Defiance of the Fall

Why is Abyssal Phase] classified as a high-grade skill if it provides - peak movement speed’ and all kinds of other benefits? - Zac asked .

It’s the energy consumption , - the old Draugr sighed as he looked at the Inheritance Crystal with some wistfulness . - The skill turns you into a nigh-invulnerable wraith and allows you to move through a subdimension with such a speed that it might as well be considered teleportation , but the energy requirements are immense . Especially since you need to phase back and forth if you want to use the skill repeatedly .

The effect is among the best I’ve seen for a skill of this grade , considering that it does not only provide extreme speed , but also protection . But a movement skill with such high demands can ultimately not be considered peak quality , especially considering that activating the skill takes a while even for the most talented warrior , which can be lethal in a heated fight , - the old man lamented .

Zac hummed in understanding . It was true , a skill that cost too much Cosmic Energy was ultimately useless . His new skill Arcadia’s Judgement] cost a whopping 25% of his energy reserves while still at Early Mastery , but that was fine since it was a true finisher-skill . But what if Loamwalker] demanded that kind of energy per step? He’d never use it .

But his situation was unique . Not only was his energy pool massive thanks to his high attributes , but he even had Force of the Void] to completely circumvent the downside of a slow charge-up . The question was if it was worth it , or if it was better to instead take the peak restraining skill and get common movement skill from the public repository .

But ultimately , the various benefits of the movement skill were too alluring . He already had multiple restraining skills , and it wasn't impossible that he'd get another one for the level 125 quest that always provided the second Class Skill of the E-grade . After all , the class was called Fetters of Desolation , yet it hadn't provided him with any such skill yet .

It sounds interesting . I’ll take Abyssal Phase] . Who knows , I might able to perfect it , - Zac said with a small smile . - If not , it might serve as a good source when forming my own skills in the future . -

Very well , - Revault nodded and took out a small crystal ball from his Spatial Ring .

A shudder spread out through the whole room , and the hovering skill crystal disappeared into thin air . Zac’s eyes widened a bit , as he had not realized he had been looking at an illusion at all . He wasn’t able to touch the crystal through the protective sphere , but he had still sensed its energy emanations .

A large black book instead appeared in front of Zac , and it emitted an extremely powerful aura , even eclipsing the Draugr Hegemon .

Lord Book , - the old man said with a small bow .

Abyssal Phase] , paid for with contribution points , - a soothing androgynous voice emerged from the book as it flipped pages until one depicting a black chest appeared .

The chest flew out of the page itself , leaving it blank , and Zac quickly stowed away the item . He obviously wouldn't learn the skill here since using an Inheritance Crystal was like a skill impartment and an Epiphany rolled into one .

Thank you , - Zac said and stowed away the box before he turned to the old man . - Can I purchase one of the skills here as well? -

I am afraid not , - Revault answered with a shake of his head . - Family rules . Truthfully , the main purpose of selling these limited skills is to provide favors and make connections with various powerhouses and clans , so we cannot sell them wholesale . What if a powerful warrior arrives one day and finds our stores empty? -

I understand , - Zac nodded , though he knew that there would always be exceptions .

Status and power was everything . They knew he was an elite hired by Catheya , which might garner some respect but not abject deference . His true heritage was obscure , intentionally so since he didn’t actually have one . In comparison , if the son of an Undead Prince arrived , he could probably leave with half the skills in this place if he wanted to .

Also , if Zac had some rare treasures to barter with , then the Eldritch Archivals would definitely be keener on doing some more business .

I’ll also take a look at the public skills then , - Zac said .

I hope you’ll find something useful . I daresay , our clan is fully committed to this branch , so our heritage is not much worse than the average Kingdom-store . Furthermore , our limit on the VIP floor is one purchase per century , so you’re very welcome to return after a hundred years had passed , - the old man smiled .

Being told to come back in a hundred years almost sounded like a curse to an Earthling like Zac , but he knew it wasn’t meant that way . The old man in front of him almost felt like a kindly old grandpa , but he was probably somewhere between medium and high D-grade . His lifespan was no doubt measured in the tens of thousands , and a hundred years to him was the equivalent to a few months for the average pre-integration human .

Thank you for your guidance , elder , - Zac said and slightly bowed before he left for the floor beneath .

The issue of not having a movement skill in his Draugr form was finally solved , but there were other things he needed to shore up to turn himself into a perfect all-rounder .

Chapter 691 : Suspicions and Auctions

The skills in the public section of the repository were mostly Middle-stage , which meant the equivalent of a skill you’d get from an Uncommon Class , though slightly weakened from the transcription . A few skills were high-grade , but most of them were either out of stock or had some sort of drawbacks that made them less popular .

The Eldritch Archivals were in the same situation as most other merchants in the Twilight Harbor ; a lot of high-end stock geared toward E-grade warriors had been sold out long before Zac arrived . After all , the Twilight Ascent only opened so often , and many would be dead or long past the E-Grade by the next time it opened .

Everyone wanted some final upgrades before entering since it would increase their survivability rate and the potential returns they could get .

Zac walked through the stores for an hour , and he ultimately settled on just two more skills for himself . The first was called Gorehew] , and it was a pure Strength-based Medium E-Grade skill meant for axes , two-handed swords , polearms , and other larger bladed weapons . It was meant as an upgrade for Unholy Strike] since Zac had essentially given up on that skill by now .

It was pretty suited to his constitution , but Zac ultimately had to prioritize using his skill fusions on transforming his other skills into ones that suited his path better . Unholy Strike] worked fine , but charging up his muscles with enough miasma to make a difference at his current level took way too much time . Force of the Void] didn’t work on that skill either , perhaps because the skill worked by gradually expanding his muscles .

Gorehew] was a skill he could use repeatedly in battle , just like Nature's Edge] . It obviously wasn’t at the level of his own skill , but it did have a good feature . As he slaughtered enemies with the skill , the attack would gain a temporary boost in power and area of effect . Furthermore , the boost was stackable to a degree . It was a decent skill to clear out a large number of weak enemies at a low cost , when using his tactic of whittling down enemies was a waste of time .

Zac didn't have any plans on using it in the future . It was simply a temporary skill that would serve him well until he reached the D-Grade .

The second skill was called Undying Mark] , and it was a healing skill . The skill allowed you to continuously infuse Miasma until you formed a mark on your body . That mark was essentially like a stored healing spell . At low proficiency , you’d be able to create three marks and at peak proficiency five of them . Of course , the healing effect would also increase with every increase in proficiency .

Its strong point was that the healing skill could actually be used in battle for an almost instantaneous regeneration . The downsides were that it took hours to form the marks and that the effect wasn't anything special . Zac still figured it was better than nothing , and he added it to his repertoire . Vilari had a better haul , and she actually got three skills for herself , two of which she even felt were usable as a base for skill fusions .

Zac was about to exit the Repository , but he stopped when he saw Catheya waiting by the gates . It was the first time he had seen her since their initial meeting , and Zac once more put his guard up .

I heard you’ve made your choice . Be careful . Abyssal Phase] was a skill an external elder of my clan learned around eighty thousand years ago . He was killed by a lightning-quick strike before he had a chance to activate the evolved version of the skill , - Catheya smiled . - It’s quite lopsided , with both immense strengths and demerits . -

I have other defenses to rely on , - Zac smiled back . - Is everything arranged? -

You’re so business-minded , just like your… junior brother . He kept asking me one question after another , like his time was gold , - Catheya laughed . - But yes , everything is arranged . My master was quite impressed with you , and he’s signed off on you . As for the auction , I'll come pick you up tomorrow . -

Your master has checked up on me? - Zac said with surprise , his heart almost jumping up into his throat . - He’s free enough to spy on an E-grade cultivator? -

Zac had been alert all the time while traveling through the Twilight Harbor , but he hadn’t felt a single thing . His bracer usually warmed up when someone was trying to inspect him , but the few times it had happened he had always managed to find the source . It was usually curious onlookers who hung outside the shops , perhaps looking for marks to scam or just gathering intelligence .

But nothing had warned him of a probe from a hidden C-Grade Monarch . It was an important reminder . If some of those old monsters wanted him dead , then it was over . He wouldn’t even have a chance to start generating an annihilation sphere or his defensive bangle before he was turned into atoms .

He worries considering he can’t enter that place . More than one promising Imperial has fallen inside the Twilight Ocean over the years , - Catheya shrugged before he gave him a deep look . - Besides , he was curious about the one who has some sort of connection to my ancestor . He could confirm that you are pureblood Draugr just like we thought , but not even slightly related to Ancestor Be’Zi . . . Just where did you pop up from? -

The universe is full of little mysteries . You’ll go crazy if you try to understand everything , - Zac smiled .

For a while I guessed you were a progenitor just like Zac Piker , perhaps even from the same planet , - Catheya mused , ignoring Zac’s comment . - After all , some unintegrated worlds hold the uninitiated unliving . An undead forming alliance with the living against the Undead Empire? What a scandal that would be . -

But now you’ve changed your opinion? - Zac said with a raised brow .

I can’t confirm any exact numbers , but I would say that you have spent over 3 , 000 D-grade Nexus Coins over the past week . Even if you sold 10 recently integrated planets in a place like Zecia you wouldn’t reach such a net worth . That kind of wealth can't be found on a progenitor , it needs millennia to be accumulated . You must have a very powerful master , probably at peak C-grade . Perhaps even a Divine Monarch , - Catheya said with a slightly victorious smile .

You’ve been keeping track of my purchases? - Zac asked with a frown .

Of course I have , - Catheya snorted . - But more importantly , word of a mysterious pureblood Draugr spending a prodigal amount of wealth on all kinds of basic necessities have spread all across the Harbor in certain circles . Mind telling me what you’re up to? -

I’ve just recently started gathering some followers of my own , - Zac shrugged . - I took the opportunity to buy some basic items for them . -

Zac kept his face impassive , more than happy to let Catheya form a misguided hypothesis of his origin . In fact , that had even been part of the consideration when going on such a wanton shopping spree . Catheya had participated in an integration herself , and she should be clear about the potential gains that came with it . Zac himself was good for just over 100 Billion F-grade Nexus Coins before Leandra threw money at him , and most of that was dividends his sister had generated .

As for Divine Monarchs , he had heard something about it before . Apparently , it was a stage a bit similar to a Half-Step D-grade cultivator . But while Half-Step D-grade essentially signified failure , a Divine Monarch was the opposite . Each grade evolution was a larger step than the one before , and there were some preparations needed to even attempt reaching B-grade .

Zac didn’t know the details , but if you managed to become a Divine Monarch you essentially had the base qualifications to attempt a breakthrough . Of course , there were no doubt a bunch of other requirements to become an actual Autarch , considering none appeared over millions and millions of years in the frontier sectors .

I am starting to believe your story . You might actually be a real disciple of Ancestor or her partner , - Catheya muttered . - I still can’t understand the connection between you and Zac Piker though… But I will figure it out sooner or later . -

Best of luck , - Zac said , trying his best to hide his discomfort . - If there’s nothing else , I’ll see you tomorrow . -

What a bore , - Catheya sighed . - I’ll pick you up at your place . -

Zac quickly returned to his compound with the help of Nala , feeling like a thousand eyes were peeping at him all the while . He knew that he was playing with fire getting along with Catheya , but he had already started reaping the rewards . He held a lot of expectations for Abyssal Phase] , and his other skills weren't too shabby either .

Besides , it looked like his mother hadn’t lied to him down when it came to the array . It looked like Catheya’s master couldn’t find anything wrong with him , which meant that not a single person in the whole Zecia sector should be able to spot his perfected Duplicity Core . At least he worked under that assumption . He would probably have been caught by now if his human ancestry or real identity was exposed .

Zac shrugged off any errant thoughts as he started walking toward his courtyard , but a cough from behind stopped him in his tracks .

This , ah , young master… This is the last day I was hired , - Nala hesitantly said .

Oh , right , - Zac thoughtfully nodded . - If you’re available , I’d like to hire you until the Twilight Ascent starts . Same rate . -

Ah? Really? - Nala exclaimed , her eyes lighting up . - Absolutely . I will work hard to help out . I’ll talk with my father if he has some more information he can share . -

That’s fine , - Zac nodded , though he honestly didn’t hold much hope for him divulging some high-value secrets . - You don't need to come tomorrow though , I'll be busy . -

He and Vilari entered the courtyard , and the two entered their own cultivation chambers to go over their new skills . Zac immediately took out the mysterious crystal he got from - Lord Book - , who Zac guessed was a Peak D-grade or even a C-grade Tool Spirit .

Activating an inheritance crystal was pretty similar to a normal Skill Crystal , but when Zac infused the crystal with energy a flood of memories and impressions also assailed him . It wasn’t as real as Dao Visions , but rather discordant snippets of the life of the External Elder of the Sharva’Zi clan . It was almost like when he saw fragments of Alea’s life flash by .

The elder who left behind the skill was not a Strength-based fighter like Zac , but rather a poison master who had a hybrid fighting style . Part of it was based around daggers for close combat , with the other being the traditional large-scale poison attacks . His attributes had focused on Vitality and Dexterity .

He had not gotten Abyssal Phase] from his class , but rather gained it as a reward in an extremely deadly Mystic Realm . The elder had sometimes used it defensively , but he had mostly used the skill as a tool for an ambush .

The idea was for the skill to allow you to get into the heart of an army , unleash an avalanche of carnage , and then slink away in the chaos unscathed . The detriment was obviously the activation time and massive energy consumption considering that it almost cost as much energy as a finishing strike .

Zac saw the elder use it hundreds of times in different situations . Fleeing , attacking , ambushing . The skill had clear drawbacks , but the elder had almost become a virtuoso in controlling the rhythm of a battle to the point that he could activate the skill if needed . His fighting style was wholly different compared to Zac’s own , but he was still a cultivator who had walked much further than Zac himself .

The scenes provided ample inspiration , and he only opened his eyes a few hours later .

E] Abyssal Phase - Proficiency : Middle . Become the Abyss . Bring them into your embrace . Upgradeable .

Zac looked at the results with elation . He had actually managed to push the skill to middle proficiency in one go , effectively catching up with most of his old E-grade skills . It also felt like he personally had used the skill dozens of times , and he knew it wouldn’t take long to properly integrate the ability into his personal combat style .

It didn't even feel like he needed to try it out since it was almost one with him , so he instead turned his attention to the other two skills . Most of the night was spent charging the three Healing Brands , which appeared along the upper part of his spine . He also practiced using Gorehew] for an hour in his courtyard , but it was hard to get a proper feeling for the skill without any enemies .

Finally , morning came , and Catheya came and picked him up while Vilari stayed behind . Catheya's vessel was completely different compared to Nala's ; it screamed of luxury . It was either made from some sort of spiritual ice or a pristine crystal , and it was covered in dense fractals . It was obviously a leisure vessel and not something you'd use in battle or mystic realms .

Even then , its speed was over ten times greater than Nala's low-quality vessel , and the surroundings flashed by as they sailed on the Twilight rivers . An hour later they appeared on another plateau close to the Twilight Ocean itself , this one far more hectic than anyone he'd visited before .

Hundreds of thousands moved as a stream toward the enormous auction house and more and more kept appearing through the island’s teleporters or flying vessels . Most were unsurprisingly E-grade considering the upcoming trial , but Zac could spot hundreds of hegemons flying toward their own entrance as well .

Zac wasn’t surprised about that considering this was a high-grade event . He was more surprised about the hundreds of people who lit up the surroundings with their undeniable life force .

The living comes here? - Zac exclaimed with some surprise . - They don’t have their own auctions? -

Well , they do , - Catheya shrugged . - But some items are useful for both the living and the undead . Besides , in a place like this , there are quite a few of the cultivators who walk the many paths of Death . Might as well join the Empire if you plan on going down that road if you ask me , but most seem reluctant to truly awaken . -

What’s is the point of cultivation if you lose your sense of self , - Zac muttered . - That might even be scarier than death to them . -

Perhaps , - Catheya said with a lazy voice , clearly not very interested in the living necromancers or other death-attuned cultivators , before she turned to Zac with inquisitive eyes . - So what are you looking for in this place? You’ve already bought everything from pills to armors , enough to form a whole D-grade force . What else is there for you to buy? -

Who knows . Some for me , some for the followers I've raised , - Zac said .

Well , nothing beats the followers you’ve awakened yourself , - Catheya agreed . - But why haven’t you visited the Helman Bodyworks if you are starting up a force? -

Zac knew of the place Catheya mentioned . It was a corpse store , dealing with both wholesale corpses and holding auctions for top-quality bodies .

I’ve only awakened enemies I feel worthy to follow me so far , - Zac said .

Well that’s stupid , - Catheya said as she flashed a token at a guard that immediately let them inside the Auction house . - You need grunts as well to manage the minutia . Buying a squad from a proper mortician saves you a lot of effort in cleansing and improving the bodies . Besides , in this place , the bodies won’t come with the… attachments that might be problematic for you . -

Why are you so helpful all of a sudden? - Zac asked with suspicion .

Partly boredom , - Catheya shrugged . - I’ve been stuck cultivating for twelve years since I left the Tower of Eternity . -

Twelve years? - Zac asked , his eyes flashing with realization . - You entered a time chamber after the Tower of Eternity? -

Of course , - Catheya nodded . - The Twilight Ascent is a good opportunity even for me , but if I cultivated in real time I would have reached the late stages of middle E-grade at best . This way I'll be able to accomplish more . -

But the Dao , - Zac said .

Well , I just spent one year in the time chamber , and the other two in normal time , - Catheya said . - It’s a worthy trade-off . Of course , in a perfect world , I’d have another decade or two to perfect my foundations and Dao before the event . -

Zac nodded in agreement . If he had the opportunity he would have definitely wanted to do something similar . Losing one year of Dao meditation for ten years’ worth of node-breaking was definitely a worthy trade if you were planning on entering a specific trial . It also explained why Catheya had gained so much power since they met last .

He had almost thought she had been provided with some divine treasure by her master , but it seemed the truth was a lot more straightforward . Still , operating a time chamber for a whole year was definitely expensive and not something anyone could do afford . Diligently cultivating for ten straight years was also pretty extremely demanding one’s mental strength , and it made Zac somewhat see Catheya in a different light .

The group was soon led to their seats by an attendant . It was a balcony overlooking a sea of participants and a grand stage in the distance . It was one of the lower balconies though , and powerful auras leaked from many of those in the top . All of them were from Hegemons as far as he could tell . Of course , it was likely that there were Monarchs present as well , just that they hid their energy .

The first section will be aimed toward us , - Catheya explained as she produced a stick of expensive-looking incense . - Weapons , natural treasures , pills , high-grade talismans . Things that will be useful during the Twilight Ascent . The second section will be much shorter , and it mainly targets the big shots . -

We won’t be thrown out for the second part , right? - Zac asked , wanting to see the kinds of treasures that even Monarchs might want for themselves .

Of course not , - Catheya said . - But be careful bidding against those old monsters or you might find your soul suddenly crushed while walking the streets . I definitely won’t avenge you if you get yourself killed over a treasure . -

Well , whatever , - Zac snorted at the laughing Catheya .

Chapter 692 : Flaunting one's Wealth

Zac wasn’t offended at Catheya’s disinterest in helping him in case of an auction-related conflict arose . Their relation was one of an employer-employee , where both used each other for benefits . Why should she stick her neck out? Zac definitely wouldn’t do so if she got herself in similar trouble .

The auction soon started up , but Zac wasn’t overly invested in the proceedings . He felt that if you had seen one you’d seen them all . He mostly enjoyed the incense as he swapped between chit-chatting with Catheya and reading up on the treasures up for sale .

A surprisingly large number of the wares were weapons and spell amplifiers such as staves , wands , or censers , and some of them reached prices far beyond what Zac had expected . Zac figured that getting a perfect weapon was something you’d prioritize from the get-go , rather than waiting until right before a trial .

There were quite a few pills for sale as well , but they were barely any better than the Dawn series he had already purchased . But they still reached pretty impressive prices , as there were always some people who were ready to pay a premium to get the best of the best . Zac bought some pills and talismans to compliment his stock but he started to get bored after a few hours .

But finally something interesting appeared .

Next we have unique recipe pill sets , and there are five sets available today . Each set contains 25 pills , and we have tested their efficacy and can guarantee their effectiveness . The anonymous Alchemist calls them Chainbreaking Pills] , and they are a must-have for mortals and cultivators aiming to reach the late E-grade in one piece . Their effect is simple ; they loosen the resistance of Cultivator nodes , resulting in a smaller backlash .

These pills can save you time , and allow you to gain levels without worry inside the Twilight Ascent . We’ll start bidding at 25 , 000 E-grade Nexus Pill for the first set , - the announcer exclaimed .

A few cultivators immediately bid for the pills down at the public section , and the price rose by 1 , 000 E-Grade Nexus Coins one time after another . Zac definitely wanted these things , so he quickly bid 35 , 000 , raising the current price by 6 , 000 E-grade Nexus Coins .

Are you crazy? Why’d you want those kinds of pills? - Catheya asked as she looked at Zac like he was an idiot . - You might as well inject yourself with toxic sludge . -

What? - Zac asked with confusion .

The kind of pills that weaken the node walls are essentially poison . They are full of pill toxins . Look , not a single guest from the balconies is bidding . It’s just the wandering cultivators with more money than sense , - she explained . - Besides , their effect is almost negligible for the third-tier nodes in your head , the only place where it really matters . -

More money than sense , I guess that’s me , - Zac smiles as he raised the bid to 40 , 000 E-grade Nexus Coins .

Pill toxins might be a problem for others , but not for him . It might force him to slow down his cultivation a few years to let his Purity of the Void] Hidden Node cleanse the toxins , but it was completely different from wandering cultivators who essentially had no method to get rid of the toxins at all .

It was ultimately a low-cost gamble . He would save some time by making reducing the time it took to recover from breaking a node , and he would lose some time to rid himself of the toxins . If the benefits outweighed the disadvantages , then great . If not , he'd look for some other method to keep leveling without spending months in the sickbed from the backlash .

How embarrassing , - Catheya sighed with a shake of her head . - The others know this balcony is mine . They’ll think I’ve lost my mind . -

What others? - Zac asked .

Scions of various clans , - Catheya shrugged .

Who cares? Isn’t it only good if they think you’re an idiot? - Zac said as he raised the bid again to 55 , 000 . - Makes them underestimate you . -

Oh , so you’re helping me now , are you? - Catheya chortled .

Exactly , - Zac nodded , his mouth widening into a grin as he won the bidding .

Zac bought the third set as well , which meant he now had enough pills to reach level 150 if the pills actually worked . Two small boxes arrived to the private seating area a few minutes later , and Zac happily stashed them both away in front of Catheya who looked at him like he was an idiot .

Wait , is it for your followers? - she asked like she finally figured something out . - It has to be . A Draugr wouldn’t put something like that into their body . -

How do you know , have you met all Draugr in the world? - Zac asked with a raised brow .

Well , whatever , - Catheya huffed . - Your funeral . -

Zac only smiled and turned back to the auction . The next item he really wanted appeared twenty minutes later . The auctioneer started to sell off one Race-boosting item after another , and Zac eventually bought a withered branch holding three identical fruits which were called Fruit of Awakening] . Zac chose them because while their effect was powerful , eating them supposedly felt like being ripped apart . Those with weaker constitutions would even die from ingesting them .

He was more than willing to exchange some discomfort for increased effect , and he gladly paid the 560 , 000 E-grade Nexus Coins for the trio . He already had a set of Pseudo D-grade pills that would do the trick as well , but those pills ultimately contained toxins . Zac might have his Hidden Node helping out , but why waste its effect on unnecessary things?

Zac also bought a set of Pseudo D-grade Leveling pills called Aethergate Pills] . Their effect was supposedly 50% greater compared to the pills he had already prepared . That extra efficiency made the pills cost almost one D-grade Nexus Coin each , but it was definitely worth it . Others seemed to feel that way as well , which had resulted in a heated bidding war .

Of course , there was a limit on how much people were willing to pay for a leveling pill when they could just take a normal pill and then cultivate for a month or two inside a gathering array to make up the difference . As for Zac , he didn't have much of a choice . His foundations were almost absurdly heavy , and he required more than ten times the energy for a single level compared to an average cultivator .

If he didn't use the best of the best he might reach the point of immunity before he made any significant gains .

Catheya eventually got into the spirit of things and bought some items as well , though Zac could tell that her financial situation wasn’t as good as his . She immediately stopped when prices reached 20% over the expected price , meaning she either didn’t have the capital or willingness to overspend even when the Twilight Ascent was right around the corner .

Eventually , Zac couldn’t help but ask .

If you need the items , why don’t you just overpay a bit? - Zac asked curiously . - Some of the items you bid on only rose by 30% or so . -

Do you think everyone is like you? - Catheya said with a scrunched-up face . - My cultivation resources are mostly provided by the clan and my master , but my standard allowance is just 10 D-grade Nexus Coins a year . I have less than 300 Coins on me . And that’s considered pretty good . I don’t understand what your master was thinking just showering you in wealth like that . It usually does more harm than good , making you reliant on it . -

Zac couldn’t help but roll his eyes at Catheya , though it wasn’t really evident with his pitch-black orb for eyes . Only 10 D-grade nexus coins a year? That was 10 trillion nexus coins , a fortune that would eclipse some D-grade clans back in the Zecia sector . And Zac bet that if she really needed the money , it wasn’t like her Master would hold out on her .

Maybe if the items were for myself and I really needed them , - Catheya added . - But the things I bid for was ultimately for followers . I have budgets I need to follow since I have hundreds of them back home . Besides , my people are all capable . They have their own money . And if not , they can go complete some tasks for remuneration . -

I guess you’re right , - Zac nodded .

It was a good reminder . He had only spent a fraction of the wealth Leandra provided him , but he knew he wouldn’t be able to keep going like this . Currently , he was just spending without having any real income . It’d take millennia to make up what he had spent over the past week with Port Atwood’s current state of operations .

Zac being a Mortal also meant that he essentially had to fight fate with wealth . Where others could just cultivate , he had to risk his life and use treasures . He couldn’t keep using half his money on his followers . They’d have to rely on themselves on the road of cultivation . It was the same with most clans . After some basic welfare , the members had to fend for themselves .

A clan simply couldn’t stomach the cost of peak cultivation resources even for their greater talents , and there was no reason to do so . Even the greatest geniuses usually found themselves stuck at one bottleneck or another , often before they reached a level where they could actually contribute to the clan .

Meanwhile , hundreds of generations came and went for the Monarchs at the top . It was more cost-effective to breed more descendants since reaching the top usually required a series of unlikely encounters rather than wealth .

The auction kept going for a full eight hours until things finally stilled . Zac hadn’t made any big moves after getting the things he needed , except buying a few raw materials with strong Death-attuned or corrosive effect . He felt they were promising for Love’s Bond] , in case his problem was based on the feeding procedure rather than the materials .

He had also managed to get his hands on 5 E-grade Dao Treasures , though none of them were of any impressive quality . Even then , the bidding for them had been extremely intense , with even people on the balconies jumping in . They ended costing Zac over 20 D-grade Nexus Coins a pop , while the greatest ones put for auction surpassed 500 D-grade Nexus Coins .

Dao Treasure normally wasn’t anywhere near this expensive , but Catheya believed it was because of the Twilight Ascent . If Catheya knew that the trial would be based on the Dao , then so did hundreds of other factions . Zac wouldn’t be surprised if Catheya had been provided with a set of Dao Treasures beforehand , meant to go together with the Life-Death Pearls] .

Zac was a bit tempted to buy up every single Dao Treasure , but judging by the frantic bidding and Catheya’s warnings he’d probably get himself killed if he did something like that . Besides , Dao Treasures were meant mostly as fuel for him nowadays , not something that he wanted to dictate his whole cultivation . It was a bit of a flaw in his old cultivation , where part of his insights wasn’t perfectly aligned with his current envisioned cultivation path .

He had made great improvements , in the beginning , thanks to Dao Treasures and the Dao Funnel , but his Dao Seeds had contained all kinds of odd facets of his Daos that weren’t necessarily useful for him . Now that he knew what direction he wanted to walk , he preferred to gain the insights on his own and then incorporate them into his Fragments with the help of a Dao Treasure .

The next section is starting soon , - Catheya said as the first part ended . - Remember , the intended buyers now will be Hegemons and Monarchs . Be careful . -

I know , I know , - Zac nodded .

He didn’t care , as he was mostly staying behind to broaden his horizons .

The first item put up for sale was a Natural Treasure that Zac never had heard of before . It was called Eternal Flash] and it was actually a lightning bolt suspended in time inside a purple crystal . The treasure's effects were as impressive as it looked ; Eternal Flash] could both improve the Affinity to the Dao of Lightning while also having a good chance of opening lightning-attuned Hidden Nodes .

It was an extremely good item , and it made Zac a lot more excited about the rest of the auction . However , he was a bit confused why an item like Eternal Flash] appeared here rather than as one of the ultimate treasures on the first part of the auction .

Didn’t you say the intended buyers were Hegemons? - Zac asked .

What E-grade cultivators can afford treasures like these , except you? Something like this will go for over a thousand D-grade Nexus Coins , - Catheya said with a pointed look . - It’s still marketed for bigshots . If they have a particularly talented descendant or disciple , they might buy it as a gamble it'll provide returns in the future . -

The item unsurprisingly went to someone at one of the top levels at the price of 15 , 000 D-grade Nexus Coins , and one amazing item after another appeared soon after . However , Zac soon noticed a pattern .

There are no treasures useful for Life- or Death cultivators in a place like this? - Zac muttered with surprise .

Those kinds of treasures definitely exist . After all , there are plenty of treasures like that in the depths of the Twilight Ocean from what I hear , - Catheya muttered . - But those treasures won’t reach a public Auction this close to the Twilight Ascent . The bigshots have already snatched them up . But remember , every time you bid in this place , you might make an enemy of a Hegemon or even a Monarch . -

Zac nodded again . He had been careful to avoid bidding against any powerful-looking cultivators for this very reason . However , Catheya's warnings were slowly relegated to the back of his head as Zac saw a radiant treasure appeared on the stage .

Next is an extremely rare item retrieved when the Radiant Temple discovered an unclaimed Ancient Realm two hundred thousand years ago . It was lost in the Twilight Ocean fifty thousand years later , and just recently rediscovered , - the Auctioneer exclaimed . - It is called the Stone of Hope] . It is a one-of-a-kind accessory with a unique natural treasure as its core , further perfected by a natural Formation . -

Zac looked on with interest , as this was the first time he had seen a treasure coming out of an Ancient Realm . After all , those places didn’t even exist in the frontier sectors from what Zac had gathered . It was the same with Catheya as she slightly leaned forward in the chair with interest .

It’s effect is simple yet marvelous . It protects your fate while cultivating , reducing the risk of powerful backlashes . Its main use was to provide help for Mortals on the road of cultivation , lessening the dangers of breaking open nodes . It is even effective when forcing open the final nodes , drastically reducing the risk of death , - the announcer said . - This tool can help your less fortunate descendants walk further on the road of cultivation , perhaps even reaching Hegemony and gaining millennia of longevity . -

Catheya sighed in disappointment as she leaned back in her chair , but Zac's reaction was definitely the opposite . This treasure was exactly what he was looking for , a far greater alternative to the nigh-useless Shedding Mortal Coil-Array] he was currently relying on when breaking through . With his massive foundations he was already dreading the later stages of the E-grade . The recently acquired Chainbreaking Pills] might be able to help out even though their effect seemed limited at the limited stages , but this particular treasure would clearly help all the way .

The bidding starts at 5 , 000 D-grade Nexus Coins , - the announcer said , making Catheya release an expletive .

Zac could understand her disdain . Five thousand D-grade Nexus Coins to help push a Mortal to Peak E-grade? That was beyond extravagant , and there was unsurprisingly not a single bid even after half a minute . But the silence was like beautiful music in Zac's ears , and he eventually bid the 5 , 000 when no one stepped forward .

Six thousand , - an ethereal voice countered after a short pause .

Seven thousand , - Zac said without hesitation .

Are you crazy? - Catheya wheezed as she slapped Zac's arm . - That is the Veilplume Monarch . I hear her youngest son is a Mortal . You’ll bring a calamity on your head if you insist on taking this thing . -

Eight , - the voice answered , and there was an unmistakable sharpness to the voice .

I must have it , - Zac said without hesitation . - What level is this monarch? -

Early Stage I think , why? - Catheya asked with a frown .

Your master can make her back down , - Zac slowly said as he activated the bidding array .

First explain why , and then we’ll talk terms , - Catheya said as she thoughtfully glanced at the upper balconies .

A common friend of ours desperately needs this thing , - Zac said .

What? Who? Your attendant , the soul cultivator? - Catheya muttered . - No wait , don’t tell me? -

Zac Piker , - Zac said . - Helping me is helping him , which in a sense is helping your Ancestor . -

That crazy guy is a mortal?! - Catheya almost screamed . - How is that possible? -

Nine thousand , - Zac said into the communication crystal instead of answering Catheya , seeing as the bidding had almost run out of time .

Zac only shrugged upon seeing Catheya's glare , though he wasn’t as calm as he let on . He was playing with fire continuing bidding before he had secured protection . Hearing about the Veilplume Monarch’s situation , she might consider him bidding for this item as a direct attempt at cutting the life of her child short .

Ten thousand . Little brother , how about giving me some face and letting this one go? I will remember the favor , - the Veilplume Monarch said .

The words were kind , but it felt like the temperature in the whole auction hall had dropped a few degrees . Zac knew he might be in trouble considering that the Auctioneer didn’t even dare speak up . Normally they’d intercede in blatant attempts at suppressing the bidding .

Catheya looked at Zac for a few more seconds , each moment feeling like an eternity until she took out a communication crystal . It looked like she exchanged just a few sentences , but Zac breathed out in relief when her furrowed brows relaxed .

My master can deal with this , - Catheya said as a smile spread across her face . - But we will require something in return . -

Chapter 693 : Bumpy Ride

Zac’s abyssal eyes moved back and forth . Back and forth between the necklace being presented on the scene , its core shimmering with mysterious lights that called to the very depths of his soul . And to the congenial smile of his companion , which seemed like a sword of Damocles over his head .

What do you want? - Zac sighed , feeling like he was making a deal with the devil .

We don’t need much , - Catheya smiled . - One request from each of us . I have a secondary mission in the Twilight Ocean , one that might put us in the crosshairs of some dangerous people among the living . I was planning on doing that with just my followers to help out , but I think things would go smoother with your help . -

How long? - Zac asked with a frown .

It will be completed by the time we reach the Life-Death Pearls , but there will probably be some heated battles . -

I won’t fight to the death , - Zac said without hesitation , but Catheyas mouth only quirked up .

Agreed , but you need to put in some real effort , - Catheya countered .

And your master? - Zac asked as he glanced at the scene , and he saw the announcer stare back at him . He waved at him to wait for a bit before he turned back to Catheya .

He has a personal task for you . I don’t know its contents , but he said it was simple enough , - she said .

Zac wasn’t relishing the thought of - owing one’ to a Peak C-grade Monarch , but did he have a choice? He and Kenzie had searched high and low for an item like the Stone of Hope] all over the Zecia sector over the past three years , but they hadn’t even heard of an item that came close to this .

This was probably his only shot since he’d return back to Zecia after the Twilight Ascent .

Agreed , - Zac sighed as he activated the auction crystal just before the auctioneer was about to close on the item . - Fifteen thousand . I apologize to the esteemed Monarch , but I am adamant about getting this item . -

A snort echoed through the whole venue a moment later , causing the whole room to vibrate ominously . But she didn’t lash out or try to pressure him , leading Zac to believe Catheya’s master had already interceded .

A few minutes passed , and Zac eventually looked down at the intricate box in his hands with mixed emotions . Not even Catheya seemed unaffected by the amount of wealth its contents represented . Hopefully , the effect of the Stone of Hope] was as great as it was proclaimed since the Veilplume Monarch had only backed down after running up the price to 40 , 000 D-Grade Nexus Coins .

According to Catheya , the Veilplume Monarch had already come to an agreement with her master , but she couldn’t simply back down from an E-grade brat without - punishing’ him a bit for his impudence . That’s why Zac found himself overpaying by almost ten times what the treasure was normally worth . Of course , it was always hard to gauge the value of these kinds of once-in-a-lifetime treasures .

But suffice to say , an item that could only help up to the Peak E-grade definitely wasn’t worth 40 , 000 D-grade Nexus Coins to most people or factions . A clan could nurture millions of warriors with that kind of wealth , and some of those people might reach Hegemony . To use it to help a Mortal? Unthinkable , even if it was infinitely reusable , which Zac very much doubted it was .

Of course , it was another story if the recipient bought the item for himself . Let alone 40 , 000 , Zac would have paid over 100 , 000 D-grade Nexus Coins for something that would allow him to safely make his way through the High E-grade where node-breaking was synonymous with suicide for someone with as powerful a foundation as him .

The intense bidding had caused some ripples among the spectators , but the auction soon continued again . It was a real eye-opener , and Zac looked on as one amazing item after another appeared on the stage . A few of them were even at the level of the Eye of Har’Theriam] he got from Yrial , and they caused multiple Monarchs to fiercely bid for them .

However , other items didn’t get a single bid , and the auctioneer eventually took them away after a minute . One of the items that garnered such tepid reception was a natural treasure that looked a bit like a heart wrought from dark-green crystal . It was completely still , yet Zac’s senses were tricked to think it was beating somehow .

Its name was Cardinal Kernel] , and it was a powerful bloodline treasure that was reputed to be effective in evolving and to a small degree purifying bloodlines . Its pricetag was somewhat shocking though for an E-grade bloodline-boosting treasure ; 2 , 500 D-grade Nexus Coins . It was just a fraction of the price of his Stone of Hope] , but similar items had been sold during the first half where the price tag was rather set in E-grade Nexus Coins .

What’s going on? Why is no one buying this thing? - Zac asked as he looked down at the crystalline heart . - It's expensive , but its efficacy is extremely high . -

It’s definitely a good item , though a bit overpriced , - Catheya nodded . - I guess a large part of the price comes from the excessive rarity , I have never heard of this thing before . I guess none of the old masters here feels it worth the investment . Besides , far from all bloodlines provide direct combat capabilities that would help in the trial . -

Still , it shouldn’t be too much money for a Monarch to buy this thing? - Zac asked .

Well , not really . But you have to look at it from their perspective . The kind of treasures they need might require them to scrounge and risk their lives for tens of thousands of years . Furthermore , just maintaining their inner worlds and keeping them from shrinking is a constant drain on their resources , to the point of bankruptcy for some . Meanwhile , new generations in their clans appear every thousand years . Why would they spend their hard-earned money on their 86th-generation grandson they might not even have met? - Catheya said .

If they did that for a few talents every generation they’d ruin their own cultivation . They’d only purchase an item like this for a direct disciple they have really high hopes for , and if it would provide huge benefits , - she continued . - I guess there’s no one here who both has a disciple that needs the item and who can properly extract enough value for it . -

So , I could buy this thing without drawing anyone’s ire? - Zac asked with gleaming eyes .

Sure , I guess . But possessing too much wealth can be seen as a sin . And I’m not sure it will work on our Draugr bloodline , - Catheya said with a shake of her head . - Or do you have some odd mutation? Or is it for our friend again? -

That Comment revealed something interesting that Zac already suspected ; that Draugr all had a common bloodline . However , he was more focused on whether he should go for it , if he should buy this item . 2 , 500 D-grade Nexus Coins was just a fraction of his wealth , but it might put him in the crosshairs of greedy opportunists .

Catheya’s master had only agreed to defend him against the Veilplume Monarch , not against the billions of greedy people in the Twilight Harbor .

But his Bloodline was still just F-grade , and he hadn’t made any real progress over the past three years . His Bloodline Method , Bloodline Resonance] , only allowed him to gain basic control over his bloodline Talent , but it did nothing to actually improve it . The Shard of Creation had helped him make some improvements to the storage capacity of Force of the Void] ,

However , Zac wasn’t sure if his actual bloodline was making any progress . Eating half a mountain was how he awakened the Bloodline , so Zac felt pretty confident that eating some more would keep progressing it . The Cardinal Kernel] might not be enough to evolve the bloodline in one go , but it would be a first step in the right direction . Risk and reward… Zac struggled with the two as the auctioneer desperately tried to get someone to buy the thing .

But there was really no one interested . The auctioneer eventually gave up and turned toward an assistant to take the item away , forcing Zac to make a decision .

2500 , I’ll take it , - Zac said as he placed his bid .

He had already flaunted his wealth . He might as well snatch a few more items and hide under Catheya’s protective umbrella on the way back , as long as it didn’t directly garner him any direct new enemies .

Unfortunately , most of the items that would be useful to Zac were useful to others as well , and the bloodline item was the only one he managed to buy . Eventually , the items put up for auction switched from treasures meant for juniors to items meant for the bigshots themselves . The true part of the second part of the Auction .

Zac wasn’t planning on buying anything in this part , but he did actually encounter an interesting item early on . It was a frozen organ that had fallen out from a spatial tear . It contained some spatial fluctuations along with other chaotic energies in the mix . There wasn’t any real interest in this Peak D-grade body part among the cultivators , but Zac’s eyes lit up when he saw it .

It was definitely a piece from a high-grade Void Beast , one perhaps as powerful as the Collector itself . It was just an organ as large as a steel drum , so it wouldn’t hold a Beast Core . But the energy it contained was still much greater compared to the Beast Cores he had extracted from the smaller Void Beasts .

Those cores were still the best resource he had for quickly restoring his Force of the Void] and nurturing the Void Heart] , so he spent 1 , 000 D-grade Nexus Coins to buy the arm as well while Catheya looked at Zac like he was a fool . It might be useful to help evolve his Hidden Node , or at least serve as a source to rapidly fill up his reserves while inside the Mystic Realm .

Eventually , the final items appeared , and Zac was surprised to see that the top item was a piece of bark with some markings on it . Of course , Zac knew it was something good since he got a splitting headache just from looking at the runes , but he was shocked to hear the frantic bidding . It eventually went for the obscene price of 18 , 300 C-grade Nexus Coins , a stark reminder the was just a financial paper tiger .

The bombastic ending had closed the auction on a high note , and heated discussions spread through the hall as people started to leave .

Alright , let’s go back? - Zac asked as he saw people streaming out from the enormous hall .

Are you crazy? - Catheya laughed . - I’m not letting you onto my vessel . Who am I , your Dao Guard? Sort out this mess yourself . -

What the hell? - Zac said with a mix of exasperation and worry , realizing his plan of hiding behind her skirt-tails had long been exposed .

I told you to be careful , but you had to spend enough to make a Late-Stage Hegemon Green with envy , - Catheya said with a roll of her eyes .

Didn’t we have a deal? Protection for favors? - Zac ventured .

Master made the Veilplume Monarch back down , and she won’t act against you during your stay . But there are other people out there , no? - Catheya explained .

Well , shit , - Zac muttered . - Can you ask your master for me? -

He said that strength is required to hold onto your treasures . Prove yourself worthy , - Catheya grinned .

The adrenaline rush of his reckless spending was fast wearing off , his face sicklied over with the pale cast of thought . Of course , every purchase was for something he needed , the necklace in particular . But his Spatial Ring had now turned into a hot potato , and he even had some thoughts of telling Vilari to return home as he activated his escape bracelet .

He had got his hands on everything he needed to purchase already , so leaving right now wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world . Still , Catheya didn’t seem too worried , and her master seemed to need his assistance with something . Perhaps he was overthinking things .

Any recommendations? - Zac probed .

Well , you’ll be safe in your courtyard . Our clan is guaranteeing the safety of all guests , and there is a Monarch standing guard of the whole disk . People also know my master is around , - Catheya smiled as she took out a miniature vessel that looked a lot like a small luxurious skipper . - I’ll lend you a spare vessel . -

Thank you , I guess , - Zac sighed .

Don’t look so glum , - Catheya laughed . - This is just a precaution . You’re still Draugr , only a fool would dare attack you . -

Thanks for putting up the flags , - Zac grunted , which earned him a confused look in return .

Zac’s stature started to shrink the next moment , and he soon had a short but bulky build where his right arm was almost twice as thick as his left . His back had also become hunched over , and when Zac put on a grotesque mask he had already prepared , the transformation was complete .

Not bad , - Catheya nodded appreciatively . - Well , have fun . -

She walked out of the room the next moment , quickly blending in with the crowd . Zac waited for another minute before he shuffled out as well , and he quickly jumped on the lent vessel and flew away .

His eyes were peeled in every direction , but he forcibly shuttled off at a pace that wouldn’t raise any brows . He reached the area meant to take off without causing any waves , and he soon left the venue among thousands of different vessels shuttling to and fro . He kept vigil over the closest vessels , and he was relieved to see them doing the same .

He already knew that these auctions sometimes turned into bloody affairs this close to a Twilight Ascent . There was no difference between risking your life here and inside the Twilight Ocean for a chance to be reborn for some people , and everyone was on edge . Nothing happened for a full hour , but that didn't lessen Zac's worries . He had reached the vast space between two plateaus , and the risk for attack here was the highest .

Some things couldn't be avoided , and Zas soon sensed some killing intent heading his way . He turned over to see a group of five Late E-grade cultivators who had jumped off from a neighboring vessel , heading straight for him . Had he been exposed? Or was it because his vessel looked expensive?

Four sinister chains shot out with almost blinding speed , and two of them were wrapped around a cultivator each before the attackers even had a chance to react . Another one of the chains had punched straight through a Corpselord's chest , and he had instantly been turned into a gristly ornament to Zac's weapon . Only one managed to activate a movement skill in time to dodge in time , but the chain was unrelenting .

Zac himself had already taken out a spare shield , and he almost instantly grew to five meters as he activated his peak mastery Vanguard of Undeath] . There were still two free cultivators , one of which clearly a Dexterity-based assassin , while the other one was a straightforward warrior . It was the assassin who kept dodging the chain , but he suddenly found himself right in front of Zac .

The massive bardiche was already right next to the assassin's throat and a sinister black swirl caused it to emit a terrifying aura . The assassin tried to flash away , but it was much too late ; he was within Zac's domain now . His head was lobbed clean off , and a torrent of black ichor soon turned into a frozen flower as it fell into the Twilight River .

Some of the ichor didn't actually float out into the emptiness of space , but it rather entered the black swirl to cause its aura to increase to even greater heights . Zac didn't pause to celebrate the kill , but he rather shot toward the warrior who still was running free . The man had already realized his group had hit an iron plate , but he looked around in confusion as he was rooted in place while trying to flee through the void .

This was one of the benefits of pushing Vanguard of Undeath] to peak mastery . Its taunting effect was still effective even at this stage , though it only lasted a second or two before most could overcome it . But that was enough for Zac to catch up , and a five-meter jagged scar of pitch-black ichor hacked into the warrior's defensive barrier , instantly cutting it in two .

Another hack with Gorehew] ended the man's life , and the last two attackers were firmly caught by this point , one of them locked into a morbid embrace with their impaled companion . Zac was pleasantly surprised by his new skill . It wasn't fancy or had a lot of functions , but it could fully scale with even his attributes and its edge was extremely sharp .

Besides , the skill had already grown another meter in length after the second kill , indicating that the jagged edge could become a real terror in the middle of a packed horde of enemies .

Please! - one of the two captives scried as Zac dragged the two captives toward him , but Zac only released a sinister chuckle from behind his mask as his grotesquely oversized right arm cut her and her companion in two , ending the fight .

It had taken less than three seconds since Zac shot out his chains , but all five attackers were already dead . Their body parts joined the Twilight River one by one as Zac jumped back onto his vessel and sailed away as though nothing had happened , confident that his disguise hadn't been broken . However , Zac didn't feel any relief even when the neighboring vessels gave a slightly wider berth to his vessel as he continued his journey .

His trip home was bound to become a bumpy one .

Chapter 694 : Oppressive Might

Ruthlessly ripping apart the group of opportunists had given Zac a breather . But it would take over four hours to return , even when using the Twilight River for a speed boost and spatial manipulation . There were also multiple plateaus he needed to pass , and each one might have cultivators lying in wait .

Nothing happened for fifteen minutes after the initial attack , but a sudden and massive explosion in the distance drew everyone’s attention . It was far into the void between the platforms , and it looked like a tremendous eruption of a mix of death and fire . Judging by the force contained in the explosion , it definitely wasn't a struggle between E-grade cultivators , but rather proper Hegemons . Even if it was just an array or talisman going off , something of that magnitude would have to have been powered by a D-grade cultivator's core .

A sudden scream of danger made Zac’s hair stand on end , and he barely had a chance to send an activation to a defensive talisman and turn Love’s Bond] into a shield . A thick barrier sprung up around him , but it immediately dimmed as some sort of black haze glommed onto it . Zac realized that someone had used an array breaker to counter his talisman , but the slight delay had allowed him to maneuver his shield just enough to block out an extremely penetrative spear stab that crashed through the weakened shield .

Zac was thrown off from his vessel by the condensed force , and he soared almost a hundred meters into the void . He was completely fine from the strike , but others weren’t quite as lucky . The enormous explosion had grabbed everyone’s attention to some degree , and over twenty parties had taken the chance to launch attacks on neighboring vessels at that moment .

Battles were raging for a stretch of thousands of meters on the Twilight River , with all kinds of powerful energy outbursts . However , apart from the enormous battle that raged in the void , it looked like all the combats were between E-grade cultivators . He hadn’t heard anything , but it was possible that Hegemons were hesitant to fight close to the rivers?

A battle between D-grade cultivators might damage the rivers themselves , which could have huge implications since they essentially were the lifeblood of the whole Twilight Harbor . But if that was the case , then Zac definitely didn’t want to stay too far away from the river . He quickly started to expel some miasma to counteract the slight gravitational pull from the closest plateau as his eyes swept back and forth in every direction , trying to any hints of his attacker .

However , the man was simply gone .

Had he realized that Zac was too hard a nut to crack and targeted someone else? Or was he still lying in wait? Zac couldn’t tell for sure , but he activated another defensive talisman as he made his way back to his boat before it was dragged away by the Twilight River .

Zac’s nerves were taut as he stepped back the vessel , but he somewhat relaxed when he sensed the familiar aura of the spearman a few boats over , locked in battle with what looked to be a poison master . He briefly considered joining the fray to get some revenge , but he didn’t want to bring any trouble down on his head .

Instead , he threw out a couple of Peak E-grade Talismans , turning his flying treasure into a small fortress . He had avoided doing so until now out of fear that it would cause more harm than good by drawing attention to himself , but a number of vessels had already done the same after seeing how chaotic the river had become .

Another enormous explosion erupted in the distance , and Zac vaguely saw an obscured figure fly toward the closest plateau with a speed that far surpassed anything that was possible in the E-grade . As expected , the chaos had caused another wave of carnage , but Zac and his layers of defenses weren’t one of the targets this time . Hopefully , that meant his identity was safe .

Things calmed down over the next two hours , though Zac did have to fend off two more attacks before he was left alone , though none of them managed to push Zac to the point he had to display any of his hidden cards . The battle left the flying vessel somewhat in tatters though , but Zac didn’t really care .

He had a feeling that Catheya gave him this opulent thing just to cause some trouble , and he was more than happy to see it fall apart as a small act of revenge . In fact , the more he thought about it , the more he felt that Catheya had orchestrated this whole situation to some degree , probably in an attempt to extract some more secrets from him . Perhaps she was somewhere close , observing him while laughing at his struggles .

Zac and the surviving members eventually reached a hub where six different rivers converged , and the traffic essentially returned to normal as the auction goes split up and took whatever river led to their own platform . Over ninety percent took two rivers that would pass by one of the largest plateaus ; Hanging Twilight .

It was one of the world disks that was controlled by a number of local clans , and it was also one of the most popular places to stay for wandering cultivators and guests . Since over fifty of the strongest clans also lived on the island , it wasn’t really surprising that so many were going that way . Zac was not one of them though as he continued toward the plateau controlled by clan Sharva’Zi and a few other factions .

Suddenly he found himself traversing the Twilight River all alone after hours of being surrounded by others , but that actually didn’t let him relax at all . If anything , his unease only grew as he sailed further and further away from the group of people . His flying vessel flew as quickly as possible as he scanned back and forth , and there was nothing . There was no way an E-grade assassin in hiding would be able to keep up with his speed for so long .

Zac should be safe , but he felt a threat to his life .

It was extremely mute , but Zac had long learned to trust his instincts . He let Miasma churn through his body for a few seconds before he took out one of his common Escape Talismans . The action confirmed his suspicions as a figure radiating an immense killing intent appeared just a few hundred meters away , and Zac wasn't surprised to find his talisman blocked from activating .

There was no hesitation as Zac instantly activated his new movement skill with the help of Force of the Void] , as anyone who could seal space was far more powerful than he . For a moment , there was only endless darkness that contained a very familiar feeling . It was the very same ancient aura that marred any skill he activated with his bloodline talent .

He was only stuck in that endless Void for an instant before he was returned to reality , though everything looked very different from his normal sight . His vision was monochrome , and it felt like time had slowed to a crawl . The river almost looked frozen in time , but Zac was more worried about the radiant beacon of intense deathly energies making its way toward the vessel he floated on in his intangible form .

It was obviously not some source of light , but rather an immensely powerful cultivator who lit up his surroundings with the immense powers hidden in his body . Zac was still unable to properly gauge Hegemons , but he guessed that the attacker was a Middle Hegemon at the least . There were no two ways about it ; he had been exposed by this person . Why else would someone like this target an E-grade cultivator?

Zac hadn’t seen the attacker at all until he forced him to make a move , but it was now impossible to miss him . Zac guessed it was another advantage of his new skill , but he was more worried about escaping . He immediately flew off from his vessel , making a beeline toward the closest continental disk . Reaching that place wouldn’t guarantee his safety , but it was a lot better than being in the middle of the void .

He was like a gust of smoke as he shot through the Void , neither bound by gravity nor the lack thereof . He was propelled by an immense expenditure of Miasma , like an invisible comet rippling through space .

The Hegemon maintained his course , and his hand turned into a hundred-meter wide claw that snatched up the whole vessel . The defensive talismans Zac had left behind were instantly crushed along with the ship itself . The attack seemed somewhat slow from Zac’s vantage , but he knew that it was an illusion of sorts . His perception of time was completely off in his current form , and he knew that less than half a second had passed since the Hegemon appeared , even though it felt like 10 seconds .

If he hadn’t used his Bloodline Talent to activate the skill , he would have been turned to mush . But thanks to his cheat he was alive , and Zac desperately flew further and further away from the attacker . However , his heart sunk when he felt a ripple pass through his intangible form . Zac immediately turned his - eyes - , or whatever he was currently using to see , toward the Twilight River , and he saw the Hegemon looking right in his direction .

A moment later the assailant set out , aiming straight for Zac who kept moving as quickly as his new movement skill would allow . He had already moved thousands of meters at the expenditure of a huge amount of Miasma , but it wasn't enough against someone a whole grade above him . The cultivator was shortening the distance between them without breaking a sweat , and Zac eventually saw no recourse to give up on his form .

He suddenly turned back into his - real form - , and he desperately activated one of the ace talismans he had prepared , forcibly moving him a thousand meters even though the spatial lock was in place . That was only delaying the inevitable though , and Zac desperately ripped off his mask as he turned back into the form of Arcaz Black .

Halt! I’m Draugr of the Empire! - Zac roared as the force of Annihilation gathered in his body .

Part of him still hoped that Catheya's master would come to his rescue , but he ultimately couldn't rely on something like that for his survival . No matter some truths about him were exposed he would have to go all out here .

The attacker was clearly undead , and his race would hopefully give him pause for long enough to charge an Annihilation Sphere . That was the only thing that would get him out of this situation , and Zac saw his opportunity when the undead really did pause for a second . Zac finally got a clear look at him ; a Corpselord mainly consisting of bestial parts .

Zac didn’t recognize him at all from the auction , and he even guessed that he had visited with the explicit purpose of robbing bidders . Perhaps , he hadn’t even realized that Zac was a Draugr . Most people should know it since the balcony belonged to Clan Sharva’Zi , but there were quite a few temporary visitors in the area .

In either case , the truth was unclear , but his short hesitation did give him some breathing room . Unfortunately , not enough as the Corpselord clearly made his decision as he shot forward once again , using a speed so fast that Zac could barely see him .

The world suddenly froze as a spear of ice vertically split the universe in half .

One moment there was nothing , but the next a frigid lance stretched for hundreds of thousands of meters in front of Zac . It really looked like a bolt of lightning frozen into ice . It was unfathomably long , but only a few dozen meters thick . The size of the attack was not the only shocking thing about it , but Zac was more mesmerized by the runes that covered its surface .

It felt like the runes held all the secrets to the chill of the night , of the frozen tundra and the cold of the Void itself . It was endless and unfathomable , and Zac realized too late that he was in trouble . The runes had completely mesmerized him , and it was now too late to leave . His whole body was immobilized by the endless chill .

Even a massive section of the Twilight River in the distance had turned to ice , and space itself seemed frozen in place around the enormous bolt . Zac felt a pervasive , bone-chilling cold rapidly seep into his bones , and nothing he did had the slightest effect at curtailing the creeping death . He found himself locked in place , helplessly staring into the horrified face of the Corpselord .

If Zac was in a bad situation , then it was obviously worse for his attacker . He had been swallowed whole by the ice spear , and his body was rapidly disappearing , freezing to the point that he became purified ice . Soon enough it was just a head stuck in a visage of fear and pain . And then he was gone .

Zac felt his vision cloud over a second later , but the cold left on its own accord even when he suddenly found himself surrounded by a blizzard that completely blocked his sight of the surroundings . A gust of wind caused the snowfall to congeal into what looked like a five-meter avatar , and Zac heard a voice in his head .

This one acted in hopes of pleasing the Veilplume Monarch , and he was adequately punished , - the voice said . - As for your part of the bargain . . . -

A yellow sphere as large as a basketball appeared in front of him the next moment , and Zac immediately felt his scalp prickle . He had no idea what it was , but it felt even more terrifying than an atomic bomb .

Put it into your Spatial Ring , - the avatar said , and Zac reluctantly complied .

The moment he touched the thing to stow it away , a small brand appeared on his hand .

Drop this egg into the Twilight Chasm . Never take it out before you reach that place , or the brand will kill you . Take off your Spatial Ring , and it will kill you as well . Ignore the mission , and you will die in three years , - the voice continued , and the next moment the surroundings returned to normal .

Only a final warning echoed out in his mind as Zac looked around in fear . - Do not tell my disciple about the details of this mission , or the brand will kill you . -

Zac looked down at the blue mark on his hand as it faded away , knowing he was deep in it now . The Twilight Chasm was in the absolute deepest part of the Twilight Ocean , the place where only the most powerful people could reach . The pressure from the immense Twilight Energy at that place would kill most men in a heartbeat .

However , he didn't even get a chance to react to the shocking events before a large rune appeared a few hundred meters away , after which a dozen warriors stepped out . Zac's first reaction was to flee , but he quickly calmed down when he saw the robes the warriors were wearing . It was an enforcement squad directly under the Twilight Lord , which explained why they could appear in this remote sector so easily .

Young master , may I ask what transpired here…? - the Revenant captain asked as the Human fearfully looked around .

I was attacked by a Hegemon on my way back from the auction , - Zac sighed . - My Dao Guard had to step forward . -

That was obviously bullshit , but it was simpler this way than telling the truth . As for the guards , there was no way to tell . They had probably been sent here to see which Monarch had made a move , and when they saw he was a pureblood Draugr they wouldn't want to get too involved .

I see , - the Guard Captain nodded . - Do young master require any assistance? -

He’s dead now , - Zac shrugged . - But he destroyed my vessel and I don’t have a spare . Can you send me to my residence? -

Certainly , - the Revenant quickly nodded as he took out a large flying treasure .

Zac jumped onto the vessel he used as the living members of the City Guard flew away . The Revenant captain wasted no time as he set out toward the hotel , with his soldiers acting as private guards to Zac as they formed a War Array around him . This was obviously just some grandstanding considering there was a hidden Monarch guarding Zac for all they knew , but Zac believed they definitely couldn’t let a Pureblood Draugr get attacked twice in short order without getting in trouble .

As they closed in on the hotel , Zac went over the series of events , trying to discern whether he had exposed any large secrets . Thankfully , he believed he hadn’t made any big mistakes . There were no special hints from using Force of the Void] , but he had rotated his Miasma for a while to hide the truth of his Bloodline Talent .

He might have leaked out some aura of Annihilation , but Catheya's master shouldn't be too surprised even if he had sensed it . Vilari clearly bore those marks on her face , and he had released terrifying amounts of Annihilation during his rampage in Base Town . For all Catheya knew , all of them were connected to the Dao of Oblivion through Be'Zi .

As for everything else , Zac would have to slowly go over it later . First and foremost , how was he supposed to survive going to the most dangerous place in the Twilight Ocean?

Chapter 695 : Breaking Shackles

Getting stuck with such a deadly mission was a shock , but it wasn’t like Zac hadn’t thought of heading over to the Twilight Chasm before . After all , it was the endpoint of the Twilight Ocean , the spot where the greatest treasures could be found .

The Twilight Ocean was essentially an enormous planet where you started on a continent on one pole , while the Twilight Chasm was on the other end . The description wasn’t exactly true though , as the realm itself was somehow layered in ways that Zac couldn’t understand . It was possible to enter a stream that shot through the ocean , and suddenly find yourself on what should be the opposite side of the Mystic Realm , saving months of travel time .

Finding the Twilight Chasm was easy , but only the best of the best could survive in that place . The Twilight Energy alone was enough to instantly corrode the souls of 99% of all participants , but that was just the start . There would also be extremely powerful Peak E-grade beasts patrolling the waters , and you also had to contend with all the peak power trial takers . Zac had only planned on going if he felt confident about his survival .

But now he was essentially given what could be considered a suicide mission , and Zac struggled to understand why Catheya’s master would give him a task like this . His mother’s array was supposed to hide any details of his cultivation inside his body , making him appear completely bland through some unknown means . Yet Catheya’s master seemed to believe him able to reach the very depths of the Mystic Realm , something that most likely was impossible even for his own disciple .

Zac doubted that a peak C-grade Monarch would be so roundabout if he simply wanted Zac dead . Perhaps he believed that Zac would be able to resist the ambient energy long enough to at least reach the Chasm , completing the task before he succumbed . Or perhaps he had found something indicating an ability to exceed expectations inside the Twilight Ocean when scanning Zac previously . Had his desperate escape from the Hegemon been so impressive he felt that Zac had what it took to reach the end? It was impossible to tell .

It was also suspicious that he didn’t want his disciple to know what was going on . Was it just that he didn’t want his disciple heading for the dangerous Twilight Chasm , or was there more at play beneath the surface? Zac felt it was all related to the secondary mission Catheya mentioned , but he still had absolutely no idea what that entailed .

Ultimately , he didn’t have much choice but to follow through . The blue mark on his hand had already sunk into his body , and Zac couldn’t even sense it any longer . He tried activating Spiritual Anchor] , but there were no signs of its whereabouts at all . An E-grade skill was simply too low-graded to expose a Peak C-grade mark .

The good news was that he didn’t immediately need to set out to the Chasm , even though it felt pretty bad walking around with that ominous thing in his Spatial Ring . He could spend a year or two working on his cultivation inside the trial and only then set out toward the depths . He was already at the precipice of evolving his Fragment of the Axe , and when adding the Life-Death Pearls he was slated for a huge powerup .

The enforcement squad eventually reached the platform , and they actually led Zac all the way to his courtyard just to be safe .

We have been given a new order , - the Revenant said . - Two captains will be stationed outside your courtyard , and they will accompany young master up until the trial . Don’t worry , we will not impede on your daily life . -

Thank you , - Zac nodded , and the guard captain sat down a hundred meters away from the gate , closing his eyes in meditation .

The VIP-Treatment might be because of Catheya's master , or it might just be protocol . The Council probably didn't want Monarchs running rampant in the harbor , and keeping the young elites out of trouble was a good way to help keep the peace . In either case , it would be a relief to have two Hegemons following as a deterrent . Otherwise , he’d be hard-pressed to go out again .

Unfortunately , it looked like the leisurely days of traveling around on Nala’s dingy vessel were over . He would have to let her go , as to not get her involved in his mess . He and Vilari were only temporary guests , but Nala would have to make do in this place even after he left .

I don’t want to be disturbed for the rest of the week , - Zac said as he turned to an attendant that stood waiting by the gate to his courtyard .

Certainly , young master , - the early E-grade Revenant quickly nodded . - If you have the need for any of our services feel free to contact us through the communication array installed by the gate . -

One thing , - Zac said after some thought . - Do you have any allies among the Dreamers , someone reliable who can complete a few errands on the Life-attuned islands? -

That’s… - the attendant said as he glanced at the guards who still hadn't left the area . - Security is quite strict around this time… -

Oh , nothing like that , - Zac snorted . - I just need someone to make some purchases for me , but I don’t want to visit those life-attuned places myself . It has to be someone who has access to premier establishments . -

I will ask my manager , - the assistant nodded , but his face indicated that this shouldn’t be a hard request to field .

Good , have the person visit me in one week , - Zac said and the Revenant quickly bowed as he closed the gates to his courtyard .

Zac activated a series of isolation arrays the moment he closed the doors . The arrays were clearly of high quality as he had never sensed a ripple of energy from his surroundings . He couldn’t sense the Hegemon or his soldiers waiting outside either . They were definitely enough to shield his activities as well , but he also erected a private array for his own peace of mind .

Of course , if someone like Catheya’s master wanted to spy on him , there was probably not much he could do about it . Thankfully , he wasn’t planning on doing anything he desperately needed to hide over the following days .

What happened? - Vilari asked with worry when she saw Zac’s harried form .

He had some shallow wounds as his robes were tattered in various places , though the tears were fast mending . He had long since upgraded the Tool Spirit robes he bought from Yrial , and with the help of the Gemlings back home he had managed to infuse a burgeoning intelligence in the Tool Spirit . It was still a far cry from Verun , but it was a step in the right direction .

He had also unlocked the third skill of the robes , which was a transformation ability . It had allowed him to turn the previously white robe into a black-and-silver cut that suited his Draugr persona far better . Its defensive properties were worse than his own body and his skills though , but Zac knew that Yrial used these robes more for the aesthetic than its properties . You'd need a peak-quality defensive Spirit Tool for its skills to be of use to someone like Zac .

That changed at D-grade though . Reaching D-grade meant gaining the ability to power your equipment with the vast energy stored in your Cultivator's Core . Only then could even normal Defensive Equipment produce effects strong enough to match that of proper skills . That was also another reason why it was so hard to kill Hegemons ; even the poorest of the bunch had scrounged up for at least one or two D-grade defensive items that could block powerful strikes .

A few items appeared that I really needed at the auction , - Zac sighed as he waved away Vilari's ministrations . - I drew too much attention and was attacked on the way home . -

Should we return home? - Vilari asked .

I can’t , - Zac slowly sighed . - Catheya’s master personally intervened , but he forced me into completing a mission inside the Twilight Ocean . I’ll die if I go back to Earth now . -

That bolt of ice… Was that him? - Vilari asked , a bit of killing intent leaking out from her body .

You sensed it? - Zac asked with surprise , considering how far away the battle took place .

It was like the universe was cut in two… Monarchy… - she mumbled with a frown .

We’ll get there sooner or later , - Zac smiled . - I’ll give him a good thrashing when I reach that point . But for now , I need to enter seclusion for a bit . -

The auction had ended just four hours ago , but Zac couldn’t wait to start using the things he had bought . The recent events only reinforced the fact that he needed to get stronger , and quickly .

I will wait outside , - the Vilari said as Zac entered the basement where a sealed cultivation chamber was built . - Let me know if I can do anything to help . -

Zac didn’t waste any time after the vault-like door closed behind him . He replaced the complimentary prayer mat with a peak-quality mat he bought the other day and lit three sticks of incense around it . The room was immediately filled with an earthy herbal aroma , and Zac felt his mind enter a state of tranquility as the waves in his Soul Sea noticeably stilled .

The sticks were called Serenity Incense] and were among the cheaper items he had prepared for today . Their effect wasn’t anything special except helping one keep a calm and steady mind , which could lessen the risk of mishaps during breakthroughs . He originally wasn’t planning on using them just for eating a bunch of pills and treasures , but he was still a bit shaken after coming face to face to not only a Hegemon but also a Peak Monarch .

His frazzled mind was quickly soothed by the aroma and the mat , and he soon took out the Stone of Hope] and hung it around his neck next to Love’s Bond] . He didn’t really feel anything different from equipping the item , except a slight cooling sensation . There was a brief information crystal provided with the purchase , and it said that he didn’t need to do anything except to keep the thing on his body for it to work . Zac wasn’t too sure whether it would help when eating treasures though , since it was designed to help when forcibly breaking open nodes .

The next thing Zac took out was one of the first things he bought at the auction ; the three Fruit of Awakening] . Zac immediately pushed the first one into his mouth and swallowed after chewing a few times . Nothing happened for a second , but Zac suddenly felt a sharp pang of pain in his gut . He hunched over with a grunt , but the prickling pain just increased in severity over the following minutes .

One moment it felt like he would soil his pants , but the next it felt like he would vomit as waves of warmth spread through his limbs . Meanwhile , it was like his pathways were on fire . Zac didn’t panic though , as he knew this would happen . His whole body was coming - alive’ , where largely ornamental organs regained their function .

The process lasted for three hours , at which point the process started to ebb down . Zac was elated to see that his Pathways were a lot wider by this point , but he still hadn’t reached D-grade race . So Zac simply walked into an adjoining bathroom and doused himself to get rid of some extremely pungent impurities before he returned into the room and swallowed his second fruit .

Another wave of awakening spread through his body , but the worst of the pain had already passed . Some more gunk was squeezed out of his pores over the next two hours , but that was about it . His pathways had grown a few percent wider again , yet he still hadn’t evolved . Zac wasn’t deterred , and he swallowed his third and last fruit .

If this wasn't enough he’d start cramming pills down his throat , even if those things added impurities rather than removed him . The hours passed , and waves of warmth altered with pangs of cold . Zac wasn’t able to tell if the last fruit would be enough , but he suddenly felt a deep thump in his chest as the unmoving sludge in his veins started to move .

It was his heartbeat , a real one . It wasn’t his Hidden Node waking up or anything , but rather the final organ in his body activating . And as the black ichor started to move through his veins , so did his organs truly wake up . It felt amazing and uncomfortable at once , and he couldn’t help but look down at his body .

As expected , there still wasn’t any life force at all even though he had a pulse and - blood’ that coursed through his veins . Life could really take any form in the Multiverse . It was no wonder most people considered the Soul the true core of a life , where the body was just a vessel to contain it . Zac took another shower to remove the last of the gunk , after which he had mostly acclimatized with his new state of being .

Zac inspected his form , and he had to admit that he felt marvelous , honestly even more so than he did in his human form . Draugr really lived up to their reputation . Until now his Undead side had felt pretty much the same as his human , but that wasn’t exactly true any longer .

His pathways were both thicker and sturdier in his Draugr form . A few revolutions indicated that the speed at which he could move his Miasma was almost 30% greater than in his human form , which meant that he would be 30% faster at activating skills .

Not only that , but his skin was extremely durable . It was soft to the touch , but he actually couldn’t pierce it with most of his weapons . It was like he had gained a new layer of protection from his body alone , without the aid of skills like Innate Ward] . Finally , his energy reserves were massive . It was like if his human side provided 1 unit of Cosmic Energy per attribute point , then his Draugr side provided 1 . 3 units of Miasma per point .

In other words , his energy pool was thirty percent larger than a normal human’s , and a normal Revenant’s from what Zac guessed . It might not really increase his direct combat potential , but it was still a shocking advantage over normal cultivators . It would allow him to activate far larger skills and to last in combat a lot longer , and it drastically reduced the drawback of his new movement skill .

He knew that Humans were considered a pretty lowly race in the multiverse , where their only advantage was their huge numbers . Until now he hadn’t really felt his human heritage to be a detriment , but it was clear that more powerful races had all kinds of benefits that might not be immediately discernable from a status screen .

If this was the advantage after just reaching D-grade race , what about the higher stages? Would the difference just keep increasing over time?

Zac was a bit surprised though . He had already somewhat come to terms with the fact that Robert Atwood wasn’t his biological father , and that Leandra had done some sort of extensive modification of his body . She said herself that she was the one who implanted the Specialty Core in him , which accidentally got triggered by the Draugr-samples that the Corpselord general Mhal used as a weapon .

So why wasn’t his human side any stronger?

Leandra even looked down on his undead half from the sounds of it , yet it was far better suited for cultivation than his human side . As far as he could tell , the only special point about his original state was that his survivability , recovery , and energy resistance were better than normal . But his attribute cap and his ability to gain attributes from Attribute Fruits were just at the level of a peak human .

There was no easy answer to that question with his mother being long gone , but it begged the question if there was some way for him to improve his human constitution . After all , this issue should be something all human factions had to deal with , and perhaps there were methods to improve one’s base quality . Perhaps he could form a life constitution to match his Draugr form .

Zac shook his head . That was all a question for later . For now , he had finally become a D-grade Draugr , which meant it was time for him to make another push forward . He took out another box with anticipation , and a small pill inside rested on a velvet bed . It was deep purple , with golden flakes swirling inside , and it emitted a dense fragrance that made his newly awakened body scream with hunger .

It was the Aethergate Pill] , the third item he bought from the auction , and Zac immediately swallowed the first of the batch .

Chapter 696 : Aethergate

Zac had been worried until now that any pill he’d swallow would be insufficient to provide the energy needed to break open a middle-stage node since his foundation made things ten times harder compared to the average cultivator . Thankfully , those fears were instantly dispelled just a second after swallowing the Aethergate Pill] .

The leveling pill was Pseudo D-grade , and it showed considering the shocking amount of energy it contained . It was like eating something like twenty of the pills he used back when he had just evolved . The pill formed a cool swirling whirlpool had appeared in his body , but Zac felt a pang of pain even when the Pill Energy wasn’t chaotic at all .

The pill was simply meant for Late E-grade elite cultivators , those who needed a shocking amount of energy for each level . It was a bit foolhardy to eat them at level 101 , but Zac knew his constitution could take it . The Pill Vortex rapidly shrunk into a size no larger than a button , but it still retained the same amount of energy as before as it moved toward the next node .

It was located on his shoulder just like his last one , but this time on the left side . It was just a few centimeters away from the pathways of what formerly was Cyclic Strike] , and Zac looked on with rapt attention as the whirlpool burrowed into the Node . Zac felt a slight pain as the Pill Vortex gradually cleansed and empowered the node . It was like the whirlpool acted as a motor that kickstarted the slow swirl that already existed inside , while also feeding it a boatload of energy .

After a few moments , Zac felt a snap as the node fully opened , and a radiating wave of pain spread out through his body as a small gash appeared on his back . It was like he had been struck by lightning and his pathways had become a conduit . The feeling was all-too-familiar ; the backlash of opening a node . It was just a shadow of the agony that had left him bedridden for months when reaching level 101 , but it still caused some sweat to run down his forehead .

It was no wonder it took Catheya a full decade to enter the late stages of the E-grade even when having a Peak Monarch to assist in the process . Zac felt he would be able to keep going for a while , but any dreams of rushing straight through the middle E-grade with his Pseudo D-grade pills were instantly dashed the moment he saw the damage to his foundations .

The Stone of Hope] didn’t seem to help either . He had hoped that it would lessen the damage , but it really looked like it was more of a fateward-type item that protected against deadly harm when cultivating . Opening a node with a pill was just the standard path of leveling and not something where this odd treasure would assist with . Chainbreaking Pills] might help , but the damage wasn’t big enough to warrant the cost of using those things unless he was actually forcing open the nodes .

The good news was that the Pill Energy wasn’t exhausted even after opening a full node . It looked like it wanted to keep infusing the recently opened node with energy , but Zac rather pushed the vortex toward the next node instead . Meanwhile , Purity of the Void] was already working on overdrive , steadily preventing at least some of the Pill Toxicity from settling into the depths of his cells .

The second node was slightly below his shoulder-blade to the side , and opening it would definitely have punctured a lung if forced open . Another wave of pain erupted through his body an hour later , and Zac spat out some black ichor as he inspected his state . The physical damage was still nothing worth mentioning , but the intangible damage had superimposed on the first set of wounds , together creating more harm than they would do on their own .

Zac pushed the pain away as the Aethergate Pill] still wasn’t done , and he urged it to set the foundations for breaking open the third node before its energy was exhausted . The pill had absolutely exceeded his expectations , though so had the pain . Not even cultivators had it easy , it seemed . Zac took a ragged breath before he took out a Supreme-Grade Miasma Crystal .

He also popped a top-quality healing pill as he started absorbing the huge amount of Miasma within the Miasma Crystal . The nodes were opened , but he had actually not gained the levels just yet . The healing pills wouldn’t really work on the hidden damage to his foundations , but it would at least patch up the wounds .

There was also some damage to the pathways around his opened nodes , and Zac spent three hours redrawing them with the help of Spiritual Anchor] . It took two full days to fill the two Nodes , even when using the Supreme Miasma Crystals which were so energy-dense that they caused Zac some pain as they flooded through his pathways .

But it was worth it . He wasn’t in a rush this time , and this way he’d avoid accumulating any unnecessary Pill Toxins . When he ate a bunch of pills just when reaching E-grade he had used pills for the process , but that was because he was flying toward the Dead Zone . This time there was still almost two months before the Twilight Ascent started .

If anything , he didn’t want to leave the courtyard at all since there might be more thieves and assassins roaming about . After seeing how things progressed he had Vilari send a command to delay the meeting with whichever living attendant the hotel could enlist before he continued the process .

One node after another was opened and then filled with Miasma over the next ten days . Unfortunately , it was like a wedge had been inserted into Zac’s body , and every node being cracked open added a hit of a sledgehammer to that wedge . Eventually , Zac was forced to stop , lest the wedge cracked him in two . The hidden damage he had accumulated by that point was pretty serious , though far from the debilitating effect of doing things like a mortal .

Zac knew that he was just at the precipice of causing some real damage , but he should be fine as long as he took things easy until the Twilight Ascent started . After that , he would only have to wait for a few months before he could start another round of pill-popping . Because thankfully , while the accumulated damage had reached his limits , neither had the Pill Toxicity or his immunity .

It felt a bit bad to stop prematurely , but the gains were still quite substantial . In fact , they were even better than what Zac had expected considering he had already reached Middle E-grade . Zac opened up his status screen , and a smile spread across his face when he saw the result .

Name

Zachary Atwood

Level

109

Class

E-Epic] Fetters of Desolation

Race

D] Draugr - Void Emperor (Corrupted)

Alignment

Earth] Port Atwood - Planetary Lord

Titles

Born for Carnage , Ultimate Reaper , Luck of the Draw , Giantsbane , Disciple of David , Overpowered , Slayer of Leviathans , Adventurer , Demon Slayer I , Full of Class , Rarified Being , Trailblazer , Child of Dao , The Big 500 , Planetary Aegis , One Against Many , Butcher , Progenitor Noblesse , Duplicity Core , Apex Hunter , Heaven's Chosen , Scion of Dao , Omnidextrous , Eastern Trigram Hunt - 1st , Tyrannic Force , Achievement Hunter , The First Step , Promising Specialist , Tower of Eternity - 8th Floor , Heaven's Triumvirate , Fated , Peak Power , Monarch-Select , Frontrunner , Apex Progenitor , Pathstrider

Limited Titles

Tower of Eternity Sector All-Star - 14th , Weight of Sin , Equanimity , Heart of Fire , Big Axe Gladiator

Dao

Fragment of the Axe - High , Fragment of the Coffin - High , Fragment of the Bodhi - High

Core

E] Duplicity

Strength

5008 Increase : 105% . Efficiency : 228%]

Dexterity

2373 Increase : 75% . Efficiency : 187%]

Endurance

4373 Increase : 96% . Efficiency : 228%]

Vitality

3255 Increase : 84% . Efficiency : 228%]

Intelligence

1176 Increase : 69% . Efficiency : 187%]

Wisdom

2211 Increase : 76% . Efficiency : 187%]

Luck

397 Increase : 91% . Efficiency : 197%]

Free Points

80

Nexus Coins

D] 938 716

Eight levels just from cramming pills down his throat over two weeks was a pretty damn good result , considering he just managed to gain five levels during his first round of pill-stuffing in the early E-grade . The boost in attributes was significant as well , pushing his attribute total by 10% , with most of them focused on his main attributes . And he still had eight levels worth of attributes to pick up from his human side .

Unfortunately , there was no way for him to quickly elevate his human levels at the moment . He definitely wouldn’t break the seal on his Duplicity Core in this place , especially after the attention Catheya’s master had given him . However , there would hopefully be a chance for him to sneak off and gain the levels after entering the Twilight Ocean .

Zac hesitated a bit about what to do with his free points , but he eventually put 40 of them into Strength to push it to 5 , 090 . Unfortunately , he wasn’t rewarded any title for passing 5 , 000 points in any attribute . He had hoped for something like his Promising Specialist-title , but perhaps such a title would need 10 , 000 points in a single attribute , if there even was a title that could stack with his old one .

He put the rest of his free points into Dexterity before he closed the status screen and walked out to where Vilari still sat , this time surrounded by the soothing haze from an incense stick .

Are you okay? - Vilari asked as she turned her head toward him . - Your aura is a bit unstable . -

Gaining levels isn’t risk-free even when taking pills it seems , - Zac said as he sat down next to her with a grunt . - The gains were good though . -

I’m glad to see young master finally getting rid of the bottleneck , - Vilari smiled . - A living Hegemon Courier will arrive in 20 hours . -

Great , - Zac nodded .

There’s also this , - Vilari added and handed him a couple of Cosmos Sacks and a Communication Crystal .

The Cosmos Sacks held the custom orders he had placed during his shopping spree , and they contained everything from arrays and array breakers to customized gear for his followers back home .

The most important arrays were obviously the arrays required for the Nine Reincarnations Manual] . Kenzie had already managed to create them before she was taken , but the array disks she made were as large as a tennis court and they still contained some errors . But this time he had prepared everything for both his second and third reincarnation .

The arrays meant for the fourth reincarnation were impossible to have made though since they required specific materials that weren’t available in the Twilight Harbor .

The disks he had commissioned were made by a Peak Hegemon Array Master . The Elemental had managed to squeeze the arrays onto disks no larger than the size of his palm . Furthermore , they were engraved on extremely valuable materials , making them perfect conductors of energy and almost impossible to break .

Unfortunately , it was impossible for him to work toward the second Reincarnation at the moment . Each level added more stringent requirements on the cultivation environment . He would probably be able to use the arrays back in his cultivation cave , but not here in some random courtyard . Perhaps he would be able to make use of the weird Twilight Energy inside the Mystic Realm , but he wasn’t too sure he would be relaxed enough to sit around and cultivate his soul .

The second most important arrays he'd ordered were the set of E-grade Fractal Framework Arrays] . It was the best mobile array for skill evolution he could get his hands on , and half of them were even modified to especially tailor to his Axe- and Coffin Daos and class archetype . One could even tailor the arrays to his pathways and skill fractals , but he wasn’t willing to display those to the Array Masters , no matter what kind of confidentiality agreement they had .

He still wasn’t quite ready to perform a manual upgrade of his F-grade skills , but the Twilight Ascent would last three years unless he left early . He needed to be prepared just in case .

As for the Communication Crystal , it came from Catheya . Zac scanned its contents and snorted with a mix of annoyance and helplessness . She thanked him for providing such great company and entertainment , and she also gave out some praises for his adroit usage of his newly acquired skills . More importantly , Catheya also called him for a meeting to meet the rest of the squad members , but that wasn’t for another month .

Zac spent the rest of the day getting used to his evolved body , and he couldn’t help but marvel at how good it was . And this was without the Hidden Nodes and bloodline talents of the Draugr-bloodline . He could absolutely understand why Revenant clans were so desperate to add some noble genes into their family line .

He also surreptitiously experimented a bit with his Force of the Void] , and he was a bit surprised to realize that it didn’t quite match the energy reserve boosts he got from his Race Upgrade . In fact , he only got half of it . Zac’s best guess was that it was because of his human side . His bloodline was split between both his Human and Draugr halves , and it looked like his Bloodline Talent provided a reserve equivalent to 27% of his average energy storage capabilities .

That was both good news and bad news . Bad in the sense that he wouldn’t get the most out of the Bloodline Talent in his undead form . Good in the sense that it probably meant his human side benefitted from this situation , which was especially nice considering he used more energy-hungry skills there .

It was also interesting in the sense that this was the first time one of his sides could benefit the other , apart from the attribute gain that is . Of course , there was no way for him to test out whether his theory was correct until he could freely swap between his classes .

The hours passed , and Zac eventually heard a chime at his gate , indicating that the courier had arrived . Vilari opened the gate , and Zac saw a woman accompanied by the two enforcement captains .

Young master , - the pale woman said with a nod , and Zac couldn’t help but do a double-take as he let her the trio into the courtyard .

Zac would definitely have guessed that the middle-aged woman in front of him was a Revenant if not for the weak hints of life-force hidden within a storm of murky energies . Zac didn’t know why , but force made him think of Leviala’s eyes . Was this woman perhaps a hexmaster gravitating toward the Daos of Death? That would explain why she leaned toward the unliving factions .

I heard Young Master was looking for someone to make a few purchases among the living establishments? - she said as she nervously glanced at the two captains whose eyes never left her body .

No offense , but are you even able to get into the pill houses of the Dreamers? - Zac asked hesitantly .

Truth be told , I cannot do business with the treemen . They are the race with the most… inflexible convictions . But the others won’t mind me cultivating in death . There’s too many of us like this , - she said . - Bad business to turn all that money away . -

You come recommended by this establishment , - Zac said as he took out a crystal . - I need everything on this list . -

The woman nodded and scanned the contents , and her eyes widened a bit at the numbers .

The purchase order Zac had prepared was nowhere close to what he had bought until now , but it was still a pretty huge amount of resources . Most of it was peak-quality items such as Supreme Divine Crystals or hard-to-find pills . There was none of the more common stuff though , as Zac could buy all those things at a huge discount back in the Zecia sector .

Still , the total value of the items was almost 2 , 000 D-grade Nexus coins .

This requires a few days and a massive amount of capital , - the hexmaster hesitated .

I’ll pay you 2 , 000 Nexus Coins for the items in the list , half upfront . Your remuneration depends on how good deals you can find . I’ll pay you the rest upon delivery of the items , - Zac said . - Are you amenable to these terms? -

This… Alright , - she eventually nodded .

Zac guessed that go-between parties like the hexmaster had their connections , and she would likely get a kick-back on the purchases . Even if she just got a one percent commission from the pill house , she’d still make 10 D-grade nexus coins , a great salary for a few days of errands . The only issue was whether she had the ability to fork out 1 , 000 D-grade Nexus Coins until she got paid , and it was a bit of a test from Zac .

If she didn’t have those kinds of reserves , she might not even be able to gain access to some of the items he needed .

The two signed a contract , and the hexmaster disappeared a moment later , leaving only a rune hovering in the air for a few seconds before it dissipated . Zac could somewhat tell that it was a trap . Not for him , particularly , but rather as part of her movement skill . Anyone who touched that rune would probably be exposed to the hexmaster , who could throw out a curse remotely .

The two guard captains nodded in Zac’s direction before they returned to their position outside .

What now? - Vilari asked after she closed the gate .

Well , we’re pretty free for a while , - Zac said after some thought . - How about we take advantage of our bodyguards and go sightsee a bit? -

Chapter 697 : Coming Alive

Zac had accomplished everything he set out to do with some time to spare , which left him and his follower with over a month of free time .

How about we visit a restaurant to celebrate your success? - Vilari suggested .

My body is only partly awake , - Zac smiled . - I still need to reach Peak E-grade for my organs to be like the living’s . But it should be possible for me to eat and drink by now . -

The ability to eat and drink was obviously not as exciting for Zac as it was for the real undead , but he was still a bit curious . So he took out one of the bottles of spiritual wine in his Spatial Ring to test the waters . He took a swig , and he was happy to feel the burn in his throat and a very weak buzz .

However , he blanched when he felt the taste , which could best be described as diaper-left-in-sun . Zac spat out the wine before he looked at the bottle with a mix of confusion and disgust . It was brewed with F-grade grapes grown on the main island of Port Atwood , and it was bottled just a year ago . Had it already gone bad?

I read that tastes are quite different between the living and undead , even after our senses awaken , - Vilari said with a slight smile as she took out a crystal decanter with a light blue wine . - I prepared this for this very occasion , have a taste . -

Zac spat a few more times and rinsed his mouth with some water before he gratefully took the decanter and a glass . When he poured it up it gave off an earthy fragrance which made Zac think of the forest after rain . He took a sip , and he had to admit it tasted great . Zac guessed it had to have been brewed with some fruits with Death Attuned energies since he felt a slight surge spread through his body .

Delicious , - Zac sighed as he leaned back and looked up at the entrance to the Twilight Ocean .

Innumerable ships scuttled back and forth through the void , and that was just a fraction of the activity happening on the various platforms . Hundreds of billions of life held together by the Twilight Rivers and a Mystic Realm . Life and death intermingling . Zac looked up at the spectacle as a warm buzz from the wine spread through his body .

It all felt very beautiful , and Zac actually felt himself almost choke up a bit at the thought , prompting him to look down at the liquor with confusion .

It's not really the wine that's affecting your mental state , - Vilari laughed , and the scene actually made Zac's heart beat an extra time . - It's your being coming alive . -

Zac immediately understood what was going on , and he took a calming breath as he stabilized his mind . It felt like his senses were enhanced , or perhaps rather magnified , and the same was true for his moods . His emotions had always been a bit muted in his undead form , but they now felt clearer than ever .

This wasn’t actually anything unique to him , he just hadn't noticed anything different until the wine had pushed the effect a bit further . He already knew that most undead had some trouble adjusting to this new state of being , which sometimes resulted in unwanted physical responses . After all , low-tier undead were essentially energy beings that used an unliving body as a receptacle for their souls and ichor . Zac had simply figured that this period of acclimatization wouldn't happen to him since he was more used to having a living breathing body than not .

Still , the effect wasn't overly powerful , and Zac got used to the difference in no time . Still , he was a bit embarrassed since Vilari had no doubt sensed the fluctuations in his soul when he looked over in her direction .

What do you think of this place? - Zac asked to change the subject . - Do you think this is the direction our home will take? -

I hope not , - Vilari answered after some thought .

Oh? - Zac said with surprise .

This place is ultimately no different compared to the Zecia sector . It’s just Living Factions and Undead Factions living in the same area . They only tolerate each other’s existence because of the uniqueness of the Twilight Ocean . I pray that our world will not turn into this . I hope that our people one day can integrate with the others , - Vilari explained .

Zac sighed and nodded , though he didn’t know if that was even possible . Then again , that fusion was the very thing his own cultivation path required , and the direction in which Earth’s World Core was heading . Then again , Be'Zi had found a husband among the living , so it wasn't a completely ridiculous concept .

Don’t mind my rambling , - Vilari added as she turned to Zac . - I understand the problems you and our planet are facing . It’s impossible for the Einherjar to walk in the light right now . But I hope that one day young master reaches such a height that you can follow your own wishes , rather than having to worry about what outsiders think . I don’t feel there is any shame in being undead , and I don’t feel that anything is stopping the living and dead from working together . -

You’re right , - Zac agreed . - I’ll try my best . -

The two sat and enjoyed the view for another hour before Zac felt his body stabilized enough to go out .

With his two Hegemon guards wearing the livery of the Twilight Lord himself he was safer than ever , especially among those who knew who he actually was . That spear of ice had been visible through half of Twilight Harbor , and Hegemons and Monarchs alike knew the power it represented . Even in a place like this , there would probably be fewer than five Peak Monarchs , all of them outsiders from the B-grade empires .

Catheya’s master hadn’t mentioned anything about continuously protecting him , but Zac still felt he probably would keep an eye out since Zac still carried that weird egg-like item in his Spatial Ring .

Seeing as it would take the courier a while to complete her tasks , Zac spent the next few days taking in the sights with Vilari . The first place they visited was an orchestra of Musical Cultivators , and Zac was blown away by the performance . It almost felt like he had an epiphany as he listened to the haunting melodies , and they conjured all kinds of imagery in his mind .

They also visited a few restaurants , though only Zac could eat while Vilari just kept him company . Having food prepared solely with spiritual materials , from the vegetables to the meat to the spices , and then having it all prepared by skilled chefs was an almost otherworldly experience .

Zac had always somewhat looked down on those who gave up on their cultivation after reaching a certain stage , but was this kind of life really so bad? As long as you got powerful enough you could enjoy this kind of transcendent lifestyle for millennia . Of course , that life was ultimately not for him . He had too many people depending on him for him to retire early .

Besides , he felt that these kinds of experiences paled compared to the feeling of pushing his cultivation and insights forward . To evolve his Dao was to become more in tune with the universe , and to gain a level was to take a step toward perfection . How could good food and entertainment rival those sensations?

The Hexmaster returned after three days with every single item on the list accounted for , which meant that everything was prepared before the Twilight Ascent . There were still 50 days until the trial started , and Zac only had to meet up with Catheya once apart from focusing on his cultivation . He could probably evolve his Fragment of the Axe at any time with the help of one or two of his Dao Fruits , but he held off on it .

The System-sanctioned trial was related to the Dao , and it would be a bit stupid if he evolved his fragment prematurely only to find out that the task was to make as many breakthroughs as possible . Instead , he focused on improving his combat style when he wasn’t touring the city . There was only so much he could do right now though , since swinging his axe into thin air or even sparring with the Hegemon captains was just mimicry of real battle .

He needed some spark of inspiration to improve further .

Luckily , there was one place that might provide just that , and Zac had the captains escort him and Vilari to a massive coliseum on a platform pretty close to the center of the Twilight Harbor . It was there that the qualifiers to the Twilight Ascent were being held , and a thousand battles raged at any given moment .

It would normally be impossible to see the battles clearly from the stands , but the coliseum was equipped with a pretty magical illusion array . Any battle that Zac focused on was somehow enlarged so that he could see it clearly even if it was kilometers away .

There were all kinds of battles to spectate . Undead fought against undead , living against living , and the two sides often clashed as well . All the battles were frantic as winning might mean getting a ticket to the greatest opportunity in a millennium , but the battles between the living and the dead were extraordinarily ruthless .

You were not allowed to kill someone who had given up , and the judges tried to save lives when it was clear the battle was over . But how often did people get the opportunity to throw in the towel when you were going all out to seize victory? Life and death happened in the blink of an eye . Battles kept resulting in fatalities , much to the excitement of the crowd .

The qualifiers were not only a way to get an entrance token for E-grade cultivators , but it was also a showcase of strength between the living and the dead . After all , while this might be a grey zone , there were definitely some tensions running beneath the surface . It was just like Vilari said , the living and dead weren’t really living in harmony . They were just tolerating each other to reap the benefits of the Twilight Ocean .

Zac himself didn’t care about any of that but seeing so many battles gave him some inspiration . And he had to admit that he had underestimated the young elites of the Multiverse . Many of the true talents of the Twilight Harbor weren’t even participating in these qualifiers thanks to their reserved spots , but Zac still saw quite a few shocking battles over the two weeks he visited the coliseum with Vilari .

There were tens of thousands of cultivators he felt would push him extremely hard to come out ahead , and over a hundred he had absolutely no confidence winning against unless he managed to hit them with an Annihilation Sphere . The latter group was obviously made up of peak E-grade cultivators who had accumulated for over a century , but that fact didn’t help in a battle of life and death .

Six particular elites even pressured Zac almost as much as Iz Tayn did , the terrifying flame cultivator he encountered during the Battle of Fates . Against her , Zac hadn’t even dared fight . Only escape had been on his mind when he faced that lunatic . Of course , these six definitely had a significant level advantage against him , but their auras were still extremely condensed , far surpassing Catheya's .

There was only so much you could gain from watching strangers battle , and Zac eventually grew bored of looking at the endless carnage . He did however place an order for an intelligence missive on the top 10 , 000 contenders . It wouldn't hurt to memorize the names and faces of some of the individuals he needed to be careful around in the trial .

Since there still were a few days before the meeting with Catheya , he decided to visit set off to the mortician that she had recommended . It was at the outer edge of the Twilight Harbor , and it almost looked like he was visiting a military fortress rather than a business . There extremely powerful barriers protecting the area , and there were miasmic towers that radiated a power that made Zac's hair stand on end .

He knew that if he was blasted with the attacks stored in those things , not even ashes would remain .

What’s with the defenses? - Zac asked curiously as he turned to the Revenant captain .

Bodies are a contentious subject in the Twilight Harbor , - the captain smiled . - Some corpses put up for sale have once been members of the living clans . The Morticians modify the appearances of the unawakened , but their previous identities are sometimes exposed . This place suffers attacks almost every decade . -

Zac nodded in understanding as they passed through the barriers . The Twilight Harbor probably got a steady supply of bodies from all over , but sourcing locally was ultimately the easiest . As demand for new followers was unending among the unliving clans , there would always be people desecrating graves or even killing youths to sell their corpses .

The Mortician had unfortunately already held a huge auction a month before Zac arrived to Twilight Harbor , leaving the stock a bit bare . but he still managed to buy ten thousand mid-quality E-grade corpses with no connection to the Undead Empire . He also bought 10 peak-quality corpses , each of them once belonging to a peak cultivator . The bodies were also all cleansed of any Karma and slightly enhanced with various means , especially the peak corpses .

Hopefully , they would have been turned into a promising troupe by the time he returned to Port Atwood .

Eventually , the day he was supposed to meet up with Catheya arrived , but there was one more thing he needed to do before heading over to the Eldritch Archivals . The Twilight Ascent started in two weeks , so it was time to send Vilari back to Earth .

He had the enforcers take them to the teleportation platform , where he transferred the funds necessary to teleport back , along with another 500 D-grade Nexus Coins to be added to the town coffers just in case . He also gave her the eight enormous Spatial Rings containing all the resources he didn’t need for himself .

I’ll leave the Einherjar in your hands , - Zac said as they stood outside one of the teleporters . - Don’t tell anyone that I’ll be stuck in the Mystic Realm for up to three years . I don’t want people to get any foolish ideas while I’m gone . Give Joanna the rings meant for the… others . For the Einherjar , I leave it up to you . My only request , make them prove themselves if they want the resources . -

I’ll get it done , - Vilari said with a nod . - Don’t worry about Por . . . home . You have nurtured many talents who will keep everything running smoothly . Good luck in there . -

Zac nodded , and he watched on as the Mentalist disappeared in a flash of light , starting her two-week journey through the void . Only a few minutes later did he leave , heading straight for the Clan Sharva’Zi’s Dao Repository . He was a bit early , yet he found Catheya waiting outside the gates , dressed completely different from what he had seen before .

She usually donned cultivation dresses in darker overtones but was now clad in something a courtesan might wear . The dress was both snug and low cut , and her hair was held up with a few pins that gave her a very seductive aura . The ensemble was even more suggestive than what the sultry Revenant guide wore , and her appearance kept turning heads as customers walked back and forth . Of course , no one dared to get close as three Hegemon guards glared at anyone who looked her way .

The captains set down the vessels and waited outside as Zac walked over toward his employer with a slightly confused frown .

I see your cultivation session went well , - Catheya said with an impish smile as she slightly bent forward , showcasing an impressive amount of cleavage . - So , what do you think? -

Zac blankly looked at her with a mix of confusion and suspicion , wondering why she was suddenly trying to seduce him . Had his ability to escape the Hegemon been that dashing? And was undead courtship always this . . . blatant?

Their gazes were locked for a few seconds until Catheya’s expression started to sour as she looked at Zac up and down .

About what? - Zac eventually asked .

Nothing , - Catheya snorted with annoyance as her daring dress morphed into one that looked more like her normal attire before she started walking toward the closest entrance . - Cultivation moron . -

Only then did Zac realize what was going on . He had already felt the side effects of his body awakening . Catheya had probably figured out that he had bought the Fruit of Awakening] for himself , considering that it shouldn’t have been hard for her master to glean his body was still unawakened .

Was she hoping to make him blush or accidentally pop a boner like a hormonal teenager? Too bad for her he had already gone through puberty over two decades ago .

And it’s not possible that you’re simply not as mesmerizing as you believe? - Zac said with a small smile as he followed her into the building .

Absolutely impossible , - Catheya said with a shake of her head . - Varo couldn’t look in my direction for a month after evolving . -

Well , some have deviant tastes , - Zac shrugged , which awarded him with another baleful glare .

Of course , Zac knew that Catheya would be considered a beauty among Draugr . Unfortunately for her , Zac still mostly considered himself human . Looking into those abyssal orbs for eyes quenched any sort of desire instantly .

Well , whatever , - Catheya snorted as the two entered a chamber where five people already were waiting . - The others are already here . Come introduce yourself . -

Chapter 698 : Perennial Vastness

Zac floated in the emptiness of space next to Catheya , and his new allies formed a small clump in an endless sea of E-Grade cultivators . Thousands upon thousands of groups had gathered around him , in a roughly even mix between life and death . Of course , there were also millions of lone cultivators who were spread amongst the group , waiting for the Twilight Ascent to start .

The accumulated aura of over ten million warriors was something else , yet it was nothing compared to the one hundred thousand Hegemons who had gathered on the opposite side of the glowing star in front of him . Their frightful power could be sensed even at a distance of thousands of kilometers , and it was no wonder the two groups had been instructed to gather far away from each other .

The pressure didn't come just from afar though , as Zac sensed some auras nearby that could overpower his own . He even recognized a few faces from the intelligence missives he had prepared for the Trial .

Thankfully , one's aura wasn’t an exact measurement of combat power . With Zac’s accumulations and aces , he wasn’t a fish at a chopping block in front of even the greatest of E-grade warriors . Furthermore , those monstrous elites from the Undead Kingdoms or living Empires would hopefully head for the core of the Twilight Ocean while his group wouldn't pass the 70% mark according to Catheya .

Still , Zac estimated himself to be in the top quartile among the trial takers after looking around . If he could evolve his Dao Fragments and find some more opportunities over the next three years , he might even make it to the top percent , which would allow him to complete Va Tapek's , Catheya's Master , mission with some degree of success .

Zac was suddenly dragged out of his thoughts as two new people popped up out of nowhere , their arrival not even causing the slightest ripple of Cosmic Energy . The clamor in the area immediately died down , as these two demanded everyone’s undivided attention by their presence alone .

One was an ancient-looking treeman over thirty meters tall . On top of his head was a small tree crown with golden leaves , each of them covered in dense scripts . His body was generally humanoid in shape , with two legs and two arms , though his face was simply at the top of the trunk right beneath his crown . However , there were thousands of branches sprouting out from his back , forming an intricate diamond pattern .

But most striking was the vast aura of life he exuded .

His features somehow made him look old , but it felt like he would live forever going by his aura . It even felt like the glowing Twilight Ocean had dimmed in his presence . He was clearly a cultivator following some path of nature , and just looking at him made him feel like he was caught inside the energy emanations of the Dimensional Seed again .

However , it was just an illusion formed by his latent will . His aura was clearly restrained and it didn’t hurt anyone . Zac wasn’t actually inundated in any energies , since he would probably die if that happened . Furthermore , the powerful treeman wasn’t alone . Next to him stood a hooded being , looking almost like a fly next to the massive treant .

But his aura was just as shocking as the treant's , and Zac felt the grip of death clutching his heart when glancing in his direction . The air itself seemed like it was teetering on the brink of collapse from the force hidden within those robes .

It’s the Goldenleaf Monarch and Kaard’Es Venarun , the Moonblight Monarch , - Catheya said with a low voice . - Both are Middle-stage Monarchs and supreme elders of two of the council clans . I didn't expect such bigshots to appear today . -

Zac nodded in understanding . Didn’t know what force the treant was from , but he had heard of the Venarun Clan . The undead side of the council was manned by three clans , one Sect , and one Consortium , with the sect holding the greatest power . One of those clans was precisely the Venarun Clan , a local Revenant clan with some bloodline of the Izh'Rak Reavers .

Welcome , trial takers , - the Goldenleaf Monarch said with a smile . - The gates will open in a few moments , and the council wishes to make sure everyone understands the rules of the Twilight Ascent . Most of you are local talents chosen to represent your forces , but some are also faraway guests . -

The Twilight Energy will sap your energy , robbing you of your power . The Energy is unique and most likely modified by the Boundless Heavens . It will burrow into your body no matter whether you want it or not , and the amount is mostly based on your level and how deep into the ocean you have gone . There are various means to reduce its effect , but no method is as effective as improving yourself , - the treeman said . - Making breakthroughs and boosting your attribute pool will allow you to reach further , to gain more from this Trial . -

The laws are the same one as in the rest of the Multiverse , - the Moonblight Monarch continued with a rough voice , and Zac felt an almost primal fear just upon hearing him speak . - The law of the jungle . Kill , steal , and battle to your heart's content . Hone yourself through slaughter and mayhem . The council will not interfere . -

A dense killing intent spread through the whole zone as warriors surreptitiously glanced around . Cultivators who had reached the end of E-Grade all had blood on their hands , some far more than Zac himself . It was an unfortunate reality of the world ; cultivation didn’t only require time and Cosmic Energy .

It required a steely conviction and mental fortitude that would allow them to keep going down the same path for centuries and millennia . And that kind of mental strength couldn’t be cultivated inside a cultivation cave . It was gradually formed through risking one’s life and bloodshed . There might be a few beings in perfect tune with their path and with sublime mental states that didn’t require this kind of training , but those people were beyond rare in number .

Remember , the council will not have any opinions on your actions inside , but that doesn’t mean your actions have no consequences . Cause an undue amount of slaughter inside , and trouble might find you , either inside the trial or even the moment you exit . Furthermore , slaughtering the weak is a dead end with meager rewards . The true opportunities are waiting for you in the depths of the Twilight Ocean , - the old treant said .

The Council has studied the ocean , and we expect it to stay open for 3 years and 2 months . Staying the whole duration is not required to take a position on the Fate-Plucking Ladder . Knowing when to retreat is an important skill of any adventurer . -

But remember . The gates will be closed for one year . You better have the means to stay alive if you want to enter the ocean . Otherwise , you’ll just turn to fertilizer for others , - the Venarun elder snickered . - The first year and the last months are always the bloodiest . -

Zac inwardly nodded in agreement , not surprised at all . In the beginning , there would be ten million warriors at the starting continent , all full of adrenaline and greed for treasures . Bloodshed was bound to happen . Things would gradually stabilize as people died and people started leaving after a year , but the carnage would pick up pace by the end .

By that point , everyone’s Cosmos Sacks would be bulging with loot , and a single battle might double people’s net worth . Beasts die for food , men die for money .

I am sure everyone is curious about the reward this time around? - the treant smiled , causing an excited murmur among the people .

A huge plaque appeared the next moment , clearly listing the treasures .

1st – 50-year Perennial Vastness Token] .

2nd – 5th – E-grade Reforged Providence Gem] & One unique treasure presented by the Twilight Council

6th – 10th – E-grade Reforged Providence Gem] & One supreme treasure of the Twilight Vault

… .

5 , 001 – 10 , 000th - 3rd Class E-grade Treasure from the Twilight Vault .

Zac read the list with interest , and he found that the rewards even at the top thousand were pretty good . For instance , the top 100 would all get to pick a Special Class E-grade treasure from the Twilight Vault . The Twilight Vault was a shared hoard guarded by the Twilight Lord and the Council , and it had accumulated mountains of valuable items over millions of years .

A Special Class E-grade Treasure were all at the level of the items at the second part of the auction , and every single one could provide a drastic improvement if you found a suitable one . As for the top 10 prizes , they were all things that wouldn't reach a public auction , especially the top five items .

Zac didn’t hold out much hope for those things after seeing the preliminary duels , but he still read the rewards with interest .

Perennial Vastness? What’s that? - Ravan , one of Zac’s new team members , muttered with confusion , sparing Zac the need to ask .

Ravan was a local to the Twilight Harbor , an elite naturally-born Corpselord from a subsidiary force to the Sharva'Zi Clan . He was just like Mhal in a sense , though his accomplishments far eclipsed the general that caused Zac so much trouble back then . His role in the party was as a pure offensive combatant , though Zac still didn't know exactly what kind of class he held .

His aura indicated some sort of spellcaster class though , which was a bit surprising to Zac considering the buff physique of the man .

It is a high-grade Immemorial Realm . Some say it's older than the System itself , - Catheya said with a small frown . - I’m surprised the council would put something so valuable in the reward , or that they even have one at all . Our competition might just have gotten more heated . -

It’s that precious? - Ravan asked , and Zac looked over with curiosity .

It was the first time he had heard about Immemorial Realms in a while . It was exactly the kind of place that his mother wanted to enter with Kenzie , but even she wasn't confident in succeeding . That alone told a story of just how valuable the Perennial Vastness token was

I’m not sure about the details either , - Catheya shrugged . - The Perennial Vastness is controlled by a mysterious unattached force that sends out a million tokens into the multiverse every thousand years or so . Even some descendants of B-grade forces would try to get one for themselves . -

Why isn’t the Empire snatching that place if it’s so good? - Zac asked .

I’m not sure . That force must possess extreme power for it to remain for hundreds of millions of years , - Catheya said . - Besides , it's very far away from the Undead Empire , which is why I didn't expect a token to appear in this region . -

What’s the value for us E-Grade warriors? - Ravan asked .

Evolution , - Catheya said . - Any peak E-Grade cultivator who enters the Perennial Vastness is essentially guaranteed to emerge with a Cultivator's Core . More importantly , their cores are far sturdier compared to normal , approaching perfection . -

What! - Ravan exclaimed as his eyes turned back to the board , his whole face turning into a mask of desire .

Zac understood the feeling , and his own heart beat with greed . He had long learned the goal of the D-Grade . If the F-grade revolved around collecting as many titles as possible and the E-grade around finding and opening hidden nodes , then everything in the D-grade circulated around the Cultivator's Core , or rather the Cosmic Core .

Successfully forming the Cosmic Core was just the first step . The whole D-grade was spent strengthening and perfecting it . That’s why so many considered the first step the most important one as well . One could gradually improve a core through hard work and various opportunities , but you would obviously save a huge amount of effort if you started with a sturdy foundation .

If you started with a low-quality Core you might exhaust all your momentum perfecting it over millennia , if you ever reached perfection at all . After all , the main goal of the D-Grade was to elevate one’s core to the point that it could withstand the formation of an inner world of the C-Grade .

And even internal worlds differed greatly from what Zac had heard . The sturdier the core the larger the inner world you would be able to form , which would make you comparatively stronger compared to other Monarchs .

That’s what made this opportunity sound so overpowered . To guarantee a successful formation by itself was to beat the one to a million odds , but greatly improve its foundation as well? That greatly enhanced the chances that you’d be able to reach the C-Grade as well , something that might only happen once every 100 , 000 years in peak-force in the Zecia sector .

You can put that out of your mind , - Catheya snorted . - We’re a pretty powerful group , but we’re far from a peak squad . With this token on the line , the hidden Heaven’s Chosen will come out in force , unleashing a bloodbath in search of Twilight Fruits . -

Anything’s possible , - Ravan muttered , but it wasn’t with much conviction .

Zac saw that the fires hadn’t died out in Ravan’s eyes , but he didn’t hold out much hope for the Corpselord . He was clearly a cut above most , but there was ultimately only one token . Furthermore , even if you managed to get the token through some huge stroke of luck , would he be able to hold on to it?

This kind of item seemed like something good enough that even Monarchs would make a move , since giving it to an elite of their faction greatly increased the odds of another Monarch appearing in a few thousand years . That could completely shift the power dynamic of a faction . In fact , Zac even bet that it was the System that forced them to add the token as a reward , and people were already planning in the shadows how to snatch it .

Nine redo-token as well , - Sharpo , their spectral scout , said with longing . - I heard that only the 2nd and 3rd position got one last time . -

Zac had learned about - Redo-tokens - before , or rather Reforged Providence Gems] . Zac could absolutely understand the ghost’s desire ; the gems were definitely good stuff .

One thing that Zac had always felt was weird was how those who didn’t perform that well in the F-grade were relegated to always lag behind those who managed to gather the best titles . However , it turned out that wasn’t completely true . One method catch up was to perform similar exhibits of power in the later grades . That would usually result in a similar , but diminished , title .

The redo-tokens were another method to catch up .

They really gave you a shot at a do-over in case you performed badly in the early stages of your cultivation . For example , what if you only got the Giantsbane back then , the title for killing a beast 5 levels above you? It was actually possible to use the gem to shoot for the Apex Predator title again with a token like this , something that would be impossible in the E-grade even for Zac .

The token would let you choose a title to improve and generate a fitting trial for it , just like his own Sovereignty-quests , though the difficulty would be increased compared to getting it right the first time . Most importantly ; the System would use your current attainments as the template before restricting you down to the F-grade . It would still be an extremely challenging task to get the Apex Predator particular title , but it was at least achievable if you had gone from an average cultivator to a supreme Heaven's Chosen .

Zac definitely wanted one if he could get his hands on such a token , but he wasn't too enthused since he had most of the peak titles . His interest might have been bigger if it worked on trial-related titles such as the one from the Tower of Eternity , but the token was limited to general achievement titles .

Perhaps it was possible to improve the Child of Dao-title , which he suspected was one of the greatest progenitor titles . Otherwise , he might be able to hunt down some other low-quality title in the future and use the re-do token to turn that title into a top-quality F-grade variant . But in the end , he was just making up scenarios since his odds of getting one of the nine tokens were pretty abysmal .

The items provided to the top 1 , 000 aren’t bad at all , and it is a far more achievable goal , - Catheya snorted . - A first-class treasure from the vault can probably improve either your strength or chance of reaching Hegemony by 10% . -

Zac personally had his eyes on the top 100 reward , though he didn’t have much confidence at the moment . It all depended on how things panned out over the next three years . That was his biggest advantage . Many of those with auras far surpassing his had mostly exhausted their potential in the E-Grade , while he still had ample room to grow .

The other warriors floating in space animatedly discussed the unusually generous rewards as well , while some looked at the sign with troubled faces . Zac understood their worry . The rewards were one tier higher than normal across the board . It was almost like the Council was encouraging a mass slaughter for the Twilight Fruits . The mortality rate would definitely be higher than normal this time around .

Everyone had their own thoughts on the situation , but the clamor quickly died down as an enormous scar appeared in front of them . It kept expanding until it was over a thousand meters across , at which point it stabilized and turned into what looked like a gate .

Here , take this , - Catheya said as she took out a round stone ball that looked almost like an orange . It even had ten detachable wedges . - Keep it on you . Our first goal is gathering before we set out . You’ll be able to sense me more than the others , but group up if possible . If a single one of us falls in the initial phase the rest will have a harder time gathering the pearls . -

She took off one slice after another , giving one to each member of the squad . Zac simply put it into one of his pockets without comment . The item was a tracking device , which allowed the squad to sense the position of their allies as long as they infused the item with some Miasma . It was a higher-grade solution compared to the flares Galau used back in the Tower of Eternity .

The group didn't need to wait more than thirty minutes before the massive gates swung open , and it looked like a wall of water with a greenish hue waited on the other side .

The Twilight Ocean .

Chapter 699 : The Twilight Ocean

Good luck , - the Goldenleaf Monarch said after the portal in front of the waiting trial-takers had stabilized . - Remember , the moment you pass through those gates you will have to spend a minimum of one year in the Twilight Ocean . This is your final chance to back away . -

No one left after the warning , but Zac wouldn't be surprised if some would find themselves unable to take that final step through the Space Gate . He was personally mostly filled with anticipation for the opportunities within , but he had been through so many life- and death encounters by now that this venture felt relatively safe in comparison to some of his other experiences .

Meanwhile , some participants probably had limited experiences with death and were rather raised in the relative safety of their clans .

The first people to enter were the descendants of the Council Factions , soon followed by the premiere local clans . It was a small show of force to have the outsider wait , even if they were descendants of B-grade forces . Catheya still had seeded slots , so it was their turn after just three hours . By that point , only four hundred thousand cultivators had already passed through , meaning that most were still waiting their turn .

Remember to be careful , - Catheya said as they floated in front of the barrier . - The first culling has already started on the other side . -

The rest nodded before they flew through one by one . Zac didn't turn into an incorporeal consciousness shot through the void as usual during teleportation , but it rather felt like he had been thrown into the middle of intense fireworks as his surroundings flashed in gold and black . The energies surrounding him were immense , and he looked around with wonder since it felt like the almost nauseating lights were rife with hidden truths .

Suddenly , an immense pressure locked Zac in place , causing him to frown with worry . He had read about the chaotic teleportation already , but this pressure wasn't mentioned in any missive he'd bought . The next moment he felt a sharp pain from his finger as his Spatial Ring reached blistering temperatures . He sent a strand of mental energy into the ring , and he was filled with a sense of foreboding as he saw the odd egg shaking within the space of his ring .

Was it some sort of banned item?

But before Zac even had a chance to worry about getting slapped with a tribulation punishment for bringing contraband to the Twilight Ocean , a ten-meter rune rushed toward him , completely undeterred by the chaos , and passed right through his body . A moment later the pressure was gone and the egg had calmed down .

There was no time to make sense of things before he found himself standing in a foreign world . It looked like he was pretty lucky as he had been dropped off at the edge of the starting continent , and he found himself standing up to his knees in a greenish-golden liquid . He had read so much about it over the past months , but it was still exhilarating to see it with his own eyes .

Zac looked down at the water with interest as he activated Cosmic Gaze] . He could confirm that it was attuned with both life and death just like the missives had explained , but he couldn’t make sense of how the two had fused even after looking at the water for over a minute .

One second it felt like the two attunements were two opposites fighting for the same spot , vaguely familiar to his own path where life and death clashed in an endless war . However , the next moment they coexisted in harmony , only to a moment later be either pure life or death . Finally , for short bursts of time , they were melded into something unique that Zac couldn’t begin to comprehend .

It was even impossible to tell which state was the real one , or if the continuous transformations were even real . It might be a bit like those pictures that changed motif depending on what angle you looked at it from . Zac had initially hoped to make inroads into his path by visiting this place , but he honestly wasn’t so confident that 3 years was even close to enough to unravel the mess he was looking at .

He was dragged out of his musings as a screen appeared in front of him .

Twilight Ascent . Help perfect the Tapestry of Twilight . The reward at the end dependent on contribution rank

There are two ways to contribute to the Tapestry of twilight

1 . Make Dao Breakthrough into a Dao pertaining to Life or Death . Higher-grade breakthroughs provide more points . Successive breakthroughs provide both rewards . If no breakthroughs are made , half the value of current Dao stages are added by the end of trial . ]

Early Seed

1

Middle Seed

5

High Seed

25

Peak Seed

125

Early Fragment

250

Middle Fragment

1 , 250

High Fragment

6 , 250

Peak Fragment

31 , 250

Early Branch

100 , 000

Middle Branch

500 , 000

High Branch

2 , 500 , 000

2 . Release trapped Dao of Life and Death . This can be done by consuming or destroying treasures of life or death , or killing cultivators or beasts holding related Daos

Rewards will be rewarded upon the end of the Trial . Participants leaving trial prematurely will have half of their contribution points deducted

Choose Identity ; Zac Piker - Arcaz Black]

Zac read the quest carefully , and his eyes widened further and further as he read along . How was this a Dao Trial if slaughtering people provided contribution points? This was the Twilight Harbor , and at least a quarter of all warriors held a Dao related to either Life or Death . If things were bad with the exorbitant rewards from the Fate-Plucking ladder , things had just become a true slaughter-fest .

He also intensely regretted holding back the evolution of his Fragment of the Axe in hopes a breakthrough inside the Mystic Realm would help him with the trial . Now it was just a liability until he could find a safe spot to stop and cultivate for a while . Still , he was in a very good position for the first method to accumulate contribution points , considering he had Daos of both Life and Death .

There might be some geniuses who had multiple Daos of Death attunement , but Zac doubted there could be too many . Having two Daos that were very similar in function made little sense . It was better to either focus on one Dao and push it further , or have multiple Daos who brought different things to the table , making you more well-rounded .

Of course , there might be some cultivators playing the long game , nurturing two Death-attuned Dao Fragments to fuse them into one Dao Branch . In either case , Zac felt he had good chances at snatching a good Limited Title unless slaughter was a far more efficient method of accruing Contribution Points .

Furthermore , his Draugr heritage was definitely a detriment with these rules . Anyone he met would assume he held at least one Dao related to Death , which was true . After all , the Draugr held amazing affinity to the Daos of death , making them walking treasure troves . As for the final line , it even ruined his chance to enter a pseudonym for the ladder , and he reluctantly chose Arcaz Black .

He doubted too many people would know of the name Zac Piker , but Catheya definitely did . Zac being able to choose that name would definitely expose him , so he could only go with his 'real name' . At least the System didn't force him to use his true name , but rather the cultivation identities he used .

A mental command made a new screen appear , proving there was a ladder this time .

Arcaz Black – Contribution : 6 , 250 Rank : 22 , 538 . Value : 100-250

His current contribution was at 6 , 250 as expected , the combined value of his two High Fragments . He guessed those points were just placeholders though until he evolved the Fragments of Bodhi and Coffin . As for his rank , he guessed it mostly was people with higher Dao accomplishments than him . It looked like around 5% of those who had entered so far had at least a Peak Fragment related to life and Death , which didn’t feel too surprising .

But there was a pretty worrying twist to the ladder . There was actually a value attached to his name , saying his life wasn't worth more than gaining a Peak Dao Seed . It meant he would have to kill a thousand people like himself to gain the equivalent points of getting a single Dao Branch . It might not sound too bad , but everyone here would have stocked up on escape talismans and hidden aces .

Landing a killing blow wasn't easy unless there was a large power discrepancy , and some battles would result in wounds that might be extra hard to heal in the odd environment of the Twilight Ocean .

Zac eventually closed the screen and looked away from the water , his eyes turning toward the endless horizon instead . To his sides was an endless coast which was lined by a dense forest , and far in the distance could barely discern an island . The clouds were sparse , and they were either wrought in black , gold , or a mix in-between .

The sky itself held the same color as the spatial anomaly did from the outside ; a mix of gold and green that cast everything in a slightly metallic hue . Zac took in the view for a few more seconds , but he suddenly froze . He had been so occupied with the shocking entry and the subsequent quest that he had missed a crucial detail .

He had seen this place before .

It was years ago and Zac’s mind was a mess at the time , but he was sure of it . It was back when the Mystic Realm collapsed , turning into the Memorysteel mountain and thousands of islands . Back then the laws of space had been turned on their head , and Zac had found himself witnessing a series of odd scenes .

Back then he had seen an alien world , with a Shard of Creation nestled in the depths of a volcano . He had only caught a glimpse of the sky in that vision , but it definitely matched what he was looking at now . And if the Shard of Creation was here , it wouldn't be a surprise if the Splinter of Oblivion he saw in the depths of an ocean was here as well .

Were the remnants perhaps the source of the odd phenomena of this world? With Oblivion on one side and Creation on the other , this space had been affected by both . Add some Cosmic Energy and Miasma and you had something called Twilight Energy by the natives .

Zac slowly shook his head , eventually discarding the idea . It probably wasn’t a coincidence that there were remnants in a place like this , but it was unlikely they were the core of this word . First of all , their energies differed from what he felt around him . But more importantly , they weren’t powerful enough .

This realm was enormous , and it provided resources that even attracted Monarchs . Meanwhile , the remnants were called Class-3 treasures by the Administrator back then . Zac’s own estimates were along the same line , that they were peak D-Grade treasures . However , they also contained hints of extremely high-tiered concepts , which increased their danger compared to normal treasures of that grade .

The question was what to do with this knowledge . Should he go for it and try adding another set into his collection?

Heurk , - a gagging sound dragged Zac out of his thoughts , and he looked over to see a humanoid curled up into a ball up on the beach .

Only then did Zac remember a piece of information in the crystal Nala had provided for him . According to the missive , the transfer put a great strain on one’s body , and it was a good idea to activate a defensive talisman the moment you arrived in the Twilight Ocean . That way you would be protected while you acclimatized to the weird energies in the air .

But why hadn’t he noticed anything like that?

Even now , standing in the odd life-death water he was completely unaffected . He already knew that his resistance to life-attuned energies was far greater compared to normal undead . But for him to be completely unaffected by the transfer? Was it the rune that passed through him? Even now , he wasn't really bothered by the small amounts of energy that seeped into his body .

The human soon gained a sense of his surroundings , and he was horrified when he saw a pureblood Draugr staring at him from just 50 meters away , seemingly unbothered by the Twilight Energy in the area . Zac didn’t even have a chance to say anything before the man activated an escape talisman and disappeared .

Zac could only snort as he turned back toward the ocean , and he started walking deeper into the waters . There was no point in hunting that humanoid since a '0' actually appeared above his had after Zac had focused on him for two seconds . Zac guessed that it was his value , meaning the cultivator didn't cultivate either life or death . Or perhaps that releasing his energies wasn't worth anything to the 'Tapestry of Twilight' .

He soon found himself completely submerged as he took the first steps into the ocean , and he was relieved to find that visibility was a lot better than he initially feared . He could see for thousands of meters before it all turned into a greenish haze , and he could even spot a few other cultivators in the distance . His eyes turned to a small reef not far away , and he started moving toward it .

The viscosity of the liquid was a bit odd , far lower than water . He didn’t actually float in the Twilight Ocean , and he could still swing his arms freely as long as he expelled small amounts of Miasma . It was a bit like when he found himself in space . Zac took out Rakan's Roar] and swung it a few times before he nodded and stowed it away .

Until now , Zac hadn't really felt anything wrong with the Twilight Energy entering his body , but he eventually started to feel some discomfort after moving through the water for ten minutes . He expelled some miasma through his hands , after which he tried to restore his reserves with the accumulated energy . It worked , but it almost felt like drinking brackish water because of the taint of life energy .

Thankfully , his Void Heart] finally woke up after the accumulated energy reached a certain point , and one beat was enough to cleanse most of his body . Interestingly enough , his Hidden Node didn't actually consume Twilight Energy as a whole , but it rather ripped the life-attuned part and left clean death-attuned energy in his body .

But it wasn't exactly Miasma that was left behind . It was rather some other type of death-attuned energy with a slightly different flavor . Still , it began replenishing his missing Miasma without any problems as his Purity of the Void] started to work on the life-attuned energies that were left behind . As for the death-attuned energies , Zac tried to push them toward the next node , but he found himself utterly incapable of actually using the energy for cultivation .

Zac sighed in disappointment since he had somewhat hoped he would be able to live the life as a cultivator for a second there . Of course , Void Heart] would start spitting out some usable energy sooner or later , though it was only half of the Twilight Energy that entered his body . He wasn't too worried about the remaining energy either , since it wasn't harmful to him . He could always expel some Miasma to absorb it into his cells if needed .

However , he looked on with wonder as the deathly energies actually started to move by themselves , but neither toward Void Heart] or his normal nodes . They rather congealed and formed a stream that moved toward his head , where a small whirlwind had appeared on his Soul Aperture .

The deathly energies swam right inside like they were coming home , and they immediately entered the deathly ocean in his mind . A moment later the energies were gone , completely integrated with the waters . Zac looked on with mute incomprehension , as nothing he had read in his Nine Reincarnations Manual] had mentioned anything like this .

Still , it didn't really seem like a bad thing that the deathly energy entered his mind , especially when it was in such small quantities . But he did find himself in a pretty odd situation as the last of the death-attuned energy was swallowed . Others were trying all kinds of ways to minimize the harmful effects of the Twilight Energy , using everything from arrays to continuously rotating their Daos within their bodies .

Meanwhile , the various parts of his body seemed to fight for the energy , like it couldn't get enough . It was like he had come home .

Chapter 700 : First Culling

The situation with the Twilight Energy was even better than Zac had anticipated , but he wouldn’t take anything for granted going forward . He was still at the outer edge of the Mystic Realm where the Twilight Energy was at its weakest . Who knew if he would be able to so effortlessly deal with the environment in the inner reaches . For example , his Void Heart] couldn’t infinitely swallow energy . It followed a cycle of absorption , purification , and release .

The same was true for his soul . He hadn’t figured quite out what was going on , but his Soul Aperture wasn’t a true world . There should be limits on how much energy it could absorb before it became satiated . Finally , the elites of the trial would still be able to exhibit pretty much their full power all the way to the midway point from what he had gathered , so he definitely wasn’t able to run amok with this small advantage .

Putting the matter of Twilight Energy aside , Zac eventually reached the small forest of swaying seaweed , and his arm turned into a blur as he cut down over a dozen plants that emitted a weak hint of spirituality . His actions didn’t garner him a single contribution point though , proving that there was no point in just wantonly destroying the surroundings to - Release Dao’ . It probably had to be real treasures to count .

Having gotten a decent understanding of the situation he finally took out the small black stone he got from Catheya and infused it with some Miasma . He soon sensed a number of distant presences , with one particular connection being far stronger than the others . It was hard to accurately estimate how far away Catheya was , but he felt it would take a couple of hours to get there .

Even then , her starting location seemed pretty lucky , just like his . Catheya should already be out in the ocean by the looks of things , while most of the markers were pointing toward the continent where most people were dropped off . They would probably have a much harder time gathering up with the ruthless rules of the trial . Of course , he didn’t expect his own journey to be completely free from worries .

Love’s Bond] appeared on his back and he started to make his way forward , choosing to run on the bottom of the ocean , his movement slightly boosted by small bursts of Miasma . Moving on the beach would definitely be easier , but people would keep appearing one after another on the shores and further inside the continent . The entrance time was staggered , but it would still be a bloodbath as over ten million participants would come flooding inside .

A pang of danger suddenly erupted , and Zac looked down with surprise at a spear shooting out from the ocean floor . It was infused with a powerful penetrative force , but it wasn’t at a level that that could kill him . Still , Zac pushed himself away by expelling a burst of Miasma , but his brows rose when he found himself stuck after moving just fifty meters .

An azure rope had appeared out of nowhere and attached itself to him , and it was connected to a large totem that had appeared right where the ambush took place . It was five meters in height , and it looked a bit like an anchor that was dug into the seabed . Zac immediately understood it was some sort of binding skill , not dissimilar from the array the cultists had used against him a long time ago .

A living humanoid rose from the sandy floor the next moment , and he gave Zac a look of superiority after confirming he was caught by the rope . He actually spoke up as well , another odd feature of the Twilight Ocean that Zac had read about before . Sound traveled just fine in the liquid , though voices appeared slightly muted .

Good catch , a Draugr! I’m sorry , but you will have to become fertilizer for my pa- HEURK! - The man didn’t get any further as a black chain had exploded out from the sandy ground and wound itself around his leg .

The next moment he was dragged like a ragdoll toward Zac , who had already summoned Rakan's Roar] and activated Gorehew] . The man flailed about as he tried to stop the chain , and he even managed to launch an extremely powerful stab at the black links of Love’s Bond] . Unfortunately for him , Zac had already infused the chain with the Fragment of the Coffin , allowing it to withstand the attack .

A moment later he was dragged right in front of Zac , and a haze of blood spread through the area a moment later as two pieces of a decapitated corpse slowly landed on the ocean floor . Zac shook his head in reproach as he quickly looted the corpse and his spatial ring before he ran away . He should have known that the contribution value of cultivators wouldn’t be visible unless he actually spotted targets , making it useless as a way to prevent ambushes .

Luckily , the attacker was most likely some young lordling who had never in a real struggle of life and death . His power wasn’t too bad ; both his restrictive skill and the proficiency he displayed when striking his fetters were respectable . But his actual combat experience was utterly lacking .

What kind of fool stops to talk in the middle of a death match? It allowed Zac to send a chain into the ground and ambush the spearman right back . Certainly , Zac would still have defeated him soon enough , but it would have wasted some time . And any second wasted was another moment some real powerhouse might target him .

It was a good reminder of how dangerous things could get even out in the seemingly empty waters . The weaker cultivators were definitely just trying to hide and survive at this moment , while the more powerful and ruthless people took advantage of the early chaos to gather some wealth and contribution points .

At least he had gained 102 Contribution Points from the lesson , indicating that Zac should be in the upper part of his Value span of 100-250 . After all , Zac doubted that the young lordling had anything better than a Middle-Stage Dao Fragment . Otherwise , he wouldn't have fallen so easily .

A large amount of Miasma stormed into the skill fractal for the movement skill on his chest , and the world suddenly inverted after almost two seconds had passed . He had activated Abyssal Phase] multiple times by now , but he was still filled with marvel as he felt his incorporeal form . He could barely be considered a ghost at the moment , rather a congregation of miasmic energies .

Activating the skill normally didn’t take him to that ancient darkness , but the skill rather turned the world monochrome the moment it activated . However , it turned out that the Twilight Ocean had an interesting effect on his augmented vision .

When he had used the skill in his courtyard everything mostly stayed the same except objects looked like they had turned into energy instead . The effect even allowed him to see through walls to some extent , but not pass through them . But here in the things had undergone a more drastic change .

Some plants and stones on the ocean floor shone like small beacons , whereas other items were so muted they almost seemed invisible . Other features on the seafloor looked mottled like they were full of faults and holes . Zac quickly realized what was going on .

Some of the items in the Twilight Ocean were like some trees in the Dead Zone ; they had an extremely pure aura of life even when surrounded by death . Similarly , some plant life and even materials only retained half of the Twilight Energy , expelling the other half . And the purely life-attuned materials around him had turned extremely bleak when he entered his current form .

It was pretty interesting since it was almost the opposite of his normal Draugr-vision where life-force was clearly visible to his eyes unless it was masked . Still , Zac’s main goal was currently to get away since it was possible more powerful warriors could arrive at any moment . His blob of energy pushed forward through the seemingly frozen water with amazing speed , each second taking him over five hundred meters from his original position .

Only when he had moved ten kilometers from where he fought did he stop . He looked around and saw no powerful signatures around , at which point he returned into his corporeal form . With a flash , the world turned back to normal , and a scan indicated he really was alone unless someone could hide from his peak mastery Cosmic Gaze] . Zac activated Spiritual Anchor] to scan his body just in case , but the spear wielder hadn’t left any brands on him before dying .

Only then did Zac keep moving , this time working even harder to mask his aura . In normal situations , he would do the opposite and blast his killing intent to keep opportunists at bay , but he felt that might have an opposite effect in this place . It felt like a better idea to move along the lush undergrowth at the ocean floor while masking his aura .

Even then Zac was attacked twice over the following ten minutes among the corals and rocky outcroppings at the bottom of the Twilight Ocean , and the attackers were actually both undead this time around . One of the battles ended with a Corpselord getting trapped and bisected by Blighted Cut] , but the second attacker instantly fled the moment he realized that he had attacked someone far too powerful .

Zac snorted in annoyance but he didn’t pursue . The attacker's Contribution Value was marked as 50-100 , and Zac wouldn't follow him toward dry land for something like that . The previous two targets didn't possess many valuables except their equipment and pills either , except a few top-quality healing pills . He instead kept moving forward ignoring most people he saw in the distance .

Four hours passed , during which Zac found himself embroiled in eight consecutive battles , including one where he was forced to trap the attacker inside Profane Seal] before using an escape talisman . It wasn’t that Zac was completely overmatched , but the attacker was pretty powerful and she had activated some sort of communication crystal . It was better to get out of there before he found himself besieged .

Finally , Zac closed in on Catheya’s location . She had been steadily been moving out from the shore at a middling pace , which no doubt was the best option considering how hectic things were on land at the moment . He was moving further and further away from the starting continent , but he could still sense energy eruptions every single minute from desperate battles on the shores .

His ranking had steadily dropped over the past hours as well , and he was currently relegated all the way to 64 , 334 . Part of it was no doubt thanks to the constant flow of participants , but he guessed that some had passed him by through slaughter as well . He only started with a bit over 6 , 000 Contribution Points , and he had already made five hundred points without even trying . Some fiends had probably accrued thousands of points by this point .

The best bet for Catheya's group was to keep a decent pace the first days and create some distance from the general mob . That tactic increased the odds of running into other powerful squads , but Zac doubted too many of the elites wanted to go all-out on the first day , even with the allure of Contribution Points in front of them . Even if they won , so what?

They might be forced to use up their aces with three years remaining on the trial . Besides , even if you planned on climbing the ranks through slaughter , it was better to wait a few months so that you would also gain Twilight Fruits from the kills . For now , innumerable treasures were waiting in the depths , and it was more important to gobble them up and gain powerups before targeting others .

Zac finally spotted his employer , who leisurely moved forward among the corals with a string of twelve frozen corpses forming a trail behind her . The Titan Revenant had caught up to Catheya already , and she grinned at Zac like she had won some sort of competition .

You’re here , that’s pretty quick , - Catheya smiled , but Zac only grunted as he looked at the corpse sculptures .

What’s this? - Zac asked curiously .

Some deterrent and early contribution collection , - Catheya laughed . - Besides , I saw a few good bodies on the way and decided to snatch them . Don’t you know , it’s best to perform repairs and alterations immediately after the Dreamers fall? Their bodies hold lingering spirituality , which helps the process even after their souls have departed . -

Zac nodded as that was a matter of course , though he was a bit surprised at the news . He had always thought it didn’t matter , and some of his followers had been kept in his Corpse Sack for years until Zac got his hands on the methods to turn them into undead followers .

Then again , Zac’s method of raising followers was definitely not part of the orthodoxy . While other liches and morticians used all kinds of secret methods to restore and even improve the bodies of their flowers , Zac had the power of pure Creation .

Catheya obviously wouldn’t have this kind of cheat-like ability , and it instead looked like she had added talismans and engravings onto the frozen bodies . Looking at the scene Zac felt that he finally could confirm her class . It had to be related to ice , one of the three great heritages of the Undead .

It wasn’t a surprise considering her master’s show of force , but it was still good to know what he was dealing with in case things went south .

As for the arrays covering the bodies , Zac had a feeling that they weren’t for healing purposes considering the bodies looked mostly fine , but rather modifications . Zac wished he could learn the methods if that really was the case . It might be too late for his original batch of Einherjar , but how would someone like him ever lack bodies to turn into followers?

You know , it’s considered rude to try and glean the modifications of others , - Catheya said with a raised bow as she saw Zac studying the inscriptions covering their bodies .

If it bothers you , you can throw a tarp over them , - Zac shrugged , but he still turned away .

No class , - Qirai muttered angrily .

It looked like the Titan would keep talking , but they all suddenly froze and looked in the same direction .

What happened? - Zac asked with surprise . - One of the connections broke . -

Ravan fell , - Catheya said , confusion written all over her face .

That fool had the guts to lust for the Perennial Vastness Token , and he didn’t even make it off the shores? - Qirai blurted with incredulity .

He was strongly recommended by the local branch . Ravan is somewhat renowned for both his survival and offensive capabilities , which is why I recruited him . The clan provided him with several high-quality talismans as well as part of his remuneration . He must have been unlucky to have run into someone way too powerful for him to fall like this , - Catheya muttered . - Well , bad fortune is part of life . -

The trial is a bit bloodier than I expected , - Zac commented .

It’s essentially a slaughter trial as well , - Catheya agreed with some helplessness across her face . - We might meet more resistance than I expected along the way . -

Will the plan still work? - Zac asked with a frown .

Every person we lose will increase our workload a bit . The strain right now is negligible , but in a few months , it will be extremely taxing without my array . If we lose another one we might have to enlist or enslave some new members , - Catheya mused . - For now , let’s keep on moving . -

Zac nodded and the trio set out . The appearance of two pureblood Draugr and a Titan thankfully deterred any more attempts , which only served to annoy Catheya a bit . However , she ultimately chose to give up on collecting any more corpses , which was a pretty big relief to Zac . It wasn’t really that he was worried about getting himself in trouble , but it proved that Catheya was at least not completely impulsive and temperamental as a leader .

He had heard too many stories about young scions with overblown egos kicking up all kinds of trouble while out exploring . They might be fine because their elders had stocked their bags full of life-saving treasures , but what about their followers?

The group moved at a brisk but not frantic pace , and the fourth member arrived after just twenty minutes . It was Sharpo , the spectral cultivator , and she looked essentially unscathed . Zac wasn’t surprised at their Mentalist scout being able to make it through the culling without much problem . Zac was more surprised to see Yod appearing just an hour later looking mostly fine .

He was the second Corpselord of the group apart from the fallen Ravan , though Zac had only heard him speak two times . But from what Catheya had explained over the past week , he was essentially an undead Paladin , or perhaps more of a Shaman like Emily . He focused on both protective and healing skills , making him a welcome member of any team .

Another two hours passed , and Catheya finally started to display some worry . Zac understood she was thinking about Varo , the final missing member of the group . Thankfully he arrived 40 minutes later , though he sported pretty gristly wounds across his body .

His robes were completely ripped apart , and he formed a trail of black ichor in the waters behind him . Yod wordlessly stepped forward and a dark cloud surrounded the Revenant . The cloud didn’t disperse but rather burrowed into Varo’s body . The skill looked a bit like Zac’s Winds of Decay] , but it was obviously a healing skill since Varo almost immediately looked a lot better .

I’m sorry about the delay , - Varo said after giving Yod a small bow . - I was ambushed by a group . I am afraid I had to expend one of the aces mistress prepared to escape . -

It’s fine , - Catheya said with a smile . - We’re all here now . Let’s set out . It’s a long journey to our destination . -

Can you finally tell us where that is? - Zac asked . - You've kept us in suspense for months now . -

Well , no , - Catheya said with a wink . - It wasn’t easy for my master to hire a numerologist to divine the location of the Life-Death Pearls and the route to get there . I can’t just give the information away , right? But our first stop on the journey is Cork Island . -

Chapter 701 : Clashing Seas

Zac wasn’t too surprised about the first destination being Cork Island . The Twilight Ocean shared the same odd feature as many other Mystic Realms that were actively managed by the System ; it was randomized between trials , just like Earth upon the Integration . However , a lot of features were constant even after the randomization , and Cork Island was one location that always appeared somewhere in the early parts of the Twilight Ocean .

People had tried for ages to create vessels that worked in this odd place , but they were either restricted by the system or simply didn’t work while submersed in the mystic waters of this place . But the place was simply too big to just randomly travel around by foot , and people had found some workarounds ; one was to jump into the powerful streams that passed through the Mystic Realm .

Another way to build vessels with the help of pre-fabricated runes and locally sourced materials .

The trees at Cork Island were quite popular as a material for making underwater vessels . The trees had a diameter of up to twenty meters , which allowed you to hollow one out and create roomy submersibles . Even better , the thick bark both had strong defensive properties while also isolating some of the Twilight Energies permeating the air .

Finding Cork Island and building a vessel would give you a leg up against the competition , though it wasn’t the only solution people had found over the ages . Rocks , shells , corals , even large beasts . People had managed to turn all kinds of things into odd submarines that only worked in this world . A few even managed to create flying vessels , but those were less popular as over 90% of the valuables were hidden in the depths of the ocean .

How come Cork Island instead of the Monolith Forest? - Sharpo asked with a hollow voice , which gave Zac a start . - Why are we traveling along the Living Pulse? -

It was a good question , and one Zac would have thought to ask if he didn’t still think from the perspective of a human . Cork Island was a pretty decent spot , but it was ultimately preferred by the living factions since it was filled with trees . Meanwhile , the undead factions gravitated more toward unliving materials such as the stalagmites that the ghost mentioned .

Neither material was better than the other , but the risk of being caught up in a conflict was lower if they aimed for the Monolith Forest instead .

As for the Living Pulse , it was one of the more famous underwater currents . This one , in particular , had been given the name the Living Pulse since it could take cultivators to a series of decent opportunities for the living . It was pretty dangerous though , so it required both knowledge of the stream and some defensive means .

The pulse was often erratic , lashing out with force even exceeding the E-grade . Similarly , there was a Death Pulse that passed by the Monolith Forest . Both pulses would ultimately lead into the outer waters where the group could start looking for the Life-Death Pearls or continue toward the Twilight Chasm .

That’s the path the esteemed numerologist found for us , - Catheya shrugged . - Don’t worry . Those who reach that place as quickly as we will are more focused on reaching the depths of the ocean than fighting it out with other groups . We only need to be careful after having built or vessel in case someone wants to snatch it . -

What’s the matter , ghost? - Qirai grinned . - Didn’t we come to this place to hone ourselves? Barging through the Living Pulse sounds a lot more exciting than going the other way . It’s the path of the elite . -

Sharpo didn’t respond nor inquire further , and neither did Zac . However , he knew the explanations were mostly excuses . He was willing to bet his right arm that this route had something to do with the additional mission of Catheya’s , the one that he had been enlisted to help out with in return for dealing with the Veilplume Monarch .

Zac wasn’t overly worried about heading to the Living Pulse though . If things went downhill he could always use his escape talismans and swap to his human form , blending in with the living . His Array would lose its efficacy for a month , but that didn’t really matter now that he was inside the Mystic Realm .

Of course , he didn’t want to use his Specialty Core unless necessary . The System shielded others from looking inside , but who knew if the brand he had been marked with was recording his actions . If possible , he wanted to rid himself of that egg along with the brand before swapping between races .

Alright , the quicker we move the less likely it’s for trouble to appear , - Catheya said . - Let’s go . Feel free to pick up loot on the way , but don’t cause trouble for the others . -

The group immediately sped up after sinking to the ocean floor , and they spread out a bit with Catheya in the middle so they could trawl a thin stretch of seabed for valuables . Zac didn't find anything interesting over the first two hours , but he eventually spotted an odd plant that looked like a tall grey coral that grew grey seaweed that resembled palm leaves . It didn’t look very exciting , but he could sense some spiritual fluctuation hidden beneath the long grey leaves .

Zac immediately shot forward , feeling he had finally found something of value . However , he wasn’t the only one as Qirai blasted forward with enough force to cause a small whirlwind in the water behind her . The plant was slightly closer to Zac , but the Titan was surprisingly quick so they reached the plant at the same time .

Mine , - Qirai said while trying to stare down Zac , but he only snorted and ripped up the plant by its roots and threw it into his spatial ring .

Keep to your own lane , Titan , - Zac spat , which caused the aura of Qirai to veritably explode as she took a threatening step forward .

Alright , that’s enough , you two , - an exasperated voice reached the two of them as the waters turned freezing . - No need to fight over one little fruit . You need tens of thousands to get a chance at a decent spot on the ladder . Everyone gets a two-kilometer berth . And Arcaz , don’t rip out the whole tree . Just pluck the fruits . Don’t you know about the rules of conservation? -

Zac nodded as he glanced in the direction of Catheya , but he still didn’t take the tree out . It had already been harvested , and it would probably not survive even if replanted . Qirai glared one last time at Zac before she flashed away , her movement skill causing a massive shockwave that even pushed Zac a few steps back .

A small smile crept up along Zac’s lips as he looked at the Titan swim away in a huff . He wondered if the Titan Revenant’s predecessor was so irascible that it carried over through the awakening , or if it was just something that was hardwired into their muscles .

According to my calculations , we’ll reach an area where we can jump onto the pulse in a bit under two weeks , - Catheya’s voice continued , and Zac realized that it came from a small ice crystal that floated next to him . - In total it will take almost three months to reach the inner layer . You two only need to cooperate until then . After we’ve farmed our pearls , we can go our separate ways . -

No worries , - Zac smiled . - People always compliment me on how well I work with others . -

Somehow I doubt that , - Catheya laughed through the ice crystal , after which it melted and blended into the water in the surroundings .

Zac didn’t immediately set out , but he rather waited a few seconds before he took out the coral-like tree and harvested the Twilight Fruit . It was the first time getting a good look at it in person , and it didn’t look much for the world ; just a grey peach-like fruit . However , the reason why he was ready to come to blows with Qirai over this low-tier item wasn’t because of any goals related to the Fate-Plucking Ladder .

After almost four years , he had finally found an item that elicited a response from Love’s Bond] .

The reaction was small , but it was definitely there . Alea wanted something from this tree , and it only took a few seconds to confirm that it was the fruit itself . Zac's heart beat in anticipation as he pressed the fruit against his amulet , and a smile spread across his face as he saw it getting drained in an instant , leaving just a husk behind .

This discovery was huge , and it brought even more excitement than the ability to ward off the Twilight Energy . He had no idea why Alea wanted the Twilight Fruits , but he thought it might be related to its reconciliatory effects . The items he had used when forming Love’s Bond] had ultimately been a mixed hodgepodge of things he had at hand .

Perhaps the fusion between her soul and the Spirit Tool wasn’t perfect because he hadn’t properly prepared all materials . After all , while the Divine Investiture Array] would create an item without flaws , it was still ultimately dependant on the materials that were put into the process .

Now that his horizons had been broadened it didn't felt like he had spent a fortune on the formation of Love’s Bond] , but rather almost like he had shortchanged Alea . But finally , he had a way to start improving her situation . Besides , if Twilight Fruits could help her , who knew what else in this place would work as well .

The only downside was the implications this discovery had for his ranking on the Fate-Plucking Ladder . But between some random treasure from the Twilight Vault and helping Alea while upgrading his Spirit Tool , he would obviously choose the latter .

The group kept an unrelenting pace for five whole days , not spending even an hour resting . Catheya wanted to break away from the main pack , and no one had any complaints . They were still embroiled in over thirty altercations , though more than half of the clashes ended immediately when neither side could gain an easy advantage .

Those who kept at the edge of their formation were those who usually got ambushed , so they kept a rolling scheme . Eventually , Varo and Sharpo had to give up on treasure hunting and instead accompany Catheya because of the pressure , leaving the other three to shore up their defenses . It wasn’t really that the two were weak , but their skillset leaned in different directions .

Yod was ultimately a healer as well , so it mostly came down to Qirai and Zac to protect their flanks with Catheya providing support if needed . Qirai welcomed the challenge , and she essentially took it as a challenge who could gather the most contribution points . Zac didn’t mind either , since it gave him a wider berth to collect Twilight Fruits , and the occasional attack provided both loot and Contribution Points .

Over the five days , Zac managed to rack up another 1 , 371 points from 14 kills , which was slightly below the Titan . Of course , Zac would have reached a higher number if he fought a bit harder , but he didn’t want to expose his stronger attacks this early . He usually tried to ensnare any enemy that got close , but he didn’t pursue if they got too far .

What was interesting was there didn't seem to be any hard or fast rules to the contribution points each trial taker provided . He fought one who clearly had a Death attuned Fragment , but he only got 18 contribution points from that person . Conversely , he got a whopping 281 contribution points by killing a treeman who seemed to have a Dao Fragment that was a mix of the Seed of Trees and Seed of Gust .

Part of the value definitely came from the stage of the Dao , but part seemed to come from something else . The quest was to perfect the 'Tapestry of Twilight' , and Zac guessed that some insights were valued higher than others when it came to kills .

Even with all those kills and searching high and low , he had only managed to collect 74 Twilight Fruits , a pathetic number . The large number of kills had already put him at the threshold of gaining another level as well , but he reluctantly chose to wait . He had his Stone of Hope] and Chain-breaking Pills] , but this was no time to test their efficacy . His body was still on the mend from forcing his way through eight consecutive levels , and bursting a node at this point might get him killed .