Consuming Earths, Devouring Skies

Since cultivating, Yan Zaizen has seen many extraordinary, awe-inspiring, odd, and jarring planets, places, and realms. This included the Border Expanse with its vast emptiness and odd creatures of mystical and unknown origins. The Dead Soul Sea which was mind-boggling with its own ecosystem, species, and a literal sea of red sand.

Even the Deluge Realm had a water planet on fire and planets constructed purely of water.

However, this single planet felt soul-stirring! It was simply beautiful from afar, with its turbulent weather patterns that manifested all in unison, and varied landscapes.

Vast deserts, clear lakes, a sea of trees, mountains that reach the skies, and more. Yan Zaizen felt that, if he had to, this planet’s conditions were top class. It contained so much yet was so small.

With a brief, non-invasive scan, he had already discovered countless lifeforms both on the surface and beneath the depths of the water. Some creatures were one of a kind, existing in a state of constant freedom. There were others, a race of humanoid creatures with vastly different characteristics.

Some were dark-skinned, some pale, others brown-skinned, but each had their own individual traits. They seemed to stem from the same line but exist in such varied line.

"They aren’t Lycahs..." Yan Zaizen’s brows furrowed. Lycahs was one of the most common human lineages, its origins stem deep and they populate incredibly quickly. Yet, these people were not Lycahs. In fact, if they weren’t humanoid down to their organs, Yan Zaizen would suspect otherwise.

With a deep breath, he slowly descended. His speed may have been described as ’slowly’ but he reached a mountain range in less than a second.

None of the indigenous inhabitants were disturbed.

"This?!" Looking at his hand, he felt his cultivation base into the heavens and his powerful vital energy experience a rumble.

"Zai, do you feel that?" Pinaka softly exclaimed. As a True Spirit, normally, she wouldn’t experience much while within Yan Zaizen’s soul, but there was a strange force enveloping her. It was constraining her, preventing her from utilizing her soul force, and her formations which activated continuously by itself were slowly ceasing function.

Yan Zaizen blinked, "my cultivation bases are becoming sealed. It’s remarkably similar to..." Furrowing his brows, Yan Zaizen pondered. In the Sky Shatter trial, an ancient force had suppressed his essence and vital energy. Due to this, he had to fend off a sudden attack with only his body.

In a minute, his heavenly cultivation had become thoroughly sealed. Even his vital energy, the energy stored within his cells, were sealed. However, there wasn’t a hint of discomfort.

Shuu!

Pinaka exited his soul, appearing in her soul form. However, when she did, her soul form couldn’t float naturally. For the first time in a while, her foot landed on the solid ground.

"How is this possible?" The sensation of the wind in her hair, the minute vibrations of the earth beneath her feet, the moisture in the air on her lips and the feeling of the sunlight on her sky-blue skin.

"What is it?" Curious, Yan Zaizen couldn’t help but ask. The connection between them was deep and powerful, he could sense her rising excitement.

"I can feel!" Her eyes were wide in elation, her smile was beyond beautiful which stunned Yan Zaizen silly.

"Feel?"

"I can feel it all!" Pinaka spun in place, her amber-gold robe dazzled with the sunlight. Yan Zaizen heart trembled. True Spirits didn’t have the nine senses of the world. They weren’t natural inhabitants of the heavens, and Yan Zaizen thoroughly suspected they were a flawed path forced on the heavens.

It’s possible that the True Spirit Path was similar to the Sirius Path, unable to become eternal, but through other means, it was imposed onto the heavens with no way to refute. However, Heavenly Gods outlawed it for this very reason.

"The light?" He asked curiously, looking at the sun.

"I can!" She shouted with a deep enthusiasm reminiscent of childlike glee at discovering the new wonders of the world.

"The wind?"

"I can!"

"My hand?" He grabbed her hand, causing her spin to halt. Her expression displayed pure awe. This was the first time she truly felt Yan Zaizen with her spiritual form. His hands were powerful and smooth, like a king’s.

"Zai...Zai, I can..." her body softly trembled. The warmth of his hands surged into her body. Her spiritual body contained no temperature, so this feeling was prevalent.

Yan Zaizen faintly smiled, confused how all of this happened. Wasn’t this making the impossible possible? However, for right now, he didn’t want to think about it. Instead, his eyes flickered with an intense light.

Pinaka stared at Yan Zaizen’s hand on hers. She gripped it, caressed it, and felt all it could offer. This one hand...

"I wonder if those work," Yan Zaizen said.

"Those?" She absent-mindedly replied, her mind lost in Yan Zaizen’s hands. However, before she could continue to relish the surrealism of this event, a face appeared in her sights.

This face was handsome, with amber-gold eyes that seemed to contain boundless confidence and warmth, and when they looked into hers, she trembled slightly.

"These."

He leaned in and touched her lips with his. It was a gentle kiss, one befitting lovers. Pinaka’s eyes widened. For the first time, she could smell Yan Zaizen, feel the warmth of his lips, the warmth of his breath, and the pleasure of physical contact.

It was extraordinary.

For the rest of the planet’s day, two figures connected and disconnected an innumerable amount of times that day.

-----

At the lakeside was a simple lake house, in this house was a young man and a beautiful young woman. They roamed about with eyes of wonder as they discovered photos of the original inhabitants, the technology of this world, and its unusual physical structures.

"They burn wood for warmth. A fireplace." Yan Zaizen poked at the burnt wood and inspected the soot-covered chimney. "Such a unique construct...they funnel the smoke outside the house through these." Yan Zaizen was in wonder.

Pinaka was at a counter. On this counter was pictures of a family of four depicting varying locations and happy smiles. "They immortalized their happiness on this odd fabric..." Her hands touched the picture, the happiness within these pictures seemed to echo into her soul.

"They have children..." A faint smile surfaced, her eyes glancing at Yan Zaizen exclaiming like a child at all the new objects. "Maybe one day..."

"Hm? One day what?" Yan Zaizen turned towards her, a smile on his face. Obviously, he had heard her words.

Blushing, she didn’t look away. Her posture firm as she picked up the picture frame and showed them, her sky-blue fingers were gentle. "Maybe one day, we can have this." Her words were bold, recalling Yan Zaizen’s proclamation left her feeling enthusiastic.

Yan Zaizen chuckled, "Maybe?" He stepped towards her, "We will." He touched the picture gently as well, caressing her fingers that held the frame.

"Mama, let’s go! It’s cold!" An exclamation resounded outside. It originated from a young girl. Yan Zaizen and Pinaka smiled, she placed the frame down and disappeared with a step. Yan Zaizen frowned slightly, looking at the frame.

"You will have this," he left as simply as she did.

The family of four arrived. A young daughter, a younger son, and two parents. When they arrived, they didn’t realize their house had been visited.

Deep into the night, the young daughter noticed something on the counter. "Mama! A picture’s on the counter!" She exclaimed, telling the mother of the lone picture of their family that stood without a frame.