Consuming Earths, Devouring Skies

The Dead Soul Sea was a desert of red sand. Beneath this red sand was a Dead Soul, siphoning the soul energies of living creatures to fuel their perpetual state of Immortality. If the existence had to resort to such passive means to absorb and refine soul energies, then it meant it was too far gone and relying solely on instincts while in hibernation.

While that was a fancy way to put it, in truth, it was essentially brain dead. A Dead Soul, despite being an Infernal Deity, had lost their Soul Flame, replacing it with another medium, typically a Hell Altar of the Infernal Path, allowing one to become an Infernal Forger. 

If the Hell Altar went missing or was destroyed, then their pseudo-Soul Flame would essentially dissipate. A normal human would enter a true vegetative state of being between the living and dead. They couldn't conceive a personality, process or possess memories, or even hold thoughts. Despite that, their soul, mind, and physical body(If they had one) could still remain healthy.

From his estimation, Yan Zaizen knew this Dead Soul held true to its name, and was a true Dead Soul. Likely, they had been here since the formation of the Xiantu Realm or when it was recently conceived. Perhaps this continent was the location it hoped to rest and recover until an incident occurred, or an entirely different reason.

Regardless, his means to elongate his life through the Dead Soul's immortality was this red sand.

"What is this sand exactly?" Lin Feilin asked, her voice still effused shock and an uncomfortable tinge knowing that a Dead Soul and an Infernal Deity was beneath them. In fact, she unconsciously used her true essence to lift her away from the sand, unwilling to come in contact with it.

"This? Oh, just the cells of the Infernal Deity." He said with a wide smile and chuckle. 

"Ah!" Lin Feilin exclaimed, lifting herself higher as a result. Her gaze focused below, unable to comprehend how these fine particles of sand were cells of an Infernal Deity. She asked with a quivering voice, "H-How?"

Yan Zaizen inspected the red sand, looking here and there while walking a few feet forward and then to the left. He slid his feet across the red sand, pushing a little away. "The Infernal Deity was an Asura. While it's not the same, the Heavenly Path's World Law of the Soul has a unique conceptual law called the Cells of True Soul Law. 

"It's quite interesting. When I had gained knowledge of it, albeit only a glimpse, I learned that the difference between the living body and soul had very little differences. In fact, they were nearly identical in construction and design. Except a few details, like one being purely spiritual and the other being physical.

"As a Herculean, I can not only create an avatar, but expand my form thanks to the physical energies in my body. With the Fiendgod Path, one that focused purely on physical energies, a drop of blood from a high-level figure could drown a minor planet." He tried to explain, but after reaching this point, he halted. The next bit of detail was too complicated to simply put in words.

Instead, he lifted his right palm and used his nail from his left hand to slice across it. A fine cut was performed, followed by a drop of blood exiting. It was crimson with a tinge of golden. This was the influence of his Heavenly Dao Seed on his physical body. He had used it to accelerate his cultivation and this was one of its side effects.

The glorious drop of blood appeared and space itself started to tremble slightly. Old Man Bo shook, nearly losing his footing. He had to rely on his qi essence to restore his balance.

"This was all caused by a drop of blood?!" He couldn't help but be shocked.

"Each drop of my blood has an immense amount of blood energies, a sub-type of physical energy. It encompasses its own Mortal Law as well. That being said," he flicked the drop of blood into the sky until it reached a thousand feet into the sky. Then, he released his control of his blood.

Lin Feilin, Old Man Bo, and the snow-white puppy gazed upwards and saw the drop of blood. A shadow appeared overhead, and their curious expressions slowly shifted. Firstly, disbelief. Then, complete shock with gaped mouths. And finally, their jaws dropped and a tinge of fear appeared in their eyes as they erected protective wards.

Woosh!

A rain of crimson-golden blood dropped ceaselessly from the sky like a heavy downpour, drenching their wards and turning the red sand crimson. Yan Zaizen didn't move, his physical aura caused the rain of blood that covered nearly three miles to evade him.

It continued to pour for sixteen seconds. A full sixteen seconds!

Only then did it cease, and the sky regained its original view. 

"This is simply the unrestrained blood of my Nascent Herculean Physique. If I was at my peak, I could flood this continent with a single drop. My blood cells and other cells are condensed and compressed to the utmost, and its why my physical body is so strong and durable, due to that density. Trying to cut my flesh is like trying to cut through a steel block of flesh and ocean of blood." Yan Zaizen calmly finished his explanation, a smile on his face.

Lin Feilin and Old Man Bo were still shocked, their minds reeling. Even though she was a True Essence Realm expert with thousands of years of experience, she didn't know this trait of physical cultivators. In truth, this was merely a byproduct of Fiendgods and those that cultivate physical energies.

As for the more common Heavenly Path and Beastial Path of the Xiantu Realm, they focused on quality rather than quantity. If Yan Zaizen's flesh and blood could be considered a three mile block of hardened cement, then a Heavenly Cultivator would be a sheet of reinforced steel.

The soul had the same characteristics as the body, including its cells. The soul had numerous cells working to keep it functioning and could thus malfunction or be influenced by toxic or external substances. This red sand's cell function could be akin to absorbing oxygen from the air to support the lungs.

Only then did Lin Feilin and Old Man Bo finally understand what the red sand was. However, they didn't understand what Yan Zaizen meant when he said the materials for his Hell Altar were right here.

Yan Zaizen chuckled lightly at the questioning gazes sent his way. "You'll see."

Yan Zaizen closed his eyes and focused. The world went still as he recalled the various bits of information he had regarding the Infernal Path, to become an Infernal Forger.

Firstly, one needed a medium of the soul strong enough to construct the foundation and stabilize the Hell Altar. For the Heavenly Path, it was the Dao. But, for the Infernal Path, it was the Soul. A Regalia of the Heavens relating to the Soul can act as this substitute, but it wasn't the best. Obviously this was because of its external characteristics.

However, if you can comprehend the soul to a sufficient degree, strengthening your own soul to a point, then you can take this path. Yan Zaizen's soul foundation could rival a Heavenly Creation Realm expert, literally heaven-exceeding! How could it be inadequate? In fact, it was the best medium in existence!

While he didn't have the soul energy to back up his realm, he had the solid foundation, and that was enough. The Paragon Soul Realm was a product of the Soul Source Path, one of the Nine Immemorial Paths, rivaling the Heavenly Path. 

He felt the Dead Soul's existence. He sent his spiritual sense piercing into the red sand, but he wasn't trying to locate the Hell Altar of the Infernal Deity buried beneath the sand. He was actually counting.

Counting the number of cells. 

This took mere moments to complete and a number formed in his mind: nine hundred and eight quadrillion, seven hundred and six trillion, five hundred and forty-three million, and two hundred and one thousand cells exactly. His closed eyes snapped open, revealing a boundless soul ripple, emanating absolute perfection and superiority. An unparalleled majesty radiated out.

Lin Feilin and Old Man Bo were both startled. Without thinking, Old Man Bo kneeled on both knees, his eyes shaking with boundless respect and reverence. It was pure and true, as if kneeling before one's god.

Bark!

Lin Feilin nearly followed suit, but a soft bark from the snow-white puppy snapped her out of it, causing her to have cold sweat drenching her entire outfit in an instant. Her clothes hugged her voluptuous body, revealing all sorts of alluring curves. She stared at the snow-white puppy whose pure black eyes seemed untainted by Yan Zaizen's brilliance or influence.

"What...are you?" She asked herself.

Before she could ponder further, the desert of sand trembled endlessly like a world-wide earthquake was occurring. The shifting of sand and its resulting shakes made it seem as if an existence was about to erupt from the sand. She flew higher, leaving Old Man Bo as she went as high as possible.

When she looked down, her eyes narrowed.

A red sand was moving alright, and every last particle of it was approaching Yan Zaizen from every direction at raging speeds. It was as if there were four different tidal waves incoming from all four directions, heading towards Yan Zaizen with a purpose. 

Wait…

There was a slight twist of the red sand with Yan Zaizen at the center, albeit she couldn't see him amidst the sea of red aand, she knew that was his previous location.

Her eyes widened. 

"Is that…?!"