Defiance of the Fall

If not by his own doing , then by the attackers that were everywhere in the waters .

At the end of the fifth day , Catheya finally called for a break , and the group gathered in a hidden cave at the bottom of the ocean . Zac felt he could keep going , but he immediately realized that the others were in a bad way .

Sharpo looked a bit dim , and Yod had a small frown on his face . Even the hulking Titan looked a bit deflated after the marathon , though it wasn’t surprising considering how she had constantly fought . She didn’t have his luxury of a Hidden Node purifying the energies for her . Only Catheya looked like Zac , in somewhat good spirits . She erected a series of high-quality arrays that hid the cave and their auras , along with a diversion array and killing array .

The diversion array was a type of illusion array that made people subconsciously look over an area , to avoid it because they were made to feel that it held nothing of value . If someone still forced their way here , the Killing array would probably make short work of them considering the quality it held .

This cursed energy , - Qirai muttered as she crushed a Miasma Crystal . - It feels like I’m covered with burrowing maggots . -

The energy released from the crystal purified the Titan’s surroundings for half a minute , but it was ultimately assimilated the ambient energy again .

The density of Twilight Energy had increased a bit over the past five days as they were leaving the starting continent behind , but it was still well within what his body could handle . He might as well have been walking in one of the Dead Zones back on Earth thanks to the combined efforts of his Hidden Node and the whirlpool in his Soul Aperture .

As they had traveled the past days , Zac had constantly monitored the situation in his mind . Continuing his Soul Cultivation towards the Second Reincarnation was one of his goals coming to the Twilight Harbor . His most optimistic estimates had initially indicated that he might reach the threshold within a decade , but it looked like he might reach the Second Reincarnation much earlier than expected judging by the changes in his Soul Aperture .

This was as good a time as any , and since the others needed to rest for a few hours Zac had some time to see if his new arrays worked in this environment . He walked off to a corner of the cave , and he ignored the curious looks of the others as he started infusing Mental Energy into the array disk he took out . His eyes lit up when Twilight Energy started streaming into the array , but he sighed when his surroundings became almost desolate after ten minutes .

Not a bad array , - Catheya commented from the distance . - Though it is not possible to keep the Twilight Energy permanently at bay that way . -

Zac looked over with some confusion , but he soon understood what it had to look like . He took out two Supreme Miasma Crystals and crushed them , which drowned the area in Miasma . One single Supreme Miasma Crystal held as much energy as roughly ten High-quality Miasma Crystals , and the whole cave was inundated in death for over fifteen minutes before balance was restored .

Just wanted a breather , - Zac smiled after he returned to the group .

More money than sense , - Qirai said , clearly with some jealousy . The crystal she crushed earlier was just of Medium Quality , or E-grade Miasma Crystals as they would have been called back in the Zecia Sector . The effect they had on their surroundings was unsurprisingly just a shadow of the Miasma storm Zac had caused .

Thank you , - Sharpo said from the side , and Zac noticed she looked a little better than before .

Zac smiled and closed his eyes , going over the results of the experiment . The cultivation method for the Second Reincarnation was pretty straightforward , and very much the same as the first one . He would infuse his mental energy into the array disk , and it would temper his soul .

The good news was that the Twilight Energy was useable as a fuel , but the ambient energy in the outer parts of the ocean was far insufficient to do the trick . He had barely managed to start cultivating before the area was drained , which was a testament to how power-hungry the process was .

More importantly , Zac felt he had made some insights into the process itself . The first reincarnation tempered him by causing clashes between life and death around his soul . He only managed to send a trickle through the array this time , but it was still passed through the whole array and returned into his mind .

Zac had obviously taken out the Array Disk that utilized Deathly Dao since he was sitting right in front of six undead cultivators , and what had been returned was a marginally deathlier Mental Energy . However , the energy hadn’t floated around in his Soul Aperture , but it had rather entered the death-attuned Soul Sea .

The change was even more negligible than the addition of the purified Twilight Energy , but Zac sensed that the ocean got slightly rowdier after the infusion . He guessed that this was how the process would look . Each revolution would bolster the oceans in his mind , and by the time he had infused both oceans , he would have caused a full-fledged storm in his soul aperture .

The raging seas would clash , and the core in the middle of the oceans would be tempered in turn , like a rock being polished by the raging seas .

Chapter 702 : Trove

If the method of cultivating his soul was to cause storms to rage in his mind , then Zac's best guess was that Twilight Energy improved the base power of the storms . The more energy he managed to infuse into the seas , the greater storms would rage , and the faster his soul would be tempered .

That was his takeaway after almost a week of observation at least . The array only temporarily infused the soul oceans , but the effect of the Twilight Energy was permanent . It did seem like the energy helped expand the ocean by a small degree , but more importantly , it improved the quality of the ocean .

It was like Twilight Energy added the insights it contained to the waters , making them more complete representations of Life and Death . The energy in the waters was previously made from the ambient energy in his cultivation cave along with attuned crystals , so the insights they contained were no doubt quite basic .

Only a very small pocket of the deathly had been elevated so far , but more and more Twilight Energy kept pouring in . Sooner or later the oceans would be filled with the insights of Twilight , at which point Zac would probably need to find some other way to combat the suppressive energy around him .

Zac doubted that the Twilight Energy was the only method to improve his oceans as well , and he bet that he would be able to do the same with various treasures . After all , that vortex that formed didn’t seem to have anything to do with his Bloodline or class , but it was rather that formed when his soul evolved .

There was no way to tell how many different attuned items he needed to collect , but he felt following Kenzie’s lead would be the best . The more he could expand the oceans and the more complete their insight were , the better . In fact , the quality of his second reincarnation might hinge on the quality of the oceans to some degree .

Eventually , the energy from Zac’s crystals dissipated , at which point Catheya took out an array sphere that looked extremely intricate . It was not hard to guess what he was looking at ; the purification array .

Everyone , get acquainted with this array controller over the next hour . We will constantly depend on this thing in the deeper parts of the Twilight Ocean , and it requires constant attention . We will install a daughter array in the vessel we’ll build and take turns controlling it while the others can cultivate or look for treasures , - Catheya explained .

It was soon Zac’s turn , and he was truthfully a bit worried . Catheya had never directly showcased this thing during their meetings , calling its functionality a trade secret . Zac’s Dao control was legendarily awful , impossibly so for a Draugr . What if he couldn’t even run the array? But he still reached over to grasp the black orb , and a stream of information soon entered his mind which allowed him to breathe out in relief .

Using the array was straightforward enough . You only needed to continuously infuse some Dao and Miasma into it , and the array would to the rest . Zac was a bit surprised a purity array could utilize any sort of Death Dao to run , but it did explain why the surroundings slightly changed in flavor when the others tried it out . Zac chose the Fragment of the Coffin and the miasma in their surroundings changed soon again , and it started to feel extra familiar and soothing to Zac .

There was just a hint of his Dao in the surroundings , but it still somehow transformed the Miasma to fit him even better . However , he was surprised at the expenditure . Even with his massive reserves , he’d be hard-pressed to run the array for a whole day , and he’d be completely wrung-dry after 30 hours or so .

Its effect was generally good though , with one caveat ; it lessened the amount of Twilight Energy to just 20% of its original Density , replacing it with Miasma . And since Zac couldn't actually absorb miasma to cultivate , he was actually losing cultivation momentum from the array rather than gaining a respite .

Luckily he would only be under this thing's effect for a few months .

We’ll each run this array for six hours , which will give everyone over a day’s rest after their turn , - Catheya said . - It’s a shame we lost a member the moment we entered this place , but it still shouldn’t be too hard on anyone here . But you should prepare yourself . The effect will not be nearly as good at the inner parts of the ocean where the Twilight Energy is a lot denser . -

The group set out after resting up for a few hours , and they soon settled in their slightly monotonous days of moving across the seemingly endless ocean floor and while occasionally picking up a low-grade natural treasure or a few Twilight Fruits . There was still the occasional attack , but they had grown a lot sparser after a week had passed .

However , the calm was suddenly broken as an Ice Crystal appeared next to Zac . - Gather up for a bit , - Catheya’s voice suddenly emerged from an ice crystal that appeared out of nowhere . - There’s something interesting here . -

Zac looked over in the direction of Catheya , but he didn’t see anything special . She was standing on a small rocky formation sticking out of the seabed , and some corals and seaweed were growing on the mound . It didn’t look much different from the hundreds of similar outcroppings Zac had passed over the past two days , but perhaps it was something different about that one?

Zac swam over , and he increased his speed a bit by shooting out small bursts of Miasma . Soon the group of six were all gathered , and they curiously looked around .

Look , - Catheya smiled as she pointed toward a pathway hidden behind a dense patch of seaweed .

A hidden cave? - Qirai muttered . - Is it a den? -

Better , - Catheya laughed . - It’s a trove . -

Oh? - Qirai exclaimed with interest , and Zac gave the dark cavern another look with surprise .

This was the first actual trove he had encountered unless you counted the castles during the Eastern Trigram Hunt . This was the kind left by a previous generation trial-taker . After all , the death rate of the Twilight Ocean was roughly 50% , which meant a lot of unclaimed bodies and loot since many deaths came from mutual destruction or fights against beasts .

What happened to fallen cultivators differed . Some who had received a lethal wound were able to hang on for a while , and they used that time to set up an Inheritance trial like those back in his Dao Repository . Many feared being forgotten as much as dying , and they didn’t want their cultivation journey to end without making the slightest impression on the universe .

Setting up an Inheritance wasn’t only done out of benevolence though . The System was very much in favor of the custom , and it had already been proven that it sowed positive Karma . Positive for one’s descendants , and possibly even for oneself upon reincarnation .

After being set up , the Inheritance trials were then sanctioned by the System itself , and they then appeared in some following trial depending on what grade cultivator it was meant for .

It wasn’t needed to actively do something for an inheritance trial to form though . The will of a dying Monarch , and sometimes even Hegemons , was powerful enough to impact their surroundings . Their latent will resonated with the Heavens , and a tomb was born that was guarded by natural formations affected by the dead cultivator’s insights .

A small hidden realm might even appear after particularly powerful Monarchs , where cultivators could enter their crumbling inner world in search of treasure . Zac doubted that those kinds of realms could be found in the Twilight Ocean though , unless some had managed to survive since the last C-grade trial .

E-grade cultivators weren’t powerful enough to leave such tombs or worlds behind , but the System often arranged something in places like Mystic Realms . There might be a small trial to get to the treasures , but nothing too special . It was just like how the palaces in the Eastern Trigram Hunt were guarded by barriers that needed to be breached before taking the loot within .

So why did you call us here? - Zac asked with a raised brow . - Surely it’s not to gloat? -

So what if I am? - Catheya winked . - But no , I realized that we should decide on a system of distribution for troves and inheritances . Just going by finders keepers will be too chaotic in case we reach need to work together in cracking them open , and it might sow bad blood . -

What about auction-system? - Qirai suggested .

Auction-system was a type of distribution for adventuring groups . The one who found the trove would become the owner of it , but sometimes they needed help . That would start a bidding war , where the members of the group could sell their services for a percentage of the loot’s value . The system was fair on the surface , but Zac frowned when he heard the suggestion .

Doesn’t seem good with this composition , - Sharpo muttered , which got support from both Zac and Yod .

The group was simply too small , and half the group was solely controlled by Catheya . If Zac needed the help of anyone but the ghost scout or the stalwart Corpselord , Catheya would control the pricing .

Let’s keep it simple? - Catheya suggested . - Either get it yourself , or we do it as a group . Eight shares , three to the finder , one each to the rest . Of course , anyone can sit it out . -

Agreed , - Sharpo quickly said , while Yod nodded in agreement .

Agreed , - Zac muttered as well .

Good . This is the first one , so let’s do it together! - Catheya smiled . - It shouldn’t be anything too exciting this close to the entrance , but you never know . People have even found proper inheritances on the starting continent . -

Zac’s eyes flickered with interest , and the pendant around his neck grew into its coffin form . This drew the looks of the rest of the group , where they all sized up his Spirit Tool . They had most likely seen it from a distance as he guarded the flanks , but this was the first occasion they got a close-up .

This thing is quite unique , - Catheya said with interest , not even trying to hide her curiosity . - Definitely a custom job , and a good one . Who did you hire? -

Zac only smiled in return , not deigning to comment .

The group entered the tunnel , and a Zac looked on with interest as hundreds of small spectral snakes emerged from Sharpo’s body . They simply covered the whole tunnel as they swam deeper , entering every nook and cranny . Zac guessed it was some sort of scouting skill that spotted traps and enemies . He didn’t know why the Mentalist’s skill was formed like small snakes , but it was possible that there might be a poisonous component to her skillset .

It was also possible that she could freely control their form , and chose snakes to give others the wrong impression about abilities .

A wave of Miasma emanated from Yod as well , and Zac felt empowered three consecutive times as three runes flashed above everyone’s head before disappearing . A quick look at his status screen indicated that his Strength and Endurance had both been increased by ten percent , while Vitality and Dexterity had been boosted by five .

Power . Healing . Defense , - Yod muttered .

It was the first time Zac actually was part of a proper squad of elites , and it felt a bit like he was running a dungeon in an MMORPG game . The Paladin even provided buffs for the run .

The tunnel led just a hundred meters into the seabed , at which point it ended in an opaque barrier . Sharpo was already on it , and the swarm of spectral snakes dove inside . The shield rippled a bit , but it didn’t prevent the snakes from pushing forward .

A screen appeared in front of the ghost the next moment , displaying a large cavern . There were no signs of any movement on the other side , but that wasn’t any guarantee . There was almost always some sort of challenge attached to a trove .

Sometimes it would present itself as some beasts or dangerous plantlife who had made their base close to the treasure to benefit from its energy . If that didn’t happen , then the System would make some sort of arrangement . The law of balance required some suffering for any reward .

Alright , let’s go , - Catheya said as she glanced at Qirai .

The next moment a wall of opaque ice grew on her arm . The ice shield didn’t come from Qirai though , but it was rather something provided by Catheya . This type of teamwork wasn’t all that rare , but it required trust between both parties . For example , Zac definitely wouldn’t be comfortable letting Catheya enclose his whole right arm in a block of ice .

But it was a pretty smart tactic for a lich , or a lich-ice mage hybrid like what Catheya seemed to be . It allowed her to arm and empower her underlings on the go . The Titan walked through with steady steps , and the rest soon followed .

There wasn’t much of interest inside . The cave was only a hundred meters across , and it reminded Zac of the maw of some enormous beast as it was covered in sharp stalagmites and stalactites . The only exception was cleared area in the middle , where an unmoving body lay in front of a large plant . The plant itself was actually protected by a barrier , and Zac guessed the thing was the guardian of the trove .

As for the unmoving man , he was definitely dead , but there was nothing outwardly wrong with him . He even looked peaceful . There were small remnants of lifeforce left in his body , which meant he shouldn’t have been dead for too long .

He’s fresh . There’s still some spirituality left behind . No more than five hours have passed since he fell , - Catheya said thoughtfully , confirming Zac’s assumption . - Can’t see anything wrong though . -

Let me , - Sharpo said as she pointed at the corpse .

Five of the spectral snakes burrowed into the corpse’s body , but there were no signs of any damage being done to it . They emerged a few moments later and dissipated into Miasma that rejoined Sharpo’s body .

His soul aperture is cracked , signs of a mental attack , - the ghost said after a few seconds .

My runes provide no help against mental attacks , - Yod immediately reminded .

No one really commented on it , but Zac could see that a few of the others put their guards up to some degree . Zac himself wasn’t too worried since he was confident in his mental defenses nowadays . Of course , that didn’t mean he didn’t push Indomitable] from its passively running state to its max efficiency .

Grinding his mental defense skill had been a pain in the ass , and it was one of the last skills of Zac’s to reach Peak Mastery . The simplest way was to have Vilari attack him over and over while he defended , intermixed with meditation and expanding his understanding of the soul .

Still , it was worth the time spent as the skill had progressed by a huge degree . The first three levels just increased the strength of the defenses , but reaching Peak Mastery had added a fundamental change to the skill itself . Until that point , it had always been running , and Zac could infuse his Dao and some extra Miasma into it to increase its power by a small degree .

Now Indomitable] had two proper states ; passive defenses and active defenses . The passive defenses were just slightly weaker compared to the previous state of the skill . The active defenses , however , cost over fifty times as much Miasma to keep running , but its defenses were over five times greater as well .

The expenditure wasn’t too much for someone like Zac , and he could definitely activate it without worry every time he entered battle . The only downside was that he could only keep it active 10 minutes every hour , but the passive protections would still keep going even after the timer ran out .

Everyone ready? - Catheya asked as she looked at the barrier . - I think something might change the moment I attack the sphere . -

Everyone nodded as they readied themselves for battle .

Catheya pointed forward and conjured a series of small icicles that slammed into the barrier . Zac saw they weren’t hitting it randomly though , but they rather formed a circle with some sort of constellation within . A moment later the whole barrier cracked , exposing the Spirit Plant within .

It was an odd underwater tree reaching almost three meters into the air . Instead of a canopy , it had dozens of long vines hanging down like a hairdo , each of the vines ending in what looked like a coconut . The moment the barrier broke , the vines started to shake . A rattling sound immediately spread through the cave as the coconuts slammed into each other .

The collisions weren’t loud , but the sound still reached deep into the recesses of Zac’s mind . Thankfully he already had his mental defense skill active , and Sharpo had started emitting some sort of ripples that made the sound far less piercing . Without those waves , the danger would at least be twofold .

The echoes just kept multiplying among the hundreds of stalagmites , causing them to rapidly increase in fervor . Sharpo looked unscathed from the barrage , as did Catheya and Qirai . Yod and Varo both seemed to feel slightly affected by the sounds , but it clearly wasn't more than an annoyance for them .

By the looks of it , the dead man on the ground must have had below-average mental defenses , or he was too slow activating them . Such was the fate of many solitary warriors , even among elites . Very few were without any weaknesses , and it only took one unlucky encounter for their road of cultivation to end abruptly .

It didn’t look like the tree had any other methods of attacking , and Catheya ended things by sending a blade of ice to cut off the plant by its root . The tree was stowed away , and the clashing sounds thankfully subsided over the next minute . Hidden within its roots was a mottled Cosmos Sack . Catheya grabbed the Cosmos Sack as well , after which she looked around with a smile .

Everyone okay? - she smiled as she started inspecting the haul . - Well , that’s our first adventure , I guess a bond has been forged? Let's hope the rest of our journey will be this smooth . -

Chapter 703 : Marked for Death

There wasn’t anything else of interest within the small cave , and the group soon turned back after Catheya split the meager loot . As expected , there wasn’t anything worthwhile in Cosmos Sack , except some random wealth . The guardian plant was ultimately more valuable than the trove itself since those coconuts apparently contained a liquid that could be used in some spirit-related concoctions .

Alright , let’s keep going , - Catheya said as they emerged from the trove . - We should reach the pulse within six days . Prepare yourself , our first real battle might take place there . -

The other nodded and they spread out again , and they once more resumed their individual hunt for treasures . Things were a bit monotone on the ocean bed , but Zac actually stumbled upon what might be a trove on the third day . It was hidden within a colony of giant clams that lived in a gully he passed .

He gave it some thought , but he eventually decided to go at it solo . He sent a short message to Catheya though , telling her to go ahead before he ripped open the shell of the suspicious clam . Inside was a hidden pathway , something which Zac had only noticed because of his special Draugr-sense .

The clam had looked like all the others around it , but it was completely dead . However , small bubbles still emerged from its mouth , which was definitely suspicious . Zac had expected a treasure to hide within the shell rather than a pathway , but he didn’t care as he made his way down . He soon found himself in a hidden cultivation cave covered in moss and small seaweed .

The only thing remaining apart from the plant life was a skeleton sitting on a prayer mat . It had a decent-looking sword in its lap , but Zac was more interested in the Spatial Ring on the skeleton’s finger . Spatial rings weren’t anything special in a flourishing place like the Twilight Harbor , but it also wasn’t something that common cultivators would own because of their price .

There should be a decent harvest waiting within .

Rakan’s Roar] appeared in Zac’s hand as he inched closer , his eyes peering back and forth for any hint of what kind of danger this place could hold . However , he was surprised to see that the danger was the skeleton itself as it started to emit a powerful aura that made Zac think of the unfathomable depths of the ocean .

The skeleton rose to its feet before it swung its sword in a sharp arc that didn’t seem impeded by the water at all . In fact , it was almost like the ocean was pushing the sword forward , increasing its speed rather than acting as an impediment .

Zac countered with a swing of his own , and the waters started to churn from corrosion as Zac activated Blighted Cut] , causing highly corrosive droplets to drip from his axe . The two weapons clashed , and a swirl of water clashed with an outburst of corruption . Zac was actually pushed back a few steps from the sheer power contained in the skeleton’s swing , but he countered by lashing out with the chains of Love’s Bond] . The strike launched the skeleton across the cave , and it slammed into a wall with a heavy thud .

He had expected to rip the skeleton apart with the coffin-infused iron links , but neither the corrosive elements of his skill or the impacts themselves left as much as a mark on the glistening bones . Just how sturdy was this thing? Thankfully , its combat technique was crude . It contained hints of some water-related Dao along with a brutish force , but the attacks themselves were without any finesse . Zac shot forward again , and he launched another barrage of strikes .

The basic path of war slowly merged with his fighting style again as Zac unleashed an unrelenting barrage of strikes . The skeleton was strong , but it was ultimately just a naïve recruit while he was a veteran seasoned through multiple campaigns . How couldn’t there be openings to take advantage of? One strike after another targeted joints , vertebrae , or other weaknesses , but a frown spread across Zac's face when the thing seemed completely impervious to his attacks .

A sudden scream of danger made Zac quickly drag himself out of the way with the help of one of his chains , just in time to see a spear of something pierce the waters where his head was just a moment ago . A tentacle .

Zac looked at the appendage return to hiding inside the ribcage of the skeleton , and realization dawned on him . Only then did he notice weak hints of energy and life-force along its arms and legs , more tentacles which were almost perfectly blended in with the waters .

He was fighting with an octopus rather than a skeleton?

He had planned on simply dismantling the thing and pray that it didn’t possess the ability to reassemble its bones , but it looked like the skeleton itself was just a puppet . It simply moved its body out of the way when Zac swung his axe , letting the supremely sturdy bones take the hit . It looked like he needed to adjust his tactic a bit . Four chains shot forward , all of them drenched in black tar that profaned the surroundings .

Each chain swung around the skeleton’s limbs , but a storm of cutting water blades shot out from the skeleton the moment they tried to latch on . The blades were powerful , but thankfully not powerful enough to harm either Zac or the chains of Love’s Bond] . However , they formed a storm around the skeleton itself , preventing Zac from latching on to activate the finishing blow of Blighted Cut] .

It looked like the octopus had learned to be wary of the chains from the first lashing .

Still , the chains were not only useful for binding while Blighted Cut] was active , and they kept spewing out more and more corrosive liquid into the cave . He hadn’t managed to make much progress with the skill over the past years , but it had at least reached Middle Mastery . The upgrade increased the corrosive properties by a tier while also increasing the cost of keeping the skill active . Obviously , that was a worthy exchange for someone with a massive Miasma pool like him .

Still , the skeleton seemed mostly impervious to his attempt to corrode the beast within since the octopus managed to move away all the tainted water with its ability to manipulate water . Its control of waters in the small cave was too great , and not a drop of it reached its almost intangible body . Zac gave it a thought and figured he’d try something else . Something new .

His body suddenly started to release a black cloud that spread through the waters with rapid speed . It just took a few seconds before it had filled the whole cave . The illumination from the seagrass and moss was drowned out , replaced by pervasive darkness and the chill of death . Not only that , but a sizzling sound echoed through the small cave .

It almost sounded like he stood in an enormous swarm of cicadas , but he knew that the sound was all the moss and even the cave wall being rapidly dissolved . The darkness was filled with decay , which was why Zac summoned it . He figured it would be hard for the octopus to keep away tainted water if everything became tainted .

Zac could see just fine in the shroud of darkness , and he saw how the skeleton had been covered from head to toe in water armor in an effort to block out the corrosive storm Zac had unleashed . It looked like it no longer felt as confident , and it immediately swam toward the exit . However , a chain lashed at the skeleton as Zac moved to block .

The skeleton still wore the Spatial Ring , and the sword was a treasure as well . How could he let the octopus simply leave?

Getting trapped had clearly enraged the beast as it unleashed a furious barrage at Zac , using both its sword and the skeleton’s limbs as weaponry . The pure force in its strikes was nothing to scoff at , and Zac felt himself somewhat on the defensive from the onslaught . It wouldn’t have been as bad if he activated Vanguard of Undeath] , but the cave was simply too small to freely fight in that state .

Still , there was no such thing as passively defending for his Fetters of Desolation Class .

The darkness suddenly congealed as Zac felt a drain on his Miasma . Out from it , a wraith wielding a nasty war axe appeared . Its features were obscured by a tattered robe , and its arms were in a state of advanced decay . The axe seemed to be wrought from black metal , and its head was covered in runes that shone in a sinister green radiance that spoke of putrefaction .

The octopus was a beast , and it followed its instincts as it fought . And its instincts probably told it that Zac was the true threat . It provided the opening the wraith needed , and it unleashed a massive two-handed swing toward the skeleton . A small green fractal edge appeared in front of the axehead , and it actually cut straight through the water armor .

The octopus reacted at the last moment and moved to intercept the attack with its arm . The axe wraith was unable to cut through the bone , and a storm of water soon pushed it away . But the wraith didn't completely lose out on that exchange as a series of small green runes suddenly covered the previously transparent tentacle .

Zac heard a high-pitched wail of pain from within the skeleton’s skull , and Zac wasn’t surprised . Those runes had already started absorbing the corrosion of the surroundings , and the water armor couldn’t protect against that . It probably felt like its limb was rotting off for the octopus . The wraith quickly floated back after being pushed away , but the octopus was in no mood to fight it .

It knew it couldn't pass by Zac , so it swam to the opposite side of the cave , all while one of its tentacles kept sizzling . Unfortunately for the octopus , there was no escape from Zac's cage , and another wraith appeared , out of nowhere , launching an attack on one of the skeleton's legs . Another set of green runes appeared , and the wail from within the skull grew even louder .

The octopus was no doubt going insane from the pain , but pain sometimes brings strength .

The blue sword ripped through the darkness , cutting even Zac's domain apart as it tried to destroy the two wraiths . The first one didn't have time to react and was ripped apart in an instant , unable to withstand such a suicidal attack . However , the original wraith which was about to catch up managed to dodge the wide swing before countering with an attack of its own . It slammed into the very same arm as before , and the green runes grew even denser .

A lightning-quick kick from the skeleton dispelled the wraith , but a third one appeared to take its place . As for Zac , he was happy to just observe the effect of his recently fused skill . The octopus should be in the late stages of the E-grade , and it had found itself an extremely durable skeleton for protection . It was pretty good target practice .

Zac knew he could manually control the skill , but he was happy just to observe as they slowly got smarter during the fight . Soon enough there were two of them harassing the octopus , and when there were three things started to become lopsided . The axe wraiths worked in tandem , with one drawing attention while the other two kept stacking more and more corrosive runes across the skeleton and its controller .

Three wraiths eventually turned to five , at which point the beast was already on the brink of collapse . It had already lost most of its tentacles , and the skeleton now simply floated in the air with its arms hanging down . The octopus knew it was on the brink of death , and Zac actually sensed the familiar energy emanations of self-destruction .

Four chains shot forward like spears , each of them targeting cracks or openings in the skeleton’s skull . A surge of energy entered Zac’s body a moment later , confirming that he had managed to kill the beast hiding inside the skull .

The darkness that suffused the cave soon dissipated , and Zac noticed that over a meter of the wall had been completely corroded , leaving a smooth surface behind . Zac nodded in satisfaction at the scene , feeling that his new skill lived up to his expectations . The skill was called Deathmark] , and it was the fusion of Deathwish] and Winds of Decay] .

Deathwish] was one of Zac’s favorite skills in his undead toolkit , but it had unsurprisingly fallen behind as the spectral projections had a ceiling strength that wasn’t a threat to most E-grade cultivators . Furthermore , its method of activation wasn’t really suited any longer . It was originally meant to be used in conjunction with Immutable Bulwark] , but Zac barely fought with a shield any longer .

He didn’t want to keep getting hit to activate the skill , so he needed to change its trigger . Doing so through modifying the fractal was probably possible , but that was still out of his reach . So Deathwish] became his first choice for a fusion , and he had considered Vanguard of Undeath] , Fields of Despair] , and even Profane Seal] as potential targets .

But ultimately he instead landed on Winds of Decay] . His idea was for Deathwish] to represent the Fragment of the Axe , which was why the spectral projections had been replaced by axe-wraiths , and for Winds of Decay] to represent death . The result was Deathmark] , a domain skill that both spread powerful corrosion while also adding the summoning ability .

One impressive difference between the old skills and the new was that the new wraiths didn’t actually disappear after one strike . They would keep pelting away for half a minute unless they were destroyed by the enemy , each strike leaving a mark that left the target more susceptible to the corrosive domain .

Even better , Zac didn't actually need to be attacked for the wraiths to appear . As long as the target was within his corrosive domain , more and more would keep popping up . However , the rate at which they naturally formed was just half compared to how quickly they could form as a result of Zac getting hit .

So the skill still synergized very well by Vanguard of Undeath] and its taunting ability . As long as he could force his enemy to focus on him through that mental manipulation or pressure alone , the wraiths would keep multiplying and increasing the danger for the enemy . Soon enough they’d look like the octopus , completely covered in green runes as they fell apart .

Even if they managed to withstand the powerful corrosion in Deathmark] , they would still be assaulted by a blinding pain that would impede most people’s ability to bring out their full power . You could even say that the soul-wrenching pain was another type of restriction , one that might work even better than a suppression array in battle .

You could probably cleanse the mark , but that was like expelling foreign Dao that had invaded their body . Doing so in the middle of a fight could prove lethal . It wasn't like Zac would always watch on while his wraiths fought his battles for him . He had multiple other ways to harass the target while they tried to remove the brands .

A look around in the cave indicated there were no other threats , and he walked over to the skeleton . Its pristine bones had finally turned a bit mottled after being assaulted by the corrosive domain for half a minute , but they were still whole . Zac didn’t care about the skeleton though , and instead dragged out the remains of a small octopus from the skull .

Its main body was a bit golden rather than translucent like its appendages , but it was just a mess now after being impaled by four corrosive chains . Only its maw was still intact , and it bit down on a small stone that emitted pretty powerful energy fluctuations . Zac’s first thought was that it was a Beast Core , he soon realized it rather had to be a Cosmic Core .

No wonder the bones of the cultivator were so sturdy ; they came from a fallen Hegemon that had become nourishment for the octopus . The core itself was more than halfway drained , which had helped push the octopus all the way to the Late E-grade . Zac could probably absorb the remaining energy through Void Heart] as well , but he was loath to do so .

It felt a bit close to cannibalism , and he already had hundreds of Beast Cores prepared for that very purpose . After all , beast cores weren’t very expensive , considering they were mostly useless for cultivators because of their chaotic energies . They weren’t even efficient energy sources for bombs , since the explosions were extremely unpredictable .

Ultimately , they were mostly used as fertilizer in top-tier gardens . You’d bury a couple of cores of a suitable element beneath the soil , and they would slowly infuse the ground with energy over the years . That meant they were in high demand for certain elements that matched well with plants , whereas many other types of Beast Cores had almost no demand .

Zac’s Hidden Node didn’t care what element it ate , so Zac just paid a measly 50 Million Nexus Coins for Early-Stage Beast Core back in the Zecia sector . With his race upgrade dealt with and both pills and Stone of Hope] bought , he was pretty eager to start using them , but it would have to wait until he reached immunity to the pills he’d brought .

The Hegemon skeleton went into his Spatial Ring , while his ring went on one of Zac’s free fingers . He didn’t linger in the hidden cave after that , and left after having scanned the small chamber a few times for hidden compartments or pathways . But it really looked like the Spatial Ring was the only thing of value , and Zac was soon moving across the seabed again to catch up with the others . He soon caught up with the others , at which point his attention turned to the ring .

Even a poverty-stricken Hegemon should have some stuff that was useful for him .

Chapter 704 : Cork Island

The skeleton's spatial ring was in a pretty bad state , and Zac guessed that it wouldn’t last more than a few more decades . It had probably lost more than three-quarters of its original space by now , and what remained was far smaller than even the backup rings he bought in Twilight Harbor .

The contents were left in a chaotic jumble , but Zac started to organize the loot into piles , something that had become a lot easier since his control over mental energy got stronger . It quickly became apparent that the previous owner had fought a few life-and-death battles before dying himself , as it looked like the items came from at least five different people .

There were four sets of cultivation manuals , all of them of different elements . There was a Body Tempering Manual as well , but it was locked just like the manuals were . Hopefully , he would be able to decode them through some service , since these manuals were most likely all things that could be used all the way into the D-grade .

Even if they were average in other aspects , that alone made them better than 95% of the manuals currently available in Port Atwood . Apart from the manuals , there were over fifty bottles with pills , but almost forty of them had golden runes emblazoned on them . It was a seal by the System that locked items of too high a grade until he left the trial .

It was the same with a number of talismans and two Low-grade Cosmic Crystals .

Those crystals were probably left for emergencies , as there were also two small hills of Supreme Nexus Crystals and Supreme Miasma Crystals . The fallen Hegemon was probably among the weaker ones who had entered the Twilight Ascent during some previous opening .

All-in-all , the tally was extremely impressive for an outer trove , though most of the value seemed to be in the crystals themselves . Two low-grade Cosmic Crystals meant 200 D-grade Nexus Coins , a shocking haul for most peak E-grade cultivators . In comparison , the estimated value of the Trove Catheya found was just in the vicinity of 120 , 000 E-grade Nexus Coins .

Unfortunately , there was not a single Twilight Fruit in the ring , which was a pretty big disappointment . By value alone , they were almost a match to the Cosmic Crystals . But more importantly , they might be the perfect food for Love's Bond] . Zac's best guess was that D-grade Twilight Fruits were considered too great a reward , and removed by the System .

Zac was about to retract his vision but he suddenly spotted a familiar sphere , and he curiously took it out . He infused some energy into the ball , and he soon found himself in an illusion . It actually worked . He wasn't worried about the thing being a weapon or a trap since he had an identical sphere in his own spatial ring .

It was looked like a metal ball , but it was called an Ocean Chart] , and it was a specialized version of his Automatic Mapper] . It was designed to chart the Twilight Ocean and it automatically added in and updated the map as Zac moved along , even while it was in his Spatial Ring . It was one of the first things he prepared for the trial , but until now he hadn't had much reason to take it out since it was almost completely blank .

The Ocean Chart] he found was completely different , and large swathes were filled in with great detail . It wasn’t much help to Zac as the whole ocean had been rearranged since then though . But Zac suddenly spotted something interesting , something that pertained to him specifically .

In a certain part of the middle area of the trial , Zac spotted an all-too-familiar Volcano ; the Volcano with the Shard of Creation . Zac’s eyes lit up , having found the first real clue to the remnants . The volcano obviously wouldn't be at the same spot as before , but most features stayed in the same general depth .

So if the volcano was around the midpoint during a previous trial , there was a good chance it was in the same general area this time around as well . Even better , there were over five distinctive markers close to it , any one of which might still be connected to the nondescript volcano . The ocean would gradually get charted by the trial takers , and he would be able to trade for or steal their Ocean Charts] to supplement his own .

Finding the unnamed volcano had just become a lot easier thanks to this map since he could use its surrounding features as clues .

There were unfortunately no clues to the Splinter on the map . In the vision he had back during the Mystic Realm it was deep inside a cave hidden among jagged pitch-black rocks at the ocean floor . But he was just one week into the trial , and he had already made surprising inroads .

Zac had already come to a decision since discovering the remnants were here ; as long as he could find both the locations , he would try to absorb a second set . Collecting more of the remnants was a huge risk , but Zac felt the potential rewards justified it . Making his ultimate attacks stronger was a welcome addition , but he was more interested in the passive effects .

Without the purified energies of Oblivion , it would have taken much longer for his soul to reach the state required for the First Reincarnation . He wasn’t like Vilari , born with a soul multiple times stronger than the norm . It was the same with his body . The Shard of Creation had kept nurturing his Bloodline over the past years .

It was the shard that had helped push his Force of the Void] to 27% reserves even without a method to cultivate it . He had tried eating all kinds of things , but so far he had not found much that was of use . Most treasures were simply turned into Cosmic Energy by Void Heart] , while a few items with strong Spatial Energies seemed to nurture the Hidden Node to some degree .

Getting a second set of Remnants would mean both a faster soul cultivation and body tempering , without Zac actually having to spend any extra time on either . It was an important experiment as well , to see whether the cage could take on more remnants . Zac memorized all the features surrounding the volcano , after which he stowed away the old Ocean Chart] to be used as a spare .

Cracking open the first hoard solo was pretty exhilarating , but the excitement quickly died down over the next hours . Troves obviously didn’t grow on trees , and Zac didn’t really gain much of anything over the next day . He did loot a couple of Twilight Fruits , but Alea still showed no indication of being stuffed as she greedily ate any fruit she could get . The monotony eventually ended though as another Ice Crystal formed next to him .

Everyone gather , - the crystal said . - The Living Pulse is up ahead , which means we’re closing in on Cork Island . The risk of ambush is a lot higher here . -

The group all swam over to Catheya before advancing any further . The start of the living pulse was a small subaqueous mountain range , where the stream emerged out of the depths . From where , no one knew , as going against the current got you ripped apart . The stream was then rerouted through the canyons of the mountain until it turned into a powerful surge that shot through the ocean .

Their group obviously wouldn’t get too close to the mountain , since it was a popular spot to gather up for adventuring parties . They instead chose a roundabout way as they masked their presence as much as they could . It was hard to miss the Living Pulse even when it was in the distance , as Zac could sense a pure surge of life within the Golden Haze .

That was a unique point of the Living Pulse ; it passed a lot of life-attributed points of interest , and it was marked by those locations and held strong life-attuned energies . Or perhaps it was the Pulse itself that made those points of interest possible at all . In either case , it made their work easier as they moved along its path toward Cork Island .

They soon spotted the island in the distance , or rather the fact that the depth of the ocean kept shrinking . They eventually reached a sheer mountain wall that went from the ocean bed to above the surface . They had reached the island proper . The Living Pulse actually cut straight through the island itself , but they would have to get onto it .

Sharpo wordlessly sent out a small snake that quickly turned translucent .

The cliff is forty meters tall , - she said . - I can’t see any cultivators , but my snake can’t see through high-quality illusions . There are some odd fluctuations though , there might be someone lying in wait . -

Catheya frowned for a few seconds before she took out a talisman , but before she had a chance to use it Zac felt a weak push against his mind . He wasn’t even sure if his impression was real , but it looked like the ghost and Catheya had sensed the same thing .

We’ve been spotted! - Sharpo said .

We strike , - Catheya immediately said . - It’ll be trouble if they expose our group . We’ll take them out before hiding inside the forest . -

Time was of the essence , so everyone immediately got ready .

Be careful , - Catheya said as she nodded at Qirai who once more took the lead with a massive ice shield on her arm .

The Titan immediately rose through the waters like a wall-breaker while both Zac and Yod followed close behind . Varo and Sharpo disappeared from sight as Catheya brought up the rear , one icicle after another appearing behind her back .

For a second Zac thought they were making a mountain out of a molehill , but he was almost immediately proven wrong as a storm of golden spears that made Zac think of Nenothep Medhin descended upon them . The ice shield on Qirai’s arm expanded to the size of a building in return , blocking hundreds of stabs as it was slowly whittled down .

Eventually , it broke , but the Titan unleashed a terrifying punch at that moment , containing enough force to lift the ocean itself , turning an Olympic pool’s worth of water into a projectile that shot up toward their attackers . The icicles behind Catheya were launched at the same time , and they actually stabbed into the water bomb , turning it into a glacier radiating an immense cold .

A tremendous shockwave erupted above just as they breached the surface , no doubt the ice mountain crashing into whatever defenses the attackers had prepared . The scene above was just utter chaos , but Zac could vaguely see a few sources of power with the help of Cosmic Gaze] .

Six people , no First Seeds’ , Sharpo’s voice echoed out in Zac’s mind .

Do it , - Catheya said with a sinister smile , and the whole area was suddenly drowned in darkness , like they had been thrown into the abyss .

Zac could sense that the whole world had been sealed off , but Zac could still see the attackers just fine . In fact , it was like they had been lit up like spotlights in the dark . It was a domain skill , and while he couldn’t confirm it , he believed it was activated by the now-invisible Varo . Zac had always suspected Catheya's staid butler to have something like an assassin’s class , and this domain seemed to lean in that direction .

The others seemed to have things in hand , but Zac couldn't just sit by and watch this time around , and he finally finished channeling energy into Abyssal Phase] , which made it look like the world had frozen in place . Fragments of the ice bomb fell back toward the churning waters in slow motion , and Zac effortlessly dodged them along with several descending attacks as he made his way toward the cliff where the attackers stood .

It was a mixed group of treants and humans , and they were already launching a series of powerful attacks that had almost completely submerged the Titan in a chaotic swirl of energies . Qirai emitted some odd pulses that kept pushing sharp roots and golden spears , and some sort of radiant blades away , like she was creating a void zone around herself . Another ice shield had already appeared on her hand , helping keep the pressure down .

Qirai was essentially taking on the role Zac himself usually took when fighting with allies ; the meat shield . That was just fine with Zac since he was moving away from the defensive archetype in his undead form . He appeared behind the group a moment later and deactivated his movement skill . It was impossible to prepare skills while he was in his intangible form , but his axe still shot toward the closest throat as it started dripping extremely corrosive liquids .

However , a two-meter tall crystal hand appeared to block his strike , and a counter-stab of a golden spear shot toward him before he even had finished his attack . Zac wasn’t worried though . He might have moved away from a pure defensive class , but that didn’t mean he was without defensive means .

Three pygmy skeletons appeared behind Zac , each one of them radiating such an immense aura of death that the air around them kept distorting . One held a lantern wrought out of bone , and a blue flame radiated from within . The second held a coffin as large as itself , while the final one was mostly obscured by a black cloud that floated around it as though it was a living thing .

Zac infused a stream of energy into the coffin-bearing pygmy skeleton , and a deathly barrier very reminiscent of Love’s Bond] sprung up to block the incoming spear . At the same time , the blue light inside the second pygmy’s lantern increased in intensity , and the Crystal hand quickly deteriorated and fell apart . Zac was already mid-swing by that point , and his axe ruthlessly shot toward the Treant cultivator again .

The Treant looked shocked at its defenses crumbling so quickly , but he was still a peak E-grade cultivator . A wall of roots sprung up to block and retaliate , and Zac found himself cut off from the enemies once more . But that was fine with Zac , as that bramble wall had essentially trapped the ambushers with him putting pressure from behind and Qirai from the front .

He had already spotted six huge snakes climb up the cliff-side too , no doubt Sharpo’s summoned beasts . They didn’t emit too strong auras , but they all were still Late E-grade equivalent . They didn’t immediately jump in to tussle with the group of cultivators , but they rather helped keep the battle contained and the living trapped in one spot .

Zac couldn’t spot Varo or Yod , but he guessed they were somehow keeping the enemies occupied in other ways . As for Zac , the situation had essentially turned into a battle between life and death . Zac , his four chains , and his lantern-wielding pygmy kept whittling down the barriers while the Treant desperately grew new ones in an attempt to overwhelm him .

A huge eruption of force almost threw Zac off his feet , and he sensed that it was Qirai who had finally unleashed a massive punch at the defenses the group had erected after getting the ambush thrown back in their faces . Of course , Zac didn’t plan on giving these people any chance to breathe .

He was utilizing his insights into the Dao of the Axe as much as he could to maximize the damage he was causing to the defenses . He had usually stayed a human back on Earth , but he had still somewhat integrated his Path into his Draugr side as well . Still , it was ultimately a bit lacking , and integrating his warlike movements into his combat style wasn’t as smooth as in his human form .

The axe-work was fine , roving back and forth like a furious charge of a deathsworn army . But the patterns of his four chains were still slightly stilted . Zac wanted to use them to keep an ever-present pressure on his enemies , like four raiding parties constantly demanding attention while the main army pushed forward .

As for his fused path of Coffin and Axe , he still hadn’t quite found a direction like the Evolutionary Stance he had started forming as a human . He did have some ideas on how to fuse death and conflict , but he hadn’t landed on anything specific yet . His goal was to find inspiration during this trial , something that fit his personality and that could match the Evolutionary Stance .

For now , he kept using Blighted Cut] rather than Gorehew] in an attempt to shake something loose from the battle . He figured his odds of figuring something out would increase if he fought with a death-attuned skill imbued with the Fragment of the Coffin while following a combat style based on the Fragment of the Axe .

His axe ripped through endlessly growing plants as pools of miasmic corrosion spread beneath his feet . He could have activated his other skills as well , but he had pretty much confirmed that these people weren’t powerful enough to be a threat to Catheya . As for the others , he wasn’t as sure . In a sense , this was a chance for him to inspect their strength .

If they got themselves killed against this group of the living , it might be for the best . Otherwise , they’d just become a weakness when they were set against more powerful enemies .

But even with Zac only unleashing a small part of his kit , the Treeman soon found himself completely overwhelmed . The biggest problem was the aquamarine flames from the lantern-wielding skeleton . It was just too efficient at eating through defenses , even more so than Zac directly swinging into the barriers with his axe .

A pang of danger suddenly erupted in his mind , and Zac looked up in time to see a massive crystal spike descending toward him . It contained an immense aura of life , and golden lightning crackled through its core . Zac frowned and halted his assault for a second , long enough for him to point toward the spike .

The third pygmy finally made its move as the swirl of darkness around it expanded and rose like a hungry maw . It actually swallowed the crystal whole , and a moment later a tremendous shockwave erupted a few hundred meters out to sea as the very same crystal spike slammed into the ocean , causing a small tsunami .

The cultivator looked on with blank incomprehension , and Zac only grinned as he once more pushed forward .

Chapter 705 : Profane Exponents

The ultimate strike of the treeman’s ally was diverted , allowing Zac to attack with reignited vigor as the normal shield pygmy kept him safe from the occasional attacks . The barriers it conjured just looked like coffins , but they were actually even sturdier compared to his old skill Immutable Bulwark] .

I need assistance! - the treeman roared with a voice that sounded like dry bark , but there was no time for anyone to come to his assistance before the fight took a drastic turn .

However , the change didn’t come from Zac , but rather someone else .

A small blue flower had appeared through a crack in the ground without anyone noticing , and it released a weak blue light that turned two of the assailants , a mage who held off Sharpo’s snakes and the man who conjured crystal hands to protect the party , into frozen statues before anyone had the chance to react . The attackers had already been overpowered before , and instantly losing a third of their party utterly crushed their will to keep fighting .

Qirai took the opportunity when the defensive barriers fell to punch a third cultivator with a lightning-quick jab to her temple . Zac didn’t feel it looked overly powerful , but his eyes widened a bit when he felt a sharp spiritual ripple passing out through the other side of the cultivator’s head . Her eyes completely glazed over and she slumped onto the ground , her soul definitely crushed .

Only now did Zac realize that that the brutish Revenant had somehow combined pugilism with mental attacks . It was probably because of her master not wanting the Titan to destroy the corpses .

Half the party had fallen in an instant thanks to Catheya and Qirai’s combo , and the others all used their ultimate escape means to get out of there . Zac had already broken through their defenses though , and two chains of Love’s Bond] shot out and caught the treant mid-teleportation . The man was ripped back to the battlefield , and he didn’t get the chance to try again before he was cut in two by a swing of Zac’s axe .

Two pieces of bleeding lumber fell onto the ground with a heavy thud , but the remains quickly crumbled as they had landed in the pool of corrosion that spread out around Zac’s position .

I can’t believe your master let you get a class like that , - Catheya muttered as she rose up to the cliff with the help of a pillar of ice , her eyes drawn to the rotten pool around Zac’s feet . - What were you thinking walking the path of Decay? You’re harming your own foundation if you keep destroying the bodies of those you defeat . -

I’ve never had any ambition to become a lich and raise large armies , - Zac shrugged as he picked up a Cosmos Sack from the ground before it disintegrated . - And these guys weren’t strong enough to become my right-hand-men . -

Still , it’s like you’re burning money , - Catheya muttered as she gave the treeman a look of helplessness , but she didn’t push the issue any further .

What about the other two? - Zac asked .

It’s being handled , - Catheya said , and she barely had time to finish her sentence before Varo returned with two bodies .

Zac hadn’t expected that the Revenant was powerful enough to deal with both the escapees . Certainly , neither of them was in great shape after the battle , but it hadn’t taken more than a few seconds . He had truthfully somewhat discounted the butleresque Revenant after seeing his performance when gathering up or entering the trove , but Zac realized that underestimating this guy could be deadly .

Let’s go . We should have alerted people in the surroundings even if the fight took less than a minute . Some bigshots have probably reached Cork Island already , no need to tempt fate , - Catheya said .

The group nodded , and they quickly cleaned up the battlefield before they moved further into the island . Zac threw over the treant’s Cosmos Sack to Catheya , and the others did the same . This had been a team battle , and resources would be allocated dependent on contribution . If they only went by who dealt killing blows , then people like Yod and Sharpo who filled other functions than directly killing would be left without a scrap .

The small pygmy skeletons followed Zac for a few hundred meters until they finally dissipated after bowing in his direction . Catheya looked at the trio curiously before her eyes turned toward Zac .

An oddity for sure… - she smiled . - I guess they suit you . -

Zac rolled his eyes in response , but he inwardly agreed with her sentiment . The trio came from the last of his skill fusions which resulted in a skill called Profane Exponents] . It was the toughest one of all his fusions and the one that differed most from its original skills .

The fusion actually came from Immutable Bulwark] and Undying Legion] , and they were Zac’s solution to completely rehauling his defensive capabilities . Undying Legion] had grown a lot more powerful as he had pushed it to peak mastery , but the change wasn’t exactly what he hoped for .

Reaching high mastery had increased the army to 350 skeletons , and also added a dozen mages who launched fireballs somewhat similar to the turquoise flames of his pygmy . At peak mastery , the skill had conjured 500 skeletons while adding 5 captains and one extremely powerful general that would probably be able to defeat anyone else on Earth by himself .

They would be a mighty force that could aid most defensive cultivators , and Undying Legion] was probably the skill that best personified his path . It combined both death and war in a very palpable way . Unfortunately , that didn’t mean it really fit Zac’s toolkit , and the skeletons were ultimately only used for their damage diversion .

Meanwhile , Immutable Bulwark] was very powerful , but it always required him to wield a shield , which didn’t really suit Zac’s taste . He’d much rather use Love’s Bond] in its offensive form , using the chains to bind and restrain his enemies as a means of defense through offense .

The result was a new supportive skill that was a lot more flexible compared to his old ones . The first pygmy was simply a pure fusion of the bulwark of his Immutable Bulwark] and the skeletons in Undying Legion] . It became a coffin-bearing skeleton , a representation of his path and Dao of the Coffin that could protect him or groups of people .

Meanwhile , the lantern-wielding pygmy specifically targeted defensive skills by corroding defensive fractals . Its weird burning light wouldn't be able to kill most E-grade cultivators , but it was extremely efficient at eating through defensive arrays and barriers . This pygmy drew inspiration from several sources . Part of it came from the skeletal mages that appeared when Zac upgraded Undying Legion] .

But a big part of the inspiration came from Kenzie and her array-breaking enterprise .

He had once asked Kenzie how her array breakers worked , and she said that a breaker and a barrier were essentially different sides of the same coin . Many of the patterns and runes the two used were the same , but they were just applied slightly differently . That was what gave him the guts to try having the System repurpose the overabundance of defensive patterns in the two skill fractals into something offensive .

Zac’s undying side wasn’t like his living one , where he had a few terrifying skills that could destroy all opposition . He was more like a spider trapping his targets in a web , slowly whittling them down until he launched a final strike . However , that combat style had a weakness ; time . Anything could happen in a battle , and Zac had thought of various ways to increase the speed he could squeeze his enemies to death .

One route was to get a finisher skill like Arcadia’s Judgement] , simply turning people to mush . Another way was to quickly destroy his enemies’ defenses and allow skills like Blighted Cut] and Deathmark] to work a lot quicker . The result was shockingly effective . Any defense within his domain was quickly targeted and dissolved by the priest pygmy , and Zac believed the skeleton would even be able to destroy D-grade defenses when the skill reached Peak Mastery .

The third pygmy had taken on the power of displacement from Undying Legion] , but its usage was a lot more flexible . It could either transfer damage from Zac to the three pygmies , or displace an attack altogether as it did with the crystal Spire .

When used correctly , it could actually be considered an offensive skill , though the skill ultimately was under the control of the attacker . They would usually be able to dissipate the attack before they accidentally attacked themselves because of the displacement .

Restrain your auras and follow me , - Catheya said as she attached a series of talismans to individual ice crystals that floated above everyone’s heads .

Zac didn’t exactly understand how they worked , but it felt like their group was somewhat isolated from the surroundings , just like how the distraction array worked . Zac looked at the setup with interest , and he felt that the way Catheya used her Dao to create mobile array arrangements was pretty ingenious . Perhaps he could do something similar , if he ever could gain such control over his Dao .

The trees around them kept getting larger as they ran deeper into the forest , and they were soon overshadowed even than the massive Redwood trees back on Earth . Any tree around them would be large enough to be turned into a serviceable vessel , but Catheya kept going deeper for another hour until she stopped close to one tree that looked a bit sturdier than the others .

She took out a rope with small array disks attached every meter , and Varo started putting it around the root of the trunk . It almost looked like Christmas lights , but Zac understood it was a specialized array as the whole tree trunk suddenly was cut off as the dozens of miniature disks on the rope cracked . The tree didn’t even have the chance to tilt before it just disappeared , no doubt placed in a Cosmos Sack of Catheya’s .

Alright . We’ll split up here , - Catheya said as she took out another small array disk . - There is a hidden shipyard beneath the river somewhere around here . A few of us will start processing and hollowing out the tree , while a few others I continue further inside . -

Varo and Qirai were clearly not surprised by Catheya’s statement , but Zac could see that both Yod and Sharpo were caught unaware . It looked like neither of the two had made similar deals as he had . Of course , Sharpo seemed to have already figured something out earlier when they discussed the route .

As for Zac himself , he started to feel that the price for the Stone of Hope] might have been even higher than he initially estimated .

What is going on? - Yod eventually asked .

I was tasked with a second goal when coming here , - Catheya smiled . - I have been ordered to complete a small task on Cork Island . Don’t ask why because I don’t know . -

I agreed to help , but this place… - Zac sighed as he looked toward the heart of Cork Island .

The Living Pulse ran straight through the middle of the island , imbuing it with a surge of life-attuned energies . The large trees were not the only thing of value in this place , there were also all kinds of treasures . Right now the heart of the island was in a completely pristine state , and thousands of cultivators no doubt rushed toward the core to harvest the valuables before the mainstream cultivators reached this spot .

It was truly a no man’s land for the unliving .

We’re not here to go against the collective strength of the Dreamers , - Catheya said with a shake of her head . - We go in , do our thing , and get out . Yod and Sharpo , you can begin preparations in the hidden shipyard with the help of Qirai . -

Safer to go together , - Yod slowly muttered , and Sharpo seemed to agree .

Perhaps so , but I’m just following my master’s instructions . Initially , three were supposed to remain , and four go , but now we’ll split three-three . Me , Varo , and Arcaz will go complete the mission , - Catheya smiled .

Qirai had clearly been informed already , and she took both the array crystal and a Cosmos Sack from her master as she turned to the outsiders .

Come on , let’s go . The shipyard is some distance away , - she said as she started running .

Yod and Sharpo exchanged a glance before they followed the Titan .

So I guess I’m not privy to the shipyard’s whereabouts if things go sideways here? - Zac sighed as he saw his teammates disappear among the trees .

Well , would you even want to join those three in case things go wrong? - Catheya laughed in response as she started walking further toward the core of the island . - I have a feeling you’d rather stake it out yourself . -

Do you even know the location of the pearls? - Zac asked with a suspicious glance . - Or are we just toiling in vain for this mystery mission of yours? -

Of course , - Catheya nodded . - It’s the reward master negotiated for me in return for completing this mission . He said that there definitely aren't any errors in the clues and path he got . There might even be an Autarch involved for him to be so certain . -

Why you? There are millions of natives who could take up tasks for the undead factions . Why have an Imperial like you been given this task? - Zac asked .

Catheya didn’t really need to watch her words now that the two other outsiders were gone , and Zac really wanted to find out anything he could about this mission of theirs . He couldn’t directly ask about his own task because of the brand hiding in his body , but perhaps he could gather some clues from Catheya without directly asking .

Who knows , - Catheya shrugged . - But you know , it doesn’t really matter . The old ancestors at the top will always play their games . Even Hegemons are just replaceable chess pieces to them . And that’s a good thing . -

Sounds real good , - Zac snorted sarcastically .

We might be expendable , but also not valuable enough to be specifically targeted . So , I will keep my head down and complete my mission like a good chess piece . I’ll take the rewards and empower myself , and one day I will be the player instead of the chess piece , - Catheya smiled . - Such is the way of the world . -

Zac hesitated for a few seconds as he looked toward the center of the island . Perhaps Catheya really didn’t know what was going on . Was this what life was like for those in established factions? Being pawns in schemes beyond their understanding , their lives not under their own control . Everyone hoping that they'd gain control over their own fates one day?

You saw the auction . Quite a few of the items meant for E-grade cultivators weren’t even sold since not one of the old monsters was prepared to fork out even the minimum bid , - Catheya added . - If you want something really good you have to work for it yourself . Such is Heaven’s Path . The Boundless Heaven will only help those who help themselves . -

Not sure if I want the Heaven’s help , - Zac muttered , but be understood her point .

Not every opportunity was a Mystic Realm . Simply being used as a chess piece by bigshots could be considered an opportunity since they sat on resources that lower-grade cultivators desperately wanted .

The trio kept a low profile as they pushed through the undergrowth between the towering trees . The forest floor was thankfully quite lush even with the massive canopies hundreds of meters in the air blocking out the sun , thanks to the fact that many plants only needed Cosmic Energy to thrive .

They heard the occasional battle in the distance , but Catheya thankfully showed no inclination of heading over to fish in muddy waters . They did run into a duo of beastkin , but the battle was over before it even started . The two were frozen in place in an instant , followed by Zac and Varo each dealing with one of them before they even had a chance to erect their defenses .

Their strength wasn’t very impressive , and they had probably pushed themselves to the limit just to reach the island in hopes of getting a few valuable herbs . The environment worked against the undead in this place , but he and Catheya were pureblood Draugr with one very powerful advantage ; their vision .

It was almost like sonar in this place , allowing Zac to see others long before they saw him . However , Catheya was somehow able to spot parties long before he did . She didn’t seem to use any skills either , leaving him wondering if it had something to do with her race . Catheya had already inadvertently divulged that all Draugr had the same bloodline , and perhaps she had managed to strengthen her innate abilities through it .

Eventually , they approached the core of Cork Island where a gargantuan world tree proudly towered over its much smaller brethren . It had been visible even through the dense canopies since it almost split the sky in two . Now that they were getting closer , the trees were growing sparser . It was like the world tree had a domain on its own .

Zac hadn’t really considered what they were here to do , but now that he got a better look at the unfathomably large tree he started to form a hypothesis .

Don’t tell me , - Zac slowly said as he looked at the enormous tree with a grimace .

Well , what do you think? - Catheya smiled .

People are going to be pissed off if we cut down that thing . -

Chapter 706 : Opposing Sides

Are we really doing this? - Alvaries sighed as she looked down at the seemingly ordinary mountain below . - The implications… -

The Holbok Mountains were situated on a remote part of the Dendrian Worlddisk . None of the Twilight Rivers passed anywhere close , and the closest settlement was over ten thousand kilometers away . With its awful communications , it took hours even for Hegemons to reach this spot .

There were no resources worth mentioning growing in this 500 kilometer stretch of peaks and forested ravines . There were a few D-grade Beast Kings , but they were of unimpressive heritage , their ancestors thrown here to form a proper ecosystem . There was a grand harvest every thousand years or so to pluck all the wild herbs that this area was designed for , but the next harvest was over five centuries away .

The occasional E-grade cultivator would find themselves in this area to temper themselves and test their luck in case some non-protected treasure had appeared , but the place was pretty much deserted with the Twilight Ascent going on . So the mountain range felt like a desolate patch of wilderness right now , like those you could find across most real worlds .

Yet , beneath the seemingly calm surface lay a shocking secret .

What do we care? - Paro snorted . - We have toiled for 40 thousand years for the clan , and what is our reward? The best resources are kept for the main branch , with only scraps being left for external elders . Didn’t we decide back then? We’d earnestly work for the clan after joining , and whether we fulfill our hidden mission would depend on the reception . -

You’re right , - Alvaries sighed , but her two tails still danced restlessly , each wave causing the air to crackle .

Things have already reached this point , - Paro added , noticing the hesitation in his wife’s demeanor . - Even if we don’t fulfill our tasks , there are no doubt others who will . When the dust settles , we won’t be able to stay here , no matter which side is successful . We might as well go with the side that has already promised us the resources to take the next step . We . . . are running out of time . -

Alvaries nodded , and she waved her hand , which moved the spatial bubble they hid inside toward the closest ravine . They kept flying , following the markers on the intricate compass that Paro continuously tinkered with . The two eventually reached a secluded cave that looked no different than thousand others just like it .

There was a tribe of bugbears living inside , their matriarch just at the peak E-grade . The two flew right above their heads without causing a single wave , and they finally reached an unmarked wall . Alvaries couldn’t help her curiosity , and she scanned the whole mountain along with thousands of meters of bedrock below .

There was just rock to her senses . A few Spiritual Metals were strewn about in the depths , but they weren’t worth the effort of excavating them . There really was nothing worth mentioning in the whole mountain , at least according to her Ripple Feedback] . The wall in front of her was supposedly just a piece of F-grade stone , the same as the rest of the whole mountain range .

Nothing? - Paro asked , and Alvaries nodded in confirmation . - Marvelous . -

Paro took out a series of seemingly normal low-grade Cosmic Crystals the next moment and placed them in a particular pattern on the wall . Nothing happened for a few seconds , causing the two to frown in consternation . Was the compass wrong? However , their fears were soon alleviated as minute patterns slowly appeared in the depths of the crystals , forming an array on the stone .

The two couldn’t even sense a hint of any energy fluctuations , but a door soon emerged right in front of them . Even now , Alvaries was completely unable to sense anything amiss . Her scouting skill was still telling her it was sheer rock in front of her , and that the two were walking through solid bedrock as they descended a set of stairs .

Each step of theirs took them hundreds of meters forward , yet it still took them five minutes before they reached the end of the tunnel ; a large cave covered in extremely esoteric engravings . The cave itself looked rough and uneven at first glance , but everything echoed with the Dao . Every stalactite , every outcropping ; they all had a purpose in this plan .

It was a nigh-perfect fusion of array and natural formation , and Alvaries felt like she stood inside a supreme Array Disk . Or almost inside it . The true core had to be the mysterious pond in the middle , or rather the three-meter tall crystal hovering above it .

I wonder which master set this up , - Paro said as he looked around with amazement . - I never heard anything about the Lord being an Inscriptionist , especially not to this degree . Is someone from the outside helping him with all this? -

Perhaps , I think his network is a lot larger than he lets on , - Alvaries nodded . - Are you confident in completing the task? -

Don’t worry , - Paro said as he smiled at his wife . - I might not be able to completely understand this thing , but completing the objective is child’s play . -

The two walked over to the core crystal hovering in the middle of the pool . Paro took out a two-meter-long spike ; the array flag they had been provided with so long ago . Sometimes he dipped it in the water , sometimes he used it to draw runes in the air . With each motion , the mysterious pond rippled a bit , and the energies got more and more condensed in the area as the runes covering the ceiling and walls slowly came alive .

But the pattern was wrong . It followed the schematics Paro had worked on by himself in secret .

A wave of desolation gripped Alvaries heart as she saw Paro slowly stab the flag into the water a few more times . She stepped closer as though she wanted to observe , but her right tail suddenly shot forward with impossible speed . On its tip was a perfectly black orb , a true miniature black hole that contained endless potential for destruction .

It slammed into the back of her husband before he had a chance to react , and his whole midsection was instantly turned to nothingness as Pathways and Cultivation Core were disintegrated . There wasn’t even an explosion as Paro’s life foundation was extinguished , the rampant forces sent to the void to never be seen again .

You knew? - Paro said with a weak voice after looking down at the massive hole where his core should have been .

I knew , - Alvaries sighed as she grabbed the grand flag with her second tail before it dropped into the pond .

Paro was the Array Master and the one who was supposed to finish this part of the task . Alvaries was supposed to scout for warriors sent to impede their task and to protect her husband . However , 40 , 000 years was a long time . Long enough for her to learn the outs and ins of the array that now surrounded them . Perhaps almost as much as her husband .

Her tail elongated and turned into a blur as she lightly stabbed the array flag with expert precision across a series of spots on the pond , causing a dozen ripples to appear . Paro's meddling was erased as the small waves intersected , forming esoteric fractals which submerged into the depths and superimposed on the hidden prearranged pattern below .

The two sets formed a perfect whole , and the pond turned completely tranquil a moment later .

Well , it was fun while it lasted , - Paro coughed as he slumped down on the ground .

It really was , - Alvaries said with red-rimmed eyes as she looked down at the paramour with whom she had shared her life for eons .

But the time had already come , and they both had made their decisions and preparations . It was true what Paro said . They were running out of time , and it looked like both had come to the same conclusion . Even if things went their way , there weren't enough resources for both to take the next step .

Revive me if you reach the peak , will you? - Paro smiled as the life left his eyes .

Of course , - Alvaries nodded .

Far away , the trajectory of a Twilight River started to slightly adjust , its transformation so minute that it would be mistaken as a natural fluctuation . But in two years , it would become one of the spears launched at the Heavens themselves .

Persistent bastards , - Abonzo spat as he ate a healing pill before turning toward the leader of their group . - What now? -

Trivorad looked down at the twenty corpses in front of them , natives from both living and undead factions , and then at the vast patch of destruction that stretched almost as far as the eyes could see . The battle had destroyed a fifth of Cork Island , leaving tens of thousands of scorched trees strewn about .

The group of seven could sense a few auras in the distance , but it was obvious those cultivators clearly displayed them to show they weren’t an enemy .

We’re done here , - Trivorad eventually said . - The Deacon told us to destroy the source node on this island and install the rerouter , but we still have three other spots to cover . These natives were most likely here to stabilize the hidden weakness . There are also indications they are just one of many factions with similar tasks . -

Should we split up? - Vinka ventured .

No , - Trivorad said with a shake of his head . - The Havarok Dynasty has sent over a hundred peak Hegemons into this place according to our intelligence . The Deacon wasn't certain whether their purpose is aligned with our own . The stars were obfuscated , but the patterns leaned toward them working against us . If we split up and encounter their parties , most of us will fall . We were sent here to lend assistance , not to sacrifice ourselves . -

Incoming! - Vinka suddenly shouted , and the group quickly prepared themselves as a storm of miasma roiled forward with tremendous speed .

A huge section of the island was suddenly shrouded in darkness as a thousand-meter skull peeked out through the thunderstorm .

Looks like the Radiant Temple has a hand in this game after all , - a jarring voice that sounded like a thousand wails emerged from the skull . - You’ve caused quite the scene . -

Killing a few miscreants is nothing much , - Abonzo snorted as the air twisted around him .

A moment later , a thousand-meter-tall temple surrounded by a radiant parhelion appeared above their heads . Ethereal chimes echoed from its halls , and the roiling storm of miasma was somewhat pushed back by a glistening starlight .

Indeed it’s not . So why don’t you enter our little cloud? I’ll properly wake you up and give a miscreant like you a sense of purpose , - another voice laughed from within the storm .

Enough , - Trivorad said as he turned toward the skull . - You should be a member of Hive Ouro . What is the opinion of the Eidolon on this situation? -

The huge skull was silent for a few seconds , and the group tensed themselves in case of another battle . Even Trivorad was a bit worried after sensing the sinister energies swirling inside the giant head . Hive Ouro alone was not a threat to the Radiant temple , but the Eidolon was a lot more cohesive than the Draugr or the Reavers .

If one Hivemind had vested interests in Twilight Harbor , then it was very possible that one of the four grand hives lent some strength to back them up at a crucial time like this . His souls had been tempered by the Radiant Chapter for 30 , 000 years , but even he didn’t feel confident against an enemy like this .

The benefits of an ascension supersede the value of Twilight Harbor , - the voice eventually said . - We can always set up new outposts in the area . -

So we’re in agreement , - Trivorad said , and the group relaxed as well . - Then we’ll take our leave . -

Having a similar objective does not mean we belong to the same side , - another voice cackled as two purple suns ignited inside the skull’s eyes . - Your involvement is just an unnecessary complication . The Hive will suffice . -

War Phalanx , - Trivorad growled as the group all took out a red canister . - It’s either us or them . -

Zac looked at the towering tree in the distance . Even if he wanted to destroy this thing , was it even possible? Its diameter had to be at least five hundred meters , and a spiritual tree like this was no doubt extremely sturdy .

Some factions might take offense to our task , but the mothertree has been destroyed a few times before , - Catheya shrugged . - It will be back within twenty openings or so . -

So in twenty thousand years? - Zac asked , really feeling the weight of their actions .

Zac knew it was completely backward , but it somehow felt worse becoming an eco-terrorist and destroying an ancient tree like this , compared to taking out hostile cultivators .

Wait , it’s not a sapient tree , right? - Zac asked .

… Not quite? - Catheya eventually said after a much too long pause .

Great , - Zac muttered . He was about to continue complaining , but he stopped when he saw an enormous fireball slam into a small section of the tree trunk . - Others are attacking it! -

It was a squad of four people who all unleashed one powerful attack after another at the mothertree , and Zac soon spotted more squads just like them . Unfortunately for the four closest cultivators , their efforts didn’t seem very effective . The thick bark on the tree was like impervious armor , and only some small wood chippings fell from the attacks . It would take a lot of work to take down this oversized bastard .

Looks that way , - Catheya nodded .

So , do we really need to get involved? Why not let others topple that thing for us? - Zac asked . - Mission complete in either case , right? -

Well , first of all , I don’t know that . I have a specific array I was told to use . Secondly , why give this opportunity to others? - Catheya snorted as she turned toward the World Tree .

Zac didn’t understand what she was talking about first , but his eyes soon widened when he spotted it ; a massive - 50 , 000’ hovering above the tree . It should by all rights be covered by the skyscraper-sized leaves , but it looked like these kinds of things couldn’t be blocked .

Fifty thousand contribution points were even more than what you’d get from forming a Peak Dao Fragment , and more than enough for Zac to lose any moral hang-ups about forest preservation . Even if split between three , it was a massive boon . It would take dozens of life-and-death battles to get the equivalent number of points .

Do you think there are more places like this in the Twilight Ocean? - Zac slowly asked .

This tree should be one of the top 3 in the early stretches of the ocean , but there are definitely more of them along the way , - Catheya said with a teasing smile . - Not feeling so glum about our mission any longer? Our path will take us to multiple places like this . -

Well , I’m just happy to help , - Zac nodded .

A real gentleman , - Catheya laughed . - Come on , let’s go before someone steals our points . -

There might be a small risk of that happening , but Zac wasn’t so sure whether the mothertree was the prey or the predator as they moved closer . Over a hundred roots suddenly sprung up from the ground behind the group of cultivators who launched the fireball earlier . Two were immediately turned into paste , while another was grievously wounded as she was slammed into the trunk by a lash .

The final member managed to avoid the ambush through an instantaneous movement skill or escape talisman . Seeing his party getting annihilated before they even managed to break through the bark was clearly more than he had signed up for , and he instantly disappeared into the forest , running for his life .

Still , Zac wasn’t overly worried by the tree itself as they snuck closer to the vast trunk . He was currently in his Draugr form , but he was a Hatchetman at heart . Cutting down some branches and roots was something he excelled at . Besides , the putrefying mists from his various skills worked far better on organic things compared to weapons or stone considering they were based on the Seed of Rot .

As for cutting down the tree itself , it was impossible that Catheya didn’t have some plan for it .

They made their way toward the mothertree hiding as best as they could , and Zac spotted a total of seven squads on the way . For now , no party seemed interested in fighting with each other . They were all trying different ways to fell the tree and reap the rewards . Of course , if it looked like one party had found a way to cut down the mothertree , then things would probably take a drastic turn .

Eventually , they reached the trunk , and Catheya blanched as the area was suffused in life-attuned energies in addition to the Twilight Energy . The tree almost felt like a Nexus Vein ; its energy might not be very profound , but it was seemingly endless . Zac guessed that Catheya’s task was to taint this massive reservoir for some reason , and his guess was quickly being confirmed as she took out a two-meter spike that was covered in dense fractals .

It reminded Zac of how he had heard that you could kill a tree simply by driving a copper nail into its trunk , poisoning it from within . Was this something down the same vein? It looked like it , though Catheya clearly wasn’t able to simply push it through the thick bark . She had rather erected a circular array around the spike , and it was entering the wood as though it was fusing with it .

But the process was slow , and it clearly didn’t go unnoticed as a shudder went through the area . The next moment , Zac heard a humming sound , and this time it was he who blanched after looking up at the distant tree crown .

Wasps . -

Chapter 707 : Mothertree

How much more? - Zac growled as he was launched into the air by two chains , his axe empowered by a massive jagged edge as he cut apart yet another 2-meter wasp before destroying a large root that aimed for Catheya . - We’ll be overrun sooner or later . -

He wasn’t joking . The only reason there wasn’t a mountain of wasp corpses and destroyed roots around him was the corrosive effect of his domain turning everything to mush . Unfortunately , that meant he was walking around in ankle-deep sludge which was pretty disgusting .

Another wasp was impaled by one of his chains , the corrosive liquid effortlessly digging through its armor plating . There were already five wasps hanging on the chain , forming a gristly warning to the other insects that hovered over their heads . And it actually worked . The domain of Deathmark] almost worked like insect repellant , and together with his warning , most of the wasps targeted the other groups .

Only three groups remained by this point , the others scared away or eradicated by the residents of the tree along with the tree itself . The situation was somewhat stable , but the roots were never-ending . He had just cut one apart , but Zac was forced to dodge a swift swipe the next moment as a five-meter-thick root ripped through the air .

He had tried cutting one like it apart just a minute ago , only to find his edge incapable of cutting more than half the trunk . The slam had been enough to launch him fifty meters into the air and forced him to expand one of his three healing brands .

Varo did what he could to help , but he wasn’t as useful in a protracted siege like this compared to ambushes . He ultimately took a defensive position behind Zac , cutting apart anything that snuck past his rampaging swings .

Just a few more minutes , - Catheya said as she threw a wink in his direction . - Keep it up , you’re doing great . Very powerful . -

Zac only snorted in annoyance , but he knew she wasn't just messing around . Her arms were a constant blur as she formed various sigils that helped push the spike further into the tree , and Zac sensed that she might actually be spending more Miasma than he was . And all this was while taking out an impressive number of wasps with the help of her icicles .

Varo occasionally crushed a Miasma Crystal next to her to alleviate the situation , and Zac eventually made a decision . A vast aura field of death spread out with Zac as the core , swallowing all the corpses and Catheya alike . The atmosphere took a drastic turn , and even the pervasive Twilight Energy was pushed away a bit . Obviously , it was the peak mastery Field of Despair] .

Each upgrade had increased the area it could cover , though Zac only used it for the immediate vicinity at the moment . Reaching late mastery in the skill had allowed him to gain a better sense of everyone within the mists , and this sense was even further improved by reaching peak mastery . The skill now expanded his observation abilities to the point that they almost rivaled the omniscience he gained from Hatchetman’s Spirit] .

The weakening effect was strengthened further as well , now being able to fully remove up to 10% of the attributes up to the limits of E-grade Race , 2 , 500 attribute points . Even Zac would be noticeably impacted by such a loss .

But the real reason for bringing out Fields of Despair] was the improved conversion ratio , where each kill resulted in almost double the refund when corpses were drained . Zac immediately felt a surge of Miasma entering his body , and both Catheya and Varo got to enjoy a weakened version of the boost .

You know Fields of Despair]? You actually managed to get an Epic F-grade class? - Catheya exclaimed from the side . - I knew my instincts were right when hiring you . Fields of Despair] is a very sought-after skill among the crusaders , but few can gain it . Any interest in selling it? -

Zac inwardly sighed when he heard Catheya’s analysis . This was why he didn’t want to show too many of his skills unless necessary . Anytime he exposed something , there was a real risk of divulging even more than he planned .

And cripple myself for some money? - Zac snorted as he cut off another root before it could slam into the defensive barrier Varo had erected . - No thank you . -

Well , if you change your mind , the Eldritch Archivals are always looking for new Inheritance Crystals , - Catheya smiled . - Still , it’s pretty odd . That skill is given to commander-archetype classes from what I’ve heard , a skill to bolster armies . But you don’t seem to follow that path at all , you give me the feeling of a surly lone-wolf . -

If you have the energy to chat , why not focus on speeding up that thing? - Zac sighed as he saw another of his spectral henchmen getting ripped apart after destroying a patch of roots . They kept popping up to deal with the wasps , but it was like the mothertree hated them with vigor . It targeted them within seconds of appearing , preventing him from building up a proper army .

Don’t tell me you had a change of heart? - Catheya laughed , ignoring Zac’s comment . - No wonder you said you had no ambition to raise an army . Was the burden of command too heavy? Well , being a commander requires you to have faith in the strength of your followers . I think it was the right choice for you , you’re the - I’ll do it myself’-kind of guy . That’s not bad , mind you . A useless person can’t have that mindset and survive . -

For the love of God , - Zac muttered as he unleashed his annoyance on the wildlife .

He ignored Catheya’s teasing , knowing it was just her latest attempt at trying to extract some more information from him . Unfortunately for her , Zac had lived with a far wilier Demon for over a year , and he was mostly immune to those kinds of attempts by now .

Instead , he focused on his form . The tree was thankfully not really sapient , and it was clearly just lashing out at random in their direction , like someone absentmindedly trying to wave away annoying flies . Gave him enough leeway to try some things out .

Zac pictured himself a harried army defending an outpost , attacked from every direction by ferocious warriors . The attacks were like waves , and the pressure points kept changing , like the army was trying to create a weakness in his defensive line . Zac himself lashed out in retaliatory force , sometimes just defending , sometimes setting out in a raid to clean out problems before they arrived .

He even used his chains to create putrefying traps to stall the enemy lines . He was quickly integrating the various components of his undying toolkit into his path , but he still couldn’t find the answer to his envisioned fusion . For now , he could only keep progressing and hope he’d figure something out sooner or later .

The minutes passed , and Zac eventually found a rhythm that lessened his strain significantly . The mothertree was a bit like the golem he fought to open the Dao Repository . It might contain boundless energy , but it didn’t use it efficiently . It had a set of actions that it cycled , and Zac only needed to anticipate which it was . As for the wasps , unless a queen made its appearance , they wouldn’t be able to change the situation .

A large circular pattern had almost completely formed around the spike , which was over three quarters inserted into the tree by now . Zac estimated it would only take a minute or two before it was completely embedded .

Stop right now! - a sudden roar echoed out as a large shape appeared among the Cork Trees in the distance .

Zac glanced in the direction of the shout , thinking it was some fool overestimating his own abilities . Their group was the smallest , but there were over 20 cultivators hacking away at the tree . What would this lone warrior do about it? However , when Zac spotted the source , he froze for an instant , almost getting himself gored by a root .

It was a treeman emitting an almost blinding aura . He looked like a king walking among his subjects , as the trees actually bowed slightly in deference where he passed . And it was no wonder . He was definitely cultivating some Dao of Nature , and his accomplishments decidedly eclipsed Zac’s Fragment of the Bodhi .

He was roughly three meters tall , and his crown was made up of small green leaves with golden edges . A wheel of living wood hovered behind him , and Zac felt immense spiritual fluctuations from it as well . He guessed it was some sort of Natural Spirit Tool that had an awakened spirit just like Verun’s Bite] .

Together with his extremely condensed aura and Dao emissions , it quickly became clear ; this was absolutely not some random crab soldier , but a true elite . His estimation was proven right a moment later as a value appeared above his head ; 2 , 500-5 , 000 .

There was no doubt about it , this guy had two peak fragments at the least , possibly even a Dao Branch . Together with his condensed aura , Zac didn’t feel very confident about their prospects .

There’s trouble , - Zac said as he saw the man close in on them with fury written all over his face . - This guy is the real deal . -

The other groups had clearly come to the same decision , and one party after another disengaged and fled toward the forests . No one was making any real headway on the tree , apart from one group who had managed to cut off roughly fifty meters of wood by unleashing thousands of cuts . Why keep risking their lives now that a Heaven’s Chosen had entered the picture?

Catheya frowned as she looked over , but she came to a different decision than the other parties . A storm of miasma gathered around her as a large fortress of pure ice sprung up out of nowhere . It fused with the tree itself to create an impervious barrier radiating a glacial intractability . Four glistening crystals appeared above the ramparts , and Zac was almost blinded by Cosmic Gaze] after seeing how much energy they contained .

Catheya must have sunk half her Miasma into this defensive layer .

This defense will crumble when the four crystals are extinguished . Help lessen the burden , - she said with an uncharacteristically serious expression . - We don’t need to defeat him , we only need to delay him . -

Zac nodded as two chains pushed him up to the rampant , and he saw that the treant was quickly growing in size . He soon stood over ten meters tall , and the wheel grew to match his size . He gave Zac no further time to prepare as he grabbed the wheel and threw it at the wall with shocking force .

The three pygmies of Profane Exponents] had already appeared behind him , and Zac infused the casket-bearing pygmy with massive amounts of Miasma along with the Fragment of the Coffin as a thick shield appeared in front of the wheel . However , Zac immediately understood there was trouble the moment the wheel clashed with the barrier .

Zac felt the miasma comprising the shield quickly erode and crumble as a shocking verdure spread through his skill like a stream of lava cutting through a block of ice . He tried to infuse the barrier with more of his Dao , but the inevitable was barely delayed as the wheel soon shattered the coffin and continued its flight toward the ice wall .

There was no doubt about it ; this was the power of a Dao Branch . There was no way a peak Fragment had this kind of overbearing presence .

A growl escaped Zac’s lips as he jumped out to meet the attack himself . He refused to be overpowered by a simple throw , even if it was empowered by a Dao Branch . He shot forward from the rampant as two of his chains lodged themselves in the ground to stabilize his trajectory , and a sinister jagged arc appeared in front of his edge as he swung at the wheel with everything he had .

Axe and wheel collided , and Zac suddenly felt as though he was submerged in an endless river of leaves . Each of the leaves contained a terrifying amount of life force , steadily purifying their surroundings . Or destroying , if you looked at it from the perspective of an undead . Thankfully , a good chunk of the momentum in the throw had already been expended , and Zac managed to push back the force as he landed outside the rampart .

His own form quickly grew to five meters as the pitch-black armor of Vanguard of Undeath] enclosed him , and he felt a surge of power in his body as his attributes were boosted by almost 10% . Apart from the improvement to his taunting ability , reaching peak mastery had finally boosted the inherent buff as well , pushing it from 10% to 15% to his Base Attributes .

The boost was limited by the skill’s grade though , and it couldn’t keep up with Zac’s exponential attribute growth in the E-grade . Just like Emily’s elemental axes , Zac’s constitution had already passed the limit of what the skill could boost . Hopefully , it would be enough to help slow down this mammoth .

The raging cultivator looked slow and clumsy in his colossal tree-like form , but his actual speed indicated a Dexterity on par with Zac’s own . He covered the distance in just a few seconds , and the wheel flew back into his hands just as he entered the domains of Fields of Despair] and Deathmark] .

The skills did what they were supposed to do , but it almost felt like they only served to enrage the titanic avatar rather than harm him . He could clearly sense his surroundings just fine even when having his vision limited by Deathmark] , and he looked absolutely infuriated as he saw roots and wasps rot and fall apart as an effect of the corrosive atmosphere .

As for the treeman himself , he was covered in a glowing sheen that rebuffed the corrosive domain from actually touching his body .

You scoundrels! Do you know what you are doing?! - the treant roared . - This mothertree is the lifeblood of the forest! Murder it and you will harm the whole population! -

The next moment the deathly grip on the surrounding area was instantly ripped apart as a fantastical forest sprung up around him . The scene reminded Zac of his own Hatchetman’s Spirit] a bit , but its power was far beyond his own skill . The trees were like unholy beacons , except they radiated the warmth of life .

There were also thousands of small flower-creatures dancing around , each of them emitting a strong sense of life . The corrosive mists of Deathmark] killed them by the dozens every second , but new ones kept sprouting up from the ground to replace the ones who fell .

Zacfelt his Fields of Despair] deactivate in just a second , unable to withstand the purifying effect of the treeman’s own domain . His other skill was thankfully not that easy to get rid of as it was continuously emitted from his body , and the first axe wraith silently appeared behind the attacker .

The leaves and corrosive mists swirled as its axe ripped through the air , cutting straight at one of the giant’s legs . Zac sensed life-attuned entering the leg just before the collision , and he wasn’t surprised to see the thick bark being able to nullify the attack . He still wasn’t disappointed though as a section of sinister green runes appeared on the treeman .

However , Zac’s elation was quickly doused as a root shot out from the man’s leg , instantly destroying the wraith by flooding it with the Dao . The wood on its leg started to rot with speed visible to the naked eye a moment later , but even Zac could tell that the process was too quick . He hadn’t used Deathmark] too many times , but he knew that the skill wasn’t this powerful .

As expected , the section of the leg that was marked by the green runes fell off the treeman’s legs a second later , and they were actually replaced by new roots and bark in just a second . Meanwhile , Zac was assailed by the exuberant domain . He felt some of his buff from Vanguard of Undeath] being nullified by a sense of weakness .

Thankfully the feeling wasn’t too strong , since Zac was more resilient to life than normal undead . So what if some life-attuned energy seeped into his body? Purity of the Void] was already fast at work expelling it , since it was considered toxins in his current form .

Unfortunately , Zac wasn’t the only one put under pressure by the fantastical domain as roots started climbing up the icy ramparts , and Zac saw one of the hovering crystals shrink with a speed visible to the naked eye .

Even if Zac wasn’t operating under the oppression of the treeman’s domain , he still wasn’t really a match to the cultivator in front of him . The treeman was clearly of the same opinion as he ignored Zac and instead flashed toward the ice wall . A huge shockwave spread out as he straight up used himself as a battering ram , and two of the ice crystals immediately shattered in response .

An enormous root from the mothertree itself emerged the from the ground the next moment , and it actually looked like the treeman was able to communicate with it . He ordered it to slam into the wall as well , destroying yet another icy crystal before Zac even had a chance to react . Less than a fraction had passed , yet three-quarters of Catheya’s defenses were already exhausted .

Keep him away! - a frantic shout came from inside as a glacial tide shot out toward the treant .

Zac grit his teeth as the four chains of Love’s Bond] shot forward and latched around the giant’s arms and torso . He instantly grabbed the four chains next and pulled with all the force he could muster . The treant was definitely a Heaven’s Chosen with an attribute pool and Dao above Zac’s own , but the power contained in Zac’s pull couldn’t be ignored .

The treeman was lifted off his feet and thrown back a few meters , causing him to look over at Zac with shock .

You’ll have to go through me first , buddy , - Zac said as he cracked his neck .

He wasn’t as confident as he let on , but Zac was still slowly being filled with expectation as he looked at the hulking powerhouse in front of him . He had discovered his Evolutionary Stance in a pitched battle against the Twinruin Bloodstalker a few months ago .

Wasn’t this big guy the perfect target to take the same step in his current form?

Chapter 708 : Turn of the Seasons

Why do you insist on profaning nature like this? - the treant asked as he destroyed an axe wraith with a wave , his irate voice sounding like crackling thunder . - Those points will not be enough to change anything . -

Well , you never know , - Zac said as he stomped down on the ground , causing the familiar cage of Profane Seal] to spring up and trap them both inside .

I’ll teach you Draugr to respect nature . She’s your mother as well! - the treant shouted before he raised his arms . - Solstice! -

The enormous wheel once more rose behind the treant’s back , and Zac felt a shudder as it turned 90 degrees . The feeling of exuberant verdure around him was instantly exchanged by sweltering heat where he was being constantly blasted by an angry sun . The trees in the fantastical forest changed , and they started to bear fruits that all turned into 2-meter warriors that radiated the might of strong middle E-grade fighters .

It felt like his sealing fortress had turned into a greenhouse , but the important thing was that it had sealed off the glacial fortifications behind him . Zac noticed that an ice-crystal was already reforming , though its speed was pretty slow . Of course , Zac had seen just how much pure force the treant could exert , and he knew that his F-grade trap wouldn’t last more than a hit or two .

Zac shot toward the treant before he had the chance to unleash any more skills . He needed to turn this into a dogfight and prevent the activation of any finishers . If this guy had some skill like Arcadia’s Judgement] , he’d be able to take out both him and Catheya simultaneously . Twenty thick chains shot toward the treeman as well , desperately trying to bind him in place .

Unfortunately , even the strengthened chains the peak mastery of Profane Seal] provided weren’t enough to withstand the aura blasting out from the enemy . They were quickly covered in a green moss that made them lose their structural integrity , forcing Zac to spend Miasma to form new ones . Zac immediately changed his command to send most of the chains toward the wood puppets , while only using a few to harass the main target .

A furious war had already erupted inside the cage , with new wraiths and wood puppets appearing every second . Deathmark] was burning a large amount of energy at the moment , but the same had to be true for the treeman’s skill . Zac was happy to keep wasting energy , and he let the skill run while he fought the treeman .

A herculean jump put Zac in front of the even larger treant , and his bardiche clove through the air with furious momentum as the chains of Love’s Bond] shot toward the treant's hand that was grabbing for the Spirit Tool wheel . The titanic treeman was not so easily suppressed though , and he formed a thick layer of bark on his forearm like a protective bracer to block out Zac’s swing .

Simultaneously , he snatched the chains of Love’s Bond] with lightning-quick motion and hurled Zac away like a piece of garbage . Zac was flung across the cage , but just before hitting the cage walls , he turned into a puff of smoke . It was Abyssal Phase] activating in the nick of time , though Zac shortened the cast time by 20% by infusing the final part with Force of the Void] .

He shot back through the arena , ignoring the blistering heat that was even more palpable in his intangible form . Zac was once more in front of the living tree before he even had the chance to take two steps toward Catheya . Four chains shot toward the treant’s eyes as a blue fire spread across his left leg .

Both Zac and a recently spawned wraith targeted the burning section , and huge chunks of wood were cut loose as the treant hurriedly avoided the chains threatening to blind him . Zac wanted to follow up with another strike , but dozens of spearlike trees suddenly sprung up around where he stood , forcing him to scramble out of the way .

He realized that it was a few of those weird pixies that had burrowed into the ground and transformed into weaponized trees . He had ignored those things until now , but it looked like they were yet another threat to him . Zac swung his axe back and forth in wide arcs to cut the roots apart , but they were far harder compared to the much larger roots of the mothertree .

Soon enough , Zac found himself bloodied and pushed back over fifty meters by an ever-expanding forest , and the treant was already lumbering toward the edge of the cage again . The wound on the treeman’s leg was fast recovering , and he grabbed the wheel in his hand , clearly intent on breaking apart the cage once and for all .

Zac immediately rushed forward to intercept , but he knew that he would have to change his tactics fast . His previous strikes were meant to take him down in a similar fashion he took down the blacksmith golem . Cripple limbs and then take him out . Unfortunately , this treeman was not only extremely powerful , but he also seemed to be a Vitality cultivator .

The good thing was that his attacks weren’t overly powerful . The domain he released was swelting but manageable . The wood puppets were powerful , but they were restrained by Deathmark] and Profane Seal] . The wooden spikes had huge potential for large-scale destruction , but they wouldn’t be able to take him out .

The biggest risk was the brute force in the treeman’s swings along with his hidden cards . As long as he could restrain those , then Zac would at least complete his job . He soon reached the giant once more , but instead of forcibly attacking with a huge swing , he dragged himself to the side with the help of Love’s Bond] , letting the other chains trail behind .

Suddenly he was behind the treant , and three chains wound around one of the treeman’s feet as Zac stomped down on the ground and pulled . The treeman grunted in annoyance as he swung the massive wheel in a wide arc to smash Zac , but a coffin-formed barrier appeared before the swing even had started , preventing the strike from generating any momentum .

The treeman still managed to break through just a moment later , but Zac had already jumped up and swung his axe at the target’s neck by that time . A dozen terrifying branches , each one containing enough power to cause cracks in space , shot out from the treeman’s crown to intercept . However , Zac’s trajectory had already changed again thanks to his chains pulling him to safety .

Meanwhile , two chains of Profane seal] interlinked and formed a thick fetter as they slammed into one of the treeman’s feet , causing him to stumble a bit . Zac along with his skills and chains were anywhere and everywhere , like a swarm of flies around a large predator . No strike was aimed to kill . They were rather aimed at ruining tempo and stealing momentum .

The treeman was quickly becoming frustrated , and he forcibly swung the enormous wheel into the ground , causing a tremendous explosion that kicked up a storm inside the cage . Cracks spread across the walls and towers of Profane Seal] , but they slowly started to heal as there was no follow-up . Zac had blocked out the shockwave by jumping into the air and shielding himself with Profane Exponents] , and he was already back on the target before the treant finished his attack .

Zac could feel that he was onto something as his attacks started to slowly transform .

From the moment the first seeds of life appeared in the universe , they started their endless struggle against their surroundings : evolution . But there was one more struggle that was born the very moment life was introduced to the cosmos ; the struggle against death itself . Warriors struggled and risked their lives , all for the sake of power , wealth , and longevity .

However , even the supreme beings at the peak of the pyramid had one enemy they couldn’t beat the vicissitudes of time .

Aging and its inevitable withering were ever-present and relentless , like a specter looming over the shoulder . No matter whether they fought or fled , it would be there , slowly squeezing the last ember of resistance from their body . The rot would come for even the greatest of Emperors . Eventually , there was nothingness . Finality .

Zac soon looked at the towering treant as a representation of the living trying to delay the inevitable . The special Draugr sight that he barely utilized until now was fast becoming the key that showed how life-force constantly surged through the enemy’s body . Combined with his Cosmic Gaze] he saw everything he needed to see to follow this new path .

Any time the giant tried to empower one of his skill runes , Zac was already there . An axe stabbed into his leg from behind and infused it with a corrosive rune . A chain shot toward a vulnerable spot to force a response . Zac himself unleashing a massive swing that even the treant would have to deal with .

Each little clash would mark the enemy for death and close another avenue of turning things around . This was not some sort of restriction of a skill , it was restriction through tempo . In fact , Zac’s actions were gradually slowing down compared to the frantic pace he kept just a few seconds ago . Death never rushed , it was slow and methodical ; inescapable .

This was not the ruthless war of the jungle , but the endless war all beings fought against themselves . One represented change , the other was stillness . There was no need to finish the war , as death had all the time in the world . He only needed to keep up the pressure , to douse any hope of resurgence . Zac felt as though he was becoming one with his path once more , but nothing lasted forever .

The treeman was ultimately just too powerful . Had this been a weaker target they would have been locked down and ground down until only a rotten pile remained , but this was a Vitality-based cultivator with access Dao Branch . It was impossible for Zac to whittle him down . Just delaying him for just below a minute without using his Remnants was already a miracle .

But things were coming to an end . The giant was running out of patience , and Zac started to sense some burgeoning killing intent for the first time during the battle . This was something he had realized from the start ; this giant was actually quite gentle . He hadn’t really launched any true killing blows at Zac , at least not until now . The treeman was taking off the kiddie gloves .

Even worse , it looked like the companions of the treant were catching up since Zac could sense two strong beacons of life force rapidly closing in .

A green 50-meter-tall rune appeared in the air as the treeman roared with frustration , and Zac suddenly felt like he had been hit by a train as he was flung away and slammed into the wall of Profane Seal] on the other side of the cage . Cracks spread across the whole cage from the immense aura of the rune , and its intensity just kept growing .

Zac tried to rush back , but a sea of roots threatened to swallow him . It was like nature’s rage had been unleashed on the area , in an even more palpable way compared to his Nature’s Punishment] . Life was running amok , and Zac did all he could to delay the inevitable . But his cage was like a water balloon filled with a small ocean ; it simply couldn’t contain this kind of an attack and it soon broke apart .

I can’t hold him , and more are coming! - Zac roared .

The slithering roots looked like a sea of snakes with the treant in the middle , and Zac was forced up on the icy ramparts for protection . A second crystal had regrown while Zac delayed , but it had already been broken apart from the pressure . Suddenly , Zac felt a pang of danger , and a burning orb shot toward the fortifications .

In its heart was the wooden wheel of the treant , but it was like he had turned it into a sun as it blazed with terrifying heat . Zac had already understood that the treeman was cultivating some sort of class and Dao related to the four seasons , and he guessed that each season had its own strength . Spring and Summer were most likely the most efficient season against the undead , while the other two were related to death and decay , making them unsuitable to fight the unliving .

In either case , a raging inferno like the one that was coming their way was definitely enough to smash the fortifications in one go . One coffin barrier after another appeared to block the sun's approach , but they were simply crushed one by one . This time it wasn’t just a simple Dao-empowered Spirit Tool . There was an E-grade skill empowering the attack as well .

Zac was soon out of options , and the black shroud of the third pygmy shot forward and enclosed the incoming attack . But it felt like Zac was trying to push a mountain with his bare hands , and he knew that there was simply no way to transport it far away like he did during the last fight . He only managed to adjust the attack’s angle , making the wheel slam into the ground just in front of the icy wall .

It was like a bomb had gone off , and both roots and wall were disintegrated as Zac was flung into the trunk of the mothertree , landing just a few meters away from Catheya and her array . The spike was almost completely inserted by now , with less than a foot remaining .

Seize the moment , - Catheya shouted . - Just one more attack and we’re done . -

She pointed her hand toward the treant next , and a shocking burst of cold blasted out from a blue gem on her bracelet . The smoldering fire that was spreading was quickly quenched , and thousands of incoming roots were chilled and drastically slowed .

Darkness spread across thousands of meters in each direction as a tunnel of destruction shot straight toward the treeman . It was Varo who unleashed a stab that contained tremendous might . It was like he pierced space itself for hundreds of meters , and innumerable roots were ripped apart in an instant .

Even the treant himself was suddenly afflicted with a deep scar as he stumbled backward .

Zac saw the opportunity and he rushed forward with all speed he could muster . Energy surged into his body as two thick streams of Mental energy entwined before they moved to the huge jagged edge that was fast forming . Dao from the hanging coffin in his mind seeped into one of the spirit streams , and his Dao Avatar representing his Fragment of the Axe infused the second .

The black jagged edge of Gorehew] suddenly transformed a bit , with sharp barbs appearing across the jagged edge . It radiated a terrifying aura as well , a mix of destruction and desolation .

Watch out! - a scream echoed out from the distance , but it was too late .

The treeman barely had time to slightly tilt his body and erect a few layers of bark before the Dao-braided edge cut into his body , leaving a terrifying wound behind . The scar ran for over two meters from his shoulders down to his midriff , and the wound already reeked of rot . The treant wailed and fell over , but Zac barely had time to register the strike before he was forced away by a blood-colored root .

It was one of the two followers who had almost caught up , and she radiated a shocking killing intent that far eclipsed her companion's . If the original treant was mildly upset about Zac and Catheya messing with the mothertree , then this new arrival was ready to enter a deathmatch . Her whiplike root reeked of blood , and she even eclipsed Zac's own killing intent .

Zac barely managed to avoid the strike with the help of Love's Bond] , the treant had already reached her leader by that time . Luckily for Zac , she seemed more occupied with treating the gristly wound of her companion than dealing with him , and he immediately rushed toward the mothertree . He had a pretty good understanding of the situation .

The powerful treant was probably a talented but sheltered scion , and the two followers were enforcers sent into the trial by his family to help him out . They were clearly ready to kill from the get-go , and they had definitely tasted blood before .

Time to go , - Zac wheezed the moment he reached Catheya who was still forming a series of seals with her hands .

Not yet , - she said as she tried to complete the process . - I just nee- -

She didn’t get any further as a coffin-shaped shield slammed into the head of the spike with enough force to cause the whole mothertree to shudder . It was Zac who had turned Love’s Bond] into its defensive form and decisively used it as a hammer to push the spike the rest of the way .

There , done , - Zac grunted . - Time to go . -

Chapter 709 : Agent of Chaos

Catheya blankly looked back and forth between Zac and the firmly embedded nail that soon disappeared , clearly shocked at having her work being finished so crudely .

You . . . ! - Catheya stuttered , but she quickly regained her bearings . - Fine , it should still work . What a brute , so impatient . -

She waved her hand and a blinding snowstorm suddenly spread out from their location , and Varo followed up with his shroud of darkness . Catheya then gripped both his and Varo’s hands , and Zac felt his surroundings lurch . The next moment they were thousands of meters away , hidden among the normal Cork Trees .

Catheya hurriedly took out an array disk from her Spatial Ring , and it immediately started to emit soothing ripples into the surroundings as they started running . Zac felt a slight pressure on his mind a moment later , and he realized that someone was scanning the area . Thankfully , the pressure soon moved , no doubt thanks to the array Catheya had taken out .

It passed us by , - Catheya whispered , her mouth crooking upward as she looked at Zac . - You really got the job done . Though I might deduct some style points for being so crude with the array . -

You can’t hold it against me . That guy was way too strong , and his helpers had arrived , - Zac muttered with some helplessness . - We only succeeded at all since he wasn't willing to go all-out at the start . -

Don’t worry , you went above and beyond what could be expected , - Catheya laughed . - You were quite impressive . Your skillset is a bit disjointed , but you have clearly found a path of your own . I’m a bit jealous . -

Zac snorted , not forgetting to keep vigil of the surroundings as they escaped in the same direction they came from . All in all , he was pretty happy with the outcome as well . He didn’t manage to complete his combat style , but its framework was already formed . Zac had thought it would take months , but fighting one powerhouse could save a lot of time , it looks like .

Now he just needed to keep sharpening it against opponents , hopefully ones not as unkillable , or as gentle , as the treeman .

The trio kept running for another hour , avoiding any cultivator groups thanks to Catheya’s uncanny senses . However , they stopped when they heard an extremely loud thunder that reached all the way to their bones . The group looked to the sky , but there was nothing but the occasional scattered cloud blocking an otherwise clear sky .

Catheya’s eyes lit up , and she turned around toward where they came from . Zac followed suit , just in time to see the whole mother tree topple over with a deafening crash . Thousands of trees were pushed to the ground from the shockwave , and a storm of life-attuned energies reached for the sky as Zac and the other two were thrown off their feet .

The scene was almost blinding to Zac with his abyssal eyes , and it reminded him of the incursion pillars . The pillar didn’t actually disappear either , but it rather kept spewing out energy as though the tree had been a stopper to an underground geyser of pure life . It looked like the spike had worked as intended , though it took some time for it to finish the job .

Zac had opened his Ladder screen a couple of times over the past hour , but he was a lot more hopeful this time around .

Arcaz Black – Contribution : 39 , 746 Rank : 7 , 541 . Value : 100-250

His contribution points had made a tremendous leap , increasing by almost five times thanks to getting roughly half of the contribution for felling the tree . Zac didn’t know how the System calculated contribution , but he felt it was fair enough . He guessed that Varo only got a few percent while Catheya took the rest . It was great news since it proved that Zac didn't lose out even if he only acted as a meat shield .

The sudden boost had pushed him all the way to the top 10 , 000 , which was a huge improvement since he had steadily dropped to the 300 , 000th spot as all the participants entered . It was impossible to make any exact assumptions since there were so many ways to gain contribution , but he guessed that there were at least 6 , 000 people who possessed a Life-or-Death Dao Branch in this trial .

The other ones ahead of him most likely had a combination of forming a Peak Dao Fragment along with points from slaughter and destruction .

Isn’t that something? I wasn’t holding out much hope for the trial , but perhaps I’ll be pleasantly surprised , - Catheya smiled before she turned away from the fallen tree .

Zac understood what she was talking about . He had observed his employer over the past fights and he could make deductions by now . She most likely had two Daos , with the main one being related to ice . She had also used a death-attuned Dao a few times , mostly while tinkering with the corpses she had collected during the trial .

He had sensed that the terrifying ice flower she used to take out two ambushers was imbued with a braid of the two as well , with ice being the leader .

Her current bounty was 100-250 , but Zac estimated that she was in the lower span of the range while he was in the upper part . That didn’t make her weak , but rather that her main focus wasn’t valued by the - Tapestry of Twilight - . It was possible there were many other powerful warriors out there in a similar situation ; holding powerful Daos that weren’t related to Life or Death .

So , any guesses why we did this? I mean topple the tree specifically , - Zac finally asked . - Was it to release all that life energy? -

I’m guessing it has something to do with the living pulse , - Catheya eventually said after some thought . - The mothertree doesn’t seem to have much value . Its wood is pretty durable , but it’s not a treasure-wood . -

Then what? -

If I had to guess , I’d venture the tree was a node in an enormous natural formation spanning either a part of the Twilight Ocean , or even the whole thing . We’re either modifying or destroying that formation by hitting some of the nodes , - Catheya said . - And don’t ask me why , I have no idea . -

Won’t that guy or someone else just fix it now that we’re gone? - Zac curiously asked .

Perhaps , but does it really matter? - Catheya grinned . - We finished our job . If someone wants to undo the damage we caused , what do I care? Besides , that guy is powerful , but I don’t think he has the means to revert our actions . The tree falling most likely set off a chain reaction that is hard to stem . -

There’s quite some distance from the peak , - Zac muttered . - I couldn’t even hurt him , and we barely delayed him a minute . -

Why are you complaining? You know who that was? - Catheya chortled . - It was Yanub Mettleleaf , one of the top E-grade warriors in the whole Twilight Harbor . We’re lucky it wasn’t some life-or-death battle , and rather that he simply was upset about us harming the mothertree . We’re also pretty lucky it was a young treant who arrived rather than a squad of killers . A lot of the treemen are pacifists , and not that skilled in killing arts . Of course , that’s until you get them properly enraged . -

Zac wasn't surprised to hear the treant was someone famous considering the power he unleashed by the end . Furthermore , he actually recognized the name from the information missives he had prepared . Yanub was ranked in the top thousand among the hundreds of millions of E-grade warriors in Twilight Harbor . He was over three hundred years old as well , and the consensus was that he had delayed his evolution almost a century to participate in this Twilight Ascent .

Such an action would rob most human cultivators of their momentum , but treemen could simply take root and go semi-comatose . They barely made any progress in cultivation that way , but their aging was drastically slowed as well . It was almost like entering a time dilation zone that sped time up rather than slowed it down .

Furthermore , those listings weren’t too accurate , as the exact strength of all those peak characters was unknown , especially this close to a Twilight Ascent . Yanub might barely be in the top 5000 , or he might be aiming for a top 100 spot . It was hard to tell for Zac who hadn't encountered too many elites at the peak of E-grade .

How would you rank someone like that in this trial? - Zac curiously asked .

He wasn't some peak character , - Catheya slowly said . - He's a second seed talent who most likely has mostly exhausted his potential for the E-grade . In Twilight Harbor he might be considered a first seed due to having formed a Dao Branch , but I doubt it . His great power mostly comes from time rather than talent . I'd say he has a good shot at top 1000 , even 500 if his experiences sharpen him a bit . -

Seeds? - Zac asked with confusion .

Just a way to categorize potential . A second seed could be seen as one of the ten most talented cultivators of a generation . A first seed cultivator is someone who only appears once every few generations . Above that is the Heaven's Chosen , extreme talents who might only appear once every thousand generations in a clan , - Catheya said . - These kinds of talents are often eligible for unique stipends and opportunities from the Empires they belong to . -

Alright , - Zac nodded , but he frowned when Catheya stared at him expectantly . - . . . Thank you? -

What thank you! - Catheya spat with annoyance . - Aren't you going to ask what seed I am?! -

Zac looked at Catheya for a few seconds as they kept running . - Second seed perhaps? -

Well , whatever , - Catheya huffed , which caused Zac to smile a bit since he felt he had hit bullseye . - We're here . -

Zac looked around in confusion , but it was just the same river they had run along for the past ten minutes . He glanced at Catheya quizzically , but she just shot him a grimace before jumping into the waters . Varo was right on her heels , and Zac eventually followed suit . Zac soon found Catheya swimming toward a dense patch of seaweed , and he realized there was a hard-to-spot tunnel behind a boulder .

They swam inside , and the waters were soon replaced by a dry underground cave . It just looked like a decent hideout , but Catheya took out another array disk and put it against the wall , causing another entrance to emerge .

A secret shipyard , there are thousands spread throughout the island , - Catheya explained as they reached a large well-lit cave . - This one was created by an elder of the Eldritch Archivals a long time ago . The undead are always outnumbered in this place , and she figured she’d be safer when hiding beneath a life-stream . -

In the middle , the huge tree trunk of the cork tree was placed on a few beams . Its crown was already cut off and thrown to the side , and there were three small mountains of wood chippings to indicate the hollowing-out were well underway .

Zac couldn’t see Yod and Sharpo , but judging from the sawdust that kept being thrown out from a hatch in the trunk , he guessed they were fast at work hollowing the thing out . Qirai was instead holding a massive brush , and she was coating the coarse bark in some unknown black tar that held a strong and refreshing aroma of death .

Oh , Mistress! - Qirai exclaimed when she saw the trio enter the shipyard , and two heads soon emerged from within the trunk . - Is it done? We felt an earthquake just before . -

It’s done , - Catheya nodded . - How are things going here? -

It’s not too bad . We just can’t exert too much force on the wood without risking forming hidden cracks , - Qirai said . - It’ll be another hour or two . -

Good job , - Catheya nodded before she imprinted some information into a crystal and turned to Zac . - These are the interior plans . Your sections are marked and you can change them as you wish as long as you don’t weaken the structural integrity . Oh , and don’t use your putrefying abilities to dig , I don’t want our ship to turn into a rotten piece of scrap in two days . -

Zac snorted before he jumped into the enormous trunk . He was pretty anxious to leave this place after the ruckus they caused , and if he needed to become a carpenter to make that happen , then so be it . The two had made some decent progress so far , but how could they compare to a Hatchetman? Zac’s arm turned into a blur as huge shavings were cut off around him .

The wood was pretty strong , but it was nothing to even Rakan’s Roar] when it was imbued with the Fragment of the Axe . One room after another was created with speed visible to the naked eye , each one crafted with pinpoint precision . Zac might not be able to craft things with fractals , but it wasn’t anything difficult to cut out things following a map .

Qirai had thought it would take up to two hours to finish the preparations inside , but through Zac’s effort , the interiors were done in less than thirty minutes . Sharpo and Yod had even decided to get out of his way and instead opted to help Qirai coat the hull . Soon enough it was all done , at which point Catheya produced a massive sheet of fabric .

It was covered in thousands and thousands of crystals and fractals , and Zac looked on with interest as she spread it across the vessel . Qirai , Yod and Zac eventually helped lift the whole tree , and Varo and Catheya finished the wrap to completely enclose the trunk . Catheya jumped inside the submersible a moment later , no doubt to install the inner components of the array .

The group waited for another 20 minutes , at which point they finally sensed the array come to life . The huge tarp changed color to look just like the pitch-black coating before it melded with the wood itself . Left behind were only inscribed patterns and embedded crystals on the bark .

The transformation wasn’t done there , as the vessel shrunk to just a third of its original size , no doubt to make it more durable and harder to spot . He didn’t know if there was a spatial array among the large number of fractals , but even if there were none , he knew the vessel wouldn’t be cramped . He had hollowed out most of the rooms , and he knew that thirty people would comfortably fit inside even after the ship shrunk , let alone six .

Impressive , - Zac muttered .

Our mistress has her means , - Qirai proudly said to the side . - Come , make yourself useful and help carry this thing to the dock . -

The dock was a large pool at the back end of the cave , and they simply threw their new vessel into the waters to make sure it wasn’t leaking . Everything looked fine , and a minute later the whole group had boarded as the ship sailed at the bottom of the river , heading for the closest outlet into the Twilight Ocean .

The group , except Varo who was off somewhere steering the submarine , sat in a meeting hall , and most looked a lot more comfortable compared to before . The coating alone helped keep out some of the life attunement , and the purity array was already up and running as well , with Qirai holding the black orb that was its core .

There we go , everything went according to plan , - Catheya smiled .

What’s our next step? - Zac asked .

There are three more places we need to visit on the way to the Life-Death Pearls . We will make use of the Living Pulse for speed between these spots , after which we’ll head for the location of the pearls , - Catheya explained .

What about all the treasures around us? - Sharpo asked .

We’re still in the outer parts of the Twilight Ocean . Treasures are sparse , and chances of finding something good are pretty low . This vessel does have some scanning capabilities though , and we will stop if we spot something interesting . Otherwise , we’ll proceed at full speed toward richer waters , - Catheya said .

Sharpo looked a bit disappointed , no doubt hoping to make use of the safety of the group to find some more troves . Zac was more than fine with the current plan though . If anything , he wanted to head toward the deeper waters as soon as possible . The quicker he could get his hands on the life-death pearls , the quicker he could improve his Daos and move on toward his other goals .

In fact , he wanted to split off from the group as quickly as possible . Hanging around Catheya with her hidden goals was asking for trouble . This time it worked out fine with the Mettleleaf guy , to the point that Zac even gained some insights . But who knew who’d crop up the next time?

Also , the - helpful’ purification arrays that she had erected in this vessel actually did more harm than good for his cultivation .

The arrays were turning a part of the Twilight Energy into normal Miasma , which did nothing for him since he wasn’t a cultivator . Twilight Energy had the odd ability to burrow into people whether they liked it or not , which was what allowed his soul and Void Heart] to continuously absorb the energies .

The meeting went on for a few more minutes until Varo’s voice echoed out through a speaker .

We have left Cork Island . -

Alright , - Catheya smiled . - Everyone is free for now . Remember the rolling schedule for the purification array . Each member’s chambers have been equipped with a daughter node . Use that one to empower the Array when it’s your turn . -

Finally , things had calmed down , and the fifty-meter long tree trunk shot through the depths , its advance powered both by the arrays and the nearby stream cutting through the ocean . Two weeks passed without much happening until they closed in on a cave called the Divine Grotto .

It wasn’t quite as impressive as it sounded though . The cave was just a mine that had a lot of life-attuned spiritual metals . No one in the party cared about those kinds of things even if there was a small chance of finding very valuable metals in the depths of the tunnels . It wasn’t that people didn’t like money , but rather that the Divine Grotto would soon quickly fill up with living cultivators looking for a relatively safe place to gather some wealth .

But the group still entered after stowing away the submersible . Three hours later they emerged again , swimming for their lives . This time their assailants weren’t Dreamers , but rather a few thousand crab-like creatures that didn’t take kindly to Catheya installing a weird gathering array that started drawing miasma into the whole grotto .

There was even a massive Half-Step D-grade boss in the mix , which forced everyone to throw out a series of defensive barriers to block the exit long enough to summon the submersible and escape . Zac wasn’t certain what would happen to the Divine Grotto after their sabotage , but he guessed that the Divine Materials wouldn’t be quite as divine after a year or two .

After that , it was on to the next one of Catheya’s targets , and Zac felt he was fast becoming an agent of chaos .

Chapter 710 : Detour

The damage caused by their actions was not readily apparent , but Zac believed things would eventually reach a tipping point . Perhaps the Living Pulse would be gone by the time they were done unless someone stopped them . But ultimately , Zac didn't care too much . Messing with the Divine Grotto had provided another 8 , 000 Contribution Points , so their actions were clearly sanctioned by the System .

Zac sat in his private compartment , currently busy powering the purification array . Running the array for hours on end wasn’t too taxing , but it was boring . It was impossible to enter a meditative state when he constantly had to maintain the array , and there wasn’t much else to do either . He could only go over various missives on the Twilight Ocean to pass the time , but he had read them cover to cover over a dozen times by now .

He had pretty much memorized all the fixed locations in the missives , but more than half of the locations and dangers were new things that the System added between generations , and this was especially true for the Twilight Chasm . Being completely prepared was a fool's hope .

Finally , his time was up , and he took his hand away from the array . Zac felt life-attuned energies quickly spread through his chambers , but they were soon pushed away again as the air gained another death-aspected Dao instead of his Fragment of the Coffin . It was Yod who had started channeling the array , taking the next shift .

The purification couldn’t keep all the life energies away in the ship , especially not this close to the Life Pulse , but it did lessen the strain the others felt . As for Zac , his mental ocean was still far from saturated , and he’d be able to remain unaffected for a long time .

However , Zac had noticed that the speed his Void Heart] had to work had increased by a noticeable margin , now beating once every five minutes compared to the once every ten back at the starting continent . That meant the energy density was roughly double now that they had entered the middle reaches of the Trial . He wasn't sure it would be able to deal with all the energy by the point they reached the inner parts of the ocean .

Zac took a deep breath , feeling that it was finally time . He had spent the past two weeks going over the insights he gained during his battle with Yanub Mettleleaf , trying to integrate his new stance with his insights into the Dao of the Axe .

He restored his mental energy with Soul Crystals for an hour before he took out two small boxes from his Spatial Ring , each of them containing a Dao Treasure . Zac stabilized his mind for a few more minutes before he ate the first one . A surge of energy entered his body , and it circulated a round through his pathways before it shot toward his mind .

The hidden node Spiritual Void] immediately woke up and started absorbing the delectable energies , but Zac forcibly stilled it as he pushed the energies toward the avatar of himself . The avatar immediately stood up on top of his soul core , and he started swinging his copy of Verun’s Bite] in a series of attacks .

Some of the swings were quick and unfathomable whereas others were powerful and overbearing like a battalion of heavy cavalry descending upon an unsuspecting enemy . Some felt like they contained world-ending force while empty , whereas others looked average but had the power to slay powerful generals .

This was the insight that Zac had started work toward for some time . He was walking down the path of war , and war was everchanging . His axe needed to be the same , especially now that he was forming two very different combat stances . Zac had found himself on the losing end against weaker enemies on multiple occasions , and it was usually because he used his weapon like a brute .

Certainly , the axe was ultimately not a weapon as versatile as the sword , but it didn’t mean it was simple . As he had started refining his paths , he realized there were endless variations and permutations to even a seemingly crude weapon as the axe . He wanted to shed his rigidity in favor of flexibility , to become as everchanging and unpredictable as the tides of war .

That didn’t mean he was heading toward a Dexterity-based fighting style from a Strength-based one . But one of the goals of a Strength-based Warrior should always be to constantly refine themselves and figure out how to make their strikes land . How to catch the wily rangers , how to find the weakness in the guardian’s armor , how to fell the undying ones in one fell blow .

Strength was the basis of victory and survival in his Evolutionary Stance , and without enough strength , his Inexorable Stance would be useless . Who would allow themselves to be restrained if they could simply power through and break his tempo like Yanub eventually did?

Scenes of his recent battles flashed by his hand , and a path was slowly forming . However , Zac frowned when he sensed his inspiration suddenly turn hollow , like he was just daydreaming rather than pondering his Dao . He immediately ate the second fruit , and he once more found himself immersed in the feeling of communicating with the heavens .

Finally , it felt like something blurred became focused , like something snapping into place . Zac opened his eyes a moment later , and a smile spread across his face as he opened his Dao Screen .

Fragment of the Axe (Peak) : All attributes +40 , Strength +1110 , Dexterity +700 , Endurance +30 , Wisdom +130 . Effectiveness of Strength +20% .

Zac looked at the result with a grin . It was a long time coming , but it didn’t make it less satisfying . His boost from gaining 8 levels back in the Twilight Harbor had been substantial , but it ultimately couldn’t compare to a Dao Breakthrough at his stage . A level provided roughly 350 attributes now that he was in the Middle E-grade , but a Dao evolution provided over 2 , 200 attribute points thanks to his massive multipliers .

It was also a welcome change to see the Fragment of the Axe add some extra Dexterity . He had essentially been forced to continuously pour his free points into Dexterity to scale it with his other attributes , but this would give him a breather to focus on either pushing his Strength to even greater heights or work on his survivability .

No one wanted to die , but Zac leaned toward putting points into Strength for a while . He still had two Dao Fragments waiting to be upgraded as soon as he got his hands on the Life-Death Pearls . Each of them would provide a big boost to his survivability , making it unnecessary to waste his free points there .

Zac opened his Ladder as well , but he sighed and closed the screen after seeing he hadn’t gained any Contribution Points for evolving the Dao Fragment . It was expected , but he had held out some hopes he’d at least get a consolation prize .

He closed his eyes again and started observing his Dao Avatar , but Zac only got a few minutes to get acquainted with the evolved Fragment before he heard a chime . He opened his eyes and shot a querying glance at the door leading out to the communal area . Someone was standing outside , and Zac got up with a grunt and crossed his living room .

It wasn’t too big , just forty square meters , but it would be considered an extremely luxurious suite on any cruiser back on earth . Catheya hadn’t prepared any furniture , so Zac had simply thrown out some random things he had lying around , making the interiors look a bit sparse and discordant .

Zac’s favorite feature was a - window - that covered half his outer wall . It was actually an array that connected to the patterns outside , and it gave Zac a grand view of the outsides . Sometimes it was just hazy waters , but at other times there were beautiful corals or schools of fish flashing by . Right now it was turned off though , as Zac didn’t want to be disturbed during his breakthrough .

It’s you , - Zac said as he opened the outer door , and he wasn’t surprised to see that it was Catheya who had arrived . - Come in . -

Congratulations are in order , - she smiled as she sat down at the table and activated the window array .

Were you spying on me? - Zac said with a slight frown as he sat down opposite her .

Hardly , - Catheya laughed as she took out a decanter of wine and two glasses . - I could feel your breakthrough through the door . A weapon-based fragment , no? -

Axe , - Zac shrugged as he took a swig of the wine . - So , what brings you here? -

What a boorish fellow . A beautiful girl comes to your chambers and you scrunch up your brows like you’ve been asked to lend money to a stranger , - she sighed . - We have been in this place almost a month now , and I was bored . Besides , you have an air of loneliness around you , I figured you could use the company . -

That’s just how cultivation is , - Zac shrugged as he looked outside . - What are your plans after we’ve messed up the trial ground and snatched those pearls? -

We’ll see , - Catheya slowly said . - Probably keep going a bit further and look for inheritances or Troves as we make our way toward neutral waters . Why , you want to travel with us? -

Just making conversation , - Zac said , neither confirming nor denying . - How far are we from the next spot of our mission? -

We're pretty close , but this one might take a few days , - Catheya said . - It's deep underground . -

Zac nodded noncommittally , and the two sat in silence for a moment until Catheya suddenly changed the subject .

Are you able to send a message to my Ancestor? -

… If I could , what would you provide in return? - Zac retorted .

How about an adorable wife? - Catheya said with a sweet smile .

Zac answered the proposition with a blank look saying all that needed to be said , causing Catheya to humph in annoyance .

Whatever , who’d want such a boorish husband as yourself? I’d spend my days wilting away all alone while you were locked away in a cultivation cave , - she snorted before downed her glass . - Well , let's go . We need to recoat the vessel before setting off toward the next target . The energies are getting pretty powerful , and we can't have the ship breaking apart in this area . -

She sashayed toward the door , and Zac found his eyes drift toward her lithe waist and swaying hips illuminated by the ambient light of the Twilight Ocean . However , he froze when he found Catheya had stopped as she looked at him with a victorious smile .

Maybe you’re not a complete blockhead aft… - she said with a smug grin , but her voice drifted off as she looked at the window with a confused frown . - What are they… -

Her eyes widened in alarm the next moment as she took out an array crystal and frantically infused it with energy . Zac immediately got a sinking feeling as he whipped out his axe . But he only had time to hear a horrified - NO!’ from Catheya before the wall to his chambers were ripped apart , and they both were dragged out by an unrelenting force .

The world turned into a confusing blur as Zac suddenly found himself plunged into the Twilight Ocean . It didn’t take long for him to figure out what was going on though . It hadn’t been a powerful cultivator that attacked their vessel . It had rather been destroyed by the Living Pulse itself , and Zac was completely caught by it .

He tried to swim out toward the calmer waters , but the force in the stream was just too much even for him . Zac was constantly dragged back and forth by the chaotic swirls within , but he did spot a few scraps of their broken submarine in the waters around him .

What the hell had happened? Why were they this close to the Living Pulse? They had always kept a respectable distance , only taking advantage of the power of the stream without actually getting close . Had some piece of debris shot out from the Living pulse and slammed into their ship with enough force to overpower the shields? Or did the steering arrays malfunction?

A huge piece of rock suddenly slammed into his back with enough force to make him see stars . It reminded him of the simple fact that this was no time to worry about the reason for the ship failing . Even worse , the hit along with the frantic current actually made him lose his grip of Rakan’s Roar] , and the Spirit Tool was immediately swallowed by the stream .

Zac felt a pang of loss , but he quickly regained his wits as he took out a random spare axe and a shield before activating Vanguard of Undeath] . He hoped it would provide an additional layer of protection , but he was shocked to find his armor instantly ripped apart from the rampant energies inside the stream .

The same happened to the three poor pygmy skeletons when he tried conjuring them . They desperately held on for just a second before they couldn’t take the torrential force contained in the waters and fell apart . Zac was left to defend with his body alone , but he already felt a bit delirious from the insane amounts of life-attuned energies in the stream .

Zac could only activate the defensive mode of his Tool Spirit , conjuring the shield for the first time in a while . The coffin lid was extremely sturdy , and the occasional beast carcass or piece of debris that shot toward him was diverted without too much effort . However , that didn’t much help with his real predicament ; he was getting poisoned by a degree that not even he could deal with .

He considered activating Abyssal Phase] to move away , but he gave up on the idea . The life-attuned energies around him were dense enough to almost blind him , and he had no idea what would happen if he turned himself into an intangible ghost . He might find himself ground to dust the moment he lost his physical form . He was better off in his current form as his Void Heart] which was furiously beating to convert the invasive life force into pure energy .

But he also knew it was just a temporary relief . The hidden node could only convert so much , and he was being continuously drowned in it . Zac had already tried to activate an escape talisman sown into his robes , but it simply fizzled out . He frantically looked for other solutions , but his surroundings were suddenly replaced by darkness before he found a solution .

The Living Pulse had burrowed underground . This was his chance .

His eyes soon adjusted to the darkness as Love’s Bond] transformed to its offensive form . The stream continuously split as it pushed into dozens of different caves , and Zac soon lost any sense of direction . He kept trying to stop his frantic journey with the help of his chains , but even a split-up Living Pulse contained too much force .

Half an hour passed until the submerged tunnel around him suddenly expanded into a proper cave . Two chains shot forward and embedded themselves in the ceiling , and Zac desperately dragged himself out from the stream before he was pulled even further .

Finally safe , if you could call it that .

There actually was a thin tunnel leading straight up where the waters weren't raging , and he only needed to follow the path for a few minutes before reaching a cave that was actually drained . He dragged himself up and activated an illusion array with shaky hands as he ate a healing pill . Even then , he fell unconscious a few seconds later .

Zac woke sore and nauseated , but a quick scan proved that there was nothing overly wrong with him . He had slept for over ten hours by the looks of it , and his constitution had gradually cleansed his body during this time . Only then did he get a proper look at the surroundings , and he had to admit it was beautiful .

The place he found himself in reminded Zac a lot of his life-attuned side of his cultivation cave . The ceiling and walls were absolutely covered in various plants emitting strong life-attuned energies . It wasn't a surprise . The Living Pulse ran straight through these subterranean tunnels , and the ambient energy was absolutely chock-full of Divine Energy in addition to Twilight Energy .

Still , the beauty didn't much help with his predicament , and Zac grunted as he got back on his feet . His constitution was barely able to deal with the energy in this place , but it still felt like he was standing in a field of poison . The sooner he got out of here the better .

Cutting his way out was a possibility if all else failed , but he was afraid of cutting his way through the stone left and right . The Living Pulse had clearly split up into dozens , perhaps hundreds , of streams . What if he suddenly broke the wall and found himself caught by the stream again?

There was also Catheya and the others to consider . Catheya had definitely been swallowed up by the stream just like he was , and he wouldn’t be too surprised if the same was true for the others . He took out the tracking array , but he sighed in disappointment when there was no response . Perhaps the streams of the Living Pulse created some sort of interference , or perhaps . . .

Not everyone was as durable as he was , nor as able to deal with this kind of environment .

He eventually went with his gut as he started to make his way forward in search of either his companions or a way out , harvesting all kinds of weird herbs on the way . The energy was dense , and it wasn’t easy to get here . That was a perfect combination for rare herbs and treasures to appear , and Zac figured he might as well the best of a bad situation .

There was a clause in his employment contract that said that all obligations were voided if a situation like this arose , as long as the group couldn’t reform within a week . It was a very real chance that his shot at the Life-Death Pearls was gone , but he would do his best to find at least Catheya before giving up .

The subterranean tunnels were really a hidden repository of wealth , and Zac had gained herbs valued at over 50 , 000 E-grade Nexus Coins in just over an hour . Most of them were only useful for the living , but that was just fine with Zac . Unfortunately , none of the items he’d found were any real treasures .

But after four hours he did sense something odd ; a blistering cold . There was no reason for such a glacial cold to be this far underground , and a wave of relief hit him as he followed the clues into another cave .

Inside was a wretched-looking Catheya encased in a four-meter block of ice .

Chapter 711 : Traitor

Catheya's left arm was clearly broken , and multiple wounds covered her body . Her complexion was pallid even for a Draugr , and Zac sensed her aura was very unstable . She neither had his durability nor the ability to deal with the dense life-attuned energies from what he knew .

Encasing herself in ice was probably a desperate measure of hers to block out the surrounding energies , but it was just a stopgap . The block of ice was bobbing in a lake full of life-attuned energies , and it was gradually being whittled down .

Zac wasn't exactly sure how he could help with her situation , but he began by lifting the block out of the waters and carrying it over to an adjoining cave that wasn't submerged . He put Catheya in the middle before taking out a series of arrays . One was a dispenser array that he had prepared for when he would travel alone .

He placed it around the block of ice and put a series of Supreme Quality Miasma Crystals into it . Soon enough the block of ice was covered in dense clouds of miasma . The array didn't really purify the Twilight Energy like Catheya's array did , but it did push some away . It was the most common way to deal with the Twilight Energy , but it was far more expensive to run compared to Catheya's purification array .

In fact , such an array wasn't publicly available .

Zac himself sat down facing the Catheya within the ice , and he essentially used himself as a purification array by absorbing some of the Twilight Energy close by . The hours passed , and Zac put one Miasma Crystal after another into the array as he waited . Sitting inside the cloud did a lot of good for him as well , and after the better part of a day , he was pretty much back in prime condition .

Catheya's aura was slowly growing stable as well , partly thanks to Zac occasionally crushing Soul Crystals in addition to the miasma crystals . Finally , she opened her eyes , but Zac actually felt a pang of danger prompting him to jump out in the way . It was just in time as well as the block of ice exploded , launching shards in all directions like a cluster bomb .

Thankfully he had reacted in time , and a coffin-shaped barrier blocked the fallout . His array wasn't so lucky , and Zac grimaced when the miasmic cloud dispersed .

You owe me an array , you know , - Zac said with a grimace .

You! Stay back! - she answered with a ferocious glint in her eyes as a spike appeared in her hand .

What’s the matter with you? What the hell happened? - Zac sighed , but he followed Catheya’s instructions .

It really looked like Catheya would attack him if he got any further , and he was in no mood for a fight at the moment .

You think there was a traitor? - Zac said , soon understanding why she was so stand-offish .

You , Sharpo , and Yod . One of you three did this , - she said .

Well , Sharpo or Yod , - Zac corrected .

Oh , I should just take your word for it? - she snorted .

I mean , you were standing right in front of me . I was the first one to get screwed over , - Zac said with exasperation . - Besides , I dragged you out of the waters and spent a small fortune to block out the surrounding energies for a while . -

Catheya looked at him for a few seconds until she eventually snorted and put away her spike . - Well , I am pretty sure it’s not you . For one , you have a connection to my ancestor . Secondly , I honestly doubt you’d have the skill to fiddle with arrays without me or Varo noticing . -

Well , whatever , - Zac said , a bit miffed at being looked down on . Even if it was true . - I’m still young , I have plenty of time to pick up side-skills . -

Catheya laughed a bit , but her face froze into a grimace as she looked down on her arm . She took out a pill and swallowed it , closing her eyes for a few seconds before looking up at Zac with an unusually serious expression . - Thank you , I owe you my life . And I'm sorry about just now , I wasn't in my right mind when I woke up , and I panicked when sensing a strong aura right next to me . -

Well , don't sweat it , - Zac shrugged . - Though you do owe me for the array . -

How can someone be such a miser when walking around with enough wealth to topple nations , - Catheya wryly smiled , but she still took out an array that seemed even better than the one Zac had used . - Here . -

Great , - Zac smiled as he stowed away the array . - Now , do you know how to get out of here? -

This is a repeater point of the Living Pulse , where it goes below ground and then reemerges stronger , - Catheya sighed . - It was actually our next stop , but we obviously weren’t supposed to enter this way . Or go this deep . -

So , we just need to make our way up? - Zac muttered .

Wait , - Catheya said as she took out a black core .

Zac immediately recognized it , seeing it was the gathering array meant for when they arrived in this place .

There’s another mark down here , - Catheya said .

Wait , it works? - Zac said with confusion as he took out his shard again . Still nothing . - I think mine broke . -

I obviously deactivated the daughter-arrays after realizing there was a traitor among us , - Catheya snorted . - There weren't any signals active when I was forced to seal myself though . How long have we been down here? -

Oh , right , - Zac said . - We've been here around two days now . I was knocked out as well , then it took me a while to find you and stabilize your aura . -

Two days , - Catheya muttered . - I doubt the traitor allowed themselves to get caught by the stream and dragged down here , but it's more than enough time to get down here through the tunnel system . But even if they did , would they take out the tracking array like this? -

Could be a trap , - Zac said .

Either it’s one of our people who needs rescue , or it’s the traitor trying to lure us out . In either case , we should check it out , - Catheya slowly said , a ruthless gleam shimmering in her abyssal eyes .

Zac hesitated for a bit , but he eventually nodded . He wouldn’t mind getting some revenge on the person who almost got him killed . But there were some things he needed to make sure of first .

Are you still able to locate the Life-Death pearls? - Zac asked .

If she couldn't , then he might be better off just setting off on his own . This traitor was probably connected to Catheya’s mission , and there was no point getting involved if there weren’t benefits to match . Especially considering Catheya's current condition . Her aura had stabilized , but she was still wounded and heavily suppressed by the area . He would definitely have to do the heavy lifting in any clashes down here .

Of course , that had no connection to the submersible , - Catheya said . - And the reward has only increased . There’s at least one traitor , and there might be casualties among the others . Setting off alone now would be a mistake . -

Right , let’s go get that scoundrel , - Zac immediately agreed .

You know , next time you can at least pretend you’re helping out of gentlemanly convictions rather than greed , - Catheya muttered as the two set out toward the source of the signal .

Like you’d buy something like that anyways , - Zac retorted with a smile .

Sometimes they had to descend into submerged tunnels to continue on their way , and they were teeming with plant life to the point they couldn’t even see the walls . Corals , Seaweed , large luminous fungi , and all kinds of underwater plants fought for space along the walls . There were also many types of smaller animals flitting about , all of them leaning toward life rather than death .

This place , - Catheya sighed as she took out a Miasma Crystal .

Why not take out the purification array? - Zac asked .

I don’t have it , - Catheya said with a helpless shake of her head . - It was connected to the submersible when it broke apart , and the core was far from your room . Varo should have been sitting right next to it though . Hopefully , he managed to take it . -

That’s a shame , - Zac muttered .

Is it? - she said with a penetrating look . - For some reason , it looks like you’re absolutely fine walking in this poisonous environment . Come to think of it , it was the same while you fought next to the mothertree . Did my ancestor provide something for protection? Can you share? -

There’s nothing like that , - Zac coughed . - I’m simply a bit more durable than you . Besides , I wasn’t really hurt on the way down here . -

…Right , - Catheya muttered , but she didn’t comment any further .

Catheya kept taking out one crystal after another to withstand the poisonous energies burrowing into her body , but Zac could see how she was struggling even with that . Zac couldn’t be certain , but he believed she wouldn’t even be able to exhibit half her normal strength in a place like this , and that was in her prime condition .

It was no wonder that the undead usually stayed away from the living pulse . The restrictions on them were a lot greater here , and they probably were lessened for the living .

The signal started moving , - Catheya suddenly said with a small frown . - Away from us . -

They might have decided to find their way out , - Zac commented .

The two kept going for another twenty minutes , at which point the signal stopped again according to Catheya . Even before , it hadn’t moved very quickly , meaning that the person on the other end might be in a bad way . It lent some credence to the theory that it was someone else who had been dragged down by the Living Pulse rather than descended through the tunnels . If it was Sharpo , an intangible death-attuned ghost , she might be on the brink of collapse by this point .

Soon they closed in on the source of the marker , and it seemed to come from a large cave that was simply teeming with life .

Ready yourself , - Catheya whispered as she ate what looked like a soldier pill to boost her energy reserves .

Zac nodded , but he froze when he realized he had lost Rakan’s Roar] to the living pulse earlier . He was pretty reluctant to take out Verun’s Bite] in front of Catheya unless absolutely necessary , so he ultimately just transformed Love’s Bond] to its back-pack form and took out a random spare axe . A moment later they entered the cave , and the scene inside was both beautiful and haunting .

An unmoving body on the ground in a vast field of flowers , and it was someone they knew : Yod .

A shimmering haze covered the whole cave , like motes of starlight . There was also a corpse lying a few meters away from Yod . A single glance indicated that the man had died not long ago , and the wounds on his body indicated that Yod was responsible for the man’s death . There were also scars or burnt patches all over the cavern , indicating a heated battle .

Had the two people met by chance in this place and a brutal battle had ensued?

It’s really Yod , - Catheya whispered . - He looks hurt . -

Are the flowers safe? - Zac asked hesitantly .

Should be . I am pretty sure they're Vigorbloom Lilacs , - Catheya muttered .

Hearing the name made Zac actually remember the plant , and he took out one of his compendiums to confirm . The image matched perfectly , and the description made Zac breathe out in relief . These flowers weren't poisonous , but rather medicine . They were the main component for creating some Berserking Pills for Dreamers , but their scarcity made the recipe unpopular . As for the unliving , their only value was resale .

There might be more ambushers though , - Catheya added with a pointed look .

Zac nodded , and he activated Profane Exponents] as though he was afraid of ambush rather than leery about Yod’s himself . The two walked closer , and Zac frowned at he looked at the haze around them . But his danger sense didn't give off any warning , so he followed Catheya to the core .

We need to get him out of this place , - Zac said . - With his wounds , it might be lethal to stay this close to a bunch of Spirit Herbs . -

I… - Catheya said , but the words got caught in her throat as she slumped down the ground .

Zac’s eyes widened in alarm , by a wave of vertigo hit him before he had a chance to escape , and he found himself on the ground as well . Zac tried to get back on his feet , but he was shocked to find that something was wrong with the Miasma in his body . It had frozen in his body and it felt like the ichor had been turned into lead .

On a second look , there were some small white motes inside his veins , and it was these pollutants that seemed to have caused such a massive change . Zac didn't get it . His danger sense hadn't sensed anything amiss , and the plants should be benign . There also weren't any suspicious energy fluctuations .

Yet he hadn't noticed the infiltration at all . Normally , Purity of the Void] would have been able to deal with this issue , but it was already busy dealing with the large amounts of life-attuned energies .

The problem wasn’t only that he was completely unable to circulate his Miasma , it was like his whole body was frozen in place . He wasn’t even able to move enough to put an antidote pill into his mouth . He wasn’t able to drag himself to safety with the help of his Tool Spirit either . The chains ultimately required a little bit of his energy to control , and he couldn’t even give them that .

What is this? What’s going on? - Zac grunted with a slurred voice as he tried to shake himself loose .

Catheya didn’t even get the chance to respond before Zac felt a ruthless pull as his pores started to leak massive amounts of Miasma . He was lying face to face with Catheya , and he saw that she was in a similar situation , and her eyes widened in shock . Their energies merged in the air before they were dragged to a small sphere he hadn’t noticed before .

Zac tried to forcibly keep the energy in his body and resist the drain , but he was only able to slightly slow down the speed at which he lost energy .

A muffled snicker echoed out from behind , and Zac recognized it to be Yod’s voice .

It’s futile , - Yod grunted , his voice just as slurred as Zac’s own . - Even a Hegemon would find themselves locked down for a while with my preparations . You’ll be drained long before your body acclimatizes to the poison here . -

You lunatic , you used yourself as bait to trap us? - Zac spat .

Hardly . Would I be in this wretched state if this bastard didn't appear out of nowhere and wounded me? But it’s worth it if I can take both of you Imperial bastards out . I’ll recover in a month or two . -

How is this possible? - Catheya wheezed . - Is it not Vigorbloom Lilacs? -

I’m not surprised you outsiders don’t know , - Yod grunted with a laugh . - You didn't misidentify the lilacs , but there are some things the missives won't tell you . They release a pollen that perfectly blends with the Twilight Energy and burrows into the bodies of others . It's really medicine for the Dreamers . But for us , it'll cause a little-known reaction if concentrated enough . Our order has used it for assassination for tens of thousands of years . -

Zac tried one thing after another , but nothing he did worked . He could use his mental energy just fine , but there was nothing to channel it into . He could feel Force of the Void] as well , but it was like his Skill Fractals were blocked out by the pollen , making him unable to activate Abyssal Phase] . Catheya didn’t seem to have any luck either , and the two could only lie down and helplessly look at each other .

It's lucky . I planned on finishing you off , but Arcaz had already found you by the time I did . I planned on giving up until I found this place by chance , - Yod grunted . - The rewards I will gain for stopping you will be shocking . -

It looked like Yod had been a spy all along , working for some mysterious order . Not only that , it even seemed as though he was a proper Array Master , something he hadn't shown any indication of at all until now . He had the ability to tinker with the Submersible , and he could also manipulate catheya's tracker while setting up this trap .

It looked like Catheya's mission had been leaked somehow , considering Yod had been placed by her side even before they entered . Was it Yod who took out Ravan as well? Or perhaps he just divulged the locations of the people . Varo had barely survived as well , even though he was an assassin who should excel at stealth .

As for why Yod was doing this , it clearly was linked to their mission . He had been unable to hinder them at the first two locations , though it was a bit suspicious how quickly they had been spotted by those crabs now that Zac thought of it . Perhaps Yod felt forced to take action as they closed in on the third spot without any major issues , and he forcibly steered the submarine into the Living Pulse .

I can pay you Ten thousand D-grade Nexus Coins to let us out of here , - Zac eventually sighed . - I’m sure that’s more than what your employers are paying you . -

I have a ticket to the Empire as well , - Catheya hurriedly added with a weak voice .

The Corpselord didn’t actually even bother to respond , and Zac was starting to get worried for real . Not for himself though . Purity of the Void] was continuously cleansing some of the pollen that had burrowed into his body , and he should sooner or later be able to leave here on his own . Besides , even if he was drained of Miasma he would just revert to his human form .

But Catheya didn't have that kind of luxury . Running out of Miasma was a death sentence for her . What would happen to the brand hidden in his body if Catheya suddenly died right in front of him? Were there hidden measures added to its core functionality? Zac hesitated for a few second as he looked at the rapidly paling Catheya .

Uh , if you’re going to do something , could you do it now? - Catheya said , her voice shaking a bit . - I have just a few minutes remaining before I enter my final slumber . -

Zac wanted to help , but the problem was whether he could . The Duplicity Core needed some energy to activate now that it was sealed , but he couldn’t infuse anything at all . But he did have his bloodline talent available , and his Specialty Core was no doubt protected from the pollen as thanks to Leandra’s array .

It should work .

Oh well , - Zac sighed as the cage to his Duplicity Core snapped .

Chapter 712 : Truths and Conspiracies

It worked . The energy from Force of the Void] had no problems undoing the bindings from Leandra’s obfuscation array , and the Duplicity Core instantly returned to plain view of Zac's inner sight . He wasted no time and instantly activated the core in case the pollen could hamper the process .

Zac felt the familiar wave of weakness , followed by an exuberant vigor as his cells were with energy . It was just as he had expected ; the weird pollen surged through his veins , and he almost felt like he had eaten a Berserking Pill or an aphrodisiac . His Cosmic Energy raged through his body , and he was suddenly ready to take on the world .

But before the world , there were some immediate issues to remedy . The energies in the room churned as Zac’s aura exploded outward , neither constricted by arrays , lilacs , or the Mystic Realm itself . Zac heard a groan from Yod’s direction , but he was more concerned at dealing with the weird array sucking the death out of Catheya . His old companion appeared in his hand as he stood up , and Zac suddenly felt whole again , in a way he'd never felt while wielding Rakan's Roar] .

Impossible! - Yod screamed when he saw Zac somehow ignore the effect of both the pollen and arrays , but Zac disregarded the traitor’s screams as he swung at the ceiling , sending out a series of silvery fractal leaves .

A barrier sprung up to protect the draining sphere , but it was shredded in an instant thanks to the enormous power in his peak mastery fragment . The pull of Miasma immediately stopped , though that didn’t mean Catheya was completely out of the woods .

As for the Draugr , she looked up at Zac with mute incomprehension as he walked over and stuffed a soldier pill into her mouth and a Miasma Crystal into her hand before gently lifting her up to place her back against a rock . Yod didn’t get quite as gentle a treatment as Zac simply grabbed one of his legs dragged him over .

The two unliving were still completely immobilized by the pollen , giving Zac a moment to sort things out . How to deal with Catheya was a real conundrum , but his attention was first turned to the traitor of the group .

You… What’s going on? - Yod stammered . - You’re a Dreamer? No , that’s impossible . -

Catheya was still just looking at Zac’s face as her own kept changing expressions , like her mind had short-circuited from trying to reconcile all the snippets of information she had on his two identities . Yod might not know who stood in front of him , but Catheya surely did . After all , Million Faces] had deactivated the moment he swapped race .

Don’t sweat the details . I just happen to be a Draugr with some special abilities . Why are you doing this? - Zac asked with a frown . - Couldn’t you have waited to attack Catheya until after we got the pearls? Why involve me? -

What the heck? - Catheya blurted from the side , finally waking up from her shocked state .

Why I am doing this?! - Yod growled , rage overcoming his fear and confusion . - Do you even know what you’re doing? What the goal of your little side-mission is? You’re trying to destroy Twilight Harbor! I’d take you out even if I have to die with you . Ten Thousand Nexus Coins compared to trillions of lives? Go screw yourselves! -

A bit bombastic , aren’t we? - Zac snorted , though he could sense some hesitation coming from Catheya .

You outsiders! - Yod spat . - You come to our homes and bleed our resources dry! And that’s not enough! You even want to detonate the Twilight Harbor so that some bigshots can harvest the resources in its depths! I guess you got tired of slowly siphoning our wealth , huh? -

What? Detonate the whole place? - Zac exclaimed . - What about the other participants? -

What about them? What is the life of some frontier ants for the vaunted B-grade Empires? - Yod snorted .

He’s lying , - Catheya said from the side . - My master wouldn’t sacrifice me even if the plan is true . -

Where did you hear this? - Zac asked as he turned back to Yod . - Who is this order you mentioned? -

I wouldn't tell you even if I could . Go ahead , Kill me . There are more like me who will give everything to save our home , - Yod said before he closed his eyes .

Well , whatever , - Zac snorted as Verun’s Bite] ripped through the air .

A muffled thud echoed out through the cave a moment later as Yod’s head was cut clean off and fell into the field of flowers . Zac looted any items of interest on his body before he stowed it away . He wouldn’t be able to turn the body to make another follower , but he didn’t want to leave any clues behind .

Eventually , he turned back to Catheya who silently looked on with a complicated gaze .

It’s you , after all , - Catheya eventually sighed .

It’s me , - Zac shrugged .

There was no point in denying it . Even if his disguise skilled had worked across transformations , there was no way she wouldn’t make the connection when he suddenly turned into someone living . His best disguise was the simple fact that you couldn’t be both alive and dead , and he had already shown that to be false .

The question is how we’ll go forward from here , - Zac continued as he tried to gain any clues as to what Catheya was thinking .

Unfortunately , she didn’t divulge much . Her face was a calm mask now , though he could still sense some confusion and curiosity . There weren’t any hints of repulsion or hate , like his transformation was heresy to the Draugr race . Then again , she would probably keep any such thoughts deep in her heart in a precarious situation like this .

What do you want? - Catheya eventually asked .

Let me think for a bit , - Zac muttered as he sat down in front of her .

There was certainly the issue of her master’s brand and his contract to take into consideration , but the simple fact was that Zac was unwilling to let Catheya die when he so easily could save her . She had her own goals and ambitions , but she had been nothing but helpful to him since the first time they met .

She helped him in the Base Town , and she never seemed to act against him during the months they had worked together . Overall , he felt she was a good person , and Zac couldn’t just stand by while she died . But at the same time , it had left him with a mess on his hands .

Catheya wasn’t biased against the living , but she was ultimately a citizen of the Undead Empire . Now that she had this information , how would she act? Forming a Contract of Binding like with the Valkyries was out of the question since she had a higher level than him , and a simple contract like the employment contract wasn’t strong enough to guarantee much of anything in the long run .

You’re worried I will spread this unique ability of yours to my people back home . That this ability will implicate you and your close ones , - she slowly said . - You don’t need to worry . -

Well , that’s a relief , - Zac said with a roll of his eyes . - Care to explain why? -

Why would I? - Catheya said . - I have absolutely nothing to gain from betraying you . But more importantly , I'm not some ingrate who places wealth above my comrades . Besides , what are you even worried about? If the Empire found out about your situation you'd be invited with open arms and heavily nurtured . -

Or I would get dissected because some old monster got curious , - Zac snorted .

There's no way the princes would allow that , - Catheya snorted . - Do you think the Empire hasn't tried? Undead who can transform and absorb Cosmic Energy when there's no miasma around? Who can eat the vast number of treasures only Dreamers can digest? If it was possible to accomplish something like this with any certainty , we would have figured it out billions of years ago . I bet you're a freak of nature that can't be replicated , like so many other Heaven's Chosen through the ages . -

Still , - Zac muttered , though her points made some sense .

Could you move me a bit further from these infernal flowers while we discuss this further? - she asked .

Not just yet , - Zac smiled .

And can I ask why not? - Catheya sighed . - I truly have no interest in divulging your secrets , whatever they are . Why would I? You are clearly connected to my ancestor , and I don’t think it’s a simple connection if what you said about her husband is true . If anything , I might just bring trouble down on my own head if I somehow ruin the plans of my ancestor . We are on the same side here . -

Not betraying your benefactor’s secrets is just a matter of course , - Zac countered . - There are also the issues of guarantees and remuneration . -

A real benefactor wouldn’t keep their beneficiary captured in a poison mist to extract them of valuables though , - Catheya said with a raised brow .

Well , the Heavens are ruthless , and all that , - Zac shrugged . - Life is hard and I need to fight for all the benefits I can get . -