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Chapter 1,325.
🕑 Added 2025-01-17 20:47:00 +0000 UTC“Don’t forget,” Sasoi said.
“I know. Half a day,” Zac promised, glancing at Ogras and Ventus before leaving through a private exit in the sect’s wall.
Liu’An stood by their side, not to mention the powerful perceptions that oversaw Zac’s exodus. As expected, there was no way to cut and run. Zac would really have to go through with his plan if he wanted to bring his companions away from the Joyful Gardens. He let one of his misgivings show as he forged into the golden haze surrounding the sect’s outer wall. Soon enough, Zac reached the domain’s edge. The necessary ingredient waited just outside.
Different from the treasures he’d consumed over the past week, it seemed impossible to build up a resistance to Ultom’s insight. The only thing limiting the pure comprehension was Zac’s foundations. The distilled enlightenment was unable to impart new knowledge. It could only digest what Zac already knew and connect the dots in ways that perfectly aligned with the Cosmos.
Zac had accumulated both personal insights and general knowledge since he last relied on the Lost Plane’s energies. He believed that was enough to trigger another epiphany without the Joyful Garden’s assistance, allowing him to finalize [Void Vajra Sublimation]’s fifth layer. Attaining perfection should give him a final opportunity to investigate the Shackles of Earth and hopefully break the stalemate.
It would have been easier to have his other half visit a dead zone and provide a steady stream of refined insights. Unfortunately, the corrupted zones were nowhere in sight when Zac needed them the most. Esmeralda and his Draugr side were much closer to their destination, and the ambient Imperial Faith was significantly stronger.
Zac briefly stopped outside the memory domain to go through the transmission of shared memories. [Love’s Bond] still hadn’t finished its transformation, but it was smoothly progressing in the right direction. The breastplate was already looking more refined, and hints of esoteric patterns had started to appear on it.
Secondly, they’d finally encountered a wild memory lantern with a hint of the Mercurial Court’s aura. Unfortunately, the connection was tenuous, even weaker than the Elemental’s seal. They didn’t take it, but the discovery had still improved Esmeralda’s mood. There was an additional spring in her steps as they rushed toward the pillar.
He’d been given half a day, so Zac wasn’t in a hurry to gather the corruption and return. He walked through the vibrant forest surrounding the memory domain, looking for clues now that he knew the situation inside. Just as he recalled, the Dao of Life wasn’t exactly like the one filling the Joyful Gardens. The ancient sect’s mark remained only as a shallow addition, like a cheap paint pasted over the region’s true spirituality.
The picture was growing clearer, though knowing didn’t solve Zac’s immediate predicament. He passed through the forest until reaching the battlefront where Life and corruption clashed. It didn’t take long to fill [Purity of the Void] with as much corruption as it could hold. Zac still waited a few more hours before returning, giving his Hidden Node time to purify most of the taint.
“Where did you go? Our attendants reported that you never appeared. We couldn’t find you anywhere,” Sasoi asked with suspicion when Zac calmly stepped back through the gates.
“I never left the golden curtain. I needed the privacy to perform a secret procedure related to my cultivation,” Zac said, indicating he was unwilling to explain any further.
“Fine…” Sasoi sighed. “The elders just hope there will be no more surprises. The situation is tense enough as is.”
“Everything is ready. I can start whenever,” Zac said. “But I have to say this again. It’s a chance, not a guarantee.”
“We’ll take whatever we can get,” Liu’Er said as she walked over. “Come, we’ve arranged everything on our end.”
Zac sent a short message to Ogras before he was whisked away to the Forest of Unbounded Spirits. The energy grew denser the deeper they delved, as did the number of ethereal critters. From past days’ experiences, a train of innocent spirits would have formed behind him if Zac let his Dao spread out. The effect would be even more exaggerated if the elders did the same. The Garden Spirits were curious about everything, especially so regarding all things Life.
It didn’t take long to reach the forest depths, a region not accessible even to Inner Disciples. And yet, they found a dozen cultivators waiting ahead. Zac only recognized Litheweave among them. The rest were a mix of elders and Core Disciples. Judging by their tight expressions, most of them belonged to the faction that wasn’t too enthralled by Zac’s contributions.
Standing by Litheweave’s side was a ravishing woman clad in a red palatial robe. She barely showed any skin, and her expression wasn’t the least inviting. Just looking at her still made Zac’s blood churn, and he had to enter his Void State to avoid embarrassing himself. Seeing her position, she was likely a Middle Monarch and the pavilion’s Grand Elder.
“So, this is the boy? Well, his talent is acceptable,” she said, her crystalline voice causing tremors in Zac’s mental state.
“Greetings, senior,” Zac said with a bow.
“So, tell us, what is this plan of yours? Why does it require access to the nexus?”
“My plan is the same as before. I will practice my Body Tempering Manual and rely on Life’s resonance to look for the culprit. Doing so next to the nexus has the greatest chance of success.”
“The same thing again?” another elder asked with a scowl. “What’s the point? The nexus needs to remain pure like the spirits.”
The alluring woman nodded in agreement. “We cause harm every time we expose the nexus to the outside, and it’s already been sullied too many times over the past days. What’s different, and what were you up to on the outside?”
“I cannot say exactly what I did. Suffice to say, I’ve prepared to unlock my Cultivation Manual’s true potential, which should drastically increase my sensitivity to Life,” Zac said.
“If you had something that, why did you wait until now?” the red-robed woman asked with steel in her voice. Zac’s Danger Sense was already going off, telling him that her fury wasn’t feigned. And somehow, it made her seem all the more tempting. “I suppose young master saw no reason when the Joyful Garden kept its coffers open. What’s the deaths of a few strangers to you?”
“Your care over these past days is precisely why I’m doing this. I only have one chance to cross that threshold. Even that is mostly thanks to the insights Senior Litheweave imparted,” Zac said, glancing at the forest behind the group of elders. “Frankly, I’d rather not expose myself to that thing again, and what I’m about to do doesn’t come without a cost. I’m willing to give it a try in hopes of balancing the scales and reciprocating your grace.”
Few elders were convinced by Zac's spiel. Thankfully, Litheweave ended the interrogation with a wave of his hand.
“Enough. This matter has already been discussed. With all of us here, nothing will happen to the nexus. As for everything else, it can wait until the dust has settled,” Litheweave said. “Go ahead. I will accompany you once more.”
“Thank you,” Zac said, bowing at the other elders before heading deeper. Only Litheweave followed him this time, with the others spreading out in different directions.
‘Please don’t blame Lady Maseya for her cold reception,’ Litheweave said in a telepathic message as they continued. ‘Little Alteya was her descendant, only four generations removed. She can’t help but obsess whether things would have ended differently if you had accepted Alteya’s invitation.’
‘I see,’ Zac sighed. ‘I keep wondering myself if there was something else I could have done.’
‘Such is Life’s rise and fall. Your assistance is only necessary because the Joyful Gardens have grown complacent. We’ve forgotten the pain of loss during our generations of peace. Our sorrow shall remind us that joy is a gift that needs to be protected and cherished,’ Litheweave said, looking at Zac with a slight smile. ‘Don’t feel pressured or indebted. Master Atwood isn’t the only one who’s benefitted over the past few days. Your primal Life has been a refreshing breeze through our gardens.’
The mist of Life-attuned energy was almost liquid at that point. And yet, streaks of a golden glow started piercing through the haze. It looked like a setting sun was hiding ahead, one that surprisingly didn’t add a speck of additional spirituality. That meant they’d arrived. Litheweave stopped and pushed away the mist with his aura.
“I will assist from here. Remember, contain your Life as much as possible. Remember your path and your purpose, or the Unbounded Pastures will pull you in.”
Zac disrobed down to a pair of shorts and expertly applied the medicinal paste. The complex patterns were necessary to properly draw Life-attuned energy into his body, though the paste’s medicinal effect had become negligible. The requirements for practicing the [Void Vajra Sublimation]’s fifth layer were extremely demanding, both in practice location and resources used.
The Joyful Gardens had supplied what he needed so far, but Zac knew his progress would drastically slow down after he left. His voracious bloodline and the synergistic benefits of [Void Emperor Apotheosis] couldn’t produce the necessary energy out of thin air. Zac sighed, painfully aware why so few accomplished much in terms of Body Tempering on the frontier.
You could force your way through the early stages through grit and self-torture. However, the practice would eventually become a money-burning pit that easily eclipsed the cost of normal cultivation. Furthermore, having a big enough wallet wasn’t enough. You needed a source for the necessary Natural Treasures and holy grounds. Not even the sector’s peak factions would be willing to throw such massive resources on a single cultivator’s side path.
Zac discarded all distracting thoughts. He’d get his hands on the necessary materials one way or another. He always did. Zac discussed his plan, the official one, with Litheweave a few minutes before heading toward the light.
The final perimeter of trees was an invisible threshold. An invisible pressure kept the mist away, exposing a large, cleared field. A large radiant sphere floated in its center. It looked like a twenty-meter ball of molten gold that shifted and rippled from invisible stimulus. It was the Joyful Garden’s nexus, or rather the realmgate leading to the Sixth Garden—the Unbounded Pastures.
Taking another step suddenly and fully exposed Zac to the sphere’s majestic aura. It was boisterous and unfettered, whimsically changing its nature without rhyme and reason. Just as Zac entered, the sphere shed a golden drop. It fell to fall to the ground, triggering a ripple of blinding Life before the drop was absorbed by the earth.
With the ground being nourished by such rich energy, one would have expected the field to be a veritable paradise. And yet, the ground was barren, its soil inferior to what you’d find outside. It was possible that new life struggled to take hold within the realmgate’s sphere of influence, much like a plant withering when subjected to excessive levels of sunlight.
Zac was infinitely more resilient than a sapling, and even he was struggling with the light. The gate’s influence was inescapable. Part of Zac wanted to shed the weight of his responsibilities. The only way to truly appreciate Life was to live in the moment, unburdened by the past and unshackled by the future.
A wooden flute’s calming aria cut through the noise, reminding Zac that unrestrained indulgence would lead to debauchery. A shaky breath brought Zac back into his Void State, this time holding onto it with Litheweave’s assistance. It was enough to keep his head above water, albeit barely. At least it was better than the last time.
Investigating the realmgate was one of the first things Zac tried. Rather than looking for shackles at random locations, Zac figured he’d start at their source. He hoped the corrupted chain would extend from the gate and lead it to its owner. The visit would also let him get a look at the Lower Plane, shedding light on some of his personal questions.
Zac ended up empty-handed and with a mind so addled he had to listen to Mei’Er’s zither for eighteen straight hours to regain his wits. He wasn’t even able to perform a proper sweep before he was forced to back down. Since then, Zac had been reluctant to return. He’d seen his fair share of spatial gates, and the golden sphere clearly wasn’t normal.
The realmgate was actively and intentionally influencing its surroundings, and the Garden Spirits were its little worker bees. The Hollow Court was actively realigning—possibly fusing—the region’s Life-attuned Nexus Vein with the Unbounded Pastures. While the Joyful Gardens’ role remained unclear, Zac had enough information to roughly guess the plan.
The Nexus Vein stretched countless miles into the soil. If realigned, it would act like an anchor, keeping the Garden securely fastened to the Left Imperial Expanse. The plan failed, and it was somehow connected to the murders. Zac prayed he’d figure out why, and not just because it’d award a chunk of Imperial Fate. The alternative would force Zac to do something he’d rather avoid.
Zac conjured [Warbringer Dharma]’s hatchet to stabilize his Heart before stepping into the first stance of the [Void Vajra Sublimation]’s fifth layer. The movement ensconced him in the Void, readying himself for the next step. A gentle stream of refined light poured into Zac’s Soul Aperture the moment he completed the first stance.
Zac’s mind expanded until he was able to take in the Body Tempering Method in its entirety. A few dozen spots across the complex tapestry stuck out like a sore thumb when illuminated, representing the few remaining imperfections. One by one, they were buffed and smoothed with the help of Ultom’s enlightenment. Throughout, Zac never stopped moving.
An outsider wouldn’t spot any differences compared to the last days, but the streams of Divine Energy and Dao dragged into his body quickly eclipsed Zac’s previous records. Even the golden sphere seemed to beat in tune with his steps. A subtle alteration could have a huge impact, and an inch could be the difference between heaven and earth.
The fifth layer was reborn as it moved toward perfection, and Zac’s understanding of the Shackles of Earth grew deeper. The final imperfection was remedied halfway through his cycle, and Zac’s mind buzzed. He opened his eyes and was greeted by countless shackles. They looked so real that Zac wouldn’t have been surprised if they’d been dragged into the open. The flute’s stable melody proved the scene was limited to his eyes only.
The shackle directly connecting Zac and the realmgate was far thicker than the intermediary bonds he shared with the Garden Spirits. It was also filled with something Zac couldn’t explain. For lack of a better word, it felt like proximity. Despite his current location only being a few miles from his previous performance, Zac felt infinitely closer to the Authority’s source.
The shackle ignoring him provided little comfort. Zac felt as though he was standing directly outside someone’s window. The owner only needed to look his way to spot him.
Careful not to disrupt his practice, Zac focused on another thread. It led out of the field, and Zac could vaguely sense a spirit on the other end. Its appearance and exact position were outside remained unknown. Sensing that much was already better than before, and the huge number of shackles meant his range had greatly increased. And still, the culprit eluded his senses.
Zac inwardly cursed as he transitioned into [Void Vajra Sublimation]’s finishing set of stances. How could the murderer be this good at hiding his trail? Zac still had time to relocate and investigate a few more spots. His gut told him there was no point. Leaving also meant giving up on his fallback plan. Zac’s mind churned as he grasped for better solutions, even burning the last of his stockpiled insights. It only confirmed what Zac already knew.
They’d looked everywhere for another way out. The Sect-protecting array was even sturdier than they feared, to the point it could only have come from the Hollow Courts. Relying on the Hidden Blades to sneak out was also a dead end. That left two options. Give up and pray they’d survive the reckoning when history repeated itself, which seemed increasingly unlikely according to Ventus’s calculations.
The other was to forcibly close the memory domain early. Defeat turned into acceptance, and Zac’s gaze returned to the thick shackle pointing directly toward the realmgate. His steps shifted, and he began drawing closer.
What Zac initially considered a worst-case scenario became his fallback plan as the days went by. Pervata Wendimar had proven that the best way to swiftly drain a domain of its Imperial Faith was to attract a powerhouse not slated to appear. However, there was a chance of being pulled into the ocean if the fish you caught was too big.
Calling on the Unbounded Pasture’s Realmlord could very well backfire. The Threaded Hell’s ruler had proven capable of holding back the Fifth Pillar while keeping his memory stable. Zac had no idea what to expect from a Supremacy with such an unstable path of Life, and he wasn’t eager to find out. Zac didn’t even know if he’d get the chance. The maddening whispers were becoming deafening as he drew closer to the realmgate. Stepping inside would be exponentially worse.
A slight sharpness introduced to the flute’s calming melody meant Zac had run out of time. The elders outside had noticed his approach and warned him against going any further. Zac said a silent prayer for his companions as he shot forward. The Joyful Gardens would not be happy about what came next.
“Stop, you lunatic!”
Multiple figures shot into the clearing, urgently trying to bar his path. Thankfully, Zac was close enough to the impressionable nexus that the Grand Elders were unable or unwilling to deploy their full might. Songs and illusions crashed into Zac’s mind as golden barriers rose before him. It was precisely at that moment Zac released his hidden card.
The Void swept through his mind before expanding from his body, creating a ten-meter buffer that silenced Life’s joys and generous offers. [Void Mountain] had already descended to infuse his own body, and [Spiritual Void] provided the Void of Death necessary to complete his Evolutionary Stance. Zac moved like a phantom, narrowly avoiding both hidden and open attempts to capture him.
The group of Peak Hegemons and Monarchs could never have imagined that a Late Hegemon would be able to overcome their combined efforts, and their shock turned into confused horror as Zac passed right through their hastily erected barriers. There was no time for anything else. Zac was already next to the trembling sphere, and he jumped inside without looking back.
[Void Zone] wasn’t enough to isolate Zac from the unchecked Life raging all around him. It overwhelmed his senses and drowned out his thoughts. Zac’s stockpile of Void Energy was swiftly depleting to protect his sanity. He realized that he hadn’t reached the Unbounded Pastures and wildly looked around for the exit.
Finding the Shackle of Earth was like being thrown a lifebuoy. It was inert, and the Imperial Faith remained strong, so Zac could only follow it deeper into the madness. The shackle led him to a large crystal whose surfaces reflected unfamiliar sceneries. Its appearance was surprisingly similar to the fractured dimension he and Ogras had previously fallen into.
Zac knew he’d found the right place—the shackle was already trembling. However, a rank odor stopped Zac in his tracks just as he was about to step inside. He followed it to an almost invisible seam in the crystal. Zac face lit up and [Void Mountain]’s destructive seal holding the power to annihilate Dao appeared on his palm.
No wonder this bastard had been so difficult to pin down.
Comments
M💬
Billy goat is not too bad can’t be mad at it 😂
Daniel Opfel
Thank you
The Lost Pages
Typically Monday, Wednesday, and Friday each week.
Tyler Gibbs
Ahhh
Daniel Opfel
I’m new here, when are chapters released?
Jeff McCulley
Maybe that’ll be his reward from the Realmlord?
Jeff McCulley
What kind of seemed odd to me is that after he used all of those insights from the corruption on his cultivation, he next used it on how best to get out of the memory domain. Not on where the culprit might be, where he should be looking next. Hello?
Jeff McCulley
There was an additional spring in Esmerelda’s steps. Er……shouldn’t that be “hops”?
Jeff McCulley
She was away. She came back. I found it curious that Zac didn’t remark on that, since they weren’t expecting her to return before the place exploded.
King Nereus
I thought a couple of chapters ago it said the leader was away, and they were speculating that is why these attacks were taking place now.
Borbino the great
It’s definitely some random dude we haven’t met
Jeff McCulley
No. Zac doesn’t know who it is. And he just talked to the sect leader. The culprit has been killing people and critters, then going back to hide and digest. If it were someone we “met” here, it could only be the guy they chatted with for so long. Which I doubt. Unless someone’s suggesting it’s Ibtep? “Tasty snacks”… ;)
Borbino the great
I mean just cause he was looking for him for so long and of course he was being a lil rat 😂
Jeff McCulley
Just the opposite.
Borbino the great
I feel like Zac is pissed now like no way this dude was hiding in here the whole time
Jeff McCulley
I think that the Void Star is a cousin of this Fifth Pillar, using similar underlying technology. I think the Vigil nun figured out who Zac was from seeing the recordings of his actions. I also think she didn’t tell the Void Priestess exactly who he is. Or maybe she did, and that’s why the Void Gate closed itself to Zac, not because the Priestess was pissed at him. I think the Vigil is the current iteration of a sister Order to Rava’s. Oh, and the reason Old Man River couldn’t figure out who Zac was is because of his Karma blocking. One of the reasons. Well, there was something else, too, but I’m drawing a blank right now. Thought of it when I read the chapter, thought.
Jeff McCulley
Ch. 1,235 Let me see if I’ve got it straight, what we see at the end there. Way, way back, what two of the “old monsters” said that the Fifth Pillar needed was a “controller”, that that is the role the winner of the event would have. There is “a large crystal whose surfaces reflected unfamiliar sceneries”. Zac immediately finds it “surprisingly similar” to the fractured dimension he and Ogras had previously fallen into. Most of that is a quote. And that dimension was surprisingly similar to the dimension he, Ogras and Iz jumped into back in the Void Star. I’m seeing a pattern here. Best guess? These are control nodes. Control nodes of the Fifth Pillar, intended to control, oversee, and maintain the memory domains. And maybe the different regions, too. An underlying command level. This is essentially an overblown Mystic Realm, after all. Only there’s no one like Gemmy overseeing it. (*THERE is a reason we might see Billy. Gemmy gets a new job!) Rather than being connected to the Unbounded Pastures, as it would have been in real life (maybe? Maybe not?), the Nexus in the memory domain of the Joyful Gardens is connected to a separate memory domain of the Unbounded Pastures through the control node. And something has infiltrated the control system tunnels, hiding there, and sneaking into the Joyful Gardens for snacks. One question is whether this is exactly what happened in the original timeline, or whether the original culprit is exploiting the features of the memory domain—or whether it might be a sealbearer who took over the role of the original culprit. Or just a sealbearer who managed to get into the control system, period. Who else, a Qriz’Ul? That would help explain the corruption. If it’s actually a Monarch, it’s likely someone Zack can’t handle by himself. Fortunately, that trembling shackle says that Daddy’s coming. And I suspect that “Daddy”, the Realmlord, isn’t going to drain the Joyful Gardens memory domain quite the way that Zac was hoping. At least, I’m hoping he gets to go back with the corpse of the culprit in hand. And first, he gets to have a chat. Any bets on the Realmlord’s name? Yes, it’s a Pasture. No, not Billy Goat, Gruff or otherwise.
Jeff McCulley
After he talked to Wal’Zo, I figured that eventually he could go back and sit and meditate for a few million years, purifying the corruption, until he finally drained the place dry. Problem solved! The LIE offers pockets of opportunity to sit undisturbed and do something similar. Assuming he ever gets the chance.
Jeff McCulley
Alas, it went straight to digital.
Jeff McCulley
*She
Jeff McCulley
Yes. I have been trying to figure out if she’s named Nutzu because she’s a little nuts…or because she’s going to see his. While he’s body cultivating, of course.
Michael
Well Verun needs an upgrade now to keep up with Alea. A predator of primal life that eats life cultivators and spirits seems like a good meal for her.
M💬
Since we found out about void cultivators, I have been wondering if there were any left they might be part of the vigil……. The first place we saw void treasures was at the leyara masters cultivation room. Also, during Zac’s trial after the centurion beacon launch, the lady seem to recognize him as a void cultivator/ emperor “ unless I misinterpreted that part” . Now the part that really weird is supposedly everyone should not know much about the void emperor but the vigil seem to have some kind of knowledge. It’s interesting because old man river could not make head ways on Zac because of the void, he said som along the lines of “ it touched on his domain but he could not figure out what it was” and I don’t think he his talking about the realm lord because if Kator can recognize it so should a supremacy. So the next obvious thing is the void. For even more proof when Zac called void mountain the old monster from the Sangha inferred it was emperor Limitless not the void emperor himself.
M💬
Is Nurzu the technocrat girl that helped him? ……. Lmaooo but this is such a funny coincidence or maybe it’s not
Sirloki
Or maybe it's how he gets out of the axe!
King Nereus
If it is a sect member they would have to be powerful enough to be beyond his ability to handle, right? Maybe it is the missing sect leader, but either way Zac is still going to need to attract the Realmlord to help deal with her and/or collapse the memory domain, wouldn’t he? Either way if he leaves with the memory domain still intact, there is going to be a lot of pissed off people waiting and they are all as good as dead,
Haven Kardel
Im still waiting to hear about Ogras's movie
John
Ok, so some of us are saying that it seems like the culprit has been hiding IN the Nexus. That still doesn’t clear up to me WHO it is, but it seems like Zac knows who it is. Am i misinterpreting the final lines and Zac’s epiphany is simply the same as yalls, that the culprit is IN the Nexus or does he realize in the moment WHO it is? And who do yall think it is? If it’s someone who can hide inside the nexus/realm gate does that mean it’s uhhh someone high up in the sect? The missing sect leader? An entity from the lower plane? Someone who just happens to have a life attuned constitution and stealth skills? Zac seems to believe it’s at the very least a sect member… maybe a rogue spirit..
John
Verun wouldn’t be happy
Jeff McCulley
“…she was likely a Middle Monarch and the pavilion’s Grand Elder >…Lady Maseya”. Yep, Zac’s definitely going to sleep with her. You just have to know the code. As in, the last syllable of her name is a soft a sound. Hannah Thea Catheya Maseya I mean, she won’t be the last. You can see them coming. Alea Leyara Tavza Inda Zanda? I guess Nurzu is just plain out of luck. Maybe she has a sister named Nutza? Eouso, too!
Henry Wartemberg
Only price I can see is that he’s using it here when it could be on something else.
Jeff McCulley
Suggested Edits *sorry I can’t do this more often TFD. Have been having vision problems so once before Christmas. It takes work just to read the chapter. “let one of his misgivings >none “The final perimeter of trees was…” >Finally/eventually, a perimeter of trees marked… Were there multiple perimeters of trees? “invisible threshold” >clear/obvious/visible “Invisible” is overused, used again, more aptly, in the next sentence. “invisible stimulus” >an invisible OR stimuli Singular or multiple the Joyful Garden kept its coffers >Gardens “It was the Joyful Garden’s nexus” >Gardens’ “It fell to fall to the ground” >fell to the ground OR extended to fall to the ground “from his previous performance” >most recent “Its appearance and exact position were outside remained unknown >outside his range and (?) “Calling on the Unbounded Pasture’s Realmlord” >Pastures’
Owen Stevens
I feel like the price is probably just that it's borrowed insight. That one guy from the perennial vastness warned against solely relying on Ultum's enlightenment. It might be similar to how authority affects cultivation as a whole. If you borrow comprehension, it is probably not a 100% pure truth.
Joshua Little
Thanks for the chapter.
nicolas barrera
Fuck good cliffhanger.
bryan ortiz
Dang good cliffhanger on Friday. Well done, but... damn it!
Kiel Grisham
Dude, welcome! It can get hard to wait sometimes but damn it’s so worth it
Jeff McCulley
Yeah, I’m guessing that didn’t work out as well for Smaug as he thought it would. Somehow, I feel like the term “indentured servitude” quickly came into play.
Chris
It's super lame
Sirloki
That's just what this story needs! Every other good story has a little mascot. We've been dealing with what we can find but now? A cute little Force spirit with immense life that could kill anything around it? That sounds like something Zac would have has a mascot!
Sirloki
Welcome brother!
Omiso
Wow I totally forgot about Smaug, is he still doing goblin work. I can't remember what happened to him after he used the "goblin honor skill"
Jason Hatter
Blowing stuff up
Andrew
Thank you!
Palmer Evans
Thank you!
SmokeJam
Zac is not rewriting history, he is the cause of history. I bet the Nexus will go boom on Monday.
Jeff McCulley
Random Thought… A. Nice to see that Zac can be attracted to an actual living, breathing woman. Or at least, the memory of one. Hope they hook up after. B. Doing a reread. Know who it would be hilarious to see as a sealbearer here in the LIE? Smaug, realizing just how many bad choices he made leaving Earth, and abandoning a cushy spot in the now Atwood Empire.
Jeff McCulley
Pretty sure that’s more like Zac’s modus operandi, rather than his luck kicking in.
Jeff McCulley
Being greedy?
Jeff McCulley
What’s he going to put it in? The cauldron he had absorbed some, but I’m assuming that’s a long term accumulations.
Jeff McCulley
Let’s be honest here. Who didn’t see that one coming a mile away? That the culprit was hiding in the Nexus, I mean. That it was going to be Zac’s last ditch, don’t-wanna-use, desperation option was simply a given.
Omiso
So Zac did Fix the Void Vajra Sublimation to let him use a pair of shorts, sure there is an Old Monk very disappointed in Zac's decision but life goes on. Once he comes out he should start making a strategic reserve of Lost Plane Corruption in case of emergency. There's no doubt a price for using that thing even if Zac doesn't feel anything right now but who knows when he might need another huff of insight.
Tyler
Zac stepped out of the Memory for a moment to imbibe the corruption that surrounds the memory domain in the present. He got some updates from his other half and then purified the corruption for insights, completing the fifth layer of [Void Vajra Sublimation]. When he practices his body cultivation, he can see connections to other cultivators through the Dao they share. That's how he's been trying to track the killer. He convinced the sect heads to let him search near the Nexus, which is their connection to the Unbounded Pastures, a lower plane of Life. This failed to find a lead, so he went with another plan to attract the Realmlord of that plane, exhausting the Faith sustaining the Memory and freeing him and his companions. When he was trying to attract the Realmlord's attention, he seems to have found his original goal.
Tartlet
If you haven’t read the wandering inn, it’s something crazy like 14mil words long at this point.
Tartlet
Been there bud
Michael Dugan
Just Zack practicing his favorite hobby.
pizzadahuttt
Of course his luck turns his back up option into the perfect plan
Palmer Evans
Does anyone have insights? A couple parts of this chapter went over my head
james lehew
Gonna be a rough weekend waiting for what happens next!
Nathan Bauer
Wait... I've never been caught up before... You mean I just have to, like, wait???
Justin
So good!
Lex Luther S
Ohhhhh FOUND em. The little scamp lol.
The Lost Pages
First
