Consuming Earths, Devouring Skies

Yan Zaizen regulated his breathing. Each breath was subtle but faintly released bellowing humming of spectrals and hellish shrieks. He felt the embodiment of Hell within his chest, its domineering and vicious infernal energies. 

"I didn't think soul energy and infernal energy had such similarities." Yan Zaizen remarked. At his right, levitating directly above his shoulder was a figurine of a complete set of armor. It was crimson-gold in color, emanating a faint soul pressure. 

Due to the red glow, a clear look of its design wasn't possible, but the two folded wings and curved horns made it seem devilishly fearsome. This was Yan Zaizen's Hell Altar, his Hell Image, the Paragon Hades Armor.

In far-off legends in the Fallen Stars Continent, Hades was a perfect devil that dominated Hell through sheer strength. His intelligence, cunning, and ferocity scared children. However, the story of his adventure and achievements were undetermined. Some believed he had dominated Hell and ruled over it single-handedly, others believed he had been a low-level spiritual demon that rose from nothing, then claimed the ruler of Hell's life at a whim.

Regardless, he was a peerless figure. Yan Zaizen felt that his name, no, his legend would do his image justice. 

Thunk!

The skyship landed. Yan Zaizen lifted his head and saw the gate of the Anima Syndicate. It was no longer attached to a mountain, and a small portion of it was removed. His eyes flashed with complex, nostalgic emotions. In a flash, he left the ship's deck and arrived before this gate. With a soft caress, he felt the passage of time.

It was now dilapidated, with cuts and dents everywhere. There was no longer an Anima Syndicate for it to guard. The Anima Syndicate had not survived through these thousands of years. His heart felt heavy as he recalled Wu Yuanxu. The Anima Syndicate was the first and only organization that he had joined in his lifetime.

Lin Feilin, carrying the snow-white puppy, arrived behind Yan Zaizen. Her eyes didn't hold the same emotions of Yan Zaizen, being mostly indifferent. 

"Do you know what happened?" Yan Zaizen, despite his soul exhausted state and the passage of so many years, could still feel that the remaining rubble of the Anima Syndicate's headquarters had fallen due to a battle. 

Lin Feilin lightly furrowed her beautiful brows, "This is the Anima Syndicate's HQ?" 

Yan Zaizen softly nodded. 

"From what I know, it happened while I was captured and around the time of the Yan Clan's annihilation. I don't know the full details, but they were branded as helping the devils that nearly extinguished the population of Presba. As a result…" she didn't need to explain, Yan Zaizen understood.

He sighed. Yan Zaizen understood that not everything would remain the same with the time that had passed, but this incident with his clan has eradicated an important part of his childhood. It was because of Wu Yuanxu that he was who he was. While his influence may have been seen as minor, his existence led to many events. 

If Wu Yuanxu didn't exist, he wouldn't have been sent into chaotic space, gone to Grux, became a slave...he wouldn't have met Tao or Bai Lufeng. He wouldn't have had brothers to travel the heavens with. 

Releasing another sigh, he left his emotions aside. When he became capable of truly ascending beyond the heavens, wouldn't it take a single flick of his finger to bring back all those who've passed? He had always intended to bring his parents back, what's one more?

Then, he could truly indulge and travel the world with a free heart and, hopefully, a flawless beauty by his side.

A faint smile surfaced on his face with these thoughts. Wasn't this why he was trying so hard? To live. To be his own? Ever since he learned he was an artificial soul created by someone, not natural-born, he had always felt an invisible hand grasping his fate, but all he ever wanted was to enjoy his life without being thrown into all sorts of matters.

Yet…

"Let's go." Yan Zaizen slowly walked back to the skyship, his thoughts indecipherable to outsiders. 

Lin Feilin's eyes followed Yan Zaizen, seeing his broad back and tall figure. For some odd reason, she felt a certain sadness swell within her heart. 

When he arrived on the skyship, Old Man Bo saw his walking figure and he instantly became dazed. "Brat…" he said in a low voice. The current Yan Zaizen reminded him of the innocent youth that just wanted control over his own fate. A melancholic feeling emerged in his heart.

-----

A day later.

Yan Zaizen was currently staring westward. "The Infernal Soul Energy I've condensed can access the Source Ring," he thought. With the inclusion of his Infernal Path's power, he now had access to the Source Ring and all its riches, and oh boy, how plenty it was.

Yan Zaizen found an unfathomable amount of Heavenly Law Liquid and Heavenly Crystals. With this, reaching the Second Level was a matter of course. Furthermore, there were plenty of high-quality soul stones and materials suitable for the soul. This was just the surface.

The Oneuli Empire's Crown Prince seemed to have been preparing to cultivate everything. There were materials for Fiendgods, Heavenly Cultivators, Soul Cultivators, and even unique materials he couldn't identify yet. With this, it'll take a year to recover his soul essence and a few years before he truly regained a fraction of his Soul Cultivation. 

Luckily, he didn't need to waste so much time on that. With the soul materials, he could start to build future levels. As long as his Paragon Soul Essence was capable of stabilising his Hell Altar and he had sufficient materials, he could create all eighteen levels of his Hell Altar.

Yan Zaizen felt relieved that he had obtained these resources. These resources will definitely raise his success rate in saving his body from the Deep Mines mysterious force.

Lin Feilin walked beside Yan Zaizen. In a soft voice she asked, "Where are we going now?" While this was her question, she felt that she knew the answer.

Yan Zaizen turned to see her beautiful face, his amber-gold eyes glimmering with faint light. "I won't be finding Senior Brother Xuan yet. For now, I need to increase my cultivation base." After saying this, comforting her the best he could, he started to calculate a suitable location to set down and diligently cultivate.

"Also, you should strive for your own Dao and embark onto the Heavenly Path. I know you can do it, and I'll help you." Yan Zaizen's words caused Lin Feilin to shiver. 

Form her own Dao? A Dao was unfathomably difficult to formulate on your own, and she had never heard of anyone being able to help another formulate their own personal Dao, only being bestowed others. However, while her mind had told her it was an impossible feat, hearing Yan Zaizen's confidence caused her heart to brim with anticipation.

"There!" Yan Zaizen decided on a mountain range. It had eight mountains connected, and bore faint similarities to the Eight Extreme Mountains, the location where he met Lin Feilin and his Master's abode. 

"It's perfect for you to form your Dao!"