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Chapter 1,285.
🕑 Added 2024-10-04 18:02:29 +0000 UTCA/N: A belayed thank you for re-upping and welcome new Patrons!
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Joanna clearly wanted to test her strength against the Indomitable Courts and find out if the Emperor's Spear had left something for her. Zac also knew that the threat of death would never make Joanna back down and give up on her path. The hesitation in her eyes came from something else, and Zac had a notion of what. Duty.
"Don't worry about me or the Atwood Empire," Zac urged. "The war is over, and we've accomplished enough. I'm certain the System has provided a path to survival."
"But the Undead Empire…" Joanna hesitated. "Wouldn't they have prepared a backup since something happened to Kator? He might even have been a diversion, seeing how far-reaching the plot of the divine races are."
Zac had been considering the same thing. The Primo's treasure could drastically impact the civil war brewing in the Undead Empire. There was no way they'd simply give up after Kator's failure. At the very least, the rebels would have come up with a new approach the moment the plan involving their two Autarchs failed.
"I'm sure they're up to something, but you know how difficult it is to find seals. We've seen how forcing fate is liable to backfire when the seals are involved. There'll be a limit to how many people they can scrounge up," Zac said. "Not to mention, I'm stronger now than when I fought Kator. Even an Eonic Seed will have a headache dealing with us after I've teamed up with Tavza."
"Then… I'll head to the Indomitable Court and see if there's an inheritance meant for me there," Joanna said.
The Valkyrie's whole demeanor shifted from the declaration. She emitted a heroic air as she got to her feet, like a general stepping onto the battlefield.
"You're setting out immediately?"
"I fear I'll start second-guessing myself if I linger by your side."
"Just one thing before you go," Zac said and took out the [Court Cycle Token]. Joanna tried infusing her will into it. Nothing changed. Zac shrugged and stowed it again. "I guess it's still early."
"If I die—"
Zac interjected before Joanna could finish the thought. "This is my only order. You're not allowed to die in this place. You're my spear, and our journey has only begun."
"…I hear your command. I'll try and gather clues about Left Imperial Palace. Master might have some unique insights."
"Don't bother. I'm still planning on avoiding that place," Zac waved his hand. "I'll stick to the lower courts and stay out of trouble."
Zac might have thrown his hat into the ring if he only had to worry about Ultom's Flameseeking trial. Wal'Zo, Ultom's Realm Spirit, had promised that multiple people could gain the First Era's inheritance. If true, Zac wouldn't be left with the hot potato of suddenly owning an Eternal Heritage. However, two trials had been woven into one, and Laondio's schemes had cast a haze of uncertainty over the whole trial.
"You're sitting this one out? When has that ever worked out for you?" Johanna laughed as she set out, heading straight for the Indomitable Court's pillar.
Zac scratched his chin as he watched Joanna disappear in the distance. She was undeniably right. So long as there was trouble, he'd end up right in the middle of it one way or another. It was the double-edged sword of wielding your own destiny, of having enough Luck to throw convention on its head.
"But if I stop fighting back against the winds of fate, can I even pretend I'm in control?" Zac muttered.
Zac didn't immediately set out. He first had some things he wanted to try. His Draugr side was already out of harm's way. Esmeralda had worked overtime, and they'd left the steppes a while back. The rampaging colony had already expanded their search beyond their domain, but the local tyrants weren't letting the ants act wantonly on their territory. A fierce war was being waged, providing the perfect cover for their escape.
Now that both sides were safe, Zac focused on his recent breakthrough. The small hatchet appeared before both bodies. Turning it on and off a few times confirmed his suspicions. He couldn't practice his Heart with only one body. His Dao Heart was like his Soul Aperture—he only had the one. As such, the woodsman hatchet would appear before both bodies or none.
Just looking at it, the Warbringer Idol filled Zac with warmth, partly because it shone slightly brighter compared to when he first conjured it. The phenomenon was the result of surviving the Monarchs' pursuit—the unique perk from [Warbringer Dharma]. While the idol was supercharged, cultivating his heart would yield much greater results.
The effect was time-limited, like Kill Energy, so Zac immediately began his heart nurturing. Practicing [Warbringer Dharma] was quite easy. He needed to hold onto the idol and let the feelings it elicited wash over him. Doing so formed a silent mantra that repeatedly affirmed his path. Zac also entered his Void State and found it boosted the effect by a small degree. It was good, but Zac could go even further.
Zac disrobed and took out his body-tempering clay. Soon enough, Zac was working on all three pillars of his path, moving from stance to stance with [Nine Reincarnation Manual]'s array disk in his hand. He still didn't have the next cultivation layers for his Soul or Body, but the law treasures he'd consumed had increased his capacity. Adding the benefits from [Void Emperor Apotheosis], there was still some room for growth.
The repeated affirmation of the [Warbringer Dharma] occupied a large part of one's psyche, yet it didn't add to the complexity of practicing multiple methods at once. Rather, it helped him harmonize his cultivation systems on a deeper level. The clash between Life and Death in his Soul Aperture became another symbol for his path, as did the Abyssal pools and golden hurricanes in his cells. There was nothing but his Dao.
Hours passed in the blink of an eye, and Zac only realized how wrung-out he was after stopping. His whole body throbbed painfully, and his mind was sluggish like he'd just woken up from a deep slumber. Zac shook off the fully-drained clay and sat down. The trial run more than met his expectations. The Heart Tempering Sutra had made the pull of the Void almost twice as strong.
Only a small part of the benefit came from the sutra itself. The greatly increased absorption speed was the benefit of completing the enkindling cycle between the Heart, Body, and Soul. The Void now increased his normal cultivation speed by half, provided he had the resources. That caveat, unfortunately, meant his new Heart Tempering Manual couldn't benefit from the Void. Zac didn't have any treasures that could directly nourish one's Dao Heart.
This wasn't a problem for his Body or Soul. He had plenty of crystals and Natural Treasures stockpiled in his Spatial Rings—for now. His resources weren't unlimited, and the demands would exponentially increase after he began practicing the next layers. Even if he could stomach the cost at that point, where would he source good enough treasures? Like the original manuals mentioned, he'd have to practice inside blessed environments and rely on its ambient energy.
The results were mostly in line with Zac's expectations. The only surprise was how drained a single session had left him. He'd have to hold back a bit unless both bodies were in seclusion. Since he was in no state to resume his journey, he refocused on the Holy Relic. While potentially extremely useful, holding onto it came with very real risks.
The general hadn't been able to uncover its exact location, but the Limitless Empire had been able to track its general whereabouts. A high-grade templar could potentially sense the Imperial Faith even when hidden by the Technocrat container. The Limitless Empire might also have arrays designed to expose Selvari tech, so the box itself could potentially get him in trouble.
There was also his own situation to worry about. He'd only triggered the rosary because of his unnatural state of mind, but his link to the Empyrean Chalice could potentially be exposed through other means. Zac had prepared a lot of things for the trial, but upgrading his concealment equipment like his presence-weakening hoods and aura-containing bracer was not on that list.
He hadn't expected he might need to elude the watchful gaze of long-dead templars at C-grade or higher, especially not during an age-restricted trial. Thankfully, Esmeralda was the perfect person to consult on hiding ill-gotten gains and avoiding exposure.
"I'm surprised there's something on you that can cause such a reaction. I never noticed anything off about you. Well, beyond the other things that make you such a weirdo," Esmeralda said after Zac shared his experience.
Zac hadn't expected her to discover the mark. Esmeralda's methods were amazing, but she was limited by her current form. The Kayar-Elu's modified Duplicity Core worked on perception, and it was powerful enough to trick even Autarchs into thinking nothing was odd with his body.
Unfortunately, the Duplicity Core only changed what one saw when scanning his body. It wouldn't help if he were unknowingly transmitting a Holy Son-signal to the universe.
"You'd need extremely high levels of Imperial Faith to notice anything. So high-grade members of the order," Esmeralda offered.
"But those are the people that can kill me," Zac said with a roll of his eyes. "Do you really not have any ideas?"
"Wouldn't your heaven-obscuring abilities work?"
"Probably." [Void Zone] and [Void Mountain] hid his presence in different ways, and covering his body with the Void would likely obscure any mark of Imperial Faith. "But there's a limit to how long I can keep those abilities going."
"I have a few tricks that don't rely on my Dao or bloodline, but they're only so-so. I don't think they'd fool a bishop or cardinal," Esmeralda helplessly said. "I guess there's another option. Find the local resistance."
"What resistance?" Zac said. "The technocrats who raided the monastery?"
"They're one option, but you already have their tech," Esmeralda shrugged. "There's bound to be more like them. Any faction will have internal dissent, especially overbearing ones like the Limitless Empire. Most of them are bound to be disorganized rabble, but any real opposition should have means to escape the Empire's watchful eye."
"How would I find a group like that?" Zac said as he looked out at the empty wilderness. "Would rebels without Imperial Faith even leave memory lanterns?"
"Probably not. I should be able to smoke some of them out if we visit a larger city. Until then, don't act suspiciously. Being marked by faith shouldn't normally be a problem. There's no lack of warriors who have trained with the templars or fought by their side. You were just unlucky encountering an army that happened to be investigating a recent robbery. As for the box, just leave it outside next time you enter a domain."
Emeralda's words made sense, but Zac still didn't feel safe. There was one more thing he wanted to try. He took out the relic again and placed it atop the box before taking a few steps back. Zac activated [Void Zone] next, fully suppressing the Dao in his surroundings. From there, he slowly inched closer to the treasure, ready to escape at a moment's notice.
As effective as the Technocrat box was, it couldn't even be put into a spatial treasure while holding the relic. That was how Zac could sense it in the first place. There was, however, one subspace that had a decent chance of being able to contain the Void Treasure—the one made by [Purity of the Void].
Zac had steadily expanded his purification space since the Zenith Elixir reopened it for business, and it was already large enough that it could fit the fist-sized Holy Relic. Hiding the item inside his personal Void should be even more effective than the container, and he could take it out with his other half in case someone caught its scent. Having it inside his body would also let him study its mysteries at any time.
Only, hiding it there seemed extremely dangerous. [Purity of the Void] wouldn't consider Imperial Faith impurities to be purged, but the golden runes sealing the rock were clearly designed to deal with the Void. They might go berserk if surrounded by the Void, which was why Zac first wanted to test the waters with [Void Zone].
Zac held his breath as [Void Zone]'s border touched upon the stone's edges. It remained calm, even when fully submerged. Zac curiously looked at the unchanging runes. He'd expected something to happen. If not a fierce rejection, at least a slight weakening. But it appeared his Bloodline Talent had absolutely no effect on the Void.
Was it because of the pattern they formed, or was the faith instilled so powerful his bloodline was helpless before it? If it were the latter, then breaking past the cage would involve huge risks and a lot of effort.
Zac's Void also failed to resonate with the rock itself, but he noticed that the expenditure for his Bloodline Talent had almost doubled. It almost seemed like the rock was consuming it without making contact. Could that be the key to breaking it out? He continued his experiments for a while longer, only stopping short of attacking the runes with [Void Mountain]'s spiritual extinction. He wasn't ready for a direct clash yet.
By all accounts, the Holy Relic was completely stable and absolutely useless. Just what did the templars see in this thing? Finally, Zac threw the thing into [Purity of the Void]. Beyond releasing a few tendrils of dark smoke, the relic didn't seem to mind. The smoke was the purification of the minuscule amounts of Earthly Taint lodged in the paint.
[Purity of the Void] didn't cost much Void Energy, so the added expenditure wasn't much of a burden. And without having to hold a mysterious Void Treasure, the Technocrat box went into his Spatial Ring without any complaints. Everything dealt with, Zac set out again. The throbbing pain from his wound remained, but his heart felt light.
Meeting Joanna allowed Zac to finally relax and focus on his mission. She had her own path and skillset and she didn't need his saving. If anything, he'd ended up putting her in danger by running to her side. The other sealbearers were similarly capable of taking care of themselves. They'd survived both the intersector war's brutal meatgrinder and the Imperial Graveyard.
What they needed now was the opportunity to hone their path, and the Left Imperial Expanse was the perfect place for it. That didn't necessarily mean striking out alone like Joanna. What was important was that they pursued their path instead of getting swept up in his, and that they fully shouldered the weight of that decision.
Comments
David Ballantyne
Ok, so Zac has decided to not try for the inner court despite what Walzo told him. Is he not worried about saying that aloud here though? Walzo threatened to remove him for his lack of ambition when they met. Also: But it appeared his Bloodline Talent had absolutely no effect on the Void. - shouldn't it be no effect on the runes?
Tommy
"Don't bother. I'm still planning on avoiding that place," Zac waved his hand. Oh come on Zac. You should know by now your plans to avoid shit never work out! You’ll end up in the thick of it and make off with all the treasure like a divine bandit 😂😂
Joshua Little
Thanks for the chapter.
Jeff McCulley
Yeah, no, Lex. There’s a vanishingly small chance it’s the Sangha. The “clacking” indicates an abacus in use, while beads in a necklace would merely “click”—and we’ve never heard them make a sound when being worn. All that aside from the simple fact that the speaker didn’t use a single honorific when addressing Ogras, which seems to be de rigeur for these Buddhists. More likely to be Thea than the Sangha. And I’m pretty sure she tossed her beads. Ventus talked about how ever diminishing fate would lead to his death if he didn’t join Zac. I’d guess he’s in diminished circumstances, and lost the cool abacus as one of those constrictions of fate.
Lex Luther S
The beads point towards the sangha and it's likely Everlasting peace or one of the other Buddhists. The only reason I'm not worried is because they took an oath not to harm zac or his followers so even if those two did run into each other, I doubt it came to blows, especially if it's Everlasting peace.
Lex Luther S
Boy oh boy 4 chapters this week. Can't wait to see what's to come.
Jeff McCulley
Point of fact. The beads of the abacus Ventus had thirty years ago (in his time stream, 23 years in Perennial Vastness) weren’t wooden. Just went back and reread his sections. He said himself that half his skill and abilities wouldn’t work inside the trial. I’ll hardly be surprised if that abacus wasn’t one of them. And if it’s not Ventus, Ogras only ran away again anyway. Like a bat out of hell.
MythWizard
Jeff you are certainly tracking this better than I. I'll stipulate to your assessment.
Dev Rez
Ventus' beads aren't wooden
King Eater
Thank you!
Jeff McCulley
Stray thought struck me. Seems to me that Tavza is likely closer to H-Zac, heading towards the Hollow Court. So…how is that Draugr Tracker supposed to work with his human body? H-Zac doesn’t have the bloodline. Tavza sure won’t be able to pick up his human body. And, she’s not exactly in good shape for a hostile environment, surrounded by monsters, so she needs to run into Zac soon. Guess that’s another pickup for numerologist Ventus and his clacking beads?
Jeff McCulley
Sure we do. Everyone who was on the Yphelion with Zac made it, aside from one of Ibtep, Jaol, Rhuger and Bubbur. Plus Rhubat, Thea and Ventus, at the very least.
Uriah Ranney
Monday, Wednesday, Friday
King Eater
What are the normal posting days? They changed while I was unsubbed and I can't find it posted.
Markus
That's just the build up. We know when it's time to meets everyone shit will hit the fan.
MythWizard
Its time for Zac's "elite" team who actually made it to the Left Imperial Expanse (for some didn't) to stand on their own and seek out their Outer Court fortunes and treasures within those Memory Domains. Its time for them to advance and grow. Zac's going to need their help with what's coming. They'll all eventually come together. But not until they each evolve to the next level through those 9 Pillars of Light. Again we don't know yet who made, except for Ogras and Joanna.
Lex Luther S
I'm not talking about his bloodline breaking through to the C grade. I'm talking about his bloodlines talents evolving. Sorta like how that roach was going to have a bloodline evolution into a primordial battle roach except instead of zacs bloodline itself evolving, it'll be the talents that evolve. Void heart may get a bigger pull and appetite. Void zone may grow larger or have weight to it. Purity of the void might be expanded to hold much more dao. There's so many ways evolving zacs bloodline talents beyond their current capabilities would effect and boost zac.
Harley Shockley
It won’t be a bloodline Upgrade unless he reaches monarch. A bloodline cannot be upgraded past a cultivator’s rank.
M💬
Does the Atwood academy have an elite group? I can remember if that was ever mentioned
ClaySavage
Oh, I wanna knows more about them so bad. The Echelon class. I know they were all kind of too young to participate in Ultam. But I hope they make a grand appearance in the next ark. Like think Villari’s a bad ass and she’s similar in nature to them.
ClaySavage
I envision a moment where the void stone in his void pocket gets the faith seal eroded away by accident in the middle of something. As his void pocket purifies things. At that moment, bloodline upgrade equaling void pockets open up all over this realm, eating all the valuable treasures. This has happened before a couple of times. Now all those resources that he needs, but would be hard to find our in his void space/world. The one he stole a bunch of stuff from the one time he managed to get in. It had items from all the times his bloodline went out of control and ate stuff.
Jeff McCulley
Those other factions you’re seeing with cohesive support are the juniors of the established factions. Even though the Atwood Empire is still essentially nascent, just look at the support the Echelon Class is getting. That will continue to grow and blossom.
Omiso
Zac is partially an outsider of his faction, while travelling to many wonderous and dangerous places the people back on earth keep moving without him. Even during the war he mentioned how half the people of calamity company had died during the campaign and how his time is consumed in cultivation, fighting and dealing with the other factions. Anzonil told Zac, those were the task of a Sect Patriarch, always traveling always growing as strong as possible while sending resources and opportunities for the sect to grow while the Sect leader and the rest of the administrators manage the day to day activities and if something big happens to show up and put an end to that nonsense. In a way Zac is doing his job, not the one he might like but the one he needs to fulfill even if it can feel a little lonely at times.
Hartmann
The whole Empire building and leading isn't really Zac's path or interest. He's best at going at it alone. Him actually having a buddy in Esmeralda who he has much in common with will do him good.
Silent Consent
The whole arch seems a bit disjointed to me. Like Zack is completely isolated from his own subordinates and his empire. You look at the other main players and they have a much more cohesive force. I know he hasn’t had much time to build that kind of thing but two years of war later and he still feels like an outsider in his own faction. It’s weird.
D
Thank you
Jeff McCulley
Short and to the point!
Jeff McCulley
Well. If that last sentence wasn’t the perfect cue for a POV chapter, I don’t know what is.
Dominic Fox
.
Lex Luther S
This feels like the perfect point for a time skip. Damn right. Don't you go dieing Joanna. You have so much more to offer as zacs spear and for his empire. It seems the full benefit of his new cultivation manual is extraordinary and he once again lessens the gap between him and those like Iz. The issue on resources will be a problem and I really look forward to how TFD solves that. Man that stone really is strange. I'm wondering if it can be used to add genuine weight to his void zone, evolving the bloodlines talent in a unique way. Or it may evolve all his talents so can't wait for that. As for his followers. Really looking forward to this trials end because they're all gonna be reborn monsters that even elite heavens chosen would think thrice before fighting against.
Lucas Gulick
Tftc!
Andrew
Thank you!
Russ
Thanks
