Boom!
In Yan Zaizen's impromptu cultivation grounds and temporary home a booming sound erupted forth. The surrounding area started to rumble about as if experiencing a cataclysmic earthquake.
A powerful heavenly aura shot forth, breaking past the cave's roof and into the sky like a pillar of power. This heavenly aura was pure white and seemed to contain everything the world had to offer yet simultaneously nothing. If one looked at the pillar of power closely, they would see a multitude of strings within and around the pillar traveling upwards as well.
These strings were amber-gold and black! The amber-gold contained an imperious aura that seemed to desire to ascend the thirty-three heavens and beyond without limit! The black was truly black. This deep, deep blackness was devouring everything and anything that came in contact with it like a blackhole, including light.
These three forms of power were in perfect balance somehow, yet each was far more mysterious than the other.
From within this pillar of power, a silhouette appeared.
"Huuuuu!" A loud inhale sounded, sweeping the surroundings energies and laws, and bringing them all towards the pillar. It was as if the heavens and the laws that construct it was drawn to this figure.
"Haaaaa!" Following this inhale was an equally shocking exhale. A powerful physical gust erupted! All that was not the heavens or laws were forced to reluctantly be pushed back! Slowly, the pillar faded revealing the figure.
This figure was Yan Zaizen.
"The heaven hearts are truly a miraculous item," Yan Zaizen remarked. In the spatial possessions of all those second-floor Heavenly Genesis elites were various items and treasures, including quite a lot of heavenly resources. Yan Zaizen was truly shocked when he properly calculated everything.
Not only did they have quite a few heaven hearts, but they had a massive amount of heavenly materials, especially Eshe, Iceborn, and Katniss. They were particularly wealthy. If Yan Zaizen had come across this during his times in the 27th Heaven, he would've suspected this to be the wealth of a peak Heavenly Commander.
However, as he read the soul jade, he came to find out that they were actually considered only 'slightly' well off. This would shock anyone! He also came to understand a bit about the forces in the Dusk Zone and the leaders of this force.
Firstly, there were far, far too many forces within the Dusk Zone to actually count, but the peak amongst peak were quite limited in number. Firstly, the weakest of these peak forces were the Paradise Sword Palace!
When Yan Zaizen read this, he was startled. The Paradise Sword Realm was the ruler of the 17th Heaven, yet they were only ranked at the weakest peak force of the Dusk Zone. Just the Dusk Zone! There were 108 Zones, divided into 33 Regions within the Fortune Cemetery.
However, when Yan Zaizen looked at the records of information all those geniuses possessed, he came to a remarkable understanding! A Heavenly God is simply a Heavenly Creation expert who binded with their Heavenly Realms, but outside of it, they were simply Heavenly Creation experts!
However, the Dusk Zone's top forces normal Elders were at least in the (Minor) Heavenly Creation Realm!
The Foundation these experts and their forces established must be countless times better than the thirty-three heavens, and with boundless resources and constant inheritances of Celestials or Heavenly Cultivators, how could they not be powerful?!
"There are at least four top forces to each Zone, while Region-class forces are the highest ranked force spanning three or more Zones!" When he recalled this, he felt a wonder in his heart. Supposedly, the Fortune Cemetery exceeded the thirty-three heavens in size!
The forces that ruled the Dusk Zone were: Darkus Empire, Oneuli Empire, Yeomna Empire, and the Paradise Sword Empire. They were all called Empires because they were the highest form of power and controlled a vast area. Even in the Paradise Sword Empire, they had an Empress rumoured to be the Paradise Sword Heavenly God's daughter!
The Darkus Empire were comprised mostly of members of the Darkus Race. They were beings of shadow and darkness, having an intrinsic connection to the law of Darkness, a World Law that rivals an Imperial Law in the Dusk Zone. According to the records, they were mysterious, powerful, but uniquely did not have a gender.
The Oneuli Empire had a unique race of silver-skinned, horned races. They hold a unique connection to decay, and the more horns they possess, the stronger their natural connection, but most notable was their legacy of time. They built their strength on the combination of decay and time, allowing them to establish themselves as the strongest Empire in this Region.
The Yeomna Empire were absolutely vicious and filled with slaughter, bloodlust, and would often war with the other Empires quite vigorously. They specialized in the law of death.
The last was the Paradise Sword Empire, but their strength was the weakest because none of their laws were particularly strengthened by the Dusk Zone, focusing on the illusory sword.
However, this was not to be underestimated. Unlike the other three Empires, the Paradise Sword Empire established themselves as an Empire despite not receiving any benefit from the zone. This feat alone was praiseworthy.
To add, the other three empires were native to the Heavenly Origin Grounds with tens of millions of years of legacy. Whereas, the Paradise Sword Empire was not.
"If they were in a Zone that heightened the law of the sword...they probably could become rulers of a Region," Yan Zaizen quietly mused.
"My cultivation has reached the fifth-floor, but I still need more resources...also...I need to reach the Sovereign-Level of a law before I can have any confidence in entering hell." Yan Zaizen had reached the perfect Domain-level in many laws, such as life, death, space, time, and soul. These were his most powerful laws and he focused on them constantly, especially in the Dusk Zone where Death and Time laws were overwhelmingly strong.
"If I can reach the Sovereign-level in them, I can lay a foundation for Rebirth, Samsara, and Spacetime." With bright eyes, Yan Zaizen saw his path.
Taking out the silver coin with double-sided arrows, Yan Zaizen's eyes turned brighter than a lantern in the night sky. A faint glimmer of brilliant silver flickered on the coin's surface. This faint glimmer caused Yan Zaizen to frown.
"It's definitely in the range of this coin, but...according to the technique...that could literally be anywhere within this entire region!" Yan Zaizen bit his teeth and felt his eyes turned solemn. The region was called the Twilight Region, known for its three zones: Dusk Zone, Dawn Zone, and the Flux Zone.
The leader of these three zones were called to Pak Clan. This Clan had members and branches in all three zones! They were the indisputable ruler of the Twilight Region and held the one dubbed the Twilight Sovereign! Supposedly, the Twilight Sovereign was someone who reached the Heavenly Ascension Realm!!!
"I'll use the technique to scry for it now…" He could only reluctantly take this tedious path. He had eighty-three years left. Luckily, heavenly cultivation with his black hole, his dao, and his unique heavenly shrine was quite fast.
With a flip of his palm, the coin floated in mid-air and continued to flicker with silver light. After a short period, all its light pointed in a direction. This direction wasn't an arrow but a wide arc. It pointed towards what would've been south-east, south, and south-west.
"Okay then." Keeping the coin, Yan Zaizen's heavenly shrine radiated power, emanating an incredibly strong heavenly might. As a fifth-floor Heavenly Genesis cultivator, he not only possessed heavenly might, but he contained a wealth of energy.
A crackling sound of lightning and whispers of death erupted from his body before he turned into a bolt of black lightning traveling south!
-----
Several hours after Yan Zaizen's departure, a lone figure cloaked in dark-grey emerged as if it had stepped into existence suddenly. "I missed him? By...hm?" The figure's voice was odd, as if it was in and out of time.
"A few hours." The figure's eyes brightened before they turned their eyes towards the south. A wave quaked out and it seemed that time had reverted. Yan Zaizen's ethereal appearance emerged, his irritated expression and clear frustration shown, but then he took off in a bolt of black lightning. The image dissipated soon after.
"Worthy of!" The figure excitedly said before disappearing as if they slipped out of time.