Consuming Earths, Devouring Skies

Ying Fenmian felt a chill run down his spine when he saw Yan Zaizen's gaze. How could he have ever predicted things would turn out this way? In truth, he did have the intentions of finding and killing Yan Zaizen for his actions of leaving his daughter to die and robbing the clan. However, now he simply regretted it all. Several Qi Unification elders of the Ying Clan lost their lives as well as many elites at the Essence Formation. With the loss of the Ying Clan's wealth, their mission having failed to retrieve it, and the death of the He Clan Leader-designate — He Shijing — it was impossible for the Ying Clan to survive this or salvage the situation.

Ying Sumian, however, was feeling complex. The Ying Clan crippled her, and she had no good feelings towards the He Clan. Originally, she wanted to marry He Shijing, but because of Ying Yimian's treachery, she was crippled instead. If it wasn't for that, she would probably turn around and strangle the life out of Ying Yimian's body with her own hands.

Therefore, she was complex over the course of events but was relatively calm. If Yan Zaizen killed her, it would be the same as living now.

Ying Yimian, on the other hand, was terrified. She just watched the support she was reliant on killed with a single glance. Her legs were weak, and she realized that the reason Ying Zhihao was dead. He simply wasn't Yan Zaizen's match, not because of a talisman or whatever. She had thoughts of submitting to Yan Zaizen using her beauty, but when she looked at his indifferent gaze, she knew that'll be the same as courting death.

Yan Zaizen was contemplating what to do with these three. "Cripple her," he said, pointing towards Ying Yimian while looking at Ying Fenmian, "Then, cripple yourself." His words contained a formless aura of authority. It was as if a King had made a decree, do it or die!

Ying Fenmian paled, but after some thought, he calmed himself down. With a decisive gaze, he grabbed Ying Yimian who was too scared to even run and slammed a palm at her newly repaired dantian. A surge of energy shattered it once more and then severed her pathways.

In his haste, he had forgotten about her circumstance. Because her cultivation was crippled once before, Ying Yimian funneled too much energy into the blow. She spat out several mouthfuls of blood, shrieked harshly, and lost consciousness.

He noticed his mistake and couldn't help but feel a little apologetic towards this daughter of his. However, upon realizing this entire event occurred because of her unwillingness to marry He Shijing, and then she agreed anyway, he felt a little better.

Taking a deep breath, he caused the qi-essence in his dantian to explode, sending waves of energy that shattered his dantian, severed his pathways and damaged his meridians. He spat out a mouthful of blood, his expression paled, and he could barely stand. Despite this, he didn't scream despite the monstrous level of pain he was feeling. He simply looked at Yan Zaizen with a gaze pleading for mercy.

Yan Zaizen lightly nodded at this decisiveness. In truth, he intended to kill both of them, but after some thought, he felt it was too merciful for them.

He felt exhausted. He took flight, traveling towards the spatial platform in the city. The spiritual exhaustion felt so horrible, and he simply wanted to rest his soul.

Wait.

He noticed something was happening around him. Wisps of virtually invisible smoke floated around him, and one by one they entered his glabella. "What?!" He found this to be quite strange. However, his spiritual exhaustion started to decrease considerably. Taking a more thorough look, he analyzed his soul form to notice that the wisps were traveling to the black spot on his soul form.

Before, he couldn't even see these wisps, but now he could see them like air in the cold. It was faint, but he could see it. When he took a closer look, his eyes widened in shock! They were the soul forms of those he killed, and they radiated an odd soul energy. When they entered the black dot on his soul form's glabella, they disappeared and his soul exhaustion weakened.

In the last battle, several cultivators had soul cultivation at the initial-Nascent Soul Realm, and just like Ying Zhihao, their soul forms exited their bodies and entered his glabella. But, unlike before, he could perceive them clearly and could clearly feel its effects. As they entered his soul, he could feel it strengthening as well as restoring his soul energy.

"What is this?" Opening his eyes, he touched his glabella but didn't feel anything. He didn't know why this thing appeared on his soul or why it could devour the soul forms of others that he killed, but it could. Did this mean he could…? Was this how his soul enhanced so quickly? He couldn't help but think. However, he felt it was the logical conclusion.

Taking a deep breath, he felt that even if he thought about it, the mystery wouldn't be solved. He can, however, absorb the soul forms of those he killed and recover his exhausted soul energy as a result. The refining of the souls was relatively quick, by the time he reached the spatial platform, all the soul form wisps were thoroughly devoured.

He no longer felt spiritually exhausted. He just felt slightly tired.

"You…" When he arrived, Wu Yuanxu was there with widened eyes. As someone who was apart of the Anima Syndicate, how could he not know the significance of all the previous events? An Aurora Soul! Even in the entire country of Presba, that was a soul cultivation that could determine the lives of countless and stand at the peak.

Yan Zaizen smiled at his reaction. "I'll be troubling Senior Uncle." Naturally, he was referring to the Spatial Platform. As he said this, he noticed something, looking upwards. There on a tall building stood an elderly woman with a profound cultivation base at the Origin Core Realm. She must be the representative for the Xuanwu City. Since she didn't interfere in the previous events, it meant she didn't want to get involved. He couldn't help but give her his silent thanks in a nod.

He didn't know if he could handle an Origin Core powerhouse. That was completely different than destroying a rank seven formation.

"Mhm. I'll send you off. When you get back, don't forget this old man." He said, his face containing a smile that was good-intended but looked a little ugly. One could tell he felt overwhelmed yet equally excited. "Don't forget to go to the Anima Syndicate to officiate your membership." He said, but this time through soul transmission.

When Yan Zaizen received it, he was startled. It was like someone was talking directly into his head. He had heard stories, but he didn't know how to do it. That would be profoundly useful in having private talks.

Seeing Yan Zaizen surprise at the soul transmission, he reacted swiftly, throwing a soul jade towards him. Yan Zaizen caught it, sent his sense into it without any delay, and found it had the soul transmission art. It was only of the low-grade, divine-class art but it had an incredible use. As long as your spiritual sense can reach an area, you could send a message to anyone and everyone within that area immediately.

"Truly useful…Thanks."

He jumped onto the platform, not wanting to wait any longer. Surprisingly, he was the only one on the platform. The others only looked at him in awe and fear. Only now did he realize that his actions earlier was witnessed by all the forces in Xuanwu City. It's likely that everyone here will report to their superiors about him, and tell them of his existence. Perhaps overnight, he'll become a legend of Xuanwu City.

Smiling with excitement, he gave Wu Yuanxu the nod to proceed. With a slight surge of qi-essence, the entire platform erupted in silver light. He remembered this feeling; It was similar to when he was sent away by Han Genji at that time. A formation enveloped him, about to send him off towards Zhu Que City.

He would finally be able to go home from there.

As the platform was activated, a shadow appeared beside Wu Yuanxu. This shocked him, and he intended to retaliate, but a surge of qi-essence blew him through several buildings like a rocket being propelled into the sky. The shadow placed its palms on the control module for the formation and as it was being sent out, the shadow shattered it ruthlessly. A silver light exploded from the platform. Yan Zaizen, who was about to be sent off, vanished into thin air.

With his spiritual sense, Yan Zaizen saw all that was happening. His eyes widened, but unfortunately, the spatial platform's formation restricted his movements in a miraculous fashion. He couldn't act. The shadow had dealt with Wu Yuanxu decisively and immediately shattered the formation.

"NOOO!!!" He roared, his aurora-like soul energy solidified and attempted to breach the formation, but it felt like space restricted it from moving the moment it was formed. He thundered in frustration. Right before he vanished, he saw the one who took action.

"YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" His heart was filled with infinite rage, and his developing Dao aura manifested giving rise to a tyrannical surging force, but it did little to stop his fate.

When he disappeared, everyone then reacted and looked towards the shadow. All of their eyes widened, and some cried out two words: "City Lord?!"

Indeed, the old woman at the Origin Core Realm had interfered with the transmission, shattering the spatial platform formation, and sending Yan Zaizen into chaotic space where his fate was all but determined. "No one can survive the chaotic space, and even if he could do so shortly, he can't escape."

Everyone was shocked at her words.

Why would she do such a thing?

Someone screamed, "Wu Yuanxu is dead!!" When that was announced, everyone's expression was shocked. So decisive! Plot against someone; eliminate their allies. None of the crowd's looks disturbed her, and she even held a faint smile of relief on those wrinkling lips. Her worries from earlier would never come to fruition, and thus she'll be able to sleep peacefully tonight.

She vanished from everyone's sight.