned with a conceptualw of a cultivator." Mei exined.

    "However...as I said...liquid or crystals, its like water, and stones. They can and are produced with a thought and in the Paradise Sword Realm...you must¡¯ve noticed the dense heavenly aura, no?"

    "..." Yan Zaizen was calmly outwardly, processing her words and finding some logic in it, but his heart was not calm. In fact, it was pounding so hard that he was nearly about to explode in rage. He felt like a man who was given a check for a billion dors and learned it was fake.

    "So...what is used as currency?" Yan Zaizen remained calm, patiently asking.

    "Well...heavenly materials." She awkwardly said. "Trading heavenly materials for heavenly materials. In truth...heavenly materials are used for everything. Often, experts spend time making their own and then trading it for whatever they need or for themselves."

    "..."

    "..."

    "Screw this!" Yan Zaizen suddenly shouted, his mind reaching the limit. "To hell with Hell! To hell with all this shit!" Yan Zaizen felt too depressed; it reflected in rage as he cursed Hell as a whole. Mei was taken aback by his sudden outburst. She even thought she saw Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes grow a little wet.

    "I¡¯m...poor?"

 Chapter 307 Heavenly Transferrence

    "Haaa..." Yan Zaizen emotionally sighed. The feeling of being poor once more felt surreal. After all, he had ¡¯imed¡¯ so much wealth, but now those heavenly crystals weren¡¯t that important. However, he couldn¡¯t help but ept that.

    In the Sirius Titan Realm, ten heavenly crystals were a massive amount that required an arm and leg to gather for sixth-tier forces, but the Paradise Sword Realm likely had dozens if not hundreds of ninth-floor experts, a multitude of gathering formations acting independently, and probably a few Heavenly Creation Realm experts. If so, then the value of heavenlyw liquid and crystals indeed would plummet.

    This wouldn¡¯t even consider how, as time continued to progress in their state, the value would lessen considerably. After all, the heavens weren¡¯t going to run out of heavenly essence or aura anytime soon.

    Mei could see Yan Zaizen dejection and felt awkward. She didn¡¯t know how tofort Yan Zaizen. She wasn¡¯t even sure IF she even wanted to, so she could only take a step back and wait for him to work through it on his own.

    "Whatever," taking a deep breath and exhaling sharply, he readjusted his mentality. "Fate is against me..." Yan Zaizen decided not to drag out or waste time. If the Fortune Cemetery had heavenly materials, then he would travel there then.

    Initially, he wanted to cultivate to a certain point, but he didn¡¯t really have time to waste. A hundred years may sound like a long, long time by mortal standards, but even first-floor Heavenly Cultivators can live one hundred thousand years easily. It was nothing more than a blink.

    "I still have my refined physique. If that is affected, then I¡¯ll rely on my spacetimews to flee, no shame in that." Coming to this shameless conclusion unbefitting of a sovereign, Yan Zaizenforted himself.

    "Let¡¯s go." No longer waiting, he looked towards the Gate of Heaven. Mei heard his words and felt a little confused. To her, Yan Zaizen was a tourist with a bit of status and nothing more. He couldn¡¯t possibly be thinking of entering the Fortune Cemetery, could he?

    Yan Zaizen turned towards Mei. Although she was a little annoying with her disregard and disdain, Yan Zaizen was thankful. In truth, she had told him more than anyone else about anything rting to this realm. He felt beyond grateful, but he didn¡¯t have anything to offer her in exchange.

    "Oh!" Yan Zaizen softly smiled, "do you cultivate the World Law of the de?"

    Mei¡¯s brow rose suddenly, "yes, why?"

    "Is it rted to the de concept embedded in the moon?" He pointed up.

    "Yes. The Paradisiacal de concept is something all disciples have to gain insight into to be epted into the Paradise Sword Pce." She answered unconsciously, as if it was a well-known fact. In truth, only proving you can gainprehension into the concept was necessary, not all disciples focused upon it.

    "Mhm. I see." He reached his hand out and tapped Mei¡¯s forehead with his finger. His finger looked slow, but Mei felt it appear in her vision one moment and then touch her the next. It was as if space didn¡¯t exist to this finger.

    Frequently, Yan Zaizen resorted to tapping his finger to execute his arts. He used simple motions for overlyplexws. This was how he was, and albeit most would use dazzling moves, he was minimalistic by nature.

    The fingertip contained the domain of the Paradisiacal de concept. Mei felt her mind whirl, but a strange rity appeared in her mind.

    "I can¡¯t give you much, but I can leave this to you."

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s Paradisiacal de concept¡¯s avatar within his soul form, which was in the shape of a lone curved de, intensely flickered. His soul me wildly danced, wisps of it entered the Paradisiacal de concept avatar. These wisps were all of Yan Zaizen¡¯s understanding, experiences and memories of the Paradisiacal de concept.

    As time passed and more wisps entered, the de avatar started to crystallize.

    In the myriad heavens, there was a forbidden technique used to pass down an inheritance. It was incredibly easy to perform, but often no one was willing, except at near death. However, at near death, it was incredibly difficult to seed due to the frailty of the soul me at this time, so it wasn¡¯t used often.

    This was something even the Xiantu Realm¡¯s Anima Syndicate had records of. It was that widespread!

    It was Heavenly Transference!

    By drawing upon every rting essence of a concept in one¡¯s soul me into an avatar, they can crystallize it. This crystal avatar can then be sent into another person¡¯s soul, allowing them to ponder and gain from your understandings and experiences as if it was their own.

    There was a huge weakness, which was why it often went unused. If used, the user loses all, ALL, their memories and experiences of a concept orw, leaving thempletely fresh and new. If it¡¯s their mainw, the one used for their heavenly shrine, it was the same as crippling one¡¯s cultivation.

    It was a move only thepletely selfless would or could use. Yan Zaizen smiled warmly. Mei may be annoying, but her excitement was somewhat infectious. Not to mention, since fate had put her in his path, he might as well bestow good fortune onto her.

    The avatar surged from his soul to his fingertip into Mei¡¯s soul. The people watching was startled by the disy.

    "Is he using the Heavenly Transference?!"

    "Crazy! He¡¯s still young, yet to step into the Heavenly Path, why would he give his everything to someone else?"

    "To throw away your future prospects...he must be in love with that girl. Tch, the rashness of youth." An elderly man shook his head, his eyes shing with the remembrance of his past recklessness. A smile formed on his lips filled with nostalgia.

    The transfer garnered an audience, but it didn¡¯t take long for the art toplete.

    Mei¡¯s eyes regained her rity as her expression turned awkward, and then shocked. Her gaze towards Yan Zaizen wasplex beyond belief! She didn¡¯t know how to feel, especially realizing the contents of the crystallized avatar in her soul.

    She knew it contained a domain!

    She gulped loudly.

    Truly left her speechless.

    Others may not know of the importance of this, but this was a Domain-level World Law! Not only that, it was the Paradisiacal de concept! While outer disciples were those who barelyprehend the concept, inner disciples essentially reached the Force-level, but ALL core disciples entered the Manifestation-level or had some profound status in the sect!

    Yet, Yan Zaizen had given her a Domain-level inheritance of a World Law without hesitation! His face even contained a soft, warm smile. In her eyes, his attractive qualities had just increased ten-fold! Despite him already being handsome, good looks were too often seen to matter, so talent was the measurement of attractiveness for those with their eyes high.

    Yan Zaizen chuckled seeing the glint in her eyes, "You¡¯ve earned it." He looked towards the moon in the sky, his eyes nk for a second. He had already re-mastered the Nascent-level of the concept.

    While Mei was bewildered, thinking about what she should say or do, a realization hit her. She was only fourteen years old! She was fourteen years old with a Domain-level inheritance to a World Law! As long as she spent a few years, she would instantly reach the Domain-level with Yan Zaizen¡¯sprehensive foundation!

    This was why the Heavenly Transference was magical!

    While she fiddled in her daydreams, Yan Zaizen had already reached the Force-level. This was a Non-Entity! An existence that could perceive thews of the heaven like an English schr could see the mistakes in a fifth-graders essay!

    It was only when hisw had returned to the minor-Domain level that he exited hisprehension. "If I have an inheritance treasure as a guide, myprehension reaches a ridiculous level in speed. This legacy treasure is a step above a normal Regalia of the Heavens." Thinking this, Yan Zaizen stepped towards the Gate of Heaven.

    Mei only realized that Yan Zaizen had vanished from her side when he reached the Gate. "S-si..." Mei only now realized that she didn¡¯t remember Yan Zaizen¡¯s name...

    Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t even look back. He touched the crystal cube. A soft golden light filled with heavenly aura and an ancient quality shrouded him softly. This aura was extraordinary, and Yan Zaizen couldn¡¯t help but feel like he was in a father¡¯s embrace.

    A sh robbed him of his vision, and he felt a lightness of his body, as if he entered zero gravity.

    Mei watched as Yan Zaizen vanished, her eyes and emotions were superplex. Clenching her tiny fists, she looked at the spot where Yan Zaizen had left. "I¡¯ll pay you back...one day, Big Brother." Her address changed, but if Yan Zaizen heard this, he wouldn¡¯t know whether tough or cry.

    -----

    In the Fortune Cemetery, there was a city. This city was a base of operations, trading station, and rest stop for many cultivators within. It also had rules, such as no fights within or tant acts of robbery. Top factions publically enforced this within the city.

    This city was called the Dusk Zone. This city that was a zone wasn¡¯t fancy, with many areas being crude and formed hastily. Yet, it was still an existence that could be considered a ¡¯safe area.¡¯

    There was also another key point. It was home of the entryway to the 17th Heaven¡¯s Gate of Heaven. There was a ck cube standing on its tip at its center. It was incredibly ck, so ck that it felt like all color was being devoured and kept within. It created an odd visual illusion that could cause headaches for many.

    A figure appeared from this cube as if he was pushed out.

    Many cultivators, especially those who were watching, honed their focus on this new arrival. However, after a close inspection, their eyes flickered with disappointment while others had malicious intentions that they quickly hid.

    This figure was Yan Zaizen!

    "...Shit..." Yan Zaizen cursed, lifting up his palm and realizing that the herculeanws indeed was suppressed.

 Chapter 308 The Dusk Zone

    The sealing of his Herculean cultivation was a possibility he didn¡¯t wish to experience, but he was prepared for this mentality, so he didn¡¯t dwell.

    It was as if they, thews long since etched within his body, were unable to interact with this world. He still was a Herculean due to the physiological changes that were permanent, but his physical body instantly suffered a reduction of strength, and his gates seemed to be re-established and sealed.

    It was an odd feeling, as if the heavens limitations were enforced to its maximum with no leeway. It was an oddly disturbing and fiercely oppressive sensation. However, considering this ce was called the Heavenly Origin Grounds, it only makes sense that the heavenly rules were heavily enforced here.

    Unlike in specific heavens where the Heavenly Gods decide what is allowed or ouwed.

    "It¡¯s not just that..." Yan Zaizen¡¯s expression darkened as he sensed the integrity of the Sirius ughter Robe. The armament contained the Sirius Law of Xiha, the White Sirius Heavenly Monarch. Unfortunately, it was also subjected to the same suppressive force as the Herculean Law.

    At the moment, the Sirius ughter Robe was only materials and no power. "The robe still has its defensive qualities, but it¡¯s weakened due to the absence of thew." As he deduced this exasperating detail, he slowly reconciled. The robe mayck its supportive, innate enhancements, and top-quality defensive ability, but it still functioned better as a defensive tool than anything else he had.

    "I¡¯m assuming Sky Shatter doesn¡¯t work either, haaa..." Sighing, he turned his gaze towards the surroundings. A somewhat crude scenery formed in front of him. Quite a few people were looking at him and many who ignored his existence.

    The scene had buildings of various mix-matched colors in certain areas, various symbols in the air on sky-high pirs or gs, likely indicating an organization¡¯s base of operations, and the people within were considerably varied.

    Yan Zaizen saw humans of races he had never seen before, likely native to this area or the 17th Heaven. He even saw pale-skinned, crimson-eyed individuals that were quite simr to Drac and Ariel.

    Divine beasts walked among humans in a humanized form, but those humanized forms only had a torso, two legs, and two arms. There were divine beasts with fur all over, two wings for arms, looked as if they were standing in their hind legs like bears, and heads that were purely beastial.

    Their sizes varied, often being smaller orrger than humans, but barely of average height. Just this part of the city alone had so much variety than other realms.

    Taking a closer look, Yan Zaizen realized this area had arge portion of traffic, likely a central intersection. He turned around to inspect behind him, noticing that he was indeed at the center of the city. He slowly nodded after realizing his correct deduction.

    "I should find a location to settle, figure out a way to obtain a map and find thepass..." Yan Zaizen thought before leaving, but then he halted suddenly. Looking back at the cube, he realized it was pitch-ck.

    "Hm?" Looking around, no one seemed particrly bothered by this, so Yan Zaizen was unsure.

    "The Gate of Heaven is sealed." A manly voice sounded nearby. He turned to look at the speaker. It was a male of an unknown race to Yan Zaizen. He had green skin and yellow eyes, but they were pieces of topaz. His eyes were that of a humanoid, not a divine beast whocks pupils, but it still felt oddly beastly.

    A hybrid?

    The man was about three meters tall, but his body was lean. He dressed in ck, and it shed quite well with the green of his skin. Yan Zaizen couldn¡¯t deduce if the person was attractive to his race, but Yan Zaizen felt he was good-looking. Not as handsome as himself, but rather close.

    The cultivation of this figure wasn¡¯t hidden. In truth, no one¡¯s cultivation was hidden. He was a fourth-floor Heavenly Genesis cultivator, but his soul was odd. Yan Zaizen suspected he didn¡¯t cultivate the Soul Source Path but something simr to Phantasm, a byproduct of the Heavenly Laws.

    As for his physical body, it was refined but didn¡¯t have vibrant, vital energy within.

    "Sealed?" Yan Zaizen questioned curiously. The Gate of Heaven was freely open in the 17th Heaven, why would it be sealed now?

    The figure didn¡¯t smile in an approachable manner. Instead, his face was quite neutral with an inspecting gaze. This gaze was soft yet had a vague pressure to it. "Yes. If you wish to go back, you¡¯ll need to pay the price."

    Price?

    Yan Zaizen furrowed his brows, but any cultivators who were watching didn¡¯t say or do anything that could make him suspicious of the man¡¯s words, as ifmon knowledge. There wasn¡¯t a sly smile or dark flicker in the crowd¡¯s expression, and those with wolf-like eyes were still staring as before.

    Yan Zaizen maintained his neutral expression. "What¡¯s the price?"

    The green-man turned his eyes away from Yan Zaizen, "Ten thousand heaven hearts." He didn¡¯t wait for Yan Zaizen to inquire, and lifted up his palm to reveal a piece of crystal. This crystal was in the shape of a prism, it throbbed slightly like a heart, sometimes smaller, sometimes bigger, and it waspletely golden.

    "Heaven hearts...?" Inspecting the crystal, Yan Zaizen could sense a fairly odd energy within. This energy wasn¡¯t heavenly essence. In fact, it was slightly demonic and contained a trace of spirituality and physicality intermixed within.

    "You¡¯ll see heaven¡¯s demons. Kill them, obtain the hearts, send the hearts to the cube and it¡¯ll open for a single person." After exining, the figure turned and walked away. It was as if he had done his job, no longer willing to help or offer advice.

    Yan Zaizen saw his back, and his eyes narrowed. It was the symbol of the Sword Paradise Pce! This person...wait...

    "The Sword Paradise Pce only allows females, are you?" Yan Zaizen instinctively asked, unable to confirm his suspicions. He didn¡¯t even care if it was slightly offensive to the individual.

    The man stopped, turned his head slightly towards Yan Zaizen with a glimmer in his eyes that were like topaz. "I¡¯m only a member of a disciple¡¯s faction here, not a disciple." His voice was slightly cold, but he didn¡¯t have any hostility within.

    "Watch yourself." With those words, he left.

    Yan Zaizen furrowed his brows. "It¡¯s possible his job was only to inform members of the 17th Heaven how to leave, but nothing else. In that case...it¡¯s probably only wanderers like myself who are offered such privilege." Thinking up to here, Yan Zaizen decided to see theyout of the city and see what information he could gain during.

    Yan Zaizen took a stroll around the area. He realized that despite many watching him from the shadows, both which he could and cannot actively sense, did not take action despite their likely hostile intentions. "The city doesn¡¯t tolerate violence?" Deducing this, he observed more to verify.

    Indeed, the city did not allow violence of any sort, and many were overly cautious about that. "There must be a fearsome power, likely originating from the Paradise Sword Pce, to enforce such rules."

    Yan Zaizen could feel the bloodlust and dense intent on many individuals here. They often smelled like blood. He saw many people in various districts exchanging pieces of crystal in spatial bags. Normally, seeing what¡¯s inside the bags were impossible, but unless it was absolutely top-quality with inherent seals to prevent theft or inspection, Yan Zaizen could faintly see the contents.

    "Pieces of those Heaven Hearts are being traded...sometimes full ones as well." Observing this, he became curious about these heaven hearts. While walking through the shopping district, he searched for someone young and of a weak cultivation base. It wasn¡¯t long before he found a small, cute little girl.

    This girl reminded him of Ma Xiuren, but her eyes were that of a divine beast, no pupils. He strolled over and asked her about heaven hearts. It was only after a little bit of bargaining that he got the information. He also got a little bit more.

    "Heaven Hearts belong to Yaoguai, a unique race of creatures within this world." Recalling Mei¡¯s earlier words about odd creatures that were nearly infinite and of great danger within the Fortune Cemetery, he could only pout his lips. From what he learned, Yaoguai were divided into two different types and consumed cultivators for strength.

    There were even Immortal Yaoguai, those who¡¯ve seeded in amassing power and bing deities, both intelligent and terrifying, amongst the usually mindless Yaoguai. Theymanded vast armies of Yaoguai and battled human factions often.

    In fact, it was like a constant war between cultivators and divine beasts against the Yaoguai. Yet, the Yaoguai were simply not strong enough; cultivators were still the main threat within as the conflicts were far too often.

    As for the heaven hearts, they were Yaoguai cores. They contain a dense and demonic aura that could be used for power or transformed into heavenly materials. They were like mirrors. If you integrated your concept within, they reflect it onto themselves, and you can instantly create heavenly materials.

    "So this is why there¡¯s a nearly infinite amount of heavenly materials...because there¡¯s a near infinite amount of Yaoguai." Coming to this conclusion, Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes brightened with an all-too-familiar light.

    "There¡¯s also this ce, the Dusk Zone." Yan Zaizen looked at the dark clouds above. They floated about with only faint traces of light entering, barely lighting up the surroundings. Luckily, cultivators barely used their eyes to ¡¯see.¡¯ They had spiritual sense, heavenly sense, and even sensory arts.

    "The coin isn¡¯t showing any reaction..." Yan Zaizen interfaced with thepass within his Meteor Ring. ording to the method Ezekiel had given him, the general location of thepass would be shown by the coin.

    His eyes narrowed as suspicions emerged in his eyes, but he shook his head upon further thought. If Ezekiel wanted to harm him, he could¡¯ve with his force. If Ezekiel didn¡¯t want him to have thepass, he could¡¯ve just refused. It¡¯s not like they swore an oath, even if they did, Ariel was still alive so a loophole could¡¯ve been formed.

    "I¡¯ll need to take the coin out of the Meteor Ring likely..." He looked around at his location, the senses locked onto him, he couldn¡¯t do so now. It may lead to unnecessary issues, but he also wasn¡¯t confident of his chances of trekking out at the moment.

    His cultivation bases were rendered beyond weak, and chaotic space in this realm didn¡¯t exist. No, it would be better to say that he couldn¡¯t interact with it. There seemed to be a lock surrounding space, even the spatial void. "I¡¯ll need to reach the heavenly path before I can interact...likely."

    "Hey!" A voice called out. Yan Zaizen turned around to see the small girl from earlier, beside her was a young woman that looked to be in her early twenties. She was quite a beauty, but Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t focus too much on that. Beauties were a dime a dozen, and Pinaka overshadowed all of them in his eyes.

    It was the young woman who called out to him.

 Chapter 309 A Group of Seven

    The young woman had a cultivation base at the second-floor of the Heavenly Genesis Realm and nothing else too notable. This limited cultivation path was understandable. The resources and equipment needed for a single path were expensive and vast, so cultivating in multiple paths were only for the wealthy. Even Yan Zaizen only cultivated in two paths diligently, the Heavenly and Herculean Path.

    Thetter didn¡¯t even need resources, but the former needed far too much. Not everyone could cultivate in four or more paths like Ezekiel.

    The green man from earlier is an example of this. Instead of cultivating in the Soul Source Path, he had opted for a Heavenly Soul Law Method and cultivated in that. The Phantasm Method he obtained in the Asura Phantom Realm was an example of this.

    It was fully within the Heavenly Laws, and merely another branch of the Heavenly Path. However, with it, one could enter Hell as a spiritual entity. Yan Zaizen had his suspicions about why this was the case, and learning of the spirituality and theory of a copsed universe, he felt his suspicions were adequately warranted.

    The young woman¡¯s features proved she wasn¡¯t human. She had a thin frame, willowy, but her bust was abundant and left one feeling fiery emotions. Her eyes were without pupils, and her ears were that of a feline. She had incredibly long hair that reached her buttocks, and her creamy skin was smooth and soft like water.

    When she approached, she had a confident walk that left one feeling admiration. Her eyes contained intelligence and a hint of cunning. This was a natural glimmer and didn¡¯t seem to be particrly focused. It made her more attractive than most.

    Beside her was the little girl he bribed to give him information. She had pouted lips and looked a little annoyed, as if her lunch money had just been stolen.

    "Fellow Daoist, I have an offer." The young woman went straight to the point. Yan Zaizen suspicion arose immediately, but he only turned towards her and waited. He felt curious about her form of address. The title Daoist made him ponder.

    Seeing Yan Zaizen¡¯s reaction, her eyes lit up. She switched tomunicating through her heavenly sense, sending a message, "I understand you¡¯re new and have yet to learn about the ways of this ce. I have a soul jade with all my knowledge and insight, including an iplete map of the Dusk Zone, about ten percent mapped."

    Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t show any outward reaction, but his heart felt a burning desire. Information was exceedingly difficult to obtain in the cultivation world without having a force or senior behind you. Yan Zaizen had learned nearly everything he had from either self-exploring, the Anima Syndicate, Grandpa Xiu, Ezekiel, or Pinaka...

    Without them, he would still be wildly ignorant about many critical things. In fact, he was still incredibly ignorant of things within the 27th, 17th, and 7th Heavens.

    An example was the green-man from earlier, Yan Zaizen would¡¯ve been confused about the sealed Gate of Heaven without someone exining it to him. The little girl had told him about Yaoguai, and he deduced a little about heaven hearts himself.

    Therefore, a soul jade with information, no matter how little, was insanely valuable. Especially since he couldn¡¯t soul search others with his current soul cultivation base.

    The woman continued when she saw Yan Zaizen not reject her offer, "My daoist name is Eshe, this is Esi." She pointed to the young girl who was like a younger version of herself. "Shall we discuss the specifics in a more private setting?"

    "Mhm." Nodding, Yan Zaizen decided to follow her. His eyes and expression were neutral; no one could tell what he was thinking.

    Eshe and Esi departed swiftly. They seemed to have a destination in mind as they arrived at a yellowish cubical building. It was small, but it seemed to have seen some use. Yan Zaizen could tell it was about a few hundred years old.

    Entering, Yan Zaizen realized the entire building was like a hollow cube. The inside had next to nothing inside. The only notable things were the people. There were four other people within. Two were together, and they dressed in ck armor that covered their features like knights.

    The armor had a white marking of a crescent moon on its chest and nothing else. Yan Zaizen nced at them, but he could only tell they were both male. They had the same height and build, almost like mirror images of each other. The only difference was the helmets. One of their helmets had a me flickering above it, and the other had crackling lightning. It was incredibly odd.

    There was an elderly human woman dressed in a grey cloak. She seemed as if she was quite fat, but her face wasn¡¯t hidden. Besides wrinkles, nothing else indicated her age. Her eyes were lively and vibrant, filled with intrigue and youthful curiosity. That was also odd.

    Thest one was a man. He was human for sure, even a Lycah like Yan Zaizen. He had a muscr body and proudly disyed it as he wore no shirt. His bronze skin and contours of his muscles were beautiful and felt perfect. It caused Yan Zaizen to truly take a second look at his muscles and body, a subtle light flickering within his eyes as he did.

    The truly noticeable point was a weapon that looked like a giant ruler with a sword handle was attached to his back. Its color couldn¡¯t be determined or even if it was a ruler as it was wrapped up in stripes of dirty-white cloth. Despite that, it easily was three meters in height.

    "Fellow Daoist, I wish to invite you to our expedition to investigate a location within the Dusk Zone. This location is suspected to be a standard, minor tier inheritance trove. I and Daoist Bronzelion recently discovered it. If it is indeed a trove, we¡¯ll split the profits evenly. In exchange, I can give you the soul jade also." Eshe finally got to the point, speaking verbally.

    The others all turned their gazes towards him, but then looked away. Their gazes were neutral and unreadable.

    "..." Yan Zaizen pondered for a brief moment before nodding. He didn¡¯t know what a ¡¯minor tier¡¯ inheritance trove meant in terms of wealth, but he had no real reason to refuse. He could be cautious, refusing due to their possible ill-intentions, but that didn¡¯t stop the fact that he needed information and wealth. Useable wealth.

    This agreement could also allow him to understand the Fortune Cemetery and Dusk Zone more thoroughly, so it wasn¡¯t something he could casually reject. If the situation was truly too dangerous, he could try to excavate himself using his heavenlyprehensions. He did master multiple World and Imperial Laws to a high level.

    Not to mention, all of these cultivators were around the second-floor in terms of aura. He didn¡¯t take it entirely at face value, but right now, he didn¡¯t take them seriously.

    Eshe smiled, tossing the soul jade to him. "Good. Fellow Daoist, how may I call you?"

    Catching the jade, Yan Zaizen slightly furrowed his brows, but then his eyes lit up with a soft light. He turned towards her and indifferently spoke, "Ascension."

    "Daoist Ascension, a grand name." She turned towards the others, but all of them ignored her, but she didn¡¯t seem to put it in her heart. "I believe this is enough, no?" Eshe spoke, but she was looking at the twin armored fellows. When those words were said, the me knight grunted a beastly sound approvingly. The other stayed silent, but didn¡¯t reject.

    Eshe smiled slightly, looking at the other two who only slightly nodded. "Great. Shall we go?" Eshe seemed to be quite enthusiastic. Yan Zaizen was a little confused why they considered adding a stranger to the group so suddenly, but he didn¡¯t object.

    They left the cubical house. Eshe looked towards Esi, and Esi shrugged. The little girl waved her hand to produce a skyship. It was medium size and could only fit a few dozen people. The others didn¡¯t hesitate. They jumped onto the ship.

    Yan Zaizen looked at Esi. This little girl had a second-floor cultivation as well, and her body was slightly odd. Yan Zaizen couldn¡¯t pinpoint it, his senses being severely weakened due to his recent setbacks. However, he only took note and jumped onto the ship.

    Eshe and Esi jumped on as well. Esi was at the helm, and she piloted the ship. The others only stood around and waited patiently. Interestingly enough, they all seemed as if they were meditating or simply sightseeing the area, but all of their senses were honed onto Esi¡¯s body.

    "..." Noting this, Yan Zaizen looked at the outside as they traveled. They exited the city in a short period. He turned his head back to see the city and couldn¡¯t help but frown. The city felt like a mirage. As they grew more distant, it was as if it was slowly vanishing from his senses.

    "Illusionaryws? Is it a defensive mechanism against the Yaoguai?" While thinking this, the city truly vanished from his visual and sensory perception. It reminded him slightly of the giant eye outside of the Paradise Sword Realm, but it was far less intricate than the eye.

    Briefly looking around, he couldn¡¯t help but remark that he was going on an adventure with an unknown group like a hero in those stories. Braving the dangers and mysteries of the world with only his instincts, his cultivation, intelligence, and luck!

    It felt exciting!

    "...I wish you were here...Pinaka..." A sh of sadness flickered in his gaze. It caused his mood to drop, but he didn¡¯t show any of it on his expression. "I¡¯ll save you, kill all those who hinder my way, and make you a true existence. I promise." Solemnly swearing, he looked at the vast unknown that was dark clouds and strange grounds.

    "I will."

 Chapter 310 Yaoguai

    The soul jade given to him by Eshe contained a literal wealth of knowledge, at least to him. The most interesting aspect was the mapped out region of the Dusk Zone. Initially, Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t suspect that the Dusk Zone exceeded a realm in size, but it was far, far greater than he assumed.

    About three hundred ¡¯titan¡¯ realmsbined in size. It was mind-boggling. In the soul jade was ten percent of the Dusk Zone fully mapped out with bits of descriptions! This soul jade alone covered many different areas and details, describing danger zones and excavated inheritance spots. There were even active inheritance locations within.

    However, in the map, there were areas with a high concentration of Yaoguai, and these inheritance locations were within them. Perils truly went alongside the fortune.

    "Yaoguai were demonic existences, divided into nine ranks and two sses: Mo and Guai. Mo are those of basic strength, often using brute strength and Mortal Laws within their attacks, but Guai are often referred to as aboriginals or royals, possessing extraordinary battle prowess, the ability to harness World Laws and possess special abilities."

    "Guai are also the only Yaoguai that can be Immortals, undying existences rivaling Heavenly Monarch experts." Yan Zaizen silently digested this information, including about the Immortal Yaoguai. However, they weren¡¯t actual immortals, but just hard to thoroughly kill.

    There were also details about inheritance troves. It was only after understanding this information that Yan Zaizen understood why impromptu groups would often be formed. In the Fortune Cemetery, Yaoguai often gathered around inheritance locations as they emanate fluctuations of the heavenlyws.

    This wasn¡¯t always the case; some inheritances were hidden well and could only be discovered by finding the respective key or were incredibly dangerous that even Yaoguai would avoid it. These types of inheritances typically were vied for by top-tier factions.

    "For inheritances, both troves and locations, they were ssified by three levels: Minor, Grand, and Celestial." Yan Zaizen spected on the entirety of this venture. Minor were troves created by Heavenly Commanders or Minor (Heaven) Heavenly Monarchs.

    Grand tier inheritances were from those at the Grand (Heaven) Heavenly Monarchs, but Celestials were spots of legends and even the soul jade had very little information about them.

    "Celestial Relocation Order..." In the Crimson Devil Realm, the old man fighting for Ezekiel had vanished out of existence and sent to the 3rd Heaven instantly. That order was a heaven-defying life-saving treasure. Yan Zaizen couldn¡¯t help but feel his heart race with excitement.

    When he thought of Ezekiel, how he obtained a second life, he had suspicions it was obtained here. If so, this truly was the haven of fortune and life-saving treasures.

    "Would I be able to find something that can help me kill it?" Yan Zaizen recalled the being that took Pinaka. A fiery ze of ardent rage emerged in his eyes. He will have that existence pay a horrendous price one day.

    While they traveled, no one said a thing verbally, but soul or heavenly transmissions were hard to spot, so Yan Zaizen couldn¡¯t read or understand the rtionships of the group, but he remained vignt. Eshe may seem nice offering him a spot and a share, but it likely had a string attached to it.

    Whenever he looked in her direction, she would smile in return. This smile was filled with an open friendliness and warmth. Yan Zaizen could see that she didn¡¯tmunicate for various reasons, so he didn¡¯t try to engage.

    Two days flew by.

    They traveled through the Dusk Zone, but not a single Yaoguai could be seen. In the map, there were Yaoguai free zones, and the city had a very, veryrge ¡¯free¡¯ area. Therefore, many had no issue entering the city after reaching a certain point. Unless Yaoguai were hunting them relentlessly.

    That being said, conflict amongst humans were still prevalent. Yan Zaizen could see marks depicting battle zones, remnant formation inscriptions, and broken pieces of rusted armaments. The environment below was often deste and filled with marks of ruin. It was quite depressing with the low-lighting.

    There was an incident where Yan Zaizen could¡¯ve sworn he heard a shriek of death a distance away. It was chilling. However, no one even blinked at this.

    Yan Zaizen also noticed cultivators hiding in some areas. If it weren¡¯t for hisprehension into space, it would be unlikely he could find them. They were obviously preparing themselves for unsuspecting individuals.

    Luckily, they were a group flying on a skyship and avoided any unnecessary trouble. It¡¯s likely only the incredibly weak would have to resort to such methods.

    "We¡¯re almost there," Eshe announced suddenly, pointing towards a lone mountain in the distance. This mountain wasn¡¯trge, rather small in truth, but its peak was oddly shaped in an upwards spiral. It made one think of a twister.

    Yan Zaizen analyzed the area.

    "Daoist Eshe." The cultivator known as Daoist Bronzelion softly called. His tone contained a dense murderous intent within. All the cultivators on-board except Esi, the one piloting the skyship, looked to the right.

    At the right was another skyship with a familiar structure, likelymon in the Dusk Zone. It was medium-sized and contained a few life auras that were particrly vibrant. It was floating off the side and seemed to be waiting for something.

    Eshe¡¯s eyes narrowed briefly, but quickly returned to normal. "Another group has found the location." Her voice was calm, as if this was already within her calctions. The others didn¡¯t specte, but they kept their cautious gazes on the foreign skyship.

    Esi soon stopped the skyship when it reached a thousand meters away from the mountain. She stayed in the air, unwilling tond, and performed a seal. The seal activated a formation beneath the skyship and enabled it to remain suspended.

    "The trove will open in three days," Eshi informed everyone, but didn¡¯t say how she gained this knowledge. Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t bother asking.

    An aura fluctuated on the foreign skyship. Everyone¡¯s eyes shined with varying lights. A figure shot out from the skyship and approached.

    This figure was a woman. She had short light-blue hair, a tomboyish look to her as she wore a man¡¯s martial arts attire, but she was too beautiful to be mistaken for a man, and her breasts were ample. As she flew over, they slightly swayed, as if they weren¡¯t supported by a brassiere.

    Her aura was stable at the second-floor of the Heavenly Genesis Realm.

    Bronzelion¡¯s eyes flickered with heat, but he only looked and nothing more. The others remained calm. No one left the skyship to meet her.

    Instead, she arrived nearby and stayed floating in mid-air with a soft smile. Her eyes swept all their figures, lingering on Bronzelion for a split second longer than the others. "It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you all, Fellow Daoists. I¡¯m assuming you¡¯re here for the inheritance trove?" She didn¡¯t beat around the bush but directly asked.

    Yan Zaizen couldn¡¯t help but give her another look.

    "Yes, we are. Daoist?" Eshe stepped up, iming the position of leader of the group. When she did, the light-blue haired beauty smiled and honed her gaze on Eshe, ignoring the others.

    "Daoist Iceborn," she introduced herself.

    "Daoist Eshe."

    "Truly a good name." The woman didn¡¯t seem to be in a rush, kindly exchanging pleasantries. She may have been direct initially, but she still maintained a cordial attitude. After a brief exchange, "My group of Daoists wishes to avoid conflict and explore the trove together. What do you say...whatever is imed belongs to them?"

    Eshe shifted her gaze towards the ship and pondered briefly. She sent a message, but it wasn¡¯t to Yan Zaizen, but one of the ck knights. The knights didn¡¯t respond verbally like before, but replied through sense. No one else could sense this exchange except Yan Zaizen.

    He had refined a Soul Regalia into his eyes that enabled him to see soul transmissions, but not heavenly transmissions, so he could only see the lines of the exchange. The only issue was that Yan Zaizen couldn¡¯t intercept or know what¡¯s within the message.

    However, a fact caused him to furrow his brows. Earlier, Eshe used a heavenly sense-based transmission, but now she used a soul transmission which is far harder to perceive via methods. He took note of this.

    After a short period, "Agreed." Eshe epted her conditions, but no oath had been sworn. Yan Zaizen realized the exchange wasn¡¯t meant to dissuade conflict, but only an eptance of waiting until the trove opens to begin.

    The woman smiled and looked at Bronzelion. She sweetly smiled at him and left. The others noticed this and strange glimmers emerged into their eyes.

    Yan Zaizen wanted tough. Bronzelion eyes flickered with anger. That woman was quite crafty. It was even more so considering that Bronzelion and Eshe had discovered the trove. The others immediately threw their suspicions over. However, regardless if that were the case or not, the others would immediately be suspicious and be on their guard against him.

    "Three days," Eshe repeated and sat next to Esi in the lotus position. She was cultivating to ensure she was at her peak state. Yan Zaizen saw this everywhere in the Asura Phantom Realm.

    He sat down and cultivated too, but in a corner away from the others. The others did their own preparations to ready their states.

    Yan Zaizen felt something odd since he arrived, but he couldn¡¯t ce it initially. However, after a bit, his mind red up in thought. "Where¡¯s the Yaoguai..."

 Chapter 311 Bai

    "ording to the soul jade, Yaoguai often gathered near areas of inheritances. Wait," Yan Zaizen inspected the mountain. It had a faintw from the heavens infused within. "This aura attracts them, and yet..." Yan Zaizen grew skeptical, turning towards Eshe who was cultivating in silence.

    It¡¯s possible Eshe had lied to him, but that would be ridiculous. Firstly, the Yaoguai¡¯s absence would¡¯ve punctured a hole immediately threw her soul jade and trust. What purpose would it have?

    Unless she intended to assault Yan Zaizen and attract him away from the city, but that seemed unlikely as the information was a pointless lie. It would¡¯ve been obvious truths and hard to see lies if she wished for it to work. After all, how could she not know Yan Zaizen had no basic information about the Fortune Cemetery?

    It simply didn¡¯t add up.

    "That leaves the possibility that the Yaoguai was cleared recently by either Eshe or the other party." Yan Zaizen nced at the foreign skyship. The life auras there weren¡¯t greater in numbers inparison to their group. In fact, there were seven on both sides. The only issue was his inability to measure their auras. They weren¡¯t hidden, but it was hard to know what¡¯s concealed without a superior sense.

    The three days passed quickly.

    Eshe stopped cultivating and stood up. The others followed. Yan Zaizen also rose, his eyes indifferently ncing about. In truth, he was curious about this treasure trove. Was it hidden within the mountains or?

    Before he could make wild guesses, a quaking sensation reverberated in the air. It felt like the skyship was the ground and it was experiencing a scale ten earthquake. Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t have trouble maintaining his footing, neither did the others.

    Lifting his hand in the air, he felt a wave of nostalgia surge into his heart. The Xiao City Lord from the Xiantu Realm cultivated in the Law of Mountains. In fact, he merged the Mortal Laws of Waves and Mountains together to disy extraordinary prowess.

    When he recalled that, he remembered his words from before: "This mountain is no longer yours." It was like an experienced thief was recalling his earlier days. A smile couldn¡¯t help but appear.

    "Thousands of years have already passed since." Yan Zaizen found it hard to believe this. It felt like yesterday.

    The quaking continued until the mountain started to emit a faint glow. This glowing light¡¯s aura felt heavy and felt like it was vibrating endlessly. This endless feeling felt like a truth of the world, as if it didn¡¯t define endlessness but the motion of mountains.

    "A concept around the motion of a mountain?" Yan Zaizen pondered. As he did, the situation kept progressing. The mountain¡¯s quaking continued to increase until a nearly mechanical droning sound started. When it did, a small hole formed at the base of the mountain.

    Eshe¡¯s eyes lit up, but she didn¡¯t move. Neither did the others on the ship, but their eyes each had a hint of greed within. Yan Zaizen observed silently, curious about the wait, but didn¡¯t ask. Instead, he kept an even closer watch on the mountain.

    The other skyship didn¡¯t act either. They seemed to be waiting as well.

    "Ready yourselves," Eshe reminded. The others had their auras on the brink of eruption, ready to make a move at a moment¡¯s notice.

    "We must watch out for ourselves. As long as it doesn¡¯t put your life in danger, please lend a hand if possible." Eshe slowly said, her eyes sweeping the others and stopping on Yan Zaizen.

    He replied with a nod and didn¡¯t say anything else. He knew that something dangerous was about to happen. Whatever it was, his heartbeat started to quicken. He was currently weaker than he has been for thousands of years.

    His heavenly cultivation was non-existent, his soul cultivation base had been reduced considerably, and this unique grounds sealed his herculeanws. Besides his outstandingprehension inws, he only had his rank two Fiendgod cultivation.

    This felt exciting to him. It was a sense of danger and unknown. The only times in his life that he truly felt in danger was very few and each time was far too profound. From Ezekiel¡¯s invasion attempt to the sub-realm copse, they were all far beyond his ability to handle it without the ck hole.

    Now, he only had his own hard-earned cultivation to rely on.

    Skreeee!!

    "!" Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes widened and looked at the small door. The small hole had suddenly expanded by a hundred times, establishing a sizable entry point. However, the quaking had stopped, but shrieks of a demonic nature sounded.

    Feeling his heart quicken, he looked at the hole with rapt interest.

    Skreeee!!!

    Boom! Boom! Bam!!

    Sounds of explosions sounded inside the hole alongside the shrieks.

    "Everyone! Remember! Stay together if you can, help if you can. Besides that," Eshe heroically shouted, exuding solemn charisma that felt inspiring, but herst words left one¡¯s heart cold, "Don¡¯t die!"

    Just as those words sounded, those sounds of explosions became louder, and a ck figure shot out of the hole. It was normal sized, about two meters in height, humanoid in nature but it had no arms and only legs. Its legs weren¡¯t normal ones, but sharp like des.

    When it stepped out onto the ground, no sound was emitted, but the ground would suffer slicing damage. Yan Zaizen eyes widened as he saw the features of this figure. It had no eyes, but it had ears, a mouth with shark-like teeth, and a long, pointed nose.

    "The hell is that?" Yan Zaizen was taken aback. He had seen figures simr to this one. It was in the spiritualyer of the Border Expanse. However, this one emitted dense sword energy from the heavens, unlike the others.

    If the being before could be considered spiritual, then this one was based on physicality and essence intermixed together.

    However, the explosions didn¡¯t decrease in volume, only increased until a huge hand sped the side of the hole and a head the size of a house appeared. When it did, Yan Zaizen felt a little calmer as the head looked normal.

    Then, it revealed its entire figure.

    It was a head, but at the back of its head was hind legs of an ox, below its chin was a single human leg, a right foot, supporting itself. The sides that should¡¯ve been its ears were arms. Two arms! It was like the head was a torso.

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes turned into a needlepoint. This figure emanated dense mountain energy and a forceful pressure. Both of their auras were greater than everyone present, being at the third-floor regarding intensity.

    Everyone¡¯s eyes turned serious at the arrival of these two Yaoguai.

    Boom! Boom!

    The other skyship didn¡¯t hesitate. Their members shot out at a fearsome speed. Eshe also took action, flying towards the hole. The others did too. Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes lit up. He urged his vital energy and shot off to follow.

    Yan Zaizen could see Iceborn on the other side shrouded by faint traces of snowkes. They were light-blue and dazzling. However, the aura she gave off wasn¡¯t cold, but more so...continuous and together. This feeling was hard to describe, but it was as if she was a snowke and the world around her was snow.

    Suddenly, she vanished from his sights. "What?!" Yan Zaizen then turned to Eshe and noticed she was slowly disappearing as well. It wasn¡¯t just them, they all used some method to camouge themselves. Esi had stayed on the skyship, already flying away at top speed.

    Noticing this, Yan Zaizen¡¯s expression darkened considerably. With the soul jade in his possession, he realized the situation nearly immediately.

    The other five had vanished using their arts. As for Iceborn¡¯s side, the other side disappeared as well with their skyship flying off. Yan Zaizen could see a young man that was close to Iceborn looking confused as he nced around.

    "Haha!" Yan Zaizen could onlyugh at himself. By the time they arrived near the two Yaoguai, only Yan Zaizen and the young man on the other side remained. The Yaoguai grew furious; they somehow released a demonic shriek that caused Yan Zaizen¡¯s ears to hurt.

    The young man turned to see Yan Zaizen while covering his ears. His eyes revealed a hint of understanding, and then his expression darkened even more than Yan Zaizen¡¯s earlier. He turned tail and dashed away. The sword-for-legs Yaoguai shrieked and rapidly gave chase.

    Yan Zaizen saw that the mountain Yaoguai release a dense intent of murder and hunger. Yan Zaizen had a smirk on his face. "Truly devious, haha." Yan Zaizen, unlike the young man, continued his rush.

    He didn¡¯t tap out or even give a signal. He only kept going. The Mountain Yaoguai pped its two arm-for-ears and easily smashed Yan Zaizen into meat paste. When it did, it roared with happiness. Its eyes were greedy as it turned towards the sword-for-legs Yaoguai and followed with a demonic shriek.

    It disappeared quickly.

    A shadow appeared at the mouth of the hole. "Law of Illusions truly is extraordinary." Smiling, he swiftly entered the hole.

 Chapter 312 Insidious Traps

    Yan Zaizen swiftly flew through the cave that hole led to. The cave was quite spacious and obviously man-made. It was curved in a square and felt like a long rectangr corridor. The walls releases fluctuations of mountain energy and vibrations.

    As he flew through, his expression darkened. He was right behind the others, but his current speed was considerably slower than theirs. Vital energy wasn¡¯t meant to support flying, but physical movement, so he was behind the others.

    Even his senses couldn¡¯t grasp their current locations. "With my spiritual sense weakened and losing my heavenly sense...my qi-sense isn¡¯t sufficient to cover the distance. Also..." As he deduced, he looked at the walls once more, "the walls are interfering with my qi-sense."

    Thinking up to here about his apparent weaknesses, he realized why Eshe and the others had used him as bait. If it wasn¡¯t for his profound understanding ofws, wouldn¡¯t he have to run away from those Yaoguai? If that happened, he feared death was his only road.

    "I need to conserve my true-essence...it is my mainbat strength." Yan Zaizen was at the peak-True Essence Realm, but with his understanding ofws, he could close the gap. The only issue was consumption of energy. When he took those four steps towards Mei in the Sword Paradise Realm, he realized the consumption was quite frightening.

    He even had peak-Dantian Refinement and peak-Crimson Star to support himself. Even still, the stronger thew, the more energy was required to support it.

    Yan Zaizen kept flying for about two minutes. He was slightly startled by the sheer distance of the corridor. Stopping in mid-air, he looked around and furrowed his brows.

    "Shit!" Yan Zaizen cursed heavily, looking back towards the entrance to see utter darkness and ahead for the same. "I may be slower than them, but I should¡¯ve seen some evidence of their existence..."

    He realized that he was entrapped in an illusory formation, likely an array of some sort. They must¡¯ve set it up as a back-up in case the Yaoguai returned. This was the first time Yan Zaizen truly saw the craftiness of cultivators.

    He sped his palms together, his eyes erupting with an amber-gold light and his dao integrated into his spiritual sense. Suddenly, his spiritual sense was amplified for a brief period. It extended for a certain range before suddenly copsing.

    Yan Zaizen ced his hand on his chest as his soul felt pained. The pain was like a small balloon was trying to contain a gallon of water. Yan Zaizen felt like his soul had been stretched too far.

    His breathing became heavy for a bit and his eyes flickered, "my nascent soul can¡¯t withstand my False Grand Dao?" This was the first time he had felt this way. The Dao Path was somewhat linked to the soul, so he felt it shouldn¡¯t be possible. However, when he thought of what the Dao was and how it can amplify all aspects of one¡¯s being, he could only begrudgingly ept it.

    "If my soul is too weak, then I can¡¯t amplify my soul..." Yan Zaizen looked towards the ground, but his eyes didn¡¯t reveal a hint if defeat, but pure unyielding intent.

    "Then, I can only break through the formation via brute force." Coming to this conclusion, he ignored his true-essence reserves and erupted fully. A whirlwind of power spun around him fiercely. His dao once more was evoked, but this time it was directed towards his qi-foundation!

    As his dantian, heart, meridians, and pathways were infused with pure power of his dao, his back became straighter and his eyes became imperious with unyielding belief in himself.

    Clenching his fist, he drew upon the Domain of Death! The Siphoning Shadow of Death concept surged, his fist was shrouded in ever-siphoning deathly aura. His Law of Death had reached the perfect-Domain level, and it seemed to transform the cave into a cemetery of death!

    "Ha!" He smashed his fist onto the ground, descending rapidly to increase his momentum.

    Boom!

    A crushing sound echoed in the cave, and the shadow of death was like a tidal wave of water as it flowed in all directions. It didn¡¯t take long before the shadow started feeding on the essence of the formation and cave he was in.

    A shattering noise abruptly resounded. After this shattering sound appeared, a shift of surroundings took ce and Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes widened as he realized where he was.

    At the mouth of the hole!

    He retracted his fist, his domain, and absorbed the remnant energy of the formation into himself, but his reserves had already dropped by ten percent off that strike alone. If he wished for a more powerful attack, his true-essence medium was simply insufficient. In fact, if he didn¡¯t have such a stable foundation with his dao, breaking an illusory formation of this level with his cultivation bases was impossible.

    He didn¡¯t waste any time and shot into the hole. When he did, he flew for thirteen seconds before he started to slow. The cave had scratch marks all around and traces of blood. He narrowed his eyes as he saw thebat signs nearby.

    Closing his eyes, he verified if this was another illusion formation, but he felt all of this was the truth. Yan Zaizen sped up quickly after deducing this until a figure leaning against the wall appeared.

    Yan Zaizen closed in and his eyes lit up. This figure contained pure death in his aura; he was already dead. When Yan Zaizen saw this, he investigated the scene.

    The figure was a man and he had pale-skin and crimson eyes, but those eyes were dull and lifeless. A dense aura of blood remained on his body. The man had his left hand grasping a de-like object. This object emanated traces of swordws.

    Yan Zaizen realized he was a member of the other skyship and felt a little pity. It¡¯s possible he was killed by the others, but it was also possible he was killed by a Yaoguai. As he looked around a little bit more, he was about to continue to follow their trail before his eyes saw an item on his left hand grasping the de.

    It was a spatial ring!

    A light of greed shed in Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes. "They must¡¯ve been in a hurry. Well, their loss." Yan Zaizen smiled as he reached for the spatial ring. He touched the corpse¡¯s hand and his eyebrows twitched.

    BOOM!

    A cataclysmic explosion erupted with the corpse¡¯s body as the center. This explosion was powerful and caused the entire mountain to tremble violently. In the middle of this explosion was Yan Zaizen!

    A soul-crushing, body-cracking sound echoed as Yan Zaizen¡¯s body was sent to the opposing wall and smashed against it heavily. A moan of intense pain escaped his mouth alongside a mouthful of blood.

    However, the explosion didn¡¯t end!

    BOOOOM!!!

    A louder and more intense explosion followed. This explosion contained a deep bloody small and Yan Zaizen couldn¡¯t move as the first explosion had still ced him within the wall.

    When he saw the second explosion ur, his eyes narrowed and he felt bitter. By the end of the first explosion, he was close to being a pile of mush.

    His bones turned to dust, his skin and flesh scattered. During the whole ordeal, he could feel the Herculeanws wish to activate, harnessing the power of the immortal, but they were suppressedpletely and without question.

    "Gah!!" Yan Zaizen¡¯s body was stuck in the wall, his face had been melted off and his blood scattered. His torso and a portion of his legs remained thanks to the Sirius ughter Robe. He could barely maintain his consciousness. "No!" Yan Zaizen roared, but it sounded like a dying animal at itsst moments. It was horrifying to the extreme.

    "Law of Rebirth!" A domain emerged in Yan Zaizen¡¯s body as his true-essence that still remained was urged to the extreme! A profoundw of rebirth surged in his body as the death aura emitted in his body switched like a light switch!

    His body surged with an extreme, endless amount of life energy, slowly revitalizing and healing his body. It was only a few seconds before he recovered. His breathing was intense, cold sweat dripping from his entire body.

    "A trap formation?! And then, a pre-established self-destruction after death?!" Yan Zaizen felt enraged. The first explosion was a formation set by another and the second was a self-destruction set by the man if anyone attempted to steal his body.

    He recalled what Mei had told him before...greed was often the reason for death within this realm. However, he thought it was people being presumptuous of their own capabilities!

    "My true-essence is about twelve-percent..." If Yan Zaizen¡¯s brain, heart, lungs, and blood wasn¡¯t refined by regalia of the heavens, he could¡¯ve died then and there.

    "I need to be more careful...haaa..." Despite saying that, he opened his hand to reveal a spatial ring. A smirk emerged on his face, "If I want something, that thing will be mines. Gods and Devils can not hinder me." As he said this, he flew off to follow the group.

    There was still so much to learn, but he would be far more careful from henceforth.

 Chapter 313 Heaven Hearts!

    Despite the near-death experience, Yan Zaizen¡¯s mental state was unperturbed. It was as if this experience wasn¡¯t worth mentioning, but when he recalled his memories, he felt this was only natural. In the Asura Phantom Domain, his soul was sealed and his body had died. This event left a profound feeling in his soul and psyche, no longer containing a trace of fear towards death as it was no longer an unknown event.

    There was likely an inkling of his understanding of samsara that left an even more profound mark. Even if he died, he was only be sent to heal and cleansed. Somehow, death felt unconcerning. That being said, it didn¡¯t mean he would chase death, just wouldn¡¯t allow its possibility to affect his decisions.

    This subtle yet profound aspect of his mind made him feel lighter.

    Inspecting the spatial ring of the corpse, Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes zed with shock and joy! "This person¡¯s ring is mostly heavenly materials..."

    In the Fortune Cemetery, Yaoguai had Heaven Hearts. These hearts were like cores of mysterious material beneath the heaven. If obtained, one can infusew energy into it and produce heavenly materials of saidw with incredible ease. It was profound and mysterious leaving one with many interesting questions, but this made it so heavenly materials were abundant.

    As for heavenly crystals, they were too widespread. When Yan Zaizen inspected the ring of this cultivator whose cultivation base didn¡¯t exceed the second-floor, he discovered hundreds of heavenly crystals and-sized vats of heavenly liquid. This was more than enough to push one into the middle-stages of the Heavenly Genesis Realm.

    "Tch, heavenly crystals and liquids truly are like cabbages here," Yan Zaizen cursed. Even if it was logical due to cultivation bases and environmental factors, he still hated it. "At least still person had quite a few heaven hearts." Yan Zaizen extracted a prism object the size of a marble that throbbed like heart.

    Heaven hearts could be divided into thirteen ranks and were truly mysterious. Firstly, all heaven hearts were of the same physical size. This baffled Yan Zaizen slightly when he learned of this. Secondly, the greater the rank, the heavenly source energy within be denser and greater.

    Exined simply, the higher the grade, the greater the heavenly material yield. Lastly, they were divided into different shades of gold; the purer the golden color, the greater the grade.

    The one he had in his hand had the color of a rank two heaven heart. It was also the highest grade in the ring.

    He looked further into the cave. Eshe¡¯s group and the others were likely far ahead. With his current speed, its unlikely he could keep up and his current true-essence reserves were too low; following in his current state was suicidal.

    Not to mention, since they wished to use him as bait, they should be prepared for the consequences.

    "The heaven heart...I infuse myw energy into it and that¡¯s it?" Yan Zaizen walk towards the destroyed wall and leaned against it.. A few rocks fell from above like raining pebbles harmlessly. Sitting down with his back facing this shattered wall, Yan Zaizen¡¯s hand that held the heaven heart erupted in misty white energy.

    This energy seemed to contain everything the world has to offer and could offer as well as nothing at all. This very odd sensation would make anyone think they were looking at the mist that created the universe. If they looked even closer, they would find every color in existence sifting through the mist. Despite that, the mist never changed its misty white color.

    This was thew of mimicry and it could mimic all things and also nothing. Because of this, it contained all colors in the world and produced the color white. In the heavenly world, colors were an interesting product ofws, but many people didn¡¯t understand that the color white beneath the heavens were produced by thew of mimicry.

    It was thew of everything.

    "Thew of Samsara is a dark-white...nearly surreal and ethereal, impossible to describe, impossible to see. Is it not white?" As Yan Zaizen pondered this, he recalled the unyielding me of life and life itself and how it was presented by the color white. He felt that colors that were often overlooked by many were fundamental toprehending the essence ofws.

    For example, death was purely ck. It was cker than darknessws and more absolute than anything, yet...

    As he pondered the mysteries ofws and colors, faintly touching upon the profound and mysterious realm of sovereignty of the heavens, the grade two heaven heart turned misty white and throbbed even more intensely than before.

    The heavenly source energy within the heaven heart was pure and untainted, being remarkably pure and originating from thew of mimicry. This was an imperialw, aw that governed the functions of the world!

    "This?" Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes lit up in intense excitement. In the heavenly world, materials of mimicry was impossible to locate! That was because it would perfectly mimicry its surroundings, no longer containing any outward appearance of itself. It was simr to how his own heavenly bloodline mimicked his ck hole so perfectly he didn¡¯t notice it for so long!

    Because of this, outside of the Yan n¡¯s ancestor, no one has been able toprehend thew of mimicry to the sovereign level in the entire thirty-three heavens! However, the Yan n ancestor did not have a mimicry-based heavenly shrine, but a fire-based one!

    The main reason is because heavenly materials of mimicry were impossible to obtain!

    Yan Zaizen pondered deeply after this thought emerged. "Howe my ancestor didn¡¯t use heaven hearts to construct his shrine?" As he thought about this, he felt that there was a reason for this but couldn¡¯t figure it out. After all, he could easily have a ton of heaven hearts sent to him for cultivation...

    Unless...

    Could heaven hearts not exist outside of the Heavenly Origin Grounds?

    As he thought about this, he nodded in eptance of this answer. If Yaoguai was as limitless as people described and they all had heaven hearts then heavenly materials would be as obsolete as heavenly crystals.

    "Luckily I deduced this early...otherwise...." As Yan Zaizen recalled only being able to enter the Heavenly Origin Grounds once in a lifetime, he shuddered. Fortunately, thepass would enable him to return, but first he had to find it.

    "Let¡¯s devour this." Yan Zaizen brought out his heavenly shrine and refined the heaven heart. It became strands of heavenly source energy of the mimicryw. This was a grade two heart, equivalent to a second-floor expert. When it entered his shrine, it didn¡¯t need to be refined too much after entering the ck hole.

    The heavenly materials were deconstructed and converted into the purest form of energy suitable for himself and started to fill up his first-floor.

    "What?" Yan Zaizen was startled immediately after observing himself. The strands of mimicry was abundant. It was incredibly abundant! Before long, in less than thirty minutes, his heavenly shrine¡¯s first floor was eighty percentpleted.

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s emotions were jubnt and far too intense when he discovered this. He didn¡¯t hesitate to withdraw the rest of the grade one heaven hearts, totaling seven, and converted them into mimicry material. The conversion was far too quick and the refinement was exceptionally smooth.

    Before, Yan Zaizen had to convert other forms of heavenly materials into mimicry materials, but refining mimicry materials directly expedited the entire process by dozens if not hundreds of thousands of time!

    His first floor reached fullpletion in another few minutes, his eyes sparkling. With a wave, he brought out a heavenly crystal and cut off ten percent of it. Immediately, he performed a few handseals. These handseals were part of a soul technique to better control the soul.

    In the Sirius Titan Realm, when Yan Zaizen recalled the incident of being attacked by a soul illusion, he couldn¡¯t help but look into it after. With his soul weakened, he tried to bolster its stability by executing a variety of techniques. Then, a ck hole emerged in his be.

    It was his soul bloodline!

    He executed its abilities with his all, devouring the piece of heavenly crystal instantly, refining it and sending it into his heavenly shrine. Normally, this wouldn¡¯t be an issue, but with his soul considerably weakened, his soul bloodline was affected heavily. This made the pressure he had to withstand to be massive.

    Despite this, he pushed through the immense pain he felt from trying to utilize his bloodline with his current cultivation base and devoured the piece of crystal.

    In a minute, his first-floor waspletely filled with heavenly energy. When it did, his eyes shined with a light of the heavens and he felt invigorated!

    "Yes!"

    Feeling his heavenly cultivation base be re-established, he felt profoundly powerful. Now, he could use the heavenly crystals to reach a greater height, touching upon the middle and even upper stages of the Heavenly Genesis Realm even without heavenly materials.

    Why?

    Because he had a heaven-defying Heavenly Shrine!

    "Oh?" He turned to hear sounds ofbat and grunts of pain fill the tunnel. His eyes lit up brilliantly!

 Chapter 314 Twelve Regalias

    Feeling the re-established sensation of heavenly sense felt invigorating. Since his encounter with that unknown entity of Hell, Yan Zaizen¡¯s senses had been considerably weakened, especially his spiritual sense, but now with his heavenly cultivation base regained once again, he regained a rity once lost.

    The sounds and echoes of fighting, grunts, and high speed rush resounded further into the cave. This was likely Eshe and the other members group. When he felt their presence, he didn¡¯t sense any demonic aura originating from Yaoguai, indicating the fighting was likely due to conflict between groups.

    "My cultivation base has only slightly returned..." Contemting swiftly, Yan Zaizen deduced that his current cultivation wouldn¡¯t make him invincible amongst the groups, but he should fair well. However, getting into conflict with a group would be detrimental with only a first-floor Heavenly Genesis Realm¡¯s power, Imperial Law or not.

    After weighing the situation, he decided the best move for him now would be to gain more heaven hearts. He would join Eshe¡¯s group once more and attempt to snatch the wealth or resources of the others.

    "Wait..." Yan Zaizen was about to take this path, but he stopped. This path wasn¡¯t befitting his personality, relenting and teaming up with those who used him as bait, neither was teaming up with the other group. He did intend to get revengeter in case of the former, but that would make him far more of a schemer than he felt he was. From the beginning of his cultivation path, he¡¯s always been direct.

    Direct and forceful.

    "Team up? Haha, no. Let¡¯s just rob everyone, if they refuse..." Murderous intent emerged in his eyes filled with an imperious ferocity. Behind this murderous intent was intense degree of greed, but also intelligence. He wouldn¡¯t let greed overwhelm his mind like before. Recalling the recent incident, he would definitely be cautious.

    If Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t have a hundred percent confidence in being able to force everyone to coputte to his will, especially a group of second-floor heavenly cultivators, he wouldn¡¯t be a person who could establish a Sovereign¡¯s Dao.

    "With my heavenly cultivation base, I can power this array slightly, but it should be more than enough." Yan Zaizen retrieved twelve items that emanated deep and vast spatial fluctuations. The twelve spaces the objects upied had various forms of different oddities around them.

    "I¡¯ve never used these ¡¯offerings¡¯ to good use," Yan Zaizen smiled as he remembered Eitan, the spatial Heavenly Commander from the Canis Major Realm. At that time, Yan Zaizen had used the Mystic Realm of Istion to bewilder him into insanity and snatched all twelve regalias.

    In truth, if the expert had figured out how Yan Zaizen had done it, with the twelve regalias backed by his cultivation base, he had a very small chance for escape. Unfortunately, Yan Zaizen was merciless and also has established his sixth-floor at the time.

    The moment his array was broken, he had no way out.

    Normally, Yan Zaizen would only use this as reference to prove his insights into spatial conceptualws. Each Regalia contained a portion of the half-Imperial Law of the Spatial Form of Infinite Stability. Together, theyposed about 80-90% of its entirety.

    The force behind Eitan must¡¯ve had dozens if not hundreds of Heavenly Commanders, to achieve this feat of twelve regalia. After all, gainingprehension into a different concept was like traveling a different legacy. The force had twelve peak legacies! This was mind blowing and likely rivaled Heavenly Monarch controlled forces.

    "Now that I think about it, Eitan must¡¯ve had a pretty impressive status." Yan Zaizen had rarely cared about other people¡¯s status since his cultivation path started. He would often act as he please, even when facing the Xiantu Realmlord!

    Taking these twelve regalias, Yan Zaizen had them float in a circle behind him, his eyes no longer contained an amber-gold color, but dazzlingly brilliant silver. This silver seemed to contain the most stable form of energy. The objects rotated slowly, giving off a strange illusion of distorted space.

    When Yan Zaizen had met Eitan, the twelve regalias were in a differentyer of space. This made breaking the array so, so much harder. It was also this reason why the Lycans were truly helpless. Heavenly experts, even Heavenly Commanders, can break into chaotic space and the spatial void, but an independent space is nearly impossible. Especially if its a pocket spatial dimension that constantly shifted.

    It was like a normal human trying to open a flying door that moved every time they got close. It was beyond infuriating unless you had the ability to stop the door or teleport!

    Yan Zaizen could be considered someone who could teleport, reaching the door regardless of where it is. This was how he obtained it before.

    Now, he was employing the same method as Eitan. The regalias seemed like background pieces, their fluctuations concealed except by the keenest of eyes who understood spacews.

    The others were approaching, Yan Zaizen¡¯s silver eyes abruptly shined like light.

    Eshe and her group were no longer a team of six, but a team of four. Only Eshe, the two armored knights, and Bronzelion remained. As for the other group, they were even worse off and could be seen being in the lead, obviously being chased by Eshe¡¯s group viciously.

    There were only two, Iceborn and another. This person was a fiery-looking red-head with a healthy jade skin, and voluptuous body. However, both Iceborn and this red-head were in dire straits, their bodies seemed to be injured in random ces, sometimes cuts and sometimes burns, as well as their clothes which were armaments being ripped in certain ces.

    If Yan Zaizen wasn¡¯t intended to rob all and kill all who resisted, he might¡¯ve been willing to save the damsels in distress. Even their eyes and expressions were pitiful, invoking pity within. He may let them off, if possible.

    "Wait..."

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s expression darkened as he slowly pondered. "An illusory charm?" Unable toprehend his thoughts, his eyes turned solemn. To think his mind could be affected by a charm ability? Not to mention, he actually fell for it briefly. He didn¡¯t know if it was due to his weak soul or his weak cultivation, but he felt angered.

    The charm wasn¡¯t done personally by the two women but from items in their possessions. Regardless of the circumstances, in the end, there were two genders and oftentimes, an illusory charm could save one¡¯s life regardless of which gender you face. Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t know this, but both men and women in the Fortune Cemetery often carried them. Even if their opponent is merciful for a split second, it would be enough to turn the situation around.

    Unfortunately, besides Bronzelion, the other three didn¡¯t seem fazed and their strikes were filled with intent to kill. However, as they approached, they noticed a person standing at the center of the tunnel with twelve silver objects spinning in a perfect circle behind him.

    Eshe¡¯s eyes widened when she saw Yan Zaizen, her expression odd and awkward. However, she then revealed murderous intent for a split second, but it vanished like dust in the wind. Her expression turned urgent as she shouted towards Yan Zaizen.

    "Daoist Ascension, please hinder their movements! If you can, I¡¯llpensate you ordingly!" If Yan Zaizen could halt them for a split second, the two would be as good as dead. When she looked at Iceborn, in her hand was a green orb, her eyes shed with greed.

    In truth, regardless if Yan Zaizen agreed or not, she wouldn¡¯t keep him alive. No self-respecting cultivator who¡¯ve survived in the Fortune Cemetery would. After using him as bait due to his ignorance, she wouldn¡¯t allow him to grow and be a potential threat. The same could be said for the remaining members of her group.

    However, hearing Eshe, they only remained silent.

    "You want me to stop them? Sure!" Smirking, the twelve regalias started to brightly shine. Luckily, the regalias didn¡¯t need an absurd amount of power to activate. Arrays often used external forces of power, like the formation gs or heavenly materials, such as heavenly crystals or regalias.

    Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t care about their thoughts. He had already decided to kill Eshe and her sister without a second thought. No choices. Anyone who uses him as bait, dies.

    As for the rest? They can choose their fate. As a sovereign, this was his bottomline.

    Using the spatial array powered by twelve regalias, he pressed his palm forward causing the surrounding space to ripple.

    The expressions of both groups drastically changed.

 Chapter 315 Spirit of Defiance

    This single palm thrusting forward felt as if it would rend the world into chaos. Yan Zaizen, backed by twelve regalia acting as array gs, galvanized a vast spatial force. This force was like a torrential oceanic wave crashing down on all before it.

    "This?!" Eshe felt her mind tremble and her body be unstable. At the moment, for everyone in the group, even flying became difficult. Regardless of who, they each took measures as their heavenly-infused true-essence erupted to achieve some semnce of stability.

    However, as they felt the power further, disbelief started to cover their expressions. Even if they stabilized themselves, they weren¡¯t able to retreat or advance at will, as if they were isted in a small, metal box in erratic motion.

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes lit when he saw this effect. An array was capable of executing arts with external forms of energy, but it needed a controller. Luckily, the restraints for cultivation base was far inferior toprehension. For an array of this level, Yan Zaizen could barely maintain it while executing his art.

    This art was called Oceanic Spatial Seal. It was a sealing art of space, capable of restricting an enemy¡¯s movements while simultaneously controlling it. If Yan Zaizen wanted, with a flip of his palm, he could crush them into meat paste with waves of spatial power.

    Eshe and the others immediately felt this disadvantageous situation, a sensation of deadly crisis exploded in their minds. However, they were cultivators of the Fortune Cemetery, many even born in their harsh environment. They wouldn¡¯ty down and die without a fight.

    The two ck knights roared in defiance, causing a slight ripple to ur in space. The fire and lightning above their heads exploded and engulfed their entire bodies. In seconds, they became figures of fire and lightning. Even the color of their armor changed to fiery-red and lightning-yellow.

    Yan Zaizen was slightly startled at this, but only slightly. With this array in his hands, unless a cultivator was a Heavenly Commander, breaking free would be an insidiously difficult endeavor.

    That, however, didn¡¯t stop those from trying. The two knights aura escted quickly in intensity. Before long, they reached the third-floor, then the fourth-floor and stabilizing there. This form of advancement left Yan Zaizen curious.

    In his entire life, he had never seen a person increase their cultivation directly. There has been formations which can enhance battle prowess, but never a direct increase in cultivation base. It was as if their heavenly shrines suddenly gained two additional floors.

    The bestial roars from the knights didn¡¯t cease. The others wanted to distance themselves as the heat and lightning was chaotically surging about, fearing they may suffer consequences if they remained.

    The knights weren¡¯t the only ones who were decisive. Bronzelion, who wielded a brown rulerrger than his body, grunted in madness and insanity. Yan Zaizen could sense a berserk aura erupt. As it did, it produced berserk-like energy that seemed unruly and uncontroble. Bronzelion¡¯s vital energy started to escte, but in a slightly different manner than the others.

    His body, which was about two-three meters, suddenly grew ten times in size. The ruler became engulfed in marks that looked like inscriptions. These inscriptions seemed to resonate with Bronzelion. In a blink, the ruler turned into liquid and prated his orifices. It was quite an odd sight.

    His body that was about thirty meters suddenly reached ny meters, turning into a literal giant. As for his vital energy, it contained a berserk quality, but his vital energy did not increase in intensity. Instead, his physical body seemed to have be far, far stronger than before. It seemed no weaker than the two knights.

    Watching all this, Yan Zaizen was rendered speechless. He had one thought:

    So decisive!

    The moment the situation seemed deadly, they activated their trump cards without reservation, even if it would severely weaken themter. Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t even intend to kill them. Just ¡¯im¡¯ some of their possessions...

    He wasn¡¯t sure what the trade-off for such a power increase was, but he couldn¡¯t help but feel respect. This didn¡¯t mean he was going to let them go. In actuality, he wanted to know what they did, reinforcing his desire in making them stay.

    With a thought and a bit of maniption, he changed arts from the Oceanic Spatial Seal to the Spatial Chains: Restriction art. The world was no longer a cataclysmic wave of spatial force, but they became chains numbering in the millions. These chains were small, nearly invisible to the naked eye, but they wrapped around each other countless times causing a very odd twisting appearance to emerge. At first sight, no one would expect these twisting space to be chains

    These chains were far too quick, as if they traversed the spatial void, and wrapped all individuals within. Despite their struggles, they couldn¡¯t even move a single millimeter unlike before. This technique¡¯s restraining factor was undeniably greater than Oceanic Spatial Seal.

    "Cease resistance or die." In a voice effusing a dense imperious authority, Yan Zaizen said. The others were shocked, their hearts trembling at his voice. It was as if they stood before a sovereign that could easily decide their fates.

    However, this didn¡¯t cause Bronzelion or the ck knights to cease, instead...their resistance increased. To have your fate in the hands of another, what worse oue was that? They directly ignited their heavenly shrines or ignited their vital essence. The explosive power gained from that pushed them to nearing a power close to the fifth-floor.

    Yan Zaizen was truly taken aback now. Three individuals with strength at the second-floor originally were, in a moment of absolute defiance, capable of exhibiting power infinitely close to the fifth-floor! If someone had told him before that this was possible, he would not believe it.

    How could he?

    The difference between a second-floor and third-floor of equivalent foundation was about three to four times greater, but second-floor to fourth-floor was hundreds of times greater. In the cultivation world, each progression in rank, floor, or realm instituted a vast difference. As one continued to climb closer to the peak, the difference between each only erges.

    This was an undeniable fact.

    Yet...

    "I gave you your choice." Even though he was curious, his soul cultivation base wasn¡¯t enough to search their souls for an answer at this moment, and he was a man of his word.

    Pointing forward, three spikes of solidified space emerged. Yan Zaizen felt his heart and cultivation base be unstable. Currently, he was using the array to power his arts, but executing two arts simultaneously was a difficult feat. This even included the fact that first-floor wasn¡¯tpletely ¡¯full¡¯.

    He only used a portion of a heavenly crystal to power the heavenly materials, but he needed aplete heavenly crystal, equivalent to a million heavenly drops, to fully stabilize his cultivation base.

    Despite the strain and pain, the three spikes sent forth and in a blink, pierced the bodies of the three. In a second, their exploded as spatial des erupted from their insides like a flock of scared birds.

    With a grasp, his true-essence wrapped the remaining souls of the three and sent sealed them. They were kept in his Meteor Ring. At the moment, he couldn¡¯t get ess to their secrets, but it shouldn¡¯t take long.

    Three spatial objects, a ring and two bracers, appeared in his ring as well. His eyes were bright with excitement. Turning to Eshe and the other two, they weren¡¯t resisting but their eyes showed fear.

    Yan Zaizen ignored Iceborn and herpanion, turning towards Eshe, his gaze sharp.

    Seeing Yan Zaizen turn his focus to her, she panicked inwardly but remained calm outwardly. Even though Yan Zaizen was a hidden expert, the situation wasn¡¯t unsalvageable. "Daoist Ascension, I¡¯m no longer resisting."

    She decided to y ignorant. After all, Yan Zaizen had profound spatial power. If he suspected she used him as bait, she could righteously deny it. With everyone being able to bypass the Yaoguai, it was only expected that she assumed Yan Zaizen had a treasure or art to evade detection.

    Even though that wasn¡¯t the case, because evading Yaoguai detection without a specific technique suited for it was impossible and not something a weak outsider would possess, but Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t know that.

    Her thoughts were irrelevant. Yan Zaizen softly smiled, however. "Daoist Eshe, no need to continue. I¡¯ll need properpensation for your actions." Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t even consider her attempt to remain ignorant. It didn¡¯t matter if she did, but he couldn¡¯t kill her yet.

    He will kill her, but Esi, her sister, would know and depart far away if she had a life talisman. If that happened, finding her without a powerful sense in this vast, vastnds would be nigh impossible.

    She had to die too.

    Therefore, he didn¡¯t reveal any killing intent but just dissatisfaction and lust as his eyes roamed Eshe¡¯s body.

    Witnessing Yan Zaizen¡¯s calm and desire, her eyes lit up. Her mind moved a thousand paces a second and smiled. "Daoist Ascension, these two women obtained two pieces of inheritance within the mountain: A mid-grade heavenly-tier pill and a Soul of a Mountain." She immediately informed Yan Zaizen of Iceborn¡¯s treasure.

    Iceborn and herpanion didn¡¯t show any shock at her reveal, and when they looked at Yan Zaizen¡¯s lust towards Eshe, they had their own thoughts. Iceborn spoke, "I give both pieces of these treasures to you, Daoist Ascension."

    Two items emerged from her ring with a thought, both of which were a bottle.

    When Yan Zaizen saw these bottles, his eyes widened in shock. A green translucent mountain trembled endlessly. It looked like ss, but its existence was based in spirituality.

    "A true mountain soul!"

 Chapter 316 Hexagon Emblem

    Inside the bottle was a true mountain soul! A soul was a miraculous aspect of existence, often containing memories, emotions, and instincts of an individual, but mostly this rted to living and breathing individuals. A mountain, sword, and other objects can develop a soul, but it wasn¡¯t truly a ¡¯soul¡¯ but moreso a spirit like Pinaka.

    It wasn¡¯t artificial, however. These spirits could only be born naturally by chance and oftentimes they could even cultivate and grow as independent individuals. Unfortunately, the chances of that being possible was abysmal.

    This true mountain soul wasn¡¯t conscious, but it was a spirit of a literal mountain. Yan Zaizen recalled thews of this location and couldn¡¯t help but grow excited.

    A mountain spirit could be used as material to produce an absolutely heaven-toppling treasure or as a source ofprehension into the heavenlyw of mountain. The Xiao¡¯s City Lord in Xiantu Realm had refined an actual mountain as his treasure, attempting to tap into a trace of potential of that mountain.

    However, that spirit was artificial using the Spirit Form Path as its foundation and not born from the heavens.

    As for the pill in the second bottle, Yan Zaizen briefly nced at it but swiftly ignored it. A mountain soul, an authentic one, was as rare as a phoenix feather! The greed in his heart was rather strong, but he didn¡¯t immediately reach out to grab the soul.

    The fluctuations on this mountain soul was odd yet mighty. The two bottles weren¡¯t simple either. After experiencing his earlier minor setback, his heart grew cautious towards the unknown.

    Witnessing the sh of greed in Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes, the three women had their own individual thoughts and emotional upheavals, but as he didn¡¯t reach for it, their emotions became even more turbulent. They each had their own reasons, but they only remained quiet.

    For quite sometime, the four simply stood there in silence. Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes bore a hole into the two items, Eshe remained with a calm expression and sweet smile, Iceborn and her fierypanion grew anxious.

    Thissted for quite some time before Iceborn spoke, her delicately soft lips and pleasant voice drew everyone¡¯s attention, "Daoist Ascension, these two inheritance treasures weren¡¯t the only treasures we obtained. There was another, however..." Her eyes disyed a faint trace of reluctance and her expression left him feeling pity for the beauty. If anyone saw her expression, they would think Yan Zaizen was viciously eyeing her maiden¡¯s chastity.

    When Eshe witnessed her actions, she grew inwardly nervous, but her eyes shed mysteriously.

    Yan Zaizen felt like he was ying a game of ¡¯catch the cues¡¯ and it felt nauseating. He wasn¡¯t sure of what to do at this moment. His instincts told him that danger and fortune of immensity was nearby and these three women would lead him to it.

    No, to be urate, one of them will. The other two was danger of the highest. Yan Zaizen couldn¡¯t deduce which, but this feeling caused him to urge his mental prowess to its fullest.

    "Another item?" He calmly inquired, his gaze moving away from Eshe and on Iceborn, a hint of lust, interest, and desire within.

    "Mhm. May I move to show you?" Iceborn cautiously asked.

    Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t respond verbally but with his actions. The chains that restrained her movements were loosened. It was like her shackles had been unlocked and her body experienced a long-awaited freedom. However, she could feel a spatial force lingering invisibly around, warning her.

    With a soft sigh, Iceborn touched her forehead. A soft light flickered within and a hexagon emblem appeared. The hexagon object was t and had six clearly divided portions. Two of these six portions were brightly lit in a red and green glow.

    The hexagon emblem seemed mundane at first nce, but Yan Zaizen felt an odd sensation from it. There was no aura emitting from the glows. This was what caused the oddity in his mind. In all things, of all things, there existed an inherent aura. Regardless of what it was or who it was, they all had an aura. However, the emblem¡¯s materials nor the light that was lit had an aura.

    This was where sensation stemmed from.

    Yan Zaizen used his spatial force to wrap around the hexagonal object, but his eyes widened soon after. "Does this thing even exist?" He couldn¡¯t help but think as his spatial force exuded no force on the object as if it didn¡¯t exist. If it wasn¡¯t for his control over the surrounding space, he would¡¯ve thought this entire event was an illusion.

    Iceborn warily smiled. "Daoist Ascension, this object has fused with my existence and thus it is only a projection of my mind. It does not exist in this realm outside of visual representation, that is my limit." Exining this to Yan Zaizen, she couldn¡¯t help but feel a little bitter, but also more secure.

    She continued, "This item contains two parts of a full legacy. I obtained one of the parts here and the other elsewhere. If I can obtain all six parts, it will be a key to open a domain. Unfortunately..." Iceborn turned to Eshe, her eyes flickering with murderous intentions.

    Yan Zaizen pondered on her words and the implications. He wasn¡¯t unfamiliar with inheritance keys. Lang Xue, Tao¡¯s wife, had used one to ess an inheritance trove when they had first met in the Deluge Realm. At that time, her mission was to travel across a vast distance to obtain the inheritance, but there was also a trial within before she could obtain it.

    When experts leave their inheritance, they typically don¡¯t leave it for strong cultivators, but weaker ones with sufficient lifeforce and potential to pass along their legacy. He wasn¡¯t shocked that two-floor experts had ess to an inheritance key. But he was curious about what it held.

    Eshe suddenly spoke, "Daoist Ascension, I also have a piece of the hexagon. Please allow me to show you." After saying that, she waited patiently but her eyes were quite decisive.

    Iceborn kept her eyes honed on Eshe, her gaze effusing killing intent, but she didn¡¯t interrupt. Yan Zaizen loosened Eshe¡¯s restraints with a thought, quite intrigued by Eshe¡¯s words. In truth, he had some idea of that after realizing this ce held an inheritance key piece.

    How else was Eshe and Iceborn capable of arriving at the same location at the same time? It was because they were after the same thing from the start. As the respective leaders of their groups, they recruited helpers to help them obtain this piece, likely promising them a reward if obtained or they may have been unaware.

    Eshe touched her forehead in the same manner and an emblem simr to Iceborn¡¯s appeared, but three portions were filled with a purple, blue, and yellow. When Yan Zaizen saw this emblem, his eyes brightened with an intense light. This light contained deep excitement.

    They already had five portions of the hexagonal key, no wonder they wanted to kill each other. Chuckling softly, Yan Zaizen waved his hand and withdrew his arts. He wasn¡¯t entirely sure if killing them would drop the emblem, but it wasn¡¯t likely. Perhaps Iceborn or Eshe knew the method to snatch the other, but neither would or should give it up.

    If they did, wouldn¡¯t Yan Zaizen just kill them all and take it all for himself? In reality, he would. If he could safely soul search them, he would also take this route as it was undeniably easier.

    Unfortunately, he also knew that these types of inheritance trials had cultivation base limitations to participate and obtain. If his natural cultivation base was higher than a two-floor, he felt that a trap within this mountain likely would¡¯ve happened. This could also stop powerful cultivators from taking advantage of weaker ones.

    After all, Eshe and Iceborn likely recruited top-tier experts to help their pursuit and the trove drew them without fail, yet they only recruited two-floor experts and not three-floor experts. This was very telling. Bronzelion and the two ck knights could reach near-fifth-floor prowess and a formation capable of bewildering even Yan Zaizen was set near instantly.

    All these members were experts, even the one who set up trap on a corpse and the individual who set a trap on his own corpse. It¡¯s possible they all were elites of their cultivation level, specializing in grand areas and had deep influence in the Dusk Zone.

    "What do you suggest we do now?" Yan Zaizen smilingly asked.

    With the binding removed, Iceborn immediately responded, "If you allow me to kill her, I can obtain the portions and, together, we can find the sixth portion."

    Hearing this, Eshe was calm. "I can offer the same deal, Daoist Ascension. I would even be willing to allow you to obtain ny percent of the contents." Her words caused Iceborn to tremble slightly, but she didn¡¯t send a counter offer. Firstly, she knew that Yan Zaizen was used as bait and knew it.

    She did the same with the same unfortunate chap from earlier, so she didn¡¯t believe Yan Zaizen would believe her. Not to mention, Eshe must know this too. If a situation like that did ur, Iceborn was willing to send them both to their deaths, revealing the method to obtain the emblems and portions.

    The fiery-redhead was silent throughout. She was just an expert invited by Iceborn, her life and death was inconsequential in this matter, so she hoped to avoid Yan Zaizen¡¯s intent. After all, she had never offended him once. He even killed the other group, likely because they used him as bait, so she decidedly remained absolutely silent. She even wished she were a ghost so her presence would be lesser.

    "Hm." Pondering, Yan Zaizen considered the situation. He shook his head in refusal, once more tracing Eshe¡¯s body discreetly enough to be somewhat hidden, but keen eyes could see. "That simply won¡¯t do. First, we¡¯ll find the sixth portion and then...we¡¯ll decide on the situation then. Agreed?"

    In truth, his words and suggestion was very fragile. It didn¡¯t solve the situation and the question of if the sixth portion needed some special requirement or one of their deaths was still unanswered. However, the two didn¡¯t argue as expected or scheme with their actions or expressions but decisively nodded in agreement after a bit of thinking.

    Outwardly, he revealed a proud expression, but inwardly, his heart was dropping in temperature. These two girls were profound schemers, but he would y their game...for now. The allure of a treasure trove in the Fortune Cemetery, where resources were endless and miraculous things such as Celestial Orders, second lives, and true mountain souls existed was far too tempting.

    He had a deadline and a goal. He needed to rapidly increase his cultivation base, and what better way than this?

    "Where is it?"

 Chapter 317 Return: Few Words.

    <h4>Chapter 317 Return: Few Words.</h4>

    @@Won¡¯t make this long.

    Our journey will continue.

    Hopefully strong, hopefully forgiving.

    I¡¯ll exin everything at the right time, after we¡¯ve returned, after we¡¯re steady, but surely will.

    After thanksgiving and the subsequent fooda day, we¡¯ll be returning. That¡¯s 24th of this Month.

    No make-up chapters, no promise month quotas, just raw releases.

    I know this is very minimal, but I feel that words is a lot cheaper than actionsing from me for many of you, so I¡¯ll say a few words and take actions to bring life and excitement to this astonishing story.

    @@

 Chapter 318 Two Dangers, One Fortune

    The taste of ying this game of schemers left a bad taste in Yan Zaizen¡¯s mouth, even if it was simply a small and minor interlude of his future dominance. A king schemes and ns, ruling all from the shadows and the light, but what of sovereign?

    They n and act, but do they need to stay in the shadows concocting plots? Do they need to hide their intentions under false masks and sly words?

    No!

    Sovereigns were absolute. Sovereigns were true rulers of their domain, now and till death.

    Therefore, he decided to expedite this nauseating conversion and exchange. If it wasn¡¯t for the chance of rapidly increasing his strength, Yan Zaizen would¡¯ve already taken action, but the image of Pinaka in his mind brought an unfathomable focus. If he had to stifle himself for this second, then as long as it meant increasing his chances of seeing her once more, then so be it.

    However, only for a second.

    That specific, nauseating, and stifling second was up the moment Iceborn replied to his question.

    "In the Dusk Zone, there¡¯s an area called the Foregone Abyss. This piece of the inheritance key left me this message, likely leading to the final trial." Her words were calm, yet slightly urgent with a tinge of wariness within. Her words seemed to visibly leave her with an expression of helplessness, as if she had no choice in the matter.

    Foregone Abyss?

    Yan Zaizen slightly furrowed his brows, this location was listed as a forbidden zone on the soul jade given to him by Eshe. It was filled with untold dangers, high-level Yaoguai, and even mystic spots of the near-impossible. This is why it was named ¡¯Foregone¡¯ and ¡¯Abyss¡¯. It held a tinge of endless despair that left one without a lifeline.

    A single step into the abyss now, a foregone thoughtter.

    He turned to Eshe, her expression filled with wariness but also a gaze of nail-biting decisiveness. She obviously didn¡¯t think Iceborn would say that location, but shockingly, her eyes revealed no shock or fear. Eyes sparkling, Yan Zaizen turned to Iceborn¡¯s fiery friend, her eyes suffusing with a deep, unfathomable fear and unwillingness.

    With an inquiring tone, he directed a question towards Eshe: "Is this what your inheritance key says as well, Daoist Eshe?"

    Hearing his question, Eshe hesitated with her eyes suddenly shing with a trace of deep fear as if the thought of the Foregone Abyss was hell itself, she turned towards Iceborn but shook her head. "I don¡¯t have the final piece, so I don¡¯t know the exact details, but the pieces of my inheritance key does point there."

    "Hahaha!" Abruptly, Yan Zaizenughed and pped three times. Thisughter was filled with a serene feeling, as if the world had been lifted from his shoulder and he no longer needed to drag himself about. Thisughter caused Iceborn and Eshe to stall in surprise, even the fiery woman was shocked, her eyes revealing a sh of profound light.

    "You know," Yan Zaizen continuedughing, the twelve regalias zed with brilliant silver light behind him, "I had the feeling that two was death and one was fortune, but I was wrong in my earlier thinking." He took a step forward, reinitiating his spatial technique that locked them in their position. A fierce, heart-throbbing, world-copsing killing intent emanated from his amber-gold, brilliantly imperial gaze.

    "What do you mean by this?! We¡¯re giving you all the benefits! There¡¯s always danger in hunting for an inheritance!" Iceborn shouted, her eyes revealing apparent confusion, but Yan Zaizen¡¯s killing intent only thickened, visibly so as the spatial force permeating within the air started to noticeably darken in shade as if light was being distorted.

    Eshe was slightly calmer, but her voice was urgent as she hurriedly said in defense, "Daoist Ascension, I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re thinking, but we¡¯re willing to give you all of it. I can even swear a heavenly oath that, if I receive the inheritance, I will give you ny percent!"

    Yan Zaizen¡¯sughter grew sharper. "Ny percent?" This was utterlyughable. Yan Zaizen wanted to use this woman to attract her sister here, not share an inheritance, but when he heard the answer to his question and their responses, he felt that was already impossible to do so in a scheming manner. After all, the one thing hecked in life was the ability to scheme too deeply.

    He had always been direct. Perhaps he may lie, con others, but he always did so openly and in their faces. Especially in stealing, oh wait, ¡¯iming others offerings¡¯.

    As for ny percent, he cared for it, he truly did. He needed to receive a bountiful amount of wealth, but it was impossible if he was dead. What was wealth, what was love, what was the future if he was dead?

    And they wanted him to be that - dead.

    Earlier, when Iceborn informed them that the inheritance key was in the Foregone Abyss, he had his suspicions, but Eshe¡¯s response sealed the deal. She initially had no fear in her eyes, just shock, but that changed quickly at his inquiry as if it was intended to be seen. More importantly, it was Iceborn¡¯s fiery friend¡¯s reaction. Her reaction was so intense, but the fear wasn¡¯t like Eshe¡¯s, it was filled with an unwillingness.

    But why?

    Why would she be so unwilling? Sure, the ce was dangerous, but wasn¡¯t facing a group of equally talented cultivators not be the same? Yet, she survived and even had the ability to escape, meaning her abilities were top-tier like the rest in her cultivation level. She had already risked her life here, what did it matter to continue if it¡¯s a part of the inheritance? After all, the inheritance creator obviously set cultivation limits, why would he send everyone to certain death? What was to fear?

    It was a little too inconsistent, no?

    That and the other clue lead to this thinking, the next location - Foregone Abyss.

    Yan Zaizen wasn¡¯t a fool.

    Firstly, the sixth piece. Why ce it in a certain death zone for those with their cultivation bases? Perhaps if it was the final piece, but this was the sixth piece, not the end goal. The current location could easily be ovee by second-floor experts, but not the sixth?

    Either the creator of this trial-like scavenger hunt had a screw-loose and simply wanted to waste everyone¡¯s time, or it was a in and simple lie. A lie he, as a new person in the Dusk Zone, would easily fall for due to ignorance.

    However, he had to give the two, Eshe and Iceborn, earnest praise. Their acting from the very beginning to now was impable, almost as if it was rehearsed before he even arrived. Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t find a single thing wrong with it in retrospect, even if he did, a normal person couldn¡¯t disregard an inheritance trove just like that. Not even him.

    Normally, these two clues were irrelevant and couldn¡¯t be tied to anything truly. They could be passed off as being too cautious or just overthinking matters. After all, he didn¡¯t know the true, concrete details of the Dusk Zone and its dangers or the person who set up the trial.

    However, who was Yan Zaizen?

    He was a Non-Entity with a ridiculous intuition that was heaven-defying and nearly prophetic. Two choices led to death and the other to fortune? This was when it struck him...

    What if Eshe or Iceborn wasn¡¯t the fortune? But...

    His eyes turned towards Iceborn¡¯s fiery friend, Katniss, his eyes exuding boundless killing intent. "Are you even needed?" He coldly smiled, his hand was slowly gripping towards the fiery woman, as if slowly sliding his powerful fingers around her delicate neck.

    A cold sensation erupted in Katniss¡¯s heart, her beautifully slim and delicate neck felt a tightening that nearly caused her very soul to escape her body. She tried to resist but to no avail. The cold sensation in her heart felt like it was burning, burning with unwillingness and hatred.

    Katniss wasn¡¯t a simple bystander, and she didn¡¯t want to die like this. She looked towards Iceborn, tears of rage slowly developing in her eyes as soft grunts of struggle resounded.

    Her expression seemed to stir something within Iceborn. She hurriedly shouted, "She¡¯s a friend, Daoist Ascension, must you take it this far?!" Her words were filled with urgency.

    Yan Zaizen kept his eyes on Eshe as he took action, seeing her visibly lose herposure. Her eyes flickered incessantly with internal debate clearly visible, but in the end, she remained silent.

    With sparkling eyes, Yan Zaizen smiled. "So that¡¯s truly the case. Here I thought death was in the journey, but it was on the very first choice in the story." His words startled Eshe, Iceborn, and Katniss. The stranglehold around Katniss lessened.

    No longer having a reaper at her throat, she felt relieved after a bout of coughing. "So, I¡¯ll give you two a choice." Yan Zaizen continued smiling, his words directed at Eshe and Iceborn, "The first one to tell me the truth, the method to obtain the Hexagon Emblem, gets to live." His words were said casually but it was like a hammer of judgment.

    Iceborn panicked, her words filled with hints of stuttering, "Daoist Ascension, I-"

    "I gave you your choice. Choose." Yan Zaizen coldly interrupted, his gaze shifted towards Katniss. This girl¡¯s unwillingness wasn¡¯t because she was being dragged to a death zone for a treasure trove, but that they already had all the pieces and were unnecessarily risking their lives!

    Katniss was already in possession of the sixth piece, which both Eshe and Iceborn already knew of, but he didn¡¯t. They intended to drag him about, acting peacefully in the light, but leading him to a bottomless hole to eternal darkness. If he had agreed, continued ying their little game, he would¡¯ve already lost from the onset.

    Who knew the myriad of methods and allies these two had outside?

    Eshe and Iceborn was visibly shaken, but by Yan Zaizen¡¯s perception and his nearly impossible deduction. In truth, without his intuition, he would¡¯ve fallen prey to it. The onlyint he had was the unreliability of this ability. It was vague and inconsistent. A perfect example was Ezekiel¡¯s chase and Eshe¡¯s intentions to use him as bait, both of which could¡¯ve led to his demise, but he felt nothing.

    Eshe and Iceborn hesitated, looking at each other, but before they could speak, Katniss shouted, "I¡¯ll tell you everything, as long as you let me go free! We have no enmity or grudges between us, neither did I try to trick you!" Katniss hastily said, even though the offer wasn¡¯t originally extended to her.

    Yan Zaizen calmly smiled, he truly enjoyed conning people. From the beginning, since his thoughts formed to this conclusion, he wanted Katniss to spill it all. He couldn¡¯t trust the other two, but if he showed that, who knew if this girl would say god knows what!

    Eshe and Iceborn tried to speak, but Yan Zaizen immediately locked up their ability to do so, his eyes holding a smile. "Let¡¯s hear it then."

    A few minutester, Yan Zaizen¡¯s smile turned into a grin. In his hand was an emblem. This emblem was hexagonal with the color of red covering one-sixth of its body. The expressions on Eshe¡¯s and Iceborn¡¯s faces were ugly and pale.

    This emblem was physical, not a projection.

    "You..I told you everything, will you let me go?" Katniss cautiously asked. Yan Zaizen ignored her, turning towards Eshe. "You can spend the next one hundred thousand years in isted torment before death, or tell me how to bring your sister here, then you¡¯ll both die together quickly. Choose."

    Eshe¡¯s face became like pale-white ash, filled with unwillingness, fear, deep regret and the shadow of death.

 Chapter 319 Dusk Zone Features

    Somewhere in the Dusk Zone, a girl with a petite body and a forlorn expression stood at the helm of a ship looking in a direction. This direction would inevitably lead one to a vibrating mountain, one that seemed to contain a trace of endlessness.

    This little girl was a divine beast and the sister of Eshe, Esi.

    "Sister..." her words were soft, and her eyes shes with intense, profound sadness. Her hands clenched fiercely. Within her left was a token-like object that emitted a soft white glow that emanated life. This was a life talisman connected to Eshe. It was intact, but it was slightly dimmer than it was a few hours ago.

    In her other hand was a unique talisman, designed for long-range soulmunication. However, it was dull in color and held no glow.

    "Why must it be so?" Esi bit her lower lips, recalling her sister¡¯s words. If she didn¡¯t respond by sending a message every five minutes, then she had likely met misfortune. With eyes filled with reluctance, she took control over the skyship and departed. Only after she had traveled a considerable distance away did she finally look back, the corners of her eyes wet, "Please survive. I believe in you."

    Her fingers softly rubbed the life talisman. As long as it remained unshattered, there was hope.

    -----

    Yan Zaizen hovered outside the mountain¡¯s entrance, his eyes flickering. "Loyalty..." Earlier, Eshe was unwilling to deliver her sister in exchange for a quick death. This was even after Yan Zaizen had destroyed her physical body, cultivation, and begun to torture her soul with an indescribable amount of pain. She was unrelenting.

    However, he had no admiration for her, only frustration. "As long as Eshe is alive, I¡¯ll find you." As he recalled that little girl that had given him information and then helped select him as bait, a trace of anger emerged in his eyes.

    Only after a while did he settle his thoughts and move on, cing the matter at the furthest depths of his mind. Instead, he turned towards the hexagon emblem in his hand that no longer contained six different colors, but a single color - white.

    "I wonder what¡¯s so special about this inheritance?" Thanks to Katniss, he had gained a further understanding about the situation. The hexagon was a key to a Grand Inheritance, one established by Grand (Heaven) Heavenly Monarch. It was divided into a series of trials and restrictions.

    Firstly, one can only enter any grounds with a cultivation base of the second-floor Heavenly Genesis Realm, rank two Fiendgod, or realms of cultivation that were their equivalent. This restriction felt odd, but who was he to truly question it?

    There was also the fact that the hexagon emblem was only the ¡¯key¡¯ to take apart in the inheritance trial, and this was simply a pre-trial to find suitable participants. It was much like Lang Xue¡¯s trial, obtaining the right to enter meantprehending a certain concept, or in this case, being at a certain level, and traveling a far distance, or in this case,plete the hexagon emblem.

    "Also, there is no final location. This emblem, whenpleted, allows one to enter the trial via a unique spatial array. I can enter anytime I wish." When he learned this, he couldn¡¯t help but softly chuckle.

    Katniss truly was helpful. Unfortunately, Yan Zaizen had to keep her restricted along with Iceborn and Eshe. She wasn¡¯t being tortured, but he didn¡¯t set her free either. After all, she belonged to some force or another, and if he did set her free, what¡¯s to say that force won¡¯t track him down?

    Therefore, he much rather keep her. It truly was an effortless task after sealing their cultivation bases, stripping them off all armaments and clothing, and taking all their possessions. As long as they do not die, he didn¡¯t feel worried.

    "First and foremost, let¡¯s consolidate my cultivation and reach the second-floor before anything else." Deciding, Yan Zaizen couldn¡¯t help but be excited. He obtained essentially the wealth of every single one of those members, and then some from the tiny inheritances of each location. With this, including the profound heaven hearts, he was certain that he could quickly start to regain his previous cultivation.

    Taking a step forward, heavenly true-essence begun to emanate from his body. This heavenly true-essence effused ripples from thew of space. The ripples touched the surrounding area.

    Bruuum~

    A peculiar sound resounded suddenly. Yan Zaizen¡¯s form became ethereal, as if he existed in a differentyer of space. However, that step only led him a single step forward. Immediately after, his body¡¯s form became corporeal once more.

    "As I thought..." Yan Zaizen furrowed his brows and sighed. The spatialws here were restricted somehow. This wasn¡¯t just because of the Fortune Cemetery¡¯s unique characteristics, but the Dusk Zone specifically.

    In the soul jade from Eshe, it revealed that somews were impeded from being active. This included space and light, but the vice versa was also true. The Dusk Zone strengthened thews of time and darkness. It was a very interesting detail and he felt it briefly with his array. Luckily, an array functions off the formation gs as its source of power, unlike normalw usage. Therefore, the Regalia Spatial Array enabled him to freely execute his variousws.

    "Even then, spacews are still weakened..." Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t intend to use the Regalia Spatial Array often, as it consumed far too much energy. "Then..." With vibrant eyes, his body suddenly exploded with lightning. Deep crackling emanated from his body as ck lightning exploded from every pore of his body, originating from his heavenly shrine.

    Each strand of lightning seemed to contain an essence of pure, never-ending death.

    "Lightning of Cyclic Death."

    Boom!

    A bolt of ck lightning streaked through the skies at incredible speeds, and all forms of resistance was brought to death, enhancing its speed further. His body soared across the skies, all living things looked onwards with fear, and even Yaoguai avoided its aura.

    -----

    Dusk Zone, Region 13.

    The Dusk Zone size exceeded hundreds of ¡¯Titan¡¯ Realmsbined, but it was still divided nicely. It was divided in 33 Regions, and it was one of the 108 Zones of the Fortune Cemetery, with each zone only being equal or greater than the Dusk Zone in size. Its vastness also left room for many powers to grow, settle, and leave their inheritance behind.

    It was due to this vast size that could rival an entire heaven, but contained endless resources, that many preferred this ce to leave their inheritances. With its other unique properties, it was truly superb for such tasks.

    For Heavenly Cultivators, the Fortune Cemetery was a holy ground that could never be matched within the thirty-three heavens.

    In a man-made cave, Yan Zaizen sat quietly in thought. "This ce contains allws...but itsyers are so odd, so inconsistent. In some ces,ws are sovereigns, even some worldws can rival Imperial Laws in power, but space...an imperialw is inferior to even fire, a mortalw." This fact truly disturbed Yan Zaizen, but also increased his desire to know more about this Heavenly Origin Grounds named the Fortune Cemetery by its inhabitants.

    After some pondering, he could only sigh in wonder. Turning his thoughts elsewhere, a vibrant glow of misty white covered his body as it contained the essence of anything, everything, but also nothing - the essence of mimicry.

    The pyramid form of his Heavenly Shrine showed twoplete floors,pletely filled to the brim with heavenly energy.

    After recovering this level of cultivation, he smiled softly. "Regaining my cultivation is the first step. After this inheritance trial, I¡¯ll reach the utter maximum I can, then find thepass." Setting his priorities, he looked at the white emblem in the shape of a hexagon.

    "Let¡¯s go." With a thought, the hexagon shattered into bits. These bits were of a brilliant white color and fluttered about like weightless ss, it felt surreal. Yan Zaizen could¡¯ve sworn that the shattered ss was soft feathers. These feather-ss shards swirled softly and continued until it became a vortexrge enough for several men to fit in.

    "I¡¯m sure this trial won¡¯t be simple." Recalling the Earthly Beginnings and Heavenly End trial, he knew there would be some challenges here. With a calm heart, he entered the white vortex. Soon after, it slowly shrunk until it became a dot of light. Then, like a tongue of fire touching water, the light turned to a wisp of smoke.

 Chapter 320 Dao Heart 1

    "Brother Zai! Brother Zai!" A soft voice filled with immature softness but a perfect amount of sweetness echoed.

    "Wha...?" A young manying on a bed struggled to remain asleep, but the pressure on his abdomen was too suffocating. Looking about, a girl aged ten or eleven was striding his abdomen like a bull, but her fists were smashing onto his chest. It gave him no sense offort, but just pain.

    "Get off," he demanded softly.

    "No! Brother Zai, you must get up! You must!" The little girl was insistence, unwilling to relent and even increasing the strength of his blows. If the young man was a normal person, he¡¯d likely have died by now.

    "Why? Why?! Why?!!" Annoyed, he couldn¡¯t help but shout, but it didn¡¯t help as his breathing was a little too heavy due to theck of air in his lungs. ¡¯I swear, if you weren¡¯t my little sister, I¡¯d chuck you off the side of Meteor Cliff.¡¯

    "Sister Ya is arriving in an hour, you must get ready!"

    "What?!" Those words were like a boom in his head, waking him up toplete rity. "That¡¯s today?" Without hesitation, he pushed the little girl aside, but softly onto the bed, and got up. "Why didn¡¯t you wake me sooner?!"

    With hastiness obvious in his movements, he checked his spatial bags filled with various outfitsid on the dresser. Each drawer contained various colored spatial bags filled with clothes, shoes, socks, and even essories.

    The young girl smiled mischievously before pouting as if she was wronged, "I tried! But you¡¯re just toozy, hmph. I hope she sees you for beingzy!" The little girl condemned the young man before dashing off, hiding her snicker behind her hand.

    Rolling his eyes, the young man no longer bothered with the little girl, only contemting how to suit up for the event today. After all, today was the day Ya Qinqan, the heiress of the Ya n, wasing to the Yan n. He had to make a good impression.

    This young man had beautifully amber-gold eyes, but an average countenance, and slim physique. When he turned to the mirror beside his bed, he smiled softly. "Yan Zaizen, you will definitely win the hand of her. You got this."

    After thirty minutes of intense decision-making that strained his nerves, Yan Zaizen finally found an outfit. It was an azure outfit befitting a noble. He had a few golden rings on his fingers and golden robe over his outfit. It truly screamed that he had wealth and status.

    Yan Zaizen belonged to the Yan n, which was the number one merchant n within Meteorite City. He was the grandson of the n head and son of the next heir. With this line of session, he¡¯ll definitely be the next head and hold the entire n¡¯s fortune in his hand.

    The best part, he was engaged to the Ya n heiress who was the number one beauty of Meteorite City. Not only was her beauty at the apex, but so was her cultivation talent amongst her peers. With her by his side, with the money his n possesses, they could ascend to the sky together in with leap!

    Briskly walking towards the entry room, Yan Zaizen held his chin high and his posture straight, exuding supreme confidence and haughtiness. In his mind, only someone with their eyes within the clouds could attract the attention of someone like Ya Qinqan.

    As he entered the room, he heard a soft chuckle followed by an outrageous and uncontrobleughter.

    "Hahahahaha! Look at you! Such a silk-pants, such a Yan Zaizen! With your nose so high, I wonder if you can smell your ugliness!" The little girl, Yan Zaizen¡¯s little sister, said in a fit ofughter and disdain.

    Startled, Yan Zaizen turned towards this little munchkin of a girl and red. He, Yan Zaizen, was not ugly! With a flourish of his sleeves, he ignored the girl¡¯s scathing words. Today was his day. Today was the day he¡¯ll meet his future bride. Who cares about this girl¡¯s stinky voice?

    "I, Yan Linzen, will never be with someone like you." Sticking her tongue out, Yan Linzen was merciless with her words.

    "Who would want to be with someone like you, huh?! You little munchkin!" He flourished his sleeve once more as if shoo¡¯ing a pest.

    "Hmph, acting all powerful but still don¡¯t realize your worth." With those words, she left from wherever she was, bringing Yan Zaizen some peace and quiet.

    "I¡¯ll prove my worth, I definitely will."

    A few minutes passed.

    "I wonder what I should say..."

    Thirty minutes passed.

    "It¡¯s almost time." Yan Zaizen brushed his robe down, making sure no speck of dust or lint was left. "I have to look proper." As he said this, a figure emerged from the residence. This was a old man with grey hair and a grey goatee. His eyes was vibrant and his back stood straight like a young warrior.

    "Young Master?" With a slight brow raised, he asked.

    "Uncle Grey," briefly acknowledging, Yan Zaizen kept his mind focused on the entrance awaiting Ya Qinqan¡¯s arrival.

    "Young Master, if you¡¯re waiting for Miss Ya, you¡¯re about three hours too early..." Knowing the personality of this sixteen year old young boy, Uncle Grey reminded before warily smiling.

    "..." Yan Zaizen turned towards Uncle Grey as if he had heard wrong, "three hours?" Uncle Grey nodded.

    "You little beastly munchkin! I¡¯ll skin you alive one of these days!" Furious, he bellowed his threat.

    Uncle Grey could only warily shake his head softly and smile as he heard this. The young miss was ying a prank on the young master once more. Knowing this, he decided to take his swift leave. Even Yan Zaizen could only see his shadow vanish from his sights.

    Clenching his teeth and fist, he took a deep breath. If he didn¡¯t love this little sister of his, he¡¯d slit her throat in her sleep. This wasn¡¯t the first time for such a prank nor did it ever stop. Justst week she had took all his spatial bags and clothing when he was bathing, then called for all the female staffs to wait outside of the bath silently...

    The end result was obvious.

    That was rather tamepared to her worst prank, always praying upon his weaknesses.

    "Fine, three hours. I¡¯ll wait right here. What¡¯s three hours, right? Nothing!" Seeing as he had already dressed himself, there was no reason to return.

    An hourter.

    "I¡¯ll let her see my left side first, that¡¯s my best side. Hehe. She¡¯ll be mesmerized." Yan Zaizen smiled in his own delusions. Whilst that was happening, he hadn¡¯t realized a small munchkin in the background with a balloon of ck liquid.

    "Let¡¯s see if you can keep your nose up high like this." With a devilish smile and fiendish snicker, Yan Linzen chucked the balloon at Yan Zaizen.

    Pow!

    "Eyyyyyhhhhhh!!!!"

    An explosion of ck liquid coated his entire body, nearly causing him to scream rather awkwardly. Even Uncle Grey who was watching from afar, couldn¡¯t help but stifle hisughter at this. As this was a matter between the main family, he wouldn¡¯t interfere unless it was life-threatening, but he could certainly enjoy the show.

    "You!!!" Yan Zaizen inspected himself and realized he smelled like oil and fish. His eyes turned bloodshot and he turned towards Yan Linzen who only calmly stood there with a content smile on her face. "Do you smell your ugliness now? Hehe."

    "YOOOOUUUUUU!!!" With a fierce kickoff, he dashed towards her with his all, exhibiting all his cultivation. s, Yan Linzen only revealed a look of disdain and vanished from his sights. By the time he reached her with the intent to grapple, he had only grasped air. However, he didn¡¯t give up as he relentlessly pursued her shadow.

    Yan Zaizen was never talented in cultivation, even now only being at the mid-Qi Cyclone Realm at sixteen years old, but Yan Linzen was the exact opposite, having a blessed talent for cultivation. At the age of 10, she was already a peak-Essence Formation Realm expert, far beyond Yan Zaizen.

    Therefore, no matter what he did, he couldn¡¯t catch up to her. His eyes that were blinded by rage and his body fueled by revenge was left without a ce to vent. After several minutes, he had already tired himself out.

    "Hmph, you quit far too easily." With onest taunt, Yan Linzen left his sight to god-knows-where.

    "Haaaa..." Looking at his ruined clothes, he just decided to go and get changed. The walk back was definitely one of shame as the servants and workers saw and smelled him, but besides whispers and thoughts, no one openly said anything.

    After returning back to his room.

    "You filthy munchkin!" Yan Zaizen screamed his lungs out, causing everyone to only warily smile, softly chuckle, or feel pity. When he returned, all his clothes and spatial bags were gone. However, there was only one outfit left. A white-t and baggy pants. The worst part was that the white-t had writing on it saying: "Mr. High Nose" in red.

    After a bout of fierce screams, he truly grew too tired. He removed all his dirty clothes, cleaned himself thoroughly, andid on the bed. Looking at the ceiling with a soft gaze, "Lin..."

    His cultivation talent was horrible, he knew this. His intelligence wasn¡¯t high, he knew this. He was a hollow golden egg, he knew this. "Does that mean I can¡¯t be happy?"

    In truth, he loved his sister. Truly and deeply. When she was born, he swore to always be there for her and protect her. He even tried to cultivate harder, but regardless of what he did, he always fell short of sess.

    The Ya Qinqan of the Ya n was the one happiness he had outside of family. She was beautiful, talented, and grand, but she was his fiancee! Albeit they¡¯ve never met before, he still knew that fate didn¡¯t abandon him as he would at least produce perfect children with a wife like that.

    Closing his eyes, he felt like his dream wasing true.

    "YAN CLAN! The Ya n has arrived." An epic voice roared. This voice traveled throughout the entire n grounds. Yan Zaizen immediately rose up, a smile on his face, and his eyes vibrant. However, he realized his issue with clothes and turned towards the white-t...

    Wait...

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes were filled with disbelief. No longer was there a white-t and baggy pants but an amber-gold martial arts outfit and a robe that seemed to perfectly fit it. Just beside it was floating letters of qi. It said: "Only this time, smelly." The outfit was a lot better looking than his previous obnoxious outfit of wealth. It was far more down-to-earth and suited him perfectly.

    "Thank you," Yan Zaizen softly said before cing the outfit on. It truly fit him in every way, even entuating his brilliant eyes which were his only good feature.

    He stepped outside, his heart throbbing, but a cyan shadow caught his attention at the corner of his eye. He turned his head but found nothing there. Shaking his head, he left.

 Chapter 321 Dao Heart 2

    At the Yan n¡¯s main entrance were a few figures, most of them being humble servants and those of some status in the n wishing to greet and see the Ya n¡¯s heiress. When Yan Zaizen arrived, he noticed a few important figures from his n at the entrance hall. There was his father, his mother, his uncle, his aunt, and his little sister. They were all standing at the forefront of the group with calm and anticipatory gazes.

    When he arrived beside them, despite being thest one there, no one among them admonished him for it. They likely were unwilling to lower his mood or highlight his ws. Instead, his sister had a slight smile of innocence, his mother gave him a smile filled with warmth and excitement, his father held his hand behind his back and within it was a card that said: ¡¯you can do this,¡¯ and his uncle and aunt just looked forward.

    Yan Zaizen looked towards this aunt and uncle of his. Since his birth and talent test, they had always treated him calmly and respectfully but with no love. However, whenever he looked towards them, he felt a boundless love for them that was incredibly contradictory to his experiences.

    He could remember oftenly having opposing views with them and their often sly condescending words, but regardless of anything they did, his feelings and thoughts towards them never changed.

    "Yan n!" A middle-aged man with a surging pressure spoke. However, not the least bit of respect was in his tone or gaze. Instead, Yan Zaizen could see some contempt in his gaze. He couldn¡¯t see through his cultivation base, but it reminded him of Uncle Grey, a Qi Unification expert, but it may be higher.

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s father frowned slightly. This man had shouted twice, both times they were already here waiting for them. He understood the first time as an announcement, but the second time was needless. He stepped forward, "Greetings, Ya n. Allow my Yan n to formally wee you." His tone was respectful but contained no essence of subservience.

    The middle-aged man, named Ya Jinai, an elder of the Yan n, snorted coldly in response, obviously antagonistic towards the Yan n.

    Yan Zaizen looked passed this middle-aged man and spotted a single person standing behind him with a grand attire and a soft smile. His eyes traced the people present, stopping momentarily on Yan Zaizen before sneering slightly and moving on, settling on the Yan n Leader, Yan Zaizen¡¯s father.

    "May I ask when Ya Qinqan will arrive? If she¡¯s not already here." Yan Zaizen¡¯s father questioned. He thought the carriage holding Ya Qinqan would arrive, but only Ya Jinai and this unknown young man had arrived.

    "She will not being." Ya Jinai coldly stated.

    His words caused a miniature uproar to erupt. Even Yan Linzen furrowed her brows and looked displeased.

    "What do you mean by this?" Yan Zaizen¡¯s father questioned, but his tone was far more aggressive with no respectfulness behind it.

    "Hmph! Know your ce." Ya Jinai grew angered, releasing his aura causing the servants and even Yan Zaizen to feel like a block of cement was ced on their chest. Yan Zaizen was startled by this situation, but even more so by Ya Jinai¡¯s cultivation base as his dantian contained an origin core!

    Clearing his throat, the young man dressed in grand attire walked up and smiled softly. The eyes of everyone drew towards him like he was the dazzling north star in the sky. "I am an Envoy of the Stars Fallen Empire under Imperial Order. Ya Qinqan has established an rtionship with the Third Prince, one of mutual appreciation, thus all other agreements will be severed from henceforth."

    "..." Everyone grew silent, even the heartbeats of everyone seemed to grow silent.

    "What does that mean?" Yan Zaizen broke this silence, not understanding what the young man said. He was truly confused. What did Ya Qinqan¡¯s rtionship with the third prince have to do with their engagement?

    The servants couldn¡¯t help but softly shake their heads. Many thinking about how this poor child was just humiliated and turned into a cuckold without even realizing it. Not a single one of them thought it was shock, but true stupidity.

    This young master of theirs had never been known for his intelligence or talent, but known for being slow and weak. He was the poster boy of ¡¯born with a gold spoon, but an empty book¡¯.

    Yan Linzen looked towards Yan Zaizen, her gaze constantly flickering. There were manyplex emotions, but the most prevalent was anger. Despite being ten years old, even she realized the situation. It wasn¡¯t just her, but even Yan Zaizen¡¯s parents were feeling a surging tidal wave of rage. This was humiliation of the highest, even if ites from the Emperor!

    The young man couldn¡¯t care less about their anger, but instead turned towards Yan Linzen. This young girl was born with an exceptional talent and unique physique, and his job wasn¡¯t just to dere the cancetion of Ya Qinqan¡¯s arranged marriage.

    "I also have two other matters to attend to," when he said this, suddenly pattering sounds of footsteps resounded outside. The Yan n could barely react before a literal army appeared at their entrance, dressed in the uniform synonymous with the royal family¡¯s army, and auras radiating battle intent.

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s father was startled, his eyes wide with shock and surprise. While the rejection was always a possibility, but the army outside was aplete blindside. In truth, he anticipated them to reject the marriage and hoped to use this to fuel and harden Yan Zaizen¡¯s personality for the cruelties of life. With that, he could be firmly suited to be the true heir after grueling effort to rid himself of his disabilities and shorings.

    Yet...

    "What is the meaning of all this?!" A sudden thundering voice exploded outwards. This voice caused even the army to shiver, but the Yan n¡¯s main family to smile in relief. As for Yan Zaizen, he was still trying to understand what was happening and why.

    An old man appeared in the sky, hands behind his back, and his eyes cold and questioning. His aura proved he was a top-tier expert, possessing peak-Origin Core cultivation. In Meteorite City, this was the absolute pinnacle, but in the Stars Fallen Empire, this was only a rtively powerful person.

    Despite this, there weren¡¯t many at his realm let alone at his stage of development.

    "Hmph! Did you not hear, deaf bat." An even more powerful voice exploded and a man in white imperial robes and a de at his waist. This de was a machete. Despite it being sheathed, the sharpness it emitted was painful for all to even nce at.

    This man had a cultivation at the initial-True Essence Realm, with the true-essence roiling across his body. The pressure he outputted was so powerful that the Yan n¡¯s patriarch immediately grimaced andnded on the ground despite his efforts.

    "The Imperial Executioner!" The Yan n¡¯s patriarch roared through clenched teeth.

    "Continue," the Imperial Executioner coldly said to the Envoy. The Envoy calmly smiled and nodded before pulling out two documents. "His majesty has officiated an arranged marriage he believes to be of the utmost suited for the empire¡¯s agenda for growth and greatness," he turned his gaze towards Yan Linzen, this only ten year old girl, "Yan Linzen and the Fourth Prince."

    One of the documents he had in his hand was an Imperial Marriage Order. With this, the matter could be said to be set in stone.

    "What?!" Everyone was shocked, including Yan Linzen and Yan Zaizen. They were truly taken aback by their actions, but more so even the order of their actions and show of force. Firstly, they humiliate the heir of the n, bring a literal army to their doorstep, then snatch their talented jewel! Wasn¡¯t this the same as making enemies with the Yan n to death?

    However, the next order immediately caused everyone to be filled with despair and realization.

    "Thest order is an Order of Arrest, Seize, and Investigate." The young man softly said.

    "!!!"

    "Impossible! Why?!"

    "What have we done to deserve this?!"

    The members of the Yan n was in disbelief and threw out a fierce bout of questioning. An Order of A.S.I is as its name suggests, and albeit the reasons for such an order to be issued varied, it was nearly a condemnation from the beginning. That was because of the ¡¯Seize¡¯ portion of the order leading to all assets,nds, and wealth to be taken immediately. This included servants. Oftentimes, the investigation may ¡¯clear¡¯ the n, but the ¡¯seize¡¯ would continue until the empire decided appropriate.

    "The Yan n is under the suspicion of conspiracy against the crown. Until the investigation ends, we¡¯ll be enforcing the order." Those words caused the entire army¡¯s aura to surge, as if expecting resistance and disying the readiness to snuff it all.

    "No one is to resist!" The patriarch shouted, a tinge of helplessness emerging in his tone and expression. He knew that Yan Linzen¡¯s physique might be exposed one day, but to think it would be so soon...

    To the upper-echelon only, Yan Linzen was born with an Absolute Yin Physique. This physique attributed to her exceptional talent and intelligence, but it was a double-edged sword. She was the perfect dual-cultivation partner, or better to say...the best furnace.

    Any male cultivator would only see profound benefits, but she would slowly waste away...their actions were essentially to gain material to ckmail Yan Linzen to willingly give her Absolute Yin. After all, while an Absolute Yin Physique is perfect, it has its own mechanisms for protection as the heavens are often fair.

    Any man who were to take her unwillingly can only offer their own life in exchange, as Yin would dominate Yang and their souls would turn into a Yin Spirit.

    The others were unwilling, but what could they do?

    "What is happening?" Yan Zaizen still felt confused. However, this confusion wasn¡¯t brought about by his stupidity, but his vision.

    A young woman appeared before him. She was absolutely beautiful. If perfection could be personified into a figure, this woman was it. However, Yan Zaizen couldn¡¯t see her face, couldn¡¯t see her expressions, but only her cyan robes and amber-gold eyes. She was like a spirit of his greatest dreams.

    "I..." At a lost for words, he realized that he didn¡¯t feel any pressure from auras. Looking around, he realized everyone, everything, were frozen in time. Except the woman whose robes fluttered about without wind.

    "Who are you." A soft, feminine voice filled with a imperialist tone resounded. It wasn¡¯t a question, but more a statement. Yan Zaizen was startled, looking at this young woman who faded soon after.

    "Brother Zai..."

    He turned his head to observe the frozen Yan Linzen, her eyes filled with rage, fear, also helplessness and despair. She understood the situation fully. This was the first time in his life that he saw his sister with this look. It brought about an odd feeling in his heart.

    Clink!

    At that moment, it was like a gate restricting his intelligence was opened. However, his eyes held an absence of conscious.

    Then, everything resumed.

    "Good. Do it." Seeing the n with no intention to resist, the Envoy spoke. The Imperial Executioner used his overwhelming true-essence to lock everyone down. In minutes, all members, including Yan Zaizen, was restrained and grouped together. Yan Linzen was taken. She didn¡¯t say a single word of resistance, only looked at absent-minded Yan Zaizen at thest minute.

    A tear fell from the corner of her eye.

    "So that¡¯s what this is." Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes grew sharp.

 Chapter 322 Dao Heart 3

    "How cruel..." Yan Zaizen¡¯s dampened intelligence, insight, and experience returned like a thundering boom in the sky, sudden and powerful. However, when he looked around, his sharp eyes couldn¡¯t help but feel profound, unfathomable sadness.

    Surrounding him were his nsmen, surrounding him were his blood, surrounding him was his mother and father, and a life. As someone whoprehended the Imperial Law of Samsara, he found the entire sight to be unnerving. There was only one reason for that:

    This world wasn¡¯t an illusion!

    "To create an entire world...its own reincarnation cycle...but to control these people like a god of fate." The world he was in was not fake. No, it would be better to say it wasn¡¯t an illusory world within his mind. Everything here was real, but the path of destiny was manipted and altered.

    What more...these nsmen were created from his origin source, his physical DNA, and memories of his past. They were as real as Bai Lufeng and Tao, they were as real as him and Ma Xiuren. They possessed their own souls, memories, consciousness unique to them, and even the world itself was true. Even time was consistent, a second here meant a second in the outside world.

    "A trial like this...truly is cruel." Closing his eyes, he repressed the chaotic emotions surging through his mind and soul. "I lived an entire sixteen years with repressed intelligence and memories...sixteen years I apanied these people who are both real and fake, sixteen years I loved them and they loved me."

    With clenched teeth, he struggled fiercely to keep his emotions in check. The seething rage and profound sensation of sadness that could erupt and might rip apart his entire being, including his dao. He couldn¡¯t allow that to happen.

    "What¡¯s the purpose of this trial? To test me how?" Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes shed in thought, he looked at the True Essence expert who had locked them down with his aura. "I need to wait...I need to see why." He knew that him awakening from his consciousness wasn¡¯t done purposefully. Instead, he was supposed to remain in his original state for a long period of time or forever, and that was part of the trial.

    Considering the trial didn¡¯t end immediately upon sobering up meant that there was more to this trial than meets the eye.

    The True Essence expert sealed the cultivation bases of those nsmen above the Essence Formation Realm and directly left. They were escorted to another location. While they did, Yan Zaizen inspected this world in detail and discovered a few things.

    Firstly, thews here were consistent with thews outside, but simr to the Dusk Zone, somews were of a different hierarchy than normal. In truth, thews aligned with the Dusk Zone exactly. This meant he was still in the Dusk Zone or at least apart of it, likely a sub-realm of some sort.

    Secondly, despite thews being present, they were all equally weaker than the outside. This was likely to amodate the false reincarnation cycle set up in the realm. It was truly ingenious, but it didn¡¯t seem like it was done by a person but by an object of sorts. The reason for this was the aura the cycle released, it was far too different from outside.

    Lastly, the people here didn¡¯t know that they were created for a purpose and seems to be operating normally. He could only conclude that the creator only manipted some matters, such as his n and birth as well as his circumstance. This was supported by the fact the world had hundreds of thousands of years of established history, talented people, and tragedies.

    At sixteen years old, he met both tragedy and fortune. It was the day he obtained the Meteor Ring. It was the day he met Han Genji, his one and only master. It changed the entirety of his life and led to his current path. Thanks to his rtionship with Han Genji, he was betrayed at Xuanwu City and sent to chaotic space. The subsequent events led to him meeting Pinaka, and then here.

    It started it all.

    Therefore, it¡¯s possible the story of this world must remain consistent. Likely, the reason why the person wanted someone at the second-floor was the limit to their lifespans. With the limitations ofws here, it¡¯ll be fortunate if someone with supreme talent could reach the third-floor. This could¡¯ve been purposeful or outside of the creators power to change.

    With their minds repressed, they would be forced to forge their own path anew. "But...why?"

    Since he didn¡¯t participate in the six trials leading up to here, he had no idea of the theme of this trial or purpose.

    After several days, an event urred en route to their prison. A meteorite fell from the sky and smashed heavily into their vicinity. They were held down by experts of the royal family while the others checked out the events. Then, a monster struck.

    All the royal members who went to investigate were killed. The monster brought fear to the royal members and they departed leaving the Yan n as bait to stall the beast. Yan Zaizen and his nsmen escaped from this tragedy thankfully.

    When the monster saw him, it subsequently died. When it did, it transformed into a spirit that integrated into his body and giving him ess to incredible strength, but he needed resources and perseverance to grow stronger using this mechanism. The beast attempted to im his consciousness and body for its own, seemingly because its body was too weak.

    Fortunately, the first attempt was weak and Yan Zaizen easily imed victory, but he was segregated from his family a far distance due to the intense struggle, arriving at the edge of the continent. With that, the Yan n became fugitives, chased by the royal family with the intent of capture or death.

    Yan Zaizen sat on a tree stump, looking at the tattoo that signified the beast, his eyes glowing with light. "To think it was a trial like that..."

    Yan Zaizen realized the trial wanted to impose simrities to his previous life to now. The tragedy of loss, the desire for strength, and a goal - to save and protect his sister. He allowed the events to ur without interference, and it allowed him to further understand the trial¡¯s goal.

    The answer: to develop a dao.

    Not just any dao, his dao.

    The Dao of Sovereign Ascension was the embodiment of a multitude of daos, but as for the overarching concept of this dao, it was the rising of a sovereign from the lowest point, developing domineering ferocity, profound warmth, unrelenting persistence, and decisiveness to ughter all in one¡¯s path if need be. It was a profound dao at the peak of the upper limits a dao could possess.

    A Sovereign¡¯s Dao!

    The core of this dao was to never lose oneself while on the rise regardless of what one faces, hence Yan Zaizen was often at risk, but it also meant his dao was worth it.

    Likely, all those who took the trial would be put in enabling situations in this real yet false world and attempt to redevelop their dao. If they fail the first time? Perhaps they would reincarnate until their lifespans run out. That seemed to be the case looking at the characteristics of this world.

    "To develop my dao..." Yan Zaizen shook his head, with his memories and experiences, this trial just became moot. He didn¡¯t need to wait for experiences to build up, he had those experiences!

    However, he wasn¡¯t sure what would happen if he passed this trial and he had something he couldn¡¯t let go now that it exists.

    His aura surged, no longer did he rely on this unknown strength of a beast or his weak cultivation base. Instead, a white me appeared in his right eye and a ck shadow appeared in his left.

 Chapter 323 Dao Heart 4

    The concept of life and death existed in his body with impable bnce. In this world, the surroundingws were far weaker than normal, but it was still prevalent. Yan Zaizen had reached the Manifestation or Domain-level in essentially all of his knownws; thus, he could galvanize the energy of thews with a single thought.

    This was why the Manifestation-level was the requirement to establish a heavenly shrine, its ability to draw from the heavens and manifest a portion of its power. At the Domain-level, one could then convert a vast area into being dominated by thatw, weakening all others or empowering their own essence energy.

    "Huuuu....Haaaa..." Yan Zaizen inhaled and exhaled, thews of the world cycling around him with life and death as its center. He stepped forth. Time itself seemed to have warped, reality itself seemingly to give itself under the control of Yan Zaizen.

    This was his power.

    The morews heprehended, the greater his ability to learnws or develop concepts. As a Non-Entity, it was merely a thought on his part and he could easily manifest a specific concept. He was reaffirmed of the fact that a Non-Entity was someone blessed by the omniverse. The morews heprehended, the greater his control of the heavens or universe. With thew of mimicry, he could take the form of all things as well, and thews of the Non-Verse made all his energy pure.

    His body became like a ghost in the wind. He moved forward and it was as if his body was an afterimage who only took a step, but in truth, he had already traversed a thousand steps. "Domain of Temporal eleration."

    Step.

    Step.

    Step.

    It was as if each step was a thousand minutes, but only a second had passed in reality. With a step, travel a thousand miles! With his limited cultivation base, he could only usews!

    -----

    En route to the Royal Capital, the Imperial Executioner, the Envoy, a bevy of soldiers, and Yan Linzen were flying upon a skyship. On board, Yan Linzen wasn¡¯t restrained as she stood on the side of the skyship with eyes filled with indifference. However, within those eyes filled with indifference, a glimmer of despairid.

    That glimmer, that emotion, was unsuited for a ten year old girl. All those who would see her apathetic eyes would feel lost, pity, and a desire to help.

    "We¡¯re here." The Envoy arrived near Yan Linzen, his eyes bright and excited. To him, Yan Linzen¡¯s arrival was a sign of a job well done, and thus he would be rewarded ordingly. With that reward, he could gain more resources or more attention from the imperials, allowing his future to be brighter.

    Yan Linzen acted as if she didn¡¯t hear, only continued staring at the direction where her n once stood proud. Particrly, she was worrying about her brother. That stupid fool will likely have it much harder than the rest. That indifferent gaze turned, for a split second, of one disying deep sadness.

    "You...you must live a good life." Her words were so soft that only she could hear her words. However...

    "I will, and so will you." A voice seemingly replied from nowhere. It startled all those on board, especially the Envoy and Immortal Executioner. Their qi-sense surged outwards almost instinctively to find the originator of that voice.

    Yan Linzen¡¯s gaze lost focus in disbelief and then she, as if feeling something, turned around. What should¡¯ve just been the Royal Capital in the background was blocked, and the figure that blocked it was sturdy with a warm smile. The figure was calmly standing on the deck.

    The Imperial Executioner and the Envoy noticed her movements and looked at the direction of her gaze, but there was nothing there. Absolutely nothing.

    "Brother...Zai...?" She was confused by the event before her. Was she hallucinating her brother? However, he was clearly in front of her, with those amber-gold eyes, and that extraordinarily foolish smile on his face. That smile wiped out her indifference, copsed her despair, and the memories of her past washed over her.

    When she was two, she had just started cultivation but had suffered an injury due to her overzealousness. It was this brother of hers that kissed her injury, cleaned it up, and told her to inform him whenever she wanted to do something dangerous, he¡¯d always apany her.

    His exact words: "If you want to jump off a cliff, be sure to tell Big Brother Zai, I can use my body as a cushion."

    Recalling those words, no matter how dumb, was sweet and so like her Big Brother.

    Since then, he¡¯d apany her on the painful path of cultivation, and always protect her with his body even if he would be injured in the process.

    When she failed once at the age of four, there were nsmen who were jealous of her and made fun of her and even physically pushed her. Yet, Yan Zaizen stood up for her, but he didn¡¯t use violence. Instead, insisting that nsmen shouldn¡¯t insult or hurt each other, and if they wanted to hurt someone, they could aim it all at him.

    They did.

    But Yan Zaizen only epted it with a chuckle and smile, after all...they were only four to six year old kids. Yan Zaizen was ten at the time and could easily overpower them, but never did. He only asked them to let it all out and stop hurting his sister.

    These were only two of many stories of the fool that was her big brother.

    There were far, far too much to mention.

    "You...are you?" Yan Linzen¡¯s voice broke and she was almost certain she was experiencing a hallucination after hearing the questioning voices of those surrounding here.

    "Whoever¡¯s there, show yourself!" The Imperial Executioner shouted, his aura exploding outwards violently. This was not just a form of intimidation, but to alert the other experts of the Royal Capital.

    "Sixteen years, I grew up here, I watched you grow, and I protected you. It¡¯s both miraculous and cruel." The voice continued to resound as if it existed in all time.

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s words startled all those on board and they looked at Yan Linzen, all their gazes were confused.

    "Cruel? What...what do you mean?"

    "You aren¡¯t just my sister...it¡¯s like...you¡¯re my daughter. Your mother and father were created from my memories, but are only false copies, but you, you were created from my own DNA, my soul source, and was a new existence. You¡¯re my sister, my daughter, my clone..."

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s words further confused everyone of them, but Yan Linzen¡¯s eyes were wider than ever. It was as if, deep down, she knew his words were the truth. She didn¡¯t know how to feel...

    "But, even if this world copses, I, Yan Zaizen, will not abandon you. I¡¯ll show you our true mother, father, my wife who is your sister, and your step-mother. Will you follow me?" Yan Zaizen asked, his voice tinged with indescribableplexities, but a distinct warmth.

    Yan Linzen was startled by all this, but she knew that in this world, only her brother was her ¡¯true¡¯ family. Her mother and father were ¡¯warm¡¯ and ¡¯caring¡¯ but it always felt false somehow. However, the connection she felt to this brother of hers was genuine.

    She didn¡¯t have to think long.

    "Brother Zai, yes. But you must keep your promise." She softly smiled, tears flowed down her eyes. These weren¡¯t tears of joy or sadness, but empty tears. They weren¡¯t fake, but it was brought about by the realization that the world around her might not be as she believed it to be.

    Yan Zaizen smiled in reply, "Good. I should be arriving in...3...2...1." As he counted down, the hearts of all those who stood in confusion matched his rhythm.

    A shadow flickered into existence in the direction Yan Linzen had been looking at. This shadow seemed to exist out of time for a single moment until all of itbined and time itself was corrected.

    Yan Zaizen appeared, his mouth seemed to undergo the motions of his previous words in a sh, including the countdown, but it was inaudible and felt out of time. Then, it ended.

    "A time remnant...truly fascinating. To exist ahead of time and outside of it. Spacetime is miraculously profound, especially chaotic spacetime." Yan Zaizenmented in wonder. There were far too many abilities he possessed, so he didn¡¯t have the ability or time to always utilize them.

    What he did wasn¡¯t traveling to the future or past, instead, he imposed his time signature ahead and interacted with the present. He essentially created a clone outside of the past or future, and within the present. However, that ¡¯present¡¯ was his future.

    It was a path he would and will take. As for why Yan Linzen could see his ¡¯Path¡¯ visibly was because she and he were ¡¯one¡¯ and they had the same signature, like being on the same frequency. It was miraculous beyond belief. This also confirmed Yan Zaizen¡¯s theory of who she was.

    As for his words, if his form was in his ¡¯present¡¯s future¡¯ then his words were in the ¡¯present¡¯. All those in hearing range of his Time Remnant could hear it. There were limitations such as forcing a ¡¯¡¯path¡¯ of one¡¯s present self, and itcked the essence of teleportation, but it worked as a message or avatar.

    "Let¡¯s go." Yan Zaizen smiled, but he turned towards the Royal Capital after he said that. He tapped his finger towards the capital.

    Tap!

    This tap seemed to touch the essence of souls. The Third and Fourth Prince died. Their souls snuffed out with a thought and tap.

    His eyes narrowed. A figure appeared in his view of all space. A woman, a beautiful one who looked exactly like Ya Qinqan appeared, and she wasying on a bed with one of the prince¡¯s body on top of her, his eyes nk and his life ended.

    "In my life, you were beneath my revenge. In this world, it remains the same." Saying those words, he tapped out towards the Imperial Executioner and Envoy¡¯s direction. A deathly aura swept towards them, siphoned their entire cultivation in a gust.

    They became mortals with a thought.

    This gust of deathly aura didn¡¯t cease. It swept the entirety of the Royal Capital, taking all of their cultivation and resources in a few seconds.

    "In this falsely crafted real world, I¡¯ll leave the Yan n a way out. After all, they were designed from my memories." Recalling his mother, father, aunt, and uncle, he felt a tinge of pain. This was all he could do. With the copse of the royal faction, this would remove the criminal status of the Yan n and enable their unrestrained future.

    "Brother...Zai...?" Yan Linzen was the only one who was untouched, she was in disbelief at the events happening before her. Was her brother always this godly?

    "I¡¯ll exin everything to you, but for now, rest. When you awaken, I¡¯ll let you see my wife and our true parents. I promise." He turned towards her and warmly spoke. He approached her and gave her a hug. This hug contained unfathomable feelings.

    "Okay...Brother Zai." Yan Linzen, a ten year old girl, didn¡¯t reject or ask for more. She trusted her brother.

    She lost consciousness in his arms.

 Chapter 324 Dao Heart 5

    Looking at Yan Linzen in his arms, his heart grew taut. He recalled Pinaka¡¯s eyes when they were on Earth, the longing for a family. Who knew fate would produce this type of family?

    "Let¡¯s finish this. I can¡¯t spend too much time in here." Decisively speaking, he stepped forward and once again utilized the power of time to traverse a vast distance in a short period. When he stopped, he was at akeside. The water was calm and pure.

    "This entire creation is far beyond my current understanding to grasp fully. I can deduce that this is a world simr to a miniature heaven, but also a sub-realm. Not only that..." Yan Zaizen looked at his hand. This hand was normal, no injuries or signs of overwork, but it was a new hand. His entire body was newly born with no indication of Herculean cultivation.

    Also, "This soul isn¡¯t my soul." Yan Zaizen deduced this instantly when he originally came to. His soul, his true soul, wasn¡¯t here. Instead, he was remotely controlling this body¡¯s current surrogate soul with his true soul. It had his exact signature, but it contained no ckhole, bloodline, or dao.

    This soul was fresh and new, created through the unique method of this world¡¯s reincarnation cycle, but it was also unique in that it had no restrictions. This soul was his, and his other soul was his as well.

    "It seems my guess was right. The intent was to recreate the dao...but why? Why does one need two daos of the same? What is the purpose?" Yan Zaizen could only deduce the trial¡¯s intent but not its end goal. If he did create another dao, how would his original dao react?

    Was the main purpose to fuse?

    However, that seemed pointless...there must be another reason.

    "I¡¯ll just have to find out."

    Yan Zaizen closed his eyes. The world vanished, his sense of self vanished, and his connection to the heavens vanished. All that remained was a shell. This shell then started to relive his life, his ¡¯original¡¯ life.

    His birth, the excitement of his parents and love as he grew up. The talent test, followed by the ambush of his parents which led to their deaths and him bing an orphan. How, when it happened, he didn¡¯t believe they had died.

    The times he cleaned up their graves, told them all his glees and woes, and everything else. Then, loving a woman, losing that woman, and being left in despair and nearly abandoned by the n.

    The meteor.

    The start of his cultivation path.

    Han Genji, Lin Feilin¡¯s words when heid broken and in fear, the battles of Basilisk Forest, the schemes of the Ying Family, Xuanwu City¡¯s deadly battle, the endlessness of chaotic space, the country of Grux, the despair in the Deep Mines, the torture and closure of Lady Diyi, the two sects destruction for revenge, the Water Veil Sect¡¯s sh, Dead Soul Sea, arriving at Anima Syndicate, the revival of Wu Yuanxu, and thepletion of his dao!

    The memories flowed like a stream of water in the appropriate order. As they did, his heart enlivened, his mind matured, and his horizons expanded. Then, with his dao, he challenged the heavens for the first time, traveled fearlessly into the Deep Expanse, and fought a Lord of an entire realm!

    He recalled everything, including his battle of the dao within the Sirius Titan Realm and Vast Expanse. Even the loss of Pinaka...

    Boom!

    A cataclysmic explosion erupted, and the world trembled. All lifeforms, regardless of ntlife, wildlife, or humankind all looked up at the sky. The sky had changed colors, no longer being sky-blue but in a hue of amber-gold. For those, regardless of their intelligence level, they all prostrated themselves instinctively as if they were bowing to their god, bowing to their sovereign.

    A warmth overwhelmed their hearts as they epted his dao wholeheartedly. Within this warmth were a relentlessness and imperious nature that affirmed their belief in this sovereign.

    "My Dao is to ascend, to never cease in my pursuit of a grander self and to never yield to my fears or doubt. To always be myself, true to the utmost, regardless of how malevolent or benevolent I be." Yan Zaizen¡¯s words echoed outwards from the sky. A surging wave like that from the ocean urred, flowing across the sky creating a spectacr sight. His words reached the ends of this world.

    Opening his eyes, amber-goldva surged in his pupils. "I¡¯vepleted your trial." As if his words signified the truth, the world began to violently rumble.

    Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t look at the body of Yan Linzen, but her entire form suddenly glowed with a soft light andpressed into a small marble form. It entered his body and merged within his soul. As they were originally ¡¯one¡¯ it was easy to assimte her soul into his.

    The world around him started to shatter like ss. When he saw this, his brows furrowed. A tinge of pain flowed within the depths of his pupils. "So...once the trial ispleted, the world bes obsolete and copses. All I¡¯ve done..."

    This indicated either one of two possibilities, all those who took the trial before failed or with each new participant, the world would begin anew. However, seeing how the world had a history of hundreds of thousands of years, perhaps even millions if one considers the often loss of heritage and history after conflict, thetter was unlikely.

    "Haha,plete the trial and billions upon billions of lives simply...cease. Truly cruel." Yan Zaizenmented onest time before a beam of light exploded from beneath his feet. It was like a thin, square cage with white light within as it enveloped his body.

    He felt his body pull downwards, but he didn¡¯t resist. The pulling force dragged him down at a slow speed. He could see the world that cracked like ss start to break apart and turn to dust and then nothing. Real lives, real souls, must be feeling like the apocalypse was urring before their very eyes. The fear and terror they must be experiencing, but...

    They will soon cease to exist, their souls not entering the reincarnation cycle of the outside world.

    Simply...disappearing.

    Feeling Yan Linzen¡¯s presence to reassure himself, his everything was focused on protecting her from any external force. Luckily, nothing attempted to approach as he was protected by the cage of light.

    When the worldpletely copsed, Yan Zaizen found himself alone in a world of darkness. The sky, sun, moon, stars, earth, and souls all vanished as if they were nothing but a dream. Any other cultivator may ept this as a dream, believing the lives were nothing but a manifestation of their thoughts or illusions, but he knew otherwise. He knew the truth.

    That world was real and so was all the life within it.

    For this trial maker to attempt to fool the trial taker so they wouldn¡¯t feel despondent or depressed could be considered a good intent in a way. At least, they wouldn¡¯t seek old lovers or family. As long as it was all ¡¯fake¡¯, cultivators could easily ept it and move on.

    "As long as Yan Linzen is alive, I, Yan Zaizen, have no regrets." In fact, knowing the world was real further solidified Yan Zaizen¡¯s dao intent. An imprint of reality etched itself within his heart.

    After some time had passed, a tform materialized beneath his feet, halting his descent. The tform waspletely white, t, circr, and about twenty meters in all directions. He stood at the epicenter. His eyes focused ahead.

    A hazy figure that seemed to be made of mist appeared before him. This hazy figure looked to be a woman! This woman had a slim physique, grey hair, but what could be discerned of her face made one see that she was young.

    Yan Zaizen could tell that this hazy figure of a woman wasn¡¯t a true entity or remnant, but an avatar left behind to ry a message or inheritance.

    "To be able to create your dao in two lives. It was deemed impossible by the Elders, but I knew it wasn¡¯t so." The hazy figure spoke with fanatical excitement.

 Chapter 325 Dao Heart 6

    The woman¡¯s fanatic tone of excitement caused Yan Zaizen to frown. In truth, the concept of creating an avatar and establishing another dao was theorized even in the Anima Syndicate, but it was deemed irrelevant or impossible.

    Due to the records, it was hard to tell.

    Anyhow, it exined the concept of creating two differing daos and merging them post-establishment to create an improved dao. For example, the Dao of Sovereign¡¯s Ascension¡¯s foundations originated from multiple lower and middle-tier daos. Unfortunately, the records state that each attempt was a failure, regardless of the oue.

    Regardless of whether it¡¯s a clone of one¡¯s soul or two different people attempting to interconnect their daos, all failed unquestionably.

    As for how Yan Zaizen was capable of achieving this feat, there were two core reasons: Firstly, he sobered up and regained his sense of self. Secondly, and most importantly, he was a Non-Entity.

    The second reason was the most crucial.

    Why?

    Because a Non-Entity wasn¡¯t born with a soul. His soul was artificially constructed or created through some unique, unfathomable means. Considering he already experienced two or three lives,pletely uncertain, he had already achieved creating multiple daos.

    An ordinary soul, even when ced in another body, given another life, and led a simr life experiences with simr circumstances such as him, they would never be able to create a replica of their dao. It was, to put it bluntly, impossible because simr was never ¡¯exact,¡¯ and ¡¯exact¡¯ was never ¡¯real.¡¯

    "Even though it took me thirty-seven billion years, I seeded." Her words caused Yan Zaizen to halt his thoughts. Thirty-seven billion years?

    Holy...

    Yan Zaizen knew that Heavenly Monarch¡¯s could live for tens of millions of years, such as Xiha, but what was the concept of tens of billions of years? That was likeparing a human who could only live one year to one who could live one hundred!

    That very concept of the time caused Yan Zaizen¡¯s heart to lurch in shock.

    "So that¡¯s why...you¡¯re long since dead." Yan Zaizen looked at the shadowy female figure with a little bit of pity.

    "Correct, I have likely died." The woman spoke, but her voice was casual, and her previous excitement had yet to fade, making it seemed as if her death was irrelevant.

    Furrowing in response, Yan Zaizen reached his hand outwards and felt the space around him, but soon shook his head. This woman wasn¡¯t real, and she was no more than a message left behind. They could not converse; therefore, he could not ask her why. Why the need to clone himself, why create an actual world, and why destroy it.

    "However, my belief never died," the message continued, "to create the same dao from different souls isn¡¯t hard, and often done, but to replicate the same dao from the same soul...that was deemed impossible. I do not believe in the impossible, only a problem without a solution."

    "My name¡¯s Yri, a disciple of the Indomitable Dao Pce, wielder of the Dao of Absolute Obsession. As the one whopleted my Dao Trial within this Heavenly Space, I bestow you the title and prestige of a disciple of the Indomitable Dao Pce."

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes grew sharp, "I, Yan Zaizen, refuse." His words were ice-cold, imperious, and unyielding. Even if he took her inheritance, he, Yan Zaizen, Sovereign of his fate, would never ept an invitation from someone so entric and cruel. Despite his words, this was a message, and thus the woman only continued without caring of his refusal.

    "What is the dao? What is the heart? What is the soul? Why is the dao, the heart, and the soul synonymous?" The woman¡¯s gaze turned profound, and even Yan Zaizen felt drawn by her questions. These were questions that he had asked before. For example, why was the Dao within the soul? Why is the Dao a reflection of one¡¯s ethereal heart that contains their sense of self?

    "The Dao, The Origin, The Essence. The three paths of the omniverse, but they all start from one root! The SOUL!" Her words were like thunder, even in the darkness of this world, it was as if thunder and lightning were rumbling about all around.

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes zed fiercely with light. If the Dao was the manifestation of individuality and belief, then Origin was the manifestation of self and existence, and Essence was the manifestation of function and the building blocks of all things! In other words, Essence wasws!

    As a cultivator of the Herculean art andw, essentially thew of physicality and someone whoprehended Samsara, a portion of existential life and spirituality, and possessor of the ck hole...the devourer of all things, he had an incredible understanding of these concepts.

    However, the woman¡¯s words seemed to clear up a dust cloud of confusion. The Dao, Origin, and Essence all interact with the soul!

    "However...it was deemed impossible for a soul to be any of those things. The Dao exists within the soul, the Origin hides within the soul, and the Essence must exist within the soul! Yet, the soul has never, never has it ever!!" Her words became so intense that the sheer degree of fanaticism within her tone was evident and nearly delirious.

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes widened further, his heart racing in anticipation and the sheer emotions ravaged his mind. When he thought of what she was going to say next, he felt it was impossible, but after considering her intent of creating two daos, two lives, its possible!

    Is it possible?!

    Should it be possible?!?!

    She finished her words, her eyes as wide as a maniac in climax, "Exist within them!"

    "My...memories..." Yan Zaizen visible shook. He had memories that were his but wasn¡¯t his, and his soul was special and miraculous, being independent but connected to other ¡¯existences.¡¯ Could it be...his soul was created by others hiding or merging their ¡¯souls¡¯ into his existence?

    He didn¡¯t know if it was true, but if so, it made perfect sense how the ck hole came to be. It was hidden within his soul, his existence, and as it continued to disy its strength by necessity, such as Ezekiel¡¯s invasion and intent, it molded his soul into ¡¯it.¡¯ The figure with the crown, the ck hole, and even the woman...

    Was their souls inside his very origin?

    However, the more he thought about it, the more ludicrous it sounded.

    "So, I created a Divine Art! The art is called the Dao Heart, Grand Soul! The merging of one¡¯s entire soul into one¡¯s dao! Dao Be Soul, Soul Be Grand!" At the end, she was nearlyughing maniacally even in this message.

    "It¡¯s not just an art, no, but a path! A soul cultivation path! To cultivate the soul, to cultivate the dao!"

    In this world, the Dao Path is the only path without cultivation realms. There were only two levels, and no way to change or strengthen after establishment. There was the Mortal Dao and the Grand Dao. A Mortal Dao is created with the help of the heavens and self, it can be lower, middle, or upper-tier but upon creation, cannot be increased in strength or changed.

    The Dao was set upon the first step, forever existing.

    A Grand Dao was the merging of one¡¯s True Origin with the Mortal Dao, but even now, Yan Zaizen barely had any idea how this was done. He only knew that his False Grand Dao formed due to obtaining a trace of his True Origin thanks to Xiha¡¯s item. However, if the Mortal Dao was the true Dao, then a Grand Dao merged Dao and Origin. If so, it¡¯s possible that there was a third form of Dao, one fused with Origin and Essence.

    "A Divine Art that cultivates the soul to cultivate the Dao...this woman is either incredibly mad or unimaginably brilliant, maybe even both!" The concept wasn¡¯t as simple as creating a new path, but far, far more profound.

    "Here. I hope that you cultivate this art with the tools you have. To achieve and travel a path never traveled before, to cultivate the dao! I, Yri, have long created my own path beneath the heavens, but I have always wished to defy the heavens, and to forge my own path above it!" The ambition in her words was infectious, as even Yan Zaizen started to pant heavily in response, his eyes red in madness. She waved her hand sending a beam of light into Yan Zaizen¡¯s soul.

    He didn¡¯t reject. The beam of light contained the entirety of the Divine Art: Dao Heart, Grand Soul!

    The initial requirement of it was already extremely insane! Tomit suicide and merge one¡¯s soul into one¡¯s dao! Unlike Absolute Dao Merge, this was permanent!

 Chapter 326 Dao Heart 7

    Sifting through the rest of this divine art that seemed intent to defy conventions, Yan Zaizen¡¯s breathing and heartbeat raced erratically. The very fact that this art exist and were created held untold implications on the possibilities beneath and above the heavens, some of which even rted to himself.

    The more he learned,prehended, and deduced, the further he realized that this wasn¡¯t a path and earned its name of a ¡¯art¡¯, a divine art in fact. However, after cultivating it, it would definitely feel demonic and domineering, can even be called a demonic art. Sufficiently capable of being ssified as heaven-defying or heaven-exceeding!

    "Merge the soul with the dao, sacrifice dao for connection, establish union and refine the soul!" This was the art, but this art could grow and develop, bing close to a path of cultivation as a path can get without being defined by heavenlyws.

    "So...that¡¯s why the same dao and soul must be created, but this...this is all theory!" Yan Zaizen was certain this was a theorized art, unfinished and untested. It was as Yri said, no one had been able to establish two daos of the same. Considering she belonged to a force named Indomitable Dao Pce, it may not be an absolute certainty, but it must be an extreme rarity to the point a force that could produce Yri had no record of it.

    "..." The message remained silent, staring nkly ahead as if awaiting something. It was a while before Yan Zaizen broke free from his thoughts. When he observed the nk avatar of the hazy female remain there, he scanned around himself and his expression darkened.

    "How ruthless!" He coldly spat. This Yri obviously intended to prevent him from leaving, only showing a way out after they initiate the art. This art could, and likely will, have disastrous effects on the main soul if performed. Even death was likely.

    "Haaa..." With a deep exhale, he attempted to connect and locate his original body, but s, he found no clue or indication of its existence. His choices were to either cultivate the art or stay here forever. Maniacs truly were willing to push others to death in pursuit of their ambitions.

    "I don¡¯t have enough time to analyze the art and ensure my safety...if I had my real body, my heavenly shrine, I could easily slow down time around myself, but...this space..." The empty ckness was eerie but also disconnected. He couldn¡¯t feel anyws here.

    He could understand why, to prevent anyws from causing a variable within the art, but it still frustrated him. "If I had enough time...maybe I could find my body, but I only have eighty or so years left..."

    To heavenly cultivators, eighty years was a blink. The weakest heavenly cultivator could live for tens of thousands of years. This held true even for powerful essence cultivators. As for deducing or analyzing matters, that could take decades or centuries easily.

    "Fine." Yan Zaizen touched his chest, a glowing marble appeared where his finger pressed. Pulling his finger, the marble that was Yan Linzen was extracted. Cautious of unexpected events, he stayed on guard. Fortunately, the world didn¡¯t seem to react.

    Inwardly sighing in relief, he looked towards the marble with a warm, loving gaze. In this gaze, a dense responsibility of protectionid.

    "I, Yan Zaizen, have many things I must aplish in this world, so many things or ces still waiting to be discovered or traveled. Today, tomorrow, or for the next eighty-three years, I will not vanish even if the heavens will it. Even if destiny, the devils of hell, and the gods of all creation wills it." His words were domineering and even the empty space withoutws seemed to quiver at his resolve and promise.

    "I will bring you to meet her. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll love her." With a smile, he caressed the marble. Closing his eyes, he felt his dao, he felt his soul, and then he felt his everything.

    "Dao Consumption! For my Dao of Sovereign Ascension, I offer this soul, this flesh, and this mind!" Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes which were closed emitted a dense, brilliant amber-gold light that seemed like two suns hidden behind thin cloth. The world of ckness became a world of amber-gold, brilliant beyond measure, and warmer than a father¡¯s loving embrace.

    This amber-gold glow intensity continued to rise, no longer being contained in his eyes as it started to engulf his entire head. His nose, ears, and mouth poured out rays of light, forcing themselves open as if he was screaming in pain, but no sound was emitted, only light.

    His body was next. The blood vessels, every strand of flesh, fiber of muscle, every organ, and cell in his body, from red to white, was engulfed by amber-gold light. Before long, he became a man of a single color - amber-gold. After a while, even his form couldn¡¯t be distinguished from the other rays of light.

    If a Heavenly Monarch were to see this light, regardless of their strength, they would most certainly go blind!

    As for the hazy figure of the woman, she stood amidst the light. Her face was no longer nk. Particrly, her eyes. They were shining with a fantastical light of excitement and anticipation.

    Despite all this, the marble wasn¡¯t touched by anything. It was as if the light was forbidden from doing anything but protectively surrounding the marble. It was truly odd, reminiscent to an event horizon of a ck hole.

    A moment passed.

    The rays of light died faster than it started. An amber-gold humanoid figure the size of a baby¡¯s palm was all that remained. It calmly floated beside the marble. The surface of this humanoid figure was like hotva. The light within were constantly moving at varying intensity.

    This was Yan Zaizen!

    To be specific, this was his Dao Heart, Soul Seed! In the Divine Art: Dao Heart, Grand Soul, it describes creating a seed of a dao with the characteristics of a soul. This could be considered the nascent form of a Dao Soul. Not the first to have ever been created, but the first where the user was still alive after, because this was Yan Zaizen¡¯s second soul!

    Normally, this act was truly suicidal. Regardless of one¡¯s cultivation, doing this would, at most, expedite the construction of a fast Dao Treasure for future generations. However, the cost far outweighs the benefits. Firstly, death. Secondly, the inability to enter the reincarnation cycle - true death. Lastly, the lifespan of this seed.

    It would sooner orter die, fading away, leading to even one¡¯s dao to vanish for eternity.

    Yet, Yan Zaizen had done this exact act!

    Yri¡¯s avatar¡¯s expression regained its nk appearance as a shadow flickered atop the white, circr tform. This shadow soon materialized into Yan Zaizen¡¯s true body that housed his true soul.

    When Yan Zaizen arrived, he opened his eyes to see the marble and the Soul Seed. When he did, his eyes immediately brightened. Reaching out, the marble flew towards him. He smiled. With a thought, the marble was sent to the location where his parent¡¯s rested. That location in the Meteor Ring was the most majestic and divine, appearing to be a pce and garden of the immortal-caliber.

    Looking at this Soul Seed formed by his Dao, his smile was wiped away and his gaze sharpened. "Nascent Dao Soul," Yan Zaizen quietly and solemnly muttered. The Dao Heart, Grand Soul first part waspleted: Merge the Soul with the Dao.

    This process sacrificed everything for a Soul Seed, a Nascent Dao Soul.

    The second part was to: Sacrifice Dao for connection.

    Taking a deep breath, he sat in the lotus position. After regting his breathing, his Dao Egg with an illusory kingly crown atop emerged from his chest. It floated silently before the Soul Seed.

    This was the most dangerous part of the art. The reason was simple: the dao that was sacrificed wasn¡¯t the Soul Seed, Nascent Dao Soul, but the Dao Egg!!

    Yan Zaizen had to sacrifice his original dao to the Soul Seed. In sess, an evolution that may be heaven-defying, may be heaven-exceeding, but in failure...the shattering and lost of his dao. Forever.

    "I have aplished the highly improbable, seen mysteries beyond the heavens, and will likely have to fight hell and heaven itself for the woman I love. If I, Yan Zaizen, feared anything, this can not and will not be it." His words granted him a formless strength and affirmation of his dao. As a sovereign, and a man who had to aplish his goals, he couldn¡¯t fear this!

    "Dao Connection, Dao Heart Form!" Yan Zaizen coldly roared, the Dao Egg moved forward like a shooting star and impacted the Soul Seed.

    A heaven-shattering sound erupted forth!!!

 Chapter 327 Dao Heart 8

    The Dao Egg and Soul Seed¡¯s collision dominated the darkness of this disconnected space. A world of pure amber-gold was all that existed, but the sheer pressure from this collision produced a force that was tremendous beyond description!

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s body cracked like earth! Fissures of separated skin spawned across his body, from his face to his toes. Blood spewed from these cracks like geysers, and his mouth became the opening of a waterfall of crimson! The pressure and pain reached to the point where his eyes lost its focus, his conscious ceased immediately, and he couldn¡¯t even react or make a single whimper or cry.

    Despite this, he stayed in his position without moving a single millimeter. The pressure was so powerful anding from everywhere in the world that his body remained stationary!

    The Dao Egg was like a sun and so was the Soul Seed. Two suns collided but neither were willing to surrender. This wasn¡¯t unexpected. Daos were naturally ipatible, much like Regalias of the Heavens. They held their own beliefs and drive, oftentimes shing with others to validate their own existence, but regardless of what Dao, neither would ever wish to surrender to the other.

    This was a form of natural instinct. An unwillingness to be crushed, defeated, and vanquished out of existence. However, these two Daos were the same in make and origin! This offered a very, very rare opportunity that could only be performed under these very specific circumstances.

    But make no mistake, if two of the same dao from different individuals were to sh in such a manner, there would be no other option but absolute mutual destruction! My Dao will survive, your Dao will disappear! It was aw, a formless yet definitew of the Dao.

    A voice sounded like a ghost in the lone wind, "Sacrifice the Dao! Concede!"

    This voice was like an Imperial decree from beyond the heavens and it caused the Dao Egg to tremble violently. It flickered and halted its crushing attempt for supremacy. If one were to sense the Dao aura or even see the Egg, it seemed to be in conflict and confusion, and if it had eyes, it would be staring at the Soul Seed in puzzlement.

    The voice had originated from the Soul Seed!

    Yan Zaizen had, the moment his dao shed with this Soul Seed, truly lost consciousness, but his Soul Seed was a part of his consciousness and it was still connected to him!

    The Dao Egg listened to hismand. It must. This was his Dao, it was him much akin to a limb or a thought, fully within the control of the user except under extreme circumstances.

    "Imand THEE!" The Soul Seed¡¯s figure became upright and if it had eyes, it would be incredibly cold and sharp like an emperor¡¯s de.

    The Dao Egg violently trembled. However, Yan Zaizen¡¯s portion of his consciousness no longer had to give themand. The first was an alert, but the second was amand! It can not, could not, and will not resist.

    It became a stream of amber-gold light that poured into the Soul Seed willingly. The Soul Seed consumed the Dao Egg and relished in its aura and strength. As it did, the Soul Seed¡¯s humanoid form became more and more human. Firstly, it gained a kingly crown atop its head. Then, its features slowly begun to resemble Yan Zaizen.

    As all of the Dao Egg entered the Soul Seed, the world¡¯s light and pressure vanished like a wisp of me in a blizzard. Without the pressure, Yan Zaizen¡¯s body crashed heavily to the ground. A pale white light circted where his heart was. His body ignited into a white me!

    This was the Unyielding me of Life!

    Much like the time Yan Zaizen had lost consciousness and nearly died when he first cultivated the Herculean Method, the Unyielding me of Life remained by his side, always protecting him whenever necessary! Within seconds, his cracked body became fully healed and the blood burned away, fueling the me itself.

    "Urgh..." Yan Zaizen groaned as he slowly rose from his fallen position. Him suddenly losing consciousness wasn¡¯t described in the Divine Art...

    "This is why I hate theorized arts...too many unexpected events." In truth, the art did work as intended, but it went to show that a second soul with a second dao was absolutely required otherwise convincing his dao to merge while unconscious was impossible. Not to mention, if the Dao was a different Dao, even if he did have the same soul, twoplete Daos couldn¡¯t co-exist peacefully in one form.

    This was aw of the omniverse.

    The Soul Seed was no longer a Soul Seed, but a Dao Heart!

    Yan Zaizen felt strangely empty. If this feeling was described as Yan Zaizen being a cup full of water before, then now, it was akin to him being a cup with a drop of water. This singr drop was the connection he now possessed with his dao.

    It felt abnormally strange. It was like losing your arms and legs, and now you used prosthetics.

    "The third part of the art: Establish Union." Yan Zaizen originally believed this part meant the merging of the Dao Egg and Soul Seed into bing a Dao Heart, but now he understood his error. The Establish Union meant to reconnect fully with the Dao Heart.

    "Humph," Yan Zaizen coldly humphed, his eyes imperious.

    "Come."

    Like an obedient dog, his Dao Heart flew towards him with no hesitation. His eyes became surprisingly warm, a smile of confidence appeared on his face, "Enter." Thismand set in motion the unification of his Dao Heart and himself almost instantly.

    Like a cup being poured into by a gallon of liquid, Yan Zaizen quickly returned to full. However, If the cup was filled water before, then this was filled with a liquor of Dao. It was beyond refreshing and the connection was perfect without any ws.

    What Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t know was that this part was the most difficult part of the entire technique. It was even theorized to take thousands or tens of thousands of years! However, Yan Zaizen¡¯s Dao was not normal. It was a False Grand Dao!

    His existence had long since merged with this Dao of his, how could the connection be remotely difficult to establish?!

    The avatar that was usually nk had its eyes slowly widen, almost as if it was in disbelief. However, it quickly regained its nk state.

    "Refine the soul...thest step." The Dao Heart, Grand Soul mostly referred to thest two steps. To establish the Dao Heart and refine the Soul! This would create a Dao Soul! Something that, by all logic, should be impossible!

    While the Dao, Origin, and Essence stay within the soul, for they to be the soul was beyond the word ¡¯unconventional¡¯. It was suicidal as demonstrated by the first step, losing everything for barely anything.

    While the Dao, Origin, and Essence all have connections with the soul, empowering, moulding, and function in their respective order, it remained that it was limited to simply those three things!

    Yan Zaizen looked at this Dao Heart of his. It was him but with a crown. It was remarkably familiar to him, as if he had seen a figure like this before. However, he couldn¡¯t recall the specifics of this feeling. He could only put it aside for now.

    "Time for the moment of truth. Yri, despite your methods, I must give praise where praise is due. You are exceptional, and even as a Non-Entity, I would be hard pressed to devise such a spectacr art." When he said those words, the avatar¡¯s gaze flickered very briefly. Yan Zaizen wasn¡¯t facing the avatar as he spoke, but his eyes flickered briefly with intense light.

    "Dao Heart, refine this soul of mine." With his words, the Dao Heart entered his body and fixated itself within his soul. It was as if it became the true heart of the soul, slowly throbbing at an even cadence. Soon, the Dao Heart started to expel thin threads of light. This light was like veins and arteries. Slowly, his soul was absorbed into the Dao Heart.

    The veins carried ckness. This ckness seemed to contain a trace of devouring, mimicry, and beyond the heavens aura! It funneled into the Dao Heart, thin lines of ck surfacing within the Dao Heart¡¯s internal form.

    The arteries were sending out amber-gold blood, bright and powerful. It was warm, imperious, ferocious, determined, unyielding, and relentless. It entered the shell of the soul and slowly mixed with the ckness.

    Thew avatars within the soul remained unaffected, surrounding the Dao Heart as if it were their sovereign.

    This continued for a while until the Dao Heart and the Soul was like a mixture of ck and amber-gold. The ck and amber-gold were like curvy, swirling, yet horizontally parallel lines within the soul, much like a zebra¡¯s moving or curled body.

    It was majestical and beautiful to behold.

    "No longer is my Dao and Soul two different entities. I now have a Dao Heart and a Grand Soul, a Dao Soul!" Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes brightened as he saw the form of his soul and within was a throbbing heart surrounded by his myriadws.

    He, Yan Zaizen, had just defied conventional ways of the omniverse!

 Chapter 328 A Celestial!

    "To think...to think...I truly..." The ¡¯avatar¡¯ of Yri words were a mess, her eyes and lips disyed distinct contradictions. This ¡¯avatar¡¯ had a chaotic emotional state as her eyes were shrouded in raw disbelief and her mouth held the happiness and hearty smile imaginable.

    Yan Zaizen sighed. Rising, he turned to Yri. When he first scanned her, he felt that Yri was an avatar left behind with a predetermined set of timed messages, but he was wrong. No, it would be best to say he wasn¡¯t entirely correct.

    The situation wasn¡¯t as expected and even he felt it slightly ludicrous, but with hisprehension of the heavenlyws, it only took some clues to figure it out.

    "When are you from?" His abrupt question caused the ¡¯avatar¡¯ to turn silent for a long, very long moment. Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t force it.

    "...Thirty-seven billion years." Yri responded calmly, her previous chaotic emotions were doused by shock. Her eyes no longer revealed pure excitement or disbelief, but deep seriousness as she looked towards Yan Zaizen. "Truly befitting the title of a Non."

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes shed profoundly. He knew that her words referred to his perception, deducing her true situation, but also likely how hepleted her trial. Now he knew that the moment he awoke in her falsely real world, this Yri had noticed.

    "Time is fascinating, no?" Yri chuckled, her voice was like soft cotton. It was remarkably pleasing to the ears unlike before, filled with stiffness and fanaticism.

    "Indeed, it is." Yan Zaizen naturally agreed. After all, this disconnected world was a temporal void. It was devoid of allws except time. After all, without timews, there is no progression. The moment he realized this, he garnered some clues. Yri didn¡¯t ¡¯exist¡¯ in the present but the past. Using this temporal void where time was undefined, she was currently ¡¯alive¡¯ thirty-seven billion years ago.

    The her here was her true self. If what Yan Zaizen did earlier was create a time remnant for his present self, then Yri was doing the same but in a location where the ¡¯present¡¯ wasn¡¯t defined so easily. There would be no true point in doing this as a temporal void would just be emptiness, limiting one to operate solely in the temporal void.

    However, it was truly ingeniously done. With how her situation was, her ¡¯present¡¯ self thirty-seven billion years won¡¯t be forced to follow this ¡¯path¡¯ and it could exist indefinitely in this small gap of existence.

    "I now know my art is possible. I must thank you." Yri calmly said. However, Yan Zaizen shook his head. Yri may know this, but she wouldn¡¯t be able to truly know unless she can live thirty-seven billion years. Only then would she learn of this information, but that was impossible. After all, he only exists thirty-seven billion yearster.

    A time remnant wasn¡¯t an Astral Remnant or clone, and it had deep limitations in regards to knowledge and ¡¯paths¡¯. Even in undefined areas of time like this temporal void.

    "I will survive," Yri decisively said.

    Yan Zaizen deeply looked towards this woman. He didn¡¯t reply. Whether she could survive that span of time or not had nothing to do with him. "What is a Non?"

    "..." Yri looked calmly at Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes for a long moment. Only after a very long time passed did she nod slowly as if making a decision. "Three questions. This will be my repayment for your risk.."

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes brightened considerably when he heard this. It was exceptionally rare to be able to hear from a being who existed thirty-seven billion years ago, literally speaking across the vast river that was time. He did risk his very life to attempt her art, so it was only fair.

    "Okay," Yan Zaizen agreed.

    "A Non...is a Child of the Non-Verse," Yri answered.

    "...what?" This question hit Yan Zaizen like a sneak attack. A child of the Non-Verse? What the hell? There are records of Non-Entities being born in the myriad realms, likely even more so in the thirty-three heavens, so how could it be a child of the...

    Then, it clicked.

    The Non Universe & Vast Expanse, Thirty-Three Heavens, False Heavenly Universe, Border Expanse, and the spiritual entities.

    Holy shi...

    Yan Zaizen, for the first time, felt like the world truly was battered by thunder!

    The Vast Expanse was a sea, the thirty-three heavens were like inds on this sea, and the Border Expanse contained creatures of spirituality. Long ago, he suspected that the Border Expanse was the remnants of a copsed universe!

    However, now he had a theory. A theory so absurd that it could very well be true! What if, hear this thought out, the Non Universe was truly the sea that the thirty-three heavens were built on!! Then, those minor clues seem to connect.

    If so, then what about the spiritual creatures of Border Expanse? Simple! They came from the Non Universe!

    Wait...

    No, that didn¡¯t feel right.

    Yan Zaizen went into deep thought. Those spiritual creatures didn¡¯t exist in the Non Universe and he should know, he devoured arge portion of itsws, constructed his own sub-realm, and there was nothing surrounding creatures of that degree, but...

    But...

    Yan Zaizen grew more confused. So confused in fact that he couldn¡¯t even think properly.

    The Non Universe could give birth to a truly pure physical existence absent of mortal taint and a soul...a Non-Entity. This aligned perfectly with the Non Universe¡¯s corews. If the thirty-three heavens were within the Non Universe, then this was a logical conclusion. However, that was only one piece of the grand puzzle. It doesn¡¯t exin the Border Expanse or the Thirty-Three Heavens.

    He only understood why it would be called a ¡¯false¡¯ heavenly universe, but then...what¡¯s a ¡¯true¡¯ heavenly universe? What about the Earths and Skies, both below and above?

    Was there a universe above a universe? A universe below all other universes?

    Then, what the hell is the Thirty-Three Heavens?!

    The Non-Universe obviously hadn¡¯t copsed, so what about the spiritual existences in the Border Expanse?!?!

    In frustration, he ruffled his hair. "My second question! What is the Border Expanse?!"

    Yri had calmly looked at Yan Zaizen go through an array of thoughts, but she remained calm and even slightly amused. A Non who didn¡¯t know they were a Non! That was truly interesting. It was like a human being born on earth but not knowing they were born by other humans.

    However, when Yan Zaizen asked his second question, her eyebrow rose in response. Border Expanse?

    "I...don¡¯t know what that is." Yri was someone from thirty-seven billion years, only existing in this isted temporal void. She had no idea what Yan Zaizen was speaking of.

    This caused Yan Zaizen to be shocked. How could she not know? Wasn¡¯t she born beneath the heavens?! How could a powerful being NOT know?

    "You...what about the thirty-three heavens, what is the thirty-three heavens?!" Yan Zaizen asked.

    "...Thirty...three...heavens?" Yri grew even more confused. From what she knew, there were only nine heavens, not thirty-three. "I only know of nine heavens in my time."

    "!" Yan Zaizen was shocked by her words, visibly so. "You know I¡¯m a member of the Non Universe, then answer this: Where did you set up your trial?" He had some theories as to why Yri was ignorant.

    "Heavenly Origin Grounds, Third Layer." Yri frowned. She didn¡¯t count the other two questions she couldn¡¯t answer, so this was Yan Zaizen¡¯s second legitimate question.

    "Heavenly Origin Grounds...Third Layer..." Thinking about this, he wanted to ask how manyyers were in the Heavenly Origin Grounds, but he decided against it. That was...because he had a very frightening theory. He suspected the Heavenly Origin Grounds were a set of nine!

    If he delved deeper, it didn¡¯t seem umon for other universes to enter these Heavenly Origin Grounds, considering she took him as a Child of the Non Universe so calmly. This was indicative of a greater realization! In her time, many different universes often interacted and they had humanoid appearances!

    "You have onest question, then I¡¯ll strive towards my goal." Yri impatiently spoke. The more she heard about the future, the more she became intrigued and wanted to set off the mechanism to alert her ¡¯present¡¯ self.

    "Fine. Then, myst question: what is your cultivation level?" With the discrepancy of thirty-seven billion years, there wasn¡¯t much he could ask for besides answers, but that was unlikely. He also decided not to waste questions on his earlier musings about the falsely real world and Yan Linzen. Regardless of the answer to them, he couldn¡¯t take action against someone who¡¯s likely long dead.

    Yri was shocked at this question which waspletely unrted to the first two questions. "Celestial Monarch, Ninth Phase." After saying that, she didn¡¯t borate, but vanished into thin air.

    The temporal void grew distorted as Yan Zaizen felt an attractive force and was rapidly carried upwards. The ckness distorted like swirling water before Yan Zaizen¡¯s vision swam momentarily. When it ended, he returned back to his cave.

    Ignoring the sudden shift in environment, he slowly spoke, "A Celestial!"

 Chapter 329 Devilish

    Yan Zaizen stayed silent for a long time, pondering over the information he had just obtained. A veryrge piece of the puzzle that was the thirty-three heavens were somewhat found.

    It was thirty-three inds floating within the Vast Expanse, or the Non Universe. Which he was a child of, or at least his body.

    "I wonder if this is why I have something akin to prophetic intuition...it originates from the Non-Verse protecting me?" Yan Zaizen seriously considered this point. If so, then perhaps the reason why Non-Entitiesck souls is because they are products of a Universe...or perhaps...

    "Yri didn¡¯t seem shocked with a conscious person being a Non-Entity. She also referred to me as a Non, instead of a person who stole a Non¡¯s body. If that¡¯s the case then...is there something in the thirty-three heavens preventing children of a universe from having souls?!" Yan Zaizen nearly blurted this out in incredible shock.

    If Non-Entities originally had souls, perhaps even souls reminiscent to the universe, then...

    A pure soul.

    Yan Zaizen couldn¡¯t help but deeply sigh. He didn¡¯t feel his soul was particrly pure, especially with all the additions now. However, even at birth, that was unlikely.

    "I need to refocus my priorities, cultivation." Deciding to ce this to the side, Yan Zaizen reminded himself of his mission and that was to find the lost piece of thepass. Afterward, hell would have to wait for him with bated breath. As for that figure from before...

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes shed murderously.

    "Pinaka..."

    Yan Zaizen was somewhat disappointed that he wasted sixteen years but there was no treasure trove. He didn¡¯t feel cheated, however. The Divine Art: Dao Heart, Grand Soul was worth a thousand treasure troves.

    "This art is extraordinary, but it is truly a little too demonic." Yan Zaizen recalled the contents of the theorized art and its stages of progression. Unlike Soul Source Path of cultivation, there was no need for interpersonal reflection. Instead, the art focused on cultivation of the dao. To do that, it needed energy of the dao.

    The reason why Yan Zaizen likened this art to a demonic art was that, to cultivate the dao, it needed the dao, and the only way to obtain that is to subjugate and refine the dao of others into one¡¯s Dao Heart. The greater, the better.

    Yan Zaizen wasn¡¯t even sure if his ck hole soul bloodline could devour dao energy, but this art used the Dao Heart to do so, and that was already tested to be possible. His Dao Egg was the perfect example of that.

    The first stage was called the Nascent Dao Heart. This was the stage he was currently at. At this level, one¡¯s dao would be incorporated seamlessly with one¡¯s soul and, when integrated into the body or essence energy, can give soul and dao-affecting abilities. Simply put, every strike Yan Zaizen makes would be a two-prong strike. His attack will directly impact the opponent¡¯s soul and dao weakening them as a result.

    The second stage was called the Enlightened Dao Heart. Supposedly, it is likened to the Astral Soul Realm. Theoretically, it can create Dao Avatars. If Astral Remnants can be used as protectors and exist as long as it has energy, then Dao Avatars were truly independent and were immortal as long as the Dao Heart existed.

    ording to theory, one could refine any and all things into Dao Treasures with remarkable speeds. Unlike the norm of taking tens of thousands of years, it could be done in a fraction of the time. Dao Treasures were marvelous, even greater than spirit-ranked armaments, rivaling world-ranked armaments, capable of enhancing one¡¯s overallbat prowess!

    The third and final stage was called the Boundless Dao Heart. However, besides the theory of reaching it, the abilities were uncertain.

    "I still need to devour an indeterminate amount of other daos...." Yan Zaizen silently mused. Cultivating this art was truly too devilish. To even begin, the practitioner of this art had to take a person¡¯s dao, ripping it from their souls while they were living! Disregarding the viciousness of this act, it certainly lived up to its goal. By doing this, it enabled one to cultivate their dao energy. This energy is what enhances one¡¯s cultivation speed, talent, strength, and foundation.

    Mortal Daos were normally divided into lower, middle, and upper. The ssification wasn¡¯t just separating the strength of their dao¡¯s characteristics orposition but the dao energy levels as well. Even Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t know what would happen to his cultivation if his dao energy were to exceed its current peak upper-limits!

    As for the Soul Source Path, the art did not restrict it! The Dao Heart, Grand Soul was as its name suggests: an ¡¯art,¡¯ not a path. Yan Zaizen still had the ability to cultivate his soul, and by doing so, increasing the soul aspects of his newly established Dao Soul.

    Inspecting his resources, he furrowed his brows quite heavily. The resources in his Meteor Ring was obtained by Eshe, Iceborn, and their allies. It included various items, objects, soul jades filled with all sorts of information, and heaven hearts. The most valuable had to be theplete information list of the Dusk Zone. In those soul jades detailed even the oddity ofws and their shifting hierarchy in the Heavenly Origin Grounds.

    "Let¡¯s see how far I can go."

    -----

    In the Dusk Zone, a skyship soared imperiously through the dark sky. This skyship waspletely ck with a silver human skull on the sides of its hull. This skull had fangs that were like a sabertooth and three sharp horns atop its head. The horns formed a perfect triangle with their locations.

    The mouth of this skull was closed, and its empty eye sockets were menacing as an emerald me flickered within. This emerald me seemed to contain an essence of decay and time. Any mortal who would be so unlucky to nce upon the me would feel the decay of their mind and lifeforce. In seconds, they would discover that their life had ended.

    Atop this ck skyship were a group of people dressed in ck outfits. These groups of people had three horns atop their head, silver skin, and emerald eyes. They were all remarkably devilish-looking. A young man who seemed to have a high position on the skyship stood at the railings with his calm gaze looking at the dark sky.

    Besides this young man was a beautiful woman with simr features, long ck hair, but her entire aura seemed much colder. Her eyes were like sharp knives and she seemed to have a dense bloody aura around her. However, the young man didn¡¯t seem bothered by this aura.

    "We¡¯ve been searching for sixteen years, you sure?" The young man asked the young woman, his voice was soft and warm. It waspletely different than his devilish appearance, almost simr to a schr in autumn questioning the world.

    "Yes. It should be here." The young woman¡¯s words were incredibly cold, like a blizzard in the arctic. The young man only sighed. How many times has he heard this? They had searched this area before, but discovered nothing.

    A bulky manter walked towards the duo, stopping a short distance away.. He was middle-aged in appearance, had a beard of ck hair, muscles that seemed like they were sculpted by an expert, and shockingly handsome despite his horns. When he walked up, he threw a brief nce of disdain and contempt at the woman before directing his gaze towards the young man. That disdain and contempt vanished, reced thorough by reverence and admiration.

    "Yi Seo-Jun, we¡¯ve located its signature." The middle-aged man, Pak Ji-Hu, ryed. Yi Seo-Jun¡¯s eyes shed with a bright emerald light.

    "It¡¯s at the location it was at before. It¡¯s possible a darkness or time anomaly had urred which is why we missed it the first time." In the Dusk Zone where timews were particrly strong, even rivaling an Imperial Law, it was quite often to see spots surge erratically and experience odd situations.

    The most drastic would be entering a time warp or entering stasis for tens or even hundreds of thousands of years. If that happened, you¡¯ll be at the mercy of passing Yaoguai or cultivators. Because of these events, traveling in the Dusk Zone was quite perilous without sufficient preparations and luck.

    "Told you." The young woman, Hahm Eun-Jung, pouted and spoke. It was as if this cold woman had transformed to a girl who had suffered a grievance. If it wasn¡¯t for her frosty as the arctic voice and her devilishly beautiful appearance, she would be cute.

    "Good. Take us there immediately," Yi Seo-Jun ordered. T

    Pak Ji-Hu nodded and left to ry those orders. Yi Seo-Jun¡¯s eyes never left the skies of the Dusk Zone. His eyes contained a deep calm, but if anyone looked deep within his heart, they would see a wild ambition!

 Chapter 330 Zones & Regions

    Boom!

    In Yan Zaizen¡¯s impromptu cultivation grounds and temporary home a booming sound erupted forth. The surrounding area started to rumble about as if experiencing a cataclysmic earthquake.

    A powerful heavenly aura shot forth, breaking past the cave¡¯s roof and into the sky like a pir of power. This heavenly aura was pure white and seemed to contain everything the world had to offer yet simultaneously nothing. If one looked at the pir of power closely, they would see a multitude of strings within and around the pir traveling upwards as well.

    These strings were amber-gold and ck! The amber-gold contained an imperious aura that seemed to desire to ascend the thirty-three heavens and beyond without limit! The ck was truly ck. This deep, deep ckness was devouring everything and anything that came in contact with it like a ckhole, including light.

    These three forms of power were in perfect bnce somehow, yet each was far more mysterious than the other.

    From within this pir of power, a silhouette appeared.

    "Huuuuu!" A loud inhale sounded, sweeping the surroundings energies andws, and bringing them all towards the pir. It was as if the heavens and thews that construct it was drawn to this figure.

    "Haaaaa!" Following this inhale was an equally shocking exhale. A powerful physical gust erupted! All that was not the heavens orws were forced to reluctantly be pushed back! Slowly, the pir faded revealing the figure.

    This figure was Yan Zaizen.

    "The heaven hearts are truly a miraculous item," Yan Zaizen remarked. In the spatial possessions of all those second-floor Heavenly Genesis elites were various items and treasures, including quite a lot of heavenly resources. Yan Zaizen was truly shocked when he properly calcted everything.

    Not only did they have quite a few heaven hearts, but they had a massive amount of heavenly materials, especially Eshe, Iceborn, and Katniss. They were particrly wealthy. If Yan Zaizen hade across this during his times in the 27th Heaven, he would¡¯ve suspected this to be the wealth of a peak Heavenly Commander.

    However, as he read the soul jade, he came to find out that they were actually considered only ¡¯slightly¡¯ well off. This would shock anyone! He also came to understand a bit about the forces in the Dusk Zone and the leaders of this force.

    Firstly, there were far, far too many forces within the Dusk Zone to actually count, but the peak amongst peak were quite limited in number. Firstly, the weakest of these peak forces were the Paradise Sword Pce!

    When Yan Zaizen read this, he was startled. The Paradise Sword Realm was the ruler of the 17th Heaven, yet they were only ranked at the weakest peak force of the Dusk Zone. Just the Dusk Zone! There were 108 Zones, divided into 33 Regions within the Fortune Cemetery.

    However, when Yan Zaizen looked at the records of information all those geniuses possessed, he came to a remarkable understanding! A Heavenly God is simply a Heavenly Creation expert who binded with their Heavenly Realms, but outside of it, they were simply Heavenly Creation experts!

    However, the Dusk Zone¡¯s top forces normal Elders were at least in the (Minor) Heavenly Creation Realm!

    The Foundation these experts and their forces established must be countless times better than the thirty-three heavens, and with boundless resources and constant inheritances of Celestials or Heavenly Cultivators, how could they not be powerful?!

    "There are at least four top forces to each Zone, while Region-ss forces are the highest ranked force spanning three or more Zones!" When he recalled this, he felt a wonder in his heart. Supposedly, the Fortune Cemetery exceeded the thirty-three heavens in size!

    The forces that ruled the Dusk Zone were: Darkus Empire, Oneuli Empire, Yeomna Empire, and the Paradise Sword Empire. They were all called Empires because they were the highest form of power and controlled a vast area. Even in the Paradise Sword Empire, they had an Empress rumoured to be the Paradise Sword Heavenly God¡¯s daughter!

    The Darkus Empire wereprised mostly of members of the Darkus Race. They were beings of shadow and darkness, having an intrinsic connection to thew of Darkness, a World Law that rivals an Imperial Law in the Dusk Zone. ording to the records, they were mysterious, powerful, but uniquely did not have a gender.

    The Oneuli Empire had a unique race of silver-skinned, horned races. They hold a unique connection to decay, and the more horns they possess, the stronger their natural connection, but most notable was their legacy of time. They built their strength on thebination of decay and time, allowing them to establish themselves as the strongest Empire in this Region.

    The Yeomna Empire were absolutely vicious and filled with ughter, bloodlust, and would often war with the other Empires quite vigorously. They specialized in thew of death.

    Thest was the Paradise Sword Empire, but their strength was the weakest because none of theirws were particrly strengthened by the Dusk Zone, focusing on the illusory sword.

    However, this was not to be underestimated. Unlike the other three Empires, the Paradise Sword Empire established themselves as an Empire despite not receiving any benefit from the zone. This feat alone was praiseworthy.

    To add, the other three empires were native to the Heavenly Origin Grounds with tens of millions of years of legacy. Whereas, the Paradise Sword Empire was not.

    "If they were in a Zone that heightened thew of the sword...they probably could be rulers of a Region," Yan Zaizen quietly mused.

    "My cultivation has reached the fifth-floor, but I still need more resources...also...I need to reach the Sovereign-Level of aw before I can have any confidence in entering hell." Yan Zaizen had reached the perfect Domain-level in manyws, such as life, death, space, time, and soul. These were his most powerfulws and he focused on them constantly, especially in the Dusk Zone where Death and Timews were overwhelmingly strong.

    "If I can reach the Sovereign-level in them, I cany a foundation for Rebirth, Samsara, and Spacetime." With bright eyes, Yan Zaizen saw his path.

    Taking out the silver coin with double-sided arrows, Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes turned brighter than antern in the night sky. A faint glimmer of brilliant silver flickered on the coin¡¯s surface. This faint glimmer caused Yan Zaizen to frown.

    "It¡¯s definitely in the range of this coin, but...ording to the technique...that could literally be anywhere within this entire region!" Yan Zaizen bit his teeth and felt his eyes turned solemn. The region was called the Twilight Region, known for its three zones: Dusk Zone, Dawn Zone, and the Flux Zone.

    The leader of these three zones were called to Pak n. This n had members and branches in all three zones! They were the indisputable ruler of the Twilight Region and held the one dubbed the Twilight Sovereign! Supposedly, the Twilight Sovereign was someone who reached the Heavenly Ascension Realm!!!

    "I¡¯ll use the technique to scry for it now..." He could only reluctantly take this tedious path. He had eighty-three years left. Luckily, heavenly cultivation with his ck hole, his dao, and his unique heavenly shrine was quite fast.

    With a flip of his palm, the coin floated in mid-air and continued to flicker with silver light. After a short period, all its light pointed in a direction. This direction wasn¡¯t an arrow but a wide arc. It pointed towards what would¡¯ve been south-east, south, and south-west.

    "Okay then." Keeping the coin, Yan Zaizen¡¯s heavenly shrine radiated power, emanating an incredibly strong heavenly might. As a fifth-floor Heavenly Genesis cultivator, he not only possessed heavenly might, but he contained a wealth of energy.

    A crackling sound of lightning and whispers of death erupted from his body before he turned into a bolt of ck lightning traveling south!

    -----

    Several hours after Yan Zaizen¡¯s departure, a lone figure cloaked in dark-grey emerged as if it had stepped into existence suddenly. "I missed him? By...hm?" The figure¡¯s voice was odd, as if it was in and out of time.

    "A few hours." The figure¡¯s eyes brightened before they turned their eyes towards the south. A wave quaked out and it seemed that time had reverted. Yan Zaizen¡¯s ethereal appearance emerged, his irritated expression and clear frustration shown, but then he took off in a bolt of ck lightning. The image dissipated soon after.

    "Worthy of!" The figure excitedly said before disappearing as if they slipped out of time.

 Chapter 331 Tracked

    A bolt of ck lightning traveled within the dark air southward. This ck bolt emanated a deep, cmitous sensation of endless death causing all to avoid it, including low-rank Yaoguai, like a gue.

    This bolt was Yan Zaizen, traveling freely without hindrance. "Will I be able to locate it in time without spatial shifting?" Asking himself, Yan Zaizen was somewhat doubtful. Despite lightning being unaffected by the Dusk Zone and deathws being amplified, the speed he traveled wasn¡¯t enough to cover the southern Dusk Zone, let alone the entire south part of the Twilight Region.

    If space was unaffected by the strange rules of the Dusk Zone, he could shorten the time by thousands of times or more, making it overly frustrating. He even contemted using the Twelve Regalia Spatial Array. However, after some consideration, he didn¡¯t do so.

    The array was powerful, but it was taxing on the spirit. He didn¡¯t want to be in a vulnerable position because of that. Not to mention, even if he did, with the suppressed spatialws in this zone, it¡¯ll be too stressful on the regalias themselves, who knows what might happen.

    "If it¡¯s not in the Dusk Zone...If I can enter the Dawn Zone, and its there, it¡¯ll be easier than a thought to find." While the Dusk Zone suppresses life, space, and otherws like light, the Dawn Zone was the exact opposite. It promoted those and denounced the ones the Dusk Zone beloved.

    As for the Flux Zone...he just hoped it wasn¡¯t there.

    "Faster." The ck lightning around his body expanded and formed a small storm, even clouds suffused of deathly aura shrouded his body as it sped forward.

    -----

    In the ck skyship with silver skulls on its hull, Yi Seo-Jun and his crew finally arrived at a particr spot. If Yan Zaizen were here, he would be surprised! This was his cultivation cave!

    Park Ji-Hu exited the skyship with a group of simrly dressed subordinates. When they saw Yan Zaizen¡¯s cultivation cave, all of their eyes flickered with a strange light. This light contained an unfathomable essence of time.

    After a short period, they all wore solemn expressions, especially Park Ji-Hu.

    "..." Atop the skyship peering over, an ice-cold beauty remained silent, but her eyes revealed a hint of impatience. Every so often, she¡¯d nce over to Yi Seo-Jun, who had a calm expression as if this was an average stop on an average day.

    Park Ji-Hu finally returned after a while. His face was dark and even more devilish looking than before. "It seems Hahm Eun-Jun was correct." Those words felt like they were hurtful to say, almost to the point where one could feel as if Park Ji-Hu was on the verge of throwing up his insides.

    However, he still ryed the information. Shockingly, Hahm Eun-Jun, this beauty, was unconcerned with that tone as if it was normal. Her eyes did hold a tinge of internal pride. If one looked even closer, they would see her chest ger slightly more pronounced as it was puffed out.

    "Oh?" Yi Seo-Jun only replied with that.

    "The temporal signature in this area has been tampered with deeply. Likely some type of reversion, it¡¯s somewhat consistent with a known anomaly. My subordinates are currently settling the temporal disturbance and find evidence of what happened." As experts of timews, the Oneuli Empire¡¯s men were most suitable to handle this.

    Yi Seo-Jun briefly nodded.

    A few minutester, the group of men returned. They donned respectful expressions as they bowed towards Yi Seo-Jun. A single man stepped out, "the anomaly was human-made, probably in an attempt to hide itself or its tracks. We¡¯ve tracked its signature. It went south from this location." After saying this, he withdrew back into the crowd.

    Park Ji-Hu proudly nodded. He clearly wanted to showcase his men¡¯s ability without him, and it was a sess. Even Yi Seo-Jun smiled, "then, south we go." He offered some praise as well, causing the men to be content while Park Ji-Hu held a soft, prideful smile throughout.

    They immediately set off south, tracking the signaturem while unbeknownst to them that they were tracking someone, who was tracking someone, who was tracking something.

    -----

    The gray-robed figure stopped several hundred thousand kilometers away from the Yi Seo-Jun¡¯s location at Yan Zaizen¡¯s cultivation cave. The figure looked backed. "Someone¡¯s locked onto my time signature?" The figure seemed somewhat shocked but coldly snorted. It was as if it was being challenged.

    Suddenly, its figure split into thousands of temporal distortions which all vanished as if they hadn¡¯t existed a moment ago. "Let¡¯s see you follow this." After another snort, the figure faded out of time once more.

    -----

    Yan Zaizen was unknown to all these matters, but currently, he had stopped his movements. He looked down, his eyes bright, and his body was nearly trembling in shock. "Is this even possible?!"

    Below him was a few figures, they looked like cultivators that were traveling. Their skyship was anchored with various defensive formations on it, concealing it and preventing any form of sense from entering. However, Yan Zaizen recognized this skyship. It was a skyship he had even traveled on!

    Esi¡¯s Skyship!!!

    He blinked. Inspecting the skyship once more, he was confident that this was the ship that he had boarded with the treacherous duo. While ships can look differently, there were minute differences between them, such as additions of symbols, the number of weapons, the size of the g above it, etcetera. This ship was entirely consistent with all the identifying markers.

    However, to be sure, he waved his hand. A blue, translucent figure appeared. This figure was Eshe¡¯s soul form. After destroying her physical body, Yan Zaizen had kept her soul restrained within the Meteor Ring until his cultivation base reached a point where he could safely search her soul me. However, even though he formed his own Dao Heart, his soul was still at the Perfect Nascent Soul Realm.

    Eshe¡¯s soul, however, was at a realm he couldn¡¯t deduce. It seemed she had taken another soul path, something Yan Zaizen hadn¡¯t figured out. However, he concluded it was roughly as strong as the Astral Soul Realm.

    When the soul appeared, it looked weak, but there was a calmness in its eyes that revealed a sea of hatred. It was eerie, and anyone who¡¯d see those soul eyes of hers would find themselves shivering.

    "Found her," Yan Zaizen coldly spoke. His voice was suffused with a triumphant tone as he forced the soul to look downwards. When it did, it shook slightly. However, this shaking became even more tremendous after a short period. Eshe¡¯s soul transmitted a message, pleading Yan Zaizen to spare her sister, and a willingness to do anything he asked. Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes narrowed, his brows furrowed, and his hands gripped the soul harder.

    "So...this isn¡¯t hers?" Yan Zaizen¡¯s voice was like thunderbolts to Eshe. As if her entirety had been seen through, she no longer kept the mask and red ferociously with the intent to eat his flesh and devour his soul.

    Laughing coldly, Yan Zaizen ced her back in the Meteor Ring.

    "This skyship is like a mirror image, but Eshe wasn¡¯t deste as I expected. Instead, she was pleading..." He was far more cautious and suspicious than before, often thinking deeply on any matter before acting. This was why he hadn¡¯t attacked the skyship immediately but instead wanted to see how Eshe would react.

    He didn¡¯t feel any instinctual warning towards this skyship, but he was still cautious. After some thought, he shook his head and continued south.

    Within the skyship, an old man was looking up at Yan Zaizen. This old man had white hair, an old white mustache, and a brawny body. He looked like a bodybuilder! However, his aura didn¡¯t reveal a vast physical presence, but instead a light and fleeting feeling, like the wind itself. His brows were somewhat furrowed, unsure of what to think.

    "Who was that?" The old man murmured to himself.

    A member of the crew on this skyship immediately arrived, he gave a respectful salute, and said, "Captain, we¡¯ve finished repairs." After saying this, he awaited orders. However, the old man who had been dubbed Captain was preupied with his own thoughts.

    If Yan Zaizen were to see this old man, he would¡¯ve been shocked! His aura may be light and fleeting, but it contained an unfathomably powerful feeling. This old man was a Heavenly Monarch! Not only that...

    After some time, "Ready the ship and....follow that man." As he said this, the member of the crew was somewhat shocked, but he nodded immediately, turning towards where Yan Zaizen had taken off. He couldn¡¯t help but feel pity for that poor sap. He left.

    "The soul he brought out...I don¡¯t recognize it, but there may be more to this." He thought further on the event and couldn¡¯t help but be even more suspicious. In a few minutes, the ship had powered up and followed Yan Zaizen¡¯s trail.

 Chapter 332 Devoured?

    Roar!

    A ferocious, devastatingly chaotic roar echoed! This roar sounded like a dragon, a tiger, and a monkey¡¯s scream, creating a distorting sound that could easily induce confusion.

    Boom!!

    A crushing impact sounded, causing debris of dust, wind, and energy to violently fly about. In the epicenter of this impact was a beast. This beast was hellish-looking! No, it would be better to say it looked as if it was born from a mistake in the heavens!

    It had the body of a burly ape, the head of a tiger, and the wings of a dragon. Its arms had ws as sharp as a tiger¡¯s, but its feet were like palms of an ape. It had patches of random ck scales and silver hair on its body.

    A figure flew out of this energy impact, a trace of blood leaving his lips and a limp arm. It distanced itself a far enough away, eyes as bright as the sun itself.

    "Incredible!" Yan Zaizen eximed. Earlier, he had been flying about as a bolt of lightning when a sudden shadow with ill-intent bore crushingly in his path. It flew at a speed that Yan Zaizen himself couldn¡¯tpare to and smacked him out of the sky.

    During that sh, he couldn¡¯t react! Yan Zaizen had never experienced such a sensation where he was so thoroughly caught off-guard by anything or anyone since his path of cultivation. There had always been an instinctual indicator warning him in some form or way of danger. Based on that sensation, he would make a decision.

    Sometimes, it led to fortune. Other times, he simply avoided it altogether.

    After a period of fierce engagement, Yan Zaizen had nearly had his bodypletely shattered. If it wasn¡¯t for his fifth-floor Heavenly Genesis Realm cultivation and hisprehension into thew of rebirth, he was almost certain that he could¡¯ve died.

    After all, this was a Yaoguai! Not just any Yaoguai, but a Guai! A member of royalty or can be considered an aboriginal that embodied various worldws. This particr Yaoguai embodied death and destruction, causing its might to be fearsome beyond belief.

    Yan Zaizen measured its strength to be at the Ninth-Floor! At least...

    "It¡¯s strength is amplified by thews of this zone...but..." Yan Zaizen felt somewhat stupefied by the course of events. It felt like his prophetic intuition had vanished. He couldn¡¯t even since an inkling of threat or danger, nor even feel the fearsome of this beast...as if his entire natural instincts had been suppressed.

    "Could it be the Dao Heart?" He wondered.

    Woosh!

    The abomination of a beast jumped relentlessly towards Yan Zaizen. Its speed was beyond measure, and despite the initial distance between them, in a sh, it was before him with its ws shing forth. Those ws emitted dark and violet light that seemed intent on destroying all forms of light on existence.

    Yan Zaizen couldn¡¯t react! It was too fast. The w made contact with him as he hastily created a barrier of death, hoping to siphon off the energy of the strike to weaken it, but s, it offered very little protection. The w prated the barrier like tofu and barely weakened.

    "Ah!" A painful grunt sounded as Yan Zaizen felt his body turn almost into ribbons, his lifeforce being destroy as the energy within the ws prated his everything. The sheer force from the w sent him tens of kilometers away, smashing heavily into the ground. A deep and vast crater formed with his body as the epicenter. The wounds on his body profusely bled as w marks formed.

    A surge of life and death to its extreme exploded from his body, transforming the deathly aura into life! As it did, it fiercelybated the remnant destructive energies until it ceased. His body slowly recovered. With heavy breathing, Yan Zaizen felt like he was going to lose his mind and his life.

    Roar!!

    This roar from the beast felt like a taunt. And indeed, it was. Yaoguai, particrly Guai, were highly intelligent despite their appearances. They were as smart as humans, cunning and aware.

    "You filthy beast!" Yan Zaizen stood up, eyes as sharp and imperious as ever. A light of amber-gold effused from his eyes as he clenched his fist. "I¡¯ll eat your heart for breakfast!" With his Dao Heart-influenced heavenly might, he punched forth a fist that contained the essence of death. This deathly essence wished to devour creation, devour the heavens, and devour this filthy beast!

    However, the epic sh andeback that was expected didn¡¯t happen. Instead, the beast roared fiercely before jumping towards this deathly essence with its wings spread and mouth open.

    The next event caused Yan Zaizen to open his eyes wide in shock!

    The beast sucked in a breath of air, consuming all the deathly aura into its body as if it was oxygen. It took a brief moment before all of the aura had been eaten. Afterwards, it sneered with its tiger mouth and its eyes were full of mocking.

    "It..." Yan Zaizen was absolutely stunned. He had the thought that the beast targeted him because of his deathly aura...if so then...

    The thought of being considered a meal left him feeling at a loss. Should...he....run?

    As this thought came to his mind, he couldn¡¯t help but shudder. However, he didn¡¯t immediately take off. Instead, his eyes brightened.

    It was truly unfortunate that his Dao Heart art was only at its most basic level, the increase of his dao was only minimal. As for his soul strength, it was far too weak. There was also the issue that Yaoguai did not have daos to affect, making it essentially worthless as it currently was.

    Regardless, he wouldn¡¯t simply take off. At least, not yet. Recalling the incident with the giant mouth-balls in the Border Expanse, he had no fear of retreating in insurmountable odds or the deeply unknown, but this monster...

    If this beast considered Yan Zaizen a meal, then what did Yan Zaizen consider this beast? Was it not the same?

    Yan Zaizen licked his lips as his eyes became greedy and hungry. If he obtained this Yaoguai¡¯s royal heaven heart, then wouldn¡¯t his cultivation base rise by leaps and bounds?!

    Not to mention, "Let¡¯s see if my deathws can reach Sovereign-Level...here and now."

    Suddenly, his body erupted with a profoundw of death. The aura seemed to have its own intent! This intent was set on siphoning the essence of all creation! The world around him begun to fall to death. The ground dissipated into nothing as the heavenlyponents that naturally formed it was siphoned in its entirety. The air surrounding them died down! The moisture, heat, dryness of the immediate surroundings seemed to vanish into the deathly aura.

    "Come!" With eyes as ck as night, Yan Zaizen bellowed out a roar. His entire body became like a shadow, covered in the essence of death! The only bit of life in his entire body was the pale, white me in his heart.

    The Yaoguai was initially shocked, but soon its eyes revealed an even greater greed. With a roar of excitement and its strength that could rival the Ninth-Floor Heavenly Genesis Realm, it jumped into the deathly aura with no fear!!

    Boom!

    With his fifth-floor heavenly cultivation, Yan Zaizen would normally stand very little chance, but was fights always determined by cultivation bases? No!

    Like a shadow, Yan Zaizen turned into a ck light aimed at the Yaoguai¡¯s mouth.

    It didn¡¯t hesitate as it opened its mouth wide and epted Yan Zaizen¡¯s suicidal actions. If he wanted to enter its body and serve as nutrients, then so be it!

    The beam of light and all the deathly aura its possessed entered its mouth and disappeared from this world. After devouring the light, the Yaoguai smirked and gave off a strangeughter. Then, it leaped away with content.

    -----

    A skyship that was hidden by a unique camouge that even Yan Zaizen hadn¡¯t noticed appeared. It was as if it was always there. On the side was the old man from earlier, his eyes were dim and filled with a little confusion.

    "He...just killed himself?" As someone who knew about aboriginal Yaoguai, he knew that many of them could easily consume thews of others to strengthen themselves. Yan Zaizen¡¯s meeting with it wasn¡¯t coincidental as he was being hunted due to his ck lightning that emitted a deathly aura.

    It still felt somewhat shocking to see someone be directly devoured by a Yaoguai due to their own stupidity.

    The man who had reported earlier walked up to the old man, his eyes were indifferent. "Captain, what are your orders?" To him, Yan Zaizen was destined for death or worse after gaining this old man¡¯s interest.

    The captain was still confused, unable to process what had just happened. Only after a while did he speak, "follow the Yaoguai." After receiving hismand, the man promptly left.

    "I refuse to believe someone whoprehended a worldw to that level would just choose suicide! There must be more...but even if there isn¡¯t, I should still retrieve that soul in his spatial storage."

    -----

    Inside the Yaoguai, Yan Zaizen had transformed into a ck orb the size of a fist. "Haha! You may be stronger than me, but...sometimes, the winner isn¡¯t always decided by strength."

    As those words left his mind, his body started to reform. Suddenly, a ck hole formed at his be. "I¡¯ll let you see how it feels to be devoured!"

    The ck hole started to swirl.

 Chapter 333 Devouring Heaven 1

    The ck hole was a quintessential part of Yan Zaizen¡¯s soul, and its strength was derived from such. With his current soul cultivation at the Nascent Soul Realm, utilizing it would¡¯ve been too extraneous on his soul, and if he wished to devour an existence such as a Yaoguai, then the power required would be too immense to withstand. His soul could even shatter.

    Yet, Yan Zaizen was attempting this very action. The reason was because his soul was no longer the same, and its foundation was no longer just the soul, but his dao! Essentially, it can withstand more as the pressure would be shared mutually by his dao.

    He may not be able to exhibit the highest degree of strength possible, but to him, that was fine.

    "Even if I do it little by little, I want see how long you canst!" Yan Zaizen was intent on devouring this Yaoguai, especially when he felt its strength and bodyposition. The Yaoguai were like embodiments of the heavens. The physical forms of heavens!

    It was like the inverse of the Border Expanse¡¯s odd creatures. They both had strange and unfathomable appearances, sometimes human, sometimes beast, sometimes even objects, sometimes all three, and they existed solely as one thing or another.

    The creatures in the Border Expanse was sealed away from the thirty-three heavens, only a few capable of breaking free to a certain extent, such as the mouth-balls.

    However, the creatures in the Heavenly Origin Grounds were not. Instead, they freely roamed and was widely epted and used as cultivation resources by the cultivators here or for tempering.

    If the Border Expanse creatures were embodiments of spirituality, then Heavenly Origin Grounds were embodiments of essence. When Yan Zaizen awakened the abilities of the ck hole, he had learned its intent to devour the earth, the sky, and heaven. This had thoroughly shaken him to the core, but as he learned more about the multiverse, it started to make sense.

    Somehow, his soul bloodline wanted to exceed the heavens. When he pondered on this, he wondered the effectiveness it had on the heavens, and his attempt now was to see its effects!

    He had the feeling that he could devour and consume Yaoguai, the embodiments of the heavens, andprehend their mysteries just like in the Non-Verse!

    The ck hole spiraled rapidly. There was no sound being emitted, but every rotation drew in faint wisps of ck and purple smoke from the Yaoguai¡¯s insides. In the Yaoguai, there was no organs, no blood, or cells. They were almost entirelyposed of essence of the heavens.

    The majority of this was located in one spot, their hearts. This heart wasn¡¯t always in the same location for each Yaoguai and this one¡¯s heart was located in its head. Yan Zaizen rested firmly in its torso, so he couldn¡¯t reach the heaven heart through normal means. Despite where he was located, the Yaogaui couldn¡¯t sense him. Yan Zaizen had used thews of mimicry to make his signature the same as the Yaoguai, not even a Heavenly Creation expert would be able to sense him.

    "Slowly, slowly." Reminding himself to be patient and cautious, he slowly devoured these wisps of essence. As he did, he felt a warmth surge within his soul. This warmth was a first, having never experienced it before.

    With furrowed brows, he entered introspection. His soul was a mixture of dao energy and his soul bloodline existing in unison. His dao heart was being surrounded by avatars ofws. It was as if his dao heart was the sun and thew avatars weres in unique orbits.

    Yan Zaizen couldn¡¯t help but be shocked as he looked at thew avatars. There were thousands of them, ranging from Mortal, World, and Imperials. The Mortal Laws were the mostmon. One could see that thews were grouped together in a particr way.

    Yan Zaizen looked at the area that housed the many concepts of Fire Laws that heprehended. He could see a zing sun, an icy-blue me, a whirlpool of emerald fire, and more. However, they hovered together peacefully as if they were a close-knit family.

    The warmth didn¡¯t originate from these concepts of fire. Well, not all of them. There was a fire of violet. This was different than a me, as this was more chaotic and disorderly than an actual me. It was as if it was in chaos and intent on incinerating all in its path into nothing, not even ash.

    This chaotic fire was glowing brighter than the others around it. It seemed to gain power with each passing second. Originally, it was at the initial-Manifestation level, but now, Yan Zaizen could see it was at the minor-Manifestation level. He couldn¡¯t help but be shocked as he felt new found insights within his soul me. These insights were birthed into being as if they were always there, they were always his.

    This wasn¡¯t the only avatar being influenced. Yan Zaizen could see a violet bow and arrow glow brighter than ever before, which was also a Mortal Law. This was one of Yan Zaizen¡¯s firstws he had learned - Archery of Pure Destruction.

    It has been a while since he utilized thisw, but because of its significance, he had never forgotten it during his cultivation. It was originally at the initial-Domain. Now, it seemed to be approaching the minor-Domain level.

    "I¡¯m devouring the Yaogaui¡¯s insights into destruction?!" Yan Zaizen was ted! In the Non-Verse, he had done something very simr, and devised thew of purity. Suddenly, he felt his path of cultivation of the heavens to clearly reveal itself!

    This also confirmed one matter that was only a theory!

    The thirty-three heavens were not real! At least, they were most definitely not the Heavenly Universe, or even a universe. No wonder Ezekiel said top-tier experts would say such things!

    If it was a universe, then Yan Zaizen should¡¯ve been able to devour its essence just like the Non-Universe, just like the Yaoguai! But, he couldn¡¯t.

    With eyes more brilliant than ever, he started to devour more carefully to ensure not a single ounce of essence was wasted. He even got into a meditative stance and started to ponder on the insights he gained.

    The Yaoguai of death and destruction was traveling leisurely, roaring here and there, traveling freely unbeknownst of the parasite within its body. It was even unaware of the fact it was being followed, observed, and in danger!

    The old captain on the skyship that resembled Esi¡¯s had narrowed eyes as he looked at the Yaoguai frolicking about.

    "Is he really dead?" It had already been an hour, but there was no response from the young man who recklessly entered the belly of the beast. He was even specting if there was a trick used, but with his cultivation base, not many tricks from a fifth-floor Heavenly Genesis junior could escape his eyes.

    "Captain, should we subdue?" The first mate, the man who had addressed the old man several times before, spoke referring to the Yaoguai. If he was alone, perhaps the first mate¡¯s first instincts would¡¯ve been to run, but with the old man here, what was a royal Yaoguai that equaled the ninth-floor? Therefore, he was worry-free.

    The old captain didn¡¯t respond, but furrowed his brows. Soon after, a helpless sigh could be heard. "Do it."

    Woosh!

    Just as he said that, a grey-robed figure appeared out of thin air, as if it had been out of time. The old man¡¯s eyes turned to see the figure, and the figure looked towards the old man immediately in response. This caused the old man to feel his heart tremble slightly.

    They were currently in a concealed state, but this figure could perfectly deduce his location and even notice his gaze. What¡¯s worse, he couldn¡¯t discern the figure¡¯s cultivation. At least, not its exact details.

    However, he wasn¡¯t an old monster for nothing. "A celestial?" As he said those words, the eyes masked behind a hood¡¯s shadow glowed brilliantly.

    A Celestial wasn¡¯t some god or higher form of Heavenly Cultivation, but instead, another form of cultivation path rting towards essence. In much the same way that Phantasm, Soul Source, and Soul Faith Paths all stems from spirituality. Or, the Herculean and Fiendgod Path focuses on physicality.

    It was the Celestial Path, but the only issue was that one needed the blood of a Celestial to cultivate it. There was even several regions ruled by these so-called Celestials.

    This was why Celestials weren¡¯t as mystical in the Heavenly Origin Grounds as they were in the thirty-three heavens. However this was easily exined as Celestials were forbidden from entering the thirty-three heavens, so they were only found in the Heavenly Origin Grounds.

    The grey-robed figure turned its gaze away, looking at the Yaoguai. The figure¡¯s bright eyes showed some confusion, and even some anxiety.

    While this was happening, the Oneuli Empire¡¯s Skyship had reached the area where the grey-robed figure split into thousands of other figures. They had been there for a few minutes trying to figure out the direction.

    "The person we were tracking split off into thousands of time signatures, trying to throw us off our path. We were careless when locking on," Park Ji-Hu apologetically said. However, Yi Seo-Jun merely shrugged.

    "We¡¯ve already blocked the Non-Universe¡¯s connection to the Heavenly Origin Grounds within the Dusk Zone, so whoever they are wouldn¡¯t be able to sense any danger from our approach. This makes our job easier, as they will believe to have lost us and lower their guard further." As Yi Seo-Jun said this, he pulled out a ck stone that seemed to swirl with the essence of impurity. It was small, as small as a pebble, but it seemed capable of affecting all in the world!

    If Yan Zaizen were to see this, his entire body would feel as if it had met its natural enemy.

    The pebble shined with an inky, impure light. This light was all epassing but it pointed towards a direction! South!

    When the others saw this, even Park Ji-Hu, they took a step back on instinct alone. Only Yi Seo-Jun would dare to directly touch such a thing, but to anyone else, they¡¯d likely die right then and there.

    "We go south," Yi Seo-Jun ordered. Beneath his calm gaze was a light filled with intense ambition and anticipation.

 Chapter 334 Devouring Heaven 2

    "Why can¡¯t I sense him?" The grey-robed figure anxiously muttered. The Yaoguai continued to frolic about, unaware of the grey-robed figure or the existence of the old captain¡¯s ship. There would be the asional booms in the background as it recklessly destroyed here and there.

    Wherever it traveled, death and destruction followed. The crew watching this couldn¡¯t help but admit that Yaoguai were true to theirws. Despite that, they were preparing the ship¡¯s capturing formations. These formations were explicitly designed for Yaoguai.

    "He¡¯s...definitely not dead," The grey-robed figure muttered. Its eyes beneath the hood started to glow with a brilliant light of grey. Its eyes and the light seemed to contain a pure essence of time, capable of seeing through all time itself.

    "He¡¯s in the Yaoguai?" As those words were said, the old man¡¯s eyes turned bright. The words spoken may have been soft, but with his cultivation base, he could hear the quietest of sounds urately and clearly for an inconceivable distance.

    "Halt," the old man ordered. The crew immediately ceased their actions as if they were machines. One could easily see their experience in their response times. Even their actions were quite interesting, as they simply froze and halted all operations.

    The grey-robed figure didn¡¯t mind the old man. Instead, it reached out with its left hand. This hand was incredibly pure and white, soft and dazzling, naturally belonging to a female. A surge of time energy seemed to flow out of the palm like a sonic wave. This energy was invisible but all that it touched was affected.

    "Stop."

    The air molecules, the moisture, light waves, and even life itself seemed to freeze in time.

    The wave of energy hit the Yaoguai faster than it could react. It transformed into a statue. In truth, it hadn¡¯t been modified in any way, but the movement of time around it had been affected, forced to cease. It entered the Yaoguai in a state of stasis.

    The old man¡¯s eyebrows twitched. Celestials possessed celestial energy, from their own celestialws, and do things absolutely impossible for heavenly cultivators. For example, this time energy wasn¡¯t connected to anyw of the heavens, but it was aw formed by the celestial itself.

    If heavenly cultivators harness the heavens essence to cultivate and gleam into its inner workings, then celestials create their own heavenly essence which they can harness and develop in ways unimaginable. It was this ability to defy the restriction of the heavens that made Celestials fearsome beyond belief!

    The only way for heavenly cultivators to devise their ownws, their own paths, was to rival the heavens! However, theirws couldn¡¯t naturally be a part of the heavens and its growth was much like Yan Zaizen¡¯s dao heart, requiring power and direction.

    As for Celestials, they start their path with an essence of the multiverse and give birth to countless variations!

    Therefore, the old man had no intent to offend a celestial and waited patiently. He wasn¡¯t in a hurry, and he was curious about Yan Zaizen¡¯s fate, so he silently stayed.

    The grey-robed woman didn¡¯t mind the old man as she took a step forward. It was as if her body was time. She vanished and appeared before the Yaoguai like a shadow. "You¡¯re..." The eyes behind the hood narrowed. This Yaoguai was odd...

    She could feel like, every so often, her celestial energy of time was being consumed bit by bit. However, it wasn¡¯t enough to affect the stasis state it was in. Touching the Yaoguai, the confusion beneath the hood intensified.

    She couldn¡¯t feel anything or anyone outside of the Yaoguai¡¯s aura! She used a few more unique celestial arts, but nothing was revealed.

    While she was trying to gleam into Yan Zaizen¡¯s location, he was frozen in the Yaoguai¡¯s body! No, that would be incorrect. At his be, the ck hole still silently absorbed the heavenly essence of the Yaoguai like a parasite.

    His physical body, however, had entered a stasis state. As for his soul, it was affected for a blink before he regained his ability to think and use his soul energy. However, he was shocked to discover that his body had beenpletely sealed!

    It was like he was in a cage. This cage was his own physical body!

    "What the hell is happening?" He didn¡¯t try to send his soul sense outwards. If there was danger, he could put himself in a bad position. In truth, he already felt uneasy. This uneasiness wasn¡¯t due to his prophetic intuition, but his normal intuition!

    This was because he found that...his prophetic intuition no longer worked! He only had one clue of this, but he felt absolutely certain! It was like someone had taken away his sense of taste. He may not notice it immediately, but after eating something once, how could he not notice?!

    After experiencing danger once, how could he not notice?!

    This Yaoguai was capable of sneaking up and attacking him without a hair of warning. He recalled when he first felt his intuition, when the Meteor that was Ezekiel struck him. At that time, he felt a profound sensation of danger. It was so intense that death was a certainty if not for his ck hole!

    In other times, he¡¯d always had a nagging feeling. Early on, there were many times he didn¡¯t act on it. Like at the Ying n or Xuanwu City. However, he slowly learned to trust this feeling deeply.

    There were even times where the intuition was vague and far-reaching! This was like when Pinaka was traveling through the Heavenly Spatial Formation, or when he had the choice to rush to Ezekiel¡¯s aid. There were consequences to every choice. Then there was the subtle clues, like knowing that Eshe and Iceborn were scheming perfectly from the get-go as if they were originally allies!

    However, he didn¡¯t feel a single thing since exiting his cultivation. It was as if...

    Something was hindering it!

    This was only a theory, but it felt beyond true.

    This was why he had doubled his efforts to conceal himself. He hoped to silently hide! Yes, hide!

    Whatever could snatch away his intuition was beyond his understanding and likely far beyond his abilities. The only possible way he would feel safe was to consume this Yaoguai¡¯s insights and breakthrough!

    Not breakthrough into the sixth-floor, but breakthrough into the sovereign-level ofws! The difference between domain and sovereign can not be described easily as it wasn¡¯t like the difference between mud and the sky, but more like the difference between a mortal and a god!

    In the Sirius Titan Realm, there were about ten Heavenly Monarchs, all of which were in the seventh-floor! That meant that they just barely entered the sovereign-level! The poption, however, was so vast that it was unimaginable!

    Yet, only about ten!

    Even in the Canis Major Realm, only one Eighth-Floor Heavenly Genesis expert out of...an even greater amount than the Sirius Titan Realm. To add, the Canis Major Realm had a very linear legacy for its experts!

    The difficulty was immense, because that difference of domain vs sovereign is like the difference between attracting lightning with a rod and controlling lightning with your will!

    The only issue between that gap was surviving...

    "Heavenly tribtion..." Yan Zaizen¡¯s suffused with anticipation as he licked his lips. If he wasn¡¯t frozen, he¡¯d look up at the sky with a smirk.

 Chapter 335 Devouring Heaven 3

    Inside the belly of the beast, Yan Zaizen fortified his concealment methods. With his physical body frozen by some unfathomable external power, he couldn¡¯t help but feel uneasy. Luckily, hisw of mimicry was profound.

    Those observing from the outside, be it the Celestial grey-robed female or the old man on Esi¡¯s look-alike ship, couldn¡¯t discover an inkling of his existence. However, he still remained cautious and patient.

    Despite his frozen body, his soul bloodline continued to devour minute traces of the Yaoguai¡¯s essence. He could feel his insights into thews rting to death and destruction increase all-around. Each of hisw avatars that embodied even a hint of thosews glowed resplendently within his soul.

    Slowly, he lost himself in the profound truths of thews and embraced it wholeheartedly.

    "!" Abruptly, he shivered as if a bucket of freezing water was sshed fiercely on his naked body. A chill, a very icy-chill and dense, innate, and almost unavoidable bout of fear struck him. This fear seemed to stem from every cell of his physical body, particrly his brain.

    "What the hell?!" His emotions stirred as he halted his absorption process. The sensation continued to grow stronger and stronger until his body literally screamed with its entirety to do one thing: RUN!

    However, his soul and dao were absolutely steady, creating this contrasting reaction between his body and his soul. Luckily, cultivators heavily relied on their souls as their bodies were disposable. An example of this was himself, his body and soul likely weren¡¯t created together. His body is the product of the Non-Universe while his soul was a fascinating and mysterious concoction of something or someone.

    "What is happening outside to make my body...want to run..." As those words trailed in his thoughts, his lips turned a cold arch. The intense feeling of fear wasn¡¯t a product of his Prophetic Sense, but an instinctual desire as if meeting one¡¯s absolute nemesis. "So, it has arrived."

    He calmed his body down, suppressing its instincts with his Dao Heart. He continued to absorb the contents of the Yaoguai, but this time, he intensified his speed. No longer did he go slows l, instead, he increased it by a thousand times! The pain was intense, his newfound dao soul being pushed to the brink, but he gritted his teeth and continued fearlessly.

    Within his firm, resole and cold gaze was a glimmer ofbat intent that could scare the very heavens itself!

    -----

    Outside, the grey-robed woman still maintained her soft and pure hand on the surface of awkward patches of scales and hair on the Yaoguai. Beneath her hood, she remained silent. An air of solemness quietly emitted from beneath her shadowy hood.

    The old man also maintained his silence. They were both using their various methods to investigate the situation. In fact, the old captain had already exhausted all his perceptive means earlier but was simply re-attempting them. The grey-robed woman¡¯s earlier words and actions provoked various suspicions within him, doubts he couldn¡¯t shake.

    The grey-robed woman softly sighed, "he can¡¯t be dead, but there¡¯s...his...haaa." One could hear immense frustration and sadness in the woman¡¯s voice, it was as if she had just lost a loved one. It felt lost and unwilling to ept the facts presented.

    The old captain also had his suspicions and remained skeptical. The young man he had followed disyed immense talent and achievement in the World Law of Death. However, what he did was direct suicide and felt unreasonable. It was like a fully grown martial artist who had happened upon a lion decided to cut himself up to bite-sized pieces and deliver it to the lion without a fight.

    It felt ridiculous beyond words.

    If someone had told him this had happened, he would dismiss that person as quickly as rejecting the belief that he created the multiverse.

    That was ridiculous beyond words!!

    While they were deliberating on Yan Zaizen¡¯s fate, a skyship was approaching from the distance. It gave off an essence of time and death. The two turned their heads almost simultaneously towards the ship.

    Both of which softly eximed in shock, but for very different reasons.

    "They caught up so quickly?" The grey-robed woman said as she was thoroughly shocked. Her Thousands Temporal Clone Art wasn¡¯t something easily deduced. It contained an essence of truth amidst falsity intermixed with time distortions. Logically speaking, anyone at a certain cultivation base would be dyed for days while those below would undoubtedly be led astray.

    "The Oneuli Empire? Why are they here...could I have been discovered? Impossible!" The old captain¡¯s expression darkened. His eyes started to reveal a dense and sinister killing intent as his wrinkled fists heavily clenched. The clenching of his knuckles was audible, resounding like smell bouts of thunder. He wasn¡¯t the only one experiencing such a shift in emotions. All the other crew members turned solemn and their gazes suffused with radical killing intent.

    If Yan Zaizen witnessed this, he was surely be shocked by their reactions. He had never experienced such profound hatred in his lifetime.

    Not once.

    "Oneuli Empire?" The grey-robed woman muttered. She tapped the scales and hair of the Yaoguai a few times as if the frozen surface was a wooden desk. "Could it be Oneuli¡¯s Descendants?" Her words, if heard by the members on the skyship, would cause many of them to be shocked by her address.

    Shrugging, she disregarded the new arrivals as she turned around. Even if they had some skill, she obviously felt very little threat or desire to connect. However, even if she didn¡¯t, doesn¡¯t mean the Oneuli Empire wouldn¡¯t.

    As the ck, ghastly skyship arrived, Park Ji-Hu, the Captain of the ship, leapt off the skyship and into the skies. His silver skin, bulky body with dense muscles, and handsome appearance gave off an odd feeling, especially with the light within his eyes containing an extremely sinister power. It was as if the death and progression of all living things were decided by a whim.

    Park Ji-Hu surveyed the surroundings. ording to Yi Seo-Jun, their target was currently at this area. However, as he arrived, he saw a concealed, unidentified ship, a grey-robed figure, and a frozen Yaoguai. This caused him to temporarily pause. His thoughts circted, but in the end, his scan left him bewildered.

    A voice emerged from the skyship, "It¡¯s here."

    As that voice sounded, Park Ji-Hu turned to the skyship, nodded, and turned to the grey-robed woman. An image of her, albeit distorted by temporal fluctuations, were the images that confused them earlier. If it weren¡¯t for the fact that she was currently here before them, in the location where it was, he wouldn¡¯t have connected the thoughts.

    However, he didn¡¯t immediately make a hasty assumption or conclusion. Instead, he calcted some matters briefly. Firstly, this woman they were chasing could be apetitor, only because she was a Celestial! A Celestial would have no need for it, so there¡¯s no way she was it.

    His sharp, ghastly eyes turned towards the concealed skyship berthed not too far away. Those eyes squinted heavily with suspicion. Even with his cultivation base, he couldn¡¯t bypass the ship¡¯s defenses to inspect its crew...

    After some thoughts, his posture grew straighter, and his aura surged wildly into the air, causing one¡¯s sense of time to go out of whack and their lives seemingly controlled by another¡¯s whim. It was incredibly stifling, and if anyone below the Heavenly Commander-level were to view this aura without protection, they would immediately copse into dust, their lives fading away.

    "All of you, I-"

    SZOOM!!

    A piercing beam of sharp, dark, and deathly light shot from the bow of the ship. This beam contained a thick, sinister aura of death. It was incredibly profound, containing hints of the sword, as if it could slice all life away with a single thought.

    This beam of light was so sudden, so abrupt, that Park Ji-Hu could barely react in time. However, how could he, an expert at the (Minor) Heavenly Creation Realm be so easily killed?! Albeit a littlete, he promptly retaliated with a defense. A shimmering wall of light infused with thews of time and decay appeared before him. It didn¡¯t merely cover him, but it was three thousand meters in height!

    The beam of light smashed heavily into the wall! A whooshing sound unexpected from the contact of two devastating powers echoed. It was as if the movement of time in the area was rapidly progressing, causing tempest winds to quickly emerged. Soon, a ck and grey cyclone appeared, recing the wall as the two powers intermingled very oddly.

    Park Ji-Hu never expected his words had created an absolutely unimaginable misunderstanding! However, before he could decide further, a sharp ck light pierced the cyclone nearly as instant as its formation haspleted. This caught himpletely off-guard, even more so than before.

    "You...!" He wanted to say something, feeling somewhat odd that a fight between experts had just urred without him stating his reason for being here. With a clenched fist surrounded by shimmering light, he punched out with a defying roar.

    Whoosh!!!

    The unexpected sound once more happened as the sword, death, decay, and time auras once more intermixed with each other.

    The old man stepped off the skyship and soared into the air, he and every member of the crew. Their eyes shed with such intense killing intent that the world quivered in fear!

    The sheer amount of killing intent caused the grey-robed woman to be startled. However, before she could further analyze the situation, a resounding shout echoed in the air.

    "KILL!!!!!!"

    -----

 Chapter 336 Devouring Heaven 4

    The thick, vicious killing intent permeated the surroundings as the kill order shook the heavens! This kill order, or maybe battle cry, set off a sequence of devastating events. The crew of the skyship roared like beasts, their voices filled with raw, unfettered savagery! They no longer had the well-mannered, well-orchestrated appearance of a crew, nor did they have the appearance of normal humans!

    While they remained having two arms, two legs, two eyes, and all the other typical features of a normal human, they had be tattooed with a variety of mystery and unusual tribal markings. All of these markings were ck and squirmed atop their skin like worms beneath the surface, giving it a somewhat surreal and malevolent appearance.

    The old captain, the one at the forefront of this killing aura that could cause gods and demons to frown, had the most changes as three wings appeared on the left side of his body. These wings were skinny, like bat wings, but purely ck in color. If they were in the dark, they¡¯d be impossible to see!

    The wings were also uneven, with the top being the longest and the bottom being the shortest. They pped ever so slightly, and as they did, the surrounding air seemed to wail in misery and pain, as if being brought to death! If Yan Zaizen were here, he would be startled massively! Despiteprehending thews of death, this event exceeded hisprehension by a mile!

    The wails were like dying ghosts and demons in the throes of their end, truly fearsome. However, amidst these wails was a very sharp keening. It was like the cry of the sword was intermixed, giving the cries a sharpness that could cut away all things, including life itself.

    Park Ji-Hu fended off the attack with his fist. He frowned slightly, "Yeomna Empire¡¯s Venerable Ghost de?!" This title, this Daoist name, caused him to tremble slightly in his heart. There was a hint of fear, wariness, and confusion in his eyes. After all, this territory was within the Oneuli Empire, why would such a high-level figure appear here?

    The Yeonma Empire was known for their inherent savageness and near insane desire forbat. In their doctrine of belief, the closer theye in contact or induce death increased their strength. This belief created innate warriors born drenched in the fresh blood of others.

    Because of this, they were often at odds with the other three Empires within the Dusk Zone.

    Even if the Oneuli Empire and Yeomna Empire were at constant war, as thetter was known for fighting and killing, but this was incredibly sudden and truly without any rhyme or reason!

    As those words resounded, the old captain¡¯s, no, Venerable Ghost de¡¯s killing intent skyrocketed into the sky. As if matching Park Ji-Hu¡¯s words, he roared, "Wither Night!" Then, with a de as ck as night within his hand, he shot forth another beam of energy. As if this was only the beginning, he shouted directly afterward, "Form the grand formation!"

    The crew members roared, their life aura was converted into a storm of death. The bodies of several dozen crew members, all of which fused together into one pure whole! This caused, not just Park Ji-Hu, but everyst person on the Onueli¡¯s skyship to be startled. The reason for that was...each of these crew members auras were, at the very least, at the Seventh-Floor of the Heavenly Genesis Realm. Everyst one of them was Heavenly Commanders!

    The grey-robed woman was shocked by the sudden battle to the death, grabbing the frozen Yaoguai, she retreated a safe distance in a literal blink of an eye. As she was now safe, she decided to spectate. "To initiate such a formation...these people are maniacs..."

    The formation set up by the crew was a bizarre, almost self-harming formation that consumed life force,bined Heavenly Shrines, and created a profoundposition that could be considered evil! All life in the surrounding area of a thousand kilometers were affected, which slowly caused all things to experience a state of perimortem.

    The air, the grass, the rocks, and anything that could be considered to be "alive" or have a minute chance of bing sentient and begin cultivating was put into death at its nascent form. From henceforth, no type of life would be able to grow from these things.

    Park Ji-Hu clenched his teeth. Venerable Ghost de was a (Minor) Heavenly Creation Realm expert, much like himself, but he could be said to be at the peak of this. To put it quite simply, he wasn¡¯t his match. While he may be able to fend for himself, relying solely on defense to survive, to actually win or kill would be impossible.

    This didn¡¯t even include the formation that was like a storm of death, slowly condensing into some form of an object. As for his crew? They were powerful, but even if all the members, of which were several hundred, were gathered together, they wouldn¡¯t be able to match a tenth of that formations power. After all, they weren¡¯t formed for war.

    He wanted to say something, but he knew that trying to open a dialogue with the death dealers that were the Yeomna Empire men were as futile as an ant trying to kill an elephant. Their only choice would be to retreat! With a sigh, he stepped back.

    "Activate the formation! Retreat!" As he shouted his orders, the crew members on the Oneuli vessel heaved sighs of relief as they worked with two hundred percent efficiency.

    Venerable Ghost de roared, unwilling to let any of them escape. He grasped towards the storm of death and viciously clenched his fist! However, his fist didn¡¯t clench all the way. Despite it being empty, it was as if he had an object gripped between his fingers. The formation that was slowly revving up begun to rapidly condense until it turned into a beam of light. This beam of lightnded solidly within his clenched fist.

    This was the life essence of all his crew members held in his literal palm!

    It shifted into shape, forming a de longsword with an inner white core that floated within it like liquid. "Since you¡¯re here...Stay!" He roared. With a step, he zed towards the Oneuli Skyship with an absolute heavenly momentum! This sword held the life essence of his entire crew, of dozens of Heavenly Commanders who could live for hundreds of thousands of years! This sword contained tens of millions of life force within and the foundations of all their heavenly shrines! It was absolutely frightening.

    "It seems those who chase may have to leave their lives behind," the grey-robed woman chuckled softly at all this. This was the prime example of unexpected esction! However, to her, it was an absolutely pleasant surprise. She was more than happy to watch a ughter. Unfortunately...

    "Wait, Venerable Ghost de!" When this voice sounded, it gave off an odd feeling as if time hade to a sudden stop. Even Venerable Ghost de halted momentarily as his momentum seemed to have been decayed ever so slightly. He frowned, but his killing intent still permeated the air with a brutal savageness.

    A young man with silver skin, three horns atop his forehead, and emerald eyes that shimmered with a captivating light. He donned an elegant ck robe with a silver skull on his chest. This silver skull was lifelike, as if it looked about every so often like a newborn child. On his face was a smile, coupled with his devilish looks inherent with his races would invoke feelings from any race of any sex.

    This was Yi Seo-Jun!

    "Non-Entity." One word. All this young man said was one word, and the killing intent within Venerable Ghost de¡¯s aura vanished as quickly as it came, reced with a calmness so terrifying it was eerie.

    "Yi Seo-Jun..." Venerable Ghost de slowly whispered, his grip on the sword containing the life essence of his entire crew tightened as he silently contemted various matters.

    However, the grey-robed female¡¯s eyes narrowed as a light of realization donned on her. Turning towards the Yaoguai, her eyes flickered with traces of mysterious light.

    "Venerable Ghost de, I do not know why you¡¯re in our territory, nor do I care. In fact, I believe you intended to avoid being known altogether." Yi Seo-Jun softly said, as if uncaring of Venerable Ghost de, a peak (Minor) Heaven Creation Realm expert, staying in his backyard for unknown reasons. "I can swear an oath to the heavens that your appearance here and other information rting to you being here won¡¯t be spoken by me, or anyone here, for a hundred thousand years."

    "You...?" Confused, Venerable Ghost de¡¯s eyes narrowed at his words. Saying this, doing this, was tantamount to betraying your empire in its entirety. It wasn¡¯t just short of negligence, it was definitely in line with supporting the enemy directly! If this was known, who knows what...

    However, this caused him to seriously contemte the one word: "Non-Entity."

    The importance of this word was rather incredible. Firstly, it was impossible for one to be born in the Heavenly Origin Grounds. Secondly, due to special matters, a Non-Entity was a legendary existence that only existed in the Thirty-Three Heavens and would never allow themselves toe here. Lastly, no one who has the body of a Non-Entity would ever arrive in the Heavenly Origin Grounds unless they were courting death!

    However, that wasn¡¯t the reason why he stopped. A Non-Entity was irrelevant due to their obscene rarity within the Heavenly Origin Grounds. The reason he stopped had to do with this young man before him, Yi Seo-Jun. If he was intent on fighting to the death, he wasn¡¯t sure if he could even do so! That was because of this man¡¯s identity!

    The Crown Prince of the Oneuli Empire!!!

    If it was a normal Oneuli Empire¡¯s skyship, then kill them all without mercy! if there was the slightest chance their location or existence might be revealed, but...if it was the Crown Prince of the Oneuli Empire, they had to think thrice and then thrice once more before taking action. This was because of his backing, his trump cards, and his sheer wealth!

    If someone told him that the Oneuli Empire¡¯s Crown Prince would have nothing against an expert at his cultivation level, he would spit in their face and walk away. With a father whose strength reigned in the peak, a trace of Origin Power bestowed casually could turn him into dust! Quite literally...

    "In return?" However, he was an old monster and knew that the crown prince likely had a reason to offer such treasonous conditions.

    With a calm smile, Yi Seo-Jun responded, "In return, you¡¯ll do the same."

    "..." Venerable Ghost de was silent for quite a while. A stalemate formed between the two. In truth, this would be the best for both sides. With this, his operation could be considered still active, whereas the prince could cause his mission to be a definite failure.

    "Mhm," nodding in eptance of these terms. If both sides were to go all out in a fight, perhaps Venerable Ghost de could waste a trump card of the Crown Prince, but if he did, it¡¯d alert his father, and he was confident the prince didn¡¯t wish for his actions to be known. However, if he did refuse, perhaps he would die right here and right now as a means to silence immediately.

    "Then, let¡¯s." Yi Seo-Jun said with a contented smile.

 Chapter 337 Devouring Heaven 5

    As those words sounded, various oaths were sworn beneath the heavens, including all the crew members of both sides. With this, unless they were willing to throw away their lives, they would be subjected to the fierce and switch deliverance that was the Heavenly Punishment Lightning. As for those who were at the Heavenly Creation Realm, this oath was far intense as they would receive the direct rejecting of the heavenly forces, only those who¡¯ve established their own Original Law have some modicum of a chance to survive.

    Therefore, to Park Ji-Hu and Venerable Ghost de, this oath was one that would never vite.

    "Now..." Yi Seo-Jun smiled as the oaths finished, turning his attention towards the only person who had yet to swear an oath, the grey-robed celestial! She was the only loose-end amongst them and a factor that must be eliminated at all cost, for both sides.

    The grey-robed female softy sneered, her tone filled with disdain and contempt. Her posture, her stance, aura, and actions were all steady and without any sense of urgency. It was as if her situation was nothing to her.

    This startled Venerable Ghost de as he contemted the circumstances. The problem with Celestials is that their paths were not one that required the will of the heavens, and thus heavenly oaths were all but useless before them. The path of Celestials was one that created their very own heaven within themselves, fortifying it with truths, resources, and various forms of energies of the multiverse.

    It would be like a King trying to impose their will on to pirates! They may attempt to eliminate them, but when have pirates ever feared kings?!

    For Celestials, only Dao or Soul Oaths can be applied, but those oaths held no chance of survival and can even affect one¡¯s future cultivation in either of those paths, even if they do not break the oath. However, that wasn¡¯t always the case. Soul Oaths or Dao Oaths can help solidify one¡¯s cultivation as well, especially rting to Dao Oaths.

    Yi Seo-Jun turned his attention to this grey-robed celestial, "I have one question: Willing or Not?" As those words sounded, there was a formless pressure that seemed to form, pressing down on the chests of all those in the surroundings. This pressure was like a question from an emperor of a nation talking about the fate ofmoners.

    The grey-robed female took a second nce at Yi Seo-Jun before directlyughing. Thisughter was like the fluttering of beautiful music that contained the woes and highs of life! It was tantalizing to listen to, but it didn¡¯t seem intentional.

    "Not." After thatughter, she turned her gaze towards the Yaoguai, no longer paying attention to this Yi Seo-Jun.

    Frowning, Yi Seo-Jun contemted some matters. There were several options before him, but did he really need to take action? Instead, he turned towards Venerable Ghost de and smiled. This smile contained hidden meanings that were quite obvious.

    However, unexpectedly, Venerable Ghost de directly ignored him. He was not some pawn of this Crown Prince, nor was he going to be used as a measuring stick. If he was so naive, wouldn¡¯t his cultivation since be reduced to nothing but a joke?

    "Hmph," witnessing Venerable Ghost de¡¯s indifference and unwillingness to take the first path in offending this random celestial, he felt slightly cold in his heart. The only reason he wouldpromise with the death dealers of the Yeomna Empire was because of his attempts to keep the pursuit of the Non-Entity a secret from everyone.

    It was also why he informed Venerable Ghost de. If he knew his actions were linked to a Non-Entity, he could easily deduce that if he didn¡¯t agree to the conditions, Yi Seo-Jun would wipe him off the face of the Fortune Cemetery! However, this celestial was different.

    Celestials were rulers in many parts of the expansive Heavenly Origin Grounds, and it was difficult to determine who they were connected to. Also, they weren¡¯t limited by the samews they were or subjected to the benefits or disadvantages like heavenly cultivators that require drawing power from the heavens. If they desired, theirbat strength, regardless of their location, will always be one hundred percent.

    This made their forces a very dangerous in the Heavenly Origin Grounds werews strength was dependant on location. Especially with the possibility to change the environment orws within the world to their liking, it simply made things incredibly difficult to deal with. However, this was only a small aspect of a true celestials power! A tip of an iceberg, so to speak. Despite that, it was more than enough to cause many Empires and forces to think thrice before acting.

    "Fine, as long as you give your word to not spread a word of this incident, it¡¯ll be enough," conceded Yi Seo-Jun. He felt somewhat embarrassed by his previous words and her curt response. However, if he had enough strength to kill Venerable Ghost de, he would¡¯ve done so. At least, he couldn¡¯t do so without informing his father of his actions.

    It was this unwillingness that led him topromise with the death reapers that were the Yeomna Empire. In any other case, where he could use or had his usual guards with him, he would¡¯ve personallyid out the order to dig the graves of this savage lot, including this rude celestial. Unfortunately, circumstances dictate actions.

    However, he never expected the reply from the celestial gave.

    "It¡¯ll be enough if you leave from my sight." Her tone was beyond rude, even somewhat annoyed. Her words invoked rage in every one of the Oneuli Empire¡¯s crew, including Park Ji-Hu. Hahm Eun-Jung, the beautiful woman that always stood beside Yi Seo-Jun, couldn¡¯t withstand such words andshed out.

    "You slut! How daring of you to say such words, are you courting death?!" Hahm Eun-Jung¡¯s words were like a light, as her sentiment was echoed amidst the crew.

    However, beyond shocking, a reply came from Park Ji-Hu that silenced them all. With a disdainful and cold snort, he roared imposingly, "Who¡¯s the slut?! You¡¯re the slut! All of you, be silent!"

    Before the grey-robed woman could even turn her head around in response, these words flew wildly about in rage. Even the grey-robed woman couldn¡¯t help but be startled by the sudden infighting. In truth, she was just about to teach these little idiots a lesson, but now...she felt a little bit awkward.

    Hahm Eun-Jung pouted. With her beautiful appearance, it was very alluring. She bore holes in Park Ji-Hu with her gaze but remained silent. The rest of the crew followed suit, like a flock of chocked birds.

    Deciding to ignore them, the grey-robed woman once more kept her attention of the Yaoguai. This circus of exchanges bored her, and she much rather be focusing on other matters. Such as...where is he?

    "Should I split this thing open or..." As she said those words, her brows suddenly furrowed. A suction force seemed to originate from the frozen Yaoguai. This force wasn¡¯t particrly strong, but it left her a feeling of intense dread. Without a thought, truly instinctually, she stepped back and distanced herself a decent amount of distance.

    In Yi Seo-jun¡¯s hand, a ck object within his palm started to release an impure light. This light seemed willing to taint the world, taint the heavens, taint all things within the boundless universe! It was so shocking that, despite being quite a distance away from him, everyone, including Venerable Ghost de took a step back and distance himself.

    Even the grey-robed woman who distanced herself away from the Yaoguai once more took a step away, getting closer to the Yaoguai unintentionally as the light started to be released.

    Before they even realized it, their bodies and souls automatically took action before their conscious thought. This bewildered everyst one of them as they turned their gaze towards Yi Seo-Jun who seemed to hold the taint of the world within his palm. The light wasn¡¯t very brilliant, but it felt intense to some degree. It was as if merely looking at it stained one¡¯s eyes.

    Yi Seo-Jun, however, didn¡¯t seem too bothered by this as he turned towards the light within his palm. His eyes flickered, and then he turned towards the Yaoguai. "It¡¯s there!"

    BOOM!!!

    Unfortunately, his words were drowned out by the thundering of the heavens. The sound that originated from the dusk zone¡¯s skies caused everyone to immediately look up, all except Yi Seo-Jun. The skies started to churn about like a wild cyclone without any rhyme or reason in its direction or strength. It was truly chaotic.

    Before long, clouds cker than the skies that barely had any light started to form. It served as a direct contrast from the dark skies, like a dark grey sea with arge, ck dot.

    Venerable Ghost de was the first to react, his eyes finding this situation iparably familiar. "The Heavenly Tribtion of Death!?" As he said those words, the heavens seemed to respond as a thundering sound once more echoed about.

    This was the Heavenly Tribtion of Death?!

    However, it seemed to be a level one tribtion...

    There were many reasons for tribtions, but each had their own meanings and reasons. The one that was defined by aw characteristic was the Sovereign Trial Tribtion! The Heavenly Tribtion of Punishment rted to breaking an oath which the heavens presided over. These scale in power versus the strength of one¡¯s heavenly cultivation base but always left a way to survive, be it someone else or one¡¯s personal ability. It struck one¡¯s body, soul, and heavenly cultivation base.

    The Heavenly Tribtion of Bestowment was during the process of forming one¡¯s Dao. It was the easiest and only focused on one¡¯s soul. After which, the dao can be fully developed, and one could embark on the Path of their Dao.

    The Heavenly Annihtion Light was formed to eradicate all those that contest against the heavens will or taking a path that went against the Heavenly Godsws. The reason Heavenly Gods were the peak power of their heaven was that they could utilize Heavenly Annihtion Light for their own means! This light struck when Yan Zaizen attempted to cultivate the Herculean Path in the Xiantu Realm! It was also how he received the energy to form his Dao!

    Thest type of Heavenly Tribtion was the Sovereign Trial Tribtion. It tempered the soul in much the same way as the Heavenly Tribtion of Bestowment, but it can lead to death, and it could not be interrupted!

    To cultivatews, one mustprehend the five forms of their conceivedws topletion: Nascent, Force, Manifestation, Domain, and Sovereign.

    When one bypasses the Domain-level, reaching the level of a Sovereign, they reach a level of strength and understanding into their concepts that could be heaven-equalling! With this, one could contest thews of the world themselves! It was a fantastical level to reach and the dream of all experts. If one can say that in this world, there were a billion people that entered the peak Domain-level, then out of those billion only one reached the Sovereign level!

    And now, someone has just invoked their Sovereign Trial Tribtion!

    And this person was...none other than...

    "It¡¯s him!!!"

 Chapter 338 Devouring Heaven 6

    "It¡¯s him!!!" The grey-robed woman¡¯s eyes widened as they regarded the Yaoguai. Its body started to implode within itself, a suction force stronger than before began to surge forth with the intent to devour everything, and with the Yaoguai frozen, it couldn¡¯t even use its power to resist!!!

    "This?!" Venerable Ghost de¡¯s eyes pierced towards the Yaoguai.

    "He¡¯s in there?" Recalling the incident of the young man, proficient in deathws, charging fearlessly into the belly of the beast, he couldn¡¯t help but exim. In truth, he hoped to see the boy¡¯s prospect and turn him into a death servant. To think he could call upon the Sovereign Trial Tribtion and even avoid everyone¡¯s senses!

    The skies of the Dusk Zone continued to tremble as ck clouds filled with the essence of death formed. The noise from the tribtion storm continued to resound one after another.

    Boom! Boom!

    Yi Seo-Jun eyes narrowed, a sharp and expectant glint emerged within them. He looked towards Park Ji-Hu. As if noticing the look, Park Ji-Hu turned towards the gaze to see it filled with meaning. Understanding, he lightly nodded before turning towards the Yaoguai.

    The grey-robed woman¡¯s body trembled. It was as if it was going to explode with delight before loud, madugh filled with insanity resounded beneath the booms of the dark skies.

    "He¡¯s alive! Perfect! Truly perfect!" Her excitement made her unable to control her emotions or words. If Yan Zaizen could hear herughter, chills would most certainly tingle down his spine.

    Boom!!

    Another tremendous boom surged forth, causing everyone to be started as a purple storm formed above. This storm emitted traces of destruction and the will to annihte all things in creation!

    "Two Sovereign Trial Tribtion?!"

    If the first tribtion storm gave everyone a small start before swiftly regaining their wits, this one truly startled them to speechlessness. There were times where trials were executed simultaneously. It wasn¡¯tmon, but amidst talent, it was indeed possible.

    However, this was the first time dual trial tribtion happened with two World-Tier Laws simultaneously in from of them! For example, if Yan Zaizen broke through using only the Archery of Pure Destruction, then he would experience two trials, one of the Mortal Law of Archery and the second of the World Law of Destruction.

    However, two World Laws simultaneously were far, far too difficult! Far, far too difficult!!

    "Befitting a Non, truly befitting!" That pleasantughter filled with madness-filled excitement resounded causing everyone here to turn towards the grey-robed woman. Even Yi Seo-Jun nced at this woman, killing intent surged into his eyes and remained.

    "Anyone who gets in my way, they can leave their lives behind for this Prince." Thinking this, he waited. However, only because interfering with a person oveing a sovereign trial tribtion would lead to an unimaginable bacsh. No one was willing or capable of withstanding that.

    In truth, no one knew why the heavens protected those trying to fight for control of its forces, while simultaneously trying to eradicate their souls. It was a conundrum that baffled many schrs, and likely only those who are Heavenly Gods in the Thirty-Three Heavens would have some semnce of a clue to this contradictory behavior.

    Not to mention, the force used to deal with all interference was with full-force. It was like testing someone¡¯s bodily defenses with a hand-wielded brick and anyone whoments on your actions with a spray of bullets.

    Regardless, they all stayed where they were. There was no reason to move or even be perceived as helping the trial taker. If that happened, it would be toote to regret.

    While all this were taking ce and emotions with all sorts of hidden meaning were made, Yan Zaizen was at the center.

    When he felt that antagonizing force and threat from his body due to something on the outside, he concluded that whoever had affected his near-prophetic instinct was outside waiting. Knowing that there was grave danger awaiting, he decided to speed up his ns. Thanks to the frozen state of the Yaoguai, this was the most optimum time.

    There would be no better!

    elerating the rate of his devouring, even if he felt soul-rending pain as a bacsh, he started to devour the entirety that was this Yaoguai, heart and all.

    It looked, from the outside, that it was imploding because of the force produced from his soul bloodline. As it shrank further and further, Yan Zaizen could feel more insights beaming into his soul like rays of light. It was an awesome feeling as this Yaoguai of Death and Destruction became a part of him.

    Before long, Yaoguai vanished entirely, devoured by him thoroughly. No longer restraining his perception or hiding his existence, he, for the first time, saw the outside world before him. A grey-robed woman was standing alone, her body was faintly trembling, but Yan Zaizen couldn¡¯t see her face or expression.

    Yan Zaizen frowned. There was also two skyships with two separate crews. He recognized one of the ships instantly. It was Esi¡¯s ship, or at least looked like it. The crew of the skyship was different, however. His frown only deepened.

    He didn¡¯t know why this ship, likely the one he spotted before and concluded it wasn¡¯t Esi, decided to follow him so far.

    Thest group was a race of silver-skinned, horned, and emerald eyes humanoid species.

    "The Oneuli Empire¡¯s Race?" As he recalled information about them, their understanding towards time and decay, he couldn¡¯t help but be confused even further. Three parties he¡¯d never met or seen before were gathered about as if they had followed him. Not only that, he was the center of attention!

    The Tribtions above grew increasingly restless. The thundering sounds emitted was chaotic. Observing the changes in the tribtion storms, Yan Zaizen honed his focus.

    The questions in his mind were secondary to this. Not to mention, his ambitions weren¡¯t as simple as just surviving this tribtion, but...

    Licking his lips, the ck hole in his be spun slightly. "Two? Two?!" As he noticed the two storms, purple and ck, he felt increasingly dissatisfied.

    "The heavens, I¡¯m far too hungry for such a paltry meal!" As he said those words, the booms grew increasingly louder but did not formpletely to strike down. Yan Zaizenughed slightly, closing his eyes and steadying his breathing.

    An aura permeated from his body like a soft tidal wave. The surrounding space started to absorb this aura. It contained a vibrant life force that seemed to be unyielding against all challenges!

    This aura was quite familiar and likely Yan Zaizen¡¯s most familiarw!

    Ths Unyielding me of Life!!

    The spectators all, nearly simultaneously, frowned.

    Park Ji-Hu, despite his profound cultivation base, wore a confused expression. "Is he trying to ovee the death trial with lifews?" His tone was filled with confusion as this n would never work unless one had the cultivation base to back it up, this was especially so in the Dusk Zone where Life Laws were weakened. Hence, it was a futile effort and a waste of energy.

    It wasn¡¯t just him who thought this was the case, but Venerable Ghost de also assumed the same. He shook his head in disappointment but said nothing else.

    "Befitting a Non!!!" The grey-robed woman cried. Only she knew what was happening. Yan Zaizen wasn¡¯t using his life aura tobat the death trial but using something simr to inverse insight! With two opposingws on the spectrum, he was using the thick, dense aura of death to rubberband forward his understanding of life!

    Which means...

    BOOM!

    This sound was fresh and filled with a youthful, evesting vibrancy in a simr way as the aura of a newborn child! Everyone nced upwards.

    "What is that?! Is this even possible?!?"

    "Life...Tribtion?"

    "Is this a triple tribtion with three worldws?! O¡¯heavens!!"

    If before they were slightly shocked by the first, rendered speechless by the second, then this third time had them questioning their own senses and conventional thinking. The one who experienced the most intense emotions were the Crown Prince of the Oneuli Empire, Yi Seo-Jun!

    His eyes seemed to be frothing with light, spewing out emerald rays of excitement. "The Mind of a Non-Entity, the Mind of a Non-Entity!" In his mind, these set of words echoed, and with each echo, his excitement would heighten further.

    "I must obtain it!"

 Chapter 339 Devouring Heaven 7

    The gloomy skies were no longer monotone with ack of light. Now, various colors painted the sky in awe-inspiring glory. It was incredible.

    The storm of white seemed to sing the tales of all life in all and every form. The storm of ck was pure and absolute; something all things must experience if they wished to exist beneath its rule. The storm of purple brightened the skies with an essence of the destruction of all things in creation.

    Its splendor would cause all things gazing at it to widen their eyes at its beauty, and that¡¯s what it did. Everyone couldn¡¯t draw their eyes away from this phenomenon.

    While everyone was engrossed thoroughly with the sights, Yan Zaizen¡¯s expression was somewhat ugly. The reason for that was due to the reaction from the heavens. He wanted more.

    He needed more!

    Yan Zaizen further entered a state ofprehension. This time he was going to draw from his insights into the sovereign realm and attempt to do something daring.

    "Life, Death, Space, Time, and Destruction." He listed all his insights as the inside of his eyes flowed wildly about with strange symbols. These symbols were the state of truth, a profoundnguagemonly deciphered at the heavenlynguage. It epassed the entirety of the heavens.

    Theoretically,prehending these allows one tomunicate with the heavens and control or harness its powers. Heavenly Cultivators devise concepts, imbue them with their respective heavenly force and press ahead by developing their concepts heavenly connection strengthen.

    Nascent, Force, Manifestation, Domain, and Sovereign!

    To put it simply, heavenly cultivation is to steal until it can rival! Then, to exceed it and establish their own heaven. Essentially, to steal until you can copy!

    Yan Zaizen understood that thews of the heaven were all interconnected in some way shape or form. The most notable method was toprehend that corenguage. It was the purest form but also the mostplicated way. Many rely on feeling, instinct, or understanding in much the same way humanity delves into science.

    All of these methods were proper in much the same way teaching could be auditory or visual, aplishing the same end goal.

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s entireprehension since he embarked on cultivation shed like lightning through his pupils. The myriad of colors was breathtaking to behold. It was as if the entirety of the world was within his very gaze. In some way, it was.

    "Space!" The colors in his pupils converted into silver. The symbols started to all change, but they were still as numerous before. Rippling waves surged back and forth, and Yan Zaizen became an epicenter to the disturbance of the pond that was the world.

    To reach thew realm at the Sovereign-level, one must not only understand the heavens but reach a level to contest them for control. The initial-stage of the Sovereign-level required one to breach that gate. When it was breached, the heavens would divert a portion of power from that specificw to deal with this new intruder.

    Yan Zaizen was now finding that critical piece of insight that was that gate. Only by withstanding the retaliation of the heavens can one truly start building their own house in the garden that was the heaven.

    "Time!" The silver colors faded bing a less resplendent grey. The symbols of time shed rapidly, and Yan Zaizen seemed to be the center of time.

    The grey-robed woman was drawn by this aura, her eyes shining beneath her hood in surprise. "He¡¯s this proficient in timews?" While she was intrigued, Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t. In fact, he pushed his mind to the absolute limit. A limit he¡¯s never reached before!

    A Non-Entity was a product of the Non-Universe, many would proim that it was a fate child or chosen of the Non-Universe. They wouldn¡¯t be wrong. A Non-Entity is blessed by the power of the universe. It wouldn¡¯t be an exaggeration to that, in terms of talent, a Non-Entity was undisputed as the number one.

    Now, the multiverse has many different types of these existences; they are called Source-Entities.

    However, the Non-Entity held a unique ability beyond other Source-Entities. They possessed an absolute pure mind!

    Oftentimes, experts would refer to this trait as a mind untainted by mortal dust. This was Pinaka¡¯s understanding as well, but there was so much to it than just that.

    However, this one trait is what all Heavenly cultivators strive to have! A mind untainted would be like a clean, fresh pipe with no obstructions and the water going down with the aid of gravity. A mind tainted would be the exact opposite! A pipe clogged by all sorts of things with water needing to be pushed upwards by a tool of some kind.

    The difference could be exined simply, but the effect was beyond any simple exnation! Especially if that water was one¡¯s understanding of any and all things!

    "Soul!" Yan Zaizen roared mentally, a flicker of cyan entering his eyes. By this point, the colors within his eyes shed so rapidly that it would cause anyone to feel lost in his gaze!

    "Yin, Yang, Fire, Water, Gravity, Darkness, Light..." In a blink of an eye, the world was drowned in the sound of thunder from the storms and the aura of a myriad ofws!

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s understanding started to grow at a terrifying rate! Before long, every worldw beneath the heavens had reached the Sovereign¡¯s gate! The numbers were too numerous to count!

    "Sword, Axe, Lance, Sound, Blood, Bone, Flesh..." The Mortal Laws weren¡¯t too far behind. The tribtion for the Mortal Laws was far less intense than the World Laws, but so numerous that it exceeded the World Laws by a thousand!

    Yan Zaizen had only been alive for several thousand years, but in just that short of time, his understanding of thews was constantly born with every breath or sight. This was another key ability of a Non-Entity! Sudden Inspiration!

    "Hahahahahahaha!" Yan Zaizen saw the heavens gather all its powerws in the sky as a myriad of lights and auras shed about with vicious killing intent and madlyughed. If facing just one trial could pressure another person to absolute fear, then the pressure from all this was unimaginable! And all this pressure focused itself on him!

    The reaction of others would be described, but there was none. All words were drowned by the endless rumbles in the sky, all hearts could barely conjure a single emotion outside of awe, and their minds had long since grown numb. There were no thoughts to be had any longer for any and everyone!

    Including Park Ji-Hu, Venerable Ghost de, the grey-robed woman, and Yi Seo-Jun!

    They were literally rendered speechless!

    Yan Zaizen was the only one that fearlessly faced the storm with his mind clearer than ever before. The top of his skin started flowing with bright amber-gold light as he faced the heavens. The light began to spew from his ears, mouth, eye holes, and nose. His Dao was overflowing!

    "Not! Enough!" Yan Zaizen stepped forward. He pushed higher into the sky and watched the heavens power flow about. As he did, it was as if the cheat sheet of the heavensws wereid before him. This was what he wanted!

    At the moment, he was in a state of constant inspiration! Every millisecond that passed, his understanding of thesews rose to never-before-seen height! Hisws skyrocketed like missiles, and although only a few minutes had passed in reality, it was as if tens of thousands of years ofprehension shed into his mind.

    Even the Laws that he hadn¡¯t truly grasped were gained, developed and bounced off others, various concepts birthed and developed in an instant! It was miraculous.

    The most difficultws to proceed in was the Imperial Laws, thesews were difficult to reach, let alone touch the Sovereign Gate, yet Yan Zaizen felt his mind spiral about as his eyes shed about. Unfortunately, his understanding simply could not truly reach the Sovereign level in this state, but he felt an immense urging to call forth it despite such!

    It was a blip in his soul crying for him to challenge everything!

    "IMPERIAL LAWS! Spacetime, Rebirth, Samsara!" His roar seemed to invoke heavens fury! Because...all the storms that filled the millions of miles of distance simply stop all sound!

    The silence was abrupt and eerie. It was as if the Mortal Laws and World Laws do not dare to utter a single sound before the arrival of the Imperial Laws!

    However, storms did not appear. Instead, three figures emerged. These figures were billions of meters in size and appeared in the blink of a literal eye! It was as if the sun had just teleported right in front of you in a single freaking moment!

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes widened! These figures were humanoid. They covered all the heavens and the otherw storms, despite being massive, couldn¡¯t match a tenth of one of their size. These manifestations were not to Sovereign¡¯s Gate but the individual representation of thesews beneath the heaven.

    This truly startled Yan Zaizen as he didn¡¯t expect to see manifested creatures representing the heavenlyws. This caused his understanding of the heavens to shift slightly, admitting he knew very little of why the Imperial Laws were called Imperial Laws!

    The first one was bald with silver-grey eyes and golden skin. It had six eyes, three pairs, one at its forehead, one where its eyes should be, and one where its mouth should be! It had no nose or mouth to speak of. Those six eyes seemed to contain the six aspects of space and time, chaotic, endless, stable, past, present, and time in various arrangements. It seemed to be connected to Spacetime Trial.

    All six of those eyes stared at Yan Zaizen with a murderous, insidiously cold killing intent that even caused his heart to tremble slightly.

    The other had golden skin too, but a single, ck and white eye! This eye covered its entire face. This eye was millions of meters in size! And...it constantly rotated like a spiral. It was dizzying...

    This one belonged to Rebirth and a never-ending cycle.

    The third also had an odd appearance. However, when Yan Zaizen saw this...he...gaped!

    His jaws dropped heavily!

    Then, an incredible amount of killing intent exploded from his body as he roared like an absolute monster.

    "YOU!!!"

 Chapter 340 Devouring Heaven 8

    In his entire life, there were very few moments where Yan Zaizen lost control of his emotions. In many situations, he was always calm and tackling a situation with the utmost grace of a sovereign!

    In the deep mines, when he was exposed to the cruelty of the world, sent there to his death unjustly, he never exhibited a hint of anger.

    The first time he¡¯d experienced this emotion was when Wu Yanxu was killed in front of him. He couldn¡¯t do anything but watched as his chest was caved in, his heart crushed and the life from his eyes instantly fade. That image was still clear to him to this day.

    The second was due to Pinaka. She had given herself up for his sake, substituting his misfortune for a chance at survival after his soul cultivation was being drained and his soul nearly taken.

    Thest figure had no eyes, no nose, strange ears, lips, and brows...

    The most noticeable was it had eyebrows without eyes!

    This face.

    How could he ever, EVER FORGET THIS FACE!![1]

    The fury in his eyes assailed to the highest peak imaginable. This face had taken Pinaka!

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s mind grew fuzzy as his earlier objective now became a secondary priority. The only thing he could think about was...

    "Kill!!!" Roaring with raw, unfiltered rage, Yan Zaizen immediately left his body. His Dao Soul was no longer restricted by the limitations of soul cultivation, exceeding its original abilities. Despite his soul cultivation not being at the Astral Soul Realm, his soul left his body!

    The emotionless gigantic figures and boundless storms of multiple colors started to take action simultaneously. It was as if, as long as Yan Zaizen challenged them, they would, no, must respond! This was what they were waiting for!

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s soul was ck and amber-gold with countless colorful lights circting within, representing all thews he¡¯d just advanced. It was so bright, so beautiful, so fast that it was like a rainbow missile shooting across the sky.

    The Mortal Law storms struck first. Countless bolts of lightning with a myriad of colors honed onto Yan Zaizen and struck down. Yan Zaizen, however, didn¡¯t even look towards them. He sped up, his soul form releasing an even more brilliant light.

    The lightning was homing in nature, undodgeable and focused purely on his soul. Regardless of how fast he was going, the lightning would hit!

    Bang!

    All the lightning bolts smashed simultaneously on his exposed soul form. Yan Zaizen took a single breath! This breath followed by that strike was like a signal. The lightning was like a pebble in a pond, after a slight ripple there was no other effect. He continued forward unhindered for even a split second!

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s soul form did experience a slight change as hisw avatars within his soul, all those rting to Mortal Laws, glowed ever brighter.

    He ignored all obstacles! The hatred in his heart was etched eternally to the point it permeated his entire soul.

    The Mortal Law Trials were simultaneously ovee with a breath! Yet, this Sovereign Trial that had never urred since the foundation of the Heavenly Origin Grounds were not over!

    The World Law storms above shed violently, but they didn¡¯t strike immediately. World Laws were far less numerous than Mortal Laws and they epassed the very basics, the absolute core andponents that were the entirety of heavenly function. Essentially, all Imperial Laws were advanced applications of those basics!

    Unlike Imperial Laws, however, World Laws can be thoroughly fused! Fused to be more, to be something else!

    The remaining storms above started to swirl together and be like a kaleidoscope of various intermixing of colors. Despite its beauty and mysterious, the aura almost immediately snapped Yan Zaizen out of his fog of anger!

    Yan Zaizen halted almost immediately as he stood there in shock, startled by this change. He hadn¡¯t realized that heprehended every World Law in existence! This produced an absolutely terrifying change within the trials auctions.

    The three giants were passive in their action, despite their sizes of billions of kilometers, they looked down without emotion as the storms underwent their change.

    This brief moment of shock caused Yan Zaizen, who became muddled in his thoughts, to ponder this event. "Could it be..." Before he coulde to any conclusion, the storms finished their change!!

    A sphere.

    A perfect, golden sphere that seemed like a¡¯s atmosphere emerged. This sphere was immense. The sheer enormity of its size covered his entire sight, and as someone who has heavenly sense and soul sense, this was wide!

    Even when his vision were covered by the three giants above, he could still see behind, below, or beyond the giants.

    Now?

    There was only this perfect golden sphere. The aura it emitted was nearly indescribably.

    It was like facing heavens¡¯ true form!

    "Is this...heaven?!"

    It wasn¡¯t only him. Quadrillions of kilometers away, every heavenly cultivator within that range, covering many, many zones and areas couldn¡¯t help but look up at this moment. Regardless of their cultivation bases, from the Qi Cyclone Realm to the (Origin Path) Heavenly Creation Realm, they all, without fail, looked up!!

    In another Zone, the world was filled with bright, holy light that seemed to possess an unnatural purity. Above it¡¯s skies were several figures, old and young, all with bright eyes as they looked towards this sphere.

    An old man with white hair, long flowing white beard, and a white linen robe floated at this groups head. His aged eyes contained a brilliance uncharacteristic of his old appearance.

    "Is this...A projection of heaven itself?" As those words echoed, all the members had expressions of confusion, excitement, and wariness.

    A young, golden-haired, blue-eyed female walked next to this old man, her beauty was breathtaking. "It has appeared..." Her soft whisper echoed about like thunder, lingering in their ears.

    The old man gave the young woman a sideway nce but remained silent for quite a while. "Where?" Only after this while did he speak.

    "Where Dusk Reigns." After those words, the young woman vanished into thin air. The others looked towards this area.

    The old man sighed softly, "It has begun." Like an ignition had been set, every person vanished into beams of light traveling in various directions. In a blink, only the old man stayed behind looking upwards.

    "Will we finally...be able to return home...or will we all forever be lost." With those words, he, too, shot away.

    In areas elsewhere, scenes and sentiments like this resounded endlessly. It was as if a prophecy wasing to life.

    Yan Zaizen eyes shined brilliantly witnessing this golden sphere appear. He could see flickering symbols and characters beneath its surface. He was now more certain than ever this was a presentation of heaven!

    More distinctively, this was what the Thirty-Three Heavens looked like individually!

    His soul trembled and an intense greed andplicated feeling emerged from the depths of his soul. This tremble originated from his soul bloodline! It was telling...to devour!

    To devour!

    TO DEVOUR!!

    "Come!!" For this brief moment, he forgot about the eyebrow, eyeless figure looming above and only focused on this sphere. An insatiable hunger flowed within his soul. Amber-gold and ck light overcame all the other shing colors of hisws. With a step, he arrived before this sphere in his soul form.

    "I said! COME!!!" A ck hole seemed to take over his existence as he lost his human form. This ck hole was supported by his Dao of Sovereign Ascension! His soul bloodline was ascending to a new peak of usage beyond anything he¡¯d ever experienced.

    Whether this was due to his new Dao Soul or if it was provoked by the appearance of the sphere, even he didn¡¯t know.

    As if angered by his words, the sphere shrunk into the size of a small moon. Inparison to its earlier appearance, this was like a pea to a basketball. It barreled forward with a rumble unlike which has ever been made. The Dusk Zone trembled and the skies split.

    Only now did Yan Zaizen realize that the sphere was actually much further than he originally thought, and it was erging with every second! Before long, it was a miniature sun and up-close! It was like an ant faced the sun as Yan Zaizen stood his ground!

    Without waiting for anyone¡¯s reaction, it smashed into the ck hole that was Yan Zaizen!

 Chapter 341 Devouring Heaven 9

    The small ck hole seemed insignificant facing the golden sphere, yet when the collision happened, an odd, almost eerie silence spread about across the world. Anyone who saw this sight may think that they were hallucinating, and the reason for that was...

    The sphere that seemed to contain all of heaven¡¯sws, hold an immense amount of power that was incalcble, and a size that looked as if it epassed all creation started to tremble as it came into direct contact with the ck hole.

    Yan Zaizen, as the ck hole, felt a flow of power drench his entirety. In his mind, a thought so grand emerged.

    Exceed. The. Heavens!

    These three words echoed endlessly, yet it seemed as if it had only been spoken once!

    Yan Zaizen paid rapt attention to the feeling he garnered from direct contact. It was like being bathed in silk and milk, continually washing his soul,ws, and consciousness in a pure, overwhelming force. However, this power seemed obedient and fearful.

    He came to the conclusion that the reason there was no sound of thunderous nature emitting from the sphere was because...it was afraid! That¡¯s right, it trembled and grew absolutely silent in fear. It was as if the ck hole was its most fearsome enemy in this world, one where it couldn¡¯t help to ovee despite its vastness in size of power.

    "Incredible! To think...it worked," Yan Zaizen said somewhat absentmindedly. When he first heard about the heavenly tribtion a sovereign had to ovee, one rted purely to the soul. He thought about Tao[1] in the Xiantu Realm. They courageously broke a heavenly oath willingly, and Yan Zaizen had fought against the tribtion lightning with a ferocity beyond any he¡¯d disyed before at that time.

    When he held victory, he also was capable of absorbing the remnant Heavenly Aura that lingered for cultivation purposes. This Heavenly Aura wasn¡¯t massive in the grand scheme of things, but that was because Tao was rtively weak at the time and didn¡¯t provoke a strong enough tribtion.

    His original intention was to create a massive tribtion and ovee it, but not by force, but by devouring it! He spected that, by devouring the source power of the heavenly tribtion, he would be able to rapidly elerate his cultivation and reach profound heights. He was currently on a deadline in the Fortune Cemetery where Heavenly Creation Realm experts exist, but his cultivation was remarkably weak, formerly at the Second-Floor of the Heavenly Genesis Realm.

    However, he only had a general outline of how to do this.

    Unfortunately, his soul cultivation was weakened, and he couldn¡¯t even begin to aplish this. This changed after his Dao had merged with his Soul, bing inseparable, yet far, far more potent than before. After a little bit of analyzing and nning, he decided to aplish this when he had the opportunity.

    Then, he was attacked randomly by a Yaoguai with strength at the Ninth-Floor Heavenly Genesis Realm. It reminded him that he didn¡¯t have to time nor luxury to actually wait. When he was being smacked around, he knew his current strength couldn¡¯t defeat this Yaoguai, so traveling would be even more perilous than ever before, and likely...he could and would die to anyone who bes greedy for his possessions.

    This was why he decided to do the seemingly suicidal action of entering the Yaoguai¡¯s mouth, to slowly absorb its heaven heart. Initially, he didn¡¯t know he could directly consume the Yaoguai for its insights. When this was known, all of his ns seemed toe together.

    However, even then, it seemed like his time was limited. Somehow, somewhere, someone had interfered with his near-prophetic instinct. Later, he recalled Pinaka¡¯s original words when she told him about Non-Entities.

    They were the most desirable bodies for experts because of their pure, untainted mind. This meant his time was even further limited as he was definitely being hunted by someone. While his enemies lurked in the shadow, his instincts towards the future being suppressed, and surrounded by demons that could kill him with a swipe, he pushed himself to the furthest possible limit under this immense pressure!

    Yan Zaizen devoured the golden sphere in a remarkably fast speed. It took three literal blinks of an eye before the immensity of the golden sphere had seemed to flow like water into a never-ending depth of a hole. All of its heavenly aura, might, tribtion power, and essence was absorbed in its entirety. As he felt this power surge into his soul, he felt his avatars ofw glow brilliantly. They emitted light of their respectivews with a profound connection to the heavens.

    "After devouring heaven...I wonder how strong I¡¯ve be?" Yan Zaizen¡¯s mind quickly calcted, but he couldn¡¯te to any proper assessment. He sensed his original body and inspected his Heavenly Shrine. When he did, he felt ted.

    His Heavenly Shrine was an abnormality amongst Heavenly Shrines, containing unique abilities of his Soul Bloodline to devour any and all forms of heavenly materials and processing them rapidly beyond any standard, while also containing a unique mimicry base that allowed it to absorb any and all heavenly materials.

    His Heavenly Shrine had devoured the Heaven Heart of the royal-ss Yaoguai and body, using its materials to help construct his seventh and eighth levels, with its Ninth-Level in the process of being created. He reverted back to his original soul form state. He smirked slightly, feeling immensely satisfied with his discoveries.

    "To think I¡¯ve reached such a high level ofprehension of the heavens, could I have truly devoured heaven itself?" As he pondered over these matters, he couldn¡¯t help but be taken aback at the thought. The heavens were an entity that was hard to describe. It wasn¡¯t a universe, a world, or a lifeform. In fact, it could be considered a machine that could, at times, be and be any and all things necessary. It was an awesome concept, and it was always ever-present like an omnipotent god.

    If there was a god in this world, a true god, then the heavens were it.

    The reason why he couldn¡¯t help but think that he devoured the heavens themselves were because of hisw realms. Outside of his Imperial Laws, all of his Laws from Mortal to World has reached the Peak of the Sovereign Realm! His will was in much the same way as the will of the heavens!

    If heavenly cultivators steal until they can build, then Yan Zaizen just stole the heavens original house keys in one fell swoop!

    Even in his soul form state, he could feel the heavenlyws that epassed the entirety of the world. From Light, to Yang, to Sound, to Bones, to Death. The invisiblews that governed all things were as visible to him as the ground, the grass, or the gloomy clouds in the sky. He could see why thedder that wasws were shifted and how.

    It was fascinating!

    If he wanted, with a thought, a single thought, he felt it possible to cause the heavens to punish all those he wished! Because he could be the heavens!

    If there was a level that could be described as what he seemed to feel, then perhaps the Nascent-Level of the Heavenly Law.

    As he was immersed in this profound state of heavenly bliss, the three giants above looked towards Yan Zaizen with an empty expression. However, they didn¡¯t attack. Instead!

    Something absolutely unimaginable happened.

    They, those figures billions of kilometers in size, KNEELED!

    Yes, kneeled!

    Their upper bodies were nearly transparent, but they still kneeled with the sky as their ground, and their heads bowed towards Yan Zaizen¡¯s direction. This action caused Yan Zaizen to be startled, breaking free from his shock to look at them. They looked like pious servants at first nce, like ves almost.

    However, his eyes flickered with immense killing intent instead. This killing intent materialized into a tangible existence, ring upwards like a pir of mes. "DIE!!!" Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes shed crimson with murderous light. He, in his soul form state, roared ferociously at the figure that contained a likeness simr to the figure from Hell.

    When he yelled this out, the figure lifted its head after trembling slightly. With a tremble, it started to dissipate into mist and vanish like a ghost in the wind. It was as if its existence was no longer tolerated and it disappeared, vanished from the world.

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes, which contained hostile killing intent, widened in disbelief. He suddenly felt that...

    "No way!"

    He suddenly felt thews of Samsara had vanished from the surrounding area. While life, death, and soul exists, thebination of these things had disappearedpletely! If someone were to die in this area of billions of kilometers, they would linger and be discarnate spirits incapable of finding the afterlife to be born anew!

    This...this was a Ghost Zone!

    To create one with a single word was heaven-defying, heaven-toppling, and should be impossible!

    He looked towards the other two figures and pondered. These weren¡¯t the Sovereign¡¯s Gate to thews, and he wasn¡¯t capable of absorbing them. They were just manifestations of thews, representing them in a specific form and not tribtions when they appeared, they weren¡¯t visible to anyone but Yan Zaizen!

    This reminded him of something...

    The Giant Eye outside of the Paradise Sword Realm!!!

    When he first saw that eye, it was conscious and seemed like a living being, but it had a strangeness about it. He had never seen something so gigantic before yet seemed so close. These manifestations were simr in that they were billions of kilometers in size yet seemed to be right before you.

    "Could the Giant Eye be a manifestation of aw...or..." He inspected the eyes of the figures once more, and his eyes widened in utter and sheer disbelief!

    "Could Imperial Laws be...be...other universes?!?!?!" As he thought about this, his mind trembled fiercely. The eyeless, eyebrowed figure had emerged from Hell. Hell governed thews of Samsara in the Thirty-Three Heavens! This was something he knew. This was something everyone knew!

    If Hell was another universe, then...

    He thought about the Non-Universe, its enormity and how it acted as a sea-like existence to the Thirty-Three Heavens. In the Non-Universe, there was aw of purity that was absolutely immense and profound, it could even be considered the core, significantw of the universe. Thatw couldn¡¯t be found anywhere else, and even Yan Zaizen couldn¡¯t find thew within the Thirty-Three Heavens or Heavenly Origin Grounds.

    In that case, could the Law of Samsara, Spacetime, Rebirth, and all the other Imperial Laws be corews of other universes?!

    "Heavenly Cultivation! Cultivate the Essence of Heaven, construct a suitable body at the True Essence Realm! Establish a Heavenly Shrine, rival the Heavens, create your originalw, create your original path, and merge it with the Heavens! Could the Imperial Laws be..." As he pondered on the concept of heavenly cultivation, his mind spiraled with various thoughts.

    After some thinking, he shook his head slightly. "Unlikely, the Imperial Laws are embedded too deeply within the Heavens, and it would be far too well-known if they were cultivators before. It would be everyone¡¯s goals, or fears...then...it¡¯s likely my thought of fragmentation of a universe was correct! Only the number was wrong...The Thirty-Three Heavens areprised of various universes! But...how many?!" He felt like he just touched upon a taboo of the world.

    "Wait..." As he thought about it further, his eyes shined. He recalled the bloodline of Mimicry within his blood, an Imperial Law.

    "Descendents of the Universes used?!" This thought was insane! If so, then the Thirty-Three Heavens likely destroyed arge number of universes just to form!!! However, the Non-Universe could not be destroyed or maybe...whoever didn¡¯t do so purposefully...

    The true question was...

    "But why?"

    Before he could ponder further, the two manifestations started to vanish, theirws undisturbed. When they disappeared, Yan Zaizen cautiously inspected them. These emotionless figures...the eyeless, eyebrowed figure...

    He felt that...they were all enved.

    BOOM!!!!!

    ZOOM!!!

    A powerful explosion urred like lightning striking and a missile traveling. Yan Zaizen turned to see a ck, dirty stone shot forth from that direction like aet towards him. His eyes widened in shock as he saw this small object that seemed like the most tainted item in the entire world. It smashed into his soul form before he could say a word!!!

    Soundlessly, his soul form turned ck as taint before it crumbled like crushed stale bread!!!

    The figure that was like lightning dashed fiercely towards Yan Zaizen¡¯s unprotected body.

    It was the Oneuli Empire¡¯s Crown Prince, Yi Seo-Jun!!!

 Chapter 342 Yi Seo-Jun

    The events of the trials and the heavenly sphere had induced a state of utter paralysis on the Oneuli members and the Yeomna crew. This state of theirs wasn¡¯t intentional or unintentional. Instead, it was produced by the event itself.

    They all lost the ability to move, think, feel, or speak as they soundlessly and nearly lifelessly looked at the trials before them with widened eyes. They were watching the heavens in its most purest form, and the benefits were astonishing.

    Many who witnessed the storms, especially those with talent, had already made advancements in theirprehension of their respectivews. This event increased theirprehension speed to near inhuman levels when the golden sphere appeared ¡ª a truly fortuitous encounter.

    The vast majority of them were like this...but not Yi Seo-Jun. The Oneuli Empire¡¯s Crown Prince held a unique object in his mind that prevented his mind from being influenced. Outside of sheer shock that made him speechless, he ultimately kept his faculties.

    This freedom was because his mind was already thoroughly tainted, incapable ofprehending the heavens. Despite this, he was still the Crown Prince! This goes to show that he had an astonishing talent to rely on for his sess.

    Yi Seo-Jun nced around. The surrounding people had gone entirely silent as if their souls were drawn elsewhere. He looked towards Yan Zaizen¡¯s physical form. The body of Yan Zaizen was like an empty husk that floated in mid-air with its eyes closed shut.

    A flicker of excitement surged wildly within his pupils. He felt his time had finallye. A body without a soul!

    If it weren¡¯t for his unwillingness to let the world know, he would be madlyughing. He nced at Yan Zaizen¡¯s soul form. It was currently emitting a type of vicious killing intent and were preupied with fighting an invisible existence.

    He felt a surge of emotions rise in his heart.

    "When I was born, I was the child of a lowly concubine. I was determined to have the worst talent out of all my siblings and even the previous three generations of the Royal Family at the age of three."

    He started to recall his life; a trace of decisiveness entered his eyes as he looked at the tainted ck orb in his hand. It glimmered with a dirty, ck light. When it came into contact with the air, it would seem as if the air contained the highest form of pollution possible. A single whiff could kill a God, but he remained unaffected despite being in direct contact.

    "When I was ten, I was plotted against by my siblings. They threw me to the wilderness, wanting me to die and me it on my own foolishness. I survived! All because of this object!"

    He gripped the ck orb tightly, and his hand trembled.

    "I was chased by a Yaoguai far stronger than me. It yed with me. I was y in its hands; it could knead me however it wished. I tumbled as it pounced for the kill, its fun having been had, my life about to end, and I found it. Or better yet, it found me! This orb shined with a light...this light was my tunnel of survival!"

    "With it, the Yaoguai fled. It, however, touched my body and with this, I could no longer sense the heavens. However, my talent in cultivating other paths, most notably, the Origin Path reached an absolute peak! From that day forth, I vowed never to be weak, to never be y in another¡¯s hands!"

    "However...the Origin Path had its limit! It is a false path! I was incapable of breaking through my bottleneck, and my grand fate slowly started to decelerate. I couldn¡¯t ept this, and so...I...tried to cultivate the heavens! s, I couldn¡¯t. I could not! With my tainted mind and body, I could only cultivate my Origin! Even my soul was affected..."

    "However, I couldn¡¯t give up! How could I?! With my connections, I talked to a Celestial Seer, begged for a way out and his answer? To wait. To wait for ¡¯it¡¯ toe. And Ah-ha, it indeed came! Fate, the heavens, and the gods had not given up on me!"

    "A Non-Entity! This orb that is the bane of them were also my salvation. Now, I have a path. I shall not lose this chance! My Path to the peak will be unhindered!!" The Oneuli Empire¡¯s Crown Prince, Yi Seo-Jun, internalized his life as he felt a turning point finally reach.

    This tainted orb had gued him, but it had changed his destiny! Now, it gave him the opportunity to obtain a Non-Entity¡¯s body! With that, his talent in the Body Refining and Law Comprehension would be ranked first within the entire Universe! He would only have equals, no betters! With his cultivation into the Origin Path to help bolster this, he would reach the absolute peak in one step!

    With a cruel, cold smile, he was quick like lightning. He threw the orb towards Yan Zaizen¡¯s soul form as he broke away from the inspired masses and dashed towards Yan Zaizen¡¯s uninhabited body.

    He didn¡¯t care about how the orb would interact with Yan Zaizen¡¯s soul.

    As he approached the body, he abandoned his own body which increased his speed to its absolute limits! He was like a beam of emerald light traveling through space. "My fate will be changed!"

    10,000 meters.

    1,000 meters.

    100 meters!

    10 METERS!!

    As he reached that three-meter mark, a sh of grey appeared before him. This figure was shapely and feminine but also shrouded by an odd feeling of past, present, and future all at once. It gave one a sense of staring at an immortal ghost wading through time.

    It was the mysterious grey-robed woman!

    "You can scram." Her words were calm as she lifted her right hand lightly and pushed her palm outwards towards this beam of emerald light.

    When Yi Seo-Jun saw this, his soul form¡¯s eyes flickered with a dangerous light. Without hesitation, he opened his mouth in this dangerous close-quarters situation. From his mouth, he spat out a light grey and dark grey object. This object was like a miniature sun.

    When the grey-robed woman saw this, her eyes widened with shock as she instantly vanished. She appeared in her original location a far distance away, as if she had just went back in time. Her soft, white hands were drenched in sweat. Even her breathing wasbored.

    "To think he has such an object filled with Original Might! Shit!!" She spat out vulgarities. Then, she looked towards Yan Zaizen¡¯s crumbling soul form, and she trembled like she was having a seizure. A cracked and crazed voice resounded from her that echoed for millions of miles, "NO!!!"

    Yi Seo-Jun had no time to think about this as he directed the orb to fire just past Yan Zaizen¡¯s physical body. It was like a missed bullet, and it kept going. Before he could cross the three-meter distance, it had already vanished over the horizon! Its speed was out of this world!

    He entered Yan Zaizen¡¯s body immediately. It was as easy as upying an uninhabited body should be. There was no rejection and only eptance.

    Then, ¡¯Yan Zaizen¡¯ opened his eyes. An emerald light emerged from within that flickered incessantly. A cold smile surfaced on his handsome face, giving him a very malicious expression.

    "Perfect!" ¡¯Yan Zaizen¡¯ eximed, but it was odd-sounding, like two voicespeting for familiarity. Stretching this body, ¡¯Yan Zaizen¡¯ looked towards thest vestiges of Yan Zaizen¡¯s crumbling soul form.

    Heughed. He couldn¡¯t help it. He had just changed his fate so easily!

    "Oh?" He noticed a Heavenly Shrine with eight-floorspleted and a ninth in the works. He felt ecstatic and surprised. This Heavenly Shrine had some oddities within.

    "I will enjoy exploring this body!" He was about to depart when a voice suddenly sounded behind him.

    "Ah, so it was you."

 Chapter 343 Crown Princes Death

    "Who¡¯s there?!" Yi Seo-Jun eximed. He turned his body around, his eyes inspecting the surrounding area with rapt attention. The other members of the Oneuli Empire and Yeomna Empire were still within a daze, even Park Ji-Hu and Venerable Ghost de were in a fog ofprehension. The only two individuals in the immediate area that was conscious were the grey-robed woman and himself.

    Yet, this voice clearly sounded male.

    It wasn¡¯t a shock that he didn¡¯t recognize this voice. After all, he had never heard it.

    "I originally thought it was the grey-robed woman who coveted my body. After all, her identity is unknown, yet she ces far too much of an importance on me, someone who doesn¡¯t have any deep rtionships in the Heavenly Origin Grounds." The voice continued to delve into its own deductive tangent, not answering Yi Seo-jun¡¯s question.

    Yi Seo-Jun grew restless. The voice seemed like thoughts but was obviously from the outside. It was like an odd mix of an outside speaker and one¡¯s own thoughts. It even dibobted his sense of self. It was so incredibly surreal that he started to suspect if he was hallucinating.

    However, from the words spoken, it was only possible to be the original owner of this body. To him, that was impossible! The tainted ck orb had been tossed andnded perfectly on that person¡¯s Soul Form, and he personally saw it crumble into nothing.

    Since the stone contained a piece of pure filth and taint, anything outside of its chosen target would suffer a severe level of degradation that went from the soul, body, and origin. They would most certainly die!

    Therefore, he decided to calm himself down first. He nced towards the grey-robed woman who seemed to be screaming in madness, her movements weren¡¯ting towards him, but dashed madly towards the location of Yan Zaizen¡¯s soul form. This only fortified his belief that Yan Zaizen¡¯s soul form had indeed died and wasn¡¯t an illusion.

    "Even if you¡¯re an Astral Remnant of the individual, you¡¯ll only have to watch your body be possessed," Yi Seo-Jun assumed that the voice was the astral remnant, a form of soul consciousness left behind by an Astral Soul Realm or higher cultivator, and was contacting him through some method. An Astral Remnant was a strand of soul-sense that could continue living after death.

    It was this method that many experts would allow their legacies to descendants. The Sirius Titan Realm was the most notable example of this. Nearly all, if not all, legacies contained a trace of the creator¡¯s Astral Remnant.

    However, when an Astral Remnant is not dormant or activated, it will burn its remnant soul energy and fade over time. It was impossible for them to return to dormancy, so experts would often leave many Astral Remnants as possible. Unfortunately, Astral Remnants weren¡¯t easy to make. It was much in the same way as creating an avatar and severing a piece of your true self. It was not only painful but required immense skill to perform.

    Ignoring this voice, Yi Seo-Jun looked towards the inspired masses and smiled. Without thinking, he crushed his feet down onto the ground, and a surging heavenly might exploded! This heavenly might wasposed entirely of heavenly essence! This was a sign of a Seventh-Floor or higher Heavenly Genesis Realm expert. Or, in other words, a Heavenly Commander!!!

    Yi Seo-Jun skill and preparation in taking over a Non-Entity Body could be said to be quite thorough. Not just a Non-Entity¡¯s Body, but a body in general. He was capable of immediately channeling the raw energy circting through Yan Zaizen¡¯s body. It was immensely powerful!

    It was so powerful that the heavens trembled and the world raged about! In truth, Heavenly Commanders were immensely rare! The only reason why the Heavenly Origin Grounds contained so many was due to their immense lifespans that could reach millions of years. This with the constant legacies, vast resources, and high reproductive rates of many humanoid races, Heavenly Commanders were often seen.

    Even still, the ratio was depressing. To put it into perspective, more people die a day in the Dusk Zone than there were Heavenly Commanders in the entire Regional Territory.

    Yi Seo-Jun couldn¡¯t help but be somewhat startled by the immensely pure heavenly essence within his body! It was miraculous!! He felt invigorated and empowered. This heavenly essence was far more powerful than any Eight-Floor experts, even Ninth-Floor experts would find themselves severelycking. It was the purity of the heavenly essence that made it seem as if it was untainted.

    "Was this one of the abilities of a Non-Entity?" He couldn¡¯t help but wonder. In his research, Non-Entities, for particr reasons, were born without souls. Their bodies and brains were essentially pure, that connected with their five senses made them perceptive beyond belief. They even possessed a prophetic instinct that was borderline telling the future!

    However, he never read anything about the purity of one¡¯s heavenly energy, might, or essence being of a different level.

    He smiled with thorough satisfaction as he clenched his fist tightly to feel the overwhelming power coursing within.

    In truth, Yi Seo-Jun wasn¡¯t wrong. Non-Entities had no way of containing pure heavenly energy, might, or essence, after all, when all is said and done, they weren¡¯t children of the Thirty-Three Heavens but the Universe that encapsted it. They had their limitations, and it could be said, they had their ¡¯own¡¯ themes.

    The reason Yan Zaizen¡¯s heavenly energy, might, and essence contained a purity never-before-seen was due to his absorption and personalprehension of the Non-Universe Laws. Unless one carried the ck Hole Soul Bloodline, it would be impossible to reach such a level without having the "soul" aspect of a Non-Entity.

    After all, only the soul of a Non-Entity could contain the Unique Law of the Non-Universe.

    Yi Seo-Jun was just about to fly away when a voice sounded once more.

    "Seems like you¡¯ve settled yourself in quite nicely."

    Yi Seo-Jun abruptly halted, his expression darkening. The possession wasplete unless someone destroyed his soul or extracted it through, it would be impossible to take control of this body. However, he had no intention of letting any of that happen.

    "I must thank you, to think you also possess a ring simr to my Meteor Ring. I can¡¯t wait to explore inside." The voice echoed once more, a hint of mocking within.

    Yi Seo-Jun was just about to retort when he felt his body freeze up. His eyes widened as if he were being choked by some force and couldn¡¯t spit out any coherent sound. "Wh-what...i-is...happening?!" His thoughts were wild as he tried to reim the physical motor functions of his body, but regardless of what he did, nothing worked.

    The Heavenly Shrine within his Dantian started to glow with an amber-gold light. This light spewed out dao energy, overwhelming with sovereignty that could dominate and ascend all things!

    "You¡¯re not very smart, are you?" Yan Zaizen earnestly questioned. As if toozy to wait for a reply, Yan Zaizen immediately followed up, "You know...I didn¡¯t expect that orb to be so malicious. It was truly a dangerous object. Unfortunately, it met its match. But, what I really wanted to ask was...did you not see me swallowing the heavenly sun?"

    This truly bewildered him. If it were the inspired masses, he would understand their ignorance, but Yi Seo-Jun was conscious from the beginning, unaffected by the aura it brought forth. Therefore, he should¡¯ve seen him swallow a literal moon-sized object in a total of three seconds! This was a tribtion formed by the myriad World Laws of the Heavens, a perfect manifestation of the Heavenly Laws, but it was ovee so quickly.

    Despite this, he believed that a small, tainted orb would actually be able to defeat him?

    Let¡¯s give him the benefit of the doubt and say he believed its power vastly exceeded the total power of the heavenly world tribtion. Then, why didn¡¯t he at least make sure that his Dao had vanished?

    After all, while Yan Zaizen could indeed use various methods to falsify his death, there was one guaranteed way to understand he was dead. His Heavenly Shrine would crumble!!

    It was nearly hrious that Yi Seo-Jun was swept up in his own achievement that he didn¡¯t realize the foundation of his Heavenly Shrine and its assurance that he was alive could be so thoroughly ignored.

    "Haaaa...I¡¯ll chalk it up to you just being a true idiot. Anyways," Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t want to waste any more time on this, his Heavenly Shrine continued to brilliantly shine before it his Soul Form emerged from it. With that, he activated his soul bloodline, and in less than a second, Yi Seo-Jun was devoured soundlessly in much the same way Ezekiel in the past.

    The emerald glow within his eyes vanished instantly, reced by its original amber-gold brilliance. With a slight shrug, he looked towards his ring finger and saw another ring on his pinky finger. This was a second spatial ring interconnected with the soul, in much the same way as the Meteor Ring. However, it was not ck, but silver.

    He inspected it slightly and started in surprise.

    "Hm, it¡¯s a little smaller than the Meteor Ring, but far more developed. I guess I¡¯ll call it...Sense Ring, cause the person who had it truly needed some." He thought how terrible he was at naming things and shrugged.

 Chapter 344 Prelude of Blood & Gold

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes looked towards the area where his soul form crumbled into nothingness. He couldn¡¯t help but shake his head slightly.

    He didn¡¯t really do much to ovee that attack. The moment the orb touched his soul, it was like a pebble into an ocean. The crumbling of his soul form was merely an illusion of his own, utilizing the Imperial Law of Illusions and Mimicry to create a realistic representation of his soul death. If he could fool them all into thinking he was devoured by the Yaoguai, this was just as simple. He was quite curious as to the intentions and actions of his hunter.

    Now that he realized that the person who nearly got him killed was a blind idiot, he couldn¡¯t help but shake his head in pity.

    He inspected his Soul Bloodline and couldn¡¯t help but feel more pity. The object that he devoured, that ck orb, was consumed in its entirety. He didn¡¯t know what it was, but he did so out of instinct to deal with any possible circumstances. Who knew that it was an exceptionally weak object.

    Inparison, it didn¡¯t have as much value as a rank one heaven heart. It was truly pathetic.

    "If its materials didn¡¯t interact with a Non-Entities senses as it did, it would truly be worthless." As he said this, he couldn¡¯t help but further think on the subject. The object was small, nearly worthless, yet it could render his prophetic instinct null and even induce fear into his very bones. It was truly a fascinating object.

    Unfortunately, Yi Seo-Jun was now gone and unable to answer where it came from. However, now that his prophetic instinct had returned, he felt that Yi Seo-Jun would¡¯ve offered no help on the matter.

    He smiled.

    It felt great to once more have this unique power of his.

    "It¡¯s time to go," deciding this, he didn¡¯t bother to inspect the inspired masses or the grey-robed woman who was having a mental breakdown. He didn¡¯t know who she was, and frankly, he didn¡¯t care. With his newfound cultivation at the Eighth-Floor Heavenly Genesis Realm, he sped away with a quickness, soon vanishing into the horizon.

    Little did he know, his actions of summoning the heavenly sphere set off a sequence of events that would change the entire Heavenly Origin Grounds!!

    A river of blood and gold was on the horizon.

    -----

    In a far, far away location, the area was drowned in white light. There weren¡¯t any clouds or sun above, only rays of light that cascaded down like rain. The rain of light didn¡¯t seem to bother the inhabitants of this area. Regardless of their race, gender, or cultivation, they simply walked around as if everything was normal.

    In truth, they couldn¡¯t see anything with their eyes and only wade through with their spiritual sense. A world of light was just as terrifying as a world of darkness, essentially making one blind, forcing cultivators to rely on their other senses to move about.

    A woman garbed in priestess clothing stood atop a mountain. This mountain was like ss and reflected the light in unique ways causing beams of light to shot and move about like a light show. These beams of light were likesers and seemed to burn anything it came in contact with.

    This woman had transparent hair, flowing like a waterfall, and a crystal-like skin. Despite her odd appearance, she could be considered a beauty. Beside her was a child, a young boy about three feet high and ten years in age. He looked like a Lycah, the same race as Yan Zaizen, with a basic skin-tone and no abnormalities. However, there was something about his appearance. His eyes. They were effusing wisdom beyond his appearance and calmness that was somewhat eerie.

    "Priestess, we¡¯ve received word." The young boy bowed slightly, standing a short distance beyond the woman,monly seem behavior of an inferior. The woman didn¡¯t respond, her closed eyes and beauty gracing thends.

    "The heavens have manifested. The Celestials will move." His tone was calm, but there was a slight, very slight trembling worry within.

    The Priestess¡¯s eyes opened, revealing a crystalline form that seemed to radiate a myriad of colors. If Yan Zaizen were to gaze upon her eyes, he would definitely be left breathless. It contained an unfathomable grace and beauty that seemed otherworldly.

    "It¡¯s finally here."

    Those were her only words, but the young boy seemed to understand. With a slight nod, he back away respectfully. When he got far enough, his eyes filled with wisdom flickered with a mysterious glint, and a cold smile surfaced on his child-like lips.

    -----

    There wasnd within the Heavenly Origin Grounds known as the Celestial Kingdom. It wasn¡¯t the main hud for Celestials, but it gave off that impression. In this city, many bodies rushed to and fro in a hurry.

    In this Kingdom was a glorious castle where a throneprised of exactly one thousand different Regalia of the Heavensid. It gave off a massive amount of heavenly power, unique concepts created by Heavenly cultivators. On this throne, a man sat with a golden crown atop his head. On the center of this crown was a vertical silver eye that seemed alive, looking here and there with a startling intensity. This eye seemed like it had never blinked in a billion years.

    The man wore a golden dragon robe embroidered with clouds of various colors. The clouds shifted like they were the sky, vanishing from sight and new ones appearing of different colors. It was odd. The clouds would vanish from the front and never appear in the back, and sometimes, entirely different colors appeared amongst the clouds, as if they were all reced. Then, they would all appear.

    Before this man, three armored figures kneeled in an orderly fashion. Their heads were bowed, and their breathing was quiet and calm.

    "Your Majesty." The armored figure in the middle spoke, revealing a feminine voice that contained a powerful and heroic tone.

    The one referred to as ¡¯your majesty¡¯ ncedzily at the woman knight. He was an Emperor, above countless, below none.

    "The Heavens have manifested." After she spoke those words, the two beside her was like a chorus that simultaneously spoke with power, "Our time hase!"

    The Emperor nodded slightly, his expression remainedzy. "Let it be done."

    "Celestial Truth!!" The three knights shouted before rising and departing.

    -----

    In areas far and wide, scenes like these were echoing about everywhere. From ces where only fire exists, lightning reced the sky, or time flowed in reverse, people everywhere were making a move!

 Chapter 345 Gains & Soul Source Issue?

    Yan Zaizen was like lightning, shing about from one location to another with a thunderous boom. Currently, he had just solved a crisis and advanced in his cultivation base, leaving behind all sorts of trouble. In truth, his brows were furrowed as he contemted all the events that just happened.

    With his prophetic instinct being affected, attacked, and then three different groups of people suddenly appearing without cause or reason. Since he was in the Yaoguai wholeheartedly focusing on advancing his insights, he wasn¡¯t capable of spreading his sense outwards to see all the happenings before he emerged.

    The old man¡¯s crew that had a ship simr to Esi, the grey-robed woman who seemed far too emotionally attached to his well-being, and the Oneuli Empire¡¯s crown prince...

    "I wonder what all of that was about...they couldn¡¯t all be after my body. Especially that grey-robed woman, she seemed to show more regard to my soul form than my body. As for the old man, I felt an immense killing intent that would tower to the skies, and his aura was quite simr to it." As he pondered, he investigated his cultivation base.

    He had devoured the royal Yaoguai who had strength at the Ninth-Floor of the Heavenly Genesis Realm, allowing his Heavenly Shrine to instantly skyrocket to the Eighth-Floor off its unique characteristics alone. The level of heavenly might he could muster was several hundred times greater than before.

    He clenched his fists slightly and felt the pure heavenly essence emerge. "With the Law of Purity tempering my heavenly energy, might, and essence, it¡¯s far stronger than a normal Eighth-Floor Heavenly Genesis expert," he stated with some excitement.

    He was slowly approaching his desired strength, but that wasn¡¯t all. Hisprehension of the heavenlyws from Mortal to World seemed to have reached totalpletion. "Peak Sovereign-level of all myws..." This was an unexpected result, albeit a much-weed one. That golden sphere seemed to contain the entirety of the heavens, outside of the Imperial Laws, which seemed somewhat peculiar, and all of those insights were instantly devoured by his soul bloodline, fed to hisw avatars.

    "Even with my Eighth-Floor Heavenly Genesis Realm cultivation base, I could definitely fight any and all Ninth-Floor experts! Should I say...I¡¯m invincible beneath Heavenly Creation?!" The excitement was uncontainable, but then he stopped, shaking his head slightly. To make such an assumption was too presumptuous of him.

    "What if the Heavenly Universe gave birth to a Heavenly Entity?" As he ruminated on this possibility, he realized it was far too quick to decide his invincible status.

    "What¡¯s more," he suddenly stopped his lightning-bursting movements, "that person was immensely nourishing!" Yan Zaizen was even more shocked when he took a look at his Soul Source cultivation.

    When he devoured Ezekiel unintentionally, Ezekiel had a weakened soul that was tethering on demise, so it only promoted soul cultivation to the Advanced Nascent Soul Realm. This highlighted Ezekiel desperate situation, and more so, how terrifying the curseid on him was. However, this Crown Prince was like a pot of gold on hisp, giving his soul immense nourishment!

    Perfect Astral Soul Realm!

    He had returned to his peak before the eyeless creature siphoned his soul essence! However...!

    "I knew it!" Closing his eyes, he felt his soul¡¯s potential and the path that was the Soul Source. Before, a long time ago, Yan Zaizen had deduced that there was an error with the Soul Source Path, one that affected the route to the Path of the Divine Soul and Immortal Soul Realm. Despite it being widely known, he had never met a single person with this cultivation level!

    The only person who coulde somewhat close was Eloah, but Eloah, the Keeper of Earth, his aura was different like it relied on faith and on others.

    "My suspicions are indeed correct, but why?" The Soul Source Path was conventional in the Thirty-Three Heavens, but now that he thought about it, others in the Heavenly Origin Grounds didn¡¯t cultivate the Soul Source Path, but a Soul Law of the Heaven.

    When he first arrived, he noticed this, and now...it seemed there indeed was something wrong with this path of his. Even after thinking on the subject for a bit, he couldn¡¯te to any solid conclusion. He was in the Heavenly Origin Grounds, not the Thirty-Three Heavens, there shouldn¡¯t be any ¡¯errors¡¯ in this world. After all, it ¡¯allowed¡¯ the path itself.

    In the Heavenly Origin Grounds, there were only a few Paths one could take to cultivate. The Dao Path, The Origin Path, the Essence/Heavenly Path, the Soul Source Path, and the Fiendgod Path. These five paths, outside of the Origin Path, was what hemonly saw out in the Thirty-Three Heavens too, especially the Soul Source Path.

    It was mainly practiced by ny-nine percent of the races he¡¯d met.

    "Fine, I¡¯ll figure out whyter." Deciding to shelve this matter forter, Yan Zaizen was about to continue his traveling ways. He didn¡¯t have much clue as to where he was going, but with the silverpass still being his primary objective, he would try to establish some form of a trace to its whereabouts.

    Withdrawing the silver coin that Ezekiel gave him, he furrowed his brows.

    Woosh~

    A sound echoed from a distance, like time distorting. Yan Zaizen shifted his gaze, storing the coin simultaneously, and looked at the area. He saw a grey beam that seemed out of normal time travel near him like aet of white noise. Furrowing his brows further, he couldn¡¯t help but sigh.

    Who was this woman?

    She had appeared suddenly, showed far too much emotional disy towards his demise, and now even followed him this far. He wasn¡¯t even sure how that was possible, having disguised his auras with hisw of mimicry. He was ny-nine percent certain that very few people, including her, would be capable of locating his current location or determining his direction.

    Earlier, he didn¡¯t execute this move because there was no need to hide one¡¯s footsteps when journeying an unknown world, but after being ambushed by three different parties from reasons he still hadn¡¯tprehended, he decided to be cautious and avoid another situation like that.

    It wasn¡¯t long before the grey beam of light approached within a hundred meters of him, stopping suddenly as if all momentum had just vanished, and revealing a grey-robed woman blocking her facial features with a hood. Yan Zaizen couldn¡¯t make heads or tails of her robe and how it could prevent his senses from scanning her. It didn¡¯t give off a unique aura orw, but whenever his senses tried to approach, it would be knocked back like it met a ball of rubber.

    "You. You will die today." Her voice was cold, icy-cold with a tinge of killing intent. Yan Zaizen shivered slightly. It felt like he had just forcefully taken this woman¡¯s primal yin and she was here for revenge from how her aura was so frightening.

    "Wha-"

    Before he could finish, the grey-robed woman¡¯s aura exploded as space seemed to contort, twist, and shift about without any rhyme or reason.

 Chapter 346 Time Vs Time

    Before a word could be spoken, the grey-robed womanunched her attack! Her palm thrust forth with a grey radiance that embodied the essence of time. This palm was like the past, present, and future merged into one.

    Yan Zaizen paid rapt attention to this palm, but it felt disjointed. Before he could even react, it had touched his body despite being quite a distance away! However, with the next breath, it was stilling like a slow-moving wave. Then, it was as if it had never been made!

    It honestly felt like you were watching things in reverse, and this startled him greatly. In his cultivation life, he¡¯s been in fights before, but never against someone of this profound level or cultivation base. In truth, he didn¡¯t know what her cultivation base was!

    With his senses restricted by her robe, he could only analyze the aura emitted from her body, but with its unique aura that embodied time, it was all over the ce making it incredibly difficult to pinpoint. Regardless, Yan Zaizen was not a pushover, and he had no intention of holding back against this woman who he knew nothing about.

    "HA!!"

    His heavenly might exploded!!!

    His aura rose to the sky like a pir of light. The palmnded swiftly on this pir of light, causing distortions and regressions to appear, but it remained stable and strong. This was a protective ward of unhindered heavenly might infused with the heavenly essence of a Heavenly Commander!

    The grey-robed woman pulled her palm back, created a fist, and punched viciously forth without saying a single word in response! This punch held the same grey radiance that contained the essence of time, but this seemed oddly focused. It smashed into the ward of heavenly might, and in a blink, all of the heavenly might created disappeared.

    "What?!" Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes widened slightly. He retreated instantly witnessing this, his body turning into a bolt of lightning. His heavenly might didn¡¯t just vanish, it returned back into his body as if it never erupted in the beginning!

    With a step backward, he set a distance of a thousand miles between them. However, the grey-robed woman¡¯s actions didn¡¯t cease. Instead, it regressed and repeated. Her fist once more turned into a palm and she thrust it forth. She didn¡¯t move a single inch, but the palm was directly before Yan Zaizen despite the vast distance!

    "WHAT?!" The scene surrounding Yan Zaizen shifted suddenly, as if he never retreated a thousand miles or stepped backwards a single inch. The palm was stilling, and it was just a few inches away from his chest. This made everything feel surreal and almost like an illusion. If it weren¡¯t for the deep essence of time being released, he would¡¯ve expected it to be!

    The world looked as if it rewinded twice in a matter of moments until it reached its original state! The only thing that progressed in this world was that slow-moving palm that carried a hint of the past, present, and future.

    "So this is what high-level fights are like!" Not dejected by this sudden event, Yan Zaizen smiled with excitement. A long-hidden, heavy and dense battle intent surfaced within his eyes.

    "I¡¯ve reached the peak of a Sovereign-level in the Law of Time! I can control all time beneath the heavens, I am TIME!" Mentally, he violently roared as the surrounding area heavily distorted. Any outside observers would only see an area simr to an ocean¡¯s reflection with a mash of various figures.

    His heavenly might, his heavenly shrine, shifted into a pure grey color! It contained the heavenlyw of time and various concepts, not limited to just anyone! His heavenly might erupted once more, this time more subtly as it engulfed his body like a softyer of light. With a clenched fist, he threw it forward to meet that inexplicable palm.

    PA!!

    Both palm and fist met, stopping each other. An eerie, ghastly silence erupted from a thousand miles in all directions. The nt life, animal life, air, water, and even bystanders were influenced by this silence. They were all like still pictures or a mark of a brush for a painting.

    The world was frozen!

    The grey-robed woman let out a startled sound. She didn¡¯t expect her fist to be intercepted so directly, carrying an essence of flowing time energy to counter her distorted time! This direct confrontation induced a state of stasis in the surrounding area, even if a Heavenly Monarch at the Minor Heaven were right there, they would¡¯ve been frozen in time as well!

    Only two existences heldplete control over their facilities, capable of keeping their bodies at a constant flow of consistent time.

    "Tch, you are at least worth being one of ¡¯his¡¯ descendant," she scoffed slightly before pulling her palm back.

    Yan Zaizen didn¡¯tprehend why she said this, but his eyes grew slightly cold. If she wanted to see his abilities, then he was more than willing to show her!

    Let¡¯s have a battle of time!!!

    Clenching both fists, he shot them forth in a ferocious punch. His right contained thew of the past while his left contained the future. When they both wereunched, they created a unique field that seemed to put all things into stasis! To defeat someone using timews, Yan Zaizen already had an inkling on the direction.

    The goal: To break their consistent flow of time!

    The grey-robed woman sneered, her palm became palms as she replied with two strikes of her own, shing directly with Yan Zaizen¡¯s. The sh nullified each other, inducing a state of nothingness in much the same way as the sum of a negative and positive equivalent of a number created zero, this did the same.

    If one of them breaks the other¡¯s consistent flow of time, they could be aged or regressed thousands of years in a blink. Both sides knew this, so they kept their aura raised and their strength exploding outwards constantly to retaliate against any minute change.

    The shes continued.

    Pa! Pa! Pa!

    A fierce engagement of closebat strikes was made, from palms, fists, to feet and legs. Yan Zaizen was excited, and invigorated that he discovered an interesting fact!

    This woman was not a Heavenly Cultivator! She cultivated her own energy, didn¡¯t rely on the energy of the heavens, and struck using a unique base inside her that seemed to have been thoroughly developed. With every sh, she revealed a little bit of her internal world that fueled her strikes, allowing Yan Zaizen to see more of her abilities and origins.

    Only after a thousand shes did Yan Zaizen finally deduce her origin.

    A Celestial!

    While he was casually engaging, deducing her origins, the grey-robed woman was startled into disbelief! She did not expect someone who recently stole the body of another to be so proficient in using it! Was this the body of a Non-Entity? Not to mention, thews exuded by Yan Zaizen exceeded her expectations. He seemed to grasp the very core of timews beneath the heavens. Every strike leveraged the heavenly forces, produced minute domains that shed with her own Celestial Energy.

    It was beyond mind-boggling!

    "Someone at this level must be at the Sovereign-Level of the Time Laws, perhaps even at the very peak!" When she thought this, her brows furrowed. To reach that level in Time Laws should be immensely difficult, requiring the utmost talent and strength. After all, it was a World Law!

    As a Celestial, they had their own divisions ording to their own Internal Heavens, their own quality and quantity of Celestial Energy, and she was deeply aware of the level one must reach to be at that level. If you wanted to put it inparison, then it equaled her very own level! She, by celestial standards and its Path, was at the Celestial Monarch, Ninth Phase.

    This meant, in terms of her own Internal Heaven, her understanding and structure of her essence of time, equaled the peak of the Heavenly Law of Time!

    She grew frustrated. Deeply so!

    Celestials were powerful, fiercely so. They weren¡¯t restricted by the environment, and they can construct their own heavens within their bodies without requiring a shrine that worships before the heavens for power! It was fundamentally different and freer! However, it had its own limitations.

    Firstly, it based highly on talent, resources, and one¡¯s intelligence! This essence of time was developed by her, constructed by her, and was unique to her! While it may carry simrities to the Heavenly Law of Time, there were crucial differences between them. However, this did not mean she was more powerful than the heavens above and below!

    If that wasn¡¯t the case, why weren¡¯t all Celestials the Gods beneath all creation? Why did Heavenly Cultivators, those who borrow andprehend another entity¡¯s power, be capable of rivaling their own?

    So, she was deeply frustrated.

    Because...

    As she fights Yan Zaizen more and more, she realized...she was his equal!

 Chapter 347 Frozen World

    Pa! Pa! Pa!

    Flesh meeting flesh echoed endlessly on repeat.

    Two figures stood in mid-air, shing rapidly or slowly, it was incredibly difficult or, better yet, impossible for any spectator to determine which. The two seemed to exist in their own time zones, to the point where they were even ovepping amongst each other.

    In one moment, Yan Zaizen was before her, striking out a fist. In the next, there was a thousand of him, kicking at a thousand of her figure¡¯s head fiercely. A blinkter, two palms met a fist and elbow aiming for the vitals.

    If anyone saw this slugfest, they would assume it was a fight between rapidly moving Fiendgod experts trying to strike the other dead. In actuality, they were both trying to utilize their own understanding of time and personal energy to disturb the others flow of time!

    Yan Zaizen was deeply interesting in her closebat skills. In previous battles, outside of using Sky Shatter, his Warhammer obtained from the Sirius Titan Realm¡¯s trial, he had very little actual engagement experience. As one goes further into cultivation, especially as a cultivator who uses energy and not their fleshy body, the act of shing with long-range waves weremon.

    This was exciting to him!

    He could feel his movements be refined, each strike delivering a stronger burst of temporal energy that could easily dislocate the time flow. He felt that, if he wanted, he could cut into the timeline with his fist, and pull something or someone out of it! However, it was only a feeling, and he would never attempt to try something that may copse the timeline.

    The grey-robed woman was shing and matching each strike, but her attack wasn¡¯t improving. In fact, she was being worn down by Yan Zaizen¡¯s constant strikes. For Celestials, they cultivated their own energy sources and didn¡¯t draw fuel from the heavens to empower their essences. However, Heavenly Cultivators use their essence energy, even the most basic form, to interact with the heavenlyws and draw immense power from it!

    This became all the more obvious for those who reached the Sovereign-level in their realms. One of the known reasons why Seventh-Floor Cultivators are called Heavenly Monarchs is because they can, nearly infinitely, draw power from the heavens. As long as this energy isn¡¯t contested, it was limitless. While their heavenly energy may not be, they can construct shrines that store an unbelievable amount of energy!

    Each floor containing far more than the previous one!

    They could also absorb the essence of the world to replenish their own heavenly might, slowly fueling themselves further.

    A battle of attrition was not beneficial for a Celestial, but beyond so for a Heavenly Cultivator!

    Pa!

    A sh happened once more, but this one was different. It created a wall of time that seemed to segregate their timelines, and a figure shot further back, distancing themselves away from the other. This figure was the grey-robed woman!

    "I¡¯ve yed with you enough," the grey-robed woman coldly announced.

    Yan Zaizen allowed the separation, interested in her next moves. He was only JUST beginning! There were many more moves he wanted to test out on her, and that was just regarding thew of time. He wanted to see how her essence of time would interact with his Imperial Law of Spacetime.

    The grey-robed woman calmed her stance, her arms spread out, and her legs straight. She was like a figurine of a snow angel. There was a beauty and elegance to her stance.

    "A battle art? Could this be a Celestial Art?" Yan Zaizen hadn¡¯t been exposed to high-level arts for quite a while. His heart beat in anticipation, and his battle intent continued to rise.

    Despite being unable to see her face, Yan Zaizen had the feeling her eyes were closed. He could faintly hear faint words that seemed to be very ancient in nature. His brows twitched slightly, unable to ease his heart, but the battle intent rose even further!

    "I¡¯m waiting."

    After a short period, the surrounding hundred miles seemed to freeze! This time, it was truly frozen! The very timeline was frozen!!!

    If a thousand years were to pass in this hundred miles, not a single second would go by on the outside! Not. A. Single. Second.

    Yan Zaizen felt his body freeze for a split second, but his heavenly shrine erupted with a dense heavenly might containing pure time power! It reinstigated his flow of time almost immediately, but he was sweating fiercely! That time, that fraction of a fraction of a nanosecond, was scary beyond belief! His flow of time had been affected briefly!

    WOOSH!!!

    His eyes widened as he saw a grey longsword piercing towards his forehead! It was mere inches away!!

    He couldn¡¯t dodge!

    His entire body exploded violently in an inky, ck aura! A ck shroud of ever-wanting, all siphoning, and filled with death covered his body instantly. While that happened, his internal body became a sea of white mes! It exuded a burning energy of life and unyieldingness!

    The grey longsword ignored the ck shroud and pierced deeply into Yan Zaizen¡¯s skull!

    It split it like a melon meeting an executioner¡¯s de!

    Splurt!!

    Blood gushed outwards unendingly as his head went from one whole to two halves! His pink, soft brain matter spewed out, and some of it even shot out from the back of his skull. A cultivator¡¯s physical body was nearly unimportant to their survival, but if it¡¯s crippled, it¡¯s remarkably challenging to retain peakbat strength.

    The sword also carried an essence of time that seemed to rapidly flow forward, causing his brains, skull, and flesh to decay from old age. A rich deathly aura continued to emit itself from the split halves of his head.

    "Argh! My soul!" Yan Zaizen¡¯s soul form was cut as well, a flowing trickle of time seemed to prate intending to age it topletion! This was terrifying beyond belief, as if you¡¯re being forced to the end of your life!

    "Rebirth! Rebirth, Rebirth, Rebirth!!!" All he could think about was rebirth, as his body¡¯s life and death energies that had previous erupted merged into one whole. They contained the essence of rebirth, and the willing to restore all things to its peak! Before the time it takes for light to travel an inch, his head had healed, and his form regained its normalcy.

    As for his soul, there was still a surging flow of power with intent to age.

    "Samsara! Samsara!!!" He roared mentally, a soft, gentle flow of spiritual life entered his soul form from his heavenly shrine that determined the aspects of soul life, rejuvenating the damage his soul received. With a surging force of soul energy from his Astral Soul, he pushed out the time energy immediately.

    He didn¡¯t take a single second to analyze his current state, but roared ferociously at the sky like a demonic monarch! An ever-siphoning presence of death flowed from his pores like ghastly smoke as it started to devour the time domain that seemed to have been erected.

    The grey-robed woman was shocked! If one could see her face, they would see beads of sweat that nearly drenched her entire face. It was as if she had just gotten out of the rain, and her breathing was incredibly heavy!

 Chapter 348 Youre Not Dead?!

    That grey longsword was the manifestation of her internal heaven, of her personally constructed, carefully crafted and formed essence of time!

    As for the domain she erected, it incorporated herplete control of time, eliminating the presence of the heavens influence on this area, embodying only her own internal heaven! With that, Yan Zaizen shouldn¡¯t be able to connect or utilize the energy of the heavens to reinforce his strength. Despite this, Yan Zaizen was still capable of freeing himself from her control!

    Her tired, exhausted eyes beneath that hood couldn¡¯t help but disy minute traces of wariness. This became even more so when she saw the shroud of endless death emit from his body.

    Yan Zaizen, on the other hand, was absolutely fearful! He pushed out The Siphoning Shadow of Death constantly, drawing upon the power of his heavenly shrine to its maximum, and erupting with the pinnacle of his heavenly might!

    As a Sovereign, Yan Zaizen could feel fear. After all, he was a human being who can experience all emotions, but the qualities of a sovereign were to be able to ovee all emotions such as this, remain calm, and act with the utmost grace of one!

    Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t act differently than that. In fact, he was embodying that to the absolute limit!

    If something threatened you, eliminate, eliminate, eliminate!!

    He would siphon this dastardly domain that sealed off his time flow and everything within!!!

    Now, the grey-robed woman grunted in fear, she waved her hand, and her grey longsword appeared within her grasp. Like rain into the ground, it turned into bits and entered her arm. As for her domain, she tried to recall it, but her expression became even more shocked. If Yan Zaizen could see her eyes, they would be needlepoints!!

    "He¡¯s absorbing my internal heaven?! What type of nonsensicalw is this?! Death?!?!" As she looked at this, she was in utter disbelief. In her lifetime, she had never seen such a ravenousw of death emerge or appear, one that could directly absorb the internal heaven of a celestial! Death often embodied the end of life, not the absorption of anything.

    However, her shock didn¡¯t end here.

    As the deathly aura spread, it clung like an infectious virus. It was like a baby wolf that hadn¡¯t eaten in a billion years, needing any form of substance possible! She could even feel...greed?!

    "What?! It has a consciousness?!?!" The grey-robed woman felt a bout of fear and coldness engulf her entirety, especially her heart.

    This Law of Death held the consciousness of the Regalia of the Heavens, but oftentimes, many people are unaware of their unique aspects of sentient thought and decision-making. Even Yan Zaizen, who incorporated three of these things into his body, wasn¡¯t entirely sure of the truth regarding the Regalia of the Heavens.

    The deathly aura seemed to sense the grey-robed woman¡¯s fear. It shifted slightly, as if it was ¡¯looking¡¯ at her.

    This feeling caused an icy-cold chill to flow down her spine, as if she was being eyed by the most gluttonous beast in existence.

    Yan Zaizen wasn¡¯t bothered by the fact that the Regalia of Heaven¡¯s consciousness was seeping out of his body and into hisws of death. In truth, he had already gotten far too used to this whenever he activated the Herculean Art. It was as if he was fighting with a partner. This was especially distinct in regards to the white me.

    It was like a guardian that kept close to his heart, never leaving, and always looking out for his well-being. As long as it survived, so would he!

    In fact, he was urging the deathly aura toe out further. He wanted to absorb this monstrosity that nearly took his life!

    More! More Power!!!

    Yan Zaizen could feel an urging from the deathly aura and its remnant consciousness, asking for more power. Feelingpletely willing, his eyes erupted with an amber-gold brilliance unlike any other! His Dao of Sovereign Ascension!

    The Dao Path could be used the enhancews,prehension abilities, weapons, and all sorts of boundless and limitless things. With this peak upper-tier Dao amplifying the deathly aura, it exploded like a tank of gasoline meeting a fiery spark.

    ROAR!!!

    Like a tidal wave of endless, inky ckness, the deathly aura began to flow across this one hundred mile domain, or internal heaven of the grey-robed woman!

    When she saw the explosive speed that it had achieved, she panicked! Her hands waved, a spherical object the size of a marble appeared in her hand, and she directly crushed it. The world stopped for a split second, even the deathly aura ceased, but not Yan Zaizen! Already familiar with this type of destabilization, he remained active and aware.

    Despite this, it didn¡¯t stop the woman¡¯s actions. She withdrew her internal heaven in that brief instant, returning it into her body. However, she realized that a portion of her internal heaven had already disappeared, no longer being apart of it. With this, her cultivation base would require some time to return to normal. This ced her mood at an all-time low.

    Yan Zaizen felt the surrounding space normalize as the frozen time domain retreated, his eyes focused on the grey-robed woman with intense killing intent. His amber-gold eyes flickered endlessly as the dao energy within his body surged.

    The grey-robed woman turned to see Yan Zaizen staring daggers at her, murderous intent and aura surging, and couldn¡¯t help but exim. This exim was one of shock, even with a bit of tion within, but not one of expected fear!

    "You¡¯re not dead?!" Her words were filled with exhaustion but a tinge of happiness. If she had known he wasn¡¯t truly dead, then she wouldn¡¯t have tried to kill him! Thank god she didn¡¯t make a mistake she couldn¡¯t undo.

    When she said those words, despite the confusing tone, Yan Zaizenpletely ignored it.

    "I¡¯m not, but you will be." Shrouded with a deathly aura, the moment the freezing domain produced by the marble ended, he sped towards her like lightning! His intentions were clear:

    KILL!!!

 Chapter 349 Reveal

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s near-death experience left him seething with fury. His sole focus at this moment was to eliminate this threat regardless of the cost.

    However, the situation seemed to have been flipped on its head. While Yan Zaizen fumed with thick murderous intent dead-set on causing his opponent¡¯s demise, the grey-robed woman held none of that. Her previous icy-cold aura melted and instantly reced with relief, happiness, and no battle intent.

    Instead, it was as if her previous strike with her very essence and domain never happened.

    Yan Zaizen, shrouded in an aura of death, clenched his fist tightly. The sounds of his knuckles cracking resounded. From the palm of this, an inky, ck radiance erupted like an entrapped sun.

    The grey-robed woman saw Yan Zaizen¡¯s ferocious expression, and her mood seemed to be changed. She held her hands out protectively, waving them slightly as if detailing her unwillingness to engage. However, faint grey light flowed between her fingers as she shook them back and forth in a weird rhythm.

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s amber-gold eyes started to spew out grey light. Immediately, his body felt strange and the flow of time in his body seemed to have been somewhat shifted. On guard, he internalized a flow of temporal energy from his heavenly might to regte his time flow. However, the feeling remained.

    As he approached, he realized that his state of time remained consistent, but the surrounding area seemed to have changed. It was different than the domain produced earlier, inducing a state of pause.

    "What...is...this...?" With each inch closer, it was as if he was wading through an omnidirectionally flowing river.

    The grey-robed woman kept waving her hands about. Her index, middle, and ring finger remained unmoving, but her thumb and little finger moved in a pendulum manner. This urred for both hands, grey light flowing between them like majestic dragons soaring through mountains with the utmost freedom.

    Yan Zaizen felt the deathly aura¡¯s consciousness roar wildly as if desiring to escape, but Yan Zaizen wasn¡¯t entrapped. His time-flow was consistent, his body continued to approach, closing the distance with each passing second. Then, a sudden urge overcame him, and he couldn¡¯t help but speak once more after he reached a certain point.

    "siht...si...thaW?" Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes widened disbelievingly. He stopped, his eyes cold, calm, and sharper than the des of gods. With rapt attention, he looked at his surroundings. After a short while, he took in a deep breath, the deathly shroud started to retreat into his body. The deathly energy within started to burn. A white me danced about fiercely.

    The death energy started to deplete with a vibrant life energy reced it. It started to help heal any remnant damage left behind by the previous attack.

    The grey-robed woman stopped her hands. Despite not being able to see her eyes, Yan Zaizen knew she was looking at him with an intent-filled gaze. It was oddly ufortable.

    "How did you manipte time to such a degree?" Yan Zaizen asked, but before the woman could speak, he continued, "To change my flow of time is one thing, but the flow of time in the entire area to influence me is another. Not to mention this altered timeline anomaly you produced. To create a starting point, an endpoint, and then cycle through them without alerting your target is..."

    "How long have I been in that timeline before you ended it?"

    Yan Zaizen couldn¡¯t appropriately exined what happened in just words. He had been trapped in a separate timeline that had a set starting point and an endpoint. Likely, from the moment he saw her hands to some other point, this event had reurred without him knowing in a seamless manner. He felt himself traveling a certain distance because he did, but he would restart to the beginning unknowingly, but the surroundings were very odd and deceptive.

    To try to exin this, it was like a puppet show with a moving background. Yan Zaizen was a flying puppet, and the background repeated endlessly from point A to point B. He traveled, moved, felt the progression of time, but the background simply repeats, perhaps it changes, but the puppet never really moves. Regardless of what he would do, he could never ¡¯exit¡¯ the background.

    As for how she was capable of overwriting his flow of time, the simple reason: she didn¡¯t. Instead, she manipted the things around him, then this time flow naturally interacted with his own. His time flow became its time flow, naturally progressing along this new timeline.

    When she froze time, this was what she originally did. However, this time, it was different. If earlier could be considered a ¡¯hard pause,¡¯ then this was a ¡¯soft repeat.¡¯

    When he tried to speak earlier, he was at the point of ¡¯rewind,¡¯ and it came out in reverse unnaturally - its only w.

    This was an advanced application of timews, time essence, and temporal interactions. Yan Zaizen had only gained the most basic understanding of time at its core, but when it came to application, how could he match a full-blown expert?

    If he held some arts rted to time, perhaps he could prevent this naturally interacting timeline from affecting his personal time flow.

    Yan Zaizen had to give her an apuse. Her skilled usage bewildered him for a short period. However, that¡¯s about it. Yan Zaizen¡¯s application in hisws were all mostly brute force and slowly discovering the upper limits of their abilities. Time was not his most skilledw, nor did he have any arts trail zed by experts for millions of years, all the secrets and intricacies unraveled, so he didn¡¯t let it get him down.

    Not only that, he was currently deducing how to do this very thing.

    The grey-robed woman didn¡¯t reply quickly, only after a while did she answer his question, "You went through the cycle seventy-three times."

    Nodding in eptance, Yan Zaizen looked at her, his murderous intent held deep within his eyes didn¡¯t dissipate. Instead, it became far, far stronger.

    The battle intent especially became like a zing star in the sky, unable to be hidden.

    "I admit my inferiority in thews of time. That is your win. However," Yan Zaizen raised his hand, his palm facing the grey-robed woman, "timews is not invincible." A speck of ck appeared at the center of his palm. When this speck of ck appeared, like a dirt particle, the world of dusk turned into evesting night.

    "All things must experience death. Allow me..."

    The speck of ck transformed into a perfect spherical orb the size of a marble.

    "To let you..."

    The ck orb rotated slowly, no aura was emitted from this aura. However, deep within this orb was a myriad ofws. If one inspected it, they would see death, destruction, space, darkness, fire, gravity, life, and yang.

    "Lead you to your first andst experience." When those words were said, the world went silent.

    The grey-robed woman eximed a feminine welp, her posture visibly shaken looking at the ck orb. "You¡¯re creating a DEATH STAR?! YOU CAN CREATE ONE?!?!" Immediately, she retreated. There was no tricks, arts, or actions other than retreating like a brilliant greyet into the horizon.

    "ARE YOU INSANE?!?!" She screamed hysterically, her voice filled with a hint of horror. To think that he would actually create a real death star, she couldn¡¯t help but hold deep regret in her heart as she zed across the ck skies away. However, the feeling of encroaching death never disappeared from that very heart.

    "You sliced open my brain, YOU LET ME KNOW!!!" Yan Zaizen roared, he thrust the death star within his palm outwards. Suddenly, it expanded! A kilometer, ten, a thousand, ten thousand, hundred thousand, million!!!

    Like an expanding ball of foam, Yan Zaizen was devoured by the ck orb in an instant!

    The grey-robed woman turned around, her gaze trembling fiercely at the expanding colossal that was the ck orb and couldn¡¯t help but stop. This was the creation of a star, she would never leave its gravity field before being pulled into it, time, space, and even all life would be drawn in and brought to its end immediately.

    A death star.

    A literal death star!

    In the myriad heavens and universes, a Death Star was an incredible oddity. It exuded no light but was utterly ck. Whenever it is born, the entire realm its within would be drawn into it and eliminated. The Death Star would expand, continuing to devour space, time, life, and all forms of matter. It just would not cease until the entire realm was consumed.

    Then, it would continue to expand.

    It wouldn¡¯t stop.

    It would continue drawing things in like an insatiable beast that would never be full, and it never did. Only after some time, unless interfered with, would a brilliant white light at its core would counter-absorb it with a wild force. Many spected that the white light was the true core of the, and for some reason, it was hibernating until a certain point

    Regardless, after the white light appears, the darkness changes, and the realm bes a realm of life. This was the concept of extreme birthing opposing extreme. This realm would be unprecedented in quality and growth, prompting all forms of life, creatings, stars, and arger realm in turn.

    This was the origin of how every ¡¯titan¡¯ realm was birthed.

    Yan Zaizen had used the myriadws to recreate this very event!

    How can you fight something that consumed everything?!

    The grey-robed woman turned, then, unexpectedly, she removed her hood.

    Yan Zaizen who was a white light within the center of the ck star was aware of everything, and when his senses saw her remove her hood, his eyes widened. The expansion abruptly stopped.

    "You?!"

    The immense level of disbelief and shock caused his body to tremble fiercely. The star reflected this, shaking as if it was about to experience an explosion at any moment. He didn¡¯t want to believe in his eyes as he checked his Meteor Ring, finding a soft lifeform just sleeping there.

    He looked once more at the revealed grey-robed woman and couldn¡¯t help but say, "Yan Linzen?!?!"

 Chapter 350 Yri

    Yan Zaizen started. His heart trembled about, blood surging through his body wildly as the shock pervaded his mind like a parasite. The disbelief caused the Death Star he had formed to slowly experience significant changes to its form, bing disfigured and unbnced in power.

    A Death Star was the agglomeration of many worldws. These worldws co-existed in a delicate bnce with thew of Death reigning supreme, furthering its development with the foundation of the others. So as his concentration split so did his control of the Death Star.

    Hastily and urgently, Yan Zaizen initiated the uproar of life energy settled within his body. His body became shrouded in a burning white light. This white light was like a miniature sun within the Death Star, despite its immensely small size inparison to the Death Star¡¯s current magnitude, it drew the attention of the world.

    This white light contained as manyws, if not the exact extreme opposite of the Death Star¡¯sposition. The driving force was life, an overabundance of sheer life potential that seemed unyielding in essence. The white light grew brighter, and the ck Death Star shrunk noticeably. Within moments, the Death Star appeared to implode on itself, all of the darkness entering the white light.

    Then, Yan Zaizen held out his palm. Within the center of this palm was a dancing white light that was like an aurora borealis within the sky. This power could, theoretically, create a titan realm.

    A Death Star kills, destroys, shrouds all in darkness. This white light, this Life Star, births, creates and gives life to all in its grace. It almost contained holiness that seemed untainted by the cruelty of the world, as if all the cruelty had been ovee by this white light notrger than a tennis ball. The surrounding area started to regrow and be nourished.

    "Haaaa..." Yan Zaizen heaved a sigh in relief. His action was beyond risky and even had the potential to devastate this entire region. A Death Star was not a concept that should or could be yed with. If it weren¡¯t for his absolute control over the myriadws embodied within, he would have a very difficult time recalling this nigh-unstoppable force.

    Clenching his palm into a fist, the white light entered his skin and faded as if it never existed.

    Turning his attention towards the grey-robed woman once more, he couldn¡¯t help but feel a wave of a headacheing over him. If everything that happened regarding the grey-robed woman was odd, then when she revealed her face, Yan Zaizen understood the situation instantly.

    Cultivators at his level could consider a thousand different scenarios from a million different directions within a split second, so deducing this wasn¡¯t much.

    The grey-robed woman had the face of Yan Linzen!

    "Yri, Disciple of the Indomitable Dao Pce, wielder of the Dao of Absolute Obsession[1]...how are you still alive?" Yan Zaizen¡¯s words were indifferently spoken, as if the earlier bout where they bothid down their trump cards and attempted to take another¡¯s life had been a dream. In truth, Yan Zaizen felt the entire situation to be somewhat surreal.

    Within that temporal void before establishing his Dao Soul, he met a woman who seemed like an avatar out of time; however, it wasn¡¯t an avatar. Not exactly. Regardless, this woman was someone who lived billions of years ago before his birth, to be here currently felt almost surreal and impossible.

    As for Yan Linzen¡¯s face? It was just a face, not hers. A tactic used to stall his actions, and only one person could have known of Yan Linzen or herplicated importance to him.

    Yri, wearing Yan Linzen¡¯s face, smiled at her survival. This smile seemed calm, but inwardly, her heart was beating a thousand beats a second. She could¡¯ve never predicted that Yan Zaizen could actually recreate an actual Death Star. The very concept would scare far too many people, likely causing them to be unable to sleep without cold sweats.

    "It¡¯s great that you realized it before it was toote!" She said yfully, her earlier cold demeanor swiftly vanished. She dragged her jade hand across her face, a ripple surged, and her appearance changed. This wasn¡¯t the Dao of illusion, but physically using energy to modify the structure of one¡¯s face. In the world of cultivation, this was simple and easy. While one could not just change their bloodlines, birth race, or soul-based gender easily, they can easily make physical alterations of their bodies.

    It was this very reason that prejudice for appearance rarely existed in the cultivation world.

    "You didn¡¯t answer my question." Yan Zaizen was stone-faced, unwilling to intermingle with this woman who was hard to figure out.

    Yri smiled. Her appearance solidified. This new appearance was beautiful, elegant, and contained a hint unfathomable amongst mortals. Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes squinted carefully inspecting the contours and characteristics of this angelic face. The countenance of this new face was bright and soft like water, her irises were grey with ck pupils, her light-grey hair seemed to flow with a flourishing white highlight, and ash-grey eyebrows that were slim and perfect. However, despite that odd shades of different colors, it made her incredibly attractive.

    Yan Zaizen spected whether this was her real appearance. The image of the blurry temporal form from the temporal void space emerged in his mind, and he felt that the contours of her face and hair matched. The only difference was her body, which seemed to be developing unlike the other.

    Specifically, her breasts before were definitely more voluptuous and her height a little taller.

    Seeing Yan Zaizen inspected her intently, she chuckled coquettishly. This caused Yan Zaizen to snap out of his stupor, his eyes growing slightly colder.

    "I don¡¯t know why or how you¡¯re here, but since you helped me develop my new soul, I¡¯ll forgive your act only once and spare your life. However, only once." Coldly dering, Yan Zaizen prepared to leave. He had questions, many of them, but his time was limited, and he didn¡¯t want to be embroiled in a scheme that would dy his goal¡ªsaving Pinaka.

    "Wait!" Yri anxiously called out. Yan Zaizen¡¯s actions and ability was out of her predictions, but she still had some relief in her heart at his survival. Unfortunately, her original n would have to be set back...

    Yan Zaizen directly ignored her. His eyes flickered with a streak of bright, white light and his body seemed to illuminate from the inside like amp containing a light bulb. Unlike before, Yan Zaizen decided to forgo the Death Lightning as a means of transportation, deciding to resort to Law of Light. Even in the Dusk Zone where Light was weaker on thedder ofws, Yan Zaizen was no longer subjected to this restriction.

    He had grasped a profound concept earlier where he could dismiss certainws and even influence his environment, it felt like the Law of Heaven. With this newfound ability, his abilities would, much like a Celestial, no longer be subjected to the restriction of the environment.

    Like aet of light, he shot away across the sky.

    "..." Yri stood there, her mouth agape in shock.

 Chapter 351 Found You!

    Across the Dusk Zone, a ray of light that contrasted sharply with the surrounding darkness zed through the skies fearlessly. Now that he¡¯s reached his current level, he didn¡¯t fear anyone outright. In truth, he was hoping to attract some Yaoguai and obtain their Heaven Hearts for his own uses. The quickest way to increase his strength was to develop his Ninth-Floor and reach the peak of the Heavenly Genesis Realm.

    If he reached that, he wouldn¡¯t even fear Heavenly Creation Realm experts. At least, he felt confident in his ability to retreat freely. If he used the Death Star, he might also be able to im their lives. However, getting into fights and dying his true purpose wasn¡¯t his exact goal. From day one, he¡¯s been focused on finding the Compass of Ezekiel¡¯s and hopefully finding a way to Hell.

    As he thought of this, his fists clenched and the ray of light exploded with even more brilliance. Its speed increased severalfold.

    Behind Yan Zaizen¡¯s tail of light was a grey light that seemed to exist in and out of time. In one moment, it looked like, at its speed, it could be a few minutes away from you, and then within a few seconds, it was already in front of you. In the next second, it didn¡¯t even seem to have been real. It was such an odd sensation of eleration that being dizzy from its sight would be an understatement.

    Unlike the ray of white light, the grey light was far less noticeable. It contained a subtle feeling.

    Within this grey light, Yri could be seen shuffling her feet forwards and backwards in an odd rhythm, her bottom lip adhered to her upper teeth, and her eyes filled with anxiety. She was mumbling through her lip and teeth, "What do I do...he wasn¡¯t supposed to be this strong! Not this strong!! Strong!!!" Her earlier coquettish behavior was nowhere to be seen as a light filled with obsession, and some insanity surfaced in her eyes.

    When she hadst ¡¯seen¡¯ Yan Zaizen, he was nothing but a Second-Floor Heavenly Genesis Realm cultivator. To her, that was beyond lowly and easy to ovee. However, in what amounted to a short period of time, he had grown from the Second to the Eighth-Floor with the ability to create a Death Star. That was something that could even kill the very concept of time and space!

    As a Ninth Phase Celestial Monarch, it was far beyond her abilities to deal with. Even if she exceeded her current cultivation, it would be imusible to expect that she could ovee such an unnatural force with just herw of time.

    She bit into her lip harder, a small stream of crimson-gold liquid appearing on the side, but she didn¡¯t seem to notice. Instead, her eyes revealed an even more anxious appearance.

    She could only follow Yan Zaizen a distance behind, attempting to think of a n of action!

    Yan Zaizen shifted his eyes slightly, "She¡¯s following me...Now that I think about it, she seems overly concerned about my life or death." Her current actions and previous mood weighed very little in Yan Zaizen¡¯s. He had no fear of her, and he didn¡¯t feel any danger from her like before. His instincts were telling him that she was harmless, but also slightly worrisome to handle. Therefore, he decided to directly ignore her and push onwards.

    "Hm?" Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyebrows twitched, his gaze looked northwest. A gleam appeared within his eyes. This gleam was bright but contained a hint of maliciousness within. A dark sneer surfaced, and his speed and direction changed, soaring towards the northwest.

    ---

    A skyship flew not too far from Yan Zaizen¡¯s current location. This skyship was medium-sized, capable of fitting a few people, and only a few people stood within it. At the helm was a middle-aged male. This male had a slim physique, feline ears, and sharp eyes. He seemed to emanate a strong air of calmness, but also a feral aura. It would force anyone to give this man a second look.

    This also included his cultivation base. His heavenly aura fluctuated softly within the air, revealing his abilities to be at the Fourth-Floor of the Heavenly Genesis Realm. This realm was not to be looked down upon, as it indicated a talent and strength many could only wish for.

    Behind this man was a group of members who possessed simr features, a total of three males and two females. Out of the three males, one was at the First-Floor, and the other two were at the Third-Floor. The First-Floor male looked like a youth amidst these older men. However, he held a distinct pride within his gaze that was unmistakable, indicating his importance and status amongst them.

    The two women were also of the same race, possessing slim bodies and feline ears. One was short and young while the other held a more mature aura and look about her, her bust being abundant and her cleavage, which was proudly disyed, being rather deep in her robe.

    If Yan Zaizen were here, he¡¯d be shocked but incredibly excited! The shorter one was Esi![1] This was Eshe¡¯s sister and the one who gave him information when he first arrived in thisnd. She was alsoplicit in the scheme to use him as bait due to his ignorance.

    If it weren¡¯t for his illusionws, he would¡¯ve been held off with only his Fiendgod cultivation base to fight a stronger enemy with a higher realm. If that happened, who knew if he could handle it or escape uninjured. Therefore, he held a rather deep grudge against this woman.

    The older, more mature woman had an anxious light within her pupil-less eyes. "Esi, my dear, are you certain your sister is still alive? It¡¯s been years..." This woman was Esi and Eshe¡¯s birth mother.

    "Yes, mother." Esi was rather respectful, but her eyes contained a simr anxiousness within them. However, whenever she¡¯d look at the back of the man who steered the ship, her heart would experience a slight calm.

    The young man beside her walked forward, cing his hand upon Esi¡¯s mother¡¯s slightly trembling shoulder. An enigmatic smile emerged as he spoke with confidence, "It¡¯ll be fine, Esther." His words seemed to want to instill confidence, hoping to assuage Esther¡¯s worries, but her body trembled a little bit more when his hand made contact with her shoulder. A trace of difort emerged in her eyes, and even a little disgust. However, she swiftly concealed with and sweetly smiled.

    "Yes."

    Esi¡¯s gaze shifted, turning fierce as if someone had stepped on her tail when she saw the close, inappropriate contact the young man had with her mother. She looked towards the figure ahead, once more seeking calm in the back figure of the middle-aged man. Only then was she able to ease her fierce expression and return to a steady calm.

    The two other males seemed to be silent, as if they had not seen or heard anything. In truth, they were like statues, silently lingering about the young man like guardians.

    Abruptly, the middle-aged man¡¯s aura started to elevate in intensity. Originally, he was like a silent and quiet ocean, but now he was like rumbling waves that could turn into a full-blown storm. His heavenly might surged outwards causing the skyship to rock to and fro.

    The others were caught off-guard, but the two guardians positioned themselves beside the young man, their heavenly energy flowing outwards to form a doubleyered protective ward that shielded them all. Esi and Esther had shocked expressions, but the barrier prevented them from being overly affected by the heavenly might.

    "Uncle, what¡¯s wrong?!" Esi cried.

    "..." The middle-aged man didn¡¯t speak. His eyes gazed towards the southwest. He pulled out an object that looked like a three-dimensional pentagonal crystal, but one of its edges looked sheared off removing its perfection. The crystal glowed bright, and light pointed towards the southwest.

    "She¡¯sing!" The Uncle¡¯s grating voice was rough and ufortable to listen to. Yet, this unpleasant voice caused all of the eyes of those onboard to brighten a noticeable degree.

    "She¡¯sing?"

    They looked towards the southwest to see a fast approachinget of light. It was a stark difference from the gloomy and dark skies of the Dusk Zone.

    "What¡¯s that?" The young man had an awed appearance as he saw the bright streak of light approach. His eyes couldn¡¯t leave it, as if it was attracting his soul. However, before they could even speak another word, a voice that was imposing as the heavens spoke in excitement.

    "I¡¯ve found you!!"

 Chapter 352 Settling Debts

    Yan Zaizen stopped just short of their skyship. In his right hand was a soul form of a female woman - it was Eshe!

    Her eyes were roaring with fighting spirit. Having been entrapped as a soul form for several years, she wanted nothing more than to break free and bite Yan Zaizen¡¯s face cleanly off. Earlier, when Yan Zaizen had given her a taste of freedom, it was to question her about her sister¡¯s skyship. When she saw the skyship before, she even held a hint of ridicule as she knew that wasn¡¯t her sister¡¯s skyship.

    She wanted nothing more than for Yan Zaizen to provoke some immense power and get justice so that she can be freed. Even if the other party wanted her for her vital yin or as a ve, she was more than willing as long as Yan Zaizen suffered retribution for his crime against her.

    However, after her roaring bout of rage in her soul form, her eyes subconsciously looked forward and became thoroughly speechless!

    "Oh, no! He...he found her!" Her thoughts stilled, and her mind was filled with intense fear. Yan Zaizen contained an immense amount of power with his regalia array, so she knew her sister was not his match.

    "Sister!!" Esi shouted in horror seeing her sister¡¯s naked soul formid bare for the world to see. Her eyes were filled with pure rage as she hissed like a vicious domestic cat. Her heavenly aura erupted into a storm.

    In her mind, Eshe had experienced some misfortunate and lost her body, but for this man to be so brazen as to freely show her soul form for the world to see was disgusting.

    The young man saw this situation, analyzed it a bit, and decided to step up and speak. "What are you doing? Hand her over immediately, and maybe we¡¯ll reward you!"

    The Uncle was a little shocked, but his might was still primed for action. He didn¡¯t expect to find Eshe in such a way. It seemed that whatever she experienced during her trials left her in dire straits. He spoke in his ufortable voice, "Young man, hand over the woman and we¡¯ll decide from there." Unwilling to appear weak, he stepped up into the air and stood there imposingly as his heavenly might whipped about.

    Yan Zaizen looked towards this middle-aged man and turned his head slightly. Then, he shook his head. "I don¡¯t have time for this. It¡¯ll be better if I don¡¯t get dyed any further. While I dislike killing without sufficient cause, your rtionship with her will definitely breed some resentment." As he calmly spoke, his voice emanated characteristics of a sovereign and forced all to listen carefully to each syble.

    "I¡¯ll just kill you all and be done with it." Calmly deciding, he waved his hand and a surging flow of heavenly might infused with heavenly essence rumbled forward. It was unstoppable! They could only muster a slight change in expression, and a cut-short-word before all of them besides Esi turned into dust.

    Seeing her mother, her uncle, and the young man vanish like dust in the wind with a wave of the hand, her eyes widened.

    "You! You!!!" Eshe was enraged, her soul form trying to fight its restraints. However, not that Yan Zaizen had reimed his soul cultivation, her soul was even more helpless than before.

    Yan Zaizen decided to interrupt, "Don¡¯t worry. You¡¯ll both die even worse deaths." With that, he plucked the air and Esi¡¯s soul form separated from her body andnded next to her sister. Her physical body was still in the middle of processing what had just happened before she was snatched away.

    The one thing Yan Zaizen disliked was being used. It brought back memories of the past, and this scar would forever make anyone who wished to abuse or use him for any means maliciously his enemy to death.

    On his be, a ck hole emerged that absorbed the soul forms of those killed. Yan Zaizen was now aware that anyone that he directly kills was drawn to his ck hole and consumed for nourishment. It wasn¡¯t something he¡¯d utilized often, as he rarely resorted to directly ying all those in his paths unless absolutely necessary. However, he knew that killing was going to be amon theme in his life now.

    After all, he intended to ughter his way into Hell if needed!

    A grey light was birthed nearby. This grey light formed a figure that seemed toe out of a background. Yri eyes glowed slightly with curiosity, a sh of greyter, she became disinterested in Yan Zaizen¡¯s kills. She just calmly waited.

    Yan Zaizen nced towards her and frowned. "If you want to see if your art is urate, let¡¯s see." An idea formed in his mind as he looked at two soul forms. As a heavenly cultivator, one needed a Dao to formte the foundation of their Heavenly Shrines. The stronger their foundation, the higher their limits and potential.

    Looking at these two women, his eyes realized they both had original Daos, albeit at the lower-tier. He ced his palm on the surface of Esi¡¯s soul form. An amber-gold light that carried a hint of devilish aura surged forth. When this happened, Yan Zaizen started.

    When he first cultivated the art, he felt it was demonic and devilish in its way of progression. However, what does it mean to be devilish? Well, just like the heavens, hell, the body, the soul, and even thoughts, they could all form a path to cultivate. To be devilish is to simply to take a devilish path.

    Yan Zaizen furrowed his brow as he sensed the intricacies in the Grand Soul, Dao Heart technique. To cultivate this art, one needed to consume the Dao energy of other Dao¡¯s. This was something unheard of. It was essentially absorbing the energy of someone¡¯s belief or self.

    However, when he thought about it, it¡¯s possible the art had a devouring art as its basis. Likely one that rted to the strengthening of self-relying on blood, flesh, souls, or other materials cultivated by others. If so, then this aura contained some sense.

    "The Grand Soul, Dao Heart was based with the Vampiric Soul Art as one of its foundations," Yri exined without being asked after witnessing Yan Zaizen¡¯s expression. "The Vampiric Soul Art relies on physically absorbingponents of the soul to help restore or strength itself. It¡¯s a supportive art for soul cultivators among celestials, but it was ouwed and deemed impure as it would slowly change a person¡¯s soul!"

    Yan Zaizen truly started this time, his eyes containing hesitation. The soul carried the Soul me which regrly burned within the soul, holding personality, memories, thoughts, and more. The physical body was nothing more than a shell for the soul, and powerful soul cultivators can swap bodies like changing shoes. It was effortless.

    A Dao could be the most perfect representation of an individual¡¯s most potent trait or developmental potential, such as his Dao of Sovereign Ascension. It contained hints of one¡¯s true self at its core and couldn¡¯t be faked. A person with a Dao of Greed would be incredibly greedy and be unable to change who they are as they were Greed itself, and only they can create the Dao of Greed.

    A manifestation of one¡¯s truest self.

    For quite a few people, they never reach a level of intensity where it bes unchanging and virtually immortal, never dying until your own death! Therefore, many would have to rely on the Dao of others to establish their Heavenly Shrines¡ªBestowed Daos. Original Daos were very rare inparison to the sheer amount of cultivators out there.

    "Then could..." Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t say it, he slowly pondered on the intricate manner of the Grand Soul, Dao Heart Art. He ruminated on various theories based on his own personal understanding of the Dao, and his eyes shed brilliantly. The hesitation that lingered evaporated.

    "A Dao is different. A Dao is a manifestation of one¡¯s truest self, and this art would be the shing of two Daos, with the weaker Dao losing out to the stronger Dao. Interesting! Genius!" Yan Zaizen deduced that, as long as his Dao remained firm with the support of his soul, he would be able to easily ovee the original disadvantages of the Vampiric Soul Art!

    Because, to say it simply, the Dao wasn¡¯t the Soul. It didn¡¯t contain memories, thoughts, or personality traits. It merely contained an aspect, aspects, or agglomeration of aspects of one¡¯s truest self. It wasn¡¯t a personality trait such as being kind, and then because of tragedy in life, one bes mean. It was something that would and could never change!

    Yan Zaizen hadplete confidence within his dao, so he decided to venture fearlessly forward!

    The Dao of Esi started to surge about. Yan Zaizen¡¯s palm emitted amber-gold light, and he pierced into her soul. It was like his hand was dipped into water, seamlessly entering without a hint of resistance.

    Yri stayed silent, apuding Yan Zaizen silently for his decisiveness and intelligence. As a Disciple of the Indomitable Dao Pce, how could she not thoroughly understand the vital difference between a soul and a Dao long ago? It was actually the very first lesson she learned when she entered.

    For Yan Zaizen toe to this conclusion without any support or the wisdom of experts who strived for billions of years to determine this was mind-blowing. If Yri knew this, she wouldn¡¯t just be apuding but be absolutely horrified!

    Since cultivating, Yan Zaizen had always been slowly developing his understanding through exploration, and his formerly slow self had thoroughly changed to the point he coulde to a conclusion such as this!

    To put it intoparison, Yan Zaizen deduced thats were round with the only proof being the horizon! Something he has only seen and experienced without the help or consult of anyone else!

    The Dao of Esi, the Dao of Determination, was gripped by his palm. When it came into contact, the Dao screeched like an animal in its death throes. The Dao of Determination was nothing more than a lower-level Dao. Before the Dao of Sovereign Ascension, what was determination?!

    With a clenched, her dao shattered!

 Chapter 353 Path of No Retrea

    The shattered Dao released a green light that carried hints of essence, if this essence could be ssified, then it was the purest essence of determination. The energy released by it entered Yan Zaizen¡¯s amber-gold palm like water into sand. A distinctive feeling reminiscent of the flowing of water over one¡¯s hand was felt.

    This water flowed through Yan Zaizen¡¯s palm into his soul like a river. The river was calm and clear. Within the depths of this river, a silhouette was formed. When Yan Zaizen observed this silhouette that flowed from his palm into his soul, his eyes flickered.

    This figure wasn¡¯t Esi¡¯s. Instead, it wasn¡¯t even humanoid in shape. It resembled a living and beating heart.

    "Interesting," softly eximing, he rotated the art further until the river flowed entirely into his soul. It vanished, integrating with his own Dao Soul.

    "The First Stage of the Grand Soul, Dao Heart Art is the Nascent Dao Heart. It merges the soul with the dao, any action made would influence others. It¡¯s this reason why my actions often are integrated with my dao despite being unwanted." Yan Zaizen recalled the earlier incident where when he spoke, the others on Esi¡¯s ship acted like they were in a trance. They had been slightly bewitched by his Dao being emitted.

    As he absorbed the Dao energy, he closed his eyes to sense the various changes within his Dao Soul. Firstly, his Dao Soul barely had any changes outside of its base energy levels. He felt it be stronger. This enhancement wasn¡¯t significant. In fact, it could be described as less than a thousandth of his original strength.

    "When one¡¯s Dao is formed, only by advancing the Dao from the Mortal to the Grand, merging it with one¡¯s True Origin, could it be empowered. This was what I was told!" When one¡¯s Dao leaves its Nascent Stage, it was impossible to change or alter. It could only be improved by merging one¡¯s True Origin. Even Yan Zaizen had very little idea what a "True Origin" meant, even though he¡¯s developed a False Grand Dao.

    The level of Dao Energy a person possessed was otherwise limited in quality and infinite in quantity. The Dao could not be exhausted.

    When Yan Zaizen absorbed the Dao of Esi, he felt his limited quality be increase ever so slightly.

    Yri, who remained a distance away, eyes surged with a manic obsession. Her own Dao was one of Absolute Obsession, and it was merely a peak middle-level Dao. To increase the strength of her Dao was a dream that she had paid an enormous price to do. This price would cause many to gape in shock and likely fear.

    Yan Zaizen inhaled and exhaled a breath of air, "It works. Unfortunately, I¡¯ll likely need thousands of these Daos to even hope to reach the Second Stage, the Enlightened Dao Heart. I don¡¯t enjoy ughter." This statement caused Yan Zaizen to sigh. To need several thousand Original Daos to hope to progress meant he needed to track and ughter so many.

    He wasn¡¯t someone keen on mass murder, nor did he desire to do so only out of self-profit. If it was unavoidable, perhaps. However, to go out and find random people just to rip their very essence from them felt morally ambiguous on many levels.

    "Unfortunately?" Yri was startled, "In the cultivation world, strength and killing go side by side, and to progress in cultivation, one must always face danger and fight! Only by fighting will one advance, will one experience growth and obtain wealth. It is only naive to believe that you wouldn¡¯t have gotten where you were without killing others!"

    Yan Zaizen nced at Yri, not responding.

    Yri continued, "Didn¡¯t you kill that Yaoguai to advance your cultivation base? Didn¡¯t you ughter the Prince who attempted to take your body? The people who didn¡¯t even get a chance to speak a word before you wiped them out in body and soul? What about that woman who you just now snatched her Dao and will likely destroy her soul ferociously?! Are you trying to say you¡¯re a saint who doesn¡¯t or is unwilling to kill for profit?"

    "The path of cultivation, regardless of its direction, is a path of the strong preying on the weak, the path of killing and robbery, the path of no retreat!" Her voice became somewhat fanatical. "I¡¯ve given up all that I¡¯ve ever worked for, my wealth, my family, my very life for a chance at being here all for my path of cultivation!"

    Yan Zaizen remained silent. Her words were something he understood. He wasn¡¯t a saint by any means, but he¡¯d never gone around provoking people for no reason. Each and every time he¡¯d fought was to protect himself, his friends, or to settle debts with others.

    As he recalled from the start of his cultivation to now, he couldn¡¯t help but feel some sense of mncholy. His life and those around him have been a series of misfortunes and adventure. His teacher, Han Genji, was killed shortly after meeting. Wu Yuanxu was murdered shortly after meeting. Tao had be a ve, Bai Lufeng was tortured, and Pinaka had been kidnapped.

    These were only incidents that happened to those close to him, but in a way, he felt responsible for them all. Even the death of Han Genji weighed on him slightly despite knowing the man for less than a few hours. If it wasn¡¯t for him, where would he be?

    Then, he recalled the killing he hadmitted. The Ying Family and Xuanwu City, his first massacre. Lady Diyi, the Deluge Realm, the Sirius Titan Realm, and even now. He¡¯s also robbed his fair share of people. In truth, almost all of his current wealth belonged to others. He ¡¯earned¡¯ them or they had been generously ¡¯given¡¯ to him as an offering.

    Yri continued more, "What¡¯s the purpose of cultivating? Is it to live forever, to bully the weak, have your every desire fulfilled, to seek a brighter world and explore the vastness of the multiverse, or is it to simply live the way you wish and how you wish?! Regardless of what your purpose of cultivating is or its general purpose, the fact remains: Every path leads to power! We cultivate for strength! The strength to move any and all obstacles we face now or in the future."

    Yan Zaizen softly nodded, but he still didn¡¯t say a word. He agreed with her words mostly.

    Deciding not to dwell on this topic, he chose to speak, "What is it that you want?" He initially didn¡¯t want to engage with this woman or even see her again, but after finding Esi, his mindset was a lot better having removed a weight on his chest. He decided to handle this before swiftly moving on.

    Yri had a pensive look on when asked that question, her eyes shifty andcking some confidence. "I...I want to cultivate the Grand Soul, Dao Heart Art."

    Furrowing his brow, Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t expect this answer. Asking skeptically, "You¡¯ve already seen how I¡¯ve cultivated the Grand Soul, Dao Heart. For someone who survived for billions of years, I can¡¯t imagine you¡¯re unable to find some way to cultivate it?"

    Yri looked towards Yan Zaizen with an aggrieved look, as if wronged in some way by his sentence. "Of course I¡¯ve found a way to cultivate it, but I...I need you."

    "Me?" Furthering his skeptical thoughts, Yan Zaizen couldn¡¯t help but question. He pointed to himself wondering why she would need him. After all, his soul was his soul. Even if one could take a person¡¯s body, they couldn¡¯t ¡¯possess¡¯ their soul. What could she possibly need him for when she was there from start to finish when he cultivated the art?

    A blush of red emerged on Yri¡¯s face being looked at in such a way by Yan Zaizen, "Yes...you..."

 Chapter 354 You Want What?!

    Witnessing the blush of red on Yri¡¯s face, which contained an immense beauty, Yan Zaizen couldn¡¯t help but frown. His mind started to ponder. "...What is it that you want from me?" Deciding to be direct, he immediately asked.

    Yri looked towards Yan Zaizen¡¯s handsome face and strong statue, slowly looking him up and down, slowly resting on his lower groins. Her eyes shed with a trace of light, and Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes widened almost instantly.

    He looked down towards his groin, and a thought emerged in his mind. That couldn¡¯t be it, no? No way that could be it! How could that help?!

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s mind shed through various indecent thoughts, looking towards Yri once more and suddenly, she was a lot more attractive than he originally thought. Her physique had long legs, a slim waist, a bountiful frontend, and a blessed backend. She was most definitely gorgeous and could parade herself as a peak beauty.

    If Yan Zaizen had to describe it, then she was a beauty that could bring about the copse of a nation. However, this beauty wasn¡¯t a safe beauty. And...and...

    Pinaka...right?

    As he thought of that beautiful cyan figure that seemed to be perfection personified, he shook his head. No longer entertaining the idea, he decided to just leave. He may owe Yri for his achievements in cultivating this incredible art, but that didn¡¯t mean he was willing to be an adulterer, wronging a woman who was trapped in literal Hell.

    Yri noticed Yan Zaizen¡¯s shifting of expressions and wandering mind. To her, she couldn¡¯t be more than happy if Yan Zaizen was like this, but then he suddenly turned around and readied his heavenly might for propulsion. With haste, she reached out and called, "Wait!"

    However, like earlier, Yan Zaizen directly ignored her and sted off into a burst of white light.

    "Damnit!" Yri roared, biting her lower lip before following along. This time, she didn¡¯t attempt to follow at Yan Zaizen¡¯s tail, appearing beside him. This caught Yan Zaizen by surprise, he was traveling utilizing thew of light. Thew of light could be considered one of the fastestws in the world, outside of thew of space.

    To think that, by relying on the essence of time, she could keep up with his cultivation base. Yan Zaizen wasn¡¯t even affected by the Dusk Zone¡¯s unique disadvantages due to hisprehension of the Law of Heaven.

    They traveled for several hours, but Yan Zaizen had no way to shake her. He was about to use spatialws, going through the spatial void, but before he could, Yri shot in front of his path and held out both of her palms.

    Immediately, Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes shed with a cold light. His heavenly might abruptly switched from thews of light into the myriadws that constituted of a Death Star. Stopping, he held out his palm which contained a condensed, unexpanded Death Star.

    Yri saw this and was shocked, she immediately held her hands up in a disy of herck of ill intent. That Death Star caused chills to emerge in her spine and heart.

    "Wait! Let me exin!!" She urgently cried.

    "Fine, exin."

    Seeing Yan Zaizen¡¯s willingness to talk, she couldn¡¯t help but feel relieved. However, that Death Star still stayed solidly in his palm. She believed that if she made any move of any intent, Yan Zaizen had no trouble sending her into death.

    "The Grand Soul, Dao Heart Art is miraculous, heaven-defying, and revolutionary! However, it is also incredibly restrictive on how to initiate it. You fit every pattern. When I received the details of your report billions of years ago, I was ecstatic at the prospect of cultivating it, but..."

    "Stop." Yan Zaizen immediately interrupted, "how did you survive for billions of years?" This was a question that Yan Zaizen had an immense curiosity for. Earlier, she mentioned abandoning everything for the sake of cultivating.

    Yri didn¡¯t seem to find his question unsettling as she directly answered, "I abandoned my body, sent my soul into a state of temporal stasis, and hoped that I would remain until the time you entered my trial urred. While my soul was in stasis, there was no degradation because of aging or experiences outside ofplete darkness. It was like a few seconds to me, a dream if you will."

    Yan Zaizen couldn¡¯t help but be startled by her nonchnt. While it may seem simple, that had far, far too many variables. Firstly, the paradoxical implications one had to fight off. If you make a decision in the past because of a certainty into the future, your entire timeline could be different. Perhaps, her sealing herself up, would prevent various things in the future from happening and thus, the world would inevitably change. The rebound she¡¯d experience, even though she was a celestial, would destroy her very soul.

    It was this reason why very few people attempted to see into their own future. Otherwise, wouldn¡¯t time cultivators be gods?!

    Secondly, if she did seal her soul into stasis, she had no idea if she¡¯d ever wake up. If someone stumbled upon her soul, they could easily take advantage of that! You¡¯d need a hiding spot that would never be found. Not to even freaking mention, this hiding spot couldn¡¯t be found in tens of billions of years!!!

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s first thought was how she¡¯d absolutely destroy anyone paying the children¡¯s game of hide-and-go-seek.

    Anyhow,stly, she needed a perpetual energy source to maintain that state of stasis for that many years. The level of energy was far too immense for Yan Zaizen to think about.

    "After I awoke, I used my prepared cloned infant body and entered it. In the sixteen years you were in the trial, I was already cultivating until I reached my peak with my preparations." After saying this, she shrugged as if what she did wasn¡¯t very much. This was likely why she had a body younger than her avatar in the temporal void, it was a cloned body.

    "To abandon your time...for an art," Yan Zaizen couldn¡¯t help but be inwardly startled by the level of determination to do so. His slumber hadsted three thousand years, and he¡¯d missed so much. Tao¡¯s wedding, Bai Lufeng¡¯s growth, and likely his entire n¡¯s life...including his uncle and aunt¡¯s.

    If he had the ability to make that conscious decision, he would never do that. He could never do that. You¡¯d be thrust into an entirely new world. For example, when Yan Zaizen asked her about the Thirty-Three heavens, she had absolutely no clue!

    Now, she was in the Heavenly Origin Grounds which had an entrance to it! She was like a caveman out of time.

    Yan Zaizen had questions about the past, but then he realized...only peak existences would even survive that. There had to be so many changes that happened to civilization, so many people who¡¯ve lived and died, and so many aspects that were different. It was irrelevant and likely would confuse him. After all, there would be billions of years as a gap between her knowledge.

    "Yes, yes, yes, and all I want is for you to take me!" Her eyes revealed an intense level of determination.

    "You want what?!" Yan Zaizen already had an inkling, but to hear it so clearly was somewhat shocking.

    "Take me! Take me! Sexually, I want you to use my body thoroughly, ravage me entirely!" Yri¡¯s words were now sounding somewhat insane. Even though Yan Zaizen held the Death Star, her body shuffled slowly towards him.

    "..."

    "If you¡¯re worried about purity, this body is fresh and has never touched a man! I¡¯m a virgin in soul as well, so you don¡¯t need to worry about being my first!" Her eyes started to sh more with obsession. It was as if she had to convince Yan Zaizen to take her into his bed at all cost!

    "..."

    Yri continued by exining, "Your soul contains the Dao Essence I need...if I had that, I could duplicate the art. I said it before, the Grand Soul, Dao Heart had many different foundations, and one of them was a dual cultivating art! As long as you engage in sex with the opposite gender, regardless of race or species, that Dao Essence will transfer and allow the other member to cultivate the art as well!"

    Yan Zaizen was stupefied by her words. He immediately looked towards his soul with deep suspicions and s, his soul did indeed contain Dao Essence that could be transferred from his soul to another¡¯s. They were like fireflies that pointlessly flowed about, but they were thoroughly attached to primal yang. To obtain this, one would have to dual cultivate using both physical and soul of their body in unison to bring synchronicity to the apex.

    Recalling Pinaka and his first engaging in...soul...merging...

    It seemed something simr to that needed to happen.

    Unlike a woman, a man¡¯s yang was nigh endless and could be spread thoroughly. A woman¡¯s primal yin could only be taken once. As long as he had his Dao Soul, any woman lucky enough to experience his wildly skills in bed would receive an immense boost in their soul and dao potential, capable of merging both.

    "If you think I¡¯ll be the only one to benefit, you¡¯re wrong! I¡¯m a Celestial, so if you took my vital yin, you¡¯d receive a Celestial Space of your own. If you had that, you could cultivate the Celestial Path!" Yri eximed.

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s brows furrowed. The Celestial Path was an incredibly tempting path. It relied on cultivating yourself, bing the heavens, and who knew its limits?! Perhaps one day, a person could truly be the heavens and foster a set ofws of their own like a god. The Heavenly Path, on the other hand, required others to cultivate the heavens and draw power from it.

    Even the Heavenly Creation Realm is merely creating an imitation of a portion of heaven, one that matched their respective Heavenly Shrine.

    He didn¡¯t know much outside of that, but the Celestials were held in high regard by all in the Heavenly Origin Grounds. The one aspect in the soul jade he obtained from Eshe was an information bit about celestials. Only those born as celestials could embark on the Celestial Path.

    Celestials were not only a path but a race of humanoids.

    However, he didn¡¯t know the exact reason. Now, he had some clue. This Celestial Space is probably the foundation all celestials possessed. Who knew what level he could reach if hebined his Non-Entity characteristics with a Celestial?!

    In the end, he shook his head.

    "If I became a Celestial, I could be trapped in the Heavenly Origin Grounds forever...like the Celestials are." As he recalled the inability Celestials have from exiting the Heavenly Origin Grounds, he could only refuse because of this possibility. Shockingly, he felt that if Pinaka were here, she¡¯d tell him to lunge forth andy the wood.

    Thinking about it, he couldn¡¯t help but chuckle slightly.

    "I owe you, and I could only cultivate this art because of you. It would be against my Dao if I refused to help you cultivate this art. After all, what is sex? What is pleasure without intimacy?" He wasn¡¯t naive to believe that one needed to be in love to enjoy the pleasures of the bedroom with another. Bai Lufeng was the most prime example of this.

    One could be in love and enjoy life as well. Of course, his wife and child died because of their inability to break through, but it was still an example.

    "Unfortunately, I can¡¯t do so now. You¡¯ll have to wait until I save Pinaka. If by some chance my actions led me to being unable to exit, I¡¯d regret it for life." He responded softly.

    Yri was shocked. He wasn¡¯t refusing, but he didn¡¯t ept. "What do you mean unable to exit?" She had been asleep for billions of years, spending a majority of her time regaining her original peak.

    "The Heavenly Origin Grounds has various restrictions it seems. Celestials can¡¯t exit the Heavenly Origin Grounds or enter the Thirty-Three Heavens, no path outside of the Heavenly, Celestial, Fiendgod, Soul Source, Origin, and Dao Path can exist within, and anyone can only enter once." After he stated these specific restrictions, he pouted slightly. His Herculean Path was his most developed path originally, exceeding all others. However, it had been suppressed by some unknown force that he still couldn¡¯t remove despiteprehending the Law of Heaven.

    This meant that whatever was restricting his Herculean Path or other Paths was not the Heavens themselves, but some other profound and powerful force.

    Yri started, "really?!" She had slept for far too long, and there had never been such restrictions before. Not to mention, she still didn¡¯t know what the Thirty-Three Heaven was. The reason she never asked Yan Zaizen to specify and why she left swiftly was to be untainted by news that may affect the future.

    And now...she was just told she was trapped?!

 Chapter 355 With You

    Observing Yri¡¯s expressions, Yan Zaizen inwardly shook his head. This was why her n had far too many risks. She had no idea of the outside world, the newws, or events that had urred during that vast period of time. To think everything would remain the same was ridiculous. One could be considered very lucky if they survived, let alone if nothing changed after billions of years.

    "It¡¯ll be best if you understand a little bit about your current period of time before continuing," Yan Zaizen nonchntlymented. To him, aplishing her wish was a minor matter, but the timing of it was too delicate. If he conceded, gave her what she wanted, then he could be forever entrapped within the Heavenly Origin Grounds. If that were to happen, the word regret and despair wouldn¡¯t quite measure up to what he would feel.

    Yri seemed to be out of it after hearing this news. However, she was skeptical and wanted to test the theory herself. Unfortunately, to do that, she had to find one of these entrances or exits to verify.

    Considering this, she came to a decision.

    Yan Zaizen cared very little about what was going on in her head. "Regardless, if I can, in the future, I¡¯lle back and help you cultivate this art," Yan Zaizen calmly said. The spatialpass he was after possessed the ability to bypass the Heavenly Origin Grounds entrance limit. With it in hand, he could easily return and deliver his Dao Essence.

    That¡¯s if he survived Hell.

    "I want to go with you," Yri abruptly said.

    Yan Zaizen turned towards her, his eyes furrowed slightly. He dissipated the Death Star within his palm. He didn¡¯t directly reject her. In truth, he was considering the situation. Even if she couldn¡¯t exit the Heavenly Origin Grounds into the Thirty-Three Heavens normally, if he obtained thepass, he wondered could they travel to Hell directly? Could she follow him?

    Yri was an incredibly powerful Celestial. An existence they cultivated a Path that could be said to have no limits and shrouded in all sorts of mysterious. This didn¡¯t even include her knowledge from billions of years ago, the storage of arts she contained, or her own abilities. If he had an ally with him, would saving Pinaka be easier? Wouldn¡¯t tracking thepass be easier?

    Thus, he didn¡¯t outright reject her words.

    "Now that I know the true reason you¡¯re here, I can see why you attacked when you assumed my soul had been destroyed and my body had been taken over. Someone willing to abandon everything for her goal and then having that goal stripped from you...no wonder." He didn¡¯t me her for her earlier attacks earlier. The misunderstanding was quite, and that¡¯s why it was never brought up until now.

    Not to mention, he was at fault as well. His battle intent was at an all-time high because of his cultivation improvement. He wanted to test his upper limits, and she provided the perfect subject for that. His harsh engagements with her when he could¡¯ve easily dered his survival and exined the circumstances was because of that.

    "If you want to go with me, you must know I¡¯ll be going to Hell," Yan Zaizen warned.

    Shockingly, Yri jumped in fright withplete disbelief. When Yan Zaizen watched her reaction to the word ¡¯Hell,¡¯ he could see the traces of fear within her eyes. It lingered there like a wisp of me in the darkness, visible and apparent for all to see.

    "H-Hell? Infernal Hellverse?" Yri hesitantly asked, her fingers tremblings slightly.

    "Hellverse? Infernal...?" Yan Zaizen was snapped out of his shock at Yri¡¯s reaction and became curious. Hellverse indicated that Hell was a universe? Like the Non-Verse? Could hell be a Universe?

    The Infernal Altars was something he was familiar with. A cultivator with this cultivation path nearly took his life via soul maniption, even with the ck Hole residing within his soul. At the time, his ck Hole wasn¡¯t an integrated soul bloodline, and he had no control over it, but it was capable of bypassing it nheless.

    His time in the Asura Phantom Realm would still haunt him slightly. It was the closest he¡¯d ever touched upon death in his entire life. The closest he¡¯d ever felt death was the Meteor of Ezekiel, but the Asura Phantom Realm events lingered deeply within his heart.

    Ma Xiuren...

    He couldn¡¯t help but also recall that girl...

    "Haaaa..." Lost in thought, he forgot to respond to Yri.

    "You¡¯re going to the Hellverse?!"

    Yan Zaizen finally replied, "I don¡¯t know about this Hellverse, but I¡¯ll be going to a ce called Hell in the Thirty-Three Heavens. It governs the souls and reincarnation cycle of the entire heavens."

    Yri¡¯s jade-like palms clenched into a tight fist, her teeth biting into her bottom lip, and her eyes closed. It seemed the Hellverse held some insidious scar in her heart.

    "I hope it¡¯s not Hell, but even if it was," she slowly said, her eyes glowing with light filled with obsession, "I won¡¯t let you out of my sight, even if you wanted to go to The Dark." Yri was determination. There was no need to say further words, either she would go or she wouldn¡¯t.

    Yan Zaizen shrugged. He didn¡¯t know what ¡¯The Dark¡¯ was, but he didn¡¯t care. "Fine, I won¡¯t be responsible for you if you die." With that, he took out a silver directional arrow. Using the profound techniques given to him by Ezekiel, he attempted to seek out a direction for thepass once more. Before, the signal was far too weak, and he couldn¡¯t get a clear indication.

    Now, he was going to check to see if the arrow¡¯s signal to thepass was weaker or stronger after traveling a considerable distance. Regardless of which, he would have a clue as to which direction to go.

    Yri saw the directional arrow and furrowed her brows slightly. Her eyes seemed to hold some confusion, but then realization. However, that light of recognition didn¡¯t spark her intent to speak. She remained silent and observed Yan Zaizen.

    "It¡¯s stronger, albeit very slightly. We¡¯re going in the right direction at least," inspecting the arrow, Yan Zaizen once more turned into a beam of light. Yri glowed with a grey brilliance before appearing beside him.

    "If possible, we should find a skyship. This consumes far too much heavenly energy..." After realizing the inefficient manner of his travel, he once more regretted not having a fast skyship. Even the Sense Ring, the ring of the Prince of the Oneuli Empire, didn¡¯t have a skyship within it. It frustrated him deeply.

    After several days of travel, Yan Zaizen saw several colorful dots a vast distance away. As he squinted his eyes in inspection, he couldn¡¯t help but be shocked.

    There were tens of thousands of skyships!

 Chapter 356 Third Phase, Original Law

    Yan Zaizen was briefly astonished at the sight. In the far off distance, beneath the dusky skies, were tens of thousands of skyships of varying sizes. Some of the skyships exceeded hundreds of kilometers in size. They were breathtaking to behold, all of them emitting various forms of light like a kaleidoscope of colors. In this region of gloomy dusk, it was very attractive.

    Pondering, Yan Zaizen sent outwards his heavenly sense to take in the situation. As he got a grasp of what was happening ahead, Yri stopped beside him and looked towards the myriad of ships that seemed berthed in the skies. Even her brows furrowed slightly.

    She looked at Yan Zaizen cautiously sending out his heavenly sense and shook her head slightly. This method of reconnaissance was too noticeable and inefficient. Even if his heavenly sense can¡¯t be noticed by others, it¡¯ll only be happenstance if he could get a full picture of the situation.

    Yan Zaizen also felt that, but he didn¡¯t wish to wildly approach a fleet of ships without firstly figuring out their purpose. After all, if they were a type of ¡¯shot-first-ask-questions-never¡¯ type of group, then wouldn¡¯t he be getting himself in unnecessary conflict? However, this didn¡¯t mean he was confident in his heavenly sense remaining unhindered.

    In fact, the moment it reached a kilometer away from his range, it collided with a forceful barrier. This barrier was ethereal but seemed to be projected by the ships or a ship to prevent the reckless spread of one¡¯s heavenly sense.

    He grimaced slightly. The recoil from the collision with the barrier was like a bird recklessly flying into a bullet proof ss.

    As if expecting this, Yri revealed a slight smile filled with a hint of mockery. She calmly exined, "each ship has concealment and protection arrays and formations set up to prevent spying or infiltration. Not just heavenly sense, but all sorts of detection or intelligence-gathering methods. For...obvious reasons."

    Her words caused Yan Zaizen to briefly ruminate on the implications of her words, then he searched his memory and figured out why his heavenly sense was blocked so far away. Each ship had a simr method and they were unintentionally linking together causing it to expand and create a zone where normal sensory methods were hindered or altogether prevented.

    A formation like that was absolutely necessary in the Fortune Cemetery. If one met a group with stronger individuals on a skyship and that group could perceive through the skyship and understand their strength, this would put them in obvious danger. To prevent this, skyships were fitted with the highest grade concealment and sensory-prevention formations and arrays.

    Yri continued, "Therefore, it¡¯s best to be a little...creative." With a beautiful smile, she closed her eyes. A ripple of time seemed to emanate from her body. This ripple silently hit Yan Zaizen. The ripple didn¡¯t induce any physical effects, but Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes lit up with a grey color. The world swirled endlessly in a rapid flowing cycle.

    Before long, he realized he hadn¡¯t moved. His location was still the same as earlier. However, his physical body and Yri¡¯s weren¡¯t here, just their senses. In fact, the skyships seemed to only be a few hundred and not tens of thousands.

    "Time is ever-present. Where time exists, so can I." Yri¡¯s words seemed to contain a powerful, vastly profound meaning with the concept of time as its quintessence.

    "..." Remaining silent, Yan Zaizen felt that her words were astounding. Even to this day, he was still learning various profound usages of time. It only reinforced his belief thatws were truly powerful beyond imagination.

    "Now, let¡¯s see the past!" Yri¡¯s voice echoed and he felt his vision shift away towards the skyships in the distance. This ¡¯vision¡¯ wasn¡¯t actually him, but a remnant of time. It was as if the world was sent into rewind and he was nothing more than a drop of water in the ocean of time. It wasn¡¯t long before they arrived on the skyships that were now no more than a few hundred in numbers.

    On board the ships were all experts at least at the Fifth-Floor of the Heavenly Genesis or higher. This caused Yan Zaizen to be somewhat startled. Such a strong force in such a dense numbers were incredible. These must be elites of some upper-tier force in the region.

    BOOM!!!

    "You DARE?!" A rough, thunderous voice exploded in the temporal timeline. Yan Zaizen¡¯s ¡¯vision¡¯ shifted involuntarily to a single ship. Obviously his ¡¯vision¡¯ wasn¡¯t controlled by him but by Yri. This skyship wasn¡¯t like the other skyships. Its design was more like a bird, having two wings protruding from its sides. These wings realistically pped about as if it was maintaining the flight of the skyship on its own power.

    When Yan Zaizen saw these wings, he felt breathless. Etched on the wings were profound formations that he couldn¡¯t even hope toprehend. They seemed to be manipting thews in a way that left him feeling a little inferior, even with his power.

    Atop this ship was a handsome, middle-aged man dressed in white. His ck hair flowed like a cascading waterfall, profound intent surging from every follicle. He looked domineering as the heavens, his eyes containing a deep sense of pride, and his upright posture as if he could carry the world on his shoulders highlighted his appearance. With an aura that seemed like a raging ocean about to copse a tiny boat, Yan Zaizen couldn¡¯t help but feel a sense of respect.

    However, his eyes illuminated with an amber-gold color and that bit of respect vanished. What remained was a fierceness that was unyielding, and a sovereign¡¯s demeanor. Even his eyes revealed a look of absolute superiority, even in the face of this grand aura.

    Despite this, the time remnant only glowed with a trace of amber-gold. Just this glowing caused the middle-aged man¡¯s expression to change slightly.

    However, with a cold snort, he waved his long-sleeves as if shooing away a fly.

    Yan Zaizen heard a thunderous boom resounding in his head. He grimaced in pain. Suddenly, he returned to his body in his original current ¡¯present.¡¯

    "Cough...cough!!" Yri immediately burst into a vicious coughing fit that was growing incredibly violent by the second. Before long, blood started to seep out of her mouth, nose, ears and eyes as she bent over and held her heart area and abdomen.

    "You!" Yri¡¯s voice was contorted with anger, but also a hint of fear.

    Yan Zaizen directly ignored Yri, his eyes focused on the thousands of skyships ahead. His eyes revealed a profound light, immediately deducing what happened. "Such a cultivation base truly is heaven-equalling! To actually be able to interact with the temporal flow retroactively."

    Yri had been bested, not by someone with profound timews, but simply an outstanding cultivation level. This person definitely created their ownw or path! To be at the very least in the Heavenly Creation Realm at the Third Phase - the Original Law Phase!

    He couldn¡¯t glimpse into what thew was, but it was definitely equal or even greater than timews! If it wasn¡¯t for his Dao¡¯s strength, it¡¯s likely he would¡¯ve been in a severe state like Yri from that simple waving gesture.

    However, there didn¡¯t seem to be any reaction from the other side as he¡¯d expected. Whoever that man was, he didn¡¯t feel the need toe to them. In that case, Yan Zaizen felt a hint of relief. An expert of that level was still not something he could or wanted to face.

    Even Yri gave him trouble, and she was barely capable of facing a Heavenly Creation Realm expert at the first phase, the Minor Heaven Phase. The difference between each phase was truly heaven and earth, quite literally.

    That being said, his curiosity was most definitely peaked.

    "I...gah...I¡¯ll get my revenge!" Yri clenched her bloody teeth, her eyes revealing a deep sense of obsession and killing intent. Yan Zaizen slightly furrowed his brows.

    "On your own time," carelessly saying, Yan Zaizen waved his hand. A burst of pure lifeforce was birthed and flowed through the void like slithering tongues of mes. They integrated into Yri¡¯s body like burrowing parasites. Before long, her body surged with a rejuvenating force that seemed to contain an essence of rebirth in all things physical.

    In the time it takes for a spark to fly, her wounds, both internal and external, had been healed.

    Yri started, but then she recalled Yan Zaizen surviving her sword strike. This was likely how. How profound!

    "Let¡¯s go," Yan Zaizen said before a flow of heavenly force once more surged within his body and he took off. His new course intended to avoid the mass of skyships altogether. Yri disgruntledly followed, her eyes looking at those ships with deep animosity.

    Just as he was about to leave this bundle of curiosity behind, a light from one of the skyships shot towards the two of them with lightning-like speed.

 Chapter 357 Invitation

    The light soared like aet through the skies. Yan Zaizen paused, his brows furrowed, and his senses became alert. Just earlier they had inadvertently offended a Third or Fourth Phase Heavenly Creation Expert, and this light could be trouble. Trouble he¡¯d rather avoid.

    The only calming fact was that the light¡¯s aura was at the Heavenly Genesis Realm, not reaching the heaven-equalling, earth-toppling fluctuations of a Heavenly Creation expert.

    Yri also focused her attention, but unlike Yan Zaizen who wished to avoid unnecessary conflict, her eyes shone with a light of obsession and killing intent. It was undisguised and sharp. She had always been one who acted upon her emotions disregarding the consequences. This could be witnessed by her willingness to seal herself in stasis for billions of years and have no concerns.

    Even Yan Zaizen felt that this woman was bothersome. The killing intent was like a searing ze capable of burning all those who neared it. He even had half a mind to send a p. If she wanted to create trouble, couldn¡¯t she do it when he¡¯s not around? At that point, he couldn¡¯t care about her life and death, as it wouldn¡¯t affect his own.

    The light halted a few meters away from them. Slowly, it revealed a figure. This figure was a woman with the form of a vixen. She had a voluptuous body, massive breasts that seemed to be threatening the azure outfit she wore about its intent to escape at the slightest provocation, and curves that could cause others to envy. As for her face, it was haughty and gorgeous, like an empress of a nation.

    Yan Zaizen, as a man, couldn¡¯t help but give her a good look. As for Yri, she only started daggers as if she only saw the woman¡¯s muscles and bones without skin. It was oddly disturbing.

    "..." The woman didn¡¯t speak but surveyed Yan Zaizen up and down without concealing her probing. It seemed she was curious about him. When she turned to find Yri staring at her, she couldn¡¯t help but be startled a little.

    "A celestial?" Her words were filled with shock, but then, it was reced with disdain and contempt. Yri, however, didn¡¯t re up at the expression, but her eyes seemed to contain an arrogance that made it seem as if acting was beneath her.

    Decidingly ignoring all zing interactions and open probing, Yan Zaizen calmly asked, "Do you want something?" His tone was neither servile or arrogant, only a calmness befitting a sovereign.

    This woman had the cultivation base at the Ninth-Floor Heavenly Genesis Realm, making her a top-tier Heavenly Commander capable of controlling an aspect of heaven, close to constructing her own and equalling that which reigned over this universe¡¯sws.

    "You cultivate the Law of Rebirth?" She calmly asked a question of her own.

    Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t bother with nonsense and directly nodded to confirm her words. The Law of Rebirth was an Imperial Law created from the Laws of Life and Death, and govern rejuvenation and decline of physicality.

    "An Eighth-Floor Heavenly Genesis Rebirth Cultivator..." Her words were somewhat quiet as if contemting the nature of this. In truth, Yan Zaizen¡¯sw and cultivation base made him one of the most talented people in the Fortune Cemetery. After all, the difficulty toprehend an Imperial Law was millions of times harder than a World Law.

    This was why the majority of Heavenly Gods, those who could take control of one of the Thirty-Three Heavens, cultivated them. It was this very reason why Ezekiel¡¯s Father and the Heavenly God that took his ce was capable of bing the top figures amidst literally countless cultivators.

    "I wish to extend an invitation on behalf of the Ouroboros Empire!" The woman spoke proudly, as if expecting Yan Zaizen to feel shaken by her words.

    However, Yan Zaizen and Yri only looked at her with ignorance. In fact, Yri coldly snorted in cold contempt.

    "You!" The woman red, her bosom looked like dual moons shrinking and expanding. Yan Zaizen sighed. He pretty much already put together the pieces. Someone on the ship noticed him heal Yri with the Law of Rebirth and sent this woman as an envoy to invite them aboard, likely for some task or recruitment.

    Unfortunately for them, he wasn¡¯t the type to join others without good reason nor did he have the time to do so. While he may be curious, his mind and thoughts were on finding thepass and then going to Hell to unleash hell.

    For now, he didn¡¯t want to involve himself in any time-wasting engagements. If possible, he would¡¯ve loved not to have met Yri either. She was a headache already.

    "Thanks, but no thanks." Calmly rejecting, he didn¡¯t wait before he circted his heavenly might before stepping forward. However, before he could truly depart, a figure appeared before him - it was a man.

    When this man appeared, Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes turned into a needlepoint. Yri¡¯s expression shifted as well, her eyes containing a ray of obsession that revealed undisguised hatred. This was the man who had injured her!

    Yan Zaizen quickly regained his calm. He looked at this man closely. His handsome face and grand disposition left him with nothing but praise. The man wasn¡¯t a real person, but a projection formed by manipting the heavens. It could be called a Heavenly Remnant.

    It was constructed from thew of heaven. If it was before, Yan Zaizen wouldn¡¯t have noticed it, but he hadprehended the Law of Heaven to a certain extent, how could he not? Thisw was the corew of the universe.

    ¡¯This must be an ability of a Heavenly Creation expert, quite simr to Astral Projection and Time Remnants. Using a trace of your will and cultivation to create a form of heaven, interesting.¡¯

    As he analyzed the man before him, he couldn¡¯t help but praise his cultivation base. He truly was at least at the Third Phase of the Heavenly Creation Realm. While his own cultivation base wascking, hisprehension of the foundational functions of the myriadws of heaven couldn¡¯t be underestimated.

    However, when it came to advanced applications of thews, he was definitely behind those who¡¯ve lived for millions of years.

    "Three thousand years," the man spoke calmly but a profound power was within his speech that made it seem to be irrefutable. Yan Zaizen understood his intent, but calmly shook his head in reply. To him, he didn¡¯t wish to surrender to anyone or anything, be it one day or three thousand years.

    "..." There was a long silence after his refusal. Yri and the woman had different expressions on their faces as they watched the two men stare at each other. One was zing hatred and the other was loving affection.

    Shockingly, Yri and the woman¡¯s expressions were not what one would expect. The one with zing hatred was the azure clothed woman and Yri had loving affection. This affection...

    Yan Zaizen felt a shiver at the back of his spine suddenly.

    "One move," the man suddenly spoke.

    Sighing inwardly, Yan Zaizen nodded. In the world of cultivators, strength still reigned supreme. It seemed this man required him for something and for three thousand years at that. Therefore, he was seeking to subjugate Yan Zaizen with an awe-inspiring disy of strength.

    With a breath, Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes glimmered with a glow. His body emanated a powerful surge of heavenly might as his posture became upright and forceful. The man, who was only a Heavenly Remnant, pointed his finger at Yan Zaizen¡¯s chest.

    They were no more than a few meters apart. The finger was so close that a small push and it¡¯d touch his robe. That finger shined with an odd color. It wasn¡¯t something Yan Zaizen could clearly define. It was like pink and green became one and had a child, and then cyan had a child with that child to produce this color. It was bright and lively but incredibly gaze-snatching.

    Knowing that this energy didn¡¯t derive its origins from any of the Heavenly Laws known, he spected it belonged to the Origin Law birthed by this expert. Thisw seemed to be capable of existing within this heaven as an independent entity. It was truly awe-inspiring.

    However, to Yan Zaizen, this finger was like the deliverance of ruin and disaster. He didn¡¯t move in response to this finger. Instead, he closed his eyes in response.

    The world, heaven and earth, the earths and the skies above and below, seemed to all vanish as only that finger and Yan Zaizen existed in this world.

    Then, a light was born.

    It emanated life.

    It siphoned death.

    It was endless and immortal.

    Physicality! As long as it is physical, it is governed by these rules! If it lives, it must die, and if it must die, then it shall be birthed anew!

    His eyes opened and the heaven and earth seemed to be subjected to his will. He recalled Yri¡¯s earlier words: "Where time exists, so do I!" These profound words contained the quintessence ofws and its ultimate expression of form and application.

    As long as life exists, so shall I!

    As long as death looms, so shall I!

    As long as heaven abides by thesews, so shall you!!

    "Fall."

    A single word. It was calm and unaffected by the finger of absolute ruin making its way to devastate his entirety.

    He opened his eyes. They were no longer amber-gold but contained a white me in his right eye, a ck orb in his left eye, and at his be was a flickering glimmer of light.

    "Fall!" The finger touched his chest and those words were shouted, as if all those in heaven and earth had to listen.

    The man¡¯s expression changed drastically. A ck shadow seemed to be birthed at his fingertip. He seemed to want to say something, but like a paper covered in oil dropped into fire, hebusted instantly into a shadowy aura of death.

    "Rise."

    The shadowy aura of deathbusted as quickly as it was born into a white me.

    Shaking his head, he grabbed the me and absorbed it. Without thinking twice, he turned to Yri, "lets go."

 Chapter 358 Ouroboros Alliance 1

    The azure clothed woman and Yri had wide eyes filled with disbelief and shock. Yan Zaizen had, with three words, caused the copse of a Heavenly Remnant in such a brutal yet at ease fashion. They didn¡¯t quite understand what had happened, but they knew that Yan Zaizen had thoroughly won the brief exchange.

    "..." Yri¡¯s reaction was a little intense but soon turned into disappointment. ¡¯He didn¡¯t use the Dao Soul...¡¯ To her, the Grand Soul, Dao Heart was an art she¡¯d personally structured in many profound theories and was anticipating what powers it may have. Unfortunately, Yan Zaizen had instead used an ultimate expression ofw to topple his opponent. It was apparent why her previous lovingly affection turned disappointment so quickly.

    If Yan Zaizen knew she held loving affection for his Dao Soul, he wouldn¡¯t know whether tough or cry. After all, what was the difference between his Dao Soul and himself? It was like loving a tattoo you drew on the person only because it matched their skin tone perfectly.

    Yan Zaizen was already in flight. He turned into a ray of light in the distance. The azure clothed woman was still a little speechless. Yri snorted coldly, ncing at the woman with contempt, before following along with a surge of grey light.

    "..." The azure clothed woman took a while before she regained herposure. A light flickered on her be as an inscribed formation seemed to surface. It wasplicated and profound, containing traces of the Law of Souls. If Yan Zaizen saw this, he would realize that it was amunication formation etched into the woman¡¯s soul.

    Only after a while did the Azure clothed woman¡¯s expression be solemn, she erupted in a surging aura of heavenly might. This heavenly might was odd, as it had characteristics of that finger of ruination unleashed by that man earlier. It didn¡¯t seemplete, as it was also mixed with anotherw.

    Boom!

    She exploded forth with unprecedented speed and quickly chased after Yan Zaizen¡¯s and Yri¡¯s departing figures.

    Up ahead, Yan Zaizen couldn¡¯t help but sigh. He honestly didn¡¯t wish to waste time with these people, but they seemed unrelenting. Even though thew of the jungle was applied here in the Fortune Cemetery, it was still difficult to force one¡¯s will and direction on others. This was due to Soul and Dao Cultivation making it difficult to force others to relent and surrender.

    To be blunt, one couldn¡¯t just enve another, even with the threat of death. Therefore, Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t worry that the Third or Fourth Phase Heavenly Creation expert would use force to get his desires. Instead, he was worried about being dyed.

    He stopped once more, looked back to where he came and saw the light of ruine near. Yri also stopped, she was getting frustrated by the gall of these people. If she were stronger, she would have no issue with sending every one of them into a time loop of pain and torture. Unfortunately...

    The azure clothed woman appeared once more, her expression was no longer haughty or her gaze unbridled. Instead, she had a solemn look. "My Father, Ruin Emperor Ouroboros, has some words he wishes to say." Unlike before, her tone was respectful.

    She closed her eyes as a light that¡¯s color was nearly impossible to describe surrounded her body, and the aura of ruin overtook hers. She seemed to be projecting a unique and grandw that shed for life with the heavens.

    Yan Zaizen quietly observed the woman with interest. Was this another ability of a Third Phase Heavenly Creation Expert? At that realm, it¡¯s reported that one devises a unique, originalw derived from a conceptual idea. This can take many shapes and forms, but it truly could be described as taking the ce of heaven.

    The Sirius Path was driven by the Sirius Law and contained ferocity, power, and bloodlust within. However, that came from a path, a true Fourth Phase achievement, an Original Path. At that point, you be the heaven, and others can cultivate your cultivation path!

    Even with the True Origin of the Sirius Path with him, he felt somewhat awed by the sight before him. What was an Original Law? Did it mean to create your own heaven, governed by its own rules, by its own truths or something entirely different?

    Regardless, anticipation couldn¡¯t help but bubble within his heart, and he wished to one day grasp an Original Law that could cause even the heavens to bow its head in inferiority.

    This was his first time truly witnessing an Original Law in action.

    Before long, the light fully engulfed the woman¡¯s figure and dissipated. What was left was the figure, aplete and identical figure, to the handsome middle-aged man from before. Yan Zaizen felt even more awed as he couldn¡¯t tell if this man was the azure clothed woman or the man himself. If it weren¡¯t because of him personally witnessing the transition, he wouldn¡¯t have known the difference.

    "Heaven Possession..." Yri quietly muttered to herself.

    Heaven Possession was an ability where someone¡¯s will would be merged with another, recing their consciousness with their own. It was called Heaven Possession because the Heaven¡¯s could do something simr, but only under extreme circumstances and only on mortals who had yet to cultivate. There have been records of young boys and girls bing an envoy of heaven, sweeping away all that spheme its glory.

    This was in her time, in her heaven.

    In the Thirty-Three Heavens, there was something simr where a Heavenly God could enter the body of anyone who cultivates their specificw used to ascend to the Heavenly God Stage and im their own heaven. It was this very reason that Heavenly God¡¯s force contained a foundation unsurpassable and prestige that could not be offended.

    It wouldn¡¯t take long before the Heavenly God him descends to handle matters if need be, sweeping all ill-matters away. It was said that Heaven Possession was their primary way ofmunicating as they are, for whatever reason, unlikely to leave their main realm. Oftentimes, one would simply be before their envoy and not themselves and never even realize it.

    "I am Ruin Emperor Ouroboros, Lord of the Ouroboros Empire within the Serpent Zone." The man¡¯s introduction was powerful and filled with an innate sense of prestige, leaving one feeling as if they must feel respect and reverence for him. Yan Zaizen, however, only calmly looked at him and Yri stared daggers filled with hatred without any disguise.

    "Daoist Ascension," Yan Zaizen introduced himself in kind, using his Daoist title. Amongst cultivators, especially innately powerful ones, it¡¯s unlikely that many words needed to be exchanged as intent is conveyed rather easily. Simr to earlier where they spoke very few words, this exchange was simr.

    "For one thousand years, I can fulfill three requests." The Ruin Emperor of Ouroboros offered.

    Yan Zaizen shook his head, "I have a deadline."

    The Ruin Emperor frowned, "How long?"

    "Eighty-odd years," Yan Zaizen calmly responded. There was no reason to keep this a secret.

    "...Eighty..." The Ruin Emperor fell into deep contemtion, but his intelligence wasn¡¯t slight as he analyzed his surroundings and came up with a response. "Seventy years for one World-Grade Skyship and one request.."

    The fact that Yan Zaizen was flying through the skies without a Skyship could mean it was destroyed or it simply wasn¡¯t capable of matching the task.

    "..." Yan Zaizen furrowed his brows for the first time during their conversation. This deal truly was tempting. A World-Grade Skyship could easily pierce through the space of all the zones and regions, allowing him to quickly scour the area for thepass.

    However, the Fortune Cemetery was toorge and mysterious. If something dyed him for a decade or so after, wouldn¡¯t he die from regret?

    "One year," he counter-offered.

    "..."

    Yri, who was also an expert, understood the meaning and quick exchange of their conversation. One wanted the other for a task; the other had a deadline and couldn¡¯t relent too much time. However, with the bait of a skyship, Yan Zaizen seemed willing.

    "Level of Comprehension in the Law of Rebirth and Heavenly Shrine?" The Ruin Emperor asked, not declining or epting. It seemed his interest in Yan Zaizen¡¯s Law of Rebirth truly was the only reason he was here. The reason he asked was because of Yan Zaizen¡¯s cultivation base. A person could have multiple shrines of varying levels with their highest one reflecting their cultivation.

    If Yan Zaizen¡¯s Law of Rebirth were at the First, Second, or Third Floor, he wouldn¡¯t be able to decisively tell unless they genuinely engaged in a life or death battle, not in a minor exchange where Yan Zaizen forced his Heavenly Remnant to fall into death by thews of heaven itself. That wasn¡¯t that impressive.

    After all, if a Heavenly Remnant contained an immense amount of power, what was the point in Heaven Possession and selecting an Envoy for those at his level? His remnant could barely exchange blows with a Third-Floor Heavenly Genesis expert let alone Yan Zaizen¡¯s Eighth-Floor Heavenly Essence fueled might.

    "Peak-Sovereign, Eighth-Floor," Yan Zaizen sighed inwardly. His cultivation was odd because of the uniqueness of his heavenly shrine. It¡¯s not like he needed to lie, but he actually couldn¡¯t. He had one shrine, and it had eight levels.

    "Peak?" The Ruin Emperor¡¯s eyebrows jumped slightly. This was capable of reaching the First Phase Heavenly Creation Realm - Minor Heaven. If Yan Zaizen actually produced a Minor Heaven of Rebirth, his strength would be top-tier of the highest ss of expert. He couldn¡¯t help but be surprised and once more give this man before him a deep look.

    "Okay," he decided to agree. He didn¡¯t expect for Yan Zaizen to lie to him. Firstly, the truth would be revealed instantly. Secondly, it would be nearly suicidal to lie to someone like him.

    This young man was outstanding and likely will reach incredible heights in the future. Even a single year was more than enough to aplish his task at his cultivation. In fact, he could move up his ns.

    Without any more nonsense, he dissipated like sandy kes in the wind, revealing a beautiful, vixen-like woman who¡¯s breathing was somewhatbored and face slightly reddened entuating her seductive appeal.

    Turning to Yri and ignoring the sight of this woman, "Don¡¯t cause any trouble, otherwise, you can leave." He sternly warned before turning around and flew towards the myriad fleets of skyships. Yri pouted her lips slightly but followed along without any voice of disagreements. It seemed she truly was intent on following Yan Zaizen obediently until he could take her in body and soul on the bed, as she wanted.

    -----

    On one of the skyships, one of its leads surrounded by hundreds of others, stood a middle-aged man with a grand disposition and aura. His eyes were closed, and he seemed to be focused on something. The others on and around the skyship only looked at the man, their eyes shing with reverence, respect, and for some, desire.

    When he opened his eyes, a light of an indiscernible color emerged, and he smiled. This smile caused those secretly and openly looking at the man to still, lost in their own misty illusions. It was as if an Emperor of a nation smiled in your direction, causing one to feel faint and swell with hope and desire.

    Only a single sentence resounded in this stilled atmosphere, "All-Immortal Dragon, your blood is mine."

 Chapter 359 Ouroboros Alliance 2

    Flying through the air towards the numerous skyships berthed within the skies, Yan Zaizen cautiously observed about. The skyships didn¡¯t have any uniform markings with many having various insignias from forces he¡¯d never learned about.

    Before, the only source of information he had was from Esi¡¯s group and soul jade, but now that he had the Source Ring of the Oneuli Empire¡¯s Prince, there were bountiful information regarding the numerous regions and zones within the Heavenly Origin Grounds. Having yet to peruse the many soul jades within, he still felt somewhat ignorant.

    However, just from the formations that decorated each and every skyship, they were likely all high-tier forces. This was terrifying, and if a person didn¡¯t have a strong will, it¡¯s possible they¡¯d cower at just the sight, unlike Yan Zaizen who held only boundless curiosity.

    "To gather all these various forces with experts with profoundly powerful cultivation bases each...I wonder what their purpose is," Yan Zaizen quietly muttered. This was reminiscent to the stories of alliances being formed for war.

    Even if a war was the purpose, Yan Zaizen hadplete confidence in surviving. As an Eighth-Floor Heavenly Genesis expert with understanding in all Mortal and World-level Laws to the Sovereign-level, andprehending Spacetime, Rebirth, Mimicry, and Samsara, he had no fear.

    "Mimicry..." Yan Zaizen silently pondered. Earlier, when he met those three manifestations, they all represented Imperial Laws he¡¯dprehended except the Imperial Law of Mimicry. He couldn¡¯t help but be slowly filled with confusion, as if a profound question was lingering on his lips and within his mind was the answer, but it was buried infinitely deep.

    However, before he could search carefully through his mind, he entered theplex and hazy space of the skyships. This area felt stifling as his heavenly, soul, and even physical senses were limited heavily within it. Looking about, he could see various concealment and restriction formations working in unintentional conjunction to prohibit senses to a great extent.

    He looked towards Yri. Her facial expression was calm, unlike before where animosity filled her every nce. He frowned slightly but didn¡¯t pursue the thoughts of this woman. She was an enigma that didn¡¯t followmon sense. After all, her Dao was literal obsession.

    Before long, Yan Zaizen felt gazes on his body. These gazes weren¡¯t intense, but the fact they could gaze at his body from afar in this mess of formations made him feel slightly interested. His vision was severely restricted, let alone his external senses, yet several gazes of others could still touch him.

    "Multiple Heavenly Creation experts..." Yan Zaizen wished he could pierce through this veil and see them. As his thoughts directed towards this point, his Dao Soul glowed like a luminescent lightbulb. The glow outlined the veins and arteries of his body, even his blood was affected.

    The blood in his body circted like usual but now infused with amber-gold radiance mixed with Dao Energy far beyond what Yan Zaizen had experienced before. The blood reached his heart, his brain, and then his eyes.

    Woosh!

    A sound like the soaring of a bird resounded in his mind as the world that was like a misty veil was lifted. His eyes shimmered nearly imperceptibly with the amber-gold glow, mixing well with his natural eye color.

    "This is!" Yri, who maintained at a rtively close distance to Yan Zaizen, felt a tremble within her own Dao. The resonating waves within Yan Zaizen were thoroughly felt by her. As the person who produced the theoretical art that was ¡¯Grand Soul, Dao Heart,¡¯ she knew more than anyone how the technique felt.

    As she was left in wonder, Yan Zaizen surveyed the surrounding area with his newfound visual prowess. The concealment formations and arrays that melded together to form a rock-solid blocking force and misty veil felt like they no longer existed to him.

    He could see everything.

    Even the Dao¡¯s of others, the experts who were idle, cultivating, or observing him were also clearly seen through. It was as if a new sense was born within him, one that surpassed all others.

    He had known that Dao Energy could amplify all types of powers, allowing that power to express further strength. The Dao Energies could even be used as a cohesive for the heavenlyw, hence why Heavenly Shrines needed Dao Energy. But he had never heard of a sensory power of the Dao.

    As he focused, he applied this new sensory power in much the same way as Soul Sense. It wasn¡¯t long before he swept through each and every ship with light-speed quickness. All the information about the ship¡¯s upants, grade, and hidden structures was made known to him.

    "So many Heavenly Cultivators!" He couldn¡¯t help but gasp slightly knowing that within these tens of thousands of skyships were separate dimensions and within those separate dimensions were hundreds of millions of heavenly cultivators. Only those at the Fifth-Floor or above were directly on the skyships, manning and protecting it.

    The number on the surface wasn¡¯t even a thousandth of the number hidden. However, those within these dimensions were of the lower floors in the Heavenly Genesis Realm, namely the second and third, with rtively fewer fourth-floors. However, those fourth-floor experts numbered over a hundred times those visibly on the skyships.

    This force could, with a roar, topple Empires.

    The surprise he felt was rather intense, but before he could ponder more, a voice, feminine and lovely, spoke out. Despite being lovely in sound, the voice felt like des being stabbed into one¡¯s throat.

    "Have you seen enough?" The displeased tone didn¡¯t cover the hint of awe and shock in its voice. It obviously didn¡¯t expect that Yan Zaizen, a Heavenly Genesis cultivator, could pierce through the veil and gaze at her.

    Yan Zaizen snapped out of his absentminded state as he realized that his senses had essentially prated people¡¯s innate, personal barriers, revealing all sorts of things. To many, especially those who could sense that it had been done, this was an insult and a perverted action, especially to women of any race who cherished secrecy and their bodies. Before he could respond and apologize, as he was in the wrong, a fiery voice echoed.

    "I hope you¡¯ve seen enough in your lifetime...now that it¡¯s over." A sharp, zing ray of heavenly might that seemed to embody the sword and firews of heaven shot towards Yan Zaizen with astonishing speed.

    Yri was caught off-guard, but Yan Zaizen wasn¡¯t. After realizing what he had inadvertently done, he prepared for retaliation. However, this ray of power caused his heart to feel shocked. Within this ray was a world. This world was grandly structured, magnificently stable, and nearly infinite in size, but ced within this ray that was no more than two fingers in width.

    "Heavenly Dimension Infusion!" Eximing, Yan Zaizen recalled the specifics of the Heavenly Creation Realm. In the first phase, one turned their Heavenly Spatial Dimension(Usually used to store things), supported by the foundation that is the nine-floors, into its own miniature universepletely and thoroughly governed byws. This world could then be drawn upon for near limitless power.

    It was this very characteristic that made one capable of being heaven-equalling!!

    Having learned the Miniaturized Heaven Art, a profound Heavenly Art he obtained from Ezekiel¡¯s stash, he knew the specifics to a certain extent.

    The ray was heaven-scorching, sky-slicing, and elegant enough to gain characteristics of heaven¡¯s grace. Luckily, it was only to the limit of a First Phase Heavenly Creation Realm, the Minor Heaven. Even more, it wasn¡¯t immacte and perfect amongst its realm. Likely, this person had just recently broken through and didn¡¯t haveplete control of their own Heavenly Dimension.

    Sighing, Yan Zaizen pressed his left hand forward. At the tips of his fingers was ck liquid. Droplets of inky-ck liquid formed instantly. They numbered thirty-three and emanated auras of death and water within. The deathly aura seemed all-consuming, willing to siphon the essence out of any and all things. The watery aura was all-epassing, like a World of Deluge, constant and unforgiving.

    As long as these drops of water were released, a world filled with death and flooded with water would be born!

    When these droplets¡¯ aura fully formed, the ray of sword light that was zing with the intent to incinerate all seemed to halt momentarily. A slight quiver urred that made it look frightened.

    Within these droplets of water were actually very little different than that ray of searing sword light, a heavenly substructure!

    Miniaturized Heaven Art!

    While it was definitely weaker andcked a certain higher dimensional charm, thews within were of a higher level. While the ray contained a Mortal and World Law, the droplets of water contained two World Laws - Water & Death.

    "Eh?" Shocked, the fiery voice couldn¡¯t help but exim. Without hesitation, the ray stopped and receded backwards. "Is this the expert you¡¯ve invited for you, Ruin Emperor?" The voice questioned, her tone now more cautious.

    A man appeared like a shadow before Yan Zaizen, without sound or warning. His grand aura and disposition would leave many in awe. It was the Ruin Emperor.

    He didn¡¯t say anything as his actions alone gave all those watching an answer.

    "Then, I¡¯ll forgive him this once and not gouge out his eyes. However, only this once." With a soft harrumph, the voice faded into nothingness.

    Yan Zaizen was taken aback by her words. To still be forceful when you¡¯re only a First Phase Heavenly Creation expert to a Third Phase, this woman had to have a profound backing, or big, very big guts.

    Another voice, the first one that sounded lovely also resounded, "A very brazen one, Ruin Emperor. Please be cautious, young one." Despite it also vanishing, the voice wasced with a threat and unwillingness. Yan Zaizen was sure that if that fiery woman hadn¡¯t taken action first, this one would¡¯ve. She may even be far, far more powerful.

    The Ruin Emperor didn¡¯t say anything. He calmly nced at Yan Zaizen¡¯s hands where droplets of liquid swirled about as if they were governed by a strange yet profound array. He couldn¡¯t help but be surprised, but with that surprise, further anticipation entered his heart.

 Chapter 360 Ouroboros Alliance 3

    "Invited..." Yan Zaizen recalled what that fiery voice said. However, Yan Zaizen found it odd that they didn¡¯t know that Yan Zaizen had just been brought here from just outside by the Ruin Emperor himself.

    The Ruin Emperor seemed to be sensible and intelligent as he guessed what Yan Zaizen were thinking. Via soul transmission, "Their senses cannot extend outwards like mines...or yours."

    Taken aback, he paused in thought. Softly nodding, he understood. His unique sense, his Dao Sense, wasn¡¯t something experts not having reached the Third Phase could rival. The Ruin Emperor established his own personalized heaven within his own dimension with a uniquew that governed it.

    The level of power was definitely beyond profound and incredible. After all, they could do things only limited to Heavenly Gods, like establish a Heavenly Envoy. A Heavenly God was someone who controlled a literal heaven, one that is governed by all the heavenlyws and home to countless.

    "Come," the Ruin Emperor softly said. With that, he glided through the skies calmly towards his skyship. It was the skyship with wings from earlier. The wings were brightly white, but flickering within its veins were that indiscernible color that seemed to be the representation of ruin.

    Yan Zaizen couldn¡¯t help but marvel at how the wings looked like they were alive and not constructs added to a ship. If he¡¯d just seen the wings alone, he¡¯d think this was the physical form of some powerful beast.

    Retracting his heavenly might bestowed within the ck droplets of water, Yan Zaizen followed suit with Yri not too far behind. He even retracted his Dao Sense, not wishing to produce further offense towards people he knew next to nothing about.

    For now, he wanted to aplish his goal and receive his skyship before proceeding onwards. As he thought more on this subject, his instincts granted to him by the Non-Universe gave him a feeling that epting this request would be an exceptionally life-defining one. As long as he could grasp the opportunity, it could be great or...absolutely horrible, if he fails to.

    Originally, he was going to simply walk away, but the more he thought about it, the more he decided to take the risk. He was confident that, if death was a possibility, his sense would warn him of that directly. Therefore, he felt confident to take this with what he possessed.

    With the Law of Rebirth & Samsara, it¡¯s likely that out of these hundreds of millions of cultivators, he was by far the most difficult to kill. This didn¡¯t even factor his Soul Bloodline, the ck Hole.

    He also decided to reach the Ninth-Floor using the Heaven Hearts and other resources within the Source Ring obtained from the Oneuli Empire¡¯s Prince. At the peak of the Heavenly Genesis Realm, he¡¯d have more ess to his power.

    With his understanding of the Miniaturized Heaven, he didn¡¯t believe reaching the Heaven Creation Realm would be difficult. However, because his Heavenly Shrine was different than others, he wasn¡¯t sure if there would be any obstacles in doing so.

    For now, he¡¯d at least set his goal to something easily achievable - Establishing his Ninth-Floor.

    Landing on the deck of the skyship, Yan Zaizen felt eyes from all around roam over towards him. The surroundings were filled with heavenly cultivators and they were all surveying him with curiosity. Considering their curiosity was innocent, he decided to ignore them.

    Yri, on the other hand, coldly snorted. This caused the expressions of the Ruin Emperor¡¯s subordinates to change, many expressed discontent at her attitude and disdain.

    For some reason, Yan Zaizen felt an itch in his heart looking at their gazes towards Yri. She may be unbridled, but she was also following him. He, as a sovereign, wasn¡¯t satisfied with the attitudes of mere servants of weaker strength and status exhibiting such attitude towards those who follow him.

    "Hmph! Mind your expressions." His voice was like a storm of destruction that impacted the souls of all those who heard it. Thecing of heavenly might with thosews caused the onlookers to grimaced.

    The shock was apparent but then the discontent and dislike swiftly followed with grumbles here and there. The Ruin Emperor didn¡¯t even turn around, continuing towards a section of the skyship with a graceful stride. Yan Zaizen tightly frowned.

    Yri realized his actions, but she didn¡¯t say anything. However, inside, she was excited. Yan Zaizen being unable to ept others looks towards him meant there was already a spot, no matter how minor, that she upied in his heart.

    Yan Zaizen suppressed his own discontent, ignorant of Yri¡¯s delusion, and followed along. It was about time he learned what this was all for and the purpose that was required of him. No, of the Law of Rebirth.

    He couldn¡¯t help but feel that the structure of this skyship was truly intricate. The materials it was made of had a faint resonance to the heavens in general. Within the cracks were lines ofws that reminded him of the Ruin Emperor¡¯s finger strike.

    It looked like a frigate of the mortal world, soaring across the skies domineeringly, with wings of divine beast attached. A true sovereign of the skies. With those wings that reached several tens of kilometers in distance that pped elegantly like a roc within the sky, it truly felt breathtaking.

    Looking at those wings, he realized that people were actually on the edges. They were cross-legged and meditating. Each and everyone had a young appearance and aura, indicating their young age. Despite that, they were at least at the Fifth-Floor of the Heavenly Genesis Realm.

    When he entered the room he was led to by the Ruin Emperor, he realized it was the captain¡¯s quarters. Not only that, it was within its own dimensional space. This wasn¡¯t shocking as even the Anima Syndicate was capable of establishing separate space, but this was like a world.

    A true world with its own sun, moon, sky, and stars in the distance..

    The size of which rivaled a small itself.

    What shocked him even further was that this world wasn¡¯t one, but a pce. This pce entrance was the door he walked through. The sun and moon hung above in the outer limits of the pce, the star glimmered with the light of variousws, and the sky was light blue.

    Yan Zaizen couldn¡¯t help but nod approvingly. He expected this was what it meant when people described a ¡¯world pce¡¯ in literature. As someone who created his very own realm, one that bordered between two universes, the Non-Verse and the Thirty-Three Heavens, it truly was appropriate for him to judge it.

    "Daoist Ascension," the Ruin Emperor lightly called out to get Yan Zaizen¡¯s attention. Yan Zaizen was attracted by the voice looking forward, his gaze blurring as he arrived at what seemed to be an elegantly designed main hall of the pce.

    "Transpositional Shifting?" Yan Zaizen wasn¡¯t taken aback by being shifted through the pce. As a cultivator who understood spacetimews to an incredible degree, this was a mere parlor trick. After all, this was the Ruin Emperor¡¯s pce and if he couldn¡¯t do at least this much....

    Yri was also beside him. She was as shocked as he was - very little. In fact, she wasn¡¯t even impressed by the World Pce within a skyship. As a Celestial, she had seen many things and very few could give her a shock or elicit any interested reaction. Only Yan Zaizen, who cultivated her art and could create a Death Star, could give any rise at this point.

    "Do you know of the All-Immortal Dragon?" The Ruin Emperor, who stood in front of Yan Zaizen, asked.

    "Ah?!" Yri eximed. For someone who¡¯d seen much, a rise was actually drawn out from her.

    "All-Immortal Dragon?" The name was definitely domineering and mysterious. Yri¡¯s exmation only furthered his interest.

    The Ruin Emperor wasn¡¯t that surprised that a Celestial would know but a normal cultivator wouldn¡¯t. It¡¯s possible that Yan Zaizen had just arrived in the Heavenly Origin Grounds, otherwise how was he so unknown despite being a wielder of an Imperial Law Heavenly Shrine? Someone like that would¡¯ve long since hit everyone¡¯s ears, the entire Heavenly Origin Ground¡¯s radar!

    This was why he believed it was Heaven¡¯s grace that Yan Zaizen had justnded in his view. If before he only had a 10% chance of sess, with Yan Zaizen, it had increased to about 30%!

    Exining, "The All-Immortal Dragon is a very rare product between a Royal Yaoguai and a Divine Celestial Beast of legend - The All-Father Dragon, a Celestial God level existence!"

    "A mutated Yaoguai that has flesh and blood! Born with the power of Life, Death, Fire, Light, and Darkness, with a single drop of its blood is enough to raise one¡¯sprehension to the Sovereign-level in any one of thosews. This is something that has been confirmed as truth!" The Ruin Emperor¡¯s eyes gleamed with a desiring look.

    What were thosews? They were World Laws!! Laws that enabled the world to function.

    Continuing, "however, that¡¯s just its normal blood. It¡¯s Divine Blood, the very core droplets of blood that contains a beasts very strength can allow one toprehend the Law of Dragons! Aw limited to only those who can cultivate the Beastial Path by birthright only!"

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes widened slightly, his mind trying toprehend what was just said. Then...as it struck him, his eyes widened further.

    "You can cultivate the Beastial Path as a pure human?!?!" His shock was definitely warranted. After all, Lycah, or any other race born humanoid, were incapable of cultivating anything rted to the Beastial Path. This was a fact, bordering on universalw.

    It was like someone without a soul or Dao couldn¡¯t cultivate either of those paths. After all, you need something incredibly essential to connect with that Path. It was reserved for only those who were destined. Even Hybrids were a coin flip on whether they can cultivate it or not, and that depended on how they were born - Beast or Human.

 Chapter 361 Ouroboros Alliance 4

    Witnessing Yan Zaizen¡¯s shock and disbelief, the Ruin Emperor nodded internally, as if that¡¯s how one should be. The All-Immortal Dragon was a byproduct of a Yaoguai, a royal one at that, which meant it held the Yaoguai¡¯s unique characteristics of immortality. While they are often described as immortal beings, it only meant it was exceptionally difficult to kill them.

    To end the life of a Royal Yaoguai, one had to shatter them on an existential level. Only a profound master of the Origin Path who could sense, locate, and strike at their True Origin could actually perform such feats. However, how could reaching such a level be easy?

    This world may have thousands upon thousands of Heavenly Creation Realm experts, but if you tried to name one such person in the entire Heavenly Origin Grounds, likely only those who¡¯ve long since moved on from this world would be picked. That person would also likely be the only person to achieve it.

    Because of this, they were dered as immortals.

    Not only did it have that ability, but it contained the bloodline and physical body simr to the All-Father Dragon, a Celestial Dragon God who was seen as the literal father to the reptilian and serpentine divine beasts in all existence.

    A pioneer of the Beastial Path and creator of the Law of Dragons!

    It would be as if Xiha, the Heavenly Monarch of the Sirius Titan Law reached eternity, and to all those descendants of his who cultivate that path, they¡¯d be a unique existence on par with Dragons!

    How fabulous would that be? How grand?! And yet, very, very few have ever reached that level. Even Yan Zaizen could only admire people of such level.

    At least, for now.

    "The All-Immortal Dragon..." In a daze, Yan Zaizen seriously pondered on the fierceful and domineering nature of such a creature. Could he be capable of escaping such an existence if he was directly before it? Would only a breath be enough to wipe him from existence?

    Taking a deep breath, his mentality became far more vignt than before. Despite that, he never once thought of reneging on his word. He said a year for one ship and one request - he will do a year. As a sovereign, his word was his bond.

    The Ruin Emperor let the information sank within Yan Zaizen¡¯s thoughts before continuing, what he said next elicited shock from both Yri and Yan Zaizen, "We¡¯re going to fight it."

    "...how?" Yan Zaizen immediately responded with a question. To him, fighting an immortal existence was suicide. This was an even worse idea since itprehended life and death, light and darkness, and fire. It¡¯s dragonic body would be nearly indestructible and its stamina immeasurable!

    Unsurprised by Yan Zaizen¡¯s question, "I¡¯ve looked into a Celestial Seer and have learned that within the next three thousand years, the All-Immortal Dragon¡¯s strength will weaken. Just enough to engage it in battle and steal its blood, likely even it¡¯s divine blood." The Ruin Emperor didn¡¯t hide his goal and intentions.

    He knew killing it was impossible. Even ordinary Royal Yaoguai was impossible to kill, let alone this one. The only remote hope was to take some of its blood. With it, he could create a two-fold, three-fold, or even a four-fold Heavenly Dimension.

    In the Heavenly Creation Realm, the number of Minor Heavens established directly corrted with one¡¯s strength and the level of their heaven, divided into three: Mortal, World, and Imperial.

    However, what many did not understand about the Third Phase was that the number also corrted to the strength of one¡¯s Original Law and Path. The more fuel and essence of the heavens it can derive from, the greater its power.

    The Heavens were the foundations for the Original.

    If a Dragonic Heaven was established, one¡¯sw would be even greater and have a unique physical stability unlike any otherw. However, divine beasts have absolutely horribleprehension of the heavens making it nearly impossible. Many of their abilities are derived indirectly from their bloodline.

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes brightened. He wouldn¡¯t mind obtaining a drop of its Divine Blood for his own cultivation. If he did, wouldn¡¯t going to hell be a much easier task?

    "Have you decided?" The Ruin Emperor asked. It was obvious he was giving Yan Zaizen a choice to withdraw at this time. After all, the task held iparable danger and one¡¯s life wasn¡¯t guaranteed, even if heprehended the Rebirth Law to such a high level.

    "I have no misgivings. Shall we begin within the year?" How could Yan Zaizen back down?

    A smile formed on the Ruin Emperor¡¯s lips, "We will. You have two months of time to make any preparations. You can stay in this pce until then. It has the best cultivation environment and its unaffected by the externalws of the Zones. In here, allws are equal."

    "As for you, in the battle, I hope you can use your heavenly might to lower the casualties of the battle. That is it. You can follow this line to your room."

    With that, he waved a hand. A thin line of light formed that seemed to be a guide to a cultivation room. Yan Zaizen nodded and followed along.

    To act as a medic within a battlefield was easy enough.

    That being said, Yan Zaizen suspected that wasn¡¯t all. However, since his prophetic instinct didn¡¯t trigger, he didn¡¯t bother with it.

    He nced towards Yri to see herpletely indifferent. His eyes narrowed slightly and continued onward to the room. When they arrived, it was spacious and truly as described by the Ruin Emperor, allws, Mortal and World, were on equal footing.

    Before he could get a good measure of this room, Yri pressed against his back with her jade hand. Startled, Yan Zaizen nced towards her and saw that on her face was a little fear. She seemed to want to say something, something the Ruin Emperor shouldn¡¯t hear.

    Closing his eyes, a powerful wave of Dao Energy surged from his soul into his body. In seconds, the Dao Energy infused with his Heavenly Shrine. The Heavenly Shrine that was white in color changed in a silver-grey, indicating it now embodied the Eight-Floor Heavenly Genesis Realm heavenly might of Spacetime!

    A barrier formed between the two as the essence of spacetime was locked away, sealed within, and frozen to all onlookers. To others, Yan Zaizen and Yri were simply standing there, but in reality, time itself was ongoing in a consistent manner.

    This barrier was empowered by his Dao Energy and Pure Heavenly Might that exceeded even experts in the Ninth-Floor Heavenly Genesis Realm. Even if Gods wished to peer into this barrier, they would be known in a moment.

    Outside, in the main hall, the Ruin Emperor froze for a second. His gaze turned towards Yan Zaizen and Yri¡¯s room and frowned slightly. "I...am the ruler of this ce...how can my perception be altered?" While he didn¡¯t know how it was done, and outward it seems as if nothing was changed, he was the master of this pce and controlled all within, yet his perception of Yan Zaizen¡¯s room felt like he entered a quagmire of spacetime.

    All methods of senses would be affected and be frozen, sealed in an isted area within that area, and locked away for all eternity.

    It was incredibly odd and surreal.

    The best description was looking at the stars. When mortals looked to the skies, what they see was the past, not the present. Despite being in control of this area, it was like what he looked at was the past evesting.

    In fact, with a thought, Yan Zaizen would be able to erase their spacetime ¡¯future¡¯ and make the conversation taken ce untraceable. To the world, it was as if the conversation had simply never urred in any observable timeline.

    "...I could prate it but..." Thinking about it, he decided against it. If the two were lovers and were engaging in acts of coitus, that would be an intrusion of the highest.

    "The room is sealed, even if gods and ghosts wished to know what you say, they would have to ask for my permission first." Yan Zaizen informed Yri as he turned to face her.

    Yri felt the shift in spacetime and couldn¡¯t help but marvel at the disy. It took aspects of her time domain and incorporated a uniqueness to it. Yan Zaizen¡¯s application and expression ofws were advancing with every passing second. Reassured, she nodded.

    "They will never obtain a drop of ordinary blood, let alone divine blood!" Yri said with the most solemn voice, but within it was absolute confidence in her words.

    Surprised, Yan Zaizen couldn¡¯t help ask, "why?"

    Yri took a deep breath and looked directly in Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes, "Because the All-Immortal Dragon...is pregnant!"

 Chapter 362 Ouroboros Alliance 5

    "Pregnant?! The All-Immortal Dragon?" Yan Zaizen was truly startled by this news. Yaoguai were not known for their ability to give birth. Even in theory, it was said that they were birthed by the unique environment of the Heavenly Origin Grounds.

    As for the All-Father Dragon, no one questioned if the creature, the Celestial Dragon God, had unique means to work in conjunction with the heavens to birth a Yaoguai artificially. In truth, there were many individuals who have done so to a limited degree. Of course, each of their cultivation bases were heaven-equalling in nature.

    However, what was the concept of pregnancy?! It was the process of insemination of two aspects in Yin & Yang, giving form of others and bestowing it life, carrying it to term as it developed into aplete child in this cycle.

    It was a mortal concept that may seemmon and mundane yet profound beyond any calcble means. Even to this day, Yan Zaizen had no way to impregnate a woman with his cultivation base, outside of the normal method.

    Even Heavenly Gods can only create artificial constructs. Yri was no different. Her world produced earlier had Yan Linzen born from copies of his ¡¯false¡¯ mother and father, with her DNA extracted from him. This made the entire situation alreadyplicated enough. As for his mother and father themselves, they only looked like them, with no true DNA rtions just humans she cultured like bacteria in a dish. This was why he didn¡¯t feel connected to anyone else.

    He focused his attention fully on Yri, "are you sure?"

    Yri nodded deeply, her eyes revealing a solemn light. "In my time, thirty-seven billions of years ago, the All-Father Dragon had long since passed, his creation of the All-Immortal Dragon, a product of Yaoguai and Beast, was long since created before I was even born."

    What?!

    The shock he felt as her words were said took him byplete surprise. The All-Immortal Dragon was tens of billions of years old! This was truly a near ¡¯Immortal¡¯ status. Who knew how long it could live, probably for eternity!

    What was lifespan? For heavenly cultivators, a day was irrelevant. Those in the Heavenly Genesis Realm could live for a hundred thousand years minimum. As their cultivation base progressed, so would their lifespan, capable of reaching a million years!

    Heavenly Monarchs, those who¡¯ve reached the Heavenly Creation Realm, could live for tens of millions of years, but billions waspletely out of the question. This had to do with the soul. While their Dao and Heavenly Shrine or Original Law and Path may exist as long as it is not destroyed or exhausted, as long as the heavens themselves, their soul was a severe limiting factor. The soul degrades, not by time, but by natural exhaustion. Just breathing itself, circting one¡¯s life force within the body, consumes the innate soul essence.

    The energy from one¡¯s cultivation path can often slow this process to an incredible degree.

    Therefore, while the body or heavenly powers may be capable of existing for much longer, the soul could not. This was also why the soul of a person departs to be renewed of new essence before their bodies truly vanish. Even mortals could experience this, as their corpse would still exist even after perishing. It¡¯ll take a long time, or quickly based on the environment, but in time it¡¯ll fade into dust.

    Unless one reached the rumored Immortal Soul Realm of the Soul Source Path!

    Yri continued, "at the time, the All-Immortal Dragon was forcefully taken by The Lord of Dragons! Because the All-Immortal Dragon was female by nature, it¡¯s flesh and blood contained the natural traits of a female, including its ability to give birth. The Lord of Dragons and the All-Immortal Dragon had sought refuge at the Indomitable Dao Pce, my...sect. This is how I came to know."

    "The Lord of Dragons wasn¡¯t the true king of Dragons, but instead a spiritual leader of the Dragons. He led them using his boundless wisdom to promote and propagate the dragon race. However, at the time, the Dragon Race was being hunted down and executed. All those with the purest blood was used for pills, elixirs, cultivation materials, or just materials for weapons or tools! A genocide had been performed."

    "Only...the forces that wished to wipe out the Dragons for their own uses were profoundly powerful. It wasn¡¯t something they could resist, especially without the All-Father Dragon. He knew that his legacy and pure blood lineage would soon fail and fall to history, so he copted secretly with the All-Immortal Dragon!"

    "Later, she agreed to willingly have a child by The Lord of Dragons. After all, at her level of strength, who could truly force her to do anything?" Yri said,menting at the fate of Dragons.

    ¡¯No wonder they were creatures of legend...¡¯ Yan Zaizen also felt some sadness. He didn¡¯t know the reason why or who was involved, but a mass genocide of a race that was so thorough that they became legends across the heavens left one with a sense of sadness that could topple the skies.

    "So, she¡¯s pregnant?" As if saying it once more to confirm, Yan Zaizen asked. The odd thing was that this event would¡¯ve happened billions of years ago, and she was still pregnant and had yet to give birth? While he did hear that the stronger a races natural bloodline and harder it is to carry a child to term, both in duration and difficulty, he didn¡¯t expect it to be so exaggerated!

    "Wait," Yri thought for a second and recalled something, "not pregnant! She gave birth!" A burst of realization emanated from her voice. "An on-set of weakness is amon characteristic of female child-birth. The stronger one is, the worse it is, and the longer this weaknesssts. In that vulnerable state, it¡¯s possible..."

    "No...the strength they have simply isn¡¯t enough. Even weakened, they will all just die, turn tails, or leave empty-handed," she said matter-of-factly.

    "Oh? Why?" Yan Zaizen was shocked by her estimation. What gave birth to this rock-solid belief in the All-Immortal Dragon?

    "Not to mention the fact that the All-Immortal Dragon can travel to different dimensions, even to different universes, something even Heavenly Monarchs have issues doing, but her strength may be weakened, but her physical defenses aren¡¯t nor her ability to ess the essence in the Heavenly Origin Grounds for energy recovery." Yri¡¯s words revealed many issues with the n.

    Wait...

    Wait.

    Wait?!

    "She can travel to other dimensions at will?! Is it because of her cultivation base?" Intrigued, he questioned hastily. The Chaotic Space could be considered another dimension, so can the spatial void, but universes would be like between the Thirty-Three Heavens¡¯ Vast Expanse, the Non-Verse, or Hell.

    "No, " Yri shook her head, "the All-Immortal Dragon was born from the All-Father Dragon and Royal Yaoguai, you never wondered what Royal Yaoguai it was born from?" Yri, who was a part of the sect that housed and helped the rtion of the Lord of Dragons and the All-Immortal Dragon, was likely the most well-informed about her in this entire universe.

    After all, the All-Immortal Dragon was born tens of billions of years ago, who else could¡¯ve lived so long and know so much?

    "Who¡¯s the other?"

    "A Royal Yaoguai of the highest, one who has mastered the Imperial Law of Spacetime!" Yri seemed fascinated by the creature as her voice shot up a few decibels.

    "...Spacetime..." Yan Zaizen¡¯s words trailed like ghosts in the wind.

    Spacetime.

    Dimensions.

    Space.

    Travel.

    Time.

    Between.

    Space...time...

    Eyes so wide that the moon couldn¡¯t rival its fullness sprouted into existence on his face.

    "Holy shit! Before, it was impossible, but what about now?!" Yan Zaizen felt like a bag of bricks hit him directly in the face. What was the expression of moving between dimensions? It was linked to spacetime. What universecked thesews? If they did, how could he link two universes?

    Before, his Heavenly Cultivation base had only reached a certain level, but now his understanding of Space and Time had reached the pinnacle within the heavens, how could he not have thought of this?

    His mind was so full of a one-sided pursuit for thepass from day one when thepass in itself was just created by someone with an understanding probably lesser or equal to his own!!!

    Pow!

    A solid palm met his face as he felt like groaning in misery. He promised a year when...he could just travel to hell now! With his own abilities!

    Yri was shocked by Yan Zaizen¡¯s self-harm, puzzled by his sudden look of disappointment.

    Soon after, an excited and relieved smile surfaced on his face.

    "Wait for me, I¡¯ming."

 Chapter 363 Ouroboros Alliance 6

    Several days swiftly flew away after learning of the All-Immortal Dragon¡¯s circumstances. Yan Zaizen had also realized that, with his own ability, there was a high possibility of traveling directly to Hell. Therefore, he was now much calmer and less pressed for time upon that realization.

    Even now, he kept the days left of his promise to the Ruin Emperor in his heart, counting down the very seconds until he could leave.

    A year total.

    Yri meditated not too far away from him. As she cultivated the flow of time around her fluctuated without warning or pattern, sometimes it would cease altogether. Yan Zaizen was quite curious about how Celestial¡¯s cultivate and what the next cultivation level of a Ninth Phase Celestial Monarch would be.

    Despite his curiosity, he didn¡¯t disturb Yri in her cultivation. Instead, he fully devoted these few days to scour all the information and items within the Source Ring, making a mental catalog of everything within.

    He was leaping with joy as he did. The Oneuli Empire¡¯s Crown Prince was tremendously wealthy. The number of resources he had could fuel the cultivation of ten thousand elites to the Fifth-Floor minimum. He found it shocking that such wealth was unused.

    Little did Yan Zaizen know, these resources, which the prince couldn¡¯t use, were meant for him, his body specifically. Not only did it have a tremendous amount of heavenly materials and soul crystals, but heavens hearts of a good amount ofws and Fiendgod cultivation resources

    There were books, maps, and soul jades containing all sorts of misceneous information about the Heavenly Origin Grounds. There was even information about the Celestial Trials established in the Dusk and other nearby regions, even Yri¡¯s trial was listed within, including its difficulty rating and information about the rewards and failure rate.

    It was mind-boggling how detailed and numerous the amount of information was within these soul jades. Luckily, his soul was powerful, and his brain had been refined by the Immortal Herculean Method, even if the Heavenly Origin Grounds restricted its powers, it couldn¡¯t remove his empowered base.

    "So much...I should refocus my attention." Yan Zaizen slowly mused about how to allocate his remaining time now. Hisws foundation had beenpletely established with his Mortal and World Law avatars reaching their peak states, his soul had reached a bottleneck at the Perfect Astral Soul Realm, and his body cultivation was mostly irrelevant.

    Yan Zaizen decided to abandon the Fiendgod Path for now. His internal energy would offer very little benefit to anything at this point. Since he would be leaving this restrictednd soon, he¡¯ll just let the Immortal Herculean Method continue to increase it as a secondarily. Not to mention, he felt that Fiendgod cultivation was inferior to the Immortal Herculean Method and the Herculean Path that it offered.

    The Fiendgod Path conformed with the Heavenly Path and Laws, but the Herculean Path sought to dominate and exceed it. He remembered the vision he had when he was younger, the Herculean avatar that seemed to look down upon the heavens with disdain. It left a profound mark on his heart.

    As for his soul cultivation, he felt frustrated. The Soul Source Path was most definitely broken. In the Source Ring¡¯s dimension were countless soul materials, so he absorbed a ton using his ck hole but his soul never advanced.

    While he knew that it depended on personal introspection and development, he didn¡¯t feel that hecked any of that. He knew who he was and held no mental obstruction or false belief. His Dao which contained the essence of himself should¡¯ve pushed his soul¡¯s personalprehension to its peak.

    After all, the Dao could be considered a manifestation of all things him.

    Sighing softly, "The broken Soul Source Path...the Divine Soul and Immortal Soul...so much information is known about it, what it does, but even in these numerous soul jades it states that no one has exceeded the Astral Soul Realm in a while..."

    He felt that it was truly regretful that the Soul Source Path was broken. There were many soul cultivation arts that had side notes regarding this, even rmendations to cultivate the Heavenly Law of Soul various directions to supplement the soul¡¯s strength.

    "There has to be a reason..." The strangeness surrounding this wasn¡¯t small. While the Soul Source Path was broken in the Thirty-Three Heavens, it was also broken in the Heavenly Origin Grounds. When he asked Yri about it offhandedly, she responded with a shrug - she didn¡¯t know.

    Celestials didn¡¯t cultivate this Soul Source Path, they cultivated the Celestial Path which incorporated the soul already. What frustrated him more as she said the Soul Source Path had always existed even during her time, but the Divine and Immortal was simply legends across thends.

    Even in the Xiantu Realm, a small Origin Core Realm expert knew of these two levels...

    Oftentimes, the lower one¡¯s birth and cultivation legacy, the more ignorant they were. It was this very reason that Yan Zaizen had been learning as he went, with only Pinaka instructing him thus far about the world. Yet...Han Genji knew clearly.

    The records existed even in the Anima Syndicate, detailed information on the Divine and Immortal Soul Realms...

    "Is the path truly broken or is it a joke?" If the path was neverplete, then why the detailed information about its next levels?

    "This feels like something Yri would do...haha, "ughing, he said jokingly. However, Yri¡¯s eyebrows twitched but she didn¡¯t do anything else. It seemed that she wasn¡¯t too bothered by his remark. After all, she was a little extreme.

    Yan Zaizen decided to refocus on things that actually mattered.

    "My heavenly cultivation base is the only thing left, reaching the Ninth-Floor is only a matter of time. In the two...only..." Yan Zaizen went off topic with thest word ¡¯only¡¯ but after a short moment, he shook his head. Continuing along his original thoughts, "two months is more than enough if I create a time zone that¡¯s a...Yri..."

    Again, his mind went off its intended path.

    The words: "Only" & "Yri" kept cycling around his mind endlessly like a bad taste on ones tongue. It gnawed at him like the pain of thirst.

    "Only...Yri...Yri!" Yan Zaizen shouted suddenly, breaking Yri out of her meditation as she red over at this man calling her name endlessly. If he wanted to do so, all he had to do was remove his clothing and she was ready anytime. At that point, he could call her name as many times as he wanted!

    Despite her frustration, her gaze shifted and she only softly said shyly, "Is there something you need?" If it was a normal man seeing such a beauty being shy and saying such things softly, they¡¯d definitely be hotblooded and aroused.

    However, Yan Zaizen ignored her altogether. "The Soul Source Path is like the ¡¯Grand Soul, Dao Heart¡¯ Art! It¡¯s not broken, it doesn¡¯t fully exist! A theoretical concept!"

    "Pfft!" Yri nearlyughed out-of-character. She didn¡¯t expect Yan Zaizen was that dumb. While she knew what he was going for, an Art was different than a Path. A Path that is epted by the Heavens could not be iplete. It couldn¡¯t even have ws.

    As for the Path that Pinaka followed, that was just a failed Path that the Heavenly Gods allowed to exist. They were imperfect by nature hence why they couldn¡¯t merge naturally with the Heavenly Laws. The Sirius Law was the same. For example, Yan Zaizen couldn¡¯t turn a Spirit Form like Pinaka into a Soul. It was disconnected from the Heavenly Laws.

    Not to mention, aplete Path allowed one to be Heaven-equalling at least. Being able to reach the Heavenly Creation Realm at least in terms of power or ability. The Astral Soul Realm, even in its perfect form, was far from being remotely close to that.

    The Nascent Soul Realm and the Aurora Soul Realm reached the True Essence Realm, while the Astral Soul Realm barely reached the Seventh-Floor Heavenly Genesis Realm. Only the Divine Soul Realm could be ssified as heaven-equalling while the Immortal Soul Realm was the peak of such state.

    Yan Zaizen furrowed his eyebrows, he was about to say something when Yri interrupted.

    "The Soul Source Path is something everyone feels and knows that the Astral Soul Realm isn¡¯t the end, and many Celestial Seers have and could deduce that, even the weakest of them. This is something even I know." Shaking her head, if Yan Zaizen wasn¡¯t who he was, she would ignore him from this point on.

    As for Yan Zaizen, his brows furrowed even further. He knew about Celestial Seers as they were deeply noted in those soul jades. They were cultivators of fortune, faith, and karma. It was an odd and enigmatic profession, capable of peering into the inner-workings of these ethereal things and calcte various things, including oues.

    It was a seer that allowed the Ruin Emperor to determine the All-Immortal Dragon¡¯s state and location, same for the Crown Prince when looking for a Non-Entity Body, and virtually everyone who¡¯s looking or desiring to know the direction of their fate and fortune.

    They were mysterious and had incredible statuses. Even more, they could peek into Paths and Laws as well...

    Suddenly Yan Zaizen said thoughtlessly, "What if it¡¯s open-ended?"

    Yri, "..."

    A strange silence permeated the room.

 Chapter 364 Ouroboros Alliance 7

    Open-ended!

    "..." Yri solemnly looked at Yan Zaizen. The look in her eyes was dark, nearly disturbingly so.

    As if Yan Zaizen knew her thoughts, he helplessly shook his head. "You¡¯re likely thinking how can a Path be open-ended when the future has already been determined as Divine and Immortal. However, I was thinking about the truth of the Soul Source Path - personal introspection."

    At the Astral Soul Realm, Yan Zaizen felt his sense of self reach a deep and unwavering end. Since then, he knew who he was and his own demons. None of them bothered him, none of them could. His Dao ensured that he would continue forward endlessly.

    "If the Soul Source Path truly was about one sense of self and self-improvement, then when you reach a certain point, how do you move forward?"

    Scoffing coldly, Yri spat, "There¡¯s no person in this world that understands themselvespletely, without doubt, or heart demons that gue them both consciously and subconsciously. A fear, a doubt about oneself or another, or even a question of oneself such as ¡¯what if I was taller, had a smaller nose, or was born to this person,¡¯ would need to be personally inspected and understood why such questions are born."

    "The path is as endless, and as long as your road, there is only moving forward." Yri was nearly done with this conversation. To her, Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t understand that even those who focus on self-enlightenment their entire lifetime might never truly teach aplete state. This was why no one doubted the legitimacy of the Soul Source Path, including the fact the Heavens epted it.

    Yan Zaizen softly shook his head in refusal. He didn¡¯t feel that was the case. One could do away with all that with a simple way: eptance of all ws. When you ept yourselfpletely, such vain thoughts and senseless doubts would vanish. After all, you would ept your ignorance and pursue knowledge and change one step at a time.

    The reason he knew this was possible because he had reached it. He had doubts, unclear thoughts, but he lived a life without regrets, epting all his ws, and pressing forward relentlessly. He wouldn¡¯t change those things unless he could, and if he couldn¡¯t, he would ept it.

    He never once thought about being stronger the moment Pinaka was taken away. He only thought of how to save her.

    He never thought about the what ifs or doubts in himself because it was epted. He wasn¡¯t stronger, this person should¡¯ve done this, or I might¡¯ve been able to do this if so and so.

    It didn¡¯t conform to his Dao or was infused into his soul.

    A choice made is a choice lived with.

    If the peak of personal introspection was stated to exist, then he had clearly reached it.

    This is what he believed.

    "To be open-ended means it was open for interpretation, changeable by nature. The Soul Source Path has been set andpleted, there¡¯s proof, and the Celestial Seers have validated this. The Divine and Immortal Realm exist; people have tread it. This extends from my time and even yours. It¡¯s simply not possible." Yri helplessly stated. It was like talking to a child.

    For those two Realms to exist, someone had to reach it.

    "..." Yan Zaizen responded with silence.

    He closed his eyes.

    Yri watched and felt like Yan Zaizen had epted defeat. While it may be harsh to say, it was best that he rid himself of such a tedious thought process where there must be a mystery despite the path being fixed.

    Inside Yan Zaizen¡¯s body, his soul floated about calmly. It bobbed up and down slowly as if it were a ball on the surface of water moving about. Yan Zaizen¡¯s soul form had characteristics of his Dao, Soul Bloodline, and self.

    The ck Hole rested at his be, his eyes, and his palms. They seemed dormant.

    "Open-ended means it is open for interpretation, changeable by nature. Paths aren¡¯t capable of being changed. This is a basic fact. A Path is either born perfect or not, and this is based on thew it thrives from. The Herculean Path uses the Herculean Law...the Sirius Path using the Sirius Law...the Heavenly Path uses Heavenly Law. Thisw incorporates all aspects of itself."

    "Logically speaking, a path cannot be changed; it is perfect. It would be like changing the Heavenly Genesis Path and making it the Heavenly Qi Path, one without heavenly dimensions and a structure capable of housing heaven¡¯s power. The Heavenly Creation Path would subsequently fail. That would be an iplete path...an imperfect path..."

    Yri¡¯s words triggered something in Yan Zaizen. It was profound and elusive.

    "A broken path, a broken path. A person has walked this path, reached the end of this path, this is proof, therefore impossible for the broken path to be broken. A riddle! Or is it?!" Yan Zaizen¡¯s soul started to thrum slightly. The trembling echoed within his soul sea.

    "The Herculean Path has a Herculean Law, but within thisw are a myriad of forms. From undying to unbreakable! It is like Fire and Water! Yin and Yang! A Law within a Law. A person can take a single path or all of them, but..."

    "The Soul Source Path isn¡¯t much different. A person uses their own form of introspection to advance in much the same way as oneprehendsws of the Heavens to advance! The introspection is different for every person but reaches the same level! The world will say the Soul Source Path¡¯sws are understanding emotions!"

    "Bullshit!! In my opinion, the Soul Source Path is linear. There is no Emotional Laws but a singlew. In the Heavenly Path, there is another Path! The Essence Path primes one to reach the Heavenly Path, and then the Heavenly Path is wildly divergent. If the Heavenly Path has one, why can¡¯t others?!"

    As he spoke his mind, his soul underwent mysterious changes. These changes were minute and unnoticeable, even to himself.

    "A broken path! A wed existence! Doubts, emotions, and belief! I know! I know!!" Yan Zaizen soul stopped bobbing about, stopping its thrums, and even the minute changes urring ceased.

    "If the first step is introspection, then the second should be self-actualization! It has to be! A person wanted to be Divine, so they were Divine! Heter wanted to be Immortal, so he was Immortal!" This thought would cause many to experience dark faces like Yri, disbelieving and ridiculing Yan Zaizen for his ignorance,ck of wisdom and intelligence. They would sneer andugh. They would say how wrong and ridiculous he sounded.

    However, while they would say this, Yan Zaizen felt free.

    This freedom was pure and had no limits on the breadth of his mind. People always had doubts, so they always had limitations. People always had emotions and thoughts, so their imagination and belief were wildly divergent. Wasn¡¯t that what the Soul Source Path is about? Oveing one¡¯s own delusions of self.

    A vain, callous woman who believes she is humble and caring.

    An arrogant young master who believes there is no greater sky than his family.

    A person who believed that only they held the talent to reach the peak of cultivation.

    A soldier unsure if what they¡¯re doing is right but continues to ughter the poor and weak on the orders of others.

    These were all ws in one¡¯s heart, but what others also don¡¯t understand, they are also doubts and imagination! They cover these doubts with their imagination.

    However, when these doubts were swept away, what was left was imagination, untouched, and limitless at that moment, then anything was possible.

    The soldier could turn their weapons against theirmander, protecting the poor!

    The person could understand that reaching any peak isn¡¯t limited to himself and stably walk their own paths alongside others, growing and developing!

    The young master can stop living in a well and focus on bing the very sky! Unsurpassable!

    The woman can ept who she is and be who she was meant to be or change it altogether!

    In the Astral Soul Realm, the soul loses its fetters, and it can leave the body!

    Symbolically, it aligned with his own understandings. When one reaches the peak of this level, their belief and imagination were as far as the multiverse itself.

    Yan Zaizen knew that he had reached a critical point. This point was the current limit to his soul, and just ahead was whaty beyond. However, it was nk and empty.

    A smile crept on his soul form and his true body.

    As long as one didn¡¯t understand that the Soul Source Path was about self-actualization, they would never be able to see this step, this final step!

    They would only think that they have yet to clear all their doubts, demons, and understood themselves enough. That¡¯s why it was nk!

    "Let¡¯s do this!"

 Chapter 365 Ouroboros Alliance 8

    The ships numbering in the tens of thousands flew across the gloomy, dusky skies like a bee formation. To onlookers, it was like a cascade of colors andets traveling across the skies. If this was the mortal world, the awe and wishes given to these ships would be undoubtedly vast in number.

    On the deck of the Ruin Emperor¡¯s Skyship were nine individuals. Their auras were condensed, heavenly, and profound. Despite not leaking out their aura, the surrounding heavenly essence quivered in their presence. With a thought, it seemed they could harness power equalling the heavens!

    They were the Nine Monarchs of the Ouroboros Alliance. Shockingly, The Ruin Emperor¡¯s aura wasn¡¯t the strongest, nor did his position indicate his status as the highest. Instead, a pale, young girl with archaic-looking and profound ck tattoos on her cheeks held that position.

    She had short obsidian colored hair and eyes. A small frame looking no more than twelve years of age, light cherry lips, donning an imperial robe befitting an Empress in looks. If she didn¡¯t have an aged aura, many would believe she had the makings of a beauty if she grew up.

    Beside each one of these individuals were elites of varying genders and races. They stood loyally behind their respective leaders. Behind the Ruin Emperor was that voluptuous, vixen of a woman who was the daughter of the Ruin Emperor. Her eyes were lowered, her head hung slightly, and she emitted a restrained and respectful aura. It wasn¡¯t just her but all the others beside the Nine Monarchs were in simr stances.

    A woman dressed modestly in crimson with auburn hair, slim and tall figure, and two small peaks that held its own allure stood proudly about. Her aura was sharp and fiery. Yan Zaizen would notice this aura as the First Phase Heavenly Creation Realm expert who had struck intending to take his life.

    Her jade-like skin was nearly perfect with a small sword mark on her left cheek. This mark seemed to pulsate with a frightening sword energy.

    Another woman stood next to her, her aura more reserved, wearing a purple robe that tightly entuated her figure, and eyes that were like stars in the sky. Her skin was caramel, soft and seemingly with the perfect texture imaginable, but behind her back was two thin, furled wings that seemed to have an immense wingspan.

    Yan Zaizen would recall that she had spoken towards his actions as well.

    There was also an old man dressed in milky white with pure white eyes and a closed, horizontal slit on his forehead. He had a very aged aura, one that seemed ever-close to death. However, upon closer inspection, he gave off a feeling of the evesting.

    There was also a young, elegantly dressed man with a perpetual smile on his face, but his looks were merely average. If anything stood out had to be that fact he was barefoot. His feet had veins protruding out of it as if he was exerting all of his force. They squirmed from time to time.

    Two twins were also there. If Yan Zaizen saw these two twins, he would be startled. They were dressed in knight¡¯s armor, one in green and the other in orange. They looked exactly like the two knights he had captured before. Above their heads were a lotus flower and a tiny axe, for green and orange respectively.

    Thest of the Nine Monarchs was a middle-aged man, his skin was silver, his eyes were emerald, and three horns reached the sky proudly atop his forehead. If Yan Zaizen saw this man, he would be quite taken aback. This person looked incredibly simr to the Oneuli Empire¡¯s Crown Prince!

    The Oneuli Empire¡¯s Emperor!!

    The nine of them stood in discussion, the little girl taking the lead.

    "You¡¯ve upped the time table for the operation; I hope this brat is worth it." Her voice was cold and ancient,pletely unlike her youthful and beautiful appearance. The surrealism made cause one to lose themselves in their disbelief.

    The Ruin Emperor calmly replied, "An Eighth-Floor Rebirth Heavenly Cultivator is fate, and it is more than enough for us to move up the table. He will be a key to our sess. In fact, the earlier we act, the higher our chances." He felt his reasoning was sound, and his tone held absolute confidence.

    Not many knew of the power of an Imperial Law-based Heavenly Shrine at the Heavenly Commander level, but it¡¯s unlikely a First Phase Heavenly Creation expert who established a Mortal Minor Heaven would be their match. In fact, the difference in power may be so massive that a thought might be able to drown them in death.

    The heavens were fair. The more difficult aw toprehend, the stronger its power. A Mortal Law was the weakest, a World Law could be considered dozens of times stronger, but hundreds of times more difficult, while an Imperial Law could be regarded as thousands of times stronger, but a million times more difficult.

    In this vast world, a majority, a vast majority establish their Heaven with Mortal Laws, and build up on that. Only the elites, favored sons and daughters of heaven, could do so with a World Law.

    Ezekiel had an expert whoprehended the Wood Law, and if it weren¡¯t for the Celestial Relocation Order and home field geological advantage, Drac dius, the Realmlord of the Crimson Devil Realm and First Phase Heavenly Creation expert, whoprehended the Mortal Law of Blood, would¡¯ve lost easily.

    This was why Heavenly Gods or candidatesprehended Imperial Laws, such as the Heavenly God of Rebirth or Genesis who was Ezekiel¡¯s father, a Lawbining Creation and Destruction. It brought about an immense advantage.

    The old man softly said, his words slow and archaic, "I...agree...with...the...Ruin...Emperor." Those words seemed to consume a lot of energy as he didn¡¯t borate.

    The young girl side-eyed this old man, the others also looked at him and had a calm gazes, but their eyes hid a well-concealed caution. If one noticed their gazes, they would see that their eyes would be trembling slightly as if they wanted to look up but struggled not to. The slit on his forehead seemed to mysteriously draw them in.

    The only ones not affected was the Oneuli Emperor, the woman with wings, and the Ruin Emperor. The others, including the knights, which eyes couldn¡¯t be seen, was quivering slightly.

    The woman in purple spoke, "I do as well." Her words seemed to ripple and diffused whatever mysterious power that restrained the others attention. The crimson-robed woman couldn¡¯t help but throw the woman a look of gratitude.

    Amongst the Nine Monarchs, she was most definitely the weakest as she had just recently broke through her cultivation. The only reason she was pulled into this venture was timing and her strength. An extra man wouldn¡¯t hurt any operation.

    "I see. This person must be quite special." The young girl coldly said.

    The Ruin Emperor heaved a soft sigh of relief in his heart. "Then, shall we begin?"

    As he said this, the others turned towards the north. A ck shadow loomed over the horizon. It was like a mountain in the distance, reaching the skies of the region. It seemed a touch away despite the vast distance between them.

    This shadow seemed to expand and contract as if it were breathing. It was rhythmic and steady.

    At this time, Yan Zaizen walked out of the Ruin Emperor¡¯s World Pce with Yri directly beside him. It had been two months since his agreement. His aura was calm, steady, and the light in his gaze was bright and lively. A smile crept on his lips.

    He looked towards the horizon, a ck shadow looming in the distance.

    Yri¡¯s eyes burned with an intriguing light, "there she is."

    Yan Zaizen nodded.

    The All-Immortal Dragon was that tremendously massive shadow that seemed like it could be a mountain.

    While his eyes gazed at the All-Immortal Dragon, at the ck shadow were two iparablyrge eyes that turned towards the hive of skyships. Reflected in its pupils was a young man, handsome and sturdy, with eyes that seemed like the perfect orbs of color and purity.

    This was Yan Zaizen!

    "I waited billions of years...urung...you better not have lied to me..." A calm voice resounded in anguage that no one could understand, at a frequency that no one could hear, the Dragon Language!

 Chapter 366 Ouroboros Alliance 9

    "Come, Daoist Ascension." A sonorous voice echoed within Yan Zaizen¡¯s soul. He realized it was the Ruin Emperor¡¯s soul transmission. Pausing slightly, he pondered on something.

    He looked out towards that ck shadow and frowned slightly. A feeling of being looked at was vaguely felt. The shockingness of this was that it didn¡¯t originate from his Soul, Heavenly, or Dao sense, but his abnormal prophetic instinct.

    However, he inwardly shook his head. It¡¯s likely that the All-Immortal Dragon was inspecting everyone on the ship and it exceeded his normal senses. If so, then everyone was being gazed at.

    "Youing?" Yan Zaizen asked Yri. The agreement from before was his and his alone. Yri could spend this time cultivating or something less dangerous and more productive.

    Yri only looked at Yan Zaizen with a look. This look contained a very clear intent: ¡¯Where you go, I¡¯ll go.¡¯ Then that gaze shifted towards his groin and he could see the emotion in her eyes.

    He sighed. This woman was relentless, unwilling to let her chance to achieve a Dao Soul go. It was both admirable and hrious, making Yan Zaizen unsure if he shouldugh or cry. He suspected that she may even break the rules of time if he did die and go back into the past to change the future.

    Of course, doing something like that would receive the rejection of the heavens and universe as it¡¯ll be altering the fate of every particle in that universe, as all things were connected. Otherwise, how many people would go back in time?

    Not saying more, he arrived at the location of the Nine Monarchs. He inspected them all, and they him. His eyes were calm as he traced their figures, stopping briefly on the Oneuli Empire¡¯s Emperor. He was taken aback by the sight of this man. From the soul jades, he knew who this man was and his various feats within the Heavenly Origin Grounds.

    He didn¡¯t show any emotion as he only allowed his gaze to stop very briefly before looking at everyone else.

    The young girl with archaic markings on her face eyes grew colder. It wasn¡¯t just her, all these elite figures and the eyes of their subordinates became dark and cold. It was sharp and Yan Zaizen¡¯s brow twitched slightly.

    ¡¯Why are they exhibiting such a harsh attitude?¡¯

    The Ruin Emperor also frowned. Yan Zaizen hadn¡¯t paid them respects or vocally establishing a respectful attitude upon entering. He had entered and stood upright and calm, as if he was their equals. When the Ruin Emperor met him before, it was fine. After all, the Ruin Emperor hade with a purpose, but etiquette was incredibly prickly of a subject in the Heavenly Origin Grounds.

    It¡¯s what separated the Yaoguai from the civilized.

    Even the subordinates had their heads and eyes lowered, their aura concealed without the slightest leakage and their breathing subdued to a pinnacle. This type of bodily expression was the expression of a lesser.

    Yan Zaizen had barely been in the Heavenly Origin Grounds long enough, and even if he did, he didn¡¯t feel that he needed to put himself as a lesser before anyone.

    Yri¡¯s eyes shined. She had half a mind to act as a lesser as the cultivation bases of these people were high, and she was in their territory. However, seeing Yan Zaizen remain calm and expressing an equal attitude before these Heavenly Monarchs; she was internally happy.

    Someone she was going to give her body and Celestial Origin to had to have this much attitude at least.

    "Ruin Emperor, you called?" Yan Zaizen said. He came here because the Ruin Emperor told him to finish up his cultivation ande, he had even reminded him twice. He felt that it should be important, but he and everyone else was acting mute.

    He wanted to say: "You know you have nine months, seventeen days, four hours, twenty minutes, and forty seconds left, no?"

    "Impudent!" The crimson-clothed woman darkly dered. A fiery and sharp aura erupted from her body, exhibiting a heaven-shaking force that caused the clothes of all these experts to flutter in the wind. Even the Ruin Emperor was affected, but he only shook his head slightly.

    It would be better to teach juniors respect early on. To him, letting the Freya, a Heavenly Creation Realm expert at the First Phase, do so would allow him to intervene at least if the situation got difficult.

    Freya was a member of the Berserk Harmony Pce, an upper-echelon member at her current cultivation base, and reached the Heavenly Creation Realm in the Mortal Law of the Sword. Her firews supplemented it with various profound arts that would make her an above average Heavenly Creation Realm expert.

    Yan Zaizen frowned. This woman had attacked him before, and now she seemed ready to do it again. Even he had a limit to his patience. Before, he was in the wrong, but now that he simply wanted to know why he was here, he was being called impudent and aggressed upon.

    So what if he didn¡¯t bow? So what if he didn¡¯t offer greetings or act like a lesser?

    Did you all even have the qualifications for me to do that?

    He didn¡¯t know who most of these people were, so he had no intention to lower his head like a coward scared of offending every stranger.

    He ignored her, turned towards the Ruin Emperor and asked once again, this time more clearly, "Ruin Emperor, what did you call me for?" His tone was no longer polite. Instead, he was already a little frustrated at his own stupidity in agreeing to this, even for a year.

    The other Monarchs were taken aback, especially Freya. Her aura stilled as if she never expected Yan Zaizen to treat her like the air in the atmosphere - invisible.

    The young, bare-footed man smiled, "Is this your so-called ¡¯key figure to our sess,¡¯ Ruin Emperor?" His words wereced with mockery and disdain. To invite an expert who did not know the immensity of heaven and earth was entertaining butcked a little...wisdom?

    Earlier, the Ruin Emperor had referred to Yan Zaizen as a key figure in the sess of their mission, but he didn¡¯t think so. He hadn¡¯t spoken up before but now he did.

    Yan Zaizen nced towards this young man. His aura was reserved but brimmed with a type of life force. This life force felt odd, more physical and more false than the true World Law of Life. It was as if his physical energies contained unique life properties.

    The squirming veins of his feet seemed to contain an overwhelming internal power.

    ¡¯Fiendgod?¡¯ Yan Zaizen assumed.

    Fiendgod cultivation focused on one¡¯s internal energy and force. It wasn¡¯t like the Herculean Path where it was nearly all physique-oriented. Instead, it was like the Heavenly Path with one¡¯s physical body.

    "I stand by what I said, Sectmaster Sanji." The Ruin Emperor stayed firm to his words.

    "We don¡¯t need an imbecile," the winged woman offhandedlymented. It was careless as if she wasn¡¯t referring to Yan Zaizen, but all these experts could easily conclude who she meant.

    Freya¡¯s eyes zed in a fiery ze, a sharpness emanated from this ze. She seemed to transform into a goddess of fire and war as her aura spiked. The words of that winged woman was definitely a tactful agreement to her actions. However, her gaze still turned to the young girl seeking approval.

    The young girl didn¡¯t say anything, closing her eyes as if the situation before her didn¡¯t exist.

    The old man softlyughed, "Youngsters...unruly...good." Those words may sound like apliment, but it was also him giving his approval.

    Freyaughed coldly. Ever since Yan Zaizen had peeked at her, she wanted to punish him - severely! Her aura exploded like a volcanic eruption at its climax. The others were all experts and covered themselves with barriers of heavenly might. The Monarchs didn¡¯t seem to create any ward as the surging energy seemed to glide around them.

    The Ruin Emperor sighed.

    Yan Zaizen saw all this and his expression remained calm. Not a hint of anger or fear was revealed. Instead, only a sigh. He turned to the Ruin Emperor.

    "You can choose, silence this woman, punish her for her impudent behavior, and I¡¯ll increase the time of our agreement by a month." His words caused the others to be startled.

    Was he asking the Ruin Emperor to take action? To save him?

    Sectmaster Sanji disdainfullyughed.

    The old man coughed.

    The young girl kept her eyes closed.

    The winged woman had a slight smile.

    The Oneuli Emperor¡¯s eyes narrowed.

    The twin knights couldn¡¯t show any expression or said anything. They just stood stably where they were.

    "Eh?" The Ruin Emperor felt odd inside. Was he bargaining with him?

    "If I have to handle this myself, you¡¯ll lose nine months." Yan Zaizen dered as if he didn¡¯t want to bother with this anymore. He agreed to help the Ruin Emperor, not to be subjected to ridicule and attacked. It was already lucky that he didn¡¯t say their agreement ended here.

    "Haha, nine months?" Sectmaster Sanjiughed even harder. To threaten him with nine months to save you? Hrious.

    Everyone can clearly see you are still at the Heavenly Genesis Realm, and the difference between the Heavenly Creation Realm was likeparing a small mountain to a.

    Freya grew tired of this. Her hand waved, revealing a crimson longsword. It had white inscriptions that emanated a sharp aura. Within this sword was a heavenly dimension of fire, constructed from the Heavenly Shrine of eight Heavenly Monarchs.

    She took a single step forward. This step was minuscule but a zing trial formed behind her. The world seemed to be lit aze by her heavenly might. The others frowned, and they quietly exerted their own abilities to protect their subordinates.

    The Ruin Emperor looked towards Yan Zaizen. He didn¡¯t know what to say or how to say it. He, of course, would not agree. However, it felt stifling to be given a choice. For some reason, in his heart, he felt that this choice was profoundly important. This was what his Dao alluded to.

    Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t even bother looking at Freya. His gaze never left the Ruin Emperor, his gaze calm and rxed as if an impending crisis wasn¡¯t going to happen.

    Yri¡¯s eyes flickered. She was a Ninth Phase Celestial Monarch, but she had no true confidence in beating a Heavenly Creation Realm expert at the First Phase, especially one whoprehended the sword, an incredibly aggressivew.

    Running away?

    That was easy, but winning?

    None.

    Freya gripped her de and swung. This swing was filled with explosive power and incinerating might. It transformed into a ray of burning light that bore down on Yan Zaizen. He felt his body surrounded by a fiery force, attempting to restrict his movements and weaken his strength.

    The ray was sharp, and while it was intended to burn Yan Zaizen to ash, it also darted towards his throat with the intent to behead.

    Yan Zaizen quietly looked at the Ruin Emperor. However, the Ruin Emperor was conflicted. That being said, he couldn¡¯t allow Yan Zaizen to be killed in such a manner. He was about to reach out when a cold snort echoed in his ear.

    His head turned towards the young girl and saw her emanating an icy-cold aura. As if to say: "If you act, I will stop you."

    He felt helpless. It seemed that Yan Zaizen¡¯sck of respect meant the young girl saw no reason to let him live.

    Yan Zaizen quietly absorbed all this as the searing hot de edged closer to his throat. He sighed. This sigh was soft but for some reason, everyone present heard it clearly.

    Yri had already erected a ward of time to deflect the heat. Just the current distance it reached was enough to burn her into ashes without defenses, so she couldn¡¯t stay passive. Yan Zaizen also seemed unwilling to immediately act.

    "Fine, you have seventeen days, four hours, twenty minutes, and twenty-one seconds left." With that, he waved his hand as if the fire restriction ced on him served no purpose. An azure light formed at the tip of his index and middle finger. He pressed them forward lightly.

    "Mystic Deluge, Drown."

    His cultivation base was revealed!

    Ninth-Floor Heavenly Genesis Realm!!

    In what was a fraction of a fraction of a fraction of a millisecond, the world briefly shed this azure color. When it vanished so did all the searing heat and sharp light.

    "What?!" Yri¡¯s eyes widened in shock.

 Chapter 367 Display of Power

    "Ga!! Gaaa! Gawkkk! Ga..." the sounds of choking echoed heavily in the surroundings. Everyone was shocked as they turned to the origin of the sounds.

    Freya was clutching at her throat. Water shot forth from her mouth in small gushes as if she had just received C.P.R. and had just regained the ability to breathe. However, unlike the mortal world, the water seemed endless. A small puddle had already formed beneath her.

    Her sword had dropped solidly on the floor, and her eyes widened in shock and disbelief. There was a moment in one¡¯s life when death seemed imminent. This moment would induce all sorts of sensations and emotions, from regret to anger to enlightenment. However, all Freya felt was fear and...confusion.

    ¡¯Why am I drowning?¡¯ These four words echoed endlessly in her head like a rapidly fired weapon. It battered her mind into an uncontroble state; her aura and heavenly might losing its effectiveness as her thoughts continued to spiral.

    It was like someone had imnted these words to create disorder between her thoughts and her actions. The world seemed to vanish as she felt surrounded by water. It battered her body with soft pats and entered her many holes relentlessly.

    With her free hand, she grabbed her nostrils and pinched in hopes of closing them in the way a mortal would try to hold their breath underwater. Her other hand went from clutching at her throat too tightly gripping her mouth shut. However, between her fingers and hushed vomits, water seeped out like an endless flood.

    The Heavenly Monarchs and their subordinates were stunned into observance. There was no exception.

    It was a few full seconds before the young girl reacted. Her eyes had long since opened after Yan Zaizen¡¯s blue light seemed to sh within the world.

    "Lady Freya!" Her words caused space to tremble. Those words seemed to send a surging wave of energy into Freya¡¯s body, and even further into her soul. Only when it reached those two did the hacking coughs of Freya slow down.

    "This?" The young girl was stunned. She shed like a ghost beside Freya. Her hand pressed heavily on Freya¡¯s shoulder, and a unique energy flowed into Freya without restraint. It was like antibodies that targeted any heterogenous auras not of Freya¡¯s and eradicated it ruthlessly.

    A few more seconds passed as everyone¡¯s expression turned solemn, and the atmosphere became strange and uneasy. The main reason was because Freya¡¯s coughing didn¡¯t decrease but had increased instead. Beneath her feet was already a ten-meter wide thinyer of water. Even the young girl¡¯s efforts seemed useless.

    A grim expression emerged on her face, and her eyes were icy-cold. However, a pride in her was unwilling. This art, this attack, it wasn¡¯t something she couldn¡¯t defend against! If she couldn¡¯t handle this, wouldn¡¯t it mean her own strength wascking?!

    It was as if she took it as a personal challenge. However, while she tested out her methods, Freya¡¯s suffering increased by the second. The pool had already reached everyone¡¯s feet, and her eyes had reached the peak of desperation. Heavenly Monarchs can¡¯t die from drowning; their bodies lived off the essence of heaven, not air or water. This was even true to those at the True Essence Realm, let alone Heavenly Monarchs.

    Yet despite this fact, she was drowning. Her long dormant lungs were working, her body was suffering, and she felt all the sensations a mortal would and should feel.

    The Ruin Emperor saw Freya, and his heart quivered slightly. He couldn¡¯t imagine how it¡¯d feel to be drowning but to be unable to die. The even more shocking thing was no one besides the young girl was trying to help. They didn¡¯t even ask Yan Zaizen to cease his art.

    As for Yan Zaizen, when he saw this, he shook his head. These people...

    It was only after a full minute did the young girl look to Yan Zaizen, her cold gaze seemed like the frozen tundras were born from them, "What did you do?" Her question made Yan Zaizen not know whether tough or cry. Not only did she not ask Yan Zaizen to cancel his art, she asked what he did!

    It¡¯s like she didn¡¯t care about Freya at all despite their alliance. However, how was Yan Zaizen to know that Freya was the weakest and an add-on at thest minute. To the overall goal, she truly mattered little. They barely had rtions with her force.

    Perhaps only the bare-footed young man, Sect Master Sanji, would have some interest. However, they all knew that she had romantically rejected Sanji countless times and gave him no face about it. It was that very reason that they all knew. Hell, pretty much every Heavenly Monarch and Commander in their region knew...likely even some of the smaller cultivators too.

    Therefore, Sanji had an ted smile on his face while watching her suffer. Surprisingly, this young man before him didn¡¯t look too bad. If it wasn¡¯t inappropriate, and his death day was obviously set by the heavens, he wouldn¡¯t mind having a drinkter.

    Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t bother with Sanji¡¯s thoughts, so he simply answered, "Soul, Yin, Illusions, Water, and Space." Those were thews incorporated in this self-devised art of his. It was incredibly profound, exhibiting a perfect cohesion of their expressions of power.

    When those words were said, everyone stilled.

    What?!

    Four World Laws?!

    Yan Zaizen only smiled. He was quite curious how this young girl would go about canceling his art. He had devised this during those two months, which in his spacetime zone was more like two hundred years. In truth, he had created a whole host of different arts he couldn¡¯t wait to try. Unfortunately, they weren¡¯t as subtle as this, and most were incredibly violent or wildly disturbing.

    With a light of enlightenment, the young girl once more sent her energy into Freya. It took a full thirteen seconds before Freya spat herst mouthful of water. Then, the water on the floor vanished like ghosts in the wind. It was like the wetness and movement of the water was all fake.

    A relieved sound resounded from Freya¡¯s body as she sat down like a helpless damsel on the deck of the ship. She didn¡¯t even bother to care about how she sat on the floor or dirtied her outfit. She just felt a wave of euphoria and relief ovee her.

    ¡¯It was trulyforting to breathe.¡¯

    If any heavenly cultivator heard her, they¡¯d be shocked and disgusted. They didn¡¯t need air. It¡¯s coarse and filled with impurities of the atmosphere and loose particles. You could breathe in dung partictes, remains of the dead, or even microscopic lifeforms. This was why no cultivator dared to ¡¯breathe.¡¯

    Even the act of breathing was stimted for those who were once Mortals. Yan Zaizen often ¡¯inhaled¡¯ and ¡¯exhaled¡¯ but he wasn¡¯t genuinely breathing.

    The winged woman eyebrows twitched seeing Freya actually breathe like a mortal. Disgusting.

    Sect Master Sanji grew even happier it seemed, there was a gleam of light in his hand as if he was recording this.

    "Now, I ask again: what did you need, Ruin Emperor?" Yan Zaizen looked to the Ruin Emperor. Those eyes were calm but it revealed a hint of pity as if saying, ¡¯you lost so much time because of her.¡¯

    Was it worth it?

 Chapter 368 Unbefitting

    Everyone was appalled. The event before them, especially to Freya¡¯s subordinates, were too shocking to fathom even given the minute or so they had to watch. It was like a surreal experience happening in this world, unable to be real, but it was!

    Yan Zaizen had waved his hand, and a grand Heavenly Monarch choked furiously like a mortal, ddened by the fact she could breathe like one too.

    Truly appalling.

    However, despite what was expected, in these people, no fear or horror flickered in the eyes of everyone, only coldness and hatred sparked within. This was true for every subordinate here.

    This was because, despite making a newly ascended Heavenly Monarchy helplessly on the floor, he had disrespected their respective leaders. He was, after all, only a Heavenly Genesis Realm junior.

    His tone, stance, words, and overall attitude made it seem like their leaders were air in the atmosphere - unimportant and ordinary.

    Yan Zaizen inwardly shook his head, not bothering about these people. He misjudged the loyalty and stupidity those people had towards their leaders. It was unyielding and blinding. Anyone who could reach their level and amass status and a force,mand them entirely, had to have high charisma.

    Having never been much of a leader in his life, he couldn¡¯t understand much. A Sovereign was above all and below none. They had a natural charisma that drew others. The boundless warmth, breadth of mind, indomitable will, unyielding nature, powerfully fierce nature could only do that.

    The Ruin Emperor observed the direction this situation was developing and couldn¡¯t help but inwardly sigh. He decided to speak, "The mission is about to begin. We¡¯ll be relying on you to SAVE anyone needing it." He ced heavy emphasis on ¡¯save¡¯ as Yan Zaizen possessed the Law of Rebirth and the battle here is bound to be...violent.

    "En, " nodding, Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t even look towards the Heavenly Monarchs or their subordinates. Instead, he walked to the bow of the ship and looked at therge shadow in the distance. His gaze was calm and intrigued.

    His actions provoked even further outrage by these subordinates. There were many who were even preparing their heavenly might. If Yan Zaizen were a Heavenly Monarch, a heaven-equalling existence, they wouldn¡¯t have any objections. However, he had a young aura and an inferior cultivation base.

    Yri looked at them and felt that there was something wrong with their heads based on their eyes, which were cold and ready for battle.

    "Idiots!" She coldly spat. Their idiocy truly was infuriating.

    The Ruin Emperor couldn¡¯t help but helplessly frown. The truth was that Yan Zaizen had the qualifications to be arrogant, but not before the people here. He looked towards the young girl who seemed to be pondering something after dealing with Freya¡¯s situation.

    It would all depend on her words. If she deemed Yan Zaizen a nuisance, even if he was stronger than he was, it¡¯s unlikely he would escape her grasp.

    However, the young girl smiled slightly and turned to Yan Zaizen. Her cold and archaic voice sounded drawing everyone¡¯s attention.

    "Thebination of four World Laws and a Mortal Law...I must say your skills are worthy of praise." Her words were things no one could refute or want to. Yan Zaizen¡¯s powerful actions was an exceptionally skillful disy of understanding inws and their expressions.

    "However," everyone¡¯s hearts clenched, "your actions and behavior are unbefitting before me." A pride that buried deep in her bones surged out as her eyes shed a violet color.

    Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t turn around or respond.

    ¡¯So...troublesome.¡¯

    He really didn¡¯t like others trying to lower his position. Howe those with power seemed to all be insufferably arrogant? Only when they were shown a stronger force did they back down. Yan Zaizen recalled his experiences in the Xiantu Realm.

    He sighed softly.

    ¡¯Fine. I can use this as leverage to get out of the deal altogether.¡¯ An opportunity had presented itself for him. He didn¡¯t feel or desire to fight the All-Immortal Dragon, and after what Yri had said, he didn¡¯t have much confidence that these people would get a single drop of blood.

    While he did know that agreeing was a risk that may benefit him, that feeling had disappeared. This meant that the risk was already before him and the opportunity to benefit as well. However, he still didn¡¯t know how or see the big picture. He did suspect that the conflict with these people was the ¡¯risk¡¯ and the ¡¯benefit¡¯ was only determined with how he handled it.

    However, how could the Non-Verse not know his personality and Dao? He was a Sovereign! An existence above all and below none. If there was one above him, he¡¯ll ascend to reach heights where they could only look up to him!

    If it wanted him to act cautiously and not like himself in this situation, it would never give him this hint. It would¡¯ve been more direct. Therefore, he smiled.

    "Ruin Emperor, the remaining time. Choose." Still not turning around, he domineering spoke.

    Choose?

    The Ruin Emperor was startled. Choose what?

    The young girl and everyone else was shocked. Did he want to do what he did before? If the Ruin Emperor interfered, the time would increase, but if he didn¡¯t, their agreement would decrease? In this case, it would vanish?!

    "Daoist Ascension, this Empress Asenath is the Monarch of the ENTIRE Dream Zone." The Ruin Emperor warned. Yan Zaizen¡¯s attitude was a little too much. He didn¡¯t help, and their agreement ends?

    "So, that¡¯s your choice?" Yan Zaizen calmly asked.

    "Hahaha!"

    Pa!

    Pa!

    Pa!

    Yriughed slowly while pping. She decided that since Yan Zaizen was going to act like this, she¡¯d join in on the fun. With a leap, she made her way to the bow of the ship with Yan Zaizen. She stayed close, looking at Yan Zaizen before smiling sweetly.

    "You ask him to help, you take him away from his deadline and travels, and let him be berated, threatened, attacked, and even insulted. You¡¯re unwilling to intervene when others target him senselessly. How shameless can you be? Do you even have any face to ask him for help?" She mocked coldly. The faces of the Ruin Emperor¡¯s subordinates fell. They were darker than night itself.

    Even the Ruin Emperor¡¯s expression dropped. Indeed, it was humiliating that he asked for his help only to watch by like a crippled dog while others targeted him.

    Yan Zaizen gave Yri the side-eye. If he could, he would give her a thumbs up. Those were his thoughts exactly. Unfortunately, he didn¡¯t want to say anything as he still owed time.

    Asenath didn¡¯t seem to mind. Instead, she walked forward with her child-like body and coldly ordered, "kneel."

    When those words were spoken, Yri felt an incredibly mighty force that seemed like the heavens themselves pressed down on her body. Before she could even react, her knees solidly hit the floor. Her eyes widened in shock.

    "Ahhh!" She vehemently roared. Her Dao energy exploded!

    What was this?

    A single word and she fell to her knees?

    What was this?

    This was humiliation at its finest!

    Her body quivered as she used her entire celestial energy and essence to lift herself. However, despite the turbulent storm of force that she mustered, she remained kneeling like a servant.

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s pupils shrunk. A force just as powerful was currently pressing on his body, but nothing happened. It was like it was trying to force him to kneel, but his every physical and spiritual existence rejected it without question.

    Even if gods and immortals wished for me to kneel, even if the heavens begged for it, they would only return empty-handed!

    Yan Zaizen saw Yri¡¯s Dao tremble fiercely with his Dao Sense. The humiliation must be affecting her Dao profoundly. Her Dao had to beprised of obsession and other things such as pride and more in the same way as Yan Zaizen¡¯s.

    If Yan Zaizen had ever exhibited any sign of yielding or cowardice, he knew his Dao would shatter on the spot. Now that his Dao was also a part of his soul, it would mean he¡¯d die. As his Dao vanishes from this world broken, so would he. Even if It was forced by another.

    A sense of anger welled up in Yan Zaizen. In his eyes were no longer calm but fierce, passionate killing intent.

    He turned towards Asenath, his voice bellowed, "you tried to destroy my Dao?!"

 Chapter 369 Big

    Woosh!

    A storm was spontaneously birthed. This storm raged like the rumbling of a thousand category five hurricanes superimposed atop each other, reaching indescribable levels of howling winds. Even the nearby skyships were affected, their bodies tumbling slightly. Luckily, they were all powered by miraculous formations designed for stability.

    Asenath lightly smiled. To her, Yan Zaizen was like a little dog puffing out its chest while barking angrily - too cute. She had no fear, worry, anger, or horror in her expression. Yan Zaizen did not have the qualifications for her to feel such things.

    As for Yri, her eyes were filled with a vicious rancor and boundless obsessive hatred. Even Freya, who couldn¡¯t be any happier of this development, felt her heart fiercely tremble. A heart-stopping chill traveled through her spine.

    Yan Zaizen had never been humiliated without reason as much as this, especially since this concerned his sense of self and dao. He would never yield, to gods and devils, to the heavens or hellish kings, let alone kneel before a living existence not his father or mother.

    The rage that rumbled in his heart seemed to be resounding with a fierce tempo. It pounded non-stop as the color of his eyes shifted. A light filled with boundless killing intent flowed endlessly as he looked at Asenath.

    ¡¯If I don¡¯t kill you, my Dao, my soul, my heart need not exist.¡¯

    A unique, undefined soul energy floated around him. A ck and amber-gold aurora borealis that seemed to have descended from hell itself was born. It seethed beautifully like the surging waves of the ocean around Yan Zaizen.

    For the first time since their brief interactions, Asenath, Ruin Emperor, Oneuli Empire¡¯s Emperor, and the old man expressions changed slightly, while the two knights approached Yan Zaizen suddenly, as if attempting to stop him. The old man especially had his withered skin and brittle looking body shiver.

    "Th-that¡¯s...!"

    SKREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE-oOoOrrRrRRrrnNk!

    Before the old man¡¯s words could be said, a roar that seemed to screech through the world and the hearts of all erupted from a distance. It attracted everyone¡¯s attention. Their eyes subconsciously turned to the direction only to see a gigantic ck shadow slightly move in the far off distance.

    From afar, and although they¡¯ve been traveling at tens of thousands of kilometers a second, it still seemed like a faraway mountain. The sheer gigantic proportions of this shadow left everyone¡¯s hearts throbbing in shock and anticipation.

    Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t even care. His eyes zed with an ardent fury so hot that suns would melt before it. That hot gaze never left Asenath.

    ¡¯Even if the All-Immortal Dragon appeared before me today, you will still die!¡¯

    Just as his soul energy, dao energy, and heavenly might seemed to reach an unknown, unfathomable peak, a whooshing sound urred right behind Yan Zaizen. The world suddenly seemed to have be emerged in darkness. The gloomy clouds above seemed to have abruptly vanished, the little bit of light cascading down through those dusky clouds faded away, and the breathing of the world ceased all at once.

    As his eyes looked towards them, everyone else, besides the roaring and indignant Yri, had wide eyes and looked behind him.

    The Ruin Emperor could be seen visibly shaking while Freya, who was still on the floor, started to exhibit more mortal qualities as a foul smell puddled beneath her. The knights were the weirdest. They started to creak like splitting metal and bent wood.

    This didn¡¯t seem to have been caused by the darkness, but the swirling mass of ethereal energy around Yan Zaizen that they carelessly approached.

    Yan Zaizen may have been focused, but the sudden eclipse even drew his attention away.

    Slowly.

    Ever slowly.

    He turned his head.

    His pupils became as thin as needles.

    SKREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE-oOoOrrRrRRrrnNK!

    A howling wind so powerful that his robes fluttered helplessly about. The sheer roar and sound wave produced caused all the miraculous formations set on the skyships to shatter instantly.

    All things not flesh turned to literal dust in less than a picosecond of time. It was like the world was the center of the big bang, but instead of creation, only utter destruction of all non-life forms urred. This included foreign dimensions of space.

    Yan Zaizen felt the floor disappear from his feet. His body subconsciously initiated flight. Yri also felt liberated as the floor vanished beneath her feet and so did the pressure.

    What was humongous? What was titanic? What was colossal?

    If you had asked Yan Zaizen this before, he would¡¯ve said a universe, but today...today his answer would change.

    It was pressure. It was force. It was this object in your eye that took up your soul, your sight, your every sense, and even your memories. It encapsted everything, it was sorge that it was the only thing you could think about!

    A scaly ck head faced Yan Zaizen. This head was like being an inch away from thergest sun imaginable. The creases between the scales were like worlds on its own, ridges and valleys. The curves seemed to have its own gravitational pull that left you drawing towards it.

    This scaly head definitely belonged to a lizard. Its eyes, its nostrils, its scales, and its ears all pointed to it. He couldn¡¯t even get a detailed description of it, unable to even see its body or even its mouth, simply that in his heart he knew it was a dragon. A living, breathing dragon of legend.

    And not just any dragon, the All-Immortal Dragon!

    Suddenly, hundreds of millions of heavenly cultivators popped into existence, forced out of the dimensional structures they were housed in, and while they all remained confused, they felt that something had happened.

    They twisted and turned but saw nothing but ckness. To them, they had entered an endless night.

    Asenath, the one with the highest cultivation base, was the first to recover her calm. Her eyes still trickled with fear and disbelief, but greed soon covered it all. Boundless greed!

    A malevolent expression covered her young face, demonic to the extreme, and her body started to transform. The ck archaic marks covered her face, neck, arms, and legs. She screeched like a banshee from hell!

    "I call upon the True Origin of the Dreaming Devil Law! Descend!!!" Her screech was one solid bellow, but it somehow formed a set of words that were perfectly understood.

    Pushing forth both her palms, she pressed hellishly forward with all her might, ignoring all those before her. Yan Zaizen, Yri, and the two knights were in the direct path of her palms, but so was the dragon¡¯s head!

    Yan Zaizen felt a deep prophetic sense of danger as he snapped out of his shock. He grabbed towards Yri, an undefined soul energy gently wrapped around her, and his body seemed to break the fetters of the Dusk Zone¡¯sw limit! He directly prated the spatial void with Yri in tow, vanishing with a blink.

    The Law of Heaven! Using this, he changed the priority of Law strength within his area, directly making Spatial Law the most dominant, and striding into the spatial void. It was as easy as cutting butter with a hot knife. Even he was surprised at how powerful he felt.

    Before, when he absorbed the golden sphere, he only felt that he could do it. He hadn¡¯t had the time to actually try it out, but now that he did, his confidence soared.

    Asenath¡¯s attack was formless, like a dream, colorless, like the air, and demonic, like devils! It seemed endless and powerful beyond conventional measure. Behind her, three heavenly substructures were born. They were Grand Heavenly Dimensions formed by Second Phase Heavenly Creation Realm experts.

    In the Heavenly Creation Realm, the difference between them were the number and types of Minor and Grand Heavens established. The more they¡¯ve established, the difference in their titles and strength.

    Asenath could be considered a Three-Fold Heavenly Creation Realm expert at the Third Phase, Original Law! Even the Ruin Emperor was only at the One-Fold, Third Phase Heavenly Creation Realm!! No wonder the Ruin Emperor acted so docile around Asenath, and she ruled over a zone alone.

    Even worse, Asenath¡¯s Three Grand Heavenly Dimensions were all World Laws!!

    Wind!

    Yin!

    Darkness!

    Those threews Grand Heavenly Dimensions acted as power sources for her own Original Law: Dreaming Devil Law!

    Her strength wasn¡¯t just Heaven-Equalling, it was faintly Heaven-Surpassing!

    The knights who were both Heavenly Creation experts at the Second Phase didn¡¯t stand a chance. They seemed to descend into a dreamy haze as a demonic aura shrouded them silently and slowly lulled them away. Their minds, their souls, and their bodies vanished into a dream.

    This was a disturbing and horrendous way to die! If they weren¡¯t wearing armor, the sight may even be worse!

    They disappeared like literal ghosts blown by the wind.

    This wind continued to impact and smashed onto the snout of the All-Immortal Dragon. However, what happened next caused fear and panic to finally enter Asenath¡¯s eyes!

    It twitched a little.

 Chapter 370 If You Live, I Wont.

    That was her strongest attack! It produced nothing more than a responsive twitch!

    They had vastly underestimated the All-Immortal Dragon.

    They had grossly overestimated themselves!!

    "Argh!!" In a painful howl, Asenath¡¯s expression shifted to one of iparable evil. Her entire body emitted a dreamy, vile, baleful energy. Astral stars of blood, ghosts, and horrors, literal things of nightmares, were birthed alongside that horrific howl.

    They were the size of a small moon, manifesting far above her. Their baleful light illuminated the surroundings. These astral stars looked like tiny peas to a inparison to the All-Immortal Dragon. Its eye, which stared calmly at all creation, exceeded theirbined size by the thousand.

    The utterly absurd size of her made them all look like specks of dust floating across space. It was as if this was no longer the Dusk Zone or the Heavenly Origin Grounds, but her universe. If it wasn¡¯t for the skewed heavenlyws in the area, nobody would even think to refute that.

    "Establish battle formations!" Asenath¡¯s aura red, entering the remaining six Heavenly Monarchs. They seemed to be shocked out of their stupor, reacting swiftly with heavy hearts and dark expressions. They all, without fail, took out fist-sized crystal orbs that had milky white mist within.

    The Ruin Emperor¡¯s aura changed in this grave situation, be more steadfast and domineering. He truly seemed like an Emperor of Ruin, a faint light containing destructive powers flowed calmly through his body. With a grave expression, he sent a telepathic message via the soul to all his members.

    The other Heavenly Monarchs followed decisively behind. They were the only ones with the sensory capabilities wide enough to know that the All-Immortal Dragon was literally before them. To the others, it was just a shadowy ce they seen after being pushed out of their dimensional spaces prematurely.

    The hundreds of millions of Heavenly Genesis cultivators acted in unison, putting theirplete trust in their respectivemanders. The only exception was the forces of the two knights. While they did get into formation, they were several moments behind.

    Who knew how they¡¯d feel knowing that Asenath had decisively killed their leaders in hopes to injury the All-Inmortal Dragon, but it only caused it to twitch.

    Luckily, the might of the collective oftentimes exceeded the might of the one.

    The formations were for all uses. Some manifested titan-like figures, others supported these titan-like figures with elemental might, a few acted as defensive shields as they hovered around those figures. However, despite each manifestation of various creatures of creation and legend, including a silver skull with emerald mes in its hollow eyes, an ouroboros, and war god knights wielding axes and spears, their sizes paled inparison.

    They reached thousands of kilometers, some even tens of thousands of kilometers, but regardless, before the All-Immortal Dragon, they were like a rock to a - insignificant.

    To put it in perspective, they still couldn¡¯t rival a single eye in size. Hundreds of millions of cultivators, establishing gigantic manifestations of battle, weren¡¯t capable of matching a fifth of its eye size.

    Resplendent light erupted everywhere, illuminating the skin and surface of the All-Immortal Dragon, but even still, only its scales and creases could be seen by those heavenly cultivators.

    "I-is...that the All-Immortal Dragon?!" A cultivator who was proficient in the soul could see more of the situation than the extent of his heavenly sense. He was shocked as he eximed.

    "What? What is the All-Immortal Dragon? Where is it?" Quite a few cultivators were ready for battle? They prepped themselves mentally, their blood hot with the intent to do battle, but as they looked about, they only saw darkness as if they were in a cave. In fact, they all assumed they were in the cave of the All-Immortal Dragon.

    "Attack! Attack NOW!!" Asenath¡¯s heart pounded as she evoked her greatest power. With a wave of her hand, she gripped a formless scepter. This scepter was like an image, a dream, but with a thought it went from formless to form.

    This was an aspect of Yin. The ability to create from nothing! It had limitations, but when used appropriately,s, suns, and even realms could be produced from nothing!

    This scepter was something formed by her Original Law and contained the True Origin of her Original Law. All of its power originated from this scepter exhibiting an immense level of power.

    She smashed her milky white crystal ball into the scepter. Twenty percent of the forces and formation present started glowing brightly with a dreamy light. She pulled their power into her, her eyes evil to the extreme, and she bashed forward with the scepter towards what was the All-Immortal Dragon.

    A tempest of wind smashed heavily onto the All-Immortal Dragon. It was powerful enough to copse a portion of the heavens, with intrinsic properties that would induce a literal nightmare, yet this strike only caused a single scale of the All-Immortal Dragon to tremble slightly.

    The All-Immortal Dragon was the daughter of an Immortal Yaoguai and the literal ancestor of ALL dragons and their descendants. Birthed from a Celestial God of legends, how fearsome and mighty must she be?

    With a roar, all non-living things copsed away with utter ease. A blow from a Three-Fold, Third Phase Heavenly Creation Realm expert with faintly heaven-surpassing might was like an ant trying to pinch a mountain. It simply wasn¡¯t sufficient.

    Her internal powers may be weakened due to her recent birthing, but her physical body and natural powers of the world would obviously remain. To act against a being of such caliber, calling them fools would insult fools.

    This didn¡¯t mean the greed within her and the other Heavenly Monarch faded. In fact, they were enthralled by the prospect of attaining just a drop of her blood to the point they were willing to risk it all.

    Asenath continued striking with her full force aided by the formations. The others joined in, striking out with attacks of the heavenly nature towards where she aimed, even the soul nature, but besides a twitch here and a slight tremble of a scale there, there was no other response.

    However, with their beautifully multicolored cascade of attacks going unimpeded with the All-Immortal Dragon not attacking back, they believed it truly was too weak to respond!

    "Continue attacking!" Asenath continued maintaining her position as headmander with orders being sent left and right to this army of cultivators. While doing so, she struck outwards with her scepter over and over with impassioned strikes.

    While her full and undivided attention was focused on this, a figure appeared behind her silently.

    Her eyes flickered as she erupted with a ferocious aura. "You think you can sneak attack me?!" Her voice was icy-cold and darkness seemed to thrive in its reverberation. To think someone would try to do something like this now.

    Her full power had just been pushed forward towards the All-Immortal Dragon, leaving very little left to actually defend herself. It was the greatest time to strike.

    The figure was none other than Yan Zaizen!

    His eyes were cold, icy to the extreme, boundless killing intent seethed within like a whirlpool of death.

    Earlier, Yan Zaizen swore that Asenath¡¯s life and death was going to be determined, and if she lived, he wouldn¡¯t. The All-Immortal Dragon was shocking, but he was relentless in his thoughts.

    Even if the All-Immortal Dragon decided to kill him, he would first kill her. His mind radiated a vast, grand dao that fueled his decision.

    When he appeared, he wasted no time as his soul energy erupted! An amber-gold and ck aurora borealis was birthed, twisting with an undefined yet powerful soul energy.

    Yan Zaizen recalled his previous experience in the Ruin Emperor¡¯s World Pce. He had made a world-defying revtion about the Soul Source Path. To everyone, including Yri, the path was simply difficult and that¡¯s it.

    They were right.

    But, they were also wrong.

    If one follows the incorrect path from day one, they¡¯ll never realize its the wrong one. Only when one questions everything they came across, they experience, their very start, would they recognize their mistake. However, with all signs pointing elsewhere, what do you believe?

    Yan Zaizen chose to believe in himself, belief in his instincts and thoughts. The Soul Source Path was iplete! This was the truth!

    It was broken, shattered, iplete, and undefined! All of this was true because the path was purposefully done this way! After reaching theplete understanding of self, one can then push that into self-actualization of their truest self into a form of purest power.

    Harnessing this power, structuring this self, enables one to reach a whole new realm that was solely for themselves.

    The Divine Realm.

    The Immortal Realm.

    In the old days, a man had self-actualized himself as a divinity, so he was divine.

    Later, a woman who became divine wanted to be an immortal, so she became immortal.

    They formed the Divine Immortal Sect that was born and still exist in the Earths and Skies above. Their legacy was passed, others followed their inheritance and believed that the Divine Soul Realm and then the Immortal Soul Realm were the defined path.

    They created their path in much the same way as Heavenly Creation Realm experts do, and others followed.

    Besides that man and woman, no one knew the truth. No one could. When locked into a belief generated by eons and eons, how could they? When the Celestial Seers of the world delved into the secrets of the universe and confirmed their paths were a path of the Soul Source, how could they?

    Yan Zaizen had a humble beginning. Every step of the way, he had to observe and learn, question and justify, and only when he was certain did he push forward. He had the freshest mind, uninfluenced by eons of misunderstandings and beliefs.

    The most pivotal aspect was that he believed in that, as long as it was imagined, it was possible. This mindset was that of a sovereign, relentless, and with a breadth of mind so broad that others could barely grasp their view.

    And so, here we are.

    "Since I started cultivating, I have fumbled and tilted, but in the end, I stayed true to myself. My Dao, my Soul, my expressions of power, I have already long since realized what path I wish to take. Not a Divinity, not an Immortal, but my own! If gods impede my path, sweep gods, if immortals hinder my steps, crush immortals, if devils take what I love, kill all devils in creation!! As long as I will it, I will create it!"

    A raging tempest appeared in his eyes, filled with untapped and raw soul power.

    Asenath withdrew a bit of her power, forcing her heavenly dimensions to tremble, and her originalw to quake, but she urged enough to turn around andsh out. This power was less than one percent of her full strength, but powered by her Original Law and Three-Fold Heavenly Dimensions, it was enough to destroy Yan Zaizen¡¯s heavenly might ten times over.

    When she saw Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes, her soul froze. A pressing, unbelievable thought emerged into her mind: "Am I going to die?"

    This thought was impossible, but when she looked at that figure floating just away from her, she couldn¡¯t help but feel this way.

    It was as if she was facing a force that was perfect, without w, true to itself and all creation, and followed its heart in the most perfect manner.

    Yan Zaizen had thought that his soul path would be that of a Sovereign, but a Sovereign Soul Realm wasn¡¯t his soul path. It wasn¡¯t a self-actualization of himself, but a way of life. Instead, he wanted to perfectly follow his beliefs and thoughts to its absolute peak state which the way of a sovereign only defined a portion of.

    A rumble echoed throughout the surroundings seemingly eclipsing the crushing attacks of the myriad of manifestations in the world. It rumbled throughout everyone¡¯s soul, causing them all tog. They looked towards Asenath and saw Yan Zaizen with an outstretched hand like a god lording over an ant.

    His entire existence gave off a perfect light. A light so perfect that they subconsciously felt that they were inferior in every sense of the word. They felt guilty and ashamed of themselves. They were ashamed that they were wed, that they hid their heart behind masks, and that they were untrue to themselves!

    This light illuminated their truest self bringing about untold benefits, but also untold ruin!

    "Paragon Soul Realm!"

    With a soft whisper, Yan Zaizen sent out a stream of paragon soul energy towards Asenath.

 Chapter 371 Paragon Soul

    Paragon Soul Realm! A realm defined by Yan Zaizen¡¯s beliefs of perfectly following one¡¯s own desires and heart, being true to yourself regardless if a god or immortal stands in your way.

    Even if an existence as powerful, as grand, and awe-inspiring as the All-Immortal Dragon were to stand in your way, you would still kill!!

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s paragon soul energy was like an endless stream that flowed towards Asenath. Her first response was instinctive. As an expert who imed an entire Zone of the Heavenly Origin Grounds as her own, she had been through countless battles, had her share of insurmountable odds, and despite all that, imed victory from the clutches of improbability.

    Therefore, she was no greenhorn on the field of battle. She decisively severed her attack towards the All-Immortal Dragon, coughing violet blood as a consequence, and gripped her scepter viciously.

    "Argh!!!" A painful, hellish howl screeched from her mouth while violet spittle flew wildly. The air trembled and the sound of ghosts, discarnate spirits, and stuff from nightmares appeared around her. The baleful astral stars seemed to dim at this moment.

    "Die!" Her voice was a scream but perfectly understood. A killing intent suffused with devilish might raged in the surroundings. A few people connected to her formations were influenced, directly passing away in a dream-like state. Nearly ten percent of her own people had been directly put to death, a rebound of her actions, but the might of those deceased cultivators were still flowing into her scepter.

    A gust of wind the size of a ss four hurricane formed between Yan Zaizen and her, engulfing them before. Her actions were truly decisively as she was willing to sacrifice a portion of her subordinates to withdraw her power, letting them withstand the majority of the punishment, and then directly siphoning all their strength to herself to allow her state to increase.

    Yan Zaizen saw all this, his eyes be colder than the frozen tundra. What he hated the most in this world was vile, vicious people who took others trust and contorted and twisted it. Those men and women trusted her with their lives, willing to fight a literal dragon of legend for her, but she killed them!

    A familiar image superimposed on Asenath and his rage was fueled to newer heights. It was an old past, but a lively hatred.

    CLENCH!

    His hand tightened into a fist. The paragon soul energy seemed to be solid as it smashed forth to meet the vile wind.

    Boom!

    A sh ensued. This sh was brief as the paragon soul energy directly devoured the vile, baleful wind as if it was food. Yan Zaizen¡¯s soul energy had long since changed with the mutations and growth of his Soul Bloodline. The inner workings of the ck hole had long since surpassed their inactive, uncontroble state.

    Before, his soul could devour any soul attack directed at his soul like a droplet of water entering an ocean. Then, he could devour existences of physical, spiritual, and essence. He had directly absorbed the Non-Verse¡¯s Law of Purity, enhancing the state of his physique, heavenly energy, and soul.

    With each evolution of his soul, oftentimes apanied by misfortune, his control of his Soul Bloodline increased. With his Dao and Soul as one, his control and power exceeded the normal parameters, producing even Dao Sense.

    However, when Yan Zaizen was pressured by Asenath¡¯s force to kneel, an attempt to break his dao, his Dao Soul acted with the characteristics of his Soul Bloodline and devoured that force instinctively. No longer was his Soul Devour Protection limited to his Soul but now his entirety.

    However, he had never explored what other benefits his Dao had on his Soul Bloodline. The Dao Energy can infuse into all aspects of energy, soul, heavenly, internal, or even physique! This obviously now extended to his Soul Bloodline now!

    When the sh happened, Asenath¡¯s expression changed. Her energy, which was derived from essence, was directly devoured. Luckily, Yan Zaizen¡¯s soul energy didn¡¯t devour it endlessly as it seemed to have a limit per microsecond. As long as this limit was exceeded, the attack would sh which produced that explosive sound.

    However, the soul energy continued to devour her attack to empower itself. While she chipped away at it, it absorbed and replenished itself to a stronger state than before. This caused her mind to stall temporarily.

    "Was this an Original Law? No, that¡¯s soul energy. Wait, is it soul energy? Why does it feel so abhorrent and aboriginal?!" Her mind was filled with questions but no time to answer.

    She took her second swing of her scepter, sending another burst of original might towards Yan Zaizen¡¯s rampant soul energy. Unfortunately, Yan Zaizen¡¯s intention was to end this quickly.

    He stepped forth, pressing forward. Even though Asenath was only a few hundred meters away from him, it was too far for him to instantly kill her with his attack. In fact, that was the closest he could get before hitting her heavenly aura. This aura prevented others from closing in without them noticing.

    If not for that, Yan Zaizen would¡¯ve appeared directly before her and struck out with his strongest blow.

    He shrouded himself in paragon soul energy, manifesting itself as an aurora borealis, as he dived into her attack ruthlessly.

    "What?! Suicidal!" Asenath shouted as she poured more power into her attacks.

    While this exchange was happening, the attacks against the All-Immortal Dragon continued endlessly, but nothing came of it. She didn¡¯t even react. In fact, she seemed to be upied with other things.

    Her mind¡¯s eye was actually focused on Yan Zaizen this entire time. She watched him closely, saw him break the Dusk Zone limits, produce a unique soul energy, and fought ferociously to attack that little girl. Although no one could see it, unable to even catch a glimpse of her mouth or teeth, but if they did, they would notice that her mouth had an unusual curl to it.

    She was smiling.

    Yan Zaizen could feel her looking at him, but he ignored this feeling as he single-minded pursued Asenath. Diving into her attack shrouded by his paragon soul energy, he protected himself as he near instantly closed the gap.

    However, during that near instantaneous action, his body and soul had been battered by the attacks continuously. Even though Yan Zaizen had the paragon soul energy, soul bloodline, and dao soul empowered shroud, Asenath was no weakling.

    Her attacks exceeded the devouring limits of his paragon soul energy, shing with it and even breaking his shroud and smashing against his body, inducing cracks and causing him to cough blood with each inch traveled. This was why Asenath believed his actions to be suicide.

    However, Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t just have this.

    Ninth-Floor Heavenly Shrine, Rebirth Form!

    Ninth-Floor Heavenly Shrine, Samsara Form!

    His heavenly shrine converted into two astonishing forces of rebirth, rejuvenation, and growth. Whether it was his battered soul or body, his Heavenly Shrine was like As to the heavenly world, holding it up against all odds!

    Much like when Yan Zaizen fought Yri, Asenath¡¯s attack struck his soul physically, inducing various forms of damage. This was the one weakness of his soul bloodline, soul energy attacks were easily devoured, but if it targeted or restricted his soul with physical means, it couldn¡¯t do anything to it.

    Luckily, with his Paragon Soul Realm¡¯s soul form, the damage was minor.

    The instant his body was damaged, it healed. When the Original Might of Asenath smashed into his soul, inducing what little damage it could, it also healed.

    In that instant, he arrived directly before Asenath with a meter of distance between them. A cold chill emanated from his body and eyes.

    Asenath¡¯s eyes widened. Yan Zaizen was incredibly fast! Not to mention his durability that seemed endless and evesting! Was this why the Ruin Emperor wanted him as a part of the team? Seeing his abilities, she finally realized Yan Zaizen¡¯s prowess.

    "You wished to destroy my Dao, I shall consume yours." His eyescked the malevolent nature of Asenath, but it was frightening to behold. With a finger, a single index finger of his right hand, he pressed towards her be.

    "No! Nooo! NOOOO!! I AM THE MONARCH OF A ZONE, A RULER OF COUNTLESS, YOU INSIGNIFICANT SWINE! DIE! True Origin of Dreaming Devil Law, explode!" A sensation of imminent death coursed through her mind. She knew that if Yan Zaizen¡¯s paragon soul energy, that seemed capable of devouring all things, were to enter her body, she would immediately die!

    Even as Heavenly Cultivators, their souls were their weakest point. They could focus on the Heavenly Law of the Soul, develop a Heavenly Dimension, and thereby be strong in it, but that requiredprehension and resources. Soul resources suited to build a Heavenly Shrine were too scarce and not many can or even could do it.

    Her fragile soul was only about as strong as a Heavenly Commander! She wasn¡¯t even at the Perfect Astral Soul Realm! Facing such fierce soul energy, it was her bane! It was the bane of the vast majority of cultivators!

    She howled like a cornered wolf facing death, unwilling and unresolved!

    Her scepter exploded into motes of light. These motes were very limited in number and nearly translucent, like a dream, but contained theprehension of the Dreaming Devil Law! They were like nascent forms of a heavenly world, a world that people may one day trek.

    She pushed her hands forward, willing to use the entirety of her cultivation from birth to now against Yan Zaizen. Eighty percent of her people died as she fueled her Original Law¡¯s motes! She was definitely ruthless enough.

    Yan Zaizen saw these motes of light and his eyes lit up brilliantly! Augh, maniacal to the extreme, resounded aloud. He had the urge to lick his lips as if preparing to delve into a holiday dinner.

    "You dare use the essence of your Original Law to face me?! Courting death!" A cold smirk emerged on his lips.

    A ck hole formed at his be.

 Chapter 372 Asenaths Death

    The ck Hole¡¯s ability to devour physical, spiritual, and essence existences had never been fully utilized. At best, Yan Zaizen had used it to cultivate. Never before did he actively use it in battle.

    Mainly because he didn¡¯t have the power to do so, as his soul cultivation base oftengged behind his other powers, forcing it into a state of inferiority. However, today was different.

    His soul had reached the Paragon Soul Realm, merged seamlessly with his Dao of Sovereign Ascension, and his Soul Bloodline connection increased his control. With these influences, his soul cultivation exceeded his heavenly cultivation base by arge margin.

    In fact, he estimated his soul energy alone rivaled the strength of a Heavenly Creation Realm expert at the First Phase, likely with Two or Three-Folds of Minor Heavenly Dimensions established. This strength was by no means weak.

    Coupled this base strength with his unique soul bloodline and dao soul amplification, he would likely be invincible against even a Nine-Fold, First Phase Heavenly Creation Realm expert.

    With that power base as the foundation for his Soul Bloodline, how powerful would its terrifying devouring abilities reach?

    Swirl~

    His ck hole began to spin. This spin cycle looked slow, but as it appeared in Asenath¡¯s vision, a deep, unfathomable sense of dread emerged in her heart. Her instincts screamed for her to recall her Original Law Essence, but she knew that if she did, that death-bringing finger would surely send soul energy into her soul.

    It would be her death.

    Therefore, she could only press forward. The motes of essence should collide with Yan Zaizen¡¯s physical body at this close range, subjecting him to the strongest expression of power of the Dreaming Devil Law. If everything worked as it should, Yan Zaizen¡¯s existence would be lulled into slumber and vanish like the two knights.

    However, while man ns, the heavenughs. In this particr case, Yan Zaizen was heaven.

    Woosh~

    Another spin.

    Woosh~

    Another spin.

    With each spin, an attractive force was born. In much the same way as the Sub-Realm copse, the motes of essence seemed to be drawn by an unnatural force that it couldn¡¯t resist.

    In a literal blink of an eye, the motes of essence vanished into the ck hole.

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes flickered with a devilish light, dreamy to the max, and hazy beyond belief. A baleful energy spewed out of his eyes.

    ¡¯Is this...is this the True Origin of an Original Law?¡¯ He became briefly lost in the sensation of enlightenment. Suddenly, a thought emerged in his mind as the essence was digested by his soul bloodline.

    A devilish avatar, hazy in shape and description, but with clear malevolent eyes was birthed within his soul form. It appeared at a corner, unattached to any category ofw.

    ¡¯Is...this the Law of Dreaming Devil?¡¯ His mind exploded with all sorts of information about thisw. It epassed a mental energy suffused with devilish nature that could affect all forms: soul, body, and mind. Yan Zaizen faintly felt that he could even infect a person on an existential level. That rted to the Origin Path and itsws!

    This Asenath truly was a genius! She not only reached the peak of Heavenly Cultivationprehension with three World Heavenly Shrines, but created such apletew. Her confidence and arrogant attitude truly was justified.

    Unfortunately, she met him.

    Asenath felt the connection with her Original Law vanish. Instantly, her seven orifices spewed endless spurts of violet blood. Her body began to seizure unnaturally as her pupils became white and unclear,cking light and focus. Her cultivation regressed as her Original Might vanished, reced by an aura of heavenly might of her three worldws.

    The experience of losing your Original Law may not kill you, but the pain and bacsh can induce horrific injuries.

    She had directly lost consciousness.

    However, Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes did not show a hint of pity. She had the intention to humiliate him and therefore kill him, so how could he disy mercy?!

    Even if gods wanted to save your life, they would first have to get my permission! Even then, they¡¯ll be forced to find it in Hell.

    Yan Zaizen withdrew his finger and formed a straight palm like a de. With a ferocious thrust, he bored directly through her skull. It was like a herculean entered ydough. Her skull and brain matter sshed about, violet blood spewed everywhere like a decapitated head. Her lower and upper jaw seemed to split, hanging at an odd angle.

    Clench!

    He clenched his fist!

    Squish!!

    Brain matter and bone fragments seeped through his knuckles. Yan Zaizen directly sent in an enormous amount of soul energy to directly devour her soul and convert it into his own power. It revitalized his soul form, but his eyes were still as cold as a blizzard.

    He pulled out, and within his hand was a violet orb of light.

    Asenath¡¯s Dao!

    Her Dao was one simr to Yan Zaizen in nature, but far more ruthless: The Dao of Devil Monarchy, an Upper-Tier Dao. To act ruthless for the sake of power and potential, not just to yourself, but to your followers.

    Her controlling her own Zone truly personified her belief that one tiger was enough for one mountain.

    The greed was also an aspect of this dao. Yan Zaizencked this trait as an inherent feature, never allowing treasure or wealth to ovee his own thoughts or control his actions. This and their bearing divided them greatly.

    Yan Zaizen furrowed his brows as he held the Dao Light. "Does the Dao direct your Original Law?" He couldn¡¯t help but curiously think. He hadn¡¯t met too many Heavenly Creation Realm experts at the Third Phase and he had no idea what their Dao was exactly, even with his Dao Sense, so he had barely any idea.

    However, Asenath¡¯s Dao conformed perfectly with her Original Law. How could he not ponder this? Was her Dao why her Original Law soplete, covering multiple areas like the Dao itself?

    That being said, he didn¡¯t let it dy him as he directly opened his mouth and ced the Dao Light within. It entered his body into his Soul Form where he circted the training method of the ¡¯Grand Soul, Dao Heart¡¯ art. As it required foreign dao energy to cultivate, Yan Zaizen felt some caution towards it.

    The Dao Light vanished and he felt enlivened. He knew it would require some time to digest this energy, but he could already feel the excitement of his Dao Soul.

    As he reveled in this feeling, a heavenly cultivator belonging to Freya¡¯s faction turned towards Yan Zaizen and Asenath. His desire to look behind him was purely a nonsensical action done out of pure reverence of Asenath¡¯s majesty and reputation. Everyone else was focused on the All-Immortal Dragon, even the dying life auras due to Asenath¡¯s actions were believed to be because of the All-Immortal Dragon.

    The constant explosions on the All-Immortal Dragon perfectly disguised the brief exchange between Yan Zaizen and Asenath. Therefore, literally no one thought to divide their focus. They may have looked over for a millisecond because of the auras but quickly refocused.

    After all, that was Asenath.

    However, when that cultivator saw Asenath¡¯s limp body and devastated cranium, he paused. A brow was raised. His expression was innocent, only thinking that someone had just died such a vicious death. He only curiously thought: "who?"

    Then, a shiver rumbled throughout his body. That shiver turned ice-cold and seemingly hot as his heart pounded fiercely. The figure of his dreams were before him. His subconscious knew this, but his expression had yet to catch up. Then...it did.

    Horror.

    Absolute horror.

    "I...sh-she...I...is she...?" The mind was a fabulous thing, but also mysterious. In this stressful situation, he forgot all about the All-Immortal Dragon and screeched loudly. This screech seemed to contain all his preposterous beliefs of his dreams, his memories of Asenath apanying him in his bed as he rode to the peak with her as his wife, and many other stupendous things.

    "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!"

    Everyone stopped.

    This scream caused literally everyone to stop. For some reason, it carried a final soul re that seemed particrly resplendent. That person¡¯s dao, soul, and life was within this scream. He died soon after.

    It wasn¡¯t just him.

    Others in various factions also erupted the moment they saw Asenath and directly died.

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes flickered. The numerous screams caused his gaze to sweep through the many factions. People were literally dropping like flies. His expression turned iparably dark.

    "How ruthless...to infect your Original Law into other people¡¯s Dao, Soul, and Life...they no longer were themselves but sleepers waiting for your orders to awaken from their dream. A Devilish Monarch, truly befitting your Dao." Yan Zaizen sighed. Nearly a million people died instantly and the world was filled with horrid screams, and this number continued to rise.

    Everyone soon stopped their assaults as manifestations failed. This woman had to put in an intense effort to infect others so quietly. They literally let a wolf into their den. Their ignorance could¡¯ve led to their demise.

    It wasn¡¯t just Yan Zaizen who realized what was happening, the Ruin Emperor and old man also knew what had happened and their expressions were dark. However, they didn¡¯t have shock as they saw Asenath¡¯s corpse. Instead, they felt helplessness.

    Their helper had killed their leader...

    "Eeeeeeegghhhhhh!!!" A feminine squeal more powerful than all the others resounded. This voice seemed confused and ignorant of her situation.

    "Nooooooooooo!!" A voice filled with unwillingness exploded with unresolved hatred and desires.

    The Oneuli Empire¡¯s Emperor and Freya had also hellishly screamed!!

    Their life, soul, and dao erupted and vanished...

 Chapter 373 A What?

    "Did Asenath imnt a seed of her Original Law into Freya when she freed her?" Yan Zaizen actually felt a tinge of pity towards the death of Freya. There was no guilt, but just a somber sense of pity for her unfortunate fate.

    In fact, Yan Zaizen had been partially at fault if that was the case. However, what could he do and why would he do anything about it? Freya made her choice when she struck to kill; she made her choice when she allied with an untrustworthy ally, so he, who believed the value of consequences in decisions, felt no guilt.

    As for the Oneuli Empire¡¯s Emperor, Yan Zaizen felt somewhat interested in that backstory. As someone who gleaned an understanding in the Dreaming Devil Law, it¡¯s not possible to infect someone who¡¯ve reached a certain cultivation base, unless they were at a moment of weakness orpse of attention.

    For example: Freya.

    They, who¡¯ve established their own Heavenly Dimensional Spaces and Heavenly Substructures, had a near immunity under normal circumstances.

    In actuality, the Dreaming Devil Law couldn¡¯t be consciously nted into someone, only unknowingly, like a surreal dream that slowly imnts thoughts which form into strong beliefs, which in turn creates a will of sorts.

    Yan Zaizen once more grew curious as he watched Freya. She shouldn¡¯t have been fully infected and die so quickly with her cultivation base...so how did she?

    For the first time, he was genuinely curious. Was it an opening in her Dao and Soul or did Asenath surgically insert her power deep into her existence to ensure it¡¯ll work? However, with her now dead, it¡¯s unlikely he¡¯ll ever find out the particr reason.

    "You...you truly killed her." The old man seemed unperturbed by the millions of echoing screams in the void that seemed on the precipice of bing discarnate and abhorrent existences.

    He had closed eyes and couldn¡¯t stop sighing softly. Asenath was a key figure to eliminating the All-Immortal Dragon. Without her, there chances went from ten percent sess to a hundred percent failure. The slit above his eyes twitched softly as if it wished to open.

    Yan Zaizen deeply looked at the old man, his expression calm and indifferent. He didn¡¯t bother soon after as he faced the gigantic figure before him. He had never forgotten that this entire event was happening in the literal presence of the All-Immortal Dragon.

    He didn¡¯t know why she didn¡¯t eliminate everyone, as her roar from earlier possessed that power and far more. The only thing he did know was that she was most definitely ¡¯looking¡¯ at him. It was an observant gaze that was inescapable.

    Therefore, he was incredibly calm as he floated in the shadowy air.

    The Ruin Emperor seemed to have suffered a little. The greed in his eyes dissipated a lot amount.

    "Retreat!" He ordered.

    Given the circumstances, what else could they do? In less than a few seconds, they lost five Heavenly Monarchs. The only four that remained was him, the old man, the winged woman, and Sect Master Sanji. They also lost nearly all of Asenath¡¯s forces because of her cruel-sacrifice, amounting to about thirty percent of their army.

    With each passing second, tens of thousands burned their everything and died in a horrific scream. Their entire forces went into disarray as the death count increased amongst all their forces.

    If they couldn¡¯t even maintain formations, how could they continue?

    The only thing he could do was give Yan Zaizen a deep, a very deep, look and give the order of retreat. He didn¡¯t me Yan Zaizen. In fact, he med himself. If he had intervened, it¡¯s likely the All-Immortal Dragon¡¯s blood would be theirs.

    While he lived in his delusions, the other Heavenly Monarchs saw the situation and swiftly relied their order of retreat as well. Everything was going to hell, how could they stay? Not to mention, it didn¡¯t look like they were capable of scratching an itch for the All-Immortal Dragon.

    Internally, they felt truly foolish.

    Suddenly, a strange silence permeated the surroundings. Silence was something everyone knew, but was hard to describe. Was being in the woods and away from people and modern day life a sort of silence? Or was it locked it a soundless chamber?

    Perhaps it was being in space, where air molecules do not exist for sound to travel?

    This silence was none of those. In all those cases, you can ¡¯hear¡¯. You can ¡¯hear¡¯ the beat of your heart, the wave of ambient forces on your ears, and flowing sounds of your own thoughts echoing in your head.

    This silence was all consuming.

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes widened. His expression became like ash. His thoughts were nk and his mind seemed to be empty. He wanted to back up, but he felt restrained. It was like his mind and soul couldn¡¯t sendmands to his body.

    "Existential Paralysis?!" Yan Zaizen wanted to think this, he wanted toe up with a solution, he wanted and wanted, but his thoughts were never formed.

    "Devour."

    A word.

    This word when said was like a form of relief, as if reaffirming that the world continued to spin. It felt like refreshingly cold water entering the body at a near dehydrated state.

    A ck hole formed at his be, two on the palms of his hands, and two recing his amber-gold eyes. Then, he woke.

    He was still in his original location, a shadowy figure loomed over like an ever-present sun, and floating calmly in the air. He looked around only to find that everyone other than himself had vanished. He didn¡¯t know how long his paralysissted or what happened to those people and their dead bodies, but they weren¡¯t important.

    "So you do have it!" A voice echoed through his mind.

    "It?" Yan Zaizen inquisitively muttered.

    "Oh? You can understand Dragon Language?" The voice had a gentle, feminine tone to it. It was powerful, independent, and motherly. The caring in its voice was unmistakable, but Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t believe that caring was born for him. It seemed that tone had been nurtured over countless years, innate and fixed.

    "Dragon Language?" Yan Zaizen frowned. Language, or at least the concept of which, was quite outdated. The transmission of the soul was the main form ofnguage, and that was nearly universal. While one could verbally speak, Yan Zaizen rarely paid attention to verbalnguage, but the soul intent behind it.

    After all, if he were to count the differentnguages innate to races that he hade across, a few hundred with thousands of different dialects was low-balling it.

    "You¡¯re quite something, breaking free from my Origin Dragonic Bind on your own power and then assimting Dragon Might enough to understand thenguage. Well, if we attributed it to ¡¯that,¡¯ then all makes sense." The voiceplimented. However, when talking about ¡¯that,¡¯ there was a hint of fear. It was ever so slight, but Yan Zaizen¡¯s Paragon Soul Realm exemplified being true to yourself, and his ability to sense true intent and emotions were much greater than before.

    This was also why he knew what ¡¯that¡¯ was. It was the ck Hole.

    Deciding to cut right to the point, "What do you want from me?" His tone was fearless and calm. It was as if he wasn¡¯t facing a figure of legend, but an equal.

    "..." A silence thatsted quite long ensued. Despite that silence, Yan Zaizen remained perfectly calm.

    "You remind me so much of them. His disposition and her calmness." The voice sounded quite nostalgic as it seemed to recall distant memories. "What I need from you is simple: To be a father."

    Yan Zaizen mind was lost when he heard her initial words. Them? Him? Her? What did she mean by that? Then, her next words nearly made him choke.

    "...a what?!"

 Chapter 374 Daughter

    Those words caused Yan Zaizen¡¯s mind to somewhat spiral as his imaginative mind tumbled away. Was this All-Immortal Dragon like Yri? He couldn¡¯t help but think that his...manhood...may have some attractive properties.

    When he thought of this a little more, he felt a little terrified. He looked at this massive creature before him and couldn¡¯t help but pale. How would...they?

    Unfortunately, even if he wanted to say no, with her strength, would he have a choice? Yri was the same. If he were weaker, she would¡¯ve long since stripped him clean and ate him up.

    A softughter echoed in his mind. It contained a hint of amusement within.

    Yan Zaizen looked up, as if trying to see its entirety, but all he saw was scales. He calmed his mind down. Regardless of what, he was willing to make any ¡¯sacrifice¡¯ as long as he could fulfill his promise to Pinaka. Readying his heart, he was about to respond when the voice spoke out.

    "You don¡¯t need to fear. I have no intention to force myself on you." As the voice spoke, the surrounding space trembled softly. Yan Zaizen frowned as he felt like he was amid a low-level spatial quake.

    The trembling space extended to the ck scales he could see. Curious, he focused his senses on them. His eyes suddenly shrank in shock as he started. The scales were condensing andpression, bing smaller. The dragon looked like it was copsing in on itself.

    Before he could inquire what was happening, a sequence of events took ce that made him question thews of heaven. This gargantuan existence that exceeded his perception in terms of size had be a ck bundled ball no more than two meters in front of him.

    He didn¡¯t blink, yet it felt like the world no longer made any sense. Thews he understood of space, matter, and races had its limits, so it wasn¡¯t possible or shouldn¡¯t be possible to do something like this.

    It was like transforming a into a pea. What happened to its energy, its mass, or its internal structures and substructures? Even if he wished to execute something like that, the best he could do was manipte thews of space and time to shift perceptions of an object.

    To put it simply, make the sun look like it does from the earth. The sun would still be its size, but it could be no bigger than a baby¡¯s fist to the eye. That¡¯s the best he could do.

    Yet, the object before him had no spatial or temporal fluctuations, and its entire physical existence was settled in front of him.

    Crrrck.

    Suddenly, a sound simr to the snapping of a hard shell resounded. Yan Zaizen looked at this ball and realize there were cracks appearing on its surface.

    ¡¯An egg?¡¯

    Yan Zaizen felt astonished. He looked up. The sky had resumed its gloomy and dusky appearance. ording to his senses, he was still in the Dusk Zone. Then, the All-Immortal Dragon truly was before him. Or, could it be the child she had?

    Yan Zaizen furrowed his brows. Did she want him to care for her child, the child of the Lord of Dragons and herself? Did she want him to be the child¡¯s father? Normally, that would be the most logical assumption based on the circumstances, but Yan Zaizen felt like something was wrong.

    If she wanted him to protect and raise her child, why did she ask him to be a father? Why not ask him to be its caretaker?

    Also, the true question: Why?

    It¡¯s not like he could protect it more than its mother. The strength it had was beyond imagination, so what could he do? Sure he had potential and strength that likely will reach a peak, but wasn¡¯t she already at that peak? Wasn¡¯t the Lord of Dragons already at that peak?

    Crrrck.

    Crrrck.

    Crrrck.

    More cracks formed on the ball-like egg before it finally shattered. The pieces didn¡¯t fall, but they vanished into motes of light that entered the individual within the egg. Yan Zaizen inspected these motes but even after a while, he couldn¡¯t determine anything from them.

    The motes of light gathered onto the figure, revealing the brilliant luminance outline of a humanoid. A jade leg was first revealed.

    This jade leg was wless and had the perfect of skin with the best level of suppleness within. Yan Zaizen found the thickness of this leg alluring. As a man, how could he not? This leg soon led to the revealment of hips, torso, a pair of jade mounds, a soft, glistening neck, and a head.

    Her cheekbones were angr, giving it a strong feminine charm. She had jet ck hair, jet ck eyes, and supple lips that seemed like it could take your soul with a kiss. She seemed no younger than twenty.

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes widened. This woman was beautiful. However, she was also...

    Completely naked.

    The soft body before him waspletely and utterly naked. Yan Zaizen first was shocked, then he instinctively put his hand on his chin, rubbing it softly as his eyes didn¡¯t hesitate to take in the full sights. If she was going to appear before him in this state, what did he need to restrain himself for?

    What was beautiful should be admired, no?

    Not to mention, didn¡¯t she want him to be a father? This was the least she could do then.

    The woman¡¯s eyes flickered, but a motherly smile curled on her lips. She didn¡¯t seem too bothered by Yan Zaizen¡¯s brazen actions. In fact, she didn¡¯t use any form of power to conceal her body, being just as brazen as she bared her body to the world.

    In fact, dragon¡¯s scales were like their skin anyhow. When was she not naked?

    "So, since you¡¯re not going to force me, what do you want, All-Immortal Dragon?" Yan Zaizen realized this woman was unfathomable. He didn¡¯t know how she became a humanoid creature, but since it exceeded his knowledge, why dwell?

    It was best to get to the point. After all, he had to travel to Hell as soon as possible. Every second counted, and he didn¡¯t want to waste a single one.

    The woman opened her mouth, "gwha..."

    "..." Yan Zaizen started. It sounded like she was choking her a bone.

    The woman revealed an odd expression. She tried to speak a few more times, but each sound came off more disgusting and incoherent than the other. A hint of frustration appeared in her eyes.

    She extended her right jade arm. She formed a de with her palm before decisively stabbing it into her throat. A vicious gush of blood and skin burst out in gore-filled fashion. Yan Zaizen truly jumped at this sight.

    The hand that pierced into her throat transformed into a grab as she held onto something within her throat. With eyes as serene as a monk, she yanked viciously.

    A humanoid¡¯srynx, or voice box, was pulled out in itsplete state, flesh, blood, and muscles. Her current appearance became drenched in blood as her throat leaked nonstop, missing arge portion of her throat.

    After calmly analyzing this voice box, she softly squeezed. The voice box became a ball of flesh within her hands. Then, she stuffed that ball of flesh back into her throat and patted it softly.

    Yan Zaizen had seen healing and was someone who understood thew of physical rebirth, but this truly exceeded his understanding. That ball of flesh wiggled before returning to normal instantly. The only difference was a jet ck mark at where an adam¡¯s apple would be. It was like a tattoo or a runic mark.

    The blood was still on her body, making her naked form seem gruesome as she looked like Bloody Mary from the mortal stories.

    "I...he...this...good." The woman spoke, obviously taking time to adjust. However, Yan Zaizen realized she was using dragonnguage in her speech. Was a human¡¯s physiologicalrynx incapable of articting dragonnguage?

    As if to answer his question, "A humanoid form truly is too inadequate at times, requiring slight modifications." Her voice was filled with a hint of disdain for humans.

    However, Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t find anything wrong with that. She was the byproduct of the All-Father Dragon and a Yaoguai, a physical manifestation of heaven, how could she not be disdainful?

    That being said, Yan Zaizen praised at how well she adjusted.

    "All-Immortal Dragon, tell me, what do you really want from me?" He asked again, not allowing that gore-filled scene or her bloody appearance to affect his state of mind.

    "You keep calling me that. I think you¡¯re under the wrong assumption." The woman spoke with a hint of yfulness.

    What assumption was wrong? Wasn¡¯t that her name? Or...did she want him to call her by a different name?

    Shaking her head, "Calling me by my Mother¡¯s name truly is rude, no? Do I look that old?"

    What?! Mother?!

    Wait...what?!

 Chapter 375 Saphira & Fate

    "You¡¯re not the All-Immortal Dragon, but her...daughter?" Yan Zaizen had been running off the assumption that the All-Immortal Dragon was the target of the Ruin Emperor and others. Supposedly, this was something that Celestial Seers deduced. They were seen as nearly all-knowing existences.

    Yri was absolutely confident of this, but now that he thought about it, the Seers were wrong or sometimes incorrect yet not. For example, the Soul Source Path¡¯s direction and difficulty. They were right in that it was a path, from Divine to Immortal, but he was also living proof that they were not.

    It seemed they could only glimpse into the workings of some things and not others, at least not urately.

    "No. I¡¯m ¡¯an¡¯ All-Immortal Dragon, but that¡¯s our Race, not us individually. In much the same way that you¡¯re a Lycah, but other Lycahs aren¡¯t you. I won¡¯t call you Lycah, only the first of your kind." The woman exined patiently. It seemed this misunderstanding made her a little frustrated as she curled her lips. A trace of crimson blood seemed to follow and drip down.

    Yan Zaizen wasn¡¯t shocked that she knew his race, but he was shocked that the All-Immortal Dragon was a race, not an individual.

    "Doesn¡¯t that mean you and your mother isn¡¯t the only of your kind?" Yan Zaizen understood there were a few preconditions for a species to give birth to a race of individuals. The most important was that there had to be a male and female in the race. Otherwise, it would just be called a mutation.

    The lycahs wouldn¡¯t call a green-colored skinned full-blood baby a new race. That would be ridiculous.

    The woman revealed a light ofpliment in her eyes, "Yes. I am my mother¡¯s youngest, with eight other siblings. However..." that light swiftly shifted to one of sadness and pain. It wasn¡¯t concealed but clearly revealed, despite her bloody appearance and nakedness, Yan Zaizen felt a sudden urge to hug and console a delicate flower.

    That thought went out the window as quickly as it came. If he did that, who knew if this woman would p him to death.

    A silence permeated the air. This air was filled with a sense of tragedy. Yan Zaizen lightly coughed, attempting to break this atmosphere. Only then did the woman snap out of her thoughts and regained her smiling demeanor.

    "My name¡¯s Saphira All-Central." She finally introduced herself.

    ¡¯All-Central? Interesting name.¡¯ Yan Zaizen thought quietly. He knew there had to be a deeper meaning within her name, but now, he felt it was best to leave such deep, intimate questions forter.

    "Yan Zaizen," he also introduced himself.

    "Oh? Yan? Zen?" Saphira revealed a look of shock. This was the first time Yan Zaizen had seen this expression and was even more shocked by what caused it. He knew that by humanoid standard, especially Lycahs, they had a unique naming sense.

    For Lycahs, they would often use a format of: Ancestral Name -> True Name + Family Name.

    Ancestral meant their families name in general. For example, Ya and Yan was meant for their overall bloodline. As for True Name, it¡¯s the name unique to them. Yan Zaizen¡¯s family and Pinaka often called him Zai or Zai¡¯er. Family name meant the branch of their bloodlines.

    Yan Zaizen meant he was from the Yan n and the Zen Branch. It allowed a greater sense to determine a person¡¯s origin and status.

    "Haha!" She started tough softly. It sounded like the hymn of water dragons, smooth and refreshing. "Fate is such an interesting thing. To think you¡¯re ¡¯his¡¯ descendant, incredible is the workings of fate. Not even the heavens can control it."

    "His? Are you talking about my Ancestor?" Yan Zaizen knew that his Ancestor likely left the Mimicry Regalia of the Heavens; after all, he had his bloodline and thereby can cultivate in it. Otherwise, even glimpsing into thew of mimicry was like seeing the Law of Nothing - IMPOSSIBLE.

    "Yes, your Ancestor, " Saphiraughingly stated. "Do you know who your Ancestor is?"

    Yan Zaizen felt a throb in his heart. He didn¡¯t. The n was small, nearly insignificant and small, located in a small Xiantu Realm. How could it be extraordinary? How could the All-Immortal Dragon¡¯s daughter know of his ancestor?

    In fact, Yan Zaizen wasn¡¯t even sure of his name, but he knew some clues. However, none of it was or could actually verified.

    After all, the Yan Bloodline was rted to the Heavenly Law of Mimicry. Aw so profound that it defied the heavens. Truthfully, he suspected that it was thew of heaven as it didn¡¯t have an Avatar before. However, he had gained a little control over the Law of Heaven and therefore knew that wasn¡¯t the case. At least, it wasn¡¯t that type ofw of heaven.

    "You came from the Thirty-Three Heavens, the ultimate expression of the Law of Mimicry." She smiled, but her smile contained a hint of mocking and disdain.

    "What?!" Yan Zaizen mind was blown. "What...what do you mean?" He didn¡¯t know why his heart was beating faster by the minute. It was as if her words would answer a long-time question of his: What is the Thirty-Three Heavens?

    Unfortunately, she didn¡¯t continue. Her eyes stared at Yan Zaizen. Those deep, jet ck eyes seemed unfathomable. She only said in a very solemn voice, "Your fate is trying to shift..."

    Those eyes contained an iparable seriousness. Even her teeth clenched as she showed her canine teeth. They were sharp. Actually, they could be called dragon teeth. It seemed habits of her dragon form couldn¡¯t be removed as her throat growled slightly. She almost looked like a ravenous dragon ready to attack.

    Yan Zaizen was startled.

    Was his fate changing? What did that mean? Just as he was about to demand an answer, his brain became a rumbling tornado of thoughts and conflicting actions, his body convulsed as he clutched at his heart and head.

    "Garhhh! W-why..." His entire body started to experience an acute sense of pain. It was like a quintillion needles jabbing and twisting in his nerves. It was excruciating. His senses sweep his body only to find nothing out of ce or happening. Even his soul was calm, but his body continued to experience pain randomly.

    A light of realization emerged in her eyes as she softly muttered, "I see...you can¡¯t learn this from me. Haha, interesting." She didn¡¯t seem too bothered by Yan Zaizen¡¯s pain. In fact, she just calmly waited for a while analyzing his body and casuallymented, "To think, Ancestor of the False King, beloved by a universe, created from those two, and you even have ¡¯it¡¯. urung didn¡¯t lie to me!"

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s pain didn¡¯t subside. In fact, just from hearing her words his body was experiencing a mode of flight or fight. His eyes widened, and his heavenly might exploded. A surge of paragon soul force emerged, surging like an endless tornado protectively around his body.

    An amber-gold light highlighted the outline of his body. A powerful, unyieldingly tyrannical dao energy circted rapidly.

    Red lines, crimson and bloody, emerged in his eyes as if strained to its absolute limit. His brain, his physical brain, was literally screaming to its utmost. It told him one thing: Do something!

    This something was vague but he knew it was run away or fight to the death. It was as if not doing so would lead to his immediate demise.

    A manifestation of a golden sphere appeared behind him. It was a Heavenly Manifestation, one that was too familiar to him. It was the actual Law of Heaven avatar, including all Mortal and World Laws.

    Sephira¡¯s eyes brightened, "Yan! Zen! Fascinating, not only did you do it, you even inseminated your bloodline with the key! The celestials will definitely do everything to obtain it...and everyone else will...haha, haha, fate! Truly fate! A river of blood and gold, trial of three lives, and the savior of the Dragon Race!!" Her voice became faintly hysterical, spouting off various things. It was uncharacteristic to her maternal and gentle voice earlier.

    "Argh!!!" Yan Zaizen felt his body was tottering, feeling as if it was going to explode. He tried to plug his ears, but dragonnguage was unique and directly entered his soul through a special frequency.

    "Why are you doing this?!" He didn¡¯t know why listening to this would shift his fate and why it would cause him to feel like death was a breath away. However, he wouldn¡¯t back down. Even if his body wanted him to run or fight, it was his choice, his will, and he would never allow something or someone dictate his actions. Even the Non-Verse only gave him helpful hints, and he could choose to act on it or not.

    "Haha, fine. I won¡¯t say anything about those matters again. I swear the Oath of Kasi." Her words were said carelessly, even had a little dissatisfaction in it. However, those words were like literal magic as Yan Zaizen felt immediate relief.

    His body went from 0 to a 100 and then back to 0 incredibly quick. He bent his waist, his breathing heavy, and his mind circting endlessly.

    He imprinted her every word to his heart. Luckily, he wasn¡¯t stupid enough to ask more.

    "Since that¡¯s the case, I¡¯ll get to the point. I need you to send separate a portion of your soul, cleanse it of all traces, and enter it into this." She extended her jade-like hand and flipped her palm. An egg appeared within.

 Chapter 376 Nine Immemorial Paths

    Yan Zaizen looked at the egg. It was jet ck, oval, and the size of a baseball. It had a hard-scaled shell that seemed like a dragon¡¯s with creases forming hexagonal shapes. The shocking thing was that it had no soul fluctuation or life force. It was a dead egg.

    "This is...?" Curiosity overwhelmed his previous pain and exhaustion. His heavenly, soul, and dao energy receded back into his body, allowing him to regain his original appearance outside of a little paleness.

    "This is my daughter; this is your daughter." Her words were matter-of-fact.

    "...my daughter?" Frowning, Yan Zaizen felt a headache. He was slightly looking forward to a physical rtionship when he saw Saphira transform into a human, after all - he was a male. Even if Pinaka upied his heart, that didn¡¯t mean he didn¡¯t have thoughts of others. In fact, he would dream of the day he imed a body for her and the things he would do.

    ¡¯Hehe.¡¯

    His mind wandered slightly as he refocused, "it¡¯s a dead egg?" Even if he ced a portion of his soul, cleansed or not, it would still be a dead egg. Instilling lifeforce into it wouldn¡¯t change much.

    The lifeforce that a newborn child requires is far from standard lifeforce. It is an intermixing of soul, life, yin and yang, blood, bone, flesh, growth, decay, the five elements, lightning, and various otherws to produce something called a Natal Force. A unique lifeforce produced by mothers, bestowed upon their child during childbirth. It¡¯s why giving birth to a new body was iparably difficult.

    Even Yri couldn¡¯t avoid this. Her fresh body was likely a clone of herself, which meant, by all purposes, she gave birth to herself. If not, the alignment of the body and its growth would be iplete and hellish, inducing all sorts of soul, life, yin-yang, or the other myriadws mutations.

    This was how mutants were created.

    Saphira seemed to see through Yan Zaizen¡¯s thoughts as she asked, "Have you found something odd about my demeanor? My disposition, my voice, or aura?"

    Yan Zaizen immediately inspected her again to realize that she had a very maternal disposition. He had noticed it before, and it was why he thought she was the All-Immortal Dragon. A being who he thought carried a child to term for tens of billions of years, constantly nourishing it and thereby changing on a fundamental level.

    "You¡¯ve been nourishing Natal Force?" Yan Zaizen inquired. To nourish Natal Force in herself, long enough to change her aura and disposition, Yan Zaizen couldn¡¯t help but feel some praise in his heart. It was like having a mental parasite constantly influencing who you were and your actions. You would act like a mother even though you weren¡¯t with child by instinct alone.

    If she did, it made sense why she was deemed by a Seer to be in a weakened state. All her energy would be devoted and imbued within that Natal Force, causing a severe deficiency of her own strength.

    Saphira replied with a slight nod. She had indeed nourish Natal Force and not just any normal type, but one that could give life to a dragon. Unfortunately, a dragon, especially an All-Immortal Dragon, was different. It was exceptionally difficult to give birth.

    That¡¯s notpletely true. It was difficult to give birth for second generation All-Immortal Dragons. They were abination of a Yaoguai, All-Father Dragon, Lord of Dragons, and another existence. Their mother didn¡¯t have the Lord of Dragons or the other existence inherent in their bodies.

    "The All-Immortal Dragon¡¯s are a wed race with arge hindrance to their development. If we weren¡¯t in the Third Heavenly Origin Grounds, perhaps this could¡¯ve been corrected. Unfortunately, we are, and therefore, we can¡¯t give birth to new souls." Saphira exined.

    ¡¯A wed race?¡¯ Yan Zaizen mused at the true meaning behind it and why the Heavenly Origin Grounds was the cause. He felt that there was a huge piece missing in the puzzle. As he pondered, he couldn¡¯t help but think why they didn¡¯t just leave the Third Heavenly Origin Grounds. Wouldn¡¯t that be easier?

    "The Third Heavenly Origin Grounds is a prison. There are reasons, but I¡¯m sure I can¡¯t tell you why without shifting your fate and...causing you to experience ¡¯that¡¯ again. Unless you..." Saphira said, a teasing curl formed at her lips.

    "No, no! I¡¯m fine. I¡¯ll find out one day." Yan Zaizen felt his forehead grow wet with sweat. He may not like his fate being decided, but he much rather not deal with that experience again.

    "Now you¡¯re learning. With due time, as long as you survive your...uing challenges, you¡¯ll find out all." Her words alluded to greater hands at work, and even to a challenge. Yan Zaizen knew she referred to the Three Trials she mentioned earlier, but as she swore an oath not to go into more detail, he remained silent.

    However, the thought couldn¡¯t help but emerge, "Why do I have to face three trials? Are they predestined or generalized? Did a Seer once say this?" These thoughts confused him, but he still knew better than to ask.

    "Why my soul?" Finally, he decided to ask this. His soul had too many unique aspects about it, and he wanted to know why him specifically.

    "You¡¯ve established your Demi-Mortal Soul, the only person in the entire Third Heavenly Origin Grounds. Only a Demi-Mortal Soul can separate a portion of their Soul Source and give birth to a new soul, without ws. I emphasize: ¡¯without ws.¡¯" Exining curtly, Saphira seemed to be somewhat distracted as she looked to her left. Yan Zaizen subconsciously looked there and saw or sensed nothing.

    "This Demi-Mortal Soul, is it my Paragon Soul Realm?" He inquired.

    Saphira nodded, somewhat absentmindedly. "The Soul Source Path is one of the Nine Immemorial Paths, it involves developing a Mortal Soul to its peak, then developing a Demi-Mortal Soul, transitioning to a Demigod Soul to aplete Soul of God." She exined. That being said, as a Yaoguai with a Celestial Bloodline, she couldn¡¯t cultivate this path.

    "Nine Immemorial Paths?" He frowned. This was the first time he had ever heard of this.

    "You know of some, Fiendgod, Essence(Energy), Soul Source, Infernal, Heavenly, Celestial..." she didn¡¯t continue. She looked away from her left to Yan Zaizen and frowned slightly. Sighing, she shook her head. "You truly have too many restrictions on what you can and can not know, it¡¯s somewhat ridiculous." Her frustration was evident, but Yan Zaizen was also frustrated and more so than her.

    He wanted to know, but for some reason, something felt that if he knew ahead of when he should, he would die without a doubt. He didn¡¯t understand the reasoning, but he did feel that it had good intentions, or at least, its intent is to keep him alive. To him, that¡¯s good intent.

    "Your ¡¯Paragon¡¯ Soul Realm is just your Demi-Mortal Soul. By severing a portion of your Soul Source and cleansing it, with my Natal Force, we can give birth to my daughter, your daughter, aplete and whole child without ws. It¡¯ll cost you something to do so, but it won¡¯t be toosting."

    Yan Zaizen calmed himself down and stared directly at Saphira. "Then, I want to ask, why would I agree?"

 Chapter 377 Accepted

    Indeed, why would he help? He was by no means a saint willing to give up a portion of his soul, be afflicted with whatever consequences that may be, ande out with it with no gains. In fact, this could sabotage his chances going to Hell. Even if he gained a daughter, he already had too manyplicated rtionships and things on his te to worry over.

    Yan Linzen was created by using his DNA and more, pretty much making her a part-clone, part-daughter, and part-sister of himself. Pinaka was a spirit body, an artificial lifeform gained sentience thatcked fundamental traits of a real woman, and he owed Yri...

    Saphira calmly looked into his eyes, her gaze revealed a certainty to it, as if knowing that Yan Zaizen will agree no matter what. "You will experience many trials and tribtions in your life, but the most important, most defining will all ur in a short span from each other. I would say more if I could, but your fate will definitely shift, and I¡¯ll be breaking my oath. Therefore, I¡¯ll simply tell you this: You will fail in the end."

    What?!

    Yan Zaizen paused. He would fail? What did that mean? Was it destiny, fate, or whatever? However, while he thought this, his eyes flickered with radiant traces of amber-gold light. An unyielding light surged within, unwilling to relent to any form of destiny or fate, and the desire to control his own choices.

    Saphira shook her head, "It¡¯s not that you will fail because of fate, but because youck the appropriate tools to seed from the beginning. I will say this, a path of choice, blood, and promise awaits you. I can not guarantee whether you will seed in either one of these, but I can give you an item to ensure your sess in the third and final path."

    Yan Zaizen deeply frowned. A path of choice, a path of blood, and a path of promise? He recalled her previous words...three trials. Did she mean he¡¯ll have a trial of choice, blood, and promise? What did it mean to fail those trials, and why did he have to go through them?

    "Of course, you can decline. I will not stop you, I will not force you. As an All-Immortal Dragon, I disdain to do such things. The choice is yours and only yours." Saphira¡¯s voice echoed in his ears, and he felt somewhat lightheaded.

    In his life, he had always ced emphasis on choices and how they defined destiny and fate. It was these free will-induced choices that allowed all living existences to control the direction they traveled or the end of their path. He has met many enemies and acquaintances in his life and given them choices. To think that one day, he would be faced with something simr.

    Two choices: To ept or To Decline.

    He closed his eyes. A throbbing in the depths of his heart echoed endlessly, and his mind attempted to connect to the Non-Verse¡¯s prophetic instinct. This was the first time he was actively trying to seek out the help of a universe. However, he received no response. The universe was as silent as it was when he cultivated the heavens.

    It seemed he was truly alone in this.

    He wished Pinaka was here, directly beside him to offer him some words. The consequences of taking this were harsh, and the responsibility will definitely be substantially heavy, but if something could help him survive in the future, would she say yes? Or, would she say no? Could he trust this All-Immortal Dragon? There was a lot she knew about him, and very little he knew about her.

    There was no instinctual feeling determining whether he should trust this person or not. He calmed down, focused his thoughts, and tried to figure out what was important to him. While the consequences of losing a portion of his soul, forging the life of a Dragon Race, and epting was unknown, it would definitely not be small.

    But what if he refused? What if he can¡¯t handle whates next? What if...if it...what if he...

    Suddenly, a figure emerged in his mind. It was a man in a white, simple robe, with clean white hair and a white beard. His aura wasmon but ethereal like the ever-present wind. He stood there like a gentle senior, guiding all those who meet him on their paths but never forcefully. He would give them a choice, this way or that way. Whatever they chose, he would wish them the greatest of fortune.

    "I¡¯ll exin this, but after... be sure to remember that having faith is not a w of the mind, but the strength of the heart." - Words of Eloah(Chapter 267, Earth - 2).

    Those words resounded like a thunderbolt to the mind. Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes abruptly opened, flickering within was a strong determination. An unyielding faith..

    "From now on, my path is the path I choose." Recalling those words of his he had left behind on that day, Yan Zaizen realized the meaning of Eloah¡¯s words. Choices were a determinant of fate and free will, it embodied the essence of yourself and your future, including your past, and only existed in the present. Faith in your choices is not a w, but a strength.

    "Fine, I ept. However, I¡¯ll only do it under two conditions," Yan Zaizen decided to flip the script. Saphira was somewhat shocked. Didn¡¯t she just say she was willing to help him seed hisst trial, what more did he need? If he didn¡¯t trust her, he could simply decline. However, she waited patiently, curious about what he would say.

    If he asked to help with all of his trials, she would have to decisively reject. If she interfered more than what fate allowed, it would alter his path and hers.

    "First, I¡¯ll only do it after I finished my goal. That will take no more than a hundred years!" His goal of saving Pinaka was always at the forefront. The reason he felt indecisive had to be because of her. If he segregated a portion of his Soul Source at this moment, who knew if he could aplish his task?

    Saphira frowned. That condition was too much. He will definitely fail without her help, so how could she agree? If she did, wouldn¡¯t the entire purpose be rendered moot? She was about to firmly shake her head in refusal as there were reasons why that wouldn¡¯t work, but Yan Zaizen continued.

    "Second, I¡¯ll take your Natal Force and the egg with me, and I¡¯ll raise my daughter! If you wish to see her, then you cane with me, but if this ce really is a prison, then I¡¯ll shatter this prison. The moment I¡¯m done with what needs to be done, I¡¯ll instill the Natal Force and my Soul Source into her." Yan Zaizen coldly stated. He had no intention of leaving a child without a father, and he had no idea whether this woman would up and disappear.

    That being said, even if her words were false, even if there was a nearly infinitely low percentage of a chance that she¡¯s right and he will fail, and if that meant his death, wouldn¡¯t Yan Linzen be raised with a father, mother, or even a brother? Wouldn¡¯t Pinaka, who had the utmost faith in him, be left in despair within literal Hell?

    How could he not agree?!?!

    Stunned speechless by his words, Saphira couldn¡¯t help but give Yan Zaizen an incredibly deep look. His deration, if heard by others, would definitely be taken as a joke. However, this caused her words to tremble with significant waves of raw emotion.

    "You¡¯re really willing...to shatter this prison?" She asked, her tone was fragile and delicate, as if hope had just emerged within her heart. A weakness seemed to emerge in her eyes as she gently rubbed her belly, a glimmer of wetness sprinkled her gaze.

    Yan Zaizen firmly nodded, "I lost my parents when I was young and I know how it feels to be raised without parents. I never want anyone associated with me, especially what could be considered aplicated parent-child rtionship, to be subjected to that experience. I will give this child a proper upbringing and a mother. Its rightful mother, you, so of course I won¡¯t allow you to be imprisoned."

    Yan Linzen was tooplicated to even factor in what she was, so Pinaka could easily take her as a daughter. This egg, however, was lessplicated. It may have been borne by two beings, but she was asking for this lifeform to possess a literal portion of his soul. This made her his child by all means, and he will raise it with the love of a parent, just like he would Yan Linzen.

    However, Saphira seemed unconcerned by his deration to take responsibility, but seemed fixated on his words...she repeated, "You¡¯re willing to shatter this prison, for a child...just to have two parents? Do you know the difficulty in this?"

    Yan Zaizen shook his head. He didn¡¯t know. How could he? However, even if the Heavens, Gods, Immortals, Devils, and Immortals stood in his path to aplishing a god, they would all be swept away!

    "So, what do you say?" Yan Zaizen solemnly asked.

    "YES!" Saphira jumped, her naked twin peaks sloshing about in happiness as her eyes glimmered with bright light. Her beauty at this moment was breathtaking to behold. "Yes, yes, yes! Agreed! Yes!"

 Chapter 378 Akane 1

    In the Third Heavenly Origin Grounds, there were one hundred and eight zones and thirty-three regions. To each of these regions were three to four zones.

    They were filled with a myriad of different races,plicated structures both politically and physically, and had unique environments. The strength of a particrw determined these unique environments.

    Meadow Zone, Eighth Region.

    A world filled with lush nt life and vibrant wildlife, wildlife often unseen by other regions. The smell of morning dew permeated the air yearly, ever present and pleasing to enjoy. The trees were big, strong, and healthy. They swayed with the wind, following a harmonic rhythm of the grass, the flowers, and life itself.

    The various scents from flora and fauna would leave one thinking this ce was a heavenly garden.

    In a way, it was. This was especially so to its inhabitants.

    There wererge patches of grasnd that were used as a foundation for homes, businesses, and other buildings. However, within those ces, the flowers and grass was still then floor beneath their feet.

    There was a particr vige, a small one, in one of these meadows foundations. It was early morning, the sun had just risen and revealed itself to the world, and there was activity beginning within.

    Outside the border of this vige, a sh of silver light appeared, flickering erratically. This silver light was norger than a palm. Atop a pond, a beautifully graceful azure lotus floated peacefully with its petals sprayed freely about as it drifted.

    The silver light hadnded on this lotus.

    "Sis! Sis! Lookit here!" A youthful voice filled with immaturity resounded. A male child, no more than four years old, walked towards the small pond. His eyes were shining brilliantly with a hint of pure innocence and excitement.

    He had violet hair, bright orange eyes, and a pair of feline ears. Those bright orange eyes were also that of a feline, a diamond as pupils, and the irises were resplendent and suffused curious innateness. Behind his back was a small tail, it flicked about excitedly.

    He had caught sight of the flickering silver light and couldn¡¯t help but dash towards it with his stubby, developing legs. It was incredibly cute as he hopped about while fervently pointing at the lotus.

    "Look! Look! Sis! Look!" His excitement was infectious. A peal of gentleughter resounded in the surroundings. It sounded like the song of doves, the hymn of gods, peaceful and free.

    "Coming, I¡¯ming," a soft melodious voice spoke. A young girl about fourteen in appearance walked towards the boy. Her Yutaka-styled dress seemed to be structured from flowers of myriad colors, establishing an elegant ensemble that made her perfectly attuned to her surroundings.

    She was a young beauty who gave one an impression that when she grew older, she would be nation-toppling and world-ending beauty. Behind her back was nine small tails, they smacked about without any order, but its charm would make one unable to look away.

    Her waist-length violet hair with one thick, long bang that acted independently from her other hairs, dangling in front of her left eye and swayed about. Her orange feline eyes held more maturity to it, but also a soft, gentle will within.

    "Come, lookit! Look at that!" The boy tried to reach out impatiently, but his legs seemed to have failed him.

    "Oooaa! Oooaaah!!" He exerted some effort before his body leaned too far forward and tipped the scales of fate, forcing him to plummet towards the pond.

    Ssh!

    "Akio!" The young woman called out urgently. Her footsteps hastened as she arrived at the pond in a hurry. "Akio! Akio!"

    "Gasp!" A small head emerged from the pond, drenched and smiling. A toothy smile and a triumphant expression surfaced along with him. "I got it!" He held the lotus in his palm preciously as he floated in the pond. A passionate and curious light effused from his eyes, "what is that?"

    "Are you alright?!" The young girl panickedly approached the pond, looking ready to jump in at a moments notice forgoing her clothes and safety.

    "I¡¯m fine, sis!" The boy absentmindedly replied, as if he had to say those words quite often in his short life. He lifted up the lotus and swam towards his sister. Lifting it to his sister¡¯s face, he asked with intense curiosity, "Sis, what is it?"

    She didn¡¯t seem to care much about the lotus as her eyes surveyed Akio intensely ensuring nothing was out of ce. "Come out and dry yourself before you catch a cold."

    "Okay..." Akio softly replied. He got out, but his eyes were focused on the inside of the lotus.

    "Akane!" An elderly voice sounded behind them. Akane turned to see an old man who wobbled forward with a cane. He seemed to being in quite a rush.

    Akane smiled gently, "I¡¯m here, Elder Hiroji." Her call-out immediately elicited a sigh of relief.

    The old man arrived next to her after some time; he had a wary expression. "You can¡¯t just be traveling outside the Border so carelessly. There¡¯s no patrols this far out."

    "I¡¯m sorry if I had you worried. I just wanted to let Akio see the outside world a little. Forgive me for my impulsiveness," she bowed softly, apologizing directly.

    Hiroji could only sigh once more. He wiped the sweat off his brow and calmly chuckled, "It¡¯s fine. It is good to have some impulsiveness in your youth."

    "Sis! Sis!" Akio rushed up to Akane, his clothes still drenched. He gave an awkward greeting to Hiroji and ignored him soon after. "Look."

    Akane was about to scold Akio for his rudeness when he eyes caught sight to the color silver. She seemed to be drawn by its shine. Even Hiroji nced towards the lotus and seemed enraptured by what he saw.

    A silver object, norger than a fist, smoother than jade, and inscribed with various patterns that followed along some profound esotericws.

    Akane couldn¡¯t help but reach out. When her hand touched the surface, she couldn¡¯t help but caress it with her dainty fingers.

    "Sis, what is it?" Akio asked incessantly.

    "I..." unsure of how to answer, she picked it up and inspected it. The eyes of all were glued to it. She touched the small part that seemed to be protruding from it. Instinctually, she pressed lightly on that part.

    Pop!

    They gasped.

    "A..pass?" Hiroji assumed. However, it was different than a standardpass, having three directional arrows pointing in six of the eight cardinal directions,cking east to west.

    "What¡¯s apass?" Akio asked curiously. He had never heard of what this was, so his child-filled curiosity was piqued to a peak.

    "..." Akane was silent for a while and only her brother¡¯s light touch awoke her from her reverie. She smiled softly, "it¡¯s a tool used to find your way home." Apass was not what she expected to find, but it fascinated her to no end.

    "Home? It can do that? How?!" He was already jumping at his sister¡¯s words, unwilling to leave the subject until this new found discovery was deeply embedded into his memory. Akane and Akio wasn¡¯t the only one fascinated, even Hiroji was drawn to this, but his eyes contained a worried light, ncing about to see anything out there.

    "We...should return," Hiroji suggested. He didn¡¯t particrly liked being outside the vige¡¯s border. As an old man, it could be understood, but there was also unknown danger out there he rather avoid.

    "Yes, Elder Hiroji. I¡¯ll exin it to your on the way back, okay?" Akane said before grabbing Akio¡¯s wet hand and bringing him away. Akio was a little dissatisfied that they were leaving, but he knew not to argue with his sister, so he relented and let her guide him back.

    Hiroji sighed, inwardly happy that the situation didn¡¯t require more convincing. He happily carried his tired and old body back to the safety of home.

    In a shadow, not too far away from the three, a pair of eyes floated within. These eyes were pitch ck, but even still, it contrasted heavily to the shadowy background. As long as one paid attention, they would spot those terrifyingly cold and observant eyes.

    "We finally found them!" A ill-filled voice resounded softly. A cold chuckle and a swishing sound was all that urred before the eyes in the shadows vanished.

 Chapter 379 Akane 2

    "Such a peculiarpass," Akane quietly muttered. She was in a house built from trees, many structures usually seen in a home was seen here but fashioned in flower stems, wood bark, or beast hides. She sat neatly on a wooden chair, staring intently at the silverpass.

    Her dainty fingers caressed it slowly. As she did, she would swear that the area her fingers crossed lost its focus temporarily as if the space it upied was slightly distorted. She frowned, "Thispass is mysterious."

    As she studied thepass, a soft series of knocks drew her attention. She hastily ced thepass in her pocket and took a deep breath. A creak sounded as a figure opened her door and entered.

    A voice filled with youthful vigor and strength sounded, "Akane, Elder Eiji is asking for you." The voice belonged to a handsome man, feminine in nature, with a slim physique and dressed in a blue yutaka. His eyes was suffused with curiosity as he brazenly looked within the house.

    A soft set of footsteps followed, revealing Akane¡¯s lithe and beautiful figure with nine tails frolicking about behind her. She bowed slightly, respectfully replying, "Thank you for the notice, Young Master Eiji." Her voice was polite, and no one could find any ws with her words.

    However, the young man pouted his lips as his eyes scanned her body rampantly. He only took one more look and nodded, "You should go."

    "I don¡¯t wish to inconvenience the Elder, so I will immediately go." She responded before walking towards the door. Her footsteps had to halt as a figure stood in her path of the door.

    Eiji stood firmly at the door, looking at her from head to toe, blocking her path and contradicting his earlier words. Suddenly saying, "Have you decided?"

    Akane trembled lightly, but her eyes flickered a decisive light. "Young Master, I have given you an answer before. It has not changed." Her tone was tingling with a hint of a chill.

    He coldly snorted and directly left.

    Akane shook her head slightly. Life indeed was a little bothersome at times. She strode out of her house. As she walked towards the Elders¡¯ hall, she was met with the sight of her people. They had tails ranging from two to five, the kids all had one tail, and their hairs were like the myriad colors of the rainbow. Only after a certain age would the kids grow more.

    "Greetings, Akane!" One cheerful greeting after another was echoed. She replied patiently to each one with the utmost respect, and warm smiles were the replies she received. A young girl with blue hair and feline ears appeared beside her with a giggling appearance.

    "Big Sis, is Young Master still bothering you? He huffed and puffed like he was constipat-"

    "Tsumi!" Akane interrupted with a light scolding. The girl covered her lips, but her eyes were stillughing. Akane didn¡¯t know whether she shouldugh or cry at this little girl¡¯s brazenness. She softly tousled her hair and lovingly said, "I have to go see the Elder. I¡¯ll y with youter."

    "Promise?"

    Akane smiled, "Promise."

    "Remember, you promised!" She ran off, her small legs taking her off like the wind.

    "That girl is quite a handful," a hard-working, middle-aged manughinglymented as he hefted a bag filled with seeds. "See you at the festival!"

    Akane warily smiled and continued on her way.

    It wasn¡¯t long before she arrived at the Elders¡¯ Hall. It was a gigantic tree with a hollowed inside. There was no door and the ntlife wildly grown indoors, freely but without a hint of weeds around.

    It had a grand and natural feeling that left one feeling awed and at peace. Akane slowly walked in to see two older men inside. One of which was Elder Hiroji, and the other was a man with a firm gaze, straight back, and his hands sped behind his back. Unlike the others, he seemed somewhat battle-hardened and wizened to worldly difficulties.

    He had indigo hair and ears, dressed in a Yutaka with fox-tail designs. Behind him flickered six tails that went left and right without a particr rhythm.

    "Akane, I heard from Elder Hiroji that you and Akio left the Bordered Grounds and went out?" He looked fierce, despite not revealing an angry appearance.

    Akane bowed her head slightly, "Yes, Elder Neji. I wanted Akio to see a little more about our world. I ask for forgiveness for my dangerous and youthful desires."

    Elder Neji¡¯s brow twitched. How could he bear to punish her when she directly apologized in such a manner, not shying away from the truth, and her reasoning was ordinary and filled with good intentions. He sighed softly, his gaze softening as a result.

    "It¡¯s fine. It¡¯s good to have the desire to explore and broaden the view of your siblings, but do take some guards if you wish to retake such actions. Okay?" He helplessly said.

    "Akane understands and will follow Elder¡¯s suggestion."

    Elder Hiroji smiled, "Let¡¯s move on now that that is dealt with. The festival is soon. Have you made preparations? Chosen a partner?"

    Akane¡¯s eyes flickered but she only softly shook her head, "I¡¯ve made all preparations, but I haven¡¯t decided on my partner. Please forgive me. I hope I can-"

    Elder Eiji interrupted, "I know what you want to say, but the n Lord will not like it."

    Elder Hirojiughed as his old bones seemed to creak, "who cares what that brat has to say? Akane, you¡¯re free to do as you please. I¡¯ll take responsibility."

    "You..." Elder Neji was in disbelief. When did Hiroji suddenly be so kind-hearted and brave?

    Akane¡¯s eyes brightened, and she heavily bowed, "Thank you, Elders."

    "Hm?" Elder Neji didn¡¯t know if he should cry at this situation. What did you need to thank him for? He shook his head, decidedly choosing to be mute at this moment. However, both Hiroji and Akane knew that he agreed with this arrangement.

    "Prepare for the festival thoroughly. Nothing must be out of ce." Elder Hiroji swatted his hand as he sent her out. His smile was endless and filled with warmth.

    When she left, Elder Eiji found his words, "This will cause some issues...you know?"

    Laughing carelessly, Elder Hiroji responded, "We have such a limited time in this world, why bother being so careful? We should help the younger generation a few times withstand the wind and rain a little, no?"

    "Haha, I guess you¡¯re right. To think you sound braver than me. How things change." However, Elder Eiji looked at the door.

    ¡¯She¡¯s our n¡¯s future...so doing this is fine, but...why do I feel uneasy?¡¯

    -----

    Hundreds of thousands of kilometers away, a castle that floated in the sky existed. It was pitch-ck and filled with an essence of darkness. In fact, if one looked at it, it seemed insubstantial and two-dimensional like a shadow produced by the rays of the sun.

    The castle was tens of thousands of meters high and within the castle was a grand hall. It had decorations and various furniture, but most notable was a round table that seemed made from pure white jade. No windows existed here and not a shred of light poured in from any location. But the white jade table was a sharp contrast from the ck decor, flickering with traces of white light.

    A group of eighteen men, addressed in full-body ck armor, wielding various forms of mortal weapons, sat at this table. They drank wine and chatted endlessly, their words airy and fleeting like shadows.

    Bang!

    A door to the hall was opened abruptly. The members of this table turned towards the source.

    A man with a jester¡¯s crown and ck robe walked in. When he got deep enough into the hall, he kneeled heavily on the floor. "My lords, I¡¯ve found it!"

    A moring uproar raged as many different voices shed. A singr voice that seemed to overpower the rest sounded, "Finally."

    The eyes of everyone followed towards this voice to see a jade white throne at the highest point in the hall. It was covered in a hazy shadow. A face revealed itself with dark eyes and white teeth. It was sinister to the extreme as its other features were indiscernible, "The day shall be ours again."

    A toothy smile filled with an ill-aura formed at that shadow.

    "The day shall be ours!" The eighteen simultaneously shouted with vigor and excitement. The jester¡¯s body trembled, tears leaked from his dark eyes and fell to the ground. That droplet hit the ground and faded away in dark mist.

    In his heart, he shouted with his entire being, "The day shall be ours!"

 Chapter 380 Akane 3

    A little girl paced back and forth beside a door in the form of a giant lotus petal. Her pitter-patter of footsteps rang with impatience and anticipation. Even her dainty little fingers were cringing together tensely.

    "Big Sis, you ready? We¡¯re going to miss the start of the festival!" The little girl was Tsumi, her odango-style hair were wrapped together with small, luminescence vines. She was dressed in an ocean blue kimono and filled with a sea of flowers. It was elegant and perfectly appropriate for her shape.

    "Mhm, one second." A gentle voice sounded behind the lotus door. It was truly one second as she walked out immediately after. A violet kimono perfectly matched her violet hair with an orange sash. Her hair was a little messy, but done purposefully as it seemed only to entuate her beautiful face. A kanzashi in the shape of a white violet lotus was ced at the side of her hair, giving her a unique and natural aura.

    When she appeared, Tsumi¡¯s little mouth was wide open in shock. "Yo-you¡¯re beautiful, Big Sis!" Her words were from her heart as she spoke.

    Akane smiled as she lightly blushed, "thanks." She wasn¡¯t one to takepliments too close to the heart, but this little girl truly caused her to feel a bit embarrassed. Her shy look and blushing face would drive any man wild with thoughts and burning desires.

    "Let¡¯s go." She grabbed the young girl¡¯s hand and walked out. A night sky greeted her lit up bynterns that littered the vige. It created a cascade of beauty as some of the flowers reflected that light and emitted their own.

    She had a surge of happiness and pride within her heart. Her vige truly was beautiful, even when sometimes it was bothersome.

    As they walked down the streets, they were greeted by men wearing yutakas and women in their kimonos of various styles and colors. The canocophy of beautiful women and men made the sight look like a natural utopia of heaven and earth.

    Theughter and smiles that went around were infectious. Tsumi was alsoughing as she looked about, her eyes never seemed to settle on one thing for too long. They saw many booths filled with various games and foods that gave off a sweet and delicious scent.

    "That smells so good! And that! And that! Oh look at that! Oooh...ouch. Rejected!" Tsumi was reacting endlessly to the surroundings, pointing here and there with such enthusiasm that it seemed her energy was unlimited.

    Akane gentlyughed. This little girl.

    "Sis! Sis!" A young boy looking cute yet oddly handsome appeared with his little legs nearly skipping. It was Akio. He was joined by Elder Hiroji who seemed a little tired. He had a piece of cloth which only purpose was to soak up sweat, and it seemed that it was nearly drowning.

    "Aiko! Why are you always running around like a little mouse! Can¡¯t you just not cause trouble for others?" Tsumi scolded with her immature voice. Her words caused those in the surrounding to want to fall down and spray blood.

    Who ran around? Who caused trouble?

    "Harrumph! Who¡¯s talking to you little dumpling head?" Akio bitingly said.

    Putai!

    A few people in the distance actually fell and sprayed blood.

    Are we going to witness a murder?! They seemed too ustomed to Tsumi¡¯s violence and mischievous nature. Even the n Leader had a headache over her, yet this little fellow was so fearless. Oh, how it feels to be young.

    "Oh?!" Just as everyone thought she was going to explode, she actually blushed slightly and touched her hair. Shyly, she said, "y-you noticed?"

    WHAT?!

    Even Akane was taken aback, her expression a little absentminded.

    "Of course I noticed? Who could miss those things!" Akio replied matter-of-factly causing Tsumi to blush further.

    "Oh? Then, for saying that, you¡¯re going to take me to walk around!" She swiftly escaped Akane¡¯s hand and grabbed Akio¡¯s. He looked a little confused as she pulled him violently away, but a small satisfied gleam in his eyes couldn¡¯t be hidden away. In his heart, he felt relieved and thought, "so she still chose me."

    Elder Hiroji warily smiled and deeply sighed, "Kids..." He looked towards Akane and smiled, "Don¡¯t forget to be at the main stage. We¡¯ll see you there."

    "En," Akane nodded.

    Hiroji hurriedly followed with his old body creaking slightly along the way. The two young couple was so swift that he had to skip awkwardly to catch up.

    Akane took a deep breath, "today¡¯s just a day. Let¡¯s do this." She walked forward with calm and gentle steps. A glimmer of silver light shed briefly in her sleeve.

    -----

    Badonk Boom! Badonk Boom!

    The sounds of drums being beat resounded in the surroundings. It originated from a set of taiko drums with outstanding young men and women fearlessly beating away. The sound seemed to carry a trace ofw that moved the heart, allowing one to experience the emotions the drums wish to produce.

    A grand za with tens of thousands of people surrounded a central tform where the drums were ying. A rectangr block of white jade was the tform. It wasrge enough to allow thousands to stand shoulder to shoulder, but only the drummers and various ornaments remained.

    "I announce the arrival of our n Lord! Lord Kaito Nanabi!" A powerful voice capable of prating the hearts of all the spectators resounded. The crowd was cheering, their bodies energized by the upbeat tune of the drums and atmosphere of the festival.

    A man walked onto the stage from the only set of stairs that allowed one to ascend. He was dressed in ceremonial chief attire, a unique outfit that seemed almost like an eastern empire. His clothes were etched with thousands of foxtails that seemed endless and alive. They flickered about as if real, giving one a feeling of disbelief and awe.

    He was handsome, young, in his early thirties, and had a natural disposition of a leader. The charisma was effusing from his body like air from the lungs, present yet unseen. Even his seven-tails behind him that moved about contained a unique and mind-drawing aura.

    The cheers raged on until he reached the center whereby he raised his hand outwards with a gesture. The drums immediately went silent, and as if understood, so did the people.

    "I, Kaito Nanabi, am ever-grateful for your presence on this day of remembrance!" His voice was powerful and heart-stirring as if he was speaking directly to you and not the crowd.

    "The day where we remember and honor our ancestors and further our heritage, further our humble line in their name! I thank every one of you for being here today. Let the moon gods grant us light, so that we may seize the night!"

    He calmly reached into his sleeves and pulled out an incense. It looked very ordinary, but it gave off a very ancient aura. As if on cue, everyone in the crowd pulled out an incense, whether woman, child, elder, or man, they universally took out an incense.

    If one looked closely, the incense were of varying sizes. The older one was, the shorter the incense.

    "I ask you all to join me tomune with our ancestors, to pay our respects, so that we may, on this day, tell them our stories!" n Lord Kaito solemnly said. However, the incense didn¡¯t light. Instead, he turned towards the sole stairs and shouted, "Bring out our Ancestral Hope!"

    A young man appeared. In his hand was a stone. It was jet ck and gave off a calm aura, as if sleeping. This stone was about the size of one meter in length and a third of a meter in width.

    At the top was a handle. It would be more urate to say that it was a sword¡¯s hilt.

    The young man was the son of Kaito and the one who went to Akane¡¯s house, the Young Master of the n, Kaiga. He had a strong expression and proudly brought the sword in the stone forward. He arrived next to his father and ced it gently down at his feet.

    n Lord Kaito nodded to him. He raised the incense into the air, prompting everyone else to raise their incense as well.

    Akane, Tsumi, and Akio were together, they looked onwards with respectful expressions just like the others in their surroundings with their hands held out holding incense.

    Shockingly, Akane¡¯s incense was different than the rest. Hers was violet and had nine patterns etched on its side. She looked to the sword¡¯s hilt, and her eyes flickered endlessly in thought.

    "I ask for our own Ky¨±bi no Kitsune to rise and do the honors." Kaito shouted. His voice was notmanding but as if pleading.

    Akane¡¯s heart trembled as the gazes of everyone turned towards her. The nine-tails behind her elerated their movements and seemed to have a mind of their own. She calmly inhaled and exhaled before stepping forward. Akio and Tsumi had looks of pride on their faces as they watched Akane make her way towards the stage, onto the stage, and besides the father and son duo.

    Kaito slightly nodded.

    Kaiga¡¯s eyes was calm, but within was flickering hot emotions.

    "I ept this honor," Akane arrived next to the sword in the stone and closed her eyes. She ced her incense in the air above the stone and let go. An odd scene urred. Without any visible force being applied, it remained in the air.

    With power, she gripped the hilt, the only visible part of what¡¯s expected to be a sword. However, she didn¡¯t pull.

    "I, Akane Ky¨±bi, seize the night. Ancestors, please honor me with your strength, build a bridge so that we may pay our respects." Her words were serene and tuned with the natural forces of the world.

    Suddenly, a unified cry within the crowd as every living soul said these words, "I, a member of the Kitsune, ask you to build a bridge, so that we may pay our respects. Lend us your strength, so that we may seize the night!"

    Thrumm!

    The sword seemed to vibrate and a miraculous sight was birthed!

 Chapter 381 Akane 4

    Woosh!

    The vibrating thrum was apanied by a rushing sound of the wind. This wind was bitingly cold. A piercing chill flowed through everyone¡¯s spines as they shivered lightly.

    Akane¡¯s clothes fluttered about wildly. Her eyes remained closed, as if the disturbances of the world held no effect on her. The others held solemn expressions that tinted their faces darkly. Their gazes respectful and filled with an ardent belief rarely seen by many outside of religious circles.

    "Ancestors, I, your filial descendant, call upon your strength. I beseech you to lend me your magnanimity!" Her words started to feel airy and distant, like a ghost hauntingly calling a name in the distance. It was as if her voice was reaching to a distant otherworld.

    Swoosh!

    The wind picked up rapidly until a twisted formed rapidly around Akane. However, no one panicked as they continued their chants.

    "I, a member of the Kitsune, ask you to build a bridge, so that we may pay our respects. Lend us your strength, so that we may seize the night!"

    The twister gained strength and volume by the minute, inducing all sorts of changes beneath and heaven and earth. The moonlight that shone upon the vige seemed to be drained by an unknown source. Before long, a darkness, cold yet familiar, swept about the vige.

    Woosh! Woosh! Woosh!

    One by one, thentern¡¯s light was vanquished. It started from the back of the vige and made its way towards the front, but again, no one panicked as they were wrapped in perpetual darkness, their words continued to be chanted but with more power and force than before. The synchronized chanting became a singr whole as the voice of the elderly, the young, the women and men, seemed to harmonize perfectly.

    The only distinguishing voice that could be heard was Akane¡¯s. The tornado had already reached tens of meters into the air and spun increasingly faster with each rotation.

    The night seemed to have descended.

    No, the night was seized.

    "Ancestors!" Akane cried!

    What came after that cry wasn¡¯t an astonishing disy but an odd, eerie silence. The chanting seemed to have stopped, the tornado vanished, and the only thing that remained was the night which had been seized - a state of perpetual darkness.

    Not a single person could see an inch from their face as all light had been stripped away from their eyes, and even their senses were prohibited, leaving them isted from all existences. Night had been seized by each of them, giving them an experience of darkness in every sense of the word. They were alone, alone with just their thoughts and beliefs.

    Yet, no one panicked. No one grew scared. To them, their ancestors were before them, and they were awaiting their words with the utmost respect.

    Woo! Woo!

    A light was birthed.

    It was ignited before Akane in the form of her incense. It was burning brightly, endlessly, and with sufficient light that it seemed to be the light at the end of the tunnel. At the tip wasn¡¯t an ordinary burning experience, but a violet wisp of me.

    Woo!

    Woo!

    Woo!

    One at a time, the incense in the hands of the people was ignited and burned with endless light, allowing them to regain their senses.

    However, the light revealed a startling fact that would cause any outsider to grow cold with fear! Each one of these people¡¯s eyes was cker than the ckest night and their teeth that were originally as white as jade seemed to be stained with an inky ck liquid. This liquid adhered to their teeth but squirmed about like worms, entering and exiting their mouths at random times.

    The will-o-wisp-like mes birthed at the end of the incense had varying colors, colors that matched the seven colors of a rainbow: Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, and Violet. They matched the hairs of each of their holders, as if burning off some unseen force to produce such a color.

    Akane¡¯s incense was violet and burned brighter andrger than any other!

    "We have seized the night! You have built the bridge! Ancestors, WELCOME!" As if designed by a unified effort, all members said these words simultaneously without a hint of hesitation.

    Everyone peered into their incense, and their pitch ck eyes revealed an expression ofpassion and excitement.

    Tsumi smiled as she looked at her mes. Her voice was tender and filled with a bout of sadness. This little girl emanated an aura of tragedy but happiness, conflicting emotions had caused tears to flow from her eyes. They were stained ck like her eyes but carried her every emotion.

    Two words left her lips, "Hey, mommy."

    The others in the surroundings had revealed all sorts of emotions as they held their incense with lovingly, curiously, or even angrily sometimes. Yet, not a single person didn¡¯t treat the incense stick in their hand with anything but the utmost care.

    Akane looked at the violet me in her incense that burned fervently. However, she didn¡¯t talk to her me like the others,municating with it on some unknown level, but the wisp formed the vague shape a feminine figure. This figure wasn¡¯t distinguishable in features except that it had two notable traits, it was a female, and it had nine tails.

    "So, you¡¯re my sessor, huh?" A voice as pure and soft as a cloud sounded. Akane nodded silently, her expression filled with some internal conflicts as she heard the voice.

    "Haha, a sessor that doesn¡¯t want to be a sessor, how interesting!" The Nine-Tailed Ancestor seemed to find Akane¡¯s conflict intriguing as her voice remained light and free.

    "I ask for guidance," Akane¡¯s expression was solemn.

    "Haaa...guidance? Guidance! What is guidance?! You have your path like I once did. If you don¡¯t want to be my sessor, don¡¯t? It¡¯s not like anyone¡¯s going to spank you, no?" That unrestrained and pure voice was infectious as a desire to be free and unfettered by all things brimmed outwards. Akane¡¯s heart trembled slightly.

    "Was...was it that-"

    "Yes! Yes! It¡¯s that simple. Always and will forever be." The Nine-Tailed Ancestor calmly responded, interrupting Akane immediately. "The only guidance I may have is..." She paused slightly, considering her words carefully. Akane kept her ears open and was in anticipation.

    "Make sure you find a suitable mate! Yes, that¡¯s it. Some aren¡¯t really worth a damn, so you have to be very clear and decisive! Understand?"

    Akane didn¡¯t know whether she wanted tough or cry. Was this her guidance? Luckily, only she couldmunicate with this ancestor otherwise...who knew what others would think of this ancestor of theirs?

    The Nine-Tailed Ancestor heartedlyughed, "Also, when you experience tragedy on this day. Don¡¯t forget what¡¯s in your sleeve."

    "What?!" Akane was taken aback by her statement, immediately about to question her about her words when she heard a disturbing sound.

    Brrring! Brrring! Brrring!!

    A bell rung!

    n Lord Kaito was the first to respond as he looked at the direction of the bell, "We¡¯re being attacked?!" As he said that, everyone¡¯s expressions were frozen in shock and a tinge of fear.

    Attacked?! What did that mean?

    Akane¡¯s expression changed as she looked towards her incense and realized the figure of the Nine-Tailed Ancestor above it had already vanished, leaving only a wisp of me.

 Chapter 382 Akane 5

    "Cancel the bridge!" n Lord Kaito roared hastily towards Akane. The Bridge could not be tainted by outside forces or they may never see their ancestors again. This meant their mothers, fathers, grandparents, siblings, or friends. They would lose their connection and way to speak and remember the dead, they would lose the ability to be remembered to see their children grow up, see the state of their grandchildren, or their great-great-great-grandchildren. They would be unresigned in death, unable to be at peace with the knowledge that their n was likely no longer alive!

    As long as the Ancestors Hope survived, the bridge remained pure, they would never truly die. He, as the n Lord, could not allow something like that to happen even if he had to burn his soul!

    "Akane! CANCEL THE BRIDGE!!" He roared with a tinge of viciousness and urgency in his voice.

    Akane was a little absentminded by the words of the Nine Tailed Ancestor followed by the three rings of the bell signaling an attack. To her, when had the vige ever been attacked? Not in this generation, or thest, or thest ten? The Ancestors Hope protected them, blessed them with privacy and secrecy to live without pain or conflict. But what was happening now?

    How did the Nine Tailed Ancestor know about the tragedy today? About thepass?

    "AKANE!!" Tsumi, Akio, Kaiga, and pretty much everyone deeply familiar with her called out nearly simultaneously. Regardless of age, they knew the consequences of the bridge being tainted.

    Akane snapped out of her absentminded state and regained her focus. She pulled away from the sword¡¯s hilt. At least, she tried to.

    She pulled, tried to spread her fingers, and even rx her bodypletely, but the sword seemed to be glued to her fingers and unwilling to let her go. "I!" She struggled with that one word.

    n Lord Kaito ordered, "Prepare our defenses, do not allow anyone to enter the vige!" He realized the situation and quickly responded. There were a select few individuals in the crowd that vanished like a shadow. They seemed unreal and insubstantial, like illusions birthed from nothing. He approached Akane and said once more, "Cancel the bridge, Akane!"

    "I! I¡¯m trying! It won¡¯t let me go!" She continued to do everything in her power to release her grip but to no avail. Frustration and trepidation pounded her heart endlessly. She couldn¡¯t let the ceremony be tainted on her watch. She just couldn¡¯t.

    "This?!" n Lord Kaito was stunned, but he soon recovered. His expression decisively hardened. As long as Akane acted as a conduit to connect the bridge to this world with the Ancestors¡¯ strength, then others could taint it. There had never been a moment where the ritual had to be closed off prematurely. After all, this event, this opening,sted for a few minutes and urred once every few years. The chance of an attack happening at this moment of time was incredibly small, yet this situation still urred.

    "Akane! Prepare yourself!" n Lord Kaito ordered before he grabbed his hand into the air. A strange force seemed to be birthed, unlike any the world has ever seen before, and a sword seemed to appear from absolutely nothing within his hands. It was a katana and had white hilt and sword guard. He grasped it heavily and without giving Akane time to say anything, he shed it down viciously at her forearms.

    Surprisingly, Akane instantly reacted. She extended her arm the furthest she could to ensure the cut was cleanly done.

    The crowd watching gasped!

    Ping!

    The sound of metal shing with metal resounded. n Lord Kaito¡¯s expression and eyes suffused a terrifying light of horror as he saw a violet metallic glow protect Akane¡¯s arms from being severed.

    Even Akane was aghast at the n Lord¡¯s decisiveness, but also trepidation at the fact it didn¡¯t work. Would she cause the ceremony to be tainted? Will she be the sinner of her entire race this day? Was this the tragedy?!

    "Ancestral Protection! They¡¯re protecting her! The ritual won¡¯t end until the natural time has passed!" Elder Eiji arrived on the stage with the flicker of a shadow, his eyes solemn and tinged in fear as he spoke. n Lord Kaito¡¯s heart trembled as he realized the truth of the matter, his hands still trembling from the rebound.

    Elder Hiroji arrived as well. His creaking body seemed to be non-existent as he wore light samurai armor and carried a katana in his hand. His old body exuded a youthful brilliance and honed battle intent. "We can¡¯t do anything until the ritual passes naturally, so we kill our enemies! Did I teach you to feel fear at the slightest moment of danger or uncertainty?!" His voice was powerful as he berated the n Lord himself.

    Elder Eiji looked towards Hiroji and warily smiled, his clothing changed as light samurai armor also formed from nothing around his body. He wielded a katana as well, his entire aura and eyes emitted a dense battle intent and willingness to die.

    "We kill!" Elder Hiroji shouted to the nsmen who seemed to be watching in fear for the ceremony. "If they want to disturb the ceremony, taint it with their presence, then regardless of who they are, we taint them with death and offer their blood to our ancestors!" He hefted his sword in the air as he looked towards the direction of the rung bell.

    "We kill!" Suddenly, women and men alike, children and even Tsumi and Akio viciously roared. Their eyes revealed a much concealed battle intent that seemed to have been cultivated since birth, it was as if the Kitsune was a warrior race! Their battle intent surged into the skies like an ethereal god, revealing its domineering might across thends.

    Their pitch ck eyes and liquid teeth made their battle intent seemed devilish and evil in nature, giving one an eerie chill. As they chanted sonorously together. Each of their bodies seemed to magically shift, transforming from their ceremonial attire to full-blown light samurai outfit. They each wielded katanas and they¡¯re outfits matched the colors of their hair. The incense they held were ced within their chest te, kept close and protected.

    They were like a rainbow of warriors birthed from nothing.

    "WE KILL!!" n Lord Kaito came to his senses, his pitch ck eyes suffused a dense, unrelenting killing intent. He transformed. His samurai armor was heavy in design instead of light, creating a sharp contrast to the others. His white katana vanished, revealing a white naginata. He hefted it in his hands, and dashed forth in lead of everyone.

    In unison, everyone followed along, every man, woman, and child. Even the olden elders transformed, their bodies were filled with vigor and youth betraying their advanced age.

    Akane looked at Akio and Tsumi, her heart quaking, but a deep, unfathomable battle intent surged in her heart as she wished to join them to protect theirnd, but she couldn¡¯t. Her hand was still stuck on the sword.

    Kaiga stayed behind, under his father¡¯s orders to protect and oversee the cancetion of the ceremony, but truly to simply be with Akane in case of an ident. He was solemn, unlike his usual appearance of haughtiness. A rare trace of concern emerged in his eyes as he approached Akane, "Are you okay?"

    Akane turned towards Kaiga. This young master had made her life quite frustrating sometimes with his endless courting, but for some reason, when she saw his eyes, her heart quivered. He seemed more worried about her than the ancestral bridge that everyone was willing to protect with their lives. Her feelings wereplicated.

    She softly nodded, "I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m just..." She looked towards the cluster of people going off to fight an unknown enemy. ording to the Nine Tailed Ancestor, today was one of tragedy...

    "Don¡¯t worry! We¡¯ve trained since birth for battle. Not a single one of them aren¡¯t experienced warriors willing toy down their lives to protect you...to protect our hope." Kaiga tried to reassure Akane. The Ancestral Hope allowed their lives to have a future even after death, and where they can go and meet their ancestors, talk to them while living and see them when dead.

    Even if Akio or Tsumi died, they would still have a life. This was why Akane and Kaiga wasn¡¯t concerned about their deaths, but the oue of them being unable to defend the vige and protect the Ancestral Hope.

    "En," she mindlessly nodded as she stared into the distance.

    ng! ng! ng!

    The sound of battle had begun.

 Chapter 383 Akio 1

    Stomp! Stomp! Stomp!

    A raging tempest of steps echoed endlessly as tens of thousands of footsteps rang out. An army of warriors wielded des, possessed varying number of tails, and they pressed forward to unhesitantly sweep through the vige towards the northeast.

    In this sea of people, this ocean of warriors, this race of Kitsune, was a young boy with stubby legs running about with all his might. His small-sized armor and immature appearance seemed a stark contrast to his solemn expression and pitch ck eyes and teeth. He seemed like a small demoning out from hell, ready to reap away the lives of its enemies, yet at the same time, cute.

    This was Akio, Akane¡¯s Brother.

    Tsumi was also beside him, closely following him while pressing one hand on her chest. Her incenseid there, her mommyid there, and she had to protect her mommy from those who wish to bring her harm - even if it meant giving up her life today.

    From birth, the children of the Kitsune were trained in a regime that would put spartans in mortal tales to shame. At the age of three, they could easily ughter a field of men of countless times their ages and do so without a single blink of an eye. The indifference and viciousness would bewilder man, and their battle experience and strategy was beyond superb.

    While the vige had never been attacked, it did not mean theycked battle experience by any means. In fact, ifpared to the entire Heavenly Origin Grounds, a child of three may have morebat experience than an expert of one hundred thousand years.

    "Tsumi! Stay near me!" Akio spoke in his immature voice, making him seem momentarily like a battle-worn man. His tone was warm, and he looked at her with a rare form of decisiveness and caring. It was as if he was saying, "despite me being able to see you in the future, I don¡¯t want to lose you now."

    Tsumi looked at Akio, her eyes became slightly wet and she calmly nodded. Whatever differences they had, they were much more mature than normal kids, and they understood how to read the heart of a fellow warrior clearly.

    They didn¡¯t have thoughts of "we¡¯ll definitely survive" but "we¡¯ll definitely kill all in our paths!"

    They traveled until they came upon the vige¡¯s wall. The army slowly came to a stop as their gazes looked up. They saw a pitch-ck, surreal-like medieval castle floating in the sky like a shadow reflected by the light of the sun. It was night but this pitch-ck shadow gave off a sharp and unforgettable contrast.

    "What is...that?" Akio muttered.

    Elder Hiroji walked beside him, his eyes focused on the castle with a heavy expression, "Our enemies."

    Briefly startled, Akio nodded. His gaze never left the castle.

    Woom!

    A throne flew out of the castle. It didn¡¯t directly exit from a door, window, or opening of any sort, but simply phased through the castle¡¯s two-dimensionally looking walls. The throne, however, was three dimensional and looked much less surreal than the castle itself. A man sat on the throne, as ckest as the ckest of nights, yet as clear as the burning sun within the sky.

    He looked downwards revealing dark eyes that contrasted his ck appearance as it was lighter. He smiled revealing a teeth of pearly whites so bright that it seemed to be made of jade. He wore a te armor, with a helmet that protected his head, neck, and sides, but its facial area had an opening of a spade shape.

    He clenched his armored gloved fingers causing the resounding nking of metal sounds. Lifting up his right hand, he pointed at the people below, "Give us The Grail!" A voice like ghosts sweeping through the air echoed. The Kitsune all had changes of expression.

    However, n Lord Kaito took the lead, his hand wielding his naginata and pointing it directly at the figure in the throne. "I do not know who you are or what you want, but you are not wee! You have a few moments of time before we, the Kitsune, make this ce your burial ground! Do not be reckless!!" He shouted valiantly like amander of the skies and heavens.

    A cold smile formed on the ck figure¡¯s face as he eerily chuckled as if expecting this result. "Then..." his voice trailed off for a bit, lingering in everyone¡¯s heart causing it to beat slightly faster, "Die!!!"

    No more negotiations or words were spoken between leaders.

    The man in the throne raised his hand and then drove it towards the Kitsune army of tens of thousands. A bugle seemed to sound from nowhere, echoing everywhere yet nowhere, but it suffused a sense of dread in the Kitsune.

    "ATTACK!!!" No one knows who spoke this, but it seemed to have been a trigger for the other side as a sea of ck exited from the castle in much the same way as the man on the throne.

    This sea caused all the Kitune to be shocked. To others, they may be a sea of ck, but to them, they could see fully armored warriors wielding all sorts of mortal weapons fly across the skies towards them like a rushing water wave meeting a calm beach shore.

    "WE KILL!!!" n Lord Kaito roared! He was the first one to fly towards their enemies. The sky would be their battlefield, and the ground will be their burial grounds.

    "WE KILL!!!" Everyst Kitsune shouted, taking to the skies after their leader fearlessly. They brandished their katana¡¯s with cold hearts and vicious intent. The battle and killing intent formed a palpable air that was ready to explode into one zing glory. They didn¡¯t know why their enemies were invading, but if they failed to beat them back, wouldn¡¯t their ancestors, and their own, paths to the afterlife be severed directly?!

    To them, even if gods and ghosts wished to invade at this moment, they would fight unhesitantly andy down every drop of blood and life they had to resist! To kill!

    Akio was in the back, but his de shone with a cold light. Tsumi stayed beside him as she agreed, her eyes filled with murder. They looked no more than little children, children who should be enjoying their lives, children who should be ying around in a park, but they were marching into battle with the willingness to die.

    Who knew how spectators who watched this would feel?

    CRASH!!!

    The first collision of forces urred, following by grunts and screams as metal sparks shed with each sh. The first wave of screams echoed, but only screams of pain, not a single member of either side screamed with agony, regret, or grievances as their lives were cut down.

    Akio could see ahead that an elder who would always tell him stories when he was bored was directly yed by an axe, split into blood and guts viciously and mercilessly. However, that elder stabbed his de with heart, taking the life of an armor-ted figure as well. Their bodies fell from the skies with their lives severed.

    There was no tears in his eyes, just boundless killing intent as he rushed even faster than before. He had to kill! Kill more than those who were killed! Even if they were outnumbered, he had to kill, kill, kill!!!

    With a valiant roar, he wielded his katana with sufficient skill and squeezed his way into the second wave of shes. The ck-colored ted armored enemies immediately honed onto their targets, with a few seeing him as an easy kill and targeting him. Tsumi remained tightly behind, her body soaring in and out of the battlefield.

    Her de jabbed endlessly between the gaps in support of her allies, slicing off the heads of several ck knights with a swiftness unlike any other.

    Two ck knights dashed unhesitantly towards Akio, who smiled with a viciousness unbefitting his age. He wielded his de and weed their weapons with his own.

    ng!

    He had blocked two weapons with one de, causing his body to tremble, but a smile hung on his lips. He didn¡¯t say anything aloud, but in his heart he wanted to mockingly say, "behind you!"

    A silver sh passed by the neck of those two enemies as they were stalled by Akio¡¯s de. Tsumi¡¯s swiftness seemed like the wind as she slid her de across their necks. Even their armor held very little resistance as their head fell off like a broken doll. A spraying geyser of ck blood tainted the surroundings.

    She didn¡¯t stop, however, staying close but bing like a fish swimming through the battlefield. Akio rushed forward. His body bypassing the falling and decapitated bodies as he found a target. The target was fighting a young woman who shed endlessly, defending against three people at once, but her eyes were calm and focused.

    With a swiftness not unlike Tsumi, Akio appeared behind one of them. His de pierced into its armor with unimaginable ease, as if the de was the sharpest de in creation. With a swipe, the armored enemy¡¯s body was split into two.

    "Behind you!" A cry came from the woman¡¯s lips as she saw a ck shadow behind Akio, but Akio only smiled. He directly fell, letting his body no longer keep its flight. The ck axe tried to bisect his small body. He stopped falling after dodging the strike, but almost instantly shot directly upwards. His hands grasped tightly to his de as he punctured it through the helmet of the axe-wielding fiend from its chin area. A wail of the recently departed shrieked as its life ended with just that piercing stab.

    After that, he turned around but his expression fell. The young woman had a spear piercing through her chest, blood soaking out endlessly as her eyes contained no life. With a swing, the armored spear-wielder sent her body tumbling towards the ground to meet the other recently departed.

 Chapter 384 Akio 2

    Throb!

    Akio¡¯s heart faintly trembled as he saw the lifeless body of that female expert fall. His eyes reddened in rage as he lunged forward with his sword in hand. This rage wasn¡¯t unfocused, but controlled. He had been taught from the earliest of age to be able to harness emotion and rage for power, into strength, into rity.

    The spear-wielding knight coldly sneered beneath his helmet, his voice was gruff and unpleasant to hear as he snorted. He hefted his spear, brandishing its power, and matched Akio¡¯s ferocious lunge. Almost immediately, their weapons shed violently.

    Akio felt his palms hurt and his sword vibrate, but he didn¡¯t dare retreat. He sharply shifted his body, performing an odd parry of the knight¡¯s spear before slicing his sword forward ruthlessly at its neck.

    While this was happening, a collision of immensely powerful forces shed. The sound of de meeting de nearly drowned out the sound of grunts, cries of pain, and deathly wails in the surroundings.

    The n Lord, wielding his pure white naginata, shed fiercely with nine knights. They wielded all sorts of deadly weapons, including bows and arrows, chains, and a spiked mace of lethal proportions. Yet despite this, he looked like a heroic general facing a flood of demon gods as he swiped, parried, and stabbed with incredible might.

    These nine were unique inparison to the others in this sea of ck knights. They wore capes and armor more noticeable in design. They were nine of the eighteen grand generals beneath the figure in the throne!

    The other nine was upied by the Elders, some even fighting up to three at once. It was evident that despite the numbers being wildly in the ck knights¡¯ favor, their individual skill and strength was severelycking. They lost five for every one Kitsune killed on average, yet they still went strong.

    The numerical advantage was disying itself substantially, as these knights numbered nearly a million inparison to the tens of thousands on the battlefield. At this rate, the Kitsune would lose.

    Kaito knew this. The Elders knew this. Even the fighters, yet they still fought and persisted the best they could. If only to buy an extra second.

    Just a few minutes and the ceremony will end, their Ancestral Hope will remain untainted, and they will see an afterlife. Perhaps, in the future, they will recount their kills and sacrifice to their great, great, grandchildren.

    Perhaps.

    Until then, "We Kill!"

    Akio held an armored head in his hand, his eyes viciously red as he observed his surroundings. The rain of ck metal and flesh that fell was terrifying, yet it caused his blood to boil with potent battle intent.

    His face had spatters of ck blood, and his sword was dripping with ck blood. The breathing of his body was uneven, but his eyes were focused beyond belief.

    "Akio!" Suddenly, an aged voice was heard. Akio felt a sensation of danger as she tried to throw his body to the side. A bitingly cold wind brushed his side. The sound of crushing blood and pierced flesh echoed.

    "Argh!" He cried as he felt his body felt an intense bout of pain. He felt his consciousness waver as his body lost its ability of flight and he dropped downwards. His eyes saw a zing arrow soar away from him.

    "Akio!!" A young voice this time sounded as a figure rushed over, her de was like it had just been dipped in oil, cker than night. The amount of lives imed by this de of hers was immense, but her expression, despite immature and youthful was pained.

    Her sword wielding right arm trembled as she bit her lower lip harshly. Akio¡¯s body had nearly touched the graveyard of corpses below. Her eyes wanted to cry, and there was even wetness within, but no tears would escape.

    "Focus!" Elder Hiroji was the one who shouted before, his de severed the life of one of the eighteen general knights as he pushed himself towards Tsumi and shouted furiously. When he looked at Tsumi, this young and mischievous girl, his eyes trembled.

    Her left arm was gone, and she had a piercing hole in her left abdomen. Her lung had just barely been missed.

    Tsumi closed her eyes. A flood of memories surged in her mind, especially Akio¡¯s face. She may be young, but Akio was who she chose for the festival. From young, they were destined to be married, and why she considered Akane a big sister.

    "Mother..." a gentle face who she had few memories of shed through her mind. She tapped her sword-wielding hand against her breastte. This was where her incenseid, and the link to her mother.

    "Tsumi!" Elder Hiroji shouted, reengaging the two general knights once more. He couldn¡¯t make his way over to protect this only living family of his. He clenched his teeth, a surge of rage flowed into his heart and became power.

    He drew upon hellish might as he shed once more with the knights. His de flickered like rays of light, slicing and reaping lives with ever strike. The general knights could keep their lives, but their nearby subordinates went straight to hell.

    Tsumi opened her eyes and was greeted with a de. This de was just inches away from her chest. She was tired. She just wanted to return to her mother. How nice would that be? Living life with Akio and mother...how nice...

    sh!

    Her sword and body moved as one, narrowly dodging the lethal de strike and replied with her own. Her de was beyond swift, and it directly decapitated the knight before her. His head flew away.

    "Even if I¡¯m to die, I¡¯ll take a few more with me!" She brandished her de and rushed into the crowd of knights, her expression the epitome of calmness.

    She heard a shout from afar, "WE KILL!!"

    Her mind was jolted and a flow of heat emerged in her heart. That¡¯s right. That was their mantra from birth. If anyone threatens us, we kill! If anyone wishes to im our lives, we kill! To protect our way of life, to honor our ancestors, to prove our mettle, we kill, kill, kill!

    As if by some unforeseen agreement of battle, everyst Kitsune, no matter their gender, age, or battle injuries, they roared to the heavens, "WE KILL!!"

    Tsumi¡¯s pitch ck eyes intermixed with a crimson glow. She swung her sword fiercely as she bobbed and weaved through the crowd. With each swing, a life was imed.

    The entire crowd was invigorated as they were filled with a profound intent, they seemed to be connected to each other and became more fluid, more powerful, and fiercer than ever before.

    A middle-aged Kitsune male sliced his sword towards a knight which was decisively blocked by a knight wielding a shield. He thrust harsly sending him backwards, and chased. Another battle was happening directly behind the knight, a young girl was shing with two while maintaining a fierce offensive.

    Her eyes glowed as her expression became calm. She retreated, the knights followed, and she performed a backflip and stabbed her sword downwards. The knight sent backwards earlier was met with a sword in the cranium as his body, now corpse, smashed against the two knights throwing them off bnce.

    The middle-aged man¡¯s charge didn¡¯t stop, he dove forward bypassing the dead knight and spun ibmn mid-air, slicing the two like a whirling cyclone, their heads turned into something like string cheese.

    The young girl reached out and grabbed the foot of the spinning male without anymunication needed. She halted his path forward as a piercing arrow passed where he would have passed, saving his life.

    The young girl swung the middle-aged man like a sack of garbage towards a direction as she rushed forward to find more opponents to kill.

    Tsumi had just met one of the stronger ordinary knights and was halted, her eyes gleamed with a unique light as she threw her body forward. A de pierced into her side ferociously, but she twisted her body to avoid vitals. She used her tiny body and held the knight in ce.

    The middle-aged Kitsune maleunched earlier had flown over and with a slicing light, the knight was directly beheaded. Tsumi then kicked the Knight¡¯s corpse viciously, sending it towards another. This further helped someone else on the battlefield.

    A formless connection seemed to be established for the most perfect synchronized attacks and movements. With this, the knights started to lose tens of times the amount per Kitsune in, and the number was increasing by the minute.

    At this moment, the battle was unclear.

 Chapter 385 Akio 3

    Above, a battle of ultimate ughter took ce. Below, a sea of ck metal, blood, and flesh piled on endlessly. New additions entered every second without fail.

    "Khoff Khak Khak!!" A cough abruptly broke the solemn silence of the graveyard. A few corpses and pieces of severed limbs moved away as an arm reached out. It seemedcking in strength, but relentless as it dug upwards until it broke free from its dead-barred prison.

    Pow!

    A corpse from the skies fell heavily on the arm, snapping it in two as a painful wail muffedly sounded. It wasn¡¯t until a few secondster that another arm pierced through the corpses and reached out, retaining its unrelenting desire for freedom. After grabbing ahold of a few bodies, it pushed itself upwards until a small head surfaced.

    A head of violet hair and a pair of wary orange eyes revealed itself. Gasping heavily for breath as it continued upwards. It took a little bit effort before that figure could free its arm which had broken solidly in two ces, the bone protruded from his lower forearm, and blood gushed outwards.

    It was Akio!!

    "Haa...haaa..." He touched his side and painfully grimaced. He had been pierced through by a zing arrow. Luckily, it missed his heart and struck his stomach. At that moment, the searing mes had closed off many of the wounds. If he wasn¡¯t a child with a frailer body than an adult, the arrow would¡¯ve likely stuck onto his body and burned his soul, life, and fleshy body m into nothing.

    He gripped his broken arm and breathed slowly.

    SNAP!!!

    He ced the bone back in ce decisively, blood flowing about. He gripped it hard. A bandage was created from nothing, wrapping around his arm like a perfectly done gauze that hurriedly stopped the bleeding.

    "I...Tsumi!" As he was thinking about his lucky survival, his mind jolted into focus as he looked upwards, hoping to catch a small figure bobbing and weaving about in a sea of ck knights and ocean of constant death. However, his eyes were already hazy and difficult to focus, leaving him only seeing vague cluster of shing bodies and falling corpses.

    Bang!

    He looked at the body that had just fallen, realizing it was a member of his race. His expression turned gloomy. This was a middle-aged kitsune male, his expression fierce and his death vicious. The only thing that dropped was one half of his body - his right side.

    Opening his mouth, he wanted to roar, but nothing came out. The people he grew up with was dying, but he didn¡¯t feel sad about this, but because of his own weakness people had died. He wanted to kill more, kill them all, and protect his home! He wanted a life in this world, a life with Tsumi! He was too young and he wasn¡¯t ready to be in the afterlife.

    What about his sister? He didn¡¯t even know if she is or will be okay.

    They were trained from birth to fight, but fighting truly was a tiring task. From young, they fought monstrous beasts produced by their n¡¯s secret arts, they fought their Elders for experience, and they fought themselves each day in a constant bid to be stronger.

    As he thought about his memories, he felt powerless. If he had trained for one more day, could he have dodged that arrow, noticed that attack, saved that young girl¡¯s life? A surge of regret flowed through his mind, and he hated that he was too young, that he was too weak! Clenching his fist, he smashed it towards a random corpse.

    Pow!

    Analyzing his body, he knew death was moments away. What he was living on was just borrowed time.

    Whizz!!

    An odd sound birthed itself from his chestte. Shocked, he looked downwards to see his chest burning with a violet me. "Father?!" He clutched at his breastte with emotions. He may not have seen his father in this life of his, but he had always been with them through the ritual, waiting for him in the afterlife.

    "No, not your father. Haha." A voice, resonating with the heart, sounded from the wisp of fire on the incense. Aiko found this voice unfamiliar and surreal. Who¡¯s this?

    "You can call me Ancestor," the voice was as soft as clouds.

    Ancestor? Aiko was confused.

    "Do you want to know something?" The voice asked softly.

    "Know what?" Aiko grew even more confounded by this voice and who it was. Could it be he was experiencing delusions, was he already dead? He subconsciously touched his face to feel the blood on his cheek and the warmth of his palm. He wasn¡¯t dead...

    "What is a Nine Tailed Kitsune?" The voice asked a question instead of answering its own.

    "Uh..." Aiko was stunned, but he furrowed his brows in thought. Only after he gathered his thoughts, that had been honed from years of schooling and instruction, did he respond, "A female Kitsune with the Legacy of the Nine."

    "Then, what is a Ten Tailed Kitsune?" The voice asked once more.

    "The progenitor of all Kitsune, our Ancestral Leader, Lord of Our Afterlife." Aiko responded absentmindedly. For some reason, he had forgotten about the battles and his mind was drawn in, like he was in a quiet field speaking to a senior. Even his tone was respectful.

    "Do you wish to save your race, save your afterlife?" The voice said temptingly, its softness turned into a serious solemness unlike before.

    "I...yes!" Aiko hesitated for a second, but decisively answered. How could he not? He didn¡¯t know why enemies were attacking, he didn¡¯t know what this grail they were after was, but their entire way of life was being threatened, so did it matter? They had to fight, they had to kill, and they had to give up their lives if needed. If he could save his entire race and their way of life, he was willing! Absolutely willing!

    "Then...what are you willing to pay?"

    Akio clenched his teeth viciously, "Everything!"

    The voice went silent. Akio justid there calmly, his gaze looking up at the sky. He wasn¡¯t in a position to fight, and he could barely urge himself to move, let alone taking to the skies. The likelihood is that one of his nsmen will die because of him if he rushed up there, just like that woman earlier. He was as good as dead, and it¡¯s unlikely his injuries will allow him to survive for long.

    Many of his vital organs were singed and burned, his entire stomach no longer existed, and his lifeforce was being carried away with every breath. Many of his nerves had already died, he couldn¡¯t feel half of his body, and he wasn¡¯t exactly sure, but his spine was likely not correctly aligned. He knew death wasing, but what could he do?

    "Eat me," The voice said.

    "Eat...you?" Akio looked at his breastte, but he didn¡¯t hesitate. He trusted his ancestors, and he was willing to do anything and everything to protect his people. He reached out and pulled his breastte apart, grabbing the incense stick, and shoved it into his throat. He had to pound his throat so he could induce it to swallow.

    A violet me surged into his body and engulfed him entirely. However, he didn¡¯t scream, but looked absentmindedly at the sky. He knew that, in his heart, doing this will lead to unforeseen consequences, but he was willing. Even though the fire burned his body inducing hellish pain, he stayed silent. Calmly looking at the sea of people above.

    A wetness surged in his left eye...it welled up until a single tear dropped from it. Unfortunately, his right eye had already been blinded, many of its nerves and functions damaged by the fall.

    "Big Sis, Tsumi...Uncle Hiroji..."

    The violet me engulfed him entirely, and he vanished.

 Chapter 386 Akio 4

    "Haaaaaaa...haaaaa..." Deep, unfathomable breaths were taken as if air itself was free for only a limited period of time. A small body was drenched in sweat and blood, and could barely stabilize itself in the sky.

    Tsumi was silently looking around. She was in an area bereft of ck knights, trying to catch her breath. She wasn¡¯t the only one here, with several others in horrid conditions also breathing heavily.

    A haziness emerged in her eyes. She felt that she was thest child on the battlefield. For as far as she could see, only the older nsmen were around, mostly young adults and the middle-aged. The young simply had weaker bodies and strength, resulting in a mass genocide event of the younger generation.

    Was she the only one?

    "Akio..." she quietly muttered.

    "We¡¯ll be switching out in eight seconds. Ready up!" A voice reminded belong to a middle-aged woman. This ce was the strategic resting location etched out by the Kitsune Elders, but they could only stay for an incredibly short period of time before swapping out with the others.

    If it wasn¡¯t for their impable coordination, something like this was impossible amidst the sea of ck knights.

    Tsumi and the rest nodded. She swiped her hand in the air, summoning her katana from nothing. Patting her chest, her armor disappeared and reformed instantly,pletely repaired.

    "Let¡¯s go!" The voice shouted. The older woman rushed out first with a roar, her de gleaming with a viciousness. Her valiant charge was met with a fierce aggression of enemies. She directly split two knights in half with her de.

    Thawk!

    Her roar was abruptly stopped as an arrow pierced through her skull. Bits of brain matter, blood, and lifeforce sipped out instantly. Her body was sliced into three pieces by two knights before they soon found other targets.

    Tsumi shed with one of these knights, but her strength wasn¡¯t like before. Her sword snapped in two, causing her expression to shift.

    "Die!" A rough yet feminine voice sounded from the knight¡¯s helmet as it bore down with its two-headed axe towards Tsumi¡¯s head. She could do nothing to stop this and no one had the spare time to help her.

    "Was this...the end?" Her mind calmly thought. She wanted to close her eyes, but all her training in life told her to remain aware and eke out a chance for survival. Wrecked with weakness, she felt the rushing wind of the axe above her skull.

    ng!

    A violet figure appeared before her. His hand was wielding an arming sword. This arming sword was odd, as its de waspletely violet in color, but it glowed with the shades of the rainbow. It was illusory as if it wasn¡¯t real.

    The most notable about this figure was its tall and imposing stature, and tails that flickered about endlessly in a hypnotic rhythm.

    Tsumi subconsciously counted the number of tails, and her eyes widened in shock and disbelief.

    "T-ten!" Her voice quivered in shock.

    The figure turned his face half-way, allowing her to see a pair of beautifully orange eyes, a jade-like countenance, and a distinguishable handsomeness. A smile hung at his lips, "you noticed?"

    This voice sounded unlike any she had ever heard, but she felt an intense familiarity to it. It was profoundly confusing. Her mind rxed all of a sudden and her memories flowed through. Then, instinctively in a yful way, as if she was safe within the vige, she mocked, "Of course I noticed? Who could miss those things!"

    Her eyes suddenly widened.

    The violet figureughed, it was carefree and confident.

    A name flowed from her lips overflowing water, "Akio!"

    Indeed, that figure was Akio. His body had been changed somehow into a matured version of himself, and an overflowing sensation of power and strength flowed within him. He looked towards the ck knight who was still struggling to remove its axe from his grip.

    "Die." He swung his arming sword with one hand, and the knights entire body exploded like a balloon filled with of ck blood and metal.

    He turned towards Tsumi and smiled, "didn¡¯t I say to stay close?" With that, his expression turned serious as he looked at the figure on the throne. He could feel a pair of eyes focused on him and it was filled with ill-intent and desire.

    "For now, go back to Sis and wait for me obediently, okay?" He reached out towards Tsumi and pushed her small body away. A violet glow shrouded her as her wounds seemed to heal unnaturally. Her previously lost arm recovered, wounds on her body disappeared, and her samurai armor vanished, reced by a cute kimono of earlier.

    "I never got to say this, but I really like it," Akiomented as his eyes, filled with warmth, appraised. A regret in his heart was lifted.

    "Akio, w-"

    "I said go to Sis and wait obediently, or are you unwilling to listen to your husband?" Akio lowly said.

    "My..." blushing lightly, she thought for a moment and nodded. She let the violet glow carry her like aet away. Her young heart was conflicted, but she knew what she had to do. If Akio had to pay attention to her on the battlefield, he would be distracted. Not to mention, he was obviously different and more powerful than before.

    With Tsumi out of the way, Akio turned towards the figure in the throne. With a step, he traveled like a beam of light. All knights in his path had their life ended in a blink. He arrived directly before the figure on the throne.

    The figure had a crown and dressed in a king¡¯s armor that was a little gaudy, but definitely presented his prestige and ranking well. The figure looked towards Akio¡¯s new form with interest.

    "The thief returns," a kingly voice filled with darkness sounded.

    Akio frowned, but his eyes shed with killing intent enough to dye a thousand oceans red in blood.

    "I, King Caliburn IIV, has returned for the grail. We will have it; we will retake the day!" His voice was dominant as he slowly rose from his throne.

    "You will die this day," Akio confidently retorted.

    King Caliburn fully rose, his height a full three meters, towering Akio¡¯s new form by quite a bit.

    "You have to yet to truly witness our power. We are not like before thief." Surging shadowy darkness emanated from King Caliburn¡¯s body.

    "You may have a shadow of my King¡¯s Legacy, but I have the truth." He held out his hand and a sword materialized from his shadowy darkness and produced a jet ck arming sword. This sword was, in size and shape, the same as Akio¡¯s. However, it looked real.

    "Come, thief." King Caliburn swung the arming sword ferociously at Akio. Akio swiftly replied, shing using his own sword. A sonic boom was produced with their point of contact as the epicenter.

    The entire battlefield was affected. Kitsune and ck Knights alike was sent every which way without the ability to control their bodies as they were affected by the booming explosion. Many of them bled from their ears and eyes.

    Akio and King Caliburn vanished. They moved at such high speeds that only the constant explosions from shing contact hinted at their location and fight.

    n Lord Kaito, Elder Hiroji, and Elder Eiji looked towards Akio and the fight with shock in their hearts. However, just as they had their own spections, they felt a flow disconnect from their bodies. Their eyes returned to its normal color and their teeth were once more white and clean.

    "The Ceremony has ended!" In the hearts of every Kitsune, they cried with happiness.

    Decisively, n Lord Kaito shouted, "Full Retreat!!"

 Chapter 387 Akio 5

    The order for a full retreat was like a heavenly hymn from above. Those who hadn¡¯t noticed that their eyes and teeth were no longer stained jet ck suddenly came to a realization.

    Like coordinated ants, trained for thousands of years, they retreated perfectly. A few held the defensive, cing their lives at the ready for the others. Notably, they were the advanced aged. In addition, they would swap uniquely, moving about in an odd rhythm as they returned to the city grounds.

    Luckily, Akio¡¯s newly transformed self and the supposed King of the Shadowy ck Knights were engaged in a fierce battle that turned to the battlefield in the sky into an absolute mess. The knights found it hard to follow with the constant sonic boom like explosions.

    This gave them enough room to swiftly return in the blink of an eye. Some knights ferociously pursued, but the moment they got within a few hundred meters of the city gates, an illusory me was birthed around them, inducing hellish screams.

    This me was translucent like ss and seemed not to burn physical matter. It halted their steps as they were engulfed, forced to retreat into the swarm of allies. Only then did the fire quell. A light of trepidation and confusion appeared in many of the knights¡¯ eyes and concealed faces.

    They held untold battle intent but no release. Many roared like beasts and tried to rush forward with indomitable momentum only to be killed by the illusory me. They dropped like flies in the final seconds of their life.

    The constant thuds served as a reminder to the others. They halted where they were and waited. Unlike the Kitsune, they were not given any order except to kill. In fact, it wasn¡¯t just that, but to kill with no regard for their own lives.

    Despite that, reckless suicide with no hope wasn¡¯t an order they were given. They turned their eyes towards the sky as they watched the battle between Akio and their king.

    In the sky, the world was a cataclysmic mess. The air currents and soundwaves were like two shing gods attempting to reshape the sky in their image. It was awe-inspiring.

    Akio shed his de in a tricky manner as a violet glow brimmed around his body. With each sh with this King Caliburn, his expression would be darker. They fought and exchanged lethal acts, but to Akio, to the young warrior, it felt off.

    He couldn¡¯t pinpoint how, but it definitely was.

    With his arming sword in hand, King Caliburn sliced shadow arcs in the sky. Akio parried and pushed away, gathering distance.

    He swiftly analyzed the situation below and deduced that the ritual had ended. The retreat of his people meant they could use the advantages of the vige¡¯s inherent formations to fight.

    Those formations were frustrating as they were foreign. If activated during the ritual, it would¡¯ve been tainted. This forced them to fight outside the vige and keep the formations inactive. Despite the formations unusual nature, they could easily defend against these people several times over.

    He looked at King Caliburn with a fierce gaze. The King had ceased attacking. His gaze looked towards the vige formation, and a shadowy mist flowed out of his eyes ¡ª a pearly white smirk filled with excitement formed on his lips.

    Akio frowned. He was debating on retreating, but he knew his strength was temporary. This King Caliburn had enough strength and experience to sh with him on equal terms; it¡¯s unlikely that he could kill him. However, the thought still emerged in his heart.

    If you kill themander of an army, the soldiers be like ants without heads. However, he knew not to be a hero unnecessarily.

    "Thief," King Caliburn spoke, his voice tinged with an echo of darkness. His tone was mocking.

    Akio frown deepen. He didn¡¯t have memories of his past ancestor, so he had no idea why this invader was calling him a thief or what the grail he mentioned earlier was.

    "Your actions before, you will pay for it a thousandfold." King Caliburn smirked, confidently stating his intent. However, as he did, he looked, not towards Akio, but towards the vige. That smirk that hung on his lips gave Akio a bad feeling. This feeling was as if a shadow had emerged in his thoughts, blotting out a particr thought.

    A soft violet light flickered continuously through his eyes for a moment. Then, with a swift turn, he shot off like aet back to the vige. His speed was awe-inspiring as the surrounding atmospheric pressure shattered into a tremendous explosion.

    The resulting waves sent the world into chaos. King Caliburn mockingly chuckled, "toote. We shall once more seize our day." As those ominous words fell, an event that the Kitsune had fought to prevent had already happened!

    -----

    Two minutes prior.

    Akane and Kaiga were standing on the tform, waiting for the ritual to reach its conclusion. Kaiga protectively stood beside her as he wielded a katana in both hands, disying an odd dual-swordsmanship rare amongst Kitsune. His eyes gleamed with warmth and concern whenever he looked towards Akane, but harsh and hellish coldness when he nced at the sea of darkness.

    To them who were far away, it was like ck and multicolored droplets of water falling to the earth from a sea of darkness. It truly left one feeling cold knowing that those droplets were the recently departed. Many of whom he knew.

    "How long?" Kaiga softly asked. It was unbearable to watch your nsmen fall like flies reaching the end of their lives while you do nothing but watch. Of course, he knew that his current mission was far more important, but it didn¡¯t ease his fiery heart.

    Akane shook her head helplessly, "I¡¯m not sure." Her words left one feeling like a bottomless pit was formed at the base of one¡¯s stomach. A sinking feeling emerged. She felt heavy, as if the world was on her shoulders. Was the ritual and lives of her ancestors going to end by her hands?

    The very thought made her want to cut off her arms.

    Unfortunately...

    "It should be soon," seeing Akane¡¯s depressing aura, he couldn¡¯t help but try to reassure her.

    Shroom!

    A piercing sound burst into life, causing Kaiga and Akane to be on the alert as they looked towards that direction. A figure, translucent and nearly invisible was impatiently and quickly traveling by air towards their position.

    Their eyes widened as they looked towards this figure to realize it was a woman. A nude woman. Her features weren¡¯t clear, but her breasts andck of a third-leg indicated her gender.

    "Waa?" An exmation of surprise sounded from the woman as she abruptly stopped in mid-air. Raising her palms, she looked at her hands in utter disbelief. "My spatial concealment is exposed?" The amount of shock in her voice clearly showed she wasn¡¯t sure how or why.

    While that happened, Akane and Kaiga were too focused to notice the silver flickering light in Akane sleeve.

    Kaiga jumped to defense. This woman had no tail and, despite her features being unclear, she was definitely a threat. Her brandished his twin swords with fierceness and readied himself.

    The woman turned to realize that the two had already seen her. Her eyes turned cold as killing intent emerged from her eyes.

    "Is that?!" Her eyes suddenly changed as she noticed the sword hilt sticking out of the stone. "The Grail¡¯s Prison!" Her words were said with excitement, pure excitement.

    "Intruder, be gone lest I y you where you stand!" Kaiga threatened.

    "Harrumph!" She coldly sneered. Using her palm, she drove it directly into her chest. Shockingly, no blood surfaced as it punctured deep within. With a swift yank, she pulled out a pure white pearl. It was about the size of a marble.

    Without any dy, she threw it towards Akane and Kaiga. As if it were sentient, it sped towards Akane like a bullet with eyes.

    Kaiga reacted quickly, soaring into the air and decisively cutting down. However, the pearl veered away from his sharp des like a fish dodging a predator. The speed was so fast that he couldn¡¯t even react or turn around before it reached Akane.

    Akane¡¯s eyes widened as she tried to urge her powers, but because of the ritual, she could only stare as it approached.

 Chapter 388 Compass & The Grail 1

    The pearl was like death. It had a stench that made one wish to regurgitate their stomachs, but it was an odd stench. Despite that sensation, an unbearably pure aura emitted from it. It could be described as it trying to remove all the toxins from one¡¯s existence, establishing that revolting feeling.

    While it reached near Akane, whose eyes were wide and filled with disbelief, it flickered with faint traces of that pure light.

    Then, in a split second, the ritual had ended.

    Akane felt a temporary liberating feeling, as if she was no longer burdened. Her hands were lifted away from the sword, and her eyes shed with a light. With an instinctive desire for survival of not just her but her entire race, she lunged towards the pearl in an act of self-sacrifice.

    She knew that pearl wasn¡¯t after her, but the Ancestral Hope.

    Then, a voice seemed to echo in her brain. She pulled out a silverpass and threw it at the pearl. She had no idea why she did, but she felt it was right.

    "Oh?!" The translucent woman gasped in shock when she saw thepass, and an uncertainty flickered briefly in her eyes.

    Surprisingly, the pearl didn¡¯t dodge thepass, smashing directly towards. However, it didn¡¯t cause any sound of collision, but a soft sound resembling a rock being thrown into a pond.

    That plop was resounding.

    It caused everyone to unintentionally exim as their heartbeat increased unnaturally.

    "The Ancestor said to remember thepass, but...what?" Confused, Akane thought. The events were too sudden to think about it too carefully.

    The pearl andpass attached to each other. They were like two pieces of sharply contrasted gum.

    Zuuum!

    A charging sound emanated from the two. A build-up of unknown energy was urring as the pure, white light and silver sheen of thepass started to glow brighter. It was like two unstable energy sources werepeting for dominance.

    Akane and Kaiga¡¯s expressions changed. Without thinking about it, Akane and Kaiga shot backwards without hesitation. A profound sensation of danger linked to their inner heritage alerted them of a terrifying event that was about to ur.

    However, the translucent woman didn¡¯t have the same thoughts. She sped towards the sword in the stone, her nearly unseen eyes glowed with a brilliantly bright light of desire and happiness. All she needed to do wase in contact with the stone, and she would have aplished her mission.

    The two objects spun slowly in the air like they were performing a close contact tango of sorts.

    As she sped forward, a violet light shot from a distance. This light was like aet in the horizon arriving. The woman briefly nced at it, promptly ignored it, and pushed forward.

    She was only a few dozen meters away at this point. Her hand was reached as far as possible, and her fingers trembled. An iparably excellent feeling emerged in her heart, like an explorer finding the most valuable treasure in the world.

    Just.

    A.

    Little.

    More.

    Her thoughts spiraled.

    The violet light appeared beside Akane as if it had eyes at remarkable speeds. A small, dainty figure emerged. It was Tsumi.

    "Tsumi!" Akane cried.

    When she appeared, despite being shocked by the events and filled with a sense of profound danger, Kaiga fearlessly stopped his retreat and grabbed at Tsumi. He pulled the confused girl into his embrace and turned his back towards thepass and pearl.

    A soft exmation escaped Tsumi¡¯s lips, but witnessing Kaiga, the n Lord¡¯s son, grab her protectively in his embrace, she didn¡¯t resist.

    Luckily, because...

    Zuuum! Zuuum!

    The energy was clearly reaching its climax. Thepass and pearl¡¯s lights surged into the surroundings like a disco ball light in the night sky. The rays were clearly visible and brimming with the abundant energy of incredible origin.

    BOOOOM!

    A heart-rending explosion took ce with thepass and pearl as the epicenter. The world quaked, and the sheer amount of energy sent all things of creation into a spiral of chaos. The energy was hot and pure, as if it was trying to purify time and space itself.

    The translucent woman was the closest, but she didn¡¯t even react as her vision had be tunneled onto the sword in the stone. The rays shone on her in such close proximity that she turned into a figure of white. Her entirety seemed to have been purified...even her lifeforce.

    It was as if all things in this world didn¡¯t conform to that energy source. What she used as a weapon was reflected against her, iming her life in a peaceful and perfect manner - via purification.

    Kaiga clenched his teeth as his aura exploded and he gripped Tsumi even further. He roared, "Kitsune¡¯s Nine Ancestral Protection!" An invisible barrier was formed by consuming his lifeforce.

    The energy impacted this barrier, but a little seeped through and entered his body. It was like a piercing spear, wanting to go through him and into Tsumi. Not only that, Akane¡¯s eyes were wide as she realized she couldn¡¯t resist the light.

    Her strength just wasn¡¯t sufficient.

    Kaiga saw Akane about to engulfed by light and madness filled his eyes. Memories flowed, albeit one-sided, they still were precious to him. He roared even louder, screaming to the heavens.

    "I, protect. I, serve. I, live! Tailed Essence of Creation!!" With his everything, his tails expanded outwards. A total of six formed. They elongated and expanded to be asrge as trees. He wrapped himself, Tsumi, and Akane in it. A wad of blood surged many times in his mouth, staining his teeth crimson, but he swallowed it all and clenched his teeth.

    The light seemed to burn the tails like holy water meeting demonic existences. It sizzled, but shocking, it held. With it, they had barely survived the cmity.

    With the twoyers of protection, they stayed in that position for a while.

    It wasn¡¯t long before a violet light boomed in the distance in haste. Akio had reached top speed as the bad feeling seemed to reach an all-time high. However, that bad feeling intensified as his eyes widened when the white and silver light sprayed outwards like the rays of the sun.

    His eyes trembled as he stopped, raised his palm, and pressed. A barrier formed from the violet light protected him. The barrier sizzled like it was burning, causing his heart to clench.

    Hrrrrchhh!!

    An odd sound echoed.

    Akio looked up, and his eyes turned into needlepoints. With a swiftness, he looked down, and the panic in his eyes increased.

    "The formations stopped!" As this realization hit, his expression became darker than night.

    "Haha! Perfect. Men! Charge!!" A voice tinged in darkness echoed out like a grand king. "Follow our light, for we shall seize the day!" The sea of ck was rumbling as they flew across the skies and ready to prate into the vige.

    The pearl was an object that contained the Essence of the Day. With it, they could shut down the formations and enter. Under the orders of Caliburn, the woman was to locate The Grail and then send a piece of it to activate it once more, inducing such effects.

    Unfortunately, it didn¡¯t collide with The Grail, but thepass. Despite that, it still aplished its task. Now, there were no more hindrances.

    Akio¡¯s mind spiraled. It seemed the shadow knights knew of the foreign formations and how to stop it, indicating some familiarity. When this thought emerged, his heart pounded in panic. The light was still being emanated, but not so strongly. It came from the tform!

    This meant it would truly lead them to where the Ancestral Hope was. He couldn¡¯t help but panic.

    He decisively turned. With a swipe, he brandished his arming sword and faced the oing sea of ck.

    "Today, we KILL!" He growled ferociously. If they wanted to pass this point, they¡¯d have to step over his cold corpse.

    "Oh?!" A voice, foreign to all, came from the central area of the light. "I finally found it! How lucky."

    A figure emerged from the light.

 Chapter 389 Compass & The Grail 2

    A few minutes before.

    Yan Zaizen held in his hand a jet ck egg with furrowed brows. He flew slowly in the air with eyes of contemtion. Yri stood beside him, her expression unreadable, but her emotions were clearly foul.

    "You could¡¯ve let me rip her apart," Yri said with evident discontent. Yan Zaizen would roll his eyes if he cared. Earlier, she had nearly talked his ear off withints about Asenath¡¯s death. At the time, she was experiencing all sorts of emotions, having been forced to kneel unwillingly induced cracks in her Dao.

    If it were anybody else with anyone else, perhaps their Dao would shatter and vanish. Luckily, Yan Zaizen had allowed her to view it from the Meteor Ring. This narrowed allowed her to experience relief and therefore, safety.

    "At least let me scorch her soul," herints were non-stop. Yan Zaizen had an urge to deliver a p. He had so much to think about, and this woman kept dwelling on such things. She was a Celestial of Time, break heavenlyw, go back in time, and kill her yourself!

    However, Yan Zaizen wouldn¡¯t say or do those things. He knew that she was only doing so as it conformed with her rather annoying Dao.

    Decidedly ignoring her, he inspected his Meteor Ring. Within it was a translucent cube no more than a foot in diameter. A soft, gentle and motherly light emanated from within. This was the All-Immortal Dragon¡¯s Natal Force.

    He softly sighed. He stored away the egg and looked at the gloomy, dusky skies. Currently, he had to figure out a way to reach Hell with his own strength. After all, he did not have thepass, and he may not even need it.

    Unfortunately, he still needed to figure out the method of travel. Shockingly, the All-Immortal Dragon offered no help. Not that she didn¡¯t want to, but it somehow conflicted with his supposed ¡¯fate¡¯.

    So many secrets and mysteries in his life. He was originally just a normal boy, slow and dim-witted, who lived a fairly peaceful albeit disappointing life. Then, like a heavenly shift, the Meteor fell from the sky and Han Genji arrived.

    From then on, his life went from one amazing moment to another. He had killed, suffered, loved, and lost. He saw creatures of nightmares, saw worldsrge and small, and traveled brilliantly across the realms. A wave of nostalgia surged in his body as he realized that the world was far wider than Meteorite City and the Yan n.

    "Tao...Bai Lufeng..." he recalled his close friends, a warm smile surfaced on his face. He had missed thousands of years of their lives and then was soon pulled away. It was truly a tragedy, but he knew they were doing well. To him, that¡¯s all that mattered.

    "We still have to travel the heavens together!" He recalled promises and dreams.

    He gripped his fist tightly, causing the incessantints to halt. Yri quieted immediately as she saw Yan Zaizen surge with a glow.

    "One day..." As he softly muttered, his body trembled. His eyes shivered like they were in the frozen tundra. An unspeakable sensation roamed his body wildly. It felt disgusting and impure. The only time he felt this was...

    The prince?

    The orb of jet ck that tried to destroy his soul.

    He frowned and connected with his body and instincts. A surging wave of unease battered his mind, and he felt a mortal feeling - fight or flight. However, he pushed that urge down and felt the sensation further.

    "There¡¯s an object simr to the Prince¡¯s." Saying thus, he grabbed Yri by the waist. She was shocked that Yan Zaizen just brazenly grabbed her body, but then her eyes shifted. A rare form of excitement appeared.

    Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t bother with her. He directly stepped forward and prated the spatial void. His speed was beyond this world.

    "What?! He can travel the spatial void in the Dusk Zone?!" Yri knew that spatialws were lowered heavily in the Dusk Zone. In fact, it was weaker than some Mortal Laws. This made interacting a thousand, a million times harder. Otherwise, skyships would just shift through the spatial void and not fly through the air.

    For someone to break through space, perhaps even a Heavenly Creation Peak Phase expert couldn¡¯t do it. Even the All-Immortal Dragon would find it incredibly difficult. Of course, the All-Immortal Dragon was a Yaoguai¡¯s descendent, so she could definitely pull it off.

    Carrying Yri, Yan Zaizen zed through the spatial void with utter ease. His Heavenly Law enabled such, and he felt no difort. He was trying to trace the feeling. He wanted to analyze why and what that sensation originated from.

    If he could, perhaps he could get closer to understand this weakness and abolish it. After all, knowing there¡¯s something that makes you weak or weaker than normal never felt good. If his enemies used this at a critical moment, who knew what would happen?

    "Oh?" He felt an exceptionally pure aura emerge as he traveled. "Non-Verse¡¯s Purity Law?" His eyes flickered with uncertainty.

    "Simr location? No...together?" He upped his speed and the very fabric of space and time seemed to contort and bend to his will. He broke free from the spatial void within the Dusk Zone and entered another zone in a near-instant. A sense of urgency emerged in his eyes.

    His reckless movements definitely affected the normal space of the Celestial Origin Grounds, but he didn¡¯t stop. Instead, he caused his Heavenly Shrine to emerge from his body and hover above him. The pyramid structure rotated profoundly, and a pure, unfathomably powerful spacetime energy erupted.

    He stepped forward, and a heart-wrenching explosion urred. Yri felt like she was in a rocket that kept elerating. If wind existed, her hair and body would be imprinted with wind pressure.

    "So fast!" Yri thought.

    Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t slow down, traveling through many different zones and regions. Only when his eyes glowed with a pure light did he stop.

    "Shit," he abruptly turned around, "I missed it!" He exploded forth backwards. Yri felt like she was being swung about in a chaotic storm at that moment. She nearly blew chunks.

    Only after a few more misses did Yan Zaizen finally narrow down the location, but he still couldn¡¯t figure out how far or close. This was until an explosion urred filled with spacetime and pure energy.

    "What?!" He was shocked to recognize the aura of the spacetime energy. Without any hesitation, he sped like a bullet to that area and directly re-entered normal space.

    When he arrived, his hand reached out and grabbed a silver object with ease. He felt a bulge on it and realized a pearl had been embedded into it. "A Regalia of the Non-Verse¡¯s Purity Law?" This thought emerged, but he felt relieved.

    With thispass, he would find entering Hell to be so much easier.

    He couldn¡¯t help but verbalize his excitement, "I finally found it! How lucky."

    The pure blinding light did nothing to harm him, but Yri screeched like mad. She immediately ripped open the spatial void and left. Yan Zaizen furrowed his brows as he heard the scream of bloody murder. Luckily they were in the Meadow Zone, and spatialws were normalized here.

    Otherwise, she would¡¯ve been worst off.

    Yan Zaizen clenched his fist, and the pure light that emanated outwards were sucked into his palm and turned into a blip of light. With a squeeze, the light vanished.

    He was a Non-Entity and controlled the Law of Purity, how could he be scared of this light? However, he couldn¡¯t help but realize that the Law of Purity isn¡¯t just a supportivew to purify energy, flesh, and all things, but could directly be used offensively.

    He tabled that forter and looked around. His eyes were drawn to the sword hilt embedded into the stone. When he saw that hilt, his eyes turned into needlepoints!

 Chapter 390 Compass & The Grail 3

    Yan Zaizen felt shaken. He stared heavily at the sword hilt embedded into the stone. From it, he felt a repulsive yet familiar and gentle aura.

    "This is..." he walked towards the sword unhesitantly. His body flickered with a soft, pure white light. His innate aura of his Non-Entity physique revealed itself for the first time.

    Observing himself, he couldn¡¯t help but gasp softly in wonder. This was the first time he¡¯d ever seen the Non-Entity physique of his react. Even while he traveled into the actual universe, or the space that inhabited itsws, didn¡¯t illicit such.

    "Stop! You can¡¯t touch it!!!" A feminine voice shouted.

    Yan Zaizen nced at the three individuals nearby. He had nearly forgotten about their auras, his attention focused heavily on the sword in the stone. The one who shouted was a young girl. Her hair was violet and she was a beauty.

    Yan Zaizen noticed that behind her was several beast-like tails. He frowned. His eyes looked towards hers and he grew confused.

    He had met many humanized beasts in his lifetime. They cultivated a unique path and had a unique aura, but they all had the same characteristics: No pupils. However, this young girl radiated a beast¡¯s aura, but had pupils. This contradiction didn¡¯t line up with his understanding and caused him to pause.

    "W-who...are you?" Akane asked, getting up and exiting Kaiga¡¯s protection. Her eyes held a deep vignce and struggled to muster her strength. For some reason, her body was abnormally weak.

    "You can call me Ascension," Yan Zaizen replied. After, his frown deepened as he turned and saw a violet light and a sea of ck. The light in the distance was radiant and powerful, it was definitely at the level of someone at a high-level Heavenly Genesis Realm or path equivalent.

    When he saw the knights and felt an impure aura from them, as if they were infected by the most impure existence, he grew even more confused. This was only an aura, and it didn¡¯t seem as if it defined them. If he had topare it, it was like the ck orb from the Oneuli Empire¡¯s Prince was a sun, and these people were basking lightly in its light.

    It was so vastly different that most wouldn¡¯t even notice. However, what surprised him was that it wasn¡¯t just the knights.

    The violet light, the three individuals that was beside him, and the people in the distance with tails all had the same aura. If he closed his eyes, not letting his eyes differentiate, he would think they were the same type of existence.

    There were far too many questions that made this situation odd, and little to no answers. However, he decided to take it one step at a time. Without hesitation and disregarding the words of the young girl, he moved swiftly.

    Reaching out, he sped the hilt of the sword.

    Zuuum!

    His amber-gold eyes transformed into a pure white color. The surprise caused his eyes to widen.

    "No way?!" Yan Zaizen¡¯s heart started to beat wildly. "How is this possible? Why is it here?" A surge of information that was instinctual flowed into his mind, like a well-timed release.

    The sword hilt was connected to a de and this de was something he had only read in legends. In various stories, it was said that everything had a heart. This was often taken metaphorically, but this was a universal truth.

    Even existences of a spiritual nature had a heart, so did the Yaoguai, and every living and sentient life, even nts and mountains. This ¡¯heart¡¯ was often loosely termed in literature. It could mean spirit, soul, or core of something¡¯s existence. You would know if something has a heart if it could not live without it.

    If taken, it would die.

    What made humans, beasts, and various physical lifeforms special, why they can even cultivate, had to do with this unique aspect of theirs. They had both a physical and spiritual heart.

    A blood-driven heart and a soul me.

    In fact, cultivating relied heavily on these hearts. The Yaoguai grew and died with their hearts. It wasn¡¯t just limited to them either.

    This sword was a heart.

    "A piece of it, anyways." Yan Zaizen paid special attention to the sword. However, before he could feel out more about this, a sword sliced towards him with imperious momentum.

    A tiny girl struck out, her expression vicious and terrifying. It was filled with fear, anger, and desperation.

    Yan Zaizen nced at her and was taken aback. Her aura was turbulent and vicious, a willingness toy down one¡¯s life emanated from every fiber of this young girl¡¯s soul. It was as if he was threatening to obliterate her entire family.

    "So young..." Sighing, Yan Zaizen flicked his finger towards her. The space surrounding them seemed to constrict and the de was trapped in mid-air. Tsumi¡¯s body froze as well. It was as if she was put on pause.

    "Ahhhh!" An anger-filled roar followed. Kaiga had risen, his body badly burned and missing patches of flesh, but he held his de with all his energy and dashed towards Yan Zaizen with reckless abandon.

    Feeling somewhat awkward, he pressed his hand forward. Kaiga felt like thunder had erupted in his soul. His eyes lost focus and he fell face first into the ground. He was unconscious.

    Clenching his hand, a white me was birthed. Gently, he pushed it over to wrap tightly around Kaiga¡¯s body. Soon, the damage to his body had been thoroughly healed.

    He turned towards Akane, "You¡¯re not going to attack too, are you?" He smiled softly. To him, these people weren¡¯t his enemy and he didn¡¯t know of their situation. Following his Dao, he would never kill others because of a misunderstanding or because they attacked suddenly.

    "..." Akane stayed quiet. Her eyes were glued to Yan Zaizen¡¯s palm that safely grasped the sword¡¯s hilt.

    "Hm." Musing to himself about the situation, he refocused. The sword was the ¡¯heart¡¯ of something. However, it wasn¡¯t the thing that was triggering his body¡¯s unique aura.

    Instead, it was connected to whatever was. Yan Zaizen knew this much. He used his soul and heavenly sense, but realized that they could not prate the stone. This made him realize that the stone was extraordinary. With his Heavenly and Soul cultivation base, he could be considered heaven-equalling, so for this stone to prevent his senses was by no means a small feat.

    He decided to resort to his Dao Sense. It was far more powerful than his soul and heavenly sensebined. In fact, he spected that it was abination of soul, heavenly, and physical sense amplified by a hundred-fold.

    After sending in his Dao Sense, the stone became clear like ss.

    "A cup?" Yan Zaizen saw a grail stabbed through and through by an arming sword. This arming sword had runic markings on its surface and felt profoundly mysterious. He had never seen markings like these. However, the grail was even more profound.

    It had no etching or marks, just one defining feature: it was translucent.

    An aura he was all too familiar with was apparent. It was the Non-Verse¡¯s aura.

    Just as he was about to investigate further, Akane shouted. "Sir Ascension!"

    Yan Zaizen looked towards her. Tsumi was frozen and Kaiga was unconscious. This young woman hadn¡¯t attacked him or was injured, so he ignored her.

    "Can I ask you to...save my people..." her request took Yan Zaizen by surprise. He didn¡¯t know her and she didn¡¯t know him. Akane also understood this, but her ancestor had said that thepass was important and it summoned this person...so she had to risk it. He didn¡¯t seem like he was going to kill them, and he didn¡¯t taint the Ancestral Hope after touching it, so she took that risk.

    She pointed towards the sea of ck knights and violet light that seemed to be engaging them in a life or death battle. There were even other Kitsune people flying to the skies to protect their homes. With the protective formations down, they could only rely on the weapons in their hands and their lives to block all who may be an enemy.

    Yan Zaizen could tell that one side was invading and the other was defending. Unfortunately, he was by no means a saint. He didn¡¯t want or like to interfere in situations like this without understanding the entire story. Who knows, perhaps the Kitsune who was being attacked had ughtered the knights beforehand and they¡¯vee back for revenge.

    It could also be a territorial dispute or something else that he shouldn¡¯t interfere with as there was likely no right or wrong.

    He pondered for a moment and nodded. "Luckily, I have some questions about this sword and cup." Yan Zaizen casually said.

    While he wouldn¡¯t pick a side, he would follow his own Dao. The relentless pursuit and willingness to achieve one¡¯s goal was a part of this Dao. To sate curiosity was a goal, and it was a sufficient one.

    He lifted his palm towards the sea of ck and violet light. A surge of heavenly might flowed from his heavenly shrine and into his palm. He gently pushed forwards.

 Chapter 391 Compass & The Grail 4

    This push was like buddha pressing upon the unrighteous, condemning the wicked, and eliminating all darkness. A vast, unfathomably pure aura surfaced. An ocean-like wave was created that seemed to wish to engulfed the world.

    The aura caused all the knights and kitsune to initiate a screeching stop of their actions. In fact, some of the knights and the kitsune were literally screeching!

    A heart-pounding sensation of purity left them in fear and reverence that emanated from their existence. They froze.

    Akio halted his de. The heart of a knight had been spared as his focus turned elsewhere. His eyes became needles and his heart became a drum. The pounding sound emitted from his heart didn¡¯t just emerge in his heart but his very soul.

    King Caliburn had also stopped. His ck eyes looked at the iing wave with horror and shock.

    "The World of Light!" Akio and King Caliburn said at the exact same time. Their voices echoed endlessly as they did.

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes lit as he heard their words, but his actions didn¡¯t stop. Instead, he overturned his palm and the heavens and heart was integrated by his pure heavenly might. Thews of space flipped, what was up became down and what was down became up.

    He smashed his palm downwards and a force was generated from this action. In ordance to the profoundws of the heavens, gravity had been intensified by countless times.

    Boom! Boom! Crash!

    Everyone in the sky crashed downwards, no, upwards, as theynded on the ground in various awkward positions. Akio and King Caliburn were not exempt. Before they could even muster an iota of resistance, their energies seemed to be drawn away from them and left them powerless.

    The heaven¡¯s bestowed strength, but now, it seemed it wished to siphon off all their various powers.

    "How about you all sit for a moment," Yan Zaizen smilingly transmitted to the thoughts of everyone present. With but a palm, with but a motion, he restricted everyone.

    Akane watched, mouth agape as she bore witness to something she could barely fathom. The sight before her eyes was a world inverted, and they all seemed to be hanging upside down yet upright. The outright contradiction caused her soul to rethink reality and her core beliefs were shaken.

    Yan Zaizen had applied, with his pure heavenly might, a conceptualization of the Heavenly Law. He wanted to verify if he could truly connect and overturn the very heavens. When he actually achieved it, even he was shocked. Despite his smiling appearance, he was shook as equally as Akane.

    The world before him had turned inverted, his thoughts becamews, and his desires became physics.

    However, a grin surfaced. This grin was filled with anticipation at this power. "Is this Heavenly Law? It encapstes the functionality of all things! In that case!" He took a deep breath and gathered his thoughts. Closing his eyes, a faint white glow emerged behind his eyelids.

    When he re-opened his eyes, the world before him changed. Immediately, he looked into the sky.

    When he did, he saw a fractured entity. It was fragmented, but the pieces faintly resembled a spherical object, but a few portions were missing. It¡¯s size was beyond massive, seemingly incredibly close yet far. He had experienced a feeling like this once before, in the 7th Heaven.

    He calmed himself as he made various spections. When he finally did, his eyes no longer contained that heavenly power and returned to normal, but a hint of confusion remained.

    "S..sir...Ascension?" Akane¡¯s words were said as if it was only through utter shock.

    "I¡¯ve done what you¡¯re requested, no?" He regained his confident tone, the confusion in his eyes was no longer present. With a calm smile, he returned his focus back onto the sword in the stone.

    "It¡¯s about time for you toe out." His tone became aggressive as his eyes narrowed. He gripped the hilt of the de tightly, his body emitting waves and waves of heavenly might. The purity that originated from the Non-Verse¡¯s Law of Purity continued to increase in intensity.

    With a hefty tug, he directly pulled the sword out of the stone.

    It was an arming sword, but it waspletely ck in color. It contained impurity and a disgusting aura. It felt repulsive to even look at, feeling as if one¡¯s eyes were stained by watching it. Akane¡¯s eyes widened as she saw this arming sword, her eyes shed with various emotions.

    Abruptly, she lost consciousness. Her body met a thud as it lifelessly collided with the ground. The sound was nearly sickening.

    Yan Zaizen turned towards her, his eyebrows furrowed. A multitude of auras started to rise from afar. He looked towards the scenery of the reversed heaven and earth, and saw the knights and the kitsune¡¯s body start to emit traces of ck smoke.

    Especially the kitsune.

    They were like gallonspared to the knights who were like cups. When their aurasbined, it became a sea of impurity and repugnance.

    An ugly hymn emerged from the sword. Its keen was like a crying child begging for death, it made everyone feel all sorts of negative emotions within their hearts. It created a distasteful memory in one¡¯s mind.

    While some felt this when they sensed the aura, Yan Zaizen saw Pinaka¡¯s death.

    "Roar!" He bellowed suddenly, causing the heavens and earth to tremble as he held the sword. "You dare influence my mind?!" Amber-gold lights was birthed from his eyes as his body erupted with heavenly might and soul energy that seemed perfect, paragon incarnate!

    He clenched the sword and forced his aura into it, forcing it to withdraw its influencing traces. The ck sea born from the auras of the kitsune and knights retreated like children that had just been punished by their parents and sent to their rooms.

    The sword cried a keening cry, its ugly hymn resonated aloud in resistance, but Yan Zaizen only had a mocking gaze.

    "Concede!" He fiercely demanded.

    The sword in his hands cried more, as if it wanted to escape and leave this abusive rtionship. However, Yan Zaizen only coldlyughed. This sword had a sentience and soul. It was the Heart of a Universe.

    At first, he was unsure as to which one, but now he was certain.

    It was the heart of the Non-Verse!

    How spectacr!

    "The heavens has bnce, all things must have bnce. If there is physicality, there must be spirituality. If there is life, death must be present. If there is eternity, then nothingness must exist! If there is purity, then there must be the impure." As these words were said, his mind entered a state of profundity beyond anything he had before.

    The orb that was impure used by the Oneuli Empire¡¯ste prince was a fraction of this heart¡¯s power. The reason it could suppress his power and negate his senses.

    In the world, there is something called matter. When a universe is created, both matter and antimatter exists. The prization of existence was a fundamental requirement for all things. Regardless of its ratio, it is required.

    As he held the sword, he now knew why the Non-Entity Physique he possessed regarded it as dangerous. Luckily, the current him had no fear.

    He inspected the sword with his dao sense and his eyes flickered. "It¡¯s...there¡¯s a whole! What the?!" His eyes widened as his mind was in disbelief. When he looked at the sword, his heart quivered.

 Chapter 392 Compass & The Grail 5

    His dao sense inspected the sword. A spectacr view opened up before him. The Heart of the Non-Verse, the antithesis of purity, contained a full world with its own set ofws.

    He witnessed a world filled with countless living souls of Kitsune. They were numerous, amounting in the billions, and they underwent life normally.

    In the world, when his sense entered this world, he felt like god looking upon all creation. A literal god looking inside from outside a self-contained world. It had a star,s, and moons.

    "..." He grew silent. These souls that existed in this world were kitsune. However, he was confused. How could a world filled with impurity contain a world.

    "A miniature universe?" As he thought about how irrationally incoherent this was, he pondered more. If this was a miniature universe, then it needed two pr opposites to sustain itself.

    He turned towards the rock and observed the grail that revealed a light of purity. "Another heart! Right! Of course!" His eyes brightened with intense enlightenment.

    The two hearts belonged to the same universe, with them working together, they created two universes that were self-contained. He grasped the rock that held the grail and clenched. It shattered instantly, revealing the pure white grail that emitted purity of the highest. He felt a familiarity to it like no other.

    In a way, this was a piece of his parent. His gaze softened. With a light touch, he swept the grail into his palm. The knights who saw this went crazy, their eyes and voices strained to their limits. If they weren¡¯t suppressed by heavenlyws overturned by Yan Zaizen, they would¡¯ve recklessly charged forth to reim the grail.

    Yan Zaizen ignored their intense reactions, "There is another world inside here as well. Indeed, two must exist. The souls here...are of those knights?" His words came off as a question because when he saw the souls shapes and aura, they weren¡¯t simr to the knights.

    They looked like dwarves. They were short and stubby, waddling with short legs and chubby fingers.

    However, the knights were fierce warriors that towered several meters. He inspected them more thoroughly and found that the number of individuals in this world exceeded trillions.

    He deeply frowned.

    Then, he abruptlyughed. "You stupid, stupid idiots!" He couldn¡¯t stopughing as he realized what had happened.

    "I see! They were chosen by the grail, receiving its blessing and their souls were pinned to this universe. If they die, they¡¯ll be reincarnated here, receiving evesting life until the eventual copse of this universe. But the number within was reaching maximum capacity, no new souls could enter - prohibited by the universe itself for self-preservation.

    "To ovee this, you tried to connect with the impure universe! When you did, you tainted yourself. How hrious! Do you think regaining the grail will return your race back to where it was? No! Your entire soul line has been tainted." He quietly said, but his words echoed in the voices of each and every race.

    "As for you kitsune, I don¡¯t know how you obtained the right to exist in the impure universe, but now you can¡¯t even cultivate normally! While I am curious of your story, I can make some conjectures, and I find it rather boring." Yan Zaizen stated as he sighed heavily.

    "Your entire soul lines have been connected with the universe. You no longer belong here, so I¡¯ll send you all to your world. Until the universe copses, you can exist." His words were cold as he gripped the ck arming sword forcefully.

    His Non-Entity physique connected with both hearts. Within one hand, the unholy sword, in the other, the holy grail.

    "Expand!" Hemanded. His heavenly might integrated into both universes, slightly expanding it. Then, with a wave, the kitsune and knights were drawn into the two objects as if they were returning to where they belonged. The ck knights to a universe of purity. The kitsune to a universe of impurity.

    As he did, the overturned heavens regained their normalcy.

    "How foolish!" He sighed emotionally. While he may have seemed cold performing these actions, locking them into a universe, he had to. The reason was that they couldn¡¯t exist in this world.

    He had to take the grail and the sword with him, and if he did, they would copse entirely into death. As for why, his instincts told him so. Therefore, while selfish, he had to.

    While he could choose to rbine the two objects, this wouldn¡¯t solve their plights. Their entire existences were tainted with another universe¡¯sws, and they couldn¡¯t cultivate normally. It was just like the Oneuli Empire¡¯s Prince.

    "When I be stronger, I¡¯ll separate all of your souls from the hearts, return you to the Non-Verse, and give you all a second life as restitution. In fact, if it wasn¡¯t because of your souls, the two universes stability likely would¡¯ve copsed by now." As he recalled the various states, he realized there was more to this than he could take in at the moment.

    Unfortunately, he had his own deadline. He couldn¡¯t waste anymore time.

    It was time to leave the Heavenly Origin Grounds and take a visit to hell. The two objects were directly stored in his Meteor Ring.

    Just as he was thinking of events, a ripple appeared behind him. Yri exited the spatial ripple, her eyes were filled with vignce. "What the hell was that scorching light? I felt as if my entire face was melting!" She started to wildly curse as she observed the empty vige and castle that floated lifelessly in the sky.

    "Nothing. We should go," Yan Zaizen said indifferently.

    "What? You rushed here from so far and yet you want to leave? Well, I¡¯ll tell you this, I won¡¯t let you drag me around! Unless..." her eyes sparkled as indecent thoughts emerged in her mind.

    Yan Zaizen sighed. This woman truly wanted to dual cultivate for this Dao Heart. If it wasn¡¯t for the various factors that could happen if he did, perhaps he would¡¯ve long since performed the deed to repay his debt.

    "Let¡¯s go!" He said, leaping into the sky and entering the spatial void. Yri pouted and followed along while muttering various curses.

 Chapter 393 Not Permitted

    In the Dusk Zone, the void split into a slit. It widened abruptly, allowing two people to exit.

    Yan Zaizen was clutching the lines of the spatial void, widening it via force. This was the Dusk Zone, traveling through and exiting out of the spatial void was far more of a difficult endeavor than other ces. While he possessed the power to overwrite thews, being mostly unaffected by the restrictions. He realized this only extended for entering, not exiting.

    Yri stayed silent. Her eyes regarded the gloomy and dark area. This ce was familiar to her, as she set up her trial here. Her eyes revealed discontent. Yan Zaizen¡¯s unwillingness to heed her request was stifling. Not to mention, she was carried every which way. She was an illustrious Celestial. It felt harmful to her pride a little.

    Yan Zaizen ignored her discontent as he inspected their location with his heavenly sense. He found a fewndmarks and triangted their current location from this. With that, he realized which direction he needed to go. He flew towards the west.

    Yri closely followed. She felt somewhat happy that this was the Dusk Zone. Yan Zaizen couldn¡¯t just shuttle her anywhere.

    "Where are we going?" Yri asked.

    "I came in through the Paradisiacal Sword Realm. I intend to go back that way first," Yan Zaizen indifferently said.

    "Oh?" Yri was shocked. She felt anticipation at visiting this thirty-three heavens that Yan Zaizen mentioned before. In the time since her rebirth, billions of years have passed. She was quite curious at how the Heavenly Universe had changed.

    They flew forward unimpeded. The Yaoguai that were in the distance avoided them, sensing their auras. Yan Zaizen hadn¡¯t hid his cultivation base, radiating it outwards, being at the Ninth-Floor of the Heavenly Genesis Realm.

    He had faced and even defeated Heavenly Creation Realm experts. Therefore, he felt rxed. Most importantly, he had no enemies at the moment so why not?

    Their travels brought them to the city he originated from. As he saw its walls and busy traffic, he felt relieved. He hade across far too many interesting events since he arrived here. Recalling them all, he felt somewhat astonished.

    When he arrived, he was schemed against immediately. He stumbled into Yri¡¯s trial and even lived another life. Due to her, he had a strange lifeform that was his sister, daughter, and clone in the Meteor Ring. His emotions were quiteplex. However, because of that, he formed his Dao Heart.

    This heightened his cultivation base deeply.

    Then, he met the pursuit of Yri, the Oneuli Empire and another force. They shed briefly while he silently cultivated. He met Yri and learned of her ambitions and willingness to aplish it. That mad devotion was both irritating yet worthy of praise.

    In the end, he joined a group to find and kill a mythical dragon. Now, he held its egg in his hands and swore a promise. At that time, he fought a true Heavenly Creation Realm expert and killed her.

    His soul cultivation reached a whole new level, bing the Paragon Soul Realm. He had discovered the true mysteries of the Soul Source and obtained untold power. Even now, he was unsure of his limitations.

    By chance, he found thepass. With it, the fragmented Hearts of the Non-Universe.

    It all felt so short, but each event was insane. He could have been said to benefited greatly due to this venture, yet he also felt unsure.

    They entered the city without much fuss. There were no entry fees and they made their way to the cube entrance. With Heaven Hearts, this entrance can be activated and send him back to the thirty-three heavens. After, he¡¯ll use thepass or his own powers to prate Hell.

    "Pinaka, I¡¯ming!" His heart fiercely pounded at the thought. In truth, he was somewhat scared. Hell was an unknown and its rumors were not good. He wasn¡¯t a hundred percent certain of anything, and can only pray that Pinaka could hold on.

    Just as he entered a hundred meters of the cube.

    Boom!

    A figure nearly exploded, sent back violently. A horrific shriek resounded, causing the gazes and senses of everyone to shift.

    Yan Zaizen was startled. He felt the explosive force just a few feet away from him. He turned to see a bloody figure smashed into a far away building. There was no spot on its body that was revealed, just bloody.

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes widened.

    "Yri?!" He shot forward with incredible speeds. When he arrived near her, he hurriedly injected pure life power into her.

    "Haaaa!"

    A gasp as if a drowning person had just escaped death came from Yri¡¯s bloody mouth. Her grey eyes were revealed, suffused with an unfathomable amount of rage.

    "Who dares?!" She howled, shaking the entire city. Those cultivators at the lower level or cultivation felt their ears bleed, some directly lost consciousness. A few even felt their physical body¡¯s age out of their control, vitality seeping from their bodies endlessly. They shouted in horror, running away.

    Yan Zaizen softly waved his hand. He dispelled her time power from affecting others. "I was right near you, no one acted against you." He said as he frowned. His heavenly, soul, and dao sense was immensely powerful. If someone acted against Yri, he would¡¯ve witnessed them take action or at least the residual power.

    "Heh!" An old man snickered. This caused Yri to snap her head in his direction, her eyes radiated murder. She wed towards him, drawing upon the entirety of her celestial cultivation base. She wished to have this man vanish.

    Yan Zaizen grasped her wrist, stifling her power. "Calm down." As he said this, he turned towards the old man. The old man had a big, bald head and a long beard. His skin was blue and violet spots were littered throughout his bald head.

    He was a cultivator at the Sixth-Floor Heavenly Genesis Realm.

    Yan Zaizen couldn¡¯t recognize his race.

    "What do you know?" Yan Zaizen asked. Despite his voice being calm, the old man felt a boundless heavenly might press against his body. He couldn¡¯t even lift a finger and his life was no longer under his control. He started to panic, shocked at Yan Zaizen¡¯s power.

    He wanted to flee, but he couldn¡¯t even move!

    "Speak. Or let thest sound you make be ¡¯heh¡¯." Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes grew cold.

    "Yes! Yes!" The old man hurriedly agreed. "She¡¯s a Celestial! Celestials aren¡¯t allowed to exit this Heavenly Origin Grounds. This has been the rules since Time Immemorial!"

    Yan Zaizen frowned. He had heard of that before, and it was why he didn¡¯t perform coitus with Yri in fear of gaining a Celestial Cultivation Base. If the Heavenly Origin Grounds dered him unable to leave, he wouldn¡¯t have anywhere to cry.

    Yri shouted in disbelief, "What?!" The Heavenly Origin Grounds had never had this restriction. It was a trial grounds for the omniverses elites and an opportunity for cultivators everywhere. When did it be a prison? A freaking prison!!

    She raged, unwilling to believe the old man. She drove her cultivation and shot towards the cube without hesitation. However...

    Boom!

    Her body flew backwards before she could pass the hundred meter mark. Her body was nearly destroyed. Yan Zaizen arrived, sending her lifeforce and pure vitality. Her physical body started to rapidly heal.

    Yan Zaizen looked towards the cube. His eyes narrowed. A glimmer of amber-gold emerged in his gaze.

    "You think you can stop me if I wish to take Yri?" His imposing aura started to rise in intensity. His Dao of Sovereign Ascension felt challenged. It was his will to bring her out. Even gods can¡¯t stop him.

    Just as he was about to take action, the cube crumbled into dust.

    "What?!"

    Then, he felt fluctuations of spatial energy surged wildly. He felt as if he was moving through a marsh. His eyes shed, "the Spatial Void has been sealed?!"

    Before it was just difficult to enter the spatial void, but now he felt that it was locked by an unfathomable amount of spatial power.

    Ripples started to emerge from all directions, endlessly and countless.

    Yan Zaizen felt those ripples. There were countless thingsing through under a unique spatial method that allowed them to bypass that unique lock of the spatial void. "What in the thirty-three heavens...is happening?"

 Chapter 394 Surrounded, Escape!

    Yan Zaizen felt the entire world echo out constant ripples of spatial might. It was as if he was in the middle of a symphony hall, the raging waves of sound causing his entire body to tremble. Even he felt overwhelmed.

    "What is this?" Yri, who was still somewhat injured, cried in shock. She regarded the various ripples of space with a solemn gaze, her entire body trembling just the same. The degree of spatial might being funneled into this brief area was far too vast to resist.

    "Noooo!"

    "Argh!"

    "My body, my soul, my heavenly shrine?!?! WHAT¡¯S HAPPENING?!" A low-level cultivator shrieked as he felt the impacting surges of might on his body. His entire existence was experiencing a harsh breakdown from its very seams. Within moments, he began to crudely deconstruct. His soul, body, and heavenly shrine started to fragment and dissipate into particles.

    The scene frightened everyone. They could barely move, but many used their cultivation base to fiercely resist the iing waves. Despite that, all those below the Heavenly Commander level in might started to experience those heart-grinding effects.

    Yan Zaizen and Yri were far too strong, so they weren¡¯t subjected to this unknown force. Instead, a faint ward of heavenly might and celestial power encapsted their figures. Only then did the waves cease influencing their bodies.

    "Save me!" The old man, of an indistinguishable race, cried out towards Yan Zaizen. He was a seventh-floor Heavenly Genesis Realm expert, a figure at the Heavenly Commander level, but his ward of heavenly might was constantly rippling. It started to weaken and be fractured. While he kept sending tremendous amounts of his heavenly might to stabilize it, the rate at which it fractured only increased.

    Yri eximed, "The spatial ripples are causing feedback on this area of chaotic spatial power. We¡¯re surrounded by them, and the ripples are only growing stronger." The ripples in the distance were truly surrounding them endlessly, and they couldn¡¯t leave due to the immense pressure on their bodies.

    It was truly like being within an isted sound chamber and the volume only continued to be gradually increased.

    Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t panic. Instead, he analyzed the various spatial ripples. After a while, his eyes became dark as he said, "A foreign force has locked down the entire city. They¡¯re forcefully using various void shifting means to bypass their own sealing mechanisms. This is what¡¯s causing the ripples."

    Despite his deduction, he couldn¡¯t stop it. "We need to leave," he abruptly said. He felt the Non-Entity¡¯s instinctual sense batter him with waves of iing danger. If he didn¡¯t leave now, likely, he won¡¯t get the chance again.

    Yri nodded. As for the figures who were suffering all sorts of unjustified deaths, she couldn¡¯t do anything about that. In fact, Yan Zaizen couldn¡¯t either. He had tried to send these people into the Meteor Ring, but he found out that the interference sealed even that. It seemed all sorts of spatial means were restricted.

    "How do we leave?" Yri had already exerted her celestial cultivation base to the maximum, yet defending was difficult, not to mention moving. She was only a Ninth Phase Celestial Monarch, and that was barely able to contend with weak Heavenly Creation Realm experts at the Minor Heaven Phase.

    Yan Zaizen was quiet, his mind calcting fiercely. With his newfound Paragon Soul Realm, his ability to think was elerated by a thousand-fold. Within a matter of milliseconds, he had already plotted out and rejected a few methods.

    "Hold on to me," Yan Zaizen said. Yri didn¡¯t hesitate, she dashed into Yan Zaizen¡¯s embrace and held him tightly. Despite her mad devotion to take a chance and reincarnate several billion years, she didn¡¯t have a death wish. She didn¡¯t want to die.

    Feeling her trembling body, Yan Zaizen calmed his breathing. If it was anyone else, perhaps they wouldn¡¯t be able to leave. However, who was he?

    He exerted the full might of his heavenly shrine, and its most unique aspect: Mimicry! The Laws of Mimicry can replicate all things. It was all things and all things were it. It was nothing and nothing was it. If he could mimic the rampaging spatial ripples, draw upon their power to exit the Spatial Void, then he should be able to do the inverse.

    In theory.

    If not, he had a second solution.

    As he thought this, his heavenly might transformed into spatial might and replicated the intricacies and frequency of the spatial ripples. With Yri at hand, he used his hand as a spear and tried to puncture a hole into the spatial void.

    Despite his immense power, his hand only created a contortion. It was as if his hand had gripped rubber. While it bent, it didn¡¯t break.

    The protrusion in space deepened, and yet he couldn¡¯t prate.

    "Shit!" He cursed for a moment but calmed down. The instinct from the Non-Verse was rising to untold levels, even influencing his emotions and state of heart. It screamed for him to leave.

    Dao of Sovereign Ascension!

    He fully evoked his Dao, using it to forcefully stabilize his chaotic thoughts and panicking emotions. Right now, he needed to trust in himself. To trust in his Dao.

    He switched up methods, changing from brute force into going with the flow. He gripped Yri tightly, her head pressed into his chest, and his arm wrapped around her waist. At the moment, it seemed as if she was melting into him.

    Yri felt the warmth from his body and felt strange. This was the first time she was so close to a male in a nonbat setting. Despite the perilous situation they were in, she found it quite nice.

    Yan Zaizen deeply inhaled and held his breath. The entire aura of his body changed, and so did Yri¡¯s. At this time, all the cultivators below the Heavenly Commander level had turned into particles, while those above were nearly dissipated. Only those with higher cultivation bases could resist the forceful pressure.

    In a fraction of a fraction of a second, Yan Zaizen and Yri started to be semi-transparent. Their bodies no longer were subjected to the effects of the rippling waves. In fact, they seemed to be one.

    Woosh!

    Bing a wave, he took Yri and fled. He couldn¡¯t prate space, so he could only use physical means. He was flying at his maximum speed while within this mysterious state of existence.

    They soon left the city.

    A few minutes after, all cultivators had perished with none remaining. The spatial ripples started to reach a crescendo as objects started to prate them, exiting from the spatial void. These were skyships of grand design and made from magnificent materials.

    There were tens of thousands of these ships exiting, carrying various people on board. The ships were varied, obviously belonging to different forces. A few even gave off an aura of celestials.

    When they finally all exited, the world regained its calm, but the lock on space remained. On one of these ships, a crimson ship that exuded a dense aura of blood and mes, a middle-aged man flew into the sky. He was dressed in a crimson and golden imperial dragon robe often donned on my mortal emperors.

    "You all are quite vicious, don¡¯t you think?" His voice was deep, powerful, and loud. It echoed into the surroundings with mocking within.

    That being said, his words went unheard. There were groups with several ships and a few with only one, yet not one responded. Instead, they were all quiet.

    The man revealed a calm look, undisturbed by theirck of reply.

    Woosh!

    Abruptly, a ship took off. They were smaller than most and silver in color. The materials of the ship seemed to contain deep spatial might within, allowing them to soar swiftly through the void.

    This ship seemed to evoke the changes of every ship as they followed without wasting a single picosecond. They were closely tailing this ship relentlessly, as if they were chasing it down with a mission.

    The crimson-robed manughed with disdain, "Seventeen region hegemonic level powers arrive, and yet we follow the weakest ship. How useless we all are." As he said those words, he returned to his ship and they shot off as well, following the others.

    After they left, three gigantic worldships arrived. They were the size ofs, and they stalled for a single moment before they took off in the direction of the skyships.

    A chase of epic proportions had just begun.

 Chapter 395 Chased

    Yan Zaizen and Yri shed through the Dusk Zone. The two were flying through the air at maximum speeds. At times, Yan Zaizen would stretch his fingers and attempt to poke through the spatial void, hoping to prate it, but s, it remained impregnable.

    Yri would asionally nce towards Yan Zaizen, her body emanating grey-colored temporal might. It seemed as if her body was moving through the river of time. At times, it seemed as if she was behind or ahead.

    "What just happened?" She asked with a solemn expression. The event just before was abrupt and strange. ording to Yan Zaizen, others were trying to simultaneously restrict and prate space, which caused that rippling spatial feedback that could unravel an individual¡¯s entirety.

    Yan Zaizen helplessly sighed after his umpteenth attempt to enter the spatial void failed. His eyes were calm, radiating peerless confidence. If it wasn¡¯t for his Dao, his mind would crumble from the Non-Entity¡¯s Prophetic Instinct screaming at him of a looming deadly crisis. It was almost as if a banshee was beside his ear shrieking a single word: "RUN!"

    "As I said before, too many individuals were forcefully prating the spatial lock from the outside. Something was trying to prevent them from entering, but they prated through," Yan Zaizen calmly said.

    Yri already understood this point, "I know. I meant, why?"

    Yan Zaizen frowned, his eyes radiating a baleful intent. Could it be due to his Non-Entity Body? Could they have learned of it and desired to take it from him? This was his only true conclusion. The issue was...he didn¡¯t know how they were tracking him.

    He could feel the instincts within him increase in intensity, not decrease. That meant his fleeing attempt hadn¡¯t done anything but dyed the situation. The Non-Verse was a powerful existence that could regard the world. It knew all and saw all. Even within the entire Heavenly Origin Grounds. As long as there was no negative interference, it could issue him a warning.

    The only issue is that, while it can warn, it couldn¡¯tmunicate too in-depth. He spected that his body might be of the Non-Entity, but his soulcked that quality. Therefore, it was incapable of doing anything but tingling his physical senses.

    Coming to this conclusion, he felt even more pressed.

    He looked towards Yri and calmly said, "There¡¯s people after me. Likely for my body. If you separate from me, you¡¯ll have a chance to survive."

    Yri gazed back at Yan Zaizen. Her eyes lit up with a grey brilliance. "Sure. Take me here and now, and I¡¯ll leave." While she sounded like she was joking, her tone was serious to the pinnacle. If Yan Zaizen were to dual cultivate with her to obtain the Dao Heart, she would depart instantly.

    Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t know whether tough or cry.

    "Until you do so, you can only pray that you can escape me," Yri said, no longer bothering to ask any more questions. She pressed ahead with a swiftness.

    Yan Zaizen sighed. Yri was such a devoted enigma.

    He shook off those thoughts as he contemted a way to escape. He didn¡¯t know who was chasing him or how strong they were, but if they came, they must belong to hegemonic forces of the various regions, like the Oneuli Empire. In fact, there were definitely more than two factions.

    At least one sealed space to prevent others from entering or exiting the spatial void, and one prated that lock.

    "Should I stand and fight?" His options were limited. However, he wouldn¡¯t rely on that option unless all others were exhausted. For now, he needed to find another spatial gateway to the thirty-three heavens. If he could prate it and bring Yri along, he could then enter Hell.

    For now, he¡¯ll see if this route worked.

    -----

    Traveling behind Yan Zaizen and Yri were several skyships, and at the forefront of this chase was a silver skyship rippling with spatial might. On the bow of the skyship was an elderly man, thin in body, wearing a loose robe, and had an unfathomably deep gaze. It was as if all of space were trapped within his eyes.

    He had silver wings sprouting from his back. They weren¡¯t angelic, but demonic. They seemed like thin bat wings from hell, yet their silver shine brought a brilliance to it that made one gawk at the sight.

    The other crew members were like the old man, possessing silver wings. However, their wings were all noticeably smaller in size, while the old man¡¯s wingspan reached twenty meters in height. They were currently furled, and if they were to be revealed, who knew how long they¡¯d stretch.

    A young woman arrived beside the old man, her beauty was astonishing as her ck hair with silver highlights brought out her jade-like pale skin and ck eyes. "Master Qiankun," she said with a tone suffused with the utmost respect and reverence.

    The old man spoke in a withered voice, "The ¡¯Key¡¯ is quite fast. To think it could resist and leave that area of spatial rebound. It must be something special."

    The young woman was named Qian Li, and she said, "Master Qiankun, the other Celestials have tried to impede our advancement. If we obtain the ¡¯Key¡¯ first, wouldn¡¯t we struggle to retain it?" Her words were tinged with worry and uncertainty.

    The old man remained looking ahead, "You¡¯re wrong."

    "Wrong?" The young woman was confused.

    "Our goal isn¡¯t to obtain the ¡¯Key¡¯, it is to befriend it." The old man¡¯s wizened voice and calm tone caused the young woman to frown in confusion.

    To befriend it?

    While they had this conversation, on the crimson and ck skyship that housed that imperial figure, another conversation was being held.

    "Your Majesty, will Master Qiankun actually lead us to the ¡¯Key¡¯? He is a Celestial, after all." A young man, strapping and handsome, wore a crown and regal attire. He seemed like a prince from legends, valiant and befitting.

    The middle-aged man with his emperor robe coldlyughed, "Yes. Despite being a Celestial, he¡¯s long since been abandoned. He wants nothing more than for the ¡¯Key¡¯ to stay out of the Celestials reach. If that wasn¡¯t the case, why else would all these hegemonic rulers of their regions follow him without hesitation?

    "If it wasn¡¯t for him, we would¡¯ve all been trapped in the spatial void, restricted by the Celestials. It was him who allowed all of us to enter." The middle-aged man, Emperor Bloodfire, said calmly.

    The young man, Crown Prince Crimsonze, was somewhat startled. He pondered deeply before his eyes brightened with a light of realization.

    "He wants to use us to fight against the Celestials!" The Crown Prince eximed.

    Emperor Bloodfire looked towards this son of his and shook his head in disappointment, "If only it was that simple."

    -----

    On one of the worldships, there was a world of light, endless and bright. A feminine figure that seemed to originate from the source of all light was standing before a gigantic mirror. This mirror exceeded a thousand meters in height and was circr. The mirror didn¡¯t reflect the image before it, but seemed to reveal a different image.

    It was of a young man with ck hair and amber-gold eyes flying swiftly beside a young woman with grey hair. They were incredibly fast, yet the mirror continued to reveal their actions. They were unable to escape it.

    "The ¡¯Key¡¯ is finally before us." The woman immersed in boundless light said, her voice echoing infinitely in the distance, as if it traveled at the speed of light instead of sound.

    "Praise the light!" The voices of billions emerged simultaneously. Directly behind her figure was billions of individuals, of varying cultivation bases, and yet they were emitting waves of unified belief. The most shocking aspect was that...they were all Celestials!

    A figure adorned in heavy armor emanating a dimmer light than the woman arrived before her. He kneeled. "Light Sovereign Queen, we¡¯ve received a message from Master Qiankun."

    The woman didn¡¯t turn her gaze from the mirror. "What is it?"

    "He said that we should halt our advance," the figure ryed.

    "...Halt." She said, her orders rippling endlessly. No one dared to question her word as they worked to halt the gigantic-sized worldship that housed billions. In the outside world, the three worldships that had arrived and were hastily following the skyship underwent a change in formation. One of them slowed down until they reached aplete stop.

    The other two didn¡¯t cease their pursuit, zing a devastating pathway ahead. Simr to the worldship with a realm of light within, the others had billions of celestials as well. They too received Master Qiankun¡¯s advice, yet refused to halt.

    For them, they couldn¡¯t trust the simple words of an old, forgotten, disgrace of a celestial!

    The chase will continue!

 Chapter 396 Leave or Stay

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s rush didn¡¯t cease. His speed was unimaginable as he shed through the boundless world. By his side, Yri, rippling with the essence of time, stayed quietly to his left. Her grey eyes held a trace of solemness.

    "I sense celestial power," Yri abruptlymented. Yan Zaizen¡¯s amber-gold eyes shifted with flickering light. Celestial power? Those words were not to be taken lightly.

    Yri paused momentarily. She closed her eyes and felt the world within time, the future and present. A momentter, her eyelids trembled. "It¡¯s strong and vast." Her words elicited a frown from Yan Zaizen.

    She continued, "Strong as in above me and vast as in numerous." As she rified, she opened her eyes. Yan Zaizen¡¯s frown didn¡¯t rx. In fact, it became deeper.

    "A Celestial Army is hunting us?" He asked.

    Yri nodded.

    Taking a deep breath, he felt his heart experience an unfathomable calmness. "The n doesn¡¯t change." Saying this, he reached out towards Yri. She unhesitantly grabbed his hand, feeling his immense power and warmth. Her body felt the infusion of pure, high-level heavenly might that radiated her time aura.

    Her eyes shed with confusion. "My celestial time power?" Yan Zaizen was currently infusing her body with his heavenly might, but it perfectly mimicked her celestial essence power, its resonance being no lower than her own. This allowed her to easily refine this power. Abruptly, the speed at which they traveled was multiplied.

    A stretch of time seemed to be interacted with, controlled, and shifted through. Yan Zaizen and Yri had transformed into rivers of time that were just glittering rays of grey. Before long, it was as if they teleported to a distance of hundreds of thousands of miles. Flickering shadows of thousands of figures urred in all directions in a blink of an eye before vanishing.

    When they regained their normal forms, Yan Zaizen breathing was somewhatbored. He turned to look behind him.

    Yri¡¯s expression was ashen pale like death. Her beautiful countenance was marred by incredible exhaustion. Yet her eyes contained notable shock. "You...you..." her words were caught in her throat. They had just created thousands of time remnants to search for a path to escape, whilst simultaneously venturing a vast distance.

    This was unbelievable. This exceeded her capabilities as a Ninth Phase Celestial Monarch, and entered the domain of a Celestial Sovereign of Time. While she could create remnants of herself, they were more illusory than real. To interact with time in different timelines was nearly impossible, yet Yan Zaizen achieved it.

    Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t bother with her surprise. His frown grew deeper as he realized that escaping wasn¡¯t possible. His original intentions were to find a spatial gateway to escape, but those following him knew of this and devised methods to prevent his escape, such as the spatial lock or destroying the gates via long distance interference. He had tried to overwrite this and even escape their influence, but his speed was never sufficient.

    Simply put, he shifted into the future and found only failure. How unfortunate.

    Yri gripped his hands tightly. She realized why Yan Zaizen wanted to resonate with her cultivation base. The Heavenly Laws have limits, but Celestials cultivate their ownws, and thus could press beyond those limits. Her exhaustion was a clear sign of overdrafting her celestial essence.

    "Yan Zaizen..." she whispered. She had traveled through time with him, experiencing a thousand different avenues and knew they all led to failure. While she was determined and obsessive enough to risk her life, she was still scared of dying.

    Yan Zaizen faced Yri and saw that faint hint of fear in her eyes. He wearily smiled, "I¡¯ve dragged you down. That being said in this ce, I won¡¯t die, and neither will you. Not today." His tone was firm, bitingly powerful, and contained an imperial certainty within.

    He turned back towards his pursuing enemies. He could feel their approach with the throbbing of his heart and tingling in his soul.

    Yri clenched his hand tighter. Before she knew it, she felt her body weaken via a power transmitted through that warm hand. An abrupt sensation of weakness and sleepiness drenched her thoughts.

    "You..." She wanted to say something, but her body was taken elsewhere. She found herself next to a light. This light contained Yan Zaizen¡¯s life aura. This was Yan Linzen, the one Yri had created for the trial!

    She reached out for a moment, but soonpsed into an unconscious state.

    Yan Zaizen had ced Yri into the Meteor Ring, for her own sake. Inparison to strength, she was currently too weak. Not to mention, he overdrafted her celestial essence to perform a difficult temporal search.

    He stood tall, amber-gold light wildly suffused his eyes as the Dao of Sovereign Ascension was lit aze by his Dao Heart.

    "Pinaka..." Yan Zaizen softly muttered. The image of a cyan-colored beauty shed through his mind. He grew determined. His life had its ups and downs, but true conflict was a rarity. Now, he readied his heart.

    "I don¡¯t know why they¡¯re here, but I know it¡¯s to bring harm or even death to me. This is what my instinct is telling me. I trust it, so I won¡¯t be naive. Trying to hold a normal discussion is pointless, so I¡¯ll be direct: Take the initiative." Calmly regarding his thoughts, he readied his Heavenly Shrine and Paragon Soul.

    All sorts of powers and might circted through his body, amplified further by Dao Energy.

    Swoosh!

    Over a dozen skyships prated the sky and appeared. They were fully activated with all sorts of formations, arrays, and various structural designs. When they arrived, they didn¡¯t take a single action onward. However, countless heavenly and soul senses descended.

    He ignored them.

    Woosh! Woosh!

    Two gigantic worldships arrived. They halted their advance as Yan Zaizen stood before them. It was like an ant facing two sky-piercing mountains. The disparity was unimaginable. Yet these two sky-piercing mountains halted before this ant.

    Yan Zaizen smiled. He didn¡¯t know who they were but it didn¡¯t matter. He calmly stood there without a hint of fear or panic.

    He took a step forward, his heavenly might quietly seething. Bellowing with power, "I don¡¯t know who you are or what you want, but I will give you a choice: Leave at this very moment or stay."

    Despite his words not sounding threatening, his calm voice carried his Dao and shook the hearts of all those who heard it. The implication of staying was clear. Yan Zaizen believed in choices. He believed in freewill and taking responsibility for one¡¯s own actions.

    As long as he made a choice, he would, no, he could never regret it. Even though he saved Ezekiel and lost Pinaka, not one second had passed where he ever regretted this decision. If he was given the opportunity to make this choice again, he would sooner go into that timeline and kill himself before changing it.

    Therefore, he gave others choices. Their lives and fates in their hands, something many didn¡¯t believe in.

    However, despite his words, not a single man, woman, or existence on these skyships retreated. He closed his eyes, the bright amber-gold diminishing a fair amount. He had never looked favorably on killing, but that didn¡¯t mean he shied from it.

    On one of the skyships, one colored white and green, a middle-aged man stepped on its bow with a calm gaze. He was dressed in jade jewelry with silk robes. His ears were sharp on both ends and he had thin lips. A powerful aura emanated from his body, exceeding the Heavenly Genesis Realm, obviously an elite at the Heavenly Creation Realm.

    His voice was effeminate yet gentle, "I am Jade Crestwater, Vice-Lord of the Crestwater Empire. I-"

    Abruptly, Yan Zaizen took action. His eyes opened with a ferocious glint as he changed his posture.

    His body was turned sideways, legs spread apart, a bow manifested within his hand from heavenly might. An arrow was created, thews of destruction and spacetime radiated endlessly from it. It was the condensation of the Imperial Law of Spacetime and World Law of Destruction, harnesser and directed by the Mortal Law of Archery.

    He remembered the days of old. Tao manned the skyship, Pinaka taught him, and he practiced relentlessly. Rudra¡¯s Archery! Those days weren¡¯t filled with twists and turns like today. He was filled with a spirit to explore and see the boundless world, his heart naive and free.

    He grasped the stringprised of his soul energy, paragon soul energy! He fully nocked the heavenly bow into a half-moon shape, his hand held the bowstring and arrow in a mongolian draw, his head facing the arrow¡¯s point, and his breathing steady. There was wisps of amber-gold Dao Energy flowing through the bow.

    His entire cultivation base was manifested in this bow and arrow.

    "One Arrow, Annihte All," these were the words Pinaka used to describe Rudra¡¯d Archery. It was peerlessly domineering and mighty. He wished that one day he could let loose an arrow with him and Pinaka as one, to see that day.

    Coinciding with his breathing, he softly let loose his power.

    Release!

    Jade Crestwater¡¯s calm gaze and expression changed! This arrow, this intent, it was all focused on him!

 Chapter 397 Ghastly Death, KILL!!

    The arrow radiated destructive, piercing, and spatial power as it shot out, followed by a brilliantly radiant tail of light. While one¡¯s eyes would be focused on the tail, the arrow had already arrived before Jade Crestwater.

    "AHHH!" He bellowed ferociously like a monster from the dark abyss,pletely unlike his earlier effeminate voice. An intense sensation of deadly crisis erupted in his heart, unable to be felt by the observers, and his forehead felt itchy.

    His cultivation base erupted into a dense, swirling aura of heavenly might. His cultivation waspletely revealed! A Heavenly Monarch!

    A domain formed around his body protectively, a miniaturized heaven that carried his profound truths of thews of Jade and Wood. It was breathtakingly beautiful and lively. It was like an immortal forest made of jade had manifested in the world.

    Two-Fold, First Phase Heavenly Creation Realm!

    This cultivation level was incredible. Those at this level can create their own heavenly domains where the surroundingsws be the highestw present and their strengths are brought to their limits. Jade Crestwater had two Minor Heavens constructed into his own heavenly domain.

    He could not be underestimated.

    Yet...

    Yan Zaizen was calm as he watched Jade Crestwater rage and release his power. Unfortunately...

    "You¡¯re already dead."

    The arrow continued its flight as it prated the skyship that stood behind Jade Crestwater. An all-consuming destructive power exploded upon contact, expanding until it encapsted the entirety of the skyship, including its housing dimension. Nothing escaped the destruction, no lives survived.

    Jade Crestwater was still raging, fighting against the arrow in his vision, but he hadn¡¯t yet realized that his forehead was pierced, his brain had been obliterated, and his eyes, nose, and neck was disintegrating. His shouts grew louder and louder as he unleashed attack after attack of ferocious wood and jade-type heavenly might.

    His actions would be a spectator act of defiance and defense if his self hadn¡¯t already ended. As he wildly flung his sleeves in defense, it was like a crazy man hitting air. Even the heavenly might in his body, after the initial burst, had disintegrated.

    "..."

    On a skyship that was ck and red, Emperor Bloodfire felt his heart lurch violently. Jade Crestwater was only a vice-lord of his force, and in the skyship must¡¯ve been the actual lord waiting to take action, but the entire skyship and its many life auras abruptly vanished.

    Now, Jade Crestwater was nothing but a headless body slowly dissipating still fighting the air in unyielding defiance. The sight caused his pupils to be needles, unable to conceive what had just happened. It was as if his headless body existed in a different spacetime and had yet to experience death.

    The young man beside him, Crown Prince Crimsonze, felt horror and terror from the sight. His spine nearly chilled by the sight.

    Yan Zaizen had decisively obliterated one of the skyships with seemingly utter ease. He calmly ced the bow down, his amber-gold gaze examining the other skyships one by one. There was only calm within those eyes.

    "I will warn only once more. Leave or stay. Your choice." Yan Zaizen¡¯s words before didn¡¯t have much weight, but now, after exhibiting his strength, it should carry some persuasive power.

    Unfortunately, he didn¡¯t know why they were here. If he did, he wouldn¡¯t have given them this choice.

    The dreadful silence and solo act of the former Jade Crestwater, former Vice-Lord of the Crestwater Empire, continued for a few more moments. After, his body and soul dissipated like a chill in the summer, including the destructive sphere that encapsted the Crestwater Empire¡¯s skyship. As it slowly vanished from the sights of the spectators, only air was revealed.

    The eerie atmosphere was readily apparent and only silence remained.

    Yan Zaizen stood upright, his body in an archer¡¯s posture, and his eyes gleaming with a calm, imperious light. Despite his calm, only he knew the amount of heavenly might, dao energy, and soul energy was injected into that terrifyingly ghastly attack. He wouldn¡¯t be able to unleash an attack of such power a second time in a short moment.

    "Interesting."

    A voice, as deep and unfathomable as a literal abyss resounded. It echoed violently within the soul, causing all those who heard it to tremble. Yan Zaizen felt as if a loud explosion had erupted within his soul, his body visibly trembled from just a single word. He took a deep breath, his soul energy and dao energy circting rapidly to dissipate the lingering effect of that single word.

    "Soul energy..." Yan Zaizen quietly said. His eyes honed onto a single skyship amongst the remaining seventeen. There was a particr skyship, it wasn¡¯t particrlyrge. In fact, it was on the smallest of them all. Its formations and arrays were profound, causing even Yan Zaizen with his Dao Sense to be unable to peer through it in short order. It had a cyan-white theme and seemed to be constructed from an illusory, ethereal material. As if it was both corporeal and not. It gave one an undeniably fierce headache attempting to deduce its truths.

    This type of soul energy was different than his Soul Source Cultivation Path, which incorporated the growth and internal potential of the self and introspective enlightenment. It felt familiar.

    His mind twirled as he recalled the Asura Phantom Realm, the White Bone Altar and the Heavenly Law of the Soul. This form of energy was quite familiar. It had quaked his soul, but not directly impacted it. If it had been, his ckhole would¡¯ve devoured everyst ounce of its power. Back then, he suffered an attack that nearly sent him into death, restraining and dissipating his soul, but the him yesterday was not the him today.

    Clenching his fists, he directly dissipated his bow.

    He didn¡¯t speak.

    There was no need to.

    There was not an ounce of hesitation in his eyes as he shot forth with an unstoppable momentum towards the seventeen skyships. He drew a gorgeous arc as his body was suffused with a myriad ofws, light, wind, fire, space, time, darkness, andstly, the sword. His entire body transformed into a single sword, a paradisiacal aura emanated as if it contained the world¡¯s happiness.

    A soft gasp resounded, but there wasn¡¯t a hint of fear, only surprise and intrigue. It originated from the cyan-white skyship. In this skyship, a young woman was situated. She had three eyes, two in her sockets, and a cyan-colored vertical eye above her head. She waspletely bald, like a nun, and her entire body emanating a ghastly mist. Her pristinely white robe befitted a nun.

    Her two normal eyes were closed, but her third was wide open. If one stared at this eye, it would reflect an image of their soul, as if peering into their deepest and most innermost fears, desires, and happiness.

    When she noticed Yan Zaizen¡¯s charge, she had indeed been shocked by his actions. However, she truly held no fear for his cultivation base may be impressive, but she understood that attack of his was his limits. As a prestigious and respected member of the Heavenly Origin Grounds for millions of years, those that could instill fear into her weren¡¯t born yet.

    However, why the hell would Yan Zaizen care if she felt confident?

    His goal was clear: KILL!!!

    The other sixteen skyships hadn¡¯t taken action, taking the position of an idle spectator, waiting for something in particr to ur. To them, Yan Zaizen was a rat in a trap and he couldn¡¯t escape, no matter how feral or vicious he became. As for that Crestwater Empire, they were one of weakest, if not THE weakest, amongst them.

    On the crimson and ck skyship, Emperor Bloodfire and his son, Crown Prince Crimsonze, were quietly watching the events.

    The young strappingd that was the Crown Prince had shock and surprise in his eyes, "Father, this ¡¯Key¡¯ is quite strong despite his cultivation base. He could be regarded as a talent of once in a million years, maybe even ten million." His praise was calm, but he didn¡¯t have much respect for that. While Yan Zaizen may be a talent in a million or ten million years, was he not one of hundred million? While this standard sounded ludicrous, cultivation had never been an easy venture to begin with.

    Emperor Bloodfire frowned, "He¡¯s the ¡¯Key¡¯ for a reason. He should be able to ess all the innate Heavenly Laws of this sealed world of ours. It¡¯s not shocking that his strength is of this level, but it¡¯s most superficial. His age is not even that of ten thousand, there¡¯s no way for his cultivation to reach such a level without having the special identity of the ¡¯Key¡¯." As this was said, Crown Prince Crimsonze pondered and nodded in eptance. He had nearly forgotten.

    A silver skyship that was originally at the forefront of the skyships was now discreetly floating at the back, on the deck of this ship was an old man and a young woman. They radiated celestial energy, the aura of celestials roiling off their bodies. This was Master Qiankun and Qian Li.

    Qian Li: "Are we going to wait until he needs us? Or will we let Lady Ching-chien capture him first?" Her words were filled with curiosity as she regarded Yan Zaizen brazen charge andst stand(In her opinion).

    Master Qiankun, with his aged face, smiled softly in response. "Need us? Haha, just watch."

    Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t know that there were many different people watching him with different intentions. To him, everyone and everything was a threat to his life, so they must be intimidated to retreat or eliminated in body, soul, and dao.

    He roared within his soul, causing the very void to tremble. His paragon soul energy surged wildly as it took the forefront of his assault.

    The one named Lady Ching-chien, full name Chu Ching-chien, and Head Nun of the Ancestral Convent of White Flowers, sensed the soul energy surging within Yan Zaizen and remained calm. She didn¡¯t bother standing up, but slowly and peacefully raised her lone right index finger. She pointed it and it alone towards Yan Zaizen¡¯s direction while within the skyship. An unfathomable heavenly might erupted from his finger, suffused with dense heavenly essence and unorthodoxws of the heavens.

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes widened briefly, "A Heavenly Monarch with a Minor Law!" However, his charge didn¡¯t not slow, but quickened instead. He didn¡¯t retreat from her heavenly might but tackled it head-on.

    His amber-gold eyes shone brilliantly, and a faint smile suffused his lips.

 Chapter 398 Soul World

    As Lady Ching-chien pressed her finger forward, ripples emerged in the world. It initiated from her finger and expanded like a forming hurricane, erging and engulfing more of the world. A heavenly might, ethereal as the spirit itself, seemed to manifest from those ripples containing profoundws.

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s dash remained unhindered. A zing trail was left behind, burning with all sorts of power, and his figure was like aet in the starry skies.

    Within her quarters on her skyship, Lady Ching-chien softly muttered, "Spirit Enfeeblement." Those words echoed in the hearts and souls of everyst living existence for a million miles. Those in the skyships with tremendous strength frowned simultaneously, their cultivation bases rotating as they fought against the force. Even still, many felt their souls wither and quiver, as if infused with weaknesses.

    Emperor Bloodfire was one of the few mostly unaffected by Lady Ching-chien¡¯s actions, but Crown Prince Crimsonze felt the impact, his eyes shing with all sorts of spiritual images. Abruptly, crimson mes emerged from within his pupils. They zed vehemently in resistance, burning away the foreign soul might that had invaded his soul.

    After a short period, he had broken free from the bewitchment, but his face was paler than death, whiter than snow, and dispirited. He said between exhausted breaths, "This! She actually used this divine art?!"

    Emperor Bloodfire sighed, realizing that Crimsonze still had quite a ways to learn. "You were only affected by the ambient effects, not even its target. Less than a thousandth of its power was felt." His words were softly said, but it caused Crown Prince Crimsonze¡¯s expression to shift instantly. If this was weakened to that extent, then what about Yan Zaizen?

    He couldn¡¯t help but remark, "I guess this is over then." Yan Zaizen¡¯s cultivation base was only at the Ninth-Floor of the Heavenly Genesis Realm, and while that cultivation level was impressive, he stillcked in some aspects. For Heavenly Cultivators, their heavenly might directly refines and strengthen their soul¡¯s protective measures, socking cultivation also meantcking defenses. Regardless of how strong he was, this was a fundamental difference he could never exceed.

    Emperor Bloodfire remained silent, his heavenly sense focused directly on this exchange. If this person was the ¡¯Key¡¯, then his aplishments in the Heavenly Law of Soul shouldn¡¯t be weak. He was deeply interested in what confidence this young man has to tackle their entire force alone.

    Yan Zaizen, however, didn¡¯t care for his interest. A ckhole had already formed at his be as the ripples converged on his position. These ripples were invisible, soul constructs that seemed intent to burrow into his soul and instill a curse of unknown and epic proportions, but he held no fear towards these types of attacks. If it was before his advancement of the fusion between the ckhole and his soul, perhaps he would have some caution. However, not now.

    He needed to be fierce and direct, brutal and vicious. He had to allow everyone to understand that fighting him meant putting your very life on the line and you¡¯ll definitely lose it. From his deduction and how no one came to defend or assault him after the destruction of one power, including their different insignia¡¯s disyed on their skyships, all of these were independent powers with their own desires.

    If he made them unafraid to take the first step, robbing them wouldn¡¯t be a problem, let alone escaping.

    The ripples entered his soul. He felt a vibration within and it trickled into it, but disappeared like a drop of water in a vast ocean. In fact, the heavenly might was directly devoured, ruthlessly and instantly. The attack, Spirit Enfeeblement, was dealt with without a single conscious action of his own. He was startled momentarily. Had it be this advanced?

    When he got to this point, his eyes zed. Recently, his cultivation base had risen rapidly, and he¡¯s been trying to familiarize himself with his newws and powers. However, he hadn¡¯t taken the ckhole into deep enough consideration. After all, it could absorb spirituality, physicality, and essence. Before, it was merely a cultivation support and soul defense. Now it was one with him.

    "I see," he felt his newfound power. He sped up, pushing through the ripples until he arrived before the cyan and white skyship. The onlookers gawked, unsure of why Yan Zaizen could power through the Spirit Enfeeblement Divine Art without an issue. They didn¡¯t have much time to process a thought.

    Yan Zaizen arrived before the skyship, saw its defensive arrays and formations and coldly snorted. The disdain in this snort was immense, as if it was an Emperor looking down on the trash of this world. Lady Ching-chien was startled, her eyes brightened as she turned finger into palm, palm into fist, and punched forward softly. A wave of soul-type heavenly might prated all forms of physical obstruction, including the formations and arrays with utter ease, arriving before Yan Zaizen at unexcelled speed.

    Standing upright, Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t bother with this attack. It smashed into him, entering his soul with the intention of severely crippling and injuring it beyond repair. Yet Yan Zaizen stood wholly unaffected, his amber-gold eyes radiated a form of imperial disdain and contempt.

    Lady Ching-chien was a Heavenly Monarch, her cultivation base was high, and her heavenly sense was mighty; therefore, she witnessed it all. Yan Zaizen, also, was looking at her directly through the skyship formations and arrays, his expression and faint smirk made her uneasy. This made her, a force that had dominated the Heavenly Origin Grounds for millions of years, to feel enraged within her heart. However, she held onto a ne with some religious symbol and chanted a word or two, calming down that uneasiness and rage.

    "Be obedient. Be captured, and I¡¯ll ensure your life." Her words echoed throughout the world, startling the others. They were incredibly arrogant and suffused with the utmost confidence and calm.

    Master Qiankun smiled, his old body trembling as he faintly chuckled.

    Yan Zaizen sneered. His entire being started to emanate soul energy. "You want to have a battle with the soul as the battleground? You¡¯re too weak, too green, too old. COME HERE!" His words were explosive at the end. The sky roiled and the earth trembled. As he did so, a new world was born.

    This world engulfed the skyship and himself, isting him and the skyship from everyone else. Abruptly, a hazy mist formed that seemed to take the ce of their earlier position.

    Crown Prince Crimsonze balked at the events, "What just happened?!"

    Emperor Bloodfire¡¯s eyes turned solemn, "He brought her into a soul world. How...interesting."

    "A soul world?" Disbelief was tangible within the Crown Prince¡¯s voice. He tried to send his heavenly sense into the hazy domain but he felt it sever, as if it entered a vast, unfathomably pressurized ocean. He directly staggered, blood trickling from his lips and nose. "What the..."

    Emperor Bloodfire shook his head in disappointment, "A Soul World isn¡¯t something you can enter with your heavenly sense. It¡¯s structured with pure soul energy, a byproduct of the Soul Source Path. It¡¯s something only those who¡¯ve reached the Divine level can grasp. To think his interpersonal inspection and abilities have already reached this point. If that¡¯s the case, then that old bat will likely suffer."

    In another skyship, with Master Qiankun and Qian Li.

    Qian Li: "Soul Source Path? Soul World?"

    Master Qiankun nodded.

    Qian Li felt shocked. She wasn¡¯t ignorant of this path that cultivates the soul, but despite being one of the few paths enabled within the Heavenly Origin Grounds, it wasn¡¯t a strong avenue for power. While it had its uses, it was wholly weak because very few could rival a Heavenly Commander, let alone a Heavenly Monarch. However, the Divine Soul level which belongs to that ancient sect was quite aplished with it. They were the ones who coined the term: "Soul World."

    It meant an area established of their soul. The Soul Source Path is all about introspection and personal development and belief, understanding the truths of the self toprehend the source of power. Every soul has the potential to exceed the limits, gain enlightenments to be a god, or even an Immortal existence, yet it was unfathomably, stupendously, notoriously difficult to aplish.

    "He¡¯s reached the Divine Soul level? He has ties with those people?" She had a faint skepticism in her voice. She wasn¡¯t the only one, every onlooker had profound knowledge and experience, understanding what this was.

    "Haha, it¡¯s not so simple." Master Qiankun said with a sly smile. He continued to look at the world of haze that engulfed Yan Zaizen and Lady Ching-chien¡¯s skyship.

    In a tiny world, Lady Ching-chien was startled. Her willowy figure turned around as she inspected her surroundings. She immediately realized the reality of the matter. Gazing upon her hands, faint traces of cyan light circted ceaselessly in protection. She was currently a white misty form, a soul, and within her body was a flickering me - her soul me. Those cyan light was her heavenly cultivation and manifestations of her heavenly shrine and soul-type heavenly might. She was currently in her soul form.

    A voice, as grand and godly as can be, resounded with thunderous booms. "Wee to my world."

    Despite being in her soul form, her expression still shifted. Her soul me flickered wildly in agitation. She wasn an aplished soul cultivator, cultivating in the heavenlyws of the soul, and could be considered widely knowledgeable in regards to the soul. Therefore, she knew that what she cultivated was an external soul power, not an internal one. The Soul Source Path cultivates the internal, and enabled some very mystical and mythical feats.

    For one, was the Soul World, a divine construct of one¡¯s self. In this world, only the soul remains and one¡¯s physical body would be segregated. She knew her body was still there, unharmed, and her soul was only drawn into this world without her consent.

    "You¡¯re cultivated the Divine Soul?!" She eximed in question, but her voice still radiated a sense of calm and serenity. She truly had an exceptionally strong mentality that couldn¡¯t be broken without a major event.

    Yan Zaizen hadn¡¯t appeared, but his voice still boomed. "Divine Soul? Inferior and distasteful. I am not the Divine! The Divine is wed, unsure, and surpassable. However, I am ME. I am perfect, without w, without regret, and with a sense of perfect self and understanding."

    Her soul form¡¯s expression once more changed, "What?" She felt confused. While Yan Zaizen¡¯s words were simple to understand, her mind felt it to be hazy and harmful. Her soul quaked and twisted just at the sound of his voice, and she couldn¡¯t properly hear his every word.s

    "How fragile. Before a true practitioner of the soul, you¡¯re only a novice before a master." Yan Zaizen said once more before deciding to end this.

    Abruptly, an image of a palm, grander than the heavens, more hellish than the eighteen hells, and as vast as the void itself emerged.

    Lady Ching-chien eximed in shock, her soul-type heavenly might started to act defensively, but it was as if an ant tried to resist a mountain. Perhaps if she hadn¡¯t entered Yan Zaizen¡¯s Soul World, she would¡¯ve been able to use her cultivation base and heavenly might to contend against him, even without her soul-type heavenly might, but currently, she was helpless.

    While in regards to actual strength, Yan Zaizen¡¯s soul energy wasn¡¯t at the level of her soul-type heavenly might, but she was in his Soul World.

    She was in HIS SOUL!

    The palm wrapped around her ruthlessly and clenched. A faint resistance emerged between the creases of the skin of the palm before a horrific pop sound resounded.

 Chapter 399 Devouring Souls

    In the hazy world, Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes drooped and his shoulders rose up and down, coinciding with every singlebored breath. He felt a feeling of invigorating excitement and a hint of disbelief in his heart. Lifting his palm to his face, his eyes effused exhaustion. "So...this is my Paragon Soul World." His words were but a whisper, but within the hazy world, it echoed like an announcement.

    He had discovered this ability after ascending to the Paragon Soul Realm. It was a form of advanced astral projection. Instead of projecting a strand of his soul temporarily, it was to induce a tangible recreation of his actual soul. It forcefully brought everyone and everything soul-rted into his soul, an ultimate expression of self.

    "It¡¯s still wed...however," he softly remarked. If his soul was a true recreation of his Paragon Soul Realm cultivation base, then the aspects of his soul, such as the Dao Heart and ckhole should¡¯ve manifested. Instead, only his soul was projected.

    "Tch," he clicked his tongue and looked to his right. A body was floating within the hazy world, lifted by strands of soul energy. This was Lady Ching-chien, her soulless body. Her body still exuded vibrant lifeforce.

    "Foolish." His eyes radiated disdain and contempt. She wished to actually capture him, but did she truly believe his life was so soft, so easy to im? Was it worth it? He had no enmity with her, yet she was intent on setting herself against him. If she hadn¡¯t taken action first, she would still be alive today, enjoying the breath of life.

    Woosh!

    A ray of energy was drawn to him, moving at the speed surpassing light itself, but Yan Zaizen immediately reacted. Lifting his hand, he grasped towards the ray of energy and clinched it within his palms. His hand chaotically trembled for a brief period before simmering down into a whispering quake.

    Inspecting his hand, he softly smiled. "This is her soul." When he was young, he had been a lot more reckless in his treatment of life. During which, he discovered the properties of his ckhole. One of which was its ability to automatically absorb the souls of others he in. He had tested the theory a few times, but he knew it only affected those he personally killed.

    The energy in his palm was the fragmented, yet regathered, soul essence of Lady Ching-chien. "The ckhole still has many mysteries I¡¯ve yet to discover. Firstly, its ability to absorb the soul of others I¡¯ve in for my own gain. This is a tyrannical ability. I absorbed Ezekiel and obtained soul cultivation before even knowing what it was. In the Serene Moon Cove, I¡¯m certain I did it again, allowing me to advance my cultivation once more."

    He pondered on various events and discovered how they¡¯ve truly supported his rise and development. The ckhole was the most essential aspect of himself, and now his soul and it was one and the same, far unlike before. With his newfound control over it, he could exhibit a faint trace of its ability, absorbing spirituality, physicality, and essence.

    Taking a deep breath, he allowed the regathered soul to enter his be. Before he could even conceive a thought, the exhaustion he felt was washed away. Before, he was like a tank bottoming out, but now, his soul energy was refilled and then some. He felt bursting with energy, overflowing and overpowering. "Her soul source cultivation wasn¡¯t high, but her soul was incredibly refined and powerful, capable of manifesting and controlling the Heavenly Law of Souls. To be capable of taking this route meant her soul was definitely cultivated via some method.

    "Incredible. Her soul strength truly exceeded my own in terms of raw energy and power, further reinforced by her heavenly cultivation base andw energy." He clenched his fist, riveting in the abundant amount of soul energy circting throughout his body. His ckhole has always had the ability to instantly refine material into his own form of energy, and he only understood the basic principle, but nothing more. Outside of its raw devouring ability which seemed to have no limit, even capable of absorbing thews of an entirely different universe, he knew there was more to it.

    "Is devouring all you can do? I don¡¯t think so." As he thought this, he inspected his soul and regarded the various forms ofws avatars sitting firmly within his soul. They were brilliant and bright, and he knew it wasn¡¯t just devouring, but enriching and assimtion. Asenath, the Heavenly Monarch of the Dreaming Devil Law, had been absorbed by the ckhole. Because of this, he had refined her Original Law.

    An originalw can only be conceived by someone who can exceed the Heavens, built upon the foundation of the heavens. It was an achievement that enabled divinity-like powers and abilities. Not to mention, the power of which would enable the lifespan to reach millions of years. If he could absorb one Original Law, could he absorb others?

    He spent a little bit longer thinking about this before turning his attention elsewhere. The hazy world started to recede by his will, re-entering his soul in a rapid retreat. The world became clear once more. The skyships that floated in the void, those worldships that were likes quietly berthed in the sky, were all quiet. In this environment where the strong were abundant, they were all paying rapt attention to the events.

    To them, especially those who were knowledgeable, they were startled by the eruption of Yan Zaizen¡¯s Soul World. ording to the records of the world, only Divine and Immortal Soul Realm experts can create a Soul World. This phenomenon made them hesitant, especially the weaker ones. However, the silence and tension became even greater when Yan Zaizen¡¯s figure emerged, his hand gripping Lady Ching-chien by the throat. Her lifeless body was dangled carelessly in his grip, as if he was carrying a piece of trash.

    Her lifeforce was rapidly living her body. After her soul expired, Yan Zaizen wouldn¡¯t allow such a refined body to deteriorate without a purpose. From his palms, a siphoning ck light erupted. The aura and will it exuded was tyrannical, domineering, and furious.

    Sealed within his body, he felt a rampaging monster roar viciously, snarling to the high heavens with malevolent intent. This intent reflected in his eyes, turning the amber-gold shine to be devilishly ck. It was as if the pitch ck night had surfaced in his gaze, unleashing it terror upon the light and life of the world.

    Shocked, Yan Zaizen felt this rampaging monster and tion entered his jet-ck eyes. "Death!" He eximed.

    When he entered the Heavenly Origin World, his Immortal Herculean Physique had been suppressed. He hadn¡¯t felt its powers for a while, and he had to handle the fragility of a normal body. In fact, he was injured several times before. However, the familiar sound of death¡¯s roar was like music to his soul.

    "Why is my Immortal Herculean Physique awakening now?" He felt disbelief, but then a solemn droning resounded alongside the ferocious roar. A hint of cyan emerged in his eyes, at the very corner. When it did, his excitement exploded.

    "Soul! My physique is returning. Why aren¡¯t you guys being suppressed?" As he thought this, the sounds didn¡¯t stop, as sizzlingbated the roars. A white light of life and eternal aegis-like characteristics intermixed within his eyes also, signifying the white me.

    While his excitement was palpable, he didn¡¯t have time to relish in this feeling of reunion. His gaze turned solemn and heavy, turning towards the skyships. At the moment, he noticed three individuals floating beside each other, and their auras were unfathomable. Comparing their auras to Lady Ching-chien would be an insult to them, but to try to describe it: it was like a child to a titan.

    "Heavenly Monarchs..." While there were the title ¡¯Heavenly Monarchs¡¯, the truth was, there were four phases in this cultivation: Minor Heaven, Grand Heaven, Original Law, and Original Path. These signified a very, very different level of power. This was even further divided by their foundation, depending on how many Minor Heavens, Grand Heavens were established. Each difference was as vast as the difference between the sky and earth, unfathomable!

    Asenath had reached the Origin Law Phase, supported by three Grand Heavens. Her cultivation base could truly be described as heaven-exceeding! Yet, Yan Zaizen had killed her thanks to various factors. Arge reason for this was due to her attempt to lull Yan Zaizen¡¯s soul, which inevitably led to her downfall. Against soul cultivators, he could be considered invincible.

    However, these three figures were definitely different. They weren¡¯t rippling with strong auras of the soul, but other unfathomablews.

    He didn¡¯t bother looking at them any longer, sneering, giving them a side-view smirk of contempt as he casually lifted Lady Ching-chien¡¯s body as allowed his deathly might to engulf her body, devouring her remaining lifeforce entirely. In a blink, she turned into ash, scattering endlessly.

    Only after did he smack his hands together, as if patting off dust, and calmly said: "Who¡¯s next?"

 Chapter 400 Pseudo-God

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s heart surged with boundless confidence, fueled by his indomitable dao. Even thought he knew that his targets thus far haven¡¯t been the main event, he still felt lively and spirited. Earlier, he was relegated to escaping, his thoughts on returning to Pinaka at the quickest moment. However, now, his heart was brimming with intense, explosive killing intent.

    His gaze turned towards the two Worldships. A glint shed within his gaze, "Celestials..." Thus far, his enemies have been heavenly cultivators, but those on the two Worldships radiated auras simr to Yri. They hadn¡¯t taken action or revealed any intent thus far, but Yan Zaizen knew their desire was the same as the rest: they wanted him.

    A harrumph, as cold and frigid as a blizzard, resounded. Yan Zaizen¡¯s gaze was slowly drawn away. There were three figures levitating effortlessly within the sky, emanating profound heavenly auras. The individual who harrumphed was a middle-aged man, but his humanoid shape was thin, almost skeletal, but a robust and vigorous physical aura roiled off his dark-brown cloak.

    Yan Zaizen noticed his eyes were absent, truly giving him a male skeleton-like characteristic. If it wasn¡¯t for the thin skin that bonded with his bones, tight and clearly outlining every curvature of his bone structure, Yan Zaizen could easily believe this person was a dpidated corpse, forgotten and dried out.

    "So you¡¯re the ¡¯Key¡¯?" The man¡¯s voice was grating, dark and gloomy, yet suffused with immense power. The contradiction caused Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes to slightly constrict. He felt his body tremble slightly, a vigorous aura prating his ears, entering into his mouth, slipping into his nostrils, and permeating endlessly within his body. The trembling continued until he was visibly shaking like a child in the darkest winter.

    The skeleton with skin sneered, revealing his ck teeth, stretching his already pale skin further. It was unseemingly and disturbing to all the viewers. Crown Prince Crimsonze felt his spine shiver for a moment before a bursting heat entered his body through a powerful hand. He turned to see his father, Emperor Bloodfire, grasping his shoulder with a solemn look.

    "I...how terrifying!" Crown Prince Crimsonze felt his heart grow cold. It was a mere glimpse yet he felt his body and soul connection break apart somewhat.

    Emperor Bloodfiremented, "Pseudo-God Zirri." His words carried a tone that contained his overt caution and true respect.

    Crown Prince Crimsonze gawked, "That¡¯s Pseudo-God Zirri!" Now, his eyes that were like zing mes dimmed, revealing his fear. Pseudo-God! A title only given to those at the Original Path Phase of the Heavenly Creation Realm. If those at the Minor and Grand Heaven Phase of the Heavenly Creation Realm can be considered heaven-equalling, and those at the Original Law Phase can be considered as heaven-exceeding, then Origin Path Phase experts were Heaven-controlling!

    They were no longer imitating the heavens and its Heavenly Dao, but they became remarkably close to such. They could even interact with the Heavens itself, fueling their strength to a near unlimited degree, while instilling their own Dao. They were given the title of Pseudo-God or False Heavenly Gods! They just needed one step to be true gods, achieving their daos, bing immortal and the Heavens itself can only ept them as their superior.

    There was a saying in the world: "The Heavens are dead." This was not only amon saying, but an actual truth. The term ¡¯dead¡¯ wasn¡¯t literal, but it meant the heavenscked a Dao to control them,cking the flexibility of a consciousness or personality. In simple terms, the heavens were braindead. In the Thirty-Three Heavens, if someone could take the already prevalent power of the Heavenly Realm and interject their personal Daos, they could im it as their miniature universe and act as the Heavenly Daos! They be Heavenly Gods!

    A word and a Law is banned. A word and a race is exiled. A word and a realm vanishes. They werepletely worthy of the title: Gods!

    "The ¡¯Key¡¯ will no longer be able to strut his prowess. It¡¯s over. Look, his body has already been entrapped by the Dao of Pseudo-God Kirri!" Crimsonze said with a tinge of fear. Yan Zaizen was currently trembling because the purew energy integrating into his Heavenly Shrine. Before long, his path would be taken over and subjected under Pseudo-God Kirri¡¯s control. This was the unique ability to those who¡¯veprehended their own Original Law, a far greater ability than what Asenath quietly used: "Path Instillment."

    "If it was any other Heavenly Genesis Realm cultivator, I would agree. However..." Emperor Bloodfire said solemnly, watching Yan Zaizen¡¯s trembling form.

    Crimsonze was unconvinced. Cultivation was a determining factor of strength, fundamental and nearly impossible to ovee. For example, Yan Zaizen had reached a Soul Realm that could rival Lady Ching-chien, so it made sense for him to be able to ovee her. While Lady Ching-chien cultivated the Heavenly Soul Laws, Yan Zaizen cultivated the Soul Source Path. The difference could clearly be seen by the difference of "Law" and "Path". In the grand scheme of things, the Heavenly Soul Laws were only a fragment of the Heavenly Path, while the Soul Source Path was a full whole, relying only on itself.

    "Not to mention," Crimsonze said while gazing at the two figures that floated beside Pseudo-God Kirri, "Those two may not be Pseudo-Gods, but the aura radiating from them already disys their power! They aren¡¯t any weaker than Lady Ching-chien, and they don¡¯t specialize in the soul, so they won¡¯t be bested so easily!" He nearly shouted near the end, as if trying to bring about the scene of his belief.

    Emperor Bloodfire gave Crimsonze a side-nce. A soft, nearly imperceptible sigh escaped his lips. A light of disappointment once more shed within those zing eyes of his.

    Pseudo-God Kirri smirked a skinny, boney, toothy smile, "Byyin, Guuri." Those two words were like fireworks, orders of the highest, a heavenly mandate, a decree from god himself, and it elicited a swift response. The two figures cloaked entirely in ck shot towards Yan Zaizen like rays of lights. Their speed was fast.

    Pseudo-God Kirri didn¡¯t take action himself. Instead, his aura enamated out quietly as he tilted his head somewhat towards the Celestial Worldships.

    "Hahaha!" Abruptly, Yan Zaizenughed loudly. He stopped shaking. "All you idiots have to take action from afar. What are you so afraid of?! Hahahaha!" He soon regained his posture, his eyes the pinnacle of confidence, calm, tyrannical arrogance, and ardent will. The colors of jet-ck, pale white, and bright cyan circted through his veins, like flowing blood.

    Just as he turned his gaze towards the two iing figures, he felt a danger unlike anything before. It was as if the sky had gazed upon his soul, intent to grasp his entirety and control his will. His eyes shrunk slightly, but he didn¡¯t dare dy his actions. Normally, a cultivator who sensed danger would retreat and buy for time to conceive a logical thought or formte a n, but Yan Zaizen wasn¡¯t a normal cultivator.

    He was a sovereign!

    To retreat in danger is okay, but not when your might is being contested. At that point, even if god himself arrived, he must witness your will and glory even in death. If possible, you¡¯ll take a piece of his skin as well. If the person is nothing but a false god, then he best be sure to risk his life.

    Boom!

    He erupted with his aura, exploding forward in a violent dash. The two experts approaching had stalled for the fraction of a picosecond in confusion and hesitation before the light beneath their hoods shone and they sped towards Yan Zaizen in a fearless manner.

    Just as they approached a mere few hundred meters of distance apart, what could¡¯ve been shortened in the time it takes for light itself to travel that distance, Yan Zaizen howled. No, his body howled! It was grisly and dreadful. The ck light intertwined with his flesh, blood, and soul as his entirety exploded into ckness. It was darker than darker, colder than absolute zero, and as absolute as death itself.

    Yan Zaizen had lost his connection with his Regalia of Heavens when he arrived in the Heavenly Origin Grounds, but for some unknown reason, after he devoured the soul of Lady Ching-chien, they had revitalized and resurfaced. While his Immortal Herculean Physique wascking in strength and still suppressed by this world, the intent and will of his developed Regalia had returned.

    He felt the immense potential of thews of death and embraced it fully, bing an embodiment. He used his soul power, heavenly might, and dao energy to fuel the intent and will of his Regalia.

    "I. AM. DEATH!!" He felt his mind be one with the will of death, and his form dwindled into just a smoky cloud of darkness.

    The two iing figures were startled. They reacted like any normal cultivator would upon a sudden situation, and halted their actions and retreat and regroup. Unfortunately for them, they were too slow. Death was like that...in terms of speed...even light couldn¡¯t escape.

    They released sounds of panic and horror.

    Pseudo-God Kirri slightly frowned, "..." With a wave of his hand, his will descended upon the heavenlyws, his path was instilled into every part of existence, as this domain became his. He grasped towards Yan Zaizen¡¯s indistinguishable form.

    "How about we have a talk," a voice echoed from one of the Worldships. A celestial had taken action! A boundlessly grand celestial power seemed to sh temporarily, disabling Pseudo-God Kirri¡¯s control over the immediate heavenly domain. It was temporary, not even a nanosecond, but it was enough to cause those two subordinates to bepletely devoured by Yan Zaizen¡¯s ghastly form that was asrge as a mountain itself.

    Within his empty eyes, a darkness roiled about suffused with all sorts of rage. He turned his head towards the Celestial Worldships and lowly roared.

    While that urred, Yan Zaizen¡¯s ck form started to born rapidly with a white light, turning into a white me that became a white sh. The ghastly form ceased, revealing Yan Zaizen¡¯s stable back and handsome smile. Even before a false god, he had no fear.

    "Next."

 Chapter 401 Dont Forge

    An overflowing sensation of power surged within Yan Zaizen¡¯s body, coursing through his soul, body, and heavenly essence. His amber-gold eyes were like res as they regarded the surroundings, undisturbed by the Pseudo-God¡¯s roar of discontent or the voice of interference.

    He was deep within his own thoughts at the moment. His palms were beautifully shing with three rays of light, jet-ck, pale white, and cyan. The power that coursed through his body originated from his three Regalias of Heaven, and it was fueled by the refined energy of the two cloaked individuals.

    This was especially so for his soul power. He had never felt so lively before, flooded with pure energy. His Heavenly Shrine was not exempt. At the moment, it was brilliantly glowing like a miniature sun in the shape of a pyramid. It faintly spun at its axis, causing Yan Zaizen to be somewhat startled.

    As he felt the three forces circte, he realized what this was.

    Yan Zaizen never knew the exact reasons why the Immortal Herculean Physique disallowedbining Regalias of Heavens except it was due to their sentient personalities conflicting. However, the Immortal Herculean Physique cultivation path¡¯s purpose was to nurture the Regalia and body.

    He had undergone the impossible, bringing three Regalias into one body, a portion of heaven itself into himself.

    If he wanted, he could sever out a portion and make Regalias freely, but the Immortal Herculean Physique was different than normal, because the Regalias aren¡¯t refined, losing their intelligence, but reside with and were developed alongside the cultivator. It went against natural heavenly order, creating a sort of unique Dao for each Regalia.

    "You¡¯re all transforming. No wonder you¡¯re acting out. The pure, refined energy devoured from their souls, fleshy bodies, and essence are fueling you." His words were swift and suffused with excitement. They were all transforming into their own personal Heaven. Their unique dao birthed from their sentience was erupting!

    He was touching upon the Heavenly Creation Realm!

    His eyes that were already zing calmed down, dimmed to a nearly imperceptible glimmer. Then, darkness, the darkest of existence, emerged within his gaze. A deathly aura started to overtake his soul, body, and Heavenly Shrine.

    His Heavenly Shrine became pitch-ck. It was ringly so. A cold grin tugged at his lips. The amber-gold quality had vanished, hidden within the recesses of his gaze, and streaks of ck smoke expelled from the edge of his eyes. He no longer looked like a sovereign, unexcelled in the world, as the very aura around him transformed.

    In Yan Zaizen¡¯s soul, he was calmly projected as an avatar, gazing upon the Law of Death Avatar within his soul form. It was a swirling mass of indistinguishable smoke, no longer the solidified structure of before.

    "So...there¡¯s two of you. Myprehension and yourprehension. You want me to give you my insights into deathws, allowing you to use your own Dao and Death Laws to establish your Minor Heavenly Domain?" Yan Zaizen was quietly pondering the intentions of the Heavenly Regalia of Death.

    At this moment, he fully shared himself with the Regalia of Death. He understood its fullest intentions. The Regalia of Heaven that he absorbed into his Immortal Herculean Physique and his Peak Sovereign Death Laws heprehended thanks to the golden sun from before were two separate entities.

    In fact, one could consider the Peak Sovereign Death Law as the mostplete, purest form of Death Laws. It onlycked a single aspect for it to reach perfection.

    "Perfection..." That was right! Itcked that little bit, itcked what all existences needed: A Dao!

    When his thoughts reached this point, he was no longer hesitant."Fine. Take it all. Then, bring death to all my enemies!" The swirling mass of death within his soul form trembled and an orb arrived from the outside, inparison, that jet-ck orb was like a small rock to a mountain made of diamonds, but it didn¡¯t stop the domineering siphoning nature of the orb to shy away in inferiority.

    Yan Zaizen felt a tremendous roar echo, originating from the orb, and the mass was siphoned in its entirety! If Yan Zaizen wasn¡¯t so intent on seeing the changes, he would beughing maniacally at the thoughts of what changes this could bring! A Heavenly Domain with its own Dao!

    As this urred, the outside world wasn¡¯t quiet. Pseudo-God Kirri¡¯s decrepit appearance didn¡¯t hide his ferocious power. That roar from earlier caused space to shatter, and swirling chaos to form. A single roar and the barriers of space that had limited Yan Zaizen¡¯s movements had copsed!

    He was enraged! Yet he didn¡¯t look towards Yan Zaizen, but the worldship from afar. Of the two worldships, one was cker than night itself and the other was orange. The roar was directed at the orange-colored worldship. It seemed like the shockwaves were going to crush the worldship entirely, alongside the surrounding space it upied.

    "How crude. Not capable of suffering a single loss?" The voice of the celestial from earlier spoke once more. His voice was like a water dousing fire. The chaos that ensued due to Pseudo-God Kirri¡¯s disaster-inducing roar had subsided like the abrupt ceasing of rain.

    Pseudo-God Kirri didn¡¯t respond. He was a lofty Pseudo-God, an elite amongst elites. He may have the title ¡¯pseudo¡¯ next to ¡¯god¡¯, but the fact he was regarded as a god meant he held the powers of one. Not even the Heavens could hinder his path.

    He lifted his left palm, pressing it towards the orange worldship. It was like an ant was facing the sun, yet not even the universe would underestimate this ant. His palms trickled with faint, nearly imperceptible light, and even its color was indistinguishable, but anyone who witnessed this palm would understand that it possessed the might befitting of a Pseudo Heavenly God.

    His four fingers and thumb slightly clenched into his palm, and the world rumbled.

    "Fuck!" Emperor Bloodfire cursed without restraint. "Retreat!" He ordered with a tinge of panic. He erupted with a sanguine zing aura, the scent of blood suffused outwards endlessly as it shrouded his skyship, protectively enshrouded each member onboard. His son, in particr, was encased in a cocoon of blood-colored mes.

    They shed away in a trail of fire, instantly vanishing for hundreds of thousands of kilometers. One couldn¡¯t even see their ship anymore.

    In fact, every skyship had taken evasive retreating maneuvers. When two god-level figures sh, even being a thousand kilometers nearby were too, too close. Unfortunately, a few were too slow and those onboard were too weak.

    Crunch!

    Three skyships were influenced by an unknown force. They vanished! No, in fact...if one looked closely at their previous location, a t foundation was left behind. It was as if they werepressed into a t structure. They no longer had three dimensional structure!!

    "Truly a disgrace of your title," the voice that had spoken before uttered casually. At this time, the voice could no longer abate the disaster with a word, but directly took action.

    A luxuriously dressed white robed man emerged. He was young, as young as sixteen in appearance, and devilishly handsome. His long glowing ck hair, dark orange eyes, pink lips, and wless white skin was eye-catching. A true heartbreaker for women. He wore a pair of orange gloves and an orange cape that fluttered ceaselessly. He had a heroic demeanor and unexcelled aura.

    He pressed both palms together and quakingly said: "Break!"

    As he did, a collision urred. It was invisible to the normal eye, but the world suffered. The dimensionalws and stability of the world shattered without a hint of resuming its normal appearance.

    Abruptly, the entire space of several tens of thousands of kilometers, which started and ended with Pseudo-God Kirri and the white-robed young man, had descended into an anomaly!

    Thews of heavens were twisted and time, space, life, death, creation, destruction, all World Laws, all Mortal Laws, they were distorting endlessly.

    Yan Zaizen was calmly within this distorted zone, unfazed, but there wasn¡¯t a single living thing that could exist in this chaos. Even now, he was wholly unaffected by the sh of two impossibly gargantuan forces. Only the ck worldship remained nearby, protected by some unfathomable power that rivaled the two.

    Pseudo-God Kirri spoke in an eerily crunching voice, "I¡¯ll kill you today. You and all you pathetic celestial, Celestial Creator Byzi."

    Celestial Creator Byzi, the young man in white, calmly smiled as the world distorted endlessly around him. "Is that your purpose today? Haha. With just you? How foolish of you." He didn¡¯t bother saying much, only smiling while his eyes shed with disdain and contempt.

    Pseudo-God Kirri¡¯s body faintly trembled. He coldly snorted a dusty sound, like a monster that had just left the grave. "I¡¯ll crush you. My World Compression Path, I¡¯ll let you experience it today." As he said those words, his hands started to fully clenched, exerting his full strength.

    Celestial Creator Byzi lightlyughed. "Show me," his words radiated calm and a hint of casualness. Even starting before a Pseudo-God, he was unfazed and rxed.

    Grab!

    Before Pseudo-God Kirri could fully clench his palm, a hand that roiled with ck mist gripped his wrist. Pseudo-God Kirri was startled momentarily, looking at this palm, then its owner. Although he had no eyes, his sockets shed with a light of surprise.

    Before him was a man, handsome, tall, and muscr. His eyes were cker than night, his aura felt like an absolute concept of existence: Death!

    Yan Zaizen had a slight smile on his face, "Don¡¯t forget about me, okay?"

    BOOM!

    His body erupted in a ferocious aura of death, siphoning all things until it became one with death. The ck mists flowed ceaselessly from his body, originating from his Heavenly Shrine.

    Pseudo-God Kirri¡¯s expression drastically changed!

 Chapter 402 Minor Heavens

    "You?!" Pseudo-God Kirri¡¯s hand was darkening at a visible rate, Yan Zaizen¡¯s hand upon his wrist was like the grip of the god of death. He felt the deathly aura infuse within his already withered and decrepit body. While he seemed to have no eyes, his sockets contorted to disy his shock and surprise.

    To him, Yan Zaizen was but an ant awaiting his boot. However, the aura he exuded wasn¡¯t particrly powerful, but very profound. He had never witnessed such pure, untamed source of death aura before.

    That being said, while he was shocked, who was he? A Pseudo-God revered by all, feared by all, and even the very heavens can only look up to him.

    ROAR!

    He viciously roared. An explosive force that caused the already shattered dimensional space to tremble further was unleashed, ruthlessly pressing towards Yan Zaizen.

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s hand snapped away, pushed by that forceful power. Frowning lightly, Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t retreat. The force crashed into his body with the might to shatters, and his body was seemingly obliterated into ck mist.

    "The Key!" Celestial Creator Byzi eximed, his poise copsed as the utter shock of this sight shook his vision. He had never thought Pseudo-God Kirri would actually kill Yan Zaizen so ruthlessly.

    "YOU FOOL!!!" The rage was palpable. His white robe changed color, taking a bright orange and orange lightning flickered wildly around his body. As he did so, his hair stood on its ends, spiky unlike its originally free-flowing volume.

    Pseudo-God Kirri was simrly shocked. Yan Zaizen had transformed into powdery mist, his soul aura had vanished abruptly, signifying his death. He had attacked on impulse, but he still reigned in the majority of his power, withholding his Path of Power from his heavenly might.

    His state of bewilderment was quite short as Creator God Byzi, a man he considered an equal, dashed furiously towards him. Behind Byzi, an illusory world of orange was created. In it, there were living things,ws and paths. It was as if that world was one of the Thirty-Three Heavenly Realms.

    Pseudo-God Kirri didn¡¯t dare hold back. He ignored the mist and readied his might, using his Path of Power to bring about the utmost strength of the World Compression Path. He transformed into a beam of light and matched Byzi¡¯s assault.

    The exchange was ferocious as millions of miles of space trembled and copsed. Even the ck and orange worldships nearby had to retreat. In the face of two enraged God¡¯s fighting, even another one had to retreat swiftly.

    In a literal breath, over a thousand exchanges had unfolded, each with a seemingly unlimited power behind it. The entire Heavenly Origin Grounds was experiencing a ferocious shock, terraforming on the most subatomic level.

    The immediate world was infused with orange glow and two-dimensional objects,pressed in an unfathomable manner.

    After a heavy-handed exchange, the two segregated a distance with at least ten thousand miles between them. This distance was but a blink for them. Creator God Byzi had a calm expression, his rage abating due to the exchange.

    "You killed the ¡¯Key¡¯ and for what? From henceforth, all Celestials will be your enemy. You will die very soon, know this." Creator God Byzi¡¯s words were cial in tone, sending a chill into the spine of every existence that heard it.

    Pseudo-God Kirri had faint traces of orange glow around his brown-robe. "You celestials are the true fools. Hoping for a ¡¯Key¡¯. Your destiny is to remain here and die here. I do not fear you or anyone." Those words echoed without a hint of fear, treating Creator God Byzi¡¯s words like utter air.

    His hollow eyes seemed to say: "If onees, I¡¯ll kill one. If twoes, I¡¯ll kill two. If alle, I¡¯llmit genocide."

    Creator God Byzi¡¯s calm expression turned into a scowl. "We¡¯ll see about th-"

    Just as those words were leaving his lips, he grew startled by the momentary shift behind Pseudo-God Kirri. A small, nearly imperceptible, pale white me emerged behind him. This me seemed to take on the various aura of the surroundings, and with his celestial sense, it seemed to not exist or be an abnormality. If it wasn¡¯t for his particr angle, he might¡¯ve missed it altogether.

    Pseudo-God Kirri sneered. He truly feared no one.

    "If you have no fears, then you should have no regrets. I¡¯ll send you off." A voice rippled behind him, causing Pseudo-God Kirri to shake in shock. He tried to hurriedly turn around.

    Psh!

    A jet-ck object pierced through his skull. It was swift, decisive, and quick as if it ignored space itself. His head was like a ceramic bowl, with the object being a hammer crushing it entirely. There were shards scattering, but before they got far, a ck mist absorbed them. Before long, the entirety of Pseudo-God Kirri was consumed by jet-ck mist.

    There was not even a scream or exmation.

    "When you get to Hell, be sure to tell others I¡¯ming." The voice echoed as Yan Zaizen¡¯s figure emerged from the pale white me, his entirety still brimming with a deathly aura.

    Earlier, Yan Zaizen hadn¡¯t been sted to eternal death. He was truly shocked by the power of a Pseudo-God. A single roar being held back was so fundamentally powerful that he had truly been killed in a single strike. This caused his heart to grow cold as he realized that the absolute difference between Heavenly Creation Realm experts were incrediblyrge, unfathomably so.

    Fortunately, he was exerting the conceptualw, now Heavenly Dao, of the Siphoning Orb of Death and itspanion the White me of Life. It fueled his Heavenly Shrine, so when he was obliterated into misty smoke, he wildly started siphoning enough existential material to rapidly grow. With his powerful soul, he remained conscious, enough for the White me of Life to ignite off the material and rejuvenate.

    While the two Gods exchanged powerful blows, Yan Zaizen used their remnant power to resurrect himself from temporary death. It was a very odd experience, close to his sensation in the Asura Phantom Realm.

    His Heavenly Shrine had reached a crucial point, establishing a Minor Heaven. At the moment, his pyramid-shaped Heavenly Shrine was an intermix of three colors: ck, white, and cyan.

    They represented his swirling wisps of Death, Life, and Soul. Shockingly, they were the representation of his ¡¯Minor¡¯ Heavens. They were lively and had the truest of auras. He could feel their resonance and thoughts. He had never unfathomed that his Regalia of Heavens would develop their own Daos and integrate into his Heavenly Shrine, evolving into Minor Heavens.

    When he inspected each wisp, he saw a world of their respective makings. The heaven of death was filled with cold absolution and hunger for all things. The heaven of life was filled with warmth and mes, but had actual living creatures within. In fact, each me was a life. The heaven of soul was interesting as all sorts of spiritual illusions and creatures emerged and dissipated without rhythm, constantly and endlessly changing and shifting..

    They represented their conceptualws, but they were fully pure. He could feel the Law of Death, Life, and Soul he gained from the golden orb emanating from each of them. They wereplete.

    Thanks to these three forms of power and his Law of Mimicry, he revived and hid himself from the surroundings. If the Celestials and Heavenly cultivators continued to use their way of sensing him, he would be discovered regardless of how he mimicked, but in a fight like this and the element of surprise, he ovee an actual God.

    He could feel the soul and energy of Pseudo-God Kirri being constantly devoured and refined, both by his Minor Heaven of Death and his ckhole. They were gluttons, consuming everything with not even the bare bones left behind.

    Calmly, he turned his gaze towards Creator God Byzi. His expression was solemn. Yan Zaizen smiled with his handsome face, despite it being marred by emanating ck mist. "I don¡¯t know why you wish to throw yourself into death to hunt me down, but I think its time for us to discuss this, right?"

    If it was before, he would¡¯ve taken action against Creator God Byzi. With his newfound Heavenly Creation Realm cultivation base with three perfect Minor Heavens fueling his might, he felt somewhat confident to ensure his life at the very least. In truth, his battle intent was soaring. However, Creator God Byzi seemed to not wish for his death by any means, and said nothing about being a Non-Entity, but a ¡¯Key¡¯. This shocked him inwardly and had a desire to know why they were after him.

    He deserved to know.

    Creator God Byzi was somewhat taken aback by Yan Zaizen¡¯s words. Nevertheless, he smiled. "Since no one is around, lets talk then."

 Chapter 403 The Key

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s heavenly-attuned deathly form was deactivated, his being no longer being death itself. Instead, he reverted back to his own self and his disposition was imperial. He stood upright, his amber-gold eyes radiating a profound majesty, and his aura steady.

    Creator God Byzi calmly watched this transition. Hemented softly: "Quite a powerful and pure Minor Heaven. It¡¯s far superior to even normal World Law Grand Heavens of you Heavenly Cultivators." As an existence at the Creator God level, this was words backed by immense experience. Despite not being a Celestial, he was quite knowledgeable in the aspects of Heavenly Cultivation.

    Yan Zaizen regarded Creator God Byzi, his poise and demeanor and aura transcendent and beyond reproach.

    He recalled what Yri had informed him regarding Celestial Path¡¯s cultivation. It was divided into nine phases, each divided by nine realms. It was unlike the Heavenly Path. It was consistent and uniform.

    The nine realms were, from lowest to greatest: Qi Foundation, Revolving Core, Dao Soul, Essence Creation, Essence Ignition, Celestial Knight, Celestial Monarch, Celestial Divinity, and Celestial Immortal.

    Unlike Heavenly Cultivators, Celestial¡¯s had no realms dedicated towards foundational development nor can be skipped casually. In fact, Yri referred to Celestial Cultivation as the mostplete and fair type of path. It focused on developing Essence to its limits within, exerting its utmost power.

    Those at the Celestial Monarch Realm rivaled Heavenly Genesis Cultivators, and typically, the strongest exceeded all Heavenly Cultivators in this realm. This was due to this realm having power simr to a Minor Heaven at their grasp and being unconstrained by typicalws. They were the source and fuel of their power, not requiring any other environmental factors.

    They drew upon the omnipresent essence in all things, cultivating essence itself as an independent entity.

    At the moment, if Yan Zaizen lost his Heavenly Shrine, his cultivation would revert back to the True Essence Realm, and his heavenly power would fade into obscurity. However, as long as a Celestial was alive, they couldn¡¯t be crippled in such a simple manner. While possible to cripple them, it was nearly impossible without killing them.

    Its fairness stemmed from its equality. While resources can help, and talent can act as a higher starting point, hard work and time could allow one to reach unfathomable heights. That said, there were differences in their power, and this stemmed from their self-created celestial essence.

    Yan Zaizen felt the astonishing celestial power within Byzi, and he felt that it was endless.

    "We should be quick then," Yan Zaizen knew that Byzi didn¡¯t wish to discuss with him if others were present, so he said this bluntly. At the moment, everyone had steered clear of the battle between god-level figures.

    Creator God Byzi casually smiled.

    Yan Zaizen asked, "What is this ¡¯Key¡¯ you speak of?" He hadn¡¯t recalled obtaining a key, or anything resembling one. Outside of the fragmented hearts of the Non-Verse, there were no other candidates in mind. Unfortunately, the timing didn¡¯t quite match-up. He had just obtained those yet forces from all over were already rushing over. This indicated nning of some kind.

    Creator God Byzi¡¯s orange eyes stared straight into Yan Zaizen¡¯s, as if trying to pierce into his soul. After a short period of time he said: "The ¡¯Key¡¯ is you."

    Yan Zaizen was taken aback immediately.

    Me?

    A tinge of disbelief flickered in his eyes. Could the Non-Entity Body be a ¡¯Key¡¯? It didn¡¯t seem worth it to gather legitimate figures at the god-level for that. After all, he wasn¡¯t the only Non-Entity in existence nor will he be in the future.

    Witnessing Yan Zaizen¡¯s confusion, Byzi added: "The Key to this prison of ours. You are the door and the chain connected to the lock. We, Celestials, need you. They, those Heavenly Cultivators, wish to use you."

    Yan Zaizen directly ignored thest bit. He wouldn¡¯t take this Celestial at his word that the Heavenly Cultivators wished to use him, even if they were the most aggressive. It¡¯s obvious the Celestials wished to use him for a purpose too.

    "Prison..." Yan Zaizen recalled the All-Immortal Dragon¡¯s youngest daughter, Sephira All-Central. She had referred to the Heavenly Origin Grounds as a prison, and Yri couldn¡¯t leave this location, suffering a bacsh from an unfathomable force. She was an existence from thirty-seven billion years ago, so this was a rtively recent development. Could it be...?

    He promised Sephira that he would shatter this so-called prison, freeing her so that their future child would be with a father and mother. He had swore on this.

    Wait...

    "Didn¡¯t she also mention a ¡¯Key¡¯?" His pupils shrunk a bit, his mind circting rapidly as he recalled her very words.

    -----

    "To think, Ancestor of the False King, beloved by a universe, created from those two, and you even have ¡¯it¡¯. urung didn¡¯t lie to me!"

    "Yan! Zen! Fascinating, not only did you do it, you even inseminated your bloodline with the Key! The celestials will definitely do everything to obtain it...and everyone else will...haha, haha, fate! Truly fate! A river of blood and gold, trial of three lives, and the savior of the Dragon Race!!" - Saphira.

    -----

    At the time, he was experiencing a disgusting amount of pain due to his fate attempting to shift. Despite that, he retained her words in his heart. The False King was his Ancestor, and he inseminated his bloodline with this Key. His ancestor...

    The Yan n was a small n in the Thirty-Three Heavens¡¯ Xiantu Realm, but many knew of his ancestor. It wasn¡¯t a minor matter, and various important figures recognized him, including Saphira All-Central, the daughter of the All-Immortal Dragon, an existence beyond Pseudo-Gods or Celestial Divinity and Ezekiel.

    Now that he recalled this bit, he finally understood that they were after the ¡¯Key¡¯ in his bloodline, ced there by his ancestor, and the actual key to breaking this prison. ording to Saphira, the Celestials would do anything to have it and everyone else...

    Well, sheughed hysterically after.

    Swiftly, he regained his mind and recognized their intentions.

    "If I have this ¡¯Key¡¯, then could others even obtain it? Use it without me?" Yan Zaizen was skeptical in this regard. If it was ced into his bloodline, that meant it was legitimately connected to his soul, much like the Law of Mimicry. He didn¡¯t think he could be refined.

    Creator God Byzi quietly looked towards Yan Zaizen and shook his head. "While we can¡¯t use it, we can force or direct you to."

    Those words sounded simple, but they exined many things. Yan Zaizen hastily sped up his words, realizing others were likely returning at this point. "Celestials are prisoners, then I understand why you want it to escape, but what of the Heavenly Cultivators? What use does it have for them?"

    This question boggled his mind. Even if he held the rights to exit this world, there¡¯s no reason why they would panic in killing him or show restraint. After all, they weren¡¯t celestials nor trapped. Any being outside of celestials can exit freely into the Thirty-Three Heavens. Whether the Heavenly Gods of the Thirty-Three Heavens would ept them, that was an entirely different matter.

    Celestial Creator Byzi slightly furrowed his exquisite brows. He didn¡¯t answer. Yan Zaizen could tell that he had his reservations, and they were unfathomably deep. He decided to focus elsewhere, knowing that this near-omnipotent figure beneath the heavens would remain tight-lipped on this matter.

    "Last question: Why not just ask me to directly open the door?" This question caused Byzi¡¯s expression to change, and before he could respond, an aged voice resounded.

    "If only it were that simple," an old man arrived, piercing through the still recovering dimensional space and arriving like a ghost in the night.

    Yan Zaizen and Byzi¡¯s eyes were drawn to the man in silver robes. Within Byzi¡¯s gaze was a hint of surprise, but also a sh of mysterious light. Yan Zaizen, on the other hand, was very casual. He regarded this man and felt his connection to the powers of spacetime. As a cultivator enlightened on the conceptualws of spacetime, an Imperial Law of Heaven, he was familiar with the aura.

    "You are?" Yan Zaizen asked. His originally hasty tone to seek answers had be much more even-paced and controlled.

    The old man slightly smiled and introduced himself, "I am Qiankun Vi Eternum. Others call me Master Qiankun, you can refer to me however you like." The old man radiated serenity and good-intentions, and Yan Zaizen¡¯s instincts verified the genuineness of his intentions.

    Nodding, Yan Zaizen nonchntly questioned, "Old Timer, what do you mean it isn¡¯t so simple?"

    Master Qiankun, or Old Timer, eyebrows twitched upon hearing his nickname. He was just about to speak when a sh of orange lightning flickered into abrupt existence, arriving before him in a literal blink, and the world surrounding him seemed to be isted. Despite the sudden development, Master Qiankun was rather calm. His wizened eyes were the epitome of serenity.

    With a breath, space and time rippled into a cohesive unit, bing one and his existence faded alongside the natural forces that they ruled. The orange lightning struck nothing but the remnants of the still repairing shattered dimensional space.

    Byzi had struck, his body arriving at the empty space, but his fist was relentless in its intent. He punched towards the empty space as if he wished to pierce through space and time, reach into the past, present, and future, and copse the void, chaotic, and dimensional spaces that ovepped.

    This level of power exceeded normal imaginations. It befitted the strength affiliated with those deemed as ¡¯Gods¡¯ or of the Divine.

    Yet still, despite all his power and ability, Creator God Byzi was unable to touch even a thread on Master Qiankun¡¯s robe.

    Yan Zaizen gazed to his immediate left with a gaze radiating absolute calm. One must know, the distance between these figures were tens of thousands of miles, yet Master Qiankun had arrived in less than a picosecond further divided by a thousand. It was astonishingly fast, exceeding the limits of time and space, bordering instant teleportation.

    In fact, it might just be that. If one considered theg time between Master Qiankun¡¯s thoughts and actions, then it very well might¡¯ve been.

    Master Qiankun was somewhat surprised after arriving next to Yan Zaizen. Those amber-gold eyes were effusing calmness and expectations, as if he predicted his line of action and even Byzi¡¯s.

    "You¡¯re young, yet quite terrifying." Master Qiankun said with a smile.

    Creator God Byzi finallyprehended that his attack couldn¡¯t shatter the fabric of Master Qiankun¡¯s escape and turned his head. With a soft, low yet very deep roar, he shouted: "Traitor! You better not!!"

    His rage induced a trace of interest in Yan Zaizen¡¯s heart. "He doesn¡¯t want this ¡¯traitor¡¯ to tell me about the secrets of the Key." Thinking this, he smiled. "Shall we go?" His question was said casually, but he was already taking action.

    His Minor Heavens of Life, Death, and Soul erupted with their Heavenly Power, and his Heavenly Shrine became dark-grey, effusing the aura of Spacetime. With all of these factors, his Dao Heart¡¯s Dao Energy thoroughly infused in his Heavenly Shrine, empowering it further.

    Even a strand of Minor Heavenly Power was the same as possessing the power to equal the heavens, yet Yan Zaizen had three, all of which were at the World Law level.

    In a blink, he vanished.

    Master Qiankun¡¯s wizened eyes widened abruptly, clearly shocked about Yan Zaizen¡¯s escape. "He used my divine art? No...an impromptu version of it." A trace of bewilderment shed within his eyes, before he couldn¡¯t help but give off a stuffyugh and turned to face Byzi.

    "Creator God Byzi, I¡¯ll take my leave first." He continued his stuffyugh filled with an elderly vor as he directly vanished.

    Creator God Byzi¡¯s eyes widened. His celestial sense prodded the area thoroughly, but the still repairing dimensional space contorted and distorted everything. This infuriated him, but simultaneously left him helpless. Without the ¡¯Hound¡¯ finding the ¡¯Key¡¯ would be nigh impossible with such profound mastery of Spacetime.

    He raised both hands and pped furiously. His celestial power was rapidly flickering about, supporting the dimensional space in its repairs. In a second, the damage had been fixed, yet the traces of the two vanishing duo had long since disappeared.

    To cultivators at their level, a literal second was enough to exchange ten thousand blows or escape millions of miles. It was even worse for those with space, time, light, wind, lightning, darkness, or elerationws.

    In a few more seconds, the skyships and worldships arrived. Creator God Byzi sent out his celestial sense and returned to his worldship. The Heavenly Cultivators were confused, but they didn¡¯t dare ask Creator God Byzi of what had urred.

    Emperor Bloodfire was at the bow of his ship, watching the Creator God enter his worldship. Before long, the celestials zed a path outwards towards a direction.

    He decisively gave an order: "Follow them!"

    The others gave simr orders, unwilling to be left behind by the Celestials.

    Thus, the chase continued.

 Chapter 404 Young Sovereign & Old Sage

    An indistinct shadow shed into existence near a gloomy, ckke. There were fishes with dark-green scales that dimly lit theke¡¯s surface.

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s figure slowly morphed into the shadow. It was a brief transition yet it felt as if space, time, and thews of the world were carving him inch by inch until he was fully realized. After emerging, Yan Zaizen¡¯s amber-gold eyes were somewhat dim and his expression was pale.

    "I didn¡¯t think superimposing all of my forces still wasn¡¯t enough to fully initiate teleportation. I nearly faded into dimensional, chaotic, and void space all at once. Holy shit..." Yan Zaizen cursed as he recalled his earlier experiences. When he witnessed the unique teleportation-like divine art of the Old Timer, he felt confident enough to replicate it.

    Unfortunately...

    "Teleportation isn¡¯t as simple as creating a portal into chaotic or void space and shifting through it, exiting from the other side. It truly relies on the perfect cohesiveness of time and space to instantly bypass temporal and spatial limitations. You¡¯re acting against the naturalws of the universe itself." A wise voice echoed as Master Qiankun arrived, a smile on his face.

    Yan Zaizen gave him a side-nce. He scoffed, "No wonder celestials are so legendary." His remarks held his truest feelings. The Celestial Cultivation Path was a little too strong inparison to Heavenly Cultivators.

    Master Qiankun gave off a stuffy chortle, "Us celestials rely on ourselves, not external power. We are the heavens and we are the universe. Apologies."

    Unlike Heavenly Cultivators who rely on the external heavens toprehend and develop, Celestials create their own essence and step by step grow their own heavens. Therefore, the heavenly, worldly, or universalws held very little influence over their power.

    Yan Zaizen had used Yri¡¯s Celestial Essence to bypass the temporal limitations and segregate into time remnants to experience the future. In fact, looking into the future was incredibly difficult and nearly impossible without a heaven-rivaling or exceeding cultivation base. Even still, the most they would obtain would be vagueness and uncertainty. As for Celestials, they could perceive the legitimate aspects of the future with near certainty.

    That being said, the logic of peering into the future changes the future still applies. As long as they kept it to themselves, exerting any impact on the timeline until the future carried out, they could rewrite their own vision rather easily. In fact, doing absolutely nothing can cause ripples in the timeline(Unless that¡¯s what you originally did).

    Yan Zaizen regted his breathing as he regained his heavenly energy from the surrounding essence. He didn¡¯t have much time, his prophetic instincts continued to re like a disaster siren. The chase hadn¡¯t stopped.

    Master Qiankun calmly peered into the dark, gloomyke. A mysterious light surfaced within those wizened eyes surrounded by his withered face. This light contained some profound exhaustion.

    "Celestials aren¡¯t invincible," he said suddenly.

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes lifted slightly. Those words were said with the utmost sorrow.

    Master Qiankun continued staring at theke surface. Yan Zaizen couldn¡¯t tell his expression, even the reflection within the dark waters were murky and indistinct, yet he somehow felt that this Old Timer was crying. He felt a simr sorrow well in his heart.

    "Pinaka..." he clenched his fist. A figure so beautiful, so warm, yet thest image he saw was her brave sacrifice and contentful, believing smile.

    Was she doing well?

    Was she lonely?

    An old sage and a young sovereign stood beside a darkke beneath gloomy skies, to each their own thoughts. A cold breeze flowed between them, whispering a tune that defined their own tragedies and failures.

    A long moment passed before Master Qiankun spoke, "Do you know that Celestials originally bled gold blood?"

    Yan Zaizen was startled. Bled gold? He had seen Yri bleed, and her blood wasn¡¯t gold. Thinking about it, her body wasn¡¯t her original one. She had discarded it for a new one for a chance to grasp the Dao Heart after twenty-plus billion years.

    "Why does that matter?" Yan Zaizen calmly asked.

    Master Qiankun didn¡¯t answer for quite a while, but he sighed and said, "Perhaps it does. Perhaps it doesn¡¯t."

    Yan Zaizen felt this old timer was bing more and more confusing, unable to understand his intent or desires clearly. He checked his current state, and realized his body and heavenly energy had fully restored. With a nod, he readied to depart.

    However, at thest moment he was about to shoot into the sky, vanishing like aet over the horizon, he halted his energy.

    "Old Timer, I don¡¯t know what you want or who you are. Honestly, I don¡¯t care. As long as you¡¯re not against me, then I won¡¯t take action against you." After he said this, he turned to see the mncholic expression still linger on Master Qiankun¡¯s face.

    "The world is unfathomable, fate is malleable. All I want is to be friends, and that is enough." Master Qiankun said, wiping off the sorrow from his face and eyes, revealing his once more wizened eyes and hearty smile. He sent over a ray of soul energy. Within it contained his Divine Art that exined the theories of teleportation as well as the universal imposed limitations.

    Yan Zaizen paused for a moment. He was shocked by the transmission of valuable information. Normally, he wouldn¡¯t try to invest too much time in this, but he felt drawn by something. It wasn¡¯t his prophetic instincts, but his own senses. They told him that this old man was worth befriending.

    He nodded. "Then, from today onwards: We¡¯re friends." After that, he didn¡¯t dy any longer and sped into the dark skies. With a sh, he vanished from the gloomy horizon that enshrouded the Dusk Region.

    Master Qiankun gazed at the horizon with a calm expression. The word ¡¯friend¡¯ was quite normal, expected among mortals, but cultivators were unreliable in this regard. They often acted for strength, self-interest, and eternal life. They fought for resources and avoided those too weak, believing they were beneath them, meant to be subordinates or servants tending to their desires.

    Even cultivators of equal strength may consider each other friends, but in a moment of crisis or fortune, this word can crumble to dust in one¡¯s mouth.

    However, when Yan Zaizen said this, the world of the Master Qiankun changed. A faint dao enshrouded him, unseen yet ever present. From henceforth, Yan Zaizen would eternally consider him a friend.

    As long as he didn¡¯t betray this title. It felt free and mystical. A smile emerged on his withered face. "To think it was that easy. He¡¯s quite simple and direct, but I like that."

    He turned towards the opposite horizon, already feeling the ripples of power from the various pursuing ships. These were individuals with all sorts of ill-intent, self-desires, and ruthlessness befitting their status.

    "A river of blood and gold. Flowing once more into the heavens. I can not wait for that day." Heughed once more, vanishing from theke.

    -----

    In a distance of tens of billions of miles away, a worldship of white and luminescence was berthed in the void. Within this worldship was a world of eternal light, housing Celestials of all ages and cultivations.

    Before a grand mirror that reflected all except the light within this world, a figure bathed in white light stood before it. She seemed like the origin of all light within this world of light. She watched the images disyed on the grand mirror, witnessing the fight between Pseudo-God Kirri and Creator God Byzi. At the end, Yan Zaizen had arrived and sneakily imed Pseudo-God Kirri¡¯s life.

    "..." She was silent, and so was the billions behind her who waited patiently for her orders. While the scenes were fantastical, they held very little relevance to her objective.

    After a while, the image soon shed to a dark light that was dimly lit with a green light, originating from the inhabiting fishes. A young man and old sage were quietly resting beside thiske. They seemed lonely and suffused with yearning and sorrow, yet at the end, a change in their aura uplifted this atmosphere.

    Afterwards, the mirror rippled endlessly, distorting the picture. The billions watching were startled, unsure of what this development meant, but the woman of light was calm and undisturbed, causing her fanatic believers to quiet down and watch in silence.

    A figure pierced through the mirror, exiting from it like a human entering the surface of a body of water. When the figure arrived, it revealed itself to be an old man with wizened eyes and a withered face.

    The woman of light, the Light Sovereign Queen, respectfully said: "Master Qiankun."

    Master Qiankun smiled at this woman whose face and body couldn¡¯t be seen, drenched in luminescence light like a zing sun. "Little Ammie, we can leave now."

    Those words caused a mor to rise from the billions watching. The Light Sovereign Queen, otherwise referred to as Little Ammie by Master Qiankun, was visibly trembling. "You obtained it?" She asked with a hint of impatience.

    Master Qiankun smiled, "No. It¡¯s impossible to obtain, I told you this. The only way is to be allowed to exit, granted permission. The ¡¯Key¡¯ isn¡¯t something that can be persuaded with threats, and the Heavenly Origin Grounds Heavenly Laws will intentionally loosen its restrictions around him while simultaneously suppressing any threat. It¡¯s not possible to capture him."

    He turned towards the mirror, "You must¡¯ve seen how he killed Pseudo-God Kirri, right? How Celestial Creator Byzi didn¡¯t dare to strike him."

    The woman nodded. This was indeed strange considering Byzi¡¯s intentions and Pseudo-God Kirri¡¯s profound cultivation base. In fact, while Yan Zaizen was strong, he shouldn¡¯t have the power to surmount Three Heavenly Phases, regardless of his foundation orws.

    The Power of Paths, Power of Laws, and then the Power of Grand & Minor Heavens were fundamentally different to the point a thousand-times gap between would be describing it as too little. Yet, he did.

    Master Qiankun continued, "With the Heavenly Daos present, all those he holds ill-intent towards would weaken by at least a millionth of their power when the ¡¯Key¡¯ acts, this is moreso true for Celestials than Heavenly Cultivators. Even ¡¯he¡¯ would be unable to kill him in the Heavenly Origin Grounds. Haha. Enough, lets go."

    A silver skyship shed into being, arriving next to the bright worldship. It used a beam of sorts to send itself into the world of light.

    The Light Sovereign Queen felt tion, she ordered: "Set a course! To the Ny-Nine Heavens of Zen!"

    Master Qiankun didn¡¯t hinder her happiness as he looked at the grand mirror that reflected Yan Zaizen¡¯s figure. He whispered softly, "It¡¯s no longer called the Ny-Nine Heavens of Zen anymore, but the Thirty-Three Heavens."

 Chapter 405 Leaving

    Woosh!

    Yan Zaizen zed through the Dusk Region like an unstoppable force. At his speed, it wasn¡¯t long before a new horizon and climate emerged. This area was the Dawn Region, where light and spacews were inherently stronger, unlike the Dusk Region which predominantly enhanced darkness and timews.

    Inspecting the iing climate shift, Yan Zaizen became lost in his thoughts. Within his mind, the information given to him about teleportation and its universal, worldly, and heavenly limitations were deeply ingrained.

    "I originally assumed teleportation required the opposite aspect of my spacetime concept, but I was wrong. Teleportation exceeds the standard limits of space and time, and there isn¡¯t a heavenly concept that can derive into it." Yan Zaizen analyzed.

    To achieve teleportation, arriving at an area in an instant, one had toprehend the three states of space and three states of time. The three states of space were: Void Space, Chaotic Space, and Dimensional Space. The three states of time were: past, present, and paradoxical.

    He had originally thought thest state of time was future, but in actuality, the concept of the future was a paradox in and of itself. The future is an unknown yet a constant, much like fate or destiny. This was because it can not be changed nor touched upon. If you grasp the future, you¡¯re actually touching the present. Regardless of how you try, one can never ¡¯see¡¯ or ¡¯change¡¯ the future. Any attempts to change the future would make that the new future.

    The information left by the Old Timer touched upon theories and factual details that eluded even him, shocking him thoroughly. His head felt dizzy from it all. It was like navigating an endless whirling maze. Luckily, he knew that the exit and the entrance were one and the same.

    "The Divine Art used by him is called the Qiankun Art. I wonder if his title, Master Qiankun, came because of it. Anyhow, this art can¡¯t be used by Heavenly Cultivators because of the natural restrictions imposed by the heavens. However, I¡¯m not someone that likes restrictions." Smirking with the utmost confidence, he had started to devise a strategy to ovee this limitation.

    Entering the Dawn Region, the gloomy atmosphere was uplifted, leaving a world suffused with brightness, teeming with life. The trees and wildlife in the Dusk Region were dull and withered, but the Dawk Region were faintly glowing and brimming with life.

    The contrast was quite strong, and he had to take a pause and inspect his surroundings. Despite being chased for being this ¡¯Key¡¯ that others so desperately wanted, Yan Zaizen wasn¡¯t one that liked living ording to other¡¯s speed.

    Hended next to a grassy knoll. The grass moved with the wind, the whistling of the field and the nearby hill left him feeling nostalgic. "This reminds me of the Meteorite City¡¯s Grassy Wastnd. Isn¡¯t that...where everything started?"

    The nostalgia within his eyes gleamed even stronger, unable to be stopped by any means. At an area like this, he was nothing but a young sixteen year old boy, ignorant of the grand world, and severelycking intelligence. He met with the cruelty of the world bit by bit, but through it all, he met friends and saw sights he had thought was iprehensible.

    He looked behind him and felt the pressing threat behind him, and he took a deep inhale before expelling out a wad of turbid thoughts and air.

    "At the time, I felt like I had no choices or goals. I wasn¡¯t really talented nor smart and did everything because I wanted to like an ignorant child. No one could¡¯ve stopped me. Haha, I guess I haven¡¯t really changed that part - I still do whatever I want." Thinking up to here, he realized he didn¡¯t wish to be chased any longer. Spending an extra day here meant an extra day Pinaka had to remain trapped within Hell.

    "It¡¯s time to leave!" Yan Zaizen made up his mind. He brought out the silverpass. He had long since reattached it into one piece, allowing it to beplete. Before, he didn¡¯t want to use it because it was random and he didn¡¯t know if he would just be teleported to a different region within the Heavenly Origin Grounds or two inches away. ording to Ezekiel, it can only teleport within the same dimensional space.

    Furthermore, the various spatial limitations imposed by the various pursuing forces prevented his escape. It seemed thepass had celestial origins, hence why it could teleport others away.

    With the new information given to him by Master Qiankun, he realized the deficit of his knowledge prevented him from ounting for all variables appropriately. The imposed spatial restrictions were simr to the natural limitations of the world. Perhaps Master Qiankun gave him this because he knew that it would support his inevitable escape.

    He didn¡¯t activate thepass. Instead, he pressed it against his dantian, where his Heavenly Shrine was located. It seeped into his dantian and his heavenly might enshrouded it, his three Minor Heavenly Wisps circted around it, infusing it with the Power of Minor Heaven. With his Dao Heart being injected, he decisively started to refine thepass.

    It took but a moment before thepass had melted and was moulded into a different object, glimmering with silver, ck, white, cyan, and amber-gold colors. Its shape turned malleable until it materialized into the shape of an ancient key with nine evenly-spaced notches. It was the size of a baby¡¯s palm and as smooth as jade.

    "This should do." Yan Zaizen nodded as he retrieved his key. He held it in amonly familiar manner, as if he was going to send it into a lock. Pressing a bit forward, the key entered nothing, causing distorted ripples in the immediate surroundings.

    "It has entered the three states of space simultaneously. Now," he slowly said as he started to send grey light pulsing into the key, radiating the power of time. He directly connected to the three states of time. This key now existed at the present, a second before and a secondter.

    His face had grown somewhat pale, and his eyes dimmed a little. He could feel the resistance of the universe and the Heavenly Origin Grounds, but he steadied his stance and held firm. With a slow twist, the key started to emanate all sorts of colorful lights. These lights started to encroach on Yan Zaizen¡¯s palm and the rest of his body, enveloping him whole.

    Boom!

    He felt a forceful push from the world. At his finger, a world-crushing force pressed forth, one he was quite familiar with. It was the same force that disallowed Yri from exiting using the normal means. It seems that even if she was in his Meteor Ring¡¯s spatial dimensional, she was still being carefully perceived by the Heavenly Origin Grounds imposing limitations andws.

    Unlike before, Yan Zaizen went undisturbed as he pushed forward. "You will not restrict our leave!" His cold, icy-chill of a bark was like an imperial decree from the Heavenly Emperor himself. If one hears, they must acquiesce.

    He had promised himself to take Yri out of this world, and if the world disagreed, he had no qualms destroying it!

    He continued to twist the key as if he was unlocking some unfathomable door. Unbeknownst to him, Yri¡¯s unconscious body started to circte with his dao aura, much like it did with Master Qiankun.

    Clink!

    An odd sound echoed and his body that was enshrouded with various colorful lights vanished. His aura, lifeforce, and physical presence had vanished alongside it.

    On the celestial worldships, a roar of shock and rage emerged. Celestial Creator Byzi¡¯s handsome face was distorted. He sat in a grand throne colored white. In his right hand was an orb with the image of a golden colored puppy. At the moment, it was resting in a cure fashion, seemingly undisturbed by Celestial Creator Byzi¡¯s rage.

    "Lord Celestial God!" A concerned subordinate arrived, kneeling before the throne. His body trembled slightly.

    Celestial Creator Byzi¡¯s eyes were ring as he ignored his subordinate and red at the cute puppy. "Hound! Hound! Find him!" His words were loud and caused quakes that shook the entire worldship and all of its inhabitants, yet the puppy referred to as the Hound refused to budge or even shake its tail to his calls.

    "It¡¯s inactive..." his voice contained a hint of depression. How did the Key leave while they¡¯ve restricted all other ways to leave the Heavenly Origin Grounds. This was impossible! Yet...

    The other celestial worldship was the same, unable to find any trace of Yan Zaizen. Within moments, they stopped their chass.

    The two Celestial Creators of these two ships met, but even still, there was no solution. The Key had abruptly left the Heavenly Origin Grounds.

 Chapter 406 Unpredictable

    "I don¡¯t regret it." A voice as firm as rock, as stable as the firmament, yet was misty as an illusion echoed. It was womanly, yet suffused with an innate haughtiness that could never dissipate. Those words were like a zing sun, releasing warm rays and soft breeze.

    Yan Zaizen slowly woke from his dream. That voice had triggered his senses, bringing his consciousness to its maximum state of awakeness. As he slowly opened his eyes, his amber-gold eyes inspected his surroundings. He saw a world of darkness. It wasn¡¯t absent of light, but of misty darkness that lingered, thickened, thinned, or dissipated into absence, but there was only nothingness that remained. It gave the feeling of being a world of absolute darkness.

    He felt lethargic. In an attempt to lift his arms, he discovered that his body wasgging far behind his mind. It felt like a few minutes had passed since he sent his body the order to lift his hand, unable to do so even now, yet the subtle twitching of his arms were still urring at a slower pace.

    His amber-gold eyes shed with fascinating dao light, embodying the rays of his Dao of Sovereign Ascension. His Dao Sense, Heavenly Sense, and Soul Sense was galvanized to their maximum possible limits. Even then, he was unable to gather any information into the surroundings except a misty darkness or absolute nothing.

    "Where am I?" While his body-mind-soul bnce had a disjointed experience, his process of thoughts were still as swift as before. After discovering this fact, he realized many of his functions were still acting as normal. The only issue was that he seemed unable to use any form of energy or power in this space.

    Recalling his earlier experience, he tried to recollect a scene step-by-step.

    First, he had refined thepass with his various powers, creating a new armament that waspletely under his control. He wanted to regte its randomness to be able to determine his destination. ording to hisprehension of spacetimew and the notes from Master Qiankun, he had devised an appropriate strategy to do so. While he was capable of appropriately refining the armament to his needs, it seemed an unusual event urred.

    Next, he entered the door of spacetime energy.

    "Yes. I entered the door I created...then...then..." He had some trouble recalling the split second changes in his perception and consciousness. Was his memory deteriorating?

    "N-no. I...I remember." After an obscenely long period of time, he finally recollected bits of information. At the time he entered the spacetime energy door, an unusual reaction urred that required him to be sent to a location. Unfortunately, despite possessing the key, he couldn¡¯t fully control the location. To rectify this issue, he had to draw deep into his soul me and instill various bits of information and coordinates into the door.

    That still didn¡¯t work. It started to violently react, nearly ripping him apart in three states of space and time. It was an astonishingly painful experience as he felt his past, present, paradox was split into void, chaotic, and dimensional space. He wished for nothing more than to regain control over his power, but he was considerablycking.

    At the time, he couldn¡¯t help but think: "What is thispass?!"

    He realized that Ezekiel had never fullyprehended thepass or how it worked, so his information wascking in that regard. Even though he refined it to epass his various powers, they were unable topletely subjugate all aspects of thepass, causing a chaotically unpredictable response.

    "I...at thest minute, I...what did I do?" He still found recalling details blurry and unsure. Regardless of what he did next, he knew he had survived because of an action of his, and he was sent to a location. This location was...

    As he inspected the misty darkness once more, he felt as if he was in a bottomless pit that never ended. It was only now that he realized his body felt as if it was falling from the sky, but there was no wind, just a descending energy acting upon his body that indicated his constant fall.

    A bottomless pit...

    "Pinaka..." his eyes felt heavy as they drooped, covering the amber-gold brilliance of his eyes. A bout of sleepiness and exhaustion was overtaking his soul, body, and mind. It was inevitable as he felt himself descend into an unconscious state once more.

    ------

    "These people were from an enemy household of another household. They were forcefully taken after their defeat, and to survive, had to agree to work the Deep Mines." A gruff voice spoke. Yan Zaizen was surprised at the narration, looking towards the man who spoke. He had a set of torn robes, a dirty face, and a skinny appearance. He reminded him of a beggar on the streets. The only things noticeable was his eyes had a grey-blue color to it, making it a sight of beauty.

    "Name¡¯s Tao." He said, his voice still deep and filled with masculinity.

    "I didn¡¯t ask." Yan Zaizen stated inly.

    "But you were curious." The man said with a smile, his teeth abnormally white. It was a sharpparison to his dirty face and robes. He added, "You¡¯re not from around here, are you?"

    Remaining calm outwardly, but inwardly he was vignt. This man named Tao, without a family name, without a n name, was simply too perceptive. He contemted for a second, "How did you know?"

    "Your eyes."

    "My eyes?" He asked.

    "They¡¯re not filled with hopelessness despite me mentioning the deep mines," Tao spoke with an ambiguous smile on his face.

    ------

    Yan Zaizen felt himself return to his earlier days. He had been betrayed, then sent to be a prisoner to a ce of no hope and no return. It was a death sentence that could never be ovee, and it only gave hope, but never realized it. At that time, he was weak and ignorant, his Dao still in its nascent state. It was that day that he met his first true friend of his lifetime.

    Even while he slept, a warm smile surfaced on his face.

    Yet an even more important event happened in those deep depths of despair and hopelessness. He met her.

    Pinaka.

    A name he found strange when he had first heard it,pletely different from the norms of the Xiantu Realm.

    ------

    "Pinaka?" Yan Zaizen felt the name itself was strange by his world¡¯s standards, but thinking about it, an armaments weapon¡¯s name is determined by its owner. What right did he have to say the name was strange?

    "Does this name bother you?" The voice resounded, obviously dissatisfied with Yan Zaizen¡¯s tone.

    -----

    She was dying at the time, yet her pride had never left his soul. When Yan Zaizen first saw her, she was the most beautiful creature he had ever graced his eyes upon, but as he was young, he had no other thoughts or even seen her as a human-like existence. He also felt that beauty was an irrelevant factor in determining apanion, and while he was young, his thoughts in that regard had matured rapidly thanks to his time in those dark depths, mining away and watching the hope and life of those dissipate into nothing.

    Those memories were a painful realization of reality, but a much-needed wake-up call that his life benefited from thoroughly. Not only did he meet his first true brother of his lifetime in those mines, but also traveled upon a path that he would never regret.

    "Wait!!!" A resounding shout echoed in his consciousness, awakening him once more.

    He remembered now!

    While he was handling the chaotic response of the key, he decided to infuse his entirety into it as ast ditch effort to survive. It was a perilous moment that a single hint of hesitation would¡¯ve caused him to be lost in the three states of time and space, yet he performed this nearly suicidal action without hesitation. Thanks to his Dao, he would never hesitate when a moment came, and he always performed!

    Thanks to his actions, he locked onto a familiar location and sent himself there. However, his disjointed soul, mind, and body wasn¡¯t caused by the ill-reaction of the key or the location. The moment he arrived in this ungodly location, he found himself unable to escape by any means. He had tried to extricate his soul, dao, and even his heavenly shrine from his body to no avail.

    At thest moment, he recalled the words of the Sephira All-Central, the daughter of the All-Immortal Dragon. She had informed him that his soul had reached the state of a Demi-Mortal Soul, capable of splitting his soul without causing any form of damage, while remaining free of ws. At the time, her intent was to get him to use his soul to help give a soul to her egg, but it had helped him deeply.

    Without hesitation, he split off a piece of his soul, gathered this soul into the Sense Ring, the soul-connected ring that belonged to the Crown Prince of the Oneuli Empire. He couldn¡¯t use his Meteor Ring as it contained everything important to him, including Yan Linzen, the Saphira All-Central¡¯s Natal Force and Egg, as well as Yri who was still unconscious at the moment. With her celestial essence being used up far beyond its limits, it was unknown when she would awaken without his deliberate support. He wasn¡¯t sure what would happen, so he decisively injected this piece of his soul into the Sense Ring and shot it upwards with thest ounce of his power, relying purely on physical strength, but it sapped everything from him.

    "The disjointedness was caused by the split of my soul!" He immediately realized it. His eyes gazing at the emptiness, unable toprehend everything that had urred due to the abrupt split, but he knew it was likely his only chance.

    His only chance to...

    ------

    In the Xiantu Realm, Meteorite City.

    A small, pebble-sized meteor rained down on the bustling city.

 Chapter 407 I Am Me

    "Stop right there!" A bellow of rage followed by heavy and varied footsteps resounded. A pair of armored men were running with their des out, their body emanating vicious killing intent. If looks could kill, their gazes would be able to send the heaven¡¯s into death.

    They dashed through a clustered alley, tumbling and pushing away obstacles with their powerful legs and arms, grunting here and there.

    "I said stop, fiend!" The same voice resounded, originating from the taller man. Yet, his demand was only answered with augh.

    "Hahaha! Old Man Bo, why must you be so persistent?" Said a young man dressed used clothes that had all sorts of patchwork done. His slim body and legs were swift, vaulting and flipping through the obstacles as if they were personally ced there by him. His agile movements were far too fast for the guards outfitted in armor.

    He performed a front flip, his body disying extreme bnce. Hended on a piece of wood, his head turned back with a smile revealing his handsome face, bright eyes, and unbelievably white smile.

    "When I get you! I¡¯ll!" He jumped at the boy, immediately closing the gap abruptly, his eyes filled with satisfaction. He had practiced a movement art for this exact moment, capable of giving him an abrupt and sudden burst. With this trump card, this demonic child will finally...

    Bang!

    His heavy legs stepped on a piece of wood, pushing it down, the other end sprung up suddenly, and thenunched the boy into the air.

    "Thanks for the lift!" With a sly smile, the young boy performed a somersault and grabbed a pole sticking from the wall. With a twist of his body and a spin, he shot higher until he grabbed the roof¡¯s edge. Pulling himself up, he disappeared from the armored guard¡¯s sight in a blink.

    Old Man Bo¡¯s eyes widened in disbelief as he followed the elegant arc and excellent execution of athletics. The rage he felt in his heart was drowned in disbelief and a hint of praise.

    The other armored guard stopped with heavy breathing, the sweat on his brows was dripping like rain. He looked upwards and cursed. This brought Old Man Bo¡¯s mind back to the present, his expression turned uglier than a pig crying. It was horrendous.

    "Ahhh! I¡¯ll capture you one day, and when I do, it¡¯ll be your worst day!" He shouted to the skies.

    From atop the roof, a voice replied with a hint of excitement, "I¡¯ll be waiting and keeping my neck clean for you!"

    This only infuriated the guards further as they once more gathered their strength and went to pursue. While they knew he¡¯ll have left the roof to locations unknown, they had to try.

    The young man went through various routes until hepletely left his pursuers into the abyss of loss. He arrived at an abandoned warehouse and said, "I¡¯m home!" He smiled brilliantly and stood at the entrance waiting for a reply, yet no voice was heard. After several seconds, he went in.

    The warehouse was dirty and cluttered, filled with broken or spiderwebs. He went through this area until he went to a certain area. A broken door wasid horizontally with its back to the wall. He grabbed the edges and pulled, revealing a hole. Entering, he was weed by another sight.

    A room about ten feet by ten feet, a perfect square space. There were several books and a white candle that was half used. A rectangr chest about three feet wide and a wooden chair.

    "Home, sweet home." His voice was low, a little despondent, yet still filled with that youthful vigor. Walking to the chest, he opened it. Inside the chest were silver coins with a few gold coins within it, enough to fill it halfway. He removed a drawstring leather pouch from his chest. With practiced motion, he opened and dumped out several silver coins.

    "Today was a good day," the young boy smiled. With a sigh, he grabbed a book and sat in the chair. He started to read, sounding out the words.

    "Tda booy wyent to tda marqet..." it was a simple story about a boy living in a world and oveing struggles of his life. At the end, he ovees all challenges and ends up with a beauty and status worthy of respect. He came from nothing and rose to his position on cunning and intelligence. With his wit and character, he obtained respect and love. He was a protagonist worth rooting for, worth idolizing.

    After an hour of self-taught reading, he ced the book down and took a deep breath to expel his mental exhaustion. "A step at a time. A step at a time. Always forward, never stopping." The young boy said these words as a mantra. They were thoroughly etched into his heart, unable to be forgotten at death.

    He was sixteen years old this year. Since he could remember, he¡¯s been alone. He had no one and very little help. He survived thanks to an orphanage who found him on the street, naked and forgotten. This was until he became three. The orphanage was not a good ce. They sold children to perverted patrons for money.

    He escaped at that age when he became aware, aware that he was in danger of being next. Since then, he survived on his own guile and guts. Each meal was a struggle and each cold winter was deadly, but he persevered and persisted through it all.

    He didn¡¯t have a name. He didn¡¯t have a family. With only himself, he fought for every scrap. He stole. He hid. He starved. But, he never surrendered.

    Fate was cruel.

    He calmly closed his eyes. "All I have is this," the young boy touched his chest. A ne dangled a ring from his neck. It was ck and unnoticeable, but he had always felt connected to it. As long as he remembered, this ring had never left him through it all. It was the only clue to his origins.

    The coins in that chest was a chance. A chance he struggled for to cultivate and be someone with strength and ability to find out his origins, to ask the question to his parents: "Why did you abandon me?"

    Was it for his own good? Was it because they were poor? Was it because they were dead? He needed to know.

    Clenching his hand around the ring, he felt his heart descend into disarray. Would he ever find out?

    He opened his eyes. A pair of bright, amber-gold eyes reflected the world¡¯s image.

    "Soon, I¡¯ll have enough to buy a True Awakening Pill, opening my meridians, qi pathways, and innate physique. When I do, I¡¯ll be a cultivator, one at the Qi Foundation Realm! It¡¯ll be my first step into bing more and finding my origins!" He eximed passionately.

    He turned his eyes to the wall, hearing the pitter and patter of water outside. It had started raining. "Today¡¯s my sixteenth birthday, right?" Having no home, he didn¡¯t have an exact day to know when he was born, but he knew the day he was found. It¡¯s sixteen years since, exactly.

    SHUMZZZ!

    "Ah?!" He jumped at the abrupt sound. It emanated from his chest. Looking down with shock and a hint of fear, he saw his chest emitting amber-gold lights endlessly. It was as if a miniaturized sun was trapped within his body, threatening to drown him in its brightness. He could clearly observe the insides of his body, even the flow of his blood and bones.

    "This...what?!" He was startled. What was happening? Also, why wasn¡¯t he freaking out? The more he witnessed this ongoing event, his heart grew calmer and calmer. Before long, all shock and fear was abolished. The amber-gold light continued to brighten.

    A wave of warmth felt as if it entered his soul, then memories entered his mind that was both foreign yet familiar.

    "I," he said.

    "Me," another voice, different, older, and more experienced said.

    "Me," he said.

    "I," the voice said again. It was simr to the young boy except its aged tone, but the cadence was the same.

    "I am me," he said. Then, his body exploded into brilliantly gorgeous amber-gold light that prated walls, the rain, the clouds, and shot up in a cylindrical shape until it prated the very sky itself. It was far too bright to conceal.

    "Before, at this age, on this day, I was born anew. Today, I, once more, am born anew!!" The two voices simultaneously spoke, their cadence, tone, and forcefulness were perfectly in sync.

    The voice echoed through the hearts of the millions of citizens in the hundreds of thousands miles range. They all looked up into the sky and saw the piercing light within the sky. Many were enlightened, others cowed. The light effused an imperialistic aura intermixed with warmth, unyielding will, and relentlessness. A unique Dao seemed to overtake the heavens for a moment.

    The young boy¡¯s light started to recede, the phenomena receded back into his body, and his amber-gold eyes shed with soul-shaking light. His eyes no longer had that youthful vigor, but aged wisdom and experience. This was the eyes of someone who¡¯d been beyond the world and killed gods.

    "Yan...Zaizen!" He uttered. The surrounding Heavenly Laws quaked, shaken and stirred by his vocals. The volume of those words were low, but they contained a faint trace of the Heavenly Law.

    "I...so this is what happened," the youth spoke with a smile. He was not an orphan. He was not alone. He had parents who loved him greater than life itself and he loved them the same way. He had a love so great that she was willing to brave Hell for him. His cultivation base reached an unfathomable level, capable of annihting gods and shatteringws.

    "My main body is trapped in the Deep Mines. I need to get there. Unfortunately," he inspected his body. While his soul cultivation was at the Paragon Soul Realm, capable of rending the heavens, he had absolutely no energy to use. As for this body, it had no cultivation to speak of.

    He was in Meteorite City, the location he was originally born in. This was a mere coincidence, but he was somewhat happy that the city still stood after thousands of years had passed.

    "In the Deep Mines, there is a strange force within. My soul and heavenly energy seem to be bogged down, restricted and suppressed, thoroughly trapping myself. The only way to act was to use my physical body to escape. Unfortunately, the force there was too powerful, only allowing me to send this portion of my soul away. I need to use the Immortal Herculean Method." He calmly assessed.

    The unknown force within the Deep Mines was like entering an endless abyss, and only strength was sufficient to pull away, climb out and escape. He had no idea the Deep Mines, an area he had once wished to explore, was so mysterious and powerful.

    Despite his heaven-rivaling power, he was still rendered useless. It was interesting.

    "I only have a few decades, so I¡¯ll need to act fast," Yan Zaizen muttered. Indeed, he was still on a clock. He had to enter Hell to rescue Pinaka before the barrier Eloah had bestowed him ran out of time. If he wasted too much time, he would regret it.

    "I can¡¯t cultivate the Heavenly Path. This body doesn¡¯t have a True Origin, so it¡¯ll be impossible to transcend the Qi Unification Realm. I can only cultivate my body and slowly restore my soul strength." He once more rified his position and sighed. The Immortal Herculean Method was the only way to survive.

    Luckily, he had a Regalia of the Heavens. It was inside the ring he left to this soul of his - the Regalia of Mimicry that belonged to the Yan Ancestor. He didn¡¯t know what changes that¡¯ll have to the Immortal Herculean Physique, but it was his only course of action.

    He¡¯ll have to start anew.

 Chapter 408 Starting Anew

    The current Meteorite City was not the same Meteorite City he remembered. The buildings, people, and atmosphere had all changed. Even its history and controlling forces were no longer the same. With the passing of several thousand years, how could it not?

    Yan Zaizen calmly strolled amongst the busy streets and people of the city, looking at all that was both familiar and unfamiliar to his eye. He had grown up in this city, both this body and his previous one. After awakening, he truly felt the winds of time brush past this location whenparing his previous life. The ns of old were no longer a factor, even worse, they weren¡¯t even a part of the current city¡¯s history. They had been reced, moved on, or been crushed into nothing.

    \"The only true thing that hasn¡¯t changed is the meteorite that gave the city its namesake.\" In his past, the meteorite was named due to the catastrophic culling-level meteor shower that wiped out all living things for countless miles. The city of his past worshipped a surviving meteorite as a sign of rebirth and persistence. Despite that, itsnds were razed to the grounds and resources became abnormally scarce. This allowed even the Yan n, a force whose strongest leader was at the Qi Unification Realm.

    Yan Zaizen observed the cultivators and citizens engage in various activities. Their average cultivation bases hadn¡¯t evolved by any means. The weakest were still at the lowest Qi Foundation Realm, the first Realm of the Essence Path, while the strongest was at the Qi Unification Realm. This was pathetically low.

    He silently sneered in his heart. The old him, the one that was merely at the Qi Cyclone Realm at the age of sixteen, had felt that the Qi Unification Realm was godly and unequalled. Now, having been exposed to those that could rival and exceed the heavens, he truly understood the meaning of frog in a well by retrospective insight.

    All those memories of his younger self felt fresh. Those experiences, those memories, is what inevitably led to his future and Dao forming. He found them iparably precious. In the end, he let loose a soft sigh ofplex emotion, \"I can¡¯t dy my cultivation.\" This visit down memoryne had to be short lived. His path couldn¡¯t epass the Heavenly Path, and was strictly the Herculean Path. If his cultivation was sufficient, he could use his physical body to resist the strange force entrapping his original body.

    \"The only issue is...how to avoid the Heavenly Annihtion Light.\" This was a crucial aspect he couldn¡¯t neglect. When he was younger and first started out on the path of a Herculean, it was a path that had been ouwed by the Heavenly God of this Heaven, prohibited from being cultivated and anyone who attempted to go against thisw would be dealt with swiftly. He had deeply learned about the Heavenly Laws during his adventures in the Heavenly Origin Grounds, and thus knew of the difficulties of going against the Heavenly God¡¯sws.

    If this was his original soul with the ck Hole within, he wouldn¡¯t fear it.

    \"The Herculean Path is aplete path, exceeding the Heavenly Path¡¯s power,\" he remarked with a ¡¯tch¡¯ at the end. When he cultivated the Herculean Path, he had experienced a vision and the Herculean Path¡¯s manifested representative figure eclipsed the heavens by a considerable degree. This meant its Path was fully formed by an expert that had exceeded the heavens limits, developing their own Original Path to an absolutely unfathomably shocking level.

    \"Before, I got lucky. The ck Hole had to have absorbed it, just like all the other threats to my soul. Unfortunately...\" He truly felt himself at an obstacle. How could he cultivate the Herculean Path without being killed by the Heavenly Annihtion Light? There was an answer, he just needed to dig it out of his memories.

    While he had regained the entirety of his sense of self from before, even his older memories, he still was without all of his most recent ones. They were stilling in like the trickles of rain.

    Just as he was about to focus more on this issue, he heard a voice shout from afar.

    \"Hold it!\" The rumbling of heavy, armored footsteps echoed from the distance alongside an authoritative voice filled with harsh intent. Yan Zaizen turned, spotting three men in the city guard¡¯s armor stomping towards him. At the head was a familiar figure, someone this new life of his had interacted with heavily - Old Man Bo.

    A mischievous light entered his amber-gold eyes, with a silent shing of interest. This old man had a cultivation at the mid-Qi Cyclone Realm, and following beside him were two guards at the initial-Qi Cyclone Realm. Their eyes radiated ill-intent and frustration, obviously having suffered humiliation at his hands before. The poor citizens in their way were ruthlessly pushed aside, being tossed left and right as they bulldozed a clear path towards him.

    He chuckled. \"Old Man Bo, aren¡¯t you tired?\" He teased from several dozen feet away. Then, he felt the rushing of wind surge from behind him. His eyes shed, as he ducked and tumbled to the side. Two beefy arms swiped like a pincer at his previous location.

    \"How intelligent!\" This Old Man Bo had purposefully made his presence known from far away to draw his attention away. He regarded the owner of those two arms. He had a fierce gaze, beefy body, and seemed to have a cultivation base at the same level of Old Man Bo.

    \"You!\" He eximed through gritted teeth as he lunged forward towards Yan Zaizen¡¯s squatted form in an attempt to snare his movements. Unfortunately, Yan Zaizen was Yan Zaizen. Even though this body was fresh, this soul was nascent, and his uniqueness had vanished, he was still a possessor of a Dao! A peak Upper-Dao!

    The Dao was unfathomable. It could exude an energy that could enhance cultivation speed, improve senses, and even connected Paths. The Heavenly Path relied on it. The Soul Source Path definitely could not do without it. The very act of interpersonal development was deeply connected to the Dao.

    \"That¡¯s it!\" Amber-gold light suffused his eyes as he came to an abrupt realization. The way his original self had deduced the means to avoid the Heavenly Annihtion Light was using his Dao, the Dao of Sovereign Ascension and his Dao Heart, Grand Soul Art. A grin on his face, he said, \"Thanks!\" Before dashing into the crowd, his movements swift and practiced. It was as if he could predict future actions as he evaded and smoothly integrated with the busy streets and out various areas.

    When he entered an alleyway, the others followed only to be unable to find a trace of his presence.

    \"You bastard! I¡¯ll strangle you one day!!\" Old Man Bo shouted to the heavens in fury and rage.

    -----

    The day soon passed and night quickly descended.

    In his makeshift home, Yan Zaizen felt all of his previous questions vanish and be brighter. Even though this portion of his original soul had been segregated, he had utilized the Divine Art of Yri, the Dao Heart, Grand Soul to instil a seed of his Dao Heart into this new soul. It was the same manner of which Yri wished to obtain a Dao Heart, but due to the ipatibility of their souls, she had to first intermix souls through dual cultivation to seed. He, however, had no need to use such a troublesome means.

    Currently, his Dao Seed was still festering within him, awaiting for him to awaken it. It was a risk, but with it, he might be able to resist or even fool the Heavenly Annihtion Lightning. This was a very delicate matter, and if it failed, he would perish and his original body would forever be trapped within the Deep Mine¡¯s unique environment indefinitely.

    He couldn¡¯t allow that to him; he couldn¡¯t fail.

    He sat down in the lotus position and regted his breathing. The Immortal Herculean Method¡¯s first level had no special requirements, only wrestling away full control of the body¡¯s functions and removing the limiters bestowed to the lifeform by the heavens. This may sound simple, and when he was younger he felt it was, but as experienced as he was now, he understood the fierce difficulty in achieving this feat. The very first step wanted to exceed the heavens! The very, very first step!

    If it wasn¡¯t for his Unyielding me of Life and ck Hole, he would¡¯ve perished trying to tackle this path without a doubt. Now, he no longer had the Unyielding me of Life or ck Hole. His insights in heavenly cultivation had been unable to be transferred, leaving him with only what could, his Dao Seed for his Dao Heart.

    His Dao, the Dao of Sovereign Ascension, was his only card in challenging the heavens and the Heavenly Gods restrictions. The only thing he had to empower his body to withstand the tremendous damage incurred by attempting this path.

    \"Huuuuu! Haaaa!\" Deeply inhaling and exhaling, he calmed his mind to its utmost.

    Today, he starts anew.

 Chapter 409 Dao Seed Transformation

    The perils of cultivation were endless, but with a heart hardened by experience and an unyielding will, all things could be ovee. Yan Zaizen felt those words resonate in his heart more than ever. His cultivation, his ns set to ovee his obstacles, and his future was all being determined by a single path of peril.

    The Heavenly Annihtion Light.

    The mnemonics of the Immortal Herculean Method flitted through his mind continuously. Only when he had ensured that every detail had once more been etched into his Soul me did he start to execute the method for cultivating his physique.

    His mind entered an unprecedented level of calm, his breathing and heartbeat reached a synchronized yet unfathomably slow rhythm. It was wondrous. With simply this, and the few words being continuously uttered in his heart, his body seemed to undergo a miniscule yet perceptible change.

    When he cultivated this before, hested for several hours before he suffered a bacsh that left him spewing blood, pale-faced, and with a sickly countenance. Yet, this time, his body wasn¡¯t as weak as before. There were no impurities within his body caused by improper cultivating, only the faint glimmers of his Dao Light that flowed through his blood, muscle fibers, and skin.

    This time, he didn¡¯t lose consciousness. His will was firm as well, so he did not need a Senior Sister to instill a desire for improvement or a drive for sess. He knew what was on the line, and the pain he experienced was calmly endured.

    Minutes became hours, which became days until an entire month had passed. This was the same timeline that he required before, when he first cultivated this technique. Unlike before, his fleshy body had gone through an uninterrupted process of transition making the initial process perfect. His bones, flesh, blood, organs, and even his hair follicles had changed subtly.

    During this period, his Dao Seed had slowly awakened. It exuded Dao Light infused with Dao Energy. This kept his body from requiring normal sustenance, allowing a truly interrupted meditative period of cultivation. His body, in fact, was healthier than normal. The contours of his muscles were elegantly masculine, hisplexion was like jade, and his eyes shone with radiantly brilliant light.

    \"I¡¯ll get one shot at this,\" he reminded himself in his heart. A slight grin tugged at his lips. Originally, he was nning to use his original body¡¯s ns, but after some thought, he decided to risk it. He needed to cultivate quickly, and even if it was risky to push for something more, he nevercked the courage to do so.

    \"Exceed the heavens, shatter the skies!!!\" He calmly eximed. His words were like a quaking surge. The world rumbled as if an earthquake had been initiated. The resulting reverberations were intense and only grew more intense as the seconds passed.

    The entire Meteorite City may be taken aback by the abrupt disturbance. He could imagine many seeking shelter or hiding away for safety due to thismotion. When he went through this before, he was in an isted mountain range and he could only imagine the disturbance it had to the surrounding beasts.

    His eyes opened. They shifted upwards to see the ceiling, but that gaze of his seemed as if he was piercing through all matter, reaching the highest heavens and the authority of this world, the Heavenly God.

    \"BECOME AN IMMORTAL! BECOME A HERCULEAN!\" He thunderously shouted. It was only when those words left his lips did he realize that he hadn¡¯t spoken in hismonnguage, but a uniquenguage that seemed to synchronize with the Herculean Path, invoking its wondrous powers.

    His physique that had been primed during this entire month had started to rapidly be active. Simrly, the ground quaked, the clouds grew restless as they congregated above Meteorite City, and directly above Yan Zaizen¡¯s abandoned warehouse

    There wasn¡¯t a hint of fear within his gaze. This was the prelude to the cmity that was Heavenly Annihtion Light.

    Time seemed to freeze.

    A mote of golden light, so small, enough to barely rival a child¡¯s marble, emerged from the clouds. This was condensed heavenly force and it descended without mercy.

    The purpose of Heavenly Annihtion Light was to, as its name suggests, annihte all those that went against the Heavenly Laws set by the Heavenly Gods of the Thirty-Three Heavens. The Herculean Path was ouwed, meaning cultivating it was against the intent of the Heavenly God of this heaven, the Extreme Rebirth Heavenly God.

    Normally, the speed of this light would be so swift that even a millisecond wouldn¡¯t be enough to observe its arrival, descent, and resulting destructive prowess. However, Yan Zaizen was clearly awake and his gaze and fleshy body was slightly moving.

    The mote of light arrived, passing through all matter like a ghost. It arrived by Yan Zaizen¡¯s be. It seemed gearing to enter his soul and destroy all that he is and will ever be. However, just as it touched his be, an unfathomably brilliant and ferociously fearsome amber-gold colored light violently erupted.

    This was his Dao Seed!

    The Dao of Sovereign Ascension was a peak upper-tier Dao, and it was Pseudo Grand Dao thanks to Xihu, the Heavenly Creator of the Sirius Titan Path, and his Origin Source True Egg he obtained during his trial. Furthermore, it had been linked inexplicably with his soul on a higher level thanks to Yri¡¯s Dao Heart, Grand Soul Divine Art.

    Even though it was but a seed, it contained a ferociously powerful energy of both his Paragon Soul Realm and the Pseudo Grand Dao!

    Originally, he should¡¯ve used thetent power of the Dao Seed to disperse the Heavenly Annihtion Lightning, but that n had been thrown away after some brief thinking. If he did that, he¡¯d have to face it with each resulting breakthrough. Before, he had employed the ck Hole to absorb the Heavenly Annihtion Light, and with it a part of his soul, the light never descended again. However, he didn¡¯t have the ck Hole this time.

    Therefore, he wasn¡¯t going to disperse the light, but assimte it into his Dao Seed! If sessful, he could use the aura of the heavens within his Dao to disguise each subsequent breakthrough. Moreover, the benefits to his Dao Seed might be able to fully awaken its ability.

    He was ambitious. If sessful, could he truly alter the Dao Heart, Grand Soul Divine Art to include Heavenly Might! Just the thought excited him!

    With that in mind, he used his Dao Seed to epass the Heavenly Annihtion Light within less than a literal blink of an eye. When it entered the Dao Seed, the mote of light vanished. In the world of the Dao Seed, an unfathomable Heavenly Will erupted, but was suppressed by the Dao Will within.

    A battle of epic proportions had started. It was one that no one could ever truly witness, not even Yan Zaizen.

    After a faint tremble or two, the Dao Seed regained its calm. Its amber-gold light shone ever brighter, but the golden light it emitted was more brilliant and contained a destructive will. How could his Dao lose to a speck of Heavenly Will?

    The Dao Seed started to tremble vigorously, but Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t panic. In fact, his eyes rippled with excitement and anticipation.

    He started to conceive a conceptual foundation for this new art, one that incorporated Heavenly Energy, Dao Energy, and Soul Energy into a singr whole. It was rapidlypleted as he devised a new name for this Dao Seed: Heavenly Dao Seed.

    Shockingly, when the Heavenly Will was assimted, it was perfectlypatible with his Dao Aura. He felt his sense of self enlighten a little on the intricacies of the heavens.

    \"Incredible!\" The Heavenly Dao Seed entered his be and into his soul, it slowly started readying itself to be a Heavenly Dao Heart. Abruptly, he felt the Heavenly Laws and the minute intricacies of this Heaven to bear themselves to him.

    He closed his eyes to feel these changes. However, after a brief moment, it vanished leaving him confused. He felt as if the rights of this Heaven had been given to him for a single moment. It was a distinctive feeling, akin to when he wasprehended the Heavenly Law in the Heavenly Origin Grounds.

    -----

    27th Heaven, Divine Rebirth Realm.

    At the center of the 27th Heaven, a singr Realm sat at the center,rger and grander than any other in the Heaven. It had changed hands quite a few times, and now rested on the Extreme Rebirth Heavenly God.

    In a pce that seemed to stem from Immortal Legends, drenched in gold with wisps of ck and white Immortal Qi, there was a throne with a handsome, youthful, and divinely dressed young man garbed in ck and white. His eyelids shielded the world from its certainly dazzling light, and his aura was unfathomable.

    For a split second, he turned his head slightly towards a certain direction. It was so slight that not even a god might notice, but it had indeed happened. When it did, his eyes opened revealing a gaze without pupils, filled with an elegant disy of white and ck wisps of mes dancing about.

    Those eyes contained light that seemed to force the heavens to acquiesce to his intent. This was the Extreme Rebirth Heavenly God!

    \"My authority was challenged? Or...\" he softly spoke, and that voice was heavenly and soft. It could even be mistaken as a woman¡¯s, but it had just a faint masculine touch.

    \"No. It must be due to the timing of the uing Heaven im, causing slight changes to my authority.\" After slowly saying thus, he once more closed his mysterious eyes. When the words ¡¯Heaven im¡¯ spoke from his lips, a faint hint of a smile emerged on his face.

    \"I wonder...winged boy, will you try to im this God¡¯s seat?\"

 Chapter 410 Herculean Physique Achieved!

    \"I did it!\" Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes gleamed with a sharp, imposing light. He clenched his fist, observing the smooth skin, firm muscles, and tough bones within. The vital energies of his body had transformed, exemplifying the characteristics of a Herculean. He had fully be a Herculean and entered the Nascent Herculean Physique.

    This was his very first step!

    The step to saving his original body!

    That being known, he didn¡¯t feel too overconfident even after his dual sess, forming the Herculean Physique and assimting the Heavenly Annihtion Light into his Dao Seed. He still required sufficient strength to fight against that strange force within the Deep Mines.

    He also knew that his original body¡¯s cultivation on the Herculean Path was too low, and he had to exceed that to have a hint of a chance. The Immortal Herculean Method was divided into five levels and each level had different form of dividers. His original body had achieved the Third Level, the Eight Celestial Gates of the Sky.

    This level was divided into eight gates: Gate of Sky Opening, Gate of Sky Skin, Gate of Sky Flesh, Gate of Sky Yin & Yang, Gate of Sky Bone, Gate of Sky Mind, Gate of Sky Source, and Gate of Celestial Ascension.

    Afterprehending the meaning of ¡¯celestial¡¯ he felt curious about thest gate and felt it had a connection with the Celestial Path or even its race. Anyhow, his original body had only entered the Gate of Sky Skin, having no time since to adjust for further ascension.

    Currently, he was just in the first level, the Nascent Herculean Physique, and at the Initial Sess Stage. He still needed to reach the Minor Sess, Major Sess, and Perfection Stages to have a true Herculean Body, fully intertwined with the Herculean Laws.

    He released his clenched fist, \"The very first stage gives physical prowess simr to the peak-Qi Cyclone Realm of the Essence Path.\" The Essence Path paved the way into the heavens, or Heavenly Path, and acted as a primer to adjust one¡¯s body and soul intoprehending tows and energy.

    It was divided into nine realms, six cultivation realms and three foundational realms. They were the Qi Foundation, Qi Cyclone, Essence Formation, Dantian Refinement(Foundational), Revolving Qi(Foundational), Qi Unification, Origin Core, True Essence, and Crimson Star(Foundational). Those Foundational Realms were fortification stages and important realms that determine various aspects required for cultivations, such as energy reserve levels, Qi Pathways quality, and cultivation speed. They were essential, but unfathomably expensive to achieve.

    During his youthful years, he had essentially used the ck Hole and robbery to fund these realms. Fortunately, he had an impable foundation leading up to the Heavenly Path.

    A glimmer of nostalgia shed in his eyes. \"Currently, I should be invincible amongst Qi Unification cultivators thanks to my Dao Energy and Herculean Physique. I should continue cultivating.\" Now that his physique had transformed, his next actions were to push ahead.

    Grumble!

    He abruptly started. His eyes slowly lowered, looking at his toned stomach that hid a spectacr set of pectoral muscles. To think his stomach would grumble at this time! He had used Dao Energy to sustain himself from normal food, but this was a half measure. Dao Energy wasn¡¯t meant to sustain living creatures.

    In fact, he was drawing upon the essential basics that every living organism has, those that can cultivate, and then empowered those features. This allowed his breath to absorb the ambient essence within the world to improve his bodily functions and sustain himself. At the moment, he had the ability of self-sustain simr to a Qi Unification Realm cultivator.

    A month of no food-intake was pushing his body¡¯s upper limits. He knew this and rubbed his nose slightly. Furthermore, his Herculean Physique required further maintenance of resources. If it was his original body, he could absorb the nutrients and vital energies of the heavens to sustain until death. In fact, he had nearly forgotten what it meant to eat.

    \"I remember when I would steal Uncle Louzen¡¯s meat from his storage. Haha, and especially...I remember my mother¡¯s chocte cake!\" A smile formed on his lips, revealing warmth and memories. Those memories that he held dear as a youth, and even when he was merely four years old.

    \"...\" After a while, he went silent. Those memories were things of the past. Long ago, he wished to obtain the power to reverse life and death, transcend time and space, so that he could save his parents. Even now, he held that belief in his heart. However,prehending Heavenly Law only made his understanding of the feat clearer, and he understood the limits and goals he needed to achieve.

    \"To save them, I¡¯ll have to...\" he looked up, observing the heavens. He went silent and stewed for a while until his stomach grumbled once more in frustration.

    \"Okay! Okay!\" With his newfound physique, he was essentially the strongest in Meteorite City. With a shift, he exited his makeshift home and entered the outside world. \"Oh?\"

    He noticed that the streets from afar were empty, and people were gathering in sturdy buildings. The earthquakes earlier had spooked many of the people here, and they felt safe within the confines of formation-stabilized buildings.

    He chuckled. With a step, he leaped onto the nearest building¡¯s rooftop with utter ease. The level of physical achievement he could perform was superhuman, and he needed to adjust himself to this standard. He looked about and scrolled through his memories to discover a restaurant.

    Smack!

    He palmed his forehead in realization. \"Fool!\" He nearly forgot about the money. With another leap, he re-entered his home. He had a load of ¡¯offered¡¯ cash from the good samaritans of Meteorite City. It¡¯s been awhile since he bought something. Most of the items of his original body were seized, ahem, offered by others.

    It seemed his nascent soul state took simr characteristics to himself. A wisp of pride entered his heart.

    Well, food! Here Ie.

    -----

    In the Meteorite City¡¯s Central Square, a gathering was urring. This gathering had paused due to the quaking of the earth earlier and the gathering of the clouds. Quite a few thought a heavenly tribtion was descending, but after a few moments, nothing really happened which brought immense relief to all. Therefore, the gathering¡¯smotion had resumed.

    The purpose of this gathering was a selection of talents within the area for a sect. There were numerous youths with ages as young as five and as old as eighteen. They were all brought together and organized by age.

    At the center area was a tform with two sets of short stairs leading up to it. A middle-aged man garbed in white, pristine and exuding a sharp aura, stood at the center and seemed to be reading a sheet of paper while holding a binder filled with paper.

    He drew the hopeful hazes of all the young elites, and the curious gazes of the children, while the parents or caretakers of these youths were shing reverence within their gazes.

    \"Ahem!\" The middle-aged man cleared his throat, causing themotion of verbal exchange to immediately cease. Not even whispers were said. For those ignorant children that looked as if they were going to say something, a hand would sp over their mouths.

    Witnessing this, the middle-aged man nodded. \"As I once said, the Soaring Sword Sect will be epting talented children no older than five years old. I¡¯ll be conducting a test to verify their talents. As for those above this age, they can challenge one of the three trials. As long as they ovee one of these trials, they¡¯ll be inducted as disciples of the sect.\"

    As he spoke, he gestured towards three banners at another tform beside his that were twenty-feet high and each with their own unique character. Beneath these banners were one young woman and two young men. They exuded faint sharp auras, but one could see that their strengths were different.

    The first young man¡¯s banner read \"Man\", the second young man¡¯s banner read \"Earth\", and thest young woman¡¯s banner said \"Heaven\". Just from the characters these banners disyed and the auras of each figure, one could tell the young man beneath the \"Man\" banner was the weakest and the young woman was the strongest amongst the three.

    These trials werebat trials that ascended in difficulty. The youths in the crowd swallowed, steeled their gaze and resolve, or felt hopelessness. Those experiencing thetter were above the age of five and had auras weaker than the \"Man\" trial.

    \"Ahem,\" the middle-aged man cleared his throat once more. Then, he instructed everyone. \"Those young children desiring a test, form a line. As for those who wish to enter the sect beyond that, you may challenge. You¡¯re allowed as many challenges as you want. However, your life isn¡¯t guaranteed. You may ascend but never walk down, so be sure of your choice.\"

    After saying those vicious and fearful words, he coughed and beckoned for the young children toe.

    In the crowd, there was a young man and a young woman. This young man was somewhat handsome with short ck hair, deep dark eyes, and a calm smile on his face. He looked to be about fifteen or sixteen, with a slim body and decent height.

    The young woman beside him was exceptionally unordinary. She emanated a youthful aura that indicated she was around the same age as the young man, if not younger. Her beauty seemed to stem from another world, with impable jade-like skin, a hint of alluring fragrance, and indifferent phoenix eyes that drew on in. With her glorious busty chest, and curves that could bend Heavenly Will to indecency, she became the center of focus for any area.

    There were some individuals in the crowd that looked towards the duo with interesting and differing gazes. Towards the young man, a ridiculing gaze. Towards the young woman, a desirous and even pitiful gaze. It was as if they couldn¡¯t understand why she stood near the young man.

    A youth that seemed to be the same age as the young man snorted, arrogance in his throat and disdain in his eyes, \"Trash!\" He scoffed.

    The crowd turned to face them and interest rose. What was going to happen and why? This was the thoughts of many.

 Chapter 411 Spectator

    The young man looked entirely unperturbed, as if the insult flung had hit cotton. He maintained his slight smile and didn¡¯t deign to give those coarse words a hint of a reaction. The surrounding crowd was somewhat impressed, but the majority who knew of the young man¡¯s origins had pity flit through their eyes.

    The beautiful young maiden beside him with an alluring scent and air remained simrly undisturbed, but those who were perceptive could see that deep within her sky blue eyes was an icy-chill as wintry and dangerous as a raging blizzard.

    The youth who spoke felt a shiver down his spine. He snorted, ignoring the young man and woman.

    Bam!

    On the tforms, a figure was sent violently off the stage and into the crowd. The Soaring Sword Disciple beneath the Man banner had a calm grin on his face, the disdain within his eyes was apparent.

    The figure that tumbled out was a youth, his age no more than fifteen, and had a well-shaped fit body, but at the moment, his chest had a palm print that seemed to press into his torso. His chest cavity had been crushed, his heart area waspletely copsed. Blood seeped from the sides of his lips, and his breathing had ceased. Despite that, his eyes were wide open and radiating profound anger and regret.

    He was dead.

    Gasp!

    A wave of deep inhales that was chilly and frightening resounded. Those who were impacted by the body had fear crawl throughout their entire soul.

    \"Isn¡¯t...isn¡¯t that Han Weiyu?\" A young girl said with a trembling voice. It was only then did people recognize who this young man who had once been lively and filled with endless potential was.

    \"Han Weiyu! He...he was killed by a single hit?! Wasn¡¯t his cultivation at thete-Qi Cyclone Realm?\" A heavy gulp sounded from an elderly woman, a wave of shock and quaking urred in her voice.

    Han Weiyu was a fifteen year old genius who reached thete-Qi Cyclone Realm. A well-known figure who was the Young n Lord of the Han n, one of the second-tier ns in Meteorite City. The thought of his death due to the weakest tform trial left many hearts quivering without end, especially potential challengers.

    The Soaring Sword Sect¡¯s male youth standing beneath the Man banner chuckled coldly. \"I¡¯m in the mid-Qi Cyclone Realm. If you can¡¯t even withstand a single palm from me with a higher cultivation base, what right do you have to continue living? Your continued living would be a waste of resources and air.\" Those harsh words caused a hushed mor to roar to life within the crowd. Unfortunately, no one had enough courage to do anything or rebuke the young man.

    In fact, Han Weiyu¡¯s father who was also the n leader of the Han n could only lifelessly walk towards his son¡¯s corpse and grab its slowly declining temperature and soulless flesh. He seemed willing to cry yet no tears emerged.

    Just one move!

    A single moment and his son¡¯s life ended.

    His aura grew unstable. A mid-Essence Formation Realm aura erupted, causing swirling waves of essence and qi to appear around him. Those bloodshot eyes turned towards the young man who imed his son¡¯s life. His killing intent was palpable!

    Shiing!

    A sharp sword light shed and zipped through the crowd. It was created by sword qi and swiped across Han Weiyu father¡¯s neck. A red line and a choked gaspter, a gush of blood escaped from his neck and his head nted unnaturally.

    Thud!

    The father and son died this day.

    A bright shine of horrified light erupted from the eyes of the vast majority in the crowd and they stepped back in fear and terror. The death of the son was depressing yet reasonable, but the decapitation of the father was unexpected and horrifying.

    The middle-aged Elder from the Soaring Sword Sect had two outstretched fingers pointed, a faint glimmer of sword qi at its tips. \"Anyone who steps onto the tforms is fighting for a chance at a grander future. If their life ends, then that¡¯s due to their weakness andck of fortune. And, I will not allow any killing intent to be aroused and directed at the disciples of my sect. Therefore, resolve yourself.\" He indifferently said before lowering his finger and resumed inspecting the young children.

    At that point, many had already realized that those who were older than five were fighting an uphill battle, betting their lives and future. It caused many to rethink their dreams and confidence.

    Yet, the young man and young woman remained calm. The young man silently waited. There were still individuals participating and challenging the tforms despite the abrupt death. As long as one was careful and considered their cultivation, they could exit the tform alive to continue their dreams, but many were overestimating themselves and would never be able to dream again.

    The youth who insulted the young man said, \"Long Wulin, I¡¯ll show you what it means to be a genius.\" He coldly scoffed as he took a few steps forward, bravely striding towards the Earth banner. The expert there had a cultivation at thete-Qi Cyclone Realm, and exuded a naturally sharp aura.

    \"Long Bailin is making his move!\" A young woman eximed with excitement and hints of fanaticism. Long Bailin was a member of the Long n and the ruling n of Meteorite City. He was regarded as the number one talent in the Long n.

    Furthermore, Long Wulin was his cousin. They stemmed from the same family line, the ¡¯lin¡¯ family within the n. In Presba, the naming sense of Lycahs(Race) was different from the norm. Their structure was n, Name->Family Line(Combined). Therefore, Long Bailin was from the Long n, of the Lin Bloodline, and named Bai. This was an aspect of their cultural traditions, a way to proudly pinpoint and bear one¡¯s origins.

    Long Wulin passively looked onwards without a hint of fluctuation on his facial expression, but the light in his eyes had oddly shifted.

    Chump!

    Yan Zaizen ate a green apple, his legs dangled from the rooftops of a building as he looked at the mor andmotion. Beside him was a tter of fruits, cooked meat, and wine. It was enough to feed ten fully grown men, yet barely any remained.

    \"The Soaring Sword Sect...\" He calmly mused. In his youth, Presba had five great sects and two of them were the Solitary Sword Sect and Soaring Cloud Sect. The naming sense brought him to thinking of these two sects. He remembered how he had killed the upper echelon of the Soaring Cloud Sect for revenge against his first and only Master, Han Genji.

    \"What if they merged after thousands of years?\" He couldn¡¯t help but chuckle softly as he bit down to devour another hefty portion of the sulent apple.

    \"Unfortunately, I don¡¯t have my full soul cultivation, otherwise I could easily scan everyone¡¯s memories and get a clear glimpse of the history and situation. Its kind of feels weird acting as a spectator.\" The abrupt sense of his current state of powerlessness and limited capabilities dawned in his heart, causing him to wryly chuckle to himself. When he roamed the heavens, he was an explorer and had many proactive adventures.

    Perhaps one day, he could resume that tale.

    For now, he should focus onpleting his Herculean Physique, merging the Regalia of the Heavens into his body, reaching the second level of the technique. At that point, he could roam the world freely and easily gather resources to recultivate his soul strength.

    \"Haaaa...\" he sighed, \"That young man, his name¡¯s Long Wulin? Hm, I feel abnormally connected to him somehow. Could the story of myself and Yan Jinzen be ying again?\" He pouted his lips when he recalled that cousin of his who was killed by the woman he pursued. Ya Qinqan was both a beautiful dream and a deadly thorn.

    However, it seemed there were faint differences. The dream of a woman was clearly already on Long Wulin¡¯s side. Unless Yan Zaizen was the Long Bailin in this situation? Is that why the Long Bailin felt the need to insult and belittle, even show-up, Long Wulin?

    Well, when Yan Zaizen considered himself, he was definitely not a genius of any kind. Regardless, he did feel a hint of a familiar feeling from Long Wulin¡¯s body, so perhaps they had something inmon.

    Maybe he was the sess story? If Ya Qinqan had chosen him due to his kind actions of giving everything he had to her and then his talents were unearthedter on, this could¡¯ve been a possibility, no?

    He froze.

    His amber-gold eyes shifted to inspect Long Wulin¡¯s body.

    Could it be...?

    Just as he was about to take further observational action, a low whine was released beside him, causing him to nearly start and shoot out of his thoughts. He turned his head to discover a small white bundle of fur nuzzling beside his tter of food.

 Chapter 412 Hungry Little Fellow

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes widened slightly. \"How did you get here?\" This was a genuine question as he inspected the body of white fur. It belonged to a canine, no more than a little pup. It had to be at least a few weeks old. Its fur contained traces of dirt and mud, clearly indicating its poor living conditions thus far.

    He was currently three stories high, at the edge of a roof with no entrances. How did this little dog get here?

    \"Urrhmm!\" A cute whimper rumbled from its throat as it nudged the edge of the food tter. Its bright ck eyes shone without a hint of impurities or ill-intent as it regarded Yan Zaizen. Yan Zaizen couldn¡¯t help but feel a tinge of pity in his heart as he witnessed this, emotions welling in his soul.

    \"You¡¯re lost, aren¡¯t you?\" He asked, reaching out to touch its fur. But, it took a few abrupt steps back with a whimper here and there, disying vignce. Chuckling with a lighthearted air, Yan Zaizen felt this dog was polite, respectful, and cautious. It wanted food, but it didn¡¯t dare steal.

    Rumble!

    Just like his stomach before, the little pup¡¯s stomach rumbled in hunger. \"You¡¯re hungry too,\" he smilingly said. With a push of the tter, he offered what was left. The pup¡¯s eyes lit like a sun before digging in. It seemed that once offered to eat to its delight, it showed no restraint. How innocent.

    While it quietly devoured the fruits and meat leftovers with its pink tongue and small white teeth, Yan Zaizen finally got a clear look at its breed and gender. It was male, and seemed to be a crossbred between a husky and a mastiff. Its puppy stage was abnormally cute, and its dirty and muddy hair made it seem like a wild hedgehog.

    \"So you¡¯re the loyal type?\" Yan Zaizen remarked. But, his mind kept trying to figure out how this dog with its tiny legs and fragile body made it to the rooftop of a third story building without him noticing. It was almost as if it appeared out of nowhere. Rubbing his chin, he became lost in thought.

    \"He did it! He did it!\" A very loud shout resounded. It originated from the Soaring Sword Sect¡¯s ongoing qualification assessment for disciples. This brought his attention away. Below, on the Earth banner tform, Long Bailin was heaving heavily with a sword in his hand. The young disciple of the sect was kneeling, a hint of unwillingness in his gaze as he stared daggers at Long Bailin.

    Long Baili had a triumphant smile. He brandished his sword with grace, before sheathing it. His eyes roamed to soak in the reverence of the crowd until he met Long Wulin and the beauty¡¯s figures. His gaze lingered, shing contempt and pride.

    While Long Wulin didn¡¯t show any outward expression, Yan Zaizen could see the light within his eyes. It was intent to exceed and prove his worth, but only to himself and the world. This form of intent felt quite shocking.

    \"Nascent Dao?\" Yan Zaizen murmured softly as he recognized the aura of a developing Dao. While it was in its most infantile state, it was present.

    \"The Dao is the path to the heavens. Whether its your own or another¡¯s, it was required. However, one¡¯s own Dao was the strongest and held boundless potential.\" Yan Zaizen emotionally spoke. The energy that a Dao emits can improve all cultivation paths and acts as the connecting seams to a Heavenly Shrine.

    This young man had a Nascent Dao, his own Dao forming. If he seeded, he would be a true elite of this world. His future was inestimable and limitless as long as life still existed in his soul.

    tter!

    The puppy had finished its meal, turning the remains into bones or nothingness. Yan Zaizen was taken aback as he nced at its slightly protruding belly. Itid on its back and yawned out in content, rolling back and forth while using its tiny paws to rub its belly.

    \"How cute...\" he couldn¡¯t help but remark. Grabbing the puppy, he ced it on hisp. Unlike before, it held little vignce to Yan Zaizen, not reacting much, and only nuzzled his thigh until it got into afortable position. With a yawn, it smacked its lips andid down its head.

    Watching the puppy about to sleep, Yan Zaizen softly chuckled as he rubbed its dirty fur. \"You truly are innocent,\" his words contained a hint of nostalgia. When he was young, he was ignorant of many things and wished for little. Besides perverted thoughts and food, the only things he cared about was Ya Qinqan¡¯s happiness, his parent¡¯s burial tomb, and his little life.

    When he was inadvertently and forcefully brought into the cultivation world by his master, he met his Senior Sister Lin Feilin and Senior Brother Shin Xuanji. Her drive for the future pushed him to truly devote his mind to cultivation and led down a brilliant path.

    He was thrown into an unknownnd, nearly married off, schemed against, turned into a ve, made his first true friend, met his first love(although he hadn¡¯t known at the time), became an expert, met the Xiantu Realm¡¯s Lord, and more. Much, much more.

    He was lost in his memories when amotion too loud to ignore resounded. Below, Long Wulin seemed to have had an epic battle against the Heaven banner female disciple, and edged out an unexpected victory. Even the examiner had a shocked expression, his eyes filled with disbelief.

    Long Bailin¡¯s mouth was agape, his eyes shaking and his aura was slightly disorderly. From the light in his eyes, it seemed to event was causing his mental state to be distorted and unhinged. Yan Zaizen could see ming hatred and fear within his eyes. This fear stemmed from Long Wulin¡¯s potential and current strength.

    \"It¡¯s likely he¡¯ll act to kill this Wu fellow now, but as hecks personal strength, he¡¯ll probably instigate members of their sect.\" Yan Zaizen felt the entire event was intriguing. Then, a notion urred in his heart. However, it was faint.

    The puppet awoke due to themotion and rolled onto its back on Yan Zaizen¡¯s thigh. Its pure eyes looked at Yan Zaizen¡¯s own and he felt a trembling in his heart. While it didn¡¯t speak, it conveyed an unfathomable feeling to his heart. It was incredibly familiar yet he couldn¡¯t pinpoint it.

    \"You¡¯re...not normal, are you?\" As he regarded this white puppy once more, he realized that sentence was truer and truer. He simply could not discover what. However, he felt like his impulse before meeting the puppy¡¯s eyes were clearer and refreshed.

    Heughed softly to himself. \"Fine. Since the Herculean Physique¡¯s initial stages only need hard work and time, I can do that anywhere. Be it here or a sect. So, let¡¯s enter a sect! I want to see how this Long Wulin¡¯s fate will change and why I sense a familiar aura from his body.\" After deciding thus, he picked the puppet up into his arms and stood at the edge of the roof.

    He thought, \"this puppy, Long Wulin, and that familiar sensation. There is definitely something happening here.\" He felt his path was driven, maybe even with fate¡¯s hand. His eyebrows nted slightly at the thought, but he felt that fate wasn¡¯t set, but likely influenced events by the various universes themselves.

    While this soul and body wasn¡¯t a Non-Entity, his original body was. As for his original soul, the ck Hole made it even more unfathomable.

    With a push, he leapt off the building andnded on the ground. His legs were immensely powerful, so dropping from three stories was a minor matter. An animalistic giggle resounded, as the puppy in his arms waved its small paws and wore a smile. It seemed to say, \"Again, again!\"

    Yan Zaizen couldn¡¯t help but still be taken aback at how cute this little fellow was. Unfortunately, its dirty fur made it look like a wild pup, unwanted and abandoned by its family. Holding the puppy closer to his chest, he said, \"Let¡¯s get you cleaned up first.\"

    A few minutester, Yan Zaizen arrived at the center of themotion with a white puppy in his arms, its clear eyes and cuteness attracting all sorts of gazes. Thanks to Yan Zaizen¡¯s Herculean Physique and original moulding, he was as handsome as ever with amber-gold eyes as gorgeous as stars. With pearly white teeth, he noted the examiner had nearly finished examining all the young children. Out of the hundreds he inspected, only eight were ced together at the side. The rest were with their parents, some even crying as they felt they had let down their parents wishes.

    The Heaven, Earth, and Man banners were still there, but the Heaven banner¡¯s female disciple was in the midst of recovering after that intense battle with Long Wulin. There was someone who thought to take advantage of her weakness, but their heads were severed from their body, sent to theherworld within seconds.

    Since then, no one dared to challenge her.

    When Yan Zaizen arrived, he truly did bring all sorts of attention to himself. His looks and aura were profound and contained a hint of imposing. The examiner took a pause when he noticed Yan Zaizen, his eyes shing with surprise.

    \"A body refiner?\" The examiner said softly. A body refiner was referred to someone who took the Fiendgod Path, cultivating their vital energies and bloodline of their bodies. In the Xiantu Realm, the Fiendgod Path wasn¡¯t that popr, but it existed. The three most popr paths were the Beastial Path, Essence(Heavenly) Path, and Soul Source Path.

    Of course, the Soul Source Path was still very minor inparison to the other two.

    Yan Zaizen had vital energies borne and refined by the Immortal Herculean Method. While the method didn¡¯t focus on vital energies, it cultivated the body and produced a unique type of vital energy. He didn¡¯t bother correcting the examiner. He simply smiled and said, \"I wish to challenge the Earth banner, is that okay?\"

    Unbeknownst to him, this was his first step to a sequence of events that will lead him to facing the Heavenly God himself!

 Chapter 413 Passing

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s words caused various cultivators and spectators to focus on him. The only people who¡¯ve seeded in challenging the Earth and Heaven banner were Long Bailin and Long Wulin respectively. As for him, he had not a speck of qi aura. In fact, he seemedpletely normal to the onlookers. Not many could perceive or even recognize vital energy signatures.

    However, the examiner had met Body Refiners before, and even fought them. While Yan Zaizen¡¯s aura was irregr, he couldn¡¯t have mistaken it. Therefore, he didn¡¯t react with disbelief when Yan Zaizen asked those words. And, he knew why he asked.

    Yan Zaizen wasn¡¯t sure if he could participate without a hint of Qi cultivation. With this uncertainty, he felt this might not yield any fruit. Luckily, the examiner didn¡¯t discriminate or underestimate him. As for needing to say his age, that was irrelevant. Just from Yan Zaizen¡¯s life aura, he could tell that Yan Zaizen was at sixteen years of age.

    "You can challenge as you wish. As long as you can defeat orst ten moves against him, you¡¯ll be epted as an outer disciple." His words were calm and outside of everyone¡¯s expectations.

    Wasn¡¯t this assisted suicide?

    Even Long Wulin¡¯s eyebrows furrowed as he was confused. While having a high cultivation meant you could hide or disguise your cultivation, he didn¡¯t get that feeling of being one with the world¡¯s aura. Instead, he legitimately felt like a mortal who had never cultivated for a moment in his life.

    The beautiful girl by his side said, "Don¡¯t underestimate him. He¡¯s a Body Refiner."

    Startled, Long Wulin asked, "Body Refiner?" He was ignorant of many things unlike this beauty beside him.

    "A Body Refiner cultivates their body¡¯s vital energy stored within their cells, bones, and flesh. They have profoundly powerful flesh and can even externalize their vital energies to assault or defend, much like Qi Cultivators." Her exnation was a good overview of Body Refiners.

    Long Wulin felt enlightened. When he turned to see Yan Zaizen, he felt excitement in his heart. The world truly was expansive and had all sorts of things within.

    Yan Zaizen kept the puppy in his arms as he walked forward on the tform and stood before the Earth banner disciple. His action caused many animal lovers to wince and want to drag Yan Zaizen down from the tform to save the little puppy.

    "Just because you¡¯re going to your death, why drag the cute pup too?!" Were their thoughts.

    The young disciple said a few words. He warned, told Yan Zaizen to appreciate his life and that he would kill him, but not the dog. In fact, he would raise it himself. It was a very long boring spiel of monologue. Yan Zaizen felt that if this continued, he¡¯d go into his likes and dislikes.

    "Can we fight?" Yan Zaizen indifferently asked the examiner. He nodded in response. This obviously angered the young disciple but Yan Zaizen vanished before his eyes.

    The next moment, a figure shot out like a rocket out of the tform, smashing into several buildings until it stopped. Yan Zaizen realized he had used a little too much power. Even though he used 1% of his strength, it had instantly killed the young man...

    The subsequent crushing of buildings was an ident. He wanted to prevent the disciple from flying, simply use a kick to shake his body and brain into unconsciousness. Unfortunately, when he tried to pull back his power at thest minute having used far too much, he couldn¡¯t skillfully keep the disciple from flying.

    Eyes were wide. Disbelieving thoughts flew wildly in the air! People gawked, others started, a few hadn¡¯t even processed what had happened.

    The examiner¡¯s eyes shrunk to a needlepoint. It was only after several seconds did he send his senses to inspect the disciple¡¯s horrendous state, only to realize that his entire person had transformed into a mush of blood and bones, unrecognizable. A ghastly fear shed in his heart.

    Yan Zaizen was at the Nascent Herculean Physique Level, Initial Sess Stage, which should be equivalent to a peak-Qi Cyclone cultivator. However, thanks to his Dao energy continuously circting through his body, his strength was invincible to all those beneath the Qi Unification Realm.

    And, this was only the Initial Sess Stage.

    As for the second level, Grand Herculean Physique, it can rival Heavenly Cultivators. This was also one of the reasons Yan Zaizen needed to cultivate and venture into the higher levels of this heaven. The Grand Herculean Physique required Heavenly Law Liquid. When he cultivated it with his original body, it took him hundreds of years in chaotic space to achieve perfection.

    Fortunately, he now had a Pseudo Grand Dao. With it, he could easily condense thousands of years of cultivating effort into a single year. He just needed time and a ce to cultivate in peace.

    "I¡¯m an outer disciple now, right?" While he had just identally killed someone, he felt no guilt in his heart. The cultivation world was cruel and fighting or epting fights came with the risk of death. Simr to how others could expect death challenging the young man, he should¡¯ve long prepared himself to be in. If he hadn¡¯t, that wasn¡¯t Yan Zaizen¡¯s fault.

    The examiner gave Yan Zaizen a deep, long look. That gaze was as if he wanted to peer into all of Yan Zaizen¡¯s secrets, but he was only met with the reply of a puppy¡¯s soft bark and an indifferent smile. He sighed in the end and nodded. The entire process was swift and the examiner did not try to make things difficult for Yan Zaizen.

    His belief coincided with Yan Zaizen¡¯s. If you believe you could take other¡¯s lives, you have to be ready to lose your own in any capacity. To make a fuss over a dead disciple was pointless, especially one as insignificant as ate-Qi Cyclone disciple.

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s current strength and potential was worth a thousand him. At least his death benefitted the sect. Thinking up to here, he finished thest of his assessment of the children, still only bringing eight out of nearly a thousand. They were all three to five years old and showed decent innate talent. It was a good yield.

    With a satisfied nod, he brought along the disciples who acted as gatekeepers for sect entry and said, "We¡¯ll be leaving in three days. Prepare yourself and meet here." After those words, he gave Yan Zaizen onest look before leaving with the two disciples.

    The puppy in his arms softly yipped out a few barks and rubbed its belly with its small paw. From its eyes, it seemed that working so hard had made it hungry again. Yan Zaizen found this pup bing increasingly cute and endearing. In fact, he too was hungry. As a developing herculean without an ounce of qi cultivation, he realized that this body needed an enormous amount of sustenance.

    He leapt off the tform and made his way to the restaurant. Those in his path moved away in fear. To one-shot ate-Qi Cyclone disciple like nothing made them birth fear from the bottom of their hearts. This fear was definitely warranted.

    Just as he was making his way through after everyone gave him a wide berth, a shout resounded.

    "You thief! Halt!!" A group of armored individuals arrived with Old Man Bo. He was a part of the city¡¯s guards and was a captain, so he responded due to themotion of the disciple meeting various buildings. Of course, they only came to inspect due to understanding that the Soaring Sword Sect was conducting their examinations for new disciples.

    However, they hadn¡¯t witnessed Yan Zaizen¡¯s actions. In fact, very few people even saw him take action. It was like blinking one moment and then the disciple was off and he had moved near the disciple¡¯s original position.

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes shifted to see Old Man Bo¡¯s furious expression as he ordered his men to encircle Yan Zaizen. When it was finished, he finally had a triumphant light sh into his eyes. "I will not let you escape this time!"

    Old Man Bo had sun-burned brown skin, a muscr body with some fat around his belly, a goatee andrge ck eyes. On his right cheek was a scar made by a dagger, seemingly older than Yan Zaizen¡¯s new body. It gave him a ferocious aura, making him look more like a mercenary or veteran soldier than a mere city guard.

    When he arrived before Yan Zaizen, his aura erupted to enshroud and restrict. He was at mid-Qi Cyclone Realm. Therefore, when the crowd saw this, their eyes widened as they saw these guards, especially Old Man Bo court death.

    Yan Zaizen indifferently smiled. Old Man Bo was his memory-less self¡¯s most notable person. In fact, he and Old Man Bo weren¡¯t always at odds. When he was about eight years old, it was Old Man Bo who helped him survive. He would offer protection or linger in the areas he slept. One time, he had directly stopped him from being abused by a group of men.

    He had said he was merely doing his job at the time, protecting the city and its inhabitants, but he knew that he acted as his guardian angel. Later, as his ambition and appetite grew, unable to ept a futureless path, Yan Zaizen resorted to stealing. When he was still nascent, Old Man Bo had caught him red-handed. In the end, he let him go with a warning and a lesson - if you¡¯re going to steal, be sure to never get caught.

    Unfortunately, as he grew as a little thief, he became a scourge of the people and the conflict meant Old Man Bo had been forced to try to capture him. However, as he listened to his advice, he was never caught again.

    Therefore, while he looked at this imposing man with a hint of ferocity in his aura, Yan Zaizen couldn¡¯t help but feel warm emotions.

    "What are you smiling for!" Old Man Bo asked, as if he was about to lunge at Yan Zaizen. Yan Zaizen knew that he might, so that Yan Zaizen could use his body as leverage to escape, just like he did in the alleyway earlier. His posture was only a prelude, telling him: "I¡¯m going to lunge like this!" His indifferent smile turned warm.

    "I¡¯m leaving for the Soaring Sword Sect. You¡¯re wasted here, and I owe you a debt. Come with me!" Yan Zaizen said, shocking everyone present, including Old Man Bo!

 Chapter 414 Plunder

    "..." A wave of silence flooded the surroundings. Old Man Bo and his fellow guards were shocked by Yan Zaizen¡¯s words and deration. Was this little thief who could only escape their pursuit actually saying he would leave to the Soaring Sword Sect?

    Old Man Bo frowned, his posture stiffened. "What are...talking about?" His expression and gleam in his eyes revealed confusion.

    Yan Zaizen smilingly said, "I¡¯ve just been epted as an Outer Disciple for the Soaring Sword Sect. I want you to join me. Will you?" His tone was unhurried and filled with sincerity. Old Man Bo had essentially saved his little life before, and this debt couldn¡¯t be ignored.

    Old Man Bo looked at his fellow guards, then saw the expressions of envy on the faces of the crowd. "You¡¯re serious?" He asked in disbelief.

    How could he not be skeptical? The Soaring Sword Sect was one of the top cultivation sects in Presba with insanely high requirements for their disciples. However, they boasted the five qualities needed for a cultivator¡¯s rise: Guidance, Environment, Legacies, Protection and Resources.

    These five qualities were a must-have for cultivators. Otherwise, they would be relegated to mediocrity for their entire lives. An example was him and many of the guards.

    His cultivation base was merely at the mid-Qi Cyclone yet he was already in his mid-forties. Simr to Yan Zaizen, he was an orphan who grew up without any of these five qualities and only rose to his current status due to a minor fortune blessed onto him by a Lieutenant of the City Lord¡¯s military.

    Inparison, Long Bailin was born to the Long n, the top n of Meteorite City and had reached thete-Qi Cyclone Realm at sixteen years old. The disparity was horrifying.

    Yan Zaizen could see his confusion which brought about a stall in his brain, so he only dered, "From henceforth, You¡¯ll be my protector and butler." His eyes shed with an amber-gold light as his Dao Aura quietly spread. As a weakling of this grand world, Old Man Bo merely nodded in eptance.

    The puppy in Yan Zaizen¡¯s arms stretched its tiny jaws and seemed to let loose a yawning smile. "Good!" Yan Zaizen calmly nodded. Old Man Bo was a good man, and he had rued enough karmic connection to be considered a friend.

    "Settle your affairs, be here in three days for departure." Yan Zaizen¡¯s tone was calm yet held an indisputable authority innate within his voice. The guards were shocked as he merely walked off with a puppy in his hands. They had forgotten themselves, but considering Yan Zaizen¡¯s words of being a disciple of the Soaring Sword Sect, they wouldter thank the heavens that they didn¡¯t take action.

    Not too far away, Long Wulin calmly observed Yan Zaizen¡¯s back as he walked off. This enigma of a youngster was shocking. In fact, he had recollections about Yan Zaizen. He was a notorious thief that had no name. He stole from countless minor families and ns, but they could do little due to his frightening ingenuity and nning.

    The young maiden as beautiful as snow in a winter bliss eyes shone with a mysterious light.

    "He¡¯s...odd." Was her onlyment, but it caused Long Wulin¡¯s eyes to widen and start a little. Odd? To think this mysteriously profound beauty beside him would give Yan Zaizen such a vague yet interesting appraisal. He couldn¡¯t help but want to ask more, but she responded curtly.

    "I can¡¯t answer you. Just, be cautious of him. It¡¯ll be best not to offend. At least, the current you shouldn¡¯t." After those words, she moved with her beautiful and slender white legs. Before long, she left a dazed Long Wulin with only her exquisite back figure as she returned to their dwelling.

    Long Wulin took in that backside figure and wryly smiled. This girl was far too beautiful and extraordinary to be in this little city. Even now, he could barelyprehend why she was with him. Without dy, he hastily followed after her footsteps.

    Long Bailin gritted his teeth off to the side. His eyes shed with hatred as he gazed at Long Wulin. "I¡¯ll prove to everyone what trash you are!" To him, Yan Zaizen was impressive, but he already possessed a strength he couldn¡¯t even consider. He had a hard fought battle with that Earth banner disciple, but Yan Zaizen essentially one-shotted him. Therefore, everything was focused on his emotions towards Long Wulin.

    In the uing three days, Long Wulin and Long Bailin would have an exchange that would only further their enmity. In the end, Long Wulin will ovee all obstacles and send Long Bailin packing, his life barely kept intact in retreat.

    However, this wasn¡¯t their story.

    In Yan Zaizen¡¯s humble abode, the abandoned warehouse, Yan Zaizen lounged around in contemtion. The little white puppy was moving about energetically, going here and there while jumping and rolling about. It was aforting sight that could ease the tension in one¡¯s soul.

    "I¡¯ll need a few months to reach the Perfection Stage of the Nascent Herculean Physique. At that point, I should be strong enough to fight against True Essence cultivators. That¡¯s the peak of this in the Xiantu Realm. I need to gather Heavenly Law Liquid to rapidly progress into the Second Level, Grand Herculean Physique." As he contemted his future actions, he felt the gathering of Heavenly Law Liquid will be a little hassle.

    For now, he simply needed to slowly cultivate and gather sufficient resources. As for joining the Soaring Cloud Sect, it was merely an impulsive decision. Furthermore, the sect could offer soul materials such as soul stones. With it, he could recover his soul cultivation.

    While this was a new soul, it contained his Pseudo Grand Dao and memories of his introspectiveprehension. The moment his memories were awakened, he could be considered to have reached the Paragon Soul Realm once again.

    It was this very fact that allowed his perception to track and react to the Heavenly Annihtion Light movements. Unfortunately, if his soul was given an evaluation of total energy, it would be one trillionth of his original soul. It was pathetically low.

    "My Heavenly Dao Seed still needs time to mature into a Dao Heart," he ced his hand to his chin and muttered. The Heavenly Dao Seed was merely a fragment of his Pseudo Grand Dao and wasn¡¯t its fullest in terms of strength. In fact, it could be considered as an Imparted Dao of his origin soul to this new one.

    In the cultivation world, developing a Dao was fundamentally and iparably difficult. The vast, vast majority of cultivators throughout all Thirty-Three Heavens used Bestowed Daos, which enabled them to cultivate the Heavenly Path. Those that can create their own Nascent Dao, ovee the resulting tribtion, and then fully form it were such a minority that a billion people in the entire 27th Heaven would be high-balling the numbers.

    Topare, the entire Xiantu Realm had trillions of people, whereas the Sirius Titan Realm and quadrillions of people. As for the entire 27th Heaven which had hundreds of thousands of realms, one could simply understand how horribly low True Daos were, especially amongst Heavenly Cultivators.

    His Heavenly Dao Seed was somewhat special, making it not a Bestowed Dao yet not a True Dao, hence its seed state. It was created using the Grand Soul, Dao Heart Divine Art, so it had Dao Heart traits.

    When his Heavenly Dao Seed matured, bing a Dao Heart, he might be able to merge with his original Dao Heart to create something incredible! After all, the basis of the Grand Soul, Dao Heart was creating two identical Daos from the same source and transforming into an entity that can devour other Daos and strengthen their own Dao and Soul.

    It was miraculous and devilish.

    It reminded him of the ck Hole.

    "Maybe I have an affinity for devouring?" He released a bitter smile as he realized he needed to devour Daos to help his Heavenly Dao Seed fully mature. If he had more Dao Energy, he could further elerate his Herculean Path¡¯s Immortal Herculean Physique. Thinking up to here, he realized what his objective was. He realized that, regardless of when, his fate was constantly entangled with a single act.

    Yes. It could only be one thing:

    Plunder!

 Chapter 415 Departure

    The three days went by swiftly. During this time, Yan Zaizen had cultivated briefly, once more tempering his body towards a greater sess stage. With his Dao amplifying his speed, he had already touched upon the peak Initial Sess Stage. With a little push, not only would his physical body be closer to a true Herculean, but his vital energies would be more abundant and powerful.

    The simple fact that the first level of the Herculean Immortal Method required zero resources was a blessing. While it required an immense will and once to withstand an astonishing amount of pain, its self-efficient starter path made it very friendly towards the poor.

    At the moment, outside of a few coins, Yan Zaizen was thoroughly poor. His wallet had been eaten in these three days as he and the little white puppy splurged at the local restaurants. The shock of his appetite was heart-shaking. After consuming breakfast sufficient for twenty men, his hunger had only been minimally sated.

    As for the white puppy, it was even more monstrous. Yan Zaizen had essentially paid for the entire restaurant¡¯s food storage and it cleaned every te ced before it. This furthered his belief that this white puppy that was the pinnacle of cuteness was abnormal.

    The disbelieving and horrified stares the two received only increased day after day. While it was a blessing that he bought out everything at a reasonable price, he and the white puppy received a nickname within the city¡¯s restaurant managers - The White \u0026 Amber Gluttons.

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s amber-gold eyes were incredibly particr. In fact, there was no one in the entire city who had his eyes nor its shine. Those distinctive eyes made many contemte who his parents could be.

    Yan Zaizen soon arrived at the tform with the white puppy snuggled in his arms. When he did, he noticed a crowd of people gathering. These people belonged to the families and ns of the young children who were epted, this included those who passed thebat trial to enter the Soaring Cloud Sect.

    When he made his appearance, the gazes and whispers of many were directed towards him.

    "Isn¡¯t that the orphaned thief?"

    "Shhhhh! Did you not hear that he¡¯s a body refiner? He may seem weak, but his strength is greater than an initial-Essence Formation Expert!"

    "What? Really?!"

    He merely maintained his casual and calm half-smile, ncing here and there with a hint of casual air. It was as if this scene nor these people could affect his mind. The white puppy¡¯s pure ck eyes roamed as it stretched its maw at people in a threatening manner, but it came off abnormally cute and innocent. There were a few girls in the crowd who let loose "as" when they saw this.

    If it wasn¡¯t for Yan Zaizen¡¯s mysterious existence, they may have alreadye forward to pet the little pup for three days and three nights. In fact, Yan Zaizen¡¯s looks were incredibly great on a masculine spectrum, making him already cause a few young girls in the springtime of their youth to blush with a mere gaze.

    His muscture and physique that was both tall and well-proportioned made him have a dominating air. This only entuated his aura.

    In the far off distance, Long Bailin was standing beside a white-haired elder with an extraordinary authorial air that could only be birthed by being within the upper-echelon of societal standards for decades. He had bandages wrapped around his neck and left arm, while his eyes were gloomy and somewhat listless.

    "Seems like Long Wulin truly gave him a set-back," Yan Zaizen quietly thought as he noticed how Long Bailin was standing beside the elder while looking here and there. It seemed he was terrified and relying on this figure to maintain his sense of dignity.

    He couldn¡¯t help but think, "If I awakened the ck Hole and stayed in Meteorite City, would Yan Jinzen have be like this?" His eyes shed with nostalgia as he arrived beside the tform and calmly sat at the edge. Since arriving here, in the ce he was born, he found that his memories of the past kept throbbing to life.

    All these memories brought about pointless ¡¯what ifs¡¯ and they only sought to upy his time without end. His early life was not ideal. He was a Non-Entity born without talent to cultivate the Essence Path. He knew this was because the Non-Entity didn¡¯t belong to the Thirty-Three Heavens but the Non-Verse. It was the Non-Verse¡¯s Laws that he was most attuned with. If it wasn¡¯t for the ck Hole, maybe he would¡¯ve been forced into mediocrity.

    Just as his memories kept diving further, Long Wulin arrived. However, he was alone. His expression was indifferent but one could tell he was gloomy from his aura.

    "Oh?" Yan Zaizen realized that the beautiful immortal fairy that was no longer beside Long Wulin. In fact, he realized that she never took the examination despite her strength and talent being far beyond Long Wulin. "Could she be entering another sect? Now that Long Wulin is joining a sect, she couldn¡¯t apany him any longer?"

    The more he thought about it, the more he felt it was likely. If the stories were parallel, then Yan Jinzen and himself would¡¯ve joined the Soaring Cloud Sect, while Ya Qinqan joined the Water Veil Sect.

    "Wait..." he shook his head. History may repeat, but it was never the same. His forcefulparison would only shift his thoughts and influence his actions. If he truly thought about it, wasn¡¯t he Long Bailin in this current situation? However, there were differences so there was no need to overthink it.

    Bruuuum!

    A sound of air trembling resounded, causing the gazes of everyone to turn and witness the arrival of a skyship. It was white and grey. At the hull was the image of a sword with velocity lines indicating its rise into golden clouds. It was slightly animated and released a grand aura that could develop reverence and fear in one¡¯s heart.

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes narrowed. He turned to see Old Man Bo standing in the crowd in a ck martial arts robe with a white inner. He looked fierce and like a prestigious fighter, but his mouth was agape as he observed the skyship¡¯s descent.

    Yan Zaizen understood that sentiment. When he was younger, he had never seen a skyship before. So, witnessing this grand skyship capable of housing hundreds soar through the skies, felt surreal and amazing.

    Yan Zaizen shouted, "Old Man Bo!" His voice was piercing as it started Old Man Bo out of his amazement. He turned to see the youth that he had known since he was merely a child. He had truly grown up and different. While his qi aura was non-existent, he released an unfathomable presence and his eyes gave off endless majesty.

    He felt as if he was watching the future Emperor. As for what he was an Emperor of, he had no idea, but he felt it would not be a tiny city like this.

    After reconciling with Yan Zaizen¡¯s abrupt offer that was more like a demand, he was ready. Even if it was just to witness the Soaring Sword Sect¡¯s extraordinary sights, he was fine with traveling along. In fact, he was already nearing his fifties, and with his current cultivation base, he didn¡¯t have many years left. As an orphan, he spent most of his life developing under the safety of Meteorite City.

    Outside of visiting neighboring cities, he had never seen the greater world.

    With a step, his journey would begin.

    After he arrived beside Yan Zaizen, Yan Zaizen merely smiled. The skyship soon arrived as it released pulsating waves of energy that buffeted the faces of all those present. When itnded upon the tform, the examiner peered over to the side and indifferently said, "All those who¡¯ve passed the exam and their ves or servants,e aboard."

    The examiner saw Old Man Bo and changed his words to include passengers. This shocked many as they hadn¡¯t known that even servants coulde along. This caused many to realize there was an opportunity here. A few parents had stealthily relegated themselves as ves or servants to their children as they brought them along.

    "How shameless!" Many in the crowd called out, but the envy in their eyes were clear.

    A staircase was generated from energy that reached the deck of the skyship to the edge of the four tform¡¯s directions.

    Yan Zaizen lightly chuckled. Without hesitating, he brought Old Man Bo along. After arriving on the skyship, he saw the female disciple who manned the Heaven banner calmly look towards Yan Zaizen before revealing a sweet smile.

    "Greetings Junior Brother, I¡¯m Han Bingyu. I¡¯ll be showing you your room." She was incredibly polite as she spoke, her eyes shing with a light of shyness to entuate her beauty.

    Yan Zaizenughed internally. This woman had no interest in him, yet she ced on this front in a matter of a second. It was impressive. However, he didn¡¯t interfere with her machinations to set an impression and likely get him to pursue her.

    Old Man Bo was lost in the incredible design and materials the skyship was made from. In fact, the air seemed cleaner on the skyship and he took several hefty inhales. He wasn¡¯t the only one as the eyes of these ves(parents, uncles, aunts, and lovers) were gleaming with all sorts of light effusing tangible amazement.

    After finding his room, he settled himself as he looked at the window. He didn¡¯t bother to inspect the room much, and only found the bed and sat. He ced the white puppy on the pillow and calmly started to cultivate.

    The journey wouldn¡¯t take more than three days. In that time, they would finally arrive in the Soaring Sword Sect.

 Chapter 416 Soaring Sword Sec

    Presba was a country that had existed for tens of thousands of years, yet despite that length a few things had remained constant. The Great Five Sects had remained in existence as a concept since the beginning of the country¡¯s founding. While their names and founders may have changed, their numbers had never dwindled or increased.

    If a sect fell, another one was readily avable to rece it. This peculiar phenomena had always been observed as mystical, maybe even tied to the overall destiny of the ruling Imperial n.

    The current Five Great Sects were the Soaring Sword Sect, Golden Lion Sect, Demonic Fiend Sect, Yin Mystic Sect, and the Blood Sect. These five sects held the highest authority and strengths outside of the Imperial n. Of course, there were dozens of grand-tier sects and ns that had Half-step True Essence Realm or True Essence Realm experts at their forefront.

    Yawning within the Soaring Sword Sect¡¯s skyship, Yan Zaizen leanedzily on the headboard of his bed. The snow-white puppy was asleep on his thighs, with steady breathing and a peaceful aura. The journey to the Soaring Sword Sect took several days, and these days were mostly boring, to him.

    The actuality of the matter was they had met some wandering expert who had arrived while facing a beast that nearly toppled the entire skyship. Fortunately, with the defensive formations, they were barely protected while the expert shed fiercely. In the end, it was revealed the expert was a member of the Soaring Sword Sect, a Grand Elder, and he caught sight of Long Bailin.

    It seemed his fortune was quite great as the expert swiftly grabbed Long Bailin and decided to take him as his disciple, traveling ahead of the skyship. This sequence of events mattered very little to Yan Zaizen and seemed to be a morbid development to maintain Long Bailin¡¯s threat status for Long Wulin.

    Now, Long Bailin was no longer inferior to Long Wulin in status due to himpleting an inferior trial, bing an Outer Disciple while Long Wulin became an Inner Disciple.

    "Meh, he was only at the mid-Origin Core Realm," was Yan Zaizen¡¯s only response. While that realm was considerably high in overall terms of strength within Presba, it was incredibly pathetic in his eyes. As an expert who had traveled the various expanses of these Thirty-Three Heavens, fought against and killed literal gods, and grasped Heavenly Laws, everything felt beneath him.

    Even now, while he was merely at the Initial Sess Stage of the Nascent Herculean Physique, he had means and methods of ughtering a mid-Origin Core Realm expert instantly.

    Themotion, however, had inspired Old Man Bo, who gawked and squealed at seeing a legitimate expert. It was quite interesting seeing a middle-aged man disy mannerisms befitting an amazed child. Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t me him for this.

    He only told Old Man Bo that he¡¯ll reach that realm within a short period of time. In fact, if Yan Zaizen wanted, he could use his Heavenly Dao Seed and bestow a strand of it to Old Man Bo to elerate his cultivation base. However, he didn¡¯t know how the Heavenly Will refined within it would react to Old Man Bo, so he didn¡¯t dare take the risk carelessly.

    While he didn¡¯t have much now, the moment his soul cultivation recovered, his ess to his Sense Ring would give him ess to all sorts of random things. A single drop of whatever casually ced thing within could allow anyone to be an expert that could kill True Essence Realm cultivators.

    He hadn¡¯t even cleaned up the Oneuli Empire Prince¡¯s things yet, so for a royal member who had a Heavenly Creation Realm father as his backing, one can only imagine the wealth and resources stored within. It truly was a treasure trove.

    Unfortunately, even now, his Soul Cultivation had yet to make even an inch of recovery. He found this odd as the aura of his Paragon Soul Realm cultivation base was clearly prevalent and existed. In fact, this problem was actually typical.

    In the cultivation world, out of all the paths, Soul Energy was the most difficult form of energy to recover. He had never once been affected by this detriment because of the ck Hole and its ability to absorb and refine an exploding realm in less than a literal second. With it and his boundless resources obtained by random plunder, he had never been graced with this difficulty before.

    Furthermore, if he ran low on soul energy, he had Heavenly Might and his physical body to rely on. It was truly a predicament of too well-off to know one¡¯s weakness.

    "We¡¯re here!" A voice filled with stately tone resounded throughout every facet of the skyship, alerting all those present.

    After the days finally passed, they arrived in the Soaring Sword Sect¡¯s domain, the Solitary Sword Mountain.

    It was a sole mountain shaped like a sharp sword, piercing into the clouds and above. It was majestic and radiated a profound sword aura reminiscent to the Mortal Law of the Sword. Yan Zaizen saw this mountain and his eyes shed with a shocked light.

    This was the former base of operations for the Solitary Sword Mountain!

    "It seems my former musings that the Solitary Sword Sect had connections with this one was absolutely true!" After thousands of years, things changed but sometimes ces remained the same. This Solitary Sword Mountain was one of those ces, and while Yan Zaizen had never witnessed it in person before, he had heard many, many stories about it.

    Supposedly, this mountain was a literal sword of a Heavenly Immortal. Heavenly Immortal was just a juvenile name for Heavenly Cultivators, particrly those in the Xiantu Realm who¡¯ve touched upon the Heavenly Genesis Realm. This expert had crafted and refined this mountain, used it to ughter his enemies, forming rivers of blood and corpses, before he set it here.

    There were a few more legends, but Yan Zaizen felt this one was the correct one. His keen eyes had long since noticed the faint heavenly energy radiating off the sword. It would make this mountain a great cultivation location for any expert, especially for those who¡¯veprehended the Mortal Law of the Sword.

    He lifted the snow-white puppy into his arms before walking out and onto the deck. Old Man Bo and many others were already there, their eyes wide with reverence as they pointed and talked heatedly about the Solitary Sword Mountain and its supposed legends.

    "Little Bra-I mean, I..." Old Man Bo had nearly instinctively called Yan Zaizen by his previous address, making it a little awkward. However, when he tried to call him by a proper name, only now did he realize he didn¡¯t know Yan Zaizen¡¯s actual name.

    Yan Zaizen chuckled at his odd expression as he calmly said, "You can call me Yan Zaizen, or Master Zai." However, the moment he said those words, the Solitary Sword Sect¡¯s elder at the helm stilled.

    Yan?

    He turned towards Yan Zaizen and his eyes radiated a sharp intent. This intent was clearly noticed by Yan Zaizen, who turned his amber-gold gaze to meet the elder¡¯s. He felt the intent radiating off his eyes. It was deadly and filled with ill-intent.

    Oh?

    His brows raised with shock. The elder turned his gaze away and looked towards the mountain. He was quiet and remained such.

    Yan Zaizen smiled. Others might calmly take this intent and simply be wary of the elder, but Yan Zaizen wasn¡¯t someone who had a wait and see type of personality. Before Old Man Bo could even address him properly, he vanished before his eyes.

    In a second, he stood to the elder¡¯s right.

    "You reacted quite oddly to my name. So, you can choose: You can tell me why or I can cripple you." His words were calm and nonchnt, yet the inherent tone was domineering to the extreme.

    The elder started. However, shockingly, he didn¡¯t even consider things as he made his palm into a de and threw it ruthlessly at Yan Zaizen¡¯s neck, clearly disying his mid-Qi Unification Realm cultivation base. The swirling qi was sharp, filled with swordw. He was definitely not a normal cultivator.

    Yan Zaizen remained casual as he took a step back, dodging the ded hand by a millimeter, yet it never touched his skin. With a lift of his leg, he struck towards his dantian. This time, his power was controlled.

    Bam!

    A rupturing sound urred, followed by a hoarse exim simr to wheezing as the elder found his qi system had been thoroughly destroyed with but a kick. He kneeled in agony, the pain forcing his body to fold inwards and his eyes to bulge.

    The exchange and urrence was so fast that many couldn¡¯t even react. Before they knew it, the elder with a cultivation base that could only look up to had been dealt with. Yan Zaizen casually hefted the snow-white puppy in his arms to his face. It rubbed its fur onto his chin and sent a look of innocent pity towards the old elder. As if saying: "You choose this."

    Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t dy in his words, "It seems my name made you quite hostile." He didn¡¯t know why, but it fascinated him. As for the trouble, did he need to care about trouble?

    The skyship, now without a pilot, started to waver in the sky. "Someone should pilot this thing before you all die in a zing crash," was all Yan Zaizen said as he casually grabbed the elder by the neck like a dog and dragged his trembling body towards the ship¡¯s hall.

    The amount of gaped expressions, bulging eyes, and uprehending emotions in people¡¯s hearts were everywhere!

 Chapter 417 Yan Clans Infamy

    Thud!

    The examiner¡¯s body that trembled incessantly smashed against the wall. This was Yan Zaizen¡¯s assigned room. With a swift flick, the door was shut behind him.

    Rumble!

    The skyship still rumbled about chaotically for a few moments before ceasing, someone had obviously gained control of the skybound vessel. Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t fear crashing, but he preferred to avoid the many deaths that would follow as a result.

    Gently cing the snow-white puppy aside, Yan Zaizen slowly walked forwards to stand directly before the examiner, towering over him with a calm, indifferent gaze. Itcked an innate coldness or hostility, and seemed to truly be apathetic. That gaze left the examiner with a icy-chill through his body, as if his life was deemed meaningless before a god.

    "I..." he tried to speak, but Yan Zaizen interrupted.

    "I know you want to say some nonsense, but you can hold off on that. I¡¯ll first give you some special massages and then we can talk, okay?" A half-smile formed on his lips. Yan Zaizen¡¯s palm that was as wless as jade yet contained the contours of a god-like hand reached out to grab the examiner¡¯s shoulder.

    Almost immediately, the examiner felt an unfathomable amount of terror within his heart, his eyes brimming with boundless and untold levels of fear. That palm that reached towards him seemed to contain an aura reminiscent of a dreadful reaper!

    He had already despaired with his cultivation shattered, and his life no longer his to control, but as a sword cultivator, he had a firm will simr to the unbending steel of his de. Yet, before this palm, it was as if that firm will which was refined over the course of several hundred years and countless tribtions had been crushed into nothing.

    "Wait! Wait!" He wheezed out. His body trembled and Yan Zaizen halted. Sword cultivators were cultivators who possessed some of the most steadiest wills in existence, but with a little bit of his soul, dao, and vital aura was sufficient to crumble this will. Even a Heavenly Cultivator who devoted their entirety to their sword may not be able to withstand this tactic.

    "You know what I want to know, so..." Yan Zaizen kept his halted palm before the examiner, and it was treated like the gue as the examiner kicked backwards, but his back had already reached its limits with the wall behind him, so besides some scrapping marks, he aplished nothing.

    "I! I...Yo-You¡¯re a member of the Yan n?!" The examiner spat. When he did, his tone had underwent a subtle shift that seemed to be infused with a hint of hatred and discrimination.

    Yan Zaizen was briefly taken aback by this, but considering his attempt to slice off his head so decisively after learning his name, he felt it wasn¡¯t entirely out of ce. So, he merely nodded. In truth, Yan n was too generic.

    It was a name that many ns had when he was in the Xiantu Realm all those years ago. Therefore, he felt it to be somewhat odd that the Yan name was synonymous with hate in this person¡¯s eyes.

    A deep gulpter, the examiner said with spittle flying, "You dare take that name! You deserve death, a thousand times over, an endless number of times. Your soul should be dispersed by spectrals of hell and abolished to never enter reincarnation, tainting it with your filthy bloodline! You dirty, evil thing!"

    "..." Now, this startled Yan Zaizen. However, outside of that, he didn¡¯t take it personally. Instead, he rubbed his chin and asked, "You hate the Yan n that much? Even if they did that thing, is it worth so much?" He sent out a fishing sentence.

    As if insulted, the examiner spat at Yan Zaizen¡¯s shoes. His eyes filled with rancor and contempt, "Yes! Yes!! Yes!!! They are devils who¡¯ve nearly exterminated the entire poption of Presba, genocidal maniacs that should never be alive. You tell me, why shouldn¡¯t I hate them?! They feasted on the blood of children, the bones of newborns, and the flesh of the mature! They are horrifying abominations that should never exist. You should never exist!

    "Your freakish strength, I should¡¯ve known who you were the moment Iid my eyes on you and killed you then and there!" At this point, his words were filled with emotions and even a faint hint of tears as if he experienced all those horrendous acts personally.

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes went from intrigued to indifferent. He continued to interrogate the subject for a few more rifications before he kicked out. A crushing smash caused the examiner¡¯s torso and legs to vehemently twitch as his skull exploded beneath Yan Zaizen¡¯s feet. If this man hadn¡¯t attempted to kill him earlier, he could¡¯ve disyed a hint of mercy.

    Interesting.

    Lifting his leg up, he cleaned his shoes and sat down on the bed. The snow-white puppy leapt into his thighs and gotfortable,pletely unaffected by the murderously violent scene just a few feet away.

    "The Yan n¡¯s infamy started a few thousand years ago...if I calcte it a little, it was a few hundred years after my departure." As he said this, he recalled all that information.

    Supposedly, the Yan n was born from devils and created a tremendously disastrous ughter within Presba, nearly wiping out the entire poption. The current members of Presba had faint bloodline connections and legacies to the former Presba, but they were actually citizens of others brought here to develop and regain its normalcy.

    It took a thousand or so years before it regained its stability and peace it has today, but the "Yan" name was synonymous with the utmost evil and devilish existences. There was no one who took the Yan character in their names since. Those who did were like neo demons who were trying to breed fear and hatred.

    ording to what he could gather, there were soul jades distributed literally everywhere which were like history books that taught many things, including the Yan n¡¯s history. Even small children knew the story of these demons, but many had forgotten or simply never considered it relevant. This was different for cultivators of a certain cultivation strength, however. They were not only given detailed soul jades about the event that even filmed some of the incidents, but they were tasked with preventing an event like that from happening again.

    This meant being tasked with hunting and decisively killing the Yan lineage.

    Thisst bit wasn¡¯t just distributed to Presba. The entire Xiantu Realm was influenced by this and given such a task. They were infamous, ouwed, and killed on sight. The ability to do this meant the order came from high above.

    Learning that his n was eradicated felt gut-wrenching. His entire body felt a raging me of anger course through ceaselessly. Ordinarily, he cared very little about his n, especially after how he was treated in his earlier years, but they were his family, his blood! His father and mother gave him his flesh and bones, so he felt a unique connection with it. How could he not react with a hint of zing emotion upon hearing this?

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes shed with a sharp light. "It seems I have to have a talk with a certain someone...." He lifted his eyes upwards towards the direction of the Xiantu Realm¡¯s central.

    He knew his bloodlinecked demonic traits, and there had to be more to it than this propaganda bullshit. Firstly, he should get his hands on the soul jade that contained the vivid details of the event. Unfortunately, this deceased examiner didn¡¯t have it.

    Just as he was impatient, a ferocious aura erupted, encapsting the entirety of the skyship, binding it in midair. A domineering and dark voice resounded, "Murderer of my Soaring Sword Sect¡¯s disciple,e out and face death!"

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes slowly lowered to the voice. A dark light shed within his amber-gold irises.

 Chapter 418 The Tasted Sword

    The voice that boomed with power and an innate sharpness entered Yan Zaizen¡¯s ears. Within his room, he softly pet the snow-white puppy as he contemted, his eyelids half lowered in thought. His original intentions were to join the Soaring Sword Sect and observe his faint, yet familiar connection with Long Wulin.

    Unfortunately, his will always eclipsed his intentions. If he wished to kill, he would do so. If he wished to obtain information now, he would definitely not waitter. His Dao of Sovereign Ascension was his personality, and while he could be warmer than a father¡¯s embrace at times, most of the times he was tyrannical to the extreme.

    Softly shaking his head, the sides of his lips tugged into a faint smile.

    "Forget it. I¡¯ll take Old Man Bo and just travel about." After making this decision, his eyes shed with an amber-gold light that released brilliant rays of haughtiness and imperial might.

    He lifted the snow-white puppy and reached the deck of the skyship. On the deck, countless figures were trembling beneath the sharp aura of a group of men that stood in midair, looking directly at the ship from a distance. At the lead, a young man with a clean shaven face, sharp eyebrows, and radiating an aura of an elite stood upright with his hand upon his sword¡¯s hilt.

    Yan Zaizen arrived with a casual air. He swept his calm gaze towards the ten experts in the distance and didn¡¯t give them a second nce. He made his way towards Old Man Bo who seemed to have lost his soul slightly. His eyes swirled with confusion and fear.

    Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t me him. He brought him here, then crippled the examiner without much warning. Lifting the snow-white puppy, he gestured to Old Man Bo to receive it. Absentminded, Old Man Bo just subconsciously grabbed it as he gazed at Yan Zaizen¡¯s figure.

    "Don¡¯t hold him too tightly." After he instructed Old Man Bo of this, he turned his body towards the group of nine who were inspecting him with all sorts of senses. There were eight cultivators at thete \u0026 peak-Qi Unification Realm, with the young man at the lead at the initial-Origin Core Realm.

    They were quite a line-up for the overall strength of Presba. While they weren¡¯t top experts or powerhouses, they were definitely nothing to scoff at. Yan Zaizen smiled faintly.

    He took a deep breath, his body started to rapidly circte with Dao Energy as he fully decided to utilize the cultivation support of his Heavenly Dao Seed. He started to cultivate the Immortal Herculean Method with intensity.

    "Who are you?!" The young man eximed with questioning authority. Despite his youthful appearance, his eyes betrayed his age as he seemed to be nearing a thousand years.

    Yan Zaizen slowly stepped until he reached the bow of the skipship. Beneath his body, the faint amber-gold light was rapidly circting. He calmly said, his voice soft yet booming like a max volume speaker, "My name¡¯s Yan Zaizen. I¡¯m the Yan n¡¯s Ancestor, and I¡¯m here to find out why my n was hunted and killed without reason."

    Yes.

    Yes!!

    Yan Zaizen did not hide his intentions, nor did he even have the thought of doing so. He exposed his identity without question, proiming himself as the Infamous Devil n¡¯s ancestor! He would never stoop so low as to hide this fact. His mother and father gave him his blood, body, and soul. If he even considered keeping it quiet, he would feel unworthy to be named Yan.

    The expressions of everyone, including Old Man Bo violently changed. While Yan Zaizen had introduced himself to Old Man Bo, there wasn¡¯t enough time for that middle-aged man to appropriately process the name or its meaning. The Yan n¡¯s infamy was taught, but it would be how a poor mortal might not know an infamous family who killed a hundred people.

    "Ancestor?!" The young man started, his head reeling back in shock. This was supposed to be a simple capture of a criminal who killed a disciple of the sect. In fact, the examiner had long since intended to betray Yan Zaizen. During the three days preparation, he had thoroughly investigated Yan Zaizen and discovered that Yan Zaizen had been nothing his entire life.

    This meant he had to have a treasure or a legacy far beyond normal to have this abrupt rise. An orphan with dubious origins yet extraordinary ability was a steaming pile of meat to the ravenous cultivators of this world. He had always intended to hand Yan Zaizen over, this was why he didn¡¯t try to get close to him during this period in hopes of keeping his intentions down.

    The current young man who stood at the lead was his n¡¯s patriarch. His lifespan wasn¡¯t as vibrant as his face, nearing its end, so this could easily be a huge boom to their power if they could obtain Yan Zaizen¡¯s secrets.

    This was why, despite not knowing that the examiner had been crippled or killed, the young-looking man had arrived with the direct deration to take in the murderer of their disciple. This was more than enough for Yan Zaizen to realize these things.

    "What do you mean?!" The young man shouted with emotion and a tinge of fear. What did it mean to be an Ancestor? It meant an individual who had lived before in the n since an early period of development, having exceeded all the current members in seniority. How could the Yan n, the n that nearly pushed Presba to the brink of extinction, be alive?!

    He had nearly forgotten about the inconsistency of Yan Zaizen¡¯s youthful life aura or hisck of cultivation. It was only when a quick-thinking and perceptive member of his line-up informed him of this did he slowly calm down.

    Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t bother with all this nor anymore questions lunged at him by the group. Instead, he felt his body undergo massive changes as the profound Herculean Path shaped his body without error. Before, it took him several months to touch upon this level in the Deep Mines.

    How, with the support of his Dao Energy, he had reduced that to the matter of a few days. He merely used this final infusion of Dao Energy to push his body to that stage.

    Boom!

    An erupting explosion urred in his body as his cells, bones, flesh, and blood released an extraordinarily exhrating sound of excitement. His amber-gold eyes were brilliant, like two suns in the night sky.

    Small Sess Stage!

    His Nascent Herculean Physique had taken a step forward, his vital energies erupting, birthed from thetent energies within his body and transformed by the miraculous Herculean Path¡¯sws. After a few seconds, his eyes dimmed until it revealed its normal state and his body no longer had faint rays of amber-gold light circting through it.

    "This should be enough!" Yan Zaizen quietly muttered to himself as he gazed beyond the midair group towards the Solitary Sword Mountain.

    "I might as well be direct. I need to find those soul jades." He needed to know what evidence there was of his n¡¯s vicious acts. While several hundred years would¡¯ve passed since he hadst seen them, the soul aura they faintly emitted from recorded images would be sufficient for him to determine their origins.

    "I¡¯ll give you nine a choice," Yan Zaizen stepped forward and his vital energies started to rapidly circte and even faintly leave his body. He stepped onto midair and his body had done the unthinkable! He started to float with merely vital energies! A feat that was nearly impossible to achieve in a small, insignificant speck of the overall cultivation world like Presba.

    Vital energies can be used in much the same way as soul energy and qi. However, it required an unfathomable amount of control to achieve flight.

    The gawking expressions were numerous, but Yan Zaizen merely continued, "Give me the soul jade that details my n¡¯s alleged crime, or I¡¯ll take it from your corpses." In truth, he was agitated in his heart. He wasn¡¯t much of a killer, having rarely killed people in his life, even actively avoiding it. However, since his stint in the Heavenly Origin Grounds, his belief had slowly started to change.

    The act of self-restraint was far too frustrating. It would be best to no longer hold back, and ughter his path forward. As long as he doesn¡¯t abolish their soulspletely, they¡¯ll reincarnate. So what did he have to worry about?

    With this in mind, he gave them this icy-cold choice.

    The young man frowned, his heart calmed after learning of Yan Zaizen¡¯s life aura andck of qi cultivation. But, when he witnessed Yan Zaizen stepping onto midair with simply his body¡¯s vital energies, his heart nearly leapt out of his chest. Could this person truly be the Ancestor of the Yan n?

    This thought started to eclipse his heart in fear. While he was sworn to eradicate all those who wish to propagate the Yan n¡¯s lineage, as well as legitimate n members surviving in their hidden corners, this only instilled a deeper fear towards the devil¡¯s of his bedtime stories. They were ruthless and merciless beyond imagination.

    "Hmph!" However, sword cultivators were inherently strong-willed and hated the most when others decided to control their fates. A choice of kneel or die caused a particrly ferocious and arrogant sword cultivator at the peak-Qi Unification Realm to coldly harrumph.

    He unsheathed his sword, causing a sharp keen to resound in the air, and his body soared towards Yan Zaizen with fearless momentum. "Taste my sword!"

    He brandished his sword with a valiant stance, his tip shooting towards Yan Zaizen¡¯s throat without hesitation. A sharp sword qi was produced that sliced apart the air itself, leaving a devoid feeling of nothing but the sword in its wake.

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s gaze remained calm as he saw this, even though the others were startled. He slowly lifted his palm, faint vital and dao energies shifting beneath his flesh and circting with his blood.

    Ting!

    Sword met flesh as Yan Zaizen used his index finger and thumb to stop the ferocious momentum of the sword. The radiating and sharp ray of sword qi was abolished by these two small appendages.

    Then, with a sh!

    Yan Zaizen flicked his wrist, the sword flipping brilliantly and with a swish, its hiltnded squarely in his palm. His attacker was shocked into a pause, his eyes radiating disbelief as he was disarmed within a moment, and now, the sword that he cultivated with his life now pointed its tip towards him.

    A light push, yet iparably sharp jab sent the tip of this de into his throat. A gushing erupting of blood and life escaped its tip.

    With a swift swipe, a head shot into the air and a headless corpse fell lifelessly to the ground.

    Yan Zaizen lightly brandished his de, his amber-gold gaze filled with imperial authority befitting an emperor swept the remaining members. He lightly spat, "Choose."

 Chapter 419 Faint Connection

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s voice lingered in the hearts and minds of these Soaring Sword Sect experts. Their bodies still as their trembling eyes followed the descending corpse of their fellow sectmate. An eerie chill shivered down their spines.

    Yan Zaizen casually waved the sword within his hands, brandishing it as if he was awaiting a response. As he felt the sword in his hand, he couldn¡¯t help but frown. His original body hadprehended all the Mortal and World Laws of the Heavens to the peak-Sovereign level, yet this body couldn¡¯tprehend a hint of it.

    This soul was trulycking in substance and special characteristics. Itcked hisprehension ofws, the ck Hole, and even his True Dao. Outside of his Immortal Herculean Physique, there wasn¡¯t much else currently.

    Though his Heavenly Dao Seed¡¯s energy can heighten his cultivation speed and power, he knew there was a huge disparity whenparing his Dao Heart. However, when he inspected the sword, he didn¡¯t even find a link to the Heavenly Laws.

    "I can¡¯t feel the Heavenly Laws?" His eyebrows raised faintly as the lingering Nascent levelw energy of the Mortal Law of the Sword lingered the sword¡¯s surface. His intelligence and thoughts were iparably fast, capable of perceiving the Heavenly Annihtion Light and conceiving ten thousand thoughts in a matter of a second thanks to his Paragon Soul Realm cultivation.

    Yet, he couldn¡¯t delve into the principles of thisw. How could he not find this odd? He felt as if thews of this world were ipatible with his current soul. What did that even mean? What could it mean?

    As he wondered this, he felt a cute bark resound in his heart and alert his mind. He subconsciously turned towards the skyship and recognized the snow-white puppy that was lightly making sounds, its eyes glimmering with excitement. A faint smile surfaced on his face subconsciously.

    Swoosh!

    As he was distracted and in thought, the Soaring Sword Sect members had a rapid transmission discussion, trying to alleviate their fears and drum up a resolve. They hade to a swift conclusion, acting decisively. A Qi Unification member shot backwards towards the Solitary Sword Mountain, his body enshrouded by sharp winds of qi. His speed was swift as he flew away.

    However, there was no shame or fear in his eyes, but sheer determination. While they were skeptical to believe that Yan Zaizen was the Ancestor of the Yan n, those insidious devils of the past, they decided to act in ordance with their sect procedures. If a Yan n member too strong were to resurface, they were to alert the strongest expert and army of their force and hunt them down with extreme prejudice.

    They had decided to inform their Sect Master without a single hesitation. As for the young man who boasted an initial-Origin Core Realm cultivation base, his body started to erupt in a vigorous aura. The other elders started to form strange handseals as they retreated behind the young man and seemed to establish some coborative art. Streams of sword qi shot into the back of the young man and his aura intensified by the sword.

    He retrieved a long sword. On its surface, sword qi flowed ceaselessly like ghosts and wraiths upon a haunted world.

    "You dare to use the Yan name, those devils that should not exist, before the Soaring Sword Sect! I, Gu Ling, will ensure your death will be excruciating." Gu Ling, the Origin Core expert, announced with righteous and sharp demeanor.

    Yan Zaizen returned his gaze, observing their tactics. It reminded him of the Deluge Realmlord. At the time, he had galvanized the powers of his subordinates to attack him, executing unique manifestation-type arts that enabled offensive and defensive abilities. At that time, he simrly relied on his Herculean Path cultivation.

    His memories shed with intent as the sword in his hand was dropped. He was not a user of the sword. In truth, he used three types of weapons in his life, a bow, a warhammer, and his fist.

    "Fine. I don¡¯t have time to quietly wait. I¡¯ll just take what I want." Yan Zaizen¡¯s mood was not good. He had just learned that his bloodline was discriminated against and treated like devils, likely tortured and ughtered in the past. The prejudice had been propagated endlessly and continued to do so.

    These insignificant figures chose death, so he¡¯ll deliver it swiftly.

    Yan Zaizen stepped forward. His body, brimming with vital energies that kept him afloat, shed swiftly towards Gu Ling.

    Gu Ling was an exalted Origin Core Realm expert, a cultivator with nearly a thousand years of experience, so he did not react poorly at Yan Zaizen¡¯s pressing arrival. He entered a steady stance and gathered his sword qi, his entirety immersed into the sword.

    Yan Zaizen arrived a few meters away from Gu Ling, perfectly within closebat range. His hand was already balled into a tight fist as he threw it forward with a sharp sound.

    Gu Ling calmly responded, his sword met Yan Zaizen¡¯s fist. The knuckles of his fist met Gu Ling¡¯s edge of his de, yet the scene of sword slicing through flesh hadn¡¯t urred.

    Bam!

    Gu Ling felt a sharp impact in his chest, the air was knocked out of his chest as his mind rapidly solidified toprehend what had happened. His body had been sent flying backwards. Before he could gather aplete understanding, Yan Zaizen¡¯s figure arrived above his retreating figure and his right leg was lifted into an unnaturally high position. With a sharp sound, Yan Zaizen bicycle kicked Gu Ling, aiming for his skull.

    Gu Ling didn¡¯t hesitate to brandish his sword defensively as a sword qi ward that seemed to form a half-dome emerged above him in a blink.

    Boom!

    Gu Ling felt the crushing impact as his head felt dizzy. He shot down from the sky at a rapid speed as he nearly lost consciousness, his sword qi was disorder and his blood tumbled endlessly.

    Bang!

    He smashed into the ground creating a crater enough to rival a national pool. A muted gasp apanied by spit and oxygen within his lungs escaped. His face distorted as the pain entered his head.

    Gu Ling felt a warm trickle from his head. He noticed faint crimson liquid dripping down from his forehead, his eyes still unfocused and blurry. However, before he could gather his mental faculties, a sharp, piercing down entered his abdomen as he felt his body was punctured. Fear, disbelief, and his life shed before his eyes.

    He could barelyprehend what had happened, turning to look at his chest to see a fist prating his torso, entering his heart.

    Spurt!

    A gush of blood escaped his lips. He wanted to speak, say a thousand words and ten thousand questions, but not a single whimper was uttered. His lifeforce was shattered and his body felt numb yet cold. He was experiencing death. A nket of ck slowly engulfed his vision and his consciousness faded forever.

    Yan Zaizen retracted his fist from Gu Ling¡¯s torso, causing a sickening sound of crushed bones and sshing blood. His expression was indifferent. Even though Gu Ling was empowered by those Qi Unification experts in a formation, at most his strength would be nearing the top of the initial-Origin Core Realm. After all, they were Qi Unification experts and their support was limited.

    His amber-gold eyes looked upwards to find the Qi Unification experts of the Soaring Sword Sect gawk and tremble. They felt their connection to Gu Ling shatter and their minds knew the worst had urred. Without hesitation, they split into many different directions in an attempt to dy for time.

    Yan Zaizen shook his head. He grabbed Gu Ling¡¯s body and inspected his spatial ring. While he couldn¡¯t ess his ring because of hisck of soul energy and stable soup cultivation, this wasn¡¯t true for normal spatial rings. With a matter of moments, he found what he was looking for.

    A soul jade!

    It was ck and seemed to shine with a faint sanguine light. This was the detailed information about the Yan n¡¯s infamous reign of terror that led to their universal hate and condemnation. Holding this soul jade, his emotions were quiteplex.

    Taking a short breath to regain hisposure, he shot upwards slowly to arrive on the Skyship. A unified retreat urred from the members onboard. They had heard Yan Zaizen¡¯s promation of his status and origins and felt terrified. After he beheaded one, he killed another without hesitation.

    Old Man Bo swallowed a wad of saliva. He was simrly scared but when he looked at the visage of the youth he knew, he felt a sense of calm in his heart.

    Yan Zaizen smiled as he walked forward to arrive before Old Man Bo. He turned to see Long Wulin whose gaze was solemn and dark. This young boy definitely had a faint connection with him, but he didn¡¯t know the exact details. Unfortunately, it was best he left.

    While he could face a True Essence Realm expert with all his trump cards, it was best he didn¡¯t damage his foundation and exhaust himself without it being worth it. Entering a conflict wasn¡¯t something he feared, but wasting time was.

    "Let¡¯s go," he shifted his gaze away as he used his vital energies to engulf Old Man Bo. With a thought, they lifted into the sky and departed. While they weren¡¯t fast, their direction and speed was indiscernible. The mystifying means was just a slight exertion of his soul aura to bewilder the senses.

    Long Wulin¡¯s gaze went dim as he watched Yan Zaizen¡¯s departure. His mind was filled withplex thoughts. Firstly, why did Yan Zaizen look at him at thest moment? Andstly, why did he feel a faint connection to him? He felt this wouldn¡¯t be thest time they met.

    Before these thoughts could lead to anywhere, the True Essence Realm and Origin Core Realm elites of the Soaring Cloud Sect arrived yet found not a trace of Yan Zaizen nor where he went.

 Chapter 420 Scene From Long Ago!

    Yan Zaizen carried the snow-white puppy in his hands as he walked the paved road. Beside him, Old Man Bo had a calm expression, but his eyes were shing continuously with all sorts ofplex light.

    Earlier, Yan Zaizen had told Old Man Bo the truth. He was both the young boy he¡¯d known since young and the Yan n Ancestor who¡¯d lived thousands of years and cultivated to an unfathomable heights. While many believed informing others of the grand height of this world was detrimental to development, Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t have such a belief.

    Not taking a page from that book, he slowly exined with immense details. At the moment, Old Man Bo was trying toprehend in his heart those words, unsure whether to believe or not. Yet, Yan Zaizen¡¯s existence was already a fair share of proof.

    "Yawn!" The snow-white puppy twirled around while in Yan Zaizen¡¯s arms, smacking its lips here and there while blinking its pure eyes. It was unaffected by everything. Yan Zaizen couldn¡¯t help but find this snow-white puppy grew more and more mysterious as he kept it in his possession. Besides its exceptional appetite, it also contained apleteck of an aura. It was most certainly not a normal dog. Unfortunately, he couldn¡¯t pinpoint its exact oddity.

    "Bra-uh, Master Zai..." Old Man Bo, after several hours, finally spoke. Yan Zaizen¡¯s attention shifted with a slight hum of curiosity. Witnessing this, Old Man Bo stilled somewhat and felt at a loss.

    "You can speak whatever is on your mind," Yan Zaizen calmly reassured with a faint trace of his dao aura lingering about, effusingforting warmth within the hearts and minds of those who hear it. Only then did Old Man Bo seem to rx.

    "If you¡¯re the Yan n¡¯s Ancestor, then are you a devil?" Old Man Bo, like most, was taught the history of the devils of the country. They had devoured the flesh of newborns, the fetus within pregnant women¡¯s bodies, and minced young men into bloody balls of flesh. It was a horrific description, yet each mention of them only grew more grotesque and violent.

    Yan Zaizen silently thought. A devil? In the end, he shook his head. "I¡¯ve seen Celestials that can manipte time, traversing billions of years for their dreams, the souls of asuras from hell, monstrous balls of hairy mouths that both existed and didn¡¯t, eyes asrge as a universe yet as small as a marble, Heavenly Gods rise and fall, and dragons of myth, yet I have never seen a legitimate devil.

    "That feels more like a concept of personification than an actual existence. If so, then it depends on who you ask. Personally? The devils described in those stories, I certainly do not match up to that calibre." Yan Zaizen slowly said.

    Old Man Bo¡¯s hearts quivered as Yan Zaizen¡¯s described his experience to the point he felt a sense of surrealism. With each word, he felt himself enter a world and experiencing what Yan Zaizen experienced. The only thing he did not experience was a river of blood flow ceaselessly without end.

    Yan Zaizen sighed inwardly. He looked around and analyzed their location. They were still in the territory of the Soaring Sword Sect. While he had ess to his vital energies, it was not limitless and required refuel. If he had the ck Hole, energy replenishment would be a non-factor in every equation. Unfortunately, he had to slowly and properly rest to recover his various energies.

    This left him feeling somewhat handicapped. He¡¯ll have to adjust to this soon, or his ability to handle matters and get to the bottom of his n¡¯s history would be hindered. Thinking up to here, he slowly investigated their surroundings. Besides the paved roads, there was ack of society in the thirty mile radius of his current location.

    That was a pretty long walk.

    "Here," giving the snow-white puppy to Old Man Bo, he removed the ck soul jade that seemed tainted by crimson blood from his sleeves and nced at it. He had dyed investigating the jade because of a trace of anxiety. This anxious feeling stemmed from the possibility of seeing his Aunt and Uncle insane, killing left and right without remorse.

    He entered his soul perception into the soul jade and was weed by a brilliant sight of vivid scenes. He could barely describe it, except in a single word: Inhumane.

    So, so much blood.

    After several minutes, he halted his perception and clenched his fist.

    Crush!

    The soul jade was crushed into powder, vanishing with the gust of idle wind. Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes were calm yet a hint of anger could not be concealed. When he observed the events of this soul jade, he saw numerous things. He saw the devilishly bloodshot eyes and decaying skin of the Yan n. He even smelled the blood that seemed to linger within the images, feeling the pulsing beat of the violent heartbeats of the devils as they ripped into others.

    They feasted on pregnant women, the eyes of children, and even scalped young men as trophies. It was horrendously violent. The shrieks of pain, horror, and wails of mercy was heart-rending and mind-crushing. One could only watch as the devils ran rampant, ughtering to their hearts¡¯ content with cold smiles and dark eyes. Their hissing growls lingered endlessly in the heart.

    If he had been a normal person, he would¡¯ve long since lost his stomach and had endless fear emerge in his heart at such scenes.

    "Mas...Master Zai?" Old Man Bo felt the simmering aura within Yan Zaizen¡¯s body slowly rise with every passing second, and even his heart pounded fiercely. He hadn¡¯t observed the soul jade details because of hisck of cultivation, but he knew of the soul jade existence and heard the vivid stories.

    Yan Zaizen deeply inhaled, held this breath, and slowly exhaled. His aura became steady. He only said two words:

    "It¡¯s fake."

    Indeed!

    The soul jade¡¯s images were all faked! The descriptive events, the faces and images were all devised by others. While the people in this image truly were Yan n members that he remembered, so no one could ever say they weren¡¯t those who held the Yan n bloodline or not existed, he still knew it was fake. This was because of two reasons.

    Firstly, his Paragon Soul Realm cultivation base was profoundly high and his soul sense was easily capable of noticing a forgery of soul memories. This was an example of such. It seemed as if it was pulled from the soul of one of the Yan n members, so the scenes were vividly witnessed from their perspective, but there were faint ws within this.

    Secondly, HIS PARENTS!

    HIS GODDAMN PARENTS!

    His eyes shed with vicious violence.

    Whoever devised this soul jade used other¡¯s memories to construct these events, not caring if the Yan n members were dead or not, and had put in the faces of many Yan n members he remembered. Halfway through, he found his mother ripping a young boy in half in the far off distance. Others might not notice her, but how could he not?

    His father was also within the video, but he was a fodder in the background that was killed off by those trying to defend against the devils yet ultimately failed in the end.

    He silently clenched his teeth. They used the faces of his parents to devise these events,beled them as devils and constructed this entire plot to defame the Yan n¡¯s name.

    But why?!

    And for what purpose?

    Also, why the Yan n specifically? They were insignificant. Besides his existence that had long since departed, there was no reason to ce this on the Yan n, at least none that Yan Zaizen could think of. Yet, they went through the trouble of including all the Yan n members imaginable to legitimize this soul jade.

    It baffled him.

    In the end, only one person was needed to get answers. Yan Zaizen lifted his head to the skies. A dark, murderous light flitted across his amber-gold irises.

    The Xiantu Realmlord!!!

 Chapter 421 Meeting Her Again

    A year was a period time that was short for some, long for others. It flitted past the perception like lightning, yet still remained constant on the body. After Yan Zaizen¡¯s confrontation with the Soaring Sword Sect, he was ruthlessly hunted.

    As the self-proimed Yan n Ancestor, the sect and various elite forces who had been influenced by the events in the soul jade had taken his existence seriously. This was especially true when he had seemingly effortlessly killed off an Origin Core expert with nearly a thousand years of experience in the matter of three moves.

    Despite their all-out attempts, they were unable to find even his hair. This wasrgely due to Yan Zaizen¡¯s Soul Cultivation. If he wished to not be discovered by the various perceptions of cultivators, it was a minor matter. He could stand directly before them, but they would be unable to even observe him.

    As time continued to pass, while his Paragon Soul still had a small fraction of a fraction of energy within, it recovered enough to achieve various wonders. Furthermore, his Immortal Herculean Physique continued to advance without pause. Within this year, he had fully entered the Perfection Stage of the Nascent Herculean Physique.

    With this coupled with his Heavenly Dao Seed and Soul Cultivation, he could already be considered the strongest existence on the. Therefore, he didn¡¯t bother engaging without purpose or initiate a senseless ughter. Instead, his mind was focused on the Xiantu Realmlord and another matter.

    This other matter rted to how his n suffered such a fate. Yao Wuhen! She was the Sect Master of the Water Veil Sect of the past and Ya Qinqan¡¯s master. Furthermore, he had left the Yan n her responsibility. As a True Essence Realm cultivator, if she wasn¡¯t killed, then she should still be alive thanks to her lifespan.

    Yan Zaizen had performed a brief, expansive soul scan and found a trace of her aura. While it took a chunk out of his recultivation efforts for his soul, he didn¡¯t hold back in this matter. His footsteps followed that path until he arrived before the border of a territory.

    The Yin Mystic Sect¡¯s Border. His eyes were half-opened as he regarded the formation and arrays used to erect and maintain this defensive existence. The Yin Mystic Sext was one of the Five Great Sects and only epted women, a simr theme to the Water Veil Sect from his young days.

    It seemed there was a faint history between the two, simr to how the Soaring Sword Sect had connections to the Solitary Sword Sect.

    "Master Zai..." Old Man Bo held the snow-white puppy that seemed to have not grown a single inch from a year ago in his arms. He observed the formation before them despite its invisible to the naked eyes state. His qi sense wildly observed.

    His posture, aura, and light within his eyes had changed greatly during this year. He was somewhat slimmer, yet his stature seemedrger than before. His cultivation was no longer at the Qi Cyclone Realm, but had jumped into the peak-Qi Unification Realm.

    Furthermore, his foundation was impable and firm. Yan Zaizen couldn¡¯t bestow him the Dao, but he could use his Dao Energy to rapidly elerate his cultivation. With this, he jumped by leaps and bounds a single day was like a thousand days. In this short period of a year, he was already touching the border of the Origin Core Realm.

    Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t help much for this, believing he should find his Origin Source with his own efforts. That being said, with his faint help offered, it shouldn¡¯t take long for this to be aplished.

    "Let¡¯s go," Yan Zaizen calmly said before walking before the formation¡¯s walls. With utter ease, he casually lifted his hand and pressed it against the barrier. A sh of amber-gold light and vital energies emerged on his fingers.

    Crack!

    Several tiny cracks surfaced on the invisible walls before they became visible and started to rapidly spread. In the matter of moments, the entire barrier was covered in endless cracks and the walls seemed ready to copse with the breath of a small child.

    Yan Zaizen brought Old Man Bo along as they entered the wall, causing the wall to explode into countless fragments of condensed qi and energy, bing a beautiful disy of colors. They didn¡¯t halt after this and continued onwards.

    While they did, countless skyships and figures flew here and there. They were young, middle-aged, or elderly women, but they all were distinctively attractive. Beauties in their own right. Yet, they were continuously moving past the trio.

    Old Man Bo wasn¡¯t shocked by this. He had experienced all sorts of things while serving Yan Zaizen, and this was but a minor matter. Somehow, this Yan n Ancestor in the shape of a seventeen year old youth could evade perception of others.

    They¡¯ve ventured from town to town, city to city, yet despite being hunted by the entirety of Presba, they were never recognized even when others were looking them directly in the face. It was mind-blowing and beyond hisprehension. Moreover, with the rapid rise of his cultivation, his mental realm was expanded.

    Yan Zaizen held nothing back in regards to his achievements, his past, or the grand cultivation world. He learned of the Thirty-Three Heavens, the boundless races beneath the heavens, and the true elites of the world. To think they were merely ants upon a sun.

    It was an astonishing fact that could render many in chaos, but he epted it. Perhaps it was due to Yan Zaizen¡¯s Dao Energy helping refine his body and cultivation base or simply Yan Zaizen¡¯s aura that made it seem as if lying was beneath him, but he epted it.

    After a few hours, Yan Zaizen¡¯s trio arrived at an azure pce surrounded by a veil of water and sitting upon ake. It floated without a foundation, causing endless ripples that were consistently expunged from the bottom of the pce.

    Yan Zaizen noted its glorious design and space that covered at least fifty thousand square feet. It was tall, its highest point nearly reaching a hundred meters in height. Yan Zaizen felt that the formation was quite familiar.

    When he arrived at the edge of theke and its watery veil, he faintly smiled.

    "Mazu Veil Formation," this formation had hindered Yan Zaizen¡¯s arrival before. Long ago, he, Tao, Bai Lin, Lin Qinlin, and Lin Feilin arrived before this formation and met a rather rude reception. In frustration, he destroyed this formation and shed with the Water Veil Sect¡¯s Sect Master, Yao Wuhen, in a glorious exchange.

    With Pinaka in hand, he pierced the world.

    How glorious was that.

    His memories flooded his mind as a smile surfaced on his face. Those days of his youth were exceptional. Then, his life became more and moreplicated yet exciting! It was the moment he helped Ezekiel survive that led to all sorts of events, including Pinaka¡¯s sacrifice for him.

    "Pinaka..." his amber-gold eyes of his never forgot that haughty and empress-like figure that regretted nothing! She stayed with him and was willing to die with him. While she was a byproduct of an iplete path, an existence that wasn¡¯t truly a woman, Yan Zaizen only considered her such.

    Especially...his time on Earth.

    Just as his thoughts were about to descend into an abyss of good memories that may take several days to recover from, he sensed a ripple in the Mazu Veil Formation. His gaze lifted to see a figure approaching from the pce¡¯s entrance.

    The outline was beautiful with delicate curves and astonishing presence. With just that alone, who knew who many men would fall to their knees for this figure. Even Old Man Bo¡¯s eyes widened somewhat, his blood heating up slightly.

    Yan Zaizen waited.

    When the figure finally showed itself, a beautiful woman exuding profound elegance and revealing great beauty apanied by phoenix eyes and sharp features was revealed.

    "I knew you¡¯de," the woman said calmly. Her beautiful eyes lingered on Yan Zaizen for a moment before she waved her hand. The Mazu Veil Formation copsed, opening a passage into the pce. "Come in," was all she said before she turned around, revealing a perfect backside view, before walking towards the entrance.

    Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t hesitate and walked in casually. Two steps behind him, Old Man Bo followed. One of the benefits of being refined by Yan Zaizen¡¯s Dao Energy was an improved mental state, and this meant he would be less affected by the feminine beauties of the world.

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s indifferent eyes shed with a mysterious light. This woman was...

    Lin Feilin!

    His Senior Sister!!

 Chapter 422 The Pas

    Lin Feilin, Sixth Senior Sister.

    This was a name often reminisced within Yan Zaizen¡¯s mind. It was this girl, now a woman, who cleaned his body in that isted cave. When he first stepped onto the path of the strong, she was there.

    Like him, she had been epted by Han Genji as a disciple, and her past was simrly tragic. He didn¡¯t know the full story of her origins, but he knew she regarded Han Genji as an important figure in her life, enough to seek revenge for his death.

    She had joined the Water Veil Sect and was nearly forced to marry. Due to his arrival, he had reimed her fate and even led to her being the disciple of the Water Veil Sect Master. It had transformed her from being a pawn to bing a future expert of Presba.

    He hadn¡¯t thought that he would meet her. This was because, when he used his expansive yet taxing soul search, he hadn¡¯t found a hint of her aura. Observing her now, he knew why.

    It might¡¯ve been minor, but her physical and soul presence had undergone a shift. This shift made her seem like an entirely different person. Furthermore, she had traces of Yao Wuhen aura on her. This was such an irregrity that he still hadn¡¯t deduced the cause despite her being directly before him.

    As he entered the pce, his eyes were honed on the back figure of Lin Feilin. Her earlier words seemed as if she knew that he would return her, to find her or more urately, find Yao Wuhen who she had the aura of.

    They entered the glorious and luxurious pce that emanated traces of serene and rippling aura. He nced for a moment, but ignored all the other special characteristics of this pce. In truth, it wasn¡¯t worthy to be given an in-depth look.

    Instead, they arrived at a central living room, well-furnished, and decorative. He didn¡¯t waste a second as he found himself afy chair, seating in it while regarding the woman before him.

    Only then did she turn, allowing him to fully grasp her intrinsic qualities and beautiful features. The once young girl at the springtime of her youth that transformed into an adult beauty with a sharpness and experienced gaze. Her well-proportioned figure, voluptuous and firm, with delicate curves and long, river-like flowing hair.

    She seemed like an immortal fairy queen who descended into the mortal world. Those eyes that were calm yet bright left a drawing allure that could barely be resisted.

    "Sixth Senior Sister..." Yan Zaizen calmly said. The eyes of this woman before him trembled slightly as she focused her eyes on Yan Zaizen¡¯s seating figure.

    "You look the same as before," a tinge of emotion leaked out of her voice as she spoke. Yan Zaizen¡¯s newly formed body had barely any physical differences to his original body. In fact, they could be regarded as twins. The only difference was aura.

    While Yan Zaizen¡¯s original body contained an aura that was unparalleled and resembling a sovereign of the world, his new body had a more resemnce to the personification of the unshakeable watcher of heaven and earth. His strong physical presence that wasn¡¯t hindered by Qi Cultivation and Heavenly Dao Seed highlighted this.

    "You look even better than before," a slight smile surfaced on his face. It was warm and held his earnest emotions of happiness. At the moment, he didn¡¯t know of his Sixth Senior Sister¡¯s circumstance or if she was truly his Sixth Senior Sister.

    The beauty before him brushed a strand of loose hair away, tucking it behind her ear as she sighed. "Thousands of years..." her words were flowing withplex emotions.

    Yan Zaizen just quietly watched. Old Man Bo held the snow-white puppy and stood behind him like a quiet servant. He was merely a listener.

    After a period of long extended silence, the beauty¡¯s eyes shed a determined and firm light. "Yao Wuhen was killed."

    "..." Yan Zaizen remained silent.

    She continued, "She was murdered by the Xiantu Empire. When she died, I was captured by the Imperial n of Presba. They...I survived and killed those responsible. She left a treasure, a safety in an attempt to revive. She used me as the target for her resurrection, but she inevitably failed.

    "I took over the Water Veil Sect after. I changed its name and controlled it from the background while remaining in hiding." As she spoke, she went into detail of what had happened.

    Supposedly, her capture was once more a matter of marriage, and one of the Princes wanted to im her as a concubine, but she refused. Therefore, she was kept in captivity. While she didn¡¯t go into how she escaped, the fact that she was here right now proved she did.

    Furthermore, her Master, Yao Wuhen, was killed by the Xiantu Empire. As for why, she didn¡¯t know. All she knew was that she had a treasured item that stored a portion of her Soul and Origin Source, and tried to use Lin Feilin as a medium. Ultimately, she failed.

    This was why Lin Feilin had a different soul aura and intrinsic soul signature than others. This included Yao Wuhen¡¯s aura. Yan Zaizen knew that resurrection was a possibility, and there were a myriad of ways to achieve it.

    Firstly, Wu Yuanxu had revived thanks to interlinked but duplicate soul. Ezekiel had been consumed and refined entirely by the ck Hole, yet he survived due to a miraculous item found in the Heavenly Origin Grounds. The Laws of Life, Death, Soul, Rebirth, and Samsara were boundless and profound. Yan Zaizen¡¯s original body could easily revive an existence who held even a tiny fragment of their soul.

    He didn¡¯t question the validity of her words. In fact, he only listened as he formted his own thoughts.

    In the end, he finally asked: "The Yan n?"

    The beauty that was both Lin Feilin yet changed at the fundamental level gently inhaled and exhaled. This was the question that she didn¡¯t want to answer the most. She began to exin, and as she did, Yan Zaizen¡¯s indifferent, immovable eyes started to tremble.

    The story went as such:

    The Yan n was housed and protected by the Water Veil Sect, and they somehow started to grow. In the past, Yan Zaizen had left them a cache of resources that sparked their growth. Unfortunately, the Yan n¡¯s bloodline gated their progress, until a genius emerged. His mastery was incredible, considered and termed the Master of a Thousand Arts.

    He could, with a glimpse, copy and execute any art if any element with anyw. He had awakened the Imperial Law of Mimicry Bloodline within their Origin Source, gaining world-wide recognition.

    However, his strength was apanied by heaven-shaking ambition as he ushered the Yan n into a glorious age. Their unique bloodline was made known soon after due to him awakening it in others, creating a n of astonishing warriors. These warriors could cultivate any cultivation method, even men could cultivate Yin Methods limited to women.

    They rose and tackled the Imperial n. In the end, they won. The remnants of the Imperial n seeked refuge in the arms of other powers, barely surviving. These survivors were the ancestors of the current Imperial n.

    After they took over Presba, they overreached. The astonishingly powerful genius and leader of the Yan n ventured out into the greater world.

    This was where her knowledge had mostly ceased, bing incredibly vague. That genius had instigated a disaster, and the Xiantu Emperor at the time had dered him a criminal of the highest order. He was hunted and said to have been subsequently killed.

    Later, the Yan n was revealed to be bloodthirsty demons hell-bent on annihting all life, and most of Presba was wiped out in a very short period of time. The Xiantu Emperor descended with his exalted forces and eradicated these demons before they spread,ter releasing evidence and determining history.

    However, what caused Yan Zaizen to feel disturbed was a single fact.

    At that time, the Xiantu Emperor had been newly crowned. It was someone who he was familiar with. A person he had thought of recently quite often.

    The new Xiantu Emperor that led the eradication of his n was...

    Shin Xuanji!!!

    His Eighth Senior Brother, and the first to receive his Bestowed Dao!

 Chapter 423 Emotions Revealed

    "How? Why?!" Yan Zaizen was visibly shaken. He had many scenarios, such as the Xiantu Emperor of his time getting revenge, or Ya Qinqan¡¯s malicious desires after her ascension. There were many, many other ideas and assumptions he had as to the reasoning or culprit, but to think it was Shin Xuanji.

    Shin Xuanji...

    When he first met this youth, that would be his Eighth Senior Brother, it was apanied by an earnest smile. Later, he learned of his dark history. His n, the Yan n, had eradicated his own. His revenge drove him to wish to annihte the Yan n, cultivating for that purpose.

    This invigorated his existence. It drove him, but he was sentimental and reasonable at heart. When he learned that Yan Zaizen was a member of the n, ignorant of his n¡¯s actions, he gave Han Genji, his savior, face and did not harm him.

    His future became somewhat bleak after this. Yan Zaizen had found Shin Xuanji in a prison cell after being captured and tortured by the Soaring Cloud Sect. He gave him another chance which he epted in the end.

    Their story didn¡¯t end there, as his newfound life drove him to take ce in the Xiantu Dao Trials. There, Yan Zaizen had bestowed his Dao to him. He was outstanding, possessing a family and purpose in life outside of his n. Theplexities between their interaction and history wasn¡¯t even that simple.

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s palm trembled. This wasn¡¯t a physiological reaction based on the news, but a reflection of his Heavenly Dao Seed trembling. He was merciless, can be kind or cruel, and held the utmost belief in himself, but to hear that his Chosen, the one he bestowed his Dao to had eradicated his n, how could he not be shaken?

    Lin Feilin¡¯s expression was indeterminate. To her, this was obviously an unfortunate event, and she felt that she had failed Yan Zaizen, Shin Xuanji, and Han Genji by not halting this tragedy. She held no right to console Yan Zaizen or ask for forgiveness.

    This didn¡¯t just stem from her own soul, but the traces of souls that remained in her own of Yao Wuhen. Therefore, they stayed quiet as they soaked up their emotions.

    "Huuu! Haaa!" Yan Zaizen inhaled and exhaled a breath of turbid air, clearing the obstruction in his chest. His amber-gold eyes regained their steadiness, revealing a light of serenity. "There¡¯s still a few questions I have, but for now, all of that can wait."

    He knew that Lin Feilin¡¯s own knowledge of the incident and reasons were blurry and vague. The eradication of his n, the subsequent mass condemnation of his n, and the aforementioned ascension of Shin Xuanji as the Xiantu Emperor.

    These were facts, but the reasoning behind them was still unclear. In fact, upon thinking, he didn¡¯t feel anger or rage if it was Shin Xuanji. That was because if he still retained his Dao, using it to cultivate the Heavenly Path, then he believed that his n¡¯s demise and ill-fated historical condemnation was warranted.

    As someone who forged his Dao from his most inner self, he understood it the most. Furthermore, he epted it. He wasn¡¯t petty, a mass murderer, or too indulged in the concept of power in any form. His own actions were mostly reactive to the actions of others.

    His amber-gold eyes that had retained that look of indifference softened, looking at this beautiful woman before him. A surge of warmth entered his heart as he recalled their lives. A bright smile emerged on his face. "Sixth Senior Sister, how about we catch up? I¡¯ve missed you."

    He rose from his seat. He no longer held his suspicions to her identity. With his Paragon Soul Realm¡¯s perception, how could he not deduce the truth in her words and the emotions they entailed? Before, he was uncertain if this beauty was his Sixth Senior Sister Lin Feilin, so he remained distant. Now, his endless warmth revealed itself.

    Lin Feilin was startled. She felt guilt and negative emotions, but when she looked at Yan Zaizen¡¯s handsome smile and bright eyes, her heart that had been washed with those emotions were cleared up and jubnt. It was infectious.

    Yan Zaizen walked forward, without any hint of hesitation, he wrapped his arms around her in a tight hug.

    "I..." her eyes bulged slightly. From the shock that rippled in her eyes, she was clearly caught off-guard. Since the incident of her capture, subsequent torture, and escape, she had never had physical contact with a male. However, those muscr arms that flowed with radiant warmth and the strong beating heart within Yan Zaizen¡¯s chest, pounding into her own, had caused her to not react in the usually violent manner.

    "I really missed you," Yan Zaizen whispered into her ear. His heart was filled with happiness. Happiness that she was alive. He had only a few people in his life that he regarded with any importance, each more important to him than an entire heaven worth of lives. She, Lin Feilin, was the first person in his life, besides his parents, that he cared for.

    Ya Qinqan was merely a childish infatuation. There was nothing but attraction and hormones. However, this Senior Sister had instilled in him the very seeds of his Dao.

    He recalled her words: ""You may be trash now, but that doesn¡¯t mean it¡¯ll remain that way. For those without talent, they must struggle to thrive. For those without fate on their side, they must grasp fate for themselves. Work hard."

    Since then, when hadn¡¯t he worked hard? He cultivated for thousands of years in chaotic space, ventured out into the grander world to grasp his own fate. He was weak, as weak as a tiny insect in a grand forest, but with persistence and determination, did he not y gods?!

    Did he not create his own world?

    Did he not find happiness in love?

    This hug between them that took thousands of years to perform was symbolic, a form of bond that could never be shattered.

    Lin Feilin felt her taut emotions, the stress of all her adventures and tragedies fall away.

    Yan Zaizen felt wetness on his cheeks and shoulders. Shocked, he turned to see a beauty, her eyes flowing with tears and her hands grasping the clothing of his back, unwilling to let him go. A silent cry, but what truly shocked him was...

    While she cried, while her tears flowed, she smiled.

    "It¡¯s been hard." Yan Zaizen said, causing that beautiful face to bury itself into his neck. He held her tighter.

    The snow-white puppy in Old Man Bo¡¯s arms let out a cooing whimper, its pure eyes shining with an untainted radiance. It was particrly cute, opening its tiny mouth a little, but then shutting it once more. Old Man Bo abruptly shook, as if he came to understand something he hadn¡¯t before, and quietly retreated. He left the fellow disciples together as they began to reminisce.

    Yan Zaizen held Lin Feilin for as long as she wanted. Whether it was a few more seconds, a few more minutes, or even for several days, he didn¡¯t let go.

 Chapter 424 Catching Up

    Yan Zaizen and Lin Feilin sat beside each other on a half-cut oak tree trunk, their thighs barely touched. There was a crystal clear pond with jet ck and white koi fishes. They danced elegantly within the water, mesmerizing to the eye.

    "You are what?!" Lin Feilin¡¯s voice resounded with a hefty dose of shock and disbelief. Her expression was colorful, the hand he used grasped Yan Zaizen¡¯s tightened.

    Yan Zaizen chuckled with a lighthearted air, "It¡¯s only temporary." His words came off with a casual and calm wave, causing Lin Feilin to naturally calm her own heart. However, her expression hadn¡¯t removed the color of shock.

    "So, this is a clone of your true body? You¡¯re actually trapped in the Deep Mines in Grux? That horrendously mysterious ce..." Due to her current status and experience in thesest few thousands of years, she had quite a bit of knowledge regarding the various countries, and evens in the Xiantu Realm.

    Therefore, she spoke with a tinge of fear when she mentioned the Deep Mines. She had heard that it was a ce that ves were sent to die, irredeemable peasants and criminals were brought there in droves. In Grux, their society was based around the concept of very.

    They were a very resource rich society that was hard to obtain, and so the government and royal family leaned towards the darker side ofbor. It was a disgusting world, but when the alternative was attempted, a free society, the country nearly copsed in civil war and human opportunistic and chaotic greed.

    For the country of Grux, very wasn¡¯t an ill aspect but a necessity due to its immense poption. This was a time-proven fact, no matter how reluctant others were to ept it.

    Yan Zaizen had experienced the cruelty of being a ve, but even he understood how the concept functioned in the grander world, especially one where strength required resources and bloodlines. A world where the strong ate the weak. While Grux was an isted matter, with its resource rich areas and heavy poption, there existed other circumstances where it was needed.

    Yan Zaizenforted Lin Feilin, "It won¡¯t be long before I free myself." While those words were said with the utmost confidence, Yan Zaizen still reminded himself of his deadline. Pinaka was given an additional hundred years in Hell, protected and safe. If he waste by a single microsecond, he didn¡¯t dare to think of the consequences.

    However, his Dao was firm. He had the extreme belief in himself and trust in his abilities. If he didn¡¯t, he¡¯ll find a way.

    He had to.

    "So what now?" Lin Feilin asked. Yan Zaizen had returned, but his body was trapped and this one was weaker, slowly cultivating with the goal of saving his original body. She wasn¡¯t worried that Yan Zaizen couldn¡¯t aplish it, but what he would do after. He had left before for thousands of years, and her heart didn¡¯t wish for him to depart. Even though she might never admit it outloud.

    "For now, I¡¯ll cultivate until I can venture to the Xiantu Emperor¡¯s Pce. I¡¯m curious about Senior Brother Xuan¡¯s choice." When he spoke, not a hint of malice or aggression was in his eyes. There was only a sh of curiosity.

    Lin Feilin had originally been worried that the two would sh and fight, but witnessing Yan Zaizen¡¯s calm made her realize that he wasn¡¯t angry. Instead, he held earnest curiosity as to his choice. In truth, she wanted to know as well.

    They sat together, continuing to talk about all sorts of things such as the past and their experiences. Yan Zaizen recounted his life after he departed the Xiantu Realm, causing Lin Feilin¡¯s beautiful jaw to drop and her pretty eyes to widen. The disbelief and shock was continuous and everflowing. Despite that, she never grew numb, just more interested.

    She didn¡¯t know if what Yan Zaizen said was exaggerations, but nevertheless, they were interesting and breathtaking to hear about. He traveled to a world of water, dueled its master to the death, entered the vast emptiness of the expansive darkness and saw creatures asrge ass and as scary as descendants of hell, and traveled through different heavens meeting all sorts of people.

    She was even delighted to hear that she had a few martial nieces and nephews, the disciples that Yan Zaizen had picked up along the way. She wanted to meet them. For hours, her smile only became more colorful and brilliant. At times, worry shed through her eyes as Yan Zaizen described his tough battles and encounters.

    The fearlessness he possessed in his heart facing an absolute being that¡¯s strength was unfathomable. When he faced gods with nothing but his fist and soul, shing heroically!

    The day came and the night went. They stayed at theke, sometimes sitting, sometimes walking at the edge, and simply talked.

    Lin Feilin had told him about her own life, but it wasn¡¯t as nearly as awesome and grand as Yan Zaizen¡¯s. After he left, she cultivated diligently and made a name for herself within Presba, entering the path of the elite. Her momentum was unstoppable, but with talent and beauty came attention. After she was kidnapped, her master killed, she used a slight window to escape and was nearly possessed.

    Luckily, she survived with herself intact, just a bit of her master, Yao Wuhen, remained. She used those memories and identity to be a new existence, hiding while developing the Mystic Yin Sect in the background. Her ambition, or Yao Wuhen¡¯s, had only strengthened her desire to form a powerful force.

    Outside of the asional interactions and events, she didn¡¯t have any major events after. It was just unfortunate that Shin Xuanji had acted, turning the Yan n into devils reviled by the majority, and hunted by the strong.

    At the end, they felt that their recollection had once more linked up their fates. A tinge of excitement in both of their eyes and hearts. For Yan Zaizen, his past struggles had caused him to feel isted and alone, but this enabled him to understand once more that home is where your family is.

    Lin Feilin was his family.

    As for Lin Feilin, earlier she had cried out all her pent-up emotions, and Yan Zaizen¡¯s presence brought rity to her sense of self.

    Several days passed since that day of reminisce and bonding. Yan Zaizen was petting the snow-white puppy, while Lin Feilin and Old Man Bo were cultivating. He was guiding them on their cultivations.

    He was shocked to realize that Lin Feilin had reached the peak-True Essence Realm. Even herprehension of Laws were strong, with her World Law of Water rising to the minor-Manifestation level. She merelycked a Dao to act as a cohesive and the materials to build her Heavenly Shrine and ultimately step into the Heavenly Path.

    She had collected enough materials for her Heavenly Shrine, but stillcked the Dao and Heavenly Law Liquid. If she did, she could construct the First Floor of her Heavenly Shrine immediately. Unfortunately, Yan Zaizen couldn¡¯t give her his Dao with its current seed state. Therefore, he had to find other alternatives.

    In fact, Yan Zaizen simrlycked materials. He needed Heavenly Law Liquid to advance to the second level of the Immortal Herculean Physique, merging the Regalia of Mimicry into his body. He didn¡¯t know what changes that would take with his body, but he was expectant.

    This problem was now the only issue that limited his progression. It was truly a shame that he still hadn¡¯t recovered his Paragon Soul Realm cultivation enough to ess the Source Ring and its contents. The content of which belonged to a Crown Prince of a power that had a Heavenly Creation Realm Emperor.

    If he could obtain just one percent of its resources, his cultivation could not be stopped.

    His eyes shed with amber-gold light. A faint smile emerged on his lips. It was cunning with a tinge of deviousness. "It¡¯s time to go to the Xiantu Continent." His words were calm, yet it awoke Lin Feilin and Old Man Bo from their meditation.

    "Xiantu Continent?" Lin Feilin¡¯s heart jumped. The current continent they resided in was the Fallen Stars Continent. The Xiantu Continent was the mainndmass of this realm and the location of the Xiantu Empire. When her thoughts reached here, her eyes radiated uncertainty.

    "You¡¯re...going to...?" Her words slipped out with hesitation abundant, causing the words to pause at her throat.

    "Haha!" Yan Zaizenughed, his eyes reflected a sea of red. "I feel like taking a stroll through the desert."

 Chapter 425 Returning to the Red Sea

    It was time to leave. These were the words Lin Feilin had told him when he informed her of his intentions. She decided to leave the Mystic Yin Sect, departing with Yan Zaizen, and exploring the world beside him. She had lived in a small world for too long.

    While that was one reason, another was that Yan Zaizen and Shin Xuanji would definitely meet. She prayed that they wouldn¡¯t descend into a destructive fallout. Even though Yan Zaizen hadforted and assured her that he wouldn¡¯t take action based on spontaneous emotions, how could she rx?

    Therefore, she would not dare to linger behind.

    Yan Zaizen was more than happy to have here along. Moreover, when he regained his Soul Cultivation, he could correct the inconsistencies in her soul aura, segregating Yao Wuhen from her.

    They soon left as a four-man group, if the snow-white puppy was included.

    Lin Feilin hadn¡¯t wasted the thousands of years that had passed doing absolutely nothing. She had a skyship. It reminded him of his old skyship, but it was a tad bitrger and colored cerulean, like the boundless ocean with the faint shine of sunlight, highlighting its morous aura.

    With his hand on his chin, one hand behind his back, he put on a dignified expression and said: "Good, good, good ship!" Heplimented it constantly, roaming its deck and rooms with eyes of sharp inspection. Lin Feilin followed, her eyes somewhat nervous when she saw Yan Zaizen checking out her core vehicle. For some unknown reason, she wanted everything to be satisfactory, so when Yan Zaizen gave his evaluation, a surge of relief and excitement entered her heart and eyes.

    She was particrly cute, causing Yan Zaizen to keep his expression as he turned to her. With three nods, he said: "Good, good, good girl!"

    Lin Feilin immediately blushed, bing shy at Yan Zaizen¡¯s piercing gaze and words. As a beauty already, her shy appearance only highlighted her looks and could invoke all sorts of emotions within men.

    Yan Zaizenughed. Teasing Lin Feilin was fun.

    After this brief interlude, they departed into the skies. The world became their road as they zed through the skies with zero impediments. The skyship had capabilities where even True Essence Realm cultivators would find it difficult to catch. Furthermore, the offensive formations were impressive, capable of eradicating Origin Core Realm experts with ease.

    At the speed they were traveling, they arrived at their destination in three days.

    The capital of Presba, Star Night Royal City!

    Numerous years ago, Yan Zaizen had arrived here with Tao and Bai Lufeng and used their teleportation formation to leave the Fallen Stars Continent and arrive at the Xiantu Continent. It was the start of his adventure into the Heavenly Path. It marked a huge shift in his life.

    There were also other incidents. When he arrived, he met a guard who decided to frame him for the defiling of the Princess. He had squashed the royal elites in the Asura Phantom Realm, revealing that, if he had actually done the deed, he had no reason to deny it. In fact, he would do it openly.

    That was when heprehended what it meant when people said that might makes right. Even if he hadmitted the act, they could do nothing but ept that it wasn¡¯t him. He had therger fist, therefore his words carried the truth. This was one of the fundamental basis of the cultivation world.

    While he tried to not indulge in that lifestyle, it had always followed him.

    Due to this incident, he found his Ancestor¡¯s Regalia of the Heavens, harnessing the Imperial Law of Mimicry within. To be honest, even now, he found it to be an incredible coincidence that the person would impersonate him out of all people.

    Maybe fate did exist.

    Regardless, their arrival this time didn¡¯te with oundish schemes. They stored the skyship, paid the entrance fee, and entered Star Night Royal City.

    Yan Zaizen was briefly taken aback, as he found himself shocked by what he saw. The streets, buildings,mpposts, and even the poption within the city were nearly the exact same as before.

    Lin Feilin exined, "During the...incident, the Capital Was nearly razedpletely to the ground. The Imperial n retained its ruling rights and rebuilt everything as it once was. They want to relive their former glory, and so they constantly carry out maintenance." At the end, she scoffed slightly. A twitch at the side of her delicate nose and lips betrayed the disgust she felt towards

    Ah.

    In that case, its been over a thousand years since then. If so, then it made sense that the buildings seemed both old and newer than the ones he saw before. The buildings he saw in the past weren¡¯t present for as long as these have, but the ones now had no cracks or imperfections, as if they were newly built.

    Yan Zaizen took a nce and directly ignored everything else. They walked to the teleportation tform. Even this was the same as before. These people were incredibly urate in their reconstruction.

    "What?" Lin Feilin was startled when she realized that, besides the guards that had epted their payment, no one else even noticed their existence. In fact, the citizens would act as if they didn¡¯t even exist. This was a terrifying thing to realize, nearly causing her to smack into someone in disbelief.

    However, that person didn¡¯t react to her presence. They just moved out of the way, not interacting or looking at her in the slightest. No, they were looking in her direction, but it was as if they were peering through her instead.

    "Is this how the ¡¯look at someone as if they were dead¡¯ actually looks like?¡¯ Lin Feilin started to panic somewhat.

    Yan Zaizen immediately had to exin, ridding her of her unease. He was radiating a faint soul to conceal their presence from registering in people¡¯s Soul mes. It was as she had thought, they couldn¡¯t actually register them, but they were ¡¯aware¡¯ of them. They couldn¡¯t remember or ce them, and even if they did interact, those people wouldn¡¯t remember their interaction.

    He had used this little trick to avoid detection and the scouring of elites trying to find him, ridding himself of any troubles. In fact, when Lin Feilin asked what he meant, he pointed towards one of the za boards beside the Teleportation tform.

    There he was, his devilishly handsome mug was drawn and posted on the board. Beneath it was an outrageous reward for information and an even greater reward for his capture or death.

    Lin Feilin had been cultivating for far too long in seclusion, unaware of this hunt going on for Yan Zaizen. Fortunately, she reacted calmly, especially since Yan Zaizen had effortlessly executed a workaround.

    Of course, what she didn¡¯t know, was that this aura was only effective against those without a certain degree of soul cultivation. Luckily, Soul Cultivation, specifically the Soul Source Path, was an unpopr path before and now.

    They walked onto the tform.

    "Let¡¯s go!" Yan Zaizen smiled. Lin Feilin was confused. Didn¡¯t they need to wait for a certain date to use the tform, otherwise it¡¯ll be inactive?

    Zoom!

    Just as she thought this, the spatial tform activated. Her pretty gaze shifted, noticing a middle-aged man had already executed the procedure to activate the tform. His eyes were listless and unfocused, as if he was being controlled.

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s smile never faded. The Soul Source Path was centered around excavating the soul¡¯s innate potential and then transforming it. It had the ability to interact with other souls as well, influencing them, or even invading others. It wasn¡¯t only the Heavenly World Law of Soul that could bewitch others. Yan Zaizen was quite adept at it.

    The snow-white puppy jumped out of Old Man Bo¡¯s arms and into Lin Feilin. She was shocked as she held it. It revealed its pure ck eyes and seemed to be asking for permission to remain, a hint of fear within. It was as if it was scared by the noise and sought proper protection.

    Lin Feilin was immediately defeated by its charms as it hugged the snow-white into her bosom. They were encapsted by spatial energy.

    Yan Zaizen turned to see the snow-white puppy snuggling the two mounds of prideful, alluring flesh with a pleased smile. His left eye twitched, a hint of envy in his eyes. Such a smart puppy!

    Before he could give up a thumbs-up that originated from his heart, they were shot through the spatial void and left the city, Presba, and the Fallen Stars Continent.

    A silver beam of coruscating light prated the sky of the Xiantu Continent and violently entered deep into a sea of red sand. The red sand was disintegrated by the beam of light, clearing the area to reveal a white tform radiating faint silver light. This was the spatial tform located in the Dead Soul Desert!

    Yan Zaizen immediately gathered his bearings.

    His return to the peak and n to save his original body truly starts here!

 Chapter 426 The Truth of the Dead Soul Sea

    Thousands of years ago, Yan Zaizen had arrived here with the same method, transported by a spatial tform¡¯s formation, beamed into the grander world that was beyond the Fallen Stars Continent. He was nothing but a youth, wet behind the ears seeking adventure after a period of misery.

    At that time, he had Tao and Bai Lufeng by his side. When he felt the seismic activity of the world shift the red sand beneath his feet ever so slightly, he recalled all those memories.

    He couldn¡¯t resist squatting down, his hand digging through the red sand and feeling its soul properties. The Dead Soul Desert. It was a sea of red sand, as far as the mortal eye could see.

    "This is...?" Old Man Bo had a slightly gaped mouth as he looked around, astounded by this new sight. While he had heard ounts of Yan Zaizen¡¯s adventures and what this world had to offer, he hadn¡¯t been there, seen it, so it felt so distant and intangible. But, this sea of red sand that seemed to attract his very soul was here, it was real.

    "The Dead Soul Sea," Yan Zaizen said, answering the thought in Old Man Bo¡¯s mind. "This Red Sand has a unique trait: It can absorb soul energy and slowly refine it. As the soul seeped into the sand, the turbidity is removed and one¡¯s sense of self bes clearer." Yan Zaizen faintly smiled. When he first heard Wu Yuanxu mention that the Anima Syndicate used it to help enlightenment, he hadn¡¯tpletely understood how, but now that he was here, he felt the truth immediately.

    "Ah," Old Man Bo felt traces of his soul energy deplete, seeping into the red sand as if it was returning to its origin. Of course, it was minute.

    Lin Feilin had already known of the Dead Soul Sea, and had even visited several times in her lifetime. Yet with each arrival, she was still bewildered as to how this red sand worked. The oddity that bewildered many was that if one collected the red sand and left this specific location, all of its special properties would vanish.

    Yan Zaizen closed his eyes as he felt the Dead Soul Sea. It was like an ever-inhaling giant, sucking in the air, but instead of air, it sucked in soul energy.

    "The Dead Soul Sea..." he felt more and more connected with the characteristics of the red sand. After several minutes, he finally stood up and brushed his hands together, ridding himself of the loose sand. "This area isn¡¯t special, but beneath it is a very special existence."

    "Special existence?" Both Lin Feilin and Old Man Bo looked at him in curiosity. Even the snow-white puppy tilted its head in question, making a small sound with its throat.

    Yan Zaizen merely nodded, his gaze on the horizon. "When I originally arrived here, I was ignorant of many things. I felt the world was filled with endless mysteries, wondrous and eternal. However, the Dead Soul Sea¡¯s name is not for show."

    "...?" Old Man Bo was still somewhat confused.

    However, Lin Feilin¡¯s pupils shook as her head snapped downwards. With a slight quivering to her voice, "You mean that?!" Her rapid movements and excitement caused the snow-white puppy to nuzzle deeper into her bosom, a contentful smile as heid upon those soft mounds of flesh.

    Yan Zaizen nodded, "There¡¯s a Dead Soul here."

    "What¡¯s a Dead Soul? And how can a soul even be dead? Wouldn¡¯t it move on?" Old Man Bo still hadn¡¯t understood many things in this world, so he asked.

    "A Dead Soul isn¡¯t unlike a living soul. Yours or mine. In fact, there were only two differences, theck of a Soul me and corrupted soulforce." Thes soul wasposed of all sorts of incredible things, but two most crucial aspects of the soul were its soulforce and Soul me. Soulforce was the vital counterpart of lifeforce, and it was how souls could outlive their fleshy bodies. When one¡¯s soulforce dissipated, their soul would just vanish.

    As heprehended the World Law of the Soul, he had grasped this crucial information, and soulforce dissipation meant the inability to enter Hell and reincarnate. It was the truest end of self. However, soulforce dissipation was nearly impossible to aplish or ur.

    Usually, the soul would rapidly weaken after bodily death, after losing its container, and return to its origins via a unique method. Yan Zaizen couldn¡¯t cause true death until he reached the level that could rival the Heavens.

    Not many could aplish this feat. As for how to corrupt it, there were numerous things that needed to ur for it to happen, and it had to do with the Hell Altar of the Infernal Path. The Infernal Path followed the cultivation of the soul.

    A corrupted soulforce generally meant Immortality. Yes, Immortality in the truest sense. However, with evesting traits came a weakness. It required an enormous amount of soul energy to maintain one¡¯s state of existence.

    After he exined this to the two, Lin Feilin¡¯s breathing sped up. "An Infernal Deity is actually beneath us?!" There was a tinge of fear in her eyes. She had read all sorts of records and was rtively knowledgeable despite her cultivation base.

    An Infernal Deity was an existence simr to a Heavenly Commander. An expert who forged their Seventh Stage of their Hell Altar. They were supreme existences, and only Heavenly Creation Realm experts could even hope to contend with them.

    Yan Zaizen was somewhat shocked about the extent of Lin Feilin¡¯s knowledge. He nodded.

    "I can¡¯t rely on just the Herculean Path to reim my body. It might not be enough. I must have a contingency if it doesn¡¯t work." Yan Zaizen calmly exined, his amber-gold eyes peering into the ground. That was right, he fully intended to cultivate the Infernal Path!

    While normally, the Infernal Path required a Soul Regalia of the Heavens, he would have to substitute his Paragon Soul Realm andprehension of the Soul Source Path. It wasn¡¯t likely that his soul could recover with the meagre resources of this continent or realm.

    To put it simply, a strand of his soul power at its peak could obliterate the entire Xiantu Realm and its countless beings in the matter of seconds. If he wanted to recover a strand, the soul resources here weren¡¯t enough. Perhaps the Source Ring wouldn¡¯t contain enough resources to rise.

    Furthermore, as his soul was far too powerful, he would require too much time to restore his soul energy. Therefore, he had to form an easier, quicker way to cultivate another form of energy that may or may not work against the Deep Mine¡¯s mysterious force.

    "...The Infernal Path, it¡¯s ouwed, right?" Lin Feilin asked, the fear not abating within her heart. Instead, it continued to gradually increase.

    Yan Zaizen truly was startled by Lin Feilin¡¯s knowledge. Indeed, the Infernal Path was ouwed. And, it wasn¡¯t just in the 27th Heaven. It was all thirty-three heavens, unanimously ouwed by the in-seat Heavenly God. It was that abhorred.

    This had to do with the Infernal Path¡¯s means, methods, origins, andstly: Threat! Yes, threat! Those that could reach the Infernal Path had to have an outstanding foundation into the soul, and for Heavenly Cultivators, their souls were their weakest parts.

    If it was freely cultivated, a true expert could topple them and im their throne. And this was because of the peak-Sovereign Soul Conceptual Law requirement that it needed and surprisingly, it was also one of the requirements for iming the Heavenly God¡¯s title.

    p!

    Yan Zaizen smacked his hands together, causing Lin Feilin to start. "Normally, I¡¯d avoid it cultivating this path as its not all beneficial. However, I don¡¯t have a choice now. Furthermore, I have my way around the Heavenly Restriction enforced." The Herculean Path was simrly ouwed, and now that he had the Heavenly Dao Seed, he could absorb or avoid any threat.

    With this handled, he had made ample preparations.

    As for the materials for his Infernal Hell Altar?

    He grinned as he looked at the endless red sea of sand.

    Wasn¡¯t he standing on it?

 Chapter 427 Cells of the Soul

    The Dead Soul Sea was a desert of red sand. Beneath this red sand was a Dead Soul, siphoning the soul energies of living creatures to fuel their perpetual state of Immortality. If the existence had to resort to such passive means to absorb and refine soul energies, then it meant it was too far gone and relying solely on instincts while in hibernation.

    While that was a fancy way to put it, in truth, it was essentially brain dead. A Dead Soul, despite being an Infernal Deity, had lost their Soul me, recing it with another medium, typically a Hell Altar of the Infernal Path, allowing one to be an Infernal Forger.

    If the Hell Altar went missing or was destroyed, then their pseudo-Soul me would essentially dissipate. A normal human would enter a true vegetative state of being between the living and dead. They couldn¡¯t conceive a personality, process or possess memories, or even hold thoughts. Despite that, their soul, mind, and physical body(If they had one) could still remain healthy.

    From his estimation, Yan Zaizen knew this Dead Soul held true to its name, and was a true Dead Soul. Likely, they had been here since the formation of the Xiantu Realm or when it was recently conceived. Perhaps this continent was the location it hoped to rest and recover until an incident urred, or an entirely different reason.

    Regardless, his means to elongate his life through the Dead Soul¡¯s immortality was this red sand.

    "What is this sand exactly?" Lin Feilin asked, her voice still effused shock and an ufortable tinge knowing that a Dead Soul and an Infernal Deity was beneath them. In fact, she unconsciously used her true essence to lift her away from the sand, unwilling toe in contact with it.

    "This? Oh, just the cells of the Infernal Deity." He said with a wide smile and chuckle.

    "Ah!" Lin Feilin eximed, lifting herself higher as a result. Her gaze focused below, unable toprehend how these fine particles of sand were cells of an Infernal Deity. She asked with a quivering voice, "H-How?"

    Yan Zaizen inspected the red sand, looking here and there while walking a few feet forward and then to the left. He slid his feet across the red sand, pushing a little away. "The Infernal Deity was an Asura. While it¡¯s not the same, the Heavenly Path¡¯s World Law of the Soul has a unique conceptualw called the Cells of True Soul Law.

    "It¡¯s quite interesting. When I had gained knowledge of it, albeit only a glimpse, I learned that the difference between the living body and soul had very little differences. In fact, they were nearly identical in construction and design. Except a few details, like one being purely spiritual and the other being physical.

    "As a Herculean, I can not only create an avatar, but expand my form thanks to the physical energies in my body. With the Fiendgod Path, one that focused purely on physical energies, a drop of blood from a high-level figure could drown a minor." He tried to exin, but after reaching this point, he halted. The next bit of detail was tooplicated to simply put in words.

    Instead, he lifted his right palm and used his nail from his left hand to slice across it. A fine cut was performed, followed by a drop of blood exiting. It was crimson with a tinge of golden. This was the influence of his Heavenly Dao Seed on his physical body. He had used it to elerate his cultivation and this was one of its side effects.

    The glorious drop of blood appeared and space itself started to tremble slightly. Old Man Bo shook, nearly losing his footing. He had to rely on his qi essence to restore his bnce.

    "This was all caused by a drop of blood?!" He couldn¡¯t help but be shocked.

    "Each drop of my blood has an immense amount of blood energies, a sub-type of physical energy. It epasses its own Mortal Law as well. That being said," he flicked the drop of blood into the sky until it reached a thousand feet into the sky. Then, he released his control of his blood.

    Lin Feilin, Old Man Bo, and the snow-white puppy gazed upwards and saw the drop of blood. A shadow appeared overhead, and their curious expressions slowly shifted. Firstly, disbelief. Then,plete shock with gaped mouths. And finally, their jaws dropped and a tinge of fear appeared in their eyes as they erected protective wards.

    Woosh!

    A rain of crimson-golden blood dropped ceaselessly from the sky like a heavy downpour, drenching their wards and turning the red sand crimson. Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t move, his physical aura caused the rain of blood that covered nearly three miles to evade him.

    It continued to pour for sixteen seconds. A full sixteen seconds!

    Only then did it cease, and the sky regained its original view.

    "This is simply the unrestrained blood of my Nascent Herculean Physique. If I was at my peak, I could flood this continent with a single drop. My blood cells and other cells are condensed andpressed to the utmost, and its why my physical body is so strong and durable, due to that density. Trying to cut my flesh is like trying to cut through a steel block of flesh and ocean of blood." Yan Zaizen calmly finished his exnation, a smile on his face.

    Lin Feilin and Old Man Bo were still shocked, their minds reeling. Even though she was a True Essence Realm expert with thousands of years of experience, she didn¡¯t know this trait of physical cultivators. In truth, this was merely a byproduct of Fiendgods and those that cultivate physical energies.

    As for the moremon Heavenly Path and Beastial Path of the Xiantu Realm, they focused on quality rather than quantity. If Yan Zaizen¡¯s flesh and blood could be considered a three mile block of hardened cement, then a Heavenly Cultivator would be a sheet of reinforced steel.

    The soul had the same characteristics as the body, including its cells. The soul had numerous cells working to keep it functioning and could thus malfunction or be influenced by toxic or external substances. This red sand¡¯s cell function could be akin to absorbing oxygen from the air to support the lungs.

    Only then did Lin Feilin and Old Man Bo finally understand what the red sand was. However, they didn¡¯t understand what Yan Zaizen meant when he said the materials for his Hell Altar were right here.

    Yan Zaizen chuckled lightly at the questioning gazes sent his way. "You¡¯ll see."

    Yan Zaizen closed his eyes and focused. The world went still as he recalled the various bits of information he had regarding the Infernal Path, to be an Infernal Forger.

    Firstly, one needed a medium of the soul strong enough to construct the foundation and stabilize the Hell Altar. For the Heavenly Path, it was the Dao. But, for the Infernal Path, it was the Soul. A Regalia of the Heavens rting to the Soul can act as this substitute, but it wasn¡¯t the best. Obviously this was because of its external characteristics.

    However, if you canprehend the soul to a sufficient degree, strengthening your own soul to a point, then you can take this path. Yan Zaizen¡¯s soul foundation could rival a Heavenly Creation Realm expert, literally heaven-exceeding! How could it be inadequate? In fact, it was the best medium in existence!

    While he didn¡¯t have the soul energy to back up his realm, he had the solid foundation, and that was enough. The Paragon Soul Realm was a product of the Soul Source Path, one of the Nine Immemorial Paths, rivaling the Heavenly Path.

    He felt the Dead Soul¡¯s existence. He sent his spiritual sense piercing into the red sand, but he wasn¡¯t trying to locate the Hell Altar of the Infernal Deity buried beneath the sand. He was actually counting.

    Counting the number of cells.

    This took mere moments toplete and a number formed in his mind: nine hundred and eight quadrillion, seven hundred and six trillion, five hundred and forty-three million, and two hundred and one thousand cells exactly. His closed eyes snapped open, revealing a boundless soul ripple, emanating absolute perfection and superiority. An unparalleled majesty radiated out.

    Lin Feilin and Old Man Bo were both startled. Without thinking, Old Man Bo kneeled on both knees, his eyes shaking with boundless respect and reverence. It was pure and true, as if kneeling before one¡¯s god.

    Bark!

    Lin Feilin nearly followed suit, but a soft bark from the snow-white puppy snapped her out of it, causing her to have cold sweat drenching her entire outfit in an instant. Her clothes hugged her voluptuous body, revealing all sorts of alluring curves. She stared at the snow-white puppy whose pure ck eyes seemed untainted by Yan Zaizen¡¯s brilliance or influence.

    "What...are you?" She asked herself.

    Before she could ponder further, the desert of sand trembled endlessly like a world-wide earthquake was urring. The shifting of sand and its resulting shakes made it seem as if an existence was about to erupt from the sand. She flew higher, leaving Old Man Bo as she went as high as possible.

    When she looked down, her eyes narrowed.

    A red sand was moving alright, and everyst particle of it was approaching Yan Zaizen from every direction at raging speeds. It was as if there were four different tidal waves iing from all four directions, heading towards Yan Zaizen with a purpose.

    Wait...

    There was a slight twist of the red sand with Yan Zaizen at the center, albeit she couldn¡¯t see him amidst the sea of red aand, she knew that was his previous location.

    Her eyes widened.

    "Is that...?!"

 Chapter 428 Red Becomes Hell

    A cyclone. A hurricane. A twisting manifestation of worldly phenomenon.

    Lin Feilin had all sorts of thoughts flitting through her mind as she observed the event below. Yan Zaizen¡¯s form had long since be buried beneath the red sand, or the Infernal Deity¡¯s cells, and that same sand whirled around him ceaselessly. For every breath she let loose, the speed at which the sand circted elerated.

    "What is..." Her voice quivered slightly, her breathing hastening. The snow-white puppy in her arms was held tighter. She felt more secure after, unaware of the huge smile of bliss on the puppy¡¯s face as it nuzzled between her precious mountains.

    Beneath the red sand, Old Man Bo, who had been forgotten by Lin Feilin as she ascended, was still on his knees while gawking at the event. Sand. So much sand and red was flying through his visual perception. It was overwhelming.

    However, he waspletely safe. The sand seemed to have eyes. When they came into contact with his body, they became gentle as they slowly made their way around and continued their course. It was incredible.

    For a moment, he felt as if he was the master of this sand. This belief was false. A misconception by proxy. The true master of this sand was beneath it, but the sovereign of souls, the most perfect soul, was standing atop it.

    At the moment, Yan Zaizen was floating a few feet off the original surface level of the sand. The entire world around him was rapidly twisting red sand. His amber-gold eyes were closed, his arms sprayed apart, and his bearing was like a holy man embracing the world.

    "The Infernal Path, otherwise known as the Path to Hell, required a strong soul medium to begin. It started with the soul and ended with the soul." His words were like hellish hymns, a unique mnemonic of unknown origin echoed from his lips. As he spoke, the rapid sand shifted in ordance. It was as if he was a conductor of a symphony.

    Each sand particle that existed was his musicians, and the refined soul energy within them was the instruments. It was beautiful as the sound echoed.

    Lin Feilin witnessed the swirling mass of sand that stretched for hundreds of thousands of miles rise and fall, creating a spectacr visual. It was like controlled waves and held a unique, unfathomable truth beneath.

    "Incredible!" She said without much thought. That was her most earnest evaluation.

    Yan Zaizen kept speaking. The Infernal Path, unlike the Heavenly Path, required soul materials to construct. These were materials birthed from infernal essence. Essence was more than energy, its what drovews and the foundation of a universe.

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s Herculean Path converted essence from the Heavens to condensed its own road, and the Heavenly Path used its own essence to structure and power the Heavenly Shrines of heavenly cultivators.

    When Yan Zaizen had ventured into the Non-Verse, he had absorbed and refined the Purity Law and the unique essence of the Non-Verse. With his Non-Entity status, he was capable of harnessing it and thew of mimicry to give birth to aw found only there.

    The Infernal Essence was the essence that originated, was birthed, from the source of whatever Hell was. Therefore, to structure a Hell Altar, one needed materials from Hell itself, materials birthed from Infernal Essence.

    Yan Zaizen couldn¡¯t travel to Hell. Thepass was with his original body, so he had to make due. The true reason he hadn¡¯t left the Xiantu Realm immediately was the Dead Soul Sea. Others might not notice, but his Paragon Soul Realm cultivation was capable of clearly noticing that this red sand, the cells of an Infernal Deity, was made from Infernal Essence.

    However, because of the ouwed status that the Infernal Path has amongst the heavens, the red sand was useless unless they drew their power from their origin, the Infernal Deity. Thus, when taken away, it became useless in every sense of the world. After all, the Infernal Essence belonged to Hell, not here.

    How could its wonders ur without its driving force? A miniature Hell. Just like how Heavenly Cultivators create a Heaven, empowering it, using its power for their own goals, Infernal Forgers did the same. Their Hell Altars were Hells!

    Yan Zaizen felt the essence within.

    It was...spiritual.

    It felt light and airy yet boundless and infinite. This was the characteristics of a soul, of its potential. It felt intoxicating to observe, especially for Yan Zaizen whose soul had reached an incredibly high level.

    "Your entirety will be mine¡¯s." Yan Zaizen slowly said as he lifted his arms up high. The red sand that was rapidly flitting past, going thousands of miles an hour, all abruptly came to a stop. He truly seemed like a grand maestro at this moment.

    "I¡¯ve imprinted everyst cell. Apologies, but you should just pass on peacefully." Yan Zaizen¡¯s voice echoed endlessly.

    ROAR!

    A guttural and unwilling roar echoed from beneath. It was heart-wrenching, sad, yet somewhat relieved. Yan Zaizen had already rendered the Infernal Deity¡¯s Dead Soul that had long since entered an endless passive state powerless. While its cultivation into the Infernal Path was amazing, it was merely an Infernal Deity, which was equivalent to a Heavenly Commander.

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s soul base could rival the foundation of a Heavenly Monarch. If tranted to the soul, Yan Zaizen was like Goliath to a goldfish out of water. It wasn¡¯t even fair.

    "Gather!" Yan Zaizen pped his palms together, causing surging waves to waft outwards, reflecting on the red sand. In a split second, all the red sand in every direction from edge to edge started to surge towards Yan Zaizen. It was like trillion trillions of red ants traveling towards a single direction.

    A literal sea of red.

    "Condense!" Of course, Yan Zaizen couldn¡¯t allow that to truly happen or its gathered mass could affect the continental stability. Therefore, he slowly pulled his palms apart and from within, a vortex of red was formed.

    The red sand ceaselessly entered the vortex yet it remained the size of a penny. Regardless of how much sand entered, it only grew redder and redder, but never grewrger.

    For the next few minutes, the red sand of the Dead Soul Sea disappeared into the vortex. When all was done, thest speck of sand entered the vortex, the truth beneath the sand was revealed.

    Before, Yan Zaizen was merely a few feet away from ground level, and while he didn¡¯t move, the ground had appeared...about three miles down. Yan Zaizen saw the chasm formed and his amber-gold eyes sparkled with a tinge of interest.

    Old Man Bo was floating on his own power, gawking at the chasm below and his eyes were bulging. He...he saw...

    "So this is why you couldn¡¯t revive," Yan Zaizen said, a hint of pity in his eyes as he gazed downwards. He witnessed the sight of a veryrge head. A human head, and merely that. It was slightly ethereal, seemingly capable of being a ghost of one¡¯s imagination. At its be was a White-Bone Orb - its Hell Altar.

    It had grey teeth with a single teeth type, bicuspid. Its white hair was thin despite being as long as rivers. They were haphazardly spread upon the head, covering its facial features a little. Its eyes were open. No, it had no eyelids to speak of.

    Those eyes were like a sea of souls. A still picture that seemed to be like a painting. These were the condemned souls refined by the Infernal Deity. There were all sorts of creatures within, even dogs and cats. They all seemed to be horrifically screaming, trying to w their way out of its eyes.

    At the sides of these eyes were silver lines of tears, still wet. Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes brightened when he saw those tears. He raised his hands slightly and tworge drops, capable of drowning a town, existed from the lines of silver tears and was brought to Yan Zaizen.

    He licked his lips slightly. His soul felt a desire he hadn¡¯t felt before - hunger. Without hesitation, he opened his mouth and the silver liquid entered his mouth, disappearing in a blink. Two gigantic tears vanished in a brief moment.

    Buuuurp!

    Yan Zaizen patted his stomach and a delightful smile surfaced. "Infernal Spirit Liquid. So pure, quite delicious." If Heavenly Law Liquid was the condensed form of heavenly aura and energy, then Infernal Spirit Liquid was the Hell equivalent.

    It was boundlessly useful to the soul, and with it, Yan Zaizen had recovered a millionth of his Soul Cultivation¡¯s energy reserves. With this, he was truly unrivaled in the Xiantu Realm.

    He shifted his attention to the swirling vortex of red. "Perfect," Yan Zaizen remarked. This was the foundation of his Hell Altar. He decided to no longer dy and a strand of his Paragon Soul Essence left and entered the vortex.

    Right now, the Hell Altar was in the process of forming to its elementary stages. After that, he¡¯ll be able to forge it into a Hell of his own making and design, absorbing the essence of the world and transforming it into infernal soul energy. With it, he¡¯ll have one more assurance in his venture to save his original body.

    Unlike the Heavenly Shrine which was stored in the body, the Hell Altar wasn¡¯t stored within. Instead, it was always present beside. It was the act of storing it into your soul that can cause your Soul me and soulforce to be corrupted, so only those who¡¯ve mastered their Hell Altar to a certain point would try.

    Even an Infernal Deity would only be forced to be a Dead Soul if they tried. However, if you seeded without corruption, just like the Dead Souls who had immortality, you would simrly be immortal. A perpetual degree of soulforce, inexhaustible as long as you had energy.

    Those at that level were simr to Heavenly Monarchs and were referred to as Infernal Immortals.

 Chapter 429 Hell Image Conceived!

    Yan Zaizen kept channeling his soul essence into the red vortex, its aura permeating throughout the world. With his soul cultivation as the foundation, he was building his own Hell. Whenpleted, the base would be considered the First Level of the Hell Altar. Unlike the nine floors of a Heavenly Shrine, a Hell Altar went up to eighteen levels, and the strongest level was at the lowest part of the Hell Altar.

    While he felt a surge of exhaustion enter his soul, he kept his mind vignt. Within his amber-gold eyes was light effusing a profound Dao and Heavenly Aura. His Heavenly Dao Seed was being used at this moment, its aura pulsing out.

    "With this, the condensation of my Hell Altar should be concealed from the Heavenly God¡¯s Laws." He didn¡¯t let up infusing his soul essence, and with each strand entering the vortex, he continued to grow weaker.

    This was not his original body or soul, thus the resilience and abundance of soul essence wasn¡¯t much. He had to risk his clone¡¯s soul in hopes of providing another contingency for his original body. If he didn¡¯t, he wouldn¡¯t feel at ease.

    Since arriving in this world, regaining his memories, he had felt a sense of loss and vulnerability. This was partly due to his own weakness, but mostly because of hisck of insurance in the form of a Prophetic Instinct. Since young, he had always been a Non-Entity and lived with it.

    Unfortunately, the Non-Entity traits were limited to his true body, and not this one. It was as if the guardian angel of his life had been taken away, locked in the endless abyss. How could he feel secure?

    Lin Feilin flew downwards, arriving beside Old Man Bo as she stared at the gigantic severed head at the bottom of the chasm. "Is this the Dead Soul? The Infernal Deity?!" Her words were spoken softly, but the shock was unable to be concealed.

    Old Man Bo was simrly shocked and his mind and focus was deeply invested in observing the head. It was as if his soul had been ensnared and bewitched. The frozen images of wretched spirits trying to w out of that head¡¯s eyes while it cried silver tears had left a deep imprint on his soul.

    "Yes. It is," Yan Zaizen answered. He had sent thest bit of needed soul essence into the vortex. His normally bright and energetic countenance looked drained and somewhat dry. He had been exhausted, and even traces of his soulforce for this clone had been sent into the vortex. He had to ensure the most sturdiest of foundations, so that it may transform into a powerful base for his Infernal Path.

    Lin Feilin looked at the exhausted-looking Yan Zaizen and felt a thumping of her heart. A surge of concern and pain emerged in her eyes as she flew over. "Are you okay?"

    Yan Zaizen smiled andforted her with assurances. His weakness was temporary, and furthermore, his soul cultivation wasn¡¯t important for his ns. For this endeavour, only the Herculean Path and Infernal Path were his options. If his soul energy could¡¯ve helped, how could his original soul be trapped?

    "Let¡¯s go." Yan Zaizen used his vital energies to coat his body and flew away. He wasn¡¯t fast or steady, but he maintained a passive expression. Lin Feilin¡¯s concern only increased when she witnessed this.

    The only time she had seen Yan Zaizen like this was on that fateful day where he nearly cultivated himself to death in the Eight Extremes Mountain Range, their base of operation. She bit her soft lips and flew after him.

    Old Man Bo was ensnared by the sights, but when Yan Zaizen arrived next to him, his eyes shed an amber-gold light for a brief moment and he regained his sanity and sense. Deeply shocked, he looked around and saw Yan Zaizen and Lin Feilin fly away.

    After stumbling a bit, he hastily followed.

    Yan Zaizen felt even more tired. He couldn¡¯t even use his soul cultivation to extricate Old Man Bo from his situation, but had to rely on thetent Dao energy within his body umted from the year of cultivation to do so. Luckily, that was possible or Old Man Bo would¡¯ve lost his soul to this head.

    As for the head, it already seemed more transparent as the seconds passed. Yan Zaizen had taken away its soul energy fuel, so it was going to rapidly dissipate and truly experience death. Whether it¡¯ll go into the reincarnation cycle of the Heavens or Hell, even he didn¡¯t know.

    Three dayster.

    Yan Zaizen was meditating on the main deck of the skyship. In a realm like the Xiantu Realm, a minor realm, its resources were little and insignificant. Yan Zaizen had to rely on his own efforts to convert the essence of Heaven and Earth into soul energy. This type of conversion had a tremendous loss.

    Firstly, he had to refine the essence into soul energy, and then into his own soul essence. This two-fold refinement caused great loss, and without the ck Hole, and the sparse environment of the Xiantu Realm, he hadn¡¯t even recovered a single percentage of his lost soul essence yet.

    It was tiring. If he kept at it, it¡¯ll take two hundred years to fully recover. Normally, he could use timews to elerate this, but with his original body, insights, and Heavenly Shrine elsewhere, how could he gain ess to such a luxury?

    Therefore, he had only one option in hopes this drained state was temporary:

    The Anima Syndicate!

    "We¡¯re here!" Old Man Bo announced.

    "Bark! Bark!"

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s originally shut eyes snapped open, but unlike before, his amber-gold eyes were dim and without much presence. His soul was too exhausted to exert his normal exuberant state. The soul was the driving force for all sorts of powers, including his Dao.

    At his right, a red glow the size of a baseball was floating beside him calmly. This was his Hell Altar. It hadn¡¯t obtained a true form yet,cking shape, but the Infernal Energy was already condensed and gathered. It simply required one more step.

    Simr to Heavenly Shrines, the design of it was usually determined by its cultivator. When he was in the Asura Phantom Realm, he saw a legitimate Hell Altar shaped as its name, an altar with multiple levels. However, that was the standard form.

    For example, Yan Zaizen¡¯s Heavenly Shrine is a pyramid, but he had seen pagodas, swords, even rivers.

    From the onset, he needed to make apleted outline with all eighteen levels. Then and only then can he be considered an Infernal Forger. Furthermore, this was an external object until hepleted it, absorbed it into his soul and became an Infernal Immortal.

    Of course, whether he could reach that level was unsure.

    With the Anima Syndicate near, he decided to, well, decide. He had two options he was keen to.

    First Option: A Hell Altar in the shape of a pyramid, a mirror-like representation of his Heavenly Shrine. By making every floor two levels, he could establish a bnce.

    This option was simple and direct. However, he felt unsatisfied. The Infernal Path and Heavenly Path may seem like opposites, but he didn¡¯t think so. He felt that the Fiendgod Path was the more direct opposite of the Infernal Path, so doing it like thiscked originality and felt like he was pushing an agenda.

    Second Option: Hell Armor!

    Yes, a construct of eighteen pieces.

    Yan Zaizen felt more satisfied with this option. This armor would be constructed with eighteen pieces: two boots, two shinguards, two gloves, two bracers, two shoulderpads, body armor, leggings, helmet, two curved horns atop the helmet, and two wings.

    This only totalled seventeen, but the final one would be the connective frame, merging then all into a single whole! Each piece would be the embodiment of Hell, an expression of infernal power.

    The more he thought about this, the more he felt certain. His image of an Infernal, a warrior of Hell, was of this. Since he would one day venture into Hell, and if need be, ughtering his way to Pinaka, he was even more enthused.

    His eyes zed with endless inspiration and zing mes of passion. With a thought, the red blow seemed to respond and brighten. Slowly but surely, it was forming his mental image, forging itself into a Hell!

 Chapter 430 Source Rings Contents

    Yan Zaizen regted his breathing. Each breath was subtle but faintly released bellowing humming of spectrals and hellish shrieks. He felt the embodiment of Hell within his chest, its domineering and vicious infernal energies.

    "I didn¡¯t think soul energy and infernal energy had such simrities." Yan Zaizen remarked. At his right, levitating directly above his shoulder was a figurine of aplete set of armor. It was crimson-gold in color, emanating a faint soul pressure.

    Due to the red glow, a clear look of its design wasn¡¯t possible, but the two folded wings and curved horns made it seem devilishly fearsome. This was Yan Zaizen¡¯s Hell Altar, his Hell Image, the Paragon Hades Armor.

    In far-off legends in the Fallen Stars Continent, Hades was a perfect devil that dominated Hell through sheer strength. His intelligence, cunning, and ferocity scared children. However, the story of his adventure and achievements were undetermined. Some believed he had dominated Hell and ruled over it single-handedly, others believed he had been a low-level spiritual demon that rose from nothing, then imed the ruler of Hell¡¯s life at a whim.

    Regardless, he was a peerless figure. Yan Zaizen felt that his name, no, his legend would do his image justice.

    Thunk!

    The skyshipnded. Yan Zaizen lifted his head and saw the gate of the Anima Syndicate. It was no longer attached to a mountain, and a small portion of it was removed. His eyes shed withplex, nostalgic emotions. In a sh, he left the ship¡¯s deck and arrived before this gate. With a soft caress, he felt the passage of time.

    It was now dpidated, with cuts and dents everywhere. There was no longer an Anima Syndicate for it to guard. The Anima Syndicate had not survived through these thousands of years. His heart felt heavy as he recalled Wu Yuanxu. The Anima Syndicate was the first and only organization that he had joined in his lifetime.

    Lin Feilin, carrying the snow-white puppy, arrived behind Yan Zaizen. Her eyes didn¡¯t hold the same emotions of Yan Zaizen, being mostly indifferent.

    "Do you know what happened?" Yan Zaizen, despite his soul exhausted state and the passage of so many years, could still feel that the remaining rubble of the Anima Syndicate¡¯s headquarters had fallen due to a battle.

    Lin Feilin lightly furrowed her beautiful brows, "This is the Anima Syndicate¡¯s HQ?"

    Yan Zaizen softly nodded.

    "From what I know, it happened while I was captured and around the time of the Yan n¡¯s annihtion. I don¡¯t know the full details, but they were branded as helping the devils that nearly extinguished the poption of Presba. As a result..." she didn¡¯t need to exin, Yan Zaizen understood.

    He sighed. Yan Zaizen understood that not everything would remain the same with the time that had passed, but this incident with his n has eradicated an important part of his childhood. It was because of Wu Yuanxu that he was who he was. While his influence may have been seen as minor, his existence led to many events.

    If Wu Yuanxu didn¡¯t exist, he wouldn¡¯t have been sent into chaotic space, gone to Grux, became a ve...he wouldn¡¯t have met Tao or Bai Lufeng. He wouldn¡¯t have had brothers to travel the heavens with.

    Releasing another sigh, he left his emotions aside. When he became capable of truly ascending beyond the heavens, wouldn¡¯t it take a single flick of his finger to bring back all those who¡¯ve passed? He had always intended to bring his parents back, what¡¯s one more?

    Then, he could truly indulge and travel the world with a free heart and, hopefully, a wless beauty by his side.

    A faint smile surfaced on his face with these thoughts. Wasn¡¯t this why he was trying so hard? To live. To be his own? Ever since he learned he was an artificial soul created by someone, not natural-born, he had always felt an invisible hand grasping his fate, but all he ever wanted was to enjoy his life without being thrown into all sorts of matters.

    Yet...

    "Let¡¯s go." Yan Zaizen slowly walked back to the skyship, his thoughts indecipherable to outsiders.

    Lin Feilin¡¯s eyes followed Yan Zaizen, seeing his broad back and tall figure. For some odd reason, she felt a certain sadness swell within her heart.

    When he arrived on the skyship, Old Man Bo saw his walking figure and he instantly became dazed. "Brat..." he said in a low voice. The current Yan Zaizen reminded him of the innocent youth that just wanted control over his own fate. A mncholic feeling emerged in his heart.

    -----

    A dayter.

    Yan Zaizen was currently staring westward. "The Infernal Soul Energy I¡¯ve condensed can ess the Source Ring," he thought. With the inclusion of his Infernal Path¡¯s power, he now had ess to the Source Ring and all its riches, and oh boy, how plenty it was.

    Yan Zaizen found an unfathomable amount of Heavenly Law Liquid and Heavenly Crystals. With this, reaching the Second Level was a matter of course. Furthermore, there were plenty of high-quality soul stones and materials suitable for the soul. This was just the surface.

    The Oneuli Empire¡¯s Crown Prince seemed to have been preparing to cultivate everything. There were materials for Fiendgods, Heavenly Cultivators, Soul Cultivators, and even unique materials he couldn¡¯t identify yet. With this, it¡¯ll take a year to recover his soul essence and a few years before he truly regained a fraction of his Soul Cultivation.

    Luckily, he didn¡¯t need to waste so much time on that. With the soul materials, he could start to build future levels. As long as his Paragon Soul Essence was capable of stabilising his Hell Altar and he had sufficient materials, he could create all eighteen levels of his Hell Altar.

    Yan Zaizen felt relieved that he had obtained these resources. These resources will definitely raise his sess rate in saving his body from the Deep Mines mysterious force.

    Lin Feilin walked beside Yan Zaizen. In a soft voice she asked, "Where are we going now?" While this was her question, she felt that she knew the answer.

    Yan Zaizen turned to see her beautiful face, his amber-gold eyes glimmering with faint light. "I won¡¯t be finding Senior Brother Xuan yet. For now, I need to increase my cultivation base." After saying this,forting her the best he could, he started to calcte a suitable location to set down and diligently cultivate.

    "Also, you should strive for your own Dao and embark onto the Heavenly Path. I know you can do it, and I¡¯ll help you." Yan Zaizen¡¯s words caused Lin Feilin to shiver.

    Form her own Dao? A Dao was unfathomably difficult to formte on your own, and she had never heard of anyone being able to help another formte their own personal Dao, only being bestowed others. However, while her mind had told her it was an impossible feat, hearing Yan Zaizen¡¯s confidence caused her heart to brim with anticipation.

    "There!" Yan Zaizen decided on a mountain range. It had eight mountains connected, and bore faint simrities to the Eight Extreme Mountains, the location where he met Lin Feilin and his Master¡¯s abode.

    "It¡¯s perfect for you to form your Dao!"

 Chapter 431 What is Dao?

    "Do you really think I can create my own Dao?" Lin Feilin asked, hesitation and uncertainty in her voice. She had lived for thousands of years, experienced and learned many things, so she understood the frightening difficulty in constructing one¡¯s Dao.

    What was Dao?

    Its ephemeral concept was like mist, seen but impossible to truly grasp. The majority of the cultivation world couldn¡¯t do so, but there were some who could breathe in this mist and form their own. Its not as if she hadn¡¯t tried to formte her own, but she had no idea how to pursue it.

    Yan Zaizen had formed his own Dao without any knowledge of it. The ignition was the heavenly might that stimted him, as well as extreme situations and an intense desire. However, these only acted as a catalyst.

    Yan Zaizen and Lin Feilin sat within a freshly hewn cavern, forming a room, its walls as crisp and smooth as ss. It was structured like the training rooms he had entered in the Eight Extremes Mountain Range, Han Genji¡¯s home. They faced each other with merely a foot of empty space between them.

    His amber-gold eyes met her pretty eyes that carried a trace of uncertainty. Calmly, he asked: "Dao. Tell me, what do you know of it?"

    Somewhat shocked by his question, Lin Feilin replied: "It¡¯s a form of energy that can stimte cultivation, enhancing and advancing it. This included soul cultivation, qi cultivation, and even body cultivation."

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s gaze was leveled, "A cultivation supplement? Is that what you believe the Dao is?"

    Lin Feilin bit her lips. The Dao was such a distant concept and even those who were bestowed Daos could not fully understand. Only those who¡¯ve formed their own Dao, step-by-step could truly describe what it meant. She was obviously not one of those people and only honestly answered what she knew.

    Yan Zaizen continued, "Dao. It is a Path embarked by cultivators. It can help support cultivation, but its so much more than that. It is everything, anything, and nothing. Allow me to show you."

    He lifted his palm, flipped it, "Look." With those words, from his palm an amber-gold light started to emerge. When it appeared, the surrounding world descended under an unfathomable suppression, as if the heavens was threatening to fall.

    Lin Feilin¡¯s breathing sped up, her heart pounded and she felt sweat form on her forehead. It was as if she was standing before a divine being that held the world in his hand. Was this what it meant to be a God? Her eyes shed with all sorts of colorful emotions.

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s Heavenly Dao Seed was naturally infused with the aura of the heavens, so it was quite difficult to not unleash this aura. However, it was this very aura that gave him the belief in helping Lin Feilin form her own Dao. When he was younger, he had absorbed the Heavenly Annihtion Light into his soul, and its aura had been refined into his soul.

    It was this that subsequently led to his triggered formation of his Dao. He didn¡¯t fully intend to do the same to Lin Feilin, but it would help to its pure aura. Unlike normal heavenly might, the aura of the Heavenly Annihtion Light originated from the Heavenly Daos themselves.

    Lin Feilin¡¯s gaze was drawn into the light, her eyes immediately became dazed. Her body started to profusely sweat, revealing her alluring curves and outline of her undergarments beneath her robes. It was a tantalizing sight, but Yan Zaizen was deeply focused. Too focused to enjoy this rare sight.

    "The Dao. What is it?" Yan Zaizen said, using his Paragon Soul Realm¡¯s powers, exhausting himself even further, to reach Lin Feilin¡¯s very soul. His words were like a god speaking to her, causing her to subconsciously respond.

    "It is everything." This was what she truly felt, as if she was staring at the very essence of the entire world and its profound inner workings. The tremors in her soul told her this.

    Yan Zaizen lightly breathed, his amber-gold eyes started to rapidly fluctuate with bright light as he exerted a profound force from his soul. He was attempting to pull out the true essence of his Dao, away from the Heavenly Dao Seed. Almost immediately, he spurted out a mouthful of blood.

    He didn¡¯t allow it to ssh, and only clenched his teeth as it profusely leaked. The drops of blood touched his arm, hand, and Dao light. When those dropsnded, the amber-gold color changed and became filled with warmth. Boundless, infinite, and unyielding warmth.

    Lin Feilin¡¯s body shivered. "Yan Zaizen? I...it¡¯s you!" She responded, her eyes still dazed and her soul still immersed in a trance-like state. This aura she felt from the light reminded her of Yan Zaizen. Memories surfaced in her mind of him, his smile, his touch, and his actions. How he swooped in, saved her and departed. It was this warm feeling that would emerge every time she thought of him.

    Yan Zaizen felt his entire body quiver from pain. What he had done nearly split his Heavenly Dao Seed and physical body apart. However, he kept a calm expression and said: "Yes. This is me."

    Then, he directly clenched his hand into a fist, encapsting the Dao light. Its light was trapped, leaking between his fingers. He clenched harder, as if he was intending to crush it.

    "No!" Lin Feilin cried out, but besides a faint shake of her body and eyes, she didn¡¯t move.

    Yan Zaizen felt the repulsive might from his Dao light, pushing his fingers away, prying them open and revealing a tyrannical ferocity unlike any other. The Dao light attacked Yan Zaizen!

    He felt his vision turn ck. Luckily, he remained conscious and forced himself to withstand its retaliation.

    This was his Dao.

    When it was threatened, it pushed back with everything and disyed the utmost ruthless and decisiveness within.

    Lin Feilin¡¯s dazed eyes revealed confusion for a moment. It lingered for a while before enlightening seemed to spring within her soul.

    Yan Zaizen could never tell her with words what a Dao was. That wasn¡¯t possible. If he did, he could only exin that it was a path that one embarked, but that was too simple. Could he say it was the personification of a sense of self? That wasn¡¯t exactly right either.

    The Soul Source Path required introspective insight and understanding to progress. It revealed the truest sense of self, but did all those in the Astral Core Realm have a Dao? If so, why not?

    That was because there was a very thin film of distance between them, one sufficient enough to make them entirely different things. What was the Heavenly Dao? It was the representation of Heaven¡¯s Will, no?

    However, if he had to exin it, then it would be: "It is a Path. No, it is THE PATH." He could only hope that what she showed was enough.

    "I see," Lin Feilin spoke. However, whether she truly saw the truth or not wasn¡¯t something Yan Zaizen knew. He had used the purest heavenly aura that epassed and carried the trace of Heaven¡¯s Will, his Paragon Soul Realm to forcefully ce Lin Feilin into a state of empty-mindedness and utmost rity, and disyed his Dao to her.

    This was the most he could do.

    "What is Dao?" Lin Feilin asked, her voice lost its monotone nature and seemed to be infused with spirit and profound emotion.

    Yan Zaizen unhesitantly answered again, "It is a Path. It is everything, anything, and nothing." The blood from his lips continued to flow, his Dao light brightening the room like a miniature sun.

    "A Path..." Lin Feilin murmured.

    Then, it hit her.

    Yan Zaizen saw it in her eyes. He saw her memories. He saw her emotions experienced from every second in her life. He saw the light of herself arrive. No, of her truest self and her own way.

    "The Dao is a beginning to an end."

    Those words she spoke struck like lightning bolts in Yan Zaizen¡¯s mind. That¡¯s right! It was a path, the beginning to an end? And what was that end? Why was the Dao graded by levels? Why was the Dao capable of being bestowed to others? Why did it require one¡¯s Origin Source to truly evolve?

    It was because it was a Path to one¡¯s self. It was different from understanding one¡¯s self and who you are, like the Soul Source Path. Its believing in what you want to be. Is the Dao you choose correct?

    This question was often mentioned by schrs and high-level cultivators often, but what did that mean? It meant if the Path they¡¯ve chosen to embark, the way they¡¯ve decided to live, was its synchronized with one¡¯s origin? It is a path that can not be halted once entered, and your Dao either dissipates, shatters, or besplete. There was no other option.

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s Dao was the Dao of Sovereign Ascension. It was his truest way of life and the path he¡¯d chosen to embark. At the end, he would¡¯ve ascended to be a Sovereign.

    The previous Xiantu Realmlord¡¯s Dao was the Dao of Belief. At the end, his faith in whatever he believed in, the faith that personified and led his every thought, would solidify into an untouchable, invincible, unshakeable belief.

    Yri¡¯s Dao was a Dao rted to obsession and she pursued that to its utmost limit. When she reached the peak, obsession would be all she is.

    It was a path that led to a certain end. It led to one¡¯s own truest self, both personality-wise and existentially.

    Yan Zaizen could not say this, but he could only attempt to allow her to see. Even the Heavenly Aura that embodied the Heavenly Dao that epassed the world wanted to be the world!

    It can be everything, anything, or absolutely nothing!

    Lin Feilin¡¯s body started to suffuse an aura of the Dao. Her eyes shed with traces of golden light as her Nascent Dao started to slowly form.

    Yan Zaizen clenched his bloodied teeth as he forcefully exerted his Heavenly Dao Seed aura to encapste the both of them. While he was happy with the formation of her Dao, the Heavenly Dao, or the Heavenly Gods would send tribtion towards those who wished to form their Dao. This meant even the Heavenly Gods feared the Dao of others, and he knew it was for good reason.

    "You can do it!" He wished her luck. While the Nascent Dao formation was just the start, it was the most difficult. You had to find and truly invest your everything into a singr path. This path was also incredibly fragile, and if broken, your Dao would shatter into nothing.

 Chapter 432 Embark

    Lin Feilin¡¯s current state was very fragile. She was searching her everything for a path that belonged to her, that drove her everything. Yan Zaizen could feel the nascent Dao energy linger around her. It reminded him of his own Nascent Dao state.

    "The Dao will be what starts your path to..." he couldn¡¯t finish, unsure of his next words. It was an elusive emotion that settled in his heart yet couldn¡¯t be touched. What was at the end of the Dao?

    What was at the end of cultivation? After he reached a state of a true sovereign, would he beplete? This thought left a chasm of uncertainty in his heart. After several minutes, he silently sighed. With a sh, he retracted his Heavenly Dao Seed aura and Dao light, exiting the room and leaving Lin Feilin to search for her own light.

    He exited the cavern, floating a few feet above the peak mountains. His gaze looked down as he absorbed the entirety of the surroundings. The lush green on the leaves, bits of rock, the wildlife, and nearby natives. He consumed all of their actions and existence, feeling the movement of life.

    "Why did I cultivate?" Those amber-gold eyes of his swept ceaselessly, as if searching for an answer amidst the world. When he was young, he didn¡¯t feel the innate desire to cultivate and devoted his intent to obtaining the love and affection of a young woman. His admiration of her and his actions of selfless sacrifice left him ostracized by his n and considered trash.

    However, he merely wanted to enjoy life, spend time with his mother and father, and live freely without constraints. That had all changed when Han Genji arrived. He ughtered without remorse and took him without objection. From then on, his future had changed.

    He embarked on this amazing adventure that explored this universe¡¯s and even others miraculous features. He was met with obstruction and tragedy, but he overcame it all and even fought and toppled gods. He grasped the very heavens within his hands, created his own realm, and saw mythical creatures.

    Who would¡¯ve thought that the young boy that stole meat, peeked at the women¡¯s bath, and gave his resources to his courted woman without an ounce of hesitation would reach such heights.

    A smile tugged at his lips. It fully formed into a smug grin suffusing confidence and the utmost relief. Wasn¡¯t it great that he wasn¡¯t relegated to such a small, pathetic life?

    Now, and in the future, he will be able to im the heavens as hisnd and walk where he wished. One day, he¡¯ll sh with the heavens themselves and change theirws, even if it was on a mere whim. He cultivated because it felt good. It felt great to possess power to control your own fate.

    Before, his fate was dependent on others. But now, it was entirely his own. He felt this deeply in his heart, and the moment he embarked on this path on that fated day, he was no longer limited.

    "I cultivate for myself." It was the most selfish and direct reason, but it was the truth held within his heart. With power, he could protect, destroy, traverse, or alter any and everything he wished.

    Freedom.

    It tasted great.

    "The despair of those who had jumped down into the Deep Mines that day. I won¡¯t experience that." He had felt his life controlled and directed by others, forced to ve away or be killed, and he never wanted to experience that. The taste of freedom was addicting, and happiness was a delicacy that could never be reced. He truly understood his own self, why his Dao was the Dao of Sovereign Ascension.

    It was to ascend above everyone and everything, to be beneath no one.

    "Huuuuu!" He deeply inhaled. The air entered his lungs and permeated his flesh, blood, and awareness. He felt light. When he inevitably exhaled, his ill emotions and the turbidity built within his chest was directly expelled.

    Bringing his palm to his face, he looked at the smooth skin and strong muscles within. With a tight clench, that palm shifted to a fist. He felt as if the world was in his grasp at that moment, but when he sped his fingers around it, his hand became the new world.

    Abruptly, he nced upwards to see the azure sky and the starry skies beyond it. "I may not have the prophetic instinct, but I feel something big is about to happen. I need to get stronger. For myself."

    Yan Zaizen felt it in the depths of his soul. It was a faint wailing call from the distance as if the heavens were experiencing a fundamental change. Before he condensed his Heavenly Dao Seed, he couldn¡¯t sense it, but now he felt it vaguely.

    A change, epic and bloody, wasing.

    With that, he set his priorities and shot into the skies. He reached the stratosphere of the Xiantu Continent. His body was enshrouded by vital energies, sustaining his flight. "I¡¯ve reached the perfect stage of the Nascent Herculean Physique. It¡¯s time for the next level."

    The Immortal Herculean Method was divided into five levels, each with a defining physique. The second level was the Grand Herculean Physique and required the power of the heavens to cultivate. Firstly, he needed a Regalia of the Heavens. Secondly, he needed an immense amount of Heavenly Law Liquid.

    He withdrew a grey-white orb. Within the orb was an unidentifiable mist of unknown, indistinguishable origins. If analyzed, it seemed like nothing to absolutely anything. The visual, auditory, and various perceptual senses were confused instantly.

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s soul originated from his original body, and his bloodline had faint traces of the Yan n¡¯s Ancestor. While this body didn¡¯t have an Origin Source, it did have Yan Zaizen¡¯s bloodline. He felt the Imperial Law of Mimicry resonate ceaselessly with his flowing blood. His body yearned for it, as if it was required toplete it.

    With this feeling overtaking his bodily desires, he knew his choice was a correct one. However, what would a Herculean who used the Imperial Law of Mimicry be like? The anticipation excited him to no end.

    "Let¡¯s see what Herculean Path I will embark to this time!"

 Chapter 433 Immortal Herculean of Mimicry

    "Be an Immortal Herculean! Exceed the Heavens and shatter the skies!" These words were exceptionally domineering and majestic, grander than any other, and like before, it resonated with Yan Zaizen¡¯s inner heart. Hisprehension had long since understood the profound mysteries within, yet he still felt awed by the sheer audacity of the Herculean Path¡¯s creator.

    It was inspiring. That unyielding will and ferocious determination to break the mould and resist all. It could shake the foundation of one¡¯s belief. And, that was frightening.

    With his Nascent Herculean Physique fully formed, his physiology was primed to enter the next phase of development: Grand Herculean Physique.

    To start, he had to fuse his regalia into his physiology and merge it into one, bing a perfect whole. The me of Life and the Shadow of Death had been his first regalias. They originated from Ezekiel¡¯s Meteor Ring, and they were in a natural state of perfect synchronicity. Therefore, Yan Zaizen had achieved a feat that had never beenpleted before: Merging two Regalias of the Heavens into one body.

    Then, he shattered that record once by sheer luck. The Regalia of Soul had reluctantly agreed to enter his body and survive the tyrannical nature of the Siphoning Shadow of Death. It was intent on consuming everything in its path, and it had no choice.

    With three World-Level Regalias in his physique, he had given birth to Samsara-type Herculean energy. This made his body and the soul that upied it essentially immortal. Furthermore, every attack of his body shattered souls and the body. He was beyond the word fearsome.

    Unfortunately, his Herculean cultivation had been unable to keep up with his Soul and Heavenly Cultivation.

    Now, he was about to perform another first in history: Refine an Imperial-level Regalia into his heart.

    Slowly, while he floated above the clouds of the Xiantu Continent, his breathingmenced a strange cadence. The rhythm was nearly musical, and it matched his heartbeat. His powerful body and lungs caused the clouds around him to disperse or be pushed away.

    Within the depths of his body, originating from his cells, and perhaps even deeper than that, his body started to radiate a faint golden glow. This glow was the result of a miraculous power that had been formed during the Nascent Herculean Physique. Before, Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t know what it was, but he now felt that It could be termed Herculean DNA.

    His Herculean DNA was activating, calling upon its source in the omniverse, the True Origin of the Herculean Path. Regardless of distance, it was as if it had arrived and entered his body bypassing all limitations of time and space.

    This power emitted an endless, vast suppressive aura. If Yan Zaizen hadn¡¯t taken to the skies, far away from everyone, the scene of Tao and Bai Lufeng undergoing an immense mental change would happen once more. They had cried, curled up into the fetal position, and roared endlessly in reluctance and defiance. Yet they were unable to resist.

    It was not only vast, but beyond the imagination of normal mortals. It was as if a tinge of aura originating from a Heavenly God had descended. It was far too divine.

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s Dao Light ravaged his amber-gold eyes endlessly. The Dao of Sovereign Ascension kneeled to no man, ruler, or god. He felt no reverence or relegated himself to a submissive mindset. With a casual shrug, he remained unaffected.

    When his Dao Light exploded from his eyes, the vast suppressive aura that could cause an entire to tremble was suppressed without resistance. It was not allowed a single foot away from Yan Zaizen¡¯s body. He didn¡¯t allow it.

    ROAR!!!

    A chaotic roar filled with boundless power and rage echoed from within his soul, from within everyst cell. This was the True Origin of the Herculean Path resisting, refusing Yan Zaizen¡¯s right to cultivate it! It wanted to shake Yan Zaizen¡¯s existence and force him to abide by itsws, abide by its will!

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s amber-gold gaze narrowed sharply. "Are you any different than the heavens? Hmph! How hypocritical!" Yan Zaizen admonished the True Origin¡¯s Will. It wanted to exceed the heavens, shatter the skies, suppress all lifeforms, yet unwilling to be subjected to the same treatment?

    Shameless!

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s entire body exploded with a torrential aura that formed a storm of pure Dao Light. "Concede! You are a Path that I, Yan Zaizen, have chosen to embark. You will ept it!" He did not give this will a choice, forcefully using his Dao tobat its intent.

    "..." The True Origin¡¯s Will went silent. It was unknown whether it was stunned due to anger or thoroughly confused by Yan Zaizen¡¯s words. After a few seconds, it stopped resisting.

    Yan Zaizen coldly snorted. His eyes lifted to the starry skies above. "When I see you, I¡¯ll correct your ill-mindset." This was a promise.

    With that aside, Yan Zaizen brought the orb of misty, indistinguishable mist to his chest. Slowly, the regalia was absorbed into his heart. There was no resistance on the regalia¡¯s part. It quietly and willingly allowed itself to enter his heart. In fact, the refinement was almost instant.

    His originally blood-red heart became the color of grey-white, but only for a moment as it once more regained its blood-red color. Within his heart were strings like gossamer of grey-white. These were the quintessence of the Regalia of Mimicry.

    Grand Herculean Physique Achieved!

    "Such perfectpatibility!" Yan Zaizen was somewhat taken aback by the sheer ease.

    Then, he frowned. "My body isn¡¯t changing?" When he had refined the regalias of life and death, his body had morphed into a perfect male specimen. This meant wless skin, immacte masculine facial features, perfectly distributed muscles and a greater height! However, his body remained the same as before.

    While he had features like this, they weren¡¯t as prominent. This caused him to be unable to not frown. However, upon the thought, his heart started to rapidly beat.

    The strings of grey-white circted from his heart, and coursed through the entirety of his body. His body had undergone an almost instant change, reiming the looks of his original body exactly.

    "What!" His eyes contracted into needles as he regarded his body. "How is this...is it that..."

    He closed his eyes and imagined his original self, far before the Herculean Method had entered his sights. He was sixteen, slightly taller than normal, and skinny. When those eyes of his opened, his body had now returned to that time.

    However, the inherent vital energies and physicalposition of his body hadn¡¯t changed. He was as strong as he had always been.

    "The Law of Mimicry allows me to change my body¡¯s form at will?" This shocked him as he tested this further. Even his lifeforce aura started to change, the age of his bones, and his vital energy aura. From the outside, it was as if he was sixteen years old without a lick of body-type cultivation.

    Even his Qi Aura had returned, bing that of a mid-Qi Cyclone Realm. This...

    "Was this an ability of the...The Herculean Physique merged with the Imperial Law of Mimicry?!" As he tested it more, he soon became unable to even determine his own cultivation. This was insane! This wasn¡¯t normal concealment but an entire true change that had no real tangible effect.

    "...Could it?" He thought of Tao. Within moments, he had gained his physique and physical traits. His life and soul aura unique solely to him was emitted from his body. It was as if he had cloned his body to be Tao¡¯s.

    Then, he thought of something. The Immortal Herculean Method was in the category of healing and recovery, enhancing one¡¯s rejuvenating abilities. He returned to his original body¡¯s features and with a palm as a de, mercilessly sliced off his forearm at the joint.

    It was instantly severed with little to no resistance. For what was a fraction of a fraction of a fraction of a microsecond, Yan Zaizen saw it and felt it. His heart throbbed and the arm that was severed transformed into a grey-white mist.

    Then, his forearm had seemingly returned.

    There was no evidence of an injury.

    Yan Zaizen then shouted, building up his vital energies into his left leg and then detonated it. It sent him flying upwards for several hundred feet before he stopped. When he looked down, there was no rain of blood or mangled flesh. In fact, there was no missing leg.

    While the explosion was real, his leg had mysteriously returned without a sign of injury. This even included the clothes he wore. For some reason, they too had returned, but when he inspected them, they had a faint power emanating from them that only he could sense.

    His heart fiercely pounded with awe, a tinge of confusion, astonishment, and excitement!

    The Immortal Herculean Physique of Mimicry!

 Chapter 434 Her Dao

    The words ¡¯pleasantly delighted¡¯ does not do Yan Zaizen¡¯s current mental state justice. He was ted to the maximum, his heart bursting with joy and anticipation at his newfound powers.

    "To think that the recovery ability of this body is so mysterious and greatly exceeds Life, Death, and Soul together!" This startled him, and yet he knew that he had merely only just begun to excavate the true abilities of his Grand Herculean Physique of Mimicry.

    "I can mimic any aura, physical feature, or physical lifeform. Furthermore, my flesh and blood have no set state and if destroyed or removed, they simply reattach. I still don¡¯t understand all the details, but it seems this is akin to instantaneous recovery." It took a long while before his thoughts were settled.

    "With my Heavenly Dao Seed Energy and my Initial Grand Herculean Physique with thew of mimicry imbued within, I wonder how strong my current self is." This loose thought was interrupted.

    Bang!

    An explosive surge urred below, causing the surrounding lifeforms to quiver. A peculiar aura permeated and integrated into their hearts and minds. Yan Zaizen¡¯s gaze looked downwards. His Dao Sense became hyperactive at this moment as it felt a simr energy to its own.

    His amber-gold eyes had Dao Light sh through them, a sharp aura to it. Then, a tinge of happiness emerged in his eyes followed by a hearty smile.

    "She did it!" Without hesitation, he shed from the sky and descended. His speed was mind-shocking as the air exploded behind him, producing chaotic surging waves that resembled harsh winds of a hurricane. The lifeforms for miles were blown clear off their feet and sent every which way.

    He halted at the entrance of the cave. Turning around, he felt shocked in his heart. "I...should it be like this?" He felt confused. His speed, strength, and vital energies had vastly exceeded his estimate. And it wasn¡¯t by a little.

    "Wait!" Almost immediately he felt a pping rxation enter his mind. He hurriedly inspected his physical body and his pupils constricted into needlepoint. However, before he could make a conclusion, a soft voice that could turn men¡¯s bones soft echoed from inside the cave.

    "Is that you, Zai?"

    He felt his body¡¯s nerves spike in activity. A subconscious desire emerged in his heart as his eyes darted towards the inside of the cavern. What awaited his sights was an outstanding woman. Outstanding? No. No, it was wrong!

    It was a peerless beauty that seemed to have descended from an entirely different world. Her clothes hadn¡¯t changed, but her long, jade-like legs, divine phoenix eyes, lithe figure, voluptuous curves and breasts, as well as her delicate features that seemed to be that could likely rival the Empress of Immortal Fairies.

    At her feet was an adorable snow-white puppy. Its pure color and cute features were diminished like colors as it walked beside this beauty.

    "What the..." Yan Zaizen was immediately skeptical. These thoughts were produced by his mind unnaturally. This wasn¡¯t a byproduct of charmws or soul arts, but thoughts of genuine subconscious nature. This sent his mind reeling.

    When did Lin Feilin, this Senior Sister of his became so beautiful, so peerless amongst the current world?! Only then did his eyes lift to see her eyes that effused dark-golden light.

    A Sovereign¡¯s Dao? No...A Sovereignness¡¯s Dao?!

    Lin Feilin smiled as she approached, her walking stride carried a boundless charm that seemed to conquer hearts and forced others to acquiesce beneath her feet. With each step, Yan Zaizen felt his heart throb.

    Just as he thought, Lin Feilin had devised an unfathomable powerful Dao, influenced by his own from the moment they interacted thousands of years ago. Furthermore, he had used his Heavenly Dao Seed¡¯s Aura, a byproduct of his Upper-level Dao, Dao Heart, and Heavenly Aura to help formte her Dao.

    It was almost as if he acted as the sculptor to her Dao.

    "What...is your Dao?" Yan Zaizen asked softly. A Dao is a Path. It is not just your most truest designation of yourself and various aspects of your personality, but it was the driving force to your life¡¯s journey. It was your start and it was your end.

    Lin Feilin slowly moved her jade-like hand, her long, soft as water fingers touched her long hair, putting it behind her ear as she blinked at Yan Zaizen. It wasn¡¯t just Yan Zaizen who felt that she carried a boundless charm. Every action of Yan Zaizen attracted her. She already had to keep her heart strong, reinforced by her newly formed Dao before she truly lost herself, diving into his embrace.

    While there¡¯s nothing more that she wanted than to do so, she refused to make Yan Zaizen ufortable. She considered his feelings and felt her ce in his heart. She didn¡¯t wish to overstep.

    Therefore, her movements that were slow was time for her to calm her beating heart. She softly answered, "The Dao of Sovereignness Reign." She had been a leader for the past few thousands of years, forced to thrive in an unstable environment and was subjected to all sorts of cruelty in her life, cruelty she hadn¡¯t told Yan Zaizen.

    However, just from her soul being forcefully merged with Yao Wuhen, one could only see that her life hadn¡¯t been easy. She was captured, tortured, almost invaded in body and soul, and then forced into hiding until she regained her strength. She was forced to be patient and careful, her every step nned unless her life was cut short.

    Yan Zaizen could feel various Daos within her aura. The Dao of Meticulous, Dao of Fierce Will, Dao of Delicate Warmth, and a few other ones, including Yan Zaizen¡¯s own Dao of Imperial Ferocity. He felt traces of his influence, but also her own self when he peered into her Dao.

    A Dao constructed from multiple basic Daos was considered an upper-tier Dao. Yan Zaizen felt that her Dao did not lose out to Ezekiel, but itcked a little. Thiscking likely was an innate character that could not and would not be changed, and the will to pursue any matter endless and with zero regrets.

    Shecked decisiveness.

    Yan Zaizen and Ezekiel were two Sovereign¡¯s that never regretted their choices. Even when Pinaka was captured, sent to Hell, there hadn¡¯t been a single day that he regretted his choice or actions. He peered into the future, and if she did die, he would simply overturn the world until he found a solution to bring her back. This was a matter he wouldn¡¯t stop until death, and even then...

    This piece was very important for an Apex Sovereign. Despite that, her will and desire wasn¡¯tcking. Yan Zaizen could see from her eyes that she wouldn¡¯t hesitate to make choices, but one of her minor Daos would also limit her from reaching the Apex of what it meant to be a Sovereign.

    "Congrattions, You uh-" Yan Zaizen could only speak a few words before he found himself bing dazed. A soft body tackled into his embrace. A fragrant smell and warmth entered his senses and felt beyondfortable. This...

    Lin Feilin couldn¡¯t control herself. She had tried to restrain her desire, but Yan Zaizen felt as if he was the Yang to her Yin. A yearning that was like a persistent and irresistible itch at the top of your head was constantly emerging in her heart. So, she buried herself into his bosom, holding him tightly.

    Yan Zaizen felt as if his mind had momentarily stopped. While he simrly felt thatpatibility they had with their Daos, he held a strong sense of choice in his actions and Dao. He could not be swayed, not even by it. Even if the Will of the Heavenly Daos descended, unless he agreed, he would never obey. Therefore, he could hold himself back with ease.

    Despite that, he did feel what she felt so he didn¡¯t me her. He merely held her waist and rubbed her soft hair at the top of her head. "Senior Sister..."

    They met by coincidence at the start of his martial path. He was going to give up on cultivating that day, but she arrived in his room and left him words that wouldter determine his very future. She was someone important to him and he could not deny that.

    However, he was still unable to speak his heart. He had too many things to do, so he couldn¡¯t indulge nor would he choose to at this moment. Pinaka waited for him. His original body, Yri, and Yan Linzen were still trapped. His n was eradicated for a reason, and he still had a few other responsibilities such as fathering the egg of Sephira All-Central.

    Too many things.

    Could he be selfish and just be here and now? However, he was unwilling to say more, and he knew that Lin Feilin wouldn¡¯t ask anything of him now. She knew that his original body was trapped, so despite caving into her desires, she would only do that and not force matters.

    Therefore, Yan Zaizen just embraced her. A man and a woman, both sovereigns of the world, just embraced each other quietly as their Dao resonated with each other.

    What Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t know was that their Daos interaction had caused a change to a certain someone...

    -----

    In the Deep Mines, Yan Zaizen¡¯s original body floated in an every existing abyss that seemed to never end. A mysterious force suppressed his everything, only allowing minor movements with his powerful physical body. His eyes were peacefully shut, as if he had descended into hibernation.

    However, when Yan Zaizen¡¯s Clone and Lin Feilin¡¯s Dao Aura touched, a spark emerged at his chest. While it came from the central area of his chest, it originated from his soul.

    His eyelids flickered as if they were about to open. His eyeballs swam within but it seemed as if a gate of hell had reced his eyelids, unable to be opened regardless of his efforts. However, his lips opened slightly and words left his lips. It was soft, fragmented, and nearly imperceptible.

    "...Bri...ng...h..."

 Chapter 435 Feeling Itchy

    Within the cave.

    Yan Zaizen quietly sat in a seated cultivation stance. Around him, droplets of golden liquid effusing a grand, magnificent aura circled his body. It was mystical as the drops revolved around him likeary satellites. From time to time, Yan Zaizen would breathe him. A drop of golden liquid would zoom into his be.

    From there, his veins and arteries would be visible, tinged with golden light as the energy infused within his blood, carried into his heart, andter refined and dispersed into his six yang organs, five yin organs, and his numerous acupunctures.

    Within his body, minute but devastatingly powerful explosions took ce. Despite his serene expression, closed eyes, and calm breathing, his every cell was experiencing a period of havoc unlike anything this body of his had ever experienced.

    Luckily, as his meridians, flesh, tendons, sinews, blood, and cells were destroyed by the powerful refinement of Heavenly Law Liquid, his heart thumped with an immense beat. With each beat, his damaged body would be repaired as if nothing had urred.

    It was this miraculous recovery ability that went against his conceived belief of healing that allowed him to withstand the Heavenly Law Liquid¡¯s impact. When he was younger, when he first underwent this process, he felt as if atom bombs were erupting endlessly in his body. He had to take it slow. Several hundred years in fact.

    He didn¡¯t have the luxury of chaotic space and its temporal difference. Therefore, he relied on brute force and his Grand Herculean Physique¡¯s Mimicry Restoration Ability.

    Furthermore, he had gleaned some insight into this ability after careful observation. His current body wasposed of vital energies infused with the unique force of the Herculean Path. His Heart was the center of his physique, but shockingly, it was the only true physical existence in his body.

    When his body had refined the Regalia of Mimicry, it had evolved into being an imitation as a whole. It was this reason, this falsehood, that allowed him to change everyst aspect of his physical body, including its aura and appearance. The only true piece of his physical material was his Herculean Heart.

    It contained the core source of his power. In fact, all of it was focused solely into the heart. Everything else was simply given form by his soul¡¯s image and desires. Moreover, when he had refined his heart, he hadn¡¯t felt stronger at all, yet when he moved, his strength was far greater.

    He had unintentionally tricked himself. When he evolved into something greater, his body had remained the same because he didn¡¯t know how to reveal his truest form. Therefore, he felt his physical body contained the same strength of his perfect Nascent Herculean Physique.

    However, there was one key piece of difference that allowed him to notice the difference: Dao Energy. Without using it to enhance his strength, his body had the aura and strength of that enhanced version to the exact degree.

    "Thew of mimicry is far too profound..." this Imperial Law was shocking to say the least. It had formed the foundation of his Heavenly Shrine, allowing him to use any and everyw he could to their utmost limits without building a separate Heavenly Shrine for them!

    He still hadn¡¯t grasped all of its abilities and secrets, but if it could mimic, truly mimic everything, then wouldn¡¯t its limits of power be the limits of existence itself? He shuddered at the thought.

    "Are you ready?" A soft voice echoed from outside, calling Yan Zaizen¡¯s attention. Yan Zaizen opened his eyes. His domineering gaze and tyrannical aura briefly pacified as he heard this voice. A warmth suffused his heart and entered his eyes as they softened.

    It had been three weeks since that day.

    He calmly took a deep breath, all the droplets of golden liquid entered his be instantly. His entire body bloated momentarily, as if it was going to explode. Yet, a sh of amber-gold Dao Light and cold harrumphter, and the immense retaliation of Heavenly Law Liquid refinement was subdued. In the matter of moments, his Grand Herculean Physique had reached the Minor Sess Stage.

    Yan Zaizen rose from his position. With a calm gait, he walked out of the cave and was greeted by a skyship hovering in the sky. At its edge, a beautiful woman leaned forward with a gentle smile. In her arms, a snow-white puppy was napping and softly kicking in its sleep. Its head nuzzled deeper into Lin Feilin¡¯s bosom.

    Old Man Bo quietly waited too. Yan Zaizen shed andnded on the deck of the skyship. "Yeah," was all he replied with. His voice was calm.

    "Let¡¯s go to the capital." Yan Zaizen intended to finally meet this Senior Brother of his. The annihtion and subsequent hunting of his n was still a matter he had to understand. As Shin Xuanji is a possessor of his Dao, he didn¡¯t think he would be ungrateful and act selfishly. Long ago, they had long since eliminated the enmity between his n and him.

    "I want to know too." Lin Feilin deeply understood the grudge, but she too believed that wasn¡¯t the reason. While the Yan n had destroyed Shin Xuanji¡¯s n, he had dedicated himself to the future, not the past. This was especially after Yan Zaizen had bestowed him his Dao and its great power.

    Old Man Bo was merely a spectator, but he understood the gist. He knew that Yan Zaizen was an immensely powerful entity, and how could this Shin Xuanji not know this? To him, he didn¡¯t feel that the truth back then was very reliable considering that Yan Zaizen could return and seek revenge.

    They soon left, soaring through the skies as they traversed the world. Their destination: the Xiantu Capital City. There, it was said that the Xiantu Emperor stayed. Shin Xuanji had taken the helm and donned this title, controlling the realm from there. Therefore, it was his first stop.

    They flew fast. Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t think too heavily or immerse himself in spection. The truth wille out soon.

    -----

    The Xiantu Realm¡¯s Capital City was named the Heavenly Mortal City. It was a spectacrly breathtaking sight to behold. From the distance, one could see the formation of nine towers that were made purely out of high-grade essence stones. They nearly touched the skies, radiating a rainbow light from the refraction of light. Their glorious beauty was outshone by the walls.

    They were at the height of thirty-three meters high, their surface painted with golden ink effusing heavenly power. They were artistically brilliant. If one started from any of the four main points, they detailed a vivid story.

    The citizens called this story the Heavenly Tale. It noted the arrival of a young man, met with catastrophic events at each turn. His n was ughtered before his eyes, left orphan and alone, he embarked on a path of revenge.

    Therefore, he faced three trials and three cmities, and with the help of two figures, a man and a woman, they were ovee and allowed him to touch upon the heavens. In the end, he became a sovereign of this world, ascending to the Heavenly Path.

    Woosh!

    When Yan Zaizen arrived, his Dao Sense grasped the entire tale. His eyes shed with all sorts of nostalgia. In one of these images, depicting one of the cmities, the young boy was trapped and tortured, unsure of his future, but he was saved by a figure.

    It was him.

    The likeness wasn¡¯t the exact same, but it was fairly close. After all, he had changed somewhat since he ventured out into the grand world and discovered more of the heavens.

    Lin Feilin was simrly there. She was at the beginning, but she too had massively changed in appearance since then. With her Dao formted, her body maturing, and the passage of time etching into her eyes, she seemed far too different.

    "It seems like he hadn¡¯t forgotten," she softly whispered. Hope entered her heart.

    However, Yan Zaizen closed his eyes. He didn¡¯t reply, merely waited. After a few minutes of silence, he nodded.

    "Stay here," Yan Zaizen said. With a step forward, he shot into the skies. It took only moments for him to vanish from their sights. The snow-white puppy woke up, looking up at the sky that Yan Zaizen ascended. His pure eyes were calm, the innocence of its gaze had be infused with a profound light.

    While no one noticed this, Yan Zaizen had already exited the Xiantu Realm¡¯s atmosphere, entering the Deep Expanse. When he arrived, he saw a figure dressed in bone-white ash and sanguine colored robes with eyes closed.

    This figure was seated cross-legged within the Xiantu Realm, emitting a faint heavenly aura. Yan Zaizen finally opened his eyes at this moment, amber-gold shing within his gaze.

    "So, you obtained your own Dao?" Yan Zaizen calmly asked.

    When those words resounded, the figure¡¯s eyes opened. A greyish-red light shed in his eyes, notcking at all to Yan Zaizen¡¯s original Dao of Sovereign Ascension.

    "It seems you¡¯ve changed, Senior Brother." Yan Zaizen spoke to Shin Xuanji, the current Xiantu Emperor.

    A voice sounded, as if it emanated from a battlefield filled with gushing blood and crunching bones, "I have."

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes narrowed as a grin tugged at his lips. "I told Senior Sister Fei that I won¡¯t act out of emotion, but now I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ll have to break that. I¡¯m feeling a little itchy, how about you?" His fist clenched, a fierce vital energy aura started to swell within his body.

    Shin Xuanji¡¯s eyes focused on Yan Zaizen. After a brief moment of silence, he stood upright. "Same."

    Two aura erupted simultaneously!

 Chapter 436 Blood, Bone & Samsara

    Shin Xuanji¡¯s aura was torrential and vigorous. A surging wave of sanguine and white-ash color erupted from his powerful body. Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes narrowed. The Shin Xuanji of before was barely present. The current him stood at a height rivaling his own, while his muscture was defined and epic. He seemed like an Immortal of legend, forged from blood and ughter.

    Yan Zaizen felt ughter within his aura as well. It was fearsome and heart-throbbing, and it faintly rivaled his own peerless tyrannical aura. It was as if he lived and ruled the battlefield.

    A God of War.

    This was the feeling he exuded. Furthermore, his face that was already handsome was clearly more matured yet the contours were clear and sharp along with his eyes. He had grown from the little boy who escaped the ughter of his n to bing an existence that dominated his world.

    "Come." Shin Xuanji¡¯s voice was deeper than before, rippling with force and daunting momentum.

    Yan Zaizen smiled. His aura was not the slightest bit weaker on intensity. While the Immortal Herculean Method did not focus on vital energies, his vital aura was abundant and terrifyingly explosive.

    He didn¡¯t wait a single moment more.

    Boom!

    He stepped forward, the space beneath his feetpressed and exploded, and his body turned into an extreme shadowy figure as he sped forward. Even space keened at his movements, his every action putting pressure on everything. His momentum was endless, roiling into his fist as heunched it forth.

    This fist was like a, at least capable of shattering one.

    Shin Xuanji calmly stood. He didn¡¯t even move. With his palm outstretched, he intended to meet Yan Zaizen¡¯s fist. In the time it took a spark to leave a flint, flesh met flesh, fist met palm.

    BOOM!!!

    A chaotic wave of pure force exploded with the two figures as the epicenter. Yan Zaizen¡¯srge fist was held firmly in Shin Xuanji¡¯s palm. Shin Xuanji¡¯s fingers were wrapped solidly around Yan Zaizen¡¯s fist, and violent light of multiple and nearly indistinguishable colors started to rapidly sh and flood the world around them.

    In the world below, it was as if a star had just ignited and covered tainted the skies with its colorful brilliant.

    Yan Zaizen felt as if he met an unbreakable wall. His blood seethed and his bones trembled. Now that he was directly before Shin Xuanji, he felt a better understanding of his cultivation base. "Fourth-Floor? Blood Heavenly Shrine and a Bone Heavenly Shrine? Furthermore, you¡¯re a Fiendgod?! Rank...Five?"

    He was swift in his analytical determination. Shin Xuanji had not only reached the Fourth Floor of the Heavenly Genesis Realm with two separate Heavenly Shrines, but he had cultivated the Fiendgod Path to the Fourth Rank.

    Shin Xuanji had simrly felt Yan Zaizen¡¯s cultivation base with that sh. Within his eyes that radiated bloody ughter, confusion shed. He couldn¡¯tprehend how Yan Zaizen could be so physically strong without a Fiendgod Cultivation Base.

    Those who cultivated the Fiendgod Path typically had specific types of vital energies. Such as fire, sword, or space that typically corrted with the Heavenly Laws. They cultivated refining their bloodline powers and thus required this. Yet, Yan Zaizen¡¯s vital energy was pure, unfathomably pure.

    However, this confusionsted for but a moment. He didn¡¯t simply block, but struck. His leg was like a whip as it violently whistled through space, kicking high up to hit Yan Zaizen¡¯s skull.

    Bang!

    Yan Zaizen used his free hand to block the kick. The sheer pressure nearly caused him to move a millimeter away, but he held his own, refusing to budge any distance.

    Woosh!

    He retaliated with his own kick. A spartan kick as he struck fiercely at Shin Xuanji¡¯s torso. The force behind this kick could topple mountains in mere moments. Shin Xuanji didn¡¯t dare to neglect this strike at such a close-range, but with white-ash and sanguine light effusing from his eyes, he refused to bulge also.

    His heavenly shrines revolved as boundless heavenly might roiled endless around his body. Before long, his entire body was coated in bloody bone-like materials. It was as if arger skeletal frame of himself was tightly hugging his body, with ribs protecting his torso. They dripped with liquid blood that seemed to emanate from the harshest hell.

    Those protruding ribs met Yan Zaizen¡¯s kick. Outside of a slight shift in their alignment, the bones held. Furthermore, the ribs started to pulsate a surging cylindrical beam of light that shot towards Yan Zaizen¡¯s chest.

    Yan Zaizen smirked. With a twist of his body, he forcefully pulled his fist from Shin Xuanji¡¯s fist and simultaneously pushed away his leg. He was like a whirlwind as he swiftly rotated, a spinning kick was unleashed during that and collided with the skeletal skull that protected Shin Xuanji¡¯s head.

    Crack!

    The bones shattered instantly.

    Shin Xuanji¡¯s eyes constricted as he retreated a meter of distance away. Luckily, the skull had dyed Yan Zaizen¡¯s kick long enough for him to do so. When he did, his eyes were sharp and suffused with ughter might.

    Yan Zaizen regained his casual stance, his aura still erupting endlessly, but his smirk remained.

    "I win," Yan Zaizen dered.

    Shin Xuanji didn¡¯t deny. After a nod, his protective skeletal frame merged into his body. Those who spectated would think he had given up, but that was far from the case. In this closebat exchange, Yan Zaizen had forced him to retreat. This was his victory, albeit a small one.

    When the skeletal frame entered his body, his aura started to rapidly intensify to extreme limits. The Mortal Laws of Bone and Blood started to be manipted intricately with his Heavenly Might. In a single blink, Shin Xuanji seemed to exude the king of all blood and bones in this world, in any world.

    "Sovereign-level?!" Yan Zaizen was now taken aback. Shin Xuanji had merely constructed Fourth-Floor Heavenly Shrines, but he had theprehension to easily be a Heavenly Commander. His eyes revealed a tinge, just a tinge, of grimness. As a person whoprehended the Heavenly Laws of every Mortal and World Law to the utmost peak, he knew the capabilities of a Sovereign-level Law, even a Mortal Law.

    Furthermore, Shin Xuanji had two.

    "If it wasn¡¯t for theck of materials in this world, perhaps the Xiantu Realm would¡¯ve had its first Heavenly Commander," Yan Zaizenmented.

    Shin Xuanji seemed unbothered. He was gathering his power as he seemed to be executing a very powerful Heavenly Art. Yan Zaizen realized that the dy was due to his insufficient Heavenly Might. He had to repeatedly gather and refine to execute it.

    If it was anyone else, Yan Zaizen would¡¯ve interfered with a deadly blow. This time, he wanted to see Shin Xuanji¡¯s strongest state. Therefore, he waited. However, he didn¡¯t remain idle while Shin Xuanji powered up.

    Instead, he started to gather the Herculean Path¡¯s power stored within his cells, blood, and heart. The Immortal Herculean Art had a single art. It was an art that he had used before to dominate thends.

    Herculean Avatar Art!

    He tapped into all his power within his body. A deep, powerful explosion erupted causing space itself to bend, twist, and fluctuate beneath his aura. With every breath, the heavens trembled!

    Herculean Avatar Art: Mimic Form!

    When he executed the art, he started to shake violently. His eyes constricted as he felt his heart throb endlessly, infusing his entire body with power, yet his body experienced no change.

    "What is..." he was confused for merely a second before his eyes brightened with inspiration and realization. Then, he connected with his heart and the herculean power within his body.

    Herculean Avatar Art: Life, Death, and Soul Form!

    While this unfathomable change was taking ce, Shin Xuanji¡¯s Heavenly Art had finished. He merged his vital energy, bloodline power, and heavenly might as one. This feat was only something an absolute genius could only hope to aplish.

    Shin Xuanji simrly erupted with vast, boundless, torrential, and ferocious power. His entire bearing changed as his body was surrounded by raging rivers of blood and bones. Strange esoteric markings emerged on his face, particrly his be had the image of a white demonic skull with crimson blood leaking out of its sockets. It was incredibly vivid!

    When one focused on it, the skull seemed to be sad...no, mad! Yes! It cried while manically chattering its jaw bones in insaneughter. The sounds of thisughter echoed in the soul!

    Heavenly Fiendgod Art: Bloody ughter of The End!

    His body had reached its absolute maximum of power. In this state of his, even Heavenly Commanders, those at the Seventh Floor of the Heavenly Genesis Realm, might be killed with a single fist!

    Yan Zaizen and Shin Xuanji stood before each other, their aura and powers shed as space suffered.

    Shin Xuanji¡¯s bloody yet bone-ash white eyes honed onto Yan Zaizen¡¯s ever-changing aura that seemed to be intermingling with three profound types of power. He calmly said, "My Dao."

    These words caused Yan Zaizen to lift his eyes and meet his gaze.

    "Dao of Sovereign ughter!" Shin Xuanji¡¯s words sounded malevolent and devoid of warmth. The immense killing intent emitted could kill mortals where they stood.

    Yan Zaizen nodded in response. He hadn¡¯t just influenced Lin Feilin to create a Sovereign¡¯s Dao, but Shin Xuanji had used his Dao of Sovereign Ascension to hone himself and refine his own Dao, one no less than his. He had respect for such otherworldly talent and even admiration.

    However, he knew the next sh of theirs would make short exchange from before seem like kids ying. Therefore, he focused his energy towards gathering power. When the soul, life, and death-type vital energies were mimicked and merged, his body faintly trembled.

    His eyes opened, no longer containing amber-gold light. A new light reced it. One that carried a new world. A new Samsara.

 Chapter 437 Endless Samsara Form

    Shin Xuanji frowned. This was the first truly expressive emotion on his face since this fight had begun. In truth, he was in his strongest state, with an upper-level Dao empowering his dual cultivation base, yet Yan Zaizen had matched him in terms of aura andbat prowess. In their brief exchange earlier, he had lost.

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s swift and decisive strikepletely toppled his own solid and forceful style. Each of his actions carried an inherent dominance. Therefore, it felt as if every strike would take a life. It was a harrowing experience to be at the receiving end.

    However, with his Dao, he remained fierce and fearsome, unaffected by Yan Zaizen¡¯s daunting aura and actions.

    A slight grin tugged at his lips.

    Yan Zaizen had umted his powers. He had discovered that his Herculean Physiquecked form, but it could take any form. This was a miraculous discovery that enabled endless possibilities. Before, he had only faintly grasped the Samsara Power of his Herculean Physique that resulted from thebination of Life, Death, and Soul. It was tiny and hadn¡¯t fully developed with his original body.

    However, this inkling of power that hadn¡¯t developed to the current him was the perfect sample to mimic.

    "Your Dao, your dual Fourth Floor Heavenly Shrines, Rank Five Fiendgod Body, and Sovereign-level concepts are quite impressive." Yan Zaizen softly spoke in praise. This was the first words they¡¯ve exchanged since their initial words.

    Shin Xuanji¡¯s eyes brightened as his heart shook. Yan Zaizen had urately determined his cultivation base off a small exchange. This type of perception was fearsome. However, from Yan Zaizen, he expected nothing less.

    The only issue was that he had no idea how Yan Zaizen was drawing upon such godly strength. His vital energiescked an attribute, while the intensity of his energies was far lesser than his own. Even Yan Zaizen¡¯s Dao Light wasn¡¯t as powerful as his own.

    This was a truth that even Yan Zaizen wouldn¡¯t deny. He only possessed a Heavenly Dao Seed, a fragment of his Dao of Sovereign Ascension. However, it was a Dao Heart and infused with Heavenly Will. Not only did it have room for growth, but its current powers were only a littlecking inparison to Shin Xuanji¡¯s full-fledged Dao.

    Shin Xuanji didn¡¯t respond, only calmly regarded Yan Zaizen while his aura seemed to stem from the physical manifestation of a grand, blood-filled, death-drenched battlefield.

    The Heavenly Fiendgod Art: Bloody ughter of the End was truly his strongest state. His sanguine and bone-white robes coupled with his handsome looks and ferocious Dao of Sovereign ughter made him seem like the legitimate God of War.

    "Mm," Yan Zaizen had prepared enough. He fully delved into his mimicry powers and tapped into its most profound ability. He had spoken only to get a brief moment of respite as he regted hisprehension and memory of the Samsara Power from before. Now, he felt its power transform within his heart.

    Herculean Avatar Art: Endless Samsara Form!

    His eyes became a swirling mass of lights, cyan, white, ck, and they intermixed until it became an indistinguishable color that was all of them yet none of them. It brought logicalprehension and mortals could no longer grasp its profound existence. This was the power that was derived from the Imperial Law of Samsara!

    Yan Zaizen felt his lifeforce, deathly aura, and soulforce reach an unfathomable degree. He removed his limiter and brought his aura to the absolute natural maximum without mimicry powers disguising it.

    Boom!

    Shin Xuanji¡¯s eyes constricted. A surging wave of life, death, soul, and a concept that seemed to resemble reincarnation, transmigration, rebirth, and faintly eternity of the soul battered his mind. He felt overwhelmed.

    What is this?! He wanted to exin these three words but found himself unable to.

    "Ahhh!" He shouted, his blood, bone, heavenly, and vital energies erupted from the truest depths of his cultivation base. In moments, he regained himself. He looked at Yan Zaizen in shock, only to witness his eyes containing the endless cycle of a soul.

    He saw his soul¡¯s life in those eyes. He saw his soul¡¯s inevitable demise in those eyes. He saw his journey in those eyes!!

    Shin Xuanji felt as if he would lose his mind. He hastily brought forth his Dao Energy to reinforce his mind and soul, shut his eyes, and only then did he alleviate the effects of that gaze.

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes were effusing boundless Samsara Power as various esoteric markings etched themselves on his skin. His body had taken on the physical form of what Samsara would be. He was life, death, soul, journey, end, and beginning. It was incredible.

    His gaze lifted and he felt it. His entire being felt it. Samsara Power felt simr to Herculean Power. It drew its entire strength from a True Origin. As his gaze peered out into the endless dark void, he felt as if he prated it all and found an image.

    It felt as if his gaze zoomed through all barriers and entered an unfathomable chasm buried beneath the folds of the Thirty-Three Heavens.

    "Hell?" He frowned. Only now did he remember that when he grasped an understanding of the Law of Samsara, he was met with an image of a man. This image was of a robed figure that seemed to be at the center of a universe.

    Was this universe hell?

    Did the Imperial Law of Samsara originate from hell?! These thoughts brought him to the figure that nearly took his life, nearly took Ezekiel¡¯s life, and brought Pinaka away. In the Heavenly Origin Grounds, he met three gigantic humanoid figures that seemed to embody the three Imperial Laws heprehended.

    The one that matched with the Law of Samsara had the same appearance as that man.

    Bark! Bark! Bark!!

    Abruptly, he felt a twitch of his ears as he was about to peer deeper into hell. He heard the barking of a dog. His left drew away, looking down at the tumultuous auras of his and Shin Xuanji that continuously shed, crushing and bending space.

    On the Xiantu Continent, a snow-white puppy was barking towards the sky, its pure ck eyes were no longer ck, but felt as if it was nothing but purity. His heart quaked.

    Before he could think further, a whooshing sound shattered his Herculean eardrums. Shin Xuanji had taken action. His fist wreathed in power, he smashed it forth with vicious momentum.

    Yan Zaizen had entered his Endless Samsara Form, so he didn¡¯t block this fist. It erged until it smashed into his fist. His head exploded like a watermelon hit with a grenadeuncher. A vast amount of rippling blood and heavenly might crushed his flesh, bone, and blood.

    In moments, his entire body was smashed into bits.

    Shin Xuanji paused. His eyes shed an unnatural light as uncertainty and a hint of fear entered his gaze. He didn¡¯t believe that that strike of his would kill Yan Zaizen so easily! His heart was in chaos. He felt even Yan Zaizen¡¯s soul disperse.

    However, Yan Zaizen had already drawn upon the unnatural recovery prowess of his new form. In a literal blink of an eye, he shed into existence to Shin Xuanji¡¯s right. With a tightly clenched fist, he simrly smashed his fist forward.

    Shin Xuanji couldn¡¯t even register events as a vast, imperious force touched his right cheek, his jaw, blood, and skin rupturing into boundless rivers of blood and bone dust.

    His body flew ten thousand meters into the Border Expanse. The momentum was impossible to halt as a majority of his face and head had been demolished. However, his recovery ability wasn¡¯t anything tough at.

    His blood reformed, his bones regrew, and his flesh was reced thanks to his vital energies. By the time he stopped, his head had repaired, including his hair, and his handsome appearance was restored.

    However, Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t allow him time to breathe. He pressed the assault. With a step, he arrived like a sh of light above Shin Xuanji. With a sharp, direct stomp, he aimed for Shin Xuanji¡¯s head.

    A sense of deathly crisis emerged in Shin Xuanji¡¯s heart. His eyes constricted, and he erupted with boundless waves of power, defensively creating a ward of bone and blood.

    Yan Zaizen found his stomp smashing into a hundred thousand feet of river and blood, constantly splitting, but it took merely a moment before he broke through this and met Shin Xuanji¡¯s head. Luckily for him, the force behind this stomp was reduced.

    Boom!

    His head sunk into his torso, cracks at the top of his skull, and blood spewing endlessly creating more and more rivers while pieces of his skull transformed into sharp spears piercing toward Yan Zaizen.

    Yan Zaizen found himself wading through the rivers of blood with continuous swipes of his palms, while his legs stomped to turn the bone spears into dust.

    Shin Xuanji retreated, using his injury to supplement his defensive efforts.

    Yan Zaizen clicked his tongue as his assault was impeded. Those whoprehended thews of bone and blood were insidiously difficult to deal with. Unless one can instantly obliterate their souls, they can use every injury for offense and defense. Furthermore...

    The crushed bones and split rivers regathered, regained their forms, and redoubled their efforts to attack Yan Zaizen.

    Quite tedious. Yan Zaizen couldn¡¯t help but think as he withdrew his defense and allowed the rivers of blood and spears of bones to bombard his body until he waspletely engulfed. His skin instantly degraded into nothing, his blood absorbed, and his bone crushed into power. His physical body vanished.

    Shin Xuanji felt his attack end Yan Zaizen¡¯s body and soul. This feeling was as clear as day. However, before he could gather his perception to inspect, his eyes constricted. Yan Zaizen had instantly appeared on his left like a ghost with a vicious round kick aiming to shatter his skull in one go.

    He instinctively used his arms to block, but in a matter of a single blink of an eye, his arms were rendered useless and directly bypassed to smash into his face. It was as if his arms were rubber, unable to block the immense strength Yan Zaizen possessed.

    Shin Xuanji was appalled. He was sent flying tens of thousands of feet away with his skull even more damaged than before. However, this time, a faint trace of power seemed to have infiltrated his bone, blood, vital energies, and heavenly might!

    It...it was...consuming his strength!

    Before he could conceive anything, Yan Zaizen had arrived, once more having been destroyed by his defensive attacks, and smashed his fist straight through his torso. It crushed his ribs and shattered his spine as his bottom half was rendered useless.

    "Ahhh!" His mind screamed in immense pain as the power in his body was consumed continuously. It didn¡¯t simply stop at his cultivation base, but was affecting his soul as well!

    Before he could try to assess the situation and this mysterious power, Yan Zaizen was once more killed. However, this time it wasn¡¯t due to his defensive means. He had learned and withdrawn those to give himself some time to think, but it was useless. Yan Zaizen was obliterated by his aura!

    Woosh!

    Yan Zaizen shed into existence right behind him. He felt his aura and presence the moment he did. His scalp went numb and his heart was actually shaking with shock.

    "You win, Junior Brother Zai!" Shin Xuanji shouted with all his might.

 Chapter 438 The Three Sovereigns

    "You win, Junior Brother Zai!" Shin Xuanji shouted with all his might.

    Everyst one of Yan Zaizen¡¯s blows were like hell-crushing meteors, and the infiltrating power within his body was already lowering hisbat abilities. Even his strongest state was hard to maintain with his soul besieged by this consuming power.

    "Oh?" Yan Zaizen stopped his elbow from connecting with Shin Xuanji¡¯s skull. If this blow had connected, who knows if Shin Xuanji could¡¯ve escaped without sustaining severe injuries, hisws be damned.

    Yan Zaizen held back and ced his arms behind his back, his eyes containing samsara light. "You challenged me, now you concede?" Earlier, when Yan Zaizen arrived at the capital, Shin Xuanji had noticed him and sent him a direct challenge.

    This was why he was feeling itchy!

    Shin Xuanji¡¯s expression turned stern and unnatural. He had felt Yan Zaizen¡¯s aura and heard of his return long ago, but he quietly waited for him toe. He knew he would, he had to.

    For so many years, he remained unrivaled and wished to test his mettle against the man who saved him all those years ago, so he issued the challenge without any hesitation in his heart. Who would¡¯ve known that Yan Zaizen¡¯s strength far exceeded his imagination. His ability to die and return was mind-boggling and heaven-defying. Even now, he hadn¡¯t understood it.

    He calmed his beating heart, his Dao of Sovereign ughter reined in, and his aura and technique dispersed. He shifted his body to face Yan Zaizen. His mind shook slightly, emotions welling up on his heart.

    Yan Zaizen warmly smiled. He didn¡¯t have any true hostility towards this Senior Brother of his or belief that Shin Xuanji wished him harm. This was reinforced by his chaotic reaction when Yan Zaizen was ¡¯killed¡¯. This was obviously not his desire, and his reaction verified this.

    "It¡¯s been a while, Senior Brother Xuan."

    Standing in the Deep Expanse, amongst the distorted and shattered spatial fragments were two brothers of the same master, who¡¯ve be Sovereigns in their lifetimes. They walked different paths, suffered their own way, and yet they persisted and remained to topple the world.

    Shin Xuanji became the Realmlord of his world, the absolute foremost expert. Yan Zaizen traveled the heavens and earth free and without regard, killing gods and determining fates.

    Yan Zaizen withdrew his Dao and Samsara Light within his eyes, the Herculean Avatar Art was cancelled, and his vital energies became calm as a windless sea. The power within Shin Xuanji was extracted, exiting from his pores and entering his body. With his renewed amber-gold eyes, he smiled.

    Shin Xuanji sighed in his heart in both relief and admiration. Yan Zaizen hadn¡¯t disappointed him. Even without his Heavenly Path cultivation, he could push him into defeat.

    As if remembering something, Shin Xuanji¡¯s expression became dignified and solemn. "There¡¯s much I need to tell you, Junior Brother."

    Witnessing this shift, Yan Zaizen expected as much. However, he didn¡¯t allow such a shift to change his attitude, but kept his casual and warm smile. "There sure is, but first...let¡¯s celebrate our reunion!"

    His smile became sly as a crafty light shed in his eyes. Shin Xuanji paused for a moment, an uncertain feeling emerged in his heart...as if...as if he was about to be used.

    -----

    In the Xiantu Capital, there was a castle called the Blood Heaven Castle. It was decorated in a grand victorian fashion, with all sorts of regel decor befitting a king, and colored in a soft sanguine color. While it emitted a sense of vicious death, it also gave its people an assured aura. After all, that sense was reassuring them that all their enemies would experience a vicious death.

    It was a point of pride for many. And, it was Shin Xuanji¡¯s personal residence. It was rumored that he, the Xiantu Emperor, cultivated in this very castle. There was a form of prestige to even guard its gates or sweep its floors. In truth, Shin Xuanji did live here, including his family.

    He had a wife and descendants. He had grown into a family provider, protecting his and his family¡¯s interests with an iron fist.

    In the Xiantu Capital Blood Heaven Castle. The foot traffic within was abnormal. Countless men and women with sweet scents ran up and down, here and there, traveling at an absolutely insane pace as they prepared food in the castle¡¯s three kitchens. They brought every ounce of food prepared, enough to start a feast to feed the entire noble regime, to the dining hall.

    From this dining hall, sounds that could make these chefs and servants go pale resounded without end. Loud chewing and crunching sounds, apanied by bouts of burps and exmations of satisfaction were emitted. However, what was frightening was the constant iing of food and outgoing of empty tes in record time.

    In fact, the empty te wasing out faster than the food could be made.

    In the dining hall, the sounds of giggling resounded. It originated from a young woman. She was as pretty as a flower in spring, and charming as a fairy from the immortal world. Her jade-like skin, brilliantly bright blue eyes, glimmering blonde hair, and thin, curvy figure caused her to stand out as a beauty that could topple a nation.

    There was a table which she and a few others sat at. Shin Xuanji was sitting beside her, his eyes wide and unnatural. He couldn¡¯t believe what he was watching. "He¡¯s a monster...a true monster..." he muttered softly, his stately and grand aura was marred by his disbelief and shock.

    At this moment, Yan Zaizen was downing food and drink faster than it came. Every bit consumed a chunk, every slurp finished a drink or soupid before him. He was the picture of gluttonous greed as he feasted without care for his image.

    After that fight, Yan Zaizen felt his body carve an insane amount of sustenance. He devoured whatever was before him instantly while his Herculean Physique digested it all in the matter of seconds. Even after an hour of eating, he felt only hungrier.

    This was the first time he felt so hungry. Perhaps it was because his three revivals had consumed an absolutely astronomical amount of energy and power. Regardless, he needed to eat.

    Lin Feilin sat beside him, the snow-white puppy held in her arms, but unlike Shin Xuanji, she was smiling with a hint of admiration and pride. There was a saying that a man that could eat was capable in many things. Seeing Yan Zaizen consume so much caused her mind to go awry.

    Old Man Bo wasn¡¯t here. Yan Zaizen sent him off to cultivate somewhere.

    After finishing an entire turkey and a jug of wine, Yan Zaizen turned his amber-gold gaze towards this young woman beside Shin Xuanji. He knew that this young girl wasn¡¯t his wife, but his great-something granddaughter. Her life aura was just slightly older than this body of his.

    She couldn¡¯t be more than twenty.

    "So, you¡¯re going to introduce me or you too embarrassed of this Junior Brother of yours?" Yan Zaizen said, his smile was sly as he picked up a chicken leg and waved it at Shin Xuanji.

    Shin Xuanji¡¯s expression darkened a little. He sighed and said, "this is Shin Feiyu. She¡¯s my great-great-great-great Granddaughter."

    Hearing herself being introduced, she rose and performed a respectful bow meant for a senior. Since Yan Zaizen was Shin Xuanji¡¯s Junior Brother, he was worthy of being her senior.

    "Oh?" Yan Zaizen perked, taking a hefty bite of his chicken leg. "Yu? Not your family line?" In the Xiantu Realm, the naming structure typically went n Name -\u003e Name, Family Line.

    Yan Zaizen. Yan n. Zai. And, originated from the Zen lineage.

    This held true for Lin Feilin and Shin Xuanji, even Han Genji. They all had their names define their origins. For example, with those familiar with the Yan n, they could gather that Yan Zaizen was a part of the Main Family. And as the grandson of the n Head, they would be correct.

    For Shin Feiyu to be named after a different family name was quite odd, especially if she was Shin Xuanji¡¯s granddaughter.

    "I renounced my family line, starting a new one with my wife¡¯s." Shin Xuanji calmly exined. While this was highly unconventional, and this meant Shin Xuanji was likely renamed Shin Xuanyu, Yan Zaizen had no intention of changing how he addressed him, but he respected the choice.

    "Mm. Good on you, starting anew." He had already finished off the entire chicken, not just the chicken leg, by the time Shin Xuanji had finished talking. The most shocking thing was that, regardless of how much Yan Zaizen ate or how greasy the food, he was still as clean as always.

    This level of skillful eating and awareness of self was admirable.

    "You named her?" Yan Zaizen said to Shin Xuanji, looking at Lin Feilin. As if she read Yan Zaizen¡¯s thoughts, she also turned to Shin Xuanji. Her name was Fei, so she would feel honored if a descendant of her Junior Brother was named after her.

    Shin Xuanji didn¡¯t deny it. Lin Feilin was simrly an important figure in his life, and for some reason, when she was born and he held her in her arms, he felt this name was appropriate.

    Yan Zaizen smilingly said, "Master would be proud."

    The three went silent for a moment. Han Genji was their Master, and he had given each of them an invaluable opportunity for change. He saved Shin Xuanji, Lin Feilin, and Yan Zaizen. While his methods were forceful, his intentions were good and true.

    "I hope he is," Lin Feilin and Shin Xuanji simultaneously said, even synchronizing their vocal cadence. Yan Zaizen¡¯s heart thumped.

    Would Han Genji be proud if he knew that his three disciples gave birth to three Sovereigns? He must be.

    "Milord, the cake is prepared." A soft, melodious voice sounded. Yan Zaizen¡¯s ears perked as his eyes shone a brilliant glimmer.

    Cake!

 Chapter 439 Hell Sen

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s head snapped towards the sound. The rolling of a serving table¡¯s wheels alerted his senses as his keen sense of smell went into overdrive. This reaction caused Lin Feilin, Shin Xuanji, and Shin Feiyu to be startled, unsure of how to react.

    Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t care. He tossed his chicken leg aside, using his arm to make space for a new set of tes. Before the woman server could bring the cakes to the table, it magically vanished.

    Before him, Yan Zaizen saw all sorts of variety and deliciousness. He analyzed each and everyone one, his amber-gold eyes even flickering with Dao Light as he inspected them thoroughly. There were forty-seven different types of cake, from red velvet to buttermilk. The frostings were varied and paired greatly with their respective cakes.

    "Zai, yo-" Lin Feilin tried to say something, but Yan Zaizen had his fork and was already digging into a soft piece of chocte cake with vani frosting . It was soft, moist, and adhered to the fork like it was made for it. When it slid into his mouth, his cells felt vitalized.

    Even with this new body, his taste buds had never changed. He didn¡¯t know what about well-made and delicious cake, regardless of its design or vor, but he was addicted to it. It was as if all sorts of memories of the past were roiling into his heart and mind.

    After a long vocalized ¡¯Mmmmmmmmm!¡¯ He gave a vigorous nod, unwilling to open his mouth. With his free hand, he gave a thumbs up to Shin Xuanji. His eyes sparkled with appreciation, as if saying: "You know what your Junior Brother loves. Don¡¯t worry, he loves you too."

    The glint in his eyes caused Shin Xuanji¡¯s expression to turn dark, feeling ufortable as he wiggled slightly in his seat. Shin Feiyu held her hand over her mouth and giggled. This granduncle of hers was quite an interesting character.

    Then, her eyes blinked.

    Then, they widened in utter, total, incredible disbelief!

    It wasn¡¯t just her. All the staff that was lingering about, cleaning tes and tables to rece them with new meals were stunned senseless.

    Shin Xuanji and Lin Feilin¡¯s heart shook.

    In that span of a blink, all of the tes had been wiped clean and reced with a variety of all sorts of cakes. Before, there was merely forty-seven, but now...there were thousands lined up. The sweet fragrant wafted out endless.

    Yan Zaizen shouted, "It worked!" His tion was at an all-time high. He didn¡¯t think it would actually work, but it did! With a thought, he recreated every single cake he had ever eaten using the Law of Mimicry. They were exactly the same as he remembered.

    While they were stunned, he indulged. Endlessly!

    For every cake he ate, another would rece it.

    He ran through them like a bulldozer, smacking each piece into his mouth. It was a cake ughter, horrific as these sweet little delicacies were absolutely helpless before the godyer, no, the Great Cakeyer! Each movement of his fork took another sweet life.

    Yet, their ends were constant as they were constantly recreated. A endless cycle.

    "..." Everyone.

    -----

    A few hourster, Yan Zaizenid on the floor with his stomach bulging and frosting on his lips. His eyes were drunk. If one looked closely, they could see images of various shapes, colors, mostly resembling sweet delicacies.

    Shin Xuanji looked on with a gaped jaw, his eyes and mind unable to keep up. He was frozen into a stupor.

    "Ju-just how did you make so many?" It was like freaking magic. Regardless of how many he ate, more would appear without any hint of energy fluctuation or spatial distortion. It was as if they always existed. Existed to be eaten.

    At first, he thought it was an illusion. So, he touched one. However, he was met with a fierce p that sent him out of his own castle. He rolled out the windows in horrendous fashion and nearly into the Expanse. When he returned, the imprint of five fingers were still on his face.

    He learned a very valuable lesson.

    He felt aggrieved. When Lin Feilin asked for one from this stingy-cake eating monster, she was handed it without much fuss. However, when heter asked, he was given the stink eye as if he was a robber trying to steal another¡¯s wife.

    What type of favouritism was that? Furthermore, wasn¡¯t he the Senior Brother, should the Junior Brother p their senior into space? How disrespectful is that? He could only swallow his words as his Shin Feiyu merelyughed after her initial shock.

    However, how could Yan Zaizen be so petty? After seeing how sullen this Senior Brother of his looked, he reluctantly offered him a single bite. Just a single bite, after all, he was kind, no?

    Shin Xuanji, however, was incredibly ungrateful. He huffed and puffed and remained silent, unwilling to ept Yan Zaizen¡¯s gift. Yan Zaizen also learned a lesson, to never offer any of his cake to pouty men.

    Shin Xuanji cleared his throat. It was already gettingte, and he didn¡¯t want to dwell on this matter. However, he swore that he¡¯ll eat at least a thousand different cakes when Yan Zaizen wasn¡¯t around.

    "Junior Brother Zai, we should talk." His expression became serious and calm. Lin Feilin and Shin Feiyu also put aside theirughs and short talks. While they were getting along well, it was time to get back to the point of their visit.

    Yan Zaizen patted his bulging belly and sighed. His eyes closed as he regained his posture, no longer losing himself in his vices. He rose and said, rubbing his belly, "Yes. We should."

    Yan Zaizen sat down, and Shin Xuanji nced at Shin Feiyu and Lin Feilin. Before he could speak, Yan Zaizen said, "What happened to my n?"

    Shin Xuanji collected his thoughts and exined, "If you want the full story, you¡¯ll have to start with the former Xiantu Emperor and his ns."

    The Xiantu Emperor? Yan Zaizen frowned, but he didn¡¯t interrupt.

    "When you left all those years ago, the Xiantu Emperor¡¯s ns were already in motion. In fact, it started with the Asura Phantom Realm. I heard you went to explore it, so you should know about it."

    The Asura Phantom Realm. It was a subrealm located in the folds of space within the Xiantu Realm. When Yan Zaizen was younger, he was hired to explore it and the Asura Phantom Pce within. It was an old, nearly forgotten power that delved in soul arts. No one knew that the Pce Master had forged a two-floor Hell Altar and was seeking a revival.

    Yan Zaizen had fought and killed the phantasm, an immortal soul-like spiritual existence. One had to abandon their Essence Path, Soul Source Path, and physical bodies to be such an existence. During that fight, he nearly lost his life.

    Shin Xuanji continued, "At that time, the Xiantu Emperor of that time had learned of another path of cultivation, the Infernal Forger, the Hell Altar. He became obsessed with it, retrieved the Hell Altar from the realm and seeked to restore its powers. However to do that, he needed to...venture into Hell."

    Those who cultivate the Infernal Path had to obtain the materials to do so from Hell. It was a perilous journey fraught with danger and risk. Firstly, only an existence of the soul was said to be able to enter Hell and survive. This meant creatures like Phantasms, Ghosts, or Wraiths.

    "Unfortunately, it seemed hecked the ability or courage to do so, so he scoured the Xiantu Realm for an alternative or solution. And, he found it." Shin Xuanji¡¯s eyes focused on Yan Zaizen¡¯s.

    It was that moment that Yan Zaizen understood what he meant. "The Yan n..." At the time of their actions, a genius of the Yan n had awakened his bloodline and seemed capable of mastering, using any art or cultivating any method without risk. As someone with a body that possessed that bloodline, how could he not know?

    The Law of Mimicry made each Yan n member adaptable to any and all methods, even if they hadn¡¯t awakened their bloodline. This meant they were also the perfect guinea pigs.

    He solemnly said, "What did he do?"

    "..." Shin Xuanji and Shin Feiyu were silent with flickering emotions. Yan Zaizen was taken aback at Shin Feiyu¡¯s reaction. She was super young, yet she seemed to be invested in this. This piqued his interest.

    Shin Xuanji took a deep breath and said, "He sent them to Hell."

 Chapter 440 The Truth

    Shin Xuanji took a deep breath and said, "He sent them to Hell."

    "What?!" Lin Feilin jumped out of her seat, an expression of disbelief colored her face with a tinge of uncertainty. She reacted even more shocked and disturbed than Yan Zaizen did. Yan Zaizen, on the other hand, was silent and calm. His eyes didn¡¯t even ripple. He knew this was merely the foundation of the truth. There was more.

    Shin Xuanji looked at Lin Feilin, waiting for her to calm her state of mind. After realizing her reaction had been a little too much, she took her seat and calmed her breathing. However, her eyes remained shing a dark emotion. It resembled guilt.

    Shin Xuanji then fully exined.

    It started with the Yan n giving birth to the Master of a Thousand Arts, Yan Muzen. He was a heaven-defying genius that could, with a glimpse, learn arts and techniques with ease. He rapidly rose in strength and prestige.

    In truth, it was merely his Bloodline excavated by his Origin Source, and it allowed him to swiftly duplicate others. His ability led to others awakening their bloodline, finding out a secret that even Yan Zaizen wasn¡¯t sure how to do at the time.

    These warriors were elite, and ventured to conquer Presba. They seeded. They reced the Imperial n, bing the new Imperial n of Presba and its ruling family.

    ording to Lin Feilin, the Yan n¡¯s Master of a Thousand Arts ambitions made him venture into a greater world with wild ambition, setting his sights onto the Xiantu Realm itself.

    However, Shin Xuanji told the truth and it was not that.

    At the time, he had decided to start his own faction called the ughter Demons of Nine Hymns. They were an organization simr to the Anima Syndicate. Because he had Yan Zaizen¡¯s Dao, he held a need for freedom. He wanted the power to act to his heart¡¯s content, but he needed more than just individual power for this to happen.

    Unlike Yan Zaizen whose talent and means was heaven-defying, especially his rapid cultivation advancements in chaotic space, he had to do it the old fashion way and cultivate one second at a time with resources he could procure.

    He had met the Master of the Thousand Arts then, even fought together when exploring other continents ors in the realm. Yan Muzen wasn¡¯t like Yan Zaizen, but he had an endless ambitious air that drove his every action.

    Shin Xuanji supported this. This soon led to an incredible yet insidious discovery. Another Asura Phantom Realm had been found, but not another Hell Altar. At that time, they found a unique Soul Art called the Yama Devil Soul-Arising Art.

    This technique required a unique physique to cultivate it. This physique had to originate from Hell, but it was exceptionally powerful and suitable for Infernal Forgers. However, they didn¡¯t have any desire to cultivate it.

    So, they sold it. Unbeknownst to them that the Xiantu Emperor of that time had set his sights on Hell and the Path of Infernal Forgers. He obtained the art and conceived a scheme. Luring the Yan n members over, he captured them all in one swoop.

    Shin Xuanji had found out toote about this incident. When he investigated it, he had only learned that the Yan n had abruptly vanished. However, he and Yan Muzen had left various means to warn each other of possible dangers, whether it be against them or if they were currently in the thick of it.

    Yan Muzen left a message informing the malicious means of the Xiantu Emperor. Without any hesitation, he led his men to ughter a path of blood. Although he hadn¡¯t entered the Heavenly Path, he had Yan Zaizen¡¯s Dao and high-levelwprehension. He fought and killed until his knuckles were white and his eyes were red. It was then that he developed his Dao of Sovereign ughter, refined and supported by Yan Zaizen¡¯s Dao of Sovereign Ascension.

    Yet, he was still toote.

    The Xiantu Emperor had already brought them away and used the souls of those in the Fallen Stars Continent¡¯s Presba to force the Yan n members to cultivate the art. A step behind, he could only chase with all his might.

    By the time he found them, the vast majority of the continent¡¯s inhabitants had their souls stripped. It was a dreadful graveyard, more disturbing than any bloody battlefield.

    There, he met Ya Qinqan. Yes, her.

    After a brief exchange of words, she left and Shin Xuanji couldn¡¯t stop her. Because...she was an Infernal Forger. Even till today, he wasn¡¯t exactly sure what had happened but he learned that the Xiantu Emperor, Ya Qinqan and her n, including the Yan n members had left for Hell.

    He didn¡¯t know why. But, he knew how. Supposedly, the Asura Phantom Realms they entered had a portal formation that allowed one to enter the lowest stages of Hell. He had even found them, but he couldn¡¯t activate them. No, he wasn¡¯t willing.

    It needed an absolutely unfathomable amount of soul energy to use, and if he wanted that, he¡¯d need to sacrifice millions of lives to do so.

    "Haaa. I tried all I could..." Shin Xuanji revealed a dispirited and defeated look. After the Xiantu Emperor¡¯s departure, there was a fierce power struggle in which he came out on top, bing the new Xiantu Emperor.

    Yan Zaizen calmly analyzed this all and processed everything. He realized that one-sided ounts still had a lot of missing gaps, but it was enough for a few assumptions. Firstly, he didn¡¯t believe his n was killed or dead.

    In fact, he knew they weren¡¯t. It¡¯s entirely possible that the Xiantu Emperor took a page from the Asura Phantom Pce¡¯s Pce Master handbook - find soldiers to find materials. The Pce Master had used Phantasm and even Golems with Hell creatures¡¯ souls within them to excavate his materials from Hell.

    The only shocking thing he felt was the Xiantu Emperor¡¯s decision to enter Hell. This was shocking and also, it made him realize that he had neglected the Asura Phantom Realm when he was searching for paths to Hell. If he remembered that, he could¡¯ve ventured directly to Hell to save Pinaka.

    However, he didn¡¯t fault himself. Firstly, he had no idea if the portal worked or existed. Secondly, he was in another Heaven. The sheer distance between heavens was mind-wrecking and finding thepass seemed easier at the time.

    He gave a soft sigh in the end. His n had been driven to Hell. Pinaka was sent to Hell. And, the mysteries of this world seemed tied to Hell somehow. It¡¯s like a hand of fate was giving him every reason to venture there, if only to learn its truths.

    He lifted his eyes to meet Shin Feiyu. "And what about you?"

    Shin Feiyu started. She didn¡¯t expect Yan Zaizen to call her out. Shin Xuanji¡¯s eyes brightened, but then rapidly dimmed as solemn sadness entered his heart. However, he intervened and said, "Junior Brother Zai, she¡¯s..." In the end, he couldn¡¯t say it.

    Neither could she.

    Yan Zaizen and Lin Feilin realized there was something more to this twenty-something girl that held enough favor to dine with them. However, he didn¡¯t press it. Everyone had their secrets, and he didn¡¯t want to disrespectfully inquire about them.

    "I understand now. So, I guess that means I¡¯ll definitely have to go to Hell then." He smiled, but in his heart, this had been his desire since that fateful day where that mysterious existence took Pinaka from him. Simr to his how Shin Xuanji acted to retrieve his nsmen, he would ughter all of Hell if it meant getting her back.

 Chapter 441 I Need You

    Night soon descended upon the Xiantu Capital. The earlier feast had ended, concluded with a shocking reveal. Two figures walked themon streets of the capital. They weaved through the loose roamers with quiet steps and calm breaths.

    Yan Zaizen and Shin Xuanji had shot away, exploring the streets as a duo. Their tall figures, impressive physiques, astonishing looks, and high cultivations went unnoticed by the citizens. With a little exertion of soul power, they traversed as unseen ghosts.

    "You¡¯ve told me quite a bit. And, I don¡¯t fault you for your failures." Yan Zaizen said, his tone was direct and honest. He felt no me towards Shin Xuanji for the fate of his nsmen. However, his words did little to alleviate the guilt within Shin Xuanji¡¯s heart.

    It wasn¡¯t just Yan Zaizen¡¯s family lineage that had been sent away, but his close friend, Yan Muzen. They were brothers in arms, traveling the dangerous world and fighting together. Their rtionship was far deeper than his and Yan Zaizen.

    While Yan Zaizen had saved his life, was his Junior from the same master, their rtionship could only be defined by this. Their friendly disy was more so for Lin Feilin than for themselves.

    He could sense that Yan Zaizen may have feelings of togetherness and irrevocable connection due to their master, but it was merely this.

    This was the truth. Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t feel close to Shin Xuanji as he did Lin Feilin. In fact, thoughts of killing him in the past had crossed his mind a few times. He had only given him face, saving his life, bestowing him his Dao, for their Master and Lin Feilin who saved his life. He was important to them, so he respected him.

    Merely this.

    So, he spoke frankly. "I¡¯ll handle my n¡¯s matters, you don¡¯t have to worry. However," his eyes glinted with a sharpness. The faint illuminating light of amber-gold emitted from his eyes, containing a domineering will and peerless force. He continued, "You exined what happened, but you haven¡¯t exined why you made my n infamous ouws to the entire realm. Hunted like animals, to be killed on sight."

    The chilling intent within his voice caused Shin Xuanji¡¯s face to fall, darkening like the very night they stood in. For several moments, there was silence. Their steps were the only sounds echoing in the streets. It seemed at this time of night, the worldly society had receded into thefort and safety of their homes.

    Shin Xuanji lifted his chin, his eyes gazing at the cloudless sky, and observed the starry world above. How beautiful it was, was his only thoughts.

    "..." Yan Zaizen kept his silence as well. He felt there was more to the story. The only thing he was wondering was whether it was relevant or not. If his entire n had already left the Xiantu Realm and entered Hell, then hunting them down in this realm was pointless.

    This obviously didn¡¯t add up.

    It was only after several minutes did Shin Xuanji sigh. It was a deep sigh filled with mncholy and regret. "I...the truth i-" Just as he was about to exin, Yan Zaizen interrupted him.

    "It¡¯s fine. You don¡¯t have to answer, nor did I ask for one." His words were calm and carried a faint trace of indifference.

    Shin Xuanji was momentarily stunned. Only then did he recall the tone and word choice of Yan Zaizen. Indeed, he had merely stated a fact. He never asked him what had happened. He couldn¡¯t help but gaze at this Junior Brother of his.

    Yan Zaizen spoke, as if speaking to himself, "What matters the most isn¡¯t theplicated past, but a wanted future. For now, I just want to achieve my goals, not dwell on things unable to be changed." His Dao had always been like that.

    A mindset that could be summed up to: Forward, always.

    If one asked whether Yan Zaizen understood the word "regret", they would find out that he did, but he most certainly never experienced it. When he was younger, this was the case even then. He did all sorts of things for Ya Qinqan, lowering his status and worth to the world, yet he never felt an ounce of regret.

    While, at that time, he was muddle-headed and simple, he still held these thoughts that regret was a meaningless feeling. If he wanted to change the past, then he would dedicate his life to being able to do so. If he died in failure, then he died.

    He knew himself more than anyone else. Not only did he reach the Paragon Soul Realm, a realm defined by introspectiveprehension of self, but he formed a Dao.

    Shin Xuanji eyes grew hazy. Yan Zaizen¡¯s words seemed to contain a profound principle of self. As someone who simrly constructed a Sovereign¡¯s Dao, he felt as if there was something missing. Was it regret? Could regret be like sandbags tied to the ankles to a drowning mortal?

    As he felt himself lost in thought, the two stopped. They had already left the capital at some point, their steps carried them an exceptional distance. Before them was a small-sizedke that reflected the moon. It was silver and resplendent. Such beauty.

    "The world we live in is dangerous. Everyone seeks for betterment, struggling to reach the peak, or simply to be left in peace but I¡¯ve always and merely only wanted to rule my own fate." Yan Zaizen kneeled next to theke, his fingers gently tracing its waters. The ripples formed seemed to affect every aspect of theke.

    Shin Xuanji¡¯s eyes regained its normalcy. He stood beside theke, upright and strong. His silhouette reflected by the faint moonlight revealed a figure that had built his will step by step, corpse by corpse.

    A bloody glow emanated from his eyes. Within that glow was a scene of countless men and women losing their lives, dying horrific and terrifying deaths in pursuit of all sorts of things...wealth...power...love...

    They each seemed to embody the totality of Shin Xuanji¡¯s self. The Dao of Sovereign ughter. To rule the world, obtain it all, by eliminating all in his path.

    "I want it all. I wanted it all. I must have it all." His words were shifting along with his every thought. Then, a male figure entered the glow of his eyes. Out of all those deaths, this figure was the only one smiling and reaching out.

    "Desire." A voice echoed, "All those who make the Sovereign¡¯s Dao has it. To an extreme. To control one¡¯s own fate, to have it all regardless of the cost, or to rule beside the one you love by never falling behind. It was insatiable, yet always far-reaching and elusive."

    Yan Zaizen and Shin Xuanji lifted their heads simultaneously. Their gazes looking at the silhouette within the moon¡¯s shadow. An imposing, impressive figure descended slowly.

    "Wings?" Shin Xuanji frowned observing the figure. His dual-Heavenly Shrines and vital aura was primed to erupt at their greatest might. He felt a sense of shock and unease in his heart. This figure gave him an unfathomable feeling.

    Yan Zaizen saw the two wings on its back. They were beautiful and silver, giving off faint radiance of their own. It seemed to contain a power reminiscent to the beginning of the world, yet a chaotic aura of its inevitable end.

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes became solemn and shed interest, "it¡¯s you." His words were filled with all sorts of memories.

    It was only then that the man¡¯s figure was fully revealed. A handsome face of the ages, with sharp brows, and bright eyes apanied by a set of silver wings at his back. His physique was incredibly symmetrically perfect, with every muscle fiber and proportion reaching a pinnacle. This was the characteristics of a unique existence, a Herculean!

    "Ezekiel Zatanna Saintora...what do you want?" Yan Zaizen asked, this old friend of his had returned.

    Ezekiel responded with three words: "I need you."

 Chapter 442 Heavens Claim

    Ezekiel. That was a name that Yan Zaizen would recall in the depths of his soul. How could he not? Ezekiel¡¯s soul was the first devoured by the ck Hole andter ignited his future path. He was the lynchpin of today.

    Various emotions flitted through his eyes, but his expression remained calm and unconcerned. "What do you?" His tone carried a hint of indifference. Long ago, Yan Zaizen had helped Ezekiel in his war against a realm, and even saved his life after the twisted suicidal determination of his enemy.

    Ezekielnded. His silver wings folded, concealing their brilliance somewhat amidst the darkness of night. His gaze had never left Yan Zaizen¡¯s figure, a trace of uncertainty within.

    Shin Xuanji stood there, his eyes solemn as he regarded this exchange. He didn¡¯t know who this foreign race male was. His heavenly might and vital energies remained in a state of near-eruption. In a blink, if required, he had no issues throwing down with this Ezekiel.

    Ezekiel frowned and asked, "What happened to you?" The previous Yan Zaizen was an exceptional cultivator in the Heavenly Path, and had even cultivated the Soul Source Path and the Herculean Path to an eptable level. He had developed a False Grand Dao with an upper-level Dao base.

    Yet, the Yan Zaizen before himcked a distinctive heavenly might, but he did possess a faint, heart-shaking Heavenly Aura. Furthermore, he couldn¡¯t sense any power of Laws emanating from his actions and soul movements. It was as if heprehended no Heavenly Laws.

    This caused his frown that was already rather deep to be deeper, nearly vertical.

    Yan Zaizen calmly exined. He didn¡¯t have a reason to keep the truth from anyone. "My original body is in a predicament, unable to extricate itself." While he told the truth, there wasn¡¯t much detail behind it.

    This caused Ezekiel to frown even more.

    "How did you find me?" Yan Zaizen inquired. Ezekiel was all the way in another Heaven. He traversed that grand distance for him? To seek him for help? It seemed somewhat unbelievable. Why would Ezekiel need his help when he, on his own, was a formidable force that rivaled his earlier self and had a formidable set of allies.

    Under hismand, was there not millions of warriors intent to fight to their deaths? Did he not have a Heavenly Creation Realm expert? Why seek him of all people? Furthermore, he had long since paid him back and then some.

    Ezekiel rubbed his chin as various contemtive lights shed within his eyes. He was clearly deep in thought.

    Yan Zaizen sighed inwardly. Despite Ezekiel being the unintentional reason for Pinaka¡¯s predicament, he held no issue with him at all. He wasn¡¯t one to ce me unfairly or even me himself, so how could he? In fact, he had heart-felt admiration for him.

    Ezekiel shook his head. "Your original body is unable to escape? How about I help you free yourself of that? In exchange, you help me." His offer caused Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes to spark to life. This was an unexpected boon. If Ezekiel took action, there was a chance he could escape.

    Not only did he have a powerful Heavenly cultivation base, but he was a Herculean. He had always nned to use the Herculean Power to save his body. How could he not ept this?

    That being said, he was not like his younger self to agree to any request without much thought. Since he had already paid Ezekiel back, he owed him no obligation to ept without questions.

    "If you want my help, you¡¯ll need to exin yourself clearly before I agree." Yan Zaizen said.

    Shin Xuanji sent Yan Zaizen a soul transmission, "Junior Brother Zai, are you sure?" He knew Yan Zaizen¡¯s situation, but he didn¡¯t feel a good feeling from Ezekiel¡¯s arrival. In fact, he downright felt an immense threat loom over his heart that induced fear.

    Yan Zaizen nced at Shin Xuanji for a moment. He nodded, indicating that he knew what he was doing. However, looking at Shin Xuanji¡¯s primed powers, he could tell that Shin Xuanji was unusually tense.

    "How about you return first?"

    Shin Xuanji was taken aback. He revealed a faint trace of reluctance before Dao Light shed in his eyes. His feet did not move. "I won¡¯t leave you." He owed Yan Zaizen too much, so he would not leave unless he wasn¡¯t needed.

    Yan Zaizen faintly smiled. He turned towards Ezekiel with a calm, questioning look.

    Ezekiel had finished thinking and said, "I found you after sensing the Compass¡¯s fluctuations. I tracked its spatial signature here." So that¡¯s it. Yan Zaizen clicked his tongue inwardly. Like before, Ezekiel had ways to locate this Compass of his. No wonder.

    "Have you ever heard of Heaven¡¯s im?" Ezekiel finally got to the center of his arrival, his true purpose?

    Heaven¡¯s im?

    Both Yan Zaizen and Shin Xuanji revealed confused and pondering gazes. Observing their ignorance, Ezekiel exined: "After several tens of thousands of years, the Thirty-Three Heavens undergo a simultaneous event called Heaven¡¯s im.

    "At this time, the Heavenly Gods control of their respective Heavens will weaken and even cease at a certain point. They would be at their weakest state, and it is an opportunity for others to im their right to rule the Heavens, im Heaven¡¯s Spark, be the Heavenly Daos.

    "As you know, my father was the previous Heavenly God of this Heaven. However, he lost his throne. It was due to the previous Heaven¡¯s im that it was possible." Yan Zaizen and Shin Xuanji was battered with this new information, their hearts throbbing slightly. They were possessors of the Sovereign¡¯s Dao, and possessed an innate desire to rule over all. And what was a Heavenly God? What was the Heavenly Daos?

    They were the undisputed strongest existence within the Heavens, while the Heavenly Daos were the Will of this Heaven. It can ouw, allow, or perform all sorts of magical things with a mere whim.

    If Yan Zaizen gained control of the Heavenly Daos, he could integrate Pinaka¡¯s Path into the Heavenly Soul Laws, allowing him to find a way to convert her spiritual form into a soul that could be given a fleshy, living body!

    This was one of his main goals, and he knew that he would have to face the Heavenly God or Gods to achieve it. None of them wanted wedws within the Origin Source of their Heaven, so he had an uphill battle.

    His gaze became stern, his breathing hastened somewhat, but his mind remained clear. Shin Xuanji had a simr reaction, various thoughts entered his mind as Dao Light erupted from his eyes.

    Ezekiel softly nodded. Those with a Sovereign¡¯s Dao, no matter the reason, should desire to reach the peak of their world. What was the Heavenly Daos? It was the peak of this world!

    Yan Zaizen was still the calmer of the two and drove the conversation, so he asked: "Why so you need my help?"

    Ezekiel nced at Yan Zaizen, a trace of helplessness in his eyes. "Regardless of the weakened or restricted ability to draw upon their Heaven¡¯s power, a Heavenly God is still a Heavenly God. Their previous strength, Dao, and intelligence can not be underestimated. After all, they had already taken over the throne from another.

    "I need your original body for two reasons, its..." Ezekiel nced at Shin Xuanji. He was unsure if Yan Zaizen had already revealed all his secrets to the man that stood beside him.

    In truth, the ck Hole was definitely his most closely regarded secret. The only reason Ezekiel knew of it was due to his unfortunate encounter with it. It essentially killed him once. No one knew of it outside of Ezekiel and

    Pinaka.

    One awakened it, the other helped him understand it.

    That being said, he didn¡¯t have any secrets between those he trusted. Therefore, he signaled for Ezekiel to continue. Shin Xuanji realized they were talking about secrets and prepared himself to leave or seal himself off for a moment, but Yan Zaizen¡¯s actions spoke volumes. To think he trusted him so much?

    Ezekiel nodded, "Your devouring abilities can render all instances of soul lethal. The Extreme Rebirth Heavenly God has an exceptionally powerful Soul expert that I nor any of my allies can not deal with. I need you to neutralize or kill him."

    Soul cultivators were fearsome, whether they were of the Heavenly Path or Soul Source Path.

    Yan Zaizen understood this. No wonder he ignored his previous question while immediately offering to free his true body.

    "The second reason?" Yan Zaizen asked.

    Ezekiel went silent for a moment. His gaze hardened and revealed an unprecedented seriousness. "I need you to help me ascend the throne, to be the next Heavenly God."

    "...what?" Yan Zaizen was confused. Wasn¡¯t helping him with the first request the same as the second?

    Ezekiel seemed to understand Yan Zaizen¡¯s thoughts and rified. "This is something only those at the False Grand Dao can do. I need you to withstand the refinement of Heaven¡¯s Spark...the True Origin of the 27th Heaven."

    "..."

 Chapter 443 Three Conditions

    "Refine the Heavenly Spark?" Yan Zaizen was taken aback by that deration. He immediately followed up, his tone suspicious and unsure, "You want me to be a Heavenly God?" These words caused his Dao to pulsate slightly.

    He had already refined a trace of Heavenly Will, infusing it into his Dao Seed, a nascent form of his Dao Heart. Therefore, reiming the source of its origin made his Heavenly Dao Seed throb.

    Ezekiel gave Yan Zaizen a deep look before chuckling, a tinge of coldness within. "Of course not. I intend to be the Heavenly God, reiming my family¡¯s legacy!" His words contained nail-biting determination that could shake the soul.

    Yan Zaizen frowned. "...Then?"

    "When one wants to im Heaven¡¯s Spark, there¡¯s feedback during the process that can shatter the Dao of the refiner. In fact, its highly unlikely for the first person to refine it to survive. Only a False Grand Dao, a Dao that contains a trace of True Origin, can withstand that process.

    "The refinement process can best be described as removing the former cultivator¡¯s Dao Will. Besides myself, only you are reliable enough in my eyes." Ezekiel¡¯s exnation didn¡¯t tame Yan Zaizen¡¯s worries.

    "You want me to refine the Heavenly Spark, resist the feedback, then give you it?" He felt a bit like this was a ludicrous proposal. Why wouldn¡¯t he just im the Heavenly Spark himself, refine it himself? It was odd to think Ezekiel wouldn¡¯t understand the allure.

    However, Ezekiel didn¡¯t experience an iota of change to his expression when questioned. He merely stated, "When you be Heavenly God, you can never leave that Heaven until death."

    When those words were said, Yan Zaizen stilled. His amber-gold eyes zed with luminescent light as he stared at Ezekiel deeply. Then, he started tough. Yes,ugh! It was loud and suffused with a boisterous energy.

    Ezekiel still wasn¡¯t disturbed by Yan Zaizen¡¯s reaction. Shin Xuanji felt this entire incident made little sense. How could that be enough to allow someone to refuse to be a literal God within their world? However, Shin Xuanji didn¡¯t know Yan Zaizen.

    In truth, Yan Zaizen¡¯s Dao was based heavily on personal freedom. In fact, it was the basis of his every desire; he wished to control his own fate, go where he wishes, when he wishes, without any form of restriction.

    How could he ept tethering himself to this location. While the 27th Heaven was massive, and by no meanscked variety, a cage was a cage no matter its size. Ezekiel had shed with Yan Zaizen¡¯s False Grand Dao, unlike Shin Xuanji who only shed with his Heavenly Dao Seed. The aura and its intrinsic quality wasn¡¯t something Shin Xuanji understood.

    Even though he had his Bestowed Dao, it wasn¡¯t his False Grand Dao with his very True Origin infused within. It was far more telling in his truest and mostplete self. Simr to how he knew Ezekiel would never do something withoutplete and utter confidence, nor trust a woman fully again, he knew about Yan Zaizen¡¯s infinite desire for freedom.

    Wasn¡¯t his dream to always venture to unknownnds and seek new sights? He wanted to explore everything! This was the desire etched into his heart.

    Ezekiel smirked. "You done?"

    Yan Zaizenughter was still resounding and echoing beneath the night sky. Only after those words did he slowly lower his volume gradually until he only had a grin on his face. "A Sovereign¡¯s Dao greatest trait is their insatiable desire, no?"

    Ezekiel¡¯s smirk widened, and he nodded. Indeed!

    Shaking his head, Yan Zaizen agreed! "Fine. However, I have a few conditions!" There was no reason to refuse, but he had to cross off several things on his list.

    Ezekiel expected no less from Yan Zaizen. If he was in the same position, he too would negotiate with benefits for himself. Just saving his original body wasn¡¯t enough. After all, Yan Zaizen definitely had several ns to achieve that, otherwise his clone wouldn¡¯t be so at ease.

    "First condition: The True Spirit Path must be officialized and integrated into the Heavenly Law of Soul within this heaven!" This was his first and foremost priority. However, he didn¡¯t expect Ezekiel to still, his smirk lowering and his eyes shing with mysterious light, a hint of uncertainty within.

    Ezekiel asked in a voice darker than the night sky, "Do you understand the consequence of doing that?" These words were sshing all sorts of solemn and heaviness within every syble.

    Yan Zaizen wasn¡¯t an idiot. He had long since understood what this meant, and it would descend the Heaven into a state of chaos. This had to do with the characteristics of an Artificial Soul. Regardless of what heaven, this path was strictly unable to be epted into the Heavenly Law.

    It wasn¡¯t just the True Spirit Path. All artificial soul-based Paths were blocked from entering the Heavenly Laws of Soul. This was heavily due to the ability known as Soul Transition. It was a characteristic that allowed souls to change their state of existence, for souls to be phantasms, wraiths, evil ghosts, or even spirits. Also, its how these types of changed souls can be reverted upon destruction into normal souls for reincarnation purposes.

    The issue with allowing artificial souls or spirits into the Heavenly Daos, enabling their integration as a Heavenly Law could be described in two words: Infinite Souls.

    Yes.

    Infinite Souls.

    If you can create an artificial soul, which was so easy that even those in the Qi Essence Realm could produce, meant you can transition it into a true soul. A legitimate soul was an integral aspect of life, and it formed a cycle that was regted and equal. If an abrupt introduction of new souls were integrated into that cycle, the distribution of energy, rate of rebirth, and various other Samsara-type matters would be overloaded.

    This introduction wouldn¡¯t be a few thousand or ten thousand souls introduced, but an infinite amount! Because it wouldn¡¯t stop. Souls, true souls, were powerful states of existence that contained an Existential Power.

    Yan Zaizen knew this. Yet, he had long since promised Pinaka to do this. It was her only way to be human.

    Ezekiel saw Yan Zaizen¡¯s determined gaze, unyielding in his condition. However, he couldn¡¯t hope to agree. The result would be the 27th Heaven¡¯s continuous expenditure of its True Origin Source energy until its eventual and inevitable copse.

    How can he agree? How could he possibly agree to that?! No Heavenly God would.

    "I can¡¯t." Ezekiel inly stated, his tone t and indifferent. This wasn¡¯t a bottomline, it was sinking the ship. There was no bottomline here. Even if it was just one person, it wasn¡¯t possible.

    "What if it was for one person? One spirit?" Yan Zaizen mulled it over and inquired.

    Ezekiel¡¯s eyes remained cold. He shook his head, "The new Heavenly Dao of the Heavenly God would determine what it ouws and allows, as well as integrates, at their ascension. It won¡¯t change until the Heavenly God dies and is reced, or at the next Heaven¡¯s im. That could be tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of yearster. It¡¯s not possible."

    Yan Zaizen quietly lowered his head. It was a long while before he lifted his head and said, "Second condition. I made a promise to allow a Path into the Heavenly Origin."

    Ezekiel frowned. These requests weren¡¯t things he expected from Yan Zaizen. "What Path?" As long as it didn¡¯t rte to artificial souls, he had no issue with integrating it. In fact, the Heavenly Origin was a greater ask than integrating it into the Heavenly Laws, but artificial souls was just too much of a danger.

    Entering the Path¡¯s True Origin into the Heavenly Origin meant it would have the eternal support of Heaven¡¯s True Origin Power, empowering the Path and correcting a lot of deficiencies within. Furthermore, it couldn¡¯t be ouwed by any Heavenly God in the future, even in other heavens.

    "The Sirius Path of Heavenly Monarch Xiha." Back then, Yan Zaizen had promised Xiha to infuse his Path into the 27th Heaven¡¯s Heavenly Origin in the Trial of Earthly Beginning and Heavenly End. This was a promise he had made, so he would keep it!

    Moreover, Xiha was the reason why he obtained a False Grand Dao in the beginning. In hindsight, no wonder he gave him that egg. Only those who have a False Grand Dao had a chance of bing a Heavenly God. In that way, he could tell Xiha had made ample preparations for this.

    Even after death, he was unwilling to let his Path die with his n. How admirable.

    "Last condition!" Yan Zaizen dered. "I¡¯ll need your help in the future. I need an unconditional agreement to ept!" This was hisst condition, an eternal and undeniable favor. If Ezekiel bes Heavenly God, the things he could aplish would likely exceed his imagination.

    Ezekiel stayed silent for a period before saying, "You can not ask me to do anything that would lead to the destruction of the 27th Heaven! As long as it doesn¡¯t touch that bottomline, then I agree."

    He still hadn¡¯t given up on the first condition. Regardless of how difficult, he would do it! He had to. Even Ezekiel didn¡¯t bother mentioning the first condition. As a possessor of the Sovereign¡¯s Dao, he knew that Yan Zaizen wouldn¡¯t give up on this vtile objective. Furthermore, he was certain Yan Zaizen still wouldn¡¯t try to be a Heavenly God. This was the beauty of False Grand Daos, a person¡¯s truest self was revealed within.

    Yan Zaizen nodded, "then let¡¯s get my original body." He covered himself in vital energies as his body lifted into flight.

    Shin Xuanji had been relegated to a spectator, but he had no qualms with it. He was merely a witness in this, nothing more. Therefore, he merely took flight also, prepared to leave.

    Ezekiel felt a tinge of relief in his heart. If he had Yan Zaizen, and his weird devouring power, his goal would be far, far easier.

 Chapter 444 Attemp

    The three flew through the Xiantu Continent, rising upwards until they breached the atmospheric limits, entering the Deep Expanse. The dark void was cold and chilly, absent of life and heat.

    Yan Zaizen and Shin Xuanji¡¯s cultivation base was sufficient to exist within the dark void. They wreathed themselves in vital and heavenly energies, sustaining their bodily systems and warding off the ill-absence of the Deep Expanse.

    Ezekiel¡¯s wings werepletely unfurled, revealing their silver brilliance. "Come near," he said. While Yan Zaizen and Shin Xuanji¡¯s cultivation bases were incredible, they were entirely iparable to Ezekiel, so traversing the Deep Expanse with his power to the Fallen Stars Continent was a far better option than using their own means.

    Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t hesitate and moved to be beneath Ezekiel¡¯s wings. Shin Xuanji saw Yan Zaizen and followed.

    Ezekiel¡¯s cultivation was truly iparable to how he was in the past. No longer was he simply a Heavenly Commander, already establishing a Grand Heaven within his Heavenly Shrine. A Heavenly Creation Realm expert, a bonafide Heavenly Monarch.

    Even Wei Wuyin¡¯s cultivation speed was inferior to that, only establishing a Minor Heaven with his Heavenly Shrine using his original body.

    Ezekiel¡¯s heavenly might was world-shaking, simply its ambient pressure caused the immediate void to distort, twist, and grow docile and obedient. With a p of his wings, the three was engulfed by his might and shed like aet through the Deep Expanse.

    The distance between the Fallen Stars Continent and the Xiantu Continent was immense, usually taking quite a while even while shifting through the spatial void, yet in but a moment, they arrived in Grux¡¯s upper atmosphere.

    Shin Xuanji was startled, but immediately calmed his mind and breath. Ezekiel was obviously not ordinary, especially since he was Yan Zaizen¡¯s friend. As for Yan Zaizen, he shrugged a little and focused his gaze below into the Deep Mines.

    They lingered amongst the clouds. "My original body is trapped within the Deep Mines. There." Yan Zaizen pointed at the unfathomably deep hole that his bodyid in. He could feel the resonance of his soul aura within that hole, but he couldn¡¯t tell its distance. In fact, his senses were absorbed by the mysterious power that existed within as he tried to scour it.

    With furrowed brows, Ezekiel¡¯s eyes shed with stars of the grand universe, endless, self-creating, and destroying. It was the timeline of all creation, its beginning and end. As he invoked his senses, those brows of his became nearly vertical.

    "I can¡¯t send my senses through to inspect," the shock in Ezekiel¡¯s voice was apparent. His expression was dignified.

    Yan Zaizen expected nothing less. In truth, he would be shocked if Ezekiel could send his senses through. His original body had a Paragon Soul and a False Grand Dao transformed into a Dao Heart¡¯s Dao Sense, and even he couldn¡¯t extend his senses while trapped.

    "What happened to your original body?" Ezekiel spoke, and while his tone was calm, Yan Zaizen could sense the hint, although very faint, trace of anxiety. He needed Wei Wuyin¡¯s original body and its ck Hole that was fearless before all soul attacks. That was to resist a troublesome enemy, but the truth was to refine the Heavenly Spark and resist the rebound.

    If Yan Zaizen couldn¡¯t do so, then he would be immensely vulnerable when trying to im this Heaven as his own.

    Yan Zaizen knew this, but he had no power to extricate his original body from its current dilemma. He was making some headway to freeing himself, but there was still much to do.

    "When I left the Heavenly Origin Grounds, a mishap happened and thepass led me here. I don¡¯t know how deep I was then, but that was seventeen years ago. I used my Herculean¡¯s Path innate strength to send out a portion of my soul and dao," Yan Zaizen exined.

    "Thepass sent you here?" Ezekiel felt frustrated. However, he was confident in his strength and would therefore make an attempt before calling it. Without hesitation, he pped his silver wings a little before transforming into a silveret, descending into the Deep Mine.

    Yan Zaizen and Shin Xuanji watched him enter. They both were feeling tense. If Ezekiel could free Yan Zaizen¡¯s original body, many things could be done. Yan Zaizen could venture into Hell with time to spare to save Pinaka.

    "Do you think he will be able to do it?" Shin Xuanji asked.

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s eyes were solemn. In truth, he didn¡¯t have much confidence. That mysterious power was unfathomable and even the ck Hole couldn¡¯t devour it. However, he could only hope that all things worked out.

    They stood in the clouds for several minutes, but no sign of Ezekiel since his descent. With the inability to send one¡¯s senses into the hole, they werepletely ignorant of the events down there.

    Shrooooooom!!!

    A beam of starry-like shot out of the Deep Mines, painting the entire sky in the images of the vast starry sky with all sorts ofary and gctic manifestations. Yan Zaizen and Shin Xuanji¡¯s heart trembled as a power that seemed to touch upon their existential core was emitted from that light.

    Before long, the entire continent was covered in endless and boundless manifestations undergoing all sorts of transformations and transmutations. It was miraculously beautiful to the apex.

    "Origin Path?" Yan Zaizen¡¯s heart nearly stopped as he recognized the source of this power. When he was in the Earthly Beginnings and Heavenly Endings Trial, Xiha had left behind an Origin Path Cultivation Method. He knew it was incredibly miraculous, but he never had time to truly cultivate it.

    It relied on a form of unique power that originates from the core and innermost parts of existence and reality itself; both of oneself and all things. It was beyond profound and he didn¡¯t have much advantage in cultivating it as even the Non-Entity¡¯s body had very little benefits in helping develop it.

    After several seconds of this celestial disy, the light receded and a silver light that was like a minor star flickering at thest moments of its end exited from the Deep Mines. It shot upwards until it broke the atmosphericyers of the continent and entered the Deep Expanse, as if wanting to get as far away as possible from the Deep Mines.

    Yan Zaizen and Shin Xuanji both looked towards each other, seeing the solemness in their gazes. With a step, they shot forward in chase. The silver light only stopped after several minutes of flight, revealing a figure that seemed exhausted and tattered.

    It was Ezekiel, his eyes dim and his silver wings were shing with brilliant light as if it was nearing its end. Yan Zaizen was struck with immense shock. What the hell happened?

    When they both arrived, Ezekiel turned to face them, his dim eyes filled with failure. This was a very unique event in his life. He had faced two events that had never gone his way in his entire lifetime. The first was being devoured by Wei Wuyin and the second was now, stopped by this mysterious power within the Deep Mines.

    The fear that lingered in those eyes of his made Yan Zaizen reconsider his calctions of being able to save his original body.

    Ezekiel looked at Yan Zaizen, staring into his eyes, "I saw your body."

    "What happened?" Yan Zaizen wasn¡¯t shocked that Ezekiel was at least capable of seeing his body.

    Ezekiel calmed his haggard breathing and regained his posture, folding his wings into a state of rest. He continued, "I have never seen such a peculiar power source, nor have I ever seen an endless hole. The hole exceeds the space the Continent upies, leading to an unknown. I traveled about two minor realms worth of distance deep before I saw a very, very far glimpse of your body.

    "It seemed to be far enough that perhaps the distance of two Major Realms would be appropriate, and it¡¯s sinking deeper. At an incredible speed. The mysterious power has a suppressive effect on all sorts of energies, it was insidious and invasive. Besides pure physical strength, I couldn¡¯t rely on anything there.

    "The only reason I could leave was because of my wings and the only power that seemed to work..." Ezekiel paused. His wings had used their own power to fly, and like Yan Zaizen¡¯s ability to throw, it couldn¡¯t hinder such basic actions.

    "Origin Power," Yan Zaizen finished Ezekiel¡¯s sentence with a click of his tongue. Origin Power was an entirely different cultivation path, incredibly profound and insanely difficult to cultivate. It utilized an existential reality force-type strength that transcended the soul.

    He didn¡¯t want to say it, but his Infernal Path and Herculean Path might not help him extract his body. If that was the case, he would be back to square one.

    "Then why not fly using your wings and grab his original body?" Shin Xuanji asked.

    Ezekiel¡¯s eyes snapped to Shin Xuanji, "It¡¯s not so simple. The force not only suppresses, but pulls you further in. And, the further you go, the stronger the pull and suppression. If I went any further, I would¡¯ve exhausted myself until I reached a depth where my stamina reserves could no longer send me out. I¡¯ll endlessly descend into that abyss without a way out."

    Shin Xuanji¡¯s heart shook. If that was the case, then wasn¡¯t Yan Zaizen¡¯s original body impossible to retrieve? The longer it took, the harder it became?

    Yan Zaizen deeply sighed. This just got so, so much harder.

 Chapter 445 - Hope

    Yan Zaizen wasn¡¯t the only one frustrated by the current situation, Ezekiel had an even bigger headache. He absolutely needed Yan Zaizen to aplish his mission. The importance of the uing Heaven¡¯s im was far too important, a genuine matter of life or death, not just for him but to all those who followed him. He had no other substitutes nor options to choose, so Yan Zaizen was his only hope. If that wasn¡¯t the case, he wouldn¡¯t have traveled heavens personally.

    Ezekiel¡¯s expression was dignified and solemn, a trace of contemtion and wariness within his bright and endless gaze. For a moment, he nced at the current Yan Zaizen. This Yan Zaizencked the definitivew powers that emanated from the other, and his cultivation level was severelycking. Furthermore, this clone¡¯s soul did not contain that mysterious ck hole that devoured all things soul.

    This Yan Zaizen was useless to him. Either against his enemy or in resisting Heavenly Spark¡¯s refinement process.

    But Yan Zaizen thought differently. While hecked hisprehension ofws, he still possessed a fragment of his Soul Cultivation. Furthermore, he absorbed a trace of Heavenly Will into his Dao. Having cultivated for thousands of years, he had a glimpse of understanding in how the world functions and what his limitations might be.

    Frowning, Ezekiel said: "While your original body is trapped in that mysterious area, there¡¯s nothing I can do." He gave off a sigh, one suffused with the wisp of frustration and disappointment. "Guess this is fate..." He had no need to linger. It was best that he returned, finding another means to solve his obstacles.

    Yan Zaizen wasn¡¯t in a rush to interject his own thoughts. He wanted to thoroughly contemte his options before deciding. While Ezekiel needed his help, he didn¡¯t have any obligation to do so. Instead, he wanted to further his goals of entering Hell and saving his original body.

    The Infernal Path and Herculean Path might have a small chance of sess in performing thetter, but it was small - not none. In fact, it might be better if Ezekiel failed in his expedition of Heaven¡¯s im. That way, when he fought the Heavenly God of this heaven for Pinaka, he wouldn¡¯t need to enter conflict with Ezekiel. Of course, this thinking wasn¡¯t his reason for contemtion. Regardless of what, he would be forced into conflict with a Heavenly God, not necessarily this one.

    Ezekiel¡¯s silver wings started to slowly suffuse with a bright glow as spatial power started to ripple outwards. He was readying for his departure. Staying was not an option. He had little time and very little options. He needed to prepare.

    Just as he was about to leave, he abruptly halted. The spatial powers engulfing his body started to dwindle as he regarded Yan Zaizen. For some strange reason, he felt that Yan Zaizen wasn¡¯t too worried about his body or disappointed. There was an itch at the back of his mind that allude to something as he watched Yan Zaizen¡¯s expression.

    "What is it?" Ezekielnded before Yan Zaizen. He felt that Yan Zaizen¡¯s reaction was strange. If it was anyone else, at any other time, he wouldn¡¯t necessarily care, but Yan Zaizen was a mysterious enigma that took his life, saved his life, and held simr qualities as his own. As someone who fought without end and experienced all sorts of arduous challenges, he knew of that expression.

    Yan Zaizen slowly lifted his head and stared at Ezekiel¡¯s handsome face. In the end, he softly sighed. "If you im this heaven, could you use its strength to save my body?" Heavenly Gods possessed an absolute power within their domains and near-omnipotence.

    Ezekiel thought for a moment. If he were to take into ount that the Deep Mines¡¯ mysterious space was still within the domain of the 27th Heaven, then it was possible. But he couldn¡¯t be absolutely certain. The force within could suppress heavenly might. That being said, to what degree? Could it resist the power of the Heavenly Spark and Heavenly Dao Might?

    "I¡¯m not sure. Likely has a sixty-percent chance of sess. Even when my father ruled this heaven, he never once told me of such a strange and mysterious ce. And there were locations that even he was scared of, and he had informed me of that. But never this." Ezekiel was honest. It was beneath him to make uncertain promises or agreements. Furthermore, he wasn¡¯t certain if Yan Zaizen had a trump card that could help him.

    "I see. Then, I¡¯ll help you. Whether we seed or not, I¡¯ll try," Yan Zaizen said. While it wasn¡¯t certainty of sess, be it in Heaven¡¯s im or rescuing his body, it would still be good to have multiple avenues.

    Ezekiel stared at Yan Zaizen intently, "How?"

    Yan Zaizen¡¯s amber-gold eyes started to flicker with a forceful light that emitted his Dao infused with Heavenly Will. As he did, his soul energy that hadn¡¯t fully recovered started to ripple outwards. Despite his current soul being a split from his original, it contained the quintessential Soulforce of the Paragon Soul Realm. With sufficient resources and time, he could regain a portion of his strength or even beyond it.

    Ezekiel stilled. His eyes inspected Yan Zaizen for a long while before he blinked. "Divine Soul Realm?" His voice was filled with uncertainty. As the former son of a Heavenly God, and an utmost talent of cultivation, he knew of the intricate nature of the Soul Source Path.

    The cultivation path was on the same level as the Heavenly Path, Infernal Path, Fiendgod Path, and others. In fact, it might be far, far stronger. It contained characteristics of the Heavenly Path¡¯s Law of the Soul, Infernal Path, and Origin Path. The cultivation of it didn¡¯t require immense energies or refinement, but a cultivation of the self. Its strength was incredible and the things it could achieve exceeds both the Law of the Soul and Infernal Path in some ways.

    However, while it was incredibly powerful and mysterious, it was simrly difficult to cultivate to the point of being endlessly frustrating. This was due to the requirements of cultivating one¡¯s sense of self and soul. To understand oneself is a feat very, very few can achieve, but when onepletelyprehended themselves, the most they could or would achieve was the peak-Astral Soul Realm.

    Even he, someone with an Upper-tier False Grand Dao, had merely reached this level. But it wasn¡¯t that powerful. The next level, the Divine Soul Realm, was a lost cultivation level that belonged purely to a specific force from ancient times. They had even broken through this realm that no other could achieve and entered the Immortal Soul Realm.

    Since then, the two realms were introduced as part of the Soul Source Path. But he had felt the aura of a Divine Soul before, and Yan Zaizen¡¯s soul aura wasn¡¯t it. Itcked that majesty that reigned supreme over all creation. In his senses, he felt a soul aura that was without w, without equal, and perfectly bnced. Even his own soul tingled at it, a desire toe in contact with it emerged from the bottom of his soul.

    Yan Zaizen shook his head, his bright eyes dimmed. "It¡¯s the Paragon Soul Realm." Others didn¡¯t know that the next step of introspection was evolution of self, a sense of enlightenment. It was only after knowing this did he realize that the Soul Source Path was as divergent and unique as the Heavenly Path.

    In the Heavenly Path, one can create their own Original Law, Path, and Heaven. This was miraculous beyond imagination, but everyone knew this was required of them. And in the Soul Source Path, after the Astral Soul Realm, the next stage was devised and generated from your soul, a unique stage to you.

    As for how the Divine Soul and Immortal Soul propagated enough to be widely recognized and a sect at that was due to the soul¡¯s ability to adapt and synchronize. If Yan Zaizen wanted, he could infuse his soul aura into others, allowing them to seek enlightenment of his path and embark into the road of a Paragon. It was simr to a Dao.

    Ezekiel¡¯s expression changed. Surprise and shock shed across his face as he regarded the soul aura even more deeply, his various senses intent on discovering its innate qualities. When he felt the aura and its power, he frowned. "It¡¯s weak?"

    Yan Zaizen warily smiled, "I split my soul. I need to recover. If I can, then fighting against that expert you fear, I¡¯ll be able to hold him off, perhaps even kill." While his words seemed tock confidence, his tone didn¡¯t. Yan Zaizen hadplete trust that his Paragon Soul Realm, even at its initial development stage, was invincible.

    Ezekiel¡¯s eyes brightened as he finally saw a glimmer of hope. Even if Yan Zaizen couldn¡¯t help him in resisting the Heavenly Spark¡¯s feedback, he could still help stall that expert. This was sufficient to make this trip worthy of his time and effort expended. As for recovering his soul energy? If it was merely filling water into a container, he had numerous means and methods to do so.

    "Then, our deal is still in effect. If I seed in my attempt of iming this heaven, I¡¯ll use my full strength to retrieve your body," Ezekiel promised. As the Heavenly God, he would be an existence that was unrivaled. With the 27th Heaven¡¯s entire power within his grasp, what couldn¡¯t he achieve?

    Yan Zaizen nodded. "What¡¯s this expert you¡¯re afraid of?" His curiosity finally unfolded.

    Ezekiel¡¯s expression changed again. He slightly gritted his teeth and said, "His aplishments in the soul are two-fold. Not only did he establish a Minor Heaven with the Heavenly Law of Soul, but he also possesses a unique soul..."

    "A unique soul?" Xiao Shinji subconsciously asked, Ezekiel¡¯s tone and words filled him with an urge to ask. While he had remained silent for most of this conversation, he had listened and gathered.

    Ezekiel nced at Xiao Shinji. "Yes, a unique soul. He had obtained the lost legacy of the ancient sect in the Heavenly Origin Grounds, constructing a Divine Soul."

    "..." Xiao Shinji was sent into silence. He knew that a Divine Soul exceeded the Astral Soul Realm in the Soul Source Path, but he was mostly ignorant of its origins or strength.

    "No wonder..." Yan Zaizen finally understood. If it was just a Heavenly Law of Soul cultivator, it would be simple to use treasures, but those at the Divine Soul Realm can use various abilities unique to the Soul Source Path, such as Soul World. It was this power that allowed him to dominate Lady Ching-chien. But she was a Heavenly Monarch with an Original Law, far stronger fundamentally than this figure.

    The only difference was his power. In truth, he might be simr to Lady Ching-chien in strength.

    Despite that, after learning of Yan Zaizen¡¯s Paragon Soul, Ezekiel¡¯s confidence surged.

 Chapter 446 - A Decision To Change The Heavens

    <h4>Chapter 446 - A Decision To Change The Heavens </h4>

    With the deal with Ezekiel established, Yan Zaizen was thrusted into another adventure of his that will reshape the lives of countless souls, and likely reap the lives of countless more. However, his instincts told him that this choice of his will be beneficial in the long run.

    As for how? He wasn¡¯t certain, but he¡¯d rarely felt such a strong instinctual impulse before. This wasn¡¯t a challenge he could avoid, and it might be the only way to ensure the safety of his original body.

    "What do you need to recover your Soul Power?" Ezekiel asked, this was crucial and they were on a specific time table. If it truly took too long, he could only hope that a power that rivaled the Divine Soul Realm could stall for a certain period of time.

    Yan Zaizen nced at Shin Xuanji, who replied with a look of his own. "My current soul state is almost as if I¡¯m dehydrated and malnourished. I just need sufficient soul-based materials to refine. The issue is that the time to refine these materials might be a little long."

    Ezekiel nodded in understanding. With a pondering frown, he thought for a short moment. A faint smile formed at the edge of his lips alongside the brilliance of excitement within his eyes. "I have a solution."

    Yan Zaizen didn¡¯t expect anything less from the former son of a Heavenly God. He survived being devoured by the ck Hole and an encounter with that strange existence. The former highlighted his vast fortune, thetter highlighted his great luck.

    All of his former ns to slowly refine soul-based resources or extract the Soul Essence from the Dead Soul Desert were slowly thrown away. With an alternative before him, his path was looking brighter.

    "Will youe along?" Yan Zaizen asked Shin Xuanji. Shin Xuanji was a figure that hadprehended a Sovereign¡¯s Dao, his future and potential was only limited by his environment, his resources, and his outlook. If he stepped out of this realm, he would discover the grandness of the world beyond.

    Shin Xuanji frowned, "Will you take Senior Sister Fei?"

    "Her choice is her choice. I will only give her the option, just like you." Yan Zaizen had never been one who liked to dictate an individual¡¯s choice based on whether he believed they should or shouldn¡¯t do something. Their choice; their lives; their fate. It all belonged to them.

    The only aspect he wouldn¡¯t do was take away her ability to make that choice.

    Shin Xuanji frown deepened, but after a moment, he rxed. "I¡¯ll go. A fight for the Heavens themselves? I can¡¯t miss it."

    Simultaneously, the both exchanged nces and smirked. They were both Sovereign¡¯s that sought to obtain things through power. One wanted to control his own fate, the other wanted everything he ever desired and more. Within the depths of their pupils, their Daos ignited.

    Ezekiel¡¯s Dao resonated. "Three Sovereign Daos?" He was shocked as he turned to Shin Xuanji, now realizing that his Dao was simrly at the Upper-tier and of the simr make as theirs. The main difference was that Yan Zaizen had a trace of Heavenly Aura and Ezekiel was a False Grand Dao, at the precipice of reaching the highest limits.

    "It¡¯s not just three," Yan Zaizen corrected.

    "There¡¯s another Sovereign?" Ezekiel was taken aback. The concept of a Sovereign¡¯s Dao was not to be taken lightly and formting it required an extremelyplex set of will and belief. Anyone who can forge a Sovereign¡¯s Dao had the right to be the Sovereign of the Heavens themselves.

    "Not just a normal Sovereign, either." Shin Xuanji corrected as well, his eyes burning with a fiery surge.

    Ezekiel¡¯s eyes widened. Four? How were there four Sovereign Daos in a single realm right now? What or how could that even happen? The hell that he had to escape, the number of deadly tribtions he had to survive, and the willpower he had to forge to structure a Sovereign¡¯s Dao wasn¡¯t insignificant.

    "Let¡¯s go," Yan Zaizen urged.

    The three made their way back to the Xiantu Continent, returning to the castle that housed Shin Xuanji¡¯s descendants and Lin Feiling. When they returned, they were met with their gorgeous Senior Sister holding a snow-white puppy, her eyes calm and fixed on their figures.

    She had clearly been waiting for a while. The snow-white puppy was already asleep,idfortably against her bountiful chest. It seemed to be in heaven.

    Yan Zaizen warmly smiled, "You waited for me?" His tone was softly spoken, gentle as if talking to a wife that he worried for her husband throughout the name.

    Lin Feiling nced at Shin Xuanji who awkwardly smiled, scratching his head. He hadn¡¯t expected they would meet Ezekiel and vanish in an attempt to retrieve Yan Zaizen¡¯s original body. To add, they had just made a deal that would thrust them into a war over the Heavens themselves.

    When her eyes turned to Ezekiel, a shocked expression emerged on both of their faces. Ezekiel was truly shocked, finding it utterly impossible. With widened eyes, he eximed: "She¡¯s female! She has a Sovereign¡¯s Dao? And she¡¯s female?" He had to repeat her gender twice, in utter disbelief.

    In the history of the thirty-three Heavens, there was never a female Sovereign before. They would often form Empress¡¯ or a Queen¡¯s Dao, which wasn¡¯t on the same level, but very close. They just like an essential quality.

    This wasn¡¯t a dig on females. The gender was terrifying in some ways far beyond men, but Daos were intrinsic in nature. There was an aspect that made it extremely difficult, if not outright impossible for a female to birth it. When he thought of this, he turned to Yan Zaizen.

    His eyes glowed with realization, returning to gaze to look at Lin Feilin¡¯s displeased expression. Within the depths of her eyes was her Dao Light that was seething. "So that¡¯s what it is. How strange." With this said, he rxed. He didn¡¯t care if Lin Feilin felt offended, she didn¡¯t know what he knew, so it was irrelevant.

    Yan Zaizen found this odd. "What do you mean that¡¯s how it is?" He had a strange feeling that Ezekiel was aware of something that he didn¡¯t, and it might be very crucial to Lin Feilin¡¯s Dao.

    But Ezekiel shook his head, "If I were to tell you, it¡¯ll cause too many issues. Don¡¯t ask again."

    Yan Zaizen thought for a moment and narrowed his eyes. After a brief period, he briskly nodded. Ezekiel wouldn¡¯t unnecessarily keep information that was useful to himself. In the end, as long as he looked into the details of female Sovereigns, he would discover the answer.

    Yan Zaizen flew down and arrived beside Lin Feilin, he began to tell her the details of their meeting and the deal to save his original body. Her expression was extremely colorful, changing with every sentence uttered. A fight to im the heavens? What type of act was this?

    She turned to Ezekiel to give him a deep observation. He wanted to be a Heavenly God? Was it really as easy as that?

    "Will yo-"

    "Yes. I will absolutelye." Yan Zaizen was in the process of asking Lin Feilin if she wished toe when she interrupted. There was no need to ask. She didn¡¯t wish to leave Yan Zaizen again if she had the choice. Wherever he went, she was intent on following.

    Yan Zaizen expected nothing less from a Sovereign. With a smile, he turned to Ezekiel: "Shall we leave?" They were all ready to venture into the unknown, fight for the heavens and im its spark.

    As they made this decision, the thirty-three heavens were about to experience a vast, incredible change across all heavens!

 Chapter 447 - 657: Only Reason Youre Alive

    <h4>Chapter 447 - 657: Only Reason You''re Alive </h4>

    "This shouldn¡¯t be possible!"

    "He¡¯s at the second stage, not the third!"

    "..."

    The trio reacted to Wu Yu¡¯s actions with abject shock and awe, the fear in their eyes was seeded, festering with each passing microsecond with disbelief and uncertainty. And if there were others at the Second Stage of the Mystic Ascendant Realm, the Soul of Mysticism, present here, they too would feel a wave of absurdity from what they were seeing.

    Wu Yu¡¯s entire aura started to drastically change, and the strange glowing imagery of the boundless night sky emerging from his be started to grow. It expanded from his be outwards into the world like a rushing wave of water engulfing the senses.

    Wu Yu had exhausted arge portion of his Mystic Energy while fleeing, his body and Astral Core was stressed considerably due to the usage of the Grand Transformations, so much so that he couldn¡¯t reactivate these trump cards so easily after deactivating them to limit the resulting consequences.

    While he seemed upright and stable, his internal meridians and cultivation base was anything but. It had been pushed to a state where he was about to unleash his strongest means for a chance at survival and escape, even if it left him at the mercy of a Demi-Mortal Lord cultivator should it fail.

    Therefore, he was left with resorting to battle trickery to im an advantage in a battle. Inevitably, his current state wasn¡¯t sufficient to effectively eliminate these three genuine Ascended or suppress them with theirbined strength, unaffected by exhaustion or internal injuries, so he was left with invoking his strongest card left.

    The unique, extraordinary power limited to Demi-Mortal Lord Phase Cultivators: the Demi-Mystic State!

    The starry night exploded out at astonishing speeds. The three Ascended gasped, their powers roaring out in defense.

    Venerable Kun Yiming shouted urgently: "FIRE!" She was the only one who remained quiet, realizing that this situation was bing increasingly disadvantageous to them. She ordered the voidships to unleash their barrage of cannons upon Wu Yu!

    However, only one ship fired! The Kun n¡¯s ship! The rest awaited orders from their own leaders, not reacting to Venerable Kun Yiming¡¯s demanding shout. This was perfectly understandable considering theirck of cohesive cooperation on authority. Yet, it was also the final nail to all of their coffins.

    BRRRRRRUUU!

    A deep, explosive sound erupted from one of the cannons that shook the space. That sound urred purely because the fixed space was unable to handle the stress from a fully-powered cannonball of condensed mystic energy! A shot that could kill even Soul of Mysticism Phase experts if they didn¡¯t take it seriously!

    Just this one shot exhausted one mystic stone and over three million astral stones! The amount of wealth used was absolutely terrifying to think about, exceeding even small-sized, astral-gradeds in terms of value!

    The mystic and astral essence was converted into energy, centered around the immense strength contained within the naturally formed mystic runes, such as the mystic intent and other strange, incredible properties that went beyond the Mortal Limits and pushed it to rival mystic power.

    The wave of starry light was impacted by the ball of mystic power the size of a small mountain with a speed that distorted light and even gravity itself. The world bent itself to its cyan colors, forming a strange phenomenon as it traveled that seemed like a fast moving object pushing against wind resistance.

    When it entered the wave of starry night that nketed Wu Yu¡¯s form, the attack seeped into the starry night and vanished, seemingly without rhyme or reason or an end result.

    "No! Again! Order them to attack!" Venerable Kun Yiming realized that only one ship¡ªhers¡ªhadunched an attack. Realizing the mistake they¡¯ve made, her frustration manifested in explosive spiritual shouts that caused Venerable Bluecloud and Venerable yingsword to tremble.

    Without any hesitation, she shot away on her silver wings in an attempt to flee, much to the shock of the two venerables. She was well-aware that if that state finished without any interruption, they would die here today.

    All of them.

    While sending out their orders, the two venerables felt a rushing surge of energy depart. They followed Kun Yiming¡¯s figure with widened eyes. However, this prompted Venerable Bluecloud to react, executing a few hand-seals that sent out blue streams of clouds like gossamers towards Wu Yu before flying after Kun Yiming.

    To him, they needed to stay together lest they be picked off one by one.

    But Venerable yingsword didn¡¯t retreat. He was a Sword Cultivator, he was aware that attacking at this moment could change everything, so he took his line of thinking into a n of action. Cursing their cowardice in his heart, he brandished his pulwar and, sword at ready, rushed towards Wu Yu.

    ¡¯<i>The fool!</i>¡¯ Venerable Bluecloud cursed vehemently in his thoughts, feeling frustrated as he turned back. With a few hand-seals, his cloud elerated and transformed into a stream of blue light that chased Venerable yingsword. Even if the boy¡¯s an idiot, he was still his grandson.

    That earlierment that seemed like an insult was the truth! He had taught his grandmother how to properly suck! And suck she did, very well in fact.

    That aside, Wu Yu¡¯s transformation and the events that followed took a long time to describe, but happened almost instantly. When the glow of the starry night reached several hundred meters in size, it seemed to stretch to its limits, growing taut and trembling.

    "Mysticism of Imperial Heaven!" Wu Yu shouted out, causing fixed space to ripple endlessly. The ensuing shots fired out with vicious intent. But the glow rapidly condensed and shapes itself into the form of a single man.

    Wu Yu had be painted by the glow of starry light that moved animatedly beneath his skin. His eyes opened to reveal a pair of darkly-colored eyes that resembled the eyes of a ruler, a lord of all things mortal.

    The two mountain-sized balls of cyan-colored mystic power arrived and Wu Yu reached out hisrge hands in front of him. With a press of his palms, the two balls of mystic power were halted.

    SHIIIING!

    A sword howl erupted. A long stretch of sword energy, like a flowing rushing river filled with killing intent, sped towards Wu Yu with unprecedented uracy. Surrounding this sword energy was spiraling swirls of blue-colored spiritual energy that were as thin as gossamers, yet as numerous as the stars in the sky.

    Wu Yu¡¯s eyes shifted to the iing sword river. He didn¡¯t move a single step. Instead, he clenched his fist and thrusted it towards the wave of energy traveling tens of thousands of miles a second, capable of slicing into twos with ease.

    Within the river of sword energy, a cry of abhorrent shock resounded.

    "Watch out!" Venerable Bluecloud arrived beside the sword energy, his aged hands stretched into it and wrenched. After a pained shout filled with agony, he retreated with Venerable yingsword in tow.

    As if to prove that his efforts weren¡¯t for nothing, the sword energy exploded! It erupted in a gushing wave of chaos,pletely destroyed by an invisible force!

    But he was too slow.

    Venerable yingsword roared even louder in agony, his legs exploding in a torrent of blood, mangled flesh, and crushed bones. The destructive wave of power kept encroaching on him without any signs of halting, reaching his thighs as he tried his best to release a horrified call for help.

    But his internal powers were being suppressed. A unique aura had integrated into his body, affecting his spirit, restricting his ess to his own strength! His vocal screams did little in a world without air particles. Soundless and afraid¡ªwas that how he was going to die?

    An unresigned expression emerged on his face.

    Venerable Bluecloud was too concerned with running away, not noticing the deadly circumstances of his own grandson. While he couldn¡¯t be faulted, if he dyed for another few microseconds in helping, he would¡¯ve saved only a mangled and dispersed corpse!

    WOOSH!

    A silver light pierced through space. A beautiful female with a pair of silver wings arrived besides the two.

    "You returned?!" Venerable Bluecloud was absolutely shocked! He expected Venerable Kun Yiming to have long since left. She was the first to strike and the first to leave, yet she returned!

    Venerable Kun Yiming didn¡¯t answer him. She smashed her palms on Venerable yingsword¡¯s legs, using her strength to pump out outrageous amounts of mystic energy to fight against the Imperial Heaven Aura infecting Venerable yingsword.

    Pale as ash, Venerable yingsword was thankful, but all Kun Yiming could do was halt the destruction. His cultivation base was still subjected to horrendous levels of suppressive power that she couldn¡¯t dispel.

    "Leave!" She said, looking at Wu Yu. There was a faint suspicion in her eyes, but she didn¡¯t voice her thoughts at the abnormality of Wu Yu¡¯s Demi-Mystic State. The fact he could unleash it was enough. After all, it was a sign of merging Mystic Intent with physique, the unique cultivation aspect of Demi-Mortal Lords!

    The three left behind their subordinates and departed with incredible speed, silver and blue light conjoined in their escape efforts. As for their subordinates, they could only hope they could escape.

    Wu Yu was standing in the Dark Void, two balls of mystic power beside him. With a wave of his hand, the two balls swiftly shot towards two voidships. It crashed into their defensive formations and exploded with such force that a half of the celestial rogue¡¯s atmosphericyer was shaved away for a few moments despite the vast distance.

    The voidships shielding held, and they hurriedly retreated in their damaged state. The undamaged voidship had sped away the fastest. With the retreat of their leaders" staying was futile. As for those still on the celestial rogue, their lives will be up to fate.

    "..."

    Wu Yu only coldly watched the Voidships escape. After several seconds, a stuffy cough echoed and a spurt of glowing blood exploded from his throat. The Demi-Mystic State vanished, revealing his true state.

    He was a bloodied mess, drenched from head to toe, but his eyes were still bright and reflected strength. With a steady and long breath, his body and clothes returned to normal as if time had reversed. Only then did his eyes reflect a distinct weakness.

    This was a unique temporal ability of the Soul of Mysticism Phase, an evolution of the Temporal Eye, called Time Reversion. It could revert certain things to a previous state, even saving others from death as long as their souls wereplete and retained. However, its cost was lifespan.

    Just that act had cost him roughly two hundred years, and he felt everyst drain. Thews of time weren¡¯t so easily interacted with. Just a few seconds cost this much.

    "If all three cannons were shot, I¡¯d be dead." Wu Yu calmly remarked, as if he wasn¡¯t on the edge of death just now. He wasn¡¯t a genuine Demi-Mortal Lord, just partially due to Wei Wuyin¡¯s Ever-Rebirth Pill. His bloodline and physique contained traces of Mystic Intent, allowing him to temporarily, and strenuously, execute the invincible Demi-Mystic State, where one leaned towards the Mystic, further away from the Mortal.

    The cannon had impacted his body, and while there wasn¡¯t an explosion, he was fully hit by it. If it wasn¡¯t for his strong physique empowered and slightly infused with Mystic Energy, he would¡¯ve been dead.

    With a soft sigh, he looked towards the direction of the Ascended who escaped. With a snap of his fingers, the concealed Imperial Heaven Aura within Venerable yingsword erupted.

    BOOOOOOOM!

    A sr star-like explosion erupted in the distance! The brightness and radiance gave light to the lightless void-nk space. The spatial winds buffeted his robes.

    The Imperial Heaven Aura wasn¡¯t just a means for suppression. It was insidious and multifaceted. As if he would just let his enemies leave just like that. He withdrew and consumed a ninth-grade recovery product that he had saved from Wei Wuyin¡¯s bestowed ring.

    With a deadly flicker in his eyes, he explosively shot towards the Voidships fleeing direction with the Myriad Monarch Canon in hand.

    None of them will escape.

    He couldn¡¯t let them. After all, Wei Wuyin could be in one of those ships. That¡¯s the only reason they were still alive.

    -----

    Meanwhile, concealed on the celestial rogue¡¯s surface, Wei Wuyin¡¯s silver eyes regarded the fight. "The Imperial Heaven Aura is quite terrifying, but Wu Yu is even more terrifying." As he observed the still zing star-like existence, he wondered if it was a cage, not a fatal move left behind.

    When he considered this, he faintly smiled. Wu Yu was incredibly concerned about him, not allowing anyone to escape. He was worth nurturing as an expert and as a loyal subordinate.

    "Well, you¡¯re ready?" Wei Wuyin could consider this moreter. His silver draconic eyes suddenly becamepletely white, reflecting the power of infinite variations.

    "Yes! Yes! Yes!" Ori shouted excitedly.

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