Consuming Earths, Devouring Skies

"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 multi-layered barrier of space, restricting all access 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 barriers layered a certain distance away from each other, but when they are destroyed or pierced through, that barrier dissipates, and another barrier formulates several barriers down.

This created a never-ending cycle of barriers. Even Yan Zaizen, with his comprehension of spacetime, found this impossible to overcome 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 reconstruction later should be delayed.

"It’s like...if I’m late, some things in my life will cease to be a reality." Yan Zaizen tried to explain, 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 delayed 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 flash 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 flashed 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 black hole formed at his glabella. This black hole seemed infinitely deep and boundless.

"My bloodline is divided into two aspects, the Law of Mimicry and the Black Hole. The black hole can devour physicality, spirituality, and essence. Essence being laws." As he recalled his act of consuming the Non Universe’s core essence, he felt enlightened.

"Essence, my glabella. Spirituality, my eyes. Physicality, my hands." the black hole in his glabella 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 planet of water. Incomparable." 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 incomparable to the original black 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 a comet, blazing 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 delayed. Before long, Yan Zaizen penetrated the last barrier, his eyes bright.

-----

Crimson Devil Realm, devastated region.

"Dracula, 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 flash 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," Dracula calmly stated. This statement seemed true as the tower manifested from his glabella transformed into a line of light. It was like an invisible arrow had left a minor wake in space. It targeted Ezekiel’s glabella 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 flashing 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 flashed, 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 silver compass with eight directional arrows pointing towards all eight directions. Without hesitation, he surged his might into the compass causing it to erupt with a fierce brilliance that could blind many!

This was the trans-spatial divine compass! This compass was actually far more profound than a normal trans-spatial divine compass 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 the compass 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 the compass for an escape, but his eyes widened fiercely after. Even Dracula was deeply shaken, but later 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 the compass, 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 occur!

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 Dracula, 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 becoming 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 multi-layered spatial barrier.