Defiance of the Fall

The True Sky Faction is extremely grateful for your saving grace , Lord Atwood . Without your aid we wouldn’t be standing here right now , - the monkeyman said with a bow , his voice deep and gravelly . - I am Hekruv Vira of the True Sky Council . -

You know me? - Zac asked with some surprise .

We have seen reports on you provided by the New World Government of your planet , - the monkeyman nodded .

Speaking of , where are they? The officials of New World Government , - Zac said as he looked across the group .

Almost a third of the group were humans , but Zac didn't recognize a single one of them . More importantly , almost all of them were at the E-grade , confirming that they weren't part of Earth .

Many of them are back on Earth . Some were killed when the islands collapsed . Some… Were killed by us , - the monkeyman said , causing a few of the refugees to look over at the speaker with some shock .

However , the monkeyman along with the dozen emitting the strongest auras were unphased , proving they had already decided to divulge that information . Seeing that Zac didn’t interrupt , Hekruv Vira kept talking .

We told them that the world was ending , and they entered an agreement with us . We would help them battle their enemies in this realm and assist them in scouting for the Spatial Treasure . They would in return allow our people to leave before the realm collapsed . We upheld our part of the bargain , they did not , - Hekruv Vira said . - We tried to force our way out , but it failed . They closed the tunnel and unleashed a taboo weapon . That might even be what drew the attention of the System to this place . -

Zac was surprised about how candid the monkeyman was , though there was no way to confirm the truth until they left this place . But Zac leaned toward his explanation being mostly true , since it matched pretty well with what he had heard and how the Cartava Clan acted .

He guessed that the few survivors of the True Sky Faction felt the need to take a chance , not only for their immediate survival but also for the future beyond the Mystic Realm . There were only a hundred twenty or so of them left , and they would be stuck with Zac for a century on the outside even if they survived this place . Lying right now would just put them in a dangerous situation as soon as they got out .

I'm not an enemy with the New World Government . . . But I am not an ally either . I won't involve myself in your dealings with them , - Zac slowly said , making the survivors relax somewhat . - However , that only goes for this place . I will incorporate the New World Government after leaving this place , if there's anything left to incorporate . More importantly , why did you follow my people after escaping the Collector? -

That was the most pressing matter . These people were exhausted and wounded , but they were elites every one of them . There were a few that had weak auras , but Zac guessed they were expert Datamancers based on their attire . Leaving them to their own devices might come back to bite him in his ass , like if they decided to attack his people after he had left for the sphere in the sky .

We wish to follow you , - Hekruv Vira said without hesitation .

Having a bunch of powerful strangers in one’s midst is a good way to get a dagger in one’s back , - Ogras said as he walked over to Zac . - Sometimes it's easier to nip a problem in the bud . -

We simply wish to follow behind your faction for protection , and we will not fight you for Seals . We are too exhausted and wounded to deal with the threats of the rival factions , let alone yours . Besides , we can pay for ourselves . Ten Million Nexus Coins per person , - Hekruv Vira said . - But what I really meant was that we wish to join your force upon leaving this place . -

Join Port Atwood , - Zac slowly said . - Why? -

The True Sky Faction is gone , and only a few of us remain . Even if we settled and started a new faction , we would just be a small group of foreigners in a world under your control . We have already deduced that you are a supreme Progenitor , and we understand what that means all-too-well , far better than the officials of the New World Government , - Hekruv Vira said . - The Boundless Heavens follow the law of the strongest . I don't wish for us to become fertilizer to your cultivation path . -

We can also see that your force has already taken in all kinds of races , just like we of the True Sky Faction did inside this prison . We also believe that we can get stronger by banding together and sharing insights and experiences , - a large-headed humanoid added .

Zac looked at the group deep in thought . Having these people around would definitely help since they would add over a dozen peak warriors to Port Atwood's roster , which was something he desperately needed . However , these warriors were all much higher levels than himself , making it impossible to sign the kind of contracts that External Elders sometimes did in the multiverse .

He would have to solely rely on trust or suppression . It worked out fine with Ogras in the end , but these were people old schemers who were all centuries old . Would he be able to leave Earth without worries in the future with these people staying behind?

We also have this , and are ready to hand it over upon joining your faction , - Hekruv Vira said . - After all , it would be in our best interest to strengthen our allies as much as possible . -

People tensed up as the monkeyman reached for a worn-out Cosmos Sack , but they visibly relaxed when they realized he just took out a tablet .

What's that? - Zac asked curiously , and Kenzie looked over with interest as well .

It is the database on all bloodline research we have collected over the past millennia . Our own experiences during cultivation , the experimental data of the Tsarun Clan who captured us and brought us here . Even some notes and insights from the ancient and powerful creators of this place . A lot of warriors on your world seem to carry our bloodlines for some reason . With this database , you will be able to unlock their potential . Perhaps even your own . -

Zac looked at the tablet for roughly half a second before he turned toward the monkeyman with a smile .

Welcome aboard . -

Chapter 643 : Wresting Control

Zac perused the contents of the tablet he gained from Hekruv Vira while walking north with the army , and he gained far more in an hour than he had from all the missives he'd bought until now . And that was even when just scratching the surface . The Bloodline Codex , as they called the database , was essentially True Sky Faction’s holy scripture , the accumulation of thousands of years of effort .

Being stuck in a Technocrat prison took its toll , and many in the True Sky Faction had turned to academia to not go insane from the passage of time . The burly monkeyman was one of these people , and Zac had found over thirty theses on cultivation and Bloodlines in the database penned by him , totaling over forty thousand pages altogether . And Hekruv Vira was far from the most verbose author .

It looked like the Atwood Academy would gain a few new professors soon enough .

A lot of the content was completely theoretical in nature and often untested , but there was also all kinds of in-depth and practical information . For example , there was information on dozens of different bloodlines , including those of the natives .

It turned out that the bloodline of the Cartava Clan was actually just called - Gaze of Cartava’ . There were some differences between members though , with them awakening different talents , likely depending on the purity of the bloodline . The most common talent was called Lord's Eyes] , but a few talented individuals instead gained King’s Eyes] , both of which empowered ocular skills and classes .

Even Leviala’s unique eyes were listed , and the tablet called them Heaven's Eyes] . There were no details on this talent though , but it did list a suspicion that it allowed the cultivator to harness the power of time . It even mentioned that they suspected Leviala to be in possession of it , though it wasn’t confirmed .

The Lunar Tribe was also a subject of intense study . Their bloodline was called - Lunar Light’ , and it was indeed based on a common ancestor to the Lunar Wolves . The Tsarun Clan had tried refining their bloodlines with the help of the normal wolves , making it regain the power of some wolf ancestor , which apparently was insanely powerful and nigh-unkillable .

Apart from that , there were dozens of other bloodlines Zac had never heard of , but that was just the tip of the iceberg . There was actually a whopping thirty Body Tempering Manuals as well , though all of them had various requirements on the user . Furthermore , only eight of them were complete , with the others being incomplete to various degrees . Some of the elders had tried fixing them , but it was clear that the effect wasn’t quite at a satisfactory level even after centuries of experiments .

There was also all kinds of general information along with tips and insights into refining and awakening bloodlines and constitutions .

Unfortunately , there was no information on corrupted bloodlines , but Zac honestly wasn’t too surprised . Zac had a feeling his situation was the result of something extreme his mother and her clan had done . They perhaps had tried to fuse that affinity-boosting bloodline with the Void-energy talent he had , getting the best of both worlds . But they might have gotten too greedy and reached beyond their abilities .

Perhaps he was a failed experiment .

The thought was pretty depressing , but Zac knew he couldn’t complain . After all , his situation was pretty good , and his newfound ability might even be more useful than being a cultivator in some scenarios . And he could confirm that his bloodline was definitely something extremely high-grade , at least when comparing it to the bloodlines listed in the Bloodline Codex .

First of all , it didn’t seem to pigeonhole Zac in a certain direction . It simply gave him a hidden energy boost , and possibly slightly thicker energy pathways . It didn’t negatively affect his classes at all , and it didn’t require him to retrain or change his path . You could say that his bloodline was lacking any attunement , something that appeared to be extremely rare .

All of the bloodlines listed in the compendium restricted the cultivator in return for a specific type of power . They required certain types of classes to provide any benefits , and they even worsened one’s progress and affinities in unrelated Daos .

Secondly , only three of the listed bloodlines had Bloodline Nodes . Furthermore , these bloodlines had only swapped a single Hidden Node while the others were still the normal racial nodes . Not one of the three - top-tier’ bloodlines had graded nodes either , but their existence was mentioned in the database . That meant it wasn't something unique to Zac , but rather something that normally might not appear in a frontier sector like Zecia .

The Codex didn't explain any more than that , but after reading the information on the Bloodline Nodes Zac started to form a hypothesis of his own . There wasn’t necessarily a big difference at the beginning between normal and graded nodes , but the difference lay in potential . Apparently , the benefits Hidden Nodes provided gradually tapered off on the road of cultivation , a bit like Low-tiered Titles .

They would often be extremely useful during the E-Grade and no doubt help when preparing to break through to D-Grade . But by the point one reached C-Grade , most Hidden Nodes would provide limited help . Graded Hidden Nodes shouldn’t have that limitation , and they could continue to provide benefits even if you reached extremely high cultivation levels , just like High-Tiered Titles did .

The vast compendium of information was extremely useful , but it would take months , perhaps years , time to digest everything . But there was one final part that was even more valuable to Zac right now , the six general Bloodline Methods .

Bloodline Methods were similar to cultivation manuals in the sense that they helped a warrior use their bloodline as efficiently as possible . For example , having his bloodline constantly run would be both wasteful and stupid , almost like when Zac simply pushed Cosmic Energy around in his body during the early days of the Integration .

Besides , the biggest value of his Bloodline Talent was the element of surprise , the ability to suddenly launch a massive strike out of nowhere .

If his normal attacks all appeared without any energy fluctuations or buildup , even the dumbest enemy would quickly realize something was up . So Zac wanted to turn off his bloodline until he went in for the kill . That was exactly what Bloodline Methods were made for , the ability to control , and to a certain degree empower , Bloodlines .

In an optimal world , Zac would have a method tailored for his Bloodline , one that would make the most of his Hidden Nodes and his talent . But Zac’s instincts told him that such a thing didn’t even exist considering his bloodline was corrupted . He would have to create one by himself , but he had no idea to go about doing something like that .

A lot of people were in the same situation though , in the sense that they somehow had managed to awaken a bloodline but didn’t have a heritage to go with it . That’s where general Bloodline Methods came into the picture . They were pretty average , but they worked with a large number of bloodlines .

As long as Zac found one that somewhat worked it would be fine . Bloodline Methods were just ways to rouse one’s hidden talents , and they didn’t alter one’s pathways like a cultivation manual did . He could simply swap the method out if he found a better one , or he could start to modify the one he used to better suit his particular bloodline .

Zac didn’t want to waste even a second since it would be a huge boon if he learned how to turn his bloodline talent on and off before he set out for the sphere in the top . He still hadn’t gotten the 8th part of the quest in any case , so he went with his gut . He needed some time to get things in order , and they were closing in on their destination .

A few hours and they would reach the northern side of the mountain , and there would hopefully be enough seals both for his own people and the True Sky refugees . They had tentatively joined his faction , but Zac wouldn’t take their word for it . The odds of them trying to pull something last-minute would decrease by a fair bit if they had seals by the time Zac left .

He had talked with Hekruv Vira for a bit after setting out , and Zac was shocked to learn that the taboo weapon the monkey-man mentioned was a freaking nuclear warhead . Anyone that could take a blast like that and walk around with some minor burns the next day wasn’t someone to scoff at . Of course , atomic bombs completely lacked any Dao-empowerment , and the Technocrat shields were apparently extremely good at dispersing normal kinetic force . They had only taken a few percent of the blast head-on .

It would take around eight hours for his army to reach the northern side , giving Zac ample time to experiment with the Bloodline Methods . There were six of them to test , and Zac started with the one called Wargod Tactics] . Its name was a huge exaggeration , but it did have good compatibility with many combat-oriented bloodlines . Zac opened the file containing the method , and he was shocked to see how much information it contained .

Zac was about to borrow the shoulder of one of the Anointed again , but he changed his mind realizing that most of the content was just personal insights and anecdotes from practicians . The actual method was just a few pages .

The first and most important step of getting control of your bloodline was to form a mental connection to it , but that was easier said than done . It was like taking charge of your organs . They were there and part of your body , but they were doing their thing without any active input .

The method that the Wargod Tactics provided was to activate one’s body with a series of stances while rousing one’s body by releasing killing intent .

Zac tsked in annoyance as he memorized the 18 stances . Where were the Skill Crystals when you needed them? One burst of information and you were done . It was a reminder of how massive the changes the System brought to cultivation were .

These Bloodline Methods felt a lot like something the ancient cultivators would practice and seemed only partly integrated with the System’s 'software' . This wasn’t something unique to bloodline cultivation though . The same thing held true when it came to Soul Cultivation and refining a Constitution with Body Tempering Manuals . Then there were the beast rearing methods , and god knows what else .

All were valid paths to power , but not something that the System directly got involved with .

Perhaps the future generations would have it better . The last Apostate added the whole Mercantile System , so perhaps another Apostate would add some sort of side-cultivation functionality that encompassed all these different methods . But for now Zac had to rely on himself , and he needed to try the yoga poses that the Wargod Tactics] provided .

I need to try something out , - Zac said to the others who glanced at him curiously . - Keep going , I’ll catch up in half an hour or something . -

Zac flashed away and found a hidden crevasse where he could practice undisturbed . He immediately started to perform the stances in order , making sure to rouse his killing intent as instructed by the manual . The whole area was awash with his murderous force as Zac completed the stances over and over .

However , absolutely nothing happened even after spending half an hour . Zac sighed in annoyance as he rushed forward to keep up with his army . The guide said it might take a few minutes , but if you didn’t even sense anything after half an hour the method wasn’t compatible . He tried another ten minutes just to be safe , but he eventually had to turn to the next method .

Reality was cruel . The hours passed as one method after another proved unable to rouse his bloodline . Zac even started to suspect that the True Sky Faction had fed him false methods , but that suspicion was quickly dispelled when four different people in the refugee party showed Zac that Wargod Tactics] worked just fine .

Zac sighed as he looked at the last method . It was called Bloodline Resonance] , and Zac’s face scrunched up when he read the description . The strong point of Bloodline Resonance] was its shocking compatibility , making it work with pretty much every single bloodline out there .

The weak point was everything else . It was essentially the equivalent of a cultivation manual called Cultivation Manual] . It was as basic as they came from the looks of it , and it didn’t provide an iota of enhancement . Even Wargod Tactics] improved the effect of a bloodline talent by between 5 to 10% .

Its method was simple , to form mental ripples with one’s soul that spread through his body like some sort of sonar . Zac pushed away his anxiety as he sat down , and he quickly grasped the method . It was thankfully pretty straightforward and didn’t require any adroit control or even usage of Dao . It just needed him to push out a little bit of his mental energy in specific intervals .

The minutes passed as one ripple after another spread out through his body , and Zac stopped them from leaving his body , just like the method told him to . They kept increasing in number until his body was almost like a raging sea of spiritual energy . The anxiety from before started to creep back as Zac realized something wasn't right . Just fifteen minutes was supposed to be enough to complete the first step , but he had already doubled that without any response .

But Zac refused to give up on this one . It was his last chance to control his Bloodline until he found a proper method , and who knew how long that would take? He could only persevere , adhering to the method that usually solved his issues .

If things didn't go your way , apply more force .

Book 1 out on Amazon/Kindle Unlimited/Audible! New bonus Chapter goal!

Now that I have your attention : As I have mentioned before , after multiple editing passes and me fixing a slew of things , Defiance of the Fall Book 1 is finally out on Kindle , Kindle Unlimited , and Audible (Links in Author Notes Above)!

I am very happy about how it all turned out , I hope you can give it a read or listen! Get back into some Classic DotF , just like when things started out in the summer of '19!

There is stiff competition on Amazon , and I need your help pushing Defiance of the Fall to a spot where the story is visible to new prospective readers . So I am adding a goal with a small reward as a thank you for supporting the story : If Book 1 reaches the top 100 Ladder at any time , I'll release 3 bonus chapters for Patreon and RoyalRoad the following weekend (giving me time to edit and clean) .

Some of you have already purchased copies and left reviews , and I am incredibly thankful for the support . If you want to help out but can't/don't want to spend any money at the moment , there is a lot you can do to help out without spending a single cent!

If you have Kindle Unlimited , you can freely download a copy of the book , which will count as a sale .

Some are eligible for a free copy of the audiobook through Audible trial .

You can leave a review , even if you read the story on RR back in the day (Book one is until the first visit in New Washington) . More reviews = More visibility!

Thank you!

Chapter 644 : Bloodline Resonance

Zac refused to believe that even the universal Bloodline Method wouldn't work on his body , so he kept squeezing out more and more mental energy . The churning ripples of Bloodline Resonance] were quickly descending into a chaotic storm . His whole body felt like it was under assault , and blood started leaking down his nose .

The Bloodline Method should normally not be dangerous , but Zac had long exceeded the recommended usage . Following the manual one would create a new ripple every second , which meant that after fifteen minutes there would be 900 ripples bouncing back and forth . These ripples in turn tried to create a resonance with the bloodline hidden deep in his cells through weak collisions .

Most bloodlines would respond after just a minute or two , but the more stubborn or impure bloodlines could take a bit longer . However , Zac was already approaching 45 minutes by this point , and the number of ripples was over 2500 . And not only that , but Zac had also started cranking up the force in each ripple .

If a normal ripple used one unit of mental energy , the ones in his body had been cranked up to five units each by this point . The normal ripple collisions were like gentle nudges at his body aimed to elicit a response , but Zac's method was essentially akin to slapping his organs to shake his bloodline awake .

He understood why the manual had said to stop after 15 minutes . The danger started to increase exponentially as the number of ripples increased . The increased density of ripples created a far higher number of collisions , and each collision impacted his body . Each collision by itself could barely be felt , but when there were thousands every second? It quickly started to stack up , especially with him also increasing the power .

Zac knew he was being foolhardy , but his eyes were already bloodshot as he kept going , increasing the intensity every second . His whole body screamed for mercy , but there was none to be had . It was lucky that his soul had undergone so much tempering up to this point , as he would already have passed out from soul exhaustion otherwise .

Finally , after a full hour , the raging storm had turned into a world-ending cataclysm in his body , and even Zac couldn’t withstand it any longer . Even his pathways and skill fractals were starting to get damaged . If he didn’t dispel the ripples now he would get some serious internal wounds , the kind that you simply couldn’t fix with Surging Vitality] .

There was too much at stake over the following days , and he couldn’t take that risk .

But just as Zac was about to give up he felt an extremely weak response from the depths of his body . Zac almost lost control over the chaotic storm of ripples in his body from his extreme relief , but he quickly refocused since he knew his job wasn’t over . The pain was intense , but he kept the ripples going as he focused his attention on the resonance of his bloodline .

It gave off the same sensation of antiquity as the skills he unleashed with the Void Energy , like there was something billions of years old hidden in the depths of his cells . It felt like he was rousing something ancient and reluctant from its slumber , but Zac refused to let the resonance recede into his cells .

Rousing that response was the first step of Bloodline Resonance] , and the second was quite straightforward as well . He was supposed to take charge of the mental energy that coursed through the body and merge it with that resonance to form a lasting bond . The problem was that Zac had gone overboard with his energy expenditure , and there was no way that he could control that much mental energy in one go .

Zac figured that he could only do it piecemeal , and he took roughly five percent of the rampant energies and crammed it into the resonance . His energy disappeared like Cosmic Energy entering a Node , and Zac quickly fed it another chunk . More and more energy entered the resonance over the next minutes without any change , but Zac didn’t worry .

As expected , he felt a new sensation in his mind the moment all the accumulated mental energy was exhausted . There was a direct correlation between the number of ripples you needed to form and the amount of mental energy needed to form the spiritual connection . It looked like that balance still held even after Zac started painting outside the lines .

He had succeeded , and Zac marveled at the unique feeling in his body . It was extremely odd , like he had grown a new limb that he could instinctively control just like his arms and legs . But it was actually his bloodline that he had connected with , allowing him to rouse and suppress it at will . There was no circulation or enhancement provided by Bloodline Resonance] , but just some rudimentary control was a huge step forward .

Zac was about to start experimenting with his skills , but a wave of exhaustion hit him the moment he relaxed . He had forgotten the state of his soul from the excitement . Over eighty percent of his mental energy was exhausted from forming the ripples , though he wasn’t completely full when he began .

Running around on Memorysteel Mountain with his soul exhausted was extremely foolhardy , so he immediately took out two Soul Crystals as he ate a top-quality healing pill . There were some minor wounds all over his body from the ripples , but he had thankfully completed his goal before getting completely in over his head .

Of course , if he didn’t have his remnant-refined soul and unnaturally durable body , he would have died long before Bloodline Resonance] would manage to find a connection to his Void Emperor-bloodline .

Thick streams of pure mental energy poured into his mind from the Soul Crystals , and the exhaustion was quickly washed away along with his splitting headache . However , he only had time to fill the tank up to half before his communication crystal vibrated . Zac sighed and immediately stopped , knowing that his people wouldn’t contact him unless it was urgent .

I’m sorry . I didn’t want to disturb you , but I think you need come here , - his sister’s voice echoed out through the communication crystal .

Zac grunted in affirmation before he got back to his feet . People talked about spending centuries in secluded cultivation , but he somehow couldn’t even find a few hours . He thought he would have another hour or two considering the army’s speed had slowed down the moment treasures started appearing in caves again a few hours ago .

At least he had managed to make the connection , which was the most important part . From now he would just need to get used to it .

It took a few tries , but he eventually managed to disable the Bloodline Talent so that he could use Loamwalker] without burning his remaining Void Energy . It was still half-empty , though Zac had already found at least one way to refill it already ; Attuned Crystals . He had been looking for the wrong thing back when he absorbed the Divine Crystal , and had missed that a part of the energy disappeared and never his energy reserves .

Zac also suspected he would be able to find some way to use Void Heart] to fill up on Void Energy , either from eating random things or from eating the Beast cores of the Void Beast . Zac really hoped it would be the former since those kinds of Beast Cores were no doubt hard to get a hold of outside of this place .

The world turned into a blur around him as he pushed his movement skill to the limit , and it actually felt a bit cumbersome to suddenly have to move his Cosmic Energy into the fractals on his feet . But Force of the Void] didn’t actually provide many benefits to that particular skill in either case , since its usage was still restricted by him taking an actual step forward .

He knew that there would be some cases where the talent worked better than others , but getting a better grasp would require some hands-on experimentation . And it seemed like he would get that opportunity sooner rather than later . Because the reason his sister was calling him was simple ; the advance scouts had spotted activity , and it was a full-blown war .

It was like the restrictions of the sixth layer didn’t exist as Zac flashed forward , each step with Loamwalker] taking him over a hundred meters forward . It took him just over ten minutes to reach the rear of his army , and he signaled Hekruv Vira to join him before he made his way past the vanguard .

He had already confirmed the situation with his sister while catching up , and he made his way toward a large cliff on the seventh layer . It provided a good vantage of the battle without exposing their location , and Zac nodded at the gathered group before he made his way to the edge to peer out across the northern slopes .

Huge swathes of the mountain were ablaze as a massive and chaotic war raged . At first appearance , it looked to be a battle between cultists and a joint army of Zhix and a few hundred odd creatures that Zac had never seen before . It was doubt were the Gemlings that he had heard about .

The native race was roughly one meter in height and looked a bit like stone turtles as they had rocky grey scales instead of skins . He had heard from Leviala they weren’t golems though , but rather a - normal - species .

They were bipedal with two short stubby legs , and they had a set of muscular arms with oversized hands . They had a shell covering their backs , and their wide and flat faces lacked any nose or external ears . The most attention-grabbing aspect of them was the luminous crystals that covered their bodies though , and each of them emitted a mysterious power that made Zac's mind slightly shudder .

Most of the crystals shone in a sanguine red as their owners fought tooth and nail , but Zac spotted a few other colors as well . Most of the Gemlings had less than five shimmering crystals , but Zac also spotted a handful of natives with over a dozen attached to their bodies . These individuals were unsurprisingly the most powerful Gemlings he could spot , but even they were just at the earlier to middle stages of the E-Grade .

Another interesting detail about the situation was that while the Gemlings and the Zhix seemed to be allied on the surface , the former obviously wasn’t happy about it . Or it might be more accurate to say that the Gemlings seemed to hate the Zhix . The insectoids almost solely focused on dealing with the small cultist army , but Zac had spotted the Gemlings launching over a dozen sneak attacks on the Zhix even though their main focus was the Church of Everlasting Dao as well .

It more or less confirmed their suspicions . Knowing the Inevitability and Void’s Disciple , there hadn’t been peaceful cooperation between the two factions . The Gemlings had definitely been enslaved and suffered tremendously over the past months .

Adcarkas and his child aren’t here , - Rhubat rumbled with a frown , and Zac nodded in agreement as he backed away from the cliff .

This cultist army was small , just half of the one Zac dealt with before , and it didn’t seem to have a bishop taking charge . Yet they were holding the advantage against thousands of Zhix and their unwilling companions . If Void’s Disciple was there he would have been able to quickly and effortlessly turn the tides of the battle .

It looked like the Dominators already had gone ahead , and Zac wasn’t too surprised . They seemed wholly focused on accomplishing their master’s task , and the normal Zhix were just a tool . They would probably be sacrificed along with everyone else when the Great Redeemer arrived . The Zhix had probably been given an order to stay put , which put them in the cross-hairs of the crazed cultists when the second squad reached this far .

As for the cultists themselves , they had probably been in charge of the same task as the main army , which would explain why there weren't any remaining islands all the way to the northern slopes .

We will deal with the last traitors before continuing the pursuit , - Rhubat said , and the Anointed immediately started gearing up for war .

Wait a second . Those small stonemen are like your people . They have been enslaved by the Dominators , - Zac said . - If possible , I’d like to invite them to Port Atwood . But I’m afraid they would attack you as well if you just go storming down . -

It’s true… They are brethren in suffering , - Rhubat slowly nodded . - They are not Zhix , but they can join the Crusade . -

Zac nodded as he looked at the Gemlings . If there was one native faction he really wanted to integrate into Port Atwood , it was the Gemlings . He had a decent heritage left behind by Brazla himself and boatloads of resources , but no skilled craftsmen . These Gemlings were his solution to the problem .

The problem was that they no doubt would be skeptical for various reasons . First of all , he was allied with the same type of insectoids as the ones that had caused so much suffering . Secondly , they had already been enslaved once for their gems by an outside force . They would probably be extremely cautious around strange factions on the outside .

Luckily he had an in with these people in the form of a half-roasted monkeyman that had caught up to Zac by now . It was time for Hekruv Vira to prove that he had the wide connections and diplomacy skills as he claimed .

Chapter 645 : Sever Karma

Hekruv Vira had already arrived , and he stood waiting a few dozen meters behind . However , he came over and looked over the cliffside after getting waved over by Zac .

What a mess , - the monkeyman muttered as he looked down at the battlefield .

Can you make the Gemlings back away? - Zac asked .

Are the insectoid warriors your people? - the monkeyman hesitantly asked . - If so . . . I think they might attack you as well . The Gemlings of clan Volor don’t like to fight . But when they do , they go all the way . They’ll fight until there are none left standing . That’s why they’re still around even though they were technically the weakest race for combat in this realm . -

Heart of a warrior , - Rhubat nodded with appreciation , and a few of the Anointed gave the diminutive rockmen a second look .

Those Zhix are a big reason why we came here . Not a single one can be left alive , - Zac said , which made the monkeyman’s eyes widen in surprise . - I’ll deal with the cultists as well . We simply don’t want the innocent to be caught up in the crosshairs . -

Alright… - Hekruv said with a nod . - I’ll notify them of the situation . I should at least be able to have them not attack you . Give me a few minutes . -

Something about the aura of Hekruv Vira changed the next moment . He stood just two meters away from him , but it was like he wasn't there . It wasn't just that he no longer emitted the slightest morsel of energy . There had to be some skill or Dao that made people discard his presence . Zac guessed it was some sort of stealth skill that the True Sky cultivator possessed , and Zac looked on with interest as Hekruv Vira jumped down and started running toward the battlefield without rousing any response .

You heard him , - Zac eventually said as he turned to Rhubat . - Do you need assistance? -

With the Dominators missing the traitors are just rudderless children . We will perform the rites ourselves . Can your army deal with the fire-lizards? - Rhubat asked .

We’ll deal with them , - Zac nodded . - Hopefully that’s the last of the cultists in this place . -

Right , - Ogras agreed from the side . - One quick genocide and then we’ll get to the real good stuff . -

The two made their way back , and the army was already mobilized by the time they arrived . Since Zac’s people only needed to deal with a few hundred cultists , their army was only comprised of less than one hundred elites and roughly three hundred regular soldiers .

The elites included Zac , Billy , Ogras , Verana , four support squads , and one elite squad of 20 of the strongest warriors , making it an extremely powerful unit . As for the three hundred regular soldiers , they were the remaining people without any Spatial Seals , and they were just along for the ride to pick up a ticket back to Earth .

The other seven hundred people without seals were Zhix , and they would hopefully get theirs by taking out the thousands of traitors . Zac had already learned about the rules for Spatial Seals from Joanna . It was possible to take the seals of a fallen soldier , but those seals lasted for an even shorter duration than they did in the caves . Also , the one who seized the seal needed to have at least some contribution to the kill .

Thankfully that was easily circumvented by setting up War Arrays that provided weak but large-scale buffs . That essentially - tagged - the weak cultivators for all the kills . It would barely provide them Cosmic Energy from kills , but it was enough to seize the Seals . Everything came together in just a minute .

The warring sides had clearly been at it for a while , and Port Atwood just needed to clean things up . The Zhix Army and the elites of Port Atwood split up before they rolled over the hills like a tide , storming toward the combatants like a wave of death .

The battlefield was a perfect opportunity for Zac to consolidate his bloodline control through Bloodline Resonance] , and a ten-meter fractal blade rapidly grew in front of his axe . It shot toward the closest pack of cultists , but how could they not have spotted the army running toward them? A series of flaming barriers had already sprung up , which was barely enough to protect the lizardmen from the initial salvo .

However , a second blade , this one conjured by the void , shot forward the next moment , passing straight through the weakened shields and reaped the lives of three zealots . Zac flashed forward , and with a thought let his aura explode outward , instantly quenching the fires over a hundred meters around him as he killed another two cultists with a ruthless swing .

He didn’t immediately set out toward the next target , but he rather looked on as five warriors scurried forward , each of them jumping toward one of the fallen zealots . Three of them soon stood up with disappointment , but two warriors had wide grins plastered on their faces as they looked at the palms of their hands .

Move back and let others take your places , - Zac said , and the two cultivators quickly retreated after giving thanks .

A few new faces took their place , and Zac moved toward the next group of cultists . He kept a relaxed pace as he moved , partly because he wanted to get used to the feeling of fighting with his bloodline , and partly to allow for the normal soldiers to keep up .

Four zealots saw his approach , and they launched a desperate and suicidal pincer attack in an attempt to drag him down to hell with them . The first lizardmen two were cut in two by Zac through a swift horizontal swing of his axe , but some problems occurred immediately after .

The remaining two warriors were spear-users , and two flaming lances shot toward Zac’s torso . Such an attack would normally never hit him , but Zac looked down in surprise when he suddenly felt two spear stab into his chest . They didn’t manage to pierce deeper than two centimeters , but it still hurt like hell . Zac growled in annoyance before a fractal blade appeared out of nowhere , decapitating the two warriors before they had a chance to react .

There was a problem with his bloodline , or rather his control over it . Turning it on or off wasn’t very hard , but there was a small delay when rapidly swapping back and forth . He had tried discarding the normally conjured blade and instantaneously summon a new one , but his commands had been too quick which resulted in nothing happening .

That led to Zac holding out his axe in some sort of victory pose while letting the two spears gore him .

The injuries were just shallow flesh wounds though , and Zac quickly moved from pack to pack , and the people following in his wake kept changing as one warrior after another got their hands on a seal . Zac was making one discovery after another as well , and his battle style was rapidly incorporating Force of the Void] .

The second surprise after getting himself stabbed was that he wasn’t able to activate Hatchetman’s Spirit] with the skilleven after trying multiple times . First , he couldn’t understand what was going on , but he eventually had an idea and tried to activate a humongous fractal edge . Nothing happened this time either , but Zac kept trying until a fifty-meter blade appeared out of nowhere .

It was range .

His Force of the Void] was somehow connected to his body , and it couldn’t conjure things too far away from where he stood . Fifty meters seemed to be the limit at the moment , which was neither far nor short . It would still allow for ambushes in a one-on-one battle , but it wouldn’t work with a maxed-out Rapturous Divide] or large-scale skills like Profane Seal] . Deforestation] would probably work since the summoned axes would appear right above his head , but he didn't want to waste that skill on some cannon-fodder cultists .

His next insight was that he needed free space even within those fifty meters to use Void Energy . For example , Zac tried conjuring a fractal edge that would pierce the head of a cultist . That was an ambush tactic that worked fine when activating Chop] the normal way , but the skill wouldn’t activate with Void Energy when it would occupy the same space as the lizardman’s body .

Zac's best guess was that the skills were conjured in an instant or conjured in the void and then teleported over . In either case , it wouldn't work when the skills would occupy the space of something else . Only after slightly moving his axe could Zac have the blade appear right next to the cultist's head , allowing Zac to quickly lob it off .

The final insight was that it actually was possible to start a skill the normal way and boost the speed by activating his bloodline . For example , he could conjure half a fractal blade , only to have the second half appear in an instant . It didn’t save much time , but it might be possible to catch someone off-guard using that trick .

There were only so many enemies to test things out on though , and the battle was dwindling after just ten minutes . The Zhix and Gemlings was the weaker side even if they had an advantage in numbers , but they had made up for it in ferocity . The cultists were simply exhausted by the point Port Atwood arrived , making their bloody work extremely effortless .

Furthermore , Billy once more showcased his prowess as he summoned a massive golden hammer . It had to be one of his level 75 skills , and even Zac felt some pressure from the insane weight it emitted . As for the cultists that got hit by its slam , they were turned to a disgusting mush . Zac couldn’t understand why the skill was so powerful at first , but he soon realized that the hammer resonated with the Memorysteel Mountain somehow , borrowing some of its nigh-endless weight .

The skill probably wouldn't be as powerful in a non-mountainous environment , just like how Nature's Punishment] needed something to draw from to work . With Billy smashing over thirty cultists to bits the fight was essentially over since over two hundred of them had already been killed by that point . The rest started to self-immolate in a final act of defiance , but Zac and Ogras unleashed a furious offense to kill them before they could suicide as to not lose any of the remaining Seals .

The situation was similar on the Anointed’s side . The traitor Zhix were completely trashed , but not one of them tried to flee . They fought to the last man , allowing them to at least die in battle . The Gemlings hadn’t actually backed away either , just like Hekruv Vira guessed . With the cultists occupied , the Gemlings jumped at the Zhix with maniacal fervor , but they thankfully didn’t extend their hatred to the Anointed and their army .

The battle was completely lopsided and the losses of Zac’s forces were minimal . Left were roughly five hundred Gemlings that looked in Zac’s direction hesitantly . Zac swung his axe once to rid it of the blood and viscera that covered it before he stowed it away .

What now? - Ogras asked as he walked over . - Is it time? -

Zac didn’t immediately answer , but he rather looked out into the empty air for a few seconds . As expected , a prompt appeared the next moment , showing him the way . He felt that there was nothing else to do down here , and it looked like the system agreed .

Sever Karma (Training (8/9)) : Sever the final Karmic Ties to Voridis A'Heliophos . Reward : Reward based on performance at the end of training regimen . (0/1)

NOTE : Failure to comply with training regimen will result in loss of rewards

Zac looked at the quest , his eyes lighting up . It was finally time to end things once and for all . The threat of The Great Redeemer had loomed above his head for almost a year by now , but it would finally be all over by the time this quest was completed . At least that was his takeaway .

After all , the quest itself provided an extremely important clue . The task was to sever the last karmic ties , which meant that the moment the quest was complete , the Great Redeemer shouldn’t be able to find Earth any longer . Before this Zac had worried about hidden safeguards in place , but this quest shouldn’t be worded like this if there were more hidden beacons on Earth or something similar .

As to where the quest wanted him to go , it was obvious . The Dominators had already abandoned their followers and captives , instead heading for the heart of the Mystic Realm .

It was up there the real treasures waited , and up there the fate of Earth would be decided .

Chapter 646 : Clan Volor

We're climbing the mountain . It's time to deal with the Dominators for real , - Zac said , and two sets of ruthless eyes turned to the massive planet in the sky .

Finally . This wound of mine has been itching for a while now , - Ogras muttered .

Part of Zac just wanted to rush up , guns blazing , but he knew some things had to be dealt with first . So he walked over toward the group of Gemlings who hesitantly stood a few hundred meters away from Port Atwood’s armies .

Their attention was mostly placed on the large army of Zhix who were already consecrating and burning the corpses of the traitor Zhix , but they slowly turned toward Zac as he approached . Hekruv Vira and a few of the True Sky-elders were already there talking with them in low volume , likely introducing him to them .

Thank you for your assistance , human , - the Gemling said . - Without your aid , our clan would likely be lost to the rivers of time . -

You’re welcome , - Zac nodded . - They were a common enemy to Earth . Those Zhix were traitors that needed to be hunted down , and the cultists were foreign invaders . I’m sorry we couldn’t get here earlier . -

I am Helo . I guess I am the leader of Clan Volor now that the last of the Masons have fallen , - Helo said with a sigh . - Vira says you are the leader of the outside world? -

There was an undeniable tinge of confusion and skepticism as he looked Zac up and down , and Zac understood what was going on . This Helo had witnessed the terror of Void’s Disciple first-hand , while Zac hadn’t really displayed any especially great feats while trying out his Void Energy during the last battle . He even got himself wounded a few times while figuring things out .

Perhaps even the Anointed with their hulking frames seemed more impressive than he was in the eyes of the Gemlings .

Zac thought a moment , and an earthshattering aura suddenly burst out from his body . He let loose all his killing intent , along with a Dao Field powered by his high mastery Fragment of the Axe . Zac even went so far as to push the Dao Field forward with the help of Spiritual Void] .

His killing intent and his Dao that focused on battle and conflict almost merged , and the area once more gave off the bloody aura of a pitched war . The pressure was earthshattering , and even Hekruv Vira with his Late E-Grade cultivation took a step back as he looked at Zac with wide eyes .

The monkeyman had called Zac a supreme Progenitor , but it looked like he had only been thinking in terms of potential rather than current power . It was good to give the True Sky Faction a small reminder as well before he set off . Of course , Zac wasn’t planning on forcing the Gemlings to bend the knee , and the aura disappeared after just a few seconds .

What’s with this planet outside , - Helo muttered as he released a shaky breath . - Didn’t you get Integrated just a year ago? Why are there so many monsters? -

Well , we were a bit unlucky to get an unusually tough challenge when the System sent over multiple top-tier Invaders , but those who survived probably grew a bit stronger than normal? - Zac smiled .

Well , your power is a good thing , - Helo said . - I have spoken with those of the True Sky Faction , and Clan Volor wishes to follow in their steps . We are willing to join the Atwood Empire if you will have us . -

Zac was surprised and relieved of how easily the Gemlings , or rather Clan Volor , joined his faction , but it saved him a lot of effort . It was also a bit odd to hear the term - Atwood Empire’ , but he guessed it was the most apt description . His faction couldn’t be considered a town any longer , and it was neither a sect nor a clan . A budding single-planet Empire was probably correct , though it was definitely a bit weird to be called an Emperor , especially considering Earth’s cultural norms .

Port Atwood would be happy to have you . We have both great craftsman heritages and almost endless materials , but we are lacking talents who can make use of them , - Zac said enthusiastically , and the eyes of the Gemlings lit up with excitement .

However , Helo and a few of the elites with a large number of crystals across their bodies looked a bit troubled .

You should understand , embedding our gems into weapons hurts our souls and we cannot do so freely , - Helo said .

I will not force anyone to use their gems , - Zac said . - Port Atwood runs on contribution . If you decide to use your gems to create supreme equipment you will be rewarded with massive amounts of Contribution Points , which can be traded for anything from perusing the heritage to getting unique and valuable materials . -

Zac had never planned on setting some sort of quota on these gemlings for producing crystals since he knew that they would likely use them even if he didn’t ask . These craftsmen all had hybrid classes or pure craftsman classes , and their method to evolve was essentially to create precious Spirit Tools .

They could both gain a breakthrough and a massive number of resources by temporarily damaging their souls . Zac would personally make that trade in a heartbeat , and he was confident that a lot of these Gemlings would as well . Helo nodded in relief when he heard there would be no forced harvesting , and things got a lot more harmonious from there on out .

The two talked a bit longer , and Zac learned about the experiences of the Gemlings . It turned out that Void’s Disciple had appeared even earlier than Zac expected , first making contact with the Gemlings even before the Hunt . From then he had spent most of his time in here , only occasionally venturing outside to Earth .

Adcarkas had disappeared almost half a day before the upheavals though , taking Inevitability with him . Speaking off , Zac felt a pang of worry upon hearing that Inevitability had spent almost all of her time after the Hunt cultivating inside Clan Volor’s bloodline vats . Who knew what kind of powerups she had since last time? Still , the real threat to Zac was Void’s Disciple as far as he was concerned .

As for the Gemlings , they had arduously managed to convince their Zhix captors to head to the mountain , somewhat going against their orders to - stay put’ . They had reached the mountain around 5 hours ago and soon became aware of the approaching cultist army . Not wanting to deal with them , the allied group set course south-east , snatching up Spatial Seals along the way .

However , they quickly backpedaled when they realized that their old dreaded enemy the Lunar Clan was spread out across the slopes on the eastern side , wantonly looting the caves there . Caught between a rock and a hard place they soon decided to deal with the cultists rather than the much larger group of werewolves , which brought them to the present situation .

Zac sighed when learning that the werewolves had made it as well . He had almost hoped that they would somehow run into some problem that got them stuck on the islands , but it turned out he had no such luck . Even worse , the Helo had no idea of exactly how many of them there were since they had spread out just like his own army did . But he said that their scouts had easily spotted hundreds before fleeing .

Zac asked for some more details before he decided to take his leave . He had gotten the next quest already , and he was afraid that wasting any time would end badly .

Alright , we’ll have more chances to get to know each other in the future , but I need to prepare a few things right now . The worst of the bunch are still alive , I need to deal with them , - Zac said .

Wait , - Helo said after some hesitation . - Take this thing . -

He took out a crystal from his Cosmos Sack the next moment , and Zac looked at it curiously . It was clearly the same type of crystal that covered the bodies of the Gemlings , but it was pitch-black . It was also covered in extremely intricate inscriptions , which showcased skill that far eclipsed his sister’s .

But Zac frowned when he looked at the thing since it gave him an extremely bad feeling . It was a curse , an extremely sinister one according to Primal Polyglot] . It gave off an even nastier aura than those fractals in Leviala’s eyes , like it contained the accumulated hatred of the whole Gemling-clan .

Those two you hunt killed most of our Masons and harvested their gems . Their goal was to create a taboo item using hundreds of thousands of souls of their own kind , - Pula said . - We were forced to help with its construction . -

Taboo item? - Zac said with a frown . - What kind? -

Zac had gained a lot since his last battle with Void’s Disciple , and if Adcarkas maintained the same power as back then , Zac felt confident in taking him out . But if Adcarkas had managed to create some extremely dangerous taboo weapon , things once more became murky .

We don’t know , but it has something to do with the Dao of Space , Dao of Karma , and Soul Manipulation , - Pula said with a shake of his head . - Those two Daos are not something we are well versed in , so we could only follow the provided blueprint without much understanding . -

Zac slowly nodded , but he couldn’t draw any direct conclusions from those three clues alone . Adcarkas was a Spatial Cultivator , and he no doubt had some sort of Karmic Heritage from his master . It could either be a final piece in the Great Redeemer’s puzzle , or some sort of powerful weapon .

What’s this thing then? - Zac asked .

A fault-line , - Pula said , his mouth widening hate-filled grimace . - The treasure we made him was perfect on the surface , but he had the audacity to use the souls of our masons in its construction . We do not know much about the Daos incorporated , but we have our means when it comes to souls , so I hid some traps in the depths of its construction . Crush this near the ones you call the Dominators , and the traps will be sprung . I was hoping to use it myself , but I don’t think I can get up there . -

Zac looked at the Gemling leader with surprise . It sounded like an extremely risky endeavor to embed something like that in the Taboo Treasure , knowing Inevitability and Void’s Disciple . If they even got a hint of someone messing with their plan , they’d unleash a massive wave of death and carnage on the Gemlings .

What will happen? - Zac asked as he gingerly took the ominous crystal .

It’s hard to say since we don’t know what kind of treasure it is , - Pula said . - But it will definitely be destabilized at the least , and probably break it altogether . -

Thank you , - Zac nodded as he turned to Rhubat . - Have you selected your people? -

We are ready whenever you are , Warmaster . The final crusade beckons , - Rhubat rumbled as a group of massive Anointed stood behind him .

A few of them actually looked even bigger than before , and Rhubat himself was even approaching six meters . It was like they had been stuck at the peak of the F-Grade because of that elixir of theirs , but all that excess energy from kills kept making their bodies grow .

Alright , - Zac nodded . - Let’s rest up an hour before we set out . The people we encounter from now on will be the strongest warriors left in this world . -

Rhubat nodded and the anointed walked away to rest up as well . Zac wasn’t in a big need of rest because of his wounds , but rather from the need to recharge his Void Energy . But he first walked over to Joanna who was making rounds in the army .

I’ll leave the army in your , Havath’s , and Verana’s hands while I go up there , - Zac said with a low voice . - Try to get everyone a Seal , but don’t go too far toward the eastern side if you can help it . -

The Zhix seem to be almost completely Sealed up after the battle , so we only need something like 120 Seals for our own . The True Sky Faction only needs around twenty , I think . All our elites already had Seals , so the refugees had almost free reign on the middle layers after they joined , - Joanna nodded .

Another thing . The Gemlings have joined Port Atwood , but I think it was mostly out of necessity , - Zac said .

And you need a hype-man? - Joanna smiled . - Don’t worry , I have the flags and speeches all ready . -

Just make them feel happy about joining , - Zac snorted . - Try to get to know them and figure out a way to settle them back on Earth . Perhaps they want to live in the underworld? We have a lot of valuable land there that’s just sitting empty . -

I’ll have an integration plan ready by the time we leave this place , - Joanna said .

Zac nodded before he walked over to Thea who stood in the distance . They hadn’t actually met since the upheavals since Thea stayed on the lower layers while he trained on the upper ones . He had just called her through the communication crystal to say that he was fine before .

He knew he could have gone down to talk with her , but the situation was a bit weird . Neither of them was good with words , and Memorysteel Mountain wasn’t really the place to figure out their feelings . So Zac had somewhat avoided her until they could have a proper talk , which would be outside the mystic realm .

But he also knew he couldn’t just leave for the sphere in the sky without saying something .

You look different , - Thea said with interest as he walked over . - Very dashing . -

What? - Zac blurted as he looked down at his blood-splattered body , before he looked up at Thea with a raised brow .

Not that , stupid . Your face . Did you evolve your race before? - she asked .

Oh , that . I changed? - Zac muttered as he took out a mirror .

It was true . His face was better , though barely . Features had once more undergone some subtle changes , but they were less pronounced compared to the time he reached E-Grade body . It looked like the upgrades were mostly internal this time , though he did gain a small touch-up .

Who knows , I might be a real looker by the time I become an Apostate , - Zac said with a wry smile . - What are your plans? -

I’m a bit better , but staying down here , - Thea sighed . - We need some people to look after our soldiers in case the werewolves show up . Besides , there are a lot of caves on the upper layers to loot , so it’s not really a loss to stay down here . I’ve kept track of the layers our elites searched all this time , and where there should be unsearched caves left behind . I think I can make a killing up there even if I rest up a day . -

Zac nodded , somewhat relieved . He had been prepared to argue for her to stay at the mountain because of her injuries , but it looked like she knew her own situation best . Unfortunately , not everyone was as reasonable .

I’m going up there , - Kenzie resolutely said as she walked over . - With or without you . -

Chapter 647 : Weight of Sin

This isn’t a game , you know , - Zac sighed as he turned to his sister .

Just look , - Kenzie said as she tapped a button on her tablet .

Zac frowned with confusion , but his eyes widened in shock when a meter-thick Memorysteel wall suddenly sprung up in front of Kenzie , completely shielding her . Even he would have some trouble getting through a wall that thick provided it had a constant source of Base Power .

It took some time , but I managed to figure out a way to activate both a protective algorithm and to trigger the attacks . The sphere up there is overflowing it Memorysteel too , I might actually be stronger than you when we get there , - Kenzie said with a triumphant smile . - Add to that my ability to deal with all kinds of tech-related issues… You can’t leave me here . -

Alright , fine , - Zac sighed . - But the moment we encounter people , you run away and hide within the Memorysteel , okay? I'll deal with the people , you deal with the machines . -

Fine , - Kenzie said with a roll of her eyes before she ran away , perhaps afraid that Zac would change his mind .

Thea wryly smiled as she looked at the encounter . Zac could only shrug as he sat down and started working on refilling his Void Energy . He had an idea since a while ago , and he took out one of his two Beast Cores from the Void Beasts . A torrent of energy once more entered his body , prompting his Void Heart] to wake up . Beat after beat echoed out , and Zac’s eyes lit up as he felt the sense of hollowness quickly dissipate .

But there was something that didn’t make sense . Either his Void Heart] had an atrocious efficiency , losing most of the energy it swallowed , or only a small part of the energy went into restoring his reserves .

The hidden node refused to continue running after just a few minutes , and prodding it with his Bloodline Method did nothing to help . Zac wasn't surprised , since that basic manual never mentioned anything about controlling Bloodline Nodes at all . He would have to find another way to do that .

His Void Energy didn’t feel completely restored even after having absorbed energy from a half-step D-Grade beast . That pointed toward the fact that restoring energy for Force of the Void] wasn’t the main purpose for Void Heart] , at least not when absorbing energy from Beast Cores . It was likely that the rest of the energy either worked on improving the bloodline or the node itself .

The minutes eventually turned into an hour and Zac got ready to set out . The final group was Zac , Ogras , Billy , Kenzie , and a group of thirty Anointed led by Rhubat . That still left many of the elites down below in case something came up , while also providing Zac with some support .

Zac initially hadn’t planned on bringing Billy along , but Kenzie would be able to provide him with backup through her drones and Memorysteel manipulation . Besides , the Titan had formed a very fluent battle cooperation with the Anointed which had even allowed them to restrain the Grand Elder of the Cartava clan . Zac hoped they could do the same to Inevitability while he dealt with Void’s Disciple .

Billy was also one of those who had the easiest time dealing with the pressure stemming from the Memorysteel mountain for some reason . He didn’t feel a thing at the middle layers from the looks of it , completely ignoring pressure that even impacted Zac . Such an ability would give him a huge advantage in the Sphere as well , since Zac could only assume the suppression would be even stronger up there .

The group didn’t waste any time , and they immediately set out toward the peak after saying their goodbyes . The army would remain on the slopes , recuperating and getting their hands on the last sets of Spatial Seals required .

The Anointed weren’t really interested in looting the caves on the way , but Zac , Ogras , and Billy worked hard enough for the rest combined as they rushed back and forth along the cliffs . Unfortunately , the caves holding treasures actually grew increasingly sparse after they reached the 13th layer , and Zac only managed to find a scant few even after climbing for hours .

Billy was finally feeling the pressure by this point , but Zac shook his head with a wry smile upon seeing him grow to four meters tall and gain his signature golden hair . Activating his bloodline seemed to weaken the suppressive effect on him even further , and there almost seemed to be some sort of resonance between him and the mountain itself .

One person who was weirdly unbothered was Kenzie . She tried to explain how she used her four Dao Seeds to form alternating ripples and interlocking layers that negated the pressure , creating some sort of void chamber around herself . Zac tried to follow her explanation a few times , but there was simply no way that he could control his energy emission with the kind of precision that she mentioned .

At least it looked like Ogras wasn’t faring any better judging by the disgusted look the demon shot Kenzie before he started forcibly hunting for treasures again with grit teeth and blood-tinted eyes .

The value of every single cave was quite extraordinary though , and one impressive item after another entered Zac's Spatial Ring . He was currently standing in a cave on the 16th layer , looking down at a dozen unknown plants that emitted an extremely dense and bloody fragrance . Zac’s body clearly wanted to eat the tomato-like fruits , but he wasn’t the only one .

Even Verun’s Bite] woke up and growled with desire in his mind , prompting Zac to cut up a few and have the axe drink the juices .

The fruits weren’t enough to evolve the axe in one go , but they did seem to help the axe push forward toward the next stage a bit while also filling the runes on the handle to the brim . Zac had planned on feeding some of his left-over dragon blood to Verun before they reached the peak , but it looked like he had saved on that expenditure .

Zac quickly left the cave and kept climbing , but the search for treasures rapidly lost steam . The pressure kept get getting worse , and by the time the group reached the 17th layer , Ogras didn’t have the energy to look at all . Zac was losing Cosmic Energy with every step as well , and he tried to avoid any large detours . It felt like someone had reached inside his body and was squeezing his organs by this point , which has a wholly godawful feeling .

Each step forward was getting as taxing as a harsh duel , and he didn’t want to arrive at the peak completely exhausted from searching for some random valuables . The weaker of the Anointed were almost forced to almost crawl as they arduously pushed forward , but they ascending without a word of complaint . Zac knew that they would rather burn their life force than turn back at this point .

No one else really had the energy to hunt for treasures any longer either , but the group did stumble into a cave at the peak of the 17th layer . The one who made a killing that time was Kenzie . It was a lab , and considering how high up the mountain it was , it must have been right at the edge of the Core Layer before the world changed . It housed just four black cubes that didn't look all-too-impressive , but Kenzie’s eyes lit up in excitement after connecting her tablet to the machines .

It turned out that they were some sort of Technocrat super-computers . They didn’t contain any data , but one could use them to run calculations and simulations , pushing the power of Jeeves to even greater heights . Kenzie quickly stowed them away with a burning look in her eyes , and Zac could only helplessly look on as his sister fell deeper and deeper into taboo territory .

Should he take the computers and smash them?

He eventually shook his head and refocused on the task at hand . He had bigger fish to worry about right now . They exited the cave and passed the last milestone , finally experiencing the full extent of the suppression that the System had arranged . The progression slowed to a crawl , and the last layer took as much time as the last three did together even if they didn’t spend any time looking for treasure .

Even Zac’s legs were shaking by the end , though he was probably the one who mainly relied on his physical body to withstand the pressure . But they were all powerhouses , and they moved quickly even when it felt like a mountain was weighing down on their shoulders . Finally , they reached the peak , but they all froze at the same moment as a screen appeared in front of Zac .

Weight of Sin : Ascend Taboo Mountain and feel the weight of sin . Reward : Base Attributes +2%

Zac was extremely shocked to see a title appear in front of him , and by the looks of it , everyone had got it . A quick check proved it was a Limited Title , and Zac didn’t complain even if the reward was pretty low . After all , it was a lot better than his slots being empty .

Did you guys get the title as well? - Zac asked .

Four percent Base Attributes , - Rhubat said , whereas Kenzie said she got five .

Zac looked over at Ogras , who once more looked nauseated .

Two , - the demon sighed , and Zac nodded in understanding .

It turned out that the title was different depending on your level . It was not too surprising , considering that it was a lot more impressive for his sister to make her way up here compared to him doing it . He could only lament at the fact that the golden window of collecting titles had passed for him , and instead turn his attention to the mountain top .

Zac didn’t know exactly what to expect when they finally reached the peak , but he suddenly felt a bit dizzy the moment they stepped onto the summit . The peak looked extremely sharp when they gazed at it from below or back when he still was on top of the islands , but when they actually top there it was massive .

Space is going haywire in this place , - Ogras muttered , his face barely visible beneath of layers of shadows he had clad himself in to deal with the enormous suppression .

Let’s go , - Zac said , and everyone understood what he was thinking .

The distance to the sphere in the sky was well over a thousand meters , and getting there was impossible by shooting out chains or jumping . There had to be another way there . However , the whole plateau was empty , except for a small mound in the middle that radiated a weak light . If the answer was anywhere , it was there .

However , the pressure kept increasing as they got closer , and by the time they reached the halfway point a few of the Anointed couldn’t take it any longer and were forced to start burning life-force . Billy and Kenzie could barely take it as well , and judging from the deafening silence coming from Ogras , he was desperately fighting against the pressure as well .

Should we turn back? - Zac hesitated as he felt his body creak under the shocking pressure .

No way… this pressure… up there , - Ogras said with a hoarse voice through grit teeth . - Get up there… we’re fine . -

Zac nodded , understanding what the demon was trying to say . Zac was fine for now , but after an hour under this pressure and he would be completely drained . A few hours and he would probably die . He wasn’t necessarily the strongest person in the mystic realm , but he believed he had the most resilience . If he couldn’t take the pressure , then neither should Void’s Disciple and Inevitability .

Considering they probably reached this place half a day ago , then they would be long dead if the pressure was this bad at the heart of the Mystic Realm . So provided the beam held the means to get to the sphere in the sky , then they were fine . They just needed to get to the center .

Each step like a herculean tribulation as the group made their way further and further toward the center of the plateau . Billy’s face was beet-red by the end , and Zac had been forced to help him and Kenzie by dragging them forward with his chains .

The distance from the edge to the shining mound in the center was just a few hundred meters from the edge , but it felt even further than the whole climb until this point . Even the Memorysteel beneath their feet couldn’t take the pressure , and deep indents were left after every step they took .

But finally they made it , and they saw that a mysterious rune was imprinted in the middle of the mound . The source of the light was the rune itself , and Zac guessed it contained the Dao of Space . However , he couldn’t be sure because while the rune emitted fierce energy and visible light , his Cosmic Gaze] couldn’t actually see anything . The energy was probably too high-grade for an F-Grade ocular skill , even if it was a top-tiered one .

There was no time to waste as the pressure was almost lethal even to Zac this close to the rune , but he still threw a cultist corpse onto the middle of the rune , only to see it turn into a stream of light that shot up toward the planet above .

Alright , I’m going , - Zac grunted as he took out Verun’s Bite] and jumped on top of the rune .

A white flash filled his vision and he stumbled forward as the extreme pressure disappeared in an instant . The blinding light pervaded a few seconds longer , but Zac had already regained his sense of the surroundings thanks to the energy forest that had sprung up around him .

Activating Hatchetman’s Spirit] along with one of the defensive charges provided by the golden-leafed tree was the first thing Zac did upon appearing wherever the rune took him . The risk of ambush probably was the highest the moment he appeared , after all . There was not only the Dominators to worry about , but also god knows what else lurked in the heart of the Mystic Realm .

But even Zac wasn’t expecting what met his gaze the moment the blinding light subsided . It was a vast grassland , with forests , rivers , and mountains in the distance . A sense of beauty and grandeur permeated the surroundings , and Zac looked around with incomprehension .

What was going on? Why did the rune on top of the Memorysteel mountain lead to Paradise?

Chapter 648 : Paradise

Zac looked around with shock and confusion , really feeling that he had arrived at paradise . He had an extremely weak perception of the Dao , but even he could feel like there was something special about the world he had appeared in . Looking at the stalks of grass gently swaying in the wind filled his mind with impressions and ideas , and the same held true for the trees in the distance .

It was like everything was filled with meaning . It wasn’t to the point of the mind-bending experience where they cracked open the Dao Funnel back then , but it was far beyond what he had ever felt on Earth even when the Origin Dao was at its thickest .

Was that what was going on? Was this hidden world the place where all the Origin Dao of Earth had gone? They had already noticed that it was running out quicker than was normal , and Zac had even thought it was absorbed by the Mystic Realm for a while . But back then he discarded the theory since the cultivation environment in the research base was much worse than it was back on Earth . Of course , it was also possible that his mother's clan had simply arranged far better living conditions for those in the core of the base .

Or was this vibrant atmosphere something created by the Dimensional Seed? A virgin world full of life . Everything pointed to the seed being a C-Grade spatial treasure , which might mean that it would create a C-Grade world . Was this the normal environment on the enormous C-Grade continents out in the Zecia sector? It couldn’t be . If that was the case , no C-grade force except lunatics like the cultists would bother risking their lives in Incursions .

At least there was no immediate threat , and the pressure was mostly gone as well , though it did feel like the gravity on this world was at least fifty times that of Earth . However , Zac quickly realized something odd and quickly looked around him .

Where was the corpse?

The body he had thrown out before was nowhere to be seen even with the help of Hatchetman's Spirit] , which didn’t bode well for the others . But just as Zac started to believe that the rune sent people to random spots in this mysterious world , one flash of light after another appeared in the distance .

The others were teleported into the same grasslands as himself , appearing one after another in the vast grasslands . It almost like the endpoint of the rune was moving in a straight line , dropping people off along the way .

Zac was relieved to see his sister appear in the middle of the pack , just after the Anointed who were losing life-force to sustain the pressure outside , but seeing her reminded him of a troubling reality . How would her Memorysteel control help her in this place? He hadn’t spotted a single Technocrat structure , let alone massive amounts of Memorysteel that could keep her safe .

Even worse , there was no way to send her back by the looks of things .

There was not much to do about it , so he simply flashed over to her , and the whole group had soon assembled and were looking around in confusion .

What is this? - Ogras muttered as he looked around with a slight frown . - It’s like a cultivation haven for some supreme being . But are we inside the sphere or in a different realm? -

The corruption in this place… Almost feels holy , - Rhubat mumbled with wonder , and the other Anointed nodded , clearly having some difficulty reconciling their deep-seated beliefs and what their antennae were telling them .

Perhaps it's the Dimensional Treasure birthing a new world? - Kenzie ventured . - Has it become the World Core of this place? But if that’s the case , how can anyone take it? -

It should be related to the treasure , - Zac agreed before he looked around with some helplessness . - The real question is what we should do now? How do we find the Dominators in a massive world? We already tried that on Earth for a year , and we only have two days now . -

Like an answer from the heavens themselves , a tremendous clap of energy suddenly erupted far in the distance , somewhere on the other side of a small mountain range . They couldn’t see the source of the blast , but radiating tendrils of energy swayed back and forth for a few seconds before a wave of pure Origin Dao swept across the lands .

Everyone braced themselves for the ripple that expanded with a speed that far exceeded the limits of E-grade warriors , but it passed right through them without causing any harm . In fact , it was the opposite . Zac took a deep breath , feeling like his body and mind had been cleansed by the shockwave . He couldn’t imagine what kind of progress he would make if he could cultivate in a place like this for a few years .

Uh… How about we go there? - Ogras said after everyone regained their wits , and he gave Zac a slightly incredulous look . - Why don't you ask the Heavens for some treasures as well? -

Let’s go , - Zac snorted . - There's no way to figure out what's going on here , but that place should hold at least some answers . Keep your eyes peeled for enemies . -

The source of the blast could only be one thing ; The Dimensional Seed . And even if it by some chance wasn't , it was a supreme treasure that would hopefully lure the Dominators like moths to a flame . What cultivator could say no to an item that released ripples of pure Dao? Normal Dao Treasures was trash compared to an item like that .

Judging by the distance from the mountains it would take half a day to get there even if they ran , and that was provided that there weren’t any more weird spatial zones that hindered them along the way . The group quickly passed the grasslands , only stopping every thirty minutes or so as new pulses spread out from the other side of the mountain .

Zac was making rapid progress on his Daos , especially the Fragment of the Bodhi because he was surrounded by life . Who knew , he might even make a break through before this excursion was over .

Everyone else was the same . Billy was silently walking next to the Anointed with glazed , eyes like he was in a dream . Furthermore , Zac had already felt the ripples of a Dao-breakthrough from his sister .

The experience was almost surreal , and it caused Zac to hate the Dominators with newfound vigor . What a waste of time to be forced to hunt for those bastards when they only had a few days to stay in this magical place . He would much rather seclude himself somewhere in the forest , becoming one with nature .

But there wasn't much to do about the situation except take in as many impressions and insights as he could along the way .

Vicar Uld sighed and opened his eyes , his body abuzz after the ripple of condensed Dao that just passed through him . He had made strides forward again , further consolidating his insight into the Fragment of the Lance even though he gained it just a few hours ago .

But what good did it do him?

They might be in as close an embrace of the Heavens as they ever would be right now , but reality would come crashing down on them any day now . How could he have looked up at the high Cardinals as beacons of arcane knowledge that eclipsed the whole sector? It was a rude awakening , realizing that these mythological beings that held his very life in their hands were just muddling along like everyone else .

What hiding in this pocket realm for a hundred years? They didn’t even last a hundred days before the thing collapsed because of the very item they were sent to collect . Even if they managed to snatch the treasure out of the hands of the monsters who all vied for the same thing , they would still be stranded on a hostile planet without any support .

After all , there was no way those pawns below would survive this place . They were sent to destroy all the bridges leading to the mountain , but at least one of the powerful native factions should be able to reach the mountain in time . And that was not counting the Sovereign-select aboriginal of the outer world .

The best they could hope for was to seal the spatial treasure in some corner of the world and shed their mortal coils to avoid any tracking methods . Perhaps the Grand Cardinal would take pity on their souls and provide new vessels , but Uld knew all-too-well the reluctance to impact profit margins among the upper echelons .

Inquisitor Arkensau maintained that his teacher would find a way to solve their plight before it came to that , that the ripples that were sent out into the cosmos would somehow guide them here . But Uld wasn’t so sure . After seeing the world crumble around him he had carried a strong premonition in the back of his mind , and not even forming a Dao Fragment would change that .

He would die in here .

Uld had seen space get twisted and bent , how the dimensions melded into a singular point of past , present , and the future . But there was just darkness on the horizon , just a bone-chilling nothingness .

Someone triggered our outer array , - Trovad said with some reluctance , causing Uld’s heart to beat with discomposure .

The fire of the Heavens no longer burned as brightly in Trovad’s eyes either . Setback after setback would do that to your convictions . He was clearly unwilling to expose the interlopers since he knew what it would lead to .

Get ready for battle , - Arkensau said , confirming Uld's fears . - This is our chance . Erect the altar . -

How about going into hiding , waiting for these heretics to come into contact with the other interlopers? We can follow them and strike when the time is ripe , - Uld entreated .

Our order doesn’t abide cowardice , Vicar Uld , - Arkensau snorted with disdain . - So many of our brothers have entered the embrace of the Heavens , and you carry doubts and hesitation? -

Easy for you to say , bastard . You’re the one carrying a bunch of treasures from your master . Bastard , Uld raged in his mind .

Besides , we would not be able to make the same preparations by following your plan . The thing I have brought need some time to come into power , - Arkensau said as he looked down at the lantern with a weak fire burning inside .

The order was given , and their brands forced them to obey . The words of Inquisitor Arkensau might as well be the commands of the Heavens themselves as far as they were concerned . Go against them , and you’d burn in heavenly fire .

The tolls of death clangored even louder in Uld’s mind , but he grit his teeth and started helping the others prepare . No matter who it was that had arrived in this world , it was a given they weren’t any weaklings unless the pressure on that mountain had dissipated . After all , they only managed to bring just over thirty of their soldiers even though they tried bringing over three hundred . The rest had been unable to bear the suppression and were forced to descend again .

Then again , it wasn't all bad . There was definitely a seed of truth to what Arkensau said . The church did have a deeper heritage both than the aboriginals of either the outer world or the Mystic Realm , and their best chance to make use of that fact was to set up a trap that used the things they had brought along . There shouldn't be more than five parties that could make it this far , and taking out just one would drastically increase Uld's chances to survive this calamity .

The restrictive array was quickly and quietly moved so that it would coincide with the interlopers' path , and the adjustments to the altar were completed in quick order . From there they only had to wait , hidden by the Heaven’s Cover Array] . The targets would reach the designated Killzone in twenty minutes , and they soon could get a visual of who they were dealing with through their sentries .

It was a group of a few humans along with the hulking insectoid miscreations . They were led by a man with a dumb smile on his face as he walked through the forest , but he was still emitting an earth-shattering aura .

It’s him , - Arkensau muttered with glee . - I had hoped I’d run into that bastard again , and he's still distracted by the wonders of this world . This is perfect , using the Ember of Glory] on him is a worthwhile sacrifice . -

The Sovereign-Select? - Uld muttered , not really sharing the Inquisitor's jubilant mood .

Their order's track record with this monstrous aboriginal wasn’t exactly stellar , with almost every encounter ending in abject defeat . The only small success was when they managed to destabilize the tunnel to this realm , but that obviously hadn’t kept this maniac out .

Uld’s emotions were frayed as he looked at the projection , but he slowly calmed his mind since his fate had already been sealed . If the ambush worked , then he wouldn’t even need to lift a finger to eradicate a huge threat .

If it didn’t , well , then at least his worries would be over .

Chapter 649 : Ember of Glory

Zac was almost in a reverie as he led the group through the forest . Each breath brought new insights , each step was a revelation .

However , the tranquility was suddenly broken as Rhubat roared - Attack! -

Everyone reacted instinctively , and Zac conjured his energy forest and hundreds of leaves even though he couldn’t see what Rhubat was talking about . Unfortunately , by the time that the Zhix leader had sensed that something was wrong , it was already too late .

Layers upon layers of flaming barriers sprung up around them , trapping them in a fiery inferno . Altogether a full eighteen barriers were trapping them , with the first one being just a thin film of fire and the outermost being over a meter thick . They towered over a hundred meters into the air as well , so jumping over was probably impossible .

Zac wildly looked around for a way to break out , and he soon spotted the perpetrators through the walls of flames . It was unsurprisingly the cultists , and their cloak had been pretty much perfect . However , the camouflage was shattered the moment they unleashed their trap , and Zac figured the best course of action was to start breaking barriers to reach them .

The ground cracked beneath his feet as Zac pushed forward , slamming straight into the first barrier . A wave of heat grilled his whole body , but the thin film couldn't impede his momentum and immediately cracked . But a huge flower of flames bloomed the moment the shield cracked , engulfing Zac before it continued toward the others .

The Anointed had thankfully already erected thick earthen defenses , which blocked out the incoming flames . However , by this point a small smoldering ember had appeared in the sky in the middle of the entrapment , no larger than an apple . But that small flame made Zac's soul shudder and filled him with a sense of dread . He might be able to survive that thing , but the others wouldn't . Worse , it seemed to be accumulating power .

The small flame definitely couldn’t be a skill judging by its power . It had to be some sort of Spiritual Flame , and its grade was probably Half-Step D-Grade judging by the immense spirituality and force it exuded . Zac couldn't imagine the cost of bringing something like that through an Incursion . Was this the ultimate treasure the Church of Everlasting Dao had brought to Earth?

Not even the Anointed would be able to withstand that flame , and Zac exploded his aura to quench the flames covering him as he shot toward the next layer . There was no time to waste . Zac’s body was quickly getting covered in blisters and sears as he slammed into one barrier after another , but each of them became increasingly stronger . Meanwhile , the flame in the sky kept growing , and nothing the others did seem to work .

Ogras’ shadows , Rhubat’s stone attacks , even the laser beams of Kenzie’s drones . They all got incinerated long before they reached the growing flame in the sky . But it was also clear that it took a huge effort to control it since a storm of fiery attuned energy swirled around the leaders of the Church of Everlasting Dao . They were all standing around something on a pedestal , barely even sparing Zac a glance . They seemed to barely be able to control that thing .

The others were quickly forced to give up on destroying the fire in the sky and instead joined Zac in his effort to break out . Ten seals slammed into the thick walls of flames , causing the ground to shake . However , it was getting harder and harder to break through as the barriers got thicker . Not only that , the entrapment array was clearly designed to unleash increasingly powerful waves flames when they broke apart .

Soon , only Zac , Rhubat , and Ogras were able to withstand the fallout from when a barrier broke apart . The others were forced to fight from a distance or rely on the three powerhouses .

Zac had easily withstood the first six barriers just by blocking the flames with Love's Bond] and enduring the parts that got through , but his sister didn’t have his defenses . From the seventh barrier , he had been forced to enclose himself and Kenzie in the defensive charges of Hatchetman’s Spirit] .

Two charges out of four had already been expended by this point , but Zac wasn’t sure he’d be able to use all four as the golden leaves at the crown of the holy tree of Hatchetman's Spirit] were already ablaze . The ember was still well over a hundred meters in the air , but just its growing presence was enough to severely damage the core of his skill .

A sense of worry filled Zac’s heart when he realized that they wouldn't make it with their current approach . There were ten more barriers to cut through , and there was nowhere to hide inside the trap . The safest spot to avoid the retaliatory waves of flame was right in the middle of the entrapment array , but that would put them in the crosshairs of the even scarier ember above .

They could either stay on course and unleash their ultimate skills to break through the barriers quicker , perhaps even in one go . As long as the others had some ultimate defensive skills , they would probably get out of it in one piece , but doing things this way would expend a huge number of their cards even before they reached their real enemies . After all , these cultists were probably the weakest party in this place .

Alternatively , they could move back and try to defend against that terrifying ball of flames and deal with the barriers and cultists afterward . But were they even able to do that? That miniature sun was already terrifying , and it kept accumulating more power . There would definitely be casualties if they went that way . But Zac suddenly had an idea .

Was there perhaps a third option?

Zac gauged the distance between himself and the cultists , and Verun’s Bite] lit up in a sanguine glow as he launched a furious assault on the next barrier barring his path .

Keep going , just a bit more! - Zac shouted , and a thick lance of shadows caused the whole barrier to shudder .

With the empowerment of the second rune of his Spirit Tool and the renewed efforts of Ogras the barrier quickly crumbled , drenching the group in yet another shower of torrential heat . However , several floating Memorysteel eggs suddenly appeared and generated a series of barriers , protecting the group at the cost of their own safety . Molten drones rained down from the sky as the group slammed into the next one .

The luster of Verun's rune was draining fast , but Zac knew they were almost there . One more barrier fell , at which point there were only eight flame walls between them and the cultists . Zac had used his third defensive charge to things over , but Hatchetman’s Spirit] finally crumbled at that point since the whole core tree had been reduced to a ball of flames .

The remaining barriers looked extremely sturdy , but Zac had already accomplished his goal . Breaking that last roadblock had put him squarely within fifty meters of the group of cultists as long as he pushed against the wall of fire . Those fifty meters would be an unbreakable chasm to most , but was that really the case for him?

Could this array really block something coming from the Void?

There was no buildup and no warning as a huge wooden hand exuding a primordial aura appeared out of nowhere just a few meters above the cultists and their altar . It immediately slammed straight down as it gained the empowerment of Zac’s Dao , turning it into a terrifying hammer of carnage .

It was naturally Nature’s Punishment] activated with the help of Force of the Void] . Zac hadn’t actually tested this yet , but he was filled with a surge of relief when he saw that his gambit had worked . The barriers couldn’t stop him from summoning the skill outside , allowing him to launch a surprise attack .

Judging by how confident the cultists had looked , they clearly believed that the shields would protect them from any attacks . And Zac already knew high-quality barriers and arrays could seal off space to prevent one from circumventing the shields . For example , how effective would Town Protection Arrays be if one could simply conjure ranged attacks inside the protective bubble?

The entrapment array the cultists had set up seemed to possess the same abilities , but his odd Bloodline Talent had completely circumvented it somehow .

The cultists immediately noticed the massive hand appearing above their heads , but Nature’s Punishment] exuded a tremendous pressure . It was enough to completely immobilize middle F-Grade warriors , and even E-Grade cultivators would find themselves toiling under the weight of a mountain , drastically slowing their reaction speed .

Things should have ended with the elites turning into a paste then and there , but the Incursion Leader suddenly snatched something that had been blocked from Zac’s view by the thronging cultists . It was a small glass lantern with a weak flame inside . It looked like a small gust of wind could snuff out its flames , but Zac felt a far greater fear when he looked at it compared to that descending ember behind him .

The leader desperately swung the lantern at the descending hand and Zac grit his teeth as he prepared to infuse Nature’s Punishment] with as much Dao and Cosmic Energy as needed to make sure the attack landed .

Pain .

Blinding pain made Zac fall down screaming as the skin on his left hand sizzled like it was boiling . It felt like his whole arm had been dipped in molten lead , and the torment cut all the way to his soul . What was that flame? Zac desperately refocused his mind and pushed down the agony , only to see the enormous hand full of seemingly endless life-force get reduced to ash in an instant as the small flame spread like a wildfire .

However , the cultists didn’t fare well even if their leader had managed to utterly destroy Zac’s sneak attack . The weak and isolated flame in the lantern had turned into a terrifying calamity that rained down upon the zealots as the few remaining pieces of woods from Zac’s skill had turned into small burning meteors .

Any cultist that was touched by that mysterious fire turned into a human torch and not even a husk remaining after just a second . There were almost over thirty cultists outside the shields , but that number had been reduced to less than ten in an instant . Zac couldn’t believe what he was seeing , and he figured that the effect might even be more devastating than if his own attack had landed .

However , the leader himself managed to block the raining flames thanks to a defensive treasure that conjured a shield around him . Most of the other survivors were just lucky and stood far away from the impact zone , but one other seemed to forcibly resist the flames . Zac hadn’t seen that man before , but he wore a different set of robes than any other cultist he had met so far .

Perhaps he was the second-in-command to the Incursion Leader , considering his aura was almost as strong as the one of the man Zac had fought in the Dead Zone . In either case , while he had barely survived getting burnt by the flames , he was clearly on his last legs . One of his arms had turned into what looked like a burnt-out log , and similar burns covered most of his torso and half his face .

Zac wasn’t sure if even he would survive something like that , and it almost seemed that the poor man was only hanging on through sheer willpower .

You! - the dying warrior screamed with a guttural voice of pain and rage , but it didn’t actually look like Zac was the target of the general’s ire .

Zac looked on with incomprehension as the zealot actually took out a golden lance and launched an extremely swift strike at his leader . The Incursion leader had managed to block out the flames , but he had been right beneath the wooden hand and he had taken the brunt of the flames . The shield managed to block out most of it , but the Spiritual Flames had caught on at the hem of his robes .

He was desperately trying to stomp out the appalling flames before he turned into yet another torch , and he didn’t even realize something was wrong until after the sharp tip of the golden lance pierced the back of his head . The leader arduously looked back with incredulity , just in time to see the traitor spontaneously combust , not leaving even a scrap behind .

A second later the leader collapsed as well , and the bursts of Cosmic Energy confirmed that they were both dead .

Zac looked at the turn of events with confusion , but he didn’t complain . It reminded him a lot of Ogras' back at the Tree of Ascension , though the outcome was mutual destruction this time around . Zac's energy gain wasn’t very impressive since the cultists essentially killed each other , but his attack had been the source of the calamitous chain of events so he did at least get some .

The fact that most of the zealots had fallen less than a minute after the battle started didn’t mean they were out of the woods just yet . The ember in the center of the array was going haywire with no one to control it , and the remaining shields didn’t show any indication of collapsing any time soon . They seemed to be actual arrays rather than something conjured by the cultists themselves , and there was no time to break through them one by one judging by how quickly the miniature sun destabilized .

There was no time to waste and Zac immediately transformed into his Draugr-form as the anointed desperately started digging a hole to hide in from the impending blast . Profane Seal] sprung up around them , quickly followed by Immutable Bulwark] acting as a roof for their bunker as Zac grew into his hulking form through Vanguard of Undeath] .

It’s collapsing , we probably just need to withstand it for a short moment , - Zac shouted as he rejoined the group . - Use everything you have! -

The fire in the ember was very similar to the terrifying candle that had snuffed out the lives of most of the cultists , but their chance at survival lay in the fact that it hadn’t been completely activated . The cultists had been using that Spiritual Fire as the source through the altar outside , but the ritual had been canceled mid-way .

Layers after layers of protection were put in place , mostly thanks to Kenzie and the Anointed . Zac’s miasmic bulwark was reinforced by multiple walls wrought from stone , and Kenzie had actually taken out a small mountain of Memorysteel from her Cosmos Sack , quickly transforming it into a dome that the Anointed placed on top . Billy and Ogras didn’t have any skills to help in this situation , so they could only help with the digging efforts .

They kept adding more and more until the time finally ran out .

There was no explosion , but Zac suddenly felt his miasmic cage collapsing without being able to resist at all , and a shocking heat hit them even though they were protected by tens of meters of rock and Memorysteel . The heat quickly grew unbearable , and it was like the heat was even spiritual in nature as Zac felt a searing pain in his soul .

It wasn’t only his imagination , unfortunately , and he helplessly watched as one Anointed after another suddenly fell and combusted , their eyes turning into fiery infernos as even their souls were set ablaze .

Hold on! - Zac could only shout .

There wasn’t anything that he could against some terrifying invisible flame that seemed able to pass through anything . Finally , the last layers of earthen defenses shattered , exposing a sea of flames above them . Only Zac's miasmic Bulwark remained , but it cost shocking amounts of miasma every second .

Thankfully it looked like they barely would be able to tide things over as the flames spread outward after roiling across the bulwark's surface half a minute , exposing the sky once more . No one dared to move for a few minutes , but the squad eventually crawled out of their bunker to look at the aftermath . The shields had unsurprisingly all collapsed , and over a kilometer in each direction had been turned into a wasteland . The forest was gone , replaced by burning husks and storms of ash .

The only thing left of the cultists were the fire-resistant robes of the Incursion Leader and a handful of Spirit Tools . A few of the cultists had survived the fiery fallout from the lantern exploding , but Zac couldn’t imagine they had survived the following blast .

It looked like the cultists were finally over and dealt with .

Chapter 650 : Prison

Ah , what happened to you?! - Billy exclaimed as he looked up at Zac's hulking form . - How are you bigger than Billy?! -

Zac turned toward the Titan , and he saw that the Anointed were looking at him with hesitation as well .

A few things happened to me in the Dead Zone , - Zac sighed , seeing no recourse but to come clean . - It’s a secret weapon of mine , I hope you can help me keep this hidden . -

Haha! No problem , Billy has secrets too! - Billy laughed , before he froze and frowned with confusion . - Huh? Why can’t Billy remember? Oh well . -

The anointed nodded in agreement , not really caring . Their minds were clearly focused on their fallen brethren . Zac inwardly sighed in relief when his Draugr form didn’t cause any problems , and he opened his status screen for a few seconds . He didn’t look for long though , only long enough to confirm a few things .

The fight was over , and a sharp pain in his left hand made itself reminded the moment he relaxed . It was the damage transferred over when Nature’s Punishment] was incinerated by the small Spiritual Flame . Zac grimaced when he looked down at the blisters , and he could feel that this wasn’t something that would be fixed with Surging Vitality] .

There was a pervasive Dao lodged in his arm , and he could only slowly expel it from his body . At least it wasn’t his main arm , and it wouldn’t affect his combat strength much . He ate one of his better healing pills to keep the effect under wraps while fixing the large number of weaker burns that covered his body .

He ate a Soldier Pill next , quickly restoring a large chunk of his missing Miasma . Zac didn’t want to stay this way too long though so he reverted to his human form as soon as the pill had been absorbed .

Eating these Soldier Pills willy-nilly wasn’t really good for his body , but he didn’t want to keep his undead form exposed for too long in this place . As for what he had checked on his status screen before , it was his Bloodline . He had confirmed a few things with his transformation . First , his Void Emperor-bloodline had awakened in his Draugr-form as well .

Secondly , his undead race was still at the E-Grade , and it felt like he hadn’t really made any improvements at all as he had hoped . His Bloodline Nodes were there as well , and Zac wondered how that would impact him as one of the - five noble races’ . Part of their superiority compared to normal Revenants and Corpselords had to be related to bloodlines and racial nodes , and who knew how his situation changed that .

The Draugr normally boasted supreme miasmic control along with extremely durable bodies , but what if he got neither because his odd bloodline took precedence over both? And would real Draugr be able to notice the difference?

He regained his human form after a few seconds , and Zac was relatively certain that no outsider should have been able to notice his transformation . The towering flame barriers had hidden his skills , and enormous clouds of ash and some swirled around them right now , completely covering their group .

A deep sigh echoed out from his side , and Zac looked over to see Rhubat placing one of the fallen in his Cosmos Sack . Eight of the Anointed had succumbed to the invisible wave of heat , and the rest sported various degrees of burns . However , they had done it . They had finally taken out the last of these lunatics , snuffing out another threat to earth .

We need to move , - Ogras said with a hoarse voice , his face all black with soot . - Everyone within a hundred kilometers must have spotted this battle . -

Right , - Zac nodded as he stilled the tremors in his burned hand .

Everyone ate some healing pills to tide them over as they removed any hints of their involvement best as they could . Zac flashed over and pocketed several treasures where the cultists stood before . Most things had been incinerated , leaving not even the Cosmos Sacks unscathed , but some items survived .

The golden lance looked quite powerful , but the greatest gain was no doubt the Spatial Ring he found next to the Incursion Leader’s fire-resistant robes . He also picked up the now-empty lantern and stashed it away . One of the glass panels was cracked , but Zac figured it should be a treasure considering it could trap such a powerful flame .

Altogether the squad only remained a minute longer before they set out , taking advantage of the thick clouds of ash to avoid detection . They didn’t take a direct route toward the source of the ripples out of fear that they would be spotted though .

It wasn’t like there was any particular target they wanted to hide from , but rather that they didn’t want to walk into yet another trap just as they barely escaped the last one . Besides , even if their arrival had been exposed , didn’t need to make it worse . So everyone tried to stay under the radar as Zac led them through the still-burning maze , using either his aura or a forceful swing to clear a path .

The group set a diagonal course through the forest somewhat running in a circle around the source of the powerful ripples . The idea was to hit it from a slightly different angle , which would hopefully allow them to cross the mountains unnoticed . A few minutes later they were out of the raging flames , and there thankfully wasn’t anyone lying for them in wait .

The group reached the foot of the mountains after another two hours , at which point they finally slowed down . Everyone used various means to scan their surroundings for enemies , but it really looked like there wasn’t anyone on their tail . Only then did they find a secluded cave large enough for them all , and sat down to rest after having erected an illusion array .

Eight crusaders have fallen even before we reached our target , - Rhubat rumbled with sorrow in its eyes , and Zac could only sigh .

It was pretty bad luck that the cultists had zeroed in on them rather than the Dominators . Was it too much to ask for those two factions to take each other out?

Rest up for an hour , - Zac said as he distributed some more Soul Crystals and healing pills . - We’ll cross the mountain next . -

So what’s the plan? - Ogras asked . - There’s no way that those two bastards think they’re alone in this place after that inferno . -

Adcarkas is no fool , - Rhubat said with a shake of its head . - The Sage of the Basin no doubt understood that we would be coming for them even without the earlier battle . -

Zac nodded in agreement . He was more worried about having exposed his hidden class than having exposed that he was here . He could only pray that the lure of the Dimensional Seed held a strong enough draw for Void’s Disciple to risk everything to get it , either for his master or for himself .

After all , such an item must hold an almost fatal attraction to a spatial cultivator like him , even if to simply observe its energy fluctuations .

No one had any great ideas of how to deal with what came next , mainly because they didn’t really understand the situation . Why did this realm exist? Why was the Dimensional Seed releasing those ripples? Why hadn’t anyone snatched it yet?

They eventually simply decided to stay hidden as best they could , which wasn’t all-too-easy with over twenty giants that were almost as tall as some of the trees , while they scouted out the Dimensional Seed on the other side of the mountain .

Thankfully , apart from other factions , the hidden realm was extremely safe . In fact , they hadn’t encountered a single animal or beast as they crossed the forest and the mountain . It was a somewhat odd feeling , seeing nature both so vibrant and so void of life .

It took seven hours to cross the mountain , but one of those hours was spent on breaks because people were making breakthroughs left and right . Kenzie , Billy , over half of the Anointed . All of them made some gains from walking between the mountains and feeling the pulse of Earth .

Zac himself didn’t manage to make any Dao breakthroughs like the others , but his level was already a lot higher . However , that wasn’t to say he was without gains of his own . He had made a shocking amount of improvements in his skill department instead .

He had already noticed that Immutable Bulwark] and Profane Seal] reached Peak mastery right after the battle , and one skill after another took a step forward over the following hours . Loamwalker] was next , finally reaching the peak , and it was soon followed by Hatchetman’s Spirit] reaching late mastery and both Conformation of Supremacy] and Surging Vitality] stepping into middle grade .

The most shocking thing was that he even evolved Deforestation] to late mastery just as they passed the mountain even though he hadn’t actually used the skill at all during the battle before . He soon realized what was going on though .

The cultivation environment of the Mystic Realm had been pretty wretched , which might not have only impacted his Dao , but also his skills . After all , he hadn’t improved a single skill in the Research Base even though he had fought so many desperate battles , which was pretty odd . Now it was like all those accumulated experiences had crystallized into a cascade of breakthroughs when he was flooded with Origin Dao .

He hadn’t tested the change of Deforestation] because of the cooldown , but the evolution of Hatchetman’s Spirit] resulted in the forest almost doubling in radius while the defensive charges gained some strength . The Attribute bonus to Strength and Vitality was still at 10% , but one couldn’t complain considering that buff came with literally no downsides .

The improvement wasn’t too impressive , but it wasn’t bad either . This way he would be able to cover almost a whole army with his energy forest , and there wasn't much his enemies could do about it except targeting the core tree . The amount of information the enormous forest crammed into his brain was a bit jarring at first , but he quickly got the hang of it .

The evolution to peak mastery of Loamwalker] was more interesting . The largest detriment to that skill was how it was bound to earth , but that rule was finally being modified at the peak . The upgrade didn’t give him the power of flight , but he was actually able to take one step in the air with the skill . True to its name the skill still needed loam to walk , and Loamwalker]’s solution was actually to form a small patch of floating grass beneath his feet .

It was a magical feeling to jump twenty meters into the air , and then suddenly flash forward without gathering any momentum . It was almost like getting a double-jump in a video game , and it would make Zac’s fighting a lot more flexible where he wouldn't have to rely on his chains to move while in the air . Unsurprisingly , the downside of the newfound ability of his movement skill was the cost of Cosmic Energy . Air walking once cost more than ten times the amount compared to taking a step on solid ground .

Zac wanted nothing more than to walk around these mountains for a while longer and squeeze out all gains from his accumulated experiences , but time waited for no man . The group finally reached the other side , and it didn’t take a genius to figure out where they needed to go .

A massive basin was hidden on the other side of the mountain range , and there was only one thing placed there ; an almost impossibly large structure . It was clearly of Technocrat origin , and even from a great distance it was clear that it was created with a lot more care and attention to detail compared to the desolate corridors on the outer sectors of the Research Base .

It seemed to be made of Memorysteel , but it had a slightly different bluish hue , and Zac could feel the emanations of endless Base Power even when they hid a few kilometers away . It was also completely covered in the same type of script that lined the walls of the base . The building itself looked like an enormous dome , and it had to be at least five kilometers tall , almost towering over the mountains around it .

The dome itself was surrounded by nine towers that looked like spikes , and they too were constructed with the special Memorysteel and covered in runes .

However , even with the clearly high-quality construction , the building was suffering extensive damage . Thick cracks covered parts of the dome , and it almost looked like the cracks were alive as they wiggled in an endless loop of getting damaged and trying to heal .

What is this? - Zac muttered as he turned to his sister to see if she had any ideas .

It’s a prison for the Dimensional Seed! - Kenzie exclaimed . - The Administrator must have built it to protect the base from the energy emanations . I don't understand why it's in this hidden world though . . . -

It looks like the treasure is trying to break out , - Ogras commented from the side as he glanced at Kenzie . - Meanwhile , that bastard is probably trying to break in , no? With your technical skills , we might actually be the first to make it to the Dimensional Seed . -

Chapter 651 : Overbearing Truth

We might have an advantage , but there are a lot of variables at play . There’s something odd going on with his place , - Kenzie said , and there was hesitation on her face . - There are items meant to deal with spatial anomalies in the labs , and this isolation chamber has somehow followed into this world . It's like we're missing something . -

Zac nodded in agreement . There were some things that they hadn’t figured out yet . Why was an item like the Spatial Drill built inside a Bloodline Research Base? Why had the energies of the base merged with the spatial anomalies , to the point that they seamlessly entered end exited from the barriers?

Is that computer bastard trying to take the treasure for itself? - Ogras ventured , echoing Zac’s thoughts . - We can’t compete with the base itself . Those weapons it uses… -

I don’t think it should have any desires like that , - Zac said . - It’s a machine , not a cultivator . The goals of the base Administrator should simply be to maintain operations and protect against threats . I don’t see what would make it try to absorb the treasure . It’s more likely that it realized how dangerous the item was , and tried to seal it up to protect the base . -

In fact , Zac knew from his talk with Jaol back on the Technocrat ship that there were AI that had intellects advanced enough that they essentially could be considered living . However , these types of high-tiered AI still couldn’t cultivate , and they were pretty rare since they needed extremely expensive components to work .

Also , these types of living AI were a lot like Tool Spirits , meaning they could degrade mentally .

There was no way that even a rich Technocrat family would put an AI like that in charge of routine maintenance on some Research Base . It was not only a huge waste of resources , but it might actually result in a worse outcome compared to using a normal AI that ran more like a computer . Just imagine , what if an AI who slowly went insane like Brazla took charge of this place?

Nothing they had seen indicated it was that kind of AI though . If it was , it wouldn’t have been possible for the Tsarun Clan to gain access , and especially impossible for the native Datamancers to trick it . The AI would instantly have realized the research subjects were manipulating its programs and taken action .

In either case , what do we do? - Ogras asked , and both he and the Anointed turned to Zac . - Our Illusion Array-Disks aren’t perfect . We’ll be spotted sooner or later if we just loiter around here . -

Zac hesitated a few seconds as he looked down at the building . The enormous construction actually did have a few gates , but could they really just waltz into the place like this? He was a bit hesitant about asking his sister to use Jeeves here , in case it would cause a reaction . However , it also seemed extremely dangerous to sneak inside through the wriggling scars covering the dome’s surface .

How about we observe for a while , and if nothing changes just walk right in? - Zac eventually said , unable to come up with a better idea .

That’s your plan? - the demon said with a scrunched-up face .

Do you have any better ideas? - Zac muttered . - We don’t know where the Dominators are , and we don’t know how long this place will last . We can lay a trap out here in hopes Adcarkas will appear , but if we do that we might miss our opportunity . If I was him , I would already have headed inside . -

Agreed , - Rhubat nodded . - Adcarkas has nigh-perfect energy masking abilities and they are capable of teleportation . It is unlikely we would spot them in the mountains even if we stay outside . Besides , with our frames , we’re likely to be spotted before we spot them . -

Fine , - Ogras said with a roll of his eyes , but Zac could hear him mutter - bunch of meatheads’ beneath his voice .

They didn’t immediately rush toward the containment dome though , but instead inched closer until they reached a spot with better vantage a few kilometers away . The group kept a lookout for any activity while they made their final preparations , but there was nothing at all happening .

Suddenly the runes on the building lit up with a blue shimmering radiance as it started emitting an extremely odd aura . It was like the whole dome was shifting out of reality , like it was both there and somewhere else . The odd phenomenon subsided after a minute though , but the nine towers lit up at that moment .

The very same tendrils they had seen from the other side of the mountain radiated out from their peaks , and a ball of condensed energy was quickly forming right above the dome . It only lasted for a second before it destabilized and exploded , and the group felt the ripple pass through them a second later .

It’s like reverse lightning-rods , - Kenzie muttered . - Discharging excess energy into the surroundings . -

At least it doesn’t seem to get dangerous even at close proximity , - Zac muttered . - Alright , this should be the best opportunity to head inside . We have a while before the next ripple hits , just in case . -

The Anointed nodded and the group immediately set out . There was no way to cover their approach , so they could only rely on speed and hope that no one was keeping watch . The group rushed toward the closest gate , keeping a wide berth of the kilometer-tall pillar that still radiated some left-over energies after the initial outburst .

There were thankfully no automated defenses in place , and Zac breathed out in relief when the large gate completely ignored them . There was a console on this structure as well and Zac and his sister walked over . He was obviously not there to deal with the security protocols , but rather to block any attack in case something went wrong .

Kenzie connected her tablet , but she stopped tapping on it after just a few seconds .

Is something wrong? - Zac asked . - Isn’t your clearance enough? -

This place is different , - Kenzie muttered , but Zac felt she almost looked a bit excited .

He looked on with confusion as she put her hand against the console . The door slid open a few seconds later , making Zac a bit confused about what was so exciting . It looked like any other time one used those consoles to open a gate .

What’s going on? - Zac finally asked as he saw his sister look down at her hand with a small smile .

Genetic lock , - Kenzie whispered . - Really strong one . I don’t think the Datamancers can hack their way through these restrictions . Apart from the two of us , the rest would have to enter through the cracks . -

Zac finally understood why his sister looked so happy . They had been in this realm for weeks now , and this was the first time found any tangible proof of their connection to their mother’s clan . He knew that his sister had hoped to find out more about their technocrat ancestors in this place , but they hadn’t found anything at all . This gate at least confirmed her bloodline .

Part of Zac wanted to reach out and touch the console as well just to make sure , but fear and doubt kept him back . There were some theories hidden in the back of his mind , theories he wasn’t ready to confront just yet . He didn’t want to do anything that might rock the status quo right now .

Instead , he just moved Love’s Bond] to block his front as he advanced through the gate . The rest quickly followed in tow , their eyes darting back and forth in search of any threats . However , the insides were pretty austere , with no dangers in sight .

Zac had somewhat expected to enter a corridor similar to the ones in the research base , but it wasn’t anything like that . Instead , it looked like the outer wall was just the first of multiple shells , with the next one starting roughly a hundred meters further inside . The space they stood in was sectioned off though , with Memorysteel walls making it impossible to walk in a circle around the whole building .

It really looks like a containment chamber , - Kenzie muttered as she looked around curiously . - Multiple layers to isolate the Dimensional Treasure inside . -

Zac nodded in agreement . It almost felt like one of those places built to contain nuclear waste back on old Earth .

Are you sure this place isn’t dangerous? - Ogras muttered as he looked around . - It feels like we have stepped into a refinement cauldron . Some high-level emissions can kill weak punks like us without notice . -

Look over there , - Zac said as he pointed to the left . - Those buildings shouldn’t be there if this place was dangerous , right? -

The thing he pointed toward was the only thing of note except the gate in the second layer wall . It was a series of buildings that looked extremely small compared to the kilometer-high ceiling , but they were actually large enough to house hundreds of people . The buildings stood against the wall a few hundred meters away from the gate .

That doesn’t prove anything , - Ogras said with a shake of his head . - I doubt anyone has ever lived in there . This heretic computer might have built this place following some blueprint in its memory , just adding buildings for personnel without understanding why . -

Well , it’s impossible to be certain , but I still think the ripples are beneficial if anything . At least I haven’t felt anything wrong with my body , - Zac said . - My danger sense has been completely quiet all this while as well . -

Our constitutions have been improved as well , - Rhubat added . - I had already exceeded my limits some time ago , hurting my core , but now I feel fine . There is even some room for me to grow yet again . -

Improving potential? - Ogras muttered with gleaming eyes as he looked up and down the Anointed .

Let’s go check out the buildings first , - Zac decided . - We shouldn’t delay in case this place really is dangerous . -

The group flashed over , but they didn’t find anything after even after a thorough search . Ogras was right about one thing ; no one had ever lived in this place , further proving that the Tsarun Clan never reached the core of the Research Base .

Some of the rooms looked like some Science Fiction pre-fab solutions that still hadn’t been decorated . There were kitchens , recreational rooms , cultivation chambers , and living quarters along with some sparse metal furnishings . One room housed what looked like a command center , but the computers were empty of data and they weren’t even connected to anything .

I think this place was built in case the creator of this Research base ever returned , - Ogras eventually said as he gave Zac a pointed look .

No point in lingering here , - Zac said . - Let’s head for the core . -

The others agreed , and they walked over to the next gate . This one was also made from the bluish Memorysteel , but there also seemed to be something else added to it . There were also thin streaks of some golden metal covering its surface , and Zac guessed it was some higher version alloy compared to Memorysteel .

Kenzie had no problems opening this gate either , and the hundred-ton gate soundlessly slid open after she touched her hand against the console . The group walked through , and Zac almost felt like he had been caught in an illusion loop just like the corridor inside during the Eastern Trigram Hunt . The environment looked almost identical after they walked through the twenty-meter thick wall , with the exception that there were no buildings inside this layer .

The group kept moving forward , passing one gate after another . Eventually , they reached the 9th layer , this one solely made from the golden metal they had seen more and more of inside the walls . By this point , they could feel extremely powerful emissions on the other side , and it almost felt like a god was trapped inside .

It wasn’t just a matter of intensity , but also quality . It felt like the fluctuations hinted at something vast , something far beyond their understanding . It was just like when Zac had witnessed the corner of the chaos pattern . It gave the impression that the very air around him held the answers to all his questions about his cultivation , but the information was too esoteric for Zac to gain anything at all .

Zac was pretty confident this was the last layer judging by the quality of materials and the power of the emanations . The layer was a lot smaller by now as well . The insides couldn't be more than five hundred meters high , and thrice that across ; a tenth the size of the outermost dome .

There was also another set of buildings next to the gate , but they actually couldn't get inside according to Kenzie . There were a huge number of security protocols guarding it , and not even their genetic code could help them get inside . Zac didn't want his sister to use Jeeves to force its way inside at this juncture , so they instead turned to the final gate , which thankfully didn't have the same sort of defenses .

Here I go , - Kenzie said as she placed her hand against the console .

This time it took almost a minute , but the doors eventually slid open , which instantly increased those mysterious fluctuations by multiple orders of magnitude .

It still didn’t feel dangerous or detrimental , except for the mental pressure that stemmed from the energy . It almost made Zac question everything he had learned about cultivation and the Dao so far , like he was just a child making stuff up while playing in the mud . The energy around him was the real truth , and if he didn’t give up on his wayward ways he'd never reach the peak of cultivation .

Zac quickly activated Soul Guardian] , the sixth and final skill he’d learned in the Dao Repository . A small golden avatar appeared above the soul in his mind as an inscrutable pattern appeared on his forehead . The skill had taken the spot of Mental Fortress] and acted as a dummy to take on all kinds of mental attacks , but even his E-grade mental defense skill couldn't provide any protection against something like this .

However , he quickly stabilized his mind , discarding those poisonous thoughts . He knew his path wasn't a lie , but it was simply a matter of grade . The concepts hidden in the air around them were clearly far beyond anything he or anyone else in the group could fathom , but so what? They were not of his path , and his own insights would be able to match these by the time he reached C-Grade as well .

That conviction gave him a sense of tranquility that he hadn’t really felt since entering the odd isolation building , and it felt like it had somehow solidified his own path even further .

It looked like Kenzie had quickly adapted as well , and the Anointed were extremely stoic . Zac had to give it to them . Their power wasn’t a match to his own , but their mental fortitude and conviction were extremely strong . They had the makings of powerful cultivators , provided Ibtep's mission was a success .

Billy looked fine as well , seemingly even enjoying the atmosphere . The one who had the worst of it was clearly Ogras , and his face kept undergoing rapid and erratic changes . One second he looked ecstatic , only to be plunged to the depths of despair the next moment . Sweat was pouring down his face , and his hands twitched . Zac frowned at the scene , but his sister was quicker as she walked over to him .

Hey , - she said with a soft voice as she placed a hand on his chest . - Don’t think too much . -

It seemed to work , as his facial expressions gradually calmed down . He exhaled a deep breath he had been holding in before he nodded at Kenzie with gratitude in his eyes . Only then did Zac relax and turn toward the mysterious object in the center of the room .

The Dimensional Seed .

Chapter 652 : Inner Chambers

The Dimensional Seed had been the ultimate goal for so many people since its existence was discovered , and Zac was finally standing right in front of it . Just looking in its general direction made Zac’s mind scatter again , forcing him to turn his head away . The treasure might not be actively dangerous to interact with , but there was still a vast chasm in terms of grades between them .

It was just like with himself ; if he completely unleashed his aura next to someone at Level 1 , they would probably die from the pressure . And the difference between him and someone who hadn’t started cultivating was probably a lot smaller than the difference between him and the object hovering two hundred meters in the air .

Zac didn’t know what he expected the spatial treasure to look like , but he did realize that taking this thing might have been a fool’s dream . First of all , he wasn’t even sure he would be able to even get close considering how intense its energy fluctuations were . Secondly , it was pretty big , much too big for the box he had spent an exorbitant amount of money on .

The Dimensional Seed looked like a pulsating black hole , whose oscillations contained the breath of pure Dao in a way that made Zac's brain almost short-circuit when he tried to understand what he was looking at . Its diameter fluctuated between ten and thirty meters , so unless there was some sort of smaller core in the heart of that anomaly there was no way it’d fit inside the box . Not that snatching this thing was his main goal .

Besides , it felt all-too-apparent after seeing this treasure that it would bring more problems than it was worth . Something emitting spatial fluctuations this powerful probably couldn’t be stowed away in a Spatial Ring , and it was only a matter of time before some old monster learned of it and became greedy .

A treasure like the Eye of Har'Theriam] was extremely rare and had amazing effects , but its use was ultimately limited to E-Grade juniors . Yet it had caused Yrial endless troubles when it was exposed . The thing in the heart of the chamber was clearly meant for higher-grade cultivators , and Zac couldn’t even imagine what kind of storm such an item would elicit .

Zac shook his head and instead started to inspect the rest of the enormous chamber . There seemed to be a thousand pillars rising from the ground , all of them pointing toward the Dimensional Seal in the air . They were roughly five meters across at their base , but they turned to thin spears at the end . It was the same with the domed walls and ceiling , with spikes hundreds of meters long all pointing toward the heart of the room . There was even one twenty meters above their heads , angled upward .

The spikes weren’t placed completely uniform though , and Zac almost got lost in thought as he looked at them . It felt like there was some hidden meaning to the pattern they created , like they formed some sort of array . The meaning was far beyond his understanding , but Zac had an idea what they were there for ; to suspend and seal the Dimensional Seal .

The pulsating anomaly was trapped inside a sphere seemingly made from thousands of different Daos . Each pulse made the barrier flutter , but it was clear that the containment shield was stopping most of the energies from escaping . Perhaps it would have been impossible for them to stand in this place without the pillars keeping the treasure sealed up .

One thing that made the thousands of spears stand out from all other Technocrat tech Zac had encountered so far was that they seemed to run on something other than Base Power , or that plasma energy that the Little Bean used . It was rather Dao that ran through the metallic spears . It wasn't Spatial Dao though like what the Dimensional Seed emitted , but rather all kinds of mysterious energies .

It made Zac realize that it might not actually be the Dimensional Seed that was the source of those ripples before , at least not the sole source .

This… - Kenzie whispered as she looked around with shock in her eyes . - It’s so similar… -

Similar to what? - Zac asked with confusion since he had never seen anything like this .

Ah? Nothing , - Kenzie shrugged .

Zac slowly nodded before he turned to Rhubat .

Can you sense something? Are they here? - Zac asked .

With hundreds of thick pillars covering the ground , visibility was even worse than in a forest and Zac couldn’t see further than a hundred meters on the ground . A whole army could be loitering on the other side of the innermost chamber without them having any idea of it .

Not only that , but the spears also gave off a weird humming white noise that made it hard to just hear each other when standing next to each other . Zac would probably be able to scream at the top of his lungs without exposing their location .

We can’t sense anything . Between these pillars and the treasure itself , our senses are almost completely blinded , - Rhubat said with a shake of its head . - It’s like standing in the middle of a sandstorm . -

Zac hesitantly looked around the chamber once more , not sure what they should do next .

Let’s scout out the room , make sure we're the only one here . Perhaps we can set up a trap if we can figure out where the others will come from , - Zac eventually said .

The group didn't spread out in case there really were others in this place , rather opting to stay together as they walked between the spears . A few of them emitted Daos that felt completely foreign to Zac , whereas others felt a bit more familiar . He gazed at the thousands of spears , and he couldn't help but wonder if all the main branches of the Dao under the System were represented in this chamber .

Was it perhaps possible to find the pillars that were related to his own path and use them to progress further?

They are powered by Origin Dao , - Kenzie murmured . - It's not true insight , but rather a forced mimicry . . . Still . . . -

What! - Rhubat suddenly exclaimed , starting Kenzie out of her musings . - There is someone inside the anomaly! -

Impossible , - Ogras blurted as his eyes darted up , but he was immediately forced to look away again .

Zac tried to forcibly look at the Dimensional Seed with Cosmic Gaze] to see what Rhubat was talking about , but it was even worse than staring straight into the sun . Kenzie summoned a handful of drones , and a video feed appeared on her screen as she tapped away . The image kept shifting like she was adding various filters , and Zac’s eyes widened when he could see a vague outline of a person for a moment .

Someone was really sitting on top of the Dimensional Seed and was hidden by the powerful emanations .

It's true! - Kenzie exclaimed . - They are even inside that inner shield! How can anyone withstand that?! -

Their auras are converging , - Rhubat said with a frown , and a few other Anointed nodded after they closed their eyes . - I barely sensed it . I think the person inside is trying to fuse with the item , or at least form a connection to it . It has to be Adcarkas . Who else has that kind of capability? -

Is the bad guy eating that ball? - Billy muttered with wide eyes . - Scary . -

More like suicidal , - Ogras muttered with disbelief . - But if he somehow succeeds… -

We can’t let that happen , - Zac said with grit teeth as his gaze moved to one of the pillars sticking out from the wall . - Get ready for battle , there is no time to lose . -

Those are the eyes of someone about to do something foolish , - Ogras said . - Don’t act hastily . -

He is probably in a trance at the moment since he sits there unmoving , but he might wake up we start experimenting on ways of dragging him down . I’ll have to go all out from the start , - Zac said as he turned to his sister . - That Dao-shield , can I pass through it? -

What? You want to enter that thing? The barrier seems to only restrain the energies the seed emits , but that means the aura is far stronger inside . You might die just from the aura alone if you jump through , - Kenzie said with worry .

I don’t believe I’ll instantly die if that guy can comfortably sit up there , - Zac muttered . - I should at least be able to drag him down . There’s no time to waste . Be ready to unleash some powerful strikes . Perhaps we can kill him in one go . -

I still think- - Kenzie tried to interject , but Zac just shook his head as he readied his axe and shield .

We will not fail you , Warmaster , - Rhubat rumbled , and the auras of all the Anointed started to rise , a telltale sign of them activating their life-burning method .

Billy prepared himself as well , as his usually silly expression was replaced with steely determination . Even Ogras had discarded his lackadaisical demeanor as he slowly melded with the surroundings , his spear already in his hand .

Zac took a last steadying breath before he disappeared , and a deep indent appeared on one of the long spikes a moment later as he used it as a launching pad to shoot into the air . However , he didn’t fly straight toward the Dimensional Seed , but rather making it look like he would miss it by fifty meters just in case Void’s Disciple was actually observing their moves .

However , just as it looked like he would shoot straight past the floating treasure a barely noticeable patch of grass appeared under his right foot , and he suddenly disappeared . Space constricted as he took a step through shrunken space , and he pushed straight through the Dao barrier and toward the barely visible figure inside the black energy emanations .

The halo of Conformation of Supremacy] had already appeared behind him , filling him with a sense of power as the Everlasting Shield radiated a world-crushing weight . If it really was Adcarkas sitting inside , then Zac had already cut this guy in two once without much success . So he figured he’d try to crush him instead this time around , and if it failed the force should at least be powerful enough to knock him down from the dimensional seed .

However , Zac completely lost control of his skill the moment he entered the anomaly , and it felt like his whole body was disintegrating as immensely powerful Spatial Energies threatened to rip him apart . Zac’s perception of reality was being put through the wringer and his whole body was being expanded to the size of a galaxy one moment , only for it to be shrunk into the size of an atom the next .

This was way beyond what he had endured when the Mystic Realm underwent those massive upheavals , over ten times worse . Even his soul was unable to maintain its integrity and was being bent and twisted like a piece of clay . Zac was completely helpless as he shot forward . The containment shield was just fifty meters across , but that short journey felt even longer than flying to the moon .

Alien energies threatened to completely rip his body apart , but the welcome beat of his hidden node suddenly echoed out in the darkness . This was why Zac had some confidence in attempting this . His Void Heart] even dared to eat the tribulation lightning of the Heavens themselves , so what was some energy run-off from a C-Grade treasure? The hidden node happily gobbled up mouthfuls of the spatial energies , which gave Zac back some of his presence of mind .

Zac’s plan had already failed , but he thankfully had a backup . He hurriedly infused Love’s Bond] with the Fragment of the Coffin to toughen it up even further . A shudder went through Zac’s body as he felt a collision , which was immediately followed by a startled roar of anger before the world turned back to normal .

Loamwalker] was not an actual teleportation-skill like Ogras’ shadow-walk , which had both positives and negatives . In this case , it was an asset as his momentum was real when he shot forward from the floating patch of grass . Zac had lost all sense of his surroundings for a while there , but he was moving straight toward the meditating person , and his shield was pretty massive .

His momentum had made him not only knock the person off the Dimensional Seed but also pushed both of them out of the containment shield . His senses were still all messed up even if Void Heart] had swallowed most of the terrifying Spatial Energies , and his vision and perception of space were still all messed up . He tried to grab his target , but he only grasped empty air for a few seconds until he slammed down onto the hard metal floor .

Thankfully Zac was not alone . Someone dragged a nigh-delirious Zac away just in time before twenty enormous seals slammed down as one , causing even the extremely sturdy golden alloy to dent . It was immediately followed by a hulking smash by a roaring Billy who had already grown to ten meters .

The Titan immediately started charging a second strike , and the moment the massive club was lifted from the ground over fifty drones shot at the same spot , the combined force of their lasers almost tearing a hole in space itself .

An endless barrage of shadow-spears kept up the pressure on the spot until a meter-thick lance of pure darkness shot the target , swallowing everything whole . An even more powerful follow-up swing from Billy kept the combo going , and the echoes of metallic clangor echoed out . The Anointed kept attacking the unmoving body as well , unleashing millennia of pent-up fury .

Zac could finally tell left from right as stumbled back on his feet , and he realized that he had been dragged right next to his sister . He nodded at her before he looked over at the carnage with a frown .

Something was wrong .

The target hadn’t even moved or as much as activated a defense as far Zac could tell , but why didn’t they die? Even Zac wouldn’t survive an onslaught like that unless he blocked them somehow . A piercing scream of danger forced Zac into action , and he desperately flashed out of the way while dragging his sister with him .

It was just in time as well as a hand appeared out of nowhere , grabbing straight for his throat with enough force to make the air twist .

Back away , - Zac whispered to his sister as he stared at the attacker with confusion and some trepidation . - Why is it you?! -

Chapter 653 : Mad Ambition

Zac had been completely convinced that it was Void’s Disciple he tackled and pushed down from the Dimensional Seed . Who else would be able to withstand the intense fluctuations except for a Spatial Cultivator? But it turned out he was wrong . The aura of the one he tackled was identical to the one who had attacked him just now , and it wasn’t Adcarkas .

The person standing in front of him with an expression rife with killing intent was still someone he knew though ; it was Inevitability .

He hadn’t seen the second Dominator since they met in the Eastern Trigram Hunt . The battle back then had been completely lopsided with Zac only escaping with his life because Thea used her ultimate escape skill . However , Zac had left for the Tower of Eternity and evolved into E-Grade since then . Zac had believed that he had not only caught up but far surpassed the murderous chain-wielding Zhix by now , but it was clear that Zac wasn’t the only one who had made tremendous steps forward .

The aura Inevitability emitted gave Zac some palpitations , like he was once more standing in front of a blood-drenched level 100 warrior while still muddling along as a level 60 human . She had gained a lot of levels thanks to her killing points during the hunt , but that alone couldn’t account for the enormous transformation of her aura .

The Inevitability of back then had first seemed like a curious child before she turned into a monstrosity full of unbridled bloodlust . But the Inevitability in front of him had already reined in her killing intent and now gazed at him with a calculating look , like a cold-hearted killer observing its prey .

Zac also didn't how was she almost unscathed after all those attacks . The only one who seemed to have managed to hit her was actually Ogras judging by the shadowy aura in a small wound on her left shoulder . That meant that she really had been there when the other attacks landed but it was like they never actually hit her .

The people Zac had brought here weren’t fools who would hit empty air , and he had seen for himself them slam down on the unmoving body of the target . Zac glanced over to the spot Inevitability landed . As expected , the body had simply disappeared , and the Anointed had instead turned to Inevitability with solemn expressions .

Also , where the hell was Void’s Disciple? Adcarkas was neither the one cultivating on top of the Dimensional Seed nor the one who attacked him . But surely he wouldn’t stay back and let Inevitability fight all of them? Nothing was like how Zac had planned things out , and it made him hesitate .

So , Karma has finally brought you here . I would have hoped that this building would delay you for another day . Well , searching for perfection is a fool’s errand , - Inevitability sighed as she looked Zac up and down . - The threads of fate surrounding you just keep growing . I have to say I am a bit jealous . But cultivation is ultimately a struggle against the Heavens . If fate does not choose you , then you simply need to subvert fate . That by itself might lead to greater things . -

Zac’s brows furrowed even further when he heard Inevitability speak , and the sense of wrongness just increased . This was definitely not how she spoke back then .

Adcarkas! - Rhubat exclaimed with shock , making Zac look over with confusion . - How is this possible?! Why do you look like Kirath?! -

Oh? I guess I can’t hide from your senses , Chainbreaker , - Inevitability snorted .

Or perhaps it was more apt to say Void’s Disciple . Zac finally understood what was going on , why the Inevitability of his memories was so different from the one in front of him . However , the realization only created more questions than answers .

Possession , - Zac muttered , looking at the Zhix with disgust . - You said Inevitability was like a child to you when we met the first time , yet you steal her body? -

Kirath wanted to contribute , to help me on my journey to the peak . What better way than to provide her body and to give me a chance to escape the chains of Karma? - Adcarkas smiled . - The fetters to my old body were too great , and it had long missed the prime window for building momentum strong enough to reach the peak . -

A wave of repulsion filled Zac’s heart as he looked at Void’s Disciple . His actions were so far into taboo territory that he would never be able to follow the normal path to power . Possessing one’s family , who’d do something like that? Anyone with even a sliver of conscience would get a mental demon from an action like that , and their cultivation road would immediately get fraught with danger and missteps .

Furthermore , possession was definitely was marred with problems . If it wasn’t , then old cultivators would just pick a new body and retrain from the start . Levels came easy , but insight did not . Imagine being a peak C-Grade cultivator stepping into the F-grade again? You would turn into a monster far greater than Zac ever was .

And what was that about chains of fate? Zac had until now operated under the assumption that Void’s Disciple was a devout follower of The Great Redeemer , but it didn’t sound like it from that expression .

You’re not here to give your master this treasure? - Zac asked .

Void’s Disciple looked at Zac with a teasing smile , before he looked up at the sky .

Not all is as it seems . Hm , I guess there’s no harm in telling you , the embryo will not be able to break out for over a day . This Dimensional Seed is a divine treasure for someone at the peak of the D-Grade . Incorporating it into your core can immediately open the road to monarchy . But why would I waste such a rare treasure on Voridis A’Heliophos when it is perfectly suited for me? -

Is that why you killed Inevitability? - Zac asked as he circulated his energy while trying to come up with a plan .

There were too many variables at the moment . The aura of this merged Dominator was too weird , too powerful , making Zac a bit unsure he had what it took to succeed . Besides , he was clearly far more affected by the emanations of the Dimensional Seed than Adcarkas , and any second he could stall to regain his wits would increase his odds of victory .

Kirath lives on through me . She will never die as long as I keep walking down my path , - Adcarkas smiled . - Luckily , part of our Master’s heritage was a Body Tempering Method to turn our bodies into suitable vessels for possession . I guess Master desired a fallback in case his experiment failed . I simply made some adjustments to better suit my purposes . -

This body was then reforged with the energy of the Seed , and my soul has already been suffused with the Dao of Space . It will allow a nigh-perfect fusion , and the next step is to infuse the Seed itself into my body . That will be my foundation for my Immortal Path . A Spatial Constitution with a Seed of Origin , a miracle that has never appeared in this sector , - Adcarkas smiled .

Why are you telling all of us this? - Zac frowned .

Isn’t it too sad? To have stumbled onto this earthshattering opportunity and survived the almost-certain demise of putting thoughts to action , yet have no one to tell of your exploits? The moment I step out into the cosmos I will have to hide my true power , but at least here I can speak freely , - Adcarkas laughed before his eyes locked onto Zac’s . - Now I just need to tie up a few loose ends . With the death of this world and your soul extracted , I will have closed this ancient chapter of Karma . The ties will be cut , and I’ll be free to pursue my truth . -

Attack! - Zac roared , knowing his window to recuperate was up .

He was still a bit woozy , but there was not much he could do other than fight . It was unfortunately clear that Adcarkas had the home-field advantage as the Dimensional Seed suddenly flashed and thousands of Spatial Tears appeared all through the chamber . As for Adcarkas himself , he activated the skill that created a huge number of stars around him .

Zac immediately shot forward after making sure that his sister was safe . It looked like she could control the golden alloy like she could the Memorysteel , and it swam up around her to form a small dome . Billy and the remaining Anointed quickly grouped up in five small squads as they formed an encirclement led by Rhubat , and their auras rose as the air itself congealed .

Zac hadn’t seen this method used before , and he guessed it was something they had gotten their hands on to deal with Void’s Disciple’s spatial abilities . Of course , whether it would be able to prevent him from escaping was still up for debate . There wasn’t much else the Anointed could do against someone like Adcarkas though , but they could perhaps skew victory in their favor by stabilizing space itself in an arena .

And Zac saw that their plan wasn’t completely without merit as not a single one of the endless spatial tears had opened up within a hundred-meter radius .

The alloy floor gave off creaks of pain as Zac pushed Loamwalker] to the limits , as he moved between the stars like a ghost . A few of them exploded just as he passed , but reaching peak mastery in the skill had improved the speed even further , allowing Zac to push through the minefield with only minor wounds .

He was suddenly in melee range of the target , and Verun’s Bite] keened in the air as Zac tried to strike the Dominator with a series of probing attacks . The Dominator’s confidence was a bit disconcerting , and Zac felt something was up . After all , he had barely escaped with his life last time , even getting himself cut in two . Yet now he felt confident enough to start monologing like a TV villain , something was definitely up .

Something like possession should also cause all kinds of trouble , like lacking compatibility between soul and body . Perhaps even rejection like a transplant . Yet he was leisurely talking like he had everything under control . It might be bluster , but Zac didn’t want to burn his aces from the get-go before getting a better understanding of the situation .

The only one who had managed to harm Adcarkas until now was Ogras , and Zac figured it was thanks to the demon’s shadow-related Dao Fragment . That might be the key to killing him , so each of Zac's swings was imbued with the Fragment of the Coffin , giving them a hint of putrefaction and extra force . His Fragment of the Axe was even stronger , but Zac wanted to hold off on it a while longer since Adcarkas still shouldn't know he had evolved it , and that might create an opening sooner or later .

The Anointed weren’t actually attacking , only focusing on restraining the space around him , which no doubt was a herculean task considering the Dimensional Seed radiated immense energies right above their heads . Their life force was rapidly being expended to just weaken Adcarkas’ advantage .

Ogras wasn’t as limited considering his versatile combat style , and shadow spears kept appearing to strike at the Zhix as well . Even the stars cast weak shadows , allowing the demon to turn the Dominator’s skill against him . It was the same with Kenzie who had over a hundred Drones fly around to hopefully distract the target . Laser beams suddenly shot toward the Zhix without warning from unexpected angles as drones appeared from behind spatial tears or the pillars .

However , the shadow spears didn’t manage to cause any real harm to the Dominator , and there was something odd happening with the laser strikes . Zac knew all-too-well Jeeve’s calculation capabilities , and he knew that it shouldn't keep making mistakes . But it was like his sister kept getting unlucky as the slowly moving stars somehow managed to block the shots over and over without seemingly speeding up at all . The stars formed some sort of elusive pattern that protected the Zhix when it looked like there were a lot of openings .

Adcarkas didn’t seem to be in a hurry to end the fight , and he happily started to exchange strikes with Zac , just like how the two fought back on Earth . The situation was extremely odd though as Zac felt himself under tremendous pressure . Zac was fighting tooth and nail , his swings almost creating a blur as he tried to make the Zhix slip up by keeping up a massive pressure . If he could somehow cause Adcarkas to lose his concentration Zac might be able to hit him with a surprise slam from Nature’s Punishment] .

But Zac felt a growing sense of inability as he exchanged strike after strike . No matter what he tried or how much he pushed himself there was always a palm waiting . If anything it felt like Adcarkas moved slower compared to their last fight , yet he was even more impervious .

Zac soon understood what was going on ; everything Adcarkas did was imbued with the Dao of Space . The suns moved following some hidden rules that created an absolute defense , and his own movements created a great effect with minimal effort thanks to his high command of the Dao .

It was an eye-opening experience to see someone fight so in tune with his path , and Zac would be in awe of Adcarkas if the man wasn’t trying to extract his soul . This was exactly the state Zac needed to reach for himself . He had created his path based on his trinity of Daos , but he still didn’t have much to show for it . Adcarkas had gone much further on this path and was already infusing it with every single movement he took .

Zac didn’t understand the concepts that were the basis of Adcarkas’ altered combat style , but the battle was still a huge revelation to him . It felt like a flood of inspiration washed over him as he fought , and Zac finally understood what his next step should be in improving how he fought . Unfortunately , Zac quickly realized that just as he was gaining a lot from the battle , so was Adcarkas .

The Dominator was actually using him as a whetstone to consolidate his gains .

It might be possible that he was getting used to his new body as well , but in either case it wasn’t a good feeling to be disregarded to the point he was just considered a training tool rather than a deadly foe . It almost felt like Adcarkas believed he could end the battle at any moment if he wished to .

And just as Zac feared , things suddenly changed . Zac had attacked the Dominator’s head with two of his chains , trying to force him to use his arms to block . And just as the Zhix lifted his hand to intercept Zac’s axe flashed forward with enough speed to almost break space . Zac wanted to cut off one of the dominator’s hands , but he would be content if he just managed to wound it .

Zac’s eyes widened in surprise when the axe actually passed right through the wrist , but surprise turned to confusion when only a shallow wound appeared . His mind screamed of danger the next moment as the Zhix launched a lightning-quick counter-strike aimed straight at his head , forcing Zac to hurriedly block with two chains of Love’s Bond] .

Fist and metal clashed with huge force , but the chains suddenly slipped straight through his arm the moment Zac tried to ensnare him .

He’s shifting his body in and out of space , - Kenzie’s voice echoed out from a drone . - Just like the werewolves turning into light , but instead using the Dao of Space . -

Oh? - Void’s Disciple said as he looked at the golden alloy bubble with interest as he effortlessly kept blocking Zac’s strikes . - So you’re the sister , the genius? I am guessing you are the reason you all managed to interrupt my cultivation so quickly . Well , I did promise Kirath revenge for her brother . You could say this would be poetic justice . -

Space started to crack the next moment as a rift opened up . It looked like the array the Anointed maintained was resisting its emergence , but Adcarkas was simply too powerful if he put his mind to it . A flame of fury ignited in Zac’s heart when he realized what the Zhix was doing , and his aura veritably exploded as any thought of probing was thrown out of the window .

Adcarkas was crazy if he thought he could hurt Kenzie right in front of him .

Chapter 654 : Overpowering

Adrenaline and fear coursed through Zac’s body as he saw the spatial tear in front of Adcarkas widen . It wasn’t because of the ability itself , but rather what he saw through the rip in space . It was his sister surrounded by multiple monitors . The tear was somehow completely bypassing the golden alloy to allow the Dominator to strike straight at Kenzie .

In fact , the reason that Adcarkas seemed to be struggling so hard to open the tear might actually not be due to the Anointed’s efforts , but rather the isolating properties of the alloy itself . It was also possible the alloy lost its isolating properties the moment Kenzie started fiddling with it . There was no time or point to start analyzing the situation though , and Zac unhesitantly unleashed Hatchetman’s Rage] , and the surge of power perfectly blended with his true fury as he shot forward .

Hmph , - Adcarkas snorted as he glanced in Zac’s direction .

The Dominator punched out toward him and the swing generated a small sphere that almost looked like a black hole . Zac didn't recognize the skill or what threat it posed , but he didn’t care . A fractal blade had already appeared on Verun’s Bite] , and two clouds were released in quick succession . The spatial ball greedily swallowed the energies Zac released with Rapturous Divide] for a second before it detonated , decimating everything in its path with a wave of spatial tears aimed straight at Zac .

Zac grit his teeth and pushed straight into the storm , and bleeding gashes appeared all over his body as he forced his way through the chaos . Thankfully the path was suddenly clear as the divide between heaven and hell was formed in the chaos , creating a path for Zac to pass through . Adcarkas stood on the other side , clearly surprised that Zac had managed to cut through his manmade spatial storm so quickly .

The Dominator’s arm had already reached into the tear . Kenzie desperately tried to keep him at bay , but her elemental attacks were completely unable to deter him , which was no surprise . No matter how skilled her control of her Dao was , it couldn’t compete with pure power . A terrifying pressure suddenly burst out from Zac as the halo of Conformation of Supremacy] reappeared behind his back . He roared in rage as he swung his axe in a wide horizontal arc , and space itself buckled inward as the weight of the Eternal Shield was added to the swing .

Adcarkas moved his free palm as a swirling vortex appeared to block , but just as the two forces clashed a third one appeared as a huge wooden hand appeared out of nowhere . Zac still hadn’t figured out exactly how Void’s Disciple was avoiding attacks by his spatial shifting , but he couldn’t hold back right now . Besides , with one of the Dominator's hands inside a spatial tear and the other one blocking Conformation of Supremacy] , this was the best opportunity to try to end things since the beginning of the fight .

Ogras! - Zac roared as well , and a storm of Dao-infused spears rose from the ground , almost completely swallowing the Zhix .

Another beam of pure darkness hit the Zhix from behind , and Zac added the final ingredient of his plan ; he flooded the area with a Dao Field empowered by Spiritual Void] . There was no way that Adcarkas’ spatial shift was infallible . Dao restrained Dao , and if Ogras could wound Adcarkas , then this maxed-out Dao Field would hopefully be able to interfere with his ability to avoid getting hit .

The hand slammed down toward the ground with earthshattering force . Adcarkas’ reaction time was shocking though , and his body grew just like during the end toward the last battle . Zac inwardly swore in disappointment upon realizing his skills seemed to have been passed along as well . He had hoped that some things would get lost when swapping body , but he had already used three of his old skills so it didn’t look hopeful .

The Zhix instantly ripped out his arm from the spatial tear , dragging a huge chunk of ice with him . It was Kenzie’s attempt to lock his arm in place , but it had unfortunately failed . Still , the hand had appeared just a meter above the Dominator’s head , and it was immediately barreling down on him . A black hand slammed upward as Adcarkas roared , forcing Nature's Punishment] to stop in its tracks .

A tremendous shockwave from the clash pushed Zac away , and it was powerful enough to break a few of the closest pillars clean off . Zac glanced up at the Dimensional Seed with fear , but he breathed in relief when he saw that the shield still held even after losing some of its Dao Source .

More surprisingly it looked like Adcarkas got absolutely infuriated upon seeing the spears break off and fall onto the ground .

You fool! - he roared as his aura exploded even further .

The Zhix had already dispelled the force of Conformation of Supremacy] so he pushed his second hand up as well to deal with the hand of Nature’s Punishment] , an absolute storm of pure spatial chaos erupted the next moment , and Zac instantly realized he wouldn’t be able to withstand the force for long even when infusing the attack with Fragment of the Bodhi .

But the fire of fury in his chest had still not abated after seeing the Zhix targeting his sister , and he instantly pushed through spatial tears around Adcarkas , ignoring the second set of cuts that sprouted across his body . He emerged through the turbulence like an angry bull and he instantly resummoned Conformation of Supremacy] while dispelling Nature’s Punishment] half a second before it would break by itself .

Adcarkas tried to move his hands down again to block , but Zac's attack summoned by the Void and empowered by a towering fury was too quick , and his strike slammed straight into Adcarkas’ chest . It first looked like the Dominator tried to phase out of reality to avoid the strike , but the area was suffused with too many high-grade concepts .

Instead , he could only hastily activate a skill to block , but Zac’s momentum was far beyond what he could impede . Verun’s Bite] crashed straight through a wall of condensed space , and cracking sounds echoed out as Adcarkas was flung over a hundred meters away . It worked! Zac wanted to roar in triumph at finally harming this monster , but he didn’t even get a chance to celebrate before the situation turned for the worse .

It first looked like Adcarkas would slam into yet another of the pillar , hopefully getting hurt even further from the impact . But a space gate suddenly appeared right in his trajectory , swallowing the Dominator whole . A sudden scream of danger made Zac hurriedly turn around , but he was too slow .

Another gate had appeared right behind him , and a red-eyed Void’s Disciple had already launched a strike . A world-ending punch hit Zac right back , and the impact caused the air itself to crack . Zac felt like his organs had been crushed and he spat out a mouthful of blood as he was flung away . He didn’t have the means of Void’s Disciple , but he did manage to stop his flight with the help of his chains just before slamming into one of the five squads .

The Anointed quickly backed away while maintaining the array , and Zac could only push away the pain while shooting forward again . There was not much else the Anointed could do to help except than staying out of the way . The original plan had been for them to stall one of the Dominators for long enough to Zac and Ogras to kill the other , at which point Zac would deal with the second one as well .

Now they could only do what they could to support Zac from a distance since there was no point in them throwing away their lives .

The initial attempt at finishing off the Dominator had failed , but Zac refused to give up . At least they had managed to wound him , and Zac didn’t believe that the spatial energies seeping out from the Dimensional Seed could help him heal as well . They should be able to whittle him down in this manner .

But Zac soon found himself under a relentless storm of strikes as Void’s Disciple visage had turned into a mask of fury . Strikes with enough force to shatter mountains were launched in a relentless flurry , and they still incorporated the esoteric and unpredictable methods of space .

Zac kept Conformation of Supremacy] constantly active as he tried to give as good as he got , but his body was already a bloody mess after pushing through two spatial storms . Ogras tried to help as best as he could , but another galaxy had appeared , trapping Zac in a death cage where he gradually lost the initiative .

A fist suddenly appeared out of nowhere , and Zac saw white for an instant as it landed straight on the side of his head . The punch was powerful enough to almost made it look like Zac was teleported as he slammed into the ground , and even the sturdy golden alloy gained a small dent from the impact . Anyone else at Zac's level would probably be killed then and there .

Zac’s vision swam but he still swung his axe in a ruthless upward trajectory aimed to cripple the Dominators legs , all while trying to figure out his next step . He simply wasn’t a match in close quarters against Void’s Disciple any longer . His attributes had clearly increased as much as Zac’s own , and he had found a method to incorporate his Dao into his combat technique .

Furthermore , it seemed he was drawing combat strength from the Dimensional Seed itself .

Zac couldn’t take the Rageroot Oak Seed] either since he had already activated Hatchetman’s Rage] , and changing to his undead side was impossible since Adcarkas was solely focusing on him . Destroying a few of those pillars had well and truly pissed off the Dominator , though Zac couldn’t figure out why .

There was no choice ; he had to take a gamble and use the crystal he got from the Gemlings . He had kept it for now since Void’s Disciple hadn’t taken out any items during the fight , but he would be wounded to the point that he would be unable to keep going if he didn’t turn things around . He only had less than twenty seconds remaining on Hatchetman's Rage] as well , so this was his last chance to turn things around before he entered a weakened state .

But just as Zac was about to take out the crystal from his Spatial Ring a massive drop of pure white light emerged from one of the cracks in the domed ceiling . The drop turned into a beam of light that shot straight toward them .

Anywhere the beam passed was drenched in lunar light . Its movement was shockingly quick , and it was upon them before Adcarkas had a chance to attempt finishing Zac off . A large claw appeared the next moment , and Zac’s eyes widened when he sensed the shocking might they contained . This was completely different compared to any of the werewolves he had fought until now . This single attack was definitely powerful enough to threaten Zac’s life .

There was no question about it ; Cervantes had arrived .

Thankfully it looked like the werewolf leader wasn’t intending to pile onto Zac’s sufferings as the massive claw passed him right by , aiming for Adcarkas’ throat . The Dominator growled in annoyance as he sideswiped as his hand formed a small vortex . Palm and claw collided , and the force threw Zac away , giving him a breather .

Cervantes’ surprise attack was unfortunately not enough to take out the overwhelmingly powerful Dominator , but he didn’t seem reconciled with that fact as his body turned into a blur . Ten , fifty , hundreds of attacks were launched with a speed that would put both Ogras and Thea to shame . Not only that , the attacks actually contained enough force to almost match Zac's own .

Zac quickly seized the opportunity to eat a healing pill before activating his Specialty Core . A wave of Miasma spread throughout his body as he pretended to struggle to get back on his feet while Cervantes and Adcarkas duked it out a few hundred meters away . It was an extremely odd scene , as their attacks kept swiping through each other's bodies .

One shifted in and out of space while the other turned parts of his body into lunar light with pinpoint precision . It almost looked like two holograms were fighting . Still , the two actually clashed every now and then , causing massive shockwaves to spread out . Zac tried to remember the timing , as he guessed that was a clue to the limits of their defensive measures .

The two were locked in a stalemate for a few seconds , but they suddenly flashed away to create some distance .

You barely managed to escape thanks to your kin sacrificing everything , yet you come back like a moth to the flames? Laughable , - Void’s Disciple snorted , causing Cervantes to emit a terrifying killing intent .

Human , our tribes have our differences , but we cannot let this one leave this place alive . If we do , no one will survive for long on the outside , - the werewolf growled without taking his eyes off of Void’s Disciple .

Zac’s frowned as he looked at the wounds covering Cervantes’ body , and he immediately understood what had transpired without his notice . It looked like his own battle against the cultists wasn’t the only war that had taken place in this hidden realm . It turned out that the werewolves and Void’s Disciple had already clashed once , and Void’s Disciple had emerged victorious from the sounds of it .

That by itself was pretty troubling , considering that Zac didn’t feel confident at all in dealing with Cervantes without using his Rageroot Oak Seed] . And that was just going by what he had seen so far . An old monster like Cervantes no doubt had a bunch of aces to use when his and his tribe members’ lives were on the line .

Yet they had died , while Adcarkas lived . It was even more proof of the terrifying power Void’s Disciple had gained in this hidden realm .

Let's work together , - Zac agreed with a voice full of death , as a storm of miasma started to swirl around him .

Zac didn't delude himself that he could suddenly patch things up with the Lunar Tribe , but they shared a common enemy for now . As what happened after they dealt with Adcarkas , that was a problem for the future .

You are hiding some peculiar methods , - Cervantes muttered , shifting his gaze from Adcarkas to Zac for the first time .

Interesting , interesting , - Void’s Disciple laughed in turn .

Zac hated how he was forced to expose his undead like this , but there was nothing else to do . He had already exhausted his human side except for Deforestation] , and that skill was meant for large-scale battle . His odds of defeating Adcarkas were far greater in his undead form , especially if he could make use of Cervantes' offensive power while he restrained the Zhix .

Besides , if both of them died before Zac left this place , then there would be no one to spread his secret .

Chapter 655 : The Key to Life

Zac held no delusions that Cervantes wouldn't try to kill him the moment they had managed to deal with the Dominator , but troubled times called for strange alliances . Zac cracked his neck as he looked at his current state . A wave of exhaustion had already hit him since the boost of Hatchetman's Rage] had ended , but the weakness was at least somewhat mitigated since he had swapped race .

However , there was no way he'd take out Adcarkas in his current state . He had already taken out one of his spare shields so that he would be able to use the offensive form of Love's Bond] , but he knew he would have to take some risks if he wanted to win .

I knew you were related with the mysterious undead who kept destroying Incursions , but I figured it was a Soul Slave you had managed to get your hand on somehow , - Adcarkas snorted , seemingly having forgotten about his anger thanks to this surprising turn of events . - This is far more intriguing . After I extract your soul , I’ll study your body extensively . -

That’s if you can actually survive what comes next , - Zac snorted as he took out a small seed from his spatial ring and pushed it into his mouth a thick black armor appeared to cover his whole body .

Death comes for all , except for him . He was eternal , a being of unmatched power and longevity . For this spatial bug to impugn on his sovereignty was a heretical act at the level of going against the Heavens themselves , and judgment had to be exacted . However , he was tired , and even gods needed nourishment .

A small sharp spike appeared in his hand , and Zac grinned with fervor as he ripped off some armor plating and stabbed it into his leg . A swirling warmth flooded his aching bones , and he finally felt like his true self . Why had he feared these spikes before? How would they ever be able to harm a celestial being such as himself?

Four chains shot out , each one of them snaking its links around one of the closest pillars . The alloy groaned and twisted the next moment as Zac imbued his Spirit Tool with more and more Miasma until a series of creaking sounds started to echoed out . Finally , the alloy spears broke off , but they fell onto the ground , far too heavy for the chains to lift .

Stop , you lunatic! - Adcarkas roared as he rushed forward while Zac roared in anger at being unable to wield the hundred-meter-tall pillars as weapons .

At least the mortal was rushing toward him , delivering himself for judgment . However , Zac’s thoughts were suddenly cleared as Void’s Disciple disappeared just before a terrifying punch hit him in his side . It felt like his spine would snap in two as he was thrown away , and he would have been thrown to the other side of the room if he still wasn't connected to the pillars . Instead , he made a parabolic arc before he slammed into the ground with shocking momentum .

Zac took a shuddering breath as scrambled back on his feet . He had been prepared for the insidious effect of the berserker treasure , yet he had still gotten swept up in his delusions of grandeur for a moment there . His soul had undergone some change and tempering thanks to the Tribulation Lightning getting released from his Void Heart] though , and he thankfully woke up after getting punched just once .

He was aghast at having stabbed himself with one of the spikes of Faceless 9 , but at least he didn't have any too bad adverse side-effects just yet . However , it was clearly not benign liquid he had imbued himself with . It felt like a scorching poison , and all his organs and muscles were attacked . The pain was pretty bad , even after the numbing effects of the Rageroot Oak Seed] .

But the compound did force out energy and potential hidden in the depths of his cells , which was exactly what he needed at the moment . Using this thing would no doubt come at a hefty price , especially in conjuncture with another berserking item . But now was not the time to worry about that .

His thick armor-plating and sturdy undead constitution had thankfully blocked out a lot of the damage from the punch , and he quickly recalled his chains as he watched the change that was taking hold of Void’s Disciple . It almost looked like he was in a state of euphoria as thick streams of spatial energy bore into his body .

Four more pillars had broken thanks to his temporary bout of insanity , and the air was even more suffused with the aura of the Dimensional Seed . The spatial treasure was fluctuating even more erratically as well , proving there was no way it would stay put for a whole day like Void’s Disciple had initially estimated .

It was becoming more and more apparent that part of the reason Void’s Disciple was so angry was that he wanted to finish his cultivation session after dealing with them , but that would probably become impossible if the treasure wasn’t suppressed any longer . He was no doubt only able to attempt such a thing when the whole Research Base kept the treasure in a passive state .

However , while his cultivation opportunity was ruined , Adcarkas did seem to gain something else . The more spatial energies that leaked out from the containment field , the more powerful the Dominator's aura grew .

A huge moon appeared in the sky the next moment , and Cervantes howled as he grew one size larger . He had obviously activated the same sort of empowerment skill as himself and Void’s Disciple , and he turned into a streak of light the next moment as he shot toward Void's Disciple . Adcarkas seemed a bit preoccupied with taking control of the wild energies around him , and the werewolf wanted to capitalize on that .

Zac wasn’t as speedy as the other two , but he still rushed into the battle with full abandon . He had never been as powerful as he was right now , with not only the Rageroot Oak Seed] , but also the unknown spike urging him on . The whole area would instantly crumble to a single swing of his if it wasn't created with a high-grade technocrat alloy , and even Adcarkas seemed unwilling to meet his attacks head-on .

Zac did his best at launching crushing blows that forced Adcarkas to block with all he had or completely evade . Furthermore , Zac had already activated Blighted Cut] , and both his chains and bardiche were imbued with massive amounts of putrefaction . Even the alloy floor sizzled as black drops of death dripped down from his weapons , and festering wounds were soon starting to appear across Adcarkas' body even if he avoided any lethal attack .

Meanwhile , Cervantes was a whirlwind of violence , an unceasing storm of ghastly cuts , swipes , and light attacks . Ogras tried to add the occasional jab as well , but there were not many opportunities as the Lunar Tribe leader was seemingly everywhere , sometimes even appearing right next to Zac himself .

Unfortunately , it looked like time wasn't on their side . Adcarkas' aura kept increasing as more and more energy seeped into his body . His wounds were accumulating , but no matter what Zac did he wasn't able to entrap him so that he could unleash the ultimate strike of his E-grade skill . Adcarkas was like a ghost , sometimes just disappearing and reappearing a hundred meters away through a spatial ripple .

Zac didn't even dare to use Profane Seal] since he wasn't confident in tying the Zhix down long enough for the skill to be fully erected . Something had to change .

If this cursed item is supplying you with power , then I’ll set it free . Even if I die you will never gain what you’re looking for! - Cervantes suddenly roared in fury as his eyes turned pure white . - I hope you choke to death! -

A series of fractal blades shot out from the werewolf the next moment , shooting toward the forest of Dao Pillars . This attack was clearly on a completely different tier than Zac’s Chop] , and it was like space itself was ripped apart as a cascading tsunami of lunar blades swept forth .

Adcarkas looked on with alarm , and Zac tried to seize the opportunity to catch him . All four chains shot at him as Zac activated his taunting effect to the max , but it was futile as they passed right through the dominator's body . The next moment Adcarkas disappeared , and it looked like he had turned into a dozen clones as he appeared all over the chamber , blocking one blade after another .

The more you want to protect them the more I want to destroy! - werewolf laughed with madness as one pillar after another was toppled .

Zac felt helpless as he looked at the werewolf who had gone mad with bloodlust . Wasn't he supposed to be the crazed one with all the berserking items almost ripping his innards apart?

Trust me human . I will seal space soon . Get ready to strike , a voice said in his mind , and Zac realized Cervantes hadn’t lost his mind at all .

You will collapse this whole realm you fool! - Adcarkas roared , and he suddenly appeared right in front of Cervantes as he launched a punch full of fury .

His fist was like a black hole and space crackled and cried as it pushed forward , but Cervantes once more turned into pure energy , and he actually split into six clumps that all flashed in a different direction . An instant later they congealed back where the werewolf once stood , but they had left something behind ; six massive machines that should be of technocrat origin .

Spatial stabilizers! High grade! - Kenzie exclaimed from a drone , and Zac didn’t hesitate at all .

Four chains shot forward light black streaks of lightning and trapped Adcarkas’ arms and legs as they dripped of poison . The Dominator had clearly tried to space shift to avoid the strike , but between the energy chaos from over fifty pillars breaking apart and the stabilizers , he didn't seem able to merge with space at all .

Zac finally managed to fulfill the requirements of Blighted Cut] and three extremely sinister cuts flashed in an instant , trying to dice Adcarkas into three pieces . Meanwhile , a hundred-meter-wide jaw bit down , its teeth sharp enough to cause massive rifts in space . Zac's eyes widened and he desperately jumped out of the way , barely avoiding getting swept up in Cervantes's ultimate skill .

A bubbling fury threatened to take over , but Zac pushed down the madness and instead only glared at Cervantes from a distance before he refocused on Adcarkas . One bastard at a time . A small galaxy had appeared to protect Adcarkas , and Zac for the first time saw his skill fail in cutting the target apart .

But there was actually a hidden feature of the skill as a massive eruption of the extremely corrosive liquid doused the whole area and a storm of death started raging . It was like the skill just dumped all the liquid it had stored after seeing that it wouldn’t be able to kill its target . Add to that the extremely powerful lunar bite , and the galaxy finally crumbled .

DIE! - a thunderous roar echoed out as an enormous club smashed down out of nowhere .

Billy had perfectly seized the opportunity while Void’s Disciple was submerged in the chaotic energies , and the club slammed down with enough force to turn an E-Grade beast into mush . Adcarkas roared in defiance as a massive shockwave erupted from his body , causing space itself to ripple outward in a wave of destruction .

The all-out attacks fought for supremacy , and Billy was the first to be flung away until he knocked down a pillar and fell unconscious . The others stood their ground . Zac and Cervantes infused more and more Dao and energy into their strikes to tear Adcarkas apart , and the embattled Dominator in the heart of the storm desperately exuded enormous amounts of Spatial Energy to keep the two attacks at bay .

One , ten , soon a hundred pillars were swept up in the chaos and collapsed , and the whole base started to rumble like it would collapse at any moment .

However , it all suddenly stopped .

The madly pulsating Dimensional Seed stopped beating , and the torrential energies dissipated , exposing a half-dead Adcarkas within . Zac raged at seeing Void's Disciple barely surviving . Zac was still able to push on a bit longer , and if his skill hadn't disappeared , he was almost certain that Void’s Disciple would have died .

However , there was nothing he could do . In fact , Zac realized he wasn't even able to move as a weird suppression had spread through the whole chamber . It even felt like his miasma had turned into sludge , and moving it was nigh-impossible .

Your hearts beat , your convictions push you forward . You embody life and the Path . I wished to have observed you for a while longer , but your actions have crossed the threshold . I can no longer abide , ] a voice echoed out as a five-meter avatar rose from the alloy floor right between Zac and Adcarkas .

He had the general composition of a male human , but he lacked any features at all . Instead , he was covered in extremely mysterious runes from head to toes , and there was a halo of thousands of golden needles swirling over his head . In the middle of the halo was a small star that radiated immense power , and Zac felt he would instantly die if he touched it .

What! - Cervantes blurted as he looked at the golden man with horror . - The Administrator! -

Zac’s eyes widened as he turned to Kenzie’s bunker in the distance , and he was horrified to see that the alloy walls were melting down into the ground again , even when Kenzie clearly was trying to stop it . In fact , the whole chamber seemed to be restored back to normal , except the fallen pillars which were instead absorbed into the ground .

A mere unsanctioned experiment . I tolerated the existence of your kind to observe you . I even prepared opportunities for you to push you even further on the path of life . Yet , over the past 18 , 373 years , you have provided me with very little . Your path is not worthy of further study , ] the metallic being said as it glanced in Cervantes direction .

You! - Cervantes roared , fury overtaking his fear . - You’ve kept us here for millennia , for your own enjoyment?! I swear I’ll- -

But his words were cut short as one of the golden needles in the Administrator's halo split off from the rest turned into a golden streak that shot straight through the werewolf’s chest . Cervantes had clearly tried to turn into moonlight to avoid the strike , but resistance was completely futile against the terrifying machine .