Consuming Earths, Devouring Skies

Lin Feilin's current state was very fragile. She was searching her everything for a path that belonged to her, that drove her everything. Yan Zaizen could feel the nascent Dao energy linger around her. It reminded him of his own Nascent Dao state.

"The Dao will be what starts your path to…" he couldn't finish, unsure of his next words. It was an elusive emotion that settled in his heart yet couldn't be touched. What was at the end of the Dao?

What was at the end of cultivation? After he reached a state of a true sovereign, would he be complete? This thought left a chasm of uncertainty in his heart. After several minutes, he silently sighed. With a flash, he retracted his Heavenly Dao Seed aura and Dao light, exiting the room and leaving Lin Feilin to search for her own light.

He exited the cavern, floating a few feet above the peak mountains. His gaze looked down as he absorbed the entirety of the surroundings. The lush green on the leaves, bits of rock, the wildlife, and nearby natives. He consumed all of their actions and existence, feeling the movement of life.

"Why did I cultivate?" Those amber-gold eyes of his swept ceaselessly, as if searching for an answer amidst the world. When he was young, he didn't feel the innate desire to cultivate and devoted his intent to obtaining the love and affection of a young woman. His admiration of her and his actions of selfless sacrifice left him ostracized by his clan and considered trash.

However, he merely wanted to enjoy life, spend time with his mother and father, and live freely without constraints. That had all changed when Han Genji arrived. He slaughtered without remorse and took him without objection. From then on, his future had changed.

He embarked on this amazing adventure that explored this universe's and even others miraculous features. He was met with obstruction and tragedy, but he overcame it all and even fought and toppled gods. He grasped the very heavens within his hands, created his own realm, and saw mythical creatures.

Who would've thought that the young boy that stole meat, peeked at the women's bath, and gave his resources to his courted woman without an ounce of hesitation would reach such heights.

A smile tugged at his lips. It fully formed into a smug grin suffusing confidence and the utmost relief. Wasn't it great that he wasn't relegated to such a small, pathetic life?

Now, and in the future, he will be able to claim the heavens as his land and walk where he wished. One day, he'll clash with the heavens themselves and change their laws, even if it was on a mere whim. He cultivated because it felt good. It felt great to possess power to control your own fate.

Before, his fate was dependent on others. But now, it was entirely his own. He felt this deeply in his heart, and the moment he embarked on this path on that fated day, he was no longer limited.

"I cultivate for myself." It was the most selfish and direct reason, but it was the truth held within his heart. With power, he could protect, destroy, traverse, or alter any and everything he wished.

Freedom.

It tasted great.

"The despair of those who had jumped down into the Deep Mines that day. I won't experience that." He had felt his life controlled and directed by others, forced to slave away or be killed, and he never wanted to experience that. The taste of freedom was addicting, and happiness was a delicacy that could never be replaced. He truly understood his own self, why his Dao was the Dao of Sovereign Ascension.

It was to ascend above everyone and everything, to be beneath no one.

"Huuuuu!" He deeply inhaled. The air entered his lungs and permeated his flesh, blood, and awareness. He felt light. When he inevitably exhaled, his ill emotions and the turbidity built within his chest was directly expelled.

Bringing his palm to his face, he looked at the smooth skin and strong muscles within. With a tight clench, that palm shifted to a fist. He felt as if the world was in his grasp at that moment, but when he clasped his fingers around it, his hand became the new world.

Abruptly, he glanced upwards to see the azure sky and the starry skies beyond it. "I may not have the prophetic instinct, but I feel something big is about to happen. I need to get stronger. For myself."

Yan Zaizen felt it in the depths of his soul. It was a faint wailing call from the distance as if the heavens were experiencing a fundamental change. Before he condensed his Heavenly Dao Seed, he couldn't sense it, but now he felt it vaguely.

A change, epic and bloody, was coming.

With that, he set his priorities and shot into the skies. He reached the stratosphere of the Xiantu Continent. His body was enshrouded by vital energies, sustaining his flight. "I've reached the perfect stage of the Nascent Herculean Physique. It's time for the next level."

The Immortal Herculean Method was divided into five levels, each with a defining physique. The second level was the Grand Herculean Physique and required the power of the heavens to cultivate. Firstly, he needed a Regalia of the Heavens. Secondly, he needed an immense amount of Heavenly Law Liquid.

He withdrew a grey-white orb. Within the orb was an unidentifiable mist of unknown, indistinguishable origins. If analyzed, it seemed like nothing to absolutely anything. The visual, auditory, and various perceptual senses were confused instantly.

Yan Zaizen's soul originated from his original body, and his bloodline had faint traces of the Yan Clan's Ancestor. While this body didn't have an Origin Source, it did have Yan Zaizen's bloodline. He felt the Imperial Law of Mimicry resonate ceaselessly with his flowing blood. His body yearned for it, as if it was required to complete it.

With this feeling overtaking his bodily desires, he knew his choice was a correct one. However, what would a Herculean who used the Imperial Law of Mimicry be like? The anticipation excited him to no end.

"Let's see what Herculean Path I will embark to this time!"