Consuming Earths, Devouring Skies

With the heavenly law liquid in hand, Yan Zaizen recalled the Immortal Herculean Method. The initial description immediately captured his heart: 'Become an Immortal Herculean! Exceed the heavens and shatter the skies!'

At first, he believed it was to simply become 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 becoming immortal, at first he was skeptical, but after some success in the technique, he believed it thoroughly.

The method detailed five levels with four stages of success 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 the latter. Fortunately, the Unyielding Flame of Life kept his life intact.

After, he completed the transformation of a Herculean in the Deep Mines. At that point, everything changed about his physiology. He grew taller, more muscular, 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 heavenly law 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 conceptual law can produce one. They also need to pay an extraordinary price to do so.

As for heavenly law liquid, that could only be obtained through condensing the aura within the 33 heavens. To obtain this, one must overcome heavenly tribulation, 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 explained 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 heavenly law and myriad of concepts. All races have the eight celestial gates, but barely any could comprehend 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 exclaimed in awe. When he first read this method, he was more than just skeptical, but now...he felt it was completely true and achievable.

Lifting up the heavenly law 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 heavenly law liquid." Yan Zaizen felt interested. Refining the body with the heavens to exceed the heavens, quite ironic. Refining the meridians completely was considered minor success. Refining the six yang and five yin organs was considered the major success. 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." Pinaka commented, 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 numerous lacerated 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 but completely 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 every last 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 declared. 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 heavenly law 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, his comprehension into the three laws steadily increased. Both Unyielding Flame 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 the laws. 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! The combination of life, death, and soul laws. When combined in unison, it produces the Imperial Law of Samsara. He recalled his glimpse into the laws in Grux. At that time, he learned that laws can be combined for strength like Archery of Pure Destruction or merged to produce a greater law!

If it wasn't for the life and death antagonistic relationship, 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 relationship.

"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, occasionally 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 remained completely 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 exhilarating!

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 space laws! 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 old comprehended 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 calculations, 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 calculated, feeling somewhat odd. Was Yan Zaizen planning 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 slapping 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 incomparably safe in chaotic space.

It truly was his home.