Consuming Earths, Devouring Skies

"This woman truly wants to seduce me." Yan Zaizen recalled his previous interactions with this woman. Each time, she’ll purposefully display 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 displaying 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 displayed her level of intimacy towards Yan Zaizen, as if declaring 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’ve committed suicide in the Yan Clan.

Lin Feilin eyes flickered when she saw Yao Wuhen display 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 relaxed 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 looked completely 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 explain. "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 the complete 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 be compared to a boulder and a mountain.

This had occurred naturally. With his adaptable bloodline, stable qi foundation, the physique of a herculean, heavenly law 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 only comment.

"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 tests comprehension into the heavens. Due to its importance to reach the heavenly genesis realm. As for the third stage, it tests combat 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 explained.

"Of course, not many accept becoming 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 remained completely 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 declared 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 flashed 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 planning with this Divine Replication Orb, he would have succeeded if it wasn’t for you." Tao took out a small, white orb that seemed to radiate a law 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 explains why the Yan Clan 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 clan 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 level comprehension 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 placed his hand firmly on his head, eliciting all sorts of struggling attempts from Xin Guanyu, but a second later it all faded as he dropped in unconsciousness. For a brief period, Yan Zaizen soul searched Xin Guanyu’s soul flame.

"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 Clan.

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.