Consuming Earths, Devouring Skies

Yan Zaizen didn't use the skyship to fly towards Meteorite City. Its maximum speed only reached an average peak-Qi Unification Realm and that would take a day or two from where they were. He couldn't wait any longer. His qi cultivation base was profound enough to rival the basic flight speed of a half-step Origin Core cultivator. When coupled with Tao's flight-based internal qi-art — the Ascending Raindrops Technique — which was a superior-grade art with his current cultivation base, he could rival an initial-Origin Core cultivator.

When he was at the initial-Qi Revolving Realm, Lin Feilin previously informed him that traveling to Meteorite City from Zhu Que City would take him a few months to arrive, but now that his speed rivaled that of an Origin Core cultivator, those few months would be turned into a short few hours.

Yan Zaizen's eyes were filled with yearning and desire. After three years of constantly wanting, being forced into things, of being schemed against, pulled apart, and forced into slavery, he would finally arrive where he considered home.

Tao and Bai Lufeng could see Yan Zaizen's heightened emotional state, so they tactfully stayed silent, not attempting to have a conversation during the trip. During their time together, how could they not know of Yan Zaizen's story, especially Tao? He knew of his fate of being called trash, his forced discipleship, his almost marriage, how he plowed through two clans attempting to stop him, and then being schemed against by the Xuanwu City Lord and being condemned to die.

It was as if the heavens were purposefully filling his paths with roadblock after roadblock, but still, he never conceded, holding onto the hope of one day returning back to the place he was most familiar with. It was the place that held his saddest of memories filled with abuse, failure, and depression. But also the place filled with his happiest of memories, filled with the smiles of his mother, the scent of his father, and the warmth of his own bed.

Never do we get to choose our family, but that family gets to choose how you remember them. How you will cherish them. How you will love them. His parents did a good job with him.

Several hours of silence passed as they soared through the skies like a comet, the many experts and cities they passed looked up with trepidation. The auras of those three were too terrifying, and this was the territory of the first-tier Soaring Cloud Sect, the highest cultivation in that sect was the late-Origin Core Realm. So sensing those three intense auras passing like lightning made them feel both fearful and relieved that they weren't here for them.

"There it is!" Yan Zaizen shouted, his voice filled with childish exuberance. It was as if his youthfulness was leaking and the individual he was before was slowly resurfacing.

Meteorite City stood there intact and lively as ever. It wasn't nearly as impressive as the myriad cities he's visited and seen in these past three years, but it was definitely the one that gave him the warmest of feelings. Not because the Yan Clan was there, not even because of the prospect of meeting his grandfather once more, no, he felt those feelings because this is where his mother and father laid to rest.

The corners of his eyes moistened. "I made it home," his voice was exceptionally soft but filled with overwhelming emotion. It hadn't taken long before they arrived at the city gates with their respective auras still highlighted within the sky. The residents of Meteorite City directed their gazes towards the approaching qi signatures. Many were indescribably shocked while others were filled with caution and curiosity. A few promptly took their loved ones and hid their children away.

The many clans within Meteorite City were alerted, and they sent ambassadors as quickly as possible to welcome the new arrivals.

Yan Zaizen didn't even wait for any of them. Instead, he took off. As for Tao and Bai Lufeng, they stayed and waited. This wasn't the time to follow him nor was it their place.

This was his moment.

Yan Zaizen's speed was exceptionally quick to the point where it only took a few seconds from reaching the city gate to reaching the Yan Clan's gates, but when he arrived, he was stunned. The gates were normal, there were people inside maintaining the property and seemed to have been doing so for quite a while.

"Where...they…" He couldn't find them. Not a single person he remembered from the Yan Clan was here, not even the servants. Initially, he didn't use his spiritual sense, but now he did. His sensory range exceeded 600 li in distance, and the clarity of it was so incredible that he could perceive the flapping of a wasp's wings from maximum distance or the stomping of ants within their colony underground.

"This…?" He was bewildered, but after a second, he immediately refocused. His sense immediately spread to the ancestral grounds, and his eyes lit up. Who cares if the Yan Clan was gone? His body was like the shadow of lightning as he arrived at his parents' tombs.

They were buried in polished wooden caskets risen up by stone platforms, the insides were cushioned with feathery materials for softness, but these weren't ordinary feathers, they originated from rank four disaster beasts. For the Yan Clan, this was exceptional. As the daughter-in-law and son of the clan leader, how could they not have decent burial caskets?

Beneath the stone platform was an area where offerings could be presented. Typically, he would upkeep flowers for his mother, giving them sunlight since she loved the sun and gardening so much. For his father, he would offer his favorite wine, and even drink it with him sometimes like they did when he was younger. Of course, they wouldn't tell his mother.

He didn't know when, but tears started to fall from his eyes like rain droplets. The water formed a steady stream that seemed to flow endlessly.

"Mother...Father...I'm sorry." He kneeled down on the ground so heavily that the ground shattered, and he kowtowed so deeply that the world itself filled with sorrow. "I'm...so...so...sorry." His hands clenched to the point where it bled, his eyes were so red and a puddle was slowly forming from his tears beneath him.

"I-I'm...okay. I'm okay! I'm alive. I haven't died. I haven't died." His voice started to break in between his words. He couldn't hold it in. Every month, he would clean and maintain his mother's and father's grave, give them offering for the afterlife, and tell them his stories. Every so often, he would make them up, but he'd feel guilty afterwards and always tell the truth.

After three hours of this, he finally got up. His forehead was slightly dirty, and his eyes were filled with redness. He calmed himself down and proceeded to do what he remembered. What he needed to do. He produced a broom he had Tao prepare in Xiāo City and begun to sweep the dust surrounding the caskets. He kept doing so until it was free of all dust.

"That's done!" He smilingly declared. "With all this dirt and dust around you, you must've felt quite angry, Mother." He chuckled, moving towards his father's grave. He produced various forms of wine and laid down near the stone platform. Father, I came across these delicious wines I'm sure you'll love. I even got your favorite." He poured a little of each every few minutes.

Between each pour, he would interject his own opinion of the wine. "This one I got from a restaurant in Xuanwu City! It's a little too sweet, but I heard it has a Cerulean Serpents gallbladder inside of it. Since I saw a dead one in the forest, I thought I should bring one here. It's supposed to be useful in curing ailments. I wonder if it's true."

"This one is very strong! The tart taste is intense, I got it from the Ying Clan. They offered me some after wanting me to be a scapegoat for them. With a wine like this, I would've refused even if I was willing prior. Haha! Oh! Don't worry mom. I wouldn't get married without telling you."

"Ooooh! This one's from Xiāo City, a place called the Blue Lagoon. It's called that because of its Blue Lagoon Wine that looks blue. It's definitely the best wine I've ever tasted. Woo! It feels so good going down, you'd love it."

"Heavenly Heart's wine...I was skeptical at first, but it's definitely worth the insane price. It got two origin core cultivators dirt drunk until one cried and the other couldn't control his impulses! Haha, it works wonders. I bet you'd be telling jokes all day with just a single sip. Haha."

This continued for every wine he'd encountered. It was nighttime by the time he was done, but he still wasn't intoxicated. In truth, he wished he could be at this very moment.

He went to his mother's casket, caressing the surface softly, and feeling the chill it exuded. "Mother, one of these days, I'll place you in a location filled with dazzling flowers to the point where you'll be intoxicated. The world's beauty would surround you with such brilliance that you wouldn't even be able to stop smiling even if you wanted. I promise."

He took a deep breath. There were many things left unsaid, but he knew they couldn't stay here. "I'm sorry if this angers you, but I promise I'll make up for it when I see you myself." He waved his hand, and the two coffins were stored within the Meteor Ring.

There were two spots which he personally arranged for them, one was filled with dazzling earth and flowers, sunstones were floating up above with brilliant sunlight shining down, and the other had a myriad of wine bottles and pouches surrounding it, including a few he already offered.

"The Yan Clan doesn't deserve to be your resting place. They don't deserve that honor." He gently said, his voice filled with firm resolution. It took awhile for his emotions to stabilize, and when he looked up, the sun was already rising.

"This is no longer my home. No longer our home. Home will be wherever you two are. Wherever we are."