Consuming Earths, Devouring Skies

"The compass..." Oddly enough, Yan Zaizen’s expression contained no shock or surprise, only a soft contemplative calmness. His gaze lingered on this handsome youth with silver wings and extraordinary strength, his mind flaring with various thoughts.

Only after a long while did he softly speak, "The Lycan Leader noticed this ring." The ring on his finger was the Meteor Ring. It was a ethereal sub-dimensional ring. It contained an entirely segregated and independant space that was remarkably similar to a sub-realm.

Normally, he would act aggressive towards anyone who even had a single design on anything he considered his, but his emotions were calmer than night. "Why?" He soul transmitted.

"It’s mine’s." The youth answered candidly.

Rubbing the Meteor Ring slightly, Yan Zaizen nodded slightly. "The only person who would be certain that I have the compass has to be related to Ezekiel, the original owner of this ring. After all, I never revealed it once and the aura is in an entirely different dimension."

Yan Zaizen’s words caused the youth’s eyes to constrict by an imperceptible degree.

"How are you connected to Ezekiel?" This youth had an Origin Armament with characteristics of chaos, similar to the Chaos Origin Heavenly God. Yan Zaizen first had the suspicion that the person before him was Ezekiel’s descendent. If so, this entire event made sense.

"Does it matter? Give me the compass and I shall leave." The youth obviously had no intention to answer. His words weren’t hostile but they seemed to contain a cold indifference.

"No." Yan Zaizen flatly replied. "If I enter the 7th Heaven, it wouldn’t be hard to vanish without a trace. You should’ve already guessed this much." He waved his hand to the side, this wave created a small line in nothingness. Pressing his palm on this line, it expanded into a black hole. This black hole intersected with the 7th Heaven.

"If you want this compass, you will answer three of my questions in exchange. In full."

The youth only glanced at the hole and trained his gaze once more on Yan Zaizen. His sword was brandished slightly indicating his willingness to fight. He had methods to prevent Yan Zaizen from departing quickly, and they would once again fall into a disastrous melee.

Yan Zaizen didn’t say anything. He stored the illusory mask into the Meteor Ring and turned his free palm towards the youth.

Shuu!

A black hole rotated calmly within. It seemed intent to devour all things physical!

"..." The youth’s expression didn’t change, but his heart trembled. The fear that stemmed from the black hole was soul deep and unable to be washed away.

Yan Zaizen noticed this very slight reaction. Testing it, he stepped closer to the black hole in space. As he was halfway through, the youth still didn’t respond. Yan Zaizen’s eyes lit up with a profound brilliance.

Stepping out of the hole, he closed it and smiled slightly. "You didn’t use any soul arts despite that being the most effective way to handle Herculeans..." Yan Zaizen clearly said. Herculeans, even the Zhou Xiuhei, had unnaturally strong physical existences. Killing them through their bodies were incredibly difficult and time consuming, especially Immortal Herculeans, yet he didn’t attack his soul.

Noticing his fear to take action in the face of the black hole, his reluctance to use soul arts, and his knowledgeable demands for the compass, he finally deduced somethings. This person before him wasn’t Ezekiel’s descendant!

This person was Ezekiel!

"You must’ve been a soul remnant..." Yan Zaizen deduced, his eyes so bright with interest that the sun would seem dim. When those words were said, the youth didn’t display any shock or surprise.

A soul remnant was a soul construct created at birth. The main soul is separated and one of them is housed elsewhere. The housed soul had all the memories, consciousness, and instincts of the main soul. They were forever interconnected, but it can cause untold issues.

However, that was in the Anima Syndicate, a very low-level authority on the soul in the 27th Heaven. If a greater force focused on the soul, then wouldn’t it be far improved?

In truth, they were both considered the ’true’ soul. They were just separated from an early age. As one grew, the other grew alongside it in every way. If half of Yan Zaizen’s soul was destroyed, he would still be him, so they were one entity made into two.

The youth’s eyes looked at Yan Zaizen. Those eyes were cold and indifferent, but he nodded in the end. That nod that confirmed everything! His irrational fear of the black hole, his lack of soul arts in battle, and his exceptional prowess and possessions.

"Who are you?" Asking, Yan Zaizen’s eyes blurred slightly. His start, his beginning, wasn’t it due to this person before him?

"Ezekiel Zatanna Saintora, Son of the Chaos Origin Heavenly God of the 27th Heaven, Son of the Sword Saintess of the 7th Heaven! My compass!" Ezekiel’s words were fierce and suffused with pride. His wings was flourished and his sword hand tightened on the grip.

Yan Zaizen didn’t know what the Sword Saintess was nor how important she was, but he still nodded. He waved his hand, a compass with six directional arrows appeared. The compass emitted faint traces of spatial energy that seemed to be exceptional profound. Yan Zaizen now knew that this compass contained several things, one of which was the Imperial Law of Spacetime.

"Second question, what is the purpose of this compass?" Yan Zaizen asked. The reason Ezekiel answered with who he was so thoroughly was because of his condition earlier. If Ezekiel answered three of his questions in full, he was willing to return this compass as compensation.

Ezekiel didn’t hesitate in answering this question. To those with the dao of a sovereign, the one thing they would pride themselves in was keeping their promises and word the most. If they say they will kill, they will kill! If they say they will save, they will save! Even if gods and buddhas stood in their way, before a sovereign, they must kneel in obedience!

"The compass has two functions: Navigation and Teleportation. It can navigate and locate the 33 Heavens hidden within the Vast Expanse. If activated, it can also teleport a person anywhere in their heavenly cluster."

"Heavenly cluster? Navigate?" His eyes brightened at those words. He noticed that this Vast Expanse was like an ocean and the heavens were hidden beneath it. He was in the area where the 7th Heaven existed, but he had no idea where the 27th Heaven was.

Ezekiel could see Yan Zaizen confusion, his eyes flickering. However, after some thought, he added, "The 33 Heavens have eleven heavenly clusters, each cluster is composed of three heavens, such as the 7th, 17th, and 27th Heaven. This is one cluster. They are interconnected." After this addition, he didn’t say anymore.

However, Yan Zaizen felt enlightened. So the compass didn’t just send someone anywhere through the heavens like Pinaka assumed, but anywhere through the heavenly cluster at random. So, if he used it, he had a chance at appearing in the 27th Heaven?

Although it was tempting, he rejected the idea. This compass can navigate the heavens, why would he roll the dice in the off-chance he could return?

"Finally question, can you help me return to the 27th Heaven?" They had just attacked with full intent to end each other lives, but that didn’t stop Yan Zaizen’s plan. He had no intention to lay around for three hundred and thirty-three thousand years for the Inter-Heavenly spatial formation activated.

"..." Ezekiel looked at Yan Zaizen deeply. There was no hatred in his eyes, even though Yan Zaizen had devoured his soul. Instead, a faint hint of respect formed in his eyes. Yan Zaizen had somehow reached this level in three thousand years. This was something even he had never accomplished.

"Under one condition..." He responded coolly.

"...?"

"If you help me kill those I NEED to kill!"