Yan Zaizen's embrace subconsciously grew tighter. Before he could get a good look at this spirit in his arms, a light erupted and her figure faded as it entered his soul.
Realizing that the soft feeling from earlier was no more, he chuckled softly, he didn't even care about how she followed him. He realized she was injured by this action and he had some thoughts on the matter. However, none of it mattered now.
Glancing at the closed spatial tunnel, he couldn't help but feel slightly depressed. Unless his cultivation base reached a point where he could travel the heavens freely, he wouldn't be able to go back home...would he? He would have to wait thirty-three thousand years.
Screw that!
He internally decided to build his heavenly shrine of spacetime, use his abilities and return! No one, NO ONE will decide what he does or where he will be any longer!
Despite being deeply exhausted, he felt energized after his decision. With a deep breath, he took one last and deep look at the spatial tunnel.
"There will be a day where nothing and no one can decide my fate or actions." An amber-gold light shone in the depths of his eyes.
"Young man," the man in white called out. Yan Zaizen turned to look at this man. Initially, he was focused on other matters, but this person was quite sadistic. Not only did he not help, but he knew that if Yan Zaizen succeeded it would caused a cataclysmic event. This left a bad taste in his mouth.
However, he didn't call him out or cause any trouble. He just wanted to find someplace to hold up until he could cultivate the heavenly path. He didn't wish to offend another realmlord for no reason. After all, it was obvious this man controlled this realm with a profound cultivation base. How else did he control an inter-heavenly spatial tunnel?
"You can call me Yan Zaizen." Yan Zaizen indifferently responded.
"Mhm. Yan Zaizen it is. Truly a name originating from the eastern heavens. As for me, call me Eloah." Eloah introduced himself, causing Yan Zaizen to frown. This was a unique naming sense reminded him of divine beasts, Syi, Eke, Tayla, and Grimm. These were notable divine beasts names, but Eloah sounded odder.
"Eloah, are you the realmlord of this realm?"
Eloah had a mysterious smile as he lightly said, "You can say that. It's more accurate to call me its protector than its lord."
Yan Zaizen felt like those two things were indiscernible from the other, but he felt too tired to ask more. "Then, may I stay here?" He directly asked. To him, finding a peaceful location to build his heavenly shrine was his main priority.
"You shouldn't." Almost with lightning speed, Eloah replied. Yan Zaizen was briefly startled, but that's it. If he couldn't stay here, he'll find some other place. Looking around, he realized that there was a Border Expanse in this heaven too. In that case, he'll just travel to the nearest realm and stay there.
"Apologies, I'm not saying it's impossible, just that it would be unwise. Xiha did send you here for a reason." Eloah's said.
Yan Zaizen's attention grew taut as he turned back towards Eloah. If Xiha, the White Sirius Heavenly Monarch, sent him here, there must be a reason. However, he felt a pit in his stomach.
"I don't care what he orchestrated!" Rejecting decisively, Yan Zaizen waved his hand to produce his realmship. The plans of that man who sent him away without any say was irrelevant to him
Eloah brows furrowed slightly, but it was nearly imperceptible. "You're his successor, correct?"
Yan Zaizen shrugged. What successor? He already had half a mind to throw the True Origin of that old man into the depths of chaotic space, let alone claiming to be his successor, it's already noce that he hadn't done so already.
Eloah could tell that Yan Zaizen's attitude towards Xiha was currently less than amicable. He didn't understand the fine points, but he could read the hearts of people easily.
"Xiha's way of doing things have always been forceful and direct. I'm sure your grievances are not unfounded, but he did send you here for a reason." Eloah tried to reason, but it wasn't too forceful. He wasn't the type of person to beg another.
"How would you know?" Yan Zaizen indifferently asked. This old man spoke about Xiha with closeness, and he also watched over the inter-heavenly spatial formation that linked to the Sirius Titan Realm. There was quite a few questions he had, but they weren't too concerning.
Eloah calmly explained, "Xiha had asked me before his death to establish a backdoor channel from his realm into the 7th Heaven. He informed me that one day his successor will come through this channel. If he or she does, he asked for me to welcome them."
Looking at the inter-heavenly spatial formation, Yan Zaizen felt like a few things made sense. However, he didn't interrupt.
"You should already know your task, but considering Xiha personality and your reaction, it's likely he didn't inform you directly. If so, then I'll explain your two options in his stead."
Eloah waved his hand. A projection of a realm was shown. This realm gave off a very wild and fierce aura. The realm had a light-silver and dark-silver sun orbiting three planets. The moons surrounding these planets were blue, but this blue was a very odd shade of blue. It felt more red than blue, yet was clearly blue.
When Yan Zaizen watched this, he felt like the Sirius Titan Realm was designed loosely off this realm for some odd reason.
"Xiha was not born in the 27th Heaven, but the 7th Heaven. He was born to a race called Lycans, a race that were innately hybrids," Eloah explained. Yan Zaizen was shocked. When he recalled Xiha's history, he recalled the fierce speciesism and racism of the 27th heaven, but there was no mention of the 7th Heaven.
He felt skeptical of Eloah's words. Not to mention, he wondered if Lycahs - his race - and Lycans had any connections.
As if he understood Yan Zaizen's heart, Eloah continued his story, "Xiha was originally forced to depart the realm with his family. He used this spatial formation to escape along with various others of his race. They established a new life on the other side."
When those words were said, Yan Zaizen's eyes constricted slightly as a theory popped up in his mind. Could it be possible that those divine beasts were descendants of Lycans? If so, this confirmed his theory about Ma Xiuren. However, he didn't dare to rashly assume.
"When he reached the peak of the Heavenly Genesis Realm, he returned. During which, he had rectified his past, and established a faction within his race. When he reached the Heavenly Creation, he placed a treasure trove in his race's ancestral lands. Only his successor would be able to obtain it. I'm assuming he left it for you."
"So you have two choices, you can go claim the trove left behind for you, or ignore it." Eloah words put the pieces together. However, Yan Zaizen felt disgruntled. He recalled Xiha's words from earlier, which stated that he would leave him all that he could if he accepted his task. If the treasure trove contained this so called 'all I can' then it made sense. After all, he was only given two items earlier. There wasn't any other raw wealth.
Torn, Yan Zaizen felt frustrated. Thinking of the full wealth left behind by a Heavenly Monarch left him salivating, but the taste in his mouth was still bitter. This internal conflict caused him to become violently angry.
"If he left it for you, you should take it. Take it all." Pinaka's soft yet domineering voice came from the depths of his soul.
When he heard this, he could feel Pinaka's weakened state and the injures she suffered from traveling. His rage was reaching a new peak.
"He wants me to take his treasures?" Yan Zaizen had a weird smile on his face. "Fine, I'll take it." That weird smile caused Eloah to feel the faintest of trembling of his heart. He had a bad premonition. However, when he recalled other matters, he calmed down.
"It won't be that easy," Eloah calmly said. "The Canis Major Realm isn't in a peaceful state. You should be careful."
Yan Zaizen didn't put Eloah's words to heart. Instead, he looked at him and had an idea, "can you directly send me there?" If Eloah was someone of extraordinary strength, this should be easy.
Eloah nodded calmly. Even if Yan Zaizen didn't put his words to heart, he couldn't do anything more. He could only hope this young man could come out alive. "Let there be!" Eloah brought his two palms together and closed his eyes.
Yan Zaizen felt an odd sensation of surrealism. Faint power from the planets below radiated. He saw gold motes of light travel towards Eloah. Yan Zaizen felt that the motes were slow, but they were exceptionally fast in reality! In a blink, they channeled into Eloah's hands.
The golden light turned white and formed a mysterious power that made Yan Zaizen feel the need to prostrate from the depths of his so. When he looked at the planets, he saw that the third planet from the sun had the most golden motes. It was mostly water but incredibly beautiful to look at. About ninety percent of the motes originated from that planet.
"A planetary formation?" Yan Zaizen was curious, but he had an instinctive feeling that wasn't correct. Looking at Eloah once more, his pupils shrunk! He realized that there was no sign of vital aura or or heavenly aura surrounding him!
How did he miss this?
Eloah was just a soul form, but an incredibly realistic soul form. It wasn't just that!
This entire realm had no cultivators!!! A brief sweep with his spiritual sense left him staggering mentally. The entire realm had very, very few living beings, but they seemed to be protected by some divine light. As he pondered in disbelief, Eloah was taking action.
Eloah faced an empty area and spread his palms. He spoke an impossible to comprehend language that left Yan Zaizen with a slight headache and a vortex was formed. This vortex existed in the Border Expanse and further away was the realm, Canis Major!
"You're…" skeptical, he was about to ask, but recalled Eloah's previous words. He was a protector and not a realmlord…
"I travel the Path of Soul Faith," Eloah spoke with a slight smile containing boundless benevolence. Yan Zaizen didn't inquire further. He felt that doing so would influence his soul in someway, and that could lead to untold consequences. With a brief nod, he kept his realmship and entered the vortex.