Defiance of the Fall

Thankfully The Great Brazla is not limited by such trifles , as he is endless and eternal , - Brazla said as he drifted away with a snort .

Are you okay? - Zac asked , shaking off Brazla's ominous portents .

I’ll be fine . I haven’t completely absorbed the sword energies . Did the Tool Spirit Call it Sword Intent just now? And where is Billy? - Thea croaked .

Billy is still inside , - Zac said before looking at Thea with interest . - He called it both a Dao Intent and a Sword Intent . Are you able to share how it's created? -

That small amount of energy had been extremely powerful , and Zac was hoping to form something similar for himself . After all , if there was Sword Intent , then there should surely be Axe Intent as well . If he could add that power to his strikes , then he would probably be able to fight one tier stronger enemies without breaking a sweat .

It seems to be something that comes after a Dao Field , - Thea hesitantly said as she started smearing her vast number of scars with some ointment . - The Blade Emperor was able to materialize real objects with it . He trapped me in a cage of Dao Intent Swords , and I had to use my own Dao Field to get out . I'm not sure if it's even possible to create naturally in my rank . You might be able to do it . -

So how do you still have the energy? - Zac asked before he remembered how rude it was to pry into other's cultivation secrets . - Sorry , it's fine if you don't want to tell . -

It's okay . I was imparted with a small amount of Sword Intent to guide me on the path of the sword . I think I might be able to use it sort of like a mother dough for my own strikes too , as long as I don't overuse it , - Thea said after some thought . - We could spar a bit if you want . -

It sounds like a good idea , but it would have to wait . The war against the dominators is starting right now , - Zac sighed .

I’ll come along , - she said as she got up and started walking toward the exit , though her steps were shaky .

Are you crazy? - Zac said . - You're covered in wounds , go rest . We do need someone from the Marshalls to take us around , but I’ll grab one of your cousins . -

No , I’m going . I’m not staying behind any longer , - Thea said with her determination . - I'm moving forward as well . -

You… Fine , - Zac sighed . - Our job is only ancillary anyway . I won’t fight either , I’ll just help with the jammers . This is the Zhix’ war , and they don’t want us to step in unless absolutely necessary . -

Fine , - Thea said as she wobbled out of the Dao Repository .

Are you really…? - Zac couldn’t help but interject again , but he was quickly shut up by another glare .

Zac was about to call Triv as well , but he actually appeared from between two bushes and shot toward them .

My lord , - Triv said , but his greeting turned into a scream as Thea unhesitantly drew her blade in one fluid motion aimed at slaughter . - Ai! -

He’s my butler , - Zac shouted in alarm , and he barely had time to block the swing with Verun , narrowly preventing Triv from getting cut in two .

Normally a sword swing wouldn’t matter to a ghost , but Zac sensed a shadow of that terrifyingly sharp energy inside the weapon . He still wasn't completely clear how it was made , but it would definitely be able to harm the ghost since it was related to the Dao .

I'm sorry , - Thea said as she sheathed her weapon before she gave Zac an odd look . - You have a ghost butler? -

This is why young master shouldn't consort with the living . Violent and lowly creatures , - Triv sighed as he made some distance from Thea .

Triv is quite knowledgeable about all kinds of things , and he helps me sorting out the day-to-day , - Zac shrugged .

Zac hesitated for a bit before he also told Thea about Triv's early findings .

A life and death planet , - Thea slowly said before she sighed . - This will be a detriment to most of us . -

Well , as I said , it's not sure it will come to happen , - Zac said as he scratched his chin , feeling a bit guilty .

There was no way it was a coincidence that the planet got such a weird attunement . Zac was the main contributor to the quest , dealing with the lich king , the elite army , and two and a half of the generals himself . The planet probably got its attunements to match his , as the System wanted to gift him a suitable cultivation environment . The fact that it screwed over the rest of the planet wasn't something that the elitist System would care about .

It might not be too bad for normal humans either . A lot of people lived quite well at the edge of the Dead Zone , living outside and hunting inside . As long as we can concentrate the attunements to certain spots we can maintain that sort of balance , - Zac added after a bit , trying to find some positives in the situation . - And both life and death are powerful attunements . Powerful healers and black mages might emerge from Earth in the future . -

Undead might not be able to deal with life-attunements , but Humans didn't have the same limitations . Having a high affinity to Death was extremely unlikely , but people could still go down that path without too much going against them . Assassins , Necromancers , Black Mages . A death-attuned planet would help nurture all those kinds of powerful existences .

That might be true . Even if half the world will turn into a Dead Zone there will still be plenty of room to live on , - Thea slowly nodded as she walked toward the teleporter . - Well , that's an issue for later . Let's go . -

You might want to change clothes first , - Zac coughed , which drew a snicker from Triv as well .

Only then did Thea look down at the rags she wore over her bloodied body , and her hand moved up to her almost-bald head . She stiffly nodded without a word and Zac hurriedly led her to his sister's mansion where she could shower and change .

She only emerged 30 minutes later , but the transformation was almost shocking . Her hair had been regrown and her clothes changed , but the sword scars remained all over her body , angry red lines that seemed to refuse to disappear . Zac's wound was actually in a similar state , though he felt it would close a few hours .

That still was a pretty long time for an errant spurt of energy , just a fragment of whatever Thea carried inside her body . Zac could actually sense that very same power in her eyes as well as her piercing blue eyes had gained an undeniable sharpness to them . The only thing that he couldn’t ascertain was whether that energy was something beneficial or yet another risky venture like his own Remnants .

The trio soon returned to the teleporter where Ibtep still was waiting , and Zac turned to the ghost .

You better enter your house for now . We'll be traveling with the Zhix for a while . The Anointed seem to really hate the undead . -

Those things , - Triv muttered with a mix of disgust and incredulity , clearly understanding who Zac was talking about . - Not natural . -

A being wrought from purest corruption shouldn’t talk of what is natural , - Ibtep said with a snort as it gave the ghost an askance look .

Triv didn't respond , and only flew into the pagoda in Zac's sleeve and disappeared . The trio activated the teleporter the next moment and found themself surrounded by dozens of Anointed who stood ready . The teleporter they appeared in was another one than the array he entered through last time .

They were in an unfathomably large underground chamber , and Zac spotted a vast army behind the towering priests . There were hundreds of thousands of Zhix standing ready and armed to their teeth , every one of them radiating palpable killing intent . The whole chamber felt like a pressure cooker from the accumulated aura , and it felt claustrophobic even though it was over twenty meters to the ceiling .

We’re ready to go , - Zac said after making sure he wouldn't get sucker-punched again . - Where do you want to teleport first? -

We want to take out the first Hives as quickly as possible , which will hopefully help us trap more of them before they devise some sort of retaliation , - Rhubat said as he turned to Thea who was clearly affected by the extremely dense killing intent . - Please take us to the town called Lübeck , pathfinder . -

Chapter 545 : War Machine

I’m no- - Thea was about to interject , but she just shrugged and accepted her new title in the end .

Zac only smiled wryly as he stepped into the teleporter with Thea , the squad of ten Zhix scouts and Ibtep following close behind .

It looked like the town didn’t get a lot of visitors as the guards reeled with shock when their group stepped out of the teleporter . The reclusive Marshall Scion wasn’t immediately recognized , but the small German town exploded with activity when the guards realized who they were .

The mayor , a shockingly rotund middle-aged lady , came rushing over with such momentum that she almost only looked like a spherical blur .

Our armies are passing through here , - Thea said without preamble when the breathless mayor appeared . - More Zhix will come . A lot more . Tell your people to stand down . And close the gates to make sure our presence isn’t leaked . -

Zac nodded when he saw the Mayor give a rapid series of orders into a walkie-talkie without hesitation . Bringing a big shot like Thea rather than some random guide was already proving to be the right choice . He needed to hold up his part of the bargain though , so he turned to the group of scouts who all seemed fully focused on the mission .

We’ll go on ahead , - Zac said as he took out his leaf . - Can you stay here and make sure there’s no trouble? -

Sure , - Thea nodded . - I’ll catch up with the army . -

The group of scouts stepped onto the leaf after some explaining , and the group of 12 shot out toward the enemy hive . They stayed close to the ground to avoid getting spotted , though Zhix surveillance was seldom not performed aboveground . They rather built scouting chutes designed to catch the vibrations from the surface , sending the signals back to the hives as an early warning .

It only took them thirty minutes to reach their destination , a dense crop of forest on the opposite side of the hive . Zac figured that the array of Lübeck should be unaffected when activating the Jammer at this position , though the thing hadn't been through enough testing to ascertain its exact limits . This would be a learning experience for him as well .

The leaf stopped just above the ground and the group of scouts nodded at Zac before they spread out through the forest , soundlessly moving between the trees like ghosts . Only Ibtep stayed behind in case he was needed to communicate with the Zhix army . Zac stepped down from the flying treasure as well and took out a concealment array disk to avoid getting spotted .

He took out the Jamming array next , while also prodding the sigil in his mind that connected him to his butler . The small pagoda floated out from his sleeve a second later , after which the ghost appeared .

My lord , - Triv said with a bow as he looked around .

Convenient , - Ibtep muttered from the side , its eyes trained at the small pagoda . - Is it the same magic as that of the Ayr Hive in your base? If the Zhix could use this sort of magic on our hives… -

I’m not sure , - Zac said . - I think only ghosts can live in this pagoda . But the Ayr Hive might be possible to mimic? Not sure how much use it would be though . -

Imagine , one Zhix could carry a whole hive in its pocket , tens of thousands of warriors pouring out when attacked , - Ibtep muttered .

I think it would be a bit uncomfortable to stay in someone’s pocket all day . Imagine the shaking , - Zac countered , which made Ibtep nod thoughtfully .

This item is not made for the living , - Triv said as it shot Ibtep a cool glance . - There are many ways to create portable worlds though , but all of them are beyond your means . -

Some further thinking is required on this matter , - Ibtep only murmured , his eyes clearly spinning with ideas .

Zac shrugged and turned back toward the Jamming Array . The thing was pretty much idiot-proof thanks to his sister , so he only needed to place it down on the ground and insert Fifty E-Grade Miasma Crystals . He started to get to work , and Triv couldn't help but float over and look at the jammer with interest .

The preparations were soon finished , and Zac performed a cursory inspection before he sent a message to Thea to start calling over the Zhix . His job was essentially done by now , and he only needed to make sure no one messed with the jammer .

The modifications are crude , but they can't hide the amazing ideas they were built upon . To think that it would be possible to rework the array this way . The person who did this is definitely a genius , - Triv muttered before it turned to Zac . - It’s your sister , isn’t it? She is a unique talent when it comes to understanding and modifying energy paths . -

Zac thought for a second before he nodded in affirmation . It wasn't like it was a big secret , especially not after Kenzie had helped Triv create his cultivation cave .

You might want to consider sending her to one of the powerful Craftsman Sects in the Sector , - the ghost said . - It comes with some restrictions , but she will get proper guidance and she can return home as a resident Array Master after having reached a certain level . -

Why would a sect be generous enough to train people before letting them go? - Zac asked with skepticism . - That would be like watering someone else’s fields . -

They take a tax . If your sister returns to your force , you will have to pay a fee based on her attainments , part of which would go to the sect as remuneration for the training , - Triv said . - It is mostly just academies and craftsmen sects that do things this way though . Joining a combat-focused sect is generally a more permanent decision . -

Pay a fee? For life? - Zac asked with a frown .

No , until enough benefits have been provided , - Triv said . - She can also work off that debt herself as a roaming cultivator or by staying inside the sect . -

So you essentially become an indentured worker until you can free yourself? - Zac sighed . - Doesn't sound like a good place to send Kenzie . -

It might sound harsh , but such are the rules of the universe . No one will go out of their way and share their arduously accumulated heritage for no return . Just working off the debt over a few centuries isn't too bad as it will also help you improve on your craft , and there is no lack of applicants to such places . The best ones require both great connections and heaven-sent talents , - Triv said .

Kenzie’s future was something Zac had thought about , but it was ultimately up to her what path she wanted to take . She would need to find some environment that suited her unique gifts , and Zac knew that place wasn’t by his side . He needed mountains of enemies to cut his way through in order to progress , but she seemed far more suited to orthodox cultivation .

Jeeves could help her improve both her class and her skills , and she also made tremendous progress by just cultivating inside his cultivation cave . She might be able to make huge gains if she entered some of those ancient places and gobbled up and improved all the great manuals and skills for herself . Just the thought made him both a bit excited and jealous .

What about me? - Zac asked . - Isn't there some good opportunities for me like that as well? -

Well . . . Perhaps , - Triv said hesitantly . - Young Master might be better off joining an army or a mercenary band and fight at the borders . -

The borders in this case were referring to the space outside the properly integrated space . The Zecia sector was huge , and it turned out that less than 3% could actually be considered part of some force's domain . Most star systems might officially be within the domain of an Empire or Sect , but there was no way that they had the man-power or resources to keep a presence at the more remote zones .

The planet he was sent to for his Hegemony quest was a prime example of that situation . The planet was integrated and part of the Allbright Empire , but it was so weak and declined that the System only provided the barest of functions . Most unclaimed territories were just a bunch of junk planets with low potential , but millions of clans , sects , and mercenary groups traveled those zones to find riches .

There was always some treasure hiding among the mountain of trash . You never knew when you might find an unclaimed Mystic Realm , precious remnants , or valuable treasure .

There were also the even more chaotic danger zones , such as the massive area full of Spatial Anomalies close to the Allbright Empire . There were no doubt far more opportunities there compared to the unclaimed areas , but there were also far more dangers . Only the craziest mercenaries decided to risk their lives in such a place , contending not only with the pirates and unorthodox forces , but with the fickleness of space itself .

Zac still hadn't decided on his future course of action , but he instinctively felt unwilling to join a mercenary band or some army like Average . First of all , there was the risk of someone higher up in the organization becoming interested in digging out his secrets . But there was also the simple fact that Zac enjoyed his freedom .

His life had become a lot worse by most metrics since the integration , but one big plus was the huge degree of freedom he enjoyed .

They're all through , - Thea said through the crystal , waking Zac up from his dreams of the future .

Do it , - Zac nodded at Triv , and the ghost infused its miasma into the Jammer .

The Array immediately hummed into life , and Zac felt a weak pulse spreading out from where they stood . However , the wave immediately turned invisible after less than ten meters , and Zac knew there was no way the Zhix would be able to find the source . He jumped up to sit on the branch of one of the taller trees and it gave him a secluded vantage of the hive far in the distance .

Now it was up to the Zhix to deal with the rest .

Nonet walked at the forefront of the army , the warriors of Hive Kundevi following close behind . The chaos in the human settlement caused by their appearance had been cause for some amusement , but it couldn't shake the sense of heaviness that gripped the heart of the army . It wasn't natural . Using corruption to fight other Zhix because of their use of corruption .

Of course , the situation wasn't as simple as that , but that was still how it felt among some of the army . There were no doubt still many Zhix inside the enemy hives who believed in the old precepts as well , but it couldn't be helped . The corruption needed to be cleansed once and for all , and no roots of evil left behind .

Get ready , - Rhubat rumbled from his position at the vanguard , and Nonet looked up and saw the hive in the distance .

The walls were lined with soldiers standing in wait , but Nonet only needed a single glance to realize that the defenders were both outnumbered and lacking in power . This wouldn't be a battle , but a slaughter . A few warriors of Hive Kundevi seemed to have reached the same conclusion , as some struggle appeared on their faces .

Remember the cause , remember the precepts , - Nonet said with a heavy tone , and the warriors shook themselves free from any stray thoughts .

There were no negotiation and no posturing . Rhubat started increasing his steps as they came closer to the hive , and the Anointed lit up with corruption as the vast army behind them started running to keep up with their leaders .

Hundreds of Punishment Spears , each of them dozens of meters long , appeared in the sky , all of them shuddering with unbridled killing intent . A rumbling roar was finally unleashed from the hundreds of thousands of warriors that covered the vast plains , and the air shook as a red cloud spread across the area .

The haze was made from the congealed killing intent of the army , and it smoothly entered the fractal spears , empowering them with conviction . The Punishment Spears sucked in more and more , and the first group of attacks finally soared toward the hive as Rhubat , Vanexis , and Raha each launched their spears forward with a mental command .

Their power was far beyond that of the other Anointed , and they were able to carry the will of the Zhix with far greater grace than Nonet could ever dream of . The whole mountain vibrated as the spears soared toward the standing army , but a massive shield sprung up to block them out . It looked like someone had stolen a piece of the night sky , a vast cosmos that enclosed the whole mountain that held the Dominator Hive .

It was them . It was the undeniable mark of the Dominators , the proof of their corruption . Only they had the ability to drown the world in night like this . However , the scene didn't deter the Crusaders in the slightest . It only bolstered the conviction , and dozens of spears shot into the shield the next moment as the Anointed poured everything they had into the projectiles .

They all carried the momentum the Zhix had accumulated for millennia , the will to break free of the chains of the Dominators .

The shield barely managed to hold against the attacks , but they weren't done there . A ten-meter insignia depicting the seal of Hive Kundevi appeared behind Nonet , and similar scenes played out all across the front of the army . The seal shone down at Nonet , causing its frame to grow another meter as the Regalia of the Crusade covered its frame .

The power of the Anointment coursed through Nonet's veins , and all hesitation and worries were burnt out of its mind . The future didn't matter any longer . Only the Crusade mattered . Nonet's feet turned to a blur as the leader shot toward the galactic shield , its ceremonial dagger already glowing with radiant luster .

A terrifying shockwave spread out as Nonet slammed into the wall , and small cracks spread out from where the dagger hit the barrier . The other Anointed had done the same , and the earth shook as one massive attack after another was launched . The shield finally couldn't take it any longer , and the night-sky dissipated like it had just been a dream .

Nonet didn't need to give a signal on what to do next . The warriors of Hive Kundevi followed close behind as Nonet made its move . A squad of traitors was butchered with one swing of Nonet's dagger , and the Kundevi Warriors made short work of the survivors . There were a lot of traitors still outside , but Nonet didn't focus on that as it pushed itself into the cramped entrance in front of it . Nonet had a mission to perform , and there would be others to deal with the warriors on the slopes .

The furious war machine of the Zhix was had once again awoken to face the threat of the Dominators , and not a single soul would be spared .

Chapter 546 : Massacre

Zac looked on with both awe and horror at the carnage that was taking place in the distance . The Anointed were simply terrifying when working together , and Zac doubted that any local faction apart from his own would be able to survive their assault . He suddenly felt a presence to his side though , and he looked over to a neighboring tree as he drew his axe .

Hey , - Thea said as she landed .

Was I that easy to spot? - Zac grimaced as he put Verun's Bite] away .

Well , I knew the jammer would be placed in this area , and that you would spectate . It was only a matter of time , - Thea said as she turned back to the battlefield . - It’s a massacre . -

There were no two ways about it . The Zhix Crusaders were obviously not interested in taking prisoners or holding any trials to find the true culprits . Everyone in the hive received the same treatment ; a swift death .

Only ten minutes had passed since the battle started but less than 1% of the defending warriors remained . They were fighting desperately to prolong the inevitable , and Zac knew they fought for their honor , to prove their strength to their ancestors before they joined their ranks in the afterlife .

A lot of them seems to have entered the hive , killing the civilians as well , - Thea added after a brief pause .

I know , - Zac nodded .

You could stop them . They would back down if you demanded it , - she said .

I think you underestimate the importance the Zhix put on this war . It’s the very core of their society . Me telling them to stop would probably just give them two targets to fight rather than one , - Zac said , and he added after some hesitation . - But I have no intention of finding out . -

How are we any different than our enemies if we go down this path? - Thea said as she turned to Zac .

There was no anger simmering in her eyes , nor was there reproach . There was only an almost disturbing tranquility .

Who’s to say we’re any different? - Zac sighed . - We’re just rival factions fighting in the mud . They must die so that we can live . We’re not the good guys , and they aren’t really the bad guys . At least not most of them . We just have opposing interests . -

Hmm , - Thea only said , not commenting any further .

The silence stretched on , and Zac felt more and more suffocated as he looked at the increasingly silent mountain in the distance . Should he do something? Millions of lives would be extinguished just so that he could be sure that no karmic threats were lurking on Earth . How could he be so calm while enabling a genocide?

Someone’s running , - Thea suddenly said , and Zac saw what she was talking about .

A hidden door had appeared just a few hundred meters away from their location , and a group of Zhix was hurrying out through it . It looked to be mostly elders and clergymen , but they were guarded by a squad of elites . It was probably the leaders of the hive , the mouthpieces of the true Dominators . They were the true target , at least for Zac , and if these people managed to fled then the crusade would lose most of its meaning .

The hidden exit was extremely far from the Hive itself , and there was no way that their actions could be spotted by the Anointed . The squad of scouts wouldn't be able to stop these guys either , even if they put their lives on the line .

I’ll deal with it , - Zac said and immediately flashed away , each step taking him dozens of meters through the forest .

He appeared in front of the group of Zhix just a few seconds later , prompting the group to stop in their tracks . They first looked horrified upon being intercepted , but they soon breathed out in relief when they saw it wasn't an Anointed waiting for him , but rather a human .

A human?! - one of the elders exclaimed as he took two steps forward . - Did your government send you? Hurry , help us get away from here . Our master is Void Disciple , and we have a working cooperation with your kind . You will be richl- -

The old Zhix didn’t get any further . His body froze for an instant before it fell apart as blood spurted in every direction . A blue wave spread out the next moment , reaping the lives of more than half of the remaining escapees . Only those lucky enough to stand far away survived the attack that seemingly came out of nowhere .

It was Thea who had arrived as well , weaving a tapestry of death all around her . A few of the guards shot toward her with reckless abandon , releasing a terrifying killing intent . They all seemed to have the same class as well , some sort of earthen warrior . Stones grew to cover their whole bodies , and they quickly grew into 3-meter golems with sharp spikes for arms .

Was this perhaps something devised to counter the towering Anointed?

Carrying around a ton of rock on their bodies did nothing to slow them down , and they tried to stab Thea from every direction . However , their rocky exterior was like paper in front of her , and each swing of her new weapon reaped a life . She weaved through the insectoids like a dancer , each of her strikes both beautiful and deadly .

Zac first felt her swordsmanship felt a bit ostentatious , but he soon realized there was meaning behind every movement . Just slightly repositioning her shoulder or lifting her weapon a few degrees caused changes in the battlefield as the warriors instinctively responded . It was like she was a puppeteer who magically created openings in her opponents to deliver instant death .

The battle was over in less than thirty seconds , with Zac only killing two unlucky fellows who ran straight at him in their attempts to flee from Thea . The Marshall scion had done the rest , and her breath wasn’t even labored even though Zac knew she wasn’t in perfect condition at the moment . She looked over at Zac with a small smile , before she shook her head and walked over .

I’ve told you already , stupid . You’re not alone in wanting to protect Earth , - she said as she swung her sword in the air , causing all blood on it to fly off its edge . - You don’t have to carry this burden alone . -

Two Zhix scouts appeared the next moment ready for battle , but they froze when they saw the carnage . Zac briefly explained the situation , and one of them set off to fetch a regiment that could explore the escape tunnel . Zac and Thea walked back to the spot where the jammer was placed , and they found Triv nervously flitting back and forth until he spotted Zac .

The war was still raging , but there were no more breakouts it seemed . Zac wordlessly watched as the last of the insurgent Zhix fell , his mind repeating Thea's words over and over . It helped him with his confusion a bit , but it was impossible to completely shrug off the weight of sin he had amassed today .

The four just needed to wait for another 20 minutes before one of the scouts returned to their hiding spot .

It is done , Warmaster . You can release the lock , - the scout said . - The Anointed asked for you . -

We’ll be there in a minute , - Zac nodded as he started to take out the Miasma Crystals from the array as Triv returned to his pagoda .

The group flew over to the fallen hive a second later , and they were shocked by the sight even if they had witnessed everything from a distance . It looked like the lone mountain was crying as streams of blood covered its slopes . The smell was even worse , and Thea visibly paled before she bent over and puked .

Even Zac felt nauseated by the intense stench of death as he landed the leaf . There were thankfully almost no corpses around though , but an enormous pyre was already burning some distance from the hive . Between the small mountain of corpses and how the world had been painted in blood , it really felt like they had entered the depths of hell .

Zac once more felt his conviction waver as he looked around . It felt like this whole mountain had become cursed from what had transpired . Ominous energies swirled around the mountain , visible only to his Cosmic Gaze] . This was something that couldn’t be created by a normal war as far as he could tell , but rather a mass genocide of an entire population .

Warmaster , - a bloodied Rhubat said as he walked over . - The purification is complete . The next target awaits . -

Alright , - Zac sighed , forcibly pushing down all the confusion and hesitation . - Where to? -

Come with us first , - Rhubat said as he activated the teleporter and walked inside .

At least 90% of the Anointed followed Rhubat , but only a small part of the ordinary soldiers entered as well . It was around ten thousand normal warriors , all of them emitting a bloody aura . Zac guessed it was the captains and sergeants of the army , and he soon followed inside as well with Thea and Ibtep .

They found themselves in another subterranean chamber the next moment , and Zac’s eyes widened when there was yet another identical army already waiting . Its size was even larger than the last one , probably approaching half a million warriors .

We hope to be able to strike at least three hives before they realize what’s going on , - Rhubat said . - After that , we will join our forces as we expect them to do the same . The next town is Gothenburg . -

Zac nodded in understanding and turned to Thea who activated the Teleporter once more .

The same scene repeated itself as the vanguard stepped through the teleporter . Thea stayed behind as Zac set off with the advance scouts , and he looked around with marvel as they flew across the desolate landscape .

Roughly a year had passed since the integration , which meant that summer should be approaching once more . However , you wouldn’t get that feeling at all in the northern reaches of Pangea where the Scandinavian Cultivators had banded together and formed Asgard , an independent force allied to the Marshall Clan .

It was Zac’s first time this far out on the reaches of the massive continent . He had generally traveled within the heartlands where most humans and incursions ended up , or to the southeast where the Dead Zone was located . This area didn’t look like the old Scandinavia though , but it would be more apt to say they had appeared on the Arctic Circle .

Thick layers of ice and snow had turned the world white , but that actually didn’t mean that it was lifeless . He saw towering trees braving the extreme weather , seemingly unbothered by the permafrost . A massive pack of wolves consisting of thousands of hunters passed by beneath them as well , proving there was ample prey available as well .

It was the magical effect of Cosmic Energy . Zac guessed the temperature was minus 30 degrees or so , but he only felt a bit chilly in his normal robes . It would have to become a lot colder than this for him to be affected at all , so it was no wonder that beasts could deal with it just fine . There were probably a lot of humans who succumbed to the harsh environment at the beginning of the integration though .

They soon found their spot close to the hive and set up the Jamming array hidden by a mountain of ice . The same scene of carnage repeated itself an hour later . The snow-covered Hive had turned completely red as the merciless Zhix army slaughtered all the citizens of the Hive . Zac started to feel numb to the carnage , but he still felt hollow inside as he gazed at the puddles of blood that had turned to ice all over the mountain .

The slaughter continued from there , but something suddenly changed when the army arrived at the fifth hive . This time a full million Zhix marched across the wasteland , and Zac felt horrified at the amount of Nexus Coins the Zhix had spent to move around the armies like this . A war of this scale was probably only possible thanks to the wealth that the Zhix had gained from fighting the zombies over the past months .

The last four assaults were essentially one-sided slaughters , but it looked like the Dominators were finally responding in kind . There was barely any free ground around the insurgent hive as hundreds of thousands of warriors stood at the ready .

There were also massive towers that had been erected at the perimeter , seemingly a last-minute purchase from the Town Shop . They all radiated power , and Zac knew that there would be noticeable casualties to push past that line of defense . He even asked if they wanted him to act as a wall-breaker , but the Zhix War Council actually rejected it .

He could only shake his head in bemusement as he looked on , but he was relieved to see that the Zhix weren’t completely incapable of resisting the fiery barrages that the towers launched . Those enormous seals that the Anointed summoned seemed to be a natural War Array of some kind , and the Zhix warriors infused it with power to create a sturdy shield that protected them from attacks coming from above .

However , the Array Towers was only the first counter that the defenders had prepared for them .

Hidden pathways suddenly opened up behind the Anointed army and warriors flooded out of them . The War Council suddenly found themselves pincered as they dealt with the barriers and Array Towers to the Front , and an all-out assault from the rear . Worse yet , almost all of the Anointed were at the other side of the army acting as a vanguard , so the elite Zhix among the Dominators faced little resistance as they pushed into the rearguard .

Worry gripped Zac’s heart as he looked at the scene , and he decisively started walking toward the army with a ruthless gleam . He had happily stayed out of the war until now as some sort of coping mechanism , but he couldn’t allow this to go on . Their losses would be too big if he didn't turn things around .

Are you really doing this? After standing back so long? - Thea asked from behind , and Zac only nodded in response .

However , he only managed to take a few steps before his mind screamed of danger . He immediately tried to flash away , but he was shocked to find himself rooted in place as the whole world rapidly slowed to a crawl . One possibility immediately entered his mind .

Had the true Dominators finally made their appearance?

Chapter 547 : Monster

Zac's danger sense was screaming for him to watch out , but he didn’t need a sixth sense to realize that he was in trouble . He immediately activated Hatchetman’s Spirit] while the emerald leaves of Nature’s Barrier] exploded out from his body , covering him from every direction .

The spectral forest rose around him as well , but Zac’s worries only intensified when he saw that the trees and leaves of his two skills were quickly stopped in their tracks as well . The leaves just froze in the air , utterly incapable of intercepting any attacks . He tried to look around in search of a threat , but he found himself stuck in position as well , no longer able to move at all .

The war was still raging in the distance though , proving that time hadn't really stopped . It seemed that the effect only reached 30 meters or so judging by the movement of the grass on the ground . It was an extremely uncomfortable experience to somehow be out of sync with the world around him . It felt a bit like when the world froze as the Chaos Pattern emerged during the tower , but he also got a similar feeling like when the Karmic Cultivator of the Hayner Clan tried to control his movements .

However , he could at least be certain that it wasn’t the System who was messing with him . A large hooded being had appeared in the sky , reaching over twenty meters into the air . Zac tried to discern its features , but it actually looked like it didn’t have a face . In place of facial features , there was just a swirling void .

It held some weird brass contraption that seemed to contain the mysteries of the universe itself , and it felt like it was this item that was rooting him in place . Zac couldn’t be sure , but he believed that the skill both contained a hint of both Space and Karma . Zac guessed that it was the avatar of some sort of ultimate technique , and going by the types of energies there was one clear suspect ; The Dominators .

Zac was quickly proven right when he finally spotted the source of the restraints , an unassuming Zhix wearing the standard combat regalia of the Zhix War Council Army . However , instead of the short spears or daggers that the Zhix favored , he was instead wielding a pitch-black spear of full length that hummed with power .

The reason Zac knew this spear-wielding Zhix was his attacker was simple ; he couldn’t sense the warrior's aura . It was just like when he first met Inevitability , it was almost like there was no one standing in front of him . However , the Zhix warrior was very much alive , and he stepped into the locked zone and started making his way toward Zac .

Zac strained to rip himself free , but he couldn’t even begin amassing any power in his limbs . It felt like he was trying to overturn the fundamental laws of the universe by moving , he glanced at the Zhix with some incredulity . How was he this strong? The strength of this restraining skill meant two things .

First of all , he could pretty much be sure that he was dealing with Harbinger , the last of the three elite Dominators . He had already met the other two , and the presumed Dominators beneath the three leaders were over 15 levels behind . There was no way someone at level 85 would be able to unleash a force of this magnitude .

Secondly , the Dominator was likely burning his life-force to deal with him . Zac knew that the Dominators were strong , but there shouldn't be such a disparity that he couldn't even lift his fingers in response . There was also a familiar aura on him , reminding him of that old warrior among the Berum Resistance who sacrificed his life to let them assault the Nenothep mountain .

Messing with life-force wasn't something that people could do willy-nilly . First of all , you generally needed some sort of Berserker skill to tap into the core of your being . Using such a thing was essential to sacrifice 800 warriors to kill 1000 . It wasn't a tap you could turn on and off , but something that had a large risk of killing or crippling your cultivation . Zac knew he was an exception of sorts with how the Shard worked .

Harbinger was going a step further , putting everything on the line .

However , Zac didn’t feel hopeless as there were no doubt limitations to a skill or treasure as powerful as this . As expected , not only did Harbinger have some problems pushing through the spatial lock himself , but the Avatar was slowly dissipating in the sky .

A quick calculation proved that Zac would get skewered before the lock dissipated though , and he frantically looked for a solution . A glance toward Thea showed that she was trapped as well , but she was thankfully at the edge of the sphere . There was no way that Harbinger would have time to target them both as he could only move at a slow walk .

The Cosmic Energy felt like syrup in his body , and Zac wasn’t really able to rotate it with the momentum needed to activate his skills . However , he had actually already activated two of them , and Zac gave a command to the divine tree stalwartly standing behind him .

The ceremonial band on the tree trunk snapped , and a shield started to form around him . However , just the edges had time to materialize before it was frozen as well , essentially looking like a hollow ring completely incapable of defending anyone . Zac wanted to swear when he saw the scene , but he was unable to form the words .

A defensive talisman fizzled the next moment as well , proving that the restrictions didn't only apply to his skills .

Harbinger seemed to have expected the failures , and a small smile crept up across his face as he closed in on Zac . His spear moved in slow-motion , but it slowly angled itself to begin a mighty jab aimed straight at his throat . The Dominator was going for an instant kill .

Real worry finally started to grip Zac's heart as one back-up plan after another had failed . He had initially believed that he would always be able to flee with the help of his newly acquired escape talismans , but he wasn't so sure any longer after seeing how nothing seemed to work inside this field .

However , a shudder in his mind suddenly made his eyes light up . Most things were frozen in place , but there were exceptions . No matter what rules or Dao that were the basis for Harbingers skills , how could they trump the concepts of Creation and Oblivion . The two remnants were completely unaffected inside their prison , and the mysterious energies that had infiltrated his soul moved about as usual as well .

Wasn’t this a perfect occasion to try out something he had been holding on to up till now?

Thea hovered frozen in the air , filled with a sense of impotence as she saw Zac in the same predicament . The terrifying Zhix pushed through the sealed space as though it was wading through water , and it was almost upon Zac . Its spear was already moving toward Zac’s throat , and the weapon gained a stronger and stronger radiance .

The air around the weapon was cracking and splitting apart , which was very telling of its power . The Zhix was putting it all on the line with that one strike . Thea could even sense they were empowered by an offensive Dao Fragment , and she wasn't confident that even Zac’s terrifying constitution would be able to withstand the attack .

She tried to figure out some way to help him out , just long enough for this seal to break , but she was coming up empty-handed . Her skills simply wouldn't activate , and she wasn't able to reach down toward her Cosmos Sack to take out any treasures . She felt her eyes were burning as she saw the spearpoint inching ever closer , passing straight beneath the incipient emerald shield that failed to properly form .

However , a shocking aura suddenly slammed into the core of her being and she looked with shock and horror at Zac . He looked the same as before , but Thea felt that she was gazing upon a natural calamity rather than a fellow cultivator . His eyes turned into metallic orbs as black runes slowly appeared across his face , seemingly creating a tattoo pathway that led down toward his shoulders .

The runes looked simple enough , but they still contained a primordial power , something that Thea hadn’t even encountered when dealing with Irei or his terrifying sword intent . Just what had Zac gotten himself mixed up in to have something so terrifying appearing on his body?

Unfortunately , it didn’t seem as though the Zhix was deterred by Zac’s outburst of power , but rather the opposite . Its mouth curved upward in a ruthless smile and its until now subdued aura exploded outward , hitting Thea like a sledgehammer . How was this assassin so powerful? The aura was far stronger than that of Inevitability back during the hunt!

Was it actually Void’s Disciple , the leader of the Dominators?

Or was Inevitability perhaps actually limited somehow inside the hunt , making that chain-wielding lunatic unable to put forth its full potential . It didn’t matter right now though as the spear was cutting through space itself as it finally reached Zac’s throat .

However , no blood was actually drawn as the mysterious runes already covered much of Zac’s throat , and it seemed able to resist the sharp point of the pitch-black daggers . The Zhix didn’t seem surprised , and a shimmering fractal halo made from inscrutable runes lit up behind him like he was a saint that had suddenly reached enlightenment .

The whole area was drowned in a shimmering dark-blue luster , and the spear gained newfound momentum as it was flooded with some sort of powerful energy . It allowed the spear to push even further into Zac’s skin as it seemed to infuse the dagger itself with some mysterious power . Zac’s defenses couldn’t stop the weapon and the weapon finally started sliding into his throat . There were no groans of pain or gouts of blood , but Thea knew that was only because space was still frozen .

Despair flooded Thea's heart as she saw Zac’s throat slowly being ripped open , the sickening sound of the spear digging deeper was the only thing she could hear in this frozen zone . Was this really it? Was this how the savior of Earth would fall? Was the defense of his mysterious tattoos really not enough to save him?

A terrifying change suddenly took place as Zac finally exploded out with power . It was like that terrifying aura from before was congealed , and she looked on with incredulity as Zac's arms suddenly shot forward with impossible speed as a sphere of unadulterated power emerged from his hands .

It felt like Thea's brain stopped working as she looked at the brownish sphere . It was as big as a football but it somehow felt as massive as a sun . Even odder , it felt like her memory and impressions were continuously being destroyed and renewed as she looked at it , making it impossible for her to form an opinion on what that thing was actually made from . It was Dao but it wasn't Dao . It was Cosmic Energy but it wasn't Cosmic Energy .

One thing was for sure though ; it wasn't restrained by the spatial cage they found themselves in , and it flew straight toward the chest of the Dominator . The Zhix saw the sphere shooting toward his body , but it completely ignored it and instead pushed its weapon even harder , seemingly fine with both of them going down to the underworld together .

But even that powerful Zhix couldn’t have anticipated the scene that took place next .

There was no explosion and no shockwave as the ball hit the chest of the assassin , just an instantaneous expansion followed by utter annihilation . Thea couldn’t see exactly how big the attack was , as there literally wasn’t anything to see , but she could still sense what didn’t exist . It felt like space and time had simply been removed from existence where the sphere exploded , and not even a vacuum remained .

The spatial lock was broken as the massive avatar in the sky fell apart , and the ground beneath Thea cracked as she shot away as quickly as her legs could move her . It wasn't a conscious decision , but a primal fear of whatever Zac had unleashed . To get too close was to die , where one's soul wouldn't even be able to remain . Only after running for hundreds of meters did she manage to stop herself , but her heart wouldn't stop beating like a drum .

Only then did Thea see what had happened to the Zhix . Its torso and most of its legs were simply gone , leaving not as much as a scrap behind . Most of its arms had been annihilated as well , only hanging on to its neck by a thin ribbon of flesh . She knew there was no coming back from that , especially as she could sense a hint of that aura of annihilation in its remaining body parts as well .

Zac looked the same as before apart from the running blood that stained his chest red . The spear was still embedded in his throat , but he ripped it out without a care in the world . Thea's horror increased even further when the wound closed on itself with speed visible to the eyes , and there was only one thought in her head when she saw those terrifying lifeless eyes of his .

Monster .

Chapter 548 : Wrath

A wave of pain spread across Zac's body , shocking him awake from his trance-like state . He still felt under the influence of his skill though as the world was drowned in a metallic luster . He took a steadying breath as he looked around , and he finally spotted the remains of Harbinger .

However , Zac's brows rose when he realized that he actually hadn't gained any Cosmic Energy so far , and he pushed his exhausted body to walk over to the Zhix assassin . He was full of vigilance that it might release a final desperate attack , but he quickly realized that Harbinger was in no position to do so .

Cracks spread across the insectoid's remaining body parts before they crumbled to dust like his body was made from burnt-out wood rather than flesh and blood . There was also no energy remaining in its body according to Cosmic Gaze] . The fact that the Zhix was still living was a miracle . There was no way that it would have the power to attack in this state .

You sacrificed most of your life-force to keep me trapped so long . Even if you succeeded you wouldn’t live much longer , - Zac said with a hoarse voice . - All this for some insane cultivator that happened to visit your world thousands of years ago? -

I… don’t care… about him , - the crumbling head actually managed to say with a whisper . - All… for… father . -

Harbinger died the next moment , and Zac felt a tremendous surge of Cosmic Energy entering his body . This was by far the greatest amount of energy he had ever gained from a single kill , with the possible exception of the Dragon . However , he was both level capped and unconscious that time around , so it didn't really count .

Cracking open the next node shouldn't be an issue with this much energy , even if he barely had worked on it so far . However , Zac wasn’t as interested in a single node compared to the other things that were going on in his body , so he just trapped the energy before moving on .

This was the first time he had activated his Cyclic Strike] to summon a bronze flash since his battle with the dragon , and he was a bit shocked how well things went , all things considered . There was no need to maim himself and almost no difficulty at all to summon the bronze flash , and he somehow even managed to shoot it out of his hands .

It really seemed that the forcibly redrawn pathways on his shoulders did exactly what he had hoped .

However , even if the result was good there were undeniably some problems with how things went . First of all , he quickly lost control over the remnants' energies and he ended up using everything instead of just a portion . His soul was completely drained of the energy that had been slowly siphoned off the Splinter and it would probably take weeks before he could even launch a weaker bronze flash .

He had also completely blacked out there for a second when the infused energies passed a certain threshold . He had felt a sharp stab in his soul and only woke up after he had finished the attack . However , he had not only launched the strike but even healed himself with help of the Shard of Creation while unconscious , and there were fragmented memories of his actions .

Perhaps it would be more apt to say that he had entered some sort of auto-pilot or trance-like state , but it made him wonder if it was actually himself or the Remnants that was behind the wheel . In any case , it proved that he needed to keep grinding at the Soul Strengthening Array . He had been able to use his mind to slow down the flow of energy a little bit when activating Cyclic Strike] , proving he might be able to freely control it in the future .

Are… you okay? - a hesitant voice asked from the side , dragging Zac out of his thoughts .

Zac looked over , only to feel a searing pain on his shoulder . A couple of hairline cracks had appeared out of nowhere just as some sort of fractal pathway disappeared , looking just like the ones that consumed the remains of Harbinger . Fear surged in Zac's chest , but he slowly calmed down when he realized that it didn't seem as though the cracks would spread any further .

Was this a side-effect from unleashing a bronze flash of this magnitude? Was his body perhaps unable to bear the Dao of Oblivion , even if it was just a shadow of a corner of that high-tiered Dao?

In fact , his attack couldn’t really be called a flash any longer . It was a proper sphere of unadulterated destruction . It had disintegrated everything within a one-meter diameter . That was enough to pretty much kill any humanoid of normal size . Better yet , Zac doubted that there were too many things on Earth that could block those kinds of scary energies .

Space itself broke apart and was destroyed , how was some defensive talisman going to protect against that?

I’m fine , - Zac eventually answered , though that wasn’t entirely true .

The cracks on his shoulders wasn't the only thing ailing him . Zac felt weak all over , like he hadn't only overtaxed his mind but also his body . He still had an ample amount of Cosmic Energy remaining , but his mental energy was almost drained clean .

What… Was that? - Thea eventually asked as she kept her distance from Zac . - My mind has never screamed of danger like that before , not even when I was on the brink of dying . And I wasn't even the target . -

I guess you could say it was pure annihilation , - Zac sighed . - Don’t think about it too much . It involves some things that I can't talk about . Just considerer it one of my hidden cards . -

Some card , - Thea muttered as she looked down at the tragic remains of Harbinger .

Harbinger's face had cracked in two and collapsed into its skull , making it seem as though the head was just a broken sculpture . Zac sighed as he looked at the odd scene . Some card indeed . Only he knew there were still too many issues to resolve before it could really be called a hidden card though .

Apart from his lacking control , there was one more fundamental weakness to his Annihilation Sphere ; it took too long to charge up . Who would let Zac stand still for a few seconds while he radiated that terrifying aura? He got lucky with Harbinger since he was willing to die to complete his strike , but most people didn’t have that conviction .

They would either strike him from a distance or run for their lives if they encountered an attack imbued with oblivion . They wouldn't be trapped in a spatial lock like Thea or Harbinger . That meant he needed to learn how to create an opening so that he could get a chance to shoot out the blast without obstruction or interruption .

Annihilation… Even its Cosmos Sack is gone , - Thea muttered from the side .

Zac swore in surprise and hurried over to the corpse , no longer caring about the long-term implications of his situation .

It was true . There was simply nothing left between the insectoid's lower thighs and shoulders . Not even a scrap remained , meaning anything Harbinger carried on its belt or back was gone .

Well , shit . -

OPEN IT! - Inevitability screamed as the air around her wailed from her unbridled bloodlust .

We can’t , Lady Inevitability! There’s a- - an elder cried , but it didn’t get any further before it was turned to meat paste from a lashing .

Over one hundred corpses were already strewn around her , but it did nothing to stymie the fury that was building in her chest . She had hoped to unleash it on her brother's killer , but these people were useless . She couldn’t hold it in any longer , and she released a roar filled with her fury and madness .

The whole chamber quaked and cracks spread along the walls , but Inevitability didn’t care as she let the anger consume her . It rose with wave after wave until she barely remembered her name , it was all made inconsequential by the fiery wrath . Crackling sounds echoed out in the subterranean chamber as her skin ruptured and fell apart , but a new layer had already grown beneath it .

It was different from before . The skin was harder yet flexible , and there were streaks of red hidden right beneath the surface . Inevitability's remaining sliver of sanity knew it was a good thing , and she kept delving deeper and deeper into her madness as her power skyrocketed .

She felt she was filled with boundless power , and dozens of chains appeared around her , wildly flailing about in a mad dance of exuberance . Harbinger was almost completely forgotten as she drank the sweet nectar of strength .

Some of the already damaged walls couldn’t take it any longer and collapsed and screams echoed out across the hive . However , the screams ended as abruptly as they came as the chains seemed to have a life of their own . They shot forward like a pack of frenzied beasts the moment they found something living .

Of course , it was Inevitability that was giving free rein to her bloodlust . It felt like a bottomless abyss , but each kill filled it a little bit . The moment the abyss had turned into a sea of blood she would be made whole .

Enough . -

The calm voice was like a bucket of cold water that ripped Inevitability back to reality . She found herself standing in the middle of the ruins of her Hive , over ten layers turned to rubble . Thousands of corpses and hacked-off body parts were strewn across the area , and a putrid stench made her nose curl .

What bad luck that she had damaged the air vents as well .

But most importantly she saw that the Teleportation Array had just activated , and Void’s Disciple had emerged . He was clearly furious , but he still seemed distracted by something as his gaze was trained on her .

This is unexpected , - Void’s Disciple said as he looked her up and down , and Inevitability felt her heartbeat speed up .

But the gaze of her father-husband wasn’t enough to make her forget what had happened just now .

They killed him , - Inevitability said with grit teeth . - How could those abominations accomplish something like that?! We need to rip them to pieces . -

Your brother should have been able to kill at least a few dozen Anointed before safely escaping . His survivability is even higher than yours , - Void’s Disciple slowly said with his brows furrowed . - Something must have gone wrong . Did he encounter the remaining zealots or the Super Brother-Man? -

He raised his hand the next moment and a screen of light appeared , showing a grainy image of a human whose face covered in weird markings . In front of him were just a head and a pitch-black spear . The man standing above her brother's remains looked a bit different , but how couldn’t Inevitability recognize that cursed man?

It’s him! The human! I’LL KILL HIM! - Inevitability screamed as the red streaks across her body lit up .

We might have a chance if we hurry , - Void’s Disciple muttered as his body exploded with power .

The Teleportation Array lit up the next moment , but it flickered ominously . Void's Disciple kept infusing more and more power , but he was suddenly pushed back by a spatial storm and a couple of shallow wounds appeared on his face .

Is it my fault? Did I damage it? - Inevitability asked with worry .

No . I am unable to force my way through the disturbance , - Void’s Disciple grunted . - I have just touched the edge of the Dao of Space , it is not enough . -

A killing intent that could easily match her own exploded out the next moment as Void’s Disciple roared in fury and frustration , his face twisted into a mask of madness and murder . Inevitability’s eyes lit up at the sight . This was the true face of Void’s Disciple , and she was now the only one to have seen that visage and lived to tell the tale .

Void’s Disciple punched down at the Teleportation Array the next moment , and it actually cracked .

Inevitability’s eyes widened even further as she knew just how sturdy the things provided by the System were . She had attacked the Teleportation Arrays multiple times before out of boredom and curiosity , but she had not even been able to leave a mark .

The second stage of Void Disciple’s Void Crusher] was unleashed the next moment as thousands of spatial rifts shot out across the area . They dug into the earth or passed straight through a few of the lucky survivors , cutting anything into pieces until they formed a spherical pattern hundreds of meters wide .

It looks like the Heavens doesn’t want to provide today , - Void’s Disciple sighed , his face once more turning expressionless . - But we will have our chance inside the Mystic Realm . Harbinger’s death at least came with some good . Your anger reached a high enough level to awaken your implanted bloodline . -

Is that what this is? - Inevitability blurted as she looked down at her hands , a ruthless grin spreading across her face .

This was exactly what she needed to exact her revenge .

You need to enter the machine once more . That way you will be able to stabilize it and stop your body from rejecting it , - Void’s Disciple nodded .

Inevitability blanched when she thought back to that contraption that had tortured her in the darkness for weeks , but she knew better than to argue with her master . He might have outwardly calmed down , but she knew better than anyone that the fires were still burning beneath the surface . To question him now was to ask for death .

Let’s go , - Void’s Disciple said as he ripped open a tunnel in space . - This place will not last much longer . -

The two stepped through the mid-range gate , leaving the wounded where they were . However , they only needed to suffer for a few seconds before the remaining spatial rifts congealed into a singular point .

The next moment the whole Hive imploded , leaving nothing but a perfectly spherical crater behind .

Chapter 549 : Adcarkas

Harbinger's Cosmos Sack was gone , its contents probably lost in some unreachable spatial fold , but there was at least something for him to loot ; the pitch-black spear that was lying in the grass , its shaft still in the grip of the Dominator . It was definitely valuable , probably a High-Quality Spirit Tool judging by the spirituality it emitted .

Zac lifted it and looked it over for a few seconds , but he couldn’t figure out what it was made of . It was extremely hard and looked like some sort of stone , but it was pliable like a spear made from wood or metal . He was able to bend it almost 180 degrees when he exerted himself , and it sprung back to its original form the moment he let go .

It was a bit regretful , but it definitely looked like something that was a perfect fit for Ogras .

He didn't begrudge the demon from finally getting his hands on a Spirit Tool . A boost in Ogras’ combat strength was a direct benefit for Port Atwood . But Zac had been the one to almost get himself killed this time , yet he gained nothing , not even some trinkets . Perhaps he could squeeze some of the valuables out of the demon’s paws in exchange for the weapon later .

Warmaster , are you safe? - a rumbling voice suddenly echoed out as Rhubat came rushing , closely followed by a score of massive Anointed and hundreds of elite warriors . - We sensed a massive spike in corruption and realized something was happening here . -

Only then did Zac remember the ongoing war , but he breathed in relief when he saw that things weren’t as bad as he had feared . The Anointed had spread out and reinforced the rear , and the frontlines were stable enough to allow a contingent to freely head over to his location .

Larger numbers weren't enough to turn the tides when the opponents were lifeforce-burning Anointed .

We got ambushed , - Zac said as he pointed at the head on the ground . - I think it's Harbinger , but I can’t tell for sure . -

It was truly one of the three! - another of the Anointed exclaimed . - The head releases such waves of corruption even in death . -

This is Karath . . . It's really them , - Rhubat sighed as the giant knelt down to inspect the remains . - I met this one before the integration . To think such a promising scholar was hiding a secret like this . This must mean that Void's Disciple is Adcarkas after all , the Sage of the Grand Basin . -

Zac's brows rose in interest . It sounded like the Dominators were actually some sort of important people even before the Integration . Their ability to mask their powers must have been shocking to be able to walk among the Zhix with their corruption-spotting antennae . He wanted to know more about their history , but there were more pressing matters at the moment .

So , what’s our next move? - Zac asked . - It seems that the enemies have realized what we’re doing here . -

Four hives were cleansed before this , and enough warriors to fill three more will be purified in this battle , - Rhubat slowly said . - The numbers are now in our favor . We will try to keep going and take out more Hives , but we expect the remaining heretics to have adapted by now . Our warriors need rest as well , so we will pause for reconnaissance after this battle . -

Good , - Zac nodded with some relief . - I need to rest a bit as well . How long do you need? -

He had a huge amount of energy sloshing around his body at the moment , and he didn’t want to waste it .

Ten hours , - Rhubat said after some thought before he turned toward Thea . - We’d like to keep the Pathfinder though in order to send out the scouts . -

That’s fine with me , - Thea nodded .

The Anointed returned to the war after seeing that everything was fine , but they still stayed close-by so that they could come to Zac's aid at moment's notice . Zac himself was about to sit down and rest up , but he suddenly saw an azure stream of light shooting straight toward him . He wasn’t worried as he saw the magical light though , but rather amused .

It was Triv who was using some sort of movement skill to return to him and the Jammer .

Young master , you are safe , - the ghost said with relief as it congealed into a proper form .

Just where did you go earlier? - Zac snorted . - I couldn’t find you anywhere . -

I , ah… repositioned myself a bit . I did not want to become a burden during the Young Master’s fight . That aura you released… - the ghost hesitantly said .

Well , thank you for your assistance , - Zac snorted , not seeing any reason to divulge the origins of his Annihilation Sphere . The lack of information might help keep the ghost in check even better . - I need to keep the energy inside my body for another hour while they finish up the battle . Look after the Jammer for me . -

He didn’t dare break open the node right away in case one of the other Dominators would show up so he could only focus on retaining the energy until he could go back to Port Atwood . The battle thankfully didn’t last that long though , and Zac hurried toward the Teleportation Array of the fallen Hive after just 40 minutes .

The deaths after this battle were staggering even compared to the previous ones , and Zac sighed when he heard that over 100 000 of their own had fallen over the last hour . It was still a great victory on paper considering how many enemies they faced , and a testament to how a small group of elites like the Anointed could keep fatalities down . But their losses were still large enough to populate a small town , making it hard to celebrate the win .

Zac soon appeared in his compound , and he found Joanna sitting in meditation just outside . She woke up when she sensed the fluctuations from the array and immediately turned to Zac .

I wasn’t able to contact you , but Billy’s returned as well , - Joanna said with an odd face .

Did he pass the trial? - Zac asked .

I… don’t know , - Joanna said after some hesitation . - But I think so? -

What’s going on? Where is he? - Zac asked with a frown .

He’s just outside the Dao Repository . He’s been sleeping for 14 hours straight , - Joanna said . - He isn’t deeply wounded , but it looks like someone has been using him as a punching bag . He fell asleep the moment he emerged from the Inheritance , and Brazla immediately threw him out because of the snores . I tried to move him but he almost bashed my head in without waking up . -

Zac’s gazed at the Valkyrie with confusion before he flashed over to the Dao Repository once more . It didn’t take a lot of effort to find where the giant was lying as it sounded like someone was performing large-scale logging in his forest .

Billy was lying sprawled on his back just outside the tiled square of the Dao Repository , and Zac couldn’t help but laugh when he saw Billy’s face . It was completely swollen to the point that it looked like he just had an allergic reaction . However , the fact that his face also was almost purple from layers of bruises that looked like meaty fists indicated he had been repeatedly punched .

It seemed that the titan’s trial was a lot more straightforward than his own or Thea’s .

Zac guessed that Billy’s nose was broken as well as it was completely congested which caused the terrifying snore , and he shook his head as he prodded him from some distance with the help of his club .

NO MORE! - Billy screamed as he shot up to his feet .

The giant wildly looked around for a few seconds with heaving breaths until he realized what was going on .

Ah- It’s you . Billy thought he was still stuck with the crazy one , - Billy sighed in relief as he sat down .

How did it go? - Zac smiled as he took out an ointment . - Your face is a bit swollen . This will help . -

Stupid crazy Titan said he wanted to teach Billy self-defense . But it only ended with Billy being punched in the face over and over , - Billy sighed . - But Billy is a lot better at defending now! Come , hit Billy . -

Uh , okay , - Zac said before he immediately moved forward , his club ripped through the air as he swung it toward Billy’s chin with a decent amount of strength .

However , Billy’s massive muscles suddenly tightened to the point that they looked like steel wires , and the hulking man turned to a blur the next instant . Zac’s mind suddenly screamed of danger as the grotesque skull on Billy’s club was bearing down on him with shocking speed .

The ground cracked all around Zac as he pushed himself back , narrowly avoiding the smash . He looked with surprise at the giant , feeling he was over twice as fast as before . Billy had neither excelled at defense nor speed before , making him an extremely lopsided meathead . However , one of those weaknesses had been shored up during the inheritance it looked like .

But it seemed to be his speed rather than endurance that had been improved , so Zac didn't understand what Billy meant by self-defense .

I thought you said that the Titan taught you how to protect yourself? - Zac asked with some confusion .

Crazy man said that the best way to not get hit is to kill everyone before they can hit you , - Billy sagely said .

Hard to argue with that logic , - Joanna snorted from the side .

Crazy man taught Billy a good skill that makes Billy quicker the stronger he gets . But it is very tiring , - Billy sighed as he gulped down a couple of huge mouthfuls of water .

Zac believed he understood what Billy was talking about . It was either some sort of rare skill that increased Billy’s Dexterity based on his Strength , or perhaps a movement skill that was based on Strength rather than Dexterity as was the norm .

I have to go , - Zac sighed . - What are you doing next Billy? -

Billy is going to Billyville , - Billy said after some thought . - Billy is tired and has not been home for a long time . -

That sounds good , - Zac said and added after some thought . - Thea and I are going away in a few weeks . To a special place like the hunt . We don’t know how long we will be gone . Do you want to come as well? -

Why are you going there? - Billy asked curiously .

Find treasure and beat up bad guys , - Zac smiled .

Haha , you always do that . You need a hobby . But Billy will come help you , - Billy grinned as he started walking away , heading toward the town .

Zac nodded at Joanna who followed him to make sure he got home rather than kidnapped by some group of lovestruck demons . He was left alone in his private forest , and he entered his courtyard to finally absorb the massive amount of Cosmic Energy surging through his body .

However , he didn’t immediately push the energy into his body , but he rather swapped over to his Draugr-form first . He figured that if one of his pathways was going to be destroyed , then it might as well be the pathways in his undead form . His human pathways wouldn’t be harmed this way as they would be stored in his specialty core .

This allowed him to keep using his Human form while recuperating while only bearing some of the detriments of node-breaking . He would still be weakened due to the shock to the system , but he would be able to use Cosmic Energy without getting a backlash like in the Dead Zone .

The process went quite smoothly , if you could consider a part of your body literally blowing up smooth . The energy from taking out the Dominator was easily able to crack open his eigth node , even though that node alone required about as much energy as the first three nodes combined . The energy was even enough to provide his Fetters of Desolation class with a level and set the foundation for his ninth node , meaning he was now level 83 in his Undead form while his human side was still 82 .

The next node was in an unfortunate spot though . It was just between his right elbow and his bicep , making it a very precarious spot . He had already learned to somewhat decrease the degree to which he maimed himself with every node opening , but he needed to be careful now . His arms were pretty damn muscular compared to before the integration , but they were still far thinner compared to his legs .

One mishap and he might find himself in the same situation as Ogras , with only a stub for an arm . He wouldn’t be able to grow it back before reaching D-Grade at the earliest unless he managed to get his hands on a treasure with the same effect . However , Ogras had searched high and low for such a thing in the Base Town without any success , so items with that sort of effect seemed as rare as soul-mending treasures .

He needed to keep improving the process of node-opening with every level he gained . Pretty much all the nodes during early E-Grade were located in his extremities , but he would move onto more precarious placements in middle E-Grade . In late E-Grade , the nodes would all be located around his head and heart , and even cultivators could die from a single mistake at that point , let alone mortals .

A wave of exhaustion gripped him after the upgrade was complete , and he fell into a deep slumber as the Fragment of the Bodhi worked on both his node-related wound and the weird cracks that had appeared on his shoulders and neck .

Zac woke up only seven hours later , and he frowned when he saw that the tears from unleashing the Annihilation Sphere hadn't healed at all . They didn't really seem to cause any more problems than some random scars , but Zac knew it was important that he slowly healed the wounds . These kinds of injuries were a big problem to cultivators .

High-concept wounds from battles or overextending yourself was like spiritual sequela , and it could cause problems to one's future cultivation if left unchecked . What if some remnants of Oblivion hiding in his shoulders suddenly exploded when he opened a near-by node in the future? He might die then and there .

Zac’s body was still feeling wrung out even after resting for such a long time , and something seemed to have changed at the war front while he was out . Nonet and Ibtep had actually appeared in Port Atwood as he was inspecting his body , and they were quickly ushered to his compound .

What’s going on? - Zac asked when he saw the two Zhix . - I thought I was supposed to meet up with you in two hours? -

There is no need . A challenge has been issued and a final battle will take place in ten days , - Nonet simply said .

Chapter 550 : Swamp

Ten days? - Zac frowned . - Why don’t we just keep going? -

The New World Government’s deadline for entering the Mystic Realm was inching closer , and he definitely couldn’t get caught outside when the hidden world closed its doors . Besides , wanted to be over with this bloody matter as quickly as possible .

Our scouts returned a few hours ago . The hives are emptied , except one that is utterly destroyed . Only the weak have been left behind , just like during a migration . The number of remaining Zhix is still in the millions , but we cannot locate them . A letter of challenge was issued just an hour ago though . For the future of the Zhix , - Ibtep explained .

Zac asked a bit more and he learned that the challenge was something that occasionally happened before their integration . It was essentially an all-out war between two forces that competed for resources . The survivor would claim the hive and its land , and the losers would either be killed or assimilated .

This time there would be no assimilation if the council won though , only death awaited those who chose to follow the Dominators .

So it’s one all-out war . Do you think the Dominators will be there? - Zac asked .

It is hard to say , - Nonet said with a shake of its enormous head . - No Zhix would stay behind when the challenge is issued . However , the Dominators are Zhix , yet they are not . They might not care about the precepts and enter this hidden world you have mentioned . They might even try something before then . -

Zac nodded with a frown . Retaliation from the Dominators was something he had been worrying about since slaying Harbinger . He knew all-too-well just how crazy Inevitability was , and he wouldn't put it past her to go slaughter everyone in his outpost . He had been half-expecting a notification in his communication crystal while cultivating , but he had thankfully been uninterrupted the whole time .

He didn't know why , but it looked like his people were safe for now though . Void's Disciple seemed quite capable to move about across Pangea freely , and he should have attacked one of his towns by now if he had decided to act . He still decided to pull back more of his forces to the island and his private continent just in case .

The two Zhix left a few minutes later , leaving Zac to ponder his next move . The break was honestly a relief to Zac , as he was not completely ready to meet another one of the Dominators . Fighting both of them simultaneously felt extremely risky as well , especially while Ogras was still in seclusion . The pause would give him some time to prepare his next move .

There was no way for him to prepare another Annihilation Sphere even if the battle was delayed another ten days though . The Splinter simply didn't produce enough energy for that . He would have to use some other means to deal with them instead .

The delay also threw about his plans a bit , as he needed to prepare himself for the Mystic Realm as well . He wanted to enter the Mystic Realm within two weeks if possible , as that would still give him some time to maneuver even if his sister proved unable to force open the broken pathway .

Zac hadn’t heard any updates from his sister for a while , and he couldn't sit around any longer . He walked over to his own array and teleported over to Mystic Island . He needed to see how things were going .

It was quite some time since Zac was here last , but not much had changed . The base camp was a bit desolate though , as most of the normal staff was stuck on the other side of the spatial tunnel . Now it was mostly demons and Valkyries staying here to protect Kenzie and a few scientists . A large number of the Sentry Golems were probably off wandering the island as well , making sure no one tried sneaking up on the camp .

Oh , you’re here? - Kenzie said with surprise as Zac entered her workshop . - Is the war over? -

It's on hold for ten days , - Zac smiled as he looked around . - How're things going here? -

It’s slow , - Kenzie sighed . - The tunnel is still a mess , that bomb the zealots set up really did a number on space itself . The turbulence got better a lot faster in the beginning , but it has been slowing down lately . I’m not sure it will clear up before the deadline you set . -

The deadline Zac set was ten days before the government . Part of it was simply a precaution , but there was another important reason for the haste .

The other forces were frantically searching the Mystic Realm at this very moment and he was already pretty far behind . He couldn’t just enter the last minute and expect everything to go his way . He definitely had a hidden ace with his familiar connection to the Mystic Realm along with his sister and Jeeves , but he wouldn’t take anything for granted .

In a perfect world , he would already have started to explore the mysterious research base , but he wasn't ready to risk it all by trying to sneak into the New World Government's entrance . Seizing it was even riskier as there were probably spies from both the cultists and the Dominators ready to blow up the spatial tunnel at moment's notice .

Can you crack it open early? - Zac asked .

We can give it a try , but if we fail it will make things a lot worse , - Kenzie said . - If we wait another week or two our chances will be better . -

Zac slowly thought it over , before he nodded in agreement .

I want to try it in twelve days , after the battle is dealt with . - Zac eventually decided . - If things fall apart I'll just have to try my luck by sneaking inside some other way . -

You know you can just talk with the government officials , right? - Kenzie said .

If they were ready to work together they would have contacted us long ago , - Zac said with a shake of his head . - They’ve had ample chances to extend an olive branch since I closed the last Incursion . Even before then . -

Fine , - Kenzie shrugged . - But remember to not kill a bunch of people willy-nilly . -

I know , - Zac agreed .

Not killing weaklings was an unwritten rule of the multiverse , and something Zac had to start taking note of now that he was on a higher grade than the rest of Earth . It was widely considered extremely vile to wantonly slaughtering the weak , almost like killing innocent puppies . Of course , if that was the only problem the blood-drenched cultivators of the multiverse wouldn’t have cared .

But there were a lot of signs pointing toward the fact that killing substantially weaker people went against the will of the Heavens and that it affected one’s karma negatively , almost like giving you a hidden debuff to your Luck . It wasn’t something that was visible on your status screen , but through how the universe treated you .

After all , F-grade cultivators weren’t useful to the System , but they represented seeds of potential . The System wouldn’t care if a bunch of warriors killed each other in a war , as that might result in a few powerhouses emerging , but the mighty slaughtering substantially weaker people was another matter altogether .

The strong didn’t get stronger , and a lot of potential was snuffed out as the weak got culled . It was wasting resources , and essentially working against the System . A few people dying here and there didn’t really matter , but if you went too far you would draw the ire of the System , and it would start treating you like an enemy of the heavens like the Technocrats .

There were even rumors of powerful cultivators that were actively hunted by the system for their actions , who were forced to hide from the eyes of the Heavens . That wasn’t something that had any relation to a small corner like the Zecia sector though , as you needed to be much more powerful for something like that to happen according to Triv .

I’ll be going away for a couple of days , - Zac eventually said . - I need to keep improving as much as possible before we enter , so I have decided to head to one of the uncharted sectors of Pangea . It's the swamp . -

Really? The swamp? - Kenzie said with a scrunched-up nose . - That place seems pretty disgusting . -

There’s a lot of putrefaction and death in the swamp from what I understand , - Zac said . - It might provide me with some sort of inspiration . Or there might be a lot of valuable plants . -

It was the latter that was the biggest reason for Zac deciding to go . The integration of a new world led to the appearance of a bunch of valuable resources , like the Amanita and the Tree of Ascension . There were no doubt more that had appeared , but most had probably already been snatched up by the people around the world .

If there were any remaining natural treasures of that grade on earth , then they were probably hidden in the unexplored pockets . The swamp seemed particularly dangerous , and Zac believed that no one should have properly explored its inner areas . Finding some valuable treasure was his last chance at gaining another power up before heading into the Mystic Realm , and he could probably burst open another node while looking around .

It was a risky move considering that Void's Disciple might show up with a vengeance at moment's notice , but he had the Spatial Gate Array] now . He could set an array up in ten minutes , and his town just had to defend that long for him to return . Ten minutes should definitely be doable even against Void's Disciple with the comprehensive upgrades to the defensive Arrays of Port Atwood .

The value of a World Capital had quickly shown itself in the number of good things available in the Town Shop , and Abby and Adran had been busy squeezing as much benefit as possible out of the available arrays and fortifications .

Zac immediately turned thoughts to action as he teleported to the array closest to the swamp , leaving just a small squad of Valkyries to act as a relay in case they needed to reach him through his Communication Crystal . He actually owned a town just on the edge of the swamp , a small base that was formerly one of the incursions he had closed . It had belonged to a humanoid race that somewhat reminded Zac of the Zhix , though they looked a lot more like humans .

It was most likely one of the demi-human races of the multiverse . Humans were just too prolific , after all , and they had proven very compatible for procreation with most humanoid species . They were like blank canvases , and there were very few humanoids that didn’t have a little bit of human in their genome .

What was human and what wasn’t had already become blurred , but people essentially went by the race in the status screen , which was dictated by the dominant heritage . This was rarely the human side , especially not when matched against powerful races .

The ones who had controlled this former Incursion were likely the result of a mix of some insectoid race and humans a long time ago , which might have been why they were placed so close to a swamp . It made Zac’s life a lot easier anyway , as he didn’t have to utilize the Marshall Clan for transportation this time , exposing his plans while doing so .

He was soon flying atop his treasure above the marsh , looking down with interest . After hearing the description of the place he had first thought this might be where the Everglades ended up , but he soon realized that that wasn’t exactly the case .

Zac was no botanical expert , but there were just too many unfamiliar trees and plants in the ground below for this to be a piece of Florida . At best it might have combined the wetlands with some marshes and tropical forests of the other planets , most likely the Ishiate world as it seemed to have been just one massive forest .

It had created a unique ecosystem with a forest floor that was mostly submerged like a mangrove system . However , there were smatterings of solid land with some regularity , though not quite to the point that you could freely walk on the ground .

However , the infusion of Cosmic Energy to the marshlands had helped the trees explode in size , which included their branches and roots . It had formed vast systems of bridges running along the rivers , and Zac saw one beast after another running along their length from tree to tree .

He just needed to travel above the marshland for a few minutes to realize the place was teeming with various species , just like the primordial jungle where he had spent a lot of time after dealing with the cultists . However , if the atmosphere over by the volcano was a boisterous cacophony , then this place held a subdued silence , with animal calls only occasionally breaking through the silence .

The whole area felt like it was full of adventure and mystery , and Zac wondered if this was how the explorers of old felt when they traveled along the rivers of Mississippi or through the virgin jungles of Africa . Of course , he had the added safety net of being able to fly away , and a superhuman constitution that would protect him from most insect bites and poisons .

The place provided Zac with a sense of adventure , but more importantly it provided him with solace . The bloody scenes over the past days had left him with a feeling of heaviness that reached deep into his soul , and this was an opportunity for him to not only regain a sense of balance but even work on his skills .

Of course , if he could find some treasure while doing so , all the better .

Chapter 551 : Connectedness

The atmosphere of this unusual forest was fascinating , but the ambient energy was even more interesting . Zac was currently flying toward the center of the marshland at a leisurely pace that pretty much matched a speed that he would be able to keep on land as well . He hadn’t noticed anything weird in the beginning , but he could now confirm that the energy density had increased a bit since he entered this place .

With this pace it would only take him two days at the most to reach the core , but Zac eventually decided to land on top of a massive root that had grown over ten meters wide . The waters quickly turned chaotic as a group of oversized salamanders swam toward him , but they quickly fled for their lives when Zac unleased a bit of his aura .

He took a deep breath , surprised that the smell was fresh and earthy rather than the expected foul odor of brackish water . Zac started walking along the roots toward the depths of the marshland , occasionally jumping up to instead use a bridge made from branches , following a somewhat meandering path .

Of course , he could always jump between trees in a straight line instead of using such a slow method of travel , but that would destroy the whole purpose why he landed . He wanted to get a feel of the forest , to walk on top of the trees as he followed the natural paths formed by nature itself .

Zac had initially planned on using the primordial jungle as a means to evolving his nature-aspected skills . But large sections of the jungle were utterly ruined because of the battle against the cultists , or rather their emblem , and he had mainly tried to focus on gaining Blighted Cut during that week of recuperation . It had prevented him from working on his other class as much as he wanted .

But now was a perfect opportunity . It was just him and a boundless wilderness that had never been tread by man from the looks of things . Zac kept emitting some of his latent killing intent , which essentially worked as not only a bug-repellant but also a deterrent for any of the stronger beasts lurking in the depths of the wide rivers .

He occasionally stopped and sensed the various trees and gargantuan flowers in his path , trying to understand their role and path to survival in this place . The world of cultivation was a cut-throat place , but nature had always been just as competitive even before the Integration . Everything needed a method to survive , along with the ability to adapt now that the atmosphere was chock-full of magic .

Some of the more massive trees simply dominated their domain with size alone , stealing the sunlight for themselves . Other trees formed symbiotic relationships with other plants defending them in return for somewhere to grow . It wasn’t all too different compared to before the integration , honestly , though it did feel like evolution was sped up by a huge degree .

Then again , there were quite a few new oddities that didn’t exist before . He had been attacked no less than twenty times by the plantlife itself after having just traveled for two hours . One tree moved its branches with surprising speed in an effort to spear him on a sharp point . Others tried to entangle him with their roots .

He had actually let one do it to see what would happen , and he was slowly dragged underwater where he could see a bunch of rotting beast carcasses provide nutrients to the tree . Some plants had even formed hunting teams with the beasts . A huge flower had suddenly released a bunch of pollen in his face , and Zac immediately felt some restrictions on his movement .

Not more than ten seconds passed before a swarm of mosquitoes appeared , hoping to bleed him dry while he was incapacitated . The pollen was only immobilizing , so the two groups had teamed up where the mosquitoes got the blood while the plant got the corpse .

It was both horrifying and extremely intriguing to see the hundreds of paths to survival , and Zac felt something click into place after walking along for half a day . He was delighted to see that Forester’s Constitution] finally reached peak mastery . The upgrade had boosted his attribute bonus to 15% as expected .

But more importantly , he felt a sense of connectedness with the nature around him .

It wasn’t like when he was using Hatchetman’s Spirit] and he essentially became omniscient within his conjured forest , but rather an innate sixth sense about the forest itself . It was like an inborn intuition had been implanted into his subconscious . He tried to make sense of the feeling , but he only found a use for it ten minutes later when he felt something attracted him from within a dense bush .

Zac decided to follow the hunch , and he pushed his way inside , his massive Endurance enough to avoid getting cut into ribbons by the extremely sharp barbs . He had expected the interior of the bush to be pretty dark , but there was actually a source of light inside ; a small set of stalks that gave off a gentle green light .

He immediately understood that this was some sort of Spiritual Herb hiding within the thorny bush , and his eyes lit up when he realized the use of Peak Mastery of the skill . His hunch had actually led him to a hidden treasure that he never would have spotted before . He had essentially turned into a truffle-seeking pig that could find the hidden treasures of the forest .

It wasn't exactly that he could sense treasures though , but rather that he had been given an instinctive understanding of the forests . He just felt that the brambles looked like a place that could contain some good things , and this feeling was in turn boosted by his massive pool of Luck .

Zac also noticed that his honed instincts worked with dangers as well within a few minutes . He somehow had a far better understanding of what parts of the rivers would hold aggressive beasts or which types of foliage could hide something lying in wait . This part of the skill wasn't as useful to someone like him who already had his danger sense , but it would probably have been a huge boon for a normal cultivator who spent a lot of time in the forests .

Staying alive was the most important thing on the path of cultivation , after all .

The best thing was that the skill was passive too , meaning he could freely make use of his upgraded instincts without any ramifications . It allowed him to pick up one Spiritual Root after another as he walked through the marshes , each of them giving off impressive spiritual energy . However , he quickly realized that good herbs weren't like weeds , growing everywhere .

Less than a tenth of the spots his instincts told him about was actually home to something interesting , the rest were simply empty . However , he actually didn't need to dig or inspect every single one . As long as he got close enough he would get a sense from his Luck as well , and he tried to understand this Treasure Sense just as well as he understood his Danger Sense .

This sense wasn't something new . He could always tell whether something he found in a Cosmos Sack was useless or something valuable by instinct , just like he could somewhat get a sense of the quality of Spiritual Tools . Part of it came from sensing the aura of the items , but part of it was simply instincts brought by his Luck . However , this sense hadn't really proven too useful while actually searching for treasures until now .

Zac soon concluded that his Luck was quite precise as long as he got within 7 meters or so . He could tell there was something there with some certainty at such close proximity . The actual range was a bit odd though , but he guessed that he might have been given 1 meter of detection range per effective 100 Luck .

Sometimes he could get a vague hint even further away than that though , but it was to the point that Zac had a hard time discerning whether it was just his - gut - telling him something that might be completely fabricated , or if it was actually some supernatural phenomenon helping him out . In either case , it wasn't something he could put too much faith in .

A Treasure Sense of seven meters wasn't bad , but it wasn't life-changing either . It allowed him to pick up the occasional baubles that were strewn along his way , but it was a far cry from the examples Ogras had listed before . He didn't get any strong urge to suddenly make a turn only to find a divine treasure a few kilometers away or anything magical like that .

But it was far superior to what the general cultivator could enjoy . The forest didn't look like it was full of treasures to the untrained eye , but Forester's Constitution] had opened Zac up to the truth . His Luck then helped him make the best of the knowledge , which turned him into a moneymaking machine compared to most adventurers .

The number of plants Zac harvested as he explored was nothing compared to the vast fields his people grew back at Verdant Hills , but farmed Spirit Plants and wild ones couldn’t be compared with each other . It was mainly weaker plants that could be freely farmed , whereas the more valuable ones resisted domestication .

There was also the issue of energy consumption . Most of the high-quality plants required quite a bit of energy , making it impossible to grow them in larger numbers . They needed a territory of their own , just like many beasts did . So a lot of spiritual roots and plants did not have a constant supply , which massively increased their value in case they were needed for popular pill recipes .

That was one of the main fields of research for most Alchemy clans too . Any clan that managed to improve a recipe by changing a wild-grown plant with a farmed one stood to gain a massive amount of wealth . They could undercut the market while still maintaining massive profit margins thanks to using cheaper resources .

Zac had no idea if the roots , grasses , and flowers he picked up were anything valuable in high demand , but he still took a detour every time he sensed something in the vicinity . It wasn’t like he was strapped for cash , but it went against every fiber in his body to leave money lying on the floor . He also wanted to nurture his instincts this way .

And who knew , some of the plants might be really effective in improving his Draugr-race . He was willing to do almost anything to swap out that terrifying dust to something less painful to use .

Constantly harvesting the low-grade Spiritual Plants gave him some insights as well . Spiritual Plants were essentially the equivalent of plants that had started on the path of cultivation , and it felt like exploring them helped him gain insight into his own nature-aspected Dao Fragment . He felt it might be even more conducive to his cultivation to travel through forests like this rather than sitting in his cultivation cave .

Zac kept going deeper and deeper into the massive swamp over the following day , and his newfound intuition helped him avoid a lot of trouble . However , the energy in the atmosphere kept increasing , and the beasts both grew more numerous and more powerful . Most of them were just late or peak F-Grade though , with E-Grade animals being very rare .

He would probably have to reach the core before he got an opportunity to see the real kings of the marshes .

Zac finally decided to stop for the day after having taken out a group of humongous E-grade crocodiles , each of them more than twenty meters long . It felt like going up against prehistoric dinosaurs when fighting them , but they were still ultimately just early E-Grade . Just a minute was needed to take out the whole pack , and he suddenly had 8 more carcasses in his Cosmos Sack .

The stench of blood filled the air as the river ran red , so Zac quickly moved some distance away . The crocodiles should be the local hegemons of this small section of the river , but the other animals could probably figure out that the blood meant there might be an opportunity for a sneak attack or even free food .

He soon found an enormous tree with a hollow large enough that he could rest for the day , perhaps the former resting place of some mutated squirrel . Zac blocked out the entrance with one of his spare tower shields before he sat down and calmed his mind . The reason he moved away from the battle wasn’t that he was worried that he would become embroiled in another battle , but it was rather that he didn’t want a bunch of beasts interrupting him while redrawing his pathways .

He quickly changed to his Draugr form and once more started performing the arduous task .

The physical wound from breaking open the Node was pretty much healed , though he had barely begun fixing the pathways . He estimated that his undead form was weakened roughly 30% or so , and even his human side wasn't in top shape even though he looked fine on paper .

Zac guessed that the broken pathways in his inactive form counted like some sort of hidden wound even when he fought as a human , though the effect was limited . In either case , it meant he needed to work quickly so that the pathways were fixed before the war in 8 days . He might need everything in his arsenal in case the remaining two showed up .

He kept working on the pathways for a few hours before he swapped back to his human form , at which point he simply closed his eyes and tried to sense the nature around him . He would normally have wanted to practice his Soul Strengthening Manual as well , but it was impossible while on the move . Setting up a teleportation array through his Spatial Gate Array] was technically possible , but they were temporary one-time consumables , so he wouldn't be able to return .

Going without the arrays for a few days wasn't a problem though , and it freed up a lot of time to focus on other things , such as his Dao . It almost felt like the whole swamp was one enormous entity , and he tried to find some inspiration for the Fragment of the Bodhi by connecting to it . He spent the rest of the night in that sort of reverie before he once more set out at the break of dawn .

Today he would explore the core of the wetlands .

Chapter 552 : River

Zac had spent close to two days in the marshes already , and he would definitely reach what could be considered the core zone today . Of course , that wasn't saying much as the core of such a massive forest was large enough that he could wander around for weeks without seeing the same tree twice .

As for what Zac considered the core area , it was where Cosmic Energy was the densest . The Nexus Vein covered his whole island and then some back home , and he guessed it was a similar situation here in the forest . The core Zone was equivalent to Port Atwood , and this was where the strongest beasts would reside , along with the most valuable herbs and minerals .

His hunch was quickly proven right over the following hours as the number of E-Grade beasts he encountered kept increasing . He even spotted a massive swarm of E-Grade hornets far in the distance , each one of them as large as a labrador . Even Zac felt a bit intimidated by the swarm , so he actually chose to hide inside the river to not draw their attention .

Beasts were weaker than cultivators in general , but they made up for it in numbers . He wasn't in any mood to be besieged by thousands of murderous hornets for no real return . Even if he emerged victoriously it would still be a pitched battle , and the risk didn't weigh up for the rewards . There was no point in messing with a swarm like that unless they were guarding some great treasure .

He did fight the occasional E-Grade beast though , mostly overgrown bugs or river-creatures . There was a large number of alien amphibians that looked like predatory catfish . Their maws were wide enough to swallow Zac in one bite , and there were over five rows of jagged teeth hiding within . They even had short stubby legs like salamanders , and they could break into a surprisingly quick sprint on the ground .

Zac fought and harvested intermittently as he scoped the core zone , and his Cosmos Sack was gradually filling up with valuables . He didn't recognize the herbs he was picking at all , but each beast carcass was worth between 10 000 and 100 000 Nexus Coins depending on species and level .

The bountiful harvest went on for a few hours until there was a startling change in the atmosphere ; it had become quiet .

The sounds of nature had always been a bit subdued in this swamp , but it had suddenly become completely silent after Zac passed an unseen threshold . He had never encountered this before , but it could only mean a few things . There were no beasts here , meaning they either had all been killed or scared away by something . Zac immediately started to look around for clues , but there wasn't much to go by .

This section of the wetlands looked pretty much the same as the rest , with the exception that the river he was following along was a bit wider than the rest . It was over five kilometers across , which would have allowed it to compete with massive rivers like the Amazon River before the Integration . Now it was just a tributary from some much larger source of water .

Zac's first instinct was to avoid this place just like the hornets earlier , but he eventually chose to stay . He was here for training and treasures , after all , and this felt like a place that could provide both . He kept going along the shoreline , but he concealed as much of his aura as he could . However , he only walked a few hundred meters before there was a change in his body .

His cells had all woken up and were screaming at him that there was something delicious nearby . This wasn't something coming from his recently upgraded Forester's Constitution] , but rather the general feelings of desire that great treasures like the Fruit of Ascension elicited . Zac immediately started to look for any special energy signatures with Cosmic Gaze] , though not without some hesitation .

There was something odd about the feeling , though he couldn't exactly place it .

It quickly became apparent that the treasure could be found on a small island in the middle of the river . There was a constant swirl of haze surrounding it though , making it impossible for Zac to guess what was going on inside . He could only see the edges of the island sticking out , but he could at least make some deductions of what kind of situation might be waiting for him over there .

The island just had a diameter of 100 meters or so , so the valuable item shouldn’t be something huge like a Crystal Mine . It was also unlikely that there was some sort of hive with a huge number of beasts like a hornet hive or an ant's nest waiting on the other side of the fog . The island was too small , so there could either be just one big guy guarding the treasure , or a pack of medium-sized beasts .

As for the treasure , it was probably some sort of plant with a powerful energy signature .

However , Zac didn’t immediately rush over to take the item . There was a constant buzz in the back of his head , alerting him of danger . It wasn’t an acute sense of dread , but rather a pervasive sense of wrongness . He couldn't make heads or tails about the feeling , but he knew to take extra precautions .

Perhaps the feeling was simply because his subconscious believed a life and death struggle waited for him on the island . The most powerful animals always erected their lairs next to valuable herbs as the aura the treasures released could help refine their bloodlines . There was no way that this island wasn’t occupied since Zac’s cells were screaming at him to eat whatever was hiding within the mists .

With the sheer amount of hidden cards and advantages he had stacked up over the past year , Zac didn't feel all too worried about whatever was waiting for him though . He was confident in dealing with pretty much anything Earth was able to throw at him this early into the integration . However , Zac still wanted to deal with this situation like a normal cultivator .

He needed to come up with a plan that would allow him to minimize the danger . He wouldn’t always stay on Earth where there were no real surprises . Cultivation on Earth was too orderly as everyone began at the same time , and it provided him a false sense of security that wouldn't hold up out in the multiverse . Even the Mystic Realm would contain unknown dangers that could threaten his life by all accounts .

He needed to learn to do things the right way , or he would sooner or later be killed because he encountered something that couldn’t be solved by swinging his axe extra hard .

His class and Dao thankfully enabled Zac to blend in with the surroundings , allowing him to spy on the island from his vantage hidden in a tree crown by the shore . However , Zac frowned when there was no change even after four hours . The mists didn’t dissipate , and there were never any sounds that came from the island . No beast ever left the moat to hunt either , leaving Zac wondering if he was just being paranoid .

Was there actually no beast living there?

There was only so much time he had to spare , and he eventually decided to just go for it . He figured that he could either swap to his Draugr form and walk along the bottom of the river , or use his leaf as a boat . He eventually decided to move upstream a bit before he placed the leaf on the river . He infused himself with the Fragment of the Bodhi and simply allowed his flying treasure to drift toward the island like a normal piece of debris .

Zac didn't move in the slightest and Verun's Bite] was already in his hand in case of an ambush , but he drifted through the haze without issue until his flying treasure hit land . He immediately disembarked and stowed away the treasure before he looked around the island with some confusion and desire . He had smelt an extremely enticing aroma since he entered the fog , and he couldn't wait to snatch whatever was the source .

The haze was actually not that thick on the island , one quick scan confirmed that there were no guarding beasts around . Not that they could fit with the tree that grew from the center of the island . The tree wasn’t overly tall , just reaching twenty meters into the sky . However , it was shockingly wide , its trunk taking up the better part of the whole island .

Even the massive redwoods back then couldn’t compete with this weird monstrosity in terms of girth .

However , Zac wasn’t interested in the tree trunk , but rather the bulbous branches that spread out at its crown . There were only 6 branches in total on the whole tree , and each of them looked like a shrub with an enormous flower growing on it . It was no doubt these flowers who were the source of the smell , and Zac could sense how most of the energy gathered by the tree was infused into these six treasures .

The fact that there were no beasts around only made Zac more apprehensive as he stayed on the edge of the island though . It was a bit disconcerting that he couldn’t find the source of danger or wrongness , but he also couldn’t just stand around doing nothing . He had already made his move , and delaying would just increase the danger he was in .

His spirit tool necklace transformed , and a chain shot out from his back and snaked around one of the stubby branches , and Zac shot toward it as he dragged himself up . The sudden movement was just in time as five sharp spikes punched through the ground and stabbed his previous location with enough force to make the air crackle . Zac immediately looked back and saw that it was a group of roots , but they receded beneath the ground after they missed .

The scene wasn’t very surprising to Zac . If there were no beast guardian around in this place , then it was most likely that the tree itself was a dangerous predator . And since there were no branches on this fatty tree , then it most likely had nimble roots to deal with its prey . A trunk of this width should be able to grow a massive root system , after all .

Zac wasted no time as he didn’t believe for a second that this probing attack was all the tree could muster , considering that the whole area was cleansed of animals . He moved to cut off the closest flower , but a weird shield actually appeared around it . Zac grunted in annoyance as he swung his axe down at the emerald barrier , and the collision made the whole tree shudder .

The shaking didn’t subside , though , and Zac’s eyes widened when the whole river exploded as thousands of roots , each one hundreds of meters long , rose into the sky . Zac had expected more roots to be waiting , but not to the point that the sky itself was almost blocked out . He hurriedly launched a barrage of strikes at the stalk connecting the flower to the branch , and the shield finally cracked .

But there was just enough time to harvest the one flower before his mind screamed of danger for real . Hundreds of roots shot toward him with a speed and agility that far surpassed any other plant he had encountered thus far , and he barely managed to dodge the strikes by moving over to the top of the trunk with Loamwalker] .

The roots actually emitted a powerful killing intent as they froze in the air . However , they only wiggled in the air for a second before the tree seemed to have located him once more . Zac immediately flashed toward the next flower as he cut apart roots by the scores , but his eyes suddenly widened in alarm .

Two chains slammed into the top of the massive trunk the next moment , dragging Zac right back where he came from .

It was just in time as well as the flower released what looked like a plume of pollen that created a yellow haze that lingered just for an instant before it started spreading through the air . Zac thankfully evaded most of it , but some of it definitely made its way to him . A huge surge of desire and killing intent welled up in his heart , and his breaths started to become ragged as he looked at the remaining flowers .

His hunch had been right ; that pollen was definitely not normal .

The other four flowers quickly followed suit and released their own clouds of pollen , and Zac was soon surrounded from all sides as he kept dancing back and forth while cutting off any incoming roots . He was only buying time though as the roots regrew within seconds and rejoined the battle .

However , there was nothing else he could do until those clouds of pollen dissipated enough for him to snatch the flowers . He was already in a bad state from just taking a whiff , and he might actually go insane if he stayed inside the clouds too long . It was a very weird feeling as two conflicting impulses fought inside his mind . One of the voices was telling him to stay away as the increasingly large cloud of pollen was dangerous , while the other was screaming at him to jump into the cloud and push his face into the flower .

Was the thing a lure?

Roars suddenly echoed out across the area , as though in direct response to his hunch . Zac also saw a large number of Cosmic Energy clusters moving closer with the help of Cosmic Gaze] , which probably meant that hundreds of beasts were pushing toward his location with their utmost speed . The quickest animals were all in E-Grade , and the strongest ones actually managed to push through the forest of deadly roots to arrive at the small island .

The area had been void of life just a minute ago , but it suddenly looked as though a beast tide was forming all around him , madly fighting against the countless roots in the river . Something was clearly wrong with the animals though as many of them were frothing at the mouth as their eyes shone with madness .

They cared for nothing except their desire to reach the island . The water had already turned red , but the island had similarly grown to twice its original size thanks to the hundreds of snaking roots that had been cut or ripped off by Zac and the beasts . This was definitely the tree's doing .

It was orchestrating a bloodbath .

Chapter 553 : Roots

The chaotic scene made Zac's eyes widen with shock , but he quickly found his bearings as he started to prepare . A spectral forest rose up on the small island , using the fallen roots as soil . He also summoned the unique blade of Chop] and had it circle around him , which helped tremendously in dealing with the incessant attacks from roots .

The fat tree seemed infuriated that a bunch of other plants had sprung up in its private domain and the water churned as even more roots rose to rip them apart . But how could normal roots destroy an incorporeal forest? They harmlessly passed straight through , which only angered the tree further . It was the drugged beasts that were forced to take the brunt of the tree's wrath in the end though as Zac was proving a tough nut to crack .

A slight vibration in the air was all the warning Zac got before he was suddenly attacked by a small bird who flashed past him with such speed that it might as well have been a beam of light . Not even the additional sight afforded him by Hatchetman's Spirit] was enough to avoid the strike . A small wound appeared on his right arm , but the small beast was thankfully not powerful enough to cause any more damage than that .

However , it seemed as though the bloodthirsty little swallow wasn't done there , and it veered in a wide arc around the tree before it shot toward him once more .

The emerald leaves of Nature’s Barrier] appeared to create a nigh-impenetrable wall against the assailant , but it was like a blur completely unfettered by gravity or its own momentum as it made seemingly impossible turns around the leaves and roots alike . Another bloody line was cut open on Zac’s cheek , and he swore in annoyance when the autonomous fractal edge missed the bird for the second time .

The bird gave up on the kill after it realized Zac was barely affected at all . It instead shot toward one of the five remaining flowers , but Zac's eyes widened when swallow suddenly just up and exploded just as it landed on the pistil . Was it the pollen or something else?

Zac was unsure what to do in either case . He wanted to loot the flowers without destroying the tree as that would allow him to come back for more treasures in the future . But it looked extremely dangerous to get close . Zac eventually decided to test things out a bit and he threw one of his beast carcasses at the closest branch .

The massive beast shot forward like a wrecking ball and ripped through multiple layers of roots that tried to stop its advance . It only got within a few meters of the flower before three extremely powerful roots appeared though . They were pitch-black compared to the others who were dark brown , and it looked like naturally formed fractals covered their length .

These were the real killing weapons of the tree .

The special roots effortlessly intercepted the carcass that weighed well over a tonne , and it was gored and flung away in an instant . However , Zac noted that the body didn't show any inclination to explode , meaning that the pollen probably only worked on living creatures . He tested things further and shot a few fractal blades at the special roots , but his eyes widened when he couldn't even cut them apart when he imbued Chop] with Fragment of the Axe .

The three roots disappeared the next moment as they blended in with the thousands of normal roots , but Zac wouldn't be tricked now that he knew they existed . It might be hard to spot them with his normal sight , but the roots were almost lit up like beacons to his Cosmic Gaze] . The normal roots contained a respectable amount of Nature-aspected energy , but the three killing roots contained some sort of intense fiery power as well .

The vision of Hatchetman's Spirit] also allowed him to keep track of the three roots , and it almost seemed as though the roots were observing him from the distance . However , danger screamed in his mind the next moment as one of the three shot straight toward him . The leaves of Nature's Barrier] superimposed to create an extremely thick layer of protection , and Zac activated the first defensive charge of Hatchetman's Spirit] for good measure .

A rippling shockwave spread out the next moment as the root slammed into his defenses with the force of a runaway train . Scores of roots around Zac were ripped apart from the chaotic swirls of energies , and his own defenses didn't fare much better . Over a dozen layers of leaves were ripped apart , and the emerald shield cracked as well .

The shield managed to absorb most of the remaining momentum from the strike , but Zac was still hurled hundreds of meters away from the impact . He groaned in pain from the punch as he fell into the river , but his brows furrowed when he saw a dark-brown sticky substance covered his chest where the root hit him . Only then did he somewhat realize that the tip of the root had been covered in some unknown compound .

Were the special roots venomous like actual snakes?

Thankfully his defenses were powerful enough to prevent the root from drawing blood , which barely prevented Zac from being injected with this unknown liquid . He was filled with both dread and marvel as he looked at the three roots that acted just like beasts . It was amazing that a plant could evolve to such a degree in one short year . Or was this perhaps something that the System had rather planted here as a hidden opportunity?

In either case , it wasn't enough to deter him , and he swam back toward the island , slaughtering any beast that tried to get in his way . It was time to bring out the big guns . He didn't want to use his hidden cards for this fight , but that didn't mean that he couldn't even use his skills . A massive woodcutter's axe appeared the next moment as Zac ran back toward the tree on top of floating carcasses .

Activating Deforestation] was essentially effortless by now , and an extremely sharp wave of destruction rippled out the next moment .

Hundreds of roots were cut off and destroyed by that one swing , which once more exposed the bulbous tree within . The three special roots survived though , which didn't really surprise Zac . But cleaning out the normal roots had fulfilled the purpose of the Axe of Felling , and Zac quickly threw out a fat stack of papers the moment he set his foot on the real part of the island .

The whole river shook and a conflagration consumed the tree crown a second later , with a plume of flames rising over fifty meters into the air . The explosions came from a stack of over a hundred low-tiered fire talismans he activated as one , and it was Zac’s best idea to disperse the barely visible pollen that had spread all over the area .

He figured that the flames would be able to clear out the toxin in the air , but he was worried that his Infernal Axe would not only destroy the pollen but even the tree itself . A bunch of low-tiered talismans shouldn't be able to harm a tree with this strong vitality though , making them a better tool for this purpose . And if the tree was destroyed by something like this , it couldn't have been anything precious anyway .

Nothing ventured nothing gained . That was what passed through his mind as Zac swallowed a handful of soul-soothing and general antidote pills . He shot toward the closest flower the next moment , and he could breathe out in relief when he didn't sense anything odd even after appearing right in front of it . Either the dangers of the pollen had been dealt with , or his body was simply strong enough to withstand it .

A few furious swings later a second flower had entered his Cosmos Sack , and he was already moving toward the next . The Axe of Felling had contained a large amount of his Fragment of the Axe , and he could still feel how it still was impacting the roots he cut earlier . The surging vitality of the tree tried to forcibly regrow the roots , but Zac was actively resisting using his latest insights into Dao Control . His head hurt , but he refused to let his mental energy be dispersed .

It gave him enough breathing room to continue with his harvest . However , he only managed to pluck the third flower before a weird scene took place . The three special roots actually assaulted the remaining flowers themselves , stabbing straight into their cores before they absorbed the flower's essence . Only a second passed before the flowers looked withered like they had been left to dry in the sun for weeks .

Cannibalism? Zac thought with wide eyes , and his eyes only got even wider when the roots suddenly doubled in size as their auras exploded with ferocity . He barely had time to think before he was slammed with a force that even exceeded that of the massive Anointed , but Zac wasn't even allowed to be thrown away in peace before he was attacked again .

The three roots had gained a massive spike in power from absorbing the three flowers , but the tree itself looked a bit wan . The normal roots didn't bother him any longer either , but they rather went after the huge number of beasts and dragged them underwater . It looked like it desperately needed some nourishment after losing all six of its treasures in one go .

But Zac was in no state to worry about the tree's situation as he was being harried by those three roots . He had already gotten his hands on the treasure so there was no point in staying here , but the three roots refused to let him leave . They were even a lot faster than he was since they grew in size , and he could just saunter away .

His axe was a blur as he desperately countered the barrage of strikes , but he rapidly gained one wound after another even with his still active Nature's Barrier] picking up some of the slack . This couldn't go on . His Endurance and Vitality was monstrous for an E-Grade human , but how could it compare to that of a tree monster? It thankfully lacked the power to unleash a killing blow , but it was still a hassle to deal with .

It was a shame , but Zac saw no recourse but to launch the second strike of Deforestation] , Infernal Axe , and hope that he didn't accidentally burn up his treasure tree .

The second defensive charge of Hatchetman's Spirit] provided enough time to activate the second swing , and a furious wave of cutting flames spread out across the river . It contained the fury of mother nature itself , and the attack incinerated everything from island to shore . Even the special roots were unable to resist the fiery wrath of Zac's ultimate skill , and they slunk away before they were ripped apart like everything else .

Zac saw his opportunity and flashed away , barely avoiding a large spurt of that odd liquid the roots were covered in . That final gout of venom had actually come from the tree trunk itself like it had opened a valve to shoot out a beam of poison at him . But Zac had already taken out his flying treasure at that point , and he was much too quick to be caught by now .

He found himself on the shore a second later and he became one with the forest the next moment . Zac was certain he could feel the fury of that bloodthirsty tree in the distance , but Zac didn't care as he moved further away . The fight wasn't really finished , but there was no point to kill the goose that lay the golden eggs .

Three flowers were reabsorbed by the tree itself , but getting at least half of them was decent enough . Better yet , he had managed to do so without permanently harming the tree and without using any of his cheats . Zac marked down the spot on his private map before he moved on , looking for other opportunities in the core region of the Swamps .

Zac found a lot of precious herbs , but he also found himself in a constant struggle . He was actually assaulted by the hornets twice over the following day , and Zac finally couldn’t take it any longer . He spent half a day looking for their hive before he mounted an assault on the small mountain . After thirty minutes of all-out carnage did he find himself in the depths of the hive .

There was a shocking monstrosity in the heart of the cave , a queen whose only job was to birth more soldiers . But it seemed as though the queen was unable to defend herself apart from a mental attack that couldn’t harm Zac in the slightest . It reminded him of the queen he fought during the undead level at the tower , though this hornet queen was a lot less evolved for war .

It allowed him to completely ignore the beast and ransack the place for treasures , but the only thing he found was lots of extremely energy-dense honey . Hornets shouldn’t actually be producing honey as far as Zac knew , but perhaps these things were rather bees that had mutated into predators from the Integration . In either case , the stuff was chock-full of Cosmic Energy , especially the Royal Jelly he found next to the queen .

It contained far more energy than even E-Grade Nexus Crystals , and Zac actually gained a level in his human form just from eating a fifth of the Royal Jelly . It pushed him to level 83 in his human shape as well , catching up to his Draugr side . He quickly put the ten free points into Dexterity , just like he had with all other free points in the E-Grade , before he moved on .

But he didn't find another real treasure like the fatty tree and its flowers even after spending a total of six days in the vast forests . He still felt like the past week was well spent as he made a lot of progress on his meditation , while even upgrading one of his skills . He had even gotten a better understanding of his Luck and how to make the most of it . But it was time to head home .

Zac eventually found a secluded cave and erected a teleportation array . It was a bit wasteful to burn almost 100 million Nexus Coins on a single-use array , but he didn’t want to waste a whole day flying back to the settlement at the edge of the Swamp . There were no messages waiting for him when returning , so he immediately headed over to Calrin’s place to get an estimate on his gains .

You’re back , - Calrin said with curiosity as Zac sat down on a chair in the private meeting room of the Thayer Consortia . - Did you find anything interesting? -

You tell me , - Zac said as he took out one of the enormous flowers .

Chapter 554 : Life , Death , War

My body is telling me that this should be good stuff , but its pollen also seemed pretty deadly , - Zac said as he placed the flower on the merchant’s inspection table .

The energies condensed in the pistil are both strong and peculiar , but I don't recognize this species , - the Sky Gnome said as he looked at the natural treasure with interest . - It should be something good though . How did you find it? -

It grew on a tree , - Zac said as he described his encounter in the swamp .

This reminds me of something , - Calrin muttered as he took out one of his massive tomes .

A short moment later a page depicting a similar tree to the one on the island appeared .

It’s a Rageroot Oak] , a plant that can match your Tree of Ascension in rarity . It’s lucky you didn’t actually cut it down . Its trunk contains a sap that might even be able to drive you mad , - Calrin read . - The sap and pollen are both valuable and can be continuously extracted . The flowers can take decades to form though . -

Zac felt some cold sweat running down the back when he saw the description . He remembered how something had dripped from those special roots , it turned out to be sap meant to turn him into a madman .

What’s it good for though? Berserk pills? - Zac asked , not too enthused .

Power never came for free , no matter if you were talking about War Arrays or Berserking Pills . War Arrays would always force you to travel with weaker subordinates , each one of them a weak link . As for Berserking Pills , they generally had pretty gruesome side-effects . The stronger the effect the worse the drawback would be .

The pollen can be made into a potent beast lure which can be useful in all sorts of situations . You can both use it for yourself in case you need to refine yourself through battle , or you can use it to unleash a beast tide on your enemies . The sap is indeed a popular ingredient in Berserking Pills that allows warriors to unleash their potential during a battle , - Calrin explained .

And the flower itself? It should be the greatest treasure , - Zac said .

There is a core in the center of the flower , - Calrin said . - It's a natural treasure that works as a Berserking Pill as well . -

That's it? - Zac asked with disappointment .

Don't underestimate those cores . It will allow an E-Grade warrior to increase their power by one step , and it will not have any major side-effects , just extreme exhaustion afterward . These two combined make it extremely rare and valuable . A pill that gives such a massive boost would carry severe long-term side-effects , or might even lead to death , - Calrin explained .

Zac finally realized that he really had picked up something good this time . He had researched this matter for a bit after getting his hands on the Cyborg Corpse , which could be considered the epitome of a Berserking transformation . One step didn't refer to level , but stages of cultivation , meaning an Early E-Grade warrior would be able to exhibit the power of a Middle E-Grade warrior with the help of these flowers .

That was almost a doubling in power , and to be able to get such a boost without lasting detriments was amazing . The cyborg might have gone all the way from early E-Grade to Half-step D-Grade , but that also cut the Technocrat's lifespan down to less than a minute . These flower cores might save his life in the future , turning the tides in a tough battle .

I also have some wild herbs here as well , see if there’s anything valuable , - Zac added as he threw over a Cosmos Sack .

There , unfortunately , wasn’t anything too impressive , but his six-day haul was still worth over 300 million nexus coins . That was only the immediate value of the herbs he found thanks to Forester’s Constitution] , and not including the mountains of E-Grade carcasses that he had amassed in his Cosmos Sack .

It wasn’t a huge sum for him any longer , but it proved how profitable even normal exploration could be . You needed both the skills to find the plants and the strength to survive the environment though , which disqualified pretty much everyone on Earth apart from a select few . Besides , he had the advantage of being the first explorer , and future generations probably wouldn’t be able to collect such a haul .

But it made him excited for the future . This was the gain from a random forest on his planet . How much wealth could one stand to profit by exploring a newly emerged Mystic Realm in the future , a world that was not only untouched but possibly held extremely rare or even previously unseen herbs?

Zac walked out of the consortia with a sense of excitement , but he didn’t get far before he sensed a powerful presence close-by .

Hey , - a voice said , and Zac looked over at the shadows with surprise .

It’s you? - Zac asked . - How do you keep finding me like this? -

I just need to ask around . It’s not like you’re very circumspect , - Ogras snorted .

Well , is it done? - Zac asked .

It’s done , - Ogras nodded as he stepped out into the light , and Zac could feel that the aura of the Demon was a lot more condensed compared to before .

What level are you now? - Zac asked with curiosity , as it was obvious the demon had gained a substantial amount of Attributes .

Eighty-three , - Ogras shrugged , his mouth curving slightly upward . - A decent early push . -

Eighty-three? What the f- , - Zac swore . - How have you already caught up to me? I had to fight multiple life-and-death battles to get here . -

Node-opening pills work as intended on me since I’m not a primordial beast , - Ogras snorted . - You racked up a premature resistance by eating them by the handful . -

Well , it’s good that you’re out , - Zac said . - I killed one of the Dominators while you broke through . I can use some back-up soon . -

Oh? Which one? - Ogras said with surprise . - I thought they had already decided to follow the same strategy as the zealots . -

Zac quickly recapped what had taken place while Ogras was in secluded cultivation .

Well , it’s good that one of them is dealt with , though it does make me worry a bit that there has been no response . Makes me think they are up to something , - Ogras grunted . - Got anything useful from its body? -

No , I accidentally broke his Cosmos Sack , - Zac explained with a grimace . - I’ve saved the remains to cleanse of karmic ties later , but I want all three of them first . Oh , but I did get this . -

Zac took out the pitch-black spear the next moment and threw it over to Ogras . The demon caught it effortlessly even though it weighed hundreds of kilos , and the weapon turned to a blur as Ogras started stabbing it into the air .

It contains some material and insight related to Space , - Ogras muttered with excitement . - It can even enter the shadows! I just need to find a decent Blacksmith to infuse some more shadow-related materials and it will be perfect for me! Are you giving this to me? -

Sure , but you’ll have to find some way to pay me back later , - Zac smiled . - We both know how valuable this spear is . Some offhanded advice won’t cut it . -

Fine , I’ll figure something out , - Ogras shrugged as he dripped his blood on the weapon . - Such a good thing . -

Get ready for the war in three days , - Zac said as he started walking toward the closest teleporter . - We might have to deal with the other two Dominators there . -

I'll head out for a day or two to get used to my improved strength , - Ogras said . - But I will arrange things . -

Zac chose to stay behind in Port Atwood while the Demon went away to hone himself through combat , spending his time either in his Soul Strengthening Array or pondering on the Dao . His most recent trips had given him a lot of insights , especially into the Fragment of the Bodhi , and he wanted to incorporate those snippets into his understanding of the Dao as quickly as possible . It wasn't enough to actually evolve any of the Fragments , but it was a step in the right direction .

The days flew by and the morning of the Challenge quickly arrived . Zac hadn't even left his Cultivation Cave during the three days , but he had gotten occasional reports from Triv . The ghost had availed himself as a sort of filter to save Zac's time . Crystals full of reports were sent to his compound daily by Abby and others , and Triv sifted through them to categorize them by importance and urgency .

Of course , the most crucial reports were sealed so that only Zac could see them .

This time Zac didn't set out to war with just Triv , but there was a whole squad waiting for him . Both Ogras and his two remaining generals were there , as was Joanna with a defensive squad of shield-bearing Valkyries and Emily . Triv was already resting inside his pagoda as well , ready to erect the jammers once final time .

Only his sister was missing from this group of core combatants of Port Atwood , with her being busy dealing with the Mystic Realm . Things were thankfully looking up over at Mystic Island , and Kenzie had indicated that there shouldn't be any problems with attempting a re-opening in a few days .

You know why we're here , - Zac simply said as he looked around . - We're not going to participate in the war itself . Our only job is to deal with the real threat ; the Dominators . There should still be two karmic connections that can lead that man to Earth , but if we manage to destroy them we'll be safe for a century . -

What if the insectoids want to deal with those guys by themselves? - Ilvere asked .

Ignore them , - Zac eventually said after giving it some thought . - This is a matter of survival for our planet . Taking out the Dominators takes precedence over anything else . I'll just apologize to the Anointed afterward if it comes to that . -

The group nodded in understanding , each of them already well aware of their respective roles . Zac would be the main combatant and Ogras would be back-up , with the rest of the group offering assistance in different ways . Thea would take the same role as Ogras as well if she decided to join them this time as well .

Zac didn't feel safe with letting anyone else directly fight the Dominators , and he was only confident in those two thanks to their ability to escape if needed . Harbinger had both proven his power and conviction in the previous battle , and he was afraid that even elites like Billy would just find themselves to be cannon fodder in front of their strength .

The group set out just a few minutes later , and they appeared at an array at the foot of a mountain this time . Zac could sense a terrifying aura though , and a breathtaking scene met his eyes when he turned his head .

Millions of Zhix stood armed and ready , an army many times larger than what he had witnessed so far . Not only that , one look was enough to tell that they hadn't thrown in random people to bolster the ranks . Each and every one was a hardened warrior who had seen battle before . The scene made him sigh with awe but also disappointment .

With an army like this in existence , why did he have to close all those Incursions himself? It was living proof that the thing that made newly integrated planets fail mostly lack of coordination and sacrificial will . The Zhix could have taken out a large number of Incursions themselves , but they had been paralyzed by their complex relationship with Cosmic Energy .

Warmaster , you are here , - Rhubat nodded as it walked over . - You brought more people this time? -

We will stay to the side as promised . I just want to take precautions in case the other two appear today , - Zac explained .

The Grand Anointed slowly nodded in understanding , which Zac also took as a tacit agreement that his people could fight the Dominators in case they showed up .

There wasn't else for them to do , and they set out just a few minutes later . Thea had already appeared before his group did , and it looked like the Anointed already had made their plans and preparations before this .

The vast army traveled for over 6 hours until they reached a secluded basin nestled in between towering mountains . There were no known human settlements within hours according to Thea , which was one of the reasons this location was picked . Another reason was probably that the basin stretched far into the horizon , allowing it to accommodate two massive armies .

Zac didn't have to wait long for them to spot their enemies . An endless black snake was moving toward them from the distance , emerging from a canyon on the other side of the basin . The people in his group frowned when they saw that the enemy army was at least 30% larger than their own , but Zac wasn't as worried .

These people hadn't witnessed the power of the Anointed who had entered the Crusade .

Their group found a small mountain not far from their own backlines . It rose about 200 meters above the ground , which allowed them to be close enough to witness the action without risking being suddenly dragged into it .

Activate the jammer , - Zac finally said when the two armies had lined up with a kilometer's distance , and Triv adroitly activated the black pillar .

There was a subdued silence in the millions of Zhix stood ready for war , the War Council was betting everything to secure the future of their race . The Dominators had been a shadow in the collective mind of the Zhix for millennia , and this was their final chance to fulfill the wish of their ancestors to completely cleanse it .

Conversely , if they failed the Zhix would fall . The dominators would seize control , which would be a short hegemony that would last until The Great Redeemer got here to cull the planet .

So we just stand here? - Ogras muttered with a lazy expression .

This is the struggle of the Zhix , our presence will only muddy the waters , - Thea said from the side , only sparing the demon a glance before turning back toward the battlefield .

The stalemate only lasted for around ten minutes , before a prolonged note was released from a horn somewhere . The call released the floodgates , and the two armies started rushing toward each other . There were no deft stratagems or tactics employed , but rather just brutal fervor as the armies clashed .

The warriors didn't even seem to utilize their classes or skills , but rather just infused their bodies and traditional weapons with Cosmic Energy . It was a bit like Zac before he figured out how his pathways worked , where he just pushed around the energy in his body to improve his power .

Was this a tacit agreement between the two sides? An oath to deal with their conflict following the ancient precepts?

The armies weren’t thick , the rows only having a depth of a hundred warriors or so , but the war stretched all the way to the horizon . There were hundreds of thousands of simultaneous clashes , and even the sky was affected by the collective outburst of killing intent and Cosmic Energy . The whole sky glowed in red as the Zhix fought tooth and nail everything they had , and Zac started to enter a mystic state as he looked on from the mountain top .

This . . . ! - Zac whispered , his eyes widening .

The others on the mountain looked at him with confusion , but he was no longer in any state to think about that as his aura exploded around him , forcing everyone to move away . His aura wasn't calm or condensed though , but rather a chaotic mess of energies that tried to devour everything around them .

Death , - he muttered next and order was imposed upon the chaos .

A massive sphere of darkness had been created , and the deathly energies inside it swirled in a vortex much like how his nodes looked . The enormous sphere took up almost half his vision , and perhaps by accident it covered most of the enemy army . Zac didn't know if others could see what he saw , but it didn't matter . His mind was full of pictures flashing by , superimposing themselves over the gory bloodbath beneath him .

People died by the scores every second , and each death seemed to resonate with him . The two opposing armies were like two opposite energies clashing , and something new would be born from the struggle .

Life , - Zac whispered in a trance , and his aura was split in two .

The growing sphere of death was pushed aside , forced to share space with a vibrant ball of life . Inside it was a power-generating vortex as well , but it flowed in the opposite direction of the sphere of death . The two spheres brought order to the chaos , but they each struggled for dominance .

The space between the two turned into a delimiting line of constant conflict , perfectly mirroring the war of the Zhix . And just like something new would be born out of this carnage , so was something brewing in his own aura . The thing he had been searching for since he started to look for a truth of his own .

War , - Zac growled , and the world finally clicked in place .

Blood fell like rain under a crimson sky , and a Path was born .

Chapter 555 : Trinity

Zac’s robes fluttered as his massive aura caused sharp winds to blanket the mountain peak . However , he wasn’t in any state to notice the tumultuous state of the mountain he was sitting on . His full attention was split between the magical scene in the air that held the conceptualization of his path , and the all-out struggle below that resonated with him .

The two spheres seemed to hold the powers to both destroy the world and recreate it , but they were still bound and manipulated by the third force in the middle . If the two spheres were represented by the two armies below , then the war itself represented a third force that drew the two opposites toward each other , changing their energies through conflict .

Most of Zac’s waking hours over the past months had gone into trying to understanding the various moving components that comprised his unique situation , when he wasn't putting out fires left and right . On the most fundamental level , there were his two classes and their corresponding Daos , but that was just one aspect of his cultivation path .

There were also his weaponry and skills , and even Port Atwood . Yrial and his guidance was also an important factor , and his master's own path had been the reason that Zac so arduously tried to form a cycle of Life and Death until giving up during the Tower of Eternity . There was also the issue of the two remnants in his head , and the powerful bloodline he suspected himself to have .

Not everything needed to necessarily be part of some sort of cultivation masterplan , but the more the better . The more factors behind his success he managed to integrate into his path , the better and sturdier it would become . That would become even more important if he actually managed to take the step into Dual Arcane classes in the future .

Moving forward from that point on would be far more complicated , putting huge requirements on one's foundation . Certainly , no piddling E-Grade warriors would be able to fathom a perfected path , but if there contradictions and mistakes were too large , then he might not be able to fix them further down the path .

The problem was that there had been a fundamental barrier to his improvements all this while ; deciphering how all his unique points fit together . There was undeniably a theme of Life and Death , but he hadn’t really figured out how to fuse that with his axe-work just yet . Rapturous Divide] and Blighted Cut] was a move in the right direction , but gaining scheduled skills couldn’t be considered understanding one’s cultivation path . He was still making isolated improvements without thinking of the whole , which was starting to become dangerous .

But that finally started to change .

He had completely lost any sense of time or his surroundings on the mountain by this point as his whole being was consumed by his epiphany . The Dao always felt elusive and intangible , but it was so clear to him at this moment . It felt like one breath right now was as effective as hours of silent meditation . He suddenly understood everything with unprecedented clarity . Where he currently was , and where he needed to go .

Zac realized that he had looked at it all wrong until now . He had thought of his cultivation path as one of duality , where life and death were the main components . He had two races and two classes and even two remnants to match them . However , there were also triplets in the mix .

He had three sets of Daos , each distinct and unique , and he could produce three different - Sparks’ from the remnants based on his Daos . However , he had been stuck in a mental trap even after discarding a cyclic path and the original purpose of Cyclic Strike] . He had still seen his future path as one of duality , even if it wasn’t one of skill and balance but rather force .

But Life and Death weren’t the concepts that defined him or his rise after the Integration . It was his struggle .

His path was not one of Cyclic Dominance that used skilled control to seamlessly switch between states and concepts , and neither was it one of Harmonic Equilibrium . His path was one of struggle , where the flames of war would open the path of Life and Death . His path was one of a Defiant Struggle that would pave a bloody path all the way toward the peak .

One year ago , Zac had been stranded in the middle of nowhere with nothing but a hatchet in his hand . Now he was one of the most powerful people in the younger generation in the whole sector , and his name was known across whole galaxies . Was this thanks to his deep insight into Life and Death? Of course not .

The air screamed as Verun’s Bite] appeared in his hand , its blackish edge casting a deathly gleam . Zac’s eyes turned down to the axe , the weapon which had followed him since the beast waves . His weapon had been a constant through his struggles , but yet it had been relegated to become some sort of delivery-method for his - more advanced - concepts .

But that was completely backward .

His weapon wasn’t just a replaceable component , it was the catalyst to everything . Without it , his path was dead in the water , just like the two remnants in his mind who were stuck at an impasse that would only end when one of the two was defeated .

Zac’s eyes flashed as he remembered the Stele and the vision it brought . The ancient plaque carried the essence of a primordial concept as it soared through space in search of new generals . It pushed the idea that without struggle there would be nothing . A universe could be born , only to never flourish . It would remain lifeless and slowly die to entropy over the countless eons if there was no catalyst for change and improvement .

It wasn’t a duality he was looking to create , but a trinity with the axe in the center . The axe contained his struggle , his determination , and his undying will , and those things could even influence life and death itself as long as he became powerful enough . It would be the catalyst , the seed for change .

In the case of the sparks , - War’ also represented his personal control . He had seen how things went once already when he excluded his Fragment of the Axe to create the Chaos Pattern . He had immediately lost control and conjured the System itself . He was just a cog rather than someone in control , and it was almost a miracle that he was still alive after doing something so foolhardy .

If his current ideas were correct , then the Fragment of the Axe was crucial when touching upon Creation and Oblivion . It was the fragment he was the most skilled with , and it was outside the purview of the two remnants . It was truly his , and he could use this fact to draw in the opposing powers of both his two other Daos or the Remnants , and from there push their struggle to suit his goals by being the general in charge of the war .

That was why the Fragment of the Axe had been needed to create useable sparks . If you took that part out of the equation , you only had Oblivion and Creation to create Chaos , and those two were still exclusively the Heaven’s Domain . He was only borrowing a small and simplified corner of the vast power of Oblivion and Creation through the remnants , and there was no point in making it the core of his cultivation path .

That small insight made him realize something else . Was the ultimate spark perhaps not the combination of his Fragment of the Bodhi and Fragment of the Coffin , but rather a combination of all three of his Daos? Was that the key to activating both the Remnants at the same time? He had essentially become a vessel for the System the last time , but things might be different in the future if he managed to impose his will with the help of his Axe Dao .

Of course , he wasn't ready to test that any time soon . First of all , creating a spark with both remnants and his Fragment of the Axe would require him to somehow modify Cyclic Strike] to allow three simultaneous streams of energy . Besides , he didn't dare something like that before his soul was much stronger .

It still wasn't certain that Zac would need to evolve his Fragment of the Axe into a Branch of War in the future to accommodate his most recent insights . He knew too little about those Daos . Of course , he knew too little about that powerful Dao , so taking that specific decision this early was pointless .

Besides , it wasn’t like everything needed to revolve around the remnants . They contained mysterious and incredible power , but the dangers were there to match . For now , he just needed to survive them . Controlling them would come later . Whether they would be truly integrated into his classes or remain as foreign objects that could be used to unleash ultimate strikes was still impossible to decide .

Who knew , as long as he followed this road he might one day become powerful enough to control both Creation and Oblivion by himself without the need of any remnants at all . At that time he might be able to absorb them , or at least discard them as they would be useless by that point .

Because at that point he would become an actual wielder of Creation and Oblivion , perhaps even able to conjure Primordial Chaos .

A sense of danger suddenly cut through his thoughts as the skies themselves rumbled in anger . Zac was forcibly snapped out of his reverie and finally regained the sense of his surroundings , prompting him to look around in confusion . The sky was still colored crimson from one of the suns setting , aptly matching the still ongoing carnage below .

However , there were mountains of Zhix corpses by this point , making Zac realize hours might have passed in his special state . There was no one around him either , and Zac saw that the others in his elite group sat a few hundred meters away from him conversing with low voices or spectating the battle . None of them seemed to have heard the thunder crashing into his ears just now though , as they didn't even glance toward the sky .

The fact that no one else seemed to have heard the thunder didn’t relieve him , but it rather filled him with dread . He was pretty much a demi-god by old-world standards , there was no way he was hearing things wrong .

A flash of lightning stretched across the whole sky the next moment . It was massive , drawing a line as thick as the smaller sun across the stratosphere . It looked to be extremely far off as well , which only magnified just how much lightning that arc contained . It might spear straight through the planet if it landed instead of just passing by Earth through the horizon .

Zac’s eyes were wide as he witnessed the spectacle , and even the furious battle down below was utterly forgotten . The bolt looked absolutely terrifying , but it was also extraordinarily beautiful . It felt like they were condensed from the purest Dao , and Zac felt that limitless insights were just out of his reach .

If he could only absorb a little bit…

However , Zac immediately cursed his stray thoughts . An extremely small tendril suddenly appeared just a few thousand meters above him . It looked like a purple piece of string , but Zac didn’t hesitate to start running away from his people even if they were hundreds of meters apart . His mind was screaming with horror , and it was not just his Danger Sense .

That purple lightning was far less mysterious and a lot more terrifying when it was bearing down on you . It felt like that seemingly insignificant tendril contained the wrath of the Heavens themselves , and just the thought of getting struck by that thing filled him with horror . His first instinct was that it was the System sending lightning at him a second time , but something told him that might not be the case .

The bolt looked completely different compared to the lightning that the System conjured in the Tower of Eternity when he summoned the Chaos Pattern . For one , it was purple instead of blue and gold . Secondly , Zac had been able to sense a sort of presence that time , but now the feeling was completely different .

Before it had felt like a vast and indifferent being had looked down at him from high above , but he couldn't sense a being this time . It was rather like the Dao itself tried to kill him as he sensed a boundless , but inanimate , fury and killing intent in the bolt . It made him think that it might be less of a tribulation to withstand and more of an assassination attempt to survive .

It was futile . Zac was pushing Loamwalker] to the limit , but it looked as though the tendril was affixed to the space right above his location no matter how far he moved . It snaked its way down with deceptive speed , and Zac barely had time to sit down and erect all his available layers of defenses .

However , some things were the same as during the Tribulation . His skills , talismans , and even Daos seemed utterly incapable of impeding the bolt . The shields cracked and even his soul received a backlash as the thunderbolt struck straight between his eyebrows .

What followed next was a pain even greater than when he jumped into the Cosmic Pond .

Chapter 556 : Heaven's Mandate

Pain and pressure threatened to tear Zac’s body apart in an instant as it swelled to uncomfortable proportions . However , Zac wasn't the same person as back when he was flooded by Cosmic Water , and he forced himself to remain conscious as he looked for solutions .

Another thing that differed from similar situations was that Zac wasn't exactly being filled up with a terrifying amount of Cosmic Energy as he was in the Cosmic Water or when forming his Duplicity Core in the Dead Zone . Whatever the purple bolt of lightning was made of seemed to be something different .

It would be more apt to call it a messy mix of countless different Daos .

Zac was almost delirious from pain , but he strove to actively combat the lightning bolt as well by utilizing his newest method of controlling his mental energy . Directly defending hadn't worked , so he instead tried to push it out of his body with Fragment of the Bodhi mental energy , essentially doing the opposite of when he completed the quest for Blighted Cut] . However , the mysterious lightning bolt was completely unmoved by Zac's efforts .

The odd and messy heterogeneity that Zac had never encountered before made it extremely hard to combat . His Daos were effective against some parts of the bolt but almost seemed to be making things worse on other parts . He was quickly reduced to passively enduring the lightning as he ground it down by exhausting his mental energy . However , it wasn’t enough .

There was simply too much energy inside that bolt . And it was not only that , there were hints of high-tiered concepts beyond Zac’s current understanding hidden in the chaotic mix , making it even more precarious to carry it around in his body . Even the remnants seemed subdued in its presence , something he only had witnessed once before , trying to appear inconspicuous rather than railing against its prison due to the chaos .

Zac popped one pill after another into his mouth as he tried one thing after another to weather the storm , and the others had realized something was wrong by now . They rushed closer , but they didn't get too close after Zac arduously shook his head at them . They wouldn't be able to help him this time , but he was starting to despair as the bolt seemed to have no intention to relent in its efforts to rip his body apart . Bloody cracks had spread all over his body already , and a similar situation could be seen in his soul .

But a deep heartbeat suddenly echoed out across the area as Void Heart] thumped .

Nothing Zac had done until now could even be considered a temporary relief against the bolt , but there was actually a change in the lightning that coursed through his body after his Hidden Node activated . Better yet , it didn't seem to be on an isolated part of his body either . The whole bolt was frozen after the first heartbeat . However , Zac also felt a sharp pain in his heart , seemingly a backlash from messing with the purple lightning . It looked like even his omnivorous Hidden Node had problems dealing with this .

The Void Heart] didn’t give up after just one try though and another beat , this one even heavier , made his whole body vibrate . This time the foreign lightning didn’t just stop , but the Hidden Node actually managed to rip off a small piece of the purple energy in the bolt before it swallowed it whole .

The stabbing pain that followed almost made him black out .

Zac started to worry for real as blood seeped down his mouth . He had only absorbed a few percent of the energy , but the backlash felt almost as dangerous as the lightning itself . He would be dead long before the Node had absorbed it all and Zac still hadn't found any way for him to control it . Zac was elated that something finally worked , but he was also worried about the implications .

He was pretty sure that this bolt was some sort of Tribulation brought forth by the system . The timing was too spot-on , and what else would be able to conjure that endless bolt in the sky? Perhaps the tribulation came from forming a proper path , or perhaps there was something else behind its emergence .

In either case , it was something that should be sent by the System . It felt extremely risky to try and steal that energy for himself , especially as the pain after the second beat almost knocked him unconscious . What if the System got angry and retaliated?

A third beat and another piece of the bolt was sucked into the vortex in his heart , disappearing into some unknown space of the Void Heart] , and Zac was lying on the ground by this point . The rampaging energies lost their energy once again , freezing in place all over his body . It was extremely lucky as well , as the backlash this time actually did knock him out , though only for a few seconds .

Zac realized he had fallen down on the ground at some time , but he was too tired and in too much pain to sit up . He could only lay sprawled on the ground , panting and fearing for what would come next . Not a scrap of energy had been released back from the Hidden Node either , which was odd by itself .

The Node instead started shaking more and more violently until Zac puked out a huge stream of blood that shot down the mountain and turned into a red mist . It was the trapped purple lightning that had actually managed to escape from his node , damaging it a bit while doing so . It did seem a bit changed though , like he had spit it up mid-digestion .

A fourth beat echoed out but it looked like the purple bolt had enough of Zac's weird bloodline . It actually reabsorbed the regurgitated lightning and fled out of his pores , its tendrils seemingly destroying everything in his surroundings out of frustration . It created a magical scene where the whole mountain was illuminated in purple , and this time it looked as though the lightning was visible by everyone .

The bolt in the sky disappeared the next moment after emitting a final burst of fury and murderousness . Zac looked like he had just lost ten battles in a row , but the lightning didn't get away completely unscathed either . The Hidden Node had actually managed to reabsorb a small part of the escaped energy before it left his body .

Zac weakly opened his eyes to see the group staying some distance away , seemingly afraid to approach without his go-ahead .

Are you okay? What can we do? - Joanna shouted with worry in her eyes .

It's over , it should be fine now , - Zac said with a weak voice , but everyone on the mountain could easily hear it as even the weakest among them were late F-Grade warriors by now .

The Valkyries and Triv immediately rushed over while Ogras and Thea maintained the distance as they vigilantly looked at the surroundings . Zac snorted as he knew that the demon was simply afraid of getting hit by some surprise lightning . The Valkyries immediately started to clean his wounds as they erected a series of arrays around him , hiding Zac's wretched state from any prying eyes .

The ghost flitted around as it seemed to be observing the air around Zac . It only took a few seconds before Triv's eyes widened as its head snapped toward Zac who was still unable to get on his feet . It had clearly gleaned something from the remnant energy that had melded with the air and disappeared .

This is Heavenly Lightning! Ancient Tribulation! - Triv said with horror in its eyes as it flew away from Zac once more . - What did you do to draw the wrath of the heavens?! -

The Valkyries already looked utterly baffled as they looked at Zac’s pathetic state and that only intensified when they heard Triv's words .

Just meditating , - Zac said with a frown , his whole body feeling like it had been incinerated . - Why did I suddenly get blasted by another Tribulation? -

The ghost seemed to be hesitating about something , its eyes darting toward the Valkyries who were still inside the arrays .

I have to rest a bit , - Zac simply said . - Wake me up if something changes . -

Zac spent over an hour in an almost fugue state where he completely focused on recuperation . He finally dared to move and circulate his energy a bit , and he was relieved to realize that his body wasn't as grievously wounded as he had feared . There were a huge number of both internal and external wounds , but that wasn't a problem to Zac .

The situation was similar with his soul , but it was thankfully far from fragmenting . His state more resembled having overextended himself in battle , which would be a lot quicker to recover from . Of course , there was always a risk that hidden threats were lurking in his body waiting to explode .

Thank you for your help . Give me and Triv a moment please , - Zac said with an exhausted voice as he opened his eyes . - No one comes in . -

Joanna nodded and handed him a bottle of water before they exited the layers of arrays . However , they didn't go far , simply choosing to erect a perimeter around him .

You know something , - Zac evenly said .

I… Ah… - The ghost said before its voice echoed out in Zac’s mind .

It’s the punishment of the Heavens , the result of embarking on the Boundless Path , Triv’s voice said .

WHAT?! - Zac exclaimed with shock before he quickly erected a sealing array and dragged the ghost inside . - When did I do something like that? Explain yourself . -

It is just what I heard , - Triv said . - I might be wrong! -

Just tell me what you know , - Zac exhorted .

Before the System , all cultivation went against the Heavens . It was to steal the essence of the Dao to attain immortality . But the universe wouldn’t give in just like that , and it would send tribulation down on the cultivators , - Triv sighed . - This all changed with the arrival of the System .

Cultivation no longer goes against the Heavens ; it is now Heaven’s mandate . The only tribulations now are the trials that the System has envisioned to weed out the weak and train the strong . It is completely different from how it was before when the Heavens tried to smite those who stole its lifeblood . -

What does this have to do with me? - Zac asked with a sinking feeling .

It seems Young Master has gained an insight that is either moving in an unrecognized direction or is outside the Heaven’s Mandate altogether . You need to adjust your path to once more enter Heaven's Path . -

Zac didn't understand what the ghost was talking about . How had he entered the Boundless Path? However , he suddenly remembered something . The last thing he had thought of before the lightning appeared was to personally take charge of Creation , Oblivion , and the Primordial Chaos itself . He only now realized how ballooned his ego was at that moment . This was something that not even the greatest masters of the universe could control from what he had gathered .

More importantly ; if he really took control of the Dao of Chaos he would probably become one of the strongest beings in the universe , perhaps even superior to the previous Apostates . Was this what the system meant by 'Beware the Terminus'? Did it think he was fomenting an insurrection when creating his cultivation path?

It was a bit odd though , there shouldn't be any lack of people dreaming of seizing control of the Dao itself and become the master of the multiverse . In fact , should be one of the most common goals among elite cultivators . Was the System really zapping people left and right for having ambition? It seemed completely contrary to its purpose . Or was there some other reason that the System actually felt threatened and took action? Something unique about him?

In either case , the ghost's words came at a really bad time . The vision he had seen during his epiphany earlier had already turned muddled and indistinct in his mind , but he still remembered how vast it was and how it encompassed his path of cultivation perfectly . How could he just part with it like that? He felt that he would never reach his full potential if he walked away from this .

And if I don’t change my path? - Zac asked with reluctance .

The further you walk down this path the greater the suppression of the Heavens . Not only will you be forced to withstand the true tribulations of the Heavens , the ones aimed at murder rather than training , but the even System will turn its back from you . I doubt the System would care about an E-Grade or even D-Grade warrior , but if you go too far you might find yourself unable to freely walk in integrated space , - Triv said fearfully . - However… -

However what? - Zac asked with exhaustion .

He had somewhat understood where Triv was going with his explanation from the very beginning , but he had let them prattle on as he gathered his own thoughts . He truly didn’t know what he should do even if the ghost was right . There was still a burning reluctance in his chest as he thought about giving up just as he began , but was it worth it to keep struggling?

He was not out to overthrow the Heavens or anything . He mainly wanted to get stronger so that he could protect those close to him . He had started to enjoy becoming stronger while uncovering the secrets of the universe , but it wasn’t the main reason he pushed himself so hard . He would still be an elite even if he gave up on his envisioned path of cultivation , wasn’t that enough?

However , every single one of the Apostates walked the Boundless Path , - Triv eventually said . - As did the Primo . -

Chapter 557 : Retaliation

The ghost was racked with pain after divulging information about the Primo , meaning Triv had once again been punished for breaking the laws branded onto its soul . It even turned mostly transparent this time , meaning that it might have been hurt pretty bad . Zac quickly threw a soul mending pill he got from the Undead Kingdom into its incorporeal body as he considered the implications of what Triv said .

Who would have thought that the big-shots who had affected the Multiverse as a whole all stepped onto the Boundless Path? Perhaps that was even the only way to reach the greatest heights . He remembered his short conversation with the mysterious man who had married Be’Zi who had spoken about the broken peaks of the System .

That wasn’t to say that the System was useless though . It had drastically increased the average power of the elites of the multiverse , and it had pushed the boundaries of what was possible . The Apostates were ultimately extreme outliers and not an indicator of the general situation of the average cultivator on the Boundless Path .

It did feel a bit like walking the Boundless Path was the way of the elite from what Triv said , but he wasn’t sure if it was for him . After all , most people seemed more than happy to stay in Heaven’s Path , and it was still possible to reach C-Grade and even greater heights .

Setting the issue of his path aside , there were some things that the Ghost had said that he didn’t quite understand .

Are the System and the - Heavens’ not the same thing? - Zac asked . - How can the 'Heavens' send Tribulations at me even if that’s not how the System operates? -

That is beyond me , perhaps beyond everyone in this sector . They are one but also separate , that’s all I’ve heard on the matter . Digging too deep into taboo subjects like this is fraught with dangers as well . Heaven’s secrets are not so easily divulged , - Triv said as he looked up at the sky with some fear .

That lightning bolt was extremely frightening . There is no way that normal cultivators would survive more than a second or two . How can whole factions possibly follow this path? - Zac asked next , hoping to find some sort of solution in case the lightning returned .

I’m no expert on methods of unorthodox cultivation , - Triv reiterated . - Though my impression was that both the F-Grade and E-Grades were safe from true Tribulations . -

Guess I’m one lucky turkey then , - Zac snorted , but he suddenly thought of something and opened his title screen .

Terminus – Gaze upon the Terminus

It was the first time in a long while he had looked at this odd title that neither appeared in his status screen nor provided any attributes . But Zac guessed that this actually might be the key as to why the Heavens reacted to the creation of his path . If others thoughts about the Primordial Chaos and the Terminus it was just wishful thinking and not something that the Heavens needed to waste its energy on .

But he had not only seen it , but he still lived to tell the tale . Perhaps this made him a real threat in the Heavens’ eyes .

That said , - Triv added , though he seemed pretty reluctant at the idea of Zac continuing down this path . - I would guess that they either have methods to hide from or weaken the Tribulation . You would probably have to visit unorthodox space to find out any real details . Taboo subjects are not freely spread in integrated space to avoid any repercussions . -

Zac kept talking with the ghost for a while , but it really didn’t know much about the subject . As for formalizing a path , it knew even less . It was the same with Ogras and the others . For one , creating a real cultivation path was something that a lot of weaker factions didn’t have any organized intelligence on . They just muddled along , often focusing on lower-rarity cultivation to improve their odds .

He still didn’t feel he really had a full handle on the situation with his cultivation , but he felt he should just stay the course for the time being .

The thing that muddied the waters was the opposing signals from the System . It seemed to want him to go down this path for some reason , but it also warned him of the - Terminus’ . Was this the name of the real Heavens perhaps? When the System told him to - beware the Terminus - , was it perhaps warning him that the Pre-System Heavens would try to stop him?

Zac eventually sighed and shook his head , deciding to focus on the present instead of worrying about these far-off things .

Hopefully , his previous experience was just a result of him wanting to take control of Chaos itself . If that was the case he might be fine as long as he didn’t become too greedy . He could simply focus on just Life , Death , and Struggle like he originally planned when pondering his path during the epiphany .

He deactivated the layers of defenses around him after letting Triv clean him up . The ghost had a skill called Twilight Scrub] for this very purpose , true to his class . It was a convenient mix of a shower and a wash that just looked like a dense cloud , but it was unfortunately made for the unliving . The azure haze that cleansed his body of both blood and grime felt like a touch of death itself . It wasn’t harmful though , so Zac didn’t waste time changing into his Draugr form just to clean up .

The group outside breathed out in relief when they saw that Zac was really fine , at least outwardly .

What the hell happened to you earlier? - Ogras asked with exasperation . - First you blast your aura at full power , then you sit around with the expression of a simpleton for hours until you suddenly start running like a maniac . And what was that lightning?! I’ve never seen anything like it . -

Zac was exhausted , but seeing the demon so frazzled that he started prattling off did improve his mood a bit . It also looked like he didn't recognize the purple lightning as Triv did , once more proving the advantage of being part of a greater force . Then again , it might just be because Triv was a spirit being who was extremely sensitive to energies as his body was made from it .

Nothing much , I just had an epiphany , - Zac shrugged , the corner of his mouth tugging slightly upward .

What’s with that smirk? - Ogras muttered , looking like he had swallowed a fly after hearing that Zac had taken yet another step forward .

Teasing aside , Zac still didn’t really know if he had actually gained anything from his encounter apart from solidifying his path . The Hidden Node still hadn’t spat out the energy it managed to reabsorb , and Zac started to think that the Void Heart] kept that Tribulation Lightning for itself . That might not be the worst thing though , as it hopefully meant that the node would become stronger .

Zac also asked some questions about what had transpired while he was unconscious or mid-enlightenment , but the others hadn’t really gained anything from witnessing the struggle below . They also hadn’t shared his vision of the two massive spheres splitting the basin in two , and the vortex of struggle in the middle . Zac was relieved to hear it was for his eyes only , as that vision could be considered a core cultivation secret of his , almost on the level of his mutated Duplicity Core .

The shocking lightning field that blasted out from his body earlier had apparently given pause to the bloodshed below , but the war had immediately picked up its pace again as he focused on recuperation . Thankfully it looked like the Dominators really wasn’t around . If they were , then they would definitely have attacked him at his moment of weakness .

He looked down at the battlefield once more . This time he didn’t see the scene as a representation of his cultivation path , but just as the gruesome war that it was . Hours had passed by this point , and the battle had reached its high point .

Over 90% of both sides were actively engaged in battle , with neither side retaining any spare combatants . The last 10% Zhix were roving elite squads that shored up any weaknesses that appeared in the frontlines , or who mounted assaults aimed at taking out leaders or Anointed . And it had worked with things being so chaotic .

It looked like a quarter of the Anointed had fallen by this point , and more joined their ranks by the minutes . They resembled proud lions that were finally harried to death by a vast pack of hyenas . Massive swathes of destruction surrounded every fallen Anointed , and it took hundreds of strikes to finally bring one of the behemoths down .

Of course , the fall of a spiritual leader only led to further slaughter as the hive soldiers of the fallen Anointed turned insane in their desire for revenge .

The number of combatants was almost uncountable , but the ferocity of the war was also unmatched . Zac and his group once more found their spirits subdued by the bloodshed . Only a lunatic would be able to witness this much death without batting an eye . Even Triv looked downcast as he gazed upon the scene below , though his reasons were different than the rest .

So many children… What a waste . Young master , why not… - Triv whispered by his side .

I’m not going to raise an army of Zhix undead , - Zac said without hesitation . - You’ve seen it . They cremate their fallen . I neither want nor need an army like this . -

This wasn’t the first time the ghost had brought forth the point of saving the bodies of his enemies to create undead followers . Zac had staunchly refused until now , though he inwardly wasn’t as confident . There were a lot of bodies of his fallen enemies stored in Cosmos Sacks . They had the potential to create a group of elites that might be able to rival all the geniuses in his force .

But the time wasn’t right .

Triv had actually provided a large-scale array that would slowly infuse Miasma into bodies . The field of corpses he appeared on during the climb was one such Array of Awakening as Triv called . The problem was that anyone who was resurrected through that array would automatically be part of the Undead Empire . That's why Triv didn't even get a backlash from providing it . The Undead Empire was more than happy to let others raise more subjects for them .

Perhaps he could revisit the issue if the planet really gained a Life-Death attunement though , and after he had visited Twilight Harbor and gathered intelligence on how unattached undead factions functioned .

Besides , he didn’t have the resources to nurture unliving elites at the moment . He did have the Corpsebloom Mantra] he looted from Mhal along with a few more random manuals and skills , but he was never able to unlock the manuals of the Lich King . Even if he managed to awaken a group of undead right now , he would just be wasting their potential .

The war raged on for a few more hours before there were just a few pockets of traitors on one side , with the Zhix War Council having more than enough steam to crush the last resistance in minutes .

Bloodied and ruthless Anointed pushed forward , their ceremonial knives continuously giving the last rites to those led astray , and finally there was just deafening silence as the victors stood over the fallen . Zac looked down at the carnage with mixed emotions until he sighed and stood up . All-in-all they had stayed in this basin for around 8 hours , and Zac was eager to leave this cursed place and its intense stench of blood .

Looks like it’s over , - Zac said as he turned to Triv . - You can turn off the jammer . -

However , Zac got a sinking feeling when his Communication crystal started vibrating just a few seconds after the black pillar stopped humming .

Lord Atwood , settlements are under attack! -

Zac inwardly swore as his group gathered around him , looks of worry adorning their faces .

Attacked? Who? Where? - Zac asked with anger . - Is it Port Atwood again? -

No , it's thankfully just settlements on the mainland . We’ve first lost contact with Site 27 less than an hour after you activated the Jammer . Four hours later Bastion disappeared , and just now Site 2 , - the voice said on the other side of the crystal .

Where are you? - Zac asked next , recognizing the owner to be one Sarah , one of the newer Valkyries . - How are you able to contact me? -

We set out toward your location from the closest town when we lost contact with you . We’ve left relays to keep us updated . But we were unable to enter the mountain range where you are staying , so we could only warn you now . I’m sorry , - Sarah sighed .

That’s okay . Are you able to get back by yourselves? - Zac asked . - I might need to move quickly . -

No problem . We’ll be back in Port Atwood in a few hours , - Sarah said without worry .

Zac sighed in relief as he muttered the list of towns with confusion . Those three settlements were nowhere near each other . Site 2 was the provisionary name of one of the first Incursions he closed ; the time he saved the Ishiate towns from the rockmen . Bastion was the location of another Incursion , but it was given that name as there were large numbers of humans actually living there .

The controlling faction there had been one of the better ones , all things considered , killing few natives and - only’ enslaving them to gain a workforce . Finally , Site 27 was one of the last Incursions , one he didn’t actually fight against . It was one of the forces who gave up soon after Zac closed the Undead Incursion , leaving a ghost-town between two secluded peaks behind .

Still , Zac couldn’t completely understand why those three had been targeted . They were on different parts of Pangea , and they weren’t of critical importance to him at all . None of them were all that easy to access , making it impossible they were random strikes . Either three forces would have to coordinate their efforts or a group that moved extremely quickly between the towns . Judging by the fact they were attacked in sequence , it was more likely it was the latter .

Was it Void’s Disciple?

Chapter 558 : Showdown

Zac had been dreading a response from Void's Disciple since killing Harbinger , and this might be his opening move . He felt doubly thankful that he had already sent most people back to Port Atwood in case of attack , minimizing loss of life . However , there were still Skeleton Crews stationed at every spot to keep operations going and there had probably been losses .

Did anyone manage to return from those places? - Zac asked with a sigh .

Unfortunately , no , - the answer came . - There were roughly 20 people stationed in each of those locations to maintain basic operations . -

Zac and the others kept asking things through the Crystal , but Sarah didn't know much . They didn't dare to roll out the army as all leaders of Port Atwood were currently away , so they could only look on with dismay as one settlement after another had disappeared from the screen . They had tried to send out a few squads to random settlements to look around , but they had all came back empty-handed .

Various thoughts swirled through Zac's head , but he eventually made his decision . He needed to get going , even if he had to pay the price to erect another teleportation array with his Spatial Transfer Array] . But there was no point in rushing . He wasn’t able to reach the three lost settlements in short order anyway , and immediately heading there might allow even more of his towns to be attacked behind his back .

The problem was that he didn’t know where this mystery attacker would strike next .

Anyone who can figure out why these three places were targeted? - Zac asked with a frown .

The Valkyries shook their heads , and Ogras didn’t speak up either .

Metals , - Ilvere suddenly said , drawing the gazes of the others .

What? - Zac asked .

You know , I’ve been in charge of taking stock of the bases you’ve conquered . All three of those places you mentioned have Spiritual Metal deposits of pretty high quality . That’s the only thing I can think of , - the general said .

Metals , - Zac repeated thoughtfully . - But there shouldn’t have been too much extracted , and it either left with the invaders or has been transferred to Port Atwood . I had already sent everyone back as well . It’s not like they can extract the whole place in minutes or even hours . -

Either they want to stop you from extracting things as well , perhaps preventing us from properly preparing for the Mystic Realm , - Ogras slowly said . - The mines might be ruined . Or they are looking for an exotic piece of metal that might be found somewhere in their depths . -