Consuming Earths, Devouring Skies

Yan Zaizen thoughts experienced an abrupt derailment. This obstructed period of thought, this state of mind which left one feeling blank, was immediately replaced 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 elation.

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 incomprehensible wouldn’t do it justice.

Witnessing this, the titanic Zhou Xiuhei smiled with a hint of laughter within. Towards this young Herculean, he actually felt quite close and relax, 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 planet 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 already completely 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 infinitely complex, 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 pillars, all of which were completely gold and truly resonated an aura of the heavens! It was as if the heavens itself was miniaturized and placed within each individual pillar. Within these pillars, one could see heavenly law liquid drops floating within. Each pillar 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, reaching completion of a true heavenly law liquid!

The ceiling had a formation so large and complex 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 most common 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 their last follower dies - their Dao Treasure dissipating like mortal dust.

The only issue was the difficulty in actually refining one. According 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 life laws, but how could he not?

Not even two thousand years of age, yet possessing this abundant level of accumulation, foundation, and comprehensive combat prowess. It truly left one sighing in awe and praise.

"This is the Xiuhei Titan Hall, my home." Zhou Xiuhei’s calmly explained with normal speech, his eyes flashing with a hint of an odd emotion that felt out-of-place. 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 or common 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 collapses, 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 dominant law 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 explained, "the True Spirit, Infernal Forger, and Herculean paths are outlawed within the Rebirth Heaven. If cultivated, the Rebirth Heaven’s will shall enforce and eliminate all those in violation 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 explained, Yan Zaizen felt even more confused. Outlawed 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 declared 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 accepting 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 newcomers. They would be sentenced to complete destruction in body and soul by Heavenly Annihilation 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 the last 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!