Consuming Earths, Devouring Skies

Inspecting the incoming climate shift, Yan Zaizen became lost in his thoughts. Within his mind, the information given to him about teleportation and its universal, worldly, and heavenly limitations were deeply ingrained.

"I originally assumed teleportation required the opposite aspect of my spacetime concept, but I was wrong. Teleportation exceeds the standard limits of space and time, and there isn’t a heavenly concept that can derive into it." Yan Zaizen analyzed.

To achieve teleportation, arriving at an area in an instant, one had to comprehend the three states of space and three states of time. The three states of space were: Void Space, Chaotic Space, and Dimensional Space. The three states of time were: past, present, and paradoxical.

He had originally thought the last state of time was future, but in actuality, the concept of the future was a paradox in and of itself. The future is an unknown yet a constant, much like fate or destiny. This was because it can not be changed nor touched upon. If you grasp the future, you’re actually touching the present. Regardless of how you try, one can never ’see’ or ’change’ the future. Any attempts to change the future would make that the new future.

The information left by the Old Timer touched upon theories and factual details that eluded even him, shocking him thoroughly. His head felt dizzy from it all. It was like navigating an endless whirling maze. Luckily, he knew that the exit and the entrance were one and the same.

"The Divine Art used by him is called the Qiankun Art. I wonder if his title, Master Qiankun, came because of it. Anyhow, this art can’t be used by Heavenly Cultivators because of the natural restrictions imposed by the heavens. However, I’m not someone that likes restrictions." Smirking with the utmost confidence, he had started to devise a strategy to overcome this limitation.

Entering the Dawn Region, the gloomy atmosphere was uplifted, leaving a world suffused with brightness, teeming with life. The trees and wildlife in the Dusk Region were dull and withered, but the Dawk Region were faintly glowing and brimming with life.

The contrast was quite strong, and he had to take a pause and inspect his surroundings. Despite being chased for being this ’Key’ that others so desperately wanted, Yan Zaizen wasn’t one that liked living according to other’s speed.

He landed next to a grassy knoll. The grass moved with the wind, the whistling of the field and the nearby hill left him feeling nostalgic. "This reminds me of the Meteorite City’s Grassy Wasteland. Isn’t that...where everything started?"

The nostalgia within his eyes gleamed even stronger, unable to be stopped by any means. At an area like this, he was nothing but a young sixteen year old boy, ignorant of the grand world, and severely lacking intelligence. He met with the cruelty of the world bit by bit, but through it all, he met friends and saw sights he had thought was incomprehensible.

He looked behind him and felt the pressing threat behind him, and he took a deep inhale before expelling out a wad of turbid thoughts and air.

"At the time, I felt like I had no choices or goals. I wasn’t really talented nor smart and did everything because I wanted to like an ignorant child. No one could’ve stopped me. Haha, I guess I haven’t really changed that part - I still do whatever I want." Thinking up to here, he realized he didn’t wish to be chased any longer. Spending an extra day here meant an extra day Pinaka had to remain trapped within Hell.

"It’s time to leave!" Yan Zaizen made up his mind. He brought out the silver compass. He had long since reattached it into one piece, allowing it to become complete. Before, he didn’t want to use it because it was random and he didn’t know if he would just be teleported to a different region within the Heavenly Origin Grounds or two inches away. According to Ezekiel, it can only teleport within the same dimensional space.

Furthermore, the various spatial limitations imposed by the various pursuing forces prevented his escape. It seemed the compass had celestial origins, hence why it could teleport others away.

With the new information given to him by Master Qiankun, he realized the deficit of his knowledge prevented him from accounting for all variables appropriately. The imposed spatial restrictions were similar to the natural limitations of the world. Perhaps Master Qiankun gave him this because he knew that it would support his inevitable escape.

He didn’t activate the compass. Instead, he pressed it against his dantian, where his Heavenly Shrine was located. It seeped into his dantian and his heavenly might enshrouded it, his three Minor Heavenly Wisps circulated around it, infusing it with the Power of Minor Heaven. With his Dao Heart being injected, he decisively started to refine the compass.

It took but a moment before the compass had melted and was moulded into a different object, glimmering with silver, black, white, cyan, and amber-gold colors. Its shape turned malleable until it materialized into the shape of an ancient key with nine evenly-spaced notches. It was the size of a baby’s palm and as smooth as jade.

"This should do." Yan Zaizen nodded as he retrieved his key. He held it in a commonly familiar manner, as if he was going to send it into a lock. Pressing a bit forward, the key entered nothing, causing distorted ripples in the immediate surroundings.

"It has entered the three states of space simultaneously. Now," he slowly said as he started to send grey light pulsing into the key, radiating the power of time. He directly connected to the three states of time. This key now existed at the present, a second before and a second later.

His face had grown somewhat pale, and his eyes dimmed a little. He could feel the resistance of the universe and the Heavenly Origin Grounds, but he steadied his stance and held firm. With a slow twist, the key started to emanate all sorts of colorful lights. These lights started to encroach on Yan Zaizen’s palm and the rest of his body, enveloping him whole.

Boom!

He felt a forceful push from the world. At his finger, a world-crushing force pressed forth, one he was quite familiar with. It was the same force that disallowed Yri from exiting using the normal means. It seems that even if she was in his Meteor Ring’s spatial dimensional, she was still being carefully perceived by the Heavenly Origin Grounds imposing limitations and laws.

Unlike before, Yan Zaizen went undisturbed as he pushed forward. "You will not restrict our leave!" His cold, icy-chill of a bark was like an imperial decree from the Heavenly Emperor himself. If one hears, they must acquiesce.

He had promised himself to take Yri out of this world, and if the world disagreed, he had no qualms destroying it!

He continued to twist the key as if he was unlocking some unfathomable door. Unbeknownst to him, Yri’s unconscious body started to circulate with his dao aura, much like it did with Master Qiankun.

Clink!

An odd sound echoed and his body that was enshrouded with various colorful lights vanished. His aura, lifeforce, and physical presence had vanished alongside it.

On the celestial worldships, a roar of shock and rage emerged. Celestial Creator Byzi’s handsome face was distorted. He sat in a grand throne colored white. In his right hand was an orb with the image of a golden colored puppy. At the moment, it was resting in a cure fashion, seemingly undisturbed by Celestial Creator Byzi’s rage.

"Lord Celestial God!" A concerned subordinate arrived, kneeling before the throne. His body trembled slightly.

Celestial Creator Byzi’s eyes were flaring as he ignored his subordinate and glared at the cute puppy. "Hound! Hound! Find him!" His words were loud and caused quakes that shook the entire worldship and all of its inhabitants, yet the puppy referred to as the Hound refused to budge or even shake its tail to his calls.

"It’s inactive..." his voice contained a hint of depression. How did the Key leave while they’ve restricted all other ways to leave the Heavenly Origin Grounds. This was impossible! Yet...

The other celestial worldship was the same, unable to find any trace of Yan Zaizen. Within moments, they stopped their chass.

The two Celestial Creators of these two ships met, but even still, there was no solution. The Key had abruptly left the Heavenly Origin Grounds.