Author: Thefirstdefier; J. F. Brink
Date: 2023-08-01T18:00:00+00:00
Keywords: Fantasy; Science Fiction
Description: A storm of fate is gathering, and Zac finds himself at its center. Having escaped the Orom's prison, Zac has finally returned to Earth. Much has changed during his years off-world, with war brewing in the Zecia Sector. Struggle is the System's mandate, where the strong thrive, and the weak suffer. Zac and the Atwood Empire are racing against time to accumulate the power needed to survive. With danger comes opportunity, and all clues point toward the chaotic Million Gates Territory. That's where the invaders are hiding, and that's where Ogras is trapped. But first, Zac needs a spaceship. Meanwh

DEFIANCE OF THE FALL 10

©2023 JF BRINK/THEFIRSTDEFIER

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CONTENTS

ALSO IN SERIES

1. Stacked

2. Ensolus

3. Impossible Choice

4. The Oriole Behind

5. A Storm Descends

6. The Path Forward

7. Prelude to War

8. Ensolus Mines

9. Three Options

10. Baron of Conquest

11. Unordinary Luck

12. Call to Arms

13. In the Flesh

14. The Atwood Empire

15. Paint your Path

16. Blueprints

17. Determination

18. The Nature of Duality

19. The Oriole and the Orchid

20. Upgrades

21. The Final Frontier

22. The Future of the Empire

23. Salosar Seven

24. Gaun Sorom

25. Into the Void

26. Mission Compound

27. Tasks

28. Examination

29. Teo Kastella

30. Zenith Vigil

31. My Heart Belongs to the Dao

32. A Seed Returned

33. Ultom

34. Landing

35. Lucky Day

36. Professional Unit

37. Waystation

38. Treasures in the Depths

39. Flamebearer

40. The Will of the Ancients

41. Negative Spiral

42. Spatial Cortex

43. In-between

44. Uzu

45. Stranded

46. Worldeaters

47. Black Heart

48. Double the Trouble

49. Deeper

50. Primal Garden

51. Ramsi Wall

52. Tangle

53. Pincer

54. Sublimation

55. Repetition and Reinforcement

56. One’s Path

57. The Unyielding River of Fate

58. Weight

59. Hidden Pockets

60. Second Piece

61. Another Cycle

62. Void Vajra Sublimation

63. Arbiter

64. Edict

65. Some Things Never Change

Thank you for reading Defiance of the Fall 10

ALSO IN SERIES

DEFIANCE OF THE FALL

BOOK ONE

BOOK TWO

BOOK THREE

BOOK FOUR

BOOK FIVE

BOOK SIX

BOOK SEVEN

BOOK EIGHT

BOOK NINE

BOOK TEN

BOOK ELEVEN

1

STACKED

It almost felt like a dream when Zac stepped out from his teleportation room and into his compound. Six years. Over six years had passed since he left Earth with not a single update on the state of things—except for the notification that his followers somehow accepted an incursion in his name.

Thankfully, there were no smoldering ruins or screams of battle greeting his return, indicating things should be under control. It was something which had constantly worried him for the past month while he laid low in a remote corner of the Zecia Sector.

He should have guessed that infusing a tool with Chaos would make its functionality unreliable. Certainly, it might have been the fact he forcibly activated his escape bangle in front of two monstrously powerful entities; the Orom and Iz Tayn's Dao Guardian. The golem, especially, had such a powerful aura his mere presence altered the fundamental laws of nature in the region.

Still, having appeared in a desolate spot at the edge of the sector after weeks of being hurtled through some subdimension, was pretty good—far better than he could have hoped for from an item that would normally only work inside the Sector itself. Unfortunately, large Chaos-laden cracks had appeared all over the bangle, making Zac leery about using the thing again.

However, staying wasn't an option, as he’d been dropped off in the middle of space. With air running out, he’d used the Teleportation Array on his back to teleport to a remote trading hub he once frequented. He hadn’t dared immediately return to Earth, out of fear the Orom, the golem, or Iz herself would show up at his doorstep.

Zac couldn’t bring those monsters back to Earth, so he rented a top-tier cultivation cave, once more reminded how amazingly cheap things were in this remote corner of the Multiverse. Every day he’d spent cleansing himself of Karma and seeking marks left in his body, trying to recover his broken and Chaos-addled pathways as much as he could while keeping an eye on the sky.

When a month passed, Zac figured people either wouldn’t or couldn’t come after him, and he finally returned home. Zac wanted to find someone the moment he arrived, but a clap of thunder made him look up with solemnity.

It had come, just as he expected. The gathering clouds didn’t contain the vast indifference of the System, but rather the fury of the Boundless Heavens. Not for him though, but rather for someone else; Alea. Zac had noticed something brewing over the past week as he gradually whittled down the Orom’s seal on his Tool Spirit.

Perhaps by design, it was quite easy to deal with after having left the Orom World. After all, most of those who left were either scions with powerful backing or powerhouses who confirmed their Daos in the limited environment of the Orom World. There was no point in angering these kinds of people.

As the layers of restrictions were removed one by one, Zac had felt a sense of premonition that fate was gathering on his location. He could somehow tell it was related to [Love’s Bond], so he chose to leave the last layer of restrictions and hurried back home. As expected, she was breaking through.

For almost five years she had been digesting the enormous ball of blood and Oblivion, joined by Temporal Energy and continuously bolstered by the Ambient Energy inside the Orom World. And this was as a Peak F-grade Spirit Tool. Her accumulations were shocking, and this step was long overdue. However, Zac hadn’t expected a minor Lightning Tribulation to arrive because of this.

Then again, it was undeniable that [Love’s Bond] was an unorthodox weapon, no matter if you talked about its origins or what it previously fed on. Zac wondered if the same would happen to Verun in the future, considering the axe had been marked by pure Life inside the Twilight Chasm.

A signal of hunger filled Zac’s mind, and he didn’t hesitate as he started emptying his Spatial Rings of anything he could think of. There were mountains of rare materials. From things he found in the Spatial Rings in the Void to the Supreme treasures he found in the Twilight Ocean and Qi’Sar’s treasury.

The piles kept growing as Zac took out one thing after another, just like when Alea’s coffin was turned into a Spirit Tool the first time. Altogether, the value of the mounds surrounding the coffin was probably inching toward three million D-grade Nexus Coins, a ludicrous sum for an F-grade Spirit Tool. Even the passive energy the treasures leaked was enough to create a chaotic storm in the sky.

Although, Alea didn’t take too many of the treasures. First, she picked up the [Blackearth Steel] from Qi’Sar’s treasury, the chains barely able to drag them toward the lid, along with the Supreme-quality Death-attuned wood Catheya had identified for him. Next, she picked up five other unnamed Death-attuned metals Zac found in the Twilight Ocean, along with a few dozen Death-attuned Natural Treasures.

She left Uona’s corpse behind, though Zac did feel the axe on his waist perking up when he took the body out.

Seeing the decidedly one-sided nature of the materials, Zac was a bit surprised, considering how she’d feasted on Twilight Fruits for years. He expected her to want at least some Life-attuned materials to balance all that Death, but it looked like he was wrong. Or had her needs changed after first being marked by Pure Death, and then swallowing Oblivion?

And if so, how would that impact her soul?

By the time Alea finished gathering everything she needed, the sky was dark with tribulation clouds while purple clouds crackled. Zac was inwardly relieved when he sensed the clouds were decidedly weaker compared to the punishments he endured to evolve his two Dao Branches.

The familiar rattle of chains moving echoed out through the area, followed by a groaning Zac had only heard a few times; the opening of the thick coffin lid. Zac’s heart beat an additional time as the lid swung almost completely wide open, but he couldn’t see Alea’s body at all. Instead, there was only vast darkness that almost reminded him of the Abyssal Lake.

For now, the darkness remained a shadow of the real thing, but was [Love’s Bond] moving in that direction, toward the Abyssal Death of the Draugr? Was it he who influenced her path that way? Or was it the System who implanted the Spirit Tool with this path upon its creation, to make the coffin better match Zac’s Draugr persona?

Zac didn’t know what the truth was, and he didn’t even know how to feel about it. He could only look on with mixed emotions as tendrils of Darkness consumed all the materials, dragging them into the coffin like a hungry vortex. The lid snapped shut after that, and a dark shroud covered the Coffin as it rose into the air.

Alea had finished her preparations just in time. The first bolt of purple lightning slammed into the coffin a moment later, instantly dispersing the darkness. The whole coffin shuddered as Zac felt a pang of pain in his mind, but he could sense that both Alea and the Spirit Tool itself had endured the first strike just fine. There was only a scorched spot on the lid and some small cracks across its surface.

The lid opened slightly again, releasing a second puff of darkness, this one even more condensed compared to the last. Unfortunately, just like Alea’s defenses grew stronger, so did the bolts of lightning, and the second tribulation left deep cracks across the whole lid. Luckily, there should only be one more to go, and Zac was relieved when the lid opened a third time.

However, relief turned into confusion and fear as the ten-meter avatar of Alea’s torso appeared, her black eyes staring up at the sky as she stretched her arms out in a familiar gesture.

“Are you crazy!” Zac shouted with horror, but he didn’t dare go closer. Doing so would infuriate the tribulation cloud, making things harder for Alea. “Don’t copy me! Absorbing that thing is extremely dangerous!”

Alea didn’t seem to listen, and Zac prayed she knew what she was doing. He looked on with worry as the final bolt of lightning descended, drenching the avatar in a sea of purple death. The demoness held on for a moment, but Zac was horrified to see that she eventually cracked and broke apart, absolutely incapable of containing the punishment with [Death’s Embrace].

Zac felt like he was back on that mountaintop again, helplessly watching Alea’s soul fall apart. The only thing keeping him from going crazy was his connection with the demoness. It was weakened, but her consciousness was still there. He stayed his hand as he saw the coffin drag the fragmented pieces of the spirit back inside.

Along with a mote of lightning.

The tribulation lightning seemed infuriated, and showered the whole coffin in lightning, completely obscuring Zac’s vision. Thankfully, it only had so much energy to expend, and Zac sensed reluctance as the bolt dissipated. Left behind, was a pitch-black obelisk of condensed darkness, reminding Zac of the times [Verun’s Bite] had enclosed itself in a bloody crystal.

‘Soon,’ Zac heard in his mind before the connection was cut.

“You just woke up and you’re already going into seclusion again?” Zac helplessly muttered as he looked at the black cocoon, but he was inwardly awash with relief.

She’d successfully broken through, and judging by the materials she had consumed, it was bound to be a big leap in power.

“Who goes there?” a ferocious shout broke the calm just as it settled, and Zac looked over with bemusement to see a spectral apparition float over with furious momentum.

Or rather, hide behind two hulking puppets that emitted the power which even surpassed the Half-Step Blacksmith golem he fought to open up the Dao Repository.

“My lord! You’re back!” a surprised voice exclaimed as the ghost peered over the shoulder of one of its bodyguards.

“It’s been a while, Triv,” Zac smiled. “How are you?”

“Nothing to complain about, now that young master is back,” Triv said as he hurriedly flew over. “Your aura is like the radiant sun, and your return is like the parting of the clouds, a great—”

“Alright, alright,” Zac snorted. “What is it?”

“Incidentally, I was wondering if the young master has joined the Undead Empire? I was shocked to hear you once more met up with the noble Draugr mistress who visited our province a decade ago,” Triv said. “It truly is fated.”

“Well, she’s putting in a good word for me,” Zac smiled as he started carrying the black cocoon toward his courtyard. “I’m not sure how it all stands though. Things spiraled out of control a bit in Twilight Harbor, and I’ve been stuck in an isolated world for the past four years. How is the situation on Earth? You guys actually started an Incursion?”

“There have been some problems among the dreamers, from what I’ve heard,” Triv slowly said. “Unrest on the main continent of this world. Infighting, seizing territory. Of course, no one has dared make any big moves even with master gone, and much of our forces being occupied on the other world. But I hear there are rumors of you succumbing off-world, and it’s only a matter of time before the elites of this world start fighting for your supposedly empty throne.”

“Well, as long as nothing has happened, it’s fine,” Zac nodded before he stopped and turned to his butler with a frown. “Wait, the elites are still off-world? What’s going on?”

Zac always assumed the Incursion would be over by now. Over four years had passed since it started, far longer than the situation on Earth to reach a critical point. If his people still hadn’t returned, it usually meant one of two things—either they’d been eradicated by the natives or competing factions.

If not, they had been dragged into a drawn-out battle, which also indicated the situation had turned thorny.

“They are still there, though the situation is mostly stable from what I hear,” Triv sighed. “The Invasion Gate has long since stabilized, and the elites spend most of their time on the other side. The level restriction has been increased all the way to level 150 already, and it is still very expensive to go back and forth. Most stay there permanently. The environment is still far superior since there is still some lingering Origin Dao.”

Zac wasn’t surprised. Even he’d felt just how much worse the environment became after Earth lost its last specks of Origin Dao, and the situation was far more palpable to cultivators who depended on their affinities and meditation to seize Dao Seeds.

For example, among the demons who joined the Azh’Rezak Incursion, only a handful had Dao Seeds by the time they arrived. After a few years on Earth, almost 70% had formed their first Dao Seed, and a few even formed multiple. And that was despite the Dimensional Seed inside the Technocrat research base siphoning off a good chunk of the Origin Dao the System awarded Earth.

If he was a cultivator, he wouldn’t want to spend any time on Earth either so long as there were Origin Dao to be had somewhere else.

“Is young master interested in heading over?” Triv asked.

“Soon, but not right now,” Zac said after some thought.

Zac wanted to meet everyone, but now that he’d finally returned, he suddenly felt extremely exhausted—like he’d been carrying a heavy load for years. He needed to settle down a bit first and stabilize his mental state. Besides, while he managed to repair most of his broken pathways the month he stayed off-world, he had reopened some internal wounds during the recent teleportation.

“For now, I need to recuperate a while,” Zac continued. “It took some effort escaping where I was trapped. Can you compile a report of all major events and changes since I left? Oh, and don’t tell anyone I’m back, except Abby and Adran. Come back in three hours.”

“Certainly,” Triv hurriedly nodded and was gone in a flash.

Once the ghost disappeared and the two guardian golems, who’d clearly been upgraded by the Creators in his absence, lumbered off, Zac turned toward his courtyard. As he walked through the large compound, he was filled with a mix of emotions. Zac spotted an antique telephone booth painted pink at a secluded spot between two trees, left behind by Thea during the time she lived here.

The whole compound was filled with these kinds of things, especially the area around his living quarters. Seeing the installment made Zac stop with a sigh. Close to seven years had passed since Leandra returned, her appearance an even deadlier calamity than the tribulation lightning.

The hurt had slowly faded over the years, but the guilt remained. Zac still wondered if Thea would have been caught in the crosshairs if he’d been more forthright about the secrets he kept. He should have realized that Thea would have noticed the large research labs and factories underground, no matter how ingenious Kenzie’s means to hide them were.

Zac hesitated, but ultimately chose to keep the telephone booth and the other items where they were and returned to his courtyard. The walled-in mansion was exactly as he left it, except for two additions. The ambient energy had increased by a noticeable margin, no doubt the result of Triv’s hard work. Zac couldn’t exactly put his finger on it, but he was reasonably certain the trees in the whole inner area of Port Atwood had been rearranged to become a massive formation.

And his courtyard was in the eye of that formation, the hotspot for ambient energy.

The second change was that the courtyard had more than doubled in size, adding a second building drenched in Miasma. Though this half was shrouded in high-powered arrays, and it looked like a hedged-off garden from the outside. Zac guessed Triv was afraid Zac would forget or discard his undead side, and so added this place.

The encased coffin wasn’t absorbing any energy at the moment, but he still chose to leave it at the heart of the Miasmic zone of his courtyard just in case. After that, he took out one of the folding chairs from his old camper and sat down, taking a deep breath as he took in the moment.

He really was back. Finally.

The road proved far bumpier than he anticipated, no matter if you looked at the Twilight Ascent or what came next. In return, the gains were almost unfathomable for a trip that was initially meant as a shopping spree to look for skills and some way to upgrade his undead side to D-grade race.

He had already inspected his screen dozens of times the past month now that it was no longer restricted, but he still couldn’t resist taking another look. Sometimes it almost felt like a delirious fever-dream thinking back on what he’d been through, but numbers don’t lie.

Name: Zachary Atwood

Level: 145

Class: [E-Epic] Edge of Arcadia

Race: [D] Human – Void Emperor (Corrupted)

Alignment: [Earth] Port Atwood – Planetary Lord

Titles: […] Apex Progenitor, Pathstrider, Runebinder, Runic Erudition, Grand Fate

Limited Titles: Tower of Eternity Sector All-Star – 14th, The Final Twilight, Equanimity, Heart of Fire, Big Axe Gladiator

Dao: Branch of the War Axe – Early, Branch of the Kalpataru – Early, Branch of the Pale Seal – Early

Core: [E] Duplicity

Strength: 18,177 [Increase: 123%. Efficiency: 287%]

Dexterity: 7,526 [Increase: 88%. Efficiency: 206%]

Endurance: 14,540 [Increase: 124%. Efficiency: 287%]

Vitality: 12,512 [Increase: 112%. Efficiency: 273%]

Intelligence: 3,058 [Increase: 82%. Efficiency: 206%]

Wisdom: 5,995 [Increase: 89%. Efficiency: 216%]

Luck: 632 [Increase: 106%. Efficiency: 229%]

Free Points: 0

Nexus Coins: [D] 933,662

As he looked over the numbers, a smile slowly spread across his face like it had many times before. He was just an ant compared to the old monsters littering the Multiverse, but he had to admit—he was getting kind of stacked.

2

ENSOLUS

Zac had continuously grown in strength within the Orom World, but that sense had been perpetually skewed and suppressed because of the prison brand. And the end gain in attributes was absolutely shocking, even surpassing all his breakthroughs during the Twilight Ascent. Then again, Zac knew he shouldn’t be surprised, considering gains on the path of cultivation were exponential.

The awards from each level during Late E-grade were worth three times those in the Early E-grade, for example.

And just like last time, each mote of Chaos he managed to drag into his body had opened a node without him even noticing, saving him a lot of time dealing with the final hurdles on his path to Peak E-grade. As long as he pushed himself, Zac believed he would be able to reach Peak E-grade within a year. Of course, that didn’t mean he was ready to make his D-grade push just yet.

But he was getting there.

Thanks to all the experts in the Orom World, his foundations and understanding of cultivation had been shored up immensely. It wasn’t only the techniques he learned with the help of Pavina and Heda. It was a matter of vantage. Over the past years, he had discussed cultivation with dozens of talented Hegemons and Monarchs, some of which were more powerful than the top powerhouses of the whole Zecia Sector.

Their worldview helped broaden Zac’s own, and he better understood what was required to keep going where others encountered roadblocks.

Having confirmed everything was in order, Zac completed another customary sweep of his body. Unfortunately, the results were the same. Even now, he had no earthly idea just how Iz Tayn managed to find him. He’d gone over the course of events and her words innumerable times over the past month, and there was no doubt in his mind—she had come for him.

But why?

Was it because he called her a lunatic before escaping? Was it such a big deal after she tried to kill him? And if it really was the cause, then why didn’t she emit a speck of killing intent when she appeared in front of him? Zac had only realized that after making his escape, but she hadn’t actually tried to attack him. He’d just been too preoccupied with the stress of the situation and her guardian’s aura to notice.

Had she perhaps spotted how he changed race during the Battle of Fates? It wasn’t impossible. He hadn’t noticed anyone looking at him when he converted into his Draugr form, with everyone too occupied with their battles to notice a change in one of the corpses on the ground. Except for her. No one dared even approach Iz Tayn, giving her ample room to observe the situation from that sun of hers.

But would someone like her care about a Life-Death Edgewalker, even if she knew what was going on? Zac shook his head, no closer to figuring out the reason behind her actions than before. Only that woman herself knew her motivations for tracking him down, probably coming all the way from the central regions of the Multiverse to this desolate edge of the System’s domain.

As for his body, it was getting better. Absorbing four motes of Chaos had been a bit too greedy, and taking on eight of them next time was out of the question. His pathways were mostly mended, but were weakened by the lingering effects of the motes. The same was true for his nodes, though they’d reached a point capable of withstanding a battle or two without breaking.

He figured another month or two would suffice when using his healing arrays, at which point he could visit Yrial again. Having lived in the Orom World for years might have lessened the benefits his ghost master could provide, but there were still some blanks that the Lord of Cycles might be able to fill in.

Most importantly, Yrial might be an Edgewalker himself, which would mean he could hold the key to forming a Cosmic Core containing two opposing forces. In contrast to Pavina and Heda, he also knew his real situation with his two races, which might allow him to provide more incisive advice. Of course, the two Monarchs who taught him back in the Orom World might have known his situation as well, but neither he nor they ever broached the subject.

The hours passed, and Zac felt himself gain a sense of balance. He better understood why all those Hegemons and Monarchs in the Orom World took regular breaks from cultivation, their rest sometimes lasting years. You couldn’t just keep rushing headlong, as you were bound to hit a wall sooner or later.

Impatience still clung to him to gain power and rescue Kenzie, not to mention dealing with the more immediate issues, such as saving Ogras and helping Alea. But haste makes waste. He needed to digest all he’d been through before taking the next step. Still, he was getting a bit antsy sitting around in his courtyard, and he sensed Triv was already hovering outside, waiting for the deadline.

“Come in,” Zac said, and the butler appeared in the courtyard a moment later.

“My apologies for rearranging things without young master’s permission,” Triv said as they appeared in the courtyard.

“I like it,” Zac said. “I can feel there is a budding spirituality connecting my whole forest. It must have been a lot of work setting it up.”

“It’s not just young master’s compound. With the assistance of your followers, the whole archipelago has been transformed into something worthy of being the capital of the Atwood Empire,” the ghost said. “In fact, the population of Port Atwood has already surpassed ten million.”

“That many?” Zac exclaimed. “Won’t it affect the energy density?”

“Not at all,” Triv said. “The Spiritual Vein has kept growing beneath this island, and it is now many times stronger than before. A few of the islands have, however, become hotspots with Miasma due to this archipelago being placed right between Pangea and Elysium, as the second continent has been named. There is more on the subject in the reports I have arranged for the young lord.”

“Good work,” Zac nodded. “Was there any commotion from the tribulation cloud?”

“None,” Triv said. “It was explained as another elite having formed a Dao Branch, but their identity kept secret.”

“Another?” Zac exclaimed with a raised brow.

“The young general is terrifyingly talented, as expected of the progeny of the young lord,” Triv sighed. “Lady Vilari formed her first Dao Branch two years ago, and I hear rumors of her having formed a second one on the other world.”

Zac nodded, once more marveling at Vilari’s talents. Just who was that scary girl that Vilari’s body once belonged to? Not only had she essentially insta-killed him during the Battle of Fates, but her constitution helped birth such a powerful Revenant. Someone like her was far more likely to be a scion like Iz Tayn than some frontier elite.

“Anyone else?”

“Lady Joanna is reputed to be at the precipice, only lacking a spark of inspiration. The same goes for the demon gentleman and a few others,” Triv said. “Most have found it hard to progress their Daos after forming Fragments, even with a second helping of Origin Dao.”

Honestly, Zac was more surprised that Joanna had reached the threshold of forming a Dao Branch herself, even if he knew that final step was something that would elude most cultivators for their entire lives. Joanna was different from Vilari or even more grounded individuals, like Thea. Her talents weren’t bad, but they weren’t stellar either.

She must have pushed herself extremely hard during the incursion to make such rapid progress.

Zac eventually turned his attention to the reports and infused a wisp of his consciousness into the crystal. Immediately, pages upon pages of information and data flooded his mind, dating back all the way since he left.

Clearly, Adran or Abby had erected this database the moment Zac left and were continuously adding information. Now, it constituted volumes of data that would have made his head spin before the Integration. Everything was listed, from obvious things like revenue streams and larger political changes, to detailed data such as tallies on tens of thousands of Atwood Academy Graduates.

There were reports on citizens’ classes as well, and a quick scan proved that Port Atwood was making rapid improvements for their armies. The huge sums he poured into raising craftsmen were also beginning to pay off, with many promising talents having reached Middle and even Late E-grade with craftsmen professions.

Three years ago, Port Atwood even saw the birth of its first Spirit Tool from the hands of one of the Ishiate craftsmen, though it was a Low-quality one that was unlikely to even reach E-grade. Of course, that was also discounting the growing repository of synthetic Spirit Tools that Clan Volor could create with the help of their crystals.

However, as he skimmed the mountains of data, there was one thing he was missing.

“What about Emily?” Zac asked. “She hasn’t returned to Earth yet?”

“The young miss returned two years ago, but left soon after realizing the lord had not yet returned. She said she was heading back to the arena, and that she was joining some sort of trial,” Triv said.

“Heading back?” Zac muttered with surprise.

He had left two single-use Teleportation Tokens to his disciple. One led to the main continent of the Allbright Empire, the token that Pretty Peak had given him. The second one led to the Big Axe Coliseum—it looked like she chose to use the latter, which didn’t surprise Zac in the slightest. He figured she’d be right at home among the orcs, minotaurs, and other tribal species.

Though, for her to say she was heading back must mean she’d made a name for herself over there, either by getting her hands on another token or by officially gaining access to the Teleportation Array. Both were quite difficult, especially the latter one. It required getting some renown in the arena and then having one of the arena masters give out difficult quests to complete.

“If the lord wants, I can arrange a message sent through the merchants,” Triv offered.

“No, let her follow her path for now,” Zac said with a shake of his head. “I’ll go visit her later.”

Zac kept perusing the documents for a few minutes, filled with satisfaction and pride, though he had to admit there was a small hint of… he didn’t quite know. Reading how his followers continuously kept pushing Earth and the budding Atwood Empire toward new heights proved he’d surrounded himself with competent people, but it also meant he wasn’t as integral to the continuation of Earth as he might have believed.

He had been gone for over six years, twice as long as he’d stayed behind post-Integration. Yet Earth was fine. Great, even. Certainly, much of their accomplishments were only possible thanks to his infusion of resources, but he had to admit that running a kingdom wasn’t his strong suit. If someone needed to get chopped, he was the man for the job, but all these things listed in the reports?

They might be better off without him interfering, essentially turning him into a deadly figurehead.

“Ah, right,” Zac said, dragging himself out of those complex thoughts.

“Is there anything else, master?” the ghost asked.

“Here, take this. A small thank you for tending my place over the past years,” Zac smiled as he threw Aia Ouro’s Spatial Gem over to the ghost.

Inside were a pile of resources meant for Spectral Cultivators, including a couple of cultivation manuals. Zac didn’t know if Triv, a non-combat cultivator, could make use of them, but it wasn’t like there was anyone else around that could benefit from those things. Seeing as how Triv maintained and even improved his whole compound for years, Zac figured he might as well give them to Triv.

“This! This is…” Triv stuttered as it scanned its contents. “This is too precious! Where did master find this?”

“I was attacked by a young master of an Eidolon Hivemind. Those were the spoils of that encounter,” Zac shrugged.

“The Eidolon? Why would they attack you? Were you in your human form?” Triv exclaimed, looking shocked and a bit confused.

“Things aren’t as harmonious in the Empire Heartlands as the citizens of the Kavriel Province are led to believe. There is a lot of infighting, it seems. In the trial I joined, Draugr, Eidolon, and the Eternal Clan fought and schemed against each other. If I didn’t kill them, they would have killed me. No need to worry about it,” Zac said. “After you’ve memorized the manuals, hand them over to the Einherjar. They might come in handy in the future.”

“So, things are like that,” Triv sighed, sounding a bit forlorn.

Zac could guess what Triv was thinking. It was probably a disappointment learning that the supposed paradise for undead cultivators was just like everywhere else; filled with schemes and discord. However, the spectral butler perked up soon enough as the Spatial Gem fused with their incorporeal form, completely disappearing.

“Well, I should have figured. Struggle is Heaven’s Mandate, and not even the great Primo can subvert that decree. And don’t you worry, young lord. No matter what happens in the future, loyal Triv will always be your most ardent spectral supporter, no matter how many Hives send their invitations my way!”

“Thank you,” Zac laughed as he shifted his attention back to the missive, though he wasn’t too sure how genuine the ghost really was.

When he reached the section about the Incursion his smile gradually turned into a frown, though Triv’s assurances gained a somewhat comical meaning. The situation was beyond what he expected, and when he read about the recent changes, he started to get a sinking feeling. It looked like he needed to make a trip to the Ensolus Continent, and soon.

There was only one thing he needed to confirm first.

* * *

Vilari looked up from the stacks of papers just in time to see Ilvere, Rhuger, and Joanna enter her office that adjoined her meditative pond.

“We just got word from Miter’s Hall,” the demon said. “They’ve spotted movement. If all goes as expected, they’ll be here this time tomorrow.”

“Alright,” Vilari calmly said. “Is everything prepared?”

“It’s all dealt with,” Joanna said with a somber expression. “What do you think they’ll choose?”

“If they’re wise, they’ll accept our terms. It’s their one route to avoid calamity, no matter if it is one of their own making or one of the Heavens,” Vilari said.

As though prompted by her words, the whole room violently shook as the energy in the chamber turned chaotic. This was the second tremor of the day—they were getting closer. Vilari was no expert on the subject, but she doubted this world would remain standing in a year unless something changed.

“It’s getting worse,” Joanna sighed. “This might really be the last chance. If the talks fall through, war awaits.”

Vilari nodded in agreement. If tomorrow’s summit failed, an unprecedented war would sweep through this world. Even if they were the strongest party, the enemies would fight with their very existence on the line.

Just like the Ruthless Heavens wanted.

Only when they’d arrived at the Ensolus Continent did they realize just how much value the System put on their lord. Earth was a unique world with its twinned affinities, yet the System actually saw fit to create another one through the Integration—fusing a dead world and one teeming with life. It was essentially a gift-wrapped world created in Lord Atwood’s image.

It was a shame that no gifts from the Heavens came without strings attached.

“Don’t get your hopes up, lass,” Ilvere grunted. “I don’t know about that old wraith, Eomid, or his brothers, but I doubt Hanuk will give in without a fight. Strength is the core of their society, it’s divine providence. He is the leader of the Mavai Hordes on the basis of being undefeated and unrivaled. To give in to an outsider would deprive him of the mandate to make decisions for the tribes.”

“If the demons in your Azh’Kir’Khat can live with people being above their head, why can’t these people?”

“It’s different,” Ilvere shrugged. “It took innumerable years of bloodshed for the Azh’Kir’Khat horde to form. Even then, it can only maintain its stability thanks to the powerhouses on the top and our eternal enemies. It was one thing if we could utterly crush the Mavai, but now… Besides, Hanuk’s hands are tied. Even if he believed giving in would be the best option for his people, the tribes might not agree.”

“They’d really risk it all rather than bending a knee?”

“Would you really accept a situation where the fate of your whole world was in the hands of a stranger?” Ilvere countered. “Your family, your neighbors, the tribes, and everything you’ve ever known? To risk everything being taken away with but a thought? I know I’d rather risk it all and fight to the death.”

“We still have to try,” Vilari sighed.

“Ruthless Heavens indeed,” Joanna muttered.

3

IMPOSSIBLE CHOICE

Today’s mission was one of diplomacy. The biggest risk to the proceedings was neither the golden-scaled demons nor the dour wraiths. It was the System, and the quests it imparted to all citizens of the world when the tremors began.

For the natives, it was quite straightforward—emerge victorious against the other planet and the foreigners, and the whole planet would be attuned to your element. From what they’d gathered, the other Incursions had gotten similar quests, where the most fitting element for them would stay on if they conquered the world.

It was the same for Port Atwood, until the moment they ousted all the other Incursions, including the very same Undead Empire that had plagued Earth. The moment Port Atwood conquered the Ensolus Continent, thus controlling half of this newly-formed world, their quest changed.

Due to their performance, their quest got upgraded, adding new reward options. Suddenly, Port Atwood had three options to choose from in case they managed to subjugate or eradicate the natives. The first option was the same as before—remove one of the two attunements, leaving only Life or Death.

Second, and the option they were trying to propose today, was to allow the System to stabilize the planet for another ten years, giving themselves and the natives a chance to find a method dealing with the clashing elements in the center of the world. Since Earth showed no indications of collapse, there had to be a solution. This way, everyone would win without needless bloodshed, though the native forces would be officially subordinate to Port Atwood.

However, with the third option, the System had all but closed the door to peace. Worse yet, the Ruthless Heavens made sure to share these options with the natives, fomenting the winds of war even further.

“If Hanuk declines, do you think he will just duel for control, or will it be an all-out assault?” Vilari asked Ilvere, who had been responsible for most of the diplomatic endeavors with the Malai tribes.

“Were we all demons, he might have followed the rites and requested a duel. But with our mottled composition, I doubt he’d consider us worthy of following their traditions,” Ilvere said.

“Will we really move back if it comes to an all-out war?” Rhuger frowned. “Losing the resources is fine, but the implications for the lord are massive.”

“I think we all know the lord well enough to understand his priorities. If we back down, he might lose the qualifications to become a Baron, but our lives are more important. I refuse to believe he’d choose a title over us,” Vilari said.

“In a sense, we have accomplished what we came here for. With the opportunities of the Ensolus Continent, our power has skyrocketed. What other force has this high a degree of elites?” Joanna agreed.

“Still, we must do our utmost to net let it come to that,” Vilari added. “It’s bad enough if we are unable to help Lord Atwood accomplish his goals. If we actively hobble his progress due to our ineptitude, I don’t know how we will make it up to him. For example, if we can bring just one of the two factions into the fold, we can easily overpower the third with minimal loss of life. The biggest risk is if the two join hands against us before turning against each other.”

“If only the boss was back,” Joanna sighed. “He’d solve this with either a few words or a few chops.”

Vilari only smiled in response, though she couldn’t help but once more wonder just what had happened in Twilight Harbor. Even if he stayed behind for a while, Lord Atwood should have been back years ago. And if he found some opportunity and got delayed, he would no doubt have sent a message through the teleporter.

Only the core members of the force knew the truth—that their leader was missing rather than training. Still, they could only keep improving, waiting for his return.

Hours passed as the final touches to the summit were dealt with, while thousands of scouts and monoliths scoured the Ensolus Continent for any signs of foul play. Most of the elites were mentally preparing as well. If it really came to blows, they would be pushed to their limits against the very best the natives had to offer.

In this way, the night passed in muted suspension until the guards at the edge of Fort Atwood reported that the first of the two processions were on their way.

“Hanuk isn’t with them?” Vilari muttered as they walked toward the gates, feeling something was amiss. “Increase the frequency of reports from our strongholds and sweep the area with the All-seeing Monoliths.”

One of her subordinates nodded and walked off, and she stepped out onto the courtyard of Fort Atwood. In the distance, a towering wall rose over fifty meters into the air, every inch of it covered with inscriptions. Hundreds of towers buzzed with forbidding power, their offensive arrays always ready to strike.

Behind her, the incursion pillar shone from within the inner courtyard, which was surrounded by the actual star-shaped fort, showering the area in emerald and grey, its color mirroring the hundreds of banners hanging along the walls. It had cost almost 1,250 D-grade Nexus Coins to erect this fort alone, an exorbitant sum for most forces.

According to Ilvere, Clan Azh’Rezak had spent less than 50 D-grade Nexus Coins altogether on their Incursion. From the native’s perspective, they were cheating, but it was part of the rules. The natives had been better prepared compared to the Earthlings, who only survived thanks to Lord Atwood, but they ultimately made the same mistake.

Both the Mavai and the Kingdom of Raun were too cautious, only closing four Incursions on their own. They were too leery of entering the Ensolus Continent and joining the struggle against the invaders and the odd beasts unique to whatever cursed planet had been the source of this war-torn continent.

A few scattered factions understood the grave threat that brewed on the central continent, but they didn’t manage to bring the bulk of their people on their crusades. Too many natives were busy enjoying the improved atmosphere and relative safety of their own continents. Why should they risk their lives by heading to Ensolus which was ten times more dangerous?

In the end, it was the Atwood Empire who routed the 20-odd Incursions spread across the Ensolus Continent, taking control of the whole thing while the natives sat on the sidelines. The unique treasures and opportunities that should have gone to the Mavai and Raun Spectrals had mostly fallen into the hands of her subordinates.

Apart from the Neutral Zones with the System-controlled Teleportation Arrays leading to the two other continents, there were also currently twenty-one lesser battlements surrounding Fort Atwood. Together, they formed a grand array of nigh-impenetrable defenses. If the natives wanted to attack, they would have to bear a shocking price in both resources and lives.

Still, with the world at the brink of collapse, it wasn’t unthinkable they’d take the risk.

“What do you think?” Vilari asked as she turned to Ilvere.

“It’s too hard to tell. Hanuk might be preparing an assault while using these people as a decoy, as you fear.” The demon general hesitated to continue. “However, it might not necessarily be a bad thing.”

“We’ll find out soon enough,” Vilari nodded. “What will be, will be.”

Eventually, the Demon Contingent arrived, a squad of fifty seasoned warriors covered in golden scales, some of which were engraved with runes—a sign they were true elites among the elites of the Mavai. The rest of the small army, a thousand strong atop ferocious beasts, remained outside the walls, but their bloody auras could be felt even from within the fortress.

Five of the warriors who entered, in particular, emitted extremely condensed auras, and Vilari sensed three of them were Half-Step Hegemons, while the other two were extremely talented E-grade cultivators at the peak of the rank. Thankfully, it was a few years too early for scores of Hegemons to appear, even if these natives had a small head-start on Earthlings.

The natives who had already reached E-grade before the integration mostly suffered from the same issues as the prisoners of the research base—exhausted momentum and lacking foundations. Only a few older talents managed to push to the peak of the grade by hoarding some of the abundant treasures that cropped up.

“The emissaries of the Kingdom of Raun are closing in as well,” a scout reported.

“Good,” Joanna nodded. “Anything unusual from their side?”

“Not that we can see,” the scout said. “They are surrounded by a cloud by Miasma, but Eomid is visible in the front. There appear to be around 50 ghosts in total heading toward us, while the army has taken position some distance from the demons.”

“Good, keep us posted,” Joanna nodded.

Vilari stood ready, and she let her consciousness suffuse the whole courtyard and its hundreds of elite soldiers. Their exteriors were all calm, seemingly ready to join up in their War Arrays and duke it out with the natives. However, their emotions were like ripples on a lake, unable to hide from her senses.

Eventually, she turned her head toward the gates as they swung open, and the demons riding their multifarious mounts entered. They were full of vigor, and the roars of their tamed beasts put the whole courtyard under an invisible pressure.

“Welcome,” Vilari said with a small smile as she opened her eyes, her gaze quenching the clamor in an instant, with only the occasional whimper escaping from the maws of the previously aggressive mounts. “You grace Fort Atwood with your presence. However, I was expecting Warchief Hanuk to appear in person. Perhaps you can explain?”

“I… am Hanuk’s third son, Ra’Klid. I am the leader of this party,” a slimmer demon with a massive blade slung across his back said, only slightly thrown off-balance by her gaze.

His performance was better than Vilari expected, but that wasn’t what surprised her. She would have expected Ra’Klid’s role to fall to one of the three grizzled warriors at the Half-Step D-grade, rather than this younger warrior. Then again, he was hiding his true strength by the looks of it. His aura was even weaker than the two other elites at the peak of the E-grade. He would never be able to control these warriors without strength of his own.

Most likely, he wore some treasure to hide the specifics, although Vilari could form an idea with the help of her soul being spread throughout the party. He should be Peak E-grade rather than a Hegemon, but with enough accumulations to let him overpower the other five elites himself. In other words, he was a threat—someone that only herself, and perhaps Joanna and Ilvere, could deal with in single combat.

Not only that, he seemed to contain more schemes than the average demon, who preferred dealing with issues head-on. The ripples surrounding him were exquisite and everchanging. It was an unexpected variable, but she figured it was still better than dealing with Hanuk, the old berserker with God-given strength and an irascible temper.

“As to why my father is absent, we do have an explanation,” Ra’Klid said before nodding at one of the three elders.

An old man with small bones hanging from his horns, signifying he was one of their powerful shamanistic war priests, touched his Spatial Ring, prompting the warriors of Port Atwood to tense. He didn’t take out a weapon, but rather a box wrought from what appeared to be a ribcage.

He opened the lid, and even Vilari was a bit shocked to see the severed head of Hanuk, painted in the customary white and red of the Mavai final rites.

“So, it was a challenge,” Ilvere muttered.

“You are correct, Warmaster,” Ra’Klid nodded. “My father was a great warrior who united many tribes before the Integration, but he was unable to adapt to this new reality. He wanted to lead the tribes, including the old and the young, to a war of annihilation without even hearing what you have to say. I had to challenge him for the sake of our people, and I luckily managed to give him a warrior’s end.”

A flare of anger caused some waves in the sea of her mind, impulses Vilari quickly quelled. It was hardwired into the souls of the undead that Patricide was a grave sin, and she couldn’t even imagine raising her hand against Lord Atwood. However, she knew that cultures weren’t the same, and the young devouring the old to maintain the strength of the pack was something you saw every day in the wild.

“And what is your stance?” Vilari smiled, showing no indication of the turbulence the severed head caused in her heart.

“The continuation of the Mavai is my main goal,” Ra’Klid said. “As such, I am willing to listen to the details of your offer. These five champions are representatives of my newly-formed council, and they represent the will of the tribes. Together, we can speak for the entirety of the Mavai.”

He didn’t offer anything more than to keep an open mind.

“The young surpass the old,” a deathly laugh echoed through the courtyard as the undead procession floated through the gate, led by a crown-wearing ghost with decidedly human features, except for the lack of eye sockets.

That space had been replaced by an engraving that formed a half-circle across his forehead; the mark of the Raun Spectrals, a unique race of ghosts the Ruthless Heavens had found in some desolate corner of the Multiverse. Vilari’s gaze turned to the ghosts, once more marveling at death’s ability to find a way.

It was no surprise running into demons on an unintegrated world. After all, they were one of the more populous species in the Multiverse, only lagging behind humans and a few others. However, for a civilization of wraiths to appear, a series of unlikely coincidences would have to occur.

The Raun Spectrals had once been human, but as their planet gradually became Death-attuned for an unknown reason, they desperately searched for a solution to survive. Eventually, the Kingdom of Raun, the last standing bastion of humanity, had taken a drastic step to ensure their survival. They managed to shed their mortal coils while still living in a homemade ceremony that infused their souls with death.

The world of the wraiths was apparently slightly more energy-rich compared to the demons’, even though their numbers of citizens were much lower. After all, there were only so many who could beget progeny. In the case of these specters, they had to reach Middle E-grade before they were able to cut off parts of their souls and nurture them in specially-made pools of undeath.

Before the Integration, there were only so many wraiths who managed to reach this height. In return, those who did were wholeheartedly focused on the continuation of their race. They spawned thousands of ghosts by sacrificing one part after another of their minds until their souls crumbled. Their whole society had been centered around raising enough Ancestral Ghosts in the limited environment back then.

Of course, that changed now that the kingdom had been transported to a D-grade world temporarily teeming with Origin Dao. Now, those Ancestral Ghosts turned into powerful spectral warriors somewhat akin to the Anointed of the Zhix. They’d been fed with all the treasures their world was able to spawn before the Integration. That culture had continued to this day, even if they no longer birthed nearly as many warriors.

Instead, they used that advantage to shift from venerated birth-givers solely focused on raising ghosts, to becoming the de facto rulers of their society. There were already three D-grade Ghost Kings from what they’d gathered, though the one currently before them was the leader—Eomid.

“Welcome, King of Raun,” Vilari continued without missing a beat. “Since we’re all here, shall we enter? We have set up a—”

“Out here is fine,” Eomid snorted, cutting Vilari short. “We have ‘enjoyed’ your exquisite battlements enough times to know better than to enter the den. We have the people we need right here, so what need is there to go any farther?”

“The unholy one makes a good point,” the leading shaman of the demons agreed, and Ra’Klid didn’t seem interested in rebuffing him.

“As long as all parties are willing to talk, we are happy to oblige,” Vilari nodded as Joanna waved over to a group of attendants who immediately started setting up an outdoor area.

Truthfully, Vilari wasn’t surprised these leaders were unwilling to enter the heart of Fort Atwood, and they’d seen this as a probable outcome. They even had preparations in place in case they refused to even pass through the outer gates, with multiple sets of furniture and mobile arrays prepared. Thankfully, they were still willing to enter the courtyard and leave the bulk of their armies behind, which could be seen as a good sign.

Soon enough, a conference table was set up, along with a simple set of isolation arrays to obscure their talks from the guards outside.

“So, Spiritwalker, you have called us here to parlay as cracks spread across our world. Now, what do you have for us?” Ra’Klid said, getting to the heart of the matter.

“Our offer hasn’t changed,” Vilari said, knowing what the new warchief was getting at. “You officially surrender to the Atwood Empire, allowing us to finish our quest to integrate this planet into our force. Your attuned continents will remain under your respective jurisdiction, and you will also have the opportunity to set up settlements on the Ensolus Continent. Together, we will then search for solutions to the imbalance of this world.”

“That’s it?” Ra’Klid frowned. “The same deal as before?”

“The same deal as before,” Vilari nodded. “It is neither better nor worse—it is our only offer. An offer far more generous compared to what any other faction would give. Many dream of joining the Atwood Empire and come under the banner of the Deviant Asura, someone known in every corner of the Zecia Sector.”

“We have more resources than you can dream of, and your elites would both be able to train in our facilities and use our contribution system,” Joanna added. “And should we fail to find a solution, we will do our utmost to evacuate your populations to Earth, which has more than enough room to house both your populations. If you chose war, you know what kind of fate befalls us all.”

“Then nothing’s changed,” Ra’Klid sighed. “You still expect us to put faith in you not choosing to drain our world to bolster your own. I was hoping your lord would finally make an appearance, providing an actual solution.”

“Indeed,” Eomid said. “Even now, he’s unwilling to come?”

“Our lord is wholeheartedly focused on his cultivation,” Vilari said. “He has left the matter of this incursion entirely to us.”

“Still not here,” Eomid slowly said before his aura suddenly exploded. “In that case… We choose war.”

4

THE ORIOLE BEHIND

A beautiful mansion with both an orangery and an actual orange orchard on the main island. An impressive paycheck for a rewarding job as an instructor, along with exclusive access to restricted cultivation resources. A doting wife, at least by demoness standards, who brought splashes of color to his otherwise orderly life.

So where had it all gone wrong? It was that damn boss of theirs, Carl could feel it.

Lord Atwood’s madness had somehow crept into Carl’s heart unbeknownst to him, its insidious influence transcending time and space. That insanity had tricked Carl into doing something so foolish as to sign up to join the Incursion as a lieutenant of the second wave, when he already had everything he needed back home.

The worst is already dealt with, they said. Teleport over, spread the gospel, drink some Origin Dao, and come back a rich man. He should have learned his lesson after that experience in the Mystic Realm. When it came to the boss or even his closest confidantes, there was no such thing as quick or easy.

Three years he’d spent in this scary place, fighting one Incursion after another, risking his life at every corner of this blasted Ensolus Continent. Carl was pretty done with this place, but the situation had gotten complicated. Too many secrets were exposed on this alien world. It turned out the mysterious Lord Atwood had actually raised armies of the undead on the hush-hush before jetting off to outer space, because why wouldn’t he?

With everyone’s levels being essentially the same, it was almost impossible to sign confidentiality contracts that would hold much water. And with them finding those herbs growing around the ancient ruins, the leaders no longer dared send more than a handful back to Earth at a time. At least not until the boss was back and could shoulder whatever came next.

Some believed the boss had gone and gotten himself killed somewhere off-world. Carl knew better. There was some truth to the adage that only the good die young—an unlucky star and professional madman like the Lord Atwood would outlast them all.

Of course, if he really wanted to go back, he would have been able to make something happen. He had enough contribution points to take a three-month vacation at least. Except, how could he leave this place with Lissa refusing to go back? Thus, he was stuck fighting demons, ghosts, and the weird beasts that made the Ensolus Continent their home.

And now even their own had turned against them, adding yet another layer of horror to the Ensolus Continent.

“Captain! Snap out of it!” Carl shouted as he hesitantly pointed his bow at Rovik, the Revenant warrior he’d been assigned to assist when guarding the summit. “Don’t think I won’t poke a hole in you just because you managed to get your hands on some of the Brewmaster’s Rum!”

Though Carl sounded, and hopefully looked, ferocious, he wasn’t sure what to do. Should he attack? Rovik’s previously pale eyes had turned black, and markings appeared on his forehead, looking a lot like those troublesome ghosts. By all appearances, Rovik had betrayed them. But from what he understood of these undead, they were essentially the boss’s children or something similar.

It should be hardwired in their minds to stay loyal. Was he possessed? Could the undead be possessed? Wasn’t that redundant? And would he start some sort of international incident if he attacked? But the Revenant was definitely up to something even if he didn’t attack, with his energy surging ominously like that.

Worse, he wasn’t the only one, with both living and undead guards suddenly sporting those marks. Carl felt himself sweating bullets, locked in hesitation, looking at the shrouded area in the middle of the courtyard for direction. The situation grew even tenser when he noticed a weird rune starting to take form above Rovik’s head.

But suddenly, a flash of white, and Rovik was split in two, and the rune above his head dissipated.

“Are you crazy!” Carl wheezed, though he was inwardly extremely relieved to see Lissa both alive and unmarked by that rune. “Shouldn’t we knock them out or something?”

“It was not the captain,” Lissa said, her ever-present smile replaced by a somber frown. “Take a look around—who is it that’s acting out? It’s all people who have been stationed at either the Dorius Cliffs or Pengem Groves in the past six months. Our people have been replaced somehow.”

“Are you certain?” Carl hesitated. “Is it from [Flashfire Scan]?”

“Their souls are extremely weird,” Lyssa nodded. “Like dozens of souls cut and sewn together to look exactly like the originals. But they are falling apart now that those runes have appeared. They won’t last more than a minute or two.”

“Do you want to hide out in the barracks for a minute or two?” Carl ventured as he furtively glanced at the leaders in the distance. “I doubt they’ll miss us.”

“You want a talk with Lady Vilari, or perhaps that dead wolfman?” Lissa smiled in return.

“I will quash these ghost’s dastardly plans before they know what hit them,” Carl solemnly nodded as a pitch-black bow appeared in his hand.

Carl condensed an arrow with [Bough of Apollo] and further empowered it with his Fragment of the Inferno. The air screamed from being incinerated when he let go of the string of his Spirit Tool. A fiery streak was drawn through the air, weaving through the guards before they hit their mark.

“Not bad, sweetie,” Lissa smiled as she saw the two weird ghost-copies collapse, before the third target’s Miasmic shield exhausted the arrow’s energy.

His attack seemed to serve as a wake-up call, and multiple attacks rained down on the shapeshifters who defended as best they could. Some managed to form their runes, whereas others were struck down.

“I much preferred it when you called me Lord Husband,” Carl grunted, though he didn’t really mind sweetie either.

“Silly human rules of courtship,” she laughed as she melded with the surroundings. “What good are demure women? Of course, if you become a Hegemon, I might consider it.”

“Like I’m not trying to,” Carl muttered as he fired off another arrow.

This time he was too late, and yet another rune had appeared in the air. He tried breaking it apart with a Dao-empowered attack, but it impotently passed right through.

Carl sighed as he willed the arrow to swerve into the head of another shapeshifter, or whatever they were. At least these guys seemed happy to be target practice, only defending and not attacking. The leaders of the Incursion didn’t have it as easy, and Carl took a couple of precautionary steps toward the edge of the courtyard upon sensing the ramping auras.

Suddenly, the glistening runes on the outer walls grew dim, and a sea of ghosts descended on Fort Atwood. Carl’s eyes widened in alarm and he conjured his Arrow Array while activating [Erebus Step], readying himself for a tough fight. If there was any doubt before, it was gone now. It took less than a minute for the Peace Summit to implode.

As Carl launched a stream of arrows targeted at the remaining shapeshifters, one thought struck him—the boss would have loved this.

* * *

How was this possible?

Their arrays had multiple layers of fail-safes, and every single member of the guards were regularly scanned after their experiences with the Church of Everlasting Dao. Yet they’d both been infiltrated, and their defensive arrays had been turned off. They had been prepared for the natives to try something, but even Vilari hadn’t expected to be outplayed to this degree.

The fraught emotions were causing a storm across the square, with the change coming too suddenly.

‘I’ll deal with the assault,’ Joanna’s voice echoed in Vilari’s mind as the golden armor enclosed her.

The next moment, she shot toward the incoming tide of ghastly elites, and fifty golden streaks of light joined her from their hidden positions at the edge of the courtyard. Soon after, a stream of elite warriors emerged from Fort Atwood, their auras soaring as they rushed to meet the avalanche of spectral warriors.

Chaos was descending on the fortress, but the small spot in the center of the courtyard was an untouched lake of tranquility with three leaders and their retinues stuck at an impasse. Both the demons and the undead delegates had sealed themselves into protective bubbles, one in glistening gold and the other in dour black.

“Why are you doing this?” Vilari calmly asked as she released the locks to her spiritual power, causing her hair to dance in the air. “Why give up on the road toward survival?”

“Road toward survival?” Eomid’s laugh emerged from the opaque shield. “Five years have passed and you’re no closer to finding a solution than the day you arrived. If there is one thing the Kingdom of Raun understands, it’s that death can arrive at any moment, and you need to seize the means to survive yourself. And that is exactly what we did.”

Sensing the previously normal-looking souls of the Fort Atwood guards coming apart as they conjured those large shimmering runes, Vilari realized what was going on. She didn’t understand the theories behind what had been done, but she did recognize the flavor of spiritual fluctuations.

“You managed to contact the Undead Empire,” Vilari stated.

“You think us fools, oblivious to the situation the undead of the Zecia Sector finds themselves in? A singular faction with enemies in every direction. I do not know why you refuse to join the Undead Empire, but why drag the Kingdom of Raun into your madness? Even if we survive, we will end up being cleansed sooner or later,” the Ghost King growled.

By this point, even a fool would be able to sense the growing fluctuations from within the black barrier. They weren’t just staying put—the three Ghost Kings were preparing for war.

“So yes, we managed to contact the elders of the Undead Empire. They were quite enraged to hear about an unaffiliated faction such as yours ousting their Incursion, and they provided us with the methods to infiltrate your fortress,” Eomid said.

“You created chimeral souls, sacrificing hundreds of warriors to copy the souls of our people,” Vilari frowned. “This borders on the unorthodox.”

“We can sacrifice everything for survival, including ourselves,” Eomid countered.

A Peak E-grade spectral warrior appeared next to her before the Ghost King had even finished his sentence, his dagger already shooting toward her throat. However, Vilari only glanced at the ghost as she activated [Woeful Dejection], releasing a burst of compressed Miasma, Mental Energy, and the Branch of Hollow Sensations.

A shriek echoed out as the ghost was blasted over a thousand meters until it slammed into the outer walls, whose runes had already gone dark. Its incorporeal form dissipated into a hazy cloud that would soon turn to nothingness. There were no odds of the elite warrior reforming; its soul had already been disintegrated before it hit the wall.

“Are you part of this?” Vilari asked as she turned her gaze toward the demons, many of whom shied away from her stare now that she’d unleashed her aura.

She knew what the demons called her—The Soulblight Witch. She wasn’t too fond of the moniker, but it did serve its purpose in a tight situation like this. Besides, it was a lot better than her lord’s unfortunate title.

“We have no part in this scheme,” Ra’Klid smiled from within the shimmering barrier. “We will let you deal with it before resuming our talks.”

“Like the oriole,” Ilvere swore as he gave the demons a scathing stare, two massive boulders already accumulating force above his head. The demon’s eyes turned to the elders standing behind the young chieftain, who also didn’t make a move. Their only change was taking out their weapons and setting up a defensive perimeter in case the shield was broken. “Is the council of the same opinion?”

“Our chieftain’s will is the will of the tribes,” the shaman nodded. “You speak of leadership, so prove yourself worthy. If you cannot even deal with a challenge to your rule, how could we possibly entrust the lives of the Mavai to you?”

Ilvere only snorted in response, before turning his gaze at the thick barrier the undead elites had enclosed themselves inside. ‘What should we do? I won’t be able to take this thing apart in the short run, and the bastards are clearly up to something.’

‘We cannot discern exactly how these runes are blocking the circuits,’ Ciru’s voice joined Ilvere’s as the Volor Clansman activated his node of Vilari’s [Spirit Council], sending the message from his position deep underground. ‘We have activated the backup routes and array breakers, but there is an odd resistance that can’t be simply bypassed. I think…’

‘Large-scale sacrifice,’ Vilari confirmed. ‘Each of those runes contains the will of thousands of sacrificed ghosts. Their latent will impacts everything around us. It can be considered a faith-based attack.’

A huge explosion erupted as Joanna was forced to unleash her [Armament Zone], proof that these invading spectral warriors were the cream of the crop. Vilari was full of reluctance, knowing the implications of not being able to sway these stubborn ghosts, but she had to act to minimize the loss of life.

Hopefully, they could still get the demons to join them in a quick war in exchange for making the whole planet Life-attuned, thus salvaging Lord Atwood’s chances of becoming a Baron. She still hadn’t managed to unearth the true secrets of her body, but she forcibly pushed her Mental Energy into her veins, allowing them to draw the spiritual array with her blood.

A hazy eye appeared above her head the next moment, mirroring her own unique set of eyes. The ability was still just a hollow mimicry compared to what Lord Atwood described, but it was proof her hard work had started to bear fruit. Besides, the bloodline avatar was powered by a soul far more powerful than what her body’s previous owner ever controlled, giving it a greater boost.

“So be it,” Vilari sighed. “Since you chose this path, you will have to bear the price.”

The next moment, the pitch-black halo appeared behind her back as she activated [Circle of Decay], and the matching gate appeared above the undead delegate’s barrier.

Two strikes slammed into the Miasmic shield, one a world-breaking strike from Ilvere’s boulders and another a beam of condensed darkness from Rhuger. The two attacks weren’t enough to completely break through the barrier, but it was enough to cause cracks to appear.

“Despair,” Vilari sighed, and desolation fell like rain from the sky.

The world lost its color as the rays of despair converged on the already damaged barrier. The demons moved even farther away, not daring to even look at the cascade of death and mental anguish taken corporeal form. It looked like the sun’s rays peeking through a cloud on a hazy day, though the colors were inverted.

Vilari always felt the scene was extremely soothing. Though for the weak-willed, looking at this attack was enough to create Heart Demons. She briefly wondered what her lord would see if he looked upon the attack with his Draugr eyes. Would he behold the same beauty as she did?

She shook her head, refocusing her attention on the barrier. Or rather the ghosts maintaining its function. One by one they fell, their minds dragged away to the abyss as Vilari infiltrated the safe zone through the cracks her captains had opened. A few more ghosts tried to bolster its defenses, but a second barrage arrived a moment later, providing Vilari with the opportunity to completely drown the insides with her despair.

Shrill screams echoed out as Vilari felt a series of bursts of Kill Energy. However, the flow suddenly stopped as a pulse rebuffed the rays coming from above. It was the other two Ancestral Ghosts who’d made their move, stepping out from the barrier to deal with Vilari. They carried unique spectral weapons, and were already launching an opening salvo after temporarily dispelling the mental attack of [Circle of Decay].

“Regret,” Vilari whispered as she pointed at the two warriors, and the streaks on her cheeks cooled down as two sigils appeared in front of her.

They flashed with sinister lights as they shot toward the Ghost Kings, and they passed straight through the attacks that were aimed at her life. She didn’t even spare those attacks a glance as she started drawing another sigil in her mind, one meant for Eomid who still hid inside the mist.

The two attacks were already slowing down, robbed of their vigor by Pika’s [Deceleration Field]. By the time they hit Rhuger’s [Opaque Bulwark], they’d already lost more than half of their force. They still managed to break through Rhugher’s defensive skill, but by that point, it only required a burst of Mental Energy to crush them.

Meanwhile, the sigils of her [Final Asylum] had already reached the two ghosts who finally realized what kind of danger they were in. This kind of mental prison was especially lethal to a spectral warrior, even if they were in the D-grade, and both desperately fought against the suction of the skill. If they relented for even a moment, they would be trapped until they died or managed to exhaust the cage.

Just as she was about to send a third and final asylum into the churning mists, Vilari sensed a fluctuation that unmistakably contained spatial ripples.

Short-distance teleportation? Vilari’s eyes widened with alarm and she immediately turned to the pillar at the heart of the fort. A moment later, she sensed a burst of deathly energies—her fears were true. The real reason the ghosts had created those sacrificial beacons to deactivate their arrays was not to provide their army with a point of ingress. The army was just a diversion.

The real plan was to teleport Eomid into the heart of the fort, bypassing the spatial restrictions that were normally in place.

She wanted to rush back and prevent the Ghost King from damaging the Nexus Hub, potentially trapping them on the Ensolus Continent without a supply line. However, the two other Ghost Kings held nothing back, burning their life force as they destroyed the prison sigils before flashing over to block her path.

Fury turned into despair, and Vilari prepared to forcibly draw on her bloodline to blast these two Hegemons into nothingness, no matter the price.

‘No need. This ends now,’ a calm voice echoed in her mind, a voice both so familiar and distant that it felt like a dream.

And in the wake of that voice, came a storm.

5

A STORM DESCENDS

Ra’Klid inwardly shuddered as the main gates of Fort Atwood swung open like the gates to the abyss, his 180 points in Luck telling him that lethal danger had descended upon this place. Budding trepidation rapidly transitioned into a primal fear as an aura of ultimate suppression blasted out from the interiors of the fort, absolutely drowning the whole courtyard.

For a moment, Ra’Klid felt as though he were back on the Southbend Steppes before the Integration. Just an unproven warrior with five hundred He’Ruk Blooddancers bearing down on him atop their raptors. The feeling of being outmatched and outnumbered, of fear leaking through his pores from the impending doom.

He wasn’t the only one who felt the change in the winds of war—how could you miss it? Fighting rapidly abated, with even Peak E-grade warriors struggling to simply stay upright from the storm of killing intent that unceasingly flooded the courtyard, a single source overwhelming thousands of veteran warriors.

What kind of monster was approaching? Who could emit such an aura of savagery, and how many deaths must they have on their conscience?

A few flashes of light ripped through the air, and the previously unbreakable runes conjured by the unholy ones crumbled into nothingness. Just like that, the only thing protecting the ghosts from the terrifying fortification of these outsiders had failed.

Ra’Klid barely registered it, as the runes on his scales hummed with delight.

“True Divinity,” the shaman whispered with ardent fervor shimmering in his eyes, and they turned toward the source of both the aura of terror and the Dao of their origin.

It was a human male who came walking through the main gates of the fort, wearing a warrior’s robe in the same colors as the banners of these other-worlders. His appearance wasn’t anything special, except for being slightly more rugged than his thinner brethren. And while his appearance was average, his aura was not.

The air twisted around him as he walked, unable to contain the force of his conviction. It almost felt as though the chaotic and impure energies of the Ensolus Continent were welcoming its sovereign, and a storm was rapidly kicking up in the sky. He was not doing anything after that initial salvo, yet he’d somehow become the centeral point of the whole fort, his presence demanding the leaders’ full attention.

The pressure of staring into the furious and Paka-addled eyes of his father in the Circle of Challenge was nothing compared to what he felt from standing before this man. Ra’Klid’s own conviction faltered as the man neared, each step of his like a hammer against his own heart. Even though the human carried the aura of divinity, it felt different, and Ra’Klid even started wondering if they were on the wrong path.

“Breathe,” the old warrior to his side whispered, though Ra’Klid could see he was gripping his axe so deeply, his claws had dug into his palm, causing tiny droplets of blood to fall on the ground.

Ra’Klid surreptitiously nodded in thanks to his old mentor and turned back toward the human who could be none other than Lord Atwood, the Deviant Asura who many presumed dead after being missing for years. They thought him just a mayfly, a burst of magnificence followed by irrelevance.

Foolish.

After the Soulblight Witch proclaimed herself a follower of the Deviant Asura years ago, Ra’Klid and his confidantes had done everything in their might to gather all the intelligence they could. Even then, the recordings of his fight in front of the Tower of Eternity were nothing compared to being put face-to-face with the man.

In the recordings, he’d essentially been a beast—powerful and unpredictable, lashing out at his surroundings. But the figure in front of him was a true warrior, every movement perfectly in tune with the Heavens themselves. It even felt like the Deviant Asura had transcended the fabled Divine Warriors of legend, the hallowed masters whose strikes contained the will and faith of their whole tribe.

It might even surpass those legendary existences, transcending the most revered experts in Mavai History. How was it possible? How could someone improve to such a degree in only a small number of years? The Divine Warriors only reached their level after centuries of tempering, allowing them a few short decades of supremacy before their aging bodies failed to match their skill.

Was this what a peak genius in this so-called Zecia Sector looked like?

In one of his hands, the Deviant Asura held a beautifully crafted bone axe that told a story of blood and glory, instilled with a power that resonated with the very core of the Mavai. It was the same weapon as the one in the recordings, though it seemed to have undergone almost as great a transformation as his master.

Yet Ra’Klid barely spared the weapon a glance, even if it was a treasure that would have made him drool in normal situations. As shocking as the axe was, it was nothing compared to what the man held in his other hand.

The old bastard Eomid.

The Ghost King was furiously struggling, yet the vise-like grip around his throat effortlessly locked him in place. Not only that, but some sort of plant had bound the spectral warrior, seemingly completely unbothered by the fact the warrior was an intangible spirit.

“My king!” Kantasta, the right-hand man of Eomid, screamed, and he turned into a river of blades as he rushed toward the Deviant Asura.

The man barely spared him a glance, his axe drawing a lazy arc that made Ra’Klid’s hair stand on end.

“Perfection!” Mondrik gasped, and Ra’Klid had to agree with his teacher.

He’d never witnessed such a beautiful strike. It was simple yet sublime, and Kantasta barely managed to avoid getting cut in two. It hadn’t contained hardly any energy, yet it exhausted all of a Peak E-grade warrior’s momentum. This was perfection, creating miracles with the smallest of movement, a world in one’s hand.

The ghost understood it was outmatched, and it conjured a scimitar-wielding apparition above his head, most likely his ultimate skill. Such futility. With a small step and a follow-up strike flowing as smooth as water, the elite assassin was cut down as though he was a redback sog bred for slaughter.

Seeing his confidante being killed prompted another serious burst of resistance.

“It failed!” Eomid croaked.

“And now the price has to be paid,” Lord Atwood sighed.

“Wait!” the ghost screamed. “We can—”

But there was no waiting and no mercy with the Deviant Asura. Eomid should have understood as much after feeling the terrifying storm of blood that was ingrained in the man’s aura. Even then, Ra’Klid’s eyes turned to saucers as the powerful Ancestral Ghost was ripped apart as though he made from brittlegrass, only his Cosmic Core remaining. The core entered the man’s Spatial Treasure, while the rest of his body started dissipating.

It was obviously not just raw Strength, though Ra’Klid knew the man had more than enough to spare. It was a level of Dao that perhaps only the Soulblight Witch could match on this world. A flood of pure Life had stormed into Eomid’s intangible body, overwhelming his defenses and effectively shredding his soul.

Just like that, one of the peak warriors of this world had fallen in such an ignoble manner.

In their plans to take out Eomid, Mondrik estimated that at least three councilors would have to sacrifice their lives, yet the Deviant Asura had ended him like it was nothing. How was this possible? Even if he managed to enter the D-grade since disappearing, the difference shouldn’t be this big.

He had no answer to that mystery, and could only thank the lucky stars he listened to Mondrik’s and Vakra’s advice to stay neutral in case either of the opposing sides made a move during this meeting. What if the Mavai actually joined the unholy ones in an attempt to take out the Soulblight Witch? It might have been him being ripped apart just now instead of Eomid.

“You know who I am, this Insurrection ends now. Anyone who doesn’t comply will die, and their whole race will be implicated,” the Deviant Asura said, his voice empowered by a killing intent that sent shivers down Ra’Klid’s spine.

Ra’Klid almost hoped the unclean ones had some more cards up their sleeves, allowing the Mavai to get a better picture of the man who’d become a legend in the Base Town of the Tower of Eternity. Unfortunately, the cowardly ghosts seemed to have lost all their fighting will upon seeing the Ghost King getting torn apart.

“Mercy! We surrender!” Aouvi shrieked as he fell to his knees, and Carva immediately followed suit, meaning all three of the Ghost Kings had either died or surrendered by now.

A moment later, every single ghost in the courtyard was kneeling, waiting on the judgement of the axeman. Ra’Klid’s eyes glimmered as he looked at the scene, his mind briefly recalling his father, drunk and belligerent as he shouted at his harem, believing he’d been at the peak of the world. Ra’Klid shook his head.

If the Mavai wanted to survive in this world where monsters like the Deviant Asura walked the lands, they needed to adapt.

* * *

The previously chaotic courtyard was so quiet, you could hear a pin drop. Zac looked at the sea of kneeling specters, the air around him still flickered from the ripped-apart wraith. He was shocked at how quickly these guys gave in, his eyes even thinning in suspicion that they were planning something else.

Still, he couldn’t believe his luck.

He’d planned on being present for the summit mentioned in the reports just in case, though in hiding so he could observe both the performance of his people and the response of these natives. Unfortunately, his trip to the Underworld had taken longer than expected, making him run a couple of minutes late.

However, he hadn’t expect things to go south so quickly, even though the missive mentioned the risk of negotiations falling through were quite high. Zac wasn’t surprised, considering the third reward Vilari could choose upon conquering this planet—to completely drain this world’s World Core and use the energy to push Earth to Middle D-grade.

How could anyone feel confident about surrendering in such a situation?

Even then, he hadn’t expected to run into one of the ghosts, a D-grade one at that, the moment he appeared on the Ensolus Continent. He somehow made it all the way to the teleportation room and was trying to tamper with the Nexus Hub using some foreign contraption. Luckily, the ghost had been just as surprised as Zac when he appeared, allowing Zac to thwart the attempt and capture the man in one go.

Honestly, things went a lot smoother than Zac could ever anticipate, considering the man was a Hegemon. The ghost didn’t even have a chance to activate a single skill before he was bound by Vivi and flooded with the Branch of the Kalpataru, completely disrupting his energy flow. At first, Zac thought his training in the Orom World had made him even stronger than he realized, but he soon understood the real reason after he felt the ghost’s attempts at breaking free.

The ghost’s stores of Miasma were far greater than Zac’s own reserves, but he wasn’t able to use a huge amount of it at any given moment. Either his foundations were damaged, or he’d not properly recovered from forcing a breakthrough. Because there was no way he reached Hegemony the normal way.

After all, the ghost was only supported by two Middle-stage Dao Fragments. He must have forcibly pushed himself into the D-grade using some sort of unorthodox means or by eating treasures that had appeared on this newly-integrated world.

Becoming even a weak Hegemon would normally be enough to deal with most E-grade elites, so long as you possessed the right tools, but it wasn’t enough to deal with someone like Zac. Perhaps if the ghost had a High-quality War Regalia or the time to gain a couple of levels it’d have been a different story. Except this ghost wasn’t even a match to Aia Ouro, Hegemon or not.

Let alone to Zac himself, who sported a trio of Dao Branches and a slew of titles to boost his attributes far beyond the norm of a Peak E-grade cultivator.

Now, the question was how to deal with these natives. He’d read the thoughts and motivations behind Vilari’s and Joanna’s plans for the Ensolus Continent and this World, giving him some insights that not even his elite soldiers had. However, there were also a lot of things he didn’t have a complete grasp on. He guessed he would have to play things by the ear.

A flash of golden light, and Joanna, decked in golden armor, appeared before him, joined by a squad of nine other Valkyries who were all somewhat familiar to him.

“You’re back,” Joanna breathed, her eyes practically sparkling. “We knew you’d make it.”

“I’m back,” Zac smiled. “I’m sorry it took so long.”

“As long as you—” Joanna started, but a sudden wail disrupted the quiet that had gripped the courtyard.

Zac frowned. It was one of his guards who’d collapsed on the ground, tightly grasping the rune that had appeared on her forehead. A few warriors rushed over, but they weren’t sure whether to help or execute the guard screaming at the top of her lungs.

“What have you done to my people?” Zac frowned as he turned to the two remaining D-grade ghosts.

“Alive!” the ghost said. “They’re all alive!”

“What?” Zac’s frown deepened as he looked at the unmoving bodies strewn across the floor, either dead from forming those runs or dead from the Atwood Empire soldiers striking them down.

“These are not your people. They are bodies purchased through an incomplete mercantile license connected to the Undead Empire,” the ghost explained, the words practically spilling out of her mouth in her hurry to salvage the situation. “They were modified to look like your guards and then infused with chimeral souls made from our own people. However, for the aura to completely fool the scans, your guards had to be alive and linked to these warriors.”

“What happened to them now that these chimeral souls are collapsing?” Zac grunted as he crossed the courtyard with a flash, appearing next to Vilari.

The mentalist didn’t say anything, only slightly smiled as she patted his arm, almost as though confirming he was really there. Zac returned her smile as he looked into her unique eyes, but this unfortunately wasn’t the time for a proper reunion. He had to deal with these ghosts before they did something stupid again.

“They should have gotten a weak backlash, but the connections are not strong enough to harm them,” the other ghost added, shying away upon Zac’s sudden appearance. “In fact, they are not far away. With your permission, we can call for our people to lead them here.”

“You’re quite helpful all of a sudden,” Vilari said before she turned to Rhuger. “Get a report of the surroundings, and try to contact the outer forts. The ghosts might be attacking our border guards as we speak.”

“There is no such thing happening,” the Ghost Queen hurriedly assured.

“Why should I believe you?” Zac snorted.

“Survival above all. Our plan was like this from the start. If this gambit succeeded, your people would be cut off from your planet. We would launch a full-scale war, hopefully dragging these demons with us to deal with you, the greatest threat, before turning on each other,” the Ghost King explained, hiding nothing. “If we failed, we would immediately surrender. If my liege so desires, execute everyone here, but we beg you to leave a route to survival for our citizens.”

“I hope my liege can appreciate the situation we found ourselves in,” the other ghost added. “If we didn’t approach the Undead Empire, we would’ve met our demise in 100 years.”

Zac wasn’t willing to just forgive these ghosts after they launched an attack on his people, but they did have a point. Their situation wasn’t the same as the Mavai Tribes. They could essentially find a place within any larger faction of Zecia even if they weren’t placed within the Azh’Kir’Khat horde.

Conversely, the Kingdom of Raun would be annihilated by any faction except the Undead Empire.

‘We have told them of ‘Mr. Black’, but it is unclear if they believed us when we said a pureblood Draugr leads the Einherjar,’ Vilari’s voice entered his mind.

“What are your names?”

“Aouvi, my liege,” the ghost looking like an old bearded man hurriedly introduced himself.

“Carva, my liege,” the regal-looking spectral queen followed.

“Eomid broke the truce today, but there is still a road of survival for the Kingdom of Raun,” Zac said as he held the subdued ghost’s gazes. “However, if you and the Mavai Tribes want to save this planet, a price has to be paid.”

6

THE PATH FORWARD

Saying that he could save the planet was pretty bombastic, but Zac was somewhat certain he could make it happen. The reason he was late was just to make sure he could put forth his proposal. Though first, he needed to make these flighty ghosts and the demons trust him.

“You don’t have to worry about this being some ploy. I don’t need to play games—if I wanted to, I could simply eradicate both you and the demons,” Zac added. “My strength is my truth.”

His words could be seen as a threat, yet he could sense both the demons and some of the ghosts relaxing somewhat. A few of the demons even looked reverently upon him, their stares creeping him out a little bit. Then again, he’d read up a bit on the Mavai, and his Branch of the Kalpataru must be extremely attractive to a species whose elite warriors had Life-attuned constitutions.

A sudden shake that gripped the whole courtyard made Zac freeze in place, and the odd energies around him grew erratic. It was an extremely weird sensation, almost the opposite of the Twilight Ocean. There was both Life and Death in the air, yet they refused to mix. Like two oils forming a chaotic and everchanging mix, where people had to wear specially designed arrays to cultivate.

In return for the chaos, the energy was weirdly animated, and it was quicker to cultivate in this place than normal if you could manage to filter the energy. For Zac himself, he could simply rely on the same method here as he did in the Twilight Ocean; use one-half of the energy for himself while his [Void Heart] transformed the other half.

“Now, let’s finish this summit before this blasted planet falls apart,” Zac sighed.

“You are the Lord of the Atwood Empire we’ve been hearing about. The Deviant Asura,” the leading demon said with a glimmer in his eyes. “I am delighted to finally meet you, warchief. I am Ra’Klid, the current leader of the Mavai. My son visited the Tower of Eternity three years ago. You are the one who left that tree in the center?”

“That was me,” Zac nodded as his Tower of Eternity-title appeared in front of him, drawing loud exclamations from demons and ghosts alike.

Most likely, this was the most powerful title anyone on this world had ever seen.

“They really spoke the truth. It is an honor standing in front of such a warrior. My shameful son only reached the latter half of the third floor. He said he couldn’t imagine how someone could reach the ninth,” the demon praised before he looked around. “There is another one, yes? Some king of the undead?”

Zac inwardly laughed—this demon was a bit interesting. Ra’Klid reminded him a bit of Ogras; a crafty mind surrounded by meatheads. Not that demons were stupid. It was just that most of their subraces preferred straightforward communication—like an axe through a skull.

“Arcaz is dealing with some other matters, but we are both back,” Zac said, then turned to the ghosts. “For now, send your soldiers back and have them return my people. Meanwhile, we’ll resume this meeting.”

‘We don’t seem to have any casualties from this engagement, only a lot of wounded,’ Vilari’s voice appeared in Zac’s mind again. ‘Looking at it now, it really seems they were planning on holding back until Eomid disrupted the connection to Earth. No unforgivable sins have been committed either over the past years.’

Zac glanced in Vilari’s direction, knowing what the mentalist was getting at. She wanted him to go easy on the undead, most likely so they could become an asset down the road. Zac wasn’t usually in the business of forgiving someone who attacked his people, but he ultimately trusted in her judgement.

A moment later, the spectral army was gone, leaving a befuddled guard who wasn’t sure what to do. However, after a few barks from the remaining leaders, order was restored. A new table replaced the one that had been destroyed, and the leaders of the three factions once more sat down, though Zac was the one who represented his side this time around.

“So, as you probably know, I am Zachary Atwood, ruler of the Atwood Empire. I have just returned after a cultivation journey, so I am not up to date with all the details of this world. But I know the broad strokes,” Zac began.

It turned out that his real identity had finally been exposed not long after he left, and all of the Zecia Sector knew his surname was Atwood rather than Piker. It was one of the first things mentioned in the missives, and his people believed it was the result of some unaffiliated citizen of Earth choosing to spill the beans in return for a payout upon visiting the Tower of Eternity.

His name being exposed was honestly a matter of time, and it ultimately didn’t matter. Zac had already confirmed there were no curses or karmic skills that worked from just having a name. Besides, he could still keep reinventing himself every time he left Earth by changing his face. It was, however, a reminder that not even Earthlings could be trusted, and he would have to make his preparations watertight for when Earth finally got assimilated.

Until he reached Monarchy himself, Earth would be a weak point of his, and he needed to make sure it was protected or hidden away.

“This world is about to collapse, and there are no easy solutions. The Kingdom of Raun chose war,” Zac said, glancing at the wraiths who shuddered nervously. “Meanwhile, the Mavai chose to sit on the sidelines. Trust is the biggest issue, where you are unable to believe in our promises.”

“There was no consensus,” Carva, the Ghost Queen, hurriedly said. “We wanted to avoid war if possible, but with our whole race on the line…”

“No matter. I can understand your position, seeing as I have undead under my banner as well. I probably would have made the same choice as Eomid did. After all, I was the one who personally slaughtered most of the factions who invaded Earth a decade ago, when we were the ones in your current situation,” Zac said, which seemed to calm the ghosts a bit.

Zac extending an olive branch didn’t mean he had completely put the matter of the attack behind him. He had faith that Vilari and the others would’ve pulled through even with this scheme, considering Nexus Hubs weren’t something you could just break willy-nilly.

He could also sense the powerful spiritual fluctuations coming from the mentalist next to him. Knowing she possessed two Dao Branches, she should have eventually been able to defeat these forcibly raised Hegemons. However, doing so in an instant might have required some drastic means akin to him using his Remnants.

Zac couldn’t bear to see her overdraft and damage her soul after what he went through with Alea. Even if she survived, something like that could harm her cultivation or even her potential. Him stepping in as he did might have cost some warriors breakthroughs in the heat of battle, but the Multiverse didn’t lack deadly encounters. The safety of his people came first, and he couldn’t just sit idly by even after capturing Eomid.

Of course, Zac would have people investigate this insurrection further, no matter how subservient these two Hegemons acted right now. There might be more instigators hiding in the shadows, ready to strike at a moment’s weakness or when he was off-world dealing with his other matters.

That was true for both sides, not only the ghosts.

The demons had chosen to put up a smiling front, but Zac would be a fool to completely trust them. They would be monitored just the same, to make sure there were no threats to him, his people, or Port Atwood. But no matter what he found, he wouldn’t condemn a whole population based solely on the actions of a few leaders at the top.

Part of it was that he sympathized with their situation, since Earth went through the same thing just a few years before. In a sense, they were companions in suffering. But there was another reason this incursion still wasn’t over; Port Atwood desperately needed soldiers. War was coming, and Earth would not make up even a single squad in an inter-Sector war.

The bigger and more powerful his faction grew, the better positioned they would all be down the road.

The population of these two factions was slightly below Earth’s, but their civilizations grew up with Cosmic Energy and Miasma. So even if their numbers couldn’t match the more populous humans, their armies were larger, even if Zac included the Zhix hordes. These armies weren’t too impressive at the moment since they still relied on the Low-quality heritages they’d formed pre-Integration, but with time, that would change.

Just like the forces of Port Atwood.

“Your hesitation is justified. I got the quest as well when I entered this world,” Zac continued as he looked around. “With one thought, we could drain this whole planet if given control. And even if we honor our deal, there are no guarantees we’ll be able to save this world. But what if I could save this world right now, before you even need to make a decision?”

He was talking about the twinned Realm Spirits in his Spatial Ring. Three days had passed already since he returned, yet he only appeared on the Ensolus Continent just now. It was all because he needed to visit Earth’s core. Reading about the shakes that threatened to rip this world apart was pretty ominous, and Zac was worried the same thing would happen back home sooner or later.

If he had to choose between saving Earth and this planet, he would choose Earth every time. However, Earth had been Life-Death attuned even longer than this one, yet not a single issue had cropped up. It made Zac wonder if the System had done something differently on Earth.

The journey wasn’t very complicated thanks to Triv. The butler had used his incorporeal form to go deeper and deeper to help Port Atwood investigate the state of Earth, and he’d installed teleporters in the depths. It was too troublesome and expensive to place one beneath the magmatic mantle, but Zac still managed to reach over ten times deeper than the Underworld in just a few minutes.

The actual core was quite far from the deepest outpost, but he’d only needed to spend just over a day in the mantle before he got his answer. The twinned Realm Spirits had stirred, and it was followed by a sense of fear. Fear coming from the depths of the planet.

It turned out that Zac had risked it all for nothing, with Earth’s situation already dealt with by the System or by chance. There was already a spirit residing in Earth’s core, making the twinned spirits in his ring superfluous. After all, a native spirit was probably a superior fit for Earth compared to implanting the two Realm Spirits he’d picked up.

Thus, he had a simple solution for this world, one that shouldn’t put Earth at risk, considering the twinned spirits’ dubious origin. He was somewhat certain Qi’Sar had really died back when the Twilight Ocean collapsed, but who knew what kind of means that ancient being had. What if a wisp of Qi’Sar’s soul hid inside the Realm Spirits, and he infused them with his homeworld? That would be akin to inviting disaster into his home.

It was better to use it on this new world, especially since it would fall apart if nothing changed anyway. Sure, the Realm Spirits might turn into some powerful Life-Death item upon their demise, but if Zac was unwilling to use the treasure on Earth, he was even more hesitant about using them on himself.

Zac had been looking for a world to place his Limited Trial on anyway, the reward for his Sovereignty-quest chain. This way, he could even gauge outsiders’ reaction to a Life-Death world while he used powerful arrays to obscure Earth. If it turned into a neutral trading hub akin to Twilight Harbor, then great.

If this place was targeted because of it, then he would have to tighten the security around Earth even further.

“What!” Ra’Klid blurted, dragging Zac out of his thoughts. “Warchief, you have the means to heal this world? Without the quest of the Ruthless Heavens?”

“With both elements remaining?” the Ghost King added.

“That’s right,” Zac nodded. “I have found a solution to what ails this world, a way for it to stay on as is, without one element swallowing the other. That way, the main source of conflict is dealt with, and we can all look toward the future instead.”

“How is it possible?” Ra’Klid asked with glimmering eyes.

“That, I cannot tell you. It involves some high-grade secrets that will only harm everyone involved if spread. But you should see the results quickly after a short transitional phase,” Zac said.

Honestly, Zac had no idea if what he said was true. What did he know about Realm Spirits? If not for there being one in the Twilight Ocean, he still wouldn’t have known they existed. However, the shakes should stop as soon as the Realm Spirits integrated with the core. Hopefully, the process would be quick and painless, which would allow him to quickly move on to his other matters.

“What are your requests?” Aouvi asked, getting to the crux of the matter.

“Nothing comes for free,” Zac nodded. “You cannot imagine the cost of stabilizing a Life-Death world. Truthfully, this whole planet is only worth a fraction compared to the solution I prepared.

“Essentially, Vilari’s offer still stands,” Zac said. “Both your factions will swear allegiance to the Atwood Empire, and we will name this planet Ensolus after this central continent. The details of the deal will still be negotiated by Vilari and her people, as they are better versed in those matters.”

“Why are you doing this?” Carva hesitated. “If it is so expensive to heal this world—”

“Two reasons,” Zac said. “First, I want to turn this planet into the front-facing side of my empire, a commercial hub that outsiders can visit after the Assimilation.”

“While your world will hide in the shadows,” Ra’Klid concluded.

“Exactly,” Zac said, not bothering to hide anything. “My identity is sensitive, so I want to hide my planet until I have the strength to protect it. This will shift some of the danger to Ensolus. However, with risk come opportunities. This can drastically improve the prosperity of this world. I will even place an extremely valuable inheritance site on this planet, something your warriors can visit in exchange for a fee. These kinds of things can turn planets into money-making machines that benefit all their citizens.”

“I guess it’s not much different compared to a normal assimilation,” Carva hesitated. “We do not possess the means to hide our world in either case.”

Zac only nodded in response before continuing. “As for the second reason, war is coming to Zecia. I am not sure how much your people have managed to find out about the bigger world, but you should have been able to gather some snippets of information by now. Simply put, a massive war is about to break out.

“Standing to the side is not an option, so I need to bolster my forces. The war will break out before our Assimilation, meaning we will stand alone unless we join hands.”

“War against who?” Ra’Klid asked with confusion.

“I don’t know the details yet,” Zac said, glancing at Vilari.

“Something called a Space Gate has appeared in our Sector, connecting our part of space with another one. Normally, it’s impossible to travel such distances, but this gate makes it possible. We do not yet know the details of these invaders either, but early indications are the whole Sector will soon be embroiled in a massive struggle,” the mentalist explained.

“So, what is your answer?” Zac asked.

“The Kingdom of Raun has already surrendered,” Carva said with a bow. “We will accede to whatever demands you have, and we will pay restitution for our actions today. We will discuss the details with your followers.”

“Good,” Zac nodded. “And you don’t need to worry about the Undead Empire. Arcaz Black is a pureblood Draugr with connections of some of the peak clans of the Empire Heartlands. With one word from him, the Kavriel Clan of the Zecia Sector will invite the Kingdom of Raun with open arms, no questions asked.”

Once again, Zac was kind of stretching the truth. It all depended on Catheya’s performance after he fled the Twilight Ascent. If all worked out, she would have spoken for him with the Umbri’Zi Clan and perhaps even the Abyssal Shores. In either case, it would be effortless for them to make some arrangements with a Draugr border clan that could barely be considered pureblooded.

Catheya and he had worked out a few methods to communicate through relay after he returned to Zecia, but he hadn’t been able to check things out yet. Besides, he needed to plan some countermeasures before trying to reconnect with the Draugr scion. After all, there was a distinct possibility they chose to place the blame of the chaos in the Twilight Harbor on him, an unaffiliated Draugr.

Perhaps some Monarch was lying in wait the moment Zac went to check his messages.

“You lead by strength, and your Dao carries the true divinity of legend,” Ra’Klid added after exchanging a few looks with the elders next to him. “We have no issues joining under your banner the moment this world is healed, provided you continue to lead with truth and honor.”

“Then today’s meeting is over.” Zac was happy things were dealt with so quickly.

This was why Zac made such a grand entrance, putting his Dao and killing intent on full blast to the point he even activated [Spiritual Void]. With some shock and awe, a lot of annoyances could be side-stepped. “Both your delegations are welcome to stay either here or camp outside while we iron out the details of this merger. After the quakes have stopped, I will visit you both, and you will officially join the Atwood Empire.”

“You have no idea how lucky you are,” Vilari smiled from the side. “Your future paths just grew quite a lot wider.”

7

PRELUDE TO WAR

The two groups of delegates appeared quite eager, though it was no doubt at the prospect of these ominous earthquakes finally abating rather than joining some recently-formed empire. Zac didn’t mind. Certainly, he would have preferred willing and wholeheartedly loyal followers, but he wasn’t so naïve as to believe these races would follow him based on some agreement after years of war.

Things didn’t change so quickly. But give it a few decades, where dissidents were quietly removed, and they should have accepted these new circumstances. After a few millennia, few would even remember life before the Atwood Empire.

Until then, he would have to make sure their actions were loyal even if their hearts were not.

“Should you change your mind after I’ve spent a fortune on fixing this planet, I will see it as an act of war. I will keep chopping off heads until a representative who is willing to join the Atwood Empire steps forward,” Zac added. “The treatment of a subjugated force will naturally differ from one joining willingly. That is all.”

This was the best solution Zac could think of in short order, the one that would result in the least bloodshed. He was no shrewd politician, so he could only use the method he knew—force. He hoped that proving himself by infusing the Twin Spirits before taking over the planet would foster some goodwill that would lessen the problems down the road.

Not much later, a scout report said that a group of humans had been spotted, a bit gaunt but otherwise unscathed, who’d be back within a few hours. It looked like the Ghost Kings hadn’t lied. There wasn’t much else to say at that point, and the two groups of delegates returned to their armies camped outside for the day.

Zac walked back into the fort with Vilari and the other leaders of Port Atwood in tow. Soon enough, they retreated to the conference room originally meant for the Peace Summit, while others dealt with the fallout outside.

“Sorry to throw a wrench in your plans,” Zac smiled when they were finally alone.

“I’m ashamed,” Vilari said as she bowed deeply. “We used so many resources, yet we had to rely on you to deal with the mess we created.”

“I’ve read the reports,” Zac said. “You expended a lot of resources ousting the other factions, including the Undead Empire. It’s no surprise the locals had time to organize, especially with their spiritual heritage.”

“This is my mistake,” Vilari once more said. “I—”

“No, you did the right thing,” Zac said with a shake of his head. “It’s not a matter of efficiency, it’s a matter of principle. It would have affected morale if we started killing natives so soon after we went through the same thing.”

“Are you okay?” Joanna cut in. “We’ve been worried something happened. We have been trying to find a way to reach Twilight Harbor but without any luck.”

“Don’t bother,” Zac grunted as he sat down at the table. “It blew up.”

“What!” Vilari blurted, a rare display of losing her footing as a mentalist. “How could such a place blow up? The harbor alone should be able to contend in power with half the Zecia Sector.”

The others were wide-eyed as well, and some looked at Zac like he was a monster surviving something like that.

“Well, it turns out the Eveningtide Asura is still alive and well,” Zac said as he gave a shortened version of what happened in the Twilight Harbor and Twilight Ocean, glossing over the parts that involved his secrets.

“Amazing,” Ilvere sighed. “It’s these kinds of experiences that are needed to reach the top? I think I’ll stay on as a guard captain.”

“Autarchy… B-grade,” Joanna muttered with a glimmer in her eyes. “It’s so distant.”

“It’s unprecedented in this Sector,” Vilari nodded. “But if the Eveningtide Asura could do it, so can young master.”

The Valkyries nodded as though it was a matter of course, but the others were not so convinced. Even Hegemony was a distant dream for someone who was born on a D-grade world, while Monarchy required you to subvert fate. Autarchy was not even a dream, merely something impossible to accomplish in the frontier, let alone a weak Sector like Zecia. Opportunities like the one Alvod Jondir seized didn’t grow on trees.

“And you found the solution for Ensolus when you raided that treasury?” Joanna asked curiously. “Isn’t it better to use it on Earth?”

“That was why I took the risk and snatched it in the first place,” Zac nodded. “But it won’t work. I visited the core of Earth before coming here. It turns out our homeworld already has something similar. It might be a result of the System protecting the planet. Funny enough, I got the Realm Spirits just days after you accepted the Incursion. I wonder if the System knew I’d get them and arranged this planet.”

“The Ruthless Heavens has always shown consideration for its chosen,” Ilvere said, and Rhuger nodded in agreement.

“That was over four years ago,” Joanna said with confusion. “What happened next? Did you visit the Undead Empire?”

“Hardly. I got swallowed by a space fish when I escaped,” Zac sighed, and then told them about the Orom and how he was trapped there for years. However, he changed the nature of his escape by saying the fire golem’s attack caused spatial tears in the Orom World, and he’d simply jumped through one.

“Death is waiting around every corner in the Multiverse,” Joanna muttered. “How is one supposed to grow when monstrosities multiple grades higher can appear at any time?”

“That’s just it, lass,” Ilvere grunted. “Everyone will have to make a choice. You can stay on your homeworld and make steady progress, but you will never reach beyond the limits of the planet. Or you can take the risk to step into a vaster world, provided you have the prerequisite power and opportunities. You will most likely die on this path; only a few people like young master will rise while billions fall.”

Joanna visibly agreed, though her face was a bit downcast. Zac could only sigh, unable to offer any consolation except a pat on her shoulder. What Ilvere was saying was true. His pouring resources over the people of Port Atwood could only push them so far. Not only that, but the more they relied on outside help, the less likely they were to rise to prominence.

You needed to take risks to gain power.

Even then, there was a matter of even having the qualifications to take the risk. Not everyone had his ability to travel freely. Joanna, for example, was locked to Earth unless she asked for his help. And even if she ventured out to dangerous areas in the Zecia Sector, she would most likely end up as fertilizer to someone else’s path.

Part of it was simple statistics. If you joined ten medium-risk adventures with a 30% mortality rate, you only had a few percent chance of walking out alive. If you joined certain-death events like the cataclysmic Twilight Harbor or the Orom’s culling, you were essentially screwed if you didn’t have something unique to fall back on.

That was the second part of the issue—the Multiverse was not equal.

This wasn’t a video game, there wasn’t balance in the sense that everyone had the same chance to reach the peak. Certainly, some people like Alvod Jondir managed to rise to their current heights by finding some Supreme treasure. While some could reforge their futures through a stroke of luck, most people relied on heritage.

Zac relied on both.

It was undeniable that he’d braved greater dangers than anyone else on Earth, but a big reason he could do that was his background. If not for his unique bloodline, he would have died ten times over already. If not for Leandra’s clan implanting him with the Duplicity Core, Zac would not even have survived Mhal’s attack when he was injected with the Draugr sample.

“There’s no need to compare yourself to others. Cultivation is an individual journey,” Zac said as he looked around the room. “And I can see that you all have made great strides.”

It wasn’t empty praise. Six years was neither short nor long, but it had clearly been enough to reforge the core group of the Port Atwood elites. Their auras were thick and condensed, proving they hadn’t pushed only their levels with the help of treasures. There was both experience and hard work behind those auras, something secluded cultivation couldn’t nurture.

“The Ensolus Continent has provided a lot of opportunities,” Vilari smiled.

“Our last attempt was a bit wretched,” Ilvere said with a wry smile. “But this time we got our money’s worth. Uh, young master’s money’s worth.”

“And I believe the greatest opportunity still remains,” Vilari added.

“The Ensolus Temples?” Zac asked, referring to the mysterious ruins at the center of the continent, after which this continent, and now World, got its name.

“The Ensolus Temples,” Vilari nodded. “We have only managed to enter one since its seal was broken down, but the manuals inside drastically improved our heritage. If you manage to crack open the others, there might be even greater treasures waiting within.”

“For now, I have no interest in seizing those things,” Zac said. “You have worked for years to secure them, so you keep working on it. I’ll try to help out if I can, but right now I have a lot of things on my plate. I’m running a bit behind schedule after getting stuck like that.”

Exploring some ancient temples, which Vilari guessed might even predate the System, was obviously an interesting concept, but he really had too much to do. The temples weren’t going anywhere anyway. They seemed nigh-impenetrable judging by the reports—perhaps requiring the strength of a powerful Hegemon to break open.

If his people still hadn’t managed to crack them open before the Assimilation, he’d definitely give it a go. Otherwise, he wanted to leave this opportunity for them to explore.

“Running behind?” Joanna muttered before her eyes lit up. “Are you breaking through!”

“No,” Zac said with a shake of his head. “I’m not in a hurry in that regard. It will be a couple of years before I take that step.”

“That long?” Joanna said with surprise. “After seeing your display, I figured you were right at the cusp.”

“Our lives are measured in millennia by this point,” Zac smiled, still having some trouble coming to terms with that concept. “I don’t want to rush things like I did for my last breakthrough. I want to shore up my foundations a bit first.”

“It’s not quite that simple, I’m afraid,” Ilvere sighed. “The war is really coming closer, it wasn’t just a sales pitch. We need some Hegemons to take charge. If not you, someone else.”

“I read some of it in the reports,” Zac nodded. “Have you found out anything else?”

“There still hasn’t been any official response from the peak factions, but the rumor mill is in full spin,” Joanna answered. “The top factions are building huge fortresses, each one as large as a planet from what I’m told. Apparently, the invaders are already here, though they are few in number, and they still haven’t left the heart of the Million Gates Territory.”

“The Million Gates Territory?” Zac grimaced.

Between the warnings of the Ogre at the Big Axe Coliseum and Catheya, they had long known that something was brewing. Zac didn’t have any specifics until now, and learning that the Million Gates Territory was at the heart of it all was definitely not good for his plans. Would he have to dodge murderous invaders at every turn when he went to pick up Ogras?

Would it even be possible if he delayed too much?

“Do we know anything about what kind of people the invaders are?” Zac asked.

“That kind of intelligence still hasn’t been made public,” Ilvere said. “But going by the response of the peak factions, it will be a tough fight. Otherwise, the other empires would have left the Allbright Empire to fend for themselves. They have to fear that the whole Sector will fall.”

“Conflict,” Zac sighed.

“We got an early warning thanks to you, but even common factions are starting to become aware something is happening,” Ilvere added. “The price of cultivation resources is steadily climbing as everyone scrambles to make last-minute breakthroughs. The auctions are completely void of top-quality treasures. The same goes for things like arrays, talismans, and pills.”

“Even if we’re not conscripted, some of us have to go early,” Joanna added. “We need to accumulate contribution points for our planet.”

“What’s that now?” Zac asked.

“We need a few Hegemons to rise before the war reaches Port Atwood,” Vilari explained. “We have gathered information about sanctioned wars for years now, and it is more akin to an incursion than a normal struggle. If it was just a conflict between two factions, only those at the top would matter. But when the System controls the events, even E-grade warriors can participate and gather contribution points.”

“The System will set up graded battlegrounds and contested worlds, lessening the danger considerably,” Joanna added. “With the quality of our gear and resources, we have a good chance to perform well even if we lack experience. However, our survival hinges on being able to nurture warriors with the credentials to become captains and commanders. If we lack these kinds of leaders, we’ll have to take orders from some outsider, which could mean being used as cannon fodder.”

“The System seems to be extremely rigid when it comes to war,” Vilari sighed. “Break the chain of command, and you will face harsh consequences. Of course, it’s within limits, where a nefarious or incompetent leader would similarly come under scrutiny. Though that won’t do us much good if we’ve already been wiped out because of a command we couldn’t refuse.”

Zac nodded thoughtfully, feeling the news a mix of good and bad. Good in the sense the risk of his people being wiped out by some random Monarch was a lot lower this way. Bad in the sense their foundations were still lacking—the war was coming too quickly.

“Leaders,” Zac muttered. “Is it skill or strength? I mean, I think I have qualifications on the former to become some captain at least, but I don’t know anything about tactics.”

“There are multiple variables behind the System’s appointments, from what we can gather,” Vilari explained. “First and foremost is strength. Secondly, nobility appears to be a big factor in who gets handed command. For this, we have a good advantage, with you on the cusp of becoming a Baron.”

“I am?” Zac blurted and opened his Quest Screen.

Still nothing new, except for the Incursion quest he got upon arriving on Ensolus.

“You will become a Baron the moment you control more than one planet,” Vilari smiled. “You might even be awarded a title, considering you’re still E-grade.”

“There’s such a good thing?” Zac whistled.

It looked like controlling a faction was useful in more ways than just having people gather resources for cultivation. There was better treatment from the System and even direct boosts to your Strengths. Zac didn’t have any plans on abandoning Earth before, but this actually proved that focusing more of his attention on his budding empire might come with all kinds of unexpected perks.

“So, what’s this about contribution?”

“Sooner or later, teleporters will appear on Earth and Ensolus,” Joanna explained. “But you can join the war efforts earlier by heading to the frontlines yourself. The more contribution the Atwood Empire has racked up before the official start, the better treatment we’ll receive. We have explored options to send a few of our elites to the Million Gates Territory to gain experience and contribution. With you back, our odds are even better.”

Zac slowly nodded, realizing it was time to spill some of the things he’d kept to himself since Leandra snatched his sister. “I haven’t told you all this before, but I had been planning on going to the Million Gates Territory for a long time. Mostly to train and pick up Ogras and Billy though.”

“WHAT!” Ilvere almost roared, jumping to his feet with wide eyes. “The boss is alive? Your sister was right? What in the Heavens is going on?”

“I wasn’t planning on telling you in case things didn’t pan out,” Zac sighed. “But with this war, things have changed. When Ogras sacrificed himself to save my sister, he wasn’t ripped apart by the Dimensional Seed as it looked like. He was transported to its newly created Mystic Realm. The Dimensional Seed was then attracted to the Million Gates Territory by the strong spatial currents over there.”

“How do you know this?” Vilari asked with confusion.

“Because that intelligence was what my sister demanded in return for leaving willingly that day,” Zac explained, drawing gasps.

“You don’t mean!” Joanna exclaimed.

“My sister wasn’t killed,” Zac confirmed. “She was abducted. Don’t ask me by who; it’s complicated. They are too powerful, and the less people who know, the better. This is why I’m struggling to become stronger. To get her back.”

“Then Thea…” Joanna hesitated.

“No, she really was killed,” Zac said with a shake of his head.

“We’ll help you,” Vilari assured. “Even if it’s only to deal with the roadblocks to your cultivation.”

“We’ll definitely do what we can,” Ilvere said, visibly moved. “To think the miss actually did that for our young master.”

“Kenzie was ultimately taken, but that doesn’t change the immense debt of gratitude I have to Ogras,” Zac nodded. “I am definitely heading there, though now it sounds like I’ll also have to deal with some invaders.”

“We would like to come with,” Vilari and Joanna both said, and it looked like pretty much everyone was of a similar opinion.

Zac didn’t immediately agree, but he didn’t say no either. Initially, he planned on setting out alone considering the dangers. Perhaps that was being selfish, depriving his people of a chance to progress. The Million Gates Territory would definitely be dangerous, now even more so than usual.

But was it his place to dictate whether they should get to take those risks for the sake of their cultivation? For Earth?

Besides, didn’t Cosmic Vessels require crews? His biggest point of reference was Little Bean, the Technocrat vessel. That thing had thousands of people on board, most of them crew members. The vessels he saw fly by in the Twilight Harbor were pretty massive as well, and they probably required multiple people to keep track of things.”

Even if he didn’t want such a massive ship, perhaps he needed to bring some people to manage the vessel he got from Karunthel’s quest.

“Alright, I will talk with the Creators,” Zac said. “I’ll see about getting us a ship. I guess we’re about to become space mercenaries, so make your preparations.”

Excitement and determination shone in his people’s eyes, but the moment was ruined by a small tremor that reminded Zac of the most pressing issue.

“But first, I guess I should fix this planet.”

8

ENSOLUS MINES

Zac spent the next few days in Fort Atwood, mostly catching up with everyone. While no one had tales as fantastical as being swallowed by a gargantuan space fish, it became clear that the elites of Port Atwood all had their share of adventure and hardship on the Ensolus Continent.

The most shocking thing was that Janos was presumed dead, gone missing in the mysterious Ensolus Temples. They held out some hope that the Illusionist somehow lucked into an inheritance, but it had been three years already. Even if he entered some trial ground, he should have come out by now.

Apart from that, more than thirty Valkyries had fallen, replaced with the next generations of spear maidens. In total, the casualties surpassed one thousand, most coming from the first bloody year when they eradicated one invading army after another.

It wasn’t really a big number compared to how many had fallen in Earth’s Integration, but it was worth remembering that only elites had been taken on this mission. Each death meant the loss of a talent that Port Atwood had invested heavily into—standout warriors who survived the Integration only to fall a few years later.

The second leading cause of death was the unstable beast of the Ensolus Continent, with the natives only being a distant third. That alone was somewhat lucky since a couple of skirmishes at the edge of the continent wasn’t enough to form some irreconcilable grudge from either side.

Therefore, the negotiations proceeded smoothly, with Zac only participating in a few. Vilari and the administrators had a much better grasp on the nitty-gritty details of incorporating a world and hundreds of millions of new citizens under his reign.

He did, however, take time to appear as Arcaz Black in front of the ghosts for a private meeting. He wanted to somewhat allay their worries, once more alluding to his connections to the Undead Empire. And it looked like it worked, especially after he showed some of the spectral cultivation techniques he’d requested Triv to send over.

Of course, he wouldn’t hand over such precious techniques just a few days after an insurrection, but it both acted as proof of his connections and a motivator to stay loyal.

After three days, most issues were ironed out, where taxation and other matters of concern were dealt with. Essentially, the Kingdom of Raun would be forced to hand over a larger share of their revenue because of their attack, but it would be lowered to the demon’s level after they’d contributed enough to the war efforts.

In either case, huge shipments of resources would start flowing from the two outer continents on the Ensolus World soon enough, many of them rare materials with their respective attunements. The cessation of war would also allow Port Atwood to drastically expand their operations on the Ensolus Continent, which was still teeming with valuable resources.

With the situation stabilized and the two armies having returned to their respective continents, Zac set out in secret, using one of his flying treasures to head over to a place called the Ensolus Mines. It was one of the biggest sources of wealth on the Ensolus Continent, a vast Nexus Crystal mine producing both Divine Crystal and Miasma Crystals, a network of tunnels tens of times larger than the mine on his island back home.

More importantly, it contained a secret chute leading into the depths of the planet. Since Ensolus wasn’t officially conquered just yet, Zac couldn’t teleport to the mantle of the planet. It was a bit annoying, but it was a small price to pay for strengthening the bond between his force and these natives.

Thankfully, his people had already done all the heavy lifting in their effort to stabilize this world, having dug deeper and deeper for years on end until they reached the same depths as Triv had back on Earth. Even Zac was beset by a wave of vertigo as he peered down from the ten-meter-wide chute, an endless hole leading into the abyss.

“It will take one week to reach the bottom using a floating disk,” Ilvere, who acted as his guide on this mission, said.

“A whole week?” Zac grimaced. “What if I just jump?”

“I knew you would say that,” Ilvere laughed. “I tried it once, it’s quite an experience. It will take just over half a day that way. A series of lights will alert you when you’re getting close to the bottom. The landing is hard, so you better be prepared to deal with it somehow.”

“No problem,” Zac smiled. Honestly, even if he smacked right into a floor of solid rock he’d be mostly fine. “Are you coming as well?”

“I’ll stay up here,” Ilvere said with a shake of his head. “I wouldn’t mind another leap, but getting back up is a bit boring. Besides, I need to make sure no one tries to trap you down there or sneaks back into the mines now that they’ve been evacuated.”

“Good.” Zac wasted no time and jumped down.

In an instant, Ilvere’s form at the edge of the chute turned into a speck, and a minute later, Zac found himself in what looked like a tube that stretched to eternity in both directions. If not for the repeating runes that reinforced the tunnel and the occasional glimmering crystal flashing by, he wouldn’t even have been able to see he was moving.

At first, the experience was pretty exhilarating, but it soon grew rather tedious, so Zac closed his eyes and started to meditate. He hadn’t gained any new insights from taking out the Ghost King, but this odd energy of the Ensolus Continent was quite interesting. It was a novel contrast to the surprisingly stable Twilight Energy, and almost a case study in what not to do when trying to fuse the elements of Life and Death.

On the surface, it should have been perfect; energies of Life and Death, locked in a perennial struggle. It was a lot like he envisioned his Path and how he should create his cultivator’s Cosmic Core. Life and Death clashing, with everything controlled by conflict. And the swirling mix of both was certainly in constant upheaval on the Ensolus Continent, although not in a good way.

There was no balance. The energy on the continent wasn’t homogenous, and pockets of Life and Death constantly formed while the other element was pushed away. But soon enough, that would change again, in an unstable and unpredictable swirl. Certainly, it was chaotic in a way that slightly resonated with the Dao of Chaos, but having this kind of environment in his Cosmic Core would be disastrous.

He could picture it. Sooner or later, tremors similar to the ones that afflicted this world would appear in his Core until it broke apart. Just what was it that prevented this energy from fusing into a more stable Chaos Energy, or at least a subordinate version? His memory of the Chaos Pattern had long grown indistinct, but he could still remember its energy was one whole and extremely stable in its unpredictability.

He needed to recapture that feeling. Minor Chaos was the best solution he could come up with when forming his Cultivation Core, to create something akin to the motes of Chaos, though based on his three Daos. With such a core, he should be able to cultivate using either Cosmic Energy, Divine Energy, or Miasma. It would become the first step in fusing his two sides as well, a second bridge to join the [Quantum Gate].

But the situation on the Ensolus Continent and the clear delineation in the Twilight Harbor made him wonder if the Daos of Life and Death could even withstand such a concept. Were they impossible to fuse before elevating them to Creation and Oblivion? If so, what did it mean for his core, which required both?

Should he give up on this idea entirely, and instead aim to create something unattuned and solely based on his Branch of the War Axe? It would certainly be easier. But from what he’d gathered, one’s core needed to resonate with all one’s Daos, not just one. There were no easy answers, unfortunately, and it wasn’t like there was a wealth of information on Edgewalkers. At least not in the frontier.

A series of flashes in his surroundings made him put the matter aside and open his eyes. It looked like he’d been meditating for half a day already, and the bottom of the chute was closing in on him—looking like a fiery eye of a dragon. According to Ilvere, there should be a large cave with a research base waiting for him below, but as he exited the chute, he was greeted by a roiling sea of magma.

Zac hurriedly activated [Earthstrider] and took a few steps in the air to exhaust his momentum before slamming into the molten rock. Scorching heat assaulted him from every direction, along with thick streams of Life and Death.

It was a mix of pain and pleasure as his body greedily swallowed the energies. Still, he activated one of his heat-averting talismans to lessen the pressure on his body. Visibility was essentially zero, but he could get an idea of the surroundings by spreading out his Dao Field. It looked like the tremors had destroyed the protective arrays and breached the cave, filling it with magma.

Thankfully, this place had been abandoned for months due to this exact risk, meaning none of his scientists had been burned alive. After all, most E-grade warriors only had a fraction of his Vitality and Endurance, and they’d get incinerated in minutes.

It quickly became obvious that the floor of the cave had burst apart, so Zac simply pushed deeper into the magma, getting some serious déjà vu from his time in the Twilight Ocean volcano. Hopefully, things wouldn’t get quite as explosive this time around.

The hours passed as Zac descended deeper and deeper into the mantle, though even he was finding the environment unbearable. Eventually, he stopped and activated another flame-retardant barrier, giving himself some breathing room. Only then did he take out the engraved box holding the twinned spirits and opened the lid.

“I can’t go any farther than this,” Zac said as he looked down at the spiraled crystal. “Can you take things from here?”

He had no idea if these things could actually think or understand his words, but he’d started talking with them long ago every time he took them out, hoping to rouse their spirituality as they were fading away. Besides, he’d sensed that weak hint of fear from Earth’s spirit, so they might really have some sort of sapience.

The two spirits didn’t answer, but the crystal started to hum and vibrate, its previously flickering lights fast gaining strength. A crack echoed out as two powerful pulses of energy shot through the barrier like a spiritual drill, heading straight for the core of the planet. In an instant, the pulse left Zac’s scanning range.

“Not so much as a thank you,” Zac muttered as he looked at the fragmented crystal in his box, but he was inwardly relieved.

It turned out those crystals weren’t the actual Spirits, but only something to temporarily house them. Judging by the speed of the spirits, they should reach the World Core within a couple of hours. That meant the clock had started ticking, and he urgently swam back toward the chute. He had no idea how this planet would react upon the World Core being seized by the foreign Realm Spirits.

Would there be a struggle? Some massive outburst of energy? No matter what, the magmatic mantle couldn’t possibly be a safe place to stay at such a time.

Zac spared no expense, activating one talisman after another as he plowed through the magma, and he managed to return almost twice as quickly as he descended. He jumped into the chute and took out a floating platform that started to lift him back to the surface. The speed wasn’t impressive, but it gave him the footing he needed to take out something better.

A rocket.

It was quite an odd-looking flying treasure compared to the other ones he’d found in the dozens of rings he’d snatched. The ship looked like a sleek emerald crystal needle that was just five meters long and barely wide enough to squeeze into its sole compartment.

It had no defensive arrays, extremely high energy consumption, and it was quite uncomfortable to ride, but it had one undeniable advantage—speed. It was probably used either as an escape pod or for some sort of hobby. Zac crammed inside and shot off, the momentum almost giving him whiplash as the floating platform beneath him crumbled.

The walls of the chute turned to a blur as the needle-ship pierced the air resistance and almost space itself, on the return to the surface. However, after just an hour, Zac felt an ominous rumble, a rumble that soon turned into something much worse—a massive earthquake. It was like the whole planet was screaming in pain, and Zac was currently right in its mouth.

A wetness formed in his ears, and even his bones and organs groaned in protest as the shakes grew increasingly intense. Even the energy in the air was careening out of control, and small cracks started to appear on his vessel from the vibrations. The arrays on the walls of the chute lit up to resist the shakes, but how could some manmade runes resist a planet having a seizure?

Cracks rapidly spread across the walls, and Zac’s eyes grew pitch-black in preparation for what would certainly come next. As expected, small stones started to rain down the chute, and these stones were soon replaced by large boulders. With the immense speed of the needle, he was almost there, but he got a sinking feeling as new cracks appeared on his vessel every time it reduced a boulder to ash by piercing it.

Finally, the transformation finished, and three pygmy skeletons appeared outside the flying treasure. Unfortunately, it was too late, and the vessel broke apart just as a sturdy shield appeared above. Still, the shield protected him from having a boulder slam into him, and he urgently took out another flying treasure.

However, a burst of superheated air interrupted his plans, and even his durable Draugr skin was scalded as he was flung thousands of meters in the air in an instant, pushing him and the falling rocks straight up and far quicker than any flying treasure could accomplish. His surroundings became a confusing blur, with only the three skeletons a fixture in a deafening storm of rocks and smoke.

And magma.

“Oh, SHI—” Zac wailed, but he didn’t get to complete the sentence before a torrent of magma slammed into him like a bulldozer from behind, ripping his defensive skill apart and drowning him in molten rocks imbued with a momentum that no E-grade cultivator could ever hope to generate.

One talisman after another was expended as Zac desperately held on, but just as he ran out, he felt a wisp of fresh and non-scorching air. A moment later, he lurched, and when the magma around him parted, he was shocked to find himself at the top of a massive pillar of lava reaching over ten thousand meters into the air.

Similar scenes could be spotted in every direction. The mountain atop the Ensolus Mine had already been blasted apart, along with the fortune it contained. Soon enough, Zac found himself falling, and he turned back into his human form after some hesitation. If the energy was agitated before, it was rioting now, and he didn’t dare activate [Abyssal Phase] in this kind of environment.

Instead, he utilized the same technique as before, taking a couple of steps in the air before slamming into the edge of a newly-formed lava lake that had replaced much of the Ensolus Mines. Blobs of molten rock were falling all around him, and he deftly swerved back and forth, occasionally cutting a boulder in two as he ran away from the collapsed mountain.

In the distance, he actually saw a barely familiar figure wave him over with two swirling boulders in the air blocking any magma from falling on him.

“There you are,” a soot-covered Ilvere panted after Zac rushed over, a wry smile appearing on his face. “I had really forgotten how… extravagantly… you dealt with things.”

“Well, that’s me,” Zac said before coughing out some ashy smoke. “Are you okay?”

“That was a bastard of an earthquake,” Ilvere grunted. “But it seems things won’t get any worse at least. Hopefully, the lava will cool down in a couple of days and we can start looking into what’s salvageable.”

“Do you have any method to contact Fort Atwood, to see if they’re okay?” Zac asked.

Ilvere quickly took out a thick stack of papers, and he breathed out in relief when all of them were intact.

“Life effigies collected from people stationed in every outpost,” the demon explained when Zac looked at the stack with confusion. “Since all of them are intact, our settlements should either have been unaffected by the earthquake, or their shields held off any lava that had come their way.”

“Good,” Zac sighed in relief.

“Was… it a success?” Ilvere hesitantly asked.

Zac honestly didn’t know as he looked at the apocalyptic surroundings.

The magma pillar had collapsed into a fountain that ‘only’ reached a few hundred meters in the air. But ash still blotted out the sky while the lava lake was slowly submerging the broken shards of the Ensolus Mine.

“I… think so?”

9

THREE OPTIONS

Ilvere looked at the soot-covered Zac before turning to the still-sputtering lake filled with lava, so hot and rife with chaotic energies, that it created odd apparitions reaching for hundreds of meters into the air.

“Well, if you say it’s fixed, I’ll believe you,” the demon coughed. “The past weeks, we haven’t had more than eight hours between tremors. We should have a preliminary result by the time we’ve returned.”

“Right,” Zac nodded before taking out a cleansing array, blasting himself and his guide with a storm of scraping winds and water that turned pitch-black before it was flung away. “Let’s go.”

They flew away, using another flying treasure that looked a bit like a spaceship you could see on artwork in the early 20th century. It was sleek and silvery with small fins, though there was no rocket at the end. Instead, there was a viewing deck, since its flight was powered by arrays rather than propulsion.

The reason Zac picked that one was because it had strong shields and an air filtration system, both of which came in handy with layers of ash covering the whole area in a dark haze, and the occasional rock still falling from the sky.

Their departure was just in time as well, as a second eruption rocked the area twenty minutes later, its fiery plume of magma visible even through the shroud. Both Zac and Ilvere looked at the scene from the windows with wide-eyed horror, and Zac urgently took out dozens of defensive talismans from his Spatial Ring, activating them just in time before a massive shockwave blasted the area clean of ash and sent the vessel thousands of meters off course.

The second eruption was even worse than the first, and by the time it abated, a new mountain had appeared, replacing the one that had just been blasted apart. Similar scenes were playing out in every direction. The Ensolus Continent was pretty much getting a second randomization following the Integration, though this one was one wrought from fire and brimstone rather than the System’s spatial manipulations.

Forests were turned to ash as magmatic tsunamis swallowed them whole. Zac shuddered as he heard the wails from the wildlife within, inwardly saying a prayer of thanks that the weird beasts on the continent were terrifyingly aggressive and quite literally insane from the chaotic energy. Meanwhile, new towering peaks shot through the ground, perhaps coming all the way from the core of the planet itself.

Furthermore, the series of earthquakes and volcano eruptions had kicked up unprecedented storms across the continent, forcing Zac and Ilvere to push the vessel to the limit to avoid getting dragged into supersized tornadoes that contained such ferocity, they’d easily rip apart any pre-Integration civilization it encountered.

But with the bad, also came some good.

“The energy, it’s so dense,” Ilvere muttered as he looked through the windows, and Zac had to agree.

These eruptions did not only spew out magma, but also incredible amounts of energy that probably had been locked deep in the planet’s core. Currently, the density of attuned energies was more than twice what it was before—and that was far in the sky. If they went closer to the fault lines that now crisscrossed the Ensolus Continent, the energy would be even greater.

It made Zac wonder if the planet had been upgraded to Middle D-grade just by infusing the twinned spirits. Unfortunately, after the apocalyptic upheavals started abating twelve hours later, Zac felt the ambient energy gradually recede, but he still believed it would stop at a higher density compared to before.

Ultimately, Zac wasn’t too interested in the energy levels of Ensolus. He was more interested in any potential changes the twinned Realm Spirits could bring to the unstable mix of Life and Death. He let Ilvere maintain the wheel as he tried to sense any changes, to see if there would be any gradual transition from chaos to order in the air. This kind of opportunity was rare, and he hoped it would help him gain some ideas for the future.

“Ah, it’s gone!” Ilvere exclaimed, waking Zac from his meditation.

Zac looked around as [Verun’s Bite] appeared in his hand, but the scene outside was not much different compared to before. The hurricanes had started to peter out when the shakes abated, and now it was just a bit stormy outside, confusing Zac. “What? What’s gone?”

“The quest!” the demon explained.

Zac opened his screen. In contrast to Ilvere, Zac still had the Incursion quest, but its reward had completely changed.

[The Ensolus War (Incursion): Subjugate the native factions of the Ensolus World. Reward: Choose one of three rewards. (0/2)]

Rewards:

[Option 1: Upgrade Earth to High D-grade Energy and Low D-grade Mass, Downgrade Ensolus to Peak E-grade Energy and Mass (redeemable within 1 year)]

[Option 2: Fuse Earth and Ensolus to a Middle D-grade Energy and Mass World (redeemable within 1 month)]

[Option 3: Choose approximate Assimilation Location for Atwood Empire (redeemable within 85 years)]

“You can’t see the options any longer?” Zac asked.

“No,” Ilvere said as he looked at Zac curiously. “But you can?”

Zac nodded, and he shared the screen after some thought.

“Upgrade, fuse, and choose a location,” Ilvere muttered. “I wonder why they have different deadlines.”

“Perhaps it would be hard to fuse the planets after the Realm Spirits had completely fused with the World Core,” Zac suggested. “So, what do you think?”

“Honestly?” Ilvere slowly said. “I’d pick the third, I believe?”

“Oh? Rather than upgrading Earth?” Zac asked with some surprise. “Getting a High D-grade world by downgrading a Low D-grade world is a pretty good deal. Then again, Ensolus might surpass Low D-grade on its own now after things stabilize.”

“Well, I don’t know the specifics of the Assimilation; Clan Azh’Rezak never expected to get that far. But I know how much the location of a world matters. The planets at the edges of the horde back home are always ravaged by the Tal-Eladar. With a massive war coming up, you can place us far away from the carnage, allowing us to avoid the brunt of it,” Ilvere said. “You can even wait over 80 years and choose based on the current state of the war.”

Zac nodded and indicated for the demon to keep going, interested in what the veteran had to say.

“Increasing the disparity between our world and Ensolus would make sure a subjugated force doesn’t overpower us, but it doesn’t seem to be in line with your plans. Neither does fusing planets,” Ilvere slowly said.

“Pushing Earth to High D-grade compared to Early D-grade is big, though,” Zac muttered. “It will exponentially increase the number of Hegemons Earth will be able to raise.”

It was true. In an Early D-grade world, the peak factions would generally have one or two Hegemons, most of them at the early stage. One or two cultivators on the planet might be able to push to Middle D-grade by hoarding resources. In contrast, on a High D-grade world, even Peak Hegemons could appear with the right resources and heritage. Furthermore, the larger factions would be able to raise scores of weaker Hegemons.

Certainly, with Earth remaining at Low D-grade Mass, the planet wouldn’t have enough space for too many peak figures. The higher you climbed, the bigger a support system you needed. If he’d been a normal cultivator who relied on his clan for resources, he might have needed to gobble up the resources of half the planet for a shot at Peak Hegemony.

“That’s true. Long-term, it would be huge,” the demon agreed. “But will it matter for the war to come? An upgraded planet’s effects will only make themselves known after generations have passed, where each successive generation is born slightly more talented than the one before. This generation’s Hegemons will be born at the battlefield, not in some secluded cultivation chamber.”

“Unless a System-based world upgrade brings the kind of opportunities that the Integration did,” Zac countered.

“Yes, but I think I would have heard of something like that,” Ilvere hesitated. “But it doesn’t hurt to ask the floating eyeball or the smarter ones.”

“That’s what I’m thinking as well,” Zac nodded. “We’ll discuss this with the others when we return. For now, keep these options to yourself.”

“No need for the natives to know,” Ilvere agreed. “You’ve held up your part of the bargain. Now it’s time for them to hold up theirs.”

As the days passed on their return journey, the absolute lack of tremors following the initial massive outburst all but confirmed that the world really was healing. However, the unstable state of the Ensolus Continent’s ambient energy remained the same, making Zac wonder just what the Realm Spirits changed. Perhaps it would take longer for a more substantive transformation to take effect.

Soon enough, they saw Fort Atwood far in the distance, its grand defensive arrays still running on full power. The surroundings were quite devastated, and both Zac and Ilvere breathed out in relief upon seeing the fort itself was absolutely fine. However, as they flew closer and closer, the demon started to get a constipated look, like he wanted to say something.

“What is it?” Zac asked with a raised brow.

“It’s about Janos,” the demon hesitated, and Zac immediately understood what the demon wanted. “I know you have a lot on your plate, so I hate to ask… but…”

“You should have more free time now that the war is ending,” Zac said after some thought. “Draw whatever resources you need from the coffers to buy Karma-finding arrays or whatever can help locate missing people, and take some talented scouts to make a proper sweep. If you can find any indication of where Janos ended up, I will do my best to help you save him. Unfortunately, I don’t have the time to scour the whole place myself right now.”

This was the least he could do for the Illusionist who’d fought valiantly for Port Atwood many times over. Normally Zac would have gone himself, but with the war looming over everyone’s head, he felt there were a million things he had to deal with before it was too late. He couldn’t spend months scouring the temple ruins that spanned an area as large as a small country, an area riddled with weird arrays and natural formations that were extremely time-consuming to break through.

“Of course,” Ilvere hurriedly nodded, a wide smile spreading on his face. “This is more than enough. I will set out as soon as the situation has stabilized.”

Soon enough, they were right in front of the powerful barriers, and Zac could see that the two armies were camped out on the large courtyard, no doubt having been let in when the situation turned chaotic. His vessel had obviously been spotted some time ago as well, and the delegates, along with the leaders of Port Atwood, were already waiting at the center of the courtyard.

Thousands of eyes were trained on him as he had Ilvere set down the sooty vessel before he emerged from within, the burns that had covered his face thankfully long gone already.

“Lord Atwood, you really did it, you healed this broken world. Let me be the one to thank you first,” the Ghost King Aouvi said with a deep bow. “We feared the worst when nature ran amok.”

“I appreciate your people providing sanctuary,” the demon chieftain added with a nod after throwing a loathing glance at the spectral warrior.

“It’s nothing,” Zac said, ignoring the friction. “Have you heard anything from your continents?”

“The energies have been turbulent, but we managed to get word back yesterday. There was some unrest, but nothing compared to what we saw outside your shields. Just some mild shakes, followed by a clear increase in energy,” Ra’Klid said with excitement before a cough from the old warrior behind him made him somber up. “We hear the quest is gone?”

“The global quest was transformed into a private one after I used my own resources to stabilize this world,” Zac explained, though he didn’t divulge the options. “However, there is one thing that remains.”

From there, Zac pointedly glanced at the Incursion pillar in the distance, which was still showering the fort with its light.

“Ah, yes, of course. Of course,” Aouvi said. “As ranking Lord of the Kingdom of Raun, I hereby surrender to the Atwood Empire, so that we may join under their banner.”

A moment later, a large parchment flashed into being in front of the ghost, and both he and Carva put their hands on it after some hesitation. It was a System contract that officially turned the Kingdom of Raun into a subordinate force of Zac’s faction. That meant all System-based functions, including the automatic taxation, came under his control. It also meant that most acts of treason would turn into System-based events, which meant Zac and his subordinates would get a quest to quell uprisings.

The process was simple, but it was only possible thanks to multiple requirements being met. The first was power, where the Atwood Empire had to be ranked higher than the Kingdom of Raun through whatever measurements the System used. Secondly, there had to be a consensus in a surrender, where all the top-ranking members stamped the parchment. If there were a bunch of D-grade Ghost Kings hiding somewhere, it wouldn’t have worked, since Aouvi and Carva wouldn’t have been able to speak for their faction.

“The Mavai will always honor their word. Strength and honor, Warchief Atwood,” Ra’Klid said and repeated the process with three out of the five councilors he’d brought. Apparently, the other two weren’t Lords in the eyes of the System, since the process finished without a hitch.

The next moment, the Incursion pillar started growing until it seemingly reached deep into space. The whole sky was drenched in emerald and grey as a familiar surge of energy filled Zac’s body, a sensation he hadn’t felt in some time. A moment later, the Incursion pillar spread out to cover the whole sky before slowly fading away.

Curiously, Zac opened his Title Screen while the others observed the spectacle, and his heart thumped with delight when he saw two new entries awaited him.

[Blooddrenched Baron: Become a Baron through subjugation. Reward: All attributes +5%.]

[Connate Conqueror: Conquer a planet while in E-grade. Reward: All attributes +5%.]

“You kept your word about fixing this world. I hope you will continue to lead by example, raising our people to new heights,” the young warchief said as the radiance in the sky faded.

“The road we have ahead of us is long with many unknowns, but I will do my best to pave a path for our people,” Zac nodded as he closed his Title Screen, then imbued his voice so the observing armies could also hear what he said next.

“I am not really one for speeches, but let me just say that I’m happy to welcome you all into the Atwood Empire. I don’t plan on treating you any better or worse than the citizens of Earth. Those who perform well and bring something to the table will get access to opportunities and resources that are hard to match in the whole Sector. Those who just coast by will be ignored and left to fend for themselves,” Zac said, his voice echoing through the courtyard. “And those who act against our interests, will be dealt with strictly and severely.”

At that point, a burst of dense killing intent was unleashed, showering the whole courtyard. However, just as soon as it was unleashed it was gone again, though Zac hoped it would leave a mark in the hearts of these elite warriors.

“Now that you’re citizens of my faction, you will gain initial access to the Atwood Empire Contribution Store, and in the future our Dao Repositories. Don’t look down at what they contain just because we’re a newly-formed faction. Due to some lucky encounters of mine, we have manuals that can match those of the big Empires in the Zecia Sector,” Zac continued. “Using them can completely transform one’s fate, elevating you from a talented warrior to a powerhouse with the qualifications to leave their mark on history.”

“Is that how warchief became so powerful?” Ra’Klid interjected with glimmering eyes, his voice also loud for the benefit of the spectators.

“Part of it. Access to resources can help improve your foundation, but most of my power comes from risking my life over and over, finding my path at the edge of death,” Zac said, getting approving nods from the older demons.

“In either case, I am not a hands-on leader—I am focused on the path cultivation and strengthening myself, and I urge you to do the same for the foreseeable future,” Zac added. “We can start playing politics when we’ve won the upcoming war.”

“It’s as you say, Lord Emperor,” Aouvi nodded. “With this planet healed and war being over, we shall begin shoring up our foundations. Your… encounter… with King Eomid proved that our strength is truly hollow, something we must remedy.”

“From what I’ve heard, this continent isn’t lacking for beasts,” Zac smiled before glancing at Vilari, who nodded in confirmation. “Some bloodshed will sharpen you up. My people will soon start posting missions to tame this land. So those who want to contribute to the empire can start earning contribution and valuable resources as soon as they’ve received their token.”

The next moment, a group of soldiers came walking out from the barracks, each holding chests full of Information crystals. This moment had been carefully planned for, and soon enough, all the leaders and a good chunk of the soldiers were fervently scanning the contents.

“What is this!” Ra’Klid screeched, his eyes as wide as saucers as he scanned the Information Crystal. “Rich… you’re rich!”

10

BARON OF CONQUEST

The Mavai Warchief’s eyes were so passionate when looking at the Information Crystal, Zac wondered if he needed to take it away before the demon tried to do something untoward to it. Then again, Ra’Klid wasn’t the only one, with the natives being locked in place with expressions ranging from incredulity to fervent desire.

The contents of the crystals were actually quite simple. The first part contained an introduction to the Atwood Empire, some basic rules, and an explanation of how contribution worked. The second part was simply a massive list of cultivation resources, a short description of each, and their respective cost in contribution points—essentially a simpler version of the store in the Orom World.

“Most of these resources are the lowest-tier items in our stockpile, items that are immediately available for purchase in return for Atwood Empire Contribution Points,” Zac said, his voice directed not only at Ra’Klid, but all the elites present. “We have far more valuable treasures as well, but you need to rank up to gain access to those. But as you can see, we have left some special treasures for those who rack up points quickly. Oh, and I’ll be adding a whole load of new resources soon enough. I have collected a lot of good things during my travels.”

“Ensolus never had any native citizens, and many things remain unknown and uncharted to us, especially after the upheavals,” Vilari added with a smile. “To quickly set the foundations for this planet and get your civilizations used to the ways of the Atwood Empire, we have added some incentives. Both the factions and the individuals who contribute the most over the next few years will see rich rewards far beyond what is listed in this missive.”

“Does that include access to the High-grade cultivation methods and skills you mentioned?” the shaman ventured, his golden eyes almost burning with desire.

“No,” Vilari said with a shake of her head, surprising Zac a bit. “The Atwood Empire is fully focused on nurturing talents that can rise to the peak of the Zecia Sector. The top performers will not be awarded the chance to purchase these methods—the methods will be directly provided, along with treasures worth multiple D-grade Nexus Coins. You have all helped erect the Merit Exchange over the past few days, and you can already collect your citizenship tokens there. Remember, even gaining levels and Dao breakthroughs will award contribution points in the Atwood Empire, so work hard on your cultivation.”

The ghosts and demons glanced at each other, clearly deliberating whether they should wait for the orders of their superiors or make a run for it. As for the leaders themselves, they simply gave a few hurried pledges of loyalty before flashing away, leaving their warriors in the dust in their hurry to get the Contribution Tokens.

A few seconds later, four disorderly queues had formed where the elite warriors of the Ensolus World impatiently waited to get their hands on the tokens that would give them access to the vast fortunes of the Atwood Empire. Only a few shamefaced delegates of each side remained, but even they hurriedly excused themselves when Zac said today’s events were over.

The representatives of the Mavai Tribes and the Kingdom of Raun probably knew this was all a scheme to have them compete against each other, thus lessening the risk of them joining hands against their new rulers. But what did that understanding matter in the face of unique treasures that could speed up their cultivation and improve their foundations?

It felt a bit odd to end such a momentous occasion like this, though Zac didn’t mind. The more the elites got used to the Merit Exchange, the more integrated and dependent they would get. He looked on at the spectacle for a minute, before he turned to Vilari.

“Come with me,” he said, and turned toward the fort. They walked away while the others dealt with the exchange.

With his part essentially dealt with, he once more turned his attention to his titles. Normal increases to attributes had long since reached a level of diminishing returns, but any free boost to his attributes was obviously welcome. And seeing as the two titles gave increased attributes rather than flat, they would be a boost for the rest of his life. With this, he was just one or two titles away from an increase by 100% in every single attribute, something which had to warrant some sort of boon. Perhaps even a High-grade title.

Unfortunately, seeing the new titles was also proof of how easily elite factions could boost the strength of some of their scions. It was no wonder Catheya had been given an incursion when she was just seventeen. It wasn’t just to provide the Origin Energy, but also to get her a couple of titles. Considering how good these things were at the E-grade, Zac bet Catheya had even better titles to her name.

And while the System generally had its rules that titles had to be earned, Zac was sure that peak factions could easily bend them. It shouldn’t be too hard for someone like Iz Tayn to have her nobility pushed well beyond Barony, gaining any follow-up titles that came with it.

That made him think of something else, and he looked over at the mentalist with curiosity. “Did you get any titles as well?”

“I got three, apart from my private quest as an Incursion General,” Vilari nodded. “Connate Conqueror, Planetary Invader, and a title for having reached 25 titles while in E-grade.”

“You already have 25 titles?” Zac exclaimed with surprise, realizing that two of Vilaris’s new titles were alternate versions of the ones he got in F-grade.

“I managed to get the Apex Hunter title here on Ensolus,” Vilari smiled. “I found a Beast King with extraordinarily weak mental defenses. That alone provided two titles. With the titles for forming, fusing, and creating skills, I have gotten a total of 9 on Ensolus. Unfortunately, many are the diminished versions of the ones you can gain in F-grade.”

“Still, amazing work,” Zac nodded before opening his Status Screen as well, where things were mostly the same.

Except for one interesting change—his alignment.

Alignment: [Zecia] Atwood Empire – Baron of Conquest

Almost everything in the line had changed. The mention of Earth had turned into Zecia, and Port Atwood had turned into Atwood Empire. Finally, Planetary Lord changed into Baron of Conquest, which was the biggest surprise. There were different kinds of Barons?

Zac would have to get a missive on the subject from Calrin. The biggest takeaway had to be that the System officially accepted the Atwood Empire as a real thing. He already suspected as much after the quest rewards for the Incursion, but with this, it was official. Once more, he turned to his general to compare, and Vilari simply shared her screen.

As expected, it looked just like his, except for Vilari having the title of a Subordinate Lord, which was somewhat of a surprise to Zac.

“As I mentioned, I had a private quest to finish the Incursion,” Vilari explained. “One of the rewards was lordships, the other one is dependent on grade and will be received when I get to a Nexus Node.”

“Can you see your mark?” Zac asked with some curiosity, remembering just how amazing the rewards from those kinds of quests could be.

“B-grade, which is better than I expected, considering how things ended,” Vilari said.

“Not bad,” Zac agreed. “The System probably takes into account how quickly you routed all the other invaders. Hopefully, it’ll help you set the foundation for Hegemony.”

“It might be a while yet,” Vilari smiled. “Even if the Soul Strengthening method I got from master is quite suited for me, I expect it will take at least a decade, unless I encounter some opportunity.”

“Have you undergone the inheritance trial in the E-grade yet?” Zac asked.

“No,” Vilari said. “I haven’t been able to leave Ensolus since the Incursion started. If I returned to Earth, the Incursion would immediately end, since the general leaving would count as forfeiture.”

“Oh yeah,” Zac said. “I’m heading back now. Are you joining me?”

“There is no hurry,” Vilari said. “I will stay until the delegates and their armies return. Tonight, we’re having a banquet, and after that I expect them to leave.”

“A banquet,” Zac frowned, a bit reluctant to squeeze that into his schedule.

“Yes, but it’s best if you do not come,” Vilari said, hurrying to explain when she saw Zac’s eyes widen. “It’s not that we do not want you here! With your identities, it will become too complicated. For such a festival, why would Zachary Atwood appear but Arcaz Black not make an appearance? Or the opposite?”

Zac grimaced, understanding the issue. It was fine for his real name to be exposed to the wider world, but he was still leery about letting his dual races be made public knowledge. It was one thing if some Autarch far away in the Empire Heartlands learned of him being an Edgewalker, but the risk of it having negative ramifications was far greater in a remote place like Zecia.

“For now, the less you appear in public, the better. If you become too approachable, people will eventually start asking questions, like why you’re never seen together,” Vilari explained.

“Yeah, I don’t think it would look very convincing if I kept going to the bathroom to swap races,” Zac said with a wry smile.

“Thankfully, you have always been focused on cultivation, rarely appearing in public. It has helped curtail the spread of rumors immensely,” Vilari smiled. “If possible, perhaps you can find some sort of cloning technique that will at least allow you to make some joint appearances? Until then, we’ll simply say you’re busy cultivating or putting out fires elsewhere.”

“I’ll look into it,” Zac nodded.

They reached the secluded courtyard in the middle of the fort. The Incursion pillar was gone, but the Nexus Hub remained. Eventually, the hub would be moved to some heavily guarded structure that would act as the off-world Teleportation Station of Ensolus, but for now, it was still for private use only. Just as he was about to teleport away, Zac turned to Vilari, who looked back curiously.

“You have done great work here on Ensolus,” Zac said. “Honestly, knowing you were the one in charge of the Incursion saved me from going mad with worry, and allowed me to focus on breaking out. I’m really proud of you.”

A radiant smile bloomed on Vilari’s face. “Thank you. It means a lot.”

A moment later, Zac appeared at the Nexus Hub by Azh’Rodum, which was now surrounded by heavy fortifications. However, he was surprised to find over a hundred soldiers standing guard, with multiple nasty arrays humming with power. When they saw it was him who appeared, the soldiers relaxed.

“I’m sorry, Lord Atwood,” the captain said, and it turned out to be Harvath, the demon soldier who’d partaken in his first excursion to the underworld. “The pillar suddenly disappeared, so we set up a perimeter just in case, even if we heard you had returned.”

“All is fine. Ensolus is conquered, and there shouldn’t be any more wars over there in the short run,” Zac said, turning toward the closest teleportation array.

“Ah, my lord,” the demon coughed. “I happen to have found myself looking for a change in scenery…”

“Speak with Ilvere on the subject,” Zac smiled. “There will be a large number of job openings coming up over the next weeks. There are a lot of resources in that world that need to be extracted and refined. For now, I have to deal with a few other matters.”

“Of course, of course,” the demon hurriedly said as he stepped to the side. “I am sorry for holding you up.”

“That’s fine. It’s good to see you again,” Zac nodded before flashing away.

A moment later, he stepped out from the teleporter in his compound, and set course for Port Atwood. He could have teleported to the city’s teleportation terminal instead, but it felt like a hassle. This way, he got to visit Port Atwood without drawing any attention. However, Zac couldn’t believe his bad luck when his desire for anonymity backfired on him.

“Still not coming to pay your respects?” a sudden snort echoed through his private forest as thousands of radiant lights almost blinded him. “Nothing can escape the gaze of the great sage.”

“Alright, alright,” Zac sighed as he changed course. “I’m coming, ease up with the blasters.”

Thankfully, the blinding lights that contained their telltale lack of any sort of Dao abated as Zac made his way to the Dao Repository. Zac inwardly groaned when he saw that not only had Brazla’s private garden more than doubled in size, but it had also gained an outer wall, a small lake, and a bunch of songbirds that definitely weren’t native to Earth.

“Enter, mortal,” a grand voice echoed through the garden, and Zac reluctantly flashed over to the gates that swung open infuriatingly slowly.

“It’s good to see you again, Brazla,” Zac said as he donned a strained smile when he finally managed to squeeze into the Towers of Myriad Dao. “You look quite dashing, as always.”

The Tool Spirit looked the same, in the sense that he looked gaudy and pampered. This time, he used the sage-like persona, with golden robes and a golden fan.

“And you look slightly less wretched,” Brazla snorted.

“All thanks to your teachings,” Zac nodded, deciding he might as well deal with things while he was here. “On that topic, I was coming to see you after dealing with a quick errand. I wanted to see if I can undergo the second inheritance trial?”

“You mortals, always in a hurry,” Brazla said. He closed his eyes nonetheless, seemingly in thought.

Yrial had told him to wait ten years, which hadn’t quite passed yet. However, Zac since then added both energy gathering and soul-nurturing arrays to the Towers of Myriad Dao, so he hoped his teacher had recovered a bit faster.

A moment later, Brazla opened his eyes again. “It is ready, but I will need to gather energy for a few days to start it up. Of course, an offering of commiserate value and beauty is also required.”

“An offering, huh?” Zac sighed as he scanned his Spatial Ring.

He took out a series of statues depicting powerful warriors full of authority. He’d found them in one of the Spatial Rings he pilfered in the Void, and Zac guessed they might have been gate-guarding statues for some upstart Twilight Harbor Clan. They had quite a few arrays inside, but more importantly, their design screamed of excess.

Each statue was around four meters tall and were covered in gems, arrays, and intricate talismans hanging from their clothes and fingers. If slotted with a Nexus Crystal, they even emitted a mysterious smoke.

“I picked these valiant guardians up at great personal expense,” Zac said. “I was planning to use them as central ornaments outside my government building, but I guess they are better suited to adorn and protect your gardens instead.”

Obviously, that was a lie. He would die of shame if he placed something as overly extravagant as these things outside his offices.

“I guess this will suffice as an initial offering,” Brazla snorted. “But don’t think the great sage is so easily bought off.”

“Of course,” Zac nodded, though he was inwardly rolling his eyes. “I’m sorry, I know I just arrived, but I need to prepare for the inheritance trial.”

“Alright then, off you go,” Brazla sniffed as he glanced at the six statues. “Remember to bring a better offering when undergoing the trial. Otherwise, I might be led to believe your obeisance isn’t sincere.”

Thankfully, Adran had people visit Brazla almost daily to butter him up while Zac was gone, saving Zac from being held hostage by a lonely Tool Spirit. Soon enough he was back on track, making his way toward the inner gate in the distance. By now, the inner wall leading to his compound had been moved three times, and it took him almost ten minutes to reach the closest gate.

It wasn’t all because of Brazla’s gathering arrays though. As warriors became stronger and their means more varied, the leaders of Port Atwood had decided to add more layers of security to his compound. Now, there was a no-mans-land between Brazla’s gardens and the inner wall, with layers and layers of defensive and illusion barriers, almost turning his private forest and beachhead into a separate dimension. From the outside, one would only be able to see forests and the Towers of Myriad Dao, the latter at Brazla’s insistence.

Zac passed through the gate, nodding at two extremely startled guards before donning the presence-hiding cloak he got from Catheya. There were no structures immediately on the other side of the wall either, except for the occasional guardhouse. However, the area wasn’t empty like the other side.

Instead, there was a band of beautiful gardens, squares, fountains, and small rivers running for almost a mile along the wall. It wasn’t only a leisure walk for the citizens of Port Atwood, even if Zac saw many families and couples stroll through the idyllic surroundings. Beneath the ground were carefully constructed defensive measures that could add another layer of defenses in case his compound came under attack. The environment was also carefully designed to not block out too much visibility, and reaching the wall unnoticed was virtually impossible.

Beyond the band, there was a row of beautiful mansions, not one structure identical to the others. Port Atwood had become a bit like the Base Town in make-up, in the sense that it was a symbol of status to live close to the inner park and his compound. Some of the Valkyries, demons, and other core members of Port Atwood had secured residences there.

It wasn’t only about status though. The environment was unmatched, as was the energy density, except for some spots up on the mountain. And with all the defensive measures hidden below-ground, it was also exceedingly safe, giving the owners peace of mind while they were off-world fighting.

Beyond the inner district, the towering skyscrapers reached toward the sky, their number having increased more than tenfold now that the Nexus Vein beneath could support far more cultivators. It was hard to believe that Earth had been met with an extinction event just ten years ago, where almost 90% of humanity died.

Zac had never seen a city as prosperous as Port Atwood before the Integration. Back when the expansion of Port Atwood had started in earnest, Zac had simply said he wanted to avoid a sterile city. The city planners were more than adhering to the wishes he’d laid out—they’d far surpassed his imagination.

There were gardens, parks, and public cultivation grounds everywhere, bringing lushness and breathing room to the city. Some massive platforms had even been erected between skyscrapers, and Zac saw them holding lush greenery as well, along with hanging gardens, artificial lakes, and wide streets that were generally paved with well-tended grass. It was a mix of solarpunk and magic, and Zac could barely look away.

With its careful planning and vast resources available to be spent on public resources, Port Atwood was fast growing into a proper capital that could hold its head high even when compared to established factions in the Zecia Sector.

11

UNORDINARY LUCK

There were a few people Zac needed to talk with now that he was back from Ensolus, but he only hesitated for a second before making his way toward the commercial district. For years, he’d been holding onto his fortune, wondering exactly what it was worth. Not only that, but there were thousands of items in his rings that he couldn’t identify, and the curiosity had kept him up some nights in the Orom World.

Finally, he was back, and any further governance could wait now that Ensolus was dealt with. He wanted to get his treasure trove identified and appraised.

Still, Zac wasn’t in a hurry, so he leisurely walked down the streets, enjoying the fresh air and the sights. A lot of people were wandering about, yet it didn’t feel cramped at all with no vehicles plugging up the street. With spatial tools, there was no need for trucks to move items. And with the citizens of Port Atwood mostly being talented cultivators, people could move faster by simply walking than taking a car.

There were, however, a few people riding on mounts, and Zac was a bit surprised to spot a grizzled man ride on an armored Barghest that was even larger than the six-legged Alpha he killed way back when. Luckily, it didn’t emit any of the bestial bloodthirst the Barghest were known for, and there was even a hint of intelligence in its eyes. It looked like the Tal-Eladar had imparted some of their skills over the past years.

Over an hour passed as Zac got reacquainted with his town, his identity hidden within his hood. With its powerful inscriptions, Zac could walk right next to people without them noticing, allowing him to catch glimpses of the daily lives of his citizens. But eventually, he reached his destination, and he passed through the opulent gates to the Thayer Consortia Compound.

The store, whose size had increased tenfold since his last visit, didn’t contain the slightest hint of its wretched state of ten years ago. Back then, some of the dilapidated buildings didn’t even have roofs. Now, there were more than a dozen grand structures in what had essentially turned into a district unto itself.

Apart from multiple department-store-sized buildings, there were also huge training yards where customers could test out items, and Zac smiled as he saw a bunch of kids playing around. They were probably pre-cultivating students of the Academy, and one of them was arduously swinging around a real steel sword while the others laughed at his clumsy performance.

Still, there was something about the youngster’s determined expression that resonated with him, and something about those seemingly clumsy swings he appreciated. Zac took off his hood and flashed over, appearing in front of the kids and a startled attendant in an instant, whose eyes turned to saucers when she recognized who he was.

“Not bad,” Zac smiled as a Spirit Tool shortsword appeared in his hands, its inscribed blade gleaming with sharpness before he placed it back in its scabbard. “It could be considered fate we met today. This blade might be better suited for you. Remember; path, skill, technique, and Dao. It is all connected.”

The young boy looked part-afraid by Zac’s sudden appearance and part-confused over his words. Even then, his hand stretched out to grab the scabbard, a glint of hunger in his eyes. Zac nodded, and a moment later he was gone, having used [Earthstrider] to head into a slightly less conspicuous building near the back—a structure solely for managing the fast-growing Thayer Consortia.

Two receptionists were going over some documents in the lobby, but they shot to their feet when Zac appeared out of nowhere. A moment later, he was led to an enormous office on the top floor where the attendants bowed and took their leave. Inside were both Calrin, who’d gotten slightly plumper since Zac saw him last, along with Vikram, whose aura had grown increasingly refined.

The young genius wore a pair of glasses that Zac could tell were some sort of Spirit Tool, as was the ledger in his hands. Working at the top of a License-holding business must have been extremely conducive to his Mercantile class, and it looked like he’d perfectly adapted his old skillset to the new environment.

“Young master,” the little Sky Gnome said with glee as Zac entered the offices. “When I heard the young Lord Atwood had returned safe and sound, I cried three days and two nights straight from relief, while the Thayer Children danced and sang praises to the Heavens, who truly—”

“Alright, alright,” Zac snorted before the merchant started parading those puppy-eyed gnomelings in front of him again. “What’s going on?”

“He’s hoping for you to deal with his problems again,” Vikram shrugged.

“You!” Calrin exclaimed as he gave Vikram a death stare. “Cretinous wretch! For years you have harassed me—”

“Stopped you from embezzling funds.”

“Harassed me,” the Sky Gnome repeated. “Clipped my wings, stopping us from reaching our full potential—”

“Bankruptcy,” Vikram interjected once again.

“And yet I imparted my knowledge of business unto you,” Calrin huffed.

“Tried to scam me,” Vikram sighed.

“And this is the thanks I get?”

“What problems? What have you done?” Zac asked, happy to hear his outside hire was performing splendidly in curtailing the seemingly inherent shiftiness among the gnomes.

“I assure you, I have furthered your interest faithfully,” Calrin said with eyes glimmering of fake sincerity fraught with suffering. “But as you must have heard by now, the upcoming war has caused chaos in the Mercantile Sector. Our Thayer Consortia is finding itself hard-pressed to turn a profit, at least not with the rules you set before leaving.”

Zac understood what Calrin was getting at. After the situation on Earth stabilized, Zac had set some ground rules for his budding business empire. At that time, he was yet not a majority shareholder, but he was still the Lord of Earth. Seeing how he was essentially setting up a monopoly on the market, apart from the limited businesses run by the Marshall Clan, Calrin had pretty much unlimited power.

If he wanted, the Sky Gnome could have set any prices he wanted for items not carried in the General Stores, siphoning the riches of the whole planet. With Smaug gone and Zac having dominated the wealth ladder, there was no one else holding Mercantile Licenses at the moment. Not even the Marshalls managed to get their hands on one, and they still weren’t even close according to the missives.

Zac wasn’t surprised. If it was so easy to get one, then the Tsarun Clan wouldn’t have needed to target the Thayer Consortia. You needed to be a true talent in business and accomplish rare feats to even get the quest chains started. From there, you needed to get at least an A-grade evaluation to get a Temporary License. To make it permanent, even more trials and tribulations waited.

Since his business was without any meaningful competition, Zac had set up some hard limits on pricing to balance profit and allow Earth’s warriors to keep progressing. Even then, how could the gnome have run into trouble in a couple of years with his massive cash infusion?

“Even if prices have gone up, shouldn’t we be doing fine?” Zac asked.

“Well, we are still turning a profit, but not nearly as much as we should,” Calrin grimaced. “We are also finding it harder and harder to fill the purchase orders of your subordinates. Our old enemies have taken the opportunity to strike back at us now that the situation has turned unstable.”

“And you expanded too aggressively in a changing market,” Vikram added. “Gaining us even more enemies.”

“Hush, you,” Calrin waved. “Without some aggression, we would just get boxed in.”

“What enemies?” Zac asked. “Is it related to Tsarun?”

“Partly,” Calrin said. “Two large businesses are working against us, locking us out from most of the supply lines, affecting both our ability to import and export. On top of that, there are some smaller ventures like our own consortia who are trying to seize our markets now that we’re being pressured. Part of the issues unsurprisingly originates with the Tsarun Clan, while the other large corporation is targeting us due to our… ahem… array-improving business.”

Zac inwardly groaned, realizing the chicken had come home to roost from Kenzie’s extortionist business.

“I don’t understand how two companies can cause us so much trouble,” Zac frowned. “Why can’t you just trade through that license of yours?”

“All intra-Sector trade through a mercantile license is under the purview of the Zecia Mercantile Guild, which is controlled by the largest Mercantile organizations and clans,” Vikram explained. “The System is uninterested in the details, so it pawns off that responsibility to the ones who have the qualifications and are willing to pay the fees.”

“Their licenses are far more advanced than the basic ones we use,” Calrin added with envy written all over his face. “With them, they can control a lot of things. They can even ban certain products and impose tariffs. Currently, there are nine clans at the top, and two of them are actively working against us.”

“Who?” Zac asked with a frown.

“The Starlode Ventures, who have close relationships with the Tsarun Clan. A lot of the Tsarun Clan’s business is going through them, and they are suspected to even trade with the Undead Empire and unorthodox cultivators,” Calrin said. “The second is the Draol Munitions, who have a close alliance with many of the Inscriptionists your sister, ah, consulted. The latter is especially troublesome now since they’re one of the two biggest suppliers of expendable wartime items such as talismans, arrays, and offensive and defensive treasures.”

Zac somewhat knew of the two ventures, but not much more than that. Draol Munitions had a store at the heart of the Base Town, but it was kind of exclusive like the Zethaya Pill House. As for Starlode Ventures, Zac had visited more than one of their auction houses across Zecia when procuring items for his sister and Jeeves.

“What about the other seven?” Zac frowned. “Will the others look the other way when they harass smaller ventures?”

“Crushing the smaller competition by abusing their superior licenses is common practice. I’m sure all of them are doing it to one poor sap or another,” Calrin shrugged. “Why would the others intercede on our behalf? Even if they were so inclined, they aren’t interested in rocking the boat now that the Sector is about to be plunged into chaos. Everyone is scrambling to make money while our shelves are half-empty and we’re taking a loss on much of what remains.”

“Still, even if they can cut you off from some resources, they can’t completely isolate us, right?” Zac asked with confusion. “Shouldn’t we be making a lot of money on exports even if we can’t import the items we want?”

“What exports?” Calrin snorted. “This is just a single miniature planet that’s mostly wilderness. How can our production amount to anything in the grand scheme of things? More importantly, we barely have any craftsmen, and it’s the refined items that are truly in demand right now. Talismans, equipment, arrays. Things you Earthlings want me to procure without providing anything I can sell in return.”

“Well, there’s not much we can do about the craftsmen, except to keep providing our talents with resources to gain experience,” Zac shrugged. “So, what do you want from me?”

His company being pushed into a corner by some big businesses was a somewhat thorny issue, though not something Zac would lose sleep over. He’d help if he could, but he wouldn’t break his back to increase the profit margins of the Thayer Consortia. After all, he’d already gathered more resources than he could possibly need for the next century.

“Well, you have the unique ability to travel the Sector,” the Sky Gnome said with a crafty grin. “If we can buy resources directly from the source, we can circumvent those bastards.”

“You want me to become a porter for you?” Zac laughed. “I don’t have time for that. But you know, I think I can do you one better if you’re lacking resources.”

“What’s this? More items lifted from your enemies?” Calrin asked curiously as Zac threw over a couple of his Spatial Rings. “Not to worry, we’ll deal with any eventual diffi… culties…”

Calrin’s greedy gleam quickly transformed into a hollow stare, and his small hands started to shake as they grasped one of the Spatial Rings.

“What… This…” the gnome sputtered, prompting Vikram to look over with curiosity.

The young industrialist picked up the other ring to scan its contents, and he instantly lost the staid expression he’d maintained since Zac’s arrival.

“Like you said, just some items I lifted from my enemies,” Zac smiled.

Altogether, Zac had looted far more Spatial Treasures than the few he threw over—hundreds of them. However, most weren’t too impressive since they were lifted from the E-grade adventurers in the Twilight Ocean. All that mediocre loot barely filled one of his bulk item-rings, with the rest coming from bulk purchases in the Orom World and Twilight Harbor, along with the Hegemon-owned rings he looted in the Void.

“This is not good,” Calrin said as he closed his eyes and leaned back into his chair. “Not good at all.”

“What?” Zac frowned. “These items weren’t even looted in the Zecia Sector. It can’t be too difficult to pawn them off. And if the problem is volume, I have dozens of these rings.”

“Please stop,” Calrin groaned as his shoulders drooped. “I can’t take it.”

“What’s the matter with you?” Zac said with a raised brow. “Since when were you allergic to treasure?”

“You’re going to give me a Heart Demon,” the gnome choked, and there were actual tears forming in the corner of his eyes. “I work myself ragged day after day, going over quotes and reports until I see numbers dancing across the walls. But I barely manage to make a few D-grade Nexus Coins in profit, while you return with treasures worth millions.”

“Well, so sorry about that,” Zac said, his voice laden with sarcasm.

“I should have become a warrior. A brute,” Calrin muttered, not listening to Zac any longer. “No need to worry about projections, no need to keep constant watch over my thieving employees. Just swing my axe and drown in wealth.”

“It’s not like these things come easy. I shouldn’t even be alive,” Zac snorted. “You know where I got these things? A Divine Monarch fought with an Autarch, and the shockwaves ripped the capital of a C-grade force to shreds. Trillions died, probably. I picked these things off the bodies of Hegemons who’d been killed by errant blasts, narrowly avoiding getting blasted myself.”

“Ah?” Calrin said, his eyes glazing over. “Hegemons ripped to shreds?”

“Then I got captured by a monstrous beast that ate Monarchs like candy,” Zac added.

“That’s…” Calrin said as he glanced at the rings again. “Perhaps, the slow and steady path is the best, after all.”

“Perhaps you’re right,” Zac said with a roll of his eyes. “And going from thatched roofs to annual revenue counted in D-grade coins can’t possibly be considered bad.”

“That’s right.” Calrin puffed his chest. “Even with the winds blowing against us, good ol’ Calrin is bringing in the profits. So this loot, what do you want to do with it?”

“I have already made a preliminary sweep and put aside the best things,” Zac said. “For the rest, same as usual. The good stuff goes to the Contribution Store, the decent to the shops, and the trash can be pawned off elsewhere. Hopefully, you can make some alliances with all those things, get yourself out of your current predicament. Oh, but keep any strategic war resources aside until we know what we’ll be dealing with down the road. And if you find something interesting in the rings, put it aside as well. I might have missed some good stuff.”

“Certainly,” Calrin said.

“I’ll keep the thievery to a minimum, but I only have so many eyes,” Vikram sighed.

“You! Evil thing!” Calrin spat.

“On another topic,” Zac said, ignoring the two who almost seemed like an old married couple. “I need the latest information on the Void Gate and Salosar.”

Void Gate was the key to getting his hands on the Ferric Worldeater for his quest to upgrade the Shipyard, and Salosar was the closest place he had access to, thanks to completing the System’s training regimen in the research base. It could be considered a border region that was either neutral or a subsidiary planet to the Void Gate.

It was a mercantile hub that provided the reclusive faction with cultivation resources, while the gate used Salosar to pawn off some materials that only appeared inside their domain.

“No need,” Calrin said. “I already have it.”

“Oh?” Zac said with surprise.

“I’ve been keeping some tabs on them since you asked me all those years ago,” Calrin said. “And with the recent changes, I’ve been updating my reports weekly.”

“Changes? What’s going on,” Zac asked curiously.

“Apparently, they’re having problems with some sort of beast tide?” Calrin hesitated. “And they have sent out calls for assistance.”

Zac’s brows rose in surprise over this unexpected turn. He’d wondered whether he would need to expose his identity to gain access to the Void Star where the Ferric Worldeaters could be found, something which would bring some real risks with a powerful faction like the Void Gate. But just as he was wondering what to do, a solution had presented itself.

He had to admit—being blessed by unordinary Luck was quite convenient.

12

CALL TO ARMS

“Information on the nature of the beast tide is lacking, but the situation has to be grave,” the Sky Gnome explained. “It’s the first time in recent memory they’ve allowed outsiders into their domain.”

“Most of those who have entered have failed to return,” Vikram added. “Casualties at the battlefronts are reported to be extremely high.”

“And people are still going?” Zac asked dubiously.

“Absolutely. The Void Gate is filthy rich, and their rewards are great. The shortsighted warriors are just doing it for the wealth, while the better-informed, Wandering Cultivators see this as a final opportunity to temper themselves before the war breaks out,” the Sky Gnome explained. “After all, no matter how harsh a beast tide is, it cannot compare to the cruelties of war.”

“Anything new on the Ferric Worldeaters?” Zac asked.

“I’m afraid not. The only description the Void Gate has provided is that some of the beasts are intangible and that some of the fighting will take place in space, and specialized equipment will be provided,” Calrin said as he handed over a couple of Information crystals.

“Intangible? Ghosts?” Zac muttered with confusion.

“Not necessarily. There are all kinds of energy-based lifeforms out there,” Calrin shrugged. “But I haven’t been able to find out anymore. I suspect those who join the missions are bound by contracts,” Calrin sighed. “Either that or the information houses are leery of angering the Void Priestess. You might find out more if you head over.”

“Alright,” Zac nodded. “Do you know of any way for me to masquerade as an Early Hegemon? Or at least a Half-Step D-grade cultivator?”

“It sounds like you need an Aura Modulator,” Vikram offered.

“A what?” Zac asked.

“He’s right, for once,” Calrin reluctantly agreed. “I’m guessing you’re already as strong as a Hegemon, but your aura is clearly that of a Peak elite E-grade cultivator? If so, you need a modulator.”

“What does it do?”

“It cannot change the strength of your aura, but it can change the way it appears if you continuously infuse it with your energy. Therefore, only elites can use it,” the gnome explained. “As long as you have the attributes, a good modulator will allow you to appear as a Hegemon, though it will gradually drain you of Cosmic Energy while your aura is on display.”

“They’re not very useful for most people. Few can use them, and the ones who do, have no reason for doing so,” Vikram added.

Zac nodded in agreement. It generally wasn’t very useful to appear as a weak Hegemon compared to an E-grade Heaven’s Chosen. Even if the latter was a grade lower, they’d receive better treatment almost anywhere. Normally, Zac would rather hide his aura if he wanted to go incognito, but he feared that wouldn’t be possible this time if he wanted to sneak inside as a mercenary.

“Try to get me one of those, the higher quality the better,” Zac said.

“No problem,” Calrin smiled. “While most things are currently hard to acquire, niche items like these are still collecting dust in various auction houses. You should be able to come and collect one in a week or so.”

“Perfect,” Zac nodded as he took out the rest of his Spatial Treasures. “Then I’ll leave the rings with you. To be clear, I was stuck in a miniature world for five years, which was more than enough time to memorize all the items. So no funny business.”

“Don’t listen to this screeching little monkey,” Calrin said as he waved at Vikram with annoyance. “The Thayer Consortia always act aboveboard.”

“If you say so,” Zac snorted before leaving the Sky Gnome to complete the tally.

Zac donned his presence-hiding cowl again as he walked away from Thayer Consortia, his thoughts already having shifted from his treasures to the Void Gate. The more he thought about it, the more suspicious it seemed. How could a faction like the Void Gate find themselves pressed by a beast tide? With the Void Priestess and the Void Monastery secluded at the heart of the Gate, it should be one of the safest places in the Zecia Sector.

Was there a conspiracy at play? Did the Void Gate have some specific purpose in luring Wandering Cultivators to their side? Or was it related to the war? Zac shook his head, knowing he wouldn’t get any closer to an answer from here. He would simply have to head over to Salosar and check things out himself. If it seemed safe, he’d enter under a pseudonym, using that modulator thing to pretend to be a powerful Half-Step cultivator. That should provide him access to the inner sections of the Void Gate without standing out.

If things seemed too sketchy, he’d risk it and send word to Leyara.

Having made his choice, Zac continued down the road toward the main government building, intending to visit Abby next to confirm some details about the assimilation and operations. However, he suddenly stopped upon spotting a familiar building just ahead.

It was a three-story pub that looked almost exactly the same as before. The only difference was that the surrounding houses had been removed, replaced by a small park where tables were set. There weren’t too many guests considering it was just lunchtime, but there were a couple of groups having a beer under the shade of the trees.

Zac hesitated, but ultimately chose to enter, keeping his cowl on. There was only a single couple sitting indoors, and they were too engrossed with each other to notice any other guests. Zac simply sat down at his usual spot, taking off his hood.

“Hey, no spells in the bar, I’ve told you peop—” Ryan muttered as he looked up from a ledger, but he froze with shock when he recognized Zac’s face. “It’s you!”

“I thought your place would be bigger by now,” Zac smiled.

“I, ah,” Ryan stuttered before he found his wits. “Well, I thought about it, but I gave up on the idea. I like this small and cozy atmosphere. Running a business empire sounds like a pain in the ass.”

“Won’t it affect your cultivation?” Zac asked curiously.

“I’ve kind of shifted,” Ryan shrugged. “I focus more on the brewing than the barkeeping nowadays. As long as I manage to brew better and better attribute-enhancing mead or liquor, I’ll keep progressing.”

“Let me see the results of your hard work then,” Zac laughed, suddenly in the mood for some native brews after being locked in the Orom World for years.

Ryan nodded, taking his time in selecting the right brew. He picked up a miniature barrel with a golden stopper that couldn’t contain more than a couple of pints. The barkeep gingerly poured what looked a lot like an amber ale into a glass.

“Here you go, one glass of ‘Hatchetman’s Delight’,” Ryan coughed, looking a bit embarrassed.

“That’s its name?” Zac grimaced, no longer sure if he wanted it.

Still, it emitted a tantalizing aroma, prompting Zac to take a reluctant swig.

It felt like cutting flames were trickling down his throat, unleashing a conflagration in his belly. Even Zac with his Vitality passing 13,000 felt a bit tipsy, and the feeling refused to completely go away even after circulating his Cosmic Energy. Meanwhile, Zac felt full of power, and his veins pulsated as though he’d taken a berserking treasure.

“What the hell,” Zac wheezed. “There are people in Port Atwood who can drink this and not keel over?”

“Well, no,” Ryan said as he scratched his head with a wry smile. “You would be the first one to taste it and remain conscious. So, how did it taste? Did you get any boosts?”

Zac shot the barkeep a glare before taking a look at his Status Screen.

“I got a boost of 350 raw Strength and 200 raw Vitality,” Zac said after forcing his drifting mind to focus for a second. “That’s pretty impressive for a concoction. Are there any side effects, except the intoxication? Can it be stacked with other methods?”

“It’s liquid courage, so to speak, so it should be stackable with berserking treasures and skills,” Ryan said. “But the strain on your body would increase. As for side effects, I haven’t observed anything except a splitting headache when the test sub—eh, customers, wake up. With your constitution, it should be fine though.”

“Alright, can I put in an order for a couple of casks? And if you can do something similar with field rations or dried meat, I want that as well,” Zac said. “A few thousand kilos would suffice.”

“Thousand? Kilos?” Ryan blurted. “Are you planning on providing rations to the army?”

“Something like that,” Zac smiled. “Can it be done?”

In reality, the rations were all for himself. With [Adamance of Eoz] constantly running, he was always a bit hungry, in contrast to most E-grade cultivators who barely needed to eat by the time they reached the peak of the grade. After a harsh battle, he would almost keel over if he didn’t eat something quickly. If he could get some food made by actual professionals like Ryan, he hopefully wouldn’t need to eat as much and as often.

“I mainly focus on drinks nowadays, but I do have a few recipes and a meat-searing skill,” Ryan said. “But I know a good chef who has a similar focus as I. We can team up for this order.”

“Even better,” Zac smiled. “Only High or Peak E-grade meat, if possible, and dishes you can eat on the go with one hand. I’ll get you whatever you need.”

“No problem,” Ryan nodded. “It will take a few days with those kinds of quantities. In return, could you do me a favor?”

“Sure,” Zac nodded. “If it’s within my power.”

“It should be,” Ryan said with a hushed volume. “It’s about Lily.”

“Who?” Zac asked, completely blanking out on the name.

“The pet shop owner I introduced you to. The one you recruited to the Academy,” Ryan sighed. “I think something is wrong with her.”

“Wrong how?” Zac frowned, finally remembering who he was talking about. It was the young girl he’d headhunted for Alyn to turn into a beastmaster with the long-term goal of taking control of the Ayn Hive. “She didn’t die or have a mental break, right?”

“No, but something has been… off about her the past few months,” Ryan whispered. “I can’t pinpoint it, but her eyes sometimes make my hair stand on end. She mentioned some sort of insects long ago… I think something went wrong in her cultivation, almost like she’s possessed?”

“I’ll look into it,” Zac assured. “There’s an extremely skilled Mentalist in my army, though she’s off-world. As soon as she returns to Earth, we’ll see if there’s something wrong with Lily.”

Zac wasn’t an expert on the subject, but even he knew there were dangers related to forming links with beasts. For example, if the beast became too powerful, it could break the mental fetters and attack its trainer. Was it perhaps possible the controller and controlled could swap places? Zac realized they might have overestimated themselves when trying to control a being like a Hivequeen.

It was literally an entity that controlled thousands of minions with their powerful mind. Even if the Hivequeen was just an infant that hadn’t even gained sentience when Zac left for Twilight Harbor, it sounded like something changed during his time in the Orom World. If so, should he or the other elites not be around to deal with the fallout, it could pose a big threat to Port Atwood.

The prospect of Lily having become a puppet weighed on both his and Ryan’s conscience, and the conversation grew a bit stilted. Soon enough, Zac excused himself, once more heading for the government building. But he didn’t even have time to take ten steps before stopping because he received a slight mental nudge.

“It’s always something,” Zac muttered, but his eyes were full of excitement rather than annoyance. Any thoughts of meeting up with Abby were already gone as he flashed away, activating [Earthstrider] to pass through Port Atwood like a blur.

He didn’t even bother entering his compound through a gate, simply opting to jump straight over the inner wall, passing through the killing arrays thanks to his unique command token. Just a few moments later, he reached the courtyard of his own manor, where Triv already stood waiting.

“I’m sorry to have disturbed you, I figured young master would want to know,” the butler said.

“Of course, thank you,” Zac nodded as he walked into the Death-attuned zone of his courtyard.

The nudge in his mind earlier had come from Triv using the mental communication skill of the Butler class. Triv had simply informed him that powerful fluctuations were coming from within his courtyard, and it didn’t take a genius to figure out what was going on—Alea was finally ready to come out from her cocoon.

His heart beat like a drum as he entered the illusion array, almost immediately coming face-to-face with the large obelisk he’d placed there almost two weeks ago. It was much smaller compared to before, having shrunk to just a thin layer covering the coffin. And the coffin was clearly in the final phase of its evolution as it released powerful deathly pulses that shocked Zac with their purity.

Was it because of that odd egg Alea had swallowed just as she entered the void?

A quiet crackling broke the silence that otherwise covered his courtyard as shavings gradually fell from the crystal. Cracks were spreading as well until the obelisk completely shattered from a massive eruption of Pure Death and a cold cutting force that even managed to leave some bleeding gashes on Zac’s arms.

Left behind was a coffin that was both familiar and foreign. It still had the same general appearance as before—a black coffin with numerous engravings and chains holding it together. However, its edges were no longer smooth, instead replaced by extremely detailed carvings that seemed to be ornamental, though also not. They didn’t make up any fractals or arrays, or any other type of legible script Zac could recognize.

But they contained a hint of Oblivion.

The closest thing Zac had ever seen was right in his own body; the patterns on his right shoulder—the ones that formed after Oblivion reformed [Cyclic Strike] three times over. The carvings on [Love’s Bond] were still quite indistinct though, and Zac probably wouldn’t have realized their origin if he wasn’t marked the same way himself.

The second difference was that the arrays on the lid had changed. The circular array on the top remained, though it now looked a bit like a porthole. Swirling darkness could be seen within the array, like he was looking at a gateway to the abyss. Meanwhile, the wreath-like arrays were gone, replaced by one vertical line stretching from the circle all the way to the bottom, along with three horizontal lines cutting through it on the lower half.

As for the chains, they were now pitch-black and matte, except for the endless number of patterns that covered the links—runes that had appeared after being marked in the Twilight Chasm. They’d been refined, their meaning deepened. Zac even felt they contained a lot of truths at the level of his own Dao Branches.

“How do I look?” a familiar voice echoed from behind, and Zac’s heart almost threatened to jump out of his mouth as he spun around.

It was her—in the flesh.

13

IN THE FLESH

There she stood, as beautiful as he remembered. That alluring smile, those intoxicating curves, the limpid eyes that seemed to both invite you in and warn you off—toxic perfection. Alea was so lifelike, and one memory after another was dragged from the depths of his mind. But the next moment she shifted, her horns disappearing as her silk robes were replaced by hardy linens that would hold up in the fields.

His most trusted subordinate had become a hazy simile of Uynala, her features not nearly as detailed. One face after another, familiar figures appeared before him. Friends, lovers, even enemies. The Atwood siblings, full of mindboggling luck and layers of secrets. His stern but doting grandfather. It was a real walk through memory lane.

“I really need to get out of here,” Ogras eventually sighed, and with a wave of his hand, the illusion disappeared. “Or I’ll soon go mad.”

“How would you know if you haven’t?” a voice snickered in his head. “I’ve seen it so many times before. That hazy state where perception starts to shift, where old truths become muddied and new ones take their place. Where the discrepancy between one’s inner and outer world slowly drives a wedge in your personality, splitting it into two incompletes.”

“Are you done?” Ogras asked with a roll of his eyes.

“If conjuring past friends and lovers to accompany you with the help of your new Dao Branch isn’t crazy, then what about the lost hours?” K’Rav gleefully asked.

“It’ll sort itself out,” Ogras shrugged with disinterest as he walked over to the tree. “They are getting spaced out further and further apart, meaning they will be gone soon enough.”

Ogras said that, but he, unfortunately, wasn’t as confident as he let on. After spending a mind-bending year in the depths of that icy domain, his grasp of reality had slipped a bit. Who could possibly be fine after having their memories wiped almost a hundred times?

Even more troubling was that the gaps in his memory kept appearing even after absorbing that weird treasure, but this time without any helpful notes hastily scribbled down. He thought he had refined all of the icy crystal to form his Branch of False Truths, his illusory Dao Branch based on his vision in the Tower of Eternity, and spending so much time living at the edge between falsehoods and truths.

“If you say so,” K’Rav snickered, his presence thankfully returning into the flag.

Ogras once more swore at the fact the flag couldn’t be placed in a spatial tool, what with the technically-living souls inside. Then again, he wasn’t sure he’d dare place it inside one in either case, out of fear the shifty warlock would find some way to take his flag and run. So he could only endure the goblin’s attempts to foster Heart Demons, or at least annoy him to death.

Thankfully, life wasn’t all bad. He looked up with anticipation at the fruit whose color was rapidly growing deeper. An enticing aroma already spread through the area, and desirous calls could be heard in every direction. Though not one of the beasts dared to come closer as the treasure matured, the rotting carcasses strewn across the area a poignant reminder of what would happen if they did.

This was the fifth one, and most likely the last. Ogras didn’t mind, seeing as by now he’d almost gained immunity to them. In other words, it was about time to move on from this forest. Though where, he didn’t quite know. He’d found the Ra’Lashar Kingdom by chance when following his guts, and from there had passed through one biome after another, each one a realm fragment the Dimensional Seed had swallowed.

The Mystic Realm was a lot bigger than Ogras expected, but he was finally running out of places to visit. To the south of the forest was the edge of the realm; a weak film that could move thousands of meters in an instant, throwing any poor bastard who strayed too far into the void. To the west was the glacier and the other regions he already visited, and to the east were the badlands. That left north, where the simple giant presumably still played court.

The question was whether he should enter the badlands, risking running into swarms of those battle-crazed bipods. He’d encountered dozens of strays, or perhaps scouts, over the past years, and they kept getting stronger just as he had. Their bloodlines were clearly out of the norm, which was extremely odd considering how many of them there seemed to be.

Normally, when individual beasts were this powerful, there wouldn’t be too many, what with the law of balance, and all.

Although most appeared reluctant to leave the badlands, which Ogras estimated took up nearly a third of the Mystic Realm, and Ogras wasn’t sure poking that nest was worth it. Those voracious bastards could chew straight through both Spiritual Ice and hardened rocks like it was nothing.

With years having passed, there couldn’t possibly be much of value remaining in the badlands, unless it were some sort of treasure they weren’t interested in. That thought alone made Ogras grimace. It wasn’t the thought of losing out on treasures, though that certainly pained him as well.

Gods, it had already been ten years. A whole decade stuck in this netherblasted realm.

A snap dragged him out of his thoughts, and Ogras snatched the fruit as it fell from its branch, immediately swallowing it before it had time to begin its rapid decay.

“Time to work, you bastards,” Ogras muttered as he infused some energy into the [Shadewar Flag]. Dozens of guardian ghosts appeared around him as Ogras sat down and closed his eyes.

Minutes turned to hours, and hours turned to days as Ogras gradually channeled the seemingly inexhaustible energies contained in the fruit into the node in his head, all while channeling his Cultivation Manual. Finally, he felt a pop, followed by a blazing headache that almost made him keel over.

A few of the ghosts stirred, but a couple of quick jabs instilled with the Branch of the Grey World ended the insurrection as quickly as it began. Ogras had the technique to control the ghosts, but would take decades, centuries perhaps, to perfectly brand all the captives in the inner world of his unorthodox Spirit Tool.

Of course, having a resentful ghost as a Tool Spirit didn’t help. Luckily, it was mostly fine so long as there were enemies around to turn their aggression toward, and it was only when forced to stand around like this that they started to get antsy.

Having opened seven nodes in just under two months was huge, and it put him right at the precipice of Peak E-grade. Just two more levels and he’d be there. A glance at his Status Screen confirmed what he’d been hoping for; the latest level had pushed his Dexterity past 10,000, which rewarded him with an anticipated title.

[Specialist: Reach 10,000 points in a single attribute before evolving to D-Grade. Reward: Dexterity +5%.]

Having wheedled information out of Zac for years, Ogras already knew he’d gotten a title for pushing one of his attributes to 1,000 while still in F-grade. And a version of the same title appeared in the E-grade as well, though no doubt watered-down. Then again, he had nothing to complain about.

Before he left for Earth, he couldn’t have imagined reaching his current heights in just over a decade. Two Dao Branches, a mutated race that was conducive to his path, a unique Body Tempering Technique that almost increased his, admittedly unimpressive, attribute efficiency by half. And that was only the things you’d see on a Status Screen.

Apart from that, there was the simple fact of having formed a working path while still in the E-grade, having his affinities boosted by a considerable degree thanks to this unparalleled environment. Who knew that a baby Mystic Realm was this amazing, probably surpassing the cultivation environment even of the peak factions in Zecia? He just needed to find a replacement for the [Grey World Mudra], and he was golden.

He'd been quite proud of the manual back home, as his grandpa had gone through some trouble to acquire it. But back then, both his vantage and ambitions were a lot more restrained compared to today, and he feared it wouldn’t be good enough to form the kind of core he wanted.

Such was the curse of having an unimpressive start—every step forward would be uphill until you managed to right the ship.

“Well, better late than never,” Ogras smiled as he turned toward the tree.

If it was back home, the elders would have covered the tree in a series of arrays to speed up its recuperation process. That way, it’d provide its next batch of fruits much quicker. Here, there was no need for that. Having absconded with most of the wealth in this realm already, Ogras had no plans of ever returning.

So why respect the law of conservation in this place? What was it to him if some bastard in the future didn’t find anything worthwhile when visiting this forest?

His spear appeared in his hand, and Ogras punched a deep hole with a simple jab that reached the heart of the trunk. A moment later, an amber sap started to pour out from the wound, the sticky compound veritably teeming with energy. Ogras wasn’t too sure he’d be able to use this goop on himself, but it should fetch a pretty penny on the outside considering how energy-dense it was.

Another hour passed as Ogras siphoned out the lifeblood of the tree while it withered with a speed visible to the naked eye. A deep thud made him look around with alarm, but he realized it wasn’t some big beast coming to stake a claim on the tree. The sound rather came from the sky—where space itself had been indented.

It almost looked like a window with a spiderweb of cracks, but those cracks were rapidly mending. The next moment, a second thud echoed through the world to worsen the spatial damage again. There wasn’t a third. Five minutes later, the sky had completely recovered, but Ogras’ gaze didn’t turn away as he thoughtfully took a swig of his almost depleted stock of liquor.

Was it finally time?

Finally, his eyes shifted away from the sky before turning to the east. One last hurrah before it was time to say goodbye?

* * *

It really was her.

However, Zac soon realized it wasn’t Alea in the flesh, considering the demoness was partly translucent as she stood there with her familiar smile. Her appearance was also a lot more like the large avatar of [Death’s Embrace] than her old self, with the reddish tint of Torrid Demons having been replaced by pristine white with black scale-like markings.

It was a reminiscent of Ogras’ odd transformation, though the aura was completely different. While Ogras’ constitution felt indistinct like he was made out of shadows, the patterns on Alea’s skin rather contained the whispers of death. Her horns were quite different as well, almost like crescent blades with the outer side of them sharpened into an actual edge.

But the most palpable transformation were her eyes. They were more like the eyes of a Draugr than those of a demon, though she did have a sclera with a slight turquoise tint. It was just that her pupils were bigger than before, making her eyes almost look entirely black. But even with all the changes, it really was her.

“You’re finally back,” Zac said with a hoarse voice, his heart assaulted by a wave of complex emotions.

“Well, in a sense,” Alea smiled as she glanced at the coffin next to Zac. “Did you miss me?”

Even if her appearance was different, the smile was the same. For a moment, Zac was teleported back to the earliest days of the Incursion, just after he’d dealt with Rydel and the Azh’Rezak incursion. Back then, there had been no Port Atwood, only Zac and his camper with the occasional visits from Alea or Ogras.

The situation had been pretty desperate back then, but it had also been simple. Most of his days were spent in the mines, gradually detoxifying his body from the Cosmic Water while Ogras helped set the foundations for his budding empire. Back then, he only had one goal—to find his family, and he was steadily working toward it.

Now, his power far surpassed what he could ever have imagined, but his life had grown so complicated. There were dozens of matters requiring his attention, threats looming in every direction. So much history weighing on his shoulders, so many goals that remained far out of reach.

“I did,” Zac said as he forced a smile. “It’s really good to see you back in one piece. How is your soul?”

“My soul is healed and has completed its transformation,” Alea said as she curiously looked around the courtyard. “Unfortunately, this form is not a natural state for me any longer, I’m not like that weird guy at the Dao Repository. I can’t stay like this for long—it’s exhausting. Perhaps I’ll be able to move more freely by the time I reach whatever stage Brazla’s at.”

“Is there anything I can do to help?” Zac urgently asked.

“Well, you can keep me fed and happy,” Alea laughed. “You should have figured out what kind of materials I’ll require going forward.”

“No problem,” Zac nodded. “And don’t worry. I’ll figure out a way to return your soul into a body, one way or another.”

“Don’t worry so much or you’ll turn into an old man,” Alea smiled as she floated over to Zac’s side.

She tried to touch his cheek, but her hand passed right through, and Alea looked as disappointed as Zac felt. There was still a long way to go.

Alea regained her smile as she took a step back. “I’m in no hurry. With my soul fused with this weapon, I might even outlive you. Besides, between my environment and you feeding me all these treasures, I’m making better progress on my cultivation than I ever have before.”

“Still…” Zac muttered.

“More importantly, put me on,” Alea eagerly said as her eyes widened in anticipation. “I have a surprise for you.”

It was a bit odd to hear the term ‘put me on’ from Alea, but he did as he was told. He placed his hand on the cold surface of the coffin, and its chains smoothly wound around him and placed the Spirit Tool on its position on his back. It was more than five times heavier than before, even if it was still only the size of a large backpack.

“Now, send the command,” Alea grinned, and Zac felt a stream of information enter his mind.

“What the—” Zac blurted, and his eyes lit up as he sent a stream of Branch of the War Axe into the coffin.

The next moment, a muffled rattle was followed by a weapon appearing in his hand—a pitch-black axe. At the end of its hilt, a chain was attached, connecting the weapon with the bottom of the coffin. The axe itself was quite familiar—its design almost an exact copy of the axe his Dao Apparition wielded.

It was roughly the same size as [Verun’s Bite]; somewhat oversized for a one-handed axe with a forty-five-centimeter crescent edge, eclipsing Verun’s by five centimeters. On the back of the edge, a big spike acted as a counterweight, mirroring the smaller teeth on his primal-series axe.

However, there were a few differences to his Dao Avatar’s weapon. For one, this one wasn’t wrapped in chains. Instead, its hilt was made from some slightly mottled metal that felt extremely sturdy. On the back of the haft there was also a familiar set of runes—identical to the ones that appeared on the coffin lid.

The horizontal line ran along the full length of the haft, while the three horizontal scripts became his grip. The temper line of the edge was also quite interesting, almost perfectly matching the carvings on the coffin itself. Curious, Zac swung the weapon a few times, and he felt the balance was simply perfect, even if its length and edge differed slightly from [Verun’s Bite].

“Very dashing. I suit you quite nicely,” Alea laughed. “Do you like it?”

“It’s perfect, but how did you do this?” Zac asked. “I’ve never heard of a Spirit Tool changing this much from an evolution.”

“It’s a bit hard to explain, but that array you used on me is still around. Even now, its potential isn’t exhausted. I should be able to transform upon reaching D-grade as well, but that will probably exhaust the energy in the array. After that, you’ll have to find me a blacksmith,” Alea shrugged as she floated around Zac.

“I love it, but don’t overdo it with these transformations,” Zac urged. “What if you damage or accidentally alter your soul? Remember, the goal is to bring you back.”

“Yes, yes,” Alea said with a roll of her eyes. “But until then, I want to be able to help you out. What if I become too weak, and I have to spend millennia in your Spatial Rings because you’re afraid I’ll break in battle. Then I might really go crazy.”

“Alright, is there anything else I can do?”

“You sure?” Alea asked as she leaned closer.

“Uh, yes?” Zac said.

“Alright,” Alea said after some thought. “Don’t date anyone else then.”

“What!” Zac blurted, thinking she was about to ask for some expensive material.

“I’m just joking. Why would I need to be jealous of some romantic interest? Like I don’t know you’re closer to your weapons than you will be any woman,” Alea laughed. “Do what you want. Someone as powerful as you ought to have a handful of wives and a few dozen children, really. Now, I need to go.”

“Go? Already?” Zac asked with reluctance.

“Like I said, I can’t stay in this form for long. I’ve already overstayed my welcome. I will be slightly weakened for the next few weeks, and you won’t be able to use my new skill,” Alea sighed.

“If I evolve you to Middle E-grade, will you be able to come out again?” Zac asked.

“Middle E-grade?” Alea laughed. “Silly boy, I’m already Late E-grade. Work hard, or I’ll pass you by.”

The next moment, she was gone.

14

THE ATWOOD EMPIRE

“Wait, you’re Late E-grade?” Zac exclaimed, but Alea was already gone and there was no answer forthcoming from within his mind.

It really looked like she was unable to communicate freely just yet.

Zac couldn’t sense her presence at all in his mind, except for that intangible bond he had with his other Spirit Tools. Even if she’d disappeared as she had after their previous short conversations, Zac wasn’t worried anymore. Like Alea said, she was healed, and she was even making progress on her cultivation.

And truthfully, as much as Zac loved to hear her voice again, he was somewhat relieved that Alea wasn’t able to freely speak in his head. It wasn’t that he had a bunch of secrets he needed to keep from her—they were way beyond that point by now.

It was rather about the feeling of having his mind invaded, even if Alea obviously wouldn’t be a hostile presence in his mind like Heda’s seed. That was why both Vilari and Triv’s skills worked more like telephone calls. They had to nudge his mind, and he had to accept their attempt to communicate.

With Alea gone, Zac swapped over to his Draugr form before spending the next few minutes getting acquainted with his upgraded weapon. The fact she’d managed to leapfrog all the way from Peak F-grade to Late E-grade was huge, though Zac figured he shouldn’t be too surprised.

With the things [Love’s Bond] swallowed since its formation, Zac wouldn’t even have been surprised if it became a D-grade Spirit Tool.

At first, Zac had been worried that the chain attached to the haft of his new axe would become a hindrance, even if it was thinner than the other ones he used to attack. However, he was relieved to find that the chain seemed to have a mind of its own, never getting in his way or hitting his hip.

In fact, it could even be considered a strength rather than a weakness.

First of all, the chain constantly danced in the air next to the handle, acting a bit like a cross guard. It probably wouldn’t be able to block an all-out strike, but having some metal in the way of a surprise strike targeting his weapon-holding hand was obviously a good thing.

Secondly, the chain essentially turned the axe into a throwing weapon. He hurled the weapon at a tree on the other side of the courtyard, and the axe shot forward like an arrow. At the last second, Zac slightly nudged the outstretched chain, prompting the axe to make a sharp turn before drawing an arc that cut down a neighboring tree instead.

It was a fusion between his understanding of axes and armaments, allowing him to control his axe as both. This type of manipulation of the chain was the simplest form of control, but it hinted at all kinds of possibilities down the road.

Just a moment later, the axe was back in his hand as the chain retracted with such speed that it almost looked like teleportation. A Dexterity-based elite might be able to grab hold of the axe on its return, but would they even dare to?

“Triv,” Zac said as he walked out from the isolation array and threw over his axe to the startled butler. “Try to drag the chain away from me.”

“Ah, young master, these types of feats are not my strong suit,” Triv hesitated.

“Well, there’s only you around,” Zac shrugged. “Don’t worry, just do your best.”

“Alright,” Triv reluctantly agreed, and some sort of semi-tangible lasso formed around the axe as they started to pull away.

However, try as they might, the coffin effortlessly dragged the ghost closer and closer. Zac grabbed the chain himself, and could feel that Triv utilized the equivalent of around 3,000 Strength to resist the pull. That wasn’t close to the coffin’s limits by the looks of it—Zac would have to find someone stronger to test it out properly.

“Alright, thank you. You don’t need to wait around here,” Zac said.

“Then I will take my leave,” Triv said, throwing an appreciative glance at the axe in their grip before flittering away.

Left alone in his courtyard, sat down on a prayer mat as he thoughtfully looked at the axe that had once more returned to his hand. With Alea having created a perfect axe for his undead form, it looked like one of his issues had been dealt with. He had been struggling to decide what to do with [Verun’s Bite]—to infuse the weapon with Death to balance out the life it had absorbed, or to let it stay as it were.

Now, Alea made the choice for him, and the more he thought about it, the more suitable he found it. There was some logic to the argument that using only one weapon would help push one’s technique to its limit, but there were practical ramifications to only using [Verun’s Bite] as well. For one, the undead generally didn’t use primal-series weaponry because of the very affinity clash Verun exhibited.

Secondly, if he wanted to keep his two sides separate in the eyes of outsiders, he couldn’t be running around with [Verun’s Bite] both as undead and human. It had already become an issue in Twilight Harbor, where he’d been forced to get a substitute to avoid getting found out by Catheya. But using a lower-quality substitute to his real weapons was a deadly gambit, one which could cost him dearly if he suddenly ran into a powerful enemy.

Now, all those issues were solved, with him having full kits for both his sides; [Verun’s Bite] and Vivi when fighting as a human, and [Love’s Bond] taking both those roles in his undead form.

Over the next few hours, he made a couple of other discoveries. The most obvious one was that the Spirit Tool had actually lost its shield form. Now, [Love’s Bond] could only take on its backpack and necklace forms.

In return, the main chains of the coffin had become disgustingly sturdy, and Zac wasn’t sure if even a Middle D-grade cultivator would be able to damage the links. Along with a massive boost in durability, they’d also become more pliable, responding far quicker to his mental commands. This had drastically improved the defensive capabilities of the links and essentially removed the need for a shield.

In return, it cost a lot more Miasma to manipulate the chains, but that wasn’t surprising. And with his stockpiles, he would be able to use them continuously for a whole day before running out of energy.

Finally, he discovered that [Blighted Cut], his base skill that had been somewhat underutilized lately, had almost been reborn with a proper weapon. With [Blighted Cut] activated, both his axe and the chain attached turned darker than black, and the gleaming edge of the axe started releasing such potent toxins, even Zac was appalled.

If [Gorehew] was good at taking out weaker enemies, then [Blighted Cut] had become a terror for infighting, which was perfect for Zac who’d spent years working on his technique. Part of the effect came from his improved Dao, but it was also obvious that his Spirit Tool amplified the corrosive effect of the skill.

In a perfect world, Zac would have wanted to spend a couple of months getting properly reacquainted with [Love’s Bond] after having used [Chainbox] for years, but a buzz from a Communication Crystal forced him back to reality and his many duties.

“Lord Baron, it’s an honor,” the Stargazer said with visible glee as Zac stepped into her office twenty minutes later.

“Don’t you look chipper,” Zac commented.

“It’s all thanks to you,” Abby bobbed. “I am the administrator of a progenitor who managed to become a Baron in ten short years—a miracle. I have received a promotion, plus administrating a sanctioned empire has more than doubled my cultivation speed.”

“Well, glad I can help,” Zac snorted.

“If you open your management screen, you can now hire more administrators such as I. As a Baron, you can add one additional administrator per world, for a fee of course,” Abby added.

“Why would I want to do that, though?” Zac asked. “Port Atwood has already nurtured many competent administrators. Why bring in more Stargazers?”

“Well, for one, you don’t have to choose Stargazers,” Abby muttered. “But it’s also a matter of convenience. We have access to some functionality that others don’t. We are also neutral, only beholden to you, and limited in our actions by the System. Having outside administrators at the heart of your government, even if we don’t have any de facto control, will prevent corruption to a certain degree.”

“Alright, I’ll look at candidates later. But no funny business. Don’t think I’ve forgotten your little white lies,” Zac smiled, waving away the Stargazer’s explanations. “More importantly, have you received the information about the quest I completed on Ensolus?”

“About what to do with their planet?” Abby asked. “I got it.”

“What’s your opinion?” Zac asked curiously.

“All have their merits,” Abby said. “I think evolving this planet is most beneficial in the long-term, but it is a bit dangerous to have such a potent miniature world. Those kinds of planets are often highly contested; they are perfect for private residential worlds. I’m not sure you will be powerful enough to defend such a planet, even with your power.”

“Makes sense,” Zac nodded. “I guess I’m going with option three then. Can I pick a location right now?”

“One second,” Abby said as the stardust in her eye started swirling faster. “You cannot choose a location right now. You will be able to choose a spot in 40 years at the earliest, and 85 at the latest. You also need to have visited the spot you have in mind, and it cannot be directly controlled by another empire.”

“No problem,” Zac slowly nodded. “I haven’t figured out where to put us anyway. So, why did you call me over?”

“You have a problem with the local factions. When the Atwood Empire became a sanctioned empire, the Incursion world was not the only one affected. Everyone on Earth has had their affiliation changed, and we have received dozens of requests for clarification,” the Stargazer explained. “We haven’t dared provide any clear answers before you weighed in on the matter.”

“I’ll deal with it,” Zac groaned, and he left Abby’s offices twenty minutes later armed with stacks of reports and a travel schedule.

And so, he spent the next few days visiting the strongest factions of Earth, where Abby and his other subordinates made sure his appearances were well-publicized. Part of the reason was to explain what was going on, while part of it was to show the world he was back and as powerful as ever—quelling any thoughts of rebellion.

Thankfully, the pushback from the factions wasn’t too big, considering his rule over Earth was all-but-official before in either case. There were some grumblings over the new taxation rates, but those grumblings quickly died after the Contribution Tokens started rolling out just like on Ensolus.

With the number of official citizens of his faction going from millions to billions in just one week, Zac was forced to adjust the contribution rules to a slightly less generous model. Luckily enough, Vilari had already expected such a change, so the missives on Ensolus had said the exact rewards were still being calculated to adapt to the new situation. Furthermore, the Earthlings who weren't part of his faction only got the same deal as the Mavai Demons on Ensolus. They only had access to the basic items in the Contribution Store and would have to rack up a lot of merit before they unlocked the real treasures.

It was still easier to gain contribution points in the Atwood Empire compared to most established factions, though fewer would benefit from it. Zac had, under the suggestions from Abby and the golem at the exchange, eventually changed the model to one that mainly targeted elites.

Now, you either had to contribute resources to gain other resources, or perform uncommon feats.

For example, you could still get contribution points from gaining levels, but only if you progressed at a certain pace. It was meant to push people harder, where they perhaps needed to take some risks against beasts or the wilderness to keep up. If they succeeded, they’d both be tempered and gain contribution. If they failed, they might be hurt or even die.

It was harsh, but the Zecia Sector was about to enter a war that would last god-knows-how-long. Zac suspected it would be decades at the least, and if his people didn’t squeeze out all the potential they had, they’d only become fodder on the battlefield. Better suffer a little now than suffer a lot later.

It only took him three days to deal with the local factions, though Zac kept touring Earth for a while longer. Seeing Earth’s transformation, he marveled over how similar Earth and Ensolus had become. Elysium, the previously desolate desert continent, was now at least 80% Death-attuned, with small pockets of surprisingly condensed Life.

It really had become a paradise for his undead forces, and his rapidly growing population of undead civilians. He’d left a lot of his ichor with Vilari, and a few more generations of zombies had successfully been turned into Revenants. With the population booming, there was finally enough manpower to expand beyond just having an army.

Proper towns had appeared next to the military bases, which held as many non-combat classes as warriors. The first generation of natural-born undead children had appeared on Elysium over the last year as well, with the first set of Revenants having managed to reach Late E-grade. Even then, his undead cities were still quite small and limited in scope, a far cry from Port Atwood.

Finally, Zac toured his archipelago, and just like the missives said, his island kingdom had become the seam between Elysium and Pangea, with almost half of the islands having turned Death-attuned. It was a bit inconvenient for his faction, which had spread to almost all the islands, but there wasn’t much of a loss in the long run.

Hive Kundevi had avoided getting their island impacted, and Zac decided to make a short visit to meet with his old allies. Ibtep was still in the underworld, but he was soon led to the inner chambers where Nonet waited. The former Anointed was still almost three meters tall, but their aura didn’t feel nearly as imposing as the first time they met.

Turned out that the spiritual leader of the small hive had already encountered a bottleneck at the Middle E-grade, with their remaining nodes being too weak to open either through cultivation or force. In other words, the chances of Nonet ever reaching the peak of the grade were essentially nil.

It was an unwelcome reminder of the reality of a cultivator—for every grade you passed, you would leave most of your companions behind.

Each grade was a watershed that would keep a vast majority of cultivators, and that would become especially apparent now that Earth had lost its Origin Dao and integration-related opportunities. Nonet was the first such person he encountered, but there would surely be more.

“Don’t mourn for me,” Nonet smiled upon seeing Zac’s expression. “The fact that I am able to live past the crusade is already a blessing. When it is my time, it will be weakness leaving the Hive. But I hope you can help our future generations adapt to this new reality as we are finding it difficult on our own.”

“What do you mean?” Zac asked with some confusion.

“The Hives are unable to nurture the kind of warriors needed to meet the challenges of this wider world. We are a communal race, where the Hive is all. However, the pursuit of the Dao is ultimately a personal journey of discovery, which is putting us at a disadvantage,” Nonet sighed.

Zac immediately understood what Nonet was talking about. The thinking of the average Zhix warrior was extremely rigid, and Zhix like Ibtep and Rhubat were extremely rare. If cultivation didn’t require insights into the Dao, they would probably have left the humans on Earth far behind with their one-tracked mentality, but now they found themselves stuck.

Without the boost of the Origin Dao, how many would even be able to form Dao Seeds and make it past the F-grade?

“Your subordinates have graciously accepted warriors into your institutions, but we can see that their performance is not very impressive. We have also tried setting up warrior camps both here and in the underworld, with the goal of nurturing combat-based Daos,” Nonet continued. “But it seems we are missing something. I wonder… if the Zhix are doomed to be left in the dust in this new environment, a weakness leaving this world.”

“No need to give up just yet,” Zac said after some thought. “And there’s no need to compare yourselves to humans. We’re known to be one of the most adaptable races in the Multiverse. The Zhix might simply need another generation or two to get used to the changes. Besides, I know there are extremely formidable insectoid races in the Multiverse. The problem might be that our training methods don’t suit your people.

“I’ll ask my people to look for solutions. Our Sector doesn’t have any large insectoid empires as far as I know, but there should be some factions around. But even if we can’t find anything, don’t worry. Just like you adapted to meet the threat of the Dominators, you will eventually adapt to meet the requirements of the Multiverse.”

Even if Zac tried to sound positive, he still felt downcast as he flew back toward his island, opting to take the scenic route rather than teleport to clear his head. With Nonet failing to evolve their race, they would be gone in a few hundred years. Right now, that still seemed really far off, but Zac already felt how his perception of time had started shifting.

He’d already spent months in seclusion at a time, the passage of time barely noticeable as he focused on his soul or techniques. Soon enough, these months would turn to years as he became increasingly disconnected from the mortal world. It meant losing part of what made you human, where you got strength and longevity in return.

Soon enough, Zac recovered his state of mind. Ultimately, everyone had their own road to walk. The lives of lower-grade people might be far shorter than those aiming for the peak of cultivation, but that didn’t mean their lives were unfulfilling or insignificant. Life was what you made of it.

The forested edge of his island appeared on the horizon an hour later, and the moment he got in reach, he once more felt Triv’s spiritual nudge.

‘The Master of the Dao Repository has asked for you,’ the ghost butler conveyed, the message almost completely dispelling the clouds in his mind.

Twenty minutes later, Zac passed through the gates of the Towers of Myriad Dao, his eyes immediately turning to his master—The Lord of Cycles.

15

PAINT YOUR PATH

The enormous statue of Yrial looked a bit different from how it used to. Today, a haze chock-full of fiery and icy energies surrounded it, and it actually released an aura akin to a real cultivator. It looked like Brazla hadn’t lied when he said he needed some time to prepare. The scene made Zac a bit leery—why did the second inheritance trial require this kind of energy? Was it related to difficulty, or something else?

If it was the former, then Zac held full confidence, but if it needed the energy to teleport him to some other Sector, then it might become a problem. He wasn’t willing to leave Zecia again, especially not while his escape bangle still hadn’t been repaired. Zac turned to the Tool Spirit, who was in his warrior persona today, with a mighty broadsword on his back and glimmering armor. “You’ve worked hard.”

“It’s nothing to the mighty Brazla,” the Tool Spirit snorted, his nose almost pointing at the ceiling. “So, what have you brought today?”

Zac stifled his annoyance as a small mountain of golden ornaments appeared on the floor. One day, he would push down the haughty Tool Spirit a peg or two, but for now, he simply wasn’t strong enough. He could only smile and showcase his offerings; chandeliers, statues, furniture, paintings, and all kinds of knick-knacks he’d gathered.

“These are invaluable heirlooms I collected during my last outing. Each one was a defining treasure of great renown,” Zac lied as he channeled his inner Calrin. “While they don’t contain much spiritual energy, their artistic value is incalculable.”

Brazla gazed at Zac for a few seconds before turning his eyes to the shimmering pile of treasures. “Well, they cannot be compared to the artistry of my towers, but what can? I guess these trinkets will have to do. If anything, they can showcase the great gap between mundane artistry and the celestial artistry that is Brazla.”

Zac inwardly breathed out in relief that his attempt to pawn off some useless decorations had worked out. He still had a bunch of actual treasures and arrays prepared just in case, but why waste his money if he didn’t need to?

“It’s their honor to be placed in your grand temple,” Zac nodded before pointing at the Lord of Cycle’s statue. “If I may ask, what’s with the aura?”

“You would have to ask the haughty guy inside,” Brazla said in a mighty showcase of his unsurpassed lack of self-awareness. “I was just responsible for collecting the necessary energy. If you ask me, it’s a feeble attempt of the Lord of Cycles to match the grandeur of the Towers of Myriad Dao.”

“Alright then, so the same procedure as before? Do you know how long it might take?” Zac asked, trying to finagle at least something useful from the Tool Spirit.

“All these questions,” Brazla said with annoyance. “Do you take the great sage for your tour guide? Just step onto the teleporter and get out of my sight. It shouldn’t take too long.”

Zac only grunted in response as he walked away, stopping in front of the teleportation array. Since the Tool Spirit was in an unhelpful mood, he tried to gather any hints from the array. Thankfully, it looked the same as last time, which decreased the odds of this being an actual long-distance Teleportation Array.

His gaze once more turned to the towering statue, and a wave of nostalgia hit him. It was hard to believe that just over ten years had passed since he stood here last. It both felt much longer and shorter than a decade. He was so inexperienced back then, fumbling his way forward as he desperately grasped for the power needed to save Earth from the threats it faced. Now, he was almost completely reborn, but he still hoped Yrial could provide the answers to his burning questions.

Zac took a deep breath as he scanned his body one final time, making sure there were no lingering threats or weaknesses that might impact him for the trial. By now, he was mostly restored, with only some lingering echoes of forming a Glimpse of Chaos remaining. With that, he stepped onto the teleporter.

The next moment, Zac found himself standing on a floating disk among purple and pink clouds beneath a foreign sky of breathtaking beauty. The scene was mesmerizing, but his attention was soon drawn to a massive object floating in front of him. It was a large disk wrought from stone, its rim engraved with unfamiliar scripts as it slowly rotated in place like a wheel.

Most of its flat surface was completely smooth, and there were no clear hints to the function. There was a second, much smaller, wheel. It floated in the middle of the platform instead of among the clouds, looking like a daughter array to its 50-meter-tall parent. Zac guessed it was related to whatever trial Yrial had come up with, and soon enough, a familiar voice confirmed the hunch.

“Paint your Path of Cyclic Supremacy,” Yrial’s voice echoed through the clouds as the smaller disk floated closer, his tone containing a grandeur that felt extremely fake after knowing the real Lord of Cycles.

Zac grimaced as he gripped the disk in his hand, his fears somewhat realized. If it was just about Dao or strength, Zac had full confidence in dealing with the trial, having far surpassed what anyone could have expected for a small local Dao Inheritance. But if he needed to prove a cyclic path, then things suddenly became a lot thornier.

“Uh, teacher? Master?” Zac hesitated, eyes locked on the small disk. “There was kind of a change of plans. Can you change the test a bit?”

There was no response. Zac guessed the voice was pre-recorded, even if Yrial was likely watching from his own dimension. However, there was one change in response to his words; a curtain of fiery ice, or perhaps frigid flames, appeared in the sky. The fiery sea was in a mesmerizing flux as it passed through Yrial’s cycle between fire and ice, yet Zac was dismayed rather than enraptured as he looked at the masterful Dao control.

Because the curtain was slowly falling toward his position.

It was like he’d been trapped in some cliché ruin where a spiked ceiling was gradually moving closer. In ten minutes or so, he would be drowned in fiery ice. Even if he managed to withstand the domain, it would no doubt mean the trial had failed, and he’d lost his chance to confer with his master until he was powerful enough to force his way inside.

There was no time to lose, so Zac infused a wisp of Mental Energy into the small disk to find any clues to what ‘paint your path’ meant. Only a second passed before he swore and almost threw the daughter array into the clouds. The issue wasn’t that it was too hard to figure out what to do, but rather that it was too familiar.

The array worked almost exactly the same way as the Dao Discourse Array back in the Tower of Eternity.

If not for the incredibly bad timing, Zac would have laughed at the irony. It was at the Dao Discourse against the Enlightened Three he finally realized the futility of pursuing a cyclic path of Life and Death, and instead took his first steps toward his current system. Yet now, he found himself in a similar situation where he actually needed to showcase a cycle.

This time he couldn’t just flood the array with his Daos Mental Energy tainted with Oblivion Energy. For one, he was pretty much tapped out on the Remnant front, and his Mental Energy was extremely pure nowadays after years of Soul Strengthening. Secondly, even if he managed to overwhelm the disk, so what? That would probably just count as a failure.

The curtain of cyclic flames kept getting closer, and Zac could only grit his teeth and do his best. He first infused his Branch of the Kalpataru into the disk, and a radiant tree started to appear on the left side of the wheel. Except as the wheel kept turning, the image of the tree was twisted and distorted, becoming indistinguishable before Zac even had a chance to infuse his second Dao Branch.

Let alone try to affect some faux-cycle to trick the trial.

Zac grunted in annoyance as he cleared the disk. For his second try, he formed two thick streams of Mental Energy and twinned them into a sturdy braid. Then, he filled the streams with his Daos of Life and Death before infusing the Dao Braid. The next moment, both of his Dao Avatars appeared on the turning wheel.

Unfortunately, the result was the same. The avatars only retained their meaning for a second before they were twisted and broken down, almost as though the huge wheel was a millstone. They couldn’t even stay on for more than a few breaths, let alone form any sort of cycle.

“What the hell,” Zac muttered, but he refused to give up, trying one thing after another.

No matter how he infused his Daos into the disk, they never fused, and as the wheel kept spinning, it ruined every attempt. Zac even sent over the chains of [Love’s Bond]. While they managed to slow down the wheel, it started to creak ominously, forcing Zac to let go.

There was something special about the rotation, where his own Dao would be attacked if it wasn’t rotating in step. However, he was absolutely unable to make that change. It wasn’t enough to try and rotate the Mental Energy on the disk—it had zero effect. The underlying theory wasn’t really a mystery—while the wheel was spinning to represent a cyclic path, the true cycle was conceptual.

If he couldn’t infuse that kind of understanding into the wheel, the drawings wouldn’t spin and would break apart as a result.

The minutes passed as Zac exhausted every possibility he could think of, but it was futile. He simply didn’t possess the ability to pass this trial either by hook or crook, and the curtain of flames were drawing close. Seeing he was out of options, Zac growled with annoyance. Since he couldn’t fake a cyclic path, he would instead force his own upon this picky wheel.

A keening cry echoed out amongst the clouds as [Verun’s Bite] appeared in his hand, its sharp bone edge glimmering in blue and red under the curtain of Yrial’s Dao. Eight streams of Mental Energy, four instilled with Branch of the War Axe and four with Branch of the Kalpataru, poured into the Spirit Tool, instilling it with one-half of his path.

The trial space was fraying at the edges from the immense power contained in the weapon as Zac infused as much of his Dao and energy it could withstand. He didn’t use any skills, either his own or Verun’s, instead swinging his axe in an inscrutable arc that carried the insights of his Evolutionary Stance.

It wasn’t just an empty movement. With the amount of energy crammed into the blade, an actual blade of pure Dao shot forward, resembling his old skill, [Chop]. And the target wasn’t the canopy in the sky, but rather the Dao wheel. An enormous shockwave caused the clouds to roil, exposing glimpses of a glimmering world far below.

It was more an enormous crystal rather than a continent, with thousands of refracting lights reaching him through the cracks in the clouds. Zac ignored the odd scene and focused on the object keeping him from completing the trial.

The attack left a massive scar on the wheel, drawing a straight vertical line a third of the way into the disk from the left. The scar almost felt like a crack in reality, teeming with churning waves of Life. Similar to the small cracks in the clouds around him, showcasing a glimpse of paradise, though it also contained a foreboding aura from his conflict-based Dao.

The unfamiliar scripts at the edges had been utterly ruined, and the wheel ground to a halt. However, Zac saw that the runes were slowly reforming, and he swapped forms, his eyes turning black as his skin turned pale. Simultaneously, [Love’s Bond] hummed as his new axe appeared in his hand.

A stray thought hit Zac as he formed eight new streams of Mental Energy—should the axe have a name of its own? Or should it be considered part of [Love’s Bond] since they were technically just one Spirit Tool? The name didn’t seem fitting for a bladed weapon. Zac guessed he would ask Alea the next time she popped up, and for now would simply call the axe [Black Death], based on its color and affinity.

A second wave of pure Dao shot forward, and a second scar appeared on the disk. If the first one felt like a tear almost exposing a celestial world, the second one was a festering wound, teeming with death and carnage. It was destruction, a shadow of the abyss itself.

With two scars running parallel across the disk, each one rife with his Dao, the wheel couldn’t take it any longer. Small cracks spread, forming a spider vein pattern. Interestingly enough, Zac saw how the cracks only seemed to appear in the middle of the disk, between the two scars, while the outer edges remained unblemished.

The new cracks started at the cuts and spread toward the other side, almost like they were reaching for one another. Zac looked on with rapt attention, gleaning new truths from the scene. The cracks weren’t random—they formed some sort of pattern based on his Daos.

It was almost like he was looking at two armies from a great distance, with streams of cavalry reaching toward the enemy lines. It was a war between Life and Death, a conflict as old as time itself. Soon enough, the two sets of cracks reached the middle of the disk where they met one another, which rapidly sped up the process.

Zac could only see a hint of something, he didn’t know what, a moment before the disk collapsed in a burst of energy that threw Zac off his feet. A third scar had almost formed where the two lines of cracks met, one that emitted an aura superior to either of the originals. Unfortunately, it had been so unstable that it only lasted second.

Seeing the disk break apart made Zac’s heart sink. His gambit had failed, where he wanted to forcibly engrave his path onto the disk. But a few seconds passed and nothing happened. Why wasn’t he sent out if he had failed? Did he still have a chance to make it? There was, however, one issue remaining.

The curtain of flames was still descending, and it was only a few hundred meters above him now. He looked up at them with hesitation, wondering if he should activate one of his escape means. By now, he had found a few better alternatives to the [Coward’s Escape], methods that would allow him to leave the trial without losing all his other quests.

The easiest method was simply to activate a spatial talisman powerful enough to destabilize this temporary space, which would result in him being spat out. That kind of method wouldn’t work inside Mystic Realms or top-tier heritages, but it should be more than enough for this kind of simple inheritance.

Such action didn’t suit Zac, he refused to give up just like that. The Miasma in his body churned as his [Spiritual Void] was unleashed. He was going all out from the start, and a massive Dao Braid entered a Skill Fractal on his right bicep along with almost a third of his Miasma.

Billowing waves of darkness poured from his back the next moment, but it didn’t turn into a domain of death like [Deathwish]. Instead, the energy condensed into a grid of strings that looked both like some sort of skeletal wings, a mesh of chains, or a spider’s web. They stretched out from his back five meters in every direction, the network constantly twisting as it accumulated energy.

One shimmering orb of utter darkness congealed at each tip, while [Black Death] started radiating a grey haze that lacerated the air around it. Zac glowered at the sky, and with a roar, swung his weapon in a sharp overhead arc, causing the insanely sharp haze to rush forward. In an instant, the wave transformed into a metallic skull with a huge scar on its forehead.

The skull only appeared for an instant, where its jaws opened far beyond what should be possible. Before disintegrating, the skull unleashed a soundless wail that contained such force that it formed a barely visible blade that shot forward with almost impossible speed. In its wake, spatial tears full of the Dao of the Axe swirled, creating a trail of destruction that slowly expanded outward.

The scene was pretty shocking, but the skill wouldn’t end with just one single blade. The two wing-like appendages on Zac’s back flapped, and they expanded five times in size. In an instant, they reached the size of airplane wings before being absorbed by the two orbs at the ends. With that, a set of soul-chilling runes appeared on the surface of the orbs, at which point Zac finally released them.

The two singularities shot forward, the force tearing straight through space, reappearing next to the blade which had reached the roiling curtains of flames. The moment they appeared the surroundings were sealed as the runes flashed, and it looked like the icy flames had been completely frozen over as they stopped in place.

The blade and two orbs crashed into each other the next moment, and Zac was forced to activate [Profane Exponents] to withstand the cataclysmic eruption that followed. Death and Conflict fused into one, and nothing could withstand its might as a black inferno ripped the whole canopy to shreds. Zac looked at the spectacle with awe behind his barrier, not sure if even he would survive at the heart of that explosion.

He’d tried out [Desperation’s End] inside the Orom World before, but the scene back then was barely a shadow of what he witnessed now. For one, the orbs hadn’t been powerful enough to seal their surroundings, and the explosion had been like a match compared to today’s conflagration.

A few errant waves of fiery ice rained down around him, but the chains of [Love’s Bond] effortlessly flicked away the ones that made it past the barriers. A minute later, the sky was clear, void of both his attack and the domain.

“Uh…” Zac looked around, a bit hesitant on what he should do, stuck as he was on a disk flying among the clouds.

“How could I ever have accepted a brute such as you as my disciple?” a sigh echoed out right next to his ears. “The long years inside this place must have turned me insane, just like the little Tool Spirit.”

16

BLUEPRINTS

A small smile spread across Zac’s face as he heard the familiar voice. This was obviously not a recording, meaning he’d managed to brute force his way through this trial as well. He swapped back to his human form while the clouds shifted, forming a tunnel that no doubt led to his teacher’s domain. He walked toward the edge of the floating disk, shooting one final look at the lingering remnants of his skill.

[Desperation’s End] had a glaring weakness, being the slowest skill to activate between both his classes by far. Even then, Zac was extremely happy with it. His Fetters of Desolation class had a lot of skills that bound enemies and whittled them down, but it lacked direct lethality. That the class’s ultimate finisher was a blast of utmost destruction had pretty much added an entirely new tool to his toolbelt for his Draugr class.

Not even his [Arcadia’s Judgement] contained this level of raw power, though it did deliver two consecutive strikes—the initial swing and the following eruption from below. That kind of design had its advantages as well, where the first strike could take out defenses while the follow-up went for the kill.

This new finisher of his required some more preparation, but that was fine with Zac. His other skills would bind the enemies to his calamity, and [Desperation’s End] would sever their path. And he even had the perfect trump card in case he needed to speed up the process—his Void Energy. The Void Energy wouldn’t allow him to instantly deliver a strike, but it would drastically cut down on his casting time by instantly conjuring fully-formed singularities and wings.

Furthermore, the skill was a novel expression of the fusion of the two Daos that made up the foundation of his class; Axe and Pale Seal. The skill even required both Daos to even function, so it was a huge relief that he’d learned to braid his Daos with his homemade method.

It wasn’t too uncommon for high-quality skills to require more advanced control of Dao. Regardless, Zac had been a bit surprised the System added such a skill to his class. Perhaps it was a reminder to keep working on his Soul, as the requirements to activate his skills would only grow more stringent down the road.

There were still a lot of things to discover about his skill, since this was the first time he activated [Desperation’s End] without the prison brand limiting him. For example, those two singularities were actually controlled by him when he shot them out. That probably meant there were other ways to use them than simply bashing them into the conjured blade. That was the most fundamental technique he was imparted the moment he acquired the Skill Fractal.

Figuring out the details would have to wait, and Zac turned toward the now fully-formed tunnel. It looked stable enough, but Zac’s heart shuddered as he stepped off the floating platform and entered a pathway made of clouds. Thankfully, it held, and Zac flashed forward, soon appearing in a new world.

Zac didn’t find himself on the moonlit, floating island where he met Yrial the first time. Neither was it the odd gemlike world he vaguely spotted beneath the clouds. Instead, he entered a field filled with flowers, the scene somewhat reminiscent of the Dao painting he was forced to purchase with his credits last time. However, the flowers were far more varied here, creating a mesmerizing explosion of colors and scents.

In the distance, a wooden pergola had been erected, and thousands of pieces of hanging silk cloth that made up its ceiling danced in the breeze. The tintinnabulation from chimes hidden among the silk bands, the rustling of cloth and leaves, were the only sounds, forming a harmonious melody that soothed Zac’s soul.

Zac found a familiar figure reclined on a set of pillows with a bouquet in his hands, his features full of beauty and ambiguity. Having gained some experience, Zac realized his master wasn’t just almost impossibly beautiful. Seeing his features now, Zac could spot echoes of both fire and ice in perfect harmony.

It was Dao, just like what he’d seen when looking at Iz Tayn. Or was it perhaps more apt to say it was affinity, where great attunement with one’s Dao slightly changed one’s features to become more in line with the Heavenly truths? And would that explain why he so often heard he looked rugged but mundane, even if Zac felt his appearance had markedly improved through his two Race Upgrades? His features lacked any hint of the Dao, thus making him appear worse than he really was to cultivators.

More importantly, just how talented had Yrial once been? Certainly, the mark of Dao on his features was just a whisper compared to the palpable feeling he got from Iz Tayn. Zac suspected that weird girl was close to the peak of the Multiverse in terms of heritage or talent. Still, it possibly meant Yrial possessed affinities beyond pretty much anyone else he’d encountered.

Even then, he had fallen before confirming his Dao, proving that talent and hard work alone weren’t enough to reach the peak. The Multiverse didn’t lack the hardworking and the talented. You needed luck and opportunities as well.

“I told you to return in ten years at the earliest, and you appear in front of me in ten years almost to the day?” Yrial asked with a raised brow as Zac entered the carpeted pergola. “Did you miss your beautiful master that much? It must have been difficult, only having ‘A Flower of Fire and Ice’ to remember me by. Or did you ignore my requirements, forgoing decorum in your greed for my treasures? Which is it?”

“Definitely the former,” Zac reluctantly answered, remembering all-too-well the capricious nature of his departed master.

Yrial smiled as though it was a matter of course, gently swirling the bouquet in his hands, releasing a wave of perfume while the cloth above his head parted, letting the rays of the sun dance on his face and his long hair. Zac inwardly groaned, but he still kept himself from interrupting until Yrial had showcased his face from a few different angles. Only then did Zac dare speak up.

“The situation on the outside has grown a bit messy. I need to leave my home planet soon, and there is a small chance I won’t be able to return before becoming a Hegemon.”

If all went according to his plans, he would return after fetching the Ferric Worldeater by the Void Gate. However, this was ultimately his first excursion without any real protections. It wasn’t some System-based trial like the Twilight Ocean, where his enemies were all bound to be the same grade as he.

It was a beast tide in a foreign land, where both Peak Beast Kings and hostile Hegemons, even Monarchs, could appear. There was no way to tell how things would play out, especially with his escape bangle down for the count for the foreseeable future. That’s why he wanted to see if any quick power-ups were waiting for him with his master, especially survival methods.

Since Yrial had been a Wandering Cultivator all his life, and going by the quest Zac got when he became his disciple, the Lord of Cycles had to be good at fleeing from his enemies. Zac needed some of those abilities since that was one department where he was currently lacking. Otherwise, Zac might find himself stuck on some hostile planet or Mystic Realm, at which point he only had one option—push to Peak E-grade before using his Perennial Vastness Token.

“You’re pretty confident about evolving even with your trashy constitution,” Yrial commented as he lazily returned to a lying position, but his exquisite brows were slightly furrowed. “More importantly, what was up with that display of yours, ruining my blueprint? Did you forget everything I said the moment you left ten years ago? You were supposed to create a cycle.”

“Well, some things happened,” Zac sighed. “It looks like forming a cycle is impossible with my affinity. It requires a level of control I can’t reach no matter how much I train, so I was forced to make some changes.”

“Well, I knew that was a possibility,” Yrial shrugged.

“You knew?” Zac exclaimed. “So you sold me that skill just to mess with me?”

“I only guessed it,” Yrial smiled. “Who knows what rules your weird body follows? But I figured that even a failure could be useful in helping you find your way. And I think I was right. Life and Axe, Axe and Death.”

Two miniature swords appeared, one wrought from white-hot flames and another of pristine ice. The two clashed, releasing outbursts of energy that lit up the whole pergola.

“Two opposites reborn through the forge of conflict. Interesting enough. That final creation of yours was somewhat impressive, but you’re far from realizing its potential. And looking at what happened to the blueprint, that doesn’t bode very well for you, even if some of the damage was because of the thuggish way you painted your path.”

“You’ve called that wheel a blueprint twice now, what do you mean? A blueprint for a cycle?” Zac asked, his eyes turning away from Yrial’s simulation of his path.

“You could say that,” Yrial nodded as the two swords fused into a wheel that looked a lot like the yin-yang symbol. “But also for something else. It was a template array for condensing a cultivator’s Cosmic Core. If you managed to paint your cyclic path on the wheel, it meant you would be qualified to make a run at Hegemony. But look at you, how could you possibly form a core with such volatile energy? You’d blow up.”

“It’s that bad?” Zac grimaced. “Then how do Edgewalkers normally do it?”

“Edgewalkers?” Yrial smiled. “You don’t hear that term often. I guess you’ve done your research. We’ll get to that later, but first, let me check you out. The Daos you infused into those windblades of yours were quite interesting.”

“It wasn’t a—” Zac stopped himself and shrugged—Yrial wasn’t listening, his eyes glued to what Zac assumed was his redacted Status Screen.

“You… what!” Yrial blurted. “Those Daoblades weren’t some simple skill? They were just pure Dao and energy!”

“Well, yeah?” Zac nodded as though it were obvious, taking some pleasure in his master’s shock.

“How is this possible?” Yrial continued, his pristine face distorting as he shot to his feet, any hint of his lackadaisical demeanor gone. “How can a legendary garbage like you have formed three Dao Branches in ten short years? Did you fall into a vat of Primal Dao?”

“Primal Dao?” Zac said with a shake of his head, but his eyes suddenly lit up. “Wait, is it like a pristine white light, giving off the aura untainted by worldly Dao?”

“You…” Yrial wheezed. “You didn’t…”

“Well, no,” Zac said, prompting his teacher to breathe out in relief. “It was only a couple of motes, not a whole vat.”

“Brat, are you trying to kill me again?” Yrial swore as his gaze grew distant. “Why did I never have this kind of luck back then? If someone had thrown some Primal Dao my way, would I have found myself stuck without ever confirming my Dao?”

Thankfully, the Lord of Cycles regained his wits, though he still looked at Zac with such disgust, it made Zac think of Ogras. “Well, even a pile of dung will be consecrated in the Dao with that kind of opportunity. So, what else have you been up to? You should have eaten the treasure I provided? Have you managed to excavate the other Hidden Nodes it showed?”

“Well, I think I have more to open, but I can’t be sure,” Zac said, and Yrial nodded as though it was expected. “For now, you could say I have opened five.”

“Brat, are you doing this on purpose? From now on, say your results quickly and concisely or I’ll start deducting credit,” Yrial said with a roll of his eyes as he started to fan himself with the bouquet out of annoyance. “What else have you improved?”

Zac hesitated, but ultimately chose to follow his original decision. He’d argued with himself over just how much he should tell his departed master, where Zac’s ingrained paranoia fought with his desire to get proper advice. If he told Yrial too little, Zac would once again get feedback that didn’t take into account all aspects of his path, just like how it was with Pavina and Heda.

But if he told Yrial too much, it might have some unintended consequences down the road, though he honestly didn’t know what. Ultimately, he decided to tell Yrial most of what he’d discovered about himself and his path, barring only his guess about his supposed connection to Emperor Limitless. Just like Pavina said, some things were better not spoken out loud, though he was worried about the System rather than the Orom this time around.

The benefits far outstripped the risks as far as he was concerned. If someone managed to break into his Dao Repository and extract his secrets from Yrial, breaking the rules of the System-enforced master-disciple contract, having his secrets exposed would probably be the least of his worries.

“I gained a Peak-quality Soul-strengthening Manual in the Tower of Eternity, which I’ve cultivated to the third out of nine layers, making my soul stronger than most Mentalists’. I have also awakened my bloodlines, which is related to my Hidden Nodes,” Zac said. “Oh, and I have reached the Integration Stage for the two stances of my technique.”

The Lord of Cycles leveled an even stare at Zac, while Zac smiled sheepishly in return. He knew what Yrial was thinking. Even if it felt like his progress had been slow at times, it had to be said that his cultivation speed was monstrous compared to most elites. Accomplishing even one of his breakthroughs in a decade could be considered good, but doing it in multiple branches? Most likely, only Heaven’s Chosen could accomplish something like that.

“Alright, why have you started cultivating your soul? Is it because of your garbage affinities?” Yrial eventually asked.

“Well, it helps with that, but it’s not the real reason. I didn’t tell you the last time I was here, but the System has kind of messed with my path a bit,” Zac grimaced as he roughly explained the situation with the Remnants in his mind, though he didn’t mention Be’Zi or their quests.

“Creation, Oblivion, and Chaos… The broken peaks of the Boundless Path,” Yrial sighed. “To think you had been dragged into the schemes of the Boundless Heavens before you even set out on the path of cultivation. Is it related to your races?”

“Most likely,” Zac slowly nodded. “The System probably saw an opportunity to try something out when I got my Draugr side, though it might be because it doesn’t want me to turn to my mother’s faction.”

“Why would the Heavens care about something like that?” Yrial laughed. “Don’t let your ego get the best of you.”

“Well, it turns out my mother wasn’t a native of the world I grew up on. She was a Technocrat. A powerful one, probably an Autarch. And judging by what they were up to, they might have been one of the most powerful Technocrat families around.”

“Of course, she was,” Yrial groaned. “No wonder, no wonder. That’s why I couldn’t understand the scripts on that Spy Core of yours—it was the work of those maniacs. Don’t tell me you have started implanting yourself with those cursed components, departing from the natural order?”

“No,” Zac said with a shake of his head. “My mother considers me a failed experiment of theirs, and she kind of left me here before she kidnapped my sister. I can’t be sure, but I think I’m completely organic. My mother’s family was annihilated before they reached the stage where they would start implanting me with odd things.”

Honestly, it felt extremely good to finally vent a bit after years of hiding the true facets of his heritage. With both his sister and Ogras gone, no one really understood what he was going through and the difficulties he faced. One secret after another was spilled in the pergola over the next hour as Zac roughly recounted what he’d been through since they last met.

“Now, I am getting closer to forming my core, but I honestly don’t know how to tackle that problem. I was hoping you could point me in the right direction, being an Edgewalker as well,” Zac said.

“How could I possibly help you? In fact, don’t talk to me,” Yrial muttered as he pointedly looked away. “I cannot even look at you right now. Mysterious background, being led to weird treasures by the Heavens themselves, bloodline experiments, unprecedented constitution, opportunities appearing wherever you turn. You bastard, did you steal a whole Sector’s providence or something?”

“That’s…” Zac coughed. “I mean it might sound a bit unfair, but it hasn’t been a bed of roses. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve been wounded or almost died.”

“Whatever,” Yrial huffed, but he eventually took a deep, calming breath. “Alright, your kind master will put aside this injustice for now. Have a look at the realities of pursuing Hegemony while I try to unravel the mess you have created.”

Zac was about to ask what he was talking about, then the next moment he found himself beset by a wave of vertigo. The world shattered as he fell to the ground. It suddenly reformed again, and Zac got back on his feet with confusion. He thought Yrial had sent him on another quest, but the pergola and field of flowers were still there.

But why had a wall suddenly appeared? And were those flying treasures in the sky?

17

DETERMINATION

There were dozens of small vessels whizzing through the air, most of them taking the shape of gondolas that left plumes of glittering clouds in their wake, a feature clearly added not for function but aesthetics. Zac also spotted the occasional warrior flying on his own, with the vessels giving the Hegemons a wide berth.

“Young master Lau’Sai, I’m sorry for intruding,” a shaky voice said, prompting Zac to look over with confusion.

A young woman emitting an aura of Middle E-grade stood at the edge of the pergola, her hands fidgeting as she looked past Zac.

“Yana, I told you to never apologize for visiting,” a euphonious voice answered, prompting Zac to once more turn around.

There he was, a young scion wearing the very same robes Zac had used the past decade, standing at the edge of the small pergola with a paintbrush in his right hand. Next to him was an easel with a semi-finished abstract painting, whose circular motif made Zac think of a shattered plate.

The painting felt lacking somehow, and it wasn’t for a shortage of proper supplies. Neither the canvas nor the brush were common goods; the bristles were actually on fire. However, as the young man finished a stroke, a fiery ochre was left behind on the canvas rather than a scorch mark.

The young man was naturally Yrial donning a gentle smile, exhibiting a refined, albeit somewhat sickly appearance. In this vision, his hair was tied up with some sort of ornamental clip, and he wore a ferronnière with a small gem that emitted a soothing aura similar to Zac’s [Mind’s Eye Agate]. This Yrial only looked slightly younger than the soul whisp Zac knew, though Zac could sense he was just at Peak E-grade. Not only that, but he guessed that Yrial’s pale complexion wasn’t natural, with his aura being a bit unstable.

Was he perhaps wounded?

More importantly, what was going on? This was different from the quest he got during his last visit. Back then, he’d essentially taken the place of Yrial in one of his memories, but now his teacher was standing right in front of him. Zac tried opening his Status Screen, and while it worked, there was no quest waiting for him.

Looking down at his hands, Zac could see himself just fine, but the other two in the pergola seemed oblivious to his presence.

“Uh, hello?” Zac called out just to make sure—they ignored him.

Zac knew it wasn’t the young couple slighting him, but rather that they couldn’t see him. The whole situation was reminiscent of his Heart Tribulation, where he had presumably been dragged into an erased memory from his past. Of course, it wasn’t his own memory he visited this time, but Yrial’s.

His teacher had told him to witness the ‘realities of pursuing Hegemony’ just before sending him here, so Zac guessed this memory was from around the time Yrial made that step. The young girl Yrial called Yana flushed a bit upon seeing Yrial’s gentle smile, and Zac inwardly cursed his master to grow a couple of pimples for exposing him to this overly ambiguous scene.

Turning his gaze away from the love-struck youngsters, he instead took a proper look at the surroundings. It dawned on him what was going on, and why there were so many vessels in the air. The field of flowers was just part of a large, walled-in courtyard.

Behind the young girl, Zac spotted a small, yet beautiful mansion almost hidden among several willow trees, and occasional buildings poked over the walls. However, a weak shimmer around the courtyard indicated that this place was shrouded by some sort of privacy array.

It looked like Yrial had taken the beautiful garden and removed the rest when forming the world in his inheritance. As to why, Zac had no idea. Perhaps this place and this young girl held a special meaning to him. The girl in question had become extremely flustered, perhaps by Yrial’s admittedly singular appearance, or perhaps by his familiar tone, and it almost looked like she was about to flee out of embarrassment.

“You are always a welcome guest,” Yrial smiled as he stowed his brush. “Seeing your smile always illuminates my soul.”

“I… Ah… How are young master’s wounds?” Yana asked as she took a hesitant step into the pergola.

“Thanks to your help, I feel much better already,” Yrial said as he looked deep into Yana’s eyes. “Perhaps my dream of Hegemony isn’t dead just yet. If not for young miss finding me wounded in the forest… It’s a gratitude this one will carry for the rest of his life.”

“Ah, no, it was just something I should do,” Yana hurriedly said.

“I still worry,” Yrial said, his eyes so wet he looked like he was about to cry. “I’m afraid I will inconvenience you by living in your townhouse like this. It could tarnish your reputation.”

“Don’t be silly,” Yana huffed. “Who’d dare talk about the mayor’s daughter like that? Besides, if we…”

She didn’t finish the sentence, but the blush on her cheeks spoke volumes. Was this what dating was like on easy mode?

“One day I’ll become someone worthy for you,” Yrial sighed. “But now, I’m…”

“I brought something,” Yana said in a low voice as she surreptitiously looked around. “You mentioned your Spiritual Flame had been extinguished, right? Luckily, my grandpa found a very rare Spiritual Flame in a Mystic Realm a few hundred years ago. I brought one of its embers.”

The next moment, she took out an inscribed box from the bag on her side.

“I cannot accept this!” Yrial said with wide eyes as he took a step back. “It’s too precious. There is no way your family agreed to this. I cannot let you do this for me.”

“It’s nothing,” Yana said with an embarrassed smile. “The main flame was only slightly weakened—it will recover in a few hundred years, and I’ll just face some light punishment. Please, take it. It would be an injustice to the Heavens if someone with your talents would have your foundations damaged before you’ve reached your potential.”

“Then… I’ll accept it,” Yrial said with some hesitation. “Once again, you have saved me. I can only hope I’ll live up to your expectations.”

“Just be careful so you don’t open up your wounds,” Yana smiled. “I need to go back now before I’m discovered. Try to absorb it quickly. That way they can’t make you spit it out.”

Yrial stood with the box in hand, smiling gently as he watched Yana leave, bowing in her direction when she glanced back one final time. As she left through a gate, his smile slowly transformed, turning into an impish grin.

“I’m sorry, little flower,” Yrial mumbled as his erratic aura stabilized. “Times are tough, even for handsome people. If fate permits, I will make it up to you.”

Zac’s eyes widened at the scene, immediately putting two and two together. Yrial mentioned he’d been ‘saved’ by that girl in some forest. Had he simply pretended to be hurt to get closer to her, or rather, to the Spiritual Flame her family controlled? Zac was filled with a new level of ‘respect’ upon seeing the avaricious gleam in Yrial’s eyes as he opened the box.

This was the tribulations of Hegemony? Scamming naïve girls out of their family’s treasures with the help of silky skin and smooth words?

Then again, Zac wasn’t one to judge. This could be considered mild compared to his own modus operandi where seas of blood were left in his wake. This way, only someone’s coffer took a hit, and the girls’ family could probably afford the loss even if the box looked extraordinary.

Inside the chest was a small vial containing a tiny blue flame. The moment Yrial opened the box, a cold snap spread across the area, causing a layer of frost to cover the pillows and nearby flowers. No wonder Yrial wanted this thing—it was extremely similar to the fiery ice he often formed.

Yrial hurriedly closed the box before taking out a series of containers from his Spatial Ring. From there, Zac looked on with interest as Yrial transferred the ember of blue flames into another vial while the original box and vial were placed on a small array. A whole ritual then commenced, involving karma-breaking dust, various liquids, and Yrial painting some sort of array on his face.

Ten minutes later, it finished, with the box simply disappearing as space distorted inside the array. The whole process was so fluid, it couldn’t possibly be the first time his teacher had done this, and Zac guessed any clues that could lead Yana’s elders to Yrial were gone. Zac had performed similar procedures quite a few times himself, but Zac admitted he was lacking in this regard.

From there, Yrial took out a pre-written letter, though one intentionally written to look like it was hastily scribbled, sprinkled some perfume on it before placing it on the table in the pergola. Zac didn’t have time to read the whole thing before Yrial folded it, but it said something along the lines of old enemies having found out Yrial survived, and not wanting to implicate the young miss, he’d been forced to flee. Something about how she should forget him if he hadn’t returned in a year.

Ten minutes later, Yrial left the city through a teleporter, disguised as a Daoist nun. Zac was somehow dragged along for the ride as though he were attached to Yrial through an elastic cord, even through the teleporter. Half a day passed this way as Yrial rotated between touring shops and teleporting to a new town, each time using a different, but always beautiful, identity.

It looked like Yrial’s transformation techniques were of a higher grade than his own, though his androgynous appearance probably helped him smoothly switch between genders without any hint of something being amiss.

Finally, Yrial appeared in a sprawling town in a forest of towering trees that reached thousands of meters into the sky. Only the slums were located on the ground, while grand manors resided in the tree crowns. Yrial took out a floating leaf and flew between the trees for half an hour until he reached a secluded manor on a mid-sized branch. Where the building was carved into the bark of the massive tree.

It looked like it was owned by Yrial, since he used a token to pass through barriers, though it might have belonged to yet another one of his acquaintances. By this point, Zac started to wonder just how long this vision would last. Hours had passed since Yrial tricked that Spiritual Flame out of that poor girl’s hands, and Zac had simply assumed his teacher wanted to use the icy flames as a catalyst to break through.

And finally, it looked like something was about to happen.

Zac walked over with anticipation as Yrial started setting up a complex cultivation array in the middle of a cultivation chamber inside the tree. Zac had never seen anything like it before, though there were some parts he recognized. It sort of appeared to be a mix between a Body Tempering Manual and a Beast Training Technique.

Some cultivators, especially those training in Elemental Daos, chose to infuse things like Spiritual Flames or Divine Woods into their bodies to strengthen themselves and their connection to their Dao. However, this was the first time Zac saw it in person, and he looked on with interest as Yrial extracted one wisp after another from the sealed ember and infused it into his body.

The process looked extremely painful, with Yrial’s skin both freezing over and getting scorched at the same time. He pressed on until he had absorbed five wisps in total, at which point he collapsed unconscious. Time twisted and hours passed in an instant until Yrial finally woke up with a cough.

He crawled to a sitting position and threw a Healing Pill into his mouth between ragged breaths. A few minutes later he closed his eyes before forming a bowl with his hands. Zac felt some sort of energy turn inside Yrial’s body, and eventually, a small apparition appeared in his hands. Zac recognized it—the form looked a lot like Yrial’s painting from before.

Hundreds of small shards formed something akin to a circle, half of them made from orange flames and the other half from milky-white ice. The flames looked exactly like the ones on Yrial’s paintbrush, but Zac noticed there were small flakes of chilly blue on the embers, no doubt a result of Yrial absorbing some of the Spiritual Flame. The two elements started to spin, but it only took a few seconds before the apparition collapsed.

Ice extinguished flames and flames melted ice, only a few of the shards managed to fuse into something similar to Yrial’s fiery ice, but these shards weren’t enough to save the cycle. Yrial eventually opened his eyes, disappointment evident in his eyes.

His downcast state only lasted for a few moments before he took out a massive map coving half the floor.

If Zac read this thing right, the world Yrial lived in was simply massive, where Earth would only take up a small corner of the map. And it wasn’t a complete map either. The edges blurred out, with the occasional note of what kind of environment resided beyond. Zac had a decent guess of what was going on—Yrial lived on one of the mythical C-grade continents that Zac had yet to visit.

Those physics-defying stretches of land defied space, taking up mind-bogglingly large areas. A world so large, a Peak E-grade cultivator would die of old age before having the opportunity to visit even a fraction of the countries, factions, and danger zones it housed. This kind of environment produced an endless number of opportunities thanks to its dense energies, and it was the kind of place most cultivators in the Zecia Sector could only dream of visiting.

Except, where there are opportunities, there are also dangers. A lot of sections of these kinds of continents were extremely dangerous, with no lack of Beast Kings or even Beast Emperors staking their claim in the wilderness. One false move and you’d find yourself stuck in a death trap. Though most dangerous were the other cultivators competing for the abundant resources.

The surroundings shifted, and Zac found himself deep in the forest with Yrial desperately fighting a fifty-meter snake. It was either a Half-Step Beast King or a newly evolved one, and Yrial was pushed to his limits as he unleashed one wave of blistering flames or frigid blizzards after another. It was the first time Zac witnessed Yrial fight, and it looked like he was a hybrid between a controller and a mage.

Yrial’s weapon of choice was a large bladed wheel that flew around him like a satellite, and over half his attacks were pure elemental skills of either fire or ice. At some point, Yrial would become the Lord of Cycles, but he’d clearly not reached that point in this memory. There was a mysterious tempo to how his teacher swapped between using his two elements, and the Snake had a hard time dealing with the constant rotation between scorching and freezing attacks.

Eventually, the beast succumbed to Yrial’s unrelenting offensive, but Yrial was poisoned in return, with green splotches appearing on his face. Still, it was with a wide smile he formed a blade of crystalline ice and started to dig into the beast’s head.

The world shifted again, and Yrial was now sitting on a cliff of a snow-covered mountain, the harsh winds containing terrifying amounts of cold. Yrial’s body shook so bad he could barely control his limbs, but his eyes never left the small flame in his hand. It flickered precariously, but it never went out. It even looked like it was somehow absorbing the cold from the surroundings.

Like this, one scene replaced another in a constant stream of memories as hours turned to days, weeks, and eventually months. Desperate fights, journeys to desolate regions in search of answers, Yrial pursuing his path through meditation and painting. Progress was slow, and Yrial was met with one setback after another. Grievous wounds, dead ends of the Dao, hundreds of failed paintings. Falling victim to the capricious elements during his journeys, fleeing from pursuers—Zac even saw Yrial standing over a few newly-dug graves with hollow eyes, his hands covered in dirt and blood.

But he never wavered.

Yrial pressed on no matter the challenges, and any time he was pushed down, he dragged himself back to his feet. Years passed in this way as Yrial searched for opportunities and inspiration on the vast continent he lived on, where Zac got dragged between pivotal moments in time.

No matter if it was wild regions teeming with beasts or sprawling cities with ancient masters who could extinguish his life with a wave of their hands, he kept giving it all for a chance to form his cycle. It was eye-opening to see how hard he’d pushed himself on his journey. It was an important lesson—no one would accomplish anything without working hard. Talent was just an advantage, but you still needed to seize your future yourself.

Gradually, Yrial’s control of the elements went from impressive to sublime, the flames on his brush grew colder, and the paintings he created were getting closer to whatever he was searching for. Hundreds of shards in the apparition were reduced to fifty, and Zac saw the wheel starting to turn in Yrial’s hand. A year later, fifty had become twenty.

Zac had long lost track of time, having become engrossed with what he witnessed, his whole being consumed by the spiral Yrial risked everything for. His adventures might not have had the same kind of stakes as Zac’s own—there were no Autarchs or peak Monarchs messing with his path—but that didn’t mean there was no danger.

If anything, Yrial had been forced to undergo far more deadly trials than Zac in order to seize the opportunities and treasures he needed to progress. One day, in a particularly desperate battle against a sword-wielding Hegemon, something finally coalesced—fire turned into ice, and ice turned into fire.

Thus, the Lord of Cycles was born and the world crumbled.

18

THE NATURE OF DUALITY

As the world shattered upon Yrial forming his cyclic fiery ice, Zac once more found himself lying on a set of pillows inside the pergola, the tinkling chimes and rustling flowers welcoming him back to ‘reality’. A quick mental check indicated that only a week had passed, even if it had felt like years.

It was no wonder Brazla had been forced to gather energy for a couple of days. That kind of temporal dilation had to come at a steep price. Furthermore, it left Zac in a weird muddled state, so he closed his eyes and started meditating.

Having seen the struggles of a future Monarch firsthand had been eye-opening, completely different from hearing or reading about it. Yrial was an extreme narcissist, and a bit of a conman according to the visions, since Yana was only one of many marks. There had been men and women alike who’d been conned out of their or their faction’s treasures to feed Yrial’s Path.

But no matter what flaws his personality had, Yrial’s Dao Heart was immutable.

Undoubtably a stark difference between what Zac had seen and the people he usually met. Perhaps only Joanna amongst his followers had that kind of unbreakable desire to pursue the path of cultivation. Most couldn’t compare. They might struggle when pushed, but they didn’t value their Dao over their life. For example, Catheya could be considered a talent even in a faction like the Undead Empire, but she didn’t have Yrial’s drive or conviction.

More importantly, Zac finally understood what Yrial meant by blueprint. The biggest struggle of his teacher wasn’t actually forming the core—it was designing it. Two opposing forces needed to be merged into a stable unity, where each half empowered rather than suppressed the other. It was clearly an incomparably difficult task, taking even a supreme talent like Yrial years of meditation and risking his life to accomplish.

In return, Yrial got something extremely potent. Zac couldn’t be certain since the vision ended before he got to that part, but he guessed this kind of core would be a lot more powerful than an average one. It was a bit like Dao Braiding or Dao Arrays; the sum was greater than its parts.

Zac also better understood what Yrial meant when he didn’t hold the energy Zac managed to form in high regard. His teacher was right. That third scar that almost formed on the wheel was potent, but was it even something that could be turned into a Cosmic Core? It seemed more fitting as a blueprint for his next tier of Dao Braids than a stable source of energy—a braid that incorporated all three of his Daos.

That kind of use didn’t require the stability he’d seen in the swirling ball of fiery ice. If the trinity-braid erupted after a few seconds when infusing an attack, all the better. It was only more damage to his enemies. But if that solution wasn’t right, then what? Yrial’s method was impossible for him. The Dao control Yrial exhibited when painting or forming that apparition was lightyears beyond what he could accomplish.

A full day passed as Zac organized the torrent of memories that had been crammed into his head, and he eventually opened his eyes with a sigh. He might not be any closer to finding a solution than before the vision, but Zac was at least a lot more cognizant of the difficulties an Edgewalker would encounter when forming his core.

“How about it, isn’t your teacher dashing?” Yrial grinned as he flicked a lock of his long hair.

“It was eye-opening to see such an earnest pursuit of the Dao firsthand,” Zac nodded, not needing to lie to placate his master at all. “But what happened to Yana?”

“Her father was furious,” Yrial sighed. “She was trapped in an energy-starved dungeon for ten years, and the lack of energy harmed her foundations. Her chances at Hegemony weren’t great before, but she was doted on by her elders. And between harming the Spiritual Flame and the imprisonment, her path was cut off.”

“That’s…” Zac muttered with mixed emotions as he looked around at the pergola which was modeled after Yana’s backyard.

“Resources are limited in this world,” Yrial said with equanimity. “Every treasure you seize means dozens of others will go hungry, having lost the opportunity to progress. Your path is paved with the crushed dreams and bones of others. That is the weight we have to carry as cultivators, and you’ll have to find some way to keep moving forward while not being tied down by the karmic debt you accrue.

“In my case, I returned to make things right for that little flower a century later. Unfortunately, things took a bad turn. Yana was sacrificed in an attempt to enrage me and drag me out. They’d severely underestimated how much power I had gained since I stole the ember, and I exterminated her clan so she wouldn’t be lonely in the afterlife. After that, I could only keep progressing, so that her sacrifice and the sacrifice of all the others wouldn’t be in vain.”

“That seems… a bit convenient,” Zac said as he looked down on his calloused hands, his thoughts turning to his own karmic debts.

“One can only do their best and follow their heart,” Yrial said. “The moment your path is poisoned with doubt and guilt, your momentum will falter. Sincerity for the Dao and unflinchingly moving forward is even more important than talent or opportunity. Lack of talent can be overcome, and opportunities can be forced, but a lacking heart will stop you in your tracks.

“Remember, until you reach the very peak, you are just a leaf struggling in the wind. You cannot bear the weight of the world. It’s not only bad for your cultivation, it’s foolish arrogance. Yana’s fate is pitiful, but I refuse to bear the full weight of her fate. Sometimes, things just fall apart.”

“I understand, I think,” Zac sighed.

Yrial was right. Even if there were things he regretted since the Integration, both what he did and didn’t do, he couldn’t let himself get trapped in some sort of unwinnable argument of what-ifs. He’d done the best he could with the knowledge and options he was given at the time, but you can’t win them all.

“It’s good that you understand,” Yrial nodded, his lazy expression gaining a serious air for once. “Even someone as disgusting as you won’t get far without a strong Dao Heart and sincerity toward your path. Only by having those can you be considered qualified to grasp for eternity.”

“I’m trying, but I’m honestly more lost now than I was before,” Zac said with a shake of his head. “I feel like I’m stuck at the starting line after seeing the process of you forming your core. I haven’t even managed to create a flawed blueprint like those shattered shards of yours. But if I manage to take the first step, I might be able to keep working on it like you did. Can I ask how you arrived at that point?”

It was a shame, but the vision hadn’t shown how Yrial first came to follow his cyclic path. He was already working on it when he tricked that young girl out of the Spiritual Flames, so his inspiration must have arrived even earlier. How had he translated his path of fire and ice into a workable Cosmic Core?

“Your path is far harder than mine,” Yrial said as he leaned back into the mound of pillows. “Mine was a natural conclusion of Heaven and Earth.”

“What?” Zac blurted. The first statement was true, what with Chaos being a broken peak. But Zac had no idea what Yrial meant with the second half of his statement.

“Have you learned about the various groupings of the Dao? The peaks?”

“Somewhat,” Zac nodded.

“You are pursuing the peak of Chaos,” Yrial said. “Whereas I am an elemental cultivator. Do you know the Terminus of my peak?”

“Not really,” Zac said. Catheya had called it the peak of the elements and said elemental cultivators followed their respective elements to their conclusion. “I guess it’s the four elements? Or perhaps five?”

“No,” Yrial said. “The name, and to some degree the nature, of the elemental peak is contended, with old teachings colliding with new. Those ugly monks call the peak Mahābhūta, the Great Element. It can both be seen as the basic building block of the universe, and it can also be the basis for inner enlightenment, the relinquishing of the material plane. It is the supreme combination of all Materia.

“This was the path that the Apostate of Mercy perfected, though her deductions differed from the Sangha’s, much to their dismay,” Yrial continued with some glee. “Hers was the Dao of Heaven and Earth, where the Heaven was the spiritual Ether of Enlightenment and the Earth was the Mundane World. To be clear, her Heaven is not the System or the Dao itself, but rather a form of unblemished spirituality.

“So, can you tell what defines this peak?”

Zac tried to guess what Yrial was digging at, but he eventually shook his head.

“It is a path of Duality,” Yrial smiled. “Inner and outer world, Heavens and Earth, Yin and Yang. No matter what you want to call it, the peak has two facets.”

“Isn’t it the same with my peak?” Zac countered. “With Creation and Oblivion?”

“No, since they are true opposites, while the Elemental Daos are complementary opposites. It might seem similar, but it is very different. No peak is the same, which is why they are separated in the first place. Take the Peak of the Continuum. It is based on Time and Space, but those who follow both those paths are not Edgewalkers since Time and Space are not opposing concepts.

“What I am trying to say is that every peak has its own challenges and opportunities, and the duality of Edgewalkers is generally thought of as part of the peak of Heaven and Earth. In my case, I fused Yin Flames and Yang Water and thus joined Heaven and Earth,” Yrial explained. “It is still extremely difficult to accomplish, especially in the lower grades. That’s why almost every cultivator only focuses on either the Earth-aspect or the Heaven-aspect of the peak.

“Or if they focus on both expressions, it’s usually a holistic approach to one singular element,” Yrial added after some thought. “For example, fusing Heavenly Flames and Earthly Flames into True Flames.”

Zac didn’t know exactly what the separation of yin-yang meant when it came to the elements, but he guessed it was another way to look at various facets of the Dao.

“But as I said, each peak is different. The past days I have tried to simulate a cycle based on my knowledge and the Daos you showcased,” Yrial said as the massive wheel appeared in the air behind the pergola, the disk still split in two. “But I am afraid I simply cannot find a solution.”

“What do you mean?” Zac said with a sinking feeling. “It’s impossible?”

“I didn’t say that,” Yrial rejected. “Never let anyone limit your pursuit. I am saying the techniques and methods I’ve learned might not be as useful as I’d initially hoped. However, this is simply a preliminary deduction from a soul wisp, and my understanding of your Daos is obviously lesser than your own.”

“Then what should I do?” Zac frowned.

“The methods I have might still provide you with some inspiration, just like how [Cyclic Strike] showcased your limitations,” Yrial said. “Otherwise, the easiest solution would be to find a Chaos-based Heritage. That kind of heritage should contain some blueprints and techniques you can use as a basis for your own attempt at Hegemony. But such a thing should be extremely rare. I heard some rumors that there were ancient cultivators who had delved into that Dao, but I never met or even heard of any Chaos Cultivator during my lifetime.”

Zac nodded with a grimace, perhaps knowing even better than Yrial just how difficult that would be. A Chaos-based Heritage? If Qi’Sar’s words were to be believed, those things all stemmed from the previous Era. In other words, the only place you’d find them was inside an Eternal Heritage. Gaining access to such a place was even harder than meeting a Supremacy. Just going looking for one was out of the question.

Certainly, with Chaos being a broken peak with essentially no one cultivating it, these methods might not be very valuable. They might have been sold and disseminated from the peak factions controlling Chaos-based Eternal Heritages long ago. Unfortunately, that didn’t mean they would reach the frontier. If he wanted a shot at getting his hands on such a thing, he would probably have to visit the central regions of the Multiverse.

But if it was so easy to reach that place, everyone would have done so already.

His Perennial Vastness Token was currently his only link to a higher-grade environment. Now that he had a better understanding of the situation, he didn’t dare use it before he’d at least come up with a decent backup plan to forming his Cosmic Core. Catheya might have said anyone would leave that place with a Core, but she didn’t know the specifics of that place nor the difficulties Zac faced.

If he just went there blind with his unique situation, he might ruin his one shot at Hegemony.

“Any other ideas?” Zac asked.

“Nope,” Yrial grinned. “Figure it out yourself.”

“Some teacher you are,” Zac muttered.

“Now, don’t pout,” Yrial laughed, the pealing sound almost making Zac question some fundamental aspects of his being. “Since I don’t know, it’s better for me to stay quiet on the matter. What kind of teacher would I be if I sent you down the wrong path or limited your scope? Ultimately, it’s you who have set out on this unusual path, so you will have to look inward in search of answers.

“My only advice is to not get too attached to anything. If your first idea fails, just drop it and start looking for other solutions. A few years lost are not wasted as long as you keep moving forward. Even if it doesn’t feel like it, you will be gradually getting closer to an answer, even if it’s just through a process of elimination,” Yrial said. “Even paths can be adjusted until you confirm them with an Arcane class or through confirming your Dao.”

“Alright, then,” Zac sighed.

It was a disappointment that Yrial didn’t have any solutions. He would have to figure things out on his own. Thankfully, he was nearing the Peak of the E-grade, and his Soul Strengthening wasn’t that urgent. After he and his followers had set out into the Million Gates Territory, he would have time to fully turn his focus on researching stable Life-Death cores while his people steered the vessel.

Yrial’s final advice was also a valuable reminder. His path was unique, and he felt it had amazing potential as long as he could work out the kinks. Those motes of Chaos seemed to hold all the answers he looked for, the hidden truths of the Multiverse. But ultimately, was this path more important than his goals? To save Kenzie?

No.

If his path wouldn’t allow him to accomplish his goals, then it was the path that needed to be changed, not the goals. Life was Life, and Death was Death. That was what he’d proclaimed in his heart when his path collided with Alvod’s. However, if it was to protect those around him, Life didn’t need to be Life—it would be whatever he needed it to be.

Zac shook his head. There was no point in giving up before even starting. The Sector-wide war hadn’t even begun, and with how slowly things moved in the Multiverse, he would have years before needing to come to a decision. Only when he had truly exhausted his options would he start looking for alternatives.

“So, do I as a disciple get double credits this time around as well?” Zac asked, focusing on the most important thing—the loot.

“Of course,” Yrial said. “Same rules as last time. I start with 10,000 Credits which are doubled for being my disciple. After deductions, you are left with 16,000.”

“You’ve already deducted points?” Zac scowled. “Why?”

“With your display before, how could I not remove some points?” Yrial said with a scathing look before glancing at the broken wheel that still hovered behind him. “That kind of barbarism is an affront to my Path of Cyclic Supremacy. Besides, the issue of your face remains.”

“I’ll give you the former, but my features have definitely improved since I upgraded my Races to D-grade,” Zac countered, though he felt his voice lacking conviction.

“How is going from a wretch to a cretin over a whole grade an improvement?” Yrial countered with a scrunched-up nose. “I will only deduct two thousand credits for your face this time, but you better figure something out for the next grade or I will not be so lenient. Hegemony can be considered the true start of cultivation, so my expectations on your performance will grow more stringent.”

“And by performance, you mean appearance?” Zac sighed.

“If not, then what else?” Yrial shrugged. “You’ve already abandoned my cyclic path. As your master, I have to teach you something, even if it’s just to not look like a Grao Howler while carrying the title of my disciple. Any problems?”

Zac had no idea what a Grao Howler was, but he could only assume it was some beast with an unflattering appearance. Even then, he could only grit his teeth and smile to avoid getting any more points deducted. “Sounds fair enough.”

“I thought so,” Yrial smiled as a shimmering Information Crystal appeared. “Let me know what you decide to get. If you have any questions, I might answer if I’m in a good mood.”

“Here we go again,” Zac sighed, his voice barely audible.

19

THE ORIOLE AND THE ORCHID

Zac inwardly grumbled, but kept his opinions to himself as he infused a wisp of energy into the Information Crystal. However, only a second passed before he looked up at his master with complaint in his eyes.

“There’s a lot fewer items this time.”

“I told you before, Brazla had me fill the Inheritance a certain number of times for each grade, with the F-grade needing the most items. While the quantity is lower, the quality of items is a lot higher on average. I wouldn’t say that anything here is earthshattering, but I would have killed for some of these things when I was your grade back then.”

That made sense. It was in the original Brazla’s interest to focus on the higher stages of the inheritances, while just handing out some decent baubles at the F-grade. After all, Brazla was a Peak Hegemon from what Zac had gathered. If he had a descendant that managed to pass this inheritance, they would be an elite worthy to nurture.

If someone passed the D-grade Inheritance, they would be a contender to become a future leader of Brazla’s clan.

Zac scanned the list of roughly 50 items carefully, but there were just too many items with names that didn’t explain their function. Worse yet, only a certain category of items had descriptions, each one more detailed than the last. “To begin with, I’ll take The Oriole and the Orchid.”

“Excellent choice,” Yrial said, his smile seemingly illuminating the whole world as a large box appeared next to him. “It’s good to see that you at least have learned some manners since last time we met, buying another memento to remember your dear master by.”

Zac nodded with a strained smile, as though Yrial hadn’t just blackmailed him to buy another vanity item. Even then, there was some anticipation as his gaze turned to the box containing the statue of his master. Yrial waved his sleeves with excitement, and a lid opened to expose the alabaster statue within.

It was an expertly sculpted Yrial sitting in a meadow of extremely lifelike flowers, the whole piece hewn from one solid piece of spiritual rock. One of Yrial’s hands was outstretched, with a small bird perched on his index finger—almost indistinguishable from the real thing, as though the small bird could fly off at any moment. The statue itself emitted great tranquility, almost as if Zac was the one sitting among the flowers without a care in the world as he communed with nature.

This feeling was the true reason he chose this particular item, even if there were cheaper ones that would satisfy Yrial’s demand. According to the description, The Oriole and the Orchid had a very strong soul-nurturing effect after being placed in some sanctum of Yrial’s inner world for dozens of millennia.

Why Yrial had some sort of sanctum with statues of himself wasn’t something Zac felt required deeper digging. He was simply interested in its ability to hopefully speed up his Soul Strengthening.

In fact, there were a few more vanity items Zac was eyeing, from ornaments to paintings, and a scroll of poems detailing Yrial’s beauty. He remembered what happened when he gave away the painting the last time around; a bunch of people formed Dao Seeds over the next week. Its effect was even better than most of the Dao Treasures in Yrial’s credit store, yet it cost the same or even less.

In other words, the vanity items were actually among those with the greatest value, as long as you could get over the aesthetics. For example, the lock of hair was still for sale, an item that could almost be considered a C-grade material. However, before spending any more credits, Zac first wanted some advice.

“Unfortunately, a lot of the items available are not suitable for you,” Yrial sighed. “I didn’t expect someone with such a different path to pass my inheritance. This includes the two supreme items, [Bowl of the Raging Seas] and [Infernal Mote]. They are extremely potent Core-strengtheners for those following in my path. For you, they are just shiny baubles.”

“I guessed as much,” Zac sighed. “What can I use?”

“First of all, you should buy the [Book of Duality],” Yrial said. “It’s only 1,000 credits because it’s a normal book that you can copy, but its value isn’t ordinary—in a sense, it’s almost as valuable as the two Supreme treasures. I only managed to get my hands on it toward the end of my journey, but if I had it when I was still in E-grade, I would have avoided a lot of pitfalls.”

Zac looked at the book Yrial mentioned. There were actually five copies of the [Book of Duality] in the heritage, and they were cheap. This indicated they weren’t extraordinary, so Zac had passed them by during his cursory scan. However, his interest was piqued by Yrial’s description and he quickly bought it.

A moment later, Zac held an actual leatherbound book, reading the short message on the first page.

I am Kalo, and my path has taken me to the edge of the Heavens and Earth. In this book, I have left my gathered knowledge and insights on duality. May they assist you in the pursuit of the Terminus.

If Zac hadn’t just gotten a better description of the elemental peak, he might have thought this book related to Creation and Oblivion because it mentioned the Terminus, but he now knew that was unlikely. Zac flipped through the pages, and as expected, they were filled with various diagrams and arrays related to the elements, accompanied by mysterious letters that each seemed to contain thousands of words and meanings.

Such was a common way to convey a lot of information in a short space, but it required the one who wrote it to have a true understanding of what they were writing. In other words, Yrial could probably copy the text, but if Zac tried to do the same, they would lose all their meaning. Zac almost got lost in the words as he read a random page, so he shook his head to clear it before stowing the book.

Zac didn’t really understand what he’d just read, but he understood why Yrial wanted him to get the tome. An encyclopedia containing a powerful Edgewalker’s insights into the specific difficulties of cultivating duality would surely be useful, no matter how different Kalo’s actual path was to his own.

“Who is Kalo? Where is this thing from?” Zac asked curiously.

“Some ancient faction far from the frontier,” Yrial said. “For a while, I hoped to visit their land for a chance to continue my path, or at least get a copy of the book that hadn’t lost so much of its original meaning. This thing is probably just a copy of a copy. Unfortunately, I never found any more information about Kalo or their origins. Still, the book helped me understand my path better even as a Monarch. I doubt whoever wrote it was someone simple. Perhaps you can find some inspiration within and use it to stake out your own path.”

“It will be a great source to reference,” Zac nodded. “I also need some escape treasure, preferably a reusable one.”

“With your penchant for getting yourself in trouble, that’s probably a good idea,” Yrial snorted. “The most powerful ones are the [Panopticon Seal] and the [Flashfire Flourish]. I think the latter is better suited for you.”

Zac wasn’t surprised Yrial mentioned those two, even if their names didn’t expose being escape treasures. They both cost over 8,000 credits, making them some of the most expensive items in the Inheritance—there was no way they could be simple.

“What kind of items are they?”

“The [Panopticon Seal] is an ancient treasure I think once might have been a clan-defining treasure for an ancient formation clan. It contains a terrifyingly complex array that can utterly seal space for over a mile in every direction almost instantly. As long as you hold onto the seal, you will be able to escape through a path only you can see. Meanwhile, everyone else will be frozen in place, no matter if it’s one or one hundred enemies.

“The [Flashfire Flourish] is a fire-based escape treasure I found shortly after becoming a Hegemon. It will turn you into a streak of flames and launch you through space, while sending out hundreds of decoys in every direction.”

“Why do you think I should get the second item then?” Zac frowned. “If the [Flashfire Flourish] is based on the Dao of Fire, can I even use it?”

“The seal is extremely powerful, being able to seal space with such success that even Late Hegemons will find themselves stuck for a minute or two. However, it is best used in conjunction with other escape measures. It sounds to me that escape is one of your weaker suits, with your path being one of constantly forging ahead. What will you do after the Hegemon breaks free? Don’t think some random escape talisman can save you from a motivated D-grade cultivator.

“Meanwhile, the [Flashfire Flourish] will shift you to a neighboring dimensional layer, while also making it harder to find you. That feature obviously doesn’t work inside Mystic Realms, but it will still take you extremely far in an instant. As for the fire-based aspect, it’s mostly fine.”

“Mostly?” Zac said with a raised brow.

“Well, with you not having an affinity with fire, it will probably hurt like hell to use the item,” Yrial snickered. “But better a little pain than death, right? With your constitution, you should be fine.”

“Just pain… no damage to my cultivation or anything like that?” Zac thoughtfully asked.

“I didn’t say that. Both items are Supreme escape treasures. Apart from being a pain to charge, activating them will damage your foundations. I was left weakened for weeks before recovering. Such is the law of balance.”

“It almost sounds like they’re meant to be used together,” Zac ventured. “One to seal the enemy, and one to run away.”

“That’s how I did things when out of options,” Yrial nodded.

“So how about—”

“Forget it.”

They were locked in a wordless struggle for a few moments, but Zac eventually relented with a sigh. “Alright, I’ll take the [Flashfire Flourish].”

It might not be exactly suited for him, but it was the kind of treasure he needed—something akin to Thea’s escape skill or the item the cultist leader used after their battle in the Dead Zone. Meanwhile, the [Panopticon Seal] sounded a bit too similar to his [Pillar of Desolation] to make it worth 8,750 points, even if it was a powerful item.

He would simply have to find another way to restrain his pursuers while activating the [Flashfire Flourish] in the future.

“Good choice,” Yrial said, his smile widening as a box appeared in his hands. “I didn’t want to influence your choice, but I actually modified the flourish one day when I was beset with an epiphany. Now, it’s even better than when I used it. You’ll be the envy of the cultivation world—it took me quite some effort to instill my charm and aesthetics into this item.”

“Better how? What did you do?” Zac asked with a sinking feeling as he heard the ambiguous words.

“First, leave a drop of blood and bind it,” Yrial urged as he took a small red wand from the box, prompting Zac to reluctantly comply.

“Perfect,” Yrial smiled. “Don’t worry, I won’t waste the actual escape charge. I’m just a bit curious how it will turn out with you as the controller.”

“How what will turn—” Zac asked, but he didn’t get any further as a fiery steam shot out from the wand, passing right by his head.

Zac scrambled out of the way with alarm as he covered his head, but he breathed in relief when the fire wasn’t followed by an explosion. However, Zac’s expression sunk with dismay as he turned around, wholeheartedly feeling that Yrial’s modifications were far worse than a simple bomb.

The blue sky and the field of flowers in the pocket dimension had lost their luster in the face of the almost blinding spectacle the [Flashfire Flourish] had left behind. However, it wasn’t some sort of combat-related apparition, or a maze-like array meant to confuse the enemy.

It was rather an image of Zac’s face left as a ten-meter hologram floating in the air.

However, while it was him, it also wasn’t. The eyes sparkled like stars with a tearful expression that spoke of both reluctance and love. There was a slight blush on his cheeks and rosy lips locked in a small pout, with his usual buzz cut replaced by a wavy cascade of chestnut-colored hair. Surrounding his face was a swirling sea of fiery and icy flowers, illuminated by rays of light. Finally, beneath the spectacle was one line written by glittering stardust.

Parting with a dear companion is always a sweet sorrow.

“It’s not quite the same when you’re using it,” Yrial sighed with a shake of his head. “At least it fixed your hair.”

“This… what…” Zac stuttered, finding himself lost for words.

He couldn’t believe what he was seeing. The failed effemination of his face. His ambiguous expression, and the even more ambiguous words. In what universe was this a suitable function to add to an escape treasure? The only way it could be useful was if the scene was so unexpected and surreal that his pursuers found themselves shocked enough to lose track of him.

“Ah, don’t worry,” Yrial sagely nodded. “It’s designed to use whatever face you’re currently wearing. No need to worry in case you’re using a disguise.”

‘Like that’s my concern right now!’ Zac wanted to roar, worrying that his already strained reputation would take another hit if he was ever discovered using this cursed escape wand.

“Not only that, but this is only one of five different memorable scenes I engraved into the [Flashfire Flourish]. It’s impossible to be certain, but I think it might be one of the most stylish escape items in your Sector.”

“It’s quite something,” Zac said through grit teeth as he turned away from the still-glimmering apparition. “But I worry these superfluous additions might weaken its main function. I think it would be better to restore the item to its original state.”

“Well, it does cost a bit more energy, but it is negligible compared to the expenditure for the actual escape,” Yrial explained. “And I refuse to ruin this piece of art, even if it will be sullied by your face. I suggest you start thinking on how to improve your features, allowing you to leave behind an even more mesmerizing scene that will linger in the hearts of your pursuers forever.”

“Alright, well, I guess that’s fine then,” Zac sighed with a sense of defeat.

“With this purchase, you still have 5,500 Credits,” Yrial smiled. “Do you want any more advice?”

In the end, Zac purchased a non-attuned Natural Treasure that would help strengthen any prototype core, which would speed up the process after he’d found a proper core blueprint to work from. It only cost 1,500 Credits, making it a steal. For the final 4,000 points, Zac got another unique treasure called [Hanamon’s Awakening].

It was yet another Node Opening treasure, one that Zac hoped would help him out with his Draugr Eoz heritage. Unfortunately, it could only help open nodes he’d already located, and it only worked with constitution-based Hidden Nodes, which was why it was so much cheaper than the [Eye of Har’Theriam] he got last time.

It was a bit of a gamble, but there wasn’t much else he wanted from the Inheritance. Race-boosting pills weren’t a thing in the D-grade since once’s race was connected to one’s Cosmic Core at that stage. Every time you upgraded your core, your longevity and attribute cap would increase. Finally, when you perfected your core, you’d officially reach C-grade race.

“Looks like you got your money’s worth,” Yrial nodded after Zac stowed away the final item. “But remember, treasures can only help you remove some roadblocks on your path. Cultivation ultimately comes from within.”

“I know,” Zac nodded.

“Now, is there anything else you want to ask of your beautiful and benevolent master?” Yrial smiled. “Remember, it will probably be a while before we see each other again.”

“Actually, there are a few things,” Zac said, relieved that Yrial still had the energy to chat. “First of all, I was hoping you could help me upgrade your transformation skill. Secondly, I was wondering if you had ever heard of the [Boundless Vajra Sublimation].”

20

UPGRADES

“One thing at a time. I’ve been asleep for most of the time since we met last, but I have some preliminary ideas for the transformation skill,” Yrial said. “I just need to see how the pathways of the core have changed during its upgrade. I even have some ideas to improve the aesthet—”

“No, wait,” Zac urgently interjected. “You can’t add any effect to the skill! It will expose me mid-battle.”

“I guess you’re right,” Yrial sighed, though not without some reluctance. “Alright, let’s see what we’re working with here.”

He pushed a finger against Zac’s chest and closed his eyes. Only five minutes later did he open them again with a thoughtful look.

“Is there a problem?” Zac asked.

“How could something like this stump your exalted master?” Yrial harrumphed. “But the patterns are growing quite complex, requiring an understanding of the Daos infused into your Spy Core. I can somewhat circumvent it for now, but I doubt I will be able to form a D-grade version of the skill. After this, you’re on your own.”

“That’s no problem. I need to start forming skills myself soon anyway.”

“Yes, that’s one department you’ve fallen behind,” Yrial nodded. “By the time I evolved, I had already created six skills.”

“Six?” Zac blurted, feeling that one or two was already quite good.

“There’s no need for you to go that far,” Yrial shrugged. “I didn’t have as many opportunities as you when starting out, so I had a similar problem as you did with your Draugr class. I had a rare E-grade class that didn’t quite incorporate my ideas, so I needed to form skills that better represented my Path of Cyclic Supremacy. Otherwise, I would have been stuck with a pendulum-oriented class in D-grade.”

“Pendulum?” Zac said, but he immediately realized what Yrial was talking about.

In the visions, Yrial was constantly swapping between cold and hot when fighting, a bit like how Ilvere often shifted between light and heavy when using that boulder-like weapon of his. Somehow, that seemed to have a greater effect than constantly using either one of the elements.

“It is a viable path, but it doesn’t provide the level of amplification as a true fusion of elements,” Yrial explained. “There is a section about it in the book you bought. In a sense, it keeps the elements separate, and the absence of a fusion becomes the third element. Perhaps it’s worth it for you to look into.”

Zac thoughtfully nodded in agreement. That kind of system didn’t seem too bad. He wasn’t swapping between life and death currently when fighting, but his core comprehension when clashing against Alvod’s path had been that Life was Life, Death was Death, forever separate, and always in conflict. Perhaps that kind of system could be useful for a base that he retooled for his purposes.

“Well, here we are,” Yrial smiled as he handed over a crystal. “The skill isn’t naturally upgradeable, so you will have to refine the paths yourself.”

“That’s fine,” Zac said. “Thank you.”

He’d already gained some experience in this regard inside the Orom World, with his human side already having reforged [Piercing Gaze] into [Cosmic Gaze]. Doing something similar with [Beauty Yrial’s Great Transformation Skill] shouldn’t be too difficult as long as he had the blueprint and was careful.

After all, he had long realized his pathways had a much greater ability to recover compared to most people’s. Some pathway adjustments that would require a cultivator to rest for a month were dealt with in a couple of days, speeding up the process significantly. If that was thanks to his high attributes or his unique constitution, Zac had no idea. Probably a little bit of both.

“Now, what’s this about a Buddhist technique?” Yrial said.

Zac stowed away the transformation skill as he recounted his meetings with Three Virtues, the technique, and his guesses about his path.

“Scheming baldies,” Yrial snorted. “I’ve been on the short end of that stick myself. However, I have to say his words are not without merit, and the [Boundless Vajra Sublimation] is a well-known Body Tempering Technique. Your undead side currently has an attunement that your human side lacks. For normal people, that would make your cultivation slanted concerning the Dao, but I’m not too sure that aspect matters to you. However, it might affect your cultivation in other ways.”

“Like an imperfect fusion of life and death,” Zac ventured, receiving an affirmative nod.

“If your goal is to fuse, or even just stabilize, your two sides, a perfect balance might be required. The Dao of Chaos is a miracle—a Dao that shouldn’t exist, a paradox. There should be extremely stringent requirements for it to form, where a single missing component will make the transformation impossible.”

“What about the pathbreaking effect of Buddhism? Or any other traps hidden in the method?” Zac asked.

“Pathbreaking only works on the weak of heart,” Yrial snorted. “If you’re so useless that you become a monk from practicing their techniques, you don’t have the qualifications to continue your path. I would be more concerned as to why the Buddhist Sangha is helping you. They are not some benevolent samaritans—they are incredibly pragmatic with their cause and effect. If they provide you with these kinds of resources, they are expecting something in return.”

“Do you think it’s a brainwashing technique, turning me into a vessel for possession or something similar?” Zac asked, remembering the pitiful end for his old enemy, Inevitability.

“That, I doubt,” Yrial said. “They cultivate the heart and the self. Possession would break their path. They rarely forcibly convert people either, unless their targets have accrued immense Karmic Sin. Personally, I believe that would hurt their path otherwise. Theirs is a supreme belief of Buddha’s Path. If they need to use trickery for conversion, that would mean their path is not perfect, and it would harm their cultivation and the Sangha itself.

“They would rather use the apparent perfection of their techniques to leave small nuggets of doubts in your heart, nuggets that would form a trail leading straight into the embrace of Buddha. That would reaffirm their path, strengthening the Sangha.”

“Can you scan the technique for me?” Zac ventured.

“No way. I’m just an aged soul wisp. Getting in contact with a complete Buddhist Heritage would probably destroy me. Besides, just because it’s not a faulty technique, it doesn’t mean they haven’t made precautions to prevent the spread of their secrets,” Yrial said. “Try infusing the method into an empty crystal.”

Zac took out a spare crystal from his ring, but a frown spread across his face. Nothing happened when he tried to engrave the words in his mind.

“You see?” Yrial smiled. “You will have to make the decision yourself, weighing risk and reward is a core component of being a cultivator. Do your research before making your choice, and then act on it decisively. But while you have time, don’t dally too long if you want to keep your momentum. I can tell you that undoing Body Tempering can be difficult, impossible even. Even if you stop in the middle, you might find yourself stuck with an incomplete constitution.”

“I’ll try to do some more research before deciding,” Zac said.

Zac spent the next few hours inside the trial inheritance. Most of the time was Yrial regaling him about his exploits of the past, while Zac occasionally inserted some question that had plagued him over the past years. Yrial answered some, ignored those that would affect his path, and pretended he wasn’t clueless about others.

For example, when Zac asked whether he’d ever heard of a Tayn Clan, Yrial haughtily answered that he couldn’t keep track of every little faction in the frontier. Neither did Yrial know too much about the Perennial Vastness of the [Perennial Vastness Token]. He’d only briefly heard of it, and by that point, he was already a Monarch and uninterested since it didn’t pertain to him. Thus, Yrial had even less information than what Zac had gathered from the elites in the Orom World.

“Time is running out,” Yrial sighed as he looked out across the field of flowers. “I know you are loath to leave your dear master, but I need rest.”

“When can I come back?”

“The trial is meant for someone approaching Peak Hegemony, but you might be able to brute force your way into the trial quicker than that. But no earlier than reaching Late Hegemony,” Yrial said. “As for time, it doesn’t matter. My soul wasn’t damaged this time around like after the impartment.”

“Late Hegemony,” Zac said. “Alright, I’ll see you soon. Thank you for all your help today. You’ve really helped me figure some things out.”

“Have fun with your war,” Yrial grinned. “I joined a big one once. There was a lot of loot to be pilfered, both from allies and foes, and ample opportunities to be seized. Just try not to die.”

“Sage advice,” Zac laughed as the world started to twist.

The last thing he saw was Yrial turning his head toward the left across the field of flowers with an inscrutable look in his eyes, in the very direction Yana had come from in the vision.

A flash of light later, Zac appeared in the hall of the Tower of Myriad Dao, and he shot a complex look at the towering statue behind him. His second go at the Lord of Cycles Inheritance had been a bit of a mixed bag. It had been nice to see his master again, but he hadn’t quite accomplished all of his goals, the biggest one being a solution on how to form his Cosmic Core.

However, he’d gained some nice items, along with the resources needed to start his own research in earnest, and he had a few ideas already on where to start. And with his transformation skill soon to be upgraded to E-grade, he would once more be able to use both his classes in battle.

As for the [Boundless Vajra Sublimation], Zac was leaning toward using the body-tempering aspect of the technique while forgoing the Heart Cultivation chapters. If that was even possible. However, he first wanted to do some investigation, preferably by getting his hands on a couple of similar manuals to contrast and compare.

“Took your time,” Brazla snorted as he appeared. “Those little battle-slaves of yours have kept bothering me while you underwent the trial.”

“They’re not slaves, they’re my elite soldiers,” Zac sighed. “What did they want?”

“How should I know?” Brazla shrugged with disinterest.

“Alright, thank you for your work the past week,” Zac nodded before turning toward the exit, not wanting to spend his limited free time being berated by an unstable Tool Spirit.

“Wait,” Brazla said just as Zac was about to leave.

“You should think of what to do with the other inheritances,” the Tool Spirit said. “Right now, I’m not fulfilling my purpose, which is like having a fly buzz around my head. The shady demon and the dumb brute are gone from what I gather, as is your sister. With your woman dying, that means only you and your undead progeny are occupying the inheritances.”

Zac looked at the statue of the Blade Emperor for a few seconds before turning back to Brazla.

“Well, like you said. You’re eternal. I’m in no hurry; no need to waste your gifts on the undeserving,” Zac shrugged. “I’ll still have my people keep a lookout for potential candidates.”

“I don’t care much about the others, but you need to find a suitable candidate for the Celestial Artisan,” Brazla said with uncommon seriousness in his eyes.

Zac could understand the sentiment. Something probably went wrong for the original Brazla, with his Dao Repository becoming a System Reward rather than a resource for his descendants or disciples. His inheritance was different than the others in that way. The others added the trials and rewards as payment for Brazla’s services, while the Celestial Artisan’s inheritance probably was a genuine one.

Unfortunately, there was simply no one in his surroundings who deserved this reward. No standout craftsman had yet to appear on Earth, and the Gemlings had their own path of craftsmanship.

“I’ll do my best, but I might have to recruit someone from off-world,” Zac said.

“As long as you understand,” Brazla nodded. “Now, off you go.”

Zac snorted before he flashed away, leaving the Dao Repository behind. A scan of the surroundings indicated no Valkyries were waiting around, meaning whatever message they had couldn’t be too important. Zac started toward his compound rather than Port Atwood. However, he didn’t stop when he reached his manor, but rather continued until he reached the sea.

“Lord Atwood, it has been a while,” the Creator liaison said as Zac entered the shipyard reception, its emotions impossible to tell from the featureless face where apertures were replaced by a single fractal.

“Brat, not bad,” a booming laugh echoed through the hallway as Karunthel, still using his enormous spider legs, ambled into the room. “Already a Baron.”

“Just lucky, I guess,” Zac smiled, not bothering to ask why the golem foreman knew something like that.

“So, are you here about the upgrade?” Karunthel said with excitement. “About time. It’s a bit embarrassing to be the foreman of this toyshop.”

“Kind of,” Zac said. “I know where the Worldeaters are, and I’m heading off-world soon to go get one. Now that it’s drawing closer, I wanted to check with you how long it would take to build the reward, and if there was anything I could do to improve the quality of the vessel.”

“Oh? Our wares are not good enough for your tastes, brat?” Karunthel sniggered, though it was clear he didn’t take it to heart. “What’s the problem?”

“I’m heading into a chaotic strip of space teeming with invaders and pirates, I could use every advantage I can get.”

This was his biggest worry. An Early D-grade Cosmic Vessel had seemed impressive when he first saw the quest, but now with the war brewing and the general danger of the Million Gates Territory, it might not be enough to safely traverse the Million Gates Territory—especially not if he and his followers were planning on racking up some contribution through battle.

Certainly, some of the vessels of pirates and bounty hunters in the Million Gates Territory could barely be considered D-grade from what Zac had gathered. However, others were quite powerful. There were even Technocrats and unorthodox cultivators using taboo methods in the area.

“Brat, don’t forget; we are the Iliex,” Karunthel snorted. “Our Early D-grade wares are at least at the level of Middle D-grade when put in the perspective of this backwater region.”

“I understand that,” Zac said.” But still…”

“Well, let me check,” Karunthel shrugged, then froze in place. He moved a couple of minutes later, and it almost looked like he’d rebooted. “Huh.”

“What?” Zac asked.

“Well, I’m not allowed to build you anything better than an Early D-grade vessel,” Karunthel said.

“Then it’s impossible,” Zac sighed.

“I’m not finished,” the huge golem-spider said. “I’m not allowed to build one according to the quest, but I can create a specialized Cosmic Vessel. One that’s barely flightworthy in its current state but easily upgradeable. A framework, if you will.”

“Absolutely,” Zac said, his eyes lighting up. “Let’s go with that.”

“Hold on,” Karunthel. “While this method is permissible, the actual upgrade would be outside the agreement of the System-awarded quest. First of all, the maximum output of an Early D-grade Shipyard is Middle D-grade vessels, and only once per century. Secondly, with the limitations set in place on a System-run store like this, you would have to provide the materials yourself rather than use our channels.”

“That’s no problem,” Zac said as he handed over an Information Crystal, then poured out a mountain of resources around him. They were a sample of all the Peak-quality materials and items he’d kept for himself rather than handing them over to Calrin, while the crystal was his semi-accurate tally of items he’d already given the Sky Gnome.

It would obviously have been better if the System didn’t limit the Creators, but such were the rules. Licensed Stores added through the Town System had all kinds of rules and regulations they had to follow. In return, they got the System’s protection and access to new markets. Meanwhile, unlicensed stores weren’t related to the System at all.

They had no limitations and no protections except whatever muscle they could muster. The Thayer Consortia had lost all their unlicensed stores centuries ago the moment the Tsarun Clan turned their gaze toward their little business. In that sense, if the Creators had actually made their way to Earth on their own and set up a shipyard, they would have been able to do business however they wanted.

They could even have sold B-grade vessels if they so desired, and the System wouldn’t care.

“I guess your adventures were quite lucrative,” Karunthel hummed as he scanned the piles of materials, occasionally prodding them with his metallic spider legs. “The value of this trove is counted in C-grade Nexus Coins. Of course, so are decent Cosmic Vessels.”

“I have recorded the materials,” Rahm added from the side. “Give us a few minutes while we will run simulations on viable frames.”

Zac nodded and started stowing the materials, his heart already beating with anticipation. How could one not get excited over the prospect of a personal spaceship?

21

THE FINAL FRONTIER

“You look like a fledgling apprentice about to get his first batch of materials,” Karunthel grinned upon seeing Zac’s excitement.

“Of course,” Zac said with a wide smile. “We used to say that space is the final frontier. How can I not get excited at the idea of exploring it in a personal ship?”

“The final frontier?” the spider-golem hummed. “I like that. Of course, I’m not sure how true that is what with the outer—”

“Ahem,” Rahm interjected, dashing Zac’s hopes of learning of some more restricted knowledge.

“If need be, I can get almost any quantities of any readily available material in the Sector,” Zac added as he got back to the topic. “Rare treasures might be a bit tricky with the time constraints.”

“Understood,” Rahm nodded. “Does young master have any specific requests?”

“First of all, the ship needs to have strong protection against spatial turbulence because I will regularly pass through spatial storms and wormholes,” Zac said. “And since I will be hunting invaders, features that can enable me to ambush enemies would be great. Finally, the ability to escape from pursuit.”

“Brat, that’s a lot,” Karunthel snorted. “If a ship excels at everything, it will no longer be Middle D-grade.”

“Whatever you can come up with,” Zac smiled.

“Well, you have picked up quite a few good things,” Karunthel said. “We should be able to make some decent alloys with it, though the attunements are a bit… We’ll have to check our database.”

A moment later, Rahm and Karunthel walked to the backdoor of the office while Zac stayed behind, praying they had some blueprints that would work with his somewhat one-sided stockpile of pilfered materials. It wasn’t that his materials were bad, but most crafts had pretty stringent requirements. There was no guarantee that the Creator’s heritage would mesh well with his items, considering a lot of the raw materials were either Life or Death-attuned.

Most of the D-grade items in his possession were ultimately from the rings he looted in the Void, and they had all presumably belonged to Hegemons native to the Twilight Harbor. Therefore, over a third of the materials had one of the two attunements or some sort of mixed affinity, including more than half of the Peak-quality items.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the two emerged again, and Zac almost shot up from the sofa.

“While your materials are decent, not too many of them are useful for creating Cosmic Vessels,” Karunthel said. “We did find a few alloys in our databases that would work. However, after filtering out all the designs that don’t fit within the scope of the quest, the shipyard’s level, your materials and requirements, there are only three viable options left.”

“Are you kidding?” Zac said. “Three is great. I was worried there would be none.”

“How could that be?” Karunthel guffawed. “That would be an affront to our name. Do you know how many designs we have accumulated over the eons? Neither do I, but it’s a lot. And most designs come in different variations depending on the desired attunement and equipment. With the materials you have collected, your vessel will either have to have a slight Death-attunement or Life-attunement.”

“Slight attunement?” Zac asked curiously.

“Your quest does not allow for an attuned vessel,” Rahm explained. “Therefore, the base framework will have to be unattuned. From there, we will upgrade the vessel by adding attuned alloys, arrays, and systems, thus upgrading the vessel to Middle D-grade.”

“Can the vessel be both? Life and Death-attuned, that is?” Zac ventured.

“Not possible,” Karunthel said. “You want me to build a Chaos Engine, brat? That’s the stuff of legends. We can isolate certain sections and flood them with whatever element you want, but we cannot integrate both Life and Death into the framework of the vessel. The two elements would clash, causing all kinds of issues we have no way of solving.”

“Alright,” Zac nodded, disappointed but not very surprised.

He’d hoped to see if the Creators had some method to fuse Life and Death, but it looked like he was overthinking things. Even if their faction had solutions, it probably wouldn’t be a readily available Middle D-grade design.

“The first option is a scout-class vessel spanning 300 meters,” Rahm continued as a screen appeared in front of Zac. “Its speed is the greatest among the three, and it has serviceable anti-detection technology, which can help with both ambushing and escapes. However, its shielding and weaponry are the worst of the three.”

Zac looked at the sleek silver ship with golden lines and runes covering its surface, its design somewhat resembling a catamaran built for speed. Apart from the image, there was also a list of features of specifications, including everything from arrays to cargo hold and personnel capacity.

From the description, it looked like its defensive arrays weren’t meant for battle, but rather to withstand any odd environments the crew explored. Therefore, its shields were effective against sustained environmental damage, but they could only take a limited number of direct hits from enemy attacks. It also didn’t have much in the way of fighting back, though its scanning equipment and drones seemed very impressive.

“The second one is my recommendation,” Karunthel eagerly continued as a second screen appeared. “A somewhat unknown variant on a popular destroyer model.”

Zac looked at the design, and he felt a palpable pressure from the imposing pitch-black monstrosity. This ship looked a lot like a normal boat, except a heavily fortified metal castle was placed on its stern.

“Strong shields, strong weapons; a mobile fortress,” the foreman laughed. “No need to run from your enemies if you can just blow them up. Unfortunately, we can’t bring our more advanced weaponry to the frontier, but even these old designs pack quite a punch.”

Karunthel wasn’t joking around. If the description was to be believed, the destroyer had no less than six weapons platforms, ranging from a literal Deathray meant to destroy or at least incapacitate ships. Even if the targets survived, they might get forcibly converted into zombies. There were dozens of array towers, unmanned attack drones, and even a planetary bombardment system.

Even its bow was a massive blade empowered with some sort of array, allowing the owner to run straight into their enemies. The shields were powerful as well and should have no problem withstanding the spatial turbulence in the Million Gates Sector.

“What’s the catch?” Zac said, his eyes gleaming.

“Of the three, it’s the slowest and least maneuverable,” Rahm said. “The scouting vessel has various escape protocols, while no such things are installed on this vessel. Any decent scanner will also pick up its powerful energy signature.”

“Can I install escape protocols and cloaking technology later?” Zac asked.

“We are already pushing the limits by offering you these designs,” Karunthel said. “We will not be able to make any further adjustments except for repairs. Besides, all these systems and arrays are working together in a delicate balance. If you start replacing parts, you’ll quickly run into various issues. Pushing through spatial tears and shifting dimensions is no joke. If you muck about without knowing what you’re doing, you might find yourself disintegrated when you make a jump.”

“Oh alright,” Zac said with a shudder, scrapping any idea of cramming the ship full of addons after getting his hands on it.

“You should be careful about hiring outside mechanics as well,” Karunthel said. “If they’re useless, they’ll probably end up getting you killed. If they are any good, they’ll notice the vessel is not from around these parts. Cosmic Vessels are too complicated to hide their origins like the simple ships we’ve built for you thus far. At least for me and the other craftsmen sent here.”

“I’ll be careful,” Zac nodded. “What about the third model?”

“The final option is a journeyman-class cruiser,” Rahm said, showcasing the third vessel.

This one was shaped like a hollow pyramid, where the tip was the front. Halfway up, a large viewing deck could be seen, while there were multiple slots for weaponry. Jutting from the hollowed bottom, three large pillars stuck out, presumably the motor this model used.

“Sorry, journeyman?” Zac asked as he read through the specs.

“The previous vessels were targeted at or specially designed for factions setting up a proper armada, from small fighters to planet sized command-ships,” Karunthel explained. “Thus, these models are more specialized in nature. Journeyman ships are normally sold to powerful Wandering Cultivators or as private vessels for elites. They are all-rounders that you generally don’t see in large-scale wars.”

“Jack of all trades, master of none,” Zac muttered.

“Exactly,” Karunthel said. “This model is quite flexible. We can make it either Life or Death-attuned, and the modular design gives you some freedom to prioritize which aspects you want the ship to focus on. For example, you can swap out turrets for more energy storage and shield-generators, and so on. On the other two vessels, the design is mostly set.”

Zac looked at the specs for a long time, unable to immediately decide which he wanted. Each held strong points, but the situation in the Million Gates Territory was simply too unpredictable.

“No need to make your choice right now,” Karunthel added. “There is a lot of work to be done, and we can start by putting together the components used in all three models. Think it over so you have an answer by the time you return with the Worldeater. That way, we can begin manufacturing the moment the shipyard is upgraded.”

“This is a list of the required materials and labor cost for each respective vessel upgrade,” Rahm added as he handed Zac an Information Crystal.

“Alright,” Zac said, grimacing upon seeing that all of the vessels were priced in the millions of D-grade Nexus Coins, even after the rebate from getting the basic framework from his quest.

No wonder most D-grade cultivators were locked to their planet or planet cluster. A single vessel cost more than raising dozens of Hegemons in the Zecia Sector. For example, Zac knew that Ogras’ grandpa’s net worth, including his gear, was only counted in the low thousands of D-grade Nexus Coins.

However, Karunthel’s words made him think of something. “Will the size of the shipyard increase after getting an upgrade?”

“Of course,” Karunthel nodded and turned to his second-in-command. “What kind of platform will we get?”

“A D-grade Shipyard in this situation will roughly take up 52.2 times the area,” Rahm said. “With your requirements for privacy and camouflage, it would increase to 57.8.”

“Almost sixty times larger?” Zac exclaimed as he glanced at the massive warehouse outside the window. That thing was bigger than any building he’d seen pre-Integration, and they wanted something more than fifty times that size? It would swallow up the whole coastline of his island.

“The production platforms for Cosmic Vessels are quite complex,” Karunthel shrugged. “We need to set up everything from foundries to array furnaces, tempering lakes, and the actual construction lines.”

“You will be able to move the compound freely within your domain upon the upgrade,” Rahm added. “And it’s no longer water-locked. With Port Atwood having become a capital, you can place us on any island in the archipelago. However, placing the foundry on a Death-attuned island will accrue a steep conversion charge since we do not use that kind of energy.”

“Alright, no problem,” Zac quickly nodded. “I’ll check what’s available. I might have to put you guys on the ocean floor if you need even more space in the future.”

“That won’t be necessary,” Karunthel laughed. “C-grade shipyards and higher are strategic resources involving many secrets of the Iliex. Those platforms are almost exclusively kept inside the inner worlds of our Master Craftsmen or inside private realms. If you actually manage to upgrade the shipyard again, we’ll just transform the island you gave us to a private residence.”

“Oh, right,” Zac nodded. “And how long will it take for you to put together the vessel?”

“The Boundless Heavens will be helping out with the quest, so not too long. Two months outside our temporal arrays at the most,” Karunthel said. “Oh, one more thing. Get a Worldeater with a strong soul. The stronger the soul, the better the vessel will be.”

“The Worldeater’s soul will be used for the vessel?” Zac asked with a slight frown.

Between the cursed sword he snatched in the Tower of Eternity and [Love’s Bond], he knew all-too-well the complications that came with the fusion of souls and items. Even if it had worked out for Alea so far, the path was fraught with issues, and it went against the natural order. So infusing a soul into his Cosmic Vessel didn’t seem like a very good idea.

“Don’t worry, we won’t use some dumb animal as a Tool Spirit,” Karunthel laughed, clearly understanding Zac’s concerns. “But it will be a component for one of the central arrays. A strong soul will mean the quality of the core is higher, which will allow for smoother energy transfer. That will improve everything from shield durability to speed.”

“Then it’s enough if I just get the core?” Zac asked.

“Nope,” Karunthel said. “The Boundless Heavens wants you to catch a live one, so that’s what you’ll have to do.”

“I’ll get the beast as quickly as possible. I’m heading out within a couple of days,” Zac said, but just before he stepped out of the reception hall, he turned back. “Have you ever heard of a powerful faction of fire cultivators called the Tayns?”

“That’s… not something we can discuss,” Karunthel exclaimed, so shocked by the name that he actually took a step back. “But you need to be careful. Some things are better left alone, alright?”

“Yea, I’ll see you later then,” Zac said and walked out.

The two Iliax looked at their customer as he disappeared among the trees in the distance.

“Crazy brat, don’t tell me he’s mixed up with those maniacs?” Karunthel muttered. “Is this why…?”

“Doubtful,” Rahm said. “Mohzius Tayn has guarded his wife’s throne for millions of years, rarely stepping out, and his disciples are busy causing havoc elsewhere. More importantly, these models… It breaks convention. What happened in that meeting?”

“I argued for an upgrade,” Karunthel grinned.

“Is it worth it? Is he worth it?”

“I guess?” Karunthel nodded after some thought.

“Can we even build them?” Rahm asked. “The restrictions—”

“They will be temporarily lifted,” Karunthel lazily said. “And the components that are out of my league will be transported.”

Rahm’s normally wooden aura fluctuated from shock. “Reslam will forcibly expand our authority? What did you agree to for him to pay such a price?”

“A section-head isn’t powerful enough for this,” Karunthel snorted. “And Reslam wouldn’t do me any favors no matter what price I paid, not after I raided his stockpile. This is an order from higher up. For some reason, the leaders really want a certain type of scanner on this brat’s ship.”

“A specialized scanner?” Rahm muttered. “Should we tell him?”

“We can’t, strictest orders,” Karunthel said, and Rahm stared at his foreman for clarification.

“Don’t look at me like that. I like the brat as much as you,” Karunthel said. “That’s why I bartered for them to upgrade his options if they wanted me to do this. Considering how easily they agreed, they must be looking for something extremely important. The price to make the Boundless Heavens look the other way will be hundreds of times greater than the cost of the vessel itself.

“I guess some scary bastard has made a deal with the Chapter of Creation to implant this thing. With the brat mentioning the Tayns, they seem like a strong contender. Not even the Allfather would dare say no to them. Of course, it could be someone else looking for something in this area, and we’re the only ones around who can help.”

“This… This is not our way,” Rahm slowly said. “What if he’s harmed as a result?”

“Whatever those bigshots are looking for, it’s out there whether we install the scanner or not. Hopefully, the improved design will help him survive whatever lurks in the dark.”

“The final frontier…” Rahm muttered. “Just what are they expecting to find in this desolate corner of space?”

22

THE FUTURE OF THE EMPIRE

Zac’s Communication Crystal had already started vibrating while looking over the Cosmic Vessels, and he was surprised to find it was Vilari who tried to contact him. Looked like the Mentalist had finally returned to Earth after spending over five years on Ensolus.

A few minutes later, Vilari appeared in his courtyard, accompanied by Joanna.

“Both of you?” Zac asked with surprise.

“Rhuger and Ilvere can deal with things on Ensolus for the time being,” Vilari said. “With the restrictions of the Incursion gone, we have begun the upgrade all the facilities. Soon enough, both our forts and resource gathering facilities will be impregnable against factions at the level of the Mavai Hordes and the Raun Spectrals.”

“With the addition of teleporters, we can move freely across the continent as well, allowing for both reinforcements and evacuation if needed,” Joanna added.

“Well, welcome back to Earth, both of you,” Zac smiled. “How does it feel?”

“A lot has changed. I read the reports, but it’s another thing to see it with my own eyes,” Vilari nodded.

“I’ve been back a few times, but it’s still hard to believe how quickly things change between each visit,” Joanna sighed.

“It will slow down soon enough,” Zac said. “We’re still adapting to the Multiverse.”

“How did the inheritance go?” Joanna asked with some longing in her eyes.

Zac felt it really was a shame, just now realizing Joanna would have been a great candidate to undergo the Blade Emperor’s Inheritance, even if she used a spear. Having heard the whole story about Irei and his wives from Thea, Zac believed sincerity was more important than weapon of choice. In this regard, Joanna excelled, having already pushed her Spirit Tool spear to E-grade.

Unfortunately, even if the Blade Emperor Inheritance would open up in a few more years, it didn’t matter. The inheritances started at the F-grade, for better or worse. Zac still made a mental note of making sure with Brazla before handing the spot over to someone else. It was a bit inconvenient to be restricted to only selecting F-grade cultivators. By this point, everyone he knew had already entered the E-grade.

“What, is there something wrong?” Joanna asked with a frown.

“Oh, no, it’s nothing,” Zac said as he was dragged out from his thoughts. “The inheritance was okay. My path has diverged a bit from the Lord of Cycles though, so I didn’t quite get everything I’d hoped from the encounter.”

“As we find our paths, outside help is bound to become less and less helpful,” Vilari nodded.

“Yeah, I guess that’s true for everyone,” Zac agreed. “More importantly, I’m heading off-world again in a couple of days.”

“So soon?” Joanna said with a small furrow in her brows. “You’ve barely been back for a month.”

“Hopefully, it shouldn’t take too long. Less than a year,” Zac said as he shared the Quest Screen for [Items for Karunthel]. “I need to get that Worldeater or whatever. From there, it won’t take too long before we can set course for the Million Gates Territory. I just came back from a meeting with the Creators.”

“We can come with to the Million Gates Territory?” Joanna said with gleaming eyes.

“You’ll have to, whether you want to or not.” Zac laughed. “I need some capable people to help me steer that thing.”

“How many can go? How is the environment?” Vilari asked, and Zac recounted the specs he’d seen in the office before.

“These vessels… are far beyond the norm in the Million Gates Territory, in the whole Sector, in fact,” Vilari said. “Few can build Cosmic Vessels of this quality. Only Monarchs and the wealthiest Hegemons will be able to take out something comparable. We might need to disguise it somehow.”

“What, really? I know they’re good, but they’re that good?” Zac exclaimed, a bit reluctant to make his spaceship look all grubby the moment he got his hands on it.

“It’s true,” Joanna nodded. “We looked into buying a ship before you returned, and what you describe is on another level entirely. The problem is related to the materials, apparently. You need to know the method of producing unique alloys that can withstand both attacks, spatial turbulence, and the pressure of the universe when phasing between dimensions.”

“Without those kinds of recipes and the skill to forge the alloys, you would have to build the whole vessel out of High-grade materials. That might improve the quality, but the cost would increase one hundredfold,” Joanna said. “Add to that the skill required to infuse hundreds of High-quality arrays into the ship…”

“Can the Creators mass-produce Cosmic Vessels at this level?” Vilari asked. “If we could put these for sale…”

“These models are unique, with some parts being a quest reward of mine, and others using materials that don’t exist in the Zecia Sector,” Zac said, but his heart was still beating with excitement. “However, they’ll still be able to mass-produce simpler models once their factory is up and running.”

“Simpler models will definitely sell better,” Joanna said with a smile. “I think you’ve struck it rich.”

Zac’s smile widened, remembering Ogras’ exaggerated reaction when he first got his hand on the Iliex Shipyard. It looked like the true value of a Creator Shipyard was about to appear. And with perfect timing. Not only could High-quality vessels help with the war efforts against the invaders, but they would provide an important revenue source for his empire.

After all, him accidentally stumbling into piles of treasure wasn’t a sustainable source of materials and wealth for himself and his followers.

“Well, that’s something for later,” Joanna said. “Do you need any of us to go with you to fetch that animal for your quest?”

“Not this time,” Zac said. “I’m planning on sneaking inside among the mercenaries, getting the beast, and leaving. With too many people, things might get complicated. Of course, I am hoping I can simply purchase the thing instead of needing to head too deep into the Void Gate’s territory.”

“Alright,” Vilari said. “We’ll continue the integration of Ensolus. There’s a lot of work to be done now that the Incursion officially is over. With your permission, I’d like to transfer a few million citizens to this world.”

“Million?” Zac said with confusion. “Do we even have millions of people to spare on Earth?”

“All our facilities on Earth, from mines to spiritual fields and workshops, are fully manned since long ago. The salary and benefits of your employees are known far and wide, and we are flooded with applications every day,” Joanna explained. “Getting a million volunteers wouldn’t take long.”

“The number of applications has only increased now that the general population has been able to glimpse your Contribution Store,” Vilari added. “And with the new contribution algorithm, few apart from the elites and employees will be able to accrue enough contribution to get anything worthwhile.”

It was true. Before, anyone who wasn’t actively slacking off would slowly gather contribution points in Port Atwood. With the new system, you would have to work for it. Even then, it was a pretty generous system. After all, in most factions, only the core members would have access. For example, in Clan Azh’Rezak, only members of the actual clan could get access to the Clan’s resources.

The millions of citizens who simply lived within their domain would have to rely on themselves while paying even higher taxes.

“Aren’t the natives of Ensolus enough to fill the positions?” Zac asked.

“We want to bring all the races over to better integrate the populations,” Vilari said. “If we keep the two worlds isolated from each other except a small number at the top, Ensolus will remain a colony looking for ways to break out.”

“Makes sense,” Zac agreed as he considered the proposal. “But if we start bringing people over en-masse, the cat’s out of the bag—that the Atwood Empire has both undead and living citizens.”

“I am aware,” Vilari nodded. “That’s why we need your go-ahead first.”

“How have things gone so far in that department?” Zac asked. “How did the soldiers react upon seeing the Einherjar?”

“Things went better than expected, honestly—we were prepared to quell a riot if need be. There were some grumblings in the start, especially among the elites who were harried by the Undead Empire for weeks. Though most people understand your undead and the Undead Empire are not the same,” Joanna said.

“I feel the newly integrated are not as inherently averse to our kin as what I saw on the streets of Twilight Harbor,” Vilari thoughtfully added. “They might consider us unnatural and weird, but there are so many unnatural and weird things happening to them since the Integration. Thanks to that, our impact is lessened, and there aren’t eons of bad blood ingrained into our bones.”

“Perfect,” Zac nodded. “Well, I guess it’s about time anyway. We can’t hide a part of our population over on Elysium forever. I’m planning on rearranging the Spirit Vein to turn a section of Port Atwood into a Death-attuned district. That way, the living and undead can live in the same city and start the integration for real.”

“If I may suggest an alternative,” Vilari said as she took out the purification array most people used on the Ensolus Continent. “As you’ve seen, living and undead are living quite well on Ensolus, so long as we have these arrays. If possible, I would think it even better to strive for this kind of environment in Port Atwood, where life and death are one, rather than separate.”

Zac remembered his conversation with Vilari back in the Twilight Harbor, about how the harbor wasn’t much different from the Zecia Sector. The undead had their zones and their stores, while the living had theirs. Even the shared world disks had clear lines between life and death, and comingling was ultimately limited as a result.

The plan he suggested was ultimately the same, even if the stigma of consorting with the ‘other side’ might not be as poignant here.

“Have you noticed any side effects of staying in that kind of environment?” Zac asked.

“Not that we can tell, as long as the purifiers work,” Vilari said. “The real issue is that we honestly don’t know how this mixture is formed. We haven’t been able to recreate it back on Earth just yet.”

“Your plan isn’t bad, but I think it’s a bit premature to flood Port Atwood with this kind of unstable energy,” Zac rejected. “We can revisit the topic when we can reliably recreate the environment, or even a better one in the future. I’ll allocate more resources to research this and provide some Life-Death treasures I’ve picked up lately. Until then, the districts will have to do.”

It wasn’t just a worry about the health of his citizens that made him say no. He honestly doubted the plan was feasible in the short run—who understood the difficulties involved with fusing Life and Death better than he?

“Of course,” Vilari nodded, though Zac could tell she was a bit disappointed.

“I haven’t forgotten what you said,” Zac added. “I’ll do my best to make your vision come true. But we have to take it one step at a time. For now, keep the Earth and Ensolus separated—anyone you hire to head over will sign on for a year at the least. Meanwhile, have the city planners start drawing up the expansion of Port Atwood, but don’t draw any Miasma yet. As soon as I return, we’ll make things public.”

“We’ll handle it, don’t worry,” Joanna assured. “On a related topic, I have a message from the Stargazer. After analyzing the Sector, she wanted to recommend the Kaldran Strait for the Atwood Empire.”

“The no-man’s-land between the Kavriel Province and the Human Empires?” Zac hesitated. “I mean, it makes sense with our attunement, but that place is a constant warzone. Even if it’s far from the frontlines of the Million Gates Territory, that place will never see any calm.”

“The Kaldran Straits are enormous,” Joanna said. “It’s risky, but Abby thinks it’s the best place for a Life-Death attuned world. With the Miasmic domain of the Kavriel Province providing energy for one direction, and the counterforce from Zecia itself, it should push the ambient energy of your planets to the next level. There are also many scattered worlds without any affiliations or powerful leaders, making future expansion easy.”

“There should be parts of the strait that are far from the established battlefronts,” Vilari added. “As long as we pick a dimensional layer that’s not part of the known routes, the odds of anyone running into us by accident should be quite low.”

“We can start looking into it, but we need the Cosmic Vessels first,” Zac agreed. “Let’s focus on the short-term issues first.”

“When are you leaving?” Joanna asked.

“As soon as I have everything I need. Come with me to Calrin’s. I might need your help with something,” Zac said as he stood up. “Or is there anything else?”

“No, that’s it. I’ll start preparing for the expansion and recruitment,” Vilari said.

“You have the best understanding of our people,” Zac said. “If you will, could you start working on a shortlist of candidates to bring into the Million Gates Territory? Apart from warriors, we need medics, array controllers, and so on. That excursion will probably take years, so only people who can handle that kind of pressure.”

“I’ll look into it,” Vilari nodded.

From there, things proceeded quickly as Zac planned his next course of action. Seeing Yrial’s journey toward Hegemony, and later hearing his embellished tales, had imparted a few important lessons that weren’t related to forming one’s core; how to stay alive in the Multiverse. Wanting to leave nothing to chance, Zac ordered one report after another on the situation on the Salosar Cluster.

Soon enough, a proper plan took shape. Zac had everything he needed, including the High-quality modulator Calrin had gotten his hands on. However, he would have to wait another ten days before he set out again. It wasn’t that he needed more time to prepare, but rather that things over at Salosar weren’t ready.

Having found himself with a few days of free time, Zac teleported to his cultivation cave with Triv to upgrade it with a few of his recently gathered treasures and arrays. It quickly became apparent that his private forest wasn’t the only place Triv fiddled with. Apart from being completely repaired since his Soul Reincarnation, every single facet had been refined and elevated.

“You’ve worked hard,” Zac smiled. “I can’t believe the energies have reached this level.”

It wasn’t at the level of the unique environments in the Orom World like the Blackink Mountain, but the energy was still dense enough for a haze to cover the subterranean forest in this central cave. The only thing missing was that the energy was somewhat hollow now that there was no Origin Energy left—it had the meat, but it lacked the insights that marked top-tier cultivation environments.

“Admittedly, the mountain did most of the work,” Triv smiled. “With these purification arrays young master has brought, I will be able to improve the cave even further.”

They toured the three sections of his cave for the next several hours, where Zac showcased the various resources he’d gathered, and Triv offered suggestions on how to incorporate them. Ultimately, the cave was reinforced with another two layers of defensive arrays, along with the purification arrays he bought in the Orom World.

Next, they planted some of the High-quality Life-and-Death treasures he’d gathered. They’d siphon some of the ambient energy, but the aura they’d exude would improve the quality of what remained. Since Zac couldn’t cultivate anyway, losing some density wasn’t a big deal. Meanwhile, any added insights in the area, and their clashes with their opposing elements, might help him gain some inspiration for the formation of his core.

It would take a while for the herbs, trees, mushrooms, and other materials to take root and start transforming the environment, but Zac was heading out soon in either case. Triv would take care of things while he visited the Void Gate.

The following couple of days Zac spent on [Beauty Yrial’s Great Transformation Skill]. Reforging a skill manually was a bit of a chore, even if your body was unusually adaptable. The biggest issue was that any mistake in either planning or execution could damage the fractal, just like when upgrading a skill the normal way.

Thankfully, Yrial had set up an extremely simple plan for him, where the skill would reach E-grade after 18 sessions with some rest in-between. Each session, he would add or alter a specific set of pathways, ensuring the skill would be usable and stable throughout the process. That was the benefit of having a Monarch for a teacher—Yrial’s natural understanding of patterns far surpassed his own.

Even if he didn’t cultivate the Daos that were the basis for the Specialty Core, he understood enough how to interact with it.

Zac also continued his Soul Cultivation, and even started analyzing the [Boundless Vajra Sublimation] during his downtime. With such a packed schedule, the ten days went by in a flash. Zac’s eyes opened after a long bout of meditation. It was finally time.

First Salosar—then outer space.

23

SALOSAR SEVEN

Zac stepped out from the teleporter of Salosar Seven, one of the twenty-two official subordinate worlds of the Salosar Cluster, donning a temporary face. With him was Joanna, who was decked out in the liveries of the Space Gate Guild. They found themselves in a gallery inside an enormous hollow tower, the scene almost a bit reminiscent of the Havenfort Chasm, though the scale obviously was much smaller.

Behind them was a stone wall, and their sides were blocked by some sort of obfuscation array. However, the arrays weren’t completely opaque, and they could see small spatial ripples constantly appear all around them in other, presumably identical, rooms. That left only the front, which led to the edge of the gallery, which wasn’t blocked.

Joanna bowed at Zac and activated the teleporter again, disappearing before she could be questioned or inspected by the nearby guard who stood outside the only exit to the room. Zac walked over, making no attempt to hide his aura, which exuded the energy of an Early Hegemon thanks to his modulator.

The thing worked just as Calrin advertised, but it was pretty demanding to keep running. He would only be able to use the modulator for around two hours before running low on Cosmic Energy, but that was more than enough for his purposes. As for masquerading as a Half-Step Hegemon, that was much easier, and he could do that for a full day as long as he wasn’t forced to expend a bunch of energy in battle.

“Welcome, Lord Hegemon. It’s my honor to receive your excellence,” the Middle E-grade guard bowed as he imprinted Zac’s aura onto a crystal. “May I ask what brought the esteemed lord to Salosar Seven?”

“Just taking a look,” Zac said. “I heard there might be some opportunities here with an unusual beast tide.”

“That’s true,” the guard quickly nodded and took out an Information Crystal. “Any Hegemons joining the mission would become esteemed guests of the Void Gate. There is a specially-erected recruitment station in the Larnak Sector of Salosar Prime, all the information you need is in this crystal. I am sorry, but we also require Lord Hegemon to fill in some details at the entry station behind me.”

“Why?” Zac frowned. “My clan’s reports on Salosar didn’t mention anything like this. I don’t like my details getting spread left and right.”

“It’s a new security measure the council has set in place for those arriving from out-of-system,” the guard said with another quick bow. “With the Void Gate opening its proverbial gates, many spies have tried entering their domain to cause harm or steal resources. Those who are not part of the local factions will have to fill in a short statement. But Lord Hegemon does not need to worry—these are handled with utmost secrecy, and not a wisp of information will reach any third party or information house.”

Zac nodded with a displeased grunt before grabbing the Information Crystal. From there, he headed over to one of the hundreds of disks at the edge of the walk surrounding the central chasm of the tower, his aura gradually receding into his body.

Truthfully, Zac already knew about these procedures thanks to Calrin, and they’d already prepared a background for him as a newly-ascended Hegemon from the Allbright Empire. The disguise wouldn’t hold up to close scrutiny, but he’d spent almost five D-grade Nexus Coins on tokens, Clan Seals, and other items to verify his identity. It was extremely unlikely these early screenings would spot anything amiss.

A few moments later, Zac expressionlessly stepped out into the hollow core of the tower, gently floating down toward the bottom hundreds of meters below. It wasn’t that he figured out some way to fly to perfect his disguise as a Hegemon, but there was simply a gravity array in the center. People were floating down all around him until they reached the bottom platform.

As Zac looked around, it was almost as if it rained people, while there was a constant stream of people disappearing into the outgoing arrays at the lower floors. It wasn’t too surprising. Salosar Seven might not sound too impressive due to its numbering, but Salosar Two through Five were mostly closed-off worlds where the powerful clans and factions of the cluster resided.

Thus, Salosar Six through Eight were popular destinations for those seeking entertainment or commerce, and also the worlds where middling families and the more successful Wandering Cultivators stayed. The other worlds weren’t as well-off, with eleven and beyond being E-grade worlds.

Those planets, along with the unofficial worlds without a Salosar name, were mostly feeder worlds whose purpose was to produce the everyday resources the residents of the upper worlds required. Apparently, there were arrays as large as countries on those planets, where the ambient energy of vast swathes of land was dragged into the spiritual fields, workshops, or whatever else the families needed the energy for.

It left the rest of the planets extremely energy-starved, and just reaching E-grade required you to work in the facilities that stole all the energy. Learning about the situation was a stark reminder of why it was so important to nurture Earth into a proper faction that could stand on its own.

In fact, a few of the Salosar feeder-planets had once been newly-integrated worlds that didn’t amount to much. Either they failed during the Integration to one of Salosar’s local factions, or they weren’t powerful enough to avoid that kind of fate during the Assimilation. Obviously, almost no newly-integrated planet would be able to resist any established factions nearby, but there were some fail-safes in place.

Normally, the world would get some sort of trial to see if they’d properly acclimatized after a century, and if they performed well enough, the local invaders would be barred from forcibly seizing all land and resources. If not, the unlucky planets would end up as feeder worlds, while the more fortunate would only get levied with heavy taxation to whatever local power whose sphere of influence they’d appeared inside.

Such was the fate of the powerless in the Multiverse.

It was the law of the jungle, which could both be considered extremely unfair and fair, depending on how you looked at it. Zac didn’t wish for this kind of exploitative hierarchy for his own budding empire, though neither did he have any interest in bringing about social change to the Zecia Sector. He wasn’t some savior, and neither did he have any problem appreciating the splendor of Salosar Seven, even if he knew how this world was supported.

The air was clean, the energy dense, and the scenery was beautiful. The structures of Salosar Seven were mostly erected with some sort of purple stone with opalescent streaks that lit up when the sun hit them.

They would stay luminescent even after sunset, making for a beautiful and mysterious atmosphere in the evenings. Along with the nearby inland oceans with paradisial archipelagos, Salosar Seven had become a popular destination for those who needed a break in their cultivation and wanted to spend some time relaxing.

There was still a large commercial Sector, but it was geared toward entertainment compared to its brethren. Of course, it wasn’t for the bars or the brothels that Zac had come, and he started to orient himself following the map Calrin provided.

Noticing Zac standing in place as though he were lost, a few people approached him, but they quickly backed away after a shake of his head. Seeing the guides looking for work, Zac felt a pang of regret thinking back to Nala, the half-blood Draugr who’d guided him in Twilight Harbor.

He had no idea what happened to her when the whole harbor exploded, but her odds of survival weren’t great. Zac could only hope that Nala’s father, the Information House fact-checker, had sensed something amiss through his work and moved the family to the outer edges of the harbor at least.

Salosar had imposed a temporary no-fly rule for everyone except the city-issued ships, so Zac hired a ferryman. Normally, these kinds of limitations would only be seen in the capitals of C-grade worlds, with Hegemons otherwise refusing to comply. But the Void Priestess was simply too powerful, and no one wanted to draw her ire at this critical time.

Zac spent 20,000 E-grade Nexus Coins to check in at a premium cultivation cave, paying a month in advance. However, he didn’t spend more than a few minutes inside before leaving, setting out in the wider city by foot. An hour later, he walked the streets appearing completely different, having taken a cue out of Yrial’s playbook to change his appearance inside unmonitored corners, stores, or alleyways a few times.

With that, he headed toward his real destination. He was probably overdoing it with the counter-espionage, but there were reasons to be wary. For one, interplanetary travel wasn’t that common in the frontier, and any unknown Hegemon popping up out of nowhere would raise some eyebrows even in a flourishing place like Salosar.

It might seem like there was a constant stream of people exiting the tower, but Zac knew that over 99% were locals from the Salosar Cluster. Just a fraction were foreigners, and of those, the powerful would be marked for further investigation. After all, information was both wealth and power in the Multiverse, and there were a lot of businesses who made a point of knowing about everyone and everything that went on in their local sphere.

Even arriving incognito wouldn’t help, since the information houses would start matching you and your aura against possible candidates in their tallies. If there were none, you’d suddenly become even more suspicious since you were not only a stranger, but also trying to hide who you were. That’s why Zac chose to go with the somewhat cumbersome method of buying an identity.

No matter if it was needed or not, Zac felt it was good practice—being rigorous about security couldn’t hurt. In the visions, Yrial always followed certain procedures when visiting or leaving a new settlement, no matter if he had reason to believe he would be targeted or not. After all, some threats were unknowable, and having his true identity exposed wasn’t the only risk Zac faced.

Just by appearing in Salosar alone, he might already have gained a target on his back by some enterprising thieves or assassins.

Zac made two jumps with the public teleporters, a luxury few worlds in the Zecia Sector enjoyed. They weren’t connected to the System’s network to facilitate teleportation, which meant anyone could freely use them. In return, they needed to be set up by skilled Formation Masters who had delved into the Dao of Space. Even then, they seldom had the range surpassing that of a planet.

In Salosar’s case, the arrays were massive disks that could fit thousands of people, and they activated every time enough money was contributed. Sometimes, it could take hours, but if you had the money and didn’t want to wait, you could activate the array early.

By the time Zac reached a residential district on another continent, his expensive robes had been transformed into decent but inexpensive leather armor, and he released the aura of an Early E-grade warrior as he took in the surroundings. It was an interesting contrast to Port Atwood, where both had their strong points.

Salosar was a flourishing planet, with dense energies and a high quality of living. There was constant foot traffic on the streets even in these somewhat remote corners of the planet, with most people emitting the aura of Peak F-grade. Of course, their levels weren’t a surprise.

Peak F-grade was, by far, the most common level on most D-grade worlds. Nexus Crystals and Leveling Pills weren’t too expensive, and most people would pick non-combat classes that slowly pushed their level to the Peak of F-grade in a decade or two.

Without Origin Dao to cram the Dao down your throat, the vast majority would be forever stuck at the most fundamental bottleneck of cultivation. The difference between these normal citizens was that the ones with money and a decent constitution could evolve their race and live for 300 to 500 years.

The few who reached E-grade were either decently talented or had the money to splurge on a Dao Treasure or two to force a breakthrough. So even though Zac was emitting the energy signature of an unassuming Early E-grade warrior who would barely be considered a cultivator, he still caught quite a few people throwing him jealous or longing looks.

Zac continued for another hour before he reached a quiet neighborhood where most buildings had decent-sized courtyards or gardens surrounding their mansions. Following the map in his Information Crystal, he soon reached a manor consisting of five buildings with a walled-in garden of 20 thousand square meters or so.

It was a good-sized plot of land which would be considered massive in any city before the Integration. Even then, it was nothing compared to the mansions in the more affluent Sectors that were cities unto their own. This was the kind of building a family with an E-grade cultivator and some foundations could afford, and it usually housed around five generations of a family.

Zac sent a wisp of Cosmic Energy into an array to announce his arrival, and the gate slowly swung up to showcase a young girl no more than six years old. She curiously looked up at Zac, confused and rapidly blinking her large eyes as though she were trying to remember who he was.

“I don’t know you,” the child eventually stated.

“No, you don’t. I have come for the skychime you’re selling,” Zac said.

“Oh! Come in,” she said.

Zac obliged, and the child arduously closed the gate behind them. However, they didn’t get the chance to take more than a couple of steps before Zac sensed a vague pressure from the little girl.

“Not another step,” she said, her aura rapidly climbing from nothing to past the limits of the E-grade.

This child was a genuine Hegemon.

“Now, who are you, for real this time?” the young girl asked with a dangerous glint in her eyes.

“I’m a friend of Calrin’s. He should have told you I’m coming,” Zac smiled as he took out the token that would confirm his identity, not shocked at all by the scene. “Are you Triski?”

“So you’re the one that thrifty bastard sent,” she muttered as her skin started to change. “I was expecting one of our own.”

The next moment, it wasn’t a small human child who stood in front of him, but rather an adult Sky Gnome. This was her true identity—a local information merchant. Or thief, depending on how slow business was. Calrin managed to connect with Triski through some old channels of his clan a year after Zac left for Twilight Harbor, and she was the main source of the information the Thayer Consortia had gathered on the Void Gate, Salosar, and its subordinate planets.

“Well, it wasn’t convenient,” Zac shrugged. “Do you have the report we ordered?”

“Here,” Triski said as she threw over an Information Crystal. “Ship manifest of the Lucent Dive. In total, there are 308 Half-Step D-grade Cultivators and 32 Early Hegemons onboard, almost all of them coming from Ymrid.”

Zac nodded in thanks as he scanned the contents. Ymrid was one of the closest major D-grade worlds and the nexus of a cluster of planets much like Salosar. It was close enough that even large commercial vessels could travel the distance within a year if they spent enough energy, meaning there was a lot of travel between the two clusters.

“There is also a vessel coming in from Karbron in two weeks in case this one won’t do, and it’s a big one. Should be almost a thousand Half-Step Hegemons on that one and tens of thousands of E-grade cultivators, but I haven’t gotten my hands on their manifest yet.”

Two minutes later, Zac sighed with a shake of his head.

“Well, you can stay here if you want,” Triski shrugged and pointed at a building. “There is a cultivation cave beneath that structure. I’ll have the next manifest soon enough.”

Zac thanked the Sky Gnome again and entered the building, spending the next few days going over the reports and gossip Triski supplied him, for a fee. Finally, the gnome got her hands on the second manifest, and Zac’s eyes lit up when he saw that his chosen strategy would work.

“Gaun Sorom,” Zac said.

“Alright,” Triski smiled. “Do you want him to disappear?”

“No, I have something else in mind.”

24

GAUN SOROM

Vilari walked down the clattering corridors, ignoring the insect warriors just as they ignored her. With a small mental nudge, she was functionally invisible to their gaze. It was a shame her power was too low to allow for this kind of measure in the outer world—that way, she would have been able to walk alongside her father without causing him undue trouble.

Sometimes, she wondered, was being undead a blessing or a curse?

Admittedly, gaining sapience from the depths of death was a gift. Without Zachary’s impartment, she would never have existed, and she would never have seen the marvels of the universe or touched upon the truths of the Heavens. But this was ultimately a world of the living—she was the aberration, no matter what the Undead Empire believed.

Was she bound to be relegated to a small corner of this vast world while her friends explored the vast beyond?

Or had she become greedy? She was not even ten years old, yet she’d seen more than most Hegemons in this remote Sector of the Multiverse. Traveling to another Sector—that was something which eluded even most Monarchs.

She knew where these feelings stemmed from—the look of impatience in her father’s eyes. The expectation when he spoke of Salosar and the Million Gates Territory. Compared to most Earthlings and her subordinates, he’d become a true citizen of the Multiverse, someone who looked at the vaunted sky with hunger rather than fear.

Lord Atwood wasn’t long for this place. Even if Earth was his home, it would only be the location where he would rest for a while before setting out again. At most, he would leave a clone here in the future, while his true self sailed farther and farther away. She was happy for him, but it also made her a bit lost.

Where did that leave her?

No matter if it was his cultivation speed or the Life-attuned destinations he wanted to visit, she wouldn’t be able to keep up with him forever. Even a couple of decades was stretching it—she could sense that the time required to complete the next layer of [Paean of Anguish] would take her the better part of the next century.

Certainly, the stress and negative emotions this sort of situation brought forth were extremely conducive to the Soul Strengthening Technique she got from her master, but she would much rather solve the root of her turbulent emotions. The solution was right there, but it was complex in its simplicity.

She needed to find her own purpose.

Vilari needed to find something more than just being a hanger-on swept up in the fate of Zachary Atwood, the Deviant Asura. This was also what her father wanted for her, but she didn’t even know where to start looking for something like that. Finding that spark which drove someone to greatness in a world where most muddled along in a dream-like state. Who wouldn’t want to find something like that?

Facilitating the unification of undead and living within her father’s empire was a worthwhile goal, but that couldn’t be considered a purpose. It was a task that would be dealt with soon enough. But what else was there? She enjoyed cultivation, but she didn’t have the same burning drive as Joanna.

Being born under the protective umbrella of her father, she’d never been forced to awaken that all-consuming hunger that raged in the Valkyrie’s heart. Of course, that kind of obsession wasn’t the only path to power—for many, they would even become fetters. However, you needed something that kept you going when months turned to years, and the Dao became your only true companion across the long, lonely eons.

Neither did the Undead Empire attract Vilari, in contrast to the desirous Raun Spectrals. Visiting their domain would be interesting, but it wasn’t something she was ready to risk her life for.

Well, she had time. Ilvere often joked how she was not even a teenager yet, and it was true in a sense. Had she been born a human, she wouldn’t even start cultivating for another 7 years or so. Being too consumed with finding one’s purpose might make her focus on the distant future so much that she missed the available paths right in front of her.

For now, she was happy enough furthering her father’s goals, which apparently included dealing with rebellious ants and their attempts at possession.

Vilari tapped her foot, prompting a chasm into the depths of the hive to open up. However, her surroundings fluctuated as she unleashed bursts of Mental Energy, allowing her to gently descend by bouncing between the walls, rather than helplessly falling into the gastric acid below. A few minutes later, Vilari stepped into the inner sanctum of the Ayn hive, where her target was sitting in silent meditation.

Seeing that her entrance had gone unnoticed, Vilari let out a small cough, prompting the young girl to swirl around in shock.

“Who are you! This is a restricted area,” Lily exclaimed with wide eyes. “What—This energy… The rumors are true! There are zombies hidden within Port Atwood!”

“So there are, though we prefer to be called Revenants,” Vilari smiled. “My name is Vilari Blackwood, and I have been sent here by Lord Atwood. What shall I call you?”

“If you’re really sent by Lord Atwood, you should already know my name,” Lily frowned as she slightly repositioned herself to guard the small pillar behind her—the core of the adolescent Hivequeen.

“There is no need for games, child,” Vilari said with a shake of her head. “We have known about your situation for some time now. I was sent to confirm the details. Just going by the mental fluctuations, I have a decent idea, but I hope you can clarify some things for me. How far has your fusion gone?”

Lily’s eyes widened in alarm, and the whole chamber shook as powerful mental fluctuations started radiating from both the beastmaster and the Hivequeen’s Core. Vilari smiled as a massive eye appeared in the air above her, its emotionless stare crushing the duo’s assault before it could begin.

Cracks spread across the small pillar, and blood started running down Lily’s nose and ears as she rolled around on the floor screaming.

“One last try,” Vilari said. “The lord feels regretful about how things ended for this poor girl, and he wanted me to solve this situation without bloodshed if possible. I don’t carry those limiting emotions. If you can’t convince me that you’re not a threat to Lord Atwood or his subjects, I will incinerate your soul before he returns.”

“If you kill me, she dies as well,” Lily said as she crawled to her feet, the cadence of her voice changed.

“Then that would be her fate. She wouldn’t be the first to fall in the service of the Atwood Empire, and she won’t be the last,” Vilari said with equanimity. “But you still have a way out. Relinquish control of the girl and form a proper contract. Your children will become warriors for the Atwood Empire, and you will be provided the resources to continue your growth.”

“Join that man? He killed my mother, killed thousands of our children,” Lily growled. “All that suffering—for nothing?”

“Suffering is Heavenly Law,” Vilari said. “Your hive was transported here by the Heavens, and the situation only allowed for one victor. The lord has already been magnanimous to let you live on after your mother’s attack—I doubt your mother would have been so benevolent. But our patience is running thin. Now, make your choice.”

* * *

Having some stranger killed just to achieve his plan didn’t sit right with Zac, at least not with a target like Gaun Sorom. If it had been an unorthodox cultivator who’d committed numerous atrocities, it would be a different story, but Gaun Sorom was just a normal Wandering Cultivator who fit Zac’s requirements.

Gaun had been active for over 500 years in this neighborhood of the Zecia Sector, though he originated in some place called the Tumbling Sky Cluster, named after the local overlord—the Tumbling Sky Sect. He’d been staying in Karbron over the past 10 years and chosen now to head to Salosar and join the fight against the beast tide.

Little was known about his combat style, as he preferred to look for opportunities alone in the wilderness, but his weapon of choice was an axe. Add to that, he was primarily human with only a small hint of orc in his heritage. There were some small discrepancies, but Gaun ticked off most of Zac’s checkboxes for his main plan—to borrow a local’s identity for the beast tide.

Zac had some backup plans, no matter if his meeting with Triski fell through or if there were no suitable targets, but this one held the best odds of him coming and going without causing any waves. He wasn’t in any mood for another cataclysmic event like the Twilight Harbor. Zac just wanted the Ferric Worldeater so he could get his ship. Unfortunately, over the past days as he waited for Triski to get the second manifest, Zac started to wonder if that was a fool’s hope.

Fate was gathering.

It was still nothing compared to what he felt when that burning golem attacked the Orom, but he could somewhat feel that something was slowly building. Seeing as the beast tide was the only big thing going on in the area, it was a reasonable assumption it was the source. Things were not as simple as they seemed, and he was afraid he’d get dragged into something big if he contacted Leyara Lioress.

“Do you have any idea on how to get a private face-to-face with him without anyone noticing, including himself?” Zac asked.

“The next batch of mercenaries will be ferried over to Salsoar Prime five days after Gaun arrives on this planet,” Triski said. “I can try to arrange something depending on where he’ll end up staying, but it will cost some money in bribes.”

Zac only snorted and transferred 3 D-grade Nexus Coins, which almost made Triski’s eyes pop out of her head. “I expect there’ll be no hindrances?”

“Of course!” Triski eagerly nodded. “With this kind of money, there will be no problems even if you kill him on an open street.”

Three days later, a hooded Zac waited at a servant’s gate outside a walled-in forest protected by a barrier that shimmered like starlight. Inside were hundreds of mansions for rent, targeted at visiting guests of a certain dignity. Soon enough, the gate soundlessly swung open, and Zac stepped inside.

“The pattern,” the young woman whispered as she handed over a small parchment and a token. Zac looked it over before nodding, and it spontaneously combusted a moment later.

With that, the servant girl scurried away, eager to be far away from whatever would happen next. Zac only shook his head with a smile before making the adjustments on a nearby teleportation array, finalizing the process by socketing the array with the key.

With a flash, his surroundings changed, and Zac found himself in the middle of a secluded courtyard.

The pattern was actually the solution to the supposedly personalized array. When new guests checked in at this particular resort, they would be able to modify a certain part of the barrier, almost like setting a pin-code, so that not even the residence employees would be able to teleport inside. Yet there were clearly backdoors built into the system, backdoors that would open for whoever had enough cash.

If Yrial had shown him some of the dangers lurking in the dark for Wandering Cultivators, then Triski broadened his knowledge even further. You could never trust the means and motives of outsiders—you needed to depend on yourself. And clearly, Gaun was quite conscious of this universal truth.

Dozens of roots appeared from the ground, all of them trying to ensnare Zac and seal his movements. Meanwhile, a hooded being shot toward him with a snarl, the ferocious axe in his hands already shuddering with what seemed to be two braided Peak Fragments. Zac inwardly smiled, feeling that Gaun’s aura was just the right strength—around half of his own.

That way, Zac would be able to impersonate the Wandering Cultivator while hiding a good chunk of his true power.

Zac subtly shifted his position with a couple of seemingly simple steps, utilizing his understanding of armaments to avoid the roots gunning for him. Simultaneously, a spare axe appeared in his hand, and Zac prepared to crush Gaun’s assault head-on to end the fight early.

However, a scream of danger made him urgently scramble out of the way, but the roots which had appeared to be a simple restrictive array suddenly lit up with esoteric patterns while their speed more than doubled. The incoming figure of Gaun was dissipating as well—it was an extremely lifelike illusion.

The real Gaun was already behind Zac, the edge of the cultivator’s axe falling toward his skull. It was quick, efficient, and ruthless—showcasing the strength and experience of someone who’d walked the rivers and lakes for the better half of a millennium.

No longer underestimating the Wandering Cultivator, Zac flooded the fractal on the back of his head with Cosmic Energy, the Branch of the Kalpataru, and a small amount of Void Energy. In an instant, a laurel crown of golden leaves appeared on Zac’s head while the whole courtyard turned golden.

The ground was gold, the sky was gold—the world was drowned in empyrean splendor. Two pillars, each one studded with a thick stele and inscrutable characters, had appeared as well. Though it was clear to anyone with eyes they listed some sort of supreme edicts.

The scene was magical, almost making Zac believe he’d been transported to some sort of celestial court, but it didn’t change the fact that Gaun’s axe was almost upon him. However, Zac wasn’t worried in the slightest, as his own axe ripped through the roots around him rather than moving to intercept.

As planned, the attack was stopped just a few decimeters from his head, with a shimmering golden barrier having appeared to block the strike.

The shield rippled a bit, holding against the mighty swing of a Half-Step Hegemon who’d infused their weapon with two Dao Fragments, proving that being classified as a Peak-quality skill wasn’t just for show. The barrier even nullified the shockwave that would normally turn the interiors of the courtyard to shreds, though that also spared Gaun from any counterforce.

Just as the Wandering Cultivator was about to launch a follow-up strike, he groaned and stumbled with shock evident in his eyes.

This was the true form of [Empyrean Aegis], the new defensive skill Zac had received at level 125. The first part was the basic ability of any proper defensive skill—a barrier. The golden barriers of Zac’s skill would both activate automatically or on command, and he could currently have two of them active at one time. The only slightly unusual feature was that it seemed to be based on a mix of both his Vitality and Endurance, rather than just Endurance.

The second half of the skill was a bit more unique—the whole area drowned in gold had become part of a powerful defensive domain. If Gaun had simply stood unmoving, the skill wouldn’t have affected him at all. But the moment one started rotating Cosmic Energy, they would get pushed down by a terrifying pressure while their energy circulation was disrupted.

It was like the Heavens themselves were punishing any action against Zac, becoming his personal protector.

The effect was even better than Zac expected. He had only tried the skill while restricted before, and it was great news that it contained such an obvious effect even on Half-Step Hegemons. With Gaun almost falling over, the skill should be able to affect even true Hegemons to some degree. It might only provide a small delay before they crashed through the interference, but a small delay could change the tides of a battle.

The skill represented an interesting facet of the Dao of Life—the facet many equated with divinity. Life was the fount of all beings, so going against its will was to go against the universe itself. The concept didn’t exactly mesh with Zac’s own comprehension of the Dao, but that didn’t really matter. If anything, it shored up a weakness in his own understanding.

Zac wanted to seize the opportunity the skill provided, so he stepped forward. Except an amulet around Gaun’s neck cracked and conjured a barrier. The defensive treasure appeared to be Early D-grade, but its quality was extremely low as to allow for a Half-Step Hegemon to activate it.

“I just want to talk,” Zac urged, but Gaun wasn’t listening.

Zac could understand the sentiment—how could the man trust someone sneaking into his courtyard at night? Zac needed to defeat him first. That would both prove he wasn’t after his wealth or his head, and allow him to negotiate from a position of power.

Another swarm of roots crashed through the ground as Gaun scrambled to his feet, but they didn’t target Zac. Instead, they tried to take down the two pillars who the cultivator, correctly, assumed was the source of the restrictive domain. The roots were ferocious, and small cracks started to appear on the pillars.

Zac didn’t care. They were more durable than they looked, and were actively being repaired by his Dao Branch. They would last long enough for him to accomplish his goal—and the air screamed as his axe slammed into Gaun’s barrier. Just the first swing was enough to cause small cracks, and a second one was following right on the first’s heels.

“Wha—” Gaun grunted as he stumbled again, but Zac noticed how it was a feint—the man’s hand was already moving toward the Cosmos Sack on his waist.

Zac snorted and unleashed his [Spiritual Void], its boost allowing him to immediately crash through the faltering barrier. With an inscrutable step infused with his Evolutionary Stance, he passed through the chaotic energies, appearing right in front of the Wandering Cultivator. The thing Gaun took out was an escape talisman rather than an offensive treasure, choosing survival over mutual destruction.

He was too slow—Vivi’s vines had already rushed forward the moment the barrier cracked, and Gaun found himself bound by Branch-infused vines, making any attempt at teleportation impossible.

“Now, are you ready to talk?” Zac smiled as he placed the edge of his axe against Gaun’s throat.

“Uh, nice to meet you,” Gaun said with a reluctant smile. “How can I be of service?”

25

INTO THE VOID

Pretty Peak walked down the engraved hallways, her foul mood not improved at all by the chance of seeing the insides of the newly-built and exceedingly expensive War Fortress.

Just what was going on?

Months spent on pushing deeper into the Million Gates Territory, only to be called back before she could even begin her search. The only reason she didn’t seek out that damned commander, was that she was pretty sure it wasn’t he who ordered her vessel back—it had to be from someone in her family. But why would her elders send her back just as she was approaching the area where her cousin and uncle delved? It was her father who told her to join the scouting vessel and look for clues.

Soon enough, she reached the inner chambers she’d been instructed to report to, and Pretty cracked her neck before equipping her bracers. There was only one person who could rescind the orders of Strongest Peak, and if he was inside this room, then she was about to be attacked.

The doors swung open, and a cascading wave of killing intent pushed Pretty back a few steps before she managed to regain her footing. She activated [Unflinching], and the world turned red as sanguine runes appeared over her bare arms. Space bulged inward as she unleashed a punch, forcing the killing intent aside as she rushed into the room.

However, just as she entered, a pang of danger warned her that she wasn’t out of the woods just yet. Space cracked as a projectile flew at her, but she didn’t flinch. Her hand turned into a claw and she swiped at the incoming projectile, creating four gashes in space that collided with the attack.

She hadn’t used a skill—the swipe was infused with the Branch of the Headsman and her frustration, and it barely managed to break through the thin film of energy surrounding the apple that had been flung in her direction.

“Not bad, lass,” a rumbling laugh echoed through the hallway. “Have you decided on a name?”

“Not yet,” Pretty sighed as she deactivated her battle stance.

As expected, it was her grandfather who had called for her, though she froze in surprise upon seeing a familiar yet foreign figure sitting next to him, playing with a nasty-looking scimitar—her grandmother. Not only that, her aura was extremely condensed, which could only mean one thing—she’d finally become a Monarch.

Was this why she’d been recalled? Because Kantaja Peak had finally left seclusion after 1,800 years?

“Hello, child,” she smiled. “It’s nice to finally get to meet you.”

“Greetings, grandmother,” Pretty said, bowing deeply. “Congratul—”

She didn’t get any further as a white blur shot up between the mats, aimed right at her forehead. There had been no energy fluctuation and no warning from her Danger Sense, and even Pretty found herself frazzled as her bow turned into a swirl that barely allowed her to move the bracer on her left hand to block.

A sharp twang echoed out as Pretty was launched into the air, slamming into the ceiling above. Her organs shifted, and she could only push through the pain as she launched off the ceiling and landed in a combat position, ready to take on any follow-up attacks. There was thankfully none forthcoming, but Pretty obviously wouldn’t relax in front of her grandpa.

Or her grandmother, for that matter, considering her reputation was even worse.

“The sixth generation seems promising,” Kantaja nodded before she turned to her husband. “But they’re still a bit soft. Have you given up on your child-rearing plan? Or is it my three useless sons who aren’t following the precepts?”

“Well, a little bit of both, I guess?” Ultimate laughed. “I was bored, so I tried a few new things. In either case, the war will help toughen them up.”

Pretty couldn’t help but feel some annoyance at the discussion as she extracted the projectile—a strand of hair—from her bracer. Her father had essentially tortured her since she was two, including throwing her into a wild Mystic Realm before she even started cultivating. How was that being soft? She could only swallow any complaints, lest the Kantaja showed her why she was known as the Knuckle Butcher, one of the most feared assassins in the Allbright Empire.

Most assassins used stealth and planning to execute their plan, but Kantaja instead sent a letter to the target that she’d kill them within the year, and then she bulldozed all the resistance the target erected. If they fled, she searched for their location by uprooting any holdings of theirs like a walking hurricane. Unsurprisingly, most of her assassinations ended with thousands of dead and massive structural damages.

The only reason she hadn’t been caught was a mix of shamelessness and Ultimate Peak’s influence. Whenever Kantaja killed people, she put up her hair in a certain braid and called herself Tankaja instead of Kantaja, insisting that the assassin was a completely different person. With the Peak Family backing her, no one ever dared call her on her claims.

Thankfully, Kantaja only targeted unorthodox cultivators and those who were suspected of having dealings with the enemies of the Allbright Empire, which was why the imperial clan mostly looked the other way. Even then, Pretty had heard rumors that her grandmother entering terminal seclusion wasn’t just because she was getting close to forming an inner world.

She’d been a bit too overbearing while searching for some answer to her Path of Butchery, and even the Peak Family started to find it hard to bear the weight of her actions. Pretty wondered what kind of reaction her emergence as a new Monarch would elicit back in the Empyrean Sector. Most likely, they were praying that she’d get herself killed in the war.

Not even Pretty dared imagine what kind of trouble her grandmother would kick up now that she ascended to C-grade, though it was a relief to see a fourth Monarch having appeared in the clan in addition to grandfather, granduncle, and her father. Each one was a strategic resource, and they would need every bit of power they could get in the upcoming war.

“How are things in the Million Gates Territory?” Ultimate Peak asked. “Killed any of those bastards yet?”

“More than I expected. The Landing has been erected,” Pretty sighed. “The number of invaders has increased tenfold over the past year, and some have even been spotted in the sixth band. Almost all of the scouting units are led by Hegemons now.”

“Sixth band, still some time then,” Kantaja muttered as she stabbed the scimitar into the ground a few times. “It’s too far. I was hoping there would be some people nearby.”

“Is this why you asked me to return?” Pretty hesitated. “I still haven’t found any clues of Average or Uncle Greatest.”

“Your uncle returned a month ago,” Ultimate said. “He is currently in stasis.”

“What!” Pretty exclaimed, but her shock quickly turned to pain as another strand of hair pierced straight through her gut, prompting a fountain of blood to splatter across the floor.

“Never lose your vigilance, you little runt,” Kantaja laughed.

“Thank you for the lesson,” Pretty coughed as she ate a Healing Pill. “Is my cousin fine?”

“The fate of Average is still unknown, though his Life Candle is still burning strong,” Ultimate said with a shake of his head. “Greatest encountered something while hunting for leaders of these Kan’Tanu invaders. They had set up camp at an uncharted world for some unknown reason. While Average launched a raid on the surface, something suddenly emitted an extremely powerful energy.

“Our vessel, along with most of my son’s squad, were instantly annihilated as cracks in reality spread for millions of miles. Hearing the description, it is most likely the source of those powerful fluctuations we could sense all the way in the Red Sector back then. Greatest managed to save some of his subordinates by opening a path back from the Void, but by the time he emerged, the planet was gone.”

“If the planet was destroyed, then Average…” Pretty hesitated.

“It wasn’t destroyed from what Greatest could tell,” Ultimate said. “It disappeared.”

“The whole planet was moved?”

“No,” Ultimate said. “That planet was too big, not even a Late Monarch would be able to take it away. Besides, the energy was different to anything they’d encountered from the invaders so far.”

“But little Great said he did somewhat recognize it,” Kantaja added. “He believed it was related to the Limitless Empire.”

“And you just so happen to know someone with insight into that matter,” Ultimate added. “Someone whose master just so happens to be the most powerful Spatial Cultivator in the Zecia Sector who can make sense of this mess. We need to get to the bottom of this. For one, it’s our best chance to find Average. Furthermore, if there are powerful relics appearing in the depths of the Million Gates Territory, they can’t be allowed to fall into the hands of the invaders.”

“Grandfather wants me to go to the Void Gate?” Pretty Peak asked.

She didn’t ask why they didn’t go in person—there was no need. Ultimate had killed no less than five promising Void Templars on one of his Rampages at the edge of the Zecia Sector. Each one had been a prospect for Monarchy, and if not for the Allbright Emperor interceding, the Void Priestess might have hunted him down over a hundred thousand years ago.

“How about Clever? Clever Peak doesn’t sound too bad?” Ultimate grinned. “Your flight to the teleporter at Chaos Landing leaves tomorrow. The Space Gate Guild will ferry you over. It’s good timing as well. Something odd is going on over there—try to figure out what. Back when the Void Gate appeared in the Zecia Sector, there were rumors they had connections to some outside force. Now, millions of years have passed and people have mostly forgotten, but it might be relevant now.”

“Something odd is going on in the Void Gate as well?” Pretty asked with surprise.

“Lots of that going around since I emerged,” Kantaja smiled. “Looks like I broke through at just the right time.”

* * *

“Don’t worry, I’m not interested in your life or your possessions,” Zac said as he slowly removed his axe from Gaun’s throat.

He didn’t release Vivi’s bindings, since that would allow the Wandering Cultivator to escape. Zac also erected a series of arrays around them, making sure the proprietor of this place wouldn’t be able to spy on the conversation. Of course, this wasn’t his only assurance. Triski had been paid handsomely to keep the Peak E-grade proprietor company during this meeting, to make sure he didn’t have a sudden change of heart.

“If you’re friendly, why appear in my courtyard in the middle of the night?” Galau sneered with discontent, but Zac was relieved to see he stowed the escape talisman. “Thought you were an assassin. Could’ve just sent a letter.”

“There’s someone who’d be willing to go through all this trouble just to assassinate you?” Zac asked with a raised brow.

“Someone as handsome as me is bound to make an enemy or two,” Gaun shrugged. “While I always act aboveboard, sometimes the competition for resources gets heated. Now, may I ask who you are and what kind of business you have?”

“My name isn’t important,” Zac smiled. “And I’ll make it brief. We want your identity. Name your price.”

“My identity? Why should I believe that? I’m just a Wandering Cultivator, my identity is worth noth—” Gaun snorted, but suddenly froze as his confusion turned to hesitation. “You’re an outsider?”

“It seems you understand the situation,” Zac nodded. “We can make it worth your time.”

“I don’t want to know why you want the identity of a known person in this cluster, but it cannot possibly bode well for me,” Gaun slowly said. “This is the Void Gate we’re talking about. If you or whatever organization behind you cause havoc under my name, how will I eke out a living? And what’s to stop you people from silencing me?”

“If my boss wanted you dead, they would have sent an assassin instead of me,” Zac shrugged. “We’re not some sinister cabal. A certain individual simply wants us to enter the territory of the Void Gate and look around. I can tell you this much, it’s not some simple beast tide they’re dealing with. You might be better off not going in either case.”

“No need to tell me more,” Gaun exhorted. “The less I know the better.”

“So, you agree?”

“On a few conditions,” Gaun said. “First of all, you need to take me away from the Void Gate’s sphere of influence, even if you’re saying you won’t cause any trouble. It shouldn’t be too hard since you’re an outsider, right?”

Zac only smiled as he took out a box full of Teleportation Tokens, prompting Gaun’s eyes to turn to a needlepoint as he drew a sharp breath. Zac could understand what Gaun was thinking—only someone with an extremely powerful background could take out so many different tokens.

Truthfully, less than a third were actual Teleportation Tokens. The rest were the Fate Tokens he’d collected inside the Orom World. They emitted almost an identical sort of energy, so Zac had thrown them in with his leftover tokens to make himself and his fake boss appear more impressive.

“We can send you to all kinds of places. No C-grade continents though. Your identity isn’t worth that much,” Zac said.

“A-Alright,” Gaun said, a bit shaken by the scene. “Secondly, I want fift—one hundred D-grade Nexus Coins to get myself set up and replace my Lifewarding Treasure.”

“That thing can’t have cost more than one or two D-grade Nexus Coins,” Zac snorted. “It wouldn’t be able to block more than one strike of an Early Hegemon.”

“Still, you should know the difficulties of being an outsider on a new world, money will be needed for all kinds of—”

“25 D-grade Nexus Coins, not one more,” Zac countered.

“Ai… Fine,” Gaun sighed, but Zac could see how his eyes were practically radiating from the sudden windfall.

25 D-grade Nexus Coins might not be much for a Hegemon from an established faction, but for a Wandering Cultivator in the Zecia Sector? It was no doubt way more than Gaun had ever held at one time—most Wandering Cultivators were flat broke. Even if they occasionally made decent money exploring Mystic Realms or the wilderness on larger planets, they would be forced to spend it all on cultivation resources and various fees to the local overlords soon enough, making it nigh impossible to accumulate a fortune.

Seeing as they’d reached an accord, Zac took out his prepared contract, only adding the two rewards to the settlement. It was quite simple. Gaun would get the rewards, and in return, he wouldn’t be allowed to use his own identity or return to this area of Zecia for the next five years. In addition, there was a clause of confidentiality from both sides.

Honestly, it wouldn’t be impossible for Gaun to break this contract, although it would require the help of a decently powerful Hegemon. And Gaun would hopefully not dare do something like that since it might anger some unknown force who would know where to find him.

“Why does it feel like I’m selling myself?” Gaun sighed as he imprinted his energy onto the contract.

“Consider it a testament to your reputation that someone wants your identity,” Zac smiled as he handed Gaun a cloak with the same kind of function as his own attention-averting treasure. “Now, come with me. I need to learn some things that are not covered in the missives.”

The Wandering Cultivator wordlessly nodded, and they teleported back to the side gate, where Zac led Gaun to a mansion he’d rented. There, Zac spent the better part of a day going over Gaun’s background, mannerisms, and contacts in the area, to ensure his disguise wouldn’t be exposed the moment he stepped onto the recruitment station.

Finally, Zac had everything he needed, and they sat in front of each other in the courtyard. However, Gaun had now taken on another face. His skill was much worse than [Million Faces], but it was good enough for a quick trip to the teleportation station. Meanwhile, Zac looked almost exactly like Gaun had before. Gazing into the mirror, Zac couldn’t help but marvel at his own handiwork.

His previous attempts at subterfuge varied from unsuccessful to downright disasters. This time around, Zac felt he might actually have a shot.

26

MISSION COMPOUND

“So creepy,” Gaun muttered as he looked at Zac testing various expressions with his disguise.

“Well, it’s your face,” Zac laughed.

Having spent the past day in what could almost be considered a bonding session, the two had gotten a bit closer, even if Gaun had been the only one providing information. The Wandering Cultivator occasionally tried to pry into Zac’s background a few times, but he’d mostly kept his thoughts to himself.

Luckily, Gaun had almost been the perfect target for infiltration. He didn’t know anyone in the Salosar Cluster, apart from some surface-level-connections to people at his level. It was the same with Karbron as well. Just like the missive said, he’d only been there for ten years. What the missive didn’t mention was his spending most of those years recuperating from wounds he’d gotten after losing the struggle for a treasure in the wild.

He did mention a few of his acquaintances that might appear in the area because of the beast tide, but it would take another two years at the least before the first ships from the Tumbling Sky Cluster reached Salosar. By then, he should be long gone.

“Alright, it’s time to go,” Zac said. “Do you have any preferred area of the Zecia Sector you wish to teleport to, or do you want me to send you to a random D-grade world?”

“I want to be sent as close to the Allbright Empire as possible, just not the Red Sector,” Gaun said without hesitation, clearly prepared for the question.

Zac looked at the Wandering Cultivator with surprise. The fact Gaun wanted to travel to the Allbright Empire wasn’t too surprising since it was one of the most flourishing parts of the Sector. Only a few factions, like the Dravorak Dynasty, were slightly more powerful, but the Allbright Empire was considered more accommodating to Wandering Cultivators.

However, the fact he specifically mentioned the Red Sector, the area of the Allbright Empire which bordered the edge of Zecia and the Million Gates Territory, indicated he was aware of what was going on over there. Someone like Gaun was unlikely to know about the war already, considering how much Zac had spent on that kind of intelligence, even if some murmurs had started to spread.

Zac knew all kinds of details, but that was only because he got an early warning on the Bloodwind World and spent dozens of D-grade Nexus Coins on intelligence reports. It was obviously impossible for a Wandering Cultivator to do the same.

Even more baffling was that Gaun specifically wanted to avoid the Red Sector, even though the big factions over there were screaming for manpower for everything from building War Fortresses to joining Mercenary Squads. Gaun was obviously not afraid of danger since he’d been planning on joining the beast tide, so why shy away from that?

“You know about the changes in Zecia?” Zac ventured to make sure.

“I was lucky enough to learn a thing or two while I recuperated. I’ve worked as a private guard for one of the Void Gate's outer researchers the past couple of years,” Gaun nodded. “I know war is coming. A big one.”

“If you know, why not the Red Sector?” Zac asked, not able to quell his curiosity. “That would allow you to join the war effort earlier, which will have all kinds of benefits.”

“How can there be such a good thing?” Gaun snorted. “I’m not sure you understand the plight of a Wandering Cultivator. I barely have the resources to work on my cultivation, let alone the resources needed to travel deep into that weird chaotic area and hunt for opportunities. Even if I manage to join a crew, what role would I get as a stranger in a chaotic place like that?”

Zac understood the problem. The answer wasn’t hard to guess—those people would end up as meat shields.

“It’s better to spend the next few years in the Allbright Empire, seeking opportunities to join established factions as a captain or some sort of bodyguard to their young. With war coming, the requirements for recruitment should have gone down in the other Sectors of the empire as well. It should be possible to sign decent temporary contracts.

“The local factions are likely to still be among the first to be dragged into whatever’s going on, and I will get my opportunities sooner or later. And even if I’m still an outsider, I stand better chances of surviving as part of a large organized force compared to some frontier Mercenary Squad.”

Zac looked at Gaun with interest, a bit surprised by how quickly and meticulously he formed a plan after seeing the Teleportation Tokens. This kind of shrewd thinking was nothing like the short description in the missive, which rather portrayed the axe wielder as some sort of gruff barbarian that was hard to reason with.

Gaun’s plan even showed a possible path for the Atwood Empire. Why not do the same as Gaun, though from the opposite side? If Zac could snag a couple of experienced Half-Step Hegemons with a good reputation, he could vastly improve the foundations of his army. His army’s resources were unsurpassed for their level, they merely lacked hardened veterans who could act as the core of individual squads.

Meanwhile, some Half-Step Hegemons wouldn’t be powerful enough to usurp his position or cause any havoc on Earth.

“Interesting. It looks as though our reports misjudged you. I’ll send you to the Lucent Dream Sector of the Allbright Empire. It’s almost as far from the Red Sector as you can get, so it should suit your plan,” Zac smiled.

“Really? You’ll really send me to a proper empire?” Gaun exclaimed, his eyes wide. However, his excitement turned to suspicion. “What’s the catch?”

“No catch,” Zac said. “Except you will have to figure out your background on your own. And the planet you’ll arrive at is just Early D-grade.”

He had just the thing—Galau’s token to his hometown. After being tricked by Catheya in Twilight Harbor, Zac had already confirmed with both Heda and Pavina that his remaining tokens were free from any tracking measures. More than half contained rudimentary measures, but those had been easily resolved by the two Monarchs, even if they were restrained.

Meanwhile, Zac already had access to no less than 100 teleportation locations in the Lucent Dream Sector of the Allbright Empire, so he no longer had use for the token. Zac was happy to send Gaun there. He wouldn’t be hard to track down later, and he’d make a good informant.

Triski proved just how useful local contacts could be, and it was about time he and Calrin started setting up a proper network, turning the lies about his organization’s reach into reality.

“I’ll just say I got a token from a quest and decided to shed my past,” Gaun shrugged. “It’s common enough. Such a flaky background will bar me from any higher positions, but it’s not like I’d get those in either case. As for the grade of the world, it doesn’t matter. I hear the planets are a lot closer in the established empires compared to the rest of Zecia. It shouldn’t be impossible to get proper citizenship and travel after contributing to the war efforts.”

“Alright then, let’s go,” Zac nodded as his face changed to a random template.

They made their way toward the very same tower Zac arrived inside, where Zac pretended he was an attendant who kept Gaun company. Soon enough, the tower loomed in the distance, and Zac surreptitiously took out an Information Crystal.

“If you find that the opportunities in the Allbright Empire are not up to your expectations, you can try contacting us through this method,” Zac said. “It’s not my place to promise anything, but we are always on the lookout for people who can help us in various ways.”

“And I guess you still won’t tell me who ‘you’ are?” Gaun asked.

“No,” Zac smiled.

Gaun nodded, taking the Information Crystal containing a method to send a message to the Thayer Consortia through a series of proxies. He didn’t immediately resume their walk toward the teleportation station though, but rather leaned in a bit closer.

“I have a feud, with a true Hegemon. He calls himself Ulavo, but it’s an alias he uses when traveling. His true identity is an outer elder of the Tumbling Sky Sect, though I don’t know his name,” Gaun whispered. “He uses his Ulavo identity to do things that would reflect poorly on an orthodox sect. I accidentally found out about it when I saw him kill one of his own sect nephews over a treasure. I hear he might be joining this event… Be careful.”

“Why didn’t you mention that before?”

“I was afraid you’d rescind your offer,” Gaun coughed as he scratched his chin with some embarrassment. “This is a huge opportunity for me. But since you treated me with sincerity, I ought to do the same.”

“Well, it’s no problem,” Zac shrugged. “If this Ulavo tries anything, he’ll just become another casualty in the beast tide.”

Zac wasn’t surprised Gaun had some enemies—who didn’t after a couple decades of cultivation? He’d already expected as much after learning about his reason for moving to Karbron. And Gaun’s suspicions were true—there was an Ulavo on the manifest of the very same ship Gaun arrived on, though they traveled in different class compartments.

Seeing as it was some random outer elder of a small local Sect, Zac didn’t care. The Tumbling Sky Sect was just another D-grade force semi-attached to the Void Gate like Salosar. Someone like that didn’t have nearly the kind of pull needed to cause any waves in this place, and neither did he have the strength to pose any threat to him.

Zac followed Gaun to the teleportation array to personally witness Gaun use his token and flash away. After having confirmed Gaun had really left, Zac returned to his courtyard where he spent the next few days listening for any news of Gaun managing to betray him. However, Zac felt it unlikely.

It was just like Gaun said—moving to the Allbright Empire was a huge opportunity for him, and forcibly breaking the contract would definitely cost many times more than the reward he could get for selling the information that some unknown being had bought his identity. Gaun returning to the Tumbling Sky Cluster was even less likely, if his enmity with Ulavo was to be believed.

As expected, there weren’t any issues when Zac set out five days later, joining a stream of Wandering Cultivators who were ferried over to Salosar Prime by locals in exchange for a nominal fee. Together with tens of thousands of others who intended to answer the Void Gate’s call, Zac made his way toward the city-sized recruitment station.

Soon enough, an enormous shimmering barrier loomed in the distance, obscuring what was going on inside. Outside, a physical wall had been erected, which appeared to be guarded by real members of the Void Gate.

With the Void Gate being a monastic faction, their members were mainly divided into two groups—templars and devotees. The Void Templars were a highly trained army geared toward the same type of warrior classes most factions used, though they had their own heritage and subclasses. It was this faction who most commonly left the domains of the Void Gate, seeking experience through battle all over the Sector.

The monks and nuns of the devotees were more diverse according to what Zac had gathered, but the details were quite sparse since they rarely left the monasteries. However, the devotees who traveled with the Templar armies as spiritual support often had non-combat classes such as Healers or supportive classes like Array Masters or Augmenters.

The hundreds of entrances to the recruitment station were unsurprisingly manned by squads of Templars, each one at the Peak of E-grade with very impressive accumulations for a common soldier. In front of every entrance, a large scroll hovered in the air, and it was the first time Zac had seen such large-scale use of System-backed contracts.

Zac had recently gained access to a slew of new features thanks to his nobility being upgraded, but he knew he wouldn’t be able to copy this type of method.

“Welcome. You need to sign a Confidentiality Clause to enter the building and learn the details of the mission,” the young Templar said as Zac approached, his face an impassive mask as he pointed at the contract hovering in the air.

His demeanor didn’t contain a shred of the cordiality Zac received upon first arriving at Salosar Seven, even if Zac currently exuded the aura of a Half-Step Hegemon. Then again, the young warrior had probably said the same thing thousands of times the past months, so his bored demeanor wasn’t a surprise.

More importantly, this was the difference proper backing did—even if Zac hadn’t entered through the entrances meant for unattached cultivators, he would still have easily been pegged as one by the gear he was currently wearing to impersonate Gaun.

“I understand,” Zac said and infused a wisp of Cosmic Energy onto the contract after confirming the terms were the same as to what was described in the missives.

Thankfully, the contract and its clauses were identical to the one he’d gotten through a missive, making things easy. The contract simply said Zac could not divulge anything he learned inside the recruitment station for the next five years. In return, he’d be able to get some nominal resources that wouldn’t amount to much for anyone beyond Early E-grade.

The remuneration was just there to make it a binding contract in the eyes of the System, where a quid-pro-quo was demanded. The real payout would come from the actual beast tide rather than this particular contract. And while the reward wasn’t very impressive, the counter-party to the contract was.

The Starfall Monarch.

The Starfall Monarch, or Keon Dakess as was his real name, was one of the most powerful Templars of the Void Gate. Altogether, it was estimated the Void Gate had just over ten Monarchs, with the Void Priestess being by far the strongest one. The others were nothing to scoff at, and the few who made an appearance in the outer world had performed impressive feats that left a lasting mark.

And since Keon Dakess was the other party to the contract, it meant he was probably somewhere inside the enormous recruitment station—it was no wonder everyone was on their best behavior. Unfortunately, there wasn’t much else to be gleaned from the contract. It didn’t have any other clauses except the non-disclosure agreement, and the only hints of what was going on were listed on large plaques between the entrances.

Essentially, they were recruiting everyone from Middle E-grade and up, including supportive non-combat classes. The recruits would be able to choose missions based on the Void Gate’s estimate of enemies, timeframe, and danger. However, the Void Gate took no responsibility in cases the challenge would prove harder than expected.

Their only accommodation was the promise that all units and all missions would consist of at least half their own people, which hopefully meant they weren’t planning on using the outsiders as cannon fodder in some sort of human wave tactics against the tide.

Since nothing was out of place, Zac signed the contract and picked up the goodie bag with the resources provided. However, he immediately dropped it off at another table as he headed farther inside, just like most of the warriors above High E-grade did. Zac didn’t think the items had been tampered with, but he simply did not need the items.

A small sign said that all resources returned would be provided to young cultivators who studied at the Void Gate’s public schools throughout the area. Zac had already heard of those places before. They were simple schools that taught anyone willing to listen to the basics of cultivation. They also had things like gathering arrays and gravity arrays to help set a foundation.

Not only that, but all students who visited would be provided food and a small stipend, which was a big attraction to the less fortunate. Therefore, these schools almost acted as orphanages for children who were down on their luck for one reason or another.

Part of the motive behind these establishments was simply to help the less fortunate, but there was a practical reason behind it as well. It was a cheap method to look for diamonds in the rough, and the Void Gate often recruited from these public schools. Secondly, it was to breed positive Karma.

Karma was elusive and intangible, but it was an absolutely real concept in the Multiverse. And even if you didn’t believe the universe would reward you for good deeds, there was still the System to consider. With the Void Gate helping it with its prime directive—raising warriors—the System would help out in various ways in return.

It could be things like the talents getting more attention and better quests, Mystic Realms finding their way to their domains, to lessening the severity of the manmade tribulations the System liked to launch at established factions. Thus, these kinds of schools were quite widespread in the Multiverse. A small fraction of the students got recruited by a proper faction, while most learned the skills to get a job.

The final group became Wandering Cultivators, unwilling to give up on their path for a more mundane life. In a sense, they chose to go against fate just like a Defier. Many of these Wandering Cultivators might have the basic foundations to be defined as a cultivator by the System—but so what? Most cultivators didn’t make it past the F-grade, especially not those without any connections or opportunities.

Seeing the table and the large piles of offerings left by the Wandering Cultivators, many of whom had attended the very schools they now donated to, Zac was filled with an indescribable emotion. The struggle and irreconciliation that the table represented resonated with Zac to his very core. However, he didn’t get the chance to see if this feeling would lead to something more as someone stepped in between him and the donations.

“Is there something amiss?”

27

TASKS

Zac was startled awake from his almost trance-like state, surprised to find a diminutive nun standing in front of him with a scowl on her face. She was mostly human, but just like Gaun, she seemed to have some sort of alien blood in her heritage, with small ridges forming on her head where a demon would have grown horns.

However, her skin was without the scale-like pattern of demons and her hands and feet looked human. All in all, she reminded Zac of Zakarith a bit with her short stature and large eyes, though the little merchant demoness back on Port Atwood would never dare look at him with such a fierce expression. Then again, Zakarith wasn’t a Peak E-grade cultivator like this nun.

“I’m sorry, miss?” Zac asked hesitantly.

“Is there something wrong? You have been eyeing the donations for a while now,” the nun said, and there was no mistaking what she was insinuating from her tone.

“Do I look that bad off?” Zac wryly smiled, showcasing the slightly oversized canines of his newly acquired orcish heritage.

“Then what were you doing?” she said with suspicion.

“I was just thinking back to those days,” Zac lied since he honestly didn’t quite know himself why he’d stopped.

He felt he had touched upon some sort of inspiration or understanding, but it had already slipped through his fingers. However, it was an important reminder that the Dao was everywhere—it wasn’t only discovered in the heat of battle. The Dao wasn’t just a tool of war, it was everything. The more he experienced the more he would get in contact with it.

“Time is truly unrelenting. In the blink of an eye, centuries have passed and new generations are standing where I once stood,” Zac continued with a sigh since the nun’s scowl hadn’t eased up. “The cycle continues.”

“A—I see,” the nun said, looking a bit embarrassed. “I thought—nevermind.”

“I doubt you’d see any Wandering Cultivators steal from the hands of those children,” Zac said as he pointedly looked at the small pile of Cosmos Sacks that had been placed on the table next to the gift bags. “No one understands the need and the desire better than us. Hopefully, one day a child will truly break the fetters of fate, proving our path is not a lie.”

“Thank you for your guidance,” the young nun said with a small bow, her expression softening. “This is the first time I’ve gone outside since… I appreciate the viewpoint. Please, come inside.”

Zac nodded slightly before walking toward the shimmering barrier that ran right behind the gate. Being an official member of the Void Gate, she could be considered an elite of the younger generation of Zecia, even if she wasn’t at the level of the peak talents. She’d probably heard all kinds of things about Wandering Cultivators since growing up, and it was no surprise she was suspicious. Thankfully, she wasn’t some sort of overbearing elitist who refused to back down. It would have been pretty annoying to make an enemy the moment he arrived.

The surroundings twisted as Zac stepped through the shrouding array, and he found himself on a massive street that was at least a hundred meters wide. There was a constant stream of cultivators entering to his left and right, tens of thousands of warriors who all would be considered top experts back on Earth. Judging by the crowds outside, this scene would probably continue for over a day, where the number of mercenaries in this batch alone would be counted in the hundreds of thousands.

On the opposite side of the street waited a series of newly built restaurants, hotels, and training squares. There were even a couple of bars, where Zac could hear the occasional raucous laughter.

“Never seen a recruitment station like this,” Zac muttered.

“The Void Gate will not force anyone willing to help us out to take certain tasks. Therefore, it takes some time to gather enough people for some missions,” the nun who’d led him inside explained. “With the need for secrecy, all outsiders will have to stay within this area before we take you into the Void Gate’s domain.”

Zac finally understood why he had to wait five days to enter this place. It was probably at capacity due to manning a previous batch of missions.

“Earlier was my mistake, so don’t hesitate to ask me anything,” the nun said. “What level and type of mission are you planning on joining?”

“Before I answer, can I ask something?” Zac countered, getting an earnest nod in return. “Apart from the mission rewards, will we be allowed to keep the beasts and their materials for ourselves?”

“You want the beast carcasses? They’re not very—ahem, yes. You can keep them. Usually,” the nun nodded. “If you kill or capture it, then it’s yours. For the things you don’t need yourself, you can sell them at resource depots. I should tell you though, most of the beasts we’re dealing with are not worth a lot.

“Even if you fill your Cosmic Bags to the brim, their value will be far worse than the compensation of the Void Gate. However, there are a few species that are considered strategic resources of ours. Taking them or their bodies out of our domain is disallowed.

“In return, we will pay very well in case you encounter these rare beasts,” the nun continued as she took out a small tome. “Their features are in this booklet, make sure you memorize them. This version has more detailed descriptions and images compared to the ones you can pick up at the mission hub—a small apology for casting aspersions.”

“Thank you,” Zac smiled. “So some of the species have bounties apart from the missions?”

“You could say so,” the nun nodded. “While most animals are barely serviceable for sustenance, capturing a few of these valuable specimens can be far more lucrative than completing a difficult mission.”

“That’s amazing,” Zac whistled, but he looked at the nun suspiciously. “Then I guess they’re dangerous?”

“All of them have pure bloodlines,” the nun said. “However, the real reason for their high bounty is their scarcity.”

Zac nodded before turning his attention toward the small book. Each page only had a couple of illustrations, but each image contained a book’s worth of information when infusing his Mental Energy into them. For example, a simple image of a flower contained the details of a whole family of herbs, thousands of them neatly arranged in an easy-to-search manner.

It was essentially an encyclopedia on the local flora and fauna, a pretty nifty gift to get right off the bat.

It didn’t take him long to find detailed descriptions of both [Ferric Worldeaters] and [Ferric Voidwyrms], the larvae-stage of the species. Seeing the vivid images and detailed descriptions, it felt like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders—there really were Worldeaters inside the Void Gate.

According to the missive, the Voidwyrms were between two to ten meters large and up to a Peak E-grade. Becoming a Beast King turned them into Worldeaters, where the smallest specimen would reach one hundred meters. Luckily, Zac had already prepared a Beast Pouch that would be able to fit a beast up to a thousand meters. Any larger than that would be an issue. Of course, Worldeaters exceeding a mile in length would also be too powerful for him to deal with, so it was a moot point.

As for their affinities, they normally had insights into gravity. However, a few of them actually managed to grasp the Dao of Space, and it was obviously one of these rare talents that he needed to get if he wanted to get the best Cosmic Vessel possible. Unfortunately, spatial Worldeaters were considered a strategic resource with a sizeable bounty.

Zac wouldn’t be surprised if the Void Gate wanted them for the same reason as he—as core components for spatial arrays. He would have to look into the possibility of smuggling one out later. If it was impossible, he would have to settle for a normal one. For now, it was great news getting confirmation on his target. However, the more Zac read in the missive, the weirder he felt the situation.

“There are a lot of wild herbs and other materials with bounties here as well, but where would we even run into wild herbs?” Zac frowned. “Are we not fighting close to any settlements? Just where is this beast tide located?”

Beast Tides were only called as such when a horde of monsters set their gazes on a city, either due to some powerful alpha or as a tribulation sent by the System. In other words, a beat tide was a siege, where you whittled down the innumerable monsters through using ranged attacks or raiding their lines.

In such a situation, there obviously wouldn’t be any opportunities to pick spiritual herbs—those only grew deep in the wilderness or inside wild Mystic Realms. Even if you pushed the tide back, you’d only find the cultivated surroundings of the cities. As such, the bounties in the encyclopedia read more like a hunt or exploratory trip into an unclaimed Mystic Realm.

But if that was the case, where the Void Gate needed people to explore some recently-discovered subdimension, there was no need to lie. Mystic Realms popped up left and right, especially so in the past decade, according to Calrin. Something about the spatial turbulence of the invaders made all kinds of hidden realms appear.

“I cannot divulge the details, but the Void Gate essentially controls an unusual number of Mystic Realms. Due to some unforeseen events, these Mystic Realms are now being invaded, meaning we are fighting on hundreds of battlefronts in very varied situations,” the nun sighed.

“Mystic Realms can be invaded? How could a bunch of beasts sneak inside if you control the entrances?” Zac asked with a raised brow, not even needing to feign ignorance.

“It’s complicated. You will find more details as you peruse the recruitment stations inside,” the nun said with a small bow. “However, I recommend you not overthink some things—the Void Gate values their secrets.”

“Alright, thank you, young miss,” Zac nodded. “This booklet might be a lifesaver.”

“It’s nothing,” the nun smiled. “I am Vai Salas. You can ask for me at the administrative building if you need assistance. Of course, I’m setting out on a mission soon as well.”

“Thank you,” Zac nodded. “I’m Gaun Sorom.”

With that, Zac blended with the stream of mercenaries, following the signs past the rows of restaurants and temporary residences, until he reached a square with twenty-five rows of hovering signs, each one somewhat resembling the System’s Quest Screens. Close by, a Templar was handing out booklets that looked a lot like the one he just got, and Zac picked one up before he curiously walked over to check the closest screen.

[Task #208]

Rebuff horde of Ka’Sotrov Shades. Task includes performing a sweep for hidden nests.

Estimated Duration: 5 months.

Mission Level: High E-grade.

Danger: High.

Reward: 1,000 – 10,000 E-grade Nexus Coins dependent on the state of facilities and personal contribution.

Prioritized Recruitment: Mentalists, Geomancers

Localized Rare materials: Ka’Sotrov Godstone, Lunar Creeproots, Fekrian Jade, Fluatide.

[Slots: 408/1,250]

Following that was a description of the shades, including their appearance and common skills. The Ka’Sotrov Shades were one of the intangible beasts mentioned in Calrin’s missives, and just like the Sky Gnome had guessed, they weren’t undead. They were special rocks that utilized some sort of spiritual projections sounding like the ultimate version of [Thousand Lights Avatar].

Zac wouldn’t be surprised if they one day managed to transform into beings akin to Ubo back in the Orom World. For now, they were a highly aggressive pest who moved by having their spectral projections carry their physical bodies around until they found fertile soil. At that point, they hid their true bodies deep underground, where they started siphoning off the energy from the surroundings.

Meanwhile, their projections killed and destroyed everything that competed with them for resources. Having appeared in a Mystic Realm used as a garden for herbs, they had become a calamity that threatened to destroy a yield of high-value crops.

“Excuse me, how do you define high risk?” Zac asked the Templar handing out booklets.

“30% casualty rate for warriors at the mission level. The details are listed in the brochure you’re holding,” the Templar said.

“Thank you,” Zac said, walking away.

Zac browsed the screen as he scanned his two booklets. The second one he just picked up lacked a lot of detail on all the species in the Void Gate. It mostly focused on the strategic resources, and Zac guessed most mercenaries would simply have to take anything else they picked up to a store to get them valued.

The public booklet did however contain a lot of general information geared at outsiders, including the risk assessment. Just like the Templar said, High Danger meant a 30% casualty rate, where casualty was defined as losing combat ability for over three years. Simply put, death or grievous wounds.

Furthermore, that estimate was based on their average Templar strength. Wandering Cultivators, whose equipment was worse and whose heritage was incomplete, probably ran an even higher risk in these missions. Apart from high danger missions, there were low, moderate, and extreme danger. Finally, there was a separate set of safe missions with an expected casualty rate of 0%.

Looking around the square, it quickly became apparent that safe missions were exclusively non-combat tasks—it was mostly grunt-work, to be honest. There were things like extracting as many minerals as possible from a mine before the enemy beasts arrived, or assisting the local smithies in the massive foundries.

None of the quests were actually for craftsmen though, and Zac guessed the Void Gate either hired them through other channels or had enough skilled workers on their own.

The pay for those missions was just 1% of the generous sum the hard missions provided, and the odds of finding one of the bounty materials were apparently very low. Conversely—the few impossible tasks could pay out almost half a D-grade Nexus Coin for three months of work for a Half-Step D-grade Hegemon.

That was extremely generous judging by the discussions among the other Wandering Cultivators, especially considering you’d make decent money from Beast Cores and harvesting other items. Seeing the excitement on their faces, Zac realized he likely overpaid Gaun. The Wandering Cultivator would probably have been happy with a tenth of what he was offered considering these rewards.

However, you could repeatedly earn money in this place—nothing was stopping you from taking multiple quests in a row provided you survived. Some had long since completed their first, and sometimes even second, task. Some were recuperating in the superior facilities of the Void Gate, while others had already set out again.

Of course, quite a few had already fallen in search of wealth. An extreme danger mission had a lethality rate surpassing 50%, so only those with nothing to lose would take on a mission like that. Unfortunately, you couldn’t just keep it safe and take on missions of lower grades. Some Hegemons might be tempted to take a bunch of E-grade extermination quests to earn money quickly and easily, but the Void Gate had put a stop to that.

The reason was clear just by looking around—the Void Gate lacked people for the higher-grade missions. Zac saw how one cultivator after another infused a wisp of energy into the lower-grade tasks, prompting the slots to rapidly fill up. Meanwhile, the only ones who read the D-grade missions seemed to be curious onlookers.

Even after walking around for over an hour, Zac only saw one Hegemon come over and choose a quest—and it was a low danger mission. The only exception to the rule was where higher-grade cultivators could join low-grade missions that had failed to fill its slot in a certain amount of time. However, if not even the lower-grade cultivators wanted the quest, it was probably one of the worse ones.

Conversely, anyone could sign up for a mission up to one grade above their own, which meant Zac could choose an Early D-grade quest if he wanted. That was perfect for him since he wanted to hunt an Early D-grade Beast King. It was probably added to provide the elites with a greater challenge, and to fill up the D-grade missions faster with the help of large numbers of Half-Step cultivators.

Soon enough, Zac found not one but two missions with good potential. The first was task #385, a Half-Step mission with a medium danger assessment. It was a proper beast tide mission where you needed to protect a settlement for a minimum of 3 months. Included in the list of beasts were the Voidwyrms, and the quest mentioned there were multiple Beast Kings in the tide.

The second quest was task #1,032, a high danger Early D-grade quest. The group was tasked to guard a group of nun acolytes who needed to investigate a spatial anomaly that attracted beasts. Zac guessed it was some sort of treasure that had attracted a beast tide.

Just like the other task, Voidwyrms were mentioned, and with it being a proper D-grade mission with a higher danger assessment, the odds of running into proper Worldeaters were a lot higher. However, while task #385 called for over 5,000 cultivators, task #1,032 needed only 50. Not only that, but it specifically noted it would test the strength of every Half-Step cultivator who applied.

Zac had only seen that kind of comment on a handful of missions, and all of them seemed like tasks of strategic importance which couldn’t fail. The odds of getting exposed in such a small unit were a lot higher, not to mention the risk of true danger. After all, if Beast Kings could appear in Half-Step missions, then Middle-stage Beast Kings might appear in task #1,032.

There would be squad captains present to deal with that kind of threat, but wars were always unpredictable. Zac was confident in dealing with most Early Beast Kings by now, but the Middle-Stage was another thing altogether. They’d properly benefited from the huge boost of attributes a higher grade provided, and their energy reserves were reportedly five to ten times that of an early-stage beast.

Furthermore, the simple fact the beasts had progressed to Middle D-grade meant their bloodline was out of the norm—just like with cultivators, more than 99% of beasts were forever stuck at the start of the grade, their cores unable to progress. Thus, their combat ability would be higher than the average beasts as well, and Zac wasn’t confident he’d be able to deal with these kinds of things even if he unleashed an Annihilation Sphere.

Even then, Zac hesitated only for a couple of minutes before picking task #1,032, becoming the 37th member to apply. No matter if it was for the search of Ogras in the Million Gates Territory, the Sector-wide war, or Zac’s plans beyond, he would need the best vessel he could get his hands on.

It was time to go big or go home.

28

EXAMINATION

Having infused a wisp of his aura into the task screen, Zac walked over to a nearby kiosk manned by an acolyte. It was the location where you picked up a mission token so the captains could contact you when it was time to go.

“Task #1,032? High danger D-grade mission?” the acolyte said when Zac infused his aura into a tablet, glancing at Zac with some surprise.

“That’s right,” Zac nodded with a terse expression.

“Understood,” the acolyte said, his expression becoming slightly more respectful. “Name, affiliation, and origin?”

“Gaun Sorom, unaffiliated, Tumbling Sky Cluster.”

The acolyte jotted the details down before handing Zac a token. “The tests to join special missions are held inside the administrative building. If you haven’t completed them within 24 hours, your reservation will be annulled and you will lose the chance to take on any other missions.”

“What about the contract?” Zac asked.

“It will be presented to you after passing the test,” the acolyte explained.

“Alright, thank you,” Zac nodded before he fastened the token to his belt and walked away.

His face had stayed impassive throughout the exchange, but his heart had started beating a bit quicker after being asked his name. He’d stayed close by to observe other cultivators picking up tokens, but the acolytes hadn’t inquired about their identities. It looked like his strength wasn’t the only thing that would be investigated when taking on these special missions.

His preparations would be put to the test even earlier than expected.

Even then, Zac didn’t rush toward the administrative building in hopes of getting accepted before they found out more. If anything, he wanted to wait a bit to give the Void Gate a chance to investigate. If it worked out, then great. If not, he would have to go back to plan B—to shed his disguise and come forward as Zachary Atwood, the Deviant Asura, and ask for Leyara.

Honestly, he wanted to avoid that if possible.

It wasn’t just a matter of avoiding being targeted by assassins aiming the Tsarun Clans’ bounty either. With the knowledge of the invaders becoming more widespread, a couple of troubling rumors had started to flourish—where some people believed he was responsible for the upcoming war.

They believed his summoning of the Stele of Conflict set into motion a series of events that led to the invaders appearing, and that he was the focal point of this war. And if the war was a tribulation the System had set up for the Deviant Asura, then killing him might cancel the invasion before it started.

Zac wondered the same thing since Catheya mentioned Zecia had been put on lockdown, but he ultimately chose to not carry the burden of the invasion. This was clearly the System wanting to create some chaos in the hopes powerful warriors would be forged in the heat of battle. It had done things like this since the day it was created, following its core protocols of expansion and empowerment.

To think a single F-grade cultivator was the cause of a massive event like this was laughable. He might have been some sort of catalyst, but the System would no doubt have found a pretext to stir up a war one way or another, even if he hadn’t conjured the Stele of Conflict. Neither did he believe this war was designed as some sort of challenge tailored to him—the System didn’t need to cause such a massive event for that.

By meddling with fate, it could drag him into some other conflict while pushing him in the direction of the next set of Remnants, or setting the Atwood Empire on a collision course with another local faction.

Thankfully, it seemed like most people had come to the same conclusion—that this was just a tribulation conjured by the System, aimed at a Sector that had seen relative peace for almost a million years. However, that seed of doubt could prove lethal. For example, what if the Starfall Monarch felt that killing him had a 1% chance of averting a war that would reap trillions of lives?

Wasn’t it worth killing him, just in case?

At best, the Starfall Monarch would become the hero who saved Zecia. At worst, he’d kill a random E-grade cultivator with no affiliation to the Void Gate. If Zac was presented with that kind of scenario, to kill one random stranger to potentially save Earth, he honestly wasn’t sure what he’d do. And neither was it something Leyara Lioress would be able to stop in case things went south.

Unless his back was pressed against the wall, he’d try to stay under the radar until he wasn’t completely helpless in the face of Monarchs. For now, Zac walked the recruitment station with a solemn but unworried demeanor, occasionally striking up short conversations with other Wandering Cultivators to exchange snippets of information.

In reality, his senses were on full alert, and he was ready to activate the [Flashfire Flourish] hidden within his robes at a moment’s notice.

Nothing untoward happened after an hour passed, and Zac continued to another section of the station. It was a square even larger than the one holding the missions, but there were no hovering screens.

Instead, there were thousands of makeshift stalls set up, and the sound of thousands of Wandering Cultivators haggling for dear life was almost deafening.

“Two [Frigid Core Tempering Pills] for sale! They are Low-quality, but they were concocted by Ya’vo Haosar of Salsoar Two, so they are low in pill toxicity! The seal is intact for anyone to inspect!” an Early Hegemon shouted, sounding like a random hawker. “I only trade for Earth-aspected Core Tempering pills or Natural Treasures of a similar grade!”

Core Tempering pills were one of the most basic pills used to nurture a Cosmic Core. They were essentially the race-boosting pills of the D-grade, except just pills weren’t enough to make a core stronger. Since the pill was given a Frigid prefix, Zac guessed the Alchemist had added some sort of cold-attributed herbs to the recipe.

Doing so required a certain amount of skill, considering adding a single ingredient could cause a chain reaction during the concoction process, ruining the medicinal efficacy altogether. As for the seals, they were essentially a stamp of authenticity that contained a bit of the Alchemist’s aura, which was quite popular with higher-grade pills.

Still, Zac wasn’t interested in some basic Core Tempering pills. He had whole chests full of higher-quality wares in the Spatial Rings he left back home. The same was true for most things the cultivators were trying to pawn off, but one particular stall caught Zac’s attention.

“What’s this?” Zac asked curiously, even though he had a pretty good idea.

“Good eye!” the brutish-looking warrior who ran the stall said. “It’s a core of a unique beast inside the Void Gate—a Celestial Skybeast.”

“A Celestial Skybeast?” Zac whistled. “Never heard of it. More importantly, you’ve completed a mission? And you can just sell the wares like this?”

“Of course!” the man nodded. “The Celestial Skybeasts are rare and powerful creatures, but their cores aren’t a restricted material. Most people sold their materials to the depots for a pretty penny, but I wanted to take mine back to benefit my fellow brothers.”

Zac nodded in enthusiastic agreement, though he inwardly sneered. What Celestial Skybeast? This was obviously the core of a Half-Step Void Beast, an item most likely worthless to anyone but him. The Resource Depots of the Void Gate probably weren’t willing to pay much for something that contained such chaotic energies, so the man was hoping to scam someone by making use of the fact Void Beasts were so rare.

“What does it do?” Zac asked, deciding to play along. “If it’s just another Beast Core…”

“Not at all,” the man hurriedly said before leaning over with a hushed tone. “Just sense the energy within. Odd, right? Unlike anything else you’ve seen before, no? Don’t you find it weird that these unique beasts appear in the Void Gate and nowhere else, while all the Templars have bodies seemingly forged from steel?”

“You think it can temper bodies?” Zac muttered. “Impossible.”

“Nothing’s impossible in this world,” the man said. “I know it sounds crazy to cultivate using the chaotic energies of a Beast Core, but there is something different about the Celestial Skybeasts. You can’t tell now since the Templars are just standing around, but when you join the missions, you’ll understand the truth of my words.”

Zac pretended to be slightly moved as he inspected the Void Core a bit closer, inwardly applauding the man’s performance. He was a warrior judging by his aura, but he would be able to give Calrin a run for his money. Obviously, Zac didn’t believe his words. The only chance of the Templars using these cores was if they all had a similar constitution as himself.

However, he didn’t get that sense at all from the Void Gate warriors in the area, and neither were there any hints of that kind of bloodline or constitution in any missive. From the looks of it, the ‘void’ in Void Gate rather referred to space, compared to whatever weird anti-Dao he and the Void Beasts were instilled with.

The only reason he didn’t completely discard the warrior’s ramblings was the connection between the Void Priestess and the Limitless Empire. There was actually a very slim chance the man had inadvertently caught onto a huge secret when concocting this sales pitch. Honestly, it didn’t matter. For now, Zac just wanted to buy the core.

“This, I don’t know,” Zac hesitated. “It might be true, but a treasure is worthless if you don’t have the method to use it.”

“Alas, that is true,” the warrior nodded. “But you can always submerge it into a common herbal vat and let its energies slowly enter your body. The effect would be worse than using the method of the Templars, but—”

“And poison myself while you run off with the money?” Zac interrupted with a snort. “However, I am willing to buy it for study, how about 100 E-grade Nexus Coins? That’s already a lot better than an average Beast Core.”

“How can you compare this unique treasure with those useless baubles!” the man almost roared, his face turning red with indignation.

“Just calling it as I see it,” Zac shrugged.

“Even an Elemental Core will bring in over 300 coins!” the warrior said. “This thing is a unique marvel of the Sector, with only a few being allowed outside of the Void Gate. 2,000 coins, and not a single one less.”

Zac rolled his eyes and turned to leave.

“Alright, alright,” the warrior urged. “Since we’re kindred spirits, and I can tell you’re on the precipice of breaking through, I will sell this at a loss. 1,500 E-grade Nexus Coins.”

Like this, a similar scene to the other stalls appeared, where Zac and the warrior almost came to blows as they shouted their offers. Eventually, they settled at 580 E-grade Nexus Coins, and as Zac walked away, he believed they both felt they’d tricked the other party. The warrior had probably gotten an explanation at the supply depot, that Void Cores were essentially useless, and anything he got for it would be a victory.

Still, Zac was extremely happy with the purchase, considering 580 E-grade Nexus Coins was nothing to him. The core only contained a fraction of the energy trapped inside the weird organ Zac bought at the Twilight Harbor Auction, but it was still the best item available to quickly restore his Void Energy in a pinch.

As Zac walked the stalls, he found and purchased another three Void Cores, proving the first one wasn’t a coincidence. After surreptitiously asking, it became clear that only two of the sellers had taken part in the same mission. In other words, Void Beasts were appearing at multiple spots inside the Void Gate.

Was there really some sort of connection, or was it an inevitability when you controlled as many Mystic Realms as Vai Salas implied? Was the beast tide led by Void Beasts? No, that couldn’t be right—no matter if you looked at the mission descriptions or the materials for sale, there couldn’t be too many Void Beasts.

Furthermore, it didn’t mesh with what he’d learned about these weird creatures. After the events inside the research base, he’d made some inquiries. Void Beasts weren’t nearly as common as one might think. They didn’t pop up around normal Mystic Realms, and they couldn’t be found inside chaotic places like the Million Gates Territory.

The best working theory Zac found was that there were layers to the Void. Normally, people would only enter the surface of the Void when teleporting, and it was at the surface layers where most Mystic Realms could be found. Meanwhile, Void Beasts possibly lived deeper, only emerging when searching for beings to feed on.

It made sense. Zac wouldn’t be surprised if his mother’s family had the capabilities to hide their facilities even deeper inside the Void, pushing it to a layer one normally wouldn’t reach.

Apart from the Void Cores, there wasn’t anything that piqued Zac’s interest. Even then, he stayed on for an hour, browsing the wares and making a couple of purchases with pretend excitement in case someone was spying on him. A gathering of this many Wandering Cultivators was a rare chance to trade without auction houses or consortiums taking a large cut, so a lot of people took the opportunity to unload their wares or shop at a discount.

Walking the square also allowed him to pick up more gossip. There were a couple of takeaways from the cultivators who returned from their first stint into the Void Gate. First, the dangers were very real—the beasts were seemingly endless. The casualty rates were just a guess, and more than one party had been completely exterminated, even when undergoing normal difficulty tasks.

Secondly, the Void Gate was treating the cultivators with some amount of sincerity. There were a lot of complaints about how haughty the Templars and devotees were, but they didn’t use the unaffiliated cultivators as meat shields or sacrificial pawns.

Finally, the Void Gate was powerful, exceedingly so. The returnees were restricted from discussing certain aspects of the missions, but they all said the same thing; the Void Gate possessed shocking means and resources. Everyone knew they were the local ruler with multiple Monarchs, but what these warriors had witnessed, clearly surpassed their expectations.

But it was time to go, so Zac made his way toward the administrative building at the back of the recruitment station. It was a massive structure far surpassing anything built back home on Earth, and one would be able to fit a whole district inside if one wanted.

After showing his token to an administrator inside, he was led to a large sparring chamber that was essentially a hundred-meter-cube.

“An examiner will be with you shortly,” the guide said, and Zac simply nodded before sitting down.

Still, with no one appearing even after twenty minutes, Zac eventually took out the [Book of Duality] and started reading. The more he studied it over the past weeks, the more marvelous Zac found it. Not that it was long—just over a hundred pages, and reading it the first time had only taken him a few hours.

The readthrough provided some shallow insights and a brief explanation of the path of dualities. However, on the second readthrough, Zac started to realize just how much was hidden inside this seemingly simple tome. He’d already noticed the characters contained special impartments when he got the book, but he underestimated just how much they held.

He’d deciphered the first couple of pages easily enough, but the problems started to arrive when reaching the second chapter. Suddenly, it became apparent that he still hadn’t unearthed the true meanings hidden in the first chapter, and he used the second chapter as a reference to delve even deeper.

One plus one didn’t equal two when putting the meaning hidden inside the words together. They somehow fused into completely new concepts, seemingly unrelated to the original ones. And with every added character, the interconnected web of hidden truths grew increasingly complex, and it required more and more time to integrate each new character into the tapestry that was slowly forming in his mind.

At first, Zac figured the best approach was to unearth all the layers at once by trying to decipher the whole book in one go, which ultimately proved futile. Perhaps if he was an intelligence-based Peak Hegemon he’d be able to accomplish something like that, but there was simply too much contained in the [Book of Duality].

If he tried to comprehend it all at once, the depth disappeared, and he could only glean the surface-level of meaning.

But the little Zac had deciphered so far filled him with inspiration. There were no actual Daos or Heavenly Truths hidden in the book, but rather an extremely comprehensive set of information that related to the very essence of energy, patterns, and control. It wasn’t something that related to just cores either—the insights of Kalo, the mysterious author, were universal.

No matter if it was arrays, crafting, or creating skills, the [Book of Duality] covered some of the fundamental underpinnings that made them possible, the process where Dao and some inscrutable patterns turned into magical things. Like the huge wooden hand of [Arcadia’s Judgement], or how it could allow you to turn into something intangible with movement skills or teleportation arrays.

In other words, the book could be considered a whole heritage, as long as you managed to unearth the truths within. It was no wonder Yrial called it one of the most valuable items in his inheritance. Zac couldn’t imagine the effort and comprehension required to impart so much into a few characters—it was another reminder of what kind of exalted existences Monarchs were.

Their understanding of the universe was so far beyond his current level, it wasn’t even comparable. To the point they couldn’t be considered humans any longer.

Zac kept reading, almost forgetting where he was. But a sudden pang of danger cut through his comprehension, and his eyes shot open just as the door to the chamber opened. Through the door a middle-aged man entered, decked in full-body armor that was of better make than the average Templar gear he’d seen so far.

It only took a glance to tell it was a proper War Regalia judging by the massive amounts of energy that coursed through the engraved runes covering its surface. That could only mean one thing—his test would be supervised by a Hegemon, and a pretty strong one by the looks of it.

29

TEO KASTELLA

“You seemed quite engrossed, but I could only wait so long,” the man said with equanimity as he stepped into the room, which was immediately flooded with his overbearing aura. “Good instinct for danger. I am Teo Kastella, and I will oversee this trial.”

As the Hegemon walked over, Zac tried to get a sense of what kind of warrior he was. Teo’s aura was pure and condensed, meaning his accumulations were beyond the norm. Then again, anyone who made it to Hegemony was a one-in-a-million genius, so him being an elite was par for the course. More importantly, it looked like he was a Middle-Stage Hegemon.

As for his attunement, it was a bit reminiscent of Zac’s old Undying Bulwark class, and not just because the man was wearing full-body armor. There was a sense of impermeability and stability to his aura, making Zac guess he not only had at least one defensive Dao, but also endurance as his main attribute.

Between his level, equipment, and focus, there was simply no way for Zac to defeat this Teo Kastella in a straightforward battle. Thankfully, there was no way that could be the trial.

“I am sorry about wasting your time,” Zac hurriedly said as he bowed toward the Void Gate Templar. “I am Gaun Sorom. It’s an honor to make your acquaintance.”

“Gaun Sorom,” the Templar repeated. “According to our investigation, this is not the level of mission you were expected to take. Neither do you have one of the prioritized classes for this mission. Could you explain why you applied?”

Zac anticipated this line of questioning. Gaun was considered stronger than average among Wandering Cultivators, but taking on a dangerous D-grade mission was still a bit much. And he was also a pure offensive warrior, while the prioritized classes for task #1,032 were guardians, scouts, and defensive Array Masters.

He’d figured the discrepancy of power between himself and the real Gaun would become an issue sooner or later, and he’d workshopped a believable tale with the help of the original owner of his face. Thankfully, Gaun had been lying low the past decade because of his wounds, so it gave Zac some leeway to spin a believable tale.

Furthermore, Zac had one final ace. It was the trump card that made him dare infiltrate an established faction like the Void Gate in the first place—his mother’s array. Not even Catheya’s master, a Peak Monarch, had managed to find anything amiss. How could some Middle Hegemon, or even the Starfall Monarch, fare any better?

Zac still had no idea exactly how it worked, but apparently, Va Tapek had said everything was in order when trying to glean anything from his body or Status Screen. That was obviously impossible, considering there was no actual Arcaz Black while his body contained all sorts of weirdness. In other words, the array most likely worked on perception, making spying eyes see whatever they expected to see, finding nothing amiss.

Va Tapek expected to see Arcaz Black, so that was what he saw. These people expected Gaun Sorom, so that would be what they saw. Of course, that didn’t mean he was out of the woods. There were various arrays and skills geared toward infiltration, and it would be up to his performance to completely pass this hurdle.

“Ten years ago, I encountered a great opportunity,” Zac said. “It gave me the chance to break through.”

The next moment, Zac emitted a strand of his aura—the Branch of the War Axe. Preferably, Zac would have wanted to use his Life-attuned Dao as well, but Gaun only had two Dao Fragments he had tried to fuse into a singular Branch of the Axe for the past 400 years. It would be weird if he suddenly showcased a second branch completely separate from his recorded abilities.

“A major breakthrough, at your stage?” the captain hummed with some surprise. “Branch of the Axe—a pure one. You’re planning to force a breakthrough?”

“My preparations are still lacking, but I hope to enter terminal seclusion soon after this beast tide is over, using any materials and rewards I gain here.”

Breaking through as a Half-Step Hegemon was harder than doing it as a Peak E-grade cultivator, to the point most people considered the feat impossible. The biggest hurdle was the defective core you allowed to fuse with your body. It had to be completely crushed and reformed into a proper one, but that would unleash its energies into one’s body, which was pretty much the same as detonating a bomb within your belly.

Attempting it was akin to suicide, though some people had accomplished the impossible through a combination of improved foundations and unique treasures. Even if it was just one out of ten thousand who succeeded while the others perished, that glimpse of hope was enough for some.

“I admire your courage, but this is not a training trip,” the Hegemon said. “An offensive Dao Branch built on incomplete foundations is ultimately not enough for this mission. Some of our researchers are just E-grade. We need warriors who will be able to keep them safe, which includes repelling Beast Kings.”

“I understand,” Zac bowed. “However, I do have some confidence in my ability. The breakthrough wasn’t the only thing I gained. I also contracted a powerful companion. With her, my ability to restrain enemies has increased significantly. Together with my Dao Branch, I should meet the requirements.”

The next moment, a dozen thick vines appeared from the spatial tube on his back. Zac had deliberated what he should display in this trial, and he felt Vivi was the most suitable. His [Empyrean Aegis] would probably let him pass, but it was a bit too flashy. Meanwhile, Vivi was just right. She was extremely durable, and would even be able to restrain Beast Kings just long enough for him or someone else to deal with them.

“Oh?” the man said as he looked at the slithering vines with interest.

Teo waved his hand, and a life-sized dummy flew over to land behind Zac. “Defend the dummy.”

Zac nodded, and one of the vines moved over to protect his ward. As for Zac, he placed himself right between the dummy and Teo.

It sounded like a bomb exploded as the Hegemon shot forward, making a beeline for the unmoving puppet, seemingly intending to barrel straight through Zac. Teo’s momentum was ferocious, but Zac was inwardly relieved to sense the Templar only using the strength of a Half-Step Hegemon at the moment.

Over a dozen vines shot out from the tube on Zac’s back, while another set formed a corridor of death no more than twenty meters wide. Zac had essentially turned the battlefield into a narrow trench, where he was the goalkeeper.

A shortsword and a metal buckler appeared in Teo’s hands, the two probably a paired Spirit Tool judging by their aura-matching design. The Hegemon unleashed a dazzling set of swings that hacked into the vines while he used the buckler to create odd shockwaves that pushed others aside.

One by one, long ropes of Vivi’s vines fell as Teo stepped closer, costing Zac a constant stream of energy to restore. Normally, Zac wouldn’t have used such a clumsy method to deal with a simple advance, but he didn’t want to use his Evolutionary Stance like this. Instead, he adopted a technique that was more akin to Gaun’s, where he used brute force as a feint to deliver his real strikes.

Having properly stepped into the Integration Stage, it was quite easy for Zac to control how much of his technique to showcase. Currently, he extracted any hint of his Daos from the way he used the vines, and rather fought as he did while trying to level his [Armament Mastery] skill from High to Peak mastery. He even added in inefficiencies to the way he controlled Vivi to make it seem slightly less impressive.

Vivi’s assault still looked ferocious, with almost twenty thick vines thrumming with vigor as they tried to lash the Hegemon. However, it almost looked like Teo was taking a stroll as he moved closer, and he gave off the impression of a farmer cutting the weeds—there was even a bored expression on his face.

But suddenly, three vines split off from the chaotic mix and nimbly evaded Teo’s sword before shooting forward with almost double the speed compared to the others. Teo realized what was going on, and managed to destroy one of the vines before the others latched onto him and started dragging to pull him off-balance.

With the impressive sharpness of that sword, it wouldn’t take long for the Templar to break free, but Zac had no intention of giving Teo that kind of breathing room. He shot forward with [Earthstrider] with one of his spare Spirit Tool axes already in his hand. A mighty shockwave erupted as Zac’s axe intercepted Teo’s sword.

Zac barely had time to stop the Hegemon from breaking free before a scream of danger erupted in his mind. The buckler was heading straight for his head, and it thrummed with barely contained momentum. The strike wasn’t uniquely quick or inscrutable—if anything, it felt extremely mundane if not for its force.

The problem was that the Templar must have begun the attack before the previous clash even took place, like he knew exactly what would happen. Zac urgently ducked, but his idea to counter with a devastating gut-punch was pre-empted by an armored knee rising to meet him. Once more, his movement had been completely predicted, but it wasn’t a matter of prescience.

It was experience and millennia of drills being turned into lethal muscle memory.

A duck turned into a somewhat unsightly pirouette where Zac barely managed to avoid both of Teo’s strikes. By that point, three daggers were already flying toward the dummy. It wasn’t a big deal though—one of the vines flicked them aside as Zac resumed his assault. The two were soon again locked in a heated melee, where Zac tried to break open the Hegemon’s impenetrable defenses one way or another.

The Templar wasn’t extremely quick, nor had he mastered technique as Pavina had. Teo probably didn’t focus on that aspect of cultivation at all, having simply learned his combat stance from the Void Gate. Even then, he proved a tricky enemy to deal with. Between his armor and steady stance, he was like an immutable mountain, and Zac found it extremely difficult to impede his strikes or change the tempo without physically overpowering him.

Even then, Zac was slowly gaining an advantage thanks to Vivi. Neither of them used any skills, so they found themselves locked in a melee, and it was impossible to completely avoid the unceasing advance of vines coming from the spatial tube on Zac’s back. However, a familiar situation began to unfold—the force behind Teo’s swings was gradually increasing, just like when Kaldor started cheating.

The Templar didn’t change his technique or add Daos, but when every swing hit harder and faster than the one before, Zac found himself at a disadvantage. For a while, he matched Teo’s increase in power, but he reached a point where he was using all the strength he could without raising suspicion. He could only try to hold on as long as possible, hoping that would be enough.

As Zac found himself pushed harder and harder, he couldn’t help but appreciate the Templar’s technique—or lack thereof. It was simple and direct, without any flourishes or complications. It made Zac think of the flavor text to his old skill [Chop], how there was greatness in simplicity. Teo felt like a soldier in a Roman phalanx—methodical and extremely deadly.

After having almost solely focused on technique for the past years, it was an important reminder. There were innumerable paths to the peak, and honing one’s technique was just one of them. Teo was accomplishing great things even without bothering with the Integration Stage or the stages above, freeing up his time to improve other aspects of his cultivation.

Zac couldn’t get ahead of himself and think he’d be able to easily defeat any Hegemon just because he had polished his technique to a level that probably superseded theirs. Between their experience and deeper comprehension of the Dao, the difference wasn’t all that big, and they had all kinds of ways to not only bridge but surpass that gap in a real battle.

The melee became more and more desperate, and Zac was barely hanging on by the time Teo was solidly using the power of a Hegemon. Vivi’s vines were no longer able to restrain him since he destroyed them too quickly, which increased the pressure on Zac. He knew the trial was all-but-over, and he readied himself to give up.

But suddenly, Zac’s eyes widened in surprise as the sword in Teo’s hand was gone, and a sharp whistle echoed through the room. His swing had somehow turned into an underhand throw, and the shortsword was barreling toward the dummy. There was no way to intercept, so Zac did the only thing he could think off—he slapped the dummy with a vine, throwing it a few dozen meters out of the way of the sword’s trajectory.

In a real scenario, the researcher would have been battered but alive, which was preferable to being turned into meat ribbons by the attack of a Hegemon. The sword stopped in its trajectory before flying back into the Templar’s hand as he took a step back.

“That’s enough,” Teo nodded, almost looking a bit regretful. “Your axework is extremely solid. You have a surprising connection to your weapon, it’s a shame you never joined a proper faction. Looking at your strength, you can deal with the weakest of Beast Kings, while any stronger specimen will require assistance.”

“I also have a supreme defensive skill. It’s what allowed me to survive to this day, but it has a powerful backlash, so I cannot showcase it,” Zac added when it looked like the Hegemon hesitated whether he should accept him. “It can buy some time even against an Early Beast King.”

“Well, I’ll take your word for it. Your foundation is barely enough for the first string, but your individualistic style isn’t a good mesh. However, you can easily qualify as a second-string defender,” the man said.

“I’m sorry, what does that mean?” Zac asked, not remembering anything about that in the quest description.

“Due to the dangers and the fact we will be traveling with researchers with no or low combat ability, we will have two lines of defense. The vanguard will deal with most of the threats, while the second string will be assigned as personal guards,” the Hegemon explained. “Anything that slips past our outer perimeter or appears out of nowhere will be dealt with by you. In other words, a situation just like this trial.

“We don’t expect you to be an immutable boulder, but someone who can buy enough time for one of the party’s real Hegemons to deal with the threats. As such, your compensation would be on the lower end of the spectrum, and your priority when distributing rare materials would be lower.”

Zac frowned as though he was in thought, but it was a pretty good deal. The task had a span of 1-5 D-grade Nexus Coins, except the remuneration wasn’t a priority. He was rather worried that it sounded like a somewhat restricted position. Unless they were given free time to explore, he would find it hard to sneak off and catch a Space-attuned Ferric Worldeater.

“Would I have any opportunities to hunt for beasts or bounties as a bodyguard?” Zac asked.

“You would have an opportunity to leave for three days every month, but that is contingent on the situation being stable. We will not accept any runaways with a tide barreling toward us,” Teo explained.

Zac figured that was fair enough. Just like the Templar said, this wasn’t a training journey. Getting three days a month to explore the Void Gate’s restricted areas was even quite generous. He would have to leave it up to his Luck. Even if he couldn’t find and capture a Space-attuned specimen, he should still be able to get a normal one.

And if even that failed, he might be able to have the first-string cultivators capture one of the wyrms in exchange for part of his reward.

“I’m willing to take on this mission,” Zac nodded.

“Then let me reintroduce myself,” Teo smiled. “I am Marshal Teo Kastella of the Order of the Hollow Vigil. As the leader of task #1,032, I hereby invite you under the authority of the Starfall Monarch.”

As Teo finished his sentence, two screens popped up in front of Zac—a contract and an actual System Quest. Zac had no idea what hollow vigil meant, but he still bowed in deference once more before focusing on the screens.

Task #1,032 (Decree): Protect your designated ward until the target anomaly has been stabilized, or for a maximum of 6 months. Reward: 0.5 – 1.5 D-grade Nexus Coins depending on performance. (0/1) (0/178).

30

ZENITH VIGIL

This was the second Decree quest Zac had gotten, with the first being the one he was saddled with by the Eveningtide Asura. This one was straightforward, where he either had to guard his ward for the duration of the mission, or for 178 days. In a perfect world, he wouldn’t have to spend six months in the Void Gate, but it wasn’t too bad all things considered. Besides, the mission would be over the moment they stabilized that anomaly, so there was a small chance he’d be out of there in just a month or two.

The employment contract was pretty long-winded, and was essentially the same type of agreement he signed with Catheya before the Twilight Harbor. The only noteworthy addition was that he would be paid an additional 100,000 E-grade Nexus Coins for a century-long confidentiality clause that covered any secrets of the Void Gate. In addition to that, there was a rule of not actively going against the Void Gate’s interests within their domains.

The fuzzy wording, along with a couple of other phrases, left Zac a bit stumped. While the contract was more comprehensive compared to the one he signed upon entering the recruitment station, it was surprisingly vague in a lot of places. For example, ‘actively act against one’s interests’ was much too imprecise to avoid being exploited.

Conversely, in the contract Catheya had him sign, there were all kinds of clauses added to that section, including various scenarios. But here, it was left open-ended. It would stop Zac from destroying their buildings or attacking their people, but it was too fuzzy for the System to intercede in most other cases.

For example, him picking up any valuable he could find wasn’t directly working against the interest of the Void Gate, even if it was a strategic resource. It was just working on his cultivation. Neither would it be considered actively working against the Void Gate if he saw something untoward and decided to keep it to himself. It would be considered passively working against them at worst.

“No need to look so suspicious,” Teo snorted when he saw Zac’s frown. “It’s a matter of cost reduction. Salosar is only one of our recruitment stations, we sign tens of thousands of these every day. The more stringent the clauses, the more we have to pay for them to be ratified. The Void Gate has money, but nothing is without limits. With our operating costs increasing recently, and with the beast tide hampering our revenue sources, we can’t waste a fortune on every single mission.”

Hearing Teo’s explanation, Zac now understood something—why they went through all this trouble at all. Could it be because of the war? With beasts occupying all these Mystic Realms, their supply lines had to have been thrown into chaos, which was absolutely not what you wanted to see when stocking up before a massive conflict.

Normally, they might have been able to deal with these beasts themselves. But with the deadline, they were forced to look for outside help to expedite the process.

“Alright then,” Zac nodded as he accepted both the contract and quest.

A small smile spread across the face of the Marshal as he nodded with satisfaction. “Well, Gaun Sorom, welcome aboard.”

“Glad to be here,” Zac nodded.

Looking at the Hegemon’s smile, Zac wondered if there was something nefarious at play, but he put those thoughts aside. He could somewhat feel how he’d started getting bogged down by paranoia since taking this disguise. Being security-minded was good, but when you saw enemies in every shadow around you, you were bound to drive yourself mad.

Obviously, a faction would have its hidden motives and goals, but that didn’t mean they were nefarious or targeting him specifically. He just needed to keep his head down and stay alert, and deal with things as they came.

The Templar waved one of his hands, prompting one of Vivi’s cut-off vines to float over. “An extraordinary specimen, but your control is a bit crude. You’re only controlling three of the vines properly.”

“It’s my limit, for now,” Zac grimaced. “It’s as you say. I might be able to control one more if I give it my all, but I’ve found more success when controlling three vines while releasing a large set of diversionary vines.”

“This species, I don’t recognize it. Where did you acquire it?”

“That’s…” Zac said. “I’m sorry.”

“Fine,” Teo nodded. “Are you willing to part with it for the right price?”

“It’s my greatest defensive measure for now,” Zac said. “And I wouldn’t dare trick Lord Hegemon. While this plant is mighty, it is dying. I conferred with an expert who said it’s well past its pollination stage, and it will pass in a century or so. It won’t be of much use for an established faction.”

“That’s a shame,” the Hegemon sighed. “Would you allow our researchers to investigate as well? They might find something your acquaintance did not. If we manage to clone it, we would be willing to give you a great commission.”

“Of course,” Zac eagerly nodded, though he knew it was a fool’s hope on this man’s part. If Heda said it couldn’t be done, then no Void Gate researcher would be able to fare any better. Still, as a Wandering Cultivator desperately needing resources, he obviously wouldn’t turn down a deal like this. “It would be my pleasure to assist in any way that I can. However, with its life being so brittle, I hope we can postpone until the threat of the beast tide is dealt with. In case something happens…”

“Of course, there is no rush,” Teo shrugged.

‘Good luck finding me after the beast tide is dealt with,’ Zac inwardly laughed, but he simply nodded in agreement.

“Five more have applied for the task since you did, but I only expect two to pass,” the Hegemon continued. “Then again, I might be surprised once more. In either case, I expect it will be a week before we set out. For now, stay within the compound and make your final preparations. We will provide you with some talismans and other useful items when we embark, but the rest is up to you. Any questions?”

“Can you tell me a bit more about the environment we’ll visit?” Zac asked. “The quests didn’t quite specify.”

“I am only allowed to share exact details of where we’re going after the mission has started,” Teo said. “But I can tell you we will be within a powerful Spatial Energy field. That will attract certain spatial beasts, so I suggest a few extra space-sealing items. These kinds of talismans generally don’t last long inside the Void Gate, but they can be surprisingly effective.”

“Understood.” Zac guessed it was a bit like when he used [Rapturous Divide] inside the Twilight Ocean. The ambient energy back there had supercharged the skill, making it both uncontrollable and deadly.

With that, they were done, and Zac left to prepare while Teo walked toward another sparring chamber. Zac spent the next couple of days in the research base waiting for his token to buzz. Most of the time was spent trying to delve deeper into the [Book of Duality]. He’d reached a method Kalo called divergence, and Zac suspected the theories within were the foundation for, or at least related to, [Rapturous Divide].

The book detailed how forcibly keeping two opposing forces separate could create a powerful field in-between, like how magnets created a magnetic field. With the right techniques, this field could be condensed and manipulated in all kinds of ways. This trivia was more interesting than useful, though Zac wondered if this concept could be somehow used for a Life-Death core.

It was a bit similar to the marks he left on the trial wheel in Yrial’s inheritance. The energies of his two attacks had fused, which caused them to go haywire and the disk to break apart. But if he kept the two sides separate, would his creation be stabler? Problem was, could you use the theories of a gap or a chasm as a basis for a Cosmic Core? Would that leave you with a hollow core? A core with two halves, like a brain?

It seemed possible, but doing so would essentially halve the power it could exhibit, considering he’d only be able to use half the core at any given time. And what would happen if he had a pure Miasmic half while staying in his human form? Zac remembered the nauseating feeling of absorbing just a couple of wisps of Miasma from a crystal. With a proper core, would he continuously be poisoning himself? Would his Hidden Nodes even let the core stay intact?

Zac shook his head and continued deciphering the characters. The greater the theoretical base he formed, the more options would present themselves.

Apart from his studies, he spent a couple of hours a day walking around, occasionally striking up conversations with the other Wandering Cultivators. He didn’t find out much else of import, but he did hear one Late E-grade cultivator mention seeing a Half-Step Hegemon in his group teleporting away the moment the quest was done.

Most people were ferried back to Salosar on the Void Gate’s dime to save on costs, but it was good to know there were available teleportation arrays inside the Void Gate. Zac also purchased a couple of space-sealing items from a store set up by the Void Gate themselves, along with an escape talisman meant to be used in areas with strong Spatial Fields.

After three days, the recruitment station had grown a lot less crowded as squads set out one by one through teleporters, even though there was a constant stream of new arrivals. A second massive batch arrived on day five, and Zac’s token buzzed three days later. It was finally time to go.

Zac made a beeline for a building next to the administrative center—the mission command and teleportation room. Soon enough, he stood with a diverse group of cultivators in a private hall. Each emitted their auras, and it wasn’t hard to tell that almost all of them were Half-Step cultivators. The only exceptions were four who emitted the especially condensed auras of Hegemons.

It went to show just how scarce Early Hegemons were on the frontier, especially among Wandering Cultivators. Facing the group of unaffiliated warriors was Teo and another three Hegemons standing behind him. There were two women and a man, all of them Templars going by their similar sets of engraved armor.

There were also six hooded cultivators standing by their side, emitting very weak pressure, meaning they were probably the researchers.

“Welcome, everyone,” Teo said as he looked at the group of elites. “The Void Gate appreciates you braving the dangers to help us. We will do our best to reciprocate your trust. For those of you who haven’t met me, I am Teo Kastella, and I will be running point during this mission. With me are Kalo Taosa and Tyla Vesass, who will command one squad each. Finally, Havasa Yrvis, leader of the second-string defenders.”

Zac glanced at Havasa, one of the two female Templars. From the looks of it, she was at the Peak of Early Hegemony. Different from Teo’s mountainlike aura, she gave off a fierce and bloody impression. Zac guessed she was an offensive warrior focusing on Strength like himself. She was probably the one responsible for executing any troublesome beasts who made it past the defensive perimeter, while the second-string cultivators kept the monsters restrained.

“There’s only us?” a burly warrior asked with some confusion.

“The others are waiting for us inside the Void Gate,” Teo explained. “If we brought all the members to this station, we would have been forced to climb on each other to move around. Now, this is your last chance to back down. The moment the mission starts, we will not abide deserters.”

Zac glanced around. Not a single one raised any objections. He guessed any flaky people had been filtered out before this stage. Then again, the fine for breaking the contract early was pretty steep, and failing quests should be avoided when possible. Even if a quest didn’t have any failure conditions, messing up a mission would lower your importance in the System’s eyes, which could have all kinds of negative impacts.

“Alright then. We will make a jump into the Void Gate where we will have proper briefings and join up with our task members,” Teo said, and the large teleporter behind him activated a moment later.

One by one, the Wandering Cultivators stepped inside, with the four Early-stage Hegemons taking the lead. Zac recognized three of them from various intelligence packets, but the fourth one, a graceful woman with a dangerous gleam in her eyes, was completely unknown to him. Two of the others were famous Wandering Cultivators who had millennia of experience.

The final Hegemon was Uzu Huso, and he’d only broken through five years ago, which had caused some waves on Salosar Eight where he came from. After the Hegemons, the Half-Step cultivators entered, where an unofficial hierarchy formed pretty much automatically based on their auras.

This was a common occurrence among unaffiliated cultivators. They didn’t have heritage or background to compare, so they kept it simple by comparing power and feats. In this scenario, the power level Zac had set for himself barely landed him in the top twenty. However, Zac could easily tell that if he went all out, only the experienced Hegemons would be able to put up a real fight.

Apart from his titles, it boiled down to Dao. These Half-Step Hegemons had spent centuries, millennia even, squeezing out as much potential as they could from their current level. Even then, it was obvious they were just like the real Gaun, stuck with Dao Fragments, with many not even having evolved them to Peak Mastery. There were just two Zac suspected to actually possess Dao Branches.

Still, all of these warriors emitted respectable energy levels for a Wandering Cultivator, meaning they’d probably encountered their fair share of opportunities during their lifetimes.

Zac stepped onto the teleporter when his turn came, and after a brief stint of darkness, he emerged in what looked like a balcony. However, on second look it was clear it was rather a viewing gallery inside some sort of enormous stone structure, where the outer wall had been replaced by a transparent array.

The others had already walked over to the edge to take in the view, and Zac flashed over as well.

“Holy crap,” Zac muttered, not needing to pretend, even after having visited places like the Twilight Harbor.

The object that took up most of his field of vision was a large sun with a bluish hue. Judging by its proximity, Zac guessed the shielding array had some sort of dampening effects to prevent people from being blinded. Even then, Zac could both sense and see extremely powerful spatial fluctuations coming from within the star.

It almost looked like a heart that beat with spatial pulses, and Zac recalled the note left along with Leyara’s ‘gift’, where she wanted to talk fashion and the future under the light of the Void Star.

Was this it?

While the star was impressive, it still paled in comparison to the rest of the view. It became clear they weren’t actually on some planet with a very close trajectory to the blue sun. Spaceships, ranging from monstrous leviathans over ten thousand meters long to thousands of smaller skippers that flashed back and forth in the void, filled his view.

If not for the distinct arrays and the archaic designs, Zac would have thought he’d been teleported to a Technocrat base rather than some space fortress of a Zecia faction. As for himself and his squad, they hadn’t appeared in a Cosmic Vessel like those that flicked about. Rather, they were standing in a tower of a mind-bogglingly huge construct.

To his sides were five more towers like the one they stood in, each reaching tens of thousands of meters into the air. They almost looked like beehives with gates the smaller vessels flew into, while the larger motherships were docked outside.

The towers were connected horizontally to an unfathomably large oblong structure far below, almost looking like chimneys of a steamboat. Was it actually a ship? Could it even be considered one at this size? The scene was pretty shocking, considering this enormous construct wasn’t the only one—Zac saw three more just like it far in the distance.

“Now this is a real faction,” the warrior next to Zac said, his wide eyes glued to the scene. “Just being able to witness this was worth the trip.”

“So many vessels, and each one is worth a fortune,” another Wandering Cultivator added. “No wonder the Void Gate has the means to pay such generous bounties.”

One by one, the Wandering Cultivators joined Zac and the others at the edge of the room, gazing upon the scene. Even the Hegemons appeared gobsmacked at the means of the Void Gate, and Zac wasn’t surprised. The resources of a proper C-grade force simply couldn’t be compared to a D-grade one. Building a ship of this size would probably bankrupt the Salosar Cluster a couple of times over.

“Welcome to Zenith Vigil, one of our supply depots,” Teo smiled.

31

MY HEART BELONGS TO THE DAO

“This is just a supply depot?” a woman exclaimed. “Not a Core Ship?”

“The Void Gate doesn’t employ Core Ships—we don’t actually live in space,” Teo smiled, clearly satisfied with the reactions of the crowd. “Zenith Vigil is mostly used as a relay station for the warriors of the Void Gate. I’m sure you’ve noticed the star over there. That’s our target.

“I know various rumors and theories are floating about back at Salosar,” the captain continued. “But here’s the truth. That there is the Void Star, and it’s a central part of our heritage. In truth, it’s not just a celestial object—it is something far more interesting. It’s a gateway.”

“All those Mystic Realms,” a cultivator muttered.

“Exactly,” the marshal nodded. “This Void Star is not an entrance to one Mystic Realm—it holds thousands of realms. It is a unique object that superimposes innumerable dimensions. Except something has gone awry. The realms the Void Star holds are being flooded with beasts, and fundamental rules to travel between the realities within have become capricious.

“Most missions are pretty simple—to exterminate the beasts that have invaded and restore order. In our case, we are here to study, and hopefully repair, a node that is causing trouble. Meanwhile, the leaders are trying to investigate the source of the anomalies and the beasts.”

“The spatial fields around the Void Star are too powerful for teleportation. Zenith Vigil is placed as close to our destination as possible, but we will have to go by ship the last stretch. When we enter the Void Star, we expect it will take two weeks to a month to reach the anomaly,” one of the squad leaders added.

“For now, let’s head to our vessel,” Teo said. “The star is a lot farther than it looks because of the dense spatial field around it. It will take three weeks before we reach it. While we travel, we will go over all the pertinent details of what you should expect inside.”

“I heard previous squads had the opportunity to peruse the wares and public techniques at the supply depot before setting out?” Uzu, the Wandering Hegemon, ventured.

“Unfortunately, it took too long to fill this squad. We are already late. You will have a chance to trade after we return instead,” Teo said. “Now, let’s go.”

Zac reluctantly looked away from the breathtaking scenery and exited through a gate to the side with the others. They didn’t need to go very far to reach their destination—one of the hangars was right next door, and it held a bulky vessel roughly the size of a soccer field. Its design was a lot rougher compared to the vessels the Creators had shown him, but that didn’t diminish the strong impression it left.

Zac felt like an ant being near it, and he almost salivated at the thought that his own ship would be at least three times the size of this monstrosity. The docking yard had normal gravity, yet the ship was silently floating without releasing as much as a ripple, and the group embarked with the help of floating platforms that took them into the vessel.

“What kind of ship is this?” another Wandering Cultivator ventured when they had all boarded, finding themselves in what looked like a cargo hold.

“It’s nothing special,” Teo shrugged. “It’s a Templar transporter. Its only good feature is its resilience and shielding. Even Middle-stage Hegemons will find it difficult to break its defenses.”

“Should we expect an attack en route?” another cultivator asked.

“Normally, no,” Kalo, one of the seconds-in-command, said. “But when spatial anomalies are involved, you never know what can happen.”

“Everyone has a designated room matching the sigil on your tokens,” Teo continued as a map appeared above his head. “For now, feel free to walk around or get to know your squadmates. Your companions from the Void Gate have already boarded, you should be able to find most of them in the sparring chambers or the mess. We will start the first briefing in five hours in the communal area.”

The interiors of the unnamed vessel were quite simple—a third were sealed chambers that held the arrays for propulsion and defense, and another third were private compartments. That left some room for the cargo hold they currently found themselves in, two viewing decks, a couple of sparring rooms, the bridge, and a large multipurpose section that included social areas, including the mess hall.

With that, the four Hegemons left in the direction of the bridge, leaving the fifty Wandering Cultivators to their own devices. Some stayed on inside the cargo hold, discussing the Void Gate and Zenith Vigil in low volumes, while others went to explore.

Some walked in the direction of the sparring rooms with determined expressions, and it wasn’t hard to understand they wanted to fight with the Templars. Others sauntered toward the mess hall. As for Zac and a few others, they made their way toward the viewing decks, not having seen enough of the view outside.

Zac chose the deck at the rear of the vessel, since he was more interested in the Vigil Station than the Void Star—he would have more than enough time to study that thing over the coming weeks. There were already a couple of Templars there, but they didn’t pay the newcomers much heed. Zac greeted them with a small bow and got curt nods in return from roughly half of the warriors.

“We’re already moving,” one of the warriors next to Zac commented, and they hurriedly moved up to the window just in time to see their vessel soundlessly float out of the hangar.

There hadn’t been any recoil or force when the ship set off, and Zac hadn’t even sensed any energies from within the ship. The arrays that propelled the system had to be protected by a pretty powerful seal to not leak out a hint of energy.

Only a minute later did Zac finally see how the vessel moved—the ship generated spatial pulses at the back. Every few seconds, they released a pulse, and it looked similar to a stone dropped in a calm lake before space restabilized.

“It’s a localized spatial displacement configuration,” a voice next to Zac explained. “The ambient Spatial Energy in front of the vessel is absorbed, amplified, and released behind us, creating a smooth and mostly self-perpetuating momentum. The engine is very efficient and inexpensive to create, but these vessels only work in the vicinity of the Void Star.”

Zac turned over with interest, feeling the voice was a bit familiar. However, it wasn’t Teo or one of the other leaders who’d spoken, but rather another familiar figure.

“It’s you?” Zac exclaimed with surprise.

Standing next to him was Vai Salas, the little nun who suspected him of shoplifting when entering the recruitment station. She wore one of the hooded cloaks of the researchers who’d wordlessly teleported over with the others, but she’d taken off the hood hiding her facial features.

“We meet again,” Vai said and performed a small bow. “It is quite the coincidence.”

“Is it really?” Zac asked with a raised brow.

Had she followed him here? And if so, why? Had she noticed something amiss with him before?

“Ah, well…” the nun hesitated. “I did not expect to encounter you again. But when I saw your name in the mission manifest, it almost felt like fate.”

“Don’t go falling in love with me,” Zac smiled at the timid nun. “My heart belongs to the Dao.”

“That’s—no,” Vai said, becoming panicked as she bowed. “I’m sorry, I am not looking for a relationship. I have taken a vow with the covenant, and as such, I can’t enter any relationships before reaching Hegemony.”

“Stop, stop,” Zac grimaced. “I was just joking.”

“Oh,” Vai said with a small blush. “I’m sorry, I am not used to talking with strangers. But I guess we will get to know each other better over the following months. What I meant to say earlier, was that when I saw your name on the manifest, I asked the captain to assign you to me as my guardian. It felt like a sign from the Heavens encountering you twice, and I chose to listen to the will of the cosmos.”

“So it was like that,” Zac nodded. “I’ll do my best. But uh, try not to get yourself in trouble, alright?”

“Of course,” Vai smiled. “And don’t worry. I am not one of the non-combat researchers. I can defend myself as well, or at least run away and buy you some time.”

“You’re not a researcher?” Zac asked curiously.

“I am, in a sense,” Vai said. “I reached an impasse early in my cultivation. 1,200 years ago, I joined a special division researching the Void Star in hopes of finding inspiration for my path. I didn’t succeed, but I did find the work quite rewarding.”

“You’re that ol—ahem, experienced?” Zac exclaimed, somewhat course-correcting upon seeing the pout on the nun’s face. “Sorry, I’m just surprised, considering you mentioned it was your first time leaving home. With your strong aura, I thought you part of the young elites of your faction.”

“I’ve spent most of my life in the monastery, and I haven’t had much reason to lea—”

“Ms. Salas, the Adjunct is waiting for us,” another researcher interrupted as he walked over, his aura indicating he was a non-combat researcher.

“I am Gaun Sorom, it’s nice to meet you,” Zac said with a nod.

“Hm,” the man said before turning and walking away.

“I’m sorry,” Vai said with a weak smile. “The captain told me we ought to coordinate with our guardians, so I hope we can set up a sparring session during our journey?”

“Of course,” Zac said.

Zac wryly smiled as he watched them walk away. The rumors certainly were true; some of these Void Gate cultivators really looked down their noses at the Wandering Cultivators. Then again, it wasn’t Zac’s problem. He wouldn’t explode in a fit of righteous indignation just from being disregarded, as some hotheads did. If anything, the less attention these people gave him, the better.

He wasn’t in any rush, so he kept looking at the enormous space station, seeing how one vessel after another emerged or docked. Going by the size of the station’s main body and the constant traffic, Zac guessed millions of people must come and go every week. Zac wondered how the Void Gate made that work.

The Orom had been forced to continuously hunt people and use their materials to maintain the ambient energy. Were the Templars doing the same—were they forced to burn millions of Nexus Crystals every day to maintain the environment? Or were they able to make use of the Void Star somehow? Were there perhaps arrays that could copy the process of World Cores, dragging energy from the cosmos?

Was that the meaning of the Core Ships the woman mentioned earlier?

As marvelous as the view was, there were other things Zac needed to do—the first of which was to get to know the players in his squad. He might need the help of the Hegemons to complete his private mission, so he needed to start networking. He first made a quick trip to check out his compartment and found it was pretty decent. It was split up into two rooms with the outer room being a multipurpose room with a sofa set and a desk where a few books were placed. Zac looked them over, finding one contained information on the beasts of the Void Star.

The other one contained information on space. It wasn’t really a treatise on the Dao, but it rather contained useful information that would help one understand what various types of ripples meant. The book was no doubt left there to prepare the outsiders for the environment of the Void Star and to avoid any preventable accidents.

After that, Zac made his way to the mess hall, where roughly sixty people had already gathered. It was pretty clear that camps had formed not only between the outsiders and the Templars, but also within the Wandering Cultivators. Zac inwardly smiled, feeling his situation was a bit like being the transfer kid at a school cafeteria as he walked toward a table with ten Wandering Cultivators.

“Is this seat taken?” Zac asked, looking at a handsome man with two swirls of flames circulating above his head.

While most of the others had restrained their auras, Uzu made no attempts to hide his ascent into Hegemony—it was almost like he was afraid someone would miss it. To his side, the dangerous-looking woman sat, sipping on some sort of hot brew that emitted dense waves of Cosmic Energy.

“Make yourself at home,” Uzu waved with a wide grin. “I’m Uzu, and this here is Lady Ilka, an experienced expert from Tanlovi.”

“Lord Uzu, Lady Ilka,” Zac nodded before taking in Ilka with genuine surprise. The Tanlovi Triumvirate was quite far from Salosar, which meant she had to have come here with the help of the Space Gate Guild. “I’m Gaun Sorom, second string.”

“Gaun Sorom, think I heard about you,” a dour man on the other side of the table said as Zac sat down. “Heard a rumor you got your hands on a trove at the level of a Supreme treasure.”

“I wish,” Zac said with a wry smile, memorizing the features of the man causing trouble. “If I had Supreme treasure, would I be taking on this kind of dangerous mission?”

“Now ain’t that the truth?” Uzu laughed. “I’m flat broke after barely breaking through. If not for the rewards, why would I take this mission instead of the simple beast-killing tasks?”

A few grunts of agreement echoed around the table.

“I think we made the right choice,” the Hegemon added. “Analyzing the tasks with what we’ve learned so far, I believe we’re heading for one of the higher-grade realms hidden within that celestial object. I believe the odds of us discovering bounty materials are pretty good. Might be a fate-changing opportunity, even.”

Zac nodded with some evident longing, an expression that was mirrored among some of the others. The chances of these people stepping into Hegemony were almost nil, though it was clear they hadn’t given up just yet. The others exuded a greedy glint in their eyes, probably hoping for the treasure so they could finally retire to a life of luxury back on Salosar.

“Have any of you ever heard of these sorts of transforming realms?” another man asked.

This man looked a lot like a dwarf with his stocky frame and bushy beard, except he had more than a head on Billy. While the others sat on chairs, this man sat on the ground, yet he was level with the others. Going by his extremely leathery skin, Zac guessed there might be some ogre in his bloodline.

“Never,” Uzu said, and the others shook their heads as well.

There were some similarities between the Void Star and the Twilight Ascent, but they were ultimately different. For one, the Twilight Ascent was a System trial, and it was the System that forcibly divided one Mystic Realm into three identical versions. This place felt far more complicated.

Eventually, everyone’s gazes turned to Ilka, the only other Hegemon at the table.

“It is definitely not a common occurrence,” Ilka said. “If I had to guess, this is the only place in our Sector with this kind of layered Mystic Realm. The Dravorak Dynasty has the Hundred Fates, but those Mystic Realms are simply serried rather than superimposed.”

“I cannot remember reading about anything like this in the archives either,” a scholarly-looking old man said. “It should be worth studying—it might be related to their strength.”

“Ka-Lu over there worked the gates of the Drix Archives for seven centuries, he’s probably one of the most well-read outsiders on this ship,” Uzu nodded.

“You think it’s the source of their spatial heritage, rather than the other way around?” Zac asked curiously.

“Perhaps, perhaps not,” Ka-Lu smiled. “But it brings up some interesting questions, wouldn’t you say? A powerful heritage, a mysterious celestial object, and a faction that’s desperately gathering ancient remnants throughout the region.”

“You think it’s related to the Limitless Empire?” Uzu said, his voice reduced to a whisper.

“The Limitless Empire was powerful beyond our understanding. Creating something as marvelous as this stellar object should have been child’s play to them. Perhaps the Void Gate found a heritage of theirs, only they cannot freely control it or excavate its deepest secrets. So they’re looking for clues among the ruins of Zecia.”

Zac looked at the old man with surprise, wondering if he really was onto something. He remembered how Leyara had stopped at nothing to purchase some random vase back in the Tower of Eternity, just because of its connection to the Limitless Empire. Ka-Lu’s suppositions also tracked with his own guesses about the Void Gate’s connection to his heritage and Emperor Limitless.

Come to think of it, there was one more factor which indicated Zecia might have more of a connection to the Limitless Empire than one should expect from a frontier Sector. After all, it was here Leandra’s family had set up a research base looking into bloodlines. And it was here Leandra fled when their experiments failed—indicating the actual experiments might not have taken place too far away.

In theory, the Limitless Empire’s domains should have been the first thing to get integrated when the System awoke. But what if something happened, where certain parts of the empire were disconnected, or even moved away for some reason?

“Remnants of the Limitless Empire? We better hope not,” the dour man muttered.

“Really? You’re not interested in the remains of the most powerful empire in history?” Uzu asked with a raised brow.

“I’m interested in staying alive. Any realm or Heritage connected to the Limitless Empire, no matter how depreciated, would be a core secret of a faction—something even the powerful factions above Zecia would desire. If we’re exposed to such secrets, the odds of us making it out in one piece is almost nil, contract or no,” he shrugged. “The less we see, the better.”

The man’s words put a damper on the discussion, but not without reason. They were ultimately just outsiders without powerful backing. Most factions would do whatever it took to protect their core secrets—killing a couple of Wandering Cultivators was nothing. Though Zac’s heart started to beat with anticipation rather than worry.

What if there really were clues to his heritage in this place?

32

A SEED RETURNED

“Are you ready?” Zac asked.

“I—Yes?” Vai hesitated as she gripped her tome tightly.

“Alright then.” Zac grinned and took a step forward, the chamber flooding with unbridled killing intent. “Then try to survive.”

With that, he flashed forward with [Earthstrider] as his eyes bored into Vai’s. She’d visibly paled from the onslaught of his bloodlust, but Zac still sensed she managed to infuse her tome with Cosmic Energy. The next moment, one Vai turned into ten, and space started to twist and refract throughout the whole room.

A simple spatial manipulation that essentially turned the area into a labyrinth, where the cardinal directions lost their meaning as they were turned into a Gordian knot. However, Zac only smiled and punched to his left. A tunnel was forced through the twisting corridor of space, exposing one of the nun’s avatars who looked at him agape.

Zac took another step with his movement skill to appear right in front of her, and his axe was already descending toward her head.

“Eep!” Vai yelped, her eyes wide with horror at the incoming edge.

“Well, it’s better, I guess?” Zac said as he stopped his swing mid-motion. “But the aura of your true self was exposed when setting up the labyrinth. And you stopped moving after erecting it, making it effortless to figure out where you were. If you swapped places with one of your doppelgangers the moment the trap was set up, you would have been able to avoid me a lot longer. Also, the trap you set up was beautifully crafted, but all that effort is wasted in front of a Beast King. Remember, keep it simple and keep moving.”

This was their fifth training session together, and even if Vai’s performance was pretty wretched, it was still a lot better than the first time they fought. Zac had quickly realized Vai barely had any combat experience at all. Turns out she hadn’t been in a single life-death battle her whole life, and his raw killing intent had been enough to render her unconscious.

When asked, Vai explained she’d reached Peak E-grade when only 28. From there, she’d spent the next fifty years trying to progress using both adventures and the solitary methods of the Void Gate devotees. Unfortunately, she’d hit a brick wall when reaching for Hegemony, and the Void Gate wouldn’t pay for their people’s cultivation forever if they didn’t progress.

Finally, she had been forced to take up a job as an assistant at some research facility, and that was where she’d worked for the remainder of her life, slowly rising in ranks until she became a proper researcher. During that time, she hadn’t fought once, so the little she knew from her cultivation days had slowly been lost.

By now, she had essentially discarded her identity as a combat class altogether, and half of her skills had been replaced with ones that would help her with research.

That’s why Zac gave up any idea of trying to teach her basic footwork or to avoid danger, and instead settled on the basic method he’d used on Emily long ago. If he could get her used to his killing intent, she hopefully wouldn’t freeze like a deer in headlights the moment a beast came barreling toward her.

During their second training session, Vai barely managed to stay conscious, but had still been so unnerved, she’d completely forgotten how to use skills or Cosmic Energy. The little nun simply tried to stumble out of the way while shrieking at the top of her lungs, almost looking like a mortal who had yet to start cultivating.

That Vai had accomplished this much just a few weeks later, could be considered pretty good.

“I’m sorry, I keep coming up short,” Vai sighed.

“Don’t worry about it,” Zac smiled. “You’re making progress, and you’re probably a lot better compared to the other researchers already.”

“Still… Could we go again?” Vai said with a determined expression.

“Sure.”

Like that, they went a couple of more rounds, where Vai tried to gain some basic experience. But suddenly, the door swung open, and Zac was surprised to see Havasa Yrvis, the leader of the second-string defenders, who walked inside. They’d spoken a few times, and had even sparred once—she was the real deal.

She used a spiked hammer as a weapon, and Zac had been afraid she would tear the whole vessel apart when she swung that gnarly thing. In return, she was on the slower side for a Hegemon. She was a lot like Billy in that sense, though their personalities were nothing alike, and neither were their Daos.

“Interesting,” Havasa said.

“Captain Yrvis,” Zac said with a bow. “I figured this was the best way to increase her odds of survival in case something happened.”

“You’re right,” Havasa agreed. “It’s too late for her to gain any practical combat ability, but getting anointed in killing intent will at least help her stay conscious during a beast tide. I’m more curious about you, and why you have such a dense killing intent. It borders on the unorthodox.”

“There’s nothing of that sort,” Zac hurriedly said. “I’m simply not too bright, so I have spent the past centuries throwing myself against beasts in the wilderness. That’s how I’ve managed to gain the little amount of power I have.”

“Mhm,” Havasa said noncommittally, then turned away. “We’re going to break through in one hour. I suggest you return to your compartments.”

With that, she was gone, and Zac turned to Vai for an explanation. However, he found her equally confused.

“How odd, it should be a few more days,” she muttered. “Has the corona expanded?”

“What’s going on?” Zac asked.

“We’re about to enter the domain of the Void Star, but we’ll have to pass through a very dense spatial film first. It’s incredibly powerful and can leave hidden pockets of Spatial Energy in your body, which you definitely don’t want to have when entering a powerful spatial field. There has been more than one Void Gate disciple who has suddenly died from a tear opening up from within their body.”

“Great,” Zac muttered.

“Don’t worry, the odds of that happening are quite low, and our compartments have an additional layer of shielding. You’re more likely to die from a beast attack,” Vai said.

“You’re not helping,” Zac sighed as he walked out of the sparring room. “After we’ve passed through that film, we’ve arrived?”

“Almost. We will have to enter the correct layer, but that will only take a few hours. Thank you for the help these past weeks, by the way,” Vai said with a bow. “I didn’t realize I had such a glaring weakness. I will try not to make your job any harder than it has to be.”

“Don’t worry about that and just focus on fixing that anomaly of yours,” Zac smiled. “The sooner we can go back, the better.”

Seeing as they had an hour, Zac went over to an almost-full viewing deck while Vai returned to her quarters. The Void Star essentially covered their whole vision by this point, a huge glaring wall of blue that consumed everything else. There were still no clues to how a star could hold thousands of Mystic Realms—no glimpses of anything except fire hiding within.

Neither were there any clues to the film Havasa mentioned they were approaching, so Zac returned to his cabin. There was no point in tempting fate and getting blasted with a wave of supercharged Spatial Energy. After all, the barrier had clearly moved out a lot farther than Vai expected, so who was to say it couldn’t drift a bit more?

Zac sat down in the sealed cultivation chamber and started going over his own research instead. Most of Zac’s time over the past three weeks had been spent in his room, where he deepened his understanding of the [Book of Duality]. By now, most of the second chapter was ‘completely’ deciphered, though unlocking the remaining five chapters would no doubt add new layers to what he understood.

As to how long that would take, Zac couldn’t be certain, but he expected at least a year. And that was if he focused solely on the book. Problem was, he had a lot of things on his plate, even after having put a hold on his Soul Strengthening now that he didn’t have access to the right environment.

The more he learned from the [Book of Duality], the more he felt Three Virtues was onto something. The System, and the whole universe for that matter, was based on the concept of balance. And while there were innumerable ways to look at balance, it did seem reasonable that his human side should be Life-attuned rather than just… nothing.

Problem was that the [Boundless Vajra Sublimation] was not just a Body-strengthening Manual. On the surface, the training method seemed quite simple—there were three different Life-attuned and body-strengthening compounds you needed to prepare, or one of their many replacements. With these compounds, you would then draw a specific array on your body before practicing a certain set of movements while chanting the provided Sutras.

Basically, Heart Cultivation and Body Cultivation mashed into one, where Zac’s instincts told him the Heart Cultivation was a trap. It was based on a completely different path from his own, where he drew strength from his convictions and his goals. Meanwhile, the Heart Cultivation method centered around relinquishing—letting go of the fetters that kept you from enlightenment.

An approach like this wouldn’t necessarily turn you into an unthinking arhat, as long as you managed to hold onto your path. But even then, it was only suitable for the type of cultivators who had severed everything in their pursuit of the Dao—family, emotions, desires, and mundane interests. It would strengthen your conviction and connection to the Dao while eroding everything else.

This didn’t work for Zac, so he was trying to figure out a way to extract only the body-tempering component of the technique, and discard the Heart Cultivation. Which was easier said than done. He couldn’t just skip chanting the Sutras. Not only would that throw off the rhythm of the technique, he could somewhat tell that the actual stances could affect his state of mind.

Even though he already had more than enough materials to start the introductory stage of the method, he had yet to practice it. Heart Cultivation was intangible and elusive, and he feared he wouldn’t notice his personality changing until it was too late.

The minutes passed, and Zac started to see a change in the cultivation chamber. Normally, you’d only sense the powerful spatial fluctuations outside when visiting the viewing deck, but Zac now found space all around him starting to stir. It was as though his surroundings had come alive, with the walls, ground, and even the air itself dancing with the beat of the cosmos.

At first, it wasn’t too bad. But then the pulse came and reality cracked.

* * *

The palace was vast beyond comprehension, looking down upon the world with indifference. It held back the endless storm, a stalwart defender that had kept its vigil for an unfathomable number of years. The very air was filled with antiquity and conviction. But few things in this universe were eternal—and the great fortress had seen its fair share of assaults.

Each mark marring its structures was a Dao perfected, each scar the representation of an indomitable will. Even the wrath of the Heavens formed intricate patterns across the walls and the towers, yet they proudly remained standing. Together, the indelible marks formed a tapestry of fate so rich that it beggared comprehension. The loss and destruction this castle had seen were enough to make the Heavens cry.

Who had built it, and who wanted to see it destroyed? What was the storm that forever drew closer? And what was that mark? The mark looked so—

The sobriety was deafening across the courtyard. It was hollow yet not wanting—not even the Heavens could impugn on its domain. There was no life, but also no death. No conflict, no future, no past. There was just emptiness.

Nine seals. Eight pillars. One destiny.

The white pebbles which made the path leading toward the solitary building were simple and unadorned, yet they made up the basis of the universe. The seven steps at the end of the path held the weight of an era, each one marked with the same solitary brand.

The building atop the small platform was simple, yet the aura emanating from within had surpassed the Heavens, surpassed the Dao. It couldn’t be defined by the Heavenly Laws, because it had transcended what should be possible. And it was waiting.

Ultom.

* * *

Mohzius Tayn thoughtfully frowned as he mulled over the messages from his disciples. The Starbeast Alliance was gathering strength while the ancient clans launched massive wars. Even the Sangha and the remaining Apostatic Clans were stirring.

Why now? It was too early for another ascent. The Heavens were still gathering momentum. But there were few other things that could cause such a stir.

Suddenly, space rippled, and a smile spread across his face as he looked to the sky.

“What’s wrong, love?” he asked. “The Heavens will find you if you keep popping in like this.”

“It’s busy at the moment. One of the pillars is stirring.”

“Well, that would do it,” Mohzius grimaced as he glanced at the missives in his hands. “This is not a great time for us. What do you want to do?”

“As you said, it’s not for us,” the Empyrean Throne said. “Perhaps we’ll find an opportunity in the future depending on how things turn out. For now, let the others fight it out. The pillars are not so easily seized. Last time, the struggle lasted almost a million years.”

“That one was special, though,” Mohzius said.

“They’re all special. Just stay put until I can emerge, and keep little Iz safe from the storm that’s coming.”

“About that…” Mohzius coughed.

“Old man, what have you done?” a chilly voice growled as the galaxy shuddered.

* * *

“Amitabha, excuse me, brothers,” Blessed Fate smiled.

“Off to that decrepit little temple of yours again, brother Fate?” Kendos frowned. “Why not just move down from the mountain? The forest path is growing treacherous. Basto’s son almost got gored by a beast of a boar the other day.”

“I’m telling you, something odd is going on,” Hastus interjected. “The animals are growing bigger, meaner.”

“Amitabha, what will be, will be,” Blessed Fate sighed. “One of the Heavenly constants is change, but this poor monk still needs to tend to his temple.”

The men in the room froze before their bodies started to fade. Then it happened to the small mountain village, the mountains, the country, and soon the whole world. Tens of thousands of years of history, gone. Billions of lives lived across hundreds of generations. Stars were extinguished and galaxies died out as all creation returned to the origin.

Joys and sorrows. Hopes and aspirations. Suffering and despair. All gone. Remaining was just a golden ocean stretching toward eternity.

“Amitabha, Almsgivers. Born from the heart, returned to the heart. Come, child.”

Space shifted and a small island appeared, on the center of which a small mountain temple stood. Waiting by its gates stood a rotund halfling.

“Teacher,” the child said with a bow when Blessed Fate walked over.

“Just a few dozen millennia have passed, and you are already making progress,” Blessed Fate smiled.

“It is all thanks to teacher’s blessings, but this one still has a long way to go,” Three Virtues said with another bow. “I am still far from creating a world with my heart, let alone a reality.”

“Enlightenment cannot be rushed,” Blessed Fate said. “What will be, will be. But this poor monk has to confess, I am surprised. This one thought you wanted to keep your incarnations on the outside until your rebirth reached fruition.”

“It could not wait. As expected, teacher was correct,” Three Virtues said as he handed his master a small white pebble whose very presence caused ripples to spread across the whole ocean.

A moment later, a golden statue rose from the depths, its continent-sized hands joined together in a mighty seal containing the authority of Buddha. Order was restored, and the Dvarapala sunk back to resume its eternal vigil.

“The Kalpa turns as Ultom stirs,” Blessed Fate sighed, his eyes trained on the pebble rather than the scene outside. “Are we prepared?”

“A pebble brought out and a seed returned,” Three Virtues nodded. “Though I confess, the path teacher chose seems… precarious. This poor monk fears it will have the opposite effect.”

“There are no certainties in life, and our actions might end up accruing Mara. With everything at stake, there are no safe paths down the road,” Blessed Fate said with a sorrowful smile. “Even so, we will shoulder the weight. If this useless monk doesn’t step through the gates of hell, who will?”

33

ULTOM

Zac’s soul cried, unable to comprehend what he’d been forced to witness. He couldn’t think, he couldn’t see—his senses were filled with red and the screams of an ancient past. He desperately tried to escape, to scream for help—anything to break the vision that gripped him and was rapidly eroding his mind.

Suddenly, a soothing stream of golden warmth filled him, and his frantically beating heart gradually calmed. The ancient horror was still there—the comfort was but a firefly before a raging inferno. However, it was as though the vision of the courtyard didn’t want to be sullied, and for lack of a better word, it exited Zac’s mind on its own as the healing waves spread throughout his body.

Zac started to gain a sense of his surroundings, though the world was still steeped in red. He tried to clear his eyes, but his hands didn’t quite listen to him. So instead, he tried to ask what was going on, but only a slurred groan escaped from his lips.

“Just relax,” a low voice said by his side, and Zac arduously turned his eyes to see an elderly man holding his hands over Zac’s chest, and a beautiful shimmer was released onto his body.

It was Kantomir, one of the five devotees in the squad who weren’t researchers. He was a healer, and a D-grade one at that. Why was he here? Zac tried to force his harried mind to focus, and managed to take in what he was looking at.

Blood. Blood everywhere.

Zac was still in his compartment, but no longer inside the cultivation chamber. He was lying in a pool of blood in the middle of his social area, and the remaining splinters of the door to his inner chamber were lying all around him. The walls were covered with large swathes of sanguine red—not even the ceiling was spared.

Had he punched himself out of the cultivation chamber in his delirious state? Or had someone broken in to save him? And why had he lost enough blood to paint the whole room red?

“What the—What is going on here?” another gruff voice asked to the side, and Zac recognized the voice to belong to Teo.

Clearly, he was just as much at a loss as Zac himself about the situation. Furthermore, both he and Kantomir were fine, indicating the thing Zac just endured only applied to him.

“I—eurh…” Zac tried to force his mind to focus. “I don’t know. One minute the walls started to dance, the next I find myself on the floor out here. I might have had a deviation in my cultivation. Did you drag me out of there?”

“I was alerted about your state from the token and found you lying here screaming at the top of your lungs,” Kantomir explained before he turned to the Templar captain. “Is it the visions?”

“Visions?” Zac said, trying to look confused as he wiped the blood from his face.

The former wasn’t anything odd. The tokens all the Wandering Cultivators wore contained a tracking array that also monitored one’s vitals. However, the second was rather shocking. The Void Gate knew about those terrifying visions?

“Enough,” Teo said to Kantomir before turning to Zac. “Some warriors, mostly those with Spatial Affinity, are sometimes shown scenes from various layers of the Void Star when met with strong spatial turbulence. Your wretched state might be because you lack affinity with space. Do you remember seeing anything?”

“Nothing,” Zac lied with confusion written all over his face. “Seen what?”

“You might have seen one of the Beast Emperors in the depths of the Void Star, prompting the backlash,” Teo sighed. “This is our mistake. These things usually only happen in the depth of the Void Star, it must have become more unpredictable than we expected. It looks like completing our mission has become even more important.”

“Will this keep happening?” Zac groaned as he slowly got to a sitting position.

“Doubtful. Only you on the vessel were hit when we passed through the barrier, and we haven’t had any reports of this being a widespread occurrence. I’m afraid you were just unlucky. I guess it’s good to get the bad luck out of the way early?” Teo said with a wry smile.

“Yeah, feels great,” Zac grunted.

“Your soul is intact, and your body is free from any foreign Daos,” Kantomir commented. “There is a small amount of Spatial Energy in your body, but it is well within acceptable limits—nothing to indicate this event left any sequelae.”

“Try to recover as best you can over the next hour,” the Templar captain added as he took out a bottle of pills. “I’ll talk to Havasa and have you placed in the inner circle of the formation for the first few days.”

“Alright, thank you,” Zac nodded.

With that, Teo and the healer left the room, leaving Zac to gather his thoughts as he ate a Healing Pill—one of his own just in case. There had been something slightly off about Teo’s explanation, though Zac couldn’t say exactly what. Did the Templar know what Zac just witnessed?

More importantly, just what the hell was that vision? It wasn’t a Dao Vision, and it didn’t feel like the visions he’d seen when awakening his bloodlines or Hidden Nodes. Neither was it a journey of the spirit like when he met with Be’Zi or her husband.

It rather felt like an invasion. One moment there was nothing, but the next this whole reality had crammed itself into the recesses of his mind, latent echoes that created an unbearable crescendo for someone at the E-grade. And with the power contained in the vision, Zac’s very sense of self had been suppressed and replaced by knowledge and impressions that were now out of reach.

He still remembered the castle—and what was hidden in its center.

The power that the vast citadel exuded beggared Zac’s comprehension. He sincerely doubted even that enormous golem that accompanied Iz Tayn would be able to leave the kinds of markings which crisscrossed those walls. Even then, the castle couldn’t compare to the profundity of that lonesome courtyard.

It was like every grain of sand contained a universe, or at least truths that surpassed the glimpses of Chaos he’d conjured. Who could have built a place like that?

There weren’t too many options in that regard. Such a place was obviously erected by a peak faction far surpassing any force in Zecia or its neighboring states. Judging by the sense of antiquity and Zac’s current location, there was a clear contender; the Limitless Empire. Just like that Wandering Cultivator had said the day they boarded the ship—the Limitless Empire possessed means that were far beyond their understanding.

That would explain why only he was affected while Teo and the healer were fine. If so, it had to be an important facility of the Limitless Empire to emit that kind of power, completely different compared to the essentially useless scraps that had popped up in Zecia so far. It seemed almost impossible for something like that to appear in this desolate corner of the Multiverse.

At the same time, Zac wasn’t certain. The obvious conclusion was that it was related to his bloodline, except his bloodline hadn’t reacted at all, and nothing had changed in his constitution. Besides, even if the truths hidden in the scars on the castle or within the small pebbles of the courtyard were blurry now, he could somewhat tell they weren’t exactly related to his origin.

There was a vague sense of connection between him and whatever lurked in the heart of that small pagoda at the heart of the courtyard. However, it was more like that place held a connection to all creation and the Dao itself, rather than holding the answer to the true meaning of the ‘Void’ in his bloodline.

That unfathomable sense of having surpassed the limits of the Dao raised another possibility, one that was perhaps even more outlandish—was it an Eternal Heritage? Did the castle stem from an earlier era?

Perhaps he was underestimating the profundity of the A-grade. Those people were at the very peak of the pyramid, and someone like Zac didn’t have the capabilities to gauge the difference between an Autarch and a Supremacy. It was possible that the castle simply came from some other powerful faction who had fallen during the endless years of the current age.

After all, the Multiverse was nigh-endless, and there were probably extremely powerful factions who existed outside the System’s purview. That was doubly true during the start of the System’s era when it only controlled a fraction of the domains it had now integrated.

Was the castle even real?

“Ultom,” Zac muttered.

His eyes widened in alarm as he looked around with fear. Fate started gathering around him the moment he uttered the name engraved in his mind at the end of the vision. Thankfully, the convergence dissipated, allowing Zac to breathe out in relief. But that short moment had been enough to leave his back slick with sweat.

It was real—all too real—and just saying the word came with implications.

Zac spent the next hour stabilizing his soul while using [Surging Vitality] to rapidly mend the small tears that had appeared throughout his body. Thankfully, the healer’s diagnosis was mostly correct, though his Mental Energy was almost completely drained after witnessing the scene.

Even after one hour, he wasn’t any closer to figuring out what was going on or what to do from here. He couldn’t bow out now, especially not if the Templar captain knew more than he let on. It would be counted as desertion, and possibly land him in big trouble. And Zac wasn’t sure he wanted to leave, even if he could.

It was he who’d been shown the scene the moment they entered the Void Star, and Zac believed an opportunity waited for him so long as he dared seize it.

The smart thing would probably be to keep his head down and avoid trouble as he completed the task and caught a Worldeater. However, the vision of that lonesome courtyard might as well have been branded onto his soul. And if there was one thing he learned from socializing with Wandering Cultivators over the past weeks, it was that opportunities that could change one’s providence were few and far between.

Most of those he’d spoken with had spent centuries desperately fighting and seeking a lucky break, risking their lives over and over. Even then, most had very little to show for it except their current levels of cultivation. A few struck it rich a few times when risking their lives inside wild Mystic Realms, but those kinds of opportunities only lasted so long after paying the entrance fee along with house and board.

Zac had already encountered enough opportunities to last a lifetime, but the same was true for everyone who ever reached the peak—he needed to continuously find and seize them if he wanted a shot at Monarchy and above. That was doubly true for him with his odd constitution and extremely ambitious path.

He didn’t delude himself into thinking he could conquer that terrifying citadel, but any random scrap related to that place could probably be considered an earthshattering opportunity for an E-grade cultivator. This was what was required to pursue the peak, the conviction he needed to catch up with his mother. Greatness didn’t come from playing it safe, there was no way his goals could be accomplished that way.

His years in the Orom World had pretty much exhausted the momentum and inspiration he’d gained from all his previous opportunities, and it was time to dive into the deep end again. Zac didn’t care if the vision was shown as part of the System’s machinations, a result of his weird heritage, or a stroke of fate. He didn’t even care if his actions or pursuits would have unexpected ramifications for the Void Star or Zecia.

It might be greedy and selfish, but Zac would still face this head-on, win or lose.

Of course, that didn’t mean he would blindly rush into the depths of this unknown terrain. This might mean he would need to delay his trip to the Million Gates Territory though. There was no guarantee he’d find what he was looking for right away, so he might have to stay on and complete more missions inside the Void Star to search for clues. But, so what?

Having come to a decision, Zac could somewhat feel how something had shifted inside him. Almost like his heart had sped up and adrenaline coursed through his body, but he knew it was something else. It was momentum, just like when he decided to risk his life for Kaldor’s Remnant or when he chose to immediately break through to the E-grade upon returning from the Tower of Eternity.

Like he was being carried forward by a wave of fate, pushing him further than he would have been able to reach on his own. Still, he let none of this show on his face as he exited his compartment, looking as good as new after having scrubbed the blood from himself and the compartment.

Right now, he was just Gaun Sorom. Right now, he would stay his hand, until it was time to make his move.

* * *

Perala’s eyes shot open as the scar in front of her shuddered. A storm of space was released from her hands, but to no avail—an ancient aura permeated the chamber for a few seconds before the scar closed. It felt like her soul had been hit by a hammer, and tears spread all over her body, separating her into hundreds of small parcels of flesh that floated across the chamber.

For a moment, she was nothing.

The Void eventually drew her back together. Even then, her white robes were drenched with blood, and she’d lost eons of vitality in that fractional moment. She closed her eyes, but there was no answer to her call. The heart had closed itself off, its beat no longer walking in step to her own.

The ramifications were clear, and she shook her head with despair.

“So, another pillar is about to be unearthed,” she sighed, filled with a sense of weariness and reluctance. “Why here? Why now? It’s too early.”

She had prayed it wouldn’t come to this. Its appearance was important, vital even. At the same time, the suffering its descent would bring to the Multiverse, to Zecia, and to the Void Gate, was inestimable. All these talents that had been raised, how many would survive the winds of fate?

Suddenly, there was a ripple in the Void, and she waved her hand, the blood disappearing from her dress. The Void was parted by her command, opening a gate through space. Two people stepped through, one warrior and one nun. It was Grand Templar Kalcas and Head Abbess Salvara, the previous-generation leaders of the two branches of the Void Gate.

“Mistress,” both said with a bow, their eyes turning to the spot where the scar should have been.

“Is it really…?” the Kalcas asked, his eyes veritably burning as his fighting spirit caused the Void to shake.

“Tranquility,” Perala urged. “What brought you here?”

“The Void Star just released a massive wave of energy, and we have lost contact with the depths,” the Abbess said. “With the marker extinguished…”

“With the unfortunate anomalies that have plagued the Void Star as of late, we will have to make sure it’s not a coincidence,” Perala said. “But it is likely true.”

“Billions of years—so many generations,” the warrior said, his eyes fraught with emotion. “The search, it’s finally over. We will get to see it before we face the Void. We can face our ancestors with pride.”

“There is still a long way to go,” Perala said. “For now, stop the excavation and stabilize the paths as best we can. If we have managed to latch onto one of its nodes, we can’t lose it again.”

“Of course,” the warrior eagerly nodded. “What about the outsiders and the missions?”

“Let everything proceed,” Perala said with some thought. “Many are currently watching us. Besides, we don’t know what triggered the reaction—it might be a result of all the new blood arriving. Surely, we have missed more than one person carrying the bloodline over the eons.”

“What about the inner array?”

“Even if we have lost connection, it should still be operational,” Perala said. “I will head over myself in a moment.”

“Congratulations on finishing the Eternal Vigil,” Salvara said with a deep bow, and Kalcas immediately followed suit.

“Alright, enough of that,” Perala said with a small smile. “Go fulfill your tasks. We have prepared for this for an eternity, we cannot get complacent now.”

The two Monarchs nodded, and a moment later were gone, having teleported away to activate the Monasteries and the Templar Orders. Perala sighed as an ancient token appeared in her hand, and she gazed upon the fine engravings for over a minute. Eventually, she stowed the token away again before opening a window in space, showing the Void Star in all its glory.

What should she do to protect her? What could she do?

34

LANDING

Having cleansed the compartment of any hints of his outburst, Zac made his way toward the cargo hold. By this point, more than half the cultivators had arrived, and they wore a mix of somber and excited expressions. Vai was there, and she scurried over to his side when she saw him emerge from one of the hallways.

“I heard something happened, are you alright?” Vai asked, worry in her eyes.

“Nothing to worry about,” Zac smiled. “Just a little mishap, but I’m all better now.”

“Just stay close to me after we disembark,” she said in a low volume. “I can somewhat stabilize space around us until you’re recovered.”

“Thank you,” Zac nodded. “I’ll rely on you then.”

It wasn’t really necessary, but why turn down a kind gesture?

The minutes passed until the cargo hold was almost filled to capacity. Between support staff, researchers, outside hires, and Void Gate warriors, the squad had a total of 118 members, and they were all accounted for. Only the two pilots were missing, as they would take the vessel back to Zenith Vigil after dropping their squad off.

“Alright, people,” Teo said as a helmet closed over his head and his Spirit Tools appeared in his hands. “Ready yourselves. You read the reports—the layer we’re about to enter is controlled by beasts—we might be attacked the moment we arrive. From this moment forward, we are at high alert.”

Zac cracked his neck as his backup axe appeared in his hand—a Pseudo D-grade mundane weapon he’d commissioned from Calrin. It didn’t possess a Tool Spirit, but it had simple repair and sharpening arrays engraved. And with it containing over 10% D-grade metals, it was both heavy and sturdy enough to take the role of [Verun’s Bite] for a short stint.

Even then, Zac noticed the true value of Spirit Tools, apart from how they were noticeably stronger than their mundane counterparts. Both energy and Dao entered a spiritual weapon effortlessly. With Verun, every infusion felt like an extension of his body, whereas there was a noticeable resistance with the metal axe he now wielded, even if it was expertly crafted.

It only meant a small delay in activating skills or infusing his weapon, but that could make all the difference in a heated battle. Still, it shouldn’t matter much in this mission, considering the level of enemies he would get sent his way.

Two vines emerged from the tube on Zac’s back, snaking around Vai’s waist as she nervously fidgeted with her own Spirit Tool. The other second-string guards prepared similarly, though most of them used spiritual ropes that would prevent spatial fluctuations from separating them from their wards upon disembarking.

“It’ll be fine,” Zac smiled at Vai, and he got a weak smile in return. Zac wasn’t too worried, but he wasn’t surprised the little researcher was stressed out about what would come next.

As everyone prepared, the hatch at the bottom of the Cosmic Vessel soundlessly opened, and a wave of heat and spatial turbulence pushed into the ship. A blue inferno was visible below, a raging sea of fire. It was easy to forget as you read the reports of all the different worlds inside, but the Void Star was a real star apart from a container for all those Mystic Realms.

Normally, there would be floating platforms with stabilized Teleportation Arrays right at the edge of the celestial object that would take you into the Mystic Realms, just like how it worked back on Earth. However, with the erratic spatial fluctuations the Void Star had started releasing over the past years, it had become too risky to use those things.

Instead, the Void Gate used a more straightforward solution—to jump straight into the sun. It sounded insane, but was actually a lot safer than using arrays. Apparently, the outer layers of Mystic Realms could be accessed simply by entering the corona, so you didn’t have to withstand the heat for long.

And thankfully, the Void Gate were well versed in minimizing the danger, and Zac felt extremely powerful arrays hum to life inside the vessel. The next moment, a pillar of light descended unto the sun, quenching the fires that rose to lick the hull of the Cosmic Vessel. Zac’s eyes widened in surprise, as the array exposed an opalescent bubble within.

Was that the barrier to the Mystic Realm?

“Gather up the moment you land,” Teo said as he walked toward the hatch. “The mission officially starts now.”

With that, the Templar simply jumped down. From his body, a tremendous Dao Field burst forth, almost giving Zac the impression it was a whole mountain falling toward the barrier over a thousand meters below rather than a cultivator. It wasn’t vanity that made him release his Dao Field like that though.

He was acting as an icebreaker. The ship’s array had pushed away the flames, but it wasn’t able to remove the continuous waves of Spatial Energy the Void Star exuded. Teo’s condensed aura pushed at least some of it back, making the passage safer for the rest of them. The first batch of soldiers immediately followed in the Templar’s wake, after which the second captain repeated Teo’s action to cleanse the area with their Dao.

Zac was part of the third batch, but he suddenly felt a huge wave of danger, a feeling that was soon confirmed by a blaring siren.

“EVERYBODY JUMP!” Havasa roared while the second co-captain of the first string threw out over fifty people in a go by generating a gust.

Zac was already on the move before Havasa finished her sentence, his Danger Sense urging him to get out of there. Vai was dragged along screaming in fear, and in a flash, they were falling toward the star below. Even then, Zac didn’t feel safe. He released a continuous series of bursts of energy to accelerate even farther.

And it was lucky—just a few seconds later, the Void Star spat out a beam of blue flames with such speed, it almost looked like a laser. It contained so much energy that Zac couldn’t even look at it straight, forcing him to close his eyes just as the pillar swallowed the ship whole.

Zac knew it was over for the transporter the moment he sensed the terrifying fluctuations within the spear of flames. Teo had mentioned the vessel could easily withstand the attacks of a Middle Hegemon, but that power was at the level of Monarchs. He could only urge himself on as he dragged Vai into an embrace, just before a shockwave caused his insides to shift.

“Eat a Healing Pill,” Zac coughed as he looked at the little researcher who’d essentially curled up into a ball before glancing up at the sky.

As expected, the Cosmic Vessel was destroyed, partly scorched beyond recognition, while other sections were simply gone. That eruption had contained the Spatial Energy of at least a thousand [Void Balls]. There was no coming back from that.

Thankfully, it looked like everyone had gotten out of the ship in time, with almost fifty people falling toward the Void Star above him. There was also burning shrapnel falling all around them, but that wasn’t enough to become a threat to Half-Step Hegemons. They simply slapped any burning debris out of the way if it flew too close.

“Don’t get distracted! We’re passing through,” Havasa’s voice echoed out in his ears, and Zac turned toward the opalescent barrier that was constantly flickering. “Synchronize now.”

There was no time to curse their bad luck or mourn the death of the two pilots who’d ferried them here. Zac shook his ward to wake her up from her stupor, and they both activated the spatial talismans they’d been given. A flickering barrier enclosed him as a result, with thousands of foreign scripts dancing around him.

Similar scenes took place around Vai, Havasa, and the other nearby cultivators as they fell toward the final barrier of the Void Star. The shockwave had pushed them close enough to the barrier that most of the flames hadn’t had time to return. The little that remained was dealt with by the Hegemons unleashing their auras, which once more exposed the barrier within.

At this proximity, Zac could see the flickering barrier wasn’t just random bursts of energy—the barrier was more akin to a fractured mirror, where each shard showed glimpses of a different world. There was everything from apocalyptic worlds where the air itself was on fire to underwater domains just like the Twilight Ocean.

Forests, fields, cities. There were even alien biotopes of all kinds that Zac had never seen before. One shard showed what seemed to be a pulsating spiral that almost appeared to be alive, with hundreds of thousands of beasts floating around it. However, each image only lasted a moment before it was replaced by another.

Soon enough, the barrier was right in front of him, and Zac’s heart hammered as he braced himself for another vision. Thankfully, he only felt a slight discomfort as he passed through. And the varied visions were suddenly replaced by dense shimmering clouds that somehow stopped even [Cosmic Gaze] from working more than a few meters.

His pores opened wide as they were met with a mix of medicinal aroma and dense attuned energies that were a mix of Life and Nature. The ground beneath still wasn’t visible, though it felt like they’d broken into paradise. However, that feeling only lasted a moment before his mind screamed of danger, and a huge claw appeared through the haze, aimed straight at him.

The talons of the claw were more than one meter long each, giving a clear indication of the size of the beast that hid within the mists. Still, there was no hesitation as a large leaf appeared in front of his axe, and he unleashed a lightning-quick attack on the incoming swipe. A grating sound echoed through the area as talon and fractal blade collided, and Zac frowned when the expected scene of the talon being cut off didn’t happen.

His swing only left a surface wound, but it did push him and Vai farther away from the beast. And on top of that, even with such a powerful collision, the haze wasn’t pushed away. Zac still couldn’t make out what attacked them.

“Damn, it’s a convergence!” Havasa’s voice echoed through the clouds, now a lot more distant compared to before. “Everyone, you only need to hold on for a minute! The Spatial layers are weaker up here. As long as we pass through the clouds, you will be safe! If your talismans run out of energy, use the backups or you might be lost to the other side!”

A despairing scream echoed out within the clouds, proving it was easier said than done to get through this second gauntlet. Zac sighed. With his track record, he should have figured out that things wouldn’t go smoothly. Although this was beyond what even he could have expected.

A convergence was when two Mystic Realms became superimposed. Normally, things like this didn’t happen inside Mystic Realms as they were spatially protected bubbles hidden in the Void. But with thousands of Mystic Realms stacked on top of each other, things apparently got messy, especially at the edges of the realms.

This time around, they were unlucky, where their destination realm had superimposed with another—one filled with aggressive birds, by the looks of it. Honestly, the loss of the Cosmic Vessel and the convergence were most likely related. Too much Spatial Energy had built up in this area, resulting in both the spatially infused solar flare and the convergence.

Thankfully, Zac could tell the beast that had attacked him was one of the weaker Beast Kings, and it shouldn’t be a problem to keep it at bay. However, just as a huge beak ripped the clouds apart on its way to peck Zac to death, the whole beast rippled and disappeared.

Zac breathed out in relief as he turned to Vai who had once more entered her turtle stance with a small barrier protecting her. “Are you okay?”

“I’m ok—AAH! TO THE LEFT!” she shrieked, but Zac was already on the move.

Just as one beast disappeared in a puff of spatial confusion, another one had taken its place. Now, a weird-looking and almost completely translucent floating eel was swimming toward them, leaving ripples in its wake. Zac growled as a shimmering axe appeared inside a halo behind him.

Zac swung his axe, and a ruthless wave infused with his Branch of the War Axe parted the clouds, almost cutting the eel in two. It didn’t die, but it was grievously wounded, immediately turning tail and disappearing among the clouds.

It was [Conformation of Supremacy], a skill Zac had somewhat phased out of his repertoire as of late since it wasn’t a great fit with his stances. Now that he couldn’t use his Branch of the Kalpataru, it had found some use again, and he was thankful he had the foresight to push the skill to Late Proficiency during his stay in the Orom World.

The upgrade hadn’t added any new abilities to the skill, though it increased its power and reach noticeably. And with a Dao Branch fueling the image of the Heavenfall Autarch’s unadorned axe, its strikes weren’t anything to scoff at. It wasn’t nearly as good at dealing with crowds as the explosion of blades [Nature’s Edge] could release, but its lethality was close to half of [Rapturous Divide]’s while still being a repeatable attack.

The bird and the eel were dealt with, but Zac didn’t release the avatar of the axe behind him as he looked around for new targets. Screams and roars filled the air, and with visibility being almost zero, the mental pressure was extreme. He even sensed auras that were well into Hegemony for a few short moments, but it looked like the more terrifying the beast, the shorter their visit to this layer was.

Even then, it felt like a terrifying Beast King could appear and strike at them at any moment, and Zac’s Danger Sense could only predict so much. It could warn him when a beast was close or trying to attack, but it didn’t warn him when a beast was about to phase into their dimension.

Over a minute passed as Zac fought off one beast after another while Vai tried to help by spotting spatial fluctuations. Finally, the shimmering haze around them was replaced by a burst of light as they pushed through the clouds. Below, they saw the first-string cultivators descending toward a seemingly endless field thousands of meters below.

They looked like little meteors, surrounded by those blue scripts that kept them locked to this current dimension until they reached the surface. Teo was still maintaining the lead, but the other captains were nowhere to be seen. Judging by the outbursts he’d sensed within the clouds, he guessed they were trying to save as many people as possible within the convergence.

There were thousands of beasts gliding through the air, though Zac could sense almost all of them were E-grade. With the bloody aura of almost a hundred Half-Step cultivators and above, the flying beasts native to this dimension kept a wide berth around them.

Another three minutes passed as the ground grew ever closer, and Zac felt like his sense of perception had been all wrong. What had looked like fields of spiritual herbs was actually a jungle of massive proportions where each plant was either hundreds of meters tall or commanded an area of a whole village.

“So big,” Zac muttered.

“It’s the arrays,” Vai explained from the side with a hoarse voice, finally having unfurled from her ball. “This whole realm has been modified for hundreds of thousands of years, and there are growth and gathering arrays installed deep into the ground. But without Array Masters, Arborists, and harvesters to maintain the realm, it has grown out of control.

“They are big, but they’re worthless,” Vai sighed. “They are the equivalent of a cultivator whose levels are completely propped up by pills—full of toxicity and bereft of potential.”

“That’s a shame,” Zac muttered before he looked at the researcher. “Some start, huh?”

“Thank you for saving my life,” Vai said, looking crestfallen. “I can’t believe we ran into trouble so quickly. The Void Star must be more unstable than we expected for it to suddenly release spatial flares like that. What about the rest of the journey?”

“Well, this realm looks like we expected at least, right? We might be safe now that we’re properly inside the Mystic Realm,” Zac said, though he honestly shared Vai’s worries.

From the looks of it, the problems with the Void Star had ramped up beyond what the Void Gate expected, and he couldn’t help but wonder if it was related to him and the vision he saw. And if that was the case, would he keep attracting trouble for himself and those around him?

Zac perked up as he saw energy gathering around Teo, and he pushed those troublesome questions to the back of his mind. “Ready yourself. We’re about to land. I’m sure the captain knows what to do.”

35

LUCKY DAY

The ground was rapidly growing closer, and Zac’s brows furrowed a bit when he noticed a huge pack of wolves gathering beneath them. Judging by the excited howls, the beasts believed meat was literally falling from the sky. Thankfully, the Templar captain was already on the move.

Space around him had been twisting for a while as torrential amounts of energy coursed through his body, quantities that would cause an E-grade cultivator to explode within seconds. A titanic figure appeared above Teo, its one hundred-meter tall frame blocking much of Zac’s vision. He couldn’t see what the avatar looked like from behind, except for its four humanoid hands that emitted extremely heavy pressure.

Zac could tell the avatar was instilled with at least a Middle Branch, and the air itself cracked as the Templar captain infused more and more energy into his skill.

The avatar moved as it pushed its hands toward the ground, and it felt like an atmospheric bomb had detonated just below Teo. Zac’s stomach churned from the unleashed cascading waves of rampant energies, but it was nothing compared to what happened below.

A deep, groaning rumble echoed through the area as the earth itself cried from the pressure. Everything within a thousand meters was utterly crushed by the pressure, and a manmade earthquake continued to ripple for thousands of meters. Thousands of Peak E-grade wolves were turned to mush in an instant, as plants and the ground itself were compacted into a vast crater. The huge pack of beasts had been crushed, leaving not a single intact corpse.

Zac’s heart beat like a drum as he mutely took in the carnage, shocked by the destructive capability of Teo’s skill. This was the first time Zac had seen the Middle D-grade Templar unleash his true might, and it was an eye-opening experience. That attack alone would annihilate his elite armies back home, unless they managed to erect some sort of fortification beforehand.

Even Zac himself would probably be grievously wounded, even if the attack was a large-scale strike with its force spread out. It was night and day compared to the might an Early Hegemon could exhibit, and any lingering notion of targeting a Middle D-grade Worldeater Beast King was firmly discarded.

The direct impact had both cleared out any nearby threats while creating a large, albeit bloody, landing site for the party. Most of the members of the task force had seen their fair share of blood, and getting their shoes slightly wet from beast blood didn’t faze them as they slammed into the ground one after another.

Most simply used their body to withstand the collision velocity, though some used various movement skills to land softly. Zac was part of the former group as he slammed into the ground, leaving deep cracks for tens of meters around him. Vai used some sort of Spatial movement skill that expended her momentum, allowing her to softly land on the ground right next to him at a spot void of any minced wolf. Most of the researchers used this method, either through their own skill or through talismans.

Zac was about to stand up, but a sudden surge made his mind blank out. It came from everywhere and nowhere at once—a mix of antiquity and providence. It was overbearing and elusive, an enigma and a paradox. Solving it would allow you to grasp the Dao itself, conquering time and spa—

Panic and dread threatened to consume him, but Zac managed to force his way out of the fugue state through sheer force of will, only to realize he’d unknowingly activated [Void Zone] with a horrified Vai within it. Zac immediately retracted the restrictive bloodline domain, which made Vai stumble and yelp with a pale complexion.

“What’s wrong?” Havasa asked as she flashed over, and Zac was eternally thankful that [Void Zone] emitted no energy signature and left no clues behind.

“I—ah, sorry…” Vai stammered. “The descent, and all this blood… I think I blacked out for a moment.”

“This is intentional—you need to get used to these smells and this fell atmosphere,” Havasa sighed. “Let your guardian know if you need any assistance.”

With that, she flashed away, heading over to Teo who grimly looked up at the sky. A quick scan of the surroundings indicated Zac had only lost his mind for less than a second, but he still couldn’t tell if Vai had figured out what just happened. She looked extremely frazzled, her eyes darting back and forth.

“Are you really okay?” Zac slowly asked.

“I-I’m fine… I just felt something odd just now,” she said with a low volume. “It was probably nothing.”

“Alright, let me know if you need me to carry you,” Zac smiled. “I should be able to fight with you on my back just fine.”

“N-No,” Vai hurriedly said with a flustered look. “I’m fine, really.”

Zac nodded, but he was inwardly just as flustered as Vai looked. He couldn’t discern the truth. Had Vai noticed his activation of [Void Zone], an unprecedented ability that could completely obscure the Heavens? If that were the case, she’d lied to a Hegemon of her faction to protect him. Or was she just waiting to speak with them without him present? And had she sensed the same aura he did?

For that matter, what did the pulse mean? It’d been like a fleeting fragrance just wafting by, one that completely consumed his mind. Its origin was quite apparent—it contained the same ancient aura as the enormous castle in the vision. It proved what he’d seen wasn’t a fluke when entering the Void Star, and it was his first clue he was on the right path.

Did the impression mean there was a connection between this specific Mystic Realm and the castle, or was the aura something which had ingrained the whole beehive of dimensional layers? Zac’s thoughts churned, but he kept his face impassive as he turned his gaze upward at the last members of the expedition.

One by one, they slammed into the ground around them, some bloodied and some unscathed. The scene was impressive, though Zac still frowned when he saw the state of their unit. The original 118 members, of which 18 were researchers and supportive staff, had been reduced to 109. Less than ten minutes had passed since the task started, and they’d lost almost a tenth of their squad to the solar flare and the ferocious birds.

It wasn’t a great start to a mission that was supposed to last months.

“We were beset by bad luck, but such is Heavenly Law. We knew there would be obstacles on the way, and this was one of them,” Teo said when everyone had gathered up. “The mission will continue. At least the spatial turbulence didn’t kick us off course, and we should reach the transfer point within five days. Hegemons, stay grounded—there are quite a few beasts in this dimension. We will have our hands full without luring a bunch of them over. Scouts, set out.”

With that, the Templar took the lead, running at a pace that would feel like a brisk jog for even Late E-grade cultivators. Most of the first-string cultivators kept an exact pace to his sides, while another squad led by Tyla Vesass brought up the rear. The second-string cultivators stayed close to their researchers in the middle, and a shimmering barrier that hid their auras appeared above their heads.

Meanwhile, three scouts rushed ahead and completely disappeared among the trees.

“Don’t get complacent from the barrier. It has no defensive capabilities—it will just make most beasts overlook those in the middle and attack the people on the outside,” Havasa reminded those around her. “This used to be an agricultural realm, but it has been continuously flooded with beasts over the past three years.

“The army left this layer over two months ago, so we don’t expect an uneventful journey to the waystation. And remember, we need to keep moving. The window is closing, so don’t exhaust yourselves. If you’re running low on Cosmic Energy, let me know.”

Zac and the others nodded as they kept their eyes peeled on the surroundings. There had been quite a few briefings on the Void Star over the past weeks, and while Zac still didn’t have any idea of how this spatial anomaly actually worked, he did somewhat understand the rules that governed it.

The Void Star could be considered a maze, where each Mystic Realm was a room. Some of these chambers were hidden in the depths of the Void Star, whereas others were right at the surface. To reach the realm you wanted to visit, you had to pass through a certain set of Mystic Realms, making use of weak spots in the dimensional layers.

Problem was, the maze wasn’t static. The Mystic Realms kept shifting, following some sort of extremely complex set of rules, moving and disconnecting from each other. Some Mystic Realms were only reachable for short stints every century, or millennia even. Others, like the one they found themselves in right now, were almost always at the surface layer of the Void Star.

The reason they’d been forced to set out the moment they reached Zenith Vigil was that the path plotted out for them would only last for another month or so. If they took too long to reach their destination, they would have to take an alternative route that would cost them over two months.

With the Void Star being invaded, each additional Mystic Realm they had to pass through would significantly increase the risk of something going wrong. Their brush with death within the clouds was a poignant reminder of that.

Nothing happened for the first couple of hours, and they made steady progress toward the edge of the realm. There were the occasional packs whose domains they crossed, but it barely slowed them down. Some of the beasts knew better than to attack such a dangerous-looking group, while the rest were quickly dealt with by the first-string cultivators.

However, while they likely were the strongest force in this outer Mystic Realm, they couldn’t move about with wanton disregard for the wildlife. Just like in most beast tides, the animals were in an agitated, bloodthirsty state, where most attacked even if outmatched. And the bigger the commotion they caused, the more beasts they would attract.

Now and then, Teo would make a sudden turn or stop altogether for a few minutes. It was a result of the reports the captain continuously got from the scouts running ahead. Sometimes it was a particularly nasty beast or beast pack they avoided, and sometimes they had to stop to let a horde migrate past.

With things progressing smoothly like this, there wasn’t much the second-string cultivators needed to do except maintain a lookout for ambushes. With Zac’s honed Danger Sense and instincts, he would instinctively know if any beast managed to get close, so his mind was mostly occupied with Ultom.

After six hours had passed, there hadn’t been a second burst of that ancient aura. Even then, Zac’s nerves were getting increasingly frayed from a constant worry he’d accidentally expose his bloodline again. But the more time passed, the more it looked like it was a one-time thing. It happened the moment he landed, so was it connected to the Realm Core? He had a few more guesses, but he would have to journey deeper into the Void Star to make sure.

Suddenly, Teo stopped at the front of the squad and threw out a series of talismans. Trouble had come knocking, no matter how careful they were.

“Battle positions,” Teo’s voice echoed out, which confirmed a real battle was on their hands.

Just thirty seconds later, a piercing screech leveled the trees in the area. The talismans Teo had thrown out lit up and blocked the shockwave altogether, but they were still surrounded by a wasteland in an instant. From the distance, a discordant mix of beasts lumbered closer, their numbers in the tens of thousands.

At the heart of the chaos, an odd beast resembling a nettle jellyfish floated, and it was no doubt the leader of the beast tide going by its aura. The beast was mostly translucent with blue streaks, and its long tendrils seemed to reach hundreds of meters behind it. Inside its body were hundreds of shimmering orbs that released mighty spiritual ripples, indicating it was a beast with an unusually powerful soul.

This was not a beast that had just evolved—it was well on its way toward the next stage of Hegemony. That beast looked troublesome on its own, and there were no less than thirty auras of weaker Beast Kings within the tide. What really made Zac’s hair stand on end was seeing the rotting bodies of some of the animals.

They weren’t dead, Zac could tell with a single glance. But they weren’t alive either. It was parasitic mind control.

From the noses, eyes, and mouths of the beasts, one could see small tendrils swaying around, looking just like miniatures of the appendages of the enormous jellyfish. For others, their whole skulls had been cracked, and a small jellyfish sat right on their brains. Some poor animals even seemed to be receptacles for dozens of parasites, arduously stuttering forward with bloated bodies.

There was no telling if the big guy was a parasite as well, or if it didn’t need to hijack other animals after having reached D-grade. In either case, it was a grotesque scene, and Zac could guess why it hadn’t avoided the powerful auras of the advance guard—the big jellyfish wanted more bodies for its descendants.

“Standard battle array. It’s a swarm of Mindsiphon Parasites. Destroy both host and parasites,” Teo said with a calm expression. “Don’t worry, they’re not as dangerous as they look.”

“Why the faces? You bastards should be happy,” Havasa grinned after seeing the hesitant expressions on many of the Wandering Cultivators. “Aren’t you all here for money? Have you forgotten the booklets? That right there is a bounty animal. This is a stroke of good luck to balance the bad.”

The simple mention of a ‘bounty’ drastically improved morale, but they didn’t get the chance to celebrate before the enormous Mindsiphon King made its move. Ripples spread across the bulbous head of the Beast King, and Zac felt a sense of danger as Mental Energy started gathering. There was no time to prepare any concerted response—just a moment later, a chaotic shockwave burst forth, ripping toward the front lines.

It was an instant attack, so it didn’t contain the full force of a Beast King. Zac could still tell that any cultivator with a weak soul or subpar defenses would find their soul grievously wounded from that attack. Lucky for them, Teo was already on the move as the complex arrays on his War Regalia lit up. A group of eight Templars channeled a War Array behind him, and he took a defensive position with his shield.

Soothing waves spread out from his shield, giving Zac the impression of waves hitting against a rocky shore. They covered the whole front line before spreading toward the incoming mental attack. There was no collision and subsequent shockwave. It was rather as though the Beast King’s attack had entered a quagmire and was gradually slowed and whittled down.

By the time it reached the front lines, only a fraction of its strength remained. Even someone who hadn’t cultivated their soul would effortlessly shrug off an attack of that level, and the warriors regained their confidence upon seeing that the attack had been easily thwarted by their captain.

“Advance. Avoid the tendrils of the leader. Continuously channel your Daos to avoid getting infiltrated,” Teo said as he swung his sword, unleashing a simple blade attack toward the ranks of animals.

Almost one hundred possessed beasts were ripped apart in an instant, their bodies so mangled that the parasites couldn’t possibly have survived either. That attack was the starting signal of the fight, and the beast tide released a deafening cacophony of roars as they rushed forward. In return, the front-line warriors unleashed a barrage of attacks, turning the whole, toppled forest into an apocalyptic hellscape.

As for Zac and the second-string cultivators, their time hadn’t come just yet. Zac simply enjoyed the first-row seat for the fight. This was what he needed to see—how a squad of veteran warriors of an established faction fought. Anything he learned today could be applied to his army back home, so Zac looked on with rapt attention.

Havasa was right, even if Zac didn’t care about the bounty. Clues to an ancient opportunity and a free lesson in army tactics? This really was a lucky day.

36

PROFESSIONAL UNIT

Fiery waves of destruction fought for space with blade storms, lances of ice, and all sorts of diverse techniques as the Wandering Cultivators unleashed their ranged skills at the incoming tidal wave of rotting beasts. What little plant life remained standing after the Mindsiphon King’s opening salvo was reduced to nothingness while the ground itself opened up to swallow and crush whole swathes of beasts into a pulp.

It was as though the beasts were completely oblivious to the danger, heedlessly rushing toward the defensive line. Mounds of carcasses piled up in seconds, yet the beasts just kept crawling over their fallen brethren. Some of the smaller Mindsiphon Parasites survived and either tried to latch onto the warriors or scurry back to safety.

Thankfully, these smaller jellyfish didn’t seem able to unleash mental attacks, and with their flying speed being quite slow, they were easily dealt with. The second wave of beasts was a lot more powerful, and they either dodged or countered the skills as they pushed forward. Zac guessed their parasites either had higher levels or more purified bloodlines judging by their deft control of their hosts.

They were also led by a number of Beast Kings who unleashed their bloodline skills to protect the beasts around them, drastically reducing the effectiveness of the cultivator’s random attacks. And among it all, hundreds of thick tendrils were slithering forward—the appendages of the giant jellyfish king.

Beasts were superior when it came to numbers and constitutions, though cultivators had some advantages of their own. Teo had already pushed into the swarm of beasts like a god of war, destroying everything that came close. His War Regalia was continuously unleashing pulses of destruction, killing any E-grade beast that came within a dozen meters without the Templar so much as lifting a finger.

That was the benefit of Hegemony. With a sea of energy at your fingertips, you could continuously use both defensive and offensive arrays without issue, something that would be impossible for most E-grade cultivators. A Middle D-grade Hegemon like Teo could probably keep his War Regalia running for days without a problem.

Even the Half-Step Beast Kings and the actual Beast Kings were leery of approaching the man, giving him the space to unleash his skills. First, the avatar from before started to appear again, but it was disrupted and destroyed by Mindsiphon King as it frenetically stabbed it with hundreds of appendages.

Teo wasn’t discouraged, and the energy from the avatar turned into shining manacles that instantly bound the tendrils of the beast. At the same time, one of his vice-captains conjured what looked like a miniature galaxy that exerted a tremendous pull. A few unlucky beasts were dragged inside, reduced to nothingness in an instant.

The Templar captain pushed his hand down, and a rope of starlight connected the manacles with the galaxy. It was the first time Zac had actually seen two different people combining their skills like that, and he looked on with interest as the Mindsiphon King found over 80% of its tendrils locked in place. It was powerful enough to resist the pull, but not powerful enough to break free.

The Templars weren’t done there, as more and more manacles appeared, locking down one Beast King after another across the whole battlefield. This time, the second vice-captain made a move, and dozens of small mountains appeared among the beasts. A similar scene followed, where Teo’s fetters connected with the mountains, essentially trapping the leaders of the tide in place.

The three Templar Hegemons easily locked down more than two-thirds of the elites of the beast tides, drastically lessening the pressure the rest of the squad faced. Zac could tell these measures wouldn’t last for very long, but they didn’t really need to.

Teo had never stopped moving as he sealed everything around him, and he was already in front of the Mindsiphon King. The energy in the whole area surged as an inscribed mountain appeared above his head, looking like an evolved version of what his vice-captain used. It emitted an unquestionable weight and dominance, far surpassing the concepts of heaviness that Zac had integrated into his Dao of the Axe.

It was like the mountain contained the weight of a world as it pushed down on the Mindsiphon King

Hundreds of beasts couldn’t withstand its unseen pressure and simply collapsed into goops of blood. Even the leader was pushed closer to the ground, but the shining spheres inside its body released tremendous waves of energy as the remaining tendrils rose to meet the mountain. The tendrils and spheres started to resonate, which generated a domain of their own that mostly canceled the mountain’s pressure.

Like that, the Mindsiphon’s tendrils were all occupied, at which point Teo rose into the air and started to unleash a steady barrage of heavy swings. However, even with its tendrils locked down, the Mindsiphon still retained a lot of its power. Those weird balls inside its body shone like small suns now, and even Zac found it a bit painful to look at the waves of mental destruction that surrounded the Templar.

The leaders of the two sides had essentially taken each other out of the equation, but it was clear Teo was the stronger party since he was simultaneously keeping more than 20 Beast Kings locked down. Meanwhile, the Array Masters and defensive cultivators had created a set of fortifications and channels on the spot, expertly funneling the tide of beasts into kill zones where the offensive warriors waited.

Of course, Zac and the others couldn’t just sit by and watch while the first-string cultivators did all the work. The first-string warriors were slowly moving backward in a controlled retreat, leaving a trail of carcasses behind. Even then, the pressure was unrelenting, and the trapped Beast Kings began breaking free and madly rushed into the fray.

The first-string cultivators couldn’t deal with everything alone, but they didn’t have to. By controlling the flow of beasts, pathways opened up in the defensive perimeter that led to Zac and the other second-string cultivators. One by one, the maimed and weaker beasts were let through, where Zac and the others were waiting to finish the job.

The axe of the Heavenfall Autarch appeared behind Zac once more as a rotting boar missing half its head rushed over. Before it had a chance to even get close, it was cloven in two with one swift swing. The first swing was followed up by a second that annihilated the two small parasites who lived inside its body. A small smile spread across Zac’s face as he felt the surge of energy entering his body.

The boar was only Peak E-grade, but it was still a huge improvement compared to the beasts he’d spent years killing inside the Orom World. Those animals were mostly Early E-grade to match his restrained attributes, and they only awarded a trickle of Kill Energy compared to these animals.

With him being level 145, it would still take quite a bit of carnage to gain the energy required for a level, but he was undeniably making progress on his levels through kills for the first time in five years. Even better, both the boar and the little jellyfish counted as kills. It wasn’t that hard to deal with the parasites either, even if the E-grade animals were only as large as a fist and almost completely invisible. While their physical form was hard to spot, they lit up like little beacons to his [Cosmic Gaze], while the semi-dead hosts had lost most of their own aura.

A moment later, Zac got to end the life of a grievously wounded Beast King that had been let through the perimeter, and a massive surge of energy entered his body. It required him essentially kill-stealing another Wandering Cultivator, but the swordsman didn’t mind in the slightest. After all, he was bottlenecked in Half-Step D-grade.

Killing a Beast King only meant risk and no reward for him. The wiry little man even gave Zac a thumbs up as he returned to his position with [Earthstrider], and Zac only grinned as he kept killing. Two minutes passed as the squad methodically dismantled the beast tide, until Zac heard Teo’s voice in his head.

‘Everyone, activate mental defenses,’ the Templar captain said as the energies in the distance reached a crescendo.

By this point, the unit had added more than a mile’s distance to the Mindsiphon Parasite floating in the air, but more than half of the Wandering Cultivators activated various mental defense talismans or items. Zac felt confident that [Soul Guardian] was more than enough, but he had a talisman ready just in case.

An infuriated wail echoed throughout the area the next moment as the enormous jellyfish in the sky fell toward the ground, bleeding heavily from a gruesome wound that had almost cut its head in two. It was barely hanging on by a thread, and Zac could sense a familiar buildup inside its body—it was planning to self-detonate.

One of the radiant spheres inside its body suddenly cracked, unleashing a tremendous ripple of hatred and pain that crossed the battlefield in an instant. Before the beast had a chance to detonate its other pearls or Beast Core, Teo had already leveled a second strike that seemed to have finished the job. The beast’s wails were cut short, and it slammed into the ground.

With the early warning, the mental wave passed through the ranks without causing any trouble. And without the support of the Alpha, Teo was free to run roughshod through the remaining beasts. With him attacking from the rear, the remnants of the beast tide were caught in a deadly pincer. After just a minute, all the remaining beasts had either fled or been exterminated.

“We’re resting for 20 minutes before heading out,” Teo said, then simply sat down and closed his eyes with a Low-grade Cosmic Crystal in his hands.

“Won’t all the blood lure other beasts over?” another warrior muttered with a frown as he looked around with worry.

“Not with the body of a Mindsiphon King here,” Havasa said with a shake of her head. “This is just an outer layer, there shouldn’t be more than a hundred Beast Kings in the whole realm after the previous purge. This bastard probably found its way here by chance and enslaved all the Beast Kings it could get its hands on. The few who managed to avoid it won’t go anywhere near here.”

“Do we really get a part of the bounty even if the captain did most of the work?” another Wandering Cultivator asked as he looked at the fallen Mindsiphon King with gleaming eyes.

“Those are the rules for group battles,” Havasa nodded. “But the captain killed it and did most of the work—half of the bounty will go to him. Another 10% will go to Kalo and Tyla each for locking down its tendrils and the other Beast Kings, while the final 30% will be spread out among the rest of us.”

Zac took out his booklet out of curiosity, and he had to admit the Void Temple was quite generous. The Beast Core of a Mindsiphon King was valued at 1 D-grade Nexus Coin, and the remaining spheres would fetch 100,000 E-grade Nexus Coins each. Seeing how it could unleash powerful mental attacks, Zac guessed the items could be used in crafting tools or arrays for Mentalists.

Even if the cultivators would only see a fraction of that bounty, it was still roughly 4,000 E-grade Nexus Coins per man for a few minutes of work. If this scenario happened a couple of times over the next months, the accumulated bounties might end up being worth more than the mission reward.

Zac looked at the large carcass of the Mindsiphon Beast King in the distance for a second before he turned to look at the warriors. They scurried around searching for anything of value on the battlefield, while Kantomir went from warrior to warrior to make sure none of the Mindsiphons had managed to sneak on board, so to speak.

It was a novel experience being part of a proper professional unit. The closest he’d come before was the early stages of the Twilight Ocean under the lead of Catheya. Only, back then everyone had roughly the same power, which would never be the case in an open-world conflict. Seeing how Teo controlled the battle was a good learning experience.

The Templar was obviously a genius since he’d reached Middle D-grade, but he wasn’t a monstrous talent that could deal with any threat by himself. His biggest weakness was his somewhat lacking lethality, considering it had taken him a couple of minutes to kill the Mindsiphon King. But even then, there wasn’t a single casualty in the squad.

There were a lot of bruises and scrapes, but the worst wound was a Wandering Cultivator who’d been gored by a large claw of one of the Beast Kings. Seeing as his aura was stable as he sat down in meditation, Zac could tell it wasn’t a wound that would be a big problem.

And that was all thanks to Teo. It almost felt like the Templar must have had eyes in his neck going by how he’d controlled the events in a way that the pressure was evenly spread across his force. Since Zac hadn’t been too pressured from the battle, he had enough leeway to observe the movements of Teo and his two vice-captains.

It was obvious that the trapped Beast Kings didn’t break out randomly. Any time there was a lull at a certain section of the defensive perimeter, a nearby Beast King broke free from the mountain suppressing it, and delivered itself and a group of followers to the slaughter. That way, they made use of all their strength while keeping the risk at a minimum.

In a way, the smooth control felt akin to his own combat stances in how they were meant to maximize his efficiency when fighting, but the theory was rather applied to the whole battlefield.

This was exactly the kind of expertise Zac needed for the upcoming war. It wasn’t enough that he was powerful—he couldn’t be everywhere at once to protect his people. There would no doubt be battles that he couldn’t join, where someone like Ilvere or Joanna would lead instead. They would be like Teo in that case—powerful, but not a one-man army.

But they lacked his skill in terms of tactics, and also the supportive function of the Templar Order’s Array Masters and vice-captains. How would one learn something like this? Zac didn’t have this kind of heritage. There was obviously learning by doing, but learning the ropes in the middle of a raging war would lead to mass casualties.

“What are you thinking about?” Vai asked curiously as she walked over.

“Nothing,” Zac smiled. “I just thought it’s impressive we didn’t see a single warrior fall with such a powerful enemy. Being unattached comes with a great degree of freedom, but it precludes you from certain opportunities.”

“Like you have a choice in the matter,” a nearby Templar snorted, but Zac didn’t bother with him.

Vai glared at the warrior in Zac’s stead, though her pout didn’t have much of an effect as the warrior simply closed his eyes to focus on recuperation. Zac had no interest in arguing with some random warrior he could snap in half if he so wanted, and instead focused on Vai.

“You were really impressive,” the researcher said, clearly trying to recover the atmosphere. “It felt like you were everywhere.”

“I haven’t been out much over the past decade,” Zac nodded as he sat down to rest. “I need some exercise to get back into optimal condition before we get to the deeper parts of this weird place.”

“Alright,” Vai said. “Sorry, I won’t bother you while you recuperate.”

Zac closed his eyes as he took out a High-grade Nexus Crystal. It felt pretty unsatisfactory since he was used to using Peak-quality Crystals, but those things were quite rare in the Zecia Sector. Taking them out after a minor scuffle like this would raise some brows, so he would have to make do.

Thankfully, he hadn’t expended much of his vast energy reserves, so he spent most of the rest going over the general flow of the battle, trying to distill it into something that would be useful for his followers back home. Soon enough, twenty minutes had passed, and the group set out. Some managed to line their pockets a bit by harvesting valuable parts of the zombified beasts, but the bounty was the true prize of the encounter.

Like this, three days passed, where the squad only stopped to rest for an hour each night at safe-houses that survived the invasion. They were forced into a couple more battles against massive beast tides, but Havasa’s words proved to be true. None of the horde leaders they encountered were anywhere close to the level of the enormous jellyfish, and dealing with the enraged beasts was just a matter of time.

Finally, the squad could see the edge of the Mystic Realm in the distance, which meant they would soon reach the waystation that would take them to the next realm.

“One down, eleven to go,” Havasa grinned from the side. “Let’s see what the Void has in store for us next.”

37

WAYSTATION

Zac ignored the second-string captain’s unlucky wording as he inspected the edge of the Mystic Realm. It looked a bit like the opalescent film they’d passed to enter this realm, but it seemed far more solid and gave no hint of what was on the other side. It was the dimensional bubble that, in theory, kept this realm apart from the Main Universe.

In a normal Mystic Realm, this kind of barrier was extremely sturdy, and pushing through it was harder than phasing between dimensions with a Cosmic Vessel. It contained extremely powerful Spatial Energies that would rip most people apart if they tried. That was half of the reason Mystic Realms were so difficult to invade, with the other half being the difficulty of actually locating them in the Void, with distances and directions working differently there.

Here in the Void Star, those rules were far more malleable, but they still couldn’t just pass through these inner walls with the help of a mere talisman. They needed to open a gate, which was why the waystations had been erected. Zac curiously followed the Templars into a hidden cave protected by multiple layers of still-working arrays.

They went deeper and deeper into the depths of the Mystic Realm, and thanks to the illumination arrays and generous dimensions, the tunnel didn’t feel oppressive at all. Eventually, they reached a large cave that would be able to house thousands of people if they squeezed together. Now, it was empty, with most of the waystations being unmanned over the past years.

There were dozens of doors to the sides, though Teo led them straight ahead toward a large gate on the opposite side from the entrance. But before stepping through, he stopped at one of the array consoles that lined the walls.

“We mentioned these waystations in the briefings—this is one of five stations in this Mystic Realm. If you for some reason get separated from the squad, your best bet to survive is to find one of these. Your token will grant access through the arrays,” Teo explained as he activated the console behind him.

Soon, a huge map appeared that looked like just over a hundred circles of varying sizes. A smaller circle at the top was blue whereas the others were green, indicating their current location. Within the blue circle, there was a small red dot, which no doubt indicated the waystation they found themselves in. Connected to the station, there were four lines, three of which led to other circles deeper in the map, while one led to another one at the outermost layer.

“This is the local chart, and it will tell you your options to leave or catch up to the rest of us. The exit arrays are clearly noted,” Teo said as he pointed at two circles over which had the mark of a teleportation array in the middle. “Of course, your best bet might be to simply stay put until another squad passes through. If the realm is overrun, these waystations are likely to be the safest spots around.”

“How do we find these waystations?” a Wandering Cultivator asked. “I saw no markers on the way here.”

“Your tokens have a weak array installed that can pick up the signals from these stations. Just infuse some energy occasionally and pray that the signal isn’t blocked out by turbulence. If that’s the case, you can only search by foot by wandering the edge of the Mystic Realm,” Teo explained.

“Don’t bother memorizing the chart,” Havasa added when she noticed the Wandering Cultivators studying the map. “It will keep changing as the realms move and rotate. For example, this waystation is generally pointed toward the depths of the Void Star today, but in a month, it will point toward the outer edge, making it useless.”

“Why can’t we use waystations to leave?” another warrior asked. “If it points toward the edge…”

“Look at the Void Star as a large balloon with multiple smaller balloons inside. It’s not enough to break through the barrier of the smaller balloon,” a researcher explained after getting a glance from Teo. “That would only result in you entering an extremely chaotic Void within the Void Star. To leave, one needs to find the few spots where outer and inner barriers merge, allowing us to break through everything at once.”

“That’s why we landed where we did. Rather than arriving right in front of this waystation,” Teo added. “There are a limited set of options when coming and going, with teleportation not working at the moment.”

After having showcased the console, Teo opened the huge gate. Within, they saw the shimmering wall of the Mystic Realm, with three stone gates installed right at its edge. They weren’t currently active, but Zac guessed they could be tuned to connect this realm with whichever one of those four neighboring realms you wanted.

However, something was clearly wrong with this place. The inner chamber was marred with splotches of blood and scars on the ground. There were a few consoles to the side, but most of them had been destroyed. There were even cracks on one of the three gates, and Zac really hoped that wasn’t the one they needed to use.

“Around a month ago?” Havasa muttered with a frown as she kneeled over a spot of dried blood. “But who? I don’t remember any squads slated to use this station in this timeframe.”

“Probably a squad on the way out with extensive losses, forced to take an alternative route,” Teo grimly muttered as he took out another token. “The array is functional, but they didn’t turn it off? No status report was inscribed either. Both captain and vice-captains were likely to have fallen. Perhaps a battle over some treasure erupted now that they were approaching the exit.”

The outsiders stood and watched on in silence as the Templar walked over to a pane hanging open and swapped out four exhausted Low-grade Cosmic Crystals and a Spatial Crystal. Hearing the conversation, Zac felt a bit troubled, but since none of the Templars seemed too bothered about the apparent breach of protocol, there wasn’t anything he could say or do.

Some peacetime protocols might simply have fallen through because of the chaotic situation within the star. Still, this scene was a clear indication of just how strained the situation was, and Zac was inwardly relieved he’d brought all of the Spatial Crystals he had in his possession. That way, he’d be able to operate these gates even if he ran into a situation similar to this one.

Teo walked over to a console next, and the left gate shuddered to life without any issue. It seemed to function a lot like the spatial portal Kenzie had opened with the drill back in the Mystic Realm, where it essentially looked like a doorway. On the other side, there was an identical room to the one they stood in, though it was in much better shape.

“Let’s go,” Teo said and stepped inside, passing through.

The Wandering Cultivators hesitated for just a moment, before following suit. This time around, there were no surprises, and one after another they walked into the neighboring dimension. Zac was one of the last to pass through, and he braced himself just in case, where he kept his bloodline and aura tightly sealed.

And it was lucky he did, since the moment he stepped onto the ground of the other world, a pulse passed through his body to welcome him. It was still that solemn aura of antiquity, hinting at boundless possibilities. In fact, the pulse was even stronger than the last, more palpable and corporeal.

It really felt like he was moving closer to whatever emitted this signal. Thankfully, Zac had learned his lesson from the previous time this happened, and he barely managed to restrain himself before he accidentally activated [Void Zone]. Even then, he found Vai looking at him with confusion, and he realized he’d frozen in place mid-step, right in front of the spatial gate.

“That simple?” Zac coughed as he walked over. “We passed between Mystic Realms just like that?”

“It’s not always this simple,” Vai explained. “Some realms are not as closely connected, where we have to walk through a space tunnel. Those can be a bit dangerous from what I’ve read. And like we saw before, there might be convergences that force us to fight our way into the waystations.”

Zac nodded as he looked around the room. It might look identical, but there was no mistaking this was another world going by the completely different ambient energy. For one, the room felt like an oven with sweltering heat. There were fire-attuned energies in the air as well, indicating what kind of world they’d reached. Except something was a bit off.

“The ambient energy seems kind of low?” Zac asked.

The ambient energy was equivalent to an E-grade world rather than a D-grade, and not even a peak planet at that. No matter if it was beasts or treasures, there couldn’t be much of value here unless it had been teleported in.

“The energy will be higher in the center of the world, but you’re right. Not all the Mystic Realms are useful,” Vai nodded. “Some are mostly used as bridges. This one should be much safer than the last, unless something unexpected happens.”

“What if the waystations or the gates break?” another warrior asked as the spatial gate closed behind them. “Would we be stuck?”

“These waystations are equipped with spatial stabilization much stronger than the talismans we used,” Kalo, the first-string vice-captain, grunted. “They are designed to withstand a convergence. But if some sort of spatial turbulence has made them impassable, you can use talismans to swap over to the other realm. Sometimes.”

“Will be a bit of a gamble which of the connected realms you enter though,” Havasa grinned. “You’ll have to decide whether to take a leap of faith or make your way to the next waystation. Most realms have more than one.”

“But what if…” another cultivator hesitated.

“I know we encountered some setbacks at the start, but the situation isn’t that dire,” Teo said. “And any layer we enter will have at least one working station, no? If the gate on the other side is broken, we wouldn’t be able to enter that layer at all. If all else fails, your final chance at survival is to make use of the breaches. Most of them lead to other layers in the Void Star rather than into the unknown.”

The Wandering Cultivators grimaced at that, but they didn’t argue the point. Ultimately, they knew what they’d signed up for—any mission had a very real chance of dying.

As for the breaches, they were the reason for the chaos in the Void Star. They took all kinds of forms, from huge tears opening out of nowhere to stable gateways that shouldn’t exist with how the Void Star worked. Of course, convergences could be counted to this as well, though they were a rather old occurrence.

It was through these breaches that the alien beasts came pouring out, wreaking havoc on the Void Star and the Void Gate’s arrangements. The unknown Teo mentioned was the original source all these beasts originated from as they spread through the thousands of Mystic Realms. The outsiders had never gotten a clear answer on exactly where that was, and from what little the Wandering Cultivators managed to squeeze out of the Templars and researchers, neither did they.

“We’ll rest here for two hours,” Teo said as he glanced at his vice-captains.

Zac and the others simply sat down and recuperated while the captains left to discuss things by themselves.

“What’s going on?” Zac asked with a low voice when he saw Vai look at the three Hegemons with a frown.

“It’s…” Vai hesitated.

“Ms. Salas,” another researcher coughed.

“Ah, nothing,” Vai said and quickly looked down.

Zac frowned in thought, and closed his eyes. Was there something else to the bloody scene in the other waiting room? Some issue Teo had noticed through that command token of his? Soon enough the leaders returned, their expressions calm as though nothing was wrong. Two hours later they departed, and Zac finally got to take in the second Mystic Realm in the Void Star.

There were no expansive vistas to speak of, only an oppressive path that almost felt like a tunnel running under the dark-red sky. There was no sun either, and most of the light actually came from small creeks of superheated water that glowed a radiant orange. At least Zac presumed it was water, since it definitely wasn’t lava.

To the sides were some sort of extremely dense thorns reaching tens of meters into the air, and Zac couldn’t be certain if they were alive or dead calcified plants. They emitted a weak hint of life, but that was overwhelmed by a raging fire attunement that ran through the thorny branches. There were no signs of wildlife in the area either on the ground or in the air.

Zac still kept his eyes peeled as the group entered a pathway that had clearly been cut through the thorns, acting as though some terrifying beast could jump through the brambles at any moment. It wasn’t only him. After the unexpected losses in the outer layer, where they only expected some minor resistance according to the missive, everyone was waiting for the next disaster to arrive.

Half a day passed with only the occasional attack of Middle or Late E-grade beasts until they reached an enormous lake that was almost blinding from the amount of light it released. It seemed to be both the destination and the source of the endless creeks and rivers of glowing waters, and Zac dipped his hand into it—slightly viscous like oil, but otherwise it wasn’t too different from fire-attuned water.

“This is the Hako Lake. It will take us around four days to traverse it,” Teo said as three massive barges appeared in front of him. “There are quite a few beasts within, but there is only a handful of Beast Kings in the whole lake. Between our auras and the arrays on these barges, attacks are quite rare. This is also the first location where you are free to explore—some precious metals and fire-attuned plants can be harvested here.”

“We’re still doing exploration after the initial losses?” Uzu exclaimed from the side.

“Of course,” Teo nodded. “We will have to be a bit more restrictive with how many set out at a time, but otherwise the rules are the same.”

This was one of the perks of joining the missions. Some layers were so dangerous that everyone needed to stay together, while others had some safer regions that could be explored. Of course, safety was always relative in the Mystic Realms, and a third of the projected casualties came from these solitary excursions.

It wasn’t from blind generosity the Void Gate hired more people than they needed, and then allowed them to look for treasures in their Mystic Realms. With most of the Void Star unsecured at the moment, their normal harvesting methods didn’t work. This way, the Void Gate could harvest some of the strategic resources they needed without losing any of their own warriors.

And if a couple of wandering warriors died to make it happen, it only meant they saved money.

“Remember, this lake has some Beast Kings even in normal conditions, so if you’re not confident, don’t stray too far from the barges,” Havasa added. “And if you sense any powerful spatial fluctuations, immediately return. It’s probably a breach opening.”

With that, the squads set out, with one Hegemon placed at both the stern and the bow of each barge to make sure no beasts dared swim close. Even then, there was more than one creature that swam close by to see what was going on. At first, Zac wasn’t interested in looking materials at the bottom of the oily lake, and it looked like quite a few of the Wandering Cultivators were of a similar mind after the experiences in the previous layer.

However, after half a day Zac’s eyes shot open. It was here.

It was the aura of his visions, there was no doubt about it. It was weaker than the pulses, but it was pervasive. That could only mean one thing; there was something at the bottom of Hako Lake. Something related to either the enormous castle or the hidden courtyard. It beckoned him like a siren’s call from the depths.

It looked like he would get his answers sooner than he’d expected.

38

TREASURES IN THE DEPTHS

The signal urged Zac to jump into the waters and claim what almost felt like his birthright, but he kept himself in check. Zac could somewhat sense the aura originated from somewhere in the center of the lake. Since the barges were heading in that general direction, there was no point in diving too early. After all, he could only explore a couple of hours at most before he needed to get back.

Zac didn’t want to look too eager, so he started to prepare an excuse to join in on the fun. Luckily, an opportunity presented itself an hour later, with a small commotion breaking out on the neighboring barge. Zac and a few of the other Wandering Cultivators stood up to see what was going on, only to find Uzu grinning from ear to ear with a shimmering item in his hands.

“Luckily, I have some experience with flame-attuned realms,” Uzu boisterously laughed as he showcased a large red pearl. “And reading the missives on the way, I gathered there might be a few Infernal Longevity Clams here. By a stroke of luck, I managed to encounter a clam which had just reached Hegemony.”

“An Early D-grade Fire-Attuned Longevity Pearl,” one of the cultivators next to Zac muttered, his face green with envy. “A Fire Cultivator would pay a small fortune for that, or he can exchange it for a pearl that suits himself. What filthy luck.”

“If there’s one, there might be two,” Zac said as he looked down at the radiant waters.

“Don’t get your hopes up. There might be some Infernal Clams down there, but that guy was simply too lucky,” Havasa muttered with a shake of her head. “It takes a long, long time for those pearls to form—how could we possibly leave too many of them lying around? Just like Uzu said, he must have stumbled onto a clam that had just broken through and used the breakthrough to finalize its pearl.”

Clearly, she wanted to avoid a scenario where a bunch of people got themselves killed out of greed, and she even threw Uzu an annoyed glare.

“It’s not often you see someone flaunting their wealth like that,” she perfunctorily added before sitting down.

Her comment didn’t really taper the excitement in some of the warrior’s eyes, but a few others thoughtfully looked over at Uzu, who appeared as excited as a child, showing the pearl to anyone willing to look. Just like most of the other warriors, Zac wasn’t convinced by the straightforward and innocent act. No Wandering Cultivator who reached Hegemony was simple.

There was no real reason for him to showcase that pearl. It wasn’t a bounty item, so he wouldn’t have to present it to the Void Gate. Normally, you’d just stow that thing away and pretend nothing happened, as to avoid getting a target on your back. But here he was, waving the pearl while hinting there were more treasures in the depths.

Uzu wanted more people to dive into the waters—he wanted more Wandering Cultivators to get themselves killed. Problem was that while most knew such was the case, his lure was still effective. The existence of a Longevity Pearl proved the energies at the bottom of the lake were dense enough to form Early D-grade treasures, and they weren’t all snatched by those who’d come before them.

And even if they couldn’t find something of that quality, there might still be Peak E-grade items up for grabs.

“Are you going?” Vai asked with worry in her eyes. “There really aren’t that many pearls down there, but there are large schools of carnivorous fish. Even if they’re only E-grade, there are schools with thousands of beasts.”

“This is what I came for. If I don’t push myself now, then when?” Zac said. “I’ll wait a few hours until some of the others return before I try my luck. Don’t worry, you’ll be safe on the barge.”

“I’m not worried about myself,” Vai said with a roll of her eyes.

“It’s alright, I’m pretty good at taking a beating,” Zac smiled before closing his eyes in meditation.

In reality, he was trying to pinpoint the source of the signal, but it was hard getting a proper read. It provided just a vague sense of direction. Thankfully, it was clear that it was steadily getting closer, and as the hours passed, the impression started to point down as much as it did ahead.

Zac knew it was time to go. This way, he could swim ahead of the vessels as he dove deeper, giving him more time to search for the treasure. He waited another two minutes until another Wandering Cultivator jumped out of the oily water, his arms and face covered in bleeding lacerations.

“Well, I guess that’s my cue,” Zac said to Vai.

“Be careful,” she whispered. “There are still many layers to go—no need to overdo it.”

“I know what I’m about,” Zac laughed.

With that, he dove into the water, and he immediately grimaced with disgust. The liquid was oily and scorching hot, and utterly uncomfortable to swim in. Fiery energy tried to burrow into his cells, but the little that made it past his sturdy skin was gobbled up by his [Void Heart]. Having explored the Twilight Ocean, this invasion was nothing.

There were no beasts in the vicinity, probably thanks to his proximity to the barges. He still equipped his presence-weakening cowl to complement his energy-hiding bracelet. Then, Zac took out his axe and made his way downward, heading for the ocean floor below, all the while looking out for both animals and other cultivators. Soon enough he spotted a feeding frenzy, where hundreds of smaller fish were ripping apart the carcass of a huge fish with dozens of long whiskers that seemed as sharp as blades.

However, the weird creature had been cut in two by a bladed attack, and Zac guessed he’d found the source of the previous cultivator’s wounds. A few of the frenzied fishes chose to target him instead of fighting for the dead catfish, but it was nothing that couldn’t be solved with a couple of swings.

Finally, Zac reached the bottom of the ocean, somewhat surprised to find it covered in lustrous corals, seaweed, and all kinds of plants. It was a stark contrast to the desolate landscape above water, which made Zac wonder if there were some specific reasons for it. Perhaps some sort of tidal wave that killed everything on land every few years?

Of course, Zac was more interested in treasure than solving the geographical puzzle, but he was a bit confused as he still felt the signal coming from farther down. Did he need to dig? Perhaps there was a tunnel in the area. Since the signal came from ahead as well, Zac stayed a few hundred meters above the lakebed as he continued forward.

He could tell there were quite a few creatures that lived among those corals, but he couldn’t sense anything emitting the aura of a Beast King. Even then, there were the occasional ambushes, but Zac never slowed as he drew closer and closer to his destination. And finally, he saw it—a deep crack in the ocean floor, leading into the depths of the Mystic Realm.

There was a weak pull coming from the chasm, forming a slight waterfall-like effect. However, it paled compared to the Twilight Chasm either in size or danger. This rather seemed to be a simple fissure created from an earthquake or tectonic plates moving, if that was even a thing inside a Mystic Realm.

In either case, Zac sensed the item was right below him, and his heart thumped with anticipation as he dove inside. Deeper and deeper he went, and was surprised to find the ambient energy growing more sparse the farther he swam. Soon enough, it could barely be considered E-grade, and the fire attunement had all but disappeared from the orange water.

Eventually, the radiant glow from the waters completely disappeared, and Zac could only make his way forward by his spiritual sense until he suddenly stopped. The pulse was so close he could touch it. Except he couldn’t spot anything out of place no matter what method he used.

He swam over to the rocky wall of the fissure, his hands searching the rough surface for clues. It should be inside here, but there weren’t any indications of a passage, and he couldn’t sense or spot any palpable energy signatures from within. It almost made him feel as though he was going crazy, sensing a signal that wasn’t there.

There was only one way to find out, and the water churned as Zac punched forward. The wall shuddered from the massive force as deep cracks spread for dozens of meters. And while the wall was a lot sturdier than he’d expected, Zac’s eyes lit up—the thud was hollow. One punch after another assaulted the wall until it completely crumbled, but the scene of water rushing into the tunnel he’d exposed didn’t occur.

Instead, as pieces of rocks tumbled toward the depths of the fissure, an invisible wall held the waters at bay. Zac couldn’t make heads or tails of the scene, and even if the calling had suddenly grown a lot louder, he didn’t dare rush inside. Instead, he took out a spear that he gingerly pushed inside the dark path.

The spear entered without issue, proving there wasn’t any actual barrier that held the water at bay. Honestly, that only made the situation weirder, but Zac still slowly made his way inside. After all, he was hunting for remnants of an unfathomably powerful faction. So what if it scared the water to not enter?

That didn’t mean Zac would just rush forward eyes shut, but no matter how he looked, he couldn’t figure out what was going on. Even after taking a couple of steps inside, he could neither find what kept the water at bay, nor any other energy signature for that matter. There was simply nothing after having entered the path—like he’d found a spot forgotten by the Heavens.

No energy, no Dao, no nothing. It was hollow, empty.

Growing even more curious about what he’d discovered, he turned toward the depths of the cave, to the origin of the signal. The pathway itself wasn’t a proper tunnel, more a narrow crack that Zac barely managed to squeeze through. Thankfully, it only continued for a hundred meters until Zac found himself at the edge of an extremely odd cave.

After entering the hidden chamber, Zac finally had a pretty good idea of what was going on—how this place was created and the origin of the call. The cave wasn’t very big, just fifty meters across, and it was almost completely spherical. The walls were definitely not natural, having twisted formations and patterns that would never appear in nature.

Neither were the patterns or arrays something manmade. The result of an eruption of a chaotic mixture of energies was closer to its possible origins. Zac wasn’t skilled enough to analyze the patterns, especially with all lingering hints of energy removed from the area, but he was pretty sure Spatial Energies were heavily involved. With the Void Star being so chaotic, there was a simple explanation.

A chunk of space had been teleported inside the bedrock of this Mystic Realm, pulverizing the stone that previously occupied this spot. There was even a thick layer of ashy powder on the ground to strengthen this thesis. It was just like when he and the Azh’Rezak Alpha Gwyllgi had taken up the same plot of space when the Integration descended on Earth.

Judging by the almost suffocating ancient aura in the cave, Zac had a strong suspicion it wasn’t an even fight this time around either. This time, it was the stronger party that won, and Zac’s eyes turned to the only item inside the spherical cave.

A singular piece of rubble that lay on top of the dusty layer.

If he went by appearance alone, Zac wouldn’t have given it a second glance if he were passing by. The coloring was dark grey compared to the native red, which was a bit odd, though that could have all kinds of explanations. On its surface, a few white lines were added, but they didn’t provide any tangible clues. Of course, with the stable signal it emitted, Zac honed in on it the moment he reached the mouth of the crevasse.

And even if no one else could figure out what was so special about the stone, Zac knew exactly where it came from—after all, he’d seen it before. It was exactly this material the enormous castle in his vision was made of.

Seeing it was both exciting and a bit disappointing. Exciting in the sense it had once been part of something amazing, a building that most likely housed true Supremacies once upon a time. Disappointing in the sense it was ultimately just a piece of rock. Perhaps it had been carved off from the outer wall during some ancient battle and fallen into a tear in space, carrying with it that ancient and inextinguishable aura.

But if that were the case, was this all there was to his supposed opportunity? Was it the latent aura in this piece of rock that elicited the vision? How was he supposed to make use of a piece of stone? Even after standing in front of it for a minute, he hadn’t felt any benefits to any aspect of his cultivation.

The piece of rubble might not look like much, but its aura still beckoned him, telling Zac to take it and make it his. Even so, Zac stayed in place a bit longer to scan both the stone and the cave for any threats. It was just too eerie finding this thing here, waiting for anyone to take it, and he didn’t trust his Danger Sense would work against items of this level.

But there was simply nothing, and Zac eventually chose to follow his instincts. He jumped down, his eyes widening in alarm as his landing kicked up a plume of dust. However, it wasn’t because of the stone, and Zac ferociously swung his axe in an overhead arc. Unfortunately, his attack missed, and Zac growled upon seeing a familiar figure appear right next to the piece of rubble.

It was the dour man who’d tried to get him into trouble the day they set out. His name was Kuru Cera, and he was one of the cultivators whose job was to scout ahead of the group. Of course, that didn’t mean Kuru Cera was harmless—apart from joining groups as a scout, he was also rumored to moonlight as an assassin.

“I knew I did the right thing following you,” Kuru snickered as he looked down at the piece of rubble. “You moved with far too much purpose as you swam past the lakebed. I knew you had something profitable in mind.”

Zac neither confirmed nor denied it, but he was inwardly extremely annoyed he’d been exposed. He had kept a constant vigil to avoid this exact situation, but scouting simply wasn’t his strong suit. Since the scout never had any intent to kill or even harm him, Zac's Danger Sense hadn’t warned him at all. And Kuru had surprisingly good skills to both hide his presence and his aura, allowing him to stalk Zac all the way here.

“You don’t want to get involved in this,” Zac said as his killing intent started to permeate the cave.

“Not so fast,” Kuru grinned as he tapped the token on his waist. “Were you asleep during the briefings? Attack me, and the Void Gate will hunt you down. And according to the rules of our employers, finders keepers. I’m not sure what made you hunt down this shitty rock, but my gut tells me it’s my ticket to prominence.”

There was nothing else to say, and Zac flashed forward, propelled by [Earthstrider]. If he could snatch the piece, then great. If he failed… Then he might have to find out how accurate these tokens were. Unfortunately, while Zac was quick, the scout was a proper Dexterity-based cultivator.

Kuru’s hand turned to a blur as he snatched the rock just before Zac’s outstretched hand could reach it, prompting Zac to seamlessly transition his lunge into a swing.

“Wh—” Kuru stammered, shocked Zac actually dared to attack.

However, the scout didn’t get a chance to finish his sentence, though not because of Zac’s killing blow. A silent pulse was released from the stone, and Kuru instantaneously turned into ashy dust that kicked up a storm as Zac’s axe passed right through. At first, Zac was elated that bastard got his just desserts, but that feeling only lasted until he saw the particles falling from his own outstretched hand.

He, too, was falling apart.

39

FLAMEBEARER

There was no warning and no pain as his fingers turned to motes of dust. In an instant, his whole hand was gone, reduced to an identical ashy rain that joined Kuru’s. The phenomenon was different from anything Zac had encountered before, including his Annihilation Spheres. It didn’t destroy anything—it was rather as though the pulse erased all energy and spirituality from any matter it touched.

Out of panic, Zac did everything he could think of to stem his imminent collapse. Talismans or skills would be useless against something like this, so he tried to urge his Hidden Nodes to do something, anything. Of course, he activated [Void Zone] as well, in a desperate hope his own nullification zone would cancel out the one that had been released from the piece of rubble.

And it worked.

Just like that, the collapse of his very being stopped, but Zac had no way to tell if it was a permanent stay of execution. He’d never sensed any energy causing the disintegration, and neither had his Hidden Nodes managed to cleanse or absorb anything. With his heart beating like a drum, Zac began to scramble away, but he froze with indecision.

What if [Void Zone] covering the piece of ancient rubble was what kept him alive? If he ran away, would the stone regain its power and blast him again? Or had the stone accepted him after activating his bloodline talent? Was his survival proof that the stone was really meant for him, connected to his origin? Maybe he was just lucky… Should he run, or should he grab it?

Barely having avoided irrevocable disaster, Zac’s mind was a mess and he was locked with indecision. He didn’t even get the chance to weigh his options before the piece of rubble made his choice for him. A second, more powerful pulse rippled out from the rock, proving that his [Void Zone] was absolutely incapable of restraining it.

Next, it floated up into the air, and Zac desperately flashed away to avoid it as it shot toward him. The stone seemed to have a mind of its own, and it slammed into Zac’s chest with a speed he absolutely couldn’t avoid. A deep thud echoed through the spherical cave, followed by a grating sound as the piece of stone crumbled, turning into a fine powder indistinguishable from that on the ground.

Zac looked down at his chest with mute incomprehension. Was that it?

No. His soul shuddered before both his outer and inner cores ground to a halt. He tried to circulate his energy, but it might as well have been turned into ice. Time practically stopped altogether, and he found himself unable to so much as blink, forced to stare at the frozen swirls of dust that had been kicked up by his failed escape.

His mind still worked though, and he pinpointed the source of it all right in his Soul Aperture. Four shining lines had appeared out of nowhere, exuding the very same aura as those he’d been subjected to in his vision. Zac somewhat recognized the lines—they were the very same ones inscribed on the piece of rubble.

At first, they seemed content in doing nothing, but they eventually released a third pulse that spread throughout every corner of his body. It was like his bloodline had been startled awake, the small vortices in his body opening wide as his three Void Emperor nodes entered overdrive. Although the scene didn’t elicit any fear—rather the opposite.

Expectation held Zac’s attention as the four lines started to release a pure white light containing that ancient aura, purer and more palpable than ever before. It was familiar, yet not. Almost nostalgic, for some reason. The runes didn’t need to explain it, he understood by instinct.

Kuru didn’t have the qualifications to come in contact with this item, and thus he was reduced to nothingness, not even leaving a shred nor his items behind. But [Void Zone] proved something to the piece of rubble, and the final pulse that scanned him confirmed it. No matter if it was because of his connection to Emperor Limitless, or if it was simply because he’d passed some other criteria, he’d been accepted by the runes.

And now, it was time to reap the rewards.

A Quest Screen appeared in front of his eyes, but Zac didn’t get the chance to read what it said. His whole perception was flooded by that marvelous light that contained a million ideas. Primeval, boundless, and even terrifying concepts swept him away, absolutely overwhelming him. Every moment, it felt like more and more was crammed into his brain, squeezing out everything else.

His mind could only hold so much before it reached his limits. There was no ominous cracking of his soul, no tearing of his mind. Though what he felt wasn’t much better. The vast truths of the universe gradually turned into dust just like his hand, forever erasing itself from his memories. Left was just a sense of loss and inadequacy.

Zac could barely hold onto his sense of self, and if he didn’t do something, and soon, it would be just like when he got his hands on that mote of Primal Dao back in the Twilight Chasm. He needed to grasp what he could before it all slipped through his fingers. His Hidden Nodes were the only things currently doing something, each of the three nodes gleefully absorbing the light.

That wasn’t enough—more than 90% of the light was still wasted. His first instinct was to turn to the Dao just like last time, taking the chance to push his three Dao Branches further. However, as Zac tried to use the chaotic hurricane of comprehension to further his path and his Daos, there was no response.

Zac soon realized that while the situation was similar to his opportunity in the chasm, the content of that light was vastly different. Just like the cave itself and the dust of the ground, it was void of any energy or the Dao. But without Dao, what else was there? It was the glue that held everything together.

It felt like a fortune had already slipped through his fingers even if just an instant had passed, but Zac quickly gathered his wits. Of course there were other things to focus on, and he recalled the third chapter of the [Book of Duality]. In an instant, it felt like he’d thrown out a net into that vast sea of comprehension, catching scraps for himself before they were reduced to nothingness.

Out of nowhere, the fundament workings of duality became so clear. Going over the words in the booklet, Zac remembered every detail, every line, and he felt the hidden implications unraveling for him at a pace that was beyond shocking. Even some imperfections left by the imperfect transcription were amended, leaving him with an understanding even closer to Kalo’s original intent.

Or perhaps it was more apt to say it drew closer to the perfect mechanics of the universe.

Cycles, harmonies, chasms, pendulums, waves, interlocking patterns, and so many other methods of utilizing and building upon duality revealed themselves to his mind’s eye. A wealth of knowledge was laid bare, filling gaps and lighting a path to the future. Gradually, Zac found that path hazy. It wasn’t that he’d run out of time—the light was weakening, but it still exuded far more than he could take on.

He couldn’t remember the later chapters of the book.

Zac had repeatedly gone over the earlier sections of the [Book of Duality] over the past weeks, and the first half of the book was pretty much imprinted on his brain. It was his method to gradually decipher the book, but he hadn’t gone over the later chapters in such detail. As such, he couldn’t continue this path—there was nothing for that magical light in his mind to decipher for him.

He tried to take out the booklet from his Spatial Ring, but it was futile—either he was frozen in place or time was. He needed to change course to make the most of this opportunity. His Void Emperor nodes were continuously gobbling up what they could, but Zac could feel that even they were almost filled to the brim.

There were skills, techniques, and professions to consider, but there was something even better. Something that was firmly and fully locked in his brain.

The [Boundless Vajra Sublimation].

For once, Zac didn’t fear the pathbreaking power in the sea of knowledge that Three Virtues had left behind in his soul. Even the Buddhist Sangha were followers of the Dao. Meanwhile, the shining light seemed capable of completely stripping everything of its Heavenly Truth, opening the hood to showcase what hid within.

He delved deeper and deeper into the Body Tempering Manual, trying to understand the overarching themes and connections of the method. How were Heart and Body connected? How could the boundlessness of Buddha’s heart be removed, maybe even replaced by something that wouldn’t alter his path?

Zac’s mind shuddered and he felt a splitting headache as a million ideas were born and discarded. Though not for nothing—something was starting to form. Something uniquely his. And it wasn’t enough. Eventually, his state of clarity began to fade, and Zac felt as though he was being plunged into an abyss.

The truths he needed were getting further and further away, and as the light winked out, they were gone. Left behind in his mind were only the four white lines. But even they released a ripple and disappeared a moment later. Zac took a shuddering breath as he opened his eyes, his heart filled with a confusing mix of elation and deficiency as he saw the world speed up again.

The previously frozen clouds of dust swirled around before a churning rumble shook the cave as the waters of Hako Lake, once more glowing a bright orange, came crashing to fill the crevasse. There was no way to tell whether the runes had actually slowed time down for him, or if it had just felt that way with the speed his mind worked, but no actual time had passed since those lines appeared in his mind.

Zac let the waters crash over him and submerge the cave as a smile spread across his face. He’d been a bit skeptical upon seeing that piece of rubble, but he’d ended up gaining in a big way. That shimmering light in his mind wasn’t enough to completely reforge the [Boundless Vajra Sublimation], but it had been enough to open a door he hadn’t known existed.

The answer was within the Void.

The original method aimed to relinquish all distractions, to become an unfeeling Vajra with only their eyes on their path. It could be considered a surrender of the self, where one’s heart became empty and boundless to accept the Heavens. That didn’t work for Zac, yet the epiphany helped him realize that removing those parts would essentially remove the very foundations of the manual.

The Heart Cultivation wasn’t just there as a trap or to lure more practitioners into the arms of the Sangha. It brought purpose to the movements, to the energy circulation, to the patterns as it incorporated your Dao and your intent into the method. In a sense, it harmonized the method with your path, allowing you to create a life constitution uniquely suited for you. This was the real reason it was considered a top-tier method.

Without the heart component, the method would become utterly flawed. He would perhaps be able to force the first layer or two with treasures considering his wealth, but that would do more harm than good. If he did that, then his constitution would take on the nature of the treasures rather than of one that suited him. Such an incongruity would soon cause problems with every aspect of your cultivation.

The situation wasn’t hopeless. The details were already hazy since the shining light left him, but he’d seen how the Void could replace the Boundlessness. Instead of relinquishing one’s self, you’d ensconce it in the Void. That way, not even the Heavens would be able to influence your heart or your path.

For a normal cultivator, this path was utterly impossible—it was a path which required an absolute absence of the Dao. How else would you be able to comprehend and welcome the true Void into your heart? Affinities were a bridge between yourself and the Heavens, and not even crippling your cultivation could remove that. As long as that bridge existed, you couldn’t truly practice the kind of method Zac envisioned.

In that sense, he was unique, a person completely lacking affinities, with a Void-related bloodline to boot. As long as he could create that method, he’d become a black hole—he’d take anything he needed to progress, without letting outside elements affect his path or his heart. This wouldn’t just solve the immediate goal of getting a Life-attuned Constitution for his human side—it would also prove something he desperately wanted.

A Heart Cultivation method that would protect you from undue outside influence, no matter if it was the System, the Buddhist Sangha, or the Remnants. He’d been led around by the nose enough times by now that the thought of cultivating independence was almost as attractive as the thought of aligning his human constitution with his path.

For a moment, he’d seen it all mesh together—Life and Death held together by the Void in his bloodline, just like his triumvirate path were held together by the Dao of Conflict.

Figuring out the path he needed to take with the [Boundless Vajra Sublimation] was the biggest gain, but it wasn’t all of it. Zac had fully comprehended both the third and fourth chapters of the [Book of Duality], something that would have taken him months of hard work. Not only that, the knowledge had somehow been expanded beyond what was hidden within his copy.

The former was somewhat understandable—he’d eaten epiphany-inducing treasures before. However, the second aspect was more shocking, since Zac knew those additional insights weren’t the fruit of his own understanding. They were far beyond what he could comprehend on his own, epiphany or not. The concepts came from within that rune.

Was he so lucky that it just happened to contain exactly the insights he was looking for? Zac didn’t think so. It was more like that rune represented the fundamental laws of the universe, and the underpinnings of duality were just one small piece of that. It made Zac think of that feeling he’d gotten when he was shown the empty courtyard of Ultom. That coherent and supreme understanding that unified everything which transcended the Dao itself.

Of course, the burst of inspiration he’d gotten just now was a mere shadow of the real thing. But they had to be connected.

Still, there were some things he couldn’t make sense of quite yet. First of all, the incomplete rune he’d seen in his soul didn’t match the one on the steps in the inner courtyard. More like it was part of a repeating pattern he noticed on the massive castle before his vision changed.

Related, but different. For some reason, it also filled him with a sense of familiarity. Could it be a connection through bloodline, between himself and the Limitless Empire?

Perhaps even more importantly, he’d gained such a huge windfall from finding a random piece of rubble that had been teleported to this random Mystic Realm. What would happen if he got his hands on a full rune rather than a corner? Or something that held even more of that aura?

No matter if it was figuring out a blueprint for his Cosmic Core or creating his envisioned [Void Vajra Sublimation], it was a huge undertaking. And frankly, it required comprehension and talent he might not possess. This could be his ticket to solving those two issues in one fell swoop, not just saving time, but elevating his prospects altogether.

Zac suddenly remembered he’d gotten a quest just before the wave of insights commanded all his attention, and he opened it to see if it provided any clues. For a moment he was elated. For another, confused. Eventually, he settled with being unsettled. Just what had he become embroiled in this time?

[Seal of the Left Imperial Palace (Unique, Inheritance): Form a seal of the Left Imperial Palace. Reward: Become a Flamebearer of Ultom. (1/4)]

40

THE WILL OF THE ANCIENTS

Zac didn’t know what to believe as he read the mission. More than anything he felt it a bit ironic. He’d just devised a change for his Body Tempering Manual that would shield his heart from the System, yet it looked like he needed to participate in some System-controlled inheritance to figure out the specifics.

At least, that was his first takeaway. The quest was at 1/4, which hopefully meant there were three more pieces of rubble strewn throughout the Void Star. Three more bursts of that ultimate knowledge should be enough to figure out all his roadblocks for Hegemony, paving the way for him to visit the Perennial Vastness Realm much earlier than he’d anticipated. And that was just from progressing the quest itself.

Not only that, the quest had also given a name to that massive castle in his vision—the Left Imperial Palace. By this point, it almost seemed like a forgone conclusion that it really was part of the Limitless Empire. Anything else seemed a hopeless longshot. But just what was a Flamebearer of Ultom? A representative?

Seeing as the quest type was listed as (Unique, Inheritance), it might act as the qualification to enter the palace? Or to at least gain access to some minor inheritance left behind by the Limitless Empire? Just the thought of an Inheritance of that magnitude almost made Zac drool with excitement. What if it was like Brazla’s Dao Repository? A repeating opportunity that might last him all the way to Supremacy.

No matter which was the case, one thing was for sure—he needed to find the rest of that rune. The nature of the actual reward didn’t even matter.

Having just gained such a massive windfall, Zac wanted to seclude himself for a couple of weeks. He needed to digest what he’d just learned and prepare in case he stumbled onto another piece of the seal. But first things first. Slumbering motes of Creation were dragged from his cells, and Zac felt the sweet nectar of unbridled possibility course through his body.

The energy was soon reluctantly pushed back into his body as Zac looked at his perfectly intact hand with confusion. He’d been so occupied with the wealth of knowledge that he had completely failed to realize he was in perfect condition, with no hints that part of his body was previously missing.

How was this possible? Had the runes turned back time after realizing it had made a mistake? Had it replaced his left hand with something else? No, that seemed unlikely. No matter how many times he scanned it, he couldn’t find anything different from before. It was pretty unsettling, but he ultimately put the matter aside.

He was too stupid to figure out that mystery, and he only had another hour or two before he needed to get back to the barge. Possibly even earlier, considering how Kuru had just been turned into dust right in front of his eyes. He might face some questioning when he returned, but he could only take things as they came. Hopefully, the runes had so utterly destroyed the token that there were no clues to glean.

Zac closed his eyes again, slowly going over his insights. However, only five minutes passed until his eyes shot open as his mind screamed of danger. Extreme, mortal danger. The source wasn’t some angry Templar bearing down on him, but that didn’t make the situation better.

Something was happening in the center of the cave. A small ball emitting terrifying waves of Spatial Energy had appeared out of nowhere. It phased in and out of being as it flickered ominously, like it was trying to break into this dimension. Zac didn’t know what it was and if his absorbing of the rune was the cause of its appearance. It didn’t matter.

What he did know was that he needed to get away—and quick. With one step, he squeezed into the crevasse, and with another activation of [Earthstrider], he was out in the chasm. Adding some distance to the anomaly did nothing to quell the terror in his heart—his Danger Sense was still screaming at him to get away.

For the first time since taking the appearance of Gaun Sorom, Zac released the floodgates to the divine tree in his Soul Aperture, filling his movement skill with his Branch of the Kalpataru as he escaped as quickly as his legs would take him. By now, the whole lakebed rumbled, and it wasn’t the time to be picky.

Each step took him hundreds of meters away, leaving churning whirlwinds in his wake. Even then, his horror was only mounting as the frantic energies beneath him grew stronger. He shot out from the fissure like a rocket, heading straight for the surface with all the speed he could muster.

Eventually, reality shattered, and a shockwave pushed Zac to the surface and hundreds of meters into the air. Zac coughed out a mouthful of blood as the bones in his body groaned, but at least he was out of the waters. Becoming airborne gave him a good vantage as well, and he spotted the barges far in the distance.

Zac slammed into the waters a few seconds later, and he immediately got back up again. He couldn’t fly, but he could still run across the surface, and a minute later, he jumped onto the barge. Vai hurried over when she saw him, and he waved at her to show he was okay before he ate a Healing Pill. Two more had already surfaced before him, and three more followed within the next minute.

Looking around, Zac inwardly breathed out in relief. Those who’d just returned to the barges were worse for the wear, but it looked like Kuru was the only casualty. And with this big a calamity, he had the perfect scapegoat.

“What is going on!” Teo asked as his gaze alternated between the still-wet Wandering Cultivators and the roiling waters.

“A breach,” one of the warriors said breathlessly. “A breach is opening up at the bottom of the lake.”

“He’s right,” another one added. “I couldn’t see it, but the spatial fluctuations were terrible.”

“I think two oceans have merged,” one of the two remaining scouts said as he peered down into the depths, his eyes gleaming from some skill. “I can’t say for sure, but it looks like tendrils of purple mud or thick water is rising from the depths?”

“Purple waters?” Tyla said thoughtfully. “Aphosis Eight? Or perhaps the Taosi Ocean in Kosdo Nine?”

“Let’s hope it’s Aphosis,” Teo frowned. “Did anyone see any invaders?”

“Invaders?” someone muttered with confusion.

“Beasts that don’t belong,” Havasa explained.

Everyone shook their heads, but that did little to allay anyone’s worries.

“Tyla,” Teo said.

“I’m on it,” the vice-captain nodded and jumped into the waters.

“Speed up. Everyone, stay alert!” Teo said.

Some arrays on the barges hummed to life as the Hegemons inserted more crystals into the arrays, and they sped toward the other shore. For a minute, nothing happened, until a frazzled Tyla breached the surface and jumped back onto deck.

“Not water—Insects!” the vice-captain shouted, but her voice was almost drowned out by a deafening roar as a black tidal wave exploded from the waters, reaching over a hundred meters into the air in an instant.

Zac looked at the seething wave with incomprehension, until it clicked what the vice-captain had just said.

Insects?

* * *

Outside a lonely cottage in a shrouded forest, Kouzo wordlessly observed the kettle as its contents simmered over the fire. The bones formed an intricate dance as they swirled around in the broth, their movements mirroring the eight primordial truths. Suddenly, one of the bones snapped, prompting Kouzo to exclaim in surprise.

He threw out a handful of bones on the ground next to him to confirm, grunting upon seeing their placement.

“The first candle is lit,” the old man muttered as his murky eyes turned toward the sky. “Ultom has found a candidate.”

“Already?” a rumbling voice echoed as a middle-aged man stepped out from the stars.

The air could not withstand his presence, and cracks spread in his wake as he walked forward, like a cape stretching toward the heavens. Kouzo sighed as he felt the primal aura being emitted from his body—the mark of a true Primordial Dragon. It looked like the Patriarch was rousing from his slumber after millions of years if one of his generals stepped forward to take charge of this matter.

Kouzo had long since retreated from the arena of power, but he could still recognize it was Realmbane who neared. The solitary golden scale covering his glabella was proof enough that he belonged to one of the two dragon heritages that were held in the highest esteem despite not being purebloods.

After all, Realmbane and the Patriarch had a hint of the Beast Progenitor coursing through their veins.

Kouzo still didn’t understand. The Starbeast Alliance didn’t even contend for the first pillar, and only individual Ancestors contended for the three that followed. What was so special about the fifth pillar that it elicited this kind of response? Did his master know something? Was that why he exhausted his longevity? If so, why didn’t he impart what he knew before moving on?

“We just got the report from the Worldwing Autarch, and someone has already been accepted?” Realmbane frowned. “How is this possible? Even if our activities were exposed to the Undead Empire, they still lack critical information. And while the Sangha’s means are unfathomable, there shouldn’t be more than one or two chapters who bother with this matter.”

“No prophecy can account for every variable, not even my master’s,” the old man smiled.

“Can you tell who it is? If it’s the Undead Empire, then fine. I doubt the Primo is willing to exit his seclusion this early, and we should be able to deal with his clones. But if it’s those undying Abbots, then it’s trouble,” the dragon rumbled. “The more pressure we apply, the more chapters would join hands.”

Kouzo turned back toward the simmering pot, and minutes passed in silence as he made his deductions.

“It’s… messy,” Kouzo muttered. “I sense the Sangha, but I also sense the Abyss. And there is a hint of the Vigil. There is even something else as well, but it is too deeply hidden. I cannot grasp it from this distance.”

“The Vigil is to be expected,” the general mused. “But they have never gotten directly involved in the conflict. But what’s with the conflicting hints? Is there someone who is obstructing you?”

“I am far from Master’s level in this regard,” Kouzo sighed. “There are quite a few who can blind my eyes. But no, this seems to be something else. Only part of the tapestry is obscured, though I do not know what to make of the rest. Chaos runs rife through the threads of fate.”

“Chaos?” the dragon said with a start.

“My lord?” Kouzo asked, and he was met with a rumbling laugh.

“The Sangha and the Abyss, you say? Chaos…” Realmsbane said before he released a booming laugh. “I think I know what we’re dealing with.”

Space flickered the next moment as a spear-wielding warrior appeared, his face almost covered in scales—proving his Atavism was just an early stage.

“Ancestor,” the man bowed before repeating a slightly lower bow at Kouzo. “Sage Kouzo.”

“A Mutant Voidcatcher just returned from a mission on the outside,” the general said. “You should be able to find him in the Sea of Salvation. Bring him to me.”

The warrior bowed again and disappeared, off to fulfill his task. Seeing the dragonling disappear, Kouzo turned back to Realmsbane curiously.

“See for yourself,” Realmsbane snorted and waved his hand, prompting a series of images to flash through Kouzo’s mind.

“The boy?” Kuozo exclaimed, suddenly remembering the report. “How is that possible? How could an E-grade child be qualified to get involved with these matters?”

“The Left Imperial Palace has been without a controller since the Dark Ages. That’s more than enough time for it to have become influenced by the eternal intent of those ancient masters,” the general said. “Who knows what their goals were? This could be good news as well, allowing us to test the waters. Do we have any decent prospects among the younglings of the latest generations?”

“I’m sorry, I wouldn’t know,” Kouzo smiled. “I secluded myself millions of years ago.”

“I understand,” Realmsbane nodded. “I will have someone arrange a quick trial. I will need your assistance to find those whose fates shine the brightest, and augment them even further. If there is anything you can think of to increase our chance of success, let me know. This is the highest priority of the council.”

“Of course,” Kouzo nodded, though he was still inwardly confused.

As far as he knew, only Emperor Limitless knew the true worth of the Ultom Courts, but one thing was for sure—some things were often more trouble than they were worth. Being rich was a sin if you didn’t have the strength to protect it, and the Starbeast Alliance wasn’t infallible. Judging by how fate was shifting, holding onto the Left Imperial Palace would come with a terrible price.

Was there something special about the Heritage from the Lost Era?

* * *

It was the same today as well—the shimmering wall of gold appeared when they came too close. A searing lance of fire slammed into it with enough force to incinerate a planet, yet it only rippled a bit before space calmed down. Iz’s eyes suspiciously turned to Kvalk, her silence speaking volumes.

“Young miss, I wouldn’t lie to you!” the golem quickly said. “The seal is extremely powerful. Even if I sacrificed some of my cultivation, I wouldn’t be able to breach it.”

“I heard it with my own ears. That Draugr girl and her master, who is a lot weaker than you, managed to visit this Sector and leave without issue,” Iz hummed.

“Something must have changed for the Heavens to directly block us out like this,” Kvalk sighed. “Normally, only the agreements keep the upper realms away from the frontier. Even when there is direct interference, there is just suppression of providence or perhaps a seal on our strength. But this—a direct barrier barring entry? I have never heard of such a thing. This is the work of the Boundless Heavens.”

Iz gave the barrier a look of reluctance, wondering what to think and what to believe. Was it really the System that kept her out? Or was Uncle Valderak and his descendant trying to trick her again? Was there no choice but to turn back now that she was so close? She didn’t want to, but she’d been stuck here for weeks.

Suddenly, she felt the flames in her body stir, and she looked over at Kvalk just in time to see a familiar rune appear on its forehead as towering flames were released from its body.

“Little girl, are you having fun on the outside?” Kvalk laughed.

“…Grampa?” Iz hesitated before her eyes widened. “I knew it! Have you sealed off this Sector?”

“How could I possibly be so bored?” Mohzius snorted, the sound a bit unnatural coming from the possessed golem. “But I am afraid things have become a bit complicated.”

“You want me to return?” Iz frowned.

“Your grandmother wants you to come home, she is worried,” the golem nodded. “But I am willing to give you a choice.”

“What’s going on?” Iz said, realization that something big had happened flooding her.

“The Left Imperial Palace of the Limitless Empire is rising from the ashes of history,” Mohzius explained. “And it looks like it will make its first appearance in this frontier Sector.”

“Are the uncles or aunts coming to fight for it?” Iz asked with confusion.

“We hadn’t planned on it, though things have changed,” Mozhius sighed. “It’s up to you now.”

“Me? I’m only here for Mr. Bug. What’s that got to do with me?”

“We first saw the signs a few days ago, and I convened with Old Man River to have him look for clues across the River of Time. It seems your little friend is either responsible for its emergence, or at least connected to it all somehow.”

“Mr. Bug?” Iz exclaimed before her mouth slowly curved upward. “That’s so like him.”

“Yes, well,” Mozhius snorted. “He almost reminds me of a younger and less dashing version of me. In either case, it seems the first stage of this emergence will contain some sort of inheritance aimed at the younger generation.”

“I would compete with Mr. Bug?” Iz said, the thought birthing a sense of reluctance. “If he was the one who found it, I don’t want to take it. He’s so poor, I’d feel bad.”

“It’s impossible to tell the specifics from the outside,” Mohzius said. “You might compete for the same prize, or you might need to team up to explore the opportunities. It all depends on the will of the ancients.”

“What do you want me to do? This is such an important matter. I—”

“At a certain point, the young need to spread their wings and fly,” Mozhius smiled. “Your grandmother would have preferred you stayed under our protection for a while longer, but I believe you’re ready to choose for yourself. And isn’t this what you wanted? To go on adventures with your friend?

“It’s up to you to decide if you want to compete for this opportunity. If you’re ready, I will seal this child’s cultivation to Middle Monarchy, which should be enough for me to force you two inside. But as soon you enter, you two will be on your own—not even your grandmother can intercede this time.”

“What about those other factions? Will it cause trouble for the family?”

“Since when have the Tayn’s feared some trouble?” Mohzius laughed. “Just kill anyone who gets in your way. But if all you want out of this excursion is to meet up with your friend, I will bring you back. I cannot let you enter if you’re just here for a vacation. On the other side of the barrier, you will just be you, without the protections you have back home. You might even die.”

Iz slowly turned her gaze back toward the barrier, wordlessly weighing her options. Hearing she might actually die sent a stab of fear through her. Not that she would cease to exist, but rather that she’d waste all that her elders had sacrificed to give her a chance at life. But she could also tell that her grandfather hoped for her to take this risk.

Treasures and background could only take you so far. You needed more if you wanted to walk the road of Eternity. You needed conviction, you needed purpose. Her grandfather hoped she would find that in there.

She remembered how Mr. Bug struggled every day in the mirror. In many ways, he was more of a cultivator than she. Was this her chance? To test herself, to find purpose in her existence? If she succeeded, then great. If she failed, then she simply wasn’t fated. It didn’t seem like a bad deal.

“I want to give it a try.”

41

NEGATIVE SPIRAL

Zac, like most of the other cultivators, released a pent-up sigh of relief as he stepped through the dimensional gate to the third Mystic Realm. They’d already been somewhat safe after reaching the waystation, but the way those frenzied cockroaches seemed able to absorb energy, he believed it was just a matter of time before the defensive arrays failed.

He was a bit apologetic that they’d been hounded for days without reprieve, but at least everyone was alive. Of course, if the others found out he was the reason that two-thirds of the squad members had painful bite marks across their whole bodies, they would probably pummel him to death.

Only the Hegemons and the strongest Half-Step cultivators were spared, which was saying something, considering most of the critters weren’t even E-grade. But when there were billions forming a swarm that blotted out the sky, even F-grade roaches could take you out.

It was a tide in the true sense of the word. Every critter would exhaust a small amount of your energy, and they were endless. Eventually, you would be drained, at which point the stronger roaches would breach your defenses and start ripping you open. This was a type of tide that many feared even more than Beast Kings, and Zac remembered Ogras telling him how a rat tide had taken out a whole capital on his home planet.

At least that was over with since there was no way the roaches would be able to hound them across layers. Unfortunately, the relief didn’t last long. Even if his mind was preoccupied with the churning sea of energy-feeding roaches, he still remembered to brace himself for another pulse. Even after waiting for half a minute, not so much as a whiff of that ancient aura greeted him.

There was only the ambient energy of a slight electric charge. A world of thunderstorms, perhaps? Of course, Zac didn’t really care what kind of Mystic Realm they’d arrived in. He was far more worried about the lack of guidance from the ancient remnants of the Left Imperial Palace. What now?

Seeing as the piece of rubble could guide him through multiple Mystic Realms, he’d assumed he would get another pulse leading him toward the next, especially now that he’d gotten a related quest. That had been too optimistic. Was there really only one piece inside the Void Star? Perhaps the next piece of rubble was too far, forcing him to explore more realms.

“We won’t pass by the realm where those buggers came from, right?” a cultivator asked after everyone had taken a breather.

“No, and we’ll not pass through this realm on the way back,” Teo grunted, clearly a bit annoyed.

Zac could understand the sentiment. Things kept going sideways for the poor captain. He’d been forced to continuously use his defensive skills for days to protect the group, and he was visibly pale from the energy expenditure.

“With our dash, we’re ahead of schedule. We’ll rest here for half a day before continuing,” the leader continued before taking over a corner to rest.

Zac inwardly breathed out in relief as he sat down. It looked like the death of the dour scout had been pinned on the beast tide rather than him, with no one making any trouble. Teo had simply asked everyone who’d been in the waters during the breach if they’d seen Kuru, to which everyone shook their heads.

The relief didn’t only come from his activities not being found out—he truly needed the rest. His energy reserves were shocking for his level, but he was ultimately just an E-grade warrior. Without a core, he couldn’t compare to a Half-Step Hegemon in energy reserves. And since he was one of the warriors, he’d been tasked with protecting the researchers who only needed to keep running.

With his free hand, Zac took out the [Book of Duality] and started to read through the first four chapters again. He found there wasn’t any need—after his epiphany, it was like the ideas and concepts were imprinted into his brain. There was no need to digest what he’d read.

Instead, Zac started to go over the last three chapters. He didn’t bother trying to comprehend the truths hidden inside. As long as he memorized every page, he would be able to decipher them in case he ran into another part of the seal. The hours passed, and when it was time to go, the pages were memorized and his energy was mostly restored.

Everyone else looked a lot better as well, with the bitemarks covering their faces healed, but the atmosphere remained subdued as they set out again. Thankfully, they only needed to worry about the weather in the third realm, with the occasional thunderbolt striking down at them. Though their force was nothing compared to real tribulation lightning, and they were easily dealt with.

After its initial hiccups, things started to return to normalcy—for a high-danger mission into a weird multi-dimensional star, that is. Days turned to weeks, and Zac’s worries became reality as not a single one of the realms they traversed contained any remnants or clues to the Left Imperial Palace.

The same was true for the naturally-appearing breaches they encountered on the way. Zac had been hoping to at least get some confirmation more pieces existed through the breaches, even if he wasn’t planning on jumping through. Unfortunately, the only thing pouring out of those spatial tears were more beasts.

Over the next eight Mystic Realms they crossed, they encountered huge spatial tears in three, and while none were as bad as the insect tide, they all contained shocking numbers of agitated animals. Zac felt it very odd—why were there always animals on the other side? It wasn’t like every Mystic Realm contained huge numbers of animals, only the wild ones did.

So why didn’t any tears open up, only for them to lead to some dead Mystic Realm? Neither was there any indication that these beasts were brought by the System—when it did, it always awarded the defenders quests. Was there something about these seemingly overpopulated realms that led to the breaches? Zac had no idea, and the Templars didn’t seem interested in sharing their theories.

Apart from the breaches, the squad also encountered a tremendous spatial ripple that left a vast convergence in its wake. It covered half the Mystic Realm, forcing them into a day-long and extremely confusing battle, where beasts kept popping up out of nowhere and disappearing a moment later.

Even among all this chaos, Zac spent most of his time going over the [Void Vajra Sublimation] in his mind. In contrast to the chapters of the [Book of Duality], the epiphany had only illuminated the path for this idea. Actually creating a working method was terrifyingly complex. It would probably require another epiphany, but he wanted to solve some pieces of the puzzle before that.

It was just like eating a Dao Treasure—the more he managed to sort out beforehand, the more he could make of the opportunity. And the more Zac thought about the idea, the more certain he was that this was the right way to go. It wasn’t only about protecting his path either. Incorporating the concept of the Void into the method should drastically reduce the risk of the method clashing with his bloodline.

That was the biggest risk apart from having his path broken, and this idea would essentially turn the high-compatibility method into a Body Tempering Manual uniquely suited for only him. Unfortunately, he couldn’t try out his theories during the mission, so he could only mentally run simulations.

Others weren’t so free that they could turn their sight inward and ponder on their path. The environment grew increasingly hostile as they progressed deeper into the Void Star. The first casualties, apart from Kuru’s unfortunate disappearance, since the initial convergence came when they encountered the second breach. An endless number of beasts, both flying and landlocked, poured out—including dozens of Beast Kings. Not even Teo and his vice-captains were able to completely control the avalanche.

There were simply too many beasts, and they hadn’t managed to force their way out from the encirclement even after furiously fighting for hours. The first-string cultivators were overwhelmed, and more and more beasts had to be let through their outer perimeter to be dealt with by the second-string cultivators.

Because of this, a dying Beast King managed to kill one of the defenders with its last breath before Havasa had the chance to take it out. Its final attack even ripped the arm of the researcher the Templar was protecting. One of the first-string cultivators fell half an hour later, and by the time they managed to escape, another two had such grievous wounds they would be unable to fight for weeks—even with Kantomir’s ministrations.

Like that, Zac got a second ward; the nun whose arm had been ripped off. Zac was pretty much the most powerful second-string cultivator, so he had to take on a slightly greater burden. It wasn’t that he revealed more of his power—it was simply a result of having a Dao Branch. His Branch of the War Axe drastically increased his lethality, allowing him to kill most beasts in a single swing, while others required multiple attacks to inflict the same results against the sturdy beasts.

More than one Wandering Cultivator had approached him during their travels, hoping to glean some sort of insight from how he’d managed to form a Dao Branch after centuries of being stalled. Unfortunately, they could only leave in disappointment after Zac said he’d found a Natural Treasure that both increased his affinity and forced a breakthrough.

Five more members of the squad, four warriors and one researcher, had died by the time they closed in on their destination, and another three were so wounded they had to be carried. In other words, they’d essentially already reached a casualty rate of 20%, after less than half the mission was completed. From here, they would need to guard the spatial anomaly for up to a month and then return to the surface.

As things stood, Zac doubted they would be able to make it out within the advertised 30% casualty rate. With fewer and fewer warriors being fit to fight, the pressure on the others increased, creating a negative spiral.

Thankfully, not every Mystic Realm they passed was dangerous. One was completely void of enemies, while another had been cleared out by one of the large roving armies just two weeks ago. It was a shame they’d already moved on. If not for the mission taking so long to fill up, they would have been able to add to their roster from the massive army. But with their squad already running a bit late, they couldn’t spare the time to move two realms over and fetch new members.

Finally, after close to a month of traversing inhospitable realms, endless bloodshed, and weird spatial events, the squad reached their destination realm. Like a dozen times before, Zac prepared himself for a pulse as he stepped through the spatial gate, but just like every time since the events at Hako Lake, there was nothing.

By now, Zac’s disappointment had started to taper, and he’d somewhat guessed he would have to look for the other pieces of the seal elsewhere. Instead, he turned his attention to the bangle on his arm, and the news was a lot better there.

The ambient Spatial Energies had grown denser as the squad moved deeper and deeper into the Void Star. By now, it could be sensed on top of the ambient energy no matter where you went, and the environment had a startling effect on the escape treasure he got from the System.

Since Zac pushed a mote of Chaos into it, the bangle had been in an unresponsive state. Turbulent energies still lingered within, though they’d degraded from pure Chaos to all kinds of other concepts. Luckily, the bangle wasn’t some random item he’d picked up at an auction. It was provided by the System itself as part of a top-grade evaluation of his performance during the Integration.

After two months of dormancy, it was finally showing signs of recovery, and the Spatial Energies in the atmosphere were speeding up the process. As things looked, Zac wouldn’t need to find some artificer to repair it. It was just a matter of time before he could use it again.

That was great news for him since the [Flashfire Flourish] was essentially only a superior version of an escape talisman. It put an enormous distance between you and your pursuers, but after that, you were on your own. Any pursuer that could force him to run for his life also had a decent chance of seeing through the obscuring effects of the item given enough time.

So long as the escape bangle was up and running, that problem would be solved. The feature that would instantly return him to Earth was still on cooldown for another decade, but he would be able to take out a mobile Teleportation Array and go anywhere he wanted. By the time his pursuers managed to catch up, he’d be long gone.

There were still some ways before the bangle reached a level where Zac would dare use it, but perhaps spending some time next to a spatial anomaly would speed up the process even further. Judging by the atmosphere, they’d be drenched in Spatial Energies for the foreseeable future.

“That's it,” Teo said after the spatial gate closed behind them, while Havasa took out a large box. “Good job getting here, everyone. We will stay in this realm for a while, and there are some things you need to know. There normally aren’t too many dangers in the form of beasts in this realm, but there are some other things you have to be wary of. The Spatial Energies are quite strong, especially close to the anomaly, which leads to some odd phenomena.”

Next, the Templar captain took out a metal bracer from the box, showing it to the warriors before he attached it to his wrist. “These are Space Anchors, and they’ll be your best friend in this Mystic Realm. We didn’t distribute them before since they’re frankly quite expensive, and we need all of them back after the mission is completed.

“They have two uses. First, it has an array that works a lot like the stabilization talismans we used to enter the Void Star. In case the weather gets bad, these things will protect you.”

“The weather?” a warrior asked with confusion.

“Spatial storms,” Teo clarified. “Waves of rampant Spatial Energies that can send part of your legs to the Void, your head to another Mystic Realm, while leaving your torso untouched. These things will make sure you guys aren’t split up. Literally.”

“However, some storms are too powerful, and they can whisk your whole body away,” Havasa added as she equipped one of the anchors herself. “So if it suddenly looks like the whole world around you starts to twist and distort, immediately activate the array on these things.”

A shimmering blue band of energy shot out from a gem the next moment, stretching across the whole waiting room before slamming into… nothing. Five meters from the wall, spatial cracks appeared in the air while a deep energy barb had dug into the cracks. It really looked like an anchor, though it seemed to rather have the functionality of an ice pick.

“This will hopefully keep you in place until the storm passes,” Havasa said before shaking her hand, prompting the anchor to dissipate.

After learning of the possibility of one’s body getting disassembled by a gust of wind, the warriors didn’t need to be told twice to put one of the bracers on. After activating it, Zac felt a thin film of Spatial Energy ensconce him. It didn’t cost him a lot of energy either, since it seemed to draw power from the surroundings.

Most people, Zac included, also activated the anchor function to make sure they hadn’t been given a dud. After that, they all set out, but they didn’t get far before they stopped to take in this new Mystic Realm they’d entered.

“What the—” Zac muttered as he looked at the chaotic scene.

It felt like he’d entered a theme park’s house of mirrors, with dozens of disjointed vistas filling up his vision. Most of them depicted a magical forest with blue leaves and undergrowth, but they were disjointed. Like he was shown fifty different parts of the forest at once, along with some surrounding bushland.

“The world isn’t actually fractured,” Teo said as he started walking forward. “It’s an illusion brought by the spatial anomaly and the dense Spatial Energies in the atmosphere. You don’t need to worry that a wrong step will teleport you away. You’ll know when an actual fracture appears by its powerful fluctuations.”

It was pretty nauseating to have your surroundings continuously twist and distort, but otherwise, the realm wasn’t that bad. They encountered three spatial storms over the next few days, but the Space Anchors worked wonders, allowing them to effortlessly tide them over. If anything, the bracers grew stronger in the middle of the storm as they absorbed the dense energies within.

There weren’t a lot of creatures in this weird world either, mostly some spectral-like flying beasts that didn’t seem interested in attacking the group. Still, this was the layer where he might run into his target—the Ferric Worldeaters, so Zac kept his eyes peeled.

Eventually, they crossed a large ridge, and when Zac saw a weird object far in the distance, he knew he’d have to go hunt for one during his days off.

Because they’d reached the spatial anomaly.

42

SPATIAL CORTEX

When the mission mentioned a spatial anomaly, Zac had envisioned something like a permanent spatial tear or perhaps one of those bubbles that he’d seen inside the Technocrat Mystic Realm. Only now did he realize his imagination was lacking. Then again, the description of the task along with the Templars’ comments were laughably downplayed, and judging by the scrunched-up faces of some of the other freelancers, they carried similar sentiments.

The first thing they saw were four rings of pure spatial turbulence, like the rings of Saturn, except they rotated at different degrees and distances from the anomaly itself. They were crackling with barely constrained power, which created a both harrowing and beautiful scene where they kept seeing flashes of distant worlds.

Apart from the glimpses into the beyond, they presented a different danger—they kept spitting out condensed balls of space storms at their surroundings like an automated defense. It made Zac infuse a bit of energy into his Space Anchor just to confirm it was still operational—he wouldn’t want to enter that area without it.

Within the rings, the anomaly itself hovered in the air on full display, and it was unlike any phenomena Zac had seen before. It consisted of thousands of strings that together formed a spherical, intricate mesh that hovered in the air. At least, Zac thought it was spherical. The strings kept moving to reform the ball, though Zac felt like he was looking at one of those images with impossible shapes.

It kept twisting in on itself at incomprehensible angles, almost making Zac’s brain short-circuit. Zac was by no means an expert in physics or the like, but he guessed the anomaly wasn’t a three-dimensional item. It worked in dimensions Zac had no method to process—perhaps you needed to be a Spatial Cultivator to understand what was going on.

Apart from the seemingly impossible shapes, the anomaly reminded Zac of the synapses in a brain, and there were even powerful spatial currents running through the threads like the electric pulses in a brain. Perhaps it could also be likened to a star chart, where each bulbous node at intersections represented worlds or Mystic Realms.

But what was it… A natural formation? An energy construct? A plantlike being? A beast? Zac honestly had no way to tell, no matter he tried to suss out the materials it was made from or its purpose. At least it didn’t look manmade, considering no runes or arrays were covering the threads.

“This is called a Spatial Cortex,” Teo explained when he noticed the confused faces of the group. “Essentially, they’re natural formations born from the Void Star, and they play an essential role in our ability to control and traverse its layers. This one has been acting up lately, and we’re here to deploy a gap measure to stabilize it.”

“Gap measure?” Uzu asked from the side with trepidation in his eyes.

Zac could understand the sentiment. No matter if you considered the eruption Zac caused in Hako Lake or the subsequent breaches they’d encountered, they had become all-too-familiar with the terrifying power of space. And now they were supposed to muck around inside this weird, complex, and terrifyingly energy-dense space brain?

That sounded like a recipe for disaster.

“The Formation is perfect as it is, but with the Void Star releasing unusual amounts of energy, there are risks it will be overloaded. So, we will install a series of shunts that will divert excess energy into the Void, which should help stabilize the thing until the higher-ups have figured out the root cause of all these changes,” Teo explained.

“We understand your worries, but these are not some hastily thought-up solutions,” a somber man said as he stepped forward.

It was Rakosta Kau, the chief researcher on this mission. He was a Hegemon himself, and Havasa had personally protected him during most of the trip, proving his status and value to the Void Gate.

“These measures were invented and deployed hundreds of thousands of years ago when we faced a similar issue, and they have been further improved since,” Rakosta continued. “Of course, you aren’t expected to assist with the modifications either. This is the third installation I’ve overseen, and this cortex seems to be quite stable still.”

“So what’s our job?” another cultivator asked as she looked around at the empty fields. “Not much to do here.”

It was true. There wasn’t a beast in sight, which wasn’t a surprise with those Spatial Rings. The local wildlife had probably figured out that this area came with a lot of danger and little reward long ago.

“Our modifications will produce temporary bursts in energy, resulting in several temporary rifts,” Rakosta explained. “Essentially, we will find ourselves under siege. Of course, we have trained in this procedure to keep dangerous periods to a minimum, and we’ll know beforehand when these fluctuations are expected to peak. Still, until the whole array of shunts is installed, the cortex will be a bit erratic, so we always need to be alert.”

“We’re setting up an outer perimeter around the cortex in the safe zone inside the rings,” Teo added. “Our task is not only to protect our experts, but also the cortex itself. It is quite resilient, and while the native beasts normally don’t approach it, that’s no guarantee. They can still be attracted by the smell of blood from the invading beasts we kill.

“If everything goes according to plan, the process will take just over a month, with three checkpoints where we can temporarily stabilize the cortex for a few days. However, this process requires on-the-spot modifications. Depending on how the cortex reacts to its changes, we might need to perform further modifications.”

With that, they went to work, and the anchors quickly proved their worth. Calling the stretch between the rotating cortex and the rivers a safe zone was giving it too much credit, as it was continuously hit by the space storms. Conversely, if you released too much energy too close to the cortex, you’d risk a resonance where you got zapped by a tremendous wave of energy.

Thankfully, as long as you didn’t release your aura or too much energy, you were essentially safe beneath the floating construct. Apart from a constant hum being released from above, it made for a pretty good campsite—especially for Zac’s escape bangle, which continuously drew on the bountiful energies around them.

Of course, it was probably far better for a Spatial Cultivator. Any time Zac looked up at the rotating and continuously transforming cortex, he felt some part of the Dao of Space was on display within those movements. That didn’t help him though, and he soon joined the others at the outer perimeter while the researchers went to work.

Zac was shocked to see them actually climb into the cortex, jumping from string to string like nimble little monkeys. Seeing people inside the construct somewhat confirmed his hunch it didn’t exist in three dimensions. The researchers’ positions kept changing as their forms were twisted and distorted.

The Templars and the warriors formed two lines of defense like before, where the first-string cultivators formed a defensive line with one person every 100 meters or so. The second-string cultivators stood a bit behind, ready to back-up whichever side was attacked. And it didn’t take long for them to see some action.

“Ready!” a shout from within the cortex echoed out, and the cortex released a pulse a moment later.

Zac’s surroundings twisted and bent, and he urgently activated the anchor in his bracelet to stabilize himself—just in time to see a large spatial tear appearing a few hundred meters away. Out of it, a pack of red-furred bearlike beasts emerged, each one emitting a both fiery and immensely heavy aura.

The bears almost felt like mobile gravity arrays, while their swipes seared space itself. Their numbers weren’t too great, but they all emitted the aura of Beast Kings. Thankfully, the tear didn’t last too long, and it closed after letting seven of the hulking beasts through—cutting the eighth one in half.

The invasion looked pretty troublesome, but Zac still moved forward with the other second-string cultivators, while first-string warriors joined in from the flanks. It even looked like the cortex itself was helping out, as a spatial storm shot straight toward the pack. Zac’s eyes dimmed when he saw two of the bears open their mouth to release a cascade of blue flames at the incoming storm, tearing it apart.

By that time, Teo, Uzu, and Ilka had appeared, while the other Hegemons maintained the other flanks. A furious melee followed suit, where Teo restrained while the others piled on attacks on the extremely durable bears, led by the two unattached Hegemons. Ilka used a soft sword as a weapon, and it moved like a snake among the beasts.

It was an extremely nasty weapon that could bend and extend at will—Zac had seen her stab the forehead of a Beast King from hundreds of meters away. Her actual skills were related to poison and water though, prompting others to often give her a wide berth. Uzu was a lot simpler—using a hefty broadsword and a sword-based Dao to launch somewhat slow yet devastating strikes.

The attacks of the bears were extremely powerful, and their hides felt like steel plates. Thanks to Teo, they were greatly restrained. Five minutes later, they’d all fallen while only leaving some of the warriors slightly burnt. During the fight, another tear had opened up, but the situation was kept under control by a group of warriors led by Havasa.

“Remove the corpses before they attract the natives,” Teo said before returning to his position, and the carcasses were quickly collected, and three Templars spread some sort of dust over the bloody patches.

Zac could only helplessly look on as the blood and pieces of flesh and hide rapidly faded away. The battle was over too quickly, and the stench hadn’t lured over any Worldeaters. Thankfully, Zac did have quite a bit of valuable blood in his Cosmic Ring because of Verun. He could use this method later when his free day came around to see if he could catch at least one of the common Worldeater younglings.

From there, he’d try to upgrade to a space-attributed specimen, but he wasn’t holding his breath.

However, as the days passed, Zac started to wonder if he would ever get that chance. The researchers had to work around the clock, as the longer the process took, the more the energies inside the cortex would stabilize. That also meant there had to be warriors guarding the perimeter, and it seldom took more than five minutes before new beasts popped up.

The warriors worked and rested in shifts, but more than once, those off the clock would have to enter the fray when too many beasts appeared at once. Let alone a day off, Zac started to wonder if he’d even manage to get five hours during the downtime. At least the first checkpoint was coming up in a few days, which hopefully meant some would get to explore.

Another two days passed, and the intensity of breaches increased. The warriors were stretched thinner and thinner, and most were forced to keep crystals in their hands all the time to not get completely drained of energy. People’s eyes were almost glazed over as they mowed down the beasts with dull expressions.

It was at this point that disaster struck.

“You!” an enraged roar echoed out as a huge shockwave of energy erupted at the other side of the Cortex.

Zac got a bad feeling, and he exerted some extra strength to instantly clean out the beasts around him before turning toward the source of the commotion—just in time to see Teo claw through the air, somehow dragging Ilka, the Wandering Cultivator Hegemon, to his position. She didn’t even have a chance to react before she was cut down by a furious swipe that created a scar that stretched for thousands of meters.

Had Teo gone mad? No, Zac recognized what had happened. One by one, corpses started to fall out from the Cortex, including Rakosta. Each one had a hole right through their foreheads, and most of them didn’t even seem to have realized they’d died. Zac’s heart was gripped with panic as he saw the one-armed nun among the dead, but he inwardly breathed out in relief when Vai wasn’t among the fallen.

Instead, she jumped out with the other survivors, her face pale as a sheet as she ran over to the dead. The aggressor was cut in two, barely clinging on to life by the looks of it, though Zac still smelled trouble. He attached a recording crystal to his belt as he looked around for other threats, and he spotted a problem. Something was wrong with the Cortex.

“She destroyed some of the nodes!” one of the researchers shouted with a fearful face. “If we don’t do something, it will destabilize!”

The poor man only had time to give his warning before his head was pierced, and Zac looked on with shock as one of the corpses transformed into Ilka while the dying Ilka turned out to be a researcher looking up at Teo with confusion and pain. And while all this confusion took place, things rapidly turned from bad to worse.

Ilka released a tremendous wave of energy, unheeding of the effect it would have on the Cortex. She threw something into the heart of the Cortex, disappearing just before Teo could reach her. The other Hegemons were already moving to intercept as well. Zac couldn’t believe his eyes when Uzu’s aura exploded with ferocity as he hacked at Tyla with his massive sword, suddenly showcasing more power than ever before.

The vice-captain was quick to react, probably having expected that if there was one traitor, there might be two. She blocked the ferocious swing, though Zac was shocked to see that Uzu’s recently-evolved power was slightly greater than the Templar’s. Tyla’s head jerked to the side, barely avoiding a poisoned blade from Ilka who had appeared not far away.

But she was already dealing with two attackers, and couldn’t deal with a third. A lance of light punched a hole right through her stomach where her core should be, and from all places, it came from another dead researcher who’d been lying below the Cortex. Zac recognized the man well—it was the one who’d refused to greet him on board the Cosmic Vessel on the first day.

He should just be a Half-Step cultivator, yet he’d just released the power of a true Hegemon. Seeing the researcher attack one of his own was even more shocking than some outsiders rebelling. Just what was going on? Were they spies from another faction? But why attack this place, and why now?

Zac couldn’t fathom what these three possibly had to gain from this attack. Even if they succeeded, they’d be stuck in the heart of the Void Star. Were they planning on killing all witnesses before returning? That couldn’t be. The Void Star wasn’t stupid—how could they not get suspicious when not a single one of their Templars survived a mission?

And even if the trio were stronger than expected, Havasa, Kalo Taosa, and Teo had already descended on them like vengeful spirits, furiously trying to tear the traitors apart. Zac, along with most of the others, hesitantly stood rooted in place, unsure of what to do. His first instinct was that the uprising would be quelled soon enough thanks to Teo’s presence, but was that true?

Would they really choose to strike at this moment if they didn’t have some confidence in dealing with this situation?

It wasn’t just a matter of which side would win either—there was the Cortex to worry about. Rakosta, along with most of the experienced researchers, were dead, and the energy fluctuations kept getting more and more ominous.

“Stabilize!” Teo roared, and the remaining Templars hurriedly took out one massive spike each and slammed it into the ground.

Attached to their tips were ropes that they threw into the Cortex. It looked like they were trying to tie the whole thing down, and the rapidly spinning strings were starting to slow down. However, Zac remembered the scene of Ilka throwing something into the core of the Cortex just seconds ago, and he wasn’t too convinced this would be enough.

Should he run, or perhaps expose his true strength and help Teo and the others take down the traitors? Should he just wait?

Suddenly, Uzu was hit by a ferocious attack from Havasa that almost ripped him in two. At the same time, Teo and his vice-captain joined hands to restrain the researcher who reminded Zac of the werewolf, Cervantes, swapping between light and corporeal as he fought. The sudden turn of the tides helped most of the Wandering Cultivators make their choice and they rushed toward the besieged traitors.

Zac wasn’t convinced, and his eyes turned to Vai who still stood beneath the Cortex with incomprehension in her eyes. These people could fight it out while they moved to safety. Two of Vivi’s vines shot over to pick her up, but his mind screamed of danger. He activated [Earthstrider] to speed things along, but there was no time.

The enormous Cortex imploded, condensing into a shining bead of light in an instant. It was no bigger than an egg, but it emitted terrifying levels of energy that pushed Zac to his knees. He was unable to even breathe, and he could only look up with helplessness, knowing the traitors had won.

The egg cracked and it took the world with it.

43

IN-BETWEEN

As the egg broke, it sounded like the snap of a broken twig, yet Zac felt like he’d just witnessed the opening of Pandora’s box.

“Run!” Zac screamed at Vai, while trying to follow his own advice. But it was hopeless.

Zac’s surroundings shattered and were swallowed by an unfettered maelstrom of rampant space which was no longer contained by the Spatial Cortex, and he almost puked from the nauseating blur. His mind was practically being twisted and bent just like his surroundings were, but Zac managed to activate the bracelet on his wrist. The energy-anchor shot out, though Zac grimaced when it was instantly ripped apart.

A moment later, the bracer completely cracked, the surrounding onslaught absolutely overloading what it was designed to withstand. Waves of agony came crashing down on him, and his pained scream in the heart of the storm was utterly drowned out. The collapse of a Mystic Realm was deafening, and there was nothing to carry his voice.

He didn’t have the luxury to worry about others, and neither could he hold on to his secrets or identity—Zac wouldn’t last a second being buffeted by this storm. An aura of antiquity surrounded him as he activated [Void Zone], which kept the mayhem at bay. Some Spatial Energies still made it through after being eroded, but channeling [Innate Ward] with Void Energy was barely enough to withstand the weakened spatial storm.

Even then, he was continuously covered in shallow wounds that left behind dense bursts of Spatial Dao, proving he probably would have died if he didn’t also have the added durability he’d inherited from his Draugr side, along with [Adamance of Eoz], which synergized well with defensive skills like [Innate Ward].

His Void Heart was already fast at work swallowing the Spatial Energies, giving him a small breather. Unfortunately, it was just a temporary reprieve. Zac was still stuck in the middle of it, like a leaf caught in a hurricane. The surroundings were a confusing blur that continuously changed, trapping Zac in a psychedelic kaleidoscope that was being furiously spun.

The camp was gone—the whole area was gone. Even the ground had been swept away, leaving Zac floating in what he assumed were the broken remnants of the Mystic Realm. Vai was nowhere in sight, and neither was anyone else from the squad, traitor or no. He didn’t want to think about it, though it was likely they’d all fallen already.

Even he wouldn’t last more than a moment in this chaos without [Void Zone]. The Templars might have something to deal with this kind of terrifying environment, but no way something like that was standard issue. Teo and the vice-captains possibly had a shot at survival, but everyone else…

Zac shook his head to clear his thoughts. He needed to focus on himself, and he sought out clues. The storm was in a stable state of constant flux—it was neither growing more powerful nor petering out. The most ominous thing were the white lines. They were the only unmovable fixtures in the whole realm, silently forming hundreds of horizontal strings that stretched as far as Zac could see.

It was thanks to them that Zac knew he was standing in place rather than being tossed about. Even then, the lines filled him with dread. His instincts told him that if he touched one of those lines, he’d be in for a world of hurt. They emitted a hint of finality, perhaps representative of the death of the Mystic Realm they were in.

And new lines kept appearing.

He needed to get out of here, and quick. Zac hesitated whether he should use [Flashfire Flourish] or one of his escape talismans, but he ultimately decided against it. Space was too damaged around him. There was no telling what would happen if he used that kind of item. Most likely, he would be ripped apart during the transportation, especially if he was dragged through one of the lines.

As he considered his options, Zac infused some Void Energy into his Spatial Ring to take out a Peak-quality Pseudo D-grade Soldier Pill and a Healing Pill of similar quality. A surge of warmth and power coursed through his body, recovering some of the exhaustion he’d accumulated over the past days. He was desperately hungry as well because of [Adamance of Eoz], so he crammed some dried Beast King meat into his mouth. What to do?

A gleaming leaf appeared in front of the edge of his axe, but Zac didn’t even get the chance to launch it before it was ripped apart by the storm. Hundreds of leaves shot out from Zac’s body next as he activated the area attack of [Nature’s Edge], but the result was the same. His skill couldn’t affect, let alone break apart, the storm around him.

Zac considered trying [Arcadia’s Judgement], but he was pretty certain the hand would be destroyed before he could even finish his strike. Worse, they might conjure more of those white lines. Neither did [Earthstrider] work. It couldn’t be activated in this weird pocket of space. For lack of better options, he could only try the same method he used in outer space or the Void.

He deactivated [Void Zone], and the storm came crashing toward him. Zac released an explosive burst of Cosmic Energy from his hands, and he felt a surge of victory as he was propelled backward. He reactivated his nullification zone the moment he gained a bit of momentum, but was still left with a couple of nasty lacerations to join the previous wounds.

The surroundings didn’t change at all from his jump, though Zac did notice something interesting—the storm around him was slightly weaker than before, especially in one particular direction. He didn’t believe it was thanks to him moving farther away from the explosion—he’d found an outlet.

This was exactly what Zac hoped for. A massive eruption like this should have created some tears in space, be they breaches, convergences, or good old-fashioned spatial tears. That was his best chance of getting out of this place alive, even if he got captured by a space fish like the last time he tried something similar.

Five jumps and a new cross-section of painful cuts later, Zac found it. It was a jagged tear that ran for around fifty meters, and it almost looked like it was pulsating as it swallowed one mouthful of Spatial Energies after another. It appeared stable, but he knew how spatial tears could suddenly disappear without warning.

Zac only looked back one final time before jumping into the tear. The roaring chorus of broken space was replaced by a deafening silence that felt like music to his ears. It didn’t look like he’d entered the Void, but rather a region that partly resembled outer space.

There were dozens of floating glistening spheres, creating dizzying patterns as they swam about. They weren’t planets—they weren’t that far away from him. Zac could vaguely see all kinds of familiar scenes from the bubbles as well, landscapes that looked a lot like the ones in the opalescent barrier when they entered the Void Star.

The spheres were Mystic Realms, or at least windows into them.

Lights of pure Spatial Energies stretched between the realms, and Zac frowned when he saw how some of them flickered. Suddenly, one beam was extinguished, at which point one of the windows dissipated into nothingness while the others continued their dance. Seeing the lights and the spheres, Zac’s thoughts were drawn to the Spatial Cortex with its nodes and strings.

Was this another facet of the Spatial Cortex, where this web of Mystic Realms was the planes it connected? More importantly, what would happen if these lights were all dimmed out? Would he be stuck in this no-man’s-land between realms? As the thought struck him, another pillar dimmed, which disconnected yet another realm from the shrinking network.

Zac didn’t want to stay and find out what would happen if he overstayed his welcome, so he flew toward the closest Mystic Realm. Even if these realms were to be disconnected, it was better to be stuck in a stable Mystic Realm than here. The bubble grew closer and closer, and Zac inwardly nodded when he saw a lush forest within. That realm seemed good enough to camp out in.

But just as he was about to jump into the window, he urgently stopped his momentum as his gaze shifted to another realm in the distance. He could feel it—the call of the Left Imperial Palace. There was no hesitation as Zac made a beeline for that other Mystic Realm, even if it looked pretty ominous. It was barely visible in the darkness of space, like it was a world without a sun.

Suddenly, a wide smile spread across his face, and Zac once again thanked the lucky stars for his massive pool of Luck. Not much was visible through the lens, but he was almost certain he’d seen a Ferric Voidwyrm fly past his vantage before disappearing out of view. If this wasn’t a sign he was on the right track, then nothing was.

A spatial talisman appeared in Zac’s hand, and a set of blue runes lit up around him as he pierced into the realm. There was no resistance as he entered the sphere, and after a brief bout of vertigo, he found himself falling toward the ground. Zac looked around, and there it was—a dozen Ferric Voidwyrms in the distance.

He couldn’t see where they were going, and a moment later they’d been swallowed by the darkness that spread out like a blanket across this Mystic Realm. Even then, Zac didn’t try to catch up to the beasts. He was wounded and exhausted, and he needed to recuperate before he tried to hunt any Beast Kings.

A minute later, he slammed into the ground, thankful there weren’t any beasts nearby. There was actually some vegetation in this sun-deprived plane, and he’d landed in a sparsely forested grassland. A sudden pulse welcomed his arrival, and Zac looked at the sky with a heavy heart. He’d finally caught onto a clue again, but it’d cost him a lot.

He wasn’t close to anyone in the squad except Vai, but most of the fallen were good people who only wanted to get by. Yet they’d died in such a horrific way, all because of that act of madness. Shaking his head, Zac walked over to a crooked tree and sat down with a grunt as a few of the wounds opened up again.

Luckily, Zac had a good chunk of Kill Energy left in his body after defending the Spatial Cortex for days, and his wounds started to rapidly close as he activated [Surging Vitality]. While letting the skill do its job, Zac also took out a massive slab of meat and a Cosmic Crystal. He ferociously scarfed down the energy-dense meat as he tried to recover energy as quickly as he could.

The ambient energy of this dour Mystic Realm was almost as high as Earth’s, meaning the place could be crawling with Beast Kings even if he hadn’t spotted any from up above. However, he only managed to get a minute of peace and quiet before he looked up at the sky with mute incomprehension.

A few moments later, a pale Vai landed right next to where he did, and her eyes lit up when she saw Zac sitting not far away. Zac wordlessly stared at the researcher, so surprised he forgot to eat the massive club in his hand. How was this possible? Vai was even closer than him to the detonation, yet she was in even better condition.

Apart from some light wounds, she seemed to be in good spirits, at least physically. That alone was enough for Zac to become cautious. How had she made it through that terrifying storm? Without his [Void Zone], he would have died within a second or two. And why had she appeared here, hot on his heels? He’d chosen this place because of the signal—why had she?

“You’re alive,” Zac slowly said as he stood up, the crystal in his hand once more replaced by an axe. “Who are you?”

“What?” Vai said, her eyes wide with alarm and confusion. “It’s me. Vai.”

“That explosion was enough to take out almost anyone in our squad,” Zac said. “I only survived by dumb luck. Yet you, an E-grade cultivator, is fine? And how can you appear here, of all places?”

“Well… It’s not a coincidence…” Vai hesitated. “I-I followed you.”

“How?” Zac frowned, the grip on his axe tightening.

“Your token,” Vai said with a pleading look as she pointed at the token attached to his belt. “I—”

She didn’t get any further before the sky rippled again before it spat out another familiar figure—a bloodied and battered Uzu. The air around him was lit up by several odd barriers—most likely the reason he was still alive. The moment he passed through, he threw something into the air behind him which caused the area to shatter like a mirror before space congealed again. Zac guessed he’d destroyed the window.

“Come,” Zac said with a low voice, and Vai scurried behind the tree as Zac cracked his neck.

Zac didn’t see it as a problem that a potentially hostile Hegemon came falling from the sky—he saw it as pretty good luck. It was an opportunity to get some answers, so Zac took a small step forward, making sure to release some of his aura. Uzu obviously sensed him, and he landed a few meters away soon after, smiling wide.

“What a coincidence,” Uzu grinned as his eyes traveled between Zac and Vai. “Both guardian and ward, in one piece. I’m quite impressed.”

“Why?” Zac asked with a somber and slightly fearful expression.

There was something odd about Vai, but Zac’s gut told him she wasn’t a traitor to the Void Gate. He rather felt her identity might not be exactly what she let on. Still, he took a few steps away from Vai and the tree just in case.

“Does it matter?” the Hegemon said with a bloody grin as he ate a Healing Pill.

“You’ve sabotaged a mission of the Void Gate. Of course it matters. An enmity with them will cause trouble wherever you go,” Zac said with grit teeth. “And now we might be stuck here. Even if we make it back to the surface, then what? You’ll be caught, and I’ll probably be implicated because I’m unattached.”

“Who said I’m leaving that way?” Uzu snorted. “Did you really think that’s how the Void Star works? A balloon with smaller balloons inside? Nonsense. It’s a network that lets these people steal the opportunities of a whole Sector. Besides, they’ll have their hands full sooner or later. War is coming, and they won’t have time to bother about little people like you or me.”

“War?” Zac said, and his eyes widened in genuine shock. “You’ve sided with the invaders? How? They should still be stuck in—”

“I’m surprised you know about the outsiders,” Uzu smiled. “As for how, it’s not complicated. Like I said, these realm thieves have stretched their greedy hands all over Zecia, including the Million Gates Territory. But they overestimated themselves.”

Zac expected all kinds of justifications for Uzu’s betrayal, but they were based on the Hegemon working as a spy for other peak factions of Zecia who wanted to harm the Void Gate. To think he actually worked with the invaders, who everyone still thought were stuck in the deeper regions of the Million Gates Territory.

What if they were wrong? By the sounds of it, some sort of pathways connected the Void Star and the Million Gates Territory. His thoughts turned back to the bloody teleportation room back when they first entered the Void Star. Had infiltrators already appeared in the Void Gates, even in Salosar?

Likely, there were already invaders in Salosar. Where else would Uzu have made contact? As far as Zac knew, this was the Hegemon’s first mission, which meant he must have changed his allegiances earlier. Either that, or during the month-long trip onboard the Cosmic Vessel. But how could someone convince a Hegemon to take such a risk in that kind of situation?

No matter what the truth was, Zac got a sinking feeling. For the invaders to have infiltrated a faction like the Void Gate this quickly, their methods had to be incredible. Even worse, it seemed unlikely they stumbled into the Void Star by accident. They had a goal and a plan.

Until now, the invasion had felt abstract and distant. But suddenly, it felt all too real.

44

UZU

The news about invader influence deep in the Zecia heartlands was shocking, but Zac wasn’t as surprised that Uzu had betrayed the Void Gate—few Wandering Cultivators held any allegiances except to themselves. What did Uzu care about which sects controlled this Sector? If these invaders paid well enough, he was probably more than happy to sabotage the Spatial Cortex.

“I’ve seen your potential. I can introduce you to my contact,” Uzu continued when he saw Zac’s thoughtful frown. “You wouldn’t believe the means of these people. Did you know? Their Sector is unified—ruled by a supreme expert at the level of the Eveningtide Asura. Zecia’s powers are doomed. Why fight for these corrupt factions that left you to fend for yourself? Join us, and we’ll seize a proper place in the new world order.”

Zac’s eyes thinned at that. A warrior at the level of the Eveningtide Asura? Uzu no doubt referred to an Asura at the level of when he came back to Zecia for vengeance rather than his far-greater power as the Twilight Lord, but it was still extremely daunting. That kind of power couldn’t be nurtured on the frontier. Even if you encountered some unique opportunity and rose above everyone else—why stay in the frontier?

Someone like that had a shot at Autarchy and should have set off for greener pastures.

“They have so many methods—they can even help you reach Hegemony without risking everything,” Uzu continued with an enticing smile.

“Hegemony without risks?” Zac said thoughtfully.

The law of balance demanded an equilibrium of risk and reward. Of course, that wasn’t to say the law couldn’t be broken. The impossible could be made possible so long as you were willing to pay the price. The Great Redeemer was living proof of that, where he progressed through the sacrifice of whole planets. But that was the ways of dark unorthodoxy, a path of evil.

The deep scar left behind by Havasa’s swing earlier suddenly got a new meaning. That attack should have left him half-dead, yet Uzu stood here with a decently stable aura. But from within that wound, a rank and sinister aura leaked out, and Zac could barely spot some dark-red strings keeping Uzu together, pulsing with malevolent power. Was this ability a gift from his new benefactors?

Were these invaders unorthodox cultivators? And if what Uzu said was true, that meant the whole Sector followed an unorthodox path. Wouldn’t the System strike down such a place, either directly or through lucrative quests?

“Creating a real Cosmic Core is my only goal right now,” Zac said, drawing a gasp from behind. “What do you want in return?”

“Simple—kill the girl. She’s dead weight and cannot be allowed to go back,” Uzu shrugged. “That way, you prove your allegiance as well.”

“Ah,” Zac sighed as he glanced at the little researcher, who fearfully shrunk back behind the tree.

The next moment, she was thrown away by one of Vivi’s vines as an almost invisible sword beam shot out from a ring on Uzu’s finger. Zac looked like he barely managed to stumble out of the way, but the ground beneath him cracked as he shot toward the Hegemon with a ruthless gleam in his eyes.

“Fool,” Uzu laughed as the massive broadsword appeared in his hand.

Zac had hoped to keep Uzu talking a bit longer, even if he knew the Hegemon was only stalling to recover his grievous wound. Zac had monitored Uzu since he tried to trick people into Hako Lake, and he’d long since realized his open facade hid a sinister schemer. Of course, until now, Zac thought his devious methods were only meant to take out the competition and gain a larger share of the bounties.

Now, it was clear he played an even bigger game. Zac wondered if his greedy personality was also a ruse to hide his true intentions. In either case, Zac knew there was no way Uzu’s offer was genuine. Why would Uzu risk his payout for a stranger, and potentially introduce someone these invaders would value more than him? He only wanted to sow a seed of doubt to create an opening.

Unfortunately for him, he was talking with Zac rather than the real Gaun Sorom, and the promise of breaking through only served as an early warning rather than a distraction. Zac didn’t need the help from some random frontier Sector to progress, and neither would he kill a friend just to join some shady organization of traitors.

Besides, his effective Luck was over 1,500 now. He’d sensed a subdued danger from the Hegemon since he appeared, a warning that had turned into a siren the moment he surreptitiously activated the offensive treasure on his finger.

Cascading waves of killing intent emanated from Zac’s body, and the common axe in his hand was replaced by [Verun’s Bite]. The mission had failed and most of the squad was probably dead. Stuck in this Mystic Realm with a hostile Hegemon and invaders lurking about, the time for stealth was over. Time to get back to his roots—pure unadulterated violence.

Uzu seemed a bit surprised at the density of Zac’s killing intent, but he maintained a confident demeanor. Even if he was wounded, so was Zac. And one was a true Hegemon while the other had a failed core. A storm of blades shot toward Zac as Uzu swung his broadsword, creating a cone of utter desolation that continued for hundreds of meters.

Zac had no time to worry about Vai, figuring she’d be fine as she’d made it here in one piece. A storm of leaves spread out from his body as Zac released a horizontal swing. [Nature’s Edge] was not only imbued with the Branch of the War Axe this time, but also the Branch of the Kalpataru in one of his self-made Dao Braids.

The combination resulted in a terrifying force that effortlessly warded off the innumerable blade beams inside Uzu’s attack.

“Wh—” Uzu exclaimed with surprise at the unexpected strength in Zac’s attack.

Zac wasn’t about to give the man any time to adapt, and clouds of dense Life and Death were unleashed with two rapid swings. The Abyss and Arcadia made their appearance and conjured the signature delimitation that cut through everything as it flew toward the Hegemon. Uzu had just been about to soar into the air, but Zac’s Branch-empowered [Rapturous Divide] forced him back on the ground as he countered with a herculean swing of his own.

His broadsword was covered in a radiant swordlight which blocked the incoming spatial divide. Zac was slightly surprised that Uzu managed to perfectly block it. However, Uzu’s face turned a shade of green as bursts of blood shot out from his open wound. Blocking Zac’s strike had clearly worsened his condition.

More importantly, the skill kept the Hegemon landlocked. If Uzu took to the skies, the odds of Zac killing him were pretty low. Competing with skills at a distance against a Hegemon wasn’t a good idea—even a recently ascended D-grade cultivator like Uzu should have at least one or two D-grade skills that could make proper use of his enormous energy pool.

But now, Zac was already upon him, having forced the man into a melee—Zac’s forte. The air screamed with keening bloodlust as Verun left chaotic whirlwinds in its wake, the axe heading straight for Uzu’s head while Vivi’s vines attacked Uzu from the flanks like bloodthirsty packs of hyenas.

The cage that kept him restrained over the past month had finally been broken apart, and both his soul and Verun sang with freedom as Zac entered his Evolutionary Stance. Vivi’s vines were already stabbing at Uzu’s vitals while Zac’s unpredictable barrage completely overwhelmed a flustered Uzu, who found it difficult to deal with the surprising amount of force contained with every swing.

Suddenly, Uzu threw away his cumbersome broadsword as two thinner scimitars appeared in his hands. His large and heroic swings were replaced by a ruthlessly efficient technique where his two arms felt like six. His swords seemed to work independently from one another, creating an unpredictable tempo as Uzu attempted to break through Zac’s stance.

The technique was leagues beyond what he’d showcased over the past month, proving once more there was more than met the eye to this cultivator. However, Zac felt it was just a small delay of the inevitable—even if Uzu’s technique showed both proficiency and experience, he was barely in the Formation stage.

If the Hegemon had a vastly superior attribute pool, it would have been one thing, but Zac guessed his own effective attributes were actually higher. Uzu’s raw strength was noticeably worse, while his speed was slightly better. And since Uzu no doubt was a more conventional warrior, without a slew of attributes to prop him up, it meant his other stats were significantly lower.

Uzu’s real advantage lay in his vastly superior energy reserves, but how could Zac let him make use of that? His [Cosmic Gaze] was continuously running, and Uzu’s every attempt at activating skills was met with a near-death experience that forced him to abort and respond. Uzu managed to avoid any killing blows, but his face was locked in a pained grimace as smaller cuts kept joining his big wound.

Zac received the occasional cut himself, but he didn’t care. He was swept up with the joy of returning to his path. In every moment, his technique was reborn, creating something better suited to break through Uzu’s defenses. Zac’s soul surged with each swing, and he once more felt that mysterious state of harmony as his Dao spread through the framework of his [Thousand Lights Avatar].

A sudden pang of immense danger broke Zac’s rhythm, and he instinctively dove to the side just as a thorn filled with malevolent energy struck out from the wound in Uzu’s chest. Zac narrowly avoided the ambush, and by that time, he realized he was in trouble. During their fight, Zac had pushed Uzu farther and farther back, but it looked like that was a planned retreat by the Hegemon.

Unbeknownst to Zac, the massive broadsword has silently floated up into the air and was now hovering right above him as Uzu had created some distance.

“Die!” Uzu roared as the sword shattered, turning into a pillar of terrifying sword energy.

Zac was extremely surprised—the broadsword Uzu had used for so long was an offensive treasure rather than a conventional blade, one instilled with a powerful Sword Intent Zac doubted belonged to the Wandering Cultivator. He found himself under tremendous pressure from the combined domains of Uzu and the self-destructed sword.

Even with the drastic turn, Zac wasn’t overly worried, as a golden laurel appeared on his head. The dusky Mystic Realm was illuminated in empyrean splendor as the defensive domain of [Empyrean Aegis] swallowed not only Uzu, but the whole descending beam of empowered Sword Intent.

Uzu ferociously growled as he unleashed two cross-slashes with his scimitars, but his eyes widened when he found himself stumbling. Zac inwardly snickered, seeing that the man’s feint had backfired. It was the immense suppression brought by the golden domain—the Hegemon had actually tried to fly away rather than attack. Therefore, his circulation of energy had prompted the defensive domain of [Empyrian Aegis] to knock him back down.

By this time, the beam of Sword Intent had already descended, its unyielding latent will forcing its way through the golden domain. Even then, Zac didn’t bother with it as he lunged toward his enemy before he figured out he could force his way through the restrictions. A moment later, the beam descended like Heavenly judgement, swallowing Zac whole.

Deep tears stretched for thousands of meters in every direction as the beam exuded a terrifying cutting intent, and space shuddered as it was on the verge of breaking apart. It was impossible to see what was going on within, though the savage energy waves proved it was an unrelenting meatgrinder. One of the golden pillars of [Empyrean Aegis] immediately crumbled as cracks spread across the second.

At this time, a bloodied Zac crashed out from the beam, his eyes giving no hint of pain as a flickering golden barrier around him died out. Uzu was dismayed to see Zac survive his finishing blow, but he could only keep going.

By this point, Zac was already right in front of Uzu again, and the four vines of Vivi wrapped around the Hegemon’s arms, temporarily locking them in place.

Uzu broke the vines apart, but [Verun’s Bite], now illuminated with glowing, sanguine runes and two Dao Branches, slammed into his shoulder. A barrier containing hints of the Dao of Swords appeared to shield the Hegemon, but it broke apart in an instant. The barrier shattered, leaving Zac with another set of shallow wounds as the shield turned into an attack.

Even after the surprise attack, the edge of Zac’s Spirit Tool continued unabated until it bit into Uzu’s body. A thick calcified layer appeared on his skin at the last moment as a second layer of defense, but it was nothing in front of Zac’s furious momentum. The Branches of Kalpataru and War Axe were empowered by [Spiritual Void], and Verun itself was imbued with its runes for sharpness and heaviness—the swing currently contained the power to cut through almost anything.

A pained groan escaped Uzu’s lips as Zac finished what Havasa started—a second deep scar ran from shoulder down to his hip. With Havasa’s attack, a gory ‘x’ had been carved into Uzu’s chest, though Zac’s attack bit far deeper—it cut through the Hegemon’s whole body, including his Cosmic Core.

A second lightning-quick backhanded swing destroyed Uzu’s head, a lesson engraved into Zac’s body after his time in the Orom World. A tremendous surge of energy entered Zac’s body, proving this wasn’t another trick. Uzu was well and truly dead, and his maimed and bisected body fell to the ground, leaving a panting Zac above.

Zac ate another Healing Pill as he thoughtfully looked down at the fallen warrior. After his abrupt victory over the Raun Ghost King, this battle was a good reminder that no real Hegemon was a weakling. Even a Wandering Cultivator like Uzu had a couple of last-ditch measures that were quite lethal. For example, his Peak-quality [Empyrean Aegis] had barely managed to protect him from the Sword Intent Uzu had sealed in his weapon.

There was also that thorn Uzu had released from within his body, which was even scarier. That malevolent energy felt extremely threatening. Zac would probably have been grievously wounded if it managed to stab his forehead as Uzu planned.

With that over with, Zac began his customary looting by snatching a bloody Spatial Ring from Uzu’s finger.

He kept searching through pockets for anything of value or anything that could shed some light on these unorthodox invaders. However, a sudden pang of danger screamed for him to watch out, and he urgently shot backward with [Earthstrider].

It was too late, as a gristly explosion erupted from within Uzu’s corpse, completely destroying his body. From within his chest, a tangle of hundreds of malevolent thorns burst out, and sharp spears shot out in every direction. To Zac’s horror, the attack was far quicker than he was, and he felt a sharp pain as one of the spurs dug into his gut.

A storm of malevolent energy flooded his body, and the other parts of the tangle rapidly withered away. Zac had no idea what this thing was, but it acted like a parasite trying to swap hosts. For an instant, Zac felt himself unable to even breathe as the foreign energy somehow sealed his movements and circulation.

But from within, a ferocious thud of ancient voracity echoed out from his heart as [Void Heart] woke up with newfound vigor.

The node had undergone a subtle change after swallowing the mysterious light released by the seal of the Left Imperial Palace. It never spat anything back out as it did with tribulation lightning. Instead, it grew slightly larger.

Now, it emitted a stronger pull than it ever had before, while [Purity of the Void] similarly released a cleansing pulse with more efficacy than ever. The combined effort of the two temporarily broke the seal on Zac’s body, and he urgently conjured a bladed leaf to cut off the thorn before it transferred any more of its energy into his body.

The parasitic tangle tried to reattach to Zac, but it was rapidly withering away. It looked like it couldn’t survive for long on its own, and a moment later, was gone. Meanwhile, Zac saw a small brand appear by his Specialty Core, formed by the malevolent energies that managed to invade his body.

It didn’t even have time to properly form before it was broken apart and swallowed by [Void Heart], extinguishing the threat before it had a chance to take root.

There was still some remaining energy, but it lost direction after that brand broke. Some of it was eradicated by his Daos, while the rest was dealt with by his nodes. Just half a minute later, it was completely removed. Zac breathed out in relief, but he also felt a bit reproachful over his mistake. Death could really come at any time and in any form in the Multiverse.

With the body destroyed, there was nothing left to investigate, and Zac turned around to see Vai running toward him with panic in her eyes.

“It’s a Blood Curse! I’m so sorry. Because you wanted to protect me, you were afflicted by this horrifying thing!” Vai cried with tears pooling in her eyes.

She immediately started rummaging through her Spatial Ring, and one odd contraption after another appeared. “Try to fight the pain, and try not to move—it will slow it down. I’ll try to form a small spatial tear inside your body. According to our research, if I can destroy the main seal quick enough, it will not be able to take root.”

“No need, I’m fine,” Zac said as he took a step back, prompting the frenzied Vai to look up with confusion.

“You—You’re not in pain? You can move?” she blurted, her eyes glazing over from confusion. “That’s… impossible.”

45

STRANDED

“I’ve already destroyed the seal and the energies have mostly been expelled,” Zac shrugged as he took out his dried meat, inwardly praising the efficacy of Ryan’s and his associate’s creations.

Every mouthful felt as filling as stuffing his face with a couple of kilos of meat, saving him a lot of time and effort. He’d been hungry for hours by this point, and the last fight had pushed it to the point it felt like his ribs were digging into his stomach. It was a somewhat annoying side effect of [Adamance of Eoz], but it was worth it.

In a heated battle, the node increased the durability of his Cosmic Energy by over 20%, which allowed [Empyrean Aegis] to withstand Uzu’s treasure sword. Looking a bit silly and gluttonous was a small price to pay for such a boost.

“What are you—No, you can’t just—” Vai said as she scurried closer with a set of unfamiliar gadgets in-hand. “That Blood Curse had been nurtured by a Hegemon. There’s no way you can just remove it yourself.”

“Not so fast,” Zac grunted as he levied [Verun’s Bite] at Vai while he continued eating.

“Please, let me check on you! The longer you wait, the worse it will get,” Vai said, tears once more pooling in her eyes from the anxiety.

“Not before you tell me your real identity and why you know about Blood Curses of all things,” Zac countered. “You’re hiding something—you might even be another traitor like that friend of yours. Unless you can dispel my fears, we’ll be parting here.”

“No, I’m not! I-I—You,” Vai sputtered, her brain seemingly short-circuiting from trying to both defend herself and urging Zac to let her treat him.

Eventually, her eyes shone with determination as she took out a small crystalline sphere from her Spatial Ring. It looked like a little ball, but emitted Spatial Energies that contained a level of Dao that was far beyond anything Zac had seen before in the Void Star, even from the Cortex. It was crammed full of energy, and feeling like a hundred [Void Balls] had been pushed together into one terrifying megabomb.

“What’s that?” Zac frowned as he flashed over fifty meters away with [Earthstrider].

Thankfully, Vai didn’t throw the thing at him. Instead, she infused a bit of Cosmic Energy into the ball, prompting a dense spatial wall to spring up around her. It looked extremely sturdy, almost like it had created a pocket dimension completely separate from this layer of space. It reminded Zac a lot of the methods the Orom used to create nigh-impenetrable barriers.

“I’m really part of the Void Gate,” Vai said after she deactivated the bubble. “This is how I survived the chaos. It’s a sphere that holds a finite amount of a Monarch’s energy.”

Zac slowly nodded at her to continue, inwardly realizing he’d forgotten an important danger in the Multiverse. Most of his excursions were controlled by the System. The Tower of Eternity, the Twilight Ocean, the Sovereignty-quests—they all had restrictions on the equipment trial takers could bring, while the Orom World had its own set of rules that were even more stringent.

This was the outside where anything could happen. Zac still remembered how he’d almost died to Salvation long ago because he had an amulet with a wisp of the Great Redeemer’s soul. That weird Blood Curse just now could also be considered that kind of outside tool that wouldn’t necessarily be limited to the level of his enemy. Going forward, he needed to be more careful about these kinds of things.

Certainly, these self-contained items generally required time and effort to create—a Monarch would have to cut off a piece of their soul to keep that massive amount of energy in check. They wouldn’t do something like that just to make a little bit of money, but they might leave something for a promising descendant.

“I’m not a descendant of a Monarch, I came from the outside,” Vai explained when she saw Zac’s expression. “When I was accepted by the Void Gate, my only blood relative—my sister—was moved to one of the mortal worlds of the Void Gate instead. She had no talent for cultivation, unfortunately, and passed away just sixty years later.

“Her constitution didn’t even have the capacity to reach E-grade,” Vai sighed. “The same was true for her children and grandchildren. When they passed, I distanced myself from my mortal descendants. It was too painful to see one generation after another die.”

Zac inwardly sighed hearing her story. This was the fate of cultivators, and a reason so many at the top became detached. They stopped looking at the young of their clans as individuals because they couldn’t deal with the constant deaths. 90% of those they saw on the streets would die during a single retreat of secluded cultivation. One day he, too, would possibly reach a point where he barely recognized any of his subordinates.

Learning about Vai’s origin was interesting, and it explained why she’d been so angry when she thought he was planning on stealing donations to the public schools. However, it didn’t explain why she was running around with an extremely powerful treasure ball that only the most treasured scions would get to use.

“Much later, a distant descendant of my sister was born, and she had far-greater talents than I. When she was born, thousands of spatial creatures came to greet her, and she was immediately adopted into the Void Monastery. Today, her name is Leyara Lioress.”

“What?” Zac exclaimed. “You’re lying.”

Vai quickly shook her head and took out another item, this one an Information Crystal. However, there weren’t words recorded, but pictures. In the first picture, Vai and a young girl were sitting in a garden. The girl appeared to be around ten years old, though Zac could still make out some familiar features.

One image after another followed the first, all of them showing Vai and Leyara as the latter gradually grew into the stunning beauty he met in the Tower of Eternity. Zac looked at the transition with marvel. The long lifespans of cultivators made for some odd imagery. The first picture made it seem like Vai was the big sister or perhaps even a young mother, but the last image made it look like Vai was the younger sibling. She was a constant while Leyara kept changing.

Of course, that was just a small, fleeting observation drowned out by the surprise of them having a common acquaintance.

The world was truly full of coincidences. Zac had chosen to avoid contacting Leyara out of security concerns since he had no way to contact her without exposing his identity, and he feared he would be killed long before his message ever reached her. But now, it turned out he’d been traveling with Leyara’s great aunt for months?

“I didn’t even know she existed, but she first visited me around two decades ago,” Vai said with a smile as she carefully stowed the Information Crystal. “She was a bit lonely, I think, so the Void Monastery sent her to me. So, when little Lara heard I was entering the Void Star, she sent me some things to keep me safe. That sphere was made by the Void Priestess herself.”

“If you had such a backer, why did the others treat you almost like a secretary?” Zac asked with confusion, remembering how Vai seemed to be solidly in the lowest social rung among the small group of researchers.

“I didn’t talk about it with my colleagues.” Vai weakly smiled, before her eyes once more widened in alarm. “Ah, the curse! Please, let me help you. You cannot imagine how damaging a Blood Curse is.”

“What about the Blood Curse? Why do you know about that?” Zac asked, ignoring her panicky and urgent expression.

“Three years ago, our chapter was sent a large number of tomes on various sacrificial rituals and curses,” Vai said with helplessness, her face scrunching up with disgust. “We didn’t understand why—our research was focused on the Void Star. We figured some unorthodox cult was causing trouble in the region, and we needed to figure out how to expose cultists and help those who’d been cursed.”

“How did it go?” Zac asked.

“Well, the research is still in progress, so I can’t break the curse with an array breaker,” Vai said with worry. “That’s why we need to try and blast it into a spatial tear. Now please, let me help you.”

“Alright, alright,” Zac finally relented with a smile. “See if you can find something.”

After having seen the pictures, Zac was almost certain Vai was neither a traitor nor a spy. Her story meshed with his gut instinct as well, except he’d thought she was a descendant rather than an ancestor of a Void Gate bigshot.

Seeing that Zac finally gave the go-ahead, Vai eagerly ran over with a circular glass pane. She infused some Cosmic Energy into it, prompting a blue rune to light up in its center. Zac looked on curiously as she placed it in front of his navel, but nothing happened to the tool even after ten seconds and multiple energy infusions.

“Huh?” Vai muttered with a frown as she moved the glass disk all over Zac’s body. “What’s going on? Where is it?”

“I told you, I destroyed it.” Zac shrugged and took out Uzu’s Spatial Ring. “More importantly, can you check this thing if there are any more traps on it?”

It didn’t look like Vai even heard him as she kept muttering about permutations as she took out one tool after another, trying to find the already-extinguished brand.

“Did you really destroy the Blood Curse with your own energy?” Vai eventually asked with skepticism after having exhausted all her investigative trinkets.

“I ground it down with my Daos,” Zac nodded.

“That’s impossible. Those things are designed to be extremely resilient against that—even Middle Branches wouldn’t be powerful enough to break the brand before it settled in your body,” Vai said as she looked at Zac like he was pulling her leg.

“Well, I have some other means,” Zac shrugged as he waved the ring. “Now, the ring?”

Still, Vai didn’t make any moves to scan the Spatial Treasure, peering wordlessly into Zac’s eyes. “You showcased at least two Peak-quality skills and two Dao Branches just now, along with a strength that was almost double that of before. You are not Gaun Sorom.”

“I guess I’m not,” Zac smiled, making no effort to hide it.

Even if Vai was a bit ditzy and inexperienced, she wasn’t a fool. There were too many differences to simply handwave away with a vague explanation of having found a trove. Even showcasing one Dao Branch and Vivi was pushing it, yet that was just the tip of the iceberg.

“Why are you hiding your real identity?” she asked.

“I got into a conflict with a scion of a powerful C-grade clan. He died, which enraged the elders. Now, I have a big bounty on my head,” Zac said. “Even if I don’t think the Void Gate would care, I couldn’t be sure how individual Hegemons would react.”

Of course, that was just part of the reason, but it was a good enough excuse.

“A bounty?” Vai exclaimed. “What clan? Maybe Lala can help.”

“Tsarun,” Zac shrugged.

“Those people are no good,” Vai muttered. “A lot of the research materials had been confiscated from a research base believed to be theirs.”

“The Tsarun is working with the invaders?” Zac exclaimed.

“No, not that we know of,” Vai said. “Those materials were confiscated thousands of years ago, and we simply used them as a reference for the methods of these new curses and sacrifices. What happened to the real Gaun Sorom?”

Zac wasn’t sure why Vai cared about the real Gaun, but there was no need for him to hide the truth. “We made a deal. I borrow his identity, and he got a Teleportation Token from me.”

“And you’re really not part of these traitors?” Vai continued.

“No, that doesn’t have anything to do with me,” Zac said with a shake of his head. “I don’t have any grudges with the Void Gate. I’m just here looking for a few things.”

“Alright,” Vai nodded. “I believe you.”

“Just like that?” Zac said with raised brows.

“If you wanted me dead, I would have died already,” Vai said with a small smile. “I trust you. Can you tell me your real name?”

“You can call me Zac,” Zac eventually said after some hesitation. “Zac Atwood.”

The more they talked, the more Zac realized the jig was up. He simply couldn’t figure out a way to accomplish his goals and get out of this place without using his real identity. The Cortex had blown up and most of the members were no doubt dead—the moment he stepped out of the Void Star he’d be captured and questioned unless he somehow managed to escape.

Since his identity would be exposed sooner or later, there wasn’t much point in keeping it a secret from Vai.

“Atwood?” Vai said, her brows furrowed together. “Why does that sound a bit familiar… Are you part of the families of Salosar?”

“Something like that,” Zac coughed with a crooked smile, feeling a bit embarrassed.

He’d expected an exaggerated reaction to the grand reveal that he was Zachary Atwood—the Deviant Asura who reached the ninth floor of the Tower of Eternity and brought the Stele of Conflict to Zecia. But the little researcher obviously had no idea who he was, judging by her confused expression. Perhaps she’d heard Leyara mention his name sometime but promptly forgot it after.

So much for fame and notoriety.

“Alright, so I’m a bit stronger than I openly displayed, and you have a wealthy descendant. Until we manage to leave this place, I’ll stay on as Gaun, alright?” Zac coughed, eager to change the subject.

“Okay,” Vai nodded. “I will help you keep your secret, and I will talk with my niece. She knows a lot of people who might be able to help!”

“I’ll rely on you then,” Zac said. “More importantly, the situation is still a bit of a mess. Do you know where we are?”

“No,” Vai said as she fearfully looked around, seemingly just now remembering they were in a foreign Mystic Realm shrouded in darkness. “But I think we’ve been transported deeper, where the more dangerous realms are.”

“Perfect,” Zac said. So much for the second piece he sensed being at the surface as well. “With the Cortex blowing up like that, are we stuck here?”

“The Cortexes do not control the gates between realms,” Vai said. “They simply help stabilize the system. A few realms might have been pushed out of place because of the explosion, but it will take much longer for the network to collapse altogether.”

“Was Uzu’s explanation true?” Zac asked curiously. “Are we actually not inside the Void Star right now?”

“Well… yes and no,” Vai said after some thought. “Both the official model and Uzu’s explanations are true. The Mystic Realms are both here and in various corners of Zecia. Space is split, duplicated in a sense. It’s hard to explain without some understanding of layered realities.

“But we aren’t stealing Mystic Realms!” Vai quickly added when she saw Zac frown, clearly mistaking what he was worried about. “The realms we connect and harmonize with the Void Star are hidden far from the main dimensions. Most of them would probably never appear in Zecia.”

“So all those beasts in the breachers might come from the Million Gates Territory, or even from the other Sector?”

“It’s possible,” Vai conceded. “But it doesn’t make sense. We’ve always stayed away from that region because of the turbulence. We knew that connecting the Void Star with such a chaotic patch of space would wreak havoc on this system. Something must have gone wrong for these kinds of bridges to form.”

Zac thoughtfully nodded, but he inwardly wondered if things were that simple. Certainly, the region had seen a fair share of spatial turbulence lately, which was the reason the Space Gate to the other Sector had appeared in the first place. But it felt too coincidental. Were the Void Gate perhaps advancing their positions to deal with the invaders, but it had backfired?

Or was it related to the Left Imperial Palace?

Had the Void Priestess perhaps finally found the clues she sought somewhere inside the Million Gates Territory? Was that where the piece of rubble he found came from, along with the invaders and beasts? It made sense—for a prize like the Left Imperial Palace, the Void Priestess was probably willing to risk anything, including the Void Star, and perhaps even Zecia as a whole.

“I guess it doesn’t matter why the Void Star and the Million Gates Territory are connected,” Zac said. “Why would the invaders want to blow up the Spatial Cortex?”

“I think… if it’s an invasion, they want to reform the Void Star,” Vai hesitated. “Normally, the only entrance and exit are where we came from, but something has gone wrong. The invaders have found a way to enter the system from the Million Gates Territory. I think they want to destabilize the Void Star and open new exits across Zecia.”

“Is that possible?” Zac frowned.

“Yes, the Void Gate has occasionally done it when we need to move a large number of people a long distance—it’s expensive, but a lot quicker than using transport vessels,” Vai nodded. “You need to pick a Mystic Realm that isn’t too far from the surface though, and have the tools to force open a channel.”

“But if they succeed, swarms of invaders could essentially pop up anywhere in the Zecia Sector?” Zac grimaced.

“I think so?” Vai slowly nodded.

“Well, that’s just great.”

46

WORLDEATERS

The thought of hordes of unorthodox cultivators popping out of nowhere among unsuspecting citizens was extremely troubling. These kinds of cultivators didn’t have any scruples, and whole worlds risked getting sacrificed for their rites.

“I’m sure the Void Priestess will stop it when she finds out,” Vai said. “She is immensely powerful, and she understands the Void Star better than anyone. This might even be a trap and she’s planning a counter-strike against the invaders.”

Zac nodded in agreement. Given the Void Gate’s strength, they should be able to deal with these infiltrators—and perhaps even use them to find the Space Gate hidden in the depths of the Million Gates Territory. If not, they should at least be able to thwart their plans before things escalated.

Ultimately, it was out of Zac’s paygrade. He’d try to take out any infiltrators he could and hopefully rack up some merit, but he wouldn’t delve into the depths of the Void Star and risk his life to destroy the pathway they used. He had enough on his plate as is, and the Void Gate didn’t lack powerful warriors who should be dealing with this mess already.

“Do you have any way to contact your niece? Or at least any armies or squads that are in this area?” Zac asked. “They might not know all the details we have.”

“That’s…” Vai hesitated, looking a bit conflicted.

“We’re well past secrets by this point,” Zac snorted.

“Well, normally we would be able to send for aid at the waystation,” the researcher relented. “But there’s a problem. It doesn’t work.”

“Sabotage?” Zac asked.

“Probably,” Vai nodded. “Remember when you asked me what was going on after we entered the second Mystic Realm? The battle scene? The leaders realized that something was wrong with the communication arrays back then. I think they first guessed the communicators had broken down during that fight, but that wasn’t the case. I saw them fail to contact other waystations multiple times since then.”

Zac almost felt it was for the best they couldn’t communicate with the other squads. After all, the next piece of the seal might be in some restricted area, and it was better to ask for forgiveness than permission.

“Alright, so we’ll leave notes at every waystation we visit,” Zac shrugged. “That way, we might be able to help combat the invaders.”

“Do you think we’ll be fine?” Vai asked with worry.

“The invaders can’t send any real dangerous people through the Space Gate so far, from what I’ve heard. Early Hegemons at the worst, so it should be fine,” Zac said. “This is even an opportunity to rack up some contribution.”

“Not that,” Vai whispered. “What if they really have someone like the Eveningtide Asura? That man killed so many people, and the elites of the Sectors were almost helpless against him.”

“That’s for the bigshots to worry about,” Zac said. “I’m sure they’ve prepared some measures since the Asura appeared last time, right?”

“And the others, do you think they’re alive?” Vai asked as she looked up at the sky.

“Maybe?” Zac ventured. “Teo was a defensive Hegemon, and he might have been given some special items as a leader of the squad. He might have managed to lead some to safety. You saw how Uzu destroyed the entrance behind him—they might have been hot on his heels.”

“You’re right!” Vai nodded, her eyes lighting up. “I’m sure they are fine!”

Zac nodded, though truthfully, he wasn’t too convinced of his theory. Uzu seemed to only care about himself, and he wouldn’t be surprised if he destabilized space to kill or trap Ilka rather than escape his pursuers.

“Alright, we should move. Nothing is gained by staying here,” Zac said as he turned toward the dense brushes in the distance. “Besides, I don’t think they’ll allow us to just sit around here.”

“Wh—” Vai said, but her words got caught in her mouth as dozens of grotesque creatures came running out of the bushes.

They were bipedal creatures that were essentially just two legs and an oversized mouth, followed by a feathery tail that stretched out twice their length. They didn’t have any eyes, but they clearly knew where Zac and Vai were. Zac picked up the researcher with one of Vivi’s vines while he unleashed a barrage of Dao-infused leaves in the direction of the beast.

Zac didn’t even look to see the result of the attack as he rushed in the general direction he saw the Ferric Voidwyrms fly toward. However, he soon slowed down as he peered into the darkness with confusion. Zac expected a drawn-out hunt, but was surprised to see the beasts stopping almost immediately.

A few of the creatures had been killed by [Nature’s Edge], and the remaining beasts had immediately given up on their pursuit to instead feed on their fallen brothers. So much for camaraderie in this place. Was prey that scarce in this world that they even fed on their own?

The beasts weren’t stronger than Middle E-grade on average, but Zac had no reason to stay on and kill them all. If these things had been attracted, it might mean that nastier things were on the way. He let the beasts feed on the carcasses as he disappeared into the darkness, each step taking him and Vai hundreds of meters away.

Only a couple of minutes later did Zac slow down after having almost fallen into a tar pit. There was something about that bubbling darkness that made Zac’s hair stand on end, and he quickly created some distance. Still, the visibility was an issue. It was almost impossible to see in the darkness, and even [Cosmic Gaze] was suppressed. The next thing they might run into could be a powerful Beast King instead of some tar.

Zac kept moving until he found a secluded spot, at which point he stopped and threw out an illusion array that covered them.

“This place is a bit troublesome, and I’m not too good at scouting. Do you have any way of spotting dangers?” Zac asked.

Vai’s head immediately bobbed as she took out a glass bowl that held shimmering lights within. “This treasure can spot energy signatures around us, even those that are hidden.”

“Another present from your niece?” Zac asked with a smile.

“In case I got lost,” Vai admitted with a small blush.

“It looks pretty useful. Can it detect all kinds of signatures?” Zac curiously asked as he looked at the lights within. “Including treasures?”

“Ah? Yes, well,” Vai hesitated. “I think so? It’s difficult to discern what every signal represents. It’s usually a powerful beast, plant, or natural formation.”

“Perfect,” Zac said. “I’ll carry you with Vivi while you keep watch. If you see me running toward something dangerous, stop me, alright?”

“I’m not very…” Vai suppressed a small whine as she looked around.

“You’ll do fine. Adventuring is just like researching. Except with more blood, I guess,” Zac said.

“A—Well, if you say so…” Vai’s expression said she wasn’t too convinced. Still, there was determination in her eyes as she nodded. “I’ll do my best!”

“Alright, first thing’s first,” Zac said. “Can you check this ring now? It might explain why Uzu chose this realm. I don’t want to stumble into a hidden base crawling with infiltrators.”

“Of course,” Vai nodded before taking out a few of her tools again. “There doesn’t seem to be any arrays or self-destruct functions on the item.”

“Move back a bit, just in case,” Zac said.

A moment later, Zac infused a wisp of spiritual energy into the Spatial Ring. There weren’t any traps, but his face still scrunched up into an annoyed grimace. Clearly, there was one thing Uzu hadn’t lied about—the man was flat broke. Apart from the Longevity Pearl, there was barely anything inside the ring.

Just some daily wares, a few dozen cheap pills, a small stack of High-quality Nexus Crystals, and a single Cosmic Crystal that seemed to be mostly exhausted. Zac poured all the random items onto the ground and started rummaging through them in hopes of finding at least one useful thing.

At first, there was simply nothing, until he felt something was wrong with one of the robes. A moment later, he dragged out a stack of documents hidden within the lining. The bottommost document was made from a different material than the others, and Zac curiously took it out to inspect.

There was nothing on it, except fifty-odd paintings of different runes. Zac didn’t recognize them at all—as far as he could tell, some didn’t even follow the basic rules the Apostate of Order’s patterns were based on. However, Zac froze when he saw one of the runes listed among the others on the bottom half of the parchment.

The seal of the Left Imperial Palace.

Having seen the real thing in his vision, Zac could tell it wasn’t perfect. There were some errors in the way it was drawn, which somehow made it lose all of its inherent meaning. Even then, there was no mistaking it. It was at least 80% identical to the real thing. Why was something like this un Uzu’s possession?

“This is likely written by the invaders,” Vai said in a low volume as looked at the parchment with interest. “The characteristics in the penmanship and the type of ink are the same as in some of the manuals we researched. But it doesn’t seem to be anything—the runes don’t form a system, and neither are they a message. Do you recognize this script?”

“No idea,” Zac muttered as he stowed the parchment in his Spatial Ring.

In reality, he had a worrying hunch; he might not be the only one looking for the seal. The parchment almost looked like a bounty—Uzu’s contact had probably given it to him with orders to report back if he found anything of the sort. As for the other signs, Zac guessed they were either decoys or perhaps related runes that might lead to the real thing.

How was that possible? Had someone among the invaders managed to get the quest as well? Was the Left Imperial Palace hedging its bets? Or was the System arranging some sort of Battle of Fates? There was no way to tell, but it was a good early warning. Seeing this parchment, Zac knew the odds of him running into invaders had suddenly gone up.

Zac turned his attention to the stack of papers for more clues, but it became obvious the two weren’t related. The notes were a bit disorganized, and the parchments were covered in spatters of blood. Most of them seemed to be blueprints, with some sections having dozens of iterations. At first, Zac thought they were Uzu’s research into forming a blueprint for his core, but it didn’t look like it.

“Can you tell what’s going on?” Zac asked before handing Vai the documents.

“Uzu wanted to break the Blood Curse,” Vai said as she looked at the diagrams. “But his foundational knowledge was too shallow. His idea was to form an array in his pathways that would automatically be powered by his Cosmic Energy. It would slowly destroy the brand on his core. Internal arrays are extremely complex, and the Blood Curse would have erupted long before he managed to break it.”

Apart from that, there wasn’t much else in the Spatial Ring, including any clues as to why Uzu had chosen this place. Had he simply followed Vai to silence her, perhaps? There was no way to tell, and Zac ultimately burned, purified, and erased all the items and the ring itself with the help of a [Void Ball], much to the confusion of Vai.

“Just a precaution,” Zac smiled. “Can’t be too careful out here.”

“A-okay… I have looked at my token, the closest waystation is in that direction,” Vai said as she pointed to their left. “But I cannot tell whether it leads outward or farther inside.”

“We’ll head there soon,” Zac nodded. “But first, I need to find a Ferric Worldeater.”

“A Ferric Worldeater?” Vai said with confusion. “Why?”

“Ironically, to fight the outsiders.”

“Fighting the outsiders?” Vai muttered before her eyes suddenly widened in realization. “You are building a Cosmic Vessel!”

“How’d you know?” Zac exclaimed with surprise.

“The only useful thing on Worldeaters are their Cores,” Vai said. “As far as I know, they’re mainly used for three things; Array Cores for local Teleportation Arrays, a few types of Spirit Tools, and Cosmic Vessels. The first is useless for fighting invaders, and you wouldn’t use the kind of tools you can create with them. That means you’re building a Cosmic Vessel.”

“Quite the researcher,” Zac smiled.

“You should give up,” Vai urged. “The models that use Beast Cores are sometimes called Living Ships—vessels that almost have an intellect of their own.”

“Like Tool Spirits?” Zac asked curiously.

“There likely are Spirit Tool Cosmic Vessels as well, but those are not the vessels I am talking about,” Vai said with a shake of its head. “It’s more of a passive consciousness that makes controlling the vessel easier. Those ships don’t require highly skilled pilots who can control the complex arrays that make the ships work. You can control them with simplified arrays and thoughts alone.

“In return, they are much more expensive and difficult to build. Therefore, few are made—it’s much easier to train pilots.”

“Oh,” Zac nodded. “Well, do you have any way to pick out a Worldeater in that bowl of yours?”

“You…!” Vai stuttered before she sighed with resignation. “No, but I think I can attract one. I can build an array that copies the energy signature of a Spatial Natural Treasure. It might attract other Space-attuned beasts as well though.”

“So we should be somewhat close to a Worldeater’s domain,” Zac nodded. “I saw a few Voidwyrms earlier, so there should be some adults around as well.”

Fifteen days later, two figures sat hidden in an igloo made from what Zac hoped was mud, waiting for their prey to take the bait. One had a calm expression, while the other was holding onto a bellyful of grievances. The mud was something they stumbled onto the second day in the Mystic Realm. It stank to high heavens, but it somehow blocked out both their auras and smells without the energy fluctuations of an isolation array, making it the perfect portable hiding tool.

For Zac, this was nothing—he was more than accustomed to being covered with all kinds of disgusting things. And compared to the [Celestial Clay], this mud smelled like the sweetest perfume. Vai, on the other hand, had a far harder time acclimatizing to the less glamorous parts of adventuring, and there were two dark circles under her eyes as she occasionally looked at Zac with reproach.

“This is the last one, I swear. If this one is useless as well, I’ll settle with it and we move on,” Zac smiled. “Besides, you were the one who taught me about the ridges.”

One hundred meters away from them, a shimmering ball hovered in the air, emitting enticing pulses of Spatial Dao. It was the bait that Vai had set up, though it wasn’t the first one. This was the sixth time they tried to attract a Ferric Worldeater. It wasn’t that Vai’s method didn’t work—except for two accidental stampedes that left them running for their lives, the other four hunts had attracted the right target.

However, after Zac was flush with excitement after catching the first one, Vai had informed him that he’d essentially caught the dumbest possible specimen. The way she could tell was that it only had one ridge inside its maw. It wasn’t an exact science, but more ridges generally meant greater potential and a more powerful soul.

Settling for a common Worldeater without spatial affinity was already a compromise for Zac, so he refused to create his tailored Cosmic Vessel with subpar materials. In the end, he’d dragged Vai all across the whole Mystic Realm and through various packs of starved nightmarish beasts in search of a better specimen.

Unfortunately, beasts were just like cultivators, in that most of them were relatively untalented, with only the occasional genius emerging.

“Okay, last one,” Vai sighed with relief as she applied some more fragrant salve under her nose. “Though you said that last time as well.”

“Well,” Zac coughed. “How does it look?”

“Nothing yet,” Vai muttered as she looked into the bowl. “We might have found them all. Worldeaters aren’t that common. It takes both talent and a lot of energy for them to be born.”

“Let’s wait a while longer,” Zac sighed.

Another hour passed where the only visitors were the occasional F or E-grade beast that Zac scared away with a burst of killing intent. But finally, Zac saw how a brighter star appeared in the bowl.

“A Beast King is closing in,” Vai confirmed. “It’s coming from that mountain—I think it’s a Worldeater.”

“Alright,” Zac nodded as [Verun’s Bite] appeared in his hand. “Same tactic as before. Don’t worry if it doesn’t work.”

“I-I’ll seal it this time,” Vai said with a mix of determination and fear.

A few minutes later, Zac could see it—something that looked like an enormous river in the sky was floating toward them. It was the Ferric Worldeater who’d finally been lured out from within its burrow where it fed on a Nexus Vein. It drew closer and closer, and Zac got ready to jump out.

These beasts weren’t stupid, and the Worldeater would soon realize that Vei’s array wasn’t actually a recently-born Spatial Treasure.

“Wait!” Vai suddenly exclaimed. “A second one is—ah it’s so fast! It’s already here!”

47

BLACK HEART

The sun covered half the sky, and its warm rays felt like a caress on her skin. For a moment, it was almost enough to forget that the Heavens were shrouded in this corner of space. But the illusion broke as the sound of a door opening broke the tranquility.

“I am sorry for the interruption, but I have gathered the information young miss requested,” Kvalk said as he stepped onto the terrace.

“Oh?” Iz exclaimed with anticipation as she opened her eyes.

“As young miss had gathered from your, ah, research sessions, there is indeed a war that is about to break out in this Sector,” Kvalk said as he handed over an Information Crystal. “For now, it is contained to a semi-integrated corner of the endless storms that the locals call the Million Gates Territory. A Space Gate is currently forming there, but it’s hidden by the Heavens.”

“What about the other Sector?” Iz asked.

“They are a Dark Sector ruled by the Kan’Tanu Cult,” Kvalk said.

“An Unorthodox Cult?” Iz asked with a frown. “I have never heard of them.”

“Neither have I. They are likely some small faction that has taken over either a declining or a remote Sector. Unfortunately, with the restrictions, I cannot find out more,” Kvalk sighed. “For them to control a whole Sector, they are most likely part of a larger faction. Otherwise, some local B-grade force would have stomped them out already.”

“I never met a heretic. I hear those people can be quite strong?” Iz asked curiously.

“They break convention for power. Those who survive the rites and the backlashes are usually stronger than common cultivators,” Kvalk nodded. “Of course, they are still just ants with a crooked path compared to young miss.”

“These natives did not have much information, so I cannot be certain,” the golem continued. “The invaders all seem to carry a somewhat familiar Blood Curse. If I have to guess, then these Kan’Tanu are a branch or subordinate organization of the Black Heart Sect. Perhaps, one of their outer disciples found their way to the frontier.”

“I think I’ve heard of them,” Iz said.

“The Black Heart Sect are ruthless to others, but more so to themselves. There are seldom more than a million members of their sect because of their standards and recruitment method, and almost all of them are outer disciples. Each candidate is placed in a harsh environment with ten thousand others, each one implanted with a nascent Heart Curse. Every warrior they kill will strengthen themselves, and only one candidate will walk out alive.

“To become an outer disciple, a candidate has to survive two rounds, with the second being a battle against 10,000 other candidates who survived the first gauntlet. To become an inner disciple, you have to survive a third round in a slaughter-fest among outer disciples.”

“A trillion deaths for one cultivator,” Iz sighed. “Why?”

“Part of the reason is to find true elites,” Kvalk said. “But more importantly, it’s to strengthen the Heart Curse. With every death, the curse will siphon a small part of the strength and talent of the fallen. With a single round, it will not amount to much, but by the third, an already talented individual will have been pushed a whole tier higher.”

“Stolen talent cannot come without a price,” Iz muttered.

“It is just as young miss says. The reason it’s called a curse even if it increases your talent is the tremendous fell Karma it carries. It is like an unrelenting Heart Demon that eventually turns most of the members mad. Even those who can resist will find their personalities gradually twisted,” the golem explained. “The curse will also cause them to be beset by terrifying tribulations.”

“Ruining their fate for power,” Iz said with a shake of her head. “How pointless. Are all of the invaders like these?”

“No, only the elites will have these kinds of curses, and in this area, they will probably have some inferior version,” Kvalk snorted. “To steal providence is incredibly difficult and costly. The common warriors will have simpler brands that will provide power and durability in exchange for their longevity. They are essentially battle-slaves whose lifespan is cut down to a tenth.”

“Hm,” Iz nodded.

She was a bit curious if there was any relation between this invasion and the competition her grandpa warned her about, but these natives had no idea what was going on. There wasn’t any point trying to find the answers herself though—there was a much easier solution. She simply needed to find Mr. Bug, and he’d lead her straight into the eye of the storm where the answers waited.

“What about the incongruous readings?” Iz asked.

It had been extremely frustrating to finally break into this sealed Sector only to find she couldn’t find Mr. Bug. The image hadn’t been restored since he conjured that ball of Chaos, and now even the tracking feature was acting up. One day the signal would indicate one direction, and the next day it said he was in a completely different part of the Sector.

They’d even tried visiting one of the locations the mirror indicated, only to find absolutely nothing there. Had Mr. Bug figured out some way to avoid detection? That didn’t seem possible. He was far too stupid for something like that. It felt like she was stuck at the finish line, where she’d settled in the hometown of some local family called Dravorak.

They weren’t very powerful, but they did have access to all the local information networks.

“These natives haven’t heard of young miss’s associate for years. Instead, I chose to look for clues to the Left Imperial Palace. Since your associate is related to its awakening, I figured we should be able to find him that way. And with the odd readings of the mirror, I have a theory,” Kvalk said as he handed Iz a second Information Crystal.

“Void Gate?” Iz muttered as she scanned the contents.

“I believe the Void Gate is a branch of the Vigil,” Kvalk added.

“Ah!” Iz exclaimed as she stood up. “Mr. Bug is off causing trouble in that spatial anomaly!”

“The guardian of the Void Gate is quite powerful,” Kvalk hesitated. “If she’s a part of the Vigil, I fear I’m not her match in my restricted state.”

“If this Void Priestess is a part of the Vigil, she will not interfere with the process,” Iz countered as she started packing away her furniture. “Let’s go.”

“The local dynasty was wondering if young miss was interested in visiting their inheritance realm,” the golem added. “I think their young master wants to use the opportunity to court young miss. Should I test their fate?”

“Don’t bother. What fate can they have? Just ignore those people,” Iz waved her hand as she hurried toward the door. “Come, let’s find someone to teleport us over.”

* * *

The thick layer of ash on the ground kicked up the occasional dust cloud in the large hollow. However, the creatures who gathered in ritual obeisance seemed to not even notice the layers that covered their bushy coats of black fur. They simply stared at the ancient temple in the center of the hollow with the dull gazes of fanatics.

How the hell would he do this? There were ten thousand of these bastards, with the weakest of them being Late E-grade. More than two weeks had passed, and none of them had moved an inch.

“You still insist on keeping the details to yourself?” Ogras muttered from his hidden chamber in the mountain wall, his aura and words shielded by dense layers of shadows. “No matter what, I am taking whatever’s inside. My guts tell me the most valuable treasure in this godforsaken realm is in there.”

“Why the hell should I help you?” K’Rav snickered as he appeared opposite Ogras.

“If I die, I’ll be sure to throw you right into the hands of one of the alphas,” Ogras spat. “Have fun slowly getting swallowed and digested by these freaks.”

The goblin glared at Ogras, but his eyes thoughtfully turned to the temple as it released another of its weird ripples.

“These buildings might come from the Lost Plane,” K’Rav relented. “I’m not sure how they were dragged to the surface dimension though—we never managed to bring back anything more than energy beings.”

“The Lost Plane? The same place as those crazed familiars of yours came from?” Ogras frowned. “Bastard, even now you’re lying? Do I look blind? In what way are those pulses anything like the nightmare plane of the Qriz’Ul?”

He sounded annoyed, but in reality, Ogras was actually inclined to believe the Tool Spirit. Why else would the mysterious brand on his arm urge him forward and respond to every pulse? Besides, finding this place had been exceedingly easy—these temples had called for him since the day he stepped into the badlands.

If not for the worry this was yet another trick by K’Rav, Ogras would have arrived at this place two whole months earlier. And along his circuitous route, he’d spotted three similar ruins, each one surrounded by these humanoid beasts. However, none of the others had called to him as this temple did.

Of course, he still wasn’t convinced this wasn’t a trap, and it took all of his self-control to ignore the beckoning pulses from within.

Ogras was almost certain this was the last piece of the puzzle. Upon finishing the sixth key for his quest in the Ra’Lashar Kingdom, the six tattoos had turned into this singular brand on his hand that still hadn’t shown any use. Initially, Ogras worried he’d lost his opportunity when the bastard of a Tool Spirit activated the self-destruction of the whole tower, but he no longer believed that to be the case.

The brand itself was the reward for managing to pass all six trials of the quest, but it was still a key to a repository. However, it wasn’t the Ra’Lashar Treasury the brand would give him access to, but rather this mysterious ruin that not even these powerful beasts dared enter.

“What do you know, fool?” K’Rav snorted. “A little tadpole questioning the vast knowledge of the Ra’Lashar?”

“I’m questioning you, you wailing ghost,” Ogras said with a roll of his eyes. “Everything that’s come out of your mouth since we met has either been outright lies or modified truths. Why should today be any different?”

“Then why did you ask, you wretched thing?” K’Rav spat. “Now, will you listen or not?”

“Go ahead, sing your song,” Ogras said with a generous wave.

“Bastard,” K’Rav muttered before the spirit took a calming breath. “The Lost Plane is ancient, and even we didn’t know much about it. We stumbled upon it by accident through a small crack leading into that domain. Our explosive growth was thanks to the few things we managed to extract from that place.”

“And your demise,” Ogras pointedly added.

“Well, yes,” K’Rav shrugged. “We got too greedy, but don’t think you would fare any better. For one, the truths that place contained beggared comprehension—we only managed to gather some scraps at the edges, and we turned into what you call a C-grade force in a few short millennia. Problem was, something corrupted the Lost Plane long before we found it.”

“The Qriz’Ul,” Ogras muttered, his eyes widened with realization as he looked at the thick layer of dust covering the area.

He hadn’t made the connection over the past week simply because the auras of these ruins and the rune parasites were so different, but there was a similarity. Everything those purple scars touched was reduced to dust, just like these ancient buildings seemed to have destroyed all that surrounded them with their pulses.

“Those bastards are just a symptom, not the cause,” K’Rav said. “In a way, we believed the Dao itself was the corruption.”

“What?” Ogras asked with a raised brow. “The Dao is the Dao.”

“Well, I don’t have all the answers,” K’Rav muttered. “We were busy strengthening ourselves—who would bother to look a gift horse in the mouth? I’m sure there was more to it. In either case, these temples might be related to the Lost Realm—an expression of its power without the taint that turned the realm into a nightmare.”

“Even if you’re right—so what?” Ogras grunted. “How does that help me?”

“These dumb brutes don’t dare to go inside, and there is a big pile of dust right by the gates. Entry means death for these things,” K’Rav snickered before he pointedly looked at Ogras’ arm. “But not necessarily for you.”

“Let me guess, I should just rush through these beasts and jump headfirst through the gates in the hopes the brand on my arm will keep me safe?” Ogras asked with a roll of his eyes. “What’s next, should I slather myself in grease and tasty Natural Treasures for good luck as well?”

“You asked my opinion, so there it is,” K’Rav said. “I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again—nothing great will come without taking some risks. If my idea works, you will pass through in one piece and get your hands on a true relic of the Lost Plane. If it fails, you’ll quickly and probably painlessly turn into a pile of dust.

“And don’t tell me there isn’t logic to my plan. You didn’t so much as glance at those other temples we passed, including the one that looked a lot fancier than this one. You clearly believe this place is related to you.”

“Why are you being so helpful all of a sudden?” Ogras said with thin eyes.

“I can’t reason with a paranoid rogue like you,” K’Rav spat as he flew back into the flag in Ogras’ robes. “Do what you want. I almost hope it fails—that way I’ll finally get some peace and quiet.”

“Unless I haunt you in the afterlife,” Ogras snorted as his gaze turned to the valley full of beasts sitting in reverie.

Even if the goblin’s idea worked, there was still the issue of getting through the sea of creatures. These things weren’t like the dumb zombies they’d lured away with some Miasma Crystals back on Earth—these things were pretty hard to trick because of their energy sensitivity. There were also the leaders at the front—six Beast Kings as far as he could tell, each possessing strength well above the average power of a Beast King.

Even then, with all he’d accomplished over the past decade, it should be possible—as long as he dared enter that courtyard.

He pondered any alternatives a while longer, but Ogras ultimately steeled his heart. It was just like the long-nosed little bastard said. Power or death, there was no in-between. If he died, he died—just another forgotten warrior on the path of cultivation. As far as he knew, everyone on the outside believed him dead already, so what did it matter?

Ogras turned to shadows as he slithered down a crack in the mountain wall. He slowly inched his way closer to the outer perimeter of the beasts, wanting to advance as far as possible before he was exposed. Eventually, a few of the humanoids started sniffing the air and looking around, realizing something was amiss. That was his cue—and Ogras exploded into action.

Two rapid teleportations left him in the heart of the horde, but when he tried to flash forward with [Darkside] a third time, the dense auras from the beasts barred his path. Even then, it was better than Ogras dared hope for, and a sea of darkness spread out with himself as the epicenter.

Since [Sea of Shadows] had been upgraded to E-grade and pushed to Late Mastery, its lethality was simply tremendous, and wails echoed out in every direction. However, the domain didn’t even last a second before it was ripped apart by the sheer number of enemies, exposing six identical copies rushing toward the gate of the temple.

One by one they were struck down, but when the final copy was about to fall, it took out a spear and swiped in a wide arc around him. Over a hundred E-grade beasts were felled in one go, and the void allowed Ogras to activate his movement skill once more. Now, there was only one barrier between himself and the temple—the Beast Kings and their direct underlings.

Ogras waved the [Shadewar Flag], and screams from the depths of the underworld echoed through the hollow as over a hundred specters appeared. They formed a vanguard as Ogras melded into the shadows, his eyes never leaving the closest Beast King who blocked the gate with a massive Dao Field.

The ghosts swarmed the humanoid beasts with wild abandon, but they were being torn to shreds at a rapid pace, unable to withstand the sharp claws of these things. Ogras didn’t care—the moment the spirits were released, he’d already resigned himself to the loss. He could collect new souls for the flag if he made it through this.

A lance of hyper-condensed shadows, surrounded by circles of esoteric runes, shot toward the final guardian, the force contained in the attack far surpassing the F-grade [Shadowlance] it had evolved from. The brutal-looking beast wasn’t worried though, and it unleashed a cascading shockwave with a roar.

The attack destroyed everything in its wake as it swallowed Ogras’ skill, but a pained screech echoed out when a lance of darkness pierced through its body—from behind. With [Mirage Lance], real was false and false was real. The Beast King’s keen energy perception had worked against it—instantly realizing that the attack from behind was an illusion.

However, as a fusion of smoke and mirrors, reality was malleable with his evolved skill, where real and illusion switched places just before they struck. Ogras knew the attack was far from enough to deal with these incredibly durable bastards, but the infusion of his Dao had momentarily interrupted the Beast King’s Dao Field.

And a moment was all Ogras needed.

With a flash, shadows swapped places, and Ogras found himself right next to the wounded humanoid beast. Even if it was in pain, it reacted instantaneously with a ferocious swipe that left spatial tears in its wake. The claws tore straight through his body, or rather the body of the mirage that had replaced Ogras the moment he appeared.

As for Ogras himself, he appeared in front of the temple, where his appearance kicked up a cloud of dust. There was no time for hesitation or second thoughts—the Beast Kings had already destroyed the specters and were bearing on him with madness in their black eyes. He leaped through the gate and landed square inside the temple’s courtyard.

The cobblestones beneath his feet oozed antiquity and the solemn atmosphere quieted Ogras’ beating heart in an instant.

The ethereal state didn’t even last for a second before his mind screamed of disastrous danger. Two of the Beast Kings had actually jumped through the gate in their fury, and their claws were about to strike him down.

Ogras was set to evade the attacks, but a sudden pulse from within the temple froze him in place. He briefly felt an odd ripple on his arm and his mind blanked out, overloaded with a rapid succession of images. The first Beast King descended on him a moment later, its claw going straight for Ogras’ forehead.

While there was death, there was no blood. The instant the claw touched Ogras’ forehead, a shudder went through the Beast King and it was reduced to dust in a flash along with its brother. Ogras was fine, and he took a shuddering breath as he woke up from his stupor. It worked—the Voidbrand had granted him access.

He threw a teasing smile at the furious beasts stuck on the other side of the gate, but by the time he turned his gaze toward the decaying temple, his eyes were full of solemnity. The images that had suddenly crammed into his head were scattered and hazy, but one thing was clear; this place had far surpassed his expectations.

It had far surpassed his realm of comprehension.

“Ultom…”

48

DOUBLE THE TROUBLE

Zac didn’t have time to react to Vai’s exclamation of a second target before the first one pushed through the darkness, its true form becoming visible. As expected, it was another Ferric Worldeater—a monstrous mix between a flying lobster and a worm.

This specimen was almost two hundred meters long, making it the size of a Cosmic Vessel. Its face was mostly a large maw made from six flaps, like a disgusting, fleshy flower bud opening, an image that was only reinforced when you saw that its mouth was filled with thousands of odd tendrils that looked like pistils.

Ferric Worldeaters didn’t actually have any teeth. Instead, those tendrils had the ability to extract almost any energy from materials it swallowed before it passed as mundane rubble from the other end. Everything from World Cores to Cosmic Crystals and sturdy metals were drained and turned into useless scrap in no time.

Just behind its maw, four claws were attached, reaching roughly twenty meters ahead of its mouth. Two of them were designed for digging, similar to an excavator bucket and a long spike, while the other pair was more like traditional lobster claws. The claws looked a bit odd and misplaced, but Zac had felt firsthand just how quick and lethal those things were.

Thick plates like rusty iron covered their whole body, which was where the “ferric” part in the name came from. In reality, the plates were more like extremely sturdy clay than metal. They had very powerful defensive capabilities, but their real use was the extraordinary isolation effect they provided.

It was these plates that allowed the Worldeaters to dig their way into the center of a planet and withstand the pressure, heat, and powerful energies as they slowly fed on the planet’s core. In contrast to what Calrin’s report had said or what their name implied, they didn’t solely feed on World Cores.

They were happy to eat any powerful source of energy, and they more commonly fed on Nexus Veins, slowly draining and destroying them. Of course, the odds of actually turning into a Beast King without access to a World Core were extremely slim, and they had to replace quality with quantity. Their ever-voracious nature made them a headache, and if not for the useability of their Beast Cores, they would be hunted and eradicated like an invasive species.

Then again, they were quite difficult to get rid of altogether. With the unique isolation capabilities of their plates, they could survive in the Void for years. Not only that, but they possessed a bloodline ability that allowed them to dig open a hole into the Void, where they would hide until the danger passed. Furthermore, their young were often nurtured inside their own bodies, where they received part of the energy their parents extracted, making them hard to target.

This ability for survival was the reason there couldn’t be any hesitation—two of the previous Worldeaters had managed to flee into the Void before Zac could incapacitate them. This time, the situation was even more complicated, with a second Beast King looming in the shadows. Odd thing was, even with Vai’s early warning, Zac couldn’t locate the beast at all.

That didn’t mean Vai was wrong—Zac’s instincts told him something else lurked nearby as well. Thankfully, years of fighting against all kinds of beasts in the Orom World had given him a wealth of experience, and he’d already adjusted his battle plan as he shot into the sky with a herculean leap.

He was still some distance from the Worldeater, which had stopped in hesitation from Zac’s sudden appearance. The Worldeaters were somewhat skittish, but they wouldn’t immediately flee upon the appearance of a human, especially not one with multiple aura-hiding measures in place. Between his aura-hiding bracer and [Spiritual Void] swallowing his Dao emanations, he should look like a mortal who somehow gained the ability of flight.

This charade wouldn’t trick anyone for long, but it didn’t need to. A short hesitation was all Zac was after as a storm of fractal leaves shot out from his body, each one of them imbued with large amounts of Mental Energy and his Branch of the War Axe. The innumerable blades raked through the air, forming an inescapable net that stretched for hundreds of meters in every direction.

The forest below was reduced to splinters, and the mud hut was destroyed as well. Even then, Zac wasn’t worried—Vai had moved out of harm’s way the moment he jumped into the air. Not only that, but a new forest rose to replace the one that had been destroyed—a primordial forest conjured with his [Ancestral Woods].

The upgraded version of [Hatchetman’s Spirit] had its limitation when fighting in the sky—for example, its teleportation abilities were landlocked. Still, the trees provided him with a series of other advantages, from the attribute boost to the damage-soaking capabilities and improved vision.

A rattling echoed through the air as dozens of blades slammed into the thick plates of the Worldeater, and it screeched in anger at the assault. Shallow marks were left on the surface of the rusty scales, but [Nature’s Edge] was far from being able to cut through the plates. Zac didn’t care in the slightest—the attack had already accomplished its goal.

Six deep thuds echoed out the next moment, sounding almost like underwater explosions. The sound came from a set of array flags Zac had thrown out during the chaos, which had then been activated by Vai. Each of the flags created an odd swirl in space that together formed a large cage of destabilized space. It didn’t target the Worldeater though, but rather an empty patch of space.

Part of the reason Zac activated [Nature’s Edge] and infused it with his Dao was to hide the array flags. The Worldeaters were quite sensitive to Spatial Energies. Without a diversion, they would probably have noticed something was wrong. There was a second reason as well though—to sound out the hidden threat.

The hundreds of fractal leaves hadn’t managed to actually hit the invisible target, but between the omniscience of [Ancestral Woods] and the feedback from the blades, he’d managed to find what he looked for. It was around this area Zac had thrown out his trap, and the results were almost immediate. With space destabilizing, the hidden beast had been forced to the surface—and it was another Worldeater.

It was only 120 meters long, a far cry from its brother. Even then, it looked quite impressive. For one, its shells were a mottled dark blue, reminding Zac of a night sky. Instead of stars, there were small runic patterns that seemed to be natural expressions of the Dao of Space. Finally, it had a 50-meter-long tuft of steel-like hair on its head that swayed in the wind like it was unaffected by gravity.

A Space-attuned Worldeater.

This was exactly what Zac had hoped for, but he stilled his surging heart as he proceeded with his plan. A high-pitched shriek was emitted by the trapped Worldeater, and Zac could tell the array wouldn’t hold for more than a couple of seconds. Hopefully, that would be enough.

Golden runes spread across Zac’s skin, and his aura rose to unprecedented degrees as he activated [Arcadian Crusade] for the first time in years. The fires of war coursed in his veins, and Zac was filled with a holy vengeance. Every muscle shuddered with barely contained explosive power, and his rapid heartbeat was a drum calling him to battle.

A huge wooden hand filled with an aura of antiquity appeared out of nowhere, with not so much as a whiff of Cosmic Energy to warn of its arrival. Both the hand and the axe it gripped were covered in golden runes of Arcadia, and its blade descended toward its target—the common Worldeater that was furiously flying to save its brother.

The beast didn’t even flinch from the incoming strike, despite having come out of nowhere. Its attention was fully on the trapped Worldeater, and Zac wasn’t surprised. The Space-attuned Worldeaters were not only valuable to cultivators, but also to Worldeaters themselves. They could lead swarms of their brethren through the vast emptiness of space, finding planets to feed on.

They were the shepherds of their race, almost holy existences according to Vai’s booklet. The Worldeaters would do anything in their power to protect these beings. Zac needed to quickly get the guardian out of the way before he captured the Space-attuned one. That’s why he was going all-out from the start, even using Void Energy to speed up and hide the activation of [Arcadia’s Judgement].

The huge axe descended, empowered by his Dao Braid of War Axe and Kalpataru, his [Spiritual Void], and [Arcadian Crusade]. It was the most powerful strike Zac was able to unleash without using something like his Annihilation Sphere. If this couldn’t deal with the beast, nothing in his repertoire could.

One of the Worldeater’s claws rose to intercept the incoming swing. The plated crusher was even bigger than the axe, but the Beast King overestimated its defenses after millennia of being impervious if it thought that was enough. Edge and claw collided, and a loud snap echoed out as the axe cut straight through the pincer almost unimpeded.

That was the weakness of Worldeater plating. It perfectly withstood damage to a certain degree, almost completely nullifying both Dao and energy. But the moment its threshold was surpassed, the plating cracked and lost most of its insulating capabilities. Now, the Worldeater realized its mistake, but the axe of [Arcadia’s Judgement] was already descending toward its head like a headsman’s execution.

A series of runes lit up across its plates, showering the area in a bronze hue that managed to impede the axe’s descent. Zac inwardly swore upon seeing that the Beast King learned a defensive bloodline talent. Not all Beast Kings awoke the same Heritage Skills, and only one other Ferric Worldeater had used this talent until now.

With all the power in his swing, Zac believed he’d be able to push through the repulsing domain, though he wasn’t confident the skill would retain enough momentum to kill the beast in one go. Meanwhile, two flags restraining the Space-attuned specimen had already cracked. He was running out of time.

Zac grit his teeth and flashed forward, using one of his aerial steps with [Earthstrider] to close in on the Worldeater while the huge axe was still pushing down. A pang of danger prompted him to desperately swing his axe to the side, narrowly avoiding being skewered by one of the Worldeater’s pincers.

A throbbing pain indicated his arm had been wounded by the clash, and he was being thrown away from the Beast King from the backlash. Zac took two consecutive steps through the air, urgently squeezing through the narrow opening he’d forced by cutting off one claw and pushing back another. Suddenly, he was right on top of the Beast King’s head, with his own attack bearing down on him.

There was such a thing as friendly fire with skills, and Zac felt a sense of impending doom as the axe of his own making hung over him. Still, he didn’t have any plan to cancel the skill. Instead, he activated [Void Zone], and his surroundings grew dim as the runes on the Beast King’s plates were extinguished. Unfortunately, the domain only disrupted the skill locally—the rest of the Beast King was still illuminated.

Zac prayed that would be enough.

Just an instant later, the axehead was upon the Worldeater with the resistance gone. Zac quickly deactivated Void Zone and pushed away with [Earthstrider], narrowly avoiding the strike. A tremendous eruption of energy threw him out of the distorted space of his movement skill, and Zac grunted with pain.

A groaning sound followed as more than a dozen ancestral trees withered from soaking up the damage he’d been forced to endure. A second shockwave followed the first, subjecting Zac to even more agony as he was thrown away like a ragdoll. The damage-averting capabilities of [Ancestral Woods] could only do so much. Zac’s mouth tasted like iron and a couple of his ribs had been broken judging by the stabbing agony in his side.

Even then, a smile adorned Zac’s face as he crashed to the ground. A torrential current of energy had already entered his body, proving that his gambit worked. The defensive ability of the Ferric Worldeater hadn’t managed to recover in time, allowing the axe of [Arcadia’s Judgement] to destroy its whole head and kill it in one fell swoop.

A tremendous earthquake followed as the dead Worldeater crashed into the ground. Zac wanted to close his eyes and activate [Surging Vitality] now that the Beast King was dealt with, but there was no time. After seeing its kin getting killed in an instant, there was no way the Space-attuned Worldeater would stick around.

Spatial tears were already appearing around it as the Beast King tried to force open a pathway into the Void. Through his unique vision from [Ancestral Woods], Zac also saw a pale-faced Vai desperately holding on to the array control crystal with blood running down her nose. That was the reason he’d even dared to use his bloodline abilities in the first place. The researcher already had her hands full maintaining the seal.

With [Void Zone] not giving off any aura at all, it should be nigh impossible for Vai to figure out what happened.

Another array flag snapped as Zac scrambled to his feet—time was running out. Luckily, [Earthstrider] had reset by his landing, and there was still plenty of time on his berserking skill. Even if his body groaned in objection, Zac swallowed a Soldier Pill and leapt into one of the ancestral trees, which instantly teleported him to a tree crown right beneath his real target.

With a push, Zac shot into the air, this time with a golden laurel adorning his head. In his wake, a golden domain rose toward the struggling Worldeater, like a cape made from divinity itself. Facing him was an increasingly turbulent patch of space, which descended into total chaos as the Worldeater destroyed the cage.

Zac’s eyes widened in alarm when he saw the Worldeater starting to phase out again, and he urgently threw out a D-grade talisman. Forcibly activating even an Early D-grade talisman at his level cost him almost 70% of his Cosmic Energy, but space congealed the next moment. It was one of the talismans he’d bought from the Void Gate before setting off, and it solidified space in an instant.

That kind of talisman had all kinds of uses in a turbulent region like the Void Star, from stabilizing convergences to suppressing spatial beasts. In this case, it was the latter, and Zac breathed out in relief upon seeing the Worldeater fail to phase away. Still, a single talisman wasn’t a match for a determined Beast King, and the new seal was rapidly deteriorating.

Thankfully, Zac was already upon the beast, and a series of Dao-infused fractal edges rained down on the carapace. The bluish plates didn’t lack defensive capabilities compared to the normal ones, but it didn’t matter. Zac was doing everything in his power to infuse and cover the beast in his Dao, which would hopefully make it harder for the beast to teleport away.

Together with Vivi’s vines, which had already looped around the beast, and the Arcadian Domain of [Empyrean Aegis], it left the Worldeater unable to open a proper channel to escape. Still, it pelted the surroundings with thousands of spatial tears, and Zac felt extremely grateful for his new defensive skill.

With him being able to form up to nine strings of Mental Energy, he had long since conquered his limitation of only infusing one skill at a time with his Dao. Thanks to that, the golden barrier managed to withstand every tear that slammed into it, though the two pillars on the ground were rapidly being whittled down.

Between the initial blitz and activating the talisman, Zac was running dangerously low on Cosmic Energy even after swallowing a Soldier Pill, but he had no plans of slowing down. This was the best way to deal with Beast Kings—utterly overwhelm them before their almost endless stores of Cosmic Energy could wear him down.

Not that he had an option. Zac’s heart hammered as he landed on top of the beast’s head, just by the large tuft of hair. He could feel how enormous amounts of Spatial Energy churned within the beast, and the forest below him was starting to twist and distort. All his measures weren’t enough—the beast was about to jump away.

Still, Zac stayed on, and a meter-long leaf appeared next to the edge of [Verun’s Bite]. The next moment, dense runes covered the leaf as it was infused by [Rapturous divide]. Just like last time, Zac flashed his [Void Zone] for a moment to rebuff any energies inside the Beast King, after which he unleashed his skill.

Since learning to form his crude Dao Braids, Zac no longer needed to swing twice to activate his skill. Instead, gold and black instantly converged and formed the impassable divide, cutting deep into the head of the Ferric Worldeater as Zac used all his remaining power he had available. The result was a clean incision that exposed both the Beast Core and a good deal of brain matter.

[Arcadia’s Judgement] destroyed the brain and extinguished the soul of the first Worldeater, but this was more of a surgical cut. It had almost completely severed the head and its pathways without killing it. The beast spasmodically started to thrash as it fell toward the ground, the damage making it temporarily unable to draw energy from its core. Zac saw the ground rapidly draw closer, though his job wasn’t done.

One huge spike after another appeared in his hand, and he pushed aside his disgust as he inserted them deep into the brain of the beast. It was like the spikes had a life of their own, and they burrowed deeper into the massive head of the Worldeater after getting infused with a burst of Cosmic Energy.

The two were almost at the ground now, but Zac’s full attention was on successfully attaching a red crystal to the Beast Core. A subtle shudder spread from the core, and Zac breathed out in relief. A moment later, the beast simply disappeared, and Zac landed on the ground with a grunt. A quick look into his Beast Pouch confirmed that the bluish Space-attuned Worldeater was lying next to the other one he caught last week, proving the capture was successful.

As usual, things had refused to follow the script, but he’d finally managed to get the last component for his quest—and a Space-attuned Worldeater at that.

49

DEEPER

Even if Zac succeeded, he did feel a bit conflicted upon seeing the motionless Ferric Worldeaters in his Beast Pouch. Neither of them were actually dead—not really, anyway. At the same time, they weren’t quite alive either. The spikes he’d embedded into the beast’s brain had essentially extinguished its soul and dispersed its consciousness, keeping only a small unconscious shred behind. Meanwhile, the crystal he’d attached to the Beast Core would keep energy circulating through its body, making sure the body would stay alive.

It was a bit macabre, but it was a common practice. Some materials from beasts needed to be freshly harvested when used in crafting, and this was a way to accomplish that without needless suffering. With the help of the arrays, the beast bodies could be kept in suspended animation for decades before they expired.

A series of shuffling steps dragged Zac out of his thoughts, and he turned to Vai who was walking over with a somewhat unsteady gait. She was no longer bleeding from her nose and ears, but she was still deathly pale. It wasn’t a surprise—if anything, it was a huge accomplishment for a Peak E-grade hybrid cultivator to contain a Beast King like Vai had.

“Are you okay?” Zac asked as he ate a Healing Pill.

“My soul was slightly overtaxed, but I will be fine in a day or two,” Vai weakly nodded. “Are we done with the hunts, then?”

“We are,” Zac said. “Thank you for your help. Without you, it would have been impossible to succeed.”

“You’re welcome,” Vai nodded, though she looked a bit conflicted. “However… that specimen… It’s…”

“A good, but absolutely common, specimen,” Zac said with a blank expression.

“Ah?” Vai's eyes glazed over for a second. “No, that’s—”

“Let’s get away from here before any more Beast Kings comes to investigate,” Zac interjected as he walked away. “Can you collect the mud while I harvest some of the meat from the other Worldeater?”

[Ancestral Woods] was still running, and Zac smiled a bit when he saw Vai speechlessly open and close her mouth a few times before shaking her head with resignation. He’d already realized the little researcher was unable to deal with that level of shamelessness, and she could only reluctantly head over to harvest the acrid aura-isolating mud.

Meanwhile, Zac harvested the claws and a few easily-accessed pieces of meat from the dead Worldeater. The Beast Core was unfortunately destroyed, a result of Zac intentionally targeting it. That way, it guaranteed he’d take the beast out of commission.

As for the meat, it was travel rations. The Worldeaters looked a bit weird, but their meat was absolutely delicious. Not only that, but it was chock-full of energy since the Beast Kings spent most of their time siphoning energy from Nexus Veins. It was a perfect ingredient for dealing with [Adamance of Eoz], even if it lacked the further refinement of a professional chef.

They set out just a minute later, rushing toward a nearby cave they’d previously scouted. Vai reluctantly covered the entrance with mud while Zac sat down to properly heal his wounds with [Surging Vitality]. His body released creaking sounds as his bones were set and mended, and in short order he released a shuddering breath.

He still wasn’t in perfect condition, but it was close enough. The Healing Pill he ate earlier would finish the job over the next couple of hours. Vai had sat down to recuperate as well, and it looked to be a while longer for her. It gave Zac some time, and he thoughtfully turned his attention toward a node in his head.

Over the past month, he’d fought throngs of Peak E-grade beasts and even some Beast Kings. His next node had long since reached the threshold, and there was more than enough energy left from the previous battle to finish the job. At the same time, he was in a weakened state from his berserker skill.

Zac hesitated until he made a decision.

“We’ll leave in an hour instead,” Zac said, prompting a somewhat surprised Vai to nod.

The original idea was to leave after half an hour, but Zac needed more time if he was to break open another node. He patiently waited another fifty minutes to let the sense of weakness leave his body before he erected the layers of Mental Barriers around the node in his head. From there, he infused more and more of his Kill Energy, until the node burst open.

The air around him shifted as [Stone of Hope] activated, averting a good half of the damage. From there, the rest was dealt with by his layered defenses, only leaving Zac with a splitting headache and some minor damage to the pathways. Zac took a shuddering breath as he opened his eyes, and he found Vai looking at him with a gaping mouth.

“You… You are not a Half-Step warrior?” Vai blurted. “But you used a D-grade talisman. No, before that—You forcibly opened a node? What? Wha—”

“You know, it’s generally considered impolite to dig into the details of the cultivation of others,” Zac smiled as he ate a Soulmending Pill.

“No, I’m… I—” Vai stuttered, looking like her brain was overheating from trying to reconcile his strength and previous actions with a Late E-grade warrior.

The act of activating a D-grade talisman alone was almost unheard of in the E-grade. Even Zac wouldn’t have been able to accomplish that if a single one of his advantages were missing—using Void Energy for [Arcadia’s Judgement], or having extra stores of energy thanks to his Draugr side, for example. Even now, he was pushing it.

“Don’t worry about it too much,” Zac said as he redrew the broken pathways around the node.

Even if the damage wasn’t too bad, Zac knew he wouldn’t be able to exert more than half of his maximum strength for a few days until his newly-opened node had stabilized. It was a calculated risk. He and Vai had traversed this dour Mystic Realm for over two weeks now, and he was almost certain no lethal threats were hiding in the dark. As long as they made use of Vai’s scouting bowl, they should be able to reach the waystation just fine.

A thousand questions were visibly swirling in Vai’s head, even more than after finding out he’d hid his identity. She managed to restrain her curiosity with a shuddering breath, and looked at Zac with worry. “You’re really fine? I hear forcibly opening nodes is quite dangerous, especially the last ones.”

“I’m used to it,” Zac shrugged as he stood. “Let’s get to the nearest waystation.”

Vai slowly nodded, and they set out. There was still an oppressive silence shrouding the forest, an unsurprising effect in the wake of the powerful fluctuations from his battle. Of course, sooner or later some of the starving beasts nearby would take the risk and investigate the smell of blood, which would probably be the start of a stampede.

Zac and Vai would be long gone by then as they made their way through the forest—with Zac running while carrying Vai in a vine seat by his side, guiding him and keeping watch for threats. It was a bit reminiscent of a similar situation way back, and it filled Zac with mixed emotions. However, Vai wasn’t Leviala, and he believed he could trust Vai even when push came to shove.

By the time they reached the waystation a few days later, Zac was already back to almost prime condition. It was perfect timing, as there was still the small chance of invaders hiding in there, even if they still hadn’t seen any indications that would support that theory.

Thankfully, they found the station deserted, though there were signs that someone had passed through the area not too long ago—steps that had kicked up a thin layer of dust. They made a proper sweep of the compound, but there were no real indications if it had been invaders or Templars who’d left the imprints.

Seeing as the failing maintenance arrays hadn’t been reset, Vai suspected the former. The fact the dust wasn’t being swept likely meant the base was running low on power. Templars would have added a set of crystals to make sure the waystation kept functioning until someone could investigate why the base didn’t draw energy from the Mystic Realm. At least the mapper was in working order.

“I don’t recognize this at all compared to the last one we looked at. Can you tell where we are?” Zac asked, prompting the researcher to take out one of her tomes.

“We seem to be at the edge of the Cortex’s domain,” Vai said after studying the map. “We’ve skipped over five layers, it looks like. But that isn’t the real problem. We might be stuck here for a while…”

“What’s going on?”

“Our region has been cut off by the Cortex failing,” Vai said as she pointed at a large section of dark circles. “And there doesn’t seem to be an easy way to double back. The realms might reconnect after the area calms down in a month or two, but it might not. Depends on how far the Mystic Realms have been moved, and I don’t have any way to measure that.”

“So there’s no way out?”

“Not the way we came,” Vai said with a shake of her head, looking a bit fearful. “We would have to keep traveling and explore the map for alternative routes, hoping infiltrators haven’t ruined those paths as well. And I’m not confident I can calculate the correct path with all these unstable factors taking place… I…”

“Well, I’m not really heading out,” Zac shrugged. “So that’s not a problem.”

“What?” Vai blurted. “No, we need to get out, or at least find a captain! These are the inner parts of the Void Star—this place is extremely dangerous! You’re strong, but there are Late-stage Beast Kings and terrifying environments.”

Zac was a bit conflicted as he looked at the frazzled researcher, not sure what the best solution was. Even if there were dangers, he was adamant about following the signal of the Left Imperial Palace. Bringing Vai along would be for the best as well. Not only did she have that superpowered defensive bubble, but she was also his best bet of getting out in one piece.

But he also felt he was asking a bit much of her by dragging her along on this dangerous mission.

Should he try to bring her out first? According to her, it was quite a journey, and it might even take him in the wrong direction. There was no guarantee he’d be able to make his way back to the pulse with how these Mystic Realms shifted. The same was true if he managed to hand her over to some elite squad—they wouldn’t just let him run off on his own.

“Alright, here’s the deal,” Zac said. “I can’t leave this place just yet, and I can’t guarantee I’ll be heading in the direction we need to get out of here.”

“What?” Vai said with confusion written all over her face. “Why not?”

“Like I said earlier, I need to find something,” Zac explained. “It’s extremely important.”

“Something in the inner regions of the Void Star?” Vai slowly muttered as she gave Zac a deep gaze. “Do you know where it is? I can check the map and—”

“I don’t,” Zac interjected. “That’s why it’s dangerous. You’re welcome to follow me if you want, and I will do my best to keep you safe. But it might be a better idea for you to stay here and wait for rescue.”

“That’s crazy! Even if you can survive the environment, how would you even find it?” Vai said as she looked at Zac like he was a madman.

“Don’t worry, I have my methods,” Zac said.

Vai calmed, and thoughtfully looked at Zac until she finally spoke again. “Will you taking this thing harm the Void Gate?”

“I don’t think so?” Zac said after some thought. “If anything, me removing it from this place will probably save the life of anyone stumbling onto it.”

“Alright, I’m coming with you, and then we’ll leave together,” Vai nodded with a determined expression.

“You don’t have to force yourself,” Zac said. “Staying here—”

“Those invaders might appear at any moment,” Vai countered. “I’m not safe here either. Besides, how would you even get where you want without me?”

“What do you mean? I’ll just use the gates?” Zac said with confusion.

“The token of yours will only provide limited access to a small number of waystations,” Vai said with a roll of her eyes. “Our pathways might not normally be locked, but what about now, when there are invaders in here? You might find yourself suddenly stuck in the depths of the Void Star, trapped for years.”

“I could borrow—” Zac muttered as he looked at Vai’s token.

“Doesn’t work,” Vai interjected. “They’re marked with blood.”

“Alright, I guess I’ll be depending on you, then,” Zac said with a weak smile as he turned off the mapper.

“Can you tell me what you’re looking for?” Vai asked as they walked toward the gates.

Zac stalled before answering. “I can’t tell you exactly what it is, it’s dangerous. But I have a quest to gather something.”

“Did you get the quest here?” Vai asked.

“No,” Zac lied. “But I found one part on the way.”

“You did?” Vai said with confusion. “When… Hako Lake! The breach!”

Zac was impressed by how quickly the researcher put two and two together. He was about to compliment her, but Zac almost stumbled when he saw an extremely indignant expression on her face. Zac wryly smiled, suddenly remembering the bite marks that Vai had suffered. He’d tried his best to shield her, but with billions of critters, some were bound to pass through the net.

“I didn’t know taking that thing would conjure an insect tide,” Zac coughed. “Next time, we’ll be prepared.”

“Fine,” Vai muttered, obviously holding onto a ball of complaints as she stepped over to the control console. “Which tunnel?”

Zac thought back to the map earlier, which indicated this waystation had access to two different Mystic Realms, each one leading farther into the Void Star.

“Uh, can you open both? That way I’ll step through and check it out,” Zac asked.

“That’s why you looked so weird every time we entered a new Mystic Realm!” Vai exclaimed. “You always stopped and looked like you had stomach pains.”

“Well…” Zac grimaced, realizing he hadn’t been quite as circumspect as he’d thought.

A moment later, two of the gates activated, showing almost identical rooms on the other side. Just from his vantage, Zac couldn’t feel whether one was better than the other.

Zac picked the one on the left first and stepped through, and a pulse of confirmation told him this realm was closer to his target than the other. He visited the other one just in case, where a second pulse greeted him. However, this one was weaker than the shrouded Mystic Realm, meaning it was even farther away.

“This one,” Zac said, pointing to the left gate as he stepped back to where a curious Vai waited for him.

The researcher nodded and closed the second gate before they passed through. The new realm didn’t seem to have any special attunement, but its energy was quite dense—a clear Middle D-grade realm at that. There was also no sign of anyone having visited this waystation for quite some time, meaning no squads had pushed this deep as far as they could see.

“This one might be a bit dangerous,” Zac said as he felt the dense energies swirl around them. “Do you have any notes on these places?”

“I don’t have a complete tally of all the Mystic Realms here,” Vai said with a shake of her head. “The inner regions are normally only visited by the elites. I just have some books about interesting phenomena in various realms, places worth studying.”

Zac nodded before taking out his attention-averting cowl. “Here, wear this. It’ll hopefully make any beasts ignore you.”

“What about you?” Vai asked with worry.

“I’ll be fine. I’m not so easily killed,” Zac smiled. “Besides, I have other, similar treasures.”

It was true, his bracer had a comparable function, which had allowed him to pass through the Coral Forest in the Twilight Ocean almost unimpeded. The only beasts that bothered him were those who attacked him out of malice, while most didn’t care about a small creature that didn’t emit any spirituality or energy.

They left the waystation a while later and found themselves at the edge of an odd jungle that stretched as far as the eye could see. There were no suns, yet there were thousands of small orbs of green light on top of some of the tree crowns. In contrast to the previous Mystic Realm, it was almost blindingly bright, though the atmosphere wasn’t sweltering.

The shimmering orbs didn’t seem to radiate heat, and instead contained massive amounts of nature-attuned energies that created a refreshing atmosphere that had to be perfect for a flourishing jungle.

“It’s a primal garden,” Vai whispered with wide eyes. “This place is dangerous, it’s full of—”

A deep roar so powerful that it felt like an earthquake interrupted Vai’s warning. Even Zac’s hair stood on end when he felt the enormous power contained in the howl. There was no way it came from an Early D-grade Beast unless it had an exceedingly powerful bloodline. Unless the roar was all bluster, Zac definitely wasn’t confident in taking it on.

But that small hope was soon dashed. Something else in the jungle had been angered by the Beast King’s outburst, and a piercing screech answered the roar, this one containing just as much power. The two soundwaves clashing even kicked up a storm, and Zac wondered if he were about to witness an apocalyptic battle.

“Let me guess,” Zac sighed. “It’s full of Beast Kings?”

50

PRIMAL GARDEN

“A primal garden? What’s that?” Zac asked with a low volume as he looked around for threats.

“The most valuable plants can rarely be manually cultivated,” Vai whispered. “There is something about domestication that kills the inherent spirituality of plants. Still, we can’t just rely on chance encounters to provide for our needs. So, factions set up these kinds of wild worlds that are mostly untouched. We only modify the environment slightly to suit certain types of plants, and then leave them alone between harvests.”

“What about the beasts?” Zac asked.

“You should know there is a symbiotic relationship between beasts and Natural Treasures,” Vai explained. “They’re needed to protect and nurture the plants.”

“So they have their domains?” Zac said. “Then we should be fine as long as we keep away from their lairs and the treasures they guard.”

“I-I guess?” Vai said as she fearfully looked at the vast forest. “Unless there has been a breach to destabilize the power equilibrium in the garden.”

“I guess we’ll find out,” Zac said as he formed a vine chair. “Keep a lookout.”

They set out, but they didn’t get any farther than a few hundred meters before Zac stopped again. It wasn’t because he’d sensed any dangers or another pulse from the Left Imperial Palace, but rather a surprising shudder from the spatial tube on his back—specifically, from the wooden ring he’d attached to it.

For some reason, the still germinating Heavenrender Seed had reacted to something around them.

“What’s wrong?” Vai whispered, but Zac didn’t immediately answer as he tried to get a sense of the situation through [Link of Demeter], his plant-taming skill.

“Vivi, what is it?” Zac asked, which prompted two of the free vines to point toward a certain tree.

It was one of the plants with a shimmering green orb atop its tree crown—though it could be more accurate to say the enormous flower it had in place of branches.

“Haro wants these trees?” Zac mused thoughtfully as he went over what Vai just said. Perhaps it wasn’t a coincidence these odd sun trees grew in this place. “What are these things?”

“Ah?” Vai said as she looked at the glowing orb on top of the plant. “They are called [Repeater Rafflesia]. They extract a lot of energy from the soil and air to form those nature-attuned beacons. They can help speed up the growth of Natural Treasures.”

“Can they be planted in a Worldring?” Zac asked.

Vai hesitated to answer. “Beast Pouches and Worldrings slowly draw energy from their surroundings with their gathering arrays. Most of it is used to nurture the beast or plants inside, while some is set aside in case you visit energy-starved areas.”

“Sure,” Zac nodded.

This wasn’t any news—it was one of the main differences between a Spatial Ring and tools like Worldrings, with the other one being that space was stable enough to house living beings. Worldrings demanded a constant supply of energy. Depending on what and how much you’d planted inside, the gathering arrays might not suffice.

From there, you’d either have to get a higher-quality ring that could provide a better environment, or you’d have to supply a supplemental source of energy like Beast Cores and crystals. Luckily for him, the Worldring that Heda gifted him was quite High-quality, to the point it would be able to accommodate Haro well into the D-grade.

Of course, the more energy Haro got, the quicker Haro would grow, so Zac was constantly supplying the Heavenrender Seed with Beast Cores. Apart from that, the main body of Vivi had moved into the Worldring, though Zac still kept the tube on his back. He’d tried wearing the wooden band on his hand, but he was simply more used to having the vines coming from his back since getting [Love’s Bond].

“The process of these trees is quite energy-demanding—without them, this Mystic Realm would most likely be a whole tier higher,” Vai explained. “They demand a lot of energy, so it would be very expensive to put these kinds of measures inside a Worldring.”

“Will the beasts get mad if I take a few of these things?” Zac mused as looked into the depths of the jungle.

“You want to steal our repeaters as well?” Vai exclaimed with wide eyes.

“Steal? I’m just plucking a couple of flowers,” Zac coughed. “As long as the beasts are okay with it?”

“I—Ah… Maybe not? The Beast Kings should understand these plants help their treasures grow,” Vai hesitated.

“Oh well,” Zac muttered as he walked away, though his eyes never left the tree.

They didn’t dare delve deeper into the jungle, opting to stay close to the edge of the Mystic Realm. It would cost them a few days extra, but it was better than pathing through wilderness controlled by Middle-stage Beast Kings and their underlings. Thankfully, there was a small trench that ran along the edge of the jungle, a manmade path at that.

It was most likely created for the same purpose as they used it for—for the farmers to move between regions safely. According to Vai, there should be some sort of hidden tunnel system as well, but they couldn’t find the entrance. Even if they did, they wouldn’t dare use them—those kinds of paths were sometimes discovered by the Beast Kings and turned into dangerous traps. And with this place abandoned for at least a couple of years, that risk only increased.

Like this, their travels went without issue, though Zac’s gaze often turned in the direction of the sprawling forest and the riches it contained. If he could only find an opportunity to do some harvesting of his own. And finally, after two days of uneventful travel, an opportunity presented itself. A tearing sound echoed out through the realm before the jungle was flooded with foreign energies.

“It’s a breach! It has to be!” Vai exclaimed as they climbed up to the edge of the trench.

Zac nodded in agreement. Even if they didn’t physically see the spatial anomaly because of a haze covering most of the jungle, there was no mistaking the energy signatures in the distance. The energy was just like the breaches they’d encountered previously, except this one could possibly be even more dangerous. His normal vision might not be able to see the breach, but turning on [Cosmic Gaze] almost blinded him from all the energy the breach unleashed.

Whatever world was on the other side, it might be of an even higher grade than this primal garden. And it wasn’t uninhabited either—it only took a few seconds before they could both feel and hear enormous clashes between Beast Kings. It was no doubt the native ruler and its subordinates who fought against the invaders.

“Do you think this means the Natural Treasures are unguarded?” Zac muttered as they looked on.

“No! You can’t!” Vai exclaimed while scowling indignantly at Zac, just like when they first met. “E-Even if they are, those are private. I-I’ll tell on you!”

“Alright, alright,” Zac smiled before he flashed away.

The next moment, he appeared in front of one of the [Repeater Rafflesia] at the edge of the jungle. With a grunt, he started pulling with every ounce of his strength, while Vivi gleefully helped. At first, nothing happened, until a deep groan resounded as the powerful roots were forcibly dislodged from the soil.

The next moment, the whole tree was gone, thrown into his Worldring where Vivi arranged for it to be planted a few hundred meters away from Haro. Unfortunately, the huge glowing orb above the flower had destabilized and dispersed the moment the tree was uprooted, but it looked like it had already started forming a new one once it appeared in the pocket world.

“What are you—!” Vai shrieked as she fearfully looked around.

“They have their hands full. I can’t take the treasure, but I should at least be able to borrow a few of these things, right? You have so many, and they’re not listed as strategic resources,” Zac grunted before he uprooted two more of the supersized flowers.

He was about to snatch a fourth one, but an exceedingly powerful mental wave passed through the area, making Zac look up with alarm. It looked like the king of the region kept a watchful eye over its domain even while fighting against the breach. The powerful ripple also confirmed that it was a Middle-stage Beast King, and not a weak one.

“We’re done for,” Vai cried as she glared at Zac with tears pooling in her eyes. “You’ll get us killed.”

“Don’t worry, this is quintessential adventuring,” Zac laughed as he picked up Vai before running for his life. “Keep watch of the surroundings.”

Of course, it wasn’t blind greed that prompted him to uproot the trees. Over the past hours, he’d gotten a decent grasp of the situation in the forest thanks to [Forester’s Constitution] and ample experience in the wilderness. Judging by what he’d seen, there was a good chance the local emperor would fall from this invasion. The fight was already extremely intense judging by the distant eruptions, and the breach showed no indication it was about to close.

Even if the local Beast King won, they’d be too busy licking their wounds and protecting their domain to pursue him and Vai—provided the beast could find them. By the time the situation stabilized, he and Vai would be long gone. Still, that knowledge didn’t do much to help mollify his skittish guide.

“You know, cultivation is to grasp every opportunity that comes your way,” Zac smiled as he glanced in her direction. “The moment you let fear and hesitation take control of you, it’s game over.”

“You seem to have a lot of philosophical beliefs that are ultimately excuses to justify wanton looting,” Vai said with a roll of her eyes.

“Well, that’s what cultivation is,” Zac laughed. “Some go at it alone, while others join factions to improve their looting abilities.”

“I don’t know about that,” Vai muttered, but she didn’t press the issue any further.

In total, they spent twelve days in the primal garden because of a bout of bad luck. First, they encountered a shockingly large rhinoceros, that for some reason watched the shimmering edge of the Mystic Realm. To pass it, they would either have to walk below its fifty-meter-wide head or traverse deep into the jungle.

Ultimately, they backed away and built another mud hut, in which they stayed for three full days. Finally, the Beast King lumbered toward the depths of the realm, opening the path again. The second delay appeared when they reached the next waystation. It turned out that the lone pathway connected to the station didn’t lead them closer to the Left Imperial Seal, forcing them to search for another station.

Finally, they reached their destination after circling almost two-thirds of the realm. If they’d chosen right instead of left upon arriving in the primal garden, they would have saved more than a week. Still, that didn’t dampen Zac’s excitement upon feeling the mysterious pulse grow noticeably stronger upon stepping into the next world.

Excitement gradually turned to confusion attempting to exit the waystation. The reinforced tunnel just kept going and going. Finally, they saw the end of the path; an opening through which they could see a beautiful starry sky. And nothing else. This was an odd one, and Zac was a bit stumped as they stopped at the exit of the base.

The tunnel ended at a seemingly bottomless chasm. It wasn’t that they were far up on a mountainside either—there simply wasn’t any ground. It was just an almost sheer mountain wall that stretched as far as he could see in every direction. Was it a floating mountain? If so, just how big was this place? And how were they supposed to find the next waystation?

“I recognize this place! This is the Ramsi Wall, it’s extremely famous. I can’t believe we’re here, it shouldn’t be accessible, this is—” Vai exclaimed with excitement, only for her face to scrunch.

“What’s wrong?” Zac frowned. “Are we stuck?”

“Ah, that’s… No, it’s not that. We should be fine,” Vai said. “You taught me that one couldn’t hesitate, that one had to grasp opportunities…”

“I did,” Zac nodded.

“I-well,” Vai said with a blush. “There is a unique type of plant here—[Stargazer Camelias]. They can help one get in tune with the cosmos, to deepen one’s understanding of space. If I could get just one, ah, just two… I could perhaps solve some matters that have bothered me over the past centuries. It-It’s not for me. It’s only for research!”

“Only for research,” Zac nodded with a small smile. “Well, let’s go.”

Four days later, Zac found himself fighting off a pack of infuriated flying marsupials as Vai picked her sixth [Stargazer Camelia], flushed from excitement rather than embarrassment. He was currently hanging from the sheer cliff wall, using Vivi to move him about and block the Peak E-grade beasts that tried to get to the researcher.

In fact, this was how they’d traversed the wall over the past week since there was simply no better method available. The creatures that lived inside the complex cave system of this enormous cliff weren’t joking around, and he’d been forced to use [Arcadian Crusade] two times already. Scaling the wall was actually safer, even if a drop would mean you would keep falling until you dropped into the Void.

Vai’s newfound love for looting cost them a couple of days and left Zac with a new set of scars. Still, Zac didn’t mind. Helping Vai gather some resources on the way was the least he could do in return for all the help she provided. Besides, with the researcher getting into the spirit of things, it would get easier for Zac to snatch any interesting items he found while they searched for the next piece of the seal.

After all, this was the inner region of the Void Star, where the Void Gate kept their best things. There were bound to be all kinds of treasures in this place.

For example, the flowers weren’t the only valuable thing here. The Ramsi Wall was a cultivation haven that was only accessible for a short stint once every few centuries. The explosion of the Cortex must have pushed it into place, giving them exclusive access. Normally, it would cost the Hegemons of the Void Gate quite a few contribution points to access it and ponder on the Dao of Space.

Vai worked with practiced ease, nimbly cutting off the stem before placing the flower in a vat that she filled with space-infused water. A moment later, the water froze, sealing the medicinal efficacy within. The flower looked quite mesmerizing while ensconced in ice, and there wasn’t any question about where the name came from.

The large flower really resembled Abby’s eye. Its purple-and-blue petals formed a spiraled pattern that looked like a nebula, and in its center was a pitch-black bulb that represented the black hole. It was the bulb that contained the medicinal efficacy, according to Vai.

“I got it,” Vai said with a wide smile, her hesitance over pilfering the treasures of the Mystic Realm long forgotten.

“I think we need to leave this whole region if we want to find more of them. Do you want to—” Zac froze as he turned his gaze toward the endless expanse.

“A vortex is about to open!” Vai exclaimed with a mix of elation and fear. “We need to get away from the opening!”

The vortex in this instance was a recurring weakness in the spatial barriers of this realm, and why the Ramsi Wall was considered a cultivation haven. For some reason, it always released a meteor shower packed with Spatial Energies. It was the reason the camelia could grow in this place at all, and the dense energies essentially turned the whole realm into something greater than a Peak-quality cultivation chamber for a while.

However, that burst of ambient energy also came with a melee between native beasts as they fought for the falling debris. Even powerful Beast Kings would come out from their caves—Zac and Vai needed to be gone before that. Luckily, they hadn’t forgotten their main purpose, and they’d continuously moved toward the next waystation following markings that had been left behind on the wall.

It still took them half a day to reach the tunnel, and Zac finally breathed out when they were safe behind the barrier. By this point, the vortex had almost completely formed and covered half the sky. The majestic scene took his breath away even after having seen marvels like the Twilight Ascent and the Void Star.

“It’s starting,” Zac said.

“Could we stay and watch for a little while?” Vai asked with puppy-like eyes. “It might be risky to open the gates right now in either case, and these waystations should have special cultivation chambers. We should be able—”

“Sure,” Zac smiled. “I’m curious what a rare opportunity of the Void Gate looks like.”

51

RAMSI WALL

The event was about to start. There was no time to waste, so they hurried into a side tunnel Zac had never seen in other waystations. Zac could feel how the rock around them was infused with a mix of unique materials and arrays which both gave off an odd pressure—no doubt a measure to keep any tunneling beasts away. There was a line of reinforced doors, and Zac simply picked the closest one as it looked the fanciest.

“Only Core Disciples can use those…” Vai hesitated, but she dropped the subject as Zac walked inside.

The cave was completely exposed to the outside, which allowed them to get a full sense of the marvelous scene in the sky. Zac had never witnessed anything like the emerging swirl. It wasn’t really a gate or a breach, it didn’t show anything from the dimension on the other side. Instead, it looked like millions of crystals had been dragged together and turned into a miniature model of a galaxy.

Of course, even if it was a miniature, it covered half the sky, and Zac guessed it was hundreds of miles across. It still hadn’t completely stabilized, though it was already exuding shocking amounts of energy and Dao. Most of it was space-related and thus not very useful to Zac, but [Spiritual Void] was happily gobbling up huge chunks of energy.

The beasts that made the Ramsi Wall their home had already come out in full force, and a glance out the side showed the cliffside was completely covered with E-grade beasts. Meanwhile, thousands of Beast Kings were floating in the sky. Even then, there was an almost eerie silence, as not a single roar was heard.

It was a bit nerve-wracking to see one beast after another emerge all around them. But apart from the beast-repelling measures, the caves were also hidden by extremely potent illusion arrays. They hadn’t seen any of these caves on the way into the waystation, and none of the beasts appeared interested in getting close to their area. Thanks to this, they could enjoy the opportunity uninterrupted and with a perfect view.

This was the advantage of Core Disciples. The repelling measures were strongest in the middle, while the view of some of the caves was probably blocked by the massive Beast Kings in the sky.

No meteorite had been spat out from the anomaly so far, but Zac guessed it wasn’t far away. Something was building to a crescendo. At first, Zac mostly joined Vai out of curiosity, but the more he looked, the more he felt there was something about the still-growing swirl in the sky that called to him. It contained some sort of truth that resonated with him, but he couldn’t quite figure it out.

“Hey, give me one of those flowers,” Zac suddenly said.

“You want to gain a Spatial Dao?” Vai asked with confusion.

“No,” Zac said with a shake of his head. “But I feel I can still gain something for my path from this place.”

Vai nodded and took out a jar for Zac, and after some hesitation, she took out another one for herself.

“Just let the bud melt in your mouth like a candy,” Vai said as she plucked the pit and sat down.

Zac followed suit, and a mysterious energy soon spread through his body, traveling along the spiritual pathways he’d created with [Thousand Lights Avatar]. Every moment, he felt himself growing closer to the mysteries of the cosmos, like he and the swirl in the sky were one and the same. Vai’s eyes had completely glazed over as she looked at the vortex with rapt attention. They sat in silence as the sky opened itself like a flower.

For five minutes, nothing changed except for the building anticipation that was only fanned on by the [Stargazer Camelia]. But finally, with a ripple in the heart of the vortex, the first meteor broke into the Mystic Realm. It was like a radiant beacon of pure unadulterated space, and its splendor was only amplified by the shimmering backdrop of the vortex.

After the first, others followed, and soon thousands of shimmering meteorites made their way toward the Ramsi Wall. Most contained various facets of space, yet some of stood out with their own insights. Who knew how long these fragments had traveled in the vast beyond, gradually being instilled with the underpinning truths of the Heavens.

Together, they formed a marvelous system unlike anything Zac had seen before.

Even if the scene wasn’t as overwhelming as the solemn supremacy of Ultom, Zac was still filled with inspiration. Since his last epiphany, he’d spent most of his brainpower trying to figure out the intricacies and practical details of the [Void Vajra Sublimation]. Even now, he wasn’t sure how to actually train with his experimental method.

The problem wasn’t that the direction from back then was wrong, but rather that he lacked in foundations.

There was too much about his bloodline he didn’t understand—how it worked, what the concept of the Void encompassed. For example, he pictured his Heart Cultivation as an extension of [Void Zone], where his heart would be shielded from outside manipulations. But he had no idea how [Void Zone] worked, apart from the fact it used Void Energy.

Without that understanding, how could he create a proper method? This was one of the main things he wanted to gain a better grasp on before finding the next piece of the seal. The next part of the seal might be able to provide him with the answers he lacked, though it just as likely might not. The stronger his foundations were, the greater the chance of success.

And now, he was finally making some progress. As the bud of the [Stargazer Camelia] melted in his mouth, it felt like his body was becoming one with the cosmos. His body was no longer mundane bone and muscles—it had become the starstuff that made up the firmament itself. Gazing at the swirling vortex, it felt like he was looking at the mysterious vortices in his cells.

Except they moved in the opposite direction.

There was a lesson there, and it wasn’t the only one. The arms of the vortex followed mysterious laws as well—laws whose echoes he could see in the star system in his soul. It even felt like the falling meteors created a unique formation that was constantly changing and evolving. Life and Death. Time and Space. They might belong to different peaks and embody different truths, but ultimately, they were part of the same tapestry; the Grand Dao.

But what about the Void?

Space and the Void. The Heavens and the Void. The Void was a mirror, an inversion. The Void between the layers of reality was bereft of actual spacetime, a bizarre expression of the absolute absence of the Dao of Space. In the same vein, the pure concept of Void, whose shadow one could see in the unique heritage of Ultom, was the absolute absence of the Heavens, of the Dao itself.

That was how [Void Zone] worked—it was an inversion of the Dao, of the building blocks of reality itself. How could he make use of this concept? He could instinctively tell there was absolutely no way to cultivate a Dao of the Void, it would be a paradox. At the same time, it wasn’t just an intangible concept. His bloodline proved it was real.

The exact truth of the matter was too complex, too hard to grasp. They might very well be some of the unsolvable mysteries of the Universe. However, he did gradually gain an idea on how to swap out Boundlessness with Void in the Body Tempering Method. For now, he wouldn’t need to understand everything. He should be able to use Void Energy as a crutch until he reached a higher stage where he had a better understanding of the universe.

Zac had long forgotten about the passage of time, forgotten about where he was and why he was here. There was only the swirl and the Void inversion of the Sutras in his mind. But as the flickering meteors flew closer, so did Zac eventually return to reality, where he found Vai intently staring at him from a few meters away.

“What’s wrong?” Zac asked with confusion.

“I—ah, nothing,” Vai said with rosy cheeks. “It’s just, you emitted very interesting energy signatures just now. Did you have an epiphany?”

“Something like that,” Zac smiled. “What about you?”

“I did!” Vai said with undisguised excitement, her eyes almost sparkling like the falling meteorites. “After centuries of being at an impasse, I actually made progress with my Dao! It’s a miracle!”

“It’s the reward that comes with taking risks,” Zac nodded.

“You don’t understand,” Vai said with a shake of her head as she looked at Zac with an inscrutable expression. “My momentum was gone and my path of cultivation was essentially severed. My fate decided. Even if I got to witness this place, I shouldn’t have been able to take such a big step forward. But since meeting you, it almost seems like fate has become malleable and everything is in flux. I don’t understand how this is, I have never read of a phenomenon like this.”

“I mean, this is the first time you’ve left your cloister in quite a while, right?” Zac said. “It might just be the change of scenery.”

“If that was enough, we would have been sent to these places whether we liked it or not. If risking your life was enough, all these bottlenecked warriors wouldn’t be stuck for the rest of their lives,” Vai said with a shake of her head. “I tried everything back then. I risked my life more than once inside environments designed to force inspiration. Only after decades of failure did I finally give up and change direction to research. Everything has its place, an order in the cosmos. But something about you is breaking convention.”

Zac was about to refute Vai’s words, but he stopped himself. Was there some truth to what she said? There was more than one sign that his unique constitution allowed him to break convention, giving him a unique type of freedom in the Multiverse. Could his condition also affect those around him, reforging their fates?

Was something like that possible? Vai might simply be overestimating his importance to her breakthrough. Even with what she said, it was still a fact that she’d spent over a thousand years researching and shoring up her foundations. With the recent encounters, she might simply have managed to transform all that hard work into newfound momentum.

“Well, the universe is full of mysteries,” Zac said. “If you think I’m helping your cultivation, then you can help me find some nice things in return.”

“You. Always thinking of treasure,” Vai huffed, though her small smile never faltered.

The vortex eventually started to close, which was the starting signal for a gruesome melee on the outside. The meteorites had almost reached the wall by this point, and the beasts desperately fought each other to snatch them up.

“Your people cultivate in this chaos?” Zac asked with a shake of his head.

“Normally, the warriors would join in on the battle for those meteors. They’re covered in mysterious markings containing secrets of space, and they can be refined into top-quality Spatial Tools,” Vai explained. “But those people are all Hegemons who can fly and grapple with the beasts.”

“Hm,” Zac hummed, but the gristly scene doused any desire to join the struggle for those stones.

There were hundreds of Beast Kings in just this Sector of the wall, and they fought tens of thousands of meters into the air. He couldn’t join in on the chaos without the ability to fly. Even if he risked it all with [Earthstrider], the reward wasn’t worth it.

“Alright, let’s go,” Zac said, and they headed deeper into the waystation.

This base was just like the previous one—they had to walk over fifty miles through a tunnel until they finally reached the base proper. They were luckier than in the primal garden this time at least. There was a third waystation somewhere on the Ramsi Wall, but they didn’t need to find it, as the connected realm here led them closer to the seal.

Like that, another month passed as the duo delved deeper into the secret worlds of the Void Gate, where every day was a challenge. If it wasn’t the powerful Beast Kings that could pop up out of nowhere, it was the environment itself. One of the Mystic Realms contained such a bone-chilling cold, that layers of ice continuously appeared over their bodies.

Stopping for even a second would mean death, and they constantly had to expend massive amounts of Cosmic Energy to warm their bodies. If the Void Gate hadn’t had the foresight to stock the waystations with unique spare robes that provided excellent insulation, Zac wasn’t sure they would have survived the journey.

While there were risks, there were also rewards, and both Zac’s and Vai’s Spatial Rings soon held unique treasures that would no doubt cause some waves on the outside. They still hadn’t found anything at the level of a unique Supreme-quality treasure, but they were still extremely High-quality items with limitless demand and no supply.

For instance, Zac got his hands on a mysterious block of milky-white ice that exuded such cold, Zac almost lost his hands stowing it away. He was even forced to store it in a separate Spatial Ring since it spread that blistering cold in the subspace of the Spatial Treasure. It wasn’t useful for his cultivation, but he figured it could be turned into a weapon if need be—if he threw out that thing in the middle of a hostile army, only a wasteland with frozen corpses would remain after a few seconds.

There were other gains than treasures as well. Thanks to the constant battles against Peak E-grade beasts and Beast Kings, Zac had long since reached level 146. He was even getting pretty close to breaking open his next node. Not only that, but he was making great progress on his Evolutionary Stance.

The simulated threats of the Orom Wilderness ultimately couldn’t compare to the real thing. Fighting with Beast Kings or swarms of powerful Peak E-grade beasts was completely different than fighting against Early E-grade monsters while limited to 1,000 attribute points. Back then, he’d known in the back of his mind he could fall back on his Void Energy if need be, which led to lower stakes.

Here, he was thrown into real life-and-death battles whether he liked it or not, and it was at this edge that real progress was made. He’d already caught up to his Inexorable Stance which inevitably had seen more practice in the Orom World, and fighting these powerful beasts kept bringing new insights.

The more he fought, the more he also felt he was getting closer to an important answer. It was all connected; his Daos, his path, and his stances. The movements of his combat stances contained the essence of his Dao and his understanding—couldn’t that be the foundation for his Cosmic Core?

The Apostate of Order had codified everything in existence into the fractals you saw in every aspect of cultivation. Why couldn’t he do the same with his techniques? If he could form an “Evolutionary Pattern” and an “Inexorable Pattern”, and then interweave and fuse the two with his understanding of duality, wouldn’t that be a core perfectly suited for him?

The idea was still in an early stage, but he really felt it was a worthwhile avenue to pursue. For the next part of the seal, he wanted to perfect at least the first layers of his [Void Vajra Sublimation]. The final two opportunities would be used to find a path to Hegemony, and his recent insights seemed like a good place to start.

Zac wasn’t the only one who made progress. After two weeks and a few more near-death-encounters, Vai formed her first Dao Branch. It was only one branch, but it was still an extremely impressive feat. She succeeded in what most bottlenecked cultivators could only dream of—rebooting their cultivation after having lost their momentum. She’d also formed a pure Spatial Dao Branch, a path known to be notoriously difficult to cultivate.

Even two weeks later she was completely giddy, and any final reservations of hers were completely gone. Since then, they were like locusts, snatching anything they could get their hands on without in turn getting themselves killed. Even Vivi was having a grand time feasting on all sorts of exotic animals. Zac was happy to see her so spirited—this was exactly what Heda hoped for the plant to experience.

And all the while, they got closer to the next piece of the puzzle. They’d just reached a submerged Mystic Realm, and the pulse he’d been welcomed with was almost as strong as the one he felt when they first broke into the Void Star.

Almost there.

52

TANGLE

The underwater world they found themselves in reminded Zac a bit of Twilight Ocean, with some poignant differences. For one, the water was actually water, rather than a fusion of Life and Death. Secondly, the place was extremely sinister, where at least a third of the plants and beasts had poisonous attributes.

Seeing as the realm was a solid Middle D-grade Mystic Realm, even Zac found it hard to deal with some of the toxins that appeared out of nowhere. Some rocks turned out to be venomous shellfish that spat bullets of poison. There were near-invisible strings in the waters from dangerous jellyfish. And all the while, predators roamed the ocean for targets to feast on.

Somewhat ironically, the dangerous environment also helped keep them safe. Both the venomous and normal beasts knew all-too-well how perilous this realm was. In a place where everything could contain deadly toxins, you stuck to feeding on what you knew was safe. Thanks to that, most of the beasts didn’t go out of their way to attack them, and only struck when they felt threatened.

Unfortunately, the plant life didn’t share this wariness. There was no surface in this realm, with the whole area enclosed in a rocky wall similar to a subterranean lake. With the high energy density, the edges were covered in all kinds of plants, some reaching hundreds of meters. For example, there was a vast swathe of extremely toxic seaweed that blocked their path on the second day of their travels.

The forest generated a deadly domain that stretched for tens of miles, and they were forced to delve deeper into the Mystic Realm rather than skirt around the edge as they usually did. And even discounting the plants and the beasts, dangers still lurked in the toxic sea. There were even pockets of poisoned waters seemingly without a source.

Zac was in a constant feverish state while his body worked overtime to deal with the toxins. But as bad as he had it, Vai had it far worse. If not for the various talismans and treasures Leyara had provided, she wouldn’t have survived a day. Even then, they were forced to occasionally stop and rest to deal with the toxic buildup.

Any thought of pilfering treasures like before had long since been discarded. Unique toxic plants had a steady demand on the outside, but it wasn’t worth it. The more valuable a toxin was, the likelier it was that harvesting it would get them killed. If anything, they wanted to stay clear of anything that looked unique or valuable.

Despite the challenges, they made decent progress through the realm. But on the fifth day, something changed. A deep and sustained rumble made the whole ocean shake, and some of the powerful currents were turned into enormous maelstroms.

“A breach?” Zac asked as he looked around with a frown.

“I can’t sense any energy fluctuations,” Vai hesitated. “It shouldn’t be—WHAT IS THAT!”

Zac’s head snapped around, and his hair stood on end when he saw what shocked Vai so badly. It was a chaotic and all-consuming dark-green wave of putrefaction coming toward them, drowning everything as it covered the whole horizon. Where it had come from, Zac had no idea, but it didn’t matter.

What mattered was what would happen if they were swallowed up, and he had the misfortune to see it firsthand. A silvery fish had been knocked back in the chaos as its shoal desperately tried to swim away. It was swallowed by the green cloud but it immediately shot out again. A single mistake sealed its fate, and the Peak E-grade beast started rotting at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Seeing the scene, Zac wordlessly grabbed Vai as he fled through the waters with all the speed he could muster. He even activated his Dao Field with [Spiritual Void] to cut through the resistance, giving him a small advantage. It barely allowed them to outpace the calamity, and even then, Zac wasn’t happy.

The earthquake was gaining in power rather than waning, which made Zac wonder if they’d only seen the tip of the iceberg. Vai clearly understood the problem as well, and she did everything in her power to figure out a solution, from scanning various missives to observing the surroundings.

Unfortunately, their fears were soon realized as a second poison tide rose from the left, soon joining the first one.

“This is bad!” Vai cried. “This calamity will drown the whole realm.”

“There is no way we’ll reach the waystations in time.” Zac frowned as he looked around. “Do you have any ideas?”

“I-I—”

“Stay calm,” Zac said as he pushed a wave of Life-attuned Dao through her body to help clear her head.

“That’s—There are so many beasts that live here. If this is a recurring event, there have to be safe spots,” Vai said. “Should we follow some of the fishes, perhaps?”

“Good enough.” Zac prayed this was indeed a recurring tide rather than something brought by the recent instability of the Void Star.

“Those there,” Vai said, pointing to a shoal. “I’ve seen their kind all over, yet they don’t seem very powerful. They move in a straight direction as well.”

“Alright,” Zac nodded and changed course, following in the wake of the fleeing beasts.

The minutes passed, and it started to feel more and more likely these beasts understood something about what was going on. Not only were they making a beeline in a certain direction, after an hour, two more shoals had fused with the one they followed.

“Look to our right,” Vai whispered, prompting Zac to glance over.

It wasn’t a third cloud—not yet, anyway. The whole field of view had started to darken, and Zac guessed it wouldn’t be long before they only had one safe path remaining. His eyes thoughtfully turned back to the fishes who desperately swam in the only safe direction.

“What if—” Vai hesitated with worry.

“If it comes to that, we’ll figure something out,” Zac muttered. “Worse comes to worst, we’ll force open a spatial rift and escape. That usually works.”

“That’s impossible! A chaotic tear is not something you can just—Wait, what do you mean usually?”

“Up ahead,” Zac said, ignoring her last comment.

Their worst fears, that they would be surrounded by the toxic clouds, were thankfully not realized. There was finally a change in their surroundings—a volcano, by the looks of it. Seeing it made Zac’s eyes light up. Was this how the fish dealt with the situation? Simply stay within the protective layer of the magma which burned the toxins before they reached the depths?

At least the other beasts seemed to think so. Zac saw one pack of beasts after another dive into the caldera. Soon, it was their turn to enter, but Zac and Vai didn’t heedlessly follow the beasts. And it was lucky they hadn’t, as a tragic scene unfolded below.

It wasn’t a volcano they’d stumbled onto, at least not one in the traditional sense. There was something molten-looking below, but it looked more like quicksilver than magma. Not only that, it emitted a weirdly ominous aura, something that was only reinforced by the thousands of unmoving bodies that bobbed across the surface.

They’d all been covered in the quicksilver, making them look like gilded statues rather than carcasses, so Zac and Vai had no way to see how the beasts had died. They couldn’t even sense what kind of energies the quicksilver contained, it was somehow shielded or isolated.

“Have you heard of something like this before?” Zac frowned.

“No, but I… I think it’s alive,” Vai said. “It’s not a mixture, it’s either a sentient pool or innumerable miniature creatures.”

“What!” Zac blurted as he gave the pond a second look, just in time to see the shoal of silvery fish shoot into the quicksilver.

The area around them shimmered, and Zac sensed powerful Dao-fluctuations that made him think of the ocean and crashing waves. The insights didn’t seem very deep, but the field around the shoal was amplified by the thousands of fish. Zac looked on with interest, realizing they used their Dao to contend with whatever the quicksilver was. And it seemed to work—a depression around the Dao Field appeared as the beasts pushed into the depths.

Even then, a steady stream of silvery, unmoving fish reached the surface. The beasts were dying by the hundreds over the next minute until there was nothing. All in all, almost two-thirds of the beasts had perished, but that also meant a third survived. Seeing as there were no more gilded fish getting pushed to the surface, there should be a safe spot somewhere in the depths.

“Alright, looks safe enough,” Zad nodded as he started to descend toward the shimmering surface.

“Safe? Most of them died!” Vai cried, though she still followed close behind.

“Are you ready?” Zac asked when they floated right above the surface. “Don’t let the liquid touch you. Be ready to take out that thing of yours if it breaks through.”

Vai nodded, and they unleashed their Dao Fields, with Zac even using [Spiritual Void] to boost his even further. Unsurprisingly, the power of Zac’s three boosted Dao Branches far eclipsed Vai’s newly evolved Dao, though her control was clearly better. She was able to create a field no more than two meters across, while Zac’s stretched for over twenty since he was simply unable to condense it any further.

That way, she formed an inner layer of defense in case his was breached. And thankfully, it worked just like it did for the fishes—far better even. They sank farther and farther, maintaining a constant watch of their surroundings. It really looked like the liquid was alive. All around them, tendrils tried to push through the superimposed Dao Fields to get to them, yet they were continuously rebuffed.

The quicksilver tendrils that stayed inside too long lost their luster and fell apart, and not one came even close to reaching Vai’s inner domain. It looked like Dao Branches were enough to keep this thing at bay, allowing them to focus on finding a safe spot.

After two minutes, they discovered a tunnel leading farther into the depths, and a few dozen beasts stuck at the ceiling of the path proved they were moving in the right direction. Deeper and deeper they went, swimming under a trail of unmoving animals. Eventually, the path bent upward again. Soon after, the quicksilver turned into pristine waters, though the tunnel kept going for a while longer.

Both immediately extinguished their auras upon emerging. His Danger Sense told him in no uncertain terms something terrible waited at the end of the tunnel. Then again, one didn’t need a massive pool of Luck to sense the discordant yet immense aura from up ahead. It seemed quite dangerous, but even then, they continued.

Beasts would keep coming from behind, and the path was easily big enough to accommodate Beast Kings. This wasn’t a place they could stay, so they carefully inched their way toward the mouth of the exit until they saw what they were dealing with. A quick glance indicated there were no toxic clouds around, proving they’d made the right decision coming here.

Even then, Zac almost wished they hadn’t.

Zac wondered if this was any better as he took in the chaotic mix of beasts crammed together in a hidden underwater basin. Most of the innumerable beasts were E-grade, but there were well over a hundred monolithic Beast Kings squeezed together as well.

Herbivores and predators, weak and strong. All silently shared the limited space. Suddenly, a three-meter piranha snapped up a smaller eel next to it with a lightning-quick motion, swallowing it in two big gulps. The moment it struck, the dormant auras of the Beast Kings rose, and the closest one effortlessly impaled the piranha with its tongue.

A gulp later, the piranha was gone and silence returned to the basin. There was an unwritten rule of cohabitation here—the moment someone acted up, those Beast Kings put a stop to it. It looked pretty weird, but Zac had an idea of why. The ambient energy was incredibly sparse, no doubt a result of so many beasts being crammed together.

If beasts started to fight and cause a ruckus, the energy might run out before the danger outside had passed. After all, even if a Beast King entered hibernation, it still required some ambient energy to survive.

Zac didn’t know why the Beast Kings didn’t just kick out all the weaker ones that competed for the limited resources, though perhaps they had some long-term considerations. If the toxic clouds outside killed everything in the realm, and the Beast Kings ate the rest of them in here, then the Mystic Realm would eventually become a wasteland with only a few solitary leaders roaming the depths.

And so, the Beast Kings became the guarantors for survival. Of course, Zac wasn’t very confident humans would be afforded that kind of protection.

A powerful aura appeared below them, and both Zac and Vai pushed themselves against the tunnel wall as they sealed their Cosmic Energy. A moment later, an enormous snake pushed through the silvery liquid, its head alone reaching over twenty meters. It was clearly another Beast King, and even if Zac was confident in dealing with it, there was no way he could do so without alerting the swarm just outside.

Zac’s heart beat like a drum as the enormous head came closer. Suddenly, the beast stopped, and a massive tongue flicked in the water as it looked back and forth. Vai was pressed into the wall right next to him, and he could feel how she barely managed to stop herself from shaking. The snake stayed like that for a few seconds, seemingly looking for something, but it thankfully moved away after a while.

Soon enough, the beast had pushed into the enormous tangle, leaving Zac and Vai to live another day. Even then, Zac felt his hair stand on end after the encounter.

“A—I,” Vai whimpered before she clamped her mouth shut.

“Shh,” Zac whispered as he pointed upward.

Vai looked up with confusion, and her following gasp was filled with relief. Most of their vision was blocked by the swarm, but they could somewhat see a weak shimmering light refracted through the surface of the water. There was actually a surface in this place, which might mean land and a safe harbor from this terrifying Gordian knot of underwater creatures.

They didn’t want to wait for another Beast King to show up, so they carefully made their way toward the surface, cautious to not create any ripples in the water or leak even a speck of energy. It was slow and extremely arduous, but their trek didn’t seem to garner any attention. A few of the nearby beasts glared at them suspiciously, but they restrained their bloodthirsty impulses out of fear of reprisal from the Beast Kings.

Soon enough, they were right at the edge, allowing them to breathe out in relief. Even if they were targeted at that point, they’d be able to make it out of the water quick enough. Better yet, Zac could already somewhat glean that there was ample space above water. But just as Zac was about to breach the surface, he felt a sharp pang of danger as he saw a blurry line descend toward them.

A golden laurel appeared above his head, along with [Verun’s Bite], and two golden bubbles appeared just in time to block out a sword strike that had come out of nowhere. There was someone who’d not only seen their approach but also tried to kill them. Unfortunately, that was the least of their worries.

The depths below churned as a response to the outburst of Cosmic Energy, and the sinister cultivator above had even thrown in a couple of cracked Nexus Crystals that leaked energy into the waters. One towering aura after another spread through the basin, and Zac sensed multiple Beast Kings lock onto them.

They were exposed.

53

PINCER

Zac and Vai were unscathed from the surprise strike that had come out of nowhere, but Zac could already sense the swarm below closing in on them.

“Hold on!” Zac growled as he furiously pushed back toward the surface, the Cosmic Energy in his body churning as he readied a counter-attack.

Judging by the power of the sword strike, the ambusher was no doubt a Hegemon. But no matter how dangerous the situation above water was, they had no choice but to go up. Their position was locked on to by hundreds of powerful auras, of which at least a dozen belonged to Middle-stage Beast Kings. Even one of those ancient monstrosities was enough to threaten their lives—being pincered by ten of them was a death sentence.

They’d been pushed over a hundred meters into the depths by the force, but in an instant, they were again approaching the surface. This time, Zac unleashed a barrage of strikes in every direction as he swam, hoping to cause some chaos and confusion above with his fractal leaves.

However, the whole sky grew dark just as they were about to breach the surface, except for one enormous rune that contained an immense weight. Zac recognized the thing—it was a Seal Mountain similar to the one he saw the day he entered the Orom World. This one was obviously inferior to the Pseudo C-grade treasure back then, but it still unleashed a pressure far greater than a conventional gravity array.

“Let me,” Vai whispered as she put her hand on Zac’s shoulder.

Zac nodded, and space bent from Vai activating her own movement skill. In the next moment, Zac found himself falling down, having appeared more than one hundred meters above the surface. The Seal Mountain slammed into the water, causing a huge indent. If there were any beasts that hadn’t woken up from the commotion before, they were definitely up now.

A cough from the side made Zac look over with worry. The teleportation was a reminder of just how hard it was to corner true Spatial Cultivators like Vai, but forcing her way through the domain of the Seal Mountain had come at a cost. Blood ran down her ears and nose, and her aura was a bit unstable.

The scene angered an already infuriated Zac even further, and his gaze swept the area to find the culprits that needed a good chop, while blasting the aura of a Half-Step D-grade cultivator. Suddenly appearing in the sky provided a perfect vantage of what was going on. There was a pocket of air that reached roughly three hundred meters above the water’s surface across the whole basin, but there was only one stretch of actual land; a five hundred-meter-wide plateau located almost right above the tunnel they arrived in.

On the platform, Zac saw his targets. There were six, two of which emitted the auras of Hegemons while the other four were either elite E-grade or Half-Step cultivators. Zac breathed out in relief when he saw the bastards who’d attacked them. No wonder they relied on an ambush and then tried to use the beasts to finish the job. They weren’t that powerful a troupe.

However, their gear was a cause for concern.

“Templars!” Vai exclaimed with relief, though Zac pretended not to hear her as he turned his eyes toward the waters, where an enormous face had already breached the surface.

Zac was mentally prepared to fight a desperate three-way battle, but he was surprised to see the ceiling of the whole basin lit up with powerful blue runes that drenched the whole underwater pocket in a hazy glimmer. Zac activated [Earthstrider] to expel their falling momentum while moving away from the lights.

He was a bit confused about exactly what kind of array they were dealing with. He couldn’t feel any change or suppression, and his Danger Sense was quiet. But the enormous fish that reeked of toxicity hurriedly dipped beneath the surface again, where it stayed. The same was true for the rest of the beasts—ten huge forms had gathered around the platform, but not a single one dared to actually appear above the surface.

The scene was both unnerving and reassuring. Even if they were all aquatic lifeforms, they were ultimately Beast Kings. With their level of cultivation, they could even fly through the sky if they so wanted, though aquatic beasts generally were much weaker above water compared to their natural habitat. Yet they all stayed put, indicating those runes weren’t just there for show.

It might mean something terrifying was about to happen, but Zac leaned toward the possibility it was a defensive measure the Void Gate had put in place just for this kind of situation. He didn’t have time to ponder on the what or why. As long as it meant one less threat to worry about, he was content. It allowed him to fully focus on these supposed Templars below.

Just like Vai exclaimed, two of the warriors donned the traditional armors of the Void Gate, while the other four wore an assortment of gear that indicated their background as Wandering Cultivators. They looked just like unaffiliated members of a task squad similar to their own, though Zac felt the whole situation was off.

Why only six of them? And why were four Wandering Cultivators, including one of the Hegemons? He’d read the reports and seen how things worked firsthand—until the sudden betrayal of Uzu and Ilka, two-thirds of the losses in the squad had been Wandering Cultivators. Furthermore, why were they here of all places? There was no way a squad with this kind of composition would be sent to a realm as dangerous as this.

They were extremely suspicious, but even if they weren’t infiltrators, it was an undeniable fact that they’d struck first with the intent to kill. There was no way Zac would allow them to shrug that off, even if they turned out to be actual members of the Void Gate. [Earthstrider] took them close to the platform in another step, and Zac threw a shrieking Vai toward the safest spot by the wall before charging the group of cultivators himself.

A huge fractal leaf formed across his axe the next moment before two clouds simultaneously shot out. The blue glimmer in the area was overwhelmed by gold and black as [Rapturous Divide] descended on the group, each half of the opposite empowered by a Dao Branch and Zac’s furious vengeance.

“Wait! We’re from the Void Gate too,” Vai shouted, but it was much too late for that.

The group hadn’t expected such a powerful opening gambit after sensing Zac’s aura belonged to a Half-Step cultivator, which was exactly why he’d unleashed it as though he’d been angered to the point he lost control. The spatial divide effortlessly ripped apart some of the erected defenses, and two of the weakest cultivators were instantly killed.

Unfortunately, things ended there as the two Hegemons worked together to deal with his strike. The unaffiliated Hegemon was the sword wielder, and he unleashed a rapid-fire-swing that reminded Zac of the [Ocean Tide] skill he had in his Dao Repository back home. The swings weren’t overly powerful, but they were endless, and each attack exhausted some of the energy and momentum in [Rapturous Divide].

Meanwhile, the Templar Hegemon had already summoned the enormous seal back to his side. When it struck out toward the spatial divide, it was empowered by the power of the stars. A moment later, the skill was torn apart, allowing the two E-grade cultivators to breathe out in relief.

Even with them being prepared for an attack, they didn’t walk away from [Rapturous Divide] completely unscathed. The clash left the surviving warriors with numerous scars when Zac’s skill collapsed, which was exactly what Zac hoped for. After feeling the power in that Seal Mountain, Zac knew he wouldn’t be able to kill the group in one attack, but it was enough to find answers.

Zac grimaced in disgust when he saw the odd pulsating veins appearing in the wounds of the living, and any lingering doubt was gone as a bloody tangle jumped out from one of the corpses. Its tendrils shot out in every direction, just like when Uzu died. But this time, Zac was in the best position, with four targets closer to the tangle than he.

Suddenly, the sword-wielding cultivator slapped the E-grade Templar next to him, and the poor man was pushed straight into the tangle. Zac didn’t think it was a matter of sudden change of allegiances like with Uzu and Ilka—the Hegemon was afraid of being infected and used the closest E-grade warrior as a sacrificial pawn.

With the tangle already having found a target, Zac heedlessly pushed forward in the wake of his attack as a primordial forest appeared all around him. A third of the trees were instantly ripped apart as they appeared beneath the waters, and the two Hegemons destroyed another chunk in their efforts to keep him away.

However, Zac stepped into one of the surviving trees before it was destroyed, and the next moment, he appeared right behind the two Hegemons, his axe already moving in for a kill. The Seal Wielder sluggishly turned around in surprise, but it was too late. [Verun’s Bite] infused with two Dao Branches, and using three of its own skill fractals, cut right through the man’s armor and destroyed his cultivator’s Cosmic Core.

The strike was followed up by a swing at the man’s head, and Zac was surprised to see a hint of relief in the man’s eyes just before he died. He was obviously the stronger Hegemon, yet he’d fallen so easily. Had he intentionally let Zac kill him? There was no time to find out as a pang of danger made Zac shift his body.

An agonizing pain erupted in his chest as he was impaled by a sword. Zac hadn’t forgotten about the sword wielder, he’d used Vivi’s vines to target his head and heart to delay him. However, the madman had actually sacrificed one of his eyes to deliver a counter-strike of his own, and Zac groaned as the wound in his chest was flooded with a mix of rampant Sword Dao and poison.

By this point, the whole bloody tangle had crawled into the second Templar’s body. Thick, squirming veins covered every part of exposed skin, and his eyes gained a reddish tint as he roared like a beast.

It was like he’d swallowed a berserking treasure that made one lose his mind, to the point he seemed to have lost all rationality. Was this the result of having two curses in one body? Did they overload the host to give him a surge of power? If true, the invaders were extremely ruthless, even to their own people.

Thankfully, Zac didn’t need to worry about another tangle appearing on top of all his other problems. The Blood Curses were dangerous, but it wasn’t without limitations. He’d seen how nothing came forth from one of the two E-grade cultivators, and Zac realized what was going on—[Rapturous Divide] had destroyed that man’s midriff.

The Blood Curse seemed to attach to people’s cores, so if you destroyed the area around the core, you also destroyed the core of the curse.

The sword wound was agonizing, but Zac’s Hidden Nodes were already hard at work dealing with the invading energies. Meanwhile, he swung his axe in a wide arc that forced the swordsman back, which removed the sword from his chest. A bestial howl echoed through the remains of the primal forest as Verun appeared.

Zac had his hands full with the Hegemon who was already swinging his sword with wild abandon, and he was worried about Vai. The Tool Spirit gleefully pounced on the Berserking Templar, and the man roared in return as he fought like a lunatic. Zac had thought it would be a one-sided slaughter, but he grimaced when he sensed a familiar energy fluctuation.

The Templar was heedlessly burning lifeforce to augment his power. He was just like the cyborg, sacrificing everything for a final blaze of glory.

Still, with all the tempering and priceless materials, Verun wasn’t to be outdone, and the primordial hyena was methodically breaking its target down. Unfortunately, that left the final E-grade warrior unattended. And between Vai, Zac, and Verun, the warrior unsurprisingly rushed toward Vai.

“Watch out!” Zac screamed, but the brief lapse of concentration allowed the swordman to activate a skill.

Ten swords appeared around them, forming a perfect circle. Zac swore when he recognized the configuration—it was a cage just like [Profane Seal], and a D-grade skill at that. Even if it was probably just a Low or Middle-quality skill, it wasn’t something he could break in an instant. He turned his full attention on the Hegemon—killing his enemy would be quicker than dealing with his skill.

Zac could only pray that the lessons he’d tried to instill into Vai over the past months would be enough to keep her safe a while longer. He calmed the chaotic ripples in his heart and entered a perfect state of unity between his Dao and his technique to unleash a furious assault. The change threw the Hegemon off-balance and stopped him from activating any more skills.

Unfortunately, it looked like a few short sparring sessions and some adventuring was insufficient to completely undo millennia of tranquility and research, especially when met with this kind of brutal melee. Vai looked like her soul had left her body as the burly cultivator ruthlessly rushed toward her.

Just as he was about to catch her by the throat and claim a hostage, a glimmering belt of condensed space appeared around Vai, cutting the man in two. He could only look at Vai with shock as he collapsed. Even Zac was surprised—[Ancestral Woods] was still active, and he’d barely noticed anything.

Vai must have slowly charged that skill since the moment they appeared above the waters for something so powerful to suddenly appear like that. She’d even noticed Zac’s strategy to aim for the core, allowing her to destroy the bloody tangle. It was a huge weight off his shoulders, and it allowed him to fight the increasingly desperate swordsman without any worries.

From there, the battle concluded soon enough. Verun ripped apart the crazy Templar, Blood Curse and all, while Zac methodically whittled down the Hegemon without giving him a chance to turn the tides. With everything dealt with, Zac looted all the corpses before walking over to Vai who stared down at the corpse with hollow eyes.

“Not bad,” Zac said, which dragged Vai out of her trance-like state.

“I-I know I look a bit weak and timid. I always get bossed around because of it,” Vai said with a weak smile. “I figured I would use it to my advantage.”

“Smart,” Zac nodded, but he frowned when he saw how her hands were still shaking. “Are you okay?”

“He’s the first one… I killed,” Vai said, unable to turn away from the body. “He might have been forced because of those Blood Curses, yet I—”

“It was you or them. Such is the law of cultivation,” Zac sighed.

“That only makes it worse,” Vai said with sorrow. “Zecia is already so hectic, and it will only get worse. So many people will die.”

“That’s why people like me need people like you,” Zac said after some thought. “If you can figure out a way to deal with these curses, we might be able to free and save a lot of people from a similar fate.”

“That’s right!” Vai said, her downcast expression lighting up. “If I can study these—”

“Well, not right now,” Zac coughed as he pointedly looked at the sky, where the shimmering runes had started to fade. “I think we need to figure out a solution before those beasts come crawling over.”

“Solution?” Vai muttered with confusion before her gaze followed his, at which point they widened in horror.

“These guys must have had some solution if they dared attack us,” Zac said as he scanned the wall.

“Those scripts were definitely created by the Chapter of Emptiness,” Vai muttered. “There should be a cloister here.”

The researcher took out an array disk that emitted soundless pulses. Zac walked over to ask what she was doing, but he was surprised to suddenly feel all sounds disappear except for those coming from his own body.

“What’s that?” Zac asked curiously.

Vai looked at Zac with surprise for a second before she pointed at the wall. Zac followed her finger, and he nodded in understanding when a part of the wall had started to become transparent. It made sense—if the Void Gate had bothered to set up a massive array that covered the whole basin, they would definitely have prepared some emergency cave in case someone found themselves stuck here.

“Behind me,” Zac whispered, and Vai wordlessly nodded as they entered the hidden pathway that closed behind them.

Thankfully, there weren’t any more infiltrators hiding within the inner chamber, which proved to be quite roomy. There was a large common area, cultivation chambers, laboratories, and even a couple of small fields with plants growing. Most of it had recently been riffled through judging by some clues, indicating the group they just fought had definitely known about this place.

Most likely, they’d stayed on the platform for the sole purpose of making sure no one else would reach this place. Unfortunately for them, they’d bitten off more than they could chew, and this place had instead turned into a sanctuary for him and Vai. As far as doomsday bunkers went, this was pretty nice. And between the enraged beasts and the toxic clouds, it was highly unlikely anyone would show up before the danger passed.

“I’ll see if there are any records of what’s going on in this Mystic Realm,” Vai ventured.

“Between the poisons and the beasts, I’d say we’re stuck here for a while,” Zac sighed as he spread some ointment on the still-bleeding wound on his chest. “Well, I guess we could use the break.”

Of course, Zac had no plans of simply wasting his time. The next piece of the Left Imperial Seal was probably two or three realms away, and it was high time he started preparing for when he reached it. He’d originally planned on locating the seal before entering seclusion, but this worked as well.

The bout of inspiration from the Ramsi Wall helped deepen his understanding of the Void, but that wasn’t enough. Zac felt there were a lot of uncertainties that needed to be ironed out before he subjected himself to the unimaginable burst of mechanical knowledge of the universe. He needed some practical understanding of both the [Boundless Vajra Sublimation] and the direction he wanted to take it in.

It was time to do some research of his own.

54

SUBLIMATION

It didn’t look like there were any dangers, but Zac still had Vai perform a second, more thorough scan of the hidden chambers while he used his various senses. Only when they confirmed there really weren’t any hidden traps did Zac relax, though he still installed a couple of defensive and restrictive arrays at the only entrance.

After that was dealt with, Zac sat down and went over the items in the infiltrators’ Spatial Rings while Vai headed into the laboratories. It didn’t take him long to find similar parchments with the Left Imperial Seal printed onto them. Zac sighed as he looked down at the nigh-identical copies. These invaders were looking for the same Remnants as he.

But how did they find out about it? Did they simply stumble onto it by chance after passing through the Space Gate, or was there something bigger at play here? These people unfortunately didn’t have an answer to shed a light on the situation, even if some of them were actual invaders rather than Zecia traitors.

He did, however, manage to piece together what was going on with these invaders, mostly thanks to a journal the Templar Hegemon left behind.

“I found it!” Vai exclaimed as she emerged from the laboratory, holding a dusty Information Crystal. “It’s all explained here. We are inside the Undrusian Sea, and the event outside is indeed normal, as far as all-consuming clouds of death go. They call it the Undrusian Spring, and it’s created by an annual tidal wave that passes through the whole realm and extracts enormous amounts of toxins from the plant life. Not even Hegemons will be able to survive it without ample preparation.”

“I guess that counts as good news,” Zac grunted. “Does it say how long it would last?”

“Usually, around a month,” Vai said. “By how quickly it moved, it should have encompassed the whole realm by now.”

“One month?” Zac nodded. “It’s not too bad, as long as those beasts outside don’t keep us trapped in here after the clouds have parted. I doubt anyone will be able to make it to this place.”

“I think you’re right. There are eight more similar volcanoes throughout the realm according to this, including ones closer to the waystations,” Vai added. “No one should come here even if they knew about these safe havens.”

“Well, at least that’s a relief,” Zac nodded as he looked around. “It’s weird how vibrant the energy is here compared to the energy-starved environment outside. Is this a secret research station or something?”

“I-It might be?” Vai said. “I found some research notes, but I haven’t gone over them yet. Perhaps they studied the poisons in this realm to invent antidotes.”

“Or just to invent poisons,” Zac countered.

“They wouldn’t!” Vai insisted. “The Void Gate doesn’t use such sinister methods to battle. I’m sure they’re doing it to protect lives.”

Zac only nodded with a small smile. He personally leaned toward a theory where even the most orthodox forces had some clandestine operations that the general population would frown upon. The Tsarun were pretty extreme in this regard, but Zac doubted any force kept everything aboveboard.

Vai clearly understood the implication of Zac’s smile and huffed in annoyance. “You know, a lot of powerful medicines have toxic components added—panaceas and toxins are just two sides of the same coin. The Thousand Mile Death embodies this truth.”

“The what?” Zac asked with confusion.

“The Matriarch of the Zethaya Clan. She is both the most powerful Alchemist and poison mistress of the Zecia Sector.”

“Oh,” Zac hummed. “Sounds pretty scary. Well, I guess it doesn’t matter what this place was used for as long as we’re safe here.”

“I guess you’re right,” Vai sighed as she glanced at the items strewn around Zac. “Those people… Were they real Templars?”

“They were,” Zac nodded. “Only the sword-wielding Hegemon was an actual invader, while the others were natives. The Hegemon Templar was named Unsur Kalca. He was approached almost two years ago, and he accepted the Blood Curse for a chance to restart his stalled cultivation.”

“A Templar of that level betrayed the Void Gate?” Vai asked with sorrow in her eyes.

“He regretted it almost immediately,” Zac said as he handed a densely scribbled notebook to Vai. “He couldn’t find a way to get rid of the compulsions, but he tried to find out as much as possible about the Blood Curse and the invaders as a form of repentance, it’s all stored here.”

There was a lot of information in the journal, from all agents he’d uncovered to how they moved between realms in the Void Star. The invaders had long since invented array breakers that could forcibly activate the gates without any command tokens, and there was even one of them in the invader Hegemon’s Spatial Ring.

Unfortunately, it turned out that most of the arrays and tools the invaders used needed the curse’s unique energy signature to activate.

There was also a lot of information about the Blood Curses themselves. For example, Hegemons needed to willingly accept the Blood Curses, at least the common ones seen among these infiltrators. However, Unsur had heard the other Hegemon mention in passing that there were ‘Chosen’ among the Tan’Kanu with far more powerful curses, which might have the ability to forcibly possess Hegemons.

As for the E-grade cultivators, Unsur was unclear. He’d noted the agents tried to convert people if possible, proving there most likely was a chance of failure even with E-grade cultivators. In exchange, if a curse failed to properly fuse with a warrior, it would become a hostile parasite that did all in its power to torture and kill its host.

This was true for the host-jumping they’d seen in battle. Either the curses would attack the enemy, or it would strengthen an ally in pursuit of mutual destruction. In either case, it would make large-scale battles extremely dangerous. It was a bit like fighting with the Undead Empire, where every time an ally fell, you’d soon be fighting against them as an enemy.

Zac had his Hidden Nodes so he didn’t need to worry about either possession or the torture mentioned, but most warriors didn’t have methods of dealing with those curses. If the peak factions didn’t find a way to counter the threat of the Blood Curses, then Zecia was in deep trouble.

There was a lot more information as well, covering everything from Kan’Tanu society, popular heritages, Unsur’s analysis of their plans, and so on. The most terrifying part was how the Blood Curses forced the users to comply. It was like a mix of carrot and stick. The moment the curse fused with you, it started to produce odd energies that strengthened your body.

The moment you acted against the will of the Kan’Tanu, it stopped, and you were almost instantly assaulted by terrifying withdrawal. One’s body would feel like it was on fire while one’s soul was being cut into a million pieces. The moment you stopped resisting, the pain instantly went away. Most people stopped resisting altogether after a few such bouts of torture.

Reading the vivid explanations Zac could only imagine how much suffering Unsur had endured to compile and hide the journal for years. No wonder there was relief in his eyes when he died.

As for why the group found themselves here, they were on their way back to what Unsur called a Stellar Ladder. It was the tunnel that had formed between the Void Star and the Million Gates Territory, and it wasn’t very far from here. They hadn’t planned on visiting this particular realm though. A mix of shifting realms and powerful squads of Templar executioners forced them to take an experimental route.

The notes stopped when they reached this Mystic Realm, but the two could piece together the rest from there.

“Poor man,” Vai sighed. “One moment of weakness leading to a lifetime of suffering. I hope he understood his notes would help fight the invaders.”

“I think he did,” Zac nodded.

“My soul is a bit wounded, I need to rest for a bit,” Vai said with a low voice as she stood and walked toward one of the cultivation caves.

Zac looked at the receding back of the little researcher. He could tell a lot of weight had been added to her shoulders after the recent encounter. The damage to her soul after forcibly teleporting them was probably the least of her worries, with the betrayals and the blood on her hands being a bigger weight on her mind. Unfortunately, there wasn’t much Zac could do to help her at this stage. She would have to find answers from within to move forward from this point.

And Zac had his own issues to deal with. The wound that had pierced his lung healed up a couple of hours later, mostly thanks to Zac using a chunk of the Kill Energy to restore his body with [Surging Vitality]. Even then, there was enough energy left over for him to break open the next node, a process Zac had essentially perfected by now. It would still take him a week to get rid of the Hegemon’s latent Dao and heal the node, but he didn’t need to be in perfect condition to start working on his Body Tempering Method.

The [Boundless Vajra Sublimation] was both extremely complex and extremely simple. It essentially consisted of three main components: Life, Body, and Heart. Life referred to absorbing Life-attuned treasures and stimulating the essence of every living being to elicit an improvement. The method also came with a set of specific patterns that one needed to cover your body in for the method to work.

The first layer only required you to pick one of three foundational patterns and its derivates depending on your direction, whereas the following layers required you to make alterations based on your Dao. That meant only the first layer could be cultivated without having either a pure or mixed-meaning Dao of Life.

Body referred to a set of movements that would stimulate the potential of one’s cells, and expedite the infusion of the Life-attuned treasures. The Body Tempering Manual was quite flexible when it came to what type of Life-attuned treasures one used, and the same flexibility was extended to the Body section of the method.

You could use the movements in various gravity arrays or special environments to speed up the process, though it worked fine on its own. The method mentioned that training inside something called ‘Golden Arhat Flames’ was the most efficient, but Zac had no access to something like that.

Finally, there was Heart, which was a set of Buddhist Sutras. In total, 81 incantations would be repeated in various ways while he absorbed the Life-attuned energies through his skin.

These Sutras were the glue of the method, the connection between one’s body and the inexhaustible life of the Boundless Heavens. It was also here the true essence of the method was hidden. After all, if you could just gain an attuned constitution by smearing your body in Life-attuned treasures and doing some yoga, then everyone would have an attuned constitution already.

It was these 81 Sutras he wanted to swap out with 81 expressions of the Void. During his epiphany, he’d already somewhat understood how that should be done. The Sutras were designed to temporarily realign your very essence to be in tune with the Heavens, which would in turn allow for a mysterious infusion of Life into the core of your being.

Together, the patterns, the movements, and the Sutras formed an interlocking system that made this all possible. Zac simply needed to figure out how to use his Force of the Void to mimic the effect of the Sutras and allow for the energies to be absorbed.

The first layer of the Body Tempering Manual was possible to complete at F-grade. As such, it didn’t require very expensive materials, and Zac had literal mountains of top-quality materials available in his Spatial Ring. In fact, he’d brought enough materials to push the [Boundless Vajra Sublimation] to the peak of the second layer.

The process, like most Body Tempering Methods, was agonizing, yet the rewards were enough for countless people to willingly torture themselves. Each layer would not only improve Zac’s inherent ability to recover from all kinds of wounds and ward off toxins, but it would also provide actual attributes. With the method being a top-quality technique of the Buddhist Sangha, the gain was bound to be impressive.

In other words, while reaching a state of balance for his path was the most important reason for cultivating the method, there were many other reasons to go for it as well. Zac was full of anticipation as he prepared to make the first practical inroads to cultivating the method. He'd planned for this moment for months, and everything he needed was neatly arranged in front of him seconds after stepping into one of the open rooms in the hidden station.

It would have been preferable to use a cultivation chamber, but it felt too risky if he and Vai secluded themselves at the same time. Besides, while he had quite a few secrets on his body, the Soul Cultivation and Body Tempering couldn’t be considered something he needed to keep secret at any cost.

Next, an engraved brush appeared in Zac’s hand, and it flew over to a bucket of Life-attuned paste. It was an inscriptionist’s tool that could be controlled with one’s soul, and the perfect instrument to paint the array needed for the method. His Dao control might be atrocious, but thankfully that kind of control wasn’t required here.

Furthermore, being a mortal had one unique advantage—Zac had ample experience drawing pathways. And with the first layer of [Boundless Vajra Sublimation] being designed for the F-grade, the patterns weren’t overly complex. Even then, he wasn’t used to these particular patterns even if he’d gone over them over a hundred times, and it took almost an hour to draw the pattern across his body.

The result was Zac looking like a tribal warrior with intricate golden tattoos from his forehead all the way to his soles. Even his buttocks were painted, though he quickly covered himself up with a simple kilt in case Vai emerged early. The initial preparations were complete, and Zac already felt a hazy warmth spread across his body.

Not only that, but he could somewhat sense that energy was circulating through the temporary pathways on his skin, which should mean he hadn’t made any mistakes. None of the Life-attuned energies were actually entering his body though, and some of the efficacy in the paste had already been lost.

There was no time to waste, so Zac started performing the required movements. At this stage, Zac simply wanted to get a better understanding of the first two components. As long as he could perfect these movements, he would know these parts of the method weren’t the issue when he started experimenting down the road.

And it was a good thing he did. The movements were surprisingly hard to complete, even if they were meant for F-grade cultivators. First of all, they required extreme precision and control of every single muscle in his body. Both movement and tempo had to be exactly right. If he hadn’t already reached the Integration Stage with his techniques, he would probably be stuck at this introductory stage for weeks.

Not only that, but the paste was creating problems as well. The moment Zac got a stance right, the warmth from the Life-attuned paste went from soothing to agonizing, and Zac almost felt like he was being branded by a cattle iron. The pain in turn made him stumble, forcing him to start over from scratch.

Ultimately, Zac was greatly overqualified no matter if you talked level or pain resistance, and he grew accustomed to the pain as he practiced the movements over and over. Half a day and two more paste applications later, he could complete the whole set without any issues, even though the pain only got worse the further on he got.

Of course, even if Zac used High-quality materials and completed the movements without issue, he still hadn’t managed to drag any of the energy into his body. It all just evaporated after torturing him for a while, not even giving his [Void Heart] a taste.

The issue was obviously that he’d skipped the Sutras, but that still left him with a sense of want. He’d been tortured by a pain that almost reached the level of the [Bone-Forging Dust] for half a day, and there was not a speck of Life added to his body. Zac had planned on waiting a bit longer, but he couldn’t resist the temptation.

There was still some time before the latest layer of paste lost its efficacy, so he started things up again. This time, he also released some Void Energy into his body as he tried to enter a Void-like mental state, where his heart was a black hole that sucked in all life around him. Instead of fusing with all creation, he would consume all creation.

The only result was a sharp pain in his mind followed by a thud as he slammed into the ground headfirst, his vision swimming from an intense bout of vertigo.

“That figures,” Zac muttered as he slowly crawled to his feet.

Nothing good ever came easy.

55

REPETITION AND REINFORCEMENT

“Anything?” Leyara asked. Judging by the thunderous expression on Pretty’s face, it didn’t look good.

“Nothing,” Pretty snorted as she wiped blood from her hands with a rag. “These people are no better than warslaves, even the native Kan’Tanu. They barely know about the purpose of their own tasks, let alone other missions deep in the Million Gates Territory or overarching plans.”

“The poor people of that Sector,” Leyara said with a sorrowful head shake.

“You need to harden your resolve,” Pretty said as she looked up at the fractured sky. “Things will get worse before it gets better. The more we learn about these invaders, the more serious it gets. We need answers to prepare ourselves.”

“Well, the technicians are finally making some progress. They will open a temporary gate to the next step of the Stellar Ladder within the next few days,” Leyara said.

“And you’re still not going to tell me what’s going on?” Pretty glowered. “I can tell—you know something about all this. Why this weird place of yours is connected to the Million Gates Territory. Why your master refuses to shut it off even after the Kan’Tanu infiltrated your domain. What these signs mean.”

In Pretty’s hand, a bloodied parchment appeared, showcasing the distorted seals of the Left Imperial Palace and its nine Outer Courts. The sigils that were the source of Leyara’s current headache—perhaps the source of the whole war.

“Some things are not for us to alter,” Leyara said with a weak smile. “We can only keep vigil and let the chips fall where they may. To put our fingers on the scale would not necessarily make things better, but they would make them more complicated.”

“Whatever, if you don’t want to tell me, fine. I’ll figure it out sooner or later,” Pretty muttered as she walked toward the edge of the realm, no doubt to once more hound the poor nuns working on the odd barrier.

Leyara released an exhausted sigh as she looked up at the sky. It wasn’t the first time Pretty had pushed for answers, and it wouldn’t be the last. But even if Leyara wanted to provide the answers, who could she ask? Her master had only divulged a few select pieces of the convoluted web just before they set off, and that alone was enough to subvert her understanding of the universe.

The Vigil, the Flamebearers, and the eternal destiny.

It was too much. Even war with ruthless, unorthodox cultivators seemed preferable to this pressure that threatened to suffocate her. She was just a spoiled scion of the Void Gate. She wasn’t ready to carry this burden.

The minutes passed, and Leyara eventually steadied her resolve. Her master and a long line of predecessors had worked so hard and for so long.

The Void Gate had given her everything, and she couldn’t fail them now. She donned a neutral expression as she joined Pretty and the others as they worked on the portable gate. Pretty stood to the side, her contrite face making a smile tug at the corner of Leyara’s mouth.

“…I’m sorry. I know you would have helped if you could,” Pretty sighed as she looked over. “I’m just worried about Average. About everything.”

“It’s okay,” Leyara smiled.

“What about this one?” Pretty asked. “The invaders were trying to break in as well, so they shouldn’t have access to it either. Why is it important?”

“Well, they might have access to the other side. More importantly, this should be a recent addition to the corridor,” Leyara said. “According to our readings, it should not only contain large amounts of ambient energy, but it is likely a supersized Mystic Realm rather than the smaller fragments we’ve passed lately. It has become a critical chokepoint because of its position in the corridor, and only a few smaller realms can squeeze in around it. If we can control this domain, our control over who comes and goes will greatly improve.”

“We could set up a fortress,” Pretty said as her eyes lit up. “As long as we patrol the neighboring worlds, no one should be able to sneak into Zecia. We could even reverse the tides, mounting proper attacks on the invaders reaching the heart of the Million Gates Territory!”

Leyara nodded in agreement, though it pained her not being able to tell the truth. There was one more reason they targeted this place. It hadn’t been dragged into the Void Star by accident—it had been brought here by the mounting storm of fate. Now, they could only keep watch as the direction of the era unfolded.

* * *

It had been so evident in Zac’s mind when he was showered in the hazy light of the Left Imperial Seal. The Void Energy his bloodline produced held no Dao, yet it encompassed the whole universe. That was why it could mimic any one of his skills without compatibility clashes on either his human or Draugr sides.

Using that unique feature, he should be able to mimic the effect of the Sutras just like he mimicked the activation of his skills. The Sutras were like a tuning fork, temporarily adjusting the frequency of his body. Though perhaps it was more apt to liken them to the process of forging a weapon. The steel needed to be heated up before it could be molded.

Now that the profound understanding of the Left Imperial Palace had long since left him, he was left fumbling in the dark. What was once clear now seemed almost endlessly complex. Even then, Zac wasn’t the least bit worried as he closed his eyes to steady his mind. This was just a first attempt without any real direction. His work had only started.

Finding the solution was a process of discovery and elimination. Every time Zac failed, he would gain a small nugget of understanding, and the path toward the truth would become more apparent. This month was only meant to deepen his foundations. Actually creating the [Void Vajra Sublimation] could only happen with the help of the next piece of the seal.

Zac spent the next couple of minutes going over the sensations just before he keeled over. His biggest worry was that the pain had been a rejection of the method by his bloodline. After going over his experience, it didn’t seem like it. It was instead an issue of control and harmony. He was supposed to copy a tuning fork, yet he’d essentially released a foghorn in the form of a deluge of Void Energy.

It'd utterly ruined the interlocking system that made up the [Boundless Vajra Sublimation], resulting in a minor backlash to his mind. Luckily, a backlash of this level couldn’t harm his evolved soul in the slightest, allowing him to experiment with impunity. And with him and Vai locked in here for the time being, he had all the time he needed.

Over the next three days, Zac experimented, trying all kinds of things with his Void Energy to see how it affected the method. Problem was, with Void Energy being essentially traceless and invisible, it was impossible to see how it responded to his various experiments. Instead, he could only observe the effect of the Life-attuned energy and measure success and failure by how powerful the backlash was.

His first experiments centered on mirroring the paste array on his body, but that didn’t seem to work. He also tried various methods, such as inverting the pattern or using the other ones provided by the technique. Next, Zac tried using [Void Zone], but that simply disrupted the whole process, as did infusing Void Energy into the paste itself.

This time, Zac filled his whole body with Void Energy. He was trying to essentially form small whirlpools all across his body to turn himself into a proverbial Void. The result was an unmitigated disaster. A stabbing pain made him groan, and he blacked out for an instant, finding himself on the ground.

A few shuffling steps and a door opened. “Is everything alr—WHAT!”

Zac’s vision was still swimming from the powerful backlash, but he could still make out three copies of a furiously blushing Vai at the door. She seemed to be caught between wanting to run away and come over to help, resulting in her being frozen in place.

“It’s me,” Zac groaned as he shook his head, turning the triplets into a singular researcher. He’d returned to his original appearance to practice the method, and he was afraid she’d mistake him for a stranger, especially with all the paste covering his body.

“That’s—That’s not—” Vai stuttered.

At first, Zac didn’t understand why she was reacting so strongly, but he soon realized what kind of scene Vai had walked into. Not only was he almost entirely naked and covered in goop, but his training kilt had shifted to expose his butt when he toppled over. Zac quickly forced down his vertigo and scrambled to his feet, trying to hide the embarrassment.

“Sorry about that. I tried to figure something out,” Zac coughed as he donned a simple robe. “When did you come out?”

“J-Just now,” Vai said, her gaze finally turning back to Zac after he was fully dressed.

“How are you feeling?” Zac asked as he took out a bottle of water.

“I’m better. What are you doing? Is it Body Tempering? I haven’t seen you do that before,” Vai asked, curiosity overcoming embarrassment.

Zac first planned on making something up, but he turned toward the researcher thoughtfully. Even after forming a Dao Branch, she wasn’t much of a fighter. But in this department, Vai was no doubt his superior. Perhaps she had some ideas that could streamline his experiments.

“Not yet, but I am trying to change a Body Tempering Manual I stumbled across,” Zac said.

“Why do you want to change it?” Vai asked. “Do you want to upgrade it? That’s an enormous undertaking.”

“No, it’s a High-quality method, but it doesn’t suit me,” Zac explained.

“Most manuals are created through trial and error over generation after generation of practitioners,” Vai said. “Changing things up, at least as a low-grade cultivator, is likely to result in something worse.”

“Humor me,” Zac smiled. “I’m trying to swap out one part of the technique, but now I’m just doing things randomly hoping I’ll stumble onto the correct answer.”

“Are you willing to show me the method?” Vai asked, her face lighting up with academic exuberance. “There’s only so much I can do without understanding what I’m dealing with. I can swear a confidentiality agreement.”

“I wouldn’t mind, but it’s locked in my head,” Zac grunted. “Anytime I try to copy it or divulge its details, my brain blanks out and I can’t remember anything. But I can tell you it’s a Buddhist method. I want to replace a certain part of the technique with something suited to my bloodline.”

“I knew you had a bloodline,” Vai exclaimed with a victorious smile. “You’re so weird; it makes sense you had to have some inherited advantages. But why didn’t the Void Gate know you? If any clan in Salosar managed to awaken such a powerful bloodline, they’d immediately get recruited.”

“Only I have it,” Zac said. “I’m sorry, I can’t tell you much more. It will only bring you trouble. Do you have any ideas?”

“Well… I’m no expert on Buddhist methods or even Body Tempering in general. But everything has a purpose. If you only want to change one part of the method to suit you, you need to properly understand what it does and how it connects to the other parts.”

Zac nodded in agreement. So far, he was on board.

“Have you ever cultivated the actual method?” Vai asked.

“No,” Zac said with a shake of his head. “I fear I will be stuck if I do.”

“I think you will have to if you want to get to the bottom of things. Theoretical understanding can never match up to practical experience. And if you’re worried about going down the wrong path, you can use this,” Vai said, taking out a vial from her Spatial Ring.

“What’s that?” Zac asked curiously as he looked at the shimmering mixture within.

“It’s a resetter,” Vai said. “This particular concoction is a proprietary blend of the Void Gate—[Void Slate].”

“A what?”

“A resetter,” Vai repeated. “If you drink this before and after a cultivation session, your gains will only be temporary. We use them when performing limited trials. Typically, if we want to change a cultivation method, we’d simply hire ten thousand warriors and give them slightly different manuals. That way, we can study the impact of our changes. But that’s not always possible.

“Sometimes, the method is secret and cannot be shared, or only a select group has enough talent to train in it. For those trials, we use resetters. We have the research subject try out various things and measure the effect as we gradually refine the result.”

“That’s amazing,” Zac said as he took the vial. “This is exactly what I need. But does it work on Heart Cultivation as well?”

“Heart Cultivation?” Vai exclaimed with surprise before her eyes widened in understanding. “Oh, right. The Buddhist Sangha. Well, no. Heart Cultivation is intangible, even more so than Soul Cultivation. There is nothing for [Void Slate] to expunge. But as long as you have a strong mental state, you should be able to rid yourself of the effect by stabilizing your heart after each session.”

“Is that safe?” Zac hesitated.

“Well, the heart is elusive,” Vai said. “A small crack can break a dam. But from what I understand, Heart Cultivation is based on the repetition and reinforcement of one’s belief. If you take some time to reclaim your footing afterward, you should be able to remove any lingering effects. But you should know just how powerful the Buddist Sangha is; you will be taking a risk if you do this.”

“Repetition and reinforcement,” Zac hummed. “You’re pretty clever. Are you interested in joining my force instead of staying with the Void Gate? Maybe I should just kidnap you?”

“Wh-What!” Vai stuttered with shock as she took multiple steps away. “I-I can’t! My wows, my niece. I-I—”

“I’m just joking,” Zac laughed. “I mean, you’d always be welcome to join if you really wanted.”

“Scoundrel,” Vai huffed before she smiled. “Even if I’ve had a lot of fun the past days and experienced marvels I never thought I’d get to see firsthand, I cannot leave. It’s not a compulsion, mind you. The Void Gate is an important part of me. It’s where I grew up, where my sister and her children are buried. Where little Lara is. It’s home.”

Vai’s smile was so warm it made Zac a bit homesick. Not only for Earth, but also for a simpler time. A time when his father was still a steady pillar of his life, where his sister was just an unruly teenager finding her path in life. When his every decision didn’t have massive implications for not only himself, but billions of people.

“I get the feeling,” Zac said.

“I—Ah… I’m sorry. Are you okay?” Vai asked with worry when she saw Zac’s change in demeanor.

“I’m fine,” Zac sighed. “Just a bit nostalgic. Well, I’ll try this thing out. Thank you for the tip.”

“Wait, take this as well,” Vai said, handing him a High-quality Information Crystal. “These are notes for an experiment we conducted a few centuries ago. It was to investigate a possible direction for a Cultivation Manual. The project was ultimately a failure, but the notes might provide some idea on how to approach your problem.”

“Oh?” Zac said with interest as he accepted the crystal. “Thank you.”

“I won’t disturb you while you figure things out,” Vai said. “I’ll be on the other side getting acquainted with my Dao. I haven’t had a chance for some quiet meditation for months. But just call me if you need me.”

“Thank you,” Zac nodded. “And if you need to, I don’t know, talk about all you’ve been through lately, I’m here for you.”

Vai slightly smiled in response, then left Zac to his own devices. Zac’s eyes turned to the two items in his hands with a thoughtful look. Should he do it? Did he really dare cultivate the original version of the [Boundless Vajra Sublimation]? Ultimately, the resetter wasn’t a protection against the real danger—the pathbreaking nature of the Buddhist Sangha.

He couldn’t help but recall the smiling face of Three Virtues as he agonized over his choices. Was this part of his schemes? That Zac would be forced to dip his feet in the water if he wanted to extract the benefits from the technique. This was exactly what he’d wanted to avoid and why he’d held off practicing until now.

Zac eventually steeled his resolve. Forging ahead didn’t just mean throwing yourself against powerful foes. It meant having conviction in yourself and your path. If his path couldn’t even survive a clash against an F-grade layer of a Buddhist Body Tempering manual, then his path wasn’t worth holding onto.

Of course, that didn’t mean he would just jump into it blindly. Zac first infused consciousness into the Information Crystal. The mountain of data that greeted him almost made him throw the crystal away in disgust, but he could only stifle the sense of boredom and go over it. Only ten hours later did he put the crystal away with a sigh.

He had to hand it to the nuns of the Void Gate—they took their job seriously.

56

ONE’S PATH

Zac spent the next day studying the methodology behind the research project Vai had shared with him.

The scrapped project was based around a Cultivation Manual called [Emberstar Patterns], an interesting technique that an elder of the Void Gate had gotten her hands on when exploring an ancient Mystic Realm. It was a pure fire-based method, but the way it infused one’s nodes with fiery energies that resembled stars was relatively novel.

The Void Gate wanted to see if the old manual could be retooled and turned into a space-fire mixed-meaning manual to suit their heritage better. Except infusing a Dao from a different peak into a pure fire manual was easier said than done. Vai’s nunnery had spent years dismantling the method and coming up with different paths that might work—just like how he was doing now with his Void Energy.

From there, they’d started their experiments, where they swapped out certain aspects of the method and let dozens of youths practice with it. The changes were designed to create different pathways in the cultivators to improve the compatibility with Space-attuned skills and classes. The first trial resulted in deviations that would have killed the cultivators if they hadn’t been monitored.

They weren’t discouraged, and kept changing the method, piece by piece, fractal by fractal, in their search for a perfect equilibrium. Unfortunately, the research team never found a solution that worked. The original manual was evaluated as High-quality D-grade, but the best they could create was a Low-quality E-grade manual that incorporated both Daos.

[Emberstar Patterns] simply didn’t allow itself to be altered like they wanted. The moment they added too much foreign Dao, the underpinning theories that made the technique possible fell apart. Even then, it was very illuminating how they worked. It was a systematic process of elimination where they slightly altered the method bit-by-bit, following specific patterns that were designed to ensure they didn’t accidentally miss a working solution.

It was this kind of scientific method Zac needed to adopt if he wanted to make any real progress. Right now, he was testing random things in hopes he stumbled onto the answer. That might be fine if he had years to waste, but he only had a month to make as much progress as possible.

He needed to get organized, and the first step was collecting data.

The plan was solid, as far as crazy ventures went. Even then, Zac was so nervous when applying a fresh set of arrays across his body that he made more mistakes than when he tried the first time. The concept of Heart Cultivation was simply too nerve-wracking. He could essentially be hypnotizing himself to subvert his worldview without even noticing.

The array was eventually applied, but Zac still spent another twenty minutes stabilizing his heart and mind by meditating to confirm his own stance, conviction, and path. After that, Zac opened his eyes and took a swig of [Void Slate] before starting up the movements.

“Aum,” Zac said as his hands slammed together, and both a spiritual and physical ripple passed through the room.

No longer was he stuck practicing inside a claustrophobic cave at the bottom of a toxic ocean. Zac felt like he was standing atop a mountain peak, and a star-spangled sky showered him with the wisdom of the cosmos. Never before had he so clearly understood what the monks meant when they said all was one, and this feeling only intensified as he continued toward the sublimation of his body.

As he thought, the Sutras brought purpose and meaning to an otherwise hollow exercise. The movements were suddenly not just a precise set of stances. They became expressions of life, where each pose aligned his body with the Heavens. And when one truly became all, it was just a natural course of events when the Life-attuned energies in the paste entered his body and fused with him.

The pain grew an order of magnitude more intense, yet it didn’t seem so bad. Suffering was transient, while enlightenment was forever. Nothing else mattered; only the Dao and the boundless potential of Life was worth focusing on. Zac continued with his tribute to Life, to Creation. Eighty-one ripples were reinforced by three Heavenly Cycles, and the fusion was complete. Movement turned to tranquility, and the paste on his body fell off, now just a dry mud void of purpose.

Zac looked at the room he stood in, filled with a sense of contentedness and wholeness he hadn’t felt in a long time. But Zac’s brows suddenly scrunched together as [Void Zone] blasted out from his body, cutting him off from the Dao around him and the Heavens above. The sharp reversion severed the connection he felt to the universe, and Zac drew a shuddering breath before swallowing the second dose of [Void Slate].

No wonder the Buddhist Sangha had such a double-edged reputation.

He hadn’t felt anything amiss after completing the practice session. He was still Zac. It rather felt like he’d come down from an epiphany, where he enjoyed the lingering sense of clarity. He hadn’t felt his path subverted at all. Zac simply thought he’d gained a greater understanding of the Dao.

In hindsight, he realized just how much his perception had changed, how the Sutras slightly altered his perception. Priorities had been realigned. Until now, the leading star on his path had always been his various goals, from saving Kenzie to securing a place in the universe for himself and those he held dear. Gaining power and delving deeper into the mysteries of the universe was a gift and a marvel, but it was ultimately a means to an end.

Yet in that moment, when he was chanting the Sutras and moving in accordance with the Dao of Life itself, he’d felt—why bother? As long as he understood the true meaning of Life, everything was possible. All could be accomplished so long as he severed his Mortal Heart and focused on the Dao. Certainly, that was both a common and effective method of progressing, but it wasn’t for him.

Even worse, for a moment, there’d been a terrifying indifference hiding within that sense of vast interconnectedness, a mental state where all was Heavenly destiny. If Kenzie was taken, she was taken. Perhaps that was for the best. In a similar vein, Earth’s fate was up to the Heavens and not something he should meddle in.

If those around him died, it was just their time to enter the wheel of reincarnation. He should simply say a prayer and wish them luck on their journey. Thankfully, his true beliefs returned to him the moment he stopped practicing, and his nullification zone forcibly cut his connection to the technique.

Zac spent the better part of the next day stabilizing his mind, returning to a sense of normalcy. Over the first hours, a small cloud of golden haze was released from his pores as [Void Slate] expelled the small amount of Life-attunement he accrued during his session. The process left him with a small amount of toxins, but Zac could tell it would only take an hour or two for [Purity of the Void] to remove them. Vai had really provided him with a top-tier concoction for it to have so few side effects.

Only when he was confident he had wholly regained his sense of self did he dare delve deeper and analyze the experience. The first takeaway was that the Sangha’s reputation wasn’t just for show, and he was filled with a sense of respect for those elites who dared practice proper Buddhist methods as a form of tempering.

Secondly, Void Energy was surprisingly effective at resetting his mental state. Even then, it didn’t change much. It was a valuable safety net now that he was experimenting with the original method, but he would still need to reform the manual from scratch. If Zac only wanted to get his hands on the surface benefits of Body Tempering, he could probably just practice a couple of layers and forcibly suppress any mental changes with [Void Zone].

But that wasn’t what he was looking for. He wanted to properly fuse his human side with Life, not just form his Cosmic Core. The real goal was to reach a state of equilibrium that he planned on maintaining indefinitely, where his Draugr and Human were in balance—a state where Death empowered Life and vice versa through [Quantum Gate].

Perhaps even until he could fuse his two sides into one. And for that, he needed to practice the method wholeheartedly and not just grab for immediate gains like flat attributes and regenerative abilities. As for finding a solution, he was left with mixed emotions.

Zac had gained more understanding of what the Heart Sutras accomplished in this one session compared to going over his memories for months. Yet most of what it accomplished was drive home just how complicated Heart Cultivation was. If anything, he felt further away from a solution now than he ever did before.

The chants hadn’t formed any mysterious patterns that mirrored or added to the array on his skin. He still didn’t understand what happened or how it happened. When he uttered each chant, his perception had shifted, and what his heart believed became true. It was a terrifying subversion of reality that almost upended his previous understanding of cultivation.

He wasn’t even sure where to go from here, so Zac eventually chose to stretch his legs and see if perhaps Vai had any ideas. Luckily, Vai hadn’t retreated into one of the cultivation caves yet. Zac found her perusing various documents inside one of the laboratories.

“How was it?” Vai asked with interest as Zac walked over. “How do you feel?”

“It’s hard to say. Just some chants somehow altered the way I saw the world for a moment, and that belief impacted reality. I don’t understand where that came from.”

“It’s probably all connected,” Vai said. “You could try the chants without the movements or the paste. I bet the effect won’t be nearly as pronounced. They probably form a coherent system where each part enkindles the others.”

Zac nodded in agreement. “You’re right. I simply don’t understand how it’s all related, so I’m having a hard time figuring out where to go from here.”

“Research is a long-term commitment,” Vai smiled. “Don’t rush for immediate gains. Take your time and deepen your understanding first. Take some breaks to reflect on what you’ve experienced. After that, you can start thinking about how to proceed.”

Zac released a pent-up breath. Vai was right, of course. He was being too impatient, wanting immediate and measurable progress. Even if he was on a deadline, there was no point in rushing. He’d already learned a lot of small details over the past days, things that weren’t mentioned in his implanted memories. If he kept working at it, he would eventually get there.

After all, he was different from the researchers who tried to reform [Emberstar Patterns]. There were many things he didn’t understand, but there was one thing he knew with utmost certainty. At the end of the path, a functioning Body Tempering Manual waited. The lights empowered by the Left Imperial Palace and Ultom had shown him that much.

This month was just meant to find and remove the barricades leading there.

“I’ve thought on your matter over the past week,” Vai said. “Heart Cultivation is exceedingly rare, at least in the Zecia Sector. But I once read a study that mentioned picturing a certain image can help. Perhaps you can use that? First, figure out what change each chant brings, and then conceptualize that kind of change from your viewpoint? Something that rings true with your path.”

“Rings true with my path…” Zac muttered, remembering the odd trial Three Virtues had him undergo back in the Orom World.

He’d been shown everything from thousands of ancient tomes or rows of monks silently reciting Sutras in those visions, and everything had looked identical if you looked at it conventionally. Even then, some things were simply true while the others were false. To this day, Zac didn’t quite understand why he’d known these things, but they were undeniably true.

“Do you remember if picturing anything, in particular, is better? Like is it objects, or perhaps patterns like fractals?”

“Anything that suits you, I guess?” Vai hesitated. “I don’t really know, sorry.”

“That’s okay. You’ve helped me plenty already,” Zac smiled. “It’s even making me feel bad. Here, pick something you like.”

A dozen boxes appeared in front of him the next moment, each one containing one of the top-tier treasures he’d picked up during the years he spent off-world. Each one was significantly more valuable than anything they’d found during their time in the Void Star and would cause some waves if put on auction almost anywhere in Zecia.

“This—This… What is this!” Vai exclaimed as she looked with wide eyes at the array of treasures.

“Just some things I picked up while adventuring,” Zac smiled. “Most of these things are pretty useful for making a push for Hegemony. Take one as a small thank you for helping me with this. You can’t imagine how valuable your insight is.”

“I cannot accept this,” Vai urgently said, almost looking afraid as she gazed at the priceless treasures. “Hegemony, is—is. I don’t…”

“If you don’t, I’ll feel bad and won’t be able to concentrate on my cultivation,” Zac sighed with a sorrowful expression. “And even if you don’t need these things, what about your little niece? She should be looking toward the next stage by now, no? What if she lacked one little treasure to take that step…”

“That’s—” Vai whispered, visibly distraught by the hypothetical scenario. “I’ll take the [Kastron Root] then. It helps strengthen one’s corporeity before breaking through, to better withstand the process. With your terrifying constitution, it should be useless.”

Zac was about to answer, but a powerful ripple slammed into his mind. One moment, he’d been teasing Vai, the next he was swept up by the unfathomable depths of the Left Imperial Palace. Every cell in his body screamed in both fear and longing, and it felt so, so close. The Undrusian Ocean was forgotten, as was Heart Cultivation and the [Boundless Vajra Sublimation].

It all amounted to nothing in front of the ancient monolith he saw in his mind's eye.

The vision faded without him being brought into the Ultom Courtyard, and Zac found himself back in his body. He shot to his feet as he wildly looked around, trying to understand what just happened.

“Ah—I’m sorry! I won’t take it!” Vai urgently said as she scrambled back, shocked by Zac’s explosion of movement.

The scared cry startled Zac enough to clear his head, and he apologetically looked at the little researcher as he retracted his billowing aura. “No, I’m sorry. Something unexpected just happened, and I lost my composure.”

“Is everything alright now?” Vai asked.

“I don’t know…” Zac muttered. “Something changed, and I’m not sure if it’s good or bad.”

“Is it the Heart Cultivation?” Vai stammered. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have urged you to take that risk. I—”

“No,” Zac smiled as he threw over the previously unnamed root Vai wanted, storing the other treasures. “My heart is just fine. Here, take this thing before I forget.”

“Alright,” Vai nodded as she carefully stowed away the jade box. “Thank you for this. I’ll give it back if my niece doesn’t need it.”

“Sure,” Zac grinned, knowing he’d never take it back.

With that, Zac returned to his training room, a scowl covering his face. He stared at the cave wall like he wanted to peek through the bedrock and spy on what was going on. Why had he suddenly received a pulse out of nowhere? Not only that, but it was more potent than the one he felt when stepping into this Mystic Realm.

Was the piece of rubble he aimed for on the move? Or had it been claimed by someone else? If so, what would that entail? Could he snatch it back? Would he still get an epiphany if he got it that way? The spacious cave turned suffocating as their hidden sanctuary was twisted into a prison. Anxiety gnawed at him, and even hours later, he found it hard to focus on his Heart Cultivation.

He’d been too confident in the piece of rubble after seeing Kuru Cera being turned into motes of ash from a simple ripple, satisfied that the seal’s lethality would be enough until he reached it. The question was whether it was all too late, even if someone had managed to contain it somehow. Could the situation be salvaged? Zac wasn’t sure, but his eyes turned to the hidden entrance to the cave.

Surely, the Beast Kings would have fallen asleep by now?

57

THE UNYIELDING RIVER OF FATE

“You thought you could subvert the unyielding river of fate? Chaos might be able to hide you from the Heavens, but not from me. Twice now, you have fled from me. There will not be a third.”

Behind Iz, six radiant wings fluttered, their gentle movements incinerating the very fabric of the unstable Mystic Realm. Not only that, but the [Five Pillars of Absolution] formed a circle around her two captives, illuminating the area with her Dao and conviction.

“What do you have to say?” Iz asked, her eyes searching for clues in their faces.

“I—Ah, it sounds perfect?” a wretched-looking cultist said with an eager nod. “Perfectly befitting the celestial poise of your Eminence.”

“No feedback? Nothing bad?” Iz asked, expressionless.

“Mistress, you are perfect, like a radian—” the man didn’t get any further as smoke suddenly filled his mouth.

An instant later, the empyrean flames swallowed him whole, not even leaving ashes behind. The disgusting parasite didn’t get a chance to escape either, with the cleansing fires purging it from the world.

“What about you?” Iz asked as she turned to the other man.

“I… ah? What?” the Hegemon stammered, his face covered in sweat as he looked at the spot where his companion once kneeled.

“How does it look?”

The man hesitated for a second before he grit his teeth and spoke up. “What my colleague said was true, but he missed an important aspect that your Eminence might have overlooked.”

“Oh?” Iz asked curiously.

“This poor one has never seen anything that could compare to the beauty and profound power your Eminence exudes, but it does look a bit odd how you are hovering just above the ground. I would suggest either making sure both are in the air when you trap your target, or that you increase your elevation slightly. That way, your Eminence can also look down on them, as you should,” the man said, looking at her with hope in his eyes.

“Elevation? How about this?” Iz said as she rose a few meters into the air.

“Perfect,” the man hurriedly nodded.

“Thank you. If fate wills it, you can return to your people,” Iz said as the pillars dissipated.

“Thank you, thank you,” the cultist said with a deep bow, confusion turning into relief upon seeing that the Templars made no move to intervene. “I will not disturb the rest of your Eminence any further.”

With that, the Hegemon flashed away, disappearing among the endless clouds. Iz nodded as she deactivated her skills, feeling she was one step closer to her imagined outcome.

“This… That man was a captain of the infiltrators,” a hesitant voice said as the leading Templar walked up to her side. “Him being allowed to return will be detrimental to this Sector.”

“I promised, so he is fated to live,” Iz shrugged.

“This… is problematic,” the captain said after a pause.

“Are you questioning the decisions of the young miss?” the five-legged boulder growled as flames covered the sky. “The members of the Vigil have truly grown audacious here on the untamed frontier.”

Iz looked on with some helplessness at her ward’s umpteenth eruption over the last month. How was she supposed to adventure with this overprotective guardian constantly at her side? Back then, Iz had felt a fresh gust of freedom upon learning that the inner regions of this curious anomaly had become too unstable to house Peak Hegemons, let alone Monarchs.

Who could have guessed Kvalk actually had a skill that would allow him to detach a hand and turn it into a clone? Iz couldn’t wait for when they found Mr. Bug. She could picture it—her ward would try to restrain their actions, and she had seen multiple examples of how that turned out when that man was involved. Freedom and adventure were just around the corner.

For now, she would have to play peacemaker, which was a novel feeling on its own. These people didn’t know her background, only that she was someone important who the Void Priestess had tasked them to guide. Iz hadn’t realized how differently people looked at her and treated her when they weren’t saddled with the knowledge she was a Tayn.

“One straggler will not change the course of destiny, even if he has some providence,” Iz said after some thought. “Him reporting my presence here might even help curtail the advances of these unorthodox infiltrators. More importantly, a calamity has entered your Void Star. The wheels of chaos have already been set in motion.”

“If Mistress Tayn could enlighten us about the nature of this calamity, we might be able to provide better assistance,” the captain hesitated. “We cannot interfere with some things, but we are happy to help in other matters.”

“It is not my place to tell you,” Iz said with a shake of her head. “With him involved, who knows how fate will swing. I don’t want to drag the Vigil into this accidentally. Let’s just head to the next realm.”

“Of course,” the captain nodded. “I should tell you—we have already entered the inner half of the Void Star. With the damage caused by the invaders and some other events, we will not be able to take any more shortcuts. Not only that, our maps aren’t as reliable as before, so finding our way might prove difficult.”

“The Terminal Disciple of the Void Priestess and some of our elites should be close by,” the leading nun added. “She might be able to help with your quest.”

“Perhaps, if we run out of options,” Iz said, turning to the horizon with a smile. “But we are close; I can feel it.”

“If you say so, young miss,” the captain said, and the group set out again.

However, the golem held her back, prompting Iz to look at her guardian confusedly.

“Young miss, I need to remind you of your task,” Kvalk said when the others were out of earshot. “Meeting up with your friend is fine, but this journey is contingent on your promise to Lord Mohzius. Having passed the first watershed is proof Ultom has deemed you worthy, and you can no longer back down. There is a high chance you will be pitted against that acquaintance of yours—for real.”

Iz sighed as she opened her Quest Screen.

“Flamebearer of Ultom,” Iz muttered. “This is a bit troublesome.”

* * *

The path flickered as the array deactivated. Zac stumbled back into the hidden cave, his face a green mask of pain and nausea. Over the past couple of days, the anxiety over the sudden pulse had become too much. Zac eventually opted to see if he could forge a path through the toxins with the help of [Void Zone] and his constitution, just like he had in the depths of the Twilight Chasm.

The good news was that the beasts outside had long since returned to their slumbering state, where they conserved their energy wrapped together in a ball of horror. The bad news was that he had severely underestimated the Undrusian Spring.

“Ai!” Vai screamed as she rushed forward.

“Don’t touch me; I’m toxic,” Zac said with a hoarse voice as he stumbled to one of the rooms they didn’t use. “I’ll be fine in a bit.”

Zac couldn’t believe how virulent the waters still were. Not even his Draugr Constitution was a match, and the toxins had flooded his body far quicker than his Hidden Nodes could purify them. Not even [Void Zone] was of any help since most of the poisons were actual compounds rather than an energy. It weakened them by blocking out the Dao, but that wasn’t enough for him to withstand the onslaught.

Thankfully, he realized the danger pretty quickly and had jumped back into the quicksilver in time. But there was no doubt about it—no matter how anxious he was about the sudden ripple, there was nothing he could do.

Ten hours later, [Purity of the Void] had finally cleansed a good deal of the poisons that had snuck into his body, while [Void Heart] had turned another chunk into pure energy while leaving large amounts of toxins in his blood. Thanks to [Purity of the Void], Zac rarely had to exsanguinate his blood any longer, but this time there were simply too many toxins.

Zac cut open his arm with his axe and let a pool of acrid blood form next to him, which caused Vai, who had anxiously waited in the distance, to scream with horror.

“What are you doing!” Vai screamed as she scrambled over, a vat of cauterizing salve already in her hands.

“Oh, sorry,” Zac smiled as he incinerated the blood with a talisman. “I forgot you were there.”

“W-What are you doing?” Vai stuttered. “Don’t give up on life. The toxins are painful, but you should recover in a week or two.”

“The toxins?” Zac laughed. “I’ve removed them already. It wasn’t as bad as I first thought.”

“What? There’s no way, I saw you,” Vai exclaimed as she looked at the burned patch on the ground. “The Udrusian Spring is not a blood poison. And you are already recovered? How is this possible?”

“You should have realized I’m pretty resilient by now,” Zac shrugged.

“Is it the same as what protected you from the Blood Curse?” Vai asked curiously. “Is it your bloodline?”

“It’s rude to look into other people’s secrets,” Zac snorted as he poked Vai’s forehead.

“Fine,” Vai muttered. “It was just academic curiosity.”

“Well, we won’t be leaving this place early, that’s for sure,” Zac grunted.

“I still don’t understand why you did all this,” Vai said.

“Just getting the lay of the land,” Zac smiled.

There was no simple way to explain the gnawing anxiety after that additional pulse. Even if he was making decent progress on his [Void Vajra Sublimation], it was hard to concentrate when he didn’t know what was going on. With every sign pointing toward the invaders looking for the Remnants, a sudden change didn’t feel like a good thing.

Still, his short outing proved there was nothing to do about it. There was a reason not even the venomous Beast Kings dared traverse the Undrusian Sea right now. So even if Zac was reluctant, he could only nicely stay put and keep working on his research. At least the short outing allowed him to put the matter aside. If he hadn’t gone out, he would have constantly been worrying whether he was making a mistake not leaving early to find the next piece of the seal.

The days passed as Zac continuously cycled between cultivating the [Boundless Vajra Sublimation] for inspiration and meditating on his own direction for Heart Cultivation. The more he experimented, the more he believed he was on the right track. The solution to swapping out the Heart Sutras had to be forming authentic expressions of the Void with Void Energy.

It was a combination of forming the right truths in his heart and mirroring them with his Void Energy. That should elicit the same harmonization the original version used, allowing for his body to properly integrate the Life-attuned energies before his Hidden Nodes gobbled them up.

The problem was—what was true? Struggle as he might, he couldn’t create anything that filled him with the sort of certainty he’d felt when going through Three Virtue’s mental gauntlet. Still, he was rapidly deepening his understanding of both Heart Cultivation and the method in general, which would be immensely helpful down the road.

Not only that, but Zac even got to enjoy some of the benefits that made the Sangha’s methods so desirable for elites—the Heart Tempering. Repeatedly rejecting a boundless heart was a form of cultivation on its own, and Zac felt his convictions gradually grow more solid. After just a couple of days of practice, he no longer needed to use [Void Zone] to reset his mental state and heart after each practice.

This was also a great hint of what was to come and another reason to keep the Heart-aspect intact in the [Void Vajra Sublimation]. After taking on the previous set of Remnants, he realized that a strong soul wasn’t enough to ward off their subtle influence. With this additional form of cultivation, he would shore up his final weakness and hopefully pass the Atavism that A’Zu and Be’Zi had warned him about.

The only downside with the repeated practice was losing purified Creation Energy every time he experimented. Just like some of the purified motes of Oblivion nurtured his soul, so did crumbs of Creation enter his cells. Unfortunately, when he was cultivating the [Boundless Varja Sublimation], these motes were swept up, which meant they also got expelled by the [Void Slate]-concoction.

Then again, that could be seen as good news since it proved the Creation Energy could indeed help boost the speed of Body Tempering, something that was extremely important considering he was behind schedule on that front. The quicker he could push his constitution to something that matched his Draugr body, the faster he could head to the Perennial Vastness and work on his Cosmic Core.

Like this, Zac completely lost track of time as he dug deeper and deeper into the secrets of the Void and the [Boundless Vajra Sublimation]. But finally, a deep rumble that shook the whole hidden cave dragged him out of his reverie. Zac left his room, just in time to see Vai emerge from her seclusion.

“These vibrations…” Vai muttered. “It must have started.”

“I guess that’s it, then,” Zac grunted as he wiped the paste from his body. “Get ready to head out.”

“What!” Vai exclaimed. “You read the reports. After the Undrusian Spring, a lot of treasures have been born or evolved thanks to all that released energy.”

“You’re only making my argument stronger,” Zac commented and received an annoyed wave in return.

“There will be a melee of millions of energy-starved beasts outside,” Vai said with a roll of her eyes. “We should wait for them to fight it out and claim their prizes before heading out. We won’t even make it to the waystation if we go out now.”

Zac was reluctant, but he knew Vai was right. “Alright. One more day. That should be more than enough time for the beasts to tire themselves out.”

Vai looked like she wanted to barter for more time, but she eventually gave up on the idea. Instead, she headed to the laboratory. She didn’t squeeze in some more time for research, but started cleaning the place and putting everything back in order. Zac wasn’t quite so dutiful and returned to the room he’d spent the last month inside.

With time running out, he didn’t experiment with the [Void Vajra Sublimation] any longer. He’d already reached an impasse, where he simply couldn’t figure out how to form the 81 Truths of the Void. Practicing the method any longer wouldn’t bring him any closer, and it would only increase the risk of getting entrapped by the Sutras.

At least he was mostly sure of the direction he needed to take. Forming arrays with Void Energy to match those he painted on his body was a dead end. Vai’s solution was far better; he needed to create representations of the Void with Void Energy and instill them with his conviction that they were true.

It was just like his insights related to the Dao of Conflict he gained under the Stele of Conflict. Purpose was the key—it could change everything. It could make true false, and false true. To take this step, he either needed to gain an epiphany or set aside years, perhaps decades, to find an answer.

But just because he didn’t experiment any further with his Body Tempering Method, didn’t mean he would just laze about. Instead, he started up his Soul Cultivation for the first time in a while. There was no time to set up one of the extravagant arrangements, but his goal wasn’t to maximize his gains.

Zac always felt refreshed and clear-minded after cultivating his soul, and he believed it would help stabilize his condition after the past month’s experiments. Zac soon got lost in the mysterious transformations and trajectories of Life and Death in his mind until the better part of a day had passed. After that, he simply closed his eyes and took the first proper nap in weeks.

Sometime later, a shuffling woke him up, and he found Vai entering his compartment.

“Why do you keep a statue of a man next to you when you sleep? Who’s that?” Vai asked as she looked at the alabaster monument to Yrial’s beauty skeptically.

“It’s my teacher,” Zac coughed as he stowed the statue with some embarrassment. “He’s a bit eccentric, but the statue has unique effects that speed up my cultivation and stabilizes my mind.”

Vai fidgeted at the doorway, turning to the large crystal. “I’ve never seen such a big [Mind’s Eye Agate]. It must be worth a fortune. Can you really get this many treasures from adventuring?”

“If you’re foolhardy enough,” Zac said with a wry smile. “Is it time?”

“A day has passed,” Vai nodded.

“Alright, perfect,” Zac said. “Let’s set out. I’m curious to see how things have changed outside.”

58

WEIGHT

Zac and Vai had spent a month preparing for this exact moment, so there was nothing else to do. They left only a single clue behind—a Communication Crystal Vai recorded, containing a warning about the infiltrators and pieces of the intelligence gathered by the Templar Hegemon. Zac doubted it would reach the right hands in time to make a difference, but he wouldn’t begrudge Vai’s attempts to help her people avoid unnecessary deaths.

The two donned their aura-hiding measures as they stepped onto the platform. They only got a couple of steps before they stopped, with Vai’s face alternating between green and white. There was an overwhelming stench of blood in the basin, and hundreds of maimed carcasses floated on the water’s surface.

Zac wasn’t surprised. The beasts had crammed together out of necessity and survival over the past month. But with an array of opportunities waiting outside, the beasts had rekindled their ferocious nature the moment the danger passed.

Eventually, Zac had to lift the reluctant Vai with Vivi’s vines and drag her into the sanguine waters, where he was immediately beset by a pang of danger the moment they passed through the oily film of putrid blood. [Verun’s Bite] had already appeared in his hands, and the ferocious crablike creature that tried to ambush him was cleanly cut in two.

The Peak E-grade beast had hung from the cliff as it fed on the carcasses of the fallen, and it wasn’t alone. There were thousands of beasts feasting on the remains of yesterday’s melee. Even then, Zac wasn’t worried as he sunk even deeper. These beasts were so weak, they’d completely given up on the opportunities outside and had instead settled for at least filling their stomachs. There was no way they could pose a threat to them.

They entered the tunnel they originally came from, where the wall of shimmering quicksilver greeted them. If anything, Vai appeared relieved to enter the strange compound, while Zac was far more ambivalent. He remembered all-too-well what waited on the other side the last time he swam through this path.

His heartbeat sped up as they pushed through the final film and emerged in the volcano’s cauldron, but there were no toxins in sight. Instead, they were greeted by a refreshing aura that reminded Zac of the herbal atmosphere inside the Zethaya Pill House.

“Two sides of the same coin, huh,” Zac muttered as he looked around.

“I told you,” Vai said triumphantly. “There is no way the Void Gate would deal in poisons.”

“Alright, alright,” Zac smiled. “Get your bowl out. We don’t only have beasts to worry about any longer. If we ran into one group of infiltrators, there are bound to be more.”

Vai nodded, and they started to swim in the general direction the waystation should be. The Undrusian Spring had knocked them slightly off course, but the realm wasn’t too big, and Vai soon found the signal leading toward their destination.

Swimming through the Undrusian Sea in the wake of the seasonal purge was an eerie experience. It simultaneously felt like a world filled with and void of life, and they barely saw any beasts over the next two days. The few who survived the purge and the following gauntlet had seemingly hidden deeply to recuperate and absorb whatever treasures they’d gotten their hands on.

Meanwhile, the previously dangerous plant life wasn’t nearly as poisonous since the tide had drained them of their toxic compounds. This made the Undrusian Sea the safest region they’d traversed over the past few Mystic Realms. But nothing good ever lasts forever.

“Stop,” Vai whispered, and Zac quickly hid behind a boulder and erected a set of arrays.

It’d been their standard method of survival when passing through realms full of existences who could easily kill them. ‘Stop’ meant to hide and assess, while ‘back’ meant to run for your life.

“What’s wrong?” Zac asked after the isolation array activated.

“Three Hegemons and over fifty E-grade cultivators,” Vai said as she looked at the bowl. “The party looks almost as strong as the one led by Captain Kastella. They’re on the move, but aren’t moving in this direction. What should we do?”

“Let’s just wait,” Zac said.

“What if they’re Templars?”

“Can you tell with your treasure?” Zac asked.

“No…” Vai sighed.

“Then we can’t easily approach them. Neither of us has any good stealth or observation skills. We’d be exposed before we could figure out which side they belong to. If they’re Templars, that’s fine, but I’m not sure I could deal with such a large party,” Zac said, and Vai could only agree.

They stayed in their makeshift hideout for an hour, at which point the group was finally out of the range of Vai’s bowl. They waited for another hour before moving out again, just in case there were hidden scouts roaming about. Like that, they continued another day until they found the waystation.

Zac stalled as he studied the tunnel from their hidden vantage. Should they enter? Apart from that first group, Vai also discovered three smaller ones over the past day. Not only that, but it looked like all of them came from this waystation. Who knew what waited inside? A whole army full of cursed cultivators?

Eventually, they opted to wait, and it was lucky too. Just ten minutes later, another group emerged from the tunnel, this squad consisting of six members. Zac held onto his axe tightly, but the team thankfully swam away, hurrying toward the other side of the Undrusian Sea.

Zac waited for another five minutes, at which point he couldn’t take it any longer. “Let’s go before anyone else arrives. Stay behind me just in case.”

Vai nodded, and the two rushed into the waystation. Moments later, both breathed out in relief upon seeing the place was empty. They still made a beeline for the gate room, but their haste proved futile as they sensed a familiar spatial fluctuation upon entering.

“It’s activating!” Vai panicked, and Zac dragged her to a corner out of sight from the spatial gate and activated an isolation array.

A few seconds later, one warrior after another passed through, none of them wearing the equipment of the Void Gate. Altogether, eighteen cultivators entered, two of which were Hegemons. At first, Zac thought they would make it, but his heart froze when he one of the warriors scanned the room with shimmering eyes on the way out.

He only stopped for a fraction of a second upon looking at their corner, but that was all Zac needed to know the truth; they were spotted.

There wasn’t any time for hesitation as Zac flashed forward after whispering ‘bubble,’ and his axe had embedded itself into the head of one of the two Hegemons before the scout even had a chance to raise a warning. His ambush was followed by a burst of carnage from [Nature’s Edge]. At this proximity, each warrior was almost instantly hit by over a dozen fractal leaves infused with two branches and empowered by both [Spiritual Void] and [Adamance of Eoz].

Even if the warriors realized they were under attack and managed to erect some early defenses, there was no way for these ordinary E-grade cultivators to survive such a strike. Even a basic attack like the upgraded version of [Chop] contained an almost incomprehensible power level when leveraged by all of Zac’s unique advantages.

Only two E-grade cultivators survived by having the foresight to back away rather than defend, but they might have been better off dying. It was almost impossible to perfectly avoid getting hit by the leaves in this enclosed space, and the two infiltrators who backed away were no exception. They slumped to the ground, alive, but grievously wounded.

Zac felt like he was being stabbed all over as more than ten tendrils of Blood Curses burrowed into his body, unleashing a ferocious assault from within. The surviving Hegemon was shocked to see his whole squad annihilated out of nowhere, but his first instinct was neither fight nor flight. Before anything, the Hegemon took out a talisman and pressed it against his chest.

Only then did the Hegemon breathe out in relief before he looked at Zac with a sneer. Zac pretended to be overcome by the Blood Curses as he hunched over with a grimace, but the reality was actually the opposite. [Void Heart] had already woken up, and each beat ripped off a piece of the curses and swallowed them. Soon enough, they would be torn apart entirely and turned into cultivation fodder.

The Hegemon’s sneer turned into shock as Zac tackled him to the ground with enough force to cause the whole room to shake. He managed to pierce Zac’s side with his sword, and a soul-wrenching pain wracked Zac as he felt the blade grind against his spine. But before he could cause any more damage, Verun had already bit into the leader’s forehead, cutting his head in two.

Initially, Zac planned to target the man’s Cosmic Core to destroy his Blood Curse, but at the last minute, he changed his mind. Zac snatched the black-inked talisman from the man’s chest and placed it on his own as he backed away a bit. Just as he infused some of his energy into the talisman, the bloody tangle burst out from the man’s stomach.

The thing lunged at Zac as though it was a real living being, but Zac looked on with interest when the tendrils stopped half a meter away from him. They never continued past that point and instead spread all around him, searching for another target. A smile spread out across Zac’s face upon seeing one of the two survivors being targeted instead, and he looked appreciatively at the talisman on his chest.

He wasn’t happy the dying men’s woes had taken a turn for the worse, but rather that his suspicions had been correct. The Hegemon had been entirely too calm for someone standing next to a pressure cooker filled with ten Blood Curses. The curses weren’t as indiscriminate in their search for a new host as they earlier believed—some people, likely those with enough status or wealth, had the tools to ward them off.

There was no point in letting the stragglers suffer any longer, and Zac flashed over and finished the job, leaving the chamber a bloody mess. As he looked at the destruction, he couldn’t help but feel some annoyance. Between his recently-adopted habit of going for the head and the gristly exit of the Blood Curses, it would turn into a chore to turn these invaders into Revenants.

Since sending back the batch of procured bodies from Twilight Harbor, the Einherjar had seen no significant growth. Certainly, some native undead children were born, but they were essentially feral little devils until they gained sapience. It would be decades before the native undead citizens could step into society either as non-combat or combat classes.

He'd hoped this war would provide an opportunity to bolster his ranks surreptitiously. After all, who would notice if a few hundred thousand bodies went missing in a war involving trillions? But seeing the maimed corpses, Zac wondered if it was even possible without wasting Creation Energy to fix the wounds. That might be worth it for some elites, but definitely not for random foot soldiers. It was time to raise some Liches who could create proper Corpselords.

With all the infiltrators dealt with, Zac turned to Vai, who’d ensconced herself in the spatial bubble she used to survive the destruction of the cortex.

“Stay inside a bit longer,” Zac said as he hurried across the room and stowed all the bodies and equipment.

The next moment, a torrent of churning waters washed the whole room clean, including Zac himself. There was inevitably some damage to the walls and floor from his fractal leaves, but it was better than leaving piles of bodies and mountains of clues behind. Next, Zac spread some karma-breaking dust over the spot where everyone had died, after which he used a Vacuum Treasure to drag everything in the room into a Cosmos Sack.

“Alright,” Zac nodded. “Let’s go before anyone else arrives.”

Vai nodded and deactivated her defensive treasure, but she didn’t immediately head over to activate the doors to the neighboring Mystic Realms. She looked at where most of the infiltrators had been killed just a few seconds ago.

“You—Do they weigh on you? The eighteen lives cut short just now.”

“Is this about that guy who ambushed you?” Zac asked, getting a noncommittal shrug in response.

“Honestly? Not really,” Zac eventually said after some thought. “If I let that affect me, I would have gotten myself killed long ago. This is the reality of cultivation for most people. The moment you go against the Heavens in pursuit of power, you enter a social contract where it’s kill or be killed. Only those at the very peak have the luxury of benevolence.”

“I know that,” Vai said as she checked the array for damage. “I’m not sure if that makes things better.”

“I know,” Zac sighed. “I don’t really have any answers for you. Things kept happening when I started cultivating. The moment I had the breathing room to stop and reflect on what was going on, there were already thousands and thousands of corpses in my wake. Since then, it’s only gotten worse. The old me would probably not recognize what I’ve become.”

Zac found Vai was staring at him with an inscrutable expression, and he calmly returned that stare. “Even then, I don’t regret anything. I’ve done what I had to do to protect myself and those important to me. If anything, I’d be willing to go even further. I guess you have to ask yourself how far you’re willing to go to stay alive. To protect the Void Gate. To accomplish your goals. Because I fear this upcoming war will test all of our limits.”

Vai didn’t immediately answer, and they stood in silence, unmoving, until she nodded. “…Thank you. There are two connections. Should I open both?”

“One at a time,” Zac said. “There might be more of them on the other side.”

Vai nodded, and space split apart as the gate opened and displayed an empty room. Zac stepped through and was met with a weaker pulse in response. The next Mystic Realm was thankfully not only empty, but also closer to the seal. Even then, Zac felt it was strange.

The pulse was more potent than the one he got when stepping into the Undrusian Sea, but it still wasn’t at the level of the random burst he received beneath the surface. Zac had hoped he would get a better picture of the situation with the seal after entering another Mystic Realm, but it looked like he would just have to keep going.

Having found the correct place, no time was wasted as they rushed out of the waystation before they ran into any more infiltrators. The entrance to the station was hidden in a complex mountain range that Vai said contained a slew of natural spatial formations, making it easy to avoid being spotted until they’d created some distance.

When they stopped to orient themselves, Zac had to admit this place looked pretty odd even by Mystic Realm standards. Vai even called it a failed realm since it hadn’t quite managed to reach a stable state, and the dimensional layer was surprisingly thin. Zac could actually create small spatial tears with his bare hands if he infused them with his Daos, something that would be impossible on Earth or another ordinary world.

At the same time, it was a bit too energy-dense to become a random piece of rubble in the Void, so it ended up in this lifeless state. With a black sky and an almost complete lack of oxygen, it felt like a mountain hurtling through space. It wasn’t exactly a random meteor, though. For one, the sky was fractured like a broken mirror.

Vai found the realm fascinating, but Zac wasn’t as enthused. The pulse proved he was still in contention for the next piece of the seal, and he couldn’t wait to set out again. Everything was ready, only the piece of the seal was missing. It didn’t matter how many infiltrator squads they encountered on the way. He’d go to war if he had to.

Then again, fighting against some hostile invaders to get his hands on the next part of the seal was easy. The problem was the other choices that might have to be made. Seeing just how dangerous things had gotten lately, Zac couldn’t help but glance at his companion. It wasn’t just a matter of danger either. The Void Gate was clearly connected to the Left Imperial Palace somehow.

For his goals, for his path, just how much was he willing to sacrifice?

59

HIDDEN POCKETS

After having encountered two parties of infiltrators in such a short span, Zac and Vai’s nerves were on edge as they made their way through the mountain. Luckily, the lifeless mountains of the failed realms were filled with deep crags and confusing natural formations, while the stone itself contained a chaotic mix of energies which helped hide their presence. It provided them with secluded pathways as they made their way forward, and its value quickly became apparent.

Over the next day, Vai discovered not one but seven parties in the distance, each heading in the same direction—toward the waystation they just left. Seven, while not many, wasn’t few either, especially when you considered Zac and Vai kept to the edge of the realm.

Who knew how many parties there were in total, counting those who cut straight through the middle of this failed realm rather than followed the edges? A hundred? Even more? Not only that, but the parties were getting bigger, with two having over a hundred members. Seeing such bustling activity, Vai had a theory—they were getting close to the path the invaders used to infiltrate the Void Star.

Seeing the activity left Zac confused. How could the Void Gate allow these people to act so wantonly? Even if Hegemons didn’t grow on trees, there had to be more than enough Templars to go around. Why hadn’t they sent a proper army down to the depths of the Void Star? Why not cut the problem off at the roots?

These smaller realms had inherent limits where too large skirmishes or too powerful warriors could cause spatial instability or even collapse, but roving groups of elite Templars could do a lot of damage to hamper the progress of the infiltrators. Vai seemed quite confused as well, leaving Zac with only one theory.

The infiltrators had managed to cause enough trouble to cut off this entire region of the Void Star.

The situation was extremely worrying, even if they hadn’t run into anyone overly powerful. Not only did the situation put their escape route in jeopardy, it might mean there were enemy bases with actual arrays and traps set up in the area. Zac could probably deal with a scouting party if it came down to it, but a whole base was asking too much.

Vai understood the issue all-too-well, and her eyes almost never left her bowl. She continuously infused it with Dao to broaden its reach, and if not for Zac providing her with Soul Crystals to recover Mental Energy, she would have quickly toppled over.

The days passed like this, where they continuously stayed on edge as they passed one party after another. More than once, they were forced to backtrack and find a proper hiding spot to avoid colliding with parties. Zac felt doubly lucky he had Vai by his side in this kind of environment. Zac would have long since been exposed without her help, just like how that dour scout had outsmarted him before.

And that was especially true on the third day as her head suddenly snapped up from the bowl, gazing toward the edge of the realm. Zac frowned as nothing was there—only an actual edge where this patch of the mountain simply ended.

“There’s a manmade spatial pocket there,” Vai whispered. “It’s definitely created by the Void Gate. We might finally have found some allies!”

“Spatial Pocket? Like an illusion array?” Zac asked.

“Its function is similar, but it’s a more powerful version. You cannot see through it with any observation skills since it’s not an actual illusion. The only way to find it is to know the signature or have an extremely deep understanding of the Dao of Space,” Vai explained.

Zac nodded, not completely understanding how it worked.

“Can we enter and see if anyone’s there?” Vai asked with big puppy-dog eyes.

“Sure,” Zac said after thinking it over. “If you know how to get inside.”

“No problem,” Vai said and took out an array disk. “Little Lara gave me a master key that should give us access.”

“Your niece is…” Zac coughed, and simply followed her to an empty patch of land.

Zac was just about to ask how it worked, but their surroundings shuddered, and they found themselves standing in the middle of a campsite that was almost a hundred meters across.

“This,” Zac muttered as he looked around with surprise, and his eyes honed in on a silver arch standing at the edge of the realm. Was that a hidden Space Gate?

“This is really ours!” Vai said with excitement. “Some of our Array Masters have been here.”

“Is that a gate?” Zac asked curiously as he pointed at the silvery doorway.

“A portable one,” Vai nodded as they walked over toward it. “Usually, we don’t use them because they’re so expensive to make. This one even seems to have a lot of extra features added. I wonder what’s different about it.”

“Can you see when it was placed here?” Zac asked, having a theory.

What would happen if a new pathway was suddenly opened? Could that be the source of the previous pulse? The Void Gate might just have done him a huge favor and set him up with a shortcut to where he needed to go. That would explain the reason the pulse had gotten stronger, and it was a far preferable theory to the piece of the seal being taken or on the move.

“It should be pretty recent, a few weeks at the maximum judging by the residual energy,” Vai said after taking some measurements.

Zac breathed out in relief, a weight lifting from his shoulders. It really looked like there was a lot of merit to his theory. If true, then this was a lucky break of monumental proportions. Especially considering how crowded their route was getting. Even if he was willing to fight the infiltrators for the seal, this way was a lot better.

Who knew how many infiltrators he would have been forced to fight if he followed the original route toward the next waystation. Of course, this all hinged on his theory being right, that this indeed was a shortcut.

“Can you activate it?” Zac asked, which dragged Vai out of her thoughts.

“Give me a minute,” Vai nodded. “It has a few inscriptions I haven’t seen in this context, perhaps to stop traitors from activating it? I somewhat recognize the method; I just need to think things over for a bit, so I don’t accidentally trigger it to self-destruct or something.”

“Take your time,” Zac said and stepped aside to let her work on the gate. “How safe is this spot? Can people simply stumble into it?”

“Impossible,” Vai smiled as she pointed between the two edges of the hidden encampment. “Those two sides are a connected space. If someone walks into one of the walls, they will appear on the other side of us as though they teleported. For the one on the outside, they won’t notice anything since the width of this area is essentially zero.”

“That’s amazing,” Zac muttered. “How big can you make these bubbles? Can you hide a whole planet inside one?”

“Well, I think you technically can,” Vai said after some thought. “But it gets more difficult the more stable the space is. You’ve seen how fragile it is in this realm, which makes any manipulation a lot easier. You should understand that we’re not currently sanding in a lower dimension like how it works with Mystic Realms or Spatial Treasures. We’re hidden inside the same layer of space we entered from.

“A Spatial Pocket placed in the main dimension would require an enormous source of energy. I’d venture this small pocket is drawing large amounts of energy from this whole mountain range. To hide a whole planet would be an enormous undertaking. It would be cheaper to simply find and move the planet into a Mystic Realm than doing something like this.”

“Alright,” Zac sighed.

Seeing such an amazing solution, the first thing Zac thought of was Earth and potentially hiding the whole thing with this kind of array. Though it looked like he would have to find some other method to hide the planet from the universe in 90 years.

The hours passed as Zac rested up while Vai went over the Control Array. She’d been exhausted by the time they found this place, but seeing the unique design invigorated her. Of course, the fact that Zac crushed a couple of Soul Crystals and taken out the [Mind’s Eye Agate] helped both her focus and recuperation.

Zac also explored the campsite in search of clues, but there wasn’t much to go by. The camp was clearly meant as a temporary rest stop, though it was a bit curious the tents were all left behind. Even then, the only thing of interest was that the ground in one of the tents was covered in blood. There was even a slightly ominous aura here, which made Zac wonder just what transpired. Execution? Torture?

Since there was nothing else to this place, Zac soon went back to Vai’s side to watch her work.

“I’ve figured it out,” Vai said with a slight flush on her cheeks. “I wonder who made this—it might even be someone from the Void Monastery itself. The methods aren’t extremely complex, but it combines so many theories and concepts from various subordinate convents. It has essentially combined five different arrays and methods into one.”

Zac could see how excited she was, but he couldn’t wait to hear the verdict, so he coughed a bit before she went off on a tangent.

“Ah, don’t worry, I can activate it,” Vai added.

“Great,” Zac said. “Let’s do it.”

“Do you think our people, ah, my people, are on the other side?” Vai asked hopefully.

“Maybe… Though this place might have been set up by some elites who are heading deep into enemy territory. If weeks have passed since this camp was set up, they might have moved on already.”

“Right,” Vai said, her eyes dimming a bit.

“Don’t worry. I think what I’m looking for is in the next realm. After that, we’ll immediately start looking for the members of the Void Gate, alright?” Zac said, which made the little researcher perk up again.

Until recently, Zac hadn’t been sure what to do after getting his hands on the second piece. He’d caught onto its tail by chance, and there were no guarantees he’d find another piece even if he spent another year inside the Void Star. By the looks of things, they’d reached the deepest parts of the Void Star, and there had never been any conflicting signals that said he could head in two different directions.

And with how the region was suddenly crawling with infiltrators, every additional day they stayed behind might lead to a disaster. For now, Zac felt the best solution was to start looking for a way out the moment he picked up the second piece of the seal. If he happened to stumble onto another signal on the way out, great. If not, he would have to search other regions for clues, just like these infiltrators were doing now.

As far as he could tell, the piece of rubble Zac got had appeared somewhat recently. And with the infiltrators knowing about them as well, there was one extremely promising region—The Million Gates Territory. That place was a hotbed of weird spatial anomalies. It wouldn’t be a surprise if a path leading to the Left Imperial Palace appeared somewhere around there.

It was likely from that region the Void Star had swallowed up some pieces of rubble, either by accident or design. Using a Creator Cosmic Vessel to search the Million Gates Territory while looking for Ogras and Billy, and racking up war contributions would kill three birds with one stone.

A minute later, the gate hummed to life, but both Zac and Vai frowned when they didn’t see anything on the other side of the gate. It was just an opalescent wall that released slight spatial fluctuations.

“Does it work?” Zac hesitated as he looked at the opaque screen.

“I-I think so?” Vai said.

A spear appeared in Zac’s hand, and he stabbed it inside the spatial gate to make sure. A moment later, he took it back, and it looked perfectly fine. If the Void had been on the other side, the spear would have been almost destroyed by an attempt like that.

“Alright,” Zac nodded. “Let me scout—”

He didn’t get any further as both the screen and the whole spatial bubble shuddered ominously, making Zac look around with alarm.

“It’s running out of energy! This failed realm cannot sustain it!” Vai said with shock. “It will collapse soon.”

“Go!” Zac shouted.

The next moment, he appeared in a different world, and his heart lurched when he found himself falling. It turned out they’d been dropped off in the air just like when they first entered the Void Star. Thankfully, it was only a couple of hundred meters above ground this time, and there were no dangerous birds in sight.

The ground quickly drew closer, but Zac managed to catch a glimpse of a seemingly boundless forest before he crashed through a couple of tree crowns. A powerful pulse from the Left Imperial Palace greeted him when he landed with a thud, and a smile spread across his face. It was a success, and he’d even been able to sense what direction to go.

However, his smile gradually faded as he looked around with confusion. Vai landed next to him, and she didn’t share his initial ebullience at all. Instead, she was confused and frazzled.

“This is wrong,” Vai exclaimed as she took out her bowl and almost put her whole face inside it. “This is all wrong! Why were we sent out here? Where is the other half of the array? Without it, we can’t return. Wh—Hello? Are you alright?”

Zac knew Vai was talking to him, and he understood that them being thrown out like this wasn’t great. However, Zac didn’t immediately answer as his mind churned. First of all, the next piece of the seal was definitely located in this realm judging by the power of the pulse. But that wasn’t what filled him with uncertainty.

Why did this place feel so familiar?

He was almost positive he’d never been here before, yet it filled him with an odd sense of déjà vu. Was it because the surroundings looked like a common forest you might see back on Earth, a refreshing break after all kinds of alien environments he’d traversed the past months? Or was it simply the pieces of the seal harmonizing with each other?

“Sorry,” Zac said. “It’s probably nothing. I’m guessing that’s not how those gates are supposed to work?”

“No,” Vai sighed. “Another one should be placed on the other side after passing through. That way, the gate is stabilized.”

“Well, it might be because the other side was to energy-starved,” Zac mused. “No wonder they left their camp behind. They probably had to jump through like we did.”

“What should we do now?” Vai asked with worry as her gaze flitted between the bowl and the forest.

She’d clearly hoped to run into her people, but Zac was relieved that wasn’t the case. With the seal being so close, he didn’t need any further complications. And on the bright side, this place seemed quite harmless. The energy was even denser than Earth, but there weren’t the telltale incessant calls of the wild that often indicated a danger zone.

“Can you see anything?” Zac asked. “Either man or beast.”

“No,” Vai sighed. “I don’t understand how it would come to this…”

“Well, they might have been dropped off elsewhere. Or moved further inside,” Zac shrugged. “We might as well move out if we want to figure out what’s happened.”

“You don’t want to find my people,” Vai said—a statement rather than a question.

“Not until I accomplish what I came here for,” Zac smiled. “I doubt they’d let me run off on my own. But after I’ve accomplished my goal, it’s probably a good idea to find the Templars who set up this gate. They might be our best bet on getting out of here.”

“What will you do if the ones we’re looking for are after the same thing as you?” Vai asked.

“Then I’ll probably knock them out and steal it,” Zac said after some thought. “Can’t have that thing falling into the wrong hands, you know?”

“Wrong hands?” Vai said with confusion.

“Anyone’s but mine,” Zac nodded.

“You…! Shameless,” Vai exclaimed, shaking her head and smiling a moment later. “Fine, let’s go. Do you know the way?”

“Follow me.”

For the first ten minutes, they didn’t encounter a single threat. The only beasts were some F-grade critters scuttling about in the tree crowns or between the bushels. They came in all shapes and sizes, though they had one thing in common; all of them seemed absolutely terrified of him and Vai.

At first, Zac didn’t understand what brought on that kind of powerful reaction. Most F-grade beasts were pretty stupid and aggressive, and he would have expected to get the occasional attack. Finally, there was a change as Vai spotted six Peak E-grade signatures in her bowl, and they were even heading straight toward them.

For the first time, Vai couldn’t give a clear answer whether they were dealing with beasts or cultivators, so Zac simply had Vai stand behind him as he waited for their new friends. Thirty seconds later, six hulking humanoid figures came rushing out of the forest, all of them covered in thick black fur and reeking of bloodlust.

No wonder the critters in the forest were so terrified upon seeing humans. There were actual humanoid beasts in this place.

60

SECOND PIECE

Zac looked down at the bloody carcasses with interest. It wasn’t often you ran into humanoid beasts, and these were the first ones he’d seen since the Twinruin Bloodstalker he fought in the Big Axe Coliseum. These guys seemed to have a deeper bloodline than the bloodstalker, but ultimately, they were only E-grade beasts.

They looked like black-furred yeti with builds almost a match to Billy’s, but that didn’t affect their impressive speed. Their primary attack method was their long claws, but Zac sensed an odd discrepancy between the group. Three of them emitted vague hints of nature-aspected Dao, while the other three leaned toward earth. This was a divergence from common beasts, where a whole race generally learned the same Dao.

Were these guys perhaps moving toward Atavism and becoming actual cultivators? It was doubtful; their bestial nature was far too pronounced.

“Do you recognize them?” Zac asked the researcher, who shook her head.

“I never heard of humanoid beasts inside the Void Star,” Vai said.

“Well, let’s hope there aren’t too many Beast Kings amongst these guys. Those things might be pretty dangerous.”

They performed a cursory inspection of the beasts, but there didn’t seem to be anything of value on their bodies. Zac still stowed them away, much to the confusion of Vai. He figured that while their claws or meat might be worthless, the bodies could serve a purpose. Could humanoid beasts be turned into Revenants?

He knew it was impossible with beasts. You had to use their parts for Corpselords, though mixing flesh of cultivators and beasts would generally cause severe rejection. You’d have to be an incredibly skilled Lich to get away with those modifications, unless you were okay with the Corpselord having a limited future.

The alternative to body repurposing was to turn them into undead beasts and enter contracts with them. Apparently, more than a few clans in the Undead Empire went this route since you could consider it a branch of Soul Cultivation. However, beast taming wasn’t very popular among the Divine Races since they had their own heritages.

All those rules and restrictions might not apply to a humanoid beast. Except they were so rare, the subject had never come up when he traveled with Catheya. If he could turn these durable guys into proper soldiers, he would have a terrifying army to add to his repertoire for the upcoming war.

Therefore, Zac was quite careful with the bodies they encountered over the following days, and there was more than one. At first, Zac had been worried it would be hard to find more of them, but that worry turned out to be unfounded. They were all over the forest, and were beyond aggressive.

Anytime the beasts spotted them, there was no hesitation. They immediately went in for the kill, and didn’t care in the slightest when their companions got killed. Zac’s only options were complete annihilation or escape, and if not for his idea, he would quickly have started to avoid them altogether. They were too big of a nuisance and a constant cause of headache during their journey.

Other than that, the forest was relatively safe. There was the occasional plant that looked a bit dangerous, but it was nothing compared to the realms they passed over the past months. The real problem was how large this place was.

After ten days had passed, Zac started to feel like he was stuck in an illusion array. The forest was without end. Compared to the previous Mystic Realms, they would have long since reached the other side with how fast they were moving.

“I didn’t even know we had such big Mystic Realms in the Void Star,” Vai agreed when Zac inquired. “Generally, realms of this size have too powerful spatial properties, and it creates problems in the star.”

“It might be a recent addition,” Zac said. “And it might be why the infiltrators can enter the Void Star. Is it possible to manually detach a realm from the Void Star?”

Zac felt this whole invasion was above his paygrade, but if he could stop the invaders from using the Void Star as a springboard, he was willing to give it a go if an opportunity presented itself. Not only would it help keep a lot of people safe, but it might even give him some contribution points for the war.

“Ah, I’m not sure…” Vai hesitated. “I’ve heard the Monarchs are powerful enough to move the realms with the help of certain treasures manually, but that method is impossible for us. If this place collapsed, it might cause a strong enough spatial ripple to cut the connection with the Million Gates Territory.”

“So, blow it up?” Zac nodded. “Sounds like a plan.”

“B-Blow it up?” Vai stuttered. “How would you blow up a whole Mystic Realm?”

“Well, it’s just an idea. But in my experience, things are more liable to blow up than people think,” Zac shrugged.

“That-That’s crazy,” Vai said with wide eyes. “Actions have repercussions. Who knows how our karma will be affected by destroying a world?”

“With how big this place is, we have time to brainstorm something better,” Zac smiled.

Finally, after four weeks of constant travel, the topography changed. According to Vai, it seemed as though this realm was a Chimeral Realm, as she called it—the combination of multiple dimensional fragments. The mountain range that stretched out across the horizon had come from another world.

Hearing the explanation made Zac think of the System, but this was a natural occurrence that sometimes happened when a powerful realm was surrounded by smaller satellites. Eventually, the main domain gobbled the smaller ones up, adding them to their bulk. Vai was still confused, as the topography somewhat messed with her understanding of the process.

She tried to explain the interrelation between space, geography, and leylines, but Zac quickly grew bored and confused. How this place had been created wasn’t as important as the fact that he felt a weak but continuous signal since he stepped onto the mountain, just like when he’d closed in on the first piece on Hako Lake.

The second piece of the seal shouldn’t be more than a week’s travel away.

They still hadn’t encountered the squad from the Void Gate, or any other cultivators for that matter, but Zac knew this place wasn’t completely unpopulated. They’d spotted a few marks that were likely left from cultivators killing those beasts. For instance, Vai had found a boulder that had been pierced straight through, along with the skeleton of one of those beasts.

Someone had ambushed the thing by striking straight through the rock, either with a spear or arrow, proving the two weren’t alone. And with them closing in on the seal, Zac had Vai continuously keep track with the bowl again while he carried her into the mountains. Even then, the only enemies they encountered were more of those beasts.

Zac couldn’t believe how many of them there were. He’d killed close to a thousand through their month-long trek through the forest, but it quickly became apparent those roving packs were just the few who’d gone off on their own. In an hour’s worth of travel across the mountain range, Zac added another 200 humanoid beasts to his growing pile of corpses.

Going by how many yetis they ran across, the mountain range had to be their home base. There must be tens of millions of them if they’d spread out through the whole region. And so far, the weakest ones he’d encountered were Middle E-grade, which probably meant they naturally reached E-grade upon reaching adulthood.

Not any random place could support such a vast population, yet Zac couldn’t sense anything special about the mountain. If anything, the energy density was worse than in the forest. So why did they stay here? Were there riches underground?

With so many yetis in the vicinity, Zac and Vai soon found it hard to progress as freely as before. The cliffs carried even the smallest of sounds far and wide, and every battle attracted all the beasts in the area. If they kept going like this, they’d never reach the seal. It wasn’t just a matter of dealing with the beasts either, it also risked warning other parties of their presence.

They carefully changed their tactic to avoid the yetis as best they could, utilizing stealth to creep forward, even if Zac burned with impatience. With the help of Vivi’s vines, they climbed farther and farther into the heart of the mountain, generally avoiding the paths on the ground altogether.

A few more days passed until they saw a massive crater in the distance. Zac’s heart thumped since he recognized its odd shape—it seemed to be almost completely spherical. In contrast to the small cave holding the piece of rubble, this thing was a few miles across. It might look a bit different, but there was no doubt in Zac’s mind.

After months, they’d finally reached the second piece of the seal.

“That’s odd,” Vai muttered as she followed Zac’s gaze. “Never seen a valley like that before. It doesn’t seem like a natural formation.”

“Let’s go,” Zac said as he started moving again, advancing even more deliberately to make sure they weren’t discovered.

Twenty minutes later, they found a good spot to investigate what was going on at the bottom of the valley, and Zac’s brows furrowed with incomprehension. He didn’t know what he expected, but it wasn’t an ancient temple with tens of thousands of yeti sitting in silent meditation outside.

The valley wasn’t perfectly spherical either—there was a tiled square outside the temple that had somehow avoided getting disintegrated. It was on this square the yeti were sitting.

“Are they praying?” Vai whispered with shock. “Have they actually formed a society? And what’s that temple? I don’t recognize it at all. Do you know?”

Zac didn’t immediately answer, trying to understand the situation better first. There were no two ways about it—the next seal was inside the temple. The scene was a bit confusing, though. After seeing the spherical cave with the piece of rubble, it was clear as day to Zac that the whole valley had been disintegrated by one of those terrifying pulses. The layer of dust on the ground was proof of this.

So how had the temple and the square survived? Was it a part of the Left Imperial Palace? It shouldn’t be—even if the place were mostly in ruins, the design wasn’t all that similar to either the small pagoda in the Ultom Court or the Left Imperial Palace.

“I’m not quite sure either, but I know the item I need is inside,” Zac said.

“I wonder why the yetis are staying outside,” Vai mused.

“If they enter, they’ll turn to ash. See the pile of dust at the temple gates? Those are probably former yetis,” Zac sighed.

“What!” Vai said with fear. “Then how will we enter?”

“I’m sorry, but you’ll have to wait outside,” Zac said, and he held up a hand when he saw Vai looked ready to argue. “There’s nothing I can do. From what I can tell, everyone who hasn’t been chosen will be annihilated when getting close. Do you remember that scout, Kuru? He turned to dust right in front of my eyes when I picked up the last piece.”

“…Alright then,” Vai reluctantly acquiesced. “I didn’t expect to be stopped at the goal line, but I’m not ready to die to study those ruins… What will you do?”

“Seems straightforward enough,” Zac shrugged. “I’ll just rush straight through the beasts and enter the gate. If they dare follow, they’ll be in for a world of hurt.”

“But what if you—” Vai couldn’t finish her sentence.

“If it turns out I’ve overestimated my fate and get myself killed, you’ll have to leave without me. Try to find your people. Luckily, this realm doesn’t seem too dangerous apart from these mountains.”

“I… Alright,” Vai acceded. “But I’m sure you’ll be fine.”

“Well, I am pretty lucky, all things considered,” Zac smiled.

For the next hour, they looked around until they found a good hiding spot not too far away from the valley, where they set up a series of illusion arrays. It was a cave that was both hard to reach and hard to spot from the ground, and the likelihood of the yetis climbing up here was almost nil according to what they’d seen so far.

Zac spent the next hour stabilizing his state and going over everything. There were always things that could go sideways, but he felt he’d prepared as much as possible. As long as Zac seized the epiphany, he had something to steer it toward. He’d even gone over his Daos and the direction he wanted to take them, just in case the nature of the second epiphany was different.

“I’m going. Here, take this,” Zac said and threw over a Cosmos Sack.

“What’s this?” Vai asked.

“Offensive Talismans, Escape Talismans, provisions, and various things you need when adventuring. There is also an Information Crystal on how to get in touch with my people if I get myself killed,” Zac smiled. “I’m sorry I dragged you to such a dangerous place to complete my mission.”

“Don’t say such inauspicious things,” Vai pouted. “Just go get that item. I’ll be right here.”

“Alright, I’m off.” And Zac flashed away.

He appeared hundreds of meters away after having activated [Earthstrider], and with a few more steps, he’d crossed half a mountain. He didn’t bother using Vivi’s vines now that he was alone, and instead occasionally used the mountain walls to reset his movement skill as he blazed a path through the sky. It was quite costly to use his movement skill in this manner, but he couldn’t wait for a second longer.

Like this, the mountain range turned into a blur until he found himself at the valley’s edge. He pushed out, and four steps to the air allowed him to reach the edge of the yetis in almost an instant. Another step took him deep into their ranks, but he failed to take his sixth and final step as a tremendous bloody aura prevented him from activating the skill again.

Zac had expected as much, and he slammed into the middle of the pack like a meteor. A swarm of fractal leaves ripped apart the closest beast as he rushed forward. No longer did he care about maintaining the state of their bodies. He was only thinking of efficiency, of getting to the temple as quickly as possible.

He entered his Evolutionary Stance, and suddenly he was an apex predator in a flock of sheep. Two enormous waves of Dao and killing intent formed a spatial divide that stretched almost two hundred meters. Yetis died by the hundreds as Zac carved a bloody path, and for the first time since entering this realm, he saw some of them run away with fear.

That didn’t hold for the Beast Kings and their followers, though. They’d formed a defensive line in front of the temple. Judging by the energy churning through their bodies, they had been planning a response for a while now. The result was immediate, and Zac frowned when thousands of spikes blotted out the sky. At the same time, even more spikes formed a circle around him, and it felt like he had been entered the maw of a terrifying beast.

The only relief was that no spikes popped up through the ground, but the Beast Kings had essentially created a deadly dome that was closing in on him. Zac was shocked at the scene. Since when were beasts this quick-witted and coordinated? Going by the slightly different auras in the spikes, this was a combination attack where the Beast Kings conjured roughly a hundred spikes each.

It was shocking to think they were so clever. Or had they known he was coming and prepared this trap? It was still impressive, but not as much as naturally forming battle formations. When had he been exposed? When they spied on the valley before? Even earlier? Or was he not the first one to try and seize the thing inside the temple?

Zac grunted with annoyance as he infused [Arcadian Crusade] with energy. So much for simply rushing through this pack. If he ever found out someone else had raised the awareness of these yeti, they would be in for the beating of a lifetime.

61

ANOTHER CYCLE

The enormous spikes had blotted out his surroundings in no time, forming an almost perfect half-sphere. The scene reminded Zac of the chamber that contained the Dimensional Seed back in the Mystic Realm. Back then, the spikes had been pointed at the dimensional treasure. Now they were pointed at him, and the cage was shrinking. Fast.

The fifty-meter spikes appeared to be wrought from the same rusty stone as the surroundings, but they were covered with black veins similar to obsidian. Those veins contained a terrifying amount of energy, and it felt as though thousands of [Nature’s Punishment] were being unleashed at once.

Not only that, but the array of stalactites had formed some sort of barrier. Even if he managed to squeeze between the spikes, he would also have to deal with the fence. Zac glanced at the black-furred humanoids who’d run away from him earlier. He could barely discern some of them outside the ambush, and their eyes were filled with cold hatred as they silently stared back at him.

So much for fleeing in fear of his prowess. They just didn’t want to be caught inside the trap that was rapidly closing in on him. There were also hundreds of yetis left inside who were caught between a rock and a hard place. The Beast Kings had to be hell-bent on killing him since the attack would result in mass casualties among their own.

Even Zac felt tremendous pressure when he looked up at the spectacle. This was why he always rushed into a melee with Beast Kings and Hegemons. Giving them time to make use of their vast stores of energy and D-grade skills would always put him at a disadvantage. He could tell [Empyrean Aegis] would only be able to withstand a couple of hits before breaking apart, and [Void Zone] wasn’t very effective against corporeal attacks.

He had to dodge—or rather, pass right through it.

Luckily, his slaughter had created some breathing room, especially with the remaining beasts escaping from the trap. And with the tremendous waves of energy the thousands of spikes were emitting, there was no way either Vai or anyone else would be able to discern what he was up to inside the trap. As such, a plan formed in his mind, and he flashed forward to the edge of the encirclement.

A hand emitting an archaic aura appeared out of nowhere, wielding a wooden axe covered in the markings of paradise. It was [Arcadia’s Judgement] activated with Void Energy, which saved Zac a precious second. The cage had already halved in size in a short moment, and if not for his cheat, he wouldn’t have had time to conjure the skill before getting skewered. And even if activated with Void Energy, the skill still gained the boost from [Arcadian Crusade].

The enormous axe slammed down on the spikes barring his path, and the collision shook the whole valley and agitated the layer of ash on the ground. The veins of the spikes shimmered as their energy surged, but the spikes only lasted a moment in the face of Zac’s empowered strike.

With all the layered powers Zac had added to his most potent attack, the swing felt like a harbinger of the apocalypse as it destroyed everything in its path. Still, the spikes crumbled easier than Zac expected, though a sudden pang of danger forced Zac to scramble to the side. A whistling scream almost blew out his eardrum as a fist-sized shard narrowly missed his head.

Zac grimaced when he realized it wasn’t just an errant shard shot in his direction by the clash. The spikes were exploding like cluster bombs along the veinlike patterns, unleashing innumerable projectiles on the surroundings. His attack had started a chain reaction as more and more spikes exploded, and the trapped beasts were already dying by the dozens.

[Nature’s Edge] couldn’t compare to this kind of mayhem, whether you considered the number of projectiles or their velocity. Another shard whizzed past him like a blur right on the heels of the previous one, and Zac shuddered when he felt just how much energy it contained. A golden laurel appeared on his head as he desperately fended off dozens of splinters with his axe, and the defensive skill narrowly allowed him to block four spikes that slammed into him from behind.

The golden barrier of [Empyrean Aegis] saved him from being gored, but it couldn’t completely dispel the force contained in the shards after the explosions. Zac found himself pushed in the direction of his own skill. At first, he was afraid he would find himself attacked by the second stage of [Arcadia’s Judgement], but he was surprised to see the second shockwave completely blocked and nullified by the tiles.

Only now did he realize that not so much as a mark had been left on them since the battle started, no matter if it was from his attacks or the projectiles that slammed into the ground with the force of an E-grade elite’s attack.

A sharp pain dragged him out of his thoughts as a shard managed to pierce through his barrier. One of the steles of [Empyrean Aegis] had already crumbled, and the cascading explosions around him were only getting worse. Zac ignored the dangers as he rushed straight into the path he’d opened, trying to cover as much ground as possible.

He was constantly blasted with sharp projectiles, each one containing enough force to slam him into the ground or push him off course. But Zac was adamant about getting through this gauntlet. [Verun’s Bite] roared as Zac parried as many projectiles as he could, and he threw out whole stacks of offensive talismans with his other hand to avert some more.

Long patches of Vivi’s vines were being ripped asunder as the plant formed thick nets to lessen the burden on [Empyrean Aegis]. Even if he was rapidly expending energy, there was simply too much shrapnel being unleashed by the Beast Kings. He couldn’t possibly block it all, even if he moved as efficiently as he could following Evolutionary Stance.

One piece of rock after another broke through the barrier, leaving him with deep wounds and infusions of chaotic energy. Zac would have to eat even more strikes than this if he wanted to reach the barrier outside. But no matter how dangerous his plan was, it was nothing compared to the meatgrinder behind him. If he waited around until all the spikes exploded, not even scraps of him would remain.

Each step was a battle, but he finally believed he’d advanced far enough. Ancient trees sprouted atop the tiles all around him, though most were ripped apart the moment they appeared. Zac didn’t care—he only needed the effect of [Ancestral Woods] for a short moment.

Hundreds of scenes entered his mind, and Zac breathed out in relief. He hadn’t miscalculated the distance in all the chaos—he was just two hundred meters away from the barrier meant to trap him in this hellscape. The shield looked extremely sturdy, and it didn’t so much as shudder after getting hit by hundreds of shards every second. Breaking through it by force would probably take a while.

Unfortunately for them, Zac had other means. If Vai had seen the trees of [Ancestral Woods], she would have realized they truly lived up to their name today as they emitted an unusually primordial aura. Zac had activated the skill with Void Energy, which allowed for a unique advantage with this particular skill.

He’d already confirmed that Void Energy worked differently and could simply ignore most types of seals. He had used that fact to kill the cultists back in the Mystic Realm, but [Ancestral Woods] provided a different kind of use—escape. The forest covered quite a big area, so a few of them appeared outside the barrier.

The Beast Kings understood something was wrong and moved to destroy them, but they weren’t quick enough. Zac had already emerged from one like a bloody specter, with an axe in hand keening for vengeance. Zac could tell Verun wanted to come out and fight these Yeti Kings, but he held the Tool Spirit back as he rushed forward.

Behind him, the rumble grew louder as the cage descended into utter chaos, and the cries from the trapped yeti had already been cut short. His heart shuddered as he pictured himself being stuck inside that grinder, and quickly turned that fear into speed. The gate to the temple was only a few hundred meters away, with only a single Beast King barring his path.

“Bastards,” Zac growled as the muscles in his right arm bunched up, and the golden runes on his face suddenly shone brighter as he closed in on the five-meter-tall humanoid Beast King.

Zac unleashed a herculean swing at the incoming swipe, and the clash kicked up an enormous cloud of dust from the piles accumulated around the entrance. Zac was pushed back a step and worsened some of his wounds, while the five-meter Yeti King was thrown over twenty meters away with a severed arm and a deep wound in its chest, showing just how terrifying Zac’s Strength was for an E-grade cultivator.

His arm hurt, but there was no time to think. Zac regained his footing and leapt forward, flying straight toward the arched gate before the other Beast Kings could catch up. Even if things had gotten a bit hectic, he knew all-too-well how dangerous this was, and he wasn’t thinking about the yeti outside.

An instant later, he passed through the gate and landed inside the temple’s courtyard, his heart beating like a drum as his eyes were trained on a small prayer hall inside. It was from there the signal came, and the response was immediate. A powerful pulse rippled out from within the ruin, and Zac urgently activated [Void Zone] and covered his whole body with Void Energy.

Zac still didn’t really know if that was what saved him last time, but it was better to be safe than sorry. It was also because of this pulse he hadn’t dared let Verun out. Last time, all his belongings survived. In contrast, anything he didn’t touch had been destroyed, such as the Spatial Treasure and gear of the scout.

The pulse passed through him until it reached the edge of the courtyard, where it simply stopped. Zac stood frozen in place before he breathed out in relief. It looked like he’d been accepted. A second later, a furious burst of energy drew his attention, and Zac turned around to see an enraged group of Yeti Kings stomping outside.

Even if Zac had survived, they didn’t dare take as much as one step inside the courtyard, proving they knew just how dangerous this place was. Still, it was a bit distracting to have them scowl at him and cause a scene. Luckily, there was a simple solution since the stone gate remained intact.

“You guys should probably leave if you don’t want to get killed,” Zac muttered as he closed the doors. “Things will only get worse from here on out.”

Zac wanted to rush inside and get the second part of the seal, but his body was a mess. He hadn’t expected to be pushed this far by the beasts outside, so he reluctantly spent the next hour at the edge of the courtyard, restoring his body and energy while recovering from [Arcadian Crusade]’s backlash. It would be a colossal waste to squander the opportunity because of exhaustion.

After ten minutes, the commotion outside died down, giving Zac some peace and quiet. Even better, the temple seemed content to wait around, in contrast to the rubble that had essentially attacked him like a heat-seeking missile. After what felt like an eternity, Zac got back on his feet and walked toward the prayer hall with a mix of trepidation and anticipation.

Now that he stood within the temple and things had calmed down, he could feel an intense sense of antiquity emanating from the dilapidated ruins. There was also a sense of undying conviction ingrained into the very foundations he walked on. But it didn’t carry the aggressive aura of the Left Imperial Palace, the kind of fierceness that dared to go against the Heavens themselves.

It was solemn, and Zac felt it was somehow focused on a singular task. Suddenly, Zac stopped and turned his head, but only an empty courtyard met his confused gaze. For a moment, Zac had felt like he saw someone in the corner of his eye, silently watching him. Just as he thought he imagined things, another shape appeared, walking right past him toward the prayer hall.

The moment he saw the body, Zac found himself collapsing to the ground, and he was unable to so much as lift his head in front of its worldending aura. Thankfully, the immense pressure disappeared as quickly as it arrived, and by the time Zac looked up, the figure was gone. Were these imprints left by mighty people back when this place was still in use? Who could leave such powerful impressions as though he were in the presence of a deity?

Supremacies. Not even the powerful Autarch he’d met had exuded that kind of divinity, and these were merely lingering impressions in a dilapidated ruin.

The odd encounter didn’t scare Zac off. Instead, his anticipation grew as he ascended the seven steps of the temple and walked inside. If this little temple was visited by a Supremacy once upon a time, there might actually be more treasures than just a second piece of the rubble.

Unfortunately, there weren’t any piles of treasure waiting for him as he entered the prayer hall. Instead, it was simple and unadorned. The room was essentially empty except for a white altar and eight faded scrolls hanging behind it. The rock from which the altar was made was highly weathered, and if there had ever been any inscriptions on it, they were long gone. The same was true for the scrolls.

They might have been made from some High-grade paper once upon a time, but they had long lost their spirituality. Only one of the eight was still intact, while the others had broken off completely. But even the best-preserved scroll was chapped and cracked to the point it was impossible to make out what had once been written on it.

The signal didn’t come from the altar, nor did it come from any of the tapestries. Instead, it came from a statuette standing on the edge of the altar. It was roughly a twenty-centimeter-tall stone figurine, presumably depicting a man pointing toward the sky. Zac couldn’t be sure since it was also highly eroded, and the raised arm had been broken off at its elbow.

The statue didn’t look like an original part of the decoration. Contrasting the figurine and the rest of the ruins, it felt like someone had just placed it there after this place had already been abandoned. It was clearly ancient, but it didn’t share the same focused aura as the rest of the temple.

It didn’t emit a smidgeon of energy. Just like with the piece of rubble last time, Zac wouldn’t have given it a second glance if not for the strong signal it emitted. The statue also had three white lines covering its otherwise dark-grey surface, proving it was the item he’d come for. The scene was odd, prompting Zac to stop just inside the prayer hall entrance.

The piece of rubble had looked like something that had been knocked off from the Left Imperial Palace, a piece of debris in the true sense of the word. That obviously wasn’t the case with this figurine. It had been placed here by someone rather than having randomly appeared in this valley through a wormhole.

The difference seemed to carry some significance, some hidden implications he lacked the facts to decipher. Had it been placed here by the figure he glimpsed outside? Zac stood frozen in thought until he eventually released a pent-up breath and walked forward. The answers would come to him sooner or later. Or perhaps they wouldn’t. Zac was okay with that as well, even if he was curious.

Any stray thoughts were swept away the moment he came within ten meters of the statue. No longer did it seem like a harmless piece of antiquity. Instead, Zac was drowned by a towering aura so powerful, he was almost pushed to his knees again.

Hatred. Irreconciliation. Frustration. Longing.

A confusing mix of emotions barraged Zac’s mind, and he felt like a leaf swept up in a furious hurricane. No matter if it was his strengthened soul or his recent inroads into Heart Cultivation, they were far insufficient to deal with the sentiments contained within the small statuette. This was a hatred that had turned into a force of nature, holding the power to destroy everything.

The only reason his soul hadn’t instantly shattered was that the anger wasn’t directed at him—it was directed at the Heavens themselves. If anything, it felt like the statue was angry for him, or rather, for all beings. Just latent hatred was enough to drench Zac in sweat, and he wavered on how to proceed.

Zac grit his teeth and took another step forward. He didn’t know why this seal was different from the previous one. He also didn’t understand why he was almost pushed away by the statuette when he couldn’t avoid the piece of rubble even after trying. Zac only knew his opportunity was within arm’s reach, and some lingering resentment wouldn’t stop him now.

One step, two steps. Zac pushed forward, subduing the primal voice in his mind that urged him to run away from this pressure. After what felt like an eternity, he found himself right in front of the altar, his whole body covered in blood. It wasn’t from his wounds reopening but rather an effect of walking through this palpable anger.

Zac was eternally thankful the domain hadn’t grown any stronger as he got closer. He was already teetering on the edge of collapse as he touched the figurine with a shaking hand. At first, there was no response, but then Zac heard something.

A sigh.

“Another cycle, another Flamebearer. Will you break the chains or become another link?”

62

VOID VAJRA SUBLIMATION

The voice carried a sense of exhaustion and helplessness, like the speaker had been forced to observe a Sisyphean undertaking for an eternity. It came from everywhere at once, heard with his ears, soul, and heart. Someone speaking in this secluded place almost made Zac’s heart leap out of his throat, but he never got a chance to pinpoint the voice’s origin.

The two sentences had become the catalyst for a series of changes. The figurine released a massive pulse before crumbling into a pile of dark-grey dust on the altar. Zac was thankfully unscathed by the burst, but he found reality slow to a crawl as the small planets in his soul ground to a halt. Just like last time, three shimmering lines appeared in his aperture, their radiant light seemingly containing all the answers in the universe.

Zac’s mind had been thrown into chaos by the ominous message, and various theories were cropping up like weeds. The familiar scene in his Soul Aperture brought him back to the present, and Zac forcibly quelled the confusion as he focused on the task at hand. With everything except his thoughts frozen, he couldn’t do anything about the mysterious messenger even if he wanted. So, he might as well grasp the opportunity before worrying about cycles and chains.

Actually, it wasn’t hard to put the matter aside. The moment the lights appeared in his mind, nothing else mattered. They were showering him with so many insights and impressions, it was nigh impossible to concentrate on anything else.

As planned, Zac focused his attention on the [Void Vajra Sublimation] and the 81 expressions of the Void he’d envisioned so as not to waste even a mote of Ultom’s wisdom. Months of meditation and experimentation led to this moment, and he almost felt like a student waiting for a verdict from their adviser.

Had he found a viable direction after the last piece of the seal illuminated the way forward, or had he traversed down a blind alley in his search for a solution? Was that perhaps why he’d found himself at an impasse back in the cave under the Undrusian Sea, where there was an invisible wall that stopped him from progressing with his experiments any further?

The sweet suffering of having his brain filled with a million new ideas started anew, but this time they were built upon far sturdier foundations. He didn’t just start where the previous epiphany had left off. Having a real and practical understanding of the original Body Tempering Method and the effects of Heart Cultivation allowed him to go much further than the intangible conceptualization of last time.

Something was building inside Zac, something earthshattering as it diverged from conventional cultivation based on the Dao. His inspiration brought him further and further into the Void, where his answer waited, a solution that wouldn’t force him to accede to the Sangha’s worldview.

But it was too complex. To understand the Void was to understand all Dao, which was something Zac wasn’t sure even Supremacies were able to accomplish. Even if he only needed a simplified method, the truths that Ultom showed him were too absolute, too overpowering that they threatened to damage his psyche and push his path off course.

Zac held on as he endlessly iterated, pushing the limits of what his Soul and 3000-odd Intelligence could withstand. For the first time since the Integration, he felt a bit regretful that he’d essentially discarded the attribute that most improved one’s computational speed. Then again, Zac wasn’t so sure those kinds of boosts were applicable in this kind of situation.

And then it came to him.

A pop echoed in Zac’s mind as though the proverbial barrier preventing his understanding crumbled like it was a real thing. Zac felt like his whole being had been unclogged when it all dawned on him. There was no gradual buildup, no formation of one void expression at a time. All at once, 81 elusive dots were born, forming a circle in the middle of his chest.

More accurately, Zac pictured them like a pattern on his chest. These motes were neither tangible nor imaginary—they were focal points of his Heart Cultivation. No outsider would ever be able to see them, as they were more akin to emotions and mental states than pathways or fractals. But that didn’t make them any less real.

They were real, and they were true. Utterly and inconceivably true.

Even in their rudimentary state, Zac could tell they weren’t just something dragged out from Ultom’s endless repository of data. They were specially made by him and for him, where Zac used the epiphany like a supercomputer for deriving their shapes. If anything, they felt familiar to the point it was a bit bizarre. Sensing the circle was like he was sensing himself.

A few seconds later, Zac understood what was going on. The dots reminded him of his bloodline. The three lines in his Soul Aperture had somehow connected the ‘void’ in his bloodline with the spatial Void he’d been thrown into a few times and the void-state of the Heart he envisioned for his [Void Vajra Sublimation].

To this day, Zac didn’t quite understand what the ‘Void’ in his name came from or if and how it related to the actual Void between dimensions. The visions of Karz didn’t provide any clues either, since his abilities were essentially the opposite of Zac’s own. And since Karz lived in an era before the System, there weren’t any blue prompts to shed light on the situation.

But seeing the 81 dots, Zac understood a few things, even if he lacked the understanding to delve further. The Void between dimensions was just one of many Voids. The Void of Space, to be exact; a place utterly bereft of the Dao of Space. It was simply the most commonly known one since it had such an impact on the Multiverse.

Where any Dao existed, so did an opposing force, just like matter and antimatter. This should be the broader Void his bloodline referred to. And these dots represented the Void of Life. That was what he’d been missing before when he tried to come up with mental images meant to replace the Sutras—the connection between Heart and Life.

The Buddhist Sangha’s understanding of the Dao of Life was encoded into the [Boundless Vajra Sublimation]. Only a similar type of understanding would allow Zac to swap out one part without making the whole thing collapse. This was the key to his own Body Tempering Method and perhaps to his bloodline as a whole.

The formation of the dotted circle on his chest was just the start. While Zac delved deeper into the meaning of the Void and its coexistence with the Dao and Void, the tiny dots started to transform as they grew small tendrils. Almost like sprouts emerging from seeds, forming complex patterns rather than roots.

As the seeds grew, so did Zac’s comprehension of the Void and the Heart. The questions that plagued him during his training were swept away, replaced by ironclad certainty. Even the mysterious interrelation between Life, Body, and Heart that the Buddhist Sangha invented was exposed to the light; its secrets laid bare for Zac to see.

Armed with the practical understanding and effects of reciting the chants, Zac came to a worrying realization. There were problems with the original version of the method, problems beyond the commonly known pathbreaking risk.

Being flush with the boundless knowledge of Ultom, Zac was no longer confident he’d been given the original version by Three Virtues. Typically, it was hard to get a complete overview of the jam-packed memories imprinted in his mind, but now, the [Boundless Vajra Sublimation] felt like a tapestry for him to look at freely.

And it was clear as day. Cultivating the original method was a surrender of the self, where the Heart would ultimately supplant the Soul. There was a distinct difference in this concept from the more commonly known risks of cultivating the Buddhist methods—that their methods were a double-edged sword.

Either you’d succumb and join the Sangha, or you would walk away with immense benefits. This wasn’t the case, at least not with the manual he’d received. This was far more sinister. In essence, your consciousness would be locked away from your own body and turned into a spiritual battery to power the Vajra that your body had become.

On the outside, you would look like a converted monk who only had a Heart for Buddha, when in reality, you’d be a prisoner for the rest of your days.

The moment you reached the third layer and reached what the method called ‘Minor Sublimation,’ it would be game over. Normally, any rational cultivator would notice something was wrong before reaching that point, but the Heart Cultivation of the [Boundless Vajra Sublimation] would chisel away your apprehensions and suspicions. Only by stopping at the second layer would you be safe, but that stage wouldn’t give you the proper benefits of a Life-attuned body.

But now, all that had changed. Eventually, the dots stopped growing, leaving Zac with 81 unique sigils. His perception shifted, and even if time was still forced to a halt, the small circle on his chest changed into a hovering belt around his body. He couldn’t actually see the sigils, but he felt them slowly rotating around him. Together, they formed a circle with a diameter of around three meters.

The moment the sigils appeared outside his body, a familiar rumble shook the sky. The Heavens had descended, and Zac was almost kicked out of his unique state from the shock. Was he about to get blasted by another Lightning Tribulation? Usually, Zac wouldn’t mind, but he wasn’t ready this time.

Thankfully, the pressuring presence receded just a moment later, like it’d just doled out a warning before returning. Perhaps it had been unable to actually pinpoint his location… In either case, Zac was incredibly relieved, and he returned his attention to his [Void Vajra Sublimation]. Forming a working system with these Void Sigils was only the first step, even if it was the hardest one.

He needed to incorporate everything into the method if he wanted to use the Void Sigils for anything more than tempering his heart. From there, Zac methodically swapped out one piece of the technique after another, replacing Boundlessness with Void until a perfect system had been born. The lights in his soul had mostly dissipated, but he didn’t rush his work at all.

His memory contained all the layers of the [Boundless Vajra Sublimation], and Zac would rather finish the simpler ones at the beginning than risk any mistakes. An imperfection in the earlier layers of the method would create problems down the road, and it was better to get things right from the start. Like with the [Nine Reincarnations Manual], he would have to figure out the last layers when he got there.

Just as the lights were about to wink out, Zac finalized the third layer of his [Void Vajra Sublimation], which allowed him to breathe out in relief. It was what he needed to reach the first significant breakthrough of the method and gain an actual Life-attuned Constitution. From there, each layer would purify and strengthen his body further, with two more major checkpoints: Major Sublimation and True Boundless Sublimation, which Zac guessed would have to be renamed to True Void Sublimation.

And finally, the lights winked out, and Zac was brought down to reality where the marvels of the universe were out of grasp, where he once more was just a trifling E-grade cultivator mucking about in search of answers. Losing the connection to the lights of Ultom felt even rougher this time around. At least there were still two times to go, and if this round were any indication, each epiphany would contain the same number of insights.

More importantly, he’d actually accomplished what he set out to do—create a working Body Tempering Manual uniquely suited for him. It was a huge accomplishment that eluded some ancient clans, yet he managed to do it alone. Of course, without the help of the white light, he might never have accomplished it, but everyone who reached greater heights had a couple of unfathomable encounters under their belt.

The moment Zac was able to move again, he flashed away from the altar as [Verun’s Bite] appeared in his hand. He wasn’t overly surprised to find that there was no one around, though. No source to the voice from before. Zac’s best guess was that the voice was a lingering impression, just like those images he’d seen for a moment before entering the temple.

Perhaps they were all the same. The ghosts, the person who left the figurine in this temple, and the source of the voice. Perhaps, the voice wasn’t even speaking to him but instead worked like a pre-recorded message. There was no way to know and no time to figure it out. There was nothing else of value in this temple, and it was time to go.

Zac saw how space had already started to unravel above the altar, meaning a breach was about to hit the temple. Just as Zac was about to exit the prayer hall, the eroded altar hummed before releasing a wave of energy. The breach was immediately rebuffed, and Zac was filled with a sense of tranquility and clarity while the outside world was muted.

It looked like the altar was an item with a similar function to [Mind’s Eye Agate]. But even in its eroded state, the effect was orders of magnitudes greater. An odd sensation made Zac look inward, and he was both surprised and delighted to see lines being added to more than one of his skills. In fact, most of his skills were evolving, proving just how powerful the altar was.

That wasn’t to say it was all thanks to this temple. Many of his skills were long overdue for an upgrade, but his almost solitary focus on his technique and Soul during his time in the Orom World had put them on the backburner. After having been through two tremendous epiphanies and getting blessed by the altar, they were all bursting forth at once.

Zac was frozen in place, unable and unwilling to break this current state of comprehension. For a moment, it didn’t feel like he was standing in a long-forgotten ruin in some pocket dimension. He was standing in a prayer hall where ancient sages had meditated on the mysteries of the universe.

A few minutes later, the process was over, and Zac glanced in the direction of the mountain range where Vai waited. After some hesitation, he ultimately turned around and walked back to the altar. It still emitted that mysterious aura, and while his human side had received a slew of benefits, his Draugr side hadn’t.

Since Zac had no idea what would wait for him inside the temple, he hadn’t specified any time to the researcher. It shouldn’t have been more than an hour since he left Vai in the cave, even if he felt as though decades had passed from how much he’d comprehended. She should be fine with waiting a while longer.

And the same went for all the questions that popped up with this breakthrough. The voice, the lingering resentment in the figurine, even the fact that the Buddhist Sangha might have made a play for his body. Of course, it was impossible to tell with someone like Three Virtues. He might have known Zac would be able to change it, or at least he wouldn’t cultivate it blindly.

He might even have expected to be exposed, which might have forced Zac to visit the Sangha for a proper version. But now, all those questions would have to wait since there was no telling how long this mysterious effect would linger.

Soon, Zac once more stood in front of the altar, and he still couldn’t understand what was so special about it. It looked like a regular piece of rock carved into a large block, lacking any spirituality. Even now, that hadn’t changed. But it was indisputable that it had not only stabilized the breach in space but also turned the whole temple into a haven for cultivators.

Having decided, Zac’s eyes turned abyssal black as his skin paled. It was the first time he’d swapped to his undead form in a good long while, and it felt like reuniting with a friend more than anything. His time in the Twilight Ocean and the Orom had allowed him to become properly acquainted with his undead side, and it no longer felt like it was a special state or disguise.

It was as much him as his human side was, and Zac believed that feeling would only increase as he progressed further down his path.

While the altar’s effect on its surroundings was amazing, it was a far cry from the epiphany. But it was perfect for Zac’s purposes, and he smiled when another wave of inspiration began the moment the transition was complete. With these skill upgrades, he would have gained a comprehensive set of power-ups that covered almost every aspect of combat.

A few minutes later, the process was completed without a hitch. Though Zac wasn’t done there. Instead, he took out the Death-attuned Natural Treasure he’d saved for just this occasion, the treasure that could help upgrade skills. Between his two forms, there was one final holdout in his repertoire—[Vanguard of Undeath].

The other skills had all been upgraded, and with the recent burst of clarity, it had fallen even further behind. The temple had even provided sanctuary and an opportunity to fix the final missing link. He would be a fool not to go for it.

63

ARBITER

There were two reasons Zac had held off on upgrading [Vanguard of Undeath] for so long. The first was that it was one of the most complex skill fractals he had. For a long time, he didn’t feel confident in upgrading it. This issue was pretty much solved inside the Orom World, whether you considered strength of soul or tools to help with the process.

The real issue was that Zac had been hesitant in which direction he should take the skill. The skill on its own was great—providing a noticeable attribute boost without any detriments, bolstering your defenses, and even had a powerful taunting capability that synergized well with his fighting style. Zac could easily upgrade it and call it a day, and he would have a skill most infighting warriors could only dream of.

The problem was that [Vanguard of Undeath] no longer synergized as well with his toolkit. He couldn’t even activate it without taking out a spare shield, and [Deathmark] no longer required him to get hit to retaliate against his enemies.

The way he defended himself had also changed. Between the support from the pygmy skeletons of [Profane Exponents] and Alea’s chains, he didn’t get much from using a shield. With his improved technique, he wasn’t really in the business of trading blows like a brute, even if he could still outmatch and outlast almost anyone at his level. The skill needed to be reformed, which drastically increased the difficulty level.

Zac had two concepts he’d toyed around with, but both required extensive reworks even if the System simplified the process. His first choice was probably better suited for his needs, but it was more complex. The backup plan instead made use of most components of the old skill and only made the adjustments necessary to mesh better with his revamped fighting style.

The second choice was also more of an all-rounder skill, while the first more heavily leaned on [Love’s Bond]. If Alea regained her form, the skill would be made useless. The choice between these two had delayed him for a while, but he’d pretty much decided after Alea woke up for the first time. She was clearly in no hurry to regain a fleshy body, so this direction of his should last him through the D-grade at least. The difficulty of this undertaking prevented him from simply going ahead back on Earth, but now, Zac felt like everything was in place.

His mind was a bit exhausted from the previous epiphany, but the unfathomable aura that permeated the temple recovered his exhaustion faster than any Soldier Pill could. Meanwhile, it felt like a portal to the abyss had opened in his chest after swallowing the Natural Treasure, and the whispers of the underworld filled him with inspiration while his pathways became malleable.

Zac briefly considered taking out his other items, but he ultimately only pulled out two of his Higher-quality Incense Sticks, whose only purpose was to recover Mental Energy. As for the others, Zac could somewhat sense they’d cause disharmony with the ancient altar. And since the altar was creating an effect far greater than all his other tools combined, he didn’t want to rock the boat.

This time, he didn’t use the [Fractal Framework Array] either. Like in the Twilight Chasm, Zac felt no need for training wheels. In contrast to that time, his mind was almost impossibly clear. Back when he’d created [Pillar of Desolation], he had descended into an almost manic state, but he felt like a skilled surgeon now when he detached the Skill Fractal of [Vanguard of Undeath] with pinpoint precision.

One set of fractals after another was transformed or reformed, partly following the blueprint he’d prepared. Zac didn’t completely follow his original plan though, because he could clearly see some of his ideas wouldn’t work thanks to his current state of enlightenment. Still, it wasn’t enough to cause worry.

By this point, Zac was essentially in a stage where he was preparing to upgrade his E-grade skills to D-grade. Even a tricky F-grade skill like [Vanguard of Undeath] couldn’t stump him anymore, at least not with the multilayered advantages.

At the first step of the transformation, the section focused on attribute boosts was bolstered at the cost of defenses. He still left a smaller defensive function in the skill, but it wouldn’t be as obvious as the thick black armor created from pure Miasma. This part was dealt with in less than an hour since it wasn’t the true focus of the skill or Zac’s plans.

It was all about the taunting ability.

This was a feature Zac had never encountered in anyone else’s skills, and it was shockingly effective. Only [True Strike] came somewhat close, but the skill he snatched from the Erudite Master was actually pretty useless. It couldn’t affect battle-hardened and skilled opponents, and those were the only ones Zac needed it against.

That wasn’t true for the taunt in [Vanguard of Undeath]. Its effect was far-reaching and extremely hard to avoid. It could even subvert the movement skills of enemies and have them appear right in front of him. No matter if it was to stop enemies from moving or controlling a battlefield, it could make the impossible possible.

This was the most crucial function, so even if he was in an almost empty state of clarity, he still felt some worry as he started to make sweeping changes. Whole new sections were added to the system, making it infinitely more complex. Meanwhile, the core patterns of the taunt were bolstered, pushing the boundaries of what was possible with an E-grade skill.

With these many patterns, the skill’s energy expenditure would skyrocket. Zac didn’t care. His energy stores were simply monstrous for an E-grade warrior, and the plan was to step into Hegemony in a few years. He would have more energy than an E-grade skill could ever expend by that point.

More and more patterns were added until the skill was almost unrecognizable. Even then, there hadn’t been a single moment of imbalance in the Skill Fractal or a single close-call where he almost messed up. Fueled by the deathly treasure and the mysterious state of emptiness, he was like a machine that methodically worked through the process. Like this, the hours passed until a snap almost broke his focus.

It was the altar. A deep crack had split it in two, and Zac was surprised there really wasn’t anything inside it. It was just ordinary rock all the way through. It was worrying that the altar had just broken apart like that, but it wasn’t a big deal. Apart from the altar getting a crack, the rest of the temple was fine. The tranquil aura still lingered in the prayer hall, and Zac was already wrapping up the upgrade.

A few minutes later, the process was complete, and he released a pent-up breath as he inserted the skill into his pathways again. Zac spent the next couple of minutes just sitting in peace as the connections stabilized. Only then did he finally open his Skill Screen to see the results of his hard work.

[E] Arbiter of the Abyss – Proficiency: Early. Wield the chains of finality. Become the justice of the abyssal legions. Upgradeable.

Zac nodded in satisfaction upon seeing the description of the skill that replaced [Vanguard of Undeath]. The previous flavor text said, ‘Become the eye of the storm. The storm of the abyssal legions.’ The drastic change of [Arbiter of the Abyss] proved that some of its fundamental features had been revamped.

He was no longer in the eye of the storm, no longer a meat shield meant to run at the forefront of an army. Instead, the skill’s fundamental themes now centered around chains and finality, which was far more on point with his class. If not for Vai and possibly others spying at the valley, he would have run out to test the upgraded skill on those Yeti Kings. Unfortunately, that would have to wait, and Zac turned his focus to his other skills on the Status Screen.

Class Skills

[E] Blighted Cut – Proficiency: Late. Corner. Seal. Devour. Upgradeable.

[E] Deathmark – Proficiency: Late. Join your forces in dance to death. Upgradeable.

[E] Fields of Despair – Proficiency: Late. A desolate haze, both entrapping and illuminating.

[E] Profane Exponents – Proficiency: Late. Fatewarded by the profane masters. Upgradeable.

[E] Indomitable – Proficiency: Late. The will of the underworld is intractable, undeterred by the screams of the bound. Upgradeable.

[E] Pillar of Desolation – Proficiency: Middle. Stuck and struggling. Inexorable Desolation. Upgradeable.

[E] Desperation’s End – Proficiency: Early. Bind them. End them. Upgradeable.

[E] Arbiter of the Abyss – Proficiency: Early. Wield the chains of finality. Become the justice of the abyssal legions. Upgradeable.

Zac nodded with satisfaction as he closed his Status Screen. While his new skills and big finishers were lagging slightly behind, he was making decent progress on the skill front. He could tell there was a clear difference in how the E-grade skills progressed. Back in the F-grade, his skills upgraded as he fought, often mid-battle when he pushed himself.

That still happened on occasion, but it was clear that improving his skills required a more concerted effort in the E-grade. Now, they needed him to understand the underpinnings of the skill and how to improve their effectiveness and comprehend the Daos that made them possible. Thankfully, it didn’t require affinities or profound knowledge of fractals.

Zac had seen how quickly his mastery skills progressed when he put his mind to it back in the Orom World. As long as he dedicated a year or so to it, he should be able to push most of his skills to the peak. And just as luck would have it, an opportunity would soon present itself, provided he got out of here in one piece.

After all, he would have to make some inroads with his newly minted [Void Vajra Sublimation] before heading over to the Perennial Vastness.

Body Tempering didn’t take as long as Soul Cultivation if you managed to withstand the torturous pain that would grow increasingly severe as you progressed. Zac figured it would still take a year or two to reach a level equivalent to his Draugr Constitution. During the downtime, he would be able to work on his skills to make sure they wouldn’t hold him back too much the moment he became a Hegemon.

Zac opened his Status Screen next to see if there were any other notable changes.

Name: Zachary Atwood

Level: 145

Class: [E-Epic] Fetters of Desolation

Race: [D] Draugr – Void Emperor (Corrupted)

Alignment: [Zecia] Atwood Empire – Baron of Conquest

Titles: […] Runebinder, Runic Erudition, Grand Fate, Blooddrenched Baron, Connate Conqueror

Limited Titles: Tower of Eternity Sector All-Star – 14th, The Final Twilight, Equanimity, Heart of Fire, Big Axe Gladiator

Dao: Branch of the War Axe – Early, Branch of the Kalpataru – Early, Branch of the Pale Seal – Early

Core: [E] Duplicity

Strength: 19,304 [Increase: 133%. Efficiency: 287%]

Dexterity: 8,065 [Increase: 98%. Efficiency: 206%]

Endurance: 14,325 [Increase: 119%. Efficiency: 287%]

Vitality: 12,420 [Increase: 107%. Efficiency: 273%]

Intelligence: 3,322 [Increase: 92%. Efficiency: 206%]

Wisdom: 6,412 [Increase: 99%. Efficiency: 216%]

Luck: 663 [Increase: 116%. Efficiency: 229%]

Free Points: 0

Nexus Coins: [D] 933,647

There was nothing new to see on his Status Screen. He’d somewhat hoped he’d get a new title for creating the Body Tempering Manual or his new skill, but the System hadn’t seen fit to provide anything this time around. Perhaps it wasn’t too surprising. He had already created something unique like [Pillar of Desolation], which possibly surpassed the limits of E-grade skills since it used a bit of Oblivion Energy to activate.

Meanwhile, he admitted he hadn’t actually created a Body Tempering Manual, even if what he accomplished was almost as impressive. It was ultimately monks who researched all the theories, and Zac only made alterations to better suit him.

Zac briefly considered whether he should top off the two missing levels on his Draugr side, but ultimately decided against it. The attributes from two levels wouldn’t make much difference, and he’d used up what little Kill Energy he got from killing yetis on [Surging Vitality]. Instead, he swapped back to his human form to once more open his Status Screen.

Class Skills

[E] Axe Mastery – Proficiency: Peak. The seed of Dao is planted. Upgradeable

[E] Ancestral Woods – Proficiency: Middle. Oneness with nature

[E] Rapturous Divide – Proficiency: Peak. Between the Abyss and Arcadia is an endless chasm. Upgradeable.

[E] Arcadia’s Judgement. – Proficiency: Middle. Only judgement awaits those who encroach on the mandate of Arcadia. Upgradeable.

[E] Nature’s Edge – Proficiency: Peak. Nature is the most ruthless weapon. Upgradeable.

[E] Arcadian Crusade – Proficiency: Middle. Nothing will deny the vengeance of Arcadia. Upgradeable.

[E] Forester’s Constitution – Proficiency: Late. All living beings under the Heavens, one entity. Upgradeable.

[E] Earthstrider – Proficiency: Late. Traverse the boundless worlds, unrestrained and unfettered. Upgradeable.

[E] Empyrean Aegis – Proficiency: Middle. Become as unshakeable as the pillars of life. Upgradeable.

As expected, there was widespread progress on his human side as well, where most skills had taken a step forward. One positive difference to his Draugr side was that [Empyrean Aegis] had reached Middle Mastery, while [Desperation’s End] remained at Early Mastery. It wasn’t a surprise, really, with how often he’d been forced to use his defensive skill while inside the Void Star. Meanwhile, he had barely spent any time in his undead form since getting his ultimate finisher.

With both his [Void Vajra Sublimation] created and the surprise boost of his skills, Zac could finally turn his attention to the more troublesome matters. His eyes turned to the cracked altar, or rather the anthracite dust that had formed a small pile at its edge. The figurine was gone, but it was still firmly engraved into his memory.

That hatred and sense of irreconciliation directed at the Heavens was beyond anything Zac had ever felt, and this was just from a small figurine that had almost been completely eroded over the countless years. It was a shame. Zac believed if he’d been able to confirm who it depicted, he would have been able to get closer to the background of Ultom and the secrets of the Left Imperial Palace.

There was also the voice and the ominous message.

‘Another cycle, another Flamebearer. Will you break the chains or become another link?’

Even if the message was cryptic, Zac believed the voice and figurine had given some critical clues. He was competing for an inheritance, but the inheritance wasn’t treasures or the palace itself. At least not only that. It was an inheritance of destiny, of a goal.

A goal for what, Zac had no idea, and he wasn’t sure he wanted anything to do with it going by the burning anger toward the Heavens the figurine held. If Zac had to guess, it would be that the figurine wanted to destroy the Heavens themselves. Not even the shimmering lights were enough for Zac to get hitched to such a maniacal wagon.

He was already skating on thin ice with all his borderline unorthodox methods. He was just looking for some solutions to take his wonky constitution into the D-grade; anything beyond that was asking too much. Perhaps he was even better off if he skipped out on getting the fourth piece of the seal. If he could figure out how to form his Life-Death-Conflict core with the next seal, he might as well stop and count his winnings.

Then again, Zac had been around long enough to know it wasn’t necessarily up to him whether he wanted to partake or not. The first vision of Ultom had literally crammed itself into his head out of nowhere, and it was entirely possible the System or Ultom itself would somehow derail his plans to keep going at it.

Apart from the meaning of being a Flamebearer, there was also the issue of the Sangha. Three Virtues was the personification of a shifty monk, though Zac had never felt he was sinister. But the trap hidden within the [Boundless Vajra Sutra] was one of the most diabolical methods he’d ever seen. It was essentially possession, except your body was seized by a Buddha-loving avatar of your own creation.

Zac didn’t get it. Why had they imparted him with something like that? And was it the intention of Three Virtues or the Sangha itself? And why did it feel like it all was related to Ultom? There was no proof for his hunch, other than he couldn’t shake the nagging feeling that everything Three Virtues had done was to alter the events related to this inheritance. He might just be paranoid, but the suspicion could also be an effect of his high Luck and how it attuned him to the winds of fate.

It also made sense—the voice before mentioned cycles. Zac was confident it referred to eras, like the current Era of Unification. Zac didn’t know about the Left Imperial Palace, but Ultom was definitely an Eternal Heritage. Some monstrously powerful faction had failed in some undertaking and created the Ultom Courts to keep the flame of hope alive.

It was no shocker that even the Sangha would compete for something like that. From what little Zac had learned about Eternal Heritages from Qi’Sar and Kaldor, an Eternal Heritage was the most powerful strategic resource a faction could possess. Getting their hands on one was enough to shift the balance and possibly impact the whole Multiverse.

With so much on the line, it wasn’t inconceivable that the Buddhist Sangha would go so far as to try to turn him into a puppet. Perhaps Three Virtues somehow realized Zac held a connection with the Left Imperial Palace and chosen to take a chance. If Zac actually practiced the [Boundless Vajra Sublimation], the Sangha might have gotten a Flamebearer for free in a few years when Zac reached the third layer and became a mindless Vajra.

And if one peak faction knew about Ultom and was looking for it, what about the others? Even if they didn’t know now, they would eventually. The unorthodox cultivators from the other Sector were already looking for pieces of the seal, so Zac keeping his mouth shut wasn’t enough. Old monsters would come crawling out of the woodwork.

How would this all affect Zecia? This was just a tiny frontier Sector without any powerful guardians. That golem who accompanied Iz Tayn could probably annihilate all of Zecia’s peak factions in a week or two. Even if the powerful factions didn’t actively target the natives of Zecia, it was undoubtedly a calamity if the Sector became the battleground for an Eternal Heritage.

For such a prize, even Supremacies might make a move. Could Zecia withstand something like that? Zac almost regretted fleeing from that crazy firebug before. If anyone had the answers to this mess, it would be her and her golemoid guardian. Of course, Zac didn’t know about Ultom back then, so it was a bit of a moot point.

One thing was for sure—the upcoming war wasn’t as simple as it seemed. More was at stake than losing to some unorthodox cultivators, and his current strength wasn’t enough to secure Earth or even protect himself. He was an ant standing between towering giants whose whims held his life and death. He needed to find a solution to this predicament.

Perhaps he could crawl up the leg of one of those giants? After all, being a Flamebearer should hold some significance to the factions who wanted to take Ultom for themselves.

64

EDICT

On Kalstor Vala, the whispers of war had finally reached the general populace, and thousands of rumors circulated in the markets, taverns, and households. However, the unrest didn’t reach the sprawling manor in the center of the capital, whose forests stretched for hundreds of miles.

There, it was a secluded haven, shielded from the sorrows of the outer worlds, and the marvelous glades and pristine lakes were known across the planet for their beauty. But those living at Kalstor Vala couldn’t have imagined the rumor was a sham, that there was a festering blight hiding in the heart of the forest.

“Where the hell is he!”

The evil star paced, demanding answers just as she had so many times before.

“Mis-Mistress, we assure you, we have sent out the messages as you have instructed,” Porto Vala said as he dabbed his forehead with a handkerchief.

Porto couldn’t believe how one’s fortunes could turn so quickly. Living close to the Kaldran Straits was fraught with danger, but this was just cheating. It had started out so well. Just a few centuries after he’d taken up the role as a ward of his family’s mercantile planet, the Undead Empire halted its warfare for the first time in eons.

That reprieve only lasted a few short years before they started attacking with redoubled efforts. Porto soon learned the reason—it wasn’t about killing humans and assimilating their planets. Not exclusively, anyway. A true war was coming to Zecia, and the Undead Empire was honing their warriors against the coalition’s armies.

With powerful invaders coming over, the Undead Empire saw an opportunity to seize high-potential bodies from both sides, so they no longer cared about casualties as they reforged their war machine with blood and ice. Anyone who fell at this point wouldn’t be of any use in the real struggle, anyway.

Luckily, Kalstor Vala was some distance from the frontlines where the undead and living fought for the fates of their planets. His job was only to rebuff the occasional raid or scouting party with the help of the planet’s arrays and the garrisoned soldiers. But who could have expected this evil star and her supremely powerful guardian would show up out of the blue and forcibly move into his mansion?

The whole coalition had collectively breathed out in relief when the mysterious Draugr scion had finally left the Zecia Sector for the rotten pastures of the Empire Heartlands. Her presence, or rather that of her master’s, had been like a butcher’s axe that hung over the Kaldran Strait for years until the danger passed without incident.

Only a scant few years later, Catheya Sharva’Zi was back, and she’d brought an even more terrifying master this time. What was it with this lass and her interest in this remote little Sector? Couldn’t she just leave well enough alone and let them lead their lives in peace? And who was this bastard who kept eluding them? If not for him, these unwelcome guests would have long been gone.

“If you did what you were supposed to do, then we would have had an answer by now, wouldn’t we?” the young scion glared, her abyssal eyes boring into Porto’s.

“I’m starting to think your connection to that man is not as close as you led us to believe,” a voice echoed through the hall like the death knolls of a funeral procession, and Porto’s hair immediately stood on end. “Were you perhaps just a passing acquaintance who saw an opportunity to enrich yourself?”

The next moment, cascading waves of death filled the hall, and Porto desperately took out a number of Divine Crystals to avoid being crushed under the tide of undeath. Even then, he didn’t dare so much as look up when the two spoke, but he also didn’t dare to just leave in the presence of a powerful Monarch.

“You can believe whatever you want,” Catheya snorted. “You can try approaching him yourself and see how that goes.”

“We spent quite a bit on you, child. Yet we have nothing to show for it,” the second Draugr commented, not sparing Porto so much as a glance.

“He came back more than half a year ago, but going by the report, he might be wounded,” Catheya ventured. “He might also have chosen to discard this line of communication since so much time has passed. Perhaps we should move to the second location?”

Porto’s eyes widened in a mix of hope and horror. The abyssal eyes of these terrifying Draugr had haunted him for over two years, and every night he’d dreamt of their departure. Just not like this. They’d sworn they wouldn’t harm him if he successfully contacted whatever bastard they were trying to find, but they never made any guarantees if he failed.

Would they really leave him with his little life if he didn’t deliver? That young lass might have done so, but the old wretch who accompanied her reeked of blood.

“A-Ah, mistress, I will try again. Don’t you worry,” Porto urgently said as he once more dabbed his face. “I’m sure we will get an answer momentarily. Surely.”

“You have three months,” the Monarch said as she stared at him with those nightmare-inducing eyes. “Get us an answer within three months… If you fail, then I will personally awaken you and this planet. Now, leave us.”

Catheya shook her head at the receding back of the corpulent merchant before she turned her gaze back to her guide. Or warden, depending on how you looked at it. What she said was true; the Umbri’Zi Clan and the Abyssal Lake had provided her with opportunities that most Draugr could only dream of.

But it was contingent on her delivering on her end. If she failed, it wasn’t just a problem for her but for the whole Sharva’Zi Clan. She still remembered the nervous eyes of her father when he sent her off with Enis Umbri’Zi, a Monarch whose bloody feats during the Havarok War had reached even the Abyssal Lake. She was a terrifying butcher, though Catheya couldn’t just sit back and let Enis do as she pleased.

“Three months?” Catheya asked with a frown. “The deadline set by the Abyssal Lake was five years. Only two years have passed since we returned.”

“Things have changed,” Enis said. “An edict arrived at the Kavriel Clan yesterday; I just got it.”

“An edict?” Catheya said with a sinking heart. Not many had the authority to send out something like that, and getting one sent to the frontier was nigh-unprecedented. “Is it the Abyssal Council?”

“No, child,” Enis said as she looked deeply into Catheya’s eyes. “It comes from the Heart.”

“The Founders!” Catheya blurted.

As far as she knew, the Founders hadn’t left the Heart for tens of millions of years as they tirelessly worked on their undertaking. During the endless years of the Undead Empire, they’d only appeared during a few critical junctures, like when the Buddhist Sangha was out for blood or during the crusades of the Ancient Imperial Clans.

“The seal is growing stronger. The backup squads with the followers you requested will not be able to make it through.” Enis said.

“Is that it?” Catheya said with confusion.

“No, that was just an update from the Kavriel Clan,” Enis said. “The edict is simple; Zachary Atwood must choose death and join our side. No matter what. This is no longer just a matter of the Abyssal Shores. It is a matter of the empire.”

Catheya took a shuddering breath, trying to compute what just happened. For the Eternal 108 to turn their gazes toward Zecia was incomprehensible. Just what kind of storm had that troublemaker kicked up this time?

* * *

“It isn’t right,” Emberstorm muttered as they flew toward an enormous citadel in the distance. “Working with these cretins.”

From beneath, screams and clamors of the endless series of bloody cages assaulted them, and even Til’Siri was a bit unnerved by the misery. Many thought beasts cruel, but she’d never seen these kinds of macabre conditions among any others than cultivators. This wasn’t natural selection—it was elevation through misery.

But orders were orders.

“We’re not working with them,” Til’Siri sighed. “We’re just using them to get to the Left Imperial Palace.”

“That isn’t much better. Since when did the Starbeast Alliance need to barter with the Unorthodoxy? Just because we’re both standing outside the cultivator alliances doesn’t mean we’re the same,” Emberstorm spat. “The fell karma of this world is nauseating. We should just annihilate this little faction and seize the Space Gate for ourselves. The Black Heart Sect wouldn’t dare raise an issue over a frontier Sector.”

“You don’t know that,” Til’Siri countered with annoyance.

Even after reaching Atavism, these ancient and oversized insects were simply too bloodthirsty. Thank the Heavens a Qilin Beast Emperor was in charge of this mission rather than one of those lunatics. Of course, while she and Emberstorm were just sent there to observe and assist at this stage, they’d probably gotten the same orders from their elders.

If an opportunity presented itself, seize a spot by any means necessary. In other words, they were competitors, and there was no need to keep up any pretenses when dealing with this fool.

“Didn’t you hear? The Black Heart Patriarch fought with Lord Realmsbane not long ago, and the lord was forced to back down. They clearly have a vested interest in this matter. Otherwise, the patriarch would never have appeared.”

“So what?” Emberstorm shrugged. “Even if Lord Realmsbane was pushed back, it didn’t count. The lord only fought to prove a point, and they battled inside the Black Heart Dimension. If one of the Ancestors make a move, the whole cult would be turned to ash.”

“That’s enough,” Lonzor said. “Black Heart Sect is not as simple as you think. Neither of the two went all-out in that fight. If the Black Heart Patriarch completely unseals the curse in his chest, few in the Multiverse would get out of the conflict in one piece. And there are rumors their founder is still alive in stasis. Besides, many things are at play here.”

“Other factions?” Til’Siri frowned.

“Not yet. We should be among the first,” Lonzor said with a shake of his head. “It’s about fate. According to the Bone Sage, two rivers of fate have converged because of an anomaly. Even the System has gotten involved. Using force could backfire as the rivers drown us. We need to play by the rules.”

“So, what should we do?” Til’Siri asked.

“The first step is setting up our presence here,” Lonzor said. “As you said, the Black Heart Sect isn’t able to contend for the Ultom Courts. They simply have too many enemies and too few allies to protect something like that. The Cultivator Clans would band together and launch a crusade under the guise of justice to seize the Left Imperial Palace for themselves. The cult chose a different path—that of a ferryman.”

“What?” Emberstorm said with confusion.

“Because of the cosmic hiccup, there is still much we don’t know, but we do know that this event is targeted at the younger generation. The Black Heart Sect still doesn’t know the details, but they figured out this Sector was integral to competing for the opportunity. Since they couldn’t take the thing themselves, they’ve opted to demand resources in return for passage through the Space Gate and a spot in the upcoming events,” the Qilin explained.

“You want us to become mercenaries in some frontier war?” Til’Siri said with a frown, disgusted at the mere thought of fighting shoulder to shoulder with these maniacs.

“The sanctioned war is a part of the puzzle. We just don’t know how yet,” Lonzor nodded. “Our tasks are as follows: we need to establish our presence here while searching for clues of the Left Imperial Palace. If we encounter an Inheritor Candidate, we need to either recruit them or kill them. If we find other outsiders sniffing around, we kill them immediately. Finally, we need to quicken the formation of the Space Gate.

“Our greatest advantage is that we’re ahead of the competition. The earlier this war begins, the better we’ll be positioned compared to those who come behind us.”

“I don’t know anything about Space Gates,” Emberstorm muttered before his amber eyes lit up. “But I can help you kill the Inheritor Candidates. They should just be some frontier natives, right?”

“About that,” Til’Siri said. “If we really encounter a candidate… If we manage to seize their opportunity…”

“Well, you’re welcome to try,” Lonzo said with a small smile. “The Bone Sage said only those beneath a century of age will be able to contend, but you might surprise us all.”

“What!” Til’Siri exclaimed, while Emberstorm looked like he was about to explode. “I’m over six hundred years old!”

“This opportunity already has an intended recipient, it’s neither for your branches or mine to claim,” Lonzor sighed with a complex expression. “Our job is to pave their path.”

“Who?” Emberstorm raged. “I know I’m only on the twentieth spot of the Starbeast Stele, but what bastard has been given this chance without any discussion? That little brat, Laka? No, she should be 180 years old.”

“It’s not anyone on the Starbeast Stele,” Lonzor said. “A primordial has been unsealed.”

* * *

Finding a proper backer was essentially the same plan Zac had when trying to deal with the Great Redeemer. Unfortunately, the problem remained the same—how to retain control, or at least autonomy, in a relationship with a vast power imbalance. Just like Yrial once said, when valuable treasures were at stake, there was no such thing as orthodox or righteous factions.

A crackling sound drew Zac from his thoughts, and he frowned when he saw that space had once more started to collapse. Was it because the mysterious aura of the temple had grown sparse? It looked like it hadn’t actually closed the breach but only momentarily pushed it away. Luckily, Zac had already gotten everything he needed, so there was no point in sticking around.

Zac hesitated a second before he flashed over to the cracked altar. He could feel how space was fast collapsing, but he couldn’t just leave such a valuable treasure behind. Zac put his hand on the stone, but his brows soon furrowed. He was trying to put it into a Spatial Ring, but nothing happened.

Since the altar refused to enter his Spatial Treasure, Zac could only rely on brute force. His muscles strained as he gripped the edges of the altar, and his eyes almost bulged out from their sockets when he couldn’t move even the smallest piece so much as an inch. He didn’t know if the seemingly ordinary stone actually had the weight of a mountain or if some unseen force was preventing him from moving it, but it quickly became apparent it wouldn’t budge.

Zac was filled with a sense of frustration as he looked down at the broken altar. The treasure was so close, yet it was impossibly out of reach. Would he really have to leave such an amazing item for meditation behind? Even after all his gains, Zac still felt like he’d lost out on a fortune, and his eyes roved the hall for a consolation prize until they focused on the tattered scroll hanging on the wall.

Better than nothing.

He flashed over with [Earthstrider] and snatched it with one practiced motion, and was relieved to see it could enter his Spatial Ring. Even now, Zac had no idea if it actually had any effect, but he figured he might as well take it. Who knew? It might be able to provide one final burst of glory that helped him out sometime in the future.

But the moment Zac snatched the scroll, he immediately regretted it, as a new set of cracks appeared on the altar. Simultaneously, the odd undulations drastically increased in power, making Zac wonder if the scroll had actually helped keep the collapse at bay. The breach that had been held at bay for so long seemed to be coming back with redoubled ferocity, and Zac’s Danger Sense screamed at him to leave before it was too late.

With a flash, he appeared at the doorway of the temple, just in time before space itself collapsed like a punctured ball. The altar was swallowed by an impossibly deep chasm, and Zac’s footing became precarious as the whole temple started to buckle. Zac glanced at the ring on his hand with some regret as he ran for his life.

Why didn’t he ever learn?

65

SOME THINGS NEVER CHANGE

The whole valley was being dragged to where the altar once stood, and a deep sense of trepidation filled Zac when he glanced at the quickly forming singularity. He could tell it wasn’t just the Void on the other side, and neither was it some other realm of the Void Star—there was a sense of antiquity coming from it, antiquity tainted by an ancient madness that would give the Remnants a run for their money.

Just being in its presence made the Cosmic Energy in Zac’s body restless to the point he almost lost control of it. Thankfully, the effect lessened the farther he moved away from the altar. A moment later, he leapt over the outer gate that served as a demarcation line for the bipedal beasts, ready to fight his way out if need be.

But on the other side, there were no yetis remaining. The carcasses from his blitz and the spike trap wake were left behind, but the beasts themselves had already escaped. The whole square was already being bent and twisted from the relentless pull coming from the temple. Zac still noticed there was a new line of annihilation reaching almost halfway across the square.

Within that line, the corpses had turned into new piles of dust, and Zac remembered the powerful pulse he released upon touching the figurine. It looked like the final pulse showcased a greater reach and possibly disintegrated all of the Beast Kings who waited for him at the gate. Though it could also be possible they’d realized the way the wind blew and left early. After all, they exhibited an extraordinary level of intelligence for a group of beasts.

Now wasn’t the time to worry about the fates of the yetis, though. The previously impenetrable tiles of the square were being bent and twisted like they were made of clay, and the enormous valley had almost turned into a tunnel as space itself was being siphoned away. The singularity only grew hungrier, and Zac started to worry if it would even be satiated from just swallowing the valley.

Each step with [Earthstrider] should have allowed Zac to cross hundreds of meters, but space had coagulated. He could only exhibit a third of the effect, which wasn’t enough to offset how much of the square was being dragged into the black hole behind him. But the pull suddenly lessened as Zac released [Void Zone], and the next step he took completely ignored the restrictions placed on the area.

Using his Void Energy in the open like this was a bit risky, but he was out of options. He could sense that he would be swallowed if he stayed behind just a few seconds longer. The unfettered speed of a Void-empowered [Earthstrider] allowed him to shoot out from the collapsing valley in just a moment, cleanly breaking free from the pull as he landed on a cliff overlooking the whole valley.

Behind him, it was like the jaws of a primordial beast were snapped shut as the whole valley was disintegrated. In its stead was a churning darkness that felt like it wanted to consume the universe. The calamity thankfully didn’t spread through the mountain range, though not for lack of trying.

Zac had been prepared to keep running, but nine enormous sigils had appeared at the edge of the valley, each one vaguely familiar. He hadn’t seen them in the dilapidated temple but rather on the parchments lifted from the cultists. That alone wasn’t enough to make him feel safe, but he took out one of his copies as he kept running, and it didn’t take any time to confirm his hunch.

None of these nine sigils were the one he had a connection to, but they resembled nine others spread out among the fakes. It really looked as though the infiltrators knew even more than he previously thought. He had no idea what these nine sigils represented, and neither did he understand what the sigils had trapped.

A deep thud from within the heart of the darkness forcibly interrupted Zac’s use of [Earthstrider], and a stabbing headache indicated his soul had been wounded as he slammed into a sheer mountain wall. He buried Verun into the stone to stop the fall as he looked around with bleary eyes.

Only to see a completely changed landscape.

The ball of churning darkness was gone, replaced by an enormous pillar that seemed to cut straight through the whole Mystic Realm. It pierced into the sky like the Tower of Eternity on one end, and Zac could see how it had dug deep into the ground on the other. The pillar wasn’t corporeal, instead looking like a purple night sky that ran like a river through a tube.

Inside, small motes of lights shimmered like failing stars, and Zac spotted various ruins being dragged toward the sky. The sight was tranquil, but Zac’s hair stood on end as he sensed its aura. It wasn’t just a river of stars—it was a stream of condensed madness far more dangerous than what he’d sensed back in the temple.

Zac didn’t dare look at it for long; it felt like his mind was being invaded. Only by focusing on the sigils that still formed a protective barrier around it was he safe. Not only that, but the sigils contained a hint of the truths he’d briefly been in touch with during his epiphany. Part of Zac simply wanted to sit down and meditate in front of this spectacle, except this was neither the place nor the time.

Those sigils stood strong for now, but that purple sky was too ominous. There was no telling what would happen if the sigils failed, so he wanted to be long gone before this thing went sideways. And that was doubly true in case there were infiltrators or Templars skulking about in the mountains.

The dark pillar was hundreds of times bigger than an incursion light, and those things could be seen from miles away. If there really were people in these parts, there was simply no way this display wouldn’t attract attention. This wasn’t how he wanted to rejoin the Void Gate squads. He needed to create distance between himself and the Left Imperial Palace if he wanted a chance to sneak out unnoticed.

If some elite force from the Void Monastery discovered him absconding with a piece of the seal, then the mutated Ferric Worldeater in his Beast Pouch would be the least of his worries. Perhaps he would have taken the risk if the opportunity was more palpable, but he only got a familiar feeling from the sigils rather than the real thing.

There was also Vai to worry about. He was only a few mountains away from the hiding spot, so chances were she’d been hit by that pulse. She might even have been implicated by the exodus of the Yeti horde. That thought alone filled him with a sense of foreboding, and Zac swallowed a Soul Mending Pill before he shot toward the mountain cave he’d left her in. A moment later, Zac passed through the fake wall, and his heart sunk to rock bottom.

The cave was empty.

The odds of her leaving on her own accord didn’t look good—there were a few splotches of blood on the ground. Had her protective bubble run out of power? Had someone managed to get the drop on her, sealing her movements before she could take it out? Zac desperately looked for clues, and his eyes lit up when he saw something upon activating [Cosmic Gaze].

There was a small mark of Space-attuned Dao right by the exit, its aura clearly belonging to Vai. If he looked at it normally, there was nothing special about the spot. But to his attuned gaze, it appeared to be a purple streak. It had to be intentional—Vai would have needed to infuse the rock with her Mental Energy for it to stay on like that. She was trying to leave a trail for him.

That alone was extremely good news. Most importantly, she was still alive. Secondly, the little researcher was extremely considerate. If she’d thought her captors were too much for him to handle, there was no way she would have left that mark behind.

There was no hesitation in Zac’s heart as he set out, his gaze roving through the cliffs and crags in the area. He didn’t immediately see anything, but he didn’t give up, not even when one of the runes holding back the starry sky broke apart. Zac ignored the inauspicious signal and methodically checked his surroundings as he flashed around in a growing spiral. Finally, he found a second mark a few hundred meters away on a piece of rock jutting out from the wall.

He’d found his direction and set out. Like this, he followed the clues like breadcrumbs, where some were markings on stones and others were space-infused droplets of blood. Even if he was quickly getting the hang of things, he wasn’t sure if he was actually getting closer to Vai and her captors.

They were quite careful and changed direction more than one time, forcing Zac to backtrack and start circling until he could pick up a trail again. Finally, Zac knew he was getting close as a droplet of blood was still wet. But the moment hunched down to inspect the drop, he realized there was trouble.

The ground beneath him disappeared and was replaced by a world of darkness. Zac looked around as he readied himself for a fight, but his opponent was nowhere to be seen. Zac’s battle-honed instincts told him in no uncertain terms someone was close, but not even [Cosmic Gaze] could expose their whereabouts. In other words, an assassin.

An assassin wouldn’t let him prepare, and as expected, the attack was already bearing down on him. A lance of condensed shadows shot toward him from the side, containing enough force to punch a hole through a mountain. The attack didn’t exactly look like Ogras’ [Shadowlance], and two Dao Branches possibly powered it. However, the resemblance was still so uncanny that it almost made Zac forget to defend himself.

That brief moment of hesitation actually helped him avert disaster. His Danger Sense suddenly did a one-eighty and told him the danger was coming from behind rather than from the lance that was about to pierce into his chest from ahead. Zac felt like he was looking at a mirror—where he’d actually been looking at the mirror image rather than the real thing.

There was no time to sort out the confusion, the lances were moving too quickly. Ultimately, it didn’t matter which one was real and which was fake—just destroy them both and the problem would be dealt with. Zac turned into a blur, and [Verun’s Bite] keened with savagery as its edge drew an almost full-circle arc with enough force to shred everything in its path.

Zac didn’t celebrate averting the initial salvo. This was obviously a skilled assassin, just like the Faceless assassin he’d fought inside the Tower of Eternity. They were slippery as eels and difficult to kill. More importantly, Zac needed to actually catch them if he wanted to figure out what happened to Vai.

However, Zac was a bit stumped when no second attack came forth, and he found himself standing in churning mists. Had the assassin actually just left like that? Had he displayed too much power in dealing with that initial salvo?

“Bastard, where did you get that axe?” a hoarse voice said from within the shadows, and Zac felt like he’d been struck with a bolt of tribulation lightning.

The voice was slightly different, but there was no mistaking it; it really belonged to Ogras. The field of shadows and the shadowlances had felt familiar, but Zac immediately discarded the possibility it might really be his old companion. There was no lack of shadow-based assassins in Zecia. Even a clan like Azh’Rezak managed to get their hands on a partial heritage.

But that voice… It was unmistakable, and there was no way some random assassin would know to impersonate it. First of all, no one should know his real identity, making it impossible to impersonate his friends. Or was this all an illusion? Was someone messing with his senses, dragging out his old memories to make him lower his guard?

There was only one way to find out.

“Ogras? Is that you?” Zac asked with a hammering heart as he looked back and forth.

There was no response for a few seconds. Then the shadows dispersed to expose a figure warily standing fifty meters away with a banner in his hand that emitted an uncomfortable aura that made Zac think of that starry pillar from before. Zac’s mind descended into chaos, and words failed him when he saw the familiar face.

It was him. This was no illusion—Zac was pretty much certain of it. It really was Ogras in the flesh. The demon in front of him looked a lot like ten years ago, but there were some noticeable differences. For one, his aura was pretty odd. It was so faint that Zac could barely feel it, yet it gave him some pressure. The demon’s body was the same. Even looking right at him, Zac felt like he was staring into empty space.

Something about his presence made Zac’s subconscious overlook the demon and his attacks. If not for his extremely honed Danger Sense, he wouldn’t have been able to sense the attack coming from behind before. There hadn’t been so much as a ripple of energy. The second lance had just suddenly appeared while the first one became a fake.

At the same time, Ogras hadn’t become a shade. If anything, his body looked sturdier and more corporeal than when Zac last saw him inside the Mystic Realm. He was still monochrome in scales of grey though, a side effect after Void’s Disciple killed him. Back then, Asshole had taken the place of his heart, which in turn resulted in a series of unusual changes.

“Who are you, and how do you know my name?” Ogras frowned as he glanced at Zac’s axe. “How are you related to that temple?”

Zac’s mind was a mess after running into a familiar face in the heart of the Void Star, but he still had the presence of mind to realize the problem. There was still a risk this was all a ploy, but Zac felt risks be damned as he activated [Million Faces].

“It’s me, Zac,” Zac said with a wide smile as his face transformed. “Ogras, is it really you?”

Zac expected to see his own feelings mirrored in the demon’s; shock, delight, and confusion. But Ogras’ eyes only thinned as he looked at Zac with suspicion.

“More delusions? Are you seeing what I’m seeing? Is it him? Am I still lucid?” Ogras muttered, his eyes slightly wild, and Zac frowned when he heard a hollow snicker.

The next moment, a wretched-looking spectral goblin appeared out of Ogras’ sleeve and flew over to Zac’s side. Zac stared down at the ghost with suspicion, feeling a familiar aura on its body; the aura he’d sensed in the starry sky and the chasm that swallowed the temple. An aura of madness and corruption.

Why had this thing come out of Ogras’ body? Possession?

“Young man, you have shown great potential to so easily rebuff this wretch. Don’t believe what you’re seeing—his mind has long since been corroded by the shadow creature in his body. Rescue me, and I’ll grant you power you couldn’t—Ai!”

The ghost didn’t get any further, as a Kalpataru-infused fractal leaf ripped him in two. Between Ogras’ slightly odd state, and the sinister aura coming from the ghost, Zac figured he was better off swinging first and investigating later. If the goblin was the threat, then problem solved. If it spoke the truth, then better safe than sorry.

With how the sigils of the Left Imperial Palace had sealed the place this goblin probably came from, they were possibly bound to become enemies in either case. And if Ogras really was possessed, then Zac would have to knock the demon out until he could find a purifier or something similar. But Zac’s plans were derailed when the ghost reformed, much to Zac’s shock.

Even an Eidolon would be hard-pressed to survive a point-blank strike like that, but this little goblin was seemingly unscathed?

“Bastard! Wretch! I should have known! Violent animals, both of you,” the goblin swore as he flew into the flag in Ogras’ hand. “I hope the Lost Plane swallows you whole.”

“Uh,” Zac hesitated. “Sorry?”

Ogras hadn’t made a move yet, but his hands turned into a blur as he furled up the flag and sealed it with two talismans. Only then did he turn toward Zac. “Who is your mother?”

The sudden shift of topics threw Zac through a loop, but it was a test. Only two people from Earth knew of Zac’s heritage; Ogras and Kenzie. No information report would contain the truth, and a pretender would never get that question right.

Zac eventually decided to tell the truth, his heart beating so hard he was almost stuttering the words. “Leandra Atwood, a Technocrat. What were the first words you said to me?”

“I said, ‘You natives truly are barbarians, so aggressive,’” Ogras said with a small smile. “I guess some things never change.”

* * *

The story will continue in Defiance of the Fall 11!

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DEFIANCE OF THE FALL

BOOK ONE

BOOK TWO

BOOK THREE

BOOK FOUR

BOOK FIVE

BOOK SIX

BOOK SEVEN

BOOK EIGHT

BOOK NINE

BOOK TEN

BOOK ELEVEN

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