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Chapter 1,300.
🕑 Added 2024-11-06 18:50:37 +0000 UTC“How long’s it been?” Ogras asked.
“Just over two weeks,” Zac said and briefly recounted what happened while Ogras absorbed his prey.
While catching Ogras up to speed, the demon started a parallel conversation through telepathy. ‘No wonder that bastard suddenly acted like he’d been injected with chicken blood. It almost overwhelmed me after the Dao burst.’
‘Are you okay now?’ Zac asked.
The subtle changes to the demon’s appearance hadn’t passed Zac by. His horns were an inch longer with a rougher surface. The outline of his skin-like scales had also become slightly more pronounced, moving closer to the crocodile’s shape. Ogras also exuded the brutal aura of a primeval beast, though he was already learning to rein in that aspect.
‘I should count myself lucky that misery loves company. The other guests inside my Spiritlock Physique lent a helping hand. I suppose they couldn’t live with the idea of some arrogant newcomer claiming the prize they’ve eyed for years,’ Ogras said. ‘With how things played out, I should light a stick of incense for that old bag of leather for disrupting my breakthrough.’
‘It ended up helping, after all?’
‘Little Antuka’s bloodline gained a boost, and the extra energy saved me months of Body Tempering to stabilize the stage. The old ancestor even imparted a few memories holding extremely profound insights into the Dao of Shadows.’
‘And the bloodline itself?’
‘My shadows have gotten more resilient, as we hoped. Its application is almost universal.’
Zac understood the concept well. Resilience was at the core of his Eoz bloodline, to the point his Draugr branch was awarded the nickname ‘The Vanguard’. Increased toughness provided a comprehensive advantage, from exploring hostile environments to improving the staying power of attacks.
Ogras seemed to relish being the one coming out ahead and kept going. ‘The little guy even gave me a nice little bonus. Shadow cannibalism.’
‘Huh?’
‘The crocodile could eat shadows to empower itself and part of that ability was transferred to me. I can consume the shadows of others to recover, and my shadows should exhibit a natural suppression against other Shadow cultivators.’
‘Sounds like an anti-assassin ability,’ Zac commented.
‘Exactly. People walking the same road are bound to run into each other. My odds of surviving such meetings have increased,’ Ogras said with satisfaction.
At that point, Ogras was fully caught up to speed, and the trio had turned their attention to the memory domain in the basin’s center.
“I assume that’s our next stop?” Ogras asked.
“Provided you’re ready to go,” Zac said.
“I’ve been lying around long enough. Let’s go.”
They opted for stealth over speed, steadily making their way over under a multilayered shroud of illusions and redirected attention. Zac kept a constant watch on the sea of azure smoke, ready to respond to the smallest disturbance. It remained silent throughout, which only made his hackles rise more.
Something was very wrong with the bottom of the crater, though observing so long left Zac wondering if the mist might be what kept them safe more than anything else. It completely blocked Dao and Energy, acting as a powerful seal separating the depths and the surface. The reticent sea didn’t see fit to provide an answer, and Zac eventually had to shift his focus to the approaching domain.
It wasn’t quite what Zac had expected after seeing a floating city. Ogras, especially, shared his disappointment, and his greedy gleam was replaced with annoyance. “No wonder it’s so high in the air. So much for a city of celestials hidden in a cloud of providence.”
The eye-catching memory domain looked very different up close. The shroud had hidden a surprisingly commonplace settlement built upon a mountain slope. The azure fog had climbed a conical cut-out of the missing mountain, making the city the tip of an iceberg. And like with a real iceberg, most of the domain could very well be hidden beneath the surface.
“We shouldn’t stay exposed like this for too long,” Ventus cautioned. “The mist isn’t the only thing we have to worry about.”
Zac nodded in agreement. “I’ll try to enter as the veteran.”
The group had already shared their identities before crossing the crater. Ogras kept his identity as an assassin from Ventus, only sharing his public persona as a wandering sellsword. The Numerologist had managed to get his hands on the identity of a scribe of the Limitless Court. That didn’t mean Ventus’s alter ego came from the Left Imperial Palace or the empire’s mainland.
The Limitless Court was the name for the empire’s civic branch, and it had countless departments. The Celestial Workshop responsible for building the Imperial Road, for instance, came under its purview. The court’s roles ranged from imperial advisors to simple clerks, with a scribe being closer to the latter.
Simply put, Ventus was a middle-ranked public servant. Zac’s status as a decorated veteran was more respected, not to mention his identity as a Founding Family descendant. That wasn’t to say Ventus’s identity was without merit. It suited his personality, and no one would raise their eyebrows at a scribe popping up.
They were often dispatched to deliver or implement orders, and taking a sabbatical to travel the empire was both common and encouraged. To govern, one first needed to understand. A scribe’s journey was a form of cultivation, preparing them for the Imperial Examinations to become true officials.
The trio flew through the domain’s border, immediately stepping onto solid ground. Zac felt his seal coming alive and focused on Tam Brooks’ seal. Terea Wendimar’s identity deactivated, confirming that Insik told the truth before trying to get him killed. Zac could freely choose his identity upon entering a domain. Another experiment confirmed the next part.
Zac needed to exit and reenter the domain if he wanted to use his other brand—swapping identities in the middle to throw off a pursuit wouldn’t work. Flickering in and out of existence didn’t raise any waves as Zac returned as Tam Brooks. His antics were hidden by the safeguards that made the locals gloss over the incongruities related to the trial.
The smell of fire and steel permeated the city, confirming the theory they’d formed by observing from the outside. Rather than a remote sect or ancestral manor, the domain had captured a mining town. More precisely, it had captured the districts closest to the mine’s main entrance. Offices, smithies, bars, and stores stood shoulder along six wide roads that all pointed to the mine.
The place was bustling, with raucous laughter leaking from the taverns and rough miners coming and going. The district could have passed off as a mortal settlement if not for the intense spirituality permeating the town. The miners were, at the very least, Late E-grade cultivators. Most were Hegemons, and Zac could sense a vague pressure indicating the presence of Monarchs.
The city was clearly part of a more flourishing region than the shallows Zac had mostly encountered thus far. The strength and appearance of their group, at most, resulted in a second look. There was no lack of powerful travelers mixed with the locals. Some were wandering cultivators, others mercenaries moving in groups. Occasionally, these warriors would be guarding merchants.
What stood out the most about the city wasn’t its powerful population, but the unusual spirituality.
“I can’t place it,” Ogras muttered, and Zac had no answer to give him.
His attention was held captive by the intense pull of Fate coming from the mine. It was like providence from dozens of treasures had been twinned into a thick rope of Fate. Its true nature was waiting to be uncovered, and Zac had to enter his Void State to not rush straight into the depths.
“Let’s just ask,” Ventus said and walked over to a hawker with his nose deep in a book. “Excuse me, my good man? We’re faraway travelers. Could you tell us about these mountains? I can’t place its spiritual root.”
“Ah? You’ve come to the Dipper Mountains without knowing anything? What kind of--” the hawker’s words caught in his throat when looking up from his book. With a far more respectful tone, he continued. “Ah, sir, that is…”
“Please continue,” Ventus said with a disarming smile as he put away a glimmering identity token imbued by Dao of Order.
“Well, the Dipper Mountains are blessed by one of the seventeen Celestial Kingdoms, the hidden Kingdom of Earth. Its Dao has transformed the minerals in unusual ways. Some have proven extremely useful for everything from smithing to formations. The mountains were declared a Strategic Resource of the Empire some 50,000 years ago.”
The three shared a look. No wonder they’d sensed the mark of the Inverse Peak on the crater’s walls. The whole mountain range was filled with its Dao.
“The Kingdom of Earth rarely makes an appearance like this. To see a whole mountain range graced by its touch,” Ventus exhaled with wonder.
The hawker carefully looked around before continuing at a lower volume. “According to rumors, it’s because a gate opened deep beneath the mountains. The Dao is coming out of it.”
“Oh? A gate leading where?”
“Some say the Nine Hells. Others say Paradise.”
“You don’t know?” Ogras interjected.
“Not simple folks as us, at least,” the hawker wryly said. “I hear even Celestials scoured the underground, though that was long before my time. They found nothing, but many locals still dream of finding the gate and the fortunes it might hold. And you can still strike it rich with some luck and hard work.”
“You’ve been most helpful,” Ventus smiled and glanced at Zac, who took out one of his ancient crystals with some annoyance.
They’d decided he and Ogras would act as Ventus’s bodyguards during the visit, which apparently included acting as a bank. The hawker’s eyes went round upon noticing its grade, and he quickly packed up his stall and left after giving his profuse thanks. Judging by the hawker’s wares, the crystal likely surpassed what he sold in months.
They spent the next hour walking the streets, catching the latest gossip of Dipper Seven. As the mining town’s name indicated, it was only one of dozens such settlements. In fact, the Dipper Mountains were hundreds of times larger than the crater they saw outside.
Single-numbered mines like Dipper Seven were the most prosperous, except for three that were fully under the empire’s control. There was even an Autarch overseeing the region, though he never appeared in the public mining towns. His presence alone was enough to keep the Monarchs in check, and order was overall good. The town was definitely stable enough for Zac to seclude himself and upgrade a couple of skills.
Zac resisted the call of the mine, instead opting for a meal in a restaurant geared toward Hegemons and wealthy travelers. Zac hadn’t eaten anything decent since Black Zenith, and the restaurant employed skilled spiritual chefs. Having just advanced his constitution, Ogras was equally starved. The two devoured dishes the moment they were brought in, while Ventus only picked his food.
“You’ve been silent,” Zac commented upon seeing Ventus stare at the glass in his hands.
“I’m trying to figure out if the signs are real or if I’m putting them there,” Ventus said.
“What signs?” Zac asked.
“Great misfortune,” the Numerologist sighed. “All these people will die in the next few weeks.”
The declaration was enough to put a damper on the feast. Zac leaned forward as he looked around. There were at least five Late Hegemons seated in the public area, and the private rooms held even more. Altogether, there were close to fifty D-grade Cultivators in the establishment, a force strong enough to give Zac a headache. “They’ll all die? Can you really divine something like that with a glance?”
“With living beings, no. These illusions are different. They are recorded memories with a clear beginning and end. Whatever catastrophe struck Dipper Seven was strong enough to bleed into the rest of the recording as background noise,” Ventus explained before looking at his abacus with hesitation. “The impression is different from my usual art—it doesn’t seem to follow any familiar order. I could be coloring the deduction with fears of my own future.”
“I’d trust your gut on this one,” Ogras said. “I doubt the Dipper Mountain just up and walked. Something big happened here, and we’ve been given a front-row seat. Could the story of the gate to the Lower Plane be real? Maybe it erupted and swallowed the whole thing.”
“It’s possible. Can you precisely calculate when things will go down?” Zac asked. “Do we need to leave?”
“We still have time, a week at the very least. I’d have to gather a large amount of information to make an accurate reading. I need to connect the clues in the present with the upcoming event. If we can figure out what, then I’ll be able to say when.”
“We could look for lanterns in the crater while waiting for things to settle down here,” Ogras suggested. “We’ll jump back in after the dust has settled and pick through what’s left.”
“I’m not sure that’d work, not unless one of us stayed inside. I believe these realms only progress in time while trial takers are inside,” Ventus said. “It’s our presence that drives history forward. On its own, Dipper Seven will forever exist in the same moment.”
Zac agreed. Between trillions of citizens across millions of years of imperial rule, there had to be a specific reason these particular memory domains were born. The System or the architect behind the trial wouldn’t let the domains conclude on their own. The trial revolved around rewriting history, and the past needed outside input to be altered.
“I saw another domain collapse after its fate was drained,” Zac added. “Waiting outside could cost us the opportunity.”
“You think there’s an opportunity here?” Ogras asked.
“I do,” Zac nodded. “The mines are calling me. The pull is incredibly strong.”
“Incredibly strong? What if instead of a breach, some miner’s about to find something so valuable it’ll trigger a bloodbath?” Ogras said with a nostalgic expression. “Just like back then.”
Zac exhaled, recalling the chaotic melee where he and Ogras first met—the battle over the [Fruit of Ascension]. “We have a few days. Let’s gather clues and decide after we reconvene.”
“We passed a tax office earlier. They should have detailed reports on the mines and notable deals going down,” Ventus said. “I’ll visit as a traveling scribe looking to gain experience.”
“A place like Dipper Seven will have a seedy underbelly. I’ll see if the local tyrants are up to something.”
“Then… I guess I’ll check out the mine,” Zac said.
“You have the build for it,” Ogras snickered before draining his cup. “I’ll find you in a few hours.”
Zac paid for the table and set out, unable to delay a second longer. He stood before a desk at the entrance before he knew it, handing over five low-grade crystals.
"Solo entry," Zac brusquely said. “What’s the current cut?”
“68% for solo miners,” the lazy attendant answered while handing over a Cosmos Sack covered in blue patterns.
“Thank you,” Zac said and walked inside.
Zac fastened the bag on his belt and walked into a huge relay station. His Spatial Treasures were all sealed by a formidable array the moment he stepped past a line of blue runes. Only the borrowed Cosmos Sack worked, and it would be inspected on the way out. This was how the empire prevented unauthorized mining and secured a steady supply of important resources.
Solo miners were required to hand over a whopping 68% of their haul, while locals attached to the mining guilds would enjoy a better quota. In return, the guilds helped with everything from maintenance to keeping order. Zac looked at the runes covering his spatial ring. He didn’t know how to break it, but he doubted it could stop a skilled formations master or thieves like Esmeralda.
Then again, if you were skilled enough to overcome such seals, there was little point wasting your time in the Dipper Mines. Their common produce wasn’t valuable enough to draw such talents. The seal on his ring was also useless against Zac. He’d learned how to use the Void to overcome a similar restriction in the Orom World, and that seal was much stronger.
Just the entry hall was more than three miles across, a town within a town. On the opposite side, twenty-eight enormous steel balls were lined up, each over twenty meters tall. They were covered in complex runes and each emitted a distinct aura. Zac spent a couple of minutes taking it all in. He still couldn’t pinpoint Fate’s pull—it permeated the whole mountain.
Striking up conversations with the miners proved difficult. They treated strangers with suspicion and refused to give any information about new findings. Zac couldn’t blame them. Finding an untapped repository was a critical trade secret, especially if it was within the safe zone. The further down one followed the tunnels, the more dangerous the energy flows would get. It was the same as what he’d witnessed on Kavista, except the powers involved on a Primal Heaven were infinitely greater.
Eventually, Zac walked over to the closest sphere. Throwing over a crystal to a surprised miner. “I’m sorry, what’s this?”
“They’re ladders—one for each vein. You just insert your energy and pick a location,” the miner said, adding after some thought. “Don’t go too deep on your first dig. The depths will get a rookie killed.”
“Storms?”
“And beasts. And mine collapses. And… other things,” the miner said with a pointed look. “The law can’t see in the dark.”
“Thank you,” Zac said and walked over to the metal ball.
The name Green Sea Vein was engraved at its top. Zac infused his will, and a labyrinthian map of countless corridors appeared in his mind. It had a web of thousands of nodes starting at Zac’s position, each a possible teleportation spot. The vein was named after a massive underground lake only ten nodes below.
The arrangement didn’t rely on the Dao of Space. Instead, the ball allowed you to move through the mountain’s veins with incredible speed. Most sections still required days of travel from the closest node, especially deeper down. The Green Sea Vein was massive, and there were twenty-seven more just like it.
Zac only felt a reaction from fifty-odd nodes. The rest were likely outside the memory domain’s borders. Sensing nothing special, Zac inspected one metal ball after another until he abruptly stopped. The feeling was gone as quickly as it appeared, making Zac wonder if he’d been mistaken. Then, the crater’s vaguely familiar shapes and the inexplicable attraction fused into certainty.
There was a streak of Void hiding behind the veil of Earthly Dao.
Comments
Jeremiah vp
Z,,.. . 2
Dan
Hence all the death Ventus saw.
Blake N.
I enjoy the references too, I just had no context for that particular one and couldn’t figure it out
ItsFin
Like wings on a tiger, frog in a well, or pig lusting after swan meat. I enjoy the references.
Douglas Davis
No, you aren't alone. I feel the same way. I shouldn't need to do Google research on ancient belief systems and cultural references to read a novel. The explanations to the reader should be provided within the novel itself.
Cody Robinson
He is gonna eat the mountain
Michael
I wonder if the courts will be memory domains? I could see the Primo’s stolen treasure being a heritage or some death authority left by his memory. Or Zac ends up being the reason he loses it in the first place.
Rid
I could imagine him going the halfstep route, but he needs to go to Sanctuary before Monarchy. I think he needs info from Leandra/the hidden base to advance safely.
Jeff McCulley
But…Ogras isn’t Chinese, let alone from Earth. And doesn’t hang around any. I guess I could see someone from around the Miasma areas in the early books saying that, but you haven’t touched base with even the little healer in a long time. I realize it’s just my opinion, but the over the top cultural references are one of the few areas of the story that I put up with for the actual storytelling. Yes, I’m sure others feel differently.
Justin
Hey what chapter was it he ate a mountain again? Want to go back and re-read some of that arc because I dont recall the details just a vague sense of that happening. Thanks!
Amithyst Stonewall
With how much trouble just upgrading his core has been I personally am betting he *needs* to go to Sanctuary to find a way to hide for the next one (or find another heaven obscuring thing) Otherwise he's gonna be transitioning with another crispy core and that seems unwise when it'll be making his inner world.
Douglas Davis
Might be worth providing some sort of in story explanation for the reader? Between the dao and all the Buddhist references I feel like I'm already doing to much googling as it is to understand what's going on half the time.
Johnny_B
Well Ventus said there will be a calamity, he just doesn't now yet that Zac is its cause. Should have known better, Carl would have.
The First Defier
It's a Chinese idiom you'd encounter in translated cultivation novels. I like to throw such things in on occasion, especially with non-earth characters. Injected with chicken blood means becoming energetic/crazy. It's actually based on an old and wildly inaccurate belief that injecting yourself with chicken blood would help energize and revitalize a patient.
Jeff McCulley
“…Dao has transformed the minerals in unusual ways. Some have proven extremely useful for everything from smithing to formations.” A mine with unusual ores? Anyone else remembering that Alea is due for an upgrade (or two), and Zac could use a full set of Regalia?
Jeff McCulley
He just might find a way to fix his Void bloodline—and restock his Void Zone.
Jeff McCulley
I’m at least hoping he goes back for Ogras and Ventus first. What? We need an official countdown to disaster clock from Ventus!
Jeff McCulley
Yeah, I was wondering where that came from, too.
Blake N.
What effect does “injected with chicken blood” have on a shadow creature? I’m not sure I’ve ever heard that expression before and I can’t see any explanation of it tbh
Tim Johnson
Path of Exile.
Tartlet
PoE?
Silent Consent
He’s going to be the calamity, lol. Time to upgrade that bloodline and eat another mountain.
Edgar Segura
Amazing the anticipation is killing me great job
Chemistrywarrior
Zac feeling a pull from every side. Zac found a Mountain, void imbued Mountain. And it ends up in a laaaaaarge crater. What could possible have happened 😏
Tim Johnson
thinking of what the node map looks like has me thinking of the delve map from PoE :D
NiceTryMate
My best guess would be “The peak of unity”, a sibling to the solitary peak.
Henry Wartemberg
That sounds like it would fall under life and creation
Mateo Lopez
My guess is Zac will either have too, or be awarded a protospace. It’ll give him the power to complete his mission to Sanctuary. Which for a reminder is not only to get the shield for Kenzie but to also complete his knowledge and understanding on the Duplicity core. Which is critical to fusing back into one being.
Omiso
My guess for one of the missing peaks is a body/form cultivation Peak. The Peak of Impetus is focuses more on the mind. If the Heavenly Peak has a counter part in the Earthly Peak then is not unreasonable for Impetus which focuses on the mind to have a counter part that focuses on the body like eyes, ears, brains, nerves and other organs but also shapes, forms, material like chitin and coral. Things that conforms physical structures. Still just a guess since many peaks are subordinate to others and lets not forget there are hidden peaks out there, we still don't know the rules for those.
Mason W
“All the people die” Zac: “huh, weird!”
Omiso
Has Karma been confirmed to be his own Grand Peak?
Mason W
Countdown to Monarch! 99 chapters to go! 5-6 months, end of the Ultom arc is my bet.
Luke Scheffe
Grand tapestry and Karma are their own peaks. There is only one peak left to be revealed.
Bailey Tucker
As soon as he said "I guess I'll go in the mine," I immediately knew he was gonna eat that mountain.
NiceTryMate
The known peaks are Chaos, Conflict, Continuum, Earthly(inverse peak), Elements, Faith, Fantasy, Grand Tapestry(under order?), Heavenly, Impetus, Karma(under order too?), Nature, Order, Solitary, Stellar and Taiji. That makes for between 14 to 16 peaks. Any guesses for the last one-three?
Jeff McCulley
Don’t forget? An “anti-assassin” ability when going to the Hollow Court, the home of assassins.
Amithyst Stonewall
I have a feeling Zac's about to be a hungry boy again.
Jeff McCulley
Eat, blow up, same thing, isn’t it?
Jeff McCulley
“Earthy Peak” “The Earth always remembers.” A memory domain mountain. Of course, the three couldn’t *possibly* be connected, could they?
Omiso
If its the Kalasutra it would explain why the entity in the coffin saw Zac and said "you have returned" even though he's never been there. Zac though said entity was probably thinking about Karz but what if it was him all along, being there before by shenanigans of time travel.
Jeff McCulley
Well, then. TGINF! Thanks for the chapter!
NiceTryMate
Can’t wait to see what secrets the mountain holds! The rumors about a portal is the opposite of a deterrent for our boy, haha. Be it another Buddhist hell or paradise, they would both benefit Zac greatly. It will also be funny to see Ventus in a tizzy when things go tits up.
Omiso
"Dipper Mountains are blessed by one of the seventeen Celestial Kingdoms, the hidden Kingdom of Earth" I guess this confirms the Inverted Peak or Earthly Peak is an independent Grand Peak like Chaos and not a subordinate Peak like Creation. That also means Kenzie is aiming for 2 different but somewhat related Peaks (Heavenly and Earthly peaks). Just 4 more until we have all 17 names of the Peaks of Dao.
Joshua Little
Thanks for the chapter.
Scott Mingo
Zac, are you about to eat ANOTHER mountain? Need to go on a diet or something before they run out of landmarks.
Andrew
Thank you!
Merc715
Probably a joke bleeding over from the discord chat. Many, many moons ago TFD said C1.3K (Zac would hit C-grade by chapter 1300) and discord has been joking about it ever since.
Lex Luther S
Ohhhh boy what an upgrade ogras just got. Not only did he get more cooler, but he got a comprehensive upgrade. with such a tyrannical bloodline as Antuka’s, comsuming other shadows is insane. Along with an impairment involving the dao of shadows and ogras has to be close to forming his first earthly dao. Add on the other benefits that come with sealing a new beast and I wouldn't be surprised if his combat prowess increased by some 15-30%. And what an interesting memory domain they've encountered. To think zac would feel fates pull from every direction, insane. Even more insane is the fact he felt a streak of the void behind all that earthly dao. Maybe this'll be another chance for his bloodline to continue to recover.
Dragon
What?
Qybalt
Wow! Zac is finally C-grade!
J L
lolol
Matvey Mcgettigan
First
