Consuming Earths, Devouring Skies

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, particularly 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 collapsed 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 similar 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 calculated 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 Dracula with decisive eyes.

However, Dracula 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 piercing comet 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 flames, 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!" Dracula 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 plans," Dracula 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 blank, although this wasn't the truth always. In a very brief fraction of time at every second, an image appeared. The images that flashed 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 incomprehensible words to all but peak experts, he didn't slow down but sped up.

Dracula 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 occur 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, Dracula'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 Dracula'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 a language 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, Dracula'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 flash, he appeared before Ezekiel's soul form. If, at this moment, Dracula could end Ezekiel, then his soul would be saved. This was the method Ze'Ya wished to do. Unfortunately, Dracula 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 black 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 just come back and hunt down his daughter without end. Even his life would've been claimed by Ezekiel's boundless force.

Even Ze'Ya alone could kill him!

He tapped out with his right index finger. This finger landed solidly on Ezekiel's glabella. Instantly, Dracula 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, Dracula 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 flash of spacetime heavenly might surged, he appeared before Ezekiel. Dracula saw this but only calmly looked at this newcomer, 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 of lava-like amber-gold surged. It was as if, even if Ezekiel wished to be sealed, Yan Zaizen wouldn't allow it!